#this one is. rough for a number of reasons it's got a difficult middle

[youssefguedira]

opening my doc for planet earth is blue like surely THIS time i will make it further than a paragraph

[blurhawaii]

yuletide 2024

dear yuletide writer,

hello and happy yuletide! thanks for checking out my letter, whether you’re my writer, someone looking to write some treats, or you’re just curious. i’m pretty easy to please and i always try to leave comments befitting the effort you’ve gone to write me something, because i’m well aware that managing to write anything is incredibly tough.

all of the prompts below are merely suggestions, jumping off points for if you’re struggling to come up with anything. if you’ve got something else that you’re excited to write about, go right ahead. trust me, i’ll happily read it, no matter how out there it might be.

and, most importantly, have fun!

+ treats are very welcome and much appreciated.

++ this is easily my longest letter yet. sorry about that.

general likes:

dysfunctional relationships eg. codependency, messed up father/son dynamics, enemies to lovers (with or without the friend step in the middle), power imbalances, age gaps

unexpected team ups with unlikely characters OR bottle episodes as fic where characters are stuck together in a place/room, unable to leave

vulnerability in men, uncertain intimacy, UST, slow burns first times, forehead kisses, emphasis on hands and touch, touch starved characters, tough love as a means of showing affection

canon divergence and what-if fics, missing scenes, post-canon, fix-it fics, outsider POV, character studies over purely plot driven fics, go way weirder if you like as long as it still feels in universe

bonding through shared trauma—bonus if that leads to messy codependency, PTSD, redemption arcs, found family tropes, difficult family relationships, characters that can’t seem to stay away from each other

supernatural horror, magical realism, cosmic horror, body horror, gothic horror, noir tropes, dark humour, monsters of any kind, ghosts, time loops

size difference, age difference, rough manhandling, competence kink, incompetence kink, loyalty kink, praise kink, pilot kink, clothes sharing, cigarette sharing, character studies as porn, breathplay, clothed sex, rough sex, biting, hair pulling, awkward sex, crying especially during sex, blunt communication between sexual partners

angst (with or without a happy ending) and hurt/comfort fics (heavy on the hurt)

polyamory—especially when an established couple brings in a third, and the journey towards getting it to work

consent issues in terms of characters having sex for reasons that aren’t just straight up attraction, such as for comfort, loneliness, thinking it’s what the other person wants, hero worship, being undercover, previous emotional and personal baggage, a difficult family history leading to messed up dynamics with other parental figures, avoidance of bigger problems

soulmate and daemon fics (this is mostly fandom specific, see prompts for more info)

any rating from gen to porn

DNWs:

AUs that are completely disconnected from canon e.g. high school and coffee shop AUs

crossovers with other fandoms

genderbending, trans headcanons, and asexual headcanons

extreme feminisation of male characters

fics that are entirely tooth rotting fluff

permanent character death and terminal illness (temporary death, ghosts, resurrections are all fine though)

A/B/O fics

scat/watersports

mpreg

first person fics, crackfic, chatfic, songfic, and reader inserts

the departed (2006)

*billy costigan *sean dignam

one of my favourite films ever. i request it every year so you can't really go wrong with this. trust me, i will devour anything you write for these two.

my number one love is dignam. i love his filthy mouthed defense of his undercovers (which includes billy) and his obvious loyalty towards the job and his partnership with queenan. i get a lot of enjoyment from how much he seems to hate sullivan on vibes alone. he’s basically got legend status in both the cop world and the criminal world, and i would be very interested in seeing how and why that came to be.

i have a vague headcanon that dignam was once a younger undercover who got out somehow, and since that rarely happens cleanly i can see a lot of potential for a fic that delves into the trauma of that, and how it relates to billy’s time undercover—which definitely DOES NOT end cleanly.

billy spends the entire film struggling with repressed violent tendencies, crippling isolation, constantly being reminded of and compared to his well-liked father (his uncle and cousin too, but less favourably), and having to juggle various different identities to the point where he doesn’t know which one is real anymore. all of which are themes i would also love to see be explored further.

and obviously i am fascinated by every interaction between these two. from dignam’s attack dog interview tactics, which are fully designed to verbally tenderise billy. dignam expertly reading and needling every one of billy’s weak spots, tearing him down to nothing, ready for queenan’s slightly softer good cop approach meant to reshape him to fit their purpose. to the very rare moments where dignam actually softens too (we need you, pal and my personal favourite why don’t we meet up, sweetheart. let me buy you an ice cream), all leading up to the ultimate loyalty moment of dignam killing sullivan at the end as revenge for billy’s death (and probably queenan too.)

i have written a couple of departed fics myself, centred around shipping costigan/dignam. but in all honesty, i would be happy with anything involving them both. shipping is preferred but whatever you are comfortable with is fine. due to the nature of the film, i am perfectly comfortable with physical violence and the screwed up relationship they are bound to have. the friction born of the situation they are in vs the fact that they need each other to get through this is what i am all about.

prompts:

i have already promised my eternal gratitude to a previous gifter who wrote me a wonderfully odd fic for this prompt. so i can only offer something lesser like an arm or a leg if you write me another fic that incorporates the why don’t we meet up, sweetheart. let me buy you an ice cream line. if you can make that happen in-universe, during the time billy is still undercover, my arm and/or leg is yours to do with what you wish.

any fic where billy survives is always welcome. whether it centres around the very real consequences of taking a bullet to the head, the recovery period that follows, and the long term future billy is looking down barrel of. OR billy never takes the bullet. maybe dignam shows up in time and a mexican standoff in the elevator goes very differently.

maybe some kind of role reversal where instead of madolyn being billy’s therapist point of contact outside of both the cop world and the criminal world, billy could show up on dignam’s doorstep looking for some of the world’s worst therapy. if dignam was a previous undercover, it could be perfect for some trauma bonding.

i’ve always been of the opinion that a time loop fic could work well with this. whether it’s billy having the knowledge to avoid his ending (only for an actual good ending still being hard to get), dignam feeling guilty for not answering billy’s calls by the end and wanting to fix both billy’s outcome and queenan’s. OR maybe go really wild and have an outsider POV stuck in a loop, someone striving for their own personal outcome that somehow also benefits billy’s and/or dignam’s fate, like sullivan or queenan.

as i said in my general likes i think some kind of soulmate or daemon fic could be very interesting in a world where undercover work is the setting. billy and dignam having each other’s names on their person could lend itself to some interesting scenarios. just imagine the interview scene with that fact in dignam’s back pocket. and something about daemons being a true reflection of souls really appeals to me when dropped into these circumstances. bonus points here if you twist or subvert these tropes into some unusual take on them.

slow horses (tv)

*river cartwright *jackson lamb

first of all, i’ll definitely be all caught up on the show by the time that yuletide goes live, so no worries there. i’m also currently reading through the first book and will probably continue after that. feel free to throw in some later book canon if you feel you need to, i’m not too bothered by spoilers, but i am mostly familiar with the show canon and the characterisation we’ve been shown so far.

so from what i can gather most people seem to view these two purely through the lense of a father/son relationship. and while i definitely see it and agree it’s there, it doesn’t exactly stop me from being interested in the shipping potential. honestly, river’s slew of mother issues, father issues, grandfather issues, and so on…combined with the reluctant hero worship and the unwanted mentor/mentee relationship, the vaguely father/son relationship he has with lamb just makes the whole dynamic way more deliciously dense for me.

i am fascinated by all the history lamb has with river’s grandfather, both the personal and the work related, and how that ultimately affects how he views river. i love the reality of lamb slowly divorcing the preconceptions and assumptions he first has about river being just the grandson of the OB who fucked up majorly on the job, to lamb seeing river as his very own messed up individual who fucked up on the job. BUT ALSO as someone who still continues to do good and always strives to do better. as two opposing characters, i very much enjoy that dichotomy of river working so hard to escape slough house and lamb barely working to stay where he is.

i’m a massive fan of loyalty in characters, especially when they try so hard to hide the fact that they care, so obviously i love lamb’s fierce defense of his joes, all while constantly berating them and making sure they know they’re losers. which also brings me to river’s coin flip bouts of competence and incompetence as a spy, both of which delight me in equal measure, just as much as it delights me to see lamb’s reaction to both extremes. on top of that, pretty much any time that river gets roughed up and bloody, i cheer and gleefully drink it up.

i love the spy craft elements of this universe, the blend of the old world and the more modern practises, depending on the generation of spy doing the spying. also, just the unrelenting bureaucracy of the job and how being a slow horse puts them right at the bottom of the totem pole, as i’m always pulling for the underdogs in any story.

i enjoy every other character doomed to work at slough house (particularly river’s work buddie louisa, standish’s motherly concern and her own history with both river and lamb, and shirley just because), along with taverner, spider, and even duffy. if any one of them were to show up in something here, i would be a-okay with that. just remember i’m mostly familiar with the show.

prompts:

as i said above, i do ship it and i would be over the moon to receive a gift that manages to craft a believable, in character reason for these two to fuck. i’m envisioning any one of the scenarios i mentioned in the consent issues paragraph from my general likes. from hero worship reasons, weird comfort, loneliness, spy mission in which they’re stuck together and the safe house only has one bed, what starts as twisted payback for lamb’s hatred of david cartwright turning into something else, whatever you can think of. if you draw attention to the vague father/son and mentor/mentee relationship here, i’ll award bonus points.

if you’re not comfortable writing anything shippy, i’d be very happy with any fic where river and lamb have to work together in the field for whatever reason. maybe lamb has to come to river’s rescue OR even the reverse of that. and you can’t really go wrong with in media res-ing a situation where river is hurt and lamb is begrudgingly fixing things.

i’ve given a lot of thought to the idea that lamb has known river since he was young, or at least has been aware of him ever since river was left behind in his grandfather’s care. i’m not too sure of the actual timelines, having less familiarity with the books, but i would be very interested in a kind 5+1 fic detailing moments they’ve met before, back when river was just a boy, growing up, leading to him joining the service, and inevitably the mistake that lands him at slough house. i’m not looking for any shipping content when river is still underage, but after that is fair game to me.

the color of money (1986)

*eddie felson *vincent lauria *carmen

this film manages to cover so many of my interests and i can’t believe it took me as long as it did to watch it. but watch it i have, many times since, and i’ve even gone back and watched the hustler for extra context and more paul newman.

for this request i would like for all three characters to play a part in any fic. i ship all configurations and, if you’re willing, i’ve been craving an ot3 fic since the moment i first watched it. if you’re not comfortable writing explicit content, that’s fine too. please just include everyone.

for me, the draw of this film is the theme of corrupted goodness. by the end, i think all three of these characters have fed into each other’s worst traits and made each other even worse—and honestly i love that. the case is strongest for vincent, i’d say, who starts this film being pretty naïve, whereas eddie and carmen are definitely more streetwise. or professionals, as they call themselves. although, eddie running into them again at the end of the film goes to show that eddie hasn’t managed to change all that much either.

there’s also the amazing line: you make him feel, i teach him how to run—and that very much sums up the dynamic i love here, of accidently creating a monster out of vincent, who eventually turns on them, which in turn keeps both eddie and carmen from rising to anything better. let them all wallow in the gutter where they belong, just as long as they’re together.

there’s the older/younger dynamic between all of them, there’s the mentor/protege relationship between all of them. there’s even the special mention of a father/son relationship which the film wonderfully lampoons with eddie allowing vincent to get hurt in order to teach him a lesson. the way eddie gingerly wipes the blood from vincent’s face afterwards while carmen drives the car is one of my favourite scenes. a fic that explores these many criss-crossing connections would be amazing.

the whole road trip setting leads to some very interesting moments where personal boundaries are tested. i’m fascinated by the way vincent and carmen keep openly pushing eddie when it comes to their relationship, flipping between teasing him and enticing him when they let him into their room while they’re showering and getting dressed. contrast that against the moments where we see them happily hanging out, watching tv, and eating meals together. they seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company sometimes—the odd kindness vincent and carmen show eddie when he gets played himself is so strangely sweet—all of which makes the later jealousy and betrayal even juicier for me.

i love kitschy americana diners and cheap motel rooms as vibes and atmospheres, along with smokey pool halls and less than reputable bars. i love the passing of different generations, eddie having to come to terms with the fact that times are changing, especially after the events of the hustler, and him now being confronted by vincent and carmen’s youth.

and lastly, i’ve always been of the opinion that eddie passing down his pool cue to vincent is pretty phallic in nature. i don’t really know what to do with this knowledge, i just know i enjoy it, and now it’s yours to do with what you wish.

prompts:

i would love any fic that’s set during their time on the road, going from pool hall to pool hall, getting more familiar with each other. maybe to save their hustled money they have to share a motel room, making it a perfect opportunity for a ‘only one bed’ scenario. i can imagine vincent and carmen having to coax eddie into bed with them because an old man like him shouldn’t be sleeping in a chair. it could also include: stopping at diners, driving late into the night, deep conversations, falling asleep on people’s shoulders, fooling around in the backseat and the voyeurism of a third person pretending not to watch.

maybe lean into the whole playing pool thing and the art of the hustle. only, this time, bring carmen into it more. have eddie and vincent teach her how to play, both the game and other people. or they could be the only ones left at a deserted hall, because no one goes to halls to play pool anymore, and what starts as a teaching moment quickly becomes a game of one-upmanship.

anything post-canon where they continue to run into each other, tripping up the other’s plans and grifts on purpose. real childish nonsense of deliberately getting in each other’s ways, all because they can’t seem to stay away, for better and for worse.

from (tv)

*jade herrera

i’m currently watching the new season as it airs, and will definitely be all caught up by the time that yuletide goes live. any potential writer or gifter, i’m giving you a blanket statement allowing you to include and reference anything that happens this season. as i will definitely be craving some supplemental material to go with whatever craziness they see fit to leave us with.

having said that, if jade dies, i will riot, as he has been my favourite since the very beginning. this weed smoking, schrodinger’s bisexual, arrogant tech company guy who thinks his money can buy him everything, including a way out of this (vr) nightmare.

since his arrival in town, he’s maybe the character that has changed the most. a lot of his arrogance has been stripped away by the cruel reality of this place, and his tailored capris pants and expensive shirts have been replaced by practical sweaters and winter coats. his transformation from pretty boy to mountain man initially caused me some distress, but i have since come to accept it, if only because i do love to see a character in decline. i think it succinctly conveys his new state of mind and his humbled acceptance of his place in the town. it most definitely helps that we are still occasionally graced with his kitty cat shirt, which is maybe my favourite thing about him—and i’m barely even kidding.

i am enamoured by his tendency to rub people the wrong way, despite the fact that he is always trying to help fix things and figure out the mystery of the town. his obsessive personality is both a boon and a hindrance in that regard. though i do still believe he believes he’s the smartest person in any room, only that nothing about the town makes any logical sense.

on that note, the connection the town seems to have with him fascinates me too. it’s very supernaturally psychological in nature. journals full of mad scribblings, visions and cryptic symbols and, of course, we can’t forget the screaming ventriloquist dummy. any fic that delves into this weirdness would be amazing.

i devour each and every small bit of info we learn about him. his long term friendship with tobey, growing up in paris with his grandmother but having to come back to the states to live with his uncle when she dies (really makes me wonder what happened to his parents), his ability and his contentment of playing the violin, his apparent habit of playing dress up as a kid, the million dollar software company he just sold before arriving in town. if you want to write backstory about any one of these things, i’d love to read it.

more generally, i love the horror tropes of this show. the constant looming threat of the monsters, the confusing mess of shit they find in the woods every time they venture out there, being confined inside during the night, the body horror, the teleporting trees, the japanese water spirit, the looping nature of the road in and out of town, the forced comradery of living with strangers, whatever the hell the cromenockle actually is. and so on and so on. feel free to make up your own weird shit and throw it into the pot. as long as jade is there and suffering, i will read anything you can come up with.

prompts:

i requested only jade this year for ease of matching and, rest assured, i will be perfectly happy with a gift featuring only him. pick anything i’ve rambled about above and you’re golden.

on the other hand, if you are willing, a lot of my joy of jade does come from his interactions with others. i ship him with so many people in town, and love his platonic interactions with so many others too. if you would be interested in including them, for my gifter and the potential blessed occurrence of treaters, i’ll briefly touch on a couple of my favourites:

jade & tian chen: from the moment she yelled at him, I knew i was in for a wonderful ride. maternal figures just cut straight through jade’s bullshit and i love it. the scene where jade monologues about his grandmother to tian chen and, despite the language barrier, she just GETS him. ah, chefs kiss. recent events in the show have completely gutted me however. she made him tea :( a soft or bittersweet missing scene before that with the two of them might help piece my heart back together.

jade/jim & jade/tabitha & jade/jim/tabitha: i love both of the relationships jade has with jim and tabitha separately. the logical experiments and science based worldview of the town that he shared with jim—against the supernatural, scooby doo mystery sleuthing, vibes based view that he shares with tabitha. they also both yell at him a lot and that’s always good. as for the ot3, i just think jade has the capacity to fix their fail marriage by being so annoying it brings jim and tabitha closer together again, by them wanting to fuck him just as much as punch him.

jade/boyd // jade & boyd: i just think if they pooled their knowledge and means together they could finally get some serious shit done. there’s nothing more to it than that, really.

jade & victor: bring back the violin. i love how much it meant to victor, and that victor eventually trusted jade to even touch it. i also love the idea that word might spread that jade can play, and others might miss music so much that they force him to play to a bigger crowd.

jade/khatri // jade & khatri: a real missed opportunity here, i think. jade called him beautiful while high, and since he loses his oldest friend tobey on the same day that he arrives, maybe talking to a friendly priest is all he needs. there’s also the fact that jade is one of the few people who also regularly sees ghosts of dead residents in town. other than boyd, who better to bond with a dead khatri?

as for more general prompts, i think the necessity of the talismans could lead to a great bottle episode type of fic, as well as contriving an in-universe reason to stick an unusual combination of characters together in a place overnight. roll a die, if you want, and force them to play monopoly or two truths and lies. whatever gets them talking.

if you want to go really weird, how about a fic where jade’s right about it being a large scale larping situation, or a VR simulation that tobey has actually did set up. what happens then when people die in town?

24 (tv)

*tony almeida *jack bauer

i was a huge fan of this show back when dvd boxsets were still a thing, and i pretty much wore my sets out watching them on repeat. more recently, it showed up on disney+ and i’ve since been reliving my obsession again.

seasons 1-4 were the golden years for me. i continued to watch past that and enjoyed it, but certain events of season 5 (namely: the deaths of tony, michelle and david palmer) were hard for me to get over. i give special dispensation to season 7 because they brought my very special boy tony almeida back as a villain (which i admittedly hated at the time, but have since come to love and really appreciate as a legitimate path for his character to take. more on that below in my prompts.)

it’s so amusing for me to go back to the first season and see tony as this smug, soul patch having loser. a minor character that i’m pretty sure we’re meant to dislike just for the crime of being opposed to jack and nina, all while knowing the amazing journey his character goes on. just know that i appreciate every era he goes through.

tony manages to stay very dry and sardonic throughout, which i adore in a character (i still mimic his flat yah every time he answers a phone.) he shows that he can hold his own in the field too (heart eyes for the times tony shows up with a gun at the last second to save the day, like with terri in season 1 and jack and audrey in season 4.) but he’s also savvy enough at the bureaucracy side of things to rise up the ranks to head of CTU. (RIP to george mason, my absolute favourite side character, despite lasting only last two seasons. xander berkeley the GOAT.)

i love tony’s relationship with michelle because i find it fascinating how similar she is to jack at times. the thing with jack and michelle is that they are very much believers of the adage the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few and the one, which is obviously very important for the job they do. whereas tony is always more interested in saving the people around him, the people he cares about, and ultimately his wife. it’s what leads to his arrest later, tony putting michelle above his country, and that kind of loyalty, him damning all the consequences, is numero uno in my book.

as for jack, i definitely grew up thinking he was the coolest person alive (i find ways to bring up the moment at the la coliseum when he runs up the wall and snaps that guy’s neck an embarrassing amount.) he’s a one man army, a terminator, endlessly persistent, and yet he can still find the time to sit in his car at the end of a long day and cry. he really can do it all and there’s not much more i need to say.

there’s an underlining of loyalty between these two that starts, i think, from the moment they learn about nina’s status as a mole. the fact that they both slept with her at different times (possibly even overlapping) lends itself to a certain bond going forward. a mutual betrayal building a weird commiserating trust. from there, i love seeing tony become one of the few people at CTU jack trusts pretty implicitly. he entrusts kim’s safety (*sighs* oh, kim) to tony on numerous occasions, to the point where tony and michelle even help jack fake his death. can’t get much more trusting than that.

the 24h clock format for the show really was groundbreaking at the time, and i think it still continues to be a major positive that the show has going for it. i love all the subterfuge and having spies working both sides right under your nose. the quick and sudden violence underscored by the ticking clock. the technology is also hilariously dated at this point too that payphones were a legitimate defense against terrorism and secret agendas.

prompts:

i do ship it, along with liking a lot of their canon relationships. i would love a shipping fic involving tony/jack, but gen is fine. depending on the season setting you choose to write in, i’m fine with references to past relationships like tony/michelle, tony/nina, jack/nina, jack/kate, jack/audrey. i do love ot3 fics as well, so if you want to write any combination of jack/tony/nina and jack/tony/michelle too, it will eat it right up.

straight out of prison, depressed and alcoholic tony is a personal favourite of mine. the way jack relays all the sad facts to audrey so casually has always blown my mind. it means jack was there at the sidelines to see it, and he even mentions michelle’s side of things too, showing that he’s familiar with her too. i once read a post where someone wrote: do you think jack was the best man at tony’s wedding? that question has haunted me ever since, and being confronted with tony at rock bottom always brings it to the front of my mind.

there’s so much potential in a fic set pre-season 3. the whole secret OP that jack, tony and gael organise off the record, which involves getting jack addicted to heroin and in with the salazars. it’s rife for further exploring, maybe something messy and uncomfortably intimate with tony being jack’s only point of contact during this period, and having to sneak behind michelle’s back out of necessity.

i’m weirdly fascinated by the reality of working at CTU during the non-disaster days. the boring, day to day stuff we don’t ever get to see. anything set during any era could honestly be interesting. whether that’s early season 1 during the break in jack’s marriage, or season three when jack is head of OPS and tony is his equal. hell, bring back george mason for a day and let him and tony bitch about jack and their coworkers while standing at the water cooler together. i’m game for anything and anyone, as long as tony and jack are present.

season 7 villain tony. i love the angst jack experiences when learning that tony is alive. i think the show fumbles tony’s true motivations a little by having him flip flop between real villain, undercover good guy, back to actual villain getting revenge for michelle. if they had picked one and stuck with it all the way, i think it might have worked better. having said that, i can get behind both versions, and would love a fic detailing either paths. especially something post-season 7 that explores jack reaching out to tony while he’s back in custody.

[wholelotofweird]

Okay, gamers, the first quarter of the year is over and I want to share with you the books I've consumed thus far.

I've recently been using StoryGraph and damn, it's really fun if you like data and also logging the stuff you read. Would recommend. I say that, because a number of these books were consumed thanks to one of the challenges they've set for the year, to read a number of books in different categories. Let me say, this is the most diverse spread I've read in YEARS. So. Anyway.

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, by Kristen O'Neal

I would 100% recommend reading this book, if you are able, in print format instead of audio. There are a number of sections where the main characters are talking over text chat and I'm not sure how well that would translate over audio.

This book had me saying, "They're just like me fr" non ironically multiple times. It's such a lovely look at friendship and building our own communities and struggling with chronic illness. There is at no point any gatekeeping of what a chronic illness should look like or what a person with a chronic illness needs to look like.

The one thing that I didn't love was the fact that a white author picked first person POV of a POC. It isn't the best choice. I feel better about it after looking through O'Neal's website where she has readily admitted that it was a choice she would not make again. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of not making the "monstrous" character a POC.

Overall! I really enjoyed this book. It's a pretty fast read, but it is heartwarming and hopeful and full of genuine joy.

A Magic Steeped In Poison, by Judy I. Lin

This book was SO fun! Magic, romance, court politics, betrayal. What more could you want? Other than the magic system being tea based. That's right babies, TEA BASED! Monch monch monch, what a beautiful system I am in love.

This is another fast read. I've always been a sucker for magical tournaments and historical fantasy. If any of that is your vibe I would absolutely recommend picking this up. I know there is a second book, but I haven't had the opportunity to read that one yet.

Found, by Margaret Peterson Haddox

Now... Like I said... I was picking books for a reading challenge I'm doing. This one was from "read a middle grade book you never read", so I am FULLY aware that I am not the audience for this book.

That being said, oh my god, this was a rough one. I think my biggest gripe is that the cast are all 13-15 year olds but you would never know it. They're out here acting like 20 year olds. Maybe when I was 13 I would have been able to buy it, but at 30-whatever I am not. This is the first of multiple books and I can't say I regret not reading more.

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers, by Deborah Heiligman

So, I'll be honest, the reason I was drawn to this was because I got to see this amazing Van Gogh art instillation last year. Part of that instillation was a display of excerpts of the letters between Vincent and Theo, and let me tell you, that is what made me cry.

This book is certainly nothing ground-breaking. It's a biography of these two men. It tells their stories at the same time, side by side. I also cried reading this.

Am I emotional? Is it because I have younger siblings I'm very close to? Is it because I, too, am mentally ill and an artist?

Who knows, gamers.

Quackery - A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, By Nate Pedersen & Lydia Kang, MD

Again, nothing groundbreaking. This book is a funny and informative look at medical process through history. I'm a sucker for medical history. I did listen to the audiobook for this and I think it really helped the humor shine. If you're also a fan of bizarre medical history (or the podcast Sawbones), this is the book for you.

The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson

I enjoyed this book! For a person who is bad at remembering names, though, it was difficult to follow at times. There were so many players in the conception and realization of the Chicago World's Fair that I would lose track of just who I was hearing about.

That said, it was a very cool look into the trials and tribulations that went into making the spectacle a reality. This book managed to touch on SO much, not even to it's detriment. Despite getting confused by names the main through-line was easy to follow. I was invested start to finish.

In the Vanishers' Palace, by Aliette de Bodard

Do you like beauty and the beast retellings, but instead the beast is a very cool dragon, and also it's hella gay??? Then do I have the book for you! It does one of my favorite sci-fi things where there is a world, there are facts of that world, but you aren't supposed to learn them. Those aren't what matter, they are simply table setting. It's a beautiful story. I do wish there was a bit more depth into the romance, but that's just me.

Beautiful, atmospheric, and emotional. Lovely book.

A Marvelous Light, by Freya Marske

Damn, the pining in this book??? Truly a wonder.

This book is such a lovely blend of interesting plot, intriguing magic system, and just lovely gay romance. I've been trying to consciously read more queer books this year and so far I am having a wonderful time. I'm going to be 32 this year and for the first time since I was a pre-teen I'm seeing myself really reflected in books. It's such a fuckin' cool experience. I'm an emotionally compromised teenaged girl.

[teacherintransition]

They Were Diamonds in The Rough …Now, Simply Diamonds

From the deep, rural piney woods of East Texas comes art.

I’m about start my fourth year as a retired public school teacher and starting our third year traveling the country. With a beautiful spring here in Missouri, I’ve taken time to look back and reevaluate how I got here and what I miss and hopefully accomplished as an educator. My entire thirty year career took place in three small school districts in small town, rural deep East Texas. Each district was anywhere from ten to fifteen miles apart and each were incredibly unique in the student population and accomplishments. I loved working in each community, but after some stressful years, I loved one quite a bit less. No negativism here …nope, just discovery of an amazing set of results of one in particular…truly amazing. No names or locations will be given just the magical happenstance of one particular district.

Most of deep East Texas is lower middle class economically, blue collar, working class, country folk. One district in particular was a bit lower in poverty statistics and the main “way out” in the minds of a lot of the kids was welding and working pipeline. It was lucrative, but when one considers that young people all over Texas seek these jobs, most folks had few chances in the little district and joined the military, worked less than ten miles from where they were born. A very few made their living in the trade of substances. As I write this, I’m aware of the stereotypical images these descriptions form, a fair amount of those conclusions did occur, but so did something wonderful.

Outside evaluation of this community might think of this place as a close minded, dead end locale. Not totally the case; artists were created here. An incredibly large number of kids pursued the arts in the face of adversity. This is a very uncommon occurrence In any public school situation. Kids who are motivated to “get out of this place” wisely, though sadly, pursue business careers to make money and change their environment. I say sadly, because all too often, artistically gifted young people are discouraged from pursuing their talents as a career. A writer can’t pay the bills, or a painter, or a musician, or a singer, or an actor is the All-American mindset hammered in the heads of students. Mores the pity. But, in this small town, rural school district, many kids became or at least attempted to be one of the ones who made it.

Bear in mind, college of any kind was a financial obstacle that was very difficult to overcome. Many of the musically inclined kids hit the road to pay their dues and find gigs. A very surprising number studied theatre as they were inspired by the strong One Act Play program. I taught three years at this district and probably taught 150-200 kids; my estimate is around 10% of these kids pursued theatre and drama. Many of my kids wanted to be writers. To be a musician was a huge deal here! I have a former student active in the Houston hip hop scene, about 12 actively working as singers and musicians and a few dozen pursuing the visual arts. That is close to forty plus kids out of 200 taking the gamble of becoming who they were meant to be�� a courageous and frightening pursuit.

I often wondered how this anomaly occurred in such an unusual location. Often such pursuits are deemed nonsense by the more practical members of a community. These kids weren’t just enamored with the idea of being artists, they were talented beyond expectations. Primary among the reasons for this devotion to the arts rests with teachers on staff that encouraged them. Many educators were institutions on campuses who inspired these kids for years. Lack of financial independence led a lot of kids to make do with what they had for entertainment. There are always crayons around and perhaps grandpa shared an old guitar, or maybe they just spent time looking at the colors and beauty of the countryside. Regardless , something unique inspired these kids.

I don’t know how this occurred in this small town, but it’s a fantastic mindset to have been part of to see take place. I don’t know how many kids will make it “big time,” but I do know that they will never say, “I wish I’d tried.” To be an artist is a challenging yet magical thing that only blesses a few of us …and to have the strength to do it …there are no words…just admiration.

[gaydiekane]

My Dear Brother-In-Law

(short story version) part 3

short story word count: 5,059

part 3 word count: 1,277

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part 1, part 2, part 4

Catching up was a task more difficult than nearly any one I’d been assigned before. Luckily, Maya was more inclined to make new memories over the hours we had to spend together. Probably due to the fact that every time she would try to catch up she would promptly start sobbing. I didn’t have to bluff too much, but I’m sure this dinner would truly test my limits.

Obstacle number one: Sitting next to the creepy kid.

For some reason, their older son, Vince, was out to get me. Maybe my true target was the child.

“How was school today?” Maya asked Vince.

He poked at his dish of seafood. “Alright. It’s just school.”

“Nothing exciting happened?”

“No. It’s just school.”

“Right.”

I could see the agony on Maya’s face. In an attempt to grow their conversation I asked, “What grade are you in?”

He stared at me. Gah, those eyes. He took Maya’s and then drowned them in the River Phlegethon. I still hadn’t been around him long enough to know if he looked at everyone like that. Or if anyone else found him as unsettling as I did.

“Eighth,” he said.

“Oh.” The middle year of junior high, the rough section. That explains the eyes. “What classes do you take?”

“Honors language, orchestra, algebra two-”

I nearly choked on my fish. This kid was smart. His advanced studies could also explain the eyes.

The rest of Vince’s class list was interrupted by a high pitched and small voice. Lora was very adamant on the fact that she could hold a spoon on her own.

“I can hold it, Papa!” the toddler argued with her father.

“Yes you can, Lora. But the stew is hot and if it spills-” he reasoned.

“I won’t spill it! I promise!” I noticed that although her vocabulary was still limited, she had no speech impediment of any kind. Freaky.

“I just don’t want you to burn yourself,” Anton said.

“I won’t! Watch me, Papa.” Lora grabbed the spoon before Anton could stop her. She brought it to her mouth just fine, but the speed in trying to evade her father’s worried hands flung some stew over the edges and onto the sleeves of her white blouse. I anticipated Anton getting worked up based on the papers I received from intelligence, but he remained calm and only expressed genuine worry for his daughter.

He picked up his napkin and brought it to her sleeves, being careful not to leave the stained fabric against her skin. “That didn’t hurt you did it?”  he asked her.

“No, I’m okay,” Lora said cheerfully.

In our day together I learned that Lora is overly cheerful. Not in a bothersome way by any means. But even when she fell up and back down the stairs to my temporary room she got up with a huge grin settled below the rug burn she obtained on her forehead. That same grin was displayed now, even after staining what she told me earlier was her favorite outfit with some twirls. Maybe she just didn’t understand that her shirt may be forever ruined, because as she also thoroughly explained, she is only three years old.

Tomorrow was my outing to turn in my first report. My superior informed me the reports wouldn’t be daily, but they needed a better view on what I was getting into as soon as possible. And from what I saw there was still one empty chair at the table that could use some investigating.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there a third child’s room I saw?” I asked. “Where are they now?”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the dining table. Vince continued to poke at his food. Anton dropped the cloth and evaded the subject by convincing Lora to let him help her with her stew. Maya cleared her throat and looked at Anton, trying to drag him back in. He was paying no mind to the conversation at hand, but I could tell my question still affected him. Gloom flooded his eyes as he fed Lora the “airplane.”

It was surprisingly Vince who answered. Even though he hadn’t moved from his seat right next to me I still jumped when he spoke.

“Maxine got sick a few years ago.” Great explanation, kid, thanks.

“Is she still…?” I looked to Maya for an answer. Maybe Maxine was in the hospital instead of enjoying a nice family dinner? Maybe she got better and she was at a sleepover with a friend and this kid was just saying cryptic stuff for his own entertainment?

Maya swallowed a bite of her meal. “She didn’t make it.”

Didn’t make it? Didn’t make it where…? Oh. Ohhh.

“Oh, I didn’t realize,” Yeah, obviously. “I’m so sorry.”

“How were you supposed to know?” Anton asked. “It’s alright.” 

I knew he was being sincere. I wanted to believe the tears in his eyes and the soft tone in his voice was fake, but I knew enough by now to know that despite everything else, he was a family man. This topic was a genuine sore spot for him.

I took a shy sip of tea. It was actually really good, and now I had a new conversation to start.

“Wow, this tea you made is really good!” I said to Anton. “What kind did you say it was again?” I took another sip.

Anton dropped the small spoon he was helping Lora with along with his expression. She giggled when the metal clanged against the tile. There was a thin veil of shock over Anton’s now nearly emotionless face.

“Uh, I’m glad you like it,” he said hoarsely. “It’s just from a store in the city.” He picked up the spoon from the ground and cleaned the floor with a napkin. “I’ll go grab a clean spoon. I’ll be right back.”

He got up and went to the kitchen with the spoon and napkin. Maya, clearly still recomposing herself after the Maxine conversation, let out a light laugh.

“He can be so clumsy sometimes,” she said.

“It happens to the best of us,” I responded. We all have those clumsy moments. Where we drop spoons, where we accidentally design new warfare weapons. It happens to the best of us.

I took a bite of the fish on my plate and was once again shocked by the quality of the dish. “Anton is a wonderful cook,” I said to Maya.

She gave me a big smile. “I know, isn’t he wonderful?”

A clang came from the kitchen. We all looked over to see Anton, hands empty staring at the dining table in shock. More specifically, staring at me in shock. It was thin and subtle and quickly covered by small confusion. He averted his eyes and grabbed the spoon he was washing from the bottom of the sink with a quick apology for the interruption.

Maya rose from her seat and went around the counter to her husband’s side. I heard her worry, asking if he was feeling alright. I took another bite off my plate. Vince stared at me.

“Uh, does your dad get like that a lot?” I asked him as his parents walked out of the room. Anton muttered something about his head.

“No,” Vince said plainly.

“I take it you’re not a man of many words?” I asked.

“With you.” He stood from his seat and walked out, following his parents’ path up the stairs.

I looked at Lora. “What’s his deal?” I asked her. She just raised her arms with that award winning smile of hers, bribing me to carry her out. Fair play, little Lora.

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part 1, part 2, part 4

[mira1308]

Places loved by tourists.

Bangalore: In Bangalore, there are various destinations to visit with your loved ones. Bangalore isn’t just an incredible work environment yet in addition an extraordinary spot to visit for no particular reason. This nursery city is outright tomfoolery in giving probably the best family outing in the middle of between the hustles of Bangalore city.

For youngsters and the youthful on a basic level, India’s IT capital offers a plenty of tomfoolery and diversion open doors. Picnics, touring, courageous exercises, or basically enjoying some time off are opportunities for the children. One more convincing motivator to carry your family to Bangalore is that the city appreciates great climate over time.

On the off chance that you have the valuable chance to visit the city during a celebration, you ought to do so in light of the fact that the city is decked up and the events are praised with gigantic grandeur and quality and gives probably the best family home bases in Bangalore also the amazing and adventure resorts in bangalore.

Madikeri: The historical backdrop of Madikeri is connected with the historical backdrop of Kodagu. Kodagu turned into the piece of English India after 1834.

The historical backdrop of Madikeri is connected with the historical backdrop of Kodagu. From the second to sixth century Promotion, the northern piece of Kodagu was governed by Kadambas. The southern piece of Kodagu was administered by Gangas from fourth to eleventh 100 years. Subsequent to overcoming the Gangas in the eleventh hundred years, Cholas turned into the leaders of Kodagu. In the twelfth 100 years, Cholas lost Kodagu to the Hoysalas. Kodagu tumbled to the Vijayanagar lords in the fourteenth hundred years. After their fall, the neighborhood clan leaders (Palegars) began administering their regions straightforwardly. These were crushed by the Haleri lords who managed Kodagu from 1600–1834 Promotion. Haleri lords made the spot Haleri, close to Madikeri as their capital. Mudduraja, the third lord among the Haleri rulers began evening out the land around Madikeri and fabricated a stronghold in the year 1681. This spot was named as Muddurajakeri which later became Madikeri. Kodagu turned out to be essential for English India after 1834.

The conventional sari is worn here in converse, and you can in any case see more seasoned ladies wearing it in the customary Kodagu style. Madikeri also have amazing madikeri resorts.

Chikmagalur: Chikmagalur is a lovely slope station arranged at a level of around 3400 feet. A less investigated objective requires your prompt consideration. Here, you track down tree ranches; particularly espresso fields. This objective is viewed as quite possibly of the most beautiful spot that keeps a lovely climate over time. It is accepted that a long time back the place where there is this locale was given as a share to the more youthful girl of an unbelievable boss who governed Sakrepatna-Rukmangada. It is just based on this conviction that the slope station got its name “Chikmagalur” that signifies ‘youthful girl’s town’. On the off chance that you are a nature darling, you clearly will partake in the entrancing excellence of this spot that has rough districts, marshes, the most picturesque perspectives and the best activities in Chikmagalur As the slope station is less investigated, the magnificence is totally crude in its most flawless structure. It is not difficult to track down every one of the fundamental offices for guests like great convenience choices, eateries, attractions, inner vehicle offices and so on.

The Western Ghats start from this area and the lovely Yagachi Stream begins from the encompassing slopes. Chikmagalur is well known for its tranquil climate, rich green timberlands and tall mountains. It is additionally popular for the espresso and is frequently alluded to as the espresso place that is known for Karnataka. There are sufficient number of spots to be visited here which implies there are what should be done. Probably the best activities in Chikmagalur and Chikmagalur resort, that ought to without a doubt stay on your rundown are visiting Mullayanagiri, which is the most elevated pinnacle of the state, journeying to Kudremukh top, partaking in the perspectives on backwaters of Hirekolale lake, investigating the espresso ranch fields, considering going all in at the buttermilk falls, investigating Belavadi and Robust bidu, take a journey visit to Horanadu Annapoorneshwari sanctuary, find the magnificence of Bhadra Dam, trip to Bababudangiri slope, visit Belur, visit Kavikal Gandi perspective, and so on. These are probably the most gorgeous spots in and around Chikmagalur and should be on the best “what should be done” in Chikmagalur list.

Aura Foothills: Nandi Slopes is a bunch of lovely little hillocks situated at a little distance of 60 km from Bangalore, Securing their name from the tall sculpture devoted to the Master Nandi based on the highest point of the slopes, the spot is a number one of the guests coming from practically all the close by locale, particularly Bangalore.

Deftly roosted on the lower regions of Nandi Slopes, The Aura Foothills regions immerses you in the quiet all encompassing perspective on Nandi slopes which makes the dawn/nightfall dazzling. You are constantly went with the melodic cries of peacocks being a tease their varieties in an energetic showcase alongside other natural life the retreat envelops as wispy mists empowers you to absorb the landscape that will revive you alongside the most flavorsome food given by our culinary experts. It’s the ideal setting for finding the rich legacy of Karnataka.

[peggyrose19]

Do you have any comforting words/advice/distractions for someone in ed recovery who just suffered through a rough family thanksgiving…? It’s my first holiday season in recovery and it’s has been difficult especially since no one in my family really understands what I’m going through.

hi my love!!! holidays with eds are so hard, especially in recovery. i only spent the day with my parents and sister and it was hard. i am so so so proud of you, you made it through the day!! look at you go!! it's really hard when people don't get it. and sometimes they try, but they still don't get it get it, y'know? i think sometimes that's actually harder.

this got long (as always) so more below the cut

for me, holiday meals are always a time of stress. a lot of foods, a lot of people, a lot of smells. it's very overwhelming. i've found it easiest to have a meal plan in place and have someone else in charge of it, generally my mom. cause the last thing i want to do is go into the kitchen and chaos to make my food. i eat what i can in the moment and focus on the conversation to keep my mind off it. if you have to slip out for a moment, or leave before dessert, that's totally okay. if you need some more food afterwards when you're on you're own, that's totally okay. i'm currently in bed eating cereal cause i got hungry again. whatever you need to do to cope is okay.

and don't feel pressured to tell people what's going on. i'm quite honestly not sure how much my extended family knows about my ed cause i haven't specifically said anything, but at this point it's just become something i do. y'know i have my own food at family meals and that's just what i do. and at this point thankfully there's minimal comments about it. you do not owe your family anything. if you're open to sharing, go for it! if you're not, you don't have to.

afterwards, do a lil mini assessment of yourself. do you need some more food? do you need some water? (yay hydration) do you need some time alone to decompress? do you need to not think about food at all and go crawl into bed? it's okay not to know how you're feeling, lord knows i rarely do. just make sure to spend some time for you in the evening/next day. i'm currently watching my comfort show from middle school to relax. it's working surprisingly well.

so so so so so unbelievably proud of you. i know i said that already but you deserve to hear it again. holidays are already hard, for any number of reasons. add the whole food mess to it and they're even harder. you did great today. keep on fighting and keep on taking care of you <333

[mermaid-trash]

So like, waitress!reader has a lil crush on Eddie(who ofc has a MAJOR crush on reader), so naturally she decides to kidnap him 😌

And this is basically just to tell him “yeah, so like, ur cute or whatever 😒” and he’s like “…me?🤨”

And then they learn their both utterly OBSESSED with each other and then jump each other’s bones :)

Okay, listen.... I love this idea 🥺 this started as headcanons but it quickly got away from me...

(also I'm sorry if you wanted this to be smut, but I don't think I'm very good at writing smut so I didn't for this)

Wc: 2.4k

💚 Requests for Edward Nashton are open 💚

Tonight had been a rough shift at the diner. You had dropped a half-full pot of coffee less than 20 minutes into your shift, and it had not gotten better since then.

You had thought of quitting and storming out, of shouting insults at the difficult customers and flipping your coworkers off, hundreds of times tonight alone, but you knew you never would. You needed this shitty job to keep your shitty apartment in this shitty city. Times were tough, and you were barely scraping by as it was.

But at least Eddie was here now. Your Eddie - well, he wasn't yours, technically, but he was your favourite customer by far. He had been a regular at the diner for three months now, but he only ever visited in the middle of the night, which meant he was always there during your shift. Truthfully, none of the other regular customers could hold your attention the way Eddie could, Eddie with his sandy hair and round face, Eddie with his riddles and codes, he was just...fascinating.

See, you had what some might call a "strange fixation" on Eddie, but you knew it was so much more than that, you saw him so much clearer than you had ever seen another person. It hadn’t even come as a surprise when you had seen his video on the news the night Don Mitchell was killed. You had recognised him behind the mask instantly, those usually calm green eyes so full of frenzy, but you hadn't told him that yet. You wanted him to understand you the way you knew you understood him, and just coming out and telling him that you knew he was the Riddler might scare him off, which is the complete opposite of what you wanted.

If you could just make him see you, see how you felt about him, he would never let you go, you could be his forever. You sighed aloud, lost in the fantasy as you wiped the grimy counters, lost in him, lost in Eddie, Eddie, Eddie…..

Tonight, Eddie sat at the end of the counter, hunched over and scribbling in a notebook, his nose almost touching the pages. Rainwater dripped slowly from his coat onto the floor. He paused his frantic writing for a second to push his glasses back up where they had slid down his nose. 

You desperately wanted to believe the reason he only came to the diner late at night was because he wanted to see you. But, no matter how many times you had batted your lashes and smiled prettily at him, no matter how many of his riddles you answered or how quickly you answered them, he had never made a move on you. He hadn't even asked for your number yet, for Christ's sake! It was starting to seem like he just wasn't interested in you, but you wouldn’t allow that. You had one more plan, one last attempt to get what you so desperately needed from him.

"Hey sweetie, whatcha writing there?" You say, sauntering over to him with a cup of coffee in hand. Your voice was sweet, almost saccharine, as you leaned on your elbows against the counter directly in front of him. His eyes met yours briefly before darting away again, and you tried not to read too much into the blush that was beginning to form across his cheeks. 

"Hm? Oh…plans." He responded quietly, closing the notebook. You tilted your head and raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn't. He just picked up his coffee cup, blowing gently on the hot liquid.

Strange. He wasn't usually this quiet around you. And he hadn’t even asked you how you were, he always asked how you were, why wasn’t he asking how you were? 

You wanted to tell him he could talk to you about anything, that you'd support him through anything, that you'd do anything for him…but the moment wasn't right. Not yet.

"You seem kinda distracted tonight, Eddie, what's up?" You say, drumming your fingers against the counter lightly as you watch him sip his coffee slowly. He was desperately avoiding eye contact with you. 

"J-just busy…" he said, fidgeting with his coffee cup and glancing at his notebook. You felt a swell of anger. Couldn’t he see that you were far more important than his work? You were standing right in front of him yet his thoughts remained on that damn mask. You wanted his attention but he was unwilling to give it to you,

Fine, you thought. If you won’t give it to me, I’ll take it for myself. 

"Okay sweetie, well if you need anything else, you know where to find me," your voice gave away no emotions, you sounded sickly sweet as always. You sent him an innocent smile that he almost returned, then you reluctantly wandered away, doing random tasks around the diner but always keeping an eye on Eddie, who had gone back to scribbling in his notebook. 

What an idiot. Can’t he see you? Can’t he see the way you look at him? 

After a while, you glanced at the clock and noticed that it was the end of your shift; a jolt of excitement shot up your spine as you bolted to the back of the diner to change out of your uniform. Your stomach squirmed as you called goodbye to your colleagues and left through the back door, running to get into position.

This was your last resort, it had to be perfect. 

—------------------------

The first thing Edward noticed when he came to was the duct tape across his mouth. 

The second thing he noticed was the cruel irony of the duct tape across his mouth. 

He realised quickly he was tied to a chair, wrists bound behind his back, in an abandoned building. He was confused, panicked, he didn’t know what was going on, and Edward hated not knowing. 

He noticed a sliver of sunlight coming through a crack in the ceiling; the last thing he remembered was leaving the diner late at night. He must have been attacked on his way home, meaning he must have been here for several hours by now.

He heard a noise then, coming from behind him. His head spun frantically, trying to see the source, but his movements were limited due to the borderline excessive amount of tape wrapped around his body, securing him to the wooden chair.

"Oh good, you're finally awake," he hears you say, then you walk past him, trailing your hand along his shoulders as you do, before coming to a halt in front of him. 

What?

You?

Why?

He stared up at you, and you giggled at the confusion in his eyes. He truly had no idea what was going on. His ears were ringing but your voice cut through clearly.

"We need to have a serious conversation, sweetie," you said, bending down to his eye level. Your voice was lower than usual, dangerous. It sent a shiver down Edward’s spine. It was only then that he noticed the knife in your hand. It was small, but sharp, and Edward's brain suddenly exploded with panicked thoughts.

Had you noticed him staring at you in the diner? Did you think he was weird and creepy? Had you found out he had broken into your apartment and stolen that pair of panties from your bathroom? Had you found the camera he had hidden in your bedroom? 

"I know this is probably an overreaction to you ignoring me tonight, yknow, the whole chloroform and duct tape thing, but, well, I just had to speak to you somewhere private," you paced back and forth and gestured with the knife as you spoke, and he realised he should feel scared that you may use it. However, the look in your eyes was not rage, or disgust, or anything like that. It was…gentle. Caring, maybe. Edward struggled to recognise what it was exactly, but it made his heart rate slow slightly. 

And after all, if you had been angry at him and wanted to hurt him, or kill him, you wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of drugging him and bringing him to this building.

“So I did all of this, for you,” you said, and looked at him suddenly. The force of your gaze knocked the air out of his lungs. For him? He tilted his head at you, silently asking you to continue. Just like you had done to him earlier that night. 

"And the reason I wanted to speak to you in private, is…well…" you trailed off, looking away bashfully. Edward saw the blush tinting your cheeks, the way you nervously scratched the back of your neck with your knife-free hand. What the hell was going on?

You noticed his wide eyed stare, and crossed your arms and huffed a small breath out. 

"I don’t do this very often, yknow," you sighed, glancing at him then away again. "I guess I've just never met a guy like you before." 

Edward's heart jumped up to his throat and he saw you pull your bottom lip between your teeth. You looked nervous. What the hell did that mean?! A guy like him?

His eyes found yours again and you smiled sweetly, as if you didn’t have him tied up and at your mercy, before reaching towards him and pushing his glasses up his nose where they had slipped down. He was sure you must be able to hear his heart pounding in his chest from the close proximity.

"You're cute, Eddie," you breathed, and his whole body tensed. "But you've been ignoring all of my signals, sweetie, and, well," 

You gently brushed his hair out of his eyes, and Edward tried to stop himself from leaning into your touch. You thought he was cute? You lean in towards his ear and trail the knife softly down his chest before whispering to him.

"Sometimes a girl has to resort to drastic measures to get what she wants." 

Edward tried to be ashamed at the way his cock twitched desperately in his pants.

He tried to speak, forgetting briefly about the tape over his mouth until the words came out a muffled mess. 

You giggled at him before carefully removing the tape, and he was quick to repeat himself.

"You want me?!" He was bewildered, absolutely astounded at this turn of events. He had been expecting a confrontation about…any number of things, not this.

He couldn't take his eyes off you, the way you stood with your knife in hand, seemingly unbothered by the fact you had kidnapped a man in order to confess your feelings to him. The situation was bizarre, but Edward couldn't bring himself to care. 

I did all of this, for you. That was what you had said. You must have been planning this while Edward had been watching you, you had done all of this right under his nose. How had he never noticed anything? 

Then, you sat down on his lap. Edward’s breathing audibly hitched, and suddenly he didn’t care why he hadn’t noticed, he only cared about your face inches from his, your weight on him, your body pressed to his, the way your breath tickled his skin, oh god, there was just so much to focus on. 

"Of course I want you, dummy," you giggled again. God, he loved hearing you giggle like that. You sounded so innocent, but now he knew the truth. He knew the real you. And the real you was perfect.

"But you don't seem to want me, Eddie," you pouted, and his heart sank. You didn’t know how much you meant to him. You didn’t know that he dreamt of you every night. You didn’t know that he would kill everyone in this damned city twice over just to have a chance with you.

"I do!" He cried out, and you jumped slightly. "I want you so bad, wanted you ever since the first time I saw you," 

He whimpered when you brought your knife up to trail the tip from the top of his throat to the waistband of his jeans. Suddenly, you gripped his hair and yanked his head back, forcing him to look in your eyes.

"Then why haven't you asked me out yet, sweetie? Hm? Why did it have to come to this?" You asked sweetly, leaning in so that your lips hovered over his. Edward was at a loss for words at this. He wanted to shift his hips a little, to try and ease the aching in his trousers somehow, but he didn’t dare move while you were sitting on his lap. Holding a knife. Why did he keep almost forgetting about the knife? 

"If you'd just asked me out, I never would have been forced to go to all this trouble just to talk to you!" You scolded him lightly. Your hand released his hair and came to rest on his cheek, your thumb caressed his face so tenderly. 

"I know, I know, I-I'm sorry," his voice cracked as he apologised. He didn’t know why he was apologising, but you were smiling at him now and that’s all that mattered. 

He hadn't asked you out because he had no idea you would ever even consider saying yes, but now? Now he knew you had been his the whole time. And he intended to make up for the time he had wasted.

“It’s alright sweetie, don’t worry, you see me now,” you whispered, “and I see you, Riddler…”

You breathed his other name in his ear and the entire world seemed to stop spinning. You watched his eyes widen as he realised what you had called him, then started giggling. 

“I’m sorry, sweetie, I just love watching people realise, yknow? I’m not as dumb as I look, I thought you knew that by now.” You explained, but he just stared.

You knew who he was, yet you were still sitting on his lap? You really were the most perfect creature in this entire city - no, in the world.

“How?” He rasped. Very eloquent, Edward, well done.

“I recognised your eyes in the video on Halloween,” you explained simply. 

He suddenly realised that you had been watching him as closely as he had been watching you. You really did see him. He glanced down from your eyes to your lips, and you quickly gave him what he hadn’t asked for.

You pressed your lips to his finally. 

You were his.

And he was yours.

[elysianslove]

Here to ask- could you rank the jjk boys on terms of kinky to vanilla ;) Also love your 🍆hcs I definitely would not be complaining if you said more 🤭... ♡♡

*dice rolls* sure thing shawty 😩 also thank you so much omg. i got another request for a dick analysis so 😼

for this, i basically explained each of the boys, then ranked them at the end! 

JJK BOYS: A SCALE OF VANILLA TO KINKY 

itadori yuuji 

he’s somewhere in between! yuuji is curious enough to be considered kinky, but also he’s so loving that vanilla generally is his go to. not that vanilla can be a bad thing, because sex with yuuji, even if he’s not tying you up or spanking you and is just simply fucking you in missionary, is mind-blowing good. he never really is the one to initiate kinky things, or to ask to incorporate new things in the bedroom, but he’s always a hundred percent on board with anything you ask, no matter how extreme, even if he’s on the receiving end. maybe he’ll be the one to ask for things like “can i choke you?” or “can i blindfold you and use this toy on you?” but the hardcore shit has to come from you. it’s not entirely shyness, but there’s some of that too. he’s just generally new to sex, so even though he obviously has kinks he wants to try out, he sees sex as a way to pleasure both you and him, and that’ll be his main drive. if you want to add to that somehow, there’s absolutely no problem! 

fushiguro megumi 

oof he was a little tricky. i think he’s also somewhere in between, but definitely leaning way more towards kinky. like if it was a number scale, 1 being really vanilla and 10 being really kinky, megumi would be a good 7 or 8. it’s always the quiet ones. i think, at the start of your relationship, and when things start to get a little more intimate, he’s more vanilla, just cause he doesn’t wanna accidentally cross a line he hadn’t known was there. but as he gets more comfortable with you, he’ll definitely start asking you to change things up a bit. he’d do it cautiously though, cause what he’ll ask of you are either extremes, or kinks that have a high chance of you saying no, like pet play, or pain play. he’s definitely into dom/sub dynamics, and he’s a switch so, if you can also help him play out both roles, he’s in heaven. this was not an ask about his kink can i stay on track smh. but yeah, megumi’s definitely kinkier than he is vanilla, especially as your relationship grows and the level of comfort and trust between you does as well. 

gojō satoru

do i even have to. he’s so kinky it’s off the scale. he’s always trying out new things. start, middle, end of the relationship doesn’t matter. maybe he’s romantic on your first time. genuinely though, he’s very kinky, and is open about it too. here’s a twist though, i actually think he’s capable of being vanilla, but on very specific occasions. if you ask him, he’ll be a little shit about it, teasing you the whole time. but sometimes, he prompts it, and it’s usually when a mission goes wrong, or if something goes wrong and you nearly get hurt, or you do get hurt, and valentine’s day cause like. obviously, in his words. also gojō’s kinky in the sense that sex with him is always exciting and new, so while he’s not always incorporating extremes, he might just grab his blindfold and put it on you once, or mid-sex he’ll ask you, “wonder if i can make you cum on command,” or something of the sort. also. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. gojō probably has a piss kink im so sorry. 

nanami kentō

mostly vanilla. accidentally kinky. sex is something very important to nanami, something so intimate and special, something he wouldn’t share with just anybody, so most of the time it’s just that, a chase after your pleasure and his. but he is like, accidentally kinky sometimes, especially when he’s angry. he’ll be extra rough, practically using your body to chase after his own high, degrading and humiliating you, you know how it is. so essentially, he’s vanilla, with a hint of kinky that’s unlock-able during certain situations. but! just cause he’s vanilla doesn’t in no way mean you will be able to walk the next day, because you won’t. trust. 

ryomen sukuna 

this one’s weird cause, sex is traditional with him, but also it’s really, really not? like he has sex for the pleasure and he fucks to fuck, and he thinks things like toys or bindings or roleplay and he doesn’t like wasting time edging you or going all out with scenes, but he is kinky in the sense that there is huge power dynamic going on between you, or that he loves to see you cry, or that he loves to see you writhe in pain, or that he loves to call you the nastiest names. so like, he’s kinky, but that’s because that’s just who he is. it’s his personality projecting sexually, you get me? sukuna acting differently or weirdly would be him being vanilla, him being soft. (he is, very, very, very rarely). but does that make any sense? so yeah he’s kinky, but not for any other reason than him displaying his personality traits sexually. 

getō suguru

oof he’s so kinky. will put you on a leash and take you out if you let him, honestly. the thing is, he’s so subtle about it. it’s not that he’s private, he’s just really fucking subtle that sometimes he’ll be the one with the kink but it will seem like it’s you? somehow? manipulative bastard. he’s also so suave and cool about how kinky he is too. like he wants you in a collar kneeling before him, but he’s acting like it’s the most natural thing ever? like that’s just how everybody gets off? idk he’s hella kinky but seems so vanilla and for that reason we should all be scared. or aroused. both. 

inumaki toge

not so much kinky as he is open and adventurous, but also like, not exactly vanilla either. he definitely has a freaky and nasty side to him, but he’s not itching to live out those fantasies. i don’t think they’re so extreme either though, like it’s different and nontraditional, and they’re certainly kinks, but he’s not gonna suspend you mid air with a vibrator attached to you. but will he force orgasms out of you with his technique till it’s borderline painful? absolutely. honestly, toge’s leaning more towards vanilla than kinky, just cause yeah he’s for sure open to try out things, but he himself doesn’t really have anything too extreme to try out or in mind, you know? idk he’s always so difficult for me to figure out im sorry. 

todo aoi

idk man he just. fucks cause. yk. sex! i think if you ask him to choke you he might be genuinely so shocked, and that’s one of the most common kinks out there. he does seem like he’d be into pet play though, maybe, possibly. but genuinely i don’t think there’s an ounce of kinkiness in him. sex with him leaves you braindead for sure, and yeah of course there’s the whole size kink and stomach bulge thing going on, but he just. you know. he’s a basic bitch. a basic bitch with a monster fucking cock though. 

fushiguro toji

it’s kinda like the sukuna thing. it’s just his personality. so i guess he is kinky, but like. what else would you expect from someone like him? *a sexy ass dilf like him? so something like a power kink or a size kink is obvious, of course he’ll get off on that. but also, separate from sukuna, i think he does have so many kinks that are separate from his personality projecting, things like orgasm denial or breeding or! his weird obsession with sex toys. plugs you up after cumming inside of you and makes you go out like that, cause you know, he’s an asshole. 

mahito 

kinkiest fucking person. or curse. he can alter his body. he can alter his body. can you imagine the shit he’d do to you with that? obsessed with sex toys, any form of orgasm play, denial or overstimulation, will suspend you mid-air with some toy attached to you, is an exhibitionist, would love to have a gang bang, praise, degradation, cum play, literally anything and everything you can fucking imagine. he’s like gojō but nastier and unhinged. a menace to society in every way, but at least he’s pretty and giggles cutely. 

ranking time! from vanilla to kinky, we have 

1. todo aoi 

2. nanami kentō

3. inumaki toge

4. itadori yuuji

5. ryomen sukuna 

6. fushiguro toji

7. getō suguru 

8. fushiguro megumi 

9. gojō satoru  

10. mahito

[yellowsuitcase]

Intertwined // Draco Malfoy

Request:  Hi, can i request an imagine where Y/N and Draco has been together for a long time but one time, Draco forgot to use protection and didn't care for Y/N in the next morning so she got reallll upset. At first Draco don't understand why Y/N acted like that so he gets angry back at her but then he realises the reason and they make every thing up. Start with rough smut, angst in the middle and end with fluff pleaseee. I'll patiently waiting for you sooo take your time and don't force yourself too much ❤

A/N: I don’t have much to say about this one, I really liked the request, I thought it was really real. Also this takes place after Hogwarts and Y/N + Draco live alone.

Summary: Draco is inconsiderate towards his girlfriend and Y/N is n o t happy about it.

Warning(s): SMUT!!! Unprotected sex, choking, swearing, angst, couple verbally fighting, fluff.

Word Count: 2k

Masterlist

{Not my gif also it’s so dramatic for this lol}

“That’s it, baby girl, ride my cock,” Draco purred as he gripped his girlfriend’s hips, slowly lifting her up and down on his dick. Y/N whimpered, they’d been at it for nearly thirty minutes now, and her pussy was painfully sensitive. Draco had already eaten her out as well as edged her with his fingers. But there she was, bouncing on his cock, wanting to please him. However, after a few more minutes of her riding him, Draco’s grip grew tighter, and he began slamming his hips upwards, pounding himself deep in her pussy.

“Fuck, Draco,” Y/N moaned as she let her legs go limp. Draco flipped them over and was now on top of her. His hand found her throat, and he held it firmly as his hips snapped into her mercilessly. He grabbed her legs and rested them against his shoulders. Y/N watched as he shut his eyes and let himself go, his pace getting even quicker. Loud squelching noises filled the couple’s bedroom, and Y/N could tell he was getting close.

“Such a good girl for me, my perfect little slut,” he grunted, making Y/N whine. She clenched her fingers in the bedsheets and warned him of her approaching orgasm. “Gonna cum again?” he teased. “Go on then, whore, cum on me,” he coaxed. Y/N closed her eyes and focused on the building pressure in her abdomen. But then, she felt Draco slap her clit and found herself cumming instantly from the stimulation. Draco laughed as she tightened her walls around him and scrunched her face in pleasure. He fucked her through her orgasm as his own was advancing. His thrusts became sloppy. Just as Y/N was beginning to whine about the sensitivity, Draco came inside her with a loud groan, his hips pressed flush against her ass. 

When he pulled out, Y/N quickly realized that Draco hadn’t used a condom. “Fuck baby girl, you look so pretty with my cum dripping from your cunt,” Draco breathed, his breath fanning over her swollen pussy. She wriggled her hips to get away from the cool air emerging from his lips, but then he yanked her close and licked a long stripe up her slit, pushing the semen back inside her with his tongue. A guttural moan left Y/N as she arched her back, the overstimulation sending sparks through her body. When Draco pulled away, Y/N expected him to help her into the shower, but she was wrong. Instead, he patted her pussy and flopped onto the bed beside her. 

“Goodnight darling,” he murmured before slipping underneath the covers and turning away from her. Y/N was shocked. This was rather uncharacteristic of Draco. Not using protection and now going to sleep right after sex. Quite frankly, it made her heart clench, and not in a good way. 

Slowly, she scooted herself off their king size mattress and trudged to the bathroom; the soreness between her legs made this a difficult task. Eventually, though, she got inside and immediately sat on the toilet. After she used it, she turned on the shower and sat back down, waiting for it to heat up. She couldn’t shake the confusion and the hurt from her mind. But ultimately, she decided to push those thoughts away and instead focused on cleaning her sweaty, bruised body. Draco’s always quite rough with her during sex, and she enjoyed it, but he had really done a number on her tonight. Maybe when he sees that tomorrow, he’ll apologize, she thought to herself as she rubbed the loofa up and down her arms.

When she eventually slid back into bed with Draco, she couldn’t help but lay her arm over his waist. Sure he’d been a bit inconsiderate tonight, but Y/N still wanted him close. So she stroked his stomach with her thumb as much needed sleep overtook her.

-----------

{The next morning}

Y/N’s eyes fluttered open as she yawned; the bright sunlight streaming from their windows was right on her face. She quickly shielded herself and looked to her left. Draco was still fast asleep. Y/N made sure not to wake him as she got up. Once on her feet, the memories of last night returned thanks to the pain between her legs. She hobbled down the hallway and stairs and made her way to the kitchen. She and Draco had no house elves per Y/N’s request, so they had to make their own meals. Y/N decided that today would be an omelet type of day. So she gathered all the necessary ingredients as well as a pan and began crafting the dish. 

While she was flipping the omelet, she heard Draco coming down the steps. She glanced over at him and watched as he settled into the cozy armchairs in their living room, not even bothering to greet her. Anger began to stir, but Y/N shoved it down and returned her eyes to the omelet, which she found was currently burning. “Shit!” she cursed as she quickly transferred it to a spare plate. 

The sound of a soft laugh caught her attention, and she turned her head to see Draco’s smiling face. Usually, this would amuse her, but not that morning. “Shut your trap,” she muttered as she started making a second omelet. 

“Excuse me?” Draco bellowed. Y/N instinctively tensed but held her ground. 

“You heard me. Shut up.” She heard Draco get to his feet and walk into the kitchen. Y/N’s anger was becoming unignorable now. But she kept her lips shut as he leaned on the counter beside her.

“What’s got you in such a foul mood?” he questioned. Y/N snapped, dropping her spatula on the marble countertop. Her head whipped towards Draco and his eyebrows jumped at the fury visible on her face.

“Why don’t you take a wild guess, Malfoy?” she spat, crossing her arms over her chest. Draco gave her a look of confusion. 

“Or you could just tell me what’s wrong,” he replied.

“Haha, no, I want you to figure it out.”

Draco couldn’t understand what his lover was getting at, and it was making him grow frustrated. “Y/N, I don’t have the patience for this bullshit; just spit it out,” he argued. Y/N shook her head in disbelief and flipped her omelet. 

“The fact that you won’t even stop and think for a second just proves how selfish you are.” This comment made Draco’s blood boil. He stood up straight and clenched his fists at his sides.

“Well, at least I’m not a fucking bitch like you,” he sneered. Y/N gasped, and Draco immediately regretted his words. He could see shiny tears in her eyes as she hurriedly turned off the stove and transferred the omelet to a plate. “Y/N, I didn’t mean that.” She shook her head and fled the kitchen, not even glancing at him as she stormed away. 

Draco kicked the cabinets, enraged with himself. He’d really done it now. And the worst part was he still couldn’t put his finger on why Y/N was so upset in the first place. Surely it wasn’t because of his laughter when she burnt the omelet. But if not that, then what else? Draco ran his hand through his hair as he began to pace in the kitchen. Eventually, though, he stopped himself, grabbed a plate, and started eating. The burnt texture was pretty awful, but Draco forced it down his throat anyway. 

Now with a full stomach, his head felt clear. He retraced his steps in his mind. He had come downstairs, then sat in the living room; that was it. But then he thought farther back, back to the previous night. And that’s when it hit him. “Fuck,” he muttered, dropping his face into his palms, feeling utterly terrible. Could he genuinely have just gone to bed right after sex? Now that he was thinking about it, Y/N’s neck was littered with love bites this morning, and she had looked exhausted. Yet he had done nothing for her, nothing at all. Draco felt sick to his stomach, and not because of the omelet. Without wasting another second, he jumped to his feet and hastily ran upstairs, but not before taking the second dish with him. 

A knock at Y/N’s door halted her tears. She sighed, not really wanting to face her boyfriend right then, but she still wiped her face and opened the door. There stood her blonde-haired boy, a guilty look on his face. “May I?” he asked. Y/N nodded and stepped back, allowing them into their shared bedroom. He set the plate in his hands on his desk and took hesitant steps towards her. It felt as though remorseful tension was in the air, and for a few moments, neither of them said a word. But then Draco lifted his hand and gently cradled her face, making her look up at him.

“I’m so sorry, love. I should have taken care of you last night instead of just falling asleep. And I shouldn’t have called you a bitch or been rude to you this morning. It was completely uncalled for, and I...I feel like an absolute dick, and I’m just really, really sorry.”

Y/N remained silent, simply letting her head rest in his hands. She could tell he was sincere. “I forgive you. But Draco," she started, "I could hardly hold myself up in the shower, and I really needed you. I wanted to cuddle with you like we usually do. And not to mention the fact you didn’t wear a condom, I could get pregnant…” she trailed off. Y/N wasn’t sure if she wanted a family so soon, or even at all. She didn’t think she nor Draco were even close to being ready for such a huge responsibility. But she was pulled from her thoughts by Draco stroking her cheek.

“Y/N, I promise you it will never happen again. You’re everything to me, and I will always take care of you and be there for you whenever you need me. I know I wasn’t last night. Last night I was reckless and a fucking git, but from now on I won't be, I swear it,” Draco declared. His eyes looked fearful as he waited for Y/N to reply. And she did, just not with words. She took a step forward and nestled herself against his chest. Draco immediately wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her scent, feeling at peace, knowing things were okay again. 

“I believe I am due for a cuddle appointment, Dr. Malfoy,” Y/N stated, breaking the silence with her playful tone. She giggled as Draco let her go and dragged her towards their bed. He then scooped her up, making her squeal, before he dropped her onto the bouncy mattress. Her bright smile was irresistible, and he scrambled onto the bed, smashing his lips onto hers. She kissed him back, passionately, happy to be reconciled. 

“Dr. Malfoy shall provide you with the necessary amount of cuddles to cure your ailment,” Draco stated in a funny voice, playing along with the bit. Y/N giggled and reconnected her lips with his, bringing his body close to hers.

And as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, the couple remained on the bed, legs intertwined with legs and fingers clutching palms. Their hearts were content. All was forgiven. And even when the moon took the sun’s place, they still hadn’t detached from one another. They ended up falling asleep like that. And in the morning, Draco carried his girl to the bathroom, pledging to never let her wash alone again. 

Taglist: @beiahadid @pastelpuffbar @cutie1365 @dracoxmgg @lumlfy @sambucky8 @emilianamason @raplinethereal @dracosdeathmark @xoxohollands @prongsandprancer @ch0kemedracomalfoy @avlauriaa @purpleskymalfoy @mariah-can-dream @drxcomvlfx @sydnee-kom-spacekru​ @dracosgoodgirl @voilawind @gloryekaterina

[sleeping-on-cracking-ice]

heyo your imagines are amazing and i like reading them so much. i really appreciate you for writing for Alice in borderland as there isn’t a lot of content out there~ can you please write an imagine for niragi where the reader has been at the beach for quite the time and when she gets to know niragi she somehow falls for him because she sees right through him, and that he maybe starts to develop feelings for the reader too because she’s fearless and very confident. if it’s not too much trouble, could you make it a bit suggestive as well? thank you in advance~~

Of course I can! I’m not the best at writing with suggestive themes so I’ll try my best! 😅 I’m sorry but I changed the story line a little bit for it to fit more, so I hope this is still kind of what you had in mind.

Unlovable | Suguru Niragi

{Alice In Borderland Masterlist}

Character(s): Niragi (ft. Ann, Aguni, Hatter, Mira, Chishiya, Arisu, Last Boss)

Summary: Niragi finally finds you, who loves him for who he is, well, not exactly. And he gets a bit too attached.

Warnings: toxic relationship, suggestive themes, a lot of gaslighting, obsessive themes, a little bit angsty, threatening, choking, swearing, name calling

Word Count: 3.2k

*reader is female

Author’s Note: Sorry this took a while to post. I was busy for the past couple of days so it’s kinda rushed 😣

“Y/N! Come quick!”

You jolted awake as Ann burst into your room, shaking the door frame from the force. You blinked your eyes to adjust to the light, looking at her dazed.

“What?” you murmured, sitting up and out of the comfy sheets on your bed. 

“The executives have called a meeting. They say it’s urgent,” she stressed, rushing up to the side of your bed and ripping the duvet off of you.

You shivered and sighed loudly in disappointment. “Why? It’s too early for this shit,” you whined, rolling back onto your side and closing your eyes again. These urgent emergency meetings have become ridiculous, always taking place in the morning when everyone’s still sleeping. You would gladly have quit having the higher place at The Beach if it meant for you to have some peace and quiet.

“Now!” Ann pushed again. You groaned in annoyance and got out of bed. She seemed serious, so you didn’t want to anger her more.

You both quickly made your way to the top floor where the meeting room for the executives was located. You noticed Ann’s heavy breathing and worried expression, making you anxious as to what she thinks could have happened.

Hatter had left the night before to replenish his visa, having a big celebration as he drove off with Aguni and a few more of his men. Things had been becoming more tense as time went on. It felt wrong watching Hatter drive away so reluctantly. You offered to assist him in his game, seeing as you earned yourself a high number at The Beach from clearing many difficult games yourself. But Hatter declined, insisting that he would return to The Beach safe and sound before you knew it.

But unfortunately, he was wrong.

You and Ann rushed into the large room. You saw Arisu and Chishiya standing near the end of the table placed in the middle of the room. You strolled over to them and laid eyes on the scene before you.

There, Hatter laid dead on the table. Limbs spread out lifeless, skin pale and dead. The horrific sight made you feel sick, making you cover your mouth with your hand. The scene almost felt unreal, this shouldn’t have happened. Hatter wouldn’t be dead if you just went with him.

Ann walked over to his body to examine it, but before she even had the chance to touch the bullet wound embedded in his bare chest, Niragi barged into the room with his usual cocky and obnoxious aura filling the air like a bad smell.

“Oi, don’t touch him as you please. You dissection maniac,” he growled.

Your eyes followed him closely. Now that Hatter was gone, people like him could start dangerous trouble at the hotel. But, as long as you said something about it, you would make sure Niragi wouldn’t start any fires that he’s not willing to put out himself.

After all, you were the only person who knew his true self, and how he perceived everyone around him. It was pathetic really. In a way you took pity on him. Such a simple tactic for the brain to protect itself, become a heartless and cold monster towards others so no one could ever do the same to you again.

With Niragi, unfortunately it was hunt or be hunted.

You kept your strong gaze on him as he lifted his eyes to meet yours from across the table for a hot minute. His dark orbs glistened as they locked with yours, making the tension in the room become thicker as every second passed. He smirked in your direction before turning away.

“He was shot by a gun,” Ann stated, breaking the thick silence in the room. She looked over the small hole in his chest in fascination.

“What will happen to The Beach?” a young man asked who was standing nearby you. You stayed silent, not wanting to start anything that may end in chaos. You always had good points and valid arguments, but sometimes you knew when the best time was to bring them up. This was not it.

“I mean it’s only reasonable for the strongest to become the new leader!” Niragi exclaimed over everyone. “We need someone who can take good care of The Beach and keep order,” he yapped on, swinging his sniper rifle all around making a few people flinch when he aimed it at them.

You rolled your eyes at his behaviour. Trust him to be the most opinionated.

“I say, how about Aguni as our new leader,” he suggested, leaning forwards onto the table and watching everyone like a hawk. Aguni held no reaction, keeping his usual cold stone expression while having Niragi speak for him.

After no one reacted, all looking down to the ground to avoid Niragi’s gaze, he stood up straight and pulled a bored expression. “That’s not a good reaction,” he mocked, “Last Boss?”

You glanced over to where the hooded figure stood, watching in fear as he unsheathed his katana sword and rushed over to Ann, holding the deathly sharp blade a few inches from her throat. Your heart leaped to your mouth. If he was to try anything, you were ready to start chaos.

But nothing of the sort happened. Ann simply sighed frustratingly and held up her hand obediently. Niragi hummed, approving.

“This isn’t a majority vote,” Mira hissed from next to him.

Niragi stood and leaned his face close to hers, holding the barrel of his weapon close to her face to threaten her. “But it is! Isn’t it? After all, you’re all free to vote as well.”

One by one, he slowly circled the table, each person being scared for their life the closer he got to them. But you remained calm next to Chishiya, knowing that considering the relationship you have with Niragi, he wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you. He didn’t have the guts to.

As he moved from Chishiya, he finally locked eyes with you. He quickly strolled up to your still frame, stopping suddenly very close to you in an attempt to make you feel threatened. ‘As usual,’ you thought to yourself. ‘The old “I’m taller and bigger than you so I’m stronger” stupid tactic.’

“And what about you princess? Care to raise your hand for a vote for Aguni?” he hissed into your face. You held your neutral expression, becoming bored from this act he was putting on. It was purely for show, and yet wasn’t everyone’s personality? But Niragi, his act of this scary psychotic man angered you to your core.

“What if I don’t?” you snickered, walking towards him in an attempt of intimidation. He took a step back in shock. “It’s not like you need my precious vote, you already have so many.”

Niragi’s usual cocky smirk melted from his face, turning into a frustrated scowl. You felt him put his rifle underneath your chin, forcing you to lock eyes with him. “Be careful with that tongue of yours sweetheart, you wouldn’t want to lose it,” he growled quietly.

His threat made you smirk, almost bringing butterflies into your stomach. “I think you should be more concerned about that head of yours. You wouldn’t want to get it stuck too far up your own ass.”

You flinched as you felt his rough hand shoot from his rifle to your neck, instantly tightening around your throat making you widen your eyes in surprise. You lifted your arm and gripped his wrist in case he tightened his hold anymore. The look on his face was deathly. If looks could kill, you’d be already a few years into the afterlife.

Chishiya stood beside you watching the whole scene. He knew better than to intervene, as he could tell that Niragi wouldn’t ever intentionally permanently hurt you.

Niragi held you still as he leaned down to your ear, his hot breath hitting your sensitive skin. “Shut your fucking mouth you brat. You wouldn’t want me to hurt you too much later, would you?” You cringed as you felt his tongue slide behind the back of your ear, the piercing making you shiver.

“Niragi,” you heard Aguni say, saving you from the public embarrassment of getting felt up by Niragi in front of everyone you knew. “That’s enough, I think she gets the point.”

Niragi grunted in annoyance before loosening his fist on your neck. You sucked in a huge gasp of air, coughing slightly. Chishiya placed a gentle hand on your back in a sign of care, hoping that you’re okay.

Niragi aimed his rifle lazily at Chishiya’s face. “She’s fine, don’t touch her. A little choking is nothing she can’t handle.”

Chishiya immediately took his hand off of you, being taken back by Niragi’s comment.

You stood up straight after recovering, laying your eyes back on Niragi as he continued terrorizing the executive members.

God you hated that man. You hated how much you loved him.

*************

The room was now empty, consisting of no one except for you and Ann, who was still looking over Hatter’s body for any other injuries. You watched curiously, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed.

“Seems a bit weird, doesn’t it?” you spoke up through the silence.

“What does?” Ann answered, not bothering to look at you.

“Someone with a hundred percent winning streak dies now? Just as the tension between the militants and the others was getting to its peak?” you questioned.

Ann rolled her eyes sarcastically and turned towards you. “Took you long enough to figure out. Really? You didn’t suspect that from the start? Even after that shit-show that Niragi pulled earlier?”

You were taken back by her sudden anger. Ann never became mad at you, even if she had a legitimate reason to. You looked at her as she stared into your eyes intensely before sighing and turning back to Hatter.

“Sorry Y/N,” she apologized. “I’m just stressed. This shit is getting too heavy to handle, and now with Hatter gone and Aguni in his place, who knows what will happen to people like you, me, Mira, Chishiya and Alice. They could kill us if they want to.”

Her words hit your heart heavily. It was true. Aguni and his militants were never a particularly predictable bunch. And you weren’t exactly on all their good sides, well, except for Niragi’s.

“Sorry Ann,” you muttered out quietly. You thought it would be best to leave her alone. She obviously was quite distraught from Hatter’s death.

You shuffled out of the room, head held low in despair. Who knew what would happen to this place now? It was like a ticking time bomb only no one knew how long there was left until it exploded.

As you walked through the large door frame that led outside of the meeting room, a sudden grip on your arm brought you out of your thoughts and made you yelp. You were yanked into a hard chest, being held close and tight.

“Hey love. How are you feeling?” the person growled. You looked to see it was none other than Niragi himself. Of course it was, who else would treat you so roughly?

You stared into his ominous eyes, trying to read him. He ran his hand down your back slowly causing you to shiver. “Niragi,” you breathed out. You pushed against his broad chest to separate you. “Sorry, but I’m not in the mood right now.”

You stepped away from him and tried to escape down the hall, but he grabbed your hand before you could go anywhere. “Bullshit. You’re never in the mood. And the sass you were giving me in there in front of everyone says otherwise.” He pulled you back towards him, pushing your head onto his shoulder and nuzzling into your neck. “I didn’t like how you treated me, it made me upset.”

He was lying through his teeth, knowing that making you feel guilty for defending yourself against him would bring him more of your attention. Simple gaslighting, worked every time.

You chuckled against him then leaned back and cupped his face with your hands. He held a sad expression on his face, obviously to make you sympathetic.

“You’re such a big baby,” you laughed. “Try to act so tough and dominant in front of everyone, but look at you now. Crying into my shoulder about your feewings?” you mocked him. Niragi scowled and pulled his head out of your hands. “Shut up, as if you’re any better.”

It was true. That’s why you both clicked together. He was a gaslighting maniac who knew how to put up a fake ‘nice guy’ façade around you and you were a tough and snappy woman, who felt much too much empathy for others.

That’s how you fell into his trap. He used your empathy to his advantage, making you fall in love with him so he could have what he’d always wanted. Someone who loves him for who he is, no matter how many masks he had to put on for them.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, leaning up and pressing a small peck onto his lips. “Can you promise me something?” he suddenly asked after you pulled away from his face.

You grew anxious about what he wanted and nodded your head slowly in hesitation.

“When the chance comes, can we leave The Beach together? Like, run away?” he questioned, snaking his arms around your waist and squeezing tightly.

You laughed at his question, making him frown. He was being completely serious. “And go where Niragi? There’s not exactly a place we can go to.”

“Anywhere,” he answered sharply. “We could find a nice little hideout in Tokyo. Just you and me, no one else.” His grip on your waist tightened, making you flinch in his arms slightly.

He could see you tossing between answers. It wasn’t working, he had to try something else. He put on the fakest sad face he could do and pressed his forehead against yours while pouting. “Please? I promise I’ll take care of you.”

You practically melted as his begging. “Okay,” you sighed.

“Promise me,” he reminded you, running a hand through your soft hair.

There was a short moment of silence before you answered. “I promise.”

*************

You laid in your room with the sheets tossed lazily over you. Niragi was called to go talk to Aguni again before he went to sleep, so you were waiting for him.

Your eyes scanned your book quickly, wanting to finish the chapter you were on before Niragi returned. Because god forbid you having your attention on something that wasn’t him when he was around.

You glanced over at the door when you heard it creep open and Niragi stepped in, placing his sniper rifle carefully on the ground nearby and removing his boots.

“You took your time.” you teased, putting your book on the nightstand and sitting up in bed. Niragi groaned tiredly, stumbling over to your shared bed and collapsed dramatically face down onto the duvet. You giggled at him, running a soft hand though his midnight hair and pulling it out of it’s hair tie.

If he was a cat, he swore he could’ve purred at your touch. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. Not having physical affection for years on end does that to a person.

He sat up and crawled over to you. He grabbed your chin and pressed your lips together roughly, running his tongue across your mouth as he did so. You groaned into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck, making him smirk against your lips.

After a few minutes, he detached his lips from yours and started licking and sucking your sensitive skin on your jaw, slowly making his way down your neck. He felt shivers run down his spine as you gripped his shirt in your fist on his back. He loved having this power over you, and having you accept him and love him enough to not fight back.

You leaned your head back and closed your eyes, giving him more access to your neck. As you did so, he placed a hand on your lower back and pulled you towards him, forcing you to lie down on the bed with him hovering over you.

He pulled away from your neck and looked down at you, admiring your anxious expression painted across your face. He chucked. “What’s wrong baby,” he cooed, leaning down and continuing kissing your collarbones.

His voice was dripping in sweetness, so sweet it could’ve made you feel sick. It sounded fake, but you didn’t pick up on it. It was a shame. You saw Niragi as nothing but a victim of his own mind, but you weren’t able to see yourself becoming a victim of it.

“I’m just...” you mumbled out, feeling weak and vulnerable under his touch. “I’m scared Niragi.”

He pulled back again and looked into your eyes with a worried expression. “Why are you scared? It’s just me and you here angel. You’re perfectly safe,” he whispered out, stroking his knuckles down your cheek lovingly.

You knew you loved Niragi, but knowing he can change his personality in a blink of an eye unsettled you. Who knew when he would do that to you? You heard him speak up again.

“We’ve slept together many times before, why are you becoming shy just now?” he teased, lifting a hand and slowly running it up along your tummy underneath your shirt. Your breath hitched as his cold hands made contact, making your stomach muscles tense.

“So sensitive,” he cooed again, snuggling his head into your chest, just above your breasts. “I love you.”

The confession made your heart skip a beat and you tensed. Niragi noticed this, making his body fill with anxiety. Did he say it too soon?

“Sorry,” he mumbled against your shirt. “That was a bit much, you don’t have to say it back,” he gaslighted.

“No,” you cut him off. “I love you too.”

Niragi’s heart filled with warmth and he felt all his nerves tingle around his body. He hadn’t heard that since he was a kid, and hearing you say it did nothing but make him more fall in love.

“Thank you, Y/N,” he sniffed out. You looked down to see him staring at you, tears filling his eyes. It made your heart ache.

He took his body weight off you and hovered himself above you again. “I promise, I won’t let anyone ever hurt you,” he mumbled, voice cracking slightly. His arms that laid on either side of your head acted like a cage. Whether you were trapped willingly or forcefully was beyond your guess.

As he leaned his head down again and pressed his still wet lips against yours, you felt his lanky arms snake around your torso underneath you, keeping you in place.

You laid there, moving your mouths together and holding each other as close as possible. It would’ve almost been romantic and loving if it wasn’t for the context. While one was preying on their victim to achieve what they’ve so desperately wanted their whole life, the other believed that that person was the victim themselves.

Such irony, to love someone who has a ‘unlovable’ personality, when it’s not even the one that you fell in love with.

The one you fell in love with was nothing but one of his many masks. And no one could determine whether he would ever take it off in front of you.

Author’s Note: I’m so sorry this one was actually hard to write. It’s a bit all over the place but I hope it was still enjoyable to read! Also I’m not going to do a Part 2 to this fic, but if you want to read something similar to this kind of yandere theme with Niragi, read my other fic called You’re Everything You Once Hated. I’m going to be posting a Part 2 of that one soon.

[liquid-luck-00]

Seven Stages of Being thrown into Teenage Superherodom

Stage 1: Panic

@marijon-week Day 1: Blue Eyes / Identity Reveal

@t1dwarrior-of-earth

Here *** Second

~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since Fu made her Guardian she left Paris. The Kwamii convinced her that the stress of being ladybug and the mental, and now physical, abuse of her classmates has become too much. Her parents also noticed her shift and they supported her leaving.

This was how she found herself in Blüdhaven. She was a student at Gotham Academy, but with Gotham's high crime rate they wanted somewhere safer for her. Sure she could have also chosen Metropolis, but the commute from Blüdhaven was shorter.

She will be the first to admit that it wasn't ideal, but for her mental health it was great. And with complete honesty and sincerity she wouldn't change a thing.

You see one thing that apparently gets overlooked is that Nightwing is the resident vigilante of Blüdhaven. Even more is the fact that he happens to be her neighbor.

OK so maybe a little bit backtracking here. Marinette may have figured out that her next-door neighbor, Detective Richard Grayson, happens to moonlight as Nightwing at night.

So the building they had chosen for her was extremely safe, however they didn’t take an account Marinette's extremely packed and late work schedule. With how Marinette would still be awake in the early morning hours, and if she heard a thump of boots on the balcony next to hers regularly, she is going to look out the window eventually.

When she does, she sees Nightwing at her neighbor's apartment. Which could be one of two possible reasons why Nightwing could be there. One, his significant other lived in that apartment and he just came regularly. Or two, he lived there and assumed every sane person was asleep.

Her question was eventually answered one night when she was at the desk next to her balcony door, she heard boots like normal, but this time they were closer than normal, this time they were on her balcony.

The door moved, causing her to turn and focus on the door. That was when a male voice muttered, I thought I left it unlocked like always.

So most people would have quietly left, but she wasn't most she opened the blinds. She is pretty sure she had a stare down with him but its difficult to say because at the mask.

However after countless akuma attacks, you tend to figure out who the target is, which is what she did. Same height, same rough build, same hit and skin tone, combined with her ability to recognize figures for fashion, that gives you Richard Grayson. Without breaking eye contact she got up, stepped to the door, opened it and pulled him in, shutting it and the blinds, turning to face him. Then is when she noticed the blood near his hair line and down his neck.

“There better be an extremely good reason why this happened Mr. Grayson.” She looked innocently at him, “because I don’t know how to explain.” She gestured to him now seated at her desk. She pulled out her first aid kit and started checking him.

“How did you find out?”

“Night owl,” she shrugged. “I hear you come in every night and well um, well...”

“Curiosity got the best of you.” She nodded.

Of course this was when her phone would go off, she grabbed it, opened it, and groaned, because of course she was being called a Paris in the middle of the night, morning over there.

“You know what you're still alive, just a superficial head injury, but I have to go.” She said moving towards her bedroom when Mr. Grayson finally reacted.

“I’m supposed to… you said you were 14 right?” She nodded. “I’m supposed to let a 14 year-old leave in the middle of the night?”

“I am, I can explain in the morning.” She tried to justify, but he wouldn't let go of her wrist. So in a leap of faith, she gave him a quick rundown of the Paris situation and why she had to leave. If after this Blüdhaven had another vigilante well no one else knew why, Trixx loved it though. And she had someone who not only knew who she was but knew how to help and train her. Even if he acted more like a brother to her.

After all the eyes are the windows to the soul, and as a true guardian and a pure soul of creation, she knows that she can trust Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson’s.

- - -

It’s almost humorous that the next pair of eyes she would this come to trust were a blue so electric that they seemed to hold Lightning itself. Those eyes belong to one Jonathan Samuel Kent.

She had actually met John while in class at Gotham Academy, but nothing much more than their initial meeting and a good morning in the halls. This was pretty much because he seemed to stick with Damian Wayne, the ice Prince of Gotham. And green eyes always hurt her in the past, so she mostly stayed away from them.

However the fates had another plan for them. A group project, yay was sarcastically running through her head because of course, the two people she was partnered with happened to be two pairs of eyes that made an impression on her originally.

“So, should we go to your place, or should we go to the library, oh maybe we should go to Damien’s, or maybe mine to work on this.” Jon rapid fired at her and Damian, as they well she moved in order to talk about the project.

“I um... I’m not exactly...” she couldn’t even finish the sentence before Damian butt in.

“Tt figure this out and inform me later.” With that he go up and walked away. And go figure her assumption that everyone with green eyes were complete and total dicks is just reinforced. Because if you’ve never had a good experience with anything or anyone who shares the same traits why would it be any different now.

“Maybe we should just meet at the café or at the library just get this over with.” She got up with the bell, turned on her heel, leaving Jon sitting at the desk she just vacated.

She heard of a soft, “oh ok” as she walked away.

But of course nothing ever was easy in her life. Because the next thing she knows she hears foot falls behind her, they were actually picking up speed, and then stomps as if they were trying to stop right behind her. That was when I hand wrapped itself around her wrist making her spin and face the person who grabbed her.

In that moment she didn’t think, she reacted, she reacted like every other time one of her classmates decided to hurt her. It was a motion that came as naturally as breathing while in her civilian form, so much so that she would bet her heartbeat wouldn’t have changed. She dropped the books and book bag from her arms and shoulder lifting her arms defensively to protect her head and she pushed her shoulders forward , defend her head, in an attempt to stop a blow. But the swing never came, no weight, no pressure, no kick, no pain, just silence.

She tentatively opened her previously shut eyes eyes and looked forward, towards where the hand had originally pulled her, to the person who pulled her, she saw Jon, shocked at her reaction and then that turned to fear almost, it seemed to her, as if he was wondering if he did something wrong, if he hurt her, quickly she tugged her arm away from him and dropped to the ground and tried to pick up her items. However what shocked her was that he also dropped down and tried to help her pick up her things.

She looked up as he handed her a stack, “I forgot to ask you for your number so we can do a group chat. Are you OK?”

“Oh yeah yeah I’m fine.” She pulled a pen quickly from her bag and a sticky note, she usually uses to annotate her sketches and class notes come on, “here.” She handed him the piece of paper, Marinette got up and started to walk away again, as to not miss her next class.

By the end of the day, she found out that Jon can can text her head off. She always tries to respond to text quickly but this boy spammed the chat trying to get to know her better. If she was Damian, and she figured he did, she would’ve silenced the conversation, but it would be rude of her not answer.

Eventually they did figure out a an arrangement, Damian was going to go meet a brother after school so he wouldn’t be available meaning that she and Jon would start the project. So they decided to open a chat just between the two of them and figured it out from there.

Seeing as both of them lived outside of Gotham they decided it would be a little bit safer to meet at Marinette’s and John would leave from her apartment. And that is what they did, together the two of them left Gotham Academy after school, took the train to Blüdhaven and got into study mode. They worked in relative peace, researching and writing down ideas until there was a knock on the door. Marinette made her way up to the door, looked through and there stood Dick. So she opened the door, yet what got her attention was not just her pseudo Brother but the person who is with him. This person just happened to be the missing member of their project group, Damian.

“Hey Mari, I thought I would introduce you to my baby brother!” He beamed then noticing the other person in the room. “Hey Jon.” He greater and then took a double take “Jon!!!”

“Hey Dick, Damian.” He smiled.

“Tt. Anyone care to explain this.” Damian glared between her and his brother.

“Wow something the boy wonder doesn’t know.” She muttered under her breath, apparently it wasn’t quite quiet enough as some reacted.

“She knows?!?” Jon directed towards Dick and Damian.

“Know what?” She bit the bullet.

“Boy Wonder!?!” He seemed to shout just loud enough to get their attention. This did cause a reaction, Dick almost looked proud but Damian seemed ready to attack her.

“Okay I knew you were clever but seriously?!”

“Not the time Dick!” She moved so the kitchen island was between her and Damian. That was when something clicked Boy Wonder, Robin, Damian is Robin. Dick is Nightwing, both work with Batman. Jon heard her the others didn’t, Robin is close with… oh sweet honey iced tea. “ Dick please please tell me that I’m wrong!”

“I’m going with no your right.” Thump went her head as it fell onto the counter unrestrained.

“Why can’t my life be normal?” She asked no one in particular.

“You are a magical girl who can use the power of mini sized gods who you also protect.” Dick supplied ever so helpfully.

“Not helping!” She glared at him.

“Your life wasn’t normal long before we met.”

“Still.” She grumbled. Damian and Jon were now watching her and Dick interact as if trying to figure something out. Ping. Her phone went off. “Oh come on.” She fell back on the counter.

“Who is it this time?” Dick asked.

She tossed the phone to him. “I hate elementals.” A livestream of Stormy Weather ravaged the city of Paris.

“Cookies?”

“Cookies, I’ll be back.” He tossed her a box from her pantry. Special macaroons for the kwamii.

“Wait! Let me come with you.”

“And how many times have I told you that would be a bad idea.”

“But…”

“No, don’t make me call Honey Bee to venom you again.”

He slowly backed up and sat on the couch dragging Damian with him. “I’ll um… I’ll hold down the fort. Don’t call Goldie.”

“I won’t.” She turned to go to her room. “Oh there is fresh cookies in the jar.”

She silently transformed and portaled away. Luckily her team was already there and they made quick work of the Akuma. Meaning she was back near instantly.

“That was quick.”

“Viperion was there.”

“How many times?”

“Dunno.”

“Liar.”

“Am not.”

“You are.” Jon interjected into their bickering.

“Who’s side are you on anyways?” She asked out.

“I have no idea.”

“Great we broke Superboy.” She plopped down on the couch next to a stunned Jon. “If only… Fluff.”she smiled, and knowing that smile Dick panicked. “Fluff. Hey Fluff.”

“Oh no time travel is what got you into this time travel will not get you out.” Dick jumped landing on her keeping her seated.

“What it’s going fine?!“ Jon screamed at them, looking pretty close to a mental break down, she should know.

“You didn’t explain anything did you.” She looked on up from her position under a pile of a Dick and pillows.

“I was meaning to come up with the cookies were good and kind of had my mouthful.”

“OK great so here’s the rundown. Hello my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and I was chosen at the age of 13 to wield the Miraculous of the Ladybug which grants me the power of creation and healing. I moved Blüdhaven and enrolled into Gotham Academy because of my utterly deteriorating mental health as a result of bullying in my previous school. Not to mention the magical terrorist who prays on sad or negative emotions, who happens to be using the Miraculous Butterfly or the miraculous of transmission. My partner uses the miraculous of the black cat which grants them the power of destruction, but he’s a total and complete asshole, but that’s not surprising. I was then given full guardianship of every single miraculous in the Chinese zodiac box, the most powerful of all of them the tender age of 14. I figured out that Dick was Nightwing about a month after I moved in and afterwards I have been going out into with him as he’s in as the vigilante Vulpes. And I literally just figured out you are Robin,” she pointed at Damian. “And you are Super Boy,” she pointed at Jon, “because of you’re a little outburst. I would not have figured it out otherwise! And I’m totally not I am going crazy because now there is a total of three people who know my identity in another country, no less, and I’m sure I can figure out the rest of the Bat family from here but I so I don’t want to.“ She was able to breathe now, after having explained this in just under a minute.

She looked between both Damian and Jon noticed they both looked as if she was either crazy or that certainly made a lot of sense, or a mixture of both she really can’t tell.

“You were bullied.“ Jon seemed to only take away. “That actually explains earlier.” He said just load enough for her to hear, as they were still next to each other.

“I’m not going over this again.“ She huffed, causing Dick to roll off of her laughing onto the ground and she followed suit. “You know there’s a reason I’ve always trusted blue eyes.” That was the beginning of and inseparable friendship between her and Damian, and something more between her and Jon.

None of them quite knew that at the time.

Next

~~~~~~~~~~

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[e-m-christina]

Wonderland: Kili x Reader Pt6

Kili x Reader

Slight Legolas x Reader

MASTERLIST

---

"Y/n Daniels!" Gandalf cried, stepping forward. "I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life."

"Y/n! I thought - we thought we had lost you!" Kili said, pulling Y/n into a quick hug. "How on earth did you get past the goblins?"

Y/n laughed awkwardly, slipping her hand into her pocket and stroked her ring. For some strange reason, she didn't want to tell them about her finding.

"What does it matter?" Gandalf interrupted, eyeing Y/n's hand suspiciously. "She's back."

Y/n gulped. Did Gandalf know about her ring? Could he sense its power, as she had? A darker thought popped into her head - what if he tried to take it from her?

"It matters." Thorin stepped forward and Y/n's mood dropped. "Why did you come back?"

"Look, I know you doubt me, you always have," Y/n said, turning to face Thorin. "And you're right, I often think of my home. I miss my books, my armchair and my garden. You see, that's where I belong, that's home. And that's why I came back...because you don't have one. It was taken from you, and I will help you take it back, I can."

Y/n wasn't sure how she had found her words, but they were true. She meant every word. Though she didn't see it, a gleam of pride twinkled in the old wizard's eyes as he watched Y/n stand up for herself.

The company stayed silent, waiting for Thorin's reply. Y/n half expected him to yell or tell her that she was a burden - but he didn't. And for a second, Y/n could've sworn she saw a ghost of a smile flash across his lips. Thorin opened his mouth to say something when a chilling howl echoed through the forest.

"Wargs!" Bofur cried.

"Out of the frying pan-" Thorin started.

"And into the fire - RUN!" Gandalf yelled and took off down the slope.

Wargs? What was a warg? Y/n thought as she raced down the slope, close behind Bilbo. The howls got louder and closer, and more in number. They seemed to come from every direction, closing in on the company. Y/n's abdomen sent horrible pangs of pain, growing worse with every stride she took, but she had to push it down.

The rough path disappeared. The bushes, and the long grasses, the boulders, the patches of rabbit-cropped turf, the thyme and the sage and the marjoram, and the yellow rockroses all vanished, and Y/n and the company found themselves at the top of a steep cliff edge, littered with trees. It was a dead-end - unless they wanted to hurtle to their demise off the cliff.

"Where are we meant to go!" Ori cried.

"Climb! Climb the trees!" Gandal yelled.

"Y/n, this way!" Kili grabbed Y/n by the arm, pulling her towards a huge pine tree that Gandalf, Thorin and Bilbo were already climbing. Her sweaty hands gripped the rough branches as she hauled herself up the trunk. The pain in her middle made it difficult to climb and the bark cut into her clammy hands.

Just as she came level with Kili on a high up branch, huge black figures of wolves closed in around the trees.

Out of the gloom below, came a huge white warg. And on it, sat a pale orc. Unlike the other dark grey creatures, this one was bigger, stronger and more fierce. It had slashes snaking over its white body and one of its arms came to a shrewd stump, with a sharp spear impaled through it.

"It cannot be..." Y/n heard Thorin whisper above her. She turned to Kili and saw an equally horror-struck face.

"It's Azog! The Pale Orc!" Fili cried from the tree next to them. Azog - that was the orc that had promised to end the line of Durin. Kili had told Y/n that Thorin had cut off Azog's arm in a great battle long ago and that he died of his wounds. Yet, the terrible creature was right below them.

"Do you smell it? The scent of fear? I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin, son of Thrain!" Azog hissed, sending shivers down Y/n's spine.

"What is he saying?" Gloin yelled, but Gandalf thumped him on the head with his staff to shut him up.

What did Gloin mean? Y/n thought it was perfectly clear what Azog had just said - albeit dark. Then, Azog's eyes landed on Y/n and a cruel smile broke onto his face.

"Leave those two to me!" Azog pointed his spear at Y/n and Thorin. "Kill the others."

Her mind was a flurried frenzy - why did Azog want her?

Sharp, curved jaws snapped at Y/n's feet. The wargs had begun leaping into the air in an attempt to break the trees down. The wargs were getting close now, they crushed thick branches in their powerful jaws, getting ever closer to their targets with each leap.

"We need to climb higher!" Kili yelled, motioning for Y/n to move up the trunk, but something slammed into her. The wargs had taken down the tree beside them which Dwalin, Balin and Ori were clinging onto and it had slammed into their tree.

"Hold on!" Gandalf yelled as their tree began to creak and crack. As more trees came towards Y/n's tree, more dwarves hopped on until the full company was balanced and swinging from one single tree.

Y/n's hands slipped and she fell down a branch, scraping her hands in the process.

"Y/n, are you alright?" Kili asked, straining to look down at her.

"Yeah, I am fine! Are you?" Y/n called up, noticing how Kili was struggling to pull himself up the branch.

"Yeah! Just thought I'd swing by." He groaned, still dangling from the branch. Y/n shook her head with a little smile. She couldn't believe it - he was cracking jokes in a most likely fatal situation!

"Y/n, Kili, catch!" Gandalf yelled, throwing something orange down to them. Y/n caught it - it was a massive, flaming pine-cone.

"Ouch!" Y/n hissed, juggling it in her burning hands. Gandalf catapulted his flaming pine-cone at the wargs below and the tinder-dry ground instantly caught fire.

Taking it as a sign, Y/n followed in Gandalf's suit and chucked her pine-cone at the wargs. Within moments, the ground below was ablaze; a vibrant mix of orange and red with tongues of yellow.

The wargs began to howl when their paws and claws got burned and backed away from the tree. Azog, Y/n could see was infuriated by this. He roared at the company, swinging his speared arm.

Crunch, crack, crunch!

Y/n's eyes widened. The tree they were all on was falling. It swooped forwards, over the cliff edge, dangling the company over the valley hundreds of feet below. The flames had begun to burn up the tree, heating Y/n's face up and filled her nose with the scent of burning pine sap.

"Bilbo!" Y/n yelled, seeing the hobbit fly past her. She shot out her hand and grabbed him by the collar.

"Try and grab the branch!" Y/n heaved the hobbit up, and his little hand wrapped around the branch.

"Thanks." He panted, pulling himself up further. Y/n's side began to throb again, and her eyes squeezed shut. Shouldn't it be less painful by now?

"Thorin!" A strident roar echoed through the forest. Azog was pointing his spear at Thorin - watching, waiting. It was only then when Y/n noticed that

Thorin was striding down the flaming trunk, a sword wielded in one hand and an oak branch as a makeshift shield in the other.

"Thorin, no!" Many of the dwarves yelled, but Thorin paid no heed. Instead, he broke into a run. Despite the graveness, it was a rather remarkable sight.

Y/n could begin to see the king that battled so long ago, just how Kili described; flaming embers lay thick in the air, suit covered his determined face as he strided down the trunk towards the huge, white beast.

Azog swung his war-mace around his head, and just when Thorin got close enough, he struck him in the chest, sending the dwarf flying backwards. Y/n could hear the thump and she began to panic.

The warg on which Azog sat lurched forward and grabbed Thorin's limp body between its massive, drooling jaws and bit down hard.

"No!" Balin yelled, yet he could do nothing, for he was dangling from the tree, over the valley.

Y/n swung her head around, hoping that one of the dwarves or even Gandalf would help Thorin, but to Y/n's horror, they were either swinging dangerously over the valley or clutching onto the arm of another member to stop them from plummeting from their death.

Y/n looked back at Thorin and saw that the warg had flung him against a boulder and he smacked his head with a loud crunch.

"Well shit," Y/n whispered. She had to do something, seeing as she was the only one not in mortal danger of falling to her death. Y/n slowly stood up and drew out her sword. She had promised Thorin that she would help him take back his home, and she couldn't do that if she let him die.

"Y/n, what are you doing!" Kili yelled, struggling on his branch.

"I need to help Thorin!" She said, turning away. She couldn't quite believe herself - did she really think that she had a chance of beating the white orc? No. She didn't. But she could try and divert him for a second so Thorin could get to his feet.

"Y/n stop!" Kili and Fili yelled at the same time. Y/n's heavy legs broke into a run, every step feeling heavier and heavier as she got closer to the Pale Orc.

"Bring me his head," Azog growled at one of his servants and pointed at Thorin who lay in the smoking grass, reaching desperately for his sword.

A particularly large and horrid looking orc swung off its warg and drew out its cleaver. Azog's cruel grin stretched across his face, splitting the thick scars that ran across his cheeks - though the twisted grin was soon wiped clean off.

Y/n lurched out of the swirling smoke and tackled the servant orc over just as he was about to slash Thorin's neck.

It was a flurry of limbs and roars as Y/n and the orc struggled against each other. The sweet stench of rotten flesh filled Y/n's nose as the orc roared in her face, spitting all over her.

"Yuck!" Y/n gagged as she stumbled up, kneeing the orc in the gut. It grabbed her leg and yanked her down again with a growl.

Y/n wrapped her fingers around her sword and swung it haphazardly at the orc, barely scratching its sickly green flesh. Her arms ached from the weight of the sword, but she kept swinging, clanging it off the orc's cleaver.

"Just," Y/n blocked the opposing strike. "Die already!"

The force of the strike flung her backwards and she landed beside a barely conscious Thorin. Black spots dotted her vision but shook her head and shakily grabbed her sword. She had to stop the orc from getting to Thorin.

"Kill her! Kill the dwarf!" Azog enragedly commanded his injured servant. Y/n was getting prepared to fight back when just over a dozen figures came striding out of the thick smoke.

"Y/n!" Bilbo yelled, helping her up from the ground, Fili and Kili quickly joining Bilbo.

"Are you mad?" Kili shot a warg in the head before turning to Y/n. "Rushing out here all by yourself - you could have died!"

"Well, I am not, though Thorin would be if I had not come," Y/n said, barely missing an orc arrow that whizzed above her head and embedded itself in a flaming tree trunk.

"Just...be careful!" Kili said, shooting more wargs and orcs. Y/n ducked yet again, as an orc swung its axe at her throat.

She lurched forward as sliced its leg, sending it toppling down. And with one last stab, it was dead. It was the first beast she had killed. Y/n wiped her bloody brow, panting hard. Something in her told her that she wasn't going to get used to the stamina needed to fight.

Woosh!

Screeches echoed through the land, followed by the sound of huge flapping wings. Y/n stood frozen in horror as she watched dark silhouettes dart across the shrouded, night sky.

"What in Mahal's name are those!?" Cried Kili, pointing to the sky.

"I don't know-"

One of the figures swooped down and wrapped its great talons around Y/n and Kili, and within a split second, they were soaring high in the sky and over the cliff.

"Oh my God!" Y/n screamed when the talons around her waist opened and she began plummeting to the ground.

And by the screams beside her, she guessed Kili was falling as well. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, feeling the wind whip her hair back as she waited for the inevitable impact of the rocky ground below.

But it never came.

With a thud, she found herself landing on something soft, and to her relief, it wasn't Kili this time. Her fingers wrapped around what felt like the most luxurious silk in the world. She reluctantly opened her eyes and took in a sharp intake of cold air.

She was on a massive eagle, soaring hundreds of feet above the ground and what she thought was silk, was the eagle's massive golden feathers that glimmered in the rising sunlight. It wasn't until then, did she notice Kili clinging on next to her, still with his eyes squeezed shut.

"Kili, look! We are on an eagle!" Y/n said, in awe at the beautiful and vast landscapes below her.

"I know. I don't like heights much." Came a muffled reply from Kili, who after some coaxing, finally opened his dark brown eyes.

"Oh Mahal, this is horrible!" He cried, growing very pale in the face and knuckles as he gripped on tighter to the eagle. Y/n rolled her eyes but soon remembered that Dwarves preferred burrowing underground as opposed flying above it.

Y/n looked behind her, to see a fleet of eagles carrying the rest of the company on their backs. She frowned - there was one dwarf short. Thorin!

It took her a while, but Y/n's eyes finally landed on an eagle a little way off, carrying Thorin. Except he wasn't riding on its back like the others but was clutched limply in the eagle's great claws.

"Thorin!" Fili yelled, but Thorin did not stir. A cold, heavy feeling began to weigh Y/n's stomach down. Had she failed him? Did she get to him too late?

"I'm sure he will be alright," Kili said as if reading her mind. But the look on his face said otherwise. Kili glanced down at Y/n's abdomen and his eyes widened. "Are you hurt? You are covered in blood!"

"It's nothing. A goblin bit me when I woke up in the tunnels. That's all." Y/n said, expecting Kili to relax, but his face only grew in horror.

"A goblin bit you? Oh no..." He trailed off, Y/n frowned. Yes, her wound throbbed in pain, and she was covered in blood, but it wasn't that bad.

"What's the problem?" She asked, feeling unnerved by his reaction.

"Goblin's hold poison in their teeth, like snakes. It prevents the wound from healing." Kili said with a worried frown etched onto his face.

"What?" Y/n said, one hand flying to her stomach.

"Don't worry though!" Kili rushed and Y/n stared at him. Don't worry? "We have Gandalf, I am sure he will be able to do something. And as you are still alive and breathing, it must only be a mild form."

"Oh, this is brilliant," Y/n muttered and closed her eyes. But she couldn't help worry for Thorin more. Was he even alive?

----

After a long cold night, the daybreak brought glimmers of warmth. The golden light softly caressed the land and ignited the birds into a chorus of melodies.

The sun began to bloom on the horizon, golden petals stretched ever outwards into the rich blue a golden light dribbled over the land like syrup on oatmeal.

The leaves shimmered like a mirror flecked mosaic and the morning dew sparkled on the bejewelled cobwebs and grass. Y/n gazed at the illuminated clouds, still beneath the ethereal glow.

"This is so beautiful," Y/n whispered, trailing her fingers through the whisps of low-hanging silver cloud. The golden rays of light kissed her skin with warmth and began to wash away the worries of the prior night.

"It is." Kili agreed, gazing at the landscapes in awe. "So, this is how tall people like you, see the world."

Y/n let out a light laugh and shook her head. "Not quite." She said, making Kili chuckle.

"We're beginning to land!" Gandalf yelled to the group, pointing towards a great cliff that overlooked the land. And within moments, the eagles came into touch down, dropping them off gently, before taking off into the red sky.

"Thorin!" Gandalf strided towards the dwarf who lay on the ground, unmoving. Y/n watched, white-knuckled as Gandalf rolled him over and placed a hand over the dwarf's face.

"Bui i grace -o i Valar, echuiv," Gandalf whispered, almost inaudibly. And as soon as the Elvish words left his lips, Thorin's eyes opened. Y/n's shoulders relaxed when she saw the dwarf moving.

"The human..." He whispered, to Gandalf.

"She is alright, she is right there," Gandalf said, pointing behind himself. Thorin's eyes followed the wizard's hand and landed on Y/n.

"You." He said, voice stronger as he stumbled up. Y/n gulped as Thorin began to step towards her. Was he mad at her still? "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed."

"I-" Y/n was cut off.

"Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? And that you had no place amongst us?"

Thorin was right in front of her now. The rest of the company looked on in shock and disbelief as Thorin kept on. Y/n's eyes flicked to the ground. What was she supposed to say in that situation?

"Thorin-"

"Well, I have never been so wrong in my whole life," Thorin said. Y/n's eyes widened as he engulfed her in a hug. She stood there, stalk still and stared down at the dwarf with wide eyes. She must be dreaming, right? If she wasn't speechless before, she certainly was now.

"Ahaha!" Balin clapped and the rest of dwarves chimed in on applause.

"I am sorry that I doubted you," Thorin said, and his face truly meant it.

"I-I would have doubted me too." Y/n stumbled over her words. "I am not a hero or a warrior. I am not even a burglar." She shot a smile at Bilbo.

"Well, this is a glad moment." Gandalf laughed. Y/n watched as Thorin's blue eyes moved past her face and towards something behind her.

"It cannot be..." He whispered and Y/n turned around.

"By Durin, my eyes have been blessed," Kili said, a grin plastered to his face as he joined Y/n's side, soon followed by the rest of the dwarves.

On the horizon, a pale blue peak jutted from the ground, it was kissed by the golden sun and had silver cloud shoals draped around it. And so the sky was equal parts blue and a chorus of greys, streaked with silvers and golds and pinks.

"The Lonely Mountain," Y/n whispered, in awe of its distant beauty.

"I do believe that the worst is behind us." Kili smiled, placing a hand on Y/n's shoulder.

"I hope so too."

---

Updated: 21st September 2021

I made a Pinterest Board for this story - Link in bio.

(Due to some technical difficulties, this chapter was a bit late, sorry. Also, like the previous chapter, it was written at 1am so please forgive any mistakes or weak writing!)

[aiyexayen]

writer ask game: 1, 11, 16

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason? yes! i have so many little wip's and story ideas that i kind of stash up and hoard and start and stop on quite often in my docs. some of them even have quite a lot of writing gone into them and then i just fell off and hope to get back to and rework eventually. more particularly, though, right now, i have a longfic idea i very much want to try to write in collaboration with a friend but i'm in the middle of writing for a fandom event of a totally different fandom and i know if i let myself go all in with this idea, i'll get behind on the event writing, so i'm making myself wait.

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing? hm, it depends on when we count "started writing" from because i fancied myself a little author at like age 10 and spent much of my youth wrapped up in that and that's too long ago to measure relative progress. but i gave up writing for quite a number years for Reasons(bad), and i started writing again in 2019 when i found online fandom for the first time. i think (hope) since then the one thing that has most improved is my flow wrt descriptiveness. it's been difficult for me to work in visual details, sensory input, and general setting details in a way that sounds like it belongs and flows into the narrative and i do believe i'm getting better. i also think my ability to characterise more diversely and complexly has improved with my own maturity and experiences and time invested in analytical/critical consumption.

16) are there any characters who haunt you? this is such an interesting question because i feel like it can be interpreted a number of ways. my first reaction to this was "not really" because i thought, "well, i don't find myself pulled back to any particular character whenever i move away from them, achingly compelled to tell their story--nor do i find any particular character turning up all over the place in my writing or ideas needing attention until i deal with it" but i do think i have characters who kind of...stick around. characters whose heads feel familiar and relevant no matter how much i change. characters whose relatability and failures and triumphs got me through my own rough shit and whose stories were formative to some core piece of me, especially ones i got to know as a writer borrowing them to make them my own. characters i can always go back to whenever i need them and find it easy to reacclimate because i never really stop. benign ghosts that haunt me with their understanding and borrowed strength and have just grown into the walls, never to be exorcised because how hollow would i be without them. it would be tedium to list them out but the newest one is wen kexing.

[milgrammer]

[ENG] Love is mine Voice Drama

Mahiru: [humming]

Es: [footsteps]

Mahiru: I wonder when the prison guard will arrive… 

Es: [enters] Sorry for making you wait, prisoner number 6, Mahiru. 

Mahiru: Ah, no. It’s okay. I only just got here. 

Es: What?

Mahiru: [giggles] Just then, it felt like I was waiting for my date to arrive. Kinda made my heart flutter. 

Es: I’m not exactly one to talk, but… I’m surprised that you can say such a thing despite being in this prison.

Mahiru: Really~? But, this unfamiliar setting makes things super romantic, you know? Thanks to it, every day has been such a delight.

Es: [sighs] What a carefree spirit you are. 

Mahiru: Ah! I get that a lot.

Es: Do you fully understand the situation you’re in, Mahiru? You’re a prisoner who’s killed someone. You weren’t brought here to have fun.

Mahiru: Killed someone… I guess I did… I can’t really deny it, can I? 

Es: With that being said, from on, I shall be conducting this interrogation with the purpose of revealing your sins. This sort of situation is anything, but romantic.

Mahiru: Sin… My sin… I guess so. 

Es: Milgram exists to reveal the sins of you, prisoners, and to hand down the appropriate judgement. So, for that reason, talk to me for a bit. 

Mahiru: Talk? Yay, let’s talk! Let’s talk! Prison guard, are you interested in me? That makes me so happy!

Es: Hmph. Trying to get me to go off track like that is futile. All of you prisoners do the exact same thing… Can't believe I always fall for it.

Mahiru: What are you muttering to yourself about?

Es: Nothing. [clears throat] I shall begin the interrogation now. Let’s see. First off— 

Mahiru: I’ll start! I’m Mahiru Shina, 22 years old. I might not be much good at anything, but please be kind to me.

Es: I’ll be the one asking the questions here! Ugh, no. I know exactly what’ll happen after that from Yuno’s interrogation. It’ll be okay. Just gotta calm down. 

Mahiru: Right. Now it’s your turn, prison guard.

Es: What?

Mahiru: What’s your name? Your age?

Es: [hesitates]

Mahiru: What’s your name? Your age?

Es: It’s Es. As for my age, I’m… 15, I think. 

Mahiru: 15 years old! And, you’re a prison guard at that age, are you? Despite being so young, you’re so admirable. If anything’s troubling you, you can talk it over with ‘big sis’ here, okay? 

Es: Hey, Mahiru. Why do I have to answer— 

Mahiru: Hey, hey! Is Es your real name? Could it be that you’re not Japanese? Don't you have a surname or anything? 

Es: I-I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. I’m Es. I don’t know anything other than that, and I don’t need to either.  

Mahiru: What? You mean you have amnesia? Oh, you poor thing. Are sure you’re not curious about it? About yourself, I mean.

Es: Not a bit. I just tackle the work I have at hand. Sparing myself of any unnecessary information helps me concentrate better.

Mahiru: Huh? But, I’m so curious about you, prison guard. Come on, let’s do it! Let’s get to know more about you, prison guard.

Es: Get to know… about me?

[piercing sound]

Mahiru: Prison guard? What’s wrong?

Es: [hesitates]

Mahiru: Hey… Prison guard?

Es: Oh… yeah. Uh… I apologise for that. 

Mahiru: Did you zone out just then? This job must be pretty difficult, so you might be mentally burned out from work. Herbal tea’s good for that, you know? Oh! Like ginkgo tea—they say it helps improve brain function. 

Es: Oh, is that so? I’ll try a bit then… I mean, no! Enough about me. We’re in the middle of an interrogation at the moment.

Mahiru: Aw, what? But, it was just getting fun.

Es: I mean, why are you asking me questions anyway? Know your place here. 

Mahiru: But… But, you know, prison guard… I think having a mutual understanding of each other is pretty important. Prison guard, you want to know more about me, right?

Es: Well… Something like that.

Mahiru: That makes me so happy! Ah… No, that’s not what I was meant to say… In order for you to do that, getting to know each other would be the first step. Don’t you think? If I get to know lots about you, prison guard, then there will be more things I want to talk to you about. 

Es: Hm. That’s true. I guess that sort of approach might be quite effective on some people. 

Mahiru: Exactly! So, first things first, you should gather up all your courage and be completely transparent about yourself. Doing so will make your partner feel at ease, and they’ll start opening up about themselves more. 

Es: Is that so? ‘Self-disclosure reciprocity’ as we call it then? But, well…  Isn’t this quite the surprise? I didn’t expect you to be so well-versed on matters related to the human psyche.

Mahiru: Huh? S-self-disclosure reciprocity?

Es: In order to gain a deeper understanding of you, prisoners, I was trying to add whatever I could to my stock of knowledge. It was mentioned in one of the publications I read during that time. 

Mahiru: Really~? Prison guard, you’ve read it too? I’ve also read that one. That issue titled 1000 Kanto Girls’ Views on Love was so good, wasn’t it?

Es: [hesitates] What on earth is that?

Mahiru: What? So, you haven’t read it? Lain’s (1) special collection of romantic techniques!

Es: Lain? 

Mahiru: Yeah! Lain. It’s my favourite thing to read. “Fashion, trends, fortune-telling. This special collection on romance has articles about everything. If you wanna make yourself sparkle even more... Then, this women's magazine will help you get there!” 

Es: [sighs] So, it was all just a misunderstanding. Ignore what I said earlier then. 

Mahiru: Oh, that’s right! Prison guard, are you interested in romance at all? I wanna talk about it with you. You’re 15, aren’t you? Right in the heat of adolescence! Do you have anyone you like?  

Es: I honestly have no interest in those matters. 

Mahiru: What? No, no. There’s no such thing as that. Being in love is like a landmine. It'll explode someday, you know? The only thing that differs is whether it happens earlier or later in life. It’ll happen to you too. Even if you don’t have any interest in it now, one day it’ll explode for you as well. All because you’ll have that fateful encounter with your special someone.

Es: You sure do run your mouth a lot, don't you?

Mahiru: Yeah, yeah. You’ll deny it at first. I mean, I was like that as well. Before then, I always admired soap operas and shoujo manga because I thought that they depicted a world different from our own. 

Es: I don’t completely understand what you’re saying, but… Being in love and loving someone—are they really that important? 

Mahiru: They are.

Es: Hm.

Mahiru: They are… More so than anything else.

Es: I see now. [shifts] So, for you… that’s what it is. Prisoner number 6, Mahiru. 

Mahiru: Hm? What is?

Es: Somehow… After interrogating several people, I’ve started to get a rough idea of it. What you lot cherish, that is. 

Mahiru: So, what I cherish is ‘love’—is that what you’re saying? [giggles] Correct! It’s not like I was trying to cover it up or anything though. 

Es: Very well, does your homicide stem from love too? 

Mahiru: [pauses] I… guess it did. I think it was love. 

Es: So, because of love, you killed someone? 

Mahiru: I suppose… you’re right?

Es: I see. So, you became a murderer as a result of some relationship conflicts? Jealousy… Grudges… Having your partner stolen from you… Those stories aren't all that uncommon now are they? 

Mahiru: You’re wrong. It wasn’t that. I…never even wanted to kill anyone in the first place! 

Es: [pauses]

Mahiru: I just… I was… just being myself

Es: What do you mean by that?

Mahiru: [pauses] Not telling. After all, I still don’t know you that well, prison guard. 

Es: Hm. We should have a “mutual understanding” of each other, right? 

Mahiru: [giggles] Exactly!

Es: A troublesome one, aren’t you. But, that's fine with me. What are your own thoughts about it then? Do you think what you’ve done could be forgiven? Or was it absolutely unforgivable? 

Mahiru: Hmm. If you can’t forgive me for what I’ve done, then there’s no point in living—to be honest. [laughs] 

Es: So, if you can't kill anyone, there’s no point in you living—is that what you mean? My, oh, my… What a dangerous species you are.  

Mahiru: Oh, no! Uh… Those words actually sound kinda scary now that I think about it. I don’t want to kill anyone or do anything of the sort! But… 

Es: Hm

Mahiru: It's because I've… decided that I’m going to live for the sake of love.

Es: For the sake of love? 

Mahiru: I… discovered how amazing it was to be in love with someone. It’s incredible, you know? Each and every day seemed to sparkle and everything became so vibrant. It transforms such mundane sceneries into those out of soap operas and films! 

Es: I didn’t follow any of that.

Mahiru: [disappointed] I have a pretty poor vocabulary, so I can't describe it beyond clichéd phrases. But, I’m sure you’ll understand, prison guard! Once you fall in love, you’ll definitely get it! 

Es: Well, I wonder. 

Mahiru: Being in love is… If there was no such thing as love, then my life would be so bland. So, if you say that I won't be allowed it anymore, then there’s no point in me living. 

Es: Even if your love killed someone?

Mahiru: You’re so mean, aren’t you? 

Es: It was your love which killed someone, right? Despite that, will you still try to love another person? 

Mahiru: [thinks] Actually,  I was hoping you could tell me the answer to that, prison guard... If what I did was unforgivable. 

Es: What?

Mahiru: If my love could possibly kill someone, then I… shouldn't ever love another person again, I guess?

Es: [pauses]

Mahiru: Hey, prison guard, please tell me. If I love someone, is that something unforgivable?

Es: I don’t know. From the beginning, I never really understood what you were saying. 

Mahiru: Oh, I see... I guess so. There's something wrong with me, right? You can't understand me, right? 

Es: Yeah… as of now. 

Mahiru: Huh?

Es: As of now, I don't understand you—that’s what I’m saying. But, I will soon. Just wait and see. 

Mahiru: [excited]

Es: To be honest, the topics brought up in this interrogation were entirely outside my area of expertise. And, for that reason, I might have to deepen my understanding of it—just as you said. 

Mahiru: Prison guard…

Es: I’m your prison guard. Even if I have an aversion to something or if there’s something I can’t understand, I won’t just hopelessly give up on you like that… Not until I’ve judged your sins, and decided on whether I forgive them or not.

Mahiru: [happy] Does that mean you’ll always keep your eyes on me? 

Es: What? Well, it’s my duty after all. 

Mahiru: [exclaims] 

Es: What is it? 

Mahiru: My heart skipped a beat. 

Es: Just what on earth are you saying? 

Mahiru: I… guess I love people who are so enthusiastic about their work. 

Es: You… You’re messing with me, aren’t you? 

Mahiru: Ah, this isn’t good. Be careful, okay? Um… Um… If you’re that kind to me, you could die as well. Just—kidding?  

Es: I wasn’t trying to be kind to you or anything like that. I just downright, from beginning to end, had no idea what you were saying. However, I will promise you this. Rest assured. No matter what you do or what you think, I won’t die. 

Mahiru: [happy sound] 

Es: Because I’m Milgram’s prison guard—that’s why.  

Mahiru: [exclaims]

[mechanical noises]

Mahiru: W-what is this? Is it because my love exploded? 

Es: No. It’s the end of the interrogation. For goodness sake… And as always, things never go as I planned, do they? With you prisoners, I mean.

Mahiru: Uh… Um… This is what’ll be extracting songs, right? But, I’m not that good at singing though?

Es: It won't necessarily be you the one singing. Your mental landscape will present itself in the form of songs and videos—that’s all. 

Mahiru: So, you're gonna see everything… That's a little embarrassing. 

Es: Well, I don't know about that. The personal experiences I see, how true-to-life the videos are and their degree of abstraction—that all depends on the person. They might even depend on how each of you perceives your own sins.

Mahiru: Is that so? 

Es: Either way, I intend to find out what this world of yours looks like. 

Mahiru: I see. I see. I wanna watch it too. Because, for me, a world filled with love will be such a beautiful place. Oh! Prison guard, I’m sure you’ll understand how amazing love is through it as well. 

Es: Hmm. I’m looking forward to it.

Mahiru: Huh? That was unusually sincere of you.

Es: I just have a thirst for knowledge, that's all. Learning things you didn't know before is quite fun, don't you think? In order for me to understand the lot of you, I have to acquire knowledge from various fields. And, that's not exactly a bad thing in my books.

Mahiru: Really? I… guess I love studious people as well. 

Es: Shut it. 

Mahiru: You’re so mean.

Es: [sighs] The way I let you talk non-stop like that, it makes me feel like I didn't do my job properly. But, I'll ask you this just in case. Is there anything left you'd like to say? 

Mahiru: Ah… Um… Just one thing.

Es: Oh wow. You still have more to say?

Mahiru: Um… Uh, you know… Would it be okay for me to call you ‘Es’?

Es: No comment! [footsteps] Prisoner number 6, Mahiru. Come now. Sing your sins! 

As far as I’m aware, this isn’t a real publication, so unless Mahiru states the official romanisation of this author/publisher, I can only assume what it might be. I’ll update it if she does. Some alternatives might be Lane, Rein, Rain, Layne, etc. Don’t quote me on this, but I suspect that they might’ve based the magazine Mahiru reads on ‘Laurier Press’. ‘Lain’ looks similar to ‘Laurier’, so that’s why I chose it.

[bubblegumbeech]

A Mother Fury

Day three Ectoberhaunt: Mutant vs Cryptid

AO3

“Look, I’m telling you, no way she’s real,” Danny said, making another mark on the map. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to make a normal map of the ghost zone the way a human might. With measurements and cartography, but after discovering the infini-map and exactly why every other map he’d made was always wrong, he’d gone to Clockwork for help.

He was given a rough crash course into ghost mapping and its difficulties and was now tasked with trying to map an unfamiliar area for practice. It was more difficult than he had hoped. 

“Why not?” Sam asked, she and Tucker were riding spectre-scooters beside him, carrying extra tools and supplies in case they needed them and a homing medalian in case they got horribly lost and needed to get back home. It was kind of the ghost equivalent of a compass, with Clockwork’s lair as it’s true north. 

Tucker took Danny’s side in the argument. “Because it doesn’t make sense! The Mother of Fury? What would she even be? Some kind of Dragon Queen? We’ve already met the Dragon Queen.”

“That’s not what Sam said, Tucker. She’s talking about the Mother of the Furies. Like from Greek myth. And the reason she doesn’t exist,” he looked up from his map to glare at Sam, “is because there’s only three and they’re sisters. The ‘Mother’ is the ghost equivalent of the Lochness monster”

Sam rolled her eyes. “There’s only three sisters in the Oresteia trilogy. The original myth didn’t number them and there’s plenty of art with four of them. Besides, the truth behind Pandora got confused right?”

“Where did you even hear about her?” Tucker asked. 

With a huff, Sam crossed her arms. “I heard it from my girls and ghouls club during poetry night.” 

“Don’t recite the poem-“

“I’ll recite the poem!” 

Danny chuckled, he didn’t mind listening to Sam’s poetry recital skills. She really went all out, pulling her theatre and speech making experience to good use. And also her voice was pleasant to listen to in general. Besides, Tucker getting annoyed was almost a bonus. 

 "Oh Mother of Fury

I ask for a boon

So that I may curry

A favor, this tune

Is a vow, a promise I make

So if I shall falter and vengeance you take

I’ll have no regrets in life or in death 

I’ll sing you this song with my final breath

My children I care for watch over them please

My sisters and brothers look after with ease

My mother and father keep sight of them too

Take care of them all and I swear this to you 

I’ll keep every Oath, fulfill every Vow

That’s what I promise and this poem is how"

 “… so a prayer for protection?” Tucker asked, having listened intently. 

“Apparently if you invoke it, it's the next best thing to a Stygian frailty. You can never break a vow or promise again or the Mother of the Furies and her children will hunt you down.” 

"Idk Sam, I'm with Danny. No way that's real. It's probably just one of those things that makes ghosts feel safer." Tucker shook his head. "I'm not about to believe a weird poem about something's existence."

Sam threw her notebook at him. "The Fright Knight had a weird poem! And the Ancients exist! We met a ghost who can control time, how is the Mother of Vengeance less probable!?"

Danny slowed down, there was something in the distance that didn’t quite fit. It looked off kilter but in a different way from the usual off kilter descriptions of the Zone. He marked it on the map and saw it bleed into the paper, disappearing as quickly as he’d drawn it on.

That wasn’t a good sign. 

Tucker was still talking. “Well yeah but we know the Ancients are real because they sealed Pariah Dark and we know he’s real because he attacked Amity Park and has a giant castle smack dab in the middle of the Zone-“

“Guys,” Danny interrupted, “do you see that?”

Sam and Tucker both finally looked up, away from their ongoing argument. 

Sam gasped, “It’s a bird cage.”

“A really big bird cage.” Tucker agreed.

There was a song, Danny heard, that rang softly in his ears. It built in volume and strength the closer they got until Danny could hear it clearly. 

It was a call for help.

They had to go in. 

He flew closer. “Wait, Danny!” Sam grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “It could be a siren trap.”

“What?” Danny whipped his head back, “that doesn’t matter, whoever is in there needs help.” 

Tucker shook his head, “nah man, she’s right. Could be one of those Venus flytrap situations that tries to lure you in with your obsession.”

“Remember the garden?” Sam said and Danny had to concede the point. The garden had been a paradise of mortal realm plants and the trio was excited to explore the implications behind their existence there. 

Clockwork had to drag them out.

“Okay, this time we’ll be cautious.” Danny looked up at the cage again, it was easier to see the details from this close. The bars were a soft, tarnished looking silver that was almost white. They twisted around each other weaving in and out and forming what Danny realized was almost a web-like design. He couldn’t see anything beyond the bars.

“Here’s the plan,” Sam said grabbing the Fenton Fisher from the side car of her speeder. “Danny goes in his ghost form so whoever or whatever set the trap doesn’t get suspicious. If anything, and I mean anything Danny, goes wrong? You turn human and we drag you out with the Fenton fisher.” 

He looked dubiously at the length of ecto-enhanced fishing line before sighing and lifting his arms so she could tie it around his waist. “I’ll be right out, you both stay here.”

“Yeah yeah,” Tucker said slapping a tracker onto Danny’s hazmat suit. “Just don’t die again okay?”

“Sure Tuck.”

 Once the preparations were made Danny went towards the singing, letting it draw him towards what looked like an entrance. Except, there was a lock on it. 

A very large one. 

He gave it a tug, but it didn’t so much budge. Looking around for anything that might try to ambush him first, or any smaller ghosts that might be affected, he let his power go a little, building it up in his hands just like Pandora taught him to. Once he was confident he grabbed the lock to pull it open, but instead it grabbed hold of his energy and drew it out of him, like a fish caught on a hook. Danny couldn’t pull his hands away so the only thing he could do was transform, giving himself away. 

The pulling stopped, but nothing else happened. No loud sirens declaring him like Walker’s prison might, no powerful ghosts lurking in the shadows. 

He let out a sigh of relief. The lock went easily under his hands in this form and Danny had to chuckle at how nice it was that the Ghost Zone seemed to be really inadequately prepared for Halfas like him. 

The door creaked when it opened. And it only opened a couple of inches before it just wouldn’t budge anymore. Danny gave up and transformed back so he could manipulate his form enough to slip through. 

Inside was a castle.

No.

Inside was a very specific castle. Pariah’s keep as Danny had literally never seen it. The brick was a dusty softer red, and while the plants and weeds had grown and taken over, they looked as if they’d been tended to, at least minimally. And there was a twisting branch of Thistely that settled into the shape of a birds nest. 

Danny was starting to get idea that a bird might be in here.

A sword was at his neck. 

“Halt, who dares tread into the domain of stories and songs?” A woman’s voice said, deep and melodic. It didn’t sound anything like the song that had lead him here.

He raised his hands in the more or less universal sign of surrender and said “sorry, didn’t mean to barge in ma’am. I just wanted to make sure no one was trapped in here?”

The sword lowered. “Trapped?” She asked, bemused. 

Danny chanced turning around to get a look at his accosted. She was one of the prettier ghosts he’d seen. Her colors were all washed out, leaving soft pastels in place. Her arms though, looked like they were covered in swan feathers, at least the parts of her arms he could see. The cape clasped high on her neck looked like it might have been made from the very same feathers, except woven delicately into cloth. 

She was also clearly dangerous, the power behind her eyes nothing to take lightly. And her fingers sharpened into long black claws that Danny had no doubt carved through their fair share of ghost flesh. 

“Yes ma’am. It’s a bird cage so-“ he was just going to explain his reasoning, having come to the conclusion that this was likely the other ghost’s lair and he was trespassing, when her expression shut off entirely. 

“This is the King’s Keep.” She said, her voice dangerously steady.

Danny nodded, “yeah it uh, looks just like Pariah’s-“

“Pariah Dark?” The woman asked, “He built a mimicry of my brother’s castle?”

Her expression showed severe distaste, and while Danny couldn’t exactly blame her, it didn’t help his danger sense that she seemed to know the former king personally. 

“Your Brother?” Danny asked, trying to subtly look around. He couldn’t see any pastel bird men, but it didn’t hurt to keep an eye out. “Is this his lair?”

“As long as he is King his keep is here,” she answered. Oh great, yet another weird king in some back water place. 

“King of what? The feather lands?” Danny mumbled under his breath.

The sword returned to under his chin and he froze. He had to stop accidentally insulting people.

“King of Ghosts little Half-Dead. It would do you well not to mock him.”

But Danny’s fear parted to make way for confusion. With a sword at his neck Danny said, “But that’s Pariah Dark?”

The woman’s eyes flashed a deep purple and she struck, Danny’s training with Pandora and Clockwork’s teachings were the only thing that allowed him to keep his head. 

He shot an ectoblast but the woman easily caught it on the edge of her sword, twisting around and sending it right back at him. It was probably the most elegant way Danny had ever been attacked and he had to force himself to move, to not get distracted as he ducked and weaved, dodging each of her attacks. 

“Why are you attacking me? Do you hate Pariah that much??” He dodged what looked like a handful of feathers, sharpened on every edge. This lady was mad, question was why.

“My brother would not lose to that lout. How dare you imply-“

“Wait I’m not implying anything! You’re brother would probably win for sure,” he said, and then under his breath, “especially if he’s anything like you.”

The attacks stilled. “What are you saying?”

Danny didn’t let down his guard, but he didn’t attack either. She looked wary, a trace of uncertainty and tension underneath her fierce exterior. “All I know,” he said, carefully, “is that Pariah Dark was called the King of Ghosts and that he was sealed into an eternal sleep in a sarcophagus in Pariah’s Keep. I don’t know who was king before that, but he’s been asleep for at least a few thousand years.”

Her brow twitched. “But that… that isn’t right.”

She flickered, and Danny froze, that wasn’t a good sign. That was an Obsession based break down sign. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked. 

“I just saw him…” her eyes flashed. “You said this was a bird cage.”

He nodded.

Her gaze darkened. “I see. Someone thought to play with me. A mistake. Stay here, I will return.”

Danny didn’t even have the chance to argue before she was folding into herself, and flew off as a bird. 

He followed.

Honestly she should have expected that, what teenager listens to someone they just met? She was fast though, and it was hard to keep up as she flew higher and higher into what looked like the endless open abyss of the Ghost Zone.

The bird twisted and shooting from the feathers was once more the woman’s more human form took shape as she kept flying her hand reaching in front of her. She grabbed empty nothing, except- it clearly was something because what was once a clear view of the Ghost Zone crumbled like fabric and was shredded into pieces by sharp claws, revealing the thick bars of the cage. 

She growled and Danny took a second to find what she was looking at. It was the top of the cage, the center of the spider’s web with delicately detailed runes etched into each bar.

“Misery Vex,” the woman sneered, “I should have known.” 

Danny rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. This looked above his pay grade. Then again, after beating Pariah Dark and fighting half the Ancients there wasn’t much that qualified really. Wait. Wasnt Misery Vex am Ancient? Did they make a habit of trapping random ghosts in complicated ways? 

The woman was pacing angrily, at least, the ghostly equivalent of pacing. “There’s no way to know how long I’ve been here, anything could have happened to him,” she muttered, “especially if that joke Pariah was made king at some point. Was this because of our fight? No, it couldn’t have been.”

“Ma’am?” He said, gently tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention. Her eyes were a bright lilac, and Danny saw that she was in some type of mania. What even was her obsession?

“Oh, right. I’ll get us out of here, just step back.”

“Wait I can-“ once again not waiting for an answer, she made her move. Grabbing two of the thicker and more intricate bars in her hands she pulled them apart with what looked like impressive physical strength. But even when she let go, the force did not mitigate. Instead they acted as if gravity itself were pulling them apart. 

Danny watched amazed as the very same force worked its way over the entire cage and it ripped itself apart into scrap metal, the figment of the castle inside fading away along with the enticing sirens song. 

“Wow.”

The woman smiled. “Thank you for showing me the truth. It may have been eons again before I realized. She had trapped me in a mimicry, a nasty curse. Be sure not to befell it yourself.”

“Right, will do. Uh…” he hesitated but the woman didn’t seem to have any frustration or anger for him, only for her absent captor and the time she must have missed. “Can I get your name?”

She looked surprised at that. “A bold request. But I suppose I owe you something. I am Erinyen, though you may call me Erin. Call upon me shall you need a promise kept or vengeance taken.” 

And then she flew away. 

Danny nodded, he helped. He did what he needed to and he didn’t even need to do most of the work.

He turned to tell his friends the good news only to see two equally gobsmacked expressions.

“What?” he said, a little defensively. 

Sam recovered first. “You found her!”

“Found her?”

“The Mother of the Furies!” Tucker said, waving a pdf, “what the hell dude! I thought you were on my side!” 

“I was!” Danny defended. How was he supposed to know?