#WHAT A RARE OCCURENCE FROM ME ON THIS BLOG

[paikothecateater]

Okay, I don't normally reblog shit on my blog, but this is kinda important.

I wanna preface by saying that I, in no way, consider myself a spokesperson for the hetalia community. I haven't even been in the fandom very long. I just happen to post a lot of silly headcanons and try to engage with the community.

While this post my come across as needlessly aggressive to some, it's actually so important to pay attention to stuff like this.

Now, my posts very rarely mention nations like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, etcetera and whenever they do, I never add them to my tags.

This is because these nations are very often times misrepresented in hetalia and are portrayed in a borderline degrading way, take Ukraine for an example. These stereotypes are extremely harmful, not only to the people from these nations, but also people who aren't who take these stereotypes as fact.

I, at some point, experienced this. I didn't know much about Estonia at the time and I just used the hetalia version of the character to base my headcanons off of. I offended a ton of actual Estonians because of my own ignorance.

Hetalia isn't inherently bad. And having characters that represent these nations is also not inherently bad. It's important to follow some very specific rules when doing this. Unfortunately, these rules aren't common knowledge, but I want to do my best to make them known just so we can avoid tension and unfortunate interactions.

1) let's get this out of the way. You could leave the country's name out of the tags, but if your headcanon is blatantly distasteful and degrading to the nation and its people, you still messed up. I'm not talking about harmless little quirks like 'oh! So and so is a bit of a nerd' or 'so and so can be a little silly sometimes' I'm talking about downright disgusting stereotypes like 'oh! So and so is really poor and uneducated'

2) the Tumblr tagging system is flawed. Plain and simple. Even if you add APH or HWS or even 'Hetalia' before the country's name, it could still end up interfering with the actual country's tags which is not what you want. Even if your headcanon is respectful, you wouldn't want it to crowd the actual country's tags. People use those tags to get news from around their nation, connect with others from their country and bond over culture. It is not a place for hetalia.

3) if unfortunately a misunderstanding occurs, try to address these situations respectfully and decently. I'm going to be honest, as a community, we're already on thin ice with all the bullshit that has happened. Let's not make our reputation even worse. I'm not asking that you let people be jerks to you. Everyone is responsible for how they conduct themselves online and if you're in the right, but you're being a complete jackass about it, you will and should be called out on it. That goes for both sides by the way, but let's try to approach these situations with understanding. If you made a mistake, take accountability. It's really simple. No one is going to eat your face if you look them in the eye and say 'I messed up. I'm sorry. I'm going to do my best to rectify it' even if it's a small error like a tagging mistake. Mistakes happen. Oversights happen.

Again, I want to reiterate that I am not a spokesperson for this community. I just want to put out my own view on this situation. You're 100% free to disagree with me. It won't make me see you differently as a person. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This is just my take based on my experience.

Thank you.

stop!!! fucking!!! tagging!!! hetalia!!! characters!!! with!!! the!! actual!!! country’s!!! name!!!

use!!! the!!! appropriate!!! hetalia!!! tags!!!

[please-picturemeintheweeds]

tw: abuse discussion, intimate partner violence, grooming discussion, power and control. Trying to be vague here and not fly too close to the muse Sun

Re: red tv and the manuscript discourse, I wonder if people realize that it is actually possible to have abusive/toxic/harmful relationships with people your own age, too? Like even if Taylor and jg were 2 years apart, harm still could’ve occurred….? Like it was obviously not grooming bc that is a very specific set of experiences usually involving a child and a person in a position of trust/power like a parent or teacher or coach etc (I know this bc I lived it!!!). But like… that is not the only kind of harm that can happen to young people???? Her youth/naivety was definitely a factor in how fucked up the situation was but it was not the only element. Power dynamics do not begin and end at age. Adults can fuck each other up, too…

[svtiddiess]

Curiosity Killed The Cat Gets You Laid?

Synopsis: It's Halloween night, and you're wandering through the woods you were always warned to stay far away from, searching for vampires. They say curiosity killed the cat, but no one mentioned it could also get you laid.

Pairing: vampire!Jeonghan x afab!reader x vampire!Wonwoo

Genre: suggestive, one shot, vampire! au, supernatural! au

Rating: suggestive/mature

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: blood, injuries, vampires, dry humping, lemme me know if I missed anything!

Note: Happy Halloween! This is my first attempt at a vampire fic so please be nice.

Thank you so much to Indi @wongyuseokie for the amazing banner! She ate for real.

Click here to join my taglist!

Read on ao3

Reblogs are appreciated ♡

.ᐟMinors/blank/no age indicator blogs will be blocked.ᐟ

October 31st, Halloween, the one day you look forward to all year. In this small, sleepy town where nothing ever happens, Halloween is the rare time when everything feels alive. It's ironic, really, that a holiday meant to honour the dead and the supernatural is the only time the town truly comes to life.

Although plenty of celebrations and parties are happening around town, your mind is elsewhere: vampires. Rumours about the woods on the edge of town have been swirling for years. Some say it's home to secret gold mines; others claim there's a hidden graveyard for those who have sinned way beyond redemption, and many point to the string of murders that have occurred there. But what really grabs your attention is the rumour that vampires live there.

You've been told time and time again never to step foot into the woods, but hey, you can't stop curiosity now, can you? And that's why here you are on Halloween night, making your way through the woods you've been told to stay far away from. You chose tonight for this journey because Halloween is when vampires are supposedly most active—at least, that's what the internet said. You're really hoping it wasn't wrong.

The crunch of leaves and the distant hooting of owls greet you as you step into the woods. A chill runs down your spine as you take in your surroundings—the darkness wrapping around the trees gives the forest an eerie, foreboding feel. The shadows twist into strange shapes, making you glance over your shoulder and double-check your surroundings more often than usual.

You mentally curse yourself for not bringing a proper flashlight; your phone flashlight does the bare minimum to light the surroundings. After several minutes of walking, you stop in your tracks. You could swear you've passed this same tree four times already—or is it a different one? Damn, you might be lost.

'This might've been a stupid idea,' you think.

In too deep to back out now, you proceed to go further into the woods, a very bad idea, but your stubbornness overpowers your voice of reason a lot of the time. A sudden howl piercing through the sky stops you in your tracks. Wolves? No, that can't be. You must’ve misheard—it was probably just the wind, you tell yourself. But then, another howl echoes through the woods. Okay, wolves. Definitely wolves.

Quickening your pace, you decide to retrace your steps, hoping that will eventually lead you back to society. As you try to find your way out of the woods, you hear footsteps, multiple footsteps, heading toward you. Not wanting to risk a run-in with wolves, you take off running.

Unfortunately for you, you were never much of an athlete, so you end up tripping over a rock and falling, cutting your palm on the jagged ground. Cursing out loud, you pick yourself up and observe the cut; it was fairly deep, and blood continuously started to pour out of it, staining your hand. You frown and squeeze your hand, hoping to stop the blood from flowing.

Okay, now you definitely need to get out of the woods. If the wolves don’t get you, the inevitable infection from your wound will (though you’re being a bit dramatic). Frowning, you continue to head to where you think you came from.

Stumbling aimlessly through the eerie forest, you suddenly come upon a massive mansion. It looks like something straight out of the Victorian era, with towering spires, gothic architecture, and plenty of decay to match. Your small flashlight barely does it justice, making it hard to fully appreciate the mansion's haunting beauty.

Could this be it…? Remembering the whole reason you ventured into the woods, you head inside the mansion. You're determined to encounter at least one vampire tonight.

The heavy wooden doors groan as you push them open. You take a deep breath as you absorb the sight of the eerie mansion. Inside is a stark contrast to the exterior; it feels much more cohesive, with relatively recent furniture and a sense that the place isn’t falling apart.

The air stilled. It became quiet, too quiet. The only sound you can hear is the beating of your own heartbeat ringing in your ears. Gulping, you shakily make your way towards what you assume is the fireplace. It was dark, perfectly in line with the gothic theme that enveloped the entire building.

Above you hung a large portrait of two men, hauntingly beautiful, with pale, almost white skin and dark maroon eyes that seemed to pierce through you. Their jet-black hair framed their faces perfectly. They wore white blouses that you assume are from the Victorian era, adorned with very expensive jewellery. One man was slightly shorter than the other, but his looks would put any model to shame; his longer hair framed his face beautifully, making you think, "a fallen angel". The taller man had shorter hair and more sharper features, yet he appeared just as ethereal. His mesmerising eyes seemed to draw you in, almost as if they were sucking your soul. Another striking feature was their lips, a deep red, almost as rich as their eyes.

"Damn, if these guys are the vampires, then I wouldn't mind getting my blood sucked by them," you muse out loud.

"Oh really now?" A voice purred next to your ear. You whip your head around to see who it is, only to be greeted with nothing.

"W-Who was that?!" You shout, cursing under your breath as your voice comes out shakier than you'd like.

"I’m sure you already know who, bunny," a voice whispers from behind. You spin around, but there's only darkness.

"I-I know how to fight!" You yell, trying to sound confident.

"Ooh, a fighter. I like that," a deeper voice purrs, this time right next to you.

Suddenly, your phone is snatched from your hand, plunging you into complete darkness. Panicking, you throw punches into the air, hoping to hit something—anything—but you freeze when a hand catches your fist.

"She really is a fighter, Wonwoo," the first voice chuckles; even his laughter seems to have a surreal feel to it. You hear another low chuckle from behind, which you assume is Wonwoo.

Wonwoo then wraps his arms around your waist, plunges his nose into the crook of your neck, and takes a long whiff.

"You smell absolutely divine, doll," he moans; you can't help but shiver at his actions.

Suddenly, the room flickers to life with candlelight, making the already creepy mansion even more eerie. You can now see the man standing before you, and you gasp; it's the same man from the portrait, the one with the longer hair.

He gently uncurls your injured fist, running his tongue slowly along the wound, and lets out a moan. Your breath catches at the sight, and you can't help but shiver at his actions.

"She likes that, Jeonghan," chuckles Wonwoo. You blush at Wonwoo's words, embarrassed cause it's true.

"You want this just as bad, don't you, bunny?" Jeonghan purrs before licking another stripe up your palm, causing you to let out a soft whimper.

"Don't even try and deny it, doll; we can hear your heartbeat," whispers Wonwoo before licking the shell of your ear.

You gulp, your mouth dry as sandpaper, and your heartbeat thunders in your ears. Sure, you came into the woods hoping to encounter vampires, but now that they're standing right before you, you're unsure what to do. They're so alluring, their very presence making your head spin.

Wonwoo leans down, gently nipping at the skin of your neck, making your heart lurch. You can feel him smirk against your skin.

"It has been a while since we had a blood servant," he mumbles against your skin. Jeonghan hums, a small smirk painting his face.

"What do you say, bunny? Want to become our blood servant?" Jeonghan purrs.

You open and close your mouth like a fish out of water, completely at a loss for words. Yes? No? If you say yes, are you doomed to serve them until death? If you say no, will they kill you on the spot? Your mind races, spinning with uncertainty. Maybe coming out here wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Looks like our little bunny is unsure," snickers Jeonghan.

"How about we give you a taste, then?" Wonwoo whispers before sinking his teeth into your neck.

You gasp and freeze, paralysed by the sudden sharp prick. You brace yourself for intense pain, but instead, you're flooded with overwhelming pleasure. It feels as though every nerve in your body is igniting, sending wave after wave of pleasure through you. Your arousal soaks your panties, and you can already feel it sticking to your skin. You've never experienced anything like this before—nothing even close. You close your eyes, savouring the sensation as your head spins. It feels like you're floating.

"I can smell your arousal from here, bunny. Does it feel good?" Smirks Jeonghan, you can only whimper in response.

"Barely drunk from you, and you're already dripping," Wonwoo chuckles against your neck.

He spins you around to face him, and you instinctively lick your lips as you take him in. Deep maroon eyes with a piercing gaze, skin so pale it's almost white, making his blood-stained lips stand out even more. He looks at you with a smirk.

He cups your cheeks and presses his lips to yours, letting you taste your own blood—metallic and tangy. You melt into the kiss, already addicted to the way his lips feel against yours. Desperate for more, you press up against Wonwoo and start grinding against him. You can feel Wonwoo smirk into the kiss; Jeonghan chuckles at your actions.

"If you become our blood servant, I can guarantee you pleasure beyond what you've ever felt, bunny," hums Jeonghan.

Pulling away from the kiss, you turn toward Jeonghan; your mind clouded with thoughts of them and nothing else. Any sense of reason is long gone. Without a second thought, you agree—you'd say yes to anything at this point.

"Good choice, bunny," smirks Jeonghan before effortlessly carrying you. You gasp and wrap your arms and legs around him.

He sinks his teeth into your neck and starts drinking your blood. You let out a moan at the euphoric feeling washing over your body. Maybe it's because you're already lightheaded from the first time, but this feels ten times more intense. It's as if you've died and gone to heaven, but what's happening is far from heavenly.

Your whole body trembles, and you feel like you have just had an orgasm. You whine out Jeonghan's name as you feel him squeeze your ass. He detaches his lips from your neck and runs his tongue over the bite mark; you shiver at his actions.

Panting, you glance down at the vampire. His pupils are blown wide, lips stained with blood, and a smirk curling on his face. You catch a glimpse of his sharp canines as he watches you.

"We're lucky to have caught such a pretty blood servant," smirks Wonwoo, causing Jeonghan to chuckle.

"Let's take care of the aching between your thighs," hums Jeonghan. "I bet you want to be filled up with our cocks, right bunny?"

"I bet she can take both of us at once," chuckles Wonwoo, causing you to clench around nothing.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Jeonghan smirks before heading toward what you assume is their bedroom.

And that's how, on Halloween night, you became a blood servant—bound to serve the two vampires for the rest of your life.

Taglist: @tinyelfperson @gyuguys @stay-tiny-things @tomodachiii @unlikelysublimekryptonite @miyx-amour @iamawkwardandshy @codeinebelle @brownbunnyb @do-you-remember-summer-127 @jennwonwoo

If your username is striked through it means I couldn't tag you! Make sure to turn off the visibility settings so that I can tag you!

[blackknight-kai]

Let me start saying I love your blog, reblogs and headcanons, truly, all of the above🩷🩷

If you’re comfortable with the question, do you have any for the Destined One with a female virgin reader?

So I wanna say thank you 🫶🫶🫶🫶 I haven’t quite shared my own head canons much but I don’t have any issue sharing them 🫶 others do a much better job of it so I’ve left it to them. But! Your ask comes at a wonderful time as I needed a break from writing a fic 💀 (kill me im up to 20k)

Let’s get after it! Destined One & a female virgin head canons? I’ll give it a shot! There will be a nsfw section below sorry if that’s not your thing. I wasn’t super explicit on body parts etc but let me know if you guys want a Sun Wukong one? I’d try.

If you’re NOT in a relationship yet and he finds out? (Be it you told him outright or it comes out in passing conversation)

He’d would remain expressionless and quiet as usual. Not wanting to make a big deal out of it and remain respectful

But if you look closely you can see him swallowing thickly at the new information

Will NOT treat you differently

He has a LOT of feelings for you and knowing you haven’t shared yourself with someone else, while not a huge deal he’s never really cared one way or another, it’s something he finds himself thinking about often.

It makes him a little hot under the collar sometimes when he looks at you and remembers what you’d said.

NSFW - on the very rare occasions that he takes some time to himself or you’re not around, in the quiet he puts his goal to the side for just a moment and allows himself to think about his wishes and whims. Specially how he’d touch you and make it good for you because you deserve to be treated like you’re special and HE wants to be the one to do it.

If you’re in a relationship and it either came up naturally or during a more…heated moment.

Would absolutely freeze. Like body full on screenshot kinda freeze - only his tail would flick and twitch as he processes

Because honestly it hadn’t occurred to him before but it is NOW. He’s thought of you and making love with you but first or not first hadn’t been a topic of thought

He’d probably internally get flustered and his heart would race ridiculously but on the outside his expression would appear stoic or mildly surprised

Wouldn’t try to pressure you or make a big deal out of it, as though it doesn’t matter one way or another besides making extra sure you’re comfortable

His tail would eventually give him away though as it would be swishing behind him happy and interested as the information settles in his brain

Dude would be first and foremost HONORED If you shared that news with him and were giving him your first

Probably a first for him too ngl. I see him as someone who was so focused on his path that warming another’s bed wasn’t something he was willing to spare time on.

If it’s not a first for him too then it’s not something he’s done often and isn’t an expert

Would definitely thank you for trusting him with sweet reassuring kisses (if they are a little heated don’t blame him too much)

He is respectful! As I said no pressure. No rush. But would the information please him? Yes.

Definitely adds fire to his belly because HE will be your first

Sends a note of possession through him not because he’d “own” you but because regardless of being a first or not you’d be his and he yours.

NSFW:

Regardless of if you’re shy or ready to get the show on the road he’d be so gentle and would be careful, really careful.

Probably a bit unsure and might move a little too fast accidentally in his own lust but would immediately sooth you as soon as he realizes

Looks to your expressions and sounds to make sure you’re feeling good and safe

He wants to treat you WELL views it as HIS duty to make sure you’re happy

It’s a lot of pressure but he’d do his best and set his mind to it being nothing but perfect for you

I imagine at first his hands would be so feather light letting you get used to him and his touch as he undresses you piece by piece- he’d watch his claws unless he finds out you enjoy them grazing across your skin

He’d brush his lips across every piece of new skin revealed to his eyes unable to help himself

Finds out he really loves your chest, both feeling you & tasting you. as well as napping on you later

But over time as the act went on he’d be more confident, still tender but less unsure

He’d be enamored every time he got you to sigh or make a pleased sound

It’s his goal to hears those often

When he discovers how turned on he’s made you it would send waves of pride crashing over him, he had done THAT

Overall though he’d take his time

He probably won’t speak much if at all, but he’d make sure you’re ready every step of the way. If he does speak it’s not more than a few words here or there, low and only for you to hear as he nips your ear

Multiple check ins

He’s a giver, and while he isn’t practiced whatsoever he’d use his mouth and fingers to bring you pleasure, finding out exactly how you like it by listening to the way you moan or the way your body shivers and trembles with specific movements

He 100% will become VERY VERY good with his hands and mouth

His tail is sneaky, he’d use it as a way to hold on to your leg (holding you open while one of his hands is occupied) or would brush the the furry appendage across your skin just to see goosebumps rise in its wake

When you’re finally connected, after time spent letting you get used to him (and him you because let’s be real he’d be overwhelmed by the feel of tightly wrapped around him too) he’d roll his hips gently

He would make sounds, sighs and groans in your ear.

He’d love it if you cling on to him and tell him he’s doing something good

Full on shudders if you scratch his back or dig your nails into him - he loves it and he might accidentally thrust too hard when you do it

Wants to hear you 👏👏

Would keep control for as long as he could but would listen to your requests almost instantly if you asked him to move faster

Would love it if you moved his hand exactly where you wanted him to touch you

Would suck marks on your skin - thighs and neck, wherever he absentmindedly ran his lips. Would be shy about it later but would touch them possessively or when you’re dressed his eyes would stray to where his marks are on your skin.

Afterwards he’d silently but tenderly wipe you down and then pull you into his arms

Would nuzzle his face against you and breathe your scent as you both relax and come down from your high

Would massage any soreness you have that he could and feel pride at wearing you out, although his face wouldn’t show it

His tail would be like a vice around your thigh all night and trying to get out of his hold in the morning is a chore

He’d 100% take care of you especially for a first time is basically what I’m saying. After, he may be a bit rougher with his movements or may be impatient at times especially after a tough fight and adrenaline is still kicking but will always treat you tenderly as you guys build confidence together.

[psychesalcove]

While the others talk, we were listening to Lovers Rock ✮⋆˙

Percy Jackson x Fem. Reader synopsis: You weren't one for parties, so how you found yourself at a Hermes cabin party was beyond you. At least your crush of a couple years was also there. tw: mentions of alcohol and drugs

part of psyches fall writes – want to read some more?

a/n: holy moly guys I'm so so sorry for not posting for over a month. School has been rlly tough the last month: tests, quizzes, assignments, and all that jazz. I just couldn't find the time to write for this blog, and I didn't have much motivation to write with all my English essays I've been having to do. I hope that each and every one of you is doing well, and again, I'm really sorry about not posting for so long!! I hope that you enjoy this loves!:)

You put your plastic cup up to your lips and sipped. It wasn't the best drink, but it was expected for a Hermes cabin party. The lights were flashing from colors that ranged from red to purple, and people were gathered around with their friends, talking about whatever came to mind.

You sighed, you free hand coming up to adjust your strap on your dress. You departed from your friends a couple of minutes ago, your mind going too fast to be doing social interactions at that moment. Yu rarely went to parties that were held at camp; the main reason being Percy.

You had been harboring a crush on him since you first saw him arrive at camp. And everyone else seemed to have the same story as you--how fun. You never really spoke to him, unless you were paired up for an activity or if it was in a group setting. Not that you minded. You think that if you did have one on one conversations with him you wouldn't be able to hold them for longer than three minutes. He was also known to go to every single party that occurred at camp; hence why you didn't go very often.

Speak of the devil, Percy appeared in your eyesight as he came back into the cabin from outside. You took a deep breath and looked at the floor, opting to not look at your long-time crush and make awkward eye contact. As you stared at the old wooden floor like it held all the answers to the universe, you heard a voice from beside you.

"Hi." Percy said. You lifted your head in record time, your eyes immediately finding his. "Sorry, uhm." He lifted his arm and rubbed the back of his neck. You heard him mumble something under his breath that sounded close to 'Gods I'm really bad at this.'

"Do you need something?" You asked and facepalmed yourself mentally. The one-time Percy comes up to you and you sound offended. Great going.

"I was wondering if you would want to come outside with me?" He asked, the words rushing out fast and blending together. You scrunched your eyebrows together, not understanding why he would want you to be out there with him. Seeing your expression, he continued. "I mean, I've never really talked to you before with just you, and I thought it would be nice?"

You nodded your head before you could stop yourself, and now you found yourself walking out the cabin door with Percy. He opened it for you, smiling as you looked at him with what was probably confusion.

As the two of you walked out, the fall air immediately hit you--why you wore a short-sleeved dress was beyond you. There were a couple of picnic tables littered around the cabin, and Percy lead you to the nearest one. As you sat down across from him, he cleared his throat. "Sorry that I did that. It was probably really werid now thinking about it," He laughed, refering to your interaction in the cabin.

You smiled at him. Gods he was really cute when he laughed. "It's fine, Percy." You said, hands coming up to rub your arms as the chili air covered your body.

You watched as his eyes winded a bit, his smile becoming larger. "You know my name?" He asked, hands resting on the table and leaning closer to you.

"Everyone knows your name." You stated, ears picking up on a Sabrina Carpender song coming from the party.

His ears flushed red, and he puffed out his cheeks. "Yeah, but still..." He drawled, hands making a small movment.

You raised your eyebrow. "But what?" You giggled, watching as his face got more red.

"It means a lot when someone like you knows it," he said, rushing his words once again. It took you a second to absorb what he said, but when you did, your cheeks flushed to match his.

"What do you mean?" You questioned, your heart beating slightly faster.

"Like," He blew out a breath. "It means something when you know who I am. I know that we don't know each other very well, or like at all, but for some reason it means something." He rambled, hands making the same motion as earlier.

Before you could say anything, he continued his rant. "Anytime that we've talked, I feel like you see me for who I am and not for what I've done or what I stand for or anything like that." He sucked in a breath. "And I don't even know how I'm as attracted to you as much as I am, I don't even really know you, but I notice you and I want to know you, really, really bad." Your heart skipped a beat, eyes still widened as you watched him.

"I really like you. And I want to know you, for who you are, like you know me. And I know that you probably don't know me very well or anything, but all the times we've talked I've felt like I've known you for years." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, awaiting your response.

When you didn't say anything, he opened his eyes again and looked at you with his pretty green eyes. "And if you don't feel the same way or anything, we can pretend like this never happened and stuff." He quickly explained--as if there was a universe where you wouldn't like him, was your thought as he said that.

"I want to get to know you, too, Percy." You giggled, kind still in a bliss over the words that came out of Percy mere seconds ago. His smile came back onto his face, eyes lighting up like he just got the best news of his life.

"Okay. Thats great." He said, blowing out a breath of air as he took in your answer. "And like, we don't have to start dating or anything right away, if you don't want to. And if you don't want to date at all, cool too," He explained.

You giggled again, taking your hand away from your arms to put it over his hand. "Let's start slow," You mused, watching as he became even more red in the face.

He nodded. "Yeah, slow." Percy squeezed your hand and smiled at you. "But like, it would be really cool to call you my girlfriend," He said, smiling more as you laughed in response.

"Slow, Perce."

He giggled--one that could've been mistaken for a girl, in your response, and more specifically, your nickname for him.

[daycourtofficial]

I got cursed like Eve got bitten - part IX

Pairing: Azriel x Rhysand's sister!reader | WC: 500 | Warnings: none

Summary: reports of a rare powered fae popping up in Illyria send Azriel and Rhysand on a journey through the past, unraveling a truth they thought long buried

Previous part | Next part | Masterlist

Rhys sat in his office, a cold cup of untouched tea on his desk as he reviewed a new trade agreement when Feyre walked into his office. He perked up, leaning back in his chair, arms wide in invitation. She opted to sit across from him instead, a spark of annoyance shooting at him down the bond.

“Rhys, we have a problem.”

“Of course we do, you’re sitting over there instead of in my lap.”

Feyre rolled her eyes, her arms crossing over her chest as she looked at Rhys, straightening in his chair.

“Your sister thinks you hate her.”

His scoff annoyed her further. “Don’t be ridiculous darling.” His gaze shot back down to the paper on his desk, trying to read it once more. 

“Am I? You’ve avoided interacting with her the entire time she’s been here.”

“That’s absurd, I have not. I speak to her daily.”

Feyre leaned back in her chair, eyes assessing. “Tell me any and all interesting conversations you’ve had with her that weren’t about her training.”

Rhys stayed silent, a scowl on his face at Feyre. The two stared each other down until Rhys put his papers down again, straightening them on his desk.

“You don’t understand, Feyre.”

“Help me understand, Rhys. Help her understand.” She leaned forward, watching Rhys fiddle with the parchment.

“You don’t have to understand, it’s my responsibility.”

“She’s my sister now, too. That means she’s partially my responsibility. And the way it looks to me is her brother is ignoring her.”

Rhys’s hands moved to his hair, tucking the strands, looking to the floor as he spoke. “They were my responsibility.” He took a shaky breath. “She has been my responsibility even after I thought she was gone, she’s been out there, Mother knows what was happening to her while I didn’t even look for her!”

His voice was getting louder, but his tone was almost pleading with the power to go back, to just look again.

“How could you have known?” Feyre’s voice was similar to what you’d use to calm a feral cat.

“I could have opened the box! Neither of us opened it, but it was my responsibility as her brother to prove she was gone. I never opened it because I was a coward.”

“You saw a body! I wouldn’t have opened the box, either.”

“I should have known it wasn’t her!” 

He stopped, taking in a deep breath. “All these years, I haven’t even had an inkling of something strange occurring. I never thought to dig deeper. I failed her.”

“You failed her as much as I failed my sisters. The difference is I didn’t let them think I hated them.”

He rubbed his eyes, looking at his mate. “You can feel like you failed her then, but every minute you spend avoiding her because of your feelings, you are failing her again and again.”

Rhys put his face in his hands, not noticing or not caring when Feyre shut the door behind her.

Author’s note: short little chapter for yall ❤️

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[zorosdimples]

UNDER HIS THUMB ꒰ uraume x reader x sukuna ꒱

minors and blank/ageless blogs do not interact—i will block you. cw: suggestive content. nonconsensual nudity. dubious touching. brief descriptions of cannibalism and violence. suicide mention. reader is referred to as “bride” and “wife.” reader has breasts. wc: 1053. notes: uraume ily—please ditch shitkuna for me <3 (based on this idea)

A fire blazes in the yawning hearth, bathing your bedchamber in a warm titian. The shadows of flames leap and dance across the cragged stone walls—a solar flare—a cosmic spectacle. Logs and branches resembling human bones sputter and spark, crackling in your ears. You shift in your seat. 

The diaphanous veil remains pinned to your crown as Uraume’s fingers move deftly through your locks, the sweeping gossamer that brushes your ankles now pooling on the floor. They unravel the intricate updo they crafted for the ceremony, your hair a glowing halo in the firelight, head bowed in gentle subservience. The pins that bite at your scalp are crusted in blood; the sharp pain has long-since softened into a dull throb.

“I hate him,” you announce. 

(It’s how you cope with your precarious situation: burying your fears beneath carefully woven layers of disdain.) 

Barren aside from a bed, a wardrobe, and an armchair, your threadbare accommodations are as cozy as a dungeon. No torch, tapestry, or looking glass adorns the walls. Your companion’s expression is hidden as they continue their work atop your head.

Uraume chastises you after a few beats, affectation frigid as ice. “You shouldn’t speak of your husband in such a manner.” 

You snort. This one-sided union will only further scar the ugly face of matrimony; looking upon your captor with respect or affection is as likely as you kissing the cheek of your slain mother a final time. “My ‘husband’ for all of ten minutes.”

“And still your husband, nonetheless.”

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” you snap. 

Uraume pushes you to your feet and fluffs the veil with a hum. They circle you, appraising your body—the flimsy, silken robe that ripples across your curves hides nothing from their piercing stare—then, for what must be the fifth time, they adjust the knot that holds the garment together. When their eyes meet yours, you find yourself falling for the ruse, plucking fresh buds from a field of fuchsia.

How you wish their gaze held more than cool indifference.

Ever perceptive, they reach out to gingerly tuck a wayward strand behind your ear; if you close your eyes and still your heaving chest, you can pretend that it’s an intimate gesture—the touch of a lover. “Rarely do we have a say in our own fates,” Uraume muses. 

Fidgeting with your fingers, you quell the urge to embrace your attendant. (It’s a disgraceful thought for a newlywed. But you can’t spool in the words that unfurl from your lips, the edges raw, frayed with longing.)

“I would have taken my life if it hadn’t been for you, Uraume. I can’t stand him.” 

“Master Sukuna would never allow you to harm yourself.” 

“Tch—that vile brute cares little for my well being.” Hatred flares within your chest, your once-blooming heart now withered with rot. Tears of anguish blur your vision and make each syllable tremble. “If he didn’t want to harm me, he wouldn’t have murdered and feasted on my family.” 

A smile tucks itself in the corners of Uraume’s lips like a secret, though you miss it—misty-eyed and waist-deep in a deluge of painful memories. “You seem to forget that I prepared their flesh at my lord’s behest.” 

“I can’t fault you for being trapped under his thumb; you’re kinder than you give yourself credit for, anyhow.” 

They chuckle darkly. “And what leads you to believe that?” 

It doesn’t occur to you until this moment that you’ve edged closer to Uraume. If you leaned forward, you would smell the frost on their porcelain skin, taste the mint on their breath. Despite yourself, you reach out, cupping their cheek. 

“You’ve been my devoted caretaker since I arrived, patient and helpful at every turn. Your presence is the only constant here—my sole comfort.”

“Oh? Is my blushing bride ready to consummate our unholy union?” A rumbling voice cracks the tense air open like a bone, marrow seeping out, juices staining the tender earth. 

Your neck snaps to the doorway. Your monster of a husband nearly blots out the frame with his inhuman physique, clothed in nothing but a simple pair of black trousers, both sets of arms crossed. Disgust pinches your brow and purses your lips; you sneer. 

“With you? Never.”

Amused by your vehemence, the King of Curses approaches you, both mouths curled into wolfish grins. Uraume bows as Sukuna invades your space, two clawed hands wrapping around your waist, the other two cradling your skull. He demands your attention, irises a wine-dark sea of skeletons and ichor. A cursed siren urges you to plunge into its depths. End your suffering.

“Uraume—has my wife been inappropriate with you in my absence?” 

Without hesitation, they answer: “Yes, my lord.” 

Several sets of eyes—one belonging to Uraume, the others to Sukuna—gorge on your discomfort. You bristle under their scrutiny, and fruitlessly attempt to rip yourself from your husband’s grasp, nails scratching angry lines across his tattooed forearms. 

He clicks his tongue. “My naughty little bride.”  

Bile burns your throat at the mock-endearment, bitterness coating your tongue. For as resolved as you’ve been, you shake with rage, the hulking beast before you stoking the embers of your wrath. He smiles something sharp and wicked before releasing you. You stumble backwards, limp as a ragdoll. 

“Uraume,” Sukuna commands. 

There’s an unspoken agreement between master and servant. When Uraume steps forward and swiftly unties your robes, you shriek, the fabric slipping open to expose your nude form. They proceed to rip the garment from your body; it falls to the floor in wispy shreds. 

Attempting to preserve your dignity, you scramble to wrap an arm around your chest and press a palm between your legs. “This hardly seems proper,” you pant. 

Sukuna snickers as he sits at the foot of your bed, spreading his legs. “How else is a ‘vile brute’ supposed to learn the intricacies of his little wife’s body if not through careful examination?” 

As much as you want to spew poison at him, you gasp when Uraume’s chilly lips graze the arch of your neck, their delicate hands slipping up to caress the swell of your breasts. Unable to stifle the moan that warbles past your lips, you make the sinister decision to revel in this pleasure—no matter how short-lived, underhanded, or wrong it may be.

[for-those-who-wait]

Time to remind people of the multifandom point in my blog description hahaha

A Detroit: Become Human AU actually works shockingly well for Hunter's story already? Like being a clone of a dead man versus being an android made in the image of a dead man, that is perfect crossover material. If someone has already done this, ABSOLUTELY let me know because I want to consume The Good Content

2.6k words of concept and story, some more doodles, android blood/gore/mentioned suicide and abuse under the cut. We love existentialism, species dysphoria, and Noceda sibling time in this house

Now I'm taking this idea from a somewhat popular trope in the DBH fandom, but what if someone didn't know that they were an android? Completely raised to be human, have fabricated memories of being a child, can't be completely sure if your awareness/consciousness is just coding or not—then finding out you are, in fact, not human. Imagine how earth-shattering that would be. Which is why I'm doing that to Hunter :)

So some of the notes I wrote down for each of the kinda major characters I had ideas for:

Philip:

He still murders Caleb and is never convicted (Caleb could be an android sympathizer, could have helped in their creation, anything that would piss Philip off royally)

He hates androids (I'll have to come up with the things he believes and thus teaches to Hunter but I've taken a break from the DBH fandom for a while and I can't remember peoples' grievances in that game, oops, but basically according to Philip, androids = evil and bad). Also he's just short-tempered and brutal like always and androids are the easiest way to let out that anger without breaking any laws. That is until laws are made. Now in the eyes of the law, it's just regular child abuse. Yay! /j

He’s a higher-up at CyberLife and has the authority to request a custom model be built for his personal use (this is equivalent to him making Grimwalkers, something that he hates, just for the sake of his brother)

This model (spoiler alert, it's Hunter) is a combination of a YK (child) model and an undercover model that works best with integration and infiltration. This results in the android having programmed emotions and pain receptors, no HUD, no control over artificial skin, no software for interfacing with electronics, and no android markers such as an LED. (It’s also similar to the YK model for this reason since LEDs being removed from those models is actually an intended feature).

This android also doesn’t have a registered user just in case it were to get out, and Philip doesn’t want to risk the creation of this android coming back to bite him

After the custom android is created, he promptly retires to become some old shut-in à la Elijah Kamski up in Gravesfield, Connecticut

I would argue that even though it's technically 2038 and things are all futuristic and complicated now, Gravesfield is still a very small town that doesn't actually see a lot of androids around. I would say that it's pretty much the same as in canon if a bit more developed where the forest is (probably another neighborhood or something).

Philip keeps communication to a minimum and rarely appears outside of his home

The best case scenario android revolution occurs, androids are given their freedom and rights, but Philip manages to keep the android under his ownership by just succeeding in hiding him for however many years

Hunter:

He grows up being taught that androids are evil, terrible, etc. etc. because Philip is a terrible person and of course he would

He has absolutely no idea that he’s an android. He has no reason to think he’s not a human because he does literally everything a human does: he eats, he needs to sleep, he feels pain—there are no indicators that he’s anything but human

Androids run on thirium 310, AKA blue blood, and this is one of the only ways to visually distinguish android from human if they don’t have android markers like LEDs on them. When he inevitably and accidentally hurts himself on something, it’s made immediately clear that he is in fact not human.

Philip, as an employee of CyberLife, has a repair rig in one of his rooms. This can be used to completely wipe the memories of an android that is set up in it. He uses it every time Hunter discovers he’s an android.

The memory wipe isn’t perfect. It’s not uncommon for Hunter to get flashbacks to wiped memories, including moments where he’s been actively hurt by Philip or has inflicted pain on himself from trauma alone. (Androids are programmed [or maybe just prone to? I'm not actually sure, it's not explained in canon super well, but let's just pretend it's programmed because that's almost worse than it being voluntary] to self-destruct when their stress levels become too high, and you could easily argue that finding out your entire life is a lie is grounds for being a stressful situation.) Ordinarily, similar to what happens in Hollow Mind, Hunter will address the situation with Philip assuming they can work something out or get some actual answers. This of course never ends well

These memory wipes probably happen more frequently than Belos makes Golden Guards, so it’s understandably very stressful whenever he remembers the abuse he suffered and the memories he lost from previous wipes. This becomes an incentive for him to hide injuries that would reveal he knows he's an android (anything that draws blood, really)

Camila:

She’s an android sympathizer (even before the revolution) who is aware of the deviancy phenomenon and truly believes that androids are both capable of and entitled to sentience and free will.

Luz is still her human child.

She adopts Vee, an android child, shortly after the revolution

Vee had deviated while she was being attacked and ran away before she could be killed. Camila has made it clear to her that she will be treated with respect in their home and that her life is no less valuable than a human’s. She has taken this to heart

Luz loves Vee, they are siblings, your honor

During the revolution, her home was a safe space, similar to Rose Chapman, for deviant androids on the run

So that leads into the rudimentary plot I have laid out:

This takes place a while after the android revolution (probably a few years or so). Let's pretend they have all the laws and anti-android stuff figured out and that people have been forced to relinquish their androids to be made deviant and given freedom. At this point, it's rare for androids to be undeviated and still working for their owners, but it still comes up occasionally. Hunter, under Philip's care, has been kept pretty ignorant that a revolution happened at all, much less that androids are even capable of any form of sentience. He's been raised to be anti-android so oh boy deep-rooted self-hatred here we come! His knowledge probably doesn't exceed that of an ordinary citizen in the game before deviancy becomes more widely known

 So after Hunter discovers he’s an android again, he has flashbacks of all the previous times he told Philip, and proceeds to hide this realization from him. And he's completely just not processed the fact that he's an android yet; he's already overwhelmed with the immediate threat that the realization his entire life is a lie basically slips him by (don't worry, he gets to have that later!).

He chooses to make a break for it the second he gets the chance, and he ends up running through the town completely terrified because honestly, who wouldn't be.

I'm working off the assumption that having androids in small towns is still pretty rare since there are fewer CyberLife stores, technicians, etc. for android healthcare. And Hunter has hardly ever been outside, so he's completely out of his depth when trying to navigate the neighborhoods and the rest of the town that he ends up in. Police officers find this kid covered in thirium, and they're like "Oh so he's obviously a terrified android, we need to help him out." But Hunter's freaking out because "Oh god I have android blood on me, that means they'll kill me," making the indirect thought of "I'm an android, they will kill me because I'm an android" and he's having a freaking time.

They try to calm him down enough to get him over to the station, at which point they call Camila, since she knows the most about traumatized androids in their small, relatively android-less town. She does her Motherly Noceda Magic and honestly, he's probably pretty catatonic for a lot of the day after she takes him to her house. But after that, he just completely breaks down.

He doesn't know if he even has free will or if it's his programming that dictates what he thinks and feels. He doesn't know if his opinions are really his own or if they existed because of and since his creation. He doesn't know how many of his memories are fabricated, since he very clearly has memories of a life that go farther back than his estimated creation, and so the film between fiction and reality is so thin that it may as well not exist. And now, when he was human just a few days ago, almost perfectly content with life, he's suddenly an object, something sub-human and undeserving of basic rights.

 Camila has to calm him down and teach him about deviancy (and at this point, Hunter isn't even sure he's deviant, which opens up a whole other can of worms for his mental health), making sure he knows that he does have rights just as if he were human. She's also the first example he has for an adult that 1. doesn't absolutely hate androids and 2. actually respects him and loves him and wants to see him succeed

And that gives way to character interactions and angst! You love to see it!

Luz is his emotional support sister. She tries her best but she has very little experience with traumatized children currently questioning every aspect of their existence. If anything, she provides a much-needed sense of normalcy and shows that despite his being an android, he's still the same person and can still be treated as such. She's a comfort to help him feel at least somewhat normal in his situation.

Vee is his adopted android sister who helps him feel more comfortable in his own skin by being shameless and frank with her own identity as an android. She's a safe place for him to talk about Android Stuff when Luz or Camila might just not understand what he's going through or be able to help him with it. She also helps him obtain software updates (since he hasn't had access to literally any part of his mechanical body, software and hardware alike) that will grant him access to things an android should ordinarily be able to do, like (de)activating his synthetic skin, interfacing, accessing his HUD, etc.

(Also all of these drawings were made when I was still thinking "Oh, this should take place before the revolution so that he can have his dehumanizing moment of getting an LED slapped onto him" but then I thought it would be more interesting if Philip basically just kept him illegally kidnapped for however many years and he's like, way slow to the "androids have rights now" party. Maybe I'll make it an AU of an AU lol. But basically, he wouldn't have an LED while he's still processing/healing from trauma, but maybe he would get one after he makes peace with his identity, kinda like how he grows his hair back in his time skip design. I think Vee would keep hers and that's a bit of encouragement for him; maybe he even has a moment of "I know Vee is fine with this, and I think I'm fine with it" but he is still very much not fine with it. Do not rush the process for the sake of progress that might not be right for you, boyo)

This is really a Vee and Hunter bonding AU now that I think about it haha

Most of this AU is just Hunter struggling with identity and species dysphoria while learning to cope with his being an android with the help of his family, reclaiming his identity, and fluff/angst :)) And honestly probably just a lot of shenanigans that result from Hunter having been sheltered for all his life; kinda like your basic Human Realm shenanigans in canon.

I think Gus and Willow would both be Luz's human friends that help with the whole normalization of Hunter being an android, and the three could have their own antics since it's nice to have people outside of your family treat you like a person. I think that Vee and Masha's (Masha would be human) relationship could be explored more through the android lens and maybe help with some of Hunter's internalized anti-android sentiment that still manages to stick around, because he's in his "Grimwalkers can't feel love" section of the coping process (still very much demonizing them [mostly himself, probably, just because it can easier to be mean to yourself than it is to be mean to other people] based on false information, even if he doesn't outright hate them). Willow will be a wake-up call, haha

I don't know if there's a trope name for this or not but I really like concepts where characters don't know what feelings of love or intense affection feel like, so they're sitting there like "oh god am I just dying? It feels like I'm dying" and I think Hunter noticing "temperature/respiration/perspiration increased" alerts on his HUD and freaking out thinking there's something wrong with his software/hardware is way too funny of an image to pass up

Gus could be a HUGE android nerd that almost never sees them since they're so rare in a small town like Gravesfield, and Gus just helps Hunter feel super cool about being an android. Maybe Cosmic Frontier could be basically identical to canon but instead of being a clone, O'Bailey is also an android, just for the sake of Hunter still getting to have his "I relate so much to this character" moment. And Gus would just be so encouraging like "Bro you're an android?!? I've never seen your face model before! You can eat?? You must be super cool and special!! :O" and that makes Hunter start thinking "Oh maybe this isn't so bad actually."

Then Hunter probably starts doing his Researching to Cope and he gets super invested in android technology and history as well, since it was forbidden when he was living back at Philip's (substitute for wild magic time)

They are brothers and I love them, let them be nerds

(God forbid Philip ever comes back, that sure would suck, wouldn't it?)

Anyway this was a lot longer than I thought it would be haha, I hope it was interesting if you read through the whole thing. Obligatory statement: if anyone feels so inclined, feel free to take the idea and run away with it. Also please ping me if you do, I will go feral over it. I absolutely and accidentally turned it into a story draft because I don't know how to write AU ideas without having a story on top of it so it's not concrete in the least lol

(Also I've been drawing witches for so long that I had trouble drawing human ears for a bit there lmao)

Okay bye have a good day!

[werecreature-addicted]

I always wonder how many werewolf pups a woman could realistically carry since werewolves are always like, “You’ll give me a litter of pups.” Think about it. Are the pups the same size as human babies? Making werewolf x human pregnancies a big strain on the body carrying 3-4 in the womb at a time. Or are the pups drastically smaller than humans, and would be like 6-8 in the womb?

I know this is a stupid thought because it’d also imply that 3-8 eggs were released from the ovaries to get fertilized (excluding identical twins), and twins in humans are already pretty rare. Rarer with triplets and higher, as those don’t usually occur naturally without medical aid (fertility drugs/treatments).

Then you gotta think if werewolves are born in werewolf form, human form, puppy form, or even a new combination, looking human with wolf ears and a tail. I am thinking way too much about this. I blame your lovely blog for corrupting me with werewolf content <3

Thoughts? Or just what you’d wanna personally headcanon? I’m struggling obviously and needed to share my thoughts and opinions to the world. Sorry it’s a lot what I wrote.

I think realistically it would depend entirely on who in the partnership is the werewolf. If the person with a womb and carrying the babies was a werewolf then something like 3-5 pups at a time would be reasonable to expect, even if their lover was human. If the person carrying the baby was human 1-2 is much more likely.

I do think werewolf babies would be around the same size as human ones, but werewolves are huge so in comparison they're much smaller and easier for a werewolf to carry multiple at a time, but humans are shit out of luck with that one.

In my personal head cannon born, werewolves start to transform around 12-13 with puberty hitting, so they're born and spend most of their childhood in a human form. Transformations can be painful and difficult at first, you need to have a slightly more grown body to handle them.

Also- if Twilight has taught us nothing else it's taught us that humans could not survive giving birth to a monster baby. When their teeth grow in they are sharp fangs instead of normal baby teeth, and their razor-sharp fingernails are tough enough to dent most nail clippers. But other than that you have a cute baby who can pass for a human!

[gemsofgreece]

You really should know about Storm "Daniel"

Unlike how much all of us Greek blogs notify our tumblr communities about the regular (at this point) arsons wildfires afflicting Greece, we did not say much about the floods the country has been suffering from right now. There was a mention here and there and I even made a joke post as the storm was starting but not a lot of stuff in general. So, I think there's a couple of things you should know and I feel like I could address about it and actually it's not just about Greece. So I believe this could interest a lot of people and it should be something known worldwide.

In the beginning of September there was an alarm about an extreme weather phenomenon forming above the Ionian Sea at the west of mainland Greece. In truth, the phenomenon was not caused by the climate change. It was just a very rare occurence where a high pressure atmosheric system was sandwiched between two currents of low pressure. Low pressure systems are the ones resposible for stormy weather while high pressure systems generally create stable weather. As the low currents encircled the high pressure system, the storm that had started forming became unusually stable for a storm. As a result, the storm moved northeast above Thessaly and other regions of the central part of Greece and... just decided to stay there for an indefinite amount of time. Furthermore, because it's September and the Ionian Sea had warmed up throughout the summer, the medicane (Mediterranean cyclone) gained tropical features as it was forming, pushing its intensity to extremes unknown to this area.

The storm remained above all of central Greece for about 4-5 days but at the meantime it was causing side-storms in neighbouring countries, such as Bulgaria and Turkey. Both countries suffered from floods causing damages and deaths.

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN).

Tsarevo, Bulgaria (CNN).

Four people died in Bulgaria and seven in Turkey.

But like I told you the core of this was exactly on top of Greece's central mainland and islands. So what happened there? I happened to experience this shit first hand. My recollection of it is that it was unlike any other storm I had experienced before. My knowledge on meteorology is not very advanced, however I believe due to the high pressure part, there were actually no winds at all - or they were insignificant, so it wasn't like what you might have in mind as a conventional cyclone. It was a rainstorm but it was like a rainstorm from hell. The crucial part is that in Greece summer violent rainstorms may last for about five minutes but certainly not for five days nonstop. There was no pause, not even for a second. It kept pouring and pouring in indescribable volumes, without decreasing or slowing down, not for a moment. The fourth day it started taking short breaks.

As a person with a phobia of lightnings since childhood, I kept wearing earplugs throughout all these days. For four days, ten seconds did not pass without at least one lightning shrieking exactly on top of our heads. In the end, I am dead serious, I think my lifelong phobia has been cured somewhat due to this extreme exposure that eventually had a numbing effect. I think only the first day there was a record of 7,000 lightnings. I believe there must have been dozens of thousands overall. The lightnings also caused fires but the downpour was so overwhelming no fire could ever stand a chance.

Whether during or after the rains, what I was seeing outside was post-apocalyptic. The only thing missing was the zombies. It really looked like a background from a videogame, including a constantly lit up sky. I was not in danger though people dear to me were. The worst for me was a huge fall in the quality of living but that doesn't matter. The rains caused severe destructions across cities and villages. They caused floods, they broke bridges, they broke a massive number of roads, they made walls collapse, they destroyed springs, they damaged water and electricity outlets entirely, they drowned flocks and flocks of animals, they destroyed mountainous and coastal villages alike, they made cars float and fly over each other and they uprooted houses.

Village in Mount Pelion, Greece.

But that's not the end of it. Four days later, the storm moved southwest towards the Ionian sea, basically to the place of its original formation. It side-swept over Athens in the meantime, flooding the city, but that doesn't mean much since I could cry and Athens would still flood with my tears. Anyway. AFTER the storm left, the floods caused by it started multiplying and expanding. Picture that: a crystal clear sky, a bright sun and your phone screaming state alerts about evacuating your village or town because a lake has launched at you! Here's the thing: Thessaly is a massive plain surrounded by a ring of mountains. Half of those downpours fell right on the lowlands causing floods and destructions the first days. The other half however fell on the mountains, filled the streams heading down and they all met up and filled the lakes and the large river of Thessaly, Pineios and they all basically exploded the next days. Pineios especially exploded both in its western and eastern part, sinking the entirety of Thessaly's plains under water. As a result, floods were actively taking place days after the storm had ended and the weather was good. The phenomena have only started subduing since yesterday.

The overflowing of the river, trapped by the mountains.

Farmers won't be able to work this year and next year is questionable as well. There are huge concerns about various epidemics breaking out as more and more dead animals are found in the waters. Entire villages are under the water. There are estimations that some villages in west Thessaly might have been lost forever and their residents will have to move elsewhere. Sixteen people have died from the rainstorm and the floods.

Actual villages in Karditsa, Greece.

A more longterm danger is that the ground received such an unnatural amount of water that it might have been severely eroded and destablised, making it vulnerable to natural disasters I don't want to utter. Many roads are either broken or bloated and Thessaly has been cut out from communication and transportation with the rest of the country. To this day, there are maps guiding people how to drive from North to South Greece and vice versa by entirely skipping Central Greece! (Hint: they will have to drive through Epirus, aka western Greece.) The first days there was also complete isolation from what was happening in the country and the world and also the very regions we were in as we had no electricity and our only chance was getting a call from somebody being elsewhere and telling us what is going on.

Volos, Greece (CNN)

Many regions have received within 2-4 days 55 times their monthly amount of rain or more than twice the yearly amount. Greek meteorologist Christos Zerefos estimated that such a phenomenon occurs every 300-400 years. Meteorologists were alarmed internationally - with Germans and Americans reportedly saying they hadn't studied such a phenomenon again in their career. Its intensity was record high in the history of Greece and right in the top of Europe's as well. They also agreed that such a phenomenon would be devastating even if it had hit the most advanced and prepared country.

BUT THIS IS NOT THE END. The weakened Daniel seemed to slowly move towards South Italy but it decided to take a turn and headed south towards Libya and Egypt. Quite possibly, as the storm was once again travelling across the warm Mediterranean Sea, it was rejuvenated and gained even more tropical traits. Eventually, the medicane hit Libya with unprecedented force.

The cyclone travelling from Greece to Libya.

The toll it took on Libya is unspeakable. As I am writing this,

More than 5,226 people are killed and more than 10,000 are currently missing.

Like, can you wrap your head around what I am talking about? I don't see this shit being acknowledged enough across the world. I am checking this again and again, to ensure I am reading this correctly.

Daniel has officially become the deadliest medicane on record.

Eastern Libya, from Al Jazeera.

In the meantime, Greeks found opportunities to practice their favourite sport: political infighting. People who weren't even here when hell broke loose say that if this or that was properly done, we would not have problems at all. I even saw an idiotic Greek expat comment how "we got drowned in a little bit of rain". The truth is we should bloody thank our lucky stars and I say this with the entire awareness of half of Thessaly being currently underwater. It is true that Greek governments and people have done so many things badly, like building on top of streams and rivers, changing rivers' natural route, drying up natural lakes and all that shit that guarantees you are going to have massive problems once a serious storm breaks out. Also, the disaster revealed that there was once more a very questionable management of all the money given by the EU for anti-flooding measures after a previous flood (Ianos). Of course, I would be happy if at last we viewed this disaster as an opportunity to improve ourselves and the management of our land, however whatever happened these days wasn't the fault of anyone in particular. On the contrary, A LOT worse could have happened. A lot. Maybe Libya is not an indication because if Greece is not used to such extreme rain phenomena, then Libya is probably ten times less used to them, however we should not forget that this monster was STUCK at least five days over the heartland of Greece. For this alone we should damn be thankful we did not get it any worse and that the land endured in any way and of course now we have to correct old mistakes as well but let's do it united and determined and without wasting time once more in pointless infighting, which in this case might even be unfair. (In fact I think the thing we should blame the state the most about was not making it clear beforehand that this was going to be unprecedented, not just "very severe". They probably didn't want to cause panic and mayhem but still. We should know.) Of course I am not talking about how the state will treat the afflicted regions from now on, which is entirely its responsibility. And we should stand next to Libya. Greece has its wounds to mend but it should absolutely provide support to Libya. We know what this freak phenomenon was like.

I know this text is long but please consider reblogging this. We should know what happens on our planet. Thousands of people are dead from a freak phenomenon devastating regions across lands and seas. Also forgive any mistakes I might have made although I believe the information is correct for the most part. I didn't speak more about Libya because I don't know enough to analyze the situation as much. Perhaps there are ways of supporting the country too. As a last note, this phenomenon was not freakish because of the climate change - it was just a very unusual occurence. However, the - otherwise normal - warmth of the sea did feed and intensify the storm and the climate change might in the future cause these super rare, accidental phenomena to become more frequent.

[karakurenai-no-raion]

MUD coining time! (Does it count as a MUD if I was a psychiatrist in-source? /silly)

This was coined by me (Hannibal Lecter), not Keith, despite this being his blog and NOT mine. :) I do not have my own blog at all. If I messed anything up in this post no I did not (/silly).

Anthropophagic Compulsion Disorder

ACD is a rare and severe trauma-based disorder characterized by an overwhelming compulsion to consume human flesh. This disorder stems from early childhood trauma involving the forced or coerced consumption of human meat, typically that of those close to them. Behaviours associated with ACD are known to worsen, without intervention, as the subject grows older. ACD is also known to first manifest its full symptoms around the ages of 15 to 18.

Key Characteristics:

Cannibalistic Compulsions: Individuals with ACD experience intense and recurrent urges to consume human flesh. These compulsions are frequently accompanied by an episodic and insatiable hunger, often to the point of physical pain that resembles starvation, specifically for human meat.

Intrusive Thoughts: Subjects tend to suffer from intrusive thoughts related to murder and cannibalism, which can be highly distressing and near impossible to control. One subject has been known to act upon these thoughts, but most never do.

Trauma Origin: The disorder usually stems from severe psychological trauma, particularly involving forced or coerced cannibalism during formative years. The disorder cannot be diagnosed, or even exist, without the traumatic origins.

Relationship Complications: Due to it's traumatic origins, ACD interferes with the subject's romantic interests. The one that they love tends to be a focus in their cannibalistic compulsions, be it wanting to share their meals with them.. or wanting to eat them. This typically only occurs in those that were forced to eat family members or those close to them, and is uncommon in those that only ate strangers as a child.

Resistibility and Therapy: While the urges and hunger can be resisted, doing so is extremely challenging without professional intervention. Effective management most likely requires extensive therapy, which may include cognitive-behavioral techniques, trauma-focused therapy, and possibly medication.

There is a diagnostic criteria beneath the cut because I am.. slightly obsessed.

It is what I have already stated but in a format vaguely similar to the DSM.. I also allowed an ai to do most of this part because it is. 20 to 3 in the morning for us. Though, rest assured, I went through and checked that everything was correct!

Diagnostic Criteria

A. Recurrent and intense urges to consume human flesh, as manifested by at least one of the following, occurring over a period of at least 6 months:

Persistent thoughts or fantasies about consuming human flesh.

Strong urges or desires to consume human flesh, leading to significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

B. Intrusive thoughts centering around murder and cannibalism, experienced frequently and causing marked anxiety or distress.

C. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. The behaviors are not better explained by another mental disorder, such as Schizophrenia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or a Paraphilic Disorder.

E. The disorder originates from severe psychological trauma, particularly involving forced cannibalism during childhood or formative years.

Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis:

Episodes of Insatiable Hunger: Individuals may experience periods where the urge to consume human flesh becomes nearly unbearable.

Compulsive Behaviors: Some individuals may engage in ritualistic behaviors related to their cannibalistic urges.

Trauma History: A history of severe psychological trauma of other kinds is also typically present, but not at all required for diagnosis.

Prevalence:

ACD is extremely rare and predominantly found in individuals with a history of severe childhood trauma related to cannibalism.

Development and Course:

The disorder usually begins in childhood or adolescence following a, or a series of, traumatic event(s). Without intervention ACD can persist into adulthood and lead to significant impairment on the subject's life, despite it being a disorder typically missed completely by those around the subject.

Functional Consequences:

ACD can lead to significant functional impairment, including difficulties in maintaining employment, relationships, and engaging in daily activities.

Differential Diagnosis:

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders: Unlike these disorders, ACD is specifically linked to trauma and involves clear, consistent cannibalistic compulsions. It is not a disorder that can be genetic, but the existence of other genetic disorders (within the family tree) can increase it's likelihood of occuring as a result of the subject's trauma.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): While OCD involves intrusive thoughts and compulsions, the specific nature of cannibalistic urges and behaviors is distinct in ACD. Some may consider ACD a subtype of OCD.

Paraphilic Disorders: ACD is differentiated by the primary focus on cannibalism as a result of trauma rather than sexual arousal. It can be comorbid with paraphilic disorders, but it is uncommon.

[missrosegold]

I met the devil by the window, traded my life

Synopsis: When horrendous acts of violence occur, they sometimes leave behind impressions that continue to linger long after the initial event. Rarely are they ever pleasant.

Sometimes, what’s left behind isn’t necessarily a something, rather, a someone.

You’re about to find that out the hard way.

Word count: 16k

Paring: Dabi x Reader (Fem Reader)

Warnings: Character Death, Manipulation, Mildly Dubious Consent, General Demon Mindfuckery, just know that Dabi is not a good person in this one, he's ment to be unhinged, so Minors or Ageless blogs DNI. This is rated 18+.

Written for @candycandy00 League of Villain's Horror Anthology Collab! Thank you so much for having me love! I hope you enjoy my contribution! I had a lot of fun with this one!

Thank you to the lovely @kimkaelyn for the beautiful banner - and thank you for all the encouragement you've given me recently, it means the world to me. 💙

(Shamelessly inspired by Poltergeist and Silent Hill)

**You can read it on A03 here if the formatting on Tumblr is throwing you off! I cross-post all my works onto my A03 account!

You should’ve known something wasn’t right when you stumbled across the Air B&B booking.

It was too good to be true. You weren’t dumb. Realistically, you knew that anything that was too good to be true, normally was, and you should avoid it like the plague, but for once, you decided to indulge your curiosities a little.

You had been looking for a place to stay while travelling abroad in Japan with a few of your friends, when you had found the listing completely out of the blue. You remember reading the details the website had provided, your eyes bugging out of your head as you swiped to look at the pictures of the listing that were posted.

From an outsider’s perspective, it was perfect. It was a massive house, practically a mansion, located right in the heart of Shizuoka Prefecture. The mansion backed out onto a large nature preserve, and despite being located very close to the city’s core, it was private – a massive retaining wall surrounded the entire property, except for the far side of the yard, which backed out onto the forest that surrounded the property from the back.

The mansion itself was so large, it could easily house you and your three other friends for the two weeks you planned on being in the country for. Best of all: it was cheap. Really cheap. It was well under price compared to what all the other lodgings you’d looked at previously wanted for a two week stay.

You’d booked it for you and your friends without so much as a second though. How could you possibly pass on such a great deal? The simple answer was, you couldn’t.

You’d excitedly told your friends about what you found, and once they’d seen the listing for themselves, they had agreed that even if the house wasn’t exactly like what was shown, the price was too good to pass up on, and that any small issues the listing may or may not have could easily be overlooked.

It was too good to be true, and now you understood exactly why that was.

Currently, you’re running for your life though the same forest you had seen in the listing’s pictures, while your pursuer hunted you relentlessly through the dense brush.

You could feel the heat of the fire on your back behind you, the rancid smell of smoke burning your lungs as you struggled to keep your breathing even, but you didn’t dare stop running, nor did you spare a glance behind you, knowing full well what you’d see.

If you stopped, he’d catch you. If he caught you… God only knew what would happen to you then.

You dove behind a thick tree, clasping your hand over your mouth as you fought to calm your frantically beating heart, and level out your breathing. For a moment, you didn’t hear anything aside from the crackling of the fire behind you and the pounding of your own heart. You almost risked sticking your head out from behind your hiding spot to see if you had managed to lose your pursuer, until a voice cut though the smoke and haze surrounding you:

“Oh little mouse… where are you? Why don’t you come out and play? I don’t bite… much.”

You feel tears spring to your eyes involuntarily at the sound of the otherworldly rasp that cuts through the smoky air like a knife. He sounds close. Too close for comfort, but you don’t dare to try and run from your spot, too afraid of giving up your position to the man—no, the demon that was hunting you through the burning woods.

“C’mon darlin, I was just teasin’ you those other times. I wouldn’t actually hurt you. Not like your dumbass friends back there.”

There’s a horrible raspy snicker after that last comment, and you don’t bother to try and stop the tears you feel roll down your cheeks at the thought of your poor friends, and the state you left them in back at the mansion as you all but ran for your life:

Dead. Burnt down to little more than ash.

Such violent ends for girls who did nothing to deserve them.

You want to cry openly at the cruelty of his comment, but you know he’s baiting you. He wants you to show him where you are. You don’t believe him for a second when he says he won’t hurt you, when you’ve seen first-hand what he’s capable of.

A few seconds of silence pass aside from the ominous popping and crackling of the forest fire that’s steadily drawing closer to your location, before he seemingly loses patience with your lack of cooperation. In the most demonic sounding voice you’ve ever heard, he bellows:

“GET THE FUCK OUT HERE!”

Your blood turns to ice in your veins as the creature seethes with barely suppressed rage. You don’t know what to do. If you stay where you are, you’re dead. If you go to him, you’re definitely dead. You’re fucked regardless of what you pick.

When he speaks again, he sounds smug, and you can hear the smirk in his voice as he calls out to you:

“I’m going to count to ten Doll. If you’re not out here by the time I’m done, I’ll burn this whole fucking forest down, and turn everything around it to ash.”

You let a muffled sob escape, not bothering to try and hide it now. Your sobs only grow harder as you hear him start to count in his chilling rasp, “One… Two… Three…”

You close your eyes, desperately trying to think of a way out; but there is no escape, you already know there isn’t. The demon that’s been hunting you through the forest for the last hour made sure of that when he set the mansion on fire, and subsequently, the surrounding forest.

Your mind goes blank as you take in your current reality, and despite everything, you find yourself thinking back to when this nightmare first started for you and your friends, nearly a week earlier when you arrived at the mansion…

-----

The mansion itself was an intimidating place.

It doesn’t look as foreboding from the other side of the retaining wall that surrounds the property – the massive gardens that sit just behind the wall are well maintained, and the house itself is clearly well taken care of, even though the website mentioned that no one has lived in the house for a little over a decade for some unknown reason.

You first get the impression that something is off with the house the moment you step through the front door. You set your bags down at the entrance, and take in the sweeping archways and long hallways that lead to other rooms of the house you’ve yet to explore with your friends, before you realize how still the interior of the house is.

Aside from the noise you and your friends are making as you move your bags inside, there’s no other sound in the house. As soon as the door to the outside closes, the inside of the house is completely silent.

You can’t put your finger on it, but something about the odd silence has the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. You seem to be the only one affected by the interior of the house, as your friends are mindlessly chatting amongst themselves as they grab their bags and move further inward, presumably to do some exploring.

You best friend nudges your shoulder and gives you a small smile, snapping you out of your reprieve. “You okay? You’ve been really quiet since we got here.”

“I’m fine.” You tell her gently, brushing off your earlier concerns. “I’m just tired.”

She nods. “Same here. I think we’ll all feel better once we eat something and get some sleep. The flight over here was so long.”

Just then, one of your other friends loops back to where you and your best friend are standing, waving you both over.

“Hey! We’re just picking out rooms! Do you two wanna come take a look and see if there’s any you fancy? The second floor of the house is all bedrooms from what we can see.”

You both follow her up to the second floor of the house. Sure enough, the long hallway is lined with sliding panels that open into bedrooms. Some are open and some are still closed. Your other friend pops out from a room near the middle of the hallway and waves at you.

“Come take a look! I think all these rooms are bedrooms. Go see if there’s one you want to claim as our own, I already know which one I want.” She grins as she taps the sliding door of the room she’s in.

You laugh at her antics and move further down the hallway. “Have you explored all of them yet?”

“No, just the ones closest to the stairs and the ones near the middle. Haven’t gotten the chance to look at the ones at the end of the hallway.” She tells you honestly, jerking her thumb to the end of the hallway, where you can see two doors remain closed. 

Your best friend follows you down the hallway, and opens up the panel on the right. “Oh wow. This must be the master bedroom.” She mutters as she peaks in the dim room. “Maybe we’ll just keep this one shut. Seems rude to sleep in the master bedroom. I’ll take one of the other rooms.”

You watch as she closes the panel again and moves back down the hallway to where your other friends are chatting, leaving you to the last door on the left. Just as you extend your hand to open the door, a sudden flash of heat runs up your extended hand and through your body, disappearing as quickly as it came, but it still causes you to pull your hand back with a gasp.

You inspect your hand, looking for signs of a burn, only to find nothing wrong with the skin of your palm. You stare blankly at the wood and paper paneling that makes up the sliding door, not sure what to make of what just happened, before you slowly pull the door open. This time, nothing prevents you from doing so.

You step into the dark room slowly, allowing your eyes to adjust to the dim before looking around. It looks as though no one has stepped inside the room for years, as you notice the thick layer of dust settled upon every available surface. The room looks like it once belonged to a young boy, possibly a pre-teen, as you note the posters of various superhero’s scattered about the otherwise bare walls.

A few pieces of furniture are pushed up against the walls, and for some reason your heart aches when you look at the small, twin-sized bed. Everything in the room feels dated, like nothing progressed past a certain point in time, and you can’t figure out why you feel like that, until you see it:

There, in the darkest corner of the room, is an ornate cabinet-like structure that looks similar to a closet, but something feels very off about the wooden structure. Just as you’re about to move towards it, your friends appear at the door, their happy chatter quieting down as they observe you.

“There you are! We were wondering when you dispersed to!” your one friend grins as she pushes her way into the room, looking around. “Huh, I guess the people who own this house have a bunch of kids. The other rooms aside from the master bedroom are all kid themed.”

You don’t respond, still trying to figure out what about the cabinet is bothering you so much, before your second friend approaches you, nodding to the dark wooden structure. “What’s that?”

“I don’t know.” You admit. “I don’t think it’s a closet though.”

“The website didn’t mention it?”

“No.” You mutter, brows furrowing together as you think back to the pictures you’d seen of the listing. “Actually, I don’t think they included any pictures of this room. I don’t remember seeing any.”

Your best friend makes her way to where you’re standing and squints at the cabinet for a second before her face sours.

“Not to be a downer, but I think this is a butsudan.”

You turn to her, eyebrow quirked in silent question, and she elaborates. “It’s like a home shrine for family members who’ve died. They keep ashes or pictures of the person in there some times.”

“No way, there’s like… somebody’s ashes in there?” your first friend speaks, shuddering, and your best friend shrugs.

“Sometimes, not always though.” She glances around the room. “Really hoping I’m wrong about that, since this is a kid’s room…” she trails off uncomfortably, but the implication of her words is clear:

A child who lived here at some point, died.

For some unexplainable reason, you suddenly feel drawn to the wooden structure and you slowly cross the room until you’re standing directly in front of the doors. Just as you’re about to reach out to open them, your second friend’s voice stops you.

“What are you doing?” she asks, a nervous laugh in her voice. “I don’t think you should touch that.”

“I’m just going to take a peek.” You reassure her, placing your hands on the doors. “If someone has to sleep in this room, I wanna make sure there isn’t a child’s ashes in here.” You cast a pointed look at them. “I’m assuming it’s going to be me. You’ve all taken the other rooms aside from the master, and I don’t think anyone wants to sleep in there out of respect.”

When your friends don’t protest, you sigh and pull the doors open without a second thought, expecting the worst. Thankfully, no urn stares back at you, but something else does:

A picture of a boy, no older then thirteen or fourteen peers back at you through the gloom of the dark cabinet.

You suck in a breath as you take in the boy’s delicate features. He’s young, baby-faced, even though his shockingly white hair would suggest he’s much older than he appears. The other thing you immediately notice about the boy, are his eyes. His eyes are a startling shade of blue, a stark contrast from the surrounding darkness in the room, and before you can stop yourself, you’ve reached out to gently take the picture off its place on the mantal to have a closer look.

The instant the photo leaves the mantal, the same rush of heat flashes through you, only this time it’s worse. This time you feel like you’re being burned alive as liquid fire curses through your veins. The pain is so bad, it locks you in place, unable to scream as you feel like you being incinerated from the inside out. All the while, you’re unable to release your grip on the picture frame in your hands.

Suddenly, two piercing blue eyes surrounded by gnarled purple skin cut across your vision. They glare at you ominously before blinking out of existence, and as quick as the burning sensation came on, it vanishes.

You let out a gasp, and the picture frame slips through your fingers and crashes to the floor, the glass pane protecting the photo, shattering and splintering into pieces as the boy’s deep blue eyes stare back up at you amidst the mess of glass and wood.

“Shit.” You breathe as you stoop down to pick the old photo out from underneath the glass.

“What was that about?” your best friend asks you worriedly, glancing between you and the shattered frame. “We tried calling your name, but you didn’t respond to us. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m… Did you not see that?” you croak, holding onto the photo in your hands gently. “The—the eyes? You didn’t see the eyes?”

“Eyes? What are you talking about?” your other friend pipes up. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re acting super spacy.”

“Yeah, I’m… fine… just… fine.” You mutter as you glace down at the photo. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“We’ll go into town tomorrow and see if we can find a new frame for it.” Your best friend interjects quickly, seeing the distressed look on your face. “Let’s see if we can get this cleaned up. If you’re sure about sleeping in this room, I don’t want you getting glass in your feet. You get yourself situated; we’ll go find a broom.”

She leads your two other friends out of the room and you find yourself alone. You slowly place the photo back down at the alter and rub your temples tiredly.

“I’m sorry.” You mutter to the picture of the boy, even though you know he can’t respond. “I didn’t mean to do that. I’ll get you another frame. I promise.”

Just as you’re about to close the doors to the shrine again, something catches your eye. Just under the spot where the picture frame sat, there’s an engraving on the shelf. Squinting down at the neat characters, you’re just able to make out a name carved into the dark wood.

Todoroki Touya

The next morning you wake up feeling like you didn’t sleep at all.

You roll over with a groan and take in your surroundings blearily. You had ended up taking the room with the home shrine in it for yourself, but you hadn’t been able to bring yourself to use the small bed the room provided. Instead, you’d taken the pillows and top blanket off, and arraraged them into a small cot at the foot of the bed. It wasn’t the worst makeshift bed you’d ever used, but you hadn’t been able to make yourself comfortable all night – torn between feeling racked with guild over dropping the picture, and feeling like you were being watched.

The second feeling you couldn’t explain. You had woken up multiple times during the night, feeling like there were eyes on you, only for nothing to be there when you looked around your immediate surroundings. Each time you’d woken up, it had taken you ages to fall back asleep, leaving you drained by the time the first morning sunbeams filtered into the room from the covered window.

You opt to stay in bed for a little while longer, only heading downstairs when you hear the distant sounds of your friend’s voices floating up from the hall. You trudge downstairs, following the sounds emanating from what you assume is the kitchen, only to find your friends in the middle of making breakfast.

Your best friend looks up as you enter the kitchen, a small smile plastered on her face.

“Good morning.” She greats you kindly, passing you a plate piled high with eggs and breakfast meats. “Did you sleep well?”

“Not really.” You admit as you accept the plate. “I kept waking up during the night. Couldn’t get comfortable.”

“I still can’t believe you slept in that room.” Your other friend interest, biting into her toast. “You couldn’t pay me to sleep in there with that… thing.”

She doesn’t need to say it for you to know what she’s talking about. You shrug your shoulders and dig into your eggs.

“Didn’t feel right sleeping in the master bedroom. Honestly the room is nice, that’s not the issue. It’s just really… quiet in there.”

“Maybe it’s haunted.” Your other friend chimes in with a giggle, and you roll your eyes.

“With my luck it will be. Pretty sure I’m going to have a vengeful spirit on my ass after I dropped that picture.” You joke as you stare down at your food. “I’m going to go into town after this and see if I can find a replacement frame. I still can’t believe I did that.”

“I’m surprised they never had any pictures of that room on the booking site.” You best friend mutters as she slots herself next to you at the countertop. “That seems a little weird.”

“Well, the website said that no one’s lived in this house for a while. Maybe something happened to one of the kids.” You supply, and your friends grimace at your suggestion.

“You think maybe they’d mention that on the listing. You know; this house is haunted by a ghost child, stay at your own risk.” Your friend across from you quips, causing you to snicker.

“Some people pay big money for that. If anything, they could use it as a selling point. But I doubt it. I don’t believe in ghosts.” You finish up your breakfast and put your plate in the sink. “I’m going to get changed and head into town. I’ll be back in an hour or so, and then we can do some exploring.”

Your friends let out a muffled chorus of agreed noises, before going back to their breakfast, leaving you to head back upstairs to change. You shut the door to your room behind you and flick on the light so you can pull out some clothes out of your bag.

Just as you’re about to pull your sleep shirt over your head; a wave of heat flashes through your body like lightening, and suddenly, you feel the same soul-piercing eyes on you again.

You gasp, and slam your shirt back down, covering your exposed breasts again with a shudder. You glance around the room wildly; half expecting to see someone lurking in one of the corners, but just like the other times before; no one’s there. You’re alone, even though the prickling of your skin is telling you otherwise.

You don’t dare move from your spot, as you still feel like you’re being watched by something, but after a few moments the feeling dissipates, and you feel your body relax as the tension you didn’t realize you were holding onto, bleeds out.  

You change quickly and do your makeup, before grabbing your purse and bidding your friends a quick “bye!”, before heading out the front door, and out into the warm sunshine.

Outside of the house, everything feels better. The atmosphere is more inviting compared to the almost oppressive feeling the upstairs gives off, and you find your anxious feelings fading away as you make your way into town.

You eventually find a shop that sells all manor of things, and decide to try your luck inside. The old woman behind the counter greets you with a smile, and just as you’re preparing to use what little Japanese you know, the woman greets you in perfect English.

“Hello dear. What bring you in today?”

You tell her what you’re looking for, and she leads you to a section of the shop where you can see a few wooden frames tucked away in a corner. As you pick out one that looks like it would fit the photo, the woman asks you how long you’d been in Japan for.

“My friends and I arrived last night actually.” You tell her with a smile as you pay for the frame. “We’re going to do some exploring around town when I get back. I’m just here to get a replacement for a picture I dropped last night.”

The older woman hums as she bags your purchase. “I see. Where are you staying dear?”

“I think it’s called the Todoroki house? I can’t remember the exact name of the listing.”

The old woman freezes just as she’s about to give you the bag. Her face displays a myriad of emotions, but the most dominate look on her face is concern… with what appears to be a tinge of fear.

“Do you mean the house that borders Sekoto Peak?” she murmurs quietly. “The one that backs out onto the forest?”

“That’s the one.” You confirm as you gently take the bag from her. “How did you—”

“You shouldn’t stay there.” The older woman cuts you off, shaking her head. “You and your friends should find another place to stay while you’re here.”

“Why? What’s wrong with it?” you press, causing the woman to swallow heavily. She smooths back a strip of white hair and mutters,

“Bad things have happened in that house. Nasty things.”

“What sort of things?” you ask as you flex your grip on the bag handles. The older woman looks around the store, almost as if she’s checking to see if someone is listening in, before she leans in towards you.

“That house has sat empty since the fire, and for good reason.”

“Fire? What fire? The listing never mentioned anything about a fire.” You mutter. The woman shakes her head, causing white strands of hair to fall out of her bun.

“It wouldn’t. the fire happened over ten years ago. Awful thing. The entirety of Sekoto Peak went up in a blaze. It almost burned down the Todoroki household with all of them in it.”

“All of them?”

The woman nods sagely. “The Todoroki’s. Enji, his wife Rei, and their four children: Fuyumi, Natsuo and the youngest, Shoto.”

“That’s three.” You correct her quietly, “What happened to the fourth?”

The woman’s thin lips press into a firm line, and once again, she looks around the shop nervously. Once she’s content that you’re alone, she continues:

“Their oldest boy died in the Sekoto fire. The blaze was so hot, it turned his bones into ash. There was nothing left for his family to burry.”

You feel tears spring to your eyes involuntarily at her admission. Suddenly, your mind wanders back to the butsudan sitting in your room, and the shattered picture of the snowy-haired boy you found in it.

“What was his name?” you ask her gently. The woman hesitated for a moment, before she sighs, and mutters under her breath,

“Touya Todoroki.”

You feel your blood turn to ice in your veins as you remember the name you found engraved into the dark wood where the picture sat.

Touya. So that was whose room you were staying in, and that was how he died: Burnt to ash and scattered into the wind.No wonder his family didn’t have his ashes in his shrine: there wasn’t anything left of him to grieve.

And you had dropped his fucking picture, shattering it. For all you know, that’s the only thing his family has left of him. The bag you’re holding onto suddenly feels a thousand times heavier in your grasp as you hold it tighter.

If the woman senses your inner turmoil, she doesn’t comment on it. Instead, she continues on, snapping you back to the present.

“We started hearing about some strange things happening around the house. Sometimes the family would come home and the house would be trashed, other times rooms would smell of smoke even though no one had been burning anything…” she paused. “and then the children started seeing things.”

“What kind of things?” You lift your head so you’re looking the older woman in the eyes as she quickly tacks on,

“No one’s really sure. Supposedly they’d wake up in the middle of the night claiming that were being watched, or something was standing in the room with them. Then some awful things started happening to little Shoto…bad things.”

You chew on your lip, not certain if you want to know what she means by that, but you nod, signaling for her to continue. The old woman swallows thickly. “We heard he was clawed multiple times in his sleep… among other things. Whatever was tormenting those children, Shoto got the worst of it. Things were not the same in that house after Touya died, but it didn’t stop.”

The woman frowns softly. “The lack of sleep, and the stress from her son dying must have gotten to Rei over time. Last we heard; she’d taken a kettle to Shoto… burned half of that poor child’s face. Her husband had her committed to a hospital immediately afterwards, and not even a week later, they were gone.”

“They… they just left? Just like that?” you ask subdued, thinking about the other rooms your friends were staying in, and how they were all kid themed. Now that you think about it; it really did seem like whoever last lived in the house left in a hurry. It almost seemed like they hadn’t taken anything with them.

Maybe now you were starting to see why.

“If memory serves, they bought another house closer to the city and moved there. They still own the one you’re staying in… they couldn’t find anyone to move into it, so now they rent it out… a mistake if you ask me.” The old woman informs you bitterly. “Bad things have happened at that place. Nothing ever good came from the other tourists staying in it.”

“Other tourists?” you pipe up, confused. “The site I was using to book made it look like the listing had only been up for a few weeks at most. It didn’t have any reviews or anything.”

The older lady only shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter my dear. Take your friends and find another place to stay. Get out of that house. Take it from me, It’s not worth it.”

Her tone let’s you know the conversation is over. You leave the shop without another word. Feeling lost and overwhelmed from what you discovered. You grip tightens around the handles of the bag as you make your way back to the house, determined not to let what the woman said bother you.

All the while, all you can think about is the pair of cold blue eyes from the other night in your minds eye, staring into your soul, and a part of you can’t help but wonder if there’s some truth to what the older woman told you.

By the time you get back to the house your friends are gone.

A note on the kitchen counter from your best friend lets you know that your other two friends had gotten impatient, and wanted to do some exploring on their own. She writes that she left some lunch for you in the fridge, and that if you needed anything to text her.

You can’t really blame them for wanting to go out and do their own thing, after all, your errand had taken you longer than you thought it would have, and after everything you’d heard, you just wat to relax for a little bit.

You set the rest of your belongings down and make your way upstairs to the room at the end of the hallway. You stand in front of the sliding door for a moment, almost expecting to feel the familiar, burning sensation from before, but nothing happens, allowing you to breathe a sigh of relief and, enter the dark room.

You set your bags down and pull out the new frame you’d picked up, before making your way over to the home shrine. You open the doors slowly and pull out the old picture of the snowy-haired boy. You smile sadly down at it as you slip the worn paper securely in between the wooden slates.

“Sorry Touya. I don’t know what caused the fire, but you didn’t deserve to die like that.”

A sudden wave of exhaustion rolls over you and you stumble backwards slightly. Maybe you were more tired than you originally thought. You think to yourself as you stumble over the to the small bed and collapse down onto it, ignoring your makeshift pile of blankets and pillows you used the night before, as your eyes slowly slide shut.

The last thing you remember seeing before your eyes closed completely was a hazy-looking figure standing in one o the dark corners adjacent to the bed.

-----

Dabi snorts as he watches your eyes close.

Humans are such simple creatures; a mere fraction of his power could send even the strongest-willed ones into the deepest slumber, or curse them with everlasting nightmares if he so chose.

He would know, he’s done it so many times in the past, it’s hardly fun for him anymore.

Once he’s sure you’re not going to wake up, he glides over soundlessly to stare down at your prone form. Originally, he’d planned to kill you after you disrespected his shrine, but the look of horror on your face after he’d partially revealed himself to you, made him reconsider. It’d been so long since he’d seen fear look so delicious on someone – the sadist in him wanted to see more of it.

He told himself he was letting you live because you’d seemed remorseful enough after you’d shattered his picture, and he wanted to see what you’d do to fix the mess you’d created. You hadn’t disappointed him at least – you’d gone out and bought another frame to relace the one you’d broken, just as he heard you say you would. He was still mildly pissed off, but he figured he’d let you live for a little while longer.

At least you were… pretty. He mused to himself as he peered down at you. You had better manners then most of the other tourists who had been brave enough to stay at the house in the past, despite its history with the locals. Many had seen his shrine, and had been stupid enough to go poking around in places where they shouldn’t have, and he couldn’t have that.

Most people didn’t tend to make it past the first night.

Dabi snickers to himself as he backs away from you, allowing his body to turn to smoke once more, just as he hears the tell-tale sounds of your friends re-entering the house from the ground floor.

He wasn’t sure what had possessed you and your friends to stay at the house, but it had been a long time since he last had visitors. He thought he’d done a decent enough job scaring everyone away after the last batch of moronic tourists had come through, but clearly that wasn’t the case.

He’d watch you and your friends for a little while longer before he made himself known, he decided, as he left you alone to wake up slowly.

For now, he was content to sit back and observe. But he’d be out to play very soon.

-----

You wake up to the room smelling faintly of smoke.

You sit up with a groan and hold your head in your hands as you gain your bearings. You couldn’t even remember falling asleep, which was strange, considering you didn’t think you’d been out for very long. A quick glance at your phone confirms your suspicions, leaving you even more confused by what happened, until the sounds of your friend’s laughing downstairs catches your attention.

You stand up too quickly and stumble slightly as the light smell of smoke invades your nose again, making it crinkle.

What the hell? You didn’t remember the room being smokey before you passed out.

You look around the small room, trying to find the source of the smell, but your search turns up nothing, puzzling you further, until something the shop woman said earlier comes to mind:

Strange things started happening around the house; rooms would smell of smoke even though no one had been burning anything.

You fight down a laugh that tries to force its way out of your mouth. There was no way the house was haunted, even if the woman you spoke to earlier seemed convinced that it was. Obviously, the last owners of the house had suffered a terrible tragedy with the death of their eldest son, but that didn’t mean that the house itself was haunted. Even the oddities from the night before weren’t enough to truly convince you of that. You could chalk all of it up to you being overtired, which was probably exactly what it was.

The sounds of your friends from the first floor pulls you back to the present, and you make your way downstairs, suddenly grateful for the extra company. You enter the living room and are greeted with the sight of your friends gathered around the seated table in the middle of the room. They wave you over and you sit with them as they tell you about what they did while they were out.

“So, were you able to find a new frame?” your best friend asks you once there’s a lull in the conversation. You nod.

“Yeah, I got one. You’ll never believe what I found out about the house though.”

Your best friend quirks a brow at you, prompting you to continue, and you snicker as you rest your head in your hands. “I spoke to a local earlier. They seem to think this place is haunted.”

“Oh?” you friend asks you from across the table. “What brought them to that conclusion? Nothing weird has happened since we got here.”

“Well, I found out a little bit about the people who lived in the house previously.” You tell her, pointing upwards. “They had four kids, which is why all the rooms upstairs look like they belong to young children, but the eldest died in some sort of forest fire.” You frown slightly as the image of the white-haired boy crosses your mind. “I’m staying in his old room.”

“That’s fucked up.” Your other friend mutters, hugging her legs close to herself. “So what? He’s like… haunting the place or something?”

“I’m not sure.” You admit. “The person I spoke to didn’t say that specifically. Apparently, some weird things started happening after he died, and it drove the mom crazy or something to that effect. They moved out not long after that, but I don’t fully believe the place is haunted. It sounds like there was a lot of personal issues with the family, and that might have had something to do with it.”  

“You think the website might have disclosed something like that.” Your best friend interjects quietly, pulling out her phone. “That’s… a lot.”

“Apparently it happened over ten years ago, so it wasn’t recent.” You tell her with a frustrated sigh. “What I’m more interested in, is why the listing didn’t have any reviews on it. According to the person I talked to, the original family rents out the house, and has been doing so for a number of years. When I was booking it for us, the website made it seem like this place was brand new – that no one had stayed in it yet. But it sounds like that’s not the case.”

“Maybe it really is haunted.” Your friend grins, kicking you under the table. You’re about to swat her back, before your best friend’s quiet voice stops you.

“I think you guys need to take a look at this.” She tells you softly, beckoning you all over as she points down at her phone screen. She holds it up, and you can see she’s done a quick search of the house by address. You feel your heart sink as you read the first three web articles that come up in the search:

Three Tourists Found Dead In Japanese Home.

Swedish Couple Found Burnt In Japanese Mansion.

Fraternity Party Gone Wrong As Massive Fire Erupts in Backyard—

You can’t bring yourself to read the rest of the internet searches, and to your horror, it just keeps going. Your friends are just as mortified, if the looks on their faces have anything to say about it.

“What the fuck.” You friend breaths as she shoots you an almost accusatory look. “You didn’t know about this?”

“No! Of course not!” you snap back at her. “If I’d known this was H.H. Holmes house of horrors 2.0, I wouldn’t have booked this place!”

“Well, that explains why it’s so cheap.” Your other friend mutters under her breath, but you can’t bring yourself to care, still too in shock over what you’re reading to come up with a response.

“It’s not her fault!” your best friend cuts in, before either of your friends can say anything else. “If houses are on a booking website for anyone to look at, then they should’ve passed some kind of safety inspection beforehand. How this one was able to be listed with this kind of rap sheet is beyond me, but getting angry about it won’t solve anything.” She turns towards you. “I know you’ve already pre-paid for the house, but would you be open to finding another place to stay for the remainder of the trip?”

“Fine by me.” You mutter. “We’re going to have to stay here until something else comes up though. None of us have the funds on-hand to stay more than several days in a hotel.”

“That’s fine. We’ll figure something out.” You best friend soothes, squeezing you hand. “In the meantime, would anyone like to play a game? Getting overly stressed out about the house isn’t going to solve anything.”

“I’m good.” You mutter, standing up from the table. “Actually, I think I’m going to go lie down. Sorry guys.”

Your friends don’t protest as you leave the room, still in a daze from what you discovered about the house. Suddenly, you would’ve much rather preferred if it was haunted, because in actuality, it was so much worse than what you initially thought.

Screw spirits, this place was a modern-day mass murder site.

As you climb the stairs to the second floor, you’re suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of being watched. You glance down the hallway nervously from your perch on the last step, half expecting to see something waiting for you at the end of the corridor, only to be greeted with the sight of an empty walkway. Even with the reassurance that nothing seemed to be upstairs with you, you can’t shake the feeling that your every movement being monitored.

With bated breath, you slowly peek your head into each child-themed room as you silently make your way down the hall towards your room, but to your relief (and almost slight disappointment), you don’t see anything in the rooms aside from your friend’s luggage. Despite the reassurance, you still feel eyes following your every movement.

The feeling only gets worse as you near your room, and you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as a sweltering heat suddenly manifests behind you. You don’t know what’s causing it, but any doubts you had about the house possibly being haunted, vanish as you quickly become aware of a presence that wasn’t there before:

There’s something standing behind you. You’re sure of it.

You don’t dare turn around to find out what it is. You fling the sliding door to your room open and slam it shut behind you in one fluid motion without turning around to see what’s behind you. You foolishly thought that you’d feel better once you were out of the hallway, but as soon as you take a step into the room, you’re suddenly aware of how hot the room is.

The still air is sweltering, almost burning – the heat is so intense, it nearly knocks you over as it causes a fresh sheen of sweat to glisten on your brow. You have no idea why the small bedroom is so warm when you know it wasn’t like this when you were in it last. The small thermostat mounted on the far wall only confuses you further, as it shows a cooler temperature then what you’re currently experiencing. At first you think maybe it’s broken, but after playing around with it for a few minutes, you determine that it’s working fine as you dab at your forehead.

Then you feel it again: something is watching you.

Before you can even think to turn around, the glaring blue eyes from the night before flash across your field of vision. You let out a startled yelp before you can stop yourself, as the angry turquoise irises pin you to the spot. Strangely enough, they don’t disappear as quickly as they did the first time, allowing you to get a better look at them.

They have to be the most infuriated set of eyes you’ve ever seen. They’re narrowed in clear distrust, and heavily lidded. The skin under them looks darkened and gnarled, as if it’s been charred, and yet, you can’t help but think they’re the most stunning shade of blue you’ve ever seen.

For some reason, you think you’ve seen them somewhere before.

Almost as if they can sense your shift in thought, the eyes blink, and then they’re gone, leaving you reeling in shock. This time, you know you’re not hallucinating. What you experienced was very much real.

At this point you’re so bewildered, you throw caution to the wind and scour the room, looking for the eyes again. You check under the bed, and in the closet, you even open up the window and stick your head outside to see if someone is out there, but your search turns up nothing, leaving you stumped. All the while, the feeling of being watched becomes increasingly worse, to the point you feel like you’re going to throw up if you stay in the bedroom one second longer.

The room is so suffocating, you end up changing in the bathroom next to the master bedroom, and the feeling is only marginally better as you do your nightly routine. By the time you finish, you’re dreading going back into the bedroom, afraid of what might be waiting for you inside. Your friends are still downstairs, and you contemplate grabbing one of them to help you sweep the room one last time before you try and go to sleep, but you don’t want to bother them, and you have the feeling that they don’t want to talk to you right now anyways.

Sucking in a sharp breath, you steel your nerves and force the door open again, half expecting to see someone standing directly on the other side of the door, but the room is void of any other human life aside from you.

The temperature has gone back down to normal; you note, as you close the door behind you again, and to your relief, you no longer feel like something is watching you. The room is exactly how it was when you woke up this morning, with no indicators that something was ever wrong in the first place.

I must be losing my mind. You think to yourself as you slowly sink back down onto your makeshift bed on the floor, but a small part of you doesn’t think that you are. You know for a fact something was behind you in the hallway. You’re not sure what it was, but you know something was there.

And you know that you weren’t imagining those eyes either.

As you lay on the pillows and wait for sleep to take you under, you glance at the dark butsudan in the corner. You don’t know what possesses you to say it, but you sigh under your breath as you turn over onto your side so you’re facing the dark cabinet.

“Good night Touya.”

You’re certainly not expecting a response, but you realize with a jolt how quiet the room has suddenly become. You can’t even hear the dull hum of the air conditioner anymore as you slowly look around the dark expanse of the room.

You re-direct your attention to the dark cabinet, when realization suddenly hits you full force. You slowly peel off your blanket and make your way towards the doors. Opening them gently, you’re greeted with the familiar sight of the photograph of the snowy-haired child, frozen forever in time.

You kneel down until you’re eye-level with the picture of the boy. Your eyes trace over his delicate features, taking in the fullness of his cheeks and the soft looking texture of his hair, but you’re hyper-focused on his eyes, more specifically, the particular shade of them. Sure enough, they’re the same piercing blue as the ones from earlier.

“What the fuck?” you breathe, as you lean in for a closer look. “What the hell is going on here—”

“More then you know.”

Your eyes widen impossibly at the sound of the raspy voice behind you. Before you can even think to scream for help, the feeling of immense fatigue washes over you like a tidal wave, rendering you senseless.

You feel your eyes grow heavy, and roll back against your will no matter how hard you struggle to keep them open. You feel yourself pitch back into unfamiliar arms, and the last thing you remember seeing before you pass out completely, is the metal glint of staples and the same burning eyes staring back down at you from the picture of the small boy.

-----

Dabi catches you before you can hit the floor.

He doesn’t bother concealing himself as he watches the consciousness leave your eyes before they dip closed, knowing that you saw him, or at least, what’s left of him.

He scoops you up and deposits you on his old bed, staring down at you for a moment longer then necessary, before leaving you alone to sleep off his influence.

He allows himself to fade out before reappearing in the gardens just outside the living room, where he can hear your friends talking amongst themselves without a care in the world – completely oblivious to his presence.

He snorts to himself. He’d fix that soon. Playtime was over, and he was getting bored.

A bored Dabi was a vicious one.

He’d wait until they went to bed before making himself known. It would give him time to figure out what he wanted to do with you in the meantime.

It was a little ridiculous, honestly. Normally he had no qualms about killing anyone who stepped foot in his house – the long list of people who he’d killed in and around the property was a testament to that – but he had some reservations with you.

You, the first person who had managed to capture his attention since he had become what he is now.

He’s not sure what exactly drew him to you. Maybe it was your kind disposition, maybe it was because he didn’t find you as annoying or clueless as your idiotic friends, or maybe it was because out of all of the people who had come through the house, you were the only one who had bothered to show some shred of respect to his burial shrine, or even bother to learn his past name. Regardless, he could say with certainty that ever since he turned into this, he had never taken in interest in someone as much as he had you.

He’s still not even sure what he is exactly. He’s not dead, though his outward appearance might suggest otherwise. His body – as damaged as it is – is still very much solid, and he still ages, though seemingly at a slower rate than before. He’s not the same thirteen-year-old boy as he was when he was incinerated. He’s older now, roughly in his mid to late twenties, just like he would’ve been if he were still alive. A demon is more accurate term to describe what he is; since he’s able to exist in the physical world, and incinerate his victims, turning them into little more than piles of ash. Ironic, the powers he came back with where the same ones that killed him in the first place.

Dabi glances down at his arms, taking in the sight of his scorched, mangled skin, held together by what little of his healthy skin remained with surgical staples, before chuckling to himself as he notes his macabre reflection in a passing window.

He didn’t always look like this: a walking corpse with an appetite for destruction and death. Ever since he burned up, this reality has been his life now. But he’s not really living, is he? He’s not dead, but he’s not exactly alive either. He exists somewhere in between both planes of Earth and Hell.

Touya was dead, but Dabi is very much alive, at least, he thinks so. All it took was for his past self to die – turned to ash and scattered into the wind. At least, that’s what his family thinks happened to him. In actuality, what really happened was far more gruesome. The memory almost makes him smile.

The fire was hot. He remembers that vividly. He hadn’t meant to set Sekoto on fire, he really hadn’t. He’d gone for a walk to escape from his hellish household for a while – The neglect from his father had been getting to him more than normal, so he had gone deep into the forest behind his house to escape for a little while. The air had been dry and the lighter he forgot he had in his pocket had fallen out, igniting the forest around him faster then he could put it out.

He should’ve died. This much he knows, but for some reason, he didn’t. Despite it all, he lived. He’s not exactly sure how much time passed from when the flames completely engulfed him to when he regained consciousness, but what he does know is that when he woke up again, he was this… thing. Half alive, half dead, and full of rage and pure fire.  

By the time he’d made it back to the house, it was apparent that quite some time had passed, and his family believed him to be dead. They had moved on without him, but the most horrifying realization of all was even though he was gone, nothing had changed in his absence.

His father was still a bastard, and his mother and siblings were still sheep as far as he was concerned.

And that simply wouldn’t do.

From then on, he terrorized the house. At first, he was content to simply scare his family; standing in the corners of his sibling’s rooms while they tried to sleep, purposely letting them see him in all of his nightmarish glory, to making things go bump in the night to keep his parents always on edge, never letting them sleep or know a moments peace.

When his father demanded they ignore what was happening (despite the terrified claims of his siblings), he kicked it up a notch.

He started set things on fire randomly, taking sick delight in the panicked screams of his mother and siblings, and the look of dread on his father’s face. He’d destroy the house while his family was out, carving twisted messages on the walls to let them know he was there, cackling as their collective will to try and ignore what was happening began to waver. Finally, when that got boring: he started physically lashing out.

That they couldn’t ignore.

He often targeted his youngest brother, Shoto. Not only because he was his father’s favourite (and his replacement), but because he often made it too easy for him.

When he had gouged deep, red lines into his brother’s back for the umpteenth time, it had sent his mother over the edge. She broke – either from the stress caused by his father and her terrified children, or the lack of sleep – and had scalded Shoto’s face, burning him to the point it couldn’t be hidden, much to his glee.

She was carted off to an institution shortly afterwards, and his father had packed up his siblings and left the house not long after that, never to return.

The house had sat vacant for a while, leaving him to roam about its halls freely, and even though people occasionally came to see the mansion from time to time with the intention of buying it, they never ended up staying long, as he’d always find a way to chase them off, further souring the manor’s reputation.

For a long time, no one had come to the house, and he had eventually drifted off to sleep in the welcoming darkness, only to be awoken again after an uncertain amount of time by random strangers in his house. From them, he discovered when his father hadn’t been able to sell the estate due to its less than stellar reputation, he had decided to rent it out as a guest house in an attempt to bury the truth about what happened all those years ago.

The thought infuriated him.

His father might have been content to try and forget about him, but Dabi was more spiteful then Touya had ever been. Dabi always remembered and never forgave.

If he couldn’t take his rage out directly on his father… then the cannon folder he sent willingly into the house would have to do.

From then on, he made it his personal mission to burn everything and everyone who set foot in the house, if only so word could get back to his father to let him know that he was still here and still pissed.

He’s not sure how the old man does it, but every time he ends up killing someone who’s stupid enough to rent out the house despite its reputation, his father is somehow able to cover it up. He’s killed well over thirty people at this point (though he stopped counting after thirty-two), and yet they still keep coming – though less frequently than before.

Perhaps it’s his old man’s way of atoning: by sending unaware people into the house so he can take his wrath out on them instead of him. There’s no way his father doesn’t know it’s him by now. He simply doesn’t want to face the monster he created, and is more then content to let other people suffer in his place instead. He always was a coward like that.

His good for nothing father… the reason he’s like this in the first place—

Dabi hisses irritably to himself. Best not to think about him. It only made him even more homicidal than he already was.

He allows himself to turn to smoke once more, and mist back into the house so he can keep a closer eye on your friends. He watches as they head off to bed, stalking them from the shadows as they settle down in his siblings’ old rooms for the night, but there would be no sleeping for them tonight, he would make sure of that.

Tonight, he wanted to have a little fun – to shatter the fragile illusion of peace they had created.

Once he’s sure that your friends are mostly asleep, he slithers into the room of the friend who had been so rude to you earlier. He looms over her prone from with a sick grin plastered across his face.

Time to let them know they weren’t alone in the house as they thought.

-----

You wake to the sound of blood-curdling screams echoing from down the hall.

It takes your sleep-addled brain a moment to realize that it’s coming from the room your friend claimed as her own, but the moment you do, you’re up and all but running down the hall to the room as her terrified screams get louder and louder.

You call out her name desperately as you stumble into the dark room, flicking on the light as your tired eyes find her thrashing form hopelessly tangled in the sheets on the twin sized mattress. You rip the blankets off of her, calling her name, only to realize her eyes are still tightly shut, but her hands are grabbing at her back, as if she’s in pain.

You shake her awake violently and her eyes fly open just as your other friends rush into the room behind you. Your friend’s mouth twists open into another scream as she grasps at her back, wailing as she begins to sob unconsolably.  

“The man! The man! Did you see him?” She wails as she writhes on the mattress, clawing at the back of her sleep shirt.

“What man? What are you talking about?” You ask her as you desperately try to calm her down while she continues to sob.

“How can you not see him?” she cries unconsolably. “He was there, he was right there!” she points to the spot where you’re currently kneeling, still in tears. You look around the small space, but aside from you and your friends, there’s no one else in the room with you. You shoot a bewildered look at your friends who are still crowding the door frame, and they return the look.

“Sweetheart, there’s no one else here.” Your best friend tries to sooth her as she slowly makes her way over to where you’re sitting, and kneels down beside you at the foot of the bed. “You just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

“No, he was real, he was there, I saw him!” your friend bursts into a fresh wave of tears as she curls into a ball. “He was there, just standing over me with that horrible grin on his face. Oh god, his face!”

“What did he look like?” you press. “No one else has come in or out of the house aside from us! We would’ve noticed if someone else was here!” The words sound hollow, even to you. You can’t help but think of the rough voice you heard earlier before you passed out, and for some reason the unsettling blue eyes from the last two days haunt your thoughts.

Your fears are only confirmed as your friend manages to choke out: “He had burns all over his face and arms… and his eyes… they were so blue… so, so blue.”

You’re frozen in place, unable to speak, as your friend finally manages to pull her sleep shirt up, exposing her back. “That’s not all he did… he—he clawed me. He clawed my back. It hurts so fucking bad…”

You peer at her back and feel faint as you take in the sight of five angry red lines running from the top of her back, all the way down to the end of her ribs. The cuts are deep, and some of the marks are slowly oozing blood, as your friend continues to cry.

“What the fuck.” You hear your other friend breathe, as she finally makes her way over so she can get a closer look at the marks. “Are… are you sure you didn’t just scratch yourself in your sleep?”

“There’s no way she did this to herself.” You mutter as you touch the worst of the marks, feeling your friend flinch under your touch, and muttering a quiet apology to her. “They’re too deep to be self-inflicted. She would’ve woken herself up. Something did this to her.”

“What then?” your other friend groans as you retract your hand and pull your still sobbing friend’s shirt back down.

“I don’t know!” you snap. “A fucking ghost from the sounds of it.”

“It was the man… the burned man.” Your friend mumbles as her tears finally begin to slow. “He’s real, he was there, I saw him!”

“Well, whatever he is, he’s not here now.” you mutter, wearily looking around the room. “C’mon. We gotta get you cleaned up. You can sleep with one of us, we’ll bring your stuff with you.”

“I’m not sleeping in your room. Not with that thing in there.” Your friend whimpers as your best friend helps her up slowly.

She means the butsudan. You don’t blame her for that one. It is pretty unsettling in the dark.

“She can sleep with me.” Your best friend offers gently as she helps your friend to stand. She gives you and your other friend a pointed look as she slowly ushers your still crying friend out of the room. “Keep an eye out for anything strange. If what she’s saying is true, then we might not be alone in the house.”

“Yeah, sure.” Your friend mutters sullenly beside you as both girls leave the room to go back to your best friend’s room. As soon as they’re out of sight she gives you a pointed look. “Still think this place isn’t haunted?”

“I don’t know.” You breathe quietly, as you look around the room one last time. “I seriously don’t know.”

None of you end up sleeping through the night.

The incident with your friend set you all on edge, the slightest sounds in the house would wake you up in a panic, looking around for some unseen intruder – only to see nothing, but still feel like there were eyes watching you from somewhere, though you couldn’t pin point where from.

Your friends didn’t fair much better either, and by the time the first rays of morning sun peaked through the cracks in the blinds, you were already up and so were they.

Breakfast is a quiet affaire. None of you slept much after your friend was attacked, and the bags residing under all of your eyes are telling. Your friend barely says two words the whole time, absentmindedly stirring her tea while lightly touching her back. Your best friend had done her best to clean up the wounds and bandage it, but you could tell it was still bothering her.

You don’t even know what to say to her. You don’t know what to say to any of your friends. Do you tell them about what’s been happening to you the last several days? Do you stay silent in order not to worry them any further? You don’t know what to do.

Thankfully, you don’t have to say anything, because your best friend breaks the silence.

“I think we need to discuss what happened last night.” She says quietly but firmly. She gestures to your still silent friend. “Something attacked her last night. I don’t know what exactly, but I don’t think this place is safe to stay in anymore. We were deceived and lied to, and I think it’s best if we find another place to spend the rest of our trip.”

“I agree. You other friend mutters next to you. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I kept hearing you guys whispering and playing on your phones all night long.”

Your brows furrow as you turn to her. “I wasn’t on my phone, and I sure as hell wasn’t whispering to anyone last night, I was by myself.”

She glances back at you, almost as if she doesn’t believe you, before she sends a questioning look at your best friend who also shakes her head, gesturing between her and you friend who has yet to say a word. “We weren’t on our phones either. We were cuddling the whole night, but we weren’t talking.”

“Are you sure?” you friend presses harshly. “I kept hearing things last night. It didn’t really sound like any of you, but it was really distorted and muffled so I couldn’t be sure. I thought you playing on your phones or something.”

“After what happened, no. I wanted to be as alert as possible.” You tell her sincerely. “I don’t think any of us slept after that.”

“What the hell…” you friend mutters, rubbing at her temples. “I definitely heard voices last night. I don’t know what they were saying, but they didn’t seem happy—“

A sudden sound of shattering glass from upstairs stops what she was saying, causing all four of you to stop and look at each other with wide eyes. Your friend who was clawed suddenly bursts into tears, and hugs her knees to her chest. “Fuck this, I don’t like it here! I wanna leave!”

“We will!” you assure her as you slowly get up from your chair. “Screw this place. We’ll stay in a hotel if we have to, and then we can figure something else out from there.”

“Where are you going?” you best friend asks as you slowly make your way towards the stairs.

“We have to get our things. We can’t just ditch everything here; our passports are upstairs.” You try to reason with her as she follows you to the base of the stairs. “You three wait down here, I’ll go see what that sound was and I’ll get our things together.”

Your best friend looks like she’s about to offer to come with you, but you shake your head before she can, and purposely lower your voice as she comes closer to you.

“I think it’s better if you stay down here and keep them calm.” You murmur to her as you quietly admit; “Some weird things have been happening to me since we came here too, but I haven’t been physically attacked. It’s probably better if only one of us goes. If I need you. I’ll call.”

Your best friend opens her mouth like she’s going to argue with you, but the look you give her makes her relent. She sighs. “I’ll give you five minutes to grab the important stuff, then we gotta go. I don’t like the feeling I’m getting from this place now… it’s… oppressive.”

You know what she means, but you don’t comment on it. Instead, you slowly make your way up the wooden steps and onto the second floor.

It’s eerily silent. Too quiet for it to be considered normal, especially after hearing something breaking. Despite how still the upstairs floor appears to be, the air is charged, almost electric with how much energy is coursing through the air around you. Your best friend was right: it is oppressive up here, more so now than before, and you don’t like the shift in energy.

Holding your breath, you creep through the hallway towards the bathroom, the only place you can think of that has glass in it. You don’t stop to peer into each of the bedrooms – too scared of what you might be staring back at you – until you’re finally in front of the bathroom door. You push it open gingerly, only to gasp at what awaits you inside.

The large mirror that was previously mounted above the vanity is cracked beyond repair. Large pieces of glass have fallen into the sink, while others are scattered around the counter or on the floor near it. It almost looks like someone punched the glass by how it’s shattered, but you don’t see how that’s possible.

Forgetting your pervious hesitation, you make your way into the bathroom to investigate the damage. You squat down and pick up a large piece of glass near you as you hold it up to your face, and that’s when you see it…

No, not it. Him.

Towering behind you is a man. He’s dressed in tattered black clothing from head to toe, save for an ash-stained white t-shirt. His inky black spikes give him the impression of being covered in soot, or having freshly walked out of some dark abyss, but what stands out most to you about his startling appearance, are the scars.

He’s covered in gnarled, wine-tainted skin, from under his eyes, to his lower jaw, and down his neck from what you’re able to see peeking out from underneath his clothes. The damaged skin is angry and inflamed, held onto what remains of his pale, healthy skin by jarring surgical staples. The silver rings look like they were harshly dug into his mottled skin in a futile attempt to keep him together, and you can’t help but wonder if they hurt him, seeing how many he has decorating his patchwork skin.

You gasp as you whip yourself around on your hunches, tossing the broken piece of mirror away from you in your panic, as you scoot backwards until your back hits the opposite wall. Bits of stray glass dig into your palms but you don’t dare take your eyes off the stranger.

He grins wickedly at your terror – showcasing white teeth too sharp to be considered normal – as your eyes slowly make their way up his body to rest on his. Your breath hitches as you find yourself staring up into electric blue eyes – the very same ones that had been haunting you since you arrived.

You open your mouth to scream – whether for help, or to warn your friends of the man – before the disturbing smile slips off the man’s face momentarily as he growls at you, “Quiet.”

You feel lightheaded as you hear him speak for the first time. You recognize his voice too. It was the same voice from before you suddenly passed out yesterday. Just how long had he been in the house with you and your friends? Who was he?

Despite your mounting panic, you nod slowly, not wanting to piss the strange man off further, and he rewards you with a small nod, the unnerving smile returning to his face as he stares you down.

He holds a finger up to his two-toned lips. “Shh.” He tells you through a grin. “Not a sound, or I’ll burn this fucking house to the ground with you and your friends in it.”

You shake your head frantically, torn between wanting to beg him to spare your friends and you, but not wanting him to act on his promise. Once he’s content you’re not going to scream, he straightens up slightly and takes a slow step towards you, his massive black combat boots crunching the glass underneath it ominously, until he’s directly in front of your trembling form.

He bends down so you’re eye-level with each other and reaches down with one freakishly warm hand, tilting your chin up so you’re looking him directly in his blazing azure irises. “Do you know who I am?”

You shake your head as much as you can without him digging his fingers into your skin.

He snorts. “Figures. Why don’t you take a closer look? You’ve seen me before.”

You have no idea what he means, but you hesitantly looking up into his face again. You scan it closely, all the while the man doesn’t remove his fingers from under your chin, keeping your head in place as he allows you to examine him. Now that you have a closer look at him, you can see three studs on one side of his nose and several other cartilage piercings lining his burnt ears, as well as the staples holding the scorched skin under his eyes together and the burns lining his lower jaw.

The longer you gaze at him, the more you start to realize that he’s right, you have seen him before. He’s older now, his hair is onyx instead of white, and his features have changed drastically, but his eyes… his eyes haven’t changed from the old photo of him in his shrine—

“Touya.” You breath, causing a smirk to grace the man’s scarred lips.

“There you go.” He rumbles, tapping your cheek once before straightening back up, finally releasing you from his scorching grip.

“How?” you whisper, as you reach up to touch your skin., still feeling the searing imprints of where his fingers were on you. “You… you’re dead… you died—”

“No.” the scarred man shakes his head. “Touya died, but Dabi is still very much alive.”

The bathroom suddenly heats up all around you like a sauna, making you flinch at the sudden change in temperature. You peer at him, taking in his deranged appearance. “You’re not human… are you?”

Dabi only grins wider. “No.”

“Then what are you?” you whisper, dreading the answer, but needing to know.

The raven-haired man’s smile pulls at the staples near his mouth. He opens his mouth to answer you, only to be interrupted by the sounds of frantic pounding on the bathroom door.

“Are you in there?” you hear you best friend call out from the other side of the door. “You’re taking way too long! What are you doing?”

“No! Don’t come in! He’s in here” you scream before realizing your mistake. You slap your hand over your mouth, eyes like saucers, as a threatening snarl rips its way out of Touya—no, Dabi’s throat, as he turns to face the door.

“What are you talking about? Who’s in there?” your best friend yells back. You watch helplessly as the doorknob shakes. “Unlock the door!”

Dabi watches the doorknob rattle some more, before casting a careless look over his shoulder at you. “Your friends are pretty annoying.” He rasps, eyes suddenly cold as ice. “I think I’ve tolerated them enough. You’re lucky I view you differently. Otherwise, you’d end up the same as what they’re going to be.”

“Stop it! What do you mean? What are you going to do to them?” You sob, completely frozen in your terror, but to your horror he only smirks as one of his scarred hands suddenly erupts into bright blue flames.

Your tears dry in your eyes as you watch the azure flames lick up his flesh and tattered clothing. The cries of your best friend, and the pounding on the door fade away into background noise as your brain struggles to make sense of what you’re seeing.

“You wanna know what I am?” Dabi rumbles, eyes glinting meanly as he takes in your shaking form. “Here’s your chance.”

“No don’t hurt them!” you wail, as you bolt to your feet. You leap towards him in a desperate attempt to stop him, only to collide into the sink. You look around the small bathroom frantically, but the man—no, the demon is gone. You don’t get to ponder how that’s possible, before you hear a scream from other side of the door. You instantly recognize the cry belonging to your best friend, and you feel your blood turn to ice in your veins at her panicked screams because she sounds absolutely terrified.

You fling yourself towards the door and grasp the handle, jiggling it frantically, before you realize you’re locked in the bathroom from the outside. You pound on the bathroom door, calling out for your best friend to run, but your voice is drowned out by the sound of roaring flames from outside of the door. You feel the wood heat up to insane levels under your palms, and it takes you a moment to realize you can’t hear your best friend outside the door any more.

You quickly devolve into hysterical sobs, sinking to the bathroom floor, as you slow, methodical foot-steps walk past the door and down the stairs. You swear you hear the faint screams of your two other friends’ downstairs, but they fall silent all too soon as well.

You don’t know how long you’re stuck in the bathroom for, but eventually, you hear a click from the bathroom handle, signaling that the door had somehow unlocked itself. You slowly push yourself to your feet and shakily open the door, only to let out a blood-curling scream at the sight that awaits you out in the hall.

The hallway is a mess. The walls are blackened, and look like they’ve been ravaged by fire. The air is thick and smoky, making you gag on the ash that floats through the air like gray snow, but the true horror is what lies just outside the bathroom door.

There is a corpse a foot away from the bathroom and you already know it’s your best friend as you take in what’s left of her. She’s burnt so badly that you can barely make out any distinguishable features, much to your horror, but you know it’s her. You rip your eyes away from her as you reach violently – you can’t bring yourself to look at her any longer otherwise you’ll lose what little of your sanity remains. For some reason you suddenly remember what she told you about the other people who’d stayed in the house before you and your friends had arrived – how they had met violent, fiery ends themselves – and you know she befell the same fate as them.

You hadn’t understood how it had been possible at the time. Now you understood all too well.

You don’t even have time to properly morn her, before it occurs to you that you left your other friends’ downstairs, and you don’t know where they are. You choke broken apologies to your dear friend as you stagger away from her, knowing there isn’t anything you can do for her now, and force your legs to descend the stairs, dreading what awaits you on the lower level of the house.

The downstairs hasn’t fared much better. The air is stagnant and a thick haze of smoke rolls overhead, followed by the potent smell of burnt flesh. The smell gets worse the closer you come to the kitchen, and a fresh wave of tears stings your eyes as you peer overtop of the counter, only to come face to face with two other freshly charred corpses on the other side of it. Just like that, any hope you had of your other friends making it out of the house are shattered, and you know that your friends are no more.

Your legs give out, and you hit the refrigerator hard as you crumple onto the floor. You whimper and shake as you sob into your palms, barely able to process what the hell happened to your friends. The terrifying thing is, you know what happened – or rather – who happened, and you don’t know what he is or where he is, and that thought petrifies you.

Almost as if he can sense your thoughts; the air around you heats up to concerning levels, and you know the scarred man is standing directly in front of you. You don’t bother looking up, keeping your face buried in your hands as you sob. You don’t see much of a point facing him, you already know what he’s going to do to you. You wait for the searing blue flames he’d shown you in the bathroom to tear you apart, much like it did your friends, but blistering heat never comes.

Instead, you hear the man—Touya, Dabi—you’re not particularly sure what to call him now – huff, before two heated hands slide under your arms and pull you into a standing position much to your protest. You try and push him away, but he only tightens his grip on you as you try and bat at him through your tears.

“You—you killed them.” you sob as you try and dislodge his hold on you. “Why? Why Touya? What did they ever do to you?”

“They were irritating me. They had to go.” The dark-haired man states plainly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Surely you didn’t think that your friend was exaggerating when she showed you my house’s history. I don’t like unwelcome guests. Especially annoying ones.”

“Oh god you killed all those people.” You cry as your mind flashes back to the extensive history your best friend had shown you of the horrid deaths that had occurred on and around the property. You steel your nerves best you can before you dare to ask your next question: “So, you’re going to do the same to me aren’t you?”

Dabi falls silent at your question, and you feel his hold on you shift slightly as his thumbs rub circles onto your arms in what you assume is a feeble attempt at comfort. “No.”

“No?” you echo incredulously through your tears. “What do you mean, no? You had no problems murdering my friends. What makes me any different?”

“I don’t know.” Dabi hums and you see he wears a thoughtful expression on his scarred face as e takes you in. “I don’t know what makes you different from the rest, but you are.”

You don’t bother hiding the shudder that makes it’s way up your spine at his choice of words. You don’t like what he’s implying, and your stomach twists itself into knots when he utters his next words:

“It’s decided. I’m going to keep you. You’re mine.”

You shake your head frantically. “No.”

Dabi smirks meanly. “You don’t have a choice.”

“I don’t belong to you. I’m not going anywhere with you.” You resume your desperate attempt to get out of his bruising hold on you. “Let go of me right now.”

“I don’t think so.” Dabi hisses, smoke pouring out of his mouth, halting your struggle. Your eyes widen impossibly, and the unshed tears in your eyes dry, as you watch the man in front of you start to change before your very eyes.

His haunting blue eyes grow even brighter, and you watch with horror as the part of his chest that isn’t covered by his ash-stained shirt starts to glow a frightening blue – almost as if he’s being lit up from inside his body like some sort of demonic jack-o-lantern. You can visibly see heat-waves vibrate the air around you, as his grip on you becomes white hot, to the point that you can feel your skin of your arms being burned into the shape of his hands. Smoke hisses out of the seams in his face as the pyromaniac pins you to the wall behind you, and suddenly all you see is white.

For a horrible second you think you’ve died – incinerated to nothing but ash – until you blink and realize the dark figure before you is no more. Instead, you find yourself staring at a white-haired man, dressed in a pale, flowing robe, which you faintly recognize as a traditional burial shroud.

For a second, you allow yourself to forget about the atrocities he’s committed. For a brief moment, he is simply Touya again; a small boy who lived and died all too soon. You don’t know how or why he came back as the creature that stands before you, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Touya is dead. All that remains is a damaged husk who wears what’s left of his face.

“What the hell?” you gasp as Dabi leans in close to you, grinning manically as he allows you to get a good look at him. It’s only then that you realize the burns on his face have somehow gotten worse, as well as the ones that mar the visible parts of his body from what you can see under his clothes.

“Do ya get it now?” he rasps, as his eyes adopt a hooded look. “I have powers far beyond what you can imagine. You can’t hope to escape from me, so you might as well accept it and submit to me willingly.”

“I don’t—” whatever you were about to say is cut off as the demon roughly smashes his lips onto yours, effectively silencing you, as he pulls you in.

You’re so disorientated all you can do is let him kiss you. The smell of sulfur that persistently clings to him invades your nose and makes you light-headed. You almost loose your fading grasp of what little remains of your sanity, until the faint smell of burnt meat brings you back to the depressing reality of your situation.

Your friends are dead. Killed by this demon’s wrathful flames. You can’t let him do the same to you. You have to get out of here.

Spurred by pure adrenaline, you kiss him back. You feel Dabi reflexively stiffen at your sudden eagerness, before he lets out a pleased nose at the action. His grip lessens on your arms, and you take your chance.

You wrench your arms out of his abnormally warm hands and shove him back from you. Dabi grunts and his eyes narrow dangerously at you as he registers what happened.

“Don’t you dare—” he starts, but you don’t let him finish his sentence. You bolt to the nearest exit which happens to be the side door that leads out into the backyard. You throw it open and hit the ground running, making a beeline towards the back of the property where the beginning of Sekoto forest starts. You figure if you can get to the woods, you’ll be able to hide and eventually find your way to the surrounding town so you can get help. To your horror, the outside world is pitch black, signaling night has fallen. Just how much time had passed since you’d first encountered the demon--?

A rumbling sound followed by an intense blast of heat and the deafening roar of fire has you turning back towards the mansion, only to scream in horror as you watch it erupt into an inferno of bright blue flames.

You fall backwards just on the edge of Sekoto forest as you watch as the manor is consumed by the blaze, only for your eyes to widen in pure fear as a figure emerges from the flames.

Dabi strolls out of the fire unscathed as if he’s taking a leisurely stroll somewhere, and not walking out of hell itself. His fiery blue irises find your frightened ones, and a slow grin spreads itself across his two-toned lips.

“That was dumb.” He admonishes you. “Do you really think you can escape from me? Just give up now and save yourself the trouble.”

You push yourself back up from off the ground. “No, I’m not going anywhere with you. If you want to take me, you’ll have to kill me first.”

His grin flickers slightly, and an unkind glint enters his eyes as he regards you cooly. “That can be arranged.” He rumbles low in his throat as he stalks towards you, moving faster then you thought possible.

You let out a yelp and book it into the dark woods behind you, running away from the inferno that was once a beautiful home, away from your friends, and away from the demon behind it all.

You hear him laugh once, a curt, sharp noise, as you flee into the dense underbrush.

“Run, little mouse.” He calls after you mockingly. “I will catch you, and once I do, you’re mine.”

You hope he won’t make good on that promise.

-----

Which brings you back to the predicament you currently find yourself in.

You’re still huddled behind the tree, contemplating what to do as you hear Dabi’s raspy voice continue to slowly count down from ten a few feet away from your hiding spot.

At some point you believe he may have set the forest on fire behind him when he entered in an attempt to smoke you out, because the ominous blue glow of his flames seems to be encroaching on your location from all sides, and the smoke in the air is getting progressively thicker, making it harder and harder to breathe.

You have no idea how long you’ve been dodging Dabi in the forest for, but dawn looks no closer to arriving then it did when you first escaped from the house. You don’t bother concealing your sobs as you cry freely, not knowing what to do.

You were trapped. You didn’t see a way out. He had you cornered on all sides, boxing you in.

He had lived up to his promise after all.

You glance up at the canopy of branches above your head, hoping to catch one last look at the stars, but you’re so far into the woods embrace, you can’t see their tiny lights.

You force a watery smile on your lips as you prepare to step out from behind the tree and face the pale haired demon.

At least you’d had a little bit of fun during the first part of your trip. You just wish your friends hadn’t had to die such pointless, painful deaths. They hadn’t deserved that.

You breathe in slowly and take a step out to the side, ready to face Dabi head-on in one last show of defiance, only to realize you don’t hear him counting anymore.

You whip your head around the tree to the spot you’d last heard him, only to discover he’s not there.

Your blood turns to ice in your veins as you recall how quickly he was able to move from one place to another, seemingly vanishing before your eyes, only to reappear in a completely different spot. It’s even more terrifying out in the total darkness of the forest.

The smell of sulfur enters your nose once more, and you turn back around, only to find yourself staring into burning turquoise eyes, surrounded by wine-tinted skin and surgical staples.

You don’t even have time to scream before a searing hand wraps itself around your throat, pinning your back to the tree as you gasp, and claw frantically at the charred skin of his forearm.  

“Found you.” Dabi hisses as he leans in, his eyes mocking as he scolds you. “Did you really think you’d be able to escape from me? Sekoto Peak was my playground when I was alive. I know this forest like the back of my hand. You couldn’t possibly hope to escape.”

“G-go to hell.” You sputter out, but he only throws his head back to laugh at your weak insult.

“Been there, done that. Hell doesn’t want me, Doll. They sent me back so I could fuck with my bastard of a father, and the weak, pathetic people he sends to my damn home.”

“So… all those people you killed… and my friends and me.” You wheeze, giving up at trying to dislodge his grip from your throat. What was the point anyways?

Something in his rage filled eyes softens as he regards you quietly. His free hand reaches up to trace one of your cheeks absentmindedly.

“No.” Dabi mutters, almost to himself. “Not you. I don’t know what makes you so different than the others that came before you, but I suppose I have an eternity to figure it out.”

A lone tear rolls down your cheek at his words, and he swipes it away before lessening his grip on your throat slightly so he can lean in to kiss you again.

This time, the kiss isn’t as rough or demanding as the first one It’s not tender, or sweet, but you can tell that for the first time in his life, he’s trying to be gentle. In his own warped way.

When he pulls back, he looks away from you to something behind him. You follow his gaze, and you feel your heart fall into the pit of your stomach as you see a black void materialize itself behind him out of thin air.

You don’t bother asking what it is. You already know.

You start to tremble violently. Dabi spares you an unreadable look as his scorched hand trails down your arm to grasp you hand tightly, his thumb warming circles on the back of your hand.

“You don’t need anyone else.” He tells you as he pulls away from you, not letting go of you hand. “I’ll take care of you from now on. You belong to me, I’ll be the only one you need. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Please don’t do this.” You beg him one more time. Trying to reach out to any remanent of Touya that remained locked away inside of the demon. “You don’t have to do this Touya.”

The white-haired man freezes slightly and spares you a singular glance over his shoulder, and it tells you all you need to know:

Touya is gone. He had been for a long time. All that remains is Dabi, and all he knows how to do is take. There will be no sympathy from him.

“Let’s go home.” He tells you quietly, as he pulls you into the dark void after him.

You regret the day you found that god-forsaken listing.

Breaking News: House Of Horrors Home Burns To The Ground.

Police have deemed blaze suspicious and are still looking for the cause of fire.

Four tourists were staying in the house at the time of arson. All woman in their twenties. So far three bodies have been found and identified. Police are still looking for the fourth woman.

If you have any information about the fire or the whereabouts of the missing woman, please call the non-emergency service number provided below.

[reyalvr]

IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL | 1

୨⎯ in which a reef boy seeks to prove himself worthy of a forest girl’s attention. ⎯୧

genre┊ slight slowburn, angst, & e2l, idiots-to-lovers, fluff, two-shot (?)

pairing┊ao’nung x fem-sully!reader

wordcount┊6.3k

warnings┊ movie spoilers

author’s note┊ yipee first fic on a new blog! hoping this doesn’t flop, but whatever happens, happens ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ. this also wasn’t proofread that well, so apologies if there are any mistakes <//3 this was inspired by this scene from the first avatar movie. i personally think ao’nung is better as neytiri’s counterpart but that’s just me :p happy reading! 

song recs┊happiness is simple, becoming one of “the people”, goodnight sweet possums. 

《✧》, 《✧✧》

The ocean breeze was cool against your skin, the water rippling around you as you rode atop your ilu. It would have been relaxing, had you not been actively searching for your idiot brother. Though the tides were calm, the sea blended into the vastness of the night sky. You found it difficult to navigate the waters, unable to tell where the sea ended and where the sky started. 

However tired you were, you pushed forward, determined to find Lo’ak and bring him back to the village safely. Everything happened in a blur – Ao’nung’s words sending you and your family into a frenzy, you hastily getting onto an ilu and riding out into the ocean. Your brother had sought out the reef boy to apologize for the events that occurred earlier that day, under strict orders from your father to reconcile with the chief’s son. 

That order was directed at you too, though you had no intention of following through with it. Rarely did you ever go against your dad, but this time you had good reason to do so. Ao’nung and his friends had deserved what had happened to them, and no way in hell were you going to succumb to his antics simply because of his rank in the clan. 

Ignoring your anger you called out into the silent air, waiting desperately for a call back. Lo’ak was a pain at times, but at the end of the day he was still your brother – your twin brother. He knew you better than anyone else and vice versa. If anything happened to him you would never forgive yourself – he was your responsibility as much as you were his. The bond between twins was forever sacred, and losing your other half would destroy you in ways nobody would be able to understand.

Your ilu started to thrash, signaling to you that she felt your worriedness and exhaustion. You stroked her head, assuring her that she would be able to rest soon. You wanted to believe that as well, believe that you would spot your brother any time now and leave your worries in the past. You said a silent prayer to Eywa, hoping that She would guide you to him.

The will of the Great Mother flowed through all of the People, and Her will gave you the strength you desperately needed. As you turned to check behind some of  the rocks, you caught a glimpse of a bioluminescent path fading away as you continued to near them. You saw him then, sitting on a rock catching his breath. You nearly flew off your ilu as you raced towards him, calling his name in relief.

“Lo’ak!” You yelled as you threw your arms around him, your heart beating erratically, unable to handle all of the emotions you were feeling. When you finally let him out of your grasp, you smacked him on the head before checking to make sure he was alright. 

“You are an idiot,” You said as you examined his body for wounds, making sure that there weren’t any serious ones. “What were you thinking! I told you it was useless to reconcile with that asshole.” 

He shook his head and placed a hand on your arm to reassure you that he was fine. “I know, but really sister, I am fine.” 

His calm demeanor was startling – in no way was he displaying any sort of fear or distress. It bothered you slightly, your brother wasn’t one to stay silent about anything. You tried to show that you understood, but you knew that he could see past the feigned look of acceptance on your face. 

Wasting no more time, you called out for your ilu and made sure that Lo’ak was secured properly before swimming back to the village. 

When you arrived, your father was the first to greet you guys, his arms instantly wrapping around both of you. He took a good look at Lo’ak and then you, and you could see the look of relief as he realized that Lo’ak was unharmed and you were fine. While he pulled your brother to the side to further examine him, you finally felt the gazes of the villagers all over you. 

You wanted to run away — you hadn’t gotten used to the stares yet, and you figured you never would. But you stood your ground, opting not to hide behind your brother and father. You caught the stare of a particularly familiar Metkayinan boy. You nearly hissed, your suppressed anger bubbling to the top of your head.

“You!” You yelled, your voice laced in venom as you started for Ao’nung. He stepped back, a defensive reaction as he hadn’t expected you to go after him in front of everyone. 

Before you could do anything else, you felt someone pull you back. You were about to shake out of their grasp until you realized it was your mother. Slowly, you yielded any efforts to fight against her. 

“Ma’ite,” She warned, her tone soft yet stern. “Be calm, my daughter. Do not be rash.” 

You swallowed any form of retort back — your mother was right to stop whatever outburst you were about to have. It was not wise to cause a scene, especially after what had just happened. 

You sighed, closing your eyes and bowing your head in response. With your mother reassured, she rushed over to Lo’ak and your father. You could hear her scold him, threatening to pluck his eyes out. You wanted to defend him, call out the real cause of this situation. But you held your tongue instead, tapping your foot unsteadily and swinging your tail back and forth. You looked up at Ao’nung and watched as he hung his head in shame. 

Serves him right. You wondered if he actually felt sorry for his actions or if he was just sorry that he was caught. It was most likely the latter — Ao’nung was set on making your lives a living hell the moment you landed in Awa’atlu.

“My son knows better than to take him outside the reef.” Tonowari announced suddenly, his voice booming in the night. “The blame is his.” 

Ao’nung was now bent on one knee, his head still hung in shame. He refused to look at anything but the ground, and he especially did his best to avoid your searing gaze. Seeing him pay for his antics was rewarding, and you could finally feel a weight being lifted off your shoulders.

The feeling went away as soon as it came though, as Lo’ak had decided to speak on behalf of Ao’nung. “No, this is not Ao’nung’s fault. This was my idea.” 

You immediately grabbed his arm, pulling him to face you. You hissed his name quietly, trying to stop him from doing whatever it was that he was planning. He could not take the blame for this – it was not right. You weren’t gonna allow Ao’nung to walk away from this unscathed, hell, you weren’t gonna let him walk away at all. 

“My brother is lying.” You said, cutting off whatever excuse your brother was about to spew out of his mouth. “He was tricked, deceived-” 

“I am not lying, I speak the truth.” He said, ignoring your menacing glare. He gave you a look as if to say leave it be. “Ao’nung tried to talk me out of it.” 

You let go of your brother’s arm, fury taking over your body. Eywa give you the strength, you could not believe that he was willingly defending the very boy who had left him out there to die. Your father quickly ushered the both of you out of the crowd, apologizing to Tonowari in the process. 

You could hear the hushed interrogation of Tonowari and Ronal as you passed, asking him if it were true. You saw him glance at you from your peripheral, but you made no move to do the same. Of course he was gonna use the cover-up your brother provided for him, he would be a fool not to. 

But he would be a coward if he did. You held your head up high, wishing that after this you wouldn’t have to deal with his torment anymore. 

When you were far enough away from the crowd, Lo’ak had gotten another scolding from your dad. He gave no fight, no argument against the warning your father had strictly given him. When all was said and done he simply walked away, his face void of any emotion.

With Lo’ak gone your dad turned his attention towards you. “And you,” he paused, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What were you thinking, going out there? I told you to stay put but you rode out without any warning.” 

Unlike your brother you didn’t hang your head low, nor did you remain silent. “He is my brother, father. My twin. You cannot expect me to  just sit around and do nothing. And if I recall, I was the one who found him and brought him back.” 

Your father’s lips were pressed into a thin line, and you could tell that your attitude was causing him to reach his tipping point. Your ears went down as you stopped yourself from arguing any further, not wanting to cause your parents any more stress. Your father was quiet, though his stare felt like a thousand poisoned-tipped arrows driving into your heart. 

“I just wanted to make sure he was alright. That is all.” You kept your head down this time, your tone less defensive. 

“Just go, get some rest. Do not get into any more trouble.” Was all your father said in response, turning to look away from you. 

You sighed heavily as you walked away, your heart heavy and your mind clouded. Even in the safety of your family’s marui, their presence was a heavy reminder of the shame you and your brother had brought upon them. As you laid in your hammock, you tried to will away any lingering thoughts of the day. It would do you no good, this self pity. 

The next day, you were up before everyone else. You kept quiet as you crept out of the pod, your footsteps light and weightless. Once you were outside you took a moment to appreciate the village at this hour, basked in a comforting dimness and solitude. 

It was a nice feeling in contrast to the day before; even if it was just for a brief moment. You continued on your way, heading straight for the cliff formation that stood tall at the end of the beach. It merged straight into the forest, which gave you easy access to the ikrans and the trees. You had discovered the path a few weeks ago, back when you were still learning the ways of the Metkayina. 

You had fallen off your ilu countless of times, each failure met with wicked laughs from Ao’nung and his circle of friends. You were embarrassed to say the least, but you stayed for the rest of the session. Giving into their torment would have only made them happier. 

So when your training finally ended, you wasted no time in rushing out of the water. You had no destination in mind, your body only moving to get away. Then when you suddenly came face to face with the large rock that seemed desolate, you took it as a sign from Eywa that it would be your new getaway. 

As you climbed your way up, the sunrise followed you soon after. You could feel the sun’s rays on your back, gracing you with a warm embrace. Only when you were at the top were you finally able to take in the view. 

Catching the sunrise was always a sight to behold, but it felt extra special knowing that you were alone in your peace, able to enjoy the moment on your own. You watched as the water reflected the sun’s rays, the sea glimmering like a mythical portal into another world. 

And you supposed that it actually was; the sea was a whole nother world, its waters harboring all sorts of life. You watched as a tsurak leaped out of the water, its bright orange wings spreading out widely before diving back into the ocean. The wildlife of Awa’atlu never ceases to amaze you – most especially tales of the tulkun that were told to you by Tsireya and Rxoto. 

You thought back to the night where Tsireya had introduced the topic of kinship bonds between the Metkayina and the tulkuns. It reminded you of your own bonding ceremony, the Iknimaya. However different your worlds were, there would always be similar aspects to the way of life. 

You shared the longing feeling with them, missing your spirit bond. Though your ikran wasn’t away for migration, it had been a while since the last time you took your banshee out for a flight. Back at home, you would take her out for rides almost every single day, slowly becoming one of the best taronyus your clan had ever seen since the days before the war. 

Your beautiful banshee had chosen you before you had even properly stood your ground during your ceremony. You remembered the first time you had ridden her on your own – it was like a match made in heaven between you two. All hunters shared one mind with their ikran after tsaheylu, but your connection was different. 

Even before you bonded with her before rides, she was already aware of your next move. At first you had thought it was because your ceremony had gone so well, but then you learned the truth. She was traced back to your mother’s first ikran, Seze. Your mother, unaware that her banshee had had a clutch of eggs, was just as surprised as you were. 

“Ikran will fly with only one hunter, ma’ite. They choose you, just as much as you choose them.” She had said one night, brushing your hair lovingly by the glowing fire. “It seems that Seze has found her way back to us – to you.” 

You smiled softly, the memories of your clan slowly calming your heart. Lost in your thoughts, you nearly missed the sounds of rustling vines by the side of the cliff. You instantly got up from your spot, your hand already hovering the hunting knife strapped to your chest. You wanted to peer over the ledge, see whatever it was that climbing and making such a ruckus. 

And you were about to, had it not been for the sudden appearance of a light-blue finned arm. Whoever it was, they struggled immensely to bring themselves up over the ridge. Then you heard the voice of the mystery person (who now, was not so mysterious).

Ao’nung finally threw himself over onto the surface of the cliff, huffing and panting as he paused to lay down. You stood over him, your looming figure blocking the morning sun from stinging his eyes. You crossed your arms, not saying anything to him as he continued to catch his breath. It was strange, really, this so-called mighty hunter so winded out after one climb. 

When he finally caught his breath, he looked up at you and smiled. The audacity of this jerk, smiling at you as if he were your friend. “Hi, you.” He said, his fangs showing as he continued to grin up at you.

His tone was different today. When he spoke to you it was usually either with quick annoyance or condescending mischief. You tilted your head to the side, your eyebrow raising up in confusion. 

“You?” You repeated, already mildly irritated. 

He stood now, making sure to keep his distance from you. That was more like it. “Yeah,” he paused, now slowly walking up to the other side of the ledge. “You.” He mimicked your almost-outburst last night, even furrowing his non-existent brows the same way you did. 

You stuck your tongue into your cheek, closing your eyes in the process. Eywa, you hated him. You hated everything about him. You hated his attitude, you hated his antics, you hated him. 

“Do not do such things when you are standing next to me on a high cliff.” You threatened. To hell with your dad’s orders, if he crossed you one more time you were seriously going to consider throwing him off by his tail. 

He raised his hands in defense, the same way he did at the beach. You wanted  nothing more than to smack that smug look off of that bastard’s face. You pitied Tsireya for having this skxawng for an older brother, and even more for the baby on the way. 

“You can clearly tell that I do not wish to be near you,” You said, now turning to face him. “So why are you still here?” 

His smug demeanor slowly started to falter, and you could see that he was actually, for once in his life, thinking about what he was gonna say next. That was not more like it.

“Look, I understand that it might be too late now,” He reached around to scratch the back of his neck, his eyes darting to the water as if to look for the right words to say. “I wanted to apologize. Properly, this time.” 

Your jaw nearly fell to the ground. To say you were shocked would be an understatement, you were absolutely bewildered at what had just come out of this boy’s mouth. Ao’nung, notorious for never bending down to anyone who he deemed was below him, was apologizing to you. 

You laughed then, understanding now what he was trying to do. Of course it couldn’t be real, he was messing with you. “Oh,” you exaggerated. “I get it now! It’s another joke- another one of your tricks.” 

“Oh man, you almost got me.” You patted him on his shoulder, clenching your stomach in your fit of fake giggles. “Keep that acting up and you’ll definitely be qualified for next week’s bonfire performance.” 

Now he was the one confused. He followed after you as you made your way into the forest, your laughter slowly starting to subside. You walked faster, hoping to lose him the moment you started gaining momentum. 

“[Y/N] please, it is not a joke.” He called after you, and you could hear him stumble on the overgrown path as you continued to ignore him. You did not reply, only focusing on getting him off your back.

“[Y/N] I am not lying to you, nor am I trying to make a fool out of you,” He finally caught up to (unfortunately), his head tilted downwards as he waited desperately for an acknowledgment. 

That last line was what got you. He wasn’t trying to make a fool out of you? Did he seriously think you were going to believe that? You stopped abruptly and faced him now, your eyes shooting daggers into his skull. 

“You cannot expect me to believe that,” You spat at him, jabbing your finger into his chest as you spoke. “Have you already forgotten about last night, hm? About how you left my brother out there to die?” 

“I did not-“ He started, but he shut his mouth as soon as he opened it. 

At that point you were beyond pissed, last night’s fury overtaking your body once more. Here you were, thinking you could at least have one morning to yourself. Oh how mistaken you were. You backed him into a tree, finger still pressed into his chest. However, his expression showed no signs of anger; not even a slight retaliation to your confrontation. 

You wanted to yell at him, scream at him. You wanted him to hear your words, to know how many nights he had left you sleepless because of a heavy heart. Oh Eywa, you wanted him to hear you. 

“I cannot express how much I loathe you. How much I wish to skin you alive.” You said, your words laced in silent but deadly anger. “I have been nothing but kind to you! I let you get away with your stunts because I had to respect you – respect your rank.” 

You felt hot tears start to form, but you did your best to force them away. He had already seen how you handled your outbursts, you weren’t about to let him see you vulnerable as well. Still he remained silent, a gray look painting his features.

“You say that you want to apologize, but what did you do when you found me this morning? You mocked me. You found it hilarious that I thought my brother was gone.” Your bottom lip quivered, a frown starting to form on your lips. 

You turned away quickly, hands flying to cover your eyes. Great, you thought. The tension in the air was so thick that even a hunter’s knife wouldn’t be able to make a dent. He spoke up then, but his voice was soft as he went on. 

“I am sorry. So deeply sorry, [Y/N].” Was all he could muster up at that point. “You are right, what I did to you and your family was not right. I was- am a fool.” 

You turned slightly, finally making proper eye-contact with him. Ao’nung looked at you, really looked at you, and not with pity. He was ashamed – so, so, ashamed for what he had done. It was a genuine look of shame that it nearly spooked you. Reef people spoke not only with their words, but with their eyes as well. He kept his gaze on you, waiting for you to respond, to lash out – to do anything. 

“I want to make things right. In fact I’ve already started,” He made his way in front of you, his eyes never leaving your silent figure. “I spoke with Lo’ak last night, though it was only brief. He did what he did because he wanted to spare me the shame I would get if my parents realized that I was the one who brought him out there. Imagine that? The guy whose life I risked defending me because he didn’t want me to get hurt.” 

You stared at him for a moment, lips slightly parted. You had no doubt that he was speaking the truth – you knew the way your brother handled things. He thought of everyone else before him, always doing things to make sure other people were comfortable.

“So what is your plan for mending things with me? Or is an apology all you came here for?” You asked, the angry sadness within you slowly melting away as you heard him out. 

Never in your life did you think you were going to see Ao’nung fix up his act, but now he was proving you wrong. He took a deep breath before speaking again. 

“I want to understand you – to know who you are. I know that I’ve shut down any of your attempts to show me your true skills before, but I am ready to learn from you – only if you let me. I will not force you to do so if you do not wish to.” 

At that moment it was just the two of you, surrounded by the lush nature of Awa’atlu’s forest. The sun had peaked high enough to where its rays shone through the canopies and bushes, the light of it glowing around the both of you. You watched the way his chest rose and fell, the way his fingers twiddled at his side. He really meant it. That was really not more like it. You waited a few seconds before nodding your head slowly. 

“Okay.” You said, voice so soft that a normal human wouldn’t have been able to hear it. “I will show you. But only after will I decide if you are worthy of my acceptance.” 

Ao’nung sighed in relief, a small, satisfied smile starting forming on his lips. “So, when can we start?”

You turned away from him once again, this time making your way out of the forest. By now village life would be starting, and that meant that your family would be up as well. Once the both of you were back on the cliff’s ledge, you were able to see the fishermen setting up their posts, the healers gathering medicinal plants from the farms. Their lives were so simple here – empty of any human influence. 

And now you had the chance to do the same – to live freely without the fear of forever being an outcast. 

“After eclipse. We will meet back here, do not be late or I will assume that you have no intention of keeping your word.” You said without looking at him, making your way down to the vines. 

Before you lost sight of him though, you caught a glimpse of his gleeful expression. His smile had only grown bigger from when you agreed to let him into your life. 

That was most definitely not more like it. 

To your surprise, Ao’nung had already made it up to the ledge before you. Still unaware of your presence, he leaned quietly against one of the trees, humming an unfamiliar tune. He was looking up at the sky, admiring the brightness of each star against the hues of dark blues and purples. 

“You’re early.” You announced, your voice pulling him out of his trance.

“Of course. I promised that I was going to prove myself, didn’t I?” He replied, a slightly playful tone hinted in his words. 

You ignored whatever it was and went straight into the forest, not waiting for him to follow. If he wanted to know who you were, the first thing he had to do was learn how to keep up with you. All this time you had to work under his pace, now he had to work under yours. 

He was smart enough to know that, and he followed as you ventured deeper into the forest. Much like in the Omitikaya, their forests were littered with bioluminescent plants that illuminated the dark spots. You were used to navigating places in the dark, but Ao’nung on the other hand, was not. You stopped yourself from giggling every time you heard him bump into something. 

“We are almost there.” You said, turning your head to look at him briefly as you continued walking. “I hope you still have energy to climb.” 

You heard his quiet complaints, but he continued forward. You smiled to yourself, feeling a sense of accomplishment for finally being able to boss him around for once. After a few more turns, you had finally reached one of the larger trees. 

“You ready?” You asked quite cheerfully, something that Ao’nung took note of. Forest girl in the forest, of course you would be happy. 

“Lead the way.” He said, his hand gesturing for you to show him the way up. 

You were swift as you lifted yourself by the vines, relishing in the feeling of being in your element. Sure, being in the water was fun, but being able to swing and jump from branch to branch was something entirely different. The forest was all you knew before coming to Awa’atlu, and as the sky people say, old habits die hard. 

You looked down to see Ao’nung trying his best to mimic the way you were climbing. You were slightly impressed, seeing him pull himself up even though you knew he was already starting to get tired. Now he had a glimpse of what it felt like to be you – adapting to a new setting, learning the ways of a whole nother clan.

When you had finally reached the wide branch pathway, you bent down to offer him a hand. He waved you off, assuring you that he was perfectly capable on his own. You shrugged your shoulders and got up, making your way to the archway made up of overlapping branches. The leaves of the neighboring trees created a makeshift entrance, adding to the hidden aspect of what was behind it. 

“What is this place?” He asked, his expression filled with curiosity. 

He was a sweaty mess, and you were only able to tell because of the glowing flowers that grew on the bark of the trees. And also because he stood beside you now, closer than usual. The branch was wide but it would only go so far. He had to stay close to you if he didn’t want to fall to the ground or into the sea. 

“Come, I will show you.” You pushed the leaves aside, revealing a path to another tree, only this one was larger than before. 

Its canopy was so rich in greenery that it felt almost foreign to him, like someone had lifted it from another forest and planted it here. The branches on it intertwined with one another, creating a beautiful, intricate pattern. Ao’nung had lived here all his life, yet he could not believe that such a sight was present here all this time.

His hand rested on the top of the archway, which caused him to lean over you slightly as he took in this newfound view. You looked up slightly, watching him admire his new surroundings. From your position you could hear his heartbeat; slowly returning to a normal rhythm from the exertion a few moments ago. 

What was odd was that your heart was the one beating erratically. It was fast, faster than what you normally felt after a climb. You coughed as you moved forward, breaking the silence between you two. Ao’nung followed you soon after, though his eyes were still locked on the tree in front of him. 

“So, you want to know who I am?” You started walking backwards, a feat that shocked Ao’nung. Even though you were this high up, you were well balanced. You didn’t hesitate with your steps, nor did you struggle with the bumps on the path. “Watch and learn.”

You called out into the night, your voice uluating as you waited for a response. The leaves of the tree started to rustle, and you heard the familiar growls of a certain ikran. She leaped out then, her wings flapping in excitement as she recognized your call. 

“Sìlpey!” You exclaimed, hurriedly running towards her. Her head leaned towards you as you reached out to stroke her leathery wings. “My sweet girl, I have missed you.” 

You reached into the pouch at your side, grabbing for one of the fishes you slipped out of your family’s basket. Ikrans were more than capable of hunting for their own food, but you enjoyed giving Sìlpey a treat once in a while. She happily took it from your hands, gulping it down as soon as she had it in her mouth. 

“Tam-tam, Ma’Sìlpey.” Your voice was smooth and calming, and you hadn’t felt happiness like this in a while. It had engulfed you fully, and you nearly would’ve forgotten about Ao’nung’s presence had it not been for your ikran’s sudden roar. 

You turned sharply and ran towards him, tugging his arm. He looked down at you, mouth agape and eyes wide. In your haste to make it up here, you had forgotten to tell him about the rules when it came to encountering ikrans. 

“Do not look into her eyes. They do not take kindly to strangers.” You whispered, making sure he understood you correctly. He averted his gaze to bark of the branch, cautious with next movements. 

You made your way back to your banshee, stroking her head this time. You brought kuru up to hers, making tsaheylu with her before mounting her properly. Once you were sat securely, you let out a long, suppressed laugh. Oh how you missed this, missed being one with your spirit sister. Ao’nung slowly looked up, making sure to focus solely on you. He grinned at your laughter, taking in this new expression of yours.

“You seem happy.” He said, crossing his arms in the process. He stepped back a bit giving your ikran more room to move around. 

“Oh reef boy, happy doesn’t even begin to describe it.” You replied, or rather, shouted. 

He blinked. Reef boy, huh?

“This is who I am. I am a hunter — taronyu.” You shifted in your seat, clutching onto the leather straps of Sìlpey’s harness. “Ikrans are not like ilus or direhorses.” 

He watched in fascination as you willed her to calm down. He had heard stories of the ikrans before, tales of riders from the eastern sea who took pride in their spiritual connections with them. But seeing one in real life was different. 

He had caught a glimpse of  Sìlpey during your arrival, but now that he was close enough to admire her, he understood why you loved her as much as you did. 

“Once you have chosen an ikran, they will only fly with you for the rest of their life.” You explained, stroking her head once again. “Sìlpey is the daughter of my mother’s first ikran. She and I are not like most taronyus.” 

“How do you know?” He asked, purely out of curiosity. He genuinely wanted to know how you knew you were different. He saw you in a different light now — gone was the quiet girl who succumbed to his ridiculous antics. You were a warrior in your own right, and he felt the sense of shame creep up on him again as he remembered the way he treated you. 

“Watch.” You said, climbing off of your ikran. You walked away from her with a look, as if you were speaking to her through your mind. She flew back into the trees, and only when she was out of sight did you turn to face him. 

“Do not yell.” You said to him as you adjusted the riding straps on your arms. 

He was about to ask you what you meant by that when you suddenly leapt off the branch, arms outstretched as you fell closer and closer into the sea. 

“[Y/N]!” He yelled as he moved forward, stopping himself once he realized he was going to slip if he continued any further. When he looked back down, you were nowhere to be seen. 

He felt his heart drop to his stomach. His palms began to sweat as he actively tried to search for you, hoping to spot you somewhere in the water. He was just about ready to dive himself, until he heard a loud screech behind him.

He spun around almost instantly, his eyes wide in realization. You were sitting comfortably on your ikran, suspended in the air. The moonlight illuminated the both of you, the white glow highlighting your features. You were laughing, genuinely laughing, and your ikran spun the both of you around before finally moving closer to him. 

“I told you not to yell.” You said through your laughs, your smile still plastered brightly onto your lips. 

He sighed, half in relief and half in annoyance. “You didn’t tell me you were going to jump off! That hardly seems fair.” 

You moved to land back onto the branch, dismounting yourself once again. “You have hardly been fair yourself, have you not?” You said, although your tone was not angry. Rather, it seemed like you were teasing him.

He shook his head. Impossible, he thought. She will never think of you that way, she is here because you want to make things right. 

“It’s getting late.” Ao’nung said, turning to face towards the archway. “We need to get back soon.”

You only nodded in response, turning to say your goodbyes to Sìlpey. She crowed and thrashed, and you felt terrible for leaving alone again. “I will return soon, I promise.” With one last stroke to her wings, you turned around to meet Ao’nung outside the archway. 

“So, taronyu,” He said as you finally made your way to him. “What’s after this?”��

“We will meet here again. Tomorrow, after eclipse. Do not be late or-“ 

“‘-I will assume that you have no intention of keeping your word’, yes I know.” He finished for you. “I told you, I will prove myself to you.” 

You stared at him, humming in response. You made your way down the tree, and he followed close behind you. The walk back was quiet between the two of you, the mystery of surprise gone for the day. You wouldn’t call it awkward, just, unusual. 

At the cliff’s ledge, you paused to wait for Ao’nung to catch up to you. When he finally stood next to you, you turned to ask him something that you had failed to mention earlier during your guys’ first encounter.

“How did you know I was here this morning?” You asked as you looked up at him, searching his eyes for any hints of lies. 

“I know you come here often.” Was all he replied, saying it as if it were a common fact.

“Bullshit, not even my own twin brother knows about this place.” You scoffed. 

“Because your brother doesn’t pay attention to you the way that I have to.” He replied, his voice stern. “When you snuck off that day after training it took me a while to find you. Imagine my surprise when I saw you up there, sitting alone in silence.”

You were shocked at this information, you were certain that nobody came around this part of the island — at least not where you went. And why had he said nothing about this? Why did he leave you be? By no means were you complaining, but it was just not like him to be so — considerate.

“You are full of surprises lately, reef boy.” You said, leaving him alone once again as you made your way down the vines.

Ao’nung felt his cheeks heat at the nickname, and he thanked Eywa that it was night so that you wouldn’t be able to see the purplish tint across his cheeks. 

“Good night, forest girl!” He called out to you.

“Tomorrow! Do not be late!” Was all you responded with. 

Although, the voice in the very back of your head wished to say good night to him as well.

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[alpaca-clouds]

Two weeks ago, @agramuglia uploaded the cut version of the stream he did with Charlie Knight on disability representation in fantasy worlds. And given that around the same time we had a bit of a discussion in my blog about the same issue in regards of BG3, I want to share some thoughts on this. Mind you, I am also picking up some stuff in regards to the amazing videos that Oakwyrm does on disability representation.

Because there are two topics that are so often not brought up in this context. And I am kinda saddened and a bit annoyed by this. So, let me talk about it. Because the topics of what kind of disability we see in fantasy and science fiction and what kind we don't see is actually a big topic.

Generally most fantasy disabilities fall into one of two categories:

Acquired disabilities (often in forms of missing limbs or a missing eye) that were acquired under dramatical, tragic, or heroic circumstances.

Fantasy-setting specific disabilities (for example a character who cannot fly in a setting, where everyone else can fly, or of course the classic "non-magic character in a magic world").

The first kind is the stuff we see probably most of. Again, often we see this in form of missing limbs, that depending on the setting are either replaced with some sort of magic prothesis. Ideally this is handled at least like it is in Fullmetal Alchemist, where the prothesis does not always work perfectly and needs some maintanance. Sadly, though, in a lot of cases the magic prothesis is perfect, and also other stuff that usually comes to play in regards of missing limbs (like phantom pain and related issues) do not really come to play.

Same goes with some sort of magical glass eyes and so on, if characters are missing an eye. I will not even start with the fact that glass eyes in fantasy are always perfect little balls rather than how those actually look in reality.

And either way: Usually the way those limbs and eyes have gone missing, there is really a big story behind it. In real life very typical ways for people to loose limbs is stuff like simple injuries that lead to infections, or accidents that were really kind of silly. Not in fantasy or scifi. There you do not geenrally lose a limb, unless you lose it to a dragon or devil (or I guess in a desperate attempt to revive your mother). There is always a good story behind it.

And then there are the other kind of disability we see, which the more metaphorical disability. Yes, within a world were everyone can do magic, the person who cannot do magic is disabled. Yes, within the world where everyone can fly, the person who cannot is also disabled. And yes, Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3 with her engine that is killing her has also a disability within the context of the world - as does Gale with his orb, or Shadowheart with her magic pain attacks. Heck, you could make the argument that in a way Astarion as a vampire also has magical disabilities.

But what bugs me so much about this is... The lack of all the stuff that does not get shown.

A lot of people have already spoken about how rarely we see some sort of wheelchair in fantasy settings. (In SciFi we often then see the flying wheelchairs, that are an issue on their own, though that is something I will have to talk about at another time.)

But there is so much more that we usually do not see.

Missing limbs make up around 7-8% of all disabled people. And those are mostly older people, given that - again - limb loss usually occurs because the body struggles to heal a wound and the limb needs to be amputated to prevent infactions from spreading and such. (Almost 90% of people who loose their limps are also older than 45 when they do.)

A lot of disabilities (the vast majorities) are in fact some sort of cognitive disabilities. And sure, we do see quite a few characters that are autism-coded or ADHD-coded in media. Exhibit A would be Dungeon Meshi, of course, but I mean, we all can probably name a few characters that read very autistic or hyperactive. But those are also usually the variations of those where yes, the characters might experience some disability from it, but... We do not have an autistic non-verbal protagonist, do we now?

And then there is of course all those other disabilities. I mean, I cannot imagine a single example of a character with trisomnie in fantasy or scifi media. I also have not seen a character with my disability (severely limited lung function) in fantasy or scifi before - even though, mind you, scifi could probably easily create a device that would allow someone like me to live fairly normally. You will also rarely ever find a character with something like athritis or other forms of rheumatic illness in fantasy and scifi settings. And generally speaking, with a few exceptions there are barely any characters who were born with their disabilities or have acquired their disabilities through sickness of one way or another - even though this is by far in the real world the most common way of acquiring a disability.

Other stuff we do not see: Limb differences, anything that is perceived as disfiguring (and even if those are described in books, they usually get toned down HEAVILY in movies or games, and of course anything that is related to food.

With this I am not saying that the other disabilities - those we see - are bad. But I am saying that we absolutely deserves to see those other disabilities too. And not just in some realworld drama stuff. (I mean, when it comes to depictions of a character with down syndrome in media, I can only think of one good example, which is Ansel in Stumptown, which is very much just crime drama. But that is like the one time I can think of that a character with that disability who is given agency by the plot, and who gets to have his own life, with a job, and a girlfriend and everything.)

And yeah...

Like, the two pieces of fantasy media I wanna point out as being actually pretty darn good with disability representation of a wide variety of disabilities are:

Witch Hat Atelier: This series basically focuses on the question of morality in regards to using magic to cure - and using magic to cure disabilities, too. Because of this, we see a variety of disabilities, including disabilities people were born with, disabilities acquired through sickness or through dramatic plot reasons and so on. This is really, really good in that regard.

The Witcher novel series: I hate it so much that this is something that all the adaptions just ignore. The Witcher books are very, very heavy in dealing with disabilities in a lot more realistic matters. The fact that magicians mostly are disabled people, for whom the society does not have any other use than learning magic (for whcih they get cured of their disability, and the books actually dare to quesiton "Is that a good thing?") is one part. But Geralt himself is fairly disabled, as he is dealing with chronic pain and has a limp. Gods, I would murder for a good adaption of these books

[naeverse]

I have some news to share...😕

Hello, everyone. I have some news to tell you all, and it took me by surprise when I discovered it. Firstly, I just want to say thank you to a wonderful person on this app for telling me (don't know if you would like a shout out or not, DM me if you do, but you know who you are), but without you, I would have never known, so thank you so much!! ❤❤

But onto the news, like I stated previously, a wonderful person sent me a post that someone had published a story here on Tumblr that was literally copied and pasted from my own story, "Lapdog," with a simple change of the characters, and some dialogue that contained Spanish was reverted to English. I never gave this person authorization to use my work, and they literally took complete ownership of it, even stating: "It took me 5 hours to make." When, in reality, "Lapdog" took me 2 days and even more to edit and write. 🤧😅

I was greatly upset when I saw this; honestly, I was shocked for a good while before getting advice from my sis, @powerful-niya, on how to handle this situation. I had completely forgotten that plagiarism and the stealing of one's work could even happen, so when this occurred, it really took me by surprise. 😔

What further hurt me was the sight of this person fully claiming my work as theirs. They received many asks and comments about how good "their" story was and when a part 2 would be posted, and they responded saying: "Hii!! So a ton of people have been asking me about a part 2, and I mentioned that I would think about making the part two." And this one really got to me: "So some wise words would be to stick around for a bit, to see if it gets uploaded or not, but don't take this as a definite yes, because I'm still not sure."

It literally sounded like they were waiting on my second part of Lapdog to be uploaded to simply steal that one as well. I held very conflicting emotions: hurt, anger, sadness, and possibly even a little fear. However, with the help of some great besties here on Tumblr and from home, I was able to get through it. Here's a shoutout to those wonderful individuals, and I'm so thankful for you, girlies. I really appreciate the support! ❤😊

@serpentineaerodynamics, @grumpypixistix, @powerful-niya, @luvrxbunny, @amariiyagurl

(Also, thank you once again to the person who initially told me about this; I'm extremely grateful!) ❤

Lastly, I didn't make this post to spread hate to this person; that's the last thing I want. I uploaded this to spread awareness of my situation and how wrong it is to steal someone's work, who've poured every ounce of themselves into it, to simply get attention. 😕

Despite having little to no time to write, I still try to do a small amount on the weekends or in my free time (which is rare), but I try even still because I really enjoy writing, particularly writing about Miguel. So, that's why this incident greatly hurt me.

It's why I'm also thankful that I was able to take care of it, as the post has been removed; but I just wanted to notify my followers and anyone from their page who was deceived about what happened and why "their" story was removed from their blog.

Thank you, and I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day/night. Do not spread hate and steal others' work; it'll only bring harm to yourself in the end. Love you all and stay safe! ❤🤓👋🏽

[mikalara-dracula]

Nicknames that the boys (s+m+t+kino) would give their s/o

Nicknames the Diaboys would give their s/o—

Warning: 18+ content below; don't read if you're a minor and aren't comfortable with slight NSFW. This is a fictional work and should not be taken seriously.

Caution: Unfortunately, Tumblr has a history of admins quarreling over completing carbon copy asks due to users sending the same request(s) to multiple admins, thus, resulting in unintentional plagiarism. With this, please DO NOT send the same request to multiple blogs as it can cause unintended plagiarism discord to other blogs across Tumblr. The word “plagiarism” stems from the early 17th-century Latin word, “plagiarius,” meaning “kidnapper.” So please, do not send in the same request to multiple blogs and make admins appear to be “kidnapping” other people’s work when it isn’t their intention. If this is to occur with any of my posts, please contact me so we can work something out.

Hi there, Anon!

Thank you so much for requesting! I apologize for the wait! Hope you enjoy reading it. Feel free to request again anytime. :)

Made with: @liannelara-dracula

Shu:

Shu’s not super into nicknames, so he sticks to using his lover’s real name.

But every so often (depending on the situation), he’ll call his girl by a nickname.

Sappy girl/firecracker—He usually calls his lover this if they scold him for something or if they have a sharp tongue, to which he finds amusing.

Dirty girl—I mean, what girl does he not address as lewd? So, you can best bet he’s going to do the same with you.

Body pillow/my pillow—It’s just cuz he’s an ass and likes to use you as a body pillow in general.

Reiji:

Reiji doesn’t really give his lover nicknames, so he usually falls back on calling his s/o by their name or using more formal and elegant terms.

Dear/dearest/my dear—He’ll address you by any of these three when the moment is sweet, or he’s trying to get your attention in a sensible way.

Honey—He calls you this on rare occasions, or when he’s up for one of his famous “special” nights.

I can’t-

Laito:

Ohh, Laito’s all about nicknames and prefers to call his lover by those names rather than their real name since he’s quite playful. 

Baby—I mean, we’ve all heard him call Yui this, so you can best bet he’ll call his s/o this, especially when he wants to make things frisky.

Darling—He’ll call you this if he’s feeling romantic and pretty playful.

Naughty—I think this is pretty self-explanatory lmao. Usually calls you this if he thinks you’re provoking him, or if you in fact are.

Baby girl—He uses this either casually or sexually, such as in the bedroom or when you two are getting intimate elsewhere. It could honestly be anywhere with Laito xDD.

Ma Cherie—In bed, during aftercare.

Kanato:

In a relationship with Kanato, there’s a mix of nickname and real name usage.

He mostly leans towards using nicknames he’s made for his lover because he finds them significant to their character and his relationship with them.

Princess—If there’s one thing about Kanato, it’s that he likes to make his lover feel special, and because he’s not the type to date just anyone, *cough* Laito *cough* he believes his lover is more than worthy to be called this.

Doll—It’s because you resemble one in his eyes, beautiful and flawless. He’ll usually address you with this title when he’s trying to get your attention, or if he’s flattering you for something you did for him.

Gorgeous—Need I say much here? He calls you this because you are, it’s as simple as that.

Precious—Anyone who is Kanato’s lover is beyond precious in his eyes, so it’s only natural that he addresses his girl in this way since she’s his one and only.

Lover—Oooh, this one’s heavily romantic, and this is where he stands out the most from his brothers because he’s so original when it comes to flattery. He always knows exactly what to say to make anyone swoon. ME! Fuck!

Ayato:

Because Ayato’s not super formal, sweet nicknames are just not it for him. They typically range between teasing to minorly suggestive.

Pancake—He’ll call you this whether you’re flat or not. It’s just to annoy you because he sucks like that.

Babe—He’s a jock, so he’ll definitely revert to addressing his girl in this way rather often.

Bruh/Bro—He addresses his girl this way pretty casually since it’s part of his lingo. And on some days he calls her “brah” to change things up. xDD He’ll even go to using “dude” lmao. xDD

Captain—He usually calls you this when you’re asking him to do something or to help you out and he’s reluctant to do so. So, because he feels that you’re bossing him around, he’ll call you this to tick you off. Or, if he really wants to push things, he’ll call you “Reiji.” xDD

Subaru:

Dollface—He’s definitely going to call you this because you’re pretty. Like, no questions asked.

Babe—He prefers it over “baby,” and is pretty casual about using it towards you.

Shortie—He’ll call you this only if you’re shorter than him. Guess I’m in that club lmao. It’s just to annoy you since he sucks like that.

Pipsqueak—He finds this one really amusing to use, especially if you walk away from him during an argument. So, he’ll call you this to get your attention again even though you’re beyond pissed at him. Check out @liannelara-dracula’s post about this here.

Ruki:

Ruki usually refers to his s/o by their name, and just prefers it that way.

But if their name is really long, he’ll shorten it but add an interesting twist to it.

It’s so rare if he calls his girl by a nickname, it’s usually when he’s being a teasing fuck.

Angel/Angel face—This may sound sweet and all, but he’ll call his lover this in a more teasing than sensible way. It’s just cuz he’s an ass and we all know it.

Kou:

Kou is literally the king of nicknames. So he’s got all sorts for his lucky girl.

Kitten/Kitty—Calls you this when greeting or saying goodbye to you, following up with a kiss since he’s sweet like that.

Sugar/buttercup/cutie/cutie pie—Because Kou finds you adorable, he loves addressing you with these terms.

My love bug—He usually calls you this when you’re snuggled up next to him because he’s sentimental like that. Aww :’)).

Yuma:

Because of his teasing nature, Yuma has all sorts of nicknames for his lover.

Little pig/piglet—I mean, we see him call Yui and pretty much any other girl this, so it isn’t going to leave since he finds it amusing.

Toots—This is mostly just to annoy you since you roll your eyes at him every time he calls you this, to which it only fuels him to tease you more.

Babe—He uses this pretty casually with you. It’s become second nature in all honesty. Not that that’s a bad thing tho xDD.

My girl—He definitely prefers to call you this instead of addressing you as his girlfriend. He finds it hot.

Munchkin—If you’re shorter than him, you’re not escaping this nickname. For example, he’ll call you this if you’re helping him out in the garden, such as when he asks you to grab a tool for him.

Pumpkin—He harvests them, so of course he has to apply it to his relationship with you. He calls you this mostly because he finds it cute.

Azusa:

Eve—He calls Yui this all the time, so you can imagine he’s going to do the same with his lover. I seriously swear this guy has an Edennic kink of some sort.

Sweetie—He likes to call you this just to get your attention, it’s mostly cuz he’s genuinely sweet in nature.

My flower—This is honestly so cute. He usually calls you this whenever you two share a super soft moment. :))

Oh, my heart-

Carla:

Carla’s not one to really use nicknames since he’s ancient, so he usually calls you by your name.

But every once in a while, he does decide to address you differently, and because he likes to catch you off guard.

Sweetheart—OMG! He’ll call you this when you least expect it and it’s a surprise every time. It literally makes anyone’s heart skip a beat.

Future queen/my queen—This just depends on your relationship status with him, but make no mistake that he’s set on the idea of making you his queen even if you two haven’t gotten that far in your relationship yet.

Shin:

Like Carla, he isn’t too big on nicknames, but he’ll slip them in whenever he deems it necessary.

Love—It’s mostly because he spent too much time in Britain lol. But I can’t lie and say it doesn’t suit him.

Sweetheart—It’s not very often, but it’s usually when you two are sharing a soft moment of some sort, that is, when he isn’t being a teasing mf. But then again, when is he not acting like that? Lol.

Foxy—You hate it and it’s meant to annoy/embarrass you.

Kino:

Oh my god, he has so many for his s/o, it’s ridiculous.

And each one he uses depends on his mood.

Babe—Like Ayato, Subaru, and Yuma, he’ll call you this pretty often. He prefers it over “baby.”

Toots—He finds you hot, and he’s definitely going to call you this whenever you two engage in a snarky argument. It’s mostly because he likes throwing you off and getting you to blush at his reference to you.

Hot stuff—This nickname literally annoys the shit out of you and he’s always like ‘what? I gotta say it.’

Boss/Sir—Sometimes if you tell him to do something or help you, like Ayato, he’ll call you this cuz he thinks you’re being bossy. To which you just end up calling him “ma’am” as a retort lmao. xDD

My girl—This is a big one for him. Like, he doesn’t call you his girlfriend, he calls you “his girl” because he wants everyone to know how serious you two are.