#we used go to [TOWN (OR MAYBE ITS A REALLY RUN DOWN CITY

[togglesbloggle]

Voltaire's Prayer

“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it." -Volaire’s letter to Étienne Noël Damilaville, 16 May 1767

I’m inordinately fond of sex, in the political sense.  It’s saved us so often from the worst parts of ourselves.

As far as anti-authoritarian elements of the human experience go, sex is right up there with curiosity and the search for truth- maybe even more so.  When a new tyrant comes to town, shutting down the universities and the libraries is only the second thing they try.  The first thing is to regulate human sexuality to within an inch of its life.  Rules for marriage, rules for courtship, rules for which genitals may touch and where they may touch and when they may touch.  Rules for who and rules for whom.  Rules for which kinds of sex must doom characters in literature, rules for which things may be described as sexy, rules for which things may be described in a sexy way.

Of course they do!  If you’re trying to bind a large polity together under a common ideological narrative, to render people predictable enough to quash dissent and legible enough to exert power through them, the last thing you need is a bunch of folks running around being horny about stuff without permission.  Nature gifted us with a great capacity for reason and community; we have the innate opportunity to learn about ourselves and our neighbors, and to form complex societies based on that understanding.  It was Aristotle who first called us the political animal, and the fruits of that extraordinary capacity will always be within our reach, if only we can come together within a shared understanding.  The invention of the city is the great triumph of our species, and with it we conquer the universe.

But also this extraordinary, reasoning mind has been sculpted from the raw clay of a biology that’s anchored in sexual reproduction, and this ends up being very, very funny.

The problem isn’t so much that the sex instinct exists, per se.  It’s how it’s implemented.  Like most biological forms, the full complement of 86 billion(!) neurons in your brain aren’t encoded in a particular configuration; the brain is much too complex to be described so precisely in the only ~725 megabytes or so of human DNA.  The particular shape of your brain is in there somewhere- the lobes and subregions responsible for vision, memory, cognition, all that- but only up to a point.  The genius and fundamental limitation of genetics is that, below a certain level, the genes instead describe a process for the production and reproduction of specialized cells, and simply constructs them in such a way that they can be relied upon to order themselves as they go.

This is all well and good when we’re talking about kidneys and livers, but the fact that you can encode any kind of specific behavioral instinct in a brain this way is nothing short of a minor miracle.  Think about it!  Spiders don’t have a ‘spider web’ gene, the gene is for ‘proteins that come together in self-assembling electrochemically sensitive gelatin tissue which, when complete, encodes patterns that operate organ systems such as legs and spinnerets in such a way as to reliably create silk webs.’  This is absurdly impressive, and also completely insane.

What I’m getting at is, powerful behavioral instincts in a complex animal aren’t precise instruction manuals by which we pursue evolutionarily advantageous behaviors.  Sex and eros are prior to logic or language, let alone strategy.  Sex is a double-thick electrical wire discharging lightning bolts right through the middle of our cognitive centers, installed in the brain by a surgeon wearing mittens.  It’s an untethered firehose whipping chaotically through the cathedral, unpredictably spraying golden reliquaries with substances unmentionable.  It’s the first and greatest anarchist.

I really can’t overstate my gratitude for this.

Obviously this results in any number of deeply goofy outcomes by way of kinks and odd sexual practices- it gets tangled with pain centers, with random bits of anatomy and proprioception, with our taboos and aversions, with our greatest terrors or our greatest yearnings or just arbitrary stimuli from adolescence, and of course it gets enmeshed so often with our notions of power and submission.  It imbues these things with a fascination and potency out of all proportion with their mundane meanings.  And ultimately, you end up with human pleasures and human values that diverge so far from banal evolutionary imperatives as to be all but unrecognizable.

Even when this process somehow manages to propagate through the brain in such a way as to drive behaviors that are legibly aligned towards some adaptive constraint- e.g. heterosexual mating practices resulting in biological reproduction and careful childrearing- it’s still madness.  Love and sex penetrate deeply across tribal and national and racial boundaries, across economic interests, across battle-lines and enmities.  We become traitors, apostates, emigrants, and artists.  Declare a law, and in short order some hot-headed young people come along to break it in the name of sexual passions you could not possibly have seen coming.  Divide your neighborhood into us and them, and by the time the ink is dry on your proclamation there will be a forbidden relationship across the fence.  There is no social order, no ethical system, no theory of human nature that can entirely withstand contact with the full spectrum of human sexuality, because sex and eros are always going to be exactly as bonkers as the complexity of the human mind and culture will allow, plus a little extra just to be sure.

This isn’t always a delight, of course.  Many prohibitions exist for a very good reason, and the chaos of human sexuality makes no exemptions for true evil.  Some of us end up really, truly victims of this process.  But for all the dangers, the chaos at the root of all this isn’t oriented towards evil.  Chaos just means chaos, essentially arbitrary and hence absurd in character.

And in the grand analysis, we are so lucky to have this thing moving through our communities, this ridiculous madness that guarantees that there will be cracks in every wall and slips exploding cigars in the pockets of the powerful few.  Not in everybody as individuals, of course, and not everybody the same amount; asexuality is certainly one of the outcomes that all this mad gallivanting through our brains can produce.  Sexuality would never be so predictable as to guarantee its own existence, after all.  That’s part of what makes the joke so funny.

But all of us, regardless of sexuality, get to live in a world where the grand anarchy of sex is constantly driving home this lesson that no category is inviolate and no law is perfect.  That we should not and cannot take ourselves too seriously, or forget that we’re animals.  That we don’t exist only for the sake of others, or within their understanding.  That cities are made of cooperation, grace, and forbearance- not conformity or mere compliance.

People sometimes worry about immortality.  In the political sense, I mean.  They worry about eternal dictatorships and unconquerable gerontocracies.  This fear isn’t entirely unjustified; death has often played a role in progress and liberation.  But as long as enough of us are still getting horny without permission, still falling in love in stupid ways, I think we’ll be okay.  Romeo and Juliet don’t have to die at the end to make a difference in the world, as long as they’re brave enough to get weird with it.

[loveandmurders]

Hello🖤

If you're accepting requests i may have a fun idea. I've had this scenario in my head for a while but dont have the writing skills for it.

So basically billy, stu and reader (all three were ghostface) escaped from the police and while on the run (let's ignore geography for this) they come across a kind (but a bit strange) man who carries roadkill on the back of his truck and he kindly gives them a ride to the nearest town - Ambrose. Slasher shenanigans ensue

The reader can be gn, the gender doesnt really matter. You can choose if you want to write a blurb, headcannon and stuff

Im sorry if this too much to ask and you can tottaly ignore this

Hello, love sorry it took me so long to get to your request, but here you are! Hope you'll enjoy <3

SOME INTERESTING HOLIDAYS (Ghostface x GN!reader)

Warnings: no proof reading, mentions of sexual activities, of blood and violence

-You hadn’t thought things would go so out of hand. But now the more you thought about it, the more obvious it was that your plan wasn’t a flawless one… you actually forgot the essential (like in most horror movies): a good ending - especially for the killers.

-You killed everyone - no final girl for once.

-And your two lovers would have enjoyed playing with you in the blood of their victims and glory of the victory, but you quickly realised you had to leave before the cops could find you.

-So here you were, with your two lovers - Billy and Stu - running away as far as possible and as quick as possible from Woodsboro.

-Billy was a little bit annoyed he was forced to leave the city. He hadn’t really thought of the consequences of all of this, and maybe it was also why he was feeling so upset. He was supposed to be a mastermind.

-Stu was laughing, he was so proud of what happened and adrenaline was still pumping into his veins. His hands were happily roaming your body as Billy was driving.

-As long as your boys were safe, you were happy too. You kissed Stu with fierce passion until you heard Billy groan.

-You sent him a little look, quite curious about why he was so grumpy now. “Don’t distract me” Billy finally said and both Stu and yourself started to laugh and to tease him.

-Your life was a dangerous one and you didn’t even know what you were going to do with yourself now, but as long as you were all together, you didn’t really care.

-The three of you drove for days and weeks; you were starting to get bored actually, and there was no plan on when to stop or even where. Until you saw some advertisements for a “House of Wax”.

-Billy didn’t want to stop for this but you whined so much - and Stu supported you - so he finally gave in. He rolled his eyes and reminded the two of you you were children.

-It was then you met a truck on the other side of the road. The driver stopped at your level and lowered down his window “All good?” he asked you in a very heavy southern accent. You peered into the truck and could see roadkills, but the man looked sweet.

-You knew you all looked innocent as well though; so you knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

-Billy explained to the man that you were on holiday and you wanted to visit the House of Wax since you saw the advertisements. He also asked if there was a motel nearby. 

-The man - Lester - said there was no motel near the House of Wax, that you would need to go into another town for that. However, the museum was a really interesting place. It appeared that his late mother and brother were taking care of it.

-You all politely thanked Lester and agreed to follow behind his truck to not get lost on the roads. The man was nice but you all felt something was… amiss.

-When you arrived in Ambrose, you all exchanged a look.

-“If that’s not a killer on the run dream…” Billy muttered as he looked around “No one could find us here” he continued.

-“But there is no motel around either.” you hummed “And it really looks… deserted. I didn’t even see Ambrose on the plans when we looked at the last gas station.” you added “How could people still live here?”

-“Well you'll quickly know it, because we’ll try to stay here, at least for a little while. No one can find us.” Billy replied and you pouted.

-“We’ll get bored here” you whined but the boys gave you a look full of promise; how could you get bored when they were around?

-You all got out of the car and thanked Lester again. He also introduced you to his big brother, Bo.

-Bo instantly watched you all with great interest. You were young, you were hot and he was certain you would all look amazing in the House of Wax.

-No need to say that the twins were very surprised about how good you were when they tried to kill you, and that you were now the ones trying to kill them. With Lester, you were clearly on equal strength.

-You had discovered that the town was empty apart from the Sinclairs and the wax statues and you started to understand that it was like a massive deadly trap. But you were good with your knives and you actually were crazy enough to enjoy it. It was like a workout for the three of you.

-At some point, you managed to jump on Vincent and to put a knife under his chin. Bo aimed at you, Billy aimed at Bo with a gun he found and Stu blocked Lester from coming closer.

-“Alright, alright, how ‘bout we talk ‘bout this?” Bo finally offered. He noticed that Vincent didn’t try to get away from you, so it meant his twin could tell you would slice his throat open if he tried anything.

-“You’re the ones who attacked us” Billy argued back.

-“Is it like a playground for killers?” you hummed and Stu smirked.

-“Who the fuck are ya?” Lester frowned.

-“Who we are doesn’t matter, what matters is that we are killers. Just like you. But right now, Y/N is the best of us and they are going to kill your brother if you don’t let us go” Billy replied and you looked up at Bo with a dark smile, drawing a little bit of blood from Vincent.

-Bo instantly lowered his gun, put it on the ground and Lester moved away a little as well. They both put their hands up. You exchanged a look with Billy and Stu before moving from Vincent. You were all facing each other now, wondering what to do next.

-The Sinclairs had never met people like them, especially not people so brutal, so smart and so dangerous than you all. They felt curiosity, even more when Billy wrapped an arm around your waist and you moved your head on Stu’s shoulder. You looked like the lovers of Death. So young and so good looking, and yet so deadly.

-“Ya’re on the run” Bo hummed “And ya were lookin’ for somewhere to stay” he guessed. Vincent signed something to his brothers. Lester didn’t seem too happy about it and Bo thought his twin was losing it.

-“What did he say?” you asked with an arched eyebrow. No one answered you and it annoyed the boys “They asked you a question” Billy growled.

-“Vincent’s invitin’ ya over… he’s really interested in ya’ll” Bo finally replied.

-You were always the one enjoying playing with fire the more so you quickly moved closer and shook hands with Vincent.

-“I’d like that. I’m Y/N, nice to meet you, I guess” you smirked.

-Vincent and you got along pretty instantly, even though you didn’t know ASL. He wrote to you so you could communicate. Your shared love for knives helped a lot as a discussion starter. And then, your love to sneak around and kill people. And then, your love for every kind of art. You wanted to hide in Ambrose now and Vincent was more than eager to welcome you here. It would be nice to have people around who were understanding his way of life. And there were so many houses that could be your new home, at least for as long as you needed to hide away.

-Bo and Billy weren’t too happy about it, because it wasn’t part of the plan, because they couldn’t trust anyone, because they would need to be even more careful than usual so their favourite people wouldn’t get hurt.

-Stu was happy if you were happy, even if he was a little bit jealous of the attention you were giving to Vincent, at first. So he joined the two of you in your conversation, and he actually started to have fun as well. Lester noticed how Vincent seemed to be relaxed and it warmed his heart. It never happened before that his brother was so at ease around strangers.

-You all ate together in Sinclair's house. Bo stayed quite silent, observing you all, just like Billy. At some point, he asked: “So what, ya ain’t surprised my brother’s wearin’ a mask?” he asked. He just wanted for you to say something that would upset Vincent so they would kill you all in your sleep.

-But the three of you just shrugged “You’re kidding, masks are super cool. We’ll show you ours tomorrow” you smiled and the boys nodded “What’s a killer without a mask anyway?” Billy agreed “It’s classic horror” he added “Yeah so lame of you, Bo, to not wear any mask, by the way. You could have been the masked twins, ugh such a missed opportunity” Stu continued.

-Lester started to laugh and he thought he quite liked you all. You were some fresh air in Ambrose, fun and crazy. He knew it was the beginning of a new era for his family.

-Bo was bewildered but he guessed you weren’t so bad then. You had been polite with Lester and you weren’t judging his twin, so you could stay. Maybe he would even learn to love you.

-Vincent was eager to keep you all in Ambrose, forever. Maybe you could even help the Sinclairs build the future. You were going to be part of the family, he could feel it because you were different from usual people.

-You were monsters, too.

[jd07201990]

“Oh, come on Chuck! This’ll be my second time! You can’t keep forcing me to work another 40 years, just to make it to retirement and do it all again! It’s not yours or my fault that there aren’t enough young folk to take over our jobs! Hell, maybe if we paid a bit more, the few of them out there would apply!”

“It’s Lieutenant Roth, Billy. Now go change out of that equipment and take a shower. Whatever this remote does to strip away all those years, it sure does leave a young man ripe!”

“Don’t call me Billy! I haven’t been Billy in 30 years! Its Bill Damn it! And how am I supposed to explain this, again! to David?! You know he’s not into, well… this!”

“Put your shirt down Billy and quit your complaining. We’re doing something different this time, changing things up, trying something new. See, we couldn’t afford to pay higher wages all these years, because we’ve been stashing extra money away, for a new program. This remote can do a lot more than just wipe away years, Billy. The company has a whole app-store full of features, but they cost a hell of a lot. We only had enough for 2 new features, and we think it’ll really help solve this town’s aging population issue.”

“Wha… what the hell are you saying? What do you mean, something new?! Chuck, dude… you’re seriously starting to crack! What the fuck does any of this have to do with David?! And who is, “We”?!”

“I’m only going to tell you this once, son. It’s Lieutenant Roth. Now, I guess there’s no beating around the bush with you young-bloods. So I’ll get right to it. “We” is me, the Governor, and the Town Board. We investigated every possible fix, and it comes down to this. All the youth are moving out in droves, going to college, or fleeing to the city for excitement, leaving us aging folk to do the hard work around town. With the remote able to take years off a person, we’ve decided that all our current retirees, in every department, will be regressed, and the new feature we purchased will ensure you all follow your new, youthful instincts, providing us with a full generational bump in population.

You will be the hot-blooded virile stud you were way back in the day; you remember? Except this time, just as David isn’t attracted to this prime of your life look, YOU won’t be attracted to David, or any man for that matter. You see, we need all the help we can get, so with this little app, you’ll be chasing pretty women, and will certainly end up settling down, once one of them catches. Ah, by the look on your face, you know exactly what I mean.

Good, because you and the rest of the retirees are going to have your hands full, working these jobs getting paid just enough for a double-wide and a truck, leaving a trail of gals before you settle in with one, and have a whole mess of kids. "

“Ch… Lieutenant, sir… Wha… you’re insane dude! Fuckin’ totally cracked! You hear yourself! You can’t do this! I can’t be… I can’t chase… I don’t… don’t like…. Fuck… fuck dude… what the fuck are you doing?! Quit pointin’ that shit at me bro! My.. my head!”

“Don’t worry son, I’ll let you off the hook for all that mouthing off. It’s got to be rough having your brain completely flipped inside out, dumped out and filled with everything you need to be a, productive, member of society. Isn’t that right Billy?”

“Wha.. Oh, hey Lieutenant! So uh, is it ok if I head off to the showers and hit the road? Kind of a slow night huh sir? If it’d be alright, I want to go down to the Strip and hit the bar. The dudes and I figured we’d start the weekend early, ya know? Gotta get get some tail on lock before the storms hit. Thinkin’ I might run into Becka too, you know, from Thornton Stables? God she’d look real pretty, all knocked up good n’ proper!”

“Oh alright son. Go ahead, take the night off. But you’re on call. Got it! One or two beers, maybe a shot, take some cash and buy the lass one of those fruity drinks, and you treat her like a lady, young man. Got it?”

“Got it Dude! I mean Lieutenant! I’ll make a lady outa her yet! Thanks for the money too! Ya know how rough it is on the town’s wages! Although you and the Board seem to be doin’ alright. I hope I can get to where you are, Sir!”

“Don’t worry Billy, you’ve got a good 40 years or so to work your way up! Go have fun tonight!”

[pinkiemachine]

How would you do Batman, I'm just wondering because Batman's my favorite character

OH HO HO!! I HAVE WRITTEN SO MUCH ABOUT BATMAN!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

*ahem*

His show is called BATMAN: GOTHAM FILES, and I have the basic outline for each and every one of the seasons! There’s 9 total, plus a movie finale. Here we go!

SEASON ONE:

Most of us should know basically what Bruce’s backstory is, so I’ll keep this part brief. Bruce Wayne was eight years old when his millionaire mother and father were gunned down in front of him in an alleyway in Gotham City. They never found the killer. The family’s loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth, took care of Bruce from that point onward. Bruce started taking self-defence classes in-between going to the schwanky Gotham Academy and learning how to run his father’s business, Wayne Enterprises (a massive conglomerate that was famous throughout all of America, but especially the East Coast.) The young man had hardly healed from his traumatic experience, though, and after graduating college (something he was practically forced to do by Alfred), he decided not to stay in Gotham. He hated the city. Instead, he took off in a plane… and secretly never intended to come back…

EIGHT YEARS LATER…

It was a welcome surprise when Bruce Wayne turned up in Gotham, seemingly in a much happier headspace and eager to finally, finally take his father’s business seriously. The Prince of Gotham had returned. Months after that, there was a new legend lurking in the streets of the city. Something called “the batman” or “the bat.” Criminals were getting caught and arrested left and right, and half of them were scared out of their minds about this spectre. The police force didn’t know what to make of it… except for one Captain Jim Gordon. He knew that the legend was true… and occasionally, he would sneak into his office and scare the living daylights out of him. He and Batman had been working together for a little while now, (we get an episode later that explores how they first met), but Gordon doesn’t know who he really is under the mask, and no one else in the force thinks that Batman is even real. But Gordon is eager to help him because the police force is falling apart. They’re completely unable to do their job and keep the streets safe, so Gordon agrees to help Batman stop crime in its tracks. He wants to make Gotham safer for his wife and daughter.

Shocking literally no one, the audience discovers that Bruce Wayne is Batman, working out of a massive secret base underneath Wayne Manor—his ancestral home. But, he must balance the life of a vigilante with the life of billionaire Bruce Wayne, which can be difficult at times. We get several episodes just laying the ground work. Who runs the company when Bruce isn’t around? Lucious Fox. Who manages Bruce’s affairs and schedule? Alfred. Who makes all the gadgets and gear that Batman uses? He does. Using plenty of materials and goods he can buy since he’s a billionaire. When did he learn how to make all this stuff? Hmmmmmm….

We meet our first few villains—Penguin, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, etc—Batman is still trying to track down who murdered his parents, and we’re having a generally good time until THE MID SEASON FINALE. You see, there’s a circus coming to town.

Haley’s Traveling Circus was famous on the East Coast, being one of the oldest circuses in the country, as well as boasting the Fabulous Flying Graysons! A family trapeze act! However, this smiling troop of clowns was actually hiding some pretty dark secrets. When they arrived in Gotham City, they were asked to help out known mob-boss Tony Zucco with some… not-so-nice things. John Grayson, head of the Flying Graysons, had been feeling conflicted about how much behind-the-scenes shady dealings the circus had been involved with over the years. So, he thought that maybe if he just let the tiniest bit of evidence leak to the police, maybe they could handle everything and the Graysons wouldn’t be caught in the cross fire. This is what brings Batman to the scene. He investigates the circus, meets the Graysons, including their son, Richard, aka Dick, and eventually goes on to solve the mysterious crime, pinning it on Tony Zucco and getting certain members of Haley’s Circus arrested. (The ones actually involved in the crime.) However, Zucco manages to avoid jail time. Not only that, but he discovers who snitched on him. That night, after the case has been solved and Bruce shows up to catch the Flying Graysons perform, everything is going great until the unthinkable happens: the lines on the trapeze snap and Mr. and Mrs. Grayson go falling to their deaths.

Dick Grayson is an orphan… and he’s angry. He’s about 11 years old, but he’s smart enough to know what’s going on. He knows why Batman was coming around asking questions, he knows who Tony Zucco is, and he knows that his father made him very unhappy. After the police have arrived, but before social services do, Dick sneaks out and climbs to the top of the building with the Bat-Signal on it (yes, by this point in the story, that’s a thing). He flashes it on and off, rain pelting down, until the caped crusader arrives. He demands to know if this was Zucco’s fault. Batman refuses to say anything, but Dick doesn’t care. He says he’s going to make Zucco pay, whether Batman helps or not, and he tries his hardest to remain true to his word. After that night, Dick runs off through Gotham several times, trying to get in touch with Zucco and attempting to enact revenge, meanwhile Batman has to keep swooping in to keep the kid from getting himself killed. He recognises the pain he’s in—he completely understands his anger—and realises that he needs a teacher—a mentor—a father figure who can lead him through all of this and keep him out of trouble. So, as Bruce Wayne, he decides to adopt Dick. At first, Dick doesn’t want anything to do with this stranger—he’d rather stay with his circus family if he’s going to stay with anyone—but then, in court one day, Bruce says something—something only Batman said to him once—and all of a sudden, it clicks in Dick’s mind. He instantly asks to be placed in Bruce’s care and not a few hours after arriving at Wayne Manor, Dick manages to discover where the Batcave entrance is. Sneaking down there, he plans to become his own kind of vigilante, just like Batman, and get revenge… until Bruce catches him and tries to knock some sense into him.

It’s here that Bruce has to confront his own past. His sense and reason are saying, “Don’t let the kid try to enact revenge!” But then, he has to ask himself, “why am I still hunting down the man who killed my parents?” He has to tell himself, “it can’t be about revenge. Only what is just and fair.” When/if he finds the killer, he will turn him over to the authorities and let him face proper punishment. Zucco… he’s too powerful. There needs to be a lot of incriminating evidence against him before the police can take action, and even then, that’s not what Dick wants. Dick wants Zucco gone. Permanently. THAT is what needs to be dealt with inside of Dick. Bruce refuses to let this boy make himself a killer. Instead, he decides to channel that anger and drive into training him. You see, when Bruce vanished for eight years, it was during that time that he met many teachers and learned many new skills. Through bettering himself and learning these skills, he felt he had grown as a person and had worked through some of his emotions. It was therapeutic. He hopes it will be the same for Dick. He also teaches him about the justice system and detective work so that they can bring down Tony Zucco WITHOUT killing him. Little by little, over the course of the next year, Dick starts to turn into the infamous side-kick Robin, following Batman on small cases and learning about fighting crime… from a distance. (Mostly.) Dick does have a knack for getting into trouble.

On the personal side of things, Dick still needs to adjust to living in Wayne Manor, going to a new school (Gotham Academy) navigating being a wealthy, famous person’s adopted son, etc etc. And then… Ra’s Al Ghul shows up. Now it’s time for Bruce’s past to be revealed. He had traveled the world, and he did have many teachers, but none quite as legendary as the Demon’s Head, leader of the League of Shadows. A secret organisation (cult, really, Bruce later realised) that had mastered martial arts, ninjutsu, and so much more. Each member was a peak specimen of the human race, with no genetic weaknesses or flaws, especially their leader, Ra’s. Bruce had been one of his top students, but then he had revealed his grande scheme for the world. Ra’s wanted to wipe out the rest of humanity (which he deemed as impure and flawed) and then the only people who would be left to inherit the Earth would be his perfect family and his perfect followers! All he was missing was a male heir to his throne. His daughter, Talia, most perfect of his children, had fallen in love with Bruce during his time in the Shadows, but before anything serious could come of it, Bruce had snuck out and left the League, meaning never to come back. Now, though, Ra’s had found him and wanted him to marry his daughter. Bruce refuses. Ra’s tries to take him by force, Robin helps save the day, it’s a big exciting grand finale to the season, and it ends with Ra’s and Talia retreating… because while Bruce was captured, they managed to steal some… “DNA”… and test tube baby Damian would be thus conceived, unbeknownst to Batman and Robin.

(Like, he’s a test tube baby from conception. Talia was never physically pregnant with him.)

Anyway, things are looking up for our main characters. They saved the city, they saved each other, they’re working on their personal growth, and everyone is excited to see Season 2 because—

JOKER TEASE!!!! DUN DUN DUN!!!!

I’mma make more posts, this is a long one, strap in…

I also have a sketch of Talia…

Part 2 👇

[morallygreychaoticneutral]

Astarion was not a "corrupt" magistrate.

Hello again. Just more opinion about my favorite battle buddy. Warning, trigger words in use. Game spoilers.

It's not quite set in stone that Astarion really was a magistrate, but we are going to go with the idea he was for this thought pocket. Also this is just game as it is now info use.

I don't believe he was corrupt magistrate. There were a few things in the game that called that out, but one in particular really set it in stone for me.

His response to the Ansur lair puzzle regarding justice.

Astarion: “Mercy?! Please. Justice should be a harsh lesson. All the better to deter the next vagabond.”

This makes me think he was a bit of a hard ass as a magistrate, but not corrupt. Had he been dealing dirty in the background I really feel like this answer would have been more dismissive or flippant. But he is pretty intent that this is his stance. Very, iv said this a thousand times, type feel.

I think, he was more of a by the book, law is law type. You murder and rape you swing from the gallows. You steal from a shop keeper, you do time. Period.

My theory is, he got beat up because he wasn't lenient with a member of the Gur that was on trial.

"Leniency?! You have been found guilty of negligence resulting in the death of a innocent! You are owed nothing!"

Could you hear it?

"But he talks about being hedonistic and indulgent all the time. "

Yes, but most patriar level citizens were spoiled entitled brats that did what they desired. Have you talked to some of them in the upper city? Yeeesh.

Was he arrogant? Most likely. Prejudice? Obviously (insert gnomes here). But being a haughty jerk does not make one evil.

Sex, nudity, orgies, parties, over indulging etc are not taboo in Faerun. If everybody is consenting to be being naked in a fountain, hopefully in a private villa garden, its not a crime. He talks about that like its a memory, but I like to think his wine drunk giggly ass was actually in that fountain.

If you want to have a little rabbit hole fun, break down the name. Faerun = Fae Run = Run by the Fae. And last I checked, fairies were always down for some naked in the water time. I mean, come on, you can go to pound town with a bear. (No offence, Halsin.) You think they are going to draw the line at how may wieners you can have in the same pot? I think not.

I think the criminal behavior came after he was turned. Cazador may have been targeting him, but not because they were involved. But maybe due to him looking like his old master Vellioth? And he took advantage of a situation. Who knows, lots of ideas there.

"But he's always getting onto Tav for doing the "right" thing."

Yup, Tav is being too trusting and getting too involved with other peoples problems. Why is this an issue for Astarion? Kindness was what got him entombed for a year. He cared about that sweet mans life and was severally punished for it. Its akin to being mauled by a dog and then watching people just reach out a pet every one they see. The anxiety of that attack is still there and it paints every encounter with its opinion. Danger.

"He's not smart enough."

Oh I bet he is. You can be whip smart at a subject and socially akward at the same time. I'm very good at my job. I know it inside and out and can give you any detail, rule, configuration at the drop of a hat in the most professional and proficient way possible. But ask me to be eloquent in a social situation? HA! You are better off asking a rock to fart. Unrelated.

"But he wants to ascend, and that's evil."

That is more about who is is after years of torment and abuse. Not before.

I think the rogue role was adopted to stay alive while hunting. And what a gods awful fate to be turned into the thing you hated the most. A criminal.

I'm sure Caz was real tickled by that. Expletive Adjective.

[mackeydoodledoo]

She Wears Short Skirts, I Wear T-Shirts: Chapter 6

Pairing: Bridget (Cheerleader AU) x (Fem!)Reader

Chapter Summary: You finally reach the end of your high school years... However, instead of running away with your band right on the last day of classes for seniors, you decide to give a big reveal to your class, and a farewell to Bridget... At Prom.

Chapter Warnings: Swearing, Angtsy Ending

Chapter Key: Italics = Thoughts, +*+ = Time Skip, F/n = Friend's name, B/n = Band Name, Bold/Italic = Flashback

Chapter Theme: Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan

A/n: This isn't going to be the last chapter btw :)

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

*Y/n's POV* You roll up your sleeves as you look at yourself in the mirror.

Prom...

You were going to flunk it and practically run away on tour with your bandmates. However, were personally hired by the school...

"Y/n honey your friends are here!" Your mom calls you from down stairs

Your dad helps you load your set into the back of your van.

"You're always welcome home," Your mom gives you the tightest hug, "Even if the town holds bad memories."

"Thanks mom, I'll be in touch," You say

You give your dad a hug as well before hopping into one of the single seats in the van. You wave off to your parents as your bassist drives down the street.

"We're probably coming back here once we're done with the tour," F/n says, "So we ca relax before hitting the studio."

Since 'ghosting' Bridget, your band got a record deal in the city, and you're one of two openers for a headlining band: finally reaching that goal.

"Hey you, haven't seen you since homecoming," You finally notice F/n's girlfriend sitting with her

"Told you I'd be wanting to tour with a band," She smiles, "A shame about Bridget though... How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," You answer bluntly, "But, hopefully I'll feel better after hitting some drums..."

You didn't show up to your graduation: knowing you're the laughing stock for fumbling Bridget. However, everyone who knows you well enough knows she's the one who fumbled you.

"How could one fumble Bridget so hard?!" You overhear someone's conversation

You enter the band hall. Luckily, your last period was band, you could get away from anyone who wasn't a band person.

You had your diploma mailed to your house. You didn't have a big graduation party. Only another gig.

"Before we end the night, we want to give our biggest congratulations to our Drummer and Lead Singer for their high school graduation," The bassist speaks through their microphone

The patrons cheer as you hit the kick drum.

"All right one last one up the shit hole!" The guitarist screams

That was F/n and your 'graduation party' if you will.

"Maybe some woman from another town would catch your eye!" F/n suggests

"I doubt it," You say, "Romance may have worked out for some, but not for me... Apparently..."

"You're young," The guitarist says, "You'll be able to figure it out."

"Or Pinky Pie might come back around," The bassist says

"Yeah, after a stunt like that, it's really hard to gain forgiveness," F/n says, "Forget about Bridget. She was using you as a 'lesbian experiment' or whatever..."

As you arrive to the venue you see the principal waiting at the door.

"Ahh! Y/n, congratulations," He says, checking off your band's name, "You can start setting up in the main hall."

Your guitarist brings the van up to the entrance and the six of you begin unloading the equipment.

+*+

F/n's girlfriend help you attaching your drums to their attachments. You nearly fumble attaching the higher tom onto its attachment on the kick drum.

"Are you sure you want to do this Y/n?" F/n asks, "We can always bail."

"Yeah, you still look like you're hurt," F/n's girlfriend notes

"Not going to give that damn hothead Hook the satisfaction of winning," You sigh, "But, Bridget always wanted our band to be known to the school... So she's getting that wish."

You set up the last of your drumset.

"We'll do the gig," You answer, "But, we're only playing for one hour. Then we have to leave for our tour."

"Deal," The head of prom agrees, shaking your hand

"What a bold way to do it," They tell you, "I get that you're still upset and everything-"

"I'm not," You reassure your friend

You were in full honesty... But, you feel relieved all the same.

"I'm saying goodbye," You say

"A very Y/n thing to do," The guitarist says

This gig was also the highest paying one... Wanted to make sure it was enough to get through the tour... Including tips and whomever buys merch...

"I can't believe you waited this long to reveal the band to the school," The bassist says

"I love the fact you're pinpointing me like I'm the leader," You sigh

"Well, you are the one who keeps us in time," F/n says

"That's because I'm the drummer," You say, "Well, I also thought we agreed that we wouldn't reveal our 'cool band' personas to the school since we... Hate this place F/n."

"She does have a point there..." She says, "Alright, let's get this shit show over with so we can get to the much cooler shows."

You couldn't wait to be honest.... You were going to a new state.... You never could really afford to travel. Even with a job, it wasn't enough. But, at least you weren't spoiled to death like the popular girls. You, and the people you share the stage with worked hard to earn your shit.

+*+

You see the prom-goers beginning to gather at the venue. Bridget showing up with her boyfriend... You turn away at the sight of her, beginning to feel your heartbeat thrum in your ears.

"Y/n, breathe.." F/n puts their hand on your shoulder, "We're on in Sixty."

You nod as you walk to your drum set.

"Good evening Merlin Academy High seniors!" Principal Merlin announces through the microphone

Cheers erupted from the other side of the curtain.

"Before we get to our amazing DJ of the night, we have a special opening act for all of you tonight," He continues

You grab your drumsticks...

"This band features two of Merlin Academy High's seniors," He continues, "Please give a warm welcome to... B/n!!!"

The curtain drops as you throw down a rhythm and your bandmates follow.

You look out to the audience and see Bridget's shocked face. Your brain goes back into 'performer' mode.

"Hey Seniors," F/n greets as the three of you play similar rhythms together, "Didn't expect Y/n and I huh? Well, do we have a surprise for you!"

+*+

As the set went on, countless seniors were practically in front of the stage, cheering. You see Bridget and Hunter sitting at a table in the far back... You knew she wanted to be the one at the front of the stage. Hell, even on stage with you. But, Hunter.... He seems to have said otherwise.

You could give Bridget some credit, that seeing all the people that bullied you throughout high school screaming, and cheering for the two of you.... It was gratifying..

+*+

"Thanks Merlin High Academy!" F/n says, "It's been a ride! So long, and goodnight!"

The curtain goes back up as the five of you walk backstage and take a second to breathe.

"HAHAH! Tell me the didn't feel so GOOD Y/n!" F/n smiles as they hook their arm over your shoulder

For once.... You felt... Happy.

"You should have seen all of their faces when they saw us on stage!" She continues

"Priceless!" You laugh, "They're gonna regret calling us nerds and treating us like shit in the next few years! Oh, you should have seen how all of them were practically at the front of the stage!"

As the house music began, you all begin breaking down equipment: F/n's girlfriend helping you break it down.

+*+

You carry the attachments in an elongated bag, as f/n's girlfriend carries the smaller drums, and anyone else who has an extra hand to carry the bigger drums. As the guitarist opens the back and begins meticulously organizing all the equipment, you pass some of the smaller stuff to them.

"Y/n," Bridget's voice calls out to you

You stop moving and turn to face her. Instantly your heart thrums against your ears. Her boyfriend practically clinging to her.

"Couldn't face me alone so you had to bring your little dog around?" You ask

"You little bitch!" Her boyfriend begins walking after you

"Hook, no," She presses her arms against his chest, "That's not it."

"Oh, right..." You chuckle sarcastically, "He's practically surgically attached to you and doesn't trust seeing you with the likes of me."

"Y/n that isn't fair-"

"You know what isn't fair?" You walk up to her

Hook was about to right hook your jaw, however, didn't want to in front of her.

"Letting me believe you actually cared about me," You start, "Hang out with me so many times, you invite me to your house, cheer competitions and get me to talk about all this shit after we graduate. Turns out it was all fake. To 'tell' me that we are nothing. but you know the truth... That's what's not fair... So I'm getting the fuck out of here."

You finish loading the last few pieces of your drums.

"Will I ever see you again?" Bridget asks, attempting to hold her tears back

You pause...

That little spark of hope in you wants to... The dark parts say 'fuck no'. The other... Is unsure...

"I doubt it," You answer, "Goodbye... Bridget..."

You continue walking to your van. That little spark of hope in you hoped that she'd last second change her mind and want to go with you....

*Bridget's POV* You wanted to leave your boyfriend behind and just go with Y/n... But, he was right there... Next to you... He'd never let you go...

"Finally Y/n, let's get this show on the road and forget this shit graduating class!" Y/n's friend says, which you could hear through the muffled glass

*Y/n's POV* You shut the back doors of the van, trying to keep yourself composed. Bridget's eyes glued to your back. You wanted to look back... To take in her pink hair, and her soft facial features before you may never see it again....

But, it was time to move on...

You hop into an open seat in the van, shutting the door behind you. Leaving your hometown behind...

Leaving... Bridget behind.

Chapter 7

[nonbinary-sticks-the-badger]

ok so im tallying up my choices rn, theres one thats sort of near me but id have to get my mum to let us go to a shopping centre she probably doesnt want to go to, theres a handful nearby that are almost definitely a no and theres one that mum would probably actually like BUT we always forget to go whenever we plan to

i really cant wait for the day i find shth in my local cex it looks so fun and goofy omggg

[cleolinda]

I am so fucking pissed. We’re hearing forecasts that we might get FIVE FUCKING INCHES OF SNOW overnight from Monday to Tuesday. In ALABAMA, where we have no snow removal equipment. Like I think we got one bag of sand for the whole town. No snow tires, I don’t even know what those are. This isn’t cute “Haha it’s just barely below freezing! Snowball fight!!!” snow. This is 14° Fuck (-11° Come the Fuck On) snow. FIVE INCHES? We get flurries and the city descends into madness.

What if we lose POWER. Everything runs off USB cord stuck in the outlet charging nowadays. This is why everyone used to run out and buy Milk Bread Batteries. Listen. I have this memory of the power going out during this wild snowstorm when I was a kid--I want to say it was Winter Storm '93. Ask anyone who lived in Alabama at the time. Like we had Desert Storm '92 the military operation one year and Winter Storm '93 the next. It was that serious in our minds, and I'm not sure you can blame us:

The storm dumped several inches of snow each hour on Birmingham, which ended up with officially 13 inches of snow.

Due to the high winds some parts of Birmingham reported drifts 5 to 6 feet deep. One state trooper reported that the roads were in the worst shape he had ever seen. "People can't tell what's road and what's not."

Low temperatures during the storm were in the 5-to-10 degree range on that Sunday.

IN A TOWN WHERE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT A SNOW PLOW IS. I think we had one for the entire county. Like I'm only kind of joking here.

And our power went out.

The snow was so heavy that it pulled down power lines either by its own weight, or by the tree branches its weight broke off. Meanwhile, the power at my house already went off every time a squirrel sneezed. I don't how many days this lasted; it was probably like, 2-3 days, but in my head, I was 14 years old boxed up with my family with no heat and it lasted two weeks. Maybe three years. The four of us slept in sleeping bags layered with quilts, huddled on the floor around a wood burning fire. (In the haunted house, no less.) The carpet was really nice, at least. We had a--do people still call them boomboxes? A big portable cassette player--battery-powered--with AM/FM radio. We listened to whatever TV shows were broadcast from the ABC station at night. We did have hot water; I took a lot of hot baths. We cooked food over the outdoor grill (which we moved to the comfortably large area under the deck, to hold off the falling snow), sometimes using aluminum foil as a kind of thin impromptu frying pan, and kept perishables like milk and meat in a cooler. Oh, did we have a bag of ice for the cooler? No, we used snow. God knows there was enough of it. Of course, I'm sure the refrigerator was perfectly serviceable even without power, because it was TEN DEGREES FUCK ALL.

I remember going outside a good bit and playing, as much as a teenager plays, in the snow with my seven-year-old sister. I remember that all the neighborhood kids got big rubber trashcan lids and used them as toboggans, going up to the top of the hill on our street and pretty successfully sledding down. Maybe it was "lmao snowball fight!!" snow when I was 14. I'm 45 now, and the cold makes me hurt. It makes me hurt all over. Maybe Winter Storm '24 will be a fun core memory for my nephew. I am pissed. And also charging all my electronics.

(ETA: It’s ‘24 now, isn’t it. My brain hasn’t clicked the date over yet. What is time.)

[blu-ish]

CHAPTER ONE

The sweet aroma of baked goods lingered on the blue hedgehogs nose. Carefully, he tucked a savory package of fresh cinnamon buns under his arm as he exited one of the many still holiday themed bakery's in Station Square.

Sonic didn't mind the almost subzero temperature that would sweep through the city during this time of year. He was a sight to behold in contrast to the bundled up mobians and humans alike that passed him on the sidewalk.

His only winter like accessory's included a bright red scarf that was wrapped firmly around his neck, along with some boots that resembled his regular shoes. He was dressed to impress so to speak.

Okay... so maybe he could've worn a even brighter--and warmer, coat or something; the cold was starting to nip him.

His light jog turned into a run as he maneuvered his way around town. The thrilled outcry of a small child spotting him, or the enthusiastic greetings from the townspeople mixed with the early morning rays helped to warmed him, just a little. Man it was cold out here...

But what really pulled Station Squares merry revelry together, was the towering tree at the city's center. It was like the cherry on top of a perfect freezing sundae.

Just as he was kicking up speed--and snow, he was suddenly stopped by the sound of a familiar worn voice calling to him, alongside the distinct smell of cucumber sandwiches.

"Why, if it isn't Sonic! How are you old friend?" The man, unlike Sonic, was bundled head to toe to fight off the cold, his comically large scarf only leaving his nose visible, muffling his voice ever so slightly--it was a miracle he heard him at all. His bushy eyebrows were dusted with hints of snowflakes.

Resisting the urge to chuckle at the mans failed attempt to take a bite of his sandwich, the hero instead gave him a bright smile.

"Professor Pickle! What brings you to Station Square?" It wasn't uncommon for the Professor to travel abroad, his places of study were usually all over Mobius.

"Oh, just making the yearly round to greet the family..." You couldn't tell, but his eyebrows were furrowed ever so slightly. "You would not believe what utter nonsensical sentiments they have regarding my line of research and, oh! Oh, and my dear cousin Dona once again ever so slightly over roasted the roast, it was dreadful I tell you son."

Sonic furrowed his own brow--in a very serious manner, nodding along with the older man.

"Absolutely tragic."

"I know!"

After clearing his throat, the professor gestured toward the tree behind him.

"But enough about my sorrows, I simply had to marvel at this here deciduous tree! It is truly magnificent."

Sonic had to agree. Every year, everyone would come together to offer one decoration to add to the tree. Some people would work together to create some amazing stuff. But even the smallest and simple of ornaments made it that much more special. To him at least.

"If you don't mind me asking, did you happen to add anything? I would've loved to participate, its a shame we don't have anything like this is Spagonia, Oh that reminds me, I need to write a memo--"

"Sure did! Right around... here!" The hero quickly interjected to save the innocents of another Pickle prattle. Pointing a gloved hand toward the bottom of the tree, causing the professor to bend down to view it. Okay, it wasn't that far down come on...

"Ah, a glass keychain of some sort? Oh! A pressed flowered one at that! Did you make this yourself?"

"Well, Tails helped me a bit, I picked out the flowers though!" The hedgehog responded proudly. Sonic loved to collect little mementos from his adventures, he used to do it a lot as a hoglet. Flowers tended to be the easiest thing to grab on the go, but he would always tend to return with the crunchier versions of them later.

He was forever thankful to Tails for teaching him the wonders of modern flower pressing.

"It's wonderful, ah I spot some Strelitzia... oh! Bluebells and Borage too, my what a collection!"

"Thanks! I was able to shove a few more different kinds of flowers in there before Tails started to get worried." Sonic said with a laugh, rubbing the back of his quilled head. He really wanted to make it extra special.

"And what is it you have there?" Maybe he should start calling the Professor, Detective Pickle. That is, until he remembered what it was he was supposed to be doing at the moment.

"Oh shoot! I almost forgot, Tails wanted me to drop off these cinnamon buns at his place." The box was starting to feel a bit cold too.

Professor Pickle hummed, nodding toward the teen. "You should be on your way then, no use in small talk if those buns were to freeze!" He hurried the hog along, like he wasn't the one who stopped him in the first place.

Sonic agreed, well, he would've worded it WAY differently but, yeah he definitely needed to get going.

"Consider them delivered Professor!" he waved, starting his jog once more. He was only a few feet away when Pickle called out to him one last time.

"Oh! And let the boy know that my study in Apotos is prepared for his arrival!"

Oh, yeah.

That.

Sonic could've swore there was a small crack in the cement that almost caused him to fall, but he was able to right himself before sending a quick thumbs up to the Professor before speeding off.

He was being pretty forgetful today, huh?

-----

The young fox busied himself, removing just about the last of any remaining holiday lights from above his lab, tossing them into the large box below. He hummed along with the distant belated holiday songs playing on his speaker. What? He could end another great wintery season with a final round of some musical bangers.

Boxes began to pile up in the corner of Tails' garage, he occasionally checked his wristwatch. Where was that brother of his? It was almost noon and his music was starting to loop.

Gazing over the horizon, he spotted a familiar blue hue. His fangs stuck out in a smile, flying down to meet the other. He could almost taste those cinnamon buns!

"Sonic! Took you long enough!" He teased, landing over to try to take the box from his troublesome sibling. It would be like him to turn a small task into a half a days adventure, he presumed.

But before he even had the chance to seize the gooey goodness, the hedgehog hastily turn his back toward him. The fox stumbled a bit, eyeing Sonic bewilderedly, who was currently staring no where in particular with a overdramatic squint in his green eyes.

"What? Did someone order some tasty lukewarm cinnamon buns?" Oh no, not again. He wouldn't dare.

"Sonic, nooo!" Tails yelped, trying to force away the ever creeping urge to laugh, reaching around in an attempt to safely obtain his sustenance. "Come on!"

Sonic pulled off his spinning dramatics a bit longer, until he reached the entrance of the Tornado's garage. "Gotta package for uhhhh..." He checked the imaginary tag on the box, switching it in his hands to dodge the hungry kit.

"Whales Wower?"

Tails let out a loud groan, cracking Sonic's act in half as he burst out laughing. "Wow! You even sound like one dude!"

"Can I have my deserts now...?" The kid practically begged, his tails swinging in anticipation. He added the puppy dog eyes for safe measure.

The older smiled softly, ruffling the kits fur on his head. "Our deserts little brother..." Sonic reminded sweetly, helping himself to a few tasty buns after finally setting the box down on the fox's workbench.

Rolling his eyes, Tails sat down on a nearby chair, using his watch to close the garage door, shutting the cold out. He stuffed his face and pointed a questioning finger at his brother. "I thought you said it'll only, and I quote, take a sec?"

The accused put a hand on his peach furred chest, gasping. "I demand to speak to my lawyer!"

Tails awaited an answer, grabbing another helping of cinnamon buns, Sonic was sure they wouldn't last another 5 minutes.

"Alright, alright! So maybe I ran into a pickle, a certain one at that." It didn't take long for Tails' momentary confusion to change to understanding.

"Ooh! Professor Pickle!" He giggled, "I didn't know he was visiting, I would've at least invited him over." He did have some things he wanted to discuss with the Professor.

"I don't know Tails, he seemed pretty mesmerized with the winter tree in Station Square." Sonic recalled, "I even got some Pickle Points on my ornament this year!"

The kit side eyed him, causing the hedgehog to sputter momentarily.

"Y-You were credited!"

The brothers shared a laugh, it was cut short by Sonic, who's tone changed ever so slightly.

"Oh, and uh, he said to let ya know his place in Apotos is all set lil dude!" His attempt to raise a cheerful tone at the very end was painfully noticeable, well, if you were his brother that is.

Tails had finally made the plans to start off on his own adventure the start of the new year, so did most of his friends, including Sonic. Professor Pickle wouldn't be staying at one of his newer studies in Apotos, and offered to lend it to the fox, like his own base! It saved him time from gathering supplies to build a whole other lab and well...

It would be a big change, and his brother had been nothing but encouraging.

But as the start of the new year drew closer, so did Sonic in a way. Offering to do even the most minor tasks, reassuring Tails that if he ever needed him he would gladly run over the ocean to see him, double even triple checking if Tails had everything he needed. It was almost surreal.

He loved his brother, very much. But he could be such a mother hen when he wanted to be.

"That's great, I'm really looking forward to it." He responded, more gently than he hoped for, but Sonic nodded happily nevertheless.

"And you should!" Sonic exclaimed, his burning confidence seemingly resurfacing. "Man, I remember the desire for adventure at your age. Sleeping under the stars, eating leftover coconut shells..." Tails snorted, changing the subject before Sonic got too reminiscent with his questionable childhood habits.

"Yeah, yeah, okay old man," Reaching into the now empty box of cinnamon buns, the kit sighed, disposing of the cardboard. "What about you? You never really mentioned your plans besides, doing what you always do." He ended that last bit with long air quotations.

The hedgehog grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "What can I say, the adventures tend to come to me before I go looking for them. I'm sure I can keep myself busy. Maybe I'll take Shadow on that racing offer he gave me during the winter festival."

"You mean the invitation to kick your butt after you somehow managed to accidently eat the rest of his parfait?" Tails added, throwing his brother a look.

"WHO EATS THOSE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER?!"

[theresthesnitch]

If the face fits

Jily meet cute! ....well, this might be a meet ugly, but it's all I can think of. Based on a video I saw a while back, and I'll try to post it if I find it again. NSFW below the cut.

Lily hates the first day at a new gym. 

Trying out a new gym is always a bit uncomfortable. There are rules and expectations that are common across every gym, of course, but each one has its own culture that you really can’t know until you walk in the door. What is the flow around the equipment? What is the acceptable time on a machine? Where is the best vantage point to check out the gym hotties?

Lily despises walking in without knowing what to expect, but she and Mary moved to this city a month ago, and running outside is only going to get her by for so long. She needs some actual gym equipment. So, she’s braving gym visits. 

This one, Marauders Fitness (“We solemnly swear to get you swole!”) caught her eye. It’s run by four guys, each of whom are sexy in that sweaty-abs-on-display sort of way, if you’re someone who is into that sort of thing. (Lily… Lily was into that sort of thing). They offered a three-day visit pass, and this is Lily’s first day. 

She is already feeling the distinct exhaustion in her underused muscle, knowing that she’ll be deliciously sore tomorrow. All she needs is to lift some weights, and she’ll be done. 

She pulls out her phone to text Mary, who is stuck at work, as she sits down on the weight bench. Only, she doesn’t actually sit on the bench. 

Lily turns to look and jumps up again, just in time to see a guy with messy hair sit up from where he had laid down on the bench. “Oh, oh my god. I’m so–” 

She turns and runs. There’s really no other solution now, right? As much as she liked this gym, she can never, ever return. She honestly debates leaving her bag in the locker room, until she realizes her keys are in there, and she doubles back for it. 

“Hey, wait a minute!” 

She turns to see Mr. Messy Hair coming after her, jogging to catch up. “Nope, sorry. I have, um, an urgent appointment somewhere else. Across town. I have to go.” 

“You can’t go yet,” he says, walking beside her as she continues toward the locker room. 

“Yes, I can. Can’t be helped, must go.” She tries to walk a little faster, but this guy is tall and his long legs take big strides. 

“Well, before you run out, at least give me your name and number.” He looks down at her with a smirk, and she pretends it doesn’t make her stomach swoop. “You wouldn’t just sit on my face and run, would you?”

Lily groans. “You did not just use that line.” 

He laughs, and it’s such a full, happy sound. “It’s terrible, I know, but you can’t blame me. It’s like a once in a lifetime kind of a line.” 

“Listen, about that, I’m really sorry–” 

“NOPE!” He smiles as he cuts her off. “You don’t get to apologize for that. I think we were both a little at fault for that one, so if you apologize, I’m going to have to apologize, then you’ll think you have to apologize, and we’ll be stuck in a playback loop.” 

Lily scoffs. “Maybe, but only one of us sat on the other’s face.” 

“You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?” He crosses his arms over his chest, a playful tug to his lips. 

“Say what?”

He leans in, like he’s sharing a secret. “I really didn’t mind it that much.” 

Lily feels herself flush. “I really have to go.” 

“No, come on. You didn’t even finish your workout!” He gestures back at the gym. “Why don’t you finish? I can help if you want.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “Was that another double entendre?” 

His eyes go wide. “No. I mean, not intentionally. I just meant–” He sighs. “At least tell me you’ll come back?” 

Lily laughs, and there’s a hysterical note to it. “No, absolutely not.” 

“What if I throw in free personal trainer services?” 

She glares at him. “Do these services involve you laying on my weight bench?”

“No, I promise.” He waves over her shoulder. “I’ll even set it up with Sirius so you don’t have to deal with me.” 

She looks over her shoulder at three guys who are still standing by The Weight Bench (an incident like that deserves a Proper Title), grinning like they enjoy watching this train wreck. One of them–Sirius, presumably–waves back.

It’s only then that the realization lands hard in her stomach. She’s seen this guy before. All of them. “Oh my god. You’re the owner?” She walks past him, a bit in a daze. “I just sat on the gym owner’s face.” 

“It was a new experience for me, too.” He follows her as she walks back toward the locker room. “I’m James, by the way.” 

“Lily,” she says, but she’s hardly paying attention. 

“Are you still going to leave, Lily?”

A hysterical bubble of laughter pops out. “I should. I should move all the way back to my parents’ house and climb under my Barbie blanket and just give up.” 

“You could,” James says. “Or there’s another option and–I might be a bit biased, but I think it’s a better option.” 

“What’s that?” she asks, turning to face him. 

“Go on a date with me?” He’s really very cute when he smiles, glasses a little lopsided (that might be her fault) and a crooked grin. He holds his hands up in surrender. “Face sitting optional.” 

Lily laughs. She can’t help it; it’s just the most ridiculous thing to ever happen in her life. She holds up a finger. “One condition.” 

“Anything,” he says. 

“Please stop mentioning face sitting.” 

[gamertales]

Gotham, July 30th, 2024.

Hey, over here. Youre that blogger lady, right? Looking for info on the supposed ring of collectors of objects belonging to the Bat clan? We talked...well texted a bunch recently about the market.

Hah. Well i cant speak to this supposed ring, but i can show you my own personal collection. Sure its secured, i get a lot of people sniffing around so i try to keep it locked up, but im not stupid. No point tryin to hide from the Bats or what have you, this is just for the schmucks and their bosses. Hah.

Alright, if you follow me into my van.

Oh, yeah, i get that a lot. But look, im 52, i havent got the energy to flirt with 40 year old tired house moms. Kidnapping sounds like a lot of work.

Bit of a shocker compared to the outside, huh? Yeah, I had the interior and body upgraded a few years ago, added comfort and protection,still kept the rough looking exterior tho, keeps attention down.

Yep. Glass repair, window replacement, skylights. Heh. Youd be surprised to know how many small contractors making a living cleaning up qfter the Bat clan. Lotta companies downtown cant get insurance for windows, doors, ventilation systems. Gives us smaller guys a little more space to play.

After that throw down between Nightwing and Riddlers goons across from the Bank of Gotham last week, i managed to get in quick, and lock down the window contract.

This parts important, first crew on the scene gets to move in after the cops move out. Now Gothams finest do their best, but the number of small things they miss...

Take this for example, its a section of Nightwings glove with those fancy little spike things on them. Found it in the rubble under the skylight. Along with some mooks hand. Turned the hand in of course.

What? Oh its an informal alliance, but we keep each other in the loop, and let each other know when shits going down near em. If I cant make it across town, i'll send a text to the crews closest.

The goggles? Harley quinn dropped them a couple years ago, found them in the bushes outside the Exchange. Thats not the prize piece.

This. Two Batarangs from the Bat himself. To be fair i didnt really have to go far to find them. Summer of '19 the big guy landed on my roof. Hard. Dropped, rolled, and started running down the alleyway. Now i was dozing at the time, and that startled the literal shit out me. Cue the clown goons jumping on my truck to give chase. Big threw four of these beauties, making them scatter, and doing more damage to the van.

Four batarangs tho? I sold 2 of them to my buyer in the city. A collector of this stuff. He calls it "pretentious peacocking for poorly adjusted prats." Yeah, Mr Wayne is different enough. Only met him the one time, but he was very affable, even hired me to do the new windows for his guest house.

Made enough to upgrade ole Greaser here to their current condition. And a little.

Other than Mr Wayne? Im afraid i only deal with Mr Wayne; he pays fair, promptly, and usually sends a gift basket. No, i go thru his Butler now.

Right? A Butler. In 2024. Still, he seems harmless enough, spends all his time at charities i hear.

The Ring again? Look, im serious i have nothing to do with that side of the market.

...if you are really determined tho, contact Marc Belvedere, if anyone i know knows about this, itll be Marc.

Listen, i have toinstall some skylights at the City Hall in an hour, so i gotta get moving. Yeah, tell your friends Karl Aleksev is The Window guy when in a pinch.

By the way, what was your name again? Barbara Gordon? Like the Gordon Gordon? Your his daughter? Well, good luck, and be careful, theres a lot of money in this business, and money gets people killed.

Yeah. I guess you didnt really need that advice, huh.

Maybe we will cross paths again.

[teecupangel]

After running away could Desmond be taken in by a small village on top of a mountain? I'm living in a village on a mountain and it's very different from what people really expect. I want Desmond to have daily chores around the village, to experience cooking with everyone with smiles instead of the blank/stoic expressions of the adults on the farm, I want him to run around with the other kids frolicking and climbing and going to rivers and seeing all sorts of animals, I want him to go on weekly supply run to the cities down and just be content. All I'm saying is I want a Desmond who experienced a normal closed community before being thrown into Ac plot.

This would be quite easy to do since the Farm is said to be in Black Hills, South Dakota, and said to be near Rapid City which meant that the Farm would either be west of Northern Hills or Mystic (or the very west tip of Hell Canyon).

I’m unsure of how populated Black Hills would be but its isolated mountain range would help ‘force’ towns/villages to become isolated and self-sufficient.

It should be noted that if we do keep the village in Black Hills, we run the risk of the Assassins figuring out where Desmond was but we can push this aside by either:

(1) Making the Assassins assume Desmond would go straight for the nearest city: Rapid City

(2) The village Desmond found himself in has never been in the Brotherhood’s radar in the first place.

The 2nd reason is unlikely since Bill is too paranoid to not know what was going on in the vicinity of the Farm.

I will suggest that we put it northeast of Bearlodge or southeast of Hell Canyon to add more distance between the village and the Farm.

Of course, if you want to destroy all possibility of the Assassins in the Farm finding him, let’s use Alborz mountain range in Iran instead as no one would think of checking there. Maybe Desmond panicked when he saw the adults from the Farm and hid in one of the containers, not knowing it was being shipped to Iran or something. From there, he just found himself in the nearest city that the village in Alborz would go to for supply run, maybe one of the people in the village in charge of the supply run saw him looking lost and that person knew enough English to suggest Desmond stay with them for a while until he gets his bearings and learn enough of the language to get by.

Putting him in the Alborz mountain range would also give him an added reason to become close to the villagers because he would need to talk to them to learn their language. He can even join the kids in school and any embarrassment he might feel would be minimal because he’d find some happiness in finally going to a ‘normal’ school. So what if his classmates were all younger than him? That just meant he had an excuse to play games with them after class and it won’t look that weird.

Regardless if we’re keeping him in Black Hills or putting him Alborz, here are some things that would stay the same:

He’ll stay with an old couple (or an old widow/widower) who treat him more like a grandson than a stranger or a son. This will give Desmond a sense of what familial love is without overwhelming him (something that can happen if he was put in a big family) or making him compare it to how his parents treated him.

The villagers are looking after Desmond’s old foster family and this would give Desmond chances to get used to how tightly knit the village is.

Desmond helps out in their home, doing chores and such and he’d enjoy how relaxing it is compared to training. He’ll also learn how to cook (or maybe bake?) from his foster parents.

Desmond would be hesitant to go on supply runs and the villagers would start to think that maybe Desmond wasn’t ‘lost’ but something more nefarious might have been his reason to find his way to their village.

Like all mountain village, the children tell Desmond that there’s a ghost or a spirit haunting the forest nearby and during the spooky seasons, they’ll get Desmond to join them in walking into the forest to look around. (up to you if there is something there or it’s just the whole ‘don’t go in the forest or a monster will eat you up’ childish threat parents do)

There will be a grouchy old man who is the oldest in the village and will tell stories of how their village came to existence. This character will be the ‘main’ source of connection between the village and AC lore. If the village is in Black Hills, he will hint on how the village is actually the descendants of the people from Davenport Homestead who followed one of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s descendants into Black Hills because they were running from the Templars or something (maybe even hint on how Bill knew of the perfect location for the Farm because he came from that ancestor). If the village is in Alborz, he will hint how they ran to the mountains because they were chased by the Mongols who wanted them wiped out because the ancestor of the unofficial village leader had killed an important person to the Mongols to protect his people. This would hint that the village may have been descendants of surviving Levantine/Persian Assassins escaping the Mongols and maybe even Darim.

Whether Desmond learns of this or it’s just hinted on is up to you.

If Desmond gets kidnapped in this one, you bet the villagers will definitely look for him because, by the time Desmond is 25, he’s one of them and they take care of their own.

[theycallmeratt]

"What did you expect, calling yourself the Goblin Menace?" Mizora said.

Wyll's cheeks went warm. He expected people to think he was a menace to goblins, not that he was a goblin who was also a menace! He took another step through the snow, pausing to listen for the sound of his quarry.

"Really, you shouldn't limit yourself. You could simply be: the Menace," Mizora said.

"Don't you have better things to do?"

Read more on AO3 or below the cut

"No. I cleared my schedule strictly so we could have this little one-on-one. Frankly, Wyll, you're not meeting your key performance indicators. Lucky you, I've put together a performance improvement plan to help you–"

Something moved behind the brush. Wyll ducked behind a trunk, carefully scaled the tree, and got a better view of his target. A steaming, lumpy pile of human pieces, so pained it could barely be called sentient. Snow sizzled when the flakes hit its flesh, the ice around it slowly melting as it struggled towards the town.

"There you go. Kill that and we'll be back in the net positive," Mizora yawned.

Wyll drew his blade and did so.

~*~

"I could have told you Handler of the Flesh was also a bad choice," Mizora said. "Accurate, though. I've seen what you do in the evenings."

"I told you, I'm rubbing my muscles. They're sore," Wyll snapped. Appalling, that she would imply otherwise.

"Sneaking off to rub your muscles in the bath? Under blankets?"

Because he had no privacy with her around! He kept his stone eye under a patch, terrified she would use it to peek at him and mock him. He bathed and used the bathroom with one hand clamped over it, ready to cover himself should she appear. Bad enough that he was newly covered in pimples, hair and stretch marks. The idea that she could see him undressed made his skin crawl.

Don't engage her. Engaging her only encourages her.

Hard though. Nigh impossible. Just the sound of Mizora's voice made rage boil up. She'd taken everything from him: his life, his father, the respect of a city. Private baths. Being alone. Silence. He dreamed about drawing his blade and running her through. About being dragged to the hells after, leaving only a greasy pile of waste to mark his life. When she spoke, the anger took over and he found himself quipping back at her. Or, worse, setting himself up for her to make fun of him.

"Perhaps if you spent less time rubbing muscles and more time on your tasks, we would be done with this review. Your target is in that cave."

Cave. A generous description. More a hole in the side of a glacier, the ice barely packed and dripping. Wyll was going to melt it just by being in it. Melt it and it would cave in on him. In his last moments, he would summon Mizora and spit on her. Maybe, maybe even call her… a shitbag.

Yes. Yes, he would.

No he wouldn't. Oh, he could never say that.

He clomped down the tunnel, following the low gibbering of his prey. Curled at the end of the tunnel he found the bloated, bald things, squirming and shaking against each other as they tried to stay warm. A few blasts and they were back in the heat of the hells.

~*~

"Gangblaster. Gang. Blast. Er." Mizora sighed. "Wyll. We really need to talk about this–"

"Can't!" he shouted, dodging a swooping imp. Imp! He hated imps. They were easy enough alone, but they were never alone.

Imps had more friends than he had.

"What will you call this one? Imp Slapper?"

"Mizora–"

"Wyll 'Swoop Me' Ravengard?"

"Mi–"

"Wyll, Who is Below the Imps?"

"As you say," he said, finally giving up. The anger flared and then faded a little. Wyll was simply too tired to fuel it.

"The One Who Imps Come Down Upon?"

"Sure."

"Oh! Wyll: Bottom for Imps!" she laughed. "Get it? Because Wyll sounds like 'will'. Will bottom for Imps."

"Right."

"Poo, you're not making this very fun." She snapped her fingers and the imps burned away.

"You—you could have… you could have killed them all along?"

"Of course! They don't count towards your work, though."

"Then why—!" His voice echoed. He took a deep breath.

"Watch your tone with me, pup," she smirked.

He another deep breath, then another, trying to get it under control, but this, this…this shi—

No. No, he wasn't going to let her win. He turned on his heel and marched away, her laugh following him into the night.

~*~

Mizora only had one quip on the next assignment—that Wyll should return to Gangbuster, or perhaps Babykiller—to which he said, "Certainly," and that was all. The heat of his anger was still there, but combined with how he needed to stay frosty towards Mizora, it cooled to a low simmer. Strange, how out here being aggressive, being a fighter, kept him alive, but Mizora was more like being back in the courts. Listening to barbed silver tongues dribble insults and wait for a moment to throw them off their game.

Wyll had despised courtly intrigue, so he did the same here that he had there: he pretended he was a sculpture of smooth, gray stone, and let it roll off of him. Instead of an unstoppable force, he was an immovable object, powerful in how little she could affect him.

Falling into the rhythm of battle helped too, Wyll placing his feet as sure as he did while dancing, fiendish magic flowing through him, ducking a weaving and leaping around the gnolls. He couldn't beat them too quickly, after all, so he staggered them, keeping them up and alive until one unwittingly opened a portal.

Out tumbled dozens of maw demons, little more than hungry mouths on whatever limbs they hadn't eaten. The creatures squealed as they ran towards Wyll, who dispatched them slowly, their twitching bodies only stacking in the spell that was summoning them. A dozen, two, no, a hundred later and he blasted the remaining gnolls, closing off the spell and completing his task.

He wiped his blade off and returned to camp, oiling and caring for it. His family crest sparkled on the hilt.

One day. One day he would prove to father that he had done well. One day his father would forgive him. All he had to do was enough good to outweigh his foolishness. Enough good that the name "Wyll Ravengard" didn't fill him with shame.

And until that day he would be…

The Rapier of the Roads.

No! No, he could always hear Mizora saying something.

~*~

Years of being a mildly pleasant statue to Mizora meant she slowly lost interest in him. Far slower than a mortal might, but they say patience comes with age and she was ancient. She still stroked him and licked him but her touch was as inconsequential and stupid as a fly banging against the stained glass windows of his father's office. You could not hurt rock, not without breaking it, and he was worth too much whole. Thus he settled into a half life, never too happy—because Mizora would know what to take from him—and never too sad—because that would give her pleasure. A twilight, as cool and dim as he tried to be.

Perhaps that's why her requests turned cruel.

Wyll stared at the woman in front of him. Fiendish, certainly, with her horns and the glow of hellfire in her chest, the oily smoke that poured out of her shoulders. And huge, too. In a fair fight she would probably crush him. Definitely crush him. He'd lost a lot of skill thanks to the tadpole. Looking at her he saw Mizora, the empty smiles, the constant invasion.

But that wasn't reality. In reality she was like him: a plaything for devils. A weapon wielded to further their plans. Except she hadn't had a choice.

Mizora was going to kill him, he knew it. She was going to ruin him. Perhaps she would scream into his thoughts all night or pass her end of the sending stone around, filling his head with the mindless suffering of the lemures. Maybe twist him, turn him into a monster, stamp on his face that he was a sellout, scum.

Too late. He wouldn't kill an innocent. Let her ruin him. He would not ruin himself, not anymore.

The feeling of doing right filled him with a warmth as bold and bright as Karlach's smile.

[scarisd3ad]

To the end and back | Daryl Dixon x f!reader

Chapter Eighteen - safe and sound

Masterlist

Taglist

Previous >> next

Warnings - normal twd warnings

Summary - after the world ended you were sure you’d never find love again but a certain archer catches your eyes and changes the entire trajectory of your life.

A/n - the last chapter of season 2! Yay! I am going to post a chapter that takes place between season 2 and 3 that will introduce a new oc!

'Beside the dying fire'

S2 ep 13

"What was that?" I ask as I quickly jump up and walk over to where the others are sat in the living room. "Gun shots my guess" Andrea replies. "You think they found him?" I ask with my brows furrowed as I take a seat on the couch. "I don't know, but I'm going after them" Andrea says as she gets up from her place on the couch. "don't they could be anywhere, and if Randall comes back, were gonna need you here" Lori says as the front door opens. in comes both Daryl and Glenn. that pit in my stomach just dissolves as I see both of them. "Rick and Shane aint back?" Daryl asks as he and Glenn walk into the room. "no." Lori replies. "We heard a shot" Daryl says, as I cross my arms over my chest and relax into the couch "maybe they found Randall." Daryl shakes his head as he says, "we found him." quietly like he was starting to think "is he back in the shed?" Maggie asks. if they found Randall then why was there a shot? did Shane and rick run into a walker? there aren't many walkers to run into out here but maybe the city walkers are making their way into the country? 

"he's a walker" with that information now we know more of them are making their way into the country. the walkers in the city were starting to make their way out of the city when we were at the quarry so I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they were here now. there are walkers here but not as many as in Atlanta. small town meant a small amount of people which meant a small number of walkers. by now most of the people who were killed and turned to walkers here had been killed, but if the walker from the city starts making their way here that means we'll see a lot more of them soon.

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asks with his hands stuffed into his pockets " no, weird thing is he wasn't bit." Glenn replies and Daryl adds "his neck was broke." from the start we assumed if you get bit you turn into a walker, that's the only way you can turn but maybe just dying makes you turn. "So, he fought back." Patricia states, Maggie's eyebrows stay furrowed up as Glenn and Daryl continue to speak. everything we thought we knew is just total bullshit, everything we've done to survive has really meant nothing if you just turn by dying. is there really a reason to survive if you're just going to turn if you don't get shot in the head. "The thing is Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other. and Shane aint no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him. they were together." Shane lied, why would he lie about something like that? I know shanes been known to lie but that's such a stupid thing to lie about just say you killed him it's not like anybody in this group was going to do anything to Shane anyways. 

"Would you please get back out there and find rick and Shane and find out what on earth is going on?" Lori says as she walks up to Daryl. Daryl nods and says "you got it" as he begins to walk towards the door. Lori loosely grabs ahold of Daryl's bicep mumbling "thank you" as she did so.

Daryl, Andrea and Glenn go outside but Andrea quickly runs back inside saying there is a herd of walkers coming our way. almost all of us run outside to take a look, and its big. I think it's bigger than the herd from the highway. it would just knock this house down. Hershel turns to Patricia and whispers "Patricia, kill the lights" Patricia turn around and begins to walk back to the house as Andrea says, "I'll get the guns" and follows after her. "May-maybe they're just passing through like the herd on the highway. should we just go inside?" Glenn suggests, maybe if this was the size of the herd out on the highway but this house won't survive this. "Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't think so. a herd that size would rip the house down" Daryl replies. I wrap my arms around my body mostly to warm myself up because it's freezing out here. 

"Carls gone" Lori says as she runs out onto the porch. we all turn around towards her "what?" that kid loved to run off, but I didn't expect him to run off in the middle of the night while there was a potentially dangerous person on the loose. "He-he wasn't upstairs. I can't find him anymore" Lori stutters out with tears in her eyes. "Maybe he's hiding" Glenn suggests. from what though? unless he saw the herd before us, he has no reason to hide. "he's supposed to be upstairs. I'm not leaving without my boy!" Lori cries, we're not going to leave without carl we can't just let another child die because of our negligence. "we're not, we're gonna look again. we're gonna find him" carol says as she takes Lori's hand and takes her back into the house. I can tell by the look in carols eyes that she doesn't want another mother to go through the same pain she went through with Sophia, she can't watch another child go the same way Sophia did.

Glenn runs his hands through his hair muttering something under his breath I can't really hear. Andrea comes back out with ricks gun bag and Hershel and Maggie hand out guns. I pull out mine from my bag and make sure I have enough rounds to at least make sure I'm able to get out of here alive. "Maggie." Glenn mumbles as Maggie hands him a gun. "You grow up country you pick up a thing or two" Maggie replies with a gun in her hand, and I can't help but agree half of the things I learned growing up on my grandparent's farm are what I'm using now to survive. "I've got the number- it's no use." Daryl mutters "you can go if you want." Hershel says as he cocks the gun in his hand. Daryl's brows furrow together "you're gonna take'em all on?" Hershel looks up at Daryl before saying "we've got guns, we've got cars." 

"Kill as many as we can, and we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off of the farm." Andrea explains. Daryl looks to Hershel one more time asking, "are you serious?" Hershel replies with "this is my farm. I'll die here." 

"Alright. it's as good a night as any" Daryl says before turning to me "stay with Glenn" was he really serious, if he goes by himself and I stay with Glenn I might never be able to find him again we don't know what going to happen when we go out there. "But dar-" he quickly cuts me of grabbing my hand and saying "this ain't the time to be fuckin' stubborn stay with Glenn" before hopping over the porch railing. we watch as he runs off towards his motorcycle. I don't mean to be stubborn I just don't want to not know if something happened to him. anything could happen and I don't want to live the rest of my life waiting for a dead man to come back.

I let out a frustrated sigh as I tuck my gun into my back pocket and turn walking back into the house. "Where are you going?" Glenn asks as he grabs my wrist stopping me from moving any further. "I'm going to see if Lori's found carl yet." I mumble as I pull my wrist out of his grip and continue to walk into the house. I hate this, I hate not being able to stay in one area comfortably we have to flee every single time because of walkers. I walk into the house and up the stairs to where Lori and carol are looking for carl. "Have you found him yet?" I ask Lori's eyes are full of tears as she shakes her head. "May-maybe he's with rick" carol says but Lori just shakes her head "he's supposed to be up here, I told him to stay up here" she cries. carl really wasn't good at listening to his parents especially when they told him to stay inside. 

"y/n! we're about to leave!" I hear Glenn shout from downstairs. I'm about to go downstairs when I hear Maggie say "we've gotta go. if she's with Lori she'll be fine" and then the sound the door closing. I figure if I'm at least with other people in our group I'll be fine, so I decide to stay with Lori and carol to look around the house one last time for carl. we look in every room, under every bed, and even in every cupboard but he's nowhere to be found. he has to be with his father that's the only place I think he would've gone. we have to leave now if we don't, we'll get stuck up in the herd and definitely die. 

I'm peering out the window with Beth as I watch the barn light up in flames. that had to be Shane or ricks handy work they must have gotten stuck up in the barn. if Shane and rick are there, I'm certain carl is too. Beth turns to Patricia and whispers "the barns on fire" I scoot over and let her look. she peers through the boarded-up window and says "they're headed for it, maybe rick set it to draw'em in" a door upstairs slams before Lori comes rushing down the stairs "I can't find him anywhere" she says as carol comes following Lori as she walks into the living room "so maybe he snuck outside." carol says but I think she's just proposing the idea to try and get Lori out of the house. even though I believe he probably snuck out too I don't think Lori will leave until she's fully sure her son is outside and not in this house. "What do I do!" Lori shouts as she quickly turns back towards carol "he was here. he must've run off, maybe looking for rick or just went after Randall himself" carol says still trying to convince Lori that carl is not in this house. "Maybe he set the fire" Patricia proposes, now thinking about it that does seem like a very carl thing to do. Lori's head turns towards the window.

Lori decides she's going to check the shed one last time leaving Beth, Patricia, and I in the house. I don't know if we are going to be able to make it out of this house, the walkers are getting closer and closer even with Hershel outside shooting as many as he can. carol rushes back into the house saying "Beth, y/n, Patricia come on. we gotta go now." we follow after her onto the porch "Lori" carol says as she closes the door behind us. Lori stops shooting and bends down quickly grabbing the gun bag off of the ground. "Hershel! Hershel" Lori shouts as she leans over the porches railing. "Hershel! it's time to go! come on! now!" Lori shouts, he either can't hear her over the loud gun shots or just doesn't care because he doesn't respond. Lori calls his name a few more times before giving up and running over towards us. we begin to just run as fast we can once we get off of the porch. I hear the screams of two people behind me, but I just keep running because if I stop, I know I'll die too. I briefly turn my head back to see that carol, and Lori stopped to help. I can't stop now I keep running until I reach the shed. I turn around to see that a group of walkers have separated off from the herd and have started following me. 

my eyes widen as my back hits the shed. there's nowhere for me to run so I pull my gun out of my back pocket and shakily point my gun towards the walkers. my hands are shaky as I try shooting some walkers most shots failing just because of how unsteady my hands are. I'm gonna die, its finally setting in that I'm probably going to die. "Shit! shit!" I cry out as I try to shoot a few more walkers. this time I shoot two in the head but there is at least 20 coming at me. I watch as the truck comes barreling through a few walkers back where Lori is. I keep shooting at the walkers only making a few of the shots. 

Andrea comes running towards me shooting any walkers in her way. there are two walkers that are the closest to me about 4 or five feet away. I'm sure I'll be able to make these, so I lift my gun up getting ready to shoot when both of them get shot and fall over revealing Andrea behind them. I'm about to thank her when I see a walker behind her so close that if I didn't scream now, she'd die. "Look out!" I scream. she quickly turns around and shoots it, but it falls over on top of her. I don't even think twice before running the other way. maybe I can make it to the barn before Daryl leaves. I'm not that fast though, I never have been. I turn around shooting as many walkers as I can occasionally, but I mostly focus on running. the only thing pushing me towards that barn is adrenaline. my heart is beating against my chest as run, my legs start to ache, but I know I can't stop, not now at least. 

I turn to shoot a few more and it clicks informing me that it's out of ammo. I try again. click. click. "noo!" I cry out as I abruptly stop running to pull out a knife, I had stuffed into my pocket earlier. the walkers are slowly coming close. shit. the barn is close enough that I can see it and the flames roaring around it. I'm fumbling around in my pocket when I finally feel the cold metal blade in my pocket. I pull it out and point it at the walker closest to me. I wait until it comes a little close to raise it up a little and... I yelp as it grabs ahold of my wrist. its grip is tight as I try pulling away. I scream as loud as I can maybe if someone is still at the barn, they'll hear me and come help. "noo! noo let go" I cry out as I continue to pull away. I don't even know how something dead could have that strong of a grip. 

I hear the sound of an engine revving up as I finally break free from the walker's grip and stab it in the eye over and over again till it falls to the ground. I run to the street just as Daryl drives up. I don't think he expected it to be me because of the look on his face when he shouts, "I thought I told ya to stay with Glenn!" I get onto the motorcycle and wrap my arms around his torso before he starts driving again. "I know- I know I'm sorry please don't be mad" I cry. we drive through the night, but it feels like days go by I don't even know where he's taking us. we pass by groups of walkers occasionally, but it doesn't seem to bother Daryl and I'm not in the right state of mind to really care either we always loose them so why should I. 

my mind is racing. I could have died if I wasn't able to pull away from that walker it could've bit me. it could've bit me, and I would've died, I would've died, and no one would know what happened to me. I would've turned into one of those things and just spent the rest of eternity stumbling around looking for my next meal. god I left everything there my picture's my books. all the pictures of my parents, of matt. the only picture I have left is the one in my bag. I have nothing to remember them by what if I forget what they looked like and sounded like. I can't breathe, God we need to stop, I can't breathe.

"Da-Daryl can we stop! please stop!" I cry out loud enough for him to hear me over the engine. seeing that there's no walkers in sight he stops. I let go of Daryl and get off the bike. "Are ya alrigh'?" he asks as I stumble around for a few seconds trying to breathe as I dig through my bag until I find the small family picture I kept in my bag. I stare at it, it's from maybe when I was 8 matt is like 4 in the picture. mom, dad, matt, and me it was taken before dad left. a few months before the big fight that broke my family. it was my fault; I'll always say it was. I was being stubborn like I normally am not listening to my father when he told me to get ready for bed. my parents' relationship was already practically gone by that point but when my father grabbed my wrist tightly trying to pull me up the stairs to my room my mom had to step it. that's when the shouting and the screaming started when I woke up the next morning dad was gone.

 "Did ya get bit? fuck answer me!" he shouts, I quickly turn to him before hugging him. I have one arm wrapped around his neck and my face smushed into his shoulder. he stands there a little confused before wrapping his arms around my waist. "yo-you saved me I would've died out there without you. I l-love you so much" I cry into his shoulder. I can tell he doesn't really know what to say, he just stands there holding me. "Im-Im sorry for being so stubborn I-I should've just gone with Glenn and Maggie. b-but I wanted to help Lori and I-I lost track of time a-and they left me I-I'm sorry" I rant before raising my head up to look at him. I look into his blue eyes before pressing my lips to him he's a little taken aback at first but eventually kisses back. when I pull away, he wipes a tear off of my cheek before muttering "yer alright you don't gotta be sorry."

-

we go back to the highway, that's the best choice to choose if anyone was thinking of meeting up anywhere it would probably be the highway. I guess everyone else had the same idea because as Daryl pulls up onto the highway, I hear the sound of cars behind us. Daryl drives the motorcycle over to where they had left the sign for Sophia which felt like months ago when it was actually just a few weeks ago. when we pull up that's when I see rick, carl, and Hershel. the cars behind us park and I hop off of the motorcycle and to Shane's car. Glenn is standing with the driver's side door open. "Glenn!" I cry out as I almost knock him down in a hug. his arms tighten around my torso as he buries his head into my shoulder. "Holy shit" he mutters before he pulls away "I thought you died" he whispers. I grin as he pulls me back into a hug "I missed you so much." 

we walk over to where the others are gathered. Lori, Rick, Carl, Hershel, Beth, Maggie, carol, t-dog, Glenn, Daryl and I are all here. the only people we're missing are Shane, Andrea, Jimmy, and Patricia. "where'd you find everyone?" rick asks as he stands up from the group hug he was just having with his family. "Well, those guys' taillights zigzagging all over the road figured he had to be Asian, driving like that." Daryl says with his hands placed on his hips and a smirk on his lips. Glenn chuckles "good one." as he nods. Daryl looks around probably making a mental note of everyone who is here before asking rick "where's the rest of us?" rick sighs before turning to Daryl "we're the only ones who made it so far." Lori stands up and asks "Shane?" rick shakes his head. this is probably selfish, but it felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders knowing that Shane is dead. I don't have to worry about Shane trying to do anything to me or anyone else in this group anymore.

"Andrea?" Glenn asks, "sh-she saved me, then I lost her" I whisper terrified that the others would be angry that I left her behind she was a strong member of our group and losing her is definitely going to threaten our chances of surviving. "We saw her go down" t-dog says. "Patricia?" Hershel asks. "They got her too, took her right in front of me. I was-" Beth lets out a broken sob as both her father and sister wrap their arms around her. "I was holdin' onto her, daddy. she just-" she cries as she buries her head into her father's chest. "What about jimmy? did you jimmy?" Beth asks. "He was in the rv. it got overrun." rick replies. in total we lost 4 people to the walkers and most of them were vital assets to our group. "You definitely saw Andrea?" I ask, Lori turns her head towards me and says, "there were walkers everywhere." my brows furrow together "did you see her" I ask as i cross my arms over my chest. the last time I saw Andrea was when she fell, they definitely had to see her if she got up.

Daryl walks over to his bike saying "I'm gonna go back." rick shakes his head saying "no" and Daryl stops his brows furrowing together "We can't just leave her." Daryl protests. We don't even know if she's even alive, and it's been hours since anyone has seen her if she survived, she probably ran far away from that farm. "We don't even know if she's there" Lori says shaking her head "she isn't there, she isn't she's somewhere else or she's dead" rick states. that walker that fell on top of her was definitely dead, but I don't even know if she got out from underneath that walker, there is a chance that all those walkers behind her killed her after I ran. "there's no way to find her" Daryl is a tracker but there were so many walkers in that farm that it would be impossible for him to figure out if any of those footprints are hers. Glenns brows furrow up in confusion as he says, "so we're not even gonna look for her?" he asks, "we gotta keep moving. there are walker crawling all over here" rick replies as a walker in an Argyl sweater begins to stumble its way towards us. there are way too many walkers around her we have to keep moving there's no way we can even try to look for her without losing a few more people.

"I say head east" t-dog suggests as Daryl walks over to where his crossbow is sat on his bike as he says, "stay off the main roads, the bigger the roads, the more walkers, more assholes like this one...I got it." he picks up his crossbow and points it towards the walker and shoots it right in the head. 

we all get back into our cars except for t-dog and the other that were in the truck. we decided to leave that one on the road and move them into the other vehicles to save gas.

-

I have my arms wrapped tightly wrapped around Daryl's torso as we ride down a small road with trees lining either side when I hear a car honk behind us. the rule we made before we left the Atlanta camp honk once if you need assistance. Daryl's bike slows to a stop, I get off of the bike as everyone else is getting out of the cars. "You out?" Daryl asks as he turns his head towards rick who is walking towards him. "Running on fumes." rick replies. "We can't stay here" Maggie says as everyone makes their way towards Daryl and his bike. I stuff my hands in my pockets trying to warm them up, I didn't realize how much the temperature could drop in just a few days.

"We can't all fit in one car" Glenn says "we'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning" rick replies as he turns towards Glenn. "Spend the night here?" carol asks her brows furrowed together. there's no way we can spend the night here it's way too cold to start with and we don't even know who and what is in these woods. we could get raided or even killed if we stayed here. "I'm freezing" carl complains, his mother has her arm wrapped around his and his hands are stuffed in his pocket. "we'll build a fire, yeah?" Lori suggests as she rubs her hand quickly across her son's chest trying to warm him up. rick walks over to his son taking off his jacket before handing it to Lori, Lori takes that jacket and wraps it around carl.

 "You go out looking for firewood, stay close. Only got so many arrows. how are you doing on ammo?" Daryl asks. "Not enough" rick replies as he walks up just a little bit past Daryl's bike. "We can't just sit here with our asses hanging out" Maggie curses which prompts Hershel to reply with "watch your mouth everyone stop panicking and listen to rick" I don't understand how were supposed to stop panicking what started as a trip to find answers at the CDC ended with us having no answers no supplies and homeless. 

"Alright, we'll set up a perimeter. in the morning we'll find gas and some supplies. we'll keep pushing on." rick states, I don't know how we're supposed to just 'keep pushing on' when we've got nothing to eat, the temperatures are dropping, and have no roof over our heads to keep us just a little bit warm. "Glenn and I can go make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas" Maggie suggests. rick shakes his head in protest as he says "no, we stay together. gods forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car." rick says as we turn around. everyone has this look on their face like there not trusting everything rick is saying, like we're starting to pull away and not believe were going to be alright like rick is trying to tell us. "Rick, we're stranded now" Glenn says is a quiet voice. "I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other" what was finding each other worth in were just going to freeze or starve to death. 

"I wasn't sure-" rick cuts himself off as he shakes his head "I really wasn't but we did. we're together. we keep it that way" we all look at each other almost as if were a bit skeptical of if what he is saying is true. was it really for the best that we found each other? "we'll find shelter somewhere. there's gotta be a place." rick says as he turns his back to us and walks forward a bit. "Rick, look around. okay? there's walkers everywhere. t-they're migrating or something." I watch as carl shivers in his mother's arms struggling to get himself warm. "there's gotta be a place not just where we hole up, but we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other." is there really a way to do that though this group has a record of not being able to stay in one place for a long time. the Atlanta camp, the CDC, the farm they're all abandoned now. 

"I know it's out there. we just have to find it." rick hisses, "even if we do find a place and we think it's safe, we can never be sure for how long. look what happened with the farm. we fooled ourselves into thinking that was safe" Maggie speaks up. Hershel looks to his daughter before whispering "we won't make that mistake again. "Rick it wasn't only the farm we made that mistake with and-and you know that" I whisper, his brows furrow up in anger before it quickly disappears, and he says "we'll make camp tonight over there" he says pointing to something i think used to be some garden or memorial. it's got walls but no roof, but someone could sit onto of the walls to patrol. "Get on the road break of day. "Does this feel right to you?" carol asks Daryl as she walks up to him "what if walkers come through, or another group like Randalls?" Beth asks as she walks up to rick. 

"You know I found Randall, right? he turned, but he wasn't bit." Daryl whispers, rick nods like this weren't a surprise to him "how's that possible?" Beth asks with her brows furrowed together. "Rick, what the hell happened?" Lori asks. I lean myself against Daryl who is beside me trying to maybe transfer heat between the two of us. "Shane killed Randall. just like he always wanted to." Daryl states, loris brows furrow together as she asks, "and then the herd got him?" rick is quiet as we all look to him for answers.

"we're all infected" rick mutters, were all infected which means no matter how hard we try we'll all turn one day unless were shot in the head. "What?" Daryl asks "at the CDC Jenner told me. whatever it is, we all carry it. I don't understand why rick would keep something like that from us. that's an important thing for us to know and he kept it for weeks before telling us. I pull myself off of Daryl before he starts pacing a bit. carols words are laced with anger as she steps forwards and says, "and you didn't say anything?" 

"Would it have made a difference?" were all angry at rick, this is something I think we should've all know about it could've changed so many of the decision we decided to make. "You knew this whole time?" Glenn asks his face filled with the look of betrayal. how could he not have even told his own wife who has the same betrayed look on her face that Glenn has. "How could I have known for sure? you saw how crazy that mo-" Jenner seemed crazy but maybe everything that Jenner was saying was true and we could've made a better more informed decision back at the CDC if we knew we were all infected, if we knew we basically had no chance of having a better life than this. "That isn't your call. 'kay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told for the good of everyone!" Glenn whisper shouts cutting rick off as he leans forward a bit.

I cross my arms over my chest trying to warm myself up as a particularly cold gust of wind blows through. "Well, I thought it best that people didn't know." rick says, no matter how hard he's trying to defend his actions and make us understand why he didn't tell us it doesn't change our opinion that it was fucked up of him not to tell us it seemed more like something Shane would do.

it's quiet for a few seconds as rick looks at each one of us maybe just looking for one of us to speak up and say that we agree with him but none of us do not even his wife. he lets out a disappointed sigh before turning around and walking away. Lori lets go of carl pushing him towards Hershel who pats his head before resting his hand on carl shoulder. Lori follows after her husband leaving us all just watching as she runs after him. 

I run my hands through my hair as I let out a frustrated sigh. that promise rick made yesterday that we were going to fix this group for dale was a lie we were break more, and more and I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up splitting up soon.

-

its late and we're all gathered around the fire trying to keep warm as the night brings in colder and colder temperatures. Daryl is throwing more and more pieces of wood into the fire to keep it a blaze. Lori walks over to carl who is staring into the fire with his hands clasped together and sit down behind him. carol who is sitting beside me whispers "we're not safe with him" to Daryl. Daryl turns his head down towards carol with his brows furrowed together. "keepin' something like that from us." I think it was wrong of rick to not tell us, but I don't think we're not safe with him. "Why do you need him? he's just gonna pull you down" Daryl shakes his head "nah. ricks done all right by me" carols brows furrow together as she says "you're his henchman, and I'm a burden. you deserve better" I think we're fine with rick for right now, he's not like Shane and I don't think we should start anything that could possibly leave us all dead.

Daryl stares at carol for a few seconds before asking "what do you want?" she lifts her head back up to look up at Daryl as she whispers, "a man of honor." I look over to carl who's got his head down looking at the ground, I think it's wrong of carol to be talking so vulgar about his father right in front of him. I can tell carl feels awkward listening to her talk about rick like that. "Rick has honor" Daryl replies. I stuff my hands into my pocket as I mutter "let's not start anything." 

there's a sound out in the woods of something shuffling around out there maybe "what was that?" Beth asks. Daryl stands up and says "could be anything. could be a raccoon, could be a possum." almost all of us stand up, "a walker" Glenn mutters. were all on guard just waiting for a walker to pop out. "We need to leave. what are we waiting for?" carol squeaks as she glances nervously around. "Which way?" Glenn asks and Maggie replies with " it came from over there" as she points to where she suspects the noise came from. "Back from where we came" Beth adds.

"Last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark" like last night the main reason why we lost so many was because of how we were panicking and running around like fools. "We don't have the vehicles. no one's traveling on foot." it wouldn't be safe for us to just run off in the dark there's too many walkers in this area already and there wouldn't be a way for us to find everyone. "don't panic" Hershel advises "I'm not, I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through we need to move now!" Maggie demands. rick turns around towards us "no one is going anywhere" he growls as he lunges towards us a bit. he's angry, maybe he heard what we said or maybe he just senses that were questioning him. Maggie's brows furrow up as she takes a step back "do something!" carol begs. "I am doing something! I'm keeping this group together, alive. I've been doin' that all along no matter what!"

"I didn't ask for this! I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ sake!" he killed Shane it wasn't a bite or a self-inflicted death. I'm not mad at him, I'm actually pretty proud of him for finally showing Shane who's boss. carl is staring at his father with tears pooling in his eyes, he's staring at him like he doesn't know who that man is. we all silently stare at rick most of us in shock from his random outburst. rick scoffs "you saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us." he looks down to Lori who won't even make eye contact with him "he staged the whole Randall thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. he gave me no choice!" I saw the way Shane looked at rick ever since he appeared at the quarry, he looked like he just wanted to strangle him every time he'd kiss Lori or be fatherly with carl. it was like Shane thought rick was stealing it all right from underneath him. "He was my friend, but he came after me." Lori wraps her arms around carl as he begins to sob uncontrollably. even while hearing his son's sobs rick continues on "my hands are clean." he looks to each one of us and we all try not to make eye contact in fear that he'll come after us. "Maybe you people are better off without me. go ahead. I say there's a place for us but may-maybe it's just another pipe dream."

carols got this dear in headlights look now knowing rick heard what she said. "May-maybe I'm just fooling myself again! why don't you- why don't you go and find out yourself?! send me a postcard! go on! there's the door! you can do better? let's see how far you get." no one speaks or tries to leave it's like we're frozen. I knew it was a horrible thing to about rick when he was just a few feet away. we shouldn't have started anything. "No takers? fine. but get one thing straight you're stayin', this isn't a democracy anymore." rick looks at each one of us one more time before turning around and walking off angrily. I just know that dale wouldn't be happy with where our group is at right now, it's still broken, and I don't think there's anything we can do to fix it.

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[fleet-admiral-hiba]

Andd I got another one,

Alrighty so I’m just gonna get straight to the point.

The reader goes out to mondstadt with one of the higher up (ish) harbingers because one, the harbinger had some business to attend to and two, the reader just wanted to tag along as they don’t really leave the palace often.

They wander off for a minute and bump into, one of the knights of favonious? The knight is confused and asks us where our parents are, we glance around now realizing the harbinger isn’t in our sight.

The knight is trying to calm us down n stuff until said harbinger finds us and tells the knight they are our legal guardian,

The knight doesn’t believe them because yk, the fatui.

Though the knight is proven wrong when we go up and hide into the coat of the harbinger, as we are more at ease now.

wow that was a long one, have fun with this.

-Simon

Dude I swear,every time I see you in my askbox my heart does a funny thing. Your request are gold✨

DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

The Harbingers were having a meeting, and this time, given that Pierro was going to Mondstadt for diplomatic reasons, they petitioned to have you go with him.

True, last time you tried to do that they grounded you for a month, and they felt incredibly guilty. You usually never left the premise of the Cathedral, and although you tried not to, they could see how sad you were.

Also, after the scolding they gave you, their heart broke when they saw what that had done to you. You took that too seriously, and they couldn't imagine to see their little ball of sunshine so beaten down.

He mused about the request: he wasn't going to do anything dangerous, and it would cheer you up to visit another land.

He agreed, and he personally made his way to your room to tell you. He found you looking out of the window, admiring the snow gently floating down.

Kneeling down in front of you, he took a moment to admire you, their beautiful and bright little fox.

"Dearheart, I know we've been harsh with your punishment and that you've been feeling under the weather for the past few months. I'm going to Mondstadt soon, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me?" he hoped you would forgive them for their error, but in the meantime the crushing hugs he received was enough confirmation.

" Alright then, pack your bags. We leave tomorrow morning" and with a forehead kiss he left.

.

.

.

Mondstadt was vibrant with its colours, the people were friendly and everything was wonderful.

For the first time ever you saw your uncle without a heavy winter coat and it made for a dashing sight. Of course you took a picture.

And it was while taking pictures that you lost sight again of him.

Looking around, you started to look around, scared. It happened once and it wasn't going to happen again.

Even though you were scared you made your way to that tall building you saw: maybe you could find someone to ask about your missing uncle.

Meanwhile, a wandering knight was doing his round around town when he saw you, looking a little lost.

"Need any help?" you nodded, finally an adult who could help you.

You described what your uncle was looking like, and together you made your way through the city. Reaching the hotel, you recognized that white hair. " Uncle P!" you shouted while trying to bolt towards him. He turned around, recognizing your voice.

He was less than pleased to see you being yanked back by the knight. What could have being doing a kid like you with the Fatui?

It took less than a minute for you to pinch a nerve in his hand, and you immediately run to Pierro, hiding in his lighter coat.

The knight was surprised: it couldn't be. " I suggest you stop judging people by what they appear to be. I am but a diplomat here, and my little one is here to keep me company, isn't that right love?" You poked your head out and nodded.

"So if you would excuse us" he said while taking you in his arm and making his way inside the hotel. He was much more reserved than that usually, but he needed to prove his point.

The knight stood there dumbfounded, but left the scene. Later, when he reported it to his superior, he too told him not to mess with the kid.

The Fatui never have forgiven them for disturbing their little angel.

And they were diplomats. Relations were more important than any kind of mission against them.

.

.

.

The Kraft book Grampa Papanella gave you was coming along nicely, and with the new photos of Pierro inside it was even better.

He was proud of you, and he showed it with his hugs.

His little one, deadly in your cuteness

[qilingxiong]

i.

It's only on the third day of passing neverending yellow-green fields wavering in summer heat, windows down in this pickup truck that must be decades old with its glossy paint and chrome and proud growl of an engine, that Wu Xie finally asks Hei Xiazi where they're going.

"There's a map in the glove compartment," Hei Xiazi says, tapping cigarette ash out into the wind, other hand on the steering wheel. "You said your English is good, right? Read it and find the towns we've been through."

Wu Xie fishes out the map, tattered and deeply creased, apparently kept without use. A pen is always with him; he circles each town or city whose name he recognizes, memorized from the flickering signs of motels or general stores they've stopped at, or welcoming boards along the highways that are probably intended to be cheerful but only bear worn-down facades of optimism in their neglect. Analysis kicks in next, attempting to piece together the logic from the locations he's marked. The pattern he finds is—

"There is no pattern." Wu Xie looks up. "We drove east after going south, but you're just stopping in random places."

"Congratulations, you get a prize," Hei Xiazi says, semi-deadpan, hair flown loose from its knot whipping into his face. "Can't have your future actions be predicted if you don't know what they are, either."

"But that means you don't know when we're going to stop," Wu Xie says. The wind bites at him all of a sudden, despite the temperature outside. He pulls his flannel more closely around himself.

Hei Xiazi, still wearing only a tank top, tan lines at his wrists fading out of contrast, shakes his head. "Keep moving and we'll figure out the rest later. We don't know how far behind they are."

"Do we really have to be this paranoid?"

"You haven't even been able to see your enemy, or what it is. Do you want the monsters to catch up to you, or would you rather be safe than sorry?" Hei Xiazi flicks his cigarette butt out the window.

Wu Xie thinks of the shadows, the closest way he can describe them, that he'd seen on the last night in his own home, and shuts his mouth. He settles instead for noisily stuffing the map back into the glove compartment.

"So if there's no end to this, why would you help me?" Hei Xiazi, as far as Wu Xie has gathered, is a man who's lived from job to job, whatever's in between not enough to keep him still. "I don't even know when I'll be able to pay you, if that's what you want." The money on his cards has been going toward gasoline, food, the motels they can find that are cheap but clean and won't care about faces or what's left of Wu Xie's accent before the fact that he can pay.

Hei Xiazi snorts. "You didn't think about this earlier?"

"I wasn't in the mood to be asking questions." And Hei Xiazi had told him not to, anyway, those few nights ago when Wu Xie woke up to half of his house in flames and something at his door, swallowing the light, and in the smoke had appeared Hei Xiazi, duffle bag in one hand and the other grabbing at Wu Xie's wrist, ordering him to run.

He'd bit his tongue, one of the rare occasions where fear had well and truly drowned his curiosity, and followed. From foot, to car, to across a border, and now to this truck.

Hei Xiazi reaches for the box of cigarettes in the cupholder. "Light me another one, will you?"

Wu Xie grabs the lighter from the inner pocket of Hei Xiazi's leather jacket, fallen to the floor, and touches it to a fresh cigarette. "You didn't answer my question."

Hei Xiazi just sighs, blowing thin smoke out and away, so Wu Xie continues: "You're just a work friend of my uncle's and you barely know me. Why would you care this much about saving me?"

"Know you?" Hei Xiazi leans back and laughs, softly, dog tags clinking against his chest. "Maybe I don't really know you, but I know about you. I know you're naive, and you've never had to pay the price for learning too much. I know you looked into secrets about your uncle's work that you shouldn't have. I know you still don't understand what you saw and you're desperate to find out, but you dread looking back. And most of all, I know you don't want to die. Is that enough?"

He glances at Wu Xie. "You don't want to die, do you, Xiao-sanye? Tell me now, because it'll save me a lot of trouble if this isn't something you want to fight for."

"I-" Wu Xie stares at him. "No, I don't want to die," he says, quietly.

"Good." Hei Xiazi jabs at the volume dial on the dash. Rock music blares out from the speakers, from whichever cassette was left in there from the box of tapes in the backseat. "Glad we're clear on that. Communication is key."

"For the third fucking time, why are you helping me?" Wu Xie reaches for the dial, turns the music off again, glares. This time Hei Xiazi doesn't react, staring ahead at the road, lined pavement flying past in the lenses of his sunglasses.

"If I said it was boredom, would you believe me?" he says, after a minute.

In this moment maybe Wu Xie almost could, listening to the level current of Hei Xiazi's voice. How old is he? If he were a stranger Wu Xie would place him in his mid-thirties, perhaps, but the impression of a man in black and sunglasses smeared across the borders of his memory reaches too far back for Hei Xiazi to be exactly as old as he looks.

At what age can you possibly begin to treat running for your life like this with indifference? With amusement? Wu Xie is twenty-six, and the world is huge. The world is mysterious. The world is fracturing and he's trying not to cut himself on the shards.

"No," he tells Hei Xiazi. "it can't just be boredom. But it's not money, either."

The corner of Hei Xiazi's mouth tilts upwards.

"You're smart." He pauses to take a drag from the cigarette. "Believe what I said anyway. You're better off like that."

"What's that supposed to me—" Wu Xie starts, before Hei Xiazi cuts him off, waving a hand dismissively.

"Believe that, or make up your own reasoning because I know you'll die without it. Either one will do." He adjusts his sunglasses in the rearview mirror. "But what matters, for you, is that you trust me to keep you alive regardless. Trust me completely, or else I won't be able to. Can you do that, Xiao-sanye?"

The evening Hei Xiazi tossed their bags into this truck, retrieved from a seemingly innocuous lot in an industrial suburb, Wu Xie caught a glimpse of the box concealed beneath the panels of the bed. If Hei Xiazi wanted him dead, he'd have had the tools and chances to do it at least several times over already.

Wu Xie nods.

Hei Xiazi smiles, wide enough to catch a glimpse of a crooked tooth, and turns the music on once more.

The road rambles on.