#Ruler owner of the mask

[galedekarios]

waterdeep & the city's wards: castle ward - part 2

"The splendors that await you in Waterdeep are legendary. Each of the city’s wards is detailed in this work, telling you what to expect depending on where you are, as well as what thrilling things you might see and do."

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

waterdeep is divided into a system of wards and civic districts. the six recognized wards are:

dock ward

castle ward

north ward

sea ward

southern ward

trades ward

notable parts of the city that aren't considered wards are the city of the dead and deepwater harbour and its surrounding isles (deepwater isle and stormhaven island).

in this meta, i'd like to first focus on the castle ward of waterdeep. the ward contains blackstaff academy, the yawning portal, the undermountain as well as other important landmarks and locations.

castle ward

castle ward heraldry with a golden griffon

castle ward map made by reddit user ravenxalmasy

i'll include an ambience video to listen to while reading:

rainy streets of waterdeep by dungeon crawler audio

general information

in his waterdeep echiridion, volo introduces the castle ward as follows:

"The Castle Ward is the heart and mind of Waterdeep, if not its soul. It houses the city’s military forces, courts, government, and the Market — the largest market square of any city in the North. It encompasses the City Navy’s docks in the Great Harbor and all of Mount Waterdeep, and it is home to six walking statues, numerous temples, and many other landmarks."

i already wrote a meta including the walking statues of waterdeep in my the splendours of waterdeep meta.

the important landmarks volo further highlights are the following:

"Castle Waterdeep stands above the city on a great bluff that extends out from the mountain, its towers soaring hundreds of feet into the sky. It surprises many to learn that this isn’t where Waterdeep’s rulers reside, nor from where the city is governed. The castle was and is a redoubt of last defense should the city be attacked, but for well over a century, the ruler of Waterdeep has occupied the Palace of Waterdeep — also known as Piergeiron’s Palace, and still called that by elderly and long-lived citizens (including many elves). Though not quite as large as the castle, the palace is far more comfortable and lavishly decorated, with many halls used by government officials, guildmasters, and nobles for meetings and court proceedings. If you have reason to be invited (not compelled, I should hope!) to meet with the Masked Lords or the Open Lord of Waterdeep, it will likely take place in the audience chamber of the palace. There, you can witness the ancient and humble throne that Ahghairon first sat upon so long ago.

Many other buildings in the ward are given over to city business, including several courts for magisters and the barracks of the City Guard. So many of the ward’s structures are offices and meeting halls for business owners, solicitors, publishers, and the like that the Castle Ward has the smallest resident population of all the wards. Many landmarks of interest are found in this ward aside from the six walking statues (discussed later in this chapbook). You could hardly see them all in a day, but the following are highly recommended.

Blackstaff Tower is a squat black blot in the otherwise pretty ward. Humble though the edifice might be, looking at the place for too long can give you a queasy feeling and the sense that you are being watched — almost as if the tower itself has turned an unseen and wrathful eye upon you. Perhaps you think this fanciful. Well, go and try it yourself!

On the opposite end of the mountain, close to the Naval Harbor, stands Mirt’s Mansion. Once a fortress-like and glowering tower, it has been upgraded with more delicate fashions of architecture since the return of its long-absent owner. Mirt has quite a history with Durnan, the proprietor of the Yawning Portal. Together they descended into “the Well,” as the entrance to Undermountain was known in olden days. Waterdeep used to throw criminals in the Well, leaving them to die horribly in Undermountain’s dungeons. Durnan and Mirt entered the dungeons of their own free will — and not only that, but returned laden with treasures. Both used magic to extend their lives, but they eventually parted ways. Mirt kept on with a life of adventure, while Durnan built the tavern called the Yawning Portal over the Well and now, almost two centuries later, charges coin to descend into it. Not a bad way to part fools from their money!

The glorious Spires of the Morning, dedicated to Lathander, is one of Waterdeep’s most beautiful temples. But it is rivaled in this ward by the Temple of the Seldarine, dedicated to all the elf gods. The journey through Mount Melody Walk, a tunnel cut through Mount Waterdeep, to New Olamn’s academy of music and other arts is a wondrous daytime excursion. The Market offers a wild array of sights, smells, and sounds in which folk might lose themselves for a tenday. The Font of Knowledge is a temple to Oghma, yes, but also the city’s largest public library. Titles written throughout the ages can be viewed here — under the watchful eyes of the temple’s priests. In short (if I can claim this section of the enchiridion to be such), the Castle Ward offers far too many splendors to list them all here.

The Castle Ward’s colors are blue and purple, and its mascot is a griffon, typically depicted in gold. These borrow colors from the city’s flag and reference the Griffon Cavalry, of course. Champions for the ward often come from among the ranks of the Guard, the Navy, or the Cavalry. Although such competitors have often have the advantage in races and competitions, their crowds of rabidly cheering fans are naturally much smaller than those of other wards."

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

the description of the castle ward from waterdeep dragon heist reads as follows, echoing the stateliness of this ward in particular, with its many temples and sights of commerce:

"In terms of both geography and power, Castle Ward is the city's center. Most, if not all, of the city's administrative buildings are within the ward boundaries, from the lofty spires of Piergeiron's Palace to the low-slung crenelations of the guard smithy. While money and social standing are the prevalent benchmarks of might in the City of Splendors, Waterdeep's true power and what keeps it running are the Lords and Magisters here. If you like the taste of power and authority mixed with the usual commerce of the city, Castle Ward is the place to go. The city guard maintains a strong presence in Castle Ward due to the concentration of city officials and areas of importance in need of heavier security. Even so, the watch maintains much of the order, especially around the Market, the Palace, and the Castle Ward docks. Like the guard, the watch makes a show of force in Castle. Ward, traveling in larger patrols of six and brandishing short swords in addition to their normal rods and clubs. The ward boundaries are the southern side of Julthoon Street over to Shield Street and down to Trader's Way on the north, meeting up with the High Road and Snail Street for the eastern perimeter. Lackpurse Lane, Belnimbra's Street, Gut Alley, and Shesstra's Street combine in an uneven boundary to the south, whereas the mountain and the coastline form the western edges of the ward. While Castle Ward covers the most territory, Mount Waterdeep makes up a lot of empty land and the ward is effectively a little larger than Sea or North Ward."

"It is hard to pin down a "typical" architectural detail for Castle Ward, as there are so many different structures here that dominate the skyline. The city buildings, temples, and wizards towers are impressive stone structures, with the Palace and Castle in leagues of their own. Folk who quest for power but lack the funds to rise above the merchant class often dwell in the environs north of Waterdeep Way, their homes either well-kept row houses of three to four stories or individual homes of one or two stories. In either case, structures tend to be timber and wattle-and-daub with stone foundations nestled among the shops. The southern leg of the ward is primarily made up of barracks and warehouses attached to the castle and to various wealthier merchants and noble houses. The only discernible difference between Castle Ward's docks and Dock Ward are the heavier watch patrols. In terms of roads and byways, Castle Ward is by far the easiest ward to traverse due to the paving on many of its larger, primary roads. Even with heavy cart traffic on the roads, it is possible to travel from the Field of Triumph to Castle Waterdeep in the same time it takes to cover one-third of Dock Ward's docks. The paving is primarily for access by dignitaries and officials of the city and other foreign powers (and use during holidays for parades)."

[source: waterdeep dragon heist]

neighbourhoods of the castle ward

the neighbourhoods of the castle ward with notable landmarks and buildings are listed as follows:

The Market

Upmarket: Amberpaths, Cascades, The Cliffride, Elvarren's Lane, Head Lane, Highdrake, Melshar's Ride, Spireshadows, Tanthruil, Tchozal's Race, Toalar's Path

East Midcastle: The Buckle, The Catwind, Duir's Trod, Eldath's Alley, Elsambul's Lane, Goldstar Path, The Houndtwist, Lamp Courts, Lhestyn's Turn, Lhoril's Alley, Manyspells Court, Solemnar's Trod, Summerkeep, Sweetglade, The Waverise, Zeldan's Alley

West Midcastle: Alnether's Prowl, Asmach's Wind, Autumngleam, Blackstave, Cage Street, Cymbril's Trod, Dozenalley, Hippogriff Maze, Jester's Court, Marlar's Lane, Mulgomir's Way, North Swords, Siren Lane, Threeshields, Turnback Court

Piergeiron's Palace: Aghairon's Plaza, Fetlock Court, Piergeiron's Palace

Downcastle: Barracks Court, Castlefoot, Court of Gems, Glittergleam, Mountroot, Old Temple, Owlroost, Portal Lane, the Reach, Tarnished Silver

while the living conditions range from the very wretched to those wealthy and aristocratic.

landmarks and notable locations in the castle ward

there are many landmarks worth exploring in the castle ward. in this post, as well as the posts centered around the wards, i'll mainly focus on those important to gale's story:

blackstaff tower/academy

the yawning portal

promenade of the dark maiden (my own oc purposes and all those who have a drow tav or a tav that follows the dark maiden eilistraee)

i will still touch on other landsmarks and locations, but not as in depth.

blackstaff tower / academy

Gale: “A misadventure from my days as an apprentice at Blackstaff Academy. I was but a child, only a few months into my studies, but already I knew I was destined for greatness. No one believed me, of course, so I decided to prove it. To cast a spell with the Blackstaff itself. From one perspective, I succeeded. I opened a portal. However, instead of pointing it at the first year dormitory, I found myself pulled into limbo, facing a very irritated Death Slaad. Fortunately the Blackstaff himself came to the rescue, hauling me backwards from the brink, and straight into several months of writing lines. Or rather, finessing my autograph.”

[source: gale's dialogue after visiting the abandoned wizard tower in the underdark]

blackstaff tower concept art

the tower is described as a foreboding structure, made out of smooth black stone, with no apparent way to enter it, seemingly having no windows or doors. its main entrance was on swords street, while apprentices could gain access by touching the gate with a left palm. the tower itself was surrounded by a great wall (20 foot / 6 meters). [source: forgottenrealmswiki].

most notably, the tower also has the ability to magically repair itself, a process supported by laeral silverhand, one of the seven sisters and chosen of mystra.

more views of the interior of the tower, including the great staircase which connects the different levels of the tower, a reading room, an apothecary, the library and other interior structures:

the interior of blackstaff tower is also described as follows:

"From the inside, windows appeared to show what was going on outside, but these were illusions. The interior (but not the exterior) of the tower was warded against magical intrusion. The tower was protected against scrying magic. Rooms were connected to the central stairwell and entry hall, which was full of floating doors and arches. Many alcoves and shelves covered the walls of the stairwell, displaying magical items and artifacts, and although they seemed unprotected, a command word was needed to remove any of them. The items changed on a regular basis, so returning to the same stairwell on another day might result in seeing different items. Leaving the dormitories without issuing a command word would lead to the second level's stairwell. Saying the command word nhurlaen in the stairwell took one to the study. On the top floor of the tower was a study and a scrying chamber. There was also a parlor where Khelben displayed his art. In the library was one-way dimensional door to Candlekeep (the other side of the door led to Jester's Court nearby). As of 1374 DR, the tower's entry chamber contained a wardrobe that Khelben was able to use to access almost any closet in the tower. In the tower's kitchen, Khelben liked to serve cups of roasted chicory. Tunnels linked the tower's basement to Piergeiron's Palace and other locations in Waterdeep, which could be accessed by uttering the command word vhuarm. One such tunnel could be accessed at Northspur Rock on Northspur Landing on the Talltumble Stairs in Mountainside. [...] From the mid-to-late 14th century DR onward, the Tower was home not only to the Blackstaff, but to the Blackstaff's apprentices, which numbered fifty or so at any time. These apprentices, and their apprentices in turn, formed the Blackstaff Academy, an elite yet informal school for the training of wizards.

[source: forgottenrealmswiki]

the yawning portal

Gale: Believe it or not, but I witnessed a similar standoff back at the Yawning Portal. Of course, an establishment like that invites all sorts of outlandish entertainments. Player: What’s the Yawning Portal Gale: An inn in Waterdeep. Never a dull moment there. Adventurers come from all over Faerûn to try their luck down the well: Leads into the Undermountain, you see - full of death, danger, and vast amounts of treasure. Hard to resist. Player: What was the standoff about? Gale: Oh, a drow, a dragonborn, and a cleric of Cyric walk into a bar. Your standard fare. Maybe someone was cheating at cards, maybe it was some weird lovers’ quarrel. In any case, out came the crossbow, and a hush fell over the entire room.devnote Player: What happened next? Gale: I stood up and yelled: ‘Shadowdark ale for everyone!’ The crowd cheered, the tension drained into five dozen tankards, and soon all was well again. Gale: In a place like the Yawning Portal, the most powerful magic is calling for a round of drinks. Gale: Mind you, all I did was call for ale, but you went and stood in front of that crossbow. I’d drink to that.

[source: gale's dialogue after saving sazza the goblin]

concept art of the yawning portal [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

the yawning portal, which we know gale references once in the main game and once in the epilogue, implying that he's quite a frequent patron, is an infamous landmark in waterdeep:

The Yawning Portal was an inn and tavern in the city of Waterdeep that was renowned for being the primary open route into Undermountain. A well within its walls led down into the first level of the vast dungeon complex. It was owned and run by the famous adventurer Durnan the Wanderer. The name "Yawning Portal" referred to the deep well and also alluded to the habit of its patrons to tell wild stories. Naturally, the inn was a popular attraction among visitors to Waterdeep and a common point of departure as well as a refuge for expeditions into the extensive dungeons. [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

A well-known inn and tavern whose main feature is a massive well on the ground floor of the tavern, some 40 feet across, that descends 140 feet into the first level of Undermountain. There is a rope hoist that can be used to lower or raise those foolhardy enough to venture into Undermountain, at a cost of 1 gp per person. [source: waterdeep dragon heist]

layout and menu of the yawning portral [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

location of the yawning portral

The Yawning Portal was located on Rainrun Street in the upper part of Waterdeep's Castle Ward between Waterdeep Castle and Snail Street[ and close to Mount Waterdeep's eastern slope. Fronting onto the north side of the road, it stood next door to Mother Salinka's House of Pleasure, and beyond that, The Empty Keg tavern, on the west side, and next door Lankathla Dree's Bakery on the east side. Nearby also stood the magician Sobrey's Magic Shoppe and the smithy of Argali Smith. The inn's relative proximity to the city's docks helped it do good business. Its site was exactly that of the former Halaster's Hold, the demolished tower of the mad mage Halaster Blackcloak, the builder of Undermountain, and the inn was constructed over the well to Undermountain, which had previously been a place of execution, simply known as "the Well". [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

its exterior was made up out of mismatched fieldstone and a roof of "a steep-angled roof of unpainted dark-gray and black slate", giving it a rather drab appearance from the outside. the building had no windows on the ground floor, only on the upper floors, but it boasted several chimneys.

an old wooden sign, which was recovered and reused each time the inn was rebuilt, read simply "the yawning portal".

volo during a visit to the yawning portal [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

the yawning portal also boasts a host of rumours and legends, most recently, however, this:

Circa 1492 DR, a band of doppelgangers were rumored to operate out of the Yawning Portal. The Harpers and Emerald Enclave even sought people to investigate this.

the promenade of the dark maiden

"Eilistraee teaches us that we are not bound by the circumstances of our birth. We all may find beauty and light, if we have the courage to seek them." — Trelasarra Zuind

trelassara zuind, informal leader of the promenade since 1491 dr

the promenade of the dark maiden is located in the undermountain of waterdeep.

"The Promenade of the Dark Maiden was the most sacred temple to Eilistraee. It lay beneath Waterdeep, northeast of Skullport in Undermountain. The temple was composed of four major caverns. One cavern contained multiple buildings that were used as living quarters for the faithful. Another cavern named the Cavern of Song served as an open amphitheater used for songs and celebrations dedicated to Eilistraee. The third cavern consisted of living quarters for the priestesses. The fourth cavern was mostly occupied by the temple guards, storehouses, and armories. A large side cavern connected the Cavern of Song with Eilistraee's Mound. Within stood a large statue portraying the Dark Maiden (but actually modeled on Qilué Veladorn's appearance) and sculpted from a mound of rock. Next to the main temple was the Hall of Healing (a former temple of Moander that had been destroyed by worshipers of Tyr). This section was used as a place to shelter and tend to the temple's wounded and all those who were rescued by the Dark Ladies (including adventurers lost in the Undermountain). North of the Hall of Healing was a small cavern that was the destination of a one-way portal connecting to the sixth level of the Undermountain used to deliver wounded adventurers to the temple. Priestesses of the Promenade healed and welcomed any who came to the Hall, and were known to offer their friendship to (non-ill-intentioned) individuals of races who were more frequently than not met with prejudice and hostility." [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

the promenade held some influence in skullport and they had made it their mission to free slaves and adventurers that ran afoul the more powerful groups and bands within skullport. this earned them the nickname "slave shelterers" and they were regarded with animosity by those groups. other enemies were also worshippers of ghaunadaur (greater god of abominations, oozes and outcasts believed to be touched by the dark realms, and a part of the dark seldarine) as well as worshippers of lolth (most influential drow goddess, mother to eilistraee and vhaeraun) and vhaeraun (eilistraee's elder twin brother and part of the dark seldarine).

the dark promenade's history is defined by those friends and enemies:

the founder of the promenade qilué veladron, youngest of the seven sisters and chosen of mystra, was guided by eilistraee to extinguish the presence of ghanaudar. qilué was helped to victory by the dark maiden and mystra against ghanaudar. the battle took place within the undermountain (third-level). after her victory, eilistraee spoke to her:

"You must make a stand here close to the surface world, and you must be ever vigilant against the return of Ghaunadar. For a mighty city of humans shall rise above this place, and if you are to make peace with humankind and your elven kin of the surface world, this place is best suited for you."

qilué obeyed the words of her goddess, and she and other chosen of eilistraee patrolled these dark corridors (mockingly called promenades). during that time, the temple was being constructed, becoming habitable by 1357 dr.

the promenade had 392 habitants by 1375 dr.

the population of the promenade was severely diminished in 1370s, after an attack by followers of ghanaudar, nightshadows, followers of vhaeraun:

"In the 1370s DR, the Promenade was attacked by a new cult of Ghaunadaur. Nightshadows, former followers of Vhaeraun and later followers of the "Masked Lady" (following the death of Vhaeraun at Eilistraee's hand, and her taking on his portfolio), were sent to infiltrate various drow houses who worshiped Ghaunadaur, but this allowed the cultists to locate some portals leading to the temple. Taking advantage of this, the followers of the Elder Eye proceeded to attack, hoping to release the trapped avatar of their god. However, the glyph of insanity that Qilué had placed on the prison made many cultists go insane. Despite this, the assailants were supported by an army of slimes and decimated the population of the Promenade. In the fierce battle, almost all the Protectors of the Song and Darksong Knights were killed, along with many of the priestesses and of the followers who lived there or were visiting. The battle also caused the seals on Ghaunadaur's prison to break and his avatar to escape, even though it would be soon tricked into attaching itself to a fleeing Nightshadow. He sacrificed himself, going through a portal that led to "a plane of endless mazes" and dying in the process, to trap the avatar there." [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

after the second sundering, eilistraee returned and with that, she also breathed new life into the promenade:

"After returning, Eilistraee personally appeared under the walls of Waterdeep, leading many of her followers to travel to the city. Some of them found the support of Remallia Haventree and started creating a forest-temple, named The Dancing Haven, within Waterdeep itself. While originally meant to be created in the Field Ward of Waterdeep, due to the chaotic developments of that area, the Dancing Haven was temporarily moved to the North Ward. The Eilistraeens planted and grew a small grove of trees within an abandoned, roofless building, and then used it as a temple and base of operations. From there, the moondancers led a series of expeditions to cleanse, rebuild and resupply the Promenade. In the 1490s DR, a dozen priestesses, four novices, and nine lay guardians populated the temple; Trelasarra Zuind was their (informal) leader. Few knew of the restored Promenade (aside from followers of Eilistraee), but rumors regarding it restoration spread in Skullport." [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

by 1491 dr, the promenade would have around 25 inhabitants again, including trelassara zuind:

"After the restoration of the temple, Trelasarra, a dozen clerics of the Dark Maiden, four novices, and nine lay warriors moved there. They established a new base of operations, linked to the Dancing Haven in Waterdeep. The followers of Eilistraee tried to keep their presence a secret but, as rumors started spreading in the near and dangerous Skullport, Trelasarra opted to garrison the temple as if at war." [source: forgottenrealmswiki]

of course, the castle ward has many more locations of note to offer. the following list is taken from waterdeep dragon heist:

Rentals

Banderly Rooming House: A four-story boarding house kept by the Banderlys, two married women who pride themselves on providing good, clean, safe accommodations.

Fair Winds: Rental Villa

Heroes' Rest: Rental Villa, owned by House Melshimber

Marblehearth: Rental Villa

Sablehearth: Rental Townhouse (Northern Swords Street)

Sapphire House: Inn, Rooming House

Stormwatch: Rental Villa

Businesses

Baltorr's Rare & Wondrous Treasures: Shop (Curios) and Warehouse. A curio and coin shop owned by an expert on coins and military markings.

Crommor's Warehouse: Warehouse

The Curious Past: Shop (Historical Curios & Books)

Danimar Fine Wines: Shop (Wine) The Danimar family are one of the oldest holders of licenses by House Melshimber to sell its wines in the city of Waterdeep. They do a brisk business in both the imported and domestic Melshimber vintages.

Dathchant Engravings: Shop (Engraving services)

Diloontier's Apothecary: Shop (Apothecary)

The Golden Key: Shop (Locks) Ansilver the Locksmith (Southern Street of the Sword)

Halambar Lute & Harps: Shop (Stringed Musical Instruments) The premiere place to find any stringed instrument of the Realms. It is also host to a magical harp that sings by itself and is rumored to have connections to the Harpers in some capacity. (Southern Street of the Sword)

Halls of Hilmer: Shop (Armor). Master Armorer Hilmer's shop is hard to miss due to its front of polished plate armor. He sells custom-made armor that is without parallel on the Sword Coast. The shop features practice rooms for trying out his armor. (Southern Street of the Sword)

Hilmer Warehouse: Warehouse (Halls of Hilmer) (Southern Street of the Sword)

Kreis' Fine Wine and Spirits: Import/Export (Spirits) An import business run by Tyrannus Adarbrent.

Mother Tamra's House of Graces: School (Grace, Etiquette, Comportment)

The Market: The largest open area of the city that plays host to hundreds of stalls and camped vendors able to sell nearly anything in the Realms, and many thieves to relieve one of same.

Nureene's Marvelous Masks: Shop (Masks)

Old Knot Shop: Shop (Sailing Gear)

Olmhazan's Jewels: Shop (Jewelry)

Paethier's Pipeweed: Shop (Tobacco)

Phalantar's Philtres & Components: Shop (Herbs and Medicines) (4c). A small shop for medicinal herbs and ingredients for oils, perfumes and potions. It is said that Phalantar allegedly supports adventuring companies in exchange for the rare substances he sells here.

Rebeleigh's Elegant Headware: Shop (Hats)

Sorynth's Silverware: Shop (Silver Goods)

"Sharkroar" Horth Sharlark's Broadsheets: Printer (Broadsheets)

Velstrode the Venturer's: Shop: (Adventuring Goods)

Inns

The Jade Jug: Waterdeep's plushest inn with luxury in every detail, and well worth the expensive price.

Lazy Dragon: A newly-established inn (Old Temple)

The Pampered Traveler

Sapphire House: An expensive rooming five-story house across Swords Street from Blackstaff Tower that has provided room and board for more than one of the Blackstaff's apprentices who found the Tower to be a little too confining (Northern Swords Street)

Wyrmbones Inn

The Yawning Portal: A well-known inn and tavern whose main feature is a massive well on the ground floor of the tavern, some 40 feet across, that descends 140 feet into the first level of Undermountain. There is a rope hoist that can be used to lower or raise those foolhardy enough to venture into Undermountain, at a cost of 1 gp per person. (Southern Castle Ward)

Taverns

The Asp's Strike

The Blue Jack

The Crawling Spider: A tavern for subterraneans that pine for their homes (as well as regulars who like the thrilling atmosphere), decorated as if underground with serving folk dressed as drow elves. Well known for its subterranean dancing floor, and the many small "caverns" that lead off of it whose dark recesses are best left alone by the curious. (Southern Street of the Sword)

The Crow's Nest: A modest but comfortable tavern; a favorite among the clerks, bureaucrats, and visitors of nearby Castle Waterdeep. (Southern Castle Ward)

The Dragon's Head

The Elfstone: An old earthy tavern, with live trees in the walls and the bar, that caters to elves and half-elves, and is a rare source of such delicacies as elverquisst, guldathen nectar and maerlathen blue wine. (Southern Street of the Sword)

The Empty Keg: A rough-and-tumble beer-hall. Later in the eve, it often sees visits from some of the unattached ladies from Mother Salinka's next door, looking to lure some of the drinkers back to their boudoirs. (Southern Castle Ward)

The Flagon Dragon: A modest neighborhood pub renowned for its zzar (Waterdhavian mulled wine) and talyths (a palm-sized cracker with a thin slice of sausage on top, and a mixture of cheese, herbs, mashed root vegetables and other ingredients whose recipe is a house secret) (Northern Swords Street)

The Mighty Manticore: An older friendly tavern with ample ale and light evening fare at affordable prices that attracts a loyal clientele of merchants at the close of day.

The Quaffing Quaggoth:A dwarf-owned tavern and a growing favorite among the city's sailors, merchants and young nobles. The tavern is well-known for the house specialty: a thick-brewed stout mixed with an unknown liquor that is called the Quaggoth for its rumored ability to cure every hair on a quaggoth and then some.

The Red-Eyed Owl: A comfortable, unimpressive local ale-house that is a favorite of the average Waterdhavian locals, well-loved for its cheap ale and heavily spiced coast chowder. (Southern Castle Ward)

Sailor's Own: A crowded, dark, and dirty sailor's dive bar.

The Singing Sword

The Sleepy Sylph: A popular tavern for visitors to Waterdeep, featuring driftglobe lights and scantily clad waitstaff dressed as fairies. (Southern Castle Ward)

Festhalls

Blushing Nymph: An upscale brothel known for its exotic pleasures. (Southern Castle Ward)

The Crawling Spider: A tavern for subterraneans that pine for their homes (as well as regulars who like the thrilling atmosphere), decorated as if underground with serving folk dressed as drow elves. Well known for its subterranean dancing floor, and the many small "caverns" that lead off of it whose dark recesses are best left alone by the curious. (Southern Street of the Sword)

Genmura's Stage: A bawdy burlesque palace with two floors of small, cheap, stinking rooms above its taphall, Genmura's sees plenty of seedy sorts, criminals, dock hands, and sailors just come a'shore. (Old Temple).

Jhural's Dance: Nowhere near as raucous as many festhalls, Jhrual prides himself on the seductive, intimate environment he fosters in his hall. Plenty of alcoves and nooks to hide in with someone in close company, all surrounding a stage where his festhall workers dance to advertise their wares. His festhall is also notable for its equal proportion of men and women performers. (Northern Swords Street)

Lightsinger Theater

Mother Salinka's House of Pleasure: A shabby, low-coin festhall. (Southern Castle Ward)

Mother Tathlorn's House of Pleasure & Healing

The Smiling Siren: A festhall that specializes in small plays and the hosting of traveling troupes (burlesque and otherwise). (Northern Street of Silver)

Temples

The Font of Knowledge: Temple to Oghma.

The Halls of Justice: Temple to Tyr.

The House of Two Hands: Monastery to Tyr.

The Pantheon Temple of the Seldarine: Temple to the Seldarine (Elven Gods). When elven clergy of the Seldarine approached the Masked Lords to ask for permission to establish a Pantheon temple to their gods, it was considered a coup for relations between Waterdeep and the elven peoples. Waterdeep has always had an extensive elven population and is indeed the site where the Grey Ships of Evermeet come at Midsummer to carry away those elves who tire of Faerûn and seek to return to elven lands. When that permission was quickly given, the elves asked for an allotment of property right in the middle of a busy and crowded Castle Ward neighborhood, shocking the Lords. Even when pressed, the elves would not explain their choice; so without further ado, the grant was given. The Pantheon Temple is a tall, dour structure of gleaming white stone flecked with silver, but has within it a garden and long walking galleries between the shrines to the elven deities.

The Spires of Morning: Temple to Lathander. A walled garden compound with eight beautiful gilded towers that reflect Lathander's dawn. (Northern Swords Street)

City Buildings

Peaktop Aerie :Headquarters for griffon mounts of City Guard. Rorden Rialter Obyrdar is currently on duty at the Peaktop Aerie where the griffons are kept. 

Guard Barracks: City Guard Barracks (Southern Castle Ward)

Guard Smithy: Smithy for City Guard

Bell Tower: A simple bell tower used to signal fires, attacks and calls for assembly at the Palace. (15 Guard at all times)

Palace Storage: Warehouses for Piergeiron's Palace

Palace Stables: Stables for Piergeiron's Palace

Palace Paddocks: Paddocks for Piergeiron's Palace

Walking Statue: One of the eight known 90-foot-tall stone golems created by Khelben Arunsun to defend any gaps in Waterdeep's defenses, this regal figure stands at the Gull Leap cliff at the end of Julthoon Street.

Watching Towers: Sentry Towers

Piergeiron's Palace: The center of Waterdeep's government with various courts, embassies and city offices therein, as well as the living chambers of the Open Lord Piergeiron the Paladinson.

Castle Waterdeep: Castle for the Masked Lords of Waterdeep and the Magistrates' Courts.

Ahghairon's Tower: The slim stone tower of the original First Lord of the city that is surrounded by invisible magical barriers that suspend the skeletal remains of a wizard that tried to get into the tower.

Guildhalls

The House of Gems: Jeweller's Guild

The Map House: Surveyors', Map and Chart-Makers Guild

Fellowship Hall: Fellowship of Innkeepers. The headquarters of the Fellowship of Innkeepers that operates as a member-only inn one night a tenday.

The Master Baker's Hall: Bakers' Guild (Southern Street of the Sword)

Tower of the Order: Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors. A three-story stone tower surrounded by a fence of sparkling green lights that coalesce into Azuth's and Mystra's symbols, with the hand of Azuth over the tower door rumored to watch the tower and fire magic at any intruders.

Guildhall of the Order: Solemn Order of Recognized Furriers & Woolmen

Pewterer's Guildhall: Pewterers & Casters Guild

House of Fine Carvers: Fine Carvers Guild. The slate-roofed wooden base of the Fine Carvers Guild, easily found on the High Road with its frieze of carved animals and people, including Ahghairon and other First Lords.

The Market Hall: Farmers and Grocers Guild

Alleys & Courts

Cat Alley: this narrow twisting, turning passage was frequented years ago by a masked, rapier-wielding man of wealth who scared young women and cut away their garments but was never arrested.

Elsambul's Lane: named for a long-dead priest of Mask and now one of the few areas with graffiti on its walls (they say Elsambul himself still leaves enigmatic messages and clues to hidden treasures on the walls!), it attracts many folk beyond simple curiosity seekers.

Jesters' Court: a courtyard frequented now by hard-currency girls and minstrels that has also been a performance stage for jugglers and comics as well as a meeting place for eloping lovers.

Sevenlamps Cut: named for seven fancy magical lamps placed here long ago by Ahghairon himself, this safe alley is the place to hire spellcasters (apprentice wizards and poor underpriests) for quick healing, curse removals, or some magical firepower for your latest excursion into Undermountain.

Turnback Court: a lamplit, shallow alley at the end of Selduth Street that is used as a rallying point for watch and guard patrols both day and night.

this concludes my collection of information about waterdeep's castle ward for now. it's a sprawling topic, each and every ward, and i'm sure there are things i missed or forgot!

still, i hope this was of use to someone other than myself!

tag list: @evenstar-crescentmoon, @criticalgale, @ofthedirewolves

if you want to be added (or taken off) the tag list, please let me know! 🖤

[emilystheories]

How HOFAS set up

Nesta Archeron to be High Queen of Prythian.

A theory.

ACOTAR and CC3 spoilers ahead.

[art by Gabrielle Ragusi]

A connection to Theia.

In HOFAS, we finally learn about Theia; the original High Queen of Prythian.

Interestingly, Queen Theia was depicted as holding and wearing the Dread Trove items — this was a symbol of her rule.

Evidently, this is just like Nesta.

[art by mistilteinnart]

We also witness Theia’s backstory: that she stood next to the Daglan’s throne, serving at their side “for a century.”

This is near identical to the vision Lanthys (a confirmed Daglan member) showed Nesta in ACOSF. That just like Theia, Nesta could serve at the side of the Daglan, and ensure their rule.

Interestingly, Lanthys even refers to Nesta as “Queen of Queens.”

And, just as Queen Theia used the Dread Trove to overthrow the Daglan, so too did Nesta, when she used Ataraxia (part of the “new” Dread Trove) to slay Lanthys.

The parallels between the two are stark.

[art by luverihu]

Gwydion.

In the past, I had theorised that Bryce Quinlan would be High Queen of Prythian; that she was the most eligible to rule, given her Starborn lineage, and her possession of Gwydion — the sword of the High King and Queen.

This was actually canon (or at least heavily implied). Bryce could indeed claim the High Queen title.

But, she didn’t.

Instead, Bryce handed Gwydion to Nesta, citing the importance of Nesta’s tattoo: the eight-pointed star, and the symbol of the Starborn Fae.

Nesta is now the owner of Gwydion; the sword of the High King and High Queen of Prythian.

The royal sword.

Passed on from one queen to the next.

[art by nearixx]

But, that’s not Nesta’s only claim to the throne.

As mentioned previously, in ACOSF, Nesta forged her own blades — a new Dread Trove.

Amren looked at Nesta’s ‘Made’ weapons and declared that if Rhys used them, he could “set himself up as High King.”

That each of these blades, including Ataraxia, is a “kingmaker.”

But the blades don’t belong to Rhys.

They belong to Nesta.

[art by gessueter]

In fact, the 'Made' weapons actively resisted Rhys’s presence.

Which brings us to another hint…

Rhys vs Nesta.

Some argue that Rhys has the greatest claim to High King of Prythian. Given his lineage (and what was revealed in HOFAS), they may be right.

It’s almost as if SJM is setting up both Nesta and Rhys as potential rulers.

A High Queen vs High King.

This is in line with what is said in HOFAS; that a Fae Queen vs a Fae King rivalry is “history repeating itself.”

Perhaps this is why SJM is continuing the rivalry and tension between Nesta and Rhys, despite them making amends towards the end of ACOSF.

[art by book_s150]

This is further exemplified in the HOFAS (Ember and Randall) bonus chapter.

We see Nesta making decisions on her own (to give the Mask to Bryce) without consulting Rhys or anyone else.

We see Nesta declare that she doesn’t answer to Rhys or Feyre.

And Ember watches on as Rhys assesses the “challenge” in Nesta’s expression — that to Rhys, Nesta is a “worthy opponent.”

But, as SJM typically likes to write about women coming into power, I believe Nesta will win the High Queen title at the end of the day.

After all, Nesta has been repeatedly foreshadowed as a queen throughout the entire series. Feyre even refers to Nesta as a “queen without a throne.”

[art by natserpiece]

However, I don’t think Nesta will come into the High Queen position randomly. Instead, two things have to occur:

Something bad needs to happen to the entirety of Prythian (perhaps whatever Koschei has planned…), causing a last-resort need for a queen to unite under.

Or, tensions with the Inner Circle will continue to grow, and Nesta will leave the Night Court.

But, where would Nesta go?

The Dusk Court.

Or, what is otherwise known as the Prison Island.

Which in HOFAS, was explicitly said to be a “royal territory.”

And was regarded as the “sanctuary” of the High Queen.

That is to say, Nesta being both High Lady of Dusk and High Queen isn’t just a pipe dream.

Canonically, it’s suggested to be the same thing.

(Fun possibility #1: perhaps the Dusk Court will be ‘removed’ from Prythian and will gain independence— that way, Nesta will be High Lady and Queen of Dusk, and Rhysand, or someone else, will be King of Prythian).

Thematically, it makes sense.

As we know, the courts of Prythian are thematically organised, and work in tandem with their opposing courts.

Summer and Winter.

Autumn and Spring.

Night and Day.

Which leaves, Dawn and Dusk.

The Dawn Court is associated with healing powers. To further corroborate this, firstlight (in the Crescent City world) has the capacity to heal.

‘First light’ means dawn.

In the Crescent City world, the opposite of ‘firstlight’ is ‘secondlight’ — the power made upon someone’s death.

If the opposite of dawn (firstlight, healing) is dusk (secondlight…?), does this mean that the Dusk Court is associated with death?

It would make sense: dawn signals the start of the day and new beginnings, whereas dusk signals the end.

And whose powers most closely align with death?

Nesta Archeron’s.

The court of the Valkyries, too.

If this theory is true, I have no doubt that the Valkyries will follow Nesta to the Dusk Court as well, setting up their own domain, completely separate to the Illyrians.

This likely explains the pegasus foreshadowing in ACOSF, as the pegasus’s originated from the Dusk Court.

[art by kelly.vieir.a]

I also believe that the Valkyries will expand their ranks, not only recruiting more priestesses, but also:

Merrill: with her “twilight” coloured eyes (twilight is another word for dusk).

Mor: whose family once owned the Dusk Court, long ago (also lending itself to a Mor x Emerie book).

And another important connection: Bryce Quinlan.

With the introduction of “thin places,” HOFAS made clear that Avallen Island and the Prison Island (Dusk Court) are innately connected, despite being worlds apart.

If Bryce is in Avallen, then it makes sense that Nesta is residing on the Prison Island — side by side.

And, as Bryce still has the Horn on her back (coupled with Nesta having the Harp), perhaps their friendship will continue.

(Fun possibility #2: No one is more connected to the pegasus’s than Bryce, and I can’t see her passing up the opportunity to join an all-female, pegasus-led warrior group. Perhaps a cameo is in store…).

[art by paint faery]

In conclusion:

All hail Queen Nesta Archeron.

[art by artinelysian]

[starlight-eclipsed]

Rockets Pointed Up at the Stars (Pt 2/2)

Part I

Despite what Phantom had implied, tracking down Batman wasn’t done in an instant.

Sure, they’d be back seconds after when they left. But with time travel in the mix, that could be hours or days apart. They’d already followed him back to his initial landing time, when Neanderthals were still around (and wow, was there a difference between factually knowing some people had been around since the dawn of humanity and physically seeing Vandal Savage in the flesh as a caveman). According to the trail left by Clockwork, the ghostly guardian of the timestream, they were getting close.

Apparently Bruce couldn’t make things easy and was also making jumps through time, which if left unchecked would cause the timeline collapse that Clockwork had recruited Phantom for. Specifically Phantom, as it turns out the thief that liked messing with him on weekends was also the Master of Space and the King of everything.

(Phantom insisted it was just a title, and he was only king of the Ghost Zone. It just so happened that the Ghost Zone was also known as the Infinite Realms, which contained every reality of every universe in existence.

And he’d won that title by defeating the previous ruler in single combat.

The High King had to scramble to catch Tim when his knees gave out at the realization that he had unknowingly gone toe to toe with someone who made Darkseid look like a toddler in a sandbox. What the fuck, Phantom.) 

As of now, they were waiting for the actual Blackbeard’s ship to dock to investigate the fabled Black Pirate he supposedly fought a week ago, whose description matched Bruce’s. Phantom had gone to grab them something to eat while they waited in a tavern, leaving Tim to save his seat. If someone told him even a week ago that this was where he’d be, Tim would’ve interrogated them for hours to try to figure out what it meant.

But no, he was just sitting at a table in the 18th century, a medallion from the Master of Time hung around his neck, waiting for his hero-turned-king-gone-rogue to return with food while they waited for Blackbeard the legendary pirate to show up. Jason would probably kill to be here in his place.

Tim was broken out of his thoughts when Phantom returned, two bowls of soup in hand and balancing an additional plate of tough-looking bread on his forearm.

They’d been forced to ditch their masks when Puritans tried to have them hanged a century ago, now dressing in more accurate clothing to better blend in. Phantom had apologized for discovering Tim’s real name, going as far as to reveal his own secret identity: a black haired blue-eyed teen named Danny.

“Heads up, it’s gonna be either too salty or bland as wood. I’m pretty sure the cook wanted to strangle me for asking too many questions about the ingredients.”

Tim snorted, accepting his bowl, “Is that why we don’t get spoons?”

“Nah, the owner doesn’t trust customers to return the utensils. Drink from the bowl, though you might want to soak your bread if you don’t wanna pull a muscle chewing it.”

“Noted.” Tim dared to take a sip, mulling over the taste. It wasn’t anywhere near Alfred’s level, but a step above his own adventures in the kitchen before getting a hard ban post-pancake incident. It tasted closer to brine than soup, but it went surprisingly well with the bread.

Phantom hummed in pleasure, proving yet again that his standards for food consisted of ‘isn’t actively resisting consumption’. Tim could hardly judge him for it, seeing as his own bar wasn't much higher.

“So, I’d say we have an hour or two until our man arrives. Want to go over the plan again?”

Tim shrugged. “Unless it’s changed from ‘confirm Bruce was already here before following the nearest skip in time’, I think we’re good.”

Phantom nodded, silence falling over them as they ate their way through dinner. Tim kept an ear out for trouble, but the tavern was quite peaceful this time in the evening. It was likely to change once the Queen Anne's Revenge finished docking, but for now he’d savor the ambiance.

“Wanna play twenty questions?”

He blinked, refocusing on Phantom sitting across from him. “Huh?”

“I just figured it might pass the time. Twenty questions, no lies, though you can reject them if you don’t want to answer.”

Tim considered it before nodding, “Sure. How old are you?”

Phantom grinned, “Seventeen, same as you. Why Robin?”

“I wanted to help Batman after the previous one died. Nobody else would intervene, so I stepped in. Why Phantom?”

“Okay, hear me out…it’s a pun.”

Tim paused, gesturing for him to elaborate.

“Before I was half-ghost, my last name was Fenton. So as a ghost, Danny Fenton became—”

“Danny Phantom,” Tim groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were subtle.”

“Hey, nobody expects the dead guy to moonlight as a living person. Sunlight? Whatever. Favorite hobbies?”

“Photography and skateboarding. Favorite power?”

“Ooh, that’s a hard one. I’d have to say flight. Nothing beats flying at night. Sexuality?”

Tim spluttered, making Phantom laugh as he blushed. “What the heck?!”

“Hey, you can always skip,” the asshole offered.

“No, it just caught me off guard. I’m bi. You?”

“Pan. And trans, while we’re at it. Ghosts can shapeshift, so I got a perfect transition at the low cost of death.”

Tim snorted, “Death is an ally.”

“Absolutely, it comes for us all,” he winked. “If you had a single power, what would it be?”

“Something so I wouldn’t need to sleep. I can manage otherwise. What determines the things you take?”

Phantom grinned, “Once a detective. But seriously, I just aim for things that look cool and won’t be missed too much. Some people will kick up a fuss over their trash if they think it’s worth stealing. Thoughts on soulmates?”

He stopped, some part of him catching on how serious the otherwise silly sounding question was phrased. As if the way he answered this could mean life or death. “You mean, a couple acting like they’re made for each other?”

“Ah, I wasn’t sure whether you had them in your universe. On my Earth, everyone is born with some kind of connection to at least one other person. Shared thoughts, a timer countdown to the time they first meet, stuff like that. Platonic or romantic, they were called soulmates.”

“So…someone you’re destined to meet and get along with? Is it magic based?”

A nod. “Humanity’s done research but they haven’t concluded on that yet. I asked an Ancient whose domain was centered around it, and they said it was determined by a soul’s resonance. I don’t know the specifics, but something about how all souls that resonate a certain way are born with soulmarks, so that they have an easier time finding each other. There are studies about how soulmates tend to understand each other easier, but other than that there’s no empirical proof that they’re different from any other relationship.”

Tim considered it. What it might’ve been like, to be told the second he met Dick that fateful night at the circus, ‘this boy will permanently alter the course of your life’. To have been able to approach Batman that first time, point to his wrist, and automatically be listened to instead of resorting to blackmail. How much easier it would have been to avoid the misunderstandings that defined their whole family.

Then again, it would be just his luck to have been born in that world and not have any soul connections to the Wayne family, making him work twice as hard for the same level of trust. Or to be born without resonance at all, and be left knowing that he was truly beyond reach. What would that do to him, in a society where people could point at the worst criminals and say ‘even that monster has someone they love’? To be soulmates with a genuinely terrible person?

“It sounds like a mixed blessing,” Tim said, meeting Danny’s gaze directly. “I would love to have someone like that by my side, and I’d be terrified of being defined by it.”

Danny leaned back, wearing a self-deprecating smile that Tim was quickly learning to recognize. “Yeah, that’s fair. Your turn.”

“What…what is your personal experience with soulmates? If I’m allowed to ask.”

He hissed out a breath through his teeth. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought you’d say.”

“I can ask something else?”

Danny waved a hand in dismissal. “I’ll answer, just lemme figure out how to put it.”

“I’ll return our dishes while you think through what you want to say.” Tim stood with his empty bowl, easily accepting the other bowl and plate as they were handed to him.

Walking back, Tim cataloged the people hanging around the tavern. A group of friends huddled around a dozen plates, decked out in gear that made it look like they just finished having some grand adventure. The bartender, a sly smile on her face as a drunken man clumsily flirted with his own wife. The cook instructing a boy to retrieve the dishes from Tim, sending a calculating glance in Danny’s direction before nodding at Tim and turning back to the fire.

Tim didn’t spend a lot of time in public anymore. His fame attracted far too much attention now that the press could consistently recognize him. But maybe once things settled back down again, he’d try civilian life again. There was something different about living alongside the people he worked to save, instead of far above looking down.

By the time he returned to his seat, Danny looked ready to talk.

“My soulmate rejected me when we were little.”

Tim blinked. “You can do that?”

“Ah…sorta? Depending on the connection, one side can choose to shut it down. Mine let us exchange messages. I was a dumb kid, and sent out a ton every day to try and get any kind of response that they were out there. They got sick of it and blocked me.” Danny laughed, but it wasn't very funny.

“I’m sorry. That sounds awful.”

“Don’t be. I annoy everyone—it was only a matter of time before I did something to chase them away.”

“Would you stop doing that?”

Danny blinked, tilting his head in silent question.

“Look, I get that you went through a lot of shit before coming to Gotham. But you keep acting like it’s a given that everyone you meet will be awful to you, and it sucks to hear you talk like that when I’m having fun with you. It wasn't your fault, so stop claiming credit for it. If I can’t justify losing Robin, you can’t justify being abandoned.”

“...alright then.” Danny huffed, folding his arms and pouting. “Neither of us can talk shit about ourselves.”

The twinkle in his eyes was enough for Tim to know he got through to him.

— - —

Tim leaned up against a fence in the Wild West, shifting uncomfortably in his dust coated clothes. Danny was perched beside him, smugly radiating a cool breeze that may very well have been the only thing keeping Tim upright in the summer sun.

“There’s too much sunlight here, it’s unnatural.”

“That’s just your Gothamite showing, city-boy.”

“Fuck off.”

Danny’s laughter had become a staple of the past few days spent traveling through history. In turn, Tim found himself happier than he’d been in ages, making sarcastic comments about anything that caught his eye in an attempt to get Danny to laugh more.

So far, he’d yet to fail to bring at least a smile to the other’s face.

Right now they were in the late 19th century, following rumors that Bruce had somehow crossed paths with Vandal Savage again. It was bordering on ridiculous, and a part of Tim wondered if this was why the legendary criminal stayed well away from Gotham waters. He was going to have to ask Bruce what was up with that after this whole mess was over.

“So,” Danny started, leaning closer to him. “Have any plans for when we’re back in modern day?”

Tim shrugged, “I see a lengthy report to Batman, hours spent explaining everything he missed while he was gone. I swear I’ll be up all week helping him catch up.”

A snort. “I meant about Robin. No offense, but you looked miserable in your new costume.”

He paused. He hadn’t quite processed the knowledge that bringing Bruce back wouldn’t also bring back his role as Robin. It was obvious whenever he actually thought about it, but to him Bruce coming home was still synonymous to going back to how things were before he was lost in time.

“I don’t know…Red Robin was just supposed to be temporary. It was one of Red Hood’s old aliases, not really mine.”

Danny turned to him. “Do you want a new one? If you decide now, we can lay the basis for some local legend to act as future inspiration for the new title.”

Tim elbowed him, “We aren’t messing with the timeline to establish lore for my new identity.”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! I did it back in my original world, there’s ancient frescos of me winning chariot races and everything.”

“How are you and Clockwork still on speaking terms?”

“Oh, he totally finds it as funny as I do. He just has to pretend to be serious all the time so the Observants don’t crack down on him for shirking his duties.”

“You’re a bad influence on the embodiment of time,” Tim concluded with wide eyes.

A wide grin stretched across Danny’s face as he lied through his teeth. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“How did you even—he’s millennia older than you!”

“Counterparts, remember? It’s not a soul bond, but it’s easy to see ourselves in each other. Besides, time is relative; he's like a weird grandpa-uncle-cousin.”

Tim shook his head, but couldn’t quite force down the laughter in his lungs.

“Hey, I know for a fact I’m not the only bad influence here. No matter how much you claim that sleep is for the dead, I’m physical proof against that.”

“Whatever. You know when the next jump is?”

Danny tilted his head, as if listening for something only meant for his ears. “If Bats already came through here, there’s only two big timesinks left he could be in. Either sometime in the 20th century, or in a designated Vanishing Point.”

“Vanishing Point?”

“Yeah, it’s something of a collaboration between the Observants, Clockwork, and Ghost Writer. Each universe has an archive set right around its eventual heat death. It’s like an empty room in a video game with props the devs left in to keep the system running after inadvertently designing the whole code in reference to a lemon.”

“I…never mind. Why would Batman be there?”

“Oh, ‘cause he’s traveling through time without one of these,” Danny tapped Tim’s chest, right where his Time Medallion lay under his shirt. “They’re designed to safely disperse the energy gained each time we make a jump, among other things. Otherwise we’d just be building up enough to wipe the timeline from existence. Or something like that, I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Tim suddenly realized that this was what his former teammates meant when they complained about him executing strategies without explaining his thought process first. He still stood by his stance that it was more effective to explain things as they happened, but he was developing a new sense of empathy for them.

“Okay. Batman is a time-charged universe level bomb threat, and is getting funneled into the Backrooms so he blows up with everything else in existence. What can we do to stop that?”

Danny blinked. “Sorry, I thought it was obvious. I already carry a medallion with me wherever I go, so I was just gonna have you put the spare Clocky gave me on him to filter it out.”

Yep. This was karma for never giving people the full story behind any of his plans.

“I’m going to need you to go over everything we need to do when we get to this Vanishing Point. Twice.”

“Okie doke! So I’m gonna leave you with my spare medallion to help Bats while I throw down with Darkseid’s hyper-dimensional mind slave he sent after him to ensure his demise—”

Gift baskets. Tim owed so many people gift baskets for putting up with his bullshit.

— - —

When Tim found him, Danny was perched on the same apartment building they’d last met on.

His hood was down, freeing his flaming white hair to burn without heat in the night. His face was turned towards the sky, looking for all like he was somehow stargazing in spite of the thick smog that blanketed the city. It would’ve made for a stunning picture, if not for how soul crushingly lonely the scene felt.

Danny startled when Tim’s grappling hook latched onto the rooftop beside him. The halfa was quick to brighten upon seeing Tim down below, scooting over to make room for him as he reeled in the line and pulled himself up.

“Fancy meeting you here, Detective.”

Tim huffed, readjusting his utility belt. “The others won’t stop pestering me about how Batman was brought back when I shouldn’t have access to any time travel devices. It’s a miracle I was even able to get out of the Batcave without getting smothered.”

“You didn’t tell them about me?”

“You didn’t want them to know.”

Danny looked stunned. He physically shook himself out of it, a glowing green blush rising to his cheeks as he turned away. “Thanks.”

Tim absentmindedly nodded as he smoothly slipped a black marker from his belt while Danny was distracted. This had the potential to either go very smoothly or backfire completely, but it had to be done to sate his curiosity. Now that Bruce was home and he’d gotten the time to think over their conversations, pieces had started to align in his head. It was just a matter of taking the leap and confirming it for himself.

Reaching up to his own cheek, Tim wrote in practiced motions, focusing on the thought of sending it through to whoever was on the other side.

Danny jumped, hand slapping to his own cheek as he whipped his head around to stare at Tim in open shock. He shrugged sheepishly.

“Your description of soulmates was familiar. Between that and the cloak, I really should’ve put it together sooner.”

“You’re…not mad?”

Tim shifted, stashing the marker back in its rightful place. “I wish I knew sooner. I never meant to hurt you—Batman was getting on my case about the writing on my arms being recognizable in costume, and I never thought to wonder why it was happening in the first place.”

Danny shook his head, a wet chuckle escaping his lips. “You couldn’t have known. It would’ve freaked anyone out, getting messages from a different universe on their skin.”

“Neither did you. Know, I mean. Me blocking the connection was never on you.”

“Well…”

“I mean it.”

“Fine, fine. So…does that mean…?”

Tim carefully reached out his hands to grasp onto his soulmate’s, intertwining their fingers. It was remarkable how easily they fit together. “I don’t know if it’s romantic or not, but I’m willing to give it a try if you are.”

Danny collapsed forward into Tim’s arms. He could hardly make out the muffled affirmative, but the message was crystal clear. Leaning down to set his chin on the top of Danny’s head, he let himself savor this moment.

Tomorrow, he could beg Danny to experiment with the extent of their bond. They could talk about new ideas for his hero name, and Danny could get another shot at convincing him to go on a worldwide anti-multi-billionaire tour. The two of them had potentially forever to work out this newfound aspect of their relationship.

For the time being, Tim relaxed back against a chain link fence with his soulmate in his arms, the word ‘BOO’ scribbled in black marker across both their faces.

— - —

And that's a wrap! There's definitely room for more, but these were the all the scenes I wanted to cover ^-^

I think in this universe, Danny and Tim end up working as a slightly morally grey hero duo. They go global for a bit, Tim wanting to train under more people to better keep up with Danny (who follows along invisibly as backup). This eventually gets the attention of Ra's, and you can imagine how that goes XD

They're a bit overly attached; neither of them really have a healthy sense of boundaries, which causes a bit of conflict here and there. Tim is the one that insists on taking breaks to avoid becoming too codependent, which only really results in them deepening the soul bond to a ridiculous degree. Ironically it's during this that Tim discovers how he can send pressure marks through to Danny, who immediately converts it to morse code (oops).

Thanks for reading!

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[lilith-13x]

in reading and thinking about crescent city again i love it so much and then im like hm why don’t i interact with the fandom about it?

and then i look it up, and i want to bash my head against the wall.

because people who have the rosiest tinted glasses on about nesta and just hate cassian for existing cannot FATHOM why rhys gets mad at her when bryce comes to their world.

nesta gives away a priceless and DANGEROUS artifact and weapon to a random stranger who just shows up. and yes nesta is the one who can use the mask, it doesn’t belong to her. it’s not hers to give. so the ruler of her court and the technical owner of that artifact has every goddamn right to yell at her for just giving it away to a stranger.

“but cassian doesn’t stand up for her boo hoo” because he knows she’s in the wrong and like it or not, rhys is his ruler and has power that can silence him in a single look. nesta loves cassian because he doesn’t coddle her, and because they can call each other out on their shit. same as rhys and feyre. when you love and respect a partner, you can still let them be wrong, especially when it puts an entire world in danger.

yall are quick to say cassian is terrible because he lets others yell at nesta but would be furious if he stepped in all the time and didn’t let her handle things. and how convenient that yall forget all the times she yells at him and doesn’t defend him. but that doesn’t matter because nesta can do whatever she wants because she’s a “boss”. be so fr with me rn.

[mystically-yours]

What if...?

"The Masked Cinderella" — what if prince charming never found his Cinderella? The lovely liege he encountered at the masquerade? What if a simple joke turned to be the most pivotal point in his rule? What if all he needed was to focus his eyes on something other than the mask?

♡.. Once upon a fairytale story, lived a young prince basking in his new found glory. It goes without saying that Diavolo had it all: his kingdom, his power, his influence and all the riches one could ever dream of. Oh sure the prince ironically possesses a kind soul, but, until then he was never satisfied.

♡.. Part of this many antics was a Fall Masquerade, to which all nobles and lucky peasants gathered around in celebration. What occasion? Even Diavolo wasn't so sure. Wouldn't it be funnier to think that the "prince" was nothing but a pawn in the crowd? How he loved that idea — MC suggested it afterall.

♡.. The prince would give anything to ditch all the formalities.

♡.. The tale was perfect; but who was this fine liege? A black sheep mask adorned in golden highlights. Diavolo introduced himself under a false facade, asking them questions like "how have I never heard of you before?" and "you dance quite well. Where did you learn this?"

♡.. The figure laughed. Could they see through his mask? Could they make out the silhouette of a lovestruck prince pining for their attention in these brief instances? Could they see the stars twinkle in pools of honey — stars that shine brighter than any gold this world posses?

♡.. In a gentle motion, they only teased:

— "Find me, my prince."

♡.. Who knew pretending to be a mere mortal could have someone tug at his heartstrings. Cinderella — they were. To think he chased after them after the event ended; to which all others were looking for him. Prince Diavolo. Ruler of the Devildom. Was it just for a tyrant to feel sympathy? He couldn't imagine chasing after another after his last love. Not until he felt the mask in his hand...

♡.. Porcelain, yet incredibly light to his touch. He felt determined, clinging onto it like his prized possession. He will find this Cinderella.

♡.. Like any ordinary day, Diavolo clings onto the mask, ignoring the concerned remarks of Lucifer or the subtle "ehems" of his butler. He carefully ran his fingers along the frame of the mask. How his black fingernails blended seamlessly with the colour. It felt as if nothing else mattered, not the meeting. Not the exchange program. Nothing. In a soft coo, he muttered, "I'll find you.. You'll be here eventually."

♡.. The only thing that catches him from his trance was a hand on the table, like a gavel echoing in court. Snapping of fingers alerted him to look back at the source of the sound. His favourite exchange student.

♡.. They'd tease, "who's the lucky girl? or guy? You seem pretty focused on that mask owner."

♡.. Diavolo would blush at that statement.

♡.. Days. Weeks pass by. Until then, was it worth ignoring his duties? He had pushed everyone aside. Someday. Someday he'll find them. MC's teasing proved as a sign to keep going.

— "What if they're not a noble?"

— "awww is the prince feeling lovesick again~?"

— "sheesh, you're probably scaring them."

♡.. Maybe when he'll find them... just perchance... in this instance... He'll finally be satisfied.

♡.. But alas, was it a lost cause? Barbatos knocked on the young master's door. A long sigh could be heard, before bringing the dreaded news. "My lord, I believe we have found Cinderella."

♡.. The Prince's smile then faltered into a solemn expression.

To quote: "He lost his breathe. He's losing conscience. Yet undeterred, he always comes to their feet no matter how bad the fall."

Sadly the prince isn't exempted from the author's rampant desire for angst 😔

This idea was actually one of the more fun but difficult ones to think about. I personally like to believe that Diavolo would purposely pretend to be a lower ranking noble just to get away with some of the formalities — it's a masquerade, afterall! Wouldn't the fun be ruined if you knew who the other person was?

I'd leave the interpretation of the ending for you guys :3 fair warning that this is one of my more sadder stories

Plus I am actually working on this as my own personal project, so stay tuned! ^^

That's all for this author's note! And have a great day 🫶

[lord-and-master]

My Dearest Enemy [8]

◤• Commander Peepers x Reader • ◢

╰┈➤ This is not slow burn at all and with a serious tone (just saying!). This is THE EiGHTH CHAPTER, you can read the rest here:

Neither Peepers nor Reader appear in this chapter, but they are mentioned. However, they'll be in the next one!

https://www.wattpad.com/story/222059481-my-dearest-enemy

Chapter Eight: Thinking That You'll Turn

After the horrible events that took place on the Skullship, Hater, thrown with Captain Tim onto the planet 'Loser', was not happy at all. In fact, he was furious. The name of the planetoid felt like a personal insult, adding to his humilation. He had been stripped of his power, his fleet, his space ship, and now, he was stranded on a planet with a degrading tiltle, with his pet, his pride and ego thourougly wounded.

His mind was a whirlwind of emotions, disappointment, frustration and shame being the strongest. The skeleton couldn't believe he, the almighty ruler, number one superstar, was redacted to this. Thrown away by his former Commander, and a human female. He felt his face heat up with anger, his fists clenched and teeth grinding together. Truthfully, he wasn't used to being the one without control and power.

The situation was absolutely humbling.

However, Captain Tim, in true deadly space creature behavior, started his usual routine of biting, nipping at his owner's face. Hater, instead of reacting with his typical excitement towards the gesture, only muttered. "Love bites won't help, Tim Tim." As he used the nickname, his voice was a mix between irritation and sarcasm. But much to his dismay, the pet kept chewing on his skeletal frown.

Each chomp was another unsult to the fomer leader's pride. It was a blend of agony and a comical reminder of how low he had fallen. From the Lord of Destruction to a plaything for his own animal. His jaw was set, his teeth still grinding, the frustration and degradation were almost more than he could bear. And so he tried pushing Tim away, but with his current powerless state, it was like pushing away a hurricane with a piece of paper. "Stop it, Tim!" He snapped, but the words held no weight behind them. He was angry, helpless and the whole situation was quickly becoming a joke.

A pleasantry that didn't make him laugh in the slightest.

With each bite, each playful nip, the already thin thread of Hater's patience began to fray. Something inside him, the part of him that didn't know how to handle emotions, started to snap. The feelings of embarrassment and the realization that he lost to a human female, and his old-time friend, it was as if the world was mocking him. The skeleton's face was a mask of pure, blind anger, his fists clenching tighter, his breathing growing heavier, it was like a dormant volcano waking up.

Captain Tim continued his play, a mix of humor and obliviousness, while his owner's rage simmered, boiling under the surface like a kettle about to whistle. The chomps weren's painful, but they were the final strawy, the last drop in the bucket. The pet's antics triggered something deeper, the villain's anger issues, that had been building up for ages (actually a day or so), just waiting for the smallest spark to light the fuse.

And in that moment, the creature's bite became that spark, the one that ignited Hater's patience bomb. The dam holding his anger back exploded, and everything came flooding out like molten lava. "NO MORE BITE!" The man let out a roar of rage, and without thinking, he grabbed his pet mid-chomp, aiming to throw him away. He wanted to let his anger out, his need to release the frustration was stronger than ever. Because of that, not giving it much thought, he launched the creature far away with all his might. "BAD CAPTAIN TIM!" He yelled, his voice a growl, full displeasure that wasn't just about the pet. He had become the target of his anger, a scapegoat for every wrong decision, every humilating moment.

The act of throwing felt satisfying, a release of a tiny bit of his pent up anger. A small part of him, the rational part, tried to tell him he was being illogical, that Captain Tim wasn't the reason for his current misery, but a bigger part of him didn't care. His wrath was in control now, and all Hater could think about was releasing it. His movements were now fueled by a furious energy, his fists clenching tight enough to turn his knuckles white. But as Tim disappeared from his sight, the skeleton realized that the alien wouldn't be back for a while.

Oh well.  It only reminded him of his current situation.

"PEEPERS, THAT VILE TRAITOR! AND THAT HUMAN, THAT PATHETIC FLESHBAG, SHE TOOK EVERYTHING! AND THAT WATCHDOG... HE- HE-" He trailed off, jealousy and humilation welling up as an image popped into his head. "AND THOSE DAMN MUSCLES! WHY DOES HE HAVE THEM WHEN I DON'T?!?! IT'S NOT FAAAIR!" Hater's mind was a swirl of embarrassment, rage, and yes, envy. He was green-eyed because of the small alien, the person who was once his obedient Commander, now a traitor with a great physique, and a new role. And ___? She was the supposed inferior human who outplayed him and took his ship, and army. Truthfully he was like a spoiled kid, bitter about the things he couldn't have, the power slipping from his grasp. "WHY DID PEEPERS GET TO BE SO STRONG, SO RESILIENT?! WHY DID HE GET TO BE THE NEW RULER, AND NOT ME?!?!" He was seething with self-righteousness, his ego bruised, his mind clouded with self-pity.

And so he continued his outburst, the volume of his screams rising with every syllable. He was a living embodiemtn of his bitter envy, his bruised ego, everything bubbling to the surface. His entire form trembled from the rage. "I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE GREATEST, TERRIFYING LORD HATER! I SHOULD BE LEADING THOSE IDIOTS TO VICTORY, NOT PEEPERS!" He gestured to himself, even though there was no one there to notice his declaration. "HE STOLE MY SPOTLIGHT, MY COMMAND, AND NOW HE HAS A GIRL TOO!!!" His jealousy was in overdrive. "IT'S NOT FAIR! HOW IS HE BETTER THAN ME?!?!"

Hater was so caught up in his envy, so consumed by his anger, his mind a war of emotions, and his body moving before he could even think. He tried to kick something, to vent his frustration, but in a perfect, ironic twist of the universe, he slipped, his feet sliding out from under him, his arms windmilling as he fell to his butt with a thud.

Quite a sad sight.

The irony of the fall, how the Lord of Evil was brought down by his own uncontrolled fury, was not lost on him. Yet, his feelings were too strong, the resentment overshadowing the humor. The skeleton's face reddened with humilation, his ego taking another blow. He had to stand up, had to regain his dignity. But there was no dignity left, not a single drop in this pathetic situation. "I WORKED HARD TO BUILD MY EMPIRE! PEEPERS CAN'T HAVE MY LEADERSHIP, HE CAN'T!" Hater was on a roll, his outburst showing no signs of stopping. "I'M THE ALL-POWERFUL LORD HATER! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE IN CONTROL, NOT A PATHETIC WATCHDOG, NOT SOME HUMAN WOMAN!!!" His voice rose as he continued, venom dripping from his tongue. "IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ME, ME! I DESERVE IT! THE RECOGNITION, THE POWER, THE GIRL!"

Suddenly, a long, scornful groan broke through his screams. "Hate to break it to you, Hater, but you're PATHETIC right now!!!" Dominator's voice, a blend of contempt and amusement, her words sharp, rang through the thick air. "No wonder a simple human and a watchdog managed to throw you out like trash!"

Hater's attention snapped upon hearing the familiar tone, his eyes widening at the audacity of the insult and also the slender form of the alien female. In a brief moment he not only felt the rage within, but also a bittersweet tug at his heart. The memories of his crush on the villainess flooding into his mind like a tsunami, or something along those lines. Her appearance alone made him even more furious, the vexation turning to her in an instant. "SHUT UP, DOMINATOR!" He bellowed, the sound echoing. "I'VE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH HUMILATION TO LAST ME A LIFETIME. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE!"

The skeleton was in no mood to be mocked, especially not by someone who had been defeated by him in the past (and also wooed, but that was embarrassing to admit). Her words grated on his already frayed nerves, and he couldn't stop himself from fixing her with a glare. "WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!" He roared, resentment turning into confusion.

Actually, yeah, why in the Grop's name was she there?

With a quick and harsh response, the woman answered his question. "I came here to confront someone, someone much more competent and powerful than you!" She said, her tone filled with scorn. "But it seems I've stumbled upon a tantrum-throwing child instead." Her gaze moved up and down on his form, a frown resting on her face. "How disappointing."

Outraged, the skeleton's orbs narrowed further. "I AM NOT A TANTRUM-THROWING CHILD! WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING THAT?!!?!"

"Well, if everyone's saying it..." Sylvia, who was watching the exchange from the sidelines, couldn't resist throwing her two cents in, her voice a combination of amusement and sass. "Maybe it's because you're acting one. Grow up, Hater." She said the last part with a touch of mockery, her hands resting on her hips as she approached the two in a smug fashion.

WHAT THE HELL WAS HAPPENING?!?! The skeleton couldn't help but think.

His face flushed with embarrassment, his fists clenching tighter. "SHUT YOUR YAP!" He retorted. "DON'T YOU ALL HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN MOCK ME?! IT'S NONE OF YOUR BEESWAX!" The man tried to regain some semblance of dignity, but his oubrust was doing everything but that. The realization that the two women he didn't exactly like heard everything he was yelling about, it was too much for him. All he wanted was to disappear in that moment. Or perhaps destroy them, yeah, that would have been better.

But then, the statement of someone he ABSOLUTELY HATED, appeared.

Wander, seeing the bickering escalating, moved closer, trying to defuse the situation, a friendly smile tugging at his lips. "Hey, let's all calm down!" He said, trying to reason. "There's no need for this!" Saying that, he moved his hands in the air in a calming gesture, all the while looking between his (one-sided) friends. His intervention came as an unexpected beacon of reason in the volatile exchange. His soft tone and pleading orbs warmed the tension for a moment.

But Hater wasn't having it.

"WAH- WANDER?!?!" He shook his head, throwing a glare at the nomad. "CALM DOWN?! ME?! HOW ABOUT ALL OF YOU IDIOTS LEAVE ME THE HECK ALONE?!" His voice rose again, his outburst echoeing in the air. "I DON'T NEED EVERYONE'S DUMB INPUT!" His fists clenched tighter, his body tense. He didn't want to be calmed, didn't want reason. He wanted to vent, to let out his frustration. "I DON'T NEED ANYONE'S STUPID ADVICE. LEAST OF ALL, YOURS!" With that he pointed a finger sharply in the fuzzball's direction, the digit almost cutting through his fuzzy face. And seeing that, the orange alien gulped slightly, but the smile never left his mouth.

The skeleton, oblivious (or rather not caring), continued. "I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU, WANDER!" His eyes blazed like a fire that couldn't be tamed. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE IDIOTIC GOODY-TWO-SHOES WHO TRIES TO FIX EVERYTHING! BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?!" He leaned closer to the furry creature, his orbs filled with hate. "THERE'S NOTHING FOR YOU TO FIX HERE!"

Sylvia watched, ready to intervene if neccessary. Dominator didn't really care, she was sitting on a rock, looking at her nails in boredom. The star-nomad however, taken aback by the harsh words, took a step back, his expression a mix of surprise and disappointement. He was used to Hater's personality, to his never-ending resentment towards the world and him, but the truth was, in that moment - it hurt even more. He had hoped his intervention would calm his buddy, that they could then talk about the situation at hand, figure something out.

All he wanted was to... help.

And so his face darkened, his orbs hidding behind his hat.

Hater, in no mood to back down, ignored the change of expression. "YOU KNOW WHAT?!" He took a step forward, his gaze even more furious. "I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR STUPID HAPPY SMILE EVERY TIME YOU SHOW YOUR DUMB FACE!!!" He tried to get his frustrations out, and Wander, the being he despised the most in the whole galaxy, was the closest target for his verbal attack. In the skeleton's small mind, at that time, HE was the enemy, there was no Peepers, no ___, just 'Sunshine Banjo Face'.

The nomad's heart ached at the declaration, it hitting him particularly hard. Still, he maintained his soft demeanor, trying to be the bridge that could ease the tension. He had to try, he couldn't let the situation worsen. "Hater." He started, his voice gentle, but there was a hint of concern. "I know you're upset, but we're here to help." His words were sincere, a desire to reach out and understand the feelings of the troubled villain. He couldn't let his own sadness show, not now, not ever, but holding it back was becoming harder with each passing moment.

W̸h̷y̸ ̶c̸o��u̵l̴d̵n̸'̵t̵ ̶e̸v̷e̶r̶y̶o̵n̵e̵ ̸j̷u̵s̸t̶ ̷b̶e̶ ̴f̴r̵i̵e̶n̷d̷s̷?̵

The electric skeleton, blinded by his jealousy and wrathful rage, didn't want to hear anything, least of all from the goody-two-shoes in front of him. "HELP?!" He snarled, the sound coated with mockery from top to bottom. "I don't need YOUR help!" His fists clenched tighter. "I AM THE ALMIGHTY LORD HATER! I DON'T NEED ANYONE'S HELP!"

His pride wouldn't allow him to acknowledge the truth.

And so he continued. "WANDER, YOU'RE JUST AS USELESS AS YOUR STUPID SMILE! IT DOESN'T FIX ANYTHING! IT DOESN'T 'MAKE ME FEEL BETTER' OR 'FIX MY PROBLEMS'!" His hands trembled, as he took no note of the sadness welling up in his enemy. "SO STOP YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPTS TO COMFORT ME! YOU'RE JUST A PATHETIC BUFFON WHO THINKS SMILING SOLVES EVERYTHING!!!"

And he was p̷̧̊͌̀̈́͠á̵̧̨̫̜̳̻͑͆́̀ṱ̷̜̞̻̝́͐h̵̬̗̦̔͑̂e̶͖̲̭̮͑͆t̵̰̽į̷̮̙͕̊͗̈͘͘c̶̢̻̬̹͈̎̀͂͠, wasn't he?

He was such an idiot for believing ___.

F̷o̵r̶ ̸h̴a̸v̷i̴n̵g̶ ̸h̴o̵p̵e̴.̵

"SMILE ALL YOU WANT! IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE DUMB! EVERYONE IS PATHETIC! YOU, PEEPERS, ___, SYLVIA-" He paused for a moment, turning to the woman that was sitting on the rock, his finger pointing to her harshly in an instant. "AND YOU TOO, DOMINATOR!" He directed his anger at her, a blend between hatred and embarrassment. However the female only rolled her eyes, not at all fazed by the statement. The outburst had turned into a cascade of frustration, each word like a weapon aiming at his opponents. "NONE OF YOU CAN EVEN COMPREHEND THE FRUSTRATION I FEEL! NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ON THE LOSING SIDE, NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE EVERYTHING YOU'VE WORKED FOR SNATCHED FROM YOUR HANDS!"

At that, Dominator raised her hand nonchalantly. "Well, actually-"

"SHUT UP!" Hater practically roared, interrupting her before she could even finish. He wasn't interested in hearing about her failed attempt at destroying anything. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU OR YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT TAKING OVER THE GALAXY!" His voice was loud enough to echo through the whole planet. He couldn't care less about the villainess' past failures. All he wanted was to vent and feel validated in his bitternes. His heart was a mixture of envy, anger and humiliation, and his words reflected that perfectly.

Though the green-skinned woman felt her own ego crumble at his declaration. She suddenly stood up, her pink orb twitching a bit, before she released a yell of her own. "I HAVE MORE POWER AND INFLUENCE IN A DAY THAN YOU EVER WILL IN A LIFETIME, HATER! YOUR PATHETIC EMPIRE DIDN'T LAST AS LONG AS MY COAT!"

"AT LEAST MY EMENSE WASN'T DOOMED FROM THE BEGINNING, YOU PATHETIC COAT WEARER!" With that, the skeleton moved closer to the woman, his gaze turning into a firm glare.

And well, the insult about her attire seemed to hit particularly hard.

"WELL, AT LEAST I HAVE A COAT, AND IT'S MORE STYLISH THAN YOUR WORTHLESS SKELETON BUTT!" She fired back, her own fists clenching at her sides as she leaned closer to the male villain. Her teeth were gritting together, the fact that she herself was also struggling with emotions evident. In a way, they were similar, but that didn't mean they would get along.

Hater's ego took another blow, his hand resting on his chest in shock. "HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY SKELETON BUTT?! IT'S 100 TIMES MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN YOUR STUPID CLOTHES!!!" He shouted, like a wounded lion trying to act strong.

Sylvia, trying to maintain her cool, couldn't help but quip in. "Seriously?" She said sarcastically. "Are you two really yelling about coats and butts? Can you even hear how ridiculous that sounds?"

"SHUT IT!" In a rare moment of unity, the two villains turned their rage towards the zbornack. They were too lost in their argument to realize how hilarious it actually was.

Wander's heart ached with every word, every insult exchanged between the two. His eyes were like deep pools of empathy, yet behind his usual bright smile, a deep sadness, a pain that made him feel heavy. He was trapped in a dilemma, caught between his optimism, his compassion, and the pain of seeing his friends at odds. Thruthfully, he was torn in two. His mind was a constant battlefield, a whirlwind of emotions. He wanted the galaxy to be harmonious, but he wasn't naive, not like everyone thought he was.

He saw the reality, the stubborness, the bitterness, and yet... he still believed. But belief without action was like air without substance, and he was lost among his thoughts.

The clash of voices was a symphony of discord, a melody of resentment that echoed in his ears. He couldn't help but to hurt for them, to feel the sourness in their words and the pain that fueled them. His heart was a garden trying to bloom despite the storms outside, each insult a heavy rain, each scream a harsh wind. His optimism, a mere whisper in his turmoil. His smile, a veil over the harshness, a mask hiding his deep concern, the war between his hope and the whole situation at hand.

"L̴e̶t̸'̷s̷..." The first words tried to escape from his throat, his lips quivered, his face strained. His mouth opened and closed, trying to say more, his fingers twitched, a blend of determination and fear. That's why he had to at least make an attempt. "A̸l̴l̵.̵.̵" It came out as a whisper, his orbs locked on the arguing villains, his chest sinking. His expression was a mix of sympathy and desperation, his mind waging war with his desire to unite, to bring peace among his friends. But he was lost in the whirlwind of tension, drowing in the sea of emotions. He knew he needed to say more, but it was as if every words was a struggle, trapped on his tongue like a caged bird.

W̸h̸y̶ ̶w̶a̷s̴ ̷i̵t̵ ̵s̷o̸ ̸h̴a̸r̵d̷?̵

".̴.̶b̵e̵.̴.̷" Finally, he managed to blurt out, his voice filled with both hope and agony. His eyes were heavy with conflict, his spirit straining, begging to be heard. His hand clutched his chest, the feelings like a harsh knot. ".̷f̴r̸i̷e̶n̴d̶s̵!̴"̴ That was all he could manage, the most he could get out.

In that moment, he felt the bitter taste of despair.

Sylvia, noticing his struggle, furrowed her brows in worry. The last time she saw her friend in that kind of state was 3 years back, a time where Dominator threathened to destroy the flower that was their last light in the destroyed galaxy. Knowing that now, he was experiencing the same - or perhaps even worse - feelings was making her curse internally. "Buddy..." She whispered, the hurt seen in his orbs tugging at her heart-strings. Her voice was a soft call to Wander, her worry clear. The sound of her concern only increased the feeling of guilt.

His lips trembled, tried to form another statement, the tussle for speaking was a battle against his whole attitude. His tone, a stirred brew of sadness and frustration, was like a broken melody. But he had to do the right thing, he had to try, despite every single bit of his being telling him he would fail.

He lived to help others, to make them happy.

It was his purpose, and without it, he was nothing.

In a moment of courage - not born in his heart, but out of a desperate cling to his belief in good - he raised his voice, the sound becoming just loud enough to catch the attention of the clashing pair. "HEY!" And with that, the two turned towards him, pausing their bickering, both surprised by the sudden interruption. Even Dominator, in the midst of her heated argument with Hater, was caught off guard. His vocalization was louder than usual, a contrast to his cheerful nature, a hint of impatience creeping into his words. He wasn't about to let them continue, not again. "We need to talk about something important!" The two villains, momentarily silenced by his commanding tone, stopped their verbal fight, if only for a moment. Their attention turned to him, their own frustrations still bubbling under the surface, but for now, they were willing to listen.

Wander, seeing that he had their attention, took a moment to gather his thoughts. His voice, a mix of urgency and concern, spoke out, "We need to talk about the situation with Mister Peepers and ___." He paused, taking a deep, deep breath. His heart ached at the thought of the situation, but he needed to voice his concerns, needed to discuss it.

He was fully aware that Hater and Dominator might not take kindly to his words, but he had to share his fears nonetheless, not wanting to let them get too caught up in the argument. "I'm worried about her, and what she might do with..." He paused, his eyes meeting the skeleton with a flicker of sadness. "...with Peepers."

But Hater didn't notice the hollow presence behind his words.

"Peepers?!" He replied, his jealousy and resentment overflowing. "That useless, no-good, worthless watchdog?!" He snarled. "He is no longer relevant!" With that he crossed his arms, his tone dripping with dismissal. He didn't want to hear anything about his former commander, or care about what might happen to him. In his mind, Peepers had betrayed him, had chosen power over loyalty, had abandoned his empire, and therefore, the villain would show no compassion for the his fate. "Peepers made his choice!" He said bitterly. "So whatever might happen to him, it's none of my concern!"

At that Sylvia raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look. "Seriously, Hater?" She asked sarcastically, not believing his statements for a second. "You really don't care about what happens to that idiot?"

But Hater's expression remained defiant, his orbs narrowed. "No." He said flatly, feigning apathy. "I don't." His reply was sharp and quick, a defense against the truth. Yet his tensed shoulders and clenched jaw seemed to betray his stance, indicating that perhaps he did care, at least a little (not that he would admit it though).

The zbornack, seeing through his face, decided to push further. "Oh, sure you don't." She said, a hint of amusement in her gaze. "Like you never cared about him before."

In complete denial of his own feelings, the skeleton shot her a glare. "I never cared about that moron, and I certainly don't care now!" He retorted, trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince the alien woman. However, the mere mention of his former second-in-command stirred a mixture of pain and betrayal within him.

"Oh, come on, deep down you do care. Don't pretend you don't." She tried again.

Hater, stubborn as ever, let out a scoff. "I don't. Why would I care about that backstabbing traitor?" His expression was filled with hate, resentment, a desperate attempt at showing he truthfully didn't feel the slightest bit of concern.

It was then that Wander, gulping down his own sadness, chimed in. "But Hater." His tone was softer, a smile weakly tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Peepers was- IS your friend. He was by your side for so long, doesn't that mean anything?"

As he asked, the guilt weighed heavily on his heart. His own memories of meeting the human female came to his mind. The happiness he felt when she changed, the hope upon seeing her in the Yonder Galaxy for the first time. He wanted to believe. To hold onto the lie that she told, and somehow find out that it was the truth all along.

B̷̖̰̋ủ̶̻͛́͗̒̔̅ẗ̸̻̙͍̆͒͛.̵̦̮͕͈̽̊.̴̧͓̿̅̀͒ ̴̺̹̱̠̤͗̒̏̇̓́͜i̸̜̦̪̩͛́̃͝t̸̡̺̼̺̯͎̼̒̓̾́̋ ̸̛̘̝̣̿́̓̓ẅ̶̹̠̼́͆͘ȃ̵͍̤̝̘̺͇͂͝s̴̡̨̹̙͚̦̀̐̑̿͘͘͝ ̸̜͓͔̪͊̾́h̶̝̩̮͔̋̔ͅȁ̶̗̓̾̓͒͛r̷̛̤̠͛ḏ̷̛̀́͗̏͂.̷̝͓̭̤̇̎̈̋

Hater, not in the mood for sentiment, snapped back. "Peepers WAS my watchdog! He betrayed me!" His narrowed orbs turned into a glare, his fists clenched once more. "He chose some pathetic human over me, ME!" Quickly he gestured towards himself, like it was the stupidest decision the former second-in-command could have done. "After everything I've given him! He's a traitor, nothing more."

The star-nomad winced at the sharp words, his own misconduct growing. He couldn't refute his statement, because after all, it was true. And he was the one that brought ___ into this Galaxy, or at least, he was the catalyst, the reason she did so. "I know." He replied, his gaze turning to the ground sadly. "But I... I never imagined it would lead to this."

It was all his fault.

As the skeleton's tone tinged with bitterness, he shot back. "Well, you should've considered that before you involved that fool! Because of YOU, he let that human into our lives. THIS IS YOUR DOING, WANDER!"

Y̵e̵s̷,̷ ̸i̴t̵ ̷w̷a̵s̷ ̵a̴l̷l̸ ̶h̴i̸s̵ ̵d̷o̶i̴n̸g̵

Wander swallowed down the lump in his throat, his guilt and self-blame heavy. He opened his mouth, trying to find words to respond, but all he could manage was a small declaration. "I'm.. sorry..." It wasn't enough, he knew it, but it was all he could muster at the moment, the sorrow almost chocking him.

Hater, caught up in his own bitterness, continued his argument with the fuzzball, his voice sharp and resentful. "Oh, an apology? Is that supposed to fix everything?" He snapped, venom in his words. "Your stupid apologies don't change the fact that because of YOU, Peepers left and now we're dealing with this!" He jabbed a finger at Wander, accusatory and unapologetic.

W̴h̵y̷ ̴d̷i̶d̸ ̴h̵e̵ ̸a̴l̸w̵a̸y̷s̷ ̴h̶a̴v̶e̸ ̷t̸o̸ ̴s̸e̶e̵ ̷t̵h̸e̶ ̴b̸e̵s̸t̷ ̷i̵n̶ ̴p̴e̵o̵p̴l̴e̷?̸

Because everyone was good, in their own way!

N̴͙͐o̷̦̐ ̸̬͛ť̸̯ḫ̴̾ë̶͙ȳ̷͎ ̵̙͌w̶͓̑e̴̞͝r̴͒͜e̶͕̓n̶̯͝'̴̠͠t̵́ͅ.̵̘̓ ̴̝͘

Yes, they were!

Ÿ̶̩͎́́̔̏͜o̸̭̭͌̉ŭ̶͙͎̯́̊̃ͅ'̸͔͉̓̄̓r̵̘̰̲̤̻̀̊̽ẹ̴̭̞̣̓ ̴̦̖̋̎ĵ̵̛͉͓͉̆̕ͅu̴̢̫͌s̶̝̃̀̈́͝t̴̹̿́͊͝͠ ̷̭̈́ḁ̵̏̑̑ ̷̱̘̤̽͠l̵̼͑͝ĭ̴͍̓̉͜ä̴̯̲̘̓͠ŕ̵͎͊̓͒̓,̴̼͓̯͠ ̷͚͕̃̽̀̓̕a̵̱̜̯͆n̵̡̲̻̑̿d̷͔̋̌̑̉͘ ̸̢̓̽̎͐y̸͗͑͜o̵͎̝̓͂͐u̴̝͌͘ ̷̓͜k̵͇̲̝̦͛͋n̶̛͉̤͍̉͋̎͊ö̶̺́̍w̴͕̍̈́ ̶͈̳͙͔̀̈ḯ̶̪̭̺͠t̸̯͘-̸̪͝-̴̛̳̺̬̜̊̑̈́-̶̛̳͖͊͗͝-----

"You're forgetting something, Hater." Suddenly, Dominator decided to chime in, her voice matter-of-fact, yet light. "This wasn't just Wander's doing."

Huh?

Wander blinked, the war that raged inside of him stoping for a moment. The vocalization of the villainess was soft, almost unrecognizable. Was she standing up for him? The same person that he tried to turn good and failed, time and time again? It didn't make sense. Dominator didn't feel any sort of sympathy to anyone other than herself. Though as he watched her movement, her awkward gaze, something inside of him replenished the hope that he started losing.

Maybe... it wasn't the end.

Hater looked at his crush, his frustration turning into confusion. He had missed a key piece of information. "What do you mean?" He asked, a suspicious eyebrow raised. "Explain."

The former destroyer rolled her eyes, her emotions masked. "This human, ___." She said, her tone flat. "This isn't the first time she's tried to take over a Galaxy. She's a villain, and she planned all of this." There was a spark of concern in her words, a hint that she might actually be trying to defend the wandering weirdo she so awfully despised.

Sylvia raised an eybrow too, seeing the strange change of behavior in the villainess. Though before she could say anything, the silence was interrupted by Hater's loud snort.

"ARE YOU JOKING?! A HUMAN, BEING A VILLAIN?!" He scoffed, his laughter echoing across the space. The concept of that woman being a bad person seemed completely absurd to him. And so his body trembled with the amusement of such a ridiculous notion. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" He bellowed. "A HUMAN?! THAT'S THE MOST IDIOTIC THING I'VE EVER HEARD!!" His hysterics were fueled by the absurdity of it all, his ego refusing to accept such a possibility.

Sylvia, her expression a mixture of annoyance and disbelief, watched his reaction with her arms crossed over her chest. Dominator stood silent, not bothering to speak until he was done yelling nonsense himself. Wander, on the other hand, just continued to feel heavy guilt. However, the small spark in the former destroyer's eyes made him a bit less on edge.

But the skeleton continued to laugh. "A HUMAN?!" He repeated, his voice filled with ridicule. "IT'S ABSURD, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE IT! A PATHETIC HUMAN TRYING TO BE A VILLAIN?! IT'S LAUGHABLE!! WAHAHAHAHA!"

His denial was strong.

Dominator, with a deadpan look and a hint of mockery, decided to remind him of something. "You're an electric skeleton with anger issues." She started. "And you can't even grasp the idea of a human villain?" Her question was sharp, a subtle way of nudging him about his own flaws and embarrassing past. It was a perfect jab, and Sylvia had to bite back a laugh. And with that, Hater's amusement abruptly halted, his face turning a shade of red. Mid-laugh, he suddenly realized. He hadn't considered how his own nature added to the absurdity of his disbelief.

"Y-You don't understand!" He sputtered, trying to salvage his pride. He was clearly flustered and annoyed, his attempt at a retort not very strong. "It's different! I'm a skeleton with great power and a mighty empire!" His explanation was weak, the embarrassment seeping in every word.

The woman, a slight smirk tugging at her lips, took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. "And she's a human who's smarter and more cunning than most of the actual villains I've known." Her statement was blunt and straightforward, the fact that she knew very well who ___ was, that they perhaps had some sort of history together, it was evident. Though the infromation flew over everyone's heads, instead just taken as a reminder of the human's capabilities and how she had bested them all.

Hater, struggling to recover from his flustered state, scowled at her retort. The embarrassment and humiiliation boiled within him. Sylvia, unable to contain herself, exploded into laughter, her amusement spilling out as she guffawed at the skeleton's predicament. Even Wander, despite his guilt, couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, however it was softer and more hesitstant.

With that, the electric villain shot a glare at all three, his face resembling a tomato. But Dominator stood unamused and continued to pile on the discomfort for him. "A weak human." She emphasized, starting to circle around him with a predatory gaze. "Not only took your ship, but also manipulated your Commander." With that, she paused in front of him, her eyes glimming with mischief. "Quite a feat, wouldn't you say?" Her words were a sharp reminder of the villain's foolishness and Peepers' betrayal.

"SHE JUST GOT LUCKY!" He snapped, his voice tinged with denial. The yell a desperate attempt to save face, but all it was doing was continuing to entertain Sylvia. She shot a glance at Wander, who also couldn't hide a hint of a smile, despite everything. Even if he didn't show it, he too found humor in this exchange, especially with Hater getting roasted by the likes of Dominator.

Suddenly, in the middle of the humilation, the skeleton's mind was struck by a memory. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought, only for it to linger at the back of his brain, adding to his embarrassment. He had to tell them about it, after all, it was a very important issue. And so, he snapped his fingers, trying to get everyone's attention. "And another thing!" He began, his tone filled with confidence and a hint of envy. "I have to mention... THAT PEEPERS HAS BECOME SOME KIND OF BODYBUILDING WARRIOR, IT IS NOT RIGHT! HOW CAN A USELESS WATCHDOG LIKE HIM BE SO STRAPPED! IT'S UNFAIR!!!"

Sylvia's laughter, which had been subsiding, reappeared in full force. She burst out into another fit of hysterics, her amusement skyrocketing at the mention of the former second-in-command's physique. Hater, despite his jealousy, couldn't miss the way his outburst was affecting the zbornack, and it infuriated him even more. Dominator however rolled her eyes, but it was clear that she enjoyed the ridiculous declaration.

And when Hater saw their reactions, he stomped his foot like a child. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" He belowed, his face crimson. At that point, he had completely forgotten about the previous argument with his enemies.

Much to her dismay, the lady villain couldn't stop herself from letting a quiet chuckle slip out, because Sylvia's laughter was infectious. Her amusement, even though she tried to hide it, was clear in the subtle upturn of her lips. And when Wander noticed it, a familiar warmth began to envelop his heart in a tight squeeze. It was exactly the thing that he needed to be reminded of his cheerful nature. So in a way, Hater's dumb attitude helped him. "Sorry, I'm sorry Hater." He wiped a tear from his eye, though it was unclear if it was from sadness or not. "It's just... you have to admit, it's a bit funny."

And then, his usual smile returned.

The skeleton wasn't as happy however.

"IT IS NOT! IT IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND IT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH!" The villain bellowed, his words a mixture of seriousness and envy.

As the zbornack tried to regain her composure, and failed to do so, she managed to say a few words between her hysterics. "Stop!" She cackled. "My sides hurt!"

Hater glared at her, his scarlet cheeks intensifying from the whole situatiion. He let out a disgruntled sigh, crossing his arms and pouting. His ego couldn't handle the fact that everyone was enjoying his humilation. "Whatever." He grumbled under his nonexistent nose.

"You're right, Hater!" Wander, despite a small portion of sadness lingering, couldn't miss the skeleton's frustration and decided to take advantage of it by agreeing with him. "We need to deal with that weird... situation in our humble little Galaxy!"

The male villain, caught off guard and secretly happy that someone was taking his side, straightened his stance and nodded. He shot another quick glare at Sylvia, but then pumped his fist in the air. "YES!" He barked, feeling a small boost to his pride. "FINALLY someone understands the seriousness of the situation! It is not okay for HIM to walk around, all beefed-up and strong like he's better than ME!" His envy was obvious, though his attempt to hide it, kind of laughable.

Dominator, with her straight-forwardness, added her opinion. "You do know that they're planning to conquer the galaxy, right?" She said, matter-of-factly.

Hater, though his ego was getting somewhat stroked, froze. Peepers, before throwing him out, told him that he's going to be the new ruler. But it seemed that the information flew over the skeleton's head. He was too focused on the more important aspects. And so, with wide eyes, he processed the villainess' words. In a matter of seconds his face flushed with shame over how he had completely forgotten that part. "Uhhh.." He stamered, his momentary smugness crashing.

In his jealousy, he had forgotten that Peepers was actually planning to conquer the galaxy.

Feeling a wave of awkwardness crash over him, he stammered for a response. He felt foolish, even Sylvia had managed to stop laughing and was now enjoying his humilation. "I KNEW THAT!" He finally said, trying to regain some dignity. But his words were too defensive, even a small watchdog could spot his embarrassment.

The zbornack female raised an eyebrow, still trying to contain her amusement. "You forgot." She said, her tone falt, yet obvious mischief in her eyes. The woman loved the entire situation, seeing the 'terrifying' villain getting absolutely destroyed.

But he didn't give up, still trying to sound confident. "I-I didn't forget!" He snapped, his voice cracking. "I just thought they were too incompetent to execute it!" His attempt at saving face was hilarious, his words dripping with pure denial.

Dominator, not one to miss a chance to ridicule Hater, couldn't resist the opportunity to land a barb. "And yet here you are." Mockingly, she said. "On Planet Loser."She shot him a cold glare, her tone deadpan, her statement hitting the skeleton's pride like a missile.

But just as Hater was about to scream out his frustrations, the entire planetoid went dark as a colossal, shadowy figure emerged from the sky.

It was the Skullship, no longer just a stolen property, but a terryfying presence. Thruthfully, it looked menacing, its sharp edges and dark shadows spreading out across the whole planet, casting the whole surface a sinister glow. Clearly it had been upgraded, now equipped with advanced weapons, features, making it as deadly as possible. It wasn't just a vehicle, a flying house for Hater's incompetent failures anymore. It was a testament of power and control, something that spoke true power, unlike the skeletal lord that resided in it before.

Hater, his mind filled with envy, anger and betrayal, tried to form coherent words, his voice a mix of frustration and indignation. Wander, however, felt his guilt deepen, his smile wavering once more. He had believed her. He had trusted her. But now, seeing the ship right above, casting a dark shadow over everyone and their feelings, the reality hit him.

___ never changed.

"...my friend..." He could only whisper, his heart heavy with sorrow.

The star-nomed truly believed her sincerity, her intent to start anew. However, the sight of the upgraded ship that once belonged to his other friend, her return to villainous plans.. it was all a painful reminder that he couldn't trust her words. And so his saddened orbs followed the ship's sillhouette, his chest heavy with the weight of his naivety. He couldn't understand how she could do this to him, to everyone else in the Yonder Galaxy, after everything they shared.

W̵a̷s̷ ̸t̸h̸e̴i̸r̷ ̸f̵r̶i̸e̵n̸d̸s̸h̷i̴p̴ ̵i̸n̷s̶i̸g̷n̴i̷f̷i̷c̶a̸n̴t̷?̷

As the four watched the menacing figure above, all of them to stunned to speak, it disappeared in the cold vaccum of space, just as quickly as it emerged. Within a few seconds, it became just a faint dot in space, but still held the weight of Peepers' and ___'s plan. Galactic Domination.

But, as comical as that may have sounded, before the ship fully escaped from their sight, an almost hysterical - yet powerful - jingle sounded with a subtle chime.

♪ Commander Peepers~ ♪

It echoed in the silence, the playful tune a sharp contrast to the situation's gravity. It was both a taunt and a declaration of their intent.

Sylvia, regaining her seriousness, turned to Hater and Dominator, her voice tinged with urgency as she recognized the familiar determined tug in her stomach. "Look guys." She said, her gaze firm and set on the goal. "We need to work together if we want to stop those two." With that she gestured towards the vehicle had disappeared.

The skeleton knew that she was right, but he didn't want to admit it, and so instead he whined like a child. "I DON'T WANNAAAAA!" He crossed his arms like a petulant toddler, visibly unhappy about having to cooperate with anyone, especially those he often argued with.

Dominator, reluctantly agreeing with Hater, also did the same gesture with her arms, her expression annoyed. But she was also aware of the threat the faced, the knowledge that the human female was indeed terrible. "Ugh, fine." She eventually muttered, her tone filled with begrudging acceptence. "We need to stop that scheming human, as much as I don't want to work with you dorks."

The zbornack, stopped the roll of her eyes and instead turned to her friend, resting her hand against his shoulder in a comforting manner. "Are you in, buddy?" Her heart clenched with worry, seeing him so sad and forlorn. She wanted to help him, to comfort him, to see him smile again. They had to solve this, defeat the threat together, like they always did, but seeing the star-nomad so sad... it was heartbreaking.

But Wander, despite his hesistance and the weight of disappointment, gathered himself.

After all, he was the one that had to keep everyone together.

His hands stretched out, drawing Hater, Sylvia, and Dominator in a tight, warm hug. His voice bright, but slightly strained as he tried to stay enthusiastic. "We can do this! TOGETHER!" His attempt at sounding happy felt a bit fake, but there was a determination behind it.

Both villains, annoyed by the sweetness of the gesture, made a vomiting gesture stimultaneously, their disgust obvious. Additionaly, Hater made a retching sound. "EWWW!! PUT ME DOWN! I DON'T WANT TO GET COOTIES!!!" Dominator on the other hand just rolled her eyes, her expression thoroughly disgusted.

The star-nomad, completely oblivious to the grossed-out reaction, maintained his cheerful demanor. The fakeretch of his of his companions only made him frown slightly, but he wasn't letting go. His focus was on friendship, his desire to keep everyone together.

Sylvia, still stuck in the hug, couldn't unsee their sour mood. There was no escapying this 'friendliness' when Wander had such a tight grip. However, she couldn't help but smile at the mix of grumpiness and camaraderie. In that moment, despite the challenges ahead, there was a glimmer of hope. And with that oddball group, who knows? Maybe, just maybe, they would find a way to work with each other and save their Galaxy. "We will win." She muttered, finding slight humor in the awkward situation. "With this dysfunctional team of a misfit group of... friends."

"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS!" Hater and Dominator, with their united cry of indignity, screamed out, attempting to struggle in the embrace. However, the action only made the furry alien hold them closer, his smile not budging. It was almost like he was afraid to let them go, terrified that he might lose everything that kept his sanity in line.

But as long as they had hope and each other, they would succeed.

[holylulusworld]

Ready to comply - Prologue

Summary: You are the ruler of his life. In any way.

Pairing: Winter Soldier x fem!Reader

Warnings: angst, dom!Reader, imprisonment/past imprisonment, mentions of past physical/psychological abuse against reader/implied past rape (no description), mentions of past violence against reader, implied characters death

A/N: Please consider the reader in this story is morally dark/grey. 

Ready to comply masterlist

You’re a queen to him. A ruler. The one holding his life in your hands.

He looks at you with puppy dog eyes, whining as you do not pay attention to him immediately.

It hasn’t always been this way. No. 

Five years ago, you were in a worse position than your soldier. 

You got thrown into the lion’s den to get devoured, abused, and used by the man without memory and free will.

He did unspeakable things to you. 

The soldier ripped you apart and offered shelter.

He was the only constant in a never-ending nightmare. Soldier. Murderer. Rapist. Monster. Your savior in his own way. 

This is not revenge on him. But his former owners. Hydra, the ones turning him into an obedient machine without free will, or wit.

Cruel people snatching you out of your family’s arms to have a toy for their blunt tool. Someone they could use to keep him in line.

“Ready to comply,” he dips his head and purrs the words. “I was good, кукла [doll]. I got them all. See…”

The soldier points his index finger at the dead men on the ground. His blues eyes meet yours and for a moment the soldier just stares at you.

He hopes for a reward. A special one. The one only you can give him.

No one else is allowed to get close to him. He kills anyone wanting to touch him.

Everyone but you.

“You were so good, soldier. Come here,” you purr and open your arms for the obedient warrior. 

If he could break out of the programming, you’d be as dead as the men on the ground. But that‘s impossible.

So, he makes his way toward you.

The soldier takes the mask covering half of his face off, carelessly dropping it to the ground. He buries his face in your neck, and whines.

“Such a good soldier. Always so obedient. My strong warrior. You did so well,” you whisper as he wraps his arms around your body.

The soldier is so much stronger than you. He proved it many times in the past. He easily could throw you around the room and break every bone in your body.

But he won’t. He can’t. The programming won’t let him.

Because, you have full control over the deadliest weapon Hydra ever invented.

Ten simple words made him your slave, your warrior.

“We need to go now, soldier. They will be here soon. Let me finish this masterpiece, my soldier,” you purr in his ear. “You’ll get a sweet reward later.”

“All for you, кукла [doll].“ He straightens and lets go of you. The soldier looks around the room, scanning it for any sign of danger. 

“Good boy,” you pat his cheek. “Pick your mask up and watch the entrance. We don’t want them to find our surprise too soon.”

“Yes. Ready to comply.” He puts his mask back on and takes his gun out of his thigh holster.

“Such a good soldier,” your voice cracks. You know that you are no better than the people kidnapping you years ago. You’re not delusional. Violence and death follow you since you escaped Hydra.

You started a war with them, and the soldier is your tool.

He doesn’t know you are using him just like the others did.

Maybe you’re a little nicer to him. But you are still nothing but the monster they created.

You watch the soldier for a moment. The monster ruining your body and soul. 

He looks at the dead men on the ground, and for a moment, you have got the feeling he is struggling to follow your orders. 

Sometimes he seems to be miles away. Just staring holes into the air.

“Well done, soldier,” you say as you crouch down to cut the shirt of one of the men open. You smirk as you twirl the knife in your hand. 

The soldier taught you well. Not only how to survive as a prisoner, but how to use knives, guns, and your body against your enemies.

“What do you say? Do we want to leave a message again?”

>> Part 1

Tags in reblog.

[daisychainsandbowties]

Mrs. Villaumbrosia cleaning out the beach house and just sending all Lilith’s notebooks to her professional address which Lilith is used to and not bothered by except there’s a graduate assistant who goes through all of it and digitizes all the data Lilith has kept since she was, what, 7? when she started really overcoming her writing difficulties. The GA compiles everything Lilith has; esp. roughly two decades of lumpfish data and emails Lilith a copy to approve for publication. Lilith’s only edit is to add Michael as a coauthor.

It starts with dozens of emails from her overeager grad student, taglines full of exclamation points, all caps, conga lines of commas ,,,,,,,LUMPFISH!!!!

Her mother sends it over in an old orange crate she found in the basement, and Lilith would have felt her hands shake if it had been her - and not Michael - who cracked the lid. If she saw how neatly her mother packed each notebook, adding wads of fabric to stop them from falling over.

Inside, also, are her father’s binoculars in their green leather case; old film and videotapes; an adult’s snorkeling mask that’s been cannibalized to fit a child’s head.

One of her old hoodies for stuffing, with a picture of a cartoon crab on the front. Tourist rubbish, given to her by a stall owner who saw her walking up off the beach in a t-shirt and shorts at the advent of a storm, shuddering from the chill and drenched in saltwater. He handed it to her, along with a can of Coca Cola he’d been saving to have with a cigarette after closing up the stall.

The notebooks are held shut with rubber bands so none of the loose pages escape. Her mother would have done this by hand.

But it’s not Lilith who finds this silent “i love you” hidden in an old crate, specially couriered from their old beach house. It’s her grad student, but the sight does at least arrest him.

(and Lilith won’t know this for another decade, but her mother was cleaning up the house to sell it. instead she puts it in Lilith's name. just… gives it to her, slots the keys into an envelope: to be delivered upon my death)

Michael describes how he shook sand out of some of the notebooks, the smell of the ocean dried into the pages when he cracked the spines again to sift through a summertime of drawings.

They’re precise, for the most part. Practical, with neatly described dimensions, notation in a scrunched-up hand because writing hurt, but even then it was impossible not to do it. She had to record what she saw underneath the water.

Sea urchins chewing through the holdfasts at the bottom of kelp, their bodies so bright with the water fleshing down past the moving canopy. Lilith, diving to the seafloor to watch them, armed with the ruler from her father’s old geometry set. Lilith, finding their fivefold symmetry, noting the length of each spine and gently prizing their tube feet from the rocks to carry one of them ashore.

And Michael is like her so he doesn’t balk when she describes slotting her penknife into its shell, little notes on how the spines still moved, and for how long. Observing them down on the sea bed and noting in a scrawl surrounded by water droplets “spines used for locomotion?”

There are drawings of her octopus friend. One, from memory, of her wrapped around Lilith’s arm, trailing her suckers up towards the elbow joint. She finds, scrunched in against this drawing, an almost indecipherable note that Michael mistook for a child’s attempt at an artist’s signature. But it’s not that - when she was eight she never dreamed that anyone would read her notes, or care as much as she did about the ocean. There, in tiny writing, she finds a note (to herself, perhaps?) that reads “me and Octi in july. it was warm.”

It’s a charter of one small stretch of coastline, every species hunted down and documented. She only dissected a few of them, just crabs and sea urchins, comb jellies and sea sponges and, once, a dead pyjama shark.

The others she only observed, diving until she was dizzy and only for as long as a breath could hold her.

Michael sends her the proof, and it’s beautiful. her coloured sketches and her simpler ones arrayed around the sections of commentary she sent him in return emails, over months and months and months. Next to that, her childish observations - crude science, but some of it astounds her. It’s almost poetry, or maybe it only seems like it, to her.

Because she lived it, lungs aching in the aching depth, watching the kelp sway and cast shadows. An octopus wrapped around her arm, following the span and clench of her fist with its little arms, watching the waves crash overhead but sitting calm in the drag of the undertow. It was the only peaceful place in the entire world, back then.

Lilith has found another one since then.

The proof copy of the book arrives festooned in bright customs stamps, stickers haphazard on the cardboard. Lilith scatters packing peanuts across her office floor when she opens it, makes a mental note to pick them up before paprika tries to eat them. The cover is what she expects, but it steals her breath. It’s the drawing of her octopus, tangled around the thinness of Lilith’s seven-year old arm. She can almost feel the water moving around her, the pressure of the suckers on her skin.

Camila finds her staring at it, coming gently into the room with a thermos of soup and half a plastic-wrapped loaf of bread under one arm. Hearing her, Lilith looks up, and there are tears in her eyes.

She blinks, slow, and Camila is there, leaning down to take Lilith's jaw in her hands, thumb swooping over her cheeks.

“It's here,” Lilith mumbles, inarticulate in the presence of her own tears.

And she can’t explain it, really.

Only that she was happy, back then. Curled up in her crab hoodie with her notebook, sketching the sea stacks that you can spot from on top of the cliffs. Her coloured pencils scattered in the sand as she switched between them, trying to capture the deep green of the kelp suffused in sunlight, the red trail of innards from the pyjama shark she hauled up onto the sand. Sea urchins and the quiet rustling of their spines. Jellyfish in their medusa-phase trailing their tentacles.

The peace of floating with them, of following fish and watching sessile creatures creep over the seabed. It was her home, her safest and most sacred place.

But she was also alone, and it was also lonely. Walking home to her unlatched window, she’d sneak down to steal crackers and cheese from the pantry, or cold cuts of ham from the refrigerator - bathed in that cold glow in her bare feet, hands covered in tiny punctures from handling sea urchins without care. She used to pour alcohol-based hand sanitizer over them in the kitchen sink, wincing, and then find the aftertaste of it on the crackers and the cheese.

“I just…” she leans into Camila's touch. “I miss being there, and I don't.”

Camila nods - and Lilith thinks she does understand, growing up poor, hungry, looking after her little brother when the money ran out mid-week.

She leans down, and Lilith rises to meet her, feeling for an instant like she’s back home, surging up towards the air and the light.

Cam kisses her, and Lilith lets her eyes flutter closed because this is it. Her second, sacred, peaceful place. And maybe she’s a fool for finding it in Camila's mouth, but Lilith is a lover of short-lived creatures.

And this one, at least, can also love her back.

[headfulloflettuce]

The Human Who Fooled All of Prythian

Warning: graphic violence.

8. The Hunt

Any day that involved Beron making an announcement was a terrible day.

Cosette walked with the rest of the summoned humans down to the training fields facing the forest bordering Spring. She leaned over to a woman walking near her.

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“None, you?”

Cosette shook her head. The training fields which would normally be cleared out filled with fighting soldiers and yelling generals were now full of tea tables and nobility. A couple of the fae glanced at the approaching humans, smirking and whispering amongst themselves.

“Stand here.” The guard leading them gestured in a linear motion, which the group obeyed, standing a distance away from the tree line.

“Ah, that was quick.” Beron approached the humans, smiling. Cosette could see the Lady of Autumn at one of the tables smiling politely as she chatted away with a fellow noble lady. Eris and his brothers were by their father’s side as usual.

“I hope you humans are having a good day.” Beron smirked.

The humans stared at the ground.

“You see, I am hosting an event for my court. A tea party of sorts, when we realized we don’t have any entertainment.” Beron’s smirk widened, “We were hoping you could assist with this little problem.”

Cosette shivered at his tone, her breath hitching.

“We want you all to participate in a game.” the High Lord continued, “Many of our nobles have been longing for a chance to show off their skills but have had no proper opportunity to do so.”

The woman next to Cosette was visibly shaking from fear. Cosette didn’t blame her.

“Of course, I am a kind and generous ruler. If you win the game you will get an award.”

You’ll kill us faster instead of slower?

“The reward being your freedom.”

All of the humans looked up at the High Lord.

“Ah, that got your attention, did it?” he chuckled, “If you make it to Spring Court’s border and cross it, you will be free. Your life will once more be your own.”

Odette felt her heart rate speed. A chance to escape. An actual, real, chance.

“On one condition.”

Of-fucking-course.

“You will be chased by some of our best warriors.”

“You mean we’ll be hunted…” the woman standing next to Cosette stared at the High Lord in horror.

“Well, I wouldn’t use that particular language, think of it as a game of tag.” the High Lord crossed his arms. 

Tag in which the consequence is death.

The nobles sitting at the tea tables smiled at the scene before them, their expressions a lot more dark now.

“You’ll be given a five minute head start. Now, off you go.” 

Everyone stared at Beron.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go.” Beron waved them off.

Cosette didn’t need to be told a third time as she took off sprinting for the forest. She could hear some of the humans running along with her, scattering into various directions, while others remained, too shocked to move, or attempting to beg their respective owner to save them.

Once she was deep enough that the faes outside the forest wouldn’t be able to see in, Cosette began tearing off pieces of her uniform, hiding them in various trees and bushes, hoping to throw off any scent trail that the faes might try to follow. She also quickly covered herself in mud to further conceal herself. Weren’t the Autumn Court faerie’s the ones with the good noses?

The horn sounded in the distance and Cosette was still running. She carefully jumped over logs, maintaining her pace as she made her way through the forest, running in a straight line, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for potential danger.

Cosette had found a river going straight, and began following it with the intent of it masking her footsteps. The beautiful autumn scenery would have been gorgeous if it weren’t for all the red shadows and rustles signifying potential death. She heard the clatter of swords behind her. Although distant, it fueled her to keep going.

A cry of pain interrupted Cosette’s jog, making her drop down to the ground.

“Aww, is the little human scared? Don’t worry, if you’re an obedient toy for us we will end you quicker than normal.” a female voice taunted. 

Cosette could hear it coming to the right of where she was hiding by the creek.

“Please…please…I don’t want to die.”

That voice was familiar. 

 Cosette carefully pressed herself against the closest tree, peaking into the clearing.

“Please-Ah!” John cried out, a female fae stabbing at his arm.

“Dear please, the more holes you leave in him the shorter he’ll last.” the fae’s husband said, his sternness faux.

“But honey, I am in the mood for a fun kill.”

“The longer the kill, the funner.” he corrected her.

“Ugh you men…I am just being efficient.” the female raised her hands annoyed.

Cosette watched in horror as the two faes kept John pinned, casually conversing.

“Stab him again!”

“Dear, what about continuing the game of cat and mouse?”

“We could cut off his legs to make it more challenging.”

Cosette felt sick.

The sharp, cold kitchen butcher knife was suddenly a heavy weight hiding inside her maid dress. She could…no. It was a terrible idea. She would risk sacrificing everything for this one moment of human decency. However, it was he who had brought her blankets. He who had kept talking to her when all other humans were afraid. He helped treat her back.

Damnit.

Cosette took a deep breath, making up her mind, her hand’s hold tightening around the knife as she stepped out from behind the tree.

“Leave him alone.”

The two fae turned to stare at her, raising their eyebrows.

“Oh? What’s this? A little human playing hero…how cute.” the female smirked. Her partner turned to face Cosette.

“What are you going to do with that little knife, human? Try to stab me?”

Yeah, that’s how knives work, dumbass.

“I think she’s under the impression, dear, that she can beat us.” the female fae giggled, her comment making the male chuckle.

“It seems so.” The male took a step towards Cosette, his hand on the hilt of a sword.

“Why don’t you come closer and find out?” Cosette taunted, gripping the knife tightly.

“Feisty…I like it.” The fae stepped closer.

Cosette’s instincts screamed to flee as the threat approached, but she held her ground, her knife slightly raised before her.

“You know, I think you’ll be fun to break, human.”

Closer.

“Though I’ll give you an offer, if you beg for your life now, I’ll only sever three of your limbs before killing you instead of all four.”

Come on, just a bit closer.

“What’s with that expression? Are you not happy with my deal? I am being very gene-”

Now!

Cosette didn’t waste a second as she stabbed the man in front of her, quickly wiping the smirk off his face as he grabbed at his side, grunting in pain.

“Run!” Cosette yelled at John, who was still sitting in slight shock at the sight before him, before taking off running, the two faes being too distracted to pay him any attention.

The female fae rushed over to her partner’s side, giving Cosette a several second headstart back into the thicket.

“You idiot! Go after her!” the male roared.

Cosette kept running, feeling her breathing speed up as she could hear footsteps behind her. She prayed. Prayed that the water would conceal her scent and her panting as she ran. Cosette stared at the ground intently glancing up to check her surroundings regularly, as not to fall over any roots or rocks. She really didn't want to be that character from a horror movie.

The footsteps behind her only got closer, and closer. Until, everything went silent. Only the sound of the river could be heard. Cosette kept running, a feeling of dread pooled in her gut as she struggled to tell what was happening.

Was the woman still chasing me? Was it over? Did I lose her?

Cosette didn’t stop to check what happened behind her, fearing that it would only make her situation worse.

Cosette had been running for what felt like hours, sweat mixing with the dirt she put on her body and clothes, yet she smiled. She could now see her reward. Cosette's eyes lit up as she saw the edge of the forest. It was right there. Spring. The gentle smell of flowers wafted through the air. A soft warm breeze brushed her cheeks, symbolizing freedom. Cosette pushed her legs to keep moving. She was so close. So close.

“Going somewhere Fern?”

Cosette’s blood ran cold. Eris.

No. No, not now. Please.

“I have to admit you put up a good fight. Most humans didn’t even manage to make it half way.”

Please, Mother, God, Jesus, whoever was out there. Please help. 

“Are you seriously still trying to run?” his voice was getting closer, “You’re only going to tire yourself out.”

“Just leave me alone! Let me go!” Cosette yelled, tears in her eyes as the border was right there.

“I don’t think so Fern.” Cosette heard too late the fast footsteps behind her. 

She yelped as the blunt end of a sword was jabbed into her back, right where the whip wounds were still healing. Cosette fell face first into the ground, winded.

“Please…”

Eris twirled the sword in his hand masterfully, looking down at Cosette.

“Please what?”

“Let me go home…please…I need to get home.”

This was embarrassing.

“You are home now.” he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up, beginning to drag her away from her freedom.

“No! Let me go! I don’t want to go back! I can’t go back!”

I reverted to begging so easily.

“Frankly, I don’t care.”

Cosette screeched from frustration, kicking and biting, as Eris repositioned his hold on her to prevent injury to himself.

“Stop struggling.” he grunted, manhandling her, “You should be thanking me.”

“Thanking you?” Cosette muttered weakly, “For what?”

“For purchasing you, instead of letting some other noble have their way with you.”

“This? This is supposed to be better?”

“By comparison, absolutely.”

Cosette screeched from fury once more, trying to kick him in the knee, but Eris quickly maneuvered her so that she kicked the air.

“I said stop it Fern!”

Cosette eventually tired, going partially limp in his hold, as Eris led her back through the forest.

“I paid a good sum for you. Did you think I would simply let you go?”

“11,000 gold”

“Yes, 11,000 gold. Have you ever heard of that much money in your life before that moment?”

Cosette kicked at his shins as he pulled her closer, preventing her kick from landing.

“You should be grateful I bought you. You now have a job, a warm place to sleep, and a roof over your head. Let’s be honest, life in the human realms is quite tragic for beautiful women like yourself. What were you before this? A sitting duck waiting to get married off to some greasy old man?”

I had a home, I had a family, a career, friends, my own apartment with a security system where I didn’t fear getting tortured to death on a daily basis.

“Like it’s much better for the women of your court.” Cosette snapped.

“Ha…” he let out a wry laugh, “Perhaps that’s true…Still, I would appreciate hearing a ‘thank you.’”

“In your dreams.”

Eris laughed, “Oh, you really are such a charmer.”

The two walked through the forest, patches of blood covering the trees and blood. Cosette’s eyes widened at the brutality; naked bodies, decapitated heads or torn off limbs. She tried to look away but no matter where she turned there were signs of the massacre that had just occurred. Cosette whimpered as Eris led her around the dead body of a human who had repeated stab wounds, their eyes looking up at the blue sky.

She froze in horror, staring at the body of John. The face and body disfigured beyond recognition - the clothing being the only recognizable marker. She wept softly, over the loss of a friend and countless innocent lives. Eris followed her line of sight, his expression remaining neutral.

“Yes…the faeries of my court can be quite brutal.” he sighed, as if the scene before him was normal, “He was one of the luckier few. He died pretty quickly.”

This was lucky?

“Tell me Fern, why did you help him? Why didn’t you keep running?”

“I don’t know.” she whispered.

“You don’t know?”

“I couldn’t just leave him...”

“Ah you humans and your empathy. Your ‘principles’.” Eris rolled his eyes, his grip tightening. “I have to say you gave those two faes a run for their money, they were infuriated. Didn’t catch you, so they took their anger out on him.”

“You’re saying this is my fault…”

“No. He would have been tortured regardless, you only tried to give him a chance.” Eris smirked, “Though…I thought you insisted on not being a thief.”

“I am not.”

“You had a knife on you during that encounter. Tell me, how easy was it to pocket that from your employer?”

Cosette cried quietly.

“Guess you are a thief Fern” he said, trying to get a rise out of her.

“It was self defense.”

“A true crime in this world.” he responded dryly.

Cosette froze for a second, realization dawning on her.

“You were following me.”

“Yes, I was.”

“You…you stopped that fae woman from catching up to me at the river.”

“Yes, and many others. Although I must say you were smart for going towards the river, many got killed because they were walking in circles or tried hiding. Oh, trying to hide pieces of your uniform was also quite clever.”

“I never had a chance…did I?”

“No. No, you didn’t.”

Cosette sobbed.

“Stop your tears Fern.” he sounded slightly irritated, “As I said before, you should be thanking me.”

Cosette didn’t have the strength to argue, wailing as he half dragged, half carried her back to the clearing. By the time the tables and tents were visible Cosette had cried all her tears, following Eris in a state of shock. She stared at the ground, not wanting to see the remaining corpses that were being paraded around as trophies, being examined or played with.

Eris dragged her over to a table where the Lady of Autumn, and a few other noble fae were sitting.

“Oh prince Eris!” a noble woman wearing a beautiful hat with feathers and flowers, accompanied by a dark red dress, smiled, “How kind of you to join us! How was the hunt?”

“Quite well Lady Calypso.” Eris spoke, his voice smooth.

“And who is this?” the noble lady peeked at Cosette who was shaking slightly from terror. 

“My victory prize.”

“Oh!” she clapped her hands together, “Isn’t this the woman you purchased at the auction almost a year ago?”

“Yes indeed.” Eris pulled Cosette in front of him, making her face the pack of wolves.

“Oh my dear, she looks an absolute mess! My Lady, you should teach your son some manners regarding his treatment of toys!”

The Lady of Autumn smiled awkwardly, while Eris chuckled.

“Well that’s not quite fair Lady Calypso, she’s alive is she not?”

“Well that’s the bare minimum Your Highness!” Lady Calypso giggled, “Here, why not give that pretty toy of yours to me for a week or two, I’ll show you how to properly take care of a human. ”

“Unfortunately, Lady Calypso, I don't want you to break my toy.” Eris chuckled.

“Oh I wouldn’t break her!”

“I heard your last one only survived a week.”

“Well…I didn’t think that removing their legs would cause them that much anguish.”

“Either way, Your Highness, are you making this poor girl stand in her condition? Look at her! An absolute mess!” Calypso giggled, “Here, let her sit down.”

Cosette looked at Eris pleadingly. The least he could do was not make her sit through- Eris forced Cosette into the chair in front of him, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

“Oh my quite skinny and dirty aren’t you?” the noble woman smirked, stroking Cosette’s muddied hair, “Although perhaps that’s part of your charm.”

Cosette flinched as the woman stroked her hair, as if she was some sort of dog.

“Say dear you look absolutely parched, you should have some tea.” Calypso gently put a cup in front of Cosette, pouring her some of the tea.

Cosette glanced at the tea suspiciously, looking back at Calypso.

“What are you waiting for dear? Drink.” the fae commanded.

Cosette took the detailed flower cup shakily into her hands, just to get slapped across the face. The Lady of Autumn wore an expression of helplessness and sympathy.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, dear, are you a savage? Where are your manners? Do you not know how to hold a cup properly?” Calypso mocked her with faux concern, “Here, let me show you.” Calypso picked up her own beautiful tea cup, “Now you try.”

Cosette picked up the cup, trying to imitate Calypso’s posture and hand positions.

“There you go. You’re such a quick learner dear.” Calypso petted her hair again.

Cosette tried to take a sip of the tea, only to get slapped again.

“Wrong posture dear. You humans really are quite stupid.” Calypso smiled.

Cosette wanted to cry. What had she done to deserve this?

“Oh darling! No, no, no, don't cry!” Calypso reacted with faux concern, wiping Cosette's tears away.

“You should be grateful darling that I am bothering with your manners. You would look like a complete fool otherwise. Now try again.”

Cosette finally managed to take a sip of the tea - it tasted too sweet. The viper stared down her prey with an innocent smile.

“How old are you dear?”

“Twenty one.”

“And when is your birthday?”

“April”

“Hmm…a spring child at heart are you? Tell me, have you ever been to Spring Court?”

“No.”

“Of course not, I doubt even with their Court in shambles and a destroyed economy they would want you on their territory. They wouldn't stoop that low”

Cosette’s grip around the cup she was holding tightened.

“I mean, you can barely hold a cup right, what use would they have for you?” Calypso snarked, “Not that a human like you could ever fully learn the intricacies of High Fae behavior.”

Just hold out.

“I hope you thank the Mother and Eris every day that you get to live such a fortunate life.” Calypso continued to stroke Cosette’s blonde locks.

I don’t care what she’s saying.

“I mean, you're like a pet. So stupid I bet you don't even understand how to eat correctly. Maybe you need Eris to hand feed you.”

Fuck it, we ball.

Cosette hurled the tea cup at the fae. Calypso gasped, barely managing to doge, her dress getting stained by the deep brown liquid.

“Y-You…You!” the fae sputtered, enraged.

“What use would they have for you when you lack any basic decency or decorum?”

“D-Decorum?” the fae squeaked.

“Hell you don’t even have a moral compass, you heartless we-”

Cosette fell to the ground as a slap echoed through the campsite. She touched her cheek, a ringing in her ears making it hard to stand. She looked up to see Eris staring down at her with a neutral expression.

“Apologize to the Lady pet.”

“No.”

He frowned, “I don’t think you understood, that wasn’t a request.”

“And you clearly don’t understand the word ‘no’.” Cosette was done. She wanted to live, but to be dragged through the mud? To go down without even voicing a slightest of protest. No…no they’d hear what she had to say.

Eris grabbed Cosette, pulling her up, as he slapped her again.

“Why should I apologize?” Cosette hissed through the pain, “She insults me. She insults my race after I almost just died. I have done no wrong!”

The prince wore a strange expression on his face as he threw her back onto the ground.

“If you do not apologize I will have to discipline you again, human.”

“What? You’re going to torture me again for not conforming to this little play?” Cosette spat, sputtering as two strong hands enclosed around her throat.

“You should listen when I tell you to.” he muttered, as Cosette struggled for air.

Am I going to die?

“It would make life easier for the both of us.” he huffed, squeezing his hands again, making Cosette struggle more violently.

Her vision blurred, and she did the only thing she could muster the energy to - kick Eris in the balls. The hands restricting her quickly slackened, allowing oxygen to rush into her lungs. Cosette wasted no time shoving Eris off, scrambling to get away, coughing.

The faes at the high table were sitting, laughing at the scene before them. Eris grunted, quickly standing up, his expression furious. 

“Fern-” he began.

“What is all this fuss?”

Cosette shuddered. Beron.

She watched as the man approached the group, a smirk plastered on his face. Cosette tried to stand, her legs shaking and her breathing uneven.

“Were you given permission to get up human?”

Cosette quickly got back down on the ground, her body exhausted from everything that had happened today.

“Tch, you should train your pets better. Maybe run her through the same lessons you give those hounds of yours.” Beron rolled his eyes, looking at Eris, who had smoothed out his expression, smiling again.

“I don’t think her brain could handle such mental strain, father.” Eris drawled, looking down at Cosette, “Besides, I think I finally understand what my brothers saw in having humans around them.”

“Oh?” Beron raised an eyebrow.

Eris, smirked, his eyes boring into Cosette’s soul, “They’re just so much fun to break.”

Next: Chapter 9 - Happy Birthday Fern!

Back: Chapter 7 - A Warm Blanket

Masterlist

Tag list: @rcarbo1

[takibikaen]

My top 5 Bleach women and why I love them: Part 1

(Some of this based on what makes them awesome, or how they're written. Also, this is Part 1 of the entire post, so it'll only show the first 3 characters, due to Tumblr's limit on how many links/media I can use.)

5/5. Ikumi Unagiya \~ Owner of Unagiya Shop

Why?

It’s an unique choice since she doesn’t get that much screen time compared to the others but I really think she’s got a fun personalty and somewhat of a good adult character in a shonen manga that doesn’t have many adults that’ll be there for the MC on an emotional level.

In the Fullbringer arc, she’s one of the only adults in Ichigo’s life who tries to be there for him even with her unawareness of shinigami and hollows. Ikumi still reminds him that he is a kid and he should be able to rely on her, and I think it’s really profound that she says this but Ichigo hasn’t ever really believed in that for most of his life.

Another underrated moment is her getting Ginjo to stop subtly upsetting Ichigo and made him leave her shop. Ginjo wasn’t even a villain at this point but Ikumi still knew the questions he was saying about Ichigo’s dad and his family were screwing with Ichigo’s mind. Maybe I’m giving her too much credit for being a reliable adult for a shonen manga, however it still puts her in my list.

Even in the TYBW arc, she’s still there to be a form of stability to Ichigo who goes through hell before visiting her. Her personality between a dependable, intuitive adult and a stubborn woman who kidnaps teenage employees in broad daylight is what stands out to me as a character.

4/5. Tier Harribel \~ Tres Espada

Why?

Her whole look with the jacket and the hollow mask is honestly pretty cool to see in the series and her serious, calm personality is nice to see among the Espada. Plus her motif as the ‘Espada of Sacrifice’ adds a whole new layer of her concern for her Fraccion, like Nel who was the former 3rd. Her sword release is also dope, “Tiburon”.

In the Arcancar arc, she only gets one main fight (which she got done dirty on) and then gets betrayed by Aizen, but at least I have to appreciate the moments throughout the arc that build her character.

Again, it’s really rare here to see an Arcancar care about their own considering the whole process of Hollows devouring each other from Menos Grande - Adgjunchas - Vasto Lordes. Plus, having the balls to go up to Head-Captain Yamamoto and say you’ll avenge your subordinates is pretty insane.

There is no world without sacrifice. Are you unaware? We are in a sea of blood, ashes floating in hell crying the name of a fading world. - Bleach Vol. 42

The series could have used her more outside of the Arcancar arc but in TYBW arc, she was the ruler of Hueco Mundo and saved Nel & friends from Yhwach. However, they forgot about her for the rest of the TYBW arc which I’m hoping the anime will fix, maybe adding a scene. In the timeskip, she’s adjusted to the role of it all and looks OP af, I personally love this look on her.

Appearance-wise, it’s obvious how stunning how she is honestly.

I used to think “Harribel” was her first name but Tier is actually her first name.

https://twitter.com/jessjessdraws - Artist who drew the Harribel sketch on bottom right panel.

3/5. Unohana Retsu \~ Squad 4 Captain and First Kenpachi

Why?

Almost every Bleach fan loves Unohana but besides the obvious mommy vibe she gives, I really appreciate the dual traits she's had. I really love how she’s a healing captain whose committed to the Gotei 13, and how it’s revealed later that she was one of the original Gotei 13 and the First Kenpachi. The way she holds herself from the beginning of her debut to her death, she always been caring to those she healed and worked with but held a intimidating demeanor around her.

Battle is everything - Bleach Vol. 59

Kubo’s character design is something that took me a while to realize there’s certain symbolism in it. Unohana’s mainstream design is much more meaningful when you find out the core of her character and how she started. The braid she puts her hair in resembles chains that Unohana put on herself to hide away her past of immense bloodlust as the First Kenpachi like the scar on her chest.

At the core of her character, fighting is everything to her considering the environment she’s grown in. The Soul Society and Yamamoto has harnessed her strength and killing prowess for the sake of protecting their interests. One of the themes of Bleach is the “The Heart” where many characters and groups have revolved around the belief of what the heart means to them. Unohana’s role in TYBW shows how her heart is centered around fighting and how her sin is the foundation of her persona as the kindhearted, healing Captain of Squad 4.

I always heard criticism about how Unohana got centered around Kenpachi and got killed for Kenpachi’s development, but I point to the overall themes of the story and how shinigami like Unohana who had to fight harshly to survive in the Rukon district. They often centered or associated themselves around another person who brings a feeling, emotion or sensation within them, that drives them to do actions in a story.

Learning healing kido to extend a fight for who knows how long is a pretty unique concept for the whole medical character trope. It’s so riveting to me that even through healing others, Unohana was helping the other shinigami live on for another fight which is something Kenpachi advocated to Ikkaku, besides doing her job. In her final battle, she was doing that not for Kenpachi but for the sake of the Soul Society’s survival. Thus, her heart and purpose might be with Kenpachi now, but she found meaning outside of her original role for centuries, and briefly enjoyed peace from being a fighter of bloodlust until the Wandenreich arrived.

@Mak_ai_ on Twitter is the artist who made the Unohana art with grey-black backgrounds and @srkbom108 on Twitter made the Unohana art that has red backgrounds to it. Check them out!

Bottom left art by @joranz1204 on Twitter and bottom right art by @Mak_ai_ on Twitter

Made by @rakusakugk on Twitter. Sorry about the whole art dump in this answer but I couldn’t help it lol, there’s just so much good Unohana art on the Internet, also I own none of the fan art here.

Hope you enjoyed it so far! Here's Part 2 of the post!

My top 5 Bleach women and why I love them: Part 2

Also, talking about her themes

Check me out on Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kirun-Uzumaki

[fearxtoxfreedom]

NAME : Alessio AGE : 19 GENDER : Male SEXUALITY : Bisexual ENERGY : Martial Arts HEIGHT : 183 см REGION : Sunset IDENTITY : Protector of the Outer City QUOTE : "I once forgot about the person behind the mask...Now I remember."

WORLD CONNECTIONS :

MILADY : Alessio lives in the liberal Outer City, and was only vaguely wary of the ruler in the Inner City. However, since Biron lost an arm in a run-in with Milady, she became one of Alessio's enemies. BIRON : They met over trying to save a cat, and became blood brothers. They always talk as if they don't like each other, but Alessio works very hard on Biron's mechanical arm, and Biron often accompanies Alessio on his voyages. MAYENE : An ally in the journey to find ol' Captain Red Hawk. It'd be nice if she could work a bit harder though. ALLAIN : Allain's new job is to keep an eye on the Red Hawk. What will happen between him, Mayene, and Alessio? The story continues. DOILA : "She snuck onto my ship and hid in a crate until she was discovered. Turns out that our stowaway is of the merfolk mentioned in the logs. Incredible!" MARCO POLO : Alessio encountered Marco Polo, an anomalic lordling, while investigating the Red Hawk, and learned more about the ship as well as the old Captain. HEINO : Alessio initially thought that since Heino's a member of an Arkana clan, power and profits would be the only thing on his mind. Much to his surprise, Heino's as passionate as Alessio when it comes to protecting Navenia, and even might have a hint of that Red Hawk spirit. LUNA : Alessio once saved a cat and befriended it. Later on, he found out that the cat, Bailey, belonged to the Moon Clan. Bailey often goes to Alessio for free food, and Alessio escorts Bailey home each time, and happened to meet its owner.

BIOGRAPHY :

Alessio, who lived in the Outer City of Navenia, was but an average individual, till in a life-changing moment, he took on the commission from the legendary Captain Red Hawk and started on a new path as a hero in disguise. The real legendary "Captain Red Hawk" had single-handedly protected the Outer City from pirates. Although Alessio had an ingenuity that provided him with a few tricks up his sleeve, he knew he was a far cry from Captain's fearsome reputation. To put on a perfect hero act, Alessio honed his skills tirelessly, doing his best to imitate the old Captain in every way possible, but he still fell short. That is, until one day, when his mask was shattered and his cover was blown. Only when the folks in the Outer City still accepted him despite not being the real thing, did he realize that a hero is recognized not by their name, but by their deeds. Today, folks in the Outer City continue to call him Captain Red Hawk. Though he had now officially inherited the name, he was no longer interested in trying to copy the original Captain. Instead, he began to accept himself and started exploring ways to become a unique Red Hawk. With his mask strapped to his waist, he continued to patrol the Outer City every day with his cannon on his shoulder, researching newfangled shells and unique combat methods in order to protect the peace. Anyone in a tight spot could be sure to rely on his kindness and determination, even if it meant confronting the powerful and ruthless Governess. And thus, in the sailors' shanty, a legendary new Captain Red Hawk was born... But deep down, Alessio continued to look forward to the day when he would see the old Captain again to tell him that he had not dishonored the Red Hawk name.

SHORT STORIES BENEATH CUT

IMPOSTER :

Alessio once chanced upon a counterfeit at a flea market.

It was a shell bearing the name Captain Red Hawk. It bore a high price tag, he bought it anyway, and it became his prized possession. Little did he know that he had gotten his hands on a ticking bomb—one that literally blew up half his room while he was asleep.

Half a room wasn't such a big deal, and even if it had blown up the entire room, there wasn't much that needed saving. But the shrapnel from the explosion was clearly engraved with "Property of the Arkana Navy," tying it to the powerful consul and her arsenal. This meant that it had nothing to do with Captain Red Hawk from the Outer City.

After that, he gathered his few remaining possessions and went to stay with his brother-in-arms, Biron. At that time, Biron hadn't yet lost an arm or earned the nickname "Steele."

This also gave Biron, always the butt of Alessio's jokes, the opportunity to poke fun at him instead.

"Well, well, since you've only got fragments of that ridiculously expensive cannon left, isn't it high time you let me have a look at your precious treasure?"

The words of gloating reached Alessio's ears as soon as he stepped foot inside. He hurled his possessions in an attempt to shut Biron up, then made a beeline for the bed, immediately making himself at home.

"Alright, so I got my hands on a lousy counterfeit."

"Just admit it—there's no difference between an impostor and a lousy counterfeit. They're both fakes."

"Of course there's a difference!"

Alessio took the shrapnel from around his neck and showed him that the words "Arkana Navy" had been sanded down, as if they had never existed.

"A great impostor always means business. If you're going to fake something, you might as well go all the way."

"Who cares what the truth is as long as it's buried deep enough?"

Alessio never thought he'd see the day when he'd become an impostor.

Dressed in a red coat and Captain Red Hawk's mask with a cannon tucked under his arm, he bore a striking resemblance to the man who had single-handedly repelled a fleet of pirates. Little did anyone know that under that familiar outfit was a complete nobody.

Threatening gangs, defeating pirates, and driving away ruffians... Getting started wasn't hard at all. Just the sight of Captain Red Hawk coming their way was enough to scare off troublemakers. Before, he'd jump right into the fray to defend the weak, but more often than not, he'd be the one getting beat up. Performing heroic deeds was much easier with this new hero getup. Every time he set out in his Captain Red Hawk mask, his disguise was foolproof, no matter who set eyes on him.

Only he knew just how much he lacked.

To truly impersonate a known hero like Captain Red Hawk, he needed the strength and skill associated with the name. This was Alessio's second task in becoming a great impostor.

He'd encountered the most ferocious predators in the waters, witnessed gladiators in the arena, seen every Sunset sunrise while honing his artillery skills, and even had his explosives blow up in his face. Through intense physical training, imitating all known mannerisms, lowering his voice, sharpening his artillery skills, and implementing any and every possible rumor... His muscles grew and he gained a few more scars. His good-humored smile disappeared beneath the mask, replaced instead by a tense and unsmiling mouth.

He grew accustomed to playing the part of Captain Red Hawk, so much so that Alessio became a distant memory.

"Where's the Red Hawk, Captain?"

"The crew took her out on an expedition. When they return, they'll come bearing a treasure that'll amaze the Outer City."

—He hoped that they would return with good news for the Outer City. And when that happened, he'd be able to return to his life before he took the Captain's name.

"Captain, fancy a drink?"

"Thanks, but I've got something to attend to. I'll be off."

—Alessio had never gotten drunk before, and the Captain's drinking capacity wasn't something he could fake... More importantly, it wasn't worth risking his disguise. He had to remain watchful.

"I recruited a lad with good mechanical skills and sent him on an expedition with the Red Hawk."

—No one had asked why the real Alessio seemed to have disappeared yet, but Biron and his mercenary buddies were bound to return at any time, so it didn't hurt to set some groundwork.

"Don't worry, Red Hawk is here!"

—Even if it was uttered by an impostor, it would still bring some measure of peace to the Outer City.

In the early morning on the pier, a determined figure leaped down into the crowd. Through the sudden haze, the ruffians had only time to make out a flash of red before being blinded by cannon fire. As soon as they came to and opened their eyes, they'd become sitting ducks in the water.

Though the haze still lingered on the now calm bay, Captain Red Hawk was long gone.

A great impostor, having been in disguise all day, will remain in disguise.

Before the old Captain returns, he'll keep playing his part to protect the Outer City. After all, did it really matter who was behind the mask?

This was something he had come to realize as an impostor.

THE REAL DEAL :

Alessio never expected that his cover would be blown, not by the pirates attacking the Outer City, or by his frequent shooting practice, but by his brother-in-arms.

After returning from his six-month stint, the mercenary must have read the farewell letter Alessio had left for him. He seemed to have bought the story, because he had gone around the Miracle Tavern bragging about having a "promising brother-in-arms who hung out with Captain Red Hawk."

After Alessio found an abandoned house by the seaside to live in, he never once returned to his old house or showed his face around his old neighborhood.

In order to perfectly imitate the old Captain's mannerisms, he even went to painstaking lengths to lower his voice. On time after a fight, even Biron joined the crowd in shouting "long live Captain Red Hawk!"

No matter which way you looked at it, his disguise was foolproof.

That was, until his brother-in-arms confronted the Governess Milady about the contamination.

When Alessio heard that Milady had hacked off the mercenary's arm, and that Biron, who hated mechcraft, had been fitted with a mechanical arm, Alessio saw red. In his rage, he forgot that he was still wearing Captain Red Hawk's mask. Without a word, he grabbed his cannon and prepared to bombard the tower of the inner city.

But when he opened the door, something blocked his path. It was a giant mechanical arm, unfamiliar to both him and its owner.

"Hey, steady there. Captain Red Hawk doesn't have a mercenary brother-in-arms, remember?"

From then on, Biron coined the name "Steele." With it and his new mechanical arm, he set off in search of the source of the contamination. Of course, there was no conceivable reason for the real Captain Red Hawk to send him off. Nonetheless, Alessio stayed up several nights studying the arm's technology, and finally, when the mercenary group arrived back at the pier, he pretended to approach them casually, dark circles around his eyes.

"Hey, I just found a copy of Maintenance Manual for Mechanical Arms. Is it yours?"

When Biron returned from the Sunset plain, Alessio had already lost his mask and had his cover blown in a confrontation with the Bullhead Shark pirates. He'd lost the Red Hawk Cannon left by the old captain, but he'd also found himself again. While playing the role of protector of the people, he in turn received their support as the new Captain Red Hawk.

The broken mask had been glued back together, and the small cannon, developed by the new Captain Red Hawk himself, leaned against the bed. With his leg in a cast and his hand tapping on the mechanical arm, Alessio couldn't resist asking:

"How on earth did you recognize me? What gave me away?"

The mercenary replied: "Look, there's cat hair on your coat. Who else could it be but you? No one ever mentioned the old Captain Red Hawk fancying cats."

He went on to excitedly recount his first meeting with Alessio: A young Alessio, wearing a crude mask, was curled up on the ground surrounded by a group of thugs, tightly holding a kitten in his arms. The kitten, struggling fearfully in his arms, had rubbed white hair all over him.

"If I hadn't jumped in to rescue you, you and Bailey would've been in for a whole new world of bullying!" Biron exclaimed proudly.

"Oh wow, I sure am extremely grateful for that..."

Alessio couldn't help but smile as he lamented the cat hair detail he had overlooked, and at the same time, another version of the story played in his mind:

At that time, he had curled up not out of defeat, but because he was buying time to think of the best way to protect Bailey and get away from the thugs. Just when he'd finally gotten his plan and managed to leave the crowd, he ran headlong into a big fellow who'd appeared out of nowhere. With no choice but to fight, he took several more punches from the big fellow.

Many years passed, and he'd been too lazy to tell him what actually happened. Plus, he didn't have the heart to ruin his brother-in-arms' memory of having saved the cat.

From outside the window, Biron heard the footsteps of Alessio's visitors. Looking at his half-finished sketch of a new cannon, he came to a conclusion.

The cat hair was but one giveaway. It was the stories circulating through the tavern that had led to his investigation. During the six months he was away, he'd heard that the pirate Blackbeard had been itching to duel Alessio and finally had his challenge accepted. Blackbeard set foot on shore only to have his ship blown to pieces. By springing a trap in the bay, Alessio had used its unique terrain to trap an entire fleet of pirates. Plus, he'd recently heard booms in the early morning, and it turned out to be Alessio practicing on the beach. It was definitely the sound of a cannon firing. Stephan had lost his cat the day before yesterday, and it was “Captain Red Hawk” who'd found it and given the thief a hard lesson...

Others couldn't understand, but Biron knew that Alessio only took the lowest paid commissions from the group. Not because he was lazy, but because the more mundane injustices were often ignored. He'd lost count of the times Alessio dived headlong into danger, thus gaining familiarity with all manner of escape routes and ambush spots. Eventually, he learned to come up with new ones on the go.

It wasn't until he saw Alessio intent on confronting Milady that his suspicions were finally confirmed.

"I'm not fixing you up again the next time you act recklessly, you tin can." Alessio tapped Biron's mechanical arm.

"What? Has the new Captain Red Hawk found a long-term funder for his shells?"

"Oh, please. The money you make is barely enough to cover your arm repairs."

"Come on, take me to the tied-up pirates. They seem to have fought the old captain, and their weapons look advanced. I'm sure they also have a base somewhere... And I need to pry something out of them before I empty their den."

The mask, the coat, the cannon, the name, the voice, and the dwelling; they all added to the finished act.

Though Biron had no absolute proof at the time, the courage to stand up for the smallest of troubles, the conviction to march into danger, and the ability to somehow win battles that seemed utterly lost—

Who could it be other than his brother-in-arms, Alessio?

This must certainly be the real deal. No doubt about it.

VOYAGE LOG SNIPPETS :

In the Red Hawk's captain's cabin, many maps and voyage logs could be found on the bookshelf. Even though much time had passed, records of the past were still kept in a neat and orderly manner. Among them was a row of logs organized in chronological order. Though some of the records were hardly legible, one could still learn much of the past through them.

Voyage Log #3

3 August

Finally, the Bullhead Sharks have been driven out... They're definitely the worst pirates I've ever come across.

But there are still too many troublesome factions in the Outer City...

6 October

I met an interesting kid today. He was just a little taller than my knees, yet he fought off some miscreants picking on younger kids he didn't even know.

Though bruised and battered, he refused to stay down and kicked them as he struggled.

He was wearing a mask that looked like mine, and even after I saved him, he refused to admit that he was pretending to be the Red Hawk... Looks like he wasn't an easy one to budge.

Voyage Log #6

4 August

I didn't expect to save a nobleman from the pirates. It was the world renowned Niccolo... If I hadn't heard Estella mention him before, I would have thrown him right off the ship.

5 August

Contamination, the Forgotten Scrolls, and the great shadow lurking beneath Sunset...

"If the source of the contamination is not found and resolved, then sooner or later, everyone in Navenia will suffer..." Looks like he was after something different from the power-hungry Arkanas.

If such a danger exists, then the Outer City, being right next to the ocean, will bear the brunt of it. I must do something...

8 August

Before parting, I accepted Niccolo's gift of gratitude, an oceangoing ship: the Red Hawk. It is fitted with Navenia's secret device and powered by fluorescent stones. In return, I promised to deliver a letter to his son.

All because I was in need of a sturdier ship.

2 December

As of today, 21 pirate strongholds have been eliminated. Therefore, I believe the people in the Outer City will not be troubled for the next six months.

I woke up this morning and found a transformation plan on the bow of the Red Hawk. I couldn't help but wonder who left it. Meanwhile, the mechsmith was overjoyed upon seeing it and jumped right to working on it.

Voyage Log #7

29 April

It's been four months since we set sail. Apart from eliminating a bunch of pirates and discovering a treasure, we've come up empty-handed.

20 May

We were heading back the way we had come when a strange colored mist obstructed our view, throwing us off course. I thought I saw something huge and glowing in the middle of the mist. It looked like coral...

Then a storm came upon us without warning. That was a strange one... Fortunately, by the power of the Red Hawk, we narrowly escaped the whirlpool...

When I opened my eyes again, the mist and the glowing coral were gone. The sun was shining brightly on the deck, and the ocean was calm as ever, as if it had been just a dream.

21 May

Things haven't been right... Recently, some of the crew have been hallucinating, and the mechsmith nearly smashed his head with a hammer... There's even a faint fluorescent blue coming from the veins under my skin... I must prevent this from happening to all of Navenia!

Whether or not this is the source of the contamination, it must have something to do with the danger Niccolo spoke of.

We must be prepared before coming back.

10 September

Even after speeding up the return trip, we're still far behind schedule. In the meantime, the troublemakers were looking to cause trouble again, but fortunately the crew's symptoms were gone.

The nobles of the inner city never lifted a finger in all of this.

But it seems a masked young man trapped a group of pirates and even blew up one of their ships. Well done!

Voyage Log #8

25 December

From what I gather, we must have encountered the Misty Seas... None of the ships that went in ever returned. All that was found were glass bottles containing this name and the words "Storm," "Danger," "Hallucination," "Rampage," and "Turn Away." Seems that it wasn't just us who experienced these symptoms.

Looking at the unfading fluorescent blue in my veins... I seem to recall seeing a seabird with feathers of this color at the pier this morning.

Finally, the Red Hawk has been fully transformed. Now the crew and I have nothing to fear. We have to investigate this contamination, even if it means never returning.

But I still can't stop worrying about the Outer City.

If I don't make it back, can the Outer City defend itself without the Red Hawk?

3 January

I didn't expect the peace to be broken so quickly.

News of the Red Hawk's departure somehow reached the pirates' ears. On the eve of the Sea Opening Festival, while the crew was gathering florescent stones on the island, the Bullhead Sharks sprang an ambush.

I didn't expect anyone to turn back and save me. After all, the Captain Red Hawk everyone knew could take on a whole fleet of ships by himself.

The young man who should have retreated with everyone else will never know the importance of the bullet he had stopped. The enemy had come prepared, and I was at a disadvantage. If he hadn't appeared in front of me out of nowhere, I might have gotten killed without a chance to fire that decisive shot.

In all my years as a hero, it was the first time I was protected by someone. Perhaps I'm getting old.

When he turned around, I realized that he was the boy I had once saved.

He was almost as tall as me now, and still he still stood firm against the pirates, even though he was at a disadvantage. Looks like the tough talker never changed.

I guess if it were him, he could protect the Outer City well enough.

5 January

I met up with the crew and set off in secret.

After so many years, I was unaccustomed to going without my mask and leaving my weapons behind. The kid gave me a bunch of weapons he had developed for me. There were cannons, mortars, smoke grenades, flashbangs, a hammer, and even a lucky conch he had bought off the street.

Anyhow, I guess I should go destroy a pirate den and replenish our supplies. After all, the kid's weapons aren't half bad. The only thing they lacked was ammo capacity.

Most of the logs had been brought back to the tower by the Arkana Navy, so Alessio could only see the last remaining log. It had fallen, and most of the pages were soaked in the fluorescent blue seawater. Only the last few pages were barely legible.

Voyage Log #10

XXXX

The weather's even worse than the previous.......... the storm lasted three days and nights, and the hurricane.......... tornado.......... the mast nearly snapped and was temporarily restored to some semblance of functionality after emergency repairs. ..........

XXXX

.......... the rudder was completely out of order.......... ran aground.......... tornado.......... an island to land on.......... coral.......... fluorescent stones.......... I thought it would be best to abandon the ship..........

XXXX

.......... if I don't make it back.......... the Outer City.......... Little Red Hawk..........

I guess the next time I see that kid, I should probably ask him for his name.

Hopefully we'll meet again.

[gender-goth]

MARUKI (P5R) PRNS && TITLES

Pronouns

doc/docs, dr/dr's, doctor/doctors, psych/psychs, psi/psience, mad/mads, reality/realities, reality/unreality or unreality/unrealities, real/reals, real/unreal, unreal/unreals, ideal/ideals, cog/cognition, cog/cognitive, memento/mementos, rule/ruler, pal/palace, mask/masks, ment/mentor, study/studys, ex/experiment, research/researches, apple/apples, counsel/counselor, councillor/councillors, councillor/arcana, arcana/arcanas, grief/griefs, sorrow/sorrows, pain/pains

Titles

The One Who Takes Away Humanity's Pain, The Sorrowful Doctor, He* Who Is Overcome With Grief, He* Who Wishes To Cure Humanity's Pain, He* Who Rewrites The Cognition, He* Who Wields Azathoth, The Councillor Arcana, The Gentle Madman*, He* Who's Sorrow Motivates His* Studies, The One To Heal The World, The Eccentric Doc, The Clumsy Counselor, The Friendly Counselor, He* Who Studied Cognitive Psience, He* Who Studies The Hearts Of Humanity, The Mystery Palace Owner, He* Who Will Correct Your Internal Pains, He* Who Will Grant Humanity's Wishes, The World's Savior

*can be replaced with any noun or pronoun! it is simply an exemplar based off of Maruki.

[another-twisted-wonderland-fan]

New ocs that are in the Falciette dorm of @hourglassstationacademy !

Pandora LaBelle/2nd year/left side

Age: 18

Birthday: Feb 17th

Height: 4'10

Species: Undead Human

Family: unaware of any family she once had- if she had one

Based on: Gangrel from FE:Awakening

Homeland: Formidiala

Class: 2-A

Dorm: Facliette

Occupation: Student

Club: Botany

Best subject: Hand to Hand combat

Likes: gardening, reading up on historical events involving tyrannical rulers or warlords, watching romantic comedy anime

Dislikes: cheesy movies, being caught watching romantic comedy animes, vegetables

Personality: a menace to society with a soft hearted side, she often doesnt know how to convey things properly through words so she speaks through action. She is absolutely crazy but can be very wise at times- the weirdest times in fact.

Unique Magic: she actually hasnt discovered it yet due to her low magic talent, although she hasnt been attempting to discover it either

TRIVIA:

Her favorite flower is the sunflower

She can tango

She has bitten multiple people

Lady Serenity Cerulean/3rd year/middle

Age: 21(seemingly)

Birthday: Sept 25

Height: 6'0

Species: Dragon fae

Family: she was raised by her older brother, Vain, on account of her parents always being busy with their own duties

Based on: Anankos from FE: Fates

Homeland: Grimstone Kingdom

Class: 3-A

Dorm: Falciette

Occupation: Student

Club: Literature club

Best subject: social etiquette

Likes: sewing, reading, painting, opera, watching soap operas and horror

Dislikes: judging based off of rumors, intense perfumes, small spaces

Personality: a calm and soothing being she is to say the least, an enabler of close friends. Easily excitable and curious as well

Unique Magic:

"Hush"

A small black void surrounds her and those within a 7 ft radius around her that completely silences any sound, when leaving this circle of nothing, one will remain completely silent for a whole hour, not even their steps make sounds, but things they interact with will unless taken into the small circle that disappears after 5 minutes

Trivia:

She has a personal collection of soap operas that her brother bought for her

Her closest friends are Pandora and Ravenna

She has a deep love for human cuisine

Ravenna Locksworth/ 2nd year/Right side

Age: 19

Birthday: Oct 19th

Height: 5'11

Species: human

Family: her parents, Martha and Iris, are toy shop owners, and she considers her pet cats to be her babies, they are twin siameses named Louie and Otis

Based on: Iago from FE: Fates

Homeland: Grimstone Kingdom

Class: 2-A

Dorm: Falciette

Occupation: Student

Club: Occult club

Best subject: Dark Artes

Likes: cats, video games, manga, puppets, dark magic

Dislikes: bright lights, Vain Cerulean, the ocean

Personality: a total gremlin, she believes she is destined for greatness, very over dramatic

Unique magic:

"Glorious Purpose"

A giant illusion forms in wherever she is in basically forming her ideal "battleground" or a homebase. She can use this to trick her enemies while she either runs away or prepares an actual useful spell. Her spell lasts as long as she has stamina, which is typically 15 minutes

Trivia:

Has a deep love for the dark and gothic

Her mask is purely for aesthetic

Her cats are the only things she posts on social media.

[thedo0zyslider]

Explosions Across Lifetimes - Chapter 6: Getting Over It - 2k words

A03 link

Scott and Jimmy have a talk, it goes a little better than expected honestly.

Some notes!

This chapter feels a lil rough around the edges to me. I knew it needed to happen, but didn't have the right ideas to execute it perfectly (as evidenced by the word count being only 2k when these are usually 3-7k) i kinda just wanted to get it done lol The others will be not as rough though!! as i have some clear ideas for those!! Hope you enjoy nonetheless :D

Btw, how would you guys feel about some prequels? Specially involving the Jimmy-Fwhip rivalry and a pov of Scott throughout this whole series (which i need. bc his characterization feels a bit of a mess to me here. please also note the newly added scosage tag that i want to sink my teeth into a bit more) i also have quite a few what-if scenarios regarding the s1 finale (and what we have of 2's lol)

ALSO ALSO if you guys have any songs the fic (or just fwhimmy in general) remind you of please drop them below!! got a sudden urge to find some of those!!

NOW ONTO THE FIC!!

The Codfather saw Scott fairly soon after Fwhip’s little collapse, only meeting a week after. He stayed in Grimlands until the Count was back to his usual self again, spouting some sort of bullshit excuse to his council members all the while. He had scheduled a meeting with the Rivendells ruler though. Fwhip’s venting of the situation made Jimmy realize that enough was enough. All three of them needed to consult the issues at hand, and ignoring it was obviously not helping.

He’d made sure to dress warmly, very familiar with the too cold climate of Rivendell. It didn’t bother him as much as it used to and Jimmy could handle extreme temperature changes (which was probably a demigod thing to be honest,) but he was still a fish, and fish weren’t meant to be in below freezing weather, godly powers or not. Didn’t help that elven ice magic tended to make the kingdom colder than it actually was.

Jimmy wore a variation of his usual Codfather attire, just with a long, somewhat fluffy coat around his shoulders and winter pants, accommodated with black gloves and boots often used for things like mountain climbing. He quite liked how he looked in this outfit, the cod had to admit. It gave him a certain elegance he wasn’t known to have. If the biting wind ever started to numb his face he could pull the Codfather’s head down to protect it. The garment was usually worn atop the head like a normal hat was, the tail trailing down the current owner's neck, but it could also be worn like a mask. It was usually used as a mask for things like battles and ceremonies, so his fellow emperors had seen Jimmy with the hat down plenty of times. The little black eyes weren't actually eyes, though they appeared to be, they were eye holes covered by tinted fabric, serving as an extra shield for the cod leader’s eyes.

The outfit notified his citizens that he was traveling to Rivendell, as going to the Crystal cliffs only really required the coat and thicker pants. Gem’s amethysts and lack of ice magic kept her kingdom at a survivable temperature than her neighbor.

He was given words of encouragement from his citizens as he set off, some children even giving him good luck charms on his way out. The Codfather smiled at the action, taking the small items and making sure the cod children saw that their gifts were securely held in his jacket pocket. Cod folk always liked giving gifts to people for difficult events or days, and they certainly knew of recent events in the emperor's circle. Every citizen in all twelve empires probably knew, which was bad. It was bad for Scott and Rivendell’s image, and Jimmy hoped any blame would be directed at the elven king rather than his citizens, since they had been unaware of the rulers' secret keeping. It was also bad because Sausage and Joey probably knew, since both of them could be whores for gossip. And if they knew then Xornorth knew, and they’d lost a potential upper hand against the demon.

Caleb accompanied him just past the wall surrounding their home. It was mostly to keep the children following them in the empire, and to give Jimmy some last words of encouragement, because Cod knows he needed it. He planned to walk a little ways, then began flying at some point, his elytra uncomfortable strapped against his jacket. It was mostly because he wanted to delay the inevitable just a little bit longer, and he hadn’t given a concrete date for the meeting, just that he’d show up when he showed up. Rivendell was used to surprise visits from Codfolk anyways, they knew he didn’t like any sort of formal preparation.

They reached the wall, and Jimmy bent down to flash a toothy grin at the few kids still following, fondly ruffling some hair as well. Caleb bid Jimmy his goodbye quickly before ushering the cod children back within the safety of the wall, picking up a partially rowdy one while the other two were herded in front of him. The Codfather took a moment to giggle at the sight, before turning around and stepping foot outside the kingdom, the wall’s gate creaking shut behind him. It was a shame the children had to leave so early, he wouldn’t have minded letting them go a little father. The trip was just bringing the group a little too close to Mythland for Jimmy’s liking.

He never traveled through Mythland, since he and Sausage were usually enemies. Normally he traveled just outside the border, right on the line where it became taboo to attack him, because he wasn’t technically in their agreed upon border. Not even Fwhip, back when they were enemies, could justify Sausage attacking what was, by a law, a traveling emperor with a right for safe passage, if they were not breaking any agreed upon travel regulations. The only way those could be broken were by diplomatic missions, such as trade deals, which Jimmy had used the day he and Fwhip had their little….realization. Attacking a person traveling through neutral ground would just be an asshole move, though these sorts of political debates were normally avoided by use of elytra.

But today he would not risk Sausage’s wrath, and wouldn’t until the demon issues were resolved. He gave Mythland a wide breadth, which led him straight through Mangrovia, the neutral territory for all empires that was uncomfortably close to Joey. He’d decided to fly over that part of the land though, as this outfit was meant for the opposite of the humid jungle air. He’d walk the rest of the way there, which was fine by him. The elves would probably prefer to see him approach after recent tensions anyways.

He considered making a detour to House Blossom, an empire that he could travel through, since Katherine’s kingdom was basically Mangrovia 2.0 due to her alliances. Jimmy made excuses to himself, like he didn’t see Katherine that often, or that he needed some of her export, but he knew he just wanted to delay the inevitable. The one excuse he made that actually somewhat worked was talking to Katherine about Scott. The two were best friends, so she could probably talk him through things, and knowing the elf he definitely needed that right now. He’d do that later though, on his way back. Jimmy had taken enough detours.

He climbed the cold mountains of Rivendell a little slower than he liked, as the area was seemingly more cold than it normally was. The weather seemed to shift with Scotts mood; Jimmy had noticed, and the elf’s mood was probably pretty sour as of late. The Codfather mask was flipped down pretty soon after entering the biome, the icy cold breaking the cod ruler’s skin after only a moment. The place was definitely feeling the effect of Scott’s emotions.

The codfolk reached the elven kingdom within a day, guards escorting him to the palace as soon as he stepped foot in the lower part of the city. It was a familiar routine, being happily greeted into his allies kingdom and led to either Scott’s house or the royal castle. Except for a small amount of tension filling the air the moment was sickeningly familiar, and if Jimmy closed his eyes he could imagine that it was a different time and he was here for a much happier reason.

Scott’s private residence seemed off limits for this visit, even though Jimmy would’ve preferred that more than the palace. The walls of that place had a lot of ears, it was no such place for whatever conversation the two emperors were about to have but Jimmy supposed he;d have to endure just this once. Though he did wince at the startled look some royal advisors and even guards gave him as he walked past. The Codfather’s head was apparently very intimidating when flipped downward, but Jimmy didn’t really look himself in the mirror before battle, so he wasn’t sure how much truth that held.

He was led to Scotts meeting room, since the elven king seemed to be hauled up in his palace; presumably drowning in his own misery if the weather said as much. It took a little coaxing, and announcing Jimmy’s presence, for Scott to shove away his sour attitude and open the door.

“Scott.” The codfolk said, only after the door had slammed shut behind him. The other ruler was sitting in a chair, looking half dead on his feet. He clearly hadn’t been resting properly, and Jimmy had a momentary flash of Fwhip just a few days prior.

“Codfather.” The elf responded and Jimmy winced at the other man’s tone. He sat down in a chair near the ruler, musing that just because Scott felt terrible didn’t mean he had to act terrible as well. “We’ve been through too much for the cold formalities, petal.” Jimmy returned the others biting tone, throwing in the old nickname for more effect, and maybe to remind both of them just why exactly Jimmy was here. It worked though, because Scott full body winced at his words.

“You know why I’m here.” The Codfather said after a long moment of silence, pulling his jacket around himself more tightly. He didn’t want to have this conversion, and especially not in the cold; the faster it happened then the better it was for both of them.

Scott sighed, a tried kind of sound, resting his head against his hands briefly. “Go ahead, ask whatever questions you need to.” It was a bit unsettling to see him so compliant, Scott was never compliant. He was usually the one asking questions and shooting sassy remarks. Jimmy pushed the uneasiness away through, taking his chance to spit some more venom at his disgraced ex.

“Why did you lie to us? To me ?” The Codfather tipped his mask up slightly, allowing Scott to see his expression in full. He shivered from the ever persistent and getting colder iciness in the air.

“I..didn’t know how to go about it really,” Scott murmured, slowly meeting the gaze of his fellow emperor. “It’s kinda a whole thing ,” He made a hand gesture along with the last word, scrunching up his face as if the word didn’t describe the situation properly. “When you suddenly remember you grew up with a whole sibling and then finding out their evil and corrupted and want you dead. I didn’t know how to process it, so I did the easiest thing. I didn’t say anything.”

“Which led to you lying .” Jimmy finished, hissing out the last word.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you-”

“But you did,” It was getting harder by the minute for the Codfather to keep his voice steady. If the other noticed how it wavered with hurt he didn’t acknowledge it outside of another small wince.

“I know.” Scott said, searching his disgruntled ex’s gaze almost desperately. “I’m sorry, I really am.” Jimmy could tell he was sincere at least, by the look he was being given. The cod did still have one last question though, one that had been bothering him. He hoped the answer wouldn't be yes; that would complicate…well, everything .

“Do you still love me?”

“No. I don’t. You were right.” The elf admitted, blushing a bit despite himself. “It’s not real,” His voice was confident and reassuring, yet he still fiddled with his hands anxiously.

“I wish it was ,” Scott added quietly. Part of Jimmy used to wish that too, before a month ago, before Fwhip. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly, letting a small silence fill the room. The cod focused on a part of the wall, wondering where they would be if it was real.

“I don’t think I was processing that well either.” Rivendell’s leader spoke again. “On top of all the brother stuff.”

Clearly. Jimmy thought, but didn’t say aloud. Now wasn’t the time for sarcasm. “I didn’t process it well either, to be fair. I did start avoiding you a bit near the end.” He said instead, admitting to his own fault in the relationship. “It’s a bit of a mindfuck to realize you're feeling emotions that aren't really yours,” Scott just hummed and nodded in response.

“I’m happy for you though,” The elf said with a small smile. “You and Fwhip.”

“….Thanks,” Jimmy took a moment to respond, a bit surprised. He didn’t think Scott was bitter per say, just that he was still getting over everything. The Codfather wasn’t sure if he’d congratulate Scott so soon if their roles were reversed, but Scott wasn’t him. Maybe this was one thing Scott wouldn’t be petty over, though he was never actually petty over anything that mattered this much in the first place.

“Sorry for after the meeting, by the way.” The elf kept talking, not letting Jimmy get a word in edgewise. “I guess I’m just still-”

“Getting over it?” Jimmy managed to cut through the other mans rambling, echoing his earlier thoughts.

“Yeah,” Scott smiled lightly again. “Getting over it.”

They talked for another hour, maybe less than that, neither were checking the time much. The cod empire was to uphold all current trades with Rivendell, which was a pleasant surprise to its king. Scott had been expecting at least one trade agreement of lesser significance to be revoked, and Jimmy had very heavily considered it. But his people weren’t known for their riches, and it was important to keep whatever deals they could. So with much debate and discussion between his own thoughts and his council, Jimmy had decided to only break the few agreements from Mythland; ones from the earlier days and the singular totem trade he had with the Lost Empire. Those two were dangerous, and Scott wasn’t dangerous. He was just a liar. Not a good thing to be, and the king was certainly paying for it tenfold without Jimmy.

He forgot what else they talked about other than politics, because that was most of what they talked about. There was still a bit of tension in the air, some stiffness to their interactions despite the earlier conversation. They weren’t friends again, not fully, and Jimmy was still unsure on how much of Scott’s word he should trust. He could tell the elf had a bit of a fake smile as well, like he was forcing happiness into his expression. The air outside was still bitterly cold.

But all in all Jimmy left the cod empire more reassured than he had been when he arrived, yet not at the same time. There was no progress on what to do about the demon, nor had the other emperors consulted each other much about the lies they’d been fed from Rivendell’s king. They were at a standstill, them and the demon it seemed. No one wanted to make the first move, to mess it up, to play a wrong move on the chessboard that was the state of the world right now. Everything was in Scott’s hands really, if Jimmy thought about it. Which he certainly was doing on his return journey, cod mask once more flicked dowards to avoid his ex’s sharp winter weather that had gotten worse since he left the meeting.

Scott knew the most about his brother, even if it was limited. The only ones who might know more were possessed by Xornorth. Scott had all the power here, what moves to make and how to approach it was all up to him, simply because no one else knew what to do. This was ancient Rivendell magic connected to Gods , not anything that was universally taught in the Crystal Cliffs. All Jimmy and his fellow rulers could do was ward off the corruption in the lands, only for it to come back bigger and stronger the next day.

As if sensing his inner troubles the wind picked up around him. The Codfather tightened his coat around him again and made sure his mask fully covered his face, not letting even a small shiver pierce him.

Somehow, it felt like the storm was only just beginning.

[theofficialheartboundblog]

Heartbound

Nikki Hawkins is tired of the rules imposed by her parents and sister, Dabria. One day, after the sisters have a heated argument, Dabria is struck by a car on the way to school, and is taken to the hospital; Nikki can only blame herself for the situation. That night, she wakes up in a dream-like state and leaves her house to find a being called the Golem, who tells her that her sister’s heart has been taken by a collector known as the “Queen of Hearts” who currently rules the Land of Mystia. The Golem gives Nikki a map of Mystia and a compass, sending her to the Queen’s floating castle. She first passes through a forest, where she rescues a boy named Deacon from a spider-like monster. Nikki and Deacon next come across Gina, a girl with a teddy bear being pursued by an inhuman hermit. After helping Gina evade him, they find his decrepit house, where they rescue the twins Harlo and Harlem, whom he is holding prisoner. The hermit pursues the children until they destroy the house’s main supporting beam, leaving him to be crushed to death; however, the map is lost in the process. They are later spotted by an inhabitant of Mystia, who contacts a hunter employed by the Queen, Rezrus, to capture the children; Rezrus corners them, but they are saved by other human children, who drive him away before being forced to scatter by the arrival of a group of "gatherers", who are seeking children for display in their circus/zoo-like "Humanium", abducting Nikki. Deacon and the others infiltrate the Humanium and rescue her, freeing all the other humans in the process. Rezrus comes across the ruined Humanium and coerces its owners into divulging the children's destination. Meanwhile, Nikki learns that her companions are also from her hometown, having entered Mystia to find the stolen hearts of people they know. Snow starts to fall, and the children take shelter in the burrow of small skittish creatures. When the snowstorm ends, the five realize they are near Mystia's Capital City. They enter via trolley and witness the insectoid Queen's royal procession, but are captured by Rezrus, who got there before them, and taken to the Queen’s castle, where Deacon is selected to be the first of the group to have his heart removed. The Golem appears and helps them escape, and Nikki leads the others to save Deacon, with Rezrus having his own heart removed by the heart extraction machine. The children and the Golem confront the Queen of Hearts, who offers her the chance to leave Mystia with Dabria’s heart, but Nikki, unwilling to let the other humans suffer because of the Queen’s greed, chooses to destroy the massive container holding the collected hearts. The Queen tries to stop her, but Gina breaks her mask, revealing the Queen to be a heartless humanoid being in a costume. The escaping hearts damage the castle, causing it to fall from the sky and forcing the children to escape on the Golem, with Nikki saving the Queen’s life. Back on the ground, with the hearts restored to their original owners, the five find the stolen hearts they were searching for, and the Golem creates a heart for the dethroned Queen, who, humbled, goes into self-exile. With the humans of Mystia now able to live easier lives, the Golem, now the new ruler of the realm, returns the heroes to their own world, where Nikki is woken up on the porch by her mother, and they learn that Dabria has made a full recovery. Sometime later, Deacon, Gina and the twins visit Nikki, having also successfully saved their friends and loved ones. Now friends, the children head out to play together.

[thenewnio]

Heartbound

Nikki Hawkins is tired of the rules imposed by her parents and sister, Dabria. One day, after the sisters have a heated argument, Dabria is struck by a car on the way to school, and is taken to the hospital; Nikki can only blame herself for the situation. That night, she wakes up in a dream-like state and leaves her house to find a being called the Golem, who tells her that her sister’s heart has been taken by a collector known as the “Queen of Hearts” who currently rules the Land of Mystia. The Golem gives Nikki a map of Mystia and a compass, sending her to the Queen’s floating castle. She first passes through a forest, where she rescues a boy named Deacon from a spider-like monster. Nikki and Deacon next come across Gina, a girl with a teddy bear being pursued by an inhuman hermit. After helping Gina evade him, they find his decrepit house, where they rescue the twins Harlo and Harlem, whom he is holding prisoner. The hermit pursues the children until they destroy the house’s main supporting beam, leaving him to be crushed to death; however, the map is lost in the process. They are later spotted by an inhabitant of Mystia, who contacts a hunter employed by the Queen, Rezrus, to capture the children; Rezrus corners them, but they are saved by other human children, who drive him away before being forced to scatter by the arrival of a group of "gatherers", who are seeking children for display in their circus/zoo-like "Humanium", abducting Nikki. Deacon and the others infiltrate the Humanium and rescue her, freeing all the other humans in the process. Rezrus comes across the ruined Humanium and coerces its owners into divulging the children's destination. Meanwhile, Nikki learns that her companions are also from her hometown, having entered Mystia to find the stolen hearts of people they know. Snow starts to fall, and the children take shelter in the burrow of small skittish creatures. When the snowstorm ends, the five realize they are near Mystia's Capital City. They enter via trolley and witness the insectoid Queen's royal procession, but are captured by Rezrus, who got there before them, and taken to the Queen’s castle, where Deacon is selected to be the first of the group to have his heart removed. The Golem appears and helps them escape, and Nikki leads the others to save Deacon, with Rezrus having his own heart removed by the heart extraction machine. The children and the Golem confront the Queen of Hearts, who offers her the chance to leave Mystia with Dabria’s heart, but Nikki, unwilling to let the other humans suffer because of the Queen’s greed, chooses to destroy the massive container holding the collected hearts. The Queen tries to stop her, but Gina breaks her mask, revealing the Queen to be a heartless humanoid being in a costume. The escaping hearts damage the castle, causing it to fall from the sky and forcing the children to escape on the Golem, with Nikki saving the Queen’s life. Back on the ground, with the hearts restored to their original owners, the five find the stolen hearts they were searching for, and the Golem creates a heart for the dethroned Queen, who, humbled, goes into self-exile. With the humans of Mystia now able to live easier lives, the Golem, now the new ruler of the realm, returns the heroes to their own world, where Nikki is woken up on the porch by her mother, and they learn that Dabria has made a full recovery. Sometime later, Deacon, Gina and the twins visit Nikki, having also successfully saved their friends and loved ones. Now friends, the children head out to play together.