#But they are considered much more valuable and dangerous than normal Monsters

[bet-on-me-13]

So to summarize, this is like one of those "Monsters appear from these Random Gates and we have to fight them" Manhuas? Like Solo Leveling? That's such a cool idea, let's flesh that out a bit.

Gates have always Existed. Throughout the course of Human History, Gates have randomly poped up around the world, letting Monsters rampage throughout the Land. Thankfully, they only appear once every few Years, and the Monsters that come through are not the strongest around.

(These Gates are actually Natural Portals to the Infinite Realms, and this dimension strangely attracts Ghosts through the Portal like a Black Hole, drawing them into the World.)

In recent Years though, the Gates have started becoming more and more common. It started with 1 Gate every 2 years, then 1 gate a Year, then 2 Gates a Year, and eventually it got to the point where there will always be at least 1 Gate open at any given time. With the rise of Gates, there came Hunters, Humans who have gained Powers that can damage the Monsters. (Not to be confused with Meta Powers, or Magic Users)

(These are just Liminal Humans using their Fledgling Powers to fight off the Low Level Ghosts who are dragged through the Portal. The "Powers" are just the powers they will eventually have as a Ghost. There have been more Gates and more Liminals recently because this Dimensions Ecto-Level has steadily been rising over time.)

People have also learned that if they take the Cores from the Monsters, they can Power Weapons that can also harm them.

Heres the thing though.

So far, all the Ghosts that have been dragged through have just been Blobs and Animal Ghosts, with the occasional weak Neverborn. They have never actually dealt with a Human Ghost like the Rogues before.

But one day a Human Ghost is dragged into the Portal, and against all odds they manage to Beat it. And they find that this Monsters Core is Much Stronger than any Core they have ever come across. Blob Cores and Ghost Cores are very different Beasts. From them on, any Human Ghost is considered an S-Class Threat, as well as an S-Class Resource.

And even then, that was just a Weak Human Ghost, one of the Weak Denizens who never really fulfills their obsession and never gets stronger. They have never faced off against a Ghost in the level of a Rogue before.

Now that the DP side has been fleshed out, what about the DC side?

Well, this doesn't change too much about the world. There is an additional Power System, but there are already so many. The main reason it is so Well Known is because Liminals/Ecto-Tech are the only things that can reliability fight Ghosts (aside from specific types of magic)

The JLA are still the usual Hero Organization, but they are allied with the Hunter Association and will respond to their calls for help if needed. They all have access to Ecto-Weaponry since very few of them have Liminal Powers.

Liminal Powers are basically weaker versions of Ghost Powers, with a persons own unique ability added on. Everybody has the basic Ghost Power Kit, just weaker. Everybody can fly a little bit, they can go invisible for a short time, pass through walls in a pinch, and they can fire small Ecto-Beams if needed. Everybody had their own Power based on their Obsession, and it us unique to everyone.

If you want to focus on the Batfam side, Bruce and his entire Family are Liminal. In fact, Gotham is known for being a Liminal Hotspot, with more Liminals surfacing there than anywhere else in the world.

The Batfam has laid a Claim to any Gates that open up in Gotham, so nobody is allowed to take care of them aside from the Batfam. This is on top of their normal Patrols, but their powers make it easier.

They all have Powers related to their Obsessions, and use them to keep Order in Gotham and to Hunt Monsters.

They also use Ecto-Weapons to, powered by the strongest Cores they can find. Bruce has the only S-Tier Core, while the others have their own.

Btw this was a post made on multiple late nights over the course of a few days. It is not coherent, but I think it's good enough.

So in a lot of these monster hunting fantasy webcomics, you have these things called monster cores. Imagine, if you will, an AU where the Justice League has always been in a world like this. Maybe an alternate earth, maybe the aliens are from different planes instead of planets, maybe you've got magic as the primary force and yet there's some who still manage to stick almost entirely to tech/magitech (like Bruce). These cores are essentially batteries, and the more powerful the monster the more energy you can draw. Also, I love the idea that, if you put it together right, you can technically recharge it.

Enter, the Phamily. Either they are from this world and the Fentons are monster hunters trying to find the origin place of the monsters, or this isn't their original world and they're trying to open a portal home.

Danny, Ellie, Dan, and Vlad if he's there, have cores. These can be considered batteries just looking at the way ectoplasm is used (imagine how much more potent the cores would be than the globs). Jazz, the parents, and Danny's friends if they're there too are liminal. This could mean that magic considers them part monster despite no cores, or maybe they're considered akin to warlocks or sorcerers, looked down upon but not actively hunted or something. Although the presence of the half monster kids and what seems to be a half monster dad... (yes this is probably a family breakfast ship, sue me if you dare) well, Vlad is gonna be determined to fight off the rumors with whatever he's got, there's no need for his darling Maddie to get worked up about idiots, aside from him and Jack of course. (I also love Vlad x Connie so this could either be Vlad is just an uncle or we get Connie in and call it Family Party or something - Party cause alcohol?)

Also not entirely sure on how I'm writing Bruce and Dick here, I want them to be able to access magic in some way, but sensing magic might be more of an Oracle/Barbara thing, I'm not sure, but also they can't do anything big or flashy with it, it's more tiny stuff which is why they rely on magitech. Also the idea that even if people can sense magic, usually they ignore changes aside from moving away from it if necessary cause usually it means a bunch of monsters are coming through a breach. Honestly, not sure how to run this but, eh.

The below segment is written with Native!JL and Isekai!DP in mind.

=====||=====||=====||======||=====||=====||=====

Bruce had been tinkering with his latest animaga, a monster core whose energy had been threaded through one if his favorite inventions, intended to allow him and his ward flight with the use of monster wings.

"B!"

He tensed but refuses to startle as his ward all but jumped on top of him. "Yes Dick?"

"The magic feels weird!"

Bruce paused, setting his tools down. He knew as a half elf, Richard was sensitive to magic, but wasn't nearly as strong with it as most full elves.

Of course, Bruce had always been considered... disabled in that regard, a full elf who could only feel the energy close to him, though it wasn't public knowledge that he knew of. "That's good to know, Chum, why don't you meditate on it and I'll investigate tonight?"

His ward seemed to understand the intent to leave him behind and started to protest.

"Chum, I was going out alone before you showed up, if the magic really has changed, it'll be safer for me to go out and use the radar."

Dick whined but didn't protest again.

Bruce hoped he wouldn't sneak out this time.

As night began to fall, a family of 9 was gutting a strange metallic ship. Well, the three elder ones were, while the younger ones worked together to scout out the area.

Bruce had just arrived to the location, but chose not to interfere just yet. Batman was the embodiment of night to many, a fearsome predator to others, and some even thought he was a monster himself. Reconnaissance was his strength, as was stealth.

"I don't know, Jazz, the energy here is weird. Muggy almost." His form gave off a soft glow, not unlike that of the whisps, though much larger in body.

The girl with red hair, Jazz he presumed, did not appear impressed. "Like you're the expert on energy. Maybe you should ask Sam when we get back to Mom and dad."

"And Vlad."

"Don't remind me."

The glowing one shuddered. "I know him and our parents have been buddy buddy again but why did he take you find along?"

"Because you're still in training, Daniel."

Both children shrieked.

"I see your core has accepted me into your Fraid."

Bruce froze a bit. Core? Thier energy was certainly strange but not entirely monstrous, hence his inactivity, but the presence of a core presented issues.

"Whatever, Fruitloop. Go back to camp."

"I don't think I will, you're being watched and I can't have my son or daughter being in harm's way."

"Give it a rest, Frootloop, we're not your kids." Despite their attitude, something about their reaction and stance suggested they were worried about being watched as well.

Bruce wondered how they knew about him, perhaps he should have asked Lucius for help with a dampening field to hide the energy of the animaga?

"Don't bother flying away, you'll be surrounded before you can think." Vlad placed a hand on Danny's shoulder.

Before Bruce could react, there was a flash of light that all but burned onto his retinas, but the light was all wrong, a deep black instead of a glowing hue. By the time he was back to his senses, Vlad was gone, and in his place was another strange Whisp. Batman didn't have to turn around to find there were identical ones behind him. Clearly, this was an opponent not to be underestimated.

[mightymelancholy]

Vengeance Saga 🌊🔱 Could Be Improved (Mostly about Calypso though)

*Spoilers of course

This is a discussion about mainly Calypso and some changes I like to see. So, this is a totally brief explanation for what can be done to improve the songs to be the best they can be.

Also Calixyn Cares Too Much is an informative but not authoritative resource on musical theatere and mainly songwriting. I recommend checking out her Vengeance Saga review.

My Thoughts:

The two first songs of Vengeance could use some work because right now "Not Sorry for Loving You" and "Dangerous" are a little vague, and don't have too much information to chew on. Especially with Calypso given the source material so being clear what happened those 7 years would be nice, because the fandom is understandably split on her.

For instance reviving the cut song "Appetite" would be nice. Also "Cope With That" because Odysseus being in the middle of choosing ruthlessness and open arms isn't much we see. He's often going to extremes with such ideologies. The Sirens, and the Cyclops for example. Circe Saga was when he was being pretty normal even after most of his men died, which is interesting he didn't immediately use ruthlessness with Circe after that event. He acted rather politely when meeting her. Anyway NSLY (Not Sorry for Loving You) has the "There Are Other Ways" motif but Odysseus doesn't use any of Circe's teachings.

Circe didn't really influence Odysseus like the Cyclops, Poseidon, and Polites did. He learned the consequence for being too kind from Polites which results in him sparing Polyphemus and giving his home address. Being too ruthless with the Sirens by throwing their bodies in the water when they could've been used to feed Scylla. And Poseidon is his ultimate consequence and the monster he could become. But Circe doesn't really teach him anything that he uses down the line. Odysseus utilizing persuasion to trick Calypso would've made the most sense and made Circe feel like an actual impact on his journey. Sure she helped him get to the Underworld but that's about it. Also strange Odysseus talks about becoming a monster when he just showed mercy to Circe and that worked in their favor. I guess he's just traumatized from seeing his dead comrades/friends and mom so sure I guess. It's a little odd Circe isn't that important in the grand scheme of things similarly to Calypso. And I wish Calypso had a conclusion. Because it's crazy how Odysseus dipped and his last words to her were-

"I love you

But not in the way

That you want me to"

I know he got places to be but still 😅

Just Ody and Calypso having a split amount of time to sing about their time together, and how they got closer. Because in "Love in Paradise" Odysseus wanted nothing to do with her, but in Vengeance Saga they seem to be on good terms. Odysseus sounds genuine when he says "I love you". Ody lying by using Circe's tactics would be interesting and was planned with the cut song "Appetite" but they scrapped it but still kept the "The Are Other Ways" instrumental. A flashback of the two reminiscing about their time together would've benefitted NSLY and made it clear that Calypso being a SA abuser is non-canon. Because at first I was conflicted on her because I didn't know if what she did was canon to Epic or not. Now I know she's just clingy and a little freaky (which makes sense, she's been on Ogygia for 100 years) but information like that or lack there of can confuse people.

Just give them a flashback scene and we eliminate the Calypso being an abuser issue and give valuable insight on both Odysseus and Calypso lives together. Because her and the island are kind of a blip on Odysseus's journey which is crazy considering the 7 years he spent there. But because we don't know much what happened Calypso being heartbroken is more pitty than actually sad for the viewer. Like I hardly know this girl, and don't know what exactly she did to Ody. Because also in "Love in Paradise" she says-

"Under my spell, we're stuck in paradise

No one can come or go, my island stays unknown"

Like I think people who step onto the island can never leave or the place is just too hard to find. But what does "Under my spell, we're stuck in paradise" mean? Like I think this is why people can't tell if the SA is canon or not, because it could be interrupted that Calypso brainwashes people. Or maybe she creates a blissful illusion/dream, which can be either good or bad since she "brings no pain". But is this something you want your audience to make interpretations and assumptions about, especially if the team wants us to sympathize with her in NSLY.

Again this should be made clear that Calypso was just being patient with Odysseus's decision. I think that's pretty impactful and would be interesting to delve into. A few lines of Calypso counting the days and waiting for Odysseus to "finally" love her. Maybe she watches him walk along the shore line and sings "🎵Waaaiting🎶" like in "Full Speed Ahead" and "The Underworld". and then Odysseus sings that part but of course he's waiting for a sign or help to arrive so he can get home. Idk I'm not a songwriter just an aspiring one lol

Because right now Calypso takes up so much of the song when it should have been 50/50. I won't say much on "Dangerous" because it's pretty similar. Hermes talks a lot when we could've had a few more lines for Ody. Also explain how Hermes got the wind bag? How did he convince Aeolus? Did Aeolus catch wind of "God Games" and was instructed to give Hermes the wind bag? Did the Winions help Hermes or are they just following him to make sure nothing bad happens?

Again the songs aren't bad, not by a long shot. They just need some improvements is all. I love this show but I can't be biased just because the music sounds good or there's actually a hidden meaning & a ton of lore if you keep digging! Nothing wrong with overanalyzing the lore or characters at all, that sounds super fun! But people should be critical otherwise the things they love won't improve.

[bairusong23majorstudy]

Forefront #3

Although it may not be closely related to my personal project, I still believe that the design of the monster Malzeno from Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak has many elements worth studying.

Considering the DLC's Western fantasy style, the theme of this monster is clearly a vampire. Apart from dynamically moving like a vampire, swinging its cloak-like wings in a mysterious and dangerous manner, the design details released by Capcom offer many noteworthy features.

The fin-like shape of its head resembles a vampire's high collar, and the mane-like parasitic wings stacked at the neck create a scarf-like appearance.

Its teeth, unlike those of other dragon-type monsters, grow outward, adding to its wild and terrifying impression, similar to a vampire's fangs that are much larger than those of a normal person.

The petal-like wing membranes add an elegant touch, giving it a much more mysterious impression than a typical beast and balancing the wild elements in the overall design.

Incorporating a significant amount of humanized design elements into such a fictional monster is quite challenging. It requires the design to appear natural, without excessively stripping away its beastly identity, while also introducing many prominent and familiar elements that evoke precise and strong associations. This exquisite balance might require prolonged exploration of element selection and simplification. However, the most valuable lesson to be learned is undoubtedly the bold collision of elements.

References

Capcom. (2021). Monster Hunter Rise. [Nintendo Switch]. Capcom.

Dracula. (1958). Directed by Terence Fisher. London. Hammer Film Productions.

[vodkassassin]

Inspired by your Jiuplane fic, Everyone loves SQH series and Nighthaunting's work.

Shen Jiu has never actually spared much attention to An Ding. While he doesn't consider them less-his past would never allow himself to look at anyone being derided for doing 'servant duties' less- he also doesn't pay much attention to them. Ever since Shang Qinghua modified the teleportation talismans for transporting large amounts of goods between the Peaks, An Ding disciples have all but disappeared from view. Shen Qingqiu occasionally saw a groundskeeper or a cook return back to An Ding but that was about it. He was pretty sure that people outside the sect saw more of the Logistics Peak than the people in it. And during meetings Shang Qinghua barely makes a sound, just records whatever was he was supposed to and just vanish off to his peak the minute the meeting inevitably ended in chaos. It was like An Ding never existed.......in hindsight, that should have been suspicious. But Shen Qingqiu never even noticed glaring absence and he would forever berate himself for that. It happened quite unexpectedly. Shen Qingqiu was supposed to go on mission with Qi Qingqi, the only Peak Lord he could tolerate beyond a certain period of time but Xuan Shu Peak suddenly had an emergency that she had to take care. Mu Qingfang was busy with preparing the Baying Moon Jade Orchid that he had been given (Really that should've tipped him off! Those flowers were ludicrously expensive because they only grow in the Demon Realm and Mu Qingfang had been given an entire crate of them along with his monthly supplies!), and the only other Peak Lords available were Liu Qingqe and Shang Qinghua. The choice was obvious.

The mission was relatively simple. Wan Jian disciples had been sent as a response to a request for assistance from a cluster of villages deep in a mountain valley. The disciples had found evidence of a large monster but it seemed to be intelligent and the presence of cultivators had run it off to a cave system. By the trails it left and it's actions, the lead disciple had judged it too dangerous for normal disciples, especially in the enclosed spaces of a cave system and had reported to his Peak Lord. The mission thus had been entered into the Peak Lords' roster. It should have been routine, should have been simple. But Shen Qingqiu had the world's worst luck and so everything turned sideways within ten minutes of them entering the cave.

First of all, the monster seemed to have destabilized the cave so they got caved in. Secondly, it wasn't a monster at all but a demonic beast, a Thousand Screams of Ruin Swan, a rabid thing that was created when someone forcibly corrupted a Thousand Screams Swan with too much demonic qi. And finally, the beasts absolutely hated each other. A Thousand Screams Swan had the ability to gauge the truth and a lie in its presence would not only prompt the most ear piercing of all screeches but also destabilizes the qi of the liar in particular and produce unimaginable pain. The southern demon courts use the swan in interrogations, putting the accused and the swan in enclosed spaces and the interrogators questioning from behind a sound muffling seal. However if the swan were overloaded with too much malicious qi, it would grow to enormous sizes and it's screech would actually cause death to anyone in the vicinity. In this state it was called a Thousand Screams of Ruin Swan. So after every interrogation the beast is taken for purification. The question is how a pair of valuable demonic beasts from the Southern Demon courts end up in a remote village far away from the borderlands?

If it was any other situation, Shen Qingqiu would've been fascinated. But as it was he had no time to dawdle. The confined space of the caves meant that the screeches of the swan would be magnified in intensity and their muffling shields were already cracking under the pressure of the sound waves. If they did, they would be dead as their qi system would be destabilized enough to cause a painful death. Shen Qingqiu, with his already unstable qi was extremely vulnerable in this situation. With Shang Qinghua having no combat ability to think of, they were completely under the mercy of two rabid S-rank demonic beasts who hated them and each other.

Then the shields cracked. Shen Qingqiu barely had time to close off his hearing using qi before Shang Qinghua disappeared into one of the caves with a beast after him. On one hand Shen Qingqiu now had to worry about only one Thousand Scream of Ruin Swan. On the other hand, no hearing was a double edged sword in a situation like this and there was no back up, negligible as it would have been. But he marshalled his focus and unsheathed Xiu Ya. If that overgrown bird thought that the Qing Jing Peak Lord was going down without a fight, it was wrong.

Two hours later the fight was still going on. His head was hurting only from being flung into the stone walls of the cave but also from sealing off his hearing for so long. The Beast's rampage had destroyed one of the cave walls and they had both fallen into a lake within the cave system. Shen Qingqiu had somehow managed to pull himself out of the water, not being stupid enough to fight a water fowl in water. He was exhausted, looked like a wet rag and was bleeding. There was no sign of Shang Qinghua and that either meant he was dead or that Shen Qingqiu was so far off from the main caves that he wouldn't be found in time. While the former was more likely, he at least hoped that Shang Qinghua made it to the surface and called for help because as much as he hated to admit it, that brute Liu Qingqe and his brutish sword would be helpful at the moment. He was tiring and his core couldn't hold on any longer while the beast was all but brimming in energy. It lunged and the Peak Lord futilely brought up his sword, knowing it wouldn't do anything, realizing that this was the end of Shen Jiu, dead by a rabid bird in a fucking cave. And then...there was light.

Lightning, there was lightning in the cave, huge arcs of it racing towards the beast and striking it over and over, the lake water acting as a conductor and exacerbating the damage. And on a ledge, was a creature wearing Shang Qinghua. Because that couldn't be Shang Qinghua. Shang Qinghua was a mousy, nervous, skittish mess of a man. Non obtrusive, and a pushover. He was weak and had no combat abilities to speak of. He barely had a core....except that wasn't true was it? None of them had ever seen Shang Qinghua fight. None of them had ever felt the power of his core. Shang Qinghua always ran solo and the occasional company of his head disciple so none of them had been on a mission with him. In fact, none of them knew anything about Shang Qinghua. They just assumed that he was weak...because he was An Ding and acted like a coward. But now it was clear Shen Qingqiu that it was by design. It should have impossible to constantly keep up a facade like that but looking at the imperious creature watching on dispassionately at the Demonic Beast writhing in his lightning, Shen Qingqiu knew that the impossible had been done.

The creature that was Shang Qinghua jumped down from the ledge and made his way to Shen Qingqiu. He was clutching a Thousand Screams Swan now back to its original size. He was barefoot. His clothing was ripped in places. A large slit too clean to be from the beast ran up both his legs just shy of his hips revealing long legs adorned in gorgeous ink patterns climbing up them and disappearing up the torso. It was clear Shang Qinghua cut them up to increase mobility. The sleeves were also ripped, also covered with beautiful tattoos and the high collar of the robes were open showing off beautiful collar bones. His hair was left free and falling russet waves down his back to his knees and with each shift Shen Qingqiu could see a silver shine of what seems to be metal strings woven into it. He was... He was a vision.

Shang Qinghua was always covered. He wore high collar robes that never showed an inch of skin on his body. So seeing him with his legs and arms and his collar visible, it was obscene! Shen Qingqiu realized to horror that he was blushing. His entire face was burning! Shang Qinghua must have succubus blood in him! He must have! Shen Qingqiu is not the type to blush at every pretty face! He hoped to the gods that Shang Qinghua just think of his blushing face as a result of exertion.

As Shang Qinghua drew closer, Shen Qingqiu noticed something strange. Gauntlets. Silver gauntlets carved with seals. Two on the ankles, two on the wrists. And one collar on the neck. Hidden underneath high collar robes as they were, this was the first time Shen Qingqiu had ever seen them. At first they looked like enhancers and looking at the lightning still attacking the beast which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, it seemed most likely. But Shen Qingqiu was done assuming things about Shang Qinghua. And he was right, because closer inspection revealed the seals to be limiters. Shen Qingqiu for the first time since he became a Peak Lord, was truly astonished. Limiter seals active on five points on the body and undoubtedly forming a restructure five point qi circuit and still manages to defeat two S class demonic beasts? Incredible. Shen Qingqiu wanted to know everything about him. He wanted to burrow underneath his skin. He has never wanted anything more.

After the Beast shrunk down somehow, Shang Qinghua retrieved it with a talisman that seemed to be some sort of Binding. He silently clutched the swans together and made his way to one of the caves, silently motioning for Shen Qingqiu to follow. As they made their way up the caves, Shen Qingqiu looked at his mysterious companion and told him what he was adamant about from the moment he saw the other bring down the wrath of the heavens,

"You can't hide from me anymore."

Shang Qinghua was silent. Then, like a whisper of silk on soft skin, he replied,

"I can try."

Shen Qingqiu smirked,

"Yes you can. But you won't succeed."

The Xiu Ya sword looked the two beasts the other was holding, two Thousand Screams Swans.

"Is Shang Lei even a real name? "

The other didn't answer and that was an answer in itself. Shen Qingqiu couldn't wait to have him.

Anon oh my god this is GORGEOUS!!! Thank you for feeding me, it was delicious!! Bamf SQH! Beautiful SQH! Badass, pretty, mysterious SQH!!!! Attractive as hell, an unattainable prospect!!!

@nighthaunting look look, it’s our writing child

[angstyantoinette]

Yandere! Armin Arlert Headcanons

AGED UP I REPEAT ALL CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP-

This little blonde ball of curiosity is verrryy toxic in my Yandere version. 

Armin knows how innocent he looks to other people and by playing on this, coupled with his practical and analytical genius status, boy is it so very easy for him to gain the trust of his comrades, friends and especially his Beloved. 

I feel as if Armin wouldn’t be picky with a particular type, but never being attracted to an unkind or particular person he would be disgusted by in any way. 

He may fall for someone who is slightly colder, or who doesn’t really know how to respond to kindness. In that scenario, Armin would be overjoyed, but very patient and giving with them; if he wasn’t Yandere. 

I see him as very touch-starved and wanting, but afraid to be clingy for fear he would drive his Beloved away. In this case he would dote on you as best he could in his environment, making you fall for him even more. 

You would him as endearing, and like most, innocent. Armin is smart; one might say way too smart for his own good, and being a Yandere, I feel this makes him just as dangerous as those willing to use physical violence/methods on their Beloved. 

He knows that you just love his little quirks and his way of thinking. If you tell him this, he may think you only see him as valuable because of his skill for strategizing. But when you reassure him that you just love him for him, he just falls in love with you even more. 

He’s worrisome about you. Every time he makes practise with your ODM gear until you’re bruised, and exhausted, ready to run into his awaiting arms. Rewarding you with cuddles and affection, Armin’s love isn’t exactly conditional; but it still isn’t normal.

But that’s if you accept his feelings, with Armin being a Yandere or not, and with your knowledge or ignorance. 

If you don’t accept his feelings, whether it being for your personal reasons, or because you…um, like someone else, to put it nicely; 

YOU’RE FUCKED. 

He’ll smile, nod his head, maybe try a little too hard to act like he’s okay with your decision. But you understand, after all, it’s not like you haven’t been rejected before. 

“We can always be friends, Armin! I’m here for you okay?” 

“Yeah, Y/N, whatever you say…” 

About a few weeks after his rejection, with all of the support from Eren, Mikasa and the others, Armin is slowly descending into a deep depression. 

He was so sure of his feelings for you. They were his most prized possession. You made him laugh, you made him blush and god you made his pitiful life seem so much more worth living. You were the ocean, and he just wanted to drown myself in you. Like the sun he saw so rarely, you were the ray of pure light that made his body burn. 

He lay awake at night, taunted and enthralled with the thoughts of you in so many different scenarios….maybe in particular, different positions. 

[Yes, those kinda positions. Armin’s not always that innocent, y’all.]

He knows that the more he thinks of you in these appetizing ways, in these hurtfully satisfying scenarios, he’s never going to be able to get over you. 

Rather, he’s not even going to try.

Being trapped in his fantasies, Armin is horrifically aware that these feelings are incredibly toxic, for the both of you. He just won’t let you go. Whatever it takes, Armin will commit whatever crimes he must to keep you in his life. 

He sees you as being misunderstood, especially if you’re typically a colder person, hard to read, detached. Some people compare you to Levi, but Armin just knows that you, like the Corporal, have far more depth than you let on. 

His intrigue doesn’t let up for a long while, as you’re constantly surprising him in new and amazing ways. You’re used to his deep interest in you after a while, but you still don’t understand him. 

Armin thrives on your confusion at first, but if it drives you away from him, he’ll go into tactical mode. Staying up all night,figuring out who is calling your attention to them rather than him and what his next move should be. 

With his intelligence, Armin keeps his sizzling bafflement and envy under wraps. He tells himself that maybe he had unerved you a little. He can get like that sometimes, surely you understood him well enough to know that?He obviously did find you interesting and he was willing to momentarily abandon Eren and Mikasa just to fuel his endless curiosity. 

Keep in mind, this is after you reject him, and his desperation to just know you and love you is greatly overwhelming him to the highest degree. You just won’t allow him to really see you, to understand you. 

Eventually, he snaps. Just not in the typical yandere way. We all know that Armin feels as though he is a nuisance, a self-proclaimed burden so he keeps most of his feelings inside, and lets them loose to either prove a point, or while under stress. 

It takes a minute for him to decide what to do with you, because he knows that once he has made a choice, it has to be the right choice. He has to know and map out a detailed plan, whether it’s doable, whether he’s able to pull it off by himself, etc.

His analytical skills come into play, and he plans everything from the location, time, the equipment needed at exactly what time. By this time, he will have comepletely left you alone; abrupt and brash, and just as he planned, you were surprised. Yes, he wanted to get to know you, and you couldn’t help but feel even slightly violated and maybe even disturbed. 

Your like anyone in the world, have natural curiosity and interest in just about anything. But the unfamiliar feeling of unsettlement around Armin just felt…off.

You secretly knew of his deep infatuation; people always seemed to determined to figure the silent types out, to crack them open, decipher their many secrets. In terms of this analogy, you sort of understand, maybe even sympathise with his endless novelty toward your character, but even so…just why?

Maybe it was the fact that you felt bad for him, in a sad, puppy love kinda way. Maybe you saw him as a traumatized individual, just putting his assumed coping mechanism to work, with you just in the innocent line of fire. 

If he kidnaps you at all, Armin will smother you. Telling you how much you mean to him, explaining that only he can access your wonder and intrigue. Because, after all, he worked this hard to get you; why would he ever share you with anyone else? 

Although he will be stern, he’ll always be nice about it, rewarding you or not. 

You’re an enigma to Armin Arlert, keeping him guessing, testing his patience with all of your being. You don’t know it, but soon you’ll be in his possession.

I headcanon him as seeing your refusal, your blatant rejection as some kind of ‘disease.’ You haven’t even seen the best of him yet, why make up your mind about something that you know almost nothing of? Oh well, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other very soon. He’ll bare his injured soul to you, and you’ll have mo choice but to do the same for him. It’s what married couples do after all, right?

Just let him love you, Y/N. Let Armin adore you. It’s the best thing to do if you want everyone to live.

Glassy, still sapphire eyes simply stared at you in the weak light of a stolen candle. You couldn’t quite pinpoint what they were saying, those beautiful, dangerous, albeit loving eyes. But yet, they also held malice in their abyss’. Endless, bottomless, simply divine they were. That was all you knew.

“Why…do you lie to me?” he murmered. A small, rough palm came to rest against your hollowed cheek, fingertips gently tapping against the skin. Realising how close he truly was, you tried your hardest to get away, shifting in your place in the surprisingly plush, old bed, but all it took was a flash of blonde hair to whip past your face, before he succeeded in holding your arms down.

While he never did this explicitly to punish or harm you, Armin always knew just how to exert his power. Never mind the boundaries that he installed in you the day of your arrival; he didn’t care for them as much as you had to pretend to.

This Armin was unhinged. Normalcy could never be considered in this relationship. He could never understand the pain he put you through. To Armin, it was all in the name of his devotion. All of his interest had been rooted in one fact; you refused to love him.

Once he figured out that you wouldn’t couldn’t love him of your own accord, he became enamoured with something he just knew he could never have.

He had never even thought about taking you, drugging you, dragging you to a secluded spot in the woods, or an out of bounds room, derelict over many years.

“I never intended to take you like this, bunny.”

Swallowing hard, you tried to look him in the eyes, gently lifting your head higher and higher until his blue pools of mere unhinged insanity met your own pained orbs. Seeming to like this, he smiled.

His perfect teeth looked more like fangs in the dim, weak moonlight. It had felt like he had managed to suck every molecule of beauty from even the most simple of things.

His voice sounded like the devil; harsh, unforgiving lilting tones of false hope daring to stroke you face and make you think you had a good chance at happiness.

You didn’t know when he stopped being Armin and began being a monster. You didn’t know if the lines could be blurred any further.

“I never wanted this, Armin-” 

“Don’t play with me, bunny,” he snapped. His slender fingers wound themselves in your clean hair, twisting and searching for a soft spot to pull. When he found it, he lightly tugged; barely, but you still winced from the thought of the last time he did this. 

You still wanted to believe that he was quiet, sweet Armin who still had an unstoppable fascination with you, but he was harmless then. Or was he? Was he faking his intentions? Did he have it planned from the very beginning? 

You wanted to choke yourself for believing his simple demeanour, his dedication to the cause of the Survey Corps just like everyone else. He was a liar. He was a predator in all ways, ensnaring you, his perfect prey. 

Only now had Armin realized just how confused you were. 

You didn’t understand his love for you. You thought he hated you! 

Now that wouldn’t do.

Armin could have have kicked himself. All of his stern discipline and rules stemming from his love and protection meant that you mistook for him being cruel. He was doing this out of his devotion! 

How could he assume you would understand if he never told you, if he never proved his love?

“Armin, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything, I swear-” You took a deep breath, cutting yourself off. Now was not the place or time to be losing your composure; you still were trying to get used to the fact that you were being held against your will. 

“Hush”, he suddenly murmured, gently taking your chin in his fingertips, before moving them to tenderly cup your face, his eyes darting anywhere that he could lay his gaze upon.

The gestures were so tender you found your cheeks erupting with a wild blush, the burning shame hitting you moments later when your hatred and slight fear hit you like a slap to the face. 

Your embarassment only got worse when you felt his soft lips kiss your throat, his warm breath flush against your skin. His hands found themselves back in your hair again, stroking it, petting it, twisting it round and round his finger. His right hand caressed your nape, spreading his fingers so that they only just covered the width of your neck, and he pulled you closer, so that your head was nuzzled into his neck, buried beneath his love and fascination.

It all clicked. 

Armin wasn’t just interested in you. 

He was obessed with you.

Obsessively in love with you. 

You felt pathetic. You felt weak. But in a strange way, you also felt loved. 

You had no choice but to resign yourself to his touch, letting your head fall limp as he cradled you to his chest.

“Good bunny.”

[aspoonofsugar]

What is your opinion about the Maidens in RWBY and their importance?

Hello anon!

I like the Maidens and especially how they explore two main ideas:

1) The concept of cycles and generations.

2) The trope of the chosen one.

THE CYCLE OF SEASONS

I think it is clear Ozpin created the Maidens partly because he wanted guardians and partly as a way to grieve his four daughters. He has symbolically dragged them into the cycle with him and Salem.

In a sense, the story keeps repeating. Salem kills Ozpin, he is reborn and his daughters are victims of the conflict between them.

Because of this, the four Maidens have become one of the many symbols of this endless cycle, which is clealry breaking its protagonists more and more.

This is well conveyed by the Maidens having a season theme. Seasons are in fact linked to the repetition of time aka one of Ozpin’s motifs:

At the same time, the idea of an older woman passing the torch to a younger one can be easily read as a metaphor for a mother-daughter dynamic. This is not always the case, but so far this interpretation is important for two of our four Maidens:

Penny receiving the Maiden’s powers from Fria is important on multiple levels and it plays on Penny alluding to Pinocchio. Fria (The Blue Fairy) recognizes Penny as a real girl, something she has been struggling with since the beginning:

Penny: Ruby... I'm not a real girl.

And is still struggling with:

Cinder: I don’t serve anyone. And you wouldn’t either, if you were built that way.

That said, Penny is not only struggling with enemies that consider her a robot, but also with the (understandable) overprotectiveness of people who love her:

Pietro: I lost you before. Are you asking me to go through that again? No. No. I want the chance to watch you live your life.

Penny: But dad… I am trying to.

She is not only a robot, who wants to prove she is a real girl, but also a daughter, who wants to grow into her own person.

This idea is made even stronger by Penny having been “created” through Pietro’s aura. She is a part of Pietro becoming someone completely different and independent from him. Still, isn’t it what all children are?

Raven is instead Penny’s opposite since she is not a daughter, but a mother. Not only that, but she is a mother, who fails three times.

She fails her biological daughter Yang by abandoning her and putting her in danger.

She fails Vernal, who dies for her.

She fails the previous Spring Maiden, who clearly looked up to her and was betrayed:

Cinder: Vernal was a decoy the whole time. The last Spring Maiden must've trusted you a great deal before she died. I bet that was a mistake...

This is well conveyed by Raven’s case being the opposite of what should ideally happen. Normally an older Maiden should pass her power to a younger girl, so that the cycle keeps going and that a new generation can keep fighting for good. However, Raven steals the powers of the Maiden for herself, just like she uses her shape-shifting ability for selfish objectives:

Ozpin: Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self-interest.

She presents herself as a mentor for young women, but in the end she is a failure because she is too self-centered.

In conclusion, Rwby is both a coming of age story and a story that deals with cycles. Let’s think about the many abusive cycles in the story or the damaging cycles present in society, for example. All these cycles need to be broken and I would not be surprised if this will be the case for the cycle of the Maidens as well.

THE CHOSEN ONES

Up until now, the person who should be a Maiden never becomes one.

a) Pyrrha was destined to be the Fall Maiden, but Cinder stole the power.

b) Vernal is foreshadowed to be the Spring Maiden, but Raven turns out to be the real one.

c) Winter has been preparing herself to inherit the Winter’s Maiden’s role, but Penny is the one chosen by Fria.

Why is that so?

The story is clearly playing with the idea of the “chosen one” and asking some questions.

Are people chosen by destiny:

Cinder: It’s unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours.

Or do they choose it?

Red-Haired Woman: She understood that she had a responsibility… to try. I don’t think she would regret her choice, because a Huntress would understand that there really wasn’t a choice to make. And a Huntress is what she always wanted to be.

What if the chosen person is the wrong one?

Lionheart: She was determined, at first, when she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She... ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now.

Finally, is it even right to choose a person?

Weiss: Doesn't it bother you? He practically groomed your entire military career.

Winter: It did at first, when the General first proposed it to me. But the more I thought about it, the more I saw it as a privilege, a chance to do some real good for Atlas. For Remnant.

Weiss: But your destiny was chosen for you, without your input.

So far each Maiden has explored this concept in a different way. Moreover, the story has highlighted many problems with the method used by Ozpin and his allies to select their guardians.

First of all there is the machine used to transmit aura:

Ironwood: We've made... significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it.

Qrow: Capture it and cram it into something else. (gestures to Pyrrha as she takes a second to realize what that means) Or in your case ...

Pyrrha: (to Ironwood) That's...

Ironwood: Classified.

Pyrrha: ... wrong!

This method has been presented in-universe as sketchy and unethical both for the person who is having her aura taken and for the person receiving it.

It is also interesting that this machine is basically the technological equivalent of the Grimm used by Salem and Cinder to steal the powers in the first place:

One is the product of destruction (The Brother’s Grimms), while the other is the result of creation (in-universe technology is linked to creation). However, they both do essentially the same thing. They steal another person’s aura and change the one absorbing it:

Raven: You turned yourself into a monster just for power.

Secondly, there is the fact that so far several Maidens have died or have been targeted in horrible ways.

Some of them were specifically attacked because young and less experienced than others, like Amber. Some others made their choice without truly understanding it, like the Spring Maiden. And some of them. like Pyrrha, were not even given all the elements to make an informed choice.

In short:

Hazel: You send children to their deaths for a cause that you know has no victory, no end!

It is true that Hazel is a hypocrite that feels anger for Ozpin sending students to their deaths only to be the one killing them. It is also true that he does not respect his sister’s choice:

Oscar: Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?

Hazel: She was only a child! She wasn't ready!!

Oscar: She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself! So do I.

However, the narrative harshly criticizes Ozpin for not giving people all the information, “the knowledge”, they need to make that choice:

Yang: There was so much you hadn't told us! How could you think that was okay?!

Finally, we arrive at the current volumes where we see how Ironwood has tried to control Penny, Winter and Fria aka all the three people involved in the passage of the Maidens powers...only to fail miserably.

And in this failure probably lies the true mistake which has been made over and over again. The whole point is that probably the whole cycle (thematically) can’t and should not be controlled to this extent:

Goodwitch: At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed on to young women. But as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more... intimate.

Pyrrha: ... Intimate?

Goodwitch: As we understand it now, when a Maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power.

The powers are passed from a person to another through emotions. It is not by chance that the last person in a Maiden’s mind is the one who gets the power. It is because the power is linked to emotions and to ties and you should not try to weaponize them.

MAIDENS AND RELICS

Finally each Maiden is clearly linked to the theme represented by her respective relic.

Pyrrha and Cinder are both linked to the idea of destiny and choosing. I have shared some thoughts on them here.

I would say that Cinder wants to be chosen. She wants to be special and to be given value. This is probably why she is serving Salem. It is because Salem has chosen her for an important role:

Salem: When I chose you as my vessel for the Maidens, I put my trust in you.

This is not positive. It is dehumanizing:

Salem: This game is not yours to win, Cinder, it’s mine. Just because you’re more valuable to me than a pawn, does not make you a player.

But Cinder sees this as a chance.

Pyrrha is instead a person, who chooses her own destiny:

Pyrrha: When I think of destiny, I don’t think of a predetermined fate you can’t escape. But rather… some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life.

In other words, Pyrrha has an active role in her own destiny, while Cinder so far has accepted it passively.

This might seem ironic because all in all Cinder has been a pretty active character. She was born as nothing and fought to free herself and to become more powerful. However, she is still leaving her own life in the hands of another person, who is specifically coded as an abusive mother-figure. It is probable that her arc will be about taking back the agency Salem is clearly stealing from her.

This might very well be why she is the Maiden of choice. It is because in the end she’ll make an active choice to get her own freedom back.

At the same time, Pyrrha being active in her choices still leads to her demise. This is because she represents a choice without knowledge, as I have stated in the meta linked above:

She had been explained only a fragment of the truth, while the whole point is that one should learn, meet creation and destruction and then make a choice. This is why we have yet to meet the relic of choice.

As a matter of fact it is clear that knowledge and choice are complementary, just like destruction and creation.

This is highlighted also by their respective relics. On one hand the Lamp offers knowledge of the past. On the other hand the Crown gives its user a vision of a future choice.

This is because one has to know the past to change the future:

Bartholomew Oobleck : History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it... you're destined to repeat it.

In a sense, knowledge is the passive condition of choice, while choice is the active goal of knowledge.

This is why one needs both to contribute to the world in the most effective way possible. If one acts without knowledge they might make the wrong choice. At the same time, knowledge without choice is just passiveness, as shown in The Indecisive King fairy tale.

Too much knowledge might lead to indeciveness or even cynism. This is why Raven is the Spring Maiden. It is because she is Pyrrha’s opposite aka knowledge without choice:

Yang: Which is it, mom? Are you merciful, or are you a survivor? Did you let me walk into that trap because you knew I could handle it, or because it meant you could get what you wanted?!

Raven keeps making decisions only to run away from them immediately after. Knowledge did not make her braver, but just a coward.

Finally we arrive to Penny and the idea of creation.

I have mentioned Penny in the meta linked above:

Penny is an artificial human, a creation who was given life because her father loved her so much that he sacrificed a part of his aura for her… twice. She is at the centre of the theme of creation and it represents the good sides of it. She is a creation with a soul, a child, the fruit of parental love. It is because of the love she received that she is willing to protect creation.

Penny is at the centre of the theme of creation in two ways.

a) She is a child, who wants independence.

b) She is a good declination of technology.

On one hand children are new lives that join the world. They are the embodyment of creation.

On the other hand technology is an expression of human creation and a way humans have to change and influence reality.

Penny is both. She is Pietro’s girl and a robot with a soul:

Pietro: When the General first challenged us to find the next breakthrough in defense technology, most of my colleagues pursued more obvious choices. I was one of the few who believed in looking inward for inspiration.

Ruby: You wanted a protector with a soul.

Pietro: I did. And when General Ironwood saw her, he did too. Much to my surprise, the Penny Project was chosen over all the other proposals.

Ironwood choosing Pietro’s project over others is very interesting and ambiguous. Did he choose this project because at the time he understood the importance of “a protector with a soul”?

Probably consciously yes, but the way he has treated Penny since volume 2 suggests also something different. It suggests a desire of domination. The idea that putting a soul into a metallic body would make it easier to control it.

After all:

Ironwood: For the past few years, Atlas has been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint; how it works, what's it made of, how it can be used. We've made... significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it.

Each one of humanity’s gift has another side of itself. Knowledge can lead to fear and choice is linked to passivity/agency. When it comes to creation, this gift brings with itself the temptation of control.

Why shouldn’t a creator “own” theis creation? Why shouldn’t they be entitled to it? Why should they share it with the rest of the world?

If one looks at Ironwood, at Atlas and at the other protagonists of this volume this way, a lot of things resonate.

Atlas is the most technological advanced kingdom, but instead of sharing its resources it closes off. Ironwood’s embargo is just another declination of this same idea of losing control.

Similarly the Ace Ops and Winter are all repressing their emotions. They want perfect control over themselves. They are taught they should be like drones.

Technology itself is often misused by the characters. Technolofy should be like Penny. It should have humanity and a soul, but Ironwood likes it because he sees it as something logical that can be controlled (and of course he keeps losing control over it). Ironwood wants to become like he thinks Penny is aka a controllable soul. He fails to understand that Penny is special because she has her own free will.

Finally, this same desire of control is present also in familial relationship. It is not by chance that the Schnee Family is in Atlas. Weiss’s story has always been about exploring this specific idea of a family. A family, which is cold and controlling, just like ice. Weiss’s arc is about melting this ice, in herself first and now in others as well.

Technological control and the control of people. In short, the control over two aspects of creation. This is the the idea Atlas represents and this is why it is currently falling.

In short, the creation must be free and it is not by chance the world is in its current predicament because the Gods tried to control their creations with disastrous results.

CONCLUSION

These are my main thoughts on the Maidens so far. That said, they might chance since the story is far from over as the arcs of all the maidens we have met so far.

As a final note, I find interesting that so far none of our four protagonists is a Maiden. It is an interesting choice and I think that it lets the series make a good use of its ensemble cast.

That said, I wonder if our four protagonists will end up calling back the original Four Maidens instead.

The fairy tale is interesting on multiple levels.

In-universe, it is interesting because it tells us something about how Ozpin was probably inspired by the original Four Maidens to try to save the world again. Ozpin is inspired by four normal people, who are just trying their best to help others.

This is a recurring idea in Rwby and this might be why none of the four protagonists has been selected to be a Maiden yet.

If read as a stand-alone, the story is an interesting tale on how to overcome depression.

The story starts with the old man closed in his house and it shows how he progressively opens up until he himself is able to help others.

Winter is the one who teaches him how to work on his own interiority even when the world is cold.

Springs prepares the terrain for him to come out. It makes the garden more welcoming. It is like when a person has to find the right environment to open herself up.

Summer is the one who finally drags the man out and gives him energy.

Finally Fall is the one who makes the man realize he can now share his new found energy with others.

Theirs is a virtuous cycle and I would say it is very different of the tragic cycle that sees the current Maidens as protagonists. Who knows? Maybe it is about going back to that virtuosity.

Thank you for the ask!

[vicious-valor]

Because Gerudo: The Sun

Planet Headcanons || Accepting

The Sun

how   is   your   muse   as   a   person   ?   

Unwell, to say the least. Ganondorf has had a highly unconventional life, although not one terribly out of the ordinary for royalty. He was born with a distinct purpose, and has been conditioned to meet strict expectations, and while the extent of those expectations were not/will not be known to him until he has the Triforce, there are plenty he is conscious of, and he has spent his entire life refining himself based on those terms. He is calculating, confident, cynical, driven, and very, very dangerous.

In his Majora's Mask verse, he is a deeply average person, outside of his size and his Gerudo features. He has a nose for mushrooms, taught by his moms, and he maintains the shop, and plays in the forest sometimes, but he's mostly a very normal, very curious young man. He considers himself boring, in this verse.

do   they   think   highly   of   themselves   or   are   they   pretty   humble   ?   

He fluctuates. Perhaps ironically, in Gerudo Valley, where he is all but worshipped, he’s actually at his most humble. He’s only really snarky and sarcastic privately, with his closest raidmates and Nabooru. In front of his people, he largely considers himself a servant and a guardian, and all of his goals are aligned toward what he believes a good leader would do for his people. There are never monsters in the valley, he does his best to keep harm as far from his people as he can. 

Anywhere else, he is a hyper-confident menace. He is SO full of himself, and that is because he has the literal weight to throw around, and the skill to back it up. Very few can truly challenge him, and the only people he doesn’t mess with at all outside of his domain are Impa and the King of Hyrule. One out of respect, one out of pure and spiteful manipulation. He loves his people, but he absolutely believes they are better than everyone else; barring, maybe, the Sheikah, and most of those are gone. In his Majora's Mask verse, he has a fair amount of confidence. He's strong, and he's nice, and he's good at what he does, he just doesn't do much away from home, so he tends to be more humble when dealing with someone he wants information from. He's just not maliciously seeking it in this verse.

what’re   they   like   when   meeting   someone   for   the   first   time   ?   

Depends on whether or not they’re valuable to him, where they are, and where they’re from. Ganondorf can be very gentle—but it is reserved for the Gerudo; namely their elderly, their children, and their grieving. He is normally anywhere from bored and dismissive or haughty, based on his mood and what you can offer him. In his Majora's Mask verse, he is polite, if not a little bored.

are   they   an   individual   who   you’d   say   is   pretty   aware   of   their   surroundings   and   themself,   and   knows   just   what   they   want   from   life   ?   

In his main verse, Yes, unequivocally.  Gan is highly aware of himself, his surroundings, and his goals. He’s always been very meticulous, heavily dedicated, and acutely aware. However, he can, has, and will let his confidence get the best of him, and will eventually fail due to his hubris, and the corruption slowly destroying him, in his main timeline.

In his Majora’s Mask timeline, he is more or less aware of his environment, but he’s been so safe his whole life he’s never developed much of defense. He *does* spend a lot of time foraging in the forest and with the local monkeys though, so he’s learned how to be aware of his environment from them, but he has no enemies in this world, so he’s mostly just developed that to help them out.

give   us   a   peak   through   the   veil   of   just   who   your   muse   is.   only   a   peak   !

This sums it up

[uglyshirtsinc]

AIGHT HERE WE GO BUCKLE UP!! Endermen hybrids Illumina, Purpled, and Ranboo! With a sprinkle of Technodad and Sonboo, a drizzle of Little Brother Purpled and Big Brother Punz, with a side of Illumina and Fruit friendship! Less go! This was meant to be a ramble but literally ended up a fic outline?? Could even be read as a fic if you wanted??? What the hell 6 am me???

Endermen hyrbid are valuable because since they're half human instead of making enderpearls they make eyes of ender, and they respawn like humans do so they're used to farm ender eyes.

Ranboo meets Illumina and Purpled after being kidnapped and separated from his dad at the wee age of eleven meets sixteen year old Illumina and eleven year old Purpled.

He's tossed into a cell with the two of them, Illumina being there to calm the younger two down after being used for the farm. Whenever Illumina is brought back to the cell, he cares for the boys and dotes on them, acting much more worried and clingy that normal. They let him take care of them, knowing that keeping them safe calms him.

They talk about their lives before being taken, Illumina talks about the adventures he and his friend Fruit would go on. The dangerous things they did. He promises the boys to one day show them cool tricks, using the excuse of "the cell is too tiny and someone would get hurt" as to why he can't show them off there, not wanting to tell them the little portions of food he recieves (even less considering he gives most to the boys) has eaten away at his strength.

Purpled talks about his adoptive brother Punz who's just a bit older than Illumina, at age seventeen. How he was a cool mercenary hired to do "super secret" stuff and protect people. He tells them about his trident and tomahawk.

When Ranboo opened up, it gave Illumina his first real sense of hope he's had in a long time. Ran talks about his dad, emperor of the Antarctic Empire and faithful patron of the powerful Blood God. Illumina had heard of the Arctic Empire's hybrid son and after story after story began to believe that Ran really was the prince of the Empire. Ran's father obviously loved him, each story leaving him in tears of either longing or laughter. His father would be searching for them, and he would find them.

Weeks turned to months and nothing changed, until Ran was on the floor screaming in pain and Purpled was hiding in the corner wailing in fear. Illumina could hear cracking, popping, and spotted two hard lumps just next to Ranboo's shoulder blades and realized he wasn't just some Enderman hybrid, but rather a dragon hybrid. When the pain finally subsided and their captors returned to take the two young boys Illumina knew what he had to do.

He didn't know much of Gods and patrons, only what he read while searching the strongholds with Fruit after their latest adventure.

Patrons were messy, being worthy to have one and be a follower was even messier. But within that moment, he didn't care. Thousands of voices in his head was better than having to witness those monsters that held them captive force Ran to cough and gag and wheeze in attempt to get Dragons Breath from the boy. It was worth it to return Purpled to his brother, to see the boys eyes light up the same way they did when Ran said his dad would save them. And for just a moment, Illumina let himself be selfish. It was worth it to get to hold his best friend close, to be strong enough to scale buildings and run from golems they'd messed with. To see the sunrise over a snowy mountain, to show the world he was faster, stronger, and smarter than anyone imagined.

Cutting his hand on a jagged rock sticking from the walls that he had warned the boys about so often, be used his own blood to draw the symbol. When it glows and the world fades, stands before him a towering man with hair as white as snow, wearing the finest attire fit for a king, dressed in gold with everything he wore.

Wordlessly, a deal is made and as their hands shake Illumina is staring into dark, ruby red eyes sparkling with a beast like excitement. The Blood God speaks and tells him "They have been waiting." And Illumina knows what he means.

When the world returns, his ragged and dirty clothes are replaced by the ones he would wear before the monsters took him. A pouch of emeralds hangs from his belt and a familiar black mask covers his nose and mouth. His strength has returned, but at a cost he has yet to find out.

There's no whispers, no cries, no one yelling in his head. There's no insanity blocking his train of thought. No amnesia. He is Illumina.

He wraps himself with the one thin blanket they were allowed, curling up near the gate to keep himself and his clothes covered.

Purpled is first to return and Illumina places a figer over his lips, signaling Purpled to stay quiet. When Ran returns, it takes Illumina less than thirty seconds to have the monstrous man on the ground unconscious. Ran and Purpled watch in awe as he checks the horrid man for anything of value to them. A ring of keys, a pouch of coin, an iron sword, and a map are all Illumina deems worthy.

While his strength has returned, he's mindful of the boys and their weak bodies. He carries Purpled on his back, the violet eyed boy the smallest out of them all.

It takes hours to escape their prison mostly undetected. When they do, Illumina grabs the first horse he can find that's saddled up and tells the boys to hold on as he rides off.

The map was appreciated beyond comprehension. It doesn't take long to find a town and get the boys proper clothing that will survive the journey to the Arctic. Keeping them close and their heads down they get what they need tools wise and leave before the sun can even set.

It's hard, telling Purpled that he'll have to wait even longer to see his brother, but promises once they return Ranboo home that Punz can come there to take him home. If Illumina must admit, he chooses Technoblade first because once it hits the news of the princes return and Illumina's name is spread, he hopes Fruit will come and find him, even if they have to meet in the middle.

Throughout the terror and pain, they push through. From the nights they got separated, Purpled clinging to Ran and assuring the dragon hybrid Illumina will find them, fighting off zombies when Ran couldn't stand straight to hold a sword. The relief when Illumina scoops them both into his arms and holds then tighter than before.

With hunters hot on their tail they can't afford to stop and it takes four months itself to reach the borders between the Arctic Empire and whatever land they found themselves in.

Ran's wings have grown in, one a dark, scaley black with brilliant green in the folds between each bone. The other is a is white and reminds Illumina of a jellyfish, bits and tassles hanging from the wing giving it a much more fragile, paper thin appearance. Both are incredibly strong, despite their looks, and it's often the intimidation factor the two wings bring that gets them out of sticky situations.

A year has passed since they've been held in captivity, Illumina now seventeen and the boys twelve.

Illumina buys the cheapest tickets to the Empire, having to hold Ran's hand to keep him from teleporting ahead in excitement. He cries multiple times, the feeling of finally being free and so close to home hitting him like a truck. Illumina sees the excitement on Purpleds face, knowing after Ran he gets his family too.

They arrive on the island and immediately Ranboo is dragging them the way to the inner walls. Claiming to know his home like the back of his hand. Passing by a few guards, Purpled asks why they don't just tell the guards they have the prince.

"The guards were the whole reason Ranboo ended up where he was, plus they could try killing us immediately thinking we took Ran. I can't risk putting you two in any more danger." Is the reply he gets.

They teleport to the other side of the walls easily, walking to the other, and teleporting. This repeats for two days till they reach the inner most wall. Techno stands on a platform in the town center, his expression showing no emotion and stance as proper as ever. Just watching him stand so straight makes Illumina's back ache.

Ranboo sobs on the spot and before he can call for his father and rush forward a hand is placed on Illumina's shoulder with a harsh grip.

The guard asks who they are, saying they most definitely are not meant to be there, and within that moment a rage so heavy it hits Illumina like a tidal wave.

A year of torture and pain, months of walking and risking his life to get here and right as he can reach it someone stops him. Illumina barely registers it before the boys jump back screaming and he's pulled his sword out to hit the other man.

He faintly hears cries of "Harvey!" As more people rush towards them. He can only focus on his blade pressing against the man, Harvey's, sword and the deep laughter filling his mind.

"It seems you've finally been broken into." The Blood God thinks aloud.

He yells for Ran to run to his dad who's being ushered of stage, his speech being cut short.

Ran looks between his father who has yet to notice him and then back to Illumina who's risked so much for him. To Purpled, who looks horrified and is trying his hardest to pull back Illumina.

And he chooses them.

Jumping between Illumina and Tapl he unfurls his large wings and yells out with a slightly staticy voice "Stop!"

And it's as if the world has stopped, the Blood God no longer speaking in Illumina's mind, Purpled can sag his shoulders in relief, and all eyes are on them.

He looks into Tapl's heterochromatic eyes and in a voice barely above a whisper says "Stop attacking my family."

Tapl steps back, the other guards step back. All can easily recognize the missing Prince, from the two-toned hair to the sparkling eyes only he possesses.

His name is breathed out and demands attention. Ranboo turns to gaze at his father from across the short distance and it's real.

They meet in the middle and Ran holds his father like a scared child, and Techno allows himself to crumble and cry. He cries for the child thought to be dead, stolen from him by those he trusted. He cries for the year and months he's spent separated from him. They cry together, and tears of pent up pain turn to tears of happiness. His grandfather and uncles appear soon enough, he's wrapped in hugs so tight and a pair of wings so warm he could fall asleep.

Purpled and Illumina and thanked for bringing him back, and all Illumina asks is for them to help them find their homes. A message is sent far and wide of Purpled's reappearance and it takes less than a month for a blonde boy, fresh i to adulthood to come crashing through the castle doors and Purpled to find himself wrapped in his big brothers arms once more.

Punz sobs so loudly it's heard from across the palace, clinging to his baby brother and cradling him like a baby.

You'd think after the royal family just about got on their knees to thank him, Illumina would be used to it and stop being so embarrassed, but something about seeing Purpled light up like he's dreamed of seeing the boy do and finally getting to see with his own two eyes the brother he talked about makes him very thankful for the mask there to hide his flushed cheeks.

Ranboo and Purpled aren't ready to let go, so Punz stays with his brother in the castle for awhile.

Illumina is asked thousands and thousands of questions, where they were taken, how they escaped, etcetera.

He takes Techno aside and confesses the deal he made in return for their freedom. He confesses he has yet to know what he's given up to the Patron and his fears. He confesses that He couldn't bare the thought of young Purpled loosing his hope and being raised in a place like that, Ranboo being hurt worse and worse for bottles of acidic breath.

He apologizes for being selfish and wanting to find his family.

And for the first time in forever, he's being held in the safety of a warm hug. He gets to cry and be comforted, he gets to be weak.

It takes longer, but one day new face appears and after four years he breaths in that ridiculously sweet scent of green apples and sweet fruits that Fruit Berries always had. He hugs his friend once again.

They show the boys their tricks, as Illumina promised. They watch them do stupidly dangerous things that make Phil, Techno, and Wilbur flinch and jump to catch the two seventeen year olds, always groaning in faux annoyance watching them land safely, Phil claiming this'll give him a heart attack and Wilbue and Techno agreeing their stupid (while impressive) actions are gonna be bad influences on their sons. Wilbur calls it quits after they manage to drag Punz in, the mercenary dueling the two of them and trying to see whether strength or agility are better. Purpled is torn between cheering for either family member and just yells words of encouragement a lot.

For once in a long long time, they're safe.

[blasphemous-tiefling]

I think part of the reason why there’s so much discord in the MCU fandom has something to do with the varying directors for TFA, The Avengers, Winter Soldier, AOU, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame. And really, the backbone of the issue is how the different directors and how the audience interprets Steve’s character. Strap in. Because this is a long rant on a topic that normal people really don’t care about.

Joe Johnston created a Steve Rogers that was eager, begging to go to war. I absolutely adored the line in AOU when Steve says, “What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?” Because I feel that sums up Steve in TFA pretty well. He’s anti-bully. He wants to fight. But his whole life he’s been put down, stomped on. Steve repeatedly enlisting is both selfish and selfless. His conversation with Bucky in TFA is a great example of this. Steve says, “There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That’s what you don’t understand. This isn’t about me.” And Bucky says, “Right. Because you’ve got nothing to prove.” And that’s it. Yes, Steve wants to fight because he’s always been bullied and doesn’t want anyone else to feel that way. Yes, Steve wants to fight because he wants to defend his country. But also Steve wants to fight because no one has ever given him a chance. Steve wants to fight because he wants his life to mean something. Steve wants to die in battle because he thinks it’s honorable. He wants to prove himself. Steve wants it so desperately for both selfless and selfish reasons, which is why he was so willing to take the serum despite the fact that Erskine told him about past failures. There’s even a certain selfishness to his sacrifice at the end of TFA. Many stories that involve sacrifice ride the line of selfishness and selflessness. By sacrificing himself, you could argue Steve is taking “the easy way out.” He’s distraught over Bucky’s death. He’s won the battle he’s been fighting since getting the super soldier serum. By sacrificing himself, Steve can effectively end the troubles caused by the Tesseract and leave without dealing with the consequences of his sacrifice. This point is a bit of a stretch, and not something that I personally agree with, but the thought it there.

Joss Whedon takes that selflessness and turns it into irrefutable righteousness, and it’s disgusting. Steve has a few goofy lines in The Avengers and AOU that I’ll laugh at, but ultimately, everything he does seems so out of character for him. His constant nagging and arguing with Tony is so unnecessary and doesn’t build friendship. His desire to do everything S.H.I.E.L.D. tells him to do is completely incorrect because Steve went against the military and broke the 107th out of the Hydra facility without permission and repeatedly did whatever he wanted without asking. His incessant need to have all the Avengers do as he says is totalitarian and unbearable to watch. Truthfully, this is where I think people misunderstand Steve the most because not everyone watches every solo movie. The Avengers movies are the biggies that most people won’t miss. So general audiences only see this righteous, dictator Steve Rogers and that really pisses me off.

This is one of the only times you’ll hear me praise the Russos, so get ready- Thank goodness Winter Soldier and Civil War follow Joe Johnston’s characterization of Steve. They even dig into his selfishness and rebellious streak, which I adore. Steve isn’t one to just blindly follow orders. Hello? Does “not a perfect solider but a good man” ring any bells? Perfect soldiers follow orders. Good men fight for what’s right even when the world is telling them not to. That’s who Steve Rogers is. What I adore about Winter Soldier so much is that we see Steve attempting to be this perfect soldier, but it’s just not sitting well with him. Something is fishy and weird. He talks to Peggy about her life. She says her only regret is that Steve didn’t get to live his. Steve talks to Sam about possibly getting out of government work. Sam is that representation for Steve- having a hard time finding out why he’s really in it to begin with. The entire film is about Steve going against the government, military, and S.H.I.E.L.D. with both selfish and selfless desires. He knows he needs to do something because Hydra is growing in S.H.I.E.L.D. but he also doesn’t want anything to do with it anyway, so why not tear it all down? Once Bucky is revealed as the Winter Soldier, Steve puts his life on the line to try to get him back. It’s selfish really. When Steve takes off his helmet and drops his shield, he made the decision to die because he wasn’t gonna continue to live without Bucky. Despite the fact that Steve made friends with Natasha and Sam, he didn’t care. All that mattered to him in that moment was James Bucky Barnes. This is very reminiscent of TFA when Steve breaks Bucky out of the Hydra lab. As the world’s only successful super soldier, Steve could’ve been very valuable to the American government and military. He was even doing mild good by helping sell bonds. But that didn’t matter. His country and his military was no longer priority number one. When it comes to Steve Rogers, nothing and no one means more to him than Bucky. Steve and Sam’s conversation that I previously mentioned also parallels this. After Sam lost Riley, he didn’t want to be in the military anymore. He said he felt like he was up there just to watch, nothing he could do. This is a direct parallel to how Steve feels about Bucky.

Civil War, while a trash movie, sticks with Steve’s selfish yet selfless motivations. “What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don’t let us?” Not wanting to surrender his right to choose is Steve Rogers. He just put down S.H.I.E.L.D.- an organization that was giving him demands. Why would he sign his life away to the American government again? Corporations can be run by greed and corruption- something Steve doesn’t want the world to be full of but also something he doesn’t want his world to be ruled by. When Bucky is framed for killing King T’Chaka, Steve knows the Accords will bring Bucky in and possibly execute him. He can’t let that happen. And he asks Natasha not to get in his way because he doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt. He knows how dangerous Bucky can be, but he doesn’t want Bucky or anyone else getting hurt or in trouble due to this sticky Accords situation. Both selfish and selfless. I don’t even want to get into later in the film, but I guess I will. Guys, there’s no world, no universe, no place in time that Steve wouldn’t try to stop Zemo. Tony never even gave him the chance to explain himself. It was either, “Come with us or we fight.” Steve gathered that team together- not to fight Tony but to fight Zemo. It was never his intention to fight with Tony. He was just trying to stop Zemo. Now, when Tony learns about his parents’ death, anger is a valid emotion. Physically fighting and attacking Steve and Bucky to the point of death? Not valid or even remotely reasonable. It makes no sense as to why Tony would be that angry at Bucky- someone who was tortured and brainwashed to do what he did. Steve had his reasons for not telling Tony considering that when it comes to Steve Rogers, nothing and no one means more to him than Bucky. Of course, Steve was going to hide the truth from Tony in an effort to protect Tony, Bucky, and himself. Selfish yet selfless.

Infinity War gives us the glorious lines of “I’m not looking for forgiveness. And I’m way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we’re here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way, we’ll fight you too.” and “We don’t trade lives.” These lines beautifully sum up Steve’s rebelliousness and need to fight while also not risking others’ lives. He’ll always risk himself first. There’s not much to say about this film considering it’s mostly action and Steve shares the screen with just about every other superhero, so we’re not given a lot of time. But overall, the Russos kept that same Steve Rogers.

And then Endgame does a complete 180 and decides to serve us Joss Whedon’s Steve with a conservative, pro-military, unbelievably illogical twist. Steve’s obsession with Peggy in this film is so out of place. She would’ve died seven years prior in the MCU. Steve’s been living in the present with Natasha, Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Vision, and T’Challa. That was his family. He lost Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Vision, and T’Challa in the Infinity War. It only makes sense that he would be fighting for them in Endgame. Yet he’s not. We’re beat over the head about how much he misses Peggy and it’s so unbelievably weird. Steve is never allowed to mourn Sam and Bucky specifically despite the fact that they were his number one companions. He never mentions them. Never has a touching reunion with Bucky. Barely has any reaction to Natasha’s death. It’s disgusting honestly. This is not “I will fight to my death for the people I love” Steve Rogers. And the ending is the most pathetic of all. There’s no world, no universe, no place in time that Steve would willingly go almost a hundred years away from Bucky and Sam, somewhere he wouldn’t fight for others. “Pretending you could live without a war.” I mean, come on. He’s Steven Grant Rogers. It’s disgusting to paint him as this man who would throw away his friendships and a world that is being bullied all for some girl he kissed once and barely knew. No. No, no. Not my Steve Rogers.

I give the directors a little too much crap. I’m fully aware that a whole team of people make these movies, but you can’t deny that Steve changes from movie to movie depending on the director. Endgame is the exception in which the directors were the same, yet they diverged completely from their original interpretation of the character. I’ve heard people say that it had to be an anti-gay agenda- that ending Steve’s story with Bucky would’ve been too gay even if they weren’t romantically involved, but I still think that’s pathetic. Honestly, I would’ve rather seen Steve die than have his character trashed and pooped on like this. From a narrative perspective, what happened in Endgame is not okay. Marvel Studios’ treatment towards “sideline” characters like Natasha, Rhodey, Sam, and Bucky- particularly in Infinity War and Endgame- is not okay. Yeah, I’m aware I get too heated over this fictional universe. But the characters are the only reason I stick around. The stories are lackluster for me. I’ve never been one to watch movies for action sequences. But I’ve always been in love with Steve Rogers as a character- complicatedly riding the line of selflessness and selfishness, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to a cause and to the people he loves. When in the end that character was completely scrapped and shredded in the garbage disposal like crust on bread or the skin of an apple, I’m gonna be angry for a long time.

[nerdypanda3126]

Playing with Fire

Hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day, @bloody-no-kissu! I stepped in as your @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers secret admirer 😁💖

The prompt I chose to go with was: fantasy, the princess falls for the dragon instead – marinette is a princess and bc of a curse she is locked in a tower with a dragon (luka). while she waits for the destined knight to save her from her curse she spends more and more time with luka. they fall in love.

So I did take a few liberties on this to weave it together, but I really hope you like it! Huge thanks to @writtenbyrain for the beta read on this!  

Read on Ao3 

First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Marinette had been told the story of her curse so many times she could recite it by heart. 

“You were a baby,” her dad would tell her. “A tiny little thing, still all wrapped up in diapers. And that… thing—” he always growled at that, as if the dragon she’d been found curled up with had personally insulted him. He would shake his head, and give her a pitying look. “—It stole you from us. And by the time we found you, you were already cursed… already...” he would gesture to her at that point, indicating the way she was every night as soon as the moon slipped above the horizon.

Every night she was engulfed in a blue flame that made it impossible for anyone to come near. Impossible for her to be touched. 

What she was never able to find out, though, was why. Why the dragon had apparently chosen her to curse, why it hadn’t killed her outright when she was barely out of diapers. Why she kept dreaming of sleeping safely within its coils, her fire cooled as if that was where she had always belonged. 

She knew where it lived now. Everyone knew. It had taken up residence in a lonely tower high up on the mountain. Everyone said it was guarding a valuable secret; why else would it be there? Of course, people had tried to find out, although they often came back singed and babbling. Something about a dark sorcerer or a beautiful prince or a shapeshifter or… the stories always varied. 

Finally, a reward was offered. The dragon had been a menace for far too long, the writ proclaimed. Anyone able to bring back its head would be handsomely compensated.

More people flocked to the cause: soldiers from far away places wearing shiny armor and bearing sharp, glinting swords, sorcerers with staffs and books claiming they had this method or another to calm the beast. None of them returned. 

Night after night, Marinette’s flame burned hotter, brighter. And night after night she dreamed of the dragon. She couldn’t tell anymore what was memory and what was a dream. She thought she remembered the dragon plucking her from the river she’d fallen into, breathing life and fire into her lungs, curling up around her to keep her warm until her parents found her. But that couldn’t have been true. The dragon was dangerous, everyone said so. And it had left her with this unbearable curse. 

“I’m going after it,” she proclaimed to her parents after the worst night she'd had in all of her eighteen years of bearing the curse. 

Her dreams had been strong that night. She had awoken to her mom shaking her, screaming, desperately pleading with her to wake up. Her hands and arms up to the elbows had been irreparably burned in the process. It wasn't until Marinette had struggled into consciousness that she realized she’d been burning their house down in her sleep. 

Her parents shared a look after her declaration. One of, “We shouldn’t let her, but what else can we do?” 

Marinette winced as she caught a glimpse of her mom’s burned forearms, still wrapped in bandages and salves to soothe the shiny, blistered skin underneath. Her eyes slid over to the corner where she slept, with only her silhouette outlined in the charcoal her fire had left behind. 

“I have to do this,” she said resolutely. “If there’s one good thing to come of this—” she gestured to herself and to the flames that spit and crackled around her “—it means I can’t be burned if I go at night. With the money, you can fix what happened. I'll stay in the stone tower after the dragon's gone where I can't hurt anyone else. Everyone wins," she finished glumly. 

Her dad sighed in resignation and wrapped an arm around her mom’s shoulders.

So the next day just before dusk, they packed a meal for her to take with her, kissed her fondly on both her cheeks, and waved goodbye as she started up the path. 

For it was goodbye. A sacrifice Marinette was more than willing to make. 

As she trudged up the mountain path, the forest grew darker and more foreboding. The only saving grace was that as the light faded, her flame started burning, providing her with light to see by, although she did catch a branch or two on fire as she went. She poured her water out carefully on each one, putting it out without wasting her own resources. If she ran out before she made it to the stone tower, it was entirely possible she’d burn the entire forest down, and it would spread back to her village, back to her parents’ house. 

She soldiered on, even as brambles tore at her skirt and arms, as she grew weary of walking, as she ran lower and lower on life-saving water. 

It was the dead of night when she finally reached the tower, and the dragon wasn’t anywhere in sight. She walked up to the tower using the flagstone path, admiring the well-manicured garden from afar. The tower was quiet, almost as if it was slumbering along with the dragon.

She ran her hand along the cool stone wall as she mounted the steps one by one, dreading what she might find when she got to the top. 

Halfway up, though, she ran into—well, if there was a beautiful prince trapped here, then it must be him. He was tall and pale, with a shock of dark hair and enthralling blue eyes framed by deep purple circles, as if he never slept. He seemed startled to see her at first, though she was used to that. A girl on fire was a startling sight.

But then he reached out a hand, smiling. She flinched away from him. His kind smile shifted to sympathy and he dropped his hand. 

“That’s quite a power you’ve got,” he noted easily. 

She shifted uncomfortably away from him. He didn’t seem affected by the heat she always emanated, but she was still careful not to get too close to anyone. 

“The dragon cursed me with it when I was a small child,” she said.

His head quirked sideways, as if he were appraising her or trying to remember something. When he didn’t respond, Marinette tried again. 

“I’ve come for the reward. Is it asleep?” 

“He,” the man said stiffly. “And he’s gone for now. He disappears at night. You’re welcome to come back in the morning to try your luck.”

There was a note of despondency in his tone, and he scooted past her in the narrow stairwell to continue on his way down. 

She considered continuing up the stairs, but if the dragon was gone, there was no point to it. She hesitated before she followed him—the prince, he had to be—down and back outside. 

There was a pool of moonlight in the very center of the garden, and he walked over to it and lay down as if basking in it. The sigh he let out was at once content and terribly lonely. For some reason, it pulled at her heart. She knew that feeling. She had come to terms with her curse, with her lot in life. But that didn’t make it any better when she was unable to sleep soundly without worrying about her flames burning out of control.

She came as close to him as she dared and sat cross-legged on the flagstone path. 

“You’re not… trapped here?” she asked. Every story she’d ever heard of the handsome young prince was that he was trapped, doomed, kept prisoner by the monster. 

He didn’t open his eyes, but he smiled again. “Oh, I am.” 

“But…” she glanced around. There were no fences, no guards, no magical barriers. She had walked right in, after all. “Can’t you just… leave?” 

He did open an eye at that. “Can’t you just… put that fire out?” He smirked before he closed his eyes again and settled with his face towards the moon. “I’ve been trapped here for longer than I care to remember and now…” He looked over at her again, his blue eyes glinting in the moonlight. “So are you.” 

She looked around again. Still, nothing that would prevent her, or him for that matter, from leaving. He sighed. 

“The dragon, he’s been waiting for you. That… well, some probably call it a curse, but it's more like a bond.” 

“A bond?” 

“You were a small child, you said? When it happened?” 

She nodded, and he nodded back in answer. 

“The dragon was young, too. A child in his own right. He wouldn’t have known…” He sighed and closed his eyes again. “He wouldn’t have known that if he shared his breath with a human, he’d be claiming them. Bonded with them for the rest of his life, tethered to them. Cursed to share a half-life with them.” 

“I’m… sorry... “ She struggled to comprehend what he was telling her. “You’re saying… I’ve been claimed?” 

“If I had to guess, I'd say your fire only burns at night, right? As soon as the sun sets? Maybe only while you slept at first, but it's gotten worse lately?” 

She blinked at him. Her mother’s burned arms floated back to the forefront of her memory. 

“You have a fire burning in you that’s never been yours to control. If you had stayed away from him any longer, you would’ve burnt out of control until everyone you knew and loved was dead. You’re his and he’s yours, for better or worse.” 

“I… wait… you’re saying…”

“You’re intended to be either the dragon's bride or his killer,” he finished bitterly, turning his head away from her. “Not that he has much say in the matter, either, if it’s any consolation.” 

“But if I do… kill him…” she started, grimacing at the thought, “do you think that would lift my curse?” 

“Yours and mine, too.”

“You don’t look very cursed to me,” she muttered. Other than being trapped, as he’d claimed, he seemed perfectly normal. Every bit the beautiful prince she’d heard tales of. With the moonlight falling over him, he was paler still and he looked like a marble statue that had fallen on the ground. His shaggy dark hair flopped over his ears in ragged lines, and even resting he looked tense.

To her surprise, he started chuckling, although there wasn’t any mirth to it. 

“What’s funny?” 

“Nothing,” he said, although he sat up and faced her. “I just wonder if you’ll still think that in the morning.” 

“What happens in the morning?” 

“The dragon comes back,” he said simply, and he pushed himself up to stand. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll turn in. I have a feeling I’ll sleep better knowing my savior has come at last.”

He quirked his lips in a funny sideways smile, then offered her a hand again. She shook her head at him and he rolled his eyes.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I promise.” 

She hesitated. The fear of hurting him flared strong and her fire started flickering and sputtering along with her anxiety. His eyes softened, and he reached forward, into her aura of flames. To her complete and utter surprise, his hand came through unscathed. 

“I told you, it’s okay,” he said. 

Stunned, Marinette  laid her hand in his and he helped her stand up. Her fire raced along his arm and arced over his body until he was just as engulfed as she was. But rather than being harmed by it, it seemed he was helping her with it, sharing some of the burden. In fact, when he released her, she looked down at her hands and was shocked to find that the moonlight was the only thing illuminating them. 

She looked back up at him and he smiled, although it was still tinged with sadness, and he gestured with his head to the spot of moonlight that still spilled across the grass.

She ran, giddy to be released from her curse for the first night in her entire life and fearful that it would come back before she could race back to the safety of the stone path. As she rolled in the cool grass, she couldn't help the giggles that escaped her, the pure bliss of being safe under the stars overtaking her. When she finally stilled, she sighed as she looked up at the bright, twinkling lights, unobscured for the first time. They were so clear, all the way up there, like she could reach out and touch one. She lifted her hand up and pretended she could, cupping the full moon between her hands as if she held it close.

She’d gotten so used to the flames crackling around her that without them the world seemed deathly silent. Peaceful, but eerie. 

When she sat back up and turned to look back at the path, she found that the prince had disappeared. To turn in, as he’d said, although he hadn’t told her where she might sleep.

She looked at her hands again, so foreign to her without the bright blue flames. They looked smaller. More fragile. 

Suddenly, she realized that was the one thing protecting her from the dragon. The reason she’d felt so confident in coming up here. She couldn’t be burned at night because she was already engulfed in flames. But he’d taken her flames away. He’d gifted her the ability to roll in the grass without burning anything down, sure, but he’d also stolen her protection. 

Even though her flames weren’t snapping around her, she felt the panic rise up in her chest. What if he was a dark sorcerer after all? What if it was his job to lure people here and steal their power? What if this had all been a trap? 

She stumbled to her feet and clenched her fists. He’d seemed so kind. She’d trusted him. She hadn’t thought he would steal from her.

She marched back inside, uncaring if the grass sizzled under her feet or not. The tower stairs only went up, so she followed them, winding her way up to the top, unsure of what she might say or do if she found him, but certain that she had to find him regardless.

The sound of heavy, deep breathing hit her first. It wasn’t human, that was for sure. It was something much bigger. 

She tiptoed around the last bend, her fear climbing with each step.

She held her breath as a large room at the top came into view. One wall was completely open, and there was a huge, sleek, black, serpentine figure wound tightly around itself in the moonlight that spilled into the corner. One wing was draped over its head, like a curtain.

She held her breath as she backed out of the room. 

Hadn’t he said the dragon wouldn’t come back until morning? Hadn’t he said it disappeared at night? Hadn’t he said—

She cursed the dark sorcerer, the beautiful prince, whoever he was, under her breath as she turned and tripped her way back down the stairs. He had also said she couldn’t leave, but based on the way he’d lied about everything else, that’s exactly what she would do. She would run, all the way back to her parents, to her village, even if it meant sleeping on a stone bed the rest of her life. 

As she ran towards the forest, her steps started sizzling underneath her again, and her hands started to flame up before she could stop them. Her tears dissipated before they even had a chance to fall. 

From the top of the tower, she heard a strangled cry, still inhuman, but closer to it, and filled with pain. It spurred her on, although the fire was starting to burn white around her hands, stinging her painfully, and she shook her hands, trying to put it out. The farther she ran, the more the fire seeped into her skin, making her cry out. 

There was a great whoosh of wind behind her, then footsteps, matching her pace, although more spread out. The pain was blinding, but still she pushed on against whatever unknown barrier was causing it. She cradled her hands to her chest and struggled as each step forward was now a shooting, searing, white-hot bolt of pain through her. 

Strong hands caught her from behind and pulled her backwards—the hands of the dark, beautiful sorcerer. She kicked against him, trying to pull away, but he held fast. The pain behind her eyes cleared and she realized he was taking the fire away from her again. 

“You… can’t… leave…” he huffed as he dragged her backwards. She tried to claw away from him every step of the way.

Finally, though, he’d pulled her back to the clearing and dropped her on the stone path unceremoniously. She bolted back up to her feet and he caught her around her middle and shoved her back down, moving at the same time to stand in front of her and block her path. 

“You can’t leave,” he panted again. “Or we both die.” 

“I’m supposed to believe you’re kidnapping me for my own good?” she spat and scrambled back to her feet. “And who the hell are you, anyway?” 

“Sorry. Luka. I’m Luka.” He held his hand out for her and she smacked it away. He winced. “You have every right to be upset. But listen to me. I’m just trying to protect you. You can’t leave this tower without me.” 

He was still trying to catch his breath, and she noticed for the first time that his eyes had changed to serpentine slits and there was a distinct black sheen on the backs of his hands that worked its way up his forearms.

As she watched, he grabbed her hand and shivered as she was once again engulfed in blue flames and he returned to normal. 

"We're connected," he explained softly. "We share the fire. It's mine in the morning and yours at night. Now that you've come here, you can't leave unless you're either with me or there's no fire to share, or it rips us both apart. So for your own sake, you either stay put or you kill me, do you understand?"

He released her hand, and she looked at them incredulously. That he'd taken her fire away and given it back was proof enough of what he was saying. 

"Kill you?" she asked, his words sinking in through the remnants of pain behind her eyes. "As in… you're the…the...?"

"Yes."

"But you're…" she gestured to him, to his humanness, and he shifted uncomfortably under her bewildered gaze. 

"I know. Like I said, it's yours at night. That was the first time in 18 years I've had the moonlight on my scales." 

She gasped for breath as her fire started spitting around her, casting off sparks that came dangerously close to the grass. "I can't… you're human, or half-human or… I can't… I can't do this!" 

"That's okay. Hey. It's okay." His hands hovered over hers, not quite touching her, leaving her fire with her. "What's your name? Can you tell me your name?" 

"Ma-Ma-Marinette…" she stuttered as she attempted to keep breathing. 

"Okay, Ma-Ma-Marinette." He smiled, trying to put her at ease. "Let's just take this slow, okay? Would you be willing to stay here tonight with me? We can talk more in the morning." 

"You're a dragon in the morning," she said, then a hysteric giggle burst out of her at how ridiculous that sounded. 

He chuckled with her and laid the back of his hand against hers. As her fire arced across to him, his eyes turned into slits again and his scales slid over his arm. "I don't have to be anymore." 

She gaped at him as he pulled his hand away again and slid back to humanity. 

"One night. That's all I'm asking." 

Her dream popped back in her head and she blushed even before the question was out of her mouth. "If I sleep… you know, touching you, or like, against you… would that…?" She gestured to the fire still burning around her and then to him. 

He smiled again and chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I think so. But everything's stone, so you won't burn anything down if you'd… you know, if you'd rather not." 

She considered for a moment until her curiosity got the better of her.

"One night," she agreed.

He let out a sigh of relief and gestured for her to lead the way. 

As she mounted the stone steps again, her fire—his fire, she corrected herself, he'd shared it with her—bounced off the smooth stone and flickered along with her nerves. This time at the top of the stairs, she paused to look at the room Luka had called his own for 18 years.

There was a nest of pillows piled in the corner, a stack of books with open pages fluttering in the breeze that flowed through the wide opening, a lyre leaning against the smooth wall, and bits and pieces of armor lined up along the wall like trophies. She recognized a few here and there and gulped. No wonder they hadn't returned. 

She half-turned to him, her question dying in her throat, and he pressed his lips together in a thin line.

"Tomorrow," he said, gesturing for her to continue past everything. She did, but paused before her flames touched the pillows. 

"Here," he said, and threw out a hand for her to take. Tentatively, she took hold of him and watched as he shivered and his transformation took hold. 

He kept eye contact with her as scales slithered over his arms, his hands turned to claws, wings erupted from somewhere around his shoulders, and his body elongated until it was a solid length of powerful muscle.

She slid her hand to what was about his neck and he blinked slowly at her before lowering himself to the pillows and coiling his body tightly around itself, tucking his legs in what seemed to be a familiar position. 

It was a bit awkward to maneuver herself into his coils without taking her hand off him, but they managed and he draped his wing over her, for warmth she assumed, because the breeze that was drifting in was nipping at her exposed skin. And he was warm, she realized, like having his fire returned to him made him a living furnace.

She could see it, when she twisted to look at him: a deep blue illuminating the thinner skin at the base of his neck and flaring brighter in his chest as he breathed. 

She curled into him and fell asleep with his deep, heavy breathing in her ears and his sleek scales shifting under her hands.  

[loveisnotadagger]

Love Is Healing - Chapter Five

Chapter 5/?

The next day Arianna focused on healing Loki's burns since she hadn't been able to the night before. Arianna knew that Frigga and Thor had to leave that day, so she let them stay in the room with her as she worked. Plus, she didn't want to be alone with Loki. He had gotten under her skin the night before and she was still a little irritated with him.

Loki had been right about one thing, however, and that was that she hadn't been able to draw power from the Tesseract the night before because she'd been too tired. She had since slept and was using it fine now.

She worked on Loki for a few hours before leaving him, leaving the tower to go out and see how much destruction had actually been done.

"Oh my God," she said as she stepped out of the building and into the world outside.

She hadn't really seen everything the day before. There were buildings still smoking from yesterday, and there were piles of rubble on the ground from the buildings and the streets having been hit. Seeing as this wasn't a residential area, most of the buildings were businesses and restaurants. It hadn't lowered the death count or the amount of people that had been hurt.

Police were still out, so she wondered if they were still searching the ruins for victims.

"Let's go," Natasha said from behind her. "Tony has a helicopter waiting for us. We'll go to the closest hospital and work our way out."

They had to cross the street and use the helipad there because the one on Tony's tower had been destroyed. As they walked Arianna began to feel as if she were in a movie about the end of the world. The apocalypse had come to Manhattan.

She felt like crying, but tears were for victims and people who had time to cry. Arianna, however, had a job to do.

"We've got clearance, right? No roadblocks?"

"We should be good." ----------

When all was said and done, the injured were numbered in the hundreds, as were the dead. Arianna healed in a logical, systematic way, starting with the most injured and ending with the least.

She spent about two hours each day with Loki and by the end of the week his burns and lacerations were completely healed. The only injury he had left was his broken ribs.

She brought him meals each day – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and he was now able to eat solid food. She noticed he had quite the sweet tooth when she brought him some ice cream and a small piece of pie for dessert once. He's asked for more and had neglected his dinner.

It made sense when she found out that Asgard didn't really have any sweets. The sweetest thing he'd ever had was fruit, so she hoped the extra sugar didn't make Loki sick.

On the day Fury was supposed to come and retrieve Loki Arianna brought Loki pancakes for breakfast. He didn't know what they were, but he enjoyed them. Arianna had basically drowned them in syrup. Loki was able to eat only one, but Arianna ate the rest.

"Those were mine," he said, though Arianna could tell he really didn't mind.

"I made them," she reminded him.

"They were quite delicious."

"Thank you.

"So . . . Fury is supposed to come today. I'm not sure exactly what that means. He'll probably take you away and lock you up. I don't think he'll put you with other people, so you'll be safe at least."

"Or they might just torture me some more.," Loki said quietly. "Even mortal I have much information that could be useful."

"Then don't let them know."

Arianna didn't know why it made her almost want to cry at the thought of Loki being hurt further, but it did and she had to take a deep breath to steady herself.

"Pretend you have memory loss if you have to, but don't let them know you know anything that they don't unless you intend to tell them."

Arianna was under no delusions of thinking SHIELD was all good. It was a government agency and, therefore, could get away with a lot of things nobody should be allowed to do. They would torture him if they found need of it.

"Would you like to go outside? If you don't today, you may not be able to for a while."

Loki considered for a moment before smiling weakly. "That would be nice." ---------- Loki didn't know what he had expected, but being allowed to go out of the building without any restraints wasn't it. He hadn't expected the other Avengers to let Arianna go out alone with him either, but there they were.

They'd just stepped out of Stark Tower and onto the sidewalk, and Loki suddenly wanted to go back inside. Things outside were horrible. Buildings had been destroyed and roads had been turned to rubble. The costs of the war he'd brought upon this city . . .

He really shouldn't have left the tower. What if someone recognized him? They would probably try to kill him. Try and fail. He knew Arianna would never allow harm to come to him while under her watch.

"This isn't what I want you to see," she said. "But we need to cross the street to get to the helipad."

"We're going to fly?"

"For a little bit. Low enough so you can see things. I don't know if you should be walking around outside."

Loki couldn't help the relief he felt at Arianna's suggestion. He shouldn't walk around outside.

Once they had reached the helipad and the helicopter and were in the air, Loki felt a freedom he hadn't felt for a long time. He'd learned to fly when he was just a boy – not a helicopter, of course, but they did have machines that could fly in Asgard.

Arianna was silent for the most part until they had been in the air for a while. She didn't even seem to be enjoying the view, and what could be seen now was beautiful.

"May I ask what is bothering you?" he asked.

"I hate this," she said immediately. "This . . . us giving you up to Fury. I mean, no, you're definitely not the most upstanding citizen, but you were pushed into this, pushed into coming here and trying to take over. You would've been tortured if you hadn't. Most people would've done the same as you have."

Loki stared at her. Arianna had this way about her that made Loki feel as if he was cared about. His heart craved it and rejected it at the same time. If he was being honest with himself, Loki knew he craved affection from someone who could love him for what he was. He was nowhere near as bad now that Thanos wasn't playing with his mind, but he was far from what a normal person would consider good.

Arianna could accept him as he was, but he also had to admit that such open affection wasn't completely welcome. Feelings got in the way of other things.

Besides, right that instant he was feeling only gratitude. This girl had done more for him in a week than many had done in his entire lifetime.

His thankfulness wasn't misplaced. ---------- Fury was already at Stark Tower when Loki and Arianna got back. Arianna came to a halt and she felt Loki run into her before he stopped as well. He'd barely touched her back and she barely moved.

Fury stood between two agents, both of whom had a gun. Tony was there, as were the other Avengers – minus Thor, who, along with Frigga, had left days before taking the Tesseract with them.

"Are the guns really necessary?" Arianna asked. "He's in no shape to put up a fight."

"The guns aren't for him," Fury said, firm but also somewhat uncertain. "It's to ensure that you don't put up a fight."

"Me?"

Arianna was honestly confused about this. She wasn't a threat to anyone.

"Yes. My superiors are not happy about you siding with the man that attacked this city. Consider this a warning. You were dangerously close to treason."

"I was doing what I knew to be right."

"Not to mention, she'd promised Loki's mother that she would take responsibility for his healing," Tony said. "Who knows what would've happened had she refused?"

"Indeed," Fury replied. "I wasn't finished. Agent Grace is a valuable asset to this team. One I don't wish to lose. The Council and I agreed that she could very well help the Asgardian acclimate himself to our ways."

"What?"

"In exchange for information Loki can remain free. He'll be under constant surveillance, of course. Agents Barton and Romanoff will be watching him. Everyone will remain here, and –"

Tony interrupted. "I think everyone keeps forgetting that this is my place."

Fury ignored Tony's words. "If you are amenable," he directed at Arianna, "I will alert the Council and things can proceed as usual."

Arianna looked at Natasha and Clint. "Guys? Are you willing to give up time to do this?"

Arianna already knew her answer was yes, but it wouldn't matter unless the others went for it as well.

Natasha agreed, but Arianna knew it was only because Fury had asked it of her and not because she had any real desire to do so. Clint agreed because Natasha had agreed.

"Tony?"

Arianna turned to him now. This was his home. He could turn them all out at any time and Arianna wouldn't blame him.

"You guys haven't been too much of a nuisance," Tony quipped. "You can stay. But no touching my stuff."

Arianna grinned. "Seeing as to how I don't know how to use most of your stuff, that won't be a problem."

She then looked at Loki, who had been strangely silent throughout the entire exchange, only to find that he'd wrapped his arms around himself and was staring suspiciously at Fury and the two agents with him.

"Loki?" She touched his arm gently. If he'd withdrawn into himself, she didn't want to alarm him. "What's wrong?"

"Why?" he asked. "Why not lock me up?"

"Information," Fury answered. "As long as you cooperate . . ."

Arianna tensed, as did Loki, though each had a different reason for becoming tense. Arianna was angry but not surprised that the people she worked with would stoop to threats to get what they wanted. She was also furious that Fury and his superiors were no better than the monster named Thanos.

Loki had tensed because of the threat itself. It had reminded him of the words Thanos had said about him failing to conquer Midgard and failing to bring Thanos the Tesseract. There would be pain. He was in the same situation now with another enemy.

"Loki, just say yes and you can stay," Arianna said. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Okay," he said. "I accept the arrangement." ---------- That night Arianna made plans with Tony to have someone get her things from her apartment in Washington D.C. and to have them brought to the tower. She also needed to break her lease, which she was going to get Fury to take care of since it was his fault she had to relocate in the first place.

She talked Tony into giving Loki an actual room, which really just meant that Loki would be able to have more than just the bed and closet space that he had at the moment. He would eventually be able to have things in there.

Loki still had the room next to hers, which she didn't really mind. He actually was fairly harmless at the moment. She could probably do more damage than he could right now.

It was true that she had healed him almost completely, but he still wasn't at a hundred percent energy-wise.

That first night, Loki caught her before she could make her way into her own room.

"Agent Grace?"

His voice stopped her. He'd never said her name before, had never even shown that he'd thought to remember her name, but here he was using her name with what could only be described as respect.

"Yes, Loki?"

She turned to him. He was standing in his doorway, his posture a little slouched due to his still injured ribs. He didn't have any hostility in his face or eyes, so she assumed it was safe to approach him. When she reached him he grabbed her hand, which she hadn't expected at all, but he was being gentle and careful so she didn't pull away.

When he set his lips upon the back of her hand for a few brief seconds she froze. Heat traveled up her neck and settled upon her cheeks. Loki obviously noticed because he smirked slightly before lowering her hand back to her side.

She would have been angry, but she couldn't see a hint of an ulterior motive in Loki, and she would've felt it from the skin-on-skin contact if he'd had a negative reason for kissing her hand.

"Thank you," he said. "For everything you've done for me. For what you're still doing. I don't quite understand why you're doing it, but I don't think I have to. My mother said I should befriend you because you have a good heart. I do believe she was right."

Arianna had no clue what she was supposed to say to any of this. No one had said such things to her before without wanting something in return. What did one do in a situation like this?

"Um . . . thank you?" She sounded unsure to her own ears, so she had no idea what Loki would think. She told herself she didn't care.

"There's no need to be nervous. It's just a thank you."

Loki gave a small but genuine smile, and Arianna answered with her own.

"Well, you're welcome," she said sincerely. "And you can call me Arianna. Good night, Loki."

"Good night . . . Arianna."

@smallangryandpink, @purplekitten30

[curvynerdfan]

Remedies and Recipes

Hey y’all! A friend of mine gave me the idea of Geralt rescueing the reader on a hunt and I kind of went wild with it(almost 2400 words). I hope y’all like it!

Requests are open!

I’m sorry if there are any mistakes, I read over it myself a couple of times and then post

Warnings: curse words?, burns

Geralt x Reader

Geralt of Rivia was renown for his skills at hunting down the most dangerous beasts known to man but even he was wary of the creature he was sent after this time. A dracolizard was from the same origin as dragons, yet more dangerous since there are many more in existence. This draconid can run and fly at astonishing speeds and is the only creature of dragon descent that still breathes fire. Even worse, a dracolizard had a venom-spiked tail. To be frank, Geralt wouldn’t be trekking through the wilderness to kill the beat if it wasn’t for Y/N.

Y/N was beloved by the town of Biala and one of the few people the Witcher held near and dear. She was known for being one with nature. Y/N had what could be considered a green thumb and a free spirit. Many townsfolk would rush to her when a loved one was sick or injured. Y/N cared deeply for the creatures that lived near her cottage and consistently fed and cared for the critters. When Geralt would visit, he’d hunt in the woods nearby but was always aware of her “sanctuary safe line” and made sure not to hunt an animal she may have a connection with. In thanks for all the times she has healed him and provided companionship, Geralt liked to hunt for her and stock her pantry with meat for the winter. Wolves protected her land from trespassers but would also cuddle her in the firelight. She loved to traipse through the woods and collect herbs and plants to use for remedies and recipes. Geralt can only assume that is how the dracolizard captured her.

Geralt tried to push worries out of his mind but all he could scent was burnt flesh and trees. He wasn’t sure how many people the beast had killed and devoured and it took everything in him to keep his head on straight. Usually that wasn’t hard for him to focus on a hunt. Y/N was special to him and now that he was being honest with himself - he’d break if something had happened to her.

Now that he was getting closer to killing the creature, he paused to down an elixir and coat his sword in draconid oil so the blade could slice through the dracolizard’s tough scales. He decided it would be best to leave Roach with his belongings tied to her and let her roam. After he killed the monster he could always whistle and she would find him. He was only six or seven miles from Y/N’s cottage and hoped that he wouldn’t have to search much further. Dracolizards were semi-intelligent, not as smart as a full-fledged dragon, but still very adept. Hopefully, the monster realized that Y/N was more valuable alive but wasn’t smart enough to realize you were important to the man hunting it.

Just as he readied himself and let Roach loose, he heard a vicious screech that made him flinch. Oh, he was definitely close. The elixir was beginning to kick in, as well. His reflexes were enhanced and he could now hear the beasts scales scraping against the charred trees to his left. He steadied the blade in his hand and grasped his shield.

The lizard-like monstrosity noticed the amber-eyed Witcher and raised it’s broad wings in offense. A growl escaped from it’s massive nuzzle filled with razor sharp teeth. The dracolizard’s body was pure muscle. Geralt broadened his stance as the monster began to stalk him. The two rotated in a circle, Geralt keeping a close eye on the creature’s spiky venom-filled tail. The last thing he wanted was to be struck by that.

Suddenly the dracolizard lunged at him letting at another gnarly screech and gnashed it’s teeth at his face. The Witcher blocked with his shield and swiped his sword at it’s chest, managing to rip through some of it’s flesh before rolling out of the way. Geralt quickly hopped back onto his feet and brought his foot down onto the beast’s massive tail. He hoped that this would deter the creature from using the powerful weapon against him. In retaliation, the monster unhinged it’s jaw and released a blast of unrelenting fire in the Witcher’s direction. Geralt barely managed to protect himself with his shield and realized too late that part of his shin was in the line of fire.

Geralt smelt the burning flesh and felt the searing pain and grit his teeth in annoyance.The monster then attempted to fly off but Geralt did not plan on letting it live to attack another dat and dropped his sword and shield in favor of grasping the draconid’s tail. Once he had a decent grasp around the wound he made earlier, he dug his heels in and pulled back. He continued to step backwards,planting his feet and pulling until the beast lost momentum and pain caused it to fall back to the ground and land stomach up.

Geralt quickly lunged for his sword and rolled away from another fiery blast. He ducked behind one of the few remaining trees and waited for the fire to stop. Geralt took a deep breath and launched himself out of his hiding spot, sword raised ready to strike. The dracolizard leapt forward and snapped its jaws. As Geralt ducked, he jabbed the sword upward and into the monster’s neck. Thankfully he hit the beast right in the middle of its throat and as it fell from its charge at him, it fell onto the sword. Unfortunately for Geralt this meant the gigantic draconid was on top of him.

The Witcher huffed in annoyance, “Fuck.”

He began to push the dracolizard off of his body with a groan. Geralt managed to get onto his knees and worked on catching his breath. Once he had a semi steady breath again, he heaved the monstrosity onto his shoulder and stood, shifting the beasts neck off of him. Free from the extra weight, Geralt shook his head and tried to clear his mind.

Once he had his bearings, the Witcher scanned the surrounding area for any other beasts or adversaries in his vicinity. The silence and lack of movement brought relief and worry for the mutant. On one hand it was nice to know that nothing else was going to attack him today but on the other hand, he still doesn’t know where his Y/N is. No, not HIS Y/N, just Y/N.

“Y/N! Y/N are you out here?” Geralt paused to listen before repeating.

He stomped through the forest searching for any signs of life. He kept searching and was becoming frantic looking for her when he heard a small whimper.

“Y/N”, he gasped.

Geralt lumbered towards the boulder he heard the noise come from.

The Witcher couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of her, “Oh, Y/NN.”

Her skin was a sickly pale, several shades lighter than her normal glow. There was a nasty bruise across her face and her nose had dried blood from when she must have hit her head. There was a large, grotesque burn spanning from the edge of her right shoulder and up her neck as well as several smaller burns and scalds on her body. Geralt grunted in annoyance. He wished he had decided to visit a day sooner. Y/N whimpered again and her face scrunched up in pain.

“Shhh, Y/N. It’s all gonna be okay. I’m here now, nothing else will hurt you ever again.”, Geralt soothed softly. “I’m gonna pick you up, okay?”

Geralt asked but didn’t expect a response and he didn’t get one. He bent down to pick her up trying to be wary of any obvious injuries. The Witcher slowly slid an arm under hers and then the other underneath her legs. Geralt let out a classic hmm, lifted her off the ground and away from the ground.

Y/N’s head lolled against his shoulder, “ mm, careful Gera---,” her words faded out but eventually she came to again to warn him, “there’s a , mmm there is a monster here” , she mumbled, “it’ll burn ya.”

Geralt couldn’t help but chuckle lowly and shake his head. Even gravely injured Y/N was worried about the Witcher’s safety. He whistled for Roach but kept his pace steady in the direction he last saw his mare. Roach trotted up to him and he gently asked her to stand as still as possible. Geralt lifted Y/N above his head and placed her on his mare. He then quickly mounted Roach and wrapped his arms around Y/N. He clicked his tongue and led Roach back to Y/N’s cottage.

As they approached the cottage, he noticed smoke bellowing from the wood-burning stove. Y/N had a knack for creating wonderful meals out of what the forest provided and he wouldn’t be surprised to see some type of stew or soup hanging above the fire.

He hopped off of Roach when he got close to the entry-way and quickly lifted Y/N off of Roach. He carried her cradled in his arms and nudged the door open with his foot. He walked through the threshold and straight towards her large bed. Geralt gently layed her down and began to rummage through her herb and medicinal plant collection.

“Need a new salve”, Y/N managed to groan out, “ used the last of it on other victims.”

Geralt hummed in acknowledgement, “Of course you helped everyone possible”

He began to collect the different ingredients he needed. He sliced multiple pieces of aloe vera from one of her many plants and then added calendula, lavender and comfrey. He ground the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle. Once he was sure the mixture was properly prepared, he paced back to her gently propped her against the pillows.

He peeled her dress away from her wounds and flinched when Y/N groaned in pain. Geralt wanted to get her out of the dirty dress and into something more comfortable but didn’t want to do so when she wasn’t coherent. There were also more pressing matters at hand. Once the dress was off of the burns and out of his way, he began to cover the burns with the salve. By the time Geralt got to the neck and shoulder burn, he could tell that Y/N had begun to relax. He gently dabbed the concoction onto the massive burn and reminded himself to ask her tomorrow for scar remedies. Y/N sighed and seemed to be drifting off to sleep.

“Not yet, love. Let me get you some water first then you can sleep all you want.”, Geralt promised.

“Mmmm, love? Finally admitting that you have feelings for me handsome?” Y/N asked gently with an edge of humor in her voice.

“Yeah, I guess I am”, Geralt said and quickly ducked out of the house, heading for the well.

Geralt led Roach to the well and filled up the trough with water for her. He decided to take off her saddle and anything else connected to her, happy to let her roam in the safety of Y/N’s sanctuary. He mumbled at Roach about his slip of the tongue and she neighed back.

Geralt shook his head in amusement “I know, I know.”

The Witcher then pulled more water from the well and filled a pitcher and a bucket to bring into the house. He gently shut the door behind them and placed the bucket on her vanity. Walking closer, he poured some of the water from the pitcher into a cup for her. He then cradled the back of her neck with his other hand and helped lift her so she could sip from the cup.

She hummed when the cold water hit the back of her throat and cooled the inner heat from being surrounded by the burning trees. Geralt then moved across the room to pick up a rag and dip it into the bucket of water. He then used the rag to wipe the dirt and soot off of her face before dipping it again and cleaning her arms and legs, careful to avoid the burns where he had just placed salve.

Y/N was beginning to softly snore and had snuggled down into her pillow. Now that he knew she was safe he decided to clean himself up and apply salve to the burn he received while slaying the dracolizard. He peeled off his leather armor and stripped off his shirt. He reaused the same rag from before. Geralt dipped it in the bucket of clean water and began to clean the dirt, soot and draconid blood from his body. Lastly, he cleaned his lower half, stripping completely to cange into a pair of the loose pants Y/N kept here for his visits and long stays. Completely clean, Geralt pulled a chair towards the bed so he could sit and watch over his self-proclaimed “love”.

Y/N’s eyes open at the sound of a chair scraping against the wooden floors. She lets out a grumble and Geralts’s eyes shift quickly to scan and make sure she was okay.

“Join me… love” She whispers with a little chuckle.

“ I, uh…” he stumbles over his words.

“Geralt, get in the bed.” she demanded, “I am trying to tell you, I love you too…” she paused and started to fall back asleep before mumbling out “ so, get over here and cuddle me”.

Geralt huffs in disbelief for crawling into the bed with Y/N. He gently slides towards the middle of the bed and lets her move and contort herself until she is comfortably resting with her head on his chest and right hand resting gently on his torso. The Witcher hums in content as the lovely beholder of remedies and recipes rests against him. He tenderly kisses the top of her head and lets himself loll to sleep as well.

💕I hope y’all enjoyed it 💕

Taglist: @justahopelessssromantic

[w2beastars]

Legosi and Haru: A VERY different love story

And I’m not talking about the fact that they are a meat eater and a prey animal. OR that one of them is much taller/shorter than the other one.

... Though that doesn’t make their relationship any more normal...

No, I’m talking about how they take it slow since they both need that. And that there is no shame in that.

Legosi and Haru are both socially awkward in their own way. But they have one thing in common; Lack of self respect.

Legosi is a fricking tall wolf. Being a wolf is bad enough as it is, but he looks like a towering monster. He used to slouch to appear shorter, he constantly cut his claws and he practically never smiled in order to hide his fangs. The fact that he had gotten used to bigotry from a young age because of his lizard grandpa did not help. Being so aware about his big-ness means that he was not the most social animal, meaning he had never considered falling in love.

Haru is somewhat the opposite. She is small, even compared to other dwarf rabbits. Being small not only meant that she had to fear bigger animals constantly, but she has been treated like a “baby” by bigger animals and has felt belittled most of her life. So she decided to be a very sexually active young lady(she lost her virginity at the age of 13, JESUS!). That gave her a bad reputation among her peers, but it was still a status she were more comfortable with than being thought of as the “small one.” Haru expected to die unhappy since she thought of small animals as meaningless.

But their traumas helped each other when they met for the first time.

... Alright, FINE, the SECOND first time.

Haru’s lack of fear since she had gotten used to living in constant danger meant she treated Legosi like another animal, not a big monster. And Legosi who felt constant guilt and shame for being big never thought a bad thing about another animal, so he treated Haru with respect and he did not belittle her for her size. They could actually be in each others company and have a somewhat pleasant conversation as Legosi assisted Haru with her plants.

And then... that happened.

Haru expected the big wolf to want sex from her since that was normally the reason to why some males acted not-horrible toward her. But Legosi rejecting her advances made these two animals realize something.

Haru realized that someone could actually be polite to her, even downright nice, and she did not have to do anything in return so to say.

Legosi realized someone actually saw him as a male creature, someone you could want to sleep with. To not think of him as a monster.

So there is a spark of affection. The two of them makes them feel better about themselves.

But Haru already has a... ah... um... she has a... sex buddy, I guess?

I said it before and I will say it again; Haru and Louis relationship was NOT healthy for either of them. Their relationship was constantly on Louis’ conditions and Haru kept thinking that he was too good for her. It was clear that Haru wanted more than friendship with benefits, but none of them tried to make it into something more.

But Haru moves on from this one-sided romance. As she is about to be eaten, she recalls her entire life and drowns in self pity as she is about to die a meaningless death. But she still ends up putting up a fight of a sort since she recalls Legosi and his kindness. That he has NEVER belittled her or thought less of her. That gives her confidence enough to actually mock a lion.

So, is that it? Are the two animals a couple now?

No. Not exactly.

They are both inexperienced in actual relationships. Haru is a year older, meaning she is more mature, so she actually handles their lack of experience well and points out that they need some time before they are an actual couple. And SHE did not declare her love for Legosi when he did, which I think is fair.

So, Haru is the one of the two of them who is more mature And she has experience... of a sort. She is the kind of girlfriend Legosi needs since he is TERRIBLE at relationships.

Legosi is constantly plagued by doubt and he is awkward as fuck. Thinking less of himself means that he treats Haru as something holy and valuable, and that backfires more than once. And his lack of knowledge about what couples do makes him do something as stupid as proposing to Haru(LOL).

Haru get’s that Legosi is inexperienced and immature when it comes to romance. And she is actually very patient, she doesn’t want him to hurry, she gives him time. But she also makes it clear that it annoys her, which is a good thing since honesty is VERY important. Her attempts at making him jealous by telling him that she is meeting with another male(which is a lie) and her threatening to get a boyfriend in university(TOTAL lie) is both a way to make it clear that Legosi should not even THINK about boss her around, but it is also her way of trying to provoke him into taking initiative for once.

Love at first sight doesn’t exist. Love takes time and love takes work. Sometimes, it takes A LOT of work. And that is okay. It is a downright bad thing if it goes too quickly.

Haru and Legosi has a slow and steady long distance relationship.

[akimmito]

Heroes are made by the path they choose

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Master List

Chapter 19

Damian is not happy. Everyone has introduced themselves and it only remains for the two intruders to do so as well, he hopes they refuse to be part of this, but from Drake's enthusiasm, clearly his wishes will not be heard and the two vigilantes will be part of the MT in some way or other.

"Well, it seems serious..." Nightwing hesitates for a moment, but does it anyway, it's the first time that he gives his identity in this way, remembering that they don’t just give their identities, but the MT has trusted them and it seems that their Working method differs a lot from Batman's. "I'm Richard Grayson, you can call me Dick."

"Yeah, we're not doing that." Alix responds with an amused smile.

"So you're Tim, right?" Marinette asks Robin, who nods and removes his mask. "This will be easier then."

"Was the suit delay related to the MT?"

"Something like that." She answers vaguely, but it's Alix who breaks the mysterious air of the matter.

"Stealing museums is not something that is directly related to our vigilante jobs."

Dick looks in surprise between the pink haired girl and the bluenette, who just sighs. He's no stranger to robbery when necessary, just that they admit it so casually is disconcerting. Tim on the other hand, he knows that he will not be very comfortable with the information.

"Do you rob museums?" Tim asks a bit dubious, that's not something he would have expected considering his participation in similar cases taking down robberies and other similar crimes, he didn't think they would commit them.

"Oh yes, my next dream is to rob a Russian museum." Felix responds wryly, but takes his next sentence more seriously. "It's not something we do for pleasure. First we will explain what MT is and then you will understand better why we rob a museum… It will give me a headache."

"Security was dire for supposedly keeping such valuable objects." Damian scoffs, leaning back in his chair, not looking at his brothers. "I would have done a better job while I sleep."

Dick just looks at the boy curiously, did they take him with them? Surely he goes to school, right? Although it not was school day when they first met him and he was at the farmhouse, he's probably homeschooled alongside his monstrous dogs, you can still feel his paws on his face. He doesn't really know what to think of such a brilliant woman being a vigilante, although perhaps he's taking too much reference from Bruce and Oliver who are the complete opposite, he's not exactly a good reference himself either even though he's less grim than the original Batman.

Marie Lenoir and, in general, the majority in that room seem to her very healthy emotionally speaking or, at least, not constipated like him and all his brothers.

"We'll explain it in detail later. Chloe, can you start?

"Sure, Lenoir." She smiles as she calls her last name in her common haughty tone, which has become a way of joking between them. "For the public, the MT is the name of the vigilante organization and which is not related in any way to the heroes, which is not true. The MT is originally the group of heroes… turned into vigilantes to be able to investigate the whereabouts of the butterfly without raising suspicions."

"We haven't done very well, he's a slippery shit." Alix complains getting a little hit from Nathaniel.

"There are kids."

"I've heard worse things, Kurtzberg." Damian dismisses his concerns dismissively. Marinette just gives him a worried look, it's seen that he is holding back from saying something more offensive, he seems about to attack everyone and is worrying. He's been acting very defensive for a few days now.

"Stop saying my last name as if it were an insult."

"Then stop being an idiot, Kurtzberg."

Luka sighs, he's normally a very patient and understanding person, but everyone is a little nervous, easily excitable, they haven't been that nervous since God Shit and Not in Hell joined the team, due to the fact that one is a demon and the other a stranger to most except Marinette (and Felix apparently).

"Returning." Kagami is not willing to put up with everyone's way of acting, but she won't scold them either, surely Felix will have words with everyone and Marinette will take care of Damian. "We are the heroes, we all have magical knowledge and the MT is an organization destined to protect the Miraculous, the magical jewels that give us our powers. Our main mission is to recover the butterfly and watch over the other jewels, whether we have them in our possession or not. The museum robbery was the recovery of the Giraffe's Miraculous."

"Wow, what a good summary," Marc comments by how concise it was, his good humor is not overshadowed by the tension in the room.

"Mari-hime is the Great Guardian, the leader of the entire organization and the most important member of the TM. She is the only one who knows all the spells, potions and cares for jewels and Kwami."

“We don't all have an affinity for being full guardians, especially since we're too old to complete some parts of the training. We may not approve of the ways they did it back in the day, but it takes young spirits to mold compatibility with Guardian magic. Melody completed a large part of her training at the age of fourteen and later continued it with all the knowledge of the temple together with the assistance of some Kwami."

"So you're the heroes too? And they do double duty to keep the city safe… They've been fighting since they were fourteen… ”Marc interrupts Tim from his little review

"Marinette has been doing it since she was thirteen."

"You started alone, right?" Dick asks, he wants confirmation that she didn't have a mentor, but still can't imagine what it must have been like for her to be thrown into danger like that.

"Chat was there, but it was just us. It wasn't until sometime after that I met the Guardian, but it wasn't a guide as such… ”She says thoughtfully, remembering her beginnings as Ladybug. She didn't do her part either, she had settled into just fighting with the Akuma and hoping for some miracle that could reveal Hawkmoth's identity, along with many other things she regrets.

"It's still a great feat, I couldn't have." Tim admits, since he decided to become Robin only because he saw the need to be one to help Batman, otherwise it was not a battle worth fighting. "So what are the Miraculous?"

"Magic jewels connected to quasi-divine entities, they embody abstract concepts such as creation, destruction, emotions, etc. They are called Kwami, unfortunately the connection with the jewel makes them slaves of whoever owns it and it cannot be avoided that their powers are used for evil purposes if they fall into the wrong hands. "Marinette explains in the simplest way she can.” I have been investigating, but there is nothing in the Order's records of any way around control over the Kwami."

"And destroy the jewel?" Dick questions, it's something important if she is saying it, so it's better to understand, although the idea of ​​magic jewels sounds to him straight out of an anime.

"They agreed to anchor themselves to the jewels to be able to have contact with the world in a more personal way, it's what allows them to have a corporeal form and relate to the environment instead of just existing isolated ... The only thing that can have contact with the world material are their powers, but they as an entity are not. At first they considered it a small price for the opportunity to live with their creations, but the slavery that it brought with it was a long-term impediment ... In any case, only the power of Plagg can destroy the jewels, but for magical reasons he cannot do the same with his own jewel."

"Silly if you ask us," Chloe complains. They actually read the temple books, the ones God Shit recommended to them and even Alix traveled with Fluff's help to different times to discover secrets that might have been lost, but nothing in relation to magical slavery, although they didn't go as far as to meet the magician who created the Miraculous, they feel that it's not advisable to do that.

"Maybe we should blackmail Luci into seeing if he knows anything…" Nathaniel mutters, earning a snort from Marc.

------

John: I'll arrive in Paris tomorrow, I found some old books that mention the Kwami

John: I think you will like them, they could help us with our research

John: I also bring a gift for your son

John: I don't know if he mentioned it

John: [Photo attached]

Marie: Where will I put that?!

Marie: John!

John: He didn't mention it to you. Well it's a peace offering

Marie: It's very sweet of you, but I also didn't know that you guys have been talking.

John: I knew he wouldn't tell you anything, the little monster.

John: I guess you don't know who came here either, right?

Marie: No! No wonder he acted so strange, he felt guilty. I can not believe it

Marie: I can't be angry either

John: Why should you? He's taking care of you and, for now, it's the only way he knows

John: It will get better, you have that effect on people

Marie: You’re sweet

------

The meeting continues in an uncomfortable environment, if someone hints that they are fully functional adults, anyone in the room would quickly tell them they are wrong. Against their better judgment, neither knows how to proceed. It's usually Marinette who knows what to do, but neither she nor Felix are entirely sure how to proceed from there.

"So… we all agree that we shouldn't say anything to the other Batman?" Nathaniel breaks the ice, looking doubtfully at everyone.

They're a bunch of awkward adults, that's for sure.

"That is obvious, Kurtzberg. The important thing about this ridiculous meeting is to know if they are useful for our interests. So, speak up, what can you bring to this partnership? We are giving them access to one of the greatest secrets in the world, an immediate support team and, above all, a network of reliable contacts around the world. ”Damian folds his arms and looks down at his two older brothers.

Dick looks up to see the boy, who seems very confident in his words and, despite various expressions to the boy's words, cannot say that he's being arrogant about it. Tim is the one answering.

"I offer myself. I've been designing tech updates for Batman, but there are some devices that would fit his surveillance better than ours. "He starts going through his files and Marinette gets up to hand him one of the computers Max uses for data presentation, which are designed to withstand the information traffic that they usually handle in most of their cases. "Oh thanks."

She sits back and watches him set up his own technology with Max's, feeling very excited by the clear differences and surprised when Markov makes an appearance.

"Who you are?"

"Markov, that's Timothy Drake. Let him play on the computer, he wants to show us something. "

"Okay, I thought someone had got hold of some piece of technology. I'll let Dima supervise it."

Dick watches in surprise as the settings return to normal and the screen returns to the files Tim was manipulating in order to present them to others.

"Was that an AI?" Richard questions.

"The question is stupid, obviously it was."

"Damian." Marinette places a hand on her son's head and gives him a firm little look, silently asking him to avoid attacking his apparent paternal family. "That was Markov, the artificial intelligence designed by Max, he's a great ally in research because of his ease of hacking without being detected. He's joined by Dima, the one in charge of guarding the complex and taking care of the Kwami that rest in the box."

"Does he have emotions? That's great. Wait... did you say Max? Max Kanté?"

"The only one" Max walks in just then, grabbing his own laptop and picking an empty seat at random. Tim just stares with his mouth open.

How not meet the genius who designed a robot capable of feeling emotions at thirteen? The guy is quite a celebrity in the scientific world! He founded KanTech at the age of eighteen and is currently a major multi-branch business rival to Wayne Enterprise. In a way, that he's the one designing the MT technology makes perfect sense.

"I don't want to interrupt, but there is an Akuma."

The MT, in a synchronized way, complains in its own way. Damian insults the man behind the mask, Felix complains about it being night, Chloe exclaims about the bad time to do it, Kagami mutters how annoyed it is, Nathaniel is just a long wail with a comforting whisper from Marc.

"Hurry up, let's see what he has prepared for us this time. Team, Kagami, Chloe, Felix and I will go. The others, wait to be called."Those mentioned stand up just in time for the Kwami to appear, which is Pollen hands the comb to its owner, while Wyazz nods to the blonde who is taking off his jacket and gloves to reveal the miracle bracelet.

Marinette also removes the glove where the ring is hidden. The four of them transform in front of the foreign vigilantes, surprising them by seeing the transformation.

In front of him were no longer the vigilantes but the heroes of Paris.

[theworldbrewery]

multiclass your... SORCERER!!

those metamagic options aren’t going to use themselves, am I right?

The Sorcerer is a charisma-based casting class, and you’re at your most effective in combat (although your source of magic may grant you additional non-combat perks). Metamagic lets you use sorcery points to control your spells, but you can also use those sorcery points to create spell slots out of whole cloth.

Sorcerer + Barbarian

This is a wonderful hypothetical, but unfortunately, it can’t deliver on its promise. You cannot cast or concentrate on a spell while raging, which means your best benefits will be in the form of Unarmored Defense (not too shabby if you’re a squishy caster) and Danger Sense, which grants advantage on dexterity saves against visible effects.

Sorcerer + Bard

Bards are a great way to enhance what you already do with a little bit of somethin’-somethin’ on the side. You’ll gain two extra cantrips and two first-level spell slots right off the bat, access to certain bard spells, and Bardic Inspiration, which you can use as a bonus action--as a sorcerer, only a few spells will use your bonus action (unless you’re quickening a spell) so this can be a great benefit to you. At second level, you’ll gain another spell slot, the Song of Rest feature that lets you heal extra during a short rest, and Jack-of-All-Trades to boost your proficiencies.

Sorcerer + Cleric

With cleric, you can get three new cantrips, two first-level spell slots, and access to the breadth of first-level cleric spells. Your divine domain can grant you early bonuses to healing or damage spells (which you can cast using sorcerer spell slots), new proficiencies, or even extra cantrips. If you’re wise enough to take this leap of faith, it’s probably worth it--especially in a healer-less party. Second level will get you additional Divine Domain perks and a use of Channel Divinity. The nice bit here is using twinned, distant, or quickened spells to heal faster, further, or simply more.

Sorcerer + Druid

Unfortunately, here you fall into the same trap as the barbarian multiclass--you can’t cast a spell while wild-shaped, so pushing this class to second level may not be worth it. However, you might judge it to be valuable anyway because you’ll gain access to a host of low-level druid spells, two additional cantrips, and two more first-level spell slots. If you push on to second level anyway, you can still salvage your wild-shape by choosing a Druid Circle that lets you use the wild-shape ability for other things, such as Circle of Spores.

Sorcerer + Fighter

I’ll admit, the Action Surge looks great. But you have to survive an entire level of being a fighter who is really ill-equipped for fighting. Not that you can’t do it, but if everyone else in the party levels up normally and you’re still sorcerer 9/fighter 1, you’re going to feel left behind. And after all that work--two level-ups spent on the fighter multiclass--your reward is a single use of Action Surge (that admittedly recharges on a short rest). Is it worth it? Up to you. But in the meantime, that Second Wind is nice enough, while the Fighting Style may not help you (if you’re committed, take Defense or Protection--you now are proficient in armor and shields, so they won’t compromise your casting).

Sorcerer + Monk

Here, the issue is one of spreading your abilities too thin. Your ability scores would need to be above 13 in dex and wis to do this multiclass at all. Like a barbarian, you’d gain the Unarmored Defense ability while not really being able to make good use of the Martial Arts feature; at second level, you can use the ki points to take certain bonus actions (dash, disengage, or dodge) and gain unarmored movement, which increases your speed. Not too bad, all things considered, but it’s a tough sell because of those ability score prerequisites.

Sorcerer + Paladin

On the off-chance your sorcerer is reasonably strong, this is... actually a surprisingly good option for you. See, here’s the thing. You can cast a smiting spell (range of self) at a higher level than first using a sorcerer spell slot, hit your enemy, and then empower the smite damage so you can reroll damage. ON A SMITE. It won’t work if you don’t have reasonable to-hit odds, though, so be sure your Strength is up to snuff. You’ll also gain access to Lay on Hands, Divine Sense, and a Fighting Style (again, choose Defense or Protection). 

Sorcerer + Ranger

These two classes have the same issue as the sorcerer and monk combo: spreading yourself thin. Still, you might want the additional proficiencies, languages, etc. that a ranger can bring to you; they’re excellent for non-combat work. If so, I don’t recommend going further than one level in this class; the new spellcasting and the fighting style aren’t as valuable to you as the things you can get from continuing as a sorcerer.

Sorcerer + Rogue

This is more of what you need if ranger appealed to you but wasn’t going to work out. Sneak attack is great for when you don’t want to blow spells to attack at a distant range (using it on a ranged attack), and you’ll gain a skill proficiency, proficiency with thieves’ tools, and expertise in two such proficiencies as well as learning thieves’ cant. At second level, those Cunning Actions can help a squishy sorcerer as much as they can help a flexy-dexy rogue.

Sorcerer + Warlock

Unlike Sorcerer + Ranger, the issue here is that the classes are too similar. Patrons and sorcerous origins may blur together, you only gain one new spell slot at first level, and while your extra cantrips will be nice, it’s hard to justify doing this instead of continuing on as a sorcerer. Still, it could be a funky roleplay choice to have a sorcerous origin and an otherworldly patron that are directly at odds--shadow magic origin and celestial patron, for example. If you insist, please take two levels to at least make it worth your while with those eldritch invocations. Not the worst option, because the warlock also relies on Charisma, but certainly not the best.

Sorcerer + Wizard

Let’s cut to the chase: you’ll get three new cantrips, two first-level spell slots (plus Arcane Recovery, which isn’t outstanding but it’s not nothing, either), and at second level, an Arcane Tradition that lets you do cool things such as: avoid hitting your friends with AOE evocation spells (oof), grant yourself a sort of “armor” that can absorb damage, hypnotize a creature, regain HP when you kill an enemy with a spell, or other equally neat effects. It’s not outstanding--it’s much like Warlock in terms of usefulness to you, but relies on INT instead of CHA--but it’ll get the job done. 

That’s all for Sorcerers! Last but not least, we’re taking a look at Warlocks next. (and if anyone has a class they desperately want us to look at, hit up our inbox to request it!)

If you enjoy our work, consider supporting us on Ko-Fi! We’re currently saving up for Volo’s Guide to Monsters.

[deejadabbles]

Spells of Defiance (Atem x Reader x Yugi) Chapter 7

Seven: Domestic

One //// Two //// Three //// Four //// Five //// Six //// Seven //// [Eight coming soon]

Summary: The Circle of Magicians protects the world from rogue, murderous fey. The police who keep bloodsuckers and flesh-eaters in check. You’ve hunted vampires for years, earning a reputation as one of the best magicians in that field; but what happens when an encounter with a particular vampire makes your already fragile loyalties split? Supernatural/Demon Hunter AU. Vampire!Atem x Reader x Incubus!Yugi (yes, a polyamorous relationship). Warnings for cursing, vulgar language, violence, and some sexual themes.

With new leads that may possibly go somewhere, you, the boys and, Anzu ate your greasy meals contently, the conversation taking on a much more casual air as the night went on. You learned a bit more about Atem and Yugi’s past with Joey and Anzu, both friends having been close to Yugi before Atem entered the picture. The stories were...embarrassing to say the least, Yugi had taken to hiding his now scarlet face behind his hand, and Atem found the ceiling very interesting as he avoided all the smirks and winks.

“You should have seen how smitten Yugi was after he met our vampire here,” Joey winked again before taking a swig of his beer, continuing once he set it back down with a clink. “I’ll admit, I was a bit suspicious of Atem at first. Was worried some old ass vampire was taking advantage of my best bud, but he proved he was a good one pretty quick.”

Anzu cut in with a smile, also thoroughly ignoring the blushing couple they were talking about. “I think what really convinced us was that they weren’t even dating at first, Atem just started hanging around Yugi- and us, at first and eventually it turned into something more between them. Still, we were ready if Atem broke Yugi’s heart, or worse.”

With a subtle shift in his seat and a scratch to the back of his head, Atem leaned a bit closer to you and whispered, “What Anzu is electing to leave out of her story, is that she threatened to perform a ritual on me that would repeatedly turn my insides to ash, should I ever hurt Yugi.”

You snorted into your drink, having to lean back and wipe your mouth with the back of your hand as your shoulders shook. Yes, there were some nasty curses a magic-user could place on someone, but you weren’t sure you had ever heard of one quite like that.

The witch in question simply shrugged with a smirk, “What can I say, no one messes with my boy and gets away with it.” She winked over at a blushing Yugi, who promptly covered his other cheek with the palm of his hand.

“And I do not blame you in the slightest, Anzu,” Atem conceded with a nod of his head.

“You know, I’m not some baby who needs protection,” Yugi mumbled, but the slight smile on his face gave his real thoughts on the matter away.

Once the conversation lapsed for a moment, Anzu, who had her interested gaze on you, took that opportunity to bring up an adjacent topic. “So what about your friends? I’ll admit I’m pretty curious how you met Mai, or did you just wander in here one day and slowly strike up a friendship with her?”

You took another long drink (now that your laughing fit was done) and contemplated the question. “Actually, I met her long before she got this place,” you started after swallowing. Everyone at the table had their eyes on you, interested given that none of you had heard about your past much, not even Yugi and Atem. Careful not to reveal anything that Mai might not want known, you continued. “Back when I was younger and still training under an older magician, I came across a vampire who...lets just say he had taken an interest in Mai, and wasn’t very picky on if she had any interest in him in turn. The vampire in question was off-limits to the Circle, something about him being an old and valuable contact to them, so when I brought it to their attention, they told me not to worry about it. Well, I didn’t like that idea, so I snuck out of the sanctuary in a disguise with a plan to protect Mai. When I caught up with her the vampire had already made his move on her- and she was actually kicking his ass as good as any human could with no weapons on her. I joined the fight and we apprehended him together. A choppy memory wiping spell later and Mai was free of the creep.”

Atem, who was once again wearing a bit of a stony face, looked as though he was going to chime in, but that moment was when Mai once again made her presence known with a flurry of golden curls as she took a seat beside the table. “She telling you about how we first met? That’s a pretty wild story, my girl here was only fourteen at the time- but she was like a lioness when she beat the crap out of that fanged creep!” Mai’s eyes glanced over at Atem with a lazy wave of her hand, “No offense towards you, honey.”

The vampire hadn’t looked at all offended- until she addressed him, which caused him to raise an eyebrow as Mai went on like the force of nature she was.

“I didn’t know anything about the fey world until that night, but being jumped by a vampire in the dead of night, then saved by a kid slinging fire kind of threw me into the deep end overnight.” Mai then wagged a teasing finger at you, “She told me to forget the whole thing ever happened, but I’m a persistent bitch and followed her for five city blocks, asking her questions until she finally caved and agreed to answer them over a midnight meal.”

“Don’t forget the part where you threatened to flag down a passing officer and tell him I was a runaway minor if I didn’t start answering your questions…” you amended dryly, though now the memory did amuse you.

“Hey, a girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do,” Mai admitted with a wink.

Her eyes lingered on you for a moment, and you saw the way the emotion in them shifted a bit at the memory of that fateful meal. She was likely remembering how...troubling it was to meet a jaded fourteen-year-old who talked about killer vampires, coniferous demons, and child-stealing monsters as lightly as human girls that age would talk about boys or outings with their friends. You hadn’t understood at the time, the wrongful aspects of your upbringing still seeming rather normal, but through Mai’s friendship, your eyes slowly began to open. In many ways, Mai had taught you far more than you had ever taught her.

The lingering look only lasted for a moment though, before Mai looked back at the table at large and continued. “After that, I became pretty entrenched in the Fey scene, especially after my girl here gave me tips on how to handle the dangerous ones. Seeing how many other humans knew about the Fey world is what inspired me to open this bar, a place where everyone can get along, and if they don’t, well,” she flicked a blond curl over her shoulder with a smug grin, “you saw what happened with the minotaur.”

“That was pretty cool, I’ll admit it,” Joey conceded with a nod, though he quickly turned the conversation back a page or two, “So, what happened with the creep vamp? The Circle seems to ignore a lot more of them than I thought, considering what we saw at Pegasus’ place.”

Your eyes shifted back down to your drink, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze in the moment. It was true, there was a shortlist of vampires who had used their centuries of life to find the best ways to deal with the Circle, to get away with their dirty deeds despite the fact that magicians often persecuted lesser fey criminals- and persecuted them with a vengeance, you may add.

Finally, you said, “Remember how I mentioned a choppy memory wiping spell? I had originally intended to just wipe Mai from his memory, so he’d leave her alone- as well as forget that he saw me. Well, the spell wasn’t as precise as I meant it to be, and I wiped more than Mai from his memory. He wasn’t valuable to the Circle after that and he was thrown into a cell the next time he went after a human. I knew they suspected my hand in his...condition, but they never really bothered pursuing the issue.”

The table remained quiet, and another uncomfortable heat pricked across your neck as you continued to stare into your drink. After a few beats though, Yugi obviously took pity on you and moved the awkward moment along.

“At least there was someone in the Circle who cared about protecting Mai, and now look where she is!”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him smile brightly at the woman in question, and she flashed a smile back. “You know, I’m surprised I’ve never seen you boy's here before, couples like you are just my kind of clientele!” Mai said, also moving the conversation along as she leaned in and looked Yugi and Atem over with interest.

Yugi gave a nervous chuckle, “Well, bars aren’t really our thing, but now that we know about the place we’ll probably come here more.”

“Which brings me to why I wandered back over here- besides to chat, that is,” Mai cut in, always with that sure tone.

She pulled a flyer from her lap and set it on the table, aiming the colorful ad mostly towards you and Anzu, though the boys could see it as well. You heard Jonouchi give a splutter, choking on his drink just as your own eyes went wide and Anzu let out an amused giggle. “Boys Boys Boys!” was written in bold, pink text across the top, catching an onlooker’s eye only second to the image at the center of the page. Said image was of a horned man, wearing only a bowtie and a devious smile, his prominent muscles on full display as he flexed his arms and aimed his oil-slicked body in perfect view of the camera. The only reason the image wasn’t full-on pornographic was because his waist was cut off by the end of the page, just a hair short of revealing his...well...

“We’re having some hot male dancers here in about two weeks, and all of you are invited! But you,” she wagged her finger in your direction, “ have to come! I don’t think you’d know fun if it bit you in the ass! ...And, some of these hotties might do just that, for you.”

When she let out a laugh at her own joke you sank into your seat just a bit, ignoring Anzu’s humored smile. “...I know how to have fun,” you mumbled, feeling your face go hot.

Anzu’s look changed to one that might have been sympathetic, if it weren’t for the glint in her eyes. “Oh, don’t you worry, Mai, she’ll be there, I’ll make sure of it! I was already planning on taking her out for a girl’s night some time anyway.”

How Anzu already felt comfortable enough around you to drag you to a strip show was beyond you. But, you supposed you had no real objections. Even if you did say no Mai would just pester you until you agreed.

“Boys are free to come too,” Mai went on, eyes trailing over Yugi and Atem who were both staring down at the flyer as if they had never seen the likes of it before. “Though I’ll warn you, the dancing crew will probably try to recruit a cute little incubus like you, Yugi.”

The incubus in question flushed even redder under the comment, “They’d be wasting their time, I’m a terrible dancer.”

“Oh, hon, trust me, they wouldn’t be paying attention to your dancing, so long as you’re wearing tight pants,” Mai said with another laugh.

Yugi actually chuckled along with her, and you noticed him and Atem sharing a look, though you couldn’t quite read what passed between them. Your attention was soon caught up with something else however, as Mai said your name.

“You, me, and Anzu will definitely have to go shopping so you have the perfect outfit for the occasion!”

That actually made you grumble, “I can’t be going out too much. We’re still on the hunt for Marik, and the distractions should be kept to a minimum.”

“You’re allowed to have a life outside of hunting criminals,” Yugi said, tone laced in concern as his brows knitted together.

You shifted in your seat again and darted your eyes towards Atem, thinking that he might agree with you, but to your surprise-

“Yugi has a point. Spending time with friends is important, and our mission to end Marik can’t be the thing that consumes our every waking moment.”

You blinked almost owlishly at him, but he only gave you a small smile in answer. The smile actually surprised you a bit, he had been a bit swing-like with his mood that night after all. Not that you could blame him.

“It’s settled then!” Mai practically cheered, “We’ll get together sometime next week and go shopping.”

Joey, who had been rather quiet during most of this, muttered something about avoiding the bar on “crazy girl nights” before taking another drink of his beer. He jumped when Anzu gave his ribs a good jab for the comment, and he threw her a wary look as he scooted as far away from her as the booth seat would allow. The scene actually made you smile as Anzu ignored his reproachful looks.

Maybe some distractions from the investigation wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe.

The next morning Yugi woke early. Earlier than he usually would, but he wanted to make sure to get a head start of breakfast, after the pendulum of moods that filled yesterday, he wanted you, him, and Atem to start this day out right!

As Yugi stretched, rather cat-like, under the blankets, his eyes drifted over to his boyfriend and couldn’t help but smile. Atem looked peaceful as he slept, arms tucked under the pillows and half his face buried. At Yugi’s movements, the vampire shifted just a bit, mumbling something sleepy as he scooted over and pulled Yugi’s pillow closer. The incubus waited a moment, making sure that Atem was not only still asleep, but that him sneaking out of bed wouldn’t disturb his cozy vampire.

Once the snoozing Atem gave a sigh and pressed his face into Yugi’s pillow, Yugi smiled at the scene. Then he leaned in, placing the lightest kiss on Atem’s temple before starting the painfully slow process of slithering out of bed in a way that wouldn’t wake his boyfriend.

Once he was tiptoeing down the hallway he finally let out the long yawn he had been holding in and stretched his back even more as he entered the kitchen. A fruit bar with waffles, yes, that would be a perfect breakfast! Yugi hummed to himself as he searched the cabinets for his old waffle iron, however, just as he was about to flap his wings for the boost needed to reach the top shelf above the sink, he heard something that caught his attention.

Someone was in the backyard.

Curious, Yugi walked to the nearest window that overlooked the back porch and yard, recognizing the sound of grunts and some thudding as he got closer. He almost sighed with relief when he pulled back the curtains and saw you down below. Well, he was relieved, then a bit surprised to find you up so early. Another second of staring and he realized what exactly you were doing, apparently you thought it prudent to keep your combat skills sharp.

You were moving in hard, yet graceful gestures, hands cutting through the air in precise hits, body dodging an invisible enemy with fluid motions, and legs occasionally sweeping in powerful kicks. Your tanktop was a cut-off, revealing a chest and stomach that was well-toned for fighting demons, and the sweat covering said body said that you had been doing these exercises for a while now.

Yugi bit his lip at the way the lean muscles of your arms showed with every punch and how nice your legs looked whenever you gave another powerful kick. His eyes started lingering somewhere they really shouldn’t be, and he had just told himself to take his eyes off your rear when-

“Enjoying the view?”

The call from behind made Yugi’s heart leap into his throat. The incubus might never get used to how quiet his vampire was, and wondered how on earth he hadn’t sensed Atem looking over his shoulder.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Yugi scolded as Atem leaned back so he wasn’t burned by the rays of sun coming in through the window.

Atem smirked, “Better be careful, my love, she might get embarrassed if she catches you spying on her.”

Yugi flushed at the wink his boyfriend gave him, “I wasn’t- I mean I was just thinking about taking her something to drink. She looks hot.”

Yugi wanted to slap himself at the unintentional double entendre, especially when Atem’s smirk turned to a grin that flashed his fangs. With a scoff at his boyfriend’s silent teasing, Yugi turned and went back into the kitchen. He wasn’t lying, not really. After all, he had stared long enough to see that you didn’t seem to have anything to hydrate with, and if it wasn’t for being...distracted the thought would have come to him sooner.

Atem leaned against the counter as Yugi poured a tall glass of lemonade, “What has you up so early anyway, Aibou?”

“I was going to make us a nice breakfast. After the day we had yesterday I thought…” he shrugged, “I just wanted us to start the day nice. I thought even you would eat if I laid out the rest of the fruit in the fridge.”

He heard Atem give a small hum of appreciation, then take two steps, and suddenly arms were snaking around his waist.

“That’s very sweet, my love, I would adore some breakfast.”

Yugi let out a small noise akin to a moan as Atem’s breath ghosted across his neck, the vampire letting out a content sigh as he held Yugi a bit tighter.

“Or, if you’re hungry for something else, that’s okay too.” Yugi offered in a whisper and tilted his head just a bit so his neck was more exposed.

He felt Atem stiffen a bit behind him. “No, Aibou, you gave me plenty last night.” The vampire placed a gentle kiss on the spot where he had bitten Yugi the night before, a tender affection that no doubt helped ease Atem’s conscience. “You know I refuse to take too much from you, no matter how good you taste.”

“Does her blood taste good too?” the question was out before Yugi even knew it was on his lips. He wasn’t even sure why he asked it and felt his face getting hot as he felt stupid for the inquiry. Atem pulled away a bit and Yugi looked over his shoulder at him, “It’s okay, I saw the memory of you in the cell at the Sanctuary, when she let you feed on her so you’d have plenty of strength to escape.” Another beat of uncomfortable silence, then Yugi went on as he averted his eyes. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked, I don’t even know why I did. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Atem’s views on drinking from live subjects were...messy, to put it simply. Yugi had spent the first year of their relationship convincing Atem that he didn’t mind the occasional bite, and even now Atem got touchy about the subject at times. Still, Yugi tried to shift Atem’s perspective on the matter, after all, Yugi technically fed from Atem every time they made love, and he thought it was only fair that he gave Atem a little something too. Not only that, but Atem had lived long enough to learn how to harness his blood lust. He knew how much animal blood he needed to drink to prevent any loss in his self-control, to prevent the blood of his loved ones- or even total strangers from looking too tempting to resist. That control, however, was likely a lesson hard-won.

“Yes.”

Yugi blinked at the reply, having assumed that Atem would move the conversation along like nothing had happened, as he sometimes did when uncomfortable topics arose. When Yugi again looked up at Atem, the vampire was staring at anything that wasn’t Yugi as his mind mulled over his next words.

“She...” his tongue darted out, licking his lips for the smallest second before he shook his head. “I hate thinking about it, but, her blood tasted like ambrosia to me…” Again Atem shook his head, more violently this time and he pulled away from Yugi completely, holding his face as he looked away, his other fist clenched at his side. “I’m disgusting,” he growled, “what kind of monster says that about a woman he admires so much?”

Yugi was by his side again in an instant, taking Atem’s paling fist in his hands. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he whispered tilting his head so Atem had little choice but to meet his eyes. “You’re not disgusting, Atem. And you’re not a monster. A monster would have killed her for her blood- or at least tried to. And a disgusting man wouldn’t think about anything besides her blood, he wouldn’t admire her for anything else- you do! You see so much more in her. You can’t...you can’t help how her blood tastes to you.”

“Aibou.” The word came out like a broken whisper and in an instant Yugi was pulling him in, wrapping his arms around Atem and holding him close.

Yugi had lost count of the times they had conversations like these, of how many times he had to tell Atem that he wasn’t a monster or some dangerous animal. But Yugi didn’t care, he would remind Atem that he was the opposite a thousand more times if he had to, he would tell him every day if it meant setting Atem’s mind at ease.

Sometimes even someone as old as him just needed some reassurance.

You were slowly starting to regret not bringing some water or other beverage with you, especially as a dry itchiness started to needle at your throat as you swiped at the air with another kick. Usually, you wouldn’t have been so careless, but, the idea of rummaging through Yugi and Atem’s fridge and taking something without their knowledge still seemed...wrong somehow. You knew they likely wouldn’t mind, given that they kept insisting you call their home your home, but you weren’t quite...there yet.

A somersault leading into an uppercut later, and you were debating on just going back inside period. You’d been out there for two hours or so, and the boys were likely awake by now. Yes, that would be best, you had built up enough of a sweat that morning.

As you straightened into a more natural posture and began stretching your arms to stave off any aches, you heard the back door to the house slide open. You looked over and saw Yugi, who was wearing an adorable purple apron, walking towards you with a smile and a tall glass of lemonade.

“What an angel.”

You instantly stiffened at the thought, scolding yourself while also wondering where the comparison even came from! Just because Yugi looked adorable and was carrying something that might as well have been a godly treat to you in that moment, you still had no right to think anything like that! Hell, you had no right to think anything akin to that of either of the men who had taken you in.

“You’re already working hard,” Yugi commented with the smallest chuckle, “You looked thirsty so I brought you this.”

“Th-thank you!” you winced at the too loud tone you answered with, feeling heat that had nothing to do with your exercises crawling across your face. Hurriedly, likely too hurriedly, you took the lemonade from Yugi and started chugging it, wanting to avoid further humiliation.

Yugi blinked at the display, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” you mumbled into the now half-empty glass, instantly regretting the quick drinking as your stomach clenched and ached. “Just tired. Had trouble sleeping last night.” It wasn’t a lie, the whole reason you were out here this early was to burn off some nervous energy.

The answer only made Yugi’s brow crease, “Are you sure you’re okay? If there’s anything you want to talk about, me and Atem are both good listeners. Or is the guest bed not comfortable enough? I think we have a different one in storage somewhere, we can-”

“It’s fine, Yugi,” you assured, wanting desperately to cover your hot face with your hands, “I’ve always had trouble sleeping. It’s nothing new, you don’t have to worry.”

The incubus stared at you for another long moment but must have decided to let the topic be and instead just nodded his head. “Okay, well, if you’re done out here, I’ve already started breakfast, I hope you like waffles!”

You took a second to think, “I don’t think I’ve ever had waffles, but if you’re making them I’m sure they’re good.” Still too embarrassed to smile at the comment, you just met his eyes and hoped this wouldn’t be another moment where he acted aghast by your lack of experiences.

On the contrary, he just answered you with a shy smile, “Well, not to brag but I’ve gotten pretty good at making them, so I know they won’t let you down.” He actually winked at you then and the heat in your cheeks kicked up a few notches even as he turned away and said, “Come up whenever you’re done, okay?”

Despite already having decided to go inside, you stood there in your confused, red-faced wallowing for a few more minutes after Yugi slid the door shut behind him. You’d had too many moments like this recently. Too many times when you faltered, became unsure of yourself and the feelings seeming to creep up from some unknown part of yourself. You told yourself it was natural, that your life had changed drastically not long ago. Still, this seemed to go deeper than even that…

You shook your head, trying to clear the suddenly deep musings. It wasn’t like you had time to analyze such things right now, so like all the times before, you stuffed them in a box deep within yourself, drained the last of your lemonade (ignored the twinge in your stomach) and started for the house.

By the time you made it upstairs the apartment was filled with a doughy scent and something else that was sweet. A tenseness that had been persisting in your shoulders seemed to ease a bit, especially when you peeked into the kitchen and saw the domestic scene. Yugi pouring batter into an iron of some sort, Atem at the opposite counter cutting some strawberries and bananas.

Atem glanced up from his work to smile at you, “Good morning. I hope you’ve built up an appetite.”

You couldn’t stop the smile that answered him even if you wanted to, “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nope,” Yugi interjected, looking over his shoulder at you, “Breakfast will be ready soon, just sit down and rest for a bit!”

It felt odd to sit while the other two worked, but you didn’t see much point in debating the fact, so you simply took a seat at one of the bar stools that peered into the kitchen over the breakfast bar.

“How long have you been up training?” Atem asked.

You shrugged, “About two hours I guess. I wanted to get plenty of practice in, still trying to hone my spell casting now that my magician’s seal is gone.”

“Is it hard to do without the seal to focus the magic?” Yugi asked, again peering over his shoulder at you.

“Not hard, really, just a little more...untamed I guess. Takes more concentration. I’ll get the hang of it though. There's only so much magic I can do without drawing attention over that fence of yours, though, so I spent the last hour or so out there just brushing up on my combat.”

“Yes, Yugi noticed.”

At Atem’s smirking remark, Yugi actually turned and gave the vampire’s back a wide-eyed look of incredulity. Atem paid no mind, and just continued his chopping until Yugi turned back to his own work with a mutter you didn’t catch. The comment only confused you, so you opted to ignore the scene as the moment passed.

After that, there wasn’t much talk while the boys finished the meal, until Yugi asked which items of their fruit spread that you wanted, piled your plate full of them, and slid a plate full of those and two waffles over to you with a bottle of syrup for the three of you to share.

When the boys had settled down with their own plates (you were again surprised to find Atem eating, though it was just a bowl of fruits with sugar sprinkled on top) Yugi asked, “So, what’s the plan for today? You said that ghoul friend of yours had more information for you?”

You didn’t bother correcting the implication that Bonz was anything more than a contact, not only was it not worth it, but you were far too engrossed with the fluffy treat you had just bitten into. You had to actively push through the distraction of the new taste to answer Yugi, “Yeah, he wants to meet me today. At first he wanted to meet at night, but I called him and told him to meet me in the afternoon instead.”

“So, you’ll be going alone?” Atem asked, and you noted that he was trying to keep his tone even and devoid of any particular emotion.

You nodded, “I thought it would be the best way to save time. If he does have something of value to tell me, we’ll have plenty of time to investigate it together tonight.”

Obviously despite himself, Atem’s expression seemed to relax a bit at your own attempt to include him and Yugi in anything more than meeting your informant. “That sounds like a plan. Hopefully he has something of value, and he won’t just be wasting your time.”

All you could manage was a garbled hum in response, having taken another full bite of waffle as well as a fork full of some fruit. “This is really good,” you said after swallowing most of the mouthful.

Yugi chuckled, gathering some strawberries on his fork, “I’m glad you like it, we’ll just have to keep making more food you’ve never tried before,” he was smiling over at you and Atem, something soft playing in his eyes before he chuckled again and turned his attention back to his plate.

You caught Atem smirking at the comment as well, though he had the grace to keep his gaze averted from yours as he continued eating as well. And with that, the rest of the morning passed quietly.

.

After breakfast, while Yugi prepared to open the shop, as usual, you decided to hop into the shower, washing away the tightness of the morning’s exercises with the refreshing waters. You had not been able to buy your own body wash or shampoo yet and continued to use the boy’s bottles until you could remedy that. You had a small sum of money left over from the Circle’s allowance and you would be out and about to meet Bonz later, maybe a stop at the local store would be in good order. After the meeting, of course, you wouldn’t look particularly intimidating carrying grocery bags, after all.

You were just toweling off your hair as you stepped out of the bathroom, fresh clothes and relaxed muscles ready to face the rest of the day. You headed for the main part of the house, pondering how to kill the next few hours before your meeting- when you saw Atem digging around in a closet.

Curious, you took a closer look and saw that he was bringing out cleaning supplies: a broom, mop, bucket, and some natural looking soaps. “Today’s chores, I assume?” you asked.

Atem nodded as he nudged the door shut with his shoulder. “Yes. As you’ve likely noticed, I tend to be up during the same hours as Yugi, and that gives me limited tasks to do during the day, given that I’m stuck inside. I decided long ago that keeping the house tidy is the least I can do while Yugi’s working. Doing my part, so to speak.”

Not surprising, you had taken notice of Atem's domestic tendencies the past few days, laundry, dishes, and other such chores seeming to not bother him in the slightest. You found yourself smiling, it was sweet, really.

“Let me help.” Your insistence was brought home when you flung the towel over your shoulder and grabbed the broom.

Atem actually blinked at you, “No, it’s fine, you don’t have to-”

“Atem,” you said, tone firm, if not a little amused. “I helped Yugi in the shop the other day, I can help you with chores today. Like you said, ‘doing my part’.” Indeed, if the boys insisted on you thinking of this as your home as well, and not degrade yourself to a simple guest, you would have to pull your own weight too.

That seemed to win him over, and he returned your small smile, “Thank you. You can start in the upstairs hallway if you wish.”

That made a little more than an hour pass, sweeping all the non-carpeted floors of the apartment while Atem mopped afterward. In all honesty, you had hoped that there was more to do in order to keep yourself occupied. Unfortunately, Atem seemed to divide his chores throughout the week and after you helped him dispose of the mop water, there was little left to do.

“What do you usually do when there isn’t a demon to be hunted?” Atem asked, a slight smirk pulling at his lips as he dried his hands off.

The question actually made something uncomfortable prickle across your skin. How to answer a question like that? “There’s always a demon to be hunted. They- the Circle, I mean, don’t really approve of...hobbies,” you answered, trying and failing to avoid his gaze.

Atem seemed to stiffen a bit at the blunt, matter of fact comment. Then, something shifted in his eyes, apparently regretting his question. The uncomfortable prickling was getting worse and you opened your mouth to say something to move the moment along, but Atem beat you to it.

“Come with me,” he said, tone so soft it made you falter. Well, his tone, as well as the fact that he took your hand in his.

Just as gently as his tone, he tugged you along, out of the kitchen and into the living room. Too stunned to ask what he was doing, you simply watched as he sat you down of the couch, then wandered over to the TV, regrettably having to let go of your hand to do so. You ignored the way your hand tingled with a different sensation at the loss of contact. A moment later, after turning the TV on, pressing a button on a device below it, and grabbing two objects, Atem returned to you, plopping down on the couch beside you.

“I’ll admit, for many years I widely ignored the advances of technology around me, unless it benefited me in some way,” Atem started, as a symbol of some sort flashed across the screen. “So, Yugi was quite shocked to find that I had barely dabbled in the world of video games when he first met me. By that point, the only time I had tried one, was when arcades first became popular, back in the 1980s.”

You managed to smirk at the comment, even you realizing how old that made Atem sound. Then, he handed you what you knew was a gaming controller.

“Now I find video games to be a nice pass time,” Atem concluded, as a menu board came to life on the TV. “Have you ever played?”

“Not really,” you admitted, though you had at least heard of gaming culture and knew a bit about it via cultural osmosis, “but I’m willing to try.”

With that Atem nodded and used his own controller to flip through the menus, “Let's see, I think a fighting game may be a good place to start. If you don’t take to that, we can try something more slow pace, like an Elder Scrolls game.”

The fighting game did turn out to be a decent place to start. Atem was patient when explaining the way the system and button pressing worked, though you seemed to take to it rather quickly. He let you go through a tutorial first, then fight what was called a ‘bot’, or rather a pre-programmed enemy, before he himself jumped in and played against you.

“You’re quite good for a beginner, I’m impressed,” Atem complimented, his voice practically tickling your ear as your character dodged one of his punches.

“Thank you. I’m sure Yugi was impressed with you too, not often you can teach an old vampire new games,” you quipped back, tone comedic enough to earn a chuckle from him.

“Oh, he was. Tonight we will have to show him your skills, I’m sure he’ll be impressed with you, too.” And with that, his character landed a powerful punch on yours, dropping your health bar to zero.

Oh well, at least you had beaten him once out of the three rounds. Not bad for a beginner indeed.

“I wonder if your skills in real-life combat help you any,” Atem mused as the character menu popped back on screen.

You gave a skeptical hum. “Doubtful. This is nothing like an actual fight. Real enemies are easier to read in combat, after you get their rhythm down, anyway. These programs are nothing like how actual people act. At least not most of them.” Your eyes then squinted at the screen, a bit annoyed with the image of your female character. “Not even the clothes make sense!”

Another chuckle that marred his reply, “Yes, the revealing nature of the clothes are unnecessary. Still, wouldn’t the tightness of her outfit at least help her combat style?”

You actually raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. “Perhaps. But they aren’t tight enough in the right places.” When he only lifted his own brows in question, you jabbed a finger at the character, or more specifically, her ample, heaving chest. “No woman would fight with those bouncing around. Breasts hurt when they move, and combat causes a lot of movement! ”

To your surprise, instead of a simple answer, Atem replied with a laugh. Not just any laugh, however, it was a deep, hearty one, not his usual chuckle at all. It was one that made him close his eyes, made him try and fail to hold it in for a moment, made him cover his face with his hand as it died down.

“That-” another huff of laughter, “I suppose that is true. I’m sorry game designers aren’t exactly practical or considerate, especially when it comes to their female characters.”

He smiled over at you then, his chuckles finally subsiding, and it was only then that you realized you had been staring at him. His laugh had softened his features so much, the way his genuine smiles often did, only to an even greater effect. That strange feeling persisted inside you again, a light fluttering starting as you thought of just how handsome this man was. Beyond even the typical allure most vampires had, it was deeper than that, his kind and fair heart showing through in his features, brightening him like the sun he seemed to miss so much.

Suddenly, you darted your eyes away from his, quickly covering the fact that your mind had wandered to places it shouldn’t. “W-well, at least the game is still fun, even if it is inaccurate. You and Yugi will have to show me more games sometime.”

A quick glance at the clock below the TV and your heart fell just slightly when you saw that it was approaching the time for your meeting with Bonz. A sigh, then you handed your controller to Atem.

“Time to go,” you said as you stood from the couch.

You heard Atem give a similar noise as you put your boots on, and you knew he wished the sun wouldn't bar him from accompanying you. Despite not minding the idea of company, you weren’t worried, it would be a short trip.

“Be careful,” Atem said, watching you put on your jacket from his spot leaning against the couch.

The goodbye was simple yet heartfelt, and you flashed him another reassuring smile as you grabbed the handle to the door, “Let’s just hope he actually has something worthwhile to tell me, he knows I don’t like having my time wasted.” You winked before waving goodbye, opening the door, and disappearing through it.

The forgotten buildings that were once ‘Parkway Apartments’ was not an unfamiliar spot. Bonz often preferred neutral locations when meeting, and, honestly, you did too considering the state his home was usually in. The complex was a rotting, boarded-up set of buildings in the slums of Domino and no stranger to far more nefarious dealings than yours. As usual, you wandered to the weed-infested, junk-filled space between the buildings that had once passed for a ‘courtyard’ of sorts, knowing Bonz would be there soon if he wasn’t already.

You kept your hands tucked in your pockets as you approached the center, your heightened senses already picking up the aura of your contact. “I’m here, Bonz, what do you have for me?” you called out, voice echoing up the cracked cement of the buildings walling you in.

From behind a tree that had sprouted out of the pavement decades ago, Bonz appeared, looking sweaty and sheepish. His eyes darted about as he stepped closer, his hand tugging at the front of his shirt.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, senses edging on full alert at his nervousness.

Bonz always sweated in your presence, past experiences with the Circle giving him a constant baseline of fear and worry. This though, this was different. Had someone in Marik’s cult threatened him?

At your question, the ghoul’s eyes darted back to you and refocused, “Eh- n-nothing. Just freaked out, is all. Already told ya, I don’t like the idea of getting near that nut job’s business, ya know?”

“If you need it, you know I’ll protect you,” you said, tone firm and assuring, though not a notch softer than you could afford. “Now, what do you have to tell me?”

Bonz’s eyes were still on you as he gulped audibly. Then, he took a step back. “I- I’m sorry. They didn’t give me a choice.”

Your eyes widened, inner alarms screaming at his words. You turned, ready to bolt- just as you sensed a spell being cast.

“Shit.”

You looked back to find Bonz hightailing it out of the way as a barrier rose from the ground, encasing you and the complex within it; a standard Circle tactic when dealing with dangerous fey, or spell casters like yourself.

You hadn’t been cautious enough. Sensing no other fey nearby had given you a false sense of security, failing to account for the fact that magicians could hide themselves when needed. Now you were trapped, the barrier would prevent you from teleporting out, as well as leaving by more pedestrian means. And unlike the seals at Pegasus’ club, this barrier would be impossible to break through.

There was only one magician you knew who could do this kind of work so fast.

“Hello, beautiful.”

An annoyed groan crawled up your throat as you turned towards the voice. A man, no older than yourself, stepped out from the shadows of the building, hefting a spellbook in his hand. A smile that had failed to win you over for years played on his lips, a face many considered handsome looking quite at ease with the situation at hand.

You sighed. “Duke. Really, they sent you to come after me?”

“Who else? Only my sealing magic is fast enough to counter your reflexes,” he answered, tone smug as his free hand started fiddling with his dark locks of hair.

You folded your arms at the comment, though you were still on full alert, feeling the area out for anyone else, for any more surprises. True, seals, sigils, and magic circles had always been an area where Duke excelled, but in fairness, you were the far better fighter, and symbols could only help a magician so much in an actual fight.

“No offense, but that isn’t exactly intimidating,” you drawled.

Long lashes closed over green eyes as he covered his heart with his hand, mocking a hurt noise. “Oh gorgeous, you wound me. You know I’ve actually improved a lot over the years, I’ve done a lot of growing since you saved me during final exams.”

The comment made you raise your eyebrow. Honestly, if he was going to try charm, he could at least get his events right. As far as you remembered you hadn’t done anything to help him during those brutal tests.

“I don’t have time for this, Duke, stand down and I won’t have to bloody up that face you're always so proud of.”

His expression actually fell a bit at that, though he was obviously trying to school it. He let out a breath. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that. The Council knew I wouldn’t be able to go against you in combat-”

“That’s why I’m here!”

Panic surged, burning through your skin at the sound of a new voice so close! You sidestepped, turning full-force towards the presence behind you- only to find a glowing magician’s seal within point-blank range. It was too close, you couldn’t dodge before-

A crack so thunderous that it shook the walls around you sounded. Ears rang, blood spilled, and someone laughed. A laugh cold and cruel bellowed as you were thrown back, senses reeling and vision darkening as skin made painful contact with the cement floor.

A.N.  So, I had originally intended this chapter to include the next scene, but I blew past 10,000 words and still had stuff left to write in said scene. So, instead of making you all trudge through a 13,000+ long chapter, I'll just...leave you with this cliff hanger....... forgive me!