#I hate that I have to remind myself of that but I do.

[insertdisc5]

Um so I've been sitting on this ask for months cause I didn't want to bother you with how many messages you must get. And because it's difficult for me to be open about my experiences, but I'm working on that part thanks to you! ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

For the first time in my 32 years of life I'm starting to open up to my friends and family. When I'm tearing myself down or having a panic attack about how I think I'm failing the people around me, now I say "This is something Siffrin would do, and you'd give them grace, so give yourself grace..." I can't overstate how much your writing has changed my life for the better.

AND I KNOW THIS IS CRINGE but I've been seeking out a last name for myself for many many years, cause I hate having my estranged father's name. And I never found a name that felt right, until now. So I hope it's ok with you that I'm working on changing it to "Frin" as a reminder to keep giving myself grace. 👉🏻👈🏻

Anyways haha I'm going to curl up in a hole now~! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ But not before I give you a huge thank you. So, THANK YOU!!!

i have no words. im incredibly humbled on all accounts by your message... for thinking about siffrin and how you'd give them grace, so you are giving yourself grace in return... for adopting a last name from isat... for trying your best to be more open!!! weargh!!!!!! you are incredibly brave and i want to thank you for your message from the bottom of my heart. im rooting for you!!!!!!

[wandamaximoffsbadgirl]

Walking the Road for Her

Wanda Maximoff x Gray Witch!Reader

Word count: 1.2K

Summary: You can't live without Wanda and you've tried everything else so when Agatha comes knocking on your door you accept immediately, but the teen that's with her...he seems so familiar

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 3 OF AGATHA ALL ALONG! Grief/Loss, hallucinations, death/mortality, emotional distress, supernatural elements, implied self-sacrifice, character death, reunion with a deceased loved one

Authors notes: Thank you @scarlethexelove for indulging in my random Wanda thoughts.

When Agatha asked for you to walk the witches road, you didn't hesitate. She was put off by your eagerness, but never told her why you were walking. You kept that part to yourself she didn't seem to mind. Everyone had a reason, and everyone had their secrets, so no one asked, and you weren't about to tell them you wanted, no needed Wanda back.

You would give up anything and everything to have Wanda back. If it meant to team up with Agatha, you would do it.

So you did. You met up with her and put on the cheery smile she hated. You always assumed she hated you for being a younger witch still full of life, but since Wanda died, you felt like you died too. You got along well enough with the others. You knew Jen the best being closer in age, though you didn't care for her products.

The teen seemed eerily familiar, but you can't put your finger on it. Why does he remind you of Wanda of a life you can't seem to remember.

You're overly protective of him. You don't let him have the wine, and when you hallucinate from said wine, you blink, and suddenly, you're looking at Wanda. Back in her early twenties with the eyeliner, ripped stockings, painted nails, and rings on every finger. You cry over it, cupping her face until it turns back to his.

“Are you okay.” He looks at you with concern. You pull away quickly and wipe your eyes.

“S-Sorry.” You quickly run the ingredients back, trying to escape the feelings. You need to stay strong. You need to get Wanda back.

You end up getting through the trail. Not without its costs. Losing Sharon wasn't something you had in mind, but the witches road is treacherous and has no place for mortals. You never should have let Agatha do that, but hindsight and all that. You knew you had to press on and on the road Teen asks,

“Are you sure you're okay? You and Sharon called out for the same person.” You swallow hard.

“Yeah I'm fine. We all had hallucinations about things. I'll be okay.” You tell him and then mumble under your breath, “Not like I don't deal with it every morning...” his head swivels.

“What was that?” He asks.

“Nothing, just mumbling to myself.”

The further you journey, the harder it gets. Sometimes, you want to give up, to give in, and join Wanda another way. But something stops you every time. You almost think you can feel her, feel her all around you. In the trees, the air, the leaves beneath your feet. With a quick turn of your head, you think you so the soft auburn color you miss so much. The road is playing tricks yet keeping you grounded to your goals.

You make it to the end. Finally passed the last trial everyone who had made it. Their prize awaited them. You waited, didn't see her, and then you heard a whisper in Sokovian.

Your name.

You looked around everywhere. “Over here milaya.” You hear her call. You whip around and see her. She doesn't look like the Scarlet Witch anymore. Back before that. Like when you were on the run. You run into her arms without a second thought.

You can't help as you cry. Burying your face in her neck as your body shakes with sobs. Her vanilla scent invades your senses. “Shhhh sweet girl, I've got you.” Wanda holds you close. Your heart feels whole again now that you're back in her arms.

Your sobs turn into sniffles. “I've missed you so much.” You mumble against her. Her nails lightly scratching at your back. Something she's always done to sooth you. Kissing the side of your head and letting her lips linger.

“I know Detka. I'm so sorry. I'm here now. I'll never leave you again.”

You held onto Wanda tight, afraid to let go as if she'd disappear again if you stopped.

Wanda opened her eyes, looking past your shoulder her eyes widened in surprise and then softened as she saw him.

“Bi-Billy?” Wanda's voice shakes slightly. You pull back but not fully letting her go. You follow her gaze that lands on the teen. Your brows furrow before you look back to Wanda.

“Wanda?” You question her.

She lets go of you when Teen responds to the name. He tries to say something, but the sigil protects him. A wave of Wanda's hand changes that. “Billy?” She asks again.

“Yes, that's me.” You're really confused as you see Wanda's red tendrils come out sending red waves through his eyes before disappearing. “M-mom? H-how did you...?”

Billy runs towards Wanda, slamming into her, but she doesn't budge. She holds him tightly in her arms. “What kind of mother would I be if I didn't know my own son?” Wanda whispers. It's just loud enough for you to hear. Confusion morphs into realization as you look on.

The reason he looked so familiar, the reason he reminded you of her. Of course, it was one of the twins. Sure you hadn't been a part of the hex, but you had seen the recordings of it. Last you had seen the twins, they were 10 inside the hex.

Your heartbeat quickens when you remember what you had seen next as the hex fell the you Wanda had created was destroyed along with the twins. She had held you tightly until you were no more.

It's a shock to see him in the flesh. To understand who he really is. He pulls away from Wanda and turns to you. “Mama?” He's cautious having been giving the memory from Wanda and realizing that you had never got to meet him. Do you even know who he is? Will you accept him as your own?

Your breath catches. It's like waves of memories flood through you as if they had always been there. Everything from the hex coming to life as tears fill your vision and spill over. “Oh my sweet little boy...look at you!” Your arms wrap around him tightly. It had been there, blurry when you thought about it. Of this being your son. “Mama is sorry you had to go through all of this.”

“Mama don't apologize. I'm happy to have you back.” He pulls away slightly keeping an arm around you and opening his other for Wanda. She joins into the hug.

“I'm happy to have both of you back.” You can feel the tears pricking your eyes.

You hug them both tightly. This still left you without one son, but you knew you'd find him. If Billy made it out somehow, then Tommy must be out there, too.

Wanda cups both of your cheeks and looks between you. “Moya lyubov i moy syn (my love and my son).” Tears in her eyes she can't believe she is back and that she had both of you. Her heart is almost complete, but there is still a missing piece to the puzzle.

You didn't need her powers to know what she was thinking, “We'll find him, milaya.” She smiles at you, giving a soft peck on your lips.

“We will. Now that I have you two I know we will.”

This was more than you could have asked for at the end of the road.

[writeriguess]

Could you write something with Love and Deepspace Sylus x female reader, where they are always bickering and reader has a huge crush on him but she thinks he hates her. But one day, after Sylus sees her being tender with someone else, he gets so incredibly jealous of her and they have a makeout session against the wall.

The ship hummed quietly beneath your feet, its distant sounds blending with the ambient noise of the deep space beyond the hull. You sat at one of the control panels, fingers deftly typing in commands. Everything on board was routine—far too routine, considering the heated tension that had been building over the past few weeks.

"Are you even paying attention, or are you just pretending to know what you're doing again?"

His voice cut through the silence like a sharp blade, and you rolled your eyes before turning around, already anticipating the sight that greeted you. Sylus leaned against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, that smug expression of his plastered on his face. His fiery red eyes gleamed under the dim lights, standing out against his pale, almost ghostly white hair that framed his angular face. His lips curved upward, taunting, always taunting.

"Well, look who's finally decided to grace us with his presence," you shot back, unable to resist the usual banter. It had become second nature by now, the back and forth, the teasing, the bickering. Sylus always had a way of getting under your skin, and you hated how easily he did it. Worse yet, you hated how it made your pulse race, how it made your heart stutter every time he was near.

He sauntered over to your side, leaning close enough that you could feel the heat of his body. His breath tickled the side of your neck, but you didn’t dare show how much it affected you.

"If you mess up one more time, I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?" You snapped, spinning in your chair to face him. The space between you was minimal now, the tension palpable. His smirk widened, and those red eyes narrowed slightly, as though he was enjoying how easily he could rile you up.

"I'll take over, obviously. Can't have someone as incompetent as you handling sensitive equipment." His voice dripped with mockery, but there was something else there—something darker, something unspoken. And for a split second, his gaze flickered, betraying an emotion that was neither mockery nor irritation. It was gone as soon as it appeared, leaving you questioning if you’d imagined it.

"I think I can handle myself just fine, thanks," you muttered, trying to ignore the way his presence made you feel. Every time he was near, it was like your nerves were on fire, every word out of his mouth was like gasoline to the flame that burned deep within you.

The truth was, you had a huge, embarrassingly intense crush on Sylus. But he made it impossible for you to act on it—he was always pushing you, always teasing, always acting as if you were beneath him. There were days when you wondered if he truly hated you, and others when you thought, just maybe, he might feel something different. But then he'd pull some stunt like this, and you'd remind yourself that it was probably all in your head.

You stood up abruptly, needing to put some distance between you before you lost control of the situation—before you gave away too much. "If you're so worried about it, why don't you handle the panel yourself?"

His smirk widened, but you didn’t stick around long enough for him to respond. You strode out of the control room, down the narrow hallway of the ship, your heart pounding far too hard for what should have been a simple interaction.

You needed to get a grip. Sylus was nothing but trouble, and you knew it. Yet, you couldn’t help the way your stomach flipped every time he was near. It was pathetic, really, but that didn’t stop the way your thoughts constantly drifted back to him.

Several hours passed before you found yourself in the ship’s common area, trying to distract yourself by talking to one of the crewmembers. He was a newer recruit, younger, eager to please, and he hung onto your every word. You laughed at something he said, a soft sound, but genuine. It felt good to relax, to have a moment where you weren’t constantly on edge.

That was, until you felt the weight of a familiar gaze on you.

Sylus stood at the entrance to the common room, his eyes locked on the two of you, his expression unreadable. But his eyes—those crimson eyes—burned with something dangerous. You could feel the intensity from across the room, and it sent a shiver down your spine.

You tried to ignore him, turning your attention back to the conversation, but it was impossible. Sylus was like a storm, unpredictable and overwhelming, and you were helpless to escape it.

After a few minutes, you excused yourself from the conversation, your nerves frayed by the feeling of Sylus’s gaze still boring into you. As you moved to leave the room, you barely made it past the door before a hand grabbed your wrist, yanking you sharply to the side. You were slammed up against the wall, the breath knocked out of you as Sylus’s body pressed against yours, trapping you between the cold metal wall and the heat of his presence.

"Sylus, what the hell—"

"You think I don’t see what you're doing?" His voice was low, dangerously quiet, but filled with something wild, something possessive. His eyes were darker now, the red burning brighter, and the usual cocky smirk was gone, replaced by something raw and fierce. "You think I didn’t notice you laughing with him? Touching him?"

You blinked, taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"Don’t play dumb with me." His grip on your wrist tightened, and you could feel his breath against your skin, harsh and uneven. "You think I’ll just stand by while you… while you act like that with someone else?"

Your mind raced, trying to piece together what he was saying. Was he—was he jealous?

"Sylus, it was nothing. I was just talking to him."

"Talking?" His lips curled in a sneer, but there was a vulnerability in his eyes, a fear, even. "That’s not what it looked like."

You opened your mouth to protest, but before you could say anything, his lips crashed down on yours, rough and demanding. Your body tensed in shock, but it only took a second for your instincts to take over. You kissed him back, hard, matching his intensity, your fingers gripping his shirt as his body pressed tighter against yours.

His hand slid up to cup the back of your neck, holding you in place as his lips moved over yours with a fierce hunger, as though he’d been holding back for far too long. The kiss was messy, desperate, both of you pouring weeks—no, months—of pent-up tension and frustration into it.

You gasped as his teeth grazed your lower lip, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue invading your mouth, claiming you. Your head spun, overwhelmed by the sheer force of him, of the way his body moved against yours, pinning you so completely to the wall.

Every touch, every movement was filled with heat, with want. His hand slid down your side, gripping your waist possessively, pulling you closer as if he couldn’t bear to have even an inch of space between you. His other hand tangled in your hair, tugging slightly, sending a jolt of pleasure through you.

You broke the kiss, gasping for air, but he didn’t stop. His lips moved to your neck, hot and insistent, and you couldn’t stop the soft moan that escaped your lips as he sucked at the sensitive skin just below your ear.

"You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this," he growled against your skin, his voice rough, filled with an emotion you hadn’t expected—desire, need, and something more. "No idea how hard it’s been to keep my hands off you."

Your heart pounded in your chest, your mind reeling. Sylus—arrogant, infuriating Sylus—wanted you? You didn’t have time to process it before his lips found yours again, and you were lost in the intensity of the moment, in the way his body moved against yours, demanding, unrelenting.

And in that moment, you realized that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t hate you after all.

Requests are open. Send as many as you like at once.

[anonymous-existences]

Chapter 3: New Faces, New Job, New Everything.

Continuation to the Prolouge, Chapter 1 and 2.

Danny stares at Dante in absolute shock, Red Hood? RED HOOD?? OF ALL PEOPLE. Dante had to meet the rumored and probably the most violent of the Vigilantes. And Red Hood being a literal Crime Lord makes this worse.

"He had a fat ass to be hone-" Dante Blurted with a smirk but Danny cuts him off, "No, No. Shut up. I don't wanna hear your- or my- wait no. YOU'RE gay shenanigans." Danny pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to process the whole story.

"Let me get this.. straight-... You ... Ugh.... Ancients save me. YOU. MET. RED HOOD. AFTER. Beating up... Someone in his HAUNT?? And what do you mean he's a revenant? I thought frostbite said those were the "rare cases" of semi-halfas" Danny tries to clear up all the information in his head through just yelling it out.

"Yep." Dante popping the "P" and does not elaborate on anything else but a simple 'yep'.

"Kill me fully- wait... No. Jazz wouldn't want that." Danny reminded himself and took a deep breathe.

"I am so telling Clockwork." Danny spoke out.

"Oh come on! I'm in physical probation! I defended someone from getting bad things happen to them—" Danny cut him off.

"You can say "Fucked up shit" you know stop physically censoring yourself." Danny just stared at Dante with a judgemental face. Dante gasped dramatically like he's offended by that statement.

"OH WOW. It's not like I'm trying to 'Censor' myself because you're a traumatized 13 year old kid and I'm an adult given the responsibility of YOU cuz I love you like my brother." Dante states emphasizing every word.

"You sound like a drag queen." Danny blurts out

"I look better in pink anyways." Dante smirked smugly and Danny just frowned and sighed as Dante Ruffled his hair Mischievously.

"Don't you have a job interview today?" Danny grabbed his hand and gently places it away from his poor hair.

"I already got hired. They said I fit the job." Dante sounded very proud of himself before Danny blurts out "I think they hired you on the spot because you're Eye Candy."

Dante was stunned and thought about it for a moment.

Hmm.

"Yeah I suppose but that doesn't matter now, I have a normal job and people doesn't seem to be bothered by me at all so it's very good." Danny imagined that if Dante had a tail he'd be wagging it and Danny didn't like that mental image of a fucking CATBOY DAN- "UUUUUGHH! I hate that." He drags his palm on his face dramatically.

"And you Danny. Is coming with me to work. I am not leaving you in the apartment because. I will list it.

1. Someone might break in and you're not safe.

2. You might kill that someone either through ghost or through your tendencies to grab that goddamn creep stick and hit without hesitation.

3. I am not letting you play DOOMED for 7 hours straight, But I will let you play Minecraft.

4. You or well, We. Tend to roam away from home when we are bored, in this case you do. And ding ding ding we're in Gotham.

5. If you ever got into any danger. I would not worry if you're okay. I would worry if you killed someone first.

That's your list."

Dante started Loud and Clear.

"Fine but I get to bring both my phone and headphones with my switch." Danny Complied with a deal making Dante smile triumphantly, "Fine with me Twerp, and you better behave at the cafe." He chuckles and Pats Danny's Head Gently but still mischievously.

Danny also giggled, Danny's chest felt warm. And his core buzzed in familiar happiness as Dante and Danny Pressed their foreheads into each other before Dante pats Danny's shoulder and stands back up with a groan.

"Let's go kid, get ready now." Dante stretched his body and cracks some of his "old bones" as Danny heads to his bedroom and takes his sling bag and puts his 'neccesities' inside with a smile.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Tim heard about a new Cafe opening nearby Gotham U, although at first he was suspicious of how so many people are already visiting it and even the lines reach outside. He soon found out why. One of their workers was rumored to be apparently "eye candy" or whatever they called people who are very attractive.

This worker was the main Barista and he apparently makes the drinks Infront of the people and he was good at it.

That got Tim even more curious, How attractive does someone have to be that people of all genders are lining up on a new store as if a celebrity is inside. And so he decided to wait in line like any other student as to not direct any attention to himself because that would be utterly humiliating for him.

He waited.....

And waited....

And kept Waiting and Waiting....

Until finally, what felt like an eternity he finally got to order His Coffee.

It seems the rumors are true, the bartender is indeed attractive. Tim got even more curious about how the big man seemed to have canine sharp teeth, oddly pale complexion that almost looks... Purple? And Lazarus Green Water with Red Rims.

"An Americano with two shots please.." He states to the Cashier, "And name please?" The Cashier asks again.

"Timothy." He calmly tells her as she writes it down to a receipt and hands it to the orders That the "Eye Candy" Man and Another Worker was Making.

Tim sat on a nearby table. It was the only table that happened to be empty. Except a 13 years old kid just sitting there playing... Minecraft? Okay-.

The kid stared at Tim, Tim stares back. 'He looks like adoption Bait.' Tim thinks to himself then suddenly he slowly feels weird, as if he's being judged intensely, Unfortunately and possibly even worse than how Damian judges him.

"You look like an overworked 9-5 office worker that has no paid vacations or time off for a student." the kid suddenly speaks out and it felt as though Tim had just been shot with a non-existent arrow of truth.

"Wha-" Tim tries to ask but the kid interrupts him before he could even start, "you should really get some sleep and maybe lessen your intake of Coffee... Ah right. Name's Danny by the way. Sorry. You just started staring at me so I couldn't help but state my opinion." The kid, or well... Danny said as he went back to playing Minecraft on his switch.

"I- it's... It's fine. I know I need sleep... All college students do- it's normal." Timothy just sighs and nods subtly, knowing full well this random kid is right.

Goddamit, the kid acts like Damian a bit too- and he has the typical black hair blue eyes appearance, possibly an orphan attitude. Tim continues to have a subtle Life Crisis in his head.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

'Such a weird person.' Danny thought to himself and chuckled softly.

He continues to play Minecraft with Tucker and Sam to Pass his time and so he doesn't go all deppreso mid-daylight. The amount of people entering the cafe was still... Concerning at the very least, now that the customers have heard Dante's voice... They started to call him the "Everything in one Package." Which was way worse than "Eye Candy" to be honest.

'Vlad would be confused and shocked.... I wonder how Ellie is doing.. hopefully not too bad....' Danny hums to himself as he made a gravesite ingame for Jazz to remember her by.

It has become tradition for these teens to make jazz a gravesite whenever they start a new world and they always made sure it's beautiful and colorful in a way Jazz would have liked it.

Danny smiled as he finished up the ingame Gravesite.

Although it hurts to see and do this every time, he still loves it because then he has something to remind him of her existence.

Her precious Existence as he likes to call it.

"I miss her so much..." He mutters to himself.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"I'm so... Tired." Dante was plopped onto the couch lazily.

"I am scared to be an adult like you..." Danny just stared at Dante as he Begrudgingly sat back up from the couch to stretch his body and head to the kitchen to cook.

"I met a random older student today, we kinda talked. He called me adoption bait which was funny because technically I am considering V l a d." Danny laughed.

"Adoption Bait my ass, who would want to adopt a little messy homeless looking goblin." Dante just chuckled smugly and Danny Pouts. " I am not a homeless looking kid" he tries to defend himself "that's the thing you're most concerned about in my sentence?" Dante tucked his hair back into a tight Ponytail and let's it flow naturally like fire.

"I know I'm a goblin, it's just how I am." Danny proudly says and pats his chest and puffs it out with pride.

"Ofcourse you do... Ah right. Kiddo I have a surprise for you tomorrow. So make sure to get enough sleep today alright?" Dante kneels down to Danny's Height to speak to him properly.

Danny thinks for a second, "Sure! I like surprises!" Danny giggled nodded profusely in excitement.

"Good." Dante smiled softly, he loves it when Danny is happy. His core loves when Danny is also happy. A happy Danny is a happy Dante.

He wishes this could go on forever. Just Danny smiling and not screaming for his life in his nightmares.

My Arm is cold from writing this <33

Enjoy though.

[idrawstuffidk]

Oh ace, oh sweetheart I am so so sorry

Ace reminds me so much of myself from middle school and high school, the anger, the feeling of isolation, the paranoia that everyone is out to get you

It hurts so so badly to feel that way. It’s why Ace was so so important to me. It’s why I loved him so much, because I saw him for who he was, someone who was deeply hurting and lonely and afraid, and he was.

Everyone pushed him to do what he did. Everyone. The only person who didn’t was Levi. Everyone hated him, but the people I blame the most for what Ace did are Veronika, Nico, and Hu.

Hu was so antagonistic towards Ace, so defensive of Nico and so delusional and I hate her so much

Veronika served to scare him further and further and say that he would be the next to die

And Nico, of course, proved her right. They tried to murder him.

What happened to Ace here, no wonder Teruko broke down a bit. It’s exactly what happened to her in the first trial, save for the fact she didn’t kill anyone. They were both almost murdered. They were both traumatized by it, they were both distrusted and hated by everyone during the trial. It’s why she must have wanted him to fight back so much. I hope she comments on that, I hope she thinks about it, I hope she feels something when Ace dies and I hope she is honest about it. I hope he reminds alive in the narrative like Xander and Min, I hope he and Arei both do.

I love Ace, now even more than ever. I cried so hard, I love him. He didn’t deserve this. That being said, I wonder what Teruko’s plan was. She said that the person to kill next would’ve the one who should carry out her plan, since it’s so high risk. I wonder what she will ask Ace to do, I wonder if he will do it.

I want a mini episode for him, I love the artwork of ace, though I do not like the closing argument ending artwork of him, not a fan, he could have looked so much better than that. I love his new sprites too. I love everything about him, really. I think he is one of my all time favourite characters, and he’s going on my “closest to kinning iv’e ever been list” right next to Nikei.

And with all that being said, thank you for reading my ranting and feelings about Ace and why I love him so so so much. And to give an update on how my OC Elenora would be doing: she’s sobbing hysterically. I’ll need to post more about her to make you understand why she is so heart broken

And on that note, I’m going to be writing a fanfiction where Elenora saved Ace because I think she could, it just takes some clever timing. It’s ok, Ace is alive and well with my lovely OC in my happy little universe.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Love That Burns ~ 2

LOVE THAT BURNS MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 2,530ish

Summary: You get to know your new teammate James. Stryker's team goes on a mission. (The Reader will continue to call Logan, James throughout the Origins movie and here and there throughout the rest of the series.)

Warnings: violence

Notes: I really couldn't help myself, posting two days in a row. I'm just so excited for this series! The next chapter will be out next week! Reminder: I DO NOT do taglists. Please don’t ask. Please follow and interact! I appreciate any reblogs, likes, comments, and asks! Also, help me decide the endings!

You had basically stayed clear of your new teammates in the week they had been there. You weren’t exactly the welcoming type, focused on not being homeless again. You spent most of your time in your room or working on your abilities. Stryker had made sure there was a firepower room in the facility so that you had a safe place to practice, which others rarely entered.

Fire filled the room as you practiced your powers: throwing the fire, heating and melting items, as well as building walls for protection. As you practiced, you failed to notice James slip into the room. He had gone looking for something to light his cigar and he followed the smell of smoke. When he opened the door and saw you maneuvering the flames, he was mesmerized. James hadn’t known what to think of you, especially when you were clearly avoiding him and Victor. You were a beautiful woman but there was a fire inside of you that he wanted to know more about.

Still not noticing that you had an audience, you shot flames out of your hands at the wall that James was leaning against.

“Shit!” James exclaimed as he jumped away from the fire, his shirt getting singed. With a twist of your wrists, the flames around the room disappeared. “You may want to watch where you're shooting those flames, sweetheart.”

You shrugged. “Didn’t see you. I normally don’t have an audience.”

“Clearly.” James pushed himself off the wall and headed towards you. You noticed the cigar between his fingers and lit it. A flash of surprise went across James’ face. “Thanks.” He took a drag of his cigar before letting the smoke billow out of his mouth. The earthy smell took over your senses and you didn’t mind. “I wanted to apologize for Victor.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“Doesn’t make it right.”

You tilted your head slightly as you studied James. Just from the few interactions you had with him, it was clear that James was constantly picking up after his brother. You wondered why.

“You’ve got some ability,” James commented.

“It’s come in handy from time to time. Do you have an ability? I assume you do because Stryker’s really only interested in mutants.”

James held up a fist as three bone claws extended from his knuckles. You couldn’t help but reach out and gently touch them. James watched in wonder. No one had ever looked at his claws the way you were currently, with awe and not fear.

“Is it the same on the other hand?” You asked, fingers still running over the claws.

“Yes,” James responded. When you finally pulled away, James retracted his claws.

“Does that hurt? When they break through your skin?”

James was taken even more back now. No one had ever asked him that. No one had ever cared. “Every time… Does, uh, do the flames hurt your skin?”

“No,” you shook your head. “Well, as long as they come from me.”

James nodded, not knowing what to say next but he did know that he wanted to get to know you more.

“I’m going to go clean up,” you tell him. “See you around, James.”

He nodded, watching you slip out of the room.

~~~

James may not know you well, but he did know one thing. He hated it when Wade was around you. Wade was constantly propositioning you or being incredibly inappropriate. Victor occasionally joined in as well. You simply ignored the comments while James was growing furious.

“Maybe if we both take our shirts off then she’ll—“

“That’s enough,” James growled, cutting off Wade. You were sitting close by, trying to ignore the men by reading a book.

“You want to get in on this Howlett? Or are you just jealous that we have the balls to—“

“I said that’s enough!” Suddenly, James had his claws at Wade’s neck.

“Calm down there, kitty.”

“James, it’s alright,” you told him, standing up. “Let Wade go.”

“Listen to your master, kitty.”

James shoved Wade with a grunt as his claws disappeared. Suddenly, Wade’s hair burst into flames. He began to freak out as you laughed, leaving the room. James followed, the anger still controlling him. You entered your room, leaving the door open for James. He found you and leaned against the door frame. 

“You don’t need to fight by battles, James,” you told him as you tidied up.

“They shouldn’t be talking about you like that,” his voice was still rough and filled with anger.

“I’m used to it. People talked before Stryker found me.”

James had never heard about your life before this and was interested to learn more. He stepped into the room and closed the door before leaning against it.

“I was homeless for years,” you continued. “I used my abilities to steal but that never gave me a bed to sleep in. So, sometimes, I would sell my body for money and a bed for a night.” James inhaled sharply. “Sometimes there were multiple men and women involved. They often talked about my body like I wasn’t even there. I just ignore it.”

“I’m sorry.”

You looked at him curiously. “What for?”

“You shouldn’t have had to deal with any of that and continue to deal with it.”

You shrugged. “The price I pay to meet my basic needs.”

“Doesn’t make it right, sweetheart.”

“Well, there’s nothing I can do to change that… This life is better than homelessness.”

James hated how right you were and how okay you were with the way the others treated you. He wished so badly that he could fix it and he would do his best to try.

~~~

While the other men continued to talk the way they did, James made sure to continue to be sweet and gentle with you. He tried to not make it obvious, saving some things for when the two of you were alone. You wouldn’t admit it, but your interactions with James were making you feel things you never thought you would. You enjoyed how sweet and caring he was, always looking out for you during missions and making sure you were okay afterward. The two of them began training together, eating together, and even just sitting in silence together. You would be reading while he puffed at a cigar. It was nice. The closest thing you could get to domestic bliss in your life. 

James hated flying, which you quickly realized on his first mission with the team. That is why you were currently sitting next to him on the jet. He was leaning forward, elbows on his thighs, with his hands together, almost like he was praying. You were sitting close enough that your thighs were brushing each other, hoping that the small touch would help.

“You know, I love this weapon more than any other thing in the whole wide world,” Wade said as he sharpened one of his swords. “Do you wanna know why?”

“No,” Victor replied.

“It’s memorable. Sure, it’s a little bulky, tough to get on a plane. You whip out a couple of cowards at your ex-girlfriend’s wedding, they will never, ever forget it.”

“That’s funny, Wade. I think you confuse me with someone who gives a shit.”

“Right, it’s probably not as intimidating as having a gun or bone claws or fire. Or even the fingernails of a bag lady.” Victor’s claws grew out while Wade gripped his sword tighter. Wade held up his sword filer. “Manicure?”

“Victor,” James tone was one of warning, “easy.”

“Fred got a new tattoo. I’m concerned.” Wade was always one to jump from topic to topic.

James looked past you to see the new tattoo on Fred’s arm. “Oh, geez, Fred, you just met her last night.”

“I love her,” Fred said, getting emotional.

“You love her after one night?”

“She’s a gymnast.”

“I’m sure she’s great,” you told Fred, patting his leg.

“Bradley, take her down,” Stryker ordered. The jet began to descend with a turn.

“Oh, God,” James groaned, leaning forward again.

“Are you gonna puke?” Fred asked, taking a bite of a protein bar.

“If we were meant to fly, we’d grow wings.”

“Don’t worry, Nancy,” Zero said. “More people die driving than flying.”

“How about from impaling?”

“Hey, be nice,” John told James, “or be your approximation of nice. Would you like a bucket?”

“No,” James grunted as he tried to calm his stomach.

You placed a hand on his back, rubbing small circles on it. You could not care less about the others watching you and James. 

“Gentlemen, Y/N, wheels down in Lagos in five,” Stryker announced.

~~~

Stryker led the team to a taller building at the edge of the city. It was heavily guarded with tanks and armed men.

“Why are we here?” James asked.

“All in good time,” responded Stryker. “Zero?”

Zero stepped up, getting all the guns aimed at him before he started firing. He flipped over the large fence as he fired and defeated the men he could see. 

“Having fun yet?” Victor asked you and James before he ran over to the gate Zero had just opened.

Victor ran to the building and began using his claws to scale it. The team heard a tank arm up nearby.

“Fred?” Stryker called.

“The tank?” Fred wondered.

“The tank.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

Fred came over to the tank and punched his fist into it before the controller fired. The shot hit Fred’s fist before backfiring, exploding the tank. Stryker led the rest of you into the building and onto the elevator. Bradley, Wade, and John were standing in front, near the doors, while Fred, Stryker, James, and yourself were in the back. James made sure that you were in the corner so that he could cover you if needed. The elevator was playing office music before the power was cut and it stopped.

“Great,” Wade said. “Stuck in an elevator with five guys on a high-protein diet and a fiery bitch.”

“Watch it, bud,” James growled.

“Wade,” Stryker warned.

“Dreams really do come true.”

“Just shut it! You’re up next.”

“Thank you, sir. You look really nice today. It’s the green. It brings out the seriousness in your eyes. Though the black really brings out Y/N’s—“

“Oh my God. Do you ever shut up, pal?” James could never stand Wade for long periods of time.

“No. Not when I’m awake.”

“Bradley? Top floor, please,” Stryker requested.

Bradley quickly used his powers to bring the elevator up to the top floor. As soon as the elevator reached the top floor, James pushed you further into the corner and covered you. Stryker moved to stand between you two and Bradley. The doors opened and gunshots immediately followed. Wade twirled his words around, effectively preventing himself from taking a bullet. It wasn’t long until everyone was dead beside the boss at the front desk.

“Okay. People are dead,” Wade announced.

“If you didn’t have that mouth on you, Wade, you’d be the perfect soldier,” Stryker stated as he walked out of the elevator and toward the sole survivor. 

James made sure that you were at his side, always ready to jump in to protect you at a moment’s notice. The sole survivor reached for a gun from under his desk but John teleported, quickly stopping him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you, brother,” John warned.

“Take the diamonds,” the man said. “They’re yours.”

“I don’t want your diamonds,” replied Stryker. “I want this.” He took a piece of rock that was sitting on the man’s desk.

“But that is nothing. A souvenir.”

“Where did you find it? I want the source.”

“A small village, far inland, three days from here.”

~~~

Mere hours later, the team was in that small village. The villagers had been gathered up, kept close together by a ring of fire you were controlling. Stryker was holding up the stolen rock to the village leader while Wade was there translating.

“I don’t like this,” James muttered to you. The heat you had created had forced him to take off his shirt, leaving his white tank top.

“Me either,” you responded. You glanced around as Wade and Stryker talked to the village leader. The villagers were all terrified and you hated that you were a part of that.

“He’s telling the truth,” James tried to vouch for the leader.

“You don’t know the language, Logan,” Stryker dismissed.

“It’s a meteor fragment.”

“I know what it is. I’m asking him where he found it.”

“Sir,” Bradley called, “base wants to know our location.”

“Shut them down.”

“Yes.”

Stryker leaned toward the kneeling leader. “Tell him everyone here will die unless he tells me where he the found rock.”

Wade quickly translated and received a response. “He says that it’s sacred.”

“Okay, fine,” Stryker stood up straight and turned to Victor. “Victor.” He placed a hand on the mutant’s shoulder before walking a few steps away, keeping his back to everyone.

Victor quickly killed the reader, causing the villagers to cry out. You extinguished the circle of flames as the other members of the team began killing the villagers. You stumbled back at the sight forcing James to steady you. In all your time with this team, you had never gone after innocents. James ran towards Victor grabbing his wrist before he could kill another innocent man.

“Victor!” James roared. “Don’t even think about it.” You noticed that your other teammates gripped their weapons tighter, prepared to fight each other. “We didn’t sign up for this. Put him down.”

Victor let go of the villager as he ripped his wrist from James’ grip. “What are you doing?” Victor questioned through panting breaths. “We finally got a good thing going here. Don’t you screw this up.”

“Enough. That’s enough. We’ve done enough.”

“Who do you think you are? This is what we do. Maybe you’d rather be rotting in a hole somewhere till they figure out a way to do it to us. Is that it? Huh?”

“I’m done. You coming?” When Victor didn’t give an immediate answer. James turned and walked to you. “Y/N. Come with me.”

“I—I can’t,” you were terrified of losing the comfort you had found.

“I promise that you will have a bed and food and clothes. I will take care of you.”

“Don’t do it, Y/N,” Stryker said, taking a step forward. “He can’t make those promises. You’ll be back on the streets.”

“I will never let that happen.” He held out his hand. “Come with me.”

You briefly looked past James to see Stryker angrily staring you down before you focused back on James. With a shaky hand, you reached out and took James’. He squeezed it before he began leading you away.

“Jimmy!” Victor yelled, causing James to stop and turn. “We can’t just let you two walk away.” James ripped off his dog tags before throwing them to the ground, you quickly did the same.

James made sure he had a good grip on your hand before the two of you disappeared into the forest, Victor calling after James. 

next chapter >

[idkyetxoxo]

Daeron Targaryen - Ashes of Betrayal

Summary - Secrets unravel and tensions ignite between brothers, Daeron's forbidden love for her puts them all at risk. With loyalty and betrayal hanging in the balance, her fate is sealed by forces beyond her control, leading to a devastating clash between love and cruelty.

Pairing - Daeron Targaryen x Velaryon reader

Warnings - Violence, mild language

Word count - 3176

Based on this request

Masterlist for Daeron • House of the Dragon General Masterlist

Finding myself captured by the enemy in the midst of a war wasn't exactly part of the plan. 

Yet here I was, shackled, facing Aemond Targaryen, whose cold, calculating gaze remained unnervingly calm, even as the chains rattled against my wrists.

"Tell me this instant how you knew about that route," Aemond demanded. His tone was even, controlled, as though the answer was more a matter of curiosity than importance.

I met his stare, unfazed. "You already have me in chains. What more can you do?" 

My voice was steady, but the deliberate tug at the cold metal binding my wrists served as a reminder that I wasn't as composed as I pretended to be.

Aemond's jaw tightened, though his expression stayed eerily neutral. His single eye bore into mine, assessing every detail, every slight movement. 

My gaze flickered for a split second to the shadows where Aegon and Daeron stood, just out of the light, and that brief glance was all it took. 

Aemond's attention followed, and though he didn't outwardly react, I saw the moment he understood.

"Seems our younger brother has betrayed us," Aemond said softly. His words were cold and measured, though the underlying anger simmered just beneath the surface, threatening to boil over. 

His gaze drifted toward Daeron, who shifted uncomfortably under the accusation, his guilt clear even before he opened his mouth.

Aegon, however, didn't waste a second. He stalked toward me, fury written in every step. 

His hand shot out, tangling painfully in my hair, yanking me roughly to my feet with a vicious jerk. His breath was hot against my cheek as he leaned in, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

"I wonder what your smug cunt of a mother would think," Aegon hissed, his voice dripping with venom, "if she saw how her precious daughter was being treated by the rightful king." 

He pulled harder, making me wince, but I refused to cry out.

"She would expect nothing less from a usurper like you," I spat, glaring at him with all the contempt I could muster.

Aegon's eyes darkened with fury, and before I could brace myself, the back of his hand struck my face, the force of it sending a sharp sting across my skin. 

The pain was immediate, radiating down to my jaw, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daeron flinch, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he stepped forward instinctively, hands raised in an almost futile gesture of peace. 

His eyes locked on mine, and despite everything—the chaos, the violence—there was still something soft there. 

A silent plea. He hated seeing me like this, hated what his brothers were doing. But he was powerless to stop them. Or, at least, too afraid to try.

"Aegon," Daeron murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Stop. Please."

Aegon glanced back at his younger brother, a cruel smile twisting his lips. His grip on my hair tightened. 

"Stop? Why?" He yanked me forward, dragging me toward him as if I were nothing more than a rag doll. "You're the one who betrayed us, Daeron. You should be thanking me for not gutting her on the spot."

Daeron's eyes flashed with something raw—guilt, fear, love. But Aegon's words held him captive as much as they did me.

Aemond stood slowly from his seat, his tall frame casting a long, ominous shadow as he moved closer. His cold, calculating gaze shifted to Daeron. 

"Do not tell me you betrayed us for some bastard girl," he said, his voice dripping with disbelief and disgust. His words were an accusation, and they lingered in the air like poison. 

He stepped closer to Daeron, not just daring, but almost begging him to deny it, to speak some lie that would erase the suspicion from his mind. A beat passed, heavy, suffocating.

Daeron's silence was damning. 

He glanced at me again, and in that moment, I saw everything he couldn't say—his fear for me, the guilt of betraying his family, and the helplessness of knowing he couldn't save us both. 

His fists clenched at his sides, his whole body trembling with barely contained emotion, but he said nothing. And in his silence, Aemond found his answer.

"Fine," Aegon snarled, shoving me back so hard that I stumbled, falling to the ground with a loud clatter of chains. 

My wrists throbbed where the iron bit into my skin, but I barely registered the pain. 

Aegon loomed over me, his smirk wide and vicious. "You can watch her die tomorrow. Consider it a fair price for your insolence, brother."

"No, please," Daeron's voice cracked, his desperation unmistakable now. He stepped forward again, but Aegon turned away, already done with the conversation.

"You should be grateful I'm giving you a front-row seat," Aegon called over his shoulder, his tone flippant, as though my death were a mere triviality. 

He stalked toward the door, leaving Daeron standing frozen, torn between his family and the woman he cared for.

The room pulsed with unspoken tension, every breath weighed down by the unshakable promise of death. 

Daeron's eyes found mine, pleading, but there was nothing either of us could do.

His love for me was evident, but love had no power here. Not against Aemond and Aegon.

"Brother, listen," Daeron began again, voice cracking under the strain of desperation. He took a tentative step toward Aemond, his body trembling with the weight of it all.

Aemond turned sharply, jabbing a finger into Daeron's chest. 

"Do not say another word," he spat, his voice sharper than the edge of a blade. His single eye burned with barely concealed fury. 

"For now, she is simply a prisoner—chained and forgotten, an afterthought in this war. But if you push me, if you test me, brother, I will throw open those cell doors and let every knight, servant, and man in this city have their fun with the false queen's precious daughter."

His words sliced through the room, venomous and cold. Daeron froze, his face paling as the threat settled in. His lips parted, but no words came out. 

His gaze flickered back to me, and the weight of Aemond's threat crushed any hope that remained.

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the rising panic in my chest, but the chains felt heavier now, the room colder. Aemond was no longer simply playing a game; this was his final move, and he held all the pieces.

Aemond had always been the calm storm—the silent, calculating force that ruled with a cold fist. I had no illusions about what he was capable of. 

But Daeron... Daeron had been the light, the flicker of hope that perhaps, somewhere, there was still something human left in this war.

"Aemond, please," Daeron's voice was a hoarse whisper, barely holding together. "She's not—"

"Not what?" Aemond sneered, leaning in closer. "Not worth it? Or is it that you think your love for this girl will sway me?"

Daeron's silence only fueled Aemond's cruel smile. "You've always been weak, Daeron," Aemond said, his voice laced with disdain. "Weak and foolish."

The words hung heavy between them, and Daeron's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Think on it," Aemond said as he turned to leave, his tone mocking. "By morrow, it may be too late to save her—or yourself."

The door creaked open, the dim light from the corridor casting long shadows across the room. 

For a moment, Daeron stood there, trembling, caught between the desire to act and the crushing weight of his brother's will. 

His eyes flicked to me one last time, filled with sorrow and guilt before he turned and followed Aemond out. 

The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the cold, dark silence, my heart pounding in my chest. 

The promise of death—or worse—loomed closer now, more real than ever before.

─── ✦⋅♡⋅✦ ───

"Mother, please," Daeron pleaded, his voice cracking as he sank to his knees before Alicent. 

His hands clutched desperately at the hem of her skirts, his tear-filled eyes searching her face for any glimmer of hope. 

Alicent stood still, her fingers trembling as they rested on the arms of her chair. She swallowed hard, her eyes flicking away from his, unwilling to meet the depth of his despair.

"Daeron," she sighed, her voice heavy with the weight of truths she wished she could deny, "they do not listen to me any longer." 

The admission tasted bitter on her tongue.

Aegon and Aemond had drifted far beyond her reach, carried away by power and ambition.

"But Aemond will kill her," Daeron insisted, his voice rising with panic. 

He scrambled to his feet, his hands gripping her arms now, begging her to intervene, to be the shield between Aemond's cruelty and the woman he loved. 

Tears brimmed in his eyes, threatening to spill, and the sheer desperation in his face broke her heart.

Alicent pulled away, her movements sharp and swift as she turned from him, unable to bear the sight of his anguish. 

She crossed the room, pacing, her hand unconsciously rising to her mouth as she chewed nervously at her thumb, a habit long thought forgotten but resurfacing now under the weight of their reality. 

"You know what Aemond is," she muttered, the words half-spoken to herself. 

There was no controlling her second son anymore; he had grown into a storm—cold, relentless, and unpredictable.

"Do not let him," Daeron's voice broke as he followed her, his tears finally spilling down his cheeks. He reached out, his hand trembling as it touched her arm. "I beg you."

Alicent froze, turning to face her son, her eyes softening. She exhaled deeply, her own heart torn. 

With a gentle hand, she brushed away a tear from his cheek, her fingers lingering on his face, wishing she could offer him some comfort, some promise. But there was none to give. 

"If Aemond has set his mind to it," she whispered, "there is nothing I can do." Her voice cracked, the burden of her helplessness almost too much to bear.

"Rhaenyra will not let this go," Daeron warned, his voice thick with the fear of what was to come. 

The mention of her name made Alicent flinch, her fingers twitching as the ghost of old memories washed over her—memories of friendship now soured by blood, betrayal, and bitter rivalry. 

Rhaenyra's name brought a dull ache to her chest, a reminder of everything that had been lost between them.

"She will not," Alicent whispered, her eyes drifting to the window. 

She gazed out at the sky, her mind flashing with images of her once closest friend. 

The hurt, the pain, the love that had been twisted into something unrecognizable. It all felt like a distant dream, yet the consequences of those shattered bonds were now painfully real.

─── ✦⋅♡⋅✦ ───

It all seemed to be happening too fast.

One moment, Alicent had been trying to make her sons see reason, pleading with Aemond and Aegon to abandon their cruel paths, to halt this madness before it spiralled further out of control. 

But reason had fallen on deaf ears. And now, in the next breath, Daeron was kneeling before me, his trembling hands wrapped tightly around mine, his soft words a quiet comfort amidst the storm. 

Silent tears spilt down my cheeks as the heavy reality of my fate sank in.

"Move," Aemond's voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp and unforgiving. His footsteps echoed as he approached, the sound chilling in its finality. 

He stood above us, his cold eye gleaming with malice, his lips curled into a smug smirk. But Daeron refused to budge, his grip on my hands firm, as if he could anchor me to safety as if love alone could protect us from the inevitable.

"No," Daeron whispered, shaking his head, his knuckles white as he clung to me. His eyes were wide with fear and defiance, staring up at his brother, silently pleading for mercy.

Aemond's smirk faltered, replaced by cold fury. With a single nod, he signalled to the Kingsguard. 

Two of them stepped forward without hesitation, seizing Daeron by the arms. He struggled violently in their grasp, his body thrashing as they dragged him away from me.

"Let me go!" Daeron shouted, his voice hoarse, fighting with every ounce of strength he had. 

His eyes remained locked on mine, desperate, terrified. The sight of his suffering twisted something deep inside me, and tears streamed freely down my face.

Aemond watched it all with cold detachment. 

Slowly, almost lazily, he unsheathed his sword, the metallic ring of the blade echoing ominously through the room. He stepped forward, the tip of the sword gleaming in the dim light as he approached me.

"Any final words, niece?" Aemond asked, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction as he towered over me. 

He stared down at me, his eye alight with cruel amusement, savouring every moment of my helplessness.

I lifted my head, staring up at him defiantly, though my body trembled with fear. 

"When my mother comes," I spat, my voice trembling but filled with fury, "I hope she brings the wrath of the seven hells with her."

Aemond chuckled, his lips curling into a mocking smile. 

"Such a fiery spirit," he mused, tutting as if I were a misbehaving child. "But you'll soon learn that fire burns out quickly, especially when faced with the cold steel of reality." 

He stood over me, his sword raised high. His cold, calculating eye bored into me, devoid of remorse, devoid of mercy. 

Every second seemed to stretch into eternity as I knelt there, bound by chains, my heart pounding in my chest.

Behind him, Daeron struggled violently against the Kingsguard restraining him, his voice ragged and desperate as he shouted, "Aemond, please! Don't do this!"

But Aemond's attention never wavered. He was relentless and unmoved by his brother's pleas. He had already made up his mind. 

This was his justice—cold, unforgiving, absolute.

I stared up at him, my breath shaky, the weight of the moment pressing down on me. 

Tears stung the corners of my eyes, different tears but I refused to let him see me cry. If this was my end, I would meet it with strength. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear.

Behind Aemond, I could hear Daeron's anguished cries, the sound of his body thrashing as he fought with every ounce of strength he had. His voice cracked, breaking with each plea. 

"Aemond, no!" His eyes, wild and desperate, searched for mine through the chaos.

And then, in that final moment, I locked eyes with Daeron, my heart breaking at the sight of him—tears streaking his face, his lips trembling, torn between helpless rage and soul-crushing sorrow.

Our love had always been a quiet thing, hidden in stolen glances and whispered promises, but now, with death so close, there was no need for silence. 

I didn't have the strength to speak, not with Aemond's sword poised to strike, but I mouthed the words I had longed to say out loud for so long.

I love you.

Daeron's face crumpled in anguish, his knees buckling beneath him as the weight of those words sank in. 

The Kingsguard dragged him backwards, but his eyes never left mine. 

He screamed my name, the sound a raw, broken cry that echoed through the chamber, reverberating with his pain. "No!"

But Aemond didn't hesitate. He smirked, his lips curling in satisfaction as he brought his sword down with brutal finality. 

The cold steel sliced through the air, and in one swift motion, it cut through me.

Pain exploded in my chest, sharp and overwhelming, but it was brief. The world blurred around me, and for a moment, everything slowed. 

My body crumpled to the ground, the chains clattering loudly as I collapsed, the cold stone beneath me stealing the last warmth from my skin. 

Blood pooled beneath me, thick and dark, seeping out in slow, spreading tendrils.

Aemond stood above me, his sword still in hand, watching the life drain from me with a detached, almost clinical gaze. 

He had done what he set out to do—delivered his judgment, his so-called justice. And now, to him, it was over.

But behind him, Daeron was anything but composed. He fell to his knees as the Kingsguard finally released him, their grip no longer necessary. 

His body trembled with shock, the horror of what had just happened crashing down on him. His eyes, wide with disbelief, stared at my lifeless form, and for a moment, it seemed as if the world had gone silent. 

The sound of his own breath caught in his throat, choked by grief.

"No..." Daeron whispered, his voice small, broken. He crawled toward me, his hands trembling as they reached out, gently touching my blood-stained cheek. 

"No, no, no..." His words came out in a rush, frantic, as if he could somehow undo what had been done as if his desperate whispers could bring me back.

But I was gone.

Daeron cradled me in his arms, pulling my limp body against his chest. His tears fell freely now, soaking into my hair as he rocked back and forth, whispering my name over and over, as though the repetition could summon me back to life. 

His hands, stained with my blood, clung to me, refusing to let go.

"Aemond!" Daeron's voice rose suddenly, hoarse and raw with fury. He looked up at his brother, hatred blazing in his tear-filled eyes. "How could you?" 

His voice was a broken snarl, filled with more pain than rage. He trembled violently, barely able to contain the torrent of emotions ripping through him. "How could you..."

Aemond sheathed his sword with a slow, deliberate motion, his expression unreadable as he gazed down at Daeron. 

"It had to be done," he said, his voice calm, as if the weight of my death meant nothing to him. As if it were just another move in a grander game.

Daeron's entire body shook with the force of his grief, his hands clenching into fists as he held me tighter. 

His heart shattered, torn between love and the devastating realization that no matter how much he pleaded, no matter how much he fought, he could not protect me from Aemond's cruelty.

"You—" Daeron choked on his words, his face twisted in agony. "You've killed her... You've destroyed everything."

Aemond turned away, his back now to his brother, and without a word, he left the room, the door slamming shut behind him with a final, resounding echo.

Daeron was left alone in the suffocating silence, clutching my lifeless body to his chest, his tears falling in steady streams. His voice was gone now, replaced by soft, broken sobs that filled the empty chamber. 

He pressed his forehead to mine, his breath hitching as he whispered, "I love you... I love you..."

But it was too late.

And as the night stretched on, Daeron remained there, shattered and alone, the weight of his loss crushing him from the inside out. 

The woman he had loved was gone, and no matter how many tears he shed, no matter how many promises he had whispered, there was no bringing me back. 

The hollow ache of regret and sorrow would haunt him for the rest of his days.

In that moment, Daeron knew he had lost more than just me—he had lost himself.

A/n - Sorry this took so long but I hope it's ok I got a tad bit carried away hence the word count!

Daeron tag list - @alyssa-dayne

[rosakuma]

Possible Parallels to Ace/Nico and Arei/Eden? Spoilers for Ch. 2

Okay so with the next episode approaching us fast, I wanted to get out this post that is something that could connect to the case via the similarities between Arei and Eden with Ace and Nico. This is a mixture of character analysis and theory through the eyes of Culptrit Eden view.

Note: Just because there similarities doesn’t fully cement that Eden is the culprit + I’ll be giving an interpretation on some parts that could be a possible connection. So take this subjectively 😋

Let’s get to our big meanies! To start out, let’s compare two of the biggest jerks of DRDT’s cast, Ace and Arei.

When it comes to their role as a bully to their respective target, both are different while being similar to their approach. Ace and Arei verbally bullyies Nico and Eden with insults or assumptions on them.

When it comes to Ace, his insults and assumptions are based off his own insecurities and paranoia on how others see him. While we still don't know what causes him to feel this way, we can see how this affects others like Nico and also bites him in the back with everyone hating him because of this.

Nico being the victim of these outbursts affects them hard to take things too far due to Ace’s behavior to them reminding them of unsavory memories in their past. Nico seems to had moments similar to what Ace would do of yelling at them for saying something wrong bluntly(though to them, they don't mean it in a bad way) or getting at them for either “Wanting Pity” or “Can’t defend themselves “. Knowing how Nico’s identity of being nonbinary has cause bullies to come after them with throwing rocks/mud at them or being accused of trying to get attention in a derogatory way, this is why Ace’s accusations towards them trying to get pity got to them hard. Enough to commit murder as while I don't think Nico before the killing game tried to kill their dad or any of their peers/teachers, I do think this reflects that Nico wishes they had power over them or maybe thoughts of harming them just to get back at them. Being able to have that temporarily over Ace, it was probably the first time they were able to take action back to others who treated them awful just for who they are as a person.

Getting back to Ace. Ace is aware of this behavior being too much when it comes to his anger, but still goes ahead with it regardless. Even though deep down, he wishes he both was and wasn't the things he claims Nico is. That someone would save him from this situation of the killing game/his self sabotage behavior and care about him. But he also doesn't want to let his guard down with being in this scary situation and refuses to let anyone talk shit to him to his face. That's why it hurt so much when his projection of this person being Levi was shattered the moment Levi reveals he does not care about anyone, including Ace who could live or die for all he cares. This is just speculation, but with this chapter showcasing everyone’s flaws or hints that there’s more to them. I believe Ace in a way like Arei, probably went through something to cause his paranoia on everyone thinking that he’s hot headed idiot and the need to “fight back” to show he’s not weak either. That no one really cares about him except for one person(Taylor) who’s presumably dead now. If I had to guess, it could relate to his talent of being a jockey in perhaps the competition would get to his head and knowing he can’t fail(maybe perhaps thanks to his family whether to disappoint them or fail to support them). Resulting in the Ace we know today as the hot headed all bark, but no bite jockey who doesn't care that his body is failing him as who’s going to care? He only got himself and he can’t go out until he dies on his own terms. He truly lives up to his secret quote of “I don’t know what to do with myself anymore” as he cannot figure out if he wants to just isolate and hurt himself in the process or to let others in to help him out and change this harmful behavior of his.

Going onto Arei, her way of bullying Eden is more out of a mixture envy and concern for her. Before we knew Arei was her manipulative self who would fake being nice and cry during ch.1 before revealing herself and started insulting others. After Min’s death in ch.2 we see how her feelings about what happened cause to her act out in this chapter.

When Eden was searching for her to have her join her clock activitity with her and Teruko, Arei burst out in disgust about this invitation. Eden confused as Arei wanted to join last activity, gets hit with Arei blaming her for Min’s death. For pretending to be all sad about Min dying, before returning to her usually happy self. Telling her that acting this way and trying to do these “friendship” bonding activities is just going to cause more people to die. And it’ll will be all your fault.

This pushes Eden to tears and she runs away. To where we get in the conversation with Arei, David, and Teruko that she reveals her world view. That thanks to her sisters, her life been hell. That she used to be a nice person who tried being kind to others, but that kindness was only met by hate and manipulative jerks who take their sick kicks out on her because they had more power over her. Arei had no one who cared about her or show her kindness, only those who taught her its a dog eat dog world and you better get with it if you want to survive.

In a way, her bullying towards Eden unlike Ace’s towards Nico is because in her own way, she’s trying to help Eden. Eden probably reminds Arei of her old self that she had to disregard to survive during her childhood to adulthood. She doesn't wish any actually harm on Eden, she just wants Eden to not end up hurting like she did. But at the same time while not enjoying making Eden cry over this, she does feel something towards her. Envy

Arei feels envious towards how someone like Eden can exist. That she can be kind in this cruel world and no one takes advantage of her for it. That she can be this way and not experience any hell that Arei did despite not wanting to always be this way.

This makes me feel the connection between Ace and Arei. Both are envious towards their victims with what they have that they never gotten. Both Nico and Eden have people who cared about them and doesn't think of them being less than who they are. They can be themselves in this killing game with no one taking advantage of them(well until I guess the David reveal but nevermind that). While these two are trying to survive in a terrible situation with their own survival instincts they develop to survive in the world before this game. Although Arei before her death was trying to break out from this, to where she was given a hand from both Eden and David. Arei wanted to change even if she thought she was far too gone too. To be a good person like Eden and David. Even when getting her view of them shattered with David being a crappy person, she was glad as she’s not alone. Arei is thankful that there is no bad or good person, that she can change to be less shitty as there’s no impossible standards to live up to achieve it. Though Ace never got to get this as he had no David or Eden to reach out for him, to realize that he may be a shitty person like everyone else, but he could change his ways.

Now you’re probably wondering “Where does Eden come into all of this?” “How does this possibly connects to her being the culprit?” The thing is since both our bullies here have connections in similarities of how they treat their targets and how both murders are similar in how they’re done. What about the targets?

As we established with Nico earlier, Nico was driven to murder Ace because Ace reminded them of their past trauma right? What if Eden did the same to Arei because she reminded her of her past? Full speculation on possible Eden lore based off the little tidbits we know.

Now I don't think how Arei bullied Eden was the reason why Eden would plan to kill Arei her especially since they made up. Rather I think the reason why Eden killed her is because of when they made up. Remember, this is just speculation, so take this with a grain of salt.

I think with Eden’s secret being “Ever since you kissed her, you were afraid your sexuality would ruin your friendships” is connected to Arei’s friendship towards Eden. Whether this girl in the past was actually Arei maybe during their time at Hope’s Peak or someone else, I think when Arei promised to be Eden’s friend brought back memories to her. To someone who promised to be her friend, to protect her, to do stuff with her like baking dumb cakes, and to be someone she could rely on. We can tell with how that secret sounds, it might’ve ended badly for Eden’s crush on this girl who she felt like she ruined their friendship with.

When Arei promised to be this type of friend to Eden for now on, it caused Eden to think back to her and that Eden didn't want to be attached to someone like that again. It was already painful enough to lose that person because of who she was, she doesn't want to relive what happened to her. So she rather cut off what could’ve been a beautiful friendship that has the potential of becoming more just to prevent the hurt of losing someone like that again. With being inspired by Nico’s murder attempt, Eden was able to have the idea to have her plan in action.

Along with this, I think this could explain Eden’s behavior throughout this chapter with how strange she’s been acting about Arei’s death during the investigation to trial. She does clearly care about Arei and wanted to be her friend, but she doesn't want to be too attached to feel regret. Maybe if Arei’s words about Eden being sad about Min and then returning to her cheery self means anything, Eden is trying to do that with Arei of showing grief for a split second before trying to focus on “solving” the case to avoid feeling responsible to her death. Eden does regret doing the murder if she is the culprit as shown how she is so hurt about how she could’ve been friends with Arei, how Arei wanted to change to be a better person, and that she doesn’t want anyone to think any less of Arei that she willingly killed herself. But unlike Nico, who was able to finally speak up for themselves and admit their wrongdoings of almost committing murder, to acknowledge that they are not the victim in this situation. Eden is instead hiding and doing what she always done, rely on others to help her because she is too weak to do so. Her fatal flaw that prevents her from acknowledging that she did wrong and isn’t the ideal good person that Arei looked up to. Unbeknownst to her that Arei already knew Eden wasn’t perfect as she seemed to be.

Also it would make Charles’ conversation with Teruko in thinking that the secret he got(Eden’s) is actually important to the case as tragic but also kinda funny foreshadowing.

Essentially to boil down the connections between both parties in a nutshell:

The bullies are individuals who went through a tough life that formed their way of survival and takes it out on those who they perceived weaker than them.

The targets have to rely on others to protect them or fight their battles(Nico doesn’t do this on purpose as Hu defends them whether they want her or not, but still it happens).

The murders done to the bullies were because the targets were reminded of their past, which pushed them to commit murder.

The murder method are the same with the pulley method and making it seem like a suicide.

The target’s secrets are related to their identity(Eden being a lesbian and Nico being nonbinary) With all of this being said, I think this is the best way I can come up with how Culprit Eden could work motive wise as one of the many reasons why people believe that she couldn’t be the murder is because of no motive we can think that makes sense for her to kill her new friend. Because to be honest I do believe that Eden is the culprit based off the evidence against her with most of the things(the tape, learning the method, the note, the clothes) connecting more to her than Ace. But only reason why I’m still not 100% sure in her being the culprit is the motive. But now if this is true, then this can cement that Eden Tobisa, the ulitmate clockmaker, is the murder of Arei Nageishi!

Anyways, this case can go either way and I just know we’re all going to be destroyed this Friday when the episode airs. One of our gays is going to be buried and there’s nothing we can do about it 🥲

[justaragdollysblog]

Could you do a hurt/comfort Carnival!bunnydoll fic where Jax is having a mental breakdown over why he wants to hurt the players so much? I loved your last abstragedy fic <3

AHHH thanks so much!!!! I don’t know the absolute most ab the amazing digital carnival, so i hope this is okay!!

AU belongs to @sm-baby !

TW: Angst, Hurt/comfort, Mentions of death/murder, Mental breakdown

A Beast with Chains Still

Bites

———————————————————————

Jax lay in his room, which was more akin to a cell at this point. The chain around his neck had long since been cumbersome. He knew he was the reason for it.

He, like everyone else, had ‘woken up’ and realized the gravity of everything. That, even if they were trapped, no one would ask questions. No one would come find them. Even if they did, he hardly expected he’d be offered a way out.

Not after what he’s done.

He felt his ears start to droop, as he remembered what it felt like to hurt those players. People who meant well, at the wrong place at the wrong time. He didn’t know why exactly he slaughtered them, but he felt…somehow refreshed after.

But that was then, and this is now. And, how he wished it wasn’t. How he wished he was wearing his scarf again, teaching whoever wandered into his level about animation. He’d trade the softness of his scarf for the cold metal any day.

He recalled when he was first locked in his room. When he clawed at the door, begging for anyone to let him out. To understand what he was feeling and why he acted that way. One of his peers did, though:

Ragatha.

She would visit him very frequently, bringing him food and talking outside his door. Sometimes, on a rare occasion, she did enter his room. Those nights were spent in heavy silence, but her presence helped.

Jax could feel his heartbeat, or whatever he had in there, quicken. A lot. He gasped a bit, moving to try and hold his ears, like he did when he was upset and no one else was around.

The chain clunked against the floor as he grabbed his ears, and he started to sob at the hollow sound. It was a terrible, ever-present reminder of the fate he made for himself. A cell within a cell.

He hated that he felt this way. He hated that his first instinct with his newfound sentience was to lash out. It didn’t get him anywhere but more alone.

His breathing was frantic now, and he let out a strangled whimper as he feebly grabbed at the chain around his neck. The walls were blurring together, black and white, black and white everywhere. He was about to scream, when he heard a knock-

“Jax? I heard sobbing. Can I come in?” He recognized the voice almost immediately. Ragatha. The good-hearted, formal doll that had accompanied him on so many nights like this.

He took a deep, shaky breath. “…Yeah. Yeah, you can come in.” The gentle turning of the doorknob could be heard, and then an even gentler snap of the lock.

He didn’t meet her gaze. His breathing was still frantic and choppy, but slightly less so. Ragatha frowned and made her way over to him, kneeling down next to him. “It’s okay. Just try and focus on me.” She soothed.

Jax tried to calm his breathing, but the rattling of the horrid noise from the horrid chain didn’t help. He gasped again, shutting his eyes tightly. Ragatha smiled a bit, holding the chain in place.

“I won’t let it move, if you can try and breathe. It won’t make a sound, Jax. I promise.” Ragatha had a firm but kind grip on the chain. Just like she always was. Jax tried to breathe for several minutes, eventually returning to a rhythmic pace.

Ragatha smiled again, looking at him through a half lidded, understanding eye. “There we go. I knew you could.” She cooed, voice hushed. Jax felt himself wanting her to talk like that more.

“…I don’t know why I want to hurt them, doll. I don’t know why I did this to myself.” He muttered, voice catching on the last few words. Ragatha sighed a bit again, but a kind sigh. She was not incredulous or exasperated. She could understand, to an extent.

“I understand. I don’t think it’s right that things happened the way they did. But, I’ll always be here, bun. Even if the others warn me not to, I’ll find a way. I won’t leave you.” She soothed, putting a gentle and slow hand on his cheek.

Jax was entirely too tired and lonely to resist the touch or convince himself how much he didn’t need it. He moved his head into her hand, eyes closing. He really was tired. He could feel sleep and some semblance of peace pulling at his mind.

Ragatha scooched closer, laying his head down on her lap. She began to pet his ears, and she looked down at him with a smile full of empathy and understanding.

“We’re gonna be okay, bunny. No matter what.” She pressed a small kiss to his forehead, and he pressed his head deeper into her hands. How long had he been craving a touch like this?

Jax knew in the morning, he’d have to be alone again. He’d deal with it when it rolled around. Her touch was too soft to consider it going away right now.

He really needed this.

———————————————————————

WOOOO done! i hope this was good! if it wasn’t similar to the request, pls lmk! i went w this like after he was already locked away lol

reblogs are always appreciated! see you guys soon!

[v-h-lupin]

Gravity Falls AU

I don't have the time or energy to make this au myself!

SO! i wordvomit it and leave it to you people, the internet

once again. Obviously hate JKR. this is for fun.

SPOILERS FOR GRAVITY FALLS

Dipper and Mabel are Harry and Luna.

Or, if you wanna bring ocs into it, one of them is your oc, and the other is one of them. so like Harry and oc or Luna and Oc.

Grunkle Stan

Sirius Black. Can you imagine him running the mystery shack? i love it. He loves those kids so much but like. yes. work the cash register.

Grunkle Ford

Regulus. I cant fully articulate the reasons. But you know. Regulus was always book smart and didnt always wanna do his own thing but when lines were drawn he did what he had to do.

Fiddleford

Remus Lupin. Ok i know that the FiddleFord ship is popular but i just. look, If you think about it from a non-ship angle, remus being the secretly smart but crazy man (because of all his memory erasure) makes sense. kinda reminds me of those mary headcannons, honestly.

Bill

I know this requires me to look past BillFord. but this would be great as Tom Riddle-- or! an extremely pissed off Peeves, as my friend called him. The Tom thing works because Bill was super pissed about Ford "betraying" him, and regulus betrayed Voldemort with a big "F u" that he didnt see until it was too late!

[calirph]

𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒: 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒.

you will find dialogue sentences and prompts based on enemy houses, like the capulets and montague in romeo and juliet. change pronouns, name and location as you see fit.

Antagonistic

"Your family will never rule these lands, not while I draw breath."

"The blood of your house stains our soil, and we will never forgive it."

"Every time I see your banner, it reminds me of the cowardice of your kin."

"My ancestors swore vengeance, and I intend to deliver it."

"You think peace is possible after all you've done?"

"We don't forget, and we certainly don't forgive."

"Your father was a traitor, and you’ll meet the same end."

"I’d rather die than let your kind share our land."

"The name of your house is a curse in my hall."

"There can be no peace between us—not after what your brother did."

"Your family's honor was lost generations ago."

"You dare speak of alliances after the bloodshed your family caused?"

"The hatred between our houses runs deep, and so will my sword."

"You wear that crest like it means something, but it’s nothing more than a mark of shame."

"We were enemies before you were born, and we will be enemies long after you’re dead."

"Your loyalty is as false as your promises."

"Our houses have always been at war, and nothing you say will change that."

"Do you really think a truce will wash away the sins of your ancestors?"

"The feud between us will never end—not until one house falls."

"You were born into hatred, just like me."

Friendly

"Our families may be at odds, but that doesn't mean we have to be."

"Perhaps we can rise above the feuds of our fathers."

"It’s time our houses found common ground, don’t you think?"

"Just because they fought doesn’t mean we must continue their battles."

"There’s no reason we can’t build something new between us."

"We may be from rival houses, but we can still find peace."

"Our families might be at war, but I see no reason why we should be."

"The feud has gone on long enough—it’s time for us to end it."

"I believe there’s more that unites us than divides us."

"Let’s be the ones to break the cycle of violence between our houses."

"I see potential in an alliance that our families refuse to see."

"Our fathers may hate each other, but we don’t have to."

"We’re more than the bloodlines we were born into."

"Your house and mine can do great things if we choose unity over conflict."

"The time for fighting is over—it’s time for healing between us."

"We have the power to change the story between our houses."

"I believe in peace, even if our houses don’t."

"Our houses have been fighting for centuries, but what if we didn’t?"

"Maybe we’re the generation that can end this."

"If we join forces, there’s nothing our houses can’t accomplish."

Ambiguous

"Your house is my enemy, yet I find myself questioning why."

"Are we enemies, or are we simply two sides of the same coin?"

"I was raised to hate you, but I don’t even know why anymore."

"There are times I wonder if we’re truly different at all."

"We wear different colors, but how different are we, really?"

"Do we fight because we must, or because we’ve forgotten how not to?"

"It’s strange to think how easily I could have been born into your house."

"We stand on opposite sides, but the line between us is so thin."

"I don't know whether to trust you or kill you."

"There’s a fine line between being rivals and being allies."

"Sometimes I wonder if this feud is even ours, or if we’re just playing roles."

"There’s more at play here than just our houses’ grudges."

"I’ve always wondered how different my life would be if I had been born into your family."

"Do we fight because of who we are, or because of who they tell us to be?"

"Sometimes I think this war is nothing but an illusion."

"We stand apart, yet sometimes I feel we’re not so different."

"Is this conflict even real, or are we just following an ancient script?"

"Our houses may be enemies, but I wonder what that even means anymore."

"I’ve been told to hate your house all my life, but I can’t help but feel there’s more to the story."

"What if we could rewrite the fate of our houses together?"

Forbidden Romance

"No one can know about us. If they find out, our houses will burn."

"We belong to rival houses, but I can't stop thinking about you."

"They would kill us both if they knew what we’ve done."

"Every kiss is a risk, but I’d risk it all for you."

"Loving you means betraying my house, but I don’t care."

"You’re the one thing I can never have, and it makes me want you more."

"We can never be together, not as long as our families are at war."

"I would leave everything behind for you, but they would never allow it."

"Our love is forbidden, but I’ve never wanted anything more."

"You and I are a scandal waiting to happen, and yet I can’t stay away."

"Being with you feels like treason, but it’s the only truth I know."

"The more they tell me to stay away from you, the closer I want to be."

"We’re enemies, and yet I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone."

"I’ll burn the banners of my house if it means I can be with you."

"We’re not supposed to be together, but I can’t live without you."

"Every secret meeting puts us in danger, but I’ve never felt so alive."

"Loving you is treason, but losing you would be worse."

"We may be from rival houses, but when I’m with you, nothing else matters."

"I’m supposed to hate you, but I’ve never wanted anyone more."

"We belong to opposite sides, but my heart only knows one truth—you."

Prompts

Write a scene where two heirs from rival houses meet in secret, unsure if they can trust each other.

Explore the moment when two childhood friends from enemy families meet again as enemies on the battlefield.

Describe the feelings of a character as they receive an unexpected letter from a sworn enemy proposing peace.

Write about a forced marriage between two members of rival houses, and how they navigate their conflicting loyalties.

Create a scene where an antagonist character saves someone from the rival house, but neither side can know.

Write about two characters from opposing houses who secretly meet every year on a battlefield to commemorate a lost loved one.

Explore the thoughts of a character who is torn between loyalty to their house and love for someone from the enemy side.

Create a confrontation where a character must decide whether to kill a captured enemy, who is also their former friend.

Write about two characters from rival houses realizing their childhood rivalry was manipulated by others.

Explore a conversation where two enemy leaders meet in secret to negotiate, but one has hidden intentions.

Write a scene where a forbidden romance is revealed during a public feast, causing shock and anger.

Describe a tense moment where two enemies from different houses must rely on each other to survive.

Write about the discovery of an old alliance between two enemy families that threatens to upend a current war.

Explore the perspective of a character who is being forced into a marriage to end a generations-long feud.

Write a scene where a character challenges their enemy to a duel but hesitates, recalling a shared moment of kindness.

Explore the internal struggle of a character who falls in love with someone from the enemy house during wartime.

Write about a secret tryst that leads to betrayal when the lovers are caught by their respective families.

Create a scene where two enemies are forced to work together to uncover a plot that threatens both their houses.

Write about an ambassador sent to negotiate peace between warring houses, only to fall for someone on the enemy side.

Explore a scene where two characters from enemy houses are mistaken for allies and must keep up the ruse.

Write about a character who is raised to hate a rival house but begins to question that hatred after meeting someone from it.

Create a confrontation where an enemy’s child is saved by a sworn rival, complicating the feud.

Write about a forbidden relationship that is discovered just as a major battle between the two houses begins.

Explore the emotions of a character whose wedding to an enemy is meant to secure peace but who feels trapped by it.

Write about a family member who betrays their house by allying with the enemy out of love or friendship.

Create a scene where two characters from rival houses must share the same space during a ceasefire, leading to tension.

Write about a secret alliance between members of two enemy houses, meant to stop a greater evil.

Explore a character’s thoughts as they attend the wedding of two members of rival families, wondering if the peace will last.

Write a scene where the child of one house apologizes to the elder of another for the wrongs committed by their family.

Create a moment where two rival heirs are forced into an arranged marriage, neither wanting it, but both finding unexpected respect.

Write about a character who spies on the enemy only to fall in love with the person they’re meant to deceive.

Explore the moment when two lovers from rival houses are discovered and have to decide whether to flee or fight for their love.

Create a scene where a character must defend their enemy to their own family.

Write about an alliance between two enemy houses that is threatened when one member reveals a secret romance.

Explore the tension during a council meeting where representatives of two rival houses must sit side by side.

[other-shades-of-sapphire]

Just in case – Lee Know

Minho x high school friend turned girlfriend Iris, circa September 2024

Even after years of being together, Iris was still not used to being taken care of. And even after years of being together, Minho was always ready and prepared, just in case.

This is for all my fellow girls with the eldest daughter syndrome out there; because we need a reminder from time to time that it is, in fact, okay, to let ourselves be taken care of every once in a while.

Minho only saw the text around half an hour later, during the short break in between practice sessions. He thought he'd never clicked on the call button so quickly in his life. 

Iris answered on the second ring. "Hey. Didn't expect you to read the text this fast." 

"We have this thing called breaks," Minho told her. Then he noticed the faint sound of traffic from her end. "Are you driving to Pohang? Alone?" 

"Yes and yes. How else was I supposed to go there?" 

"I don't know, maybe take the perfectly fine train? You know, with significantly less travel time and you can just sit back and relax while it gets you there?" 

"Then I'll have to ask someone to come pick me up at the station." 

"So be it? Hell, I'll order you a car from here myself." 

Iris sighed. Minho hated himself for immediately knowing where this was going. "You know I don't like depending on people." 

"Even on me?" 

"I'm still working on it. Besides," Iris added before Minho could interrupt, "having one more car around helps the logistics to transport people around. Not all of my relatives have one, and I have quite a handful of aunts and uncles and cousins." 

Minho found himself fighting to keep the frustration out of his tone. "Iris, that is not your responsibility." 

This was far from his first rodeo of reasoning with Iris' chronic eldest daughter syndrome. Throughout the four years of their relationship he had to convince her numerous times that not everything was her responsibility, that it was okay to let other people take care of her from time to time. She already started loosening up with Minho by letting him do small things for her: making her light bites, buying her things she needed, driving her around whenever he had the time. But when it comes to her family, especially the extended family from her mother's side – who all always saw and treated Iris the eldest grandchild as an adult, even before she legally became one, due to her responsible nature – it seemed like everything Minho had tried just disappeared and they were back to square one. She's back to the eldest grandchild who just had to take care of everyone, even those older than her. 

Through the phone, he heard her hissed through her teeth. "It still feels like it. I know you've been trying to help me with this, I'm sorry." 

Didn't want to revisit the recurring issue over a phone call, let alone at a time like this, Minho suppressed his sigh. "I'll just have to try harder from now on then. How are you feeling?" 

There's a beat of pause. "I don't know, but on the top of my head? I want to get there as soon as possible because I'm afraid it's gonna be messy. This uncle, his wife is one emotional aunty and their children are still, like, pre-school age and basically a baby. I fear she might cause a disruption for her children in her grief." 

Minho had to hold his tongue from shooting her another "that's not your responsibility". Instead he asked, "How about your mother? How is she taking it?" 

"She was crying when she called me," Iris sighed. "But knowing her, I think she's gonna spend the entire drive there crying her eyes out, just so that she can put up a front and be composed once she's there." 

Like mother, like daughter, Minho couldn't help but think. But he didn't let that one out loud. "She's not driving, though, right?" 

"No, the entire gang are coming down from Gimpo. Think my dad and brother take turns for the wheel." 

At that time, Jeongin's head poked out of the practice room's door. "Hyung, we'll start again in a minute." 

"Okay, I'll be right there." 

"You have to go?" Iris asked. 

"Yeah." Minho didn't like the thought of Iris spending the three-plus hours' drive all alone. He knew perfectly well that she could take care of herself, but it didn't make him feel any better about it. Right now there's nothing he could do about it, though, so he just had to bear it and settled with, "Please drive carefully, okay?" 

"As if I'm not one of the best drivers you've ever known," she said in a teasing tone, but Minho knew she understood his underlying sentiment nonetheless. 

"You know I'm one call away. Just in case." 

"I do know that." 

"And please try to remember that not everything that is happening over there, however messy, is your responsibility," Minho said slowly, hoping to increase the impact of the important message. "Take care of yourself too, you hear me?" 

Iris didn't answer right away. 

"Iris?" 

"Alright," she finally muttered in a soft tone. "Thanks, kitten." 

It's been hours since Iris last reacted to his message, but still Minho hadn't heard anything else from her since. 

Frowning, Minho put his phone down to the kitchen counter and put his focus back to the pudding he was nursing. He knew she would be busy with things and wouldn't have time to be on her phone, but still Minho wasn't able to go to bed peacefully without hearing from her. He hadn't heard of how "messy" things were over there, and he wanted to be here to provide what emotional support he could give her when she finally had time to update him. Hence the decision to get out of bed altogether and wait for her with this vanilla pudding he really liked. 

"You looked like the pudding did something to offend you." 

Minho looked up and saw Jisung walking into their shared kitchen, still in his outside clothes – as if he just got home. "What were you doing out until this hour?" 

Yawning, Jisung dumped himself on the chair across Minho. "Working on a couple songs with the hyungs at Changbin and Hyunjin's." 

"Poor Hyunjin. Even his new place is still disturbed by shirtless dudes eating chicken breasts." 

Jisung laughed at the old reference. "Nah, he's had enough of us and decided to have a sleepover with Jeongin at his and Chris hyung's place. Now, what are you doing still up until this hour? Surely not to pick a fight with your pudding?" 

Minho sighed. "I'm waiting for Iris." 

"What, is the noona coming here? At this hour?" 

As Minho filled him in with the necessary details, Jisung helped himself to Minho's abandoned pudding. "You know, even after all these years, it still feels a little weird seeing you being a softy like this," he admitted after swallowing the last spoonful of pudding. "I mean, you never stayed up this late to give me emotional support." 

Minho snorted. "That's because I know you'll ask yourself, even wake me up in the middle of the night if you have to. Iris, on the other hand, would never ask, so I just need to be prepared and offer it to her. Just in case." 

"Fair point," Jisung chuckled. "But still, that's so sweet of you. It's a foreign look on you, but it's a good one." 

Before Minho could rebut, his phone on the kitchen counter pinged, its screen flashing a new message with Iris' picture on it. Noticing it too, Jisung stood up, bringing the now-empty pudding cup with him. "I guess that's my cue to leave you alone. Night, hyung." 

Took ten second of silence before Minho's phone lit up again, this time announcing a call from Iris. He thumbed the green button immediately. "Hi there." 

"Are you really staying up just to wait for me?" she blurted. 

"Yeah, just in case." 

"Why are you always sweet to me?" 

"Someone has to," Minho said firmly. "Because you're not being sweet to yourself, especially around your extended family over there. How's it going, by the way?" 

There was a few seconds of pause. "Can we not go over that now?" she asked quietly. "I don't think I can tell you about it without going through a full-force, mindless rant, and I can't afford that right now. Need to stay level-headed for the funeral tomorrow." 

Oh dear, Minho thought. So it was that level of messy. "Of course. What do you need?" 

"You really don't have to do anything, you know," Iris muttered. 

"I know, but just in case. So, ideas to make you feel better. Go." 

Another pause, then: "Can you... just, talk? Tell me about your day, or anything really. I'll listen." 

It was an rare dynamic between them. Iris was usually the talker among the two, and Minho had always been more than glad to listen to anything she was talking about, from her experience of buying groceries to her thoughts about the new health policy. For her to ask him to talk was very rare, and it always happened on the worst of her days, the kind that drained her towards zero – and for Iris, who possessed seemingly limitless energy most of the time, it took a lot to drain her. 

Truth be told, Minho had had an exhausting day himself, and talking definitely sat on the bottom of things he wanted to do at the moment. But he wanted to provide some sort of support for Iris any way he could, and if to do so he had to talk his mouth off, then talking it is. 

Even though he wasn't as good of a storyteller as Iris and had to put in the effort to think of interesting bits to share with her – something that always seemed to come so naturally for her. 

Iris seemed to notice this eventually. "I'm sorry," she said when she finished laughing at Minho's story about the mishap he had with Changbin in the practice room earlier. "You're exhausted, and I'm making you yap." 

"Did it work though? Make you feel better?" 

"It does," she said, in a small but pleasant voice. "Makes me feel a lot better. Thanks a lot for that." 

Minho smiled, filled with the sense of pride he always felt knowing he made her feel better. It was as if every thought he'd ever had about being exhausted faded away to nothingness. "When are you coming back?" 

She let out a sigh, but it sounded more of content, as if the mere idea of going home was pleasant enough for her. "Tomorrow. No matter what happens, I will be on my merry way in the afternoon. I'm setting boundaries on taking care of people here, kitten, aren't you proud of me?" 

"That's great! Glad what I've been doing for the past few years left some dent in there." 

"That, and Mom made me promise to be scarce by 3 p.m. the latest. She said I've done enough." 

"Hear hear," Minho said firmly. "You should go have some sleep then. You need some if you're going to be driving tomorrow." 

Before Iris could answer, Minho heard a faint sound of a baby crying on her end. She sighed; not contentedly this time, rather as if she was bracing herself. "That's my cousin." 

Minho could hardly believe her. "Iris Park, are you freaking babysitting right now?" 

"It's the youngest of my late uncle, Minho. Her mother is currently too distracted to care for her." 

Minho knew he should be holding back, shouldn't risk breaching the sensitive topic at this hour with the two of them being exhausted, but he couldn't help himself. "Iris, my flower, that is not your responsibility."

Another sigh. "I know, but it's the least I can do. I should go – talk to you later, kitten." 

"Try to get some sleep!" Minho managed to say just before she hung up. Though, knowing Iris, he doubted she'd get any blink at all tonight. 

Putting his phone down to the counter, Minho pressed the heels of his palms to his closed eyes. If he hadn't liked the thought of Iris driving the three hundred-plus kilometers distance between Seoul and Pohang before, he disliked the idea of her driving said distance with little to no sleep even more. 

Then an idea suddenly occurred to him. It just so happened that he had these two days off; he'd planned to spend some time with his mother, who's currently in town for the next couple days, but now his brain was starting to formulate a different plan. His mother would understand, he thought, because she loved Iris too. 

Which was why, on the next day past lunchtime, Minho found himself getting off the car he'd ordered to take him from the train station to the address Iris' father had given him. It was a small house her mother had bought before moving to Gimpo, where their family always stayed whenever they came here, and that was currently empty because everyone was still at the late uncle's residence for the funeral wake – as promised by Iris' father, a means to ensure Minho's privacy. Minho couldn't help but feel touched by the thoughtful gesture. 

Despite already being told where they kept the spare key and to "make himself at home", Minho decided to wait on the front porch and get comfortable on one of the chairs there instead. Hence when the car he recognized as Iris' entered the driveway not an hour later, he immediately saw it and got to his feet in an instant. 

"What the – " Even over the sound of the car's machine, Minho could already hear Iris' exclamation from inside the vehicle. She quickly turned off the engine and scrambled out of the car, making her way to Minho with long, heavy strides. "What in the world are you doing here?" 

Minho grinned at her. "Just in case you need something more than listening to me yap." 

"But why – when – how did you – " She seemed to be at a loss of words. Still grinning, Minho opened his arms just a little bit, just as a little suggestion. Just in case. 

Iris seemed to catch on the hint. With a defeated sigh, she finally stepped forward and into Minho's arms, letting him envelope her in a hug and hold her tight. He felt her melt against him, burying her face on the crook of his neck. "I have so many questions," she said, her voice muffled. "But not gonna lie, I'm also very, very tired." 

"That's okay," he murmured to her hair. "You can both ask your questions and have your overdue rest on our way back to Seoul." 

She lifted her head to look at him. "Did you seriously come here only to drive me back?" 

Minho shrugged. "You know, just in case." 

"Unbelievable," she said, as if to scold him, but the effect was softened because she was leaning her forehead to his. "Lee Minho, I've told you many many times before, you can't just keep doing things like this for me." 

"I'm not doing this for you though," Minho countered. "I'm doing this for me. Doing things like this makes me happy." 

Iris let out a half-hearted scoff. "Traveling from Seoul to Pohang just to drive me back to Seoul makes you happy?" 

"It does." He gave her shoulders a little squeeze. "Because I get to take care of you, something not many other people get to do. And as I've told you many many times before, you better get used to it because I'm not stopping." 

She held his gaze for a few silent seconds, then offered a small smile. "Thank you," she said softly. 

Minho leaned forward to press a kiss on her forehead. "Now let's go get your stuff and go home."

previously on

Find more stories from Minho & Iris and the rest of Stray Kids here!

[biocrafthero]

Okay im back. This game is so good for my mental health honestly /srs

[moeblob]

North and Simon: (shaking hands on killing Simon potentially)

[necrotic-nephilim]

@sasheneskywalker i love when you enable me to ramble about things because oh my god do i have thoughts.

so recently, i made a post discussing the phenomena of DC x DP and DC x MLB crossovers and why they exist and part of that post was discussing how largely speaking, at least half, if not more of the Batfamily fandom doesn't read the comics. if they interact with canon DC material, it's adaptations that are their own sequestered universes and oftentimes not remotely comic accurate or seeking to be. the most obvious example is the Young Justice cartoon. i'm adding a cut to this post because it just got so long i'm so sorry.

a lot of times, when people are discussing the "why" of this oversaturation of fanon-only fandom, they blame Wayne Family Adventures. and i think, to a point, i agree WFA is responsible for a boom in this fandom. but as someone who's been in the fandom long before we had WFA, to me it's the other way around. WFA was DC's way of meeting the demand for this easy-to-get-into, easy-to-consume content about the Batfamily that predicates itself on the comics just enough to be vaguely the same characters, but has a more sitcom, slice-of-life sort of vibe so DC could profit off of this section of the fanbase that otherwise wasn't consuming its primary material. and well, it's definitely worked. not only that, but i have a weird theory that the decline in the MCU also led to the rise in the Batfamily fandom. when you consider the fan content that made the MCU popular within fandom, it's that 2012 "they all live in Avengers Tower and Thor is eating poptarts and Clint is in the vents and there are movie nights every Friday" sort of vibe. those were the fics that were a hallmark of the fandom. and as the MCU has strayed from well... quality content in general, but specifically well-thought-out crossover content where characters can have their own arcs but also exist in a wider story where they clearly care about each other, that fandom was sort of homeless. so where do you go, if you like a superhero found family where you can have villains for angst but also stick them all in one big family-like home for silly crack and have a plethora of options for gay ships? well. you go to the Batfamily. if you write a crack/fluff Batfamily genfic with silly vibes and low stakes instead of say, a fic about a very specific comic issue even if it's a popular comic, you're *going* to get more traction for the former. because the fanbase largely just isn't reading the comics.

and i feel... complicated about this. because on one hand, Don't Like Don't Read has been a tenet of my fandom experience. i'm very pro-fandom and that includes fandom content i don't like. and to an extent, i do think this sort of should apply to Batfamily fanon. i enjoy having my moments with other comic purists, giggling over exceptionally painful OOC headcanons or even facepalming in pain over some content but it is on me to not interact with that content. you don't make fandom a better place by being hostile to fans who engage with canon in ways you don't approve of. and frankly? we as comic readers are not going to get non-comic fans to read the comics by being asshats to them. no one is going to want to pick up any comic if we get a superiority complex about it. and also, i feel like we're all lying to ourselves a little bit insisting comics are so, so easy to get into. they're not. we can just all agree, they're really not. i've been single-handedly helping my sister get into comics, specifically Wonder Woman and no matter how simple i make it, i watch her get frustrated trying to understand what pre-Crisis and post-Crisis and New-52 and Flashpoint and all these things mean and what a retcon vs a reboot is and what a Crisis Event is and what the hell Diana's current backstory even *is*. sure, you can give someone a beginner list of comics to start with and slowly dip their toes in the water but sooner or later, *something* is going to confuse them. comics as a medium straight up aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea. and if someone *just* wants to read silly fluffy fanfiction about the Batfamily, i can't entirely begrudge them for not wanting to take the hours and hours out of their day to understand this medium. it's not an accessible medium to get into. "read this and this, but this run is out of print and this run wasn't collected in trades at all but also make sure you read that event in order and this is a good comic but the backstory in it is retconned and you *have* to read this it's so important but it's also really bad because the author kind of sucks" sounds. ridiculous for someone who like. just wants to read some stuff about Nightwing. sometimes, we all make reading comics sort of sound like a chore, not a hobby.

so my point is, i do extend some grace to Batfamily fanon for existing. i think my biggest gripe is, as i said in my other post, misuse of tags (if you're not creating content about comics, maybe you don't need the comics fandom tag on Ao3, just the all media types umbrella tag) and my far bigger gripe: when panels are taken out of context to support fanon only headcanons. if i could impart *anything* onto the Batfamily fandom as a comic fan it'd be this: if you haven't *read* the comic, don't spread the panel. if you don't even know what comic it's *from*, don't spread the panel. it's fine to use comic panels to discuss your headcanons, but so often i see someone spreading a comic panel from a comic they haven't read, and when asked where it's from, they can't source it. a silly example that comes to mind is a post going around, taking a panel where Dick, in his internal monologue goes "here comes the sun. do do do do." and the post is claiming it's from him getting buried alive. when that panel comes from Nightwing (1996) #140, and he gets buried alive in Nightwing (1996) #127, two completely different moments frankensteined together. if you're going to not read the comics, that's completely fine, but unless you're sure of the source and the context, panels shouldn't be spread around. i'm sick of this specifically happening to Red Robin (2009), with ppl claiming Tim has totally killed people because he blew up some of Ra's' bases, when those panels within context, make it clear he gave everyone time to escape. and in a later arc in that very comic, Tim grapples with the idea of murdering Captain Boomerang, and *specifically chooses not to*, because he doesn't agree with murder, even against the person who has hurt him the most. if you'd like to write fanfiction where Tim is pro-murder and has done some sketch things, i'm totally on board and would probably like to read it. but there's no need to pretend it's canon from a few panels you saw out of context.

beyond that, i think it's not *entirely* correct to say that fanon is harmless. whenever i see very WFA-positive posts, they often default to the argument that WFA is fun and silly, and comic fans are killjoys for not liking it. which. i think is complicated because the issue is, WFA and fanon don't exist in a vacuum. if you like WFA power to you, i don't think it's the worst thing ever, but i do think it's degrading to these characters because honestly? they feel incompetent in the webtoon. it's one thing if WFA was solely a slice-of-life sort of deal, just having silly episodes where Bruce is taking on a PTA mom or they're all fighting for the last cookie. but when WFA attempts to take on more serious plots with these characters, it *fundamentally* falls flat in understanding them. i get it, Bruce comforting Jason having a panic attack because a noise reminded him of the crowbar felt cute in a microcosm, but i'm so serious when i say that storyline destroyed how like. half of this fandom understands Jason Todd's relationship to his trauma. it doesn't understand how he reacts when he's triggered, what coping mechanisms he seeks out, and how he would handle Bruce comforting him. even if i can believe for a brief moment Jason *would* be triggered by something like that, him running and trying to hide and then getting a hug from Bruce to make it okay is just. painful. WFA needs everything to be wrapped up in a nice, neat little bow. so even when it starts to tackle interesting concepts, it makes them fall flat with its need to be soft, low stakes, hurt/comfort. there was a two-parter episode that dealt with the complicated mutual hatred/jealousy between Tim and Damian that *almost* really interested me because for once, it felt like the webtoon wanted to explore canon messy dynamics. but of course, it had to be fixed with one conversation and a hug. you don't mend the *years* of issues these characters have like that. WFA isn't in character because these characters are hyperbole cartoonified versions of themselves to fit within the medium and be a cute happy family.

because that right there, is the crux of it. the Batfamily fanon seeks to simplify the Batfamily and force them into a nuclear family. there are so many fantastic posts on here discussing how the nuclear family-ification of the Batfam is eroding decades worth of complex histories so i won't go too far into that. but what i will say is that there's this need, in the Batfamily fandom, for the Batfamily to exist as a unit. they are a *family*. (honestly i think calling it the Batfamily is a misnomer and has been for years but we're in too deep now.) they exist to each other first, and any teams or friends they have come secondary to this family unit. you can *specifically* see this demonstrated in what headcanons are becoming popular these days. i have an entire lengthy meta in my drafts about how i *loathe* the "the Batfamily meets the Justice League" genre of fanfic because it makes no *sense*. in order to have this genre of fic exist, you must operate under the assumption that no one in the League, or adjacent to the League, knows the Batfamily exists and are thus utterly shocked to discover Batman has kids. and to make *that* work, you have to strip *every single Batfamily member* of such important dynamics and friendships so you can lock them all in Gotham for their whole lives. Dick can't have the Titans, Tim can't have Young Justice, Duke & Cass can't have the Outsiders, Jason can't have the Outlaws, Damian can't have the Supersons, Babs can't have the Birds of Prey, and so on. because if they had these relationships, they would be known to the League. the Batfamily fandom doesn't care about this, it's just "silly fanfiction", it's not trying to be serious. but how can you say you like Dick Grayson as a character if you don't understand the Titans *are* his family? at some points of his life, moreso than the Batfamily even is. it is constantly repeated to us in most comics with Dick how much the Titans mean to him. he *needs* them to be who he is. the same extends to every other Batfamily member, most of which have been full League members at this point. but in fanon, that doesn't matter. the Batfamily are a sequestered unit first, and all of those side relationships are secondary and easy to toss away, if it makes your fanfic work better.

and because they have to be a unit first, you have these forced relationships that dump years of actual canon material for the sake of making them get along. the Batfamily fandom has its favorites and well. it's no secret it's usually the boys. Jason and Tim by *far* stand out as fandom faves so, their dynamic is a heavily explored one. it does matter that in canon they don't tend to get along and especially don't see each other as family. what matters is that you can push dynamics onto them. and so fanon gets all twisted up about which Robin Tim actually idolized as a kid (Dick) and what member of the Batfamily is pro-murder but still an older sibling figure to him and looks out for him (Helena, or if you want the dynamic of once tried to harm Tim but they've reconciled, Jean-Paul) in favor of who's the most popular. Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian are always going to be the standouts for popularity, but it's specifically Jason and Tim who are getting fanonized the most. and that's because really, we don't have much canon content of Tim that *isn't* the comics. for Dick you've got Young Justice (tv), for Damian you've got the DCAMU, for Jason you've sort of got the Under The Red Hood movie, but Tim sort of lingers in this limbo. (yes, he's in Young Justce (tv) and Titans (live action) but in neither is he the main character nor given much depth) so, he gets a *lot* projected onto him and has become fanonized. and even with Jason's animated movies, you don't see him interact with Tim, so people build it from the ground up how they want to see it, disregarding of canon comics. i think it's what makes him so popular in the first place- he's malleable into whatever you want or need him to be.

and of course, the fanon ignores other characters in the Batfamily it doesn't know about. i feel like you could create a tier list of Batfamily characters by their popularity, going from the fandom main characters: Tim, Jason, Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Damian. to the underrated: Steph, Duke, Babs, Cass. to the forgotten about unless they're convenient for a story: Kate, the Foxes, Helena Wayne, Carrie, Selina, Harper Row, Maps, Minhkhoa Khan. to the absolutely unknown: Helena Bertinelli, Jean-Paul Valley, Onyx Adams, the Clovers, Julia Pennyworth. it's not lost on me that the ignored characters tend to be women and people of color. which is both a canon and fanon problem, DC will continue adding interesting characters to the Batfamily, play with them for a few years, then drop them to default to the "Batboys" again. and it's a vicious cycle of the fandom only caring about the "Batboys", and thus people entering the fandom via fanon osmosis won't have content about the other characters, therefore, they won't be interested in those characters enough to create it, and it's just this ouroboros consuming itself, no matter how much canon content we have of these other characters. and it's ridiculous just how large the Batfamily is becoming because of this, which is why i'm a pre-Flashpoint fan, because then the Batfamily was contained enough to actually feel like a family with every character having nuances relationships with each other, but i digress because those thoughts could be their own post.

and the thing about fanon is it doesn't exist in a vacuum. DC has started turning the comics to accommodate for what fans are asking for, because fans will beg and beg for content they're not going to consume. Tim Drake: Robin had Tim as a coffee drinker because that's the fanon accepted headcanon. and the resolution of the recent Gotham War arc was for Bruce to buy this new manor for everyone to move in and call him. nevermind that most of these characters have their own homes and have zero reason to be moving in with Bruce. Tim had his marina in Tim Drake: Robin, Dick has Bludhaven, Cass and Steph have their little side of town in Batgirls (2022), and so on. these characters are being forced together as a unit, as one big happy family living together, to appease what non-comic fans want and it's damaging comic relationships. Robin: Knight Terrors saw Jason and Tim team up and working together, which i've seen varying opinions on but i personally despised. their interactions made zero sense for any of their canon history, but it appeases them being this close sibling relationship that fanon acts like they are. also the fears they faced in their respective knight terrors didn't make sense for either character and *only* worked as a moment of bringing them together so they could reassure each other and have this weird dreamscape bonding moment. the canon is bending itself to the will of fanon rather than building on the pre-existing complex relationships. Tim barely even gets along with his most important team in Dark Crisis: Young Justice because it seems the only important relationships the Batfamily can have is with each other. and when we do see them outside of the Batfamily, it only seems to be to relive the glory days like with World's Finest: Teen Titans, instead of developing them as they currently exist. this isn't recent in the comics, it feels like you can trace it back to the New-52, but it does feel a *lot* worse over the recent years. WFA is fine when it exists in its own bubble, but the simple truth is, DC content never exists on its own. the adaptations will reflect back onto the comics. (the damage the Young Justice cartoon has done to some characters should honestly be studied) and so it does frustrate me a bit when fanon-only or adaptation-only fans act like we're being nothing but killjoys for being frustrated with this. since they don't read the comics, they don't see how the comics are suffering as a result of this.

people argue about what's out of character for the comics they don't even read. i'm sorry, but "bad dad Bruce" is consistently canon. that man is just kind of shitty. when you take someone who has the drive he has, who has this need for the Mission first, who needs a teenager in spandex next to him to keep him off the ledge, that guy is sort of going to be a shitty father figure. he just is. not on purpose or with malice, but when you compare him to any other dad in a big DC family, he sure takes the cake. it's why characters like Oliver Queen tend to *really* fucking hate Bruce for how he treats his kids. Bruce loves fiercely, but he doesn't do well with putting that love first. and his love is a controlling one, he is very particular about controlling how others in the Batfamily are "allowed" to operate. it's what drives the wedge between him and Dick, it's why Steph is never a true daughter to him. (besides the reason of her needing to be a love interest to Tim first, anyway-) i've never understood the massive outcry of people reacting to Bruce kinda being shitty in comics they're not reading. there are some moments that get ridiculously OOC with how cartoonishly evil he is (the whole Gotham War arc and that... complicated mess with Jason) but largely if you want sitcom loving nuclear father Bruce, you have to accept that is a fanon thing, not a canon one. the Batfamily being a nuclear family in *general* is fanon. most of the "Batkids" don't actually see Bruce in a particularly fatherly light and begging for moments where he calls them his kids or they call him dad outside of incredibly specific circumstances is just OOC.

it's getting harder and harder to exist peacefully in this fandom it feels like, if you don't comply to the standard fanon has set. i'm happy people are having fun with their blorbos, even if in ways i dislike, but that "harmless fandom fun" does ripple it's way back to canon, eventually. so i end up pretty tangled with my feelings because are fans at fault for DC making these poor decisions? probably not, but it certainly feels like an unfortunate cause-and-effect situation whether at the end of the day, nobody is happy. and of course, i know some fanon-only fans are striving to be more canon accurate and care about canon dynamics more than others, but for them it's always going to be an uphill battle with the above-mentioned out-of-context panels thrown around and ever-pervasive fanon overtaking anything that's truly seeking to be canon compliant. so really, it sometimes feels like we're all losing.

[5-pp-man]

i havent seen anyone talk about this but Arajin and Matakara remind me of Taichi and Touma so much man.

small dark haired guy chasing a girl he likes. major inferiority complex. complicated feelings about his childhood best friend that have to do with those feelings of inferiority, causing him to initially avoid him now that they're in high school. Said childhood best friend has no parents and only has his big brother left. He idolises his former friend to a fault, and still calls him by a childish and overly familiar version of his name (Tai-chan, Ara-chan). hes tall and fit and seems to be popular / well liked, but all he really cares about is his (former) best friend.

the bigger one has kept a memento of their friendship for years. best friend power. best friend stone.

ao no flag was all about making choices. bucchigiri is about not running away and facing things head on. with the way things are going for bucchigiri, it's inevitable that Matakara and Arajin will reconcile, just like Taichi and Touma did

well. maybe not exactly like they did...