#(and she'd probably have more time to take care of me after she's retired if she's got her brain under control and her body hasn't given up)

[cesium-sheep]

randomly sad that when matt is 80 I'll still be in my late 60s. I'll have to find someone else that can be trusted to take care of me before my partners die of old age and hard living, since it's best to assume I'll still need it. granted that's probably still well more than 40 years down the line, but I'm still randomly sad about it.

(very strange and kind of silly to be both definitely literally slowly dying Right Now but also sad about the potential of outliving loved ones who are currently still alive.)

edit: maybe it's just because acute episodes are often very lonely, and now I'm starting to come back out of the worst of it but I'm still alone. arin has to focus on herself and matt isn't here. they haven't even gotten to truly start taking care of me yet but I already feel like I have to brace for when they have to stop.

[amymbona]

I'm so obsessed with the idea that Patrick will have a daughter, not a son! but a daughter. And I need to read something abt ex-husband! Patrick and their daughter again. Saw ur bot in character.ai, but I need something more on this topic, 'm dying 😭😭

Patrick is hundred percent a girl dad, that's an iternationally known fact! I was almost convinced that I posted some headcanons about girl dad Patrick but I can't find it anywhere on my tumblr, so maybe it was just a dream. 😟

Despite Patrick being quite a reckless prick, you're always sure she's safe with him. He can be a bit messy, you're well aware, as you used to be a frequent coordinator of his messiness, but with your daughter, he could earn a master's degree in cautiousness. It's almost surpising to you, how clean his place is and how beautiful of a room he has made for daughter there, with pink walls and a princess bed, all to ensure his daughter gets the treatment she deserves.

Sometimes, when you drop her off and catch a glimpse of the pristine marble counter in his kitchen, you get very doubtful of your own job as a mother. It's not like you're poor, no, but with Patrick being a successful and now retired tennis player, he's able to afford whatever you have times three. And for that reason, you're afraid your daughter would tend to gravitate towards him. After all, you work a lot and aren't able to buy her all the toys she'd like (you'd be able to, if you accepted all the money Patrick has generously offered you over time, but your own pride doesn't allow you to) and Patrick is basically a stay at home dad, constantly present and showering her with gifts.

This is a thought that you've managed to keep safe from the outside world, mainly from Patrick. Despite him being allowed to see his daughter at any time, her permanent residence is your place, and after the divorce you've been assigned as her number one guardian - a mutual agreement between Patrick and yourself, as you both know the little girl needs her mother's presence more - you're still too afraid that the moment Patrick sees you fall behind, he'll attempt to gain full custody over her. And that would be an absolute stab in your heart.

Each time you drop the little one off, he notices you disheveled appearance and offers you to take care of your daughter for a day or two longer so you could get some rest. He even offers you money again, so you don't have to work your ass off and stay at home with your daughter instead. But again, you reject.

"At least come inside," he insists, bouncing the little one in his arms.

"No, Patrick, I have stuff to do," you reject his offer with a shake of your head.

Patrick rolls his eyes just subtly enough so your daughter wouldn't notice. "Don't be stubborn. I'll make you some tea."

So you do come in, finding yourself absolutely unable to oppose Patrick. In full honesty, you're too tired to fight him, feeling like you could fall asleep even when you're standing on your feet. The last couple of days have been rough and you simply weren't able to get enough sleep.

"I'll go make it," Patrick announces, his voice much softer as his hands are now free and your daughter runs in the direction of her room.

"Okay," you nod, unable to offer even a simple smile and follow your daughter. You've only seen her room at Patrick's about two times, but that was about half a year ago, and your curiosity gets the best of you. "How about you show me what's new in your room?"

"Yes, yes!" the girl's little hand slips into yours and she drags you behind herself with the force of a horse, probably having inherited that after her father. "Daddy got me a new lego house last time. Come, look!"

You follow the little bundle of joy into her room, a gasp leaving your mouth when you see the little princess chamber Patrick has transformed it into. A pink canopy bed sits in the centre of the room, surrounded by an uncountable amount of toys all over the floor, various houses for her Barbie dolls lined up by the wall. A giant teddy bear is occupying an armchair in the corner, where Patrick probably sits when he reads her bed time stories, and little stars that presumably shine at night are hanging off of the ceiling. This is nothing like the excuse of a room she has at your place. This is way better...

With a yawn, you drop down on the bed, the soft mattress creaking under the weight of your body, while your daughter begins excitedly showing you all the outfits she put together for her falls, explaining how this one is meant for a casual walk and that one will be worn at a Barbie winter ball. Her eyes are glowing and she's clearly in her element, constantly pulling your attention with look, mommy! from one gift to another. She has everything she'll ever need in here.

The distant noise of the running kettle fills your ears as you lower yourself down, knees curling up by your chest as the bed clearly isn't made for someone your size. But you're really fucking tired at the moment and just need to rest for a while. While your daughter plays, your eyes follow all the goods in her room, eyelids becoming heavier and heavier with each passing moment. Perhaps if you close them for just a few seconds, it'll get better.

Just few minutes after that, Patrick's curly head peaks through the door, a cup of black tea in his hands. "There you go, now we can- Oh."

The sight in front of him is something he would have never expected to see in a million years, his ex wife, evidently absolutely worn out, funnily curled up in the toddler bed and snoring softly. It's pitiful, and at first, he wants to laugh and make fun of you for being so pathetic. But then it hits him, like a dagger straight through his heart, that you're really fucking exhausted.

Patrick squats down by the bed, eyes settling on your beautiful face, so pale and almost lifeless. It hurts him to see you like that and he doesn't have the heart to wake you up, deciding that even if you don't suit the surroundings at all, you deserve to stay asleep as long as possible. So he gathers the bunched up princess blanket and places it over your back gently. With a small, partially guilty smile, he smooths the blanket down and presses a kiss to the side of your head.

"Come on, princess," he gets up with a small pat on his thighs and walks around the bed to scoop your daughter into his arms. She's so similar to you, a little reminder of what he has lost. "We're gonna let mommy rest."

[shepherds-of-haven]

if the shepherds survive (please survive!) to an older age, how do they feel when they spot their first few gray hairs?

Blade: I think at first he wouldn't register/care about it too much, but then one day his knee would creak more than usual and he'd suddenly be like, "❗️" ...But it'd be a momentary blip, he doesn't care about the appearances part of it at all but the thought of aging to the point of having to retire from active duty is so galling that his brain just goes "no" and he carries on stubbornly as if nothing had happened...

Trouble: he'd go running to MC, like "!! I'm turning into a silver fox... Do you find me more or less attractive now" As long as MC isn't bothered by it, he isn't, either! He'll turn it into a rueful joke and take it with good grace soon enough!

Tallys: not applicable really, I don't think Elves get gray hairs until they're like insanely old, if at all... and at that point, she's past the point of worrying about anything like that 😂

Shery: at first she would just sort of brush it off, but after a few days the existential dread would start to set in, like, "oh my god... am I old?? Is it happening already?? 😭😭" Basically it would be silent panic that no one would ever know about, followed by resigned acceptance, lol

Riel: I'm going to be real, he spotted his first gray hair when he was like 17, so he just doesn't acknowledge it anymore... (outside of plucking the pesky little strand out). It's going to be a bad time when they become so numerous that he can't pluck them out anymore, though! (Not really. I imagine he'll age with indefatigable grace)

Chase: he'll be glib about it! He'd probably point to his first cluster and tell MC: "see these? you did this. this is your fault. if you can't love me because I'm an old geezer now, you have only yourself to blame"

Red: ".....ah." Frankly, he's surprised he didn't get them sooner, considering all of the bullshit he gets put through/does to himself

Ayla: "ugh, wtf?" staring at the end of her braid like it briefly transformed into a snake's head and she's waiting for it to do it again... She'd probably be in a low-key bad mood for a few days without telling anyone why, and then would probably resign herself/accept it once the next big thing to make her forget about it came along!

Briony: wailing, tears, outright screaming: "noooooooooooooooooo!!! 😭😭😭" She'd be quite morose and melodramatic for a day or so and have an aging crisis, melting on the floor like "am I growing old? will I soon be too old to do [x youthful thing]? Will you still love me when I'm a hag?" 🥺🫠

Lavinet: brisk and smiling denial. she didn't see anything, and neither did you. :) a gray hair? on her head? not since the earl of murtaghon's old cat jumped on her shoulder at his birthday party! what do you mean, you see it right there? :) it must be a trick of the light... 🔫 :)

Halek: Hunters don't get gray hair!

[demonslayedher]

Hope you're doing well!

I wracked my brain for a worthy question, but the best thing I could come up with is this:

I'm sure our heroes (specifically the Kamaboko squad) got to experience much relief and happiness after the demise of Muzan and his demons, but what do you think might possibly be the next biggest conflict for them (besides WWII) in world without demons?

I hope this is a decent question, one not too simple, but also not too complicated either. Thanks for everything you do!

Thank you for the warm wishes! If I were to be turned into a demon right this instant, my Blood Techniques would have something to do with paperwork and how there's never any end to it. I hope I have a worthy answer for your worthy question!

Hmm... if "conflict" doesn't necessarily imply battle, but anything that requires them to use their skills from the Corp days, then the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. This would take place about seven and half years after fighting Muzan, and what with the cast all being active in and residing around Tokyo, they'd have all been affected. I especially wonder how this would affect Kanao, for the following reasons: 1. She is from a district which I hear was pretty horribly damaged, and this might stir up complicated feelings about her past and any remaining family members whom she long lost contact with 2. She's be an active doctor by that time, with a drive to help 3. She'd probably have small children depending on her too, and if Tanjiro is affected by the mark as predicted, he's still have some time, but be getting closer to age 25...

Conflict was absolutely a part of the horrendous aftermath, as in the stress of survival after the initial earthquake and firestorm, there was a lot of violence against minorities and outcast groups--most notably, a massacre of Koreans. It's not the kind of thing a lot of former Corp members would stand for, should they witness it happening while they're trying to aid in recovery. I can picture a lot of them getting wrapped up in the middle of it.

I feel almost certain that the former Corp members--especially Kakushi--would unofficially reorganize temporarily for earthquake relief measures, and that the Ubuyashiki family would make a lot of untraceable charitable donations.

However, prior to the earthquake, Japan also got hit pretty hard by the Spanish Flu. That would have hit around two or three years after defeating Muzan, and again, I see the medical interventions being something the Corp from organize around and help with. There'd probably be a lot of worry for characters with a predisposition to illness, like Kiriya (even if he hasn't shown signs of his father's illness, he didn't believe he was safe until he lived past age 30), and again, Tanjiro, weakened by his experiences. Sanemi and Giyuu, too! Dang that Mark! I'm curious if the Butterfly Mansion hospital would be open to the public, or closed from the public to better care for disabled and other retired Corp members.

But if we thinking more widely about conflict, eventually, there's a divide between old ways and new ways, and at some point between Tanjiro and Sumihiko's time, the Kamado family stopped selling charcoal. However it was this happened, likely for economic reasons, it makes me very, very sad. (For the record, thoughts on the Corp members in WW2 are here.)

[theboysfromaustin]

March 9, 1979

Ian sat bolt upright in bed, gasping, a sheen of sweat on his body, trembling.

Something's not gonna go my way.

He didn't know why that thought flashed into his mind, but it troubled him, and he leaned on his knees, glancing at the clock.

5:04 AM.

Ian groaned, rolling over, trying to go back to sleep. The phones rang - office and kitchen, jolting him from those plans and he got up, stumbling over to his office, and picked up the receiver,

“H…h'lo?”

“Ian?” Ian froze, then relaxed, “Jezza? It's….uh, about 5 in the morning, what's…?” The line was silent for a moment, then a sigh. Ian felt a pit form in his stomach. Jeremy leaned his head on the wall, phone in hand, “I'm so sorry, Ian.”

“What happened? Jeremy, please…” Jeremy inhaled shakily, tears spilling from his eyes. He didn't want to hurt Ian. He loved Ian, which was a secret that he couldn't reveal to anybody. His wife Meredith squeezed his shoulder gently as she passed.

“Your mum's gone, Ian. She went to sleep and didn't wake up.”

Ian dropped the receiver, which bounced off his desk and onto the floor, casing cracking. “Ian?” Ian, shaking, leaned down to retrieve it, “Sorry, I…” He swallowed hard, “I don't know what to say. She just…?” “She went to sleep. I went to take her tea, and found her. I'm sorry, I wish I were calling under better circumstances.”

“Thank you for calling. I suppose I'll be on the next flight over. Thank you, Jezza, I owe you. A lot.” Jeremy hung up, leaning on the wall, crying softly. Ian's family had been good to him for a long time. His parents had sold him the chemist's when they'd retired, and Ian, well…

Ian was his best friend.

Ian replaced the phone, standing, staring at his feet. He reared back, giving a scream of pure anguish, punching the wall, a jolt of pain coursing up his arm. All at once, he wasn't a grown man, he was a little boy, and he wanted his mum. Despair poured from him as he lost composure, rivulets of tears spilling down his face, gasping, hitching breaths taking over.

“Mum! Mum! I'm sorry! I wasn't there…I wasn't there when dad…And now…now…”

Ian screamed again, head in his hands. His birth family was gone. Charles, his dad, his mum - he was the sole survivor. He slumped against his desk, a sobbing wreck. Guilt. Despair. Fear.

He was going home.

Alone.

Coming back.

Alone.

He was a lawyer, he knew what he was in for. He'd have to take care of the house, close her accounts…all of it final. He curled into a ball of misery. Ian loved his mum - sure, he didn't really get to go home often, but.. He was 29, and an orphan.

I should have gone home more often, his arms curled around his knees, body wracked with sobs. Ian blamed himself. Could have done more. He'd called his mother yesterday - it had been her birthday. She was 81.

Ian was very close with his mother. She'd taught him so much, things mothers weren't teaching their sons in that era - cooking, cleaning, how to keep house, and deep down, he had to wonder if she'd known he was gay.

She loved him.

Another wail of anguish. He considered calling Maureen and Shirley, but wasn't sure how to word himself. He would have to call Kensuke, let him know he'd be gone. Another whimper. Ian stood, unsteady on his feet.

The phone rang again, and he flinched.

Oh god, what's happened now?

Hands shaking, he answered, “H-h-hello?” “Ian?” Shirley's voice on the other end, “Is something going on?” “How did you know?” “Woman's intuition.” “Shirley, my…” He hesitated, voice cracking, tears spilling once again, “My mum died.” “Oh, Ian, honey, I'm so sorry. You're going home, then?” “Yeah…probably the last time…”

Shirley leaned on the wall, “Why?” “Well…there won't be any reason for me to go back. My family's gone.” “I know how close you were to her.” Ian exhaled shakily, “After Charles was killed, I was the only child she had. And I did everything I could to be a good son…..Well, some things she never knew about, like the train incident, but I…”

He shut his eyes, “I did my best for her. All I wanted was for her to be proud of me.”

“I know she's proud of you.”

Ian's lower lip quivered. “I know she's proud, because you became a great man. A sweet, kind man who fights for justice, who cares deeply for others,” Shirley looked down at herself, “Who gives without wanting a thing in return. Who helped me become my best self and paid for my surgeries?” “I did.” “Who helped Maureen get her car back after it was illegally towed?” “I did.” “Who always has a fresh batch of art supplies for Nanami?” “I do.”

“And who's helped countless people in 16 years of being an attorney?”

“I have…”

“She was more proud of you than you could ever know, kid.”

Ian was openly weeping again, “Thank you, Shirley. I needed that.” “Of course. If you need anything, call us. Get some sleep, and let us know your travel plans.” “Thanks, mum,” Ian hung up with a sigh.

He went back into his bedroom, flopping into the bed.

He dreamed of his mother.

[tiredspacedragon]

Helryx for the ask game

First Impression: So, for the longest time, I really did not care about much of the story material outside of the main plot. Partly because I had no way to access the extra content, and partly because that's just how I am. I like side characters well enough, but our main Toa teams are still my faves, for the most part. I still haven't read the serials, despite knowing everything that happens in them (I will read them though...someday). So, my relationship with Helryx was kinda like that. I remember thinking it was cool that we knew who the first Toa was, and that it was also cool that it was a Toa of Water. I thought it made sense and seemed appropriate. I also remember thinking her mace/shield combo was interesting, especially for a Toa of Water, really got the point across that Helryx meant business, as if her name starting with "hell" didn't establish that already. But that was it. I did not think much about her beyond that point, there were main story events that held my attention more. So I thought she was cool, but she was as mysterious and background-y to me as she was to most of the main characters in-universe.

Impression Now: Helryx is a badass and I could honestly stop there if I wanted to. Nowadays I find Helryx fascinating, not as much as I know some other people do, but still a fair amount. I'm certainly more curious about her now than I used to be. She's a well of potential stories in terms of both her past and her future. Her history spans the entire history of the Matoran Universe, and we know from her description that she is not one to sit idle; she has been active on the front lines of secret wars for her entire life. The things she must have seen. What was she like as a rookie Toa? What shaped her into the grizzled veteran we see today? And what will she do now that her mission has technically been fulfilled? I can't exactly see her retiring, at least not willingly. She's also a favourite of my mother's, so that earns her some bonus points. She was actually the one to point out how few non-evil female authority figures there are in Bionicle as a whole, which is a big part of why Helryx appeals to her, something I hadn't really noticed before that point.

Favourite Moment: I haven't read most of Helryx's moments, so my answer may change eventually, but for now it is definitely her entrance when she confronts the Dark Hunters on Xia, i.e. that moment when she summons a several-hundred-foot tsunami in front of the Dark Hunter fleet and just leaves it hanging in the air with no visible effort. And then jukes them out with it just to make a point. It's probably the best example we have of exactly how powerful a Toa is capable of becoming. No one else has the experience Helryx does in using their powers, but in theory any Toa could pull off something like that with enough training. Just goes to show how much the villains underestimate them. And as for Helryx herself, well, she'd have made the Shadowed One shit his pants if he'd been wearing any, and that earns her serious cool points.

Idea for a story: Like I said, Helryx will almost certainly never retire willingly. So eventually someone will probably have to make her do it. Her armour is pitted and scarred, her body is frail, and while I don't doubt that she could keep going for a long time, I think she may be nearing the point that it would be unhealthy for her to do so. I do like the idea that the Toa Nuva may not be able to become Turaga, but I'm definitely of the opinion that Helryx can, and that she eventually will, likely after suffering a potentially debilitating injury, either at the urging of her closest Order members or because Artakha or some similarly powerful entity artificially jumpstarts the process to save her life. Either way, she would not be happy about it. Actually, it would be cool if this was treated like some regenerations have been handled in Doctor Who. Everything I mentioned before still happens: Helryx takes a bad hit, and either someone else triggers the Turaga transformation process or it involuntarily begins, but Helryx resists it. She can't stop it now that it's started, but she can hold it off for a while. The rest of the story then is this ancient warrior coming to terms with the fact that her fight is over. Wrestling with her perception of herself and her vision for the future, and ultimately accepting that she has done more than enough in her current role, and that it's okay to move on, that it's a good time for a change. I can see this very poignant scene of Helryx letting go, probably on a beach or a seaside cliff because I'm unoriginal, and letting the transformation wash over her while a few other characters watch. Then the new Turaga Helryx would turn around, look at all her friends agents, and probably grumble something along the lines of "What are you all gawking at? We have work to do." Yeah, just because she wouldn't be on the battlefield anymore doesn't mean she wouldn't still be in charge. Her spine would still be made of steel, even if it was a little more bent than it used to be. Also her Badge of Office would absolutely just be a shrunken version of her mace, and she'd still have her shield, Lhikan style.

Unpopular Opinion: I actually like her "canon" appearance. I mean it's not perfect, I'd definitely make a few tweaks, but overall I think it's a pretty good look for her. I like the retro style, makes her look that much more like a prototype. I can see her and the other early Toa sporting that build before the Great Beings eventually perfected their design and transitioned to the more Glatorian-like Inika build.

Favourite Relationship: I am very fond of how Helryx's acts toward other Toa. Krakua specifically, but really in general. She's such a mom. She wants so badly to protect her younger Toa-brothers and sisters from the nightmares she has witnessed. She wants the best for them, keeping them out of the Order, even denying Krakua full membership at first because she wanted him separate from her dark, messy world. Believing strongly in the Toa Code and that Toa should strive to uphold it, to be these bright shining heroes in the sunlight, all the while excluding herself from it so she can take care of the dirty work that has to be done so her little siblings can have that. The things Helryx does aren't always good, even if they're done with good intentions, but she herself, I think, is so good. I'd love to see her interact with Orde, just to see if her attitude extends to all Toa who came after her, or if she'd recognize him as a contemporary and switch gears, going from commanding but ultimately caring, to just old work-friend banter mode. "Good work, Krakua. Go rest up, I'll have another assignment ready for you when you're back. And tell Johmak not to leave pieces of herself lying around if you see her." vs "Oh hey Orde. Piss off any other species lately?"

Favourite Headcanon: Kinda related to the above, I am firmly of the opinion that Helryx is hilarious. She's 100,000 years worth of razor sharp wit. Doesn't let it out often, of course, she has an organization to run. But when she wants to be, she can be absolutely hysterical. All while keeping a completely straight face, of course. G2 Gali would beg to learn her secrets.

[katyspersonal]

002. Eileen. Now

My ask box is all crows now, huh? x)

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

002 I Give me a character & I will tell you

• How I feel about this character

I like her, but for some reason I do not think all that often about her? She is just one of those characters who is so crucial for the story itself and for the lore that I kinda... stop noticing them and take them for granted? It is hard to explain. I feel like she could certainly use way more exploration with her backstory and depths of her personality and relationships - that includes me too! Basically I think I am not being fair on her myself because she is just as important as Maria, Adeline, Valtr, Fauxsefka, Gascoigne... you know, THE core cast.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Hmmm... I don't find Eileen very shippable, since her occupation suggests a great dose of emotional isolation. For all she knows, anyone she loves could go blood-drunk and she'd have to hunt them! I entertained the idea of the post-game scenario where she and Henriett raise the daughters of Gascoigne and Viola together now, but even in that case it'd probably work better as grandma + aunt taking care of them as a ship. I do think she used to see some women back in her youth, when she was just a student/doctor, even before the plague took her own place. Crack ship idea though - Eileen x Arianna! Thumbs up, thumbs down?

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Not going to call ANY NAMES *cough coooooough*, but I think the mother-son reminiscent bond between her and the Crow of Cainhurst is the top tier of the headcanons! I remember ancient times when I thought that Eileen and Crow were not even that familiar, and instead he simply mimicked appearance of Hunter of Hunters to not get questioned when he kills a hunter (important for his goals), but I've changed my mind since then! Doomed mother-son bond for life!!

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Not really an opinion, but rather a pet-peeve. We know from the lore that there WERE other Hunters of Hunters before Eileen, and only one was appointed at the given time. Presumably, Crow of Cainhurst is an apprentice and that's it!

But at times I see takes that have Eileen as the one and ONLY Hunter of Hunters that ever was, who appeared long ago and was the one since Old Hunters prime...? Example off the top of my head - that one manga centering around Maria (that I never properly read...). You know, with gingerhead white-garb Adeline (just like miiiiiine!!), super sigma male asshole Laurence, Willem recognizing as the pope of the Healing Church before he yeeted... all that. Of course I am not saying to go and write several OCs, but... Eileen was not the only one, clearly... come onnnnn.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I want to see where Eileen's shack is at, so we know in what house to visualize her in the after-game events in which she totally doesn't die but simply retires because of health issues... She DEFINITELY just retires and simply stops fighting, right...? That's canon, you know? Of course you know that haha.,..

my OTP:

Again, I personally do not really have one that is romantic... I remember I used to be a big Eileen x Valtr stan, but that one indeed became platonic since then, especially since I shifted towards headcanoning her as a lesbian. However, as far as fan-stuff goes in general, I do support Eileen x Djura shippers! Very cool and based ship, definitely deserves its popularity! ...if 'popular content' and 'Eileen' are even compatible things fdanhfhds HELPPPP

my cross over ship:

Hmmm... None yet, however, I think in the crossover verse she'd be more likely to find love than in BB canon! I have a feeling that I'll find a great match for her somewhere in ER or DS, actually! .....yes, it has been far too long since I've touched any other universe besides Soulsborne...

a headcanon fact:

Like I mentioned in some other post, I think she was a student, learning to be a doctor! ...and then just a doctor. She wanted to stay in the university as a teacher, but could not stand aside when her place was plagued, and became a doctor! I do think her beak mask is the only thing remaining from the clothes in which she originally appeared in Yharnam!

Thank you for the ask!!!!

[1010ninetynine]

venti and lyney are very similar characters. i'm going to talk about sales tmrw but today. i'm going to talk about them in terms of character.

Now obviously they're different people. Venti's arguably the more interesting of the two in terms of lore (not story, i mean like celestia lore) - but people will probably like Lyney more, not just because he's a main dps and a support, and Venti's lost his CC king title, but because he's fontainian. He's connected to a better archon quest and his penchant for the traveler is made very clear from the word go. It would have felt like heaven to me if I'd liked lyney more (and I'll get into my experience with him).

I want to first talk about Venti and what I think defines his character. For me, it's that sense of just wanting to be some guy. Venti's never wanted to be this Anemo Archon of The Seven, and it doesn't show in any place best than when he gave his little speech to us as the Anemo Archon and it was...him telling us to get to know teyvat, rather than speedrun it, a value he cares deeply about, and the immediately after went back to silly goofball. It's what I love about him. He's wise, because thousands of years have left him with a lot of time for thought, but he doesn't seek to be this imposing figure. He seeks to be someone who's not revered, but respected. Like, if someone who saw his heroism personally was like 'you're pretty cool you drunkard' i think that's the ideal scenario for him.

I mean hell, one of his lines when he opens a chest is "Thank Barbatos...wait a minute-" so like. He's really gunning for it.

Compare that to his polar opposite, Zhongli, who liked leading and all but just got tired of it. He didn't actually tire of being revered, he doesn't try to mingle with people as an equal, he's just tired of taking care of every problem Liyue deals with. He still wants to be their dad archon, just a retired one.

Lyney, on the other hand, I think is defined by seeking validation, or more accurately, trying to get paid, whether that be in adoration which means more people coming to his show, or in just straight up mora. So naturally, he has reasons to pretend to be someone he's not, in comparison to Venti, who is naturally charming and sociable, but often has to force himself to be because grief took a bit of a toll.

Call it intuition but i was suspicious of Lyney's socialness being a bit fake when he said that things would be quiet if he and lynette were alone on an aquabus. I, for one, know something. If you are genuinely close to your sibling (as Lyney is to Lynette, by all counts), and as social as you seem, then hanging out with your sibling is a time of great joy. My sister is social, and with me, becomes even more so. I'm not very social, but even so, my sister makes me want to talk.

then he came out and his voiceline literally said "yeah im not actually this social naturally" and i was like FUCKING KNEW IT YOU LIL MAGIC MAN

*ahem* anyway point is he's developed a skill of being charming to survive and also is very pretty and by all counts, I should have fucking adored him.

but here's why i didn't - the ayaka and ei effect

*dramatic pause*

Now, one thing I have very little patience for in gacha games is being explicitly "pandered" to (except when I'm deep into them, like I was with Arlecchino and for a bit, Kokomi) Ayaka's story quest is a prime example of this.

Ayaka's lack of friends, journey to discover her mother's desire for freedom, and all of this leading her to love the traveler, but accepting she cannot leave Inazuma...and all this while I could still pull for her...it was so immersion breaking. And it felt kind of pandery the whole time to me. Like, they're pandering to a male audience with female charas like her obviously, and it's so fucking similar to every other overworked waifu in this game that while her being lowk trapped is a new dimension, it's not one that makes me feel any sort of way cuz uhh i could literally pull for her, and she'd go wherever I'd want her to, and it was so obvious that they were trying to sell her.

Same with Ei's story quest, it was just a shopping date, and while I mean I love evil women more than sane women so I was willing to ignore a lot of the pandery stuff, but what I couldn't ignore was the fact she'd literally tried to kill us right before the beginning of the story quest, and thus the whole quest made very little sense in the grand scheme of things. It was frustrating. I chose to ignore canon and pretend me and ei worked out shit over 4 months or so.

Now, I know what you all are thinking "but lyney's a well written character! his motivations for liking the traveler are well explained (imo no and ill get to that), and he's not a boring snowflake nor a poorly written villain." ok well consider this. I've already had two story quests somewhat dulled for me by the gacha system/poor placement and the supposed romance im supposed to be feeling has been soured, then lyney spends so much of his screentime flirting with the traveler, and I do self insert as the traveler btw, and I wanted his father, and I don't get why they don't just leave the rizz lines to the teapot. Least you can decide who gets to rizz you up then.

Second of all actually, no, I don't get why Lyney cares so much about our trust. Ayaka's reasons made sense, we kind of represented freedom to her, plus she's canonically into good sword skills, Lyney's reasons actually felt more like spontaneous attraction to anything.

And nothing's directly wrong with that, just, he's a fucking fatui member. Soon to be harbinger (supposedly). The traveler is not, in fact, famous for their favorable dealings with the fatui. We kind of caused La Signora's death, we regularly farm fatui insignias for some weird alchemical ritual, oh not to mention, we got on Dottore's bad side too. Childe's adoration for us makes sense, all he cares about is a good fight, he's not entirely in support of the Tsaritsa's actions per say - but his morals take second place to his desire for good fights so he rolls with it. Leaves it up to the players. So he sees a friendship with us as not a big deal.

Lyney on the other hand? Just straight up IGNORES all the implications of flirting with the traveler, at least, so far. And sure, it's nothing serious yes, just a rainbow rose and some on the edge lines but that's the thing, that means he knows he likes us, or he does this with everyone which is its own brand of annoying.

And his fucking magic show. The tricks were cool. But the goddamn dig at amateur magicians...call me a prick who cares too much abt stupid shit but like cmon. we know all mistakes are staged in this show. why are u speaking as if that's something that could organically go wrong. second of all, i don't like someone saying "hurr durr im not an amateur hehe im so fucking cool" like goddammit least favorite behavior.

And it's not like I think Lyney's a worse character than Ayaya or Ei, if anything, he's probably more developed than Ei at the very least. Im just like...specifically annoyed at him for minor details no one really cares about.

Another thing - the fact we decided to serve as an attorney during the archon quest despite no experience was kinda ehh to me. Like Fontaine's laws, known to be complex and silly, and some foreign traveler's gonna be the attorney? I wish we just offered to help gather evidence or smthn it was silly to me.

if you got this far and you liked lyney, uh, i commend you for being open to alternative takes but uh...mind the tags if that wasn't the case, for future reference.

[lumosmoonspark]

On Ferncloud and Daisy

I see a lot of people saying that Ferncloud and Daisy should do more than just help out in the nursery, that they aren't working hard enough, that they're useless, etc. Ferncloud and Daisy slander pisses me off more than anything (well, almost anything), this argument in particular is the absolute worst.

The first thing I have to say is that ThunderClan has many, many warriors. Too many, actually, but that's besides the point. Two cats not hunting/ fighting won't hurt anybody. In fact, having cats to look after kits is almost just as important. Hear me out.

Let's say, ThunderClan is in battle and for some reason the clan that they're fighting against is going to attack the kits. Queens who recently gave birth or are expecting kits sometime soon will not have the strength to properly fight, even if they received warrior training just like all the others, and will be vulnerable, especially if they're nursing newborn kits. Who would protect those kits and Queens that aren't able to fight? Ferncloud and Daisy. This means that having two cats spend time in the nursery rather than fighting could save multiple lives in battle, and if anything, I believe all the clans should have a good amount of nursery cats, just like how they all have medicine cats and deputies. Not many people realize the importance of this role, and most say that Ferncloud and Daisy don't work hard enough, which brings me to my next arguement.

Ferncloud and Daisy stay in the nursery taking care of kits that aren't theirs, sometimes even playing a big part in raising them, like they did with The Three, whose parents were too busy to look after them themselves. Queens raising kits probably wouldn't have much time for them either, which is why it's important to have at least one cat in the nursery who doesn't have kits that require their full attention (Daisy having kits is perfectly fine in this situation because Mousewhisker, Hazeltail and Berrynose were apprentices at the time). Ferncloud did help Daisy out a lot in looking after Hollykit, Lionkit and Jaykit, but this is because she only had two kits, Icekit and Foxkit. If it had been a larger litter, I doubt she'd have as much time on her hands.

Also, who cares if Ferncloud and Daisy don't want to fight? Just like how some RiverClan cats are scared of the water, or don't like swimming, there's bound to be cats that don't want to fight or fear battle, and that's perfectly fine because they still play an important role in helping the clan. All of these cats, which is actually only Ferncloud and Daisy, still received warrior training and know how to fight, so they could protect their clan if necessary, which they did in the battle against the Dark Forest. It just confuses me when people say that Daisy and Ferncloud should do more than "just stay in the nursery" because that's not even what they do! They raise children in need and protect those children and their mothers when necessary! How is that useless? If you wanna complain about useless cats, look at the elders! Most of them aren't even that old and were either shoved into the elders den by the leader, or retired because their legs hurt. They don't even hunt! I don't think we should slander the elders, but it would at least make more sense than hating on Ferncloud and Daisy!

Anyway, that's the end of my rant. Goodbye.

[gayferrari]

wow another banger from ao3 user liesmyth. babytrap that man lewis! i really loved nico’s pov and his interiority for the whole fic like all the admissions he made. him knowing that someone needs to take care of the baby and that won’t be lewis. him being deprived of winning the championship fair and square! nico knowing he will immediately start living that wag life after the championship 🫠 excellenceee

do you have any headcanon on the hetcedes baby? how will they grow up, are they well adjusted or messed up? i just wanna know 🫣

anon!!! I'm giggling kicking twirling my hair at this ask I'm SO happy you liked the fic!! there's an Extended Hetcedes Universe that lives in my DMs and I might write more because this entire verse ate my brain. some thoughts

[fic in question btw — Nico / f!Lewis, rated M, 6k]

Nico not getting to win his championship fair and square by beating Lewis: I think in this ‘verse is SO important to Lewis that she’s a better racer than Nico. Ultimately, the Rule 63 of it all adds another — let’s say burden? disadvantage? — that Lewis had to contend with and Nico never did. I think, there have been so many moments in Lewis’s career, especially early on, where she’s wished she had it as easy as Nico did, and probably silently resented him a bit for it. And it became so important to Lewis that at least, no matter what, she’s outperformed him. It’s THE one thing she gets to have over Nico and can’t bear to give that up, at least not while still being in a relationship with him. So she simply had to remove the possibility of that ever happening. World's worst loser but WORSE.

The resentment goes both ways! I think in this AU Nico thinks he's made peace with the idea of retiring after he's gotten his title. It's something he was considering anyway. But the actual reality of it is going to hit a bit harder than expected. Thinking about how so many athletes talk about feeling lost after their pro careers end. Thinking about how so many men are like “I wish I was a housewife!! sounds like the life” until they realize how isolating that life is and how much it strips you of your identity and personhood <- direct quote from my friend Carp who doesn't even do vroom vroom but is an integral part of this fic existing. Anyway. Post-retirement Nico is definitely a wife guy, which is definitely genuine of him and cute, but also does have shades of… marking the territory. so to speak. I think he'd be extremely possessive of Lewis and her time (but also I think she'd be into it. kind of a reciprocal power trip. as I said. bad vibes but they're into it.

Hetcedes baby! Okay listen. LISTEn. It's obviously a girl. I feel like both Nico and Lewis would make a conscious effort to be good parents but also... not above using said Good Parenting as another 4D chess move against each other.

One of my strongest headcanons for this verse is that their kid is raised bilingual <- normal when a couple speak different languages and each speak to their kid in their own native tongue. However. I imagine that Lewis feels some kinda way about her daughter defaulting to German a lot more often just because she's around Nico more, which obviously Lewis doesn't speak.

There would still be cute moments! But it's important to me that the balance between cute and rancid remains. for spice.

THANK U AGAIN FOR THIS ASK, legit made my entire DAY <3

[smiletimeisrunningout]

"While I am a terrible liar when asked things directly... my parents don't know I have been wounded in battle. Just think about that." Didn't speak well of her honesty, but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. "I fear my mother's heart would stop every time I left home if she actually knew just how dangerous it is... that Regina is still that present or that my grandfather is now after me. Thank you for hiding my troubles too, by the way..." He had seen how scarred her body was, knew how intensely she trained every morning and how easily she had fought others before, and yet she was sure her parents had no seen any trace of surprise or uncertainty on Ben's face when talking about her behavior. A spy, after all.

are their standards really so low that all I need to be is not a pirate?

She visibly held back a burst of laughter, waiting for a moment before pointing out in a small voice full of amusement: "Actually they'd let me marry a pirate, my mother is ready." Her poor, poor mother. "Their only real requirement for my future husband is that we truly love each other, they want to hear nothing about arranging a marriage for the good of the kingdom nor care about nobility, they want me to have what they have. Which is... quite inconvenient," she shrugged, with the ease of a conversation that had been had a thousand times before in her life, "Considering I'd likely be married by now, just like they wanted, if they let me pick someone who would be a good husband regardless of love. I know the right person too, but he's eighty years old. Which is the point: he's at peace, wants to retire and enjoy his last years, I want to rule by myself. But they'd never let me make a practical choice like that, so... guess we are picking the romantic route and they have to wait." There was, still, a bit of amusement in her voice even if the situation was frustrating, but speaking of that specific topic with Ben for the first time had her thinking of him in that role for a moment. A silly thought. She'd never torture him subjecting him to such a life.

I'm curious how you would've reacted to my university notes

"No, it's not that you take notes, it's that you were so adorably organized even when on a dinner with me! You are supposed to do it when studying," she giggled, "And you found me a poem, Ben. That was just so sweet... I can't resist sweet."

"And here I was, assuming you'd leap at the 'rub off on' joke I made, rather than...well...literally leaping

"I was!" she piped up, bouncing on her feet from the enthusiasm because of course she was going to make a joke - and it was hilarious that he had brought it up now as if she was Caleb and not a lady - but his other words had been too distracting. "But you brought up being my prisoner, and I'm not joking at all when I say I can do that."

Still, she rubbed his arm in an almost comforting way when he called his attempts bumbling, "I like the way you speak." She did - any man could learn how to be smooth, but to be so honest and to be embarrassed the way he could be? That was a lot more attractive to her, made him so much more real.

"I don't know what you mean by 'less creative, but still very lovely things,' but I'm beginning to realize I would do anything for you...which was probably a very stupid thing to confess."

Her teasing smile faded into a touched look at that, her heart nearly missing a beat. That was... different. She brought her hand back to his cheek, stroking it tenderly as she wondered how she could possibly react to something that made her feel so many emotions, and whether that realization of his would go away once the novelty of their new relationship would pass, but then chose to silence the thoughts and silently thank him by pulling him to her for a soft kiss. Wasn't that too sweet? Shouldn't she put a stop to it? But no, Ben was a sweet person and there was no harm in allowing him to be himself, to take what she could before he'd grow tired of it. "Please, you know I'm in your hands," she murmured, "I promise I'll use that knowledge only for good... or try to."

Emma wrinkled her nose at him, which only accentuated the bright, shimmery starshine within her eyes. "What, you couldn't say I almost fainted because of my womanly emotions and you held me up? Now now, how is that good lying?"

Benjamin scoffed, though he was smiling. "I'm beginning to think you've done this before," he teased. "If you keep this up, we'll be acting out our very own Shakespearean comedy, and we both know how much you love those."

"Worry not, I will make sure you have time and space to avoid my father's inevitable attempt to stab you," Emma quipped, cupping his cheeks between her palms.

"A very noble endeavor. Thank you," Benjamin agreed, fondly encircling her wrists with his hands.

Emma hummed. "Or worse, my mother's inevitable attempts to marry us since my father may actually help her if it means having a son in law who reads. And isn't a pirate. Poor you, it would be easier to be stabbed."

Unbidden, Benjamin's heart leapt in his chest, a lopsided smile filling his face as he breathed a soft, self-conscious laugh. "I've heard horror stories of how mothers are quite eager to marry off their daughters, but say true: are their standards really so low that all I need to be is not a pirate?"

With a pout, Emma giggled and leaned into his touch. "Any man can be ruggedly handsome, provided the correct clothing and potentially an unkept stubble," she reassured, "but handsome and cute, like you? No, that's rarer and therefore more precious. Cute is also what makes me want to kiss you, together with your lists."

Benjamin flushed, unmistakable pleasure warming his features. "There's no need for the flattery -- you've already won me over," he promised. "Still, I never thought that lists would be so provocatively alluring to you. If this is your response to my preparation, I'm curious how you would've reacted to my university notes..."

Unbidden, the light in Emma's eyes melded into something darker, more sultry as she purred, "Oh, sweetheart, if you wish to be tied for me, you only need to take a night off. I'll be happy to have my way with you for as long as you can take it. Maybe, if you ask nicely, even a bit more than that."

Her hands trailed down Benjamin's chest and his face burned impossibly hotter, his mouth opening and closing as they locked eyes. "Uh...I-I'll admit I didn't think...er...I-I didn't realize..."

"You should come back tonight, when people are asleep," she cut in. "We can't do that here, but we could do... less creative but still very lovely things?"

With a sheepish laugh, Benjamin confessed, "And here I was, assuming you'd leap at the 'rub off on' joke I made, rather than...well...literally leaping." Taking her hand on his chest, he drew her fingers up to his lips with shy smile. "I'm pleased that my earlier, albeit bumbling attempts are forgiven, and that you're willing to let me...um..." Goodness, how was Emma able to speak so shamelessly? Any time he thought of, or even alluded to intimacy, his face grew hot and he started stammering like some world class nincompoop.

Bashful, he ducked his eyes and splayed her hand across his heart. "I don't know what you mean by 'less creative, but still very lovely things,' but I'm beginning to realize I would do anything for you...which was probably a very stupid thing to confess."

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

Chosen (Park Seonghwa) Rated

Pairing: Creature! Park Seonghwa × Human! Reader (Female)

Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff, Sci-Fi/Fantasy AU.

Summary: Symbolizing purity, innocence, and daintiness, the Daughters of Aster had been hand-picked since a young age to be brought up and raised for a very special task: to carry the offspring of the nobility in the kingdom, which just so happens to consist of cold-blooded humanoid creatures. And now that she's become of age, it's Y/N's turn to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Word Count: 5.6K

Warnings: Tentai content including tentacle bondage, tentacle sucking, breast play, suction play, breeding kink, penetration with tentacles, multiple orgasms, semi voyeurism, reader is a virgin and Seonghwa is whipped for her, mentions of eggs, and stomach bulges. (It's my first time writing actual tentacle smut so I apologize if it sucks.)

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Gulping harshly as she pressed a hand to open the large, metal gate that guarded the huge mansion, the young woman hesitantly stepped inside the spacious and grim-looking garden. Underestimating the weight of the gate, she softly jolted back when it suddenly slipped out of her grasp and clashed back into place. She winced momentarily when the loud noise seemed to resonate, spooking several of the small critters and ravens that roamed around the small terrain. Glancing back, she half expected an old groundskeeper to swoop out of one of the trees and chastise her reckless behavior. But nothing surrounded the area except the foliage, trees, and rose bushes that added to the beauty of the grand estate.

Gathering back her courage, the quaint young woman took slow and careful steps across the small dirt path that led straight to the front stairs of the mansion. It was a somewhat terrifying architectural design, reminiscent of the old gothic-styled cathedrals from ancient times, not at all fashioned after the pompous and outlandish French designs most of the other members of the aristocracy preferred. The gray stone walls made the place seem cold and distant, the hardly lit windows signaled that it was probably rarely inhabited, and the black ravens perched on the top of the sculpted angel monuments lined up through the staircase only made the sensation feel more haunting and chilly.

Finally, in front of the main entrance, she hesitated as her fingers brushed along the round metal door handle. She felt frozen with fear as she realized there was no returning after all. This was the moment she had been prepared for her entire life. In a few moments, she was about to meet.....

Her master.

Just that thought sent shivers down her spine. She did not wish to ponder too much on the various horror stories she often heard back in the institute, nor imagine what kind of life she would live now as a surrogate to one of...their kind.

In the very moment she lifted her hand once again, she took a jerked back when the door seemingly opened by itself, a young maid looking surprised to see her standing there. Upon inspecting her attire and recognizing the crest that held her dark blue cloak in place, the maid's expression beamed with joy.

"Oh! You must be Miss Y/N correct?"

Nodding her head and affirming it was indeed she, Y/N felt puzzled when the tiny maid practically yanked her inside, albeit not intended to harm her, she simply seemed excited about her presence, which frankly made no sense to her. It was not as if surrogates were treated with kindness let alone respect. When her hands reached up towards her neck, the young woman was quick to stop her.

"Oh please! Let me do that for you."

Although she was not particularly fond of people coming up so close in her personal space, she maintained a calm demeanor whilst the maid removed the long cloak off her frame, delicate hands folding it perfectly and tucking it under her arm.

"I'll have this cleaned and ironed out for you Miss before taking it back to your room. You must be famished after coming here after such a long journey." She paused briefly and examined Y/N's complexion, which seemed rather pale and depleted, making her pout rather sadly at the state their new guest was in.

"If you would like, I can ask the cook to prepare a meal for you. Do tell, what is your favorite dish?"

Y/N waved a dismissive hand at the kind lady's offer.

"Please, do not trouble yourself. I am not the least bit hungry." Indeed, it was not a lie. She was overly anxious and uneasy that she did not believe it to be possible to even fathom stomaching any sort of sustenance at that moment.

"If you do not mind and if it is allowed... I would much prefer to retire for the evening." Y/N humbly requested.

Nodding with the understanding that the new company was weary, the young maid took hold of a golden bell tied around her waist and proceeded to ring it moderately. In mere seconds, a tall sharply dressed gentleman came up and bowed towards her.

"Cedric would you please escort Miss Y/N to her room?"

Gesturing for her to follow, the butler guided her up the flight of stairs into the second story of the house. Passing through a long corridor, Y/N glanced now and then at the outside patio through the windows that overlooked the gardens. They were much larger than what she initially thought, and the longer she looked, the denser the trees seemed to appear. She was so distracted by the scenery that she nearly collided face-first into the poor butler's back had he not spoken up first and made her steps come into a screeching halt.

"This will be your room from now on miss." Producing a string of keys out of his pocket, Cedric unlocked the door and gently pushed it open, stepping inside to make room for Y/N to pass.

Her breath was nearly taken away by the sheer size of the room. It was double the size of the old living space she used to share with 6 other girls back in the institute and was furnished with more than what she'd ever need. The decor too seemed like something more befitting for someone of the family than for someone of her station.

"If there is anything the matter with the decor or should you prefer a different pattern, you may simply speak the word and the Master shall arrange for the room to be modified as you like."

At the mention of the Master, Y/N felt that nerve-racking tingle travels down her body once again.

"Shall you need any assistance, please feel free to ring the bell attached by your bed and one of us will be more than happy to aid you?" Reaching for the door handle, Cedric bid her good night before closing the door to leave her to her thoughts.

Still feeling cold from the long walk, Y/N stepped closer to the fireplace, outstretching her hands in hopes of warming them up. She was grateful that although not expecting her early, they had prepared a nice fire to warm up her room. After getting filled with the heat, Y/N went over to one of the dressers so that she could change into her night attire. Upon opening the many drawers, she was shocked at not finding any of her old clothes, instead, there was an abundance of luxurious clothing which she did not recognize. Storming over to the large wardrobe, she too found that none of her personal belongings had been delivered, they seemed to have all been replaced with new apparel. Knowing that she had no choice, she went back to the first dresser that she had looked in before and rummaged through to find the plainest and simple nightgown she could find. Reaching for the row of buttons training down the middle of her blouse, she undid them one by one with utter care before slipping it off her body, letting the garment fall on the floor. Running the zipper down, her long and flowing skirt joined her blouse, one foot delicately kicking them away for the time being. Standing there in nothing but her undergarments made Y/N suddenly feel apprehensive. She carefully looked around the room again, feeling the strange sensation that someone was watching her. Shaking that thought out of her head, she quickly threw the nightgown over her head and finished dressing. The fabric was soft to the touch and it didn't scratch against her delicate skin, but the most surprising factor was that it fit like a glove on her body. It made her wonder if perhaps they had prepared it in advance or it was merely a coincidence.

Picking up her discarded clothes, she neatly placed them on the table near her, slightly folding them and smoothing them over. Going over to the bed, she pulled back the covers before sliding her body onto the mattress and covering herself. She couldn't help the small blissful sigh coming out of her mouth as her sore limbs welcomed the soft and comfortable bed, the pillow feeling like a fluffy cloud. As she laid there, she began to reminisce about all the events that led up to that very moment, or more specifically, that very morning during the Auctioning.

Hearing the loud applause coming from the other end of the room, Y/N tried to calm her nerves, knowing she was the next one in line to face the crowd. As soon as she took one step forward, she was stopped by none other than the Head of the Institute, who took hold of her wrist and looked at the girl behind her.

"Abigail, you go next. Y/N, you're coming with me."

Without so much as a further explanation, Y/N found herself dragged away from the waiting room where her fellow inmates also looked at each other in confusion at the sudden interruption. Y/N wanted to speak up and ask what was happening, was she not to be auctioned off to one of the many noble families? The old woman of course knew all the questions Y/N had, but she didn't say a word until they were outside in the front of the building, where there was a carriage awaiting her.

"Your personal belongings have already been sent out to your new home. We've received word to have you delivered as soon as possible." Even with that brief explanation, Y/N still didn't understand anything. Noticing her distressed state, the Headmistress sighed softly.

"Y/N, you are not to be auctioned off like the rest of the girls. Someone has already purchased you many months back, but it seems they accidentally forgot it and thus added you to the lineup. Luckily, I managed to find you before you stood up on that platform. Certainly avoided a disaster." The old woman chuckled, yet that did not relieve Y/N's worries.

What did she mean someone had already bought her? Who were they? Where was she sold off to?

Unfortunately, none of those questions were answered, instead, she found herself being pushed inside the carriage and speedily taken away to an unfamiliar side of the country that she had never seen before, away to who knew where until she ended up right in the place she was currently in.

Drowsy and tear-filled eyes eventually closed even whilst remembering the events of the day. Y/N knew she was more than likely lucid dreaming as she slowly drifted off to sleep. She didn't feel fully unaware of her surroundings though, and perhaps it was that skeptical feeling that kept her on edge and guarded against anything around her. It especially came into help when she seemingly felt something stroke her cheek, gliding down to caress the outline of her jaw. At first, she believed it was nothing more than her imagination, but when she felt a thumb running across her bottom lip, she opened her eyes, screaming and sitting up when she saw a dark figure standing right in front of her. He was started himself by her outburst, immediately retracting his hand when he witnessed how agitated his innocent act had made her.

"I'm sorry..... I didn't mean to frighten you." His voice was soothing and low, clearly intended so that she'd calm down.

"Would you mind if I..." His gesture indicated that he wanted permission to come near her again, which she felt like she had no choice but to give.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, the handsome stranger reached out and cupped the sides of her face, moving it slowly to the left and then towards the right, eyes drinking up every detail of her countenance.

"My God, you're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you tending to the gardens in that place."

Hearing those words made Y/N widen her eyes. How did he know about that? Unless...

"Are... Are you my new master?" She couldn't even believe it.

The young man giggled softly.

"If you don't mind, I would much rather prefer if you called me by my name, Seonghwa." He introduced himself. Y/N briefly nodded, but obviously, it wasn't enough for him as he leaned in close, nose nearly bumping into her own.

"Please say it." He urged her to.

"Seonghwa." She breathed out his name, to which he let out a gentle smile as one of his hands moved to tuck some of her hair behind her ear.

"Once again, I apologize for startling you, my dear. I just got impatient and couldn't resist myself. I just had to see you." He confessed before getting up out of her space.

"You must be tired so I'll leave you be now. Get some rest love and I'll see you in the morning."

Y/N expected him to walk towards the same door she had come inside from, but she looked with astonishment as Seonghwa went over towards another door which she had mistakenly assumed to be her bathroom, and opened it up.

"My room adjoins to yours, so if you ever want to come and see me, I'm just a knock away." He fought hard to not laugh at her flustered expression, whispering out another good night before retreating into his chambers.

Y/N released a breath she didn't know she was holding. So far her new master looked...normal? Nothing at all like what she expected from the many tales that roamed back at the institute. Seonghwa was nothing that she expected, exceptionally beautiful, poised, kind, and gallant. But she knew she could not be fooled by his charming manners, after all, none of the members of the aristocracy were actual humans...

And it was only a matter of time before she figured out what sort of monster Seonghwa was.

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Y/N tried to steady her heartbeat as Seonghwa drew closer to her, lips brushing against her own. Although this was the exact moment she had been prepared all her life for, she still felt a tinge of nervousness as she felt Seonghwa's hands clasp around her waist, his body, which was all bare save for the briefs between his thighs, pressing against her own.

"Tell me, my dear has anyone ever kissed you before?" He smiled when she shook her head.

"May I kiss you?" His inquiry sounded so sweet and pure that Y/N didn't think twice about lifting her face and closing her eyes.

Seonghwa's lips were soft, reminding her of the soft petals belonging to the different roses in the gardens outside, precious little buds that she had been granted permission to take care of in the month she had been living with him. He had never once denied her anything and had been very attentive to her every need. And now as he tenderly kissed her, pouring his heart into the loving kiss, Y/N wondered if this is what love felt like, that foreign emotion that she'd often hear spoken about yet always been told it would never be something she or any of the other girls at the Institute would ever experience. She didn't know, but she knew that she enjoyed whatever this was, this feeling of Seonghwa's lips closing over hers, only to pull away and then dive back in, each minute that passed enabling his kissing to become more ardent and passionate. It was truly breathtaking for her, as she'd often find herself gasping for air each time his lips would pull apart from her mouth.

Starting at the corners of her lips, Seonghwa began pressing butterfly kisses down towards her jaw. Y/N's breath hitched, neck tilting back when she felt him nibbling against her skin. It seemed as if he knew exactly where to direct his attention towards, her sharp breaths an indication that she was warming up to his touches. Releasing one hand off her face, he moved it down until his fingers brushed against her collarbone, treading dangerously close to her covered bosoms.

"Now tell me, love has anyone ever touched you here?"

As if on instinct, Y/N arched her back towards his palms when they lightly squeezed at her pillowy mounds, a light, and embarrassed moan being uttered by her for the first time in her life.

"N-no, no one's ever touched me there." Her shy confession made him smirk as he then dropped his hand down to lift her flimsy nightgown.

"What about here? Has anyone touched here?"

Cupping her sex, he found it warm and inviting, his body aching to be inside of her, to fill her up and breed her as he wanted to. He didn't need her to answer, just her mouth going agape and emitting the cutest whimpers he had ever heard was enough of an answer.

"No of course not. You're pure and completely untouched by anyone else....." When she felt his fingers slide across her wettened folds, her hands reached out and gripped against his biceps, using them to keep herself steady as they continued exploring her deepest places. It felt so unusual yet wonderful to have Seonghwa pry open her lips, fingers ever so gradually slipping past her tightness to lodge inside her warm cavern. Once settled, they began moving, pulling themselves out before coming back in. To distract her, Seonghwa stooped down to kiss her once more, it felt more rushed than before, tongue occasionally poking outwards to scrape against the roof of her mouth. As his fingers worked hard to stretch her open and mouth busied in devouring her adorable whines, it was all to prepare her and get her to ease up before he continued with anything. Pulling away with a deep inhale, Seonghwa used his free thumb to wipe away the excess saliva on her bottom lip, breath ghosting over her own.

"Y/N... I'm going to need you to stay calm and not freak out. All right?"

By his tone, Y/N deduced that she was about to figure out just what exactly it was that made him different from her. She could feel him hesitate, looking just as scared as she did the first time she arrived at the estate. Just as she was about to assure him that she was not afraid, she felt something crawl up her legs, it was somewhat slimy and had a couple of ridges along the underside of it. Glancing down, she nearly fell back onto the bed when she witnessed two long tentacles wrapping themselves around her thighs, tearing up part of the silk fabric of her nightgown. Before she could stumble back, another tentacle launched out to wrap around her waist, pulling her forward to help her regain her balance. She breathed heavily, looking visibly shocked as she realized they were coming out of none other than Seonghwa himself. He scanned her face, trying to read her reactions. Scared? Disgusted? Apprehensive? It was rather difficult to make out exactly what she thought about his tendrils holding her steady and tightening around her body. Wanting to test something, he produced two more tentacles, these slightly thinner than the previous ones. They moved closer towards Y/N, who of course, instinctively recoiled from the unusual limbs.

"Don't worry. If I were in your position, I'd be utterly revolted as well." Although he spoke out those words with a dry smile, they held a lot of pain within them and it made Y/N saddened to hear him. Wanting to make up for it, she outstretched her hand towards the nearest tendril, the very limb slightly pulling away when it felt her come near. No doubt Seonghwa was hesitant about having her touch him. Undeterred, Y/N reached out once more, this time the tentacle didn't recoil but subtly leaned into her touch. Ever so slowly, it began to wrap around her arm, looping itself around her wrist, and settling itself on top of her palm. Y/N couldn't resist herself as she softly squeezed at the tender limb, thumb curiously playing around with the tiny suction cups along the underside of it. She couldn't help but giggle when it slightly slithered itself to attach some of the cups onto her palm, applying light pressure that had a rather pleasant feeling. So amused by the bizarre member, she didn't realize that the other thin tentacle had moved until she felt it loop itself on her other arm, the same as the one on her right side. Seonghwa felt relieved when she didn't seem afraid anymore, instead, she now smiled up towards him, fingers gently caressing the smooth surface of his tentacles. Unbeknownst to her, he could feel every touch ministered on them, the tentacles being a part of him, an extension of him. And they were highly sensitive to any sort of contact made with them.

"Can we...can we continue?" There was a slight quiver in his voice that did not go unnoticed by the woman held hostage by his slimy tendrils. Understanding exactly what he was referring to, Y/N nodded, eagerly awaiting to see just how Seonghwa would impregnate her.

Feeling herself lifted off the floor, the tentacles gently laid her down on the bed, detaching themselves momentarily off her body as they began poking around at the semi-ruined fabric of her attire. Grasping at several ends, Y/N gasped astonishingly when they tore off the rest of her dress, discarding the remaining pieces on the floor. Laying there completely naked in front of Seonghwa, who did not hide anything in his stare as they raked her entire body. Feeling self-conscious, Y/N moved to cover herself but the tentacles were faster as they wrapped around her wrists and ankles, holding the first ones above her face while the other ones kept her legs apart, allowing Seonghwa to fully gawk at her wetness. The thought of burying himself deep in her and breeding her made him uncontrollably hard.

Y/N squirmed as several more tentacles sprouted out of Seonghwa's body, making her question just how many he could produce. Two medium-sized ones traveled up her sternum, oozing out some sort of secretion that trickled onto her breasts. The tentacles then latched themselves onto her perky mounds, twisting and pulling at her nipples until they hardened and poked out. They continued to toy around with her boobs, flicking against her sensitive nubs now and then before going back to clamp down and attach their suction cups to her tender skin. Y/N shuddered as she felt them slightly vibrate, adding to the daze-inducing state she was drifting off to.

Just as she was distracted in enjoying the pleasure the two tentacles were giving her, she let out a shriek when she felt another slimy organ come up and flit at her clit. The tentacles around her ankles kept her from closing her thighs, leaving her with no choice but to succumb to the movements made in her delicate button. It felt so surreal, so extraordinary, and she writhed around on the bed as much as she was able to when the tiny end of the tentacle sped up and rubbed faster against her swelling clit, the delicious friction making her mouth water. She wondered if this was the bliss some of the girls back home talked about, the ones who had gone out of their way to break the solemn vow they swore about remaining intact and pure, forcing them out of the Institute as they were no longer considered valuable vessels for future buyers.

"If this is what they enjoyed then, I would have gladly broken my vow too." Y/N mused to herself. But then she remembered had she broken her vow she would have never been able to meet Seonghwa, and she'd grown attached to him in that short period of meeting him.

"No... It's better this way. Having saved my body just for him so he can use it as he pleases. Have me carry his children. Oh, God." She felt herself clench around nothing as she thought about being stuffed by him, carrying his babies. Months before, the idea of carrying the offspring of some humanoid stranger horrified her. Now, it thrilled her and she looked forward to it.

"I'm going to slide a few more inside of you now, ok? It might feel uncomfortable, but I promise I'll make sure you don't feel any pain." Y/N vigorously nodded, the tentacles around her ankles spreading her legs further and bringing them up so her knees were bent.

Two thinner tentacles, even thinner than the ones around her wrists came out and began probing around her hole, stretching it ever so slightly before sliding inside her. Y/N felt them scraping against her tender walls, leaving her flabbergasted at feeling them creep deeper and deeper against her right muscles, stopping once they reached her cervix. Ever so carefully, they position themselves at her opening, prying her cervix open. A dull sting shot up her body, not exactly painful, but it wasn't exactly pleasant to feel. Noticing this, Seonghwa made the tentacles release their hold on her tight rim.

"Perhaps I might need to make use of this after all."

Y/N didn't know exactly what 'this' was, all she felt was the two tentacles lightly thrust inside of her, tips flicking up to tease at her sweet spot. And then she felt it, the tentacles oozed some sort of secretion to coat her inner walls, even moving to spread some of the liquid against the entrance of her womb. The tentacle working on her clit had to momentarily stop when Y/N began spasming, small gasps and moans spilling out her lips, not realizing that she had just had a subtle orgasm, but Seonghwa knew. He felt when her juices covered her walls, causing them to become more slick and wet, an effect produced by the natural pheromones his tentacles had just sprayed inside her, helping her to relax and not feel any more discomfort. Although it would also make her highly sensitive, meaning she would become a sticky and panting mess by the end of it, every stroke or brush inside her body would be heightened considerably. And Seonghwa was rather curious to see how that would play out.

Finally, a rather large and thick tentacle sprung out, heading directly towards her opening. It contracted itself as it skimmed past her entrance, flowing smoothly thanks to the previous tentacles that had worked Y/N's core open and the pheromones he had induced into her. At first, nothing seemed to happen, then Y/N's mouth flew open as she felt the tentacle start expanding, bottoming out inside of her, forcing her stretched-out muscles to widen even more. Unable to resist the urge, she looked down, nearly wheezing as she looked at the tightly nestled tentacle inside of her, pulsing inside her slick covered borders. Just those small pulsing vibrations had her throwing her head back as more liquids seeped out of her. Feeling her arousal coating its skin, it seemed to rile up the large tentacle as it began pushing itself further until it reached the entrance of her cervix.

"Usually humanoids of my kind would place as many eggs can fit inside their surrogate's womb... But I don't wish to overwhelm you with that, especially since it's your first time." With a smug grin, Seonghwa stooped forward and placed a hand on top of her abdomen.

"So let's just try it with two."

The large tentacle began contracting once more, wriggling around as if trying to get something out. Y/N soon felt what it was as a smooth, round, and semi-hard object began pushing itself inside of her. The two smaller tentacles, which were still lodged on the sides of her walls, went back to pry her cervix open, allowing the egg easier access as it traveled through her tunnel and nestling itself inside her womb. Seonghwa watched proudly as her belly swelled up as soon as the egg lodged itself in her, fingers brushing against the oval outline bulging out of her skin.

"So pretty, so beautiful." He praised her, teeth tugging down at his bottom lip as a hidden tentacle had come out to rid him of his last article of clothing, stroking his hardened cock generously, the suction cups paying close attention to his leaking head.

"How are you feeling so far love?" Seonghwa wanted to make sure she was fine before proceeding.

Y/N fluttered her eyes open, soft pants spewing out her mouth.

"Please...more." That was all she could manage to mumble out.

Satisfied by her answer, the massive limb started wriggling once more, popping out another egg that scraped deliciously against the roof of her cave, journeying past her barriers and plopping next to the previous egg, joining it inside her womb. With slight embarrassment, Y/N cried out as another wave of pleasure poured out of her, hands wanting to cover her reddened face at the thought of so easily cumming by the mere thought of Seonghwa's eggs inside her while his tentacle continued throbbing inside her.

"Don't feel ashamed my love. I just so happen to enjoy watching your face contort with pleasure." His admittance only made her more sheepish and flustered.

"We're almost done, love. I just need to fertilize my eggs."

Y/N groaned loudly when the tentacle began moving, thrusting itself in and out, her previous juices seeping out every time it pulled out her body, creating a wet stain on the sheets underneath. Maybe it was her imagination, but Y/N swore she could feel the eggs move inside her, bouncing each time the tentacle pushed back inside her. The tendrils around her ankles and wrists tightened themselves, holding her steady as the tentacle started to plunge itself faster and deeper into her, twitching every so often, a sign it was getting ready to squirt into her womb.

Seonghwa was also enjoying the spectacle, watching closely as he was about to impregnate his darling surrogate, the tentacle wrapped around the shaft matching the movement the larger one was doing. He felt blessed to be able to feel both sensations at once, one being his cock stimulated while his tentacle had to endure Y/N's tightness clench unbearably around his slimy member. It was ecstasy for both of them, their grunts and moans echoing inside Seonghwa's room. Wanting her to experience the maximum pleasure he could offer, the tentacles laid out across her chest went back to their previous task of playing with her nipples, suckling on her tender flesh whilst the one between her legs toyed with her swollen clit. It was all so much for her that Y/N couldn't help it as her third orgasm of the night overtook her, this one more intense and prolonged by the endless amount of attention her body was receiving.

"Seonghwa!" She cried out, tears of over-stimulation brimming at the corners of her eyes.

Hearing her call out to him, Seonghwa himself hissed as the tentacle worked him over the edge, spurts of cum trickling down onto it as well as splattering onto the floor. The tentacle that was now coated with his cum moved towards Y/N's face, lightly tapping on her cheek. Turning to face it, she inhaled sharply and didn't hesitate to allow it to slide past her lips and wiggle inside her mouth. She moaned around the appendage, sucking on it, the sensations flowing back to Seonghwa's cock.

"Oh fuck." He exclaimed, the tentacle pushing itself on the back of her throat while the one between her legs rapidly moved to finish its final task.

Y/N's wailing was partially muffled by the tentacle stuffing her mouth, her body and mind spiraling out of control as she felt thick ropes of warm cum being gushed out of the tentacle and shooting straight into her womb. She could even feel her stomach swelling up even more by just the liquids being poured into her. It was enough to have her crying out once more, a state of euphoria clouding her mind as her 4th high shocked her senses, numbing everything except the feeling of the tentacles around and in her. Seonghwa himself didn't need further stimulation, cumming untouched for the second time when he finally finished breeding her, mouth drawing out long and labored breaths as he started to come down from his high.

Slowly, one by one the tentacles started pulling away from Y/N's body, disappearing back into Seonghwa's body. Both of them groaned deeply when the last tentacle pulled out of her agape hole, some of the leftover cum dribbling out onto the bed. Y/N felt so sore and so full, her hands reaching down to caress her now swollen stomach, surprised at how big it looked. She felt ready to pop at any moment. With utmost care, Seonghwa moved her further into the bed, helping her rest her head against one of the pillows and covering her up with the warm blanket. It wasn't long until she felt his body press up against hers, pulling her as close as was possible as one hand protectively wrapped around her belly.

"Thank you..."

She was so weary after that intense session that she could only mumble a barely audible 'huh?' at his words. Chuckling, Seonghwa pressed a kiss against her cheek.

"Thank you for carrying my babies. You have no idea how happy I am at this moment."

She could only manage to give out a faint smile at his words, fastly falling asleep when she felt him hum a soft tune against her ear.

"I'm so glad I chose you."

༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻

Taglist: @little-precious-baby @multidreams-and-desires @yunhofingers @deja-vux @brie02 @daniblogs164 @couchpotatoaniki @a-soft-hornytiny @yunsangoveryonder @minhyukmyluv @nanamarkie @mingismoon @ateezbabysitters @rainteez02 @harry-the-pottypus

[shig-a-shig-ah]

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR ━ MIXED CROWD

» pairing: shigaraki tomura x fem!reader » story summary: working as a waitress in a villain bar means you meet all sorts of   shady people. But when a random encounter piques your interest in a nameless stranger, a casual hookup turns into more than you bargained   for. » chapter word count: 5.1k » chapter warnings: none. » read the full chapter on ao3

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[ Excerpt ]

For the first several seconds after Tomura abandons you with the rest of the League, you only stare at the spot where the warp gate disappeared, grinding your teeth in disbelief. You might not be new to keeping company with villains, but you'd think even Tomura would realize there's a difference between hooking up with one or serving them at the bar, and having them outnumber you in your own home.

Then again, the last ten minutes have made it painfully obvious that Tomura isn't thinking entirely rationally right now. Not that you can blame him.

That thought is enough to dampen some, though nowhere near all, of your irritation, and you let out a long sigh as you try to think. Your first and most selfish inclination is to simply follow Tomura's lead and leave entirely—there's no reason you couldn't check yourself into a hotel until he and the rest of them have cleared the fuck out of your place—but that doesn't feel like a real solution, especially not if you want any hope of preventing more scorch marks on your ceiling. You really have no idea what Tomura would let them get away with in your absence, and you really don't trust Dabi not to fuck with your shit given how clearly bitter he still is.

Your next thought is of the bottle of vodka in your freezer—you could sure use a drink and you're probably not the only one—but you discard that idea almost immediately too. The only thing worse than an apartment full of strange villains is probably an apartment full of strange drunk villains.

Reluctantly, you give up on the idea of escaping this unexpected hell, physically or mentally, and turn back around to face your guests.

Only to startle immediately and take a reflexive step back when you find a smiling face less than six inches from your own.

It's the blonde girl, you realize when your heart finally drops back down from your throat—the one who had Tomura looking so shifty after she'd called you his girlfriend. She either doesn't notice or doesn't care that she's very much in your personal space either, because the moment you recoil she only leans in again, grinning more widely. Now that she's so close, you can see that her incisors are pointed. Glinting, too, and it's an immense relief when she finally pulls away.

"I'm Toga, Toga Himiko!" she chirps, giving a spin before bowing low, and it's only thanks to that whirl of motion that you notice what she's wearing—a knotted scarf and pleated skirt that are clearly part of a high school uniform. Her cheeks have the roundness of someone who hasn't quite lost their baby face, too, and those obvious markers of youth have you feeling a new kind of uneasy as you're uncomfortably reminded of your own precarious teenage years.

You don't get any time to dwell on that thought, though. Toga's already continuing. "It's really nice to meet you, Omi-chan! Thanks for helping us out!"

"Yeah, I guess you're wel—" you start to mutter, and then pause. Blink in confusion as the first part of what she said belatedly registers. "Omi-chan?"

"Your name's Omikuji, right? That's what Dabi told us when you were talking to Tomura-kun!" She hides a giggle behind her hand when you grimace at the sound of your retired and all-too-cringey alias. "Don't worry, I don't believe everything he said."

You don't bother to tell her that she's misunderstood the reason for your look of distaste. If you'd had another couple seconds to think about it, you probably would be wincing at the thought of what Dabi might've had time to say.

And as it turns out, the opportunity for that hasn't passed. Toga's next question abruptly reminds you that you have bigger problems than regrettably nicknaming yourself after fortune slips.  

"Hey, are you really psychic?" She leans back in to peer at you again, cocking her head curiously. "Dabi said you can tell the future!"

"No," Dabi growls, clearly having no intention of following Tomura's order to shut the hell up, "I said she's a bullshit scam artist who pretends she can tell the future."

You grind your teeth, using every ounce of your willpower not to advertise just what a sore spot this subject is, to Dabi or the strangers still crowded on your sofa. It's easier said than done when you're sensitive about your Quirk even on good days, and when you know full well you'd been meticulous about describing how it worked to Dabi during your first encounter. And then he'd still had the nerve to show up a few weeks later, accusing you not just of ripping him off but also selling him out somehow.

"I can't tell the future," you tell Toga before fixing Dabi with a flat look. "And if he'd listened the first three times I explained my Quirk, he'd have known that."

Dabi narrows his eyes in response, and you can't help your gaze from flicking nervously towards your charred ceiling as you think about the damage he'd wrought at the bar, a memory that's still clear in your mind even though it was more than a year ago that you last saw him. If it hadn't been for Intuition serving as a warning system, and Shigeo's own Quirk—a sort of touch-based charm effect that goes a long way in getting people to be compliant—you probably would've wound up burnt to a crisp like several of the vinyl booths.

And apparently now it's not too late for that. Perfect.

If Toga notices the tension this topic has brewing, though, she isn't concerned by it. She only presses her lips into a thoughtful pout. "So what is your Quirk, then?"

The words don't worry about it hover on your lips, and then you swear under your breath instead. As much as you hate that question, explaining Intuition yourself seems like a better alternative than letting Dabi give everyone the wrong idea. And the more doubt you can cast on whatever he's told them so far, the better.

Your shoulders slump in resignation, and then you're glancing around at the rest of the group again, letting out a weary sigh.

"I don't suppose any of you have a deck of cards?"

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[corditeheart]

"He's right. It doesn't."

Whatever energy she'd had from dinner is gone by the time the reporters leave; she's also irritated by how invasive their questions got-- who cares what brand she's wearing? Hospital couture, at its finest.

She had refrained from snapping off with that, though, at least.

Small mercies.

"I want a cigarette," she mutters to Squall, still annoyed by having to have done that entire thing-- she won't get it, because oxygen and diminished lung capacity, but it's nice to give voice to the craving.

What she really wants are more painkillers, but she can hold out a little longer. In theory.

At least she won't be in a bunch of photos looking half-dead.

Eventually, Laguna goes back to sleep, drugged out of his misery-- she has probably ten minutes before the dose they've injected her with kicks in, and Xu takes advantage of Squall's presence to have him get her up to the bathroom, scowling at her reflection in the unforgiving mirror.

Somehow, having had sex with him makes having to take care of personal business with him right outside the door significantly more awkward. Like sharing a toothbrush.

I'd rather do that.

"Will you retire after this. God." Mockingly spat out. "If it had been you, they would have asked you about your recovery timeline and how soon you expected to be back in the office."

Not what his immediate retirement plans were. Or what designer labels he was wearing.

"I have to work twice as hard to get half the respect they'd give anyone else. Can you come in here and hand me a washcloth and that little yellow bottle?"

Might as well wash her face and brush her teeth while she's within arm's reach of the sink, before someone catches wind of her being out of bed for more than thirty seconds.

While Xu and Ellone are in the bathroom, Squall starts to move the short-lived feast out of the way of far too many cameras. It had been a rather spacious room to begin with. Now, there was almost no room to breathe. He hated it. The sooner this was over, the better.

The ladies come out, and Xu is settled back into her hospital bed. With everything prepared, the circus starts.

It can't be more than a half-hour that everything lasts, but it feels like a lifetime. Despite his bandaged jaw, Laguna's statement is articulated and professional:

"The actions taken upon me may have stirred Esthar, but it has not broken us. We are stronger than this attempt. We will remain strong. I will continue to lead my state and my people to the best of my abilities, and together we will overcome this act of terrorism."

Hyne, Squall could only wish to have written something that concise.

The questions towards Xu, however, were a complete different ball of wax. They almost always, he noted, were when directed even towards high-status women. Less politics, more personal. What brand of sweater? Will she retire after this? Is she- ? Does she- ? Will she- ? Only a couple questions seem to be on-topic, and she deflects them with a practiced grace.

And then, it's his turn. Squall can see the desperate flick of her eyes towards Laguna, who is struggling to maintain his composure despite being utterly exhausted.

"Five questions only," he limited. There would be no getting them out in a timely manner, otherwise.

"Are there any future intentions for Garden involvement in this matter?"

"Only insomuch as it pertains to the current affected Garden personnel."

"How will this affect policy going forward between Garden and Esthar?"

"That is undetermined."

"Who do you suspect to be behind this?"

"No comment."

"Why was the Lieutenant Commander in the line of fire?"

"No comment."

"Are the rumors true that you and-"

That was enough. Five questions be damned. "Garden will not entertain these rumors. No more questions."

Kiros is eventually the one to give the orders to cut the cameras and coral the reporters out of the room, because if Squall does, someone is getting punched. It takes far less time to clear the room than to bring everything in. In their wake, the ambient sounds of the hospital are deafening.

Squall nearly goes limp in the hospital chair, staring lifelessly up at the ceiling. "Fucking vultures."

"That's the way it is," Laguna said, equally weary. "I never gets easier."

[ill-skillsgard]

Blue and Yellow - Epilogue - Axel Cluney

Warning: 18+ Smut, mentions of violence, a car accident, blood and the death of an animal.

Summary: Four years they spent searching cars for each other. A/N: I wrote the epilogue before posting the last chapter of Blue and Yellow, to hold myself accountable because most of my readers know how shit I am at keeping promises when it comes to delivering them. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 +

I left the party after midnight, much later than I expected. I had my last cocktail at ten and planned to hit the road by eleven at the latest, but I was cornered by Lacey, a colleague from the college with one of those voices that went from loud to louder. Lacey was also incessantly chatty, and her social gauge flew wildly from left to right, six glasses of rum and eggnog deep.

Lacey asked me why I hadn't brought a date. I would have told her the truth, but I didn't want any of these people finding out more about my life than what was necessary. They didn't need to know I still lived with my mom or that I spent my nights watching MGM movies on cable, taking smoke breaks during commercials for whitening toothpaste. I'd spent years keeping my personal life under wraps, so I didn't get invited to parties where I had to pretend to have a good time while coworkers I cared little for blabbed about their domestic lives.

Instead, I made up excuses. I told Lacey my boyfriend had a conference out of town, and she bought it with another sip of her spiced beverage. Lying was my only source of entertainment besides TV dramas, and it was much more fulfilling. The lies were always the same: my boyfriend travelled for business, and I spent my free time knitting on the couch. Sometimes the lies varied, but never too much that I forgot who I'd told what. One day, it was knitting, and the next, it was crochet, then macrame a few weeks later. I'd get a small rush from venturing outside the lie's parameters, and that's when I knew my life had indeed become a parody. When fibs became lies, and the lies grew into tall tales, it felt like I was living in a movie of my own making, which satisfied me until now. How sad was my existence that telling Lacey about my fake boyfriend made me giddy?

By the time Lacey lost interest in my stories and snapped her attention on somebody else, it was quarter to twelve, and my eyes were heavy. I left the party quietly and hoped my mother would be asleep by the time I got in. Isadora was retired now, and all that made her life exciting was making sure mine was not. She'd have a dozen questions about my night, and I didn't have it in me to weave together a story that would make her eyes roll.

Winter disagreed with my old Kia. I turned the ignition, and the engine squawked and shuddered like an old bird in a rusty cage. I waited in the frosted box while the heat kicked in after twenty minutes, rubbing my hands together and fogging the inside of the windows with my breath. I was impatient, and once an oval of clear glass appeared at the bottom of the windshield, I backed out of the parking lot of the Marriott Hotel where we'd had our Christmas party. I'd had my qualms with the location, but since I was the only one out of town, my concerns had gone unaddressed.

I drove the empty highway with my high beams on, but the onslaught of snow rendered them useless. The road curled to the left, and I slowed to a solid ninety kilometres until it straightened out again. My only relief from the snow was the occasional overpass. I used the short-lived break in the snowstorm to orient myself with what I could see of the lane indicators. The roads whited out quickly, and the lines became vague notions. It was up to me and the guard rail to figure out where I was supposed to drive. I gripped the wheel until my fingers grew sore and tried to relax while other, faster cars pulled by, the drivers probably gawking at the idiot who couldn't handle a little winter.

Strips of the blackened forest closed in on both sides of the highway, and three lanes condensed into two narrow sides. I clung to the right hoping nobody came up behind me for the rest of the stretch. I couldn't wait to take the exit and drive on lazier roads, but before the left turn, I coiled around the stilts of a bridge, and a sudden collapse broke my concentration. I thought somebody had dropped a boulder onto my car from the bridge, and slammed on the brakes. The car spun around and struck the guardrail sideways, deploying the airbags on impact.

Snow piled onto the windshield, and something heavy prevented the wipers from budging. I struggled out of the car, disoriented, and first saw the headlight and bumper dangling off the front of the Kia like a hangnail. If that had been the only damage, I might not have screamed my throat bloody. Lying on the crumpled hood was a large buck, hoofs scraping the metal as it struggled to right itself. Its belly had opened and spilled a trough of red and purple innards over the mangled grill, steaming in the frigid air. Snowflakes landed on its wet nose and melted. The buck's antlers carved lines through the snow on the windshield as it thrashed and then died, panting.

I shrieked and cried until the snot frosted my upper lip. The guilt filled me to the throat with nausea. I apologized until the creature's last breath and cried long after it went limp. In minutes, a thick measure of snow covered the ground with no signs of letting up. A black SUV passed by and ignored the tragic scene. At least they has the decency to slow down and change lanes. My fingers seized while I tried to slow my breaths, making it impossible for me to clutch my phone to call anyone. Another vehicle passed and left me in the powder with a two-hundred-pound deer splayed across the mangled hood of my car. Nobody wanted to stop on the highway in the freezing cold to help someone who had just slaughtered an animal.

Before I willed myself to relax and call the police, two circles of bright light blazed through the whipping snow. A transport truck had spotted me in the distance and slowed to a stop several meters from where I stood behind the Kia, unable to face the carnage still letting off steam in the dead of night.

Minutes passed, and nobody exited the truck. I thought they had changed their mind or sat there deciding whether helping me was worth throwing off their schedule. I'd had enough of people ignoring me and walked up to the front of the truck, waving my arms. Finally, the driver's door popped open, and a pair of boots hit the ground. The snowfall slowed, and I could see the dark outline of a man approaching.

"You alright?" A muffled voice yelled.

"Y-yes," my voice cracked. "Yes! I... I hit a deer. It's awful."

The man's face was covered with a bandana, and he had a black toque pulled over his ears and brow. Only a bar of his face showed. I dropped my hand that had been pointing at my car, and he squinted through the flurry. He pinched the point of his bandana and pulled the material away. My mouth dropped open, and I tasted the ice in the air.

"Sabi?"

"No fucking way," I said. "No goddam way."

"Never thought I'd be scraping you off the side of the highway, Miss Asta."

"Axel!" I cried and launched myself into his arms. "Oh my god. I can't believe it's you."

All at once, my worries were gone. Out of anyone who could come to my rescue, he was the last person I expected and the only one I completely trusted to make it right. The relief of not having to break down in front of a stranger stoked my tears afresh, and once the panic subsided, I sank into his warmth. He smelled like gasoline and fried food, a heavenly combination when it came off his clothes. Axel held me in front of him and covered my burning ears with his hands.

"Now, why'd you go and hit that poor deer? What'd he ever do to you, huh?"

I blubbered until Axel said he was joking and pulled me back into a hug, pressing my face to his chest.

"I'm kidding, honey. Those dumb bastards always come flying out of nowhere. They've got a fucking death wish, I swear. I just hit one last month. Thing launched itself onto the road for no good reason, and you can't exactly slam the breaks on an eighteen-wheeler."

Despite the nature of his words, the voice that spoke them filled me with a sense of safety. Axel walked me to his truck and helped me climb inside. I clambered over the driver's seat and sat in the passenger side, waiting for him to follow. Once he pulled the door shut, we looked at each other, and all the things left unsaid put us in a chokehold. He reached for a thermos, twisted off the lid and held it out to me.

"Want some tea?"

I took the thermos and sniffed warm honey and lemon, took a sip, and sighed as the liquid warmed my throat. Axel turned to the dash and smiled to himself. We sat in a silence that had stretched over four years. That's how long it had been since I left him. He still looked the same except for a few more lines around his eyes when he grinned. Yet, he still seemed unfamiliar, like a stranger who showed up in your dreams after you'd only passed them on the street. Sitting inside the massive truck while the snow blotted out the windshield filled me with deja vu. I counted down to the moment Axel plucked up the courage to turn back to me, his smile replaced with sorrow.

"Do you think this was meant to happen? Not you smoking a deer, but me finding you in a precarious situation after all this time?"

"It certainly would be a full-circle moment."

"Are you alright, Sabi?"

"I think so. Just shocked."

"Me too. Y'know, every blue Kia hatchback I've ever passed, I'd always check out the driver, never once thinking I'd actually see you. But when I saw your car up ahead, I got this sick feeling in my gut. How weird is that?"

I chuckled and held my tongue about how I too would spot black Monte Carlos, hoping to see Axel behind the wheel.

He grabbed a pack of American cigarettes off the dashboard and offered one to me. I declined, and he rolled down the window an inch before lighting one.

"Camels? Odd choice," I said.

"When you drive back and forth from the states, options change."

Another smoke-filled silence pushed us into stiff positions on either side of the truck. I looked around briefly and saw Axel's bunk strewn with blankets and clothes. I snapped my eyes away from the mess as though I'd peeked into his private office and waited for him to stub out his cigarette.

"I'll call someone if you like."

"Shouldn't we call the police?"

"Yeah. You'll have to make a report, and they'll probably send an ambulance to check you out. Might be a couple hours of trouble."

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I can go back in my car and wait. I don't want to drag you into my mess."

Axel scoffed at my ridiculous suggestion and touched my knee. I turned rigid from the contact.

"If anyone owes you a drag through a mess, it's me. No, put that thought out of your mind. I'll stay here with you all night. Unless you wanna hitch a ride with a tow instead?"

"I'd rather stay here."

"Thought so," said Axel. "Why don't you give them a call, and we'll wait in here where it's warm."

"Thanks, Axel. I'm relieved you're the one who found me."

Axel pressed flat against the seat and clutched the steering wheel as if holding onto it would save him from falling. "I'm glad I found you too, Saberrah. I gotta say, I've spent a lot of time looking. Maybe that's fucked up to hear, but it's the truth."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You were right about everything. Featherfall had nothing for me, and once you were gone for good, there was only one smart thing to do."

"What was that?"

"Get the fuck out of there. I took the first job I found. It started with unloading trucks, then led to another thing, and soon I was driving them. Now I drive all over the place by myself, and it's given me lots of time to think."

"You always did love driving," I said.

"Yeah. Sold the Monte, though. Got a whole eight hundred dollars out of her, but it was enough to get me started."

Whenever I pictured Axel Cluney, I always thought of him driving around in his dad's car, living in the same apartment, and working under the table at Arty's shop, maybe fighting. On the darker days, I imagined he'd died or suffered too many concussions to hold a proper conversation. He had proven my theories wrong.

Axel had me call the police and offered me something more potent than tea before retracting the offer if the cops decided to run a breathalyzer on me. But he stayed with me until a tow truck hauled my Kia away to a scrap metal graveyard. We watched from the comfort of the cabin and when the police and wildlife management gave me the clear, he asked if he could take me home. Axel had a load of skids waiting for delivery, and though he wasn't bound by a schedule, his kilometres counted towards his pay.

Something went bouncing off the walls of my stomach when he suggested dropping me off. It was too shameful to be panic and too sharp to be nausea. I had only just started uncovering his new life, and to cut our talks short now would leave me more unsettled than I'd been for years.

Axel wasn't used to my cues anymore and took my silence for residual shock and exhaustion. When we arrived in the city, he said he couldn't drive the transport on any suburban roads and that our chance meeting would have to end at a rest stop.

The better half of my brain told me to get his number, while the other half longed to blurt out all the things I'd imagined myself saying to him if I'd had a chance like this. I was mentally equipped to do neither of those things and cursed my cowardice.

"I can get you a cab to your house from here," said Axel.

I picked my fingernails in my lap and nodded without looking up at him or saying thank you.

"Or you could hang in here for a little longer. Though I have to warn you, I'm getting pretty sleepy, and I'll have to pass out soon if I'm gonna leave on time."

"I shouldn't keep you. You've already helped me so much, and I should get to sleep soon too. It's been quite a night."

"Wanna check out the bed?"

At first, the question seemed innocent. We were familiar, and taking a tour of his truck seemed an excellent way to prolong our interaction. Then, I looked up at him, and his eyes glinted in that way I'd never forgotten. They told me to dare him, to remember how astute he was with his hands, how he'd retained every bit of knowledge about what I liked. I couldn't help myself.

Axel chased me into his bed, and the smell of his sheets transported me to Featherfall, to his big, empty apartment with the lone painting of the coal miner and his cat, Chupa. He undressed me first before taking off his clothes, and we looked at each other and how almost nothing had changed.

And truly, nothing had. Axel was still the same man he was when we'd first met. He fished around on the floor for a box and found one condom inside. Axel laughed when I raised my eyebrow and said that life got lonely on the road and safety always came first. He rolled the latex on and whimpered between my legs, hand around his hard cock.

"Wish I could feel you for real. I hate condoms."

"Me too."

"Look, Sabi... If we fuck tonight, everything will change. I won't be able to live without you."

"We've done it before," I whispered, leaving Axel unconvinced of my sincerity.

"I can't do it again... Go back to that life, I mean. Without you there."

"Neither can I, Axel. I want to stay with you. I don't need convincing this time."

"Promise? You won't fuck me and take off?"

"I won't."

He hovered over my body, lips floating around mine. His voice went cool as the Winter air. "You'll stay with me?"

"Yes, Axel. I'll stay."

"Good, 'cause I missed you. Missed this pussy." Axel rubbed the tip of his cock between my lips. "Fuck, I need it now. I don't care if it's not raw the way we like it, baby. I'm so goddamn hard."

I gasped when it went in and clutched the blankets while he gave me a few minutes of animalistic pounding. He slowed down, laid on top of me and kissed my neck until I laughed from the tickle. Then he pulled out and muttered about how I always made him come too fast. I tried to apologize, but he smothered my mouth with his.

"It was always hard not to blow too quickly with you. Remember those nights I'd get so close and pull out at the last second?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, I don't want to fucking pull out anymore. I wanna fill you. Every night. I want you to belong to only me."

How could I tell him I hadn't been with anyone besides him in the four years we had been apart? It was a sad claim and one I'd lied to others to cover up, and I saved the fact for another time when we weren't slapping our hips together and absorbing each other's moans in our mouths.

"I don't want your cock inside anyone else ever again."

"Of course, mama. Never again."

"And that ass is mine, too."

Axel shivered and flashed a wicked grin. "Oh, honey. I think about that day like every time I play with myself. So good. Mm, I wanna be your bad boy again."

"Take the condom off," I said.

Axel's movements stammered, but be kept going, hands around my waist to anchor our groins together.

"Are you sure?"

"I haven't fucked anyone after you." There went the truth, out in the open. Axel cocked his head.

"You mean I can feel that wetness all over my cock again?"

"Do it."

"Yes, ma'am," he sang and snapped the rubber off like a slingshot before plunging back inside me. This time, every ridge, fold and vein rubbed together, and Axel really couldn't hold back. Before he came, he asked, "if I bust now, can we fuck again? I'll be a good boy and suck on that precious little clit until you cum too."

Axel made me feel like fire and ice battled under my ribs. My heart fluttered when he talked. The sight of his body filled me with a longing I'd thought long dead.

There was nobody for me but Axel. I had tried running, telling myself I'd find another man who made my skin ripple and my heart sing, but those were lies. I'd never lie to myself again. He crouched above me, all angles of his face turned up in delight while we made love for hours. Axel hadn't lost his stamina or gone soft from days spent traversing the country behind a steering wheel. It was like nothing ever changed, and the four years between us were really just long days spent preparing to reunite again.

We slept in his truck curled together like it was our last day on earth. When it was time for me to go home, Axel gave me his phone numbers, all three of them. One for his personal phone, and the other two for his work phone if he didn't answer. I gave him my address to find me after his trip, and I could tell he was skeptical as his eyes flew from the receipt I wrote it on, to my face and back.

"You don't mind if I come to get you in a few days?" He asked.

"I want you to come. Just give me a call before you show up so I can make sure I'm home."

"Alright, babe. I'm sorry to leave you again, but duty calls."

We kissed goodbye outside of the rest stop washrooms before I got in the back of a cab. I watched Axel becoming smaller out the back window, and he watched me drive away. When I could no longer see him, I turned around and sighed. Tip me on Ko-Fi (if you want to)

[chaos-event-horizon]

Usually when Toshinori made a mistake, he would never admit it. Not at gunpoint, not to a staunch ally, and certainly not while he was blushing.

But in this case... He'd gravely fucked up, and in a way that deeply effected Rian and their relationship together. He knew that. He owned that. And everything that would happen from this point forward tonight would be completely uncharted territory. Not a single memory from a past life could save his ass here.

This would be the first time in his life that he was in danger of losing Rian, with absolutely no backup plan to speak of and no Intel to give him direction...

Which is why he decided to tell Midoriya first.

"You did what?"

The blonde sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The two of them stood before a large machine, glowing gently even in the stark light of the incredibly clean lab.

The window of the machine showed an approximation of a not-quite-developed human infant.

"That damned Midnight and our Nighteye got the idea in my head to... Explore options for ways Rian and I could have children. Figured when I finally fuckin retire, it might be... Y'know, nice to settle down with someone to take care of besides you little fuckin sociopaths in training. So Nighteye and I had some... sympathetic supporters look into a way to get the job done without involving another person. This was meant to just be a test, but..."

"All Might. All Might that is an entire ass baby."

"I didn't expect her to actually live this long!"

"HER?"

"It's a fucking girl, what more do you want from me, you brat?!"

"I don't know, boss, this is a lot to process!" Midoriya practically squeaked out, his voice trembling as he craned his head around to try to get a better look at the... The baby. "And what do you mean you didn't expect her to live this long?"

The blonde bruiser grumbled, then sighed. "This is the first fucking test, kid. As in, the prototype. The doctors had it in their heads that she'd be dead in a matter of weeks due to some fucking complication, but..."

"But she's your and little boss's daughter. And that combination would be... Pretty hard to kill."

"Apparently."

"Then... What's the problem? Won't Rian be happy?"

The villain blushed, looking away and eventually staring at the... Baby. "I have no idea, kid. Rian has no idea that... Well for lack of a better description, his unwanted eggs... Got put on ice and saved after his transitional surgeries. Rian doesn't have the first clue that something like this is possible. For all I know he'll be violently pissed that I saved anything, let alone... Did this."

The villain was quiet for a moment, staring at the nearly finished fetus. His heart ached a little as she twitched and kicked, for all the world like any normal child. Toshinori sighed, swallowing down shame. "At first I'd... I'd considered forced termination. Ending this before it-- she-- became a problem. Not like I haven't killed before, and arguably she's not even alive.... But..."

Midoriya was quiet for a moment, then looked up at his mentor. "You already love the kid, huh?"

The tall blonde swallowed. "She'll have my wild hair, and my eyes, but Rian's stature. The genetic markers point to her being a little tan, having wide and chubby little cheekbones, probably a more petite build... Who knows if she'll have a quirk or not... Physically, she'll probably be above average, just because of the effect One For All has on all who touch it. Sturdy, bright... Like a little sunflower."

"Well..." Midoriya flexed his hands as he thought, almost mumbling, "You can't exactly hide her forever, and putting her up for adoption is also probably out of the question... You'll have to tell Mini Boss, All Might. I don't see a way around it-- her."

"Yeah... I was afraid you'd say that."

The two men were quiet for a long moment, then Midoriya looked up at his mentor. "You thought of a name?"

The blonde scoffed. "Why would I do that? The goal was to try not to get attached..."

"All Might."

"....Hinata. I've been calling her Hinata in my head."

"Little Hinata..." Midoriya murmured, then broke into a grin. "Little baby Hinata, princess of Japan's criminal resistance. Has a nice ring to it."

"I can count on you to protect her, then? Whether Rian agrees or not, she's going to be a precious part of our world from now on."

"Of course I'll protect her... She'll be my little sister. If you and I are the symbols of chaos... I think I want to see her be the symbol of peace. Hopefully by the time she's old enough to understand the world, it won't be such a corrupt shitshow."

"Then you better eat this."

Midoriya froze, then looked up. All Might was holding a sandwich bag with a few blonde hairs inside it.

"You think I'm ready?"

"As you'll ever be," The villain said, dropping the baggy so it fluttered down into Midoriya's waiting hands. "One For All isn't a selfish quirk. It not only requires muscle and endurance... It requires genuine sacrifice. It requires the ability to see a better future, and run towards it with every ounce of strength you will ever have in your life. You can't want this quirk for yourself... You have to want it for protecting other people and be willing to put everything on the line for the sake of the future you might not get to see."

Midoriya swallowed nervously, looking at the bag of hairs like a man getting ready to kneel in a church. "It... You make it sound like a quirk for heroes."

"Because it is, kid," All Might said, continuing after the teen gave him a confused look. "In order to use this quirk to the fullest... You can't be a villain. It's a quirk that was born of the desire to save the world from a terrible evil, and that's what it's remained since the very beginning. The truth is, I'm not a villain at all. I'm just a hero in the wrong place at the wrong time, in a world so broken that true heroism ends up looking a whole lot like villainy. A vigilante. Just like my Master before me... And just like you'll be, when you eat those hairs and take One For All into your being."

Midoriya was silent, before nodding and reaching into one of the pockets of his cargo pants. He pulled out a water bottle, taking out the hairs and swallowing them quickly, never taking his eyes off of the little girl before him. "I'll do my best, All Might."

"That's all anyone can ask. But for what it's worth... I believe you can be a hero."

The green haired boy paused, then grinned up at his surrogate father. "I won't let you ever regret saying that!"

"I know... Young Midoriya."