Listen (IDV Victor Grantz)

mersault me thinks

During an interview, the manor guests suddenly get a question about you.

this is def an experimental format!! i got this idea while reading the character letters. in the POV of an unknown interviewer (not reader). reader uses they/them.

🔗⚰️📰🔮❤️‍🩹💉🌪️✂️🍀🩰🔫🪡🤹🧲🦋🐍

Q. Could you describe your relationship with (Y/N)?

🔗 Ada - "Yes, that's my lover. I would say our relationship falls within the typical scope of that sort of thing. Of course, I believe we share something special, but everyone does when they're in love, don't they?" She covers all her bases in one decisive breath, leaving little room for me to comment.

⚰️ Aesop sits perfectly upright, fingers threaded at his knees. His eyes drift to the side and he seems to begin speaking mid-thought. "I had... cautioned myself not to upset their perception of me," he explains. "But they pried, and stayed, regardless of what they found... For that, I'm grateful."

📰 Alice has kept a sharp eye on me the entire time, but it's at this question that she drops the formalities. "I wasn't aware you would be prying into my personal affairs. Where did you learn that name?" Her frankness pins me in place. For some reason, I end up apologizing.

🔮 Eli can't help a sheepish smile from blooming across his face. "Well, truthfully... I don't use this term lightly, but they might be the love of my life." He has been consistently grounded with his responses, so I'm surprised to catch him flustered, however subtle it is. Personally, I'm touched.

❤️‍🩹 Emil considers for a moment. He doesn't meet me in the eye, instead pinning his gaze on nowhere in particular. A faint smile ghosts his lips. After a while, he answers, simply, "Safe."

💉 Emily's hands are folded neatly on her lap. At the mention of that name, her shoulders tense, but she otherwise maintains her composure. "Someone I trust." Her answer is vague and cautious, but acceptable. I'll try to uncover a deeper meaning behind that 'trust'.

🌪️ Ithaqua - "Mine." He is curt and to the point. Yours? I echo, hoping he'll elaborate. His head tilts to the side, and while I can't see the face behind his mask, a sense of dread suddenly overcomes me. I decide not to press further.

✂️ Jack stretches out his hand of blades, flexing each finger in front of him. I can't deny the cold sweat that drips down my spine just by being in his presence. "May I respond with a question of my own?" he says to me. "Suppose a butterfly loses its way, and winds up caught in a spider's web. Wouldn't you agree that the more it writhes and struggles, the more exhilarated the spider becomes?" I don't have the courage to hear out the rest of this analogy.

🍀 Lucky - "I've always been known as a pretty lucky guy, but the luckiest day of my life was when I met them! I remember it was the—" He drags me down a long-winded story about their life together. I get the idea. Eventually I'm forced to cut him off.

🩰 Margaretha twirls a curl of hair, a meek blush dusting her cheeks. "Have you ever been in love before? You're never prepared for the magic of it all. I feel a new rush with them everyday. I know, realistically, all good things come to an end, so I tried to remind myself to expect the worst, but they've proven over and over that... I'll never feel safer than in their arms." After rambling for some time, a look of surprise flashes across her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go off like that. Oh, but I've just never met someone who feels so much like true love before."

🔫 Martha doesn't miss a beat. "Sorry, I don't know anyone by that name." I look down to double-check the name written in her file. Her watchful gaze follows my line of sight. Are you sure? I try. "Must've been some confusion somewhere," she insists. The next day, I realize all my files on her and (Y/N) have gone missing.

🪡 Matthias - "Wh-What?" he starts, but keeps going before I can repeat the question. "Oh, uh, an ally, I guess." Well, I gathered that much. When I press for more details, his head sinks low, fingers grasping at the armrest. "I don't know what they saw in me. Was it out of pity?"

🤹 Mike's eyes light up and he blinds me with a contagious smile. "(Y/N)'s a sneaky one, and I mean it—they've got me under the trickiest spell of all. Guess what happens every time I think about them?" Egged on by his grin, I take the bait. You get lovesick? I guess. Suddenly, he tosses a handful of butterfly glitter in my face. "I get butterflies!" Very funny, I sigh, exasperated with these carnies. Why did he have that on hand in the first place?

🧲 Norton leans back in his chair, scowling. "What's that got to do with anything?" He snaps a couple times in my face, urging me to "stay on topic." It's hard to say if this question struck a nerve, as he's been uncooperative for most of this interview, but my suspicions point me to prod further. After all, it'd have been much easier if he just said he didn't know them.

🦋 Vera's face contorts into a leery, hostile glower. "Why do you ask that?" Before I can say anything to mitigate the rising tension, she catches herself, and her expression softens slightly. "I'm sorry. That's... someone quite dear to me, so your question took me by surprise."

🐍 Yidhra's follower goes pale, clearly unnerved. "She won't answer that," she tells me through shallow breaths. "Th-This isn't my place to say, but I'd advise you not to involve yourself with that person." As if on cue, I get a sensation I can only describe as a hand slowly wrapping around my neck. It disappears when I move to scratch it. Must've been my imagination.

coloured this page from chapter 11

𝐖𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐄 !

𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 @/𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘢 ’𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘜 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘕𝘪𝘬𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘪 !! 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 <3 

@doukeshi-kun

cw : no smut just yet , MDNI still , slight implications of future dark content , reader is an adult in early 20s while nikolai is older , fem reader

A young rising star actress, gaining more and more popularity within each film you star in.

That was you.

And unfortunately for you, you had a very big director with his eyes glued to every move you make. Nikolai Gogol was a very prominent actor and director, he’s been in the business for a long time and he’s good at it. Almost too good.

There’s a lot of mysteries, rumors, more surrounding the man in general despite him being there for so long. Not much is known about his personal life or how he started to rise up. Most of the public just knew that he started off as a child actor.

There’s almost an aura of weariness that people get around him, but his charismatic and mischievous nature keeps pulling them back in for more despite their gut. When he walks, the people shifts and the mood becomes a tide dependent on him due to the air he brings. He knows how to perform and then perform, even when he’s not on the job.

It was only natural that he gained interest in a new star, he was a director after all. That was what most people told you. But there was just something off about him to you, though you never had an actual full conversation with the man besides…

-

“Haha, isn’t it my lucky day! An amazing actress with more amazing work, lovely meeting you.” The man stood before you, giving a small grin before shaking your hand. You’d smile back at him, shaking his hand too.

“Pleasure to meet you Gogol.” You said, your voice firm but sounding polite and friendly. He was a very attractive man, that you couldn’t deny. He was tall, he had pale skin, and pretty white, fluffy hair that was tied in its usual braid. His eyes were something that were easy to get lost into, a green that’s rich like emerald and a shade of a blue that paints the sky. 

Not to mention, the scar that sits on top with a nicely put together outfit. The red tint of his lips made a nice contrast and you couldn’t help but feel a slight dread to hear him speak again for some reason.

“Oh please dear, do call me Nikolai. No need for last names.” He reassures, the smile on his face grew wider, letting out a small chuckle. You felt your chest tighten. Did everyone feel so off when talking to him? 

“Director!”

“Ah, I have to get going. I’ll see you around yeah darl?”

“Of course.”

-

And that was the last you’ve talked to him. It was a while ago, back at an event for god knows what. You’d been to too many for your liking. You still remember the moments where he was glancing at you ever so subtly. 

But now your team came to you with an opportunity, an opportunity to act with him.

-

“It’s a really good chance for you to really get out there. Gogol is one of the best, he’s directing and acting and! He’ll be a great guidance.” Your manager told you, you nodded your head but pursed your lips into a thin line in thought. 

“I don’t know…” You sighed, bouncing your knee while you sat. 

“You’re already gaining a lot of popularity, a boost wouldn’t hurt. You’ve got great skills and a good mindset. You mind if I ask why you’re hesitating?” 

‘Because he’s off! There’s something off about him!’

“Guess I’m just… a little intimidated is all. Don’t get me wrong, I know this is pretty rare for newbies to get invited into such a huge project by someone like him. But I just—”

“He’s been one of your supporters since the start, it’s a good thing he’s interested in you. I get it, it might be overwhelming but that’s just how the industry is. —With that being said, it’s still ultimately your choice.”

You bit your inner cheek. It would be rude to decline an offer from a big shot like him, especially when he’s been supporting your work you figured. And it doesn’t hurt to be curious about him too, only way to figure out more about him is…

“Let him know I accept then.”

‘We’ll see how this goes.’

-

The past few days working with Nikolai, your co-stars, and staff have all went well so far. Your manager was right, so far at least. You were still somewhat skeptical. He was great at guiding people in the right direction. Not only was he easy to talk to but he was friendly, very friendly. 

Almost a little too friendly to you, but you shrugged it off. It must because you’re still somewhat new to the acting scene. You still weren’t sure how to feel.

“Hey darl, how’s my favorite star holding up?” Nikolai’s cheery voice snapped you out of your thoughts, his hand placed on the low of your back. You didn’t think much of it and you smiled at him politely.

“A bit tired but nothing I can’t handle. I’m excited to run upcoming scenes.” You told him, eating a strawberry that they had out on the food table for lunch. You managed to grab a few before they ran out. Your manager always told you it wasn’t good to act with completely empty stomach. He let out a small chuckled, nodding his head.

“Yes, yes! I’m glad you’re having fun dear.” He grinned, but then his eyes trailed to your lips. “Are the strawberries sweet?” He asked, keeping the cheerful expression on his face.

“Yeah, they’re sweeter than I expected. I really like these.” You responded genuinely, grabbing another one. 

“Let me have a taste.” He said, leaning down and eating the strawberry from your hand to his mouth. You were surprised, not expecting him to do something like that so casually. 

‘He smells sweet.’

‘….And his hands are really nice.’

You looked at him still with a surprised expression, letting out a small laugh when you saw his focused face on tasting the the strawberry. You were aware he was probably doing this to make you feel more comfortable and light hearted. At least that’s what you thought to make of his actions.

‘Wait, did I just say he smells sweet? In my head?’

“Yes—”

“Huh?” You cut him off, snapping out of your head. Worried that you had said your thoughts out loud, you turn your face to his more directly. He raises a brow at you, an amused look on his face.

“I was about to say, yes you are right. They are pretty sweet but it looks like you have something on your mind honey.” He tells you, nothing ever goes unnoticed by him.

“O-Oh! It’s nothing, sorry I was just thinking about something random.” You try to explain, there’s no way you’re going to explain what you thought about him to him. That was weird. He’s weird… okay but maybe you’re weird too for thinking that of him-

“You always look so tense around me darling, you always have something on your mind don’t you?” He chuckles. “Dim your worried thoughts pretty thing. I’m not gonna bite you.” 

…Okay yeah he is weird.

But for some reason, your cheeks feel like they were growing warmer. 

“Unless you want me too.”

You didn’t quite catch what he said that moment, so now it was your turn to look at him a little amused snd confused. 

“What was that?”

“Oh nothing nothing dear!” He rubs the inner of your wrist quickly with his thumb, standing back up straight and patting you on the back. He let out a small light hearted laugh. “Oh you’re so cute. Relax okay? This is your first time working with a huge director isn’t it? —Ah maybe that sounds too arrogant of me. I’m just rather familiar with the position is all.” 

“Y-Yeah it is, you know just wanna do my best.” You stammer a bit, nodding your head in agreement.

“You’re already doing so good for me sweetheart, you’re gonna be just fine.” He reassures you, he was a little too good at eye contact. “Actually, you know what? Say, are you free after the shoot?”

You blink.

Where did this come from? What did he plan to do? Why was he asking? You had to come up with an answer. Quick. There wasn’t any time to think-

“Uh, you know I think I am? I don’t usually have anything planned after shoots.”

‘Fuck. What was that?’ 

You internally started cursing at yourself. You initially planned to deny, a thing your gut was screaming at you to do. But you couldn’t think right when he looked at you. It almost seemed sly in the way he smirked.

“How about this? After this shoot is done, go home and get dressed. Come over to my place for dinner yeah darl? I’ll give you some advice, I would just tell you now but we have to run the next scene in about 30? And I don’t wanna stay at the studio much longer after. What do you say?” He asks, tilting his head ever so slightly.

‘There’s no backing out now..’

“Sure, that sounds good to me.” You gave him a sheepish smile. A grin was too swift to grow on his face before relaxing into a casual smile. He reached for his phone, it was different from the usual phone he uses. It must’ve been a personal phone. You figured you should grab your own too.

“Here you go.” He says, handing you his phone and swapping with you. You both take a few moments to put in your numbers and for some reason, you feel as if you’ve greatly messed up. You both swapped the phones back. “There’s my number, give me a call before you’re on your way dear.”

“Okay, I will. Thank you.” You told him, now somewhat nervous to look up at him again.

“Gogol! Makeup touch ups!” A staff called out for him, your makeup artist was also probably looking for you.

“I’ll be seeing you later.” He winks at you, walking away. You let out a small laugh, nervous. You finished the strawberry off quickly, tossing it into the trash before walking off to find your makeup artist.

This is too weird.

dividers : @/cafekitsune

Me deram 6 personagens de IDV pra eu fazer no twitter!

No request with this one, just me being self indulgent because I'm an IDV addict again and I love Postman!!! Wrote this all while doing rank, congratulate me on multitasking

Paperboy x Reader

I'm an avid believer in all the skins having different personalities

So while default Victor is more reserved (NOT shy, The Prince is the shy one), I believe Paperboy is the most extroverted right behind Keyboard

He's a different kind of extroverted though

He's more focused on his blog than real life people, and so most of the conversing he does is through online forums and the like

DOES NOT mean he's afraid of in person convos!

His whole propaganda gang is trying to get people to STOP relying on tech, of course he doesn't mind talking to people irl

He's way more outwardly neurodivergent than the other variants, could probably rant FOREVER about product design, logos, hmtl and css, etc. He's really passionate about what he does

He's definitely lacking in friends though, despite all that

Other than his Call of the Abyss gang, he really doesn't get to talk to many people

It's pretty saddening, because after the fourth (read: ten-thousandth) rant about Have Fun, the only one who will listen is Luca, maybe sometimes Will

He really doesn't mind, but he does wish he could tell more people about it, people he liked

This is where YOU come in!!!

Someone new to the squad, someone who's interested in what he has to say!

Plus, even if you don't understand any of it, he has a cute puppy, isn't that enough to lure you in?

Speaking of Wick (whomst I will be referring to with all pronouns because I've been told that dog is every gender and I don't know what to believe anymore), he's the sweetest puppy ever!

When she's not ruining Jose's little dj gigs and radioshows, they're the most well behaved dog you will ever meet!

Play fetch with it, he will bring the ball back and give you puppy kisses while she's at it!

Victor LOVES seeing the two of you interact, it makes his heart explode with joy

Yes, he does talk to Wick like they're a real person. No, you cannot stop him. No, he does not use a baby voice, he is entirely serious about it.

Write him letters, he's never gotten one, none of his variants have except for maybe Prince.

He'll be SO SO SO HAPPY he'll love you forever

That's probably what kickstarted his little crush, actually, because he definitely fell first AND harder

You probably sent him an anonymous fan letter, just trying to make sure he knew people liked his blogs

He nearly CRIED running around showing everybody else, and you just laughed all joyfully at his excitement

He vowed he would find out who wrote it and write them back a thousand more word of appreciation

Imagine his joy when he found out (read: doxxed the letter for info) it was you!!

Yeah, he actually cried this time

Happy tears, I swear!

He promised you he would never ever forget it, and you KNOW he didn't, because he still brings it up years later as the happiest day of his life

Since the Call of the Abyss movement advanced and began making a motion, he'd received so many more fan letters, messages on his blog, and other things of that nature

But yours? Pinned up on his wall, FRAMED in gold

Takes every chance he gets to show it off, even if everybodys seen it before

Back to more general headcanons, Victor is completely nonverbal

He communicates through his lil mask thing, projecting words on it

He also uses it for more practical things

Like spreading more anti-Metropolis propaganda!

When he wants you to understand some niche thing he's into, he projects a video essay on to the screen, makes you watch it like a movie

Even with his eyes obscured and his words filtered, he's still extremely expressive, and its easy to tell what he's feeling

His face goes REEEEED when he's flustered or embarassed

And his lips are so so cute when he pouts

The only person he actually talks to is Wick, he does it in private, very few people get to see it

Even with you and the others, he's never spoken, only grunted or giggled or something small to acknowledge what you've said

When the plan to expose the Aurora finally closed in, and the final day was approaching, he excitedly ran around showing off his latest design

The first real print he'd made, he'd been banned from most shops and had to be careful entering them because of the guards, so he hadn't gotten the chance to bring them into reality

But finally, after Luca managed to get him a nice printer and a lifetime supply of ink, he did it

They were gorgeous- or- not the right word

They were effective.

He's really a genius in the graphic design department, slaving away hours over his laptop creating the perfect logos to draw in attention

He was incredibly excited that he finally got to spread it the way he's always wanted to

And he really hopes its as effective as he's been told

Hopes that it will encourage people to go find the sun once more

Back to the cute fuzzy romance!

It's a little awkward to kiss him, considering he almost NEVER takes off his little mask

Sometimes he does, but he really wants to save it for when the sun rises on Metropolis, it's a big dream he has

You really have to tilt your head, but its very worth it

He's soft all around, hands, arms, lips

And also, he smells like lavender

Dont ask me how I know, but its canon, I was his perfume

He really likes flowers, even though he's only seen pictures

He thinks they're gorgeous, and he believes they'll smell even better in person, better than any scent a cheap perfume shop could provide (sorry Vera!)

While he may be hard to kiss, he loves hugs, the tighter the better

Even if he feels like he's being squeezed apart, the closeness makes him feel safe

He hopes sunlight feels that warm

Sometimes, he takes you out to the theatre to watch the Aurora

"To research," he'll tell you

But really, he's just a hypocrite

Even if she's false, she does have a beautiful voice

He would never deprive you of beautiful things

He figures two extra tickets can't do too much harm, right?

Take that unsure answer as you will.

As a Luca main this is so real

this is why my wr in duos is so low i never see it coming

haii ><,, i read your pampering fic w mr crawling and i js. UGH. IM SO IN LOVEEEE 😭😭 do u do nsfw drabbles/fics 🤔 i read in ur rules you DO allow nsfw so,, could i request something nsfw abt a first time with him ><??

First Time.

context: First time with your pookie wookie bookie puppy bear.

Homicipher. mr crawling x reader. | Anypov…(?). NSFW | tw: ectoplasm c*m

Nsfw isn’t my strong suit but I have fun challenging myself, I do hope you enjoy this!

first time? ..confusing. And complicated. And clumsy. But oh.. does it feel so good.

It’s definitely a lot of build up over a couple months, like first soft pecks, then making out, slow and clumsy touches.

You have to guide his hands yourself until he gets the hang of it, but I think he’s a pretty quick learner. He’s def good with his hands (I actually think he says that in the game at some point) and his tongue.. (😜)

I’d say your on your bed making out, straddling his lap, your tongues in a heated battle with each other while his hand roams your body and his other hand is gently cupping your face. You’re starting to subtly grind against him, and he makes a chirping noise.

You can feel his erection against your thigh, and when you pull back to look at him, he’s smiling widely at you. He grabs you by the shoulders and switches your positions, pushing you down against the mattress while he hovers over you. He’s whining and chirping, rutting against your leg and wrapping his big arms around you, burying his face in to your chest. He’s so whiny and desperate for you, clawing at your clothes to try and get them off.

I saw someone say he’d be on the smaller side, but yall see how fucking tall that man is?? I def think he’s atleast 6 or 7 inches ..skinny, veiny, with a slight curve.

He’s chirping and making all sorts of noises when he finally sinks in to your wet heat, rutting so sloppily and clumsily. You jolt from how cold it is compared to your hot gummy walls, making you shiver. He has no idea really what he’s doing, but it just feels so good he can’t stop, can’t help himself. How you clench around him, how good it feels, its driving him insane. Burying his face in to your neck and wrapping his arms around you so tightly.

You can tell he’s getting close because he’s getting more vocal and his thrusts are getting even more sloppier (somehow), and you’re clawing at his back, whimpering and mewling. Your walls clench around him, milking his purple-tipped cock, cumming with a sharp cry. His hips stutter as you ride out your high, and he slips out of you, shooting his load on your tummy, rubbing his grey ectoplasm cum all over your soft skin, giggling maniacally.

After you clean yourselves up, you snuggle up to him, pulling the covers up around you both as he pats your head and you drift off to sleep on his arms.

11/11/2024. 9:38 am. @i90o3

Can we please get a fic about possessive/yandere Jack tunneling/tormenting his darling during a match? Something akin to the snippet of him we saw in the Emil and badly injured s/o headcanons. That bit had me barking, I need more of y'alls Jack 🙏🥴

thank you for enjoying that tidbit, detective! i am a very firm believer of slandering jack as much as possible but immediately making him attractive in the worse ways i could <3 he's a horrible man and i love that in him! please enjoy this food, and do bark more. if you do so, he might buy you a collar and leash. - mod orpheus

request: yandere!ripper tunneling/tormenting his darling headcanons pairing: [the ripper] yandere!jack x gn!reader warnings: general yandere behaviour, descriptions of blood & injury, near death experience

jack the ripper

to be the apple, or may i say rose, of his eye is a death sentence in of itself.

the ripper does not do “obsession”, or so he thought. it was a useless endeavour, to be so taken in by something or someone temporary, especially with what he does for a living. he assumed, be it person or item, it will leave and perish over time in his presence. more than anything, the only thing he ever thought he’d be obsessed over was his work. something he was very much okay with.

that all changed when he met you

everything about you captivated him; from your appearance, your movements, down to the way you speak. he was drawn to you, like a moth to flame, desperate to have you at any cost. he spent days, absent from matches, in his room. the curtains drawn, the lights dimmed, paint splattered across floors and canvases. art pieces, abstract, stylised, realistic, all pieces with you as its muse. with each brush stroke, his obsession grew, and grew, and grew. neither survivors nor hunters knew this was what he was doing in his absence. the survivors, more than anything, were relieved about him being gone for the time.

you were warned about him by both factions. you were warned greatly. jack, but we mostly call him the ripper, says the perfumer, was a ruthless hunter. his very presence struck fear in those who opposed him. he hunted with skill and precision, but at the same time was sickeningly nonchalant about it. he plays with his food, that disgusting man, whispered emma to you. a monster through and through, he even has the gall to flirt with some of us in the middle of hunts. every warning sickened you and made you fear the day you’ll have to match against him. that was why his absence was a cherished moment by both survivors and hunters. however, such a thing cannot always stay permanent.

eventually, the ripper returned, and everyone saw it was with a renewed gusto. a bad thing, stated the seer. he had his mind set on something, or shall i say, someone. you.

your first encounter with him was outside a match. the way he peered at you, eyeing you like you were a slab of meat for him to slice and cut open than a human being; it made you understand why even some hunters were uneasy [a great understatement] about him. though some hunters weren’t human, either changed or lived that way their whole lives, the ripper was a different level. he was... human, but he didn’t feel human. not even someone like the hell ember made you feel like that. something about him was uncanny, even if all he did was brush past you with a wicked promise of meeting once more. preferably in the near future, little rose, he chuckled out.

for a while, you thought that was an empty promise. wicked and terrifying, sure, but empty. the matches you joined within those days were with other hunters. you haven’t seen jack in a match with you for a few days at least. you thought he was just scaring you with that talk about ‘near future’- he’s had to be scaring you, no? that’s what a hunter like him would do.

you grew familiar with what arms factory looked like in the time you spent here. it was a ‘starter map’, as other survivors said. good kiting spots, fairly spread out rocket chairs, strong pallets. it’s the perfect place for newcomers, though you have long since shed that little nickname from the others. you, alongside the gardener, doctor, and perfumer, all sat at the table together, excitedly talking about what plans you may have for the upcoming off days. “i think i’ll spend time with coordinator,” vera tapped her chin in thought, “she mentioned wanting some tips for makeup. i’ll help her out then.” “sounds fun!” emma nodded her head and giggled, “i’ll just tend to the gardens again, as i always do. emily should join me!” the doctor laughed politely, a hand over her mouth as she did, eyes crinkled with content, “yes, i think that sounds fun. what about you?”

you paused in thought and shrugged, “didn’t really think about it that much, but i’ll probably find something to do sooner or later.” “you can help with the gardens too!” the gardener suggested, “the manor could always use more green thumbs.” “oh, yes, you could come with,” emily nodded in agreement along with the perfumer. the conversation was stopped by a smooth, honeyed voice humming from behind the curtains. all four heads turned to face it. silver blades pushed the cloth aside as the towering figure of the ripper spun through, bowing down in front of the table. attached to his back was an evil looking scythe, black and sharpened with flicks of smoke curling off of it.

your heart lodged itself in your throat in a bad way when the ripper lifted his head to look at you.

the game began.

right off the bat, he was ruthless. the ripper roamed the map like a wretched, evil, fog. he was playing with the doctor, it was clear to the three of you. he chased, he hit, and then he simply just waited nearby emily. you knew he’d be able to catch her easily if he just tried, but he was waiting. waiting for something, even if it costed him a cipher or two. the moment the second bell rang throughout the match, it was like the realisation struck all four of you. he was farming for presence. he wanted full presence.

it was like the mist through the factory thickened significantly as that happened. the ripper turned his back on the doctor and stormed through. even if he passed any of the other two women there, they were unbothered. perhaps shaken, a little scream from his chilling fog that brushed past them, but nothing more than that. after all, he wasn’t there for them. he was there for you. and you were made violently aware of it when you saw a sudden bend on the pole of your cipher. slowly, you lifted your head, fingers trembling over the keys, sweat sticking to the back of your neck. the fog shifted, unwrapping itself around its commander.

there, standing so casually over your cipher, and you by extension, was the ripper. he tilted his head, eyes squinted in delight. “hello, little rose,” he crooned. you slammed your hands firmly onto the cipher and lunged away, nearly missing the button to ping the girls. the hunter is near me!

the cipher in factory was finished, but the basement was there. however, nowhere else was safe for you to kite, as nearby would be one of your three teammates decoding a cipher. you had to take the risk. you had no other choice. you felt your heartbeat thrum loudly in your ears as you ran across the map, the ripper right on your tail. your legs screamed at you; a split of stop running, it hurts too much and keep running, he’s going to kill you. you had to dodge a foggy blade, seeing the black mist hit the wall and disperse right beside you. you stumbled in your steps, nearly tripping over your feet and falling. but you managed to catch the metal railing in the factory, using it to boost yourself some more distance away. not like it did much, as the ripper stepped through the fog and slipped past the door with an increased speed. he never downed you, no matter how close he was to you as you vaulted the window or a pallet for a terror shock. it was like he enjoyed seeing your discomfort, as you vault, as you run, his hand or claw ghosting against you lightly.

two ciphers later, the last one was on standby with the perfumer. both doctor and gardener waited at the gate close to the factory. but he still hasn’t downed you, let alone hit you once. it wasn’t like he wasn’t trying too much; he aimed his blades carefully in a way that would hit you if he was just a bit more accurate or if you were just a bit more sloppy. however, with the blood rushing through you and adrenaline pumping through your veins, you couldn’t afford nor even try to be sloppy. especially not against the ripper of all hunters.

seeing as he was doing nothing more but stalling at this point, you had to do it. focus on decoding! if only you did it a bit later, perhaps when you were in a more safer position...

the cipher popped, and it was like a switch was flipped in the ripper. with a manic exhale of his breath, you knew you made your first, and final mistake. you gripped the windowsill as you lifted your body over, a vault in progress. but as you did so, his claws raised, the blade wrapped in black fog before he swung harder than he would have usually. the black smoke that wrapped around you momentarily made the sting worse. through your clothes, your fabric ripped, and you felt a searing pain across your back. from the corner of your eye, you saw splatters of blood, but you knew there was more gushing out. your back was wet. warm, cold, wet. you crashed into the ground, a nasty, filthy scrape digging and ripping up your skin and irritating it. a scream ripped throughout your throat; one so loud and pained that you thought your chords were about to burst and split. it was a scream louder tha emily’s. it was a scream of true pain.

blood was rushing everywhere as you gripped your leg, yet that strained the deep gashes across your back. you knew he hit deep. it was painful. it was hell. tears streamed down your face as you sobbed and cried, choking up on tears as you looked at the ripper. he stuck his legs on the windowsill, vaulting over casually as if he didn’t just damn near break your back in half with one hit alone. he peered down at you with a cruel smile, head cocked to the side as he crouched down beside you. the lack of glowing red eyes didn’t excite you as much as it would have any other time. you only had enough strength to ping that he had no detention before you had to go back to crying out in pain, head turning away from him.

you couldn’t even bring yourself to a crouching position to crawl away, you could only drag yourself on your stomach bit by bit to try and gain even the most insignificant amount of distance to the ripper as you could. he let you do so for a while, but eventually gripped your leg with his unclawed hand. you were relieved at that. he was going to chair you, and your teammates were going to escape.

but he instead yanked your leg and twisted you, forcing you to slam against your back. the earth dug into the open wounds and you threw your head back with a pained scream. there was so much blood. on the ground, on you, on everything you feel. the ripper’s hold on you loosened, and you were subjected to his ghosting touch as he caged you in beneath him. “my, my, look at you,” he whispered breathlessly, very obviously happy with his work. he tilted his head aside, fingers brushing from your scraped leg to the inside of your thigh, reveling in how you turned your head away with a pained sound.

“now now, little rose,” he chastised lightly, but gripped your hair with a strength so tight it nearly ripped off your scalp, “look at me.” a breathless gasp left your lips as you looked at him, one eye barely able to open from the pain and stinging tears. “s.. stop... l.. let me go...” you sobbed. he haphazardly let go of your head, making you lightly slam it against the ground by the sudden loss of support. the ripper bent his back down, claws tapping against his face, chuckling as he gazed at you with a crooked grin, “just listen to that. what a precious, beautiful sound.”

he twirled your hair in his unclawed fingers, tugging your head up before abruptly slamming it back down again. “just like those fucking whores,” he snarled, “you cute, pretty, little thing... those breathless cries, those ragged shrieks, the last time i heard those were in the alleyways of london, my hands wrapped around some broad’s fucking neck as i break it backwards. my darling, what i wouldn’t do to gut you right fucking now. your insides, organs, everything, spread open on the ground for me, and only me to see.”

you could barely thrash away, sobbing and crying as you see the blurry figures of your teammates running to try and help you, only to stop abruptly at the bloody sight. “r.. run..” you force out through gritted teath, “get.. get out of here..!” “n.. no- no, emma has to help!” the gardener tried to run forward, but she was pulled back by the perfumer and doctor. “stop- stop it, what are you doing?!” emma cried, “we can help them! we- we can help- he has no detention!” “we have to go, emma,” emily urged as they began pulling her away. you saw the ripper start to grin at the desperate sight of the gardener thrashing and kicking, trying to run towards you. emma reached her hand out, screaming your name, sobbing just as, if not even harder than you have been as you see her figure get smaller, smaller, and finally, gone.

“now, do scream out as loud as you can. if you satisfy me, i might let you crawl your way out of here, whore,” he whispered the filthy nickname for you in such a sickeningly excited way, “let’s have some fun, shall we?”

[ art credit - unknown ]