#I find stories about the other side of the coin interesting

[daydreamerdrew]

All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder (2005) #2

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent ones of these even though they all look the same lol.. forcing myself to document progress..

[satocidal]

𓂂 ˚ ☆ ꙳ * ࣭ 𓂂 ˚ ☆ ꙳ “Opposites Attract?!”— Gojo Satoru

Synopsis: the famous rich boy of the campus and the Dean’s daughter? Scandalous—especially when they’re both jealous as hell.

— A/n: Roughly based on something from my real life lmao— except that we didn’t get together because hehe. Also, this is the first part of a kinkmas fic that I have planned, it’s been broken since the fic was getting too long <3 (both can be read stand-alone!) Tagging @romiyaro @draecys @maeby-cursed because yes; nsfw version <3

— Word count: 5.7k

— warnings: Fem! Reader x Satoru Gojo; slightly suggestive Suguru and Mei Mei (they deserve to be warnings here); undertones if jealousy; a kiss (or three) at the end, I know—scandalous right; Reader wears spects in one scene; this has a LOT of bickering. Just banter for that matter, reader says smn about sex work BUT I assure you it’s not supposed to be in a negative light <333

4.5 g.p.a—a perfect reputation that you held, a decent social life—an amazing father to back you up, you weren’t ever part of the fraction of people who got in through with scholarships, why would you when your father stood as the dean? —but you’d worked for it.

3.7 g.p.a—it could’ve been far better, easily, if he only put himself in—far too loud a social life with a following of 4k+ on his Instagram while he only followed back his best friend and pretty little things (for a day or so)—part of the fraction who got paid in, who never struggled for it.

Sure, you hadn’t really struggled either—but hypocrisy was only allowed to one and you chose to take your chance.

You didn’t…despise him, the man that Gojo Satoru stood out to be, but lords, you hated the concept around it.

The loud cackle at the back of each lecture—the proxies and his fan girls, you hated it all.

More so, you hated just how enamored your dad was—after all, it was Gojo Satoru that had won the trophies and the plaques—Satoru Gojo that was a Power Player.

But the credit wasn’t to be forgotten for you too—dabbling in all that was academic, if the second half of your dad’s office as the dean were filled with Satoru’s achievements, the first half was yours.

Two sides of the same coin.

Your eyes never left your dad for a second, “you can’t possibly expect that out of Me dad,” the whine wasn’t subtle, nor the snicker that gojo let out at your words and outlet—earning a hard glare.

And to all the pampering and spoiling your father had to offer, it all failed when it came down to the pride and prestige of the university.

“It’s non-negotiable y/n,” the sleek brown in his room shone that afternoon, polished—every groove, every rounded corner—almost a story to behold.

“Yeah! Tell her Mr.Dean,” another snicker- another glare, your father sighed in his dismay.

“You,” your father glared at him, “need to find a way to shove it in your schedule as well—you’re both the elected representatives.”

To end with all whines and groans.

“I have no idea how but I need you two to find a presence of mind and perform your best in curating an experience at the fest. Dismissed.”

A sharp inhale, yours and the roll of Satoru’s eyes, your dad was aware how interesting an evening and a fest in general he would be witnessing.

You’d known Gojo Satoru for 3 years now, spending the last together at the University, standing as the President of Student Council—all against Gojo’s constant “nepotism” comments while he stood as the Captain of the Football Team—against your criticism as well.

A certain peak in the way you two governed your particular fields independently but, together?

Well.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t always that you both disliked each other but, you couldn’t exactly deny the certain distaste the day you’d set eyes on him…

-

~First Year~

“Dad, please, make sure that no one knows that you and I are, at all related,” a chuckle your father let out, “of course darling, but don’t get prissy when I don’t let you out with attendance matters and all,”

Another chuckle shared, nothing too serious.

“I’ve heard Gojo Satoru will be joining this year too?”

An innocent question, curious is all you were—anyone would be, one of the best the country had seen in years.

Your father nodded slowly, “just so happens to be true, stay in check though, don’t want messing with people like that,”

It was evident, the wary tone that your father had acquired over the years, dealing with all that was the ego of such students, who stood tall with the heap of money that belonged to their daddies.

A slow nod you passed too—your father smiled, you were a smart girl after all.

But fate was decided and what had to happen would happen for sure.

Because you swore to maintain the secret, you weren’t to be even found to have the slightest relation of blood with the Dean — but then whatever could you do when you step out blindly, bumping right into the guy you wanted not to.

A hiss and a curse—“the fuck? Watch where you’re going,” he mumbled-eyes boring into yours, and then simultaneously, at the car.

Anger that flashed down right—“watch your damn language,” unironically, you muttered—something he’d never let you live down.

“Woah there princess, what are you on? Some patrol duty round here-?” The smirk was infuriating, his disheveled hair all the more—especially when he continued messing it up all the more.

A scoff, yours—“Mind your own business,” a shove passed and an attempt to move away—“Y/n L/n?” He held your campus manual.

The certain way your name rolled off his tongue, it caught your attention—“ya dropped this,”

A smirk adored his face as he handed back to you the campus manual, of course it wasn’t anything you required but to solace your father, there you held it.

A cramped “Whatever,” you let out, snatching the booklet from his hands quick—wanting nothing more to do with the stranger that you’d bumped into.

Just as you walked away though, “L/n huh?” The words, his, that you knew would cause you issues.

-

“He’s Satoru Gojo?” Your surprise lay hidden under the music that boomed all too loud—watching closely the white haired boy you’d bumped into a couple days ago.

“Yeah? You didn’t know?” The grin on your now best friend, and then just-roommates-friend offered little help.

Of course you hadn’t, and now you wish you didn’t still.

It was true you’d spotted him all so much over the past few days, and the people that followed him and the rumors still—unaware to why and how.

But now, with all the pieces in your hand you wanted to hide away—especially when those blue eyes stared right back—with a grin he trampled over.

“Oi! L/n right? We met at the first day?”

You cringed at how loud he spoke—so very sure that absolutely everyone could hear him, all over the booming music.

A subtle nod you passed, trying to get away from the spotlight he’d casually thrown round you.

“Your dad’s the Dean right?”

Silence- literally, just as he said that, the music system paused too—you wanted to curse your luck.

Widened eyes—star-struck stares from all those adored Gojo, amused ones at you from everyone who bothered to think.

You’d have considered lying—unless Satoru Gojo hadn’t chosen to be a dick about it, “You guys have the same last names so I thought- and then, the other when we bumped into each other- remember?” He chuckled as a couple of girls let out audible gasps, envious that you had already touched him so.

Before opportunity even lay still, he continued, “so I thought, because frankly either you’re his daughter or…you know, mistress—but that I doubt,” you wanted to punch away the grin he held, the snicker and the secrets he dropped out like flies.

So while you stood there, waiting for the ostracism—Gojo only giggled, “Don’t worry though, you’re fine, got more of your mom’s genes right?”

Fuming, you stood there—red that masked your vision—“excuse you?” A brow remained cocked, Gojo’s facial expression never once changed—it was about to.

“You’re one to talk about dads huh? Your daddy donated in just about how much into your esteemed football team huh? To get you selected?”

Satoru wasn’t new to comments such, in fact that’s what he’d built his career over but just the way you said it—just the way your angry face stared back at him—he found you annoying, adorably so.

That night, Satoru’s fan following increased by a decent thousand or so, people became aware of you and maybe, you realized, being the Dean’s daughter wouldn’t be that bad a fact.

But all the more, Gojo and you formed a sudden bond still, dislike and nothing less masking the two of you whenever the other was mentioned.

A farce? Maybe—but you were easily, in too deep to stop now.

Often nights you spent, thinking how the two of you could be friends—but huge egos that clashed in, something told you it wouldn’t happen all so easily.

-

The following week and there on were interesting—you joked all week that you’d blocked Gojo, you never did.

Gojo swore he’d have you black-listed for being so audacious—he never did.

When the huge messaging group—meant to be dead in a day—was formed, you both ended up saving each other’s number discreetly, never to approach it again, at least for a while.

And that was just how it went on “he annoys me so much,” and “she annoys me so much,” but little by little, small steps in the dark—you both were each other’s biggest cheerleaders still- applauding each other louder than anybody else.

Hands clutching onto your notepad you continued jotting down the points—fingers working fast so as not to let a single bright thought escape you.

The event was huge—the University’s 150th Anniversary—perfect, grand, extravagant—to be organized partially, by you.

There was time, plenty—absolutely 1 months before the panic would settle in, 2 before it would be over.

But seconds were quick—hasty in the way they changed into minutes, hours to come and days passed by, never realized.

A finger raised to push your spects up the bridge of your nose—you sighed, eyes landing on the form in front of you—mouth ajar and his sunglasses fixated in his hair, another piece of candy tossed up high before he caught it in his mouth.

A frustrated sigh you let out—“can you please sit straight and help?”

His eyes bore into yours- cerulean, they were pretty, almost prettier than the whole of him, you hated it.

“Isn’t it your job?” A grin he passed, a clench of your jaw was all you could—“we’re in this together, don’t give me that bullshit,”

Another grin, “talk to me when you need booze,”

“You don’t even drink,” the words fell out your mouth all so quick, hesitant you looked at him—“how do you know?” It was an amused smirk that he held, it annoyed you how the man in front seemingly only talked in three supposed emotions.

A small break, “well, I uh- noticed through the parties,” it was true, you did notice through the parties—it was hard not to, since you didn’t drink—you couldn’t be all so sure about the rest.

“You notice me at parties? You notice me at all?” Urges inside you that had to be controlled, such a perfectly punchable face Satoru Gojo held—“help me work on this damn idea,” you mumbled, ignoring all of what he wanted to discuss.

A roll of his eye and yours—“not gonna do it so easily,”

A huff you let out.

Frustration at peak.

“Actually,” your voice was quieter than you expected it to be, “wouldn’t it be better if you were there to advise us? Me? You’ve been organizing parties for so long and,” your face turned towards him—smile never faltering at his disgusted expression—he knew what you were doing, he wasn’t new to sugar coating after all, “I would love learning from the best.”

Jaw clenched, hands sauntered over to the back of your chair—most would consider it an action of endearment, you knew better.

“I would beg to differ Ms. Daddy’s princess,” Your blood boiled at his ignorance—sure, he was Satoru Gojo—but nothing gave him the right to act superior when he stood at his father’s money itself.

Hell, all he was meant to be was just a batchmate, captain of a stupid team that barely mattered—you?

Sure, a well suited empire would never land on your back, nor a fortune as his until you’d worked half your life into it— but you were better, you knew it. Denial onto his privilege to negate the Authorities could’ve never been acceptable by you.

your eyes remained stuck onto the ground —defiant—“well, i suppose it would only be for the best,” stubborn you sat and so did he—stuck in between the thickening tension.

“The best,” his voice exasperated, “would be for someone like you to sit back down and do as you’re told.”

Mouth hanging just in the slightest, you dared not to meet his face—focusing on the little stains and creases you’d administered on your sneakers—eyes sneaking onto his pair, perfect, as expected.

“That’s a little rich, coming from you—”

“—and this is the best they’ve found? You? To help me huh?”

Bigoted. Nose flared, curses at the tip of your tongue and you could do nothing as he further scoffed, “getting a privileged bitch to do my job, now they know my worth huh?”

“Excuse you?” Shaky, you sat—words spilling out before you could stop it—“your worth? Absolutely as nothing, but a spoiled man-baby who cannot deal with things maturely?”

Confusion marked his face—of course he would be, all so blind to the simple generosity that gets offered to him—all so he can kick a ball.

“The event is in 2 months sir,” address regained to the topic, you spoke flatly, “I would well appreciate that you helped us in the organization of said fest—if not, well, it would be a sheer pity that the entire football team would have to suffer,”

And there lay your ultimatum, naked and threatening—and he knew it was all but empty.

“L/n,” Gojo coughed—not quite sure, uneasy evidently, with the tension that hung lose in the atmosphere—“You maybe influential in your own ways on the campus but-”

“-but I’m just a student here, as you are,” you looked directly at Gojo now, “And to adhere to rules is the basic of most authoritative environments. So I suppose, you’ll be all the more pliant in helping us plan the fest and encouraging our juniors to help us out.”

Defiant—squinted eyes of Gojo simply stared blankly—“Alright,” he muttered.

“If help is what you want, that’s what you’ll get.”

And the deal was settled—to your compromise and his.

-

A week had passed since—the discomfort only grew.

“What the fuck? You’re speeding rumours now?” Rough were the words that greeted you first the moment the two of you entered the study you currently sat in—a half shrug you passed him, “I would need help and rather than begging you for it, why not just keep you as my assistant?”

“Excuse you?” His tone, bewildered as he shut the door behind the two of you—“Your assistant?” He barked out a laugh—“They really are making sheer idiots now huh?”

“Says daddy’s little prince who couldn’t use his academics to get in like everyone else,”

A scoff he passed—“How very original, at least my daddy has the power and how is yours, at all better?” he let his words trail off, a smirk on his lips as he pulled a chair to lounge in, and well, all cases be true, his dad probably had more money than you could imagine.

The certain charm of Gojos, after all.

“Don’t gotta flex your daddy’s sex work like that buddy,” you muttered, pulling a chair across him—peculiar you found it that he didn’t do so much as throw a fit in objection to the forced responsibility.

“Just giving inspiration baby,” he drew out—he winked, phone pulled out fast as he typed, you sat by forgotten.

A roll of your eyes—“Help me at least,”

Silence- you sighed.

“You’re supposed to help,” again, the very same cold air met you—“Gojo,”

“Nope.”

A sharp intake of breath and you stared at him, had it not been for the pretty face he had you’d have punched him long ago—a second too long you stared however, “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,”

Another eye roll—“Just fucking help me,”

“Ain’t gotta princess,” he finally looked up, “I’m here to advise you right?”

An inhale, exhale—biting down on your teeth you nodded, “Of course,” you muttered—which was what had led you to the current situation, tired, exasperated and annoyed.

An hour and a half, slow—very, spent staring a few times at the blank paper and then the ceiling, often Satoru Gojo and then his phone; a couple ideas popped by here and there, all useless—you knew that.

“You know,” you spoke carefully, “As someone who’s helping you bunk without losing attendance, you should really really be thankful,”

“A bouquet will be present in your dorm tonight doll,” not a single glance spared still—it was frustrating simply to sit such.

A sharp exhale you let out, head hung back—this was a stupid idea.

“You know what?” Chair pushed back, you stood up—“I’ll manage,” fingers clutched hard onto your notepad—it hurt when he didn’t do so much as even shrug as you moved towards the door.

Silence, as you turned the handle of the door to leave—not even a look from him.

You despised him.

#6942619412: Yo [11:54 p.m.]

Your eyes narrowed at the sudden text that popped up—ignorance enveloped you still, eyes focused onto the book of applied physics in front of you—regret boring into you as you tried your best to drill the concepts into you, preparing yourself for the soon-to-end semester exams.

#6942619412: busy? [11:56 p.m.]

You ignored still, creeped a little at the protrusion—not enough to let your book down—

#6942619412: idc [11:58 p.mp]

#6942619412: show me your plans [11:58 p.m.]

Face scrunched in annoyance, you stared at your screen—the periodic chimes of notification and the switch from the dull background to immediate light up—Satoru Gojo was somehow a master at infuriating you.

However, as stubborn as lay, you were no better—‘ignorance is bliss’ they said, and you were all too prepared to test it out.

#6942619412: bro wtf. Reply. [12:03 a.m.]

You noted mentally, the time gap between his texts—a sly smile adorning your face. Something in you screamed to not do it—to not go against Satoru Gojo such—the certain something fell to deaf ears as a shit-eating grin you beheld, typing your words in.

You: it’s pathetic of you to message like this [12:03 a.m.]

You: desperate? [12:03 a.m.]

A minute went by, then another—you sighed.

It was perhaps, a bad idea— chime!!

#6942619412: it’s needy of you to message back [12:04 a.m.]

#6942619412: you desperate? [12:04 a.m.]

A smirk—yours, a smirk—his.

You: you realize the first text of your day is to me? [12:04 a.m.]

#6942619412: you realize you’re taking note of how my day goes? [12:05 a.m.]

You: because you decided to bother me in mine—get to whatever you were saying [12:05 a.m.]

#6942619412: there there princess—I demand respect and send me your ideas- or better still I’ll come over to your dorm [12:06 a.m.]

Your eyes remained fixed at the screen; ‘come at your dorm’? Was he stupid?

You: there’s no need to come here gojo. I’ll send you everything right now.

You waited, patiently, however, ever so cruel—time was always slow, especially when waiting onto someone. 5 minutes grudged slow- you were afraid that he would actually show up. Would he?

No, of course not— even for him this was absurd, given the security and the time at night—he was probably asleep—

Knock.

A twist of your window pane’s handle- a thud of your heart and widened set of eyes.

Another knock and you were at your feet, stupidly, opening the window—widening it to welcome Satoru Gojo is your room—scandalous.

A smirk he held, form towering yours by a decent couple inches, “Neat room,” he whistled as he stood awkward, unsure onto whether to place himself until he found your study—making himself comfortable on the spot you just sat.

“Applied physics?” Curiosity laced his voice and a shrug you responded with — “So what?” You muttered, reaching in to close the book—he certainly took note of the tiredness your voice held.

“So you’re an idiot—it’s a tough field.”

Another shrug—“Gets me going and nothing could’ve sucked more than chemistry so,”

A snort he lay bare—only then did you realize how quiet it was, soft breaths, the new morning dancing about the timelines—your gaze on his, and his on yours. How so eccentric—not.

“You couldn’t deal with chemistry? Gotta be dumb or some shit,”

You scoffed—knowing where he was leading it, “do we really need me to redo the whole ‘got in because of your dad’ shit here?”

He grinned wide—and just then you noticed the perfect set of teeth—the ones you’d hoped to punch and break some day, “I think I’d wanna skip it tonight baby,”

“Don’t call me that,”

“Prissy, eh?”

A scrunch of your face, a wink his.

“Why, and dare I ask, how, did you get here?” Brows raised, expression amused as he paced about your room—taking it in, familiarizing himself.

“Don’t worry onto that doll, just show me your ideas,”

Your eye twitched, it was simply alien to you—the feeling of being treated normal by him. By Satoru Gojo- reality set in straight Every Time you realized that something in you, even if small, craved his attention, his validation.

Maybe that was why you were hurt—when he’d ignored you initially, when he’d shove you in the hall without a thought spared—when his gaze was all so disrespectful Everytime you approached Him.

Maybe it was just the social construct of it all.

Maybe it was something else.

So surprise was bound to grip you hard— he wanted your ideas?

“Well?” Fidgety, you noted his actions to be—nervous? You wouldn’t be sure.

“Why?”

A shrug, half hearted, “I heard stuff on you,” and now your interest sat piqued, “They say you’re as good as me when it comes down to getting shit done,” a wink—you gagged internally at his words- his charm?

Not quite so.

“You’ve been snooping around since the past week? Got you that hooked?” A smirk you channeled, unsure still- suspicious more so.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he muttered—his eyes were quicker, quicker that yours, cerulean, I suppose something to do with the color of them—all too pretty to have one care about anything besides themselves.

“I’ve heard of your accomplishments beforehand, you know it—you just weren’t so important and most of the time I was trying to stay off your radar,” his face panned towards the shelf you kept full of books—“but you did interest me,”

A scoff let’s your lips, “Anything with a vagina and boobs will interest you,”

“Hey now-” and for a second he seemed offended, not that you cared, “don’t forget about the ass—and please, I sincerely accept dicks too.” And just at that you chuckled slightly—a small win he deemed it, “man-whore,” you muttered past him- closing your books and grabbing onto the notepad from before.

“Here,” you handed it over— a sudden feeling of embarrassment washing over—after all, as much of a jerk he was, Satoru Gojo sincerely was experienced and amazing at what he did.

Lips pursed, you stared as he read through the stuff- “I know it’s all too-” a hand raised to quieten you, he continued reading—quick at that too.

It took him a minute or so, to go through each of the 4 pages you’d jotted down—“Not bad,” you nodded, “not the best,” you bit your tongue.

“I uh- i know it’s a little extravagant?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “or more so, it’s not very realistic? You have steps planned out and …you know, it’s supposed to be done by humans not machines,”

Your eyes raised in understanding, you weren’t too sure, but just enough.

“Put yourself into it—you’re cool you know that?,” eyes squinted, you watched him carefully- not a word let out.

“Just a little…uptight, learn to let go,”

“how do I…?”

He grinned, “have fun figuring that out—the ideas were cool, gotta go now doll,” you blinked once, twice, and without a word he was gone—you let him. However could you even ever stop him?

And you knew well, the rumbling in your room was sure to get your father awake.

A click on the lock—you closed the window behind him—swift was the way he came about, annoying, the way he left. And yet you still stood alone in the room, pacing about with a dorkish smile.

And only five minutes after he’d left, after the daze was gone—you noticed the bouquet of jasmines on your bedside—huh.

Certainly understood the charm now—especially when your eyes focused onto your phone right before closing.

#6942619412: you’re actually cute when you’re not frowning yk? [1:05 a.m.]

You went to sleep.

~Three weeks before the Fest~

“I’d say it’s coming along amazing,” another fruit roll up popped into his mouth—the fifth packet in last three hours, you were only surprised how he wasn’t sick of them yet.

A nod you passed—“but they’re slow-”

“-because they’re people, they are bound to be slow,”

Another nod.

There was something that Satoru Gojo did help you with, and there was something you’d helped him with as well—his eyes panned onto the elaborate list of numbers he’d gathered, oh how you’d spun the man, Satoru ‘never gonna help nobody’ Gojo into your actual assistant.

“Tell me though, when will you order the booze?”

“It’s an official thing- how can you expect booze to be there?” A ridiculed laugh met you—“ever heard of sneaking shit in princess?”

Of course you had, given that Satoru Gojo snuck himself into your room almost every night, uninvited—so far as to snickering when you squeaked out lies to your father about talking to your friends.

“Shut up, there will be no beverage,” he chuckled at your formal tone, beverage, “you and I, or anyone can get expelled for that—it happened last year,”

“You’re your daddy’s only princess though,”

“And you’re not,” a deadpan from you shut him up quick—“dad’s gonna be mad if he finds it, I won’t be expelled but you might, especially given your record and everything—and yes that means your captaincy and everything too,”

A month ago, the nervousness on his face would’ve made you chuckle—giddy maybe but now it only troubled you for him—hours spent on the floor of your bedroom had opened up conversations after all.

“But you’ll save me right?”

He stared at you; you stared back, you noted the closeness.

There was no reply to be offered—but it did ruin the small moment to hear the causal, “Satoru~” from the lips of her, Mei Mei, long time family friend of his and an equatable annoyance to Satoru Gojo.

Both of your faces whipped to meet hers, yours scorned while his broke into a grin—“Oi!” He chuckled—arms spreading out to greet her, hug her.

“Y/n,” she greeted you too, a smile you passed back—part of your council members after all—“how’s the planning going?”

“Fantastic,” tight lipped you muttered—“fabulous,” she grinned, “mind if I steal Toru’ for a second?”

You mentally gagged at her—‘steal Toru for a second’—except those seconds never really were seconds, rather hours and to your utter annoyance, Gojo never add moves to counter it.

“Of course!” And just like that, gone, daily.

A sigh you let out, staring at the preparations—“why’d you let them walk over you all the time?” A deep voice met you, “Suguru?”

A short smile, a short breath of cigarettes met you—in the best way, “Good day to you too,” he grinned, patting the seat beside him, eyes stuck on his best friend and his rendezvous partner.

“You as , and what exactly do you suppose I do? Stop them?”

“He’s your assistant, ain’t he?”

“Yes but-”

“Am I seeing you finally turn into a push-over, like all the other girls when it comes to him?” All in good humor he spoke, but mostly because it was true.

You were bending your walls for a certain someone—it didn’t feel right.

“You think I shouldn’t?”

“I think you should only if this lasts after the rest as well,”

“Will it?”

A pause, a shrug, “I don’t know, ask him.”

You stared at him—“why are you two the legitimate same at advices? And equally bad?” A laugh met you—“go on, ask him—because as of now, Mei Mei seems to have done what she wanted,”

“Huh?”

A look at him and then at them, your heart sank—he was kissing her, your heart sank more, why were you so bothered by it?

A nervous chuckle you passed to Suguru, an empathetic one he did, “it’s fine,”

“Yeah.”

———

It wasn’t fine, hell it was far from fine—especially when you saw them together there on, all the time.

3 weeks, dates here and there—she was around you all the time, and him, it was infuriating in all aspects of the word.

“Who’re you going with?” Almost everyday he questioned, and you never had an answer because somehow, just something in you had made you reject every proposal—something in you supposed that you two would go together.

You were the organizers—but then, it was no rule.

And even if it was, Satoru Gojo wasn’t big on rules.

-

“Ready?” Suguru grinned, last minute date that you’d found—all so grateful that you stood.

A small nod with a smile you passed—“how do I look?”

“Gorgeous,” another smile, wider—eyes however, they remained stuck onto Gojo.

“It’s not about him tonight doll,”

“It’s never about him,” you mumbled—melancholy—ironic onto how the entire fest that you’d built was based off of youth and what not.

But it was about him, everything was about him- especially in the way your dress, bought just for the occasion was the same cerulean, your hair was braided just how he once mentioned liking, you were wearing the perfume he bought you for you.

Everything.

And you despised all of this everything while having nothing.

“Yo! Y/n,” you paused, Suguru did too—his smirk widening, as did Mei Mei’s, Satoru walked- sauntered over.

“Don’t you look hot?” The grin was wide, your nose scrunched in disgust, “you’re reeking of alcohol,”

He was—of course he was, right after you’d advised him not to.

“Chill, nobody’s gonna know-”

“-we have to meet my dad in 15 minutes.”

“…oh.”

“Well anyways, I see you came with Suguru? You’ve been getting close?”

Your eye twitched—so he did see it—“yeah he’s cool, and helpful, unlike you,”

A giggle, “I have a life outside of you, remember?” Your blood boiled—“of course you do, enjoy it.”

A sharp turn you made, lips bitten, unsure, uncertain—“Honestly though, if I weren’t with Mei tonight I’d actually fuck ya “

Your jaw clenched at the audacity—the other two, Suguru and Mei Mei long disappeared as you flared daggers into Satoru’s soul.

“Can you take one thing seriously? You- you bloody idiot I can’t even-” you whipped around to face him again—eyes boring into his.

Satoru, even in his drunken state knew it would last long, the lecture, a hand pulled you in very quick, a corner, secluded.

“Stop fucking shouting,” slurred his words, they lay bare.

“What do you want me to do then? You- you- I- ugh.” You paused, hard breaths let out—“you’re so fucking annoying.”

“Annoying? You’re the one screaming woman,” the small smirk that he adored annoyed you all the more so.

“Excuse you? I’m annoying?” And at that moment, you let go, “I’m annoying after you spent three weeks fucking with Mei Mei? I’m annoying after you’re the one acting irresponsible? I’m annoying after you ended up treating me like all your others girls? I’m annoying after- after you just chose to walk all over me- I’m annoy- mmph!”

Words lay interrupted quick, a rough hand reeled you in while the other held your head, the kiss was soft, passionate of one would call it, sloppy in the way his lips attached to yours, hungry.

And amusingly, unlike all things Gojo, this did not feel wrong.

But it wouldn’t help your emotions being all over the place—“what the fuck?” You asked, the moment he pulled away—“was it that bad?” An amused chuckle rolled off his lips.

“No? You can’t do this- we can’t just kiss- I-”

“-okay, then take it back,” and just like that, he pulled you in again, lips attaching once more, hands exploring each other easy, slow gasps of breath as you pushed him away this time.

“N-no you- I don’t- what? You take it back,” and almost as if his alcohol was on your mind too, you pulled him in this time—a small peck, harsh, Satoru loved it all the same.

Frustrated you pulled away, grinning his hand held your wrist—“don’t go,” he mumbled, your face contorted into the expression which screamed your annoyance.

“Don’t go? Fuck you Gojo. Fuck you and your damn ego and the audacity you have,” your breaths were shallow, the two stood so close.

“Don’t kiss me when you’re with someone else—you might be a whore but-”

“It was for you,” another mumble, quieter, “to get you jealous and I think it worked?”

A pause.

“And The alcohol?” You whispered—he loved it though, the way you prioritised the reputation above him—somehow you humanised him, “only I’ve drunk it, no one else—to…get your attention,”

“But you never drink…”

“And I never fucked Mei either, or kissed her…or anyone since you,”

“That’s supposed to make me feel special?” It did, but you were done for the day.

“I think so…?”

You blink, once, twice and instead of the third that Satoru expected a sharp slap landed on his face.

“You’re very fucking dumb,” while one hand clutched the cheek he’d been hit at, the other still held your hand, pulling you closer when he heard your choked words—eyes widening at the wetness in your eyes.

“L/n…” a sigh, “fuck I’m- fuck.” He held you close, unnatural to your relation, you let yourself be held.

————

“Sorry?”

You glared at him, the Music blared behind you loud— the both of you stood outside your father’s office, “we’ll deal with that later.”

A slight nod, Satoru was glad you even agreed to talk to him, Satoru was glad you even looked at him—Satoru was simply glad you were standing beside him.

A knock, two more, you walked inside—Satoru, as advised by you stood outside—your father would know of course, instantly.

The room seemed a breath of freshness as you walked, away from the stench that Satoru held, “where’s Gojo?” You were prepared for the question.

“Do you like the fest?” You father was prepared for the dodge—he hummed, “you both did good together, as I supposed,” you hummed.

“He won’t be coming?”

“He’s busy,” you lied through your teeth, “some kids snuck in alcohol, he’s dealing with it,” you were sure you caught your father’s smirk—“that would be highly…inappropriate,”

You bit the inside of your cheek, “of course, we’ll see to it that they’re punished well,”

Your father hummed again, “having a good time?”

“Wonderful,” your father grinned, “well, you can go then but…maybe not today but I do hope meet your assistant soon after, kind of tired of seeing him sneak in through the windows,”

“Dad?!”

“What? You’re grown up and I’ve seen the potential and I kind of think opposites do attract, and you proved me right so,”

Idiots, all around you.

All of this work is entirely original and my own—please refrain from copying or reposting.

Likes and Reblogs highly appreciated!

[pandora-writes-one-piece]

I think this is where we ask for requests? but if it is shanks x reader fanfic ( fluffy pls! and SFW! ) if ur not uncomfortable with it!🤍

Hiii @iloveyoushanks Thank you so much for your ask (and for all your support on my stories! ❤️ I appreciate it very much!)

This was my first time writting for Shanks (excluding his appearance in the meet-cute series, but he's just a dad there, not a daddy 😏) so I hopeeeeee you like this! Totally SFW! Also, you didn't specify gender, so I kept it gender neutral, hope it's okay! Let me know if you liked it! 🙏 Thank you!

Source for pic

Chasing Constellations

Word Count: 2490

Tags: SFW; gn! x Shanks; Fluff; Comfort; Camaraderie; Acting on crushes;

Special Warning: English is not my first language, I apologise for any possible spelling or grammar mistakes.

Summary: You are done dating boys, you want men. Your Captain claims to be man enough for you. But is he? And are you about to find out?

Notes: Be sure to check out my 100 followers event, as I will close requests on Sunday! Full disclosure, answers to requests may take a while! Thank you for reading this! I do hope you enjoyed it!❤️

Tag List: @rosidaze @beachaddict48 @armiliadawn

Masterlist

“Want to come home with me?”

“Sorry, not today.” You answered with a warm, apologetic smile. 

The man who had been leaning at the counter next to you, all smiles and smooth words, cursed loudly as he turned away, slamming his glass on the wooden counter along with a few coins.

The barmaid sighed as she collected them. “Shame, he was sweet and easy on the eyes. Why didn’t you say yes?”

“I don’t know why, really. I guess I am done with boys. They don’t have the emotional maturity of a man.” You said with a scoff.

“Honey, when you’re dating pirates you can’t help but deal with boys. The only maturity they achieve is in size, not in behaviour.” The barmaid let out a hearty laugh while she poured another drink into your empty glass. “If you ask me, you’re much better off just hooking up randomly. Take ‘em, leave ‘em and be done with it!”

You laughed alongside her, her contagious laugh infecting you and your tipsy state allowing you to behave more freely than you normally would.

“That’s some sound advice there.” Shanks, your captain, clinked his glass with yours before downing it in one gulp. “Or just follow mine: date a real man!” He grinned, his smile creasing the corners of his eyes and forming a charming dimple on the right side of his cheek. 

The barmaid left you two alone as she tended to other patrons and you eyed your captain from top to bottom, humming in what seemed like an appreciative manner, leaving him to puff his chest at you like a bird attempting to mate. “A real man, you say?” He nodded and winked. “Well, when you find one, send him my way, please.”

Beckman, who was next to Shanks, snorted his drink through his nose as he banged his fists against the wooden counter in pure mirth. Shanks’s grin turned into a pout, his hand against his chest in mock hurt. “Ouch.”

“Yeah, you’ll get over it, aren’t you a real man?” And with that, you let a few coins drop onto the counter and turned to return to the ship. Your captain was funny, handsome, strong, intimidating and he could be very protective of you, even if you rarely needed him to help you. You got along great and had both been spending more and more time together, lately, but, even if you harboured the hardest of crushes on him, you would never consider dating him.

He was too much of a flirt, too much of a manwhore, too much of a player…

He was too much. 

Period.

Besides, he would never really be interested in you, right? 

-*-

Tossing and turning in bed, sleep kept eluding you. The cabin was too damn stuffy and your crewmates’ snoring - though normally nothing that bothered you - were driving you insane. If only they could all snore at the same rhythm instead of this dissonant cacophony! 

Huffing, you threw the sheets back and slid on some slippers on your bare feet, grabbing a light blanket to drape over your shoulders because the night and the sea breeze could be unforgiving. 

You found a cosy - secluded - spot by the deck, and sat down, leaning against the balustrade to gaze at the stars. They looked especially bright tonight and the sky was clear of clouds, leaving you with a beautiful painting-like picture to admire. 

Just as you were starting to relax, a deep sigh escaping your lips, you heard a roguish voice near you. “Couldn’t sleep? Or are you searching for your perfect man among the stars?”

You immediately smiled at his words as your eyes met his. A mischievous smirk painted his lips as he pointed up. “How about Orion? A legendary hunter, strong, skilled, muscular?”

You scoffed, your fingers entwining as you hugged your knees and Shanks sat beside you, still looking up. “Orion? The stalker?”

Shanks chuckled, making himself comfortable near you and you didn’t miss the way his leg brushed against yours. “You know your myths?”

“Please! I know myths and constellations! Orion pursued the Pleiades sisters who, in exasperation and desire to escape his endless pursuit, sought the help of Zeus, who placed them in the sky as stars so they could be free.” Shaking your head, you huffed in annoyance. “I don’t know what’s worse, running from someone who can’t take ‘no’ for an answer, or having it be written into a love story by someone who clearly doesn’t understand the concept of boundaries and personal space.”

“Message received!” Shanks chuckled as he scooted his leg away from you and you bit your lip. That’s not what you meant, his touch was quite welcome. If you ignored the fact that this was how he flirted with everyone!

Sensing the slight change in atmosphere, you decided to lighten the mood. 

“Besides, Orion is clearly fictional. If I'm trying to find a man, I need him to be real. Let's see, he was a giant, handsome, with great strength and hunting skills.” You cheekily stared at Shanks, your legs falling to the side in an effort to close the distance he had created when you spoke about personal space. 

Visibly relaxing with the return of your touch, Shanks winked, raising his hand and counting on his fingers. “Giant?” His laugh was cocky and filled with innuendo. “Check! Handsome and strong? Check and check again! Hunting skills? Baby, I'll hunt you down blindfolded in a forest. Try me.”

The huskiness of his voice caught you by surprise, holding your breath prisoner in your throat for a split-second before you both burst into laughter. 

“Well, he was also arrogant, boastful and prideful so that's another three checks for you, Captain.” You nudged him playfully with your leg and he laughed, holding his hand in the air. 

“Aye, aye, guilty as charged.” A moment passed as he scratched his chin, eyes fixed on the sky. “How about that one?” He pointed at another constellation, clearly challenging your previous claim of knowing your way around the stars. 

“Hercules?” He nodded. “Another strong handsome man?”

“I think you might have a type.” He laughed, letting his arm fall on the balustrade behind your head. The heat from his body made you aware of his proximity. “He was brave-...”

“Reckless!”

“He held a strong sense of justice and duty.” 

“Impulsive, short-tempered with anger issues…”

“A hero!” He finished proudly. 

“An idiot.” You replied with a smirk. “They might have been branded as heroes, but they were still boys, flawed, full of themselves, with almost no regard for others, let alone for a loved one.” Sighing you fixed your eyes back on the sky. “Not even heroes and myths are perfect men, Captain. This is an impossible task.”

This all started out as a joke. A simple answer to a question a barmaid - you'd most likely never see again - asked you. And now it has turned into a real dilemma. You were sick and tired of being toyed with. You did want a real relationship, but none of the men - boys! - you'd dated had been ready to commit. 

Shanks was older than you, supposedly wiser and more mature. But he was not boyfriend material, even if he was the perfect man. So he needed to stop this useless flirting if he wasn't going to follow through because your heart wouldn't take it. 

“Well, you've left out a perfect specimen.” He pointed up and you followed, a frown on your features, already regretting having indulged your captain in this banter. 

“Perseus?”

“Yes.” He answered, pride evident in his features for your correct answer. At least you managed to impress him with your knowledge of the stars. “He had no faults. Come on, I dare you to say something bad about him.”

You pondered, your chest rising and falling with a deep inhale, but Shanks didn’t let you speak. 

“He was brave, loyal, honourable, ingenious and resourceful! Plus, he saved his beloved from being eaten alive by a sea beast!” Shanks looked you straight in the eyes and moved his stump, trying to make you laugh again. “Luffy was not my beloved in that sense, but he was still a loved one. I'd say I check all the boxes!”

That did make you laugh, and the two of you shared a fit of giggles, lightening the mood. You could always count on your captain to make you laugh. As you both regained your composure, Shanks let the arm that was on the balustrade fall and land onto your shoulders, pulling you closer to his body, muttering that the night was quite cold and he didn’t want you to catch a chill.  

You didn't object, your head fell against his chest as you tried to blame the unexpected gesture on your slight tipsiness - though by now you were more than sober. 

“There's one fault I can think of about Perseus.” You whispered as a sigh escaped your lips when you realised how well your head fit against him. 

“Really?” Shanks sounded doubtful. His fingers dug into your arm, pulling you even closer, as if there couldn't be any gap between your bodies. 

“Perseus was described as youthful. Some legends say he was around fifteen when he slew Medusa. Others say that he was in his early twenties. A boy. Not a man.” Lifting your face slightly, you let your eyes meet his, a slight sadness pressed into them. “Forget it, Cap. I’m fine on my own. Even if they were perfect,” you pointed your finger at the sky, “they would still be out of reach.”

Shanks’ goofy grin, one he had been sporting since he began speaking to you, fell off his lips as his gaze locked onto yours, his pupils darkening and something else hidden, glimmering and pulling you in like a magnet. 

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m right here, then.” The hand on your shoulders travelled to your nape, fingers slipping under your hair, heat permeating your entire being. “And an even better one, I’m definitely not a boy.”

His eyes never left yours as he slowly leaned down. Your heart pounded incessantly against your chest and every fibre of your being told you to pull away, to flee, to run. This was Shanks! Your Captain! The eternal flirt!

“You’re not a boy, you’re right here… but you’re also a manwhore, Captain.” The soft chuckle that left his lips ghosted over yours, leaving a promise of what could be, if only you let it happen. 

“You know, some things are just myths… I bet Orion wasn't even a giant at all! Perseus courageously defeating a sea beast? I guarantee he was scared shitless! Me being a manwhore - as you so eloquently put it.” His lips brushed yours ever so slightly, an invitation, the opening of a door, leaving you to decide if you wanted to enter or not. “Most definitely a myth.”

“But you are as unattainable as one.” All you had to do was lean in. Just a little adjustment of your mouth. He was right there. 

“Not for you.” Somehow, his words rang true. You hadn't seen him bring anyone to his cabin in ages. Granted, he could still be seeing someone outside of the ship and then returning, but if you thought hard enough, he had barely been flirting with anyone. 

Except you. 

Breathing was hard. He was right there. Thinking was harder. His scent was intoxicating. Hearing was impossible. Your heartbeat pounded so loudly that there was nothing else to hear. 

“You’ll just break my heart.” You couldn’t find the strength to pull away, even though your words might say otherwise. 

“Try me.” It almost sounded like a plea, but it couldn’t be, because Captain Shanks didn’t beg. His fingers pressed into your hair, as if grounding himself and staving off the urge to pull you against his lips. “Please.”

Oh… 

Apparently he did beg after all. 

Shoving all doubts, insecurities and fears down to the pit of your stomach, you pressed your lips against his. Just a taste. A small peck. You were going to pull back, you really were, but Shanks’ hand spread across your nape as he pulled you against him with the hunger of a starving man. 

He tasted slightly of sake, the alcohol lingering on his tongue, making it slightly bitter. But mostly… he mostly tasted of excitement and adventure, of a blissful future and sweet moments. 

Suddenly, the stars were no longer in the sky, they were shining within your closed eyelids, supernovas exploding inside your chest, your head swirling at the speed of light. 

It was… 

“Perfect…” You muttered against his lips as he pulled back a little to let you breathe. Your foreheads pressed together, his hand moving to caress and cup your cheek. Why had you doubted this? 

Why had you doubted him? 

“Gods, I've been craving that kiss forever.” There was still hunger in his voice, but something else, something far sweeter. 

“What do you mean?” Your hands reached in as you pressed your fingers tentatively against his chest, pondering whether you should pull him closer, considering the implications of a second kiss. 

“I thought you were the unattainable myth. Not the other way around. You never gave two shits about me.” He made that familiar whine that told you he was playfully hurt. 

Your chuckle caught you by surprise, so much so that you let your head fall forward, nuzzling the crook of his neck and breathing in the tanginess of his skin, sea salt and sweat mingling into a dizzying aroma. 

“Maybe you should've asked sooner.” You spoke into his skin, holding back the urge to press your lips against it and test how soft it was. 

“Asked what?”

“What that guy asked me at the bar.”

“Oh…” You felt as he took a deep inhale against your head, his hand now placing soft circles against your back. “About wanting to come home with me?”

You hum softly. 

“Aye, aye.” He chuckled as his fingers travelled up to your chin to tilt it, allowing him to stare into your eyes. “So, do you?”

You weren’t about to make this easy on him. “Do I what?”

“Want to come home with me?” He kissed you between words, his lips pressing against your flushing cheekbones, then your closed eyelids, and finally your nose. A softness to his touch you didn't know he possessed. 

The warmth filling your cheeks could have answered for you, but you still nodded, arms circling around his neck, pulling him down toward you, lips merely a breath away. 

“Is that a yes?” He didn’t hide the giddiness in his voice, the slight joviality that your wordless agreement brought. The boyish grin on his face. 

And you didn’t reprimand him for that. Because for all the youthful attitudes your captain had, he truly was a real man.

And one you wanted to date.

[birder-of-remnant]

A Story Done Right

Kill Bill, The Princess Bride, Blue-Eyed Samurai, Wrath of Khan. Our media is saturated with revenge stories. Even children's tales often have revenge as a sweeping premise (e.g., the countless Star Wars villains as a modern example, but older tales such as Cinderella were even more rife with vindictive messages). And to be honest, I have never cared for this plot type.

Revenge stories are usually violent, merciless, myopic, and pretty disregarding of 'collateral' losses. Not all, but most lack any type of interesting moral symbology and substitute dynamic storylines and complex character development in lieu of exciting action scenes and a prosaic fixation on bloodshed. There are certainly exceptions to this, many of the titles I listed above actually have a lot of great things going for them. But I would say that these qualities are in spite of their focus on revenge and not because of it.

And there are an endless number of animes, movies, books, and other stories based on revenge that simply do not appeal to me (not judging other people if they like violent action media, just not my personal taste). Most of the time, I am just left feeling empty at the end, like Neo after volume 9.

But there is one exception to this theme. One revenge story that leaves me feeling whole, not empty. From the banner image, I think it is pretty obvious which story it is. This is my own highly subjective opinion, but I truly believe that the fight with Adam represents the perfect revenge story. And here is my reasoning.

Revenge is Not The Hero's Purpose

In too many stories, the premise begins with douchebag 'X' killing damsel 'Y', leading to hero 'Z' killing a lot of henchmen and blowing up a lot of buildings all for the singular purpose of making Mr. X pay. Once they achieve this purpose, they look around aimlessly before wandering off to have a milkshake or play golf or something. Yeah well, this story does not do this. Killing Adam was never the objective for Blake and Yang, because they have actual goals that involve saving people and not just executing some vendetta.

Don't get me wrong. I love redemption stories, I find them so much more satisfying, especially when the character in question has to struggle to overcome the gravity of what they have done (note: a redemption arc does not mean instant forgiveness, it might never end with actual for absolution for what they have done). I love Emerald's story and think it has a lot of interesting twists that it can take. But there are some characters who are just too far gone to save. And Adam fits that perfectly.

He has a tragic backstory and I truly pity him. But he is also an abusive, murdering shitlord who manipulated and groomed Blake (I wouldn't be surprised if he physically or sexually abused her, which is somewhat implied by her frequently defensive body posture, but is not definite). He kills out of spite and represents Yang's demon, who she could have become. It was cathartic to watch him fall, but I am ever so grateful that his demise was not the purpose of Blake and Yang. Because killing him out of spite for what he did to them would not be much different than the way he lashed out at others for the traumas that he has endured. Some might call it justice, but justice and revenge are two sides of the same coin and the edges between them can be blurry.

The point is, Yang and Blake are so much more than Adam. They killed him out of necessity, not out of hate.

They Are Set on the Future

As I mentioned, I often feel empty at the end of a revenge story. When the villain lies dead within a pool of their own blood and the hero has achieved everything they sought to accomplish, what more is there really? Often, I feel like the story has reached its ending without really achieving anything of note. Often, without really making the world a better place. A plot about revenge is not the same as one about taking someone down to save other people. The former is what Adam wanted and it would have made the world a worse place. But Yang and Blake are protectors. The fight was exhilarating and satisfying, but it ultimately humanized these characters whereas most revenge stories do the opposite, treating human life as cheap entertainment to be killed in the most 'epic' way possible.

But more important, the fight left me feeling excited about the future, rather than feeling burn out from seeing the villain die. Adam was fixated on the past. He was a character of the past. He represented Blake and Yang's trauma, their old demons and fears. He had no further place in their character arcs, because they had evolved into something so much more. Killing Adam was not the end of their story as it is in so many revenge plots. It was simply a new beginning. It felt whole and wholesome. Past, present, and future.

Because it is the People Who Matter

Ultimately, the fight was never about killing Adam. It was about bringing Yang and Blake together. About having them overcome the demons of their past. About the importance of mental health. About their individual traumas (abandonment issues & PTSD for Yang and Blake's fear of hurting others). About the challenges that LGBTQ+ people face in finding security in a hostile world. It was about these two, fucking amazing characters and the ineffably wondrous relationship that forms between them. One based on actual fucking support, equality, and love.

That is all I have on this right now. Hopefully, I did not offend too many people by criticizing typical revenge stories. But I have been wanting to talk about my love and appreciation of this scene for years. I know there have been so many more people who have discussed these same themes and points before, probably more adroitly than my rambling mess, but this is my rambling mess. Thanks for reading!

Random side trivia 1: Mandy Patinkin, the actor who played Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, is famous for his iconic line, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Mandy felt that the scene was symbolic of feelings towards the illness that took his father. But regarding revenge against people, he actually dislikes his iconic line and how it idolizes revenge.

Random side trivia 2: I love Jeff & Casey William songs and I just love BMBLY (except or that creepy line about the birds and butterflies knowing, wtf). But as an ecologist, I should note that bumblebees do not make honey. Jeff was thinking of European honey bees. Bumblees are cute, fuzzy, chunky super pollinators that live in the ground, in hollow plant stems, or other obscure spots and are either solitary or have very small hives. They virtually never bother people and are super pollinators, actually much better pollinators than honeybees (which are super awesome cool in their own right, but also highly invasive in the western hemisphere and hurt our native pollinators D: And yes, I cherry-picked the ugliest picture of one that I could find). Many bumblebees are endangered, just like our beloved Bumblebees. Save the bees! AND THE BEES!

[namjoon-koya]

The Bad Batch taking care of padawan!reader after Order 66

A/N: I won’t include Crosshair in this just because I based this off the first season technically.

Omega was the one who actually found you, they were on a different planet doing a job for Cid. While Hunter and Tech were quickly looking over the map again to find what they needed Omega spotted you walking by, she couldn’t see your face but she did see how injured your arm was.

You had just escaped a bounty hunter but not without any injures, they had gotten a good shot on your shoulder but you knew it would be hard to find any medics and you didn’t have enough coins to buy medical supplies.

You felt light headed you didn’t realize that you were losing so much blood, you didn’t even realize Omega was following behind you until you stumbled almost falling down until you felt a small hands try to help you get steady on your feet again, “are you alright?” She asked you were dumbfounded for a second until you heard someone running in your direction.

You quickly reached for your lightsaber you didn’t ignite it, but kept your hand on the handle just in case you needed it. “Wait! It’s okay they’re with me.” Omega said trying to reassure you, you wanted to believe her you gave her a worried look.

She looked over at Hunter and Tech “they’re hurt look.” She looked over at your shoulder making both of them follow her gaze, Hunter did see your lightsaber before looking at your shoulder. Now he knew why you were on edge with them, you’re a Jedi.

“We promise we won’t hurt you kid.” Hunter said lifting his hands up showing you that he wasn’t going to reach for his blaster you hesitated to release your lightsaber, “you should let us take a look at that wound.” Tech said you slowly let go of your lightsaber, before nodding to them.

You followed them back to their ship, Tech was able to clean up your wound and bandage it once he was done you were getting ready to leave, “wait you’re leaving?” Omega asked “I’ll be fine don’t worry.”

“Are you sure? That bounty hunter wounded you deeply.” Tech added “you being a Jedi makes it a higher risk as well.” They weren’t wrong, maker you were technically still a padawan too you didn’t learn everything before order 66 happened.

You decided to stay, but you still kept a wary eye on them they haven’t tried to hurt you so far but you knew to be careful it was the one thing your master told you before you both departed ways from each other. You didn’t know if they were alive or dead when you tried using the force to connect to them, you didn’t feel anything you hoped you weren’t focused enough and that your master survived order 66.

After Hunter and Tech completed the job for Cid they headed back, that’s where you met Wrecker and Echo. You warmed up to Wrecker pretty quickly even if he ruffled your hair too many times, when he learned what happened to you he promised to protect you. Echo would tell you stories about Rex and Ashoka, he saw the way your eyes brighten when he spoke about Ashoka you only saw her a few times at the Jedi temple but you heard so many stories about the adventures she went on, and that she was a pretty good fighter.

Omega quickly became a best friend to you, she showed interest in your Jedi powers and you would often show her what you could do. One time you were able to levitate a ration bar to her, you told her stories about your time being a padawan. Sometimes Omega could see the sadness in your eyes when you spoke about your master, Omega was always reassuring you that you wouldn’t be alone like that ever again.

Hunter took a while for you to warm up to, sure he did offer to shelter to you but you still felt slightly on edge with him. It wasn’t until one night when you woke up from a nightmare that you saw a different side of Hunter, even while months had passed by since order 66 the nightmares the force you felt the moment everything changed still lingered in your memories. You would sneak out of bed and just watch the stars as you tried calming down, you didn’t realize that Hunter had heard you so when he appeared from behind you it definitely caught you off guard.

“Are you alright?” With that question you told Hunter everything about your fears, “I know I’m safe here but sometimes I can’t help but think that if I even feel a slight ping of sanctuary it’s all going to be taken away.” Hunter didn’t blame you for how you felt, he still remembered the fear in that other padawan’s eyes when he saw his master fall to the hands of the clones they trusted. “We won’t allow anything to happen to you kid, I know it’s terrifying but I can promise you I won’t allow the empire to hurt you.” You looked over at Hunter and gave him a small smile, “thank you.”

Tech was quick to warm up to you, how you may ask? He. Fed. You. So. Much. Information even information on Jedi stuff that you didn’t even know! You felt like you learned so many new things from him and his word choices often confused you so you would stare at Hunter almost asking him to explain but he would only give you the same stare back, maybe you’ll sometimes use the words tech used whenever your in a stressful situation.

All of them PROTECTIVE Wrecker will literally throw a something at an clone if he thinks they’re getting too close to you, same goes for bounty hunters they better hope not to run into him or any other of the others in that matter. Hunter’s cold stare enough can keep them away from questioning about you, Omega is right beside Hunter sending them a glare as well.

Hunter teaches you on using a blaster (you’re terrible at it at first) and you ask him if you can’t just use your lightsaber, but he reminds you that it will only put you in more danger and you know he’s right. The rest (besides omega) try to help you on learning to use a blaster, sometimes you end up getting frustrated but they’ll encourage you not to give up and when you finally start getting good at your shots they all have a proud dad moment.

[notmorbid]

the berry pickers.

dialogue prompts from the berry pickers by amanda peters.

dying is something we have to do alone.

i want to be my full self for you.

whatever makes you happy makes me happy, too.

i'm not sure what's true and what's not anymore.

you never know when you might need kindness from people.

you see anything strange around here?

age brings all sorts of fears.

i think i've always known something was out of place.

you'll grow out of it. you'll forget.

sometimes i wonder if you have any sense at all.

don't worry. they can't hear us.

your only job right now is to be a kid.

when no one's looking, you can be a sweetheart.

it's funny how old you think your parents are, when you're a child.

stop trying to grow up so fast.

there are things more important in this world than taking credit.

there was love, but none of us knew what to do with it.

don't pretend you didn't hear me.

i will try my damnedest not to be sad.

it's hard, looking for someone who can't be found.

you never know what your last words to someone are gonna be.

words are powerful and funny things, said or unsaid.

some people are meant to read great works, and others are meant to write them.

you do love me, after all.

you're jealous. i need you to admit it.

i did what i thought was best: i left.

you seem taller, somehow.

hope is such a wonderful thing, until it isn't.

i never blamed you.

it's not your fault. it just happens, sometimes.

i guess i assumed i'd just wake up one day and everything would be normal again.

i've done my grieving. i can't do it anymore.

some wounds never close, never scar.

i just want to get away. you choose where.

make sure you write everything down, the good and the bad. but mostly the good.

what ghosts haunt your dreams?

are you going home, or leaving home?

sometimes i forget that you're hurting, too.

swearing can make you feel better.

anything you want to tell me?

there's something to be said for salt air.

i love you. i'm sorry i've been so far away.

i've never felt worse. i need you to know that.

i assume the universe knows what it's doing.

getting better isn't easy.

i was convinced the pain would haunt me for the rest of my life.

i was determined to let my pain and anger ruin me.

you like to find fault with everyone but your own self.

you have no right to hold onto that guilt all by yourself.

i'm sick of tiptoeing around you like you're going to break.

don't be sorry. be useful.

i've never been much of a talker.

it's not fair to be young and weak. there's no fairness to it at all.

prejudice runs deep and offers no apologies, in small towns.

you can't stay mad at me.

i didn't sleep because i was worried about you, asshole.

maybe i'm just one of those people who are only happy when they aren't.

it's not that i don't remember. it's that i don't want to.

why do you always assume you're on your own?

i remember. i didn't think you did.

people are always saying nice things about the dead, especially when their family is in the room.

sometimes a lie becomes so entrenched, it becomes the truth.

you never deserved anything i did to you.

the only person i have a right to be angry with is myself.

it wasn't because i didn't love you.

you know of any work i could get around here?

i wonder, sometimes, what i did to deserve it.

you got a story?

you seem too young to have a story of any interest.

something is making you all dark and moody.

what are you doing out here? there's a storm coming.

i don't go giving my name out to every stranger i meet.

people seem to need to get away from me.

own your mistakes. make amends and move on.

you feel things too quick and too heavy. you need to let things go, sometimes.

i'm here. it was just a dream.

i kind of hoped i would die before i had to tell you this.

i wanted to hate you, but i couldn't.

anger and sadness are just two different sides of the same coin.

time is never a friend to the sick or the old.

i don't like to see people i might know.

how are you still alive?

the lord must keep me around to amuse himself.

where is home, for you?

what's at home that's got you afraid to be there?

the only misery you're causing is your own.

i'll be honest, because i don't know how else to be.

don't worry. i'll remember for you.

i ruined myself all by myself.

i prayed you would come home to us.

what on earth have you got to be sorry for?

tell me about ___. if it's okay.

lost souls have to find their own way home.

i don't think i've ever laughed that hard in my life.

[kurishiri]

25 . . . alfons main story — mad love finale

꒰ ִ ֺ ⊹ @ notice ⊹ ֺ ִ ꒱ this translation may not be 100% accurate or contain creative liberties due to characterization or narrative flow purposes. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but don’t repost these or claim these as your own!

— cw: none; i hope you enjoy 🪞🤍

—— Alfons’ POV ——

If life were a fairy tale, finding happiness would be a simple thing.

As long as you were gentle and kind, someone positively brimming with love, that was enough.

Such were often the protagonists of these stories... and this very role would usually find their happiness, as they were meant to be.

But, what if you were a villain, the worst of the worst?

What would happen if the one you fell in love with, then, was that very ‘protagonist’ in those fairy tales——?

Perhaps, the chance of finding that ‘happiness’ for yourself in the end would be ceaselessly low.

What about me, you ask?

——Hehe, that is a good question indeed.

Which would you say is the answer?

—— Kate’s POV ——

——After the promised month...

I turned in my final report to Victor, who looked up with a satisfied expression.

Victor: Thanks for this, Kate. For keeping our secrets to the end, and for recording their sins.

Kate: It’s a relief that I was able to manage this job you entrusted me with.

K: I wanted to record all of what I honestly could say were sins, taking laws and morals into account.

Victor: So you did. And the things you specially mentioned were also quite an interesting read.

Kate: I just really wanted to write down what I could about what I felt of the things I saw before me.

I couldn’t make a clear-cut claim that such deeds ‘were not a sin,’ as those were simply my personal feelings,

but I also couldn’t set aside all personal feelings and make a confident claim on all fronts that such actions ‘were a sin.’ It was a last resort, so to speak.

In reality, the things that Alfons did were much like facing a mirror: ‘good’ and ‘evil’ were but two sides of the same coin.

He would show others illusions, drive others to the brink of madness——but some people sought salvation in that very deed.

His job, where he took the lives of others, was without a doubt a sin to be sure——but there were lives that couldn’t be saved without taking those of others as well.

Victor: Well, if you ask me, I’d say these notes of yours are actually essential and valuable things.

Kate: Huh...?

A little surprised, I stared at Victor, who narrowed his eyes fondly.

Victor: I said this from the start, didn’t I? That I wanted you to write what you thought were sins.

V: And in your eyes... they were not people who were cursed to commit sins,

V: but rather another individual like yourself. I could clearly see that as I read your reports.

V: And you did not make assumptions based on statuses, titles, and superficial impressions... rather, you tried to face them before your eyes.

V: It’s that part of you that I truly do believe will lead England to a better place.

With a hint of affection, Victor looked down at the words.

It was the same expression he would occasionally give to everyone in Crown and me.

Kate: Can I ask... why did you and William start Crown?

Victor: Hm? Let’s see...

V: Just as we held the same wish for our country to become a brighter place to live in for everyone,

V: we had also wished for those who could only live within the darkness to freely spread their wings... I would say.

Perhaps I still only knew a fragment of the darkness of the world that spread before them.

But, even so, I had no qualms stepping into that very world.

Victor: Now then, with this you are free to do as you like.

V: So, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you plan to do from here on out?

Kate: Of course you can ask.

I raised my chin in response.

Kate: I would like to continue working as fairytale keeper.

K: Because I want to spend my life fighting against Alfons’ fate.

Much like a swaying illusion,

the Alfons before me slipped between my fingers so many times I had long lost count, leaving my heart a wanderer without a place to call home.

But, every time that happened, hope would once again show up before me.

Kate: I tried looking into it with Roger, and I felt then that there was something even I could do.

K: And besides... the more we relive our memories, the deeper they become a part of us.

K: So, just maybe, if my body — from my eyes to my ears to my nose, and everything — were to take that all in deeply, there could be something left behind in the end.

Victor narrowed his eyes with a smile before nodding.

Victor: ...That’s wonderful to hear. You have my full support.

Kate: Thank you.

Victor: Well then...

V: Have you told all this to the person in question himself about it?

Kate: About that——...

—— Time skip ——

Kate: And with that, I look forward to working with you from now on.

Roger: Same here.

In the report to Her Majesty the Queen, I had written in there about Alfons’ Curse and his ability,

and so, I summarized everything I knew and gave it to Roger, the corners of his lips quirking into a smile.

Roger: But aren’t you a bad lil lady, sneaking part of the report meant for the Queen.

Kate: Well, I would say such reports find their value when handed to a highly competent researcher.

K: I’m sure even if I searched every nook and cranny of England, I wouldn’t find another researcher as earnest about Curses as yourself.

K: So, I was thinking if this could help research on Curses make even a bit of progress,

K: then this would benefit Her Majesty the Queen as well, seeing as she uses Cursed ones for the good of the country, right?

Elbert: ...hehe.

Hearing a laugh that resembled the sunlight filtering through the leaves from beyond a light lace curtain, I looked up.

There, I saw the smile of a beautiful person, who was on a simple bed for an examination, looking at us.

Kate: Did we say something strange...?

Elbert: No... it’s just, I was thinking how the way you speak has come to resemble Al a little.

Kate: Huh?

(Did it really sound like him...?)

I felt heat rising on my face suddenly, and in haste I tried to change the subject.

Kate: Uhm, so what brings you here, Lord Elbert? Did you get injured anywhere?

Roger: He was staggering on his feet from sleep deprivation, so I just gave him some sleeping pills to put him to sleep.

Kate: A-are you alright...?

Elbert: Yes. It happens quite often... so it’s nothing to worry about.

E: ...If there is anything troubling you, though, you can tell me. I will do anything I can to help.

E: So that this time, for sure... this happiness will not shatter for the both of you.

(‘For sure’...?)

His words made me feel a bit uneasy, but seeing a bit of sadness in Lord Elbert’s eyes, I didn’t prod further.

Thinking back, it felt as though until something that could bring about the end happened, like Alfons leaving behind a will and disappearing,

Lord Elbert had always been watching over us from a bit of a distance.

(Maybe someday... I will come to understand what the words just now meant, and why his eyes seem so sad.)

Kate: ...That goes for you too, Lord Elbert. If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know.

Elbert: I appreciate it. ...But, if you and Al are happy together, I couldn’t ask for anything more... I think.

Roger: So basically, you’re gonna continue being Al’s exclusive fairytale keeper.

R: ...So, that leaves us with the question: where in the world is the person in question on the day that marks the anniversary of your contract renewal?

Kate: That——...

K: You’re right, he isn’t here... or anywhere...

The things I had talked about with Victor, and everything else too... I had not yet talked about any of it to Alfons.

It was all because Alfons had gone out somewhere on some whim of his, and had yet to return.

—— Kate’s room ——

Kate: Just where did he head off to...

I knew he knew that today marked the promised day.

(Isn’t he even a tad curious about whether I’ll stay in the castle or return to the city...?)

While I did feel a bit blue, when I returned to my room, I saw an envelope I never seen before on top of the bed.

(I-I can barely read this messy handwriting... it’s Alfons...!)

I opened the envelope in a panic——and on it only the words ‘post office’ were written.

Kate: W-what in the... is he telling me to go there? What is going on——ahh, jeez!

Nothing would come out of me just standing around, so I bolted out of my room.

—— Post office ——

Director: To think not only would you turn in such a formal resignation, but also come greet us in person, that makes me happy.

Director: For the record, if you ever find trouble at your new workplace, you’re always welcome back here.

Director: Oh, yes, that’s right. There was someone who came in telling me to hand you this envelope if you came by.

This time, I was sent to the pub——

—— Pub ——

Pub owner: Hey there, it’s been a while, miss. Did Al make you cry again?

Pub owner: If he does something to hurt you, you let me know. I’ll give him a good blow with the bottle he keeps here.

Pub owner: Oh yeah, before I forget. Here, Al said to give this to you if you came.

And then after that, I found myself in the market that the boy we had saved from the Docklands arson was working at.

—— Market ——

Boy: Ah... m-miss...

Boy: Uhm, at the docks... I wanted to, uhm, thank you... for saving me...

Boy: R-right now, I... I was referred to by the one who got me in the hospital... and so now, I’m working here...

Boy: I didn’t know life could feel this warm till now.

Boy: Ah, and this... the mister from that time told me to give this to you if you came, miss...

—— Kate’s room ——

Kate: Haa... haa... jeez, all that and I’m back where I started...!?

Being sent here and there thanks to those letters, by the time I returned to my room, the sun had already long set.

The final envelope was placed on top of my bed, just as the first one had been——

“Welcome back. I am aware you must have been run ragged the entire day, but if you so fancy, how about a party tonight?”

“If the answer is YES [1], then please dress up and come to the dining room.”

Albeit unreasonable, I still did as the message told, in the end having dressed up like the fool I must have been.

Even the Alfons in my mind was laughing mockingly at me, saying, ‘You truly are so foolishly earnest,’ as I ran for the dining room, and...

Kate: Alfons, what in the world were you trying to do—— ...!?

The sight of the dining table decorated with an extravagant dinner took my breath away.

Alfons: To think you were just run sooo very ragged, and yet you ended up still coming here...

A: You truly are a fool, aren’t you.

Alfons, who was sitting leisurely in a seat,

stood right up and walked toward me, respectfully extending his hand.

Kate: Did something happen? ...Ah, did Victor prepare all this...?

Alfons: No? The one who prepared all of this while you were running all around London was none other than me.

A: Well, how about it? Doesn’t it take your breath straight away? By all means, please praise me with the most colorful words you can muster.

Kate: Wait, you prepared... all of this...?

Alfons: Oh dear, had it slipped my mind? It just so happens I am quite proficient at cooking.

Alfons flashed me a wink as he said so.

Alfons: You may perhaps call it the result of having eaten rubbish for meals, but I can hardly resist anything delicious, you see.

A: It’s a surprise for you.

And with that, he escorted me, still in a daze, to my seat.

Alfons: Say, Kate, how was it, taking in the outdoor London air today?

He spread a napkin on my lap, his breath as he giggled brushing my ear.

Kate: Huh...?

Alfons: I do imagine the post office must have been a nostalgic trip. And seeing as you’re so very honest and earnest, so it must have been a place you hold close to your heart, no?

A: And I reckon you don’t hold many great memories from the pub. Well, anyhow, the place in and of itself isn’t bad.

A: And see, the boy you saved is now living a fine life in the lively parts of London, I would think.

A: ...Did you ever feel like going back?

This man beside me wore the devil’s smile.

It would seem that the real goal behind making me run all around today was not to buy time for a surprise.

——Would going back not make you happier?

He had me go all around the entire day just to allude me to the devil’s whisper.

Kate: You are the utter worst, I swear.

Alfons: Oh my, your words do vex me.

Kate: I guess I will leave the castle and return to my normal everyday life... if I said such a thing, what would you have done with this feast?

Alfons: Why of course, I would eat everything here by my poor little lonesome in tears.

A: You would be free from getting yourself tangled in this tragedy, and I would dance upon this amusing stage, just as I always had been until now. That’s all there is to it.

Kate: Is that so...

K: In that case... here’s my answer.

Returning his look, I pressed my lips on his.

When I bit his lips sweetly, Alfons narrowed his eyes.

His lips wore a smile that looked as though he was looking at a kitten playfully clinging onto his fingertips with its fangs.

Alfons: ...I hear you, loud and clear.

His whisper fell between our lips before my breath was stolen once again.

Kate: Mn... ——ah!

Alfons held me in his arms and lifted me up like I was a child,

and he set me on top of the dining table, causing the napkin that was on my lap to flutter down to the floor.

Alfons: I will return your kiss, directly on your body.

[1] After a bath.

[2] You have bad manners. (+4 / +4)

[3] After we move rooms.

Kate: ——But, doing this on top of a table... it’s bad manners...

Alfons: Dare I say, though, you are not much better in that department, seeing as you’ve tempted me with such a sexy dress, no?

He ignored my protests as if it was the most natural thing, and holding my hand, he pressed it on the table.

Alfons: Heh...

Kate: mngh...!

The palm of his hand slipped in the slit of my dress, slowly crawling up my thighs,

causing my body to jump and the wine glass to fall with a clang.

Alfons: And anyhow, I’m more than sure you have long known by now——

A: I hardly have the sincerity to honor things like manners, no?

Looking down at me, collapsed on the table, Alfons smiled mirthfully,

before he stood up, taking off his coat and gloves.

Seeing him do so, I forgot about where we were as I felt a heat rise within me.

The whole day, I missed him so, so much... and that feeling burned within my heart, to the point it hurt.

Kate: ...This whole day, while I was walking around the city, I couldn’t think about anything but you. You were the only one in my mind.

K: I kept thinking to myself, oh, maybe the next place I’ll see him and whatnot... that was all I could think about...

As my feelings swelled——I took his tie, pulling it toward me.

The feeling of his weight on me was so endearing, I wanted to cry.

Kate: There’s no longer room anymore for something like my old life... everything is just positively filled to the brim with you.

Even if I was made to dance in the palm of his hand, and toyed around with... before tragedy awaited us in the end...

Kate: So what if all of it is a tragedy...?

K: I will see to it that you have so much fun you fall off the stage——

K: And I will show you the world’s most amusing tragedy.

Alfons: ...Hehe, so I see. An ‘amusing tragedy,’ you say...

A: Indeed, if the one playing the role of my dance partner is you, that does hold a charming ring as well.

A: Say, Kate... actually, all of today was exactly for this.

The memory of the night we had first met seemed to overlap and melt together with our connected gazes.

Kate: And what is ‘this’...?

Alfons: Your words, and the way you looked so very angry as you burst into this room,

A: and how I expected you to dress yourself up for this very party, despite how angry you were...

A: It was all to reveal your true love through those things... and relish in that.

Kate: ngh, ah...

Those naughty fingers tickled my skin, lighting a flame in my core.

Heat throbbed where his waist was pressed against me, my legs spread.

Just as he said... even though he was like an illusion who slipped between my fingers, if he sought out my love so greedily...

Indeed, if he were to do something as folly as this,

——I felt my heart might burst from fondness and happiness.

(Tell me more. And carve more of yourself in me.)

(Your words, your heat... and your truth.)

Alfons: ...I see that you are not bringing up anything about the dinner tonight, unlike the cupcakes.

Having seen right through me, my words caught in my throat, and he looked down at me in delight.

Alfons: My, just where did that spirit from earlier go? Come now, tell me, won’t you?

A: In times like this... what do two people who love each other to the fullest do?

My heart pounded in my chest so hard, it was a bit hard to breathe.

After all, beyond the mirage that had vanished, I could now see your true smile.

Kate: ...Dinner can come later.

K: At times like this... we should make a mess of each other and make love.

His thin lips slowly curved up.

Alfons: ——Ah, thank goodness.

A: Truth be told, the menu is all foods that taste good even while cooled.

(Wh...)

Kate: Wait, was this what you were aiming for from the beginning...?

Alfons: Ahha! Mind not phrasing it as though I’m only after your body? It’s quite scandalous, you know.

Kate: I am pretty sure I’m half right though at least...

Alfons: And perhaps the other half, then, may be something like a sincere heart, love, or something of that nature, no?

A: Whatever you wish to believe is the truth itself.

Utterly ridiculous and a good-for-nothing; villainous and insincere at best, he was much like a nightmare.

He loathed tragedies, and he liked cats.

Oh, and he liked delicious things... and probably, me as well.

That was the Alfons I knew——the truth I never, ever wanted to forget.

Alfons: You won’t say something like how you are already at your limit now, will you?

A: ...After all, you will entertain me more, won’t you?

The end awaiting us——would it be a tragedy? Or a comedy? There is no way to know.

But is that not what makes a story interesting?

The characters in the story can only venture onwards, believing in the ending that they themselves wish for.

This love may prove to be the spice that heightens the cruelty of a tragedy,

Or, perhaps, it would become the key that will turn this into a comedy——

But regardless of whichever it turns out to be, the ‘truth’ I want to believe in... had already long been set in stone.

Fin.

Act 3 • An amusing dinner party

← prev fin. epilogue → his side

masterlist🪞 ╱ ko-fi ☕️

NOTES:

[1] The original Japanese text quite literally says [YES] on there, in English letters and all caps. This may have a hidden meaning, so to speak, of Alfons inviting Kate to have sex. At least in Japan, couples may be gifted with pillows where one side says ‘YES’ and the other ‘NO,’ basically to indicate whether you want to do the deed, so it may be a sort of small subtle reference to that.

END NOTES: oh my gosh i half can’t believe i managed to translate an entire main story branch, i feel proud of myself for that 🥹🤍 i feel like this route as a whole was just such an emotional roller coaster, haha. i like how the last part is sort of left on an open-ended note, sort of like how they don’t know what the future will hold, but for now — in this moment — they are happy. i think for them, that is the best thing.

also i really like how kate was even able to get some closure with side characters here too. just the way they put in all the side characters in this chapter, it’s like the things you do will come back to you, you know.

i hope i could do alfons some justice and that you enjoyed the main story of his mad love branch!

꒰ ִ ֺ ⊹ @ tags🏷️ ⊹ ֺ ִ ꒱ @drachonia @.comment, send an ask off anon, or dm to be added or removed!

[orqheuss]

Snake Charmer

(Ominis Gaunt x F!Gorgon!Reader) Fluff? World building? Set up? Who knows tbh. It's a story.

Summary:

Ominis could hear her pulse quicken as she stilled. Everything else in the cramped space fell away, leaving just the two slytherin’s, each one with their own morose history that has been broadcasted for all the world to hear. Two peas in a pod— two sides to the same coin— two scales on the same snake. *** Why was everyone so interested in the new girl? Ominis Gaunt was about to find out.

Word count: 3.8k

AN: because I wanted to write a story about Ominis and a Gorgon falling in love

Ominis was sure he was going mad. In fact, he was positive— some point between the end of his fourth year and the beginning of his fifth, he had gone absolutely batty. That was the only logical conclusion to the fact that he was hearing voices at all hours of the day. 

It started the day the new fifth year won in a duel against his best friend, Sebastian. The Defense Against the Dark Arts class was moving at the same pace it always did: introduction to the new spell, practice on a small object, practice on a larger, vaguely person shaped object, and then finally a duel between each pair of students to prove their mastery. This day, though, took a different turn than what the young blond was expecting. Ever since starting at Hogwarts, Sebastian Sallow was Ominis’ dueling partner; there was never any question about it. It became such a habit that no one dared approach the pair once Professor Hecat announced the beginnings of the school sanctioned battles— you would never see one Slytherin without the other. So, when Hecat decided to pair the new fifth year with his best friend, well, it could be seen quite plainly that Ominis was not happy about the matter. 

As the duelists took their positions across from each other, the blond haired boy leaned against the nearest wall, a distinct look of annoyance turning down the corners of his lips and narrowing his eyebrows into a straight line. Most people would consider the look on his face a pout— not that anyone would ever dare at mentioning this to the boy. Ominis Gaunt did not pout, and he certainly did not scoff under his breath at the sound of his friend joking around with the new girl. What a preposterous idea. He wasn’t jealous, don’t be absurd. 

Though, it was nice hearing Sebastian get knocked down a peg by someone who had never held a wand in her life up until that point. 

Once the class was over, all Ominis wanted to do was slump himself into the Undercroft and take a well deserved nap. His head was pounding, and the near constant whispers of his classmates about the new girl were driving him up the wall. He couldn’t help but make snarky remarks in his head, quietly laughing to himself at the ridiculous questions his classmates were mumbling.

“Why do you think she wears that head scarf? I wonder what’s under there.” 

Hair, probably. 

“Did you hear her accent? Where do you think she’s from? Certainly not around here!”

Ten points to Ravenclaw for stating the obvious.

“Did you see how she was looking at Sallow? She just got here and already thinks she can take the most attractive boy in our year. The nerve!” 

Sebastian has the emotional range of a teaspoon, but best of luck!

“How could you even tell where she was looking? I couldn’t see a thing through those glasses of hers! Why is she wearing shaders inside?” 

Bold style choice, but alright. Not that he could really judge, of course. 

“Do you think she’s blind like Gaunt? Great, another person I have to make sure I don’t trip over.” 

That statement got his attention. Could she be blind like him? He didn’t hear any echolocation charm on her wand, nor did he sense a seeing eye animal or a cane around her. A very small part of him warmed slightly at the idea that he wasn’t alone in his struggles anymore. He craned his head more to the side, trying to catch more of the gossip as everyone began to file out of the classroom.

“No, she can’t be blind. It looks like she can get around just fine on her own— no charm blinking on her wand or anything. Still quite weird, though.” 

Ominis’ shoulders sank minutely at the news, the warmth in his chest freezing over once again. He sighed to himself before pushing away from the wall, deciding to just let his body carry him to the Undercroft on autopilot while he stewed in his thoughts. Sebastian was off talking to the new girl, so he would likely not be joining him until well after his next round of Crossed Wands later that day. Normally he would join the boy, cheering him on from the sidelines with the rest of his fawning fangirl club, and he was about to turn in the direction of the clock tower when the brunette’s voice broke through the haze. 

“Suppose I could interest you in some unsanctioned fun?” 

Well, if his new best friend was going to be there, then he wouldn’t miss Ominis’ presence all that much.

Just as the blond had resigned himself to an afternoon of solitude, another voice came through the crowded musings of his classmates. 

“Gods, I’m starving.” 

A completely mundane statement, one that had likely been uttered by half of the class as they left, but something about the voice drew him in. It was low in tone, like they were trying to hide their voice instead of projecting it to their friends, and had a slight hiss to it just under the words like the person was speaking through a mouthful of fangs. Ominis paused in his steps just outside the doorway, his ear turned towards the classroom as he tried to find the voice again. All he found was silence and the tiny ticks of professor Hecat’s dark magic detectors. 

Shaking his head, he leaned away from the door and made his way down the stairs, his mind puzzling through what just happened. He must have been imagining it, he thought to himself. The voice hardly sounded human, let alone familiar. Must have just been a trick of his mind, he had slept terribly the night before so it was logical he was just tired. Rounding the corner towards his secret alcove, Ominis stepped through the clockwork door to the Undercroft and began to climb down the winding staircase, hopeful that a bit more sleep would do him good. 

Fortunately, he had a lovely nap on the chaise lounge he conjured. Rather unfortunately though, the voice persisted. Morning, noon, and night he heard that incessant hissing tone in his ears, each day getting louder and more bold with what it was saying. First it was small things, things that most people would think to themselves throughout a normal day. 

“Where’s the bathroom in this place?” “My head itches.” “What I would give to take a nap right about now.” 

Normal things. But then, the statements started to get a bit…odd. 

“There’s something under my scale!” “He was rude, I want to bite him.” “I can hear a mouse somewhere. Can I eat it? Please?”

While Ominis was tired of hearing the random, grating voice slither through his ears at a constant rate, he was happy to report that he no longer thought he was going mad. The voice belonged to a snake— that much he was sure of. But, where was the snake? Did it know he could hear it? How was it somehow always in his vicinity? 

That was the question that was currently keeping him up at night. 

Everything culminated one faithful day when he next had Defense Against the Dark Arts. Today was lecture, and much like the rest of his classmates, he bemoaned having to sit and listen to professor Hecat go on and on about some unknown entity or creature that he could never encounter for the rest of his days. It wasn’t that she wasn’t a good teacher, far from it! But, much like any professor in the castle, she was not immune to the dreaded monotonous lecture voice. 

Upon entering the classroom, the first thing Ominis heard was Hecat’s voice speaking in hushed tones to someone. He would never admit it outloud, but the boy was dreadfully nosy. Honing his ears in the direction of the whispering, he caught on to her tone first— caring, soft, gentle, words that normally wouldn’t be found within one hundred feet of the professor— then the tail end of her words. 

“—if you are uncomfortable with today’s lesson, please know that you can leave at any time.” 

An equally soft voice replied in turn, a hint of uncomfort lacing their words. “Thank you, professor. I appreciate the sentiment, but I will be fine. It is not the first time I have been a part of such a lecture.” 

Ominis stilled in his seat, the hairs on the back of his neck standing at attention when he recognized the voice. It was the new girl again. Merlin, it seemed she had everyone wrapped around her little finger, even the formidable Dinah Hecat! 

It wasn’t that he had a problem with the new fifth year, in fact she had been quite nice to him when they met in the common room, it was just that all the rumors surrounding her made her sound a bit big for her britches. First she beat Sebastian in a duel, something no one has done since he started going to Crossed Wands and honing his talent, then she invites him to Hogsmeade with her and suddenly a troll is hellbent on clobbering up the street? Not to mention all the other things Ominis had heard about: taking out Ashwinder camps in her spare time? Flying all over the sodding Scottish Highlands and getting into all kinds of trouble against the Ranrok Loyalists? Sneaking into the restricted section with Sebastian and earning him another bloody detention, because what, she batted her eyelashes at him and he folded like a cheap suit? Who was this girl, and why did trouble follow at her heels like a pack of hellhounds? No, Ominis didn’t have a problem with her, he was suspicious of her, and the fact that the voice started soon after she got here certainly didn’t help. 

The blond sat back in his seat, arms crossed across his chest and a befuddled look clouding his expression as the professor took her spot at the front of the room, tapping her wand on the rickety old chalkboard and writing out the subject of the lecture for today. 

“Today, class, we will be discussing Gorgons, another creature traditionally deemed mythological but in fact walks among us magic folk unseen. Though, they very rarely make the journey across the sea to our backyard.” 

Ominis’ eyebrows narrowed more in confusion as he thought about Hecat’s words to the new girl. Why would she be uncomfortable with this lesson? What secret was she hiding that was related to Gorgons of all things? He tuned back into the lesson, hoping to answer some of his questions. 

Professor Hecat paced around the room as she talked, taking strides up and down the lengths of desks and weaving through her collections of artifacts from her time as an Unspeakable. 

“Gorgons, or ‘gorgos,’ meaning ‘fierce, terrible and grim’ in Greek, are inherently female creatures with snakes for hair and the ability to turn anyone who meets their gaze into stone. Many of you are likely familiar with the myth of Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon that was callously slayed by the Greecian hero, Perseus. But, there are two other Gorgons known in history: Stheno, the mighty or strong, and Euryale, the Far Springer.” 

The room was bathed in silence as Hecat paused in her speech, giving the class time to take notes on the creatures. Ominis sat still, his mind awash with possibilities for why the new girl would need to be excused from this lesson. Her accent was Greek, that was for sure. Could she have a history with Gorgons? That wouldn’t make sense, though. Many students have had run-ins with the creatures discussed in DADA, but they were never offered to skip that lesson. So, why was the new girl so special? 

A sharp, insistent sound shook the blond from his thought spiral, causing him to wince at the volume suddenly ricochetting in his ears. A terrible hiss filled the room, slithering throughout the encompassing space and echoing off the tall, vaulted cathedral ceiling. It was haunting, eerie, constant, like the creak of the floor in an abandoned house or a busted pipe in the middle of the night when you’re the only one home. A shiver ran up Ominis’ spine at the sound, trying desperately to block it out while also listening to those around him to see if they heard it too. He heard no whisperings, but with a quick flick of his wand, sparking the wood to life, he could see the silhouette of his classmates looking around like they were trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Ominis relaxed slightly, relieved that he wasn’t the only one hearing the incessant hissing. 

His relaxed posture only lasted for a moment as a voice suddenly cut through all the noise, low and dangerous like a rattlesnake's tail in the tall grass. It was similar to the snake he had been hearing, but different somehow— richer, more human sounding. Ominis’ heart stilled in his chest when he recognized the cadence, knowing it intimately from all the times he spoke it while living at home. Parseltongue. 

“Be quiet. Everything is fine, no one is going to hurt us.” 

At once, the hissing stopped, shrouding the room in a blanket of silence once again. Dread began to curl its way around Ominis’ chest at the understanding of what that meant— what that could mean for the future of Hogwarts in general. 

Someone in the room was a parselmouth like him, and he would bet all of his galleons on it being the new girl. 

But, what did she mean by “no one is going to hurt us?” Who was “us?”

The professor continued her lecture, drowning the never ending list of questions permeating in his mind that seemed to grow longer by the second. 

“Gorgons are the children of Phorcys, a primordial sea god, and Ceto, a sea goddess, who happen to be brother and sister.” 

A snicker came from the back of the classroom, followed by the voice of none other than Andrew Larson, the class’ resident moonmind. “Purebloods know all about that!” 

Hecat leveled him with a glare, not an ounce of amusement present in her tone as she spoke. “Must you make that joke whenever we talk about Greek history? I dare say it wasn’t funny the first handful of times you’ve said it, Mister Larson.” 

Ominis could almost see the embarrassment on Larson’s face when he stuttered his reply. “Um, n-no, professor. I j-just meant—”

“We all know what you meant.” She silenced him quickly, her smirk present in her voice. “Now, back to what I was saying. Phorcys and Ceto had a large family together, including the Graeae, the trio of elderly sisters that share an eye, Echidna, a being of half-human, half-snake, Ladon, a fearsome dragon who was tasked with guarding the golden apples of the Hesperides, and Scylla, a woman with dog-headed loins. Because of Ceto’s reputation for giving birth to terrors, each larger and more colorful than the last, she became known as the “mother of sea-monsters.” Ominis could feel Hecat’s eyes linger on him for a moment, her speech stilling slightly as she took in his deeply puzzled expression. “Of course, among those children were also the Gorgons.” 

The aging professor continued, her steps ebbing and flowing around the classroom like a steady stream. “According to myth, Medusa did not begin life as a Gorgon. She was Ceto’s only mortal born child— human as any other babe. Some even say she may have been of magical nature, like all of you in this very room.” 

The blond slytherin heard Hecat’s steps falter for a moment, the soft swish of her hand running along a desk off to his right. He craned his ears in the direction, his wand picking up the movement as he tried to discern the student that the former Unspeakable was paying special attention to. The silhouette of a girl filled his mindseye, her form slumping down slightly in her desk as she tugged lightly on the scarf wrapped around her head. Ominis’ frown stretched deeper across his face at the realization that the professor was checking on the new girl, again. What was so special about her? Why was everyone so enraptured by her presence? She didn’t seem all that remarkable when in the school building at least. She was just mysterious. He was mysterious at first, but the fascination with him soon dwindled as his peers realized he was the same as everyone else. 

So, the slytherin pondered, why was she still the talk of the halls? 

Why was Hecat teaching this lesson?

Why was it important for a group of pubescent teenagers to know about something that existed across the ocean from them?

Ominis had more questions than answers, and each one confounded him more and more by the second.

“Medusa was a devout follower of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and war. One night, while praying to her goddess, she captured the attention of Athena’s brother, Poseidon. He appeared to her, intent on taking what he believed should be ‘his.’” Hecat paused, her stony gaze sweeping across the classroom as if challenging anyone to so much as breathe too loud. “He took her there, in the temple, leaving her on the floor as she sobbed and prayed to her goddess for forgiveness.” 

Ominis could cut the tension coating the air of the room like a thick, viscous fog with a knife. No one dared make a sound, enraptured by the words of their wise mentor.

“Some myths say that Athena took pity on the girl and transformed her into something that no man could ever gaze on again. Some say she punished her for leading a man into her sacred temple and letting him defile it. No one knows the true story except those who were there, and the old gods have long since left our realm for their own paradise on Olympus.” 

The apprehension screaming in every magical mind surrounding the dearly loved, and feared, elder was palpable in the tiny class space. 

“Now, some of you may be wondering why I teach this lesson.” As if reading his mind, Ominis felt Hecat level him with a stare that burned hotter than even the most blistering fire poker. “The answer, of course, is that no one knows what happened to the child of Medusa and Poseidon.”

The young Gaunt felt all the air get sucked from his lungs as if a dementor escaped from Azkaban just to find him specifically. A child of a god and a witch? It was unheard of— it was disastrous. Their magic would be unstoppable; nothing in their world would ever match the power of a child brimming with that much otherworldly energy. Whether they used their powers for good or evil, or even some mix of the two, they would be legendary all the same. At that moment, a thought came to Ominis. Would they also be part Gorgon? If Medusa was transformed while with child, who's to say that the babe would not share the same affliction. 

As suddenly as a strike of lightning, or a downpour in April, Ominis Gaunt answered the question that had been on his mind since the start of term.

  The new girl was a Gorgon. 

How had he not realized before? The snakes that were always around when she was— how her head and eyes were always covered— how no one knew where she hailed from and had no hint other than the fact that her accent was vaguely Greecian? It was right in front of his blind eyes from the beginning; he was just too much of a jealous fool to see it. 

Just then the bell chimed across the campus, signaling the impending class change. Professor Hecat’s voice broke through the bustle of his peers standing and gathering their things in preparation for their trek to their next lesson. 

“We will continue our discussion on mythos and magic next week. Please remember to study for the upcoming OWLs! They are written and practical, so be sure to practice the physical spells as well as memorize the theory!” 

Ominis scrambled to gather his things, determined to catch the new girl before she disappeared into the crowd. Dodging around a loitering Sebastian— the brunette’s hand raised as if gearing to make some idiotic, yet somehow still brilliant, point— he all but sprinted into the congested hallway. His wand waved in front of him as he scanned each person he passed, his ears tuned to any noise that sounded vaguely serpentine in the hopes that her reptilian tresses would sound out as they always did this close to lunch time. Alas, they were as silent as a dead rodent in a viper pit. 

Just then, the young boy caught sight of the girl, her silhouette moving ferociously  among the masses as if she would rather be anywhere but there. Underneath all his confusion, morbid curiosity, and pulsating anger at how she has been endangering, and possibly enchanting, his best friend, Ominis felt a pang of pity. He didn’t blame her one bit for wanting to leave as quickly as possible— not at all. He knew all too well how it felt to have all eyes burning through his skin at every turn, even if no one else seemed to figure out her secret other than him. He couldn’t let her escape, though; he needed answers, he needed closure. Halting in his tracks, he racked his mind for what he could do to get her attention. She wouldn’t hear him call her name in the ruckus around them, nor could he keep up with her brusk pace. There was really only one option to choose, and as much as he hated to do it, snakes had an incredible sense of hearing, or rather, in their case, an excellent sense for vibrations. 

His voice flowed from his lips in a strong hiss, the air seeming to break just for the words to slither their way to their target like a bush adder in a pile of leaves. “I know what you are.” 

Ominis could hear her pulse quicken as she stilled. Everything else in the cramped space fell away, leaving just the two slytherin’s, each one with their own morose history that has been broadcasted for all the world to hear. Two peas in a pod— two sides to the same coin— two scales on the same snake. 

Her “pets” were startlingly silent as her hung head raised from its slumped position against her chest, her sigh heaving her shoulders into proper posture— a constrictor poised to strangle. 

The boy felt her words before he heard them— the air stilling around him like a world born anew. 

“I suppose it’s my turn to explain things, then.”

AN:

Shes baaaaaacccckkkkkkk :)

***

like what you read? here's more!

[elrielffs]

People completely forgot that Emerie exists. If it hadn’t for the comment she made about Mor, they would ship her with Az.

They really do and I find that really sad as Emerie is such an interesting character imo.

And people did ship with her Cassian before ACOSF came out. It was the same situation with Gwyn. Cassian and Emerie had a few scenes together and everyone swore up and down that they were endgame or secretly mates, not Nesta!

Also it's funny that most of the fandom blindly accepts that Mor and Emerie are going to be a thing because Emerie blushed at Mor and said she was beautiful once but Vassa and Lucien is ridiculous even when they had much more positive interaction with romantic undertones???

That said I would love a story with Mor and Emerie. If there is gonna be a plot dealing with Illyria, it should firmly go to Emerie, not Az as antis like to say. Az doesn't give a shit about Illyrians.

Emerie though who has suffered under Illyrian traditions and knows many others who have, is now in a position of being the first Illyrian woman to pass the Blood Rite. She already ruffled feathers having her own shop. Dealing with Illyria and healing from the culture, her culture, is firmly in her realm.

Same side of the coin with Mor and the Court of Nightmares and the misogyny that takes place there. Rhysand is the High Lord but Mor is the one that endured the most in the CoN and it's also under her power per Rhys.

I would want a story with both of them coming together and dealing with their respective cultures and helping the women.

I know a lot of people speculate Mor and Emerie would be the novella but I would LOVE to see a whole book on them falling in love and getting more insight into Illyria/CoN and how woman move in that society and eventually, breaking the traditions and reforming said society.

[avelera]

"Nice is Different than Good" Character Interpretation: Hob Gadling as Kind of a Bastard

Ok, slightly controversial take on Hob Gadling Is Kind of a Bastard that I've been toying with. It runs counter to some wonderful let me be clear, amazing fanon I've seen in some fics, so this is much more me going, "Hey, here's a way to do it different that might work better in different stories fan writers might want to tell," and not to invalidate other takes or even to put forth that I think this is necessarily true of Hob in a meta sense, it's just shining a light on the text from a different direction, y'know?

Hob as Neutral Evil (credit to Winter on the big dreamling server for this concept!)

I'm obsessed with the idea that Hob is neutral evil on ye olde D&D alignment chart because it makes so much sense if the axis for evil is primarily based on selfishness.

Primary evidence? How casually he talks in 1489 about having done a bit of soldiering and banditry. Those jobs are about killing people. Maybe not all the time as a bandit, ideally, but even then it's about taking their stuff. There is absolutely zero remorse in Hob's tone about being a soldier and a bandit just because he's at his most wide-eyed innocent and has since picked up a trade.

Hob as Politically Conservative until at least 1789 but possibly until 1989

Hob as far as I can tell is a model of the white male middle class existence in England throughout what we define as more or less the "modern era". As far as I can tell, there's no indication at any point prior to 1789 that Hob rocked the boat or was at all out of step with the Powers That Be.

In general, I kind of see Hob as always just this side of the "wrong side of history" and I personally find it more interesting when that's where we find him. And not in a grand sense but in a "middle of the road" sense of just going along with the day to day accepted levels of harm and evil caused by societal momentum. Generally speaking, only a very small percentage of the population takes active part in moving the needle towards good at any given time on a variety causes, and I tend to see Hob is generally speaking outside of all those minorities of do-gooders, except when it comes to taking care of his immediate friends and family. Which is a pretty average place to be.

Indeed, when it comes to the Wat Tyler rebellion, it's my personal headcanon that Hob was more likely on the side of the soldiers putting DOWN the rebellion on behalf of the local lords, and unlikely to have been interested in or part of the cause of greater equality in England. The fact he's a soldier drinking with his mates openly in a tavern when people around him are talking about Wat Tyler and he's blithely ignoring the discussion is where I get that sense.

Indeed, I believe (though I don't know where to cite it, even in the English Civil Wars, Hob was canonically on the side of the monarchy. So jot that down as Hob being pro-monarchy.

While, yes, I believe post 1789 he learned to be less of a piece of shit about taking active part if horrific industrial-level cruelty, I don't see evidence he became a superhero after that. The one bit of "on the page"altruism we see from him is him flipping a coin to Lushing Lou and telling an obvious alcoholic to go get a drink so she stops pestering his friend by offering herself to him as a prostitute, something Hob seems entirely comfortable with.

In 1989 when Hob gets out of his sleek convertible, dressed like a stock trader, he uses the Financial Times to shield himself from the rain, a periodical that apparently was just lying around in his car. As tempting as it would be to say it's to somehow show off to Dream, he has no reason to believe Dream would come back to his car so more likely, it's just something for himself.

All of these put together show me on the page that Hob stayed pretty fixated on making money even after deciding and coming to regret being part of the "shipping business".

And to be clear, we don't actually know when Hob quit the shipping business. Personally, I like to think he did it right after Dream asked, but that's a romantic take and deliberately so. Hob having the opinion by 1889 that slavery is wrong is not necessarily a progressive take by then. Regardless, even if in 1789 he learned it was wrong, that still puts him just slightly ahead of the curve, philosophically speaking.

If we pull in comic canon we do know Hob was ahead of the curve on feminism by 1912 in Hob's Leviathan but again, women would get the right to vote by 1918/1928 in England after the issue had been discussed for at least a century (keep in mind, male Catholics couldn't vote in England until the early 1800s) so again this puts him as palatable to modern readers but not necessary terribly ahead of the curve.

Now, let me also be clear, where Hob is at in 2022 is anyone's guess. Personally I think Dream not showing up in 1989 was a second wakeup call for Hob. If he'd drifted back towards selfish hedonism by 1989, as his whole vibe suggests, he might very well have looked in the mirror and thought, "What if this is why my stranger stayed away?"

We know he becomes a teacher. That probably would go a long way towards changing his politics. We know he's a history teacher, so now he's got the long view. He's spending time in academia, which tends to lean left. My point is, Hob in 2022 is anyone guess and I think there's a lot of evidence and word of god evidence that he's become a Good Person by then, but I also think it's the 1989 meeting that jumpstarted him being Good and not just Nice. Because I do think Hob throughout all these periods of being morally a bastard was always good to the people close to him in his life. I think he was a good friend and a good husband and would have been a good friend to Dream had he allowed it. And that's what I enjoy most, that he could be both of those things, Nice and Not Good.

Hob as non-religious

I admit, this one is very near and dear to my heart for personal reasons of identifying as an atheist when it comes to Christianity and being a lifelong skeptic of Catholicism for the brief time I was technically a member of that organization (all of which while I was a minor). To be clear there is just as much evidence to say Hob is any number of religious alignments as there is that he has none. It's a totally personal choice by any author, I'm just outlining my evidence for why I write him as effectively an atheist.

The Black Death is considered the period that broke the spine of the Catholic church as a monolith in Europe. All the good priests who did their duty taking care of people and giving last rites died leaving only the ones who fled or were young, with tons of money given to the church because of all the rampant death.

Hob would have been born into an era that was particularly rife with both fanaticism and anti-church sentiment. There was a lot of evidence abounding that being a good Christian just got you killed.

Given Hob is a soldier drinking with his mates 1389, I don't see much evidence of him being particularly devout there. No less so in 1489, by the way. Not saying there's evidence against it, just that there's no evidence for it and indeed, societally there's justification for him to not be devout given the century he was born.

1589 I'd say we've got some evidence Hob isn't devout: he seems unperturbed by King Henry's ransacking of the monasteries. Politically speaking, if Hob is a New Man, he might have even benefited from that ransacking personally. In my personal view, Hob is an opportunist and most likely converted to Church of England at the earliest possible opportunity to curry favor with the Powers that Be. I don't personally see him as someone who would bother pretending to be Protestant while continuing to practice Catholicism, because:

Why would Hob bother to be faithful at all? He can't die. The #1 reason to be devout is to avoid Hell or get into Heaven. Hob has clearly chosen the secular world as the only Heaven he cares about. He says that his current life is what, "He once thought Heaven would be like" and it's a very secular vision of good food and safe streets. He does not appear to be pining at all for any spiritual version of Heaven and indeed, speaks of Heaven as a dream only in the past tense.

Personally, by 1689, I think Hob has plenty of reasons to hate God after what he's suffered and the fact he's still not interested in dying to me seems a pretty strong indication that he does not hold romantic views of the afterlife.

Finally, for 1789 to the present, there was absolutely a class of gentleman who were progress minded, obsessed with technology and the Age of Reason. Many American Founding Fathers were self-proclaimed deists, basically a safe form of atheism that said eh, yes God exists and is out there and we owe him some deference, but he doesn't impact day to day life and we can safely ignore him most of the time. Personally, and this is pure headcanon, I put Hob in that group cheerfully ignoring religion and never looking back because he's more interested in the new technologies of the day and not the crusty old church.

We also know, canonically, that at least in 1789, Hob does not consider himself Jewish.

And of course, we can't forget: Hob has evidence that the Christian cosmology is wrong, somehow, given his stranger and his own immortality.

Frankly, given that Hob appears on the page to be a hedonist with no fear of dying, it's interesting to speculate on what his moral boundaries would be at all coming from a world where Heaven and Hell were the primary means of moral social control. It is possible to speculate that Hob could have gone completely off the rails as far as worrying about his soul for a bit there, other than thinking he's already sold it, which could go either way as far as trying to redeem himself but again, he speaks casually of being a soldier and a bandit, so it doesn't sound like if he worried about his soul being sold already, he thought there was anything that could be done to redeem it.

[lynnlovesthestars]

"I wandered lonely as a cloud"

Pairing: Astarion x gn!Reader (afab for eventual smut) Genre: hurt, comfort. Angst, smut eventually. CW: gore, past trauma, abuse, reference to SA, ptsd, ocd, feeling of inadequacy, fear of rejection, fear of loneliness, anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts[...] Setting: Act 2. Synopsys: "let's pretend we are not alone"

AN: Hello my stars, I haven't wrote a fanfic in a while, though this is a mix between a fic and a collection of one shots. The story is introspective, as we dwell in the story, our focus will be on two lonely souls that find solace in each other's touch. It will not be an action driven story, but fear not, It wont just be cuddles and kisses! (Though we'll have plenty of that) Anyways i hope you'll enjoy this, and you'll find comfort in it.

I'm also going to open a tag list, in case someone is interested. (if the taglist flops, you didn't see it) I'll link the form here so you can avoid leaving it in the comments if you prefer!

Form.

Playlist.

Masterpost.

Loneliness was a strange feeling, sometimes it sprouted when you least expected it, but it hit you the worst at night. It was a feeling you grew accustomed over time, it coated your days, your food, your eyes. In a way it became your way of knowing you were alive, that deep down that emptiness you felt, something akin to a heart was beating, though lonely.

Everyone could see when loneliness was hitting you the worst, cause in the morning you would be more tired, eyebags would sulk your face and you would be avoidant.

The Last Light Inn was finally in sight as you descended the dark and shadowy path that the group of harpers pointed to. The bright glow of encircling the area was the only sign that could point at your way.

Despite the rough welcome from Jaheira and the harpers, they offered you a few rooms so you could rest while you planned your next moves. Jaheira took it on herself to give you a briefing on all she gathered in the shadowlands, but she could clearly see the dark circles under your eyes, and she knew them very well. The eyebags of a leader that needed rest and a warm soup. Little did she know that whatever you felt inside, it was much more than that. It was the thug you felt in your chest, the yearning for even the smallest touch. The need of closeness, like a body pressed against your skin as you dozed asleep. It was the daydreaming of respite in someone else’s embrace, safe and tucked away, though in that moment you wanted to concentrate more on the situation at hand: looking for the beds, cause for once in the past weeks, you didn’t need to set up camp or gather wood, or even sleep on the floor.

The group was directed towards the hen, where the strange ox from the emerald grove was moo-ing about its food. Jaheira gave you a key that would open a hatch where extra rooms would be tucked away. As you descended down the staircase, a soft light glimmered at the center of the space, where four doors were scattered around the empty communal area. A small kitchen sat on the side, while a fireplace was opposite to it. 

Whoever resided here before the darkness hit this place, was probably the owner of the inn and their family. The space was left clean, the harpers kept it in good conditions as they took over the perimeter of the inn.

You dropped your backpack near a door as you took a glimpse of the rooms: all of them had a poster bed that could easily hold two people and a partition to hide a bathing corner.

You opted to divide the rooms with the support of a coin flip. It was nothing against Lae'zel, but when the coin fell and it assigned you to her, you contemplated if you could have set a tent in the middle of the road. Your brain started churning ideas as the rest of the group was knees deep discussing on the beds.

"Oh don't sulk, Astarion" Gale played with the elf as he shoved his elbow in his hip. "I'm not an awful bedmate" 

"There's no way, I'm sleeping in the same room with you again" Astarion whined as he turned his head the other way. Then it hit you. 

Astarion.

Lae, do you mind sharing a room with Gale?" You asked, lowering your tone.

"Tck, are you trying to bed me and Gale?" She shot you a cold glance as you feing ignorance. 

She could think whatever if it meant you wouldn't hear her complaining every night. If you had to share a room with someone, you were oddly more comfortable with the idea of sharing your space with Astarion, and maybe it was for the fact that you were already closer. Feeding him every night meant learning how to share a small space and a closeness you were not willing to share with much people. Then in those nights you couldn’t rest, you’d sit together in front of the fire as you opened up to each other. It was a slow process for both of you, a little at a time you’d feed each other with bits of your hearts. You even mentioned a few times about that loneliness that was always devouring you, though you made sure to sugarcoat it a little, and he was very understanding of the bits you gave him.

You felt that you'd be more at ease with someone that understood loneliness the way you did, someone that wouldn't cross the boundaries unless you allowed him, cause if there was something you liked about him, it was the work he was doing on himself, relearning behaviors he couldn't claim before. Like the meaning of the word 'no', and how to trust, though he still pretended he didn't like anyone.

It was a shield he would put on, so that he couldn't get hurt or worse, rejected. He shared it with you in another sleepless night.

Though elves didn't need to sleep, during meditation something very akin to dreams was happening: your mind would focus on events of the past, over and over again, and you weren’t fond of your past crawling out again unwanted. Nevertheless, you both enjoyed sleep, there was something about those hours of nothingness that it made you breathe. 

Your attention was quickly drawn back to the room when Astarion and Gale were still bantering when Lae'zel lost her temper. "I'm done with you" She pulled out her knife menacingly, a good way to keep Gale in check when he would cling.

She pointed the knife towards Astarion first. "Tck, you take your stuff to Tav" She ordered, everyone's eyes were wide as they witnessed how she put them in check. Then she pointed the blade towards Gale, not a second of hesitation in her voice. "You sleep with me. You take the bed, I take the floor." She didn't wait for anyone's opinion, she picked up her belongings and disappeared behind a door.

You could still hear her complaining through the closed door. "Tchk, I don't like beds anyways, they are too soft"

Deep down you appreciated what she did, she understood more than what she gave away, and you would have to thank her one of those nights.

Everyone looked at each other speechless, before taking their turn to leave. It was an odd silence, a rare occurrence in your not so little marry-band. 

The room was definitely better than what you could see from a glimpse. It wasn't big, but the bed was big enough to fit you and Astarion comfortably, while the partition was just enough to create a nice bathing corner.

The bed was made with a set of linen sheets, and covered with a thick duvet to fight the cold of the shadow-cursed lands.

You dropped your bag on the right side of the bed before making a beeline to the tub. You spent a solid two weeks only in the underdark, the lack of water to wash you was agony.

You made good use of your magic by filling the tub with it, and keeping it warm. You labeled create bonfire useless a long time ago, when you noticed it was not enough to even roast a goblin, but it worked wonders for baths when you were short on time.

You were quick to discard your clothes and sink in the hot water, the steam coated the mirror in the room, as you allowed the water to caress your body.

Only a few minutes in the water passed by, and you realized how exhausted you were. Your movements were slow as you scrubbed away the dirt and sweat from your skin. You untied your hair, finally relaxing your sore scalp as you took your time massaging in your shampoo.

You wanted to go out for dinner, but when you put on your clean clothes, and tucked yourself under the comforter, that inevitable loneliness started growing thick on your body.

You wrapped your arms around your pillow as for a moment you wanted to disappear. Though you didn't want to move from there, you grabbed a book from your bag, your mage hand opening it and holding it for you as you tried to get distracted.

What was worse than being touch starved and in severe need of affection? Picking up the wrong book.

A fantastical love story between gods. If the book could make Umberlee and Valkur fall in love and find balance then why were you still alone?

You wondered if your parents angered a god when they were younger, and as a curse you ended up being shadowed by the incessant feeling of loneliness. 

As Umberlee cradled against Valkur's chest, you couldn't take it anymore. You dispelled the hand, letting the book drop down on the bed, careless if you lost the page you were at.

Your eyes pooled with the familiar salty tears, that night in particular it felt harder to shield yourself from the pain. So before you could fully have control of your body, the warm tears were flowing out like a river. 

It was your routine, in a way, to just let everything out at night instead of bottling it up, though the warmth of the comforter was not enough to satiate the warmth you wish hugged your body, yet you still tried your best to imagine it was a warm body that was pressed against yours. A soft hug that was trying to shield you from the outside. A whisper that reminded you it was okay to feel like this. Yet at the end of the day, you simply hid behind the delusion.

You didn't know how long you stayed there, in that fetal position you couldn't help but ball yourself into. Even after you finished all your tears and all that was left of it was the stains on your cheeks and your wet pillow, before Astarion appeared from the door, you were still cradled in that position.

You didn't speak or move, you just sunk a little more under the duvet.

"I noticed you didn't join everyone for dinner." He walked to your side of the bed, you couldn't see him but you could follow his footsteps before feeling his cold hand tap on your shoulder. 

"So I brought you some food" His voice was a whisper, as he slowly looked around the room, and then to you. Trying to catch what was going on. Insight check: succeeded.

"I know you are not feeling well, darling." He sat on the side of the bed, his hand gently swiping away a lock of your hair so he could catch a glimpse of your face. "But you need to eat something" This was a side of Astarion which you rarely had the chance to see, it was reserved for those nights where you allowed him to drink from you: the ever so soft touch and a voice that felt raw, more.. intimate. It was something that always made you cry later when you'd be alone, the closest you've been to that kind of physical touch you missed so much.

So many nights you wondered if he would be this soft with everyone he'd bed, until he admitted he didn't know how to be kind, caring, sweet, if not for show, and he wanted to give you some kindness back. 

You risked so much for him, including your neck, so he wanted to give you back at least a soft touch before leaving you to sleep, or the closest thing to some affection that he could manage.

So whenever he'd give you even the smallest of touches, you'd bask in it, taking as much as you could even from those small interactions.

His voice shook you from your thoughts again, his thumb swiped away a tear you didn't know you were shedding.

"My darling, what's going on?" You could feel the concern snicker between the honeyed words, trying to coax an answer from your quivering lips.

You wanted to find an excuse, something that would be much more serious than feeling lonely, yet all you said was that last word, a pained croak that escaped your lips.

Your heart clenched tightly as he hesitated just for a moment, wondering how much he could do to help you, without scaring you away.

But then he sat up, he took off the outer layer of his clothes, almost making you wonder if he already brushed your pained confession aside. He quickly reached in his bag for his nightshirt and made his way under the duvet.

He didn’t forget, at all.

With his face to yours he leaned forward, his palm touching your warm cheek as he finally could see you better. You tilted your head, almost silently begging for that innocent touch. Yearning for it.

His thumbs slowly dried your skin, catching the tears that would spill.

You both laid there in silence, you closed your eyes to avoid his stare, which was concentrated in taking in your shivering body.

"I understand," He whispered, almost as if they were hiding from someone. "I feel lonely too, every night" His voice was just like a caress against your ears, though it hid your same pain.

You wanted to say something, but no words would come out. The tadpole in your head squirmed, reminding you of its abilities just for a second.

Astarion didn't hesitate nor forced you out as you probed his mind, and when you were safely tucked in there, you just allowed your thoughts to flow free. Your every emotion spilling like a cup of coffee on the floor, even- accidentally- some of those memories of the loneliest nights where you just wanted to give up.

As soon as you slipped out from his brain, you sunk your head in your pillow, trying to hide those tears that you were starting to hate so much.

You couldn't comprehend what was happening at first, until your warm skin met with Astarion's cold chest. His arms held you close as he waited for you to raise your eyes to his.

He didn't know what he was about to say or do, he just allowed his dead and touch-starved heart to take control. 

Your gazes mixed in the middle, the veil that usually covered his emotions was pulled away, exposing his own hurt, his own need for affection, before his words struck you.

It was the occasional broken syllables that caught your ear, the way his mouth twitched and twisted before finishing a sentence, and the way his body would stiffen as he'd almost felt like a plea. It was not just to comfort you that he did whatever he did, it was for him as well.

He needed it just as much as you did.

His words would still echo in your brain whenever he'd caress your cheek. 

"Let's pretend just for a few hours that we are okay, that we fell in love. Let's pretend to be vulnerable. I'll be here pretending until you need me to, cause at the end of the day, we both deserve to feel loved, even if only for a split second. Let's pretend we are not alone." It was something between a hopeful proposal and a sad begging, something that reverberated through you like nothing has ever done before. His eyes were barely open as he still held you, you could tell from the way his fingers lingered on your exposed skin that he was taking the most out of this, for the eventuality that you'd move away from your grasp.

Instead you leaned completely against him, your head resting against his chest as you nodded.

His body softened around yours, his legs intertwining with yours as he'd place a kiss on your head.

[queenvhagar]

I think the moment the show really went wrong was in episode 8 of season 1. Up until this moment they had a more or less balanced take on the brewing conflict. While obviously more oriented towards Rhaenyra as the POV character and more sympathetic to her perspective, I felt like the other characters were still their own and that the writing was at least somewhat attempting to understand or show each character's motivation, thus giving more balance to the sides. Characters still reasonably existed as versions of their book counterparts, and their characters were not fundamentally altered.

Episode 8 goes away from the previous, more balanced approach to the story. First, they decide to introduce the adult version of Team Green's figurehead, the claimant opposing Rhaenyra in this famous historical civil war, through an original character created to be his panicked rape victim, ensuring the audience will see him primarily as a violent abuser going forward, despite little credible evidence this was his character in the books, in order to make his opponent seem more favorable. Then the Driftmark succession issue is fundamentally altered. On screen, Vaemond petitions the crown directly and a deathly ill Viserys endures the walk to the throne to defend his daughter. Vaemond is executed from behind by Daemon in an instant, and his death is never mentioned again by anyone. Rhaenyra plays no part in his death and doesn't even speak of it. Contrast this with the source material, where Vaemond puts forward his claim to Driftmark on the correct basis that Rhaenyra's sons are not Velaryons. Rhaenyra hears of this and orders Daemon to find him and take his head. Then she feeds his body to her dragon. Vaemond's cousins petition the crown to get justice for what happened. Viserys orders their tongues cut out, and immediately after he is cut so badly by the Iron Throne that he loses his hand.

An approach that could have maintained certain qualities of the on screen depiction while portraying the conflict as more nuanced and balanced: make the original character one of Aegon's paramours, or a whore he brought back to the castle, showing that he is unfaithful to his wife now in addition to his character being a drunk. Have Alicent discover them together and send the girl away with coin and moon tea, scolding Aegon for his laziness and his disinterest in duty. This small change fits with the book accounts of Aegon as someone more interested in women and wine than being king (initially). While this version of the character is flawed, he is not an irredeemable sex criminal who enjoys violence and subjugation of others.

Then, have Vaemond publicly voice his claim to Driftmark, at High Tide, in front of the court, upon hearing of Corlys' injury and illness. When Rhaenyra hears the news, she tells Daemon, and together they plan, just as they did with Laenor in the last episode, that Daemon will act for her. They echo their words from before about how the people should fear their power. This time, however, Vaemond will really die for speaking about Rhaenyra's deception, and Rhaenyra will feed at least part of him to Syrax. Let Rhaenyra have agency and affect the story, while at the same time demonstrating the protectiveness she feels for her family and lengths she'll go to secure power for them. Daemon will still take his life, but it will be at Rhaenyra's order. Let Rhaenyra have the boldness and the fire of her younger self.

Vaemond's cousins come to King's Landing to demand justice. Rhaenyra and Daemon go to court to defend themselves, and they are somewhat shaken to discover that Viserys is on his deathbed and Alicent and the Greens rule in the king's absence. Rhaenyra feels vulnerable without her father. She tries to broker the marriage deal with Rhaenys, and she visits her father in the night to ask for his help.

Viserys makes a final stand to go to the throne so he can affirm Lucerys as a trueborn Velaryon and order the tongues of the Velaryons. As they are seized by guards, Viserys collapses, slicing his surviving hand on the throne as he falls. Everyone sees the throne has cut him. The Greens believe that the throne has spurned him for his unjust actions, and they see once again that the Blacks are willing to go to any length to protect themselves and secure their power. Meanwhile the Blacks refute the idea that the cut from the throne meant anything at all with his ill health causing the fall, and they see the whole affair as having been necessary to secure their power and protect themselves and their own from those who would take it from them.

The king's hand is bandaged before the family dinner, when both sides make toasts to the other as a show of amity for the ailing king, but when he leaves the tension returns and the fight breaks out. Rhaenyra leaves with her sons immediately without a word, as Alicent goes to put the king to bed. She gives him a sip from his chalice, and as she leaves his room that evening she stops the servant, reminding her of the instructions to inform Alicent immediately of any changes to the king's health, understanding that the king is not long for this world and tomorrow could be the day when all their plans start to play out. We can be left to wonder what was in the chalice - was it truly medicine and a continuance of Alicent serving the king in her wifely duties, or perhaps, having witnessed the day's events, and having heard from the maesters that his new wound would never heal, did she take it upon herself to end his life and start the new chain of events to follow?

A more balanced episode 9 would follow the previous characterizations of characters and maintain more of the integrity of the source material. Alicent, Cole, and Otto call and lead the Green Council together, insisting it's necessary for the realm and their family that the Blacks never take the throne for themselves. The search for Aegon occurs immediately, with Arryk and Erryk searching random whorehouses on the Street of Silk and Cole and Aemond going to a specific brothel that holds special meaning to Aegon (and Aemond) with the madame.

Eventually, Aegon is found by the twins in the Sept, where he went to hide when he discovered he was being sought after (and Mysaria sells out his location to Otto). Aegon is brought to the council, where Helaena and Alicent are, and everyone convinces Aegon to accept his crown: the Blacks had Laenor killed, and then Vaemond, and now five noblemen are mute for challenging their power. They didn't hesitate to take Aemond's eye and threaten him with further harm, and they won't hesitate when it comes to Viserys' sons existing with stronger claims than her and her bastards, according to Andal tradition and the Council of 101 AC. Rhaenyra will have to put them to death to secure her power, so Aegon cannot let her seize the throne in the first place. Aegon finally agrees to do his duty.

At the coronation in the Dragonpit, Aegon is crowned by Cole and Helaena by Alicent, and the crowd cheers the both of them. At the exit, Aegon mounts Sunfyre and circles the city in a show of strength. As he flies, he is surprised as Rhaenys and Meleys brush dangerously close to them as the two of them fly out of the city and toward Dragonstone. The Greens, watching from the ground, know that Rhaenyra will soon know of Aegon's accession.

Episode 10 can exist largely as it is, and end the same: Rhaenyra suffers the loss of her father, her throne, and her unborn daughter. Daemon takes an active role in planning to take the throne, while Rhaenyra shows restraint, somewhat paralyzed by the circumstances. Rhaenys and Corlys discuss Rhaenyra's role in Laenor's death and the betrothal of their granddaughters to her sons, and ultimately decide to back her if war should come. The Greens send an envoy to deliver terms (Otto is not present, for obvious reasons) and Rhaenyra receives them in the castle (she doesn't hop on dragonback immediately after giving birth, for obvious reasons). Rhaenyra decides to send her sons as envoys to gauge her support, and Lucerys is ambushed by Aemond in the skies on Storm's End. The last shot of the season is Rhaenyra's look of fury at the news, and the promise of war in her eyes.

[cleabellanov]

Jet-Skiing through identity: a deep dive into Mobius M. Mobius (part 2) 🛥️

Even the kindest of hearts have a trigger point, a spot that can catch a bullet without bleeding; making it part of the heart's anatomy.

I'm only saying that because I associate Loki as Mobius's soft spot("I know you have a soft spot for broken things"), and Loki turning his back to that in s1e2 as the trigger point. Imagine you have that courage, to do something everyone around you thinks is wrong. Then, just as you were going to prove the opposite,our efforts turn to be in vain.

For Mobius's character, this means he has to turn around at 360, to where he came from; with inovative ideas not working, it all comes to accepting defeat.

He manages that excellently in front of Ravonna: caring more about reassuring her everything will work out rather than focusing on himself. Another example of how much Mobius cares about others, even when he should care more about himself.

Episode 4, season 1, is crucial for where Mobius's story is going.

We can see so many interesting things in his conversation with Loki, like the way he handles stress through amusement. Asif this emotion isn't worthy enough, but to be laughed at:

"You like her! Does she like you?"

After all, let's not forget Mobius was already (and even earlier than this episode) catching feelings for Loki. His own words put this straightforward: "Just kind of an asshole. And a bad friend". Notice how he doesn't use any word similr to "traitor". He still considers him a friend, albeit a bad one, after everything he's done. Mobius might do his best to hide it, but he's still forgiving deep down. And it's not even Loki's departure in time and space that matters the most to the analyst. It's his alliance with Sylvie, hinting once again at the jelaousy of his character I talked about in part 1. "It's ruining my reality right now!" in Mobius's words.

But when he is told by Loki that they're all variants, Mobius doesn't simply dissmiss the idea. He could, and should, given the position he is in. But the brightness of his mind, and that little flicker of hope he still has in his Loki makes the difference. After all, hope is what makes us believe: it's the desire of having something to believe in.

Watch his reaction when he is told all this:

He is masking it flawlessly in front of Loki and the hunters, but that raising hope makes him search: is the trickster out of tricks for once? What if, all this time, that feeling he had inside himself but hid away is actually a sign, gently whispering to him there is more he should know about? That is a bravery so different from live action, and battling with superheroes: the bravery of discovery. Loki telling the truth means Mobius living a lie - a scary thought of course, but not scary enough to stop him.

This all drives Mobius to finding out what actually happened with hunter C-20. And the rest is history.

There is a certain honour in telling Loki he was right from the beginning. This new approach, this insight Mobius now gains over everything give him not only a rush of adrenaline, but also the confidence he didn't allow himself before. Therefore, he wasn't just working half a measure. The limits that were set were not part of his perimeter, but of the TVA's. Now that he sees that, he can also break those limits.

He is also free to speak his mind. And Loki is so deserving of these words that this scene right here is one of the most precious in the entire series. Their wonderful dinamc certainnly gives extra points to that.

Now Mobius isn't just an analyst anymore. He is a rebel, betraying the only thing he believes in, the one institution that shaped his entire existence. This rebellion isn't just external, but internal as well. Ultimately, only one part of the internal conflict won, but the other still exist, like two sides of the same coin, spinning and spinning. But he still has the hope that he'll find something better on the other side, and doesn't stop just because it's a hard thing to do.

If it was easy, everyone would do it. (Loki in Thor The Dark World)

I wanted to write more but this is already getting too long (like damn I'm fangirling hard) so see you for part 3!

[yaut-jaknowit]

Really just all around interested in the background to some of your characters. How Vic and Uihoy came to know each other or a story of how they got together. Which one of those dummies confessed first, etc.

Chance of Fate

Pairing: Uihoy (Male Yautja) x Vic'tao (Male Yautja)

Warnings: racism (BUT it works out in the end)

Word Count: 2070

Summary: These two met longer before meeting you. Their meeting themselves was really rough around the edges. Who doesn't like an enemies to lovers trope.

Author Note: I just realized I wrote this slightly like enemies to lovers... that's my favorite trope too. Welp, dug my grave now I'm gonna lay in it.

Masterlist

Ao3

These two are dumbasses. I assure you. It was dumb luck their lives were intertwined with each other.

First off, there are two major differences between Yautjas (in my world). Those home world born and those born off world (mostly on motherships). I believe there’s a little bit of racism between these groups. Each believing they are better than the other.

I’ll let the story below reveal who is who.

As for Uihoy, he wasn’t always our sweet baby boy. Maybe his older years have softened his hide and heart to Vic’tao and you. Vic’tao… hasn’t changed much. Dynamic and static characters.

Hate to say it, but Uihoy acts a tad bit racist in this. BUT we all know he loves Vic’tao in the end. He overcomes these thoughts he was raised with after learning more about Vic’tao.

In the bustling crowd, Uihoy stalked his way through. Smaller than the average male, he’s able to slip between others to make his way through. No pays him any mind. In this city, he wasn’t known for being a big shot back in his home village. Here, he was just a random male, surfing the crowd.

Not that he minded. Uihoy wasn’t going to be showboating in the city of Kov. Mating season was far out. All he needed was a few items of interest before taking his ship back home.

A city like this had his scales itching. Far too many people, too many smells that forced a headache to rouse behind his eyes. It wasn’t a place he wanted to be but a necessary evil for him. Unfortunately. He needed fabrics from the clans of the coast. Kov was the closest city to sell them, being one of the larger cities on Yautja Prime.

As a male at seven hundred years old and higher status within his clan, his coin pouch was heavy on his side. His shorter, yet bulky build was able to move along the crowds with ease. He came to a halt before a known vendor he’s dealt with a few times before.

Ke’nt, a lanky, tall Yautja with light blue accented with white stood in his mediocre booth. Before Ke’nt stood an obvious young blood arguing with the vendor. Uihoy couldn’t help the roll of his bright eyes at the display.

Young bloods. They always thought they were the shit until someone came in and shoved their head into the pile of stink they created. The purple Yautja has done it countless times. A sight he loved to create.

The yellow and blue, unnamed male slammed his fist down on the table keeping the two from tearing into each other’s throats. “This price for these damned fabrics isn’t what you told me!” he shouted at Ke’nt, fury flashing in yellow irises. “You cannot change them in the time it takes me to grab the coins.”

Uihoy deals with Ke’nt occasionally. What the yellow Yautja accused Ke’nt of was an action he’s been known to do with Uihoy. After time, Uihoy has learned how to ensure this middle aged Yautja knows his place with a nearing elder. Violence is always the answer. Words are never enough.

The shoes Uihoy wears make next to no noise as he struts over to the arguing pair and saddling up next to the unnamed Yautja. Before either of them could vaguely tell him to either bug off or just simply ignore him, Uihoy released a bellow of his dominance. Both younger Yautjas paused their dealings and snapped their heads to find Uihoy at the table.

His piercing eyes were locked onto the older Yautja of the two. “Ke’nt,” Uihoy growled the name in a low tone. “Are you pulling the tactic that has failed on me?” The purple Yautja had his chin level, not showing off his throat nor bowing his head while staring Ke’nt with fire.

Said Yautja grunted his displeasure and stepped back from the table. His mainly white arms spread out. “Come on, Uihoy. You are ruining the fun. A male’s gotta make a living,” Ke’nt explained his reasonings while attempting to calm the situation. Uihoy was a male he loved the money but hated how smart he was. Nothing passed those sharp orange eyes of his. Damn him!

Despite the height difference, Uihoy glared from underneath his brows at the taller male. The other Yautja at his side stayed silent for the time being. But the shifting of his impatient body was growing tiresome. Young bloods.

“Your tricks have failed in the past. I can always find another for fabrics. I come here for mere convenience but I’m not below finding another vendor for what I need.” Uihoy ensured his words were stern, letting Ke’nt he wasn’t fooling around with his tomfoolery. “Now, finish up the deal with original price with him.” Uihoy jerked his head to the taller Yautja next to him. “Then, you know what I require.”

Next to Uihoy, the yellow and blue male bristled. He didn’t need help. He could’ve handle this all by himself! From the corner of his bright yellow eyes, he glowered at this short… elder. Wait, not yet. Close though.

“I can handle this myself,” the young blood snarled to Uihoy. The latter just tweaked a brow up before snorting his annoyance. His clanmates wondered why he never offered to train the unblooded or newly bloodeds. The attitude they snarked at him was top of the list.

A huff surpassed Uihoy’s mandibles. But, Uihoy never paid the young Yautja any mind. His gaze was kept on the blue Yautja before him, a glare making the process speed up.

Another long moment passed before the exchange for currency and fabrics had completed. Now, it was Uihoy’s turn. Said male passed over the same amount of credits he’s paid for in the past. Ke’nt never made a peep about any inflation of prices. He’s learned his lesson over the years.

When a few hundred Nok’s away from the vendor’s booth, Uihoy inspected the fabric in his hand… only to realize this was from the coast. The short, thick whiskers along his jaw bristled as his body tensed.

On the verge of about-facing and marching back to Ke’nt, his keen eyes spot through the crowd a form he saw less than a few moments before. In lanky, well built arms held the coastal fabric he was meant to buy. Great, he thought to himself. Uihoy began his path, picking up the young blood’s scent, and beginning an impromptu hunt. The day becoming longer than he’s wanting.

.

Like the hunter he’s grown up to be, Uihoy found his way through nearly the entire city of Kov. The young blood’s scent bringing him to the public transport off world. His brows raised. Where was he going? But, Uihoy had to stop him before he left or else he’ll never get the fabrics he paid for.

Through shortcuts and alleys, Uihoy ended up towards the end of the transport station. These were for transports back to motherships. An off world born? He’s come across them in passing times but to speak with one… He huffed and hurried his pace before his items were lost among the many motherships that circulate across the universe.

The same flash of yellow had him jogging, dodging bodies. Before the young blood had a chance to slip onto the ship, Uihoy slapped a hand on his shoulder and yanked him back down the ramp. The yellow male snarled and reacted within a fair time. There was always room for improvement.

Claws swiped along the barrel chest of Uihoy. A firm grip encased the offending wrist and prevented said attack. Uihoy kept pushing until this Yautja was trapped to the landing gear of the ship. Chest to chest, swapping body heat. Uihoy forced to look up at the height advantage Yautja snarled at him. “You have something of mine,” he rumbled at the young blood. His hands tightened when he attempted to squirm his way free. Uihoy wasn’t letting him go. Not until he had his fabrics.

Trapped against the stronger male, he grunted while attempting to make his escape. It was futile. With a huff, the young blood settled down and glowered at the male he recognizes. He’s the one who he saw only moments before leaving Yautja Prime; at least, tried to. “What are you pauk-de talking about?” he snarked and raised his upper mandibles.

Uihoy’s hands increased their strength in retaliation for respect from this young blood. His own mandibles twitching as he did his best not to challenge this little gnat and shove his face into the ground.

A jerk of Uihoy’s head led the young blood to glance at the fabric in his hands. This wasn’t what he paid for. Something he couldn’t even afford! “That. That is what I’m talking about,” Uihoy snapped.

Similar to a Xy and a full moon, the trapped male peered down at Uihoy with wide eyes. The latter mentioned Yautja gave a deadpanned expression to him before letting his hands fall away. Uihoy stepped backwards to offer a respectful space between them.

In one hand, Uihoy offered what he had been given back to the yellow Yautja. The other limb held out a free palm, awaiting the item he had paid for. “Give.”

The young blood grunted and placed the silky fabric into Uihoy’s waiting palm. He grabbed what he emptied his coin pouch for and stared down the male before him. “Must have been a mixup,” he tried to ease the conflict after the problem had been solved.

A fight was the last he wanted to deal with. He didn’t want to nurse unnecessary wounds on the ride back to his mothership.

Uihoy snorted and rolled his bright orange eyes at the small comment. “Of course, an off world born wouldn’t have noticed,” he retorted, adding bit into his words.

From the depths of his chest, the young blood snarled and lowered his head, body drawn taunt. “Say that again. I’ll show you how much better we off world borns are compared to the same old, same old borns of this planet.” Now, the fight became necessary.

At his sides, Uihoy’s hands twitched, ready for the fight. “You have no danger while living freely on those ships. We have to fight to survive out in the wilds of our home planet. You have no planet to call home,” Uihoy growled and puffed up his chest.

Despite his smaller size yet bulky build, Uihoy has proven time and time again he’s capable to hold off his own against someone either larger in height or build.

As the offending Yautja goes to open his mouth, the ship’s captain announces its last call. It was the last one for the cycle. He couldn’t miss it.

Standing back up straight, the young blood flexed the muscles in his legs to launch himself back onto the ramp he was shoved off of. Uihoy followed his every move the whole time. The other male pointed at finger down at him. “Remember this face and name: Vic’tao of Loloor Mothership. I can’t wait to wipe my feet on you.” This ‘Vic’tao’ entered the ship, on the safety of a difference territory.

If Vic’tao hadn’t been so lucky, Uihoy would’ve dragged the male back out and teach him a harsh lesson. He’d rather not deal with the authorities if he fought on mothership grounds. Different rules and laws.

He snorted to himself before turning on his heels and following a path back to the private docks he parked his ship at. It was an event he would forget… but the name he would look up once back home in Qav’f. Only to satisfy his curiosity.

These two would keep meeting in passing times before their anger melted. It seems harsh but these are Yautjas we are talking about.

Once the two forgave their rage for another, the two decided to hunt together. When hunt brothers grow close… things could get messy. Feelings are spilt, miscommunication may happen, untruthful words are said but in the end, they figure it out.

During a night of boiling anger that two hurricanes fed into each other, Vic’tao spat out his confession to Uihoy, surprising himself….

Uihoy had known for a long time. Before even Vic’tao had known for himself.

It was Uihoy who fell first but Vic’tao fell the hardest.

[bibibbon]

Shoji be like "Guys, don't riot aganist racism. Be nice to the racists, so one day they wake up and develop a conscience. Then they'll stop discriminating aganist you 😀"

I can see how that might of came of that way but honestly I disagree. I really don't think that's what shoji intended or even did.

When shoji confronts spinner he doesn't actually say that they shouldn't riot about mutant rights but he is much more upset and angered about them attacking a hospital full of innocent patients and civilians that have done nothing wrong. Personally, I think shoji has a point here what will attacking a hospital do? How will that help their case for justice? And how does doing all of this in a big city (big cities usually have less discrimination as stated in MHA) help with mutant justice around all of Japan? Heck shoji even gives spinner the benefit of the doubt and asks him what his plan is? But spinner doesn't have one and that's the problem.

Shoji has experienced discrimination and he has seen and lived through the difference that the discrimination has in the city and countryside. Both he and spinner and aware but take different paths and while I admit that the whole mutant discrimination plot line is underbaked and underdeveloped this is set clear within the story.

I think there's also quite an interesting approach to this from hori himself since he very much depicts the opposing side (aka spinners side) as hypocrites. Iam not a huge fan of this depiction but it's interesting to see how some would go to demonise someone just like them for not agreeing with their views. It's interesting how it's another mutant who went through the exact same thing as shoji to call him a monster. It's interesting to see two mutants fighting and one calling another a traitor because they are ignorant and don't understand. It's interesting to see how discrimination can create even more divide and fuel even more discrimination within a community .

Yes MHA has a problem with not fully delving into this or actually showing shoji or other mutant heroes fighting for mutant equality worldwide and staying silent but even spinners way of fighting ends up being a bit hypocritical in the end. Sure the intention may of been good but the execution wasn't. What were they going to get out of it and how was it a good plan in the first place?!?!

I admit I find both spinner and shoji's ideologies to be two sides of the same coin and incredibly flawed on their own. Spinner and shoji's ideologies must both co-exist in a balance to truly achieve a positive change.