#these are just reaching but its also about the hunger. horror not eating for 7 years. luka not eating (as much as he SHOULD) since childhood

[sotogalmo]

11:20

Luka from ALNST🤝Horror sans from Horrortale: (in tags)

[beepen]

Hello gays and gays only. You may have known me as dicks-out-for-adam :) felt a little nostalgic and wanted to post a little something for the adashi tag. Happy pride and happy summer, here’s two hockey players getting midnight snacks on a road trip.

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

“Adam….”

Adam stirred in his sleep, nuzzling further into his pillow. His sore muscles protested his awakening and he couldn’t agree with them more. He wanted to continue sleeping….

“Adam.”

“No….”

Let him sleep. He loved sleeping.

“Adam!”

A poke to his shoulder had him scrambling for his dreams to come back, reaching for them and wanting to cover himself in them like a blanket. But they were already too far away and Adam was already too awake.

He sighed, saddened by his loss. “What?”

“Are you up?”

“No.”

“Do you want Mcdonald’s?”

His stomach immediately reacted at the question, growling, and Adam finally opened his eyes to peer over at Takashi kneeling beside his bed.

“Are you serious?” Adam said, voice cracking from sleep and hissing as he stretched his aching limbs.

“Yeah, I’m serious. Do you want some or not?”

Ignoring his question for the moment, Adam reached for his phone. He squinted at the brightness as he read the time. “Takashi. It’s 12 A.M.”

“I know.”

“Did you even sleep?”

Takashi chose not to answer, instead he rose to his feet, his tall frame now towering over Adam’s horizontal form. Adam noticed even in the dark that he was dressed to go out.

“Can you answer my question, please?” Takashi said, his entire being now starting to radiate impatience.

Adam sighed again and rubbed his eyes, giving his hunger levels a once over. He didn’t really have much time to eat except for a couple bananas and a protein shake after the game. The others went to have dinner together but Adam was beat and set out to his hotel room, where he made a quick change into some shorts and literally sunk into the mattress. His stomach was now beating him up for not having a proper meal. He lost so many calories during the game that his body was in a starving state.

“Well?” Takashi crossed his arms and glared down at him. He was probably hungry too.

“I am hungry….” Adam sat up in the bed, keeping the blankets over his shoulders for warmth. “But I don’t want Mcdonald’s.”

In fact, the idea of it made his stomach recoil a bit. He didn’t mind the fast food usually, but after waking up from a deep sleep? Not ideal.

Takashi was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking. He then pulled out his phone and began typing on it.

“Do you feel like walking?” Takashi asked.

Adam shrugged. A midnight walk didn’t sound awful. He actually enjoyed them if he was in the company of a friend or two.

“There’s a 24/7 convenience store five minutes from here.” Takashi looked up from his phone to stare at him, inquiring. “Do you want me to pick something up for you?”

Adam thought about it. On one side, he wanted to stay in bed. The hotel room was especially cozy, and the city lights outside his window tried to lure him back to sleep. And looking at the streets below, he noticed fresh snowfall. He could stay inside, safe from the cold, and wouldn’t have to get dressed either.

But on the other hand, it was only a five minute walk, and walking in the snow sounded just as inviting as laying in the warmth of his bed. And Takashi would be there with him. That idea alone had Adam craving something similar to companionship, but not quite. He couldn’t quite explain it. Something about walking around in the middle of the night, seeking food with his best friend in a city constantly bustling with college students who were also out on a walk, whether for food as well or from a club…it was like nostalgia, in a way. But Adam could not recall ever doing such a thing in the past. Maybe with family or old friends, but never so late.

“Okay.” Adam made up his mind, stretching one more time before pulling the covers away.

Takashi tilted his head, looking for a clearer answer to his question than the one he was provided with. “Okay, what?”

“Okay, let’s go to the convenience store.”

“You want to come with me?”

“Yeah.”

“Alrighty. Hurry up then. I’m starving.”

In less than five minutes, they were exiting the hotel elevator and made their way outside through the grand lobby. It was quiet, and their footsteps echoed against the smooth tile. The receptionist paid them no mind.

As soon as they stepped outside, it was even quieter. The snow had built a heavy blanket over the sidewalks and parked cars, muffling the sounds of the city. Passing vehicles drove carefully over the salted roads and squelched over gray sludge. Only a few groups of people mingled about, most of whom were inside the many cafes and diners in the area, trying to stay someplace warm for a bit.

And walking beside Adam was Takashi, who made it his duty to talk Adam’s ear off. In the five minutes it took for them to reach the corner store, Takashi was on his tenth topic of conversation, water-vapor blowing from his mouth in short puffs of smoke from the cold. And when the doors slid open for them, his voice lowered into a low mumble to match the volume of the store.

It continued like this as they wandered down all six aisles of the small shop. Their conversation quickly shifted to food as they eyed various snacks and groceries. Shopping while hungry was dangerous, and Adam tried to suppress his urge to buy everything he craved. The team was leaving for a different city tomorrow morning, so the less baggage the better. He just needed something he could eat and dispose of quickly.

He had to constantly remind Takashi of this as well.

“Ha, look.”

Adam turned away from the many versions of Cheez Its to peer over at what Takashi was pointing at. He grimaced. “Sour Patch Kids cereal?”

“Sounds gross right?” Takashi laughed, then paused to stare at the abomination for a moment. “I want it.”

“You’re disgusting.”

It took Adam a few tries to convince the impulsive man that he shouldn’t buy it. Takashi only agreed with him after Adam pointed out that if he bought cereal, he’d have to buy milk, and what was he going to do with the milk tomorrow? Leave it at the hotel? Dump it and waste money? Bring it with him on the bus and risk spoiling it?

“I’ll just eat as much cereal as I can with it and then drink the rest if I have to.”

That resulted in Adam snatching the box from a laughing Takashi and placing it back on the shelf.

After more wandering, they eventually found food suitable for their cravings: Adam decided on a premade buffalo chicken wrap, hot chocolate, and a bag of hot fries, while Takashi settled on a lunchable, chocolate milk, and four Slim Jims. They paid and traveled back to the hotel, eating their snacks on the way.

Adam watched with absolute horror as Takashi opened up each Slim Jim, held them in one hand, and bit into all four in one bite.

“Takashi.”

The barbarian glanced down at him, asking what was up with a mouth full of Slim Jims.

Adam gave him a disappointed look. “Why?”

His only response was a goofy smile.

Upon arriving at their shared hotel room, Takashi’s Slim Jims were gone, Adam’s hot chocolate was warm enough to finally drink from, and his bag of hot fries was half empty, courtesy of both Takashi and himself.

“What lunchable did you get?” Adam asked as Takashi unlocked their door. Pushing it open, Takashi marched inside, singing his answer to Adam’s question with a light voice.

“Pizzaaa~”

“Of course~” Adam sang back.

They convened in Adam’s room with the rest of their food. Well, more like Adam had walked to his room and Takashi simply followed. Adam of course didn’t mind.

They easily melted into their usual comfortable and laid back routine, chatting on the bed as they chowed down. Takashi was very particular in how he set up his mini pizzas; the order absolutely had to be sauce, then cheese, then pepperoni. Adam pointed out that if he placed the pepperonis down before the cheese, he could use them to spread the sauce around evenly. Takashi looked at him as if he was the one who had bit into four Slim Jims all at once.

“Heretic,” Takashi accused him, and when Adam kicked his leg, he threatened to crush him if he did it again. Adam didn’t hesitate—he kicked Takashi again.

Takashi stared at him with a twinkling, impish look in his eyes. “You have until I finish my lunchable to apologize.”

Apparently by ‘crush’ Takashi meant plopping his entire body on top of Adam’s.

Once they finished their food and after Takashi felt Adam was adequately crushed, they settled into a comfortable silence, laying side by side. It wasn’t until Adam whipped out his phone to scroll through social media that Takashi repositioned himself on his side, head on Adam’s shoulder as he watched him scroll mindlessly.

Adam didn’t mind. He trusted Takashi, and if anything weird popped up, he knew Takashi’s socials were probably even weirder. That didn’t stop his commentary though.

“Kinky.”

“Shut up.”

Takashi chuckled, the breathy kind. The type of laugh that was only a puff of air and a soft hum. It brushed against Adam’s skin. His heart felt like it was blooming.

“Do you want to finish that one walkthrough?” Adam whispered, and he mayhaps turned his face a little so his nose could bump against Takashi’s.

Takashi hummed his affirmation, eyelids drooping. His breath once more tickled Adam’s skin.

Knowing they were going to fall asleep, they both decided to discard their jeans. Adam changed into the same shorts he had slept in before while Takashi remained in his boxers, too tired to travel the distance to his room. Adam didn’t want him to anyway. He knew Takashi would probably fall right asleep in his own bed if he left to change, and Adam wasn’t quite ready to give up his companionship just yet. He wanted to stay close, nuzzling his shoulder back underneath Takashi’s head to reclaim their position from before. Takashi happily obliged and let out a sigh so blissful one would think he had found the gates of heaven. Adam tried his best to ignore the way his skin prickled, how his heart felt opened and exposed like a blossoming flower. He swallowed it all down and played the video game walkthrough they started watching together last week.

Ten minutes in and Takashi was sound asleep, warm and comfortable against Adam’s side. Adam wanted to soak himself in that warmth, bury himself in it. Every point of contact between them was set aflame: the head on Adam’s shoulder, the arm resting flush against his, and the knee laying on top of his thigh. It was a loving and furious kind of heat, one that battled against the snowfall outside.

The best sleep awaited Adam, one he had no issue in partaking in. He only wished he could stay awake a little longer to appreciate all that was around him, like the soft mattress, the heavy duvet splayed over his form, the soft light protruding from the window and the now quiet city beneath it. And Takashi, dreaming beside him.

Soon, Adam will be dreaming as well, but before he could submit to the warm embrace of a good night’s rest, he turned his head until it bumped against Takashi’s.

Adam exhaled a final sigh, and drifted off to the lullaby of Takashi’s soft breathing.

[pinkispoggers]

I Am Yours | Maul x Reader

word count: 4.1k

warnings: nsfw, dirty talk, pet names, slight blood, language

a/n: this is the second chapter to my Long Nights Series (idk about a series) you can find the first one here 

(yes this was also done on samsung notes so it took a while)

summary: after a bit of a mess, the little secret of what you did last night is not so secret anymore

enjoy :) 

• as the sun starts to set, you start to rise 

• only to be alone and very, very sore in your nether regions 

• you look down from your covers to see if everything is alright 

• and to your horror everything is not ok 

• there's blood everywhere 

• your first instinct is to scream bloody murder 

• so that's exactly what you do 

• and finally you hear loud ass footsteps running for the door 

•ofc you thought it was savage 

•but you really didn't want him knowing about what happened or getting suspicious 

• but what got you on edge 

• was the sudden crackling sound, you knew far to well as a lightsaber 

• suddenly savage, or who you thought was savage, put in the code and pushed open the door so hard that you had thought it was going to break 

• and to your surprise it was both of them 

• as soon as maul saw the tear rolling down your cheek, he ran straight for you 

• they usually both fight for your attention and you don't really know why 

• so you weren't shocked that savage too, was rushing to your side 

• you almost started laughing when savage almost pushed maul to the ground 

• earning a snarl from maul who got to you first anyway 

• "are you alright baby girl?" 

• savage looked over at maul slightly angry 

• "maul don't call her that" 

• maul groaned in response 

• "but really what's wrong angel?" 

• once you finally came out of shock, you shimmied off of the bloody mess that was still quite new 

• "what the fuck" savage gasped in horror 

• "it's just a bit of blood savage, calm down" the red zabrak sighed 

• "IT'S NOT A BIT OF BLOOD, ITS ALOT OF BLOOD" the yellow zabrak cried 

• "will you two not right now?" 

• the two of them stopped and turned at you in surprise 

• "I need to go clean myself ok?" 

• "yes whatever you need" the red zabrak cleared his throat 

• you padded out to the refresher to see what was going on 

• you looked down and the look on your face was of pure terror 

• something had split or broken 

• "fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck" 

• you had no idea how to react to this situation 

• all you could think is that you needed a warm towel and some alone time with your holonet to try to calm down 

• when you were finally done inspecting the wound, you walked out of the refresher and down the hall were the two men were standing there anxious waiting for your arrival 

• "are you alright y/n?" The brothers say simultaneously 

• "no, and i'm going to need a lot of time alone" 

• "oh alright" the yellow zabrak sighed" 

• "you know" the other zabrak tsked "you could always come to me if you need something" 

• "oh maul always so caring" 

• "am I caring too y/n?" Savage asked right as your turning away 

• "always" you reassured him 

• you make your way to your quarters 

• your about to turn on your holonet 

• when you hear a deep voice you could only make out as savage 

• "did you fucking do something to her?" 

• you want to eavesdrop but you don't want to be rude 

• then you hear maul speak 

• "first of all calm down savage, and second of all I didn't do anything" 

• "yes you did i can sense it" 

• oh how you really wanted to eavesdrop 

• "no the fuck i didn't" maul growled 

• oh fuck now there getting into a fight, you thought 

• the two start raising their voices, cursing in dathomirian strings you didn't quite understand 

• you were quite tired of their bickering 

• so you turned on the holonet to drown them out 

• "oooo, a new episode of Keeping Up With the Hutts was on ~~~~~~~~ 

• about 7 minutes into the holonet 

• you hear quiet hushed voices 

• you instantly turn the H.N off to go eavesdrop 

• "fine, I may have-" maul was cut off 

• "I fucking knew it maul" savage growled 

• "no-" 

• "WHAT DID YOU DO?" 

• "fine, calm down, before I get tackled again, i might as well tell you" 

• "go on" 

• you were definitely listening in now 

• you wanted to know what happened too 

• you had hopes that you would find out what happened 

• "well... please don't lash out on me savage" 

• savage growled in response 

• "i may or may not practiced a more intimate form of spooning" 

• "maul, your going to have to be more specific" 

• a soft grown tumbled from mauls lips 

• "we practiced cockwarming ok" 

• "MAUL YOU CAN'T" 

• "why not?" Maul smirked 

• "YOU HURT HER DUMB FUCK" 

• "let me get to the point" 

• you were on the brink of laughter at the bickering but you know you couldn't blow your cover" 

• "i knotted in her" 

• "WHA- WH- WHA- WHA- YOU FUCKING KNOTTED IN HER" 

• "yes and I am afraid I might have broke something it her" 

• "WELL NO SHIT" 

• you were very worried at this point 

• you had no idea what knotting was 

• and you were very curious but you didn't want to come out 

• but you knew you had to so you trusted your gut and stepped out 

• the brothers were absolutely horrified by your presence 

• and the look on your face 

• it was a look mixed with confusion and horror 

• they knew by this point that you had been listening to their whole conversation 

• the red zabrak broke the silence 

• "so how what did you watch on the holon-" 

• "what's knotting?" you interrupted 

• "fuck" maul mumble under his breath 

• "excuse me savage, while I go talk to her in private" 

• savage just looked maul straight in the eye and looked away 

• "ok then. c'mon y/n" 

• you said nothing as you followed him outside 

• it was late in the evening 

• maul had landed the turtle on the far side of the beautiful planet ithor 

• he only landed here to get away for awhile and to try to get closer to the force therefore helping himself to meditate stronger 

• it was a win win because maul liked that there was no civilization 

• savage liked it because there were lots of fauna 

• which was very important if he wanted to eat 

• he's very picky about his food, he only eats meat 

• so of course he loves hunting 

• but something that you learned over the past 2 years of traveling with the brothers 

• is that when savage brings food in 

• if you didn't eat fast, you didn't eat at all 

• and you love it because of all of the trees and spots you could hideaway in 

• and in a flash you were outside 

• you didn't know exactly how maul knew but he brought you down to your favorite hideaway 

• it was a little cave, but it had a lot of meaning to you as you had become quite attached to it 

• so you weren't going to be happy when you had to leave 

• you both sat on the rocks near the little creek you had made 

• almost as if you were meditating 

• "so," you snorted 

• maul frowned 

• he knew he would have to explain sooner rather than later 

• "alright I guess i will get to the point. 

• in my species, we tend to do something called knotting" 

• oh if you could only see your face because maul was on the brink of laughing when he saw it 

• a mixture of confusion and well... confusion 

• "ya know, I probably won't understand what you're talking about. But I tend to learn better with hands on experience" you teased 

• "y/n... your injured, we can't" 

• you weren't thinking when you got on top of him, straddling his waist, your already soaking entrance over his groin 

• "oh really?" a devilish grin paints your features 

• maul lets out a loud snarl to let you know that he is serious 

• "keep this up, and I promise you won't be able to walk for a month" 

• you knew he was serious but again you didn't care 

• you started rotating your hips over his increasing excitement as you had picked up from last night 

• before you could speak again, he was hovering over you 

• "don't fucking tempt me y/n" 

• "why not" you gazed into his eyes, the eyes that were now filled with lust 

• "because I swere to god, I will fuck you into next week, I swere you will have to tell savage you are sick so you can stay in bed" 

• you reached up to grip his horn 

• as maul snarls, you pull our hand back immediately thinking about how it could possibly hurt him 

• "touch them" 

• "what-?" 

• "did I fucking stutter. my horns. touch them" 

• once again you reach up to touch them 

• you end up massaging them as you've seen maul rubbing them while he's alone 

• but when he caught you watching him... 

• touch himself? 

• he stopped instantly and growled at you 

• so you just assumed it brought him much pleasure 

• he was purring. hard 

• but when you hit a certain spot 

• the lust in his eyes turned into pure, primal hunger 

• you didn't even get to take a good look at him before he was ripping of your thin dressy gown 

• and under him was a beautiful woman that all he wanted to do to her is ravish her through the night 

• you were very exposed, and wanted a little more privacy 

• you tried squirming out of his grip so you could maybe get him to follow you to inside of the cave were you could have a little privacy 

• "and were might you think your going kitten?" he purred through a growl 

• "well wouldn't you like some more privacy? you wouldn't want savage finding out now would you?" 

• "no I would not" 

• you both got up to go into the cave-ish place by the creek to have a more private time 

• "now lie down" the zabrak looks you dead in the eye 

• "maul, it's all rock" 

• he points to a sand bed on the right of him over in the far corner 

• you rush over to the corner with maul not far behind 

• as you lie on your back, maul again, tops you 

•he leans in so that his chin is just above your ear 

• "now you do as I say. understand kitten?" 

• you give him a slight nod as a sign of confirmation 

• he started to bathe you in kisses 

• not sparing an inch of you was spared by him 

•he palmed your breast, fingers toying with your nipple, earning a moan from you 

• from your neck, he glides down to your navel nipping at your soft skin along the way 

• each nip came along with a hard suck 

• a suck that would leave a red and purple mark for a week or two 

• "You're going to be a good girl aren't you?" 

• he looks downwards in shock 

• "everything alright?" You panic 

•"yes kitten, you are soaking and I have barely even touched you. so eager for me to have my way with you" a devilish smirk painted his face 

• "y-yes m-maul" you whimper 

• and with that, he rubbed his thumb in lazy circles around your clit 

• you were already a moaning mess at this point 

• you didn't know if you could last much longer 

• maul knew this and took advantage of the opportunity 

• he plunged 1 finger in and out of you 

• your moans were loud and heavy 

• you were very much on the edge right now 

• "you love this, don't you y/n?" 

• you could barely talk nor really move except for the shaking in your legs 

• which he held down using the force 

• so you nod in response 

• he adds a second finger in your sex 

• now you are beginning to see stars now 

• "m-maul I'm about t-to c-cum" 

• the instant he hears those words drip from your lips, he pulls his fingers out of your core 

• the shock hits you instantly 

• and as soon as you come down you stare at him as soon as he comes back up to your neck 

• his hot breath on your skin is enough to get you aroused again 

• "you will not cum until i tell you. do you understand?" 

• right now there was no way to say no 

• you didn't want to waste a good opportunity 

• "y-yes maul" 

• "now can you take my cock?" 

• you nodded up at him 

• "i need you" is all you can manage to get out 

• "tell me how you need me kitten" 

• something sparked in you. something dangerous and wild 

• something you didn't know quite how to use to get your way with 

• you glared at him with lust and heat in your eyes 

• "I need you to show me how much of a sith you really are. to fuck me so hard all I see is stars for the rest of the day. I'm yours maul." 

• "i. am. yours." 

• he had never seen this side of you and was very spooked by these actions of yours 

• but did he give a fuck 

• no 

• he wanted you and you only 

• for you to be spread out for him and only him 

• he got on his knees as he straddled you 

• he growled as he looked at you with a smile 

• "you have asked, now you shall receive" he growled 

• he starts to undress himself 

• as he started taking off his top robes 

• you couldn't help but stare at his tattooed skin 

• it was so pretty 

• you reached out to touch it but maul flinched back 

• "o-oh I'm sorry" 

• "no its fine, just old memories" 

• you slowly reached out again to touch him 

• his skin was surprisingly soft 

• you traced every inch of his tattoos, feeling his muscles ripple under soft touch 

• you traced up his neck and to his horns 

• your gaze, mischievous and you start to softly rub around the area 

• "y/n-" 

• a growl left his throat as he pressed his lips on yours. 

• this time the kiss was full of passion and lust 

• It was messy and needy and left you shivering from the intensity you were met with 

• you greeted his tongue as it slipped into your mouth, taking complete dominance over the kiss as well as your body 

• his hands are now wrapped around your neck 

• not tight but not loose either 

• he retracts himself off of your mouth 

• leaving you hungry for more 

• "don't you do that now" 

• "why- not" you ask once again 

• "because" he almost rips his under robes as he pulled them off to free his already hard member 

• it was just how you remembered it 

• but a tad bit larger 

• "damn" you gasp 

• "this is why" maul purrs ever so slightly 

• you buck your hips forward, signaling him that you are ready 

• "dirty girl" maul tks 

• all four and spread em'" a low snarl tumbled from his lips 

• "yes master" 

• a devilish look spread across his face as he gave you a look that could only be translated as pure lust 

• he lines himself up with your sex 

• he gave you no time to get adjusted to the tip before he was balls deep in you 

• something much different then a growl came dripping from his lips 

• more of a roar 

• moans were the only thing that you could make out 

• the feeling as you took all of it 

• he was massive 

• that mixed with the fact he had ridges 

• oh gods you were in heaven 

• but it was so so wrong at the same time 

• being fucked by a fearsome sith lord was not something you ever thought you would ever be doing 

• his thrusts are powerful 

• long and hard 

• you grip the rocks around you 

• his tip brushing against your g spot 

• you want to scream so loud 

• you throw your head back 

• the pain instantly turns to pleasure 

• he starts ruling lazy circles around your clit 

• you can't focus anymore 

• his pace intensifying, ramming into you 

• you pace yourself along with his thrusts 

• again you are already seeing stars 

• "mau-" 

• he starts applying pressure to your bud 

• "you can come for me my dear" 

• his words are enough to send you into the abyss of pleasure you've been craving 

• your orgasm violently takes over your body as you spasm out 

• the feeling of your pussy clenching around his cock was all it took for maul to cum too 

• filling you up with his hot cum 

• but what you were not ready for was his member swelling inside of you 

• stretching you out to the max 

• it was only after you started to come down from your high that you noticed 

• it was very large 

• but you could handle it as it wasn't uncomfortable 

• "maul what's going on" 

• "you got exactly what you asked for, and your taking is so well" 

• you then realized what he was talking about 

• this was his knot 

• "um... i hope your ok with being in this position for a while" maul purrs 

• "how long?" you ask 

• "just a short while" he snorts 

• you could only sigh at this point 

• you started wiggling a tiny bit, cum dripping out of you onto the rock below 

• "oh y/n its not coming out that easily" 

• your beginning to panic slightly 

• "maul. it's been like an hour since we left the ship. savage is going to start to worry" 

• "don't worry baby girl. that oaf doesn't know where we are" the zabrak huffs 

• "If you say so" you shrug 

• he tried pulling out but it seems you two were gonna be stuck in the hip for a moment 

• it was only minutes before he finally pulled out and as he did you instantly turned around and kissed him 

• it was a hungry kiss 

• one filled with passion and desire 

• teeth gnashing together 

• tongues colliding with each other 

• fighting for dominance 

• of course he takes control over the kiss 

• the kiss felt like it was lasting for hours 

• hours that you never wanted to end 

• but suddenly you hear a loud, deep voice in the distance 

• "Y/N, MAUL, WHATS TAKING SO LONG? I KNOW IT DOESN'T TAKE AN HOUR TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING" 

• "i guess the big oaf does knows a thing or two" you huff 

• "shit shit shit shit shit" you panic 

• "what's wrong?" mauls gaze darts back over to yours 

• "LOOK AT ME DOOFUS YOU RIPPED MY CLOTHES HE'S GONNA SEE ME" you hissed 

• "maul quickly glanced around for a solution 

• "my robes. you can cover yourself with them" 

• "won't he notice? he can't be that dumb" you laugh 

• heavy footsteps were getting closer to the cave 

• maul instantly uses the force to grab his robes, putting them on and signaling for you to stand up 

• you were surprised he wanted you to stand in your current state 

• you already knew you were going to barely be able to really stand nor walk 

• you blankly stared up at the zabrak in hopes that he knew what you wanted him to do 

• and to your surprise, he caught on quick 

• he reached out his hand to help you up 

• you take his hand 

• your legs instantly felt like jelly as you fell into is arms 

• you waddled underneath his robes 

• he let out a soft chuckle as you headed out 

• "what's so funny hmm?" you joke 

• "oh nothing" you hear from under the soft robes 

• you would have very much liked to see his face when he giggled 

• you didn't really know what was going on outside 

• you were just very focused on not tripping over any rocks or sticks 

• you start to listen in on the conversation 

• "what took you guys so long" 

• you assume that was savage speaking 

• "well we kinda got sidetracked and talked about other things and had a normal conversation" maul huffed 

• "yes, ok but where is y/n?" 

• you panicked a bit, not knowing what maul was going to come up with 

• you really hoped it wasn't stupid 

• but you trusted him to know what he was doing 

• "u-um she said she was cold" 

• "fuck" you whisper to yourself 

• he nudges you to show yourself 

• "its 81° degrees fahrenheit" savage sighs 

• "well it's different for humans. I think" 

• you pop your head out of the robes "maul is c-c-c-correct" you fake a shiver 

• "oh, well let's get her inside" savage smiles 

• "oh, and I feel so it's going to be hard for me to walk so if I'm limping please don't worry about me I'll be fine" you reassure him 

• maul looks down at you and smirks implying that you did a good job 

• "got it" savages tone turns to a soft and loving one 

• it takes some time to get back to the turtle tanker but you make it eventually 

• maul guides you to your room 

• your door opening with a hiss 

• "thank you" you whisper 

• "any time" he murmurs as he gets up to leave you as you still need to find clothes 

• "wait" you call out to him just before he closes the door 

• he turns back immediately 

• you look to the ground and back at him 

• "i- i love you" 

• you can tell he is very nervous, left dumbfounded 

• a goofy grin paints his face 

• "oh my y/n, I've loved you since the day I saw you standing at the market on coruscant" 

• "is that why you saved me from those thugs?" you ask 

• "partly. I just felt something deep inside of me that said help her, go and help her" 

• your a brushy mess as he lets out his true feelings for you 

• all you could do was smile 

• he always loves when you smile 

• to see something bring happiness to you 

• to him you were the sun 

• and he was the planets that revolve around you 

• you were his everything 

• and he doesn't know what he would do if he ever lost you 

• your love was infinite and could never be broken 

• "get some rest my love, you will need all your strength for tonight" 

• "wait why?" you look at him in confusion 

• "well i heard that the Mos Eisley Cantina is having some sort of celebration tonight, and I figured we could go and get some drinks, get fucked up a little, dance, i don't know if your up for round two but yeah" he looked at the metal ceiling and back down at you 

• "maul, what's savage like drunk?" you jokingly ask 

• "well i guess we will see" he smirks 

• you giggle, bringing a smile to the zabraks lips 

• "anyway, I'll check on you in a bit" 

• "cool" you grin 

• as he left you couldn't help but wonder 

• were this odd relationship with you and maul would go next 

• you could only hope that it could last

taglist

@hxldmxdxwn​ @idiotonanadventure​ @bonniewinchester��� 

[meterokinesis]

Skin and Bones

Read it on AO3

Prompt: Starvation

TW: Hunger/food insecurity, ED mention (very short), Implied/referenced drug use

Summary: Jason Todd knew what hungry felt like. Hunger and Jason had always been bosom buddies.

Jason Todd knew what being hungry felt like.

That’s always what they called it when he was a little kid and the teachers tried to pretend that most of their class had full bellies. They’d say “when you haven’t had lunch yet, you’re hungry. But when you don’t eat for days, that’s hunger.”

Hunger and Jason were bosom buddies, and had been for years.

It was bad enough when it was just him and Catherine. At least then he could pilfer through her pockets for enough loose change to buy them rice and bread and beans. It wasn’t much, but it kept them alive in between the free lunches Jason got at school.

It got worse when Catherine had to be admitted to the hospital. Jason wasn’t stupid--he’d gotten an A on that last English paper. He knew that she was doing drugs. He knew that their food money went into plastic baggies full of powder and who-knows-what-else. He knew that their already low budget would be gone as soon as the hospital started sending bills.

He started stealing parts off cars that he passed on the walk home, then selling them to the shady guys at the garage. He’d sneak what he could from pockets and couches and placed it in places no one would ever notice. Bills rolled up in the toes of his sneakers, pennies and nickels shoved into his sock drawer. Jason was good at sneaking around already, but he learned to be even better. His life depended on it.

Catherine died the Friday after Valentine’s Day. Her hospital room was full of discount flowers and cheap chocolates. She squeezed his hand before she died, and she smiled. Her smile was unmatched, totally unique. In the days that passed afterwards, Jason would wonder if his smile ever looked like hers.

As Catherine’s breathing slowed and then stopped, Jason snuck out of the fourth floor and onto the street below. He had one, maybe two days left in the apartment before CPS found him and tried to force him into a foster home.

He’d rather die than go there.

So Jason Todd, eleven years old and barely five feet tall, broke into his apartment to survey the life he was leaving behind. Some of it was easy. He could afford to take two bags: a backpack and a duffel. The duffel got a pair of boots, a pair of sneakers, five sets of clothes, jackets, and a copy of Huckleberry Finn. He’d already read Tom Sawyer, he didn’t need to bring that too.

The backpack got essentials, like his toothbrush and toothpaste, his school ID, the money he’d saved up, and another set of clothes. His birth certificate and Social Security card were wedged under the loose floorboard already, so he left them there. When his path led him to the kitchen, Jason swallowed hard before grabbing a knife and a pair of scissors, then wrapping them both carefully and placing them in the backpack too.

He crawled into his bed, with its blue striped bedsheets, and tried to fall asleep. The sounds of Gotham weren’t comforting anymore, but rather like every monster under his bed amplified. He was too old to be scared of things that weren’t there, but every Gothammite knew that the city was not to be trifled with. The city he’d soon be in the heart of.

The clinking of keys on the apartment’s old doorknob woke him up. He’d always been a light sleeper, but for a second he thought it was maybe just Catherine coming home. Then he remembered how she’d never come home again. Jason was out of bed in a matter of seconds, grabbing his bags, tugging on his shoes, and climbing down the fire escape. The old watch he’d taken from Catherine’s room--he thought it was his dad’s--read 7:12, which meant it was really 3:17. Jason crept through the streets, not letting his heart catch up with his head. He’d have to squat somewhere for the night, maybe an abandoned warehouse or something. He’d found a few while adventuring the summer before, and not all of them could have been blown up in the last eight months.

“Clinton and Hall has a good one,” he mumbled to himself, steering his feet that way. It was cold, even for February, but he had no choice. It was either walk seven blocks now or walk straight to CPS. He’d take the seven blocks.

It was a quiet night, at least for Crime Alley. There were the usual shady guys doing deals in the back alleys and the over-rouged women in heels and too-short skirts, but at least no one was running around trying to blow the city up again. A night without Batman and Robin coming around was a good night, as far as Jason was concerned.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Batman, just that he tended to invite more trouble than he did away with. Even the most well-intentioned people couldn’t fix Crime Alley. Jason would know, he was Crime Alley through and through.

He finally reached the warehouse and dragged himself up seven flights of stairs, where there was an office that sat mostly untouched. There was a boarded-up window and the walls were probably full of asbestos, but the door locked, so as far as Jason was concerned it was great. The boy placed his duffel bag under his head and slipped his backpack around so it covered his stomach. As the first breaths of sleep came to him, he could hazily feel hunger stab at his stomach. He hadn’t eaten in three days.

                                         _______________

In the eight months since Jason had taken to the street, he’d learned a few things: trust people sparingly, only share if you have enough, and never let anyone give you shit. His copy of Huck Finn was tattered now, but it was the only real piece of home he had left.

He wasn’t alone by any means. There had been some older kids who had taken him under their wing for a few weeks back in April, but they got busted for dealing and Jason hadn’t seen them since. He and his occasional allies worked pretty well, a shared meal here, a hand-me-down there. Life wasn’t so bad like this, if you were careful.

Stealing the tires off the Batmobile wasn’t careful.

Jason felt Batman before he saw him. The guy just had that kind of energy, like a horror villain. But Jason already had three wheels off, with one stashed nearby, so there was really no point in stopping now.

“Excuse me, what are you doing?” The gruff voice asked, and that’s when Jason knew he was well and thoroughly fucked.

He didn’t answer, because Jason was never the type to admit guilt. A large hand fell on his shoulder, and he couldn’t help but jump. Batman turned him around, more gently than Jason thought he treated most criminals.

“Kid, you’ve gotta be what, thirteen? Come on, put those tires back on and get in the car.”

Well, Jason might be reckless enough to steal from Batman, but he wasn’t dumb enough to make himself an enemy. So, he silently put the tires back on the Batmobile and turned to face Batman. He was just as intimidating as everyone said he was.

“I know that you have stuff stashed somewhere,” Batman prompted, like he’d already seen thousands of alley kids today.

“Behind the dumpsters,” Jason muttered, staring at his scuffed-up sneakers.

Batman ducked behind the dumpster, and emerged with the two bags and a tire. Jason sheepishly put the last tire back, then stood and opened his hands for his bags. His hands were stained with dirt and grease, like black blood.

“In the car,” Batman ordered, and Jason’s stomach dropped.

“No!” He cried, his throat as dry as bone. “Please, you can’t turn me in. They’ll send me into the system or juvie or something. I’ll die in there, I know kids who have.” As much as he wished that was a lie, it wasn’t. Foster kids didn’t last long in Gotham.

Batman hesitated a moment, then spoke again. “Fine. Get in the car. I won’t take you to CPS, but I can’t let you go back on the streets.” His voice was firm, but also gentle. It was… strange.

Jason nodded, and tucked himself into the passenger side. Batman sat down in the driver’s seat, and with a reminder to fasten his seatbelt, the pair was off.

The drive wasn’t particularly long, but Jason was antsy all the same. His heart thundered as they entered a long tunnel in the side of what looked like a mountain, but Jason was pretty sure that there were no mountains in Gotham. Finally, they parked in some sort of weird cave-garage-thing. Batman turned to Jason, and looked him in the eyes.

“I have a doctor here. She’s going to take a look at you and make sure you’re okay. You can spend the night here. Then, we’ll discuss other options. No matter what, you’re not going on the street again.” He said this all in a perfunctory manner, but it was polite nonetheless.

Jason scrambled out of the Batmobile, only to see a familiar face waiting for him.

“Hello, Jason.” Dr. Thompkins smiled, and he tried to hide his surprise that she remembered him. He hadn’t been to the clinic in at least a year.

“Hi, Dr. T,” he mumbled.

“Alright, let’s get started. Can you sit down over here for me?” Jason followed her gesture, only to see a full clinic set up. What kind of garage was this? He nodded absently and shuffled over, then sat on the crinkly paper.

Dr. Thompkins walked him through a normal check up, with some added questions about how the past year had been. The whole time, she kept glancing at his face, like she expected him to start crying at any moment.

“So, Jason, I’m so sorry to hear about your mom.” She said as she tested his reflexes. His heart lurched in his chest, but he tried to keep his face from betraying him.

“... Thanks.” He mumbled, then left it at that.

Dr. Thompkins finished the exam, then stepped away to speak to Batman. Jason laid down to stare at the wall, but he couldn’t help but overhear some snippets of conversation.

“... known him for years… neonatal abstinence syndrome… only eighty pounds… severely malnourished… needs individualized support…”

The conversation trailed off as footsteps padded back into the room.

“Alright, so we have to get you up to date on vaccinations, and then you’re all done with me. You’re brave, you’ll be okay.” Jason nodded, and she injected the first vaccine. After three more, his arm was sore and his head was heavy. Dr. Thompkins led him to a reclining position, then pulled the curtain shut.

“Goodnight, Jason. It’s going to be okay.”

                                            _______________

Jason hadn’t expected to like the Imposter’s girlfriend so much, but he did. Stephanie got it in a way no one else did. The pair sat on a Crime Alley rooftop, sharing a combo meal from BatBurger.

“-And then, they accused me of being anorexic! Like no, I don’t have an eating disorder, I just can’t afford to eat more than saltines and water!” Stephanie rambled, gesturing wildly with a fry. “Seriously, I don’t think I ate an actual meal that wasn’t made by a lunch lady until I was fourteen.”

Jason chuckled, “My first big meal was when Bruce took me in. Until then, I thought having pizza or chicken nuggets for dinner was a splurge.”

Stephanie quieted, then looked from the carton of fries to Jason.

“Hey, does it ever get easier? Do you ever stop panicking when you grocery shop or when you treat yourself to lunch?” She questioned, her voice hoarse.

Jason took another bite of his burger.

“No. No, it doesn’t.”

[kryptsune]

🌼Here is my version of Horrortale THE UPDATED VERSION! I was not really happy with how I wrote it prior to this but now that I have added more world building I am so much more satisfied with the result. There is a lot more to it now than there was before world wise. A few things to mention before I start. This Horrortale is mainly a Frans or Frisk X Sans AU. It may change in the future but that is the core of it. I also want to warn people that the below content may be triggering or disturbing. This is very serial killer based so keep that in mind as you move forward.

DO NOT REPOST MY WORK WITHOUT MY PERMISSION IT IS NOT FOR YOUR USE. IF YOU LIKE MY WORK PLEASE REBLOG INSTEAD! It helps me so much! It makes such a difference.💙If you want more of these just let me know! It’s the only way I can gauge interest!

Horrortale {FXS}

Alternate “Nicknames” Info: 

Sans: Blade Papyrus: Ash ( joke reference to Ash vs the Evil Dead) 

Main Plot Synop: Sans timeline has yet to meet their “fallen human”. On the surface the monsters begin to do experimentation learning about the abilities that humans possess. These studies lead to even more advances for the humans and the monsters. They live and coexist perfectly but something goes wrong. The monsters were considered to be pure beings ones with pure white souls to match but humans were flawed. They did horrible things even to their own and eventually that began to create a new threat. One that was easily spread from monster to monster. A black infection that begin to eat away and hollow out ones soul called The Rot.

Sans works in the lab spending more and more time trying to help his associates with their research into human soul traits. Gaster begins to make headway on the research of the soul extracting vials of concentrated soul essence. That includes the essence from a fallen human that died of causes unknown. Their name is Chara. In Chara’s soul The Rot lies in wait festering in a sea of pure red. Like an apple rotted from the inside the hate and hopelessness of this trait resided in that lone soul and ate it alive. All that they had been was no more. Those working in the lab are the first to be infected especially their Royal Scientist Dr. W.D Gaster. 

Sans pursuit to rid the others of this rot causes him to become obsessive and resort to using old vials of human soul essence in his own experiments. It begins to become successful keeping away the infection but at high doses it can have some nasty side effects. He begins to cure the monsters but his own rot can only be cured by one source, Determination. The strength of the essence is so powerful that it begins to have some interesting complications. 

Kindness- Obsession

Integrity- Moral righteousness/ pride/ manipulation 

Bravery- Adrenaline high constantly sweating, rapid breathing and nausea 

Justice- OCD (ideologic pride)

Perseverance- Extreme fatigue/sickness/ depression as physical symptoms

Patience- Timid and intense fear/ anxiety

The Rot and the World it forms:

The rot if left “untreated” can cause some rather unfortunate changes within monster biology and the cure to such an infection is not foolproof (in fact I would argue it causes them to start cannibalizing each other). Those that are suffering from the rot begin to make their way through different stages of the infection. 

Stage 1: Paranoia and weakness

Stage 2: A shift in biology- Due to the cure being human soul traits the side effect is a change in monster biological structure. They begin to lose some of their magical abilities taking on the traits that are curing them. It alters their make up at the soul level. This also causes them to take on a more physical form. That means that their bodies persist after death and even bleed.   

Stage 3: Starvation/ Ravenous hunger- The infection causes a craving in the soul most likely in an effort to fill a hole of some kind. The same one that is eating away at their soul leaving a soulless husk behind. This is usually seen in the form of food but it can also be more worldly things. Money, power, all of those are fair game. They essentially become soulless.

Stage 4: Mindlessness- Almost like wild animals the monsters that make it to this stage become like wild beasts. All predators. They feast on other monsters but they usually turn their sights to monsters that have a high concentration of human soul in their bodies. That includes humans as well.  

Stage 5: “Death” (amalgamates)- The typical mindless zombie. They are slow and aggressive only thinking of eating even though they are half dead already. They do not speak, they do not think. They exist. (What a horrible way to “live”).   

Monsters begin to eat and kill each other thinning the once thriving monster world. Just like in UT they used to have an overcrowding problem but now with this new situation that is quickly changing. Asgore locks himself away trying to keep the infection at bay and away from those he cares about. It is unclear if the King is dead or not. All they know is that the entire Underground is in ruin. 

It would appear that having quantities of these traits can hold off deeper stages of the infection. That is why they begin to formulate ways to lure humans into the mountain, songs, whispers, anything that can be used. The barrier is different in this version as it only requires the power of a human soul and a monster soul to cross it. This means that some monsters have the ability to slip past the barrier to drag humans back for “dinner time”. The human cities have not forgotten about the monster threat and they keep up defenses to keep them out. A zombie apocalypse if you will. That means that some monsters (again not all they have to be strong enough) can cross the barrier and bring back food. 

The barrier was also not created originally as a punishment for monsters losing the war but rather containment. It was cruel nonetheless and eventually the humans began to distance themselves from the monsters leaving them stuck in a barrier that provided no room to grow and little food or resources. Eventually as The Rot began to infest the Underground humans quarantined it off leaving them even more hopeless than ever before. 

Humans do not “seem” to be affected by The Rot but their world has been significantly altered by the disease. It makes it difficult to live when all your meals are outside of your cities security and large open spaces are easy targets such as farms. In the end the war and caused an even larger problem, the destruction of their world. It is nothing but an apocalyptic wasteland in most parts due to attacks. Food is scarce both in the Underground as well as on the surface. Just as monsters have become hunters of their own  

The Effects of DETERMINATION: 

Sans begins to see more and more the inner works and the fabric of the world he lives in. It begins to make him think he is going crazy. It has to be due to sleepless nights, heightened stress, and hopelessness that seems to continue to fester in his own soul. In addition to being able to manipulate and see the fabric of his world he also has “visions”. Almost a form of astral projection. His consciousness is able to see through the eyes of his respective timeline counterparts. He is able to see everything they do in multiple timelines. It is a form of timeline hopping or reset. They are all on the same frequency. 

He begins to see their happiness and their pains. The good and the evil. At first he thinks they are dreams but as it happens more frequently the more he realizes the nature of it. He sees how happy they are and there is one constant variable for their happiness (the bad timelines begin to heighten his apathy). That constant is Frisk. He continues to help the other monsters and almost all of them are “cured” though the other side of The Rot has yet to rear its ugly head. He however becomes a recluse burying himself in his supposed delusions and madness. He continues to take more and more DT slowly turning his eyes red. It is like the ring of an oak tree. The longer that he uses it the more rings he gets the larger his eye becomes (giving him that classic Horror look).  At first they are like the rings of a tree effectively replacing his rot with a new DT addiction. It also begins to cause his face to slowly melt.    

Meanwhile the other main boss monsters that have been treated have a similar affliction where the soul traits they were taken have embedded into their souls. It begins to give them a new power. A power rivaling that of a human soul. The power of the 7. The variable that can be used to slip past the barrier. Sans though is becoming slowly obsessed with this Frisk. He sees her not as a variable anymore but rather someone that will make him happy. 

Sans madness continues to increase even his associate Dr. Alphys is trying to get him some semblance of help but by this time he is too far gone. He needs an intervention. An explosion happens in the lab. The vials and his research are now gone. All of it has gone up in flames and unfortunately the damage to his soul has already been done. He ends up in solitary confinement sinking further into his obsession. 

News reaches him that a human has fallen down from the opposite entrance of the Underground. He goes to meet them only to realize that they look nothing like the human he is obsessed with. He begins to harvest human soul essence hiding his face behind a mask at first since nearly the whole front portion of his face is gone. It is a mask of his own face which makes his gaze even creepier knowing what, or rather what does not lay beyond it.  Eventually he learns to easily control his face with his magic rearranging the dust to shift his appearance. His level of insanity shifts to obsessive confusion. He is unhappy his first human encounter is not his precious Frisk but the human does have her eyes from his perspective. His concept of what Frisk actually looks like keeps changing. 

His form and control is directly tied to his emotional states. If he experiences any form of heightened emotion be it sadness or rage his composure will falter as will his appearance. If it becomes too drastic he will slowly begin to melt causing the appearance he originally had when this all began to appear. This is why he is called “The man with many faces.” He will sometimes end up completely faceless save for the bottom half where his grin would be.

Blades Madness:

Sans (aka Blade) obsession causes him to steal the various parts of humans to create his perfect human. Each one he makes he sees as an improvement. They are all mindless dolls held together with low doses of soul essence and magic. A macabre shrine to his beloved human. They reside in his shed and sometimes he talks to them but he considers them as failures. He calls them his projects and this continues over and over until his Frisk falls. 

He is overjoyed that he has his precious with him now. Papyrus checks on his brother yet he knows he needs help. After all these years he has seen his brothers decline Ash tries to help him. Frisk’s entry into the Underground is by complete accident, though she is not the savior that the rest are known to be. She is a soul of kindness causing her eyes to be a bright jade. Even Sans though overjoyed that Frisk has “returned” to him; he feels as though she is not perfect yet. He takes her and makes her perfect by removing one of her eyes to be a beautiful blue. He even cuts the back section of her hair to satisfy him. 

She feels no pain when this happens. Her kind soul wants to help him and slowly she begins to pull the old Sans back every once and awhile. Her soul, just like Charas, is filled with something as well. It turns out that though it looks like Frisk’s soul is one of kindness it is actually a pure white soul of hope. This has the ability to cure The Rot. They are glimpses but it is progress. He has to stop his killing ways and he does after Frisk is with him.

She feels no pain when this happens. Her kind soul wants to help him and slowly she begins to pull the old Sans back every once and awhile. They are glimpses but it is progress. He has to stop his killing ways and he does after Frisk is with him.   

[siobhaneardley]

The Shape of Water & Female Sexual Desire.

This year’s Oscar Winner The Shape of Water was, let’s say different, firstly in that science fiction monster flicks are a rarity at the Academy Awards and, if they are they are only nominated for special effects awards. However, The Shape of Water blasted on to the awards scene winning Best Director at the BAFTAS, and now winning the sought after Best Picture Oscar. But what makes this film so special? It has certainly caused quite the controversy online, with people getting rather hooked (excuse the pun) on the concept of fish/human intercourse.

Now although this is quite iconic, this is not what I found unique about the film. For me what I found groundbreaking for a mainstream film is the fact that in the first five minutes of the film, we see the main female protagonist masturbating in the bath, which, as the film goes on appears to be part of her morning routine. In popular culture, we see references to male masturbation everywhere, mainly in teenage comedies. However, women are overlooked. Because heaven forbid that women have sexual desire! Open sexuality has long been the realm of men. But shock, horror, guess what. Women kind of like sex. But movies don’t seem to get this. Female characters in film are rarely the active party in seeking out sex, men are a lot of the time the active pursuers. Yet in The Shape of Water, the woman has a clear and active sexual desire, she actively pursues the fish man, she is the initiator in all the romantic elements of the film.

I recently watched the 1984 film Splash starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, and I couldn’t help but see parallels with The Shape of Water. The roles are kind of flipped in Splash, the woman is the sea creature, the man is the human. However, it is the woman, the mermaid who is quite active in her pursuit of Tom Hanks’ character, Allen. Yet in this film, it isn’t seen as a weird perversion, because on land, Madison (Daryl Hannah) looks like a human. Her desire in the film is presented as cute and naive. She is not human therefore doesn’t know the conventions of courtship that we have set in place, making her seem even more otherworldly. I mean, when we see Madison when she first arrives in New York, on land, she is completely naked leaving the humans who discover her are completely shocked, some disgusted by her open sexuality and others (the men) are excited by it, taking pictures and crowding around her like she is a magical rare being (and that’s without her tail)!

In Making a Splash, Philip Hayward describes the mermaid as a sexual being relying on certain aspects to achieve this, “predominantly, their representation as having the upper body of a young, attractive female; representation as actively in pursuit of human male attention; their seductive vocal skills; and their most complicated sexual aspect; the allure and symbolism of their tails” (98). He also highlights the importance of the modern mermaid being able to switch between forms in order to have sexual intercourse with a human. Therefore, making the sexual desire in these films more heteronormative and not as shocking or perhaps in some eyes perverse.  

Yet in The Shape of Water Eliza is human, her desire is equally as different in her setting, one because of the time-period (the 1960’s) and two because of the subject of her desire. He is not human. He does stand on two legs, has two arms and one head but other than that he is totally alien looking. Even though these films pretty much tell the same tale, of human falls in love with a sea creature, one is seen to be more perverse than the other. Is it because one creature looks more human than the other or, is it the fact that it is a human female who actively sexually pursues the creature? In The Shape of Water, I feel like it is perhaps both. Indeed, when discussing the male mermaid Phillip Hayward suggests that “mermen are symbolically unmanly due to lack of a penis” (151). Unlike their female counterparts, the representation of mermen as sexual beings is nonexistent, unless they turn into humans. Hayward states that mermen in films never have sex with women, in fact, he states, they are often feminized, for example, in the advert, Derek Zoolander features in in Zoolander.

The Shape of Water, in a way very explicitly solves the problem and mystery surrounding the sexual nature of fish creatures. Although the fish man in the film is not a merman. There is a distinct question that went through everyone’s mind when it appears that Eliza has sex with him. This is very quickly answered in a highly entertaining scene with her friend Zelda, who asks the question that everyone is dying to know. The solution is simple, the fish man’s sexual organ reveals itself, leaving Zelda shocked, stating lightheartedly, “Never trust a man”. This is perhaps what would happen in the case of mermen. But why are films so against showing this?  Because it is out of the realms of the heteronormative, breaking into the taboo subject of bestiality?

What then, does this say about Eliza’s desire? Is it perverse? If we were going to be black and white about it, then perhaps. However, it is much more nuanced than that. There was never a point in the film where I thought it was particularly strange. Yes, I have never seen anything like it before, but it was still not weird or perverse to me in the slightest. I found the whole thing rather sweet.

The narrative presents a setting in which traditionally, the monster would be the villain. He is totally otherworldly and highly dangerous. In the film The Creature from the Black Lagoon, which Guillermo Del Toro was hugely influenced by, the creature is dangerous and totally monstrous attacking anyone who goes near him. Yet there is a hint that it does feel an affinity for the woman of the group. In this case, he is the one who captures her, there is no element of courtship or tenderness, he aggressively takes her from the human, male group of explorers. In fact, in an interview with Variety, Del Toro when watching the part where the woman is swimming and we see the creature reach out to her “he thought it was so romantic and exciting that he assumed the two would end up together. He was shocked when they didn’t. “I decided I would someday have to correct that,” he says”.

Del Toro has stated that The Shape of Water is a sort of ‘what if’ narrative. What if the explorer from The Creature from the Black Lagoon had captured and brought the creature back to the US? In this case, the roles of villains are switched. The small amount of sympathy we may feel for the fish man in Black Lagoon is intensified. The villain is now the human male. Richard Strickland feels a complete and utter hatred for the fish man. We see him torture him with a cattle prod with apparent satisfaction, this is only intensified when the fish man bites his fingers off.

So, what is so different about the two monsters. One is traditionally monstrous, non-human and very dangerous. The other is a seemingly normal looking man, but what makes him more villainous? He commits acts in the narrative that made me more uncomfortable than anything that transpired between Eliza and the fish man. One scene, in particular, was when he is having sex with his wife after he had his fingers bitten off and then stitched back on. As he is stroking his wife’s face his fingers begin bleeding, as his wife tries to tell him, he then tells her to shut up and covers her mouth with his bleeding fingers, all the while still (quite forcefully) having sex with her. Funnily enough, the scene that made me most uncomfortable was a heteronormative one. The heteronormative sexual act has here been made uncomfortable and rather disgusting to watch. Which plays of the romantic and tender encounter that Eliza has with the fish man. We, as viewers are made to be disgusted by the heterosexual male’s sexual desire, it is terrifying and abhorrent. Made even more so later in the film where he sexually threatens Eliza.

In the final scenes of the film Strickland’s monstrosity reaches its peak, when he rips his fingers off in front of Zelda in a show of terrifying masochism, which “does not allow for sympathetic identification” as it is a “profoundly disturbing occurrence, one which emanates from both the unexpectedness of the monster hurting himself when his apparent role is to harm others” (Briefel 18). In this final gruesome act, Strickland has stripped any identification that we, as humans may have ever felt with him, and because of the tenderness and humanity expressed by the monster we choose to side with him instead. The fish man only ever hurt others either out of self-defense, or in the case of the cat, out of hunger, however this is quickly rectified as he is able to learn that some creatures are not for eating. We see him understand morals very quickly, while with Strickland we see his morals are non-existent.

It is not just female sexual desire that is explored in this film, it presents the notion that heterosexual male sexual desire in some cases is problematic and that the feminine, which has mostly been ignored in society and in film, is less harmful than the (sometimes) aggressive male sexual desire. The man in this film believes he has a power over women, which is expressed numerous times in an oddly sexual manner. The woman, however, has a sexual desire apparent from the start that does not harm anyone, the film normalized women’s sexual urges and does so in a non-conventional manner.

By Siobhan Eardley

Works Referenced:

The Shape of Water. Dir Guillermo Del Toro (2017)

Briefel, Aviva. “Monsterpains.” Film Quarterly, vol. 58, no. 3, 2005, pp. 16–27.

Gray, Tim. “Love and Danger on the 'Water' Front.” Variety, 10 Jan. 2018, variety.com/2018/film/awards/shape-of-water-inspiration-from-monster-movie-1202659976/.7

Hayward, Philip. Making a Splash Mermaids (and Mer-Men) in 20th and 21st Century Audiovisual Media. John Libbey Publishing, 2017.

[beatnicksellar]

MLH: Trade Paperback: Issues #1 - 6

Issue # 1 – Big Premiere Issue Panel one exterior winter of 1880 an open field on the prairie A nosy crow is perched on an uprooted stump in South Calgary The night sky unobstructed and the stars luminescent yet wary His hefty wings bring slaking rains but he will always be thirsty Behold the crow is a bad omen Worse still it is a gossipy totem So it knows who will be chosen And how their tale will be woven When all of the constellations dim for just a moment An indigo fireball falls from the darkness in atonement It streaks across the sky before making a large indent Inset in the snowy soil of the turf Crow hears its lament Magpie lands on the uprooted stump afterwards with a raspy chatter Witnessing the smouldering mound she squawks ‘What’s the matter’ ‘The Above People are not happy’ Crow replies to Magpie’s banter ‘Mother Moon and Father Sun expelled their new earthly daughter’ Magpie cackles for she has no tears to shed Her kind eat carrion even of their own dead Branded devils since one touched Christ’s head A solitary sighting now portends coming dread Magpie screeches ‘It has been a very, very long journey’ Adding ‘I’ve followed THAT mortal and I’m still so hungry’ ‘Where are your chicks?’ Crow enquires with some worry ‘As I said it’s been a long trip - Everything is quite blurry’ While they caw a Cree guide enters the impregnated pitch Coldly turned away at Fort Calgary his stomach has an itch Attracted to the indigo glow Ka-Ki-Si-Kutchin feels it bewitch Nestled next to the sizzling slab he dreams of gorging on flitch Meanwhile as celestial matter seeps from the stone into the mortal ‘Tell me more about troubled Gods’ Magpie requests with a chortle Crow cannot refuse an opportunity to chinwag about the immortals ‘Things are awry in the sky’ he chirps ‘I heard it is a damaged portal’ Dawn breaks on the turf and Ka-Ki-Si-Kutchin wakes to a greater hunger Hunger that gnaws not only at his gut but his soul like a spell he’s under Almost as if a famished creature crept into his mind and torn it asunder However he needs to return to Fort Edmonton before the first thunder Magpie prepares her wings to fly Crow cries a cautious goodbye Magpie croaks her callous reply ‘I’m going to watch this mortal die’ To Magpie’s chagrin Ka-Ki-Si-Kutchin is feverish but able to run So he swiftly sprints 300 kilometers north like a shot from a gun When the pair reach his log cabin Magpie’s wings weigh a ton She rests as Ka-Ki-Si-Kutchin enters and eats ALMOST everyone…

Issue #2 – The Wendigo

Kill the Plains Cree inside so that the famine can thriveReplace what has died with insatiable instinct to survive The generous bite-mark on Hausis’ right foot will deprive Thus she will limp for eternity if she gets out of here alive A newborn hung flaccid from the remote log cabin ceilingGranny’s hide and Uncle’s thighs are no longer concealing Avarice spirits infected father who cannot stop his feeding Craving their untainted flesh even through their screamingReturning from Fort Calgary with a fever in the frigid wintertime of 1880 Swift Runner approached his Fort Edmonton log cabin and ate his old lady Weeks passed and one member was left to be stirred into his sinewy gravy Suddenly the Mounties busted in and arrested their trail guide gone crazyHe was handcuffed and escorted to the gallows situated at Fort Saskatchewan Five-year-old Hausis was declared deceased and nicked by Constable Gagnon The officer took Hausis to his cottage to be nurtured by his barren wife Dawn She cherished her adopted home for a spell until the fevered dreams spawned When the Mounties found the mutilated bodies the 10-year-old was long gone‘Kill the Indian in the Child’ Hausis recited in her mind as the inscription readShe was ushered through St. Barnabas Residential School to a flea-ridden bed Assimilated on Tsuutʼina Nation by Indian Affairs where tuberculosis spread Ailing patients lined the deified corridors and kept the ravenous adolescent fed Unfortunately her hidden horror could not keep the hulking and hallowed at bay Or the depraved Dr. Pope who desired savage subjects to poke, prod and splay A fledgling eugenics advocate keen on taking Indigenous inception rights away Glaring into Hausis’ wildfire stare Pope killed the child inside the Indian that day A week before Hausis is to become an adult it is announced the school is closing Tired of dining on the ill Hausis grabs a sinful priest’s throat and starts choking In Ponoka Dr. Pope assembles members of The Board which is covertly forming At that same time South Calgary is plagued by a limping wendigo out roaming… Issue #3 – The Board In the civil twilight of the year 1939 like begets like A city aldermen and a military engineer take a hike Alongside an architect who grips a new rock spike With the landowner’s hammer in hand he strikes The snow crusted canola patch turns eerily silent The immovable stone stirs then becomes violent Discharging shards that impact with frantic intent Buried in their chests the impaled abruptly glow violet Without saying a single word every one exits the field When each man arrives home their cavity has healed Inseminating their wives with the radiance they wield Each man then takes their life before reaping the yield In the nautical twilight of 1949 four 9-year-olds look unusually alike Unrelated but near identical in diagnosis of having an emotional dike No touching, no talking or eye-contact from either of the remote tykes So they are sent to Ponoka Insane Asylum off the Highway 2 turnpike Therein John, James, Robert and frail Dot are confined for being dumb Handed over to the government to be handle for their frustrated moms Their only matriarch an elderly Indigenous woman calling them all plums They’ll glow indigo next to her until the termination of the imminent hum Now they stand before the Alberta Eugenics Board declared mentally deficient Drs. Pope, MacEachran, Mason and Kinso confirm the candidates are sufficient Youngest degenerates to undergo sterilization at the behest of the omniscient Before the operation CFB Calgary calls with something a little more proficient In the astronomical twilight of 1947 scientists at Currie Barracks conduct a trial Wherein they dose 43 infantry troops with pulverized purple pebbles in a vial Immediately all involved begin parading around armed with a psychotic smile Ten are neutralized and 33 survivors are shielded from the pull of the immobile In a hole inside an outbuilding the stone is fettered by extremely low frequency However scientists exposed to it suffered sterilization without traces of

insanity‘Like Begets Like’ is what Pope says before he removes his patients’ immortalityWith no military use the stone is offered to HIM for the betterment of humanity… Issue #4 – The Movie Theater Clickity-clack and a-clickity-clack Ascending the 14th streetcar track Dependable #7 always comes back Past Currie Barracks looping by the lilac Atop a hill secluded from the booming below A commercial quarter stands quarried by crows The movie theater the hub where everybody goes Escaping the low frequency hum with the late-late show Presented by Marc + Mada who met in a medical tent during the second war They had shared dreams of working concession and taking tickets at the door They carried on like old acquaintances never truly aware of what was in store However when it happened both would have to be lifted off the field tent floorUnable to conceive they believed that the cinema would be their post-war baby Hoping to unite cynical civilians and returning GIs by bringing back normalcy They achieved this with the premiere of Martin & Lewis’ At War with the Army A new favourite of Dennis from the Currie Barracks who is also secretly a MetisA mix of European + Blackfoot Dennis is attendant to the venerable Dr. Pope A single father of one and an escort for lost souls who have abandoned hope After a show Dennis always confided in the amiable owners in order to cope He would breakdown as he spoke of unfortunates he has bound with ropeFor example the 4 identical 10-year-old orphans with an autistic diagnosis As well as that eerie old Cree woman trapped in a deep-seated psychosis All of whom are being purified by the good doctor’s unnatural osmosis Imprisoned underground they inhale the senescent clinician’s halitosisThis is top secret information conveyed to close friends in confidence But when asked of the drone exiting the hole Dennis feigns ignorance Ongoing renovation at the City of Calgary’s reservoir is his best guess In truth he buys two nightly tickets in order to escape the hum + hiss Clickity-clack, clickity-clack and a-clickity-clack The #7 loops by the theater at the end of the track The matinee crowd exoduses and the #7 heads back Descending the hill it foreshadows an imminent attack One that will leave a marriage and a theater ransacked… Issue #5 – The Scavengers A splash page of a pudgy and rumpled magpie on a wireMere feet from where two movie theater owners expireAroused by the awful sounds she senses something direUnexpectedly a crow alights and enthusiastically inquires‘Now where have you been?’ its razor claws clasp the taut cable‘Tell me was there an accident,’ Magpie probes ‘…was it fatal?’‘They took her parts away,’ Crow confirms ‘it was paradisiacal’‘I’ve been with the Cree guide’s kin’ Magpie admits ‘past the maple’The jealous Crow croaks at Magpie’s claim demanding to hear moreMagpie gladly regales him with tales from before either world warWhen after leaving the residential school Hausis decided to go exploreAdrift in the Great Alone a trail of fur-traders she never had to answer forFree to be her selves wearing pelts and antlers to be seen as a true carnivoreUnresolved trauma and the ravenous ailment distorted her life into folklore‘I’ve never ate better’ Magpie digresses ‘…until she regained her Cree scruples’‘Became a guide like her old man’ she whines ‘then things got a lot less brutal’Magpie cites the time Hausis met David Cranmer and he offered her a jewelHe was killed at their wedding potlatch for not having BC government approvalHausis tracked the Indian Agent down months later in a pool hall nursing a beerArrested for wearing ceremonial attire she was committed for biting off his ear‘Fat as me when RCMP caught her’ Magpie details ‘had that doc quaking with fear’‘Swift-Runner Syndrome…those wildfire eyes…was all that I was able to overhear’Adding that the foul doctor had moved her and others to lie next to the indigo stoneContented Crow briefs Magpie on the damaged portal into the Above People’s homeWith no real gossip he entertains her with the backstory while she chews Styrofoam‘Feather

Woman slept in a field’ Crow begins ‘…alone underneath the glittery dome’He tells of how she loved the Morning Star so much that he came down to kiss herAnd of when they travelled to Sky-Country to meet his Sun father and Moon motherBoth Gods were pleased with his Blackfoot bride as well as their new granddaughterBut when Feather Woman did something that was forbade they expelled her forever‘Where’s the dumb mortal now’ Magpie squawks as the air around them buckles‘In that noisy hole with your old wendigo’ Crow caws ‘…all locked up in shackles’The incessant hum ends as the sadistic scavengers share a rambunctious cackleAll is quiet across 33rd avenue before the screaming starts and gunfire crackles… Issue #6 – The Streetcar ‘I can fix this’ the nubile nursing sister says with dread Inside of a vast RCAMC tent on a Bramshott homestead As she ineptly begins stitching up the wincing GI’s head Humming ‘…Over the Rainbow’ as she coaxes the thread The fetching GI quips about looking like Dorothy’s Scarecrow She introduces herself then darns intentionally, sinfully slow They talk about movies before he nervously asks her of a beau She speaks of graduating and her training then readily says no When the crooked suture is complete they agree both are glad they met Promising to look each other up in Calgary after the Axis paid their debt They say their goodbyes in the embrace of a instant they’ll never forget An instant that’ll be sullied by the looming raid on the beaches of Dieppe ‘I can fix this’ Marc the movie theater owner nervously repeats inside his head Standing outside on a ladder mending the marquee with pal Dennis as his stead Dennis talks of adopting the Barrack kids but he is already a dad with no bread Marc’s lissom wife Mada exits the lobby and offers up the theater’s bunk beds Clickity-clack, clickity-clack and a-clickity-clack The #7 streetcar approaches the loop in the track Here to pick-up the Currie GI’s and bring them back When one spots Dennis and gives him a heap of flak He starts threatening to expose Dennis’ Blackfoot blood to Pope That way the doc can neuter him alongside those 5 other dopes Dennis throw’s a punch but the soldiers put him against the ropes The pavement overflows with fists until Marc and Mada cannot cope He hits the sidewalk she lands in front of the #7 and is severed from wedded bliss Mada’s body lays static on the cement her lips pursed in one final departing kiss The quarrel quiets down until the only sound on 33rd avenue is that hum + hiss Rapt with guilt over Mada Dennis grabs both of her halves and gasps ‘I can fix this’…

[storywars-r]

1/8 - It's The End Of The World As We Know It

(zandraart.tumblr.com)

Chapter 1 by R

You don't say anything, as you stand there, on the surface of a world which isn't yours. You can't, in these suits; they work well enough but they're so old that the radio is broken. It's better, this way.

Words could only ruin this moment.

It's just the two of you, here, now. There are other people, of course, there are always other people, but in this moment, no one exists. This is to grand a thing for such ideas as selves, as identities.

You hold her hand tightly.

What was your home, what was your world, what was your everything - or maybe, maybe she's your everything - explodes, shattering, a slow motion catastrophe which leaves nothing behind but dust.

Now, there is no turning back.

Chapter 2 by RCD2017 (the one writer to write them all)

It all started a month ago, when you and your girlfriend signed up for the last space expedition to go to the new planet, Ai, also known as the love planet because of it's pink plant life. Perfect place to go to with the person you love. It was going to be amazing.

You left with your girlfriend to Ai. It is amazing, and your girlfriend seems to love being with you on another planet too. Of course, you were both signed up for an expedition, so you had to do work, but it was still amazing. You both weren't alone either, there were other people too. There are always other people, but you didn't mind.

Ai was a really small planet, it was really more of a moon, if you dug down 20 miles (32 kilometers), you would reach the center of it. Meaning that if you drove around it going 60 mph (96 kph) you would go the whole circumference in 2 hours and 5 minutes. The only reason it wasn't marked down as a moon was because of it's plant life, and the extremely dense core, making it have a gravity that was actually about the same as Earth.

Chapter 3 by August W. Stubbes

During that month before it happened, you and your girlfriend enjoyed hanging around on Ai. Everything was so lovely and peaceful. It was nice leaving the overcrowded, overpopulated, and overly serious Earth. Even if it was just for a few weeks.

However, over the time exploring the tiny planetoid and relaxing in the quaint hotel, you would occasionally hear a whisper between passing couples of troubles back home. You were nearly oblivious to what was actually happening. You didn't bother to look into it, you assumed that it was one of the many problems that Earth usually had. Not to mention, you wanted to relax with your girlfriend. Free time was hard to come by.

Chapter 4 by intellikat

You were walking hand and hand along the Nerub Tributary when the sky had turned hot white; a silent flash-bang like a single reboot of the galaxy.

The absolute horror of what had happened did not match the simpleness and efficiency of Earth's destruction. One moment, it was there, hanging in the sky like a beautiful blue fruit, and the next moment it was gone, as that hot-white light faded down to an emptiness sinking into your heart as none other could.

The blackness of the blank sky above confirmed that your planet and home had been obliterated in one, final moment of anger, fear, and resentment that had grown over the past half-century and never been resolved. Not by delegations, nor treaties, nor wars, nor secret alliances, nor peace movements, nor the advancement of consciousness, nor technology and medicine, nor trade and economics, nor education and globalization, nor by anything else had the Earth been spared this crushing end. Humans were incapable of steering their race from this inevitability.

You were still holding Danika's hand, but only barely. Your body felt as if the life had fled from you.

Minutes or hours passed, you don't know which, and then you turned to her. The radios did not work in the old helmets, but your eyes said the same thing.

No earth. No home. Only this... Ai, the pink planet with its overstated beauty and its home to the thirty-two humans of the final expedition.

The thirty-two humans left alive in the universe.

Chapter 5 by Cancer

Only thirty-two... what a small number from billions to tens.

Your race would not thrive very long. How long would your machines last? They are the only things keeping you alive -generating oxygen, food, and water out of thin air. If they broke down, only a few would know how to fix it.

What will become of you if they perished?

Should you try producing more humans, or should you just let the universe decide the fate of humanity? There were more males than females on this planet - most married and with dead spouses on "Earth".

Hope is truly lost. Many have attempted suicide, while others chose to believe that earth still existed.

Five years have passed since then, and you are down to thirty adults and four children. Supplies are being rationed, and everything seems to be fine - at the moment.

Another three years have passed, and you have spotted and claimed a spacecraft from "Earth" which contained a young Japanese girl! You suspect that she knows how the Earth was destroyed, but she is in a suspended animation state and is feeding through tubes.

Chapter 6 by intellikat

Those who believed that Earth still existed had created something akin to a religion, or at least a following. Most of them had been religious in some form in their lives back on Earth, and in many ways it was not surprising that they would create something new here on Ai with what yearnings and impulses remained.

Though they had no priest, nor pastor, nor leader, Danforth was their most outspoken, and was best able to articulate the views of the small group of eight. In brief, they held that the Earth had not been destroyed, but had been raptured away by an all-powerful sentience. For what purpose, you were not clear. The rest of the expedition group had begun calling them Rapturians, and the name had stuck.

The Japanese girl now lays in stasis in the medical housing. Your only qualified doctor, a now aging woman named Cryssel, stands over her, checking her vital signs. Outside, Danforth stalks back and forth.

You look worried, you say to him.

And you're not?

Why should I be?

She's not from Earth, he replies, looking in through a small window.

How do you know that?

God is testing us. He sighs, as if you should know this. He's waiting for us to be purged of the sins of our forefathers that we may repopulate the Earth. Earth waits for us in his reality. Spotless and clean. Ai is our purgation. Our proving ground.

Ai is our home now, Danforth, says one of the others.

No, Danforth says. Ai is nothing.

How is God testing us? you interrupt, trying to get back to Danforth's first statement. With this girl?

Danforth looks at you coldly for a moment.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

Danforth shoots you a look that is at once mocking and somehow inviting. The next moment, he is stalking away.

The few of you in the chamber look at one another in bewilderment.

Rapturians, mutters one.

Something in you feels unsettled the entire rest of the day.

Chapter 7 by BluNerd

The emptiness in the sky, where the Earth used to be, it still haunts you, after all these years. You know that you will die on this planet. And there's nothing you can do except wait, savor these few days you have left. This is quite hard, as the rations get lower, so does the general mood of the colony. Hunger brings stress. A few colonists have gone insane, killing themselves. You choose not to go down that path. The Japanese girl has shown signs that maybe one day she will awake, but it is very taxing on the colony to keep her alive. Several have tried to kill her to save food. The doctor did not let that happen. She injected the rogue assassins with an anaesthetic syringe, knocking them out. Their punishment? Banishment from the colony. While still knocked out, they were driven to the other side of this measly "planet" and dropped off. There they would lay until they ran out of oxygen in their tanks. Two humans down. As for the children, they seem to be developing some sort of learning disorder, possibly from all the stress and anxiety in the colony. Even the child that is of 8 years has only learned basic English, the colonists being too busy to properly teach him. Overall, the colony is not doing good.

But that changes when she wakes up.

Chapter 8 by Ev B

Cryssel is there when her eyes open. She calls everyone in the colony. We all gather around the bed she's been in since she arrived. The children are so feral that they can barely be coralled.

Cryssel tells us she removed all of the equipment hooked up to her. The years old artificial breather is in her closed fist. Danforth mutters something about the Antichrist.

Then suddenly, her eyes open- and immediately we all know something is wrong. Her eyes aren't right.

She stares at the people in front of her for a moment, but she's ot really seeing them. Then she turns her head and looks me right in the eye.

"You," she says without words, but we all hear it. I am absolutely frozen.

The room erupts into shouts. The Rapturians are yelling about damnation and the Antichrist. One of the children shrieks, unearthly, inhuman, and we all go quiet.

"Me?" I say.

Chapter 9 by StanG

"Me? Er... what?" I swallowed harder than I'd intended, a large 'gulp' escaping my throat, giving away the fear those dead, black eyes had aroused.

Yes, you! she spoke in my mind. You witnessed the demise of your home world and are chosen to lead your people to their new home.

"Lead? Me? My people? Whoa! I- I think you may not understand the dynamics of this small world, whoever you are!"

Even your young understand the dynamics of this world better than you!

"O- Our young? They can't even speak our language properly. W-

What would they know?"

All will become clear shortly. Ai has been a prominent part of your home world history for many centuries gone and is once again to be your ruin, if you do not leave this place now.

"Danforth? Danforth! Have you any idea what she's talking about? Help me, man!"

Danforth stood nearby, mouth agape and eyes wide open, obviously struggling to get a grip on the proceedings. I tapped him on his shoulder to bring him back to reality, only to have him jump as though he'd been shot.

"Wha-! Don't DO that, man!" he screamed at me.

"I only tapped- ah, never mind! Have you been following what this crazy girl has been saying?"

"Following? Y- Yeah, how could I NOT? Man, I can hear her- in my MIND! She's talking to the kids, too. Did you know that?"

Disbelief overwhelmed me. "She's... talking to the kids?"

"Yeah, man. Like, all the time. Can't you hear her? It's like wind and water in my head all the time."

"No, Danforth, I can't- what? Wind and water in your head? Crysell, is there anything you can do for Danforth? I think he's finally losing his mind."

As though swimming to the surface of a deep lake, Crysell came back to the room, reacting to my voice. The colour returning gradually to her face showed what all of this had done to her, too.

"Abe, I'm not so sure Danforth is losing anything. In fact, he may just be gaining something, as I'm certain we all must be." Crysell spoke slowly, determined to finish her sentence.

One of the young kids decided now would be a good time to scream in one of the most shockingly inhuman voices I'd ever heard.

"Get out of here! Get out! Now!"

Chapter 10 by Shasta

The child was not addressing you, but the Japanese girl. The girl with the wrong color of eyes. The girl who could whisper into your mind, and the other colonists.

Danforth sighed. "What now, Dia?"

The child, a young girl with a bob of brown hair, continued to wail. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words formed. No words could form. No one had taught her the language, and the children were banned from being around most adults to save their innocence. Children were smart. They would pick up on the fact that we were doomed.

The Japanese girl smiled. "Dia just was confused, isn't that right, Dia?"

Dia nodded, muttering a sound of agreement. Danforth and Cryssel seemed to take this without doubt. But, you? You had doubt.

"What was she confused about?" you asked, glancing at the Japanese girl. "Who are you?"

"She was confused about a noise. I am Chaheo." She smiled softly. "Would you prefer if I talked aloud to you?"

"I would prefer to know how you can talk in minds to begin with," you snapped.

Chaheo pointed at Cryssel. "Ask her. She tested on me, and the children as well. Do you know why they can't speak? It's because their words are in their minds. She disabled them from every leaving."

Chaheo unhooked herself from the machines that had been keeping her alive, and walked over to Cryssel. "She has been doing the work the scientists on Earth had told her to do. However, there was a letter of termination sent to her a while back, telling her that it was too dangerous to experiment on the embryo, and to do so on adults. I guess she never got it?"

Cryssel smiled, flashing teeth. "I got it, Chaheo. I had orders from an even higher power to not terminate the experiment."

"God?" Danforth asked hopefully, seeming to dwell inside himself.

Cryssel laughed. "No, of course not! There is no God, not anymore."

"Who gave the orders then?" you asked, feeling an icy shiver go down your spine.

Cryssel sighed. "We aren't alone in this universe. My orders came from one of the other species in the universe. The same species that blew up Earth."

You feel a sting in your heart as you put the pieces together. "You're a traitor. You're the reason Earth blew up."

Chapter 11 by intellikat

You reach for a thermoplaster, which lies on a nearby table, but Cryssel is faster still. Your hand stings and then throbs as she backs away, wrench in hand, and then bolts out the door.

"Get her," you rasp, holding your injured hand with the other.

Three make s start as the children seem to bob and weave in place around you.

"Are you alright, brother?" asks Danforth, and you nod.

The children now begin to chitter, their teeth clacking together in some truly unearthly rhythm that sends a shot through your body. All around you they stand affixed to the floor, yet rocking wildly as if suctioned with cups-- some horrific ritual you've never before witnessed.

[mythicamagic]

Diabolik Fairy Tales - Chapter 1

AU - The Diabolik Lovers re-imagined as fairy tale characters. Each chapter will feature a different diaboy, as their dark natures become entwined with the original macabre fairy tales of the past. Includes smut with a nameless heroine (slight reader insert)

Rated M                Trailer is here         

Chapter 1 - Yuma Mukami                            Chapter 2 - Shuu Sakamaki

Chapter 3 - Kanato Sakamaki                      Chapter 4 - Ayato Sakamaki

Chapter 5 - Ruki Mukami                               Chapter 6 - Laito Sakamaki

Chapter 7 - Azusa Mukami                            Chapter 8 - Reiji Sakamaki

Chapter 9 - Kou Mukami                          Chapter 10 - Subaru Sakamaki (end)

Warning! This series of fairy tale one shots will have various subjects or content that might make you uncomfortable. Off the top of my head there’s cannibalism, manipulation, abuse, and other such things. This is because I wanted to link the original fairy tales and all their messed up content that Disney and others alike try to censure, and combine it with Diabolik Lovers. You know…that series infamous for all kinds of messed up themes ^^ Now this isn’t to say that all those will be featured in EVERY chapter, just a few, and I will specify the warning before the chapter. So if it makes you feel uncomfortable just skip certain chapters yo.

I’d also like to remind you that these characters don’t have to share my moral beliefs, or philosophies. My main goal in making this was to combine horror and romance, so I hope I succeeded. This series is written in third person without Yui as the MC. There are no OC’s and you can self-insert if you like but it isn’t really a reader x diaboy scenario, nor am I shipping them with say ‘Cinderella’, in fact the heroine remains nameless for the most part. But you can imagine what you like ^^

Oh and there be no vampires here. AU for a reason ya feel?

Warnings: Lemon and Implied Cannibalism

What Big Teeth You Have ~

Pushing against a heavy door, a young woman braced herself. Its large frame swung wide on its hinges with a groan, almost lost in the rush of wind and biting cold. Quickly stepping out, she heaved the door back into place, trying to stop any heat from escaping. She sighed, breath becoming visible in the air, before adjusting the basket slung over her forearm. Clutching the clasp of her cloak tightly, the material strained under her hand as she shivered. Not wasting time, she trudged forward in the snow, the blood red of her cloak in stark contrast to the white surroundings.

Luckily the winds became still, and it had long stopped snowing, making it easier to walk without having to brace against the elements. The woman craned her neck up to the full sky, and wondered how long she had until the next snow fell. Grimly going about her task, she strode through the small village. If it were a little warmer she would probably have dallied, but she had a two hour journey ahead, so the sooner she left the better.

Passing the local blacksmith, her lashes lowered in pleasure as heat softly caressed her cheeks. Her steps faltered as it lured her in, the very air beckoning her closer.

“Hey, Little Red! Off to Grandma’s again I take it?” Shouted the aged blacksmith, sweat clinging to his brow. She briefly envied him, but smiled even as resentment threatened to loosen her tongue.

“I thought I asked you to lay off the ‘Little Red’ stuff.” She chided lightly. “But yes, that’s where I’m headed.”

“Careful on your way!” He yelled over the furnace, waving at her absentmindedly.

Taking that as a hint to leave, she sighed and stepped away, instantly mourning the heat and wishing she’d never felt it.

Now the bitter sting of winter attacked her with a much fouler force, and the woman tightened her cloak around her shoulders once more. She passed by several closed shops and locked eyes briefly with one of the only merchants still in business.

The weight of her basket felt heavier as she skimmed over their meagre selection of food. Her lips thinned, and she quickly looked away, turning her head forward.

As she turned towards a path that would lead her out of the village however, she stopped dead.

There was a loud thwack, followed by ripping and a dull thud.

Her heart shuddered in her chest as her eyes greedily devoured him.

The routine went on, methodical in its simplistic savagery. There wasn’t anything special about watching someone chop wood, but Yuma had a different presence about him when he was absorbed in work.

His large hands gripped the handle of an axe and swung it high. He then brought it down quickly, splitting the log down the middle in one fell swoop.

His muscles coiled and flexed under his shirt, and her eyes followed a path up from his exposed collarbone – wasn’t he cold? –  to his drawn features.

Her brows pulled together, before his eyes slanted up, seemingly by chance, and pinned her in place. Her treacherous heart leaped, and for a breathless moment, time seemed to stop.

The moment was broken by the widening of his smile, before his face split into a full grin. “Oi, Sow! Quit staring!”

Her face flushed, becoming redder than her cloak as the merchant behind her craned his neck in their direction.

“Yuma!” Her cloak blustered around her as she raced forward, hushing him. “The whole village will hear you!”

He chuckled. “Heh, knew it was a sure-fire way to get you over here. Don’t see why you gotta be so defensive about it. You should just sit there and ogle me all day, we both know it’s what you wanna do.”

Shame briefly coloured her face, and her boots suddenly became very interesting.

“If all you’re going to do is tease, then I’ll be on my way. And stop calling me ‘Sow’, it’s worse than Little Red.”

Yuma looked affronted as he swung the axe up, resting it lightly against his shoulder. “Sow is Sow. Ain’t about to call you anything else. Anyways you’re heading out at a bad time, you can see plain as day that the sky is full.”

He towered over her in height, so it was easy to take his warning to heart. Yumas lip curled as he eyed the cloudy sky, but she sighed and shook her head in response. “I have to go.”

“And the wolves?” He asked, gaze flitting over her slight form.

She smiled, moving the cloth over the basket aside to show a glint of a knife. “What about them?”

Yuma shook his head, something in his eyes warning her not to get too cocky. “Heh, I see this Sow has fangs.”

She rolled her eyes. “Grandma’s probably starving up there by now. I’ve missed my last couple of visits because of the bad weather, it has to be now.”

“Tch.” Yuma clicked his tongue, saying without words his stance on the situation. Things had become heated between everyone because of the recent famine, but the subject of her Grandmother had always turned Yuma sour. “And what is the lucky layabout getting from you today?” He sneered at the basket.

“The last of the bread. Some winter berries…oh, and leftovers we had that-“

Her stomach growled, and her mouth clicked shut. Yuma looked at her sharply, and she quelled under the sheer intensity in his eyes.

“Oi. When was the last time you ate?” His voice dropped, and anger briefly flashed, fierce and dark on his face.

He was hungry too, just as everyone was, so tempers were high. But she couldn’t understand Yuma’s mood swings in particular. It was as if he took her hunger personally, like it offended him when she couldn’t eat.

“I’m fine Yuma-“She tried to coax the usual, teasing Yuma out, but his face hardened.

“You know Sow… If I didn’t know any better-“He drew very close, his height making her shoulders drop. She stayed rooted in place even as he bent closer, teeth briefly flashing. “I’d say you wore that cloak to hide your skinniness. Bet that’s why you’re always so cold huh? Winters got a real taste for those with no meat on their bones. You can feel it biting you even now, can’t ya?”

She held her ground against the woodcutter’s keen gaze, and only felt herself relax when a bit of warmth gentled his eyes. She knew he only got angry out of consideration and sense of ‘fairness’.

“Alright. If that’s how it is, then I’ll play nice for once and offer you some of my share.” He smirked, eyes hooded as they stayed locked with hers.

“W-what? I couldn’t ask you to do that. You must be running low as it is-“

“Stop fussing. I have game that I shot just the other day.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a jar, holding it up for her inspection.

Red, raw meat glared back at her. She raised wide eyes to his. “Yuma, how did you get this? You know there’s been nothing sighted or caught around here in weeks.”

It was true, the gravity of their situation had hit when villagers had to look to the surrounding woods to provide for them. But berries and herbs only filled the stomach so much. Yet in their haste to hunt they’d picked off all the game frighteningly quick. There were no more deer, rabbits, squirrels, and even fish had become hard to catch. The only thing that remained elusive but in abundance, was wolves.

“Tch, don’t question my hunting. I’m a pretty decent shot with a rifle.” He grinned, sharp teeth glinting. His smiles were always infectious and she couldn’t help but return it. Warmth flooded her and she opened her mouth with affection on the tip of her tongue.

“Yuma-”

“Red! Get a move on to Grandma’s! Off with you, now!” Cried a shrill voice, and she didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

“Yes mother!” She called, glancing behind her and waving awkwardly. She hid the jar from view, knowing that Yuma would probably get in trouble for not sharing the game amongst the villagers. She pushed it back into his large hands.

“Sorry, I’ll get this later when she’s not looking. Thank you though, I really-“she tripped over her words, and became frustrated, trying to continue. “- I um – thanks.” She finished lamely, smiling.

“My pleasure, Sow.” He grinned sharply, voice dropping in the familiar way that usually prompted her to fantasize about too many inappropriate things. She shook herself and nodded, turning without another word and walking away.

“Oi, Sow! Forgot to say-“she glanced back at him and a serious look hardened his eyes. “Don’t take the shortcut. The pass is closed with snow. It’s a pain in the ass, but don’t go getting any ideas about going through it. Just take the usual path.”

She hesitated, thinking of the weather, but nodded. Turning away, the feeling of eyes boring into her back quickened her step, until she was swallowed by the cover of the woods.

Cold numbed her fingers as she tucked her hands tighter into fur coated gloves. Her red cloak spilled out behind her as snow crunched under her feet. Branches from the tall trees seemed to enclose over her head, and everything was still and quiet. Yet the woman trudged on grimly.

Yuma distracted her thoughts, and she bit her lip absentmindedly. He’d come into her life unexpectedly, showing up out of the blue a year ago. Back then, the village had been prosperous despite being so remote that travellers scarcely reached them. So it was with befuddlement but kindness that her father, the village head, welcomed him. Yuma never spoke of his past, except to say that he’d spent some time in the city and had to leave for personal reasons. Several villagers still said cutting remarks about him.

Unlike them, she’d become fast friends with him, unperturbed despite not knowing his past. Her smile fell a little however, at the thought of the jar.

The weather had turned cold so unexpectedly fast that year that it had taken the village by surprise. As a result, their food supplies had suffered, but this would have been fine had they any animals to hunt. Yet the game was picked off so quickly it was frightening, until they’d ran out entirely.

Even trade with other villages had become difficult, because of recent snow storms blocking trade routes. One of the villagers had gone missing in a storm not too long ago, now presumed dead. The village was now turning to their livestock for food, and whatever leftovers they had left.

Where Yuma had come by an animal, she didn’t know.

A distant sound caught her attention, and the woman’s head snapped up. A long, drawn out howl echoed in the woods. Her heart picked up, but she shook herself. She’d never been attacked by a wolf in all her visits to Grandmothers, and even with Father’s warnings she felt confident in dealing with them.

Her father didn’t like her visiting Grandmother without an escort, but there was no one else to help. Even if Yuma had volunteered, he probably would’ve been stopped by her mother. A warning look was always glinting behind people’s eyes whenever she was alone with him, though she tried to dismiss their stares and baseless rumours.

But she knew what those gazes meant. Don’t get too close, be wary.

Yuma brought a different kind of danger with him than wolves did. The kind that prompted sweating, writhing bodies bathed in moonlight to tease her thoughts. Those thoughts had become hopes, until they leaked like smoke into her very bones and became desires.

Now they were a part of her. The desire for him was as intrinsic as breathing, and she knew it with a certainty that frightened and excited her. But the only way to have him and experience his calloused touch, would be to become his bride. Her boots slid on an icy patch, and she stopped dead, balancing herself rigidly.

She didn’t care much for marriage, and sensed Yuma didn’t either. Yet if she didn’t marry him, she’d be risking her reputation, her life, all for one night. And if she gave in she’d be called worse things than ‘Sow.’

However, as she reached the crossroads and decided to follow Yuma’s advice, taking the longer path, she couldn’t help but be lulled by a darker feeling.

And that feeling made her realise something terrifying.

That if he wanted her, she’d be prepared to sacrifice everything, just to satisfy the cravings he elicited in her.

Shaking her head, she squashed that thought down, even as her thighs pressed together and an achingly sweet desire tightened her core.

The distant howls from within the woods rang out almost ceaselessly, but the woman continued undaunted.

Yet when another howl rose up, louder than the others, her steps faltered. Turning, she glanced around. That one had definitely been closer than the others.

Quickening her pace, her hand slid under the cover on the basket, touching the knife. Wolves were usually shy creatures despite their reputation, but hunger drove many animals to desperation. If they were half as hungry as her village was, then maybe…

Her breath shuddered as her heart hammered in her ribcage. Just a little further.

Grandmother’s house lay at the crest of the great hill, in a clearing free of the surrounding woods. The old woman had lived there all her life, and even after her husband passed, she’d refused to move into the village. It had fallen to ‘Little Red’ to take her meals, so she’d taken this path countless times.

Another howl, long and drawn out, echoed right into her very bones. The woman had never felt such terror when making a visit before.

She trudged quickly up the hill. A twig snapped behind her, but she didn’t turn to look. Instead she walked faster, pumping her legs until she was running.

The sound of bushes shaking, perhaps fur brushing against leaves, caught her ear. Something thudded against the snow behind her, and then she really was sprinting. Grandmother’s house came into view, just as the very real sound of something running gave chase behind her. Thud, thud, thud, thud pounded feet, no, paws on snow.

She breathed torn, ragged breaths as she ran. Her face was numb with the cold as her hood flew back.

Reaching desperately for the door handle, she quickly grasped it and tore the door open. Slamming it shut behind her, she threw her weight against it and braced for the impact of snapping jaws and hungry snarls.

But it never came. The sound that had shadowed her footsteps was gone. It was silent in the cottage, save for the crackle of the fireplace.

Sighing in relief, the woman tried to calm her racing heart. Once her breathing had slowed, she looked around. “Grandmother? I’m here! Sorry I haven’t checked in for a little while, the path was closed with snow.” She shook her boots and loosened the cloak around her shoulders.

“Grandmother?”

There was no response. Frowning, she made her way from the living room to the aged bedroom, finding it empty. She must be here, the fire is still lit.

Puzzled, she set down her basket. A seed of doubt bloomed in her heart, tightening with every minute that crept by without her Grandmothers shrill voice. Reaching under the basket’s cover, she brought out her knife and hid it under her cloak.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” She asked quietly, trying to comfort herself with the sound of her own voice rather than listen to deafening silence. Wandering back to the living room, her eyes caught sight of the fireplace.

The crate where logs were kept for the fire was empty. Grandmother had probably gone outside to the shed to get some more.

Walking to the back entrance and grabbing the handle, she pushed, exposing herself to the bitter cold once more.

“Grandmother?” She called to the nearby shed, seeing the door open. Following the two sets of footprints in the snow, her heart thudded in her chest, pumping sickeningly fast.

Wind whistled in the air as something wet landed on her nose. Snow was beginning to fall.

Her legs grew heavy as she reached the entrance of the shed.

And then her stomach lurched violently at the sight.

Red streaks in the snow caught her attention first, until her eyes landed on a broken form laying in the shed. Logs had fallen around her, obviously giving under her weight as she’d landed on them. The white of her hair danced in the snowy breeze, and a strangled noise chocked the girl’s throat as she stared at her grandmother.

“No, no please.” She muttered, bending down and reaching out, only to think better of it. The broken form of Grandmother was deadly still. The girl’s hands hovered uselessly in the air above her, staring at the ugly red patches of blood.

Frightened, quick breaths filled the woman’s lungs. As much as it disturbed her to think it, the blood looked freshly spilled. Judging by the amount of blood coating her body and the blood spatters over the shed’s walls, she’d been viciously attacked.

The girl was about to wonder what monster had done this, when there came a low, hungry rush of sound, hissing between teeth.

She froze. Raising her head slowly, she locked eyes with the wolf in the doorway.

It snapped its jaws, mouth peeling back to reveal sharp yellowed teeth. Spittle coated them, spilling out to pool on the ground.

It’s hackles rose as she shifted, wrapping her fingers around the knife more firmly. She trembled under the wolf’s gaze as two amber eyes stared at her fixatedly. A snarl rose from the pit of its throat as legs bent, and great jaws opened wider.

A cry escaped her as it suddenly lunged, and she quickly brought up the knife. Her eyes squeezed shut on instinct, expecting teeth to lock around her throat.

Something slammed into the ground. A loud whimper filled her ears.

Opening her eyes, she started and scrambled away from the twitching body of the wolf. An axe was buried in it’s skull.

The woman’s gaze travelled up from the handle to Yuma’s grim face. His eyes were blazing as they locked with hers.

“Shit. I take my eyes off you for two fucking seconds-” he grunted. “You okay?”

An emotion that threatened to undo her bubbled to the surface, before exploding. Tears pricked her eyes as she rose to her feet, jumping into Yuma’s waiting arms.

“Y-yuma. Oh God, my-my Grandmother she-“Air chocked her lungs and she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t hold back the rush of relief that he was here, here with her. The fear, sadness and confusion left her heavy and shaking in his arms.

He muttered something into her hair, tightening his arms around her. His warmth drew her closer, like a moth to flame, and she clung to him, wanting never to let go as his fingers stroked her hair.

Sometime later, the woman sat before the fire, her skirts arranged around her so that she could comfortably sit and stare into the flames numbly. The shutters rattled against the winds outside. She could feel the chill in the air even as she basked in the heat of the fire. Yuma was somewhere behind her in the kitchen, rambling under his breath as he kept himself busy. Since taking her inside, he hadn’t sat down once. Instead he’d made her a drink, secured the shutters on the windows and barricaded the doors against the snow. He’d said that a storm had followed him from the south when he’d decided to come to the cottage after her.

Since the weather was so bad, they’d decided to wait it out before heading back to the village and explaining what had happened.

Her heart dropped to her stomach.

Grandmother was still in the shed. It made the girl shudder to think of her cold, lifeless body being forgotten out in the snow. A part of her felt as if she could hear the old woman’s bones rattling in the wind outside.

“Oi, budge up will ya?”

Broken out of her thoughts, she quickly scooted over to make room for Yuma. He bent down and folded his legs beneath him with a satisfied sigh.

“Well, everything’s taken care of. We should be fine in here for a good while.”

She nodded, mind drifting back to the shed once more.

“Shit, quit with that. If you need a distraction, just focus on me.” A warm hand was suddenly on her chin, turning her face to his. When her pupils focused on him, he smirked. One of his canines peeked out between his teeth, as it did sometimes when he was truly satisfied. She was unable to stop from smiling weakly.

“Better. Don’t go wandering off somewhere I can’t follow, alright Sow?” He busied himself with bringing out a jam jar, and the woman could only puzzle over what he’d meant.

“You brought the meat with you?” She asked once catching sight of the red substance within the glass, though something about this jar seemed familiar.

Yuma rolled his eyes and bumped shoulders with her. “Tch, course. It’s gotta get eaten.”

She winced and rubbed her shoulder even as she smiled. “Yeah, guess so. It’s just hard to think of anything else except for…”

She trailed off, her mind returning to that dark place. Yuma unscrewed the lid of the jam jar and without preamble, ate a slice of red meat.

The woman started in alarm. “You eat meat… raw?” She was almost certain there had been blood in that jar.

His expression was flat, as if he found nothing wrong with it. “Yeah. I mean, not all the time. It’s safe if you handle it with care, which is pretty easy in these freezing conditions.”

She adjusted her cloak worriedly, but froze the moment a low gurgling sound escaped her stomach. Yuma’s eyes were locked on hers in a second.

“Ha? I see… ya still haven’t eaten.”

She shook her head, quickly rising. “There’s still some food in Grandmothers basket, I’ll just-“

A hand latched around her wrist, pulling her down. She squeaked in alarm, landing awkwardly. Her knees bumped against his, and she grabbed hold of his shoulders to keep from bumping noses with him.

His face was suddenly close, too close. She practically drowned in the heavy depths of his brown eyes. A sliver of green around the edge of his iris’s caught her attention, and she became mesmerised by it. A part of her didn’t want to move, and he knew this, judging from the wicked grin on his face.

Blushing hotly, she opened her mouth to complain, before he shifted, wrapping his arm around her and pulling so that she was now completely nested onto his lap.

“That’s better, ain’t it Sow?” His voice was pitched low and husky, hot breath fanning against her ear and cheek. Her limbs locked, heart thudding painfully fast in her chest.

“Tch…look at that. You’re trembling. Shoulda said if you were cold.” His hands were rough as they rubbed up and down her back and arms, as if unused to handling something gently. But when he decided to settle her even closer in his arms, she half wished he’d continued.

His eyes were sinfully dark as she tilted her chin just so, barely a hair’s breadth away from his. This was all he needed to finally crash his lips onto hers.

A squeak of surprise was muffled under his mouth as he pressed his lips against hers painfully. His tongue flicked out to run over her bottom lip, and she yielded under his touch, parting her lips.

He groaned as his tongue plundered her mouth, and she was left almost unable to respond, helpless to do anything but cling and press against him.

When her hips shifted against his unconsciously, he inhaled through his nose sharply. His large hands settled on her back and hip under the heavy fall of her cloak, licking flames of desire over her body.

“Are you trembling from the cold, or something else now?” He murmured, pressing a hungry kiss to her cheek, then her jaw.

Though she was indeed shaking, the woman knew it wasn’t from fear. Her fingers clutched at his clothing like steel hooks. Nothing could pry them away.

“I’m not scared.”

“Bold words, coming from a girl who’s never learned how to shiver.”

Her cloak suddenly felt so heavy it weighed down on her shoulders like a burden. She became hyper aware of her innocence, like a barrier between them.

The woman awkwardly untangled herself from him and stood, backing away. She was sweating, blood boiling too fast under her skin.

The urge to shed her clothes overwhelmed her in the hot room, which only grew warmer as Yuma also stood, gaze fixed on her.

She raised her chin, catching sight of the jam jar that he’d left before the fire. The reflection of flames danced upon the glass and only served to highlight the dowdy design of its polka dot lid. Why was Yuma using Grandmother’s jam jar? He hadn’t had it earlier.

The wind wailed against the shutters of the room, rattling them loudly like Grandmother’s shrill scream.

The realization came all at once. She heard the locks straining against the barricaded door. The jar, in the right light, made the bloodied meat glint. And within, one white hair lay trapped inside.

Yuma smiled as her eyes became fearful and wide. “Heh, what big eyes you have, Sow. You finally noticed it huh?”

She didn't move.

The bones in the shed trembled.

“Gonna run away?” His voice almost dared her to.

Fear locked her limbs, and she felt the horror inside her heart start to leak into her expression. But the thought of a limp body, lying in the snow, gripped her tight and steeled her nerves.

When her hands rose it wasn’t to grab the knife on the nearby table, but to reach under her cloak for the lace of her dress. Undoing the fastenings with a steadier hand than she thought herself capable, she slid her arms free of the sleeves and shimmed it down her hips until the cloth pooled at her feet.

Throughout, Yuma watched her with wide eyes. They roved over her face at first, before lowering to the gap in her cloak that showed only a sliver of flesh.

After sliding her winter stockings down her legs, she stood tall and bare underneath the heavy fall of her cloak.

It had the desired effect, as in a blink, Yuma bore down on her, leaning in close with his teeth glinting. Yet just as his hand reached for her, she grabbed the knife, leaning up quick so that it was poised against his neck.

Yuma’s breath stilled, whilst hers was short, fast.

“Tell me why you did it.”

Yuma’s eyes blazed. His lips turned up, voice becoming a husky whisper. “Does a predator need a reason to eat prey?”

The knife pressed against his neck a little harder, drawing blood. But her hands were weak. Tears stung her eyes.

Yuma clicked his tongue, and the woman chocked on her cry as the knife was swiftly knocked from her hand.

Yuma then grabbed her close, grip painfully tight. “She was holdin’ out on you, Sow. When I came here to build up the hearth a week ago, I saw the pantry.”

He dragged her to an old cupboard that she recognised. To her knowledge, it was completely empty. Yuma kicked the door open, and her eyes flew wide.

His lips were suddenly beside her ear, hot breath fanning into her hair. “It’s filled with food. Food she didn’t share with the village. And all the while she kept accepting your baskets, while you went hungry.”

The woman’s heart thudded, heavy in her chest. Her family had slaved for food for months, yet the pantry was filled to the brim. Grandmother had eaten at her leisure.

Yuma tugged her numb body back. Her head hit the floor a moment later, body spread out in front of the fire like a feast. Yuma leaned over her, lips brushing her ear. “Ya call that fair?”

She shuddered and tried to rise, her skull aching from the impact. His body weighed her down. Fingers grabbed her hair and yanked, until she looked him in the eye. The smell of bread filled her nostrils, before it was against her lips, which she recognised from her basket. Yuma pressed it forcefully against her mouth. “Eat.”

Hot tears blurred her vison as she opened and began to chew. Her mouth was dry and the bread clung to her tongue, but Yuma was unrelenting even as she chocked and swallowed.

She wet her lips once she was done and Yuma stared at her, fixated on such a simple action. Air on her skin made her eyes drop to her chest, where the cloak had parted, revealing her breast. Yuma’s gaze followed hers, and a different kind of hunger licked hot flames up her thighs.

Their lips met between one moment and the next. She didn’t know how, or why. Suddenly all the fear, pain and noise was suspended in the air, so far away it couldn’t touch her. All that was left in her body was the embers of desire. Grandmother was lost to her, barely a concept anymore. Yet the woman couldn’t find it in her to feel remorse for her own heartlessness. An eye for an eye.

His large hand cupped her breast, squeezing until she moaned against his mouth.

Yuma’s lips were harsh and utterly relentless, assaulting her own with a force so great it left her reeling, helpless to do anything.

Moans spilled from her mouth into his, as he rubbed the pad of his thumb over her sensitive nipple. Hips met and sensually slid against each other. Teeth knocked. When he bit at her lip, pain only served to heighten the pleasure. Her appetite consumed her, and when his tongue sank between her teeth she didn’t think about the meat in the jar beside them.

She began to claw at his clothing, skin on fire as she shifted beneath him. Yuma gave in to her wordless request and broke away to take off his coat and shirt. He didn’t pause as his fingers undid his belt and the woman watched as he freed his hard length. Her breathing hitched, heart hammering in her chest as his body sank down over her.

His lips found hers again, pressing with a hunger that mirrored her own. Both his touch and kisses felt bruising in their strength. Long fingers slid into her cloak, until they brushed against her wet sex. The clasp of her cloak strained against her collarbone as she writhed, bucking her hips against his hand as he teased her.

When his other hand left her breast to fiddle with the clasp of her cloak, she quickly grabbed his arm. “Y-yuma, don’t-“

“I don’t wanna hear any complaints, Sow.” He growled. Clicking it open, he parted the cloak with one hand, eyes roving over her body as red cloth gave way to bare skin.

She looked away, wanting to shield her skinny hips and hide her ribs. Yuma just stared down at her grimly.

“You’re just like I used to be…” he murmured. “No, maybe more like Boss. He was self-sacrificing too. Tch, it was sickening.” Dulled, faraway eyes contemplated her form dispassionately.

The woman blinked and reached for him, wanting to know more, but his fingers resumed their motions as he slid another inside her.

“Now I see why you’re not scared that I’d eat you.” He remarked casually, even as she panted and moaned underneath him.

“I-Im not a piece of mea-“ She was cut off as something that had built within her burst, and her back arched, panting wildly.

Yuma just grinned. “Greedy, stupid little Sow. You wouldn’t care so long as it felt good, right?”

He removed his fingers, lapping at the juices coating them. The woman tried to calm her breathing but tensed as he bent his head, grabbing her leg and pushing it aside as he thrust his tongue inside slick folds.

Her lips parted in a silent gasp, hands reaching for his soft hair as he lapped at her, sucking her juices like exquisite fruit.

When she felt teeth nip at her inner thighs, her heart stuttered with fear. She looked down and saw his face, shadowed with a dark expression. His eyes were unreadable. She knew at once the danger she was in as his tongue travelled up her navel. As if, at any moment, the mood might take him, and she’d be devoured on the spot.

When he raised his head and braced himself over her, he leaned in close, smirking. “Heh, unfortunately Sow, I’m not sure you’ll survive this. Your bones might snap like little twigs.”

His hand moved over the plains of her slight form. She glimpsed something in his eyes, before she felt the head of his hard length rub against her entrance.

“I’m not that fragile.” She spoke clearly, knowing fear did her no good. She raised her knees to accommodate him, never breaking eye contact as he slowly drove himself in. Yuma hissed in pleasure as she gasped, feeling of her walls tightening around him. Pain squeezed her eyes shut.

The feeling was indescribable. Yuma was inside her, sheathed in her heat, bodies pressed so close she could smell his earthy scent. It was just as she’d wanted. She leaned up to kiss his neck just once, and his gaze was puzzled before he was suddenly moving.

She bit down on her lower lip hard when he pulled out and slammed himself in, building a rhythm as he pounded against her.

He inhaled sharply as she pushed back under him, her small form dwarfed by his tall frame. She clung to his shoulders as the sounds of their bodies moving filling up the room. Sweat glistened off his chest and brow. The light from the fire bathed his skin in a warm colour, and she was enraptured by how he moved as they rutted together like animals.

She dazedly watched as he slid out of her, how the muscles in his abdomen flexed before he thrust back in, burying himself to the hilt. “Hah…” She heard Yuma hiss through his teeth, fingers digging into her thigh and hip.

One of his hands slid down her body, finding her clit and playing with it as he slammed into her, her juices rubbing off against his thighs. She felt as if she was burning alive, but the fire was blazing under her skin. She curled a hand into the red cloak underneath her, clinging to it and panting as she felt her second orgasm building. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, tasting blood as she groaned his name.

Yuma’s lips suddenly pressed against hers as her body shook and enclosed around him. White hot pleasure crashed down to her core. Yuma sped up and continued pounding into her, his thrusts becoming desperate and uncontrolled as he bit and licked at her skin.

His throat emitted a deep noise, breathing erratic as she felt him slam into her one last time, before unloading his seed in her.

A dazed sort of terror echoed in the back of her mind, sounding like the villages voices, but she knew herbs and other such things to quell her fears of motherhood.

Yuma panted, drawing away slowly. Her heart stuttered when he caught her eye.

“I promised myself I’d never starve again.” His husky voice was almost lost to her as he bent to kiss and lick at the sweat on her collarbone. “The feeling of having your insides cave in on themselves just to give your body something to eat… nearly died in the slums from that sensation.”

Teeth nipped, scraping lightly against heated flesh. “But you made me break that promise.” She swallowed under the look he gave her. “I began starvin’ again, the moment I saw you. Nothing would quench the thirst except a taste.”

Pure satisfaction darkened his eyes, and she knew this had been his aim all along. “Tch, but I still aint sated Sow. Not by a long shot.”

He didn’t expect the woman to smile up at him, teeth sharper than he remembered. “Neither am I.”

The fears and names she heard so clearly in her mind were echoed the coming days after. No one suspected Yuma of anything after Grandmother’s body was discovered, but the village soon turned on her once she admitted she’ d spent the night with him alone.

After the funeral, her reputation, like her burned red cloak, lay scattered in ashes. Her mother and father cast doubtful eyes upon her, and fell silent whenever she entered the room. It was as if they couldn’t even recognize their own daughter.

She knew it wouldn’t have made a difference if she denied the rumors. An unmarried girl had no voice.

So it was that Little Red, who was neither little nor dressed in red, steadied her pack on her shoulder. She passed by the blacksmith, who turned away as she walked, head held high.

She didn’t stop until she reached the path leading out of the village, and found her Woodcutter waiting for her.

“Hungry?” He passed her a jam jar and she smiled, barely giving it a glance as she looked at him.

“Famished.”

And so the two wolves left the starving village for the woods that lay beyond.

[therealwuss]

Favorite Films of 2015

10.) The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

A blast of inspired lunacy that harkened back to the glory days of Nickelodeon when the cartoons were shamelessly vulgar, trippy, and laced with adult undertones. Spongebob’s creators were clearly in touch with how much their original child audience has aged and made a love-letter for both them and Spongebob newcomers.

9.) Nasty Baby

Nasty Baby achieves something I myself have tried to do with film, which is portray how life can completely turn on you in the blink of an eye. It starts off enticingly enough as your typical indie-darling quirk-comedy, but when it turns, man does it grab you by the throat. The fact that it also serves as a commentary on gentrification and a showcase for Kristen Wiig’s talents as a serious dramatic actress doesn’t hurt.

8.) Magic Mike XXL

Magic Mike XXL is a giddy celebration of sexual liberation that has a surprising layer of pathos consistently bubbling beneath its beautiful surface. At the core of all its rippling abs and impressive strip-choreography are a group of men who seem to have no idea what to do with their lives, but they (and the film itself) remind us that when life finally throws a good moment at you, it’s always best to stop and enjoy the fireworks. Oh, and the female empowerment is awesome too.

7.) It Follows

With gorgeous cinematography, hypnotic atmosphere, and a brilliant horror-score, It Follows proved that the only thing that might be scarier than a 7-foot tall man walking into your room in the middle of the night is the idea of losing a sense of innocence that you might never be able to get back.

6.) The Hateful Eight

While it might be Tarantino at his most indulgent, The Hateful Eight also feels like Tarantino at his angriest and most political. Watching the destructive force of hate bounce between the snowbound characters like the alien in The Thing is thrilling. But as fun as it is, Tarantino also wisely reminds us that when we let hate take hold and lash out at each other, in the end, nobody wins.

5.) Inside Out

Another treat from Pixar with an invaluable message, Inside Out brilliantly and heartbreakingly portrays the pains of adolescence. It also captures so well the idea that some of the hardest things to cope with aren’t tragedies, but the fact that things just change in general…and you gotta have those bad feels to have the great ones. Also Bing-Bong fucked me up.

4.) Creed

I couldn’t have expected to be as moved by Creed as I was, but it knocked me on my ass. I also never thought I’d refer to Sylvester Stallone as “heartbreaking,” but he is exactly that in what will probably be the best role of his career. Thank god the movie balances that melancholy with an utterly uplifting story that turns the typical boxing-rags-to-riches cliché on its head.

3.) The Tribe

I couldn’t shake The Tribe for days (maybe even weeks) after I saw it, to the point that the friend I saw it with and I kept randomly texting each other just to say “I’m thinking about The Tribe.” Not only is it ambitious as hell with its impressive long takes and the fact that the entire film is in sign-language with no subtitles…it’s also probably the most disturbing film I’ve ever seen in a theatre. Under all its shock and ice-cold atmosphere lies a bleak and haunting message about human nature. It’s far from happy viewing, but it’s masterful art.

2.) Mad Max: Fury Road

There’s not a lot to say about Mad Max: Fury Road…beyond basically every superlative you can think of: thrilling, stunning, jaw-dropping, exhilarating, inventive, inspiring, splendidly feminist, sheer badass, etc. And not only does Fury Road relentlessly entertain, it reminds us to never give up the good fight—no matter your class, gender, or position in life. I wish all movies reached for the stars like this one does. I still bounce around in my seat like a child at the sight of Tom Hardy swiveling across the horizon on a pole as a tanker truck explodes behind him.

1.) Mistress America

Had I written this list a year ago like I should have, Mistress America probably would have been ranked much lower. But after nearly 20 more viewings and plenty of discussion, it is the film of 2015 I simply can’t do without. The more I watch it, the more I realize how masterful it is. The film has not an ounce of fat on it. Nearly every line of dialogue is effortlessly witty, the attention to detail is brilliant, and when it’s not making you laugh mercilessly it’s dropping existential truth-bombs left and right. I can’t think of a film that better captures my current generation—the way we’re all focused on ourselves but think everyone else is focusing on us, our inability to carry a conversation without getting distracted and shifting it to our own topics of interest, our constant insecurity that we should be doing something different with our lives other than what we are doing. Sometimes it almost feels like we’re living in a Facebook News Feed, where we can never stick with one idea for too long without getting distracted by the next, and at the center of it all is just our dire longing for stability, love, and affirmation. It’s fascinating to me that a film that seems to have such a firm grasp on these concepts is also so hilarious and addicting to watch. I put it on to fall asleep to. I put it on to stare at while I eat. I put it on rather than following through with other ideas. And most of all, I put it on to remind myself that although people may not be thinking about me, they’re definitely feeling like me…and that comforts me to no end.

Honorable Mention:

*) Goodnight Mommy

*) Anomalisa

*) Room

*) Star Wars: The Force Awakens

*) Tangerine

*) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

*) Amy

*) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

[rubypop]

Hunger, Chapter 7 - Dragon Age 2

Hunger by rubypop Chapter 7

Fenris awoke on a bedroll, lurching upright as though to keep himself from falling. The taste of bile cleaved to his tongue. Anders, on his hands and knees, was scrubbing the floor.

"You were sick all over the glyph," Anders said, and Fenris spat several times. Anders wrinkled his nose. "It smells of sour wine, of course. Honestly."

Fenris ground his fists into his temples. "I was there," he murmured. "I was — the demon. But so much of it is leaving me. Like a dream."

Anders vigorously rubbed his brush with a cake of soap and scrubbed harder. "I saw," he said. "Justice saw."

"He saw everything?"

Anders nodded.

Fenris covered his mouth, his eyes listing to the ceiling. "Never have I felt such overwhelming hunger. I wanted to — I could have devoured the world, and never been satisfied. The torment. I can still feel flashes of it." He gagged and swallowed the bile roughly back. He spat acrid mucus to the floor. "Maker. I remember. I was eating people. Men. The Templars from the cave."

Anders nodded again and looked away. "I saw."

"I wanted her." Fenris raked his claws through his hair. "I wanted her more than anything I have ever wanted before." He did not mention the familiarity of this sensation, and hated himself, intensely, in that moment.

"Do you remember the last thing that you saw?" Anders said.

Fenris shook his head. "You — Justice — jarred me back." Then, accusingly: "You pulled me back, just as I had her. Just as I was about to —" And horror dawned on him, stunning him into silence.

Anders stared gravely at nothing, then seized a bucket and flung water onto the floor. He mopped with short, angry jerks.

"She must still live," Fenris said. "She must."

"Just as those Templars still live?" Anders said. "Just as all of the others the demon has devoured?"

"You can't tell me you're giving up."

Anders hurled the mop down. "Never," he said.

"Then we must go." Fenris scrambled up, and stumbled, and righted himself. He spat a final time and collected his sword and satchel. "We must go immediately. When I took her — when the demon took her — I cannot remember — but Justice must have seen —"

Anders had already taken up his staff. "What Justice sees, I see," he said. "The demon traveled partially in the Fade. But it traversed the mountain, a forest. It went north of Sundermount."

"I felt a sense of home. It has a den."

"I saw the roofs of a village. It must be nearby there. If we find the village, we will find the demon."

"And then," Fenris growled, "I shall cut her free of its guts myself."

#

Enfolded in flesh, Hawke remembered:

Bethany was dead. Her mother wailed with anguish and clutched the girl to her breast. Carver screamed and charged the beast that had killed her. Hawke knelt, her heart pounding in her ears, and gripped a wound in her shoulder, the tissue soft and fragrant and wet.

The ogre laughed — had been laughing — and tossed Carver aside. His blade nicked the beast on the arm and did nothing. Hawke swayed to her feet and clutched her staff. The scars along her thighs, years old, seared her. They drove her forward. She twisted her fingernails through ragged flesh, comforted by the scent of her own blood.

She raised her staff with an incantation. She gave her fingers a final twist, spilling blood down her breast. She'd learned of the great power in blood freshly spilled. The ogre turned its massive head towards her. Her blood arced and lanced into a red mist, and the mist fell upon the ogre, and penetrated the pores in its hide.

The beast convulsed. Its head pulled back and its lips twisted in a horrible grimace. Hawke shrieked for Carver to charge. He flew to the ogre with unmitigated fury. His blade split the massive throat. The ogre fell, stiff and spraying blood, like a tree that thundered to the ground. Heaving, Carver collapsed, and he and their mother stared at her in horrified wonder.

Hawke remembered.

"You are enjoying your gift, little thing?" Hunger crooned within the Fade, within her dreams.

Hawke shrugged impassively.

"You have grown into them very well," he said. His fanged grin gleamed.

"I am already an apostate," she said. "I suppose being a maleficar hasn't changed things much."

"You see, then, how special you are to me."

"I would not call it a gift. But it has been helpful."

He beamed. Waves of heat radiated from him.

"I must ask you something."

"Yes, little thing?"

Hawke fixed her gaze upon him. "No, I will not ask you. I will tell you. You must leave Anders alone."

He chuckled. It rumbled throughout the texture of her dreams.

"I am being serious. I don't care what jealousies you may harbor. He has nothing to do with you."

"You are mine," he said simply.

"As I will be. But for now, I am my own."

"You may play at such." He lifted his spiked shoulders in a parodic shrug. "Do you claim to love this whelp?"

"I do."

"Ah, but he does not see your dreams. I do, little thing."

She frowned. The fabric of the Fade rippled and tugged around him. He changed, as she had seen him change before, but now his flesh became soft and pale; his crown of spikes melted into fawn-colored hair; the lanterns of his eyes became human, and blue. Arrayed in gleaming armor, Ser Clerval stepped toward her.

"I have seen him in your dreams," he said.

Hawke turned away. Ser Clerval reached for her, brushing her wrist with gentleness.

"Do not do this," she said. "Do not."

"How the memory of this fallen wretch returns to you, over and over," he said, pulling her close. "Do you forget how he hunted you? How he brought you to me?"

"I have no control over such dreams," she said, turning her face away as his beard brushed her cheek.

"I can make those dreams into reality. As much of a reality as can exist in the Fade."

She pushed him back. "Don't toy with me," she said. "Do not. His memory haunts me. I don't care if that amuses you. But do not play at shadows. Maker's breath, after all these years, your mockeries affect me no longer."

"Mockery?" he said, Ser Clerval said, feigning hurt. "I would not mock the one that I love so much."

"Love? You are incapable of love."

"Am I?" His face darkened.

"You will leave Anders alone. You may take your fury out on me. I do not care. I am used to your tantrums." She shook her head. "Blood magic repairs as well as it damages. You taught me that much."

"Indeed," he said, and his face, his body liquefied and shifted. Anders gently smiled at her. "My love."

She turned away in disgust. "Give me your word."

"Does my word mean that much to you, little thing?"

"It will have to do," she said.

"Your trust in me — 'tis such a sweet thing." He shrugged. "You shall have it, then. My word. But know this." He raised a finger, which was and was not Anders's, smooth and soft and tipped now with a long black talon. "Should he provoke me in any way, his life is forfeit. If he must know of me, he must also know our contract is not one with which he can interfere."

"It was a choice I made," she affirmed. "My choice alone."

"The same applies to that nosy spirit he harbors within. Justice." He chuckled. "A foolish burden, indeed. Now." He took her hands and pulled her against him. His claws gripped her wrists, gently but insistently. "My darling. Let us seal it with a kiss."

Upon waking, Hawke rubbed her mouth vigorously and slid from the bed. Anders snored quietly among the sheets, and she did not look at him, shaken by the image of Hunger speaking with her lover's face. She crossed the room to the oak chiffonier and stared at a small jewelry box. She stroked its hammered-metal lid uncertainly, and then eased it open. Within were two items: the miniscule horse figurine and a glinting brass pin.

She took the pin and raised it up. Its point flashed, hair-thin and sharp.

"Do you still bind, little charm?" she whispered. "Or have you lost all that you are, after so many years?"

She took the figurine and turned it over and over. She grazed her thumb against its roughness. Hot anger flooded through her. She jabbed the back of the horse's head with the pin, pulled back, and stabbed harder. The pin broke through the wood and sank easily. She studied it for a moment, held her breath, and pushed the remainder of the pin into the token. It vanished altogether, save for a faint glint of brass when the light hit just so.

"Coward," she said, to no one, to herself, to the demon that lurked at the corners of her dreams.

#

Dragana found Florian bent over the table in his workshop, raising a cleaver into the air. She flounced to his side just as the cleaver hit its mark and crunched through bone.

"How lovely!" she sang, and Florian traded his cleaver for a boning knife.

"Come to admire my work, have you?"

"My Lord sends his greetings," she said, giving a little twirl.

Florian glanced at her. She was resplendent in white and crimson silk, her face aglow. She steadied herself against the table and hooked her cane over his elbow.

"You will prepare my supper, will you?"

"Of course, my dear." He slipped the knife into the haunch of meat and worked at the bone, severing cartilage from flesh, then gripped the knob of bone and slid it free. It came out wet and shining.

"Florian, my Lord is troubled," Dragana said, her voice dropping low.

Florian guided the knife just beneath the skin, tugging it between thumb and forefinger. He swept the blade around the haunch and peeled the skin back in a ghostly layer. "Is he, now?"

"Yes. He has been alerted to invaders."

"I see."

"He is most unhappy."

"And who shall I be expecting?"

"Two men." She raised her little fingers. "An apostate who harbors a Fade-born spirit in his flesh. And a savage elf, wreathed in strange markings of silver."

"Hm." He skimmed the fat from the haunch and flicked the knife along the seam of two red muscles. The connective tissue gave way, and he cleanly pulled them apart.

"You shall have to sharpen your knife," she giggled.

"My dear. My knife is always sharp."

"I think," Dragana said, and then her voice dropped again to a whisper, "I think they're coming for the bitch."

"The young lady, you mean."

"The bitch." She frowned, indignant.

"Of course. And what would you have me do while we are awaiting their arrival?"

"Why, send an escort. I would certainly love to meet them." She ran a hand along the pale membrane of skin that Florian had set aside. "Strange silver markings," she murmured. "How lovely they would look plated on my Lord's table."

Florian nodded thoughtfully.

Dragana stood on tiptoe and pecked him on the cheek. "You are wonderful," she said. "Thank you, Florian."

"Anything for you, my dear."