#I gotta say I love what Priestess has going on

[qedmirage]

Episode 14 clear!

And there we go. The climax to our Arc 2 plotline, finished. As usual, gameplay thoughts above the cut, story thoughts below. I feel like there isn't actually much to talk about with the gameplay in chapter 14. The new mechanic of Active Orignium storms is interesting at least; tiles will have Pollution, and a nasty storm that gets stronger and larger each time it touches them circles the map. Plus, some enemies benefit from being in or crossing the storm. The Beacons being used to steer the storm is neat, but the deployable beacon only shows up in 3 stages, so outside of puller/pusher strats there's not much interaction with it. There is a very cute moment in 14-1 where a large number of Originium Slugs look at the Originium Storm and just run away. An 'even speedwagon is afraid' moment. The second half of the mechanics, dealing with the Revenants on the airship and in the Assimilated Universe, doesn't stand out as much to me. You basically have swarms of lil' baby units you want to keep separate from the main units, or they'll eat the small guys to empower their attacks. Works well enough in the main stages but frustrates me in HI-2 because of the sheer quantities of mans they start out with; it ends up feeling like something that really WANTS you to have massive AOE DPS. Special mention to the new flying Chalice enemies, which absorb a portion of the damage suffered by all enemies in an aura around them, have giant HP pools, and 0 defence. And you know what that means:

On to the story. Spoilers abound!

Episode 14's story is long. It has to juggle the resolution for the Self-Salvation Corps, Siege, The Followers, the Taran rebellion, and also the RI gang going up to stop Theresa. It juggles all these plotlines...okay. I felt I came away from it all with more questions about 'Theresa' 's goals and motivations than answers. Okay, high points! First off, chapter 14-10 has an amazing cutscene in it, where the narration talks about the struggles of different members of the Exemplars to get Siege to the 'stone of the sword'. As it does so the image pans up, scrolling as Siege and the sword advance, the narration shifting to the different members of the Exemplars as it does so. The full piece is amazing:

my cinematography! A high point of the story.

Okay, since I know I get a ton of non-arknights players reading these, I'll warn you in advance that this isn't really a full summary of the story, of everything that happens in chapter 14. But I will drill down a bit on one bit, because people make a lot of memes about her and I think she's one of the more interesting parts, and that's Priestess.

Priestess was first mentioned in chapter 8, RI's ship has an AI called 'PRTS', and the map interface has 'Eyes of Priestess' written along the bottom. She (in as much as she has a gender) has been haunting the background of the game, and we don't really learn much about her until Babel and then again now. Back in chapter 8, she's someone who holds Doctor's hand as Doc goes into the Sarcophagus for the first time, and says this:

Well, we've given the writers a few more years to figure out what they want to do with her, and they've landed on some fun stuff! Priestess only appears in person after the airship contacts the originium crystal Ammannan, with everyone being almost instantly devoured by crystals. Like, doc sees this:

And then comes to rest in a dark room with Priestess. Storywise, Priestess is the only known surviving precursor other than Doctor. But she isn't out there 'in the flesh' ; she seems to exist as a digital consciousness inside Originium. And while Doc doesn't remember their past, she does - including their civilization's last struggle before its death, and the decisions they made as a result.

In Priestesses' telling (Which may not be accurate - other characters have disagreed), Originium is a record of their civilization to leave far beyond the disaster passes. The harm that it may cause to other civilizations along the way is irrelevant; it is THE solution, and all those other societies were going to die anyways.

She's very devoted to Doctor, having been with them for a long time; she describes her first introduction of herself as:

"My name is Priestess, a linguist. I am researching the final sound waves emitted by planets as they die. I like quietly spending my time alone, but I also wanted to find someone to explore the universe with."

and it's unclear just how long they were together, but their transhuman hyperspace adventures clearly spanned quite a while. Back in Babel there's a line where Doc references the 'billions of lives lost' in the search to an answer for that disaster, and we also get a firm answer for how long Doc was in stasis before Theresa awakened them: 13,021.9 years [BB-ST-2]. Priestess has been sleeping within Originium for at least that long, and this is where we get to the final neat leg of Priestess's character; her patience and supreme confidence that things will go her way. See, Priestess is an antagonist. From what we know so far, she wants to see Originium flood over the surface of Terra, converting all the life on its surface. She wants Doc to give up and retreat into despair. But Priestess is also loving and affection to Doctor, in the calm way of a long life, and she's confident she knows what Doctor will do. Her words before parting in 14-19 sum it up well.

It's calm, welcoming, caring. But there's a manipulative quality to it, right? Amiya and Kal'tsit are 'doubts'. The entirety of Doc's involvement in the surface world is 'grand rhythms and minute pulsations' destined to fall into silence. At the same time she's far from a standard anime yandere, as she doesn't actually do anything to stop Doc's involvement in the surface world, and wishes them well as they go. After all, why not? She's immortal, and so is Doctor. She can be patient. You will return to her side. ... Okay, some last notes. It's really funny that in the Assimilated Universe, the 'The Matrix' - like construct inside Originium, Logos the words and grammar wizard intuitively understands that the place 'has its own grammar' before Kal'tsit tells him to not study it too deeply. My man got put in a computer and almost instantly was thinking on how to hack it. The Follower's drama with Shining and her dad (sorry I am not copying those names over) is very abstract but I think I get it after a while. Poor Liz, I hope she can find a happy life. Also as Arknights is a game by otaku who definitely read Fate/Stay Night, if your dad is a Matou Zouken you are obligated to kick his ass with your girlfriends. It'll be really hard! But you gotta do it. Finally, I actually have this book on my back shelf, 'Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition'. A sort of study of scientists poking at ways to live in space and survive the heat death of the universe and all that, with a bit of a lens of 'aren't these guys kooky' if I remember correctly. It's been over a decade since I last cracked it open. BUT I do remember that the segment on how to survive Heat Death introduces, as one concept, creating a virtual world that would slow its clock rate down as the usable energy lowers, extending the last few perceived seconds of its inhabitants into infinity. Given the literal demons Arknights has in the form of Collapsals I think the disaster that befell Priestess and Doctor is somewhat more direct, but it was neat to see digital arks as a long term survival method again. "Until the stars fall", huh.

[dawneternal]

now my head's splitting at the seams

✴︎ in the labyrinth of my pain, would you find me?

✴︎ Azriel x Valkyrie reader, platonic Cassian x reader

✴︎ Summary: you miss a few days of training, down with a bad migraine. It turns out Cassian has a few misconceptions about your condition and, possibly, about pain itself.

✴︎ Warnings: mentions of nausea and vomiting (no descriptions), pain, toxic positivity and ableism, internalized ableism, Cassian's a jerk in the first half. Also I'm so sorry for the tense changing back and forth 💀 I would definitely not call this one a masterpiece

✴︎ Word Count: 3.4k

AO3 Link / Writing Masterlist

✴︎ Notes: somehow writing out my feelings about having a migraine turned into something pretentious about pain and ableism. I think a lot about John Green's "pain is the opposite of language" and how much that's changed my perception of pain

Also listen I love Cassian and I have no problems with him but I had to pick someone to take my feelings out on I'm sorry 💛 also just want to acknowledge that everyone experiences migraines differently and it's not a topic I'm an expert on so I'm sorry if you don't feel well represented by this.

Tbh I could write several essays about the way pain and disability are handled in the acotar books but that's for another time.

Letting out a frustrated groan, you squeeze your eyes shut tighter and twist your knuckle into the pressure point at the base of your palm, chasing the momentary relief it'll give you from your nausea. It works for a minute, and you're considering making your way to the bathroom before another wave hits you when your bedroom door flies open.

"You're late," Cassian's voice bellows through the room and he doesn't see you wince. He strides into the room, footsteps booming across the floorboards, and he's left the door open behind him, letting a traitorous amount of light into your dark room. What good were black out curtains if your darkness was going to be invaded like this anyways?

"Oh my gods you've got to talk quieter," You curl tighter around yourself, head clutched in your hands.

"So you're hungover?" He stops near your bed, arms crossed as he towers over you.

"No, I have a migraine."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

You squint up at him, scowling, swallowing every bad word threatening to spill off your tongue. Though maybe he deserves it for coming into your room without asking.

"Please leave," You say quietly, all the venom you could usually imbue into your voice completely swallowed by your current condition.

"You've missed three days of training." He says by way of answering, definitely not following your request to lower his volume. "You can't coddle yourself like this."

His words punch the air from your lungs. Coddle? Something terrible is rising in your gut, along with the desperate thought that you can't deal with this right now.

"I'm not - this isn't - I don't think you understand how much it hurts." You scramble for words, cheeks heated from pain and anger.

"You've gotta push through it," He says, no hint of sympathy.

"Cassian please."

"I'm not leaving until you agree to come with me."

You don't have time to respond before you're running to the bathroom and throwing up whatever you'd managed to keep down last night, head throbbing with every movement.

Breathing hard, you lean back from the toilet and clutch your head in your hands. The silence rings in your ears and you aren't sure if Cassian is still there or if he finally took mercy on you and left, until his voice makes it's way to you, with just a hint of remorse in it -

"I'd better see you up there."

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

Cassian did not see you at training that morning, and you're assuming you've bruised his ego because the next day he doubles down.

The thing is, Rhysand knew of your condition. The other priestesses knew. It's only Cassian being out of the loop and if he understood what a migraine felt like, you're certain he wouldn't be dragging you up there. You were used to dealing with people who didn't understand, had worked hard to learn how to give yourself kindness no matter what other people said. But it's like he knew exactly what things to say, what buttons to press to undo all of that progress.

It was like he'd pulled off your armor, piece by piece, leaving you cold and exposed. Going back to that world where weakness was your given name and it hurt worse than stepping into the ring and fighting the pain. If you could prove him wrong, just make it through a couple of hours, you could return to your sanctuary of darkness. And at least then, you wouldn't hate yourself on top of everything else.

So you followed him up to the training ring, struggling to open your eyes all the way in the morning light, hunched over to make the pain down your shoulders and neck just a bit more bearable. You sway on your feet, but Cassian either doesn't notice or doesn't care.

When he moves aside, revealing your small, huddled frame trailing beside him, Gwyn gasps.

"Cassian!" She cries, her tone scathing, and the hint of smug triumph slips from his face. It disappears completely as Gwyn rushes to your side, folding you into her arms to block your eyes from the light. You groan into her shoulder and go limp in her arms, grateful for the support.

Azriel stands to the side, watching with narrowed eyes. His arms are crossed over his chest like Cassian's, but there is no determination or judgment in his posture or expression. There's angry, crackling flames as he watches the redheaded Valkyrie thread her fingers through your hair and murmur soft comfort.

"She missed training all this week," Cassian says, but he's not barking any more. He's feeling a little bit small underneath the glares that pin him where he stands.

"Yeah, we know," Gwyn says, and it's the closest she's gotten to snapping at him in the whole time they've known each other. She turns to you and her eyes soften. "Let's get you back to bed, love."

"No," You murmur, guilt and shame bringing your resolve to the surface once more. You gently push her away to stand on your own, raising your squinted eyes to meet Cassian's. "I can do it. I'll be fine."

She watches you take shaky steps to the nearest mat and begin stretching, body obviously stiff from a few days in bed. You're conscious of all the eyes on you, far too sympathetic for your liking. This is exactly what you hated.

"Are we starting or not?" You let out a stiff laugh, too aware that your words are lightly slurred. That is absolutely not helping the hangover accusations.

The other priestesses shuffle to get into place, bumping into each other as they move to find their positions. There was still a horrible silence, crackling with fierce anger, all rippling in Cassian's direction. He halfheartedly called a few orders, visibly uncomfortable with the energy in the ring.

And you tried. You tried hard. To move your body through the stretches like normal. But your muscles protested every move, threatening to lock back up, sending stabs of pain through your skull. It didn't take long for the nausea to take over, forcing you to the edge of the ring, doubled over and dry heaving.

"This is ridiculous," Gwyn scoffs before she's at your side again. "You're going to back to bed."

"I will not be weak," You growl at her, panting as you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand, "I am not lazy."

Gwyn's head snaps around to find Cassian, mouth dropped open in fury as she silently dares him to confirm that he may have suggested weakness to you.

"You're not and you know it," She says softly, hauling you up and leading you away from the training ring. “Don't do that to yourself.”

Cassian is feeling like he's surrounded by wolves, all the glares that are being sent his way. He understands by now that he's messed up, and in front of a group that may not be easily inclined to forgive him. He's sure every single one of them has experienced the disbelief that he foolishly shoved your way. For their pain, or for anything else.

He thought you would snap back to your normal self after a bit of warming up, shake off your symptoms with a bit of movement and sunshine. You were strong enough to, if you wanted to. He'd seen it before. He thought you just didn't want to.

A small, firm hand lands on his arm and he finds himself looking down at Nesta. There's sympathy in her expression, but her eyes twinkle with the threat of a nasty bite if he dares to say anything stupid.

"She gets them after particularly bad flashbacks," Nesta says, "Or sometimes they're just random. Madja says there's no fix for the pain but darkness and sleep."

Cassian's stomach twists so terribly he thinks he might puke, too. In the midst of attempting to instill resilience, he's understanding that he knows nothing of this kind of pain. This is something different, something that cannot be conquered in the same way as emotional pain, as every day aches and injuries. You are a soldier in a battle he has no strategy for.

He may understand the concept of emotional resilience, of getting back up and into the training ring when you don't want to. But this is different.

The final blow, the thing that makes him want to cower and hide, is meeting his brother's eyes. Seeing the fire there transports him back in time, sending flashes of a smaller Azriel pushing himself too hard, determined to show the world that he'd never be less because of the damage to his hands. Fighting against words far too similar to the ones his own brother had spouted to you this morning, desperate to become strong enough that no one would ever doubt his pain and live.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

It was not a surprise that Cassian found himself in Rhysand's office later, confessing how thoroughly he'd fucked up, desperate for a little direction in how to fix this mess.

"It has to be their choice," Rhysand is saying, eyes meeting Cassian's over his glass.

Cassian's mouth opens and closes as he tries to conjure a response. He knows that. Of course he knows that. But apparently, his brain had not wrapped around how far that concept might go.

Cassian let out a grunt as he sat back in his chair, arms crossed. Rhysand knew he didn't have to push any further, he recognized the conflict in his brother's eyes. So he sat with him, quiet, while he processed.

"Do you want to know what it feels like?" He broke the since after a while, as the idea came to him.

"What?" Cassian blinked, startled from his thoughts.

"A migraine," Rhys explained, "Do you want to know what it feels like?"

Cassian frowned, studying his brother's expression for anything resembling amusement, but there was none. So he nods.

Not even a full second later, his skull is attacked with throbbing pain, deep in the base of his neck. He hadn't even noticed the fae lights before, but now they overwhelm him, causing a dull pain to surface behind his eyes. Nausea curled up his throat, threatening ruthlessly.

"Oh gods," He leaned forward and clutched his head in his hands, finding that his limbs trembled under his own weight.

"Do you push yourself when you feel like this?" Rhysand asked softly, not taunting. Prompting.

"I don't really ever feel like this," Cassian grumbled out.

"Hm," Rhysand mused, his brows drawing together. He'd experienced episodes like these often, under the mountain. He knew that Azriel struggled with them through his teenage years, like his brain still struggled to process his senses outside of a dark cell.

Deep in thought, he only remembered to ease up on Cassian's mind when his brother whimpered.

"Some say pain cannot truly be described with language," Rhys says, gaze somewhere else as Cassian gulps down air. "And that your pain is one of the few things that is truly yours, that you can never share. Even if you manage to describe it, it will never be felt by anyone else."

"I thought she was just hungover," Cassian says, but he's not defending himself. Rhysand knows.

"What if she was, though?" He tilts his head to the side, watching his brother carefully.

And that is the thing that had begun to unfurl within Cassian as he stood surrounded by the priestesses he'd wronged. He understood that having true control of your body meant that dictating how pain is handled had to be yours, too. He understood that pushing someone to deal with pain in his own way was a violation in and of itself. He had stepped into the world that you had carefully balanced and re-built around your condition and dared to tell you that you may have done it wrong.

"Will she get better?" He asks, thinking of the agony he'd just experienced for a few short minutes. The same one that you'd been experiencing for three days, now.

"It's hard to say," Rhysand shrugs, "Madja says she will likely experience these off and on for the rest of her life, but she may have some periods of remission."

He tilts his head at his brother again, "You know that a majority of the priestesses have an invisible disability of similar kinds, right? They won't get better. They will be in pain every day until they die."

Rhysand sighs, thinking of the hundreds - possibly thousands - of tins of salve that Azriel has gone through, numbing the pain of his nerve damage. Trembling hands hidden in black gloves, tucked into his body and away from the world. And that is the reason he's bothering telling Cassian of any of this. Otherwise, he might let him figure it out on his own.

"But the healers-" Cassian begins.

"Are there to help them cope with their emotional pain and trauma," Rhysand nods, "But some of them, a lot of them, were disabled as a result of what they went through and will never get better. Like Clotho.”

Oh.

It clicks in Cassian's mind, then. Who else Rhys meant. Who else Cassian had insulted. He had never barged into Azriel's room, insisting that he still train even when he could not flex his fingers without wincing, without trembling too hard to hold a glass of water. But he'd done it to you, in front of him. And that pinned his disbelief on Azriel all the same.

Azriel's pain, your pain, were enemies that neither of you could defeat. And here he was, shoving a sword into your hands, and insisting that you try.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

A soft knock sounds against your door, so quiet you almost don't hear it. You stare at it, wondering if you should pretend that you didn't. But then the knob turns slowly and it opens just a crack, and a soft voice is saying into the darkness,

"Hey, it's Azriel. Can I come in?"

Your breath catches in your throat, and you watch his shadows dancing back and forth through the thin wedge of light he's letting in.

"Sure," You say, moving quickly to smooth your rumpled clothes and tangled hair before he steps in. You're not exactly sure what he thinks of you after this morning.

He steps inside and closes the door behind him. His eyes seem to glow in the darkness, an amber-honey color, and somehow you can still see his shadows, like they're even darker than your room with no light.

"I just wanted to check on you," He says, crouching down beside your bed so you don't have to sit up.

"I'm okay," You say, still getting over the surprise of the Shadowsinger in your space. It's true, though, you suppose. You're used to all of your other symptoms by now, and your heart hurts worse than your head.

"He's an idiot sometimes," Azriel says, basically spits. A smile begins to spread on your face so he continues, “Like, sometimes he's just an asshole, straight up. But this time, believe it or not, I think he actually meant well and was just an idiot.”

“I know,” You give him a sad smile and all of the anger melts from his face.

“I think he went to buy flowers if that makes you feel any better,” He sighs. You know he's just as mad at Cassian as you are, maybe even more mad. But he still can't help vouching for him. It's definitely going to take more than flowers to forgive him, but it's a good start. You also appreciate that Azriel has bothered to warn you ahead of time, in case you wanted to avoid Cassian's apology.

“How are you feeling?” He asks, so quietly. And you wonder who else has earned this tenderness from him.

“It's not too bad right now,” you say truthfully, though you know that sitting up or going outside might be pushing your luck.

“Still hurts?”

“Yeah. Still hurts.”

He nods. “I can try something that helps me, sometimes.”

You search his eyes for a moment, then nod.

“Can I touch your face?” He asks, almost a whisper.

Your heart leaps into your throat and you fight to keep your face neutral as you nod again, no idea what he's planning to do with you.

Slowly, leaving enough time for you to stop him, he reaches out. He's not wearing gloves, like usual, and in the dark you can just barely make out the uneven silhouette of his dimpled, scarred hands.

His fingers land gently on your forehead, and he presses his thumb between your brows. Gently at first, and then harder, circling a tender point under your skin. It makes the pain in your head sharper, and you let out a hiss.

“I know,” He says, “Bear with me a minute.”

You close your eyes, biting back a whimper, but after a moment the pain begins to ease. He keeps going for a few minutes and you feel your whole body relax, pain free for the first time in days.

You don't realize how much you've leaned into his touch until he gently pulls away and you find your head falling forward with him.

“What is that?” You open your eyes and blink at him.

“A pressure point,” He grins, and it almost looks like he's blushing.

“That's magical,” you say. You hesitate for a moment, and then, “you can sit on the bed if you want.”

Azriel smiles and straightens, and you move your pillow to the side to make space for him. He slides off his boots and sits on the bed next to you, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. You place your pillow next to his lap and settle back into it.

“Thank you,” You say, your body feeling lighter than it has in days.

“Of course,” he says.

A silence settles, but it's not uncomfortable. There's something in it that you understand. He's just keeping you company. Here to sit with you in your pain.

It's easy to relax in his presence, between his calm aura and the pain relief he's offered you. And you find yourself spilling the question that's been circling though your mind since this morning.

“What if I can't fight, someday? What if I can't be a Valkyrie anymore?”

Azriel stills beside you. It's a long moment before he says anything. You're tense beside him, and it makes you flinch when he brings his hand so gently to rest on your head. Not moving, just resting.

“First,” He says, in the same soft voice, “You'll always be a Valkyrie. Because you cut the ribbon. Because you sisters will never let you go. And because I know for a fact that the Valkyries did not strip their warriors of their title if they became disabled by an illness or an injury.”

“Really?” You breathe.

“Mhm,” He hums in affirmation. You forget sometimes that he knows the Valkyries from more than history books.

“And second,” His voice drops lower, like he's sharing a secret with you. His hand moves, fingers slipping gingerly through your hair. And it makes you realize that he came here with his hands uncovered as an offer of solidarity. Combing his scarred fingers through your hair, he is offering you vulnerability, like recompense for what you bared this morning. A trade. A truce.

“If you cannot fight,” He continues, “Then you will show the world that a formidable woman can be made from more than fighting skills. You will still be - will always be - something incredible.”

Tears prickle at your eyes, form a lump in your throat. You reach up to grasp his hand, the only thank you that you can manage in the moment, and he lets you.

There's another silence, as he holds your hand in the dark.

“Who helps you?” You ask, turning to look up at him. He watches your eyebrows knit together, so serious, and he swallows a smile.

“What do you mean?” He says.

You bring one finger up to tap the space between his own eyebrows.

“With your pain? Who helps you like you helped me?”

“Um,” He shrugs, “Sometimes Rhys if he has time. Otherwise, no one.”

That's what you thought, but it still makes your heart twist in your chest. It takes a deep breath before you have the courage to say the next words out loud.

“You should tell me next time you're in pain. And I'll help.”

Azriel stares back at you, something bewildered in his eyes. Because he sees your suggestion for what it is. The same thing he offered you. A trade. A truce.

A beginning.

“Yes,” He whispers into the dark, and his hand closes around yours. “I will.”

[simpforpeterp]

lucifer morningstar x reader

CHIP ON MY SHOULDER

summary: based on the song with the same name from legally blonde the musical. the reader, an angel, driven by love, follows their partner into hell, only to face betrayal and mockery. they then encounter a mysterious and charismatic man who offers surprising insights and advice.

warnings: not necessarily a warning but gender neutral reader, no use of y/n. also the partner is gender neutral and described with they/them pronouns. use of the word pretty to describe reader.

word count: 1.03k

"How did it come to this? All I wanted was to be with them, to follow them, to be by their side. And now... I'm here." You mumble under your breath, kicking brimstone as you walk.

You walk over and sit on a broken bench, your wings are tattered and dirty. As you look up at the dark sky, you begin feeling the weight of your choices. Following someone you loved all the way down to Hell was stupid. You were blinded by how they made you feel, you followed them as they fell from Heaven despite being in good standing up there.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? An angel far from home?" A man steps out in front of you, stopping his walk.

"Look, man, whatever gross things you have to say about me being an angel, I've heard it all today. So just...forget it." You cross your arms.

"I wasn't gonna say anything gross. It's just...you- uh, look out of place. To say the very least," He tries and you finally look up to see him. He's not very tall, he's very pale but he has this nice blonde hair that keeps you looking at him. "May I sit down?"

"Go for it. It's not like I'm...high priestess of where people sit in Hell." You say tiredly.

"New here?" He asks.

"I guess. Not really. I'm not...I'm not one of you people, I'm not meant to be down here." You tell him.

"If you're in denial, that's fine but at least-"

"No, really! I didn't fall, I'm on a shitty visit," You insist. "And I know, I just said a bad word, whoop-dee-frickin'-doo."

"Why would you ever want to visit here?" He laughs.

"Love."

"What?" He turns his attention to you.

"I followed where love led me and it apparently brought me to my very own personal circle of Hell," You play with your fingers as you look ahead. "And I made a big show of it too, coming down here. Now I have to go home, hat in hand. I wish I were dead at this point."

"You've gotta be more specific, babe." He sighs.

"I came down here because my dumbass partner broke too many rules and started saying these crazy things! So, of course, I'm an idiot and I follow them down here. Instead of the tragic love story I thought I was gonna get, they go and make friends instantly and turn into a completely different person. And here I am, just someone they mock with their friends. I wanted a Greek tragedy and got...whatever the opposite is."

"Did you seriously come down here to follow 'love' of all things?" He laughs before clearing his throat and covering his mouth.

"Oh, what got you here?" You wave it off.

"I'm an angel too," He sighs and you immediately turn to face him. "I was an angel."

"But you look so different."

"I've been down here for a while."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I had this idea they didn't like about rehabilitating sinners to bring them to Heaven. I was young and I was dumb and instead of persisting and trying to convince them, I got mad and slept with a human. And then I did it again. But then I fell in love with the first human and we got sent here together. We're not together anymore, messy divorce. So I'm not a big fan of love. Love is what got me here, alone and unfulfilled. I loved her more than anything, she gave me my daughter. But this place changed her for the worst and she left both of us. I wouldn't trust love for anything."

"I'm sorry but that's highly negative. Just because you have some kind of chip on your shoulder about how love hasn't worked out for you in the past doesn't mean it can't in the future. And you didn't think you'd go down the same path as Lucifer after doing the same thing? They practically have street signs up there that say not to sleep with humans." You laugh.

"Do you even know what Lucifer looks like?" He smirks.

"No, they have no pictures up there. Why?" You laugh.

"Hold on, I've got a picture," He sighs as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out something you can't quite see fully. "This is one of him sitting with some weirdo on a bench."

Before you can fully process what he just said, he scoots the slightest bit closer, showing you a mirror with the two of you sitting together on full display.

"Oh my-" You choke, falling backwards and almost slipping off of the broken bench.

"You know, people down here aren't usually real with me because I'm King but this was a nice talk. A breath of fresh air," He smirks before standing up. "And just a warning, these people are really awful, I'm sure you haven't even met the worst of the worst. If I were you, I'd just go home and sacrifice your pride. Actually, no I wouldn't. But you probably should. That asshole who left you is an idiot; an angel as charming and steadfast as you should be cherished. This was fun."

"Wait!" You say as you lift yourself to stand beside him. "How did you...how did you get used to it down here? In case I don't feel like swallowing my pride."

"Love." He chuckles.

"Oh, you're an asshole," You point a finger at him before laughing. "I like you, Your Highness."

"Haven't heard that in a while. And drop the formalities, you've insulted me too much to not be on a first-name basis." He jokes.

"Alright, Lucifer," You say, a hint of a smile forming. "Thank you for your advice or lack thereof. I think I'll stay a while longer."

"One thing I will say is, that chip on your shoulder can be your greatest ally. Let it drive you to be stronger, and fiercer. In Hell, that's the only way to survive. Especially for an angel as resilient and honestly, as pretty as you are."

[galaxygirl-katie27]

Rio/Merag Redesign

Click for better quality!

More notes about the Redesign under the cut!

-Okay, first of all- BURN SCRAS. Queen was so long in the hospital after her fire accident, completely wrapped in bandages and there is literally nothing showing?? No, girl is a survivor and it shows. If the writers decide to put her in the hospital for like 75% of her screen time, then at least show the consequences that came out of it. She also can’t completely open her left eye anymore. It’s not blind, she just can’t completely open it.

-She also has PTSD from the incident and is afraid of fire ever since. She can stand it with loved ones around, but she‘ll never go alone near a fire again, because it gives her major flashbacks. (Rio isn‘t the only barian with PTSD. Honestly I think all of them have it, some more so than others for different reasons.)

-She is also officially a jock girl. We saw her rock every sport possible at school. I think in my redesign, she wouldn’t be in the drama club, but in a sports club, like football or basketball (probably even being captain). And for those wondering what her shirt says, it says „Heartland Academy“. The 48 actually being related to her star Merak.

-Although she is a confident queen, she still has some demons to deal with and isn’t really comfortable with showing ALL her scars (hence the sport leggings under her shorts). It actually took her a lot of time to go out again after being released from the hospital. But with the help of her family, especially Ryouga and Durbe and her friends, she‘s slowly healing.

-I also headcanon her as a lesbian. I confess to being a Rio x Anna shipper. Especially after seeing prompts and fanart of them bonding over burn and explosion scars. Love me some mechanic and jock lesbians.

-I think the Greek nationality explains itself, since she‘s Ryouga‘s twin. So if you want my reasoning for that, check out my Ryouga/Nasch redesign.

-Of course she has the sibling ring and the friendship bracelet with Ryouga and Durbe.

-Now to Merag. I tried to make her look like her barian form and also using lighter colours for her, since I used darker ones for Nasch. Also gave her the tiara she has in her barian form, because she is ROYALTY.

-I also gave Merag actually short hair and a long veil, to kinda give the illusion of long hair, because back then it was unusual for women to wear short hair. But she wanted it short, because she also practises sword fighting. Durbe was teaching her in private. She‘s actually better than Nasch at it and always kicks his ass in (sword) duels. This could also be a reason, why Rio is so frustrated at losing to Ryouga in card game duels. Because her soul was so used to winning against him.

-SHE‘S AN ORACLE. She was bestowed the gift of foresight by Apollo. She gets visions of the future. It’s mostly why she became head priestess. She also got them way less, when being reborn, because she and her soul had to get used to regularly getting future visions again. They could be big visions, like enemy‘s approaching or just small things. Like in the middle of doing something she suddenly spaces out before saying: „Oh my Abyss, Vector is going to fall down on the parking lot in 10 minutes, I gotta see that-“

[mickimomo]

Everyone's reaction when Shuri said she was sleeping with Namor:

Excerpt from Chapter 4 Storm (nsfw)

Book 3 of The Sun and The Sky

This is the link

“Are we going to act like you weren’t holding hands with someone when you came in.”

“Oh no. I held someone’s hand.” She mocked.

“Enough of this nonsense.” He kissed his teeth. “Are you fucking a fishman too?”

“When I want to.” She shrugged before grabbing a grape and popping it in her mouth.

M'Baku:

M'Baku was suspicious and needed a confirmation. Unfortunately, his suspicions were correct, and now he's livid.

Shuri:

Shuri came to the party for her best friend. Now, if you wanna f around and find out, she has no issue keeping it 110% real. M'Baku poked around and found out. 💀 And she does not care.

Namor:

K'uk'ulkan is impressed by Shuri's forwardness. Sure, it could have been worded better. But better out than in, am I right? 💀 But now he's gotta be cool, calm, and collected because M'Baku is pissed.

Attuma:

Attuma been knew and he does not care. He's just vibing with the woman he loves. 🤣😭

Okoye:

Okoye was the first Wakandan to know of their relationship, but she has to act like she wasn't to avoid getting pulled into the fire. She supports it, as long as Namor keeps it cute.

Ayo:

Ayo was suspicious from the jump, but didn't want to say anything. But now that she knows, she doesn't know what to say.

Everett & the Dora Milaje:

Everett is kinda shocked, but this ain't none of his business. So he's gonna mind it. And the Dora are on the same page with him. 🤣😭

Aneka:

Aneka is impressed, but low-key wants to know why she didn't get to know sooner.

Oni:

Oni is feeling a lot of emotions, but she refuses to act on them because this is only her second day back in Wakanda and maybe she's missing some context. Because why else would her best friend be messing around with the man that drowned the Queen of Wakanda? Welp. If Shuri likes it, she'll love it for her.

Namora:

Namora never really cared for Attuma's pursuit for Okoye or Namor's pursuit for Shuri. However, after throwing hands with a certain priestess two times, she may understand where they're coming from. While sitting next to, said priestess, she's not studying anyone else in the room but her while eating. But that doesn't mean she won't run her spear through anyone who dares to run at her cousin, so M'Baku better check himself before he gets wrecked. 👀

[fieldofdaisiies]

I have not yet read a court of silver flames, and I swear I intend to but first I gotta finish the throne of glass series; however i'm very intrigued by this situation with Gwyn and Az and the ribbon, could you explain what that's all about? I see it everywhere and I don't understand 😭

Gwynriel and the Ribbon

oooh of course💙 since you haven't read acosf, I don’t want to spoil anything, but I think I somehow have to in order to explain it. also tagging @gwynrielweeksofficial here. I know the ribbon thingy was on day 4 but I only got the ask today. so here we go:

Nesta befriends Gwyn who is a priestess from the library (not sure if you know that if you haven't read acosf yet). Gwyn has experienced terribly things in her past and is first scared to leave the library, but somehow is the first priestess to do so as she has become Nesta's friend and loves her. Emerie, who is from windhaven, also joins them and together they start to rebuild the Valkyries as this is something Gwyn has done a lot of reading on. the Valkyries have died out after the war 500 years ago and now they want to bring them back. they do a lot of Valkyrie activities and training techniques, like mind stilling, fighting and research on them.

in order to become a true Valkyrie you have to cut a ribbon which is extremely difficult.

Cass and Az always like to mock them a little and give them super difficult tasks and sometimes act a little arrogant when they pass a task, because they are cocky and proud Illyrians.

But actually Azriel seems quite interested in it, but you know broody, stoic shadowsinger does not really let it show and so acts rather indifferent, although he catch him looking over at her many times. 

So he is like yeah you did amazing and does not act really impressed, although I think he is

And I believe somehow Nesta, Emerie and Gwyn want them to be impressed by what they can do and want Az and Cass to see this and be proud.

And then there is scene about the obstacle course that Az and Cass built for them and Az is all like you can never finish it anyways and Gwyn is like „what do we get if we manage“ because she is sure they can. And Az is like yeah yeah, clearly amused by her (also totally starting crush haha)

And then Nesta says, "Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon? […] You're the new ribbon, Az." -> somehow like Azriel is her new challenge and making him believe in her (which he already does but not shows)

No matter if is this is a romantic line or not, it is important. It is important and significant for Gwyn’s healing and her future. The ribbon represents a challenge, one Gwyn is ready to take on, so I in the broader meaning I think it fully stands for Gwyn's healing. This challenge of leaving the library, of being ready to face the outside world and maybe also finding love and making choices herself when she has been robbed of them once. 

I said that before, but I am not a fully committed Gwynriel shipper as Azris will always be my number one, so I really hope it all makes sense I described everything clearly. lots of love💙

@headcanonheadcase just felt like tagging you here, if I got anything wrong please feel free to tell me so 💙

[alyjojo]

Thinking of You - February 🫦 2024 - Aquarius

Whole of their energy towards Aquarius: 7 Pentacles

Clarified by Ace of Cups, and The Lovers is out here too, both kept showing up in the preshuffle. This person wants to date you, but they assume there are other people involved, The Lovers & 5 Wands both show other people, competition, options. They want *the* one, it’s like these other people around you piss them off, even if you’re just on a dating site or something. Dating casually. 7 Pentacles shows they’ve either been waiting on you, or they’ve expected this to move further/faster than it has. 9 Cups at the bottom is either showing that this is their wish, or they see you as kind of indulgent and out to suit yourself, since 9’s are a single energy. You do what you want, and they have no say, basically.

Feelings: The Lovers

The Lovers with The Star at the bottom, they could see you as a Twin Flame - true or not - they feel a powerful magnetic or spiritual pull towards you, like *they know* you’re meant to be a love in their life. But you left them? 5 Pentacles shows them feeling abandoned, left out in the cold, dismissed. 2 Cups follows, this is showing they know you have/had feelings for them, they think it’s love, or they just have feelings for you, but 3 Cups rev, you won’t reunite with them. Maybe they haven’t had the opportunity. If this is a friend, you could be dating people and not even looking at them in that way, but you’re still close, you may not know at all. The Moon follows The Star, and The High Priestess shows them being quiet or hiding feelings, you could be unaware they even feel this way. If they haven’t said anything, they don’t want to mess anything up between you. They’re waiting to shoot their shot 🏀

Intentions: The High Priestess

Keeping quiet 🤫 Being secretive, “feeling things out”. King of Swords clarifies, which is Aquarius’ energy, further showing they don’t tell you how they feel. This can also be them trying to see how you feel without actually saying anything, they have no idea what you actually want or don’t want, and until they gain some perspective on that, they intend to do nothing but go with the flow. King of Swords can also be them trying to shake off the feels and approach things logically, if they’re going to tell you, how would a King of Swords be receptive to…emotion? You intimidate them, and a possible rejection does, especially if there’s a deep friendship between you.

Actions: 5 Wands

Because of 7 Pentacles being the main energy, it’s most likely that this person is going to keep quiet like they intend, because they’re inwardly conflicted on what you want or how you feel. They don’t want to make it weird, and they don’t want to lose you, if you don’t feel the same. They also don’t know what you’ve got going on with other people, there’s not a lot of open communication here and you seem to be dating around but not committed to anything. Or are you? They aren’t sure. It’s possible that if they do decide to speak up, it’s going to be some drama over other people, possible competition & egos get involved. If you’re dating someone, they might not like this person. This person may have waited until you got involved in the first place to be like…wait, I have feelings! And they can feel this connection ending, even though it’s not what they want. Idk, a relationship takes two and it’s not looking like you’re aware of anything - The Moon. Or they have no idea what you’re up to, how you feel, anything, you don’t talk about it. Your messages are encouraging. If there are other people in the mix, they gotta go, otherwise it looks like it’s up to you.

Messages:

Their side:

- I fantasize about you daily.

- Darker skin tone

Your side:

- Everything leads me back to you.

- OBSESSED 🤩

Possible signs:

Heavy Pisces, Taurus, Cancer & Aquarius

If you’re dealing with:

Strength with King of Swords, you could be holding back communication or speaking your truth regarding certain people or situations. This can also show having gone through difficult experiences, needing strength, but feeling secure in your own power over things. In some cases you’re not letting out or letting lose all what could be, using your discernment.

Aries - something may have hurt you before, but if you give it another chance, they’re going to pleasantly surprise you - 6 Wands

Taurus - making dreams come true, being sneaky about it, could be surprising you, it feels cute, positive, romantic, the bottom shows a lot of passion & good times 💘

Gemini - angry you’ve healed and moved on

Cancer - going from 0 to 100, because they’re happy or it’s regarding something that makes them happy, could be surprising

Leo - doesn’t know what to think right now

Virgo - a workaholic, or someone toxic at work/home, drama seems to follow them

Libra - there’s a new start with the same old shitty behavior, they think they’re going to humble you or something, probably jealousy, /next ����

Scorpio - could be pregnant, or something material is growing beautifully for them, could be career related, or they’re just looking good 🥵

Sagittarius - loves you, possible soulmate, could be acting single and there’s shady shit around that, or you could go from single to deeply bonded very quickly, instantaneously

Capricorn - is very nurturing and loving towards you, gives you everything they’ve got, or switch it, there’s a mutual respect here

Aquarius - thinks you’re hot & flirts a lot, making the first moves towards you, or they want to get you alone 💋

Pisces - one of you is there for the other one during a difficult time, could be a break-up, or a job loss, it’s a supportive friend connection

[trans-elrond]

okay i feel like you knew this was coming but. the last kingdom.

omg i am SO SORRY IN ADVANCE, also i have really only started the osmosis process a few months ago because so many of my rop mutuals seem to be into tlk. it's set in ... i wanna say 7th or 8th century England, but please do not burn me at the stake if I'm multiple centuries off. girl help my historical specialty is like, bronze and iron age greece, i'm probably way off here. i think it's based off novels by that Bernard guy??? what else has he written? i think I tried reading one of his books in high school and was bored to tears. oops.

the fandom generally seems to dislike the protagonist uhtred, who might be a fail white man and is also possibly a mary sue, either way he's surrounded by better characters. everyone seems to love aethelflaed, who is very beautiful, maybe i do have an osmosis crush on her. there are a lot of confusing names on this show so i admit i googled her name because i ALMOST called her aethelred but that's a man who is apparently a king (is that her father???) and i blame ur username for throwing me off on that one. idk there are a lot of characters here to deal with!!!!! too many ae- names i think!!!

i am aware of the queen/knight dynamics between aethelflaed and the guy with a terrible haircut. al something. i am so sorry but i will not sully this response with a 2nd google. they have a cool dynamic but never are actually lovers onscreen and i agree with kat that actually consummating the relationship would be worse than the sexy fucked up devotion/loyalty/fealty thing they have going on. anyway the scene i am most aware of (because of kat) is that they're heading into battle and their odds are bleak and she orders him to kill her in case she gets captured but the moment comes and he can't do it!!!! now THAT'S devotion!

uhh there is also apparently a small and niche but very passionate group of ot3 shippers with the two of them and some other guy, possibly a king of some sort? @aadmelioraa and @wildwren have definitely explained it to me before and i gotta admit i'm into the dynamic. there's also a cool looking ... priestess... pagan... lady... named skald? skyld? skuld? sk-something i am SO SORRY FOR BUTCHERING THIS anyway she's been in a lot of gifsets lately but i think she dies?? i think someone said RIP in one of those gifsets?? i Really truly do not know any more about her but imho she's hot

umm okay coming up on the end of my knowledge but Brida is the brunette who's very pretty and might be in a relationship with Uhtred but I think she dies...??? the show ended after season 5 but there's a movie called seven kings must die coming out and i did see the trailer for that but given that i clearly do not know very much about this show i was very confused about what was going on <3

[dreadfutures]

TOTK ENDING SPOILERS

So I absolutely loved the dragon sky fight. It was cinematic, it felt good to play through, it was a literal upwelling. At the same time as it absolutely felt like a step above the Calamity, it also felt like -- this Link isn't intimidated, this Link has done this before, this Link is ready to take this guy down.

I did enjoy the Ganondorf fight, and the display of his swordsmanship! He perfect dodged me so many times. But it did feel slow. Like literally sluggish. The way he moved was just...like he was floating slowly toward me, and I gotta say it wasn't super scary. Even when he became the Demon King, Master of the Secret Stone it felt slow and not threatening. But my big complaint is...still don't super get his motivations. Like he wants to rule the world, why does he want to destroy all life?

Okay so my big gripe tho is that saving Zelda should have been a quest. It should have been separate. At the very least, it should have involved talking to Rauru and Sonia. Let it be a quick conversation about how idk people who become dragons with secret stones to seek Power or Immortality lose themselves forever, but Zelda did it because of LOVE FOR HER FRIENDS (if they don't wanna say she loves link, which like, SHE DOES) and so the power of love will remind her of who she is!

But it really should have been a quest. I kept going to Impa being like "you said we'll find a way to fix Zelda, let's find a way" and stuff. But no progress.

Overall I really enjoyed the game and will love playing it to 100% and I hope there's DLC! I'm (probably on purpose, fuck u Nintendo) still confused about the timeline. Sonia was a HYLIAN, she was a PRIESTESS, so Hylia was already a thing on the surface and not in the sky yet. Or, Skyward Sword had already happened? it being Ganondorf means Demise was already sealed right? But if Skyward Sword happened already, where is the Hero, why are Sonia and Rauru so ignorant about the Hero and the Sword? Why is it *Rauru's* sealing power, his light power? Zelda in BOTW is the Goddess Blood Princess, right, according to Kass.

Is Sonia descended of Zelda/Hylia? Or is she before Zelda/Hylia?

Like always I feel like Nintendo was purposefully like "what will people try to place this as? alright how can we fuck up every possible placement in the timeline, we are actively hostile to ppl who want to know that"

Anyway, my fic is going to be largely canon compliant except for two things -- the Hero is descended of the Fierce Deity, and saving Zelda needs a reason and a good adventure to figure out how to save her.

Also, Link should have kept Rauru's arm...or lost his arm in the end. Let the poor boy retire.

AND WHY DID YOU TAKE AWAY MY SHIRT!

[authorautumnbanks]

Wish I Could Curse You (11)

Series Master list

"Good morning, Suguru."

Suguru blinks. His eyes still a bit clogged from sleep. He smiles and reaches a hand up to touch Kagome.

"Mornin'," he replies, his voice low. How long has she been up?

Kagome giggles and presses her face closer to his. "Tell me you love me," she coos, running a finger down his chest.

His heart stops. Is she coming around? She wants his love?

Suguru smiles. His heart races. He opens his mouth.

"That's not Kagome," Satoru says.

Suguru frowns and pulls back.

Kagome sighs and snaps her fingers. A cloud appears in front of Kagome and just as quickly as the cloud appears, it disappears, and left is... Shippo.

His muscles tighten like he's been doused in a bucket of ice water. The chill grabs ahold of his bones and he grits his teeth to stop from chattering.

"I almost had him, too," Shippo grumbles, snapping his fingers as though this is nothing but a game to him.

Suguru sits up. Of course. This is nothing but a game to Shippo. He's a trickster. But still, he wishes it had been Kagome begging him to love her.

Wait.

"Where is Kagome?"

"She went to wash the clothes and should be back. I've been tracking her energy," Satoru answers. He perks up. "Here she comes."

"What are you... why is there a pile of heads in the middle of the campsite?" Kagome asks, shifting the basket to one hand and scratching her head with the other.

Suguru sits up and stares. Satoru didn't... he glances at Satoru, who puffs his chest out.

On second thought, Satoru did.

"You like em?" Satoru asks.

Kagome sets the basket of clothes down and crosses her arms. Suguru sucks in a breath. That priestess fit is modest, but damn, he wants to bend her over. Satoru let her go wash their clothes dressed like that alone? Someone should have woken him up. He would have helped her.

"Like them? Are they gifts?" Kagome bends down next to the impressive pile of demon heads and animal heads.

Satoru nods, but his chest deflates. He glances at Suguru, but Suguru just stares back.

What the hell does Satoru want from him? He doesn't know how Kagome is gonna react to a bunch of heads in the middle of camp. Whatever happened to buying flowers or chocolates?

"Shippo, did you put them up to this?"

"I thought you would like them," Shippo says, running his claws through his fluffy tail. "Dad said he got Mom lots of heads and other gifts when he was courting her. And Papa Satoru let me help too."

Kagome runs a hand down her face and shakes her head.

Seriously, how many heads did Satoru collect? He counts at least ten. No, twenty?

"Okay. For the record, I love flowers." Kagome picks up one head by the horn. "I guess we could take these with us and give them to Sango. She could make weapons out of them." Kagome sighs. "Gotta say I am a little impressed that you were able to collect this many in such a short amount of time."

"So, you do like them?" Satoru asks, puffing his chest out once more.

Suguru curls his lip back in disgust. Dear Kami, is Satoru preening like a damn peacock?

"I like anything you guys get me, but I love flowers."

Suguru rubs his temple. How long has he been sleeping and why did they let him sleep for so long? Or is he still sleeping because this morning has been nothing short of absurdity?

"There are flowers in there," Satoru points out.

"... In the eye socket?" Kagome snorts. "I see I was worried for nothing. You all seem to get along just fine. Though Shippo, I'm surprised you wanted to join in on this."

"Well... he wanted to impress you and I got to help too, so that was cool. InuYasha never lets me go with him when he hunts and stuff. And these demons were terrorizing people, so we didn't just kill demons that were minding their business."

Satoru leans over and ruffles Shippo's hair. "It's good to know how to protect yourself. We can do some more training later. Father and son bonding."

Seriously, just how much did they let him sleep in? No one thought to ask him if he wanted to absorb some more demons? Course not. They wanted to collect the heads like some barbarians.

Suguru stands and walks over to Kagome. "Can I talk to you?"

She tilts her head. "Sure."

"Without me?" Satoru complains.

Suguru looks back and rolls his eyes. If Satoru wanted to talk to Kagome, then he had plenty of time to do while he was sleeping.

"You have me," Shippo chirps, drawing something on his notepad. Satoru leans over and picks up a crayon.

"Don't take too long. I might get jealous." Satoru ruffles Shippo's hair again.

Suguru flips Satoru off, and then places his hand on Kagome's back, leading them a little way outside of camp.

"Everything good?" Kagome turns and his insides may as well be jello.

Suguru steps forward, crowding her space. He tilts her chin up and kisses her. His hands slide down, caressing her curves through the fabric. He squeezes her ass. Something about this outfit makes him want to corrupt her.

"Suguru," she murmurs.

Her voice breaks him from his haze. They don't have time for that, though he wishes they did.

"I just needed to touch you," he apologizes. The image of her leaning over him is fresh in his mind, even though it was just Shippo playing a trick on him.

Kagome flushes. "What am I gonna do with you?"

He breathes and lies his head on her shoulder. "Love me?" He needs her love more than he needs air. More than he needs food.

This wasn't supposed to happen. He isn't sure when it did. But loving Kagome comes so easily that he can't think of a time where he didn't know what her affection tasted like.

Kagome sucks in a breath and wraps her arms around him. "I can do that." She runs her hand down his back. "You've been sentimental since we've been here."

"Always been crazy about you," he says, placing a kiss on the mark Satoru left on her neck. Perhaps he should make one of his own. Maybe one closer to her heart. Or on her inner thigh, somewhere only he and Satoru can see.

"You seem lighter, too. We should make it a nightly routine. Taking care of you. I don't know how you never broke taking in so much negative energy."

Suguru lifts his head and stares ahead at a tree behind Kagome. He's been broken all this time, searching for her light. His eyes were too closed. His spirit was too broken. His heart wasn't open to finding her when he needed her the most.

"I did break. I broke away from jujutsu." His voice cracks. "When I stepped away, I was labeled a curse user."

"For walking away?"

He inhales and tightens his arms around her. "I killed them."

"Killed who?" She asks softly, still running her hand down his back.

Your family. "The villagers. I killed them. I snapped, seeing the twins in the cage. Nothing I said was getting through to them and I..." he trails off, swallowing his words.

It's too soon.

She'll leave him.

"Suguru," she says, pulling back. Kagome cups his face. "It wasn't right."

He shuts his eyes. He can't see her rejection. Can't see the disgust in her eyes being reflected at him.

"I'm not leaving you."

His eyes snap open. "What?"

"I'm not going anywhere. Nearly everyone I know has taken a life." She presses her lips together. "I don't like it. But I'm not going anywhere. And I'm not surprised you snapped. You can't take in that much hatred and not break."

"What if I did something awful?"

Kagome sighs. "Suguru, there's nothing you could do to make me hate you." She kisses him and his mind goes blank. "Come on, let's go back." She takes his hand, and his chest tightens. "Who knows what other schemes Shippo is roping Satoru in to. At the rate they are going, we might find more than just heads."

Suguru stays silent. He contents himself with the warmth of her hand in his. Mimiko and Nanako would hate it here, but a part of him wishes to stay.

Being here in the past feels so much simpler.

Strangely, not even the sight of demons or having one as his son bothers him. It should and yet it doesn't. There's something naïve about Shippo, even though he suggested Satoru collect a bunch of heads as a gift to Kagome.

Kagome stops and places a hand on his chest before signaling him to stay quiet. Suguru raises a brow and peers at the sight.

There are markings all over Satoru's face, and there's a flower crown on his head. Shippo rests in Satoru's arms, fast asleep with a marker in hand.

"He must have stayed up all night," Kagome says softly, walking over to Satoru. "Poor guy."

"We were playing and then he just knocked out."

"Well, who knows how long he's been awake since he planned that trick for InuYasha?" She holds out her hands. "Do you need me to take him?"

"Nah, I can carry him." Satoru stands and jerks his head towards the bags. Suguru rolls his eyes but sets about cleaning up the camp.

"Seriously, Satoru," Suguru says with a sigh, "How many heads did you collect? And how did you carry this many back to camp?"

"Oh, that's easy. Shippo turned into a basket so we could carry them back without making a bunch of trips. Gave the rest of the bodies to some animals for food, so we weren't completely wasteful. And some meat to a village nearby so they don't have to hunt."

"How charming," Suguru says dryly. These heads better not rot within the worm's mouth. He gets wanting to impress Kagome, but has Satoru always been so unhinged? "I'm sure the villagers appreciated it."

"Naturally. Though one of kids knew Shippo, so that was a little awkward."

Awkward?

"Shippo is turning out to be a bit of a womanizer these days. I swear he picked it up from Miroku and it's only gotten worse since he started attending the fox school." Kagome stands and goes about rolling up their sleeping bags. "Though at least he isn't asking them to have his kids."

"What kind of company did you keep?" Suguru wonders out loud as he stuffs the heads into the curse worm's mouth.

"I guess we were a weird bunch. A priestess." She ticks off one finger. "A half-demon, a demon slayer." She ticks off two more fingers. "A perverted monk, a fox demon, and a nekomata."

"How did that even happen?" Satoru stands, cradling Shippo close to him. Is he going to walk around with marker over his face the whole day?

"That's a long story," Kagome quips, as she stands on her tiptoes to wipe some of the marker off Satoru's face.

Suguru frowns. It's clear Kagome has no plans to tell them. Why?

"I'll let Shippo tell it tonight. He likes drawing up pictures and doing story time."

Oh.

She's throwing them a bone. A way to connect further with Shippo. Suguru changes out of his nightwear and into his monk clothing, ignoring how Satoru whistles at him. He flicks Satoru off as he ties his hair back.

"Come on, we need to get you two back to our time. I'm sure the kids are missing you."

"I told them I'd be gone, but if anyone asks, that I'm sick," Satoru says, flanking Kagome's right side.

"No one is going to believe that you were sick all this time," Suguru points out.

"Does it matter? What are they gonna do? Kick me out of Jujutsu?" Satoru scoffs.

That's... true. The higher ups might not like Satoru, but what can they reasonably do to him? It would be stupid to make Satoru an enemy. He's far too strong. He could wipe out the world if he wanted to.

"I'll need to set some things up. The others may not take me stepping down well."

Satoru tilts his head toward him. Suguru tugs on his ear and looks forward.

"You guys are doing it again," Kagome complains, poking him in the side. "Stop having a silent conversation when I'm right here."

He reaches for her hand and brings it to his lips. "Forgive us. Old habits die hard. Satoru and I were always paired on missions when we were younger until we were strong enough to handle them solo."

Satoru shifts Shippo to one arm and grabs Kagome's other hand. "Being in sync with your partner is vital. It can be a matter of life or death when you're on the battlefield. We're not trying to leave you out. It's just natural for us to look at one another and know."

Kagome sniffs. "That was kinda romantic."

Suguru groans.

Satoru fake gags.

Him and Satoru, romantic? Gross. Suguru presses his lips to her hand again. "The only one I want to be romantic with is you. Satoru is just a benefactor."

"The ass-dacity of you," Satoru says. "Come on, Kagome, let's just leave Suguru behind. He's got jokes."

"I have all the items. You can't leave me behind. Besides, I'd just take Kagome and run."

"Run where? I can warp to you."

"Guys," Kagome interjects, putting a stop to their bickering.

Suguru cracks his neck. A bunch of traveling monks, huh? They don't look to thrill to see them though. He slides a smile onto his face and drops Kagome's hand. Satoru does the same, but transfers the sleeping Shippo to Kagome's arms. Something about these monks makes his gums itch.

"You evil beasts," one man says, taking a step toward them. He tilts up his straw hat and regards them with contempt. "You dare to sully someone as pure as she?"

Sully?

"Who are you calling evil?" Satoru asks, rubbing the back of his neck. "We don't even know you."

"I can sense your foul, cursed aura. You two and that evil fox have done something to this woman." The other monks come around and provide backup. "We will not allow you to corrupt her any further. Evil such as you should be delt with."

"Wait a minute, they aren't evil," Kagome says with a sigh.

"You poor woman. Do not allow their curse to become your curse. They seek to destroy you." The man holds up a sutra and starts chanting.

Suguru glances at Satoru. What's the play here? Kagome doesn't seem all that bothered about them defending themselves against demons, but what about humans? Can they kill them?

"That's why sorcerers keep to themselves," Shippo mutters.

"What?" Suguru glances back at them. "You know about sorcerers?"

"That's what you guys are, right? My dad told me about them. Said they keep to themselves because other humans, like monks, think you guys are possessed because your energy is dark." Shippo sits up, rubbing at his eyes. He yawns. "Are they the same bunch that attacked Sesshomaru?"

"Maybe," Kagome says. "They aren't cursed or whatever!" she shouts. "If you stop now, we won't retaliate."

The monks ignore her and Suguru's body tenses. Whatever the monks are doing is affecting him. His body feels like its been put through a blender. Like they are trying to pull his cursed energy from him. Satoru snarls.

Shit.

Is it actually working on him, too? How the hell is it getting through Satoru's infinity?

He turns his head. Satoru takes a step forward. The monks increase their chanting.

No, that's not it. They aren't getting around it so much as they are targeting the space around him, pushing Satoru back. Pushing back against his infinity, but Satoru takes another step, and it's only a matter of time before Satoru extends his infinity out further.

"Okay, I'm over this," Kagome says, stepping forward. Suguru opens his mouth, but he can't say anything. Kagome snaps her fingers and the hold over them vanishes. She flares her energy, and the monks are pushed back on their assess. "You don't go around attacking people," she lectures.

The head monk sits up and then presses his hands together in prayer. "Lady Shikon, we did not know it was you. Please forgive us." The others bow their heads, trembling.

How are they more afraid of Kagome than them?

"Lady Shikon?" Satoru questions.

"Mama is the strongest. So, if she says you guys aren't evil, then you aren't." Shippo jumps from Kagome's arms into Suguru's. "Can you get me out a sucker?" Shippo blinks up at him and Suguru retrieves a sucker for him as though it is the natural thing to do.

"We truly are sorry, Lady Shikon," the head monk says, standing. "We sensed the evil energy within them and thought them to be possessed like the others, so we sought to free what we thought was a woman in need. But since it is you, we will trust your judgement. You must have a reason for keeping them close."

Kagome scratches her head. "Have you come across others like them?"

The monk nods his head. "We caught one using a spirit to attack a village. We caught another throwing children off the cliffs. Children that were not cursed like them. Though we were unable to do anything to that person. There were far too many of them and we were few in number ourselves."

"... I see." Kagome crosses her arms. "Not all of them are evil. These two aren't. It's simply another form of energy, like how we have holy energy. It doesn't mean they are evil."

The monk's face contorts into one of anger and then, just as quickly, it melts away. "Of course, Lady Shikon. We will keep that in mind." He dips his head. "We will travel this way, out of your path." The group of monks disappears into the forest.

"Sesshomaru will want to get rid of them," Shippo says, from Suguru's shoulder.

"Yeah. I know. But we really can't make any more detours. These two need to get back."

"I'm in no rush," Satoru says. "Let's meet this famous Sesshomaru."

"You aren't trying to pick a fight with him?" Kagome huffs and then she takes a step toward Suguru. "Are you okay? It looked like you took the brute of it."

"I'm fine. Their energy was twisted. Not warm like yours." Suguru glances at Satoru and then back at Kagome. "We should tell this Sesshomaru. Something about them rubs me the wrong way. You said there were no demons in our time and you're the only person I've met with holy energy. It's worth looking into."

Kagome sighs. "Okay. We just need to head west, then."

"Can we stay in a village tonight? I want a warm bed," Shippo says.

"I don't have much gold on me. I guess Suguru could score us somewhere to room for the night."

"Me?" He points at himself. It's not like he has gold either. Unless they want to sell off some of these demon heads and fur.

"Just tell him that there's an evil spirit or whatever and you need to exorcise it in exchange for them feeding and boarding us. Miroku used that all the time."

"Kagome," Suguru calls, "You're okay with conning people?"

"I'm with you two, aren't I?"

Satoru laughs and drapes an arm around Kagome. "A sorcerer is the world's greatest con artist."

"I'm in no rush to go back, either. I'm learning so much," Suguru says, looking up at the sky. He blinks. Was that a dragon?

"Don't stare too hard," Shippo whispers. "No one wants to fight a dragon."

But... he kind of wants to. He never got to replace the dragon curse Toji killed.

"Think you could tame it?" Satoru asks.

"Not sure. I wouldn't mind trying, though."

"Okay," Kagome says, "that dragon is not bothering you. Leave him alone."

Shippo pokes his cheek. "Do you want me to turn you into a dragon?"

Huh?

"How would you turn me into a dragon?" Suguru intones.

"Like this." Shippo smacks some sutra on his forehead.

Suguru blinks. His back feels wrong. Wait. Does he have wings? He flaps them and holy shit, he has wings.

"Oh, my Kami!" Satoru exclaims. "Shippo, you might be my favorite child."

"Really? Well, I am the greatest. Shippo, the greatest fox that ever was."

"Is this what's it going to be like if we have a son?" Kagome sighs as she shrugs out of Satoru's arms. "As nice as this is, Suguru, you can't walk around like a dragon if we need you to get us a room to board." She reaches over and touches his forehead. The sutra burns away and Suguru bemoans the loss of his wings.

Damn. He didn't even get to see if he could actually fly. Wait... What did Kagome just say? Suguru quirks a brow. Kagome mirrors him and motions for them to keep walking.

"Let's find a village with a lord," Suguru says, ignoring Satoru's crackling. He needs Kagome heavy with his child. Needs her to be always connected to him. It won't soften the blow, but it might stop her from turning him away. "Satoru is the poor blind man we picked up on the way."

"You have so many jokes today and not one of them has landed."

Suguru smiles. "Would you rather I request a room for just Kagome and I?"

"Papa Suguru," Shippo says, poking his cheek. "You can't forget about me. I can't stay in a separate room. I'm little. What if the humans try to eat me?"

"What human has ever tried to eat you?" Kagome asks, exasperated.

"... Shiori pressed her mouth to mine and bit me. She was trying to eat me!"

Kagome twitches. "You're way too young for that!"

"Yeah, what are you like, five?" Satoru asks.

"I'm in my 60s," Shippo says with a huff.

60s?

Suguru massages his forehead. Shippo is fucking with them. He is not that old.

"You are way too young for that," Kagome repeats. "And Shiori is half demon... and a bat demon at that."

Shippo gasps. "Was she trying to suck my blood? Like in those vampire books you used to read."

"When did you read those?"

Shippo smiles. "Papa Suguru, your hair is so long. You must put that con-dit-oner in it?" he sounds out the word.

"Shippo." Kagome crosses her arms as she walks backwards.

"You know, I would LOVE a sibling. I mean just LOVE to have a little sibling to bully — I mean, show all of my tricks."

"We're working on it," Suguru says.

"So, you have to do lots of rutting?"

"WHO TAUGHT YOU THAT!" Kagome explodes. Shippo shrinks back and hides behind Suguru's hair. The birds scatter and Suguru is at a loss for words.

Is it wrong to think Kagome is hot when she's angry? The way he's feeling right now, he'd fuck ten kids in her if she asked him to.

Okay, he'd have to beg her.

But.

Fuck.

"We should keep moving," Suguru coughs out. Keep moving before he whisks her away. He jerks his chin up at Satoru, who presses his lips together and nods.

Yeah, as soon as they settle in for the night, they'll give her what she needs.

"Excuse me, sir," Suguru says, plastering a smile on his face. The same smile he presents to those who come out to the temple. The one that makes others feel at ease. "My wife and I were passing by, and we couldn't help but notice something ominous hanging over your home."

"My home?" The man gasps. "Oh, this is my Lord Kitagaki's estate. Why I am just the attendant, but something ominous you say? Why, there have been strange things happening. Please come in." The man ushers them in, taking them to what looks to be a waiting room. The man bows. "I will retrieve my lord at once. He will want to hear of this. It is not every day we have a priestess and a monk visit our humble village."

The man pauses and looks back. "And this is?"

"Our concubine," Suguru replies before Satoru does.

"Oh. I see. That seems to be in these days. Very well." He dips his head again and slides the door shut.

"Suguru, I'm gonna kick your ass. Concubine?"

"What?" He crosses his legs. "No one would believe that you were our lord with those bandages over your eyes."

"I can take them off."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Kagome says, running a hand through Shippo's hair. "That lady took one look at your eyes and knew who you were."

"She was a part of the Gojo clan, but noted. Best to keep a somewhat low profile, since someone with the six eyes would cause a commotion."

For once, Suguru does not envy Satoru. He doesn't come from a clan, so he doesn't have to tread as lightly as Satoru does. And he doesn't have a prized cursed technique that only one can possess at a time.

"At any rate, behave yourself like a proper concubine."

"I'll get you back later," Satoru says, with a huff.

The door slides in, the Lord Kitagki walks in. It's clear as day with how many gems adorn his outfit and the way he keeps his head held high.

"Welcome to my estate." Lord Kitagki sits down across from them on a pillow. "I am told that you sensed the evil spirit lurking within the estate." His eyes travel over to Kagome. "Your name, my lady."

"Kagome." Kagome continues to run her fingers through Shippo's hair, not truly paying the Lord any mind and that is what halts Suguru's hand.

"As in the Shikon priestess?"

Kagome sighs. "Yes."

Shikon? Those monks called her Lady Shikon too.

"This is wonderful news!" Lord Kitagki exclaims. "You go and tell the cooks that we are having a feast. It's not every day the Shikon priestess stops in." The attendant bows and rushes out of the room to do just that.

"What's the Shikon?" Satoru asks, tugging at his hands. "M'fraid, I haven't heard much about the world until my lord took me in."

Suguru's cock twitches. His lord, eh? He bites down on his tongue to keep the smirk off his face. He can't wait to tease Satoru about it when they're alone.

"Oh, well, if you don't mind me telling the story."

"Please, go ahead. You can start from the very beginning." Kagome smiles, but it's obvious she doesn't want to hear it, or maybe she doesn't like the attention.

"You honor me." Lord Kitagki beams. "You must first understand what the Shikon Jewel is. Or was. The Shikon was an evil jewel that granted false wishes. Long ago, about five hundred centuries ago, there was a great priestess named Midoriko. She was a fierce priestess and warrior. But she was still just a human woman and thus she had a man that she loved. And many suitors."

Suguru watches Kagome from the corner of his eye. She stares unwaveringly at the Lord.

Is this new information to her?

"Who was the man she loved?" Kagome asks.

"His name was Sugawara Michizane—"

Satoru gasps, but plays it off as a cough. Suguru leans over and pats his back for show. Isn't that one of the three vengeful spirits? He furrows his brows as he tries to think back on the things he learned when he was at Jujutsu High. But honestly, the history of it was kind of boring and not that relevant to the modern world.

"S'orry," Satoru grunts out. "Still a bit frail."

"I'll make sure to provide extra bedding," Lord Kitagki replies. "As I was saying. Midoriko and Michizane were lovers, but as a powerful priestess and phenomenal sword master, Midoriko was sought after by many. There was a man, Itami Takashi, that obsessed over having her. He knew that as long as Michizane was in the picture, then she would never look his way, and thus he concocted a plan to take him out."

The attendant returns and pours tea for them. Kagome grabs Satoru's hand and directs it to the cup.

"I've always heard that she and a dragon demon waged war against one another," Kagome admits.

"Yes, that is true, but only a part of it." Lord Kitagki takes a sip of his drink. "Michizane was ambushed by Itami's men. They say that his rage and regret is what led to him becoming a monster. That he allowed the demons to fester on his body so he could exact revenge. Naturally, Midoriko could not allow such a thing to exist, and she fought with her old lover, who was now nothing more than a mindless beast. He released so much cursed energy. So much evil. That demons were drawn to it. Midoriko fought them all, though most of her strength was spent on her old lover."

"How long was the battle?" Satoru asks, asking for Suguru.

"A week. It lasted a week. At the end, Midoriko could not finish the last of the demons and thus she sealed them both away, creating the Shikon Jewel. An evil jewel where the battle persisted."

"If the Shikon was in the hands of someone evil, then the demon side was winning, and it would become tainted. But if it was in the hands of someone pure, then the priestess side was winning," Kagome adds. "History repeated itself somewhat with Naraku and Kikyo."

"Yes," The Lord nods. "Lady Kikyo was a fine priestess that helped with ridding the world of Naraku." He motions for someone to come in. "And Lady Kagome is the one that rid the world of the Shikon for good."

Suguru frowns. Something is off about this man.

"Asano, please escort our guests to their room for the night."

The man with stitches across his forehead looks at them and freezes. It's small. But Suguru catches the slip up. He doesn't need to look at Satoru to know he did, too.

"Of course, please follow me," the man says, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

***

A/N: Two Shikon lores this week! But no smut lolol. I hope you are having a wonderful week. It has been snowing nonstop today and the huskies have been loving it. Me? I should have ventured out and gotten hot chocolate, but I was lazy. Stay warm. Make sure to bundle up if you have to venture out. Stay hydrated and try to get plenty of sleep.

Next update will probably be Thousand Days since that chapter is about done. Here's a sneak peak:

"What would you wear for me?"

Kagome side-eyes the phone. "Well, Satoru, a little birdie told me that you just want me naked." He's fantastic with his tongue, she'll give him that, but Satoru is only looking for one thing. And she isn't going to delude herself into believing otherwise. That would just create a host of problems at work.

He props the phone up and the white trail of hair catches her eye. Satoru is either doing it on purpose or he's pressed for time because he slides the shirt on and grabs a pair of pants.

Oh.

His legs are thicker than they look in the pants he wears. He's completely ripped despite all the sweets she's caught him scarfing down. Is he doing this just because Kento lost his pants the other day on that mission?

"You called me pantsless because of Kento?"

Satoru eyes's darken. "Kento? Ya know when I last saw you two, you were calling him Nanami. What happened to that?"

[somebodyssherlock-heterodyne]

OK if someone makes this a fic. Then the Carte Blanche has to find out when they make a stop near the Outer Rim so Vespa can do her job as a high priestess for like. A high holy day of the cult. It's the celebration of the day the Angel appeared and Vespa is just fond enough of her fellow cultists (who believe the best way to worship the Angel of Brahma is to overthrow every dictatorship you come across) to actually ask Buddy to make a stop so she can show up and like. Give a speech and light some incense or some shit and lead the celebration. And like. Ofc the team hears Vespa say "yeah I gotta go lead a religious celebration for my cult" and they all go "what the hell? We have to see this."

So Peter and Juno and Rita come along and like. It's absolutely essential that Vespa keeps mentioning that the cult worships "the Angel" so they don't find out she means the Angel of Brahma until she's halfway through the ceremony and starts giving praise to the Angel for the salvation of Brahma and Juno is sitting in the pews getting steadily more horrified while Peter’s soul has just completely left his body.

So they get back to the ship and Peter just spends a solid three days dissociating and he has absolutely no idea how to act around Vespa anymore but eventually the gang find out he's from Brahma (somehow, can be as angsty or cracky as you want) and Vespa's like "Oh cool do you wanna join my cult?" And Peter is sitting at the table wobbling like jello in an earthquake and has been this whole time because Oh God People Know Things About Him and Juno is basically all that's keeping him upright and then Vespa goes "have you heard of our lord and savior the Angel of Brahma?" And Peter just fucking gives up and flat out faints.

So the Vespa vs Ransom thing worsens, because if he's Brahmese but doesn't like the Angel then he's probably a former supporter of the shitty ass government, and Peter is doing nothing to correct this assumption because that would mean telling people things which he is allergic to doing. And it all comes to a head when the Brahmese govt finds out about the cult and decides they need to hunt this guy down STAT and as a result the gang find out that Peter is the Angel of Brahma (bonus points if they find out because the Brahmese government sends an agent out who recognizes him, and Juno keeps trying to shoot the guy before he can say shit).

So after they've dealt with New Kinshasa (again), Peter just folds himself up and has a nice mental breakdown and post mental breakdown nap in the trunk of the Ruby 7. Everyone else is dead silent the entire ride back to the Carte Blanche. It's a week before Peter emerges from Juno's room.

Vespa could take the route of saying nothing. Instead she takes the route of gleefully embarrassing mother figure who won't shut up about how cool her kid is when said kid is standing next to her wishing the floor would eat them. She does this because it embarrasses Peter more than just about anything else. He hears her bragging on comms to her fellow cultists about meeting the Angel himself and thirty seconds later Jet hears muffled screaming from the laundry basket. Peter kind of misses being an orphan (not really he's actually enjoying the affection from Vespa and Buddy a lot but he will die before admitting it). Juno gets a pair of Halloween costume angel wings and a halo and leaves them in his boyfriend's closet. It is absolutely worth sleeping on the couch for a week. Buddy catches on and starts embroidering wings on the back of every heist outfit she makes him. Peter has never been so loved or so embarrassed.

Peter with a tattoo on his forehead too, and one of those godawful ones. It's why he's always got concealer on, because he lost a bet and can never show his face on a particular planet again.

pete forehead tattoo jet tramp stamp

🤝

so very many ragrets

what’s the tattoo of tho? is it wannabe gang shit godawful or drunken stick n poke thin line godawful

[joyliiejolly]

Future Spouse Reading - ENHYPEN's NI-KI

Disclaimer: This reading is for entertainment purpose only, so please take it as a grain of salt and live laugh love all the way besties!! It’s also been a long long time since i last did my tarot reading so there might be some misinterpretations or a lack of information. Let me know if you have anything to add more or to discuss with me and I’ll always welcome and willing to share my thoughts with you, too.

Thank you for reading!

The cards: The Sun, Seven of Pentacles, The Empress, Three of Cups, Five of Pentacles, The High Priestess. At the bottom: Queen of Pentacles.

The first thing that I gotta say about Riki's future spouse is that they are really beautiful, and I'm not only talking about their appearance.

They're good looking. Not some-people-find-them-pretty kind of good looking, but the everyone-can-agree-that-they-are-very-pretty. Many would take a look at them and instantly find them attractive, even if they're not their type. Their features lean more on the soft and innocent side. They embodied the feminine energy very well, whether what their gender might be. It's not only about how they look, it's also about how they act, the way they talk, their gestures,…All of that carries such elegance and gracefulness, captures others without them even knowing.

They're friendly, a social butterfly, the type of person that can make others feel better just by their present. If they're feeling good about something, they can't really keep it to themselves (it's not like they will show it clearly, like telling their friends right in their faces, or smiley all the time, but rather through subtle acts, it's really cute :))). They can be chatty and talkative, not shying away from interacting with others, sharing stories here and there, showering others with love and care, but they also have their boundaries when it comes to talking about themselves. They can be selective with the information they give out to others and it could take a while for them to open up more. For example, if there are ten parts to them (there's more of course but for the sake of an example please bear with me), they would just show one tiny tinny part of them. And they're sooooo good at this, too. People would be like "Oh! I know them!!", and then go silent for a good minute because they really can’t think of anything to talk about, even tho they have had hundreds of conversations together already. I could see some people are captivated by this side of them, like you know them, but you don't, and because of that, all you wanna do is to know them even more.

They have potential to become successful. They're an intellectual and knowledgeable individual. They do have their own opinions on different subjects and matters, but they don't express much. They're thoughtful, so when they make a decision, it's likely to be their final one, since they've spent a lot of time to think it through. It will take a lot of effort to shake their ground, make them reconsider their view (almost impossible even). And when they're passionate about something? Yeah, good luck with distracting them.

At the moment, I do see them working on some sort of project. This project has come to the final stage, but for some external reasons (I'd say mainly financial matters, and some family issues as well), it hasn’t been able to be completed yet. They still need to be patient for things to come around, even tho they're so sick of waiting for that to happen (well, it's the Divine Timing, so they have to bear with it anyway :D).

[ransprang]

Hii! Can i request HCs for Inuyasha where Miroku goes around town doing Monk things and the reader somehow ends up tagging along with him as his assitsant priestess or smth! so maybe how their romance developes! Feel free to make SFW or NSFW...

hey thanks for requesting buddy. my demisexual ass tried hella hard at the nsfw section. enjoy! - admin sar

SFW & N/SFW Headcanons: Miroku picking up an assistant

SFW

Miroku was walking around aimlessly just traveling through town to town. Just like any other day he stopped by a small ordinary town. Of course the first thing he does is try to find booze and babes. Which he does successfully. While drinking with a few girls around him, he sees you pass by. Immediately shrugging off the girls he stands up and approaches you from the back.

He taps your shoulder. You turned around hella confused. He holds your hands and needless to say, he asked you to birth him children.

You're incredibly smitten by both his looks and his boldness to be so upfront and crude. You looked him up and down figuring 'what the heck he's a monk he's probably too drunk to be serious'. You giggle and nod making him shocked yet happy.

He was quite taken aback that someone as pretty as you immediately said yes. For that reason he was intrigued and wanted to know more about you. He stayed in town for a week and you both really got to know each other. Everything from childhood stories to life problems were discussed.

Miroku hadn't gotten along with a woman THIS well. Sure he had had flings and flirted with a handful of women at every town, but he has never spoken to a woman about topics of great depth.

On the last night he was at your town, the two of you sat on a hill gazing at the stars. Knowing he would regret it if he didn't take a chance, he asked you to come along with him as his assistant. You'd be crazy to reject him and that's how you became his assistant!

He'd be a bad teacher though probably. He wouldn't teach you jack about how to perform exorcisms and what not. You're just kinda there as eye candy and scamming desperate men into hiring the two of you. And that's how you both would live. You scamming men and him scamming women. Pretty lovely couple if I do say so myself.

N/SFW under cut ~~~~ ;)

Y'all are too poor so you guys walk on foot to all the towns. This means that you guys sweat A TON. To wash off the sweat Miroku and you go under waterfalls or into rivers. At first you both would take turns and the other would keep guard (with Miroku trying to sneak a few peeks). Over time as you both grew closer y'all would bathe together and honestly give zero care about safety. Think about it, would you really be concerned if some bandits are gonna stab you when Miroku is dripping wet and flushed?

My mans is an ass type of guy no doubt about that. It literally doesn't matter what your budankadunk looks like, he will harASS it. Since you're in close proximity of him all the time as his ASSistant (heheh) he will touch you. You better enjoy it.

When you both are going around exorcising peoples houses and what not, he will politely ask the owner and everyone else to leave both of you alone to exorcise in peace. Of course once everyone leaves his hand is attached to your ass. He's got like what? 10 mins alone with you? Badabingbadaboom y'all have a quickie.

Sometimes you don't even have to take off his clothes because of how easy access his dick is. When he gets a hard on you can just shove a hand up his robe tuck down his leggings slightly and his member will spring out. Pretty convenient way to give a quick handy. You just gotta make sure that his cum doesn't get onto his robe or he'll make you lick it off.

Lowkey since you're his assistant I feel that he'd have unlocked new fetishes and kinks. Because you're his subordinate I think it'd get to his head and he'd be super into power play. He for sure would be more dom than switch or sub for that reason.

[anyoneseenadam]

sub!azriel but the reader and him aren't together yet and she keep teasing him without knowing until he finally has enough and goes and begs her

Pairing: Azriel x reader (acotar)

Warnings: smut, sub!az, slight degradation, lotta fluff tho

A/n: so i kinda did the ending of this drunk while watching pulp fiction so if it’s confusing that’s why and I apologise lol

——————————————————————————

He had first met you while training the priestesses. You were a friend of Emerie’s. A fae woman that almost brought him to his knees with a single look.

You had nervously spoken to Cassian about joining in the training and had progressed past his group and into Cassian’s within two weeks.

That was probably for the best.

Besides your original nerves, you had thrown yourself into training - eyes always on him as he spoke and went through moves, moved which you copied with the precision of a ballerina.

He had withered under your kind gaze, soft eyes making him want to fall into you and let you fight away all his fears. And whenever you had spoken to him it was with undivided attention, always listening carefully and providing whatever he needed - whether it was someone to complain to or someone to laugh with.

The night he fell in love with you however was different. He had gone into the library searching for Nesta and found her with Emerie, Gwyn and you, all relaxing in soft clothing.

He had almost fallen over when he saw you in an oversized hoodie with tight shorts and baby pink toenails, your face clean of makeup and still somehow the prettiest he had ever seen.

You had smiled brightly when you saw him, patting the empty space beside you and - unable to deny you - he had come to sit beside you, shivering when you lay your head on his shoulder with your book abandoned in you lap.

As he sat, Gwyn carried on explaining a new concept she had been exploring with her tutor when you spoke up, “But you’re basing that hypothesis presuming the butterfly effect doesn’t exist.”

He tilted his head down then, as you sat up, frowning at the loss of contact while Nesta barely hid her smug grin behind her hand as she watched the interaction.

“The butterfly effect?” Gwyn asked, grabbing a notebook as you smiled.

“We’ll you’re talking about fate, saying that everything is predetermined. But the butterfly effect proposes that anything, even something as small as a butterfly flapping it’s wings, can change the whole course of the future and can split reality into different pathways. This creates alternate realities, one were the butterfly flaps it’s wings and one were it doesn’t, and even such a small change is still a change.”

He didn’t really understand your concept but Gwyn was furiously scribbling things down and scoring things out as you continued.

“So yes, there is a large chance that maybe once there was a predetermined set of events, but as things change and as people are born and stray from these paths, there is no feasible way to ensure everything goes exactly as determined.” You spoke with your hands, something he had never noticed before. You explained the concept slowly and clearly to Gwyn as you discussed the topic in depth, your face lighting up as you spoke about the unknown.

He fell in love then, when he watched you speak so enthusiastically about a topic he had no idea about. But even with a lack of knowledge he wanted to hear all about it - wanted to become so well versed in it that one day you might look at him the way he looked at you.

The problem there was that in his love drunk state, subtleties went out the window. You’d had suspicions before but now, with him blatantly staring at you, you were sure.

You had spoken to Nesta about him before and discovered he didn’t have the greatest track record of admitting his feelings so you decided to step it up a notch, ready to bust out all the tools that would make him confess.

You decided to start simple; removing your top during training and continuing in your sports bra, leaving lingering touches on his shoulders or hands, turning on what Emerie lovingly deemed your ‘sex eyes’ when you spoke to him. And it seemed to be working, he started avoiding your gaze and would pause speaking whoever you touched him, subconsciously leaning into your hand or gently laying his head atop your when you placed yours on his shoulder.

It wasn’t for a couple weeks however that you made a startling discovery. You had decided to make some cupcakes and Azriel had run into you in the kitchen - accepting your offer to help. He had been doing an amazing job delicately filling the cases with batter and you smiled when he finished without spilling a drop.

“Ugh perfect! You did amazing Az!” You had exclaimed, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before opening the over with one hand and balancing the tray in the other.

He had made a sound under his breath and when you turned back you found him bright red and looking down with a shy smile on his face. Then it clicked why your beautiful, strong spy always seemed so nervous around you. He was a sub.

You were ecstatic the rest of the day, having hit the jackpot with Azriel and with a plan forming in your head. He wasn’t likely to admit his feelings to you but you had an idea that would make sure he had them before you did anything else.

The next day you saw him at training, smiling warmly at him as you usually did and hopping over to speak to him before you got started.

“Hey Az, did u get a cupcake last night?” You asked, smiling brightly when he blushed bright red having run off soon after receiving your praise with a half assed excuse about finding Cassian.

“Yeah they were amazing,” he said, finally meeting your eyes as you looked up at him expectantly.

“Ah couldn’t have done it without your help,” you praised and he blushed looking down again. You heard Cassian call your name impatiently and turned to stick your finger up at him, “Gotta go but we should hang out again tonight.”

He nodded with a smile, equal parts delighted and terrified at the idea of spending so much time with you.

“That’s a plan! See you tonight pretty boy,” you said, walking away while he stared dumfounded at your back. That - that was new.

He fumbled his way through training the priestesses, maybe pushing them slightly too hard because it meant he had plenty to do that didn’t involve thinking about you or about what seeing you tonight entailed.

Or that you thought he was pretty.

You on the other hand, couldn’t get through training quickly enough. You were finishing moves and sequences before Cassian even said them so used to his rhythm that he ended up just letting you leave when you were finished before everyone else - not without rolling his eyes dramatically however.

As you walked out Azriel couldn’t help his eyes from following you as you sauntered away with flushed, glowing skin and your hair swaying with every step as you shook it out. You shot a final look over your shoulder as you left to go shower, waving at him when you caught him staring with mischievous eyes.

You left quickly to go shower and get somewhat ready, ensuring you smelt good and pulling on your favourite underwear. You then decided to fuck with him and pulled on an oversized t-shirt that you kept from an ex-boyfriend on account of how soft it was and your smallest, softest shorts. You had finished getting ready and were making yourself an ice coffee when Azriel walked in with flushed cheeks, wiping sweat from his forehead with his shirt.

You whistled when you saw him and his eyes met yours, widening comically when he saw your bare legs - shorts barely visible beneath your large shirt.

“You alright hot stuff?” You asked as he moved to grab some bread from next to you. He inhaled sharply when you spoke and you barely contained your giggle,

“Want an ice coffee babes?”

“Um sure I don’t I-“ he stumbled over his words as his brain slowed trying to form a single thought other than your soft legs and even softer lips.

“I’ll make you one,” you said with a laugh, “so what do you want to do today?”

“I really don’t mind,” he muttered, watching as you mixed the drink for him and pressed it into his hand with a smile.

“What about a spa day, when was the last time you got to relax?”

“Cauldron I don’t think I’ve ever done that,” he joked and you smiled.

“Let’s do that then, I’ll get you so relaxed your bones will liquify,” you grabbed his hand as you pulled him out of the kitchen and started leading him to your room.

“Do- do I want that?” He asked and you squeezed his hand,

“You’ll understand soon,” you laughed.

You started with face masks and manicures, conversation flowing easily between the two of you despite Azriel’s nerves and the electricity that shot through him every time you touched him.

You were sitting reading together a while later when you shoved your book down and turned, your eyes focusing on him. He felt your heated gaze and tilted his head to meet your eyes, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What?” He asked,

“You’re pretty,” you said suddenly, reaching a hand to trace his jaw gently. He went comically red and you smiled.

“What? I- you think I’m,” he stuttered and you giggled, nodding.

“Yeah you’re so pretty,” he could feel himself grow hard, blushing impossibly hard at your words.

“Say it again,” he forced out and you smiled - reaching a hand to rest on his thigh, stroking it gently as you spoke again.

“You’re so pretty, and I’m sure you’d be so good for me would you?” Your voice got lower as you spoke, Azriel whimpering as you slid your hand up his thigh. “Do you want that? Wanna be my good boy?”

Azriel’s eyes widened and his hips bucked up slightly as he nodded, movements small and insecure.

“Words sweet boy, I need you to say you want this,”

“I want this!” He practically shouted and you laughed sweetly,

“I’m so glad baby, I’ve wanted you for so long,” you confessed - stroking his face gently as you moved to straddle him.

“You- you have?” He was confused and feeling a million feelings at once but so happy with the position he found himself in.

“Mhm and if I’m correct I think you have to,” he nodded quickly underneath you, his hands flying up to grab your hips as you started slowly rolling your hips over him.

“I have,” his voice was already so desperate and you had barely touched him, smiling as you leaned down to press kisses gently into his jaw.

“Mm good boy,” you whispered, “would you like me to touch you now?”

He shook his head and you furrowed your eyebrows, looking down at him with concern filled eyes.

“Wanna touch you instead,” he whimpered out and you cooed stroking his hair.

“Awe baby, go ahead,” you giggled, climbing off his lap as he crawled off your bed and kneeled on the floor - eyes wide as you spread your legs in front of him. He gently removed your shorts and panties, inhaling sharply and your pretty pussy was revealed to him. He looked up at you with his doe eyes, whispering as he silently begged you for permission - but you just smiled and laughed at him with a gentle hand stroking through his hair.

“Please miss I’ll be so good for you, please just wan’make you feel good,” he begged and you relented.

“Okay baby boy,” he swung forward so quickly and buried himself into your pussy, spitting on it before devouring you. His long fingers spread your folds open and he probed your tight hole with his tongue, thumb coming up to rub circles on your clit as he moaned against your heat.

He ate you out like it was his sole purpose in life, putting all he had into the task - almost delirious as he finally got what he had wanted for so long. The days he had spent daydreaming about your soft legs that were now wrapped around his head, the nights he had spent thinking of your pillow lips and how sweet you would sound as you told him what you wanted him to do.

“Oh baby you’re doing so well for me, so good baby. My good boy,” he moaned loudly against your pussy, hips rutting into air.

“M’ yours, all yours,” he cried, pushing two long fingers into your tight pussy and twisting them as he looked up, meeting your eyes as you tangled a hand in his hair.

“Make me come then baby, prove you’re my good boy,” he nodded against you - desperate to make you happy as he worked with renewed vigour. “Azriel baby you’re so good at this.” Your moans were like music to his ears as he scissored his fingers inside you, sucking on your clit hard enough to make you see stars. You swore - hand tightening in his hair - as he pressed into your sweet spot and sucked particularly hard on your clit at the same time, coming hard with an arched back as Azriel stared up at you. Awed at how he had tamed the goddess above him.

You ended up having to pull him off of your pussy as he whined, wet lips pouting as they tried to get back to you.

“No baby no more,” your voice was stern and he whined as you pulled him up to his feet, standing with him and spinning the two of you around.

He was considerably taller than you but even the height difference didn’t negate the power you had over him and when you shoved him down onto the bed and straddled him - kissing him harshly with your fingers squeezing his cheeks together.

“You’re so good baby, so good,” you whispered into his mouth.

“Did I do well?” His voice was so soft that you cooed and kissed him again.

“So, so well that you deserve a reward,” he looked up at you with those hazel eyes you loved so much, “do you want that, want to fuck me?”

“Yes miss, yes please wan’ fuck you so bad. S’all I think about,” you could never resist Azriel and now he was begging, you couldn’t deny him anything.

You reached down to pull his cock out of his pants, choking on a breath at his size. “Fuck baby, you’ve been holding out on me,” your hand moved on its own accord, pumping him slowly - needing two hands to hold him.

He was moaning lowly as you pumped him, precum leaking out the tip and making it easier for you to slip onto him, sinking down until you were fully seated and you could see a faint bulge through your belly.

“God you’re so big baby, filling me up so well.” You moaned as Azriel tried to form a single coherent thought other than how tight and wet you were.

“Do I feel good baby? Do you like having me wrapped around you?” You asked and he simply moaned in reply. You continued bouncing as you waited for a response but when he didn’t reply you slapped his cheek lightly.

“Words Azriel I asked you a question.” Your words were harsh but you spoke with a sickly sweet tone.

“You feel so good, didn’t know you could feel this good. So tight,” he moaned loudly when you clenched down on him, his words making a new gush of wetness coat his cock.

You smiled, drawing a hand over his hair as you bounced in his lap, the strength in your legs only letting you lift yourself halfway up his cock before you’re sinking back down.

“Fuck Az, baby you’re so big,” you whined into his mouth as you kissed him and he responded with a low grunt - his mind and body completely under your control, despite your intentions.

“I’m gonna come miss, please please let me come,” he begged after a few minutes of your hips rolling slowly over his and you laughed, holding him in your arms.

“Awe such a needy baby,” you cooed, “gonna come so early baby, needy slut.”

He whimpered underneath you, hips rutting into you as his hands gripped your hips hard enough to bruise - desperately trying to stop himself from cumming as you were yet to give him explicit permission.

But that was a losing battle as he lost himself in the warmth of your cunt. He was throbbing within you, pulsating as you clenched around him, the sounds your pussy made as he pushed into your body. He was addicted to the small whimpers leaving your mouth and as he watched you move he knew he would never be able to let you go. He had fallen so hard over the short time he had known you and now he watched you take over his body when you had already taken his soul.

“Please can I come miss, please,” his begs were so soft that you nodded, kissing him again.

“Let go for me baby, show me you’re mine,” you commanded and he shook underneath you, coming with a string of curses.

“‘M yours miss, all yours please,” his eyes were teary and voice broken, but he looked so happy as he stared up at you - mouth hanging open in a silent sob.

He reached a hand between you rubbing your clit gently as you came all over his cock with a loud moan and shudder. He guided you through your orgasm, refusing to take his eyes off of you, completely entranced with you.

When you had both come down from your powerful orgasms, you climbed off him and stood to retrieve a wash cloth and to relieve yourself in the bathroom. When you returned Azriel was staring up at you with tired and nervous eyes.

You cleaned him up gently, pressing gentle kisses into his face and lips as you did so.

“You okay baby?” You asked when you were finished, pulling him into your arms as you lay back down - his head on your chest.

“I’m so good right now,” he whispered, propping his chin on your chest and looking up at you, “was that- was I alright?”

His voice was so small and you furrowed your brows, “baby you were so good, perfect.” You promised, stroking his hair and leaning to kiss his head gently.

“Are you sure cause I-“

“Baby,” you cut him off, “you’re all I want, I’ve wanted this for so long and you were so good. Was it good for you?”

He nodded furiously and you laughed as he came up to kiss you, “then we’re all good baby.”

“I think I love you,” he whispered into your mouth and you smiled.

“I think I love you too.”

[mardereads19]

A Comparrison between Az’s Chapter and Cassian’s Chapters in Acofas

Today I found myself inspired by @thereaderspeaks ‘s post and what I had to add about it, to write this long-ass post comparing Az’s chapter in Acosf to Cassian’s three chapters in Acofas.

@rhyssescups does an amazing job in this post (and @psychee92 in this one) of comparing Az’s chapter to Cassian’s POV in Wings and Embers. I’ll also attach @psychee92 ‘s comparison of both batboys’ attitudes after their respective solstices. But I’m going to concentrate on Az’s POV and Acofas rather than Wings and Embers.

There are a LOT of things in common, so when you add the posts linked above to this one, you’ll see how Azriel’s emotions and his interaction with Gwyn mirror those of Cassian. Everyday I find more peace of mind regarding Elriel.

Before I begin, I want to clarify that Emerie is not in Wings and Embers, but on Cassian’s perspective in Acofas. I had seen many people on Tumblr and on Twitter saying (by mistake) that she’s in W&E, so I wanted to point that out. It is Mor who is mentioned in W&E. How Cassian does not want to tell her about Nesta, etc. For more on that, check out the links I attached above.

There are many elements that Cassian and Azriel share in their chapters and I decided to divide them into categories. I’ll support them with quotes so that we have the receipts. With that said…

Let’s get started!

1. Distance

In both instances there was something that separated the couples and caused distance. 

In Cassian’s case it was post-war-Nesta and even Cassian himself (it was pride that kept him ignoring her all through the party until he couldn’t take it anymore and ran after her, simple as that): 

In Azriel’s case it was his understanding of what he feels for Elain and the fact that she has a mate. But also, let’s add Rhys’s order as a new element that will cause distance.

2. Emotions

Cassian did not allow himself to think about Nesta because of the feelings that stirred up in him.

Anger, passion, confusion.

And Azriel… 

Well, well, well... What do we have here? 

Anger, passion, confusion. 

He was ready to spar it out of his system, too, like Cassian.

3. Something the batboys associate with their mate Archeron sister

I noticed that in both cases, Cass and Az had given their girls something that they associated with them, be it material or other.

For example, Cassian’s was names for Nesta’s poses.

He saw Nesta stand in any particular way and if it was something she repeated he gave that pose a name. It is something he associates with her.

In Azriel’s case, we know he gives Elain a rose necklace. 

Roses signify Elain because of what she does: gardening; But also, it could simply represent them. Their way of spending time together (here’s a post of different refences of Elriel in the garden by @silver-flames​) and their relationship that has been slowly blooming in secret, like how that charm shines with colors when it’s in the light, but looks ordinary in the dark.

4. The batboys hurting the sisters

In both POVs the Illyrians hurt the Archerons. 

Cassian does it out of anger. Because Nesta kept rejecting him. Instead of holding his tongue, like any mature person should, he tells her something that destroys her (we know by her reaction).

See how her eyes go empty? 

Well, in his chapter, Azriel hurts Elain, too, though it pains him as much as it pains her because he did not do it intentionally. 

5. The sisters rejecting/returning the gifts

Nesta rejects Cassian’s gift, though I wouldn’t have taken it either after what he told her. This quote comes from before his insult, but my point is that she left without taking the gift.

Also, notice how Cassian hadn’t wanted to give Nesta her present in front of the others, something that Azriel does, too, though for different reasons. Cassian had feared rejection and had been waiting for her to approach him.

Azriel had not given Elain her present because Lucien, her mate, was there.

And of course, Elain returns her gift after Azriel left her standing in the hall with the words “this was a mistake.” I wouldn’t have stayed with that necklace either, not when it reminded me of that moment.

6. Regifting/Comparing

Something particular that happens in both characters’ PoV is the regifting of the objects the batboys used to relate to their girls. I do not think they are necessarily wrong, just that it happens.

Cassian uses the name of one of Nesta’s poses to describe Emerie.

He also compares her way of speaking and the look in her eyes to that of Nesta.

Azriel regifts the necklace that represents Elain to Gwyn (though he doesn’t give it to her personally, just hands it to Clotho for her to do it), and describes her with the same quote he used on the necklace (Elriel). 

I have my own theory on why the thought of her smile makes him smile. Soon I will explain.

7. Getting rid of the gifts (decisions made in haste)

Cassian being all impulsive and throwing the very expensive and extremely unique gift to the Sidra:

Gotta love our hotheaded overgrown bat. (My baby!! <3)

Then, we have Az making the dumb decision of regifting the present because somehow he couldn’t get rid of it (symbolism but not the post for it).

He was in a bad place when he made the decision, and even Clotho points out that his eyes are sad. 

The quote in purple is important to note. The theory about Clotho not giving Gwyn the necklace? That line is good for it. The fact that he told Clotho to give the necklace to anyone as long as he didn’t have it and the sadness she gleaned in his eyes is enough for her to know there is more to it than what he tells her.  

I also want to point out that we know for a fact that Cassian regretted getting rid of the present and that he knows he had been foolish that night. So, considering how parallel to each other these chapters are, I’m sure that Azriel will, too.

8. Distraction/Consolation (Aftermath)

I think it is important to highlight how Cassian got to the Townhouse late and was followed by a worried Mor, who most likely consoled him after his disastrous evening with Nesta...

...and compare it to how Azriel had needed to release unspent energy and was successfully distracted from his bad juju by the short lesson he gave to Gwyn:

He straight up says he’s thankful for the distraction. That was what the whole convo had been for him -in a good sense. 

It also aligns super well with @silverlinedeyes​ ‘s theory of Gwyn being a lightsinger in how they appear to people when they are lost. Gwyn was there when Azriel needed someone (even just to distract him), be it coincidence or not, and that cannot be ignored. 

If Gwyn does take on a role in Acotar 5, I think it will have a lot to do with being his friend and confidant (and trainee), someone who will help him figure out what to do about his situation, just like how she unknowingly helped him on solstice.

9. Empathy towards the Valkyries

Another parallel that I found in the chapter is how Cassian felt empathy for Emerie’s situation upon looking at her...

...and how Azriel’s interaction with Gwyn brought about the same reaction:

This is what I was talking about earlier. Notice how he sees her pain and grief and prefers when she’s happy to when she’s sad? Who wouldn’t want that? That is the same mentality I apply to his smile at the thought of her smiling. That he is glad that something would make her happy after what she has been through. Especially after remembering her past (within the last three pages). 

10. Emerie and Gwyn’s attitudes

This was super curious for me! Look at how both girls say goodbye to the batboys:

Emerie being a whole independent female, and Gwyn… 

All business. 

Literally got the same energy from them. 

Gwyn finished the convo and continued her practice like the badass warrior that she is. There was no demure glance or cloy blush anywhere. The interaction was not romantic, purely platonic. Just like Emerie’s with Cassian.

11. This interesting parallel:

These two moments that are almost identical:

Cassian tells Emerie to give the Illyrians the clothes he just bought and to tell them it was the High Lord’s gift. He does it because he knows the Illyrians would not accept them if they knew they came from Cassian.

Azriel:

Another one (DJ khaled voice). 

“Just tell her it was a gift from Rhys.” 

Why does he do that? Because it wasn’t romantic and if Gwyn had known she’d have brought it up in conversation. He just wanted to be rid of it, so he gave it to her, perhaps as a way of thanking her for the distraction yesterday, but nothing more. 

“If there’s another priestess here who might appreciate it, give it to them.” He didn’t care who’d have it as long as it wasn’t him. 

Conclusion: 

(Wings and Embers + Acofas) Cassian = Acosf bonus chapter Azriel

That’s the real formula bestie SJM used and the receipts are here. 

Azriel mirrors Cassian in emotions, actions and interactions. 

Remember how Nesta Antis began shipping Cass with Emerie after their interaction in Acofas simply because they hated Nesta? Their scene had zero romantic energy, but Nesta Antis still did it. 

Well, history repeats itself with Elain.

Regarding Gwyn: So far, I see no build-up to something more than a friendship. Like we explored, Az’s scene with her was similar to Cassian’s with Emerie. The differences lie in that Gwyn is more energetic than Emerie and that Az’s shadows reacted to her power (she has powers, read about it in the lighsinger theory). 

There is literally nothing more I can add. 

Peace out.

[lankieghost]

Lankie's Bloodborne Boss Ranking Bonanza! (Part 2/3)

This is part 2 of my Bloodborne boss ranking! You can find Part 1 here

Spoilers for Bloodborne ahead!

Here's a fun challenge : try and draw The One Reborn with no references. Because hooo boy is this meat centaur a mess.

The fight starts with a bunch of bell ringing ladies on the balconies. Hilariously, I don't know what the bell ladies do if you leave them alive, since I killed them first thing every time.

You'd think this guy would be a flailing mess but it seems he mostly just summons a bunch of loose limbs over you. The only thing that gave me trouble was his big throw up attack which covers the whole floor of the arena.

I ended up killing him in two attempts, he looks intimidating but he's basically a very gross paper tiger.

Oh Amygdala, have pity on the poor bastard!

Turns out, ol' Amy took Patches advice at heart, because I beat them on my first try.

Which is surprising because Amygdala is pretty intimidating! What with the lasers and the prodigious size and the ripping its own arms off to beat you to death. But yeah I don't know what to tell you, I pressed O when I needed to dodge, I hit r1 a bunch of times and they just kinda died.

I do like that after killing Rom it's revealed that there's tons of Amygdala's (Amygdalae?) just chilling all over Yharnam, very creepy.

Ah Kos, or some say Kosm!

Boy howdy there's a lot of gimmick fights in Bloodborne. The Host of The Nightmare will just constantly run away from you until you corner him in a room, then he shoots a bunch of tentacles at you.

I'm making it sound easy but I ended up dying to this bastard 4 times! The tentacles hits hard and he's got his little puppet buddies backing him up in fights.

The best part of the fight is Micolash's running commentary on Kos and granting eyes. He really sells the whole raving madman vibe he's got going.

What does it say about me that I died multiple times to Micolash but beat Mergo's Wet Nurse on my first attempt? I don't know! But What I do know is that Mergo's Wet Nurse is awesome.

Look at this cool ass design! Six armed black angel with scythes? Rad as hell! Sounds like an OC I'd have when I was 13! I love that its head looks like a big slug thing but it's actually just an empty cloak. I love that this horrible thing is a 'wet nurse'. I love that the music playing in this fight is just a kids music box. Great vibes all around!

The fight is pretty easy unfortunately, the wind ups are really telegraphed and it's too easy to just get behind her when she starts flailing her scythes. You gotta be on the ball when she starts summoning her clones to attack you (reminds of the High Priestess fight in Sekiro) but there was never a time when I felt threatened in this fight.

But despite all that I'm still giving MWN an A just for the great design. Let it be known that I'll bump any character's score up if you attach some angel wings to the mix.

Does anyone care about this boss?

It's another gimmick boss where there's a bunch of these dumb aliens and you gotta find the REAL Celestial Emissary. At which point it triples in size.

I do like when these guys have the weird tendrils coming of their heads, that's pretty creepy. But they honestly didn't have to put this boss in the game. The next boss is only one corridor and a elevator ride away!

Side note: Upper Cathedral Ward, the place you find this and the next boss, fucking suuuuUUUUuuuucks. Brain eater enemies everywhere,the part where it just ganks you with 3 werewolves, if the little slug things nibble you once it fills up a full frenzy bar. Just absolutely awful.

The Daughter of The Cosmos has a very neat design, very creepy and alien. I was expecting this fight to be pretty tough but it was honestly not too bad, think I beat in 3 attempts.

I like that there's a thing that looks like Rom's corpse in the arena, I think the implication is that Ebrietas is an adult form of whatever Rom is. That's neat!

Another thing that I like about all the more alien designs in Bloodborne is that they all have some slightly human qualities to them, like Ebrietas' slug body looking like a humans kneeling legs. It adds to the creepiness of the monsters, like was this thing human? Is it mimicking humanity? Maybe they're not so different to us??? SPOOKY??????

Ebrietas gets a - solely because of Upper Cathedral Ward. Because fuck Upper Cathedral Ward.

Logarius, in my opinion, is the toughest boss in the base game. He's got projectiles, he's aggressive in his 2nd form, he's got his whole gimmick of planting his sword in the ground to summons constant ghost swords that chase you. He's a dozy!

However the main thing that makes him tough, and the thing that pops a minus on his score, is his tendency to jump straight up into the air and goomba stomp you to death! The camera doesn't track him when he does this, so you just have to guess when he's gonna land. Sometimes he'll do it multiple times in a row. I'm really not a fan of this attack because it feels like Logarius is taking advantage of the bad camera to land hits on me.

Also the run back for Logarius is not a good time. Two ladders!? What am I made of time!?

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This ends part 2, in the next part, we'll take a brief jaunt into DLC town and rank the final 2 bosses!

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3