#and an older sibling who has nothing better to do and tries to hack their way into stuff to either

[lovemesomesurveys]

Does it annoy when someone is really, really obnoxious? Oh, absolutely. I can’t stand when people are cocky, arrogant, and obnoxious.  Do you say 'start' or 'begin'? I think I’ve said “start” more often.  Whose the last person you laughed with? My brother.  Who can make you smile no matter what? My doggo usually can.  What color is your favorite fruit? Yellow.

Do you have any plans for today? Nothing out of the ordinary, just watch YouTube videos, scroll through Tumblr, do some surveys, maybe read, maybe color, sleep... that’s about it.   Have you ever dumped someone or been dumped on Valentine's day? No. Has anyone ever hacked onto your myspace/facebook etc account? No. Do you look like your sibling(s)? We have our similar features. Although, there’s this filter on Snapchat sometimes that makes you look like a man with a goatee and it seriously makes me look identical to my older brother lol. It’s just funny because I don’t feel it’s so apparent normally.  Do you prefer buses or cabs? Neither, really.  Does anyone call you 'babe' or 'baby'? ”Babe” sometimes.  Do you like your eye color? Meh, I wish I had blue or green eyes.  Is there someone you can't get enough? Alexander Skarsgard. ;) How was your week? There’s finally been talk of me just going home and skipping the rehabilitation center I was supposed to go to but haven’t been able to go for various reasons. I was supposed to go July 1st, but there was insurance issues. Then I was supposed to go August 1st to a different, but yet again a few other road bumps got in the way. I’m thinking I’m not meant to go? ha. It’ll be so close, like yeah you’re going, they’re ready for you, and then nope! I’m perfectly fine with that, though, let me go home damnit. They’ve been showing my mom how to do some stuff so she can do it at home, so I hope I’ll be going home soon. I do want to do the swallowing test first and see if I can start a liquid diet and be able to have actual drinks and then work up to actual food. 

Do you keep up with the celebrity gossip? Yeah, but not nearly as much as I used to.  Are you wearing any masacara? No. I’m not wearing any makeup.  Whose the most innocent person you know? I don’t know. Do you check Postsecret every week? I never go on the website, I just come across a Facebook post of theirs once in awhile. Is there anyone you regret knowing? No. Does your best friend smoke? No. Have you ever flown a kite? I think I have once when I was a kid.  Do you throw pennies away? No.  Has anyone ever told you a lame line like, 'It's not you, it's me'? Yes, which I thought was BS at the time, but then I’ve said that before and I  believe it truly was me, so... Do you think you're a fragile person? I’ve become one over the past 6 years, physically and figuratively. I feel so weak in every way.  Are you truly happy right now? No. Do you like all your aunts and uncles? All but one.  Whose the last person you said hi to? My dad just now.  Would you rather stay friends with exes or not? I mean it depends. I’ve tried and it ultimately didn’t work out for me, but that’s not to say it never could. It works for some people. Are your parents proud of you? They say they are. I don’t know why, I feel like such a disappointment and failure.  Are you proud of who you are? No. How many sinks are in your house? Three. Have you ever worked somewhere with horrible conditions? I’ve never had a job.  Do you know all your best friend's secret? No. What's your opinion on ...on what? Have you ever been scared to be home alone? Yeah. Even still, like I’m fine for awhile during the day but I don’t stay home alone at night or overnight.  Is your sibling(s0 a good liar? I don’t feel like they’re habitual liars, they’re pretty good, honest people.  Are YOU a good liar? No. I used to be able to hide my emotions better, but definitely not anymore. I do downplay things and maybe leave some things out, though.  What's the best game show? I like to watch Family Feud and The Weakest Link.  Do you say 'simple' or 'plain'? Uhh, depends what I’m talking about.  Name a time when you couldn't control your anger: It was during a very stressful and long trip from Idaho to California (we went to Idaho because my grandpa lived there and he was sick and dying) and our emotions were high because of my grandpa’s passing. I think there was hanger mixed in there for some of us, too. My dad and I were bickering and I just got so mad because given everything going on it was just too much. I remember actually shaking because I was so mad.  How often do you wash your hands? Often, and I use hand sanitizer often as well.  What's your dream car? I don’t have one. Are you one of those people who want to marry Edward Cullen? No. I was team Edward back in the Twilight days, though, and thought he was cute.  What's something you need to survive, other then the obvious food, etc? My family.  Have you ever been kicked in the stomach? No. What would you do if the president asked you to hang out? Nah, that’s okay. Would you rather never wear hoodies again or never wear T-shirts again? Aw, I really like hoodies and graphic tees, but out of the two I’d go with never wear hoodies. I have so many graphic tees and I’d like to keep getting more. Even though I shouldn’t cause I don’t have room... Do you know how to stop an over-flowing toilet? Yeah. When you're typing, do you type 'tomorrow' or 'tmr'? I type, “tomorrow.” With the exception of like, “lol”, “lmao”. “omg”, and “wtf”, I don’t like shorthand or text speak.  Whose the most kind person you know? My mom.  Did you see the movie 'House of wax'? Did you like it? Yeah. Do you have any special jewlery? I do. Do you/did you like school? Overall, I would say I did. In the midst of it I wouldn’t have said that, though. I got so stressed out, burnt out, and overwhelmed, but I did like some aspects of it. Plus, at least I was being productive then. Since graduating UC back in 2015 I haven’t done shit.  Have you ever dated the same person more then three times? Joseph and I had a complicated, off and on thing for like 3 years.  Do you need to wash your hair? I do. Lol or lmao? I use both.  Can you tell when your best friend is lying? I think so. Do you like writing speeches? No. I hated giving them even more.  Do you have bangs? No. Do you say 'lol' even when it's not that funny? I’ll write it with a deadpan look and all lol. Like now.  What's your favorite perfume? Hmm. I don’t have one particular one.  Have you ever been dumped through text? No, but via Facebook Messenger.  Who doesn't deserve to be so famous? I don’t know. Does your hair get greasy soon after washing it? No. If the last person you kissed asked you to marry them, what would you do? Uh, say no and be like wtf?? That would definitely be completely out of the blue. We haven’t seen or talked to each other in 6 years and he had ended things with me years prior because he didn’t feel the same way about me and didn’t want to commit. Now he just shows up and wants to get married? Nah. 

Do you trust people soon after meeting them? No. What do you order at fast food restaurants? Most likely chicken tenders, but it depends on the place of course.  If you were to have a son, what would you name him? I’m not having kids.  Do you eat fish? No. How many of your cousins are married? Several. Many are in long-term relationships and have a family, just not married.  How many times have you gotten manicures? Once, it was for my 8th grade graduation.  Can you get to sleep anywhere or do you need certain conditions? I need to be comfortable physically and temperature wise.  Do you go to tanning beds? No. Big sunglasses, aviators or normal sized ones? None. What was your teacher's name is grade seven? I had a few teachers, like one for math, one for history, one for science, one for English.  Do you know anyone who recently got engaged? No. What color is your most comfy pair of pajamas? I have several t-shirt dresses in various colors and prints that I like to wear for pajamas and around the house.  Do you prefer to keep your issues private? I’m open here in these surveys, but I keep most things to myself in “real life” and on Facebook. I’m vague and selective with what I share on Facebook. I very rarely post anything at all to be honest.  Is the room you're in right now messy? No. Have you ever had a cat who had kittens? I’ve never had a cat.  What was the last thing to make you cringe? Hm. I don’t recall.  Has a chair you were sitting on ever collapsed? No. What is the most basic thing you know? I don’t know? Have you ever heard the song 'If you seek Amy'? Yes. Do you think watching a birth is beautiful or gross? I’m sorry, but I don’t find it beautiful lol. Does your myspace/e-mail/etc have any x's in it? Back in the day all my usernames and emails did.  What's your favorite kind of math? (Addition, division, etc) Uh, none. I hate math.  Would you rather name your daughter Rachel or Holly? I’m not having kids, but for the sake of the question I like the name Rachel better.  Have you ever ditched a friend for a guy? I kind of did in middle school. :/ Would you like to date a musician? I’m not seeking out one, but if I found a guy who happened to play an instrument I’d be into that. I’d love if they could play piano.  Do you know who Pete Wentz is? Yeah. What's your favorite thing to do on a road trip? Snack and listen to music.  What's your favorite thing to eat on a road trip? Chips and sweets. 

[mental-dilemma]

DATPT part 5

The boys have a conversation with Bruce before all hell breaks loose. 

we're gonna ignore the fact I haven't posted in months, for compensation can I give you an extra-long chapter? BTW yes I did finish editing this during class, I'm also not great with pranking siblings, and since this was the way to tell them bout Marinette/Ladybug I ran with it.

Read from the beginning:

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“Ok, Damian, have fun.” Dick turned to his brothers. “Well, boys it looks like we’ll have the apartment to ourselves Damian’s staying with Marinette tonight.”

“And you're ok with that?!” Jason asked, shocked Dick would let their youngest brother stay over with his girlfriend.

“Oh don’t give me that they’re both eighteen now and something tells me Marinette’s parents will keep more than one eye on them. So what do you guys want to do tonight.” The three brothers had decided that this trip to Paris would also be family time, especially considering how they didn’t really get any of that during the year.

“Movie?” Tim asked.

“Which one.” Jason was not watching another

“How bout this one?” Tim picked up the box that Damian had left sitting out on the coffee table earlier that morning. Jason plucked it from Tim’s hands and began reading the title. “Night of the living statue. Are you sure this doesn’t even seem scary?”

“I mean there’s always the crowbar wielding clown we could watch.”

“Oh yeah, that one got burned a while ago.”

“Fair enough.”

“So Night of the living statue it is,” Dick said, already making the popcorn.

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

“No don’t go into the basement, oh come on!” Jason was yelling at the screen.

“Jason you know they can’t hear you right?” Tim said rolling his eyes, which were illuminated by the laptop screen sitting in front of him.

“I don’t care Replacement the fact they’re doing it goes against every bit of common sense, it just doesn’t make, well--”

“Sense?” Dick supplied walking back into the room with the third popcorn bucket of the evening.

“Exactly I just don’t get it!” Jason held out his hands and made a grabbing motion for the bucket Dick easily sidestepped him and plopped down between the two.

“Ok, Tim popcorns back computers off.” He said as he finished getting settled.

“But I’m almost in, five more minutes and we get authentic Wayne manor security footage, and that’s better than any movie.

“Rules are rules replacement you agreed to the trade so you have to deal with it,” Jason said munching on popcorn.

“He’s right, and anyway if you keep going at it we’re gonna get a call from Al-” Right on cue, the video call screen popped up on Tim’s computer. He groaned before hitting accept.

“Hey, Alf good to see ya ol’ buddy ol’ pal! How’s the good ol’ USofA?” He said in an overly perky voice.

“Master Drake if I might request you stop attempting to hack onto the Batcave system it would be much appreciated.” Alfred’s voice rang over the call.

“Just hacking into security footage, huh?” Dick said glaring at Tim, Paris was a no hero weekend and Tim just broke that.

“I uh… I’m gonna go.” He said ending the call, moving quickly he closed his laptop grabbed a handful of popcorn, bolted over the couch to the room he was staying in, and closed the door.  

“Well, that’s the last we’ll be seeing of him tonight,” Dick said moving to grab his phone. He opened up Alfred’s contact at called him back. “Sorry, Alfred he’s just itching to get a case. He’s gotten really bored seeing Paris like a normal person, well as normal as you can get given we’re Waynes.”

“Don’t worry about it I have one of those as well.” He panned his camera over to where Bruce was sitting cowl down at the computer in the Batcave. Dick and Jason both gave a small laugh.

“How is he doing?” Dick asked.

“Oh same as usual, sulking during the night, acting like a complete buffon during the day.” Jason laughed, Dick heard Bruce mutter through the phone, and Alfred brought the camera over to Bruce.

“Hey, Bruce how ya doing?” Dick asked innocently.

“How am I doing? Let’s see Richard, my sons hijacked the plane to go to Paris on a whim with no planning whatsoever, I got a call from Damian’s school that he was absent today. I'm also dealing with a very angry Italian ambassador, oh and with all the girls out on other missions I’m dealing with the entirety of Gotham and WE by myself for who knows how long. How do you think I feel?” The bags under Bruce’s eyes were more pronounced than usual as he berated his two older sons for a few more minutes, “now do you two have a reasonable explanation, or am I going to be feeding your asses to Harley Quinn for therapy sessions this week.”

“Damian has a girlfriend,” Dick said smoothly, Alfred and Bruce both paused, looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

“Please Dick if you’re gonna come up with an excuse at least make it a plausible one,” Bruce said while Alfred was attempting to compose himself in the background.

“I’m telling the truth, her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s in his class and apparently, they’ve been dating for the last few months.”

“I’m going to search her up and if you’re lying to me it’s three therapy sessions with Quinn.” Dick shivered remembering the last time that happened, He had been suspended over a shark tank until he admitted he needed to start putting himself first. Bruce typed a few things on the computer and let out a sharp whistle. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“See I told you,” Dick said smugly.

“That doesn’t change the fact that---” Bruce was cut off as they heard a scream come from Tim’s room.

“Sorry, Bruce gotta go check that out. Call you later.” Dick ended the video

following Jason to Tim’s room where they saw him sitting over his computer furiously banging on the keyboard.

“Woah Woah replacement if you keep that up then there won’t be any computer left to type with.”

“I don’t care! Someone cut the power and I was in the middle of checking Parisian crime records.

“Don’t freak out,” Dick said calmly, “I’ll go check the fuse box, you and Jason can go check the router. Ok?”

“Ok,” Tim said taking a breath. He put his computer aside and walked out of the room with Jason following him. Dick tried to call Damian to find out where the fuse box was, but for some reason couldn’t get a signal inside the apartment. He walked out onto the balcony waving his phone up wildly seeing if a bar would show up. He sighed as he brought his phone down. Nothing. As he turned to go back inside he felt a small pinch on his neck he moved to swat at it and he felt nothing. As he stepped forwards his eyelids began drooping, he stumbled and reached for the railing. He missed and before he slipped into unconsciousness he felt the bite of cold cement against his arms.

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

When Dick woke up the sun was streaming through the living room window. He felt a weight on his stomach and when he stretched his neck up he saw Jason was lying on him, with Tim lying on the top of the pile. He laid there a moment as the night caught up to him, he began formulating who would knock them out, and how he was going to get out of this dogpile when a sharp“Ahem” sounded from the doorway. Standing there was Damian in jeans and a shirt.

“Well, it looks like you guys had a blast last night,” Marinette said poking her head in. It was the first time Dick had seen her without pigtails, instead, she had her blue-black locks tied back in a messy bun and she was suspiciously wearing Damian’s sweatshirt.  

“You want to tell me why Father called me last night wanting to know all about my girlfriend and why I hadn’t told him about her yet.” Jason and Tim gave simultaneous groans of annoyance as Dick hopped up.

“Listen Damian I can explain,” He said stepping forward. He felt something hook his foot.  “What the--” he got out before red paint came crashing down on top of him. Jason and Tim, both awake now, shot up trying in vain to avoid the downpour only to stumble into more strings. Before anyone could blink glitter rained down from the ceiling sticking to the paint coating the boys. A camera flash later saw them giving the death glare to Damian as he and Marinette stood off to the side trying not to laugh.

“What. the. Hell.” Dick said as he wiped paint from his eyes.

“If you want to live Demonspawn you better hope that this paint comes out,” Jason said as he attempted to shake glitter from his hair.

“If Con ever finds that picture Jason isn’t gonna be the one you should be scared of,” Tim said dangerously low. Damian finally cracked and started laughing. Collectively the three batboys stopped and looked up in shock. They hadn’t heard Damian laugh before, sure they’ve heard the evil laugh and the Robin laugh but never his laugh, it was soft light, and infectious. Before long Marinette was laughing too, while Jason Tim and Dick were all smiling.  

“Ok you were right that was better than anything I could think up,” Damian said as he composed himself.

“Hey give some credit to Luka,” Marinette said, “He was the one who suggested glitter.”

Jason’s eyes widened as he realized that not only did Demon spawn pull a nonlethal prank, but Marinette was in on it. Not just Marinette but some kid named Luka too.

“Wait back up, you’re telling me you guys decided that you should knock us out, and then dump red paint and glitter on us?” Tim said blearily.

“Well, we couldn’t just come out and tell you,” Marinette responded.

“Well we could, but this is revenge for your little family trip,” Damian interjected.

“Tell us what? That you hate us with a passion? You’re an evil psychopath?”

“You know for a family of detectives you guys can be rather slow.” Marinette slammed a hand over her mouth realizing what she had said. “I’m sorry I didn’t me--”

“I love you so much right now,” Damian said gawking at her, Marinette blushed.

“Ok, will one of you two please talk to us rather than whatever,” Jason gestured vaguely to the two of them, “that is.”

“What color is the glitter?” Marinette said as she turned her attention from Damian. She sounded almost like a school teacher would when talking to children.

“Black…” The boys responded in unison.

“And what color is the paint?”

“Red.”

“So what’s red and covered in black spots.”

“Lady----- Oh for fucks sake,” Tim said slapping his hand on his forehead.

“There it is,” Marinette said triumphantly, a smile spreading across her lips. A few moments later Jason and Dick both gasped as the information finally sunk in.

“Why can’t anyone in this family be normal.” The second youngest Wayne lamented.

“Well, at least this means you can join my team and me on patrols. I bet that’ll make Paris a little more interesting.” Tim perked up.

“Woah. Woah. Woah. We can talk all that out later but you need to go get cleaned up before the paint stains the carpet.” Damian interrupted, he didn’t like the fact Marinette was talking about patrol with his brothers.

“I would like to remind you that this was your plan, Damian,” Dick said.

“It may be my plan but it’s someone else’s carpet now go.”

The three boys were shepherded to the bathroom while Damian and Marinette cleaned up the mess left in the living room. All three of them were rather impressed with the way the two of them had revealed Marinette’s identity, although it went unspoken how if anyone revealed it there would be serious consequences.

It took them over an hour to even begin making a dent in the glitter-paint combination that covered their bodies. Dick having been directly under the bucket had it the worst, with Jason coming in at a close second. Jason thought he had at least gotten out the stuff in his hair during his shower, only to look in the mirror and let out a quiet fuck. Dick gave him a questioning look, in response, Jason just pointed to his hair. Where his white streak was now stained a deep crimson. “This means war.”

Tag list (closed): 

@ur-average-reader @dast218 @allulily @acoursedprophetwithasmothie @k-laconia-bug1 @smolplantmum @g-arya @loysydark @mewwitch @itsemeanne @hauntedstudent99 @pawsitivelymiraculous @clumsy-owl-4178 @eeveeofstewjon @demonicbusiness @zotinha456 @t1dwarrior-of-earth @chocolateherringtacofan @abrx2002 @toodaloo-kangaroo @wannajointhecrabcult @miraculous-simmer7 @notmycupoftea26 @legodetectivemalsblog @fusser90 @ladyrwby @buginetye

[mischiefandspirits]

Are You Sure About That?

((Warning for blood and blood drinking))

The seedy streets of Gotham were filled with whispers about the demons and monsters that roamed the city, and outsiders and Gotham’s lawful scoffed at how superstitious the criminals could be.

Gordon had worked alongside Batman enough to be quite sure there were no demons in Gotham. Sure, the vigilante was a little standoffish, but it was Gotham. Likewise, the Robins and Batgirls were all good kids. Maybe the first Robin’s smiles were a little eerie, but that was likely just the contrast with his mentor. Maybe the second and third liked morbid humor, but that was just how kids were these days. Maybe the fourth Robin was a bit temperamental and harsh, but he was young. Maybe the Batgirls’ movements were a little uncanny, but that was probably just the training. Maybe Nightwing seemed a little too cheerful about the stuff they dealt with, but the kid had been doing this since he was young. He could have a worse coping mechanism. Red Hood was the only one he’d really consider monstrous, but the guy was a former crime lord turned anti-hero and he had been getting better since the Bat had taken him under his wing.

The members of the Justice League rolled their eyes whenever someone brought up the rumors. Batman was grim, overly serious, and secretive, but he was a good man who only wanted the best and always had plan after plan to help the league succeed.

The Titans thought the rumors were hilarious. Sunshine Boy Nightwing? A demon? Who could believe the guy who was always flipping around and laughing at his own bad puns was some dark monster?

The Outlaws didn’t believe it, but they understood why someone might make the mistake of thinking Red Hood was a monster. The guy was vicious and maybe a little messed up in the head, but then again so were they.

Young Justice scoffed at the rumors. Corvid was incredibly intelligent and an incredible fighter, but he was also an absolute mess who couldn’t remember to sleep, eat, or drink on his own.

The Teen Titans stared dumbly when they heard the rumors. Sure, Robin was rude, brutal, and a bit entitled, but calling him a demon was a little much, especially considering the team had a cambion member.

The Birds of Prey ignored the rumors. Oracle was a godsend, even when she had to give up the cowl because of an unknown accident. And Batgirl was a brash spitfire, but she was always willing to lend a hand. Likewise, Huntress mostly stuck to herself, but she could be kind and personable when the time came.

The public, well, as time went on they saw more and more of Batman and his companions working with their teams on the news. It was quite clear to everyone that the group was nothing more than baseline humans with incredible training who were out to make the world a better place.

Yet the rumors persisted.

Because in the shadows of Gotham, where only the darkest of souls and their victims could see you, there was no reason to hide.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nightwing licked the blood off his talons as he listened to Batgirl’s story, idly kicking the unconscious gangster at his feet every so often.

“Why didn’t you just kill him, Fatgirl?” Robin huffed from Nightwing’s side and the imp ruffled the tiefling’s hair, carefully avoiding his horns.

“Killing shouldn’t be your go-to option, hdiiga,” he chirped.

“Don’t do that! You’re getting saliva and common blood in my hair!” Robin snarled, slapping away his hand.

Nightwing smirked and leaned down to lick a speck of blood off his youngest brother’s cheek, pulling back quickly when Robin screeched and tried to punch him.

“I’d say it’s an improvement,” Red Hood teased as he finished tying up the gangster he’d had taken down.

“Mind your place or I will put you back in your grave!”

Wiping some blood off his mouth, Hood smiled at Robin. “Go right ahead. I could use the nap.”

“If you’re counting on me to resurrect you, I’ll remind you that the last time I did that, you tried to banish me,” Red Robin said, not looking up from the laptop he was hacking into as his shadows soaked up the blood on him.

Nightwing and Batgirl groaned as the zombie and demon settled into a familiar argument.

“Well maybe if you’d brought me back properly as you did for your blonds, then I wouldn’t have tried to banish you.”

“That was different! I was less experienced when I brought you back!”

“I should have been easier to bring back! I was already a zombie!”

“EXACTLY! You came with a bunch of extra complications!”

“Are you two ever going to let this go?” Batgirl asked, eyes on the gangster she had knocked out. His face was twitching with distress as she twirled her fingers across his forehead, occasionally pulling them away to see the small moment of peace he got before she began brushing them across his forehead again. The revenant looked up at Robin and winked. “And killing’s boring, Human-Bird. Everything ends way too fast.”

Robin clicked his tongue. “I will never understand why we should waste our time torturing someone who has nothing worth telling? If we’re not going to kill them then why bother attacking them at all?”

“Because it’s fun?” Nightwing and Batgirl said together.

“There’s always something you can get out of someone, even if it’s just sustenance?” Red Robin offered.

Hood shrugged when the tiefling turned to him. “Don’t look at me. I’m the white sheep, remember. The only reason I could give you is that listening to B lecture about maintaining appearances by limiting deaths and going after insignificant criminals gets really annoying after a while, and that’s never stopped me.”

“Are you five done?” Oracle’s hissing voice echoed through the alley as the green mist that had been hovering across the ground began to rise in serpentine forms.

“Just finished downloading the data you wanted,” Red Robin said, closing the laptop and passing a thumb drive to the snake coiling up him.

“Alright, the police are three minutes out so either clean yourselves up or get out of there.”

“I will head in. I need to wash off the common blood and,” Robin glared at Nightwing, “saliva.”

The imp smiled back unrepentantly. “I’ll go with you, hdiiga.”

“I should probably take off as well,” Hood said as the two left. “I still need to check on a few things in my territory. Maybe grab another bite to eat.”

“Please clean up after yourself this time. I don’t exist just to disappear all your bodies.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll behave. Not really in the mood for a lecture from His Majesty anyways,” Hood said with an eye roll and swatted the serpent on him off so he could grapple away.

“Guess it’s just you and me on babysitting duty, Red,” Batgirl said. She stood up and stretched before walking over to Red Robin. “Mind helping a lady freshen up?”

The demon snorted, but his shadows rose to clean the blood off her. As they waited, Red Robin raised his guise to make him appear human and Batgirl pulled up her scarf to hide the part of her pure-white face that wasn’t covered by the cowl.

Once they’d gone through the motions with the humans, Red Robin took off on his bike and Batgirl headed up to the roofs.

“Alright, O. Take me home!”

The green mist that had nearly disappeared in the presence of the humans flared to life and condensed into a large serpent that coiled around the revenant until she couldn’t see anything but green. The mist dispersed after a moment, leaving her standing within a summoning circle at the center of the Clocktower.

Oracle was sitting in front of her at a desk surrounded by computer screens and candles with green flames. A scrying bowl sat in front of her and a laptop was across her lap. As Batgirl stepped out of the circle, the scrying bowl stopped glowing and the candles went out all at once. The otherworlder set her keyboard on her desk and spun her chair around to face Batgirl, the white light fading from her eyes and the light from the screen catching eerily on the cracks across her skin that kept her from glamoring.

As she pulled down her cowl, Stephanie tossed Barbara a pendant glowing with psychic energy. “Brought home dinner!”

“Thanks. Your dinner is in the oven. Tiết canh.”

“You’re the best!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hdiiga is an Impish term. It directly translates to mean an infant imp, but it more generally is used as a term of endearment used by parents for their children or older siblings for their younger siblings.

For the record since they didn't appear:

Bruce is a demon king from the same demonic realm as Tim

Selina is a demigoddess who was granted powers by a cat goddess and, as a result, can reincarnate up to nine times

Helena is a cambion that came about as a result of a shared night between Bruce and one of Selina's past lives

Talia is completely human as was Damian's father (Damian's tiefling traits are a result of Talia and Ra's infusing Damian with Bruce's power during his time in the incubator in hopes of earning Demon!Bruce's favor. They are not aware that Demon!Bruce and Batman!Bruce are the same person)

Bernard is also a revenant (he and Steph were the blonds Jason mentioned)

[queerbutstillhere]

Are you still taking prompts? How about a Jondami and Robin!Reversal AU, where Damian's little Bros give Jon a shovel talk.

(Okay so I've gotten a lot of shovel talk requests, but this one immediately called to me. Thank you for sending it in!

Jon - 23, Damian - 20, Tim - 17, Jason - 14, Dick - 12 )

Jon hummed to himself as he flew over the greater part of Delaware and New Jersey. He hummed a little louder as he created a small sonic boom. He barely blinked as miles of fields and cities blurred beneath him.

He had one destination in mind tonight, and he intended to get there on time.

When he reached Gotham, it was nearing sunset. He didn't even hesitate to enter the city, despite the ban on metas, and weaved through the tall building seamlessly, flying across town and to Wayne Manor. The grounds security systems didn't even bother to activate, thanks to the device Damian had given him, a small beacon pin that told both the metahuman tracker and the manor security systems to ignore him. He had two of them, one was pinned to his uniform, the other lived on his keys so he wouldn't loose it.

He landed in front of the door and rang the doorbell, leaning against the wall as he waited, knowing it'd be a few minutes. Three minutes later, he heard footsteps, then the lock disengaging. And then the door swung open. It was opened by a child who barely reached Jon's chest.

"Dick! Hey there!"

"Hi Jon!" Dick said with a wide grin.

The twelve year old was wearing what appeared to be a school uniform, and had a water bottle in one hand, his messy black hair falling all over the place.

"Is Damian here?"

"He's downstairs with B."

"Oh. That explains why I couldn't hear him."

"Yup! Come in, they should be up here soon for dinner though!"

Dick let him inside and Jon glancing around, casting out with his hearing to note Alfred in the kitchen, and Tim and Jason in the living room. Dick started heading that way.

"Come on!" He said cheerfully, walking like everything was fine and dandy.

Jon followed him, despite the sudden gut feeling that he should go hang out with Alfred. They walked into the living room and instantly he wanted to turn around and walk to the kitchen. Tim and Jason were sat in two armchairs, the sofa on the other side of the coffee table.

"Have a seat, Jonathan," Tim said, motioning.

Jon sighed, looking down at Dick.

"I can't believe you set me up."

"Get used to it!" The kid ran away and jumped up to sit on Jason's arm rest.

Jon just sighed again and walked over, sitting on the empty sofa.

"We need to have a talk," Jason told him.

"About this." Tim set a phone on the coffee table. It was solid black, no personalization on the case, but Jon recognized it instantly.

"Uh. That's your brothers phone."

"Clearly."

"I didn't just lift a random phone off him, Jon, we know it's his," Jason said with an eyeroll.

"Okay, why do you have his phone?" Jon asked, warily.

"So we could hack it."

"Wait a minute-"

"Who gave you permission to date our brother?" Dick asked, crossing his arms and glaring at Jon.

"Can we just talk about the fact that you hacked his phone?"

"Okay, technically we didn't hack it. We made Dick ask to play games on it."

"What did they offer you, Dick?"

None of them answered. Jon narrowed his eyes.

"You're getting off topic," Jason said, redirecting the conversation. "We want to know why you're dating Damian."

"Does Bruce know?"

"We haven't told him."

"Okay. I'm dating him because I really really like him," Jon said, willing to cave to the brothers, considering how long they'd actually been dating without the families knowledge.

"How long?" Dick asked, surprisingly menacing for a tiny twelve year old.

"A year."

"A what?!" Jason exclaimed, eyes wide.

Jon shrugged.

"Why you- I oughta!"

Tim held out a hand to stop Jason.

"Not yet. We still have some things to discuss. When did Damian give you access to Gotham?"

"Uh, like, five years ago, Tim. It's been eons."

"When were you going to tell us?"

"When Damian decided to. It wasn't up to me."

"And if it was, would you have told us?"

"Not if Damian didn't want me to."

"And why wouldn't he have wanted us to know?" Tim asked, eyebrow arching.

"Well maybe because he knew you'd attempt some elaborate shovel talk like this!"

The three brothers exchanged glances.

"So you recognize that if you hurt him we will kill you?" Jason asked.

"If I hurt him, I know very well that He'll hurt me, let alone you guys. He knows how, he has kryptonite."

"And what exactly does he do with that Kryptonite?" Jason asked, tilting his head.

The look he was giving Jon sent chills down his back.

"Oh, my God! You're fourteen, you should NOT be thinking about that!"

"For the record? I read your texts, I know very well what he does with it," Tim inputted, wincing. "And I want to burn my eyes."

"Are you- are you kidding me?! That's it."

Jon stood, reaching out and snatching Damian's phone before anyone else could.

"I've had enough of this. Not only have you illegally accessed his phone, you have breached both his and I's privacy by reading our text conversations. That is unacceptable and you can be damn well sure I'm telling him about this. Tim, I'm disappointed in you, acting like this. You should know better."

Jon turned to march out, feeling anger boiling in his body.

"If you tell him, then I'll have no choice but to tell Bruce, and you know he'll immediately disable your beacons."

Jon froze, turning back to Tim, who had also stood, smirking wickedly.

"Not only that, but we might just leak that pretty background of his."

Oh no. The background was a photo of them at the pool last year, they were both shirtless, and Damian was sat in Jon's lap. They were kissing. The lock screen was totally different, however, to avoid suspicion.

"Okay, now you're blackmailing me? Geesh Tim, you're more of a sadistic shit then Kon said."

"He has no idea the lengths I'll go to in order to protect my big brother."

Jon sighed, rubbing his face.

"Okay. Fine. I won't tell Damian what we talked about or that you got in his phone. As long as you promise not to do it again and promise not to tell Bruce."

The three brothers exchanged glances.

"No manipulating. Either you agree or you don't."

"That won't be a problem," Tim said with a sweet smile.

His heart ticked up a bit.

"Are you really trying to bullshit me? Tim I'm literally a human lie detector."

"You think I'm lying to you?"

"I'm dating your brother, I can tell when one of you bats is lying, I had to learn. So I don't think you're lying. I know you are."

Tim scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know what, fine. I'm telling him. And I can bet he won't be very impressed."

"Tell who what?"

The brothers eyes all went wide as their gaze snapped to the doorway behind Jon. Jon recognized that voice immediately. Of course he did, he had been hearing that voice for ten years, and knew exactly what it'd sound like when begging.

"Damian."

He turned around, smiling brightly at his boyfriend.

"Hello, Jonathan... Why do you have my phone?"

"Oh, your brothers broke into it, read our texts, tried to give me a shovel talk and are now blackmailing me."

Damian hummed. "Blackmailing you with what?"

"Telling Bruce, leaking photos of us, and deactivating my access to Gotham."

Another hum, and he nodded for a second. The eldest child turned his gaze to his younger siblings.

"Well, I'll have you know, your first threat is useless. Father already knows. Secondly, that is a breach of privacy, as is reading our texts, and should you do so, the repercussions will not be enjoyable. Additionally, not even you, Drake, can take away his access," Damian said smoothly, snatching his phone from Jon's hand. "Thank you for telling me, beloved. And I apologize for their behavior."

Jon smiled at him. "It's okay, not your fault."

"Ugh! Damian why can't you let us have our fun?!" Jason protested, glaring at his older brother.

"Because you have nothing to worry about. Jon is a good man, and a good boyfriend. But. If giving him a shovel talk is all you really need to accept our relationship, then go ahead. You have-" he looked at his watch. "Five minutes until dinner."

"Wait, what?!" Jon asked, turning to Damian again.

"You'll be fine, beloved. I'll see you at dinner!"

Damian walked over, kissed him quickly, much to the dismay of his sibling, and then walked away.

"Damian!"

"You're a invincible alien, Kent, you'll be fine."

And so his boyfriend abandoned Jon with his three younger siblings, who all grinned at Jon like he was a fish among sharks.

"Oh no."

[fatbottombucky]

That’s Stark’s Boy *Peter Parker x Reader*

Christmas Special: Bonus Chapter

Summary: After getting kicked out of school and following the wrong crowd your mother sends you to live with your father - at least you’re away from her layabout boyfriend. But your dad happens to be Tony Stark, he enrolled you into a new school and enlisted the help of his faithful protege to help you feel welcome. Not only are you the new kid but you gotta balance the Stark Expectations AND you’re living with a bunch of heroes… also, lest you forget that a certain red-suited hero makes it difficult to keep your sexuality a secret.

Pairings: Peter Parker x Male!Reader / Tony Stark (dad) x Reader (son)

Warnings: Swearing & Reader having no clue what to do with himself

Word Count: 2654

Author’s Note: This can be read on it’s own, but it is part of my That’s Stark’s Boy universe, and it would make more sense if you read the series. But you don’t have to and it’s set after Civil War, but before Infinity War. - Rosalie 

You can That’s Stark’s Boy Masterlist on my blog.

The smell of eggnog filled your senses, the warmth of the fire heated up your skin almost instantly. The bright, colourful lights illuminated the walls and an eight-foot tree that sat in the corner. The festive music was playing quietly in the background, the voice of Mariah Carey, you silently sang hummed along to the festive track.

Your eyes found the man you had been looking for, your father was standing on a ladder placing the final touches to the Christmas decorating and a Santa’s hat donned the top of his head. You let out a light chuckle, Tony was singing loudly along to the Christmas song, holding some sparkly tinsel and hooking it above the fireplace.

“It’s looking very… fantastical in here,” you mused as you looked around.

Tony had gone above and beyond, there was a festive miniature village set on the coffee table, many woodland creature decorations were perched vicariously through the living room. So, so much glitter was dusted on every surface, glittering lights were strapped around the room and around every window. Fake snow was sprinkled on the real Christmas tree, you looked closer and recognised that every bauble on the tree was, in fact, Avengers themed. Christmas presents were wrapped under the tree in Avengers wrapping paper.

“You mean Winter Wonderland, right?” Tony shot back, stepping down from the ladder and admiring his handy work. It was only then you realised he had the help from his favourite creations, Dum-H and U, also decorated with lights twirled and twisted around them, “Good work guys, really love what you have done with your corner.”

You shake your head at your father’s antics, “Thought you didn’t buy into this gimmicky Christmas stuff?”

“Well, this is our first Christmas together, properly,” Tony shrugged and you nodded lightly, “I just… want to do it right, make it special for you, for us. Unless you hate it, I can redecorate, I have some other decorations-”

You shake your head, smiling brightly, “I love it. It’s so extra and absolutely gay.”

“Well, I’ve discovered Queer Eye and I’m not looking back,” Tony mutters and glances at you, you both burst into fits of laughter at Tony’s ridiculous antics.

You patted Tony’s shoulder before walking towards the Christmas Tree, admiring all the Avengers-themed decorations. You glanced at one, tilting your head slightly and your heart tightening in your chest, the clear bauble had a picture inside of it. A photo of Tony, smiling happily at a baby, that baby is you. You had never seen the photo before and you were far too young to remember the moment, you smiled gently and quickly regained composure before directing your attention to the many wrapped gifts underneath.

“Who are all these for?” Before Tony could say anything you read the labels, “Steve? Natasha? Sam… do you think they’ll come?” You turned and looked over your shoulder to your father.

He gave a gentle shrug and not looking at you, his lips were turned into a tight-lipped smile. “I… haven’t asked them to,” he mutters and you nod, standing up and walking to sit on the sofa, “I just figured, maybe, if they had nowhere to go… it’s been two years, they skipped last year and I understand. I just like setting up just in case.”

You nodded silently, “Well, it’s Christmas and I’m here, it’d be rude if they missed this.”

Tony let out a soft chuckle and nodded.

**

You sat at your father’s computer in his lab in silence, your fingers tapping patterns on the desk and a deeply serious expression present on your face. You had been down in his lab for over twenty minutes, debating with yourself on whether you should go through with it. He wanted to see them, at least, he thinks he does. After what happened with the Avengers almost two years ago, it was radio silence between them all, Tony hadn’t heard a peep from anybody- except Vision, but contact with him was little to none.

Against your better judgement you quickly typed in Tony’s password, one thing you did take from Tony was his excellent technology mind. You easily hacked into the computer and began to scroll through the various contacts; a snort escaped you at some of the names. Till you found the name you had been looking for, it doesn’t take a genius to know where the Avengers would scurry off to and that they’d all be in contact.

You clicked the contact and waited patiently to be connected, your fingers began tapping nervously on the desk and so did your foot. The sound of the tapping echoed through the quiet lab, your eyes nervously glanced around the room to the various stuff that was littered around. The ‘ping’ of being connected made you snap your attention to the screen, then the face that could, potentially, make Christmas happen flashed on the screen.

“You don’t know me, I’m Y/N Stark and I don’t know you, but I really need your help.”

**

“Six days till Christmas,” you yell walking into Mj’s house and being greeted by her older brother, he raised an eyebrow at you before calling to Mj, her head poked out from around her bedroom door and tilted her head. “I haven’t got Pete a present!” You exclaim.

You followed Mj to the kitchen, where she was helping her brother make Christmas cookies to take to see her grandparents on Christmas Eve. “Why don’t you just ask him what he wants?” She asked with a slight shrug and you scoffed, “What? That’s what I did, him and Ned gave me a few ideas.”

“I can’t ask, especially now,” Mj cocked a brow at you, “he’s apparently gotten me the perfect gift, he doesn’t want to know the list because I’m going to love what he’s got me,” you sighed dramatically. “If I ask what he wants then I’m the shit boyfriend, I should know what he wants, right?”

It’s silent as the two Jones’ siblings cut the cookies into the Christmas trees, each eyeing one another and deciding who should talk first. Before either of them can begin to help or give advice you sit down dramatically, grabbing a cookie that’s already been baked and place it in your mouth before Mj can take it away.

“Figuring out what to get my boyfriend for Christmas is hard,” you groan, “like he already has everything he could ever want… me.”

Mj and Warren end up laughing loudly, each hunching over to let out loud laughs. You end up joining them, chuckling with the duo. You end up helping the pair with decorating the cookies and listening to their ideas of presents for Peter. Although, all of them good, they didn’t sound perfect or right and you wanted the perfect gift for him since he had found the one for you.

*Peter’s P.OV*

“Ned, I can’t give him that,” Peter chuckled as his best friend held up a Spider-Man action figure, “It’s gotta be perfect, the best gift ever because he’s the best boyfriend,” Ned rolled his eyes at Peter from across the store.

“Why did you tell him you got him the perfect gift?” Peter shrugged, “if it doesn’t live up to expectations he’s gonna be pissed.”

Peter shakes his head, “It’s the thoughts that count, right? He’ll see how hard I’ve tried and appreciate whatever I get,” he tries to defend himself as he looks across the various shelves of stuff and trinkets to get, nothing really grabbing his attention.

He sighs gently and rubs his temples, he turns to Ned and shakes his head. Both leaving the shop to go to the next and start the whole ordeal all over again. If anything it started to become tedious for the two teenage boys, Peter had no idea what to get you and since this was his first Christmas with his first ever boyfriend, he just wanted it to go well and great.

*Normal P.O.V/ Christmas Day*

You were awoken to loud banging on your door, it swings open to reveal your dad, already dressed and ready for Christmas to begin. You wanted to be in the festive spirit but couldn’t bring yourself to actually wake up and be as energetic. Then you felt yourself being shaken, you groaned as Tony kept shaking your tired body awake.

“Can you stop?” You asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

“C’mon it’s Christmas, it’s already noon and Peter is here with his Aunt,” You perked up almost instantly and Tony chuckled, “get dressed, we have to open presents.”

You nodded and got out bed, stumbling into your bathroom as Tony left and closed your bedroom door. A big part of you wondered if they’d actually show up, he had told you he would try and convince them to but that it would be difficult, and awkward if they did show up. You got dressed relatively quickly and actually managed to look good.

Grabbing the presents for Peter and May, walking down the hall towards the living room where everyone was already sat with glasses of drinks and chatting. You placed the presents down and was already brought into a hug by Pepper, squeezing you gently and wishing you a Merry Christmas. Then you were brought into a hug by May, you chuckled lightly when she kissed your cheek.

“Merry Christmas, ladies.” Pepper passed you a glance of champagne, “Of course, that’s Tony’s tradition.”

You looked around the room, searching for your boyfriend and coming up with nothing for the short boy with the unruly hair. May nudged you and pointed to the kitchen where you could see Peter and Tony trying to sort out dinner, annoyingly Tony is an amazing cook, something he picked up from is half-Italian mother and from countless sleepless nights.

You smiled gently at the sight of Peter and Tony laughing with one another, your heart growing and beating faster at the sight. You glanced at Pepper who was smiling to herself, eyeing Tony with sweet-heart eyes and that made you grin. Your eyes then drift to May, who is doing the same but with kind, gentle and loving eyes at Peter.

“Wow,” you mutter, “I’m literally a wife.” You make both Pepper and May laugh loudly, both sloshing their drinks as they use your shoulders to hold themselves up.

You end up grabbing the attention of Tony and Peter, both walking through the door and eyeing the three of you with narrowed eyes. Peter raises his eyebrows at you, a soft smile on his lips and you’re still chuckling as you shrug. Peter walks up to you and wraps an arm around your waist, you wrap an arm around his shoulders with a grin looking down at him.

Peter leans up slightly and you pull back, “Umm, there’s no mistletoe. Christmas rules, Peter.” He rolls his eyes at you before you can make another remark the elevator to the tower dings and the doors slide open.

It’s silent as the people file out, all awkwardly shuffling into the living room. You quickly pull away from Peter’s grip and walk towards Tony, who has stopped mid-conversation with May and eyeing them all confusedly, his mouth agape at them.

“Merry Christmas, Tony.” Steve waves, he has a leather jacket on and stubble surrounding the lower part of his face. “We got the message from T’Challa,” he explains and Tony shakes his head, even more confused, “your son, Y/N, he got in contact with T’Challa. We all decided to come along, hope that’s okay?” Steve looks over his shoulder at Bucky, who is shuffling hastily behind Sam.

Tony’s eyes drift to you, “You… did… you guys are here?” They all nodded, Natasha, Sam and Wanda, including Vision. You smiled and nodded at Tony, “Well, um, come on in. Dinner is almost ready and we’re about to open presents.”

Natasha instantly bounded up to you, securing you into a hug and you chuckled, “You’ve gotten so big,” she says and looks up at you. “You’re now Steve’s height,” she mused and you chuckled lightly.

“How have you been?”

She shakes her head, “Time for that later. It’s Christmas and I brought you something from Wakana, well, Shuri sends her love to you. She follows your Instagram,” you raised your eyebrows at the thought of the Princess of Wakana actually following you on social media.

You, somehow, end up in a deep conversation with Bucky and Steve. The presents still not unwrapped, the dinner still left uneaten. Everyone just enjoying one another’s company, you finally ended up meeting Vision, after years of hearing Jarvis’s voice… to now seeing a symbiotic android using his voice was strange but a good type.

“So, you and the Spider-Kid, huh?” Steve asked with a knowing grin and you could feel yourself blush, not out of embarrassment.

“You know, the kid has heart,” Bucky begins, “I’ll give him that, but if he webs me to the floor again with Sam, I’mma beat his ass.” You chuckled along with Steve.

You smiled at Steve, “Didn’t think you’d actually come here.”

“I didn’t think I would,” Steve admits and eyes his drink for a moment, “but Christmas is about family and Tony needs his family, so we’re here.”

**

“I can’t believe they all showed up,” you muttered to Peter once finally alone. He nodded in agreement, “Christmas miracle.”

Peter rolled his eyes, “You’re such a dork.” You scoff at the nerd boy, who just smiled and pulled a delicately wrapped gift from behind his back. The wrapping paper was a metallic red with a gold bow tied around it, Peter clearly didn’t wrap this.

You grinned and pulled out the gift for him, presented in blue wrapping paper with a white ribbon bow tied around the box and mini Sharpie doodles drawn on the wrapping paper. You exchanged gifts and in the silence unwrapped them, you glanced at Peter who was too focused on delicately unwrapping how own to notice that you were focused on him.

You nimbly unwrapped the gift, pulling the bow away and ripping the paper open and frowning for a few seconds at the present. A watery smile starts to come across your face, your eyes tearing up at the thought gone into the gift. A photo of you and Peter are in a frame, along with the tickets of the movie you saw on your first date. There was also the jacket you had wanted, it was Peter’s and he never wore it and you’d borrow it if you forgot your own, but ultimately give it back.

“This is…” you begin and choke slightly, “this is really lovely.” You manage to get out, looking up and smiling at Peter, who is also wearing a hopelessly affectionate smile because of your gift.

Ben’s old camera, Peter’s uncle had an old classic camera. It had stopped working long ago, so as a gift you decided to buy some film for it and get it repaired- permission from May too, of course. Peter had mentioned how much he enjoys taking photos, his own Instagram account is compiled of artsy shots he’s taken as Peter and as Spider-Man, skyline views and amazing shots of the city at night. The few odd ones of you and Mj, plus Ned.

“We’re a couple of hopeless romantic fools,” you chuckle but wipe your eyes to stop the tears from falling.

Peter nods, also chuckling lightly with you. You smile softly at one another, Peter’s face illuminated by the Christmas lights that were strung up around your bed frame. You gently take ahold of Peter’s hand, the loud chatting and laughter of the Avengers travelling down the hallway fall of deaf ears. Yourself and Peter are in your own world, staring at one another before leaning in towards one another.

(You can find That’s Stark’s Boy Masterlist on my blog. Hope you guys have a good holiday, and I hope you liked this. I know it’s short, but I just wanted to post something super cute. You can read this without reading the series, but it will make more sense to.Obviously, the fic the reader won’t meet the Avengers just yet, but for Christmas let’s pretend they show up to be with Tony. - Rosalie)

[maribelsawyer]

- ̗̀ * ( ella purnell + cisfemale + she/her ) have you seen ( maribel sawyer ) walking around campus ? they are a ( nineteen ) year old, studying ( journalism ). we hear they are in ( delta gamma chi ), and can be ( benevolent & impressionable ), maybe it’s because they are a ( gemini ). they sort of remind us of ( scraped knees , magnifying glasses , vintage oxfords ), maybe we can find out more ! *  ̖́-  + newspaper writer

god okay looks like i’ve fallen in love w ella purnell and i want to b her. anyways maribel is my newest baby n im sorta making her up as i go so pls bare w me lmao

TW: eating disorder mentions, subtle abuse?

{she is not currently in that mindset ^}

gen. info

full name: maribel ottoline sawyer

nickname(s): mari, bell, lottie b/c middle name, etc. etc. just sawyer sometimes idk

b.o.d. - june 1st, 19 yrs old

label(s): the marionette, the demure, the prevaricator, etc. etc.

height: like 5′3″ prolly tbh

hometown: duluth, minnesota

sexuality: shit she don’t know

bio. info

her dad’s in the air force, her mom’s published three diet cookbooks and two different DVDs--maribel is the only middle child

one of those conservative, all american families, they were strict and definitely made it known that they were parents and not friends by any means

9pm curfew, not leaving the dining room until all ur food is gone, grounded if ur grades were below their expectations, etc. etc. 

her older sister can evoke emotions in others thru her acting like no other. has taken the hearts (and leads) of all her acting directors since childhood. her voice is broadway material.

and her older brother? has been the best linebacker on any high school team he’s joined; hopes to make it to the big leagues. but if he doesn’t? he’s been taking college-level classes since he was a sophomore.

and...maribel?

maribel is...just, maribel.

for the longest time, there was nothing special about maribel

she couldn’t sing, or dance, or compose words in pretty prose

her grades were only satisfactory after hrs n hrs of studying everyday

homegirl can’t even cook w/o smth exploding

in short, maribel has never been good at anything. can’t draw within the lines, can’t follow the line, opens her mouth at the wrong time. etc. etc. shit? rough.

ANYWAYS

her family moves around a lot b/c of her dad, so she’s never really been in one place long enough to really prove herself? always been the quiet girl in class while her siblings brought home gold stars everyday

the kinda girl others would sorta push around n bully a lil bit bc she would never know what to say; prolly just cried a lot tbh

grew up w a lot of insecurities b/c of this

definitely doesnt help that her mother is obsessed w beauty n fitness n like

their mother p much forced her lifestyle onto her children, mari has a rough relationship w food b/c of it

ANYWAYS part 2

grew up always in the shadows of her siblings and their accomplishments, and spent a lot of her time tryn find something to be good at just so somebody could give her a stamp of approval

was always the ~wannabe~, the girl who would just endlessly suck up to the most popular girl she could find and try to mimic her to the best of mari’s abilities, just so she could survive her school experience

by the time mari was a freshmen in high school, her parents had divorced and she finally thought she could have a normal school experience and make something for herself

obv not. her mother shipped her off to a boarding school in nevada and that was it; her sister had already graduated and her brother was still in middle school.

it was finally just mari.

of course like she tried to suck up to others but it wasn’t really helpful, everybody was a lil too boujie for her and she always froze up when she tried to speak to the ~popular kids~

they only rly spoke to her b/c she’s got this knack for forging shit, like i dont think she even has her own handwriting; she always copies other people’S b/c she’s just. so used to tryn to mimic others n be them as much as possible

around this time she found herself fucking around in her computer class more often than not; it’d been the only elective left b/c she arrived in the middle of the year

but she surprisingly enjoyed it, like, a lot

her parents never really allowed much computer use b/c like. rots ur brain or whatever.

got into programming, but when she found out that u could ? hack shit ? kinda peaked her interest.

her shift into programming to hacking was subtle but before she knew it, she was fucking around on websites for the fun of it. never anything severe

computers became her friends, y’know

that was until her sophomore year and there was another loser fucking around on the computers during lunchtime

and like...they just started kinda talking, y’know? became friends, prolly mari’s first legitimate friend in...forever, really

the kid was kinda weird but she didn’t mind b/c fuck, mari couldn’t be picky n she didn’t mind weird

like...they were obsessed w conspiracies n mysteries n shit

it started to rub off on mari too, b/c homegirl is an idiot but. an observant idiot.

so she started getting reeeally into mysteries and shit. started acting like a mini investigator w/ her pal; solving stupid things like ‘who wrote ‘mindy is a whore’ in the bathroom stall’ and ‘does mr. roberts have a secret obsession w kpop’

no mindy is not a whore it was slander

yes mr. roberts is into kpop

ANYWAYS part 3

so they were these nancy drew, scooby doo, veronica mars knock off duo

by junior yr her partner started getting into like. drinking and minor drugs and other things that the other boarding school kids were smuggling in, y’know. 

this meant that mari was getting into that shit too, y’know. cant stay innocent forever.

became a lil bit of a pothead lmao

so like now theyre just stoners who go around solving shit and prolly also stirring shit up for the hell of it

so like . . . . . one night they were doin’ their thing, right? and her partner brings up this...completely wild idea

they live in nevada. y’kno what else is in nevada?

area 51

these fucking idiots want to go break into this fucking. air force base. to find area 51.

guess what they did?

they attempted to break into the air force base. like. of course they tried.

they failed like, super miserably, got arrested for trespassing and had to be bailed out of the county jail by their parents

her dad almost lost his job so he was mcfuckin PISSED esp once they figured out she was high as shit

her partner? disappeared. nobody knows where they went.

mari was moved from the boarding school to a public school closer to where her mother could, begrudgingly, keep an eye on her

kinda spent the rest of her high school career p miserable, she gave up on her whole ~detective~ thing and resorted to making fake IDs for her fellow high schoolers

was drug-tested like every week or so, too

around this time her mental health and relationship w food got worse, she barely made it to graduation. took a gap year to recover, worked a buncha jobs but usually gets fired from them b/c she’s really fucking bad like most things besides her two (2) unconventional talents that are decidedly useless

came to ucla b/c her mother p much made her, her mother’s a legacy and that’s about the only reason why she got into delta gamma chi

doesn’t want ppl to know she was a loser and also like . fucked up her dad’s life a lil, b/c it was def a thing that made the news and the only reason why her name wasn’t in the articles was b/c she was a minor at the time

so she like...lies abt her childhood a lot

tells a lotta lil white lies b/c she just. doesn’t wanna b her

uuuhh wanted to do computer science bc she loves it but her parents were both like ‘lmao we’re not paying for shit if u do that’ bc they don’t think it’s very ~ladylike~ n they still want her to like. just be submissive and obedient n shit.

so she took up journalism b/c neither her parents think it’s like a real career and they just want her to find a husband n get married n settle down n stop being troublesome

fun fact: she has a scholarship for being lefthanded so that pays for Some of it esp b/c she’s an out of state student

still struggles a lil bit w food but she’s like. doing a lot better. goes to group therapy, probably

uuuh that’s it for now i think ??

OH SIKE !! she’s a writer for the newspaper and writes ADVICE columns on various topics b/c she’s good at offering advice but only when she can sit down n think abt it lmao

^^she goes by an alias b/c she just. doesnt want ppl to know its her idk she thinks its embarrassing

other than that she’s probably like ... doing campus tech support b/c that’s her current job but who knows how long that’ll last lmao

knowing her she’s going to accidentally switch into her phone sex voice (another, old job she doesn’t do anymore) n get fired for tryn seduce a man with ‘did u try turning it on and off again?’

OKAY i think that’s all lmao

personality

mari is just. awkward, man

i mean like...she’s sorta bad at talking to others a lot of the time??

like ppl r kinda like ‘how tf r u a delta gamma chi girl’ n she’s just like i mean u  h h h h 

prolly stutters a lil bit b/c she’s usually rly anxious

but she’s v v nice, like, she tries her hardest to be a good friend n everything

but she also kinda switches her personality to appeal to whoever she’s talking too ?? like she wants to be. likable. she’s not real w/ others v v often

if ur boujie yeah she’ll pretend to be boujie too

she prolly still sells fake IDs to high schoolers n some of her college peers, she has one herself n hasn’t gotten caught yet sooo

always fidgets like she can’t rly sit still often b/c she’s so nervous

is a lil bit of a stoner but i feel like u can’t ever tell tbh

a lil shy n hesitant at first i’d imagine, or maybe just always lmao

has a bit more of a personality once she sucks it up n gets closer to u but she’s always v v cautious abt befriending ppl just b/c she’s had a bad time w bullies n her one friend in life disappeared so like...bummer, y’kno?

can never say no. like, i dont think it’s in her vocabulary. she’s a yes gal.

will p much do anything u ask of her b/c she’s constantly seeking approval

can ramble a bit when she’s nervous which is always but she also apologizes like a lot.

squeaks like a mouse

present at parties but it’s always kinda like. who r u. n she has to remind everybody that she’s a sorority gal too

considers herself v v forgettable, like, just v unimportant

like she’s just rly insecure

still does computer shit n is still rly good at it but she hasn’t done anything srs w/ it so it’s just wasted potential

going to use her journalism degree to do investigative journalism and maybe escape her parents, eventually

she just. bends easily to other’s wills, y’know? she’s hashtag soft

even tho she’s like. shy n awkward n shit it doesn’t take a lot for her to like, laugh, or smile

like she tries rly hard to appear happy n an optimist n just like. unfettered

a lil plain jane we stan

i cant think of anything else but she’s. she’s a good kid

OH she’s rly good w numbers n math but like that’s abt it. she’s a whole dumbass on everything else sometimes

is bad w talking n giving advice like in person but like ?? in her column or ovr text or smth ? she’s good. she’s concise.

is a good team player/good w/ projects/etc. etc.

OH OKAY YEAH

she’s rly observant n b/c she’s a lil bit of a compulsive liar she can usually tell when ppl arent honest

depending on how close y’all r she’ll prolly crack down on ur bullshit

but she’s also timid so like who knows tbh

this isn’t a personality trait but she wears like medium hoop earrings all the time n it’s cute ok bye

OK OK LAST THING

she’s so. fucking. clumsy. she will bump into everything. she’ll bump into the air. fuck, she prolly falls over just standing straight. usually has bruises n scratches from just being a clumsy idiot

like she can b a lil ditzy y’know ?? doesn’t have much common sense, sometimes, n can b naive but idk it’s all rly dependent on her n who she’s w n just. how i end up playing her lmao

lovs vintage. is cute.

wanted connections

her roommate uwu

ppl she’s interacted w/ during her childhood !! she’s moved around a lot so like . . . . they could kno each other

mmm sorority sisters

um gimme a ride or die or like a best friend or smth PLS she needs more friends

just more friends in general. she’s awkward but she needs ‘em

?? a one night stand ?? she’s not really . . . known for hooking up w/ ppl but i think an accidental occurrence would b fun!

idk somebody for her to just. crush on from afar. prolly stutters whenever they come near or talk to her or smth

^^i mean like an unrequited crush

SOMEBODY USE HER ! RUIN HER !

FRIENDS OR FUCKING OR WHATEVER

fake friends too! use her for her ~kewl skillz~

bad influence

let her b a good influence

some kinda...skinny love idk what that means. a will they wont they. smth cute. smth pure

it’d be wild if her partner just popped up outta the blue like that b/c mari 100% thinks they were like killed by the government

ppl she gets high w n talk abt conspiracies w/ tbh

ppl she gives or has given advice to w her column pieces ! love it

idk partners in a class

enemies or smth. i want conflict.

a tutor for her dumbass

but also anybody who needs help in math? she can tutor u

idk like this we can work a lil smth smth out

i give u one penny, if u plot w me. pls. i am poor.

[shitthehousessay]

 Alright, it took a day (albeit I haven't really had much of a chance to work on it), but it's finally done. Here's my responses to the 102 questions^^. I probably put too much personal info on this site lol.

I’m doing this on my laptop because of how long it is, but answers are under the cut. Hope you enjoy random tidbits about me!

--Zero (the [other] Ravenclaw)

1. What is their full name?

While I usually use and prefer Zero Ace as an online name, my irl name is Solomon.

2. Zodiac sign

Pisces

3. In detail describe how they look

I'm 5'10" with a build like Shaggy Rodgers. I'm about,,,, less than 120lbs (that's a guess really, it's probably way less or slightly more.). You ever see a cloud? Yeah, imagine one as black wavy/curly hair with red tips (natural, not dyed) that goes to about the bottom of my neck. Brown eyes, half philipino (no, I don't know any of the language), decent moustache, and I've been told by various people that they thought I was a stoner when they first met me.

4. How old are they?

I am 16

5. What clothes to they like to wear?

I don't really have any kind of set style either. I usually just go with whatever's comfy for me.

6. What’s their favorite piece of clothing?

I've got this really soft brown fake leather jacket that my dad got me about two or three years ago that I used to wear consistently, but I'm not sure if I have a 'favorite'.

7. Any piercings?

Nope

8. Do they have any other jewelry they wear?

I wear a Timex Ironman analogue watch that I got at Walmart a few years ago ('twas on sale) and a ring with a part that spins in the middle that I bought in like sixth grade at the Newseum in DC.

9. Any tattoos?

Nah

10. How old are they?

See above

11. What do they smell like?

Idk, disappointment probably

12. What are their four trinkets?

(I'm gonna do stuff on my school backpack for this one) -- I've got a Ministry of Magic keychain, a Pokeball keychain, a Spiderman keychain, and a Ravenclaw house emblem pin.

13. GOVERNMENT MANDATED FERSONA

Roomba with a knife taped to it

14. What kind of magic are they good at?

Accidental Procrastination, aka Time Travel

15. What kind of magic are they bad at?

Luck

16. Of the four, six or seven magical elements which are they most connected to? Four: fire,air water earth. six: fire,air,water, wood,earth, metal. Seven:fire, air, water, wood, earth, metal, aither.

Not sure if this is asking about choosing a single element or a group, so I'm gonna go with water.

17. What does their gateway look like prior to their memory loss? What does it look like afterwards?

(I'm not sure what this is asking)

18. Do they have a familiar? If they do. What type of animal is it? What is it’s name? Is it still around after they lost their memory?

I have an old yellow cat named Iris and he's pretty cool. We share birthdays and he's one year older than me.

19. Have they ever cursed someone?

I have tried and I will continue to try.

20. How do they handle those headaches/migraines?

I sometimes put headphones in and listen to ambience after taking some medicine, but on some of my bad days I just wait for them to pass, even when it takes a few hours.

21. What tarot card do they connect the most with?

I'm gonna be honest: I know next to nothing about tarot cards.

22. Where were they born?

Tennessee

23. What is their favorite color?

Like a light blue or teal. Specifically though? #41A9B8

24. What is their least favorite color?

This is a tough one. I'm gonna go with like a rusty brown

25. Are they right handed, left handed or ambidextrous?

Right handed

26. What were they like as a child?

This would take a while, but I was a little shit, imo. (Also, kinda hard for me to remember specifically rn)

27. What were their parents like?

My dad's okay, he's not the best but he's doing great. My mom? Well, let's just say my opinion of her has always been pretty decent of her up until around when 2018 started.

28. Do they have any siblings? If the answer is yes how many?

Yes, I have three half brothers, two on my mom's side (who I wish would die) and one on my dad's side.

29. Do they have any other relatives they are close with?

I've got a lot of aunts (dad's side) that I consider myself close with, along with a few cousins. There's also my Grandma and Grandpa (dad's side) that I love a lot. I also have a nephew who's about I wanna say 5 or 6 years old who's a blast to hang out with.

30. What are they afraid of?

Spiders kinda scare me. And a few things associated with low self-esteem that I don't want to mention here.

31. What do they identify as?

I am a Demi-Pansexual dude

32. Do they have any allergies?

None that I know of

33. Do they have any other medical problems?

I can't think of any specifics right now

34. What about mental health issues?

Depression and Anxiety both are self-diagnosed though. I'm waiting until after highschool, or until the age where I can legally keep things like those to myself without having to tell my parents, before I go to get them diagnosed

35. What’s that personal hygiene regimen like?

Showers at least once a day, twice if possible. Remember to try to brush your teeth, too.

36. Favorite rock or gemstone?

Amythest because it's my birthstone

37. Favorite tree?

Redwoods are pretty cool

38. Favorite type of weather?

Not too hot, not too cold and sunny and cloudless or overcast and rainy, depending on mood

39. Least favorite type of weather?

The type of cloudless hot day that just saps your energy away like nothing else

40. What is their favorite season? (remember winter is summer and spring is fall)

Winter

41. How many languages could they speak before the memory loss? How many do they currently speak?

English and very broken French

42. Do they sing or play any instruments?

I sing from time to time (albeit not very good) and I have an ocarina that I really want to take time and learn

43. What do they tend to joke about?

Self-deprecation is my go-to, then there's vine humor and some standup, then just nonsense humor (See: bORGER)

44. After a stressful day how do they relax?

Nap a bit, then some music and/or video games

45. Guilty pleasures?

Idk, I can't think of any. Sonic ‘06, maybe is the closest thing that I have to one.

46. idiosyncrasies?

I guess you could list a lot of the usual ADHD stimming methods. I also adjust my glasses from the side sometimes whenever I’m nervous/anxious or when I want to appear confident. Adjusting my watch on my wrist is also something that I do a lot. I know I have a lot more, but :/

47. How do they act when they first meet someone new? How quickly do they warm up to them?

I can be kinda timid and quiet. I usually try to listen in on conversations involving that person/people to try to find somethings that I can remember and use for initiating conversations, especially if it’s with stuff that I know a bit about. It usually takes two or three semi-long times amd well interactions spent with me for me to start being comfortable around other people. I don't warm up too quickly, unless if you can get through my barriers pretty well

48. In what order would they prioritize Love, fame, money, power, and knowledge?

Love, knowledge, money, power, fame

49. List four or more things they love to do

Draw, read, talk with internet friends, play video games, browse the internet

50. List four or more things they hate to do

doing boring and uninteresting school work, being an unnecessary nuisance, hearing about family drama, engaging in school drama

51. List five or more things they have said that sum up who they are

"I'm laughing my ass off rn because the program the state is using for EOC testing was apparently hacked so we aren't testing today, but when my class heard it almost everyone started looking at me and saying I did it." [...] "Meanwhile: I nearly tripped over my backpack"

"Oh good, we get to make memes of stuff in the Louvre for extra credit. Looks like my grade is about to rise drastically."

"I’m gonna go provoke this cult so I can get asks in my inbox"

“I stole this haircut from a lion”

"I have many problems"

52. How do they react to (both verbal and physical) conflict?

I'm a pacifist so I try to stay out of situations like that (They bring up too many negative memories and emotions for me)

53. What kind of bad habits to they have?

I have a lot of trouble with a perfectionist mentality. It gets me into a lot of sticky situations

54. What kind of character faults do they have?

What even is self-esteem/ self-worth/ self-love????? To me, my needs come last. Self-doubt out the wazoooooo. Tons of unresolved shit. That's barely even scratching the surface.

55. What’s their best trait in their opinion?

I try to have a lot of empathy for people and I want to make people happy, even if I’m not happy.

56. What do they think of their appearance?

I like mine, at least a bit.

57. How do they interact with people in a position of authority?

Honestly, it just depends on the person. If the person in question is a dick, you better believe I’m not going to react well to their face.

58. Who did they look upto as a kid?

Mostly like video game characters from games that I played.

59. How do they interact with kids?

I like kids pretty well.

60. Do they want kids of their own someday?

I don't know. I don't think I'm at a point in my life where I can answer that right now.

61. Are they religious? If so what god/goddess or gods/goddesses do they worship?

I'm agnostic

62. What do they think the meaning of life is?

Idk... Maybe... Self-discovery, in a way.

63. What would they want their last words to be?

There are three roads. Maybe omething meaningful, like "Thank you," maybe something vague and prophetic like, "You won't have to wait much longer," or maybe, just maybe, something like, "I'll be back bitches!!!"

64. What do they want to do before they die?

I want to make at least one game and book that people enjoy and that I will be satisfied with

65. What/how do they want to be remembered for after they die?

I would like to be remembered fondly by people who knew me.

66. How do they express affection?

I'm usually very asocial, so if I make an active effort to maintain communication with someone, then they usually mean something to me. I also send memes and stuff. Also, I try to open up a little more around people that I trust

67. What do they normally eat for breakfast?

It usually just depends on how much time I have in the morning. Can range from poptarts to a slice of toast between two pieces of bread to leftover pizza

68. Do they like spicy food?

Yeah

69. Favorite fruit and or vegetable?

Favorite fruit is probably mandarin oranges and my favorite vegetable is probably carrots

70. Do they like sweets?

On occasion

71. Do they drink alcohol? If they do, what do they act like when their drunk?

Nope, but probably like a damn fool

72. How do they take their tea/coffee?

I like sweet ice tea or maybe some herbal tea with a small bit of sugar or honey. As for coffee, I don't usually drink it, but I can drink it pure black or french vanilla

73. What food would they refuse to eat?

Most things that have a weird texture and/or smell

74. Is there anything they eat that most people would find unappealing?

You ever drink just straight sauces? Like A1 steak sauce or barbecue sauce? Yeah....

75. When going on the road what food could they not live without?

I need me some original ritz

76. What meal gives them a sense of nostalgia?

Not sure about nostalgia, but my school sells fresh-made chocolate chip cookies during lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and I get them a lot when I'm having bad days

77. What do they do when no one’s around?

I sometimes sing and maybe hop around, but I usually just do stuff that I do when people are around (like browse tumblr)

78. How would they react if a prized possession got stolen?

Cry, feel numb, or go ballistic. There is no in-between.

79. What’s the first thing they would buy if they won the lottery?

A better computer, that's for sure

80. What would their favorite modern invention be?

The Nintendo Switch!!

81. In a new unfamiliar place what do they do?

Observe the surroundings from the sidelines before doing anything

82. Someone just threatened them what do they do?

It depends on the situation, but I either brush it off or I take precautionary measures (like a protective order if my life is being threatened)

83. A rather well rich looking woman just dropped her purse and didn’t notice. What do they do?

I might try to give it back.... after I check her wallet and get some cash as an award...

84. What’s the worst thing someone has said to them?

The one that sticks out the most is probably the time when one of my older half-brothers was yelling at me and said that if I ever wonder why people say that I act like a school shooter it's because I act like one most of the time (all this stemmed because I was frustrated over a book recommendation not posting and instead of letting me silently cool down, my mom and brother kept on talking crap about me and I decided to say "Just shut up for a few minutes").

Oh, but there’s also the time when I went with my dad to the divorce case’s hearing to testify against my mom and my brothers and the judge looked at me and said “You’re 16, right? In two  years, you’ll be 18. When I was 18 I was heading to war. So, if you’re gonna cry, go do it somewhere else because I don’t want anyone coming up here and being a crybaby in my courtroom.” That fucking stunned me when he said it.

 85. What is the strangest thing they’ve ever come across?

"can i hear your belly" has to be the weirdest and most unsettling direct message that I have ever gotten from someone who isn't a bot and it haunts me to this day

86. Someone just stole food from them what do they do?

I don't usually eat a lot, so if someone takes food from me I don't really care.

87. They meet a man at a crossroads. The man says they can have everything they’ve ever wanted. What happens next?

I would check to see if there was anything I want to make sure that my family and friends and people who are close to me that haven’t experienced mental illnesses like depression or anxiety to never develop any mental illnesses as long as they live, before anything.

88. As a child what would they say they wanted to be as an adult? ie. When I grow up I’m going to _______

My dream has always been and continues to be to become a successful video game developer and/or producer. I want to help create worlds to escape to when the real world becomes a bit too overbearing.

89. What’s their D&D alignment?

I consider myself a neutral good

90. What is the stupidest thing they’ve ever done?

Oof, that's a long list. Probably entering the crawlspace under my Grandma's house too fast and getting a part of my lower back pretty bad. Boy, did it leave a pretty big scar.

91. Have they ever got in trouble with the law or been arrested?

Nope

92. Do they know how to win a fight?

I like to think so. I'm not going to not play dirty if I feel like I'm in danger. Also try to use the environment to your advantage if possible.

93. Are they good at hand to hand combat?

I dunno. I doubt it, but I haven't really tried.

94. Have they ever stolen something?

I have, but really only minor things and only from people that I hate

95. Have they ever killed someone?

Not yet, :p

96. What/who do they find disgusting?

I can't look at stuff or pictures like decaying stuff (like dead stuff) without gagging

97. What upsets them the most?

Conflict mostly. The thought that I'm bothering people also does it. And I feel odd, to say the least about physical contact.

98. What anime character would they be?

I feel like maybe Fafnir (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid) or either Shinra or Mikado (Durarara!) could fit me.

99. What disney character would they be?

I didn't really know about this one, so I asked a few of my friends and one of them [the one who actually answered my question with an actual Disney character] said that I remind them of Sora from Kingdom Hearts, on the grounds that I've "got a good heart" and I'm "always confused". It was the nicest thing I've heard all week^^

100. What monster would they be?

Knife-wielding tentacle

101. What mythological figure would they be?

Tbh, I don't know enough mythology off the top of my head to answer this question.

102. List three songs that you associate with them.

Hmm.... this one is very tough for me because there are different songs that define different points in my life... As for songs that kinda aren’t bound by specific points in my life, even if I haven’t known these songs all my life, I'm thinking that these could fit the best here:

ECHO (feat. GUMI) by Crusher-P

Simple Life by Fox Stevenson

Canonball (Mythos Remix) from Megaman Zero 3

Anyway, I hope you now know a little more about me now. Do what you will with the information, I guess  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . It’s really late for me and I’m really tired so I may go ahead and get some sleep for tonight. Have a good one everyone^^ !

[crystalelemental]

FE Fates Replay - Part 3

When we left off, we were ready to make the decision between the Hoshidans, and the Nohrians.  On one side, our peaceful blood relatives, who have finally been reunited with you after all these years.  On the other, the people you’ve grown up with, who serve a mad king that seeks only to subjugate other nations.  Now...we must choose...

The decision between the two is interesting.  Based on the Nohrian events at the outset, we’ve been given a glimpse of what the kingdom is like on the inside, and then we’re shown how brutal their tactics can be once we join the Hoshidans.  The Hoshidan segments prepare us for the inevitability of the choice, and frame things as a matter of which family you are siding with.  That’s an important distinction.  It’s not a matter of your ideals.  Those are never in question.  Regardless of whose side you’ve been on, Corrin remains true: she seeks to protect people, and create a peaceful end for both sides.  The question is, which family do you belong with?

The Hoshidans seem convinced that you are meant to be with them, by virtue of blood.  But really, what is family anyway?  Yes, they are your “true” family, for whatever value that has.  But what have they done as your family?  Mostly, they’ve just tried to assure you that, although you’ve been raised in Nohr, you are one of them.  Hinoka has a pure display of emotion toward Corrin, but beyond that, they offer almost nothing else.  Compare that with the Nohrian siblings.  Xander, your older brother, who helped you train, day after day, so that one day you could leave the tower you were kept in.  Leo, risked his own head defying your father, just to help you hold to your ideals.  Elise, who visited you every day and kept you company in your imprisonment.  Camilla, who looks out for you and the other siblings.  Though the few chapters we had with them, we’ve seen how devoted they are to you, and the bonds you share.  Comparatively, the Hoshidans offer nothing other than “the truth,” that you are part of their family.  There are no bonds, and Corrin herself remarks on how she feels nothing toward these siblings outright.  Though your blood relation is there, your bonds are in Nohr.  The reason to side with Hoshido is your ideals, the path that fights directly for peace, and doesn’t involve dealing with Garon at all.  But the game has insisted that the choice should be based on which family you belong with, and that being the case, the choice should be obvious.  We side with Nohr.

“But what about the true route?”  Shhh!  Later, okay?

When you pick Nohr, it politely informs you that you won’t be getting extra experience or gold.  That’s funny, because I have the DLC, so I assure you I will not go without.  “I thought you wanted to maintain the difficulty of the game?”  Yeah?  I’m not gonna power level, but I want my money.

Anyway, the Hoshidans are devastated, and Ryoma goes on a lot about how it was your destiny to be on their side, and the Nohrians must have brainwashed you or some shit.  This is honestly the point where we should just turn around and leave, but instead, the Nohrians are insistent on fighting.  If they leave, the Hoshidans might think they’re scared, or worse, might think that Nohr coerced you into joining them.  No, we have to fight to show them that Corrin picked them over the Hoshidan siblings!  ...guys.  Guys, this is really petty.  Like...really petty.  I’m starting to have second thoughts.

I will note that, if Corrin fights with certain siblings in this map, you get a bit of extra dialogue.  I didn’t get Hinoka’s dialogue with Corrin, but Takumi’s is mostly him being like “I knew you’d betray us.”  Yeah, I guess even Takumi saw how boring his family was and knew I’d go back to the cool kid’s club.  That said, your dialogue with Sakura is fucked up, man.  Sakura can’t even fight, you run up to her and she’s like “Corrin, are you really going to fight me?”  And Corrin just goes “No, I just...need you to take a long nap...”  I know you mean knocking her unconscious, but damn, that’s harsh.

After the conflict, Azura tells you that your choice can’t be undone, but you’re sure to see each other again.  Jakob arrives and tells you he’s been looking for you.  You also run into Lilith.  Jakob’s confusion here is great.  Anyway, this brings us into My Castle for the first real time, and we can start setting up.  You know what that means!  The entire rest of this is going to be me VIOLENTLY COMPLAINING about My Castle!

Fuck this goddamn shitheap.  I hate it.  I think half the detriment to gameplay is right here, in this fucking place.  Let’s start with the worst: artificial resource collection.  There are 12 resources and 10 kinds of food.  Resources are used to upgrade your weapons, with different weapons needing different types of stones.  The stones, I believe, are separated into 6 for Nohr, 6 for Hoshido.  You need a veritable assload of resources to forge one weapon, and the level you can forge is pretty low.  You also need copies of said weapon at the same level, in order to forge up.  So you may be wondering, if I’m playing Nohr, and money is tight...how do I get the resources for this?  Short answer: you don’t.  Forging is so goddamned expensive you can’t realistically do it without the DLC.  More importantly, you only get one unit of resource from your own castle, and only of one type.  To get others, you need to go to other castles with wireless features, and do all that.  Then, you can also get bonuses for how often you visit or battle the other castles.  Oh, and the cap is 9999.  So...good luck with that, I guess.

“Wait, battle?” you ask.  Yes, you can battle other players in their castle!  Finally, Fire Emblem has PvP!  ...kinda?  The other team is AI controlled, so it’s not proper PvP, but they’re trying, I guess.  Anyway, what’s really funny is no one really does that.  PvP in this kind of game is stupid.  Why?  Because when you win, you can buy a skill from your opponent at a discounted rate, if you have the same character!  So, remember having to choose an alternate class for Corrin at the start of the game?  Let’s take my choice, Samurai.  Samurai can learn Vantage.  However, by choosing this path, I locked myself out of, say, Knight class, so I can’t get Pavise.  I can rectify this by going to the castle of someone who did pick Knight, and learn their Pavise skill by beating their castle, and they in turn could get Vantage by beating my team.  Now, put on your thinking caps, kids.  What is most valuable for everyone: setting up a proper fighting team, or setting up your units to be far away from the Seize point and letting them just run up to capture it?  The second, obviously.  They get skills, you get more visits from people who want things from you, and everything is great.  If you actually defend your castle?  You’re an asshole, and are what’s wrong with society.  Now this also creates other issues.  Marriage options in this game allow you to reclass to the classes of the person you married as well.  This means that, in essence, you can get every possible skills on any unit, depending on your pairing choices.  So finding people who chose differently is imperitive.  But there’s no way to find people who chose differently with any sort of reliability, so you’re sunk.

Now, the flipside there is that Awakening didn’t have this.  You had the classes and skills that were inherent to you, and nothing else.  I do like the idea of better balancing the kids and adults by expanding what the adults can learn, but the problem is that this whole process is tedious.  The only way to find those other skills is to locate someone online who is sharing their information, hasn’t updated their castle since sharing that information, and is apparently in the same country as you.  But more importantly?  Half the enjoyment of this kind of system is that units don’t play the same.  But now...they kinda do.  Anyone can be anything, but certain skills are definitely better than others.  There are certain combinations, but mostly you keep to a few tried and true configurations and don’t deviate.  So when you randomly go to castles hoping maybe someone will have Nyx with something unique, they tend to all have the same characters (lords or kids), and generally have the same skills throughout.

That said, there is one hysterical outcome of this, and that’s hacking.  Apparently, they didn’t think it would happen to them, or just weren’t prepared, but people immediately found a way to hack Aptitude onto every character in existence, and it spread like wildfire through this system.  So in a way, for anyone who is anti-hacking (which should be no one, but I know better), this system allowed everyone to be a cheater!  Even when you didn’t directly cheat, you still have cheats on!  Hell, even Hoshidan Unity is floating around all over, and I’m pretty sure that was an exclusive skill too!  Anything can be anywhere thanks to hacking, and this unnecessary system!

Then we have the Dragon Points, which you need to upgrade facilities.  You only get them from clearing maps and visiting other castles.  It’s another slow resource you need a lot of, because eventually you get statues of your units that, when created, increase their specific boon stat by up to 3 points for everyone who is well-supported with them.  So have fun farming dragon points out too!  Technically, you can do a bunch of these things at once, but it’s astonishing how, in a game all about quickly going from map to map and figuring out the strategy, their best idea for a central hub was a location that required you to stop actually playing the game for hours to farm materials.  Brilliantly done.

And this doesn’t even get into the controversial areas.  Prison is one, where you can capture enemy units and convert them to your side through...apparently torture?  I’ve heard that some lines suggest rape as torture, but I don’t know that for sure and I am so not willing to find out.  I don’t think Prison is actually necessary to improve, so I won’t even be building it.  Oh, right, fun facts: you need to upgrade some of these facilities to their max to recruit specific characters.  Flora won’t join you unless you have Fire Orb at rank 3, for some fucking reason.  I’m all for hidden characters, but that’s just obtuse.

The other is the most notorious one: the face-rubbing minigame.  I...god, what the hell were they thinking with this?  Guys, it was only cute in Pokemon because you want to give your little pupper Growlithe head pets.  They’re animals, and you’re petting animals, as is good and proper.  But these are humans, and you’re inviting them into your bedroom to stroke their face.  The US version got rid of it for your general cast, and only allows it for your wife/husband choice, but that’s...really not any better.  At all.  This mechanic never should’ve been in the game in the first place.  It’s creepy and uncomfortable, and I hate knowing it’s there.

I’m sure there will be other things for me to complain about, but for now, that’s all that immediately comes to mind.  The short of it is, I hate My Castle.  It was a terrible idea that does nothing but stall out gameplay for far too long, and completely invalidated the concept of making people choose a sub-class in the first place.  Half the fun should’ve been working with the pairings to get the shared skills to work in some combination, and instead you just play My Castle until you have the access to things.  Which costs money, so good luck with that.  I know, I know.  I can always play without those elements.  But the fact that they exist at all, and that I need tremendous amounts of resources just to forge weapons or upgrade the facilities here, means I may as well get skills while I’m doing it.  “Why don’t you just not forge weapons and use the stronger ones as the game progresses naturally?”  Ooohoho, friend.  Buddy.  Listen.  That’s another shout-fest for another day.  Safe to say, there’s a damned good reason you can’t just do that.

Ugh, this is making me irritable.  I think I’m gonna sit the rest of the evening out on this one.  If I’m gonna be fair to the game, I can’t be this riled while playing, so next part tomorrow, because tomorrow is, thankfully, a holiday.

[cntcrtainmcnt-blog]

lmao never trust my words when i say no more muses. so anyway, under the cut are brief intros.

ABIGAIL MACQUEEN looks an awful lot like VICTORIA JUSTICE. SHE is TWENTY-THREE and while they’re DETERMINED, they have a tendency to get pretty PASSIVE. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to SOLITAIRE by MARINA&THE DIAMONDS.

so i can definitely see how she resembles victoria’s character on eye candy. i actually created that muse before and then when the show came out, i modified it to look similar.

Older of two, she’s always been very energetic and outgoing. And very very damn good with computers.

When she was 16, her younger sibling went missing, and she started developing her hacking skills to try and track her online activity to find her.

But she never did, at least no in time, since they found the body of her younger sister washed up on some shore on the East Coast two months later. 

She decided to not let it stop her, and decided to use her skills to actually help others who might need it. So she opened some sort of underground business, and gets paid to hack for people(as long as it’s not like... government, or the person isn’t meaning any harm by it).

Buuuuuut she got caught, although they gave her some kind of second chance. She’d be free, as long as she decided to use her hacking skills to help cyber crimes rather than doing illegal jobs. So now she’s a hacker for cyber crimes in Kola(which is where she grew up btw).

ARINA KOLOSOVA looks an awful lot like NATALIE DORMER. SHE is THIRTY-TWO and while they’re SUAVE, they have a tendency to get pretty VINDICTIVE. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to YOU DON’T OWN ME by DUSTY SPRINGFIELD. 

Born and raised in Moscow, both her parents worked for an underground agency, think something similar to Kingsman, but with a Black Widow twist.

While her childhood was fine, when she became older, her parents started training her to become the perfect agent.

They became harsher on her, often depriving her of a real meal or even bed sheets at night when she wasn’t doing good in her training.

It was becoming a lot to deal with, but she knew better than to go against her parents. So she just tried harder and harder in trainings until they judged she was old and skilled enough to pass the entrance test for the agency.

Which she did, she aced it. While Arina never really thought about doing the same job her parents did, she did have a job now, at 21, so why give it up?

But it was underground, not very legal, and so they got busted when she was 24. She wasn’t there when they showed at the HQ, but her mother was, and she destroyed all files linking to Arina before the authorities saw them.

Due to her parents being arrested and her job not existing anymore, she managed to get a visa to move to the states for political protection.

She landed in Kola, and joined a biker’s gang, which is the best thing she did in her life.

Due to being deprived of meals often when she was younger, she now has a very large appetite, although she does burn off all excess by training.

Probably gets paid to help people get revenge on whoever did them wrong.

ARWEN DAE SHEEN looks an awful lot like ARDEN CHO. SHE is TWENTY-NINE and while they’re FUN-LOVING, they have a tendency to get pretty CLUMSY. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to WEIRD PEOPLE by LITTLE MIX. 

Dae was born in Korea, but before she was even 5, her parents were targetted for a crime they did not comit, but the culprit created false proofs, so they had to flee the country.

They landed in England for a few years, building a new life. And by doing so, they all changed their names. They didn’t want to be traced back, although they did keep their last names. She was only 5 though and would only come up with random names, so her parents named her after a character from their favorite book series.

Her father later on got a job offer in Kola, California, so the family moved there. Arwen was probably about 8-9.

And she’s been in Kola since, and doesn’t plan on moving out, since she fell in love with the town.

She currently works as an elementary school teacher, as well as a fencing instructor by night.

CARSON MCALLISTER looks an awful lot like ALEXANDER KOCH. HE is TWENTY-SEVEN and while they’re IDEALISTIC, they have a tendency to get pretty DERANGED. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to WICKED by BOY EPIC. 

My fucked up son I haven’t played in ages.

Son of the police chief in Kola, and a high school teacher, who sadly passed away giving birth to him.

His father was not a good man. Carson grew up seeing him bring in women, at first acting like a true gentleman, until he became abusive with them and they left. And that did rub on him with time.

During high school, he fell in love with this girl, she was the light of his life. They were together for nearly 5 years, before they broke up. He was training to become a police officer like his dad, and she felt their paths were diverging.

He... did not take it, and locked her up in one of the rooms of his very large house. His father working crazy hours and that room being empty, never realized it until a few weeks later. A missing notice person was filled, and his father suspected him. The house was searched, they found the girl, and Carson was arrested.

He did time, and is only coming out of jail now, has no job, probably couch surfing since his father won’t talk to him.

Still wants his ex back tbfh.

GENESIS FERRER looks an awful lot like ZOE SALDANA. SHE is THIRTY-SEVEN and while they’re LOYAL, they have a tendency to get pretty OPINIONATED. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to SORRY NOT SORRY by DEMI LOVATO.

Her parents moved to the states before she was born. But they later on got deported, although since she was born there, she was placed in foster care. (would’ve much rather prefered to be taken with her parents)

Was intentionally bad with all foster families because she was salty. She’s always been kind of a brat.

After graduating, she started studying management, while also working as a part time security guard at the mall. 

One thing lead to another, and when she graduated, Genesis decided to start her own security company. So now she owns a company, who people basically employ to guard their buildings, malls, shops, zoo, whatever.

Was never able to get a serious relationship because she’s very distant with people. BUT I SWEAR SHE HAS LOVE TO GIVE.

Also I’m making her a green alien in the future verse because I CAN.

MADELEINE STOKES looks an awful lot like KYLIE BUNBURY. SHE is TWENTY-SEVEN and while they’re CHARISMATIC, they have a tendency to get pretty JUDGEMENTAL. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to BO$$ by FIFTH HARMONY.

This character was originally an April Pearson fc? But she has like no good resources? So here we have the lovely Kylie instead.

Filthy rich family, she was spoiled to death. And it got to her head. But her parents also thought her that she’ll have to work for her own money when she’s older.

Queen Bee all through her school career. People looked up to her, but also feared what she could do.

Currently works as weather girl for the local channel.

That character was also originally inspired by Regina George, so she does keep a Burn Book, which she’s had since high school, and still adds stuff to it.

MARGARET BALDWIN looks an awful lot like DAISY RIDLEY. SHE is TWENTY-FIVE and while they’re METICULOUS, they have a tendency to get pretty INDIVIDUALISTIC. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to CAN’T BE TAMED by MILEY CYRUS.

Daughter of Gustav, he used her as one of his test subjects.

When it got debunked, her mother and her changed identities, and while it did mess with her head, it was nothing compared to her mom.

It wasn’t much later that her mom had to be sent to a psychiatric rehab center, and is still there. As for Nicoline Margaret, her neighbour was kind enough to take her in for as long as it might take.

They already had two kids, so she grew up with two people she now considers her siblings.

She always did good in school, but was horrible at following simple rules and orders. So after graduating, she went into journalism and is now an investigative journalist.

She hates her dad, and wished he would still be in jail. Actually erased him from her life and didn’t even know he was out until she went to see her mom and she mentioned he visited her.

She’s very bad at relationships but I swear if you bring me John Boyega, Adam Driver and/or Oscar Isaac, as exes, current crushes, FWB, or whatever you can think of, I will forever love you.

[ruinouss-archived]

Dossier

Disclaimer: This contains the basics that mainly center around a more modern world. Any verse specifics can be found under her VERSES page.

The backstory TL;DR of her bio is at the bottom. Backstory tws: child/domestic abuse mention, alcohol, drugs, and death.

Mini Ref  - Other Visuals - Tattoo and Scar Guide (coming soon)

General

Name: Faye Rivera

Nicknames: Red, that bitch

Race: Human (most verses)

Age: 28

Gender: Cis-Female

Orientation: Demiromantic pansexual

DoB: May 3rd

Occupation: Gun for hire

Appearance

Height: 5'3"

Body Type: Hourglass

Skin Tone: Tanned

Hair: Reddish Brown

Eyes: Heterochromia blue (left) & brown (right)

Notable features: Freckles over bridge of nose, beauty mark on left jaw, notch in right ear, scar across right side of neck, and small ones scattered over body

Modifications: Three piercings in right ear, five piercings in left ear, behind left ear, and on her left hip/thigh.

Face Claim: Adria Arjona

Personal

Skills: Expert hand to hand combat, expert marksmanship, expert swordsmanship, first aid, cooking, minor mechanical knowledge, minor hacking knowledge

Weapons: Dual swords/daggers, hidden blades, retractable bo-staff, dual pistols, various other weapons depending on the job

Likes: Cooking/eating, drawing/painting, danger, drinking, the ocean, music (listening and playing)

Dislikes: Authority, failing, spiders (borderline phobia), being alone, losing her temper

Fears: Blackout darkness, claustrophobia

Family: Fiona Rivera (mother), Ryder Rivera (older brother), Cesar Steele (father), Joseph Duvall (Mentor/adoptive father)

Personality: Upon first impression Faye comes off as a cocky, audacious smartass with a death wish. She lives life to the fullest and tends to be rather reckless in some of her actions. But don’t let this fool you, she’s very calculating in her risks and has at least two back up plans already in the works. She’s slow to trust and can come off as a bit callous in some of her mannerisms and responses and her chaotic neutral disposition can prove unfavorable if a higher bidder comes along. It’s a cruel world and she’s learned the hard way to do the double cross first. She’s constantly looking for the next job/adventure and can find the silver lining in even the most bleak of situations.     Her mouth tends to operate faster than her mind which often gets her into some sticky situations but she’s learned to adapt and roll with the punches. Literally and figuratively. If one manages to tolerate her and stick around long enough to gain her trust they’ll earn themselves a friend who’ll gladly trade her life for theirs. They’ll also learn there’s more to her than meets the eye. And as a final warning, be mindful as she has a nasty temper that can get the best of her in the blink of an eye.

Bio:     Ever since she was born, life was difficult to put it simply. Her father, Cesar, was a cruel man who took over a criminal empire at a young age. Her mother was forced to be his property in exchange for her sister’s life. He found his men to have too many morals and decided to treat his two children as experiments, forcing them to commit heinous acts at a young age and severely and inhumanely punishing them when they disobeyed. Faye got the worst of it as her she got his tenacious and rebellious spirit. Her mother did what she could to protect her children, attempting many times to escape with her children. Each failed escape ended with a worse punishment that only fueled a fire and hatred for the man. It wasn’t until she was around eight and her brother was eleven that they finally got their chance to escape.     A highly trained mercenary had been hired to infiltrate Cesar’s domain and gather what intel he could. Upon discovering the family, he decided to assist them in escaping, believing Faye’s mother, Fiona, would be able to divulge valuable information. It was an escape as Cesar always seemed to be a step ahead. They managed to escape the compound but didn’t get very far before Cesar had tracked them down. The mercenary, Joseph, was badly injured during the firefight, leaving the three basically defenseless. In a last ditch effort, Fiona gave her life to save her children. Faye and her brother took to the woods, using their smaller size to their advantage as night fell. Assuming they’d succumb to the elements, Cesar gave up the chase and returned to his base of operations.     The pair waited for hours before finally moving, knowing there was nothing else but to look forward. Eventually they came across train tracks and followed it to a city where they survived in the slums by stealing and taking advantage of anyone that crossed their path. Over a year passed before their luck took a curious turn. Faye was attempting to pickpocket a stranger when they managed to catch her by her wrist. To both their surprise it turned out to be the same mercenary who had rescued her and her brother. He had survived his injuries that fateful night and spent days searching for them before ending up in the city. He decided to offer her a deal; he would adopt her and her brother but they’d have to follow his every command or they could remain on the streets where eventually their luck would run out. At the thought of becoming mercenaries themselves and avenging their mother, they agreed.     The following years were exhausting and difficult as they went through rigorous training to prepare themselves for the cruelty of the world while also having to balance school work. When their vindictive intentions came to light, Joseph confronted them with him and Ryder having a huge falling out who refused to bow down. A fight ensued but Joseph was quick to put Ryder back into his place, showing their was still much the eighteen year old could learn. This only upset Ryder who took off, leaving Faye to train alone. Despite the pain she felt from her brother’s abrupt disappearance she remained with Joseph, continuing to learn the trade and feeling the first sting of betrayal. They had been on a mission when one of their comrades double crossed them for a large cut. While they managed to complete the mission, Joseph suffered injuries that required him to retire.     Faye continued on and when she was twenty-one fell in love with a man named Ethan who showed her an even more lucrative world dealing in the underworld. She ignored her father’s warnings and pleas to not go down that path, running off with Ethan who manipulated into doing just about anything. A few years went by before she was ultimately betrayed by Ethan who attempted to kill her, slicing her neck and setting the building they were in on file. Miraculously, Faye managed to survive and pull herself out where she was able to get medical help in the nick of time. Her father came to visit where they reconciled. However, it was a short lived reunion as Ethan had heard of Faye’s survival and sent some men to dispose of her. Joseph was killed protecting his daughter. Grief stricken, Faye gave in to her rage and spent the next several months tracking Ethan and anyone associated with him down before brutally killing them.     Unable to properly cope with her grief and pain, she dissociated, becoming a living weapon. She reached out to contacts in the underworld, taking damn near every job offered to her no matter how gruesome or cruel the specifics might’ve been. She turned to alcohol and drugs to help dull her senses. This continued for about a year until her brother managed to track her down. It was a rough month as he forced her to detox and face what had happened and what she’d been doing the past year before finally bringing her back to normal. He helped her grieve and the two caught up where she learned he had in fact killed their father and took over the criminal empire, changing things so it was mainly just guns and drugs they dealt with. He’d always kept an eye on her but it wasn’t until she really went off the rails that he decided to step in.     Ryder remained with Faye, accompanying her on a few missions and showing her a few of his contacts that assisted in more training and fine tuning her abilities. He stayed until he was certain she wouldn’t slip back into a dark place. The two remained in contact and Faye continued working as a gun for hire with jobs ranging from being a body guard to contract killer. She remained rather neutral with the jobs she took, only stating killing animals and most children were off the table. Old habits died hard and she found herself finding some comfort in alcohol on the lonely nights.     TL;DR: Father was a crime lord and murdered her mother in front of her and her brother as they were trying to escape. The siblings lived on the streets for a year before a mercenary took them in. She trained with him even after her adoptive father and brother had a falling out and her brother left. She eventually ran off with some guy who manipulated her and introduced her to the underworld before eventually betraying her. She managed to survive and reconciled with her father right before her ex’s men tried killing her and instead ended up killing her adoptive father. This sent her in a rage where she hunted down her ex and his associates.     After successfully killing them, she was unable to cope with the guilt that came with her father’s death. She cut herself off from her emotions and started taking just about any job even if it meant killing innocent. This continued until her brother decided to step in and try and get her back on the right track. When he managed to break through they caught up and she learned he’d killed their father and had taken over the criminal business with some changes. They remained in touch and eventually Faye started working as a gun for hire again, taking jobs that ranged from being a body guard to a contract killer with a slightly better moral compass than before.

Extras

Knows a few different languages

Claustrophobia and fear of darkness stems from being locked in a footlocker/closet/cellar as punishment from her father

Usually always has snacks on her

Sometimes gives people nicknames

Has used the pseudo name Sharon Peters (say it fast)

Has safe houses scattered all over

[djetan9282]

I hate my life so much.

I hate myself.

I have nothing special about me dammit, no one really wants me.

This year has done nothing but make me feel like shit when I look at it. I was never smart, never special, never unique. I’m just a gross, booger eating overweight loser who tries so hard to feel like they’re worth a damn, but all I am is a burden and a bunch of fat lobbed into a retarded hispanic.

I hate that I feel like this, like I feel unloved, like the only one who even shows me affection is my dog, which makes me even sadder because he’s old, he’s going to die sooner or later, and I don’t know how I’ll handle it. I feel he doesn’t even really love me, like I’m the only one who bothers to feed him, to let him sleep in my room, my bed, to walk him, because no one else bothers anymore these days.

I hate I’ve never had a relationship where I could say I wasn’t alone. I’ve never had a girlfriend, and even though I only recently accepted I’m bisexual, it hardly even matters, because I don’t feel a longing for a boyfriend, I know it wouldn’t be good either, because my family probably wouldn’t be happy for it. My mom’s a “catholic” but it feels like it’s nothing but a front now for her being a goddamn terrible person.

Speaking of, I used to love my mom. Now, I feel nothing for her. She’s always expecting of me, but I can’t do anything, I’m worthless. No one wants to hire me. I’m practically wasting money at school now, I waste money every day, and she does nothing but remind me of it and scold me. She says shit like “I’m telling you this because you need to” but fuck I don’t feel any damn love anymore, I feel like I’m nothign but a damn errand boy 1/10th of the time and a burden the rest

i watch my sibling every damn day, it feels like she probably tolerates me the most, but only because she hardly sees us anymore either. She has her damn boyfriend, who I hate because he’s more or less everything I hate about myself in a rich white package. Hell, my older sister’s boyfriend makes me feel the damn same about myself. Every negative trait I see in myself I see in them too. Except at least THEY have relationships, at least they know love, I don’t feel like anyone wants me. I only give my younger sibling what they want, what they said they need, because it’s all I’m good for, for taking them to their friends, taking their friends home, buying them food because they “forgot” their wallet or keys, or anything. I’m just a convenience to them.

I don’t remember the last time I saw my dad. My family’s issues have broken us all up. I barely want to see him anymore because I feel like my mom’s going to explode for seeing him in the first place. And I know he’s no saint either, but at least because he’s not always there to talk me down I don’t always feel like a worthless piece of shit either, at least he tries to me offer me something. And I worry I’m still going to be like him either, the kind of person who lies and has affairs behind his family’s back, the kind of person who isn’t there to comfort me, who I’m not confident enough to ask to comfort me when I need to.

I have no friends. David left years ago, we talk on Discord, but it all feels so meaningless these days, I know he’s busy, I know he’s also had it rough, far rougher than me, but I feel so lonely. Alex I barely even speak with anymore, he never seems to have time, I know he’s probably very busy, still going to college, still working, still living with his folks, but it still feels like he probabaly forgets me and shit like that, hell, I even feel kinda guilty, like the only reason I’m his “friend” is because of David and he never really told me to piss off, which is terrible because after David left I did really feel like we kinda stuck together so we weren’t really alone anymore, I dunno, but I feel terrible and unfit for him, who actually has a life compared to me. Practically everyone else I knew in high school, I either lost ways of talking to them or just stopped talking. And even now in college I feel like any friendships I try to make I end up leaving to die anyway, like it doesn’t matter, and I feel just terrible for that, because I want friends, I want to not be lonely anymore, but I’m a terrible person who can’t follow anything through.

I’ve been trying these last few months out of school to find something I can do. No one wants to hire me. I started writing about last year, but it’s nothing but fanfiction, no one really cares about what I write anyway, it’s just worthless smut most of the time and these days I can barely push myself to finish something, even projects I even got into writing fanfiction for, which I can see acting out like a movie in my head, but I never can bother because again, I am a terrible fucking person.  I’ve been trying to draw, but I clearly hang out with much of the wrong crowd, because I try drawing crappy nsfw porn and it’s never good, I never was good at any of it. I’m still trying now, ask a few people on discord, I try posting crap on discord servers hoping to get any response out but i hardly get anything, and the few times I feel I get anything it’s mostly the shit like “practice anatomy” or “try not drawing nsfw” but believe me I feel like it’s a nasty habit because I feel like I want to draw nothing BUT that and I know everyone means well but it only makes me more sure it wasn’t meant for me, I always knew I was never good, never an artist, but now that I have so little in my life I do nothing but try hopelessly for this shit

I feel like half my mutuals here don’t really care for me and I hate it. Thed, if you’re reading this, you seem like a cool guy, I’d love to get to hang with you in person since you’re apparently in Miami Dade or somewhere around South Florida, but I feel unworthy of it all the same. Madalyn, Stephen, you seem nice, I’d love to get to know you better too, but I’m stuck here in this hellhole of my life and again I don’t feel like I’m worthy of you guys attention, we only really talked through overwatch and since then doesn’t feel like I offer much to you guys either. Charles, you’re a good kid, I hope you know that, and you already have life so much better handled than me, you have a job with your family, I don’t even have that, even though my dad started his own business this year. Rory, I really do enjoy the talks we had, I miss when we used to talk more, I felt less lonely about life then.

And that’s not even getting into the porn artists I’ve met over the past year either. Fuck, there’s so many of them, but they all were nice people, and it’s funny, as much as I try to cheer them up when they’re down, I myself am depressed as shit, except it’s because I feel like I’m trying to copy you all and it’s just worthless and I shouldn’t even be trying on this because I’m a talentless hack. You all have something, but fuck, I’m worthless, I can’t even draw a circle clean, let alone a damn tit.

So many bots come to me. I see them practically every day, my follower list feels like it’s 90% bots, 10% actual people who follow me out of guilt. I remember when I first saw someone follow me on this site, I felt somewhat special, like someone actually cared a bit for me, but now all I see are 10 porn bots a day and I’m too tired and lazy and broken to search through them.

And again, porn. I feel like I’ve used it to cope for so much for so long it’s a daily thing now, and that’s probably not good. People say “oh, it’s only natural, everyone masturbates” and shit like that, but these days I see so much, I follow so many porn blogs because I have this damn problem, I feel so little, I don’t even masturbate to half the stuff I like and reblog on my nsfw blog because there’s just that much. There’s so much on my feed, I have to many porn mutuals, which I follow all on this main blog of course because I was an idiot and didn’t use another email, just made a damn subblog for it, and yeah, it did the trick, but now it feels like there’s probably more people who care for what I post there than here, and even then, it’s just because of how much I reblog. I have people who actually can make stuff following me there, and I just say every time “why” because I’m really nothing special, I just happen to be really fucked up enough to have made a blog just for that when I honestly didn’t need one.

Ugh, this is just a goddamn mess right now. I just typed out whatever came to mind, whatever I could feel, and at first, this started with me wanting to cry and it led me me tearing up because of how much I hate myself and now I just came back to the hate, because I really am not worth it. I wonder how many people actually read this clusterfuck trainwreck of text, because it’s what describes me the fucking most. I feel like none of you care anyway, and that’s probably for the better, it’s better you don’t waste your time with a waste like me. I’m sorry. Don’t worry, I’m not going to off myself. I’m too afraid to off myself. I fear death too much, I want to think it’s God’s way of telling me I still have something worth living for, but I sure don’t feel it or anything to live for. I just want to be worth something, to be happy, to be important to someone, to be special. Something I’ll never be.

[sambinnie]

This week’s wonderful & worthwhile things:

[All links repeated at the end]

1. Our kitchen ceiling caved in, due to a major leak from the bathroom. But there’s nothing like children dancing around in helpful excitement to make a small catastrophe feel like a minor adventure. (It’s only when a secondary leak floods the initial repair that I cry.)

2. The courgette seeds we planted have become fat leaves on dark stalks, budding again and again. I’m currently debating whether I need to cancel all trips away from the house, so I can be here to care for the tiny kitchen garden of sprouting herbs and craning, fur-bedded vegetables. I feel like a god. I started with a bag of soil & seed compost, an old tupperware box, and seeds; accessible to lots of people, I hope, and I cannot recommend it enough. 

3. It’s difficult to measure love, and it’s irresponsible to discount the effects of our parents’ inherited trauma. I can safely say, however, that I have never once felt loved by my mother. I disliked her through my childhood and teens with the kind of gut-instinct a child has for grinding quotidian injustice, then found a peace with her in my twenties. Friends with similar parents had said over and over, ‘It’s just about accepting that they’ll never be who we need. We just have to decide whether we want to have a relationship with who they actually are.’ And I did, so we saw each other frequently, and I swallowed that sense of always being manipulated and unheard. (When I told her news of my job redundancy, or my pregnancies, or my cavernoma, I was cut off each time with more pressing anecdotes of her own. It was almost funny, in the way family jokes are, except for all those times when it wasn’t.)

Last summer, four years since the cancer treatment and death of my father — appointments and notes and visits, my efforts to ensure distant family were kept informed about each change in condition, each suggestion from the care team — I had a similar nerve-wracking few weeks with my mother, this time in a French hospital. This time I couldn’t visit, but found myself the initial point of contact, responsible at first for telling her neighbours, siblings, and my sisters, as well as calling her and the hospital each day for updates. Some weeks after her return, I received a typed letter informing me that I was subsequently being removed as one of her executors (my sisters though would remain) as well as having my power of attorney revoked. I have never uncovered why. She didn’t contact me on my birthday, nor on Christmas Day (I, like all children in these circumstances, still contacted her on her birthday and at Christmas. We always want to prove that we’re better than they’ve told us). All of this wormed inside my brain, constantly, painfully, until sudden clarity hit: Jackasses Gonna Jackass. (Before I was declared the Most Terrible Person, my sister held the title; before her, my father; before him, my uncle; before him, probably me again. This realisation also helped.) 

As my children grow older, my anger returns. As they grow past milestones I remember from my own childhood — the age I was when calmly told to choose what I was going to be hit with after some behavioural infraction; the age I was when she stormily cut my hair from past my shoulders to a boy’s dull, savage chop (I wept throughout — my father tried to intervene — she insisted afterwards that it was what I wanted); the many, many ages when she consistently told my embarrassed visiting friends to ignore me as I was ‘just showing off’ – such a trivial slight! such a shaping of my feelings about keeping her away from people I valued! –; the years and years where I wrestled with my unfathomable unhappiness in this nice, middle-class home where I was bought presents and taken on holidays — it seems horribly simple to avoid these things. Don’t humiliate your child. Don’t terrify them. Don’t constantly repeat the witless truism that you ‘love them, but don’t like them.’

I find it easy to admit making a mistake. I apologise freely and with thoughtfulness to my children, my partner, friends, because I am not perfect, because we are all human. Part of growing up is the difficult realisation that your parents are human too, and they make mistakes. But sometimes it’s even harder to accept that you really haven’t done anything wrong – at four, at seven, at 10, at 37 – and that you, like everyone else, deserve better. 

Anyway, when I vanish down a Lucille Bluth-flavoured hole of anger and hurt, I remember that exercise helps everything. And it does! Do treat yourself to some, if you can. Also, I read this book while camping recently and it is wonderful. Dodie Smith writes with such understatement that I could read her books twenty times and come away with something different each go.

4. This programme (part 1 of 2) about Jeremy Hardy is so utterly wonderful. It also contains clips of brilliant Linda Smith and Humphrey Lyttleton, and I realise I spend vast portions of my time watching, listening to, or writing comedy because it’s how I understand, process, and communicate my own feelings to the world. (If that’s not turning your lemons into lemonade, I don’t know what is.) 

5. I finally order prescription sunglasses, after years of balancing normal sunglasses over my spectacles, on the pollenous days I can’t hack contact lenses. Continuing my Squash And A Squeeze philosophy of life, it feels like a gift, delighting me at least six times a day.

6. Although repetition has somewhat rendered athletic ads featuring everyday girls and women a cynical trope, there’s nothing like watching a large group of girls play a sport they love. The variety of body shapes, the support they offer one another, and the sheer enjoyment of it. Really, don’t all joys boil down to enjoying our bodies while we can? 

7. The day is bright today, and I took the dog on a longer walk than usual; watching that dog trying to run out a greyhound was hilarious, the sleek fool. At the time, I was listening to this episode of The Cut on Tuesday, on the topic of Spring Horniness and the weird trash we get hot over, which contains the immortal line “The bud is breaking through. But the soil that nurtured the bud was all fucked up, and now the flower is weird.” Also, the final line of the episode made me do an actual out-loud bark of laughter. 

8. It’s several years old now, but I love how both Bad Neighbours 2 and this review scratch an itch in completely different ways. I love the film for everything it undoes of the first one, plus the sheer charm of Efron and furious optimism of Chloë Grace Moretz; also, Rose Byrne, who might be one of the most underrated comedic actresses of our time. But the review offers something else, and sates the library-card-carrying part of my brain that wants to read a thousand think pieces on Magic Mike XXL and Parks & Rec and The Windsors. I hope you enjoy both.

1. When Jeremy Hardy Spoke to the Nation here

2. The Cut on Tuesday – I Want to Put My Mouth on That here 

3. Little White Lies review of Bad Neighbours 2 here 

[monstersarealwayshungryrpg-blog]

Name: Gavin Mason Crow Age: 25 Gender: Male Sexuality: Asexual Occupation: Hacker Affiliation: Neutral Faceclaim: Freddie Highmore Status: Taken

The Story

They call you The Hermit, an old soul trapped inside a young body. Others often thrive in numbers, but you thrive in your solitude, desperately needing a place to think on your own, alone but not lonely. It is a rarity for you to venture outside of your comfort zone, a computer and animal at your side are your daily companions. You believe the world is a mystery and while fascinated by it, you are much more intrigued by yourself and those closest to you. You are meticulous and often over-critical of yourself, focusing on the smallest of details, a quality that stems from your past, along with the relentless desire to prove yourself.

Connections:

Justice - There is something in who Justice is as a person that you admire. They seem to encompass everything you wish you could be, but aren’t. You have worked together in the past, only small jobs, giving answers when they couldn’t get them on their own, and even though you know what they do, you are never uncomfortable around them.

Death - Maybe it who he is, or maybe it’s the looks he sometimes gives you when no one else is watching, maybe you are imagining these looks but you can’t help but hold your breath and falter in your words whenever Death speaks to you.

The Chariot - You aren’t someone to make friends, not easily at least, so it was odd for you when the ease of your friendship with The Chariot blossomed. They are almost your exact opposite, spending their life behind a wheel in the real world while you are content with your fingers on a keyboard, but for some reason the two of you just work.

Past:

Gavin was born the third of four to an overwhelmed and underprepared middle-class family. The children were born close together, only four years between Gavin and his older brother and less than two between him and his younger sister. Four under seven was a handful in and of itself, but it became worse as it became obvious that Gavin was lagging behind the others. At first, his frazzled parents just assumed the delayed improvement was just him growing up at his own pace. However, as his younger sister’s vocabulary started to surpass his and he started to pull away even more from spending time with his siblings, his parents realized that perhaps there was something a bit more going on with their youngest son. It was the meltdowns, occurring nearly every time things got too loud or bright, that eventually got them to give up and seek professional help.

He was eight before the diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome was given. To the boy, the diagnosis unsurprisingly meant nothing, not even worth a pause in his current fascination of counting items around the room. However, to his parents this news was devastating, they had maintained hope that this was something “fixable” and not something that would stay with their son for the rest of his life. There was an upside to the diagnosis though, now that they knew the issue steps could be taken to work with it. Through therapy, Gavin did begin to speak more frequently and was starting to get better control over his meltdowns. While still quirky and behind where was “normal” for his age range, he was finally making progress.

By middle school, he was at the same intelligence level as peers his age, which meant that he could join the regular classes most of the day. This may have been good for his education, but it was very hard on him personally. He still had very poor social skills and got obsessive over his special interests. That, in combination with the fact that he came from the special education wing, did not bode well for his social status. He was bullied mercilessly when his siblings weren’t around. His older brothers got in a lot of fights those years, but Gavin did not care about the teasing he got on a regular basis. He just cared about his action figures and finding people who wouldn’t interrupt him when he told them about all that he had collected. Those people were few and far between though, and that, more than the bullying, made him feel like there was something wrong with him.

           High school was a better time. Gavin was still more socially awkward than your average freshman geek was, but at least now people knew better than to mock the guy with Asperger’s. He wasn’t exactly a bright student, but he was average. Until, one day when he was 16, he discovered the love of his life: computers. Obviously, he had seen and used computers before, but the first semester of his junior year he took a programming course and everything just clicked. Code was something that he could understand and manipulate. Unlike other people, he could hold a conversation with a computer, telling it what needed to be done and how to do it and getting the results he wanted. He learned code quickly, once he sets his mind to something it won’t take him long to get it done.

           Computers weren’t the only thing that made that class great though, there was also George. Despite high schoolers being kinder than their middle school selves, Gavin still did not have any friends outside of his siblings. This did not really bother him, per se, but he still was quite pleased by the prospect of having someone to discuss his newfound love with. George did not mind that Gavin would ramble on about the same things that they had talked about yesterday, nor did he really care that the other boy wouldn’t really carry on a conversation about something else that often. They would stay up late coding little programs and turning hacking into a game, taking turns playing the defender while the other tried to get past firewall after firewall. Their friendship forced Gavin to go outside of his comfort zone. It did not take long for him to realize that George was going to do things whether Gavin wanted to or not. So, if he wanted to talk to George about the code that they had been working on the night before, he had to go to the comic book store whether he wanted to or not.

           Once he had graduated high school, Gavin was a bit lost. There was a sudden loss of structure in his life that he had relied on, and George was moving away to go to university. Gavin wanted to follow his friend to university, but just going to the campus tour was enough to show him and his parents that being on site for university was not going to be for him. He ended up in a two year online program for computer sciences. This was the first time Gavin was actually bothered by his disability. He saw his siblings and friend move out and away, while he was still at home dependent on his parents. It was a feeling that he couldn’t fully shake, that he wasn’t “right” like the others were.

           After finishing his degree, things started to look up. His father’s company needed a part time computer tech and he was able to find freelance coding jobs on the side. It wasn’t exactly a high paying position, but it was a stable income and he enjoyed the work. Plus, he wasn’t expected to work face to face with others, most of his work could be done from home and that which couldn’t was usually by himself as well. Eventually he was able to make enough that he could move into a modest apartment for himself, not too far from his parents but enough that he felt more independent.

Present:

           Since then, Gavin has continued to do well for himself. In the five years since he graduated, he has built a name for himself in freelance coding. He also managed to build a name for himself in the hacker communities. Initially, the hacking jobs had been a way to connect with George despite being separated, a sort of competition of who could do the most impressive hacks. They wouldn’t mess up anything, just get enough evidence to prove that they had done it.  As time went on, George took part in this less and less, but Gavin thrived in the environment and continued to share his accomplishments with the online community well after his friend had fallen off the radar.

           It was likely this infamy that had the Arcana knocking on his door late one night. He didn’t want to open the door, but the pounding was so insistent that he feared they would come in one way or another. They didn’t really give him much choice in the matter, simply giving him instructions and a date to have it done by and motivating him with the threat of revealing who he was to the authorities. Gavin may not always be the fastest on the uptake with veiled statements, but he was able to tell that the authorities would not be as amused by his hacking escapades as the other hackers. So, he did the job, and he did it well. It was a fairly simple task, but the mob paid well. He became accustomed to their requests, though he would always refuse their offers to have him join. He is, after all, a freelancer.

Personality:

           Gavin has Asperger’s Syndrome. This disorder affects him in a few different ways, but the main one is his ability to socialize. He can have a hard time socializing, understanding social cues, and properly expressing himself. His speech is more formal than that of his peers, and he struggles to understand idioms and slang. He will take people at their word most of the time, and will have a hard time understand jokes and sarcasm. He can be a bit of a chatter box, and will ramble on about the things that he is currently interested in at great length if given the chance. He has a hard time sorting his thoughts into private thoughts and thoughts to verbalized, so if surprised or nervous he often blurts out whatever is on his mind. Another effect of his disorder is that he does not like changes in his routine, and will often get upset at differences that others might consider inconsequential. Despite being generally free of any outside deadlines and expectations, Gavin will set strict routines and schedules for himself to follow. Finally, his Asperger’s has come with two other diagnosis, general anxiety disorder and sensory processing disorder. His anxiety is well managed with his medication, but the sensory processing will still affect him if put in a situation with too much external stimuli.

           He comes off as rather cold or anxious to those who do not know him. He may also come off as cold to those he does care about, but that is not truly the case. Instead it is just because he has a hard time showing care and empathy. He looks up to people who are able to do what he is not, such as The Chariot who is able to experience the world out in it instead of just from behind the computer screen. He will not pay attention or will get frustrated with subjects that do not interest or affect him. However, he gets overly excited about things that he does care about. He does have anxiety issues that become apparent in situations that make him nervous. However, in the day to day he usually seems content and has a generally positive outlook on things.

[ichigopanhpff]

Ignis x Reader Fic: Next to You Part 9

Deadline week has hit at work, hence no preview. And part 10 will be delayed. There’s a lot of things I need to hash out with dialogue and connecting all the scenes together while I bash my head onto the table to get it to make sense.

Anyway, enjoy!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

(Y/N) and her siblings entered the family study without pomp and circumstance to find the patriarch waiting at the head of the table. This room was always her least favorite: it was always dimly lit with an air of entitlement and snobbiness surrounding the ancient leather bound and wooden furniture. To his left sat their mother with a few unfamiliar faces along with some soldiers; they were wearing the Niflheim insignia on their armor. She immediately stiffened up her muscles and clenched her jaw as the stench of death and destruction permeated through these bastards.

“Ah, my children. Come,” their father greeted and gestured them to sit at the table with the adults. “Today’s a glorious day for the (Y L/N)s.”

They approached their respective seats at the far end of the table and sat; now was the time for patience and see how things play out. She had to plan her moves carefully based on whether or not the information she found on the Dark Net were true or not.

“As you all know, today’s the signing of the ceasefire treaty,” their father announced. “As that’s about to happen, we are to leave Insomnia with the Niflheim troops. Your mother and I have secured an alliance with these gentlemen where we can fully put our abilities to good use.” “And go where?” (Y/N) enquired. “We will be traveling with the Niflheim army and make our way to Altissia,” her mother answered. “So we’re betraying the Lucians to save our own asses?” she summarized, trying to keep her rising anger at bay. “The Lucians betrayed us when King Regis decided our family was irrelevant after the Wall went up,” her father argued back. “And it’s time to stop your childish games, (Y/N),” her mother authoritatively demanded. “You need to awaken for your own sake and the family’s.” “You mean for your selfish gains.” “The longer you repress it, the shorter your lifespan becomes,” she reminded. “You’ve already begun feeling the lack of stamina; your dexterity will be next.” “If only you’d have eliminated the Scientia boy when you had the chance in the program, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” her father scolded. “I’d rather die.”

She felt cold, sharp steel at the base of her neck the moment those words left her lips. Her eyes darted to the right and saw Azrael’s extended arm with his obsidian coloured blade encompassing his forearm.

“Shall I grant you that wish?” he coldly stated with a glare. “Son, put that away,” their father demanded in a bored manner. “We won’t do such a thing.”

Her older brother withdrew his arm and made his weapon disappear as quickly as it came.

“We first reached out to Niflheim because they have the technology to make us stronger; to help you, (Y/N).”

With a nod of her father’s head, one of the generals took out a small metal box and unlatched it to reveal its contents. It was a syringe with a strange black liquid inside. (Y/N)’s breath snagged in her throat and knew what that was.

“You intend to inject me with magitek and turn me into a mindless daemon hybrid?” “Oh no. We’d never do that to our own daughter,” her father replied in a saccharine-like manner. “We intend to let the magitek do the work for us to awaken you, to achieve the power you lack.”

With a nod of his head, two soldiers held (Y/N) down with considerable strength as the general made his way over with the syringe in hand.

“If you’re expecting me to quietly take this…”she hissed between gritted teeth.

She managed to lift her arms off of the table with enough strength to create a resistance from the soldiers and broke their wrists. As (Y/N) reached down to grab her daggers, Azrael summoned his and made her freeze when he aimed at her jugular again.

“Why can’t you ever just do as you’re told?” “Where’s the fun in that?” his baby sister shot back with a raised brow.

Azrael clicked his tongue and turned to Chronos.

“How much longer are you gonna sit there quietly, Chrom?!” His agitation grew by the second. “Temper, temper, dearest brother.” Chronos took a calm huff of breath and slowly sat up.

“What is the meaning of this?” their mother barked. “We have to object this decision,” Chronos coolly answered back, his stare unflinching. “Our ancestors didn’t fight the Empire eons ago just so we’d be turncoats. I understand we’d be of use, but what makes you think they won’t turn around and stab us in the back after we’ve expended our strength?” “Azrael,” their mother called and slammed her fists onto the table. “Talk some sense into them!” “Sorry, mom. Bro n’ sis got a point this time,” he added and released his blade. “I don’t trust our enemies n’ to think you guys would side with ‘em…” “Counselor (Y L/N), what is the meaning of this?” a Niflheim general asked. “You said they’d be on board.” “Give us a little time. We’ll be able to–” he tried coercing. “That’s something we’re short on,” the general interrupted. “Either they come with us now or we eliminate them.” “Oh, you say that as if you’ll be able to,” Azrael arrogantly barked with a menacing sneer. “Sorry, but we’re leavin’ outta here alive.” “(Y/N), can you fight?” Chronos asked with his back facing her. “Damn right I can.”

She reached down and grabbed her daggers from her boots, ready to attack.

“I’d still say we should’ve waited until they awoken her,” Azrael complained under his breath. “She’d been better use.” “Standing right here, Az.” “Then she’d be dead weight and our chances of survival would be slimmer,” Chronos shot back. “I’m gonna have to ask you two for the abridged explanation.”

The general ran out of patience and commanded the magitek soldiers to attack. The moment they moved, Azrael summoned his daggers and sliced them up into scrap metal within milliseconds. His speed and accuracy, as usual, was horrifying and lightning fast. Chronos’ eyes changed to a golden orange and made direct eye contact with the general who ordered the attack prior. He immediately froze and started whimpering. The Niflheim officer then took the pistol from his holster and held it up to his temple with shaking hands. (Y/N) knew what this was: he was using Sin of Seers.

“Please… don’t do this,” the man fearfully uttered out with nervous sweat glistening his forehead. All they heard after was the sound of the chamber going off and the seat next to him was showered with his blood and grey matter. (Y/N) gasped and turned away at the gruesome scene. This was when she thanked the Six her siblings were on her side; she’d have no chance in hell in a fight against them the way she was now.

“Chronos, don’t do this,” their father desperately called as their offspring made their way to the door. “This is for the family’s glory!” “Sorry, father. This was a bad call on your end,” their eldest son simply said as his eyes reverted back to its normal color. “Your hubris blinded you. King Regis was the better end of the deal.”

The three siblings made their way out of the room, only to meet with soldiers at the far end of the hallway and blocked the exit. As Azrael and Chronos got ready to attack, (Y/N)’s afterimage faded from beside her brothers and reappeared down the hall with two MTs beheaded laying at her feet.

“Always the hasty one,” Chronos commented and lightly shook his head. “Can’t let you guys have all the fun.” “Your dash still needs work,” Azrael criticized. “The afterimage is–” “My weakest point and it gives away my direction of attack,” she finished with an annoyed tone followed with an exaggerated eye roll. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that from you enough to recite it in my sleep.” “And you have yet to fix it,” he pointed out. “It’s on my to-do list.”

They ran up to where she was and had their backs facing each other, getting ready to take down a horde of Magitek soldiers.

“I’d say this is the first time we’re fighting together,” she remarked. “Don’t get used to it,” Azrael flatly stated.

The soldiers fell as quickly as they charged at them. Azrael’s fighting skills were as well honed as she remembered, as was Chronos’ when he summoned his kunai daggers and took down three MTs. (Y/N), however, was beginning to feel her strength zap through every movement and had to conserve her stamina. Cursing inwardly, she begged her body to last a little longer until they were able to get out with a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her temples.

“So how long have you two known?” she asked to distract herself from the fatigue. “Long enough,” Azrael grunted and beheaded a MT. “And you didn’t bother telling me because…” “Would you have believed us?” Chronos asked and threw a few kunais at three more enemy soldiers. “Fair point.” “We were waiting to see what mother and father would do,” her older brother continued. “In order to plan accordingly.” “To revolt?” “To get to the Citadel before the Niffs,” Azrael corrected. “They’re gonna take the Crystal and kill the king.” “But I’m sure you know all this already from the Dark Net, dearest sister,” Chronos pointed out with a smirk and took down two more MTs. She clicked her tongue and huffed out, “… You hacked my firewall?” She angrily threw one of her daggers between the head of another robot and went to retrieve it. “So much for trust.” “We wanted to see if you were slackin’, is all,” Azrael defended their actions. “Then?” she grunted and took down another robot. “What were their choices?” “Side with the Niffs or swallow their pride to aid the King for nothing in return,” Chronos answered. “We all know what happened.” “Does King Regis know about this?” “Let’s assume he does, which was why he sent his precious son and entourage outta the city,” Azrael said. “And they dunno a damn thing ‘bout it.” “So they really think they’re just going to Altissia to fulfill the treaty then?” “You gotta hand it to the king; sacrificing a whole city to ensure his son’s safety.” “He did what he could with the hand he was given,” Chronos added.

With their pathway cleared, (Y/N) quickly ran up to one of the curtains and grabbed her go-bag. Slinging it on her back while running to the entrance, one of the generals managed to jump ahead of them. The three stopped dead in their tracks and prepared to fight.

“I got this,” Azrael stated and summoned his weapons again. “Go.” “But–” “What, you startin’ to develop a bond now?” he sneered. “Get outta here.”

Chronos pushed (Y/N) up the stairs as their sibling engaged in combat with the general, hearing the clanging of weapons echo through. Reaching the top of the stairs, her older brother quickly stopped her in her steps from the crumbling debris of what used to be their ceiling. After the dust settled, they looked up to see three Magitek Assassins had crashed down their path.

“Man, they’re persistent…” Chronos growled under his breath and conjured his weapons.

The first robot lunged at them and the two ducked off to the opposite ends of the narrow hallway. (Y/N) got behind it and swiftly stabbed it at the base of its neck while the second one raised its daggers at her. She managed to intercept it with her other dagger after getting a minor graze on her cheek and found herself being slowly overwhelmed in strength. Gritting her teeth, she forcefully pushed back with a grunt and flung its weapon out of reach. Before she could deliver the final blow, several smoky colored kunai flew past her by a hair’s breath and killed the assassin.

Before they could breath a sigh of relief, a silver blade protruded past Chronos’ stomach with a bloom of his blood staining his fatigues. (Y/N) gasped out loud and called for her brother.

“Oh I’m not goin’ down that easily,” he coughed out and summoned a kunai in his hand. He stabbed it at the MT’s temple and fell down moments later. He collapsed on the floor, holding onto his wound.

“No, no, no, no, no,” she muttered and propped him up on the staircase railing and then rummaged for a Potion in her go-bag. Chronos’ blood-stained hand stopped her. “Go,” he gasped out and coughed out some blood. “I’m not leaving you.” “The next wave will hit in 14 seconds… By the time you give me a potion, none of us will make it out alive… Make your way to the secret exit.” “Chro–” “For fuck’s sake. Listen for once,” he spat out in a hoarse voice followed with wheezy breathing.“We were never kind to you nor did we protect you.” “So this is your way of making it up?” “Think of it however you want, but you need to leave,” he commanded. “I’m a liability now.”

He gingerly reached into his pocket and placed a set of keys into (Y/N)’s palm. They were to his motorbike. She was surprised to see the keychain of a worn out, hand-carved chocobo dangling in her hand smeared with his blood; she made that for him when she was five and thought he threw it out.

“It’s hidden in a blind spot in the tunnels,” he instructed through ragged breaths. “This master key will allow you to access it.”

She unwillingly accepted them and clenched it in her fist. Inhaling a sharp breath, she squeezed her eyes closed and felt the weight of choosing to leave her brother behind. Of all the times for them to decide to be proper siblings to her…

“You and Az better make it out,” she stated with a shaky voice and stood back up.

(Y/N) made her way to the dead end of the short hallway and pushed a small button on the side of a hanging painting. The wall then caved and slid to the side, revealing the secret passage. The entrance then closed behind her once she walked in and her body flashlight automatically came on upon being submerged in the darkness.

And darkness meant daemons. There was no turning back now.

She wouldn’t expect her family to make this passageway an easy exit for security measures. While descending down the second flight of stairs, a painful throb echoed at the pit of her stomach and head. She gasped aloud and stumbled into the corner with ragged breathing as cold sweat formed at the base of her forehead.

“No, no, no…” she whispered to herself. “Not right now.”

The second wave of pulsating white hot agony hit her. She let out a throaty groan and collapsed in the corner. (Y/N) raggedly gasped and felt her eyes and palms burn hot with wisps of grey matter exuding out. Her vision was slowly blurring and felt like she was going to pass out from the pain alone. She prayed to the Six for this to subside, only to be wracked with more of it. It was as if they were purposely punishing her.

However, she knew the longer she stayed here, the higher the chance she’d be captured. Forcing herself to move, she gingerly rose up and slowly staggered down the last flight and palmed the wall for support. The burning sensation came in waves until it finally decided to calm down several minutes later. Huffing large breaths to regain her concentration, she moved along only to be blocked by several Imps spawning from the damp concrete floor. The ratty creatures lunged at her and she quickly drew her daggers, turning them into minced meat out of their corpses. As the daemon’s bodies were absorbed back into the pool of darkness, she saw the last thing she didn’t ever wish to see: Chronos’ and Azrael’s spirits at the far end of the tunnel.

Her eyes widened with disbelief as their voices echoed in her head. “We bestow what was ours unto you. Give ‘em hell.”

The burning rose up again and she let out an anguished scream as their specters disappeared from her line of sight. There was a sudden flash of her brother’s corpses in her mind, filled with their final moments. They died how they lived; with pride. Even if they were the bastards of Lucis, they still held their head up high meeting their maker. Gasping aloud, streams of tears rolled down her cheek and dry sobbed, still in denial of what she saw.

And that’s when the worst of it hit her.

Her lungs suddenly felt like it inhaled fire; her body felt like there was a thousand daggers piercing and rotating on every one of her nerve endings. Wrapping her arms tightly around her stomach, she let out choked groans and sobs. (Y/N) collapsed on her knees and felt a wave of energy release like a force field rumbling through the tunnels. She’s heard the awakening process itself was always violent, but she never imagined it to be this painful! Finally collapsing on all fours, she panted with sweat dripping from the tip of her nose and tried to regain focus. Once she mustered enough energy to get back up, she heard the echoes of several footsteps of MT soldiers roughly 150 yards away.

(Y/N) was tired of it all. Tired of struggling, tired of the Empire dictating everyone’s pace, tired of running. It was time to fight back. Her parents wanted her to take up their namesake. Well they got it.

Languidly breathing aloud, she staggered down her end of the tunnel, still feeling the burn wrack all over her body. The energy discharging out of (Y/N) was like smoldering smoke from a volcano after an eruption. She was beyond pissed and needed something to quell this bloodlust she’s held back for so long. Tightly gripping her weapon handles, she turned the corner and met with a small brigade of MT soldiers and assassins obstructing her way.

She had to finish them quick. Six knows when the daemons will spawn again or how long she’ll last. As an assassin ran at her, she turned to her left and cleanly sliced through its arm and beheaded it. One by one, they fell by her hand and felt the energy slowly concentrating to her eyes. As the last assassin moved toward her, its movements froze when she stared directly into its red goggles, feeling a sense of control wash over her.

“Kill yourself,” she vocally commanded with malice. “Rid your shit for an excuse of existence from Eos.”

The assassin raised its arm and stabbed itself in the chest. Letting out a shaky breath as the MT collapsed in front of her, (Y/N) now just grasped how horrifying her brothers’ powers were and the weight of darkness she inherited. The energy from her eyes faded quickly and was replaced with a dull throbbing ache at the base of her temples. Holy hell, no wonder Chronos was irate all the time, she thought. Quickly retrieving her dagger sticking out of one of the robot soldiers, she continued down the tunnel to look for his bike.

She finally managed to locate it after a few more daemon and MT slayings. Taking the key out from her pocket, she inserted it into the lock and a slab of concrete pushed out from the wall. The slab then lifted upwards, revealing a secret compartment as florescent lights flickered on.

And there it was. The path to her freedom.

She walked in and straddled the bike, getting a feel for the handles and grips before turning the key. Hearing the engine roar to life, she put on the helmet that’s slightly too big for her and made her way out. The scenery of the once tall and immaculate buildings were replaced with debris, black smoke and destruction. From afar, she could see Niflheim Magitek ships gliding over her fair city, raining fire and releasing daemons.

What she found out on the Dark Net was true: they managed to control the creatures of darkness. Her parents decided to ally themselves because they wanted steal their technology for our benefit. Her dad was blinded by power lust and desperate for influence, uncaring of what would become of them. They were pretty much their prisoners now that their bargaining chips were gone; she had no choice but to abandon any hopes of successfully rescuing them for now.

She continued to speed through the broken roads, only to find a few civilians running from a Goblin chasing them. (Y/N) clicked her tongue in annoyance and pulled over.

“Persistent creatures…” she growled under her breath as she dismounted and removed her helmet. As she ran to the civilians, she realized they were her co-workers. Shit, she thought to herself and immediately threw her hood over her face. The goblin managed to catch up and as it was about to pummel Chris, (Y/N)’s dagger immediately flew and landed itself on its abnormally sized forearm. The creature howled in pain as the escapee’s attention turned to her.

“Run!” she shouted at them. “Unless you wanna be Goblin bait.” “Don’t haveta tell me twice!” Chris yelped and dashed away.

His cowardice never ceased to surprise her.

The goblin’s roar drew her attention back as it came running at her at full speed. She reacted too late and was caught in the impact of one of its powerful punches, throwing her body back several feet and crashed into the side of a totaled car. Grunting aloud, she collapsed on all fours and realized the impact threw her other dagger away somewhere.

Stumbling back to her feet, (Y/N) tried to make eye contact with the Goblin in hopes to control it, only to have the air knocked out of her lungs. She held onto her ribs and coughed, realizing how long Chronos’ ability took to charge up. If she were to take one more upfront, they’d definitely be broken. Trying to think of a strategy, a formless voice echoed in her head.

“Take its power.”

It echoed repeatedly and she suddenly found her right arm rising up on its own. She then scribbled the kanji for ‘strength’ with her pointer finger and a glowing red wisp of air surrounded her when the character evaporated. Her body suddenly had this sense of invincibility. The Goblin charged at her with its fist, only to have it caught by her bare hands. With a mighty yell, she flipped the creature onto its back using its own momentum against it and pummeled its face in. It wasn’t going to get any deader than that. (Y/N) then looked at her shaking hands covered in black ooze from the Goblin’s blood as the feeling of power disappeared.

The corpse of the daemon sunk back into the dark puddle as she sat on the road, still reeling from shock.

She did this. And she enjoyed it. It wasn’t until Oz’s voice roused her back.

“Are you alright?” her boss asked and reached his hand out to help her back up. She ignored his gesture and stood back up on her own. “It’s not safe here. You should take that car over there and leave as quickly as you can,” (Y/N) suggested through a disguised voice with her back turned on them. They can never know.

“Salome, see if you can get that to start,” Oz instructed the woman and turned back to her. “Thank you… (Y/N).”

She immediately turned to face him, her breath quickened from his sudden knowledge.

“I’ve known for a while, to be honest.” “How–” “You’re not the only one who uses the Dark Net for info,” her boss revealed. “I’ll keep this between us.” “You should go before more of ‘em show up.” “What about you?” “I’ll be fine.”

She reached into her bag and quickly downed a potion to recover her strength. (Y/N) felt the bruising around her ribcage slowly subsiding once the medicine took effect.

“You’re not as bad a person as your family’s reputation precedes, you know,” Oz pointed out. “Remember that.” “Oz!” Salome called from the other end, with Chris honking the horn like he was having road rage. “We gotta go!” “Stay safe, (Y/N).”

His voice was full of genuine concern.

“If there’s one thing I know what to do besides hacking is staying alive, boss,” she stated with a tone of confidence. “Be careful out there.”

With a nod, he ran to rendezvous with Chris and Salome in the car and sped off. (Y/N) lingered momentarily to retrieve one of her daggers laying on the debris-ridden ground and searched for the other. Her brothers used to make fun of her for still using a physical weapon as (Y L/N)s were able to conjure one up after awakening.

What they didn’t understand was they were the weapons she trained with Ignis from their schooldays. It was the one thing she managed to sneak out before she left. She knelt beneath the car she got knocked up against before and saw the glittering weapon underneath. Her arm was just long enough for her fingers to reach it and dragged it back to her.

Giving it a brief sentimental look at her retrieved item, she saw her eyes in the gleaming reflection of the weapon; they were a fiery glowing orange like Chronos’. Was this permanent? Hearing explosions and roaring echo in the distance, she quickly holstered the weapon into the side of her boot and ran back to her bike.

Getting into another fight with daemons was the last thing she wanted and frankly, she was running on empty. With a rev of the engine, she took off. Whatever she had to deal with her awakening will have to wait; getting to King Regis was top priority now. After bobbing and weaving her way through destroyed city roads with many detours, she finally reached the Citadel. Jumping off her bike, she hiked up the barricade made of concrete debris in time to see the Crystal in tow by one of the Niflheim aircrafts. If they got to that, then the King was already… Her breath audibly stuck in her throat.

She was too late. Her choices now were to either storm the Citadel herself and try to find the king while fighting a horde of MTs in her current condition or leave to survive another day.

What would Ignis do? No. She already knew: he’d stick to his duty and protect the prince no matter what. Balling her fists up angrily, she hissed a frustrated breath as she painstakingly turned her back to the royal structure and made her way back to her bike.

Your Majesty… I’m sorry. I wanted to do more.

(Y/N) sucked in a breath and put her helmet back on as she mounted the bike, her heart heavy with guilt and regret. Making her way to the bridge leading out of Crown City, she fought back the tears threatening to spill out and swallowed the weighty lump in her throat. After making her way across, she stopped to the side and took one last look.

Insomnia was all but a haze of smoke and destruction now. Her home, her friends, her family… All displaced or dead at the hands of the Empire. And all she did was stand there and watch it burn. Thinking back on it now, that’s all she’s ever done.

No more. Damn the consequences. It was time to play by her own rules.

With a new mission to take revenge on the Empire, she got back on her bike and started her journey. Her first order of business now was to find civilization, gather intel and a safe haven. As the haze of annihilation cleared, she looked up to see the sun beating down the vast dry desert-like environment. From a distance, a herd of wild voretooths ran about. If she’d known the chances of this invasion happening were that high, she would’ve read up more on the outside world, (Y/N) thought to herself and suddenly found her mode of transportation slowing down.

“You’re kidding me, right?”

It ran out of gas.

“Goddamn it, Chronos,” she complained and smacked the handlebar with the heel of her palm. “Would it kill ya to fill your bike up?”

She paused at her poor choice of words and groaned aloud, inwardly apologizing to him.

Switching it to neutral, she hopped off to push and walk alongside it. Abandoning it would be an easier option, but then how would she get around? The world’s a big place, after all. And she can’t rely on the kindness of strangers out here. After Insomnia walled itself off, there were whispers of a lot of people who held a grudge against the King, saying he abandoned them. Continuing to walk down the stretch of road with the sun beating on her back, she felt the heat slowly effecting her. Finally deciding to remove her helmet, she lifted the seat and threw it in the storage before going back to pushing.

(Y/N) hurried on while trying to keep her exhaustion at bay, hoping none of Niflheim’s troops caught up too quickly. The sound of the wind blowing past the dry landscape then mixed in with the familiar hum of a Magitek airship flying 30 knots away. But it was too late for her to find cover. Shit.

A lone soldier wearing black and red armor jumped from the vehicle and engaged her. The white silk cloth in front of her bore the Niflheim insignia. (Y/N) immediately drew her daggers and got into position. She didn’t have enough energy to use her new found abilities and needed to be on the defensive.

“You look like someone the Empire’s looking for,” the warrior casually spoke, her lance at the ready to attack. “They’re looking for a lot of people,” she remarked. “Gonna have to be a bit more specific.” “That’s all the info they gave me. Unless you have more.”

(Y/N) figured now was a good time to see whether or not her parents’ life lessons of leveraging was useful or not.

“What if I were to tell you…” (Y/N) began. “I have some sensitive intel to pass down if you pretend you didn’t see me.” “Kinda hard to believe that with your daggers drawn at me, sweetheart,” the dragoon pointed out. “Says the lady with the lance.” “Depending on how valuable your info is…” The silver blonde haired woman pondered aloud and rubbed her chin with her gloved hand. “I might turn a blind eye.”

The dragoon withdrew her weapon and turned her back to (Y/N).

“Come on board and tell me what you know.” “My mom told me to never get into a stranger’s airship,” (Y/N) scoffed and sheathed her weapon. “Name’s Aranea Highwind. Now get in before I change my mind, sweetheart.” “My name’s not ‘sweetheart’; it’s Wild Rose.” “After I gave the dragoon what I knew, she dropped me off at Hammerhead,” (Y/N) finished. “From there, I slowly made my way to Lestallum on the bike.” “You’ve… had quite the journey,” Gladio remarked and wiped the bottom half of his face with his hand, remembering their recent exchange with Aranea at Fort Vaullerey. “Your brothers did all this… just so you’d awaken?” Noct asked in disbelief. “A bit extreme, if I do say so myself. But yes… They got what they wanted out of me. And then some.”

Silence briefly filled the camp. After an extremely long day, they cleaned up and all turned in for the night. Ignis and Noct turned to see (Y/N) sleeping soundly on the ground with his leather jacket as her pillow, curled up in fetal position to stay warm.

“Kid had it rough out here,” Gladio murmured, looking at her sleeping form with softened amber eyes. “These parts aren’t exactly kind to lone travelers. It may be better for her to stick with us for a bit.” “That’s up to her,” Ignis answered. “Don’t you care about her safety?” the burly guard asked with a slight defensive tone. “I do, but it’s her life,” he firmly replied. “I can’t force her to stay.” “’Cuz you haven’t given her a reason to,” Gladio huffed out. “And what do you mean by that?” “Y’know, for someone so analytic of the smallest things, you completely missed the point here,” the tattooed guard chided. “When the Red Giant was attacking us, you were the one she chose to protect.” “I’m sure it’s because she properly assessed the–” “Oh, cut the crap, Iggy. She did it because she loves you. And you know it.”

Ignis stood in place staring at Gladio while Noct and Prompto stood idly by. It was then Prompto realized who (Y/N) was talking about when they had the mini heart-to-heart at her apartment back in Crown City. “C’mon guys, don’t fight,” Prompto tried to deescalate the argument. “We’re not fighting,” they both replied, not breaking eye contact from one another. “She doesn’t deserve you,” Gladio started up again. “You have no idea the shit’s she put herself through for your ass ‘cuz she thinks your life’s more valuable.”

Ignis let out a small breath, unable to come back with a retort, knowing the Shield was right. He looked away from the guard and down at the ground.

Deep down, he had a feeling (Y/N) wasn’t telling him everything. The story behind a (YL/N)’s awakening, the real reason she dropped out of the gifted program, her stubborn insistency at keeping him at arm’s length with her personal affairs… She always knew how much to share and hide to keep the curious at bay. He never pressed her on it simply because he didn’t know how to break through her defenses.

He sighed and squeezed his nose bridge. “It’s selfish of me to ask you of this, Noct, but can you give me some time with her tomorrow?” “For you, anything, specs,” the prince happily agreed. “Should we take her inside the tent?” Prompto asked and looked at (Y/N)’s slight shivering form. “We can sleep outside tonight if needed be,” Gladio suggested. “Iggy, you should stay with her.” “M-Me?” he lightly stuttered. “Figure she could use a friendly face to wake up to… Unless you want me in there instead.” “I’m sure we’ll all be able to all fit in the tent somehow,” the spectacled adviser gave the alternate solution. “I wouldn’t want you all to catch a cold.”

He carried her inside the tent and settled her limp body at the far end of the tent, with him laying beside her. The rest of the guys tried their best to give them as much space as possible.

[iria-daerienne-blog]

Iria had taken a few days off from the library to spend some time at home to give Ash'toran her undivided attention.  It had been amazing to see just how far his transformation has come, even when there was still so much that she didn't know about him.  She remembered him in flashes as a child, someone that she had not gotten to interact with much, only because her mother had made it very clear that while they were family friends they had they had to leave them be.  Iria was looking for a playmate, but she herself wouldn't ever defy her parents' wishes.   

 "One day, my sweet girl, you will be wed to someone who values you for you." 

 Rhovanion's voice just kept playing over and over in her head.  Never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned her betrothal to be to someone who couldn't even remember how to -feel-, much less remember who he even was.  None of that mattered, however, in the grand scheme of things.  He would be welcome in her home as long as he wanted to be, and she would continue to nurture his growth and acceptance of the life he was to lead, once. 

Her eidetic memory took her to a place once where she had remembered walking with Alia's little brother Tevian alongside one of the many streams leading out to the ocean.  As long as Iria had known Ash, there was a nagging memory of him that she could never shake off, and she tried so very hard to think of why he was always so familiar to her eyes.

They were having such a fun time playing out by the river. Iria’s young cousin had been playing at her heels with a wooden sword as he was trying to depict himself as the Black Knight from the story she had just read him. She was fairly small in stature herself, even being considerably older than Tevian, but because she and Alia and Tevian were always together so much, they were mistaken for siblings quite often. At that point, Alia had vacated home in order to get ready for her lessons later on that afternoon, so Iria kept Tevian at her side while they roamed the riverbank for what seemed a few hours. They were constantly at play. Her father Rhovanion crafted a little wooden sword for his nephew, Tevian had also crafted a paper crown for Iria to play alongside him in his epic stories of “capturing the fair maiden”.

It was at some point in time where Tevian had started chasing Iria with that wooden sword; she squealed in laughter as they ran the forest floor completely barefoot while the younger cousin gave chase to the older. Iria ran smack into a boy that had dwarfed her in height but his eyes seemed younger than she. She fell backward onto her rear as she looked up at him. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, I’m sorry.” He looked down to her with a smile as he offered her a hand up. “No worries, I take walks out here so it was nice to run into someone…” They both had a chuckle at that comment as Tevian was following up close behind with his little wooden sword slashing this way and that at some of the bramble that came into his way. “I’ll smite the head of the knight who rescued you!”The taller boy picked Iria up with a laugh as he held her over his head a moment. Tevian kept trying to hack and slash, until finally he accidentally hit the taller kid in the gut with his sword. A small “oof” came forth as his leather tunic was hit fairly hard by the wooden toy. “HEY! That’s my princess. I stole her fair and square, get your own!” Iria looked down at Tevian and laughed. “I’m sure he won’t mind giving me back, Tevian. Oh, um…we didn’t catch your name.” She looked up to the taller boy who still carried her. 

It was then that Iria snapped out of her little reverie, and it was then that she out put down her needlepoint so she could speak with him.  

Roughly fifteen minutes later, she picked up the book that she had constantly read to Tevian while he was still alive. She hugged it close as tears were slipping from her eyes. “Oh Tevian, if you would’ve lived to see the life past your squireship, I’m more than certain you would’ve become an astonishing example of what a Blood Knight should be”, she whispered to herself. 

Ash'toran’s heavy plated footfalls alerted her as he entered the parlor, and her smile returned. She wiped the tears away with the flat of her hand as she kissed his cheek hello. “Have you been crying, Iria?” He looked upon her in concern as he slipped his finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up to meet his eyes. She smiled. “It was just a moment of mourning for a memory that constantly escapes me, nothing more, my dear.” She looked down at the letter that her father had written for her that he was supposed to give her himself the day that she was to be married.

Iria, 

While I have always been against this arranged marriage business, I believe that we have chosen well for you.  It is up to you now to figure out what your heart wishes.  If this marriage isn't to be, we'll know right away.  All that I ask is that you give Ash'toran a chance to be a suitable husband for you.  His father and mother are wonderful of character, and you'll know about his secret soon enough.  Do not mistake me; they are loyal to their friendships and I have known of no other man who would've been worthy of your hand.  

His father is one of my most trusted friends, and his mother is a special soul that is only seeking to better the world with every effort she puts forth.  As of now, the Magisters have found a way to unbind you from the bastard Ser'adars and have allowed us to move forward and pursue the Stormshatter-Starsurge bond.  I would not look a gift horse in the mouth; this has been a very rocky trail for us to tread.  However, with you as Ash'toran's chosen bride, I know no harm will come to you.  I know his father will have taught him how to be your sword and shield, your armor.  He values your life as I do and so, with heavy hearts, your Minn'da and I have made this decision for you so that you'll be protected the rest of your days to live out a long and happy life.  

If we've any grandchildren from this union, remind them that this was not an act of cruelty; in fact, make sure they understand that we do this out of love and protection.I love you and I am so proud to call you my daughter.  You've faced numerous hardships and yet you meet them head on with nothing less than your absolute cooperation and best smile, Surfal. 

 --Ann'da

Her teardrops hit the parchment repeatedly as he stood behind her.  Knowing she was in pain, he brought his plated fingers to rest upon her bare shoulders.  In reception of such a welcome gesture, she placed her own fingertips upon his. "My father put so much emphasis on how much he trusted and adored your family.  I met them only twice and I remember your father being so kind and caring.  Your mother was such an absolute pleasure to speak with." 

 One of the Dae'rienne family assistants interrupted the conversation as he approached the both of them with a letter upon a silver plate.  "My lady, a letter just arrived for you and Master Ash'toran.  A member of the Royal Exchange was the one to deliver it.  Please let me know if I can help with anything else."  

He turned on his heel and dismissed himself as Iria looked to Ash'toran in curiosity.

"Well, go ahead. Open it," he voiced in concern, his fingers never leaving her shoulders. Iria reached over to take a clean knife from the portable place setting and slice the letter open.

Ash'toran Stormshatter-Starsurge: 

Upon your marriage to Iridoria Azura Dae'rienne, you've been secured with an inheritance that has been granted to you by your parents.  Assuming their estate and finances, you are now the sole executor of the Stormshatter-Starsurge estate, as well as any holdings they had prior to their deaths.  Attached you will find keys to the Stormshatter-Starsurge account holdings within the Royal Exchange bank.  Please claim these articles as they will be forfeit to the realm within 180 days of this letter.  We ask that Magistrix Dae'rienne accompany you as she will be the next of kin to subsume all of your worldly possessions upon death. 

 Marcesti Solarflame - Banker and Account Retainer

No sooner had Iria completed reading the letter that she looked upon him in shock.  "Listen, I know you're not ready for this, but it's going to be an important step for you to accept.  You -have- to do this.  We need to see what your parents left for you because we may find some clues as to how to break this hold over you."  He let out a deep breath as she stood, walking around the couch she was seated upon as she wrapped her arms around his waist.  Her face buried into his plated chest, she breathed out her next muffled words.  "You can do this, I know you can." 

 Not two hours later they were crossing the gardens in a hurry to get to their respective mount in order to travel into Silvermoon proper.  Iria brought her shawl much more closely about her shoulders as he pulled her up into his lap, his arms around her.  His helm remained chained at his side as his plated fingers fisted tightly the reins upon his spectral warhorse.  His massive plated arms served as a barrier to her much tinier frame.  "You know I don't care for this title shit, Iria."  Somberly she looked up to him.  "It's not the title or the wealth to be worried about, my dear.  There is a letter from your father.  I have a feeling we are going to find out what truly happened to him."  His expression alone was enough to cry revenge against the monsters who had wronged his birth parents.  Krenistan's presence as well as the amulet's dark aura seemed to be distant memories now as he kicked the steed into gear and they rode for the city.

[deadseeing]

 “What do you mean Mom attacked you?!”

“I don’t know, it looked like her but it w-wasn’t her!”

“S-Shh, it might be coming back!”

The sound of feet dragging across the wooden floor is prominent outside her bedroom. The footsteps are loud, as they pace back and forth up and down the hall. Raine can hear the jingling of the lock where she’s hiding, probably the worst places she could ever be. The closet was one of the places people got killed if they were found in horror movies. Where did she even go wrong? She holds the receiver close to her mouth. Her service dog downstairs asleep – and Ren and Ran could only do so much to help her. 

“Hold on, Raine–– I’m almost home.....!” She hears her brother Lars say, and she firmly closes her eyelids shut. The lines goes dead and she bites her lip. 

She didn’t have supernatural powers like the rest of her family did. She was the only normal one, with the exception where either of her friends would utilize her body when she allowed them but she was still one hundred percent human. 

She wasn’t a super hero, like her brother promoted himself to be. She wasn’t an illusionist like her older sibling was, she was just Raine. A human detective to be. A scared thirteen year old that didn’t want any of these fancy powers to see the dead.

That thing that posed as her mother was horrifying. It was like the shadowy formless ghosts who sucked life energy out of the living. It had her mother’s face, her smile, her dark locks of hair that usually cascaded a little underneath her shoulders. She mistaken her for it at first, but that was her own naïvety. It was an unexpected turn of events – the thing didn’t have a reflection. When she looked again, the face was largely disproportioned, with dislocated jaw and no eyes. It’s form became shadowy once she noticed past the illusion it presented itself with. Hugging her knees, she holds her breath when hearing the door being forcibly opened.

Oh god, oh god, oh god–

The dragging of feet is heard outside of the closet, and she hears it rummaging throughout her room. Her stuffed animals pound against the wall, and she hears her bed’s mattress being moved and tossed across the room. It falls with a loud thump which causes Raine to cover her mouth immediately. She watches as her friends look at her helplessly then fade into darkness when hearing something else topple over.

It’s when the room grows silent Raine’s anxiety spikes up.

The only thing Raine does is close her eyes. She can’t think rationally now, if she panicked she’d out herself to the monster and the last thing she wanted to do.

All she had to do was wait for Lars to get home. 

And she waits, and waits and waits some more, she doesn’t know for how long but it’s a long time. She’s tempted to pull out her cellphone but the light of her smartphone may even alert the monster that she’s inside the closet. The silence is disrupted by something that goes on outside and down the hallway. She hears the squeaking of sneakers that pound across their wooden stair case.

“Raine! Raine! Where the hell are you?” It’s Lars, she’s saved–– but she doesn’t dare leave from the closet just yet.

But god damn him and his reckless nature, because at that moment she hears the hissing of the creature in the room. The pounding of shoes across carpet and she hears a crash. It never had left? Was it anticipating her to leave the closet the entire time? She hears Lars yelling from down the hall and she’s tempted to go out toward him. Something tells her not too. Seeing that the monster was distracted, she tries to squint in the darkness.

It’s then Ran and Ren emerge again and they huddle close to her. “Ren, go help Lars...”

The flaxen haired ghost boy nods then disappears from sight. She looks toward Ran and frowns deeply.

“W...we gotta go out there.”

“But what if you get hurt too?” 

“We have t-to-take risks...if I don’t, Lars could get...hurt...”

Seeing her friend’s conviction, Ran nods back toward her friend in understanding and Raine slowly opens the closet door. They leave the closet side by side, and she looks back into the darkness to make sure nothing else is lurking. Seeing nothing, she closes it while Ran looks on ahead. Once looking forward, Raine sees the mess in her room; everything is in disarray. She hears Lars yelling down the hallway and she rushes toward the hall where everything had fallen from the wall. 

“Lars!” She cries and she hears his voice further down the hall near their mother’s room. She sees her brother combating the creature alongside Ren who summons water from the nearby bathroom to try to subdue it. It lets out a ugly laugh and attempts to pounce on her brother who side steps and slices through it with his ghostly blade.

It falls back to the ground, but it makes eye contact with her again with a crooked smile on it’s lips.

“F̐͛ͮ͋͌e̍̓ͨ͒̓̅̓̅̚a͐ͪ̀͂rͨͥ̑ ̃͆͆̀̄ͫ̊̚t̽͆ͫ̈́̐̓̀ͧ̎hͯe̎̾ͫ̈ ̐̆͊s̑̾̀ḧ́ͫ͌̇̊̽͂̚aͪ̏̾̀̔ͦͩ́dͤͥ̀̈ͬ́̉͊o͆̿̾ͥ͗̊wͣ̉͒͆́̑ͭ̎̂sͯ,̽̽̒ͥͬͭͧͦ̊ ͭ͌̆́ͧf̔̏͊ͬoͮ̀̓̅͛r̆̏̈́̚ ̓͛͗̎ͥ͑ṫ̽h͋̔̎ͣͮ̋̋͋ė̅̅ͭ͂̇ͮyͭ͂ͦͤ ͂̔̋͊̓ͭ̾̐ẇ̍́ͯͪ̿ͨ̎h͛̆ͬͪͮ̑ͯi͆͗ͪͪ̃s̏̀͆̀͂́̈́̆̇ṕͥ̄̃ͥeͯ̽̔ͮ̀r̍̽ ̽̈́͋̈̆̊a͐ͬͩ̉͋̌̈́̂̐mͮ̂̾̿̂̿oͧ͆̐͗ͦ̍n̉ͤg̿̍̌́̀̄ͭͬs̃̾̌̋ͤ̏̒t͐ͩ ͭ͐t́͌̒̒̀͂̍hͬ͋ͯ̇̋̉͂e̔͗̓̆̽̿ͯ̄̌ḿ̓ͭsͥͮͤͨ͌͆ͦͯeͯ͗͒ͬ͛͂̀̚lͥͩͪ̃̾ͫ̽v̉ͤě̈̿ͮ̑̊͒̓̈s͛.̀̍́ͥ̽̏̏̅̆ ̏̆̐͆͗̄̾̏Ďͬi̒̂̽̐͋ͭͬͩ̚s͒͛tͤ̀ͩ̚r̈ͤ̅̋ͨuͣ̚s͂̓̄ͬ͋͂̎̚t̃̋ͪ ͬ̆̽ỳ͛̊o͆͒̊͗̈̅uͫ̒rͦ̿ͭ̃ͦ̔̌ͤ ͒͛ͧ̔̋̎mͧ̄̇̑̓o͐̉ͤ̀ͦ̀͂̓̚tͯͩ͛ḧ̄̌̐ͥͥ̊ėͧ̓̈ͨ̎r͐̂,ͣ ͛͑fͩ͗ȯ̈́ͫ͌̈ͫ̎r͒ͮ ͊̂̂ͪ̇̌s̔ͩ̅͛h͑̈eͣͯͦ̈ͯͯ ̽ͧͤͨh͆ͥͭa͂͑s̍̒̓̑̐ͧ̽͋͒ ͯ͑̚c̊̑͑ͫͭ̏̑͗u̒ͭ̔͆r̾͆̂ͬͬͮšͫ́e͑͆d̿͊̊̽ ͮeͩͬ̓͑̋ͣvͥ̉́̃̇͒ẻ̈́̐͛̑̍̚r̀́͒̌̀ͩẏ̊̀ͧͪ̉͒̚ ̀͆͊ͧ͆͊sͫ̾î͛n̿̚gͦ̎ͫ͗ͩͬ̉͒l̊̿e̋͌̏ͨ̒̈́ͭ̉ͣ ͧo̊̿́n͑ͬ́̊͐̂̿ͤͤe̓̋̂̀ͪ́̾ ͥ̚ö͑͑̒̀̅f͑͂͐ ̔̊ͬ̿ͯͦ̓ỳͦo͐ͣͭ͂ͨ͒̓ͩ̑ů̇!̀̈́ͩ ͊̚L̐͗a̐ͭ͗̌͒ͧm̓̈́͊ë́̉̾͋͛̐͛̚ńͫ̈̊ťͪ͌ͥ ̐ͯoͣͤͯ̐ͪṽeͨͭ̒̂r̉̎͋ͤ̐ ͫͬͨ͑yͩͣ͒o̿̏̋͒ͩ̌û̐̄̃̈ͨͥrͦ̌ͭͮͨ́̚ ͒̓͑͋͑͛͌̌̆b̋̍ͮ̐̉͐ͤ̎ï̀̿ͥŕ̍̉̈̓̂̉t̓̇̈̈́̂͊ͦ͐̑h̊̂͆̔,̊͗͊ ͤ͐̔͗̓ͬ͒ͪf̏ͯ̃͊̚oͫ̓ͩr͋̋ͪ ̅̔͆̉yͨ̑o̾̓ͪu̿ͯͤ̈́͑ ͣͪ̌̉ͩ̽wͣ̿ͫͦ̏͆͆̽eͭ̉̅rͬ͋͂͊̊̉͐̍eͧ̽̌̑̈̓̃ ̊̾̑̊̓̚̚m̒̓̉̔̈ͪĩ̌s͛ͬ̾ͫ̏͛͗ͩ̐t̿ͯ̚ä́ͨͯ̐̎ͪ̿̓k͊̂̈́́͗̒̆̀ͮeͪ̂̓n̽̉̀ͥ̀̆̚lͦ̏y̒ͧ͛̀̽ ͒̀ͭ̿̆̆b̎̆r̃͂̎̍ͦo͌u̇ͣ̓̈́̾̏g͛h̐̅͑̍̈́ͫͬ͑ͮt̓̊̽̃͂͛ ͫ̄h̋̏e͌̅̊̇̾̂̓̿͌r̈̆̊e͋ͣͯ̽̐̃̄̾.͒ ́̾ͪ̐̂͋Y̏oͯ̒́ͩ̎uͥͬ̓͐ ̓̿̇͊̐ͮ͌͑bͫͧeͨ̊lͪ͐̔ô̈́ͦn̂̔g̏̾̿̆͗̎̏ ͊ͤ́ͥ̂ͮtͮo̓̓̋ͨ͑ͩ̈́ͪ.̏̿́̎ͬͮͬ.͐̂̈ͯ̐͛͛.͋ͥ͛͑ͦ.ͤ͛̀̌͊̉̆.̾ͮ̓̏ͨ̈́̐.ͭ͊ͣ̓̃ͦͯ͒.̍͗ͫ̅̄ͣ͊!ͬ̅͗ͪͦ̓̀̚̚”

And it bleeds into the floor, with a wicked laugh echoing through the hall. They all stand a moment waiting for something else to occur, then she watches Lars put away his sword and rush over to her and embracing her into his arms.

“Are ya okay, it didn’t hurt ya did it?!?” She watches her brother’s hazel eyes looking down at her concerned.

“I-I’m fine now that you’re here,” Raine mutters into his chest, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. “But...bu-but are you okay? You dumbass ! You should’ve been more careful with coming upstairs. Letting yourself be known immediately put you into danger!”

“Yeah, and it saved me the trouble of looking for it, y’see? I’m a big boy, no spooky ghost got nothin’ on me!”

“Says Mr. Careless!”

“Is that what you say to the guy who just saved you!?”

“Um, guys––”

“Y-Yeah! Why didn’t you get here sooner!?”

“LARS. RAINE.” 

The siblings turn back to Ren and Ran who look at them with concern. “....Sorry for yelling, but...Ran went downstairs to look at those things fake Auntie Marissa had with her and they’re still there.”

“W-What?!”

“I hacked into her phone,” Ran admits and summons it forth. It floats in her hands as she presents it to the siblings. “But there are a bunch of missed calls from a couple of days ago.”

“When?”

“The last text message she sent out were to someone she works with and...to big sis Laurent.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Lars then snatches the phone that floats midair. “What’s the code?”

“8754.” Raine watches as her brother inputs the number and she watches him open it up. He goes through it, to the messages in particular. She watches as his face fall and grow intense for a moment. 

“Well?”

“Ma would never leave her phone left alone.” Lars says, “these are ... all from last weekend.”

“Do you think the scary ghost had something to do with it?” Ren asks with a frown.

“Could be,” Lars says while scrolling through more, “But we should talk with Laurent first, when she gets home––”

“Talk to me about what? And why’s the house trashed?” Their sibling Laurent stood at the end of the hallway.

“It’s about Mom!” Raine cries out, “she–– her phone has a bunch of unanswered––!!”

“What about me?” Another voice rings out which leaves Raine and Lars frozen solid. A woman appears from behind their eldest sibling, who gives them both a pointed look. “Why does the wall have dents in it? I told you before Lars not to play basketball inside....”

“B-But Ma, y’see–– Raine got attacked by a lookalike ghost!” Lars makes an attempt to ease the situation now, but it didn’t look like their mother believed it.

“Yeah! And she looked just like you, Auntie!” Ran cries out now approaching her ‘Aunt’ now who looks down to her. “She turned into a spooky ghost!”

“Spooky ghost? Is that why the house looks wrecked?” Their mother asks with a frown, “you better not be lying to me.”

“Ma, I wouldn’t lie ‘bout somethin’ like this!”

“And we found your phone with a bunch of unanswer––”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you found it!” Their mother says now moving past Laurent and grabbing onto the phone Lars holds onto. “I lost it a couple days ago for some reason. I had left it out to charge during the weekend but it disappeared before I left for work.”

“I can swear to it,” Laurent pipes up from the back, now advancing forward to the rest of the family. “We kinda looked Monday morning before I left for University, but couldn’t find the damn thing.”

Raine frowns to herself now while the rest of her family chatters about. There were too many pieces of this puzzle unanswered. And what did that ghost mean that their mother was distrustful? What was there to distrust? No, no she didn’t–– she couldn’t think of her mother in bad light. 

The situation put an awfully bad taste in her mouth. There was this foreboding, insidious feeling that clawed at her back and she was too afraid to turn around. Little did she know that the past was going to unravel in front of her eyes.