#SHE'S THE DAWN GODDESS. I'M SO CONVINCED

[yuseirra]

I was curious about the feeling of love Perhaps I may be confused Someone sweetly told me at that time

You know what, if it’s love, you’ll know it at a glance You can recognize it without being confused Now I know who the person is I’m sure, lalalalalalala you blossom in me Making me dizzy like a heat haze Lalalalalalala you flood into me The dream I have with my eyes wide open The dream of love, love for real

[alpydk]

I know you've been back and forth about Gale smut, but can I maybe request angsty smut?

Gale 100% sure he's gonna use the orb at the endgame, but fooling Tav into thinking he had been convinced. The night before the last battle, Tav thinking it might be their last night but Gale *knowing* it is.

Hello anon. Thank you for this prompt. I'll admit, it's been a challenge and I'll admit this is more like 90% angst and 10% maybe smut... You'll see what I mean.

Lose you

Word Count - 1221 words - C/W Angst, death, last night.

‘Cause I’m gonna lose ya Yes, I’m gonna lose ya If I’m gonna lose ya I’ll lose you now for good

Gale loved Tav more than he ever thought was possible. He loved how she looked at the world, eyes bright and optimistic, how she saw the good in everyone she met. Everyone could be redeemed of the mistakes they had made at some point in their lives, whether it be Kethric cursed for giving everything for another, Astarion’s tactful advances learnt from a life of pain, whether it was Gale himself and the greatest of all folles.

But what are forgiveness and redemption with no sacrifice? Kethric had ended up dead, Astarion still a spawn living off woodland animals. Gale had sacrificed nothing, at least nothing he could see. A year in solitude was but the consequence of my actions, not a sacrifice. The crown was a distant pipedream that even if he reforged, he could not wield. Unworthy of wielding. No, fate had dictated long ago what his sacrifice would be, and even with Tav’s compelling words and Elminster’s belief that destiny could be manipulated, Gale did not see it for himself. He knew what he had to do. He’d known since that very first day with the book.

“You think too much.”

Tav was right. In recent weeks he had been thinking too much: of life, death, of Gods and planes, and the pain. Will I be given a place at Mystra’s side, or will I walk the Fugue Plane without relief until I'm met with Kelemvor’s judgement? When the end comes, will it be but an instant of burning nerves as I’ve experienced in recent months, a candle snuffed out without hesitation? Or will it be the dull ache of the orb’s pressure building within my ribs, the seconds stretching for eternity as each molecule of my existence is torn apart piece by piece? Gale chuckled at her words; thoughts abandoned. “Maybe, but to think too much, my love, should never be a cause for concern.”

Sitting beside him, she took his hand in her soft palm. She had seen his scrawled letters, words of farewell, of a future he wouldn’t be a part of, and it pained her to think he could even consider leaving them, leaving her. “It is when I know what your mind often travels to.”

 “And what might my mind be travelling to right now?”

To look upon your eyes, your hair, your skin. To see each curve of your body under the dawn’s light. To touch you. To hear your breathing as you sleep. To make you laugh. To make you cry. To love you and no other. To lose you.

She smirked at his words, the playfulness in his tone not going unmissed. Maybe the letters had been written during darker moments, ones before their night at Moonrise. He’d told her he was grateful for meeting her, told her he loved her. He’d invited her to Waterdeep to meet his family. The future was there and maybe it was her who was overthinking things. “I could think of one or two things.” Tav slipped her hand from his, bringing it to the trailing weave of the orb upon his chest. For so many nights she had placed heated kisses along the darkened lines, felt the rise and fall of his chest with each heightened emotion, made him forget his goddess. And for a thousand more nights to follow, Tav would do the same.  

“Maybe a demonstration is in order, hm?” Gale leant back, watching the way her hair tumbled down above him as she positioned herself. He felt the way her fingertips traced along his chest, his robe removed and abandoned. The tender touch of her lips upon his, the scent of wine on her breath. How he longed to change fate. To hold you close on stormy nights. To see you smile as you taste my cooking. To dance with you. To hear you read poetry in the dim light of my study. To feel your head on my shoulder as we watch the sunset. To love you. To lose you.

Her dress was gone, the candlelight letting shadows dance upon her flesh. She looked at him in the same way she saw the world. He could be forgiven, redeemed. In her eyes, he already was, and she wanted to show him that.

Wishing he could tell her the truth; he buried his face in the crook of her neck. The scent of poppies hung in her hair, and he tried to memorise it. He tried to remember each minute detail of her form: the shade of her hair under the light, the flush of her cheeks as she gave into the tides consuming her, the quiet moan as he stroked her body with the soft pad of his thumb. If only they could stay in that one moment, an eternity with Tav as his goddess, the stars their followers, each whisper from his lips a new prayer devoted to her. If only...

“Tav... If something untoward, shall we say, were to happen to me-”

She gazed down at him, the slow rhythmic movements of her hips coming to a hesitant halt upon hearing his words. “Don’t talk like that.”

“I merely need assurance,” Gale replied, an unwilling sliver of emotion escaping him. Please tell me you will find someone else. You will fall in love and smile at them as you smile at me. Tell me you will not need me.  

“You’re not going anywhere.” Tav was so sure of her words. They would fight the Netherbrain and all of them would survive. They would not sacrifice anyone. They were not pieces on a lanceboard to be thrown away at the whims of the gods. They, he was more than that.

“How can you be so sure?”

He felt the slow roll of her hips, the warmth of her body as she grew closer to him. Wrapping his arms around her, Gale held her tightly. He would not let go of her, would not let go of this moment, of their last night together. He would remember every gasp, every whine, every bead of sweat that merged with the salted tears that pricked at his eyes. When the time comes, I want the last thing I see to be you. To see you as you are now. To feel you as you are now. To not lose you.

 “Because I love you,” she moaned softly, her eyes closing with the building heat between them. She knew there was always a chance something could go wrong, but those doubts had no place in their world right now. There was only the love she could show him, the meaning in living.

“I love you too.”

What else could he say that night before his sacrifice was made? Their last night could not be one of pain and sadness. It had to be spent in the way it was, with heated kisses and stars of their own creation. It had to be the last memory they shared, one that would smother out the darkness to follow, one that he could picture as the conjured dagger pierced his heart. To hear your voice. To see you smile. To love you. To lose you.

[spicymiilk]

OK so for Mythology. The way I'm thinking of this is that they are Proto-Indo-European gods whose roles overlap with Greek mythological counterparts, but I'm also mixing in some Roman, Norse, and Celtic deities. So it's not so much "Mo'at is Gaia" as "Mo'at is a mythological figure LIKE Gaia." The Omaticaya would be forest and earth deities. Mo'at would be the Earth Mother, like the Earth Primordial Gaia. Eytukan would therefore be her opposite, the Sky Ouranos that was made by Gaia. Their daughter, Neytiri, would be the Dawn Goddess, like Eos, most fair of all their children and born of the union of light between Sky and Earth. Sylwanin was the goddess of wild forests before she was killed (we'll get to who in a minute). Tsu'tey, then, is a War God, but in the sense of society and defense, like Athena or Mars.

In this AU I'm operating under 'the recoms and humans all exist at the same time.' Grace Augustine was a human who has received so much love and devotion that she had an apotheosis and became a goddess (like Psykhe or Dionysos), but her nature as Former Human means she is not on the same level of divinity as the other gods and can be killed. As the goddess of knowledge, and seeing how vulnerable knowledge has become in this world consumed by human greed, she created the "Avatars" or humans she elevates to divine status to help her protect knowledge and gain more. This makes the 'Avatars' gods like her, but also gods without patronage that act solely as enforcers of her will, like Valkyries.

Quaritch and the Recoms are deities that rebelled from Grace's control. They used her divine gifts to co-opt a new source of divinity, Unobtanium, so they can exist with divine power but without her ability to take that gift away. They resented the control Grace had and the limits that the Omaticaya enforced, and seek to become gods in their own right.

Jake is a Trickster God, a mix of Loki and Prometheus. Originally, Tommy was going to be one of Grace's deities, but upon his death the divinity settled onto Jake by accident. His divinity, and existence outside of Grace's will, made him a curiosity to the Gods of the (Home)Tree of Life, and they invited him to reside there to learn both about him and the way of true divinity. He initially was secretly working with Quaritch, seduced by Quaritch's promise of freedom, but his love of the goddess Neytiri and his realization of how the Recoms were destroying the balance of the world convinced him to truly join the Omaticaya. Still, when the Recoms attacked the Tree of Life (think the battle between the Olympians and the Titans) Grace and the Omaticaya were so disgusted by his treachery that they severed his connection to the divine. However, Jake uses his wits to trick the Great Leonopteryx into giving him a portion of its power, making him a true god on the level of Neytiri and the other Omaticaya.

The final battle happens, and most of the Recoms are slain, and Quaritch almost severs Jake's connection to the Divinity of the Leonopteryx, but Neytiri saves him and Quaritch flees into the world. It is only after this that Jake is granted true divinity by Eywa and becomes the patron god of tricksters.

I'll get to ATWOW in a bit. People are calling me

Tonowari and Ronal would be ancient water primordials, who lived before gods or titans, like Oceanus and Tethys.

I love and I love your brain, wow. Mo’at and Eytukan as the earth and sky is SO good, Grace as an ascended human who’s created the Avatars is unbelievable— the story and the way you’ve connected all the canon events into comprehensive parallels to GODS??? I’m in awe

You need to expand on this, I would eat up every single word. Literally still speechless at Grace and the avatars that’s so good, I love it so much and Jake’s trickery and wit being the reason that he’s both severed from divinity and gifted godhood DAMN DUDE

You are wonderful and I am patiently waiting for more

[blackjackkent]

This is super self-indulgent but I'm honestly really enjoying reading back through the very early posts in my first liveblog as I redo Hector's playthrough; very amusing reading my reaction to some of the things when I really had no clue what to expect or what was going on.

Some bits of my own writing that I don't remember writing that have made me laugh in the re-read so far:

Inside of this ruined chapel area, we find a couple of scoundrels looking for loot (unlike us sophisticated adventurers also looking for loot.)"

We left off having just completed the arduous task of convincing a grown woman not to torture a little girl with a snake.

(from a post before acquiring Karlach) Hector is feeling sadly ill at ease with his accumulated companions right now, as all of them seem to be hiding something with the POSSIBLE exception of Wyll.

Also Gale had his first attack of Mage Munchies so I gave him the locket we got from the kid we saved back in the Grove.

Hector sighs. What does one use to convince a goblin? Money? Do they even care about money? Like so many things, this isn’t a situation the monastery prepped him for.

Also implies that the correct direction is downwards, which doesn’t clear up as much as you might think. This place is a real maze; perhaps Selune is also the goddess of not being able to find your way anywhere.

Volo had a busy night as well, apparently, and while we were all busy having nightmares, he took a Learning Annex course on ocular surgery.

Poor Lae'zel just wants to release some tension and she’s surrounded by wall to wall nerds.

Hector completely biffed his attempt at an animal handling check, but did roll a Nat 20 on survival which allowed him to back the fuck up and not engage in combat (which his companions all approved of, presumably because it means they did not become owlbear food).

[Owlbear to Karlach] “What’s this? Something weak…something tender… Won’t even have to chew you before I feed you to my son, softmeat.” (A/N: And she comes precooked too!)

#lol hector is having a very very weird time of it emotionally and physically :P #karlach your future boyfriend is coming to you with no actual romantic experience #but at this rate he's sure acquiring a lot of whatever this is #erotic undertones just flying around the camp like fucking ping pong balls

Because nothing in this group can remain normal for two seconds, Lae'zel and Shadowheart are fighting the next time we go back to camp.

Hector tried to channel the calming wisdom and authority of the abbot at the monastery and suggested everyone chill the hell out and that maybe sniping at each other wasn’t the best use of their abilities. But, because everyone here is a paragon of restraint and common sense, Lae'zel’s solution was that they should have pistols at dawn, and Shadowheart responded by putting a knife to her throat in the middle of the night. I’m no conflict resolution expert but this feels unproductive.

[macawritesupdates]

Ahh loved the new Yuuji files chapter so so much it was the best one yet! Opening up with summer camp and gojo immediately falling prey to his own hubris was great I was super concerned about that mascot for a moment I was worried it would end up being the death god. Poor Yuuji he's got so much experience he's in his element but no one wants to listen to his advice. I'm not very outdoorsy myself but a good half of my family is and I know from them how easy it is to get hurt if you fuck around. There are multiple eagle scouts in my family who'd have some things to say to all the kids about how foolish they were on the river. Thank goodness Yuuji was a good person and willing to literally jump in to help cuz that could've been a disaster I'm not convinced the Kyoto kids would have survived on their own. Especially since if they had gone without Yuuji they might have ended up in the death gods territory without any way out just like all those other people. Damn Sukuna should realize Yuuji is entirely incapable of sitting by while others meet their doom by now. The death god was so creepy and cool I feel bad for him but also scared coz he wants to do good things and is currently a victim but he's also crazy powerful and beings like can so easily destroy little fragile humans or even just ruin our lives without thinking. Going together into the afterlife to fight God together is incredible good for them. The true forms were excellent Yuuji getting to appreciate his boyfriends true form was lovely and everyone seemed so cool. I'm so glad Yuuji got to kill a god that was awesome. I wonder how Susumu will feel about that. Little sun god Yuuji I love it. I had a headcannon that Yuuji was descended from Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto the goddess who lured Amaterasu from a cave by dancing. In my head cannon the two goddess had a kid who could have been a god himself but he fell for a mortal woman and became human to be with her. The families pink hair comes from the dawn goddess and their gold eyes from Amaterasu. This was just me making fun little theories based on the hints you'd sprinkled in. Anyways love Yuuji being a little sun demigod good for him. Anyways I love Yuuji just casually being himself immediately forgiving rude behavior and making friends with a god as though it were no big deal. The death God's regret that he didn't take more time to get to know Yuuji was cute actually I don't think he's got much to worry about on that end though because he's going to be so busy that one human lifetime will pass in a flash and then he'll have plenty of time to hang with his new friend. Mai and Muta staying behind oh it hurts but it's also so so good! Mai will probably have a great time once she gets used to things she'll be honored as a hero in a God's court and she's so powerful now it's the complete opposite of her life with her old clan. I hope she becomes his right hand woman and achieves great things living a legendary life. Yuuji saying he's not trying to redeem Sukuna but he wants to be in the same purgatory one day damn. I could wax poetic about that forever actually. It's the love and acceptance ok. It's saying I can't save you from the consequences of your own actions but I still won't leave you alone. I will sit with you in hell. Sukuna's well hidden fear of hell too that was great. Ugh it was just a perfect chapter and you brought Toji back I can't wait to see where that goes. I still have more to say lol there's so much good stuff in this one but this comment is already getting long so I'll probably be back in your inbox later with another one haha. Until then thank you so much for writing and sharing with us!!

Thank you ; w ; I was nervous about this one as it has a lot of weird worldbuilding, much like the last fic, and always hit or miss if people enjoy that or not...I just like writing more epic action stories sometimes with more of the world/action ; w ; The death god has been planned for a LONG time, since dropping hints as the ending of this series of fic, the second to last curse, is so contingent on Yuuji having done something BIG that is shaking things up.

Mai and Muta had such sad deaths in the manga, like just always felt they had so much awfulness happen and never got anything to show for it. I like my angst, but I feel if there isn't hope, if there isn't any good payoff, then that death wasn't just, as Yuuji would say. Here, they choose to stay, but it is for reasons of seeking out a better path, not "dead" as much as "Living it up in the god court" ...so they can come back for plot reasons later *coughs* *coughs*

Sukuna making himself into twenty finger cursed objects to maybe be reincarnating instead of dying speaks to me that he does NOT want to die and may have a fear of what comes next, but that's just my headcanon I'm putting in here hehe.... as for the cave incident with a certain sun goddess...mmm....there is a connection there hehe!

I feel it is important for Sukita that Yuuji does NOT just handwave Sukuna being awful, but has an acceptance of it but full send, knows karma has to make this bastard boy pay for it all c: He might become better, do better, but it doesn't erase the past. There is a price to pay, one way or another.

Also Toji coming back was literally the whole reason this chapter exists. I wanted to bring him back. I stared to build the idea they somehow get him back from the afterlife. This chapter was always about bringing Toji back as the funny surprised twist from the day I started writing this fic XD Goes to show you how an idea can really morph over the course of a story!

Thank you as always for the wonderful comment!

[satanic-beast]

"One fateful evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the land, Orion ventured into the sacred grove dedicated to the gods. It was here, amid the whispering pines and ancient oaks, that he first laid eyes on Callista, the Goddess of souls. She appeared as if woven from the very essence of twilight, her form radiant and ethereal. Draped in a gown that shimmered like starlight, she moved with a grace that made the wind itself pause in admiration. [...] From that day forth, Callista visited Orion in his dreams, filling his mind with visions of unparalleled beauty and creativity. By day, he worked tirelessly, his hands moving with a newfound purpose and skill. His sculptures, once admired, now became legendary. Each piece he created seemed to capture a fragment of the divine, of the love and inspiration Callista bestowed upon him. Their bond grew deeper with each passing day. In the quiet moments of dawn and dusk, they would meet in the sacred grove, sharing whispers of dreams and secrets that only the stars could hear."

... then I'd make one thing clear: She came into my life and nothing has ever been the same since then.

Nasib, you are the fate I never knew I needed before our time. In moments when I didn't know it any better and kept going for every "what if," there was you that I didn't know about yet. By now we have shared years of deep trust and all phases of our lives in which we accepted each other and gave each other the support we needed. I got to know you in so many ways and continue to do so to this day, just as I knew back then: None of your facets have ever been fully explored and they probably never will. You opened the deepest doors to your inner self and allowed me to feel at home with you. You hold the keys to my deepest wrong turns, my most absurd thoughts and my wildest stories and yet... you never turned your back on me. Even when I would have turned my back on myself, literally. If they wanted to destroy me, they would have to crack you. Too bad you can't be cracked.

I will always be incredibly grateful to you for that. You have picked me up more often than you might even realize. And I trust you blindly. If there was anyone who could go through all of my belongings, read all of my mails and messages and keep them, it would be you. You earned my trust, you did. You never disappointed me. And so my trust in you goes deeper than I ever thought possible. There were many crossroads in your life, there were people in your life, they lusted for you, they tried so badly to hold your little finger (you know what I'm referring to...) but little did they know that you have already made up your mind about how you want to give away your WHOLE hand someday. In a comparatively short time, you have become a woman whose sophistication and maturity would be too much to handle for ordinary men. Without knowing it, you have the gift of stepping out of all shadows — so listen closely: Nothing and no one will ever be able to cast shadows on you.

Now it feels like parts of you are inside me and parts of me are inside you - irretrievably. You fulfill me in so many ways - only once in your life, and I remain convinced of it, do you meet a person who would be willing to die for you. And that would be me for you. No matter how much you hide or withdraw, I will not allow the silence within you to crush you. I will throw myself against every wall that comes between us, just so you can finally sink back into my arms and sigh of relief. In a sense, I already owe you my life. How many times have I cursed timing, but with you I know it was exactly right. Whenever you lose focus or feel like you don't belong, I will be there to remind you who you are to me. No leaf fits between us, nothing you would ever hear about me would drive you away from me. I've stopped asking myself what I did to deserve you, because I'll never get a tangible answer to that.

Gone with the wind - I can't wait to experience the time with you when we will be blown away by it. What is mine is yours. Always. There is so much that awaits you and I know you would take my hand blindly, just as I would take yours. “Behind every successful man, there's a woman.” Nah ... you are by my side, visible to everyone, and I don't shy away from making it clear what space you take up in my heart. You are worth every fight, every low, every high — there simply is no one like you. Sometimes the greatest things are hidden in the smallest. You are living proof of that. The deep patience that you carry in your heart, especially for me, the way you love and let your heart live, that is what has already made you unforgettable for me.

             Your end will be mine, like stars that align.

For all these reasons and many more, it's you: You're the one who pulled me out of one of the biggest lows of my life. You gave me new energy and you will also be the person I go down with one day. I will be by your side until my last breath - nothing can ever take me away from you. @onlyfemmefatale

“𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐁𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.”

𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐛

— 𝙚𝙞𝙣 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙩, 𝙙𝙤𝙘𝙝 𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙚

𝘽𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙜, 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙩

𝙯𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙞𝙣 𝙠ö𝙣𝙣𝙩𝙚.

In a movie, there is always a villain and a hero, and both always have a superpower. So do you; your dark, demonic side may well be the villain, as you often see yourself or as others like to make you appear. Nevertheless, there is also a hero within you. The hero whose strength is much greater and brighter, and I believe, not just for me but for many here, you are their hero. But back to the essence. You are often unaware of this; you are the person who brings both together in one. You have the power to allow anyone you let close to you to become, in their own way, a version of themselves they never thought they could be. You not only provide the feeling of security that so many long for, but you also allow them to grow beside you without constraining them. You let them bloom in their most beautiful and wonderful colors and work on themselves. Many find in you a deep love, which is why it often happens that they realize you are "the love of the life," "the one," or "the love that matters." You allow them to love you in a way that helps them grow and mature, and in those moments when you let them feel your unique love, it is the way your gaze softens, your fingertips lovingly touch their skin, your voice changes to become gentler and fuller of love, and you nourish their hearts with a love they have been searching for or longing for all their lives. You provide a sense of security, safety, and peace, making you a home for many. It is no wonder that people return who have long stepped out of your life or try to be close to you again, spending a lifetime waiting for you or searching for you in others. People who cannot let go of you and yearn to look back at the time with you – no matter how things fell apart. You bring out the best in someone with depth, patience, and calm.

Jovan? I still remember how it all began with a simple encounter in a bar, dark cool oak wood, dim light at a window seat. It’s amazing what a plot twist you were. Neither of us would have thought at that time that it would turn out this way. I was still very reserved back then and could hardly come out of my shell; I hadn’t yet found myself, and yet our paths crossed, even if they separated, but never completely. You allowed me to discover a depth that lay in conversations I had never known before and learned about myself. My counterpart - the devil herself, it was as if we planted our trust in each other more tightly, and the individual facets became darker, while I found myself more and more. You stood by my side unwaveringly, held me, and never stopped supporting me when it got tough, as not everyone understood these changes in me and only wanted to project the old image of me onto me. You taught me to open up, even though I resisted for so long and always offered a wide surface to explore; however, you never grew tired of giving me a sense of security, and I let you see me more deeply. My laughter with you was always the most honest and heartfelt; no matter how bad a day was, it was our humor that was very similar, and we never failed to make each other laugh because I mean happiness, and you would't settle for less. Sometimes I wonder if there is anything that hasn’t already been expressed to you, but what I know is that it doesn’t have to be, because it is always an "I love you," and the feeling is different every time. Often an "I adore you," but even the way it is spoken is different.

You are home, you are love, you are that one person for so many, including me. I can understand anyone who tries to re-enter your life after a breakup, hoping to feel and experience that unique bond with you. You are the epitome of love, happiness, well-being, security, trust, patience... I could go on endlessly.

Without you, laughter fades away; it is no longer as full of happiness. The colors seem to fade. One is like a plant that loses its blossoms, that withers. Even when they often portray you in a bad light — I don’t want to say that everything you do is always right, yet they visit your blog more often than they do their own. You are an inspiration, a source of knowledge, and the most patient person I know. Even when you break contact with someone who meant a lot to you, you make thousands of attempts to not completely lose that bond, no matter how cold you can be; many would rather walk through Antarctica hundreds of times just to feel your warmth afterward. You have taught me a depth that I find astonishing every time, for it never ends. Do you even realize how much I admire how well you can read others? You learned to understand that even when I opened up to you, I would still close myself off again, and to this day, you have never grown tired, patiently and with great assurance, waiting for me to "open up" again. You can sense when something is wrong and always let me express my thoughts, no matter how sharp they may be; you always listen to me.

I have never met anyone who never stops giving me such trust, providing me with such security, and being a home for me and my soul – my soul Siamese. You give me a peace, my soul's peace, which I can only find with you. You will be my last sentence, the end of the story. I trust no one with my soul as I do with you, nor do I let anyone see me the way you do. You are special, my Liebling. You give me this unique bond.

Vocé e minha casa. قدري @brutalcharm

[animereaderinsertwriter]

Previous - Chapter 2 - Next - Series Masterlist - Series Playlist

Pairing: Dabi x Reader

Rating: Explicit

Tags/Warnings: fantasy au, violence, smut, angst, fluff, non-major character death, pregnancy, dub con/fuck or die but only kinda?, enemies to lovers, there's an arranged betrothal somewhere in there that eventually goes away, spoilers for dabi's identity

ao3 link here

“The sacred day we know as Beltane was one of the few sacred holidays whose celebration was not forbidden by the Empire. It was a celebration of springtime, the coming summer, and fertility during the warmest and best months of the year, and so long as the imperial soldiers got their fair share of the celebration (both in terms of food and sex), everything went on quite well.  However, it is worthy of note that the good gentlefolk of the Clans often forgot to warn their imperial counterparts of the danger of traveling during this time of liminality without a proper offering to give to those they might meet, and many a man with an imperial lion on his breast found himself carried off to the realm of the fae, never to be seen again.”

—Balthazar the Wise, On the Age of Unrest 

A few hours before dawn's first dim glow painted the horizon, (Y/N) had nearly worked her hands free of the rope that bound her. Silently as she worked, she dedicated every layer of skin, every drop of blood as a sacrifice to the goddess; her fury flowed hot and deep, and even as she tore more flesh to wrench free, she thought of home and how every single scrape on her wrists from this encounter would be answered by swirling flame and piercing ice.

I'm coming, Shoto, she thought fiercely, finally freeing one hand fully from the rope. You won't have to worry for long.

If (Y/N) were honest with herself, Shoto had been right to try and convince her to call off this mad trip to the countryside— the dangers had obviously outweighed the benefits, if her current situation was any indication— but it was Beltane, and (Y/N) had always taken a few weeks away from the Summit to visit the people, her people before the festivals. Besides, ever since her betrothal, she'd felt more strongly than ever the need to be free and roam where she would while she had the chance. Soon, she would be a lady of Clan Todoroki, and some of that freedom would be stripped from her. 

Naturally, however, that freedom would not be given lightly, nor would it be exchanged for a small, trifling price; no, for a sliver of her freedom, (Y/N) would secure peace for the people and all the protection the Todoroki name could provide her, which was no small thing, indeed. It was a good thing, too, that she and Shoto were as compatible as they were, for while Shoto would be honor-bound to seek vengeance for his betrothed regardless of the fondness between them, the act of capturing and humiliating the closest confidante of the Todoroki heir apparent warranted a hellish punishment indeed. When he caught wind of this, Shoto would be like a bloodthirsty hound unleashed from its cage; because for all that they did not love each other as lovers should, (Y/N) was as dear to Shoto as she was to him. 

"You're my star-match," he'd told her once under the midnight sky as they sipped an ale strong enough to warm their very bones. "If I thought I could ever love anyone, it would be you."

Once (Y/N) made it back and told her story, Shoto would squash every man in this camp like a bug beneath his heel. Vengeance would be swift and sure, and (Y/N) hungered for it. 

Just a little more, she thought, pulling the rope over the meat of her right hand. Only a few more seconds… 

She was free!

Swiftly, (Y/N) glanced around, looking for something she could use as a weapon just in case she was found; a moment later, she grabbed hold of a knife Dabi had haphazardly thrown to the ground before collapsing on his mat to sleep. Now armed, she quietly made her way towards the exit, but stopped just in front of Dabi's sleeping figure, hovering there while she considered her options. 

I should kill him, she thought, tightening her grip on the knife she held. It would be easy.

It was true. The human body was such a fragile thing— all it would take to end his life would be a quick drag of a blade across his throat. (Y/N) could do it without even waking him, and she'd be free to make her escape with no one the wiser until she was long gone. One smooth, solid slide of the knife in her hand, and Black Dabi would be no more, her vengeance won by her own hand. 

Really, she should do it, she thought, moving silently towards the sleeping marauder. It would be wrong of her not to strike this blow for every peasant farm boy slain, for every young maid robbed of her girlhood; morally, it was (Y/N)'s duty to end his life. 

At least, that's what (Y/N) told herself as she lowered her body gently over his, watching his chest rise and fall steadily.

In his sleep, Dabi looked peaceful and almost sweet. As (Y/N) placed a knee on either side of his hips, raising her knife to his neck, she thought that he could almost have been handsome if he hadn't been so evil. He had the fine, strong features of a nobleman, and in another life, she might have batted her lashes at him in the marketplace. 

One motion, she told herself, placing the knife against his skin. It will be quick and easy, and more merciful than he deserves.

But before she could manage it, a lightning-fast and beastly-strong pair of hands gripped (Y/N) by the upper part of her arms, and she nearly sliced through the tendons of Dabi's throat by sheer accident.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting your fun, pussy-cat?" asked Dabi with a dark chuckle, his voice thick with sleep. "You didn't really believe that I could sleep through all that racket you were making, did you?"

(Y/N) had thought that she had been rather quiet herself, but in hindsight, it was possible that she had been mistaken. 

"You're a monster," she replied hoarsely, and Dabi pulled her down, forcing the full weight of her body down onto his pelvis. "If I don't kill you, more innocent people will die by your hand."

"Most assuredly," he agreed, smiling almost lazily, his eyes half-lidded. "So do it. Stop playing with your food and eat it."

To her horror, (Y/N) could feel the hard press of Dabi's cock against her. Desperately, she tried to move away, but Dabi held her hard and fast, his grin turning almost manic as she squirmed against him. 

"Do it," he urged her, his grip on her arms painfully tight as he pulled her closer. "Kill me, purge me, purify me, O Hand of Cerridwen. All men die, but few do so beneath a beautiful woman."

(Y/N) looked at him then— really looked at him— and was suddenly struck by how familiar he seemed. Though it was dark, she could have sworn she knew his eyes from another face. 

This is not his path, a still, small voice within her said, and (Y/N) lowered her blade. He has a part yet to play in this life. Let him live.

"Why hesitate?" he asked with a strange softness. "What do you see, pussy-cat?"

"A man," she replied, equally soft, and she knew she couldn't make herself complete the task she had risked everything to accomplish.

What a fine mess I'm in now, (Y/N) thought, watching as Dabi stared intently at her. I'm certain he'll do worse than tan my hide this time. Who knows what hellish punishment a stunt like this would warrant?

Just then, an idea occurred to her.

No killing, the goddess had commanded— but as far as (Y/N) was concerned, maiming was entirely on the table. 

"Terribly sorry to cut this philosophical talk short," she told Dabi, tightening her grip on her knife, "But I've got places to be."

With that, she raised the blade and brought it down again just above Dabi's collarbone, driving the knife through his flesh and down into the ground. The sound Dabi made as his body was wounded could probably have been heard for miles around, and (Y/N) knew she had mere moments before the whole of the League was on her tail. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she scrambled out of the tent and into the night, looking desperately for a means of escape. 

Horses, horses— where were the fucking horses? On foot, (Y/N) would be little trouble to hunt down, but on a horse— 

Ah!

A fine black stallion was tied to a tree about five yards away, and (Y/N) bolted to it like her life depended on it.

Which, incidentally, it did.

"Easy, easy," she told it as shouting and the clanking of metal could be heard from all around. "Will you let me ride you?"

The stallion snorted and beat the ground with its hoof. It became immediately apparent that the animal was of some ill temper, but (Y/N) didn't have time to be picky; she hauled herself up onto its back as best she could without the aid of stirrups and a saddle, and she held on for dear life as the damn thing bucked once then took off like a shot, carrying her out of the camp in the blink of an eye. 

I’m free! she thought, laughing hysterically as the stallion beneath her beat the earth with his hooves, his gallop faster than anything (Y/N) had ever experienced. They’ll never catch me now— the moors are perilous at this hour, and these mists are so thick that they won’t be able to see even a foot in front of them. It would be a fool’s errand to chase me now.

Her joy, however, was short-lived. Not even a moment later, a shout rang out across the moors that chilled her to the bone. 

"You wily little bitch!" came Dabi's voice, rich and booming as though he were close on her tail. "When I catch you, I'm going to make that thrashing I gave you look like a goddess-damned maypole dance!"

Panic overtook her as the sound of galloping hooves and that of her heartbeat intermingled, hammering in her head in a great cacophony. (Y/N) willed the horse beneath her to gallop faster, terrified of what would happen if she fell back into Dabi's clutches— but even as she did so, the damn thing stopped completely, launching her from its back and onto the ground. Temporarily, the world went black, and when (Y/N) came back to herself, she could have beaten herself for having been such a fool.

What the horse had seen— or otherwise sensed— and she had not was the fairy ring that she now lay in the middle of, the white-capped mushrooms sharing at her as though to laugh at her predicament. As the mists before her thickened, (Y/N) remembered belatedly that the same perils that existed for her pursuers existed also for her— and the mists at this hour held more than just physical obstacles. 

"Where are you, you wretched bitch?" Dabi called out, oblivious to (Y/N)'s peril. "You can't hide in the mist forever!"

(Y/N) should have just let him wander off into the mists without breathing so much as a word in warning— ironically, if she had, it might have kept Dabi from discovering her and stumbling into the fairy ring— but (Y/N) just couldn't help herself. She called out to him, doing the best she could to dissuade him from searching for her. 

"Stay back!" she yelled out to the moors, hoping like hell that Dabi would understand. "Turn away, Dabi! It isn't safe!"

There was a somewhat muffled reply, but before (Y/N) could process it, a hand dropped to her shoulder, startling her. When she turned to see what— or who— had touched her, her blood ran as cold as ice.

Greetings, blessed one, the creature above her seemed to say, its eyes soft and considerate, though they were also the unsettling shade of ichor gathered in a wound. You are far from home. 

The creature— one of the aes sídhe, (Y/N) could only assume from its humanoid shape and colorless visage — held out a wooden cup for her to drink. As she took it, she also noticed another, smaller aes sídhe, one who looked to be possibly more feminine, hiding a little ways back. 

Fear not, Hand of Cerridwen, said the first aes sídhe, straightening itself from where it had bent to speak to her. Drink of the cup, and you will be well. 

The first rule of the supernatural was to never, ever eat or drink anything offered to oneself by a nonhuman. (Y/N) knew this rule well, as it had been beaten into her derriere as a young novice in the temple who liked to skive off her lessons, but she’d had no water in the past several hours. A mere moment ago, she would have killed for even a single drop of something liquid… and even now, confronted with a strange being who didn't feel the need to move its mouth to speak, (Y/N) wasn't sure where she stood any longer. 

"What will this drink do to a mortal body, O Fairy of the Ring?" (Y/N) asked, finding herself a bit shocked that she had reverted to the Old Tongue, as she hadn't quite realized what language the aes sídhe had mentally addressed her with. "I believe you bear no ill will, but do you know of its effects?"

The aes sídhe shook its head. 

It is naught but the water of our land, our people, blessed by the goddess, it said, and (Y/N) peered into the cup, finding the liquid that lay within as clear as spring water. Drink now, little sister of the Mortal Lands, and taste the blessing of the Land Undying. 

(Y/N) knew better, but she drank the cup dry. The water— smoother, sweeter, and more viscous than anything she'd ever drank— was gone in a matter of seconds, and the aes sídhe extended a hand to her, intending to help her to her feet. 

"Back away," came a low, rough voice from behind. "Come one step closer, and I'll burn you to ash."

(Y/N) turned, her body trembling and her mind racing at hearing the Old Tongue once more— Aloud! From a human!— and then everything in the world seemed to slam to a screeching halt as she realized that the voice belonged to Dabi. 

Oh, he was angry now. His chest was heaving, his sword was drawn, and his eyes were wide like a snarling beast's. He charged at her, flames coalescing into existence in the palm of his left hand, and for one awful moment, (Y/N) was struck with paralyzing fear. 

He's going to kill me, she thought, terrified. My lineage, my legacy ends here— 

But then Dabi strode past her, only stopping once his body was fully in front of hers, his feet planted solidly at shoulder-width before her. 

He wasn't trying to capture (Y/N); he was protecting her. 

Ah, a champion for the little sister, said the ais sídhe, a little amused. A man for the woman of the goddess. 

"I am no one's man but my own," Dabi shot back. "I said get back."

At that, (Y/N) scrambled to her feet, alarmed.

"You fool!" she hissed, tugging at his jerkin. "That's an aes sídhe, it could squash you like a—"

"I know what it is," he snapped, shrugging away from her. "Get out of here while you still can, I'm giving you an opening."

(Y/N) wanted to laugh… only, she felt much closer to crying. 

"Dabi," she said in Common, yanking him backwards as the aes sídhe looked on. "I'm the Hand of Cerridwen. I don't need an opening."

Dabi turned to look at her then, eyes narrowed. 

"The fuck are you on about?" he asked, matching her languge, and the aes sídhe took that moment of distraction to close in.

You feel such anger, such bitterness, it said, its large hand gripping Dabi's jaw. It gives you strength, mortal, but it makes a poor sacrifice.

"Sacrifice?" 

Dabi looked genuinely confused, and (Y/N)'s heart sank as she noticed the faintest rays of light coming through the fog. 

It was the dawn of Beltane, and Dabi had nothing— no pouch of seeds, no bouquet of spring flowers, no summer crops— for the aes sídhe. 

It is Beltane's dawn this morn, and you have crossed into our land, the aes sídhe told him, releasing his face. You mean to say that you come without an offering? 

(Y/N) didn't know what to do. There had to be a way to stop this madness, and yet without an acceptable gift, the aes sídhe were well within their rights— well, certainly within their habit, in any case— to do with Dabi as they would. Death would be favorable in a situation like this; aes sídhe were fond of taking wayward humans into their fold for, ah, recreational purposes. If (Y/N) couldn't invoke some right, weasel out through some technicality, Dabi would be— 

Sai'dor. 

All three of them— (Y/N), Dabi, and the aes sídhe— turned to look at the aes sídhe's smaller companion, who now approached. 

What is it, sweet one? asked the first aes sídhe— Sai'dor, apparently— and its companion looked at (Y/N) with a sheepish expression. 

I have foreseen this, it said. Its eyes never left (Y/N), and she felt suddenly discomfited by the depth of its scrutiny.

Sai'dor shook its head, then spoke a phrase that (Y/N) didn't understand. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dabi demanded. (Y/N) could have punched him, but before she got the chance, the smaller aes sídhe spoke up. 

The fields are ripe for sowing, it said with a tiny smile of shiny black teeth, and there is more than one kind of seed. Let that be our gift to the goddess; in receiving your offering, we give also our own. Provided, of course, that the Hand is willing.

(Y/N)'s heart sank to her stomach. It all became painfully clear what the aes sídhe expected of them, and she was sick at even the thought. 

It has been foreseen, said Sai'dor almost gently. Consider it wisely, little sister. 

That was it, then. One way or another… 

Her hand drifted to her torso, and Dabi looked horrified. 

"Absolutely not," he said, once more in Common. "I refuse."

It was almost cute, (Y/N) thought, how he suddenly wanted to play the hero now. Cute, but ultimately futile. 

"You can't refuse," she told him, pulling him once more to her by his shirt. "You should have left like I told you to. If I had been by myself, none of this would have…"

(Y/N) didn't finish her sentence, but Dabi's eyes widened, first in understanding, then in panic. 

"Fuck," he swore. 

(Y/N) let out a hysterical little giggle, wondering whether or not this was what it would feel like to go insane. "That's the idea."

Dabi turned to her, piercing her with eyes of azure, his expression determined. 

"I won't do it." There was no anger left in him, only acceptance. "If you're truly free, then go. I'll deal with this."

(Y/N) shook her head. She didn't know what the right answer to this was, but she did know that she wouldn't be leaving Dabi here to face this alone. He might have been a murderous bastard, but he had risked his very life to save her, and that in itself had value. 

Would it be so bad? she wondered, taking in Dabi's strong jaw, his slender nose. He's a bit patch-work, sure, and he's a murdering bastard, but… he's not bad-looking.

In any case, it couldn't possibly be worse than two weeks in an imperial dungeon, could it?

(Y/N) closed her eyes for a moment, and when she reopened them, she looked on Dabi with the eyes of the Mother— eyes that saw brokenness, not vileness… pain, not anger. This man, as well as any other, had the potential to be good, but he had made terrible choices. Even so, the Mother had a plan for him, and (Y/N) was resigned to play a part and bear witness to it. 

"Come, Dabi, make your peace," she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "In all things, we must endure."

He stared at her with a blank expression instead of finishing the platitude. 

"What?"

(Y/N) sighed. Men always required too much explanation.

"I'm hardly a virgin, and you're hardly unhandsome," she told him, her eyes locked with his, "And unless your tastes run in the other direction, I think we should manage just fine."

Dabi looked at her as though she'd taken a bite out of a plague rat right before his eyes, and (Y/N) fought the urge to laugh.

"Have you lost the fucking plot?" he demanded, batting her hand away. 

And here she was hoping that an amoral blackguard like Dabi would be an easy lay. So much for that.

"If I said I wanted you," she said, stepping even closer, "Would you deny me?"

There was hesitation in Dabi's eyes, but there was skepticism too. 

"Not even an hour ago, you would have killed me," he told her. "How am I supposed to believe you want me now?"

(Y/N) wet her lips. Dabi followed the action with his eyes, and she knew she had him. 

"An hour ago, I didn't know you spoke the Old Tongue," she replied, placing a finger gently over his lips, tracing the seam of them. "An hour ago, you were my captor, the man who stripped me of my dignity before a camp of marauders."

Dabi grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away, but he did not release her. 

"And what am I now, priestess?" he asked. His eyes— still so familiar— burned with an intensity unlike anything (Y/N) had ever experienced, and she swallowed thickly before she replied. 

"You're the man who risked his life to save me." Suddenly emboldened, her eyes opened with godly insight, she added, "In fact, you're a nobleman's son who has chosen the wrong path, a would-be lordling that I might have flirted with at festivals, had we been in the same circles. You are so much more than you would have had me believe— and now I'm baring myself to you in the same way you've unwittingly done for me."

Dabi shook his head. 

"You lie," he told her, crossing his arms. "If you can't do any better than that, then— mph!"

There were few things in the world indeed that couldn't be solved by a simple kiss. This situation, (Y/N) supposed, would certainly not be hurt by one. 

"Could you speak to me in the Old Tongue again?" (Y/N) asked against his lips, wondering if it was herself or the goddess talking. "I haven't heard it since the war ended, except for—"

(Y/N) stopped short, stricken with shame at the thought of her betrothed. Shoto also spoke the Old Tongue when his father wasn't around to scold him for it, but instead of the usual joy the thought of him brought, (Y/N) felt only guilt and sorrow. 

"Is this really what you want?" Dabi asked, adopting the language of the ancients once more. "Your eyes are sad."

I am the High Priestess of this land, (Y/N) wanted to say. When has what I want ever truly mattered?

Instead, she shook away that uncharitable thought and kissed him again. The texture of the scarred skin of his lower lip was strange but pleasant against her own, and she pressed forward, deepening the kiss, allowing her hands to come up and trace the metal embedded in his skin with her fingers. As she did so, strong, calloused hands cupped her shoulders, first pulling her closer, then pushing her back; (Y/N) opened her eyes, puzzled by the motion, but when she saw where Dabi was looking, she couldn't quite blame him. 

A little ways away, the aes sídhe were sitting in the grass, the vines they wore as clothing shed to reveal their forms as they touched and kissed. In the early light, they looked like the ghosts of lovers who had died together, having run off to the moors to fulfill their forbidden vows. For a moment, (Y/N) wondered if that truly was what they once had been. 

"Look at me," said (Y/N), moving Dabi's face back to hers with a gentle hand. "I'm the woman who is about to give you her body. As such, I deserve your full attention."

Dabi's eyes were soft then, softer than they had a right to be, and he returned her words with a kiss of his own. He kissed her deeply, his tongue pressing forward past her lips, and he caressed the very place on her neck where he had choked her before as if in silent apology. 

"It's not in me to be gentle," he warned her, his lips moving to tease at her ear. "If that's what you were hoping for, you should say so now."

With a quiet smirk, (Y/N) grasped his cock through his pants.

"Don't coddle me," she replied as Dabi inhaled sharply. "Unlike this New Religion's virgin queen, my goddess doesn't require those who serve her to remain untouched. I know my way around a man, and man has known his way around me enough to know that I like it rough."

Dabi huffed a laugh, then winced, drawing back to clutch at his shoulder. It was then that (Y/N) remembered the wound she'd given him earlier, and she scratched the back of her head, sheepish. 

"Lie down on the grass, and I'll take care of that for you," she said, pressing her fingers around the wound. "It'll make things easier, more pleasant."

Dabi brushed her away. 

"It's cauterized," he said, "And something else for nothing— you won't be the one giving orders around here."

So saying, he fiddled at unlacing her shirt, revealing her breasts. Eagerly, he lowered himself to kiss between them, taking one in each hand as he left markings there with lips, tongue and teeth. Impatient, anxious to be done, (Y/N) fisted a hand in his hair, unsure of whether she wanted to pull him up to kiss her or down to have those teeth scrape against her nipple, but he tugged against her with such force that she was worried she would rip the strands from his head no matter what she chose. 

"Pushy, pushy," he grumbled against her skin, nipping the sensitive skin of her left breast as a calloused thumb brushed over her nipple. "Pull my hair all you like, pussy-cat— you're not the only one who likes it rough."

(Y/N) groaned at that, but then Dabi sank to his knees, his hands at the laces of her breeches. Teasingly, he rubbed the heel of his palm against her sex, and she threw her head back at the sensation. 

"Like that, do you?" he asked with a grin, and (Y/N) felt the vicious urge to kick the bastard for being so smug. She would have, too, if he hadn't yanked down her breeches, grabbed her by the cheeks of her sore arse, and smashed himself face-first against her sex. 

"Mm, the way you taste," he chuckled darkly against her pussy as she shuddered. "You really are divine."

Only a truly evil man could have known just how to become (Y/N)'s undoing in the way that Dabi did. Slowly, teasing, he used the big, bony knuckle of one finger to rub against her clit, using his tongue to lick the wetness from her core as he traced sensitive circles into her skin. Just when (Y/N) thought she would have to exhale a soft please, he moved his fingers to her opening and his mouth to her clit, thrusting two fingers inside her, reaching just deep enough to tease her, slowly but forcefully pumping them in and out as she rocked against him, helpless to do anything except ride the wave of her pleasure.

"Yes," she cried at one particularly hard thrust, his tongue flattening against her clit. "Dabi— Dabi please—"

She didn't need to ask him twice. A third finger was added, and the long, slender digits hammered in and out of her with a force that sent her quaking. His tongue circled her clit, and he began alternating between teasing and nipping and sucking it in a maddening cycle of pleasure-pain. (Y/N) had never felt like this— never— and she clung to Dabi's hair for dear life, hoping to the goddess and all things good that she didn't pass out from it. 

"Fuck," she swore as his mouth closed gently around her clit, sending a jolt of sensation through her whole being. "Oh, oh, I'm so close already—"

Beneath her, Dabi was using his free hand to stroke himself, and watching him pleasure himself so roughly, almost punishingly, pushed her over the edge and into orgasm, drenching his fingers. 

"Dabi!" she cried, pleading as he curled his fingers inside her. She pushed at his head with all her strength— she wasn't sure how much more she could take— but he didn't budge an inch. "Fuck, I've finished, I've come, I—"

Dabi pulled away from her clit, but his fingers inside her never stopped. 

"Let me see if I can make this situation any clearer," he grinned, sharp and carnivorous. "This isn't about you, pussy-cat. It's about me."

With that, he buried his face between her thighs once more, and (Y/N) could almost have cried at the sensation of too much and yet somehow not enough. It felt as though Dabi was going to consume her entirely, and in that moment, (Y/N) wasn't quite sure that she would object. 

It's been too long since I've been with someone, she thought as Dabi finally, finally withdrew his fingers, switching hands so that the wetness from her covered his prick as he stroked it. I've spent so long on my own that I had forgotten what being with another person feels like. 

Since her betrothal to Shoto, (Y/N) hadn't been with anyone, especially not Shoto himself. Despite the immense, all-consuming love they had for one another, it wasn't that kind of love, and it hadn't felt right to engage in such a thing until it was expected of them to do so… but now, faced with a blue-eyed devil who looked like he could rearrange her insides, she almost wished she had been a bit more in practice than she was. 

"Who did this to you?" 

In the time that (Y/N) had lost to her musings, Dabi had still been kneeling before her, watching her intently. He was looking at her now with darkness in his eyes, and suddenly she felt very, very naked, and a little fearful.

"Didn't you hear me?" he demanded, splaying a hand over her thigh. "I asked who did this to you."

Ah, (Y/N) had forgotten. The scars. 

All across her body were scars from the war. Either from healing the wounded or sustaining her own injuries, scarring was inevitable… but what Dabi was doubtless referring to was the scars she obtained during those fourteen days of captivity. 

The matter of her scars, however, was none of Dabi's business. 

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," she replied curtly, and Dabi snatched her to him, somehow still commanding despite being eye-level with her crotch. 

"You and that smart mouth," he growled. "If I had more patience, I'd teach you a lesson about sassing me."

"You don't have it in you, craven," she shot back. Bitterness of the past welled in her, threatening to drown her, but Dabi was too quick to allow it. Mean, nasty thing that he was, he swung a single powerful arm behind her, landing a sweeping blow to her knees, and she took a hard fall right onto her ass. Now angry, she made to scramble to her knees, but she was too slow; Dabi was on top of her, his cock hanging long and hard from his breeches, and he wrapped a hand around her throat, suddenly vicious once more.

"Silence," he ordered, this time in the Old Tongue, and (Y/N) couldn't fight off the shudder that ran through her body at the command. "You wild animal, you untamed beast— I risk my sorry neck to save you, do everything I can to keep you from harm and you— you stand there talking to me like I'm some serving boy, like I'm beneath you— fuck, I can't stand it!"

He kissed her then, furious and forceful, and her hands found themselves once again in his hair, pulling him closer as his tongue forced itself between her lips. (Y/N) wanted to consume and be consumed; at once, she felt drunk, feverish, and the slide of Dabi's cock against her was an unbearable temptation. 

"You said you hate me?" he told her, pulling away to look at her with those eyes that were more blue than the sky, more wild than a rabid wolf, "I can promise I hate you more, pussy-cat. You weak-willed woman, you worthless bitch— you and yours fucking gave away everything that I fight for, everything that was taken from me, and yet here you are, so fucking beautiful that I want to crush your skull beneath my hands just to get away from you. You are every mistake I never would have made."

"You're insane," she snarled, biting his lip, and he bit back. Hard. 

"Count on it," he growled right back. "We can't all be well-adjusted like you, Your Worshipfulness— though I question how begging for a criminal's cock is any form of sane for a straight-laced boot-licker like yourself."

"I did not beg—" she protested, but then she was being shoved onto her hands and knees, her face full of dirt and her ass in the air as Dabi's cock slid between her thighs. 

"Maybe not," he said, bending his body over hers so that they were touching back-to-chest, "But you will."

Dabi snuck one hand around her to play with her too-sensitive nipples, and the opposite arm forced her into a headlock. He kissed and licked and sucked all along her neck, and (Y/N) shuddered at the feeling of his cock sliding along her folds, always close but never enough. It was maddening, but (Y/N) would not beg, she wouldn't, she'd die before she lowered herself to that— 

"Please," she gasped as he licked the shell of her ear. "Dabi, I— I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said, I just—"

"Beg," he snarled, his teeth skimming the back of her neck, teasing at a bite. 

(Y/N) shivered.

"Fuck," she hissed as one of his arms circled her neck. "Please, please, I want you to fuck me."

He chuckled darkly against her, raising the hair there with the warmth of his breath. 

"You think that's adequate?" he asked, tightening his forearm so that it was almost strangling her. "Are you so unaccustomed to asking nicely that 'I want you to fuck me' is the best you can do? Pathetic. You don't even know my real name; you never even fucking asked for it."

(Y/N) didn't know how else to beg. She rocked herself backwards into his cock, hoping for something, anything, but all she got for her efforts was a stinging bite to her collarbone. 

"Ask me for my cock," he said against her skin, rutting his cock even harder against her. "Beg me for it."

(Y/N) almost wanted to cry. What else could she possibly say or do? 

"Please," sobbed (Y/N), fisting her hands in the grass. "Please, please give me your cock, Dabi, I want to feel you, I want to come with you inside me, I—"

Dabi released her from his headlock then, and lacking the strength to hold herself up, she collided with the ground so hard it made her jaw ache. 

"Call me by my name," he told her, grabbing her by the hair. "Ask me what my name is."

"Y-your name—" she gasped as he was suddenly inside her, filling her. "What's— What's your name?"

"Call me Touya," he murmured, his lips suddenly close to her ear as he yanked her upwards. "That's the name I want you to scream when you come."

Touya… where had (Y/N) heard that name before? There was something in the way he said it— in the whispering of it, in the nigh-upon painful utterance— that was as familiar and yet impossible to place as his eyes. She knew that name, knew it like the smell of the land just before a thunderstorm, like the banished light of a candle in a temple corridor; it was a part of her somehow, and she couldn't help but repeat it, try it on like a silken slip.

"Touya," she groaned as he began fucking her in earnest. "Where do I— oh fuck."

Dabi— no, Touya— repositioned them slightly, adjusting the angle, and (Y/N)'s words died in her throat. There were a thousand and one things racing through her mind— too much, not enough, are they seriously watching us from over there? Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me— but she couldn't focus on a single one of them. The hot slide of Dabi's cock inside her, the wild, erratic thrusting of his head against her insides, all of it was too much, and all she wanted was to not think. 

"That's it," Dabi praised her, pistoning his hips. "See, you can be good, pussy-cat— and if you're very, very good, you'll get the cream you're hoping for."

"Touya," she gasped. "Touya, I—"

"Quiet, now," he told her in the Old Tongue, his hand coming around to circle her clit. "Find your mountaintop."

And wasn't that beautiful? Find your mountaintop, he'd told her— of course, it was just an Old Tongue nicety referring to an orgasm, but as (Y/N) was sent careening towards her own, it seemed so poetic. 

(Y/N)'s second orgasm felt like free-falling. Her whole body was a-tremble, and adrenaline coursed through her, carrying its own high. If she would have been cognizant enough, she would have been ashamed at how she cried out, how wrecked she had become as Dabi finished inside her, but all she could do was sink against him, at once heavy and weightless as she collapsed against him. 

"Shit," said Dabi, pulling her up and steadying her on her knees, his skin warm and wet where they connected. "You don't do things by halves, do you?"

(Y/N) wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but decided to let that be a problem for her future self to suss out; she faded in and out of consciousness until she finally succumbed, warm and safe in the arms of a strange man with two names and familiar eyes, whom she hated and yet trusted with her life. 

I'm sorry, Shoto, she thought as the darkness of her inner being took over. I hope you can forgive me. 

***

Dabi had never felt so emotionally raw after sex, but he supposed there was a first time for everything. 

The Hand of Cerridwen lay sprawled out over his body, her own having consumed too much of her energy to maintain consciousness. Truth be told, Dabi might have passed out right along with her if only his bloody stab wound from earlier didn't hurt so bad. The sharp pain of it kept his body thankfully awake and alert, but his mind was hazy and unfocused as he held (Y/N) to his chest, wrapping his arms around her torso and wondering what the hell he was supposed to do from here. 

You reveal much, Black Dabi— or should I say, young Todoroki.

Dabi flinched at the echo of the aes sìdhe's mind-voice in his head. He'd nearly forgotten they were there. 

"Is that a threat?" he asked tiredly, and the aes sídhe let out a breathy sound that might have been a laugh. 

Merely an observation, it said, patting the back of its mate, who was still busy between its thighs. You reveal everything, and she reveals nothing— and yet— how amusing!— neither of you are the wiser. 

Dabi wanted to ask for an explanation, but even blinking took too much effort. 

Still, mused the aes sídhe, I suppose you do make quite a pair. Though there is much you do not know and cannot see, your child will be strong. My mate has foreseen it. 

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Dabi's stomach, but he refused to succumb to it. The Beltane sunrise was long past them, and he had little time to worry about a child of all things. He needed to dress himself, dress (Y/N), and get out of this mad fever dream; if he didn't get them back to camp soon, who knew what would happen in the meantime. 

"Come on, priestess," he sighed, pulling out of her as he struggled to pull up his pants without throwing her naked form to the ground. "Wake up, pussy-cat, we've got a long way to go." 

She woke, if you could call it that— (Y/N) was alert enough to stand, but dazed and disoriented as Dabi dressed. Feeling foolish despite his coherency, Dabi helped her into her clothes once he was done with his own, pausing only once when he felt metal against his skin. Looking down, he caught sight of a glint of gold on her hand, and upon closer inspection, noticed that there was a plain gold band encircling the ring finger of her left hand. 

An engagement ring. 

This just keeps getting better and better, he thought to himself, cursing his own naivete. He had supposed (Y/N) to be unattached, a spirit free to roam the land as she wished; but under the Empire— with their New Religion and their woman-hating and their flaccid fucking pricks— it was no surprise that the High Priestess had attached herself to a man who could protect her and give her rights in their world. 

A man who could hold her back, maybe, Dabi thought bitterly to himself as he whistled for the horse (Y/N) had stolen away from him. A man who could punish her with impunity under the law— a man who is rich enough to buy that pretty chunk of gold and fancy that he owns her. 

Dabi might have crossed a few lines himself, but at least he knew there were bloody lines. 

Farewell, Todoroki Touya, said the aes sídhe with a toothy grin as Dabi's own black stallion approached. May your path be shaded and your burdens be light. 

Dabi nodded in return, helping (Y/N) up onto the great beast before situating himself behind her. Bandit— for that was the name of the horse— snorted contrarily, but eased into a canter at the nudge of Dabi's heel into his side. 

She took both of us for a ride today, huh, old boy? Dabi thought fondly at the stallion. Had her way with man and beast alike, and now we have to carry her sleepy little arse back. 

It was curious; no one— no one— had ever ridden Bandit besides Dabi and lived to tell the tale. Scarce had a fool's arse cheeks touched that animal's back that weren't smashed beneath several hundred pounds of warhorse… and yet (Y/N) had convinced the stubborn beast to gallop for her. How she managed it, Dabi would never know, but he had to admit that watching that wily lass ride at breakneck pace across the moor had seemed something of a dream. She was the finest rider he'd ever seen, too, and he began to wonder what it would have been like to know her in a world without an inheritance of war. 

"Touya," she said, stirring suddenly in front of him. "I know that name."

Slowly, she turned to him, and Dabi felt his cheeks flame as she looked at him with searching eyes.  

I revealed too much, he thought, thinking back the words of the aes sídhe and his discovery of her engagement ring, And she revealed nothing at all. 

"Who are you?" she asked earnestly, pressing him. "I know you're high-born, so don't lie."

"Don't call me that unless we're alone," he told her, refusing to meet her gaze. "Who I am is of little consequence."

(Y/N) turned around then, but Dabi knew the conversation wasn't over— after all, a woman never loses an argument, she only postpones it— but even so, he was glad to regain their peace, especially once they approached the camp. It wouldn't do for the men to see his reclaimed prize as anything but tired and pliant to his will after the stunt she had just pulled. 

"Dabi!" Twice exclaimed, jogging up as soon as Dabi reached his tent. "Thank the goddess— we thought you were a goner for sure!"

Dabi huffed a laugh. "So did I. Here, help her down and into the tent— I'm going to get something to eat, and then I'm going to sleep. The first man that wakes me up before I'm ready had better hope we're being ambushed, because if not, I'll have his guts for garters."

That didn't quite happen, though; as soon as Dabi had eaten and settled in, he found himself wide awake, staring at (Y/N), who was fast asleep on the furs he liked to lounge on. She was so innocent and peaceful in her sleep, but the image of what lay beneath her clothes haunted Dabi like a wraith in the night. Those scars… he had never seen their equal on a woman. He wanted to touch every single one, wanted to know their story— the war had affected everyone, he knew, and the tales of the valor of Cerridwen's Chosen had inspired the nation in times of desperate need— but he was almost afraid of what he would find. There was already so much rage within him that any more would surely crack open his ribs and spill from the seams in his flesh like froth from the mouth of a rabid wolf. 

“Hey, pussy-cat,” he murmured to her, expecting no response. “What’s your story, huh? Why did you give up the fight for this land and make peace with the Empire?"

When (Y/N) spoke, Dabi nearly jumped out of his skin. In that moment, her voice was not her own, and instead took on the deep, melodious tones of a woman many times her age. 

“Because the war was lost before it had begun,” she said, her lashes kissing the skin of her lower lid. “When a bonfire is lost to the rain, it is better to carry a torch into a cave than to let the fire burn out entirely just to breathe open air.”

Dabi’s heart was going to beat out of his chest.

“Goddess divine?” he asked, sitting upright. “Cerridwen, Mother of us all?”

(Y/N) spoke no more, but Dabi knew what he’d heard. His hands shook as he peeled back his blanket, and he walked on wobbly knees over to where (Y/N) lay, placing his hand on her cheek. He caressed her skin, remembering the way he’d struck that very cheek earlier, and then and there, he vowed never to strike her again. She was fragile, this woman, but not fragile in the same way that a glass vase would be; she was fragile like a vessel of Greek fire. Dabi had been careless with his treatment of her, and suddenly, the words of the aes side came back to haunt him. 

Your child will be strong, it had said. My mate has foreseen it.

If a child really did come from that union… it would be more than goddess-blessed. It would be more than human. 

“Shit,” Dabi swore, brushing hair away from her face. “How the hell are you asleep?”

There was no reply, and there wouldn’t be one; the righteous rarely had any problem finding their rest. 

[pocketramblr]

How would Hyrule fair back at the start of his adventures

Hyrule: oh my goddess I just time travelled, like the hero of legend, incredible-

Hyrule: .... Christ I'm tiny why did Impa let me go out like this

1- I think Hyrule would keep his knowledge of spells, since he doesn't get his physical equipment- but his younger body does have a lower amount of magic points. So his first priority is to get his items back- skipping the intermediate items and going straight for the red ring and magical sword.

2- his second priority is to finish Ganon before he can curse his blood and lead to the never ending hunt to kill him to resurrect Ganon. He does this via sneaking in as a fairy, waiting until he's asleep, and not wasting time with the sword, just the magic arrows. The good news is it works! The bad news is now the monsters fall back on the standard "well just sacrifice the princess" plan instead, which means leaving Zelda 1.0 in the North Castle is a great way to get it surrounded in constant attacks. Link figures "welp, I was gonna rescue Zelda 2.0 early anyway, come on!"

3- now Dawn Zelda and Link are a duo! He gives her the magical bow, keeps the sword, and shares the rod. Impa is the only one he tells about the time traveling thing, in order to convince her to give him the crystals he needs to unlock the seal on the Great Palace to get the Triforce of Courage. It's a good thing he's not alone, since AOL is hard and for all Link is practicing his magic asap, he just doesn't have as much as he will when he's older. They end up fighting two shadows in the Great Palace, and rushing back to wake Aurora Zelda.

4- ok so in the original timeline, I hc Dawn as 17, Link as 16, and Aurora as 14 when she was cursed to sleep, so Link is used to being like a big brother to her. But now that he's changed the timeline, she's 14, Dawn is 13, and he's 12. They're all younger, and no one's ready to take the throne. But now the monsters have no clue which princess would maybe bring Ganon back, and with the full triforce in the trio's hands, it's much harder for them to gather strength at all.

5- Link is ready to leave, now that he's fixed everything faster and avoided being targeted with the blood cult AND the responsibility of being marked heir to the throne. He figures he should leave Hyrule before his sixteenth birthday, but really asap so he doesn't mess it up more. Besides, he's a traveler- he wants to see Calatia again, he's eager to see more lands as well. But nope as soon as he tries to leave the Zeldas want to go with him! (Aurora masters the magical rod. They're a feirce fighting trio, and of course: it's not safe to go alone.)

[itmighthavebeenintentional]

We've Got Tonight - Ch 5

Summary: “It’s not your job to do this, Andy. You make people happy. I was in the diner all of ten minutes, and you knew exactly how to get me to smile. You do normal, real things like garden and sing karaoke. Saving the world is my job, Sam’s job. Sometimes it’s even Cas’s job, but it’s not yours.”

Inspired by Bob Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonight”

Warnings: Major Character Death, More Major Character Deaths (sort of?), higher than show level violence, blood, light smutting, language, demons, apocalypse, inferred suicide, cult activity.

18+ ONLY, MINORS DO NOT PROCEED

Author’s Note: This story is set hazily around season 8. Just squint a little, and it’ll settle in somewhere. I wrote this story after certain big revelations in the show, but before other big ones; you’ll most likely be able to tell which. I play with time a bit in the story itself, so if things seem out of order, they are. Hopefully, by the end, all the pieces will fit together.

What the hell, let’s give it a shot.

Image and major edits by the incomparable @there-must-be-a-lock . Heavy editing and cheering by @thoughtslikeaminefield . Thank you both so much.

This chapter in particular is dedicated to @foxyjwls007 . If I'm going to torture you with something, it's not going to be a cliffhanger. I'm going out of town for two weeks, so you get an update early since I won't be able to post while I'm away. Thank you for the encouragement.

In case you missed it: Chapter 4 ItMightHaveBeenIntentional’s Masterlist

...

We’ve Got Tonight

Chapter 5

“Miss? Miss? Hey, are you okay?”

A hand grips Andy’s arm, firm but polite, and she jerks to, almost losing her footing. It’s been a long day already, and she still has two hours before she can go home, shower, and put her feet up for a little while before karaoke at the Brass Monkey starts up.

Maybe I can even fit in a nap, she thinks excitedly. But first, gotta wake up and make it through the rest of my shift.

Of course, if she hadn’t been tossing and turning all night from a crazy dream, she wouldn’t be as tired as she is now, but that’s neither here nor there. And it doesn’t help that she can’t even remember the stupid dream. It was really long, though, and there was blood and books and…someone...

“Can I get a refill over here?”

One hour, forty-seven minutes, and twenty-two seconds to go. She can do this.

The minutes crawl, though, and it’s all she can do to stay on her feet and focus. The lunch crowd has long since thinned, and she’s about to ask if she can maybe take off a little early when the door chimes, and she catches the tail end of the entering customers’ conversation.

“Could you at least consider putting something green on your plate? Like, ever? Broccoli won’t kill you.”

“I’ve already told you, I’m getting breakfast since you didn’t wake me up early enough to eat a decent one this morning. Pancakes, bacon, and coffee, which, I might add, grows on a tree, so it counts as a plant. That’s balanced enough for me. You like broccoli; knock yourself out, Jolly Green.”

“Sam isn’t green, Dean. Is your vision faulty? Perhaps we should get your eyes examined. Or you could try carrots along with the broccoli. Carrots are supposed to improve vision.”

No. No, no, no, she thinks, her mind whirling frantically. It was a dream, they can’t be here. This is...this is how it started, and...

She turns, and there they are, Sam and Dean dolled up in their clean, pressed feds suits and Cas looking just as rumpled and bewildered as she suddenly remembers. They seat themselves at an empty table in her section, but any thoughts of leaving early evaporated the second she heard their voices.

Every moment of the dream, every minute of those four weeks comes screaming back, cramming each terror-laden, tension-ridden second into her mind so fast she actually does stumble and has to grab the back of a nearby booth to keep from hitting the worn-out linoleum.

“It...hasn’t happened yet.”

“I’m sorry, did you say something? Hey, hey, hold on there. Are you okay?”

Then Sam’s hand is supporting her elbow, helping her straighten up, and she looks up into his concerned eyes, unable to express how glad she is just to see him breathing. Behind him, Dean and Cas are arguing about something trivial, wonderfully animated and alive and completely unaware of her.

“I’m sorry, hun, it’s just been a long shift. Gimme a minute to grab some waters and menus, and I’ll be right over.” Sam accepts her flimsy excuse at face value, and why wouldn’t he? He hasn’t lived with her for the better part of a month, hasn’t saved her life once, hasn’t tried to save the world with her. He doesn’t know her at all.

Why should he question a strange waitress in a strange diner who says she’s had a long day? He’s met hundreds of women just like her, maybe thousands, and he’s got no reason to question a completely legitimate statement.

She rushes into the back to find the coldest water possible to splash on her face. Her reflection gapes back at her from the staff bathroom mirror as the enormity of her situation begins to dawn on her.

Why? Why is this happening? Either she actually lived through those weeks and is somehow getting a do-over, or she dreamed the whole thing and is getting a shot to fix things from this end. But why? And how?

How in the hell?

Think, Andrea, think. It was real. It will be real. It hasn’t happened yet. You haven’t screwed everything up yet. You have to fix this. But how? How can I fix it when I screwed everything up so very badly last time?

Just...think. Think. Start small. Try to stop it before it happens. But...the cult. Crowley said they were real. They found me before, they’ll find me again. I could talk to Sam and Dean and Cas about what's going to happen. They’ve been through enough insanity in their lives that I actually have a pretty good shot at convincing them.

She stares into the mirror, racking her brain for every helpful detail she learned during her time with the Winchesters.

They're already investigating all the break-ins hereabouts; those were the cultists looking for me in the first place. Then they find me, take me, bleed me, and start the apocalypse. The boys could stop the ritual before it even happens.

Her reflection in the mirror frowns, unconvinced the solution could possibly be that easy.

But the literature, the books, it’s all still out there. Someone else could find it, could come after me. My blood is the problem. I’m the key. As long as I’m around, someone could still use me to end everything. Crowley can still use me to get to them. Think. You’ve got to actually stop everything and save them this time.

Her eyes widen as realization dawns. The world can’t make it without the Winchesters. There’s only one way out of this.

Fifteen minutes later, she sets a fresh green salad in front of Sam before dropping a towering stack of steaming pancakes in front of Dean.

“Fresh pot of coffee coming off in two, be right back with your refills. Need any more butter or syrup, hun? How ‘bout a couple of extra pieces of bacon on the house?”

“Don’t encourage him, please,” Sam groans. Dean slaps his brother on the back of the head, sending Sam’s coiffed hair into a tizzy of disarray. Sam swipes back at his brother, who waves off Sam’s attempts at retaliation like he’s swatting a fly.

“You shut your pie hole. She said free bacon. That makes her a queen.” He turns his most charming smile on her, glancing down at her name tag then back up to meet her gaze squarely. The crinkles around his eyes deepen with his grin. “Andrea, is it?”

“Andy,” she corrects automatically, and she can’t help her answering smile. He throws her a wink that clearly says he knows he’s cheesy but it's all part of his irresistible charm.

She doesn’t disagree.

“You are a goddess, Andy. I love you, and you need to know that.”

“You don’t,” she says, only just managing to keep her voice and smile level, “but you could.” His answering laugh sends a twinge through her chest, and if she clenches her jaw a little around her smile, she figures she’s entitled.

When the men finally finish eating, she offers a slip of paper to Dean, while Sam pretends he isn’t rolling his eyes.

“There’s a karaoke competition at the Brass Monkey tonight. Winner gets tab on the house for a week. Interested in maybe meeting up there around ten or so? We could have a drink, sing a song, and see where the rest of the night takes us.”

He grins and takes the slip from her with sure fingers. She’s certain he has her number memorized before the paper even retains his prints, but he makes a special show of tucking it safely into his pocket.

“Dean, do you think it wise to allow yourself to be so distracted when we’re in the middle of an investigation?”

And without even realizing it, Cas gives her the perfect opening.

“Oh, you boys investigating all the break-ins hereabouts? Were they too much for our local boys to handle? Listen, hun, my friend was one of the ladies whose house got broken into. If you want to stick around for a few minutes, I can fill you in on what I know and send you her way. Would that help?”

Castiel’s eyebrows lift in surprise, and he is clearly pleased with his first-rate investigating skills. “That would help immensely, Miss Andrea. Thank you.”

She can’t believe her luck at such a perfect lead-in, and she runs with it.

“Now that I think about it, the shop next door mentioned something about their alarm getting tripped a few nights in a row. Maybe I could talk to your friend while you two check it out? And I’ll see you tonight, Dean? Ten o’clock?”

Dean’s grin softens, and she can see the faintest tinge of red along his cheeks. She didn’t notice it the first time around, and now she wishes she’d paid more attention. Then the brothers leave, and she’s alone with the angel. ...

Chapter 6

[electricprincess96]

Oh, totally! Honestly, I don't know how I forgot this was a Japanese game, so that was my bad! ^^" It's definitely important to keep that sort of thing in mind. But yeah, Crimson Flower just felt depressing as well as pretty underwhelming (Edge of Dawn gave Edelgard more nuance than her actual route did, but maybe that's just me). In general, everything about it seemed pretty rushed. As for Silver Snow, I just wish we knew exactly what happened to Claud and Dimitri.

And I agree, Azure Moon definitely seemed the most fitting thematically and I just adored Dimitri's character development throughout the whole thing, while Verdant Wind was the most fun for me, so I can easily picture either one as the "canon" route for me personally. If there's a completed fanfic out there that somehow combines these two routes together, I'd read it in a heartbeat!

No need to apologise the fact is it's impossible to completely remove your own personal experience when playing a game, I think its more necessary when approaching meta about said game to be aware of your biases and be able to acknowledge the creators of this work most likely don't have the same lived experience as you or I do. It was easier for me I'll admit because while I am not the most religious person, everyone in my family who is religious is also mostly quite tolerant, I don't have the trauma that automatically makes me look at the word Church and say "it's bad" now I do play Atlus games and I played Golden Deer first (cause Claude is a fine looking man and I wanted some of that) so I was fully convinced "Church Bad" until the Flame Emperor reveal and then that route also gives you Rhea's real backstory (honestly Deer does the twist the best, it suffers from being mostly Silver Snow but "not" but I'm really glad I picked it first)

It was once I got involved with the meta that I started to ask myself "why did I associate the Church of Seiros with western views of religion anyway, its a Japanese game but also they just don't fit, they worship a Goddess, their leader is a woman, they are pro gay marriage etc."

It's funny cause I played Derr first I went and played Crimson Flower knowing she was the Flame Emperor so I went in wanting to know OK why are you like this, what happened that made you decide this was the only way, what other options did you exhaust..... and I got a confusing mess of leaps of logic (which I'd accept if they wanted to play that she was emotionally stunted post trauma but they never went all the way with that).

And honestly I'll say it, I wouldn't hate Crimson Flower or Edelgard half as much if Edelstans didn't keep insisting she's right, insisting that genocide is OK with there's only 3 left (someone want to tell that to Panne?), insisting that centralised power on one individual is OK if they got their through "merit".

Like see if they went away, I'd just shrug and say "she was cool, could have been better executed but she was fine, awesome design!" And I'd have moved on with my life.

Like I will say I like Crimson Flower for one thing, it gives me Rhea as Seiros and we all needed that in our lives.

But overall my rankings would probably be Azure Moon, Snow and Wind are kinda interchangeable depending on if I want to marry Claude or Rhea, and then dead last is Flower.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1018 - Initial Thoughts

And we're back on that bombshell

Oda had to leave us hanging but we've finally made it to the next week Time to see what more this revelation has to give

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release as well

An Ulti/Pay-Pay cover page reminds me that I adore Ulti and Pay-Pay's dynamic, just wish she didn't attack Tama

As anticipated, with Tama giving the order it also makes her a target, Usopp and Nami on the case to protect her

Daifugo and Speed are also here to help out, but Speed almost left without Usopp. Komachiyo is also fine, Gazelleman found him but no word on Hihimaru

Nami's also come round on Zeus, instead of servitude it's a partnership that's now born

I can spot the panda, but also it seems that others are turning coat on their own volition, what was that about Pirate Alliances and Betrayal?

Numbers have dropped 16 to 9, though it is unnerving how well this is going...Kaido and Big Mom are still massive threats and BM's crew still struggle to access Wano

CP0 though are debating whether a certain someone is allowed to live after this, seems that there was ulterior motives at hand

That person is Who's Who, as CP0 question his chances against Jimbei

As expected, WW has a problem mainly with Shanks, but because he ate the fruit it extends to Luffy

Whoa his Fang Pistol made Jimbei bleed through Armament, I mean nooo Jimbei but I think it's cool that Rokushiki can break through Haki

WW's Fang Pistols though are affecting the floors below, he's whittling down his own forces as well as making the floor unstable, Onigashima may collapse on itself at this rate

Aaaaaaaaand he had to slur, unsurprising that the ex-CP9 member is a Fishman racist, though how does this work with Jack and Sasaki?

Another thing? WW should probably change his name to X-Position

'Sun God' Nika huh? Is this a variant of Joy Boy I wonder? Someone who will bring joy and freedom and liberate slaves. Maybe that's why we talk about the Dawn

Looking at the name itself, Nika is a variant name for Nike, one of Zeus' many children and goddess of Victory, it can mean 'good', 'true' and 'chosen', the use of a sword and spear is an odd combination

This story though was enough to put a target on WW's back, which does seem to validate his clinging to it

Back with the racism though, WW expect Jimbei to know about it because his crew was the Sun Pirates and that Fishmen history is a history of slavery

WW though has gotten way too overzealous with his fingerpokes, and now he has broken fingers. I dunno how though, I wanna say Conqueror's Coating or Fishman Karate having a defensive layer but something about Jimbei's defences amped up

Jimbei is full on pissed off now though, tanking WW's attacks

Haha, got him in his tail, nowhere to run and then BAM, Gargoyle Tile Fist

But another break now? Oooooooodaaaaaaa!

So rather than delve deeper into why Luffy's fruit is important, Oda throws us another mystery of this Sun God Nika. I don't expect this character to be a proper 'god' though, Skypeia has curbed that expectation and I prefer it that way. But it doesn't rule out that Nika wasn't otherworldly, Skypeians, Shandians and Birkans all descended to this world from a moon after all.

Since WW has this information though it's likely that CP0 won't help him out so easily, but I'm still convinced he won't die, being a raging fish racist only adds to his heat when Oda wants to use him antagonistically again. As for the fight, I'm not sure if it's finished just yet, we already had CP0 act like Jimbei was the safer bet in the fight and while KOing him now will give the W to Jimbei I don't think we can rule out his Ancient Zoan durability coming back into play. Also let's not forget that Jimbei needs to take the cat harem.

If not then perhaps we'll move to another fight, or finally get Usopp some spotlight as they attempt to protect Tama. But the week break is a sore spot still, I think it was like this last time: we got 3 consecutive chapters then a break, is Oda preparing a color spread maybe? Or is a really big chapter coming soon? 1000 and 1010 were A-tier chapters so what about 1020?

Sucks to wait but it's always worth it

[yourcreepyneighborhoodelftwink]

As the Hero fell upwards through the sands of time, the days rewinding like the gears of a clock, he landed calmly on the cobblestones of Clock Town Square, at the dawn of the first day. He had been through this many times before, and had grown accustomed to reliving the same 3 days, helping the same people with the same schedules, slowly making more and more progress each time. At least he didn't feel an enormous time crunch, even with the threat of the moon hanging above him, he was always able to rewind the days, and could take days to rest, to sleep or ride Epona or play with the inhabitants.

He rarely did, but it was nice that the option was there.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Tatl getting his attention with a soft tinkling sound, looking over at the stand near the Deku flower, and the note pinned to it.

"That's certainly new…" she said cautiously as they approached, Tatl reading aloud to Link.

The pair exchanged a confused and frightened look. It wasn't signed, but they knew exactly who left the note for them.

BEN sat on the edge of the field, their boots hanging over the barrier where the grass turned into sand, looking out at the canyon leading to the beach. It had been so long since they had entered their game, only playing it from the outside. Perhaps they had been showing too much love to Breath of the Wild lately and not enough to the dark masterpiece of their former prison, or perhaps it was the only world they could enter that felt truly real, where the sun was warm and the wind blew. They HAD become a bit spoiled, learning that adding weather effects and random wind blowing did wonders to immersion when they entered a game.

They closed their eyes, speaking up before looking behind them.

"You didn't have to rush over here. "as possible" doesn't mean "instantly", you know…" BEN said gently, lowering their ears with a guilty smile.

Link frowned softly, keeping his distance from the elf. He couldn't draw his sword AND sign, after all, so he would have to make due. "You didn't specify. I've learned better than to provoke you."

BEN couldn't exactly blame his caution. It's why they were here, after all. "My bad. I'll be more specific next time. But I suppose it's neither here nor there now…"

"...is there something you want, BEN? " Link asked, clearly a bit anxious by being asked to meet.

"...a few things. I won't lie and say there isn't a favor I'd like to ask the both of you-"

"Like you have any right to ask Link for anything, at this point!" Tatl quickly interjected, turning red in anger. "You've terrorized us for no good reason, revealed truths we didn't need to know, and then just left us alone one day!"

"-BUT," BEN continued, "that isn't my main reason for being here. First and foremost... You're long overdue for an apology from me."

Link and Tatl looked at each other in confusion. "...pardon? " Link questioned.

"...I've been doing a lot of thinking and self reflecting lately. Especially because I finally have reason to want to improve myself. And I think I've gotten pretty far in trying to right the wrongs of my past, and try to change as a person. But I still never gave the both of you a proper apology, or even an explanation for how I treated you…" BEN sheepishly said.

Link looked down at the seated person, absolutely dumbfounded. All the times he had been attacked by BEN came instantly into his mind, only to not even be able to so much as scratch them in return, even the might of a Goron doing nothing to them. All the times he had been followed and told he was insignificant, worthless, a joke of a hero, told he was nothing more than a bland, boring conduit for the player of a game in a world far grander than his own. Only for BEN to just... Disappear one day. Gone. Vanish into thin air, and only return occasionally, seemingly at their leisure. Something... Didn't add up to him, and he wasn't sure what on Earth made them suddenly stop tormenting him, and now want to make things right.

"...I'll hear you out, at least," Link finally said, stepping forward to sit next to him. If nothing else, were he going to harm Link, BEN would have done it by now.

"Not that it makes us all hunky-dory yet," Tatl offered, settling on Link's shoulder.

BEN smiled softly, letting out a relieved breath. They stayed quiet for a moment, deciding their words carefully. "I'm not... Sure where to start. So much has happened to me. I guess I should start when we first met. When I first entered this game. It was my favorite game, and with me when I died," they started.

Tatl interrupted, jingling softly. "...when you died?"

BEN nodded softly. "When I died. I was just about your age, Link, about 12. More specifically, when I was murdered. Father simply... Got tired of me, I suppose. He tricked my religion's leader- we refer to him as The Father- into thinking it was my time to Ascend when it wasn't. The whole explanation of my belief system isn't important in this, just that I was robbed of something very important and sacred to me because of it."

"That sounds horrible," Link signed.

"It was... And I was only 12, and not the greatest at understanding or expressing my emotions... I was so angry, absolutely furious at losing that chance, as what had been done to me. I've always had a strong sense of justice, if you can believe it. I don't easily stand for people wronging me. But when I died, my spirit was trapped in this game. All that rage bottled up, with nowhere to release it... Until I started releasing it on you. Very unfairly."

"I'll say," Tatl said, though there wasn't much bite behind her words.

"Eventually, someone played the game, and I was able to break free, find someone else to torment. And after that, start lashing out at everyone who had hurt me, making them

PĄŸ,"

BEN continued, their voice glitching out just a bit at the final word.

"...i moved on to more innocent people after that. I was out of control. To the point where my goddess, Luna, intervened. She stopped me herself, gave me a new body, made me into a young adult so I wouldn't be trapped as a child forever, and I carry the souls of everyone I hurt in my blind sadism, until I join her again one day. And I've worked hard to be a better person now. I've found so much to make my life wonderful, and to make the most of my second chance…" BEN trailed off.

"...but you still want to make amends to everyone you've hurt," Link finished for them.

"...I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't think I can be forgiven. But I really AM sorry for how I treated you. Both of you. Of everyone I've lashed out at, you're the least deserving of it. No matter WHAT'S happened to me, it's NO excuse for how much I've hurt you. And even if you never forgive me, I would love the opportunity to make it up to you…" they finished softly.

"...would you excuse us for a moment?" Tatl asked, flying a slight distance away. Link glanced over at BEN before rising to his feet to follow, and speak with the fairy alone. BEN politely stayed looking forward, allowing them the privacy.

"...do you believe them?" Tatl asked.

"...yeah. They seem genuine," Link admitted.

Tatl nodded softly. "I do, too. There's much simpler ways to trick us or convince us if that was their intention. Even if they said they wanted a favor, this is a lot of lengths to go to for just that…"

"I wonder what they want," the hero mused, glancing over at BEN.

"...maybe ask? Perhaps you can also ask a favor of him, test his sincerity," she said.

"What would that be? " he asked.

"Well, you've said you're curious about his world, whatever it is that our entire world is only a game in, a small part of. Maybe you can ask to explore his world. It'd give you the opportunity to spend more time with him and let him earn your trust, anyway," she offered.

Link nodded softly, then whistled to get BEN's attention. "Alright, BEN, we've talked it over. First, I want to know what favor it is you want…"

"Actually, it's a favor specifically from Tatl," they explained.

"Wait, me?" she questioned.

"...my daughter has watched me play this game a lot. And she's absolutely fallen in LOVE with you, she ADORES seeing you on screen. Her first birthday is in a few months, and there's... Circumstances about my life, and now hers, that will make her very different from other children, with so many secrets to keep. She could really use having a companion by her side, a friend to offer wisdom and company and help when she needs it. A copy of you, like how I copied Epona, to watch over her and make her feel less alone…" BEN said.

"...you have a daughter?" Link asked.

"And a boyfriend. Soon to be husband," BEN explained, holding up their hand to show off their ring.

Tatl let out a soft chime at this. "Well... I'm certainly flattered you think I'd make a good companion to her…"

BEN smiled softly. "I don't expect an answer today, don't worry. There's still a few months before her birthday. And I understand if it's not something you're comfortable with…"

"...we have a proposal for you, in that case," Link began. "You want to make amends to us. We're admittedly curious about this world outside of our own. So, let us explore. Show us your life, and what lies outside this "game", and earn our trust. Then we'll consider it."

BEN thought this over. They'd have to be careful, but this wasn't impossible… "...I can't completely remove you from the game. I'd have to copy you, then merge the copy and your true self after. It's basically the same thing, though, you'd keep the memories and everything. And you'd have to do EXACTLY as I say, I... REALLY can't have attention drawn to myself or the people I live with. If there's something that catches your attention, you can't gawk, just stay calm and ask me. And there's going to be a LOT, the real world is nothing like this one. Hylian sign doesn't match up with any sign language in my world, so you'll at least be able to speak freely. But if you can do that, and trust that I'm keeping us both safe when I tell you to do something... I'll happily show you around."

Link considers this, then nods. He holds out his hand to BEN, who shakes it.

"Then we have a deal."

[devilbat]

The Mummy

Warning: violence, guns, implied smut. Getting handsy.

James Conrad x reader. (This is My first James one shot)

A/n: another one to add to my classic Movie monster AUs Tom Hiddleston character. 

Happy Halloween 🎃

           This was your first real big break as a archaeologist. You had always been at the desk in the museum working on and restoring old artifacts. When you heard that your predecessor was ill and couldn't not make the Journey to Egypt. You jumped at the chance. Begging him to let you. At first he didn't want you to go. Being you were a woman and a lot could happen during this time and age. With a lot of convincing and arguments, you were on your way with his long time buddy James Conrad a former British army SAS Captain. Now freelance bodyguard as you put it. He was not what you were expecting. When you met him. You were bubbly and looking for Adventure. He was bruty, always on Guard and seemed to be annoyed all the time. Well at least around you.

        Handsomely overly attractive how could one man be that rugged, ruff around the edges and still be so damn hot. His jawline line was sharp with a bit of stubble. Oi and let's not forget his deep velvet smooth English accent, could make your panties drop with just one word. He was getting on your nerves. You could never stray to far from him. The first night in Egypt, you just wanted explore the rich culture, the food. James had other plans for you. As you were set to stay in the hotel room until dawn. When you would embark the long travel by camel to the valley of the kings.

            To say you were hot was understatement. The camel that was unpleasantly jilting you around on, had this obsession to nip at you ever chance he got when you weren't paying attention to him. Let's not forget he had bit of a smell to him. If you had a hose and some soap he would, damn well get a bath. The long days turned in to short moments of coolness from the heat of the sun. You had decided to name the stupid animal after one of your ex's just because he was acting as an ass. When your group stop to rest. You complained about you ass hurting and in need of a shower. Mostly you were talking with Carl your camel. But you saw the roll of Conrad eyes directed at you. Making you huff, you were sure he just saw you as some rich city girl that knew nothing of a hard life.

          James couldn't help be a bit annoyed when his friend asked to take a team of archaeologists to search some dusty old tomb. Sure his friend paid him well. What was one more favor. Even if James save that mans life more then once while they served together. He was no babysitter and the girl, the girl was a bit of an inconvenience. Knowing she was going to somehow get her cute ass in some kind of trouble. Right now all he really wanted to do is go back to some hole in the wall bar and drink himself to death, perhaps. 

             "Owe, You know Carl we've had this moment there where you didn't nip at me and now you've gone and done it." You hissed softly Swatting at the camel pushing his head away from you butt.

            "Why did you name the Camel Carl?" James question, never looking over from what he was doing as he pulled the canteen from the rucksack on the camels back.

           "Why are you ease dropping?" You huffed glaring over at the back of the mans head, eyes wondering over his back as ever muscle flexed when he moved about taking a long drink of water. You licked you lips at the sit. His Adam's apple bobbing along as he drank. Sweat trickling down his neck. If your mouth wasn't dry before it was dry now. No amount of water quench that thirst. The thought of running you tongue along his neck. Tasting that saltiness of his skin. You mind started to wonder about the Captain. "Owe! Carl that was more then enough ass the last time" You shrieked. The camel In question bit a little hard this time taking a bigger bite. Carl made a grunting and what sounded like a laughing noise. Making James choke on water as he tried not to laugh. "Hey! Don't side with Carl."

              "I think he likes you." James smiled a bit more. You huffed in announce mumbling 'men' under your breath, and walked away. Carl followed closely behind nudging at you backside. "Knock it off." You hissed pushing the camels head away from you. James chuckled more audibly after his small bit of coughing mostly trying to cover his laughter. But he couldn't help it the camel had a thing for you. It was quite cute. Seeing Conrad smile finally after only seeing him with a bruting expression, was kind of nice. He was just as handsome if not more with a smirk on his face. Sure you wouldn't mind kissing it off of him. No wait you wanted to punch it off of him. Cause he was an ass like Carl, who was not taking no for an answer.

           The valley of Kings, was without a doubt the most breath taking view so far. After about a month of excavating and exploring. Strange things started happening. You swear you heard your name being called late at night, after everyone was asleep. Thinking it was James messing with you. Calling him an ass later that morning, as you walked passed him. You were digging in an empty room, one of many. You needed some distance between you and the captain. You couldn't focus around the man. So when he wasn't looking you snuck off. With one other, one of the many sent to help you excavate. Everything was going well, until the sand floor of the tomb started to move. Like sand in an hour glass. It took you down with it.

          "Help." You called up from where you had landed. You could hear your name from above you. So that meant you weren’t to far down. "Down here." The dark room made it impossible for your to see what was around you. Knowing if you stayed put Jame even though he would be not to please with you. Would more then find you. It was what he did. Even if the itch to feel your way about the area was driving you to scratch.

         "Y/n?" You heard your name. It sounded like it was coming from beside you.

         "James, I'm down here." You yelled, Not sure if you should move. This eerie feeling crowded up you spine. It almost felt like someone was next to you. You heard your name again. Knowing you had a lighter in your pocked, digging in to retrieve it. Striking the lighter with your thumb, the flame flickered. Helping you see a bit. As you turned around slowly. 

          A blood curdling scream ripped through your throat. When your eyes landed on the man in front of you. Ratty old dusty bandages wrapped around its entire form. This man looked to have been dried up like he had been in the sun for months on end. His lifeless empty eyes stared at you. A moaning like a zombie, erupted from its throat. It wasn't a man it had to of been one of the mummies you were in Search for. The lifeless corpse jerking as it moved towards you. Another scream was pulled from you as you attempt to move away. Only to fall flat on your bitten bruised ass, damn Carl. Hitting your head on something hard, the last thing you heard was James from above calling for you. Telling you to "stay put." Tell that to the thing pulling at your leg. That was not going to be an option.

        Hands that's what you were feeling. Strong boney fingers roaming around expose heated skin. Though your don't remember at any point taking you clothes off for the night. You moaned out James name. His hands were ruff most likely from working with them. Holding a gun with those hands and now they were on you. James strong voice calling your name, making you squirm. You eyes fluttered open, the room was large and brightly lit by glowing flames along the walls. Were you back in the city? Oh but those hands still roaming. Your movement was minimal like there were wall around you. Your were in a sarcophagus. Panic set in as your eyes moved to see those hands that were on you. You shrieked as you grabbed the mummy like hands that moved without a body.

            Sitting up you could see the room clearly now. You head felt heavy like something was on top of it. Your hand moved feeling the large head pice. Pulling it off to get a better look. It was incrusted with jewels and a beetle in the center of it. It was beautiful. Looking down you saw that your breasts were cover not by much. But were covered with some kind of bird that laid between your breasts as the wing covered you nipples. It too was covered in jewels. The same went with your lower half. But only shear fabric covered front and back of your legs leaving the side exposed.

         This had to be a dream still. Mummies could not come back to life. Nor could they kidnap a girl and dresser her in practically nothing, like some Egyptian goddess. Where was James? Hell where was Carl your loyal ass of a camel. And where the hell did those hands go. Pulling yourself out once you figured it was safe. Standing on unsteady legs, you lurched forward almost falling.  Slowly walking around. The sand was cool on the bottom of your bare feet. A shiver ran down your spine.

It felt like something was behind you. And there was, the mummy stood there arms without hand reached out for you as you lurched forward. The dried bones clothed hand grabbed at your ankles cause you to fall on you back and the mummy attack you. Screaming as you tried pulling away. Hands finally meeting arms, as you struggled to get what shouldn't have weighed that much, off you. You name being called from the mummy. Pushing it off of you scrabbles to your feet, it did too. The corpse backing you into a corner. You closed your eyes tears fell free, you called for help. A loud bang followed by another, then another. You opened your eyes to see James in the clearing of the wall. Armed with his pistol, amid at the mummy. It longed at James. But this time James amid for the head. And it seemed the mummy stayed down.

        "Y/n, are you all right?" He asked, before he could get a chance to look you over for any injuries, you wrapped yourself around his midsection shanking. Tears soaking his light blue almost grey shirt. "Hey, shhh, it's all right. I'm here, I'm here." He rubbed your exposed back. Finding a tapestry on the wall, he wrapped it around you holding you closer to him. The sun had long set as he guided you out of the pyramid, taking you back to your tent.

        "Y/n, I'm going to take a look to see if you’re injured now, ok?" James voice was above a whisper. Setting you on the cot like bed. He pulled the tapestry off your shoulders. He had someone fetch him a first aid kit. His eyes roamed over your form. To say you were absolutely stunning was an understatement. He didn't realize what a Beaty you truly were until he though you were lost or worse. The kid with the first aid kit pulled James out of this thoughts. Clearing his dry throat as pulled the kit open. You winced a bit when he gently dabbed at a scratch. "Sorry."

          "Thank you." You mumbled, looking at him as he gently whipped each cut. Each time made you whimper.

             "I wasn't going to leave you down there. And that, that.." James trailed off.

            "The Mummy." You hissed out as James hit a deep bruise. "I think it's safe to say everywhere hurts. Besides my forehead." You announced when he tried to press on a bandage. Not noticed his sly smile, he kissed your forehead. His warm lips lingering a bit before pulling away. "My cheek as well." James lips moved to your cheek. Lips pressed firmly against it. His stubble scratch just a bit at smooth flesh.

         "Anywhere else?" James mumbled against you cheek before he moved away. You hands pressed against you lips.

          "And maybe my lips?" You question, before moving your fingers. As soon as your fingers left your lips. His lips were on yours before you could breath out. Finding yourself kissing back. Your own hands gripping the nap of his neck and tangled into short hair. You felt your back on the cot and James chest pressed against yours. His strong warm hands glide easily over your skin. Cupping the underside of your breasts that were exposed. You moaned out His name. His lips left your swollen lips, tracing along your jawline before moving to you neck. His other hand rounded over your backside, large hand grabbing, groped at you. Pulling at your thigh lifting up over, giving him better access.

You gasped at the feel of his length pressing against you. Both of you jumped when you heard a grunt followed by a roar. Both of you looked over at the opening of the tent. Carl head poked through the now opening. Grunting out, his foot stomped and dragged, clearly not happy. James huffed but turned back to you, his lips back on to yours. Trying to ignore the beast. Carl didn’t like this and pulled his body in more grunting his displeasure.

“I don’t think he likes you.” You mumbled against his lips. James groaned in annoyance. Knowing that camel would not stop. James pulled away from you. Which made you whimper. “Please don’t go. I don’t want to be alone at least not tonight.” James smiled and did as he was commanded. Though he did give you his shirt so you wouldn’t be that distracting. It really didn’t help either.

Everything in the camp was packed up. After what happened to you. The locals said this was cursed grounds and would not continue. Leaving you no choice to pack up and leave. Which hurt you to have to leave knowing there was so much that was yet to be discovered. Even with the items that your wore and the tapestry James used to cover you amongst other things. Walking towards James, Carl trailing behind. He smiled at you, still wearing the shirt he given you last night.

“You know, I have to say Carl is a real hero. He really did save my life.” You teased, making James raise his eyebrow at you.

“What about me?” James pouted a bit. Hands pulling you against him.

“Well I guess you helped too. You were like the side kick. Carl and Captain James Conrad. I mean you did do all the heavy lifting.” You smirked wrapping you arms around him.

“Really?” He smirked pulling you in to a passionate heated kiss. His other arm wrapped around your waist holding you close. Carl hissed and grunted in annoyance. Not getting his way, he moved forward nipping James right in the ass. Making the man yelp. You giggled as James rubbed at his ass. Which you may have placed your there instead.

“I think he likes you.” Kissing his cheek. Before pulling away.

“Oh I can’t wait until he is returned to his owner.” James hissed.

“I don’t know I think I might keep him.” You teased.

[shadowwitch96]

About me

Name: Thomas

Nickname (if you have one): Tom, Abrakus, 

Age: 21

Height: 5′11″

Nationality: English

Orientation: Straight

Sun Sign: Pisces

Moon Sign: Tauras

What type of witch are you?: I'm not sure as to what type of witch I am... but I practice many paths and various disciplines of magick such as The basics, Chaos magick, Servitor creation, Elemental (not like in avatar), Astral projection, Energy manipulation, Sealing and binding, Blood magick, Necromancy, Knot magick, Some forms of divination i.e. Tarot cards, oracle cards, runes, etc, Herbology, Advanced Circle casting,Summoning, Crystal and earth magick, Sigils and Symbols, Kabbalah, Solomonic seals and circles, Curses and hexes and counter procedures for them.The basics of the Chakras, Candle magick, Colour magick, Kitchen magick, Beginning to learn Aromatherapy, Hearth Witchcraft, Reiki and I study alchemy.

What was the event(s) that convinced you that magic is real?: I've seen strange things all my life and genuinely sensed and knew things before they happened and eventually I got a book about magick from my nan thinking it was book just like Harry Potter when in actual fact it was a book about Wicca and from that I started to learn and study and magick in many various forms.

What are three things that you wish people would understand about modern witches?: 1st: We aren’t all bad yes you can come across a bad witch but it doesn’t mean they represent all of us. 2nd: That I'm happy with the path I've chosen and I don’t accept I'll be damned by your god for doing something which feels right to me. 3rd: That even though I have worked with demons and other beings that aren’t usually considered friendly I'm not a devil worshipper.

Why did you chose to become the type of witch that you are?: I don’t follow any particular path or strive to be a singular type of witch. I adore, respect and enjoy all aspects of magick and I don’t wish to only follow a single type of discipline of magick when the world has so many various paths and disciplines available to learn and practice.

Are you a witch of colour? If so, is the magic you practice a cultural thing?: N/A

If you are Native American, do you have a spirit animal?: I'm not a native American but I believe everyone either has a spirit animal or a spirit guide. As far as I can tell when going into deep meditations I have encountered and been guided by a Komodo Dragon so I can only presume that my spirit animal is a Komodo Dragon because I've been reading about magick since I was 10 and practicing magick since I was 11 (though it was only simple stuff like circle casting and working with meditation and energy manipulation within myself) and it’s the only animal I have encountered when meditating.

If you are a WOC, what are some frustrations you have with the witch community?: N/A

If you are a young and/or a new witch, what are some (if any) issues you’ve faced in the witch community?: not really had any issues with other witches in my community.

When did you start practicing?: 10 years ago

Are you a baby witch or an ancient sorceress?: I wouldn’t say I'm old but I'm not exactly a baby witch considering the amount of time I've spent doing magick.

Are tools an important part of your practice?: I have a large collection of tools, books, herbs, talismans, charms and various other magickal objects and though I love them all I'm still very happy to do my spells and magick work with just my voice, hands, energy and intent (mind).

How open are you about your craft?: I'm very open about it, my girlfriend whom I love dearly has practiced for about the same amount of time as I have maybe even a little longer. My parents don’t believe in magick but do believe in there being more than just what they see so after being very secretive with my family for years I decided enough was enough and I told them. All my friends know I practice though some don’t believe in it.

Do you know any witches in your personal life?: I know about 8 definite witches and I know a few people who dabble with things like the occult and magick but don’t consider themselves witches.

Do you buy or make your tools? Or both?: Both, I have made wands, staffs, various charms, incenses, one of my grimoires I made from recycled leather and various other stuff. I also buy lots of herbs, crystals, tools, wands, charms, talismans etc.

Do you practice secularly or religiously practice?: I believe there are higher forces at work but I don’t necessarily worship anyone.

Do you prefer to work during the night, day, dusk, or dawn?: Anytime 

Do you have a favourite herb? Favourite crystal? Lavender because I especially love the smell and Labradorite I simply can’t get enough of it.

Do you use sigils? If so, do you make your own or use others?: I make my own but also use others.

Do you write your own spells?: Yes, but I do sometimes use other people’s spells to try them out but I prefer using my own.

Do you agree with hexing and/or cursing?: Yes

Do you have a familiar?: Yes, my snake called Cornelius.

Do you feel attracted to any particular deity? (even if you are secular): Hades, Hestia, Poseidon, Nyx and various lunar goddess deities but only from a weird fascination point of view not necessarily worship. 

Do you have any plants? If so, what kind?: I have a succulent, a basil plant, a lavender plant, a rosemary plant, a catnip plant, a garden sage plant, a rose bush in my garden

Do you have any advice for baby witches?: always try to learn more and advance but don’t rush it and do something too advanced and energy draining if you aren’t ready for it.

Is anyone in your family a witch?: I'm the only one who practices now but my sister told me she used to work with runes and sigils and funnily enough did a love drawing spell using a particular set of runes to help give the spell an energy boost and help define her intention and she later met her future husband 2 weeks after the spell with all the runes she used in the spell as a tattoo on his wrist.