#The Pledge of an Older Sibling

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

My hot take is that some of you who live vicariously through fictional familial relationships yearn for "a healthy loving family" the same way a lonely person yearns for the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend/partner who will sweep them off their feet and dote on them and love them always and only focus on them and take care of them and protect them and provide for them and give them a fairytale wedding

And it shows

[apanict]

my personal dragon age canon goes like

Origins: guy with a supernatural amount of rizz accidently becomes important at work and sigmas their way through gathering enough insane people to support them while they cure the super plague by beating the fuck out of it

2: worlds saddest wettest refugee has so much parentified older sibling energy that a bunch of freak outcasts imprint on them because they all live in Facism City where Everything is Fucked and Everybody Sucks

Inquisition: guy gets kidnapped by the pope's personal assistant to serve as Jesus 2 but it's fine because as it turns out if christians think you're Jesus 2 they'll do whatever you ask them to. which is really helpful if you happen to be the only competent person trying to prevent reality from unraveling

Veilguard: local intern accidentally becomes boss by being just so goddamn full of love that they can just bat their eyelashes and people keep pledging fealty to them and following them home. Their love for the world itself burns so bright and true that they not only kill 2 gods (with the power of friendship and this knife they found) but guilt trip the worlds #1 sunken cost fallacy truther into giving up his genocidal thousand year plan to go sit in time out

[cherriecove]

Cregan Stark x Targ!Reader (Part 1)

Summary: As Rhaeynera Targaryen’s only daughter you always knew that your hand would be given to whomever aided your mother and her cause. It was something that you accepted but naturally you always dreaded the day your mother would send you to your future husband, fearing whoever it would be to be cruel and old. Fortunately your worries were unfounded as your twin brother Jacaerys suggests a potential union with the Lord of the North.

Cherrie's note: Use of she/her and small mention of death/miscarriage. Feel free to give any feedback, i hope you enjoy! Masterlist | Next Part

The relentless crash of waves against the rocks below did little to mask the anguished cries echoing through the castle. Your mother, in the throes of a difficult labor, was clearly overwhelmed by the combined stress of your grandsire’s death and your uncle’s usurpation of the throne.

Entering the room with Jacaerys and Lucerys, you saw her pushing away anyone who tried to offer aid. Stepping forward, you reached out to her with urgency. “Mother, you must let them help you.”

Her gaze turned to you with a fierce, almost defiant intensity. For a moment, her eyes softened, but then she shook her head resolutely. “No, I must do this myself,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to control her breathing. “Jace, whatever happens now, you are the heir. I need you both to ensure nothing happens without my command.” Jace, his face etched with worry, nodded and guided Lucerys out of the room. As he turned back, his concern was palpable.

Your mother paced the room, rubbing her bump and muttering curses under her breath. “Mother, please,” you pleaded, “let the midwives help.” She raised a hand to silence you, her voice firm.

“I need you to go with your brothers. I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to stay with you.” With a heavy heart, you turned and left the room. As you moved down the corridor, the haunting cries of both your mother and her dragon filled the air. All you could do was pray for her survival.

Visenya’s funeral was hastily arranged following her birth. During the somber ceremony, your mother was crowned with your grandsire’s crown, and all present pledged their loyalty to her as their queen. Now, gathered around the table in Dragonstone’s main hall, those same men were voicing their demands. You stood beside Jacaerys, struggling to maintain your composure as the council debated.

“We must send for our allies, or at least secure them,” suggested an older man, his words offering a glimmer of hope amid the chaos. Your mother nodded in agreement, but another councilor quickly proposed, “We shall send out ravens—”

Jacaerys interrupted decisively. “Send us.”

Your mother looked at her eldest son, shaking her head. “No, it’s far too dangerous. I need you here.”

The resolve in Jacaerys’ eyes filled you with pride. “Jace is right. Dragons are faster than ravens, and having the Queen’s children as envoys would inspire a sense of duty among these lords.” Jacaerys smiled at you, his gratitude evident, before turning back to your mother. Exasperated by the stubbornness of her children, she finally relented.

“Luke will go to Storm’s End, and the two of you can go to the North. Lord Stark is of your age and might appreciate the companionship. Perhaps even a marriage alliance, if necessary.” She glanced at you, then back at Jacaerys. “As her older brother, it will be for you to decide, but your sister has the final say. I trust you both will fulfill your duties.”

The flight to Winterfell was long and arduous, with the air growing colder by the mile. Vermax, Jacaerys’s dragon, was particularly agitated, making his displeasure known with loud roars. In contrast, Mithrax, your dragon, remained surprisingly calm. Although they were siblings from the same clutch, Mithrax often served as the voice of reason among her younger brothers, despite her occasional spirited nature.

When you finally landed beyond Winterfell’s gates, you and Jace dismounted your dragons. While Jace chose to introduce you both to the waiting crowd, you stayed behind to calm Mithrax and Vermax with soothing words in your mother tongue. As you joined your brother, the gathered Northerners looked on with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

“Do not worry, they won’t harm you,” you said with a reassuring smile. “I’m sure they would appreciate some sheep, if that is acceptable.”

A young man in thick furs with long, dark hair stepped forward. “Lord Stark,” he said with a respectful nod, “I am Prince Jacaerys, and this is my sister, Princess Y/n. We have come to discuss the oath your father swore when our mother was named heir. We hope it still stands.”

The young lord, Cregan Stark, nodded firmly. “Aye, my Prince, a Stark never forgets their oath.” You returned his nod with a slight smile. “Then that is good news, my lord. My mother’s throne has been usurped by her half-brother Aegon. Can we rely on your aid to reclaim it?”

Cregan’s gaze settled on you. “I will uphold my father’s oath, but first, the two of you should rest. Your dragons will be given sheep, and we’ll provide you with warmer clothing.” He signaled for attendants to assist you, then excused himself.

As he departed, Jace leaned in and whispered, “Would you marry him?” Your face flushed at the question, and you gave Jace a playful nudge. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he teased.

After a refreshing bath and being dressed in warmer garments, you were led to Winterfell’s main hall. Inside, Jace and Cregan were seated together, clearly enjoying each other’s company and sharing laughter. As you entered, Jace waved you over, pulling out your chair with a flourish and seating you beside him.

“Thank you, Lord Stark, for your hospitality. You and your people have given my brother and me a warm welcome,” you said, settling into your seat.

Cregan took a sip from his cup and replied with a smile, “Nonsense. It’s an honor to host a prince and princess of the realm. It has been quite some time since we’ve had the pleasure of dragons and their riders in the North.”

You nodded thoughtfully. “Our great-great-grandparents, if I recall correctly? With Vermithor and Silverwing?”

Cregan smiled and confirmed with a nod. The conversation flowed easily as you enjoyed your meal, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the camaraderie developing between the two young men.

Once the meal concluded, Jace cleared his throat and addressed Cregan. “So, Lord Cregan, you mentioned earlier that we have your support in the fight to regain our mother’s throne. Do you seek nothing in return?”

Cregan looked thoughtful. “While I will honor my father’s oath to the late king, I do have a request of my own.”

You met his gaze with interest. “Of course, my lord. Speak freely.”

He smiled at you before continuing, “We would request that some able-bodied men come to help defend the Wall.”

Jace considered this, then spoke. “I’m sure our mother would be glad to grant that. However, as we need all our men to reclaim her throne, it would have to wait until she has secured it.” Jace paused and glanced at you before turning back to Cregan. “How about a dragon and a union to seal the deal? My sister’s hand is a sought-after prize, and such an alliance would benefit both our houses.”

Your face reddened as you reached for your cup, trying to avoid meeting Cregan’s eyes. “And would the queen approve?” Cregan asked.

Jace patted your shoulder gently, his expression reassuring. “The only condition is that my dear sister agrees.”

You almost choked on your wine at his touch. After composing yourself, you nodded softly and looked at Cregan. “I believe it would be a beneficial match, my lord.”

Cregan’s eyes met yours, and you felt your face warm even further. You turned back to Jace and gave a nod of agreement. Jace beamed, clapping Cregan on the shoulder in a gesture of friendship, and raised his cup for a toast. “To the union of our great houses!” Jace declared.

[m-ilkiee]

"Sometimes, we may have the best intentions for our friends, but ultimately, our actions can have the opposite effect. Such was the case of Emma Sano.

Although not her intention, she had pressured (name) into doing things that made her uncomfortable such as going to the mall with her brothers and making the girl forcibly interact with her abusers, encouraging her to sit on Manjiro's laps despite (name) expressing outward discomfort, and then leaving her with her brothers, who only became friendly with (name) a week prior. Her inability to see through her brothers' act and real intentions, coupled with her overzealousness to keep you in her life forever by setting you up with her brothers, has lead (name) into dangerous situations, such as nearly being assaulted by Manjiro Sano. Unfortunately, this will not be the last time that Emma's seemingly good intentions leads (name) further down the path of pain and regret."

Layla's commentary podcast on Chapter 3 of "Monsters"

Welcome to the second Monsters poll, how is everyone doing? I know some of you have written finals or are in the process of writing finals and to that I say comgratulations and good luck!

We had a few blips, but I'm back. And I'm better than ever. This chapter was an intense rollercoaster of emotions, bringing (name)'s fears and emotions to life. Unfortunately, it has also marked the beginning of the end for her since Manjiro has started to 'fall' in love with her. It's only a matter of time until Izana starts to chase after her since he has a constant need to outdo Mikey.

Now, as for chapter 4, we're bringing back the original black dragon members for this one. I won't spoil it for new readers, but this is the chapter that Shinichiro meets (name). It may go a lot differently from what og readers know, seeing as this is a timeline where Shinichiro had to fall into darkness to make sure his siblings were taken care of amd to save Izana out of the orphanage.

Izana will also play a huge part in this chapter, and there may be a huge development between him and (name), especially since Mikey will request him to watch (name) for him closely while they are at the Sano residence.

Takeomi may have had a few lines back then, but mow we have to remember, a girl like (name) is exactly his type and Shinichiro is complict in everything Takeomi does. What do you think happens when an older man in power wants a young woman who has no one to fight for her?

There is only one turning point, one decision that (name) will make that would seal her fate in chapter five and it involves one character, so:

Remember to reblog or send an anonymous asks why you think it's any of the three options or if you think it's someone else entirely.

For the blind item on the previous poll, congrats to anyone who answered: Rindou Haitani. Please message me if you did so that I'll give you your reward.

#2 Blind Item: Lust and Lies

"I wonder if Mikey knows it's obvious he's attracted to that girl. Long before the car incident, I always caught him staring at her body like it's a piece of meat, especially her legs and feet. He's not exactly trying to hide it either, seeing at how many times he admitted during Toman game nights that he'd fuck (name) if she wasn't a virgin and it would be the best sex of his life because her body is perfect. I wonder if he listens to himself when he lingers on her panty cam that he sent on the group, how he was so greedy with it before he eventually was forced to show us or how he seems to beat up any pledge or lower Toman member day dreaming about you.

At this point his attraction to her is an open secret. But he'll never admit it because he hates her so much." - submitted by an anonymous Toman exec. Who could this be? Let me know in the anons or the comments along with your answers for the poll.

[grimitto]

Hello. I've never posted on tumblr before but I figured I would now.

I'm trying to get a full description of Messmer's backstory plotted out and after doing some research this is what I have so far (the briefest, simplest version.)

Messmer was born with a cursed ability, flame. Much like the frenzied flame that threatens to burn the Lands Between into pure chaos. Messmer was also born with an Abyssal Serpent (Base Serpent???) inside of him, although it can manifest on the outside. (???) The serpent consumes his flames and grows endlessly more powerful. Messmer's flame and the Abyssal Serpent were very powerful, drawing ire from his mother, Marika who despises any threat to her throne.

Messmer has always been family-oriented and enjoys the camaraderie between shared bonds. Brothers in arms or brothers in blood. Before his mother's crusade, Messmer spent his time with his younger siblings and friends, and likely trained alongside them from youth. Particularly Radahn is said to regard Messmer (and Gaius) as older brothers.

"Both were as elder brothers to the lion, and both were cursed from birth. In spite of, or perhaps because of this very reason, Gaius was both Messmer's friend and the leader of his men." - Remembrance of the Wild Boar Rider

The "lion" being Radahn.

Marika, fearing Messmer's powerful flame, wanted to test his loyalty by turning him into a symbol of her wrath. Marika has always hated those who embraced unnatural and grotesque traits, wings and horns specifically, so she embarked on a crusade to cleanse these people, the "hornsent," from the Lands Between. Messmer, eternally loyal to his mother, did so without qualms. The hornsent, and any who are considered enemies of Messmer's mother, Queen Marikia, will always be enemies of Messmer.

[Of the hornsent] "A vestige of the crucible of primordial life. Born partially of devolution, it was considered a signifier of the divine in ancient times, but is now increasingly disdained as an impurity as civilization has advanced." - The Crucible Scale Talisman

Although his armies knew this war would be far from honorable or heroic, Messmer's strong bonds with his men resulted in him having a large and loyal army for his crusade. They gave up riches, titles, and faced scorn for being loyal to Messmer.

"The warriors who fought in the crusade set aside both honor and mercy to wantonly impale and scorch those deemed impure." - The Crusade Insignia Talisman

"Each and every knight hailed from a renowned family of the Erdtree's upper echelons, but were shunned and chased from their homes after pledging allegiance to Messmer as their master." - Fire Knight helm

One warrior, who became known as Messmer's most loyal, was a princess of Carian, Rellana. She abandoned her nobility to follow Messmer. Her loyalty was influenced by romantic love that Messmer never returned.

The crusade was going well (as far as genocides go), but some of Messmer's men learned of his accursed flame and the Abyssal Serpent always growing stronger inside of him and—fearing Messmer was actually corrupt or would become so inevitably—rebelled and mutinied against Messmer in an attempt to kill him. Messmer dispelled them without any difficulty (they were banished to an underground tomb), but mourned the loss of his brothers-in-arms.

The surviving hornsent and many of the general population rightfully vilified Messmer for the crusade.

His mother, learning of this growing unrest, finally found a reason to get rid of Messmer, who was powerful enough to threaten her throne. She plucked out Messmer's eyes, and replaced only his right eye with a Seal of Grace, used to weaken the Abyssal Serpent and flames inside of Messmer. Marika then rescinded Messmer's Grace and banished him to a realm known as the "Shadow of the Erd Tree." Marika also banished any of those still loyal to Messmer, including Rellana.

Messmer, forever loyal to his mother, does not scorn her for abandoning him. Although he is bitter in exile, he blames himself and his flame, he hates the crimes he committed, resulting in a strong self-resentment. Messmer took all the blame of Marika's orders.

"On his mother's wishes, Messmer made himself a symbol of fear, undertaking the cleansing crusade she desired."

"Direct thy maledictions, thine ire, and thy grief towards me alone." - Messmer's armor

Also, I haven't seen the item descriptions to back this up, but apparently the Shadow of Erdtree realm is like the afterlife for the Lands Between and Marika has assigned Messmer to rule over it. That makes more sense than just banishing him, but I haven't seen the in-game sources.

Judging by his dialogue when Messmer meets the Tarnished, I believe the reason he attacks is solely out of loyalty to his mother. As he considers all Tarnished an enemy of Marika as they are "stripped of the grace of gold," AKA they are not guided by grace because Marika doesn't like them.

He also clearly harbors his own prejudice against Tarnished, as he then destroys the restraining eye his mother put in him saying, "I will not suffer a Lord devoid of light," which means he'll die to stop Tarnished becoming Elden Lord, even though Marika allegedly wants the Tarnished to become the Elden Lord, which is fairly common, but overall confusing...

---

Anyways, this is what I personally consider to be Messmer's backstory after looking around (Credits mainly to this reddit post) and trying to compile all the random bits into a story. If anyone knows other important details or thinks something here is wrong I'd love some feedback!

Grim out 💪

[forgettingcrowbin]

Some more dragons

To give more context to people! Yes this story sounds very silly but I was trying to make things work with the tons of headcanons I have lol

Geno (sky/ice), Fresh(rain/ice), and Error(night/ice) are all half-brothers (they share the same mother who is now dead) They live in the rainforest together between the Nightwing and Rainwing territories

Geno is sickly and often needs a scarf or blankets to make him feel warmer. He sustained injuries to an attack to the rainforest and Error found out he was an animus by wishing his brother to stay alive

Fresh is a very clever hybrid who can change the colors of his scales but not as well as full Rainwings. He tends to stay either bright colors mixed with his original white

Error learned he was an animus after an attack on the rainforest, he's best friends with Ink despite always getting mad at the happy-go-lucky rainwing (Error is cousins with Cross but that'll like never get brought up or found out by any of them)

Ink is just a regular Rainwing but is friends with the hybrids out of the village so people thing he's a little funky. He's an artist through and through and Error gives him a giant brush that makes his drawings come to life using his animus powers

Dream and Nightmare are both twin Nightwing/Sandwing princes (Nightmare got bullied too hard for being a "bastard prince" even though Dream is also one) Both are empaths and can feel other's emotions!

A massacre happens in the Sandwing Kingdom when the royal family (trying to stay pure) tries to kill Nightmare when Dream isn't around. Nightmare escapes, angry that his brother got better treatment than him, while killing many other dragons in the process

Blue is a royal Seawing guard in training even though his parents wanted him to be a cook and Red is a Skywing who is captive by the queen since he was experimented on by his father (scientist)

Reaper is an outcasted Nightwing due to accidentally killing people with just a touch (animus curse by xgaster) He uses it to his advantage with his Nightwing powers by being able to prophecy someone’s future or find parts of their past. He is known as this Reaper judge that gets sent for when giant disputes happen and the Queens of the tribes need to figure out who to punish. When he meets Geno, who is also animus touched to not die, Reaper is fascinated that he is able to touch Geno

The broad animus stuff is due to Xgaster (Nightwing who is part of a split tribe situation with eviler Nightwings lol) trying experiments on Nightwing eggs to make their dragonets stronger. I imagine its a group still like wanting to be better than every other tribe and resides in the old Nightwing palace

Cross is a Nightwing who is gonna stop his dad in the big storyline

MURDER TRIO! All of them are dragons that were outcasted and seen as incompetent or needed a home. They pledged their allegiance to the Sandwing prince Nightmare and promised to help him take the throne.

Dust is an animus prince in the Icewing tribe that went crazy after killing his siblings, he tends to be calm but becomes crazed easily and can kill easily with his powers (although he tends not to use them anyways and is just a very good fighter). He created a cloak to calm himself down and he tends to keep it over himself. He actually ran away because the judge (Reaper) was going to be sent to their tribe

Killer is a Rainwing that was captured and trained to fight in the now shut down Skywing arena. He was used as target practice for his changing scales and they even burned a target onto his chest so they'd always be able to see him even when his scales changed

Horror is a bigwings who watched all his sibs die during a famine in the Mud kingdom (due to drought). Older Mudwings tried to kill him for being a waste of space but he escaped and joined Nightmare.

[serena-babes]

So i have this idea about the knights of hell. There can’t be a king and princess without some royal protection. So how do you think the others will react to a Hell Knight Reader? Like reader is like a commander of a group of elite knights. And they came to check up on Charlie and Lucifer! To see if the king and princess are okay after the attack on the hotel.

Brownie points if reader doesn’t smile and are serious all the time! Reader is very dangerous they can and will kill to protect their king and future queen! No romance of course, just platonic relationships. Like Charlie can see reader as an older sibling.

Royal Knight Reader x Lucifer Morningstar + Charlie Morningstar

platonic!˙ᵕ˙✰

Gender neutral!

1.5k

omg! this is too cute! i really love the whole knight idea! ⋆｡°✩ i did some research on the whole knight system and its SUPER interesting!

might make another one shot of a knight reader with my own little twist･°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°.

✧₊⁺⋆.˚꩜⊹ ࣪ ˖˚☽˚.⋆✧₊⁺⋆.˚꩜⊹ ࣪ ˖˚☽˚.⋆✧₊⁺⋆.˚꩜⊹ ࣪ ˖˚☽˚.⋆✧₊⁺⋆.˚꩜⊹ ࣪ ˖˚☽˚.⋆✧₊⁺✧₊⁺

Ever Since Lucifer and Lilith's fall from grace, protection has always been a necessary resource. Y/ns has been there since the beginning pledging allegiance to both the king, queen, and the then young princess serving them for centuries. Y/n and the rest of the knightage fought to make sure to keep hell orderly, or as orderly as hell can get. 

Y/n was much more serious compared to their fellow knights being a Grand Cross comes with its different sets of responsibilities that in their mind “allow for no error.” due to their seemingly frigid exterior outsiders would think Y/n was only following the chivalry code nothing more. But, on the contrary, Y/n did truly care for Morningstars.

This is why Y/n's heart dropped hearing about the extermination coming earlier than expected, it was always busier during this time of year. The number of casualties just from the royal guard was always a hard gap to fill after the massacre was over. But at least, the Morning Stars were spared. This time, however? Y/n wasn't sure everyone was going to come back alive, a direct attack from heaven? Some of their most skilled knights have fallen to the hands of exorcists. How in hell would Charlie ever come out alive? 

But, Y/n takes orders, and Lucifer stops her from interfering. 

“I don't understand why you won't let me do this,” Y/n exclaimed curtly, brows pulled tightly together. The confusion was evident in their tone, their body rigid like a sword. A still silence blankets the room after no response. Y/n, Moving forward through Lucifer's study smoothly dodging various piles of ducks. Continued.

“I am loyal to this family, eternally. And the one chance I am needed…you, tell me to stay?.. Why? She is your daughter. Do you want her blood to spill across the pavement? Because that is what will happen if you let this continue.” Anger started to bubble to the surface as they pointed an accusatory finger at Lucifer.

The silenced followed them 

“You must let me go I have-” Y/n pleading began

“Stop, I order you to stop,” Lucifer said weakly, looking away unsure. It was obvious he was going through his own anxiety and turmoil due to the extermination and the safety of his daughter.

“She has to do this, you.” he looked to Y/n glassy-eyed

“Cannot face heaven” he continued “I don't think anyone here really can… Charlie can hold her own. I mean if anything this could I don't know, um.. steer her away from heaven!” he said, his charismatic exterior seemingly returning to his body.

“Yes…but what do we do if she cannot handle it.” y/n said quietly, mouth pulled into a deep frown.

“Well, who better than me? King of hell! Eh! Eh!” lucifer exclaimed loudly elbowing y/n's rib cage

“This is not a time for humor,” she responded coldly. Lucifer rolled his eyes playfully.

“ Y/n I'm worried about her too, but this is something she needs to do. If I need to I will step in. You have enough to worry about with everybody else looking to you for guidance, have faith in her. So! I order you to stay here!…. Please.” Lucifer exclaimed albeit a little awkwardly since he was not used to giving many orders directly to Y/n's face

Y/n Sighed bending down to kneel “As you wish my king.” 

“Okay okay, you don't have to do all of that! I mean, come on! You're practically family.” Lucifer exclaimed in surprise. 

And so, Y/n trusting Lucifer they went back to their duties. Making preparations for extermination day preoccupied their mind most days. but silently anxiety seeped in. Truthfully, Y/n is terrified of losing Charlie and Lucifer they're the only family they've ever had. Even in life, Y/n wasn't close to anyone as much as they were with the MorningStars, which is why relief flooded Y/n's whole body hearing that both Charlie and Lucifer were safe in the end. After the hotel was rebuilt, they planned a visit to double-check. 

It was your average day at the hotel, Husk was busy cleaning the bar counter with a tattered rag as Angel Dust as well as Vaggie lounged on the couch. Angel, scrolled mindlessly through their phone while Vaggie worked on sharpening her spear. Charlie, of course, was planning new lesson plans with her father. Everything was calm. That was until three loud pounding knocks rumbled through the room.

Vaggie immediately jumped up in defense while everyone slowly turned towards the door, a menacing shadow shown through the glass. The only person who seemed excited was Charlie.

“Wait! Wait! This could be a new guest!” Charlie said excitedly jumping at the opportunity to greet the mysterious person at the door

“Okay everyone, let's remember to smile and introduce ourselves!” she smiled to everyone in the lobby, Alastor now entering the picture to observe.

Charlie swung the door wide open “Welcome to the hazbin hotel!- Y/n!!” 

Charlie embraced Y/n in a bone-crushing hug squealing and spinning both her and the reader around “I'm so excited to see you! It's been so long! Oh! Come and meet everyone!”

But just as Charlie was leading you over to the rest you spot a certain um. Eccentric! red demon

“Oh! What in the unholy hell is that..” y/n exclaimed obviously unsettled by the red demon 

Grimacing at the sight and leaning down Charlie 

“Charlie, I trust your judgment but what… what the HELL is that.” but just as y/n leaned up there he was.

“Alastor, Pleasure to be meeting you dear. Quite a pleasure indeed!” Alastor said enthusiastically jostling you around like a rag doll with his over-excited handshake.

“And who are you? The servant to the morning stars him?” he continued. Lucifer and y/n both make eye contact across the room silently agreeing about their mutual opinion of this “Radio Demon” as he likes to be called.

“More like, protector. What are you hm? The janitor? With that tattered suit, one might think you would be a stray animal who wandered in.” Y/n shot back with a frown and an unimpressed brow

“Alright! y/n! Let um let's meet everybody else! please..” Charlie said steering you away from Alastor you both looked as if you were about to be at each other throats if she didn't intervene 

“Everyone! This is y/n! They are a part of the…” she whispered over to Y/n “Is it the knightage..?”

“Yes, it's the knightage you're right.” y/n had responded quietly they were used to Charlie's struggle with certain words many nights they had to help Charlie with their spelling when she was younger.

“The Knightage! They work for me and Dad.” Everyone had gone silent at this news no one ever thought that they would be meeting the top of the food chain. Royal knights have been seen around hell usually around the time of the extermination, and almost everybody knew not to mess with them. Especially Y/n, just looking at them everyone would think they could snap someone in half without a second thought. Almost everybody there straightened their posture as Y/N's cold gaze flicked over everybody even Alastor tensed up slightly. 

“It's nice to meet everybody, Charlie is very enthusiastic about this hotel of hers, I'm glad it's made its reach to people,” Y/n responded professionally, Charlie looked over the cast of people in the room noting the uncomfortableness of everybody, She knew y/n was…Cold-looking, but she's never seen anyone react to just their presence in such a way. 

The silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity no one daring to speak up 

“So, are both your swords accurate about hitting certain deep spots, or just the one?” Angel spoke up flirtatiously everyone's heads snapping in the direction of the outburst

“What?! Just asking, geese.” replied angel

“My sword is made of iron it's manufactured to hit “deep spots” A knight does not possess two iron swords that would be .. redundant,” Y/n said calmly. Angel had side-eyed Husk when this was said triggering Husk to roll his eyes to mimic annoyance. 

“Speaking of weapons, Vaggie your spear needs to be sharpened. I suggest you sharpen it daily it'll really glide through people like butter if you do.” Y/n continued, they had met Vaggie prior to the hotel but only briefly as Charlie didn't come to the castle much anymore after Lilith left. 

“Oh! Um, thanks!” Vaggie replayed hurriedly intimidated by the tall stance Y/n possessed the heavy armor from neck to toe didn't help them look less menacing either

“By the way, thank you for protecting Charlie and everyone at the hotel.” y/n said slowly moving down to kneel “ I wasn't there myself due to my orders but I am glad to know Charlie is in good hands it brings peace of mind.” Y/n continues now fully kneeling 

Vaggie visibly flustered responded quickly “Oh! It was oh it was nothing really.” 

“Y/n?” Charlie interjected 

Y/n slowly rising to their feet, “Yes, Charlie?”

“How about you stay for dinner really.. Catch up!” Charlie said excitedly. Y/n glanced over to Lucifer who had two thumbs up. 

“Ah hell, why not.”

[ellieslittleburrow]

requested by : @skyhighwriter : Yeet what if Sam and Dean had a sibling who chose to leave to California with Sam for her music career. When Dean goes to get Sam he finds out she is playing a show soon. (Probably plays rock music similar to halestorm of the pretty reckless)

Warnings : Swearing, some family angst nothing big.

A/N : sorry you had to notify my dumbass for me to finally post it. i've been having this weird anxiety whenever i write something that pulls me miles back. Anyways, enough with the excuses-enjoy!

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"Whoa, easy tiger."

Sam is pinned under his brother. Whom he just recognized-"Dean?" The oldest triumphantly sneers. 'You scared the crap out of me."

"That's 'cause you're out of practice."

A few moves, and Dean finds himself pinned beneath Sam's clutch.

"Or not-" The older brother breathes a laugh. "Get off me."

Sam gets up and pulls Dean with him. "Dean, what the hell are you doing here?"

...

As the conversation went on, Dean found himself out of words, yet still not ready to speak of the main subject. Finally, he locks eyes with Sam.

'Where is...where is she?" Dean's eyes discreetly search for you but little does he know..

"she.." A nervous cough escapes Sam's throat- unfortunately for him, Dean recognizes it. "She's not here"

"Okay. " The older one nods. "Where is she then?"

Sam sighs and darts his eyes around. "Not here."

Dean rolls his eyes in response. "Okay smartass. Take me to her-come on." Before the future lawyer gets to objectify-he finds himself being nudged toward the door.

Not long after that...interaction, the car comes to a stop at a bar parking lot. And Dean's body stiffens. It's quite late. So his sister is either :

working here(bad)

Drinking her brain off(bad bad)

Working here(very bad)

All three of these send Dean into a very silent fury and Sam is quick to pick up on that. So he rests his hand on his brother's thigh.

"Don't worry Dean, it's none of what you think." The words might've sounded reassuring but Sam's voice stank of a mockery. Toned with the kind of lightness you'd use when reassuring a small child. And so Dean fully ignores it , leaving the car without a word.

As the bar doors swing behind him, he scans the room for that familiar figure he'd seen grow up. But it was nowhere to be found.

He spins around, searching for Sam. "W..Where is she?"

Sam's features soften when he notices the worry etched across Dean's face. "She'll...." Drums suddenly pierce the greenly lit space and Sam's head swings up. The hunter's eyes follow- locking onto the stage. There-There's that figure, that of his little sister.

------

Shoulders burdened by the sacrifice

O' the promises the boy and his father pledged.

But the others fought and fled. Just as the father lost his head

And the boy turned into a man, shoulders heavier as that was always the plan

And he alone he hunted, like a big dark wolf,

No vows, no voices, no one to run to.

----

Cheerfully applause fills the room as the instruments quiet down. You wipe the sweat off your cheeks as you glance around the room, your intestines tightening the more you look around. You saw someone-or you think you saw someone?

As you step off stage, you softly push through the crowd as they congratulate you until you find yourself face to face with Dean.

His face is as easy to read as a children's reading book. As emotions ripple through his face, his chest heaves. And so does yours-just when you think about it. A lump winds up at your throat and you come to a halt.

"Dean."

His name betrays you- It almost feel foreign as you haven't said it out loud in a while. Between you and poor Sam, it's usually him or he. Phrases like where is...he? And is...is he doing okay? are his only chances to exist in your world-or so you think- Always accompanied by that hesitant silence. But not this time-this tim-

Dean leaps forward and before your body gets to jerk back, you find yourself locked in his embrace. And for a moment, the silence over on your left ear sends warmth down your body-and it's almost like you're whole again, but the outside world quickly returns, causing you to push back against your brother's chest.

You're still angry at him. for what reason? not sure. Maybe because he stopped calling? Maybe because he's not supportive enough. Maybe it's simply because he gave up on you.

"What are you doing here, Dean?" You ask coldly. And Dean quickly responds with a retort, earning a disappointed head shake from you.

"I should be asking you the same question, kid, what are you doing here?"

You turn your back to the crowd and to the stage, raising your hand in defiance. "I'm where i belong, Dean. I'm where i want to be."

Your older brother scoffs and you exhale. My god is this man tired. And this conversation too, like we haven't had it a million t-

"This? You don't belong here, kid-"

"Oh i belong with you? In a fucked up world full of injustice and death, Dean? Is that where i belong?" You raise your voice, attempting to bore through the noise-and to yell at him-simply. "In nasty motels and no life?"

"You belong with us-hunting- making the world a better place- actually doing something useful-"

Your heart stings as you process his words-which he himself weighs-later than he should have-and before he continues, you tsk. "No no"

You shake your head again. "I'm not having this conversation-Not until you tell me why you're here- if it's to get me back-Dean- get out-" You violently point at the door. "Get out because it's not happenin-"

"That's not why i'm he-"

"You could've called-You could've texted, man." You cut him off. "You could've asked about how i was doing-what i was doing. But you were simply too much of a coward to reach out-"

"i had nobody-honey-i had no one left. Not you- not Sam- Not dad.You left me just as i let go of you." Dean leans in and you step back. "Do not put this on me, kid." He tilts his head menacingly and you squint your eyes at him in response. "You chose this over me. There was nothing for me to do about th-"

"So it's my fault?! Is that what-"

"THAT'S NOT-" As he's about to lose his temper, the man runs a hand through his hair. "That's not why I'm here." He lowers his voice. "Please-let's talk outside." Your brother holds his hand out, his eyes pleading but you cross your arms over your chest, looking for Sam's eyes-searching for an answer from him. He won't answer, though. He had held his head down the whole time, he wouldn't break that now.

Your cheeks puff as you blow a breath out, brushing past both of them and heading for the door.

---

Outside, you sit down on the side walk and pull out a pack of cigarettes, taking one before pointing the pack at Dean, motioning for him to make himself comfortable. Instead, he narrows his eyes at you and glares in a disdainful manner.

"Oh and you smoke too?" His voice is not so bitter but- you want to be-

"I don't recall you participating in the birth of me, Dean. You might've raised me but you sure are not my dad, so back off."

Dean purses his lips before taking a leap towards you. "That's not what i meant-dumbass." Towering over you, he pinches at the cigarette resting in between your lips. "These are not good for your vocal chords." He snatches it and tosses it to the ground and your mouth falls open. Pure disbelief!

"Oh so now you're worried for them? but earlier-" Anger resurges and you get off the cemented floor. "You said they weren't useful."

"I-" Dean starts but quickly subdues, bringing his arms down to his hips. "I didn't mean what i said, okay?"

You falter, calming down before you're even conscious of it. And something itches at you-curiosity, causing you to stare at the man-hopeful and impatient.

"I didn't mean what i said-I....I like..." He hesitates. "I like that i can very easily notice my influence on your music taste. I mean those solos and that makeup and those lyrics." Dean snorts a laugh. "That's totally me."

A tiny chuckle leaves your lips. Though the answer is not the one you wanted, it is one you expected. You glance around, away from Dean.

"I don't have..much time left before my next song, so...." You swing your foot unattentively, shifting in place. You feel Dean straighten up.

"Are you happy here?"

The question sends a shiver up your spine and for some reason, your stomach tightens again. Because yes. yes you are. But before you get to answer that. Dean speaks.

"Of course you are-what a silly question." He mumbles and you sigh, guilt suddenly creeping in.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"No..No-of course not-I just-" He chuckles, though it sounds sad. "I...I actually don't know what to say, kid."

"Maybe be happy for me?" The words are barely audible as you're too hesitant, eyes still avoidant.

"I am-I really am. I just-I just don't understand why you left-" Dean takes a step closer to you.

"Dean-i'm actually-i matter here-"

"But you also matter when you hunt, kid-"

You finally snap-gently-firmly grabbing his arms. "But you don't need to hunt to make the world a better place." You finally find the courage to meet his eyes. And the frown shaping his forehead makes your heart ache but you continue- "As silly as this may sound to you-i too am making a change in the world-You know what- a week ago I met a little girl who told me my music saved her-Dean-do you realize how amazing that sounds?" Your words come out faster and faster. "I am doing something-I didn't leave just for the music and the crowds. I left because i knew that i belonged elsewhere-I belong somewhere on a stage- with a mic a few inches away from my lips-I-"

As Dean lowers his head to the ground and nods, a sense of sinking-doom settles within you. And you find yourself taking a step back, unable to hold the whimpers in.

"So this is it, huh?"

You step back even further as tears gather at your eyes. "It..It doesn't necessarily have to be?!"

One more try.

"Why can't i have both of you?! The music and you? Why is that so hard to accept, huh?"

You walk back to the door, swallowing the lump in your throat. "You know what-If you still can't have that-leave right now-Dean and i mean it-do not come anywhere near this door." A tear slips down your cheek and you quickly wipe it away. "But if there's a chance for us to be a family again, stay. This place holds many more secrets than you think. You never know what you might find here."

----

Hurrying inside and over to the stage, you blast a forced smile as applause fills the room again. You'd look at the far back b-you can't-you can't-the reality of the situation is too harsh-it would break you. But as the song begins and the instruments pound your eardrums, a familiar silhouette you've grown up seeing keeps stepping closer and closer to the stage, to you. And just as the lights flash white-

Your eyes are met with your brother's.

-----

so so so so sorry for that delay, again 👀 i am my worst enemy when it comes to writing. Alsooooo, I wrote that little stupid verse hehe I love being extra. Please let me know if yall enjoyed this and see you next tiime! 🌹🌹🌹🖤🖤🖤

[seyaryminamoto]

Fic-to-Art #48: Azula and her nieces

Now, I apologize, I absolutely forgot I hadn't posted this out here :'D but here it is now! Last year's final piece for my Fic-to-Art collection!

While I can't guarantee there will ever be anything 1:1 with this scene in Gladiator, I mainly wanted to capture the vibes of their dynamic. I continue to think the funniest damn thing that can happen to Azula and Zuko is for their sibling to be their kids' hero, so here's a representation of that, with Zuko's little girls being completely taken with their aunt. I really wanted Mari to look like the happiest little girl ever (her aunt has blue fire, just like Princess Jing!!), and I really loved the hyped expression across her face. She's such a bundle of energy, makes me happy just to look at her. Zi, comparatively, is always much more chill and laid back, which will absolutely result in some crazy sibling dynamics once the two of them grow older. Utterly different personalities can be a great source of chaotic chemistry :'D

At any rate, hope you guys enjoy this glimpse of family time with Azula and her nieces! If you would like to be part of the creative process behind these pieces, a $1 Patreon pledge is enough to make you eligible for suggesting prompts and voting on them monthly, as well as reading Gladiator snippets 6 days before the new chapter is published!

[asoiaf-bambii]

𝔅etrothals 𝔦n 𝔚esteros

Most noble betrothals are made to forge alliances between families rather than for love. Similarly, marriages of convenience are common among the middle class and peasants. These unions often serve as pledges of support or tools to broker peace between rivals.

The head of a house is responsible for arranging matches for their children and any unwed younger siblings. While a lord can not force a dependent to take marriage vows, refusing could lead to serious consequences.

Betrothals can occur at a wide range of ages. While children as young as two may be betrothed, it is more common for such arrangements to be made when they are older. Eleven is generally seen as a standard age for a betrothal, though in cases of significant political necessity, younger children may be involved.

Betrothals can be broken, but doing so often carries serious consequences. Such actions may dissolve military alliances; for example, Prince Duncan Targaryen broke his betrothal to Lord Lyonel Baratheon's daughter to marry Jenny of Oldstones, prompting Lyonel to rise in rebellion.

If a betrothed nobleman dies before a political marriage takes place, his sibling or heir may assume his place. One example is Brandon Stark, who died before marrying Catelyn Tully. Following his death, his younger brother, Eddard Stark, the new Lord of Winterfell, wed her in his place.

Among the free folk beyond the Wall, men are expected to prove their worth by "stealing" women from other tribes instead of arranging betrothals.

[especiallythewomenandthechildren]

As If Destiny (part six)🌹

Part Five🌹

PLEASE READ WARNINGS FOR THIS PART! If any section makes you uncomfortable, please take care of yourself and stop reading. The beginning is especially dark so please feel free to skip ahead to the first line break:

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Warnings: Terminal illness, parent death, death and brutality (it is the hunger games after all) Witnessed death and accidental suicide. Insanity suspected and potrayed. characters may be ooc. I read the book a while ago but don't really remember much of Snows way of thinking (I mean I know its toxic and insane but yk the other things) so I will mostly be basing off the film and my own thoughts. Also I can't spell for the life of me so be prepared for bad spelling and grammar. Enjoy loves!

The flowers just seemed to keep on coming. And coming. And coming.

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Of all of the Capitals wealth, the flowers were only the deep color of blood.

It disgusted you.

But that's what it all looked like to your tear covered eyes. Your vision has been blurry since yesterday morning. Since the cold metal of the golden necklace hit your neck.

Reflecting the cold body of your mother.

The funeral feels as if it going on too slow yet too fast. The fake pledges of sorrow and shows of mourning were suffocating you. But saying goodbye is coming too soon. You've had months to say goodbye and yet you chose to run away, your consciousness hissed at you.

The necklace on your neck felt heavy as you picked up the two dangling rings. Those same rings have always brought a sense of comfort and nostalgia as they were a tell tale sign of your mother. You've seen them a million times but never noticed them.

One was a deep gold with vine engravings covering the entirety of the surface. In the middle was a beautiful light green colored stone that seemed to have endless mirroring panels that shone in the light. On the inside there was a small phrase: "To love, alive and ever lasting. "

The engraved words of commitment seemed to have brought new warm and silent tears streaming across your face. The ring must have been your mother's wedding ring as that was your father's declaration to always love her in his wedding vows.

Of course, you only know this because of the countless nights he stayed up watching her withering form. He kept on re-telling her his vows, remembering every word every time.

She never said a word back.

The other ring seemed far older due to the more dusty look of the gold surface. There were engravings of a family crest, symbolizing the Emberidges. Your mother's maiden name and what used to be one of the longest standing powerful families in all of Panem.

While the family blood lived on in you, the name was sacrificed as you took your father last name, the more recently powerful in comparison: Vaun.

You knew that your mother wasn't an only child but her funeral had no appearance of her siblings. Unlike your fathers dear sister who seemed to be in the act of consoling him in the moment and who has been a crucial pillar of care these past twenty eight hours.

No, any maternal aunts and uncles were butchered in the war. Your uncle Averic was deployed to District 12 and martyred in the dense woods. That day was a dark day for all of the Capital. Not only did the head of House Emberidge fall, leaving no children, but so did the head of House Snow, leaving behind only eight-year-old Coriolanus.

And of all the deaths that day, the one that crushed you the most, the heir of House Vaun. Your dear older brother. He was only fifteen when he reportedly butchered by the rebels. They did not deem him fit for a quick death.

While her brother and nephew fought across the nation, you aunt Fiora was behind in the freezing capital like most. She was the youngest of the siblings, only a mere twenty three years old.

When news came of Alerics death, she couldn't handle the suffocation she felt. And to all of the family's pleas to stay inside, she fled. It had been days of dread and being on the look out when you and sometimes Rhayen went searching for food. The coming day of finding her was a harshly rainy one.

You were once again scouring for something to eat when you had saw Clemensia doing the same. You both had shared a look of understanding in your sunken, tired eyes. Something that should have been beyond the years of two eight year olds.

You scoured for any viable sources of nutrition, jumping over and running around the countless dead bodies. Neither of you look at them too long. The sight horrifying for your young eyes and any in general. Clemensia noticed a few bags of moldy peaches and potatoes. You both nearly ran into the nearby wall in excitement. Splitting it evenly, you bid eachother goodbye and wished thr other to be safe. The streets of the crumbled capital were crawling with vultures and bandits who were more than willing to kill for any food. It could be the peaches and potatoes in your hands.

Or more grimly: your hands.

Those thoughts were intensified when you heared the crush of glass behind you.

Please no.

Please just let me get the food to my family.

You didn't have much of a choice but to run as fast as your little legs could take you. As soon as you picked up speed, so did the clearly heavier and older feer behind you. It was clear that you couldn't outrun them so you had to do what you were always warned of: run into the alleys.

You ran through murky puddles as the rain somehow intensified. The alley twisted and curved leading to who knows where. The feet behind you were not distancing themselves from you, motivating you as you began to naturally slow. You scanned the area for any stairs or holes or anything. Down the street, you found a shaky looking staircase. It was risky, but it was a better option than being someone else's meal.

Bags of food still in hand, you forced your tiny body to march the stairs, even taking two at a time.

As soon as you began stepping on the higher level stairs, the previous wooden step broke off and shattered on the ground on impact. That only made your feet go faster. The scream of the man behind you was heard. The same could be said for the sound of his body hitting the ground.

By the time the roof came into view, you were completely out of breath and collapsed onto the solid surface. You had only grasped your breath when you realized you weren't alone. You looked up to see an extremely dishevelled looking woman. Her hair was all knotted and looked as if it was ripped out in certain parts. She was pacing back and forth mubbiling incoherently.

You weren't sure what to do, absolutely horrified by her presence but you couldn't go down the way you came as the stairs were destroyed.

The roof was completely empty expect for a small unit of machinery. Rushing to hide, you didn't notice a few stones in your path. You fell head first but saved yourself with now scraped hands. However, the thud of your body alerted the frantic woman. She seemed feral to you but as her wild eyes searched you, she was no longer just a maniac.

She was your aunt Fiora.

"Cloria? Oh Cloria you are so young!" Her tear stained eyes ran over your figure and she quickly made her way to you, caressing your cheeks. This was the first instance of the now common occurance of your identity confused with your mother.

"Aunt Fi?" You asked wearily, using the nickname to possibly bring her back to reality. But all did was enrage her.

"Fi? FI? How dare you!" Her rage fueled her hand to hit you straight across the cheek. You face felt as if it was burning and tears began forming in your eyes. Your skin felt raw in the place of impact.

But Fiora was off in her own world. Her voice softend but not in realization of her actions. She drifted off into memory and nostalgia.

"Aleric was the one who made it up. Everyone called me that but he made me feel special. He always protected me you know!" Her voice began to crack and the anger came back to fill it. "I'm going to make them suffer. Every last one of them. I will burn their woods to the ground as each of them are tied to a tree for what they did. I swear it! You hear me!" Her impossibly loud declaration was told to the wind as she seemed to have forgotten your presence.

You took your chance to run to the hiding spot you intended. You grabbed the fallen bags and were nearly there when shrieks of insanity hit your ears. You turned to see your aunt clawing at her face while mumbling threats and death wishes.

Blood began pouring and an especially painful scream was heared as she cut her eye. But she didn't stop, the pain only seeming as more encouragement.

You could do nothing but watch the horror show.

You could do nothing as she got closer and closer to the ledge.

You could do nothing as she fell backwards over the edge.

You could do nothing as the sound of her body splattering echoed.

You could do nothing as you heard a group of men with swords ensuring themselves dinner.

Her screams kept on ringing in your ears as they began mixing in with the recent screams of your mother. They sounded so similar.

Is that how I will sound when I am about to die?

Any further thought was cut off by a hand on your arm. You look up to see who it belongs to when a pair of warm brown eyes filled with sympathy meet yours.

"The funeral is over y/n." He says it quietly in the now abandoned graveyard. What goes unsaid is now you have to officially say goodbye.

You look up to him, pleading for just a little more time. But you both know, you have to say goodbye eventually. You take a deep breath and slide your arm into Sejanus's as you walk over to the casket. You didn't know what to say as the words "goodbye" felt too heavy on your tongue.

Your finger brushed the fine wood untill your hand fully stopped on top of where you assumed her heart to be. You were speechless in sorrow and could do nothing but bend over and kiss the top of the casket, near her head. You gave one last look and turned to Sejanus. He gave you an understanding nod.

You both turned as he slide his arm around you for comfort. The walk to your car where a clearly broken Rhayen stood was silent. When you reached the door, Sejanus opened it for you.

"Are you sure you wouldn't feel more comfortable staying with us? Just for a few days?"

You shook your head in response. "I might stay with aunt Aeris with dad. But I don't want to abandon her home too." You said it heavily and he understood.

Sejanus always understood.

He gave you a small nod and weak smile as he gently closed the door. The closer you got to your home, the more gray the sky became.

How fitting.

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The silence of your penthouse was eerie. It seemed to strangle you with the lack of movement. The house felt cold and empty, void of all life. Rhayen had politely retreated to his quarters.

He had basically lost a daughter. There was no way you were going go ask him of any favors or demands. Not like you needed anything. There was plenty of food sent over by ma plinth. It smelled and looked wonderful but you weren't hungry. Your stomach was full with nausea.

You walked into the foyer, lit up by the open windows displaying the gray skies dimming the Capital. The stone was cold beneath your feet as you surveyed the darkly decorated room. It seemed that in that empty moment, every ounce of emotion rushed through your system. All you could remember was crumbling to the floor in anguish. You weren't sure how long you stayed like that, but by the time you had been interrupted with a knock on the door, the windows showed a night sky. You assumed it was Sejanus or his ma checking in on you, so you just quickly wiped your face and blew your nose and not taking a real moment to clean your appearance.

Your feet took hurried steps to the door and opened it to see two tall blondes staring back at you. Tigris and Coriolanus are definitely not your expected guests.

Tirgis took one look at your state and leaned over into your space to give you a comforting and genuine hug. You were slightly suprised but readily returned it. You felt protected in her hug, a feeling you've felt absent of lately.

She pulled back to look into your eyes and check over your face. You nodded in reassurance that you will be fine and shifted focus to her cousin. In his hands were stunning white roses.

"We know how hard today has been for you and we don't wish to stay long. We just wanted to give our sentiment and see if you needed anything." Coriolanus said in a tone of fright that he will make you uncomfortable.

You smiled, something that seemed to surprise you all. "Thank you both truly. Please come in!" You opened the door wider so they could follow you but they shared a look of discomfort.

"Y/N, thank you but we wished to just drop by quickly. We don't want to be a burden. You don't have to treat us with those guest pleasantries." Tigris contrasted.

"You said you wanted to help in any way you could correct?" The pair nod in agreement. "Well I think if I had some company would certainly help me right now. Being on my own doesn't seem to be the best option." You softly confessed. There was a shared look between the two before you grabbed Tigris's hand and dragged her in, Coriolanus following after.

Your three walked into your foyer that opened into your kitchen. You motioned for the two to get comfortable as you took the flowers out of the younger cousins hands. Taking a closer look, you realized that these pearly white flowers looked home grown. You laughed grimly.

"A bouquet of grandma'ams roses."

Tigris looked between the two of you, with a sad expression as she took in your deflated form and Coryo's clouded over eyes.

You turned to find a vase to put them in as the tall boy mumbled. You couldn't really make out what it was but Tigris heard him loud and clear.

"You weren't supposed to get them like this."

He shook his head in defeat as you began watering the precious roses, your back facing him.

You turned back around as you placed the case down in the center of the cabinet island.

"Please tell grandma'am thank you, it means a lot." Tigris smiled back in response with a promise to relay your gratitude. The sound of grumbling stomachs filled the now empty room and you jumped to action.

"Y/N please! Just sit down, we will be out of your hair in no time, please just rest!" Tigris was quick to intervene as you scurried around the kitchen, fixing the two a plate from the plentiful food Ma Plinth cooked up. You refused any sort of opposition and claimed that it would be a waste of such food.

Tigris turned around, expecting support from her younger cousin but was met with nothing but distracted eyes. He knew what you were doing.

If you stood still too long, you would begin thinking. Thinking would lead you to drowning in your sorrow. That's why you took any distraction and threw yourself in it. He knew it wasn't healthy and reality would hit you hard.

But maybe when it does, he will be there to help you back up.

For now, he looks at you with such emotion and rawness in his eyes as he thanked you.

You felt that he was the one who deserved thanks, letting you work out your emotion. Eventually, Tigris realized that she wasn't getting anywhere and surrendered to the delicious meal set in front of her. You placed a small amount of food for yourself to not make them feel awkward. However, much to your relief, your conversation was anything but.

The topics ranged from literature to the most recent capital gossip and everything in between. Who would have thought that on one of the worst days of your life you would be laughing so hard. You may have drowned yourself in guilt if you thought too hard on it but it was impossible with every quip and bicker between the three of you.

It was a few hours in when the sudden thought of Coriolanus's pen hit your mind.

"Oh Coryo, I completely forgot to give you back the pen I stole!"

That made Tigris laugh a bit more. You seemed so concerned for such a small matter. The boy who was supposedly "robbed" try to assure you that no harm was done but you refused.

"I'll be right back! Please feel free to grab anymore food and don't you dare be shy!" You demanded as you walked backwards and turned around when you hit the stairs, rushing up to your room.

The path to your room wasn't very far and as soon as you entered, you saw the shiny white and red pen on your desk. It had been a useful distraction yesterday in the painful drive back to your home infested with death and sorrow. You took a deep breath, pushing away the thoughts and grabbed the pen.

You walked back out in a fast pace until you came to a sudden stop. You stood right infront of the doorway of your mother's old makeshift hospital.

Oh how quick the new becomes the old.

The room looked as if it had never even been touched. No cords, pillows, tissues, or mess anywhere. Clean, tidy, and no trace of a cold, decaying life. You weren't sure how long you stood brooding before the sound of glass shattering shook you out of your haze.

In a panic, you rushed down the stairs to be met with the screams of your enraged father. Rhayen was also there and seemed to try to calm him but he kept pushing the elderly man off of him.

"How dare you both! I know the Snows never had any shame but how dare you walk into my home after such a tragedy! Were my son and wife not enough for you?! What need do you have to take the last good thing in my life?!"

You could hear the rage clearly but the heartbreak in his voice was even more evident.

What broke your heart was the sight of Tigris, clearly holding back tears as she thought over all her actions to see what she did wrong. Your eyes shifted slightly to Coriolanus who no longer held the soft expression he showed around you and his cousin. He had his mask shifted back into place, simply taking the attack from the older man.

"Sir please! I know they meant no harm, they are friends of young y/n!" Rhayen's pleas did nothing more than shift your father's anger towards him.

"Friends? And you knew of this and yet did nothing?! You vowed to protect her and you let her associated with such monste-"

"STOP! They are nothing of the sort and simply came to check in on me! They care for me. Nothing but pure and good care and concern!"

You felt your emotion being held back but such a slim shield you put up to ensure as much authority and confidence in your voice.

Your sudden presence shocked your father as he tried to get you to go back up to your outright refusal. His patience had worn thin.

"Your mother is barely cold and you have brought shame upon her memory!"

You couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They weren't violent as you would have expected but silent and delicate. Your body felt nauseous and faint as if you had just been pounced on. The words cut your already shambled heart and formed little scars of pain.

With a deep breath, you looked past your so called father.

"Thank you Tigris and Coryo." You put and emphasis on the nickname as a message to your father. "I am so sorry, please make it home safely."

They both nodded solemnly and Rhayes began to show them the door before being violently pulled back by the man he was now employed under. Even after everything he said, your father still felt the need to show that the Snows were not even woth a servants time.

Tigris looked straight ahead as she walked past the hate filled man and a quick look at you, which you met with an apologetic smile. Coriolanus, however, met his eyes with no sign of emotion expect defiance. You knew how proud Coryo was of his family's name and it was one of the few possessions of his that he could flaunt.

And to have it so openly dragged was not going to be let down easily. You wondered if he would it against you.

But right before he would have vanished from your viewpoint, he looked back at you with those ever melting deep blue orbs. Even after all he endured, he wanted to check if you were okay.

Any possible communication you could have sent his way was cut off by your father moving in between the sight of you two. The blonde boy got the message and with a soft scoff, made his way out the tension filled apartment.

As soon as the door shut, your father turned his gaze to you. Noticing you were still crying, he softened. But you didn't care. You just shook your head and Rhayen's arms came over your shaking body in comfort. Even in the silence of the penthouse, it was hard to hear your paind and soft voice. But they were sharp enough to cut your father's fury.

"I miss mom.You made me realize just how much I miss her."

You didn't want to see his expression or hear any lecture so you made your way up to your room as fast as you could.

You broke away from Rhayen's embrace, leaving him to be in the uncomfortable presence of your father.

"I did the right thing Rhayen. History was repeating itself!" He tried to justify his actions towards the young heirs of Snow.

Rhayen walked past the disgruntled man to the kitchen where the shattered vase and flowers now lay.

When your father walked into your home looking for his daughter, he was met with two blonde heads who looked far too comfortable for his taste. Then the sight of the pristine white roses came into view and memories flooded his system and rage. He couldn't throw the vase against the marble fast enough.

Rhayen sighed, exhausted as he swept up the victims of anger. "You can't say history is repeating if it isn't the same story. Different story, Tyre."

The man in question wasn't convinced and kept on going, pacing back and forth on the other side of the mess.

"I thought she was with Sejanus. He is a good boy. She is safe with him. Why can't she be satisfied with safe? And his parents love y/n! They always rave about her, especially his mother. It even makes me feel jealous!" That made Rhayen scoff.

Oh Tyre sure was jealous but not of the Plinths.

The glass was nearly all cleaned up now, the long serving man was just taking extra measures as Tyre couldn't seem to stop ranting. He knew the man was struggling with the loss of his wife and taking it out on young y/n was just an unfortunate reaction to it.

"Do you know what Casca told me? The Snows are poor. Dirt poor Rhayen! And that peasant has the audacity to walk in here and act as if he is worth a second of my daughter's time! And did you see the way he looked at me! THE WAY HE LOOKED AT HER- Hey! Throw those out! I don't want to see them for a second longer."

Your father declared his distaste to the flowers Rhayen had brushed off and ensured protection.

"I am sorry sir but they seem to be gifts to miss y/n. And if what you heard was true, such roses as these must have been quite expensive and precious, a luxury the Snows could not afford. Yet, the bouquet was gifted." Rhayen offered and began his trudge up the large stairs.

Tyre Vaun couldn't think of anything that would change the elder man's mind. However, at the top of the stairwell, Rhayen turned with one last message.

"The boy grew up without his father. And I think in this case, it was for the best."

Maybe in the case of the son of Crassus Snow, growing up without the cold father really was for the best.

⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆

You stared up at your textured ceiling as you twirled Coryo's pen in your hand. You stopped thinking a while ago. You just let your mind be taken over the fog as your finger played with the odd texture of the pen. There was clearly something engraved but due to the white surface, you couldn't tell what.

Your little escape of peace from today's activities was interrupted by the knock and subsequent opening of your cream colored door. You turned your head and a relieved sigh was breathed between your lips. Rhayen walked in with one hand behind his back.

He opened the small light near your desk for some light in your dark room but not the overhead ones as to to not burn your eyes. The small action brought a small smile and warmth to your heart.

But that warmth spread all over as you saw what he was hiding behind his back. The beautiful roses of Coriolanus. You looked up at him with a look that you warm even the coldest of men.

He smiled at your joy. "I couldn't save the vase, but I think these are what matter." You take the roses in you hands as you just sat there astonished.

Even though they were flung across the room and smashed, they seemed even more beautiful than before. In the dim dark light, their little rips and dips just added to their radiance.

You were so engrossed with the roses that you didn't notice Rhayen leave your room, closing the door behind him. Getting up, you moved the bouquet to the vase that stood proudly in the middle of your vanity with the other white flowers Coryo picked for you on your walk.

It brought you a great amount of joy that the flowers that joined it were from the same charming boy.

When you walked back to your bed, a small note caught your eye. You unraveled it and a shiny ring fell out. In fear of losing it, you quickly pick it up. Taking a brief look, it was a bright silver with small dazzling blue diamonds surrounding the surface. Your attention is returned to the note.

"This was gifted to your sweet mother when she was your age. You wear her face, her character, and now her rings. It would be an offense to her not to share this last part of her. Don't tell your father but be patient with him. And remember your mother's words: don't change sweet girl."

The letter wasn't signed but you could tell from the slightly messy and angled handwriting it was from Rhayen. He had taught himself to write and you knew he would use the skill whenever he had the chance. And you were most glad that he used it now.

Even though the note and the words within them suprised you slightly. You put the note by the flowers and took the ring in your hands.

Beneath the light, all the details were brought out. The small diamonds were more than there for show. In fact there placement was quite intentional. It seemed that thousands of miniature diamonds were placed to form a beautiful shape, each a bit different than the others on either side.

As you slid the ring in place with the others on your neck, you take a moment to look at yourself in the mirror. On either side, there was a golden ring but in the middle stood out a bright silver.

A ring that dazzled in the light and the dark.

The ring of a thousand snowflakes.

The ring of Snow.

⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry if you got notification that it posted earlier and saw nothing, tumblr was freaking our on me and kept on posting my drafts! I know this was far longer than the last part, thank you for reading. And I am sorry if this was a bit too dark but I think it's important for context later in the story and especially readers struggle with the Hunger Games and morals. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Much love! ❤️

@notyourwildestdream 🌹@darktrashsoulbear🌹@fantasylovestoryme 🌹@nekee-lilac02 🌹@a-avengerparker 🌹 @queenofshinigamis 🌹@darlingisntit 🌹

[ianblogs4]

Royal blue - Shang Qinghua (moshang?)

Shang Qinghua was a mere child when he met his king.

Let's just rephrase that

Shang Qinghua was stuck on his own world, on a mere child's body that was destined to be killed before he hit 30 because he was just traitor scum and his king just got bored of him.

He was now seeing the man that will once kill him, and he was very amazed by the natural beauty that Shang Qinghua just stayed there, very in awe because of what he later explained as "seeing his OC for the first time"

He was so in awe that he didn't realize when all of his mates were finally dead and he had to pledge for his own life.

-------------

Even after more than 7 years working as a spy for his king, Shang Qinghua never stopped realizing that his king was dazzling, amazingly beautiful like those amazing royal blue flowers that bloomed in the "summer" in the eastern garden that Shang Qinghua secretly tended to everyday, from the moment he realizes that the lilac leafs could, once again, be seen from his office window until the stunning royal blue flowers were finally ready to be buried by their caregiver while he said the last goodbye.

Qinghua was surrounded by people but still very alone, the flowers reminded him so much of his king that he befriended the plant. He talked to it everyday, sometimes he started singing to it, because when he was little, his older sister told him that singing to plants helped them grow. That did not work with the succulent plant that lived around two weeks with this pair of siblings, but it looked like that did work with this rare plant friend.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Hello! My first short fic :D

It's actually not moshang but Shang Qinghua does say that Mobei-jun is very beautiful

[eyesofshan-if]

pengu!! about the oathstones, are they purely to represent a romantic bond or can they be platonic too? cuz now im imagining a young so and mc pledging to get married when they're older and giving each other oathstones as a promise but then the war happened and mc was taken and so never gave up on trying to find the other half of their soul and in this essay i will

no, they don't!! oathstones represent oaths, usually between two people - they can be between siblings moving to different tribes promising to never forget each other, spouses dedicating their lives to the other, friends vowing that no matter how far apart they are, part of their soul will stay with the other.

to carry an oathstone is to carry the half of the other person's oath with you. and in shan culture, the half of the oathstone that you wear carries half of that person's soul with you

so... what do you think so is doing, right now?

[apompkwrites]

Part 2 of Actual Villian Black Sheep

☆☆☆

Disamonia

Sukuna!Older!Draconia

Sukuna!Draconia is selfish, cold-hearted, immoral, and exceptionally sadistic. Due to his immense power, he rarely cares about the consequences of his actions, even if these affect his younger brother, Malleus. Sukuna!Draconia is aware of his immense power and is quite arrogant about it, brutalizing his old advisor while being patronizing and proclaiming his superiority over them. For this reason, he is highly dismissive of his opponents and rarely takes them seriously, even explicitly stating he would kill Malleus if he ever disappoints him. However, these brutish traits are not to be confused for stupidity. Sukuna!Draconia is highly intelligent and manipulative. He has also displayed the ability to acknowledge and praise his opponents. The only one he seems to acknowledged as his companion is Alucard!Vanrouge and does seem to acknowledge Yuu's existence as they had stop Alucard!Vanrouge from killing Ace and Epel.

Alucard!Older!Vanrouge

Alucard!Vanrouge is violent, sadistic, and masochistic, often belittling opponents after allowing himself to be shot to bits by them before regenerating his wounds. He's not just cruel towards faes - he's cruel to humans, too. If Yuu hadn't stopped him, he would've killed both Ace and Epel. He abhors cowards and treats his enemies extremely brutally, enjoying both inflicting pain and taunting them, especially those who can't control themselves; all accompanied by his sarcastic humor. One such example is Riddle and Jamil, to which Alucard!Vanrouge calls them cowards and belittles them. The only he acknowledged is Sukuna!Draconia as his master, but he does find amusement in Yuu and their determination to stop him from killing their friends.

Blade!Silver

Blade!Silver is swordsman who abandoned his body to become a blade. Birth name unknown. He pledges loyalty to his old kingdom and possesses a terrifying self-healing ability. Blade!Silver wields an ancient sword riddled with cracks, just like his body and his mind. He also pretty chill whenever he's not in battle or locating one of his targets. He also "blessed" with some form of immortality, but sees it more as a curse than anything.

DUDE imagine Sukuna!Draconia who is so feared amongst all of Briar Valley that he becomes a bad omen, a story to keep children in check lest the "demon of Briar Valley" haunts them. And all the while Sukuna!Draconia relishes in the attention, but he hates that he's mostly used as a children's tale.

Alucard!Vanrouge is definitely just a pawn to Sukuna!Draconia, but what does he care? I love the parallels between Lilia and Alucard!Vanrouge and their relationships to their respective Draconia. Like, Lilia serving as a father figure to Malleus and being a guiding force for him, while Alucard!Vanrouge is just a plaything, a stepping stone for Sukuna!Draconia's plans.

NO THE ANGST POTENTIAL THAT BLADE!SILVER HAS OML !!!!!! Like, I can see Lilia knowing Blade!Silver, either fighting against him or stumbling upon him after finding Silver. I can see Lilia gathering stories about Blade!Silver, hoping to one day share them with Silver, but he quickly abandons that idea when he sees who Blade!Silver used to be (or, at least, who Lilia assumes him to be) and now he can't bear the idea that he might have very well cost Silver a sibling.

[louisaland]

More thoughts on SVU Season 17

I have to give kudos/props to the casting team who have been doing a stellar job from the start! The actors playing Stabler’s kids all looked like a blend of Chris Meloni and Isabelle Gillies, especially when they were younger. They also looked like they were all siblings! The only one who doesn’t really work is teen/older Eli! 

The actresses playing Amanda’s mum and sister are perfectly cast, and the actor playing Mike Dodds looks like a young Peter Gallagher, as they have a really similar nose and jawline, alongside the blue eyes and dark hair. 

Barba’s  mother and grandmother also were well cast and looked like they could be his relatives. Hearing him being called Rafi was v odd, as he is so formal and serious at work. 

Just watched the one with the big Christian family who have a TV show, and thank goodness Stabler wasn’t there as he’d have had an aneurysm over the purity pledges, that’s a step too far even for him.  They made me want to throw up and my suspicions immediately fell on the person who did it, for once!

Carisi looking after all the kids was adorable, he did brilliantly with them. Someone make that man a dad, stat! I think even Stabler would have struggled with that many kids all at once. 

I also love that his faith is super important to him, but the main thing I get from him is that he thinks most people are fundamentally good and deserve to be protected from the few that aren’t. Stabler was definitely pushier/more vocal about being Catholic and the beliefs that went along with that, Carisi is much gentler in his approach. He’s just a very good man and I adore him!

[littledesertfox]

Who was Fritz Bayerlein?

I've been planning to make a post like this for a long time, since about August to be precise. But alas, motivation and free time don't always coincide. Last year, I've become very interested in the life of Fritz Bayerlein, former chief of staff of Erwin Rommel and also a close friend of his, and I wanted to share what I learned (and still continue to learn) about him here as well. However, I felt that probably not as many people would even know who he es, as he is not such an extremely well-known personality like for example Rommel himself, or some of the other most famous figures like Göring or Himmler, where you immediately have at least a basic idea of who they were. Hence I first wanted to make a comprehensive post with a short biography to present a basic overview of his life. Well, it probably became a bit more than "short". Of course, this means that I could not touch upon every detail, and I apologise if I've been too unprecise in some matters. As of now, I myself haven't read everything that there is to be found about him either, but very much plan to do so in the future. Now that this big thing is out of the way, I hope to make more posts about him, smaller and focusing in more detail on specific aspects of his life.

Fritz Hermann Michael Bayerlein was born on January 14th, 1899 in the town of Würzburg in Bavaria. He was the middle one of three children between an older brother and a younger sister. While the family was not rich or prestigious, the parents worked hard to provide for their children the best they could. Fritz and his siblings were home-schooled until the age of ten, before he and his brother were accepted into the local Gymnasium - a school type that would allow access to university upon successful completion, and required high performance from students. Fritz was an excellent student who aspired to become a teacher for history, geography and mathematics himself one day - although his father likely wanted him to strive for an education with better opportunities (becoming a primary school teacher didn't require a university degree back then and wasn't seen as a very prestigious job, teaches in higher institutes such as Gymnasiums usually had a better societal standing, but the education was often costly and difficult).

However, these dreams were shattered when the Great War broke out. In spring 1917, his school held emergency exams so that the 18-year-olds could graduate before being drafted. Fritz registered as a Fahnenjunker (officer candidate) into the 9th King's Bavarian Infantry Regiment. Unlike his older brother, who also tried to apply as an officer candidate but struggled a lot more with it (due the family not being rich or influential), Fritz had it much easier now, since a lot of young men had already died and the high command was in desperate need for new officers. After completing his training, he was later sent to the Western front. He received the Iron Cross 2nd Class for successfully holding off an enemy attack on August 30th, 1918. A day later he was wounded by a grenade splinter and sent home for recovery, just shortly after he was promoted to Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier and assigned to further training on his way to become an officer. By the time he completed his course, the war was over.

After the war, Bayerlein was part of the volunteer battalion "Dittmar" for a while, before being promoted to Fähnrich and being accepted into the Reichswehr in 1919. The regulations of the Versailles treaty only allowed a number of 4000 officers to remain, but he had proven to be a candidate with a lot of potential. The Reichswehr had some very strict rules: officers had to pledge themselves for twenty-five years of service, and among other things they had a strict marriage policy. Officers were only allowed to marry after the age of 27 or at least 8 years of service. Additionally, lower ranking officers usually didn't earn a lot, so unless they were coming from a wealthy background, supporting a family would have been difficult still. Bayerlein had been promoted to the rank of Leutnant in 1922, but still continued to live with his parents during times when he wasn't at the garrison as he couldn't have afforded a place of his own. The financial crisis during the 1920s further contributed to this.

In March 1926, he encountered Erwin Rommel for the first time during a vacation in Kleinwalsertal in Austria. Bayerlein was there with some men of his battalion from Würzburg, and likewise, Rommel was there with some officers from his company in Stuttgart, acting as their skiing instructor. Bayerlein was on a hike one day when he spotted the group on top of a particularly steep and difficult slope, and like everyone else watching he was left quite impressed when Rommel was the first one to go downhill, confident and without any trouble. He had learned Rommel's name at the time (upon asking one of the men that were with him), but they only got to know each other personally three years later. In 1929, Rommel was sent to Dresden to become an instructor at the infantry school there, and Bayerlein (now an Oberleutnant after being promoted two years earlier) was assigned to be his assistant. Over the next years, the men formed a close friendship: they worked together as instructors, but also spent a lot of time together off duty, going on walks in the woods (sometimes for literal hours), visiting some of the local landmarks, or simply spending time together at the apartment that the Rommel family lived in at the time. Fritz had a good relationship with Rommel's wife Lucie as well, and although he never had children of his own, his bond with their son Manfred was probably the closest he got to taking up a parental role.

When the Nazi party seized control in 1933, Bayerlein was currently attending the war academy in Berlin in order to become a general staff officer. Personally, he was politically leaning towards the Social Democratic Party (same as his late father), but as an officer he wouldn't have been allowed to vote either way. However, with the introduction of the Aryan paragraphs and in 1935 the Nuremburg Laws, he suddenly found himself "accused" of having Jewish ancestry, which would have resulted in a discharge from the army. The reason for this was mainly that he could not provide any record of his maternal grandfather's identity (his mother had been born as an illegitimate child and the father remained unknown) - therefore he couldn't deliver unequivocal proof to be of entirely "Aryan" descent by National Socialist standards. Additionally, his mothers maiden name Denkmann, along with his mere physical appearance were considered stereotypically Jewish by the Nazis (although they of course have no rational basis, it was plain antisemitic stereotyping). All of this resulted in Bayerlein being classified as a "quarter-Jew" or "2nd degree Mischling", even though there is no actual evidence that he has had any real Jewish ancestors - the unknown grandfather could have been anyone. Eventually, he was allowed to remain in the army, likely due to being regarded as a highly skilled officer. In the first few years of the Nazi reign "quarter-Jews" weren't as targeted yet (the explanation was that the "Aryan" part of their heritage should be protected), however this would eventually change.

From 1935 on up to the dawn of World War II, Bayerlein (since 1934 with the rank of Hauptmann) held positions in a few different units, mostly as a general staff officer. In April 1939, he was appointed the 1st general staff officer of the 10th Panzer Division, holding the rank of Major since his promotion the year before. With this unit he participated in the Invasion of Poland. He was noticed by Heinz Guderian, who commanded the 19th Army Corps during the invasion. Guderian awarded him the Iron Cross 1st Class for his successes during the campaign, he also liked that Bayerlein was a proponent of modern warfare, and had him eventually transferred to the general staff of his own unit. As 1st general staff officer under Guderian, he then proceeded to participate in the Battle of France and later the Invasion of the Soviet Union. He also received his promotion to Oberstleutnant in September 1940.

In October 1941, Bayerlein was transferred to North Africa and appointed chief of staff of the Afrikakorps - this era of his life is probably the one he's most well-known for, and likely also the one where the most photos of him have their origin. The commanding general and Bayerlein's direct superior at this time was Ludwig Crüwell - Erwin Rommel, who held the command before, had moved on to be the supreme commander of the entire Panzer Army Africa that the corps was also a part of. Regardless, Rommel and Bayerlein were working together very closely on many occasions, as documented by numerous photographs from the time that show Bayerlein at the side of his old friend. In December of the same year he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He proved once again to be a capable officer, also the type who would sometimes disregard orders and act on his own initiative, similar to how Rommel sometimes did. He was promoted to Oberst in April 1942. Later in the same year, Rommel temporarily appointed him the commanding officer of the Afrikakorps (from November the 4th to the 16th), after the previous commander, General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, had been taken prisoner by British forces. In the following month, he was transferred to be chief of staff of the Panzer Army Africa, now serving directly under Rommel.

By spring 1943, the defeat of the German and Italian forces was inevitable. On the 1st of March, Rommel promoted Bayerlein to the rank of Generalmajor, just a few days before his departure. Bayerlein followed him just about two months later with one of the last flights before the surrender of the remaining troops. He also received the oak leaves to his Knight's Cross. After a few months in the Führerreserve, he was appointed commander of the 3rd Panzer Division as was sent to the Eastern Front. Based on his experiences in Africa, he tried to implement a form of warfare that focused on mobility. At the beginning of 1944, he was tasked by Guderian to become the commander of the newly formed Panzer Lehr Division - it was a division made up of training and demonstration troops and the only fully mechanised division in the Wehrmacht. After it was called to participate in the occupation of Hungary for a few weeks, the division moved on to its original destination in France. In the meantime, Bayerlein had also been promoted to the rank of Generalleutnant. After D-Day, he was tasked to lead the division in the defence of Normandy, but was faced with heavy losses and eventually had to retreat. He later had to temporarily hand off command due to an injury, but took it up again once he had recovered, and lead the division in the Ardennes Offensive. In the meantime, he had also received the swords to his Knight's Cross. In February 1945, after the offensive had failed and the Panzer Lehr Division was severely decimated, Bayerlein was reassigned to the 53rd Army Corps. The troops continued retreating until they were encircled in the Ruhr pocket, and on 15th of April, Bayerlein sent a formal capitulation message to the U.S. 7th Armored Division, which was accepted in the early morning of the following day. He was the first commanding general of the Wehrmacht who surrendered his entire corps, rather than just himself and his staff.

Bayerlein spent the next two years as a prisoner of war. During this time, he showed to be cooperative with the Allied forces. He started working for the U.S. Historical Division, helping them document battle histories, later he also took up work as a car mechanic, hoping to stick to this occupation after his release. He never intended to continue his career as in officer in the later formed Bundeswehr, after almost three decades in the army, he had had enough.

The new beginning after his release was rough. Bayerlein moved into a small apartment in his hometown of Würzburg. The house it was in belonged to him, it had been given to him as a reward alongside the swords to his Knight's Cross. Although the other inhabitants paid rent to him, money was tight as it had not been decided yet how to handle retirement pensions for former Wehrmacht officers. However, once these matters were settled, he was able to enjoy quite a decent life. He continued working for the Historical Division, and later also helped as advisor for books and films on WW2 topics, such as The Guns of Navarone. He was also a main contributor in B. H. Liddell-Hart's The Rommel Papers together with Lucie and Manfred Rommel. Bayerlein had a close relationship with the Rommel family even after his friend's death and would remain in regular contact with them for the rest of his life, it wasn't uncommon that he would pay them a visit or invite them over to his own place every once in a while.

During the early 1950s, Bayerlein's name became known to the police as he was suspected to have had sexual relationships with other men. Homosexuality between men was still prohibited in Germany at the time under §175. Multiple acquaintances of his mentioned his name in police interrogations, many of them were suspected of being homosexuals themselves, and were assumed to either be former partners of him themselves or have knowledge about his relationships with other men, as they were frequenting the same social circles. Although there were mentions of having Bayerlein called in for an interrogation, it seems that this never happened, at least there are no documents to be found. It remained at the suspicions, and he was never convicted for a supposed crime. According to other reports from friends and family members, Bayerlein also had multiple relationships with women during this time of his life. Nowadays it is assumed that he probably was bisexual and enjoyed relationships with both women and men. He moved around different town during these years and always liked to keep his relationships separate, with no long commitment. He never got married or even engaged throughout all his life and didn't have any children - by his own choice, he would have had plenty of opportunities to do so as he was considered an attractive and pleasant man who was liked by many women. He simply enjoyed being independent, but it seems he was always upfront about it, not making any promises about marriage or commitment that he didn't keep. The topic of his sexuality might be never fully cleared up. Bayerlein himself never had a chance to be publicly open about it even if it was something he had wanted - only in 1969, a year before his death, the law was loosened to allow relationships between men if both partners were over the age of 21 and not in any kind of dependent relationship (e.g. as employee and employer). Similarly, even the close friends and acquaintances who might have known more likely kept quiet in order to protect him, despite the change of the law, homophobia was of course still quite rampant and could have unpleasant consequences. In the end, he himself was probably the one who knew best about his true feelings.

In 1957, Bayerlein quit his work for the Historical Division, it seems he finally wanted to move on from military matters, though he still served as an advisor for some books, recounting his experiences as an officer. He moved back to his hometown of Würzburg where he and his sister opened an Oriental carpet shop that they managed together. He spent his last years rather peacefully, enjoying his time with friends (like the Rommel family and others) and family members, though his health started deteriorating in his last years. He had suffered from coming and going liver and kidney issues for a long time, possibly since his time in Africa or even before, and had needed to be hospitalised because of it a few times before already, though when he was younger he had always managed to recover again. Eventually however, it had finally caught up to him, and on 30th of January 1970, Fritz Bayerlein passed away at the age of 71 years. His funeral was one of the last public military funerals held in Germany, and aside from family and friends, many of the men who served alongside him in the Afrikakorps or Panzer Lehr Division attended to pay their last respect for their former commander.

Main sources: U.S. National Archives, Box 329, AE 501661, Fritz Bayerlein, 1-155. Spayd, P. A. (2003). Bayerlein: From Afrikakorps to Panzer Lehr : the Life of Rommel’s Chief-of-staff Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein. Schiffer Pub Limited. Rigg, B. M. (2009). Lives of Hitler’s Jewish soldiers: Untold Tales of Men of Jewish Descent who Fought for the Third Reich. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Bayerlein_(Generalleutnant) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Bayerlein

[I'm aware that some sources are already a bit older, and that not everything presented in them may be in accordance with more up-to-date research, and tried to keep this in mind while writing. Additionally, I want to note that of course I'm not infallible and can make mistakes, and I'd still recommend you to do your own research as well should you be interested in the topic.]