#He couldn't kill her in a way that mattered

[senmiyaazx]

WAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH I HAD JUST PLAYED THE NEW UPDATE AND THE BAD ENDING KILLED ME. I WANT TO PUNCH A HOLE THROUGH MY COMPUTER BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE 😭 I'LL NEVER LOOK AT AXES AND CROWE THE SAME EVER AGAIN

sorry for being overdramatic that ending really hurt me and i love crowe 😢

can you write crowe and reader's date after they got together in day 1? let's say Sol didn't find out when crowe and reader kissed so crowe gets to live (not for long tho)

i just wanted a peaceful love life with Jericho Ichabod 😭

CROWE X GN READER

spoilers for the update (bad ending)

a/n: an au where mc remembers all the saves they've done and knowing that they'll never be able to reciprocate crowe's feelings without putting him in danger would make pretty good angst ngl.

cw: slight angst (I'm sorry I couldn't help it). overall very fluffy. i think. reader is lowkey a simp.

bonus fanart at the end!

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He's so pretty it hurts. Pretty like the way his braided hair fell gracefully on his shoulders. Pretty like the ethereal glow that kissed his tan skin in the afternoon sun. Pretty, like his sapphire irises that gazed at you with such fondness that it made your heart ache.

Fuck. He's so beautiful and you're sure he's aware of it.

"(Name)? Are you okay?" He asks as if you'll ever be okay when he looks at you like that.

After that night— that one special night that might as well be one of your core memories. It was your first kiss. With Crowe. The guy you thought would never reciprocate your feelings. The man who liked you longer than you did.

Crowe.

And now, it's just you two in your comfort spot. The school garden. After that night he invited you here. For what? A date? Gee, is he trying to kill you or something?

It was already difficult enough to face him after.. well, the kiss. Now he decided to invite you to somewhere private. Just the two of you. Crowe and I.

It's weird thinking like that. It feels weird to put your name beside Crowe, even if you've discreetly written your name next to him with a heart multiple times on your notebook.

And yet you still called yourself a mere 'admirer'. How naive could you get?

Ah, well, it doesn't matter now. You sat next to him on the ground with your heart threatening to burst out of your chest, and you're stiffer than a damn wall.

Don't look at me like that. You think. Don't you dare give me that look. That concerned, caring face he always gave you when you're feeling incredibly warm and your heart is seconds away from going into cardiac arrest. Can you stop being so handsome?

"(Name)," Crowe repeats, bringing you back to reality. "Are you okay?"

You take a deep breath. Maybe you're being too dramatic, acting like a teenage girl with her first crush. Or maybe Crowe just has that effect on you. Can you really blame yourself? He's like a prince for fuck's sake. "Yeah. Don't worry."

His brows furrowed, unconvinced. "Loosen up a little, won't you? You act like we're strangers." His tone takes on a more playful one, hoping to lighten the mood. "We've known each other for a year.. yet you're still so nervous around me." He grinned. His hand reaches out to brush a stray hair away from your face, the warmth from his touch lingering. What a tease.

"Not my fault you're so handsome.." You crossed your arms with a huff. "Seriously. If being pretty was illegal you'd be a criminal." You weren't even aware of what you're saying at this point. You've gotten so comfortable with Crowe that you simply didn't care what you say in front of him.

He blinks, staring at you as you continued to mumble under your breath. Cute. He thinks. You're way too cute sometimes.

He leaned in closer, a teasing grin on his face. "You think I'm that pretty?"

You stop mumbling, turning to face him only to be jumpscared because of how close he was. "What the- Of course I do!" You lean away from him, cheeks warm. "And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who thinks that way. Aren't you aware of the letters you received on Valentine's day?"

He smiled at this, backing away to give you space. "Of course I was." He paused, studying your figure with a warm gaze. "But you know I only had eyes for you on that day."

Your chest tingled, remembering the chocolate you gifted to him. You didn't expect he'd have a gift of his own for you too. Back then, you always thought he'd forget about you one day.

He never did.

"Corny." Yet you couldn't help the smile that crept to your lips, contrasting your words. He let out a chuckle at that to which you responded with a light punch to his shoulder.

A long silence settled comfortably between you two for a while. Simply basking in each other's presence, taking in the peaceful scenery with him. Despite the silence, it was enough for you. Being with him was enough.

And you couldn't help but voice it out loud. "I'm so glad to be with you."

He's caught off guard by that, but quickly regains his composure as he intertwined your fingers together with the softest smile you've ever seen.

"Me too."

Heavens, you love him. So damn much.

So please let this moment last forever.

---------

bonus cuz i love Crowe so much

not the best art I've done but i really wanted to do this to give myself motivation to write:) and also i wanted an excuse to draw him even though i already have a w.i.p of him lol

[ninyard]

no but really. riko's "lessons" on grief crumbling the second kevin finds out about riko's death though!!!! all of that suppression, all of the buried feelings, all of the time spent avoiding and hiding and concealing left to rise to the surface the second riko is dead!!!

i am convinced kevin freaks out in a way he's never freaked out before, in a way that sincerely shocks anyone who witnesses it, once he finds out riko is gone. in a way that subtly begs the question about inpatient care and an extended leave of absence and rehab. in a way that nobody else really understands because it was riko of all people to trigger this meltdown, but in a way that is genuinely terrifying

that codependency, even if undercut by relief that the abuse is over, does not go away without a freak out!!

-childhood in the nest anon

oh that's such a good point. Especially if Riko was successful in not letting Kevin mourn, if Kevin never really grieved his mother because Riko said, "You have me."

Like, what if the whole basis of Kevin's avoidance of grieving his mom was based on Riko saying, "So long as I'm here, you don't have to worry about her." Imagine every time he almost cried, every time he almost said I miss my mom out loud, Riko would grip his arm or his hand or his face and say something to the effect of, "Your grief is a waste of time and the only thing that matters is me, is us, is exy."

And then Riko's dead? And oh, he remembers this feeling that he'd only felt in vague bursts before, buried so deep he couldn't even be sure he felt it at all. The words, "Riko is dead," sound like "Your mom is dead". They found her body this morning. They found his body last night. There's nothing they could've done to save her. He was dead when the ambulance arrived.

It's like this doubled grief, all the things he'd never been allowed to feel for his mom suddenly coming back up, and like, these are feelings that Kevin thought he was too young to have felt. He thought he was too young to remember, he thought he was too young to understand but now he's reminded that, no, you felt it. You understood. You just weren't allowed to feel the monumental loss that you'd faced. You weren't allowed to work through this gnawing icy pain in your heart. And now that Riko's dead, you're allowed. You're free.

But now Riko's dead. Now Riko is dead, and his mom is dead, and fuck Riko for making him feel both of their deaths at the same time because he shouldn't exist in the same world that his mother does. The pain he feels for them both should be incomparable.

I like to imagine that for just a few moments after Kevin is told, he goes into shock, completely and utterly unable to function with the knowledge that Riko is dead.

"Riko killed himself last night," David says, and Abby is by his side for backup, for protection, for Kevin's safety. Betsy is on speed dial. "They won't tell me much, but they think it happened fast."

Maybe Abby nudges him because nothing he says will be okay, or good enough, or soft enough so as to not destroy Kevin. And he hears the words. He knew they were coming. They had to come, this was always going to happen. This was always how it was going to end. But his brain goes quiet and his hands go numb and he smiles a weak smile. He doesn't feel those words at all.

"Okay," He nods, like he's just been told that it's raining outside or he's wearing odd socks. "Thank you, Coach."

"Kevin, did you..." Abby's voice is soft as she reaches out. "Did you hear what David said?"

His eyes are empty, someplace far away, but his voice does not shake as he says, "I did."

For a while, maybe, they don't let him leave the room. He's quiet, disassociating, but not yet crying. Not yet throwing things around the room like David expected. Not yet begging for a bottle of vodka.

Does Renee come to the door first, or Neil? Does Abby answer the door because David asked her to, and what snaps him out of it? Is it Renee saying, "I called Jean. I told him to avoid the news," or is it Neil saying, "Have you told him yet?" that snaps him back into the real world, back to reality, to Jean can't find out, to Jean is alone, to Neil knows, to oh my god to this is real to Riko's dead and Riko's dead and Riko's dead.

Everything is familiar and nothing is the same. His body tells him he’s allowed to mourn his mom now, but he can’t handle it, and he can’t handle Riko being dead and Jean not knowing and Riko being dead and his mom isn’t here and he just. can’t. get his head around it. It’s all of a sudden messy and loud and confusing. He can’t let himself think about how Riko probably didn’t kill himself, he can’t ask himself why Neil knew before he did. He can’t believe it. If he believes it then it’s real and it’s his fault and who has him now? That was Riko’s job. To stop him from mourning so he could keep his eye on the prize and now he has it; They won the season. He put all his focus on exy, and look where it got him. All those lessons, all that burying of his feelings and compartmentalising to deal with it later hits him at once like a fucking truck and I think Kevin had the breakdowns of all breakdowns that day.

I think whatever happened to Jean on his own in that dorm room would’ve happened to Kevin, and more. He’s lucky that he wasn’t alone, I suppose, but it still doesn’t make it any easier. He’s tall, and he’s strong, and his head isn’t in the room when he’s throwing shit at the walls and screaming like it’ll help make things make sense. He doesn’t see where the chair lands. He doesn’t see who the books are thrown at. There is a chance that not one person in that room has ever seen anyone lose their mind so quickly, and intensely before. Because it’s not just Riko, it’s his mom, it’s his childhood, it’s his future, it’s his abuser, it’s his brother, it’s his identity and purpose and fuck, it’s Riko. Who is he without Riko?

If I keep going this will just end up far too long but oh lordy lord I think you’re absolutely right

[shadowknightapologist]

miscellaneous shadow knight headcanons because i love love love them and one day i will have a proper post dedicated to them.

WARNINGS FOR: cannibalism, murder, minced meat mention?, angst.

in a sick, sad way, shad sees most of the shadow knights as his children.

shadow knights don't necessarily have to kill someone for immortality, but they do have to consume the flesh of someone living.

it doesn't ACTUALLY matter who they target; shad (and gene) just frame it as having to kill your lord or an individual you hold in high regards because 1) getting rid of lords helps in the long run, and 2) shadow knights with attachments to anything other than shad are harder to control. so convincing baby knights to get rid of those obstacles early on saves shad a lot of trouble.

as for how our shadow knight cast handled the munchies...

gene ate his lord as well as the upper-ranks sent with him (which is part of why he ranked up so quickly).

zenix ate his lord in the midst of the fire staged to kill him and his family.

vincent ate his lord/brother but he's still in denial over it (he acknowledges that he's immortal and that this immortality comes from his brother, but in his head, his brother was sick and begging for mercy; in reality, vincent flew into rage after finding out how far his brother had fallen and brutally murdered him).

amethyst attacked her father. he survived and amethyst experienced her first false death; this sparks an influx of rumors and stories about shadow knights (previously, shadow knights were extremely low-key, and only existed as folktales).

vylad attacked zianna. she survived.

sasha attacked castor's brother; castor managed to scare her off, but his brother passed away from the injuries. this is what leads to castor going "mad" and essentially being outcasted :( he was grieving and in denial and couldn't bear to tell laurance, who was grieving both sasha and joh at the time.

glenda was NOT immortal, she was planning to sacrifice cadenza + eat from her while she was still alive but aphmau kicked her ass and then laurance killed her.

and laurance, of course, hasn't attacked anyone, but he does struggle with severe intrusive thoughts and it is very, VERY hard for him not to bite while in his knight form.

shadow knight armor is attached to the skin like a shell. yes, they get parasites. yes, it hurts to have it removed or tugged on the wrong way. yes, it grows out of their skin and yes, that also hurts (only for the baby knights tho).

baby knights (and sometimes even immortal shadow knights) are known known to curl up into the fetal position and shift into their shadow knight form when they're scared. it's a defense tactic that protects their heart, especially since shadow knight armor is so hot/sharp (even to other knights). people unofficially refer to this as "armadillo-ing".

SHADOW KNIGHTS ARE NOT IMMUNE TO LAVA. that shit WILL disintegrate them. HOWEVER, since shadow knights getting perma-deathed by lava in the nether would be really bad design, this just rebirths the knight. the only exception to this is sasha and potentially one other character. some knights have come to see it as a religious thing, like a baptism.

shadow knight hair often turns into flames when they're upset, and if they're really angry, their entire body gets lit. very destructive.

shadow knights can be temporarily paralyzed by brain trauma (usually stabbing something through their head; they'll be mobile again once the object is removed or the injury closes up) and weakened by being doused in water or left in the cold.

baby knights can be killed via holy magic, decapitation, mincing the body, water, the cold, or old age (they actually age much faster in the overworld, but slower in the nether). they can go months without food, water, or sleep before it starts to take a toll on them.

immortal shadow knights cannot truly be killed unless their heart is devoured (more on this on the next point). mostly, their bodies are permanently destroyed and they become a shadow soul. immortal shadow knights do not need food, water, or sleep but will sometimes indulge if they're feeling... nostalgic. or particularly empty.

shadow knights can only absorb power from each other by eating the heart. this is 1) difficult because you have to LITERALLY tear the shadow knight apart to get to their heart, and 2) terrifying even to shadow knights. it's called "the final death". this is why zenix becomes so infamous.

"false deaths" are only experienced by baby knights. baby knights don't ACTUALLY die to most mortal deaths, but because they're not immortal, their body still thinks it needs to take care of itself like usual and tricks the brain into thinking they're dying when they're not (it's similar if they're stabbed or something; the body goes "YOU ARE BLEEDING OUT" and assumes the result is death). when this happens, they go dormant from anywhere between a few minutes to a few days. when they wake, they'll be perfectly fine. no scars, no nothing.

inspired by @/chvsire and some other users i can't find (thanks tumblr)—shadow knights occasionally have traits resembling real-world predators or nether mobs. whether this has a rank/role purpose or just happens, i've not decided lmao.

shadow knights may also be based off biomes. bc pretty.

some ideas for predators that i have are: bird of prey (shad), feline (gene), dog or wasp (laurance), shark or alligator (zenix), snake (sasha)... and then i got nothing LMAO.

immortal shadow knights don't really... reincarnate? they have to be magically assisted in order to cross over the purgatory, where their memories will be locked away and they'll be sent to live again. it's kinda like what death does for sam winchester in supernatural—if they were to push too hard, the memories and power would be fully accessible. this is different for other souls, who face judgement and then are either permitted or forbidden from reincarnating. if they ARE reincarnated, their memories are completely removed. or something. i'll figure it out.

om i think that's gonna be it for now :3

[amons-hat-enthusiast]

Roevember 2024 catch-up: Day 3 & 4 - Invitation / Ship

After having almost died when her crew's ship was blown up by Bahamut, Blantrachyn could never be a pirate again. Her crew was almost all killed during the Calamity, and no other crew would take in a pirate that is now terrified of fire, storm and open sea. It is only out of respect for late captain Fyrahr, her father, that Blan is allowed to roam the ship of the Executioners.

Joining the Marauders' Guild was out of question as well - the injuries she sustained make it very hard for her to vield her axe. Arcanists' Guild? Pfft, don't make her laugh - she'd grow old and grey before she's able to summon a carbuncle.

Crafting wasn't her deal either. And she sucked at fishing.

She thought she was out of options until this young man showed up.

She's never seen him before, but somehow he knew everything about her and her...situation...

Then he made her an offer.

A new way to fight. A chance to do something that matters.

She couldn't possibly refuse.

[nightlark100]

Stiles sets up a betting board rather early on, figuring it'll be something that might help the betas bond a bit. It started off with a few silly things but the main category quickly became 'what is going to try and kill us next'. The name was changed after Derek expressed concerns over how cavalier Stiles was about dying and instead became 'what is going to put us in danger next'. The rules were simple:

Each of them contributed to a pool.

Each beta was given the opportunity to change their pick after something tried to kill them or once a month (if things were quiet)

Winner got the contents of the pool

If there was no clear winner or if there was more than one and they didn't want to split it, pack could make an argument for why their pick was the closest.

Scott put down 'Peter betraying the pack'

Peter in retaliation put down 'Argents being Argents'

Both refused to change it.

Stiles put down 'Dereks love life'

Erica put down 'Stiles losing his mind in a haze of caffeine after too many sleepless nights researching'. Boyd silently added his name against that pick as well.

The problem was Stiles seemed to always get it right. No matter what he wrote down each time, it usually happened in some way.

Derek's love life - a barista he'd been tentatively flirting with at the coffee shop turned out to be a succubus

Extreme cold (mocked by the others for being written down in the middle of a heatwave)- an abominable snowman popped up and set off a cold spell that even werewolf heat and Isaac's scarves couldn't ward off

Scott's cooking - After breaking some of Melissa's kitchenware while trying to make a romantic meal for Allison (the exact details of how remain a mystery, although Isaac was involved) and replacing it with a new set from a cute little shop that seemingly popped up out of nowhere, the pack quickly found out that there was a poltergeist attached.

The only time he didn't put anything down, was when he got possessed. And Peter argued that he technically still got it right since the only thing in his section was his name... Which was accurate in its own way (Stiles was not pleased by this logic and refused to talk to anyone for a long time)

He began to get gradually weirder and weirder with his picks, not even really trying to win after a while. He was a little confused and concerned by his strange predictions and hoped that eventually it would get too absurd to possibly come true.

Musical theatre - a siren showed up and almost lured Isaac into the swimming pool with her voice.

Killer Tomatoes - Lydia ended up nearly choking on her salad

Hummus - Jackson managed to ingest poisoned hummus and became practically feral.

Puppies - Stiles woke up one day to a very stressed Derek with an armful of his now tiny canine betas. Stiles didn't mind that one so much.

[dtchloedecker]

Chloe smiled as Lucifer brushed his hand against hers. She didn't think that was intentional at first, but given that this was the second time he did it, she figured it had to be on purpose. It felt nice knowing he'd be watching her during her visit. She nodded at the CO at the door to the interrogation room and he opened the door. There sat Kinley in his holding cell a little too calmly for someone who got sentenced to life in prison. Like it didn't matter that he'd tried to manipulate her to kill Lucifer or had three people killed so Lucifer would show his devil face. "Thank you for coming," he said to Chloe when the door sat behind her. Just as soon as he started speaking, Chloe wanted to punt his stupid bald head across the parking lot. Instead, she kept her voice calm and even, but kept her disdain in there. "I only came to tell you to stop putting in requests to speak to me. We have nothing to talk about." NOW Kinley looked nervous, desperate even as he stood up. "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't have much time. They're going to transfer me back to Rome to be tried there."

Like I'm supposed to care? Out loud, Chloe let out a huff. "Can't say I'm sad to see you go," she said with disinterest as she slowly circled around the holding cell so she was standing directly in front of Kinley. "There is something you need to know," he said, but Chloe would hear it. "No, there is something YOU need to know," she said angrily. "You were WRONG about Lucifer. He is a GOOD man. One might say that he's even an angel." Biologically, Lucifer was still an Angel. Devil face or not, that didn't change. He wasn't perfect, but he was still good. Flawed, but good like any other human.

"I need to warn you about the prophecy," Kinley said as if he didn't hear a word Chloe just said. "Prophecy?" she shook her head at the old, bald priest. Was he going for an insanity plea or was he just bonkers? "You see, I thought that the prophecy was about you, Chloe," he explained. Chloe rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated look at the one-way mirror, which she knew Lucifer was watching from behind. She was done with this. She started making her way back to the door as Kinley droned on. "But, I realize now that I could've been wrong. If it's not you, who else could be Lucifer's first love?"

Chloe froze as she was about to knock on the door to be let out and then turned to face the old coot. Eve. Kinley definitely noticed her because it looked like a light bulb went off in his head. "You know who it is, don't you?" He asked in an eager and slightly creepy voice. He reminded her of a roly-ploy humanoid Gollum/Smeagle as he walked up to the bars of the cell where she was standing to be closer to her. "Is she here?" he asked. Chloe remained frozen. She didn't want to answer. She didn't care for Eve, but she wasn't going to throw the first woman under the bus.

After a few minutes, Kinley spoke again, drooping the Gollum/Smeagle vibe. "I just need you to hear the prophecy." Chloe had no idea how prophecies worked. Not in reality. She had no idea how all of this celestial stuff worked, but Lucifer did and he was here and he was her partner. Maybe he should hear the prophecy, too. "Alright," Chloe agreed reluctantly. And then Kinley spoke once more:

"When the devil walks the Earth and finds his first love, evil shall be released."

Chloe remained frozen. She had no idea how to respond or even feel. Was this about Eve encouraging Lucifer to embrace his devil more devilish side? No, that wasn't it. Lucifer couldn't just turn evil like that. Maybe it was something or someone else. But, what would Lucifer and Eve have to do with it? Was an apocalypse about to be triggered? Chloe felt very overwhelmed and then knocked on the door to get herself let out. "Detective Decker-," Kinley started to speak, but Chloe cut him off. "I got it," she answered as the door opened. She quickly stepped into the hallway and waited for the couple in question to come out of the observation room.

@lucifermorningstxr

Lucifer was doing everything in his power to demonstrate what he'd said in the garage to Chloe. While he never lied, he also knew the value of his actions, especially to the Detective. He could say things with the fullest honest intent of following through, but he was a man of swift action. He wanted to make it visibly clear to Chloe where he stood while not freezing Eve out completely, either. Again, he didn't hate Eve by any means, but they'd outgrown one another, and he wanted to really make sure things stayed on the up with the Detective. Even the car ride over to the jail was less awkward than it could've been, with the time being filled with the regalia of the partnership's past with Kinley. Leaving out the bit about the poisoning was the silently-agreed-upon best option too, as the pair had already put it past them and were trying to continue to do so with these jailbird meetings, but the detail was trivial vanity when the actual crimes at hand were accounted for. Lucifer even backed the Detective's comment about jail being his punishment, something that even yesterday he'd have let Eve convince him wasn't enough. This was how Earth's rules were. Who says old Devils can't learn new tricks after all?

As Chloe pulled him aside at the prison, he nodded in agreement to her instructions. "You're the boss, Detective!" He'd quip with a mischievous smirk before giving her his most sincere eyes. "I'm here to protect you. Forger the Devil on your shoulder, today I'm just backup. But I will come in if things go haywire. I know you well enough by now to pick up on your cues. Go on, Detective. I'll keep Eve behaved, go do your thing like only you can." He again brushed her hand, smiling with encouragement before stepping back to lead Eve into the observation room. He knew the stakes were high, but he also feared for the Detective being anywhere near that vile excuse for a man, even if this was a legitimate jail. So he'd do as she asked, but the second she needed him, he was ready to act.

[bonefall]

What kind of dishonor titles would the imposter whip up?

Ok so, in BB!TBC, I'm planning to overhaul many of the cats who get exiled. Ashfur IS a... 'competent' leader this time around, and being in his Clan is hell on Earth. But he does know how to run it without exiling everyone who breathes funny.

I think Blossomfall in particular should comment about how much this reminds her of the Kin, only...

"I hate to say this. But Darktail was more calm lol. Ppl would disappear but he didnt call a meeting every 5 minutes he did it"

The way he gives Dishonor Titles is by finding their insecurities and throwing it back at them. The point of DTs is that they're supposed to make you sit with your mistake and they're supposed to be VERY serious, egregious punishments.

But Ashfur is just trying to break his cats and make them not want to defy him. He wants them to hurt.

Cats who will almost definitely get a Dishonor Title:

Blossomfall = Clearface, because she might as well be invisible. No one wants to hear from her, she's worthless

Sparkpelt = Flickercry. To remind her about her failures, remember that she's made worse mistakes than anybody else and should be mindful of how she chooses to criticize others.

Twigbranch = Fumbleclaw. For a hunting mistake, he says she's clumsy and lazy and doesn't deserve to eat from the pile until she learns how to catch her own food

In addition, I can see him really WANTING to give Briarlight a Dishonor Title, but politically, it's too far. She's defiant, loved, a beacon of light that keeps people united. To brand her would be a mistake, it would make her a martyr.

I may rework the Sparkpelt Dog Situation to be his attempt to get rid of Briarlight. I think that would make a MUCH better sendoff to her, dying as a result of the wonderful person she is, instead of the garbage greencough death back in AVoS.

[fromtheseventhhell]

"It's powerful, it's visceral, it's dark, it's like a Shakespearean tragedy. There’s no Arya — a character everybody's going to love. They're all flawed. They're all human. They do good things. They do bad things. They're driven by lust for power, jealousy, old wounds — just like human beings. Just like I wrote them."

Seeing people debate which grey characters can still be considered "morally good" and somehow Arya never makes the list, so it's the perfect time to bring back this quote from George which shows exactly how he views her character 🫶🏾

[transmascutena]

thinking about how akio sees his younger self in utena and wondering if there's any fondness there. doesn't change the horror of what he does to her obviously but i do wonder

[onlyathief]

every word was a proper slap in the face. the sharp truth of most of them pressed into his gut like a blade, over and over and over. it wasn't just the words she hissed and spat, either. it was the way she looked doin' it, eyes wild and glassy, cheeks flushed red as poppies, the whole look of her feral in a way that actually made him step backward when she stepped forward.

"i... that's not-" words failed him. his tongue felt like dead weight in his mouth, too thick and turning all his attempts into gibberish. didn't help none that his accent seemed to coat the words too, makin' him practically non-sensical.

"weren't even.. y'aint be knowin'..." his eyes flashed blood-bright, gleamin' like a ruby burstin' with light. he was mad but it wasn't at her, he just couldn't help the anger pulsing through him.

"a'ight you wanna know me?! once i thought i loved her, when i was just a dumb kid who didn't know no better, but we didn't get hitched 'cos i loved her. we got hitched 'cos our guilds forced that shit. didn't matter how i felt then, i was jus' doin my part and i still fucked it all up! i fuck it all up, everythin' i touch jus' goes to shit!"

he was turning now to pace, his fury in revisiting the past makin' his fingers feel hot with the energy beggin' to be released.

"yeah," he stopped sharp and turned to point at rogue. "i sure did make a vow, like a good fuckin' soldier and then her dumb ass brother went an' challenged me in front'a everyone an' y'know why i can't go back to new orleans, huh? 'cos i fuckin' killed him. it was him or me an' i made my choice. all that effort bein' loyal an all it got me was a marriage i didn't want none and blood on my hands in the end. there. you know, judge away!"

which she could do all on her lonesome because he was done. he needed air, he needed to release the pent up rage burning hot in his fingers.

remy turned and left just as scott came in, lookin' a little disgruntled at that.

"what is going on, rogue?"

He pursued rather than turn tail and run from her anger. Meant Remy was braver or dumber than a lot of the people she’d met in her lifetime. Even so, Rogue withdrew, stepped back and away to escape his attempt to touch her. Now it wasn’t just about keeping her crush safe from being harmed. Oh no. Now Rogue felt her skin crawl at the very fact she desperately wanted this man to touch her. Even now. Even knowing what she did.

“Y’think I care about eyes of the law?!” Somehow that was the point Rogue managed to be able to articulate. “I was raised by two women whose love wouldn’t be recognized in the eyes of the law even if they weren’t fugitives on the run!”

All her hurt and anger bubbled inside her gut threatened to erupt. Because even what she had done so far wasn’t damn near what the southern gal l actually could do in a rage. The tears were back, shamefully, but what was the point of wiping them away this time if they were going to keep returning like a bad habit.

“But you vowed to love her right? Honor her cherish her, whatever phrase you picked? ‘Til death do you part?” The traditional sort of thing said at weddings. She had not caught the whole story with brothers dying and running off, but she had been able to infer one thing. “And you didn’t leave her ‘cause you didn’t love her.”

Remy had looked like her hated Belladonna, but somehow that disturbed Rogue more. Indifference to the woman would have been better, because hate? Oh hate was a passionate thing that was just one breath, one touch, one kiss, away from love. Hate meant there had been a powerful affection before. Case in point? How Rogue was feeling towards the Cajun right now.

She advanced a step, chin tilting up so she could glare into Remy’s entrancing eyes with her own acid look. Her voice was lowered now, but no less furious. “Scoundrel? Cruel? How the heck am I supposed to tell the difference? I don’t even know you. Never did I guess.”

[juliareed]

You still cling to naive ideals. I learned, at a very young age, the only currency worth anything in this world is power.

[onehundredandeleventropicalfish]

the problem with dream having a tendency to over-blame himself for things is that it's really hard to ever tell him something wasn't his fault because he's existed since the dawn of time and he is a chronic bad decision maker so no matter the situation, if you go back far enough, it was probably his fault somehow

and that's all he's gonna focus on

[tardis--dreams]

Me panicking because i have 9 missed calls and 5 emails talking about my absence and how "a colleague could take over for me" vs. Me knowing it's really not that important no matter how pushy a client is and that on top of it I'm underpaid and have way to much overtime so i shouldn't even care

[ofseptarsis]

'These violent delights...'

The quote seems oddly adequate for a moment like this, even if violence is rarely as poetic as The Bard would have one believe.

There is no clear-cut reason behind what goes on, there is no overarching lesson: there is just repetition.

She is right.

The realization makes Tófi's eyes widen in surprise they can't hide, not when they are already way too busy trying to control the rest of their facial movements, when they still refuse to let pain show even if a side of their face has been severely damaged by fire and energy -epidermis burnt down to a crisp, pieces of it hanging futilely hanging by the side while a pitiful mix of damaged faux vessels, fibers and magic (barely) cover their actual gray, scaly skin.

It hurts, but they won't let it show.

(They might be a pseudo-immortal but they are not immune to pain, for that is a thing that never changes, unlike them.

Pain is always a raw, uncomfortable, invasive feeling, no matter how much one tries to get accustomed to it, no matter how much one exposes themselves to it, no matter how old one grows up to be.)

The only thing they can do about it is grit their teeth and try and power through it, focus on more important things than the way their nerves scream, the way the heat of blood dripping on their shoulder becomes indistinguishable from the heat of the blade.

She is right.

To say that it had been a one-sided thing is to lie; They were guilty of the very same thing they condemned her for.

Those weren't exactly news, no, but it's just now that the implications of it hits them: they can almost hear Seth's voice admonishing them for their stupid sentimentality, for their lies, half-truths and shameful realities.

'I regret nothing' they claim, only to be faced with-

'What about leaving me?'

Something in both of them shifts: her voice and the feeling in their chest, the harshness of her gaze and the intensity of their almost manic smile.

Do they regret it?

Things could have been different, had they not decided to act when they did, that is a fact-

-but they also know too much to allow themselves to dream of a perfect ending to the conflict; Batwing's and Comitessa's deaths had always been inevitable, would have happened sooner or later: the only choice anyone had had been between having those two be killed by them or by Seth.

But here's the thing: Seth wouldn't have stopped with just them (for satisfaction was not a part of his nature) he would have continued, created an absolute carnage and burned the Estate to the ground before moving on to civilians, to those that had shared the departed's ideals, to those whose nature was too weak, too pathetic to deserve to live in stolen land.

No. They did not regret it.

It had only been logical, it had been for the best, regardless of what Menodora and the Magic High Commission thought.

They did not know Seth as well as Tófi did.

'What about sacrificing your reputation for my sake?' she continues with voice hardened.

She goes on about glory on the battlefield, about victory, but Tófi's mind drifts somewhere else: to a private studio, to colossal rooms full of books on absolutely everything, to spacious patios and beautifully illuminated halls, to innocent smiles and laughter, to childish mischievousness and hope.

All of it had been gone in the blink of an eye, sacrificed for the cause.

Centuries of being a scholar, an advisor, of a comfortable life, gone.

They'd never be able go back to that life of simplicity, just like now, amongst the flames, they would never be able to go back to the same unconventional friendship they'd built over the last year.

That they did regret.

They'd never admit it, though, for admitting it would make it all real.

It had all been for the cause: everything they'd lost had been discarded for the greater good, in the name of blood-stained justice, so it had not been worthless.

It couldn't have been all for nothing.

And this- this was all for her: to make her stronger, to make her cling to life, to make her fight back.

The losses they'd have to incur would be worth it.

They had to.

The dagger at their throat fades into thin air, leaving behind only a brief flash of blue light, and then Moon's darkened hand, surprisingly, rests against their chest.

She doesn't seem aware of just how much they'd bet on her, how much hope they'd placed on her and how furiously they've refused to let go, even when she was at her lowest and not much has come of it all, when she's fallen victim to the same things that her ancestors had and has turned her back on those who needed her the most.

And they weren't just thinking of the Monsters, no.

There was a kid, somewhere, that desperately needed her mother's love and guidance.

Ah, mortals were so terribly short-sighted...

'Aren't you at least a little concerned what a grief-stricken woman like myself could do to you now?'

Tófi can't help but chuckle as they shake their head 'no'.

"What are you going to do, claw my eye out?" they ask, in strangely good spirits -that inside joke is somewhat soothing (or maybe it's her hand placement, who knows)

"It would grow back" they continue, moving their hand to meet hers and give her a brief pat "it will all grow back"

The damaged bone, the skin, the nerves, the fondness.

"You could try and kill me right here and now, but that would make for terrible PR" an amusing thought, that "the fire damage is bad but could easily be explained as an accident, badly maiming someone, on the other hand..."

Gossip could be fatal for them both.

"Har du det bedre nu, min måne?"

@menodoramoon

genfødte sandheder || Tófi & Moon

[oc-cinematic-universe]

that's right bitches it's time for the daily joe post, i love how much joe is not supposed to be part of this. he's not supposed to have an influence on the plot. the gods themselves don't even consider him to be a factor based on the knowledge they have. and yet !!! he ends up vitally important to the best possible path they all can take. he is not supposed to be this major of an influence, he's literally just some cunt that works here, and then. and then we get to chapter 12 and we get to see another version of him that really proves just how much him being an unknown variable can fuck with things. this other version of him had so much influence over where the story could go, he destroyed the chance at the prophecy ever becoming true and had to be sent to Another Universe just to keep that world safe. THIS GUY. SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS MUCH POWER HERE. but he does, because he was not accounted for. he does because nobody thought he was part of this in a way that mattered. HE didn't even think he was part of this in a way that mattered. he just works here

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

light/moderate spoilers for 3-MS but do you think jenny would have Done That if she and jeremy weren't on camera? because personally i don't