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chuckeroo777 · 6 months ago

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Laios got Eaten AU Chapters 1-52

So, I was pondering a lot (as I do), and was thinking about this AU. Here's my take on it. Sorry if my grasp on characterization isn't the best. Expect lots of Farcille.

This is mostly a plot point based summary, going chapter by chapter. If something isn't elaborated on, assume it's the same as canon.

Note: This first installment ends at the same point as the anime, but as a manga reader, there are spoilers for later in the canon story.

Edit: Wowzers, that ended up being over 4,000 words! Guess I had more to say than I thought.

This is pretty long, so I'll begin under the cut.

Chapter 1:

Unlike Laios' self deprecating take on this scenario, the rest of the team doesn't immediately give up on him. Marcille and Chilchuck are his friends, and if Falin thinks it's possible, then they're in.

Namari leaves of course, but Toshiro is more complex. He argues with Falin, trying to convince her not to embark on such a risky mission, and may accidentally frame it as Falin choosing between him and Laios. Falin, of course, picks Laios. Toshiro leaves, dejected. After feeling sorry for himself for a while, he gets his retainers and heads after her, hoping to offer backup.

Falin proposes the dungeon eating plan, having casually discussed the possibility with Laios in the past. Without the gourmet guide, she isn't as knowledgeable about monsters, but she is pretty good at identifying stuff from her days of eating weird stuff in the woods, so she can tell the walking mushroom isn't poisonous. She also manages to grab the scorpion, having messed with crayfish as a kid.

Unlike Laios, she doesn't try to eat the venom, but they still struggle, and Senshi comes in to help. Falin is very excited to have such an expert helping them out, and is happy to have him join the team.

In general, Marcille is just as squicked out by monster cuisine, but she tries to put on a brave face for Falin. In fact, her attempts to be more accepting results in her not yelling at Senshi, so the slime doesn't attack her.

Chapter 2:

They go after the man-eating plants, and things mostly go down the same. Without Laios, it takes a little longer for Falin and Senshi to figure out how to save Marcille, going for the root. Marcille gets seeds planted in her skin, but Falin is able to heal her and get them out.

Chapter 3:

Senshi takes them Basilisk hunting, and Marcille is dismayed to see Falin knows the trick for intimidating Basilisks, a sight she will not soon forget. While Senshi slices the snake, Falin caves the chicken's head in.

While Senshi prepares the Basilisk, Falin is able to use a detox spell on Doni. The two still stay to eat though.

Chapter 4:

Events mostly play out the same, though Falin is a bit more gentle in rejecting Marcille's help. Falin admits to having skipped class the day they learned about mandrake harvesting.

Chapter 5:

Chilchuck uses Falin's metal staff instead of the sword to find the passage. When they go to get the oil, Falin casts a fire-ward spell on Chilchuck, just in case. Senshi declines to take one too.

Chapter 6-7:

Without Laios' insights, they deem the living armor too dangerous after the first attempt, and take a slightly different route to the third level.

Much to Marcille's chagrin, they run into a nest of giant rats, and they end up having giant rat stir-fry instead.

Chapter 8:

Falin thinks Senshi's utilization of the golems is absolutely delightful.

Chapter 9:

Falin is rather uncomfortable with Chilchuck's suggestion to trade at the seedy bar, but doesn't argue.

Events with the orcs go more or less the same. Falin thinks Bahay is very cute.

Chapter 10:

No Kensuke, so they get ambushed by the bugs. Chilchuck gets bitten, but Falin is able to heal him.

Falin applies much better ghost wards than Marcille. In fact, she quickly realizes they are just paralyzed, and is able to heal them. Yeah, no. That would have way too big of a butterfly effect on the story. Maybe she's too distracted by the pretty bugs to notice.

Unlike Marcille, Falin thinks the centipedes are adorable. In fact, she secretly takes one and hides it in her pack to keep as a pet.

Chapter 11:

As one would expect, the ghosts are a complete non-issue. No ice cream for them.

Chapter 12-13:

No one in this party is crazy enough to bother with the living paintings. Without the delay, they are able to make camp at the level 4 entrance, bypassing the mimic.

Senshi catches some fish, and they have a very nice dinner.

Chapter 14:

Mostly the same, except instead of Laios, Senshi is saved by Falin. She has experience in such manners.

Chapter 15:

Sadly, Falin does not know the song, so they have to resort to earplugs. This leads to a silent but amusing argument where Chilchuck has to talk down Falin from eating fish-men without words. Falin does not pull the waterweed stunt.

Chapter 16:

The kraken battle is pretty much identical.

Unlike Laios, Falin has eaten calamari before, having gone to that restaurant with Marcille several times. She is very disappointed the kraken tastes bad.

Senshi cooks up the parasite, and Falin doesn't eat any raw.

Chapter 17:

No one is sick, so this chapter doesn't happen.

Chapter 18:

Marcille has a sponge bath and insists Falin take one too. Chilchuck is annoyed by their flirting, but Senshi thinks it's cute.

When the Undine attacks, Falin is able to waterwalk and help Marcille, but neither of them has particularly good magic for fighting an undine. Both are badly injured, but they manage to escape.

Falin is able to heal both of them, but they are both left very hungry, and relatively low on mana. They have a barbecue to help them recover.

Chapter 19-20:

The Tansu party arrives. Tensions aren't quite as high between Marcille and Namari, but it's still there.

After Tansu fails to pacify the Undine. the two parties agree to help each other out. First, they help get down to the tower. A well placed fireball saves Kiki from the tentacles. Sadly, without Laios' knowledge, they can't eat them, at least not as easily.

When coming up with a plan to stop the undine, the idea to trap it is brought up, and they basically use the same plan, except Namari is in on it from the start.

After killing it, Falin suggests eating it, and the two groups enjoy some kelpie stew before departing opposite ways.

Chapter 21:

More or less plays out the same. Chilchuck suggests making the suits, to which Falin enthusiastically agrees. Senshi makes froggy hash instead of pasta, since he doesn't know how to neutralize the stinging.

Marcille puts on the frog suit without complaint since Falin puts one on first.

She attempts to take it off to much complaint still.

Chapter 22:

Most identical chapter yet. Namari asks about Laios instead of Falin. That's it.

Chapter 23:

Plans are made to take down the red dragon. With Falin here, their warding spells are much better, but no Laios means Senshi is the only proper warrior. Falin is a decent fighter, and plans to join Senshi and Chilchuck on the frontline. They search the orc's storehouse and find some spears, which will hopefully be enough for the inverse scale.

They mostly come up with the same plan. Crush the dragon, then kill it.

Chapter 24-25:

The pot defenses fail, and they go ahead and crush the dragon. When the dragon emerges, Falin is able to execute the plan, stabbing the dragon as they play dead. However, she isn't able to stab deeply enough before the dragon recoils, the spear getting pulled away from her, landing some distance away.

Senshi tries to stab the dragon in the foot, but the spear breaks. Things go as they do in canon, with Senshi and Chilchuck managing to toss Falin the spear and blind the dragon in one eye.

Falin meets up with Marcille, and ends up pulling the same self-sacrificing gambit Laios did, stabbing the dragon in the throat while dangling from its mouth.

Chapter 26:

Falin falls unconscious, and has a dream about when Laios first left home, leaving her behind. And how he later promised to never leave her behind again.

Marcille still has to heal Chilchuck and Senshi herself, since Falin is in no state to do it herself. They retrieve her leg, and Falin is able to finish healing all four of them.

They begin carving into the dragon, with Senshi taking the lead. Laios' intrusive thought fun facts end up saving the day, reminding Falin about the flame sac.

Chapter 27:

Falin doesn't even bother mentioning the resurrection office, already knowing what must be done. Marcille doesn't hesitate to offer her ancient magic as the solution.

Falin is able to assuage Chilchuck's concerns a little better than Marcille did, clarifying that the ancient magic is just used to perform magic of a magnitude impossible with just natural mana. He still doesn't quite buy it, but doesn't protest further.

Putting Laios' skeleton together takes longer, since no one here is super knowledgeable about dog skeletons. They get it eventually though.

Marcille does the ritual. Falin thinks Marcille is hot when she lets her hair down like that.

Laios is revived successfully, and everyone is incredibly happy.

Chapter 28:

No bath scene. :(

Laios is incredibly curious about their journey, and is running his mouth asking questions. He is extremely excited that his monster eating idea worked, and is practically glued to Senshi for a while asking questions. Due to his presence, Senshi doesn't explode the dragon.

Marcille isn't surprised in the least by Laios' enthusiasm, and is just glad to have her friend back. They enjoy their little dragon feast, regaling Laios with their tales of monster eating.

Unlike Falin, Laios does not realize that forbidden magic was used to revive him, and apologizes profusely for abandoning Falin, even though she insists it wasn't his fault.

Chapter 29:

When Thistle summons Laios, a ghost wakes Falin up. She wakes the others, and they go looking for him.

Unlike Falin, Laios doesn't gain magical power from the dragon, instead getting an even bigger boost to his strength. Falin isn't just knocked unconscious, but is badly injured by his punch.

Not even being dominated by the mad mage can stop Laios from yapping. As he is transformed, he gives Thistle tips, causing his chimera form to be significantly more dangerous, featuring a bigger but more slender build and bigger wings, allowing him to actually fly. As well as a few other embellishments, such as tail spikes and small horns.

The ghosts save the party, and things proceed as normal.

Chapter 30:

Chilchuck's arc is mostly the same, except that it is easier to convince Falin once she wakes up. Healing the internal bleeding Laios caused took a lot out of her, and both her and Marcille are tapped of magic. They agree to return to the surface.

Chapter 31:

Literally Identical.

Chapter 32:

Kabru's deductions are mostly the same, only altered slightly due to being warded by Falin instead of Marcille.

Shuro isn't quite as haggard. Falin isn't actively dead, so he doesn't feel the need to run himself ragged. Funny enough, taking better care of himself ends up canceling things out, and he arrives at Kabru's group at about the same time.

Chapter 33:

Senshi and Chilchuck have to fight the Dryads by themselves. They use the axe instead of Kensuke. Not that Laios helped much, but the first dryad manages to attack Senshi, leaving him in much rougher shape by the end of the fight.

Thankfully, he makes a full recovery once Falin recovers some mana from the yummy pottage.

Once Falin is recovering, she suggests teleporting out of the dungeon, but Marcille flat out refuses to let Falin do that again. It's way too risky. Now that they have a source of food, mapping out the area should be simple.

Chilchuck does not escape the sex ed.

Chapter 34:

A dramatic reenactment of chapter 34:

They still need to spend several days making the map, but at least petrification isn't an issue.

Chapter 35:

The ghost warns Falin about the wyvern, and they hide in the wall, so business as usual.

When Marcille accidentally puts on the frog suit, Falin decides to put hers on too. This somehow makes Marcille more mortified, not less.

Recognizing Falin, the ninjas don't attack. Marcille is annoyed how happy Falin is to see Toshiro, considering the bad terms he split off on.

Chapter 36:

Since Falin has been enthusiastic, but not overbearing about monster food, Chilchuck chooses to go with Senshi even more easily.

Falin explains what happened to Toshiro, leaving out the ancient magic. Toshiro has no reason to think Falin wouldn't be able to revive Laios. He is happy to learn that she intends to return to the surface, and he plans to try and talk her out of returning once safe on the surface.

Kabru can tell Falin is lying about something, but remains quiet.

Chapter 37:

Even though harpies show up, everything seems to be going well, until Hien splatters on the ground. The Laigon quickly proves to be a ferocious foe, with razor sharp claws, a vicious thagomizer, and the ability to easily fly out of reach, or drop opponents from deadly heights.

Marcille didn't know that sufficient brute force could splatter an Undine to death, but apparently so.

Falin watches in horror as she can see an almost joyous look in his eyes. He would never do this of his own volition... but he clearly doesn't hate it.

When Rin grounds the Laigon with lightning, Falin steels her resolve and charges in to pummel his weak point, but he smiles and says her name.

Chapter 38:

After Kabru fails to kill him, the Laigon is too powerful, and kills Kabru before Falin can do anything. Seeing the Laigon about to attack Falin, Marcille hits it with an explosion.

Snarling, the Laigon looks like it's about to pounce at Marcille and company, causing Falin to fully freak out and unleash her strongest offensive spell, causing several massive rocky spires to erupt and impale the Laigon from below, and accidentally hitting Rin in the process.

Screaming and convulsing in pain, the Laigon takes for the sky, fleeing as fast as it can, leaving behind a thick trail of blood.

With both Falin and Holm alive, as well as Marcille not being barred from helping, the revivals go smoothly.

Toshiro ends up getting into a shouting match with Falin regarding her goal of saving Laios. Falin insists that if they defeat the mad mage, they can save him. He insists that trying to do so at this point is suicidal.

In the heat of the moment, Toshiro declares that Laios isn't even worth saving, and Falin slaps him. The conversation comes to an abrupt end, with both severely regretting their actions. Toshiro walks off to think, while Marcille comforts Falin, who seems on the verge of tears.

Toshiro ends up apologizing, saying he can't understand her decision, but he will respect it. He has Maizuru give them supplies so they can head down immediately, and gives Falin the bell.

Asebi overhears Marcille speculating with Chilchuck about the Laigon, and the possibility of the dragon's soul getting mixed in due to her revival magic.

Kabru leaves with a higher opinion of Falin than he did of Laios, because while she seemed fascinated by monsters, she wasn't as crazed about it as him. Plus she didn't offer him a harpy omelette, so that helps.

Chapter 39:

Without the living paintings, they aren't able to quite grasp the mad mage's motives, but are still hopeful that they can talk to him.

And then the shapeshifters happen.

Chilchuck's Falin is an airhead, reflecting her calm demeanor and lack of commanding presence, even though she is ostensibly the leader without Laios around.

Senshi's Falin looks just like his Laios, but with longer hair. They look identical to Senshi.

Falin's Chilchuck is colder and more even-tempered than the real Chilchuck. She appreciates his levelheadedness and maturity.

Falin's Senshi is always spouting fun facts about food and food prep, and is always smiling. Senshi reminds her a lot of her brother's passions.

At first, the group is confused. They seem to be short two fakes. But then they find Falin's Marcille and Marcille's Falin making out in one of the cells. Both are too shy to admit their feelings, but apparently their mental images aren't so shy about it.

Once obvious stuff is out of the way, and equipment has been checked, Marcille and Falin have been found, but Chilchuck's Senshi, Marcille's Chilchuck, and Falin's Chilchuck are still around.

Chapter 40:

Marcille and Falin manage to eliminate Chilchuck's Senshi, since they both get a weird feeling from it, and all three Chilchucks agree it's the right Senshi, practically confirming it to be Chilchuck's.

The Chilchucks prove much trickier, until Falin comes up with an idea. We skipped chapter 13, so Falin suggests the Chilchucks provide their age. Marcille's says 20. Falin's says 45. Chilchuck is able to explain those guesses are way off the mark, and as the only one able to give a proper explanation of half-foot age ranges, he is clearly the correct one.

With all the copies locked up, the shapeshifter gives up and goes to find other prey.

Asebi ambushes the party as normal afterwards.

Chapter 41:

There is a bit of confusion at Asebi's accusations, since Marcille never confessed to using ancient magic, but Asebi overheard her talking about how she may have blended Laios' soul with the dragon, and that is not something someone does on accident. Clearly she must have been using black magic to do something like that.

Nonetheless, Marcille agrees to break the collar's magic, and things proceed the same. Falin attacks the hag with her mace-staff, creating a messier cut, but functionally the same.

The explanation of their goals goes about the same, including Falin being rather happy to meet Izutsumi, though she's a little less weird about it, talking about how Laios was fine before the mage kidnapped him, and that hopefully he'll go back to that state of mind when saved.

Chapter 42:

In Falin's nightmare, the Laigon appears and tries to kill her, but Falin becomes lucid before it can strike.

Falin goes into Marcille's nightmare to help her. Being more experienced with this sort of thing, she is able to calm Marcille down, and cause her to become lucid, dispelling the nightmare without violating Marcille's private traumas.

They then spend the rest of the lucid dream having fun together. I'll let you decide how much those shapeshifter clones inspired their behavior.

Senshi cooks the nightmares, and much to the girls' dismay, the dream is shown for all to see. Everyone agrees not to bring it up again.

Chapter 43:

While searching the recovered packs, Falin is delighted to find the Dungeon Gourmet Guide. She was afraid it had been digested with Laios.

Note: Falin should be seeing the ghost by now, but I don't want to break up the chapter flow, so just assume the ghost got caught in ghost traffic.

Without Laios to block them, Marcille gets impaled by a few stalactites, and Falin has to tend to her. The fight goes as normal.

Izutsumi is able to undress without anyone being weird about it.

When doing the sauna thing, Chilchuck can't help but notice how closely Marcille and Falin are sitting. He tried to block the dream out of his mind, but it's clear that now that the feelings are out in the open, that's just how they're going to act from now on. He just hopes this doesn't cause any issues.

Chapter 44:

Falin finds the boiled mandrake quite tasty, and so doesn't question it when Izutsumi gives her a second.

When arguing over dinner, Falin is just as baffled as Izutsumi regarding the Barometz. As they run over, she flips through the guide, discovering the potential danger a few seconds too late.

Izutsumi and Marcille run off to do their thing. Falin panics and does something dumb. She starts barking. She isn't as good as Laios, but it's enough to scare off the wolves. Chilchuck isn't even surprised at this point.

Chapter 45:

Pretty much goes the same. Toshiro plans to report the Chimera, at least so people know to be wary, and Falin is just as careless with the bell as Laios.

As they eat their eggs, the ghost finally catches up and Falin is happy to chat.

Chapter 46:

Our party arrives in the golden country. Falin wants to check out the monster corrals, just like Laios, but while he was ecstatic about minotaur milking, Falin is much more charmed by the opportunity to pet the basilisk chicks.

Falin becomes extremely flustered at the sight of Marcille in a pretty dress. Unlike Laios, Izutsumi lets her pet her.

Since minotaur was not requested, they are served basilisk cordon bleu.

Sadly, the running joke of turning ghosts into ice cream is dead.

"One shall come who bears a staff of living wood." With Laios out of the picture, Marcille is the lion's next choice of champion.

Marcille really isn't sure what to think about this. Her? Become new queen of the land?

She ultimately gives no conclusive answer, but the possibility of gaining dominion over this land where no one ever dies is tempting.

Marcille and Falin share the double bed, while Chilchuck gets the single bed to himself. At least until Izutsumi curls up on him.

Chapter 47:

Breakfast goes smoothly, and they head back into the dungeon.

Things in the cistern go mostly the same, though Falin also thinks the griffon is Laios. Senshi doesn't panic until the griffon actually appears.

Chapter 48:

Marcille puts her plan into action, and Falin carries her.

With the second familiar, Falin suggests shaping it like a dragonfly, since they are very fast and agile. It isn't as fast as the wyvern, but it dodges a lot easier. The third familiar is still sky fish.

Once the griffon is defeated, Falin suggests eating the sky fish. Marcille objects, but she can't say no to Falin's smile.

And Senshi shares his story.

Chapter 49:

Unlike Laios, Falin doesn't push Senshi to try the griffon. She suggests cooking it, since they don't want to waste good food, but Senshi doesn't have to try it if he doesn't want to.

Senshi decides to go for it. You can decide if he's traumatized further, or if changelings follow logic, and meat without any spores on it (since it was cut from inside the griffon), and was then "washed" by turning it into soup turns back into hippogriff. Senshi tastes the "griffon" soup, and is immeasurably relieved.

Changlings are a lot of fun, but they sure open some plot holes. By all accounts, it should have reverted to hippogriff soup.

Look, this is my silly what-if AU, things don't have to be perfect.

Chapter 50:

Falin is a dwarf now. She sucks at magic, but now she can really smash some heads in.

Falin thinks half-foot Marcille is adorable. Marcille isn't sure what to think of dwarf Falin.

When they reach the door, Falin is surprised when her pet pearlipede crawls out unbidden and unlocks the door.

Despite the disadvantages, Falin's mace proves super-effective against the gargoyles, managing to defeat one, but tiring out while one is still left. They flee through the door.

Now that the party knows she has it (and that it's oddly useful), Falin starts wearing her pet as a bracelet.

While preparing dumplings, Falin ponders if maybe the griffon wasn't actually a griffon, but Chilchuck shuts her down before she can accidentally re-traumatize Senshi.

Chapter 51:

Falin notices Marcille's strong adverse reaction to the news that half-foots only live fifty years, but doesn't say anything.

Falin suggests the possibility of using the changelings on Laios, though unlike him, she doesn't consider that the two halves might change separately. She just imagines them turning the whole Laigon into a gnome or something.

When the last gargoyle arrives, Falin's staff gets knocked out of her grasp, and thrown by the gargoyle.

They use the knowledge from the transformed staff to defeat the last gargoyle. Sadly, Marcille does not get to fly.

Falin washes her staff.

Chapter 52:

Senshi grows curious and asks about Laios. Falin talks about how Laios always had trouble fitting in, and it wasn't until he started dungeon diving that he finally seemed able to make friends and be happy. Falin had dropped out of magic school because she didn't want Laios to be alone.

Marcille starts crying and clinging to Falin. She talks about how she used to hate Laios. But as they adventured together, he became like a brother to her. Falin starts crying too. Izutsumi sits by Chilchuck to avoid all the tears.

Senshi proposes his bacon and eggs plan. Falin can't find any issue with his reasoning, and thinks its a great idea, but Chilchuck points out how long it will take to eat that much meat. They start making plans for the foreseeable future.

Thistle tries to stop the Laigon from eating a walking mushroom, but is unsuccessful.

Chapters 53-85

Chapter 86-Finale

#delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi #manga spoilers #anime spoilers #spoilers #falin touden #laios touden #marcille donato #farcille #alternate universe #role swap au #Laios got Eaten #dungeon meshi fanfic #fanfic #chimera laios

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justastraymoa · 3 months ago

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Unwilling Alpha

Chapter 8

The reveal pt 1

Warnings ⚠️ swears, abo dynamics, mentions of slave trade, mentions of rape, mentions of abuse, mentions of death, fear, manipulation.

Nothing within reflects anyone or anything irl. Pics off pinterest.

🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱

I took a few minutes to get ready. Make my hair presentable, double check the sweater sat right, perfectly framing the soul marks I was meant to show off.

Then I sat my camera up, facing the blank wall I was going to use as a backdrop in leu of actually having my usual backdrops. I adjusted the lighting using the bedside lamps to give my skin a soft warm sunset glow in the pictures. Giving the whole picture a soft vibe.

I had a remote clicker for my camera that I mainly used when dealing with children, but it worked with this too. I sat cross legged facing the wall, trying to envision good poses I would usually instruct my subjects into if I were just taking photos at the studio.

Even though the sweater was high necked in the front and long sleeved, I still felt exposed with it being backless. My face flamed red every time I shifted into a slightly different pose. I couldn’t actually see how the poses were working without moving to look after every photo, so instead I opted to try a bunch of poses. This also meant that each Omega could choose their own favorite pose and photo, and they would all be matchy matchy with their posts.

Ten minutes and 27 photos later I was done. Hopefully I got at least 8 good photos in there somewhere. There was no way I was going to do this again if there wasn’t. This would be a moment I look back on and still get embarrassed after 5 years.

I threw on a sweatshirt and grabbed the stuff to edit the photos on the TV again. The boys seemed to enjoy watching me edit the photos last time, and they could choose their photo at the same time. Plus, the big screen made the editing so much easier.

When I opened the door, I nearly jumped out of my skin. All 8 Omegas were standing in the simply lit hall outside my door. “What in the actual fuck are you doing?” I gasped holding my chest. My heart was racing out of my chest.

“You were taking a long time.” Hyunjin explained completely unapologetic to taking years off my lifespan.

“So, you decided giving me a heart attack was the best thing to get me to hurry?”

There was a series of shrugs from them, and I rolled my eyes so hard it actually hurt. “Get in the living room!” I snapped waving my hand at them.

“I made you some chicken. You can eat it while we look at your pictures.” Lee Know said, handing me a bowl as we settled back in the living room.

“Thank you, Lee Know.” I smiled at him gratefully. I sat back and ate a piece. It was melt in your mouth good-as usual. The food is another thing I had missed, though not nearly as much. It was so different here than at home – or my previous home I should say.

“Holy shit! Y/n! What the fuck?” Seungmin exclaimed when the first picture loaded.

Chan whistled. “This is borderline indecent!”

“Well, I needed to show the marks! They go down most of my spine!” I defended myself feeling self-conscious.

The picture in question wasn’t even close to indecent. I had one arm across my body and softly placed over my ribs and my head was slightly tilted back and turned toward the camera, but not enough so that you could see my face. Surprisingly, I kind of liked it. Turned out better than I expected.

“You’re sure you’re not a model?” Changbin asked.

I felt my cheeks start to warm. “Shuddup guys! I just know how to pose people. It was part of my job!”

“Y/N, I don’t say this lightly, but you are a natural model. You make it look effortless.” Hyunjin praised as they flipped through more photos.

“Thank you.” I responded blushing deeper and clearing my throat.

The next several hours were spent choosing photos and then editing them. They each captioned the photo ‘Stray Kids found their Alpha!’ and posted their photos at the same time.

I again made sure to like each one.

Then we sat back and watched STAY and netizens go absolutely berserk. It was kind of entertaining to watch how unhinged they all got. And STAY was pretty much throwing a worldwide party to celebrate the news.

STAYs jealousy and dislike for change was overshadowed by the fact that Stray Kids was not being forced to disband – for now. Some even claimed that waiting until the eleventh hour was very on brand for Stray Kids, but I didn’t see it.

The rumor mill started working overtime almost immediately. There was a rather large faction that believed their Alpha was another idol and that’s why it took so long to bond. They had to negotiate and adjust all the contracts accordingly.

Another rumor with a lot of believers was that they found their Alpha in the slave and sex trade ring. They concluded that it took so long because they had to find a way to free the Alpha. Some said they bought them, some said they snuck them out and helped them escape. The most generous one was that they worked with the authorities to bring the ring down. A handful of fanfictions were inspired by that last one.

Their attacks and hate on me wouldn’t start until the euphoria of Stray Kids staying wore off. Maybe, if I was lucky, a couple weeks. At the very least until I was revealed. And then I could only hope their disappointment over the true story being revealed wouldn’t start a revolt. Netizens could be very cruel.

“Well, we only have until tomorrow until we announce our mini tour. So, enjoy the last of your relaxation.” Chan announced with a sigh.

I perked up. “A mini tour?” I had never even been to a concert. Too broke to go to a location they were at. Too broke for a ticket at all, actually.

“It’s a surprise for STAY. A kind of celebration that we are back.” Han explained.

“But you didn’t know if you’d be back.” Did they somehow know I would come back? How? I didn’t even know.

“We planned the tour when we first went on hiatus, under the assumption that we would be back.” Chan shrugged.

“The power of positive thinking?”

“Hey, it worked.”

I snorted but couldn’t deny it. I have always believed in positive thinking, this just felt more like a miracle.

“So, lots of practice then.” Lee Know said in confirmation sounding a little relieved.

“Finally!” Hyunjin cheered.

I smiled. It was good to see them so excited about getting back to work. They were all so passionate about what they do – their craft, if you will. They truly loved what they did. And put their everything into what they created and put out into the world.

“Cool. Then while you are practicing, I’m going to go home a-!” I was interrupted when Seungmin tackled me suddenly. He maneuvered so he took the brunt of the hit when we landed on the floor.

Several voices cried out our names at once and I blinked up into Seungmins terrified eyes before they disappeared. He hugged me tightly, fingers clutching at the hoodie I was wearing.

There was some chaos as the others alternated between yelling at Seungmin and fussing over me. However, I clearly heard Seungmin when he spoke in my ear. “You can’t leave us again.”

Realizing what happened I wrapped my arms around him and ran my hands up and down his spine once before gripping the back of his neck, right over his mark. His body immediately relaxed on top of me, but he still didn’t let go.

“Shh, my Omega. I’m not leaving forever. I need to pack up my things and wrap up my old life. Then I’ll be back.” I promised lowly, keeping my hand on his mark. “A week tops.”

He shook his head. “Too long.”

“The sooner I get there, the sooner I can get back.”

The others managed to get us into a sort of sitting position, but Seungmin refused to let go. “You can’t leave! You can’t leave again!”

Giving up, Chan sat next to us. “We can hire people to pack up your things and whatever.”

“There, see. Now I don’t have to go.” I whispered to Seungmin giving his neck a gently squeeze.

Slowly, in small increments, Seungmin eased his grip and released me, looking embarrassed and slightly glassy eyed. “It’s okay, Seungmin.” I soothed reaching out to smooth his hair from his face.

“He could have been gentler.” Lee Know pointed out, annoyed. He stood nearby; arms crossed.

“He protected me from the fall. And I should have gone about announcing that differently since everything is still so fresh.”

“It’s just…letting you out of our sight is going to be hard for a while.” Chan explained.

“Try impossible. She leaves the room and I get anxious!” Changbin added. Han nodded beside him.

“It’s not possible to always be in the same room, but I’ll try to let you know where I am. And not be gone long.” I said looking to each of them.

They looked unhappy but resigned. They knew just as well as I did that, I couldn’t be with them all the time. There would come a time when they separate themselves for their own things and I can’t be multiple places at once. We would have to decide who I will go with and when.

“Now, Seungmin, come with me please.” I stood and held a hand out to him. “We are heading to the bathroom. I am going to give you a shampoo massage.”

“OOO! Can I get one?” Felix asked. “That sounds so good!”

Seungmin took my hand and stood as I answered. “After Minnie.”

I set Seungmin up, so he comfortably lay with his head over my tub. Using my detachable showerhead, I soaked his hair before lathering it generously with shampoo. While the shampoo worked its magic, I fished one of my face masks from my toiletry bag and smoothed it over his face.

He caught my hand as I moved away. “I’m sorry. The last time you were here, I – I’m sorry for how I acted.”

I smiled at him softly. “I understand your actions. I was never upset with you.” I assured him, rubbing my thumb along the back of his hand. “We can start fresh now that I’m here to stay.”

Seungmin nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. Now, relax and enjoy.”

I got back to work, humming softly. I could hear the others behind me in the guest room, unable to stay far away for long, but giving us some one-on-one time anyways. As much as they were able to. They stayed quiet so they didn’t disturb us. It was a nice, warm moment filled with love and care all around.

Seungmin seemed to be enjoying himself, so I took my time, alternating between massaging and gently scratching his soapy scalp, then moving down to massage his neck and shoulders as well. Then repeated the process with conditioner, adding in an ear massage.

“Mmm. You’re very good at this.” Seungmin hummed as I rinsed.

I smiled. “Thank you. I’m out of practice. I used to do this for my mother when she got a migraine.”

“Where is your mother? You never mentioned your parents before.”

I paused before patting his hair with a towel. “She passed when I was 14. Brain aneurysm. Dad never recovered. He had a heart attack 5 years later.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.” Seungmin sat up, turning to me.

Smiling brightly, I waved his words off. “Don’t worry, Minnie. I’m happy they are together again.” I wasn’t lying. I had long since come to terms with losing them.

“Now,” I draped the damp towel over his head. “Send Felix in.”

Felix was almost as still as Sungmin had been. I had no idea he could be so still and quiet. He was always bubbling over with life, with movement. To witness him so still and silent was unnerving.

“So, I don’t know how any of this works. What can I expect over the next few weeks?

“We will need to link you to our calendars, so you have our schedules.” Felix started. “But the next few days are going to be filled with set list planning, dance practices, and making sure we still remember the lyrics and perfecting the singing.”

“So, I just…follow you around?”

“For now, I guess.” He shrugged.

It honestly sounded boring. Just sitting around while they practiced and worked. I would just be in the way most likely. And there was no way they would let me stay here. I couldn’t even leave the room at this point.

Whatever. It is what it is for now. I’m new to this, learning everything as I go. I would eventually find my spot in this part of their lives. Where I could help and not be a burden. Hopefully.

“What about when I’m revealed?”

Chan joined us, sitting on the floor next to the tub. He must have been listening in to the conversation.

“We have a group live planned already for tomorrow, when our hiatus officially ends. We can reveal you then and figure things out after that.” He answered.

I dried Felixs hair with a dry towel while I let that sink in. In just a day a secret I spent most of my life hiding will be revealed. It almost didn’t feel real. Like this was actually someone else’s life and I was just watching it from the sidelines.

“Is there any way, at all, that I can not be revealed?” I asked with no real hope. They always had a camera on them, and they always wanted me with them. Therefore, I would always have a camera on me.

More than that, the law states I must go with them. Stupid outdated law.

“We will be right there with you.” He said not even bothering to answer my question. We both already knew the answer anyways.

“It will be okay, Y/n.” Felix assured, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and giving me a smile.

“I swear to god, if you guys break your promise and leave me, I’m running away!” I threatened with every bit of seriousness I could muster.

They both chuckled. “Yeah, you’re going to be fine.” Chan reaffirmed.

Back in the guest room the Omegas had set up the makeshift beds again. “Sleepover?” At our ages?” I joked.

“You are never too old for a sleepover. Especially if it’s with you.” I.N declared from his nest of blankets.

I rolled my eyes. “If any of you snore, I’m kicking you out on your ass.”

Even though I slept most of the day, I was still ready to crawl under the blankets. Since I didn’t sleep on the plane and exhausted myself bonding, my body didn’t know which way was up right now. Though this may help get my sleep schedule on this time zone just a bit faster.

“No playing around. We have an early day tomorrow. Get to sleep.” Chan ordered. The room bustled into activity as the Omegas got ready for bed. I changed into my makeshift pjs. Turns out I didn’t pack any actual pjs, but I found something that worked so its whatever.

I crawled into the bed and faceplanted into the pillow, sighing loudly into it. It smelled strongly of Seungmin. So much so that I didn’t think he let anyone else sleep here since I left.

Unwilling Alpha Taglist: @xxeiraxx @hanniemylovelyquokka @breadedloafs @songleepark @f1ln4dr3cl16mv33 @hyunjinhoexxx @kayleefriedchicken @vietjeb @hityoulikebahng @juju-227592 @ionlyeverwantedtobeyourequal @royal-shinigami @bangchansfavoritenoona @straykidslvr @bookswillfindyouaway @h0rnyp0t @Svmmerstime @jennibahng @kpopandmusicpassion @jasmin-loves-k-pop @cookey-lock @possum-playground @demigoddreamon-blog @rei-reia @dreamerwasfound @jasmin-loves-k-pop @ms-flowergirl

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aagneauu · 1 year ago

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High value habits to elevate yourself 🥂✨

When the term "high value" is mentioned, we often think of things related exclusively to economic wealth, but being a high-value person is an attitude, an attribute founded on habits and a wealthy mentality. So today I wanted to mention a few habits that I personally perceive as something a person with strong standards apply on their lives. ✨

Sorry if there's any grammar mistakes, English isn't my first language :b

1. Long-term mentality ✦

Enjoying yourself is very important, but when we only think about the things that give us temporary pleasure, is often very likely that we forget to take care about our future stability. For example, if you want to travel, the smart thing to do would be to save the money in order to be able to afford it, but how many times we just feel the urge to waste money on unnecessary stuff just to get that brief satisfaction, that bad habit will take us far from our goals. This rule can be applied on almost every aspect, and if you're able to stick to your goals and take decisions according to them, trust me, you'll get very far.

2. Invest ✦

Stop wasting and start investing; your money, your time and your energy. In terms of money, you obviously can spend some of it on pretty stuff, but instead of wasting your whole salary on things you want, a smarter move would be to use part of that money to invest it on something that potentially can give us another income, maybe there's a valuable peace of jewelry or clothing that not only we could use, but to sell and trade in the future, or even if you have enough money saved, you can invest in a property, to not only live in it, but to rent it. Our time and energy works in the same way, we could be wasting our time and energy with people that don't give us nothing we can learn from, and you're worth way more than that. Find people and habits that not only make you feel good and appreciated, but that will leave you something interesting for your personal growth, and remember, better alone than in a bad company.

3. Details matter ✦

How we talk, how we decide to present ourselves to the world, our values, the effort we put on what we make. Every little detail says something about us. For example, something as simple as spraying perfume before we go out makes a difference, or if you study, the amount of time and effort you decide to put on certain classes. Socially, what you decide to say, and to develop the hability to stay quiet when necessary. Maybe you think that those little things don't make a huge difference at the long-term, but when you see how your life can change drastically with every little step you take, you learn to pay attention to it.

4. Patience ✦

It is a strong word, it is even harder to apply to our lives sometimes. Being patient not only with people, but with our circumstances. Sometimes things that we don't like happens, and we don't even understand why because we thought that we did everything right, but everything happens for a reason, it's like a fruit, you could take it out of the tree earlier because you're hungry, but it isn't that mature and tasty, but if you just wait, resist the hunger, the fruit will be way better. That applies to money, emotional growth and life changes. Learn to understand that sometimes, pain will be the sign to something better than your current situation.

5. Stop following the crowd ✦

Set standards and learn what is good for you, if you just rely on others to decide what is best for you, or even worse; you know something is bad for you and still do it for others, then expect low quality experiences. People time to time will call you boring or even extreme just because you decide to be loyal to your values. If something that everyone is doing seems beneficial, do it, but because it gives you something valuable, not because of the crowd. You can apply this rule to everything; friends, money, and other experiences. The amount ot peace and comfort that you can get with this transformation is a huge life upgrade.

This were some topics that come to mind when the "high value" term is mentioned. And remember, no one is perfect and every little thing makes us unique. Life is a long journey that you can decide to upgrade with every little move.

Hope u enjoyed! ♡

#girlblogger #fashion #girl blogger #girlblogging #moodboard #luxuries #luxury #aesthetic #luxury aesthetic #luxe #high value mindset #high value woman #high maintenance #it girl #black girl luxury #gaslight gatekeep girlboss #girl boss #girl blogging #luxury lifestyle

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sillyteecup · 6 months ago

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That Dam attitude

Jey Uso × black!reader

Warnings:

18+

Strong language

Suggestive content

Violence, I guess? (don't thump your partners with ores)

Translation: Thixo=God

~A.N: This is me, entering the Bloodline community with a little love for Jey (I need Triple H to stop playing with him and give him a title opportunity) while working on that little Roman AU. Hope you like it. Enjoy. ❤️

30 minutes. That's how long Josh had been sitting on the other side of their shared kayak pouting like a 5 year old. Arms folded, lips pressed, eyebrows furrowed-the whole package. All because he much rather would've stayed back at their booked villa fucking instead of actually adding some adventure to their vacation.

And Siya, was frankly tired of it. "Not you still sitting over there pouting and shit," she commented with an annoyed look on her face.

Looking equally vexed, he replied, "Not you got us in the middle of the fucking ocean at 8 am on vacation," to which Siya rolled her eyes.

"First of all, dumbass it's a dam. Second of all, I did not come all the way out here to fuck, sleep, eat and repeat, I came out here to have fun and relax," she said. The fact that they were in Cape Town where there was so much to see and do (for Josh anyway since Siya had been there plenty of times as a child) and all he wanted to do was move like a damn Neanderthal amazed her. Fucking men.

"Oh, and praytell Siya, which part of any of this is fun or relaxing?" he asked incredulously, gesturing at the kayak. "And I want you to think very carefully about your answer because if you tell me some bullshit about connecting with nature, I will flip this bitch over and we gon' swim back to the dock," he warned.

At this, Siya's eyes narrowed. There was no way this man was serious. "So you, Joshua Fatu, mean to tell me that you would trade in all of this natural beauty and peace for sex? Is that what you're saying to me right now?" They were on a kayak on the Waterfront dam with a perfect view of the Table mountain and the overall serene vibe of one of the most beautiful cities in Africa. And this man wanted to trade that in for some pussy? Bomb pussy, that is but semantics.

He smirked. "Ey ma, let's just say I'd prefer to be knee-deep different type of natural beauty, know what I'm sayin'?" he said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Usually she'd find this funny and fold like a pretzel, but this time around her pussy was sore from all the work he'd been putting in since they landed 2 days prior, she was already running out of thongs since he kept tearing them off her (with the promise to buy her ne ones of course) and frankly, she was starting to miss being able to walk without holding onto something for support. As a matter of fact, part of her had actually considered having him admitted into a rehab because his addiction to her cooch was on its way to paralyzing her from the waist down.

"You need help. Professional help," she snarked, pointing her acrylic decorated nail at him, making him chuckle.

"Girl you better stop acting like you don't like creaming on this shit," he laughed, right as an older white couple rowed by. They looked aghast, as though they'd heard his comment, which mortified Siya.

"Joshua!" she scolded before apologizing profusely to the other couple, who continued clutching their pearls while they did their best to get as far away as possible from the younger pair. She shot Josh a deadpan look, one he responded to with an innocent shrug.

"Look babygirl, ain't my fault white folk can't mind their business," he said defensively.

Siya lifted her ore and gently thumped him on the head with it, making him hiss. "No, but your big ass mouth yelling our business for the whole fucking continent to hear is your fault. No home training, I swear," she complained as she continued to row.

Still rubbing his head and trying to row with one hand, he frowned. "Oh but when you're the one hollering at the top of your lungs for me to fuck you like a little slut while doin' tricks on the dick, might I add, it's all good?" Josh retorted, to the horror of another older couple rowing by.

"Thixo," Siya heard the older woman gasp. She sent the lady an apologetic smile and let out a string of "sorries" in Xhosa, before turning to glare at Josh again.

"The fuck all these old people doing out here so early anyway?" he exclaimed, albeit, quietly. "This is a sign if you ask me."

Siya was seething. "Fuck, you," she hissed with a deadly glare to match.

"Tuh, I wish you would," Josh replied, earning another, this time less gentle, thump to the side of his head. He raised his eyebrows, challenging his girlfriend to do it again. "Girl, you better stop playing with me, 'else it won't be no discussion."

Another thump.

"Siya," he warned, mildly irritated.

Usually she would stop but this time she was annoyed by his prior antics. "Joshua," she mocked him, moving to deal another thumped, only for him to grab her ore.

His face was set in stone. He definitely wasn't playing anymore. "Stop it," he commanded.

Siya however, was not moved in the slightest. "Or what?" she challenged.

He leaned closer to her, careful not to tip the kayak over as no one was rowing at the moment. "Keep fucking around and you gon' find out real soon," he growled.

Siya kissed her teeth defiantly. "You ain't gon' do shit."

Josh chuckled darkly as he sat back up straight. This girl was clearly dead set on testing his patience and she was gonna reap what she sowed. She didn't know it yet, (or maybe she did) but as soon as they got back to that villa he was gonna put her back in her place and fix that damn attitude.

#jey uso x reader #jey uso wwe #jey uso #Jey uso #jey uso x black reader #jey uso x black oc #jey uso fic #jey uso fanfiction #jey uso fluff #wwe #wwe x oc #sillyteecup writes #main event jey uso #yeet #joshua fatu

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optimisticgardenhologram · 1 month ago

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Not to be some sort giant simp, but because it's his birthday I wanted to write something nice and complimentary for him. But also genuinely and objectively as possible I think Mello is actually a fair bit more humane (or maybe the better term is "less cold-blooded") than he gets credit for?

The evidence:

1. He was very genuinely upset when they are informed of L's death, and doesn't even think about the matter of the successor-ship until Near speaks up alluding to it.

2. After Sayu was rescued/traded from the mafia she's asked to help in the investigation by providing any details of her experience. However she can't because she says she neither saw nor spoke much to her kidnappers. This indicates Mello (as the mastermind of all things related to this project) told the mafia members that they were to stay away from her and generally left her alone. She's a tool to him to achieve his ends but he takes no pleasure in using her this way nor has intention to cause her any additional harm, fear, suffering than is already an unavoidable part of being kidnapped and held hostage across the world.

3. When Soichiro confronts him with the Death Note by announcing Mello's real name and then actually starts writing, Mello could have killed him on the spot faster than Soichiro could write. He had access to the gun next to him in the open desk drawer. You can tell that even in this case he doesn't want to shoot Soichiro, and though Mello's hand hovers over the gun ready to grab it, he does his best to talk Soichiro down instead. Then he apologizes to Soichiro and thinks about how he never intended for Soichiro to die but at the same time he shouldn't have joined up with Kira. There is an important difference here between the anime and the manga; in the anime he tells this to Soichiro aloud which might be interpreted as a way to distract Soichiro while Jose prepares to fire, but in the manga because it's unspoken we know it wasn't meant as a distraction, but genuine regret and remorse.

4. When Mello crashed the SPK, Lidner wasn't really a hostage. She'd already been helping him secretly for a while and continues to do so afterwards; and she -wanted- Mello and Near to work together and was trying to help them do that - meaning she'd have gladly brought them together regardless. But they role-played her like one to cover for her in front of her colleagues, make it seem like she was being forced into it rather than reveal the truth that she was a double-agent.

5. While Mello frequently brandishes his gun as a threat and for coercion, he never actually fires it. Still no one ever doubts that he would use it if needed. Despite fanon often portraying him as a trigger happy nut-job, the canon demonstrates how controlled and coldly resolved he truly is.

6. A pretty commonly repeated sentiment on social media discussions is that unlike Near, Mello doesn't work well with others because he's too much of a lone-wolf and too insecure to work in a team because he would make everything about dominance and power struggle.

I really don't think this is right. Despite stubbornly refusing to work with Near, the evidence shows he's pretty good at getting along and working with other people. Like in the mafia he seems perfectly happy to let Rod Ross be top-dog; he doesn't appear to have any interest in being a big shot and throwing his weight outside of matters directly involving the notebook. Rod Ross is the one to give orders, dole out discipline, and is generally in charge, and he trusts Mello because Mello's proven his value as a loyal team member over time.

He also works well with Halle and Matt who both appear to be there by choice, neither are in the least afraid of or deferential to him and they seemingly work on equal terms together as opposed to a hierarchical boss/subordinate relationship, which for example so prominently characterizes Near's interactions with his group.

With Matt in particular he's way more patient than is even reasonable to expect, given how it seems like Matt spends a lot of time whining, slacking off, and messing up - no shade meant on Matt (love him dearly) but going by the manga that is what we see. But Mello never scolds him or gets angry or snappy. Mello's internal monologue does show that he's annoyed but he doesn't externalize it, doesn't lash out and is patiently long-suffering when it comes to Matt's shortcomings. He basically just accepts the situation being what it is and moves on. And of course is regretful and sad when Matt dies.

We don't see much of Halle and Mello's interactions as they mostly take place offscreen/off-page but from what there is they seem very casual and comfortable with each other and Halle was very clearly emotionally affected by his death and speaks up for him in 104, believing he sacrificed himself intentionally. Basically, Mello's issues and anti-social behavior stemming from his inferiority complex is SPECIFICALLY centered on and triggered by Near. With everyone else he was able to work very effectively, and they hold him in high regard and can maintain good relationships with him.

7. He seems to have sympathy for Misa and is judgmental about the way Light weaponizes her trauma and idolization.

8. Although she's on his enemy's team, he felt enough pity for Takada provide her a blanket when he orders her to undress, which directly contributes to his own demise. I believe he knew (intended as part of his plan) that X-Kira would kill her to stop her from talking, so it was a small gesture that is practical in that it could make her more willing to quickly cooperate, but also give some small comfort during the short remaining time of her life.

None of this makes him not-evil or villainous, but I do think he's genuinely a more compassionate person than he's typically cast as. Certainly the least villainous of Death Note's wide cast of villains. As it's noted in the Japanese wording of Volume 13 he's "not pure evil" and he "has a pure heart and acts mean to get the attention of the person he likes" (scream). I don't think Ohba intended any of the Wammy's characters to be either pure good or irredeemably evil.

#Happy birthday Mello!!!!! 🎉❤️#mello #mello death note #mihael keehl #death note meta #13 days of mello posting #DAY 13 DONE #that was fun #but SO much harder than i originally thought it would be #even though I'm literally the only one putting on the pressure or who even cares #going to blend back into the wallpaper now #see you in August for 24 days of Near-posting!#feel free to send any reqs for meta analysis in the meantime I love this stuff

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brynn-lear · 10 months ago

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A Tasteless Cup [Yandere!Joker/Reader]

Prompt: After the destruction of your previous reality, you and Akira Kurusu landed in Teyvat. In an effort to stay afloat, Akira had set up a book café in Mondstadt alongside you. However, is this the true flavor of "Freedom"? [Dedicated to: Riley H. Goodheart, for the Alone Together event]

CW: yandere themes, dubious food, manipulation/controlling behavior, toxic relationship dynamic. P.S: Akira is aged up [20s] in this fic, happens after Persona 5.

To Akira, those he lets into his heart will become an intrinsic part of him. They are more than a trick of a card, more than a mask to mimic and steal for his own, more than a numbers game. Every bit of them is his soul. His relationships are the culmination of his being and, eventually, his raison d'etre.

And Akira Kurusu had a hard time coping with losing these links.

To others, relationships are no different from chains. The surrounding people are less a home and more like bars to a cage— a prison. And despite being somewhat of a Mr/Ms. Congeniality, you aren't as affected by the fact that neither of you can return to your respective world.

You are both empty. You have been handed a clean slate, an empty card, and an empty vision.

You are both "fools" again.

"Bit too early in the morning to start a serious discussion…" Akira tiredly muttered, removing his glasses before rubbing his eyes.

But as long as the sun rises once more, does a rebirth truly matter?

Anyone would be remiss to disregard the sheer jadedness in his eyes and the slight breathlessness of his speech. Akira poured himself a cup. Normally served to others rather than his indulgence, you quietly noticed that his cup lacked sugar. The cafe owner drank and embraced its bitterness, unflinching.

It's been three months since you both arrived in the world of Teyvat. Getting by as an Outlander proved difficult, and thankfully, Akira is kind towards you and a jack-of-all-trades. One might say he has "maxed out his stats." Charismatic, skilled, and bold, he has the makings for an entrepreneur with a pyro vision to boot. Unsurprisingly, he had become one of old Mond's eligible bachelors in a short time frame.

So, by just the third week, he managed to persuade Master Ragnvindr with a solid pitch. The cafe you both sit in is a testament to your shared hard work. With his brew proficiency and your hobby of accumulating knowledge through books and art pieces, the cozy place had become a second home for individuals such as the local librarian and the Guild's investigator.

But you'll always remember his words the night before he was invited into Duke Ragnvindr's study room.

"Akira, are you sure about this?" You muttered, tugging his sleeve. "Once you finalize it, you can't just..."

"Hmm? Why are you hesitating?" He tilted his chin up slightly, confused. "It's a good way to keep our finances afloat, right? Don't you want to keep collecting books and art supplies? I thought you said you wanted to have a small library someday."

"But, for you to work this much for it-"

"You matter to me. You are the only thing left binding me down here in Teyvat." He casually shot you down, but his light tone could not erase the heaviness of his words. "Besides..."

"Don't you like it when I make a hot cup and fresh pastries just for you?"

That dream materialized into something called Cafe LeBlanc. Though he claims the name wasn't his but a charming, cranky old man's— you doubt anyone else can come up with that. But he sounded genuine enough. His unexplainable "silent" face can sometimes make him a hard read.

… This isn't one of those times. You know what's troubling him quite well.

"Yeah…" you muttered. "Can't we save this conversation for the end of the day instead?"

Akira laughed.

"Smart," he hummed humorlessly.

"You know I get too tired to do anything at night except washing dishes and doing crosswords. It's not happening. We'll have this talk now."

Fair enough. Avoiding one's problems is a mindset you never advocated. You'd be a terrible hypocrite if you start now. "Alright, I'll hear you out."

You shifted from your seat, dragging it closer to the counter. Akira downed his cup on the other side, revealing no liquid gold in its bottom. His eyes were wide awake thanks to the caffeine, yet you couldn't even glance upward.

"(Y/n), do you remember how I got this pyro vision?"

You blinked, unsure how he'd make the fact relevant. Still, you nodded.

A long time ago, you liked how open Akira was about himself. You can tell he had immense trust issues he had worked on fixing. Akira is a good man. Being wrongfully expelled and imprisoned at a young age must've done damages you can't quite comprehend fully. Sometimes, you wish you had the courage to be just as vulnerable, too.

He traced the outline of a pyro symbol on the table with his slender finger collecting not a single dust nor stain. Despite the warmth his vision may hold, it did not detract from the cold atmosphere you both had to face. With the angle you were viewing him, you can't help but notice his eyelashes. They're prettier than yours, you thought. If only his glare wasn't so pointed.

"When I arrived in this world, I was alone and confused. But you? You weren't. I saw your face— the face of someone who had nothing to lose to begin with."

Akira's gaze softened. He was right. You adapted to this new world so suspiciously well.

"I couldn't tell whether you saw our situation as a positive or whether you thought this whole transfer to another reality was a cruel joke. But I had a feeling you were as horrified as I was. That you couldn't bear the thought of living alone. I think that you also had friends you cared for, but now, you will never be able to hear their voices again."

He breathed in shakily, his eyes heavy. Akira may seem like a silent person, no different from Duke Ragnvindr, but the time you spent together backs up what your instincts are testifying right this second.

There's one true thought in his mind.

After all his efforts.

After all that he has gone through so that you'll stay by his side.

What was it all for?

"So, when a Lawachurl wounded you in Windrise, I stepped in. I can't help but project myself onto you. I thought about how you must also have friends waiting– family waiting– whether it's a cat or a sister— I knew I just had to. I had to risk everything, even if you were just a stranger to me then." He clenched his fists. "And you were worth it. You were absolutely worth every risk. You were worth everything. I knew I had to survive, if not for myself, but to help you."

"Even without some sort of— card– or whatever— to indicate it, I knew our relationship was progressing. That our understanding of each other has reached such high ranks. I know we had become each other's most trusted confidant, so why? Listen, I value freedom too, but—"

He slammed his cup down— you jolted as you heard it chip slightly. It wasn't his intent to scare. Akira would never wish to frighten you. But he can't stop his emotions and movements from being brash and pointed.

"... Why did you want to quit working with me?"

There it goes.

"Is it because I haven't spent much time with you lately? You know I've been busy with trying to invest in a better flat—"

The pace of his breathing was starting to quicken.

"Kurusu, it's not that…" You need to rationalize this with him. Fast.

"I-Is it because work has been too much? I told you we could hire someone if you feel too faint for the job. I care about your health— hell— maybe even more than you do—"

"Akira, listen to me—"

His futile attempt to maintain control was like an age-weakened thread. The fibers of his composure whittled away string by string, itching to snap entirely. Akira's jaw clenched.

The manacle may not be anchoring his feet down as it did in the Velvet Room, but there's no denying that doubt is tugging and clawing at his neck. He knew that if he should continue, only strained words would come from his coffee-bitter lips.

He rubbed his head against his shoulder. He had to have been wiping a tear away, trying to make it unnoticeable but failing.

"But why are you LEAVING m—"

"Behold, for this fine hour, you are not only graced with the presence of soft rays— you are also blessed by myself: Fischl, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung!"

"Mein Fräulein meant to say good morning to you both, Arsene and Sholmes."

... Akira chuckled a short and strained sound that could easily be missed by a weak ear.

As though a switch had been flipped, Akira's contorted expression turned back to his customer service smile. You trembled slightly. Perhaps it's a skill he mastered during his part-time worker years in high school, but he seemed a little too good at hiding such overwhelming frustrations— almost shape-shifting.

It's…

Eerie.

He's smiling. It's his usual smile he has that has a calm allure and a hint of cockiness.

As if nothing happened five seconds ago.

"Ah, greetings, Your Highness!"

The guests were none other than some of the regulars, Amy and her bird familiar. This blonde, eye-patched girl is the only person in Little Mond who consistently makes Akira act dramatic.

He bowed, not missing a beat of young Amy's theatrics. After spending so many years chatting with Yusuke, he's gotten used to bouncing back conversations of this nature. Akira enjoys the young investigator's company. He saw tiny bits of his friend in her.

"What shall we, humble servants, offer you this dawn? Will it be your usual order, or does our dear royal have something else in mind entirely? We will do our best to provide you with maximum entertainment! After all, this is your castle, Mein Fräulein."

You stiffened.

We.

He's not letting you go just yet. You caught a glimpse of his dark pupils, slightly moving to meet yours. Imploring you without words to act out of his best interest.

Akira Kurusu has always been a witty man, but there is no way there's no anger beneath that mask.

"Are you alright, Sholmes?" Oz asked.

For whatever reason, Akira persuaded Amy to call you both Arsene Lupin and Herlock Sholmes. The former was likely a nod to his first persona's name. His explanation for the latter was something along the lines of "you strike me as the type who always wants to search for your truth."

You blinked.

Right. You're his version of Sherlock Holmes.

Ha.

Even here, he gets to dictate everything about you.

"... Yes, Your Highness, to what do I owe the pleasure?" you said. The blonde girl smiled and tilted her head up pompously.

"What other brew could I possibly order but the darkest taste that leaves any normal mortal to shrivel in imagination?" Amy shrugged, her eyebrow raised as though everyone knew what she babbled on with commendable sass. Her aviator companion thankfully cleared the air— albeit a little too blunt.

"Mein Fräulein desires a cinnamon ginger affogato with more sugar than last time, please. Two spoons for the poor Mein Fräulein."

"O-Oz!?!"

It's easily one of the least bitter cups on the menu. It consists of vanilla gelato, a tablespoon of espresso powder, cinnamon sticks, hazelnut liqueur, and bits of dried sunsettia. I can't say what would make anyone fear such a thing except for those with complications. Someone else shared the same sentiment.

You and Akira laughed in unison.

Your eyes widened in astonishment. That was in sync. You immediately looked away as Akira busied himself with Amy's order. It was awkward knowing that even with your efforts to cut things off, there was still some vague commonality between you two.

"... Say, your Highness?" Akira smiled softly. "Would it be alright for me to probe some of your most revered royal musings?"

...

... What is his play this time?

"You have my ears, dear subject."

"Suppose there is a princess who is facing an uphill battle. Furthermore, her valiant knight aspires to rescue her. However, the princess, for unknown reasons, declines his assistance. Is that..." He shut his eyes, laughing that strained chuckle once more. "... equittable?"

"Oh, most grievous indeed! A knight, who is obligated by the code of chivalry, shall always respond to the plea of his princess when she is in peril. His solemn obligation is to protect her honor and safeguard her from any danger!"

Akira looked at you.

His eyes were cold.

"But what if the princess doesn't want to be saved? What if she believes she can handle the situation herself, or maybe she thinks having assistance would make her weak?"

"Ah, but thou dost speak in riddles!" Amy scoffed, unamused. "A princess may exhibit abundant power and courage, yet it is the responsibility of her faithful knight to guarantee her safety, especially when she questions her own necessity. For what good is a knight's valor if not to serve and protect his liege?"

"Would you say her actions essentially strip him of his purpose?"

"Why, of course!" Amy replied with full conviction. "One would not require Oz if he lacks such a necessary trait! It is the basis of our trust– our relationship! A true knight's honor lies not in the glory of battle, but in his unwavering commitment to his princess, even in the face of her refusal."

You sucked in a deep breath.

Akira, you—!

"Speak frankly. Do these inquiries pertain to me?" Amy glared at him. Akira shook his head immediately, umping up his flamboyant voice inflections.

No.

It's about you.

It's always about you when it comes to him.

"Of course not!" Akira feigned worry. "It was for a novel I'm writing— to honor one's love."

… To honor one's "love".

Love? You froze. He calls this relationship love? It hadn't been that for the past few months! Love is meant to be like coming home to a comforting home— not a cold palace with your unfeeling statue at the heart of it all.

You were hoping that your life would be dictated by what you want it to mean this time around. You hope to create your own purpose, your own identity. You hope to reject his titles—being his partner and his "Sholmes."

But mostly, you sincerely hoped his words were untrue and did not allude to something as sinister and self-destructive as his love.

Besides, you already have a lover waiting for you to leave this mess behind.

You and he already have everything planned out. A rented flat, food, work— everything is set. The only box to tick off was leaving itself, and then you'll be in your lover's arms.

But you swore.

You swore you just saw him smirk.

"(Y/n), could you please lend me a hand? Can you pass the cinnamon sticks from the cupboard?"

Starting your day by serving Amy leads to serving a hundred more. You can't just stand up and leave whenever someone asks for your service. It's impossible to make the shortest comment about how you no longer work for LeBlanc, even more so when people beg for book recommendations. Being friendly is part of who you are. It can't be helped.

What made matters worse was that people were ordering seconds. Apparently, Akira must've adjusted all the recipes on the menu because whatever was added to those cups made it all the more divine. You knew his skills were perfection, but to think he could even exceed that...

In the end, despite multiple delays, Akira still got you right where he wanted you.

"Thank you. Please come again!" He escorted the final customer outside and flipped the closing sign himself.

Now, it was just the two of you left.

"... You must be tired." You offered, hoping he wouldn't catch on. "It's been a long day, why don't you take a rest—"

"Nice try."

Well, it was worth a shot.

You stiffly waited for him to say something. Anything. But instead, he took a kettle off the icebox and heated the stove with his vision.

"Back to my story, do you remember where we left off?"

The wisest thing to have down was biting your tongue or pretending not to know what he was talking about. Unfortunately, your answer was immediate.

"Something about how you got your vision?"

"Ah, yes, that." Akira laughed. "Say, I told you about how I used to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves when I was in High School, right?"

While waiting, Akira tapped his fingers against the table but stopped when he realized you were becoming distracted. Snapping out of it, you cleared your throat.

"You were stealing hearts in the Metaverse, yes, I recall..." You mumbled. Due to the sudden need to speak, you ended up unwittingly playing by his script again. "You manifested a Persona and used that to reform the heart of rotten adults."

You flinched slightly when his tea was starting to release thin smokes. It smelled too much like rust. Maybe he exhausted it too much today. The customers you had were double the amount. You had to commend his willpower for still managing exceed his usual sleep schedule.

"Isn't the kettle burning?"

"Trust me, it's not," he answered nonchalantly. "I remember when I told my story to you, you were mostly understanding of our actions. You didn't judge us. Rather, you told me that humanity is selfish and destructive."

"But back to how I got my vision," he finally turned the stove off. "I genuinely thought my most distinct trait was my appreciation for Freedom."

"Yet you got a pyro vision." You joked lightly.

He didn't laugh. Instead, he nodded.

"Strange, isn't it?" Akira tilted his head to look at you for a bit, before back at the hot cup he was pouring. It's the same liquid he's been adding the entire day. This must be the last of those ten pints. "Here, try it."

You slowly took it. It's still a bit too warm, so you continued talking.

"I thought about it, too. If we go by theories, it will make more sense if Barbatos blessed me instead. But with you here..." Akira laughed. "Pyro is definitely my element. I'm seeing a pattern with vision-wielders like me. Based on what I've seen so far, pyro users are often the most passionate. And passion can put a leash on freedom when need be."

You took a sip.

He put an elbow on the table and propped his chin on his palm.

"How is it?"

"It's... tasteless?" You blinked.

You thought he must've added something grand to the cups today. Was it all just one big placebo effect?

"Makes it no different than regular water, huh?"

"Well, yeah, I guess?"

"I've actually been disposing of this the entire day, that's why the coffees looked darker. Diluting the original sample is hard work but worth it. Enough as a substitute for normal water in case we run out. Who knew you could empty 10 pints so quickly in a day..."

"You. In case you run out." You sighed, finally addressing it. "Akira, I'm no longer your partner."

"So is he."

You both paused.

He returned the kettle to the ice box before unmasking its contents.

"You were near-fatally wounded once before. You tasted it in your mouth when I defended you from that Lawachurl-

"You should know by now that blood isn't supposed to be tasteless."

Riley H. Goodheart can now message Akira Kurusu

#$ first follower event #$ brynn's manuscripts #yandere joker #yandere joker x reader #yandere akira kurusu #yandere ren amamiya #yandere akira kurusu x reader #yandere ren amamiya x reader #akira kurusu x reader #ren amamiya x reader #joker x reader #yandere persona #yandere persona 5 #yandere persona 5 x reader #why does he have so many names and aliases.#persona #persona 5

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sun-ea-sports · 5 months ago

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Hi waves!! gonna rant abt another Phighting au now 😎

Ok so basically it’s a highschool au and like. all the phighters are just humans‼️

More yapping below cut kicks legs back n forth/silly

I imagine the school hierarchy sorta goes like; the phighters are students, the gods are like. teachers n stuff (Illumina is the principal), and there could be some npcs who could also be teachers‼️

Everyone would have like, real names instead of being called after gears. However, I imagine PHIGHTING! would be some sort of video game, and so the phighters nickname each other after which character they main. Ex; Skateboard maining a character using a skateboard as a weapon, so the others nickname him “Skate”!!

The phighters would be all one big friendgroup. The factions are prolly like. smaller friendgroups within the larger group that are just close friends!!

Okayy miscellaneous info abt little details now:

1. Medkit n Subspace would be like. academic rivals. I think the difference would be though, that Medkit isn’t really trying, whilst Subspace is

2. Ban Hammer prolly gets taunted a lot for being a “momma’s boy”. He’d also get out of trouble easily due to his mom working at the office n such. (Other lil thing is that banlands is like, detention. So Ban Hammer snitches on bad students to send them to detention‼️)

3. The Biografts are quintuplets that no one can tell apart. Only 1 of them actually plays their version of PHIGHTING! the rest are just cursed with the nickname cause no one can tell them apart,,, I do imagine they wear stuff to differentiate though. Ex; Floatiegraft would wear duck pins n stuff‼️

4. Skateboard gets reprimanded a lot for skateboarding on school grounds.

5. Slingshot’s cafe would probably be like, him helping out in the cafeteria. Or it’d be one of those “illegal” school trading things idk.

6. Not all the phighters n npcs are in the same grade!!! The younger ones (like, Shuriken, Slingshot, Rocket, etc) would be in like 9th-10th grade. While the older ones (Katana, Ban Hammer, etc) would be in like, 12th grade. And then Lightblox is like. In 7th grade.

7. The skins would prolly be like. Halloween costumes or just different outfits!!

Scratches my head yeah that’s it for now ermm!!

However, I do have 2 characters (sorta) designed with names. PLEASE THIS IS OLD ART FROM LEGIT MONTHS AGO 😣😣😣 I’ll redesign them soon,,,,,

okayy that’s it 🫶🫶 thank you for reading abt my silly little au that popped up in my brain. 4 months ago,,

If anyone wants to, y’all can also design other phighters/npcs/sfoth and give them names n stuff 🫡. except erm, for Boombox cause a close friend wants to design him!! Everyone else is free for grabs :3c

#shoutout to Polkka for the name ‘Emil’‼️🫡#I. procrastinated on posting this for. a WHILE erm……#um if you ever design a character for this au please @ me 🙏 I’d love to see them :3/nf #phightschool au #old art #phighting!#phighting au #slingshot phighting #skateboard phighting #long post #sunny posts #sunny art

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marvelobsessed134 · 8 months ago

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Can you do a cute Peter Steele one where the reader has a daughter and she meets him for the first time and gets scared

Gentle giant

A/n: This was so cute and wholesome ahhh I love it

Parings: Peter Steele x Fem!reader

Warnings: mentions of teen pregnancy, shitty ex, and I think that’s it.

You and Peter have been dating for a couple months and you were at first nervous to tell him you had a daughter. At 16 years old your ex boyfriend got you pregnant and walked out on you and your unborn baby. Originally you were going to give her up for adoption but when you held her in your arms, you fell in love and just had to keep her. Even though it was hard being a teen mom, you wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Rosie is only 5 years old but she is very bright and creative, you told Peter one night. And instead of being turned off, he actually was more interested in you and was eager to meet her. So that’s what you’re doing today.

The two of you decided to meet at a cafe in Brooklyn close to where your apartments are. You walked with your little girl hand in hand to the cafe. “Where are we going mommy?” She asked.

“We’re going to meet a special friend of mine. He’s very kind.” You explained. Obviously she wouldn’t understand what dating is so you just kept it simple. To her, Peter is your special friend.

Once you walked into the cafe the smell off coffee beans filled your sinuses as you searched the room for Peter. Your mouth grew into a smile as you spotted him sitting at a table in a corner away from everyone. You walked up to him and he looked up at you and smiled.

Once the raven haired man stood up, though was when Rosie got a little nervous and hid behind your legs. Once you had given your boyfriend a kiss, he turned his attention to your little girl.

“Rosie, this is Peter.” You introduced.

She hid behind your legs, not making eye contact with him. Peter noticed this but was not offended. He’s a big guy, and can come off as intimidating especially to a young child. And right before you were going to apologize to him, he knelt down.

Your daughter peaked from behind your legs as she saw the now shorter man looking at her with kind eyes. “Hey, Rosie right?” The bassist asked.

She nodded shyly.

“As your mother said, I’m Peter. It’s nice to meet you I’ve heard so much about you.” She was still silent but slowly seemed to let her guard down. “She told me that you’re an artist?” Rosie smiled a bit at that, “I play drums.” Shes proud of her drum playing skills. You bought her a toy drum set for Christmas last year and she’s been using it every day.

“Wow! That’s really cool. I have a friend who plays drums his name is Johnny he’s pretty cool he can teach you a few tricks.” Your heart melted at how gentle he was being, how soft he was speaking. Of course Peter has always been gentle-a gentle giant if you will-but seeing this right now, makes your heart leap for joy.

He held out his large hand and she slowly stuck out her small one, putting it on his palm. The size difference was so adorable, and he gently closed his hand around hers. “Now, what do you say about a cake pop?”

#peter steele x reader #peter steele #type o negative x reader #type o negative #fluff #cute

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persevereforahappyending · 9 months ago

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Maybe in Another Life |7|

Pairing: Clarisse La Rue x Hunter of Artemis!Reader

Summary: You are a Hunter of Artemis, but you start to question what you truly want when you meet Clarisse and get to know her.

Warnings: Spoilers for Titans Curse

Word Count: 2.6k+

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7 | ch. 8 | ch. 9 | ch. 10 | ch. 11 | ch. 12 | ch. 13 | ch. 14 | ch. 15 | ch. 16 | ch. 17

You were sitting on the edge of a cliff that hung over the lake at Camp Half-Blood. After talking to Artemis, you went back to the cabin and informed your sisters about Zoe. After telling them to be at the top of the hill and ready to leave by sunrise you left. You had been sitting on the cliff’s edge looking up at the stars ever since. You didn’t have a lot of stuff; your bag was never unpacked so you were ready to go the second Artemis came to you. You were going to take the few hours before sunrise to grieve, alone. You loved your sisters, but you had been at Zoe’s side for a thousand years, you needed a moment to yourself.

Despite the centuries of fighting by your goddess's side, despite the many sisters you watched fall in battle, it never got easier. You couldn’t deny that Zoe’s loss hit different than all the others. Zoe had been at your side since you joined the Hunters, she taught you, she trained with you, she was the one who you first met, the one who brought you to Artemis.

You knew you should have gone on the quest. If you had been on the quest maybe you could have saved Zoe, maybe it would have been you who lost their life instead. That certainly would have been for the best, Zoe was needed at Artemis’s side, she deserved to continue on, the Hunters needed their leader and that was Zoe. You were Zoe’s second, you were meant to protect her, despite what she may have said, it was your duty to make sure Zoe always returned, and you failed.

You could hear the dirt crunch behind you as someone approached. “I thought you went back to your cabin,” you said softly, not needing to turn around to know who it was.

“I couldn’t go back to sleep without making sure you were okay,” Clarisse said. You had only known her for a little less than a week, but you had never heard her speak so softly, not even to Silena, who she was arguably the nicest to. “How are you doing?”

You sucked in a breath, your eyes remained unblinking as you stared at the new constellation. Zoe always loved the stars, it’s the one thing that never changed over time, despite the years that would pass, the stars were always there. She deserved to be up there among the stars, running across the sky and watching over the Hunters as you continued your journey.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve lost a sister,” you responded, trying to stop your voice from cracking.

“That doesn’t make it easier,” she said. She was right behind you; you felt her eyes on the back of your head, but you still refused to turn around.

“No,” you whispered. “No, it doesn’t.”

Life without Zoe, you couldn’t imagine it, it didn’t seem fathomable. You always figured you’d be the first to go. You didn’t doubt your skills but with how often you put your life at risk, with how reckless you could be to accomplish your goal, you never imagined Zoe falling before you. You would trade your life for Zoe’s in a heartbeat.

You heard the slight crunching of dirt as Clarisse shifted from foot to foot. You knew she was still behind you, though you hadn’t turned around. You weren’t sure how long she intended to stay there; it wasn’t like you were good company at the moment.

“You probably want to be alone,” Clarisse mumbled. “I’m going to go. Sorry for bothering you.”

You hummed out an acknowledgment. You listened as dirt shifted beneath her feet as she turned to walk away. “Wait,” you whispered. You were sure it was barely audible but clearly, she heard you, the shifting of her feet stopped. “Stay.” Tears began to fill your eyes; you weren’t sure how long you’d be able to hold them back anymore. “Please.”

There was some slight shuffling and next thing you knew Clarisse sat beside you, her legs dangling off the ledge. You glanced down, watching as Clarisse’s hand slid silently across the dirt, her pinky out as she got closer to you but didn’t actually touch you. You slid your hand across the dirt until your pinky brushed against hers. Your entire body froze at the contact until you felt her move, slowly intertwining her pinky with yours.

You weren’t sure how long you stayed there, staring up at the stars. Clarisse stayed with you the entire time, neither of you saying a word. You couldn’t deny the connection you felt with her, the comfort her presence brought you. You knew you couldn’t get attached to the feelings Clarisse brought out in you, that you shouldn’t get attached to them. You took an oath, and you would not dishonor your fallen sister by breaking that oath, you owed it to Zoe to be a better Hunter, to do better.

Morning rolled around before you knew it. You watched the sky; it was only a matter of time before the sun would start to rise. You made your way back to the cabin after your night with Clarisse, making sure to part ways before you got back to your cabin. You slung your pack over your shoulder and made sure the others had their stuff. You looked around the cabin, making sure everything was spotless until your eyes fell on the bed in the corner, Zoe’s bed. There technically weren’t assigned bunks but when it came to the Hunters, since all of you were immortal when you chose a bed it kind of became yours.

You walked over to the bed, looking down at the perfectly tucked sheets. Zoe always left her bed pristine, as if it had never been slept in. She was only at camp for one real night before she was sent on the quest, and she still managed to make her bed before leaving. You slid open the drawer of the nightstand right beside the bed. Your breath caught in your throat when you saw a silver circlet sitting in the drawer, the only thing sitting in the drawer.

“Until we meet again my sister,” you whispered, gently picking up the silver circlet before placing it in your bag.

“Let’s get moving,” you called out to your sister, clearing your throat to get rid of any emotion.

The Hunters followed your orders, falling into single file out of the cabin. They marched quietly through camp, each one of them looking at the sky, at the new constellation when it came into view, before it would disappear completely until nightfall again. You glanced around, noticing not a single camper was awake, there was a slight rumbling in the distance indicating the coming rain, you couldn’t think of more perfect weather for the occasion. You caught sight of Dionysus and Chiron standing outside the big house, each of them holding somber looks.

You weren’t surprised they already knew what happened. After all Zoe wasn’t the only one to lose her life on the quest. Bianca hadn’t even been a Hunter for a week, and she had already fallen in battle. You didn’t know the details of the quest and you didn’t need to; you were sure Bianca fought bravely till the end. You hadn’t spent much time with her, and you had your reservations about her going on the quest, her loss made you wish it had been you on the quest even more, she was so young, she had a little brother, so much to live for, it should have been you.

Chiron bowed his head to all of you as you passed the big house, each Hunter giving him a nod in acknowledgement. You caught Dionysus’s gaze and for the first time in your entire life, which was saying something, you saw sympathy in his eyes. You held your head high as you gave him a nod as well, he responded with a raise of his glass. You knew it was diet coke, but it was the thought that counts and that was about as high praise as you could get from Dionysus. Despite Dionysus’ distaste for the Hunters and the arguments he had with Zoe he had a heart, at least on some level, he cared for all his campers, including the Hunters when they were there.

As all of you began your journey up the hill you could see the silhouette of a spikey-haired girl, with her classic leather jacket, leaning against the tree she once was. A few of your sisters glanced back at you but you gave them a nod to continue. None of you had any experience of having another lieutenant other than Zoe. You had been with Artemis longer than any other Hunter and Zoe was already her second before you took the oath. You were just as hesitant as they were, but you knew Artemis always needed a second and if she deemed Thalia worthy of that position then you would follow her into battle without question.

You whipped around when you heard the someone’s feet slapping the grass hard as they ran towards you. Your mouth parted in question, your eyes going wide when you saw Clarisse. You had thanked her for her company and then you went your separate ways, you figured she had gone back to her cabin to get some sleep. She slowed down when she realized you had come to a stop.

“Hey,” she said slightly breathless. You raised your eyebrows at that, it took a lot for Clarisse to get breathless, that meant she probably sprinted all the way from her cabin. “I just…” she let out an awkward chuckle looking up at the sky. You smiled, it was clear she didn’t get nervous often, it seemed you were both in uncharted waters when it came to your feelings for each other. “I wanted to say goodbye.”

You smiled at her, she was gorgeous with the sun rising behind her, almost as gorgeous as when she was drenched in sweat, standing over a poor camper with her spear at their neck. You shook your head when you realized the thoughts you just had. You glanced behind you to see the rest of the Hunters had made it over the hill, only Thalia remained at the top, resting against the tree as she looked down at you and Clarisse before quickly directing her attention at something on the other side.

“Thank you,” you said, smiling softly at Clarisse.

“For what?” she asked.

“Being the… friend,” you emphasized the word, staring into her eyes, hoping your eyes said what you couldn’t. “I needed.”

“Well, anytime you need a…” she gave you a sad smile. “Friend, I’m here for you.”

You smiled at that. You were a Hunter, she was a demigod, there was a chance you’d never see her again in this lifetime, you didn’t come to camp often enough. You reached out, crossing the invisible barrier that separated the two of you and took her hand within yours. You heard her suck in a breath, but she didn’t say anything, her eyes remained cast down, watching as you lightly swung your intertwined hands back and forth.

“I’m sorry things couldn’t be different,” you mumbled.

“Me too,” she whispered. She quickly let go of your hand and cleared her throat. “How do you feel about that?” you turned to see her nodding up the hill at Thalia who was looking at the two of you again.

You let out a long sigh before directing your attention back to Clarisse. It didn’t matter how you felt about it, it was Artemis’s decision, and she made her choice, you would never question your goddess about something like that. You certainly had your opinions on Thalia though, you had them when you first met her all those years ago and they pretty much remained the same when you met her again nearly a week ago.

“I trust my goddess’s decision,” you said, with a small smile.

Clarisse rolled her eyes. You knew she wasn’t overly fond of the Hunters in general and probably didn’t have the highest opinion of Thalia either. You were pretty sure she wasn’t a fan of any of the gods, even her own father, though she was still desperate to make him proud. She didn’t know what it was like to have full faith in a goddess, to follow them, not because you were their child but by choice, though, most demigods didn’t understand the reason you and the other Hunters took the oath, why you were all so willing to fight and die for your goddess.

“Not jealous she didn’t choose you?” Clarisse inquired, crossing her arms. “You seem to give orders pretty well,” she mumbled the last part, her eyes on the ground as she kicked a rock.

You couldn’t help but smirk, even when the two of you were getting along, she still found it difficult to compliment someone else’s leadership skills. “No,” you said instantly, glancing back at Thalia one last time. “I’m not much of a leader. More of a third-tier leader type.” You chuckled making Clarisse chuckle along with you.

“Stay in touch?” she asked. “Everyone here is an idiot,” she was looking everywhere but you. “Besides Silena,” she added with an eyeroll as if Silena were going to pop up and yell at her for saying that. “And I kind of like talking to you,” she glanced at you before quickly looking away again.

“Of course,” you smiled.

You finished your goodbyes with Clarisse then made your way up the hill to where Thalia was waiting. She was leaning against her tree, her arms crossed with an unimpressed look on her face. “Took you long enough,” she said as you got to the top of the hill.

You rolled your eyes, she was definitely going to take some getting used to, she wasn’t Zoe. “Let’s go,” she said, pushing off the tree. “Artemis is waiting for us.”

“Wait,” you said, reaching around for your bag. Thalia paused, turning to you with a furrowed brow. “I know it’s probably not your thing,” you looked Thalia up and down. “But every lieutenant of Artemis should have one.” You pulled out the silver circlet, holding it out to Thalia.

Thalia’s face softened, her eyes not leaving the circlet in your hands. You figured she knew where you got it from. She had seen Zoe wearing one every time they interacted, and it wasn’t like you had been around anyone else where you could have acquired one. You hoped she understood what you offering this up meant. She could get a new one from Artemis, you were sure your goddess intended to give her one but offering her one of Zoe’s felt right.

“Thank you,” Thalia said, gently taking the circlet out of your hands. She hesitantly lifted it up and placed it on her head.

You sucked in a breath, staring at Thalia wearing Zoe’s silver circlet. You had to blink a few times to stop the tears from forming, you just officially admitted that Zoe was in fact gone.

“After you, lieutenant,” you said. Thalia nodded and began to make her way down the hill again. A smirk slowly crept onto your face before you turned to follow. “Unless you need more time saying goodbye,” you nodded back at the tree. “The squirrels that used to live on you probably miss you.”

Thalia kept walking down the hill to where the rest of the Hunters were waiting but she made sure to flip you off as she walked away. You gave a small chuckle; it would take some time and things would be different, but Thalia would make a good lieutenant. You looked back down at Camp Half-Blood one last time, seeing Clarisse in the distance. You smiled, giving her one last wave before you turned and followed after your sisters.

Taglist: @cxcilla @touchmyfracturedomens @luclue @manu-007s-world

#clarisse la rue #clarisse la rue x reader #clarisse la rue x you #clarisse x reader #percy jackson #pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #maybe in another life

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bestanimal · 2 months ago

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Round 2 - Arthropoda - Branchiopoda

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Branchiopoda is a class of small, mainly freshwater crustaceans that feed on plankton and detritus. They are comprised of 9 orders: Anostraca (“Fairy Shrimp”), Anomopoda (“Water Fleas”), Ctenopoda (also “Water Fleas”), Cyclestherida (“Clam Shrimp”), Laevicaudata (also “Clam Shrimp”), Spinicaudata (also “Clam Shrimp”), Haplopoda (“Predatory Water Fleas”), Onychopoda (“Water Fleas” again), and Notostraca (“Tadpole/Shield Shrimp”).

Branchiopods are found mainly in freshwater, including temporary pools and hypersaline lakes, and some in brackish water. Those that live in temporary pools are known for having eggs that can dry out for long periods of time and hatch once they are submerged in water, as an adaptation to drought. Only two families, one in Onychopoda and one in Ctenopoda, contain marine species. Most eat detritus or plankton, catching them in the setae on their appendages. Notostracans are opportunistic omnivores that will feed on algae, bacteria, other branchiopods like Anostracans, and even small fish.

Branchiopods are characterized by the presence of gills on many of the animals’ appendages, including the mouthparts. Most have compound eyes and a carapace. In the Clam Shrimp, the carapace prevents the use of the legs for swimming, so the antennae are used for locomotion instead, as they are in nauplius larvae.

The oldest known branchiopod was Rehbachiella kinnekullensis of the Upper Cambrian. Notostracans in particular have a good fossil record, with the oldest known species being Strudops goldenbergi from the Late Devonian. Notostracans are often described as “Living Fossils” due to their lack of major morphological change over 250 million years.

Propaganda under the cut:

Both Triops (a genus of Notostracan) and Artemia (a genus of Anostracan) make popular low maintenance aquarium pets, respectively called “Dinosaur Shrimp” and “Sea-monkeys” in the pet trade.

Triops longicaudatus helps control the West Nile virus, as they prey on Culex mosquito larvae.

In Japan, Triops cancriformis are used as biological pest control, kept in rice paddies to eat weeds.

Most branchiopods feed on small plankton and detritus, but some are large(r) predators, and Notostracans aren’t the only ones! The Giant Fairy Shrimp (Branchinecta gigas) can get up to 86 mm (3.4 in) long, lives in hypersaline lakes and rivers, and eats copepods and other branchiopods: mainly other fairy shrimp.

The genus Artemia, also known as Brine Shrimp, are commonly bred to feed fish and crustacean larvae, both in fish farms and in aquarium tanks, due to their ease of rearing, richness in nutrients, and tendency to be the preferred snack of small fish. Daphnia, a genus of Anomopod, are also often bred as fish food, as well as for amphibian larvae.

Artemia urmiana was once abundant in Lake Urmia of Iran, but drought has caused their population to drastically decline, leading to fears that they were nearly extinct. However, a second population has been discovered in Koyashskoye Salt Lake of Ukraine, giving hope for their recovery.

Scientists have taken the eggs of Artemia salina to outer space to test the impact of radiation on life. The brine shrimp eggs traveled on U.S. Biosatellite 2, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17 missions, and on the Russian Bion-3 (Cosmos 782), Bion-5 (Cosmos 1129), Foton 10, and Foton 11 flights. On Apollo 16 and Apollo 17, the cysts traveled to the Moon and back. Unfortunately, the results showed A. salina eggs are highly sensitive to cosmic radiation… 90% of the embryos died at different developmental stages.

Clam shrimp convergently evolved a shell similar to a bivalve. Both valves of the shell are held together by a strong closing muscle. The animals react to danger by contracting the muscle so that the valves close tightly and the crustacean floats motionlessly to the bottom of the water.

Daphnia are used in scientific studies as a model organism. Because they are nearly transparent, their internal organs are easy to study in live specimens. They are often used to test the effects of toxins and climate change, assisting with the assessment of ecological impacts caused by human disturbance.

One time, while looking at pond water under microscope, I saw a Chydorus sphaericus and squealed out loud cause it was so cute, and my professor made fun of me. But look at this. The Cheat lookin ass:

#round 2 #animal polls #arthropoda #i love Triops and I always wanted some and even got as far as getting some eggs for my birthday as a kid and then just uh #never put them in water #i wonder if they would still hatch it’s been like 20 years…#Branchiopoda

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misc-obeyme · 1 year ago

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Hello you're such a good freaking writer! Blankets for Mammon for the cozy comforts event?

Hi there, anon! Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoy my writing!

Okay, well, this is the cozy comforts event because I am cozy and comfortable when I'm writing all the cheesy fluff. And that's all I gotta say about this one lol.

Thank you for participating!

COZY COMFORTS EVENT

GN!MC x Mammon with prompt blanket

Warnings: none

Whenever you feel a little sad, you find yourself wandering to Mammon's room. The way he grins the minute he sees you never fails to cheer you up. But even if he isn't there, it's his space and it feels like him. He's come back to find you, sprawled on his couch or curled up on his bed. It's like you're only waiting for him to walk in so you can start feeling happy again.

When he's not around, you seem to always be drawn to one blanket in particular. It's a nice one - black and gold, by some expensive Devildom brand name you're not familiar with. He told you once that he worked hard to buy it for himself. You love the way it smells like his Devilish No 5 when you wrap it around your shoulders. It's like he's right there, hugging you close.

The first time you have to return to the human world, he blushes and stutters when he gives it to you. You blink in surprise at him as he holds it out to you.

"Did ya think I didn't notice, human?" he says.

Having that blanket with you makes you feel less lonely as you spend time away from the Devildom. When you come back, you can't bear to be parted with it, so you keep it. Everyone sees what it means to you, how you tend to keep it around your shoulders when you're in a bad mood or just need a bit of comfort.

Until one day you notice that the blanket doesn't smell like Mammon anymore. It doesn't quite feel like him the way it used to. You use it less and less, seeking out the actual demon whenever you can instead.

Mammon notices that you've been keeping the blanket folded neatly on your bed, but he doesn't say anything.

One day you come back to the House of Lamentation and realize that you haven't seen Mammon all day. You go looking for him and find him in your own room. He's sitting on your bed, wrapped in the black and gold blanket. He looks pitiful, like he's just had the worst day of his life.

You come over to sit down beside him. He's despondent as he tells you about losing bets and failed schemes.

You tug on the edge of the blanket. "This always makes me feel better. Is it helping you?"

The blush that cover's Mammon's face is instant and deep. He hides it halfway behind the blanket. "Smells like ya."

You consider this statement and realize it must be true. The blanket lost the smell of Mammon's cologne long ago, but you never smelled anything different on it. Because now the blanket smelled like you.

"Ya kinda stopped usin' it, though, huh," Mammon says and you can't help hearing the note of sadness in his tone.

You nudge him a little, to make him lift his arm. You duck under it so you're both under the blanket, Mammon's arm wrapped snugly around you. You lean your head on his shoulder. "I liked it because it smelled like you. It felt like you. It was like I had you hugging me even when you weren't there. But now it smells like me? I hadn't noticed."

Mammon puffs out his chest a bit. "Miss the Great Mammon when he ain't around, do ya?"

"Yeah," you say easily, making him squirm a little.

After that, the two of you trade off who has the blanket. Whenever you need him and he's not there, you find the blanket. Whenever he needs you, he takes it back. And although no object could replace the real thing, it acts as a temporary comfort, warming you with its memories until you can find yourselves back in each other's arms.

cozy comforts | masterlist | Thank you for reading!

#obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me shall we date #omnb #omswd #obey me mammon #om mammon #mammon obey me #obey me mammon x reader #om mammon x reader #mammon obey me x reader #obey me mammon x mc #obey me x reader #obey me fluff #obey me fanfic #misc cozy comforts #misc writes

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kariachi · 7 months ago

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I've said it before, I say it a lot honestly, but I love the reasonable assumptions we can make about firelizards breeding and social habits based on what we see in primarily DragonsDawn.

Like, we've got the basic 'greens Rise a lot and don't tend their nests while golds Rise more rarely and fiercely tend their nests'. That's great, we love us some behavioral morphs in species. But then you also have to consider what would lead to such a thing, namely that both of these behaviors have to be successful, and successful in comparison to each other, in order for one to not completely take over from the other. Meaning that each option has benefits over the other.

For instance, in years or seasons where there's a large predator population, gold clutches are probably the most successful as they're the best guarded. But if you're dealing with horrible weather, or gods forbid a Pass, the fact green clutches are spread out far and wide means it's more likely one or more will survive, while a gold needs just one bad storm or Fall to wipe her whole year's breeding opportunities off the map.

But like, the most obvious one is a pure numbers game. If you don't invest in your eggs post-laying, that frees you up to get back into laying condition sooner and make more eggs. For instance in emus you'll see a female lay 5+ eggs in a single nest, but then she leaves that business to the male and runs off to eat well and find another guy to foist eggs on, ending up with sometimes even five nests in a season. But if you do invest in your eggs post-laying, you get more security in-so-far as assuring your eggs hatch. In emus the males do that, they get the best of both worlds there, but even more effective is to have multiple individuals looking out for the eggs.

Which is where their eusocial-style behavior comes in! By having the rest of the group dedicated to supporting the gold as she guards and tends her nest, the cost of nest tending is spread out, reducing the load on any one member of the group. The same thing happens with youngcare, which seems to be wholly communal, again reducing the cost for any individual member of the group. But eusocial behaviors are most efficient when members of a group are related, you don't want to waste your life raising young that don't share your genes.

Then you remember that firelizards form mental bonds at birth, bonds that they can break with no issue but that they can and do maintain throughout their lives. Taking this and the last paragraph into account, most likely collections of wild firelizards are mostly formed of sibling groups. Even if your bronze brother didn't catch the gold this year, helping with the clutch improves the odds he'll catch next year, and in the meantime you have plenty of opportunity with the greens.

This also probably plays into the fact they hum for all allied births. A green's nest doesn't get tended, but the young still need feeding at hatching. If you're a male then coming when you get the psychic 'birth here now' signals is an easy choice because there's the real chance these are your brother's offspring and his reproductive success is second only to your own. If you're a female, this nest is likely a sister's, in which case same deal, their success is only second to yours. On either side, having more babies around means a higher chance of any individual baby not being eaten by a predator, increasing the survival odds of your own children.

And then all this likely plays into the various male morphs and the color and size differences between ranks. I've mentioned elsewhere- the various male morphs are likely optimized to chase different female morphs. Blues can keep up with the quicker, more agile greens, bronzes with the slower, longer flying golds, and browns are a 'jack-of-all-trades' rank that doesn't specialize but instead can successfully chase either female morph, just with lower odds than the specialized males.

As far as size differences go, it's again all on the females to start. Golds lay larger clutches and defend them from things like wherries, they need to be larger to fit more eggs, to better defend their nests, and to drive off rival golds. Bronzes have to be large to keep up with the golds when they Rise. Greens specialize in laying more clutches and so likely smaller clutches, so they don't need to get as big and can instead focus on evading predators and even being able to lure predators from a freshly laid clutch without getting snatched up, small size is useful there. Blues are also small because it allows them the speed and maneuverability to chase greens. Presumably the reason they're larger than greens are is due for some reason to their being male, likely related to the complex genetics likely tied to rank*. Browns are in the middle because it allows them enough speed and maneuverability to go for greens, but also enough stamina to try for golds.

Color, meanwhile, is likely a camouflage thing. Blues, greens, and browns are all natural colors, perfect for making it harder for predators to notice you. According to the DLG firelizards come in a variety of shades, I wouldn't be surprised if there was even a degree of midtones between the various ranks. Golds and bronzes, meanwhile, I think are more likely a matter of reflective camouflage. A gold on a nest may be hard to look at in bright light, or at a glance appear to just be a patch of wet sand. If a gold has to leave the nest, more likely the sire would be left to guard it, and similar camouflage would fill a similar role. It might even, for some bronzes, give the impression that the larger gold is still on the nest, deterring predators that don't want to tangle with one. Since the smaller ranks are far less likely to be on a nest, more matte tones to mack dirt, wood, sky, foliage would be most effective.

It's all just fascinating and not quite like anything we have on Earth, though you can make parallels between several different Earth species. Absolutely love it.

#dragonriders of pern #pern analysis #*someday i am going to work out a system to make the way dragon ranks seem to work work #likely some combination of sex-linked and non-sex-linked genes...#utilize that triple-strand dna...#maybe outside factors as well...?

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