#and also the death threats !!!!! i was barely able to survive the first time i dont know how i would do with a second round of that. lmao.

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

all this boils down to I think is the fact that I'm just waiting to get chased out of the jrwi fandom the same way I was chased out of the j.se fandom. lmao !

[monimccoythings]

Alastor x daughter!Reader II (Platonic)

Heaven in this series seems to be very unfair and strict, so I guess this wouldn't be too out of character of them. I still don't know how long this is going to be, maybe I'll do a couple more and then that'll be it.

Reminder: Alastor is in hell for a reason; Trigger warnings: gory elements, mentions of blood, threats towards a child, mentions of rape, death.

This is not proof read, so please excuse any grammar and/or vocabulary mistakes.

tags: @anonymousewrites

Part I ｜Part II (You're here!)｜Part III

It was hot. That was the first feeling you got. Like those summers in the bayou, but a hundred times worse. You wondered if you were running a fever. If everything was just a wild fever dream, and you were currently on a hospital bed fighting off the Spanish flu while your dad worriedly sat by your side.

But as you opened your eyes. You found that there was no fever dream. Only nightmares.

You had been sent to hell for keeping quiet. Heaven considered that the officers death could have been prevented if you had just talked to someone about what you saw. But you chose not to, and also chose to pretend it didn't happen just to try and keep some semblance of normalcy. Your silence had only made you an unwilling accomplice in two murders.

You were not made for hell, never were. And suddenly finding yourself in a place were anyone could easily kill, rape or torture you didn't do wonders for your psyche.

You spent the next ninety years hiding in the corners, eating what little crumbs you could feed yourself, barely sleeping just in case some of your 'friendly neighbors' decided to take you by surprise and avoiding all kind of human (or demonic) contact.

You would be lying to yourself if you said those were the only reasons for such a paranoid way of living. The other, and principal reason why you kept moving and hid yourself was the very same reason why you ended up here.

Him.

Not even a week had passed before he had suddenly spawned there as well. Host of his very own diabolical radio show, he had quickly seized control of the former overlords and killed them one by one, broadcasting their cries of fear and pain to all the city. Positioning himself as a prominent member of the new batch of overlords.

He was a monster. 'Alastor The Radio Demon' he was called in fearful whispers. And he kept getting worse and worse. You couldn't help but wonder if the man who had raised you had really been there at all or it had been just another facade, for his own entertainment and amusement.

Everywhere you go you would faintly hear the static of his radio program, it almost seemed that he was following you. There was no escaping his influence. Had he found you? Did he know you were there as well? Did he even care at all?

Sometimes you resented him for breaking your happy mortal life, sometimes you wished you could show yourself to him and maybe everything would be magically reverted to the way it was back then. Sometimes you cried yourself to sleep, fearing that the first thing he would do if he found you would be slaughter you and broadcast your screams.

Fear always got the best of you, so you kept running, hiding, avoiding the exterminations as best as you could and doing some things for the sake of survival that would haunt you forever.

You will live to see another day. You had to. You may not be able to kill anyone, but you will survive.

Until one day you got caught.

You should have listened to your instincts that were screaming at you that that dump was not safe to rest. But you were too tired to care.

As soon as you close your eyes for a quick nap, a huge hand grabbed you by the hair and forcefully pulled you out. You screamed and struggled, throwing wild kicks. But a strong set of arms held you and made it impossible to move.

"Looks like we got ourselves a fighter guys!" an enormous hyena demon cackled manically.

"Boss surley will give us a fucking raise for this one. Can't wait to see how he beats the fuck out of your spunkiness."

You were terrified. What? What were they going to do to you?? You were just a kid!! How was this allowed?? You had to escape, you had to run and hide before it was too late and you found yourself enslaved to some of the most depraved souls.

You screamed, cried and begged them to let you go. But they didn't listen, they shoved you into the back of some van with other terrified demons and drove off to the worst parts of an already hellish city.

They threw you roughly on a cold hard floor, you swore that after so many years in a living hell you would have run out of tears to cry. Well, there you were bawling your eyes out.

"P-please"

The mob boss just laughed, a disgusting pig like demon. "Look at her, ain't even started and she's already crying. Oh, little one, you're going to make some owner the fucking happiest guy ever. And I know the right guy."

So that was it. It was over for you. After everything you had gone through, it seemed like your fate was to be forever enslaved, tortured and finally killed at the hands of a demon. Nobody would come to rescue you. You doubted there was even someone out there who would really miss you.

Maybe you deserved it.

Maybe it was time to really pay for your cowardice.

The tears didn't stop flowing, but you had already resigned to your fate.

The demons were coming closer, some of them with chains, another with a collar, and one with a branding rod.

You could almost feel the burning of metal in your skin. The painful beginning of a new chapter in your afterlife.

And even then, despite everything you had gone through and your fears, whatever remained of that innocent little girl you once were, was quietly praying Daddy would barge in and save you from the bad guys.

The lights suddenly went out, which only terrified you even more. Knowing what they were going to do was bad enough, but not being able to see it? They may as well shoot you dead.

For a couple of seconds everything was in complete silence. "The fuck are you waiting for? Turn the fucking-" The boss was interrupted by a loud radio frequency screech. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, you felt the cold hands of terror grab a hold of you .

No.

Nononononono.

You weren't- You didn't- You prayed he wasn't actually going to show up. Despite being trapped between a rock and a hard place, you cursed yourself for your childish wishes.

The static kept getting louder, to the point you had to cover your ears to avoid having your eardrums split. In the corner, right on the left where your assaulters stood, some of them doubled over in pain with blood coming out of their ears, a mass of shadows started moving on their own.

A sob got caught in your throat when you realized where this was going to go. Now it was really over.

The shadows kept getting bigger and bigger, shaping themselves until all that remained was a giant and grinning entity of darkness.

You were completely frozen in your spot, not daring to make a sudden move, just in case you attracted that monster's attention. His Glasgow smile kept getting wider, some drool falling from his lips. He was like a hungry predator watching a tasty piece of meat.

You thought that the worst part would be when more tentacles shot from his back, launching themselves against the assaulters and tearing them apart easily while some chunks of blooded meat fell on his open mouth and others got stuck on his massive antlers. The sound of radio static mixed with his hysterical laughter generated a deep feeling of anxoiusness and fear inside you.

As you dared to look into his pupils, now red radio dials, hoping to find something that would anchor you to whatever remained of your sanity, you knew that had you been alive, you would have died again from fright.

Because there was nothing that could remind you of your father in those eyes.

And with that last thought, you happily welcomed unconsciousness.

[thebottomfromhell]

Hey there I didn't see you for so long how you doing anyway!

I was just done eating and I just thought about something it was about the upper-moon be at yandere- yeah that's all I can think about it by the way!

Take your time I'll be waiting and take some break and take care of yourself too

And that's all

Thank you, you also take care of yourself. I'm good, just got some request just when I'm finishing the semester in the University. I'm trying to answer everything as fast as I can.

I hope you like this work and sorry for the wait.

Yandere Uppermoons Headcannons x GN Reader.

Types of Yandere Guide here.

Warnings: (Yandere should be a warning itself), Mentions of reader's possible death, Mention of possible mutilations, Threats to reader, Abusive relationships, Unhealthy relationahips, Mentioned Cannibalism, Mentioned death and Mentioned suicide.

Gyutaro:

Obssesive Yandere

He barely does anything, his insecurities don't let him approach, so he gets pent up.

Everytime you he sees you and speaks to you, you spend more time and space in his mind. Sooner or later you become everything he can think about [besides his sister]

He actually feels guilty for thinking so much about you, specially since it causes disagreements with Daki. (She thinks or you should die or that Gyutaro should make a move, and Daki is more kin on the first one.)

Gyutaro is slowly wasting away, he starts to stalk you, never doing more than that.

Sooner or later this will snap and there are only two results, you start a relationship with him or die (by Daki's hand, since the rejection would break Gyutaro and she would want revenge).

If you both get into a relationship, while he will be more calmed, he will become emotionally dependent on you, the same way he is with Daki.

If you died he would go on rampage, then he would become in general more emotional and sensitive, not managing to get in terms with your death.

Gyokko:

He's an Self-indulgent Yandere

He wants to be adored and gets angry if you don't, will resort to violence.

He expects you to fit in the image he made about you. How do you handle it will make a big difference. If you are able to give him what he wants you will be favored, if not you will be punished.

The worst punishment you might face, in case you don't only fail in his eyes, but also go actively against him, is him taking parts off your body. The first two warnings would be cutting the pincky off, first one hand, then the other. Then 4 more warnings in the teeth. Even if you are a demon and heal, the deal is that you have been warned.

Once the warnings are over he will cut first one eye, then the tongue, then the other eye. If human, that you would be basically useless as blind, so he would dispose you. If demon he will start cuting off limbs, your 4 last chances. First legs, then arms and once is the head's turn, game over.

He would curse you if you died, for not being able to reach the standard and survive.

I would mention a decay in his mental health but besides being more violent and less patient/tolerant it doesn't separate much from normal Gyokko.

Hantengu:

A Clingy Yandere

He gets a heart attack for everytime you dissapear without him knowing where you are.

There is also the fact that he follows you everywhere. He doesn't try to isolate you, just make sure you are always with him around.

He doesn't even try anything or make a move for a relationship, he is just there ALL THE TIME.

He becomes violent if anyone tries to separate you from him, to the point of killing. Besides that, he is not aggressive. He doesn't hurt you in any way nor acts on jealosy.

He prefers it if you only ever keep contact and relationships with him and his clones, but besides that, you don't have to worry about him doing anything to the people who are dear to you as long as they don't intervine in what he is doing.

He would kill you if you tried to take him out of your life.

He would at least keep your head, in case you are human, if you died or he killed you.

After your death he would lose touch with reality, having illusions about you, specially if he kept your head. He would become paranoid of you wanting revenge.

Sekido:

Sekido would be a Possessive Yandere.

He hates when others get close to you, even the other clones. He becomes violent against them.

He is also aggressive if you try to connect with others and makes sure to severe any relationship you have.

He might lock you up if you try to get away from him or if he gets tired of fighting people off.

He would not be actively trying to hurt you, but sometimes he would grab or push you too hard, giving you bruises that, unless if you are a demon, it would take days for them to heal.

Sekido would never kill you and would try his best to protect you from dying, he would also try to make you dependent on him.

If you were to die he would attack anyone who mouned you, saying he is the only one with the right to do so, to keep your memory. He would even destroy your memorial if only to stop people from visiting you.

Karaku:

Karaku would be a Delusional Yandere.

Knowing him, he already thought you had a crush in him before he had feelings for you. He takes for granted that people love him because he is slutty hot.

He just acts as if you were already a couple, even when it clearly makes you uncomfortable. He constantly refers to you as if you were his.

Thanfully, Karaku is not violent and is very chill with his jealosy, but you can't get him to understand boundaries.

He is ok with you having friends, family, an independent income, and all. He would also never try to hurt you or anyone around you.

"It's ok babe, you just haven't realized it yet. I can wait a little more for you, when you are ready to admit that you love me."

If you were to die, besides mouning for you constantly, he would be back to normal.

Urogi:

Urogi is a Impulsive Yandere, what else is new.

One could swear he has an egg where his brain should be. He really doesn't think things through, just acts. It doesn't help that he is really spontaneous.

The moment he sees someone getting too close to you for his liking he just attacks. The moment he wants you just for himself he just kidnaps you, even if it's only for the night.

The worst part it's impossible for him to understand what he did wrong. Why are you angry? Why are you scared? He even has the audacity to get sad if you yell at him or scold him.

He is ok with you being with the other clones, and doesn't actively try to isolate you, he just always acts on the heat of the moment. As long as he is not around you can do anything you want.

He would never hurt you, at least not un porpuse, and it would never be related to jealosy or such. It would mostly be playful accidents.

If you were to die, after he killed the responsible ones, he would become stressed and start molting, part of him would refuse to believe it and wait for you to come back.

Aizetsu:

Don't trust his pretty face, he is a Manipulative Yandere.

Aizetsu knows he is cute and pitiful, that some whines, tears, and blinking very fast will get you to do as he wants. And he wants you to pay attention to him only.

It's so simple for him to make you isolate yourself, knowing fully well that hou will side him at any conflict if he manages to make himself look as the victim, which is easy. Putting you against other people dear to you.

He is ok with you being with the other clones, but he will come to make a pitiful act if you spend to much time with them. "I feel you are spending too much time without me, and it makes me sad. Can I do anything for you to want to be with me more?"

No matter what, he would not let you die. Aizetsu would never hurt you but he would not let you want anything but him. He is patient and confident he can keep you for himself.

In case you do die (it would be unrelated to him) he would mourn for you everynight, but keep others from doing so, keeping your belongings and making sure he is the only one he can have access to your memorial.

Nakime:

Possessive Yandere.

She would never hurt you, she wants you to be safe and sound. But she also wants you to be with only her.

She would keep you trapped inside the Infinity Castle. She always promises to let you out later, but she always "forgets".

If anyone finds you on that fortress, or even outside, she will kill them.

She doesn't hurt you physically, but also doesn't seem to ubderstand what the isolation does to your mental health.

To be honest, she is very sweet with you. She seems to have Lima syndrome, since she gets you everything you need or want.

How tf are you supposed to die before her in this conditions besides suicide? That would anger her a lot. How dare you abandon her?

She would mourn you and become very bitter, besides that, she would work as always.

Akaza:

100% a Overprotective Yandere.

Akaza isn't even doing it on purpose, but he is very paranoid that you might die and he won't be there. So he must always be there.

If anybody gets close to you he gets in alert, forget people being in arm reach or less to you, even if he will give warnings previously, he will attack.

He would not trust your friends, family, the people you work/study with, neighbours, or anyone to not hurt you if he isn't there. He would actively try to isolate you, both talking to you and confronting them.

Akaza can't manipulate to save his life, you know what he is doing, and he becomes frustrated that you don't see thibgs his way. Still, he would never hurt you in any way possible, so he keeps that for himself.

He tries to fill all of your needs by himself, he takes care of you, and is good at it. He doesn't like to fight and always apologies to make you upset, even if he can't bring himself to let you be.

If you were to die he kills himself after killing everyone involved.

Douma:

He's actually a Clingy Yandere.

Douma's life keeps him busy and bored, he likes it too much when you are around. At least you must always be inside the cult, where he knows what you are doing, with who, when and he can go and see you the second he is free.

He makes sure all your needs are met and that you get to have things and moments you like. Douma likes to spend time with you and the favoritism he has over you and everyone you like is visible.

He doesn't understand his own jealosy, so he never acts on it on the moment and he doesn't always has chance to do it later. But if he is bothered by anyone getting too close to you for his licking, he will eat them.

Douma also doesn't make a move, he doesn't know well what he is feeling, just that he wants you with him, healthy and happy until you die naturally (or forever, if you are a demon).

He is not violent... unless you try to leave. He will kill you if you do.

He will eat you after he is done so he can have you inside of him forever and continue his life as before he met you. He will always remember you fondly, so if you have a family member similar to you, he will recognize your features inmediately.

Kokushibou:

Definetely an Obssesive Yandere

He never acts on it, but he thinks about you constantly. It gets to the point he wishes he never met you.

At first he didn't act up because he didn't think those feelings were important, later they became too much for him.

He doesn't know what to do with his feelings, he genuinely wants to get rid of them, always ends up blaming you for it and so, you are always in his mind. Whenever he is fantasizing about your love or your death previous of the day you met, it's always you.

Kokushibou has a big self-control, so probably don't know anything about this. He treats you the same way he treats everyone else. Cold, evasive, threatening. The biggest vlue you have is that you find him staring at you from time to time. How are su supposed to tell what he feels? (Even he doesn't know if he loves you or hates you.)

If he gets angry, jealous or upset about you being close to anyone else, then he will avoid hou for weeks. That is not a signal for you since he spends equal time searching for you than evading you.

At most he would verbally hurt you, and he is naturally intimidating. He doesn't mean most of it, but still, you would not form a relationship of any type.

If you were to die he would secretly keep a belonging of yours or something you liked. He would cry for some seconds and then move one

[suntiger745]

Well well, that was certainly an interesting trip... An excellent trio of episodes to finish the season. The more I see of the animated show, the more appropriate the legend part of the Legend of Vox Machina feels. Things progress generally more smoothly, storywise. We get to see things we didn't see in the campaign. Events sometimes happen in a different order. Some things are outright different. We also loose some of the depth the messiness and more time for the characters to grow that the campaign's longer timeline of events brought. Appropriate I suppose. But even so, the heart of it is always there.

Tying the earth ashari trial that we never saw to the searching and finding of Raishan was a neat combination. Also big props to Marisha Ray for the range of anger, vulnerability, panic, acceptance and confidence Keyleth went through in episodes 10 and 11. It was also great to see Raishan's plan realized, which she never managed in the campaign (also, very cool lair actions). Raishan calling Keyleth a child was a nice bit of dragon arrogance. And to be fair, Raishan is old and very smart. Perhaps with time as she learned about her new dracolich body she would have been able to withstand or repel the cursed disease that Keyleth transferred into her. But not when the body was so new and she was still getting used to it. Nature is good at breaking down flesh and sinew after all, and the death curse was targeted specifically at Raishan. Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan going after Ripley was cool. A look into the past almost, when the twins were on their own and getting involved with the seedy underbelly of civilization. A nice nod to Vax's Clasp connection. And of course Vex'ahlia getting the final blow on Ripley.

A detail people might not think about in all the vengeance quests, demon abilities, gunfire and Ripley meeting her end is that some people survived that. And they know about firearms now. And it's a safe bet there is at least a few other stashes of guns wherever that ship has its home base. The cat is well and truly out of the bag now when it comes to guns proliferating across Exandria. Not with the same push and quality as if Ripley was still alive, but still. That's important for the world setting, even if it won't impact Vox Machina's story much (though it might yet, we'll see).

The search for Percy's soul and the way they did the resurrection ritual was very cool as well. I liked the way they showed several of the people present contribute to the ritual and Laura Bailey of course killed it again with Vex'ahlia baring her heart to Percy's spirit.

I don't think the markings on Vax's arm is the Matron's doing though. I think it's merely an effect of going through with the ritual, especially for a soul imprisoned by a demon. More likely than the Matron of Ravens punishing Vax, I think that corruption/disease in his arm is either Orthax's final spiteful "gift" to Vax'ildan for ruining his day or simply a touch of death that will mark him as he was the catalyst to bring back a soul already dead for several days.

The Matron did warn him of consequences for going through with the ritual. I also suspect Vax will still consider it worth it.

Also very interesting how they split the group, at least for a while. It's not the Bard's Lament when Scanlan leaves, but perhaps something like it will instead come this time when they ask him to return to Vox Machina to fight the new threat.

And yet another example of where the Legend is different from what we saw in the campaign. Less painful and more smooth. So far, there might be a realy gut punch coming from Scanlan yet.

Still very curious to see where the story goes with Pike as well. And maybe we'll get our first Keyteor in the next season. Speaking of, is it season 4 yet? ;)

[aleksanderscult]

I loved your analysis! Can you analyse the (barely there, not enough) Darklina scenes from the KOS duology? I could not rationalize some of what was going on there.

First of all, I'm so sorry for taking that long to reply, anon! (Hasn't it been over two weeks since you send this or what??😭😭)

Second, thank you so much for your kind words! 💗💗

Third, you and I both friend 🤝🤝

'Cause honestly I didn't know what the fuck was happening in that interaction too 😭

I'll actually analyze the only Darklina scene we got in RoW. But if you want another one too, just send me an ask!

So! Let's dive in and analyze that hot mess, shall we?

(note: I had to go back and read this scene very carefully in order to understand what the actual fuck they were saying💀)

⚠️TW!: PTSD, trauma⚠️

The way he's so obedient with her even in this life 😭

If somebody else had ordered him to do that, he wouldn't obey. But Alina? Alina is a different story and this is the first time he hears her voice since his death in R&R.

'Any little victory'

Uhh....okay...??

You made him wipe his feet. I'm.... impressed??

(confusion levels 📉)

LMAO MY BOY WOKE UP AND CHOSE VIOLENCE

I always believed that the dynamic between Aleksander and Alina involves lots of teasing. But not in the fun sense. But in the sense of "I'm getting under your skin. My words to you sting".

And that's what the Darkling does here too. He's a prisoner. Their prisoner. So he tries to gain the upper hand by using his wits, his past with Alina and the latter's trauma against her to get even.

Pretty clever, huh?

See what I mean?

He tries to weaken her confidence and it's interesting that back in Keramzin he also tried to get even (and he did) by killing her mother figure.

Aleksander: "Wanna fuck with me? Wanna mess with me? How about that time when I burnt that orphanage and killed your "mother"?"

*Alina's sure confidence is gone and now the Darkling has the upper hand in her feelings*

OUTSTANDING MOVE 👌

Excuse me, Misha? Who the Hell gave you the permission to interrupt or talk at all??

Also, do you really expect from the Darkling to remember a little boy while he was too busy trying to rule a nation, win a war and persuade Alina to join him?

And if you also expect him to remember you from that time when Baghra went out to confront her son while you escorted her, then you're also wrong. 'Cause he was too busy being furious that his mother sided and helped the opposite side and too busy being distraught because he was watching her fall to her death.

You're not important, son.

Sit down.

LMAO THIS IS SO HILARIOUS

Misha you're still an infant. Please shut up.

I honestly liked him in the Grisha Trilogy (I found him a cutie) but now I want to slap him and everyone else in this duology except Aleksander

The Darkling has survived numerous murdering attempts against him. He was finally killed by Alina not because of some grand display of her powers but because the former was so heartbroken by Alina's fate (and his own because he would be alone) that he just gave up on his life. Basically he committed suicide.

Misha, you wouldn't be able to kill him even now that he's powerless and in chains. Probably you would stumble and fall in the effort or smth.

Uhh actually no, Mal.

Threating him only makes you sound like idiots, honestly.

Also, since when did Mal gained ✨wisdom✨?

Wasn't he the hot-tempered one in the trilogy who always got angry with the mere mention of the Darkling? And the one who wanted to kill him as well?

Alina, you know damn well what his name is.

Honestly, I think she didn't say it because she wanted to respect the fact that he trusted her to keep it.

And I agree that Yuri is a horrible name for him. Makes him seem like a fisherman 😭

Meanwhile Alina in S&B:

So either Bardugo kinda forgot these scenes or we're led to believe that these scenes weren't her being happy, but we thought she was happy.

(me casually ignoring that theory because I choose to believe only the things that MAKE SENSE)

The fact that Bardugo made Alina believe that she was unhappy when she was whole with her powers and surrounded by people like her but totally happy now that she has no powers (a part of her soul actually) and living with a man that slut-shamed her in a toxic, childhood place is umm... yeah. Not good.

So basically:

Aleksander: "You look different. You look like shit. What the fuck did they do to you? This is not you"

Alina: "No bro I'm happy now that I live in toxic conditions where the teachers mock me, Mal takes me out for a walk to forget my psychological traumas and I raise some Grisha children that will fade because they don't use their powers and some others that I probably am in no condition to raise. At least that's what the author said is happiness, bro."

Aleksander: "......."

Alina: "......"

The readers: "........."

ALEKSANDER IS HONESTLY ALL OF US FRR WITH HIS LINES

"In peace"

Yeah, having PTSD certainly is peaceful. And knowing that you abandoned your country and left its fate to chance certainly makes you sleep like a baby at night.

"We chose the life we wanted"

Alina, you didn't CHOOSE to lose your powers. And before that you didn't even know what you wanted to do with your life. It was a last minute decision for you.

"I fell pray to the same greed that drove you"

Girl, are we the only ones who did our homework??

In his POV in RoW he confirmed that he tampered with merzost in the past because he wanted to stop Ravka's wars. So as far as we know he never used power exclusively for himself.

"I paid the price for tampering with merzost"

Now hold a second. I thought that the reason Alina lost her powers is because Morozova wanted that said power to be shared by any otkazat'sya around. It wasn't that much of a punishment as much as a need for Morozova to share that power.

Unless it was..... both?

I just want a guy that will believe in me and my abilities the way Aleksander does with Alina, man 😭

He strongly believes that she could become a Queen even without her powers. And he's actually so right when he says to her that her wounds won't heal. Because no matter how much you try to convince yourself that you are alright. No matter how hard you try to persuade your mind that you're not broken, reality will always hit you. Some wounds never heal and Alina's certainly will not. She didn't lose a toy, she lost a part of her soul and witnessed many die. How the hell does she think she's suitable to raise children, when she herself is NOT okay psychologically?

"In the wake of your wars"

Excuse me. Why is the Fjerdan and Shu wars always the Darkling's fault??

"And maybe when our country is free, then that wound will close"

She sounds so brainwashed bye--

And just like I said, wounds like that never close unfortunately. It can only become more bearable with time. But not forgetable.

Ah yes. Bardugo makes us watch how cute their relationship is.

Am I supposed to take off my camera and snap pictures of them whispering with tears in my eyes: "They look so adorable"?

'Cause I won't.

The way Bardugo has made Mal unfazed by the Darkling's comments. A thing that completely contrasts his nature in the Grisha trilogy.

He also made him have "sassy" lines because we've got to like him somehow, right? 🤗

Still hate him

Basically, dear anon, the author has made Mal more "likeable", immune to the Darkling's insults, patient and witty in order for us to change our mind about him and finally like him.

(mission failed btw)

He is literally nothing like his trilogy counterpart and, if possible, she made him more annoying.

(how the hell she managed to do that, I don't know)

I just feel sorry for Aleksander who has to deal with all these jerks. If I were there, I would have helped him kill them and bury their bodies.

Because you let your heart and feelings get the better of you, Aleksander. Because you proved to be the most human of all these characters here. You let her come close. And that's what killed you.

(also, shut up Misha)

Alina, you could have said "no" to that invitation. So stop acting like they dragged you from the hair here.

"Do you think you could manage it?"

Do you, Alina? 'Cause really, what did YOU do to make the lives of Grisha better? At least he built a palace for them.

"It's not like you didn't get a fair try before. Hundreds of tries"

Yeah, and half of them failed because you got in the way. You refused to listen to him and, even if you didn't like the way he dealt with the persecution, you chose to run away (again) instead of deciding to stay and do better.

SHE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT ZOYA AND NIKOLAI COULD DO BETTER LMAO 😭😭

Zoya, the very fact that he mentioned you should feel like a badge of honor.

And yet Ravka is in its worst condition ever.

Sorry Alina but I don't see shit from them.

The fact that the Darkling keeps mentioning that he's eternal is to remind them that he has seen everything and done everything. He has more experience than they will ever have. Not to gloat about it. And yet Alina takes it as the latter.

And it's funny that Alina turns him down for the job saying he has no powers when Alina herself suffers from the same condition 😀

Finally someone with self-reflection.

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING!!

PREACH!! PREACH!! 👏👏

When you have the "villain" exposing the true problem in the story, the flaws and failures while having the heroes screaming "EVERYTHING IS FINE. YOU'RE WRONG!" then you know that something is wrong.

How the Hell are they gonna provide eternal peace in Ravka and to the Grisha when:

They have no experience

They are too busy criticizing the villain instead of looking at their own flaws

They doubt themselves

(you can add to the list, guys)

And he's not shaken because he's talking with a Saint, Zoya. He's shaken because he's talking to Alina. She always had a way in getting under his skin. He said it.

"Fine. Make me your villain" fits here 'cause he never perceived himself as the bad guy but he knew that this is what others thought of him.

I think it still stung to him to know that others saw his every action in a negative light but he still kept going. And sometimes he even used it (at the end of R&R).

Alina still wants to believe that there's something redeemable inside him. Her POVs were always the "kindest" in the way they painted the Darkling.

MISHA COULD YOU PLEASE SHUT IT

What about his mother, huh??

Who, despite the abuse he suffered from her, he still cared about??

Alina?? Oh boy, he was in love with her, obsessed and gave her so many chances. Something that he almost never does unless he's desperate.

So PRETTY PLEASE STOP TALKING

Meanwhile the Darkling in R&R, chapter 11:

"I have regretted many of the things I’ve had to do in this war."

So either Bardugo forgot that or Alina did or Aleksander changed his mind.

Or (my theory) Bardugo changed his perception in order for us to feel less sympathetic towards him.

Nevertheless, at least he has a spine and knows where he stands.

And Alina wanted the Darkling to say it not for him but for her. So she can feel okay. Unless Zoya is talking bullshit.

YES ALEKSANDER WHY DIDN'T YOU LIE SO OUR HEROINES COULD FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES???!!

HOW DARE YOU?? 😠😠

He tries so hard to persuade her that the reality she lives in will not pay off anything. First off, this is not who she is or what she was meant to become and second, why does she teaches children stories that are lies? Feeding them false hope, repeating a circle that others had also been doing.

"Do you *really* believe..."

He wants to make sure that she stands by that. He just can't believe that this is her opinion. Her choice.

He just wants her to shine people!! 😭😍

"Those stories tell us the only people who matter are Kings and Queens. They're wrong"

Now tell me, Alina, which stories do YOU tell them? What do you teach them? That the world is as rosy as the orphanage they live in, where they only eat sugar and play the piano? Do you imagine what kind of reality check will those children get once they live in the real world?

And here, ladies and gentlemen, we see the Darkling having reached his limits and saying "Fuck this shit I'm out"

Congratulations, Aleksander! You survived that meeting with these buffoons and their groundless arguments!! 👏👏

Here, have this! 🏅

He saw his chance (Alina holding Mal's hand) and seized it. But I think he really meant all those questions he asked to Alina.

So, dear anon, what we have here is the villain making his effort (again) to be heard and understood. He tries to make them see his own point of view: Ravka is in serious danger and Zoya and Nikolai are in no position to protect it. He, on the other hand, can since he has more experience and balls to deal with these issues. The Darkling is no pussy. He truly makes hard decisions when he must, something that essentially all rulers must do when the situation calls for it.

But! We have the good guys silencing him and threating him (even having a little child to do the last one) in order for the reader to understand what he has left in his wake. How much pain he has caused.

Mal has gotten ✨magically✨ wiser and calmer and has actual wits to repel the Darkling's insults in order for us to get to like Mal and see how much he has changed.

Alina sounds like a brainwashed woman who is convinced that her lifestyle is great! That wanting something more (idk. a throne and changing the world maybe) is sinful and unfitting of her.

Aleksander is the only one who thinks otherwise for her, though. Thank God, I mean!

He sought Alina out both to reclaim his powers and because he just wanted to see her.

Personally, in this scene only the Darkling makes sense. The others either want to feel good about themselves by threating him or want to convince him that "Hey, we're the good ones here. We know what we're doing, okay?" and his own ways are shit.

Dear anon, if you have any other questions or want me to analyze any other Darklina scene from this book or duology that I didn't include, then just say so!

And please any others who want to add something about this scene, feel free to criticise in the comments! 💛💛

[skelelephant]

i cant remember if you talked about this before but i think youve mentioned it before?? can you discuss your thoughts on griff's head scar and his relationship with wolfstan i cant seem to remember where you discussed it. definitely not

HI WOW THANK YOU TOTALLY ANONYMOUS USER FOR THIS QUESTION

I’m SO glad you asked I have so many thoughts on this. SPOILERS FOR BLACK DEATH (2010) UNDER THE CUT. PLEASE (please) WATCH THE MOVIE THEN COME BACK

The cool thing about Black Death is that it gives you juuuuuuust enough hints about the connections between its characters but never actually lays anything out so you’re left to piece together things based on context clues alone (did you know Osmund and Averil were childhood friends? Because until I watched the behind the scenes content on the DVD I Didn’t Either)

But ANYWAY. We’re here to talk about Griff and Wolfstan

(One of my favourite shots of my pretty princess <3 also you can see the scar really well here)

Their relationship is one that’s so fascinating to me (obviously) but is also so very brief within the movie as a whole. Griff’s total screen time is like. Maybe 10 minutes if you’re being generous with shots where he’s in the background. It’s Fucking Dire Out Here.

But first things first. We’re introduced to Griff and Wolfstan as a pair. Dalywag, Mold, and Ivo all get their own separate introductory shots, (and obviously we’ve met Swire and Ulrich by this point). But Wolfstan and Griff are continually referred to as a pair. In the first scene we meet them and Wolfstan jokes “God has no men left, He sends us a boy” he’s directing that joke at Griff. He’s looking at Griff when he says it. Already we’re lead to believe these men are familiar with each other

“Erin how does this relate to Griff’s scar?” I hear you asking.

WELL.

The first real juicy piece of character information we’re given about these two comes from Swire, when he tells Osmund how he spent time in the King’s army with Wolfstan and Griff. This information is delivered along with a shot of the two of them bringing up the rear of their company, watching over their shoulders for any approaching threats.

So. We’ve now learned that these two were soldiers together. And now, after the war, they find themselves travelling as hired muscle under the command of a holy man. (I’ve made a post about how I interpret the relationship between the Company and Ulrich, so I won’t get into that here. But you can read it if you want.)

So. Where does that leave Griff’s scar?

Well it’s never actually addressed at all in canon, it’s not even acknowledged. It’s just a character detail that has no bearing on the story at all.

So. This is where we get into my own interpretation and headcanon.

I think Griff and Wolfstan were close even back in the army— pointedly never intimate but skirting the line CLOSE— and Griff sustained a critical head injury during one of the battles. A wound like that would certainly threaten a man’s life, and if he managed to survive it he would likely never hold a sword again. So Griff is dead weight, and this is a war zone. And my THEORY IS: in order to make sure Griff was able to recover from his injury, Wolfstan deserted the army and took Griff with him. Forfeiting any sort of glory or honour from the battles they’d been a part of, but at least they’d be together.

Wolfstan is the reason Griff survived and in the years that followed he helped Griff relearn the motor function he’d lost, including how to wield a blade. (Griff barely draws his blade in the movie so I think he’s still not as confident as he once was, but he can fight again!) Also during that time where Griff was in recovery the two of them finally broke down and got together. So by the time the events of the movie come around they’re well involved with each other.

So you can IMAGINE how this adds heartbreak to the scene where Griff finally succumbs to the plague and Wolfstan has to be the one to kill him. After fighting so hard to keep Griff alive, in the end it was just borrowed time, and Wolfstan has to end his life all the same. (I made a post rambling about this specific scene as well! Smile)

You know that Margaret Mead quote that gets tossed around a lot about how “the first sign of civilization was a healed femur”? I think Griff’s scar is a sign that someone once cared enough to save him. And I think that someone was Wolfstan.

Anyway! I need to go collapse into a heap about them again. Dear fucking god. Please talk to me more about this movie PLEASE. I could talk about it for ages.

[athenodora-sulpicia-writer]

Eventual Joy- Artemisia

Context: This is set after the movie but Artemisia doesn’t die, instead she gets frown into the sea and ends up back in Sparta but eventually finds out she’s pregnant.

A/N: I got this as a request from and friend and I love Artemisia so I wrote it. I hope you all like it, it’s my first time writing for the character so forgive any mistakes I’ve made.

Warning(s): threats of murder and slight swearing

She was a mother. Well that’s putting it a bit forward, so let’s go back a bit. Artemisia never died, thank the Gods she was spared and cast away into the sea unconscious to never be heard from again.

Though it seemed the Gods had favoured her and instead of drowning to an untimely death, Artemisia survived and by the luck of the Fates made it back to Sparta with nothing more then severe dehydration and a few minor cuts and bruises.

But her survival and loss in battle against the Greeks had only strengthened her fiery need for vengeance even more and now she would do anything to destroy each and every last one of them no matter the costs.

At least that’s what she had told herself in the beginning, risking her life and a thousand more to take her revenge barely seemed more precious than a grain of sand but then two weeks passed and then the sickness came, followed by the fatigue, food cravings and distaste for the smell of metal and fire.

It didn’t take very long for Artemisia to realise that her condition was indefinite and wouldn’t be going away in a few days like a normal stomach bug. Instead it was three and half months until the sickness would stop and nine for the aches and pains to reduce, but what would come after, would be for a lifetime.

Artemisia was pregnant.

At first she was in denial, regardless of how many physicians she saw and midwives she consulted the result never changed but she refused to believe it.

How could she be pregnant? It was that thick headed Themistocles, it was all his doing. Then the anger came and she’d almost destroyed her entire apartment rooms at the castle.

It took almost a week for the anger to come down to a manageable degree, where things weren’t getting broken as regularly and servants weren’t getting frightened to death about being attacked with flying objects when they entered her rooms.

The acceptance didn’t come until Artemisia was almost four months pregnant and past the point of being able to cover her growing belly with looser fitting garments and dresses.

She was down by the sea, the one place she truly felt at home in this cruel world. Watching the waves come and go and how the waters rippled with motion, was the only thing that was ever capable of settling her constant on edge feeling.

She was gazing down at the waters, her feet tucked beneath her, covered by her dress and her hand was grazing the surface of the water. She almost looked serene and ethereal, like a nymph from old tales. Very un-Artemisia like.

“What do we have here!” A man’s voice called out from a distance and at first the raventte gave no attention to the unwanted noise. She’d perfected the talent of ignoring arrogance, always in the form of men, when ever it came near her.

“So this is the mighty commander of the seas,” his voice was cocky and sarcastic and already Artemisia’s blood was boiling. “How the mighty have fallen!” His voice rang out again only this time it was closer.

She knew that voice and without turning her head she caught site of who the man was, Lysander, a member of the Spartan land army. He was almost as arrogant as they came.

“Look men, the oh so powerful Artemisia is sat like a child by the sea,” he called out to the two men, also soldiers, who were walking with him. “You know I hear she’s pregnant, with some Greek b*st*rd, what a disgrace.”

Artemisia’s anger was stronger than it had been for months and her hands curled at her sides in tight fists threatening to strike. Yet she knew better than to give these boys a reaction and so she kept her restraint.

“You know I could do you a favour,” Lysander whispers into her ear now bending down to her level. As he rose back to his feet though, he brought Artemisia with him by the arm.

Then he pulled his sword out from his side and Artemisia knew she had to prepare herself for a fight, a slight problem though was that she was currently unarmed.

Lysander then took his sword and as he began to speak he dragged it up towards Artemisia, “I could cut that child out of you and save you the disgrace of bearing a Greeks spawn.” His sword then lowered to meet her growing bump, that was only covered by the fabric of the dress she wore.

But then something had happened, it was when Lysander’s sword began to but pressure on her stomach and she felt it, not the tip of the blade from the outside but the unmistakable kick of her child, her baby, who was begging it’s mother to protect them and keep them safe. As if they could hear the conversation that was happening outside of her womb.

That’s when the realisation struck Artemisia like a back hand to the face. She wasn’t responsible for just herself anymore, there was a life inside of her that depended on her and regardless of how much she hadn’t wanted it and how many times she’d shouted it out loud. This baby, her baby still wanted her and in this moment they wanted their mother to protect them.

That’s when the maternal instincts kicked in and without a weapon of her own Artemisia attacked Lysander.

It was a good thing that it wasn’t only swords she could fight with, she wasn’t known as the greatest warrior of her time for no reason. It took no more than seven seconds for Artemisia to disarm Lysander and hold his own blade to his throat.

“If any of you ever threaten my child again, not even the Gods will be able to find your bodies.” Artemisia’s voice was like death itself, cold, cruel and unforgiving and each of the men there knew she would make good on her threats.

She let them go with their lives but not without a slash to the arm each. Now she knew where her priorities lay, that this baby inside her was now her everything and she hated herself for all the cruel things she’d said, because this child was a part of her. A life that she created and a life she would now never let anything happen to.

Nine months went by very quickly after that day by the peer and soon enough Artemisia had given birth to two beautiful little girls.

Their names were Eleanor, the oldest, and Suthena that youngest and they were her pride and joy. She loved them both the moment she heard their healthy cries and when she first held them, she knew she never wanted to let them go.

[mai-mai-lim]

Ashley Jang's fate in all CTM endings

alrighty, i am way super late to this but considering Ashley's role as a Toppat AND being the estranged cousin of Henry, i wanna see what fates she would be in the main storyline, including the main ending i focus on which is triple threat.

inspired by androidcharles, jaytoons7 and bluetorchsky on their OCs fate eheh

now then, shall we dive in to the deep deep sea?

-----

Before we get to CTM, im gonna dive a bit into ITA, specifically this route:

Rapidly Promoted Executive

Ashley was in the airship when Henry became the leader, she felt familiar towards the figure but doesn't question further in fears of recognize the wrong person. It was only after Henry got captured in the Wall when she realized the new leader is the cousin she is looking for.

(i feel like i have to include this route first due to the relationship between Ashley and Henry)

Anyway, now we dive into CTM!

------

Triple Threat (main universe story)

Managed to escape from The Wall along with some fellow Toppat members, and somehow snag a ticket back home in South Korea. She heard about the news regarding the Toppat clan defeat from three US government agents, and set off to the US to find her cousin and trying to bring him back home...... and taking revenge for the Toppats and win this family feud.

Valiant Hero

Despite hearing what happened to Henry at the Wall and felt distraught, she continued on with Toppat work and went along to the space station. She survived from the explosion but lost her job and traumatized. Once returning to SK, she told her family her work had a sudden laid off and cried over losing her cousin and work. Unbeknownst to her, Henry is also crying over a heavy loss somewhere on the other side...

Cleaned 'em Out

She was mad at the stolen valuables, offering her help to investigate who did it. It took a while, but they found out the thief is the same person who contributed to getting the airship division arrested. Upon doing further background checks, Ashley knew what she would do to track her cousin down, and told her fellow Toppats that they "have an advantage", either find the thief himself, or someone from the government.

Special BROvert Ops

Got arrested. While being taken away, she glanced at the two agents and thought one of them looked familiar. Henry happened to look at her direction and saw her glance before the soldier prompted her to move along. Henry brushed it off and continued his convo with Charles. Seeing that Henry turned over a new leaf, Ashley scoffed and felt it's ironic that she was caught instead, saying that "he won again".

Revenged

Died in the wreckage site. Before her death, she barely saw a half cyborg figure, not knowing it was Henry. Some time later in SK, the Min family learnt the news of Ashley's death as well as Henry's death. Discovering that they died in the area where a criminal airship laid near, they wondered if Henry somehow brought Ashley into the criminal life and is the one led to their deaths. Nonetheless, they acknowledged him as family for the last time, and have the cousins' childhood photo as a memorial.

(Alternatively: they have Ashley and a younger Henry's portrait due to not having his most recent photo)

Toppat King

Despite a slight awkward reunion at the start, she is just happy she is able to find him, and "just like old times", she works alongside Henry well and got along with Ellie too. Henry is a bit baffled on the efforts Ashley hiding her true work from their family, but promised he will not rat her out to the family.

Toppat 4 Life

She was surprised that Henry came back from the dead AND protected the clan from government forces, but glad to have him back regardless. Similar to the Toppat King ending minus Ellie.

Toppat Civil Warfare

After the whole dethronement ceremony and the death of Reginald and RHM, she stayed on Ellie's side as a safety net. However, she was EXTREMELY conflicted. For one, she thought it's best to go along with Henry because he's blood relative, but his action in The Wall reminded her of Henry's choice of leaving the family. She wanted to look for Henry on her own but knows there is a chance it will jeopardize hers and Henry's life.

Besides that, her blood relation with Henry is eating her mental state up because if ANYONE on Ellie's side know about the fact, well, let's just say it will not end pretty.

Toppat Recruits

Happy to be reunited with Henry after finding out he joined the Toppat clan. She still tried to convince him to go back home but to no avail. Eventually, she just leave him be on doing his own things in the clan.

Stickmin Space Resort

Happened to be in the rocket when Henry hijacked it. She was surprised to find her cousin stole the rocket even though he was supposed to be dead, but also slightly impressed. Later she became an employee of SSR, being a receptionist and offering language help towards foreign guests. She is also considered as a major contributor on reforming the Toppats on board.

Maybe, just maybe, Ashley is the one who came out with the resort idea.

It is also the only ending that the Min family knows Henry's whereabouts after years without any communication. They were pretty surprised with his decision as a resort owner but welcomed it since it meant he ditched the criminal life. They also thought that Henry was the one who offered Ashley a job in the resort.

Capital Gains

She was in the rocket doing preparations when the crash happened, was angry with how the train got wrecked (with some of her stuff got destroyed) and that RHM died. Did not know it was Henry and Ellie who stole the money cart.

Little Nest Egg

Slightly annoyed for being a little less rich with the money cart stolen, but the incident did not affect her much. She figured they can still earn them back. Again, did not know it was Henry's doing

Master Bounty Hunter

Escaped during the turmoil, managed to return to SK, saying that her job's gone and going to find a new one eventually. She left her hat in her closet, never to be touched upon again. With the main reason to look for Henry gone too, the search for him was also halted

Jewel Baron

Died during the blast, she did not manage to get to an escape pod in time. Henry never knew his cousin was with the Toppats or even in the space station at all, as he is fully focused on the jewels and not caring about anything else. The Min family eventually found out Ashley died and mourned for her. In a last attempt, they tried to call Henry about Ashley's fate, and since he never answered once again, they completely cut off ties with him.

Free Man

With the power in the rocket gone and stuck in space, Ashley was really, really worried if she will ever see her family again. One can only hope the power core will get fixed at all...

Pardoned Pals

Was defending the Toppat clan during the three-way chaos, and barely escaped from the big explosion. With no job to be, she went back home to SK, and left the Toppat life behind. However, she does want to know who caused the rocket to topple...

[ladycatofwinterfell]

Did someone say hunger games au? Because that’s what I have for you, hopefully you’ll enjoy <3

Part 1 if you’re interested :)

While many are deeply shaken by Cat having to mentor other tributes while her own son is supposed to be in the game some also call it cheating. She could on purpose do her best to make sure her tributes doesn’t win. Not talk to sponsors and other mentors, fail to give the tributes gifts given to them by sponsors, not give them the best advice. She knows what they think and she knows it’s true. Robb is her son, her firstborn child, and she will do everything she can to make sure he lives. She doesn’t care if that makes it cheating, she would’ve been able to kill all the other tributes herself if that had meant Robb would live. It’s been 23 years since her game, but she still remembers how to use a knife.

So when some call for both her and her uncle to be removed as mentors for the tributes from 4 the trouble begins. With her, Brynden and Ned as mentors they can all work towards ensuring his survival. If she and Brynden are brought out that leaves only Ned and it heightens the threat from the tributes from 4. So when she hears whispers of that she might be replaced she’s devastated. She can’t fight against the decision if it happens, she knows that those in power will use her resistance as a reason to hurt her. Though they won’t hurt her directly, it’s her family they’ll go after. So when she the day before the games begin is told she will be sent back to 9 she has to accept it for the sake of her four other children. As furious and devastated as she is she has to quietly return home and watch the game from a distance. Replaced by people she mentored herself. Ned gets to stay. It isn’t the first time a mentor has a tribute from their own family, he can’t be made an exception.

For the first time in very many years Ned doesn’t have Cat by his side for a game. He didn’t even know she had left before she was already on a train back home, didn’t have time to say goodbye to her. So he’s left with Robb the night before the game and it’s even worse than his own game. Robb keeps promising him that everything will be alright and that he will definitely win, but it doesn’t feel like it. It feels like his boy is marching towards an inevitable death and he can’t stop it.

Robb’s time in the arena is in hindsight a haze to both his parents. Cat watches every second but can’t remember a thing afterwards. She keeps the other kids from it whenever possible but she herself barely eats or sleeps. Her life circles around watching Robb and the other tributes fight to death in the arena. Ned’s family is there to help her. Brandon and Benjen take turns sitting with her and helping Lyarra with the children. They’re scared for their brother, but truly believe he will win. Though seeing their mother in such distress weighs very heavily on them.

Ned can’t avoid it but doesn’t want anything but to turn his eyes away. He doesn’t want to watch, doesn’t want to see. He saw Lyanna die. He saw an older boy stab her and he saw how she bled out surrounded by blue flowers. He doesn’t want to see Robb die. Still he watches. He works with sponsors, it goes especially well that year because of all the attention Robb has gained from having two victor parents.

The arena is a standard one, mostly trees and no extraordinary weather. The survival part is little issue, Ned can send him all he needs and has taught him well. Robb avoids the cornucopia the way he has been told to and can defend himself when he runs into other tributes. He has been trained for it for as long as he can remember, he knows exactly what to do. The real issue begins when the careers start hunting him. After a little more than a week where they’ve done easy work of the small and weak they make him their target. Beloved and a child of two victors, he’s a threat even though he’s alone and from 9. Stupidly enough they decide to split up to be able to find him quicker. Robb can take them on one at a time without them even knowing he has killed the others. By the time the last one realises it’s already too late. When the canon is heard for the boy from 2 Robb is announced the victor. With blood on his hands and exhaustion in his eyes he’s allowed out. The first thing he does is ask for his father. He’s almost an adult and still he breaks down and cries when Ned wraps his arms around him.

When Ned gets to hug Robb for the first time after he’s out he can’t believe it’s real. It’s like he’s dreaming, surely everything can’t have gone that well. Surely Robb can’t have outlived all 23 of the other tributes. But he has and he’s crowned that year’s victor of the hunger games.

Ned can watch, proud of that his son had made it out alive and at the same time mortified for what he was been forced to do. Once Ned was the one that stood there in front of President Aerys and accepted the prize he received for having killed people, now it’s his son. He himself killed two, Robb killed six. Both from 1, both from 2, the boy from from 3 and the girl from 4. He could have killed the little boy from 7, as well as the girl from 11, but spared them.

Catelyn cries herself through the whole night after Robb wins. The relief is too great to handle in a dignified manner. She’s so happy for that she argued for that the children be trained for the games. Her son is a killer, but what does it matter when he’s alive? And what does it matter when she herself has killed as many and volunteered to do it? Though she can’t really regret it because that’s what led her to Ned, and he’s the one that gave her her children.

When Robb is reunited with his siblings it’s one huge hug pile. They’re so happy their brother is back with them. Arya proudly proclaims she never had any doubts about it, she knew he would win. Robb smiles for them, laughs with them, ensures them of that he’s fine. But he knows he’ll never really be the same, not after what he saw. Not after what he did. He has a better understanding of his parents now, knows why they wanted to keep him and his siblings out of the games. In the future he’ll join them in telling the younger ones that they should never volunteer.

After Robb’s victory a few weeks of what seems like peace and quiet pass, at least compared to what has been their reality for weeks. Cat’s reinstated as mentor, once again against her will. As much as she hated not being able to do a thing for Robb she didn’t want to return to it afterwards. She was done with that, she didn’t want to see kids murdering each other for their own survival anymore. Not that she ever wanted it. When she’s told she has no choice Ned mutters about how if they divorced it would be easier, there would be no love story for the Capitol to exploit and no reason to drag them into the spotlight every year. It doesn’t seem to matter how much time that passes, they’ve been married for almost twenty years, and still the Capitol does the same thing every year when they’re seen together again. The two victors brought together by the games, without them they would have never met. It gets even worse after Robb’s victory. They’re the family everyone talks about. Though as much as Ned broods about it he also knows that even if they were to actually want a divorce they wouldn’t be allowed to separate. No, the star couple must be kept together, otherwise the illusion would be torn apart.

Robb argues for taking Ned’s spot as a mentor, he’s younger and his game was more recent, Ned absolutely refuses. His son had to go through a game, he doesn’t have to go through mentoring. And as long as Cat’s a mentor he will be one as well, they’re in it together. They met that way and will die that way if it has to be so, he won’t leave her.

Despite not being Robb’s mentor Cat is told she’s to come with him and Ned on the victory tour. They’re to be presented as the victory trio they are, the winners who fell in love and their firstborn son that went on to win the games after them. While Ned’s glad he can have his wife with him he hates that they’re to leave their other children to present a lie to the people of the districts and the people of the Capitol. There are no winners, not truly. When you’re forced to kill people to ensure your own survival before you’re even an adult you don’t come out of it a victor, you’re merely a survivor. Especially not when they have to go back to it again and again.

Still he sits in interviews when they reach the Capitol. He holds Cat’s hand, looks at her oh so lovingly while they talk of how happy they are for that the games brought them together, how proud they are over their son for winning just like they did. While they were of course very afraid for how it would end for him they also believed in him. Cat feels sick over that she gets to be a worried mother only to a certain point. She can talk about how hard it was to have her son in the game, but she can’t say that she was furious over that he had to be in it. She can tell them that she struggled, but she can’t say that she wants the games to end. Because somehow the danger her son was put in was the fault of the districts, had they never rebelled the games never would have happened. No blame can be laid at the Capitol’s doorstep, they force children to massacre each other because it’s necessary. She can taste blood and ashes on her tongue.

President Aerys must have sensed her rage even as she hid it behind a smile because as she and Ned attend the president’s party together with Robb they are taken aside. Robb doesn’t even realise they’re gone, occupied with all the people that want to talk to him. They’re taken to an empty room and in comes Aerys himself. He wants them to know that should they continue to cause trouble he’ll have no choice but to take measures. Cat going against her own tributes to save Robb might have been touching, but that also threw off the balance. It’s important they work to maintain that balance, that they as victors continue to follow the rules even after they have won. They wouldn’t want something to happen to their other four children, now would they? Cat wants to yell about how had her son not been reaped it would have never happened, and had Ned not been holding her arm she believes she would have attacked Aerys then and there. But she stays still and quiet, her face neutral. As does Ned, all he sees before him is the continued destruction of his family. He won’t speak up, he’ll keep quiet, he’ll keep his family protected and in one place. That’s his purpose and it’s been his purpose since the moment he found out he was to be a father.

Life goes on for some years. They behave perfectly, follow every rule they’re supposed to and only speak when spoken to. They draw as little attention to themselves as possibly, it’s not very hard as none of their tributes win.

Sansa’s last year as eligible for a tribute comes without her being reaped. They collectively sigh in relief over that at least one of their children will be safe from the games. Two more years until Arya is safe, four until the same goes for Bran. Rickon is not yet old enough, but they know that it must come eventually. If they manage eight more years they’re all safe. Eight years is an eternity and no time at all, it seems. A year passes so quickly when every summer the dread over the games return. Though they never have time to be rid of it, it’s always there. Their life is one long game, they went into it as teenagers and then they never got out. Robb was forced to join them.

The second they know that Sansa is safe Ned turns his eyes towards Arya. She looks so much like Lyanna, but is already older than his sister was when she died. Ned is terrified for all his children but when the dreams come to him at night it’s always Arya he sees. In the dream he always thinks it’s Lyanna at first, standing in a sea of blue flowers, but slowly he grows sure of that it’s his daughter. And then there’s blood, a stab wound in the stomach and then Arya is dead. He’s sure he barely would have slept at all if it hadn’t been for Cat. For that she wraps her arms around him and presses her body so close to his that they almost become one. He’s not sure he deserves her, his precious wife.

Robb spends more time in the Capitol than at home. If it’s because he must or because he’s fallen in love with the daughter of one of the men that the Lannister family surrounds himself with, neither Ned nor Cat can say. He won’t talk to them about it. He won’t talk to them about anything anymore. He’s a grownup, he can do as he wishes. Though it’s still hard to see him drift away. Even harder when they don’t know if President Aerys is blackmailing him into something. They know what has been said to them, why would it be any different for their son. He’s a victor, just like the two of them.

So when word reaches them of that he has married this girl, Jeyne Westerling, they’re more than a little surprised. They hadn’t heard a thing about any wedding before it was over and done. While Cat’s more than a little upset over it she also wonders why he chose to not say anything, she feels betrayed. Ned has trouble understanding why his son would marry someone so close to the Lannisters. Robb has been well liked by public and other victors alike, but he has never showed much interest in the careers. He comes home to visit with his new wife and the girl is obviously very infatuated with him and seems like a sweet person, but they still can’t really say why he would have married her without a word to them. Why had it been so urgent that they couldn’t at least be notified beforehand?

Arya’s last year as an eligible tribute, as well as Rickon’s first one, takes a strange turn. It’s a quarter quell, they had known that beforehand. They were prepared for that something would change, and that the something could heighten the risk of one of their three children still able to be chosen as tributes coming to harm. But as President Aerys some months ahead of the reaping reads out the theme for that year’s quarter quell they become very very silent. That year the children of the districts aren’t the ones that can be reaped. It’s already existing victors.

[levelzeo]

Level Zeo's Brilliant Diamond Nuzlocke - Part 5

Hello there my friends. Glad you could join me again for my Nuzlocke updates, where I talk about both the details of my Nuzlocke and the personalities and relationships I come up with for my Pokemon. If for some reason this is the first one of these you're seeing, or maybe you missed a part, you can check out parts 1, 2, 3, or 4, and then come back here. Go on. I'll wait. Just for you. Once you're ready, let's get into things!

Current Team

Simmer the Monferno

Boof the Bibarel

Doc the Golbat

Petard the Geodude

Orion the Luxio

Puddle the Psyduck

Boxed Pokemon: 6

Deaths: 1

Badges: 2

With our second badge obtained, I am able to cut my way through the trees blocking the Galactic Building.  My team would definitely all be in agreement that the stolen Pokémon must be returned to their friends and families.  With resolve in their hearts, we enter this den of evil.

For a den of evil, they kind of just let us walk in.  Sure there are Grunts who attack us, but they aren’t really a threat, and at least half of the Grunts just stand there and talk to us.  Between this and the Grunts in the Windworks not knowing what the plan is, Galactic seems like a poorly run organization.

While we fight our way through the building, Boof has apparently developed enough Friendship that messages begin appearing during combat.  I find it telling that the first one is “Boof seems worried about battling well”.  Boof has been an invaluable member of the team thus far, but she knows that Bibarel have never been known for being the strongest Pokemon out there.  The time may soon come where she needs to be replaced.  Whether that means just going to the box, or something else…

I’m more pleasant news, Doc has also grown in friendship!  While he is still not fond of Simmer, he has taken great joy in traveling and fighting with the team, and taking out the incompetent Galactic Grunts makes him happy enough to evolve into a Crobat!

With the newly evolved Doc, we make it to the top of the Galactic building where we find the city’s bike salesman failing to confront another Galactic Commander.  We have no choice but to take them on ourselves!

Against Commander Jupiter, the first enemy is a Zubat.  Boof is easily able to take this one.  A first Rollout brings Zubat into the yellow, and a Poison Fang barely does anything in return.  The second Rollout is more than enough to win.

Second up is Skuntank, and Simmer steps up to the plate for this one.  He begins with his usual move, a Power Up Punch.  It does less than anticipated, and Skuntank is able to land a Poison Gas.  Summer feels his nerves creeping up on him.  This won’t be as easy as his last few fights.  A second punch does more thanks to the attack boost, but a held berry means that Skuntank still won’t fall to the next attack.  Snarl from the skunk does a small amount.  The next turn features a third punch and a Flamethrower from the Skuntank.  No single attack has dealt much to Simmer, but alongside the poison damage, the Monferno is beginning to sweat nervously.  One final punch takes out the opponent.  And then Aftermath kicks in.

It’s a close call.  If Simmer had been a level lower, or a single one of the Skuntank’s attacks had dealt a little bit more, my starter would have been done for.  We got lucky this time.  Simmer is able to survive the Aftermath damage, and the battle against Commander Jupiter is won.  The Monferno is definitely deeply shaken by the experience.  Petard tries to calm him with some light jokes, but I think Puddle’s more meditative approach works better. Even so, it is not an experience he will be able to get over easily.

With Jupiter defeated, the Galactic building is completely evacuated, and the bike salesman is saved!  We leave the abandoned facility and get ourselves a bike, as well as an Exploration Kit, giving us access to the Grand Underground!  I would do more with it, but upon entering my first cave, I run into a Bidoof that's a few levels higher than my team, so I decide it would be safer to leave and level up more before finding a my unique encounter.

With a bike in our pocket, we travel south down the cycling road, fighting off the cyclists who try to get in our way.  Before moving on, I make a quick stop on Route 206 to find an encounter.  I end up with Sundancer the Ponyta.  She has a Sassy nature and Likes to Thrash About.  She’s a wild child, enjoying nothing more than showing off her speed and power.  She’s also one of the few fire types I can get in this game if I understand correctly.  I put her in the box, hoping I will not need to make use of a replacement fire type…

Continuing the journey, we enter Mount Coronet.  Shortly after making my way into the mountain, I run into a strange man named Cyrus, who I’m sure is not important at all and will never come up again.  He muses about the creation of the world and the concept of strife for a bit before moving on.  I don’t know what he is on about, but he’s certainly right about this being a special place.  Being in these tunnels, within such an ancient mountain, it awakens something within my earthen party member.  Petard evolves into a Graveler!

Also, while we walk through Mount Coronet, I get another new encounter.  Ziz the Meditite has a Careful nature and is Somewhat Vain.  Similar to Puddle, she has been spending her time meditating to hone her abilities.  But they are not the same.  Ziz believes her physical and psychic abilities are meant to exceed those of all others, that she is a chosen one.  I imagine that she acts very calm about being put into the box, but inside she is filled with outrage over this injustice.

Exiting Mount Coronet onto Route 208, I discover that I have already caught all of the evolutionary lines that can be caught in the grass here, so I look up where I can get a Good Rod to fish instead.  It looks like I’m lucky, because there should be a fisherman right after the next city, Hearthome, who will be giving out fishing poles.

I enter Hearthome city, a place I will probably want to explore more later, but for now I just make a quick visit to the contest hall so that the path to Route 209 will open up.  However, on my way to the Route, I am ambushed by Melvin, my rival.  I completely forgot to heal after arriving here in Hearthome, so I am terrified.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about.  My rival is a chump.  Puddle beats Starly with one Water Pulse.  Simmer beats Roselia with one Flame Wheel.  Orion beats Prinplup with one Spark.  And Petard beats Ponyta with one Bulldoze.

With Melvin put squarely back into his place, I am able to go to Route 209.  There, I pick up my Good Rod, and I decide to get an encounter in the grass before going back to 208.  I end up finding Soleil the Mime Jr.  She has a Sassy nature and is Strongly Defiant.  She is a performer, a purveyor of entertainment, and one who demands to be the center of attention.  If I made her a member of the team, I believe she would demand to be the primary fighter in every fight, type advantage or not.  Into the box she goes.

Over on Route 208, I go fishing and end up with a Barboach.  Her name is Wiggle, and she has a Relaxed nature and a Sturdy Body.  I picture her as the silent type, conveying her thoughts solely through facial expression and the way she wriggles about.  There is a mad scramble to get her in the ball as she brushes off blows from the team, but once she is caught she goes to the box without any objection.

But those two aren’t the only Pokemon I catch!  I go back down into the Grand Underground now that I have a few more levels under my belt, and after wandering around for a while seeing Pokemon I’ve already caught, I encounter a cave of glittering gemstones, and drifting between them is a single Duskull.  I catch him, and name him Vex.  He has a Serious nature and is Capable of Taking Hits.  An older gentleman, Vex treats the trainer-pokemon-team dynamic as one would treat getting hired at a new company.  He’s all business about the whole operation, no time for games or relaxation.  I send him to the box, but I feel I might need his typing on the team soon, despite his abrasive personality.

One last thing before I end this update.  I pick up an egg being given for free in Hearthome.  I don’t know what it contains, but I temporarily swap out Petard so I can carry it until it hatches.  It sucks to put Petard in the box, but I don’t think he will be much help in the next two gyms anyway.  Speaking of which, my hope is to make it to Veilstone and challenge the Gym in the next update, so look forward to it!

[acourtofquestions]

EoS Chapter 63:

What I’m calling: It was the lowest of lows, before the hopefully smaller high, but now it is time to dive in and shortly finish Empire of Storms tonight/this weekend… so almost 100 pages of torture here I come…

The chapters are becoming increasingly shorter and per usual I am becoming increasingly more concerned by that

I don’t want it to end but I need to know but I still have a hundred pages and ToD but I also need to know but I also need the books forever

And Aedion punched him for that one

A silvery realm

The one shot

A vanishing silvery realm

The king of Adarlan

It’s an interesting perspective

Okay Aedion hon I love you but no don’t you dare talk to my girl like that

Snap snap Elide we Stan — “I waited as long as you to find her Aedion you are not the only one who fears losing her once more.”

What is it with the YIELD lines

Dorian felt guilty when he saw Rowan his friend barely able to meet his eyes he was sorry and there is Rowan knowing it’s not him😭

What’s done is done

What did it hit?

Rowan literally waited hundreds of years yall

His orders… another note… wait… is Rowan King now? Searched for proof but found none … He’s the leader and she’s gone…

A piece of her mind… girl one piece is more than most

Oh she doesn’t realize their related

Why is Gavriel watching his tattooed hands.., Rolph?

Don’t you dare hurt Lysandra!!!!

Months ago… when he met her😭🥹

LORCAN KNEW AND KNOWS NOW AND DID IT FOR HIS FRIENDS

AND ROWAN WOULDVE GONE AFTER MAEVE FOR HIM

Cairn is too close to Caine can we just like get rid of him now

They all just want eachother to run and survive🖤

As if Aelin would appear — and she WOULD —

Salvation in hand I HOPE SO

“The sky began to bleed with pink and purple as the sun suffered beneath the distant waves.”

Time… it’s been stolen… it’s run out — the image of watching this sunrise

We’ve had the odds stacked against us before — A book of their tales could be fun

Maeve knows they’re a threat maybe there’s proof for hope?

Is their some mate protection law and could be used in blood oath clauses to break them?

Also I don’t like Aedion being this close to Maeve

“Princess” NAH dude QUEEN

The fact Rowan smiled at “traitor”

HIM AND DORIAN EVERY DANG TIME

A future for them all LETS GO WITH THAT

“It is not such a hard thing—is it to die for your friends.” — no… but please dont… not me crying over the fact Rowan knew & didn’t talk down to him, values his smarts, and HIS friend

He is literally pouring every bit of his power into shielding them😭 DONT YOU DARE PULL A RHYS … wait that’s not what happened in wings & ruin… right?!

Why do I have a sick feeling things are gonna get trippy and people are gonna start faking deaths

First line of next chapter and I already knowing swirling silver HERE WE GO — I need to know… I’m scared to know… I never want them to end… AGHHHH

Here. We. Go.

[izarblack]

Pardon mistakes I am doing this by phone and not by laptop or PC, thank you 💖

-Time Skip-

∆ Years before it all began ∆

CHAPTER FIVE

Ten years have come and gone since that fateful day. The most notable change in was the war that occurred five years after V'atillia's death. The Garleans invaded Kugane and Ala Mhigo and they fell to the might of their magitek armies. Ishgard abandoned the rest of the Eorzean leaders and returned to their ancestral homelands. Where the war with the dragons still raged on.

Few stayed behind tho, those like Nunoux who couldn't and wouldn't abandon the people they knew to their fates. However, because of the location in which they lived there, was under threat Nunoux had herded the people and fled. Not wanting to lose anyone to the armies of the Garlean Empire. Thus, they became a nomadic group to try and survive. It was rough on all of them, save Izar. Izar flourished in that environment.

Izar at first had an extremely rough start after the passing of his mother, V'atillia. He often fought with the other kids, who didn't understand why Izar's eyes were the way they were or what happened to his parents. Since, he refused to talk about them people just assumed he was abandoned. Nunoux often had to break up the fights along with some of the ex soldiers who also knew of Izar's back ground.

Over the course of time however, Izar began to calm down. He ignored the taunts and jabs made at his own expense and became quiet and more observant of others behavior. He also picked up his training more so than usual. After his mother's passing he'd done training just to distract himself. However, lately he did it for other reasons. He wanted to be useful and so he started to spar with Nunoux and some of the ex soldiers.

Today was no different, "Izar you're doing great. There is barely any need for improvement now."

A smile slid across his features as he looked at his Foster Father, "Then how about you say we step this up a notch then?"

"If you think you're up for the task, then have at the."

With that Izar lept into action, his sword arched in an upward fashion. The sound of metal against metal filled the air before sparks went flying as Izar tilted his blade slightly before roughly swinging his blade along the edge of Nunoux's blade. Forcing the Elezen to adjust his grip or risk losing his sword.

Nunoux was in complete concentration mode after a while. Izar's blade strikes were powerful and precise. As the sparring match drug on Izar got a bit to sure of himself.

Before they knew it, one of Nunoux's moves threw Izar off balance as his sword arched in a downward slash. In a ditch effort to stop the descending blade, he was able to successfully keep the blade from gouging his I eye out by letting himself fall backwards. Instead the tip of the blade left a long angry scar from slightly above his brow to just above his jawline, on the right side of his face.

Nunoux dropped his sword and started to freak out. He hadn't wanted to hurt Izar. A few of their watchful bystanders jumped into action. Taking up emergency medical supplies to bandage up the wound and stop the bleeding.

"Izar!... By Rhalgr... Are you alright?" Panic laced his voice as he tried to staunch the bleeding.

"That is a silly question Nunoux, the boy is literally bleeding," R'ana clicked her tounge at him.

"It missed my eye," Izar gritted his teeth but did not cry out in pain. "My fall kept that from happening, but I still got a pretty nasty hit to my face... It's okay Nunoux... This was my fault... I got to cocky. Lesson learned... I just need to not get to overconfident and keep myself calmer," He flinched as the silent Hrothgar soldier applied a disinfectant to the wound.

"How does it look, Orlin?" R'ana asked.

A humming murr left him in a sigh, "It will scar. Unfortunately, it was deep yet, Izar was right... It missed his eye but not his eyelid. That to will scar." He dabbed more disinfectant on the wound.

After a bit more dabbing, he applyed a herb soaked bandage to that side of Izar's face. Then he carefully wrapped that side of his head to keep the wound from getting infected.

"You will need too have myself or R'ana to help take care of your bandages from time to time. Lets see," He hummed in thought as he puts the medical supplies away. "Every three to four hours for the next twenty-four hours will be ideal. After that we can stretch the time and hope the bandages allow for good healing and don't rip the healing skin open when removing the bandages."

Izar glanced at Nunoux who was rather pale and looked extremely guilty. He knew the man was still blaming himself. He let out a sigh, sure it hurt but the pain was nothing compared to the one he got as a child. The one that went from his shoulder to his hip. Luckily for him the damage that had been done didn't give him lasting pain. Cold didn't bother it much anymore and it didn't hurt to the touch either.

"Nunoux, I'm fine... It's not your fault," Izar sighed as he said it.

"Sometimes kid I feel like you have a death wish," R'ana mumbled, "No wonder Nunoux feels so high strung all the time with you. Or did you forget the bear that nearly got a hold of you because you thought it was a good idea to use yourself as bait.?"

"Or the time those Ax Beaks nearly tore into him because because he cornered himself after he punched one in the head to get it's attention on him and not the kids," Orlin huffed, "Or the group of Garleans that came to close to camp and he aggravated them to keep them away from our group... Took a week to find him after things settled down."

"Yes and by the time we found him he was found in a hole in the ground. If it wasn't for the griffin rider in our group who knows how long it would have taken to find him..." R'ana scoffed.

"Izar leaded back and sighed, "I don't have a death wish... I just... Don't want to see another person get hurt let alone die if I could have done something about it. Besides, I only sprained my ankle in the Garlean incident. Nothing harmful happened in the others."

"Only because you got Lucky, Izar," Nunoux shouted.

Izar fell quiet.

R'ana sighed, "I don't know how much you know Izar, but the younglings look up to you. Heck some of the adults admire you. You're a great hunter and a talented fighter. But it means nothing if you get into situations you can't get out of on your own. We're a team here, we look out for each other."

Izar sighed and looked at her, "It was the only option at the time R'ana. I knew eventually you all would come for me. At the time I took the best course of action with the least amount of danger."

"That's not the point Izar!" Nunoux grabbed him by his collar with a growl, "You're important to us to, weneed you... If something happened to you and we couldn't find you... We would have mourned you if you died! Don't you get it! We don't want to lose you like we lost V'atillia!"

Izar's eyes went wide, Nunoux never acted like this with him. For the longest time the older male had treated him as though he might break over the last several years.

"I don't want to lose you too," Nunoux threw his arms around Izar and held him tight, Promise me, you'll lean on us more... Rely on us, don't take things on your own because you're not alone!"

Izar sighed and hugged Nunoux tightly. Nunoux had been the only one he got close to intentionally. But he was fooling himself thinking no one would care should he perish as his mother did. He'd seen how people acted around him now compared to when he was still a cub. It was different in many ways and the bullying had completely stopped. People approached him more often to discuss herbs or foraging in general. Some of the hunters had also come to him to be taught the ways of the bow like his mother had done for him.

Even the ex-soldiers would spar with him on occasion. Mostly because Izar didn't stick to one style and often switched it up to throw his opponents off guard.

Izar was no where near perfect in his fighting styles, but with the training he got often he was slowly increasing his experience. The experience helped him greatly tho. He was getting stronger each day and he would begining his journey once he was satisfied with his training. Until then, he would train and train those in the group who could fight and hunt so they could survive without him.

"I promise Nunoux... I will try to lean on you all more," he said with a sigh.

Nunoux held him tighter, "You better... You damned punk."

Izar gave a lop sided smile as he patted Nunoux's back, "I can't breathe old man..."

Nunoux released his hold on him before pulling away to look Izar in the eye. He lifted his hand and ruffled Izar's hair before letting another sigh out as he stood up. He held his hand out in offer to help him up. Without any thought to it he clasped his adoptive father's hand in his own before he was yanked to his feet.

"So since training is out for the next week or so... What should I do?"

"Well... You can help Svana Lionheart in making meals or help her and the others with fletching and laundry for the time being. You won't be able to do much else with with only a part of your sight," R'ana sighed.

Orlin scoffed, "R'ana you haven't seen him training blind folded recently have you? The kid is so aware of his surroundings that even should he go blind he would still have a better understanding of what is going on around him then we would being able to see."

Her eyes went wide, "What? You have to be kidding me!"

Nunoux laughed, "At first I didn't want him to. But the training has been fruitful. He uses his other senses more now, should he lose sight his sense of touch and sound would take over. If he loses his hearing touch and taste take over."

"Wait, why taste?" R'ana questioned.

"It's because of or heritage," Izar explained, "Since we had beast blood we can sent taste things in the air. Something similar to a feline. I can actually taste the air and can tell if someone is near by without having to hear or see them."

"Damn kid, I didn't even know that," R'ana gaped at him.

"Most people like us don't know about it, but you have to get past the tastes that is the annoying part. Air senting pulls in every scent, the taste of water, dirt, grass, trees, snow, sweat, spices, emotions, and more... They're all distinct and have different flavors. Like snow has a similar feel and taste to mint because of how fresh it is. Some scents are harder to describe... Like grass, or sweat. But they're distinct enough to not mix up what they are, " Izar told her.

"Teach me..."

"Huh?!"

"I told you to teach me Izar Black... I want to learn this too. Teach me in a way I can understand it," R'ana demanded and Izar just smiled at her for a while before nodding.

"Alright, I can teach you R'ana, but in turn you can teach me how to duel weild daggers," R'ana smirked at his counter demand.

"That's fine with me brat, but for now rest up. We'll start tomorrow."

"Alright, see you then," Izar chuckled.

Izar waved R'ana and Orlin off as they returned to theur own sleeping quarters for the rest of the day. Nunoux went to train the young ones who needed the training so they could protect themselves should the need arise.

He watched Nunoux for a while before he decided to go help Svana like R'ana suggested. It was still considered resting without over exerting himself. Since they were simple tasks to deal with even when he was half blind. He was pretty sure he could do other things but he's worried them all enough for the day. He thought it would be best to lay low for the rest of the day and allow everyone to pamper him. Since they would do so without him allowing them to anyways.

With his thoughts cleared now, he set about helping clean the laundry at the nearby river they had settled near for the next few days.

[rxguedvrkhxlme]

𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛: 𝚁𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚖𝚎 | 𝟹𝟶𝚜 | 𝙼𝚞𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚝. 𝙿𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚋𝚎 𝚃𝚘𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗

So here we have some Fun Facts about Rogue, if you've got any questions I don't answer here just give me a shout!

⊗ Anna-Marie was born in Mississippi, in a commune that was determined to reach another plane known as the Far Banks. ⊗ Her father, Owen, was the leader of the cult-like group. Her mother, Pricilla, was meant to be a pawn - just like the rest of the women in the group. ⊗ Owen's attempt to reach the Far Banks did not go as planned, instead leaving him alone when Pricilla stepped through and sealed the others out. Other members of the commune left, and Owen reached out to Pricilla's sister to help him raise the toddler Anna-Marie. ⊗ Anna-Marie and her aunt, Carrie, butted heads more often than not. The loss of her sister left Carrie grieving, and in her grief her methods of raising her niece were strict and authoritarian, which Anna-Marie resented. ⊗ She ran away when she was still a child, and after a few months on her own she was found and taken in by Destiny (Irene Adler) and Mystique (Raven Darkholme). ⊗ For the first time since the loss of her mother Anna-Marie felt loved and wanted, the two mutant woman providing the family she had needed. ⊗ In truth Destiny and Mystique were aware that the girl was also a mutant, and even before her mutation manifested she was being subtly trained with the intention of guiding her into the Brotherhood once her mutation showed itself. ⊗ In spite of raising her as a sort of 'child soldier' the two women did love Anna-Marie, and with pulling the right strings they were able to adopt her. With a (mostly) legal name change, she was now Anna-Marie Darkholme. ⊗ Her abilities manifested the first time she kissed a boy. She absorbed most of his life-force and left him comatose - he would later die as a result of the incident. (His memories are all still in Rogue's head) ⊗ Her mothers were there to guide her through her initial panic, and were able to soothe her worries and fears. Her training shifted, and soon she was on the path her mothers had laid out for her. ⊗ A couple short years later she overheard a conversation between Destiny and Mystique, only catching parts of it but enough to know that Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) was a threat to her family. ⊗ Filled with teenage over-confidence and the desire to protect her family at any cost, Anna-Marie went to find and battle Carol - she only barely managed to get the upper-hand while holding onto the woman for too long, mostly because she was unable to let go. Carol nearly didn't survive the encounter, but was found by Jessica Drew when Anna-Marie left her for dead. ⊗ The encounter with Carol changed Anna-Marie in a way that Mystique and Destiny knew they wouldn't be able to help with. Like with Cody (the human boy Anna-Marie drained to near-death) a part of Carol's mind clung to Anna-Marie's, but in addition to that the girl maintained the ability to use all of the powers she had taken. ⊗ Initially Anna-Marie ran away, unknowingly following the gentle nudges given by Mystique and Destiny towards a man they trusted to help her.

⊗ She adopted the name Rogue and began wearing gloves at this point - prior to her fight with Carol she'd been unconcerned with accidentally touching others, as most people she interacted with knew to be careful. ⊗ She became attached to Logan quickly after meeting him, though she was hesitant about going to Xavier's. ⊗ Initially she didn't trust most people she met and attempted to stick close to Logan, but she slowly warmed to the others. ⊗ Professor Xavier was able to help her regain better control of her mind and help guide her to those that could give her lessons in controlling the abilities she'd gained. ⊗ Rogue stayed at the school, officially joining the X-Men after graduation - she'd been on missions prior, but had to wait to join up. ⊗ Rogue continued to run missions with the X-Men while attending university with falsified records, using the name Anna-Marie Adler. ⊗ Rogue was part of the team of lawyers on Logan's case when he was tried for his part in Zemo's death. ⊗ She refused to sign the SHPA, instead choosing to leave the X-Men. While she sometimes doubts her decision to leave, she doesn't trust the intentions behind the SHPA and refuses to be added to a registry that requires her to disclose her abilities. ⊗ Initially she had been searching for a law firm to work with, but when the SHPA was passed she instead decided to work on her own. ⊗ She and Bobby are sharing an apartment in the city. Recently she found an office she could rent to start handling things more professionally, and officially is running the Law Office of Anna-Marie Adler with Bobby helping her with the financial side of things.

𝙰𝙱𝙸𝙻𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙴𝚂

⊗ 𝙿𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 / 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎force 𝙰𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗: Rogue has the ability to absorb not only powers from other people, but also energies, memories, knowledge, talents, personality, and physical abilities through skin-on-skin contact. Most of this is generally temporary - memories often stay to some extent, but skills and abilities tend to fade. Exceptions to this occur on rare occasions, such as when she holds on for too long or with certain alien races. The longer she maintains contact with someone the longer she can use their abilities, but she has to be careful not to absorb the last of their lifeforce. ⊗ Every person she has absorbed leaves a psychic residue inside her mind, though most are dormant and have no effect on her day to day life. She can occasionally still recall the memories of those she's touched (such as Logan and Bobby), while others had a much stronger impact (such as Carol). ⊗ Rogue has never actually killed another person with her abilities, instead leaving them in a permanent vegetative/comatose state if she absorbs too much of their lifeforce. If she absorbs a person as they are dying, they are added to the permanent residents in her mind. ⊗ Her abilities generally do not affect inorganic or robotic people, with few exceptions. This includes those like Lady Deathstrike, who is a cyborg and is more tech than organic. ⊗ 𝚃𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 (𝙻𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝): Rogue has a latent ability (one that hasn't manifested currently) that would allow her to tap into any of her past 'templates' - the people she has touched in the past. ⊗ (𝙾𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕) 𝙼𝚜. 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚕'𝚜 𝙿𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜: After her fight with Carol Danvers, Rogue left the woman nearly dead. This left a permanent mark on Rogue in the following ways: ⊗ Ms. Marvel: A permanent fixture in Rogue's mind, a duplicate of Carol's psyche was absorbed with her powers. ⊗ Superhuman Strength, Stamina, Durability, Agility, and Reflexes: Due to her Mutant/Kree physiology, Rogue's abilities have been shown to far exceed that of an ordinary human. ⊗ Flight: Rogue is capable of self-propelled flight at exceptional speeds, just under the speed of sound. ⊗ Seventh Sense: While not entirely reliable, a seventh sense can randomly activate and allow Rogue to subconsciously anticipate her opponents next moves. ⊗ Enhanced Constitution: The combined Mutant/Kree physiology grants Rogue a degree of immunity to poisons and toxins. ⊗ 𝚃𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚌 𝚁𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎: Due to the fractures and duplicates of other psyches that reside within Rogue's mind she is resistant to the probing of even the most powerful mind readers. ⊗ 𝚆𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜: Possibly? Would take the place of most of Carol's.

[awkwardspontaneity]

Until The Battle Is Won

BOTW Link x GN!Sheikah!Reader

Final part of Memories of You!

Previous

AN: Hey everyone!! This is the final chapter of this story. I wanna thank everyone for sticking around with my lousy update schedule ':). Anyways, I've loved writing this story and I'm kind of sad to see it end but also I love this ending so much- even though it hurts. So grab some water, maybe a snack, some tissues, and strap in. This is long and pretty sad.

TW: gore, reader death, descriptive injuries

Summary:  The final battle is here. Hyrule is in ruins as Ganon tears through every defense they had and now, the final champions must protect their Princess in the race to deliver them to their destinies.

It was dark.

Link was running through the forest, another hand in his as Y/n led the way. Their white hair was a beacon amongst the trees as he surged to keep up with their gazelle-like pace. He was focused on keeping up with the Sheikah warrior when he felt the hand slip from his. Link skidded to a stop, shouting for Y/n over the pouring rain. He knelt in front of Zelda, watching as she dug her fists into the mud beneath her. “How did it come to this? The Divine Beasts. The Guardians. They’ve all turned against us. It was... Calamity Ganon.”

Y/n had made their way back to the pair, carefully falling to their knees beside Link. He felt their hand curl around his, sensing the turmoil in him. It was all falling apart around them. They had worked so hard, faced so many trials, and made so many friends. And it was all for nothing. The fight was stacked against them, so much so that even Link was feeling the knot in his chest. They all felt helpless.

“Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk…trapped inside those things...” the princess let out a heart-wrenching sob. “It’s all my fault!”

As Zelda cried into her hands, Y/n reached out to pull them back down, carefully pulling away the strands curled into her fists. When watery green eyes met red, the young Sheikah gave a pained smile. They linked hands with the princess and the knight, giving them both a firm squeeze. “I know it feels like we’ve already lost, like everything we’ve done has been for nothing. But we can’t think like that. We have the power of the master sword and the sealing light of the Goddess. As long as we hold our heads high and give this fight everything we have, Hyrule will survive this.”

“But I can’t use the sealing power!” Zelda pulled her hands away, fisting them in her dress to stop the shaking. Maybe if she weren’t such a failure, Hyrule wouldn’t be in danger. Her friends wouldn’t have to give their lives to face that monster. Why couldn't she do this one thing right! “I’ve tried everything and still I keep failing. Because of me they’ll die fighting the very beasts they were meant to pilot!”

“None of us can save them!” Y/n was looking down at the ground and, even through the rain, they could feel the tears sliding down their cheeks. “We can’t go back from where we are. We don’t have the time or the ability to save them from those beasts. So we must move forward. If we give up now… everything we went through…everything they are going through... it will be for nothing. And Hyrule will fall.”

Zelda surged forward, collapsing in her friend's arms. She clung to both as a sob tore from her throat. None of them could be strong. Not strong enough. Pressing his hand against Zelda’s back, Link reached out and placed a hand on Y/n’s arm. His voice was gruff, the stress and pain of what they were about to do- what they had already done, was too much for any person to bear. “All that we can do is keep fighting for their sake. We have to keep moving or we lose. We can win. We have to.”

He met Y/n’s eyes and they gave him a soft smile. They pressed their hand against his back and the princesses shoulder drawing both pairs of eyes to them. “No matter what happens, our friends will be by our side. Their wills become ours. And when you face down Ganon, you won’t be doing it alone. You’ll have the love and support of all your friends. All of Hyrule. So save your tears until the battle is won.”

Zelda sniffled, bringing a hand up to wipe at her cheek- not that it did much help with how muddy they had gotten from being on the ground. She wanted so badly to give into the crushing weight of everything that had happened. Just this morning she had held hope within her as she climbed mount Lanayru and now… she had lost everyone she loved. Her kingdom had fallen along with her father. All she had left sat here before her. Gazing at her with matching weight on their shoulders. They too felt the chains of destiny closing in around them. But they stood tall. These two bore the weight of the world without complaint and now, they placed their belief in her. The failure of a princess would not fail again. She refused to fail her friends. “Then we have no choice. We have to fight for them… and for each other.”

Y/n smiled at the princess, carefully pulling the trio together so their heads touched. “When this is over we can do as many crazy experiments as you want.”

Laughter bubbled up amongst the trio, smiles breaking through the tough exteriors they had adopted the closer Calamity had gotten. Each of them had suffered at the hands of destiny, and now they would face what could be their final battle.

Y/n choked back a sob as they thought of the sacrifices that had brought them to this point. The sacrifices they would need to make to save Hyrule. All they wanted was for their friends to be able to look over their homes with smiles. For the weights to finally be lifted from their shoulders and allow them to live their lives without the looming threats of their destinies. They knew the knight and the princess could never go forward after all that had happened since Calamity broke through but, if there was something they could do to protect those they had left, Y/n would do whatever it took.

Link watched his friends with a tightness in his chest. They were ready to face Calamity Ganon. He would protect them in the final battle and, when the time came, they would finally be free of the weight of Hyrule. He stood up, reaching a hand to the princess to pull her to her feet. Y/n placed their hand on his cheek, wiping with their thumb as he watched them. They gave a smile and he knew. They had confidence in him. He never viewed himself as a hero, no matter how many times his partner had called him one. But when Y/n looked at him it was like that pressure lifted. Like he really could defeat Ganon. And he would. No matter how long the fight lasted. To finally be able to spend his days doing what he wanted with the person he loved. To be free.

The trio took off again, heading towards the castle. Y/n stuck close this time so they could discuss battle plans with Link. They knew the most Guardians were in the fields near the castle so they would need to find a way past them. They couldn’t release the Guardians from the corruption so they would have to destroy them if they were spotted. The question was if they could destroy that many.

Y/n was starting to wish they had Robbie's anti-Guardian weaponry, even if they weren’t perfected.

------

The answer was no. They could not defeat the Guardians.

They had barely made it halfway through the fields before they were spotted. Once one Guardian had seen them, the rest followed. They were surrounded in seconds and, no matter how many Link and Y/n took down, it seemed like 5 more took their places. They were more than outnumbered. They were losing hope fast.

Y/n shot three bomb arrows into Guardians eyes, barely dodging blasts from two others. As the Guardians collapsed to the ground more followed. Mechanical limbs crushing their brethren to the ground with a deadly screech. They only cared to destroy the champions that stood below them. And it was starting to feel like they would.

Another blast echoed in Y/n’s ears and they felt the burn of the laser against their cheek. Too close! They knocked an arrow when the screech of metal sounded behind them. They barely managed to roll out of the way of a destroyed Guardian collapsing to the ground where they stood. They barely came up from the ground when they were knocked back down again.

“AHHH!”

Y/n could barely hear their scream over the shrieks of metal and the ringing in their ears. Flames crackled around them but the heat was nothing compared to the agony in their shoulder. They had been hit. Their skin still burned like thousands of needles pricking their way across their chest. They could feel nothing and everything at once. Like every nerve in their body was exposed and on fire. They couldn't focus, flames and metal blurring into one. It was over, wasn't it?

“-n… Y/n… Y/N!” Y/n felt the arms around them, a sob tearing through their throat as a hand brushed against the wound. Red eyes finally focused in on teary green orbs. It was only when their vision blurred did they realize tears were falling. The princess was crying too, shouting over the noise as the young Sheikah lay limp in her arms. Her hands slipped on the blood surrounding their shoulder and Y/n shot up with a silent gasp of agony.

“Y/N! You’re okay!”

Y/n stared at the princess in front of them. “Where’s Link?”

Zelda pointed to the center of the battle where the champion fought. Y/n shot to their feet, ignoring the pain that tore through them. They drew back their bowstring. “Whistle so he comes this way princess.”

She whistled as loud as she could and Link spun to the duo. His eyes widened as an arrow streaked past him and he took off. The champion slid behind the pile of fallen Guardians as the bomb arrow exploded. Dust and flames shot into the air creating a cloud over the battlefield.

Y/n ducked under the fallen Guardian with the others, heavy breaths escaping them all. It was only a moment. A single breath of time to plan their next move.

Link was the first to move, lunging forward to inspect his partner. He had seen them fall. Seen the princess holding them in her arms. And he had thought that was it. But here Y/n sat. Injured, but alive. And that was what mattered. That they were alive. He brushed hair away from their face with a shaky smile- honestly more of a grimace. He couldn’t find the words to explain his relief. How much he needed them and that he was happy they were okay, so he stuck with simple. “I love you.”

Y/n smiled back. They always knew what he meant, like they could read every thought in his head. They had felt it too. That moment of fear that they would never see each other again. But they were still here, giving him that goofy grin he loved so much. Despite their pain, Y/n was a rock- solid and unmovable. And they gave him hope. Y/n could smile at him and he could fight until his last breath. “I love you too.”

They sat in each other's arms, taking in the moment they had together. What could be their last moment with each other. Because Y/n had a plan.

“You have to go ahead without me.”

Y/n watched their friend’s faces morph to shock, then anger. Y/n knew they would fight the idea, but they had no choice. Even as their friends protested the idea, the Sheikah held up a hand. “If you and Zelda are to make it to the castle you need a clear path.”

“You can’t take on the Guardians alone!”

“It’s the only choice.”

“You said we fight together.” Y/n met Link’s eyes and they almost broke at the agony in them. They had never seen so much painted across his visage, the boy keeping a stoic face for the sake of his role. But here they were. There weren't enough words to describe the pain they both felt, physically and mentally. They were fighting on the losing side, and now they could lose each other? It was hard to see a point in the fight with so little left.

“Leaving you is my last choice… but I need you- both of you- to survive.”

“And what about you!?”

“I’M NOT THE CHOSEN ONE!” Y/n finally allowed the tears to fall. They didn’t matter. What mattered was guiding the chosen pair to Ganon. As long as Link and Zelda survived, they had completed their duty. Their life never mattered. It didn’t hold the same weight. Choking back their sobbing, Y/n tried to smile. They had their happy moments. Made friends. Fell in love. And now they had to fulfill their destiny. No matter how much it hurt. “Right now our destinies have to part ways… and I don’t know how long we’ll be apart. So I need you to keep fighting, even when I’m not beside you. Because together I know you can beat Ganon.”

“We shouldn’t have to leave you.” Tears were swimming in his cerulean eyes. The only thing that kept Link from crying was the promise he made. He wouldn’t cry until the battle was over. “I can’t lose you. You are my life… and I can’t live without you.”

“You can.” Y/n reached out, caressing his face in their hands. “You will… because I love you. I love you in this life, and the next, and every one that follows. I will stand by you until there isn’t a reason to fight and even then, I’ll stay with you. I. Love. You.”

Link surged forwards, pressing his lips against theirs. It was desperate. He needed to convey everything he felt in the few moments left. That they would stand together no matter what time they were in. They could be ripped apart or thrown through time, or even lose all their memories and they would still share this bond. As long as destiny brought them together, they would connect like perfect halves. They completed each other.

Link was the first to pull away, hands running through Y/n’s hair and over their face. It was like he was trying to memorize every detail about them. Like if he focused he could commit Y/n to memory. He needed to be able to find them again, even if it was only within his own thoughts.

“You need to go.” Y/n broke the trance, whispering the words neither of them wanted to hear.

They had to part ways.

Link pressed a final kiss to Y/n’s forehead before he stood up. Zelda lunged forward to hug the Sheikah, sobs escaping her. She squeezed so tightly Y/n had to bite their tongue to keep the whimper at bay as pain shot through their injuries. They would bare the pain for this moment with their friend. Pulling Zelda close to their form, Y/n whispered encouragement and thanks for their time together.

When Zelda pulled away, she wiped her tears before giving a grin. She may not hold the same belief in herself that the others did, but she would do what she could. She would hold onto the strength of her friends and use it as her weapon. Everyone had protected her for a reason. She would show them it was not in vain.

With their final goodbyes Link and Zelda took off, weaving through the corpses of Guardians. Y/n waited until they had reached the open fields before stepping out from their hiding spot and whistling. Mechanics whirred to life around them as Guardians rose to defense. Y/n drew back their arrows, white hot pain flaring as their shoulder stretched. This would be their final stand. They would give it their all, here and now, so their friends could go on.

The next few moments were a blur of exploding arrows, machines being crushed, and the blasts of lasers. Y/n couldn't keep track of how many times they had pulled back the string of their bow, loosing arrow after arrow in order to keep the masses of mechanical beasts focused on their being. They reached for their quiver once more, red eyes focused on the glowing eyes of the Guardians targeting them, only to come up empty. There were no arrows left.

There was no more hiding. All the Sheikah had left were the dual blades strapped to their side and the hope their speed would be fast enough to survive.

Y/n pulled out their blades, taking off towards the closest Guardian. They jumped up the front, thrusting their blade into its eye before flipping onto the next. The process of picking off Guardians continued as the Champion flipped and twisted their way through the masses of mechanical monsters.

Flipping off the top of a Guardian, the Sheikah noticed Guardians getting away from them. They had noticed the others! Y/n ran towards where their friends were and, in their panic, missed the giant arm heading their way.

CRUNCH

With a strangled cry, the Sheikah champion hit the ground. They tried to stand, curling in on themselves as they hit the ground again with a sob. There were too many. Y/n was exhausted. Everything hurt. So. Much.

Letting out a cough, Y/n felt a warm liquid trickle down their face. They could hear the Guardian closing in on them. The rest seemed to have lost interest when the champion fell, allowing this one to make sure it was for the last time. Propping themselves up, Y/n could see the red target on their chest. Mustering all the strength left in their body, they launched their sword at the Guardian. It struck the eye and, twitching in its failure, the beast fell. Unfortunately, this drew the rest of the Guardians back to the young Sheikah on the ground. Y/n fell back to the ground.

Thump.

Guardians picked their way over mounds of mechanical parts.

Thump.

Y/n closed their eyes.

Thump.

At least it didn’t hurt anymore.

BOOM!

Golden light erupted across the fields of Hyrule, extinguishing the flames and sucking the light from the Guardians deadly eyes.

It was warm.

Y/n smiled. Zelda had done it. She wasn’t a failure. She had unlocked her sealing powers and finally, Ganon would know defeat once more.

Y/n watched the clouds clear from the sky, stars beginning to light up the night. They supposed Ganon had pulled back from the golden aura. Maybe one day they could lay under the stars with Link. Swallowing the metallic taste of their blood the fallen warrior reached a hand up. They basked in the light of the stars twinkling above. It was like they were waving the champion up to their sides. As Y/n’s light faded, the stars grew brighter, blurring together into one light.

And with a soft breath, the Sheikah Champion allowed themselves to rest at last.

------

100 years later Link stood there watching over the fields of Hyrule. Calamity Ganon had finally been defeated. Zelda was safe as was Hyrule. The duo had made their way down from the wreckage of the castle, ready to begin their new adventure. They were free of their destiny, but the memories would follow with them forever. The Hylian Champion felt a tug and he spun back to face the castle. There above floated the spirits of his fellow Champions. Finally free from the corruption of Ganon and his malice beasts. But what stole the breath from his lungs was the spirit of the one he loved- Y/n- floating there with a grin on their face. Noticing him watching, they sent him a goofy wave, knocking their spectral arm against Revali. Link let out a snort. They never changed. Their lights began to dim as the Champions began to walk away leaving him to watch their final goodbyes. He smiled softly as he saw Y/n mouth ‘I love you’, a hand pressing against their heart, something he was quick to respond to. With one last wave, the Sheikah Champion faded away. And as Link watched the spirits of his friends- his love- fade into light, he let a tear fall quickly followed by more.

The battle was won.

[aonemanarmy]

Whatever answer that Sephiroth had initially been expecting it wasn't the one that Valentine had provided him with. Truthfully, he had thought he'd receive a more direct threat than that, but the ex-Turk did seem like the type to avoid directness.

Not once did it ever cross Sephiroth's mind that the words could've been anything but a threat, namely because he'd been raised in a world devoid of kindness or care, one that was cold and unforgiving. He'd learned from an early age that people weren't meant to be trusted and that everyone always had ulterior motives regardless of what they may have said. So he couldn't even begin to fathom that Vincent could have meant anything else, much less that the other man might be attempting to show him some form of kindness.

“It would be far simpler for you to say that you wish to kill me. I have heard it countless times, so it would hardly offend me.”

On the contrary, the concept that someone wouldn't want to kill him was a foreign idea to Sephiroth. As far as he could recall someone had always wanted him dead, whether it be a spiteful lab assistant, the people of Wutai, or anyone else that he might've angered when he'd crossed their path in the past for whatever reason. It didn't really matter and he assumed that it was just the way things were; it was simply human nature.

“Truthfully, I had not given your existence any further thought.”

Vincent may have had a strange obsession with him, but it was preposterous to think that the same was true of Sephiroth's own thoughts. The ex-Turk had been a mere blip in the course of his life, a fleeting encounter that barely registered in his mind at all; so to think that he may have actually cared what the other man thought or felt was laughable. It was none of his concern though, since he was content to let the gunman think whatever he liked so long as he stayed out of his way. Still, that didn't mean that Sephiroth didn't find the man's strange fascination with him quite the oddity as it seemed to stem from something deeper than the superficial 'fans' that he had garnered over the course of his long career.

Hints of where that 'obsession' stemmed were granted to the madman in their initial encounter five years ago, but Sephiroth hadn't bothered to delve any further into the topic. None of it was important in light of the truth he had discovered and the mission that his mother had bestowed upon him and even now that fact remained true. It didn't mean that now that he thought on it again that he didn't find it mildly curious.

“For one that speaks of immortality as much as you do I would have thought you would realize by now that you will not be able to kill me. My presence before you should have proven that fact.” Sephiroth studied Vincent's back, his cold and uncaring gaze piercing through the figure before him as if he could see through him directly into his very being. “Mother has granted me the knowledge and ability to transcend beyond death.”

What a glorious power it was too. Jenova had survived throughout the ages in conditions inhospitable to all other forms of life and it was only natural that her son also inherit her abilities. It was thanks to her that not even death could claim him, despite it trying back in the Nibel Mountains all those years ago. All Cloud and his little party could do was drive him back, but it would never be a true end for him as he had become eternal.

“So if you think killing me will grant you some sort of forgiveness then you are sorely mistaken. I am curious though, why you believe such an act would grant you some form of redemption in the first place. Will it truly assuage your guilt or are you content in deluding yourself? Will my end magically give you some sort of purpose after all is said and done or will you only continue to find emptiness in that hollow heart of yours?”

The faintest breeze wisped through the forest; the body of water making soft babbling noises against the stone ledges. Vincent didn't immediately reply to Sephiroth's inquiry. He remained virtually expressionless, save for the faintest hint of sorrow in his eyes. The memory again flashed through his mind-- Sephiroth was alone, betrayed by those he might have felt closeness to, denied a normal life, and sent plunging into the Mako tank to his death. Though corruption had become the foundation of Sephiroth's being, Vincent would never forget that tinge of pain in those mako-colored eyes-- a pain that Vincent would never again have the opportunity to heal.

"...To a place where you may at once find rest; a place where you always exist in the past. A memory." As cryptic as it was, it was heartfelt.

So long as Sephiroth remained alive, he would always be in the present. But as a memory, he would be in the past. Were the planet to die, and all life within it vanquished, Sephiroth would still exist within the mind of the immortal. And for this reason, Vincent counted his immortality a blessing. Not only would he carry the memories of his friends, and those of Lucrecia, but the memories of Sephiroth as well. It was one thing to be remembered for ones cruelty. But it was another to be completely forgotten. Sephiroth deserved death; not to be forgotten. Vincent knew Sephiroth would not understand this sentiment, but that didn't matter to the gunslinger. He had failed to protect Sephiroth once before, but he would never allow Sephiroth to be forgotten. Vincent would protect Sephiroth's memories so long as he lived. Sephiroth's reasoning for killing Aerith was a disturbing yet unsurprising response. Sephiroth saw all humans as a blight upon the planet. But it was because of humans that the planet's memories flourished. Ancient or not, they were still made of flesh and blood-- a human. They still laughed, they cried, they created wars, they healed the broken-hearted. Humans created the bounties of memories; the lifeblood of the planet. Somehow Sephiroth's answer didn't settle well with Sephiroth. There was more to it than what Sephiroth had been willing to expound upon. Afterall, would the opponent in a game of chess warn of his next move? Why the change of heart...

Vincent's eyes slowly lowered to the ground, eventually turning his back towards Sephiroth and looking out into the glass surface rippling before him. Sephiroth's question echoed in his mind, reminding him of a similar question Cloud had posed to the group. "If one desires to move forward, he must choose to take the first step to distance himself from the past," Vincent began as the water's surface rippled, recalling Aerith's words to him some time ago. He then looked out towards the forest in the direction where he had left Cloud and company. "I left that place... because turning a blind eye to carnage is precisely what you'd want." He turned his head slightly in Sephiroth's direction, his hair shielding any expression he may have shown. "For far too long, I have stood idly by, thinking that in doing so, I would be carrying out my penance. But, the results speak for themselves." The blood of Nibelheim, and the countless others that Sephiroth had killed since that day were testament to this. Vincent lowered his head, seeing his reflection on the water-- the face of one who was no longer a man, but more akin to a monster. "I joined Cloud, knowing that I would one day find you." He then lifted his head, looking up towards the darkening skies. "...And as such, atone for my sins." The Cerberus pendant hung from Vincent's gun, brushing lightly against his thigh as the atmosphere began to shift into something a bit colder.

[furiousgoldfish]

I'm supposed to start a part-time job, and I've never had an actual, regular job; the premise had been terrifying to me since I've been 11. It's been presented to me as a completely impossible feat – every single time I'd try to get a job, I'd get sabotaged.

I've been told over and over again that I am incapable of anything, worthless in every sense, unhireable, bound to mess up the simplest jobs, I couldn't do anything, nobody would hire me, it was impossible for me to work, I was a lost cause, I'd never be independent, or able to survive without family. Once I finally got my confidence up and was 18, I said I'd look for a job, only to get crushed by a well aimed 'You? What can you do?' followed with a fit of laughter from my mother. At that point it was enough to destroy any confidence I had spent weeks putting together. I believed she knew the truth about me, more than I did.

Looking back, it feels so insane to think actual parents would repeatedly tell these things to their kid, in a time where a job is the only possible survival for all humans. Were they saying all these things because I truly was, a lost case, the worst most useless person, from the age 11? Of course not. If I had been so utterly incapable, they wouldn't have to say anything, it'd be their job to help me to get capable, so that I could survive. So why would they fill their very hardworking kid's head with all this 'you won't ever get a job and you're worthless to even try'?

So I could never leave. Because I was next to no cost to be kept alive in their house (they didn't tell me that, of course, I was told I was a huge burden), and they wanted to have a half-alive scapegoat at home at all times to abuse, to force to work with no credit or compensation, and of course, to keep all of the secrets of what they did to me safe. If I'm in their house, I'm too terrified to tell anyone. Any hint of me feeling brave enough to try to gain income meant I was a step away from leaving so this had to be crushed in the most brutal way possible. But, that's only half of what they've done to keep me from working.

I've been working for my parents, ever since I was 6, of course I didn't know this, it was presented as 'you can't live if you don't work' until I understood I'd do what I'm told, or I will be left for dead. It was all manual labour, I wasn't allowed to learn a skill. I lost most of my memories of it, because it was accompanied by, well, torture. While working, I was humiliated, screamed at, beaten, injured, forced to do the work with false instructions so I could be punished for it, and of course, at the end I was told that all my work was worthless and it would have been better if I had done nothing. I wasn't allowed to back out or stop working, because remember, death threats. And it was a sure way to invoke violence, regardless of me being sick, injured, mourning, starving, distressed, devastated. I wasn't allowed to say no to work. I had no right to live if I did that.

Now that.. left a trace. I could tell, since 11, that I'd be too scared to work for anyone after that. It's been a lot of years of additional work abuse (child abuse while child is forced into labour under a death threat?) since then, so after all that, I couldn't work anymore. The mere idea of someone telling me to do something would invoke terror, rage, paranoia, panic, expectation, of violence, humiliation and death threats. I simply had no other experiences for my brain to connect it to anything other than that. Work and trauma became one and the same. I truly became incapable to work. Courtesy of my parents.

At that time I'd already done so much work, I've had physical symptoms of a person who damaged their body with work, my back hurt, my muscles were spent and aching, I was spent in my 20s from manual labor like people get at their 70s. Only I had nothing to show for it. All benefits went to my parents. I got broken and barely escaped with my life.

So, I'm still alive now, and I've been trying to recover from this for the last 5 years, feels funny when I write it like that, doesn't it? Decades of abuse, but I expected 5 years would settle this. It wouldn't, of course.

I've received some job training, and my brain was completely blank during it because, it still doesn't feel safe to be aware of reality in a work-related situation. My brain did the best it could to protect me – and dissociated the hell out of that one. Ever since, I've been feeling the effects of work abuse on my body stronger, heavier than before. All my muscles hurt, I'm too exhausted to move, I hear screaming in my head, I have a looming feeling of 'I have to quit or I will die' and also there's a voice repeating 'I can't do this, I'm not capable' in my head. It sounds and feels bad, it's actually next to unbearable, but I know my body is doing this to protect me. If I work, even part time, I will get triggered to the decades of abuse, I will be forced to re-live it. I'm not in state of mind that could safely handle this. It's a risk. If I manage to take this, maybe my brain will somehow, mercifully, create new connections between working and being okay, having financial safety for the first time since I existed. Maybe it can be done. But it will hurt, and it will put me thru hell.

I'm mad they did this to me. Nobody deserved this. In a world where we all depend on a job, to have it be this painful to have one? It shouldn't be this hard. It shouldn't destroy me like this. I shouldn't be put thru this, nobody should. I shouldn't have had to work as a child to deserve to be kept alive. I shouldn't have been put thru such traumatic work situations I now find it unbearable to handle. I shouldn't have my entire organism thrown into panic and death fear at the idea of work. I'm naturally hardworking. I should already have worked normally for years, saved up. If I had been brought up normally, I wouldn't be in financial stress and poverty, I'd be safe! I wouldn't be scared of whether I will recover fast enough to survive. I wouldn't be in traumatic exhaustion. I would be okay.

If you have endured any of the traumatic work situations by the hands of your parents, know that a crime is being committed against you, and the consequences are painful. While underage, you do not need to work to deserve to eat, or sleep, or stay alive. You do not need to suffer abuse while working in order to have human rights. It's your parents responsibility to provide you with 100% of your resources, and if they claim you owe it to them, they're lying. They had unprotected sex, they had a kid, it's absolutely none of your fault, and you do not have to pay for it. Parents do not have the right of exploiting children for work. And when they give themselves this right, it's abuse.