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p-taryn-dactyl · 10 months

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way down we go (i)

a/n: this was not requested but I couldn't for the life of me get the idea out of my head. this can be considered a dark!fic bc of the events and plot points so please read the warnings before reading! I hope y'all enjoy! also, I already have part 2 written so this is one series you don't have to wait weeks for an update, only a day 💜

word count: 1.4k

warning(s): graphic depictions of crime scene/dead body - murder - blood and gore - this isn't really a happy fic - I'm not the fondest of writing things that show serial killers in a romanticized way so this...isn't going to end well - people die in this guys - if you do not like blood or anything to do with death do not read this - even though I absolutely love forensics I am in no way an expert and all my info comes from my singular forensic class and all the forensic files I watch - this is fiction plz don't come for my inaccuracies - (reader also does profiles bc why not)

pairing(s): forensic scientist!reader x serial killer!Agatha

prompt: your relationship was picture perfect. you're happy and in love but one crime scene brings your love crashing down around you. (I'm not good at descriptions)

You knew you would never escape this feeling.

The chills that ran down your spine as you walked through the scene, the only sounds being camera shutters and shuffling footsteps of your team, the way the air was suspended around you, imitating the way you held your breath. You forced your emotions into a box and shoved it to the back of your mind, your eyes turning from sympathetic to analytical, necessary for your job. The only one who noticed the change was your Crime Scene Photographer, Darcy. She pursed her lips at you, tilting her head towards the bedroom, acknowledging your shift into your role of head CSI.

This scene was different than the others, you immediately noticed as you crossed the bedroom threshold. Blood took over the wallpaper, staining the costly vintage pattern. The body lay face down on the bed, stab marks on the back, mostly shallow and jagged, indicating a struggle had occurred. Your thoughts were proven as your eyes scanned over the blood spatter. This victim fought back, causing a fight your killer hadn't anticipated.

She was the tenth one this month, the bodies being found more and more frequently, the killer getting more confident.

"Y/N."

Your name sounded behind you, making you turn around. Lead Detective Jimmy Woo stood with a grimace on his face, eyes expectant. You nodded as you brought him over to the side of the bed, where you could see the wounds better.

"This one is different, Jim. The scene is a mess, the body mutilated and uncharacteristically stabbed, not to mention the lack of sophistication."

You turned from the bed and walked over to a pile of cleaning supplies, crouching down and cocking your head to the side. Your eyes widened when you noticed what had caught your eye. Pulling out your tweezers from your toolkit hanging by your side, you called out to Jimmy, asking for an evidence bag. As he handed it to you, he asked an important question.

"Then how can we be sure it's the same killer."

Without hesitating you answered.

"The victim fits the profile. A woman in her early to mid 50s, lives alone, estranged from family," you nodded your head to the dusty photographs on the dresser, now decorated by dried drops of blood, "and the cleaning supplies, the same ones we know for a fact were used at the other scenes."

As you bagged the strand of hair, your mind thought back to the other crime scenes. The bodies of the victims lying in bed, dead for days or weeks at the longest, the rooms cleaned meticulously, the only mess being the crusty blood stains from the single slit mark on the women's neck. You thought that those scenes were the worst, but now as you looked around, you knew you hadn't seen the worst of humanity yet.

Handing Jimmy the evidence bag, which he passed on to the officers on the scene, you stood up.

"Forensics is done here, all pictures taken, swabs done, and now all evidence is bagged. Help me roll the body over."

Your plastic gloves were already soaked with blood as you and Jimmy rolled the victim onto her back. Jimmy choked on what he saw. You merely sighed. The slit on the victims neck was jagged but shallow. The scene played out in your head. The killer did the normal business of coming from behind with the knife, but this one struggled, making the cut not deep enough to kill. The killer pushed the woman onto the bed, trying to suffocate her with the pillow but she kept struggling. Finally, the killer resorted to stabbing the woman until the act was finished, even some post-mortem. Then, instead of having time to clean the scene and position the body, something unexpected happened. Someone visited the victim, the young next door neighbor who felt sorry for the elderly woman who never saw her family. The killer had to rush out the back, leaving countless pieces of evidence behind and ruining weeks of planning.

"Let's get her in a bag, make sure to contact the family and ask for her will and wishes upon her death."

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On the drive back to the station and your team's lab, you allowed yourself a moment to text your wife.

You: Hey hon, I don't think I'll make it for dinner. I might stay the night.

You let yourself slip information, a breach of protocol but you trusted Agatha.

We finally have enough to catch this bastard.

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The sounds of reporters never stopped as the hours passed, your team logging and entering every piece of evidence from this scene and past. You ran every single strand of DNA evidence you had through every database you had legal access to. Monica Rambeau, your secret weapon when it came to, well, weapons, made multiple 3D replicas of the suspects height and body weight, using the angles of the blood spatter and the stab wounds. You and your team had discovered a separate blood profile in the mix, a break that had you desperate for a culprit. Now you sat in front of the equipment in your lab, the rest of your team resting while evidence was being processed and while the detective went over profiles and case reports, looking for details they might've missed.

You kept yourself from drifting into sleep by scrolling on your phone. When you opened your messages, your brow scrunched together. Agatha hadn't responded to your text, leaving it delivered. Frowning, you started typing but realizing the time, you thought she would be sleeping. Maybe you missing dinner tonight had struck a nerve with your wife. Sighing, you slumped in your chair, practicing your apology in your head. You knew it wasn't common of you to miss dinner, so maybe she had something special planned for tonight, even if it was nowhere near one of your birthdays or an anniversary. But that didn't mean anything, maybe it was a surprise date night. You were so lost in your worry, you almost didn't hear the ping from your computer indicating a match. You read the results, a hint of surprise at the determined sex of the killer. You started to type some notes in an email for Jimmy when your computer indicated it had found an 94% DNA match in a database. You paused, your hands still hovering over your keyboard as the killer's picture came up on your screen.

Time suspended around you, suffocating you as your vision tunneled. The buzzing of your phone broke you out of your stupor and with shaking hands you opened the message from your wife.

aggie❤️: no worries about dinner love, how's the case going?

Your eyes flickered from the text to the picture on your screen, your wife's cold blue eyes staring into your soul. You hesitated before you answered.

You: not well. everything came up a dead end, ig it's back to square one.

You put your phone face down on your desk, quickly exiting out of the page, your wife's picture replaced with your background. Which did nothing to sooth your rapidly panicking state, as it was your wedding photo. You slammed the power button, relief flooding your body at the black screen. With shaky hands, you cradled your head.

This can not be happening. You thought, pinching your arms, desperate to wake up from this vivid nightmare.

This

Can

Not

Happening.

Your phone buzzed with your wife's reply and you read it through blurry vision.

aggie❤️: im sorry to hear that hon. text me when you're on your way home <3

Normally, the heart as the end of the text would send butterflies ablaze in your stomach but now all it did was sending waves of nausea coursing through you. Were there signs you missed? Something you overlooked through the haze of being in love?

Were all these women dead because you were too blind to see what was in front of you the whole time?

You stood up suddenly, your chair crashing behind you. Darcy rushed in, concern lacing her actions.

"Y/N, are you-"

"I have a migraine. Staring at a screen for too long and all that." You cut her off, even giving a slight chuckle at the end to play it off. Darcy still looked concerned but let you gather your things and walk out of the lab.

"If anything comes up, I'll call you!" she called out, not knowing her words caused your stomach to hardened.

As you went to walk out of the station, you noticed Jimmy had recklessly left his gun and holster on his desk.

You walked out of the station, pulling your jacket tight against your body as you got into your car.

No one had noticed Jimmy's gun was no longer on his desk.

a/n: ok I really hope y'all enjoyed this bc ive been waiting to write it for forever!! part 2 will 100% be out tomorrow bc ive already written it lol. I like writing true crime/mystery fics or fics with the same vibe so hopefully I did it well!! thank you for reading and I love all of y'all so much <3 sorry I haven't been writing that much

#agatha harkness #agatha harkness x reader #agatha x reader #serial killer!agatha #forensic scientist!reader #dark!fic #my writing #agatha harkness fanfic #agatha harkness fanfiction #agatha harkness x you #agatha harkness x y/n #agatha harkness x female reader #agatha harkness imagine #agatha harkness x fem!reader

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riveramorylunar · 11 months

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How about a Serial Killer Agatha Harkness Moodboard?

#Serial Killer Agatha Harkness #Agatha Harkness #Aggy My Hot Evil Witch 💜🖤#river's serial killer au #Agatha Harkness Moodboard

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our-blood-is-our-ink · 1 year

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Agatha is not a villain. She's not a hero, but she's not a villain. If she were a villain we would have seen her before now. She's not a nice person, she's not good by any means (that hurts to say) but she's not evil despite using the darkhold. She doesn't appear to kill unnecessarily, only those who's power she's after, which makes her more of a serial killer than anything else. But we don't walk around calling people like the Zodiac a villain. We might call em evil, morally wrong, ethically wrong, but not a villain. So. Stop calling Agatha a villain. It doesn't fit her at all, and it's a disservice to place her in the same category as Thanos and Ultron.

#dont forget Wanda was the villain in her own story there #we're just more sympathetic because she's the one we've been following this whole time #but Wanda isn't good #not anymore #(this is besides the hydra shit which is a totally different thing)#I've taken this off the bigger tags because I'm tired of the shit reading comprehension y'all have #this was supposed to be a frustrated vent #not a hot take #also I was literally just giving an example of a serial killer #i wasnt comparing Agatha to him #I was that it's possible to consider her a serial killer #AND THEN GAVE AN EXAMPLE OF ONE #it was an EXAMPLE #you know? how like in an average American math class the teacher will give you an example on the board so you know what's going on and what #they're talking about?

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agatha-morrigan · 2 years

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📚 for me to grab the book nearest to me, flip to a random page, and use the first line of dialogue I see as a starter

the shop being so busy had its perks and its downsides. one of the downsides was not seeing her (almost) angelic little acorn. agatha had been hearing the town gossip when she was serving customers in the store, and it sounded like she needed to check on tina to see if she was well. she’d sent the younger woman an invite to tea at her home and had made quite a spread for them.

“come in, come in! i’m just having a picnic for us, sorry for the surprise”

@xaspiringbeamoflightx

#c; tina #i'm reading a book about body horror at the minute and let me tell you it took like 6 tries to get a suitable sentence #otherwise agatha would've looked like a serial killer lmao

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unboundprompts · 28 days

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any prompts of how a serial ki!!er would ki!!? a concept of sorts? (ex:basing their murders on fairytales)

Serial Killer Signature Ideas

-> A criminal's signature (or trademark, calling card) is something they do that is not necessary for committing the crime.

Basing their Murders off of:

Fairytales

Greek Myths

Roman Myths

Religious Scriptures

Cultural Stories

The Board Game Clue (using weapons like a wrench, candlestick, lead pipe, horseshoe, etc.)

A Popular Murder Mystery Movie

An Agatha Christie Novel

A Murder Mystery Novel

Monsters (vampires, werewolves, etc.)

Location (only killing in a library, a school, etc.)

Stories from their Childhood

A Favorite Movie

Their Imaginary Friends as a Kid

A Poem

A Person in Their Life (only targeting victims that look like this person)

Leaving Items at the Crime Scene:

Kissing the Cheek of their Victim

A Printed Photo

An Envelope with a Letter

A Painting or Drawing

A Poem

A Map

Dressing the Victim in Specific Clothes

A VHS Tape

A CD

A Watch Set to a Specific Time

Taking Something from the Victim (a Keepsake):

A Lock of Hair

Jewelry

A Tooth

Their Shoes

Their Eyes

Clothing

A Body Part

Photos of the Victim

If you like what I do and want to support me, please consider buying me a coffee! I also offer editing services and other writing advice on my Ko-fi! Become a member to receive exclusive content, early access, and prioritized writing prompt requests.

#writing prompts #creative writing #writeblr #ask box prompts #murder mystery prompts

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abbyromanoff · 8 months

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KINKTOBER MASTERLIST:

ALL DARK FICS AHEAD!!!!

No requesting unless I ask please :)) all fics will be part of my own requests that are piling up and if I’m able to get more done I will but I promise all fics will be posted even if late

DAY 1: Dark!Natasha - Delicate

DAY 2: Yandere!Valkyrie - Gone, But Not For Long

DAY 3: Dark!Agatha - Manipulation Tactics

DAY 4: Dark!Wanda - Cruel Girl

DAY 5: Kate Bishop - Boyfriend

DAY 6: Step Mom!Natasha - What Are You Doing?

DAY 7: Serial Killer!Agatha - How To Get Away With Murder

DAY 8: Wanda Maximoff - Follow My Lead

DAY 9: Dark!Yelena - Change Of Plans

DAY 10: Dark!Carol - Foolish One

DAY 11: Emo!Wanda - Eyes Don’t Lie

DAY 12: Dark!Natasha - Love potion

DAY 13: Dark!Agatha - Stockholm Syndrome

DAY 14: Dark!Wanda Maximoff - You’ll Always Be Mine

DAY 15: Serial Killer!Natasha Romanoff - Explicit

DAY 16: Jane Banner - Hate Me? Or Love Me?

DAY 17: Ghostface!Nat - Target 1

DAY 18: Dark!Emily Prentiss - Chokehold

DAY 19: Kidnapper!Maria - Halloween Night

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acriminalmind · 9 months

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The Housewife Killer

GN Serial Killer Reader x Housewife Wanda Maximoff

Summary: They call you the housewife killer as all of your victims are housewives, but your own sweet housewife has absolutely nothing to worry about...

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, Dark themed fic, murder, blood, slight torture (with a knife), death list, manipulation, fluff, soft (not very detailed) smut.

Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

AN: Should I post a sneak peek of Songs From the Wood?

Tears stream down her face as you drag the knife over her collarbone. Blood trickles down her body. Her breaths are shallow as she experiences gruesome pain. The white sleeping gown she had worn earlier that night had been torn off of her body and was, covered with various blood stains on it, thrown onto the concrete floor. The ropes around her wrists and ankles that kept her on the uncomfortable chair cut into her skin. Her voice had become raspy from all the screaming and begging she had done. Barely any sound came from it at this point, except from soft whimpering. She hadn't seen any danger when she had let you, her 'friendly' neighbor, inside.

One moment she walked to her kitchen to brew you some fresh coffee and the other moments you had her in a chokehold until she fell unconscious in your arms. You had dragged her to her basement where you took place on the washing machine, waiting for her to wake up so you could start your 'fun' time together. Another almost unhearable plea left her dry mouth. "Pleading won't make me stop, Honey. It will only make it more fun for me," You say as you cut into her arm. You made sure she wouldn't bleed out before you were done with her. She would die when you allowed her to. You circled around her like a predator would with a wounded prey, taking in your newest masterpiece. You twirled the blood-covered knife in your gloved hand before taking your stand behind her. She tensed as she felt your hand on her shoulder. The knife was pressed against her neck and as it slowly was pushed into her skin she cried with the last energy left in her weak body, "Y-you don't h-have to do this…" For a second you stopped your ministrations. You pulled the knife away from her neck and made your way around her. Kneeling down in front of her you grabbed her chin so she would look you in the eye when you talked to her. "That's where you are wrong, Geraldine. I do have to do this. She said your name." It was silent for a moment. The last sentence spins through her head. It was hard for her to think clearly, her eyes soon widened at the realization of who you were talking about. Who had said her name. "

Earlier that evening...

"Give me a name…" you whisper in her ear while you slowly thrust into her. With her arms and legs draped around you, Wanda holds your sweaty body tight against her own, not wanting to have any space between the two of you. She wants to feel your soft skin against her own while you make sweet love to her. Her head is thrown back into her pillow, with her eyes closed and mouth wide open while letting out the most beautiful noises. You kiss her neck, leaving multiple hickeys while patiently waiting for her answer. Different names go through Wanda's head. From Agatha who had 'accidentally' cut off her precious rosebushes, to Dottie who always gives her the worst book club tasks to take care of. Wanda felt herself getting closer as you move your hand in between your bodies to rub small circles on her clit. Her moans get louder with each second while your thrusts stay firm and steady. She knows you won't let her drop over the edge until she spills out a name. As she can feel her orgasm reach it hits her. Her eyes shoot open. Her green orbs stare at the ceiling while clawing your back as she says, "Geraldine". She can feel you smile against her neck before you say, "Good girl." You give her a few hard and coordinated thrusts until Wanda screams beneath you in euphoria. You help her ride out her orgasm before pulling out. Wanda lets out a soft whine at the loss of contact, but she knows that you'll be back in her arms soon, even if it's just for a short time before you take care of her 'problems'. You clean her up before taking your place beside her on the comfortable bed, pulling Wanda closer until she lays half on top of you. She can hear your rapid heartbeat as she plays with the wedding band on your left hand. "I love you," Wanda says half out of breath. You look down at her while playing with her red, curly hair. "I love you too, my love." Wanda wants to stay awake, she wants you to spend the night safe and sound in your shared bed. The moment she falls asleep she knows you'll leave. She knows she has nothing to worry about because you're always two steps ahead of the police and you always make sure to leave no trace behind that would lead them to you, but still. Before she can worry more sleep overtakes her and sends her on her way to dreamland. An hour later you silently leave the warm bed to get yourself ready to kill your next victim. Geraldine.

But not before you place a kiss on Wanda's lips with the silent promise that she has nothing to worry about.

"Wanda… It's all about Wanda…" A creepy grin overtakes your features as you watch her process the revelation. "She deserves a peaceful and happy life after everything she's been through. You don't bring peace or happiness so you need to go." Letting go of her face you get on your feet and walk back to stand behind her, placing the knife on her throat, "Bye-bye, Geraldine…". With one swift motion, you cut through her artery. Blood spurts out of her neck, decorating her wall. You make sure not to get any stray drops on you. After cleaning every piece of evidence that could lead the cops to you up, you look back at the pale body that stared back at you with dead eyes one more time before leaving the crime scene to go back home where your own little housewife was still peacefully asleep.

The next morning Wanda wakes up and smiles as she feels your muscular arms around her waist. She looks at the time and sees she has an hour left before book club starts. She rolls her eyes at the thought of Dottie complaining to her about how she could have done a better job at doing her tasks. Thankfully, soon that will be over... The corners of her mouth go up, forming a sinister smile as she thinks about the horrendous fate you will give Dottie. She carefully turns around so she faces your sleeping form. As she strokes your hair, red strings of magic leave her fingers to go into your mind.

Onto the Next!

Masterlist

#fanfic #marvel #wanda maximoff #dark fic #wanda marvel #wanda maximoff smut #scarlet witch x reader #monica rambeau #wandavision #dark reader #wanda maximoff x reader fluff #wanda maximoff x reader

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munsonfamilyband · 1 year

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I’m having random thoughts again so here are some thoughts on the Fruity Four

Despite her squeamishness after the Russians Ordeal, Robin is an avid fan of unsolved mysteries/true crime. This includes but is not limited to: cryptids, serial killers, unsolved murders, haunted houses. Her and Nancy get close because Nancy loves a good mystery, and they start a book club where it’s just them and they only read Agatha Christie.

People assume that when the Fruity Four are together Robin and Eddie are the chaotic ones, and that is sometimes true but only on days where Steve has a headache or is in some other pain. If Steve is feeling okay then it’s either he and Eddie being chaos children or all three of them and Nancy acts like a disappointed parent while also encouraging Robin to make the boys do crazier things.

Eddie fully corrupts Nancy, even if she doesn’t dress like it. He gets her into Metal and on Stobin Sleepover nights they go out and commit crimes and usually get picked up by Hopper who lets them off with a warning. On the rare occasions that he doesn’t find them, they end up having to call Joyce to come get them because they know that Steve and Robin have been drinking since 2 in the afternoon and physically cannot drive.

Eddie has ADHD and so weighted blankets are his favorite thing, but even better than a blanket is Steve. Steve is touch starved and loves feeling needed. This combines into them laying on the couch during movie nights with Steve fully on top of Eddie.

When the four of them, or six if they can get Jonathan and Argyle to join, all hang out they always end up in a big cuddle pile. The only sleeping position that never changes is Robin spooned up behind Steve. In the future, when she learns that it’s called Jetpacking when a smaller person is the big spoon she gets way too excited about it.

Robin nearly collapses the first time Nancy comes to one of Eddie’s shows actually dressed for the event. She had lost a bet with Steve and she had to let Eddie give her a full make over. Think Sandy’s pants from the end of Grease with one of Eddie’s old shirts cut to all hell and a denim jacket.

Steve and Robin, at their sleepovers, get unbelievably drunk. Depending on the week they had it varies but the go to is wine - Steve hadn’t had wine before Robin that he liked and it makes him giggly, he’d had liquor for a long time but he associates it with his parties from school. If they had a really shitty week they break out tequila and Robin makes margaritas. They each pick a movie that they think will make the other person laugh (half the time Robin picks a stoner comedy and it never fails). By the time they’ve finished the movies they’re very drunk and then the oversharing begins. Steve tells her all about his sex life, Robin tells him all about hers, they share fantasies and plan out how to make them happen together.

Robin gave Steve a music education after Starcourt and Eddie hates it because her education included more pop music, he will credit her for her knowledge of so many female artists though. Before Robin Steve listened to Pat Benetar, Springsteen, maybe some Bon Jovi. After Robin he listened to them too, but he mixed in Blondie, Heart, ABBA, and some Joan Jett. Eddie complains about it, but he still learns how to play Steve’s favorites on guitar and he manages to get the guys to do a metal cover of some of them.

Dustin was so excited when he found out about them dating, most of the kids were (except for Mike because he thinks he’s been cursed to have Steve date people in his life). Dustin is especially excited because he likes to take credit for getting them together, which Robin very vocally disagrees with because she put in a lot of work. The children are soon very not happy about it because they’re disgustingly in love and they have learned too much about their sex life (Robin always laughs when they say this and offers to clarify things because they really know nothing).

When everyone eventually leaves Hawkins the four of them get an apartment together wherever they go. Probably Boston so Nancy can go to Emerson, Robin gets into another Boston college, Steve starts off working at a coffee shop but eventually gets a job at a daycare, and Eddie works at a game store while working on making a name for the band. The job at the daycare is what leads Steve to go back to school, after one of the other teachers comments on how good he is and asks if he had ever considered being a teacher. He starts at a community college and then gets into a full time college after that to get his teaching certificate.

When living together they have strict weekend schedules. Saturdays are bar hopping, usually among the gay bars. Fridays are movie nights where they cuddle up on the couch and get take out and usually get drunk and/or high and just enjoy being together

Eddie and Nancy complain about how they can’t keep any parts of their relationships secret because Robin and Steve have no secrets from each other. (For example, Steve found out that Eddie got a Prince Albert piercing before he could even show him because Robin found out and told him, Nancy tried to surprise Robin with some lingerie and a fancy date night but Steve found out and spoiled it)((secretly they love sharing the SteveRobin megabeing but sometimes it can be annoying having partners that share a brain)

#stranger things #steve harrington #steddie #eddie munson #platonic stobin #ronance #fruity four #posting drafts at 2am ayo #obsessed with criminal duo eddie and nancy while robin and steve day drink like the real housewives

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pluckyredhead · 2 months

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hey! if you have time, do you have any recommendations on what comics to read for a good grounding for the arrows? i know you have a roy-specific reading list, but if you have any comics recs for the family in general, or especially mia and connor, i would be forever in ur debt 💜 thanks!!

Sure! Here's a Green Arrow/Arrowfam recs list, with emphasis on Connor and Mia, in chronological order:

Green Lantern/Green Arrow: This has been collected under various names but anything with "Green Lantern/Green Arrow" in there is likely to get you what you're looking for. These are the iconic Hal/Ollie teamup stories from the 70s by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams (originally published as Green Lantern (1960) #76-87 and #89. Ollie had been around since 1941 but it wasn't until around this time that he really developed into the character we know him as today, and this is a great introduction to that. It also contains "Snowbirds Don't Fly" and "They'll Say It'll Kill Me But They Won't Say When," the two-part Roy addiction storyline; the beginnings of Ollie's relationships with Hal and Dinah; and John Stewart's first appearance. These comics are 50 years old so they are definitely dated in many ways, but they're masterpieces and so, so beautiful to look at.

Green Arrow v1 (1983): This four issue miniseries is hard to find but I love it. It's basically what if Ollie starred in an Agatha Christie novel, and it's so fun.

The Longbow Hunters: The miniseries that created the "modern" Ollie (this was in 1987 but that's still "modern" according to comics historians). Ollie and Dinah relocate to Seattle and deal with several serial killers, including Shado. Great characterization, beautiful art. Content warning for sexual violence and torture.

Green Arrow v2 (1989): Continues on from The Longbow Hunters and runs for 137 issues. The first 80 issues are written by Mike Grell (who wrote and drew The Longbow Hunters) and they're all very solid. If you're just looking for Connor, he is introduced in #0, which comes between #90 and #91 (comics lol); he's a regular character until #100, at which point Ollie dies and Connor becomes the lead for the rest of the book. If you really just want to read about Connor, you can completely skip to #102, which is the first one he stars in properly, and just read from there. He's delightful in them and the art is solid. Content warning in that Connor's globetrotting adventures mean a lot of ethnic stereotypes and orientalism, sadly.

Green Arrow v3 (2001): This is the book where Ollie comes back. It begins with "Quiver" by Kevin Smith and Phil Hester which is my FAVORITE GA book of all time and serves up Arrowfamily in a way it's never been served before: we get Dinah, Roy, Connor, AND this story introduces Mia! This volume unfortunately gets worse as it goes along and by #60 it is hot garbage but I would recommend the following key issues:

#11-15, "Sounds of Violence," in which Connor gets shot and Ollie loves him so so so much.

#32, in which Roy and Connor bond.

#34-39, in which the Arrowfam fights the Riddler and Demons; a very good Mia story.

#43-45, in which Mia is diagnosed as HIV positive and becomes the new Speedy.

Green Arrow v I don't even know anymore, the Rebirth volume (2016): After about a decade of just unreadably horrible comics, this is very much a return to form for Ollie: he's a swashbuckler who is dating Dinah and raging against injustice again, and that's how I like him. It's not a perfect comic but it was such a breath air after so many years of crap.

Green Arrow v who knows (2023): This is the current comic and it is a shot of joy straight to my heart every single month. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

#green arrow #oliver queen #connor hawke #mia dearden #speedy #arrowfam #comics recs

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asexualandalwaysshipping · 1 year

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What they won’t tell you about Benoit Blanc is that he was actually a theatre major. It was Phillip who was the one with the master’s degree in criminology.

While Benoit was reciting lines as Hamelt in an accent Philllip was so sure was fake, he was writing his thesis on the correlation between sociopathy and serial killers. It was pure chance they ended up stuck together as roommates. Even less so after they graduated and still continued to live together.

Phillip didn’t end up becoming a forensic scientist as planned— turns out you need a strong stomach when handling murder sites, so he settled for a public defender instead. Best in the field if he would say so himself. And while he never really shook off the eccentric yet oddly popular Benoit Blanc from his side, before he knew it, he was his closest friend.

Perhaps it was the long hours spent together in the common room as they silently focused on what was possibly their hundredth game of chess, the bonding over their love of Agatha Christie and whodunit movies, the bickering over who used up all the hot water; but at some point, they grew fond of each other’s company.

Neither was sure at what point they “defined the relationship.” Phillip is under the impression that it was when Blanc took him out to eat for the first time on Valentine’s day, while Blanc believes it was earlier, when Phillip got into a motorcycle accident and the hospital called him as his emergency contact. The point is, both are unable to recall a time when they weren’t together.

Perhaps Blanc owed his pursuit as a private investigator to Phillip. After all, it was his constant nitpicking at every mystery novel he read that allowed him to discover that crime-solving scratched that particular itch for adventure. And it was Blanc who helped Phillip realize he preferred helping out the underdog rather than focus on the who committed what. In the end, they wouldn’t have found where they are today if it weren’t for each other.

#glass onion #knives out #rian johnson #benoit blanc #phillip x benoit #hugh grant #daniel craig #roommate headcanon #late night thoughts

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anim-ttrpgs · 6 months

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Extreme Versatility: Things Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy can Run Smoothly and Easily with Next to No Tweaking to the Core Rules or the Source Material

Unlike certain other popular TTRPGs that market themselves on their versatility, our original TTRPG Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is actually versatile. It would be a lie to say it’s the last TTRPG you’ll ever need to buy, but it certainly covers you for almost anything set post-1850.

*if you like, you can append “with vampires, werewolves, fairies, and witches” to every single entry on this list.

Any prewritten Call of Cthulhu adventure module.

Any prewritten Delta Green adventure module.

Any prewritten Monster of the Week adventure module.

An SCP: Foundation campaign.

A S.T.A.L.K.E.R. campaign.

An X-Files campaign.

An Agatha Christie-style Murder mystery.

A Wild West gunslingin’ adventure.

A Weird West gunslingin’ adventure.

A serial killer thriller mystery.

A slasher-horror or creature-horror adventure.

A reverse slasher-horror or creature-horror adventure. (PCs are the ones doing the killing.)

A wilderness survival adventure.

A 1940s hardboiled noire adventure.

An organized crime thriller adventure.

A heist adventure.

Anything else that takes place between around 1850 and the present day.

This last one does require a little tweaking, but a friend of ours is also planning to use it to run an Eberron campaign, which we think is pretty cool.

Click here to visit our website where you can download a free shareware copy of the rulebook+a free murder mystery starter adventure module.

Click here to pick up the full rulebook+a murder mystery adventure module and two other horror adventure modules all for as little as $5.

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p-taryn-dactyl · 10 months

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way down we go (ii)

a/n: hi! I hope y'all enjoy this second part! thank you for reading!!

word count: 1.3k

warning(s): blood - Agatha is a bit crazy in this and reader shouldn't be as into it as she is - knives/guns - reader has a bit of a breakdown? I mean her wife is a serial killer so I think it's justified - not happy, not sad ending/neutral ig - I hope this is good

taglist: @tr333sus @getlostsquidward @our-blood-is-our-ink @nyx-aira

pairing(s): forensic scientist!reader x serial killer!Agatha

prompt: your relationship was picture perfect. you're happy and in love but one crime scene brings your love crashing down around you.

The drive home was silent, your knuckles white on the wheel. Your eyes never faltered from the road, your mind on autopilot as you pulled into the driveway. You looked away from the house to gather your things, shoving your car key into an accessible pocket. When you looked back up, the hair on the back of your neck stood straight up, freezing you to the drivers seat.

In the front window, blocked by curtains stood the shape of your wife, her shadow seemingly staring straight at you. She turned and walked away, breaking the spell on you. You quickly got out of your car but before you shut the door, the gun sitting innocently in your passenger seat caught your eye. You hesitated before you quickly grabbed the gun, tucking it into the waistband of your pants, covering it with your jacket. You tried to casually walk up the steps of your home but nothing could stop your hands from shaking.

This is a bad idea, this is a bad idea You kept repeating to yourself as you unlocked the door, pushing it open and crossing the threshold, holding your breath. You let yourself breathe before calling out for your wife, desperate to appear as if nothing was wrong.

"A-Aggie?"

Internally, you cursed yourself for your stutter but your wife's response was immediate.

"In the living room, my darling."

You headed down the hallway, coming up with possible outcomes for how the next conversation would go. Nothing prepared you for the outcome you faced as you turned the corner.

Once more, you found yourself frozen, your back pressed painfully into the wall. Your wi- Agatha, sat in her lounge chair, legs crossed and holding a full wine glass leisurely in her hand. Her face was splattered with dried blood, her shoulder and arm the same along with scratches from when the elderly lady had fought back. But the sight of the very proof you didn't want wasn't what froze you. No, it was her eyes. The sharp blue bore into you, her expression stone cold. She raised her glass to her lips and took a sip, never once breaking eye contact. She only looked away when she set the glass down on the end table with a sigh and that's when you noticed it.

The knife.

Her fingers traced the blade before she picked it up, blood of the earlier victim still staining the metal. Your whole body was shaking, your breaths coming out in stutters, your lips wobbling from unshed tears. Agatha noticed this and in a split second she was standing in front of you, one hand cradling your face and the other holding the knife.

"My love, don't cry. There's no reason to cry."

Before you registered what she said, you found yourself melting into her palm, a sense of safety washing over you. But then you realized. And pushed her away as best you could.

"No reason?" You scoffed, tears now rolling down your cheeks, "No reason? You killed people Agatha! Innocent women who-"

"They were not innocent!" She practically roared, pushing away from you to stand a few feet in front of you, using the hand with the knife to point.

"They broke their families. They kept secrets from everyone and used their daughters as nothing but collateral!"

As she yelled, your mind connected the dots and you let out a sob, making Agatha pause to stare at you. You ran a hand through your hair, shaking your head as you started to laugh hysterically under your breath.

"This, all this, has been because of your mom?" You started out quiet then began to yell, "These women were not your mother! Their lives were not yours to judge, not yours to take! Your mother treated you horribly yes, but that is not an excuse for murder!"

Your voice cracked on the last word, like you were finally accepting your reality. Your wife was a serial killer, an unstable serial killer. And what's worse is that you couldn't find it in you to hate her.

In a flash, your wife was back to crowding you against the wall, the knife now at your throat, her eyes ablaze.

"You have no idea, none at all, what I went through! How dare-"

She paused at your hiss of pain and watched, mesmerized, as a drop of blood slid down your neck. Your eyes met and she watched as sadness, confusion, betrayal swirled. She relieved the pressure of the knife, leaning in closer. You cursed yourself as your eyes flickered down to her lips. You barely saw the smirk before her lips crashed against yours, desperate and possessive. It was a tidal wave of emotions, Agatha desperate to hold on to you and you were saying goodbye.

It ended when your phone rang.

Agatha pulled away. You made eye contact before you pushed Agatha with all your strength and ran. You ran through your house, towards the bedroom, very aware of your wife chasing you. You made it to the room, slamming the door open and using your body weight to keep the door shut, even the lock started to budge from the force of Agatha's pushes. With shaking hands, you pulled out your phone and answered it. Darcy's frantic voice filled your room.

"Y/N? Oh my god Y/N, it's Agatha, it's your- Oh my god, you need to get out, I already sent cars, they're on their way. Y/N? Y/N!"

You struggled against Agatha on the other side of the door as she became more aggressive with Darcy's words.

"I'm-I'm okay right now Darcy, I'm going to be fine-"

The door broke down, sending you flying to the floor, sliding across it as you phone fell from your hand. You clutched your sides in pain as you watched Agatha pick up your phone.

"Goodbye, Ms. Lewis."

You could hear Darcy's panicked yelp before Agatha hung up. She turned to you, head cocked to the side as she took your lying form in. She started to walk towards you but you remembered your weapon. Too quick for either of you to understand, you had a gun pointed at your wife. Agatha practically skidded to a halt, her eyes radiating hurt. You pulled yourself up, now standing, never wavering in your stance.

"You would shoot me?"

Agatha's voice was small, almost scared. It almost fooled you, almost tricked you into lowering your guard and your gun, forgiving your wife of all her sins and finding a way to escape before the cops showed up.

But then your mind replayed the crime scenes in your head. The one from this morning fresh in its brutality. The slit throats, the methodically cleaned rooms.

You swallowed down your tears, voice wavering as you spoke.

"You don't give me another choice. This is my job, Agatha, to catch people like-like you. Did you think I would never find out?"

Agatha blinked as she finally showed an ounce of remorse. Not for her victims, for the relationship with you she killed.

"That was the plan."

Her words made time stand still around you, the sounds of sirens muffled as you stared at your wife, who didn't make any move to run as cops flooded into your house. As they handcuffed Agatha, you saw her eyes break away from you to someone at your side. Jimmy gently and cautiously took his gun from you, holding onto you as you collapsed into his arms, sobs wracking your body. At the sight of your crumpled form against your friend, Agatha started to fight against the handcuffs. The officers pushed her out of the room and you followed, watching as she was shoved into a car. Before the door shut, you caught her mouthing words at you.

I love you.

The tears wouldn't stop coming as you fell to your knees on your doorsteps, your body shutting down as you became silent.

All you wanted was to wake up from this nightmare but you knew you were stuck, this monstrous reality holding you hostage, striping you of your happiness.

It wasn't until the cars pulled away and your street went silent did you realize you were alone.

And alone you would now stay.

a/n: ok idk how I feel about the ending but this is last full fic of this AU! im not saying I have other things planned but im not denying it either. hopefully you enjoyed this and stay tuned :)

#agatha harkness #agatha harkness x reader #serial killer!agatha #forensic scientist!reader #agatha harkness fanfic #agatha x reader #agatha harkness fanfiction #agatha harkness x you #agatha harkness x fem!reader #agatha harkness x y/n #agatha harkness x female reader

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chaifootsteps · 3 months

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Angel in Lackadaisy just makes me think of the other HH gang in it.

Charlie is a wealthy heiress who does to alot of charity work, including running her own rehabilitation centre.

Her girlfriend Agatha helps run it and is secretly an ex-gangster herself who was left for dead by her old gang.

Nifty is the maid. No real issue there.

Angel, Husk, and later Pertious are all clients at the centre.

Got nothing for Alastor.

Still a radio host, probably still a serial killer, but he's got a better design.

#Anonyous #viv stuff #actual blog post

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hope-you-brought-kneepads-bitch · 1 year

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A murderous game of cat and mouse

Summary: Your jealously reaches boiling point and shows Wanda how you deal with jealously, very dramatic of you to be honest poor Wanda, like she's stalked you for months and sent you poems and you treat her like this? God how dare you, poor Wanda

Words: 2,100

Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI Angst and swearing, murder, blood. The serial killer Wanda becoming soft and underestimating Y/n and also brief mention of Agatha (she'll be in here more in the future)

Taglist: @xxxtwilightaxelxxx (if anyone wants to be added let me know!)

"So Y/n who's this grumpy cat sat next to you?" The woman sat across the booth from you with Nat stood above you and Wanda sat next to you "a friend, she's here to make sure you keep to your deal" Wanda looked at you surprised moving her hand to your knee but you didn't flinch instead keeping your eyes on Agatha and taking a drink of your cocktail "a friend huh? Well okay then"

The meeting carried on without another word about Wanda and finished in a timely manner with Agatha agreeing to keep business with you and the three of you leaving the place in relatively good spirits, that was until Wanda pulled you aside leaving Nat in the car

"Y/n my love I don't understand what's going on? Why are you upset?" Wanda intertwined your hands while you refuse to look at her "are you angry?"

You pulled your hand away reaching into her pocket for what you were looking for, the knife, you ran it across her bare arm wordlessly "Y/n?"

"You annoyed me before" you said grabbing her arm and digging the knife in cutting her "does it hurt?"

She shook her head "no" wincing slightly at the clear pain but still refusing to say it hurt

You half smiled "shame, I want to hurt you" you turned away from her leaving her bleeding but Wanda didn't want to let you go "moya lyubov' if you want to hurt me, hurt me, I can take it"

You turned back around looking at her pouting "come here" she near enough jumped into your arms happy to be touching you again, suddenly a sharp pain pierced her abdomen and she gasped "Y/n?"

You smirked against her neck "do you feel it? A hot white pain? That's how I felt seeing you flirt with my friend, you won't be sleeping with her anytime soon, you need to learn that just because you can kill a few men and sweet talk me with poetry doesn't mean you can be a fucking brat"

Wanda refused to fall down instead kissing you hard trying to get any kind of pleasure from the searing pain she felt, you kissed her back pulling the knife out of her stomach hearing her groan into your mouth

You pulled away from her "oh honey" you stroked her face, the sweat starting to gather on her face "you know you'll be okay but you know why I did it right?"

She nodded hoarsely apologising "s-sorry" she started to fall but Nat appeared holding her up by the waist "I leave you two alone for 20 minutes and you stab her? In broad daylight? You're brave" the world around Wanda started to blur and the voices echoed into the background as the blood pulsed through to her ears

"Well she wanted to see my jealousy, that's what she gets"

Nat approved "well damn, I'm impressed"

You took Wanda from Nat holding her up and kissing her cheek "don't get too cocky Nat, you're the one who started it, sleep with one eye open"

Nat laughed "yeah okay whatever, where are you taking her?"

"To the apartment, she needs to rest"

"I'll start the car up" Nat turned back to the car opening the door so Wanda could lay down in the backseat with you, her head was lay on your lap and you stroked the hair out of her face holding both hers and your hand on her wound "beautiful" you whispered and a small whimper escaped her lips "shh rest, you'll feel better soon"

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

Wanda woke up a few hours later in a bed with a bandage around her stomach "good evening princess, we got you a burger, hope you're not vegan" Nat threw the bag at her and it "accidentally" fell onto her stomach "fuck off Natasha you did that purposely" she sat up stretching then immediately regretted it when the pain returned

"You deserved it you know?" The woman sat on the bed taking dome fries out of the bag eating them "I didn't think I deserved to be stabbed" she groaned

"Told you she's scary, but you impressed her by staying alive, she's waiting for you in the kitchen" Nat left Wanda alone to nibble at the burger but she eventually threw it away finding it inedible, finally she got up from the bed and headed to the kitchen seeing you sat on a stool looking through some papers and Wanda put on a happy demeanour.

"There's my killer girlfriend" she tried but you threw her a collar "wear it, I'm sick of the cat and mouse game, you want to be mine you will be, wear it"

Wanda scoffed "why don't you wear the collar? You're my pet" she picked the collar up still admiring the red colour "it is nice though"

You turned on the stool revealing another collar in your hand "I'll put it on when you do"

Wanda agreed putting the collar around her neck feeling your eyes on her the whole time "happy?" she finished and you jumped off of the stool walking towards her kissing on the cheek "you look beautiful" she kissed your lips refusing to let you stop but you pulled away just as quick "you don't get anything from me yet, we need to do something first, do you feel up to it?"

"Yes, yes anything!" Wanda cringed internally, she'd never sounded so desperate in her life "what do you need?"

Your hand skated over her bandage and the dried blood that had bled through admiring your own handiwork "I need to go and deal with someone, you can help me, come on" you left the kitchen followed by your redhead, she wondered what it was but she had a pretty good idea what it would be anyway, she was just happy you weren't still mad at her

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

"So you want me to kill someone? Because you know I will, I stand by what I said detka, I'll kill anyone to make you happy"

You smirked at her desperation "and you think your a top, that's hilarious"

The woman shrugged "I'm still a top baby, we're just going through a rough patch"

You both entered an old abandoned warehouse and you searched for the light illuminating the room and Wanda's eyes landed to the middle of the room where an unconscious man sat "kill him and you'll get your wish to fuck me while covered in blood" you were pressed against her back kissing her neck and hearing her moan, god she was so sensitive for you.

"Who is he?" She asked

"Does it matter?" You pressed the special knife into her opened hand "our special knife is the perfect tool for him" you rounded her to face her and was bemused by her confused face "where has all that bravado gone mommy?"

The use of the moniker made Wanda drop the knife and then pick it up clumsily trying to keeping her composure "awe it's okay mommy I'll help you"

"Mommy doesn't need help" Wanda managed to say kissing you to hide her blush she felt creeping up "go on then princess, kill him, he's one of Agatha's little problems that needs to be solved"

Wanda nodded and moved closer to the man who started to wake up "what's-what's happening..."

"Agatha knows you're a snitch Bruce and wants you dead, my girl here plans on showing you just what happens to snitches, go on Scarlet"

"No! No come on man I haven't snitched on Agatha! She trusts me!" He tried pulling on his restraints but failed "you told Strucker about what Agatha was planning and now her plans have been sent back months-

"Fucking bitch!"

There was a hard punch stopping him talking from Wanda "don't you dare talk to you my girlfriend like that" her voice was quiet and scary making him swallow hard and twisting his face in surprise realising something "Wanda? That's the woman you've been stalking for months?! What the hell are you doing?"

Wanda's face drained of colour, she'd really hoped he didn't recognise her but that didn't work, looking back at you not realising you'd come closer and was standing behind her now "you know him honey?" You asked and Wanda shook her head "no, no I don't"

"Then do it, kill him" you kissed her shoulder letting your head rest there too "you know how to do it right? Just a stab through the carotid artery, the knife is sharp enough to do it, but you have to be confident, plus you'll be covered in blood and isn't that what you wanted?"

Wanda clenched her jaw and closed her eyes thinking, was she really going to kill an old partner of hers?

She opened her eyes taking the knife and stabbing deep in his neck, the blood splattering onto the knife, her hand and her arm, not as much blood as she wanted but enough

Bruce's gurgled noises and screams drowned out eventually and the man sat limp on the chair

"Well done princess, give me the knife" your hand found its way wrapped around the handle of the knife bringing it back to her and spinning Wanda around kissing her "are you okay?"

She smiled "absolutely" you went to speak again but Wanda stopped you taking back what little control she currently had "take your shirt off"

You stepped back "what?

Wanda wasted no time in stripping you of your shirt and going to cut your new bra off of you bit you stopped her annoying her "little girl I'm not going to be patient any longer, you've had your fun being in charge but its now time to get back to how we were, you doing exactly as I say-

You cut her off pulling at her collar "I'm not the bottom you think I am Scarlet"

You let go of the collar pushing her back a little "I was going to fuck you but you've ruined it, go and get cleaned up"

"Seriously?! Why are you acting like this?? I spent months and months chasing you, sending you poems and pictures and professing my love to you and we finally get together and your treating me like one of your victims!"

You were shocked into silence "what the fuck are you talking about? Why would I treat you like a victim? Don't ever say that to me again"

The woman continued "Oh hit a nerve did I?"

"Seem's we've gone past the honeymoon stage, shame it only lasted like a day" you were calm...too calm for anyone's liking, you picked up your shirt putting it back on without another word

Going to leave the room Wanda quickly followed you and you were both yet again seen by Nat who was intrigued by the conversation "trouble in paradise?"

"Fuck off Natalia" Wanda snapped and the other redhead sighed "so we're not having sex against a wall later? I was really looking forward to it and being covered in dirt from rolling around"

Her sarcastic voice was drowned out in the background as you both walked off back towards your apartment "why are we fighting?! Wanda shouted at you and you finally stopped turning back to her "I don't know Wanda, why are we fighting?"

She let out a sigh "okay look I'm sorry I said I felt like one of your victims why was it a big deal?"

"It doesn't matter, just-just leave me alone for a few hours please"

You stormed off leaving Wanda once again confused, stressed and sexually frustrated

"Well well Wanda, you've really messed that one up" Nat slid up to next to the stressed woman and watched you walk off, the silence engulfing them both for a little while, finally Nat spoke up first

"Her last relationship didn't end well"

She turned to Nat listening intently, she probably shouldn't be telling Wanda this but she carried on

"Long story short Miss Witch, she had to kill her because she was giving away information and we found out....she was heartbroken and when we had to do it she kept saying she was a victim of circumstance, Y/n couldn't do it, I had to do it, not that I minded she was a bitch anyway"

Wanda was shocked, is that why you sounded so annoyed when she accused you of calling her a victim?

Nat noticed her internal struggle "you called yourself a victim didn't you?"

She nodded and Nat smacked her on the back of the head "fucking idiot"

Wanda rubbed her head where she slapped and muttered things under her breath

"I didn't mean to insult or upset her-

Nat cut her off "don't apologise to me red"

"You're right, okay take me to the apartment"

Nat patted her on the back "yes second boss"

"I'm getting a sense of Déjà vu here" both women went back to the car getting in and just sat for a moment "do I get her flowers?"

Nat burst out laughing "flowers?! She's not a whiny teenage girl Wanda, just go and apologise eat her out for a few hours and she'll be fine"

"Now thats something I can do! Alright let's go"

#marvel #Marvel au #marvel imagine #marvel fic #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #a murderous game of cat and mouse #wanda maximov #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #dark!wanda maximoff #dark!reader

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dubiouslynamed · 7 months

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Alright, this idea has been giving me a hard time for weeks. Out into the void it goes! Sorry it's so long. There's more under the cut, believe me.

CURTAIN/ NIAT RUC

The Bentley's license plate, NIAT RUC, has been visible from the beginning of this show and it's been nagging at the back of my head just as long. Why is it 'curtain' spelled backwards? What does it mean? And what is the overall story about? Crowley asks the question at the beginning of Season 2. What's the point of it all? Angels, demons, heaven, hell? Is that license plate a Clue? Obviously, I think it is.

Good Omens is about friendship and love, certainly. But there's more going on. The book and show both deal with huge moral and ethical questions-often in the flashbacks, but not always. Why is the universe the way it is? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do you choose between two bad options? Why should you have to, sometimes? Is it right to harm one person to save another (Or many others? Or all the others?). What's the point of it all?

I think that's part of why this particular story, in whatever medium it's told, is so compelling. I love the characters and the writing and the direction and the production-clearly all the work of many very committed people who also love the story and have the skill and talent to bring it to life. But the best stories, and for me this is one of them, examine the *really* big questions. Good Omens asks those questions and somehow (Maybe by using an angel and demon as protagonists? I don't know. It's a mystery!) manages to be hugely entertaining while doing so.

Curtain is Agatha Christie's last Hercule Poirot mystery. She wrote it in the early 1940s, partly worried she might die in the Blitz and leave her detective without a satisfactory ending, and locked it up to be published over 30 years later in the 1970s. In it, a dying Poirot solves the mystery of the identity of a serial killer who has mastered the art of psychologically provoking other people to commit murders without ever being found out as the person who persuaded them to kill. There isn't enough evidence to charge this indirect murderer with anything and Poirot believes he will continue his crimes uncaught. Poirot murders the serial killer himself (by deceiving his friend Hastings to a fare-thee-well and then arranging the evidence to look like the killer committed suicide). He then stops taking the medicine that has been keeping him alive. Poirot's solution is what he sees as the lesser evil of murdering the killer followed by atonement in the form of his own death. In short, Poirot has chosen among the bad options available to him while retaining the moral sense that his choice is itself evil. Some Christie fans won't read Curtain and I don't blame them.

The Metatron looks a lot like the manipulative serial killer in Curtain, though a writer as skilled as Neil Gaiman doesn't borrow entire characters or plots. The Metatron is certainly in a position to have influenced or even caused some of Heaven's morally outrageous actions by representing them as the word of God. Poisoning the angels against humanity bit by bit over millennia until they have no problem with the idea of destroying all of creation. They're even enthusiastic about it. Heaven is arguably worse than Hell at this point because, in fairness, Hell seems to look at humanity as a recruitment opportunity more than anything else.

In the first series of Good Omens, we see Crowley propose murdering the Antichrist to stop the Apocalypse and Aziraphale come close to doing it (he is only stopped by Madame Tracy's good sense from firing the thunder gun at Adam). You have to wonder what would have happened to Aziraphale if he'd managed to succeed. Something like Poirot's death? Do even good-hearted angels have to choose between bad options?

I believe that authors, being deeply concerned with words and their meanings, should be taken seriously about what they call their stories. An omen is a portent, for good or for evil, of events to come. So the name Good Omens essentially means 'this is a story about good things that will happen in the future'. Perhaps, perhaps, then, Good Omens is a story about finding and removing a source of evil in the universe without having to commit a moral crime to do it and, as a consequence, getting things more on track to a happier ending for everyone, our characters included. Not to a place where too often there is only a choice among bad options but to a place where there are more good options. More reason for the dealer in God's metaphor to be smiling all the time. Not Curtain, but its reverse.

#gos2 #good omens #good omens meta

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