#JUST EVIL AND NASTY SPIRITED there is a place in hell for them

[lqfiles]

just grasped the whole situation what the FUCK

i do not support lucas pookiecakes 🙏 never being ia on tumblr again i was on the verge of tears

whoever sent that message needs to get a life asap like why are you targetting ME?????

-🐇

plss 😭😭😭 it’s because they knew you were inactive a lot since they mentioned so (i guess they lurked a bit ughhh get a life) just bitter and evil like this is JOBLESS behaviour omg.. i’m happy to have sorted it out with you tho ^^ won’t respond to any suspicious asks without confirming the source from now on 🫡 sorry bae it won’t happen again <3

[assortedvillainvault]

I got this idea from our convo on discord but here's a scenario: Reader getting kidnapped by Zurg and NOS coming to the rescue -- all the while Reader finds out Zurg was just really eager to meet his future daughter-in-law (could just be headcanons if you're not feeling prose for this)

Rose I had to scroll an ungodly long time to find this again but cackled the entire time. Also - this one gets the full prose treatment!

NOS4A2 x Kidnapped!Reader

You come to slowly, ears ringing. The bag over your head is silk – odd choice, kinda humid - but the darkness is a blessing. You shift slowly, testing – there's a dull ache of cuffs against your wrists, tied to something flat on either side, maybe the arms of a chair..? – But no numbness or pain. You wiggle your toes – good, no spinal injuries. A decent kidnapping by a professional who was actively trying to be nice. How rare.

Where the hell is NOS? You had been docking for fuel - both for the ship and for him - and you swear you had only nipped out for cheap takeaway, but beyond grease and streetlights the memories fade out. It’s an effort not to reflexively comm him out of panic, but you can see the ‘no signal’ light in your internal comm system, and any attempts would let your kidnapper know you were awake.

Speaking of – sounds are muffled but you can make some out. Squeaky wheels, the occasional ‘gloop’ of bubbles through thick liquid – the pitter patter of tiny footsteps like nails against a steel floor. Industrial air conditioning droning in the back, and the place smells… chemical-y? Like if warm metal and cold smog had a baby in a janitors closet-

The bag is ripped away, and you blink against warm overhead lights.

There’s a twenty foot long purple table covered in chefs platters in front of you. On some of the plates sit whole jenga blocks of triple grade batteries. You’re tied to a designer chair, and there’s a great big fucking ‘Z’ etched onto the tabletop. There are candles.

“Hello my dear! I trust the accommodations are acceptable??” Evil Emperor Fucking Zurg swooshes in though a set of thirty foot double doors and it’s all you can do not to groan.

The monolith of purple plops himself into the oversized chair at the other end of the table and merrily begins piling food onto a plate also emblazoned with his logo. Is literally everything on Planet Z trademarked, or are you just lucky he got out the Good Silverware this time..?

Zurg smacks his lips. “I must apologise for the crude methodology in getting you here – you see, my errant creation has a nasty habit of ignoring my calls, and I’ve just been dying to meet you.” He eyes your empty plate. “Eat up, eat up! It’s good – imported all the way from...some backwater planet or other.” He waves a hand dismissively. You raise an eyebrow and flex your – still tied – hands.

The tyrant glances at them and snickers.

“Still tied up? Hm. What a shame.” He shrugs. “I had hoped that NOS4A2 would pick someone a little more experienced in our line of work, but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers-”

Thats about as far as he gets before you taze the metal table and electrocute his dinner. Space potatoes make their grand ascent skyward like starchy fireworks straight into Zurgs stupid helmet. You allow yourself a brief bit of pride as you stuff the taser back into your sleeve (having cut through the cuffs while the evil emperor was talking) and launch yourself up to dine and dash like never before.

You freeze as hornets block your path. Zurg strides towards you, dotted in potato guts. Would it be too late to kick him in the shin before getting shot…?

“How lovely!” He exclaims, scooping you into a rib-creaking hug and digging you into his armour. The fact he says ‘lovely’ almost exactly the same as NOS does makes you twitch.

“Eh? You squeak, and he pulls back to pinch your cheeks condescendingly.

“Just the kind of mean spirited trickery to come off as charming – a little rough around the edges perhaps, but who’s counting!” He guides shoves you back into the chair and grabs a minion from under the table, flinging the poor bug away with a crash. “A fine prospect for a daughter-in-law.”

You absently choke on nothing as he blithely continues. “Of course I can’t have you out and about with such outdated toys. My armoury will have plenty of new military grade goodies for you to play with after dinner, say the word and daddy-in-law Zurg will have you covered~!”

Distantly, your internal comm's pop up a cheerful ‘signal restored!’ message.

There bug minions scream as the lights overload and explode – and the hornets judder before swivelling to draw their weapons on their suddenly not so jovial emperor.

“ZURG!!”

Mechanical, vampiric rage really does fill you with warm fuzzies these days.

[skeleton-in-a-hoodie]

Ghosts and demons in DDMG

I have been thinking about the difference between ghosts and demons in DDMG, and how this related to ghosts finding Splinter weird and off putting

Under a readmore cause long:

Ghosts:

Basically deceased humans who are still tethered to the Land of the Living

Have obsessions - the tldr is that these are their unfinished business and once a ghost completes their obsession, they have the option of becoming a true spirit and severing their connection to the Living World and going to the astral plane/ Land of the Dead. If they don't severe the connection, they can develop a new obsession.

Feeding the obsession feeds their core and keeps them stable.

Have cores - heart, brain and stomach of the ghost. Its exact appearances depends on the ghost, but they're roughly spherical and are positioned in the lower torso.

Their cores make ectoplasm, which a ghost's entire body is made out of. No internal structures, like bones or muscles - they're more or less sentient goo.

This also means their physical form is more malleable and can change based upon how the ghost feels e.g. Garson can look like he did as a living human, or like Muckman, depending on how he's feeling.

Emotions are very powerful, and newer ghosts tend to struggle to control their emotions at first. It's easy for even older ghosts to get overtaken by their emotions and lose sight of everything else around them, which is how you can get particularly nasty ghosts that don't remember who they are anymore

Normally non-corporeal, but can become so under specific circumstances or in the case of select ghosts

Powers based upon how they died + going intangible and invisible

Have Domains they return to

Demons:

Have a core

Made of ecto, but in their case it's not just sentient goo with a thin outer shell. Demons in DDMG have internal structures (bones, muscles, tendons, ect.) like humans, but it's made out ecto.

Because of their internal structures, there a lot more durable than a ghost and more capable of causing harm to humans. In turn, whilst it takes a lot of energy for ghosts to become corporeal under normal circumstances, demons are corporeal beings like humans.

The flip side of this is they need to eat, whether that's physically eating a sandwich or draining someone else's core. They feel hunger and need to tend to it or else they'll go feral. If they don't get food even after going feral, their core while start to cannibalise itself which, without intervention, is a one way ticket to destabilisation and perma death.

Not necessarily evil or related to hell - demons in DDMG are creatures that are neither human or divine in nature.

That being said, some demons started out as humans, died, and then lost their humanity after death. Most demons were born as demons though, though in some cases they are the descendants of former humans.

Different species exist, some of which take up difference ecological niches in the Land of the Dead. Parasitica wasps, for instance, usually eat the left over rements of cores to stop them turning into non-sentient, but incredibly volatile and dangerous, embodiments of pure rage and sadness. That generally speaking happenes after a ghost or demon is destroyed, rather than consumed, as the shattered core doesn't have anywhere to go but can't form a new personality.

Can't really change their appearance unless that's a particular power they have.

Powers tend to be based upon their species

Don't need Domains to survive, but can have them if they want one - demons find it a lot easier to move from place to place because of that.

Are alive

Splinter:

Has a core, which looks like two cores trying to have a cage match - one part is a pretty standard fire core, the other looks like a tesso core. This means his core is kinda unstable

Has internal structures, such as bone

Gets hungry

Can't change his appearence

Corporeal, but can go intangible if he chooses to

Also has an obsession

Has fire powers due to how he died + the rat stuff from being a sort of tesso

Was a human prior to death, and whilst it's debateable how much humanity he has left now, he's still human enough to not be a true demon

Has a Domain, but he could move if he wants to and survived for several years without one

Is stuck between being a ghost and being a demon, with the demon stuff slowly overwhelming the ghost parts of him. Which technically means he's in some weird grey area between living and dead. Like the world's worst version of reincarnation

[philosophicalparadox]

For the deranged ask, 4, 5, and 6!

4. Do you write in public? Like where people can see your screen?

Hell to the hell no lolllllll I would rather die. Writing discreetly at home on my phone is one thing. But no, never in a public place. I won’t even write essays in public. Won’t do art either. Inevitably some nosey nobody ends up looking over and trying to start a conversation about it and nope, I’m good. I’d rather not.

5. Who's the sexiest non-human character in your current fandom? (must actually diverge from human sexual characteristics - no elves or asari)

Hmmmm….pure monster-fuckery huh? Dunno if there really is one that has no human traits at all, but among the fandoms I presently occupy probably Farcille. (DM) If I’m going to completely ignore the no-human sex characteristic (how, exactly, is that meant to be taken????) then unironically Amaimon. (Blue Exorcist) Dunno why it is but that demon boi is something else. Mephisto’s got his appeal but Amaimon wins by a hair just because I like his aesthetic better lol. In the newly revisited Naruto fandom 100% young Orochimaru wins for me. He’s so pretty. (Especially in the manga, which makes him look younger overall)

6. What nasty/evil/maladjusted character traits do you enjoy exploring in your little meow-meows?

What traits don’t I enjoy exploring is a better question 😝 I’m open to pretty much anything as long as I’ve got the right character and the right angle. That said I gotta say, I am a sucker for possessive characters, and for general “mate guarding” behaviour, be it strictly jealousy or justifiable defence. Also a real sucker for the “runs away from love or affection because they don’t believe they Can be loved” trope.

Also fond of exploring power dynamics, and love to pick apart where a character is in their respective hierarchy and sort of centering my character interactions with them based on that to some degree; if character A were to push, would B shove back? Or bow out? And while this does not inherently seem toxic, or maladaptive, believe me it absolutely can be. Some characters just don’t know when to back off or seem to misunderstand the disparity between where they think they are and where they actually are in the pecking order. I inexplicably love to sort that stuff out, by fair means or foul; sexy or downright disgusting.

Speaking of foul, in the spirit of the question, by far the most “evil” thing I’ve explored in a blorbo however is probably a rapists mind frame. (Thank you Berserk for making that so easy). That was honestly an interesting character study moment for me, and weirdly cathartic, but I ended up scrapping the scene because it was just a litttttttle too much for that particular narrative (somehow) at the time.

I have since revisited the concept mentally a few times, with other characters, at least one of which ticks every box — maladaptive, nasty and evil — but I’ve not written any of it down just yet. It takes a braver soul than I to post a one shot scene of such brutal depravity solely because I know I can never write just one chapter 😮‍💨 and I don’t need more tummy-hurting projects right now lol

Thanks for asking @thebeingofeverything !

[random-movie-ideas]

Supergirl (Movie Outline)

This movie is part of the same series as the Superman trilogy I laid out earlier, thus part of the same cinematic universe, and would fall shortly after Superman: Son of Krypton, after Superman and Supergirl defeated Brainiac and freed the citizens of Kandor.

The story would open with an "old folklore"-like telling of the Tragedy of Siobhan MacDougal, otherwise known as the Silver Banshee, an evil spirit that haunts an old manor in Scotland. The tale tells that the manor was once owned by a cruel and ruthless baron who had two children, Siobhan and Bevan, both as nasty and mean-spirited as their father. As they grew, Siobhan, being the oldest, believed she would inherit ownership, but her father, a traditional man, chose to give it to her brother instead. Siobhan turned to dark magic for answers, and planned to cast a spell to destroy her father and brother and take the manor for herself. Her father and brother tried to stop her in the deed, but she succeeded in killing her father, turning him to dust with a deathly screech. Her brother, by sheer dumb luck, managed to move one candle out of place and threw off her spell. The demon she had been drawing power from grew angry, and so dragged Siobhan's soul down to hell.

Bevan, believing he had seen the last of his sister, carried on with his life. He married, and had children, and lived in the moor into old age. Then one night, the spirit of his sister returned, bathed in silvery light, proclaiming vengeance upon him and all of his descendants, decreeing that every first born of his line would die a cruel death at the age of twenty, unless they sacrificed their mortal body to her so that she might live on the Earth once more. This happened first with Bevan's daughter, who refused to sacrifice her body and was thus found emaciated in a pond nearby on the day of her twentieth birthday.

In the present day, Kara Zor-El is living both in Metropolis and on board Brainiac's former vessel, where the citizens of Kandor live while they search for a home. Kara has come to love the Earth, as Clark does, and wants her family and friends to stay with her, but many are not so eager, some fearing the intense powers Earth's sun gives them, while others see the rampant prejudices on Earth, and feel they will always be viewed as outsiders. Kara pleads with the city council, and the council gives her an ultimatum. Find them a place where Kandor can be placed, with a dome of protection from the Earth's sun so that the citizens can live normal lives if they so choose, and they may decide to stay.

Kara becomes determined by this and sets out to seek a place, Clark helping her a bit by getting her in contact with people like Amanda Waller, Batman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman to see if they know any place. It ends up being more complicated than she thought, and she ends up returning to Metropolis and stewing in the park for a little while.

While there, a teenager sits down beside her and offers her a smoke. Kara turns her down, but introduces herself as Supergirl. The teen already knows her: "One of those friendly Kryptonians, right?" The teen introduced herself as Linda Danvers, and the pair become friends. Kara talks with Linda about her concerns, about finding a place for her people. Linda makes a suggestion.

Linda tells Kara how she had an aunt that died at a young age, and left her a manor up in Scotland, with a fairly sizable plot of land that nobody wanted to touch. Linda says she has no interest in it, but if Kara and her people were interested . . .

Kara takes her up on her offer. Inviting a couple of her friends from Kandor, she and Linda travel out to this manor in Scotland, a huge run-down castle with lush fields and forests and lakes all around it, just big enough for at least some of the people of Kandor to live. Kara feels excited enough to almost say she'll take it, but almost immediately, she feels a chill down her back, like an intense presence is watching her.

We get some standard horror movie stuff throughout the middle of the movie, she and her friends staying there a few nights, while strange and mysterious things happen here and there, even one scene where one of Kara's friends is scared so badly she loses control of her powers and does a lot of damage to the grounds. Linda is evasive every time Kara tries to talk to her about any of it, and a lot of the staff and local villagers seem to be watching them. During this, we also do see Kara bond with Linda, Linda mentioning she'll soon turn twenty.

After a recurring nightmare of a silvery skeletal woman, and a couple more incidents occur, Kara and her friends go searching the grounds for answers. They come across an ancient tomb with an underground chamber that they can see with their x-ray vision and go down inside it, discovering a circle drawn on the floor, a strange book apparently of magic, and a scroll written by Bevan MacDougal, detailing the history of his sister and the curse she laid on their family.

As they read, Kara and her friends find themselves surrounded by Linda and the staff and villagers, dressed in robes. As Kara tries to escape, the villagers reveal little amulets made of green Kryptonite and force them onto the Kryptonians, knocking them out.

Kara comes to, strapped to an altar, in the middle of a large room with the kryptonite amulet around her neck. Linda stands over her, looking genuinely apologetic. Kara shouts at her for her betrayal, but Linda says its the only way. The Banshee has never been able to last long, inhabiting a human body, and the hosts that have sacrificed themselves to her have withered and died after only ten years or so. But the cult believes that a Kryptonian body like Kara's just might be able to hold the Banshee's power and allow her to live again on Earth.

Linda walks away, and the ceremony begins. The cultists chant, summoning the Banshee. Siobhan looks over Kara, admiring her body and saying she's heard of her and her Kryptonian kind, admitting to lusting after the power that she holds. Siobhan reaches out to touch Kara and take her soul, when one of her friends breaks free, their amulet having come loose somehow. The friend breaks the others free, including Kara, and takes out the cultists. Siobhan turns on them, unable to be hurt by their powers. She casts a spell at them and ends up striking Kara, hurting her badly. Both the Banshee and the Kryptonians are surprised to learn that Kryptonians are weak to magic.

Encouraged, the Banshee throws spell after spell of dark magic. She ends up grabbing one of Kara's friends, nearly draining the life out of them completely, when Kara chooses to make the sacrifice, telling her she'll let her take her body. Siobhan smiles, and reaches out with her finger to touch Kara's chest. She immediately erupts in flames, howling in pain, kryptonian power turning out to be a bit too much for her soul. She screams something about "That stupid girl!" and bursts, disappearing back to hell.

Their one friend badly wounded, Kara lowers her head as her friends all agree that they won't be staying here, and will go with the rest of Kandor to the small planet far away the Green Lantern Corps has located. Kara confronts Linda, who says nothing, but hands back Kara's things, all packed up, and apologizes for being a bad friend.

Kara returns to Brainiac's ship, where she is comforted by her father and mother. In her bag, she finds a letter from Linda, explaining that, hoping to save her own life, she had struck a deal with the Banshee, offering to find her a body that would last her more than ten years. Naturally, she had selected the Kryptonians. However, when it came down to it, Linda had come to care for Kara and couldn't bring herself to go through with it, cutting the amulet from Kara's friend's neck. Kara remembers details about how Linda's aunt had died at a young age, and how Linda had been about to turn twenty. In fact, she realizes that Linda's birthday was that very night.

Kara races back to Scotland, to the manor, where she finds Linda in the ritual chamber about to be sacrificed to the Banshee. She knocks out the cultists, and breaks Linda free. Linda is confused, but Kara says she wouldn't abandon a friend to die. It is too late, however, as the Banshee rises again, going after Linda's soul. Linda says that it's hopeless, but Kara asks her if there's anything in the spell book that can get rid of her forever. Linda says she can't do magic though. Kara tells her she needs to try, or else she's dead tonight or ten years from now.

We see Kara do battle with the Banshee, doing her best to avoid her magical attacks while keeping her away from Linda. After her first experience, the Banshee is hesitant to touch Kara, so this helps a bit. Just as Kara takes a serious hit and is about to be killed by Siobhan, Linda finds the strength within herself and casts powerful magic (momentarily showing her with angel wings as a reference). This ends up blowing Siobhan back and subduing her. Siobhan lashes out at them impotently, enraged. She reveals that she is in constant agony, as her original demise left her in a state of limbo, tethered to both worlds. Kara and Linda choose to take pity on her and Linda finds a spell to free her soul, letting her finally rest.

After the battle, Linda apologizes again to Kara, saying that she just didn't want to die. She tells her that the land should be curse-free now, and the land belongs to her people, if they want it. Though many choose not to, and leave to the other planet, including two of Kara's friends, enough do choose to stay, convincing the council to let her place half of Kandor there. Kara brings down the bottle, opens it, and the city is restored to its full state, taking up the lands of the manor with the castle in the center.

A post credits scene shows a little imp looking through a small looking glass at Kandor, giggling to himself that Kryptonians are weak to magic of all things, stating that he'll have such fun with them.

What do you think? Next time, Kara finds herself in an alternate universe, courtesy of a little imp.

[thecountoflondonfansite]

Hyde rolled his eyes, looking very annoyed at Patricia’s question. “Seriously, how many times am ah going to be asked that bloody question?” Hyde groaned. “Look, ah am from London, my first crimes happened at night in London. I represent the seedy side of London. All the debauchery, the drinking, the lust, the sin and darkness of human hearts and souls. Ah represent the true nature of the residents of the people of London. Those that truly bring the streets to life. All the nasties that people frown upon. Ah represent that for that is what the Spirit of London truly is when the lights go out and the shadows take over. For ah am, the Spirit of London at Night.” Patricia, Archie, and Jenkins stared gobsmacked at Hyde’s explanation as they tried to process what they just heard. “That is an…interesting evil monologue.” Patricia remarked. ‘Be grateful ye don’t have to hear it constantly.’ Henry grumbled. “Two Brains was right, this guy has a huge ego.” Jenkins muttered under his breath. Hyde beamed at Patricia’s words with a manic grin. “Thank ye. Now with that out of the way let’s get this trial thing over with. The faster ah am cleared of the charges, the faster ah can go back into becoming a top villain around e’re.” Jenkins and Archie rolled their eyes at Hyde’s arrogance as they got closer to the motel. Soon the group arrived at the doors of the motel. Hyde let out a small gulp. He had seen Whisker’s van which meant that the mouse villain was clearly here. Patricia placed a gentle but firm hand on Hyde’s shoulders. She was reassuring him that he would be fine but also making sure he didn’t get cold feet and run off again. Hyde just huffed and marched forward, pretending he didn’t appreciate the calming gesture. Hyde walked in and saw all the other villains chattering around, waiting for the group to arrive. Edward noticed with some surprise that none of the kid villains were there, but he assumed their parents prevented them from being out so late on a school night. Both Hyde and Henry were caught off guard when they saw that Two Brains’ brother Victor was there. The man was having a pleasant conversation with The Butcher about something. “What the hell is Whisker’s brother doing e’re? Ah thought he was just a toymaker?” Hyde wondered with confusion. “So did ah. Besides, he never mentioned being a villain himself when we first met.” Henry remarked. Soon the people in the room began to register the group’s presence. They turned their heads towards Hyde. Their faces were mixed with anger, apprehension, uncertainty, and distrust. Dr. Two Brains gave a small glare towards the blonde man but he didn’t look as hostile as he did before. Hyde couldn’t help but note a gleam of protectiveness in his eyes. ‘Great, he probably thinks ah am a threat to Henry by being e’re. Thanks for that, Lanyon.’ Hyde cursed the man for bringing that information up to Two Brains. Victor had a stoic expression but his eyes were cold and calculating as he analyzed the blonde man. Hyde and Henry gulped. For a toymaker, Victor had a deadly and lethal expression. Lady Redundant Woman soon addressed the crowd. “Thank you, congrats, and thanks a bunch Miss Spectre, Dr. Arannae, and Silver Knight for bringing Mr. Hyde here. Dr. Arannae and Silver Knight, since you two aren’t villains you need to wait outside until this trial concludes, ends, and finishes.” Dr. Arannae and Silver Knight gave a nod and exited the room leaving Hyde alone with the other villains and Victor. “Wait, hang on a sec.” Hyde interrupted, looking perplexed. “No offense e’re but that guy over there doesn’t exactly look like a villain.” Hyde exclaimed as he pointed towards Victor. Lady Redundant Woman merely gave Hyde an unimpressed stare while Two Brains further glared at Hyde for daring to point a finger at his brother. “I can assure you Mr. Hyde. Dr. Two Brains’ brother may be a civilian, but he has a unique skill, talent, and ability that is essential for this trial to go smoothly.” Beatrice answered in response.  @unhingedexperimenter

(You can tag me on my tgs side blog. I also apologize but I know a few Scottish words. So to anyone reading this I apologize for the inaccuracy.) Becky Boxleitner noticed a change in the atmosphere as she and her pet monkey Bob walked into the sixth grade classroom. All of the students were excitedly chatting with one another. Becky and Bob exchanged confused looks at the scene. 'What is going on?' They both thought. Becky walked to where her friends Violet Heaslip, Rose Franklin, and Todd Scoops Ming were sitting, also joining in the excited yet low volume chattering. "Hey guys what's going on?" Becky asked her friends. They each turned their heads to greet their friend. "Hey Becky guess what, we're getting a new teacher for our class!" Scoops exclaimed. Becky looked surprised at the announcement. Bob also mimicked her facial expression. "Wait really? What happened to Miss Davis?" Becky asked, wondering what happened to their old teacher. It was just a week only into the new school year so a sudden teacher exchange was a complete shock to Becky especially since there were no announcements about it beforehand. "Miss Davis had to move back home because of a family emergency." Rose Franklin answered. "The principal had to scramble to find a new teacher to fill in for our class. It was all last minute stuff." Becky nodded in understanding of her friends' answers. It was a nice perk to be friends who were upcoming reporters. Soon the final bell rang which indicated for every student to take their seats. Becky took her place beside her best friend Violet and Bob plopped down next to her. Soon a man who looked to be in his mid 30s walked in and towards the desk. He had curly brown air, an arched nose, and reddish brown eyes. He wore a tan button-down shirt with a red vest as well as brown slacks and dark suede shoes. The man gave a pleasant and warm smile to all the students there. "Hello my name is Dr. Henry Jekyll and I will be your teacher for the school year." Becky and the other kids ears perked up as they took note of the man's accent. Even Tobey became slightly interested in his new teacher. None of them were sure where their new teacher was from. Dr. Jekyll gave a light chuckle as if he could sense their growing curiosity about him. He lightly clapped his hands together to gain their undivided attention and focus. "Well since this is my first time teaching here, why don't we all play a little game so we can all get better acquainted with each other. Here's what to do. One at a time, say your name and share a wee bit about yourself. Likes, family, interests and all that. I'll go first to show ya what ah mean. Again. My name is Dr. Henry Jekyll. I was born in Glasgow but ah moved to London where I attended university. I have a five year old wee lassie or daughter named Amber. I enjoy chemistry and reading on occasions. Now who would like to go next?" @unhingedexperimenter

Of course Tobey had taken the opportunity to place attention on himself and to have a reason to boast about himself. “My name is Tobey McCallister the third and I will be the most intelligent student you'll meet here.” The others had rolled their eyes, used to this kind of behavior from their peers. Becky seemed to be the most annoyed by it. Having been forced to put up with his destructive tantrums in the past. Henry smiled just as warmly as before. Unbothered by the obnoxious behavior that the boy had been displaying. Tobey had been going on about himself for a good few minutes before the teacher finally spoke up. “Ahem, yes. Thank you for that Mr. McCallister. Would anyone else like to tell me a bit about themselves as well?” No one could tell that behind the facade, Dr. Henry Jekyll was becoming more irritated by the moment. Not by the child but by the pest that refused to leave him be. Scoffing within his head at what they just heard. He didn't share the disembodied voice's opinion but wanted to give the other children a chance to introduce themselves as well. To the others' shock, Tobey seemed to have taken this well. Quickly going back to his desk with no issues. Becky was relieved at that. Soon the other children had started to introduce themselves to their new teacher with little to no issues. He seemed genuinely nice enough to her. This new teacher didn't seem like most of the adults within this city. Some she had to define words repeatedly for. Dr. Jekyll knew what he was teaching and knew his vocabulary. It was Violet who had brought Becky out from her own thoughts, calling her name. Waving a hand in front of her face. “Becky?” The girl smiled in an embarrassed manner. “Huh? Yes?” Violet smiled, patient with her best friend. “Why don't you introduce yourself now? Nearly everybody else already did.” She had given a surprised expression. Becky hadn't realized that she was so lost within her thoughts until then. She stood up and began speaking. “My name is Becky Boxleitner and I also like libraries,reading and Pretty Princess.” The presence that was grating at the teacher's nerves had deemed this too dull to enjoy. Leaving Dr. Jekyll be to his teaching. Well, getting to know his students. He was happy to see that they were engaged in these activities that were meant to break the ice. Though one student in particular had caught his attention the most. Becky. While she did seem rather bright, there was something strange about her behavior at times. Pausing whatever she was doing at the time to listen in on something. Thinking it went unnoticed. Even once looking alarmed and she made an excuse to go to the bathroom. He had allowed it. Feeling that it would've been better to have let her. It seemed…oddly familiar. As if he had seen that behavior somewhere before but couldn't figure out exactly where from. When the school day was finally over, Becky had gone to go home like the others. Dr. Jekyll had of course stayed behind to set more things up within his new classroom. Making a plan on exactly what he'll actually start teaching the next day. Though, the grating voice had returned to be a thorn in his side. “Come on. Leave this boring stuff alone. Leave it until tomorrow. I've been pent up for far too long. Let's have some fun.” This had earned an eye roll and a loud huff from the teacher. “No, I've got to get this done now. You will have enough time tonight. Just be patient until then.” A shadowy figure formed in front of Dr. Jekyll. A frown on its face. “But this is so extremely dull. I want to stretch my legs. I want to make myself known already.” Dr. Jekyll glared. “And that is precisely why I'm so hesitant to let you out so soon. At least let us get acclimated to our surroundings first.” The figure let out an annoyed groan. “You know you want this as much as I do. Otherwise you'd never have any actual fun in the sad and pathetic life you call yours.”

@thecountoflondonfansite

[quilna]

Hey, anyone want to see me pull out one of my really old aus again? It’s my creator-creation swap au again. Honestly, this was my favourite out of my own aus, I just never know what to do with it.

For a recap of the au, Hyde is the original scientist, Jekyll is the “purely good alter ego” but in the same awkward, trying-too-hard way that original Hyde is the evil alter ego in canon. Frankenstein and Creature also trade places.

Firstly, when I first created this au I gave Jekyll the green colour scheme and Hyde the red one. I’ve changed that. The idea of Hyde in red clothes having a green eyed moment where he breaks down crying was just too strange to me on so many levels. Instead, to differentiate these versions of Jekyll and Hyde from the originals, I’ve given them both bandages on their arms.

Hyde gets into a lot of scrapes and Jekyll has his own share of injuries.

Anyway, new au details:

- Jekyll is incredibly squeamish of blood and injuries. He starts shaking pretty violently whenever he sees blood and he absolutely hates it. It’s horrible conduct to shake when someone is trying to speak to you. Not gentlemanly in the least. As such, he tends to apologize a lot when he’s doing it.

- The lodgers don’t realize at first that Jekyll is willing to hurt himself to follow orders.

At first, it’s like a game of truth or dare, trying to find out what questions he’s willing to answer, what sort of commands he’s willing to do, what the funniest thing they can make him do is. (Well he wasn’t willing to slap or kiss anyone and he refuses to tell anyone about his past so he clearly has limits.)

Jekyll, always happy to please, seems to be having a good time. Besides, he’s still rather mischevous at heart so a game of truth or dare, although he tries to view it internally as just a set of commands to follow (This isn’t supposed to be fun. Proper gentlemen don’t do fun), is actually a blast for him. Everyone is having too much fun with the game to realize that it’s going too far until it’s too late. It’s not until someone gives a poorly thought through command, not expecting him to actually follow it, that Jekyll gets hurt and the truth of the situation dawns of them. (Not sure what the command would be. Maybe they ask him to touch a hot coal or juggle knives. Or maybe he sticks around after they’re done for far too long. Someone gets annoyed and badly phrases their “go away” like how some people use phrases like “go to hell” but Jekyll mistakes it for a serious command.)

- From that point on, the lodgers are a lot more careful with commands and even try to be more sensitive to Jekyll. However, Jekyll absolutely hates being fussed over and tends to sort of avoid anyone who worries over his health too much.

- Although the lodgers are pretty careful, there are a lot of people out there more than willing to take advantage of Jekyll and he frequently comes back with cuts and bruises.

- The lodgers are convinced that Edward Hyde has an alter ego that he uses to go out, get into fights, and get drunk at nights based on the fact that he keeps disappearing at nights and coming back with bruises and cuts. (Not some magical science alter ego, just a fake name and maybe a wig.)

- These stories have gone around and gotten exaggerated so much like a game of telephone that a bunch of the lodgers are genuinely convinced that Hyde goes to fight clubs at night under the stage name of The Spirit of London at Night. Hyde is absolutely bewildered as to why people keep calling him that and then winking.

- When Jekyll is prevented from going out, instead of using the nightmares to torment Hyde and achieve his freedom, he turns to the mind... People..? Mind Frankenstein stays as a neutral party, just wanting to continue studying the inside of Hyde’s mind but Mind Lanyon is still completely for getting rid of Hyde or at least just being really rude to him. It’s difficult for Hyde to differentiate the horrible things he’s been told by Mind Lanyon (and probably the other mind people too but none of them have been revealed in canon so I don’t know what they would be like.) from the real Lanyon.

- It’s a lot more concerning when Jekyll vanishes after the fire considering the kind of person he is. It may make sense for Hyde to do his best to run from the police but Jekyll in this au isn’t the type in the least. Especially vanishing so thoroughly. Rachel knows something is up but Lanyon is pretty flippant, believing that maybe someone just asked him to stay put. But Rachel asked every one of the lodgers and none of them have seen him since or given him any sort of command to hide himself. Even then, she’s pretty confident that he wouldn’t be able to sit still knowing that most of the police force is out looking for him and, by evading capture, he’s just wasting all of their time and effort which could be spent looking for other criminals.

- When Jekyll does show up again, Rachel manages to catch him before he turns himself in and beg him not to. Jekyll is torn between following the law and not wanting to upset Rachel and its clear that, although she’s gotten him to stay still for now, he’ll probably go straight back to the police the moment her back is turned. Unsure where else to take him, she takes him to Lucy, hoping to show him that breaking the law doesn’t necessarily make him a bad person and that the world isn’t as black and white as he thinks it is.

- Jekyll meeting Lucy doesn’t go particularly well. Staying in control too long makes him pretty jittery and Hyde is a huge Lucy fanboy (again) which makes Jekyll, in a weird, guilty way, very excited to see her. Except she’s a wanted criminal! And Hyde in all his rotteness likes her! So, to Dr Jekyll, that must make her a bad person too. Except... Upon meeting her and having the situation explained she’s... Not as bad as everyone made her out to be..? But that doesn’t make sense to Jekyll because... because it just isn’t right! Then, there’s the fact that he’s supposed to be in prison for his crimes at that moment but Rachel is practically begging him not to and he can’t upset his friends! And she’s asking so many questions he can’t answer about where he’s been hiding, what’s been stopping him from going out all this time, but if she ever found out the truth, she would surely hate him! Just like how the mind versions of his friends hate him for what he is.

Finally, overwhelmed, Jekyll can’t take it anymore. With no regards for how rude it is to just sprint out the door without even a goodbye, he runs for it. Although Rachel tries to follow him, Jekyll has a head start and all of Hyde’s street smarts. Even in such a state Jekyll easily manages to slip away in the sewers and disappear.

Rachel doesn’t know what happens to him after that. He seems to have just vanished into thin air yet again and she doesn’t know where he went or what he decided to do in the end. She didn’t even find out where he had been all that time. All she can do is hope.

- Jekyll may or may not be very rude to Lucy in his fluster and panic. Luckily, unlike canon, the stories Lucy has heard of him don’t paint him as a jerk. Understanding that this isn’t normal for him and recognizing that he’s lashing out, she’s a lot more sympathetic despite how nasty he gets to her and her spouses, trying to soothe him as best as she can. Rachel has never seen such behaviour from Jekyll before and is horrified to see him acting in such a way.

[gwynrielendgame]

Nyx and Isa part 4

I am feeling very uninspired these days yall. Good news though, I got a job 🥳🥳 woohoo.

"You two can go wander through the gardens now, if you'd like. Violet why don't you go with them? Someone needs to keep them out of trouble."

It was as much a dismissal if Nyx ever heard one. He rolled his eyes, but stood to leave anyways.

"I would actually like to listen in. If I am to be high lady some day, best I hear it all."

Nyx's parents shared a look. Whatever they wanted to discuss with Tamlin and the rest of the family was not information they wanted his daughter to know. Must be something about her.

"Very well. Nyx could you check on your sister, Velaris? I haven't heard from her all week."

Nyx was annoyed that he was being dismissed once again to check on his oldest sister, of all people, even though Isa was allowed to stay. She was much less trustworthy than him. He turned to leave with his younger sister in tow, but a snicker from Isa made him send a quick glare in her direction.

"Yes, run along now. Like the good little prince you are."

The sarcasm might as well have bit his skin. The entire room stopped their small talk to re-assess the situation before them. The last anyone had heard, Nyx and Isa had resolved any conflict from the recent fight they had. Although neither of them had spoken since Isa had revealed what she gave to protect Nyx.

"Stop this, Isa. Petty arguments do not become you."

"Oh look at prince Nyx. Once again taking the moral high ground. Shocker considering who your parents are."

"Did we...miss something?" Lucien interjected, clearly to lighten the mood which had zero effect on the arguing pair. They continued their banter as if Lucien never even spoke.

"You want to talk to me about my parents? What about yours? Your father abused my mother, only to impregnate, who I can only assume by your own standards, is a vile, evil witch."

She sucked in a harsh breathe. She told that to him in confidence and now he was throwing it back in her face. His anger fueled harder than his guilt. Nyx had walked back to the table at this point where he stood, glaring at his friend.

"Once again you stand on some moral high ground. The world is not black and white, Nyx. Your mother would like to convince you otherwise though, no? Must be her savior complex."

Her accent was much heavier with how vehemently she was talking. Feyre decided it was best to intervene.

"Okay, why don't you two separate and cool off. Obviously, emotions are running high."

Once again, the pair ignored anyone else speaking to them.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Isa. I am not the one that sold off my unborn first child, so of course, you do not have many moral qualms." Nyx threw back at her. She rolled her nose up in disgust.

"Would you have rather I let you die?"

"I am glad I am not dead, but what you were willing to give up for me is not something I would be willing to do for you." He crossed his arms. She scoffed.

"Maybe you should have mentioned that before you had sex with me!" She threw a roll from her plate at him. He let it bounce off his head with a roll of his eyes.

"Oof" Violet muttered while glancing anywhere but at the pair sparring off at the dinner table.

"Do not act as if I tricked you into that! I have been crystal clear about us. I am waiting for my mate, which you are not."

"Nyx," his mother tried to interject once again, but Isa stopped her.

"How do you know that? How do you know I am not your mate? The bond is hard to sense before it has snapped into place." Everyone recognized the desperation in her voice. She was pleading with him to love her in the way that she loved him. Unfortunately, it was also clear to everyone that Nyx was rather indifferent towards Isa as a romantic partner.

"Come on Isa! Be realistic. Our parents did not work out for a reason." He tried to reason. He thought they had just been having a bit of fun. Must have meant much more to Isa than she had been admitting to him.

"Perhaps you do share too much with your mother. Your self-righteousness is certainly straight from her handbook." She lashed out. Nyx recognized her feelings were hurt and that was the reason she was saying the nasty things she was. That did not mean it kept him from getting just as angry.

"Well, I am not the only one who takes after my parents. You are exactly like your father." He spit at her.

Nyx was tired of listening to her discuss his parents in such a way. She wanted to play rough? Well then he would play along.

"What is that meant to mean?"

"You are an entitled bitch who does not seem to understand when someone does not love you back. That's what I mean."

She flinched at his harsh words and he automatically wished he could take them back. She retook her seat, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. They both remembered what she accidentally admitted to him and the words he had not said back. He was breathing heavy from his own vehement yelling, but now as he looked around, he felt regret. It felt wrong to air out their grievances among family and friends, especially when he threw so much back in her face.

"Yikes..." Violet unhelpfully broke the awkward silence that had engulfed the room. Nyx noticed at the same time as everyone else that the table was shaking. It started to shake so much that he thought an earthquake was hitting Velaris. It was not until Tamlin spoke up that everyone realized who, instead of what, was making the table shake.

"Calm down, Isa."

She took a slow shakey breath. One lone tear fell down her cheek which she roughly wiped away. Nyx wanted to wrap her in a hug and apologize, but he stuck in his spot as her tattoos began to glow. They often glowed when she was using her witch magic, but never like this. This was bright, almost blinding when her normal glow was a light luminance.

"I am trying." She spoke softly. "I just want it to stop." Her hands went to her head and started clawing at her temples.

Nyx was not sure what she wanted to stop, but one glance around the room told him that this meant trouble. He wanted to help his friend, but no one moved a muscle and his father sent him a look that kept Nyx from speaking. Tamlin's reaction was even worse. He looked scared. Whether that was for his own life or because his daughter was in danger, Nyx would never know.

"Isabelle, stop."

"I can't." The word broke off at the end as she finally opened her eyes. They were glistening with tears and her expression would haunt Nyx until his last days. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Tamlin propelled forward, over the table. He wrapped Violet in an embrace as they fell to the floor.

And then a gust of power broke every piece of glass in the room. Every window, wine glass, and vase shattered. The power from Azriel's siphons reached out at the last minute and protected Nyx and Lucien from the blast of power. Nyx was still thrown into the wall from the sheer force of it. He managed to look over at his parents to see his dad protecting his mom. Tamlin must have known what was going to happen before it did because he reached Violet a second before it happened.

"Knock her out!" Tamlin yelled. "Before her eyes change."

Nyx looked up to see that Isa was still crying, but a swirl of power encircled her. She had sunk to her knees on the floor at this point and she still gripped her head as if it hurt. The power was unlike anything he had ever seen, so he assumed it must be her witch power. He knew he should get up and talk to her, but he did not want to make it worse. He watched as Lucien attempted to physically get to her, but the gust knocked him away. Both his parents tried using their daemati powers. Nyx was afraid of what would happen if that did not work. Tamlin shoved Violet behind a couch before approaching his daughter.

"Isa, you can control it. You have done it before. Focus."

She began shaking her head wildly.

"Get out of my head!" She screeched.

"I can't get in Tamlin. Whatever is happening is too powerful." Nyx wondered who was inside Isa's head if not his parents.

"Use your Night power to knock her out." Tamlin gritted his teeth as he slowly inched his way toward her. It was a physical feat unlike any other because the wind was powerful enough to keep Nyx on the ground.

"I can't. She's disarmed our fae magic."

Nyx tried to conjure his own magic, only to realize his dad was right. He did not think it was possible without the use of faebane. Isa had mentioned being able to temporarily disable fae magic, but she claimed the cost was too high for witches to use it often. He was worried she would end up killing herself before the night was over.

"Isa!" He started. As soon as he spoke, the power surrounding her intensified. "I am sorry. I did not mean it." He took a few tentative steps towards her even after his dad called out a warning. It was difficult due to the wind, but he managed to get close enough that his shouts were heard by her.

"I was lashing out because you hurt my feelings." The power started to ebb as she raised her head from her hands. "You are my friend and I did not mean to hurt you."

She looked at him for a second, her guard dropped, and when she blinked, her eyes opened again, completely black as the finest spun silk in all of the night court.

Fuck is all he could think.

Tamlin used the split second she was distracted by Nyx to make his move. She was in his grasp and being winnowed away before anything else could be said.

"Shit." His mother muttered from her spot on the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Azriel looked to Lucien for answers as he stood from the ground. It appeared everyone had been knocked to the ground from the force of her magic. Lucien wiped away blood from his forehead that kept pouring into his one good eye.

"How many witch, high lord children have you heard of?"

"None." Azriel grimaced. If he had not heard of it before, then it was likely few and far between that held that same heritage.

"Emotion is a highly sought after price by the spirits. Not many witches are willing to trade their emotions for the aid of the spirits. They feed on it which is why the children are so dangerous. They are one tantrum from killing their entire coven. Why do you think their numbers dwindle?"

"She's had how many years to get this under control?" Rhysand quipped back sarcastically only to get a withering look from Lucien.

"No amount of time prepares you for your first heart break. Especially when the cause of that embarrasses you in front of another court by declaring he does not love you back." Lucien gave a pointed look to Nyx with narrowed eyes.

"Not my finest moment." Nyx cringed as he thought back to all he said. Nyx walked back to Violet to help her up from behind the couch.

"The spirits feed on her emotions. She let her guard down, but they cannot take without giving. They gave her too much power to control with her emotions as tumultuous as they were. The more negative the emotion? The more all-consuming and dangerous that power becomes." Lucien explained. Although it hardly made any sense to Nyx.

"How can they feed if she does not call on them? Why do they not feed on our emotions?" Violet asked as she wiped dirt from her dress.

"The tattoos, a price she has paid for a past use of witch magic, acts as a tracking device. Much like you build mind barriers to keep other Daemati out, Isa needs to keep her barriers in place to prevent the spirits from taking freely. The tattoos call to spirits when they glow and the loss of her mind barrier allowed them in without her permission. As for the reason they do not feed on our emotions? Unsure. Isa jokes that regular fae emotions must taste bad." Lucien finally grabbed a napkin to press to the wound above his eye. He muttered an apology to Feyre for ruining it.

"Why did she not kick them out once she realized?" Feyre asked instead of responding to his apology.

"She probably did not realize she was giving her emotions freely to the spirits. They rewarded her with power. Mix in some fae magic, shape shifting abilities, and boom you have an uncontrollable dangerous cocktail in the form of a small female."

"The eyes?" Azriel quietly mentioned with raised brows. His shadows were moving erratically all around him.

"That is not up for discussion along with her mother." Lucien sent Nyx a glare.

"I know it was a low blow." He admitted. He would apology as soon as he was allowed.

"Isa loves her mother very much. You can love a person and despise their actions. Right Feyre?" It was an accusing statement. Everyone could see what Lucien was insinuating. His mother at some point or another loved Tamlin even if she pretended she never had. Feyre only rolled her eyes, but Rhysand sent a glare of his own back to Lucien.

"I should apologize. I do love her." Nyx felt the need to admit to everyone. "Just not in the way that she wants." He threw himself down on the couch. Violet followed his lead and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Not now. The reason witches do not readily offer their emotions is because it leaves them numb. It is a very unpleasant feeling and will be like talking to a wall." Lucien grimaced. Nyx assumed Lucien was thinking of the last time it happened.

"Has this happened before?" Azriel inquired.

"When her mother died. That's it." Lucien shrugged and dropped the napkin.

"I didn't know. I never meant to hurt her." Nyx felt the need to explain himself, but found there were no words to do so.

"If I know Isa, all she wanted to hear was that you care for her in some capacity."

"She knows that." Nyx insisted. He rested his head on top of his sisters. He was suddenly overcome with exhaustion unlike any other.

"Does she? Cause you had me fooled otherwise tonight." Lucien quickly winnowed away after that. A look around the room showed disapproving looks from everyone.

*****

"Thank you for coming." Tamlin shifted awkwardly in his chair. The Night Court inner circle looked on from their respective chairs in what Nyx assumed must be the formal sitting room. His parents, himself, and his sister squished together on one couch. Azriel took an arm chair to the left of Tamlin and the last chair remained unclaimed. Nyx stared at the chair as if he could make her appear simply from his stare.

"How is she?" Rhysand cleared his throat to ask. Tamlin gave a tight smile.

"Fine." He paused, debating whether he should say the next thing. "We lifted the ward on this room. If things should get out of hand today, you may winnow away."

Feyre narrowed her eyes at him.

"I thought you said she had it under control."

Tamlin sighed heavily and slouched in his chair. He rubbed at his temples as if this entire meeting exhausted him.

"You will see that you are in no danger. It is just a precaution."

Azriel went to say something, but stopped and looked towards the door. It was utterly silent. A few minutes later, Isa walked through the door with her head down. She looked...bad. In the kindest way possible because Nyx knew she had been through a lot mentally. It had clearly taken a toll on her physically. She shuffled to the last available seat without making eye contact. When she finally looked up, Nyx's heart lurched. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes. Her cheeks had sunken in from weight loss, leaving her looking like she consisted only of skin and bone. It was jarring considering how solidly built she had been previously. She had always been muscular; now though, he saw no hint of it. Her dress must have been fitted to her recently since it fit her well. It was a light green color similar to her eyes and flowed around her like a wedding dress. She might look beautiful if she did not look so sick. Nyx made eye contact with his sister's wide, shocked eyes. A quiet gasp left his mother's lips. Isa tried a small smile, but Nyx noticed her fingers nervously traced the new tattoos on her other hand.

"I apologize for my little display last week." She started. "I thought I had a better grip on my powers. Obviously not. I have spoken with my coven on the matter and I will be returning home for additional training."

Nyx contemplated whether he should speak or not. Last time they only exchanged spiteful words. He did not want those words to be the last she heard from him. He cleared his throat.

"Does your coven know about the first born debacle?" He felt it was a neutral enough of a statement. Isa replied simply.

"No."

"It is best if that is never discussed aloud." Tamlin interjected.

"How long will you be gone?" Violet asked. They had become friends as well and his sister looked sad at the prospect of her leaving.

"Until I need to claim my position as High Lady." Isa stared at her hands as she spoke. Violet gasped at the information.

"But that could be hundreds of years!"

Nyx frowned. He thought it might take Isa a few months to lose interest in himself and then they could return to just being friends. This seemed extreme, but perhaps they could still visit each other every once in a while. Isa only shrugged. Nyx felt dread at Isa's lack of emotional display. She had been rather devoid of anything else. The effects of the spirits must be taking more of a toll than anyone else assumed.

"That will leave you unprepared for your role as high lady. You do not have many allies or friends," Azriel started what appeared to be an oddly placed reprimand. "You should use all the time you have to form relationships with the other courts and possible emissaries."

"Lucien said he would help me when I first take over."

"That is not enough." Rhysand agreed as him and Tamlin shared a look.

"You will help me, no?" She asked.

"We may not have the time to devote to helping you run your court." Feyre said. Isa's eyes slid past Nyx's and landed on Violet's.

"I could help." His sister offered with a smile that looked so similar to their mother's.

"It would be very much appreciated." Isa tried to give a smile of her own but it only succeeded in showing how miserable this past week has been for her.

"You may want to consider marriage." Azriel felt the need to mention. "You will be at a disadvantage when you return, but a well aligned marriage could work. The prince of the Summer Court is unmarried, but you may find yourself at war with Amren over him. There is a princess of the Summer court that may be interested." His shadows tucked in tight to him.

"I shall consider that. Thank you for the advice, spymaster." No hint of her accent could be heard. Nyx realized she was focusing on disguising the accent in order to focus her attention. Her eyes kept wandering around the room as though she could not keep focus on the current conversation.

Tamlin appeared to nudge Isa subtly. He gave her a stern look before she turned back to look at Feyre.

"I apologize for the things I said about you." She said barely above a whisper. Feyre gave her a soft look which must have urged her to keep going. "Sometimes I feel angry at you because I see a life I could have had. With you as my mom. It is not fair, but it is true." Nyx could see tears in his mother's eyes that she quickly blinked away.

"I understand that sometimes we say things we do not mean. Right, Nyx?" Feyre gave her son a look. She was giving him an opening to say his piece while simultaneously avoiding responding to Isa. He should tell Isa that he did not mean it.

"Isa, I do love you. Just not in the way you are wanting." He tried to make eye contact with her so that she knew he was speaking the truth, but she did not look up from her hands.

"Okay." She gave a simple shrug.

Nyx felt his eyes brows furrowed at that. He was not sure what he expected her reaction to be, but something more than that. It made him feel something he was not ready to admit. And at this point, would never admit.

"Okay?" He asked with raised eyebrows. Isa was still refusing to look up at him, so he look towards his father who kept signaling with his eyes to go and comfort her.

"Yes, I understand I cannot make someone love me." The bland delivery of the words encouraged Nyx to move towards her. He kneeled before her in her chair and grabbed her hands, forcing her to look at him.

"I do love you." He emphasized. He did not want this to get lost in the mess of everything else. Something about that seemed to spark something in her eyes though. The sight of it made Nyx relieved.

"Not in the vay I vant to be loved. Not in the vay I dezerve to be loved." Her accent was extremely heavy and she began to grip his hands back just as strongly as he was holding hers. Tears gathered in her eyes but they did not fall.

"I vill no longer give you more than you dezerve, Nyx." And with that declaration, the last of her fight left her. She softly pulled her hands away and stood up. Her eyes were blank once more.

"I apologize once again for putting your lives at risk. It will not happen again."

And then she was drooping back to her room with slows steps.

"That went...well." Violet offered unhelpfully. "Right?"

[the-mirror-witch]

scenarios of sick heartslabyul boys being taken care by their fem!s/o, please?

(Feeling under the weather? Never fear, for the nurse is here!)

Riddle Rosehearts:

How undignified. Riddle had been so busy with club activities, staying ahead of his studies, and maintaining law and order in Heartslabyul that he had managed to overwork his body to the point of exhaustion. And what was a weak body susceptible to? Sickness, that’s what. As he rested in the infirmary, his body shaking with chills, he cursed his oversight. He could practically hear his mother’s voice berating him for his negligence. 

A soft knock resounded through the room before the door opened and your head poked inside. Your eyes caught sight of him, a bright smile gracing your lips. As you approached him with a cup in your hands, he attempted to sit up so he could greet you properly.

“Please don’t get up,” You chided him gently, your voice laced with concern. “You need your rest.”

He’d argue with you about proper etiquette, but he was frankly too exhausted. 

You sat down on the edge of the bed. You handed him the cup in your hands, “Here. This’ll make you feel better.”

He examined the cups contents with a scrutinizing eye, “What is it?”

“It’s tea. My mom used to make it for me whenever I got sick. It’s got honey in it.”

He frowned, “I see you don’t remember rule number 631 of the Queen: The only beverage permissible for illness is-”

“Yeah, well, rule number 900 says that sick boyfriends have to let their girlfriend take care of them without a fuss,” You cut him off, pouting with your hands on your hips.

“...You just made that up.”

“Did not. Besides, my number is bigger than your number, so I win!”

“That’s not how it works!” 

Raising his voice even slightly caused him to spiral into a coughing fit. He hunched over, and you reached out to rub his back soothingly and to keep his hands steady so that he didn’t spill the drink.

Once he recovered, you gazed at him with pleading eyes, “Please? For me?”

He felt his resistance waver under your earnest gaze. He sighed, “Very well, then.”

You smiled brightly as he drank your home remedy. It was delightfully sweet. 

Trey Clover:

Trey chuckled as you continued to administer your “fool-proof cold remedy”. Ever since he had fallen ill, you hadn’t left his side for a moment. You brought him more tissues when he ran out, changed the wet cloth on his forehead, even spoon-fed him when his arms felt like jello. Though, he had to admit, this current treatment was his favorite, as you peppered his cheeks dainty little kisses. 

“Kisses are magical,” You had insisted. “They make all pain go away.”

Well, he wasn't about to argue with you about your logic. 

“Are you sure you should be doing that?” He still asked anyways, concerned. “I don’t want you to catch my fever.”

“I won’t,” You assured him, muttering softly against his skin, causing him to shiver. “I have a strong immune system.”

“But-”

“Shush,” You said, more forcefully this time. You lifted your head to look directly into his golden eyes. “You don’t have to worry about me. Just let me take care of you.”

Can’t argue with that. Not that he wanted to. He allowed you to continue without further fuss.

Later, when you did get sick, he chuckled at your feverish form. You glared at him from under the too-thick-yet-not-thick-enough blankets.

“If you say “I told you so”, I will kill you.”

He smirked, “I wouldn’t dream of it. Besides...”

He leaned down, brushing his lips against your flushed forehead, “Now, I get to take care of you.”

Cater Diamond:

Cater was on his phone, updating his status on his MagiCam account. 

#gottheflu #babetakingcareofme #blessed

He continued to scroll through his posts until you came back. You said something about “getting into the spirit of healthcare”, whatever that meant. 

The door to the the infirmary creaked open, “Cater, I’m back.”

Ah, your voice was like music to his ears. His chuckle sounded more like a cough as he looked up from his phone, “About time. I’ve been wasting away here without my-”

His tongue turned to lead in his mouth at the sight of you. Oh, you had gotten into the spirit of healthcare alright. You were dressed in a cute little nurse outfit, beaming at Cater like the sun had broken through the clouds.

Oh, definitely #blessed. 

He couldn’t help it. He whistled at the sight of you. 

You blushed, “Now, don’t get any funny ideas. I’m only doing this to get into my role as caretaker. No funny business until you’re better.”

Boo.

He couldn’t help but watch your every moment as you dutifully attended to his needs. He didn’t even try to hide it. You caught him staring numerous times.

After a while, you eventually said, “Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer.”

He’s never reached for his phone faster in his life.

“I was joking!”

Ace Trappola:

“I’m not drinking it.”

“Ace-”

“I said I’m not doing it.”

You huffed, fed up with your boyfriend’s antics. For the better part of an hour now, you had been arguing with your stubborn as hell boyfriend, trying to convince him to just take his damn medicine. You’d have better luck convincing the sun not to rise in the morning.

“Ace, if you don’t take it, then you won’t get better,” You reasoned, patience waning. 

“Fine by me. I’m not taking that nasty shit.”

“What if you get worse, Ace? Huh? Isn’t taking the medicine better than that?” 

“Nope. Have fun at my funeral.” 

Alright, you had officially been pushed past your limit. Damn that Ace. If he wasn’t going to take the medicine willingly, then you were just going to have to make him. 

You poured the medicine into the little plastic cup. Ace watched you with a smirk, knowing it was a futile effort. He wasn’t going to back down. What he didn’t expect, however, was for you to drink it yourself.

“Wha-”

You shuddered as the rancid taste of the medicine registered on your tongue. Okay, yeah, it was pretty awful. But it was a necessary evil. Suddenly, you grabbed Ace’s reddened cheeks. He made a startled noise as you leaned forward and crushed your lips against his. Taking advantage of his blatant shock, you managed to coax his lips apart, forcing the medicine into his mouth.

His eyes widened and he tried to pull away, but you held on tight. He was forced to gulp down the dreaded substance. Satisfied, you released him and pulled away. 

He gagged, “Gross! You’re awful.”

You smirked, “Got you to drink it, didn’t I?”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

Deuce Spade:

He felt absolutely awful. His muscles ached, and his body was torn between chills and heat flashes. His nose was stuffed and his throat was scratchy. Honestly, he’s come out of fights feeling better than he did now. 

Deuce faded in and out of consciousness, too tired to register what was happening around him. It wasn’t until sometime during the night that he was able to regain some of his bearings.

He blearily opened his eyes to a dark room. Sweet Queen, his head hurt. In fact, everything hurt. Why had he bothered waking up if he was going to feel this bad? Then, he realized that he wasn’t alone as a lovely melody finally reached his ears. 

It was a lullaby, being softly sung to him by a familiar voice. The sound of your voice surrounded him like a warm blanket, reminding of all the times his mother cared for him while he had been sick as a child. 

“Y/N...” He croaked your name.

You paused your song. “Shush. Don’t speak, just rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Oh. 

He did as he was told, closing his eyes again as you resumed your singing. You placed your hand in his hand. He squeezed it weakly, and you squeezed back. He drifted back to sleep, comforted by the knowledge that you wouldn’t leave him. 

Your song followed him into his dreams, where you greeted him with your beautiful smile and open arms. 

[kob131]

So, inspired by Shuttershocky’s own character opinions, I think I’ll start doing my own.

And no, I’m not doing Mordred first. She comes later.

Nah, considering a certain Ruler’s recent reveal, I think I’ll talk about a certain Shirou-face.

So quick overview of Angra Mainju-

He’s not actually the Zoroastrian god of Evil. No, he’s actually more like Sasaki Kojiro- The guy who the myth of Angra Mainju is BASED off of. He was just some ordinary villager who drew the shortest of straws and was used as a scapegoat for the sins of his villagers, tortured for decades until he died of old age. Because of this, he has a pretty nasty hatred of humanity. Which you would think would disqualify him from being a Heroic Spirit (I mean, logically who would consider him a hero?) but it’s said that his torture put the villagers at ease, meaning he did technically do a heroic deed and thus was preserved by the Throne of Heroes.

In the Third Holy Grail War, the Einsberns tried to summon the evil god but, for a multitude of reasons that include it not existing in the first place, they got him instead. Problem? The guy isn’t a normal hero, he’s a village boy who got tortured. He doesn’t have any special powers or even a proper Noble Phantasm. So of course, he gets his ass kicked. But thing is, he was so weak the Grail thought he was a human and thus tried to grant his wish.

Which was to actually BECOME All The World’s Evil.

And so the Grail tried to do it...but things got fucky. So the next two wars are basically just attempts at bring his wish to life. He...kind of exists here? Issue is that in Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night, Angra Mainju is more a force of nature or a being of pure evil rather than the tortured village boy he actually is. So for simplicity’s sake AND due to how radically different ‘All The World’s Evil’ is- I’ll just skip over his supposed presence in those two and move on.

Despite his wished for form’s destruction in Fate/Stay Night, Angra Mainju survived. In fact, his time as “All The World’s Evil” turned him into a proper Heroic Spirit, giving him an actual Noble Phantasm and actual status as a Heroic Spirit. Here, he gains a sort of obsession with granting wishes. So he goes around looking for someone’s wish to grant. During this time, he finds Bazett Frega McRemitz (AKA The ACTUAL Master of Cu Chulanin before Kirei decided to do what he does best: Fuck people over) dying, wishing not to die. And thus, Angra Mainju does his best to keep her alive. For 6 months, this meant keeping her alive but in a vegetative state. 

After being discovered by Caren Hortensia (Kirei’s daughter. ... This is kind of important later), this meant keeping her alive AND sustaining her consciousness. To do this, he creates Fate/Hollow Ataraxia’s four day loop (the same length of time he survived his war.) Through this, he tricks Bazett into thinking that she’s participating in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Issue being, Angra knows little more than jackshit about said war so what ends up happening is that he uses the Third Grail War structure with Fifth Grail War players as stand-ins. He is also only active with Bazett at night, the catch being that the person that the player thinks they’re controlling (Shirou) is actually an unaware Angra, living out his own wish of a normal life.

At first, Angra is just being selfish and indulging himself during this time. However, over time, his interactions with the people in Shirou’s life, Shirou’s own influence over him (as having lost his identity, he effectively needs to adopt another’s to exist) and, most importantly, his new found relationship with Bazett and Caren causes him to try and end the four day loop. This going against his Master’s wishes, as she fears that she will die due to finding out about the loop and losing Avenger, who is assumed to become nothing once again. However, he manages to convince her by revealing he really did save her life and that she had to move on. So at the end, he and Bazett race to opposite ends of the Grail, Bazett back to life and Angra Mainju embracing oblivion once again.

So...yeah. Pretty heavy stuff even with me skipping some stuff.

We only really learn about Angra Mainju in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, since that’s where we truly meet him as a person. And at the beginning...he’s not a good person. Avengers in general are known for being highly destructive, malicious and dangerous Servants because their Class effectively puts them on edge at all times, constant consumed by hate. As the first Avenger, Angra both embodies this and subverts it at the same time.

Yes he is consumed by hate. ... But said hate is not an emotional state like other Avengers. His hate is his nature by the point we meet him. Meaning he isn’t on edge like his fellows, he isn’t clouded by extreme emotion. For all his cynicism and malice, he’s by far the calmest and most rational Avenger we have seen so far. Which makes some of his actions (like killing a family to draw out his enemies) come across as even worse than normal since he isn’t openly insane. Even beyond this, Angra is a sarcastic asshole who loves fucking with people and being insulting.

However, as things go on, as he lives the life of Shirou Emiya and the Servant of Bazett, he gets better. Sure, he’s still rude as all hell. But the guy does show he cares about Bazett and thinks about her well being. He falls in love with Caren, who does love him back (if you’re wondering how: I believe it’s implied Caren suffers from the same condition Kirei did in regards to empathy. So makes sense she’d love an embodiment of hate and vengence) and he did enjoy living as Shirou, revealing that beneath the hate that became his nature- He’s just a normal guy who got SEVERELY fucked over. Hell, when Medusa was on the verge of morphing into Gorgon, Angra walks by and talks to her. He gives her a speech on what it means to be a monster and ends up helping her prevent her transformation, even though having her become a monster would help him make people suffer (and maybe even someone who understands him, as Gorgon is an Avenger herself.)

Just as his lack of emotional distress makes his evil actions worse, it also means he’s capable of change and becoming good. He learns love and care despite having lived a life no one could even comprehend, forced into a Class that is more like a curse than an honor. Despite his hatred of humanity, he still believes in it somewhat. He adopts some of Shirou’s heroic traits through living his life. And at the very end, this jackass who started things off by killing random innocents...ends up making the ultimate sacrifice, one where he gains nothing but loses everything, where he really doesn’t want to do it...all because he came to care for Bazett.

I’ll admit, I sobbed at the end.

Now, Angra isn’t really used in any serious manner after this. He appears in the Accel/Zero and Christmas in the Underworld events...mostly as jokes. However, I would like to note his Bond 10 Craft Essence. These CEs are effectively summations of the characters themselves. For example, Mordred’s Bond 10 effectively sums up her identity issues. And Angra Mainju’s?

It’s all about how he was a necessary evil, his life taken from him, hatred burned into him...

...and how Caren, despite seeing it all, still loved him.

And the CEs effect? A Guts buff and the ability to hurt Beast class enemies in a way no other Servant can replicate.

In essence, that love gives him the ability to keep living (with his strongest skill KILLING him btw) and to more effectively protect the world. And considering how the Beasts are related to humanity, it might just be because that love made him human again.

In short, Angra Mainju is a person forced into a role, his nature overwritten by his torture, cursed by fate because of others, indulging in his role because it’s all he knows-

And yet, even he finds a way to become a better person. All culminating in a sacrifice that can only be described as ‘Heroic’.

He truly is a Heroic Spirit.

[purplesurveys]

1371

survey by joybucket

What's something you believe in that others are skeptical of? Nothing too out there; the only things I can think of are stuff about Asian culture and beliefs that may sound unfamiliar or completely foreign to others.

What was the last YouTube video you watched that you found entertaining? Just a bunch of wrestling segments and promos from over 20 years ago since I’m in that phase of watching that era again.

Do you own a Snuggie? Nopes.

What are three things you love about winter? I can’t answer you genuinely because we don’t get winter, but based from what I’ve at least seen on media - I like the cold weather, I like the snow, and I like how dark it can get some days.

Do you like where there's snow? Again, can’t really answer this genuinely; but on a related note I would love to travel to a place with snow at least once, just so I can get to play in it.

What's been the best thing about your day so far? One of my aunts sent over Korean food! :> We have a whole pack of instant ramen, rolled omelette, fishcake, and spicy octopus and pork, so it’s going to be one hell of a dinner.

Do you set goals for yourself each week/month/year? I’m not much of a goal-setter because I beat myself up a lot when I don’t get to accomplish something that I’ve set as an expectation. Instead, I take it day by day and just collect achievements when I get to them.

Are you sitting by a window right now? I am, actually. I’m not facing it, though.

What are you allergic to? Grass and certain fabrics.

What did the last pizza you ate have on it? It was a five-cheese pizza that if I remember correctly had parmesan, cheddar cheese, mozzarella, cream cheese, and bleu cheese.

Have you ever had a supernatural experience? No. I personally don’t believe in such entities but it won’t stop me from being interested in listening to others’ stories and claims about ghosts and such, lol.

How often do you have supernatural encounters? Like I said, I’m not a believer.

Have you ever seen a spirit? Nope.

What are three of the most disgusting foods on the planet, in your opinion? Fruit salad, any dessert with raisins and/or dates, and anything with beans.

Do you have good neighbors right now? I mean they’re okay. I never interact with them, but they’ve never done anything that I’ve found disruptive or irritating.

Would you ever get a tattoo? I used to want a bunch but I’ve mostly chickened out now. Needles terrify me.

Do you know anyone un-related to you that has your same last name? Yeah...a lot of people. Pretty sure that’s a common occurrence anyway unless the last name in question is rare to begin with, haha.

Name five geographical locations that start with W. Wyoming, Wales, Washington DC, Wichita, Warsaw.

Do you know anyone who is truly evil? Just a number of politicians in this country but nobody in real life.

Have you ever practiced self-hypnosis? Never have.

What is one thing you always wanted as a child but never got? Light-up shoes that came with wheels, or a Crayola box with 120 crayons or whatever amount the biggest option came with.

Do you like your natural hair color? I do like black, but I also needed a change which explains why I’ve finally had my hair recently dyed this ash-y green-y shade.

How old were you when you found your first gray hair (if applicable)? I don’t remember the exact age but it had to have been in my early teen years, from like the ages of 12-15. Thankfully spotting a white strand of hair has only happened to me once or twice.

When was the last time you watched a sunrise? It’s been a couple of months. The sky had been a shade of purple, the neighborhood was completely silent, and all in all it was a really peaceful moment to be in.

What was the cause of the worst physical pain you've ever experienced? Technically it was the coral reefs, but it was my own damn fault for snorkeling without flippers that had led to that nasty infection I got on my foot.

Is there anyone in your family who is colorblind, that you know of? Not that I know of.

What is one thing you want to do before you die? Go on a lengthy vacation to a different continent, maybe even go country-hopping. I’ve been so used to Asia being a bunch of islands that I’d like to go somewhere with different countries and cultures bunched together.

Have you had COVID? I’ve probably had it, yeah. There was a time when where my mom and sister both tested positive and we weren’t really doing quarantine within the house, so yeah I had probably gotten it as well.

Have you had the COVID vaccine? I’ve had the two doses last year and my booster dose just yesterday.

Do you know anyone who's died of COVID? Yes, my great-aunt and uncle.

Who of your friends is pregnant right now? None of them are.

Who was the last friend of yours to have a baby? None of my friends have had any kids, but I do have an older co-worker who gave birth by the end of last year. Wouldn’t call her a friend though.

Name five people you know (or know of) that have died in car accidents. The only person I know of is a distant uncle. Crashed into a pole while riding his motorcycle late in the evening. Everyone else I know who’ve been in car crashes had survived.

How many people do you have that you trust 100%? 3.

List five things that make you happy. BTS, weekends, dogs, the beach, and plane rides.

Are you a Christian? No.

Do you have a sock drawer? Nope.

What is the first letter of the first name of the most evil person you know? F.

What is the name of your favorite book character? Don’t have one.

What does your middle name rhyme with? My second name rhymes with fell. My legal middle name rhymes with appall.

What is your favorite thing about yourself? I think I’m reliable.

What are a few rumors that you've heard about yourself? There was a rumor in sixth grade that I was bisexual and was dating Andi, which I found more hilarious than anything because I couldn’t have been a bigger outcast at the time - it was so ridiculous to me that someone had the time to start a rumor about myself. Come high school I’m pretty sure there was also a rumor involving my ex but I can no longer remember what it had been about.

What is your ancestry? Filipino, Malay.

Name three people you've met who have the same favorite color as you. I can only think of Bea, who also likes pink. I don’t really keep track of other people’s favorite colors.

What was your favorite class in high school? History.

What is the silliest school team mascot you have heard of? We don’t really have school mascots here.

Have you ever had a toxic friend that pretended to be your friend, when they weren't? Athenna acted like this a number of times. There were times she’d be extremely nice to me, and other times she’d be pretty harsh or tell me demeaning things. I never knew where I was with her, and it got exhausting fast.

[mercytestify]

Strange World - Strange Life - Part 1

I don’t really know exactly when or how it started, but I can remember being filled with a seething anger, an unquenchable rage almost all the time. I am 40 now, and I am thinking that it started right after age 4, because that’s when something traumatic escalated to breaking point. My parents got divorced, and life as I knew it changed forever.

It happens. Life is tough, they say. Suck it up, they say.  And we all do, don’t we? We all suck up the trauma that life flings at us. But here’s the thing. The nasty things that happen to us as we go through life don’t roll off our backs like water on a duck’s feathers, do they? For many of us, they stick. They stick like glue, and they open doors to hell. And hell is real; so are dragons and demons. They attach themselves to the thoughts and emotions we experience during trauma. They attach themselves to our wounds, and then like vampires, they feed our confusion, our anger, our pain, our insecurities, our hatred, our pride, our bitterness, our obsessions, our malice, our vindictiveness, our unforgiveness, our self-righteousness and feast on the fruits these bear. 

They feed our negative states of being by causing cycles of situations, thoughts, words, and actions to occur in our lives so that they can inhabit our bodies and souls, so that they can intensify our emotions, and manipulate and control our thought patterns, our inclinations, and our desires. And this happens because we do live in a fallen world. A world that is under a curse. A world filled with demons and all manner of evil.

But it’s not all gloom and doom, is it? There are good moments, cherished memories too. We may not be perfect, but we can do good too. We can do good things for ourselves and for others; and we do; more often than we think. There are people who show us and others kindness, love, patience, compassion, gratitude, generosity, faithfulness, love... They aren’t perfect, but they refresh us, they are the salt of the earth to us. The people who bring flavour to our lives. Through them God blesses us.

It’s just that, there be some of us walking this earth who have got gangs of demons tormenting our bodies, our souls, and our lives without our knowing it. We think it is all our fault; but it is indeed true that “we [humans] do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). We always seem to be fighting something outside of ourselves, usually other people, but the battle also rages within us. The evil within that torments us.

For real, there are evil spirit-persons (demons) who cause us to think evil thoughts, to commit evil acts, and to delight in that which is evil in God’s sight. That’s why Jesus said, “Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” (Matthew 18:7). Humans are not the only persons in this world. Demons have personalities and intents too, and they are persons without bodies. They are spirits. They are not human. They are bad air with personalities and attitudes. If you happen to know that they are real too, don’t be fascinated with them and their tricks intended to deceive, to ensnare humans to engage in evil thoughts, words, and actions.

Rather, know that for every demonic encounter you have, for every supernatural hardship and tribulation the haters, the demons throw at you, Jesus is also right there to patiently and lovingly help you to overcome it mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, no matter who you are and what you believe as a human being. You only need to call on His name. You only need to say: “Jesus, Son of God, please help me.” And it is done. For His name is indeed the only name above all names. So that at the mention of the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11).

And indeed, prayer has taught me that every knee does bow, and every tongue does confess that Jesus is Lord; for these are matters of the spiritual realm (unseen and exists) which control our physical realm (seen and exists). For “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3). We cannot see spirits or things of the spirit, in the same way we cannot see air; but they are there; and they are active in our lives, in the same way we feel the wind and see its actions on physical matter.

Some may argue, that if demons are the ones causing us to sin, to commit evil, how then are we humans responsible for what we do? Well, if someone is tempting you to do something that you know is wrong or right and you do it, who is to blame or to take credit for your decision to do it and actually doing it?  You or the tempter / temptress? Both of you are responsible for the fruits of your words and actions. Both of you are responsible. You and the demons are responsible for what you do.

If you don’t know that what you think, say, and do is wrong or right, or if you are forced to act against your will, God knows your situation better than you do. For we only see part of the picture of life. God sees the full picture. He knows what's causing you to think, say, and act the way you do. He knows what's tormenting you. He knows the complexity of being, of situations, and He understands. You only need to ask Him for help, for guidance, because He has given us the free will to do so.

God is just, He sees all, He knows all, and His judgment is perfect. The thing is, God has already judged the demons. They know their end, they know what awaits them in eternity, but you probably don’t. Only God knows your future. Only He can know. That's why it makes sense to put our trust only in God, in Jesus, in the Holy Spirit.

And He’s shown the path to Him, to truth, and to eternal life. In His own words, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17). Whoever you are, if you believe in Jesus and call to him to help you through a situation, He will say yes to you. You only need to ask and to humbly wait for him to respond. And in His own timing, which is always perfect, He will save you. 

But (yes, there’s a ‘but’ with most things in this life) just as He said to those whom He healed while he was incarnate on earth “Go and sin no more.” He will ask the same of you: don’t go repeating or reliving those actions that got you into the mess in the first place. It’s common sense. I don’t even understand why people argue over repentance. It’s a good thing. It’s for our own good, our own healing. The fastest way to deliverance from the spirits that torment us is to repent, to turn away from evil, to reject evil, and to live in total obedience to God. Go and sin no more. Learn the lessons from your mistakes. When that demonic temptation comes knocking on the door of your heart, just say: “Not today, satan. Jesus, help me.” Jesus loves us more than we can ever imagine. He is God, He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things.

 And even if you don’t call on His name, God still helps us through this life anyway for He is full of patience, compassion, and love. “... he is kind to the ungrateful and to the evil.” (Luke 6:35). During those decades in my life when I didn’t care about God, He didn’t smite me with lightening for some of the abominable things that I did and said. Rather, he protected me and has led me to this point, where I am going on and on and on being preachy about his goodness. But, oh, He is so good. God is good. He is the one who sustains us through our tribulations, and He will give us justice for all the wrong done to us in His time. We really need to just trust the Creator who knows all. 

I can only testify about what I have encountered. The truth is, God is real, Jesus is real, the Holy Spirit is real, and so is eternal life after physical death. For God never lies. If he says there is eternity, it is so. This life is temporary. Nothing lasts forever except the fruit of the Holy Spirit:  

 love, 

joy, 

peace, 

patience, 

kindness, 

goodness, 

faithfulness, 

gentleness 

and self-control. 

And only the Holy Spirit can help us bear this fruit. It’s one fruit with many attributes. We only need to ask. Everyday, every time we struggle. That’s it. And we receive the Holy Spirit, the moment we believe in Jesus. It’s supernatural, unseen. With all that in mind, I’d say it is important in our searching in this life, to also seek God, and we will find Him. I have. He’s real and He is good.

Experience has taught me that my mention of Jesus will stir up a hornet’s nest of furious demons within for those who don’t believe. For all the irritation and rage the name of Jesus stirs up, and for all the reasons for anger and hatred against Jesus Christ, it is because of the power His name holds. Them demons knows it; but they will use every deception and distraction to make sure that you either ignore or doubt the truth when you encounter it. They will show you every lie, every form of confusion, be it in situations, actions, words, thoughts and confirmation bias to make sure that you seek help from anywhere else, anyone else, other than Jesus. 

When you notice this happening, remember, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). 

[frit8]

Though Halloween’s roots are numerous and reflect a multiethnic society, the way it is celebrated now is a distinctly American holiday. But historians say one tradition was more influential than any other: Ireland’s Samhain (pronounced “SOW-in”).

Hell caves, evil fairies and animal sacrifice: Halloween’s intense Irish roots

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/10/31/irish-hell-caves-halloween-sahmain/

A ghost is projected onto the side of Slane Distillery as part of a Halloween festival called 'Puca' celebrating the Celtic tradition of Samhain in Slane, Ireland, October 22, 2021. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

By Gillian Brockell

Today at 7:00 a.m. EDT

Most cultures have holidays honoring the dead, like the Bon Festival in Japan or Famadihana in Madagascar.

Some include tales of hungry ghosts, like China’s Yue Laan, or evil spirits, like Central Europe’s Perchtenlaufen.

In England, there was even the Mummer’s Night tradition of the lower classes crossdressing and going door-to-door, singing songs, making mischief and demanding “treats,” usually meat or alcohol – but this was more of a Christmas activity. (Christmas used be a literal riot.)

Though Halloween’s roots are numerous and reflect a multiethnic society, the way it is celebrated now is a distinctly American holiday. But there’s one tradition that historians say was more influential than any other: Ireland’s Samhain (pronounced “SOW-in”).

Samhain was the new year celebration observed by the Irish Celts for thousands of years before the arrival of Christianity in the 6th century CE. Literally translated, it means “summer’s end,” according to Lisa Morton, a preeminent Halloween historian and author of several books on the topic.

“It was the end of the warmer, sunnier half of the year for them. As their new year’s celebration, it was a time when they thought the veil between worlds was at its thinnest, and that all kinds of things could cross over on that night,” Morton said in a phone interview. “Those things might be the malicious sídh (pronounced ‘she’) — that was their version of fairies.”

But these were not “Disney fairies” like Tinkerbell, Morton stressed. They were nasty creatures and devils that would cause your crops to whither and might even burn down your house.

Since the Irish Celts were rural and Samhain was often the only time of year large numbers of people would gather in the ancient capital of Rathcroghan, in modern-day County Roscommon, there was also an administrative element. Livestock would be brought in from the fields for winter, and taxes were due to the king.

"We don’t know a lot about it, because the Celts didn’t leave written records,” Morton said. “But we do know from later Catholic missionaries who transcribed things, and some archeological evidence, that they probably celebrated with feasting.”

And at those feasts, animals were sacrificed, and “they told ghost stories, and we have some of those stories, and some of those stories are specific to the hell caves,” Morton said.

The term “hell caves” is probably an early Catholic interpretation of Oweynagat (“Cave of the Cats”), a large cave system just outside Rathcroghan that was believed to be the entrance to the world of mean, nasty fairies. It was from these caves they would emerge on Samhain.

One of these ghost stories was about a hero named Nera, who followed an army of fairies into the otherworld, where it was summertime. Later, after he had escaped, he “proved” to the king his story was true by producing a handful of summer flowers.

“So that cave was a very magical place on Samhain,” Morton said.

Historians on split on when dressing up in scary costumes came into play. In a recent National Geographic exploration of Rathcroghan, researcher Mike McCarthy said the festival-goers also “disguised themselves as fellow ghouls” so they wouldn’t be attacked and dragged into the other world. But Morton isn’t convinced; as with trick-or-treating and haunted houses, she thinks scary costumes started once the holiday had crossed the Atlantic.

So how did it get to America? Well, first it went through the filter of the Catholic Church.

“[Missionaries] had a doctrine at the time that suggested they were more successful if they coopted existing temples and celebrations, rather than trying to destroy them and stamp them out,” Morton explained. “They didn’t have a lot of luck with the Celts and Samhain right off the bat.”

So first, around the 8th century, they moved the Catholic holiday of All Saints Day, originally observed on May 13, to Nov. 1. For the Irish Celts, a new day started at sundown, meaning the evening of Oct. 31. “Hallow” is an old word for holy, and “All Hallows Eve” eventually morphed into the word Halloween.

This first attempt was not very successful, so the church also moved All Souls Day, another observance of the dead, to November 2, around the 11th century. That “seemed to finally do the trick and convert the Celts,” Morton said.

In fact, it was so successful that although there’s scant evidence Celts outside Ireland ever observed Samhain, All Saints Day and All Souls Day expanded across the Celtic Catholic world, including to Scotland and England. (The Church of England put the kibosh on that when it separated from the Catholic Church in the 16th century.)

As Halloween spread, the macabre aspects of Samhain stayed embedded in it.

“Part of the reason that it has survived throughout the centuries is because we like that macabre side of it,” Morton said.

A costumed participant gets ready for a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) procession hosted by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project on October 26, 2021, in Los Angeles. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

Halloween arrived on our shores in the 1840s with a wave of Irish immigrants pushed out of their home country by the Great Famine. The 19th-century golden age of magazines, particularly women’s magazines, pushed it out of immigrant enclaves and into the broader public.

“Middle-class housewives loved reading stories about quaint, regional celebrations, so the magazines would include these stories about Halloween festivities and parties and so forth, and they caught on,” Morton said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/10/31/irish-hell-caves-halloween-sahmain/

[shaheenarnitipsyart]

Invisible Tattoo

This is my third time to join  @flashfictionfridayofficial​ ! 

Word count: 1005 

TW: non

'Don't go to the old town of this city. That area is rough and sketchy.' That's what well-behaved grown-ups usually say. 'It's dirty, and there are a lot of ghosts!' That's what good kids usually say. I heard it so many times. However, their words could not stop my curiosity.

This city is like a labyrinth. Fully automated trains run between the numerous skyscrapers and fancy glass-façade buildings. The neon signs keep shining throughout the night. The sky never gets fully dark because of the reflection of the lights.  It is over-sanitised, too. I swear that nobody can find birds or rats or bugs, even a single fly. 

Yet, when it comes to the 'old town,' it is an entirely different story. The 'old town' is a messy jungle spreading the outskirts of the urban city. Old buildings are cramming and almost crushing down each other. From the crack of the walls, ivy and trees are creeping out. The 'old town' is riddled with countless alleys. And those backstreets have a particular smell - like, a mixture of exotic incense, street foods, alcohol, piss, laundry soap, and cigarettes. The 'old town' is stubbornly resisting the development and the bright, over-hygienic future. Those who live on the clean side of the city say that the residents of the 'old town' are a ragtag group of criminals. There are some gangs, yes. Yet, many residents have their own stories. Many of them found themselves misfitting to the city. Or they just can't leave the place they grew up. Like, my old friend Seiran.

  You cannot tell the age nor the gender of Seiran. They have long silver hair secured at the back of the head with an iron pin. They usually cover their face with an indigo-dyed bandana so that the only things you can see are their thin eyebrows and dark blue eyes. Once,  they told me that their name means 'blue storm' in an ancient language, which matches their personality quite well. Some people think of them as an arrogant artist. Some say they are a talented yet unfortunate magician. Even some say that they are an exorcist. They are bits of all of them, I'd say. But something more special than that.

I make my way to their studio located in one of the cramped old factories. There is a metallic plate hanging on the door, which says ''Barbed Wire Studio'' followed by ''no walk-ins''. I push the door nonetheless. 'Hey Seiran, how are you doing?' 'Lower your goddamn voice, kiddo. I'm working. Can't you see?' Seiran is always like this when they are working. They are concentrating on their patient-client lying in front of them. The room is full of stuff -  needles of various sizes, inkpots, papers, broken glasses, and cups are lying here and there.  Ivy and trees are stretching inside the room from the cracks of the ceiling.  The room itself is a little bit hazy because of the incense and the cigarettes they are smoking.   Seiran is a tattoo artist. But not an ordinary one. They make tattoos to protect the clients. They can erase old tattoos to eliminate whatever bad luck the clients shouldered. It sounds superstitious (and the city dwellers would hate it),  but the demand is surprisingly high.  

I was saved by, or to be more precise, am being saved by Seiran all the time. As far as I remember, I could see something which other people usually could not see. It is not like a vivid image of ghosts and stuff. It is more subtle, like a mirage. I grew up at the border of the over-clean city and the 'old town,' so I occasionally ventured into the 'old town' side. And there, I was chased by something like a group of shadows...then I fell off from the stairs and lost consciousness, and the next moment I woke up, I found myself exactly here, on the bed of the 'Barbed Wire Studio.' Seiran looked a bit scary and weird, yet at the same time, they had this calming husky voice that melted away my fear instantly. 'Poor kiddo, you nearly dropped your own soul on the shitty backstreet. Let me guess... you can see those lazy half-ass spirits hanging around the town, huh?' I was surprised since nobody had ever taken it seriously. 'Yeah... sort of. It usually looks like a mirage but today... ugh!' I tried to explain, but then my head stung like hell. 'Easy, easy now. There are some nasty things here. Go back to your place, kiddo. But before you go, I'll give you something. Stay still.' They put on black gloves and started choosing a needle. 'What, what are you going to do? Wait, who are you?' I managed to ask, although I started feeling dizzy again. 'Oh yeah, I'm Seiran. A tattoo artist. Or whatever. And I'm going to get rid of the things which are chasing you around.' Seiran replied bluntly. 'What?? I don't want a tattoo! It's gonna be a problem, it must be painful, and I hate needles!' 'Keep your mouth shut, kiddo. Other idiots in the city can't see it. If you don't wanna be chased down by nasty shadows, stay still. It won't hurt. Damn, don't fall asleep, OK? It's dangerous.' I think it was insane. Who would allow a total stranger to tattoo your body, and you are even not asking for it! But I stayed still in the end, and they started poking the point where collarbones meet. Surprisingly it was not painful. It was rather itchy. I saw myself in the mirror and found a small, strange, dragon-like figure on my skin. It was simple but beautiful. 'Don't worry kiddo, those who can see the shadows can see it, but not others.' 'What's this?' 'Barbed wire. To fend off nasty evil eyes. Now go home. I'll show you the way.' And this is how I met Seiran and came to know the power of their 'invisible' tattoos and many more mysteries.

[whyralltheusernamestaken]

Curse

Where she's cursed with immortality so she chases around the reincarnations of her first love over and over again and the one time she’s decided to give up, it just happens to be an explosive blonde.

Warning : none!

Words : 6590 (wtf my goal was 3000)

Masterlist 

A/N : Thank you all for being so patient. The ending is kinda rushed, but I hope you enjoy!

Quirks had left an undeniable mark on the face of society. It just came one day and slapped some magical powers on to someone and left just as quickly, with no explanation whatsoever. No one knew why, or how. Nothing could've hinted to the appearance of quirks and none of the decades of research that followed had any more insight into the matter. Y/N was quirkless. Immortal yes, but she had no quirk of herself. She was born a thousand and so years ago, in Japan, and within a decade or two, became known throughout the lands for her immaculate beauty and poise. She became an object of affection for thousands, and one of the men happened to be the emperor. Bakugou Katsuki. He had approached her presence with the sole intent of adding the most beautiful woman in the world to his harem. He was an arrogant and prideful noble, and the thought of her in his grasp has excited him to no end. He could then prance around with his head held up so high that people would crane their necks to meet his eyes. He smugly grinned at the idea of her clinging to his arm, or for her to be waiting for him back at the palace with the rest of his concubines. He flooded her with extravagant gifts, compliments and praises, small private dates in a back garden of the palace, away from prying eyes and complaints of Bakugou's other dozen girls. She had been easily wooed, being kept away from suitors from an early age, the emperor had certainly been her first escape into romance and she was ecstatic. Her parents had gleamed at the idea of her being with the most powerful man in all of Japan, and had given her away to the palace at the first suggestion of the emperor's affection. 

He had fallen in love with her, not only her beauty but her personality, her small habits and her other mannerisms. It wasn't his initial plan, he had only wanted to add her presence into his long list of women, that he had reassured the other women, but his heart can softened considerably and he had fallen hard. Anyone around the emperor could see that, even the towns' people were gossiping about it. The other concubines too, quickly caught on. She was a woman of absolute beauty, only a few hairs short of Y/N's, a princess of a famous descent from China, promised to be married to the emperor. He had taken a liking to her because like himself, she too had a quirk, which was still a very rare trait to have at the time. One of curses, sure it was evil in nature, but she had proven to be a responsible and respected lady. It all turned sour when her fiance liked another woman. In her rage, she had cursed the younger woman. The aforementioned girl had been told what had been done by the princess, by the sobbing and apologetic woman herself, but she was clueless to what extent this curse was. She had forgiven the princess straight away, an act of kindness that the nobles had shined to and the emperor had simply fell more in love with her for. But as countless years went by, she stayed the same. She then truly realised the horrors of her curse and at that moment in time, she wished she hadn't been so naive, so kind to just forgive the woman who left her life in ruins. The curse was one of immortality. Something she couldn't escape even after the princess had passed away. To watch her lovers grow up and prosper, only to stay the same young woman when she watched they started to wilt and eventually die.   And so here she was. An entity of over a thousand years old and yet she remained the same bubbly and happy woman on the outside, smiling brightly at the cameras as she walked around the towns. Everyone in Japan knew of her. Not only did her predicament attract the attention of the public, she was also the CEO of Japan's most well known and successful hero agency. She had set up the agency with her husband, Katsuki, a mere 18 years ago, before he was killed in one of the largest villain attacks in Japan history 2 years after it opened. They had employed All Might when he was in his younger days as well as worked with all of the top 10 heroes, and after his death, she become the sole chairman of the agency. And thanks to the technology present in the modern day, those who weren't previously interested in her at least knew her name. There was then the nickname the media had given her after she had survived the attack : ‘The Undead Hero.’ She sure as hell wasn’t a hero. For god’s sake she was quirkless! But the internet took joy to praising her successes within the hero world. And as a joke, an online petition started for her to become licensed pro hero and the people in charge decided there'd be no harm, since she can't die and all, in making her one, titling her in as Pro Hero Number Zero. So here you were, the country's first quirkless pro hero. ~~~ You had watched the UA sports festival, looking for students to intern here at your company. One certain blonde had caught your eye but you felt yourself flinch at the mention of his full name. It had certainly been a long time since the last time you met another reincarnation of your first love. There had been many different personalities before and the situation you met him in varied to such extent that you had given up with the idea of repeatedly seeking him out and your last encounter with him, or his spirit at least, was your breaking point. You have a good 16 years to grieve his unfortunate and untimely death but even the ten hundred years you were alive wasn't enough time for you to forget and move on. It seemed that you had a curse where you could never escape your one lover, but maybe that was the package deal with immortality. "We're definitely sending an offer out to him right boss?" your assistant, Naomi asked, writing down that all so familiar name down on a notepad. "Up to you, I'm taking a break." you replied, standing up and walking away from the big screen. You knew her eyes softened as she watched your figure retreat out of the room, after all she was there with you after your husband died. Your husband, the one who shared the same name as the boy mentioned. "Alright I'll send you the list later." she replied softly, before turning her attention back to the live broadcast, which now showed a green haired boy. "Thanks. I'll look over it and then you can send out the offers tomorrow." you said before completely leaving the room. It had been a week since the sports festival and it was time for the internships. You had a very important meeting in the morning, causing you to regrettably miss welcoming the trainee heroes to your agency. Standing up, you voiced your thanks and bowed, to which the other businessmen and women returned the guesture.

"I'll be expecting to see you soon." you smiled as Naomi showed then out. "Of course." one of them replied, smiling once more before all of them left the building. Waiting for them to disappear completely from sight, you turned back around. "Alright, what's next?" you asked, looking over. "Next we need to speak to the interns. Briefly would be fine but we need a positive review of our work place." she replied and started walking away, to which you followed. "Of course." you replied curtly. To be frank, you didn't need her to remind you how to keep up the reputation, after all you had been running the agency for almost 20 years but you bit your tongue as you didn't want her to feel as if her work was unwelcome. She was a great assistant and you knew that you needed her and her abilities. Turning the corner, someone roughly crashed you into you, sending you tumbling back a few steps. "Watch it." they snapped, sending to you a glare. "E-excuse me." Naomi stuttered. She wasn't too intimidated by the way the young boy was fuming, instead at her bosses reaction. You had a vendetta against extremely rude people and she braced herself for an ugly ending. "What?" he scowled, turning to send her a nasty look before he turned his attention back to you. You pursed your lips, unsure whether to snap back or not as you didn't want to cause a scene. The meeting had taken much longer than expected. It was only two in the afternoon but all you wanted to do was sleep, but you needed to meet the interns and consolidate the arrangements with the other heroes that worked here. "Well are you going to say anything?" he asked. "Why are you just standing there like a idiot?" "Young boy I don't think that's very appropriate to say to someone." Naomi said quietly, eyes flickering to observe your reaction. "Well it's true isn't it." You let out a sigh, deciding to not waste your energy on anything out of your plan, especially people who were unnecessarily rude. "Hey, don't ignore me." he shouted as you walked past him, your assistant shuffling behind you. You walked briskly towards the training halls, ignoring his shouts for you to acknowledge him. He eventually stopped to pick up a phone call but at that point you had already walked down two corridors, too far away to hear him stop shouting profanities at you. You pushed open the doors to the largest training hall in your building, leaning on the wall next to the door as you watched several people combat each other. You had stayed there for no more than a minute or too when the fuming blonde stomped back in. A green haired boy, Midoriya was it, waved excitedly at the him, but he simply flipped him over, moving over to the side of the hall. If they had any more interactions planned, they had to be stopped there as one of the heroes spotted you, quickly shouting for everyone to come over and you slowly walked onto on of the courts. "I'm glad you to see that none of you are slacking off." you announced loudly, your eyes scanning over the small crowd of people. "Of course not boss." a young hero replied. You smiled at her with a small nod. "Boss?" someone shouted and you turned slightly to spot the blonde from earlier, his mouth hung open. "It's nice to meet you Bakugou-san." you said, a small bitter edge to your words before you turned back to the rest, a large smile on your face. "Good afternoon everyone, it's a shame I wasn't able to welcome you this morning, I hope there hasn't been any trouble. My name is Y/N and I'm incredibly pleased that you chose to intern at my agency." "Y/N!" Midoriya shouted, a look of glee filling his face. "You're my favourite hero, I love you so much." he shouted, jumping up and down in excitement. The gesture from the boy made you grin even wider. It was almost as if some of his endless energy had been transferred to you. "That makes me very happy, thank you Midoriya." "She knows my name!" he shouted, earning a few praises and snickers. "Shut up Deku." Bakugou seethed. He was fuming at the thought of you. He had not only completely embarrassed himself in front of you, but also insulted you, the CEO! He cursed himself for not researching prior to this, but the fact that you seemed so young to him gave no implications that you were the big boss of this place. "Alright." you shouted, clapping your hands together. "Let's get this show on the road." ~~~ Midoriya had fallen asleep extremely quickly, a small 'good night Kacchan' and he had been out like a light. But the same had not befallen Bakugou and instead he stayed awake, shifting and turning restlessly as he lay on the bottom bunk. After a few more moments of him lying wide awake, he shuffled out of his bed and left the room. He walked down the corridor, planning to head towards the kitchen when he spotted a light on. It was indeed the same direction in which he wished to go so he followed it. Stepping inside the room, he saw you sat on the couch. Your back was to him and you were muttering something. As he got closer, he made out the words falling from your mouth. "He loves me, he loves me not." He turned around to exit the room, sure that you wanted nothing but space, but his foot slipped slightly and he fell slightly, cursing. You jumped at the sound behind you. "Oh I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" you asked, looking up and around at him with a sniffle. Your cheeks were flush and the tip of your nose red, a few stray tears resting on your cheeks. Bakugou stood their awkwardly as you wiped your sleeve across your eyes and cheeks. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He hadn't comforted someone in years, always opting to leave his group of friends to take care of a problem, only ever observing from the side line. "D-do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly. He tried to make sure his words were more gentle than usual, careful not to make you start crying again. Your eyes widened at his questioned but you slowly nodded. Patting the space next to you on the couch, you smiled slightly. "Have a seat Bakugou." You laughed at the irony. Here you were crying about your deceased husband as his reincarnation sat beside you, offer on the table to listen to your troubles. Your mind began to wander at the word troubles. What exactly in your life was going wrong? It was a simple answer really, everything. "So how are you?" you asked, breaking the silence. He blinked a couple times in confusion. "I'm good." he answered slowly, his voice low and hushed. "Well that's good." you nodded turning back to the lonesome rose stem in your hand that you had been previously picking the petal off from. "So why are you up?" you asked. Bakugou at this point was lost for words. Wasn't you the one who had been crying? Why were you so intrigued in asking him questions? "Couldn't sleep." he muttered, a glare on his face as he stared forwards at the coffee table, trying desperately to understand you. "Fair enough." you hummed, turning to look in the same direction as him, your eyes landing on your untouched mug of hot chocolate. "Do you want a drink?" you asked, gesturing to the mug on the table. "I haven't drank from it yet." Bakugou nodded, after all he had come out of his room for the hopes of getting a drink. "Thanks." he muttered. You watched as the boy brought the mug up to his lips and you thought back to your previous encounter with his spirit. "He liked hot chocolate too." you mumbled, turning away and back at the rose stem. "Did you say something?" he asked, mug in hand as he sent you a glance. You pursed your lips, taking a moment before shaking you head. "No, it was... nothing." you trailed off. "Well you accepted my offer so you'd better start talking." he scoffed, but his angry facade was falling apart almost as quickly as he started it and he was sure you could see through it, but you decided not to comment on it. And so you spent the rest of your night with Bakugou. He had proven to be much more thoughtful than you had imagined, less rude and obnoxious, which you were grateful for. It was obvious that he hadn't recognised you during your first encounter, and more than likely did not know about your immortality. You didn't need any more pity for that. So you talked about your husband, to an extent, keeping away from mentioning his name, instead reminiscing the memories you had with him. The younger boy listened, nodding and throwing in small comment here and there. The two of you exchanged a few more words after that topic, but in an hour or two, it was a simple silence. He had fallen asleep next to you, a peaceful look on his face. You got up and cleaned away the mug and flower petals, before returning to your room to get a blanket. Laying it gently on him, you took the liberty to press a kiss to his forehead before leaving, turning off the lights. "Sleep well Katsuki." ~~~ Bakugou was needless to say, very disappointing that he had barely seen you all week. He understood that you had a lot on your plate running a business, but a part of him had hoped that after your emotional night with him on the first day, you would at least take some time to say hello to him. He had went to the living room a further 5 more times, hoping that you would be there waiting for him. But he found himself being disappointed time and time again when he saw that there was no room with a light on in the corridor. Today was his last day of fully interning, he was due to leave the following morning and although he could say he was very happy to leave the other bastards in the company behind, he couldn't say the same for you. In truth, he had formed a small interest in you. Call it a crush or whatever, it wasn't as if he would say it out loud. Sure you had a pretty face and all, that much he would admit, but he was genuinely confused by your appearance. You said you had been running the agency for almost 20 years but you didn't look anywhere near your 40s? That had greatly puzzled the explosive boy. "Deku." he shouted, catching the attention of the smart boy as he was chatting with one of the heroes. "Y-yes Kacchan?" "How old do you think Y/N is?" he asked. The green haired boy gasped, shaking his head. "Kacchan! It's rude to ask about a girls age." he scolded him, to which Bakugou snorted. "But between you and me, I'd say about a thousand and one hundred?" "Are you shitting me you nerd?" he bellowed, hand raised with his palm upwards, ready to start an explosion. The hero chipped in. "I'd say so too. She's definitely over a thousand." she commented. "I think last year was her one thousand and seventyith birthday? I could be wrong, I wasn't invited to the party." she sulked. "You two are fucking joking right?" "We're not." the hero replied, furrowing her eyebrows before she let out a small gasp. "Are you telling me you've never heard of the boss?" "No. Should I have?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes!" she cried out, throwing her hands up in the air, before bringing them down and massaging her forehead. "You're overreacting." Bakugou stated, giving a deadpan look to the girl as he let out a 'tch' in annoyance. "She really not Kacchan, literally everyone has heard of Y/N. She's a massive sensation in the hero community but also the beauty one, I'm not sure how you've never come across her." The truth was Bakugou had come across your name on his browser, twice, maybe three times. But most of them had popped up during the start of the school year, when Midoriya had suddenly shown up with a quirk. So as soon as he read that you were quirkless, he made sure to avoid your name like the plague. Midoriya soon left to start his patrolling, and left Bakugou standing there, thinking about you. With many more questions than he had answers. ~~~ "Y/N." he said, standing at the doorway of your office and you and your assistant stared back in confusion. "Hello there Bakugou, is there anything I can help you with?" you asked. He froze up at your question. Why was he here? He had barged past some security just a few moments prior, saying he had something urgent to talk to with the boss, but now that he was here, no excuse would pop up in his mind. "Alright Naomi, give me a few minutes." you said, handing the papers you hand in your hand off to Naomi before she nodded and left. "So." you began, leaning forwards so both your elbows were on the desk and your chin rested on the back of your intertwined fingers. "Have a seat Bakugou." You gestured to the big chair in front of your desk and he complied, sitting down in utter silence. He opened his mouth to speak but it took a few seconds for the words to come out. "I haven't seen you in a while." he blurted out. He immediately wanted to slam his head into the desk before him, cringing at his words and the smug smile that you shot him. "If I knew any better, I'd say you missed me Bakugou." “Katsuki." he corrected, eyes trailed carefully on yours. You nodded and ran a hand through your hair.

"Honestly, I'd love to stay and talk Katsuki, but I'm on a tight schedule right now." you explained, tilting your head to the side as you waited for his response. "Will I see you again tonight?" he asked, his voice so quiet that he seemed almost... shy. Your smile grew wider. "Sure thing. I'll make sure to swing around earlier so you don't need to stay up so late waiting for me." He nodded at your response and started to get up. "Tell Naomi to come back in when you leave." "Alright." he muttered, turning away towards the door. "And Katuski?" you said, earning a grunt from the younger male. "I missed you too." He quickly turned away at your statement but you could see the tips of his ears grow red. Of course you had missed him. He was the only other person you confided in about your husband other than Naomi. But it was truly Bakugou Katsuki that you had missed. His soul that you had hopelessly fell in love with over and over again. The result was always the same, and after each time, you would tell yourself that it was the last. But he would always come back. And you, once again, would fall for him, like a drug that you simply couldn't fight the addiction of. And so you braced yourself for another heartbreak. After all, it was inevitable. ~~~ Bakugou had waited for you in the living room of the dorm space he currently stayed in, a cup of chocolate in his hands and one for you placed on the coffee table. You kept to your word and came earlier. It was around 11pm when you slipped into the dorm floor of the building. Seeing the light on, you made your way quietly towards it. "Hey." you said, your voice warm and gentle as he looked up towards you, moving to hand you the mug. "Thank you." You sat down on the couch with your legs crossed and he chucked a blanket to yo, to which you laid on your lap. "Is there anything in specific you want to talk about?" "You." he stated. You hummed in response. The rest of the night he asked questions about you, your immortality and more about your latest deceased husband, who he found out the name of. He recognised the hurt that flashed in your eyes as you recalled telling him about your immortality. He had be an accepting person, loving you for you as a person and paying little to no mind to your unchanging outer appearance. At least that was what it seemed on the outside. There had been times were his act slipped and he crumbled, talking about how he wanted to grow old with you, not for you to look the same when he was in his older years and your children looked the same age as you. But of course you hadn't even gotten the chance to think about having children, setting up the agency had taken up most of your time, and which to this day you still regret. You wished you had spent more time with him, appreciating him instead of work, before his dying moment. You hadn't thought too much about things, his presence made you live in the moment, not caring about any problems or consequences as long as he was with you. But of course he wasn't. He had left too early. The younger boy had wrapped an arm around your shoulder when you began to sniffle, grabbing a box of tissues from the table for you. After he was satisfied with the amount of answers you gave him, he opened up about the guilt that he felt for All Might's retirement. He told you about the things he witnessed during the fight against All for One, how utterly useless he felt. He followed with nightmares that visited him almost every night, how he was force himself to stay awake to avoid them, causing him to form a habit of being unable to sleep. You had been so understanding and sweet that the boy couldn't help but let out a few tears, relishing in your soft touches and soothing tone that he eventually fell asleep in your arms. The following morning he waited excitedly for you too see him off along with the other heroes from your company. But you didn't come. He left in the train with a heavy heart, head titled backwards against the glass window as he thought back. He hadn't seen you in the morning, waking up alone and in his own bed. He had wandered out into the living room, hoping that your figure would be sleeping on the couch, but alas, you weren't there. His way home was unusually silent. Midoriya had definitely picked up on it but when he attempted to talk to the blonde, he only received shouts and threats. He eventually gave up, opting to leave the teen to his own devices. Once Bakugou returned home, he unpacked him clothes, throwing everything into a pile to wash. He turned every pocket inside out and when he got to his pajama bottom, a small piece of paper fell out. 'Hey sorry I had to leave so early in the morning, here's my number if you wanted to talk more. xxxxx-xxx-xxx' He instantly smiled, diving for his phone, typing your number in just as quickly before he sent you a text. ~~~ It had been a few months since the internships and Bakugou had found himself calling you on a regular basis. It would mostly be in late into the night, with you obviously busy with your agency during the daylight hours. You would talk about your day, ask him about his. He would often complain about his classmates, maybe his teacher, but on some rare occasions he would say something nice about them, like how Shitty hair had improved in combat or that Deku was getting progressively less annoying. You listened, giving him tips about a variety of things, ranging from things about the general hero world or what he should get for his pink skinned friend's birthday. And he soon found himself hopelessly falling in love with you. He hadn't planned for this to happen. Fuck, he'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't. He didn't want to have to deal with the consequences of your immortality, but he found himself crawling back to you even at a bat of your eyelashes. Your grasp on him was truly... inescapable. He had been horrified at the thought, refusing to acknowledge your existence. Your calls would go through to voicemail, your texts left unread. You didn't understand why he was ghosting you, beating yourself up about it over a few glasses of wine as you slowly sunk into sadness. It was another simply another repeated loop and you recognised all of the signs, but you felt what was left of your heart completely shatter. Sure you had previous reincarnations reject you because they disliked, or even feared, the idea of you being immortal, but they had made it clear at the beginning, not half a year into talking with you daily. Your mood soured drastically, and Naomi had tried to persuade you into talking to her, but you refused to, keeping all of your thoughts bottled up. You buried yourself with more and more work, creating a wall around you that even the one or two friends you had couldn't break down, let alone your employees. The company continued to receive praise, by media and heroes alike, but what used to be your sole joy and pride left nothing but a bitter taste in your mouth. You had gotten so used to Bakugou's company that without hearing his voice left you so empty. And to save yourself from being hurt like a broken record on repeat, you gave up on love. ~~~ It was on an interview that Bakugou witnessed the true extent of what his actions had done to you. He had the unfortunate timing of walking in when Midoriya was watching your interview live on the big screen in the common room. Bakugou had initially refused to stay, but his friends had forced him to, saying something about how he should see how his old mentor was doing. He had complained to the point where his friends willingly let him go but instead he begrudgingly stayed, standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed as he furrowed his brows at the screen You sat across from the interviewer, a tired expression on your face as you explained the agency's plans and future aims. The other woman nodded, asking questions here and there, and then it came to the questions fans asked. "Have you been taking care of yourself?" The question caught you off guard and your breath hitched. You tried to take a deep breath in but everything around you started to blur together into nothing but a background noise. "S-sorry, could I have a moment?" you asked, but before she gave you any answer, you had already left the set. At the same time, Bakugou slipped out of the common room, his heart clenching at the terrible state you were in. When he first met you, only a few months ago, you stood high with your head help up high, a sort of excitement in your eyes, an aura of authority when you dared to ignore him! But now you were reduced to short sentences and even shorter smiles, fake and forced. And unbeknown to you, you were doing the same to him. His loud shouts had reduced to smaller, and less often sharp erratic outbursts. The distance he had put between him and his friends was almost immeasurable and none of them could reach even close enough to console him in the slightest. He had shut the world out completely, solely focusing on training and school work. He gritted his teeth as he fought back the itch to call you, but eventually he relented, taking him phone out of his pocket and dialling on your number. He sure wasn't expecting you to pick up, but when you did, his heart felt elated. "Hello?" you asked, your phone on speaker by the side as you dried your hands in the bathroom, lookign at yourself in the mirror and giving yourself an encouraging nod. "H-hi." he whispered, locking himself up in his room as he sat down on the floor, his back against the door. "I'm sorry." ~~~ He was in his early twenties, too young to be giving up what his future held. You hadn't meant to choose his path for him, but you had indirectly done so when you said no. So there he sat with his head in his hands, cheeks stained with tears and the ring somewhere lost in the corner of his room. It was selfish, you knew, but the time you spent with him only felt like a ticking bomb, each week, day, hour even, was counting down to the day in which you would lose him. And you weren't ready. He knew it was a stupid move to make. After all, you have discussed with him countless times about how scared you were to commit to a relationship you knew would once again end up in flames. "Death is inevitable." he said, watching as you fiddled with his sleeve as you laid together on the couch. "Well not for me." you countered back. "If you could remove this curse, would you?" "I don't know Katsuki. I'm honestly so scared." You shifted so your face was buried in his chest. "I've seen what death can do and I'm just so, so scared." "I want to grow old with someone I love." you continued. "I really do. But I don't know how to feel knowing that was my last few years alive. I've been around for so long that I've become afraid to die." "I'm tired of the heartbreak, but there's always a comforting moment because I know you'll come back. Sooner or later, your soul will be back in my arms, whether it takes 20 years or 200. But if I were to find a way to remove my curse and you died before me, I'd never see you again." He found himself at a lack of words that day. Nothing would leave his mouth so the only thing he could do to comfort you was to hug you even tighter. Eventually something came to his mind. "What if I just find a way to be immortal too?" he asked. You looked up at him. "That's highly illegal Katsuki. Think about it, if you could easily do that, then everyone would be able to live forever. And normally, the effect of the quirk disappears as soon as they die." He hummed in response, mood downcast that he couldn't help you in any way. He spent the rest of the night comforting you to the best of his abilities. You truly had felt better after his words, but he didn't see the subtle change in mood. He wanted to reassure you, to be someone you could rely on. But all he brought into your life was constant worry. He replayed your words in his head on a loop. He already saw this coming, but his constant refusal to acknowledge his situation had led to his downfall.   You had sent him a quick message and in the following days, you hadn't picked up his calls in days. He had called your assistant as well as visited your company, but he was told you weren’t there. He cried in anguish at how hell bent you were at avoiding him, even going to the extent of having your employees lie for you. But he soon found that they weren't lying. No one had seen you in weeks and your fans had picked up on it fairly quickly. There were articles all over the internet, forums and interviews with her assistant and closest friend. "She has left on her own accord." Naomi stated as multiple cameras flashed in her eyes. You had told her you were out to seek happiness, as vague as it had been, and that she needed to cover for you during the month or so that you were gone. That was all of the information you had given her, before you disappeared without a trace. She sighed at your foolishness but part of her resonated with you, knowing she too would do anything for her love.  You sent Bakugou a 'I'll talk to you later' text, before taking apart your phone, leaving it under your pillow before grabbing your get away bag and leaving by train. His proposal haunted your every thought, and it drove you insane. He knew you were scared of commitment and heartache and yet he still asked you! You didn't blame him though. More so yourself. Nobody had made you talk to him about your troubles or reach out to him. You had given him your phone number. He could've left your company with new knowledge about the hero world and not about you, but he already had your heart and you had taken the opportunity to reconcile with your first love, regardless of whether it would leave you in ruins in the future. You were going to make this right. You were so utterly tired of the constant dull looming tide of sadness, doubt, anger. You wanted it to end, you really did. You had told Bakugou you were scared of dying. You were. But your greatest fear was losing him and you couldn't take it anymore. You raised your hand to knock and a large smile decorated your face. It had been a good month since you had last talked to him. You had set out to the remote countryside, searching for some young woman who had a curse removing quirk. 

You had gone with no expectations, telling yourself over and over again that you would be fine if it was unsuccessful. But deep down you knew you would be distraught if your current situation could not change.

The door opened to the blonde, his instantly furrowed his brows as his mouth hung open.

"Hey Katsuki." "Y-Y/N?" "I think I'm going to die-" "What?" he shouted, startling you. "Let me finish." you laughed. "I think I'm going to die in 50 or so years. Hopefully longer if that means I can be with you until old age." "W-what are you talking about?" he asked, confusion littering his face. "I'm no longer immortal." you grinned, before it fell slightly. "At least I think I am, the girl told me he got rid of the curse fully, but I’m not expecting too much." He continued to stutter, incoherent sentences falling from his lips as he fought back tears. "Surprise?" you asked, letting out a nervous chuckle. You started to grow worried at his reaction. You wanted nothing more than to wrap your arms around him, but your feet stayed frozen in place, after all you had rejected him a month or so ago.   "Y-you got rid of your curse?" You nodded and he asked another question. "For me?" "Of course silly. Who else am I going to die with?" you laughed. His nose scrunched up as he tried desperately to comprehend the situation. "Aren't you scared?" "You'll be there with me right?" "Of course." he quickly said, nodding his head. "I thought." he trailed off and wrapped you up in his arms, head in the crook of your neck as his body shook with sobs. "I thought you left me." "I'm sorry." you said repeating it quietly over and over again. "I love you so much." "I love you too."

Taglist : 

@boku-no-family @toobsessedsstuff @renarderouges @thatonegeekchick @mrminyoongles @yourscorpiodaddy​

[doomedandstoned]

SOLAR SONS Show Their True Colors on ‘Chameleon’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Album Art by Keir Murdoch

One of the most played songs on our new compilation 'Doomed & Stoned in Scotland' (2021) is "Jormungandr" by SOLAR SONS, and when you give it a listen you'll understand immediately why. The Dundee band, formed in 2014, has a peculiar style that blends spirited progressive metal with heavy metal bombast, virtuosic guitar solos, and the occasional stylings of regional folk music, making this a solid contender for the Scottish Rock exhibit.

However you describe them, Solar Sons are anything but predictable. Formed in 2014 by Rory Lee (bass, lead vox), Danny Lee (guitar, backing vox), and Pete Garrow (drums, backing vox), the band got serious right away and built a home studio that doubles as a rehearsal space. I bet that would be a fun place to be a fly on the wall when jamming is in session.

DIY to the core, it's not surprising to find them also producing their own records, with each album being self-released. Hell, even their music videos are a personal labor of love.

Like many of us who sat in our houses shellshocked at the beginning of The Great Lockdown, fear gave way to boredom and boredom to creativity.

Solar Sons became separated, as so many other people were during the pandemic. The extra time was put to use and the band began working on new material. Passing each other song ideas and jams, this kicked off an intense period of creating the music from the new album. One song spurring on the next, until late-April/early-May 2020, nine to ten brand new tracks had taken serious formation.

Once things eased up a bit in July, Solar Sons set to work developing the lyrical and vocal parts of the songs, having quite a bit of fun learning to play the songs as a full band.

The album is called 'Chameleon' (2021), and I didn't know until I'd given it a good, thorough listen, how appropriate that title is to the album content. A chameleon is an Old World Lizard renowned for its ability to change color.The album before us is the band's fourth and showcases the diverse command of Solar Sons has over a plethora of rock and metal styles.

Each song is a concept of its own. We gallop gallantly out of the gate with "No Idle Blade," a breathlessly-paced song which references the classic Hiroshi Inagaki film Samurai Saga (1959). It's as much a sweeping love story as it is a heroic clash of swords.

Live by the code, honour to the warriors oath Morality means less to me than duty to the sword Make savage the hand and strong of the mind Must blood be spilled in the fields tonight Many before and many ahead Those who where terrified just turned and fled Swords slashing down, we race to the end

This romping NWOBHM number is an adrenaline rush, full of thematic urgency as played out by the Solar Son's expert sword 'n skins crews who are simply electric in their heroic execution of the rhythm and riffs. Pair this on a playlist, immediately following High on Fire's "Bastard Samurai."

"Timelord" is another heavy hitter, but transports us into another world -- the realm of Doctor Who, to be precise. It continues the frenetic pace of its predecessor, with skilled drum and bass work creating a kind of vortex transporting the evil timelord 'cross the constellations to wreak havoc on the good Doctor (which in my mind will always be my first childhood connection with the word "cool," the Fourth Doctor Tom Baker).

The evil timelord he has come for us all Brought back from the past to walk among us Set forth his reckoning and spread fear among us We dare not stand alone, it is nearly upon us The hour is here, the time is now

This song races to the finish with a jazzy swirl of psychedelic picking, slowly fading away. And...scene.

As the album progresses from this point forward, the rhapsodic progression through different styles becomes all the more apparent. It's hard to believe we're even listening to the same band in the funky, "Back Again" until the Solar Sons chime in unison the chant: "Visions in my mind / The pieces fall apart."

"Molten Mountain" is a wonderful prog interlude with beautiful guitar and bass tone. I refer to it in my notes as "The Continuing Adventures of Whale & Wasp" (Alice in Chains devotees will get the reference). It's worth noting that frontman Rory Lee moonlights as bassist with King Witch, another favorite band of mine from out of Scotland.

Every well-rounded album needs contrasts. Light and dark, fast and slow, exciting and chill. Enter: "Reflections," which the band characterises as a kind of contemplative ballad.

"Captive" continues in a similar mood. As it begins, it stirs up memories of the melancholic "Soma" by The Smashing Pumpkins. Don't be lulled into a depressive sleep, though, this too has the stirring fight and might of Solar Sons written inside and out (the band calls it "the anti-ballad").

With "Revenant" the band has decided to show off what it can do as a purely instrumental outfit. Lovers of progressive rock will relish in the effortless psychedelic and math-driven passages. This is why you practice your scales and runs, guitar students. So you can one day aspire to play with the effortless style, grace, and beauty of Danny Lee. I'd love to see these guys jam with my Northwest pals Zirakzigil sometime! What a blast it would be to have the two of those bands on the same bill, maybe opening for Earthless

"Test of our Times" awakens me from my daydreaming, probably because the singing is so out of character from what we've heard up to now. The band call it a "seventies rock shuffle." It's freewheeling spirit might deceive you into thinking this is a carefree song, were not the lyrics handy.

Feeling alone as the days they slowly pass Too much time on my hands I should not complain for I know it will not last And it's easy for me A prayer to the souls who are fighting for their lives And the ones who gone And those who give care you are heroes of our time And we will not forget

Starts to surround can you feel it closing in Pressure it builds now the time is near Fork in the road with a choice unclear how Can we maintain so much doubt and fear Break in the clouds see it light it by the sun Can't go so far for this all to be undone Gathering now we breach into the night Test of our times will unite us in the fight

We're at a point in the album where the Chameleon is shifting into all kinds of far out color. Next up, "The Wolf'' returns us to the savage tone that opened the album, though this is a notch sludgier than we've encountered so far. And no wonder: it's about The Wolf of Badenoch, whom Solar Sons characterise as "a nasty bastard in Scottish history and folklore." This will likely end up a favorite of many of our listeners, with the gruff chanting of pawns. will. fall. for. Badenoch. juxtaposed with exciting guitar filigree.

"Beyond the Stars" really endeared itself to me on my second listen through the album. We're told it's about alien abduction -- "the good kind." Certainly, there's something transcendent about it. I'm reminded of similar climactic epilogues in Mastodon's 'Crack The Skye' (2009), Yob's 'Clearing The Path To Ascend' (2014) and 'They Come from the Future' (2009) by Biblical Proof of UFOs. And what a sublime ending! Breathtaking.

Fans of Mastodon, Spirit Adrift, Haunt, Age of Taurus, and Zirakzigil will dig it, for damn sure. And now, one day before the release of Chameleon by Solar Sons, Doomed & Stoned is bringing you the full album stream so you can get well acquainted. If you dig it, show the band some love.

Give ear...

Solar Sons - Chameleon (2021)

Follow The Band

Get Their Music