#// but at least it's quicker to watch than bloodline -

[demonsfate]

tek adaptations based on their watchability (from most to least)

tek the motion picture

tek (2010) [look as a tek movie it was far from a faithful adaptation, but at least it wasn't BORING]

tek blood vengeance

tek bloodline [writing wise, not as bad of bv, but it's longer, so harder to watch for that reason]

tek: kazuya's revenge

[scaranation]

Hai! this is my first time request something in here, so i kinda nervous xd and English is not my first language 😅 (sorry if there any mistaken word)

Ok so, can i request readerxtighnari modern au, with a reader is a cat and they really like to tease tighnari about his ears/tail all the time they meet but then tighnari try to against it (it fails). Then reader give him a (It's up to you) sfw please:) but a little fl-

Thank you for taking my request if you read this:) and i hope you get what i actually mean (i'am bad at explaining)(⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠) , once again i apologize if there are any mistaken words in here (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

(By the way, I really like your writing style, keep the spirit !!:))

i wasn’t sure if i interpreted this correctly but i love the idea of tighnari being teased 🥹❤️ i also made reader a descendant of the Kätzlein bloodline like Diona, I hope you enjoyy

༊*·˚ 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃

Pairing: Tighnari x Cat!reader

Content: Fluff, sfw

In which you’ve made it your greatest mission to pet Tighnari’s ears - no matter what it took.

Tighnari’s non-human traits never went unnoticed by your feline gaze, and your greatest passion was to latch onto his tail or tease him about his ears, much to his annoyance. Despite his vehement protests - usually gritted out between clenched teeth as he hid his blush behind a book - you simply loved to mock Tighnari’s foxlike features, asserting the superiority of your own Kätzlein lineage.

Tighnari’s impeccable hearing, when coupled with your natural stealth, made for an interesting scene. The other residents of Gandharva Ville would always watch in amusement as you snuck up on the ranger, desperate to stroke those silky ears at least once. It was clear however that - in spite of his irritated rejections - Tighnari certainly held a soft spot for you. After all, no other person could possibly go unpunished after attempting to not only sneak up on him but also let his ears. As both a well respected botanist and a director of the nature reserve, many were slightly afraid of the man.

-

Tighnari awoke to the sound of banging on his apartment door. He groggily rubbed the last dregs of sleep from his eyes, lumbering over to look through the peephole in a daze.

The sight of your face pressed against the other side of the peephole greeted the tired ranger, and he reluctantly let you in - taking note of the aromatic smell wafting from the takeaway bag you had in your hands.

“Breakfast is served! No need to thank me, I’d usually sleep in, but I heard you had an afternoon shift today. Pity I won’t be able to catch you then.” You treated Tighnari’s modest loft as if it were your own, stretching out on the couch and placing the food down.

“If you’re thinking about trying to grab my tail again, I’d advise against it.” Tighnari frowned disapprovingly.

“Come on, I’m just here to have a nice chat with a friend. No need to be so wary.” You rolled your eyes as you took out the breakfast you’d ordered from a cafe down the street, beckoning for the man to sit beside you.

“Breakfast on the coffee table? And sitting on a couch?”

“Would it kill you not to be so picky? Besides, it’s more comfortable here.”

As Tighnari sat down at your side, you glanced at him mischievously. Of course, you hadn’t been intending to touch his ears or his tail before, but they looked so soft and velvety. He was sitting right there, and he was focused on eating - it wouldn’t hurt to just give his ears one tiny stroke, right? You weren’t sure if it was your personal inclination or your feline compulsion, but the urge to feel that soft fur was unbearable.

Your plan didn’t get very far however, because Tighnari lunged away from you quickly - quicker than you could react. You’d thrown your weight into reaching out for his ears, and nothing could stop you now as you plummeted into him. Now sprawled sideways across the couch on top of the poor Tighnari, you could only gape.

You expected the man to shove you off and scold you harshly, but he stared back in shock - face quickly turning red. Perhaps, you thought, he was having a delayed reaction and his face was flushing in anger.

Instead however, you found your two faces drifting closer until Tighnari braced his hand on the back of your neck and closed the remaining distance, pressing his lips to yours.

You could feel the heat simmering on his cheeks, see each strand of the lashes that fanned down from his closed eyes. The slightly messy state of his hair. You could feel his hand shake slightly on your nape, his lips tasting like maple syrup.

You took the liberty of shoving away from Tighnari quickly, retreating backwards and staring. You realised your eyes had never closed, and they now met his dejected gaze as the two of you stared at each other from opposite ends of the couch.

“You-”

“You-”

Both you and Tighnari began stuttered attempts at processing what’d just happened, but simply shut your mouths. Tighnari snapped his eyes away from yours, adjusting himself to sit properly on the couch again. You narrowed your eyes, the back of your neck prickling at the awkward tension.

Finally, after a long pause, you felt your pride as an honoured feline hybrid slip as you sheepishly turned to look at Tighnari.

“Can we… do that again?” You avoided eye contact, internally furious that you were feeling nervous - in front of Tighnari, no less. Usually you were supposed to be the one teasing him.

Without a moment of hesitation, Tighnari pulled you in again. You had to remind yourself to close your widened eyes as you sank into the warm exchange, your hands finally managing to stroke his delicate ears.

Mission accomplished.

[countrymusiclover]

26 - A Coven’s Leader

Part 27

Gemini Runaway

@dragonixfrye @secretdreamlandmentality

Jacob and I were standing in front of our birthday cake at our sixteenth birthday. Holding his hand in mine we blew out the candles on the chocolate and strawberry cake hearing everyone clap. “That is so great, you two.” Our mother took our picture until we saw our uncle coming in our direction.

“Happy birthday my niece and nephew. A few more years and you’ll be all grown up.” He smiled at us but I could see he wanted to talk to our mother. He bent down on a knee holding out his hands to us. "We share a history. A bloodline.. We're family."

Jacob and I placed our hands in each individually but my brother said. “You’re our uncle but mom doesn’t mention you often.”

“That’s because I am a very busy guy. But I’ll let you all in on a little secret. Come close.” He beckoned us forward where we scooted closer hearing him begin to chant something. “Sanguinem desimilus, sanguinem generis fiantus."

I winced trying to pull away from him. “Agh!…uncle you're hurting us!”

“Uncle!” Jaocb cried.

Before he could go any further he winced sharply seeing my mother grab his head siphoning him until he collapsed onto his back groaning. “Urgh Eliza!”

“Are you two okay?” She rushes to us seeing that our arms weren’t bruised or anything.

I shook my head rubbing my hands. “Just sore and tired, mom.”

“Go and lay down. Take your brother with you.” She pushed us toward the house where I glanced over my shoulders. “I don’t want you anywhere near my children ever again.”

Joshua couched getting to his feet. “One of them will become the leader whether you like it or not, sister.”

“Who the hell are you, mate?” Klaus asked staying in front of me as a bodyguard being able to feel my heartbeat almost racing where I might kill over by the level of fear running through me.

Joshua moved forward, extending his hand. “I’m Joshua Parker. It’s nice to meet you Klaus Mikaelson.”

Klaus eyed his hand about to move forwards but I shoved myself in between the pair smacking his hands away knowing what he was going to do. “No! You don’t get to magic his ass. Now what the hell are you doing here. And how did you even find me?”

“We share blood. I still have the strongest magic of our coven or at least I did until I found your spot on the map. Somehow your strength has grown at a quicker rate than should be physically possible.” He explained it to me.

Klaus raised his hand tugging me backwards by my forearm. “That’s because of me, Joshua is it. You know I have heard quite a lot about you. And none of the stories are good. So I suggest you get out of here before I rip your throat out!” He showed him his fangs and the werewolf eyes.

“If you kill me then she’ll die too.” Joshua said, meeting my gaze where I crossed my arms over my chest stepping away from him.

Klaus smirked at him. “She’s linked to me, she’s basically immortal now.”

“Then why are there marks on her arms huh. I am not an idiot. Every time she used magic and became weak I felt it.” My uncle stepped closer trying to get my attention. “Now can we please talk some privately because I didn’t have to come out here.”

Snapping back at him I bared my teeth, stomping up to him. “If you don’t want to be here then go home. I don’t want anything to do with you ever since the day I met you, you have done nothing but try and get me and my brother to Merge. Now that you forced us to do so I murdered my own brother-“

“I have done the same thing you did.” Joshua cut me off.

Throwing my hands in the air I shouted at him clutching my hands into fists breaking some of the street lights around us without doing any magic at all. “You don’t know what it feels like to watch your brother die and have no clue that it was going to happen. You may have killed yours and think it is okay but it’s not. It’s the thing that keeps me awake at night and I will never find peace knowing that he suffered!”

“I had to do it before I got sick and died. I don’t have the patience to wait a couple more years for the twins.” He raised his voice at me.

“Oh yeah because you’re afraid that Kai is trying to get out!”

For the first time in my life I saw honor take over my uncle's face. Klaus came to stand beside me grasping my hand in his sending me a confused look not understanding. “What are you talking about, Raelyn. He’s trapped in a prison world. He can’t get out.”

“Well I’ve seen him. When I took on the Original witch's magic I passed out and saw him. He talked to me somehow like I was in his prison for only a split second. But he’s trying to escape, mark my word, Uncle. He threatened to kill me one night when I was heading to bed.” I marched up to him grabbing his hands making him wince when I showed him my memories before he pushed me away.

Klaus caught me in his arms when I stumbled backwards gripping his jacket. “He will never get out. You are just lying so that I don’t do the ritual to make you the leader. So I don’t transfer my power over to you and put the whole coven in the hands of your baby. On the off chance that you carry twins inside your belly!”

“There’s no baby, Uncle Joshua.” I attempted to lie knowing that he didn’t have vampire hearing.

He scoffed, raising his hand chanting a mind spell. “Do you take me for a fool, Raelyn. Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus. Per mental mi heavy for anmina. Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus!” I grabbed the sides of my head seeing my past memories coming to the surface.

Shrugging my shoulders I throw my hands away from my side. “From what I gather I am able to have a child because he was born a werewolf. So before he turned he was a mortal supernatural being.”

“You two have slept together recently.” The witch shouted, making me halt in my tracks.

Klaus took a few steps back dragging me behind him and shielding me with his chest. “What are you saying?”

“Niklaus… The girl is carrying your child.” Elijah reveals to him where my hand’s dropped down to my stomach in shock.

Screaming I wanted the pain to stop. “Get out of my head, Uncle Joshua!”

“Pontem praesidio. Anchora immortalibus - urgh!” He grunted getting pinned against the wall by Nik who was choking him by the throat.

Raising to my feet I began gasping for breath when his eyes started rolling in the back of his head. “Klaus, let him go…..if you kill him we all die!”

“He’s hurting you, Rae. He won’t have much to say if he doesn’t have his tongue.” My boyfriend threatened shoving his fangs again.n

Raising my hand casting a sleeping spell on him snapping his neck quickly. Uncle Joshua collapsed to the ground gasping for breath staring up at me when he saw my hand was extended down to him. “See you’re just like me. Doing what is best for the Coven.”

“I didn’t save your life to benefit the Coven. I did it to keep Josette, Lucas and Olivia alive.” Yanking him up to his feet I glared into his gray eyes that focused on me. “Now if you’re so concerned with the Coven then send your power to me. I’ll become the leader!”

He raised a brow. “You have repeatedly said you don’t want it.”

“You’re right I don’t give a crap about the others in our Coven. I was an outcast by everyone else except for my mother and Josette. So they can all rot for all I care. But I will do what I have to do to save the ones that I actually do love.” I stomped up to him almost pressed up against his chest where we could feel the others' breath.

Joshua glanced down to my boyfriend Klaus who was still dead from the neck snap I had given him. He bent down placing his hand on his chest looking back up at me. “So he’s the father huh. I am surprised that you got him. Everyone knows to fear his name.” He got to his feet laying his palms flat for me. “You are doing what you were born to do, Raelyn Lane.”

“Save it, Uncle and start chanting!” I shouted up at him smacking my hands into his larger one.

He closed his eyes, wincing a little when I began to siphon his magic while he chanted the Merge spell and another spell I wasn’t familiar with.“Sanguinem desimilus, Sanguinem generis flantes. Sanguinem desimilus, Sanguinem generis flantes…Tillate ulaz tillate ulaz tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz tillate ulaz tillate ulaz.”

“Raelyn…no!” Klaus regained his consciousness the second that the wind blew around us and he could see our intertwined hands.

Yet I ignored him chanting at the same time as my uncle. “Sanguinem desimilus, Sanguinem generis flantes. Sanguinem desimilus, Sanguinem generis flantes…Tillate ulaz tillate ulaz tillate ulaz. Tillate ulaz tillate ulaz tillate ulaz.” Wincing sharply as a huge amount of power gets transferred into my bloodstream struggling to remain linked to the spell when I enter his mind space.

Before my eyes I relived the memory the night he put his son away. "Josette, what did you do? Why can't I feel your magic? And why aren't they saying anything? They should be saying something. They should be saying something, right? We're merging. This should all be a bigger deal."

Suddenly Uncle Joshua appears, holding the Ascendant and stepping forward from the circle of the coven around them. "Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum."

Kai began screaming in pain on the ground. "Aah! Aah!"

Uncle Joshua kept performing the spell. "Phesmatos filio, phesmatos effurgarex perpetuum."

He dropped our hands and I felt lightheaded immediately afterwards. My uncle collapsed onto the ground and I fell backwards seeing Klaus hovering above me trying to keep me awake but I didn’t have enough strength. “Raelyn. Raelyn, keep your eyes opened. Stay with me, love!”

The next time I blinked my eyes open I was brought face to face with Tyler Lockwood sitting on the end of the bed in one of the mansion. I croaked out still feeling drained from the spell that we had done not understanding how we got back to the Falls so fast. “Tyler, what are you doing here?”

“Getting revenge on Klaus. He is busy getting someone to check on you. But he won’t find you.” He explains in a cold manner.

“What do you mean -“ I asked getting cut off when he covered my mouth with his hand and his other arm yanked me against his chest vamping us all the way into the middle of the woods.

He drops my weak body on the ground. “When the witch gets here we will use Raelyn to drag Klaus out here. Then we’ll finish him.”

Lifting my head up as much as I could I shivered seeing that there were twelve of his sired hybrids surrounding me. I raised my hand attempting to do the spell that I use to knock the Original family down but nothing happened. “Tyler, listen to me if he finds out you have me he will kill you.”

“Yeah except you see when he gets here, he won’t make it out alive.” He bent down on a knee biting into my neck throwing me into the strong arms of two of the hybrids that held me there bleeding slowly. “Keep her until he gets here. Then you know what to do.”

It was a few hours when night fell before one of the hybrids came back from town standing. “Where the hell is the witch? Adrian should be here any minute.”

The one named Adrian gasped before he collapsed to the ground and I saw that Nik had taken out his heart angrily watching the others. “Kim.”

“Klaus!” I gasped, choking on blood feeling more lighthearted than when I did the spell with my uncle.

He dropped the heart holding a longsword in his other hand stalking up to the remaining hybrids, specifically never taking his eyes off the two holding me on the ground. “You’ve got exactly less than a second to release her if you wish to make it out of here alive!”

One of the hybrids launches himself up into the air but he swings the sword killing him. He vamped forward, slicing a few others with the weapon. One of the hybrids holding me bit into my neck leaving the other to charge at him dying like the others. “One more step and I’ll kill her.”

“No you won’t!” Klaus growled vamping the hybrid against the tree behind me where my body got thrown harshly into another tree stabbing me multiple times where I felt my blood coming out.

Klaus went after the last hybrid girl who ran to the cellar getting trapped turning to see him covered in blood. “Where is Tyler Lockwood? You'd do well to answer me, love. Where is he?!”

She shuttered, trapped in between him and the cell bars. “I don't know.”

“Wrong answer.” He stabbed her with the sword, vamping back to me dropping the sword biting into his wrist in a panic to save me like he did last time something like this happened. “Raelyn - drink love.”

Wrapping my fingers weakly around his hand I took only two sips before my eyes fell closed and I collapsed into his arms. “Nik….” And for the last time did he hear her heartbeat before there was nothing.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[lizzyk137]

His Complicated Mate- Chapter Eight

Want to read more, visit my Masterlist!

----------------------- Jaxon -------------------

An hour went by since Lucille was found, when I saw my dad making his way up to the porch. "How is she?" I stood up, nervous on what he might say.

"She's okay. She fought off four rogues by herself while also being injected with some kind of serum. Nothing is broken and her lungs were filled with some dirt, but her wolf managed to help her out. The doctor had her on oxygen to get her lungs working well again."

"She was injected?" I asked as we made his way back into his office where my mother stood waiting for him with a cup of hot coffee and a thick sweater. She looked worried by the conversation and my dad sensed it and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her swollen belly.

"It looks like it could be something to help with breeding. It looks like it triggers a female wolf's heat to happen quicker. We don't know if this was at random or if they know she's from a unique family. They may be trying to breed a mixture of supernatural beings if our theory is right."

"So, a vampire werewolf hybrid?" My mother asked concerned.

"More than that," my father replied. "I know her aunt is a powerful witch, her bloodline is rare enough as it is but adding her to the mix complicates things even more."

"Oh my. Is she okay, at least?" My mother sat down shocked.

"No broken bones but the doctor thinks she'll be in heat soon. He wants her here since there is too many unmated males in the hospital's area. I think it's a good idea to, that way we can keep her protected. Do you think you'll be alright, Jaxon?"

I nodded, at this point I'd do anything to make sure she was okay. I have no idea why I felt this way besides the guilt I had about how she was treated but I knew I'd do anything to see her back to her old self again.

"Good, I'll have all the unmated males leave the house and I'll move them to another location. I don't want anything happening, especially with her being injected. I don't want anyone we don't know and trust in this house."

There was silence for a second before my mother sat up saying, "I need to call her parents! They must be worried sick!"

"Don't worry Felicity, I already had someone call them when we found her. Her family is heading over now with her aunt." My dad wrapped my mom up in his sweater and held her.

For some reason it made me want to do that with Lucille. I shook the random thought out of my head before asking, "Her whole family is coming?"

"Yes, her parents, and she has younger siblings that will be coming they just need to get out of the Voxe? I have no idea what that is but they're bringing along her aunt and two of her close friends to make her more comfortable. Honey, you should probably get rid of the garlic and make sure the kid's teeth are brushed before meeting them."

My mum immediately stood up and made her way to the kitchen. My dad laughed and smiled as he watched her walk away.

"We'll need to get people out of the house, and in a safe location. Why don't you gather them and I'll get them to the other pack house." My father said, and I nodded and we headed out of the office.

Within the next half hour we got everyone that wasn't the Alpha or the Beta's family out. Sam was in strict lockdown since he was unmated like me and had already turned eighteen already. My mom and Celine, the current's Beta's wife had cleaned up the guest rooms and made it vampire friendly.

"This certainly has been a interesting last couple of days." Celine said and she wiped down a counter in the kitchen. "To think I've lived this long and this is my first tropical storm and my first time coming face to face with vampires. I'm not excited about the storm but very excited to meet more people like us."

"That's they type of attitude I want to here. Keep it up Celine!" My dad said pushing past us to grab another coffee. "They're going to bring her in with her family. They want to see if her aunt is able to use witchcraft to see what they can do about the injection."

The front door opened and the smell of vampires wafted in. I could hear my mother helping them take off their wet clothes and shoes and soon the sound of tiny feet came down the hall. My mother held each little boys hand. They had raven dark hair with bright gold eyes, a splitting image of their parents and nothing how Lucille looked. "Aren't they just precious looking? I mean look at their little overalls! Matthew we need to get some for the baby! Don't you agree Celine?"

Celine agreed and placed two small, covered mugs of cocoa on the counter. My mother and Celine helped them up on the kid safe bar chairs and passed them their cocoa. They accepted eagerly.

"Jaxon, why don't you take them to the entertainment room, Lexi and Alex are in there playing." I helped them down and showed them the entertainment room. They gasped at the size and my siblings ran over when they saw them.

"Hi! I'm Lexi and this is my brother Alex, we're six!" Lexi said flashing a smile showcasing her missing front teeth. "I lost three of my teeth!"

Lucille's younger brothers looked nervous for a second as they held hands looking at Lexi and Alex.

"I'm Jaxon, I'm Lucille's friend. What are your names?" I asked hoping to make them comfortable.

"I'm Stephan, I'm three!" The youngest once said with an adorable lisps.

"I'm five and I'm Vincent." The oldest one eventually said.

Alex showed them his toy car and they all ran to the massive toy box in the corner of the room and started playing. I watched them play until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up to find Celine and her older daughter Vanessa with her child on her hip.

"We'll watch them, your friend is here. Go see her." I got up and ran to the foyer where Lucille stood being crushed in a hug by my mom.

"Well well well, look who we have here." An unfamiliar voice said. I looked over to see a women with black hair streaked with grey wearing a maroon cloak over a black dress. "I smell a strong future Alpha in you. Jaxon, right? I'm Aunt Tay."

"Hello." I put my hand out to shake hers. "It's nice to meet you."

I looked over at Lucille as my mother started talking about the room arrangements and caught her looking at me. She looked upset but scared mostly. I sent her a reassuring smile and she gave a small one back.

"Are you okay?" I mind linked to her.

"I am, but I'm nervous. I'm sorry for exploding on you earlier. I shouldn't have run off."

"No! I should have went after you and should have been smarter and not let you get hurt like that."

"Are you mind linking?" A girl's voice asked and I tuned out of Lucille's and my mind link to notice that Lucille was standing next to a girl and a guy. The guy was too close to my liking.

"Hey, leave Nathan alone. You're staring daggers at him. He's my friend plus he's crazy about Angie. He's the least of your concerns." Lucille said smirking as I wiped my sour face away.

"Not fair! I want to know what you're saying!" Angie cried out. She was short and slim with blond hair while Nathan was tall and built with dirty blonde hair.

"Maybe you should be a wolf instead of a vampire then." Lucille taunted, causing Nathan to laugh at Angie's pouting.

"Jaxon, why don't you show Lucille and her friends around, okay? I bet they're tired and want to get warm." My mom said, pushing me towards Lucille.

I gave a small smile and showed them around the bottom floor- the kitchen, entertainment room, dining room, sun room, the offices, the library and the ball room.

"Holy cow, this place is huge!" Angie said as she took in the sights around her. "So this is where the head families live?"

"Yep, once the new Alpha replaces the old one, they move in and then when they have a family they live here."

"And you're the next Alpha?" Nathan asked as we headed upstairs.

"Yeah, I was chosen when I turned eleven. That's when I got my wolf."

I showed them the area they would be staying in- one area of the upstairs was the Beta's and then one part was for guests and the other was the Alpha family.

"Where will I be sleeping?" Lucille asked.

"My room since it has a tub in it, at least that's the reason my mom gave me. I'll be sleeping in the entertainment room so you don't got to worry." Lucille nodded and I opened the door for her and she set her stuff inside. "I just got to grab a couple things before I go. Mind link me if you need anything, okay?"

I grabbed the things I needed and headed out.

"Hey, Jaxon? Do you mind staying for a bit till I fall asleep?"

I turned back around and headed inside my room.

-----

"When's your birthday?" Lucille asked as she laid in bed. I sat at my desk with the desk light on.

"Tomorrow. You?" We had been asking questions and talking for the past hour. I could tell she was nervous, but she was trying to play it off.

A small smile played on her lips. "Same"

"Really? Tomorrow we both will be eighteen?"

I hummed in reply, and we both went silent for a bit.

"What do you think your mate is like?" She asked after a while.

"I don't know, nice I hope and wants to help the pack. She'll be a Luna and that comes with a lot of responsibilities. It'll be hard but if we truly are meant to be then we can get through any challenges thrown at us, just like my parents have." I answered. I've never been fond of relationships but I've always envied the kind my parents had. I just didn't feel like I'd ever get that one day. People were serious about their mates but a lot of wolves were giving up their mates for people they've been with or were mating each other before they found their actual mate. I just didn't want to find the one and not be able to have her.

"I just want someone who will love me for me. Someone I can belong with and not feel out of place." I looked over at her and she had this sad expression on her face.

I looked at the clock, 11:20, we'd have to be up in a bit. "Are you getting sleepy yet? Cause I don't think asking questions is getting us far."

"No, I'm too cold to sleep." I got up and turned up the heater and pulled a throw blanket from the end of the bed over her.

"There that should help." I said, tucking the blanket in closer to her.

"You feel warm." She said happily. "Stay with me a little longer?" She looked at me with these big eyes and I found my body doing just as she asked. I got in beside her, wrapping the blanket around us both and laid next to her. "Thank you." She whispered and soon I heard her breathing change and her heartbeat slow. I wiped a few strands of hair from her face and wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close to me. She was burning up and I knew tomorrow wasn't going to be fun for her. She snuggled into my chest and soon I felt my eyelids grow heavy and my breathing began to match hers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh my goodness, they're adorable!" I heard my mother whisper.

"Tay, is this not the time to be taking pictures!"

"Oh shush Eliza, you're going to want this in the future."

I groaned and opened my eyes to see three women staring at me. "What is going on?" I went to sit up but felt something heavy laying on my chest and I looked down to see the most gorgeous creature I've ever seen. Her smell was intoxicating, it was sweet like lilacs after a rainy day. I felt this instant connection and my wolf stirred happily. 'Mate! Mate!' It called out, and my eyes grew big at the realization.

"Holy shit." I whispered, causing the three women to laugh waking up the sleeping girl. She opened her eyes and looked into mine and gave me a big smile then I watched her eyes go from sleepy to shocked as she stared at me.

"Look at them." My mother cooed.

"Mother as much as I love you, what are you doing in my room?" I asked not looking away from Lucille.

"Oops, I guess we better leave. Guess we'll leave these love birds alone." Tay giggled as she practically skipped to the doorway grabbing Eliza and my mom with her. "Breakfast will be done soon, get dressed and head downstairs. No funny business!" The door closed behind them.

"So," Lucille hesitated, "my wolf just said something..."

"Mhm, we're mates." I replied. Mark her, my wolf said and I rolled my eyed at him. "Well, my wolf is happy."

"Mine is too." She said quietly. I had this strong urge to hold her but she didn't seem thrilled with the idea of us being mates. "Can I do something?"

I was nervous over what she wanted but still granted it. She leaned over and looked at my face closely before gently placing her lips on mine. She pulled away and smiled. God, I want to see that smile all the time, I thought. I cupped her cheek and brought her face to mine and kissed her again.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and placed her hands in my hair. I loved it when she did that. I deepened the kiss and wrapped my arms around her waist. She moved till she was straddling me and grinded her hips slowly against mine instinctively. I placed my hands under her ass and helped move her body as she grinded away on my already hard dick. I nuzzled her neck with my head, and I moaned as she rubbed me back and forth with her womanhood.

"Baby, stop." I said, my wolf getting upset with me for not completing what it wanted done. "Our parents are expecting us."

"Crap, you're right. Sorry." Lucille got off and rubbed her eyes with her hands.

"It's okay," I chuckled.

I let her use the bathroom in my room and I went down the hall to use my parents even though my body and wolf desperately wanted to shower with her. I got ready and put on some grey sweatpants, a white t-shirt and my dark blue windbreaker. I laced up my running shoes and waited for her by the door.

She walked out of my room looking breathtaking. She was in black workout leggings that showed off her incredible legs and butt, with a black sports bra that left little to my imagination and she had on a white cotton workout jacket unzipped.

I grabbed the opening sides of her jacket and pulled her close to me. "You look too good."

"Didn't we do this yesterday?" She teased smirking at me.

"We did, and the same urge to kiss you is still there." I whispered in her ear causing her to shiver.

She pushed me back and smiled. "Well, I'm hungry so your kisses will have to wait." She pulled away from my grasp and bounded down the stairs leaving me confused and wanting more this time.

[apricusnights]

"It's funny, what little we actually know about this world. Take the five Emperors for example. The amount of information we have is..well it really isn't all that impressive."

"I doubt that is anything that bothers you too much right? Otherwise you wouldn't have asked about it in the first place. Well, sit down and I'll tell you everything we know. Everything that the previous university presentation didn't go over."

"You can probably guess that we don't have concrete details on things like ages or where they are from. Just know that everything I tell you is pretty much everything anyone is gonna know. I doubt you're gonna find out any way other than tryin to speak to one of them...good luck with that."

"See this drawing? Oh right, I should probably mention that since we don't really have any pictures we have to go off details of those who have been before them. Anyway.."

"This is Clarion. We know the name because a few others have heard it. Clarion is..kind of..well if all of them are mysterious, this one is likely the most. They seem to enjoy causing mischief, they are something of a trickster if you will. They have a set of cat ears so we have to assume they decided at one point to get augmentation, unless those are natural..who knows."

"Nobody has seen Clarion fight but they are an emperor so I'm willing to bet their skill is way above just about everyone else. They seem to have some sort of shadow based power. Members of the Marigold clan reported being engulfed in shadow and suddenly waking up on a beach..half a world away."

Nations with possible bloodline ties: Fae Apricus Kwailai

"Ah right, the big man. His name is Vili, or so we are told. He's monstrous, we're talkin someone who could probably throw a titan class chimera. Vili has a set of horns, again maybe an augmentation at some point. He values strength above all else. It's said he watches battles across all nations. If you ask me it's likely that warriors often seek his blessing."

"He's regarded as the second strongest emperor, and possibly the oldest. He have some reports of a fight against him and it went about as well as you could expect Still, seems he respect those who refuse to give up even against overwhelming odds."

"We have no real idea what his powers may be. All we have are reports of his sheer strength, size, and neat invulnerability. Perhaps he simply hasn't had an open he considers worthy enough to show off what he can really do."

Nations with possible bloodline ties: Nivis Völsung Calere

"This is Tagetes, the rabbit eared emperor. As you can tell by the nickname she's got rabbit ear augmentations, I think? Like I said before, maybe they are natural..who knows with these folk."

"Tagetes hasn't been seen fighting so we don' have a lot of information on her style or what her combat abilities may be. We can assume they are fairly high though as she's managed to talk two of the other emperors down and that's not somethin everyone can do."

"She seems to posses the ability to heal someone from nearly any wound inflicted on them. There are rumors that she can pinpoint weak spots of sorts on any opponent and is able to somehow shut down someone's offense by striking them. Again, we've never heard of her fighting so how much of that is true, we may never know."

Nations with possible bloodline ties: Ricusare Asirel Fulminare Islands

"The drawing of the big lady there? That's Morrigan. Least I think that's her name. She's one we got a little bit of combat information about. She's strong, like insanely strong..might even rival Vili. But she's also really quick, quicker than she has any right to be. She seems to control some incredibly unique weapons...or maybe it's one weapon in several parts..hard to say."

"Reports say she's got some weird ability to drain the life force out of someone. Maybe it makes her stronger, maybe she just does it for fun. She's been known to be a bit sadistic on the battlefield."

"She's one of only two emperors that seem to have no augmentation done. She also seems to be one of the more mysterious emperors since little else is known about her."

Nations with possible bloodline tie: Kwailai Fae Réunion

"This one is gonna be short. See this guy? We don't even know what his name is. He's often referred to "The First". The first what? We don't know, maybe the first of the emperors. It would fit since he seems to have been around longer than the other four."

"Without any doubt in my mind I'd say he's the strongest one of the bunch. When you've got people as strong as the other emperors listening to you, and not wanting to get on your bad side..yeah."

"We have no reports on what his powers are, no reports on anything really. Wish I had more to give you but everyone seems to be at a loss when it comes to this guy."

Nations with possible bloodline ties: Apricus Crepusculum ???

"Can these folks really grant just about any desire you have? Who knows. Anyway, thanks for droppin by. You may be able to find some more information if you dig around enough but I doubt you'll find much more. "

"Have a nice weekend everyone!"

[honeybeefae]

Unexpected Visitors (Bat Boys x Reader)

Kinktober Day Four: In Heat

Summary// With your mother only being half river nymph, you didn’t expect to have to deal with hardly any of the things that full nymphs have to go through, especially heat. However, after a few days of painful cramping and unrelenting need, Madja diagnosed you with the thing you had thought would skip over you. So when you isolate yourself from your friends, specifically three Illyrian males, to ride it out, the last thing you expect is for them to come to your door offering help.

(My first multiple fic, my first heat fic, my first bat boys fic…ya girl is stressed but ready to impress. I hope it meets every wild fantasy you have because let's be honest, who hasn’t thought about being in the middle of them? Let me know how you like it!)

WARNINGS: 18+, smut, multiple partners, one reader, dirty talk, just so messy, oral (m&f), anal, everyone gets a hole lol, teasing, multiple orgasms, masturbation, cum eating, double penetration, 

After Madja had sent you off to your apartment, giving her best advice to just ride it out until the hunger and fever broke, you felt like sobbing. The room was too hot, the feeling of your clothes on your skin stimulating you too much, and with every agonizing step towards your bedroom, you cursed your mother and her entire bloodline.

River nymphs had heats every year, it was what kept their species alive, and you couldn’t fault them for that. But you did fault your mother, who granted was only half nymph, for dismissing your concerns over the same thing happening to you and explaining that you were hardly considered one of them, your blood holding more faerie than nymph. 

She had only experienced them every ten or so years so after you had hit the age of maturity and showed no signs, your mother assumed you were in the clear. If she were here now, you would be stomping your feet and shouting like a child for her lack of information that could help you at your most desperate hour. 

“I’m going to die here.” You groaned, stripping off your clothes and letting the air try to dry your sweat-slicked body. “I have nothing, no one, to help and by the time anyone finds me I will be dust from how bloody hot my skin is.”

A sharp cramp twisted your stomach, sending you to your knees as you cried out in pain. Madja had given you a few tips to help you, most of them being some form of intercourse or sexual gratification, but you could barely gain the strength to use your own hand let alone prowl the streets for a poor guy.

Suddenly you remembered her suggestion of an ice bath, knowing it would at least curb the heat, and you crawled to your bathroom to turn on the tap to the coldest setting. You didn’t even wait for it to fill up, slinking all the way down as the water rose slowly.

It made you hiss at the drastic change, your skin now feeling like it was getting freezer burned, but you gritted your teeth and closed your eyes to try and meditate through the pain.

I can do this. I can get through this. I am more than my pain.

“Motherfucker.” You grunt, feeling like a knife is slicing open your belly while a fresh wave of need makes your already wet sex even wetter. Using your foot to turn off the water that was now up to your neck, you let your other hand slide into the tub and between your folds.

As soon as you touched your clit the tension in your neck and shoulders started to disappear. It was like drinking water after going through a desert, an orgasm already building up quicker than your fingers could rub.

Your mind flickered through different people, and different scenarios, trying to find one to settle on to bring you over the edge. The coil was getting tighter and tighter, your body screaming for release just as you imagine your friends, three of them to be exact, watching you hungrily as you chased your release.

The image stayed front and center in your mind, molding to them fisting their own cocks as they watched, and you felt your orgasm start to travel up your body. 

Until loud, insistent knocking ripped you from your fantasy. 

You let out a shriek of frustration, almost falling out of the bathtub as you got up and wrapped a towel around yourself to march over to the door. Whoever it was was still knocking, and when you yanked it open, you opened your mouth to scream at them to leave you the hell alone before letting it snap shut in shock.

Rhysand, Azriel, and Cassian stood outside your apartment looking somewhat uncomfortable, all of them fidgeting in their spots as you stood there dripping wet. 

Literally and figuratively.

“W-what are you guys doing here?” You stuttered, grasping your towel closer to your body while trying not to think about what you had just imagined in the bathroom. Madja had told you she would explain your condition to them, but you hadn’t expected them to come over. 

“Uh, Madja told us you were sick, so we just wanted to check on you.” Cassian said while rubbing the back of his head. You knew they could smell your arousal, but you were praying to the Mother that they wouldn’t mention it, that they would just leave before the cramps came back.

“Yeah, she said you were hurting pretty bad.” Azriel added, mouth tight and hands clenched. You pinched the bridge of your nose and looked over to your High Lord, watching his eyebrows draw together in concern.

“Do you need anything, Y/N?” Rhysand asked with sincerity, making your heart flip at the kindness. They all had your best interest at heart, the four of you had been friends for years, but it was coming at the worst time possible.

“Yeah no, I’m okay.” You smiled before grunting as your cramps came back, making you grasp the doorframe with all of your strength as if it was calling out your lie. “Really, I-I’ll be fine!” The last word was more of a wheeze and you shut your eyes to take in some deep breaths.

“By the gods, Y/N, are you alright?” Rhysand cursed, catching you in his arms when your knees buckled. His warmth and scent immediately had your mind going into a frenzy, moaning as your common sense started to drift out the door when he unconsciously pulled you closer.

It felt so nice, he felt so nice, and you couldn’t stop yourself from burying your head into his neck and inhaling his smell. You missed the look he was sharing with his brothers, looking to them for answers. They licked their lips, practically tasting your arousal in the air, and Cassian motioned for everyone to go inside. 

Whatever was going to happen didn’t need to be done in the hallway. 

“Fuck this place is covered in her scent.” Azriel noted, his cock stirring in his pants as they went further in until they found your bedroom. He turned to look at you squirming in Rhys’s arms, noticing how you were rubbing your thighs together in need, and even he couldn’t control how his shadows slid out and down his arms in excitement and curiosity.

Rhysand laid you on the bed gingerly, groaning loudly as you all but ripped the towel off of your body. All three of them felt their morals slip, eyeing you up like a piece of meat as you reached for the closest male…who turned out to be Cassian.

You looked up at him with big, doe eyes and a pout on your lips. “Please, please touch me, I can’t do this alone…” You pleaded while moving your hands down to the front of his pants, palming the large erection that made your walls throb in want. “Cassian, please!”

He took a deep breath through his nostrils before grasping both of your hands in his own, holding you still as more pretty cries left your mouth. “What do we do? We can’t just leave her but I don’t think I can take much more of this, Rhys.”

They shared another look, as if they were speaking in their own language, before Rhys took Cassian’s place and bent down to your eye level. He grasped your face firmly, trying to use pain to get you to come back to reality for a moment so he could ask for your consent. 

“Y/N? Y/N.” He said sternly, watching the light return to your eyes briefly. “You need help. We can help you but we need your consent.”

The world around was blurry, your primal instincts fighting with all their might to take back control, but you tried your best to focus on his words. They wanted to help you through this, like the good friends they were, but…

“All of you?” You questioned, words slurring while looking at Cassian and Azriel. “At the same time?”

Azriel chuckled, coming up behind you while Cassian joined Rhys in front of you. “If you can take us, angel.” He teased, one of his shadows caressing your bare arm which made a shiver overtake your body momentarily.

Rhys shot him a glare, knowing he wasn’t helping, before softening his gaze when he looked at you again. “You’re in pain, darling. Let us help you.” He cooed, his own lust prickling his blood while Cassian ran a large hand up your leg. 

“We’ll take care of you sweetheart, we promise.” Cassian smirked, watching your eyes flutter at all of the attention your body was craving. It wasn’t even up for debate at the point you were out, your body so desperate for them that you would sooner throw yourself out the window than say no to the men that you dreamed of. 

You licked your lips and nodded, looking deep into Rhysand’s eyes as you softly whispered, “Yes, please. I want it. I want all of you.” 

As soon as you gave your permission, they descended on you, three pairs of mouths claiming you in different places. Azriel had moved your hair so he could kiss your neck, his tongue easing the fire under your skin while Cassian lifted one of your legs to start kissing up your inner calf and thigh. Rhysand had taken your lips, molding them perfectly against your own and groaning at your taste. 

It was hard to focus on who to pay attention to so you decided to finally give in fully to your heat and let your body guide you. One of your hands went behind you to grasp Azriel’s hair, nails digging into his scalp while your other went down to Rhys’s collar to pull him closer.

They continued their coordinated attacks for a few more minutes before Cassian grew tired of being at the bottom. He grabbed both of your legs and threw them sideways so that you were now fully on the bed, ignoring his brothers growls as he quickly found a home between your legs. 

“Look at how wet you are for us, Y/N…” He grinned, spreading you open as Azriel and Rhys bent over to look. All three of them moaned as they saw how sticky you were, the juices of your arousal now sliding down your ass from how much you wanted them. 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ve got you.” Cassian murmured before licking your pussy clean, his long tongue going in every crevice to taste as much as he could. You gasped loudly, your hands flying to grasp at the sheets as he ate you out.

Your hips immediately started to grind against his face while Azriel bent down to start playing with your breasts, pinching and squeezing the soft mounds that caused your sounds to grow even louder. He watched you with those dark, amber eyes as he took a nipple into his mouth and flicked it with his tongue at the same time Cassian flicked your clit.

The pleasure was making you go insane. Your head tilted back only to blink in surprise when Rhysand stared back at you, a feline grin gracing his lips as he went behind you and held your arms above your head so that you were powerless against them. He then forced your head back down so that you were watching his brothers touch you, whispering into your ear to add to your experience.

“Look at how they are touching you, darling. How desperate they are for just a taste of you.” He purred, licking the shell of your ear while you started to pant. Another coil winded tightly in your belly and they could sense it, helping you get closer to your release. “I can’t wait to see for myself but I want you to cum first, can you do that?”

You nodded shakily, your mouth opening as all of the sensations of their touches grew to be too much. Cassian’s tongue snaking into your hole and Azriel’s teeth tugging your nipple was what pushed you over the edge, babbling out incoherently as your orgasm hit you like a shooting star.

Rhysand talked you through it, his cock throbbing steadily as he watched you coat Cassian’s face in your cum. Azriel removed himself from your breasts and started to take off his clothes, his brothers following suit until you were all naked and horny.

All of their cocks were of various sizes and girths but you wanted to taste and fuck them all, your body moving on its own as you crawled towards Azriel and started to fist his cock. You were on all fours, ass out, and you didn’t even flinch when you felt one of them slap their cock against your cunt.

When Cassian appeared beside you, you realized who was behind you, turning to look as the High Lord of the Night Court eased himself into you. It was a stretch but you didn’t feel any pain, a high-pitched whine escaping your throat as he wasted no time in grabbing your hips and picking up speed.

“Angel,” Azriel called, his shadows curling around your face to turn you to look back at him and Cassian. “Don’t forget about us.” 

Your hand resumed its pace while you turned to Cassian and gazed up at him innocently, opening your mouth wide enough so he could guide his dick into your mouth so you wouldn’t lose your balance. Both Illyrians growled above you, Cassian using your hair as leverage while Azriel thrusts his hips in time with your hand. 

“That’s it, darling, that’s it.” Rhysand praised behind you, enjoying how tight you were squeezing him and also how much you were into this. He wishes he could freeze this moment forever. You looked so beautiful, taking them all like this, and he knew his brothers felt the same. 

“Mmmmm, fucsks!” You garbled around Cassian, drool trailing down your chin as Rhys abused your hole like he owned it. You switched your positions so that Azriel was now in your mouth, taking him all the way down which had him shouting your name while you let Cass fuck your hand.

The room smelled like sex and sweat, an intoxicating combination as Rhysand felt his own orgasm swell in his balls. Your body sensed it as well, catching up easily as your walls fluttered around him. Azriel’s thrusts were starting to get sloppy as well and before you knew it, they were both filling you up with their cum. 

Both of your holes couldn’t handle the amount of seed and when they pulled away, it leaked out of the corners of your mouth and cunt. Rhysand used two fingers to catch what had fallen and stuff it back inside, smirking at how you sucked his fingers back in.

Cassian’s release was right there and you turned to face him, opening wide as he moaned your name and coated your face and chin with his finish. It was hot and sticky but you loved it, swishing around the mixture of him and Azriel before swallowing it.

Two strong, scarred hands lifted you up and brought you to his height, kissing you and tasting himself and Cassian on your tongue. The fire that was once burning uncontrollably was now dying down but you still needed more. You wanted them all.

“I need more.” You panted, turning to look at them pitifully. “Please, I need more of you all. To be stuffed full.”

They chuckled at how desperate you sounded, as if they would deny you of that. Cassian snatched you from Az’s arms and laid himself back onto the bed, getting comfy as you reached down to line him up to your cunt. He was longer than Rhys, hitting that button inside of you immediately. You grunted when he bottomed out inside of you, enjoying as his hands came up to grope your tits as you started to ride him.

“So perfect,” Azriel said, coming up behind you and kissing down your neck as you felt one of his fingers prod against your asshole. It felt foreign but you didn’t care, arching your back to give him easier access. “You think you can take both of us, Y/N?”

Rhysand came up to your side and tilted your face to look at him, brushing the hair out of your eyes while taking in your cum-stained beauty. “Of course she can, Azriel. She’s a good girl.” The words sent a chill down your spine and he smirked, bending down to kiss you gently at the same time Azriel pushed into your ass. 

A loud whimper came from your chest at the feeling, nails digging into Rhys’s skin so deeply that blood pooled at the sight. He could care less though, pulling away so he could wrap a hand around your throat to watch you lose yourself in their presence. 

After a moment you motioned for Cassian and Azriel to move, eyebrows knitting together at just how good they felt being in you at the same time. It was your wildest fantasy and judging from the sounds of everyone else, it was theirs as well.

“Oh my gods…” You moaned, your face still turned to Rhys’s. He stuck a thumb in your open mouth and you immediately wrapped your lips around it and began to suck it. 

Meanwhile, Cassian and Azriel looked like they were in heaven. The former had his eyes screwed shut as you bounced on his cock like you were made for him while the latter was biting and kissing any bare skin he could get to. The sound of everyone’s skin slapping against something had your ears ringing and despite your best effort to hold off, your body wanted to cum again.

You looked down and saw Rhysand’s cock standing tall but lonely, trying to reach for it but he tightened his grip on your throat and shook his head. “I enjoy watching as much as I enjoy partaking, Y/N Darling.” He cooed, pushing his thumb farther back until you gagged. “Just enjoy what my brothers are giving you.” 

A nod was your only response as he let you go, Azriel taking full advantage and pulling your face towards him for a searing kiss. Rhys started to stroke his own cock as Cassian started to get close to another release, smacking your ass roughly.

“M’gonna fill you up, sweetheart, fuck.” He panted, watching you tongue fuck Azriel’s face which only spurred him closer to the edge. “Cauldron help me. You’re going to be the death of me Y/N.”

His cock throbbed inside of you and when you left Azriel to kiss him, he lost in. Cassian’s mouth was dominating as he thrust sharply into you, groaning into your mouth as he emptied his balls into you. Azriel was right behind, grasping your hips and moaning loudly.

The feeling of both of them stuffing you full had you finishing with them, your body slumping forward and onto Cassian’s chest as you barely had any energy to even cry out. It felt like the first wave of your heat was finally done, your body exhausted, as they both pulled out of you.

Before you could fully fall asleep, you realized Rhys hadn’t came and when you turned to him, he smiled sweetly and kissed your forehead. “Go to sleep, Y/N. We can continue this when you wake up.”

Your body immediately listened to him, eyes shutting as you fell asleep quickly on Cassian’s chest. They all looked at each other, everyone tired and fucked out, before Azriel said, “When she wakes up?”

“Oh yes, heats like these come in waves,” Rhys explained, heading towards the bathroom to grab some towels for everyone. When he returned, he threw them at his brothers with a smile, looking at you sleeping peacefully and saying, “We’re definitely doing this again.”

“Can’t wait.” Cassian grinned, kissing your temple. Azriel nodded in agreement and joined the two of you in bed. It was going to be one hell of a week. 

[dirty-brainrot]

(Not like him ²)

Here's the 2nd part to this!

Pairing(s): Stardust Crusaders x Reader

After traveling for weeks and days with the crusaders, all of you have finally reached Cairo. You helped them track down DIO to the best of your abilities. But you were able to only scout the area for them at night and kept an eye out for any stand users under DIO's influence. (And yet with all of your efforts, your relationship with Jotaro hasn't changed. He's still wary of you.)

Iggy had been wounded. None of you were there to see what happened so you could only guess that the boston terrier was attacked by a stand user. On the brighter side, Kakyoin returned fully healed after the incident with the water stand.

You all wasted no time and headed straight for DIO's mansion. Although, you had a hard time keeping up because of the thick clothes you wore to protect you from the striking sun.

The time you had there was excruciating. Your allies had a near-death experience at the fight with Vanilla Ice but good thing you were there to prevent that. Although, they had sustained heavy wounds, making them unable to help further, and had to fall back.

DIO's minions were able to stall you all until sunset. Forced to fight DIO at night, you discarded the heavy cloak, also gaining the upper hand. And all of you fled away thinking of a way to figure out his stand's powers. Jotaro chased after the vengeful Polnareff while you, Kakyoin, and Mr. Joestar figured out the body-stealing vampire's stand.

Currently, you were on the trunk of the truck, gripping tightly on the edges so you wouldn't get thrown off. You screamed to Joseph on the wheel. "DRIVE FASTER!! HE'S GAINING ON US—" You looked back at the car that DIO was in but you were only met with a corpse hurtling towards you at great speed. Startled, you jumped off and rolled around the pavement. The car slammed into a building and exploded with debris flying all over. Worried for your companions, you ran towards the car. The corpse sat there but they were nowhere to be found.

Relief washed over you once you saw them swinging from buildings to building and calling your name. You glanced behind you to see DIO's silhouette in the smoke, calling out to you. "Y/N... Join me..." Not wanting to handle him on your own, you ran after Kakyoin and Joseph. Jumping from buildings to another as your stand had no swinging abilities like theirs. "Joestar!!" Catching up to them, you spoke in panic. "What's the plan?! He's going to catch up sooner or later!"

"Don't worry Y/N!" Kakyoin grabbed your arm and pulled you away from Joseph. You both hid behind a building. Confused, you looked up at him waiting for answers. "We made a plan. I will set up a trap while Mr. Joestar distracts him." Provided with little context; You nodded slowly, unsure. He quickly made a platform with [Hierophant]'s tentacles for you and him to stand on. You stood beside him, watching the Joestar struggle to keep DIO away.

Once he was in the designated spot. He was finally able to entrap him in place, kakyoin used his splash move. "Emerald Splash!" Trapping DIO into his 50-meter Emeralds Splash web.

"Smart..." 'With this... we can get DIO to use his stand..!' You mumble and he flashes you a quick, small smile. "Hmm... Y/N... This will be the last chance I give you a chance to join me—" You interrupted him, growing frustrated with his repeated words. "Just stop with that already! After what you put these Joestars through... I'll never join your side." You growled at him and he laughs, mocking you. Kakyoin fired emeralds at him, making him halt his laughter.

As Kakyoin stated, nobody can deflect his emerald splash but DIO was able to do it with his bare hands. "That won't hold him for too long, Kak... Will this work?—" And right on time, DIO finally decided to reveal his stand's true power. "[The World]'s true power is, indeed, the power to reign over this world!"

A loud echoing noise, then suddenly, everything stopped. 'His stand...' You didn't get the chance to finish your thought as he starts to cut Kakyoin's trap while flying in your direction. "Dear Y/n... My beloved half-blood... You could've ruled the world with me... But it's too late for that now." 'This is no good... My secret weapon is the same as his too..!' [The World] pulled back his arm, getting ready to strike a punch. But it wasn't directed at you, it was directed at Kakyoin's stomach.

As [The World]'s fist was halfway through the air, you moved through stopped time, surprising DIO but that didn't stop him. You grabbed Kakyoin's arm and pulled him away, taking the hit through the stomach. Unlike DIO, your [The World] can only pause and move through stopped time for a second or two. Making it slightly weaker.

DIO was still caught off guard by your stand's ability, his own stand's arm still plunged into your stomach as time started ticking again. Your hair wildly slapped against your face as you flew through the air until you felt yourself hit a water tank. Kakyoin and Joseph called out to you but you weren't able to hear them due to the ringing from your ears from the metallic impact.

Feeling numb, you tried getting all your senses all together but it was to no avail. Slowly, you tilt your head up. you could see Kakyoin's silhouette swinging on buildings trying to get to you. Being strict by drinking anything but animal blood is giving you a huge withdrawal. Your regeneration isn't as fast as it was before... "-N...Y/N!" You snap your head back up to see Kakyoin looking at you with concern. "Y/N, are you ok?!" You cough out blood and weakly spoke. "Same stand... DIO can stop... time.." Kakyoin glanced back behind him and back to you. He avoids looking at your stomach, feeling sick that he can see through the hole.

"Wh—why aren't you healing?" He stutters and helps you get out of the water tank. You collapsed on top of him and he gently sets you down on the floor, kneeling beside you.

"Need blood..." His eyes widen and you shook your head. "Tell... Joestar that.. DIO...can stop time.." You croak. Your body is regenerating but it wasn't as fast as how you wanted it. Kakyoin nodded and stood up, expecting him to leave you and help the elder Joestar but you were wrong. He called out his stand and shoot the large clock, breaking its hands.

"Fool..! Just go find Jota—" He stops you and grabs your arm, pointing it to his neck directly at the carotid artery. "You said you needed blood right?" Kakyoin said with a stern face. Your eyes widen as you tug your hand away from his neck, failing due to lack of strength. "Yes... but I don't need it- I can manage." you croak out while Kakyoin kept a firm grip on your hand. "Y/N, you saved me. You need this to be able to fight DIO." 'He doesn't even know if I actually saved him... He has this much trust in me..' Biting your lip, you hesitantly shoved your sharpened nails in his neck. You only needed a small amount...

He visibly winced but it disappeared quickly. You drank a small portion of his blood while your wounds start to regenerate at a quicker pace. Slowly getting your strength back, you rose from your sitting position and quickly removed your fingers from Kakyoin's neck. He stumbled a bit but you helped him regain his footing. "G-go..." You nodded and prepared to jump through buildings to catch up with Joseph and DIO but before you did, you glanced at Kakyoin. The guilt slowly rising within you, he notices your look and smiles. "...thank you." You mutter and with that, you searched for DIO and joseph.

Jumping from buildings to buildings again, time would often stop but thanks to Kakyoin's offering, you learned that you could stop and move through time for at least 5 seconds or more. Following the trail of bloodshed, you saw Joseph's dried corpse in the distance. "Oh no..." No time for grieving, you continued. Getting closer, you start to feel the presence of your damned brother.

"ROAD ROLLER!" There they were, on the bridge with Jotaro losing to DIO. Quickly, you made your way to them. "DIO!" You screamed before freezing in time. He laughs and throws the road equipment towards you, it gets stuck in time after it was inches from you. At least Jotaro doesn't have to worry about getting crushed.

Once time started ticking, you evaded it by punching it with your stand. Given the opportunity, you stopped time. DIO froze due to his stand's ability cooldown. You gave him a hard punch in the stomach like what he did earlier. Your stand's hand goes through him then you slow down and freeze while DIO starts moving again. He starts laughing at your attempt. "Foolish Y/N.... I am stronger than you." He pushes you. You flew back and your stand's hand went out of his stomach. It regenerates as nothing had happened.

DIO approaches you, your body tilted as it was frozen in time. "Why couldn't you just let me kill the Joestar's bloodline?" [The World] raises its arm, ready to decapitate you as DIO spoke. "Just for this, I'll make you suffer to what I had to go through just to get this body—" Then suddenly, he froze too. Behind him, you could see a towering Jotaro. "It seems like you can only stop time for 9 seconds..." He glances at you and nods, as a way of thanking you for distracting DIO to help him regain his strength.

"Now, it won't take even a second to finish you off!" Jotaro shouts and points at DIO. He approaches him from behind. Jotaro starts his monologue and kicks DIO on the legs, breaking them. "Time has begun to move again." Time starts and you dodged the falling DIO. He falls into the concrete, his legs bleeding. Jotaro hops off the road roller. "How long will your legs heal? Two seconds? Three seconds?" He stood in front of DIO. Ready to give him a beatdown. "The moment you heal. I'll throw [Star Platinum] at you."

DIO elevates himself, his knees shaking. He seems to be mumbling something. "-How I do it, does not matter!" He splurts out blood to Jotaro's eyes. 'He's playing dirty-' You jumped into action, helping Jotaro counter [The World]'s leg attack. You and Jotaro both punched its leg. [Star Platinum]'s hand starts to crack as well as your stand's but it healed quickly. DIO smirks at Jotaro but it instantly switched as the three of you heard another crack. [The world] starts cracking and falling apart. DIO screamed in agony. "WHAT?!" He starts splitting apart while yelling. "IMPOSSIBLE! I-I AM DIO!" He repeats his words and explodes into pieces. Body parts flying around and his blood tainting the floor.

That's it. It's done.

You sat down and sighed in relief. "Glad he's gone. He always stole my food..." Jotaro chuckles but abruptly stops. "Do you think... The old man's blood can be retrieved back?" You look at him with wide eyes. He looked determined and from his question, you could guess that he had a plan. "What do we have to lose?" And with that, the two of you called the Speedwagon Foundation.

Everything went well in the ambulance, Jotaro nearly punched his grandfather and you laughed at their antics. Avdol and Iggy gained prosthetics, Polnareff was mildly injured (comparing to Iggy and Avdol.) And Kakyoin is gaining some of his blood back.

You stayed with the Joestars while the others flew back to their home country.

But you can't help but think about the sweet warm blood that Kakyoin offered you. Maybe drinking a few more human blood wouldn't be too bad...

[robininthelabyrinth]

Toxicity - ao3

- part 3 -

It was not too long after Lan Wangji’s visit – a month or two, no more, and in the timescale of war that was very short indeed – that Lan Xichen finally returned to his side.

Nie Mingjue gathered his courage. “Did you speak with your uncle?” he asked, reaching out to take Lan Xichen’s hand in his.

“I did,” Lan Xichen said, and his eyes were bright as stars. “You want to marry me, Mingjue-xiong? You haven’t even kissed me.”

“I do. I do want to marry you,” Nie Mingjue said, taking the question seriously even though it had been made in jest. “I am not asking for your agreement right now, but I would not begin the process of courting you without making clear my intentions.”

Lan Xichen softened, smiling. “Righteous and unyielding, straightforward and upright,” he murmured and reached out with his free hand to tuck some of Nie Mingjue’s hair that had fallen loose back behind his ear. Nie Mingjue might be sick and tired of that particular phrase, but he would hear it a thousand times from Lan Xichen’s lips. “Oh, da-ge, you really are always the same.”

Nie Mingjue shivered a little at the familiar, intimate term of address. “May I kiss you?” he asked, and watched as Lan Xichen’s smile grew wider still.

“You may,” Lan Xichen said. “If I may kiss you as well.”

Nie Mingjue tried to find a way to tell Lan Xichen about his upcoming fate, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, not when Lan Xichen smiled at him so happily. The most he could do was remind him that their love had an expiration date, that it was better to marry and be done with it.

Lan Xichen refused, though. He said that he enjoyed their courtship, that he wanted the entirety of the experience for them both: the memories made together, the anticipation, the joy, and that they would wed when the war was over, in full view of both their families.

Nie Mingjue wanted that more than anything, and so he agreed…although in some respects, in his heart, he considered them already wed.

He did not intentionally keep his new relationship with Xichen a secret from his men – if he had not been so determined to treat Lan Xichen as he ought to be treated, with respect and honor, and feared the threat of distraction in the midst of battle, he would have shouted out the news of their engagement in the middle of the war camp. And yet he was also by nature a private man, inclined to be possessive of the few joys he had, and so while he did not hide it, he also did not go out of his way to mention it. It was already common for him to spend time cloistered with his guests, no matter who they were; in that way, Lan Xichen’s visits were no different from the rest, except in that Nie Mingjue enjoyed them far more.

It was not until months later that his camp discovered that their leader was courting, and naturally they discovered it in the most awkward manner possible: news coming of an imminent surprise attack at dawn that required Nie Zonghui to rush over to alert his sect leader without warning and thus finding him curled up in his lover’s arms.

“Can I help?” Lan Xichen asked as Nie Mingjue prepared himself for war, glaring at Nie Zonghui’s wide grin – the man has a fondness for gossip, and there would be no stopping him. “With the battle?”

“You may do whatever you wish,” Nie Mingjue said, leaning down to steal a kiss. “I trust you completely in all things, and not least of all your excellent cultivation. The attack is two-pronged – would you go the western front, while I take the east? We can meet in the middle. Take as many of my Nie cultivators as you think you might need.”

“No need,” Lan Xichen said. “There are a number of Lan cultivators in your camp, and the western side of the camp is guarded by a mountain ridge – we can ambush them there with musical cultivation and drive them running straight into the camp without their swords.”

Nie Mingjue nodded. “Nie Zonghui, you take command of the camp and half our cultivators,” he instructed. “When the Wen sect comes running towards you in their confusion, cut them off.”

Nie Zonghui saluted, humor gone from his face – postponed, not forgotten – and the three of them left.

Nie Mingjue hoped only to repulse the attack, but it ended as a complete rout, total victory, through factors neither side could predict: it turned out that the western ridge was housing one of the dragons that sometimes passed through the cultivation world, a celestial dragon in blue and white, and it took offense to the Wen attack, demolishing their ranks with fang and claw and song-magic that deafened the ear.

(Nie Mingjue wondered briefly if it was the same celestial dragon that had cursed him all those years ago.)

In the end, there was very little more than clean-up left over, with Lan Xichen leading his Lan cultivators to drive the remaining Wen sect cultivators into the waiting arms of Nie Zonghui’s forces, and most of them surrendered at once rather than risk being sent back to face the dragon’s wrath. With that battle concluded and the western front secured, Nie Zonghui and Lan Xichen were able to rush to Nie Mingjue’s side, providing timely reinforcement, and the eastern front was won as well.

Lan Xichen was totally uninjured and barely even winded, but Nie Mingjue kissed him out of joy in seeing him well nonetheless, heedless of the blood and muck on him, and after that, of course, everyone knew.

“Go talk to Nie Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue told Lan Xichen after that, ignoring the way he raised his eyebrows. “There are things you need to know, things I’ve been dragging my feet about telling you…I’ve tried time and time again to say, and each time the words stick in my throat. But he knows. He knows, and he’ll be able to tell you.”

“I will go,” Lan Xichen said, although he looked a little puzzled. “Whatever it is, though, we’ll face it together.”

“We will,” Nie Mingjue agreed. “Now go, let my brother pester you about wedding plans. He has ideas.”

Laughing, Lan Xichen left, and Nie Mingjue turned back to the business of war: planning out battles, considering strategy, securing their supply lines, communicating with allies and spies alike.

The next missive he received from Meng Yao told him to go to Yangquan.

Meng Yao’s information had been excellent up to that point, and Nie Mingjue had no reason to doubt him. The maps he sent, along with information about the enemies’ movements, had helped Nie Mingjue win battles and minimize casualties, and he thought to himself that he would be forever indebted to his former deputy for the sacrifice he had made in going to obtain it, for surely Wen Ruohan would not be a kind master.

And yet, when he went to Yangquan with only a small party – any more, Meng Yao had warned, and he might be noticed, when the goal here was to strike quickly and retreat quicker – he found himself unexpectedly outnumbered, surrounded and overpowered: Wen Ruohan himself had come to inspect the site, and he had brought his strongest guards with him.

Nie Mingjue was taken prisoner.

Tied in chains and dragged to the Nightless City behind Wen Ruohan’s carriage, choking on dust and beaten like a dog by any Wen cultivator who passed by, Nie Mingjue’s only thought was that he would die before he went mad, and he found some small measure of relief in that.

He regretted it, of course – he regretted not marrying Lan Xichen, not insisting, though he knew war was no time for it; he regretted not having seen his brother more, though he knew the battlefield was no place for him. He regretted that his death was likely to be gruesome and painful, given Wen Ruohan’s usual proclivities, and that his loved ones would know that.

But at least, he comforted himself, he hadn’t gone insane, turning against all he held dear. That fate he had spent his whole life fearing, it seemed, would not be his.

With that thought in mind, he was able to go with some sense of peace to the throne room of the Nightless City, but when he got there everything seemed – not as he had expected.

Wen Ruohan was standing, for one thing, and he seemed almost nervous, looking Nie Mingjue over to confirm that he was still alive, muttering to himself that there weren’t too many marks, that he was still mostly intact, that he shouldn’t be too angry –

“He?” Nie Mingjue asked, entirely at a loss. He was chained and bound, on his knees in front of his enemy, the man who had killed his father and whose son he had killed in turn; the situation ought to be clear and yet he was more confused than ever. “Who are you talking about?”

“Me, I expect,” Meng Yao said, walking through the door arrogantly, as if the Fire Palace belonged to him instead of Wen Ruohan. “Ah, da-ge, as usual I seem to have underestimated you.”

Nie Mingjue blinked at him, surprised – Meng Yao had never used such an intimate term of address for him, though he would have permitted it if the other man had ever shown any interest.

Meng Yao saw his expression and laughed.

“Or perhaps not,” he said, and the smile on his face was pleasant as always, and yet there was cruelty in it. “So er-ge hasn’t told you yet, has he? No, of course, he wouldn’t; he’d think he was being noble, protecting you from your own past.”

“I don’t understand,” Nie Mingjue said, his eyes darting to Wen Ruohan – but that proud man was on his knees, willingly showing reverence, and to Meng Yao of all people. “Meng Yao –”

“Jin Guangyao, actually,” Meng Yao said. “‘Meng’ was my miserable mother’s surname, for all the good it did her…I did tell you that my bloodline was the Jin.”

“You were acknowledged? Jin Guangshan –”

Meng Yao laughed. “Oh, da-ge, da-ge, still so confused! You never did understand anything. I really don’t understand why er-ge was so desperate to bring you back – he slept for over a decade after putting your soul into your mother’s belly, did you know that? A decade! We may be ancient, but time is still precious, and he wasted so much of it on you...oh, you stupid fool. You still don’t understand, do you?”

Nie Mingjue didn’t understand anything.

“Perhaps a visual demonstration would be best,” Meng Yao – Jin Guangyao, apparently – said, and the air around him shimmered as if he were a mirage induced by heatstroke.

A moment later, there was no Meng Yao, no Jin Guangyao, no human standing there, but instead the massive coils of a yellow-bellied flood dragon draped themselves around the throne of the Wen sect.

Nie Mingjue stared up at him.

“Now do you see?” Jin Guangyao hissed at him, eyes glittering. “Do you know now, what you have cost me?”

“How – you’re…you’re a dragon!”

“And not just me,” Jin Guangyao said. “Your beloved Lan Xichen is, too: my beloved er-ge, my sworn brother, and yours, too.  It was the three of us together – we were all brothers once, long ago, before you died…I never understood. Why does er-ge love you so much that he would hurt himself to retrieve your soul and give you new life? Enough to lower himself into the filth of humanity, to forget his former self, to learn to love you from the beginning as if you were a brand-new person – why? What’s so interesting about you? You’re the most boring person I’ve ever met. A righteous prig, and a fool.”

“You – Lan Xichen –” Nie Mingjue stuttered, still staring, disbelieving. “My parents – the curse –”

Jin Guangyao laughed.

“I always planned to tell you before the end, you know, da-ge. I wanted you to know,” he said conversationally. “I wanted you to know it was your fault that your parents died. Lan Xichen, my er-ge…he kept your soul after it should have passed into the wheel of reincarnation, and when your human parents came to beg for a child, he gave you the body he thought you deserved, taking years off his own life to do it – and when he had slept, that was when I came in, gifting you with my poison, the only thing you ever deserved to get from me. I infused it in your mother and father both just to make sure it got to you; if it wasn’t for you, they might have lived long and happy lives. And they thanked me for it!”

Nie Mingjue felt numb. “You killed them to get to me? I wasn’t – I hadn’t even been born!”

“Your soul is still your soul, da-ge, no matter the quirks of personality you developed through your upbringing,” Jin Guangyao said dismissively. “If you weren’t, er-ge wouldn’t have fallen in love with you all over again, would he?”

Lan Xichen was the celestial dragon, Nie Mingjue thought, just as Jin Guangyao, who he had once thought was called Meng Yao, was the flood dragon. Except his parents had been deceived: there was no price for him to pay for his birth, for his strength and cultivation talent, for Lan Xichen had willingly shouldered that debt. Instead, the poison Jin Guangyao had claimed would help them minimize the cost, making him suffer only one year in eight, was actually the source of all his ills – without it, he might have not had to suffer at all.

“Your parents must have made your childhood a misery, training you up to be tough enough to live through your first tribulation,” Jin Guangyao said dreamily. “And then you must have lived the rest of your life in fear, fear and distance, allowing no one to be close to you – I knew you’d hate the idea of turning on everyone you loved most of all. You even tried to turn Xichen down! You’ll never know how much I laughed when he told me about it: he thought you meant that you expected your mortal life to be short, you know, or perhaps that it was an early death due to war that you feared.”

Anger came easily to Nie Mingjue, an old companion.

“Well, if your goal was to separate me from Xichen, you failed,” he said. “He’s agreed to marry me.”

Jin Guangyao’s smile turned into a scowl at once, and his tail lashed out, smashing the pillars and walls of the Fire Palace – no wonder Wen Ruohan was on his knees, shaking in terror; there was no way a human could fight a dragon of such strength.

“How dare you?” he hissed. “How dare you even think of tainting him once again?”

“How dare you?” Nie Mingjue shouted back, ignoring the look of panic on Wen Ruohan’s face. He had already accepted that his death would come to him here, today, a slow and gruesome demise before he’d ever reached thirty; Jin Guangyao could do nothing to him than he had not already anticipated happening at Wen Ruohan’s hands. “You claim to love Xichen, and yet by your own words you went behind his back to sabotage what he tried so hard to do! For all your talk about the filth of the human world, you’re the one who crawled through the muck, all lies and deceit, writhing in it like the pathetic worm that you are –”

Jin Guangyao smashed walls in his rage, and yet he calmed too quickly: that pleasant smile re-emerged on his face, and he reached out to catch Nie Mingjue’s head with his claws, the long, scaly claws sliding through his hair, closing around him to rest the tips on his face, pricking his flesh.

“Always so judgmental, da-ge,” he said. “Always so quick to look down on me for not living up to your expectations. Perhaps that’s the heart of you, the part of you that you keep in every life – you were just the same when you were the great azure dragon, the mightiest of us all even if er-ge was of nobler birth. And yet, even in that past life, your strength, your might, none of that helped you, did it?”

He brought his face close to Nie Mingjue’s, the dragon’s head the size of half his body, the longest of his fangs extending the length of his hand, from fingertip to the base of the palm, his long and serpentine tongue extending to lick at his cheek and lips in vile mockery of the kiss of brotherhood.

“Let me tell you a secret, da-ge,” he whispered into his ears, the latent poison on his breath making Nie Mingjue struggle to breathe even though Jin Guangyao wasn’t yet actively trying to hurt him. “In your last life? It was me who killed you then, too. I poured my poison into the song you got from er-ge, the one you so treasured. The more you played it, the more it would hurt you; the greater your love for him was, the quicker your death would come…you died within the year, da-ge, screaming in agony, blind and deaf, your powerful body rotting away beneath you, and you never knew why.”

“You’re disgusting,” Nie Mingjue said, and Jin Guangyao forced his head back, his sharp claws digging in enough to cause small rivulets of blood to start dripping down his face. “Are you jealous? Is that it? That he sees you as his brother and nothing more, even once I was dead? Or was it some other petty dispute that made you feel the need to smile to my face while stabbing me in the back, to persecute me not only in one lifetime, but the next?”

“Perhaps it’s only that I enjoy watching you suffer,” Jin Guangyao said, and his smile was as chillingly pleasant as it had been the entire time Nie Mingjue had known him, the same calm collected smile Meng Yao used to deal with everything. The same smile he’d given Nie Mingjue’s parents as he poisoned them, no doubt. “Did you think that you had escaped the fate I planned for you by coming here? It’s my poison that causes your agony, da-ge, your agony and your insanity, and I carry it with me everywhere – I’ll pour my poison into your belly until you lose your mind and turn into a mindless beast just like you’ve always feared.”

His smile widened.

“And then poor Meng Yao, who doesn’t know better, will rescue you and take you home. Home to your brother who will run to greet you, to your sect that will not want to fight back against you, to your lover who will have no choice but to put you down for your own good…I wonder how many of them you’ll take with you before er-ge has to eradicate you with his own hands? For good, this time.”

“Don’t pretend to care,” Nie Mingjue said, even as his heart froze in fear within his chest. His arms were chained to his side, the pressure of the massive claw around the back of his head irresistibly keeping him kneeling, keeping him from moving. “You miserable, pathetic little – son of a whore!”

It wasn’t one of the insults he generally favored, but for some reason it rose to his tongue now, and it seemed to strike true for Jin Guangyao in a way he wouldn’t have expected it to: he reared back his head a little, glaring down at him, but it was only another moment or two before his eyes narrowed and the pleasant smile returned.

“Good-bye, da-ge,” Jin Guangyao said. “Perhaps you’ll have better luck in your next life.”

And then he pressed his heavy head to Nie Mingjue’s, that long serpentine tongue forcing its way into Nie Mingjue’s mouth and down his throat, choking him on it, choking him on the fumes and acid that came with it, poisonous and searing the back of his throat, and then there was that familiar pain that he remembered from his eighth birthday, his sixteenth, his twenty fourth – the eight-year pain that he had feared ever since he knew what it meant, what it foretold.

Pointless pain. The grudge of another lifetime, carried over into this one, and for what?

For nothing.

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers GRAND EDITION for Switch ;; More, Blood ー Kou [Vampire Ending]

ー The scene starts with a flashback

Karlheinz: And then, after you have mixed with a certain bloodline and discovered the truth...I am sure that eye will show you something very peculiar.

Kou: Something peculiar?

Karlheinz: Exactly. I am sure that will fulfill you to the core.

However, you must not only believe in what you see with that eye. Try and understand what you see.

If you assume you know everything just because you’ve seen it, I can only assume you will go down the wrong path.

ー The flashback ends as the scene shifts to Kou’s room

Kou: You can’t just look at it with your eyes, huh? ...Right now I understand very well.

Karlheinz-sama. I saw something very important. With this eye given to me by you, and with my heart.

*Rustle*

Yui: ...Nn...

Kou: You’re awake?

Yui: Kou-kun...

Kou: Hm?

Yui: ( He’s looking at me...with such gentle eyes. Both his blue left eye, and his gem-like right eye. )

( That makes me...really happy. )

Kou: ...This feels weird.

Yui: Eh?

Kou: As a Vampire, I shouldn’t feel satisfied unless I suck blood, right? However...Right now I feel differently.

I feel fulfilled just by watching you next to me.

...Sorry, that was a lie. I’m not satisfied yet after all. There’s still a little something missing.

But, I don’t mind that. My body may not feel fulfilled, but my heart does.

...Is this love? I’ve never loved someone, nor been loved by anyone so I’m not quite sure.

ー Kou moves closer.

Kou: ...I hope it’s love.

*Rustle*

Kou: Nn...Yui...

*Smooch*

Yui: ( Me too...I feel satisfied just from being kissed by Kou-kun. )

( I’m sure I feel that way...Because I love him. )

Kou: ...But in the end, I guess I couldn’t become Adam.

As long as that man awaits the birth of Adam, you - being Eve - will one day become someone else’s...

I’ve never thought of defying him. ...At least, not once up till now.

However...This is this one thing I cannot give up. Even if it that is his wish, I don’t want to let you go.

Say, Yui...

*Smooch¨

Kou: If I were to say I want to elope with you...Would you follow me?

Yui: Kou-kun...

...Yeah. I’ll go anywhere if I get to be with you.

Kou: ...Yui...

*Smooch*

Kou: ...Let’s run. To a place where you can live as Yui, and not as Eve.

If I’m not Adam...I won’t let you be Eve either.

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to Yui’s bedroom

*Knock knock*

Kou: Yui, it’s me.

ー He enters the room

Kou: Ready to go?

Yui: Yeah, I’m good.

Kou: Where’s your luggage? There’s none?

Yui: I don’t need anything. I’ll leave everything I’ve had up till now behind.

Kou: ...I see.

Let’s go. Ruki and the others are at school right now, so there’s nobody around.

ー The scene shifts to the balcony

Kou: Off we go, Yui. Hold onto me.

Yui: Yeah.

Ruki: ーー Can’t say I approve of both of you skipping school together?

Yui: Ruki-kun...!

Ruki: Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I was afraid of this possible outcome, which is why I forbid the two of you from seeing each other.

...Kou. Will you betray that man?

Kou: ...

Ruki: Just how large do you think our debt towards that person is? One woman is simply not worth it.

Kou: ...I know.

But, Ruki, I’ve made up my mind. I chose this path myself, and made the conscious decision. ...I’ve also properly made my resolve.

*Cling*

Yui: ( A knife...!? Kou-kun can’t possibly be thinking of killing Ruki-kun...!? )

Ruki: ...

Yui: Kou-kun...!

Kou: Don’t worry. You stay there.

Ruki: ...Very well. Show me your resolve.

Kou: ...

*STAB*

Yui: ...!?

Kou: Uu...!

Yui: Kou-kun!!

( How could he stab his own eye like that...Why!? )

Kou: I’m fine...It doesn’t hurt. See, it won’t bleed either. This eye is like a gemstone, remember?

Ruki: ...What is the meaning of this?

Kou: ...I’ll return this eye he gave me. Therefore, I want him to let this slide.

Ruki: Do you really think that will pay the price?

Kou: ...I’m begging you, Ruki. I don’t want to kill you. You are...my brother.

Ruki: ... ...Give that to me. I’ll return it for you.

Yui: Ruki-kun...

You treasured this eye just as much as you did your left eye, didn’t you, Kou? Because it was a gift from that man.

So this means you have chosen that livestock right there over this precious eye? ...Laughable.

*Cling*

Yui: ( A knife...!? Ruki-kun too!? )

Kou: ...Ruki.

*Swoosh*

Yui: ...!!

*Cling*

Monologue

Ruki-kun threw the knife into the air.

Even quicker than I attempted to tug onto Kou-kun’s arm,

as he stood frozen in place,

a shattering noise echoed through the air.

The knife Ruki-kun threw.

It had stabbed right through,

the gemstone laying in the palm of his hand.

Ruki: You have now ‘died’. You can do as you please from here on out. You are free.

Yui: Ruki-kun...!

Ruki: Hurry up and go. ...Go and gaze at the blue sky to your heart’s content.

Kou: Ruki...Thank you!

ー Ruki steps away

Kou: ...Farewell.

Yui: ( We probably...won’t ever see them again. Ruki-kun, or the others. )

( However, I will go regardless. As long as I’m with Kou-kun... )

Kou: Yui, let’s go.

ー The scene shifts to Karlheinz’ room

Karlheinz: ...Seems like you have finally seen the truth. The Vampire who has been chosen by Eve and accepts her love, shall become Adam.

You might just be that person, Kou...

ー The scene shifts back to Yui & Kou

–> If you are playing the Limited V edition or the Grand Edition, little black roses will appear on the screen. If you click on them, you get an extra line of dialogue.

“Woah...there. That was close. You’re surprisingly heavy, huh? ...Hehe, I’m joking~ Don’t get mad, okay?”

“What a beautiful moon...But you know, we’ll be able to see something even more wonderful from here on out. Even without this eye, let’s find it together, okay?”

Yui: Wah...!

( We’re floating in the air...! )

Kou: Woah, I’m sorry! You’ll fall, so hang on tight, okay?

I’m a Vampire after all, so I can fly as well! Surprised?

Yui: Yeah...! You surprised me!

But Kou-kun, is your eye alright? You can’t see, right?

Kou: It’s okay! Things are just like they once were now! Besides, I no longer need this eye.

Yui: You don’t?

Kou: Yeah. I saw what is important, and understood it. Therefore, I no longer need it.

Yui: ...Where are we headed now?

Kou: Let’s see. For now, I want to go someplace I can look at the blue sky to my heart’s content!

I want to see a beautiful blue sky which isn’t confined by a circle or a square, but stretched out widely in front of my eyes.

If we see that together, I’m sure it’ll be even more beautiful. Right?

Yui: ...Yeah. You’re right. I’m sure.

Kou: Hey, Yui. I don’t want to let you go.

No matter what I have to give up, or who I have to betray. Even if I can no longer suck your blood, I want us to be together.

Is it okay to call this feeling love?

Even if it isn’t...I will call this love. After all, I’m happy right now.

I love you, Yui. No matter what others may say, I...love you.

Yui: Yeah, me too...I love you, Kou-kun.

ーー THE END ーー

[hoodwinkd1]

Your Eyes Whispered Ch 15

Ch 14 here.

Chapter 15: light hearted jokes

A pillow smacked his face, shocking Eris out of what had been an extremely pleasant dream. He almost snarled at the attack, turning onto his side, before remembering that the object of said dream was lying beside him.

“Sorry,” Rhia whispered, her eyes wide. “Did I wake you up?”

Her fingers played with the edge of the pillow still sitting between them. To Eris’ delight, she appeared to be in the process of removing the barrier, explaining the early morning attack.

“Not many people are brave enough to assault the High Lord first thing in the morning.” Testing the waters, he placed his hand next to hers, palm splayed open. The tumultuous ocean between them turned into a gentle stream as she took it.

Rhia let out a soft sigh. “Go on then, if you must. Lock me in the dungeons, imprison me for life.”

Was it his imagination, or had she shifted closer? Either way, Rhia looked entirely too tempting in the mornings. Her hair had fallen out of its updo and into complete disarray, but framed her face in a way that reminded him of cozy sweaters and falling leaves, of the brief moments he had ever truly relaxed in his life, of safety and of comfort.

He twisted their joined hands so he could press a kiss to her knuckles. “You shouldn’t dangle an idea like that in front of me. I may just keep you here forever, though certainly not in the dungeons.”

She hummed in response, releasing his hand to run hers through his hair. Her fingers continued to explore, drawing the most delicious shapes over his cheekbones, his nose, his jaw, and his neck. Eris would have traded all his fire power in exchange for the fiery lines her touch brought forth.

He also would have traded his powers in an instant for nothing at all. The unpleasant memory of the night before shadowed his thoughts, reviving the roaring self-hatred and guilt at causing her pain.

“Is this why you wanted to remove the pillows? I hadn’t guessed you’d be so affectionate this early.” Eris kept his tone light. She could take his question at face value or use it as an opening to talk about what had transpired.

Rhia grimaced. “Am I that easy to read?” She pushed his shoulder lightly, and he let himself fall onto his back. Eris almost lit the curtains on fire when she moved forward so they were chest to chest, one arm slipping on the other side of his waist. He curled his hand, the arm pinned underneath her, around her back, reveling in the simple touches. “The pillows were in my way.”

“We can’t have that,” Eris concurred. He grabbed the remaining pillow, resting against both of their knees and threw it over the side of the bed. He might have aimed too low and brushed her cheek. All’s fair in love and pillow fights, of course.

“Asshole!” Rhia launched herself on him in earnest this time, straddling his waist with her insanely gorgeous legs. She let a wisp of magic loose, pulling the pillow from the floor to her hands. Eris sat up, hands flailing to grab her wrists, but she got a good smack in before he could. He caught one of her hands and--

“This is too cute!”

Eris let out a snarl that could have woken half the palace at the intruder's voice.

---

Rhia desperately needed to catch up on inter-Court politics. She was relatively confident that  foreign diplomatic officials weren’t allowed to show up in High Lord’s bed chambers without invitation or announcement. And yet, Carina Archeron leaned against the door frame.

“Take your time! Just letting you know I’m waiting in the sitting room when you’re ready for a chat.” The dark-haired female sauntered out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Eris dropped her hand and pinched his forehead in frustration. “I would say she’s not usually like this, except...she is.”

Rhia sighed and removed herself from his body. She had hoped that in the morning light, maybe some activities would be marginally easier than the night before. “We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

“I have some very choice words for her,” Eris grumbled. “No more showing up wherever, whenever like she owns the building.”

“Oh? Does she show up in your bedroom often?” Rhia raised an eyebrow.

Eris’ reaction was better than she’d hoped. The High Lord, halfway through putting on a new shirt, whipped his head around, almost ripping the fabric apart. “We haven’t, she’s not, I can promise you that there’s nothing to worry about--”

“I’m teasing, love.” She reached up and helped navigate the sleeves down his arms. “Do you have a spare dressing robe? And not one that was meant for your previous consorts?”

He bit the tip of her ear as he moved past her towards the massive closet. “You’ll be the death of me.”

Carina perked up when they finally joined her in the main room. “That was much quicker than I expected. Look, I even put up a sound barrier.”

Rhia could feel the magic buzzing, right as Carina popped it. At least she had more faith in their sex life than Rhia did.

“I’ll be brief.” She sat back on one of the golden chairs, watching as the couple settled themselves on the couch. “I am sorry for interrupting; I forgot you would stay the night. Anyway, long story short, my parents have invited Eris to come stay the week before the Winter Solstice.”

“How wonderful,” he replied drily. “My ideal vacation.”

“They’ve also extended the invitation to you.” Carina winked at Rhia. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them about your hero worship tendencies.”

She glanced over at Eris, who’d gone surprisingly stiff at the statement. “Isn’t that normal? Letting a fellow High Lord bring guests?”

“Of course it is,” Carina continued. She shifted in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Half of Prythian has heard the news of your mating.”

Eris let out a low growl. “I’m sure Rhysand has the purest of motives here.”

“Ignore him. Rhia, they stressed that you’re invited to come, even if you must come alone.”

Eris growled louder this time. “Not a fucking chance.”

Rhia whipped her head to face him, mouth gaping at the blatant demand in his tone. He never, not once, had said anything territorial or commanded her in anyway. “And who are you to stop me?”

“I would never stop you.” Eris clenched his jaw. “I just want you to see this charade for what it is.”

“Is it? A charade?” She directed the question at the Heir of the Night Court, who looked increasingly uncomfortable with every tense remark.

“I wouldn’t be here if I thought it was anything less than genuine,” she insisted. “Eris, you know I’ve never taken their grudge seriously.”

He leaned forward in his chair. Rhia tracked the movement of his arms as they slid down his thigh, hands joining together and elbows resting on his knees. “Tell me, then, with complete certainty, that the Inner Circle has no plans to investigate our relationship. That they have no desire to inspect my mate for themselves. That they have no beliefs that she might be in any danger.”

“What?” Rhia almost choked on nothing. “They can’t think — they have no reason to believe that you would harm me.”

Eris looked down into his palms, searching for something in the creases that brought her so much comfort. “You know our history. Of course they have reason to believe I would treat you maliciously.”

Carina glanced between the two of them. “Yeah, so third wheeling a fight isn’t really my idea of a grand time. I might just go—“

Eris cut her off. “Answer my question or return home with our most insincere apologies.”

“I don’t know! I didn’t ask and I honestly didn’t consider it.” Carina uncrossed her legs and stared him down, intensifying her gaze. “I swear on all the stars in the sky, I only came here with good intentions.” Her eyes jumped to Rhia and her smile turned apologetic. “And if they did pry, it’s only because they happen to be the nosiest assholes in this world.”

Rhia wanted to sweep this entire conversation under the rug and never address it again. She knew that Eris, like he would with any topic, would let her do exactly that if she asked him to.

But something in her heated. Some fire in her core, some deep-seated instinct urged her to defend, to protect, to snarl at any threat with every drop of her power.

“That isn’t fair. They have no right to judge what’s ours, without proof or complaint.” Her words were quiet, but the look from Eris screamed so loudly that she blushed. “If they have any sort of motive, then I have to decline.”

Carina dipped her head. “I can send that message to my parents. If you did say yes, I would set down clear and strict boundaries for your comfort.”

“Thank you. It’s not a yes or a no at this moment.” Eris’ response was much calmer than before, drawing a soft sigh of relief from her lungs.

Rhia offered a weak smile to the other female. She genuinely wanted to bond with Carina, sought friendship with one of the few Fae Eris trusted, and this conversation had deterred her from that goal. One last question lingered, though.

“I know the history between our Courts is tense, and rightfully so,” she began. “But truly, what purpose does it serve to antagonize Eris like this? After successfully allying with him for so long?”

Carina shrugged. “They always have to be the hero. My parents and family have centered themselves in one narrative for too long, unable to really break the molds they were forced into.”

“My father grew more powerful than anyone expected, than anyone knew how to handle, all while facing scorn from both halves of his bloodline. He had to comprise his own beliefs when dealing with the Illyrians and the Hewn City, yet never could find a way to actually fix the problems. My mother was thrust into almost unlimited power and given a hyper-dedicated soulmate at 19 years old, with no worldly perspective or aged experience.” Carina bit her lip, as if holding back a grin before adding: “oh, and of course they both died for Prythian, so that really set the entitlement in.”

She waved a hand casually, wiping away the fact that she had just analyzed the two most magical beings in this world with utter candor. “Whatever, enough about them. Think on it, and send me a note when you decide. Either way, I’ll still visit and demand the latest Autumn gossip.”

She winnowed before Eris or Rhia could move, a person much too used to always getting the last word.

“How are you feeling?” Rhia leaned back into the couch cushions and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Eris draped his hand over hers and squeezed. “I don’t think I ever feel normal after conversing with Carina,” he admitted. “But I’m no longer angry. I apologize that you had to see that.”

Rhia snorted. “You’re much too calm normally. I can appreciate some rage now and again.”

“Never at you.” He leaned over to kiss her knuckles. “Not ever at you. If you’d like me to rage at someone on your behalf, however, that’s completely acceptable.”

“A wonderful sentiment.” The hand on his shoulder slid behind his neck, while its twin danced across his abdomen. “I would like to see the Night Court someday.”

Eris hummed. “I’ll make sure you see all the Courts and the continents beyond, if you wish.”

“Even Illyria?” she teased.

“Nope.”

“Why the hell not?” Rhia pouted. Rhia hadn’t felt any actual desire to go to the bitterly cold mountains, but his denial struck her as a bit odd.

Eris glanced up at the ceiling. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Well now I simply must know,” Rhia giggled. “Or I’ll assume something much worse than what it is.”

She watched him scrunch up his nose in the most adorably frustrated way. “The General and I....we don’t mix.”

“Eris,” she sighed. “You can’t let this grudge eat away at you like—“

“It’s not the grudge.” A blush crept up his neck. “It’s not me that, well, I don’t want you meeting  Cassian.”

Rhia swatted him. “Is he so horrible? Or are you worried I’ll take one look at his hulking body and fall madly in love?”

A beat of silence. Another. Too much time passed, and Eris still didn’t respond to her taunt.

“No.”

He groaned and pulled her closer to him, hiding his face in her curls. “It’s not what you’re thinking! It’s beyond silly, I know, but he did manage to take not one, but two betrothals from me.” His voice went soft. “It’s silly to even think this.”

Rhia bit her tongue, trying to think of anything comforting or sweet to say. She couldn’t do it. A giggle slipped out, and Eris shot his head up.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me.” His eyes flashed in warning, pushing her over the edge.

Rhia gasped for air as the laughter fully overtook her. She covered her mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to be serious but...” Another laugh interrupted her sentence. “That is so incredibly ridiculous and superstitious!”

Eris glared at her. “My ego is utterly shredded right now, thank you very much.”

“I love you.” She finally calmed down enough to  press a light kiss to the edge of his mouth. “I love you and we’re mates and I promise I won’t leave you for the General of the Night Court.�� She kissed the other side of his mouth, punctuating her words.

He wouldn’t risk her pulling away, gripping her waist to keep her against him. She teased him with a few more pecks, adjusting her position to hover directly on his lap.

“Kiss me, you cruel, despicable creature.” His breath fanned her neck and she smiled against his forehead.

A heartbeat later and they were tangled up in each other, lips and tongues and limbs coming together as one. Rhia gasped when he bit her bottom lip and Eris purred when her nails dug into his shoulders.

"Promise me we won't be interrupted this time," she breathed, as he moved down her jaw and back to that one spot on her neck.

Eris smiled against her skin. "I've tripled the wards."

She licked her lips, drawing his attention back up to her face. Slowly, torturing them both, her fingers grazed the neckline of the dressing robe, gliding it down her shoulders, letting it fall off her arms. He looked at her with all the intensity and desperation of a drunkard on his last bottle of wine.

She leaned forward, kissing her way from his chin to his ear. "Should we try again?"

-----

thank you for reading! 

tag list: @moonbeamfenrys @qamariana

[not-a-coral-snake]

I like to think about all of the diplomacy and negotiating Damen probably ends up picking up on from Laurent, just as Laurent learned how to run a military campaign from Damen.

Like, it’s probably not on purpose, at least not at first. Damen just enjoys watching Laurent talk to people, enjoys watching him wield words even more masterfully than he wields a sword to charm, intimidate, persuade, often at the same time. And he enjoys asking Laurent about it in private, afterwards, because there’s always nuance and backstory he misses. He thinks of it as a way to learn more about Laurent, not a way to learn a valuable skill set.

It’s not until he’s in a difficult negotiation with one of the kyroi and finds himself borrowing one of Laurent’s tactics to deescalate with promising anything specific that he thinks that maybe he can rule this way, too, sometimes. The Veretian way is less straightforward, for sure. But the Akielon throne’s power is maintained first by loyalty to a person and a bloodline, and second by military might. And with few or no steps between unquestioning loyalty and armed standoffs, bloodshed can be hard to avoid.

So his questions for Laurent grow more specific, more practical-minded. He’ll ask, how exactly did Laurent get that noblewoman to believe that Laurent’s suggestion had been her own idea all along? How does he sort out useful information from mindless gossip? How does he manage to present the Council with a list of options phrased in such a way that they nearly always pick the option Laurent had wanted all along?

Laurent is quicker than Damen to pick up what’s going on, and is both flattered and amused by his role as teacher.

[sethrine-writes]

Daughter of a Devil, Ch. 22

Main Characters:  Father!Dante & Daughter!Reader

Words:  1769

Warnings:  Angst, Retrospection

Story Summary: Being a parent wasn’t easy, nor was there such thing as being perfect at it. Good news for Dante, seeing as how he doesn’t have the slightest idea in hell what to do with a child. Sometimes, he was certain that fighting off a horde of demons was a far better match than keeping up with his own daughter. Well, at least he wasn’t going down without a fight.

A/N:   So this chapter is heavier on the angst. Not to worry, the end of it is quite hopeful, but do expect some feels.

------

Chapter 22 - Tears of the Damned (18 yrs.)

There were so many things, you realized, that you didn’t know about your own father.

Sure, you spent quite a lot of time with him, and you were even old enough and more than skilled enough to go on heavier, more dangerous missions with him, and you learned quite a bit about how he fought and played and treated himself to a job well done. There were still so many secrets that he had never told you, however, things of his past that you so desperately wanted to know about.

You knew what he was, knew of the demon that hid itself within him. You had always had a vague understanding of it until you were abruptly and without warning brought to terms with it in full when you were only seven years old. There was even a part of you that knew that, somewhere deep inside, your body held a trace of the same demonic power that had been passed down from the legendary Sparda himself.

Did that mean you would become just like your father?

Did that mean that you harbored a demon inside you, too?

“Squirt? Where are you?”

There were times where you truly worried that you would become some sort of monster, a being with no self-control.

When you were younger, you would have nightmares, horrid, realistic dreams of slaughtering hundreds of innocent people without so much as a reason. In those dreams, you laughed as your victims cried and begged for mercy. When you inevitably woke to your own cries and screams, Dante would always come to you, giving you comfort by gently running his fingers through your hair and assuring you that your dreams would never become reality.

As you grew older, your fears eventually faded away, and you learned that you had far more control over yourself and whatever potential demon that resided within.

You had begun to realize your potential; your quicker speed and reflexes, your quick healing abilities, your keen sense of sight, hearing, smell - all of these traits had come from your father, who had gotten his traits from his own father, a legendary demon who fell in love with a human and found compassion for humankind.

Without your demonic bloodline, you would never have been such a unique individual. Without this one link you had because of Sparda, you would never have known the demon world as you did at that moment.

Without your grandfather, you wouldn’t be the person you had become.

“I can’t…I can’t find her, Dante.”

“Keep looking!”

This understanding of the demon world had you that much more curious about your father. After all, he had grown up around it, as well, though you had a feeling he had a more troubling childhood than the one you experienced.

You knew small details, like how the demon Sparda sacrificed himself to seal away the gates of hell so that humanity could live on. You also knew that the woman that would have been your grandmother had died when your father was very young, having risked her life to save his. You knew vague details about your uncle, Vergil, though you believed him to be dead, and possibly by Dante’s own hands.

Your mother passed when you were only a baby, and then all he had left was you.

“Dante, Lady, she’s over here!”

“There’s…so much blood.”

Over the years, your curiosity had gotten the better of you despite trying to ward it off. If your father wouldn’t give you anything else to go on besides small, vague details, then you would go to other sources to get your information.

Lady, at that point in time, was the perfect person to ask most of your questions. She answered you honestly about anything you wanted to know that she herself knew about your father, even though she was nearly as lost in the dark as yourself. Sometimes, you went for silly little questions, like his record on mocking an enemy without said enemy attempting to rip his head off. Other times, they were more serious questions, such as if he had ever killed an innocent being.

Much to your delight, Lady had a tendency to tell a full-length story, something you enjoyed greatly. She would even give a few details you had not even thought to ask. It was on one of these days, a day where she retold the story of when you had been taken away when you were barely a year old, only from her point of view, that you learned something very interesting.

As far as Lady knew, Dante had only ever cried once in his lifetime as a young adult.

“Can you hear me? C'mon, sweetheart...answer me, damnit!”

“Dante, she’s not breathing anymore.”

“She can hear me, I know she can!”

The little tidbit of information surprised you greatly. It wasn’t because you thought he would have cried a great deal more, oh no. Rather, it was because of that one moment of tears that you were completely baffled.

It was a hard thing to imagine, your father just standing there, crying his eyes out like there was no tomorrow. Perhaps it was just that father concept you held him in, one that made it seem impossible for your father to ever be that upset. He was a demon hunter, for crying out loud! He had a higher track record of taunting demons than being truly serious about ending them.

Even the strongest of people, however, had their own weaknesses.

Even a half-demon had a reason to cry.

“You’re supposed to outlive me, squirt; you’re supposed to outlive your old man!”

“Dante, please, you have to stop!”

Ever since hearing that story from Lady, you had wanted to confront your father about it, but always chickened out. You wanted to know for sure if that was the one and only time he had ever shed tears of mourning, of grief and despair.

Had he ever cried from happiness? Or did he maybe cry out his frustration when everything became too much to handle?

There were so many things you wanted to know on that one subject, but you were too afraid to ask him, or perhaps too afraid you would see him in a different light.

That was sort of silly to think about, though, wasn't it? He wouldn't be a different person because of it, nor would anything you knew about him really change. Dante would still be your dad, a damn good father, if anyone were to ask you, and just as good a hunter of the demonic things that roamed the earth.

One day, maybe one day, you would see just what could bring your father to such vulnerability. Perhaps, then, you would know the depth of his emotions beyond the playful banter you knew so well.

“Please...please, come back to me.”

A strangled, almost startled gasp came from your lips as your body forced oxygen to fill your previously empty lungs. Everything hurt, especially along your midsection, and your arms and legs felt heavy, cold and numb from the weather of wherever it was you resided. Vaguely, you were aware of hands, somehow warmer than your own freezing body, cupping your face gently and moving your head from side to side ever so slightly.

“Can you hear me, squirt?”

You opened your equally heavy eyes, your vision taking a moment to clear as you looked around. At your sides, blurry images of what appeared to be Lady and Trish were crouched and staring at you in bewilderment, both their faces wrapped in surprised confusion and their eyes cloudy. When your eyes finally focused, you looked up into teary baby blues hovering over your face, the colors of silver and red registering in your mind that your father was hunched over you, taking up much of your vision.

“D-Dad?” you questioned, your voice croaking out the single, stuttering word that had a smile forming on your father’s face.

A single, forced laugh was your only answer for several long seconds.

“Yeah, it’s me. Got yourself into quite a mess, didn’t you?”

You blinked slowly, trying your best to focus on keeping your breaths even and slow so as not to agitate the pain in your abdomen area.

Everything was processing slowly in your still hazy mind, but you were beginning to remember that some time ago, depending on how long you had been out, some sort of demon had attacked full force and had rammed a giant claw straight through you. It had shocked you greatly that for the first few seconds you hadn’t even registered the pain. That, however, was now taking its toll.

With slightly narrowed eyes, you continued to watch your father as he spoke to you in calming words, one of his hands leaving your face and combing through your wet hair. It was at that moment that you registered the image of him you had awoken to, your mind grinding to a halt with the image of tears in your father’s eyes.

“Wh-why’re you cryin’?”

Dante paused in his short ramblings, his hand in your hair tensing momentarily before continuing through the water-darkened strands once more. A smile lit his face, one you hadn’t been expecting.

“It’s just the rain, squirt. It’s just the rain.”

Carefully, you looked up towards the dark sky above and found that it was, indeed, raining. This was possibly the reason why you felt so numb; the cold from the rain felt as if it had seeped through into your very bones.

Everything once again became hazy, and all you were really aware of was your father picking you up carefully from the ground and carting you off, hopefully towards the very shop you called home. You were so very tired, and everything hurt so badly, so you were glad he was putting in most of the effort as you found comfort in leaning against him.

In the end, however, you realized that you had obtained an answer to the very questions that had been plaguing your mind during your limbo.

Your father, for the second time in his life as far as you knew, had cried, and all because he had feared he would lose you.

You always knew he had a big heart, one he hid behind a lot of bravado and cocky antics, but even he had his weaknesses, just as any other man.

Vaguely, you felt pressure against your forehead, a relieved kiss pressed against your skin.

If you'd had the energy, you were sure you would be smiling at the action.

[samthemarvelfan]

Graveyard: Chapter Three

Smoke and Mirrors

Summary: Memories are a dangerous, dangerous thing.

Pairing: Loki Odinson x OFC

Warnings: Sexual language, implied intimacy, physical altercation

A/N: Flashbacks are italicized. Ella is going THROUGH IT, and we finally begin to realize how strong she’s going to have to be to survive.

The news about what Loki had done on Midgard shook the Asgardian people. Sure, Loki was mischievous and loved a good mean-spirited prank, but this was different.

This was lunacy and malice. This was murder for his own personal gain.

This was evil.

When he’d arrived back to Asgard, Thor had taken him to the Allfather himself. He was sentenced to live out his days in the dungeons. Exile of the worst kind—one where you’re forced to bare witness to what you’ve lost.

Shortly after that, the God of Thunder had come to see you.

“Thor...” you cried as you hugged him.

He looked mournful, “Ella I’m sorry, but there is nothing that can be done.”

The hot tears fell down your cheeks as Thor hugged you, attempting to console you. “I need to see him. Please, Thor. He can’t be gone—there has to be some...some good left. Some him...”

Thor sighed, “Don’t do that to yourself. Seeing my brother this way will only bring you torment. You should remember him how he was, not what he’s become.”

You grasp Thor’s hand, “Please.” You beg.

He gives your hand a small squeeze. “I cannot help, but perhaps Mother can. Odin is likely to forgive Frigga of anything.”

A sob escaped you, “Thank you, Thor. Thank you.��

The two of you make haste through the halls of the palace. Heading for the drawing room, you round a corner following swiftly on Thor’s heels when he stops abruptly.

“Mother.” He says simply. As you peek around his massive frame, you see Frigga, looking almost as if she’d been waiting for him.

“All-Mother.” You say, bowing to her.

She laughed delicately. “Rise, child. You think yourself in trouble?”

You nod, and Thor speaks. “Mother...Ella, she needs—“

Frigga put her hand up. “I know. I was raised by witches boy, I see with more than eyes and you know that.”

Thor stepped aside, revealing you fully. Your gaze is locked on the ground in front of you as the All-Mother steps forward.

She watches you for a moment, before placing a hand on your cheek. “Oh my dear,” she coos, “this is love, is it not?”

Your tears return quicker than before. You nod, “Yes,” you feel your lip quiver, “but what he’s become...I know it’s wrong, I do.”

She smiled softly, “You love my son. That is no crime.”

“May I see him? Please, no matter how small the moment. I need to try to help him.”You beg.

Frigga sighs, and nods. “The All-Father will be cross as ever, but I will deal with it. Come.”

Looking to Thor, you mouth a quick ‘thank you’, and follow Frigga to the dungeons

Before you could descend the stairs, she stops you. “Be warned, Ella. He is not himself, his mind has been made undone.” You nod, and she gestures for you to go ahead.

You approach his cell, it’s the first on the left. He’s stood in the middle, with his back to you.

“Loki.” You call quietly, shocked you were able to muster the courage.

He spins slowly, and your heart breaks at the sight of him. The circles under his eyes, the cold, clammy look to his skin. He looks like a man possessed.

He smiles, and for a split second, he looks like himself. Then the smile turns crazed, almost sinister. “Hello, my love.” He croons. “I’ve missed you.”

You swallow the ball of emotion working it’s way up your throat. “Loki, I thought you dead...how could you do this? To me?”

He laughs, “Are you not proud? You would have been my Queen; we could have ruled Midgard together. Just the two of us, as fate intended.”

Loki walks closer to the cells walls, and you instinctively take a step back. His face falls, and for a moment, you see the sadness in his eyes.

“They’ve made you afraid of me, too.”

You shake your head, “What you’ve done...this isn’t you.”

“But this is me!” He yells suddenly, causing you to jump. “This is me in all of my glory, giving truth to the lie I’ve been fed my whole life—I was born to rule.”

You can’t keep the tears back any longer. “You’ve killed so many people—children, Loki!” You shout. “and for what?! Look at where you are!”

You wipe your face, and take a careful step towards him again. “I loved you.” You speak softly, voice trembling. “Through every battle, every new conquest, every scheme and trick. I loved you in death and when I was certain I’d never see you again, but now...” you point to him, “This man—this monster you’ve become, I cannot love you this way.”

You watch his face carefully, searching for any sign of remorse, but he remains unchanged...a master at emotional anonymity.

“And I loved you. Though I was told you were beneath me...a half-breed. That you weren’t worthy of an Odinson because of your bloodline. That I was to be rid of you in favor of someone chosen by the All-Father.”

You swallow hard, as he looks you in your eyes. “Odin was right, you’re tainted flesh. Worthless.”

His words slash through your heart like a knife. “You don’t mean that—“

“I, what?” He mocks, “You don’t know me at all, Ellaria. I’m the God of mischief...of tricks..of lies. I have played with your heart for my own amusement, and now you believe yourself worthy of my affections?”

The tears in your eyes cease for a moment, “Loki...stop this.”

He runs at you to the wall of the cell, “Get out of my sight you vile, little halfling. I never wish to have you in my presence again.” He seethes though clenched teeth.

Your eyes widen at his words, and you run. You run as far and as fast as you could.

That’s the nightmare that wakes you. Remembering how you’d come to hate and be hated by Loki invades your dreams for the first time in years.

You jolt awake, inhaling a sharp gasp of air.

“What were you dreaming about?” He asked calmly.

You jump, nearly forgetting he was actually here. “N-Nothing.”

He scoffs, “Liar.” He takes his thumb and swipes your cheek, showing it to you. “No one cries in their sleep over nothing.”

Feeling your cheeks, you quickly wipe away the pain from your nightmares. The chance Loki knew what you dreamt of was high. He always had the habit of reading your thoughts—both awake and in slumber.

“I’m starving. How long did we sleep?” You ask, brushing off his question.

“You slept for three days.”

“Three days?!” You cry. “Why didn’t you wake me?!”

Loki stood from the bed, grabbing the pitcher of water and pouring you a glass. “For one, I got a break from your attitude, and two, you clearly needed it. No one sleeps for three days if they’re feeling spry.”

You scoff as he handed it to you, “I guess.”

Loki watched as you drank it, “Eat and dress quickly,” he says, “I’m to meet with the Grandmaster for a tour of his fleet. He plans on showing me his impressive collection of ships.” Loki smirked.

Your eyes rolled, that tone said it all. Loki has a plan; one that would surely involve you in some way, shape or form.

You stand, “Fine.”

The trays of food smelled delicious. Your stomach had been so empty, you could feel it ache as the delightful aromas hit your nose. Once your plate is full, you sit on the bench near the bed, and roll up your sleeves to dig in.

“What is that?” Loki says suddenly.

Butter knife in hand, you ignore him, smearing some jam on the toast you’d grabbed.

“Ellaria, I will not ask again.”

“What is what?” Following his eye line, you realize that he’s staring at your forearm.

“Oh that? That was a little welcome present from you, your highness...” you snark,

His face goes cold. “I hadn’t—I didn’t know I’d grabbed you so forcefully.”

You pause your meal yet again. “You never did know your own strength, Loki. Don’t worry, I’ll heal soon enough.”

He stands abruptly, “Speak up for Norn’s Sake next time, Gods know you open your mouth about every other blasted thing.”

“You’re blaming me? It’s my fault your abusing me?”

Loki froze, “Abusing you? I’m the only reason you’re still alive. You ought to be thanking me, but instead, you’re forgetting your place.”

You stood, angrily pushing away your plate. “My place? My place is Asgard. My place used to be the safest haven in the universe, and now I don’t even know what’s become of it.”

Loki stepped closer to you, not speaking, just watching you.

“This is all because of you. You’re arrogance in thinking yourself above everyone. Odin and I may have had our differences, but at least I could say with honesty that he cared for his people.”

The fire in Loki’s eyes at the mention of the All-Father could not be extinguished.

“Differences? Is that what you’d call what he did to us? What he did to you?”

The volume of his voice made you tremble. Loki was known for his composure, and when he lost his temper, things often escalated quickly.

You took a step back, bumping into the coffee table and nearly falling over, but his arm caught you. Loki set you straight on your feet, hands running smoothly down your sides, prickling your skin, before resting on your hips.

“That old fool took everything from me.” His face was inches from yours, so close you could feel the heat of his breath on your nose.

His emerald eyes roamed your features. “I will return to Asgard and claim my throne. I will be the King I was raised to be, and so much more than Odin ever was. If you want to go home, you will help me in doing this.”

Loki released you finally, but remained close to you. “If people need to think me a monster, so be it.”

Your breathing heavily when he steps away from you, not realizing you’d been holding your breath.

“Dress, you have 5 minutes.”

“Oh, and this one...” Grandmaster gestured to a large blue and white ship. “This one holds hundreds—maybe even a thousand passengers. I’ve never needed to use it, but imagine the fun we could have on it.”

Loki feigned interest, “Your collection is, by far, the widest and most impressive in the Universe, Grandmaster. Which would you say is your favorite, though?”

“Ah!” He shouted happily, “Right this way.”

You trailed behind them, making a mental note of what ships it looked like you could figure out how to fly.

“The Diamond Swinger...” he gestured.

It was a beautiful ship. Perfectly aerodynamic, and had plenty of on-craft blasters.

That’s the one. You think to yourself.

“My, my she’s a beauty...” Loki praised.

GM giggled, “isn’t she? It’s my fasted ship—sturdy too. Blasters, shields, the whole shebang.”

You rolled your eyes. This guy was playing right into Loki’s hands and he didn’t even seem to realize it.

“Sir, we’ve got to head to the tower. The contest will be starting soon.” Topaz said monotonously.

He clapped his hands. “Of course, of course! You will join me, won’t you King?”

The GM bit his lip, waiting for Loki’s answer. You can’t help but laugh, of course this guy would fancy Loki.

He cleared his throat, “I would be honored to attend. Pet, what do you say to the Grandmaster for being so hospitable?”

You look at him, almost in disbelief.

You’ve got to be absolutely joking, I’m not thanking this lunatic! You shout with your mind.

Loki steps behind you and nudges his knee into the back of your own, knocking you down.

“What do you say, pet? He seethes into your ear.

Your proper up on both knees, and raise your head high. “Thank you, Grandmaster.”

It’s not much, but it’s all you can force out of your mouth.

Loki backs up, allowing you to lift yourself up. “Well done. She’s still learning, I’m afraid. Her manners need some reformation.” He said with a smirk.

You’re walking now, back towards the exit of the garage. “You know, Loki. A good dose of behavioral therapy is my Contest of Champions. Have you ever considered entering her? She seems quite feisty.” GM said, not bothering to look at you as he walked.

“Feisty she may be, but she’s also very weak. I doubt she could last more than one round before we’d be carting her off to the dump.” Loki didn’t look at you either, he just kept walking with his new bff.

“Oh I don’t believe that, she’s a fighter. I can see it in her eyes. I’m telling you, one round against one of my champions and her attitude will change course.” The GM laughed.

You clenched your fists so hard, you’re sure your nails were drawing blood. You needed to start working on your own plan. Killing Loki and getting the hell back home.

Not necessarily in that order, but hey, ya work with whatcha got.

“If I find she’s displeases me again, I may do just that. Until then, I wish no harm to my new pet.” He pauses by the doors while the Grandmaster enters the codes. Loki turns and looks at you longingly, before he strokes your jaw, “She’s quite special, that mouth is certainly a gift from the God’s.”

Heat fills your face like fire—angry fire.

“I will dress for the occasion, then.” Loki held his hand out to you, and you walked past him. He ignores it, for now. “Grandmaster, we shall meet you in your suite in a hour.”

Back in his rooms, you’re quiet. Uncharacteristically so.

If Loki notices, he doesn’t say anything. Besides, if he really wanted to know, he’d have no qualms about poking in your head.

Your stood by the window, tossing an apple—or what looks like an apple, in the air. The city is aglow, but empty. Most of the citizens had gone to the arena for the contest.

While you’ve come to realize that most of the buildings were made from the trash spewed out by the portals above, it didn’t make them any less beautiful. In fact, if you were being held here like a prisoner, you’d think the planet was quite lovely.

You’re lost in thought when you feel a hand on your shoulder. Out of pure instinct, you spin and strike with your right hand and swoop with your left. When your fists make contact, you swing your leg and knock the person to their knees.

It’s a combination of moves that happens in seconds. Swift and powerful blows blur together, and your brain is suddenly on auto pilot waiting for a new battle. When it doesn’t come, you look down and see Loki on his knees in front of you, wiping the drop of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Your eyes widen, shocked he’d been susceptible to such an attack in the first place.

He let his guard down.

“I forgot just how skilled you were in combat.” He hadn’t come off his knees, but his green eyes were locked on yours. “Surely it was time I’d been reminded.”

Loki’s voice always had the strangest effect on you. Ever sound and syllable washed over you like a blanket, surrounding you in comfort. The way he painted his thoughts with words was something that was never lost on you.

“Next time speak up.” You say, echoing his words from earlier.

He hasn’t moved, he’s still on his knees, his face level with your waist. Somehow, even though he’s the one kneeling, you’re the one who feels vulnerable.

“Get up, Loki.” You feign irritation.

He smirks, “I suppose I should, after all it’s been quite some time since you’ve had me in such a...compromising position.”

Memories flood your mind, visions of the two of you tangled amongst his emerald sheets. Skin coated in a post-intimate glow, nothing but pillow talk between you.

“You’re perfect.” Loki croons as his fingers trace lines along your bare hips.

A fierce heat fills your cheeks, and you laugh. You were naked in the Prince’s bed and yet it is his words that embarrass you.

“and you, Loki Silvertongue, are just sated.” You avoid his eyes, not wanting to fall anymore than you already have.

His strong hands find your cheek and grip it gently. “While that may be true, it doesn’t change anything. You’re flawless, an absolute goddess in every way.”

Loki kisses you. It’s unlike the ones just minutes ago; these kisses aren’t raw and hungry, but soft as passionate. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think they were full of love.

“Loki...” you whisper. You hated this part, sneaking away in the middle of the night in fear.

He doesn’t answer, he simply pulls you close, holding you against his glistening chest.

“Loki, I have to go.” Your voice is strained, on the verge of tears as always.

“No.”

It comes out far too quickly. “No? What do you mean no?” You ask.

He’s holding you, still. “I mean no. I wish for you to stay here, in my bed, with me. I wish to hold you while you sleep, and watch you as you wake in the morning’s first light. I wish to make love to you as the sun is rising and the swallows chirp. I wish to love you properly and without fear.”

Speechless. Loki never fails to leave you speechless. He looks down and see’s the tears welling in your eyes.

“Ellaria, my heart. I love you, and I don’t care who knows it.”

Shaking your head, you’re brought back to the present, the memory alone bringing the familiar sting to your eyes. “Stop it.” You strain.

You know Loki is putting the thoughts in your mind on purpose, messing with you consciousness in an attempt to weaken your resolve.

...and you’re terrified he’ll succeed.

Loki runs his hands up your legs, “How long has it been, Ellaria?” When your name fell from his lips, you shuddered. “How long has it been since you’ve been touched? Was I your last? Heaven’s know I was your first.”

You step back, “Enough, Loki.” You don’t look to see if he gets up. Instead you move back to the window, folding your arms and praying he’ll get the memo to leave you be.

Nope.

You feel him before you hear him, the heat from his body has never matched the coolness of his skin. “Was I your only? Could that be why fate has bound us together this way?” His hands find your waist for a moment, before tracing up your arms.

You don’t answer, you refuse to give him the satisfaction.

Loki chuckles, the deep, rumbling sound in his chest echoing in your ear. “You were mine, once. It seems as though your body still is.” His delicate fingers sweep the hair off of your neck, revealing you goosebump covered skin.

Growling, you spin around with one of Loki’s daggers in hand; you’d grabbed it from his belt whilst he was talking.

The tip of the blade touches the soft part of his neck, right under his chin. You hold it there with firm, but shaking hands. For a moment, no words come out. That’s when you realize your eyes were unable to hold the tears back any longer.

Loki’s hands are up in surrender as you step forward, keeping the blade to his flesh.

“I...am not...yours.” You croak. Your throat so strained, you were sure the ache would never subside.

He watches you for a moment, always observing before acting. Loki slowly lifts his hand and moves the blade away with one finger.

“Then why do you cry for me still?” It comes out as nearly a whisper. For a moment, his eyes look familiar. They look like a place of safety; gone is the empty and cold darkness.

You shake your head. He’s not the same, Ella. Don’t let him fool you again. It’s a mental pep talk, one that would save you from being vulnerable.

“My tears are not for you, they are my own for being so blind. My blade, however, that is something I intend to use on you and you alone.” You’re deflecting, he knows you are. You can tell by the smirk now gracing his lips.

“I’ve no doubt you’d try to kill me if you thought you’d make it out of here alive. The sad truth, my dear? You need me just as much as I need you.”

His eyes are back to normal; dark and unchanging. You keep his dagger, and shove it into your waistband.

Stepping around him, you walked to the bathing room. The moment the door clicked shut, you let out a shaking breath. Why were you letting him affect you so much? Hadn’t you moved on from this by now?

He’s manipulating you, Ella. Just like before.

Splashing your face with cold water, you attempt to gather your nerves. You did not need Loki, and you intend to prove just that.

Not only to him, but to yourself.

Tagging:  @jessiejunebug @babyboybucky @classyunknownlover

[boat-dock]

“Knowing You is for the Better” chapter 12

lets be honest Rafael deserves a better story... also Hope and Josie are so smitten

Josie’s leg bounced erratically as she waited for her sister to meet her for lunch. She’d chosen a secluded spot away from people so they could talk without being interrupted by half the school who wanted their input on unimportant things, most days she wouldn’t mind but today she needed her sister’s attention. She shouldn’t be nervous. Their relationship had improved a lot over the past few months and Lizzie just wanted her to be happy, but she was still slightly terrified to tell her about her budding relationship with Hope.

At the thought of the tribrid Josie’s heart sped up and her cheeks flushed. She couldn’t believe that someone as amazing and beautiful as Hope could like her. She was plain, nothing special, just a normal teenage girl- with magic- but otherwise just like everyone else. Deep down she knew that this kind of thinking was a problem but that’s an issue to unravel for another time, perhaps on a day when the girl she’s been secretly in love with didn’t kiss her before class. 

She’s grinning to herself completely lost in thought when Lizzie shows up. Her twin notices something is up instantly, “ What happened?” she asked, smirking as she plopped down her plate across from Josie. 

“What- what makes you think something happened?” she stuttered taking a sip of her drink, trying to pretend that she wasn’t a mess. 

“Oh come on,” Lizzie answered, “ You’ve got starry eyes and…” her voice faded out as her face fell and turned sour. “Please tell me this isn’t about the she-devil.” 

Josie wanted to laugh. She should have been prepared for this, Hope had told her that Lizzie thought that she was going to get back with Penelope, it was a ridiculous thought. She cared for Penelope’s well being- she always would- but her heart belonged to Hope now, even this early in the relationship she felt like it always would.

“No this isn’t about Penelope I swear,” she laughed, watching her sister sag into her chair in relief. 

“Thank god.” 

Now came the hard part, Lizzie and Hope hadn’t always been the best of friends, in fact, they were enemies and it was Josie’s fault, but now they were close and Josie didn’t want anything to disrupt that. She would feel awful if she was the reason for another rift between the two. She pushed food mindlessly around her plate, “ this is about Hope actually.” 

Lizzie squinted at her, daring her to keep talking with a look, “ What about her?” 

“Well- um -well we,” Josie stumbled her way around her confession until Lizzie put her out of her misery.

“Oh my god are you two together?” her face was unreadable, a mix between disbelief and shock.

Josie took a deep steadying breath, “ Yeah we are,” she answered before she realized that that might now be true, “ well at least I think we are, we haven’t really talked about it.” 

A weight was lifted off her shoulders when Lizzie grinned at her and took her hand over the table, “ Finally,” she groaned with a good-hearted eye roll.   

“What? You knew?” Josie breathed, blood rushing to her cheeks. Embarrassment coursed through her at the thought of her sister noticing and speculating on her love life behind her back. She was used to being the one watching not being watched. 

“Of course,” she gloated,” You act completely different when you’ve got someone in your sights and Hope likes to think she's all mysterious and broody but as soon as you get to know her she’s an open book.” Neither statements were wrong. 

“You aren’t upset?” Josie asked, still shocked by Lizzie’s reaction. 

“Give me a little more credit Jo. I made my peace with you two the minute you started sleeping in her room more than ours,” Josie lowered her eyes, her cheeks heated once again, “ Does she make you happy?”  

The question throws her for a loop. This was the happiest she’d felt in a long time, Hope supported her and fought for her and always put Josie’s needs first. A small smile flick across her face, “ Yeah she does,” she sighed. 

“Good,” Lizzie commented, “ but if she screws this up I’ll have to kick her ass.” 

Josie shouldn’t have expected any less, “ You can try, “ she teased. 

Hope’s stomach was in knots as she made her way to the headmaster’s office, there was no way he knew her about her feelings for Josie but she still dreaded that she was about to get his strange version of shovel talk. She slowed her pace to a trudge, giving herself more time to stew.

That was a mistake. If she had known who was following her through the hallway she would have moved quicker. If she hadn’t been inside her head so much she would have heard or sensed Penelope Park trailing her unstealthily. 

Penelope grabbed her arm and jerked her to the side. When she got her wits about her and saw her, her stomach dropped. She had nothing to feel guilty for, Penelope and Josie had broken up a long time ago and Josie was completely allowed to date whoever she wanted whether Penelope was at the school or not. “We need to talk,” she said in a hushed voice glancing around like they were standing alone in a hallway. 

“Do we?” Hope answered, deciding that playing dumb was her best bet. 

Penelope rolled her eyes, “ We need to talk about Josie.” Hope sighed trying to think of the best way to get herself out of this conversation.

“Whatever you have to say you should say to her not me,” she retorted as she yanked her arm away and started back down the hallway, suddenly desperate to get Dr. Saltzman’s office, no matter what he needed to see her about. 

“I want to talk about the merge,” she called behind her, and Hope stopped dead in her tracks. The merge had been in the back of her mind since her talk with Josie on the roof in New Orleans, she’d gone through dozens of ideas and none had panned out or been realistic. She was at a dead-end but she didn’t want to talk to Penelope about it. 

Except, maybe Penelope had a plan, a plan that she was confident enough in to come to Hope with. Hope turned eyeing her, she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to save the twins no matter how much she wanted to, but she couldn’t handle it right now, not when she was needed in the headmaster’s office, “ Later,” she said, “ I’ll find you later. 

With that she turned and left, leaving Penelope in the dust. She walked the rest of the way in a daze until she was outside the door and knocking. The door swung open and she was greeted by a very uncomfortable looking Dr. Slatzman who ushered her in stiffly. 

Oh god, this was going to be about her and Josie. 

Caroline stood behind the desk and smiled kindly at her but stayed silent until Dr. Saltzman was back. Raf was there too, he sat wide-eyed and slightly pale and wouldn’t meet Hope’s eyes. She took the seat next to him, staying quiet until she knew for sure what this was about. 

“We’re so sorry to pull you out of class Hope but we thought that you could help with this situation,” Caroline’s voice was sweet as honey and steady, she seemed completely calm unlike everyone else in the room. 

“What’s going on?” she asked, worried. 

Dr. Saltzman cleared his throat, “ Well earlier in the school year while you were… away and Rafael was trapped in his wolf form, we did a heritage test to try and find a way to turn him back and we found his father by doing so,” Hope remembers back to the night they saved the Saltzmans from the prison world, she’d seen a man entering the school with Raf but at the time she didn’t know who he was. 

Still unsure of how this applied to her she forced her words out, “Wow that’s amazing congrats Raf,” she and Rafael had a bumpy history and their views on family differed drastically but nonetheless she was happy for him. He smiled numbly at her but didn’t say anything. 

“That’s actually not what we called you here to talk about,” Caroline commented, pushing the conversation back on track with ease.

“Yes we are actually here to talk about Rafael’s mother’s side of the family,” there was a dramatic pause like they expected her to put all the pieces together herself. She’s good but not that good. “You see, the only relative shown was very distant so we didn’t pay it any attention, but upon closer inspection, it appears that Rafael is from a very old and powerful werewolf bloodline.” 

Finally, they were getting somewhere. She blinked at Raf and cocked her head, she wanted him to talk but he was silent as ever so she asked,” What bloodline?” the only werewolf bloodlines that were prominent enough to show up on a lineage test were those of the seven original packs. They were powerful and ancient but now mostly nonexistent if the lines still survived they didn’t publicly announce their heritage due to the danger. 

Dr. Saltzman and Caroline cut their eyes at each other before continuing, “ The Malraux pack,” the words hung heavy in the air. The only thing that could have shocked her more would be if he had been from her pack, but this was a close second. 

She sucked in air through her nostrils loudly, “Woah,”

“Do you know what that means,” Rafael shot suddenly breaking out of his coma, “ because I sure as hell don’t and nobody will tell me anything.” his frustration was obvious and she couldn’t blame him. 

“We thought it would be best for Hope to explain since she has some experience with things like this,” Caroline said and Hope’s jaw clenched as she realized that they were dropping this on her. She had enough on her plate without trying to do their jobs as well. But as they scurried from the room, the weight of what this revelation meant hit her. Not only did Raf have more family out there -well one more family member to be exact- but that person was a part of her family also. 

She composed herself and tried to find the best way to explain what this meant for him. “Ok,” she started,” so this pack that you’re a part of is one of the seven original werewolf packs.” his eyes went even wider and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“And that’s a big deal?” he asked.

“Yes and no,” she answered,” it’s a big deal to some more traditional wolves but it’s safer for you to keep it on the down-low.

“Why?” he groaned 

“Umm well when the seven packs get together they can create some very powerful stuff and in the past, people have tried to take advantage of that,” she really hoped he wouldn’t ask any more questions the answers were dark and she didn’t feel like going into it right now.

“So me being a Malraux that means I’m from some big and influential pack?” she couldn’t tell if he was hopeful or not. 

“Not exactly,” she chewed her bottom lip in thought, “ the Malraux’s are mostly extinct now, there’s only one left that I know of, but I can put you in contact with her if you want,” 

Hope held her breath. Keelin was one of the best people that she knew and she deserved the best things in the world. Raf did too. The longer she thought about it the happier she got for the two of them, each finding a long lost family member, she hoped they could be happy. When Raf didn’t answer quickly her heart sank and she quickly backtracked, “ But if you decided you don’t want to know her I’m sure she would understand.” 

This seemed to only confuse him more, “ You would tell her about me even if I wanted nothing to do with her?” 

Not telling Keelin never crossed Hope’s mind. “ Of course, she deserves to know as much as you do.” 

She was quiet now, letting him think things over. “What’s she like?” 

She smiled softly, happy to get the chance to gush about her family,” her name’s Keelin and she’s a doctor, from Texas but now lives in New Orleans,” he leaned closer in his chair as Hope pushed her hair out of her face,” she’s one of the kindest people I know, I mean she has to be to put up with me and my crazy-ass family.” 

The sun shown in through the windows and Hope wondered just how much class she was going to get out of today for this. “Why don’t you give her my email,” he mumbled causing Hope to grin from ear to ear. 

She was pretty sure that Keelin was working today and even though she was bursting to share the news she’d just learned, she knew that Keelin hated to be interrupted at work and that she wouldn’t be able to focus the rest of the day if she learned this now. “Of course,” she answered, “ I’ll call her first thing in the morning.”

She ducked out of the office after that and hoped that Dr. Saltzman and Caroline would go back in now and help him in ways that she couldn’t. 

She had a rather uneventful rest of the day, thankfully. She went to class after class and actually did her work and unsubtly watched Josie the whole time. She found herself skipping lunch and holding herself up in the library, searching in vain for any new information on the merge. 

She dragged herself back to her room at the end of the day tired and worn down but that all melted away when she found Josie waiting for her there. 

“Hey,” the younger girl piped up. Hope grinned and went to her, “Where did you disappear to today?” she asked.

“Your parent’s needed my help with something today,” she said vaguely. She would love to share everything that happened with Josie, but it wasn’t her story wasn’t her’s to tell.

“Care to share?” it wasn’t a push for information, it was just Josie reminding her that she was here to listen and help always. 

“I wish but it’s not mine to share,” Josie understood and dropped the subject. Hope wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled, relishing the closeness. She closed her eyes and sighed, letting herself relax into the younger girl’s arms.

“I talked to Lizzie today,” she said calmly. She knew Josie was nervous about telling her sister but Hope never was. Her run-in with Lizzie in the hallway earlier that day was enough to put her nerves at ease. 

“How’d it go?” she asked, resting her head on Josie’s shoulder. 

“Surprisingly well. She’s actually ok with this, us.” 

“Good,” Hope answered before climbing into bed and pulling Josie with her. The siphoner was peaceful in Hope’s arms, she could listen to the sound of her heartbeat forever, the soft reminder that this perfect girl was real and alive in her arms. And magically she had feelings for Hope despite everything, her past, her family, her actions, this girl still wanted to be with her. 

They held each other, silently just enjoying each other’s presence until Hope fell into a deep and fitful sleep.

[bb-8irl]

I can’t believe I’m doing this again. The number of times I try to write out my feelings towards TROS, I always feel like I haven’t worded it properly, or haven’t said what I’ve needed to say. Or that I still have much to say when I’m done. But after seeing this movie three times, with having a week between the second and third I think I’ve got this. Also, I’m naturally optimistic, so this will probably come off more positive than negative, but I have a lot to say so I literally how no clue how this is going to go.

Heads up this is hella long, do bare with me. And I’m sorry I couldn’t figure out how to do the read more thing.

First, what Star Wars means to me.

To some people, it’s just movies, and yes it is. But they are some of my favorites, even though they are imperfect, I fall in love with the idea of a galaxy far far away. They take me to a world that I can escape to. They have given me characters that I adore, many of which I see parts of myself in, while others inspire me. As a kid I never really saw myself as a princess, I loved princess movies but I never felt like I fit in with them. No, I felt like a Jedi, I felt like this was a world I belonged to. I love the movies, the tv shows, comics, and books. Why do I think this is important to share, mainly for perspective and where I come from when I say what I say about TROS. You don’t have to be a life long fan to have an opinion on this, but this is just from a certain point of view. I’m a Reylo, and I’m going to have strong opinions as a SW fan and as a Reylo. Some opinions that you may agree or disagree with. I’m not here to argue. And I’m not here to say someone cannot feel differently towards any of this.

Where to start?

Well point blank, as an overall Star Wars movie what did I think? I don’t hate it, I don’t think it’s perfect and I think there are MANY problems with it and I really don’t wanna give JJ or Chris any credit for anything good that did come from this movie. But I can’t say that it was a horrible movie, I’d being lying if I said I wasn’t entertained. But it wasn’t great, and really missed the target.

So the writing…

Let me say first that I’m not a writer, or at least not professionally, I write for my own enjoyment in my free time. But in terms of the story we were given, it was…well again I didn’t hate it. But especially after thinking about it, and I know I can’t change anything, but I just wish it didn’t feel like the entire story revolves around Palpatine. Now I like the idea of Palpatine coming back, it does make sense since this mother fucker has been stirring the damn pot and has always had his hand in things. And as much as I actually love the opening sequence, I think it would have been more interesting to see in the in at least first act to see how everything for the resistance and first is going before Palpatine makes himself known. But if were gonna just talk about the literal writing, it was fine, especially Carrie’s scenes I think they did well writing them to try and make it fit. Star Wars in general for writing I give some lenience, just cause the writing has never been perfect, it’ll have its moments but not perfect. So yeah that’s where I stand with that.

Now breaking it down. What did I think? What I liked and didn’t like. What I would have done different.

The title scroll…again it just felt very Palpatine centric when I feel like it could have been a little less of him in the start.

Kylo fighting on Mustafar…HOT it’s fucking HOT because he’s HOT and it’s fucking HOT on Mustafar. Now it was after the fact of the first and second time I saw the movie that I found out he was on Mustafar, which makes sense plot wise if you know all the details of why he’s on Mustafar…and maybe I just didn’t identify they planet well and it’s just me who didn’t notice it was Mustafar. (JK it wasn’t just me, I told my roommate and she was pissed that they didn’t give us any helpful clues.) But I feel like that was something that maybe could have used a bit better of an explanation.

Kylo literally not having the time of day to deal with Palpatine. BIG MOOD BRO. And like that’s

He’s done being a puppet, he’s not playing around. And I’m proud of my boy for that. Also just the fact that he’s protective boyfriend literally not having it, there’s literally nothing he can be offered that can sway him from Rey.

It was interesting to kinda get a look at how how connected they are. (Hello force soulmates.) I did like seeing how their their memories really do intertwine into one. But I don’t really give JJ or Chris any of the force bond credit. That’s probably the one good thing they took from what Rian left them with and didn’t have to do a 180 on it. But again the force bond was Rian’s creation, they on expanded on it.

Now I like how Poe and Rey butt heads, it’s honestly how I expected that to go. Meanwhile Finn is in the middle of it, trying to keep his little sister and boyfriend from breaking into a full on MMA fight. Overall the trio was cute, I wouldn’t really change much about it honestly. Though they really gave us barely any Rose action which was sincerely disappointing.

Though it was a small interaction, Kylo and Hux was funny. I truly love how much they hate each other, comedic gold.

Pasana party looks like hoot and half. But they really had her look at a group of kids, and have a conversation about how Rey doesn’t have a last name, and played the whole oh she will get something like this by the end…bruh…it’s fine I’ll discuss that more later.

Rey and Bens first force Skype in TROS. He really said, “Palpatine wants you dead.” As a conversation starter, what a Solo. Anyways their conversation was angsty AF, and I expected nothing less than that. I love when he asks her why she didn’t take his hand she asks back, “You could have killed me. Why didn’t you?” And what I love from that is how she, at least from my perspective, answered his question with that question. Because the answer would be because I care/love you too much to ever hurt you. And I’ll bring this up later, but it kinda foreshadows what Rey tells him later.

He ripped that necklace off. And maybe I should have been offended…but that was…

FINN WAS NOT GOING TO TELL REY HE LOVES HER. I just really needed to say that. Also I know I caught on quicker than most but honestly the minute Finn says “It’s Ren.” My thought process was and I quote. “Mother fucker do you have something you would like to share with the class?” I kinda caught onto the early on that he is force sensitive.

And I’ll cover that topic now real quick. I love Finn, and I honestly am so happy for him. Them making him force sensitive doesn’t bother me, again happy for him. From a writing standpoint though I feel like JJ did that for when people try to say “oh you ruined about how it doesn’t matter where you come from, the force doesn’t care about bloodline.” This is where he points his finger and goes “see, look, we don’t know his bloodline.” And you know I hope that there are better intentions in that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if at least some of the intention was for JJ to try and cover his ass. Regardless I like Finn being force sensitive. But I feel like they were too subtle about to be introducing something like that so late in the game. It kinda just left a lot of people confused.

Also, Poe is a jealous boyfriend…nuff said.

And it was cute how BB-8 kinda had a learning lesson from Rey when she says, “you would have done the same.” When referring to force healing. And then BB-8 kinda uses that concept for D-O when he charges him.

Continuing on to the flip over the tie fighter was epic, shout out to Katie McDonnell who preformed that specific stunt. (I know she’s not the only stunt double, I’m just a fan of Katie, but major props to the whole stunt team.)

Oh and Kylo on Pasana is also…

Also the Chewie fake out I saw coming which kinda ruined anything emotional JJ was trying to pull on me.

Ok now to Kimji stuff.

Zorii is a cool character. I can buy the history the two had. You get a good feel for past chemistry but I like that she actually doesn’t wanna kiss him. Like I will kiss almost anyone (not Jabba the hut) in Star Wars (ok there’s a fair amount I wouldn’t) but Poe is on that list of whom I would kiss. So props to her for being all been there done that. And Babu Frik is precious.

Force Skype number 2. Firstly I‘m happy to hear the words “I never lied to you.” Come out of Kylos mouth. I’ve just always found that very important thing about him is how honest he is to Rey. He’s not a liar, he’s not deceptive, it’s not really in his character to do so, and specially to Rey I don’t think he would ever consider lying to her.

Ok…

The Rey Palpatine situation. I don’t love it but I also don’t hate it…but I don’t like it for sure. I can accept it as canon, but it leaves me with more questions…before I say what I would have done let me just first say this. I have questions on who the fuck did Palpatine fuck. This also just has me questioning the timeline and everything, especially watching it all again. I just started asking where everything falls into the timeline, was he part of raising his son, like there’s a lot of missing pieces, and it kinda just makes me ask why it was it was so important to make her a Palpatine. But like sure if I turn my brain off…ok…Rey is a Palpatine…sure, whatever makes the fanboys shut up on trying to make her a blood related Skywalker. And honestly JJ you don’t get credit for making Anti fanboys shut up. But at least they look EXTRA dumb now when they still try and make her related to Ben.

But ok, now lets really address this. It really was not that necessary to make her Palpatine and sure, yeah it happened. But I really liked the direction Rian was going with in TLJ, that it doesn’t matter who you, that anyone can be force sensitive, that it doesn’t matter where you come from, or who your parentage is, it’s just the matter of the force. What I wish they had went with was this idea that Rey was kinda born for the darkness and Ben for the light, just something very basic. And because they are kinda fighting for the opposite of which the were “created” for it causes a weird shift in the force. It would have fit will with what Rian had already written, explain why Rey is so strong with the force, being Bens equal, and quite literally it would barely change anything that was already there. Literally just changing any lines that involve Rey being Palpatine’s granddaughter. Related or not Palpatine could have known of Rey and was trying to seek here out, her parents wanted to protect leaving her on Jakku, telling Plutt they were selling her for drinking money to make sure there was nothing suspicious going on. Everything happens ala TFA and TLJ, Ben finds out where Rey is suppose to belong in the force, he tells her, she hates it because it’s everything she doesn’t want to be. We get it the ending and Palpatine does the whole kill me and because what you were created to be, Empress of the galaxy and harness all the sith. BOOM. You didn’t have to fuck with her parentage, you didn’t have to try to find loopholes in what Rian gave you. Cause all the shit I just wrote out, I’d believe, I’d that believe more than the whole Palpatine thing.

Hux was the spy…well I knew he was gonna be up to some bullshit but I didn’t expect that. And while I think that was an interesting twist I kinda was hoping with Hux something a little different. Kinda the same concept of “I need Kylo Ren to loose.” I feel like again if we started a bit before the whole Palpatine shit happens, it would have been interesting to see Hux trying to undermine Kylo. I was hoping to have seen Hux die, but I feel like his part was kinda thrown away. Again, there could have been great potential with him trying to “dethrone” Kylo. I never thought Hux as dumb and so it just felt like we missed out on him trying to take the power.

I love Jannah, I think she was a great character for Finn to relate to. But I’m just saying we had a good set up for a Stormtrooper rebellion…just saying that was some missed potential.

The Rey versus Dark!Rey stuff was cool, and I expected it to be something short, but just saying it would have been cool to have seen a bit more of that. AND would have been cool if it were a vision Ben had seen though.

“You can’t go back to her now. Like I can’t.” Oh my sweet baby boy. The crazy thing is too though is that he probably could have gone back, which is something he realizes when Leia reaches out to him not long after. But you know he wants to go back and truly feels helpless and can’t.

Also he crushed the Wayfinder with one hand…

The water fight was pretty epic. I was happy to see specifically in this fight and the final fight later on that they were fighting in a very similar way to the prequel Jedi. Like that shit is epic.

Ok and that moment when he stops himself from striking Rey, knowing that no matter how upset he might be at her, and how upset she is with him he never wants to hurt her.

Also I predicted that Leia’s death would be the starter for Bens redemption, and again I really felt for my baby boy. Also I definitely verbally screamed “No!” When Rey impaled him with his lightsaber.

Rey force healing Ben is a tender moment.

Now I know some people don’t like this, but I understand why Rey says, “I did want to take your hand. Ben’s hand.” And I get it. When we go back to when she asks him why he didn’t kill her it’s that same kinda answer he would give. She cares/loves him to much to see him destroyed. She knows that her following him to the dark side would turn him into something he’s not, and turn her into something she’s not. I know a lot of people find this as her not being able to accept him as Kylo, and I think she accepts him for all that he is, but doesn’t want him to loose who he really is. Because as Kylo has lived a tortured destructive life, and she wants him happy. She already knows the side he doesn’t let anyone but her see, and I think she knows that he would loose that. And then from her perspective for herself, Rey has never wanted power, or the want to rule. When he offered her his hand, and offered her basically everything he could, she never wanted any of that, you see that with Palpatine she’s never wanted to rule. Her saying she wanted Bens hand, it’s her telling him she doesn’t need anything but him for her to be with him and love him. And he’s never had that. With Luke he was the prize student, with Snoke he had to live up to this expectation of being Vader and being told he was never good enough. And Rey is there telling him that Ben is enough. It’s the equivalent of Ben saying, “you’re nothing. You come from nothing. But not to me.” He didn’t care where she came from, he loved her just for her, as she loves him for him.

(Wow that was a lot…but I at least think I finally got that out.)

Moving on.

I was so glad that they basically addressed the Han/Ben scene from TFA. For me it was always easy to see Bens struggle in that moment, I’ve always been empathetic with him cause I think of just about everything he had to do this was the most painful and regretful thing he’s ever done. And having to relive was so heartbreaking, but it important for him and important for the audience as a whole. This whole scene, as painful as it is, is healing. With Rey starting with healing him and his scar to him having to have that memory/conversation with his Father.

And yes I was absolutely broken by “Dad.” “I know”. I was so wrapped up in my emotions it took me the third time to realize that was their I love you.

So Rey going back to Ahch-to, and having her conversation with Luke. And like…again the whole Rey Palpatine thing, again fine it’s canon…this is fine. But this would have been so much less explanation…like I really feel like they made it harder for themselves by making her a Palpatine. But…fine it’s in canon.

Also Leia is a Jedi! Which was already hinted to with Leia training Rey. And Leia is continuously one of my favorite characters…but I never pinned her down to actually go through full on Jedi training. I can believe that she got byLuke but ok no she went all the way. And it’s not out of character for her to just hide something from the family, though this does almost butt heads against canon in terms of Han never even knew she trained…so JJ you kinda made another plot hole…you tried to cover it up, Jedi Leia is a cool concept, and the fact we needed two lightsabers cause someone decided to throw his into the ocean I see why you did it…but bro…she didn’t need be a Jedi to train Rey.

And ok the “some things are stronger than blood.” Which is a great message for her, which I’m just saying could have been used regardless of her parentage. But I digress.

Ok so the Exegol stuff.

Just kinda standard dialogue between Rey and Palps. Again if I could change it, it would really just be her not being his grandfather. The more I think about it the more unnecessary it becomes.

I know some people wanna question how Ben even got to Exegol, that’s honestly a plot hole I don’t mind waiting for the novelization to explain, doesn’t bother me, just thought I’d address it.

And seeing Ben Solo running in with nothing but a blaster in his hand, no plan, just his wife on his mind.

ALSO “ow!” Is the one Ben Solo line we got and it may be the one line…but says so much about Ben Solo.

And man the look that Rey and Ben give each other through the bond, that was the look of love and trust. And when she passes over the lightsaber and Ben freaking goes.

And then he takes on the Knights of Ren…

Oh I should address the Dyad situation. Honestly I’m all for anything that confirms that they are literal soulmates in the force. I mean we all kinda called this happening, now there is a literal name for this.

I will say I loved getting to hear from the Jedi, that was a touching moment, yeah it would have been cool to have actually seen them in force ghost form but that’s me being nit picky. Also would I have loved to have seen it be both Rey and Ben defeat Palpatine, they both have been fucked with by Palpatine. But it doesn’t bother me to see Rey defeat him. It again was just kinda a missed opportunity.

Now watching Ben pull himself from that pit and use every last bit of energy he has to get to Rey, scooping her into his arms, looking around helplessly, and hugging her close. Everyone could literally see the inner monologue he was having and my heart was BREAKING. JJ you don’t they any credit for that, Adam is just wonderful and amazing, and is the only one who deserves credit for that.

He gave her his life. HE FUCKING GAVE HER HIS LIFE!

(Heads up I’m just gonna first talk about from here on till I reach the end before I start talking about changes or things I would have done different…not to mention the thing that really has me upset.)

Now I see the full circle in terms of “finishing what Vader started”, that the whole big reason for Anakin's fall to the dark side was because he wanted to save the person he loved more than anything. So ok I see what you did there JJ, but by no means did that mean that he had to die…but I’m getting ahead of myself.

And can we talk about how Rey looks at him, I really don’t think she realizes what he’s actually done, but she just looks at him with love and adoration oh my fucking heart.

THEY KISS FOLKS REYLO CONFIRMED. They have canonized Reylo…painful as fuck after that so yeah.

And then it happens. Now ok…I have many feelings. But let’s just go with the fact that what’s happened…happened. Fact of the matter is he gave his life to Rey. Now it’s hella romantic, and I do think that if they had tried to kill him any other way I would be fuming (well I kinda am still). But yeah had it been any other way I would have rioted.

And then we get to the ending…celebration is cute. RIP Snap Wexley btw. Then we get to Tatooine. Now it took me a the THIRD time of seeing that movie to actually maybe understand what they were getting at. First two times I was like “really, this is how we end it?” And I’m still saying that, but I understand why she bury’s the lightsabers, it is a sense of closure for the Skywalkers. I’m just gonna assume Tatooine is not a permanent situation…that’s what I would hope at least. And I’m not too mad about her taking the name Skywalker, I guess since she just has to be a Palpatine, I wouldn’t wanna keep the Palpatine name either. And so as far as I know her and Ben are fucking married so let her take on the family name.

Was that ending what I would consider satisfying though? No, not really. Her lightsaber is cool and I’m glad she has one, but not still not satisfied.

Why am I not satisfied you might ask.

Here’s why.

Now if this is me excepting the fact of the matter that Ben is dead. I mainly have a problem with the fact that the ending is almost too vague and gives the audience little to no explanation. Sure I can be left to my assumptions and I’ll get to those, but the majority of the audiences initial interpretation of that ending is, Rey is now going to be just as she started, alone on a desert planet…like bro wtf. This could have been explained so much better, especially the fact that we specifically see Luke and Leia as force ghost. Look I’m gonna assume since I see no ghost Ben is either still with/part of Rey…or because there’s a chance of him coming back. But you could have explained it so much better, and I’m gonna read the novelization with hopes that there is a better explanation. The ending as a whole just felt incomplete, maybe because it was a lack of explanation or maybe something else. But this was suppose to be the end of 9 movies, you can explain yourself a bit more.

Now lemme talk about Bens death. While I would never accept him dying any other way, his death is what I would consider to be unnecessary. And I’m repeating what I said before, but I agree he finished what Vader started, saving the one they love from death, but that doesn’t mean he had to die. Like there’s literally in terms of the plot was no reason for him to die, it doesn’t further anything. Yes Rey is alive, but this is Star Wars all you have to say is “because the force wills it” and that’s all the explanation you would need. Oh Rey and Ben both get to live because the force wills it, because they are Dyad in the force, because they are the balance in the force. Live together, die together. They literally did not say anything about the consequences of force healing, so you literally have freedom to do whatever want. It would not have been impossible for Ben to of had a future, maybe not go to the resistance, but his life, his actual life was just beginning. Since he was in his mother’s womb he was being manipulated by Snoke, his life is turned upside down when his uncle was going to kill him, he runs to the one person he trusts in the galaxy who just so happens to turn out to be his abuser. He gets to be Ben solo for 15 minutes, has literally less than a minute of pure happiness…AND THEN KILL HIM. What’s the point?!?! JJ you literally retconed yourself with the whole die together thing and then kill ONE of them…how do you fuck yourself that badly. IT WAS LITERALLY IN THE SAME SEQUENCE.

And what’s the point of Rey looking at a group of children, probably wondering what it would be like to have a family to then leave her alone like that!

“I always hated that in movies, when you go along and one of the main characters gets killed. It’s a fairytale. You want everybody to live happily ever after and nothing bad happens.” - George fucking Lucas

And yes of course some people will die, it’s a war after all. But when he talks about this journey with a character, it’s not only cliche and over done, it’s just not necessary. Especially when it’s Star Wars a space fairytale where it should end with “and they all lived happily ever after.”

And let me give you perspective from those around me who never shipped Reylo. Firstly a friend who I saw it with my second time around who we’ve talked before about how she’s had in summary said “well I like Kylo more than I like Hux or Snoke.” And her leaving that theatre left her saying “I never realized how much I love Ben Solo.” And then was crushed by the fact that they decided to kill him. Another instance in my step sister who I encouraged to watch Star Wars, though she had no interest, she watched all the movies to humor me. And she knows I ship Reylo, and knows Ben is one of my favorite characters. We saw the movie last night and she, who has no attachment to him at all literally texted me about him dying and said “THAT WAS DEPRESSING” followed it by “I liked it. Like it wasn’t bad. But why did he die. That was totally unnecessary.” And we talked about the ending and how she did perceive Rey as being lonely on Tatooine. And I don’t wanna generalize what the general audiences perception is…but for a lot of people who don’t look too deeply into things, or theorize what things could mean, that’s what they are more than likely going to think.

Anyways, if I had my hands in on this Ben would not be dead. They would kiss, profess each others love. Ben would tell her to go to her friends and to meet him later. Rey would go and celebrate and then tell them she needs to go. She flies the falcon and meets up with Ben, ideally on Naboo. They take the lightsabers Padme’s mausoleum and leave the lightsabers there. Both Ben and Rey rebuild their lightsabers. Bens lightsaber would be white because let’s just say he somehow gets his crystal back and heals it, and Rey’s yellow. It ends with them in the field where Anakin and Padme once were and watch the sunset.

Hm…I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty fucking satisfying.

Now I could get into the fact that I do believe there are deleted scenes, there are different endings and they really thought that was the most satisfying one. And personally I would like to see them, so DFL if you see this, bring it on, you owe us this. That and if you were to give me comics or a novelization of Ben Solo bring brought back to life via world between worlds or whatsoever I will would like that and appreciate it. It’s not like it’s the first time you killed a character and then said “ha you thought they were dead but they’re not.” I just really think Ben deserves more time than what he was given. But I’m not gonna go crazy about how the ending was fucked around with or the alternative ones, I know it’s out there, and a lot of other people have already made post on it.

The movie as a whole is just kinda one big missed opportunity. Not all of it was bad, it had some moments, some things that I even really enjoyed. I appreciated them building onto the force bonds, but I give that credit for Rian cause those wouldn’t have happened without him. And it also just bothers me that JJ really just tried to take the long way around and stretch things around to make it fit with what Rian wrote. When in reality you had a great set up. You have some kind of insight into Rey, that she is drawn to the dark. Ben is supreme leader now what could that mean, and what could Hux possibly be up to. We could have seen some of the rebuilding of the resistance. The idea that maybe it is time for the Jedi order to end, that Ben is right that it’s time to let old things die, the Jedi and sith. And they just messed with it to no end to kinda make sense but, took the most complicated and exhausting route to get to where they did.

My roommate and I literally sat for about an hour discussing what we would have done and realized we had a more cohesive story that lines up with where Rian left off. Like…they really used all their brain cells on how to make Rey being a Palpatine work when that didn’t have to be a thing, they focused all their energy on making Palpatine be part of the whole movie which was not necessary, for the whole plot.

So this isn’t left on an negative, everyone performance wise was amazing. All this above is not a reflection on any of the actors. Daisy showed some incredible growth as an actress and in Rey. Adam was amazing as always and is truly a genius when it comes to understanding his character. Oscar and John were on point, and as far as I know Finn and Poe end up settling down together and stormpilot is canon in my eyes. All my love to The ENTIRE cast.

I know this was a lot, if you actually read all of this I really appreciate it. A lot of this I needed to just get off my chest. I’ll probably have more things to say later on, maybe my mind will change after thinking about something. But for now this is it. Thanks for reading this, hope it all makes sense. I hate to ever say negative things, I like to be positive and optimistic but it’s better to not suppress any of these feeling either.

May the force be with all of you. Always.

[the-storyteller-and-her-soldiers]

Cruelty And Kindness

Title: Cruelty And Kindness

Word Count: 1,140

Warnings: A mention of homelessness, a mention of bullying and getting death threats. These are VERY vague but I don't wanna harm anyone so stay safe guys!

Ship: The Demon and the Choir Girl (Nero x Myself)

Summary: When stumbling in on yet another argument between the Sparda siblings and I end up gaining their attention, I'm at least going to explain myself.

The soft golden haze of the sun had been wanting to play more rounds of hide-and-seek, Rebecca noted with a smile. It certainly seemed that way seeing how every once in a while it'd hide its glowing face behind the clouds that continuously rolled by. Nero couldn't help but smile in return due to his girlfriend's creative answer on what, to him, seemed like nothing more than a day where the weather was too indecisive to make up its mind.

To Nero, being able to hear the lavender locked lady's absentminded thoughts and usually sunny disposition was what brightened up the otherwise repetitive walk to and from the library where she had her classes. Even today when they had to make a quick stop into Dante's office because Rebecca had left the notes she was reviewing on accident, a quiet laugh filled the air as Nero listened to the short girl's ramblings about class and watched her animated gestures from the side of his crystallized vision.

That all faded when the couple swung open the office door and a slight chime from the bell above tingled into the air. Even that was drowned out by the bickering of ivory locked brothers. It seemed that the older twin couldn't help but question how his relaxed younger brother could live in such a manner. The youngest bearer of the Sparda bloodline exchanged a side glance with his loving companion as they stood still in the doorway. This was far from the first time that the pair had stumbled in on a scene like this, but time and familiarity hadn't made it any less awkward.

Rebecca shrugged her shoulders and jerked her head to the small coffee table near the corner of the room where her folder of notes remained untouched. Nero nodded in return knowing that the problems of his father and uncle were not a problem of theirs. What made it his problem was while Rebecca was gathering her notes, the steel sights of his father struck her small stature.

"And you," Vergil stated when warm chocolate orbs met with his clouded ones. "With a soul drenched in innocence, it will hurt when you discover how cruel the world truly is." His words however harsh-sounding weren't even trying to chastise but simply act as a warning.

With these words, Rebecca's bag slipped off her slumped shoulder before she brought a hand to cover her face. Noticing the subtle gesture, Nero stepped forward. His own fists were tightly clenched and more than ready to lay into his father if he had made Rebecca upset. Before a fight could break out however, Rebecca's ivory hand dropped from her face and a small sigh pushed passed her maroon lips.

"Believe it or not, I already realized long ago." Rebecca began to explain. The tone of her voice was much more grounded and every word she spoke felt weighted and uncomfortable.

"Facing all the injustices of watching my family willingly put toxins that will kill them in their bodies both literally and metaphorically. Watching the system that was meant to protect, rip away the shelter that people preach is a human right then having the systems that are meant to relieve the burdens and care for us laugh in my face while some other brat begged her mom who also apparently needed help so bad for yet another set of clothes from Justice, they got the help I didn't. I was only ten and wanted a home. I knew it wasn't right. The kids who called me an embarrassment to live among so many other sicking names weren't right either. The adults who were near did nothing or even enforced the ideas by telling me 'kids are cruel.' I know, believe me. So are adults, I mean a year later those who were meant to be my mentors told me I was a burden and should kill myself. I was only eleven. Humans are cruel. But that's just how they are because as they say it's survival of the fittest. Cruelty thrives while the attribute that humans used to be so prideful of, kindness, dies with the rest of humanity.

Leading people like you who are so sweet but can see that to believe that people like me, who try to share unabashed kindness, as innocent and naive, perhaps even foolish. I don't take it as an insult so don't worry. But it is like you said humans aren't supposed to be this way, life was not supposed to be this way, but those of us who can see it don't have the power to do anything and those of us who do have the power wouldn't change a thing.

So I KNOW how disgusting it is, I am surrounded by it and live with it every day. But that's why I do try to be so kind to everyone because really that's all I can do at this point. You can't save a drowning person when you can't swim and the thing is I'm already drowning but people rather push you under than give you a hand. The late nights and escapism through sharing kindness with those around me feel like my only life preservers until I can find something more. If I can't, then at least I found some falsified happiness before the peace of death finally comes, even if that is only temporary.

So I know it's despicable if not downright horrifying, but if I try to be as ambitious as you I'd only be killing myself quicker than I already am. I do apologize for my rambling but I'm simply tired of having people tell me I'm naive because I still try to face this world with kindness."

Rebecca then picked up her notes once more along with her bag. She didn't even put her notes inside as she made her way for the door while the three men stared in silence.

"Oh and next time please leave me out of your arguments since I already have my parents to drag me into senseless things. If you ever need someone to talk to though, I'm here."

With those final words on the matter, Rebecca's mood seemed to completely revert back to how it was before this scene occurred. Using her free hand, she interlaced it with Nero's gloved hand which seemed to snap him from his rushing thoughts. In that ever giggly voice, Rebecca questioned if the two still had time to grab a bagel before class with the offer of the meal being her treat. Nero sputtered out an affirmative answer before lightly arguing that he would pay as the couple fell into step out the door. Leaving the brother with a heart seemingly made of stone with a sliver of a hopeful smile to grace his lips...