#and it's why the watchers never quite managed to make him into one of them

[gtwscratch]

This Heart of Mine is Guilty (And Remorseful)

Summary: Grian breaks the rules of the games for Scar, and Scar confronts him about it. (set in Secret Life)

CW: Mentions of past cheating/killing/stealing, character self-deprecating

Word count: 1,233

=====================================

“He needs to log out..!” Grian says as he watches the Wither chase Scar, panicked.

“He can’t, we’re in the middle of a session, Grian,” Cleo responds, also a bit panicked, but she hides it better.

“I know but..! He can’t lose his first life..!” Grian doesn’t finish his sentence, but he can’t get the words out of his head.

He can’t lose his first life because of me again.

Grian knows he’s been awful to Scar. He knows he’s messed up over and over again. He’s let the urges of being a red life take him over and ended up killing Scar on more than one occasion. He’s stolen a life from him and lost it not even twenty minutes later. He’s cheated on him after finding out they were quite literally soulmates.

And yet, after all of that, Scar has shown him nothing but love and kindness and admiration and-

All Grian knows is that he has to stop this.

He watches Scar stumble and slow down, narrowly missing getting hit by a skull, and Grian feels something. There’s an itch just beneath his skin to do something—anything—and his wings puff up a little from the panic. Without really thinking, he pulls out his comm.

<Grian> Scar log out

<Grian> Scar log out

<Grian> Scar log out

Distantly, Cleo is talking, but Grian doesn’t hear her. All he can hear are hushed and angry whispers. The edges of his vision are purple as he continuously types out the message, praying that Scar is going to be able to read it.

Players are never able to log out in times of extreme danger like this—the Watchers make sure of that. But Grian himself isn’t a regular player. He’s mentioned changing the rules before, but he’s never actually tried to do anything. So maybe, just maybe..

Grian’s heart leaps to his throat as he sees Scar pull out his comm on the shore, nearly dropping it. He reads over the messages.

<GoodTimesWithScar had left the game.>

Grian could cry. His legs feel shaky, and his hand goes to cover his mouth with relief and shock. He did it. He actually managed to save Scar.

Grian feels lighter than he has since the desert.

He suddenly remembers that he’s not alone and looks over to Cleo who’s staring back at him with wide eyes.

“.. How did you do that?” she asks, wariness in her voice.

“Um..” Grian can’t think of a good excuse, so he settles for, “I’ll tell you later. We need to go.”

=====================================

Grian knew there was going to be a punishment for saving Scar. The Watchers would never have let that happen so easily. And of course Grian doesn’t regret breaking the rules for Scar—he’d do it again in a heartbeat—but now his wings ache, and his back feels exposed as his secondary and most of his primary feathers have withered away. He’s also lost a life.

He’s exhausted after defeating the Wither, and it shows. He nearly stumbles, but a strong hand catches his arm.

“Woah there, take it easy, G.” Grian relaxes as he hears Scar speak and steadies himself with the man’s help.

“Thank you,” he breathes out, looking up at Scar’s green eyes. Oh, what Grian wouldn’t do for them to stay that beautiful green color.

Scar’s eyebrows are furrowed in concern, and he starts to lead Grian a bit away from the group of people celebrating the defeat of the Wither. When they’re out of earshot, Scar speaks up.

“Why did you do that?”

“What’re you talking about?” Even though he’s tired, Grian tries to play dumb.

The man sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You shouldn’t have used your powers like that for me.”

For a moment, Grian is alarmed before remembering he told Scar about the Watchers (and how he was one of them) while they were both half asleep and cuddling in some past season. Neither of them had spoken about it afterwards when they were more awake, so Grian had figured that Scar didn’t remember. Looks like he was wrong.

This time, he doesn’t deny anything strange happening. “In my defense, I didn’t for sure know if that would work or not.”

“Doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have tried it at all.”

“But you were in trouble.”

“Grian, it’s me! I’m always in trouble!” Scar shouts.

Grian’s wings (or what’s left of them) puff up, a bit agitated. He was finally trying to do something right, and Scar didn’t seem to care. “Whatever, what’s done is done. It doesn’t matter.”

Grian’s a little startled when Scar grabs his arms, and he’s even more startled to see the anguish in Scar’s eyes.

“But it does matter!! You lost a life!! Oh, and your pretty wings.. I’m not worth that..”

“No, you stop that.” Scar’s words strike something deep within Grian. This is his fault. He’s the reason Scar doesn’t think he’s worth this kind of sacrifice.

“But I’m not! You are.. everything.. and I’m just me,” Scar says quietly. “So please.. don’t do that again.”

“.. No.”

Scar blinks. “What?”

“You heard me. I’m going to risk my life again for you if I can.” Grian doesn’t think he’s ever been so sure in something before.

Scar’s look of agony is now primarily replaced with confusion. “You-! We’re not even allies, let alone on the same team! Why are you so-!”

“Because I’m not hurting you again!” Grian quickly answers before Scar can even finish the question.

He didn’t really mean to say it—Grian just sort of blurted it out without thinking. He’s never been one to show any kind of vulnerability. However, unlike past instances, Grian doesn’t look or feel ashamed of the revelation. Instead, he stands his ground and speaks confidently (as confidently as he can as the adrenaline wears off.)

When Scar doesn’t respond, Grian continues. “I have been the cause of so much of your suffering in these games. Please, let me save you from something I caused for once.”

He watches as Scar’s expression softens, and he takes a step forward, pulling Grian into a gentle hug. Grian immediately reciprocates, clinging onto the back of Scar’s shawl like the man will disappear if he lets go.

“Grian,” he starts softly, “you know I don’t blame you for any of that, right?”

He doesn’t respond, and the silence is all the answer Scar needs.

“Well, I don’t. I know you didn’t want to do those things. You didn’t have a choice—none of us do. Everything that happened is in the past now. Yeah, it hurt a lot, but I knew it wasn’t really you.

“This is you. You’re trying to make amends for something I’m not mad at you for.” His hand slides to Grian’s waist, rubbing his thumb up and down against the fabric to reassure the avian.

“And, void, I do appreciate the effort, but please don’t be reckless.” Scar kisses the top of Grian’s head, eliciting a soft trill from his throat.

He leans more into Scar, feeling like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. “You’re one to talk,” he mumbles. He finally lets the exhaustion of the day wear on him.

Scar chuckles softly and easily picks up the smaller man. “C’mon, you need to lay down.”

As Scar carries Grian off to find a bed, Grian starts to get more drowsy. He rests his head against Scar’s chest, and the steady beating of Scar’s heart soothes him into sleep.

Scar is still green.

I saved him.

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AHHH THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE LOVE AND SUPPORT WITH THE FIRST ONE SHOT!!! I wasn’t expecting so many likes and reblogs!! :DDD

I’m so excited to keep postinggggg :)))

I have one more one shot already in the works, but after that, I’m not sure when the next one will be. Maybe I’ll aim for weekly posts? Not sure yet.

[thathermitweirdo]

This is my big secret project! Not a fanfiction, but a COMIC! You might notice that the writing is a bit different than my normal style. Conversations, characters, even the length of chapters, it might seem a bit off in comparison to my other works. This is because this has been written in collaboration with d0not_disturb! If you head over to their tumblr, you'll find a comic version of this fic! The comic is to provide visuals, while the fic is to provide greater details! Please go and support them, it really helps out the project! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

—

It was dark and cold. Those were the first things Grian noticed when he woke up.

The place he was in, it wasn't normal. The air felt heavy and thick, like it was weighing him down with every breath he took. And the cold...it was a familiar sensation. One that Grian remembered faintly, but couldn't quite place. He looked around at the emptiness, nothing but a void of light surrounding him.

Grian shuddered a little, feeling uneasy on his feet. There was something in the air, something in the cold. Something that Grian remembered. Magic. It was very faint. Hard to sense, but he knew it was there. And with that magic, something else would follow.

"Nonono," Grian's eyes widened in realization as he took a step back. "Not this again." Memories were starting to flow back now. Unfortunate memories. Memories he chose not to remember.

He turned to try and run, hoping that maybe he could flee before things got even worse. But Grian froze up before he had the chance to take another step. In front of him stood a man, tall and slim, wearing a dark suit and red tie, a finely trimmed mustache covering his lips. "Mumbo?" Grian's eyes widened as he recognized the redstoner.

His expression was hidden away by the shadows of his place, making his emotions hard to read. "What are you doing here, Mumbo?" Grian took a step forward, his eyes filled with worry.

Claws grasped Mumbo's shoulders, a figure stepping out of the darkness. Grian could feel the pit of his stomach twist and ache at the sight, a deep feeling of dread washing over him. "Don't worry," the figure spoke, a twisted smile playing along their lips. "He's safe..."

Grian knew them. Just based on that voice, he knew them. But they shouldn't be here. They were gone, weren't they? It had been years, how—?

"Did you really think you could run away, fledgling?" Their voice was oozing with fake sweetness, as though they were mocking him. As if they had just let him escape. On purpose. As if they had been watching him this entire time...

A glowing sword came out of the darkness, radiating with purple magic as the blade was brought to Mumbo's neck. Grian froze up in shock, tears breaking through the corners of his eyes. "Oh Grian..." Mumbo held his head low, his facial expression hidden away by the darkness. He slowly glanced up from the ground, his eyes fully glowing purple. "Why didn't you stop them?"

His voice sounded betrayed, empty, devoid of anything Grian could recognize. Glowing purple oozed down his face, almost like tears that leaked from his eyes. His head tilted to the side, he looked like some kind of lifeless puppet. Grian could feel his chest tighten and constrict, his breaths becoming shorter and more shallow. Tears started to spill from the corners of his eyes.

"I'm sorry..." He managed, his words barely leaving his lips. "I-I'll help you! I thought they were gone! I didn't—"

A blast of magic caught Grian off guard, knocking him off his feet and causing his face to slam into the ground. "Oh please," Another voice spat, harsh and rough as he spoke. "Save the excuses."

Corvus. He was always rather cold. One of the Watchers that taught the fledgling. Columba wouldn't be too far behind either, she never strayed too far from her other half. And obviously the third of their little trio was already here, with their filthy claws sinking into Mumbo's shoulders.

Grian tried to get up, though he was met by the pointed tip of a sickle. Corvus stood on the other end of the weapon, his expression covered by his mask. He was a tall man, suited in armor that made the Watcher appear to be a knight. He had horns coming out of the side of his head, with long black hair that fell past his shoulders. He had tail feathers as well, and talons for feet, like a bird hybrid of sorts.

Columba stepped out of the darkness next, her sword radiating with purple magic. She was also dressed in silver armor, her white hair puffy and short. She had a pair of smaller wings on either side of her head, with feathers that not only matched her hair color, but also the same purple color that radiated through her blade. A veil mask covered her mouth, along with a vibrant purple panache that came from her headpiece.

She brought her blade to Mumbo's neck, as if to threaten Grian. And unfortunately, it was working. Grian couldn't risk Mumbo's life, and knowing the Watchers, they wouldn't hesitate to hurt the redstoner if they wanted to punish the fledgling.

"You knew we wouldn't be gone," Based on his tone, it was easy to tell that Corvus was smirking behind his mask. "Besides..." The Watcher snatched Grian's wrist, the sickle still pressed firmly against his skin. "Phoenix just wants a word."

"Indeed I do." The tallest of the three Watchers stepped forward, pushing Mumbo to the side for Columba to hold hostage.

Phoenix was the leader of the other two Watchers, a powerful god with unmatched abilities. They had flowing hair that almost seemed to glow, along with a ring of eyes around their head, almost arranged like a crown of sorts. They had the same bird-like talons the other two Watchers had as well, though they also had a massive pair of wings resting on their back.

Phoenix raised their hand, an orange glow of magic surrounding their palm. Glowing restraints wrapped around Grian's arms and chest, like ropes that seemed to tighten with any kind of movement. The fledgling looked down at his glowing restraints, a bit puzzled. "Huh." His head tilted a bit to the side, "Okay, what's up with that?"

"It's called a precaution, Grian." Phoenix looked a bit fed up with the fledgling, but they didn't seem mad. At least, not yet.

"I feel like Grian is a little slow." Columba tilted her head as she looked at Corvus.

"I can agree with you there." Corvus shrugged, pushing the tip of his sickle a bit further against Grian's skin.

"Shut up! Both of you." Phoenix scolded the two, "We are getting off task."

"Okay, but first—" Columba lowered her blade, though she snapped her fingers together. Purple strings came out of the darkness, wrapping around Mumbo's limbs, as if he were some kind of puppet. "I'm just gonna get Mumbo out of here. He's only a distraction."

He was lifted up by the strings, his body hanging loosely off the strands of glowing magic that bound his limbs. He looked lifeless and empty, the redstoner's eyes still filled with purple magic. It was almost unsettling looking.

"Hey, wait!" Grian tried to protest, "Where are you taking him?!"

"I dunno, somewhere." Columba snapped her fingers again, and Mumbo was pulled out of the dark void, disappearing without a trace. "You won't need him, anyway."

Her voice taunted him, her tone laced with malice. She had no remorse, none whatsoever. It's not like the other Watchers had remorse, either. The three of them had always been like this, lacking empathy in their behavior, their actions; they acted purely according to their own whims.

"You know what?" Grian shut his eyes, his arms fighting against the glowing restraints. He spread out his wings, breaking the magical binds that kept him imprisoned. "I'm out of here."

Grian flapped his wings, flying off into the darkness of the void. The other Watchers looked up at him as he flew off, Columba looking towards Phoenix and Corvus for support. "So is anyone going to stop him?" She sounded annoyed, her voice dripping with disdain.

Phoenix lifted an arm, their palm pointed toward Grian with an orange glow surrounding their hand. "I'm on it." They said, their hand closing into a fist.

A shackle made up of orange magic formed around Grian's neck, along with a long chain that kept him leashed. The other end of the chain sat in Phoenix's hand. The head Watcher glanced over at their subordinates, Columba and Corvus standing off to the side of Phoenix. "You two can go. I don't need you here."

Corvus and Columba smiled behind their masks. "Perfect!" They said in unison, disappearing within the blink of an eye.

Phoenix began to pull against the chain, tugging Grian closer towards them. "You know, it's funny." They sounded calm, yet their grip on the chain tightened slightly. "How you think you can run from your problems."

"Well, here's a newsflash for you, fledgling.." Grian could feel the chain around his neck heat up, as if the shackle was about to burst into flames. "You can't."

"Try as you might..."

"But we..."

"Will always be a part of you."

"And we"

"Will always"

"Find You."

[takaraphoenix]

It is fascinating how your relationship to aspects of a show changes with time, if it stays with you long enough and you rewatch it often enough.

I used to hate Faith, when I was a teen first watching the show. I think I came in more from Willow's perspective of "hey no why is the new girl stealing Buffy away from the Scoobies", coupled with Faith being a bad influence on Buffy, making her steal and skip school.

With every rewatch of this show, and every year that passes, I grow more feral and protective of this unsupervised child.

She has no parents looking out for her and none of the adults in this show give even half a damn about her.

Joyce knows Faith lives in a dingy motel room, she acknowledges that when she invites Faith to spend Christmas with them. But she never considers inviting her to stay with them. She invited a total stranger to stay with them when she agreed to the exchange student program, so it wouldn't be unprecedented that she was okay with a stranger living in her home, but the thought never crosses her mind. I'm not even saying permanently - she has no obligations toward Faith, but she did seem like she liked Faith, so why wouldn't you open your home to this parentless child, even just "until we figure out something permanent for you".

And Giles is just straight up infuriating. He's a Watcher. She's a Slayer. But he is fully ignoring her. When she ditches training, he just accepts it. He has a gigantic house, for a single man, and he doesn't offer for her to stay with him either.

The worst is the council though. It takes them months to even replace her Watcher? Why? There are like hundreds of Watchers and only two Slayers - and there should only be one - but you can't manage to send a new Watcher to Faith within days? That's unreal.

Also, pay for a fucking apartment for your Slayer, you stingy bastards. We know they pay for the Watchers, the Watchers have salaries. And the matter that Slayers should also have salaries is a different issue, but the fact that they let their Slayer live in a crappy tiny motel and don't even pay up for her to live in a proper place?

And even when they replace her Watcher, they... don't, honestly? They send Wesley only after Giles gets fired, which makes him feel more like a replacement for Giles - a replacement for Buffy's Watcher. And he doesn't care either, like, he doesn't get onto organizing an apartment for her either.

We're trying to make Faith out to be this bad girl, but quite frankly, how had she ever had a chance to be a good girl...? Nobody cared.

Of course does a child without any parental supervision not give a crap. She doesn't go to school, because nobody cares to even sign her up for school or make her go. She doesn't care about training, because she can get away with ditching it. Nobody sets any rules for her, nobody cares, so why should she care.

And that is infuriating, but it at least tracks. It's consistently written that way, it provides a logic for why she is the way she is.

What fully does not track is her absolutely unhinged descend though, that one just feels like the writers half-assed it.

So she killed a man, and she thought there should be no repercussions for her because it happened in the line of duty... and she's not even wrong. Like, it is canonically confirmed that that's how these things are handled by the Council. Giles explains that to Buffy, that the Council would investigate and either deal punishment or cover it up, and considering it had been an honest mistake, she would have gotten away with it, if she had just been honest from the get go.

Which is kind of unreal considering this had never come up before. This feels like something you should explain to your Slayer at some point, not just after three years of being her Watcher. Because these things can happen. So if Giles had explained that to Buffy at some point, she then could have explained it to Faith and all of this could have been prevented?

But the point is more so that her descend was... far too rushed. It took her the span of one episode to go from "this was an accident, I didn't mean for this to happen!" to... to framing Buffy for it - and to choking the life out of Xander.

Which, I gotta say, is a plotpoint that feels a bit too glossed over in this fandom that likes to hold Red against Spike. She sexually assaulted Xander and then choked him until he was about to pass out and probably would have killed him if Angel hadn't whacked her over the head.

That was... so over the top and unexpected. Yes, she was always a little unhinged, but she never... took pleasure in causing harm? Not even during the slaying, she never really tortured vampires for fun or anything.

And within like less than a week, she goes from accidentally killing a stranger to deliberately trying to kill someone she knows, she had sex with, she kind of was friends with.

And then there is Angel, who looks at this teen and goes "there might be no saving her, she has had a taste for blood", like, my guy, you are relating to her from the perspective of a soulless killer vampire. She... still... has her soul, and she killed on accident, and she is also a child. But I guess that factors into "no adult cares", in a way.

That arc could have happened, licking blood for the first time could have made her more unhinged, sure, but... it should have been a gradual shift.

If they had gone with "the Council covers it up because this was an accident", we then could have had Faith gradually become more brutal, more violent, enjoying the demons and vampires' pain more. Over the span of, like, half a season, at least.

But the way the writers speed-ran this within an episode? That was just poorly handled and absolutely unbelievable.

Like, I understand that the point of the Council was to be a set of villains, to be symbolic of the patriarchy - I mean, it's not like this group of rich, old, white men who control women is in any way or shape a thinly veiled metaphor - but genuinely what was even the point of them if they can't spare another Watcher for one of the two active Slayers, and if they can't step up when said Slayer has no family left? Even in their function as the villainous patriarchy, they could have sent a new Slayer after her old one died, that adult could have taken over custody, in another representation of controlling the Slayer.

But the full lack of supervision or care makes it... incredibly impossible to see Faith as a bad guy here, even with the very poor writing on that speed-run descend. Regardless of how hard the show tries to sell that - and they do. The direct comparison they try to draw between Angelus and Faith is just wild; one was a soulless vampire killer and the other did one accidental murder? And that comparison grows even wilder if you consider just how hard Faith had to work for her redemption while Angel... never had to do anything, not even concerning the murder of Jenny (and sure, Angel isn't Angelus, but if you draw the comparison, you gotta commit to it all the way and continue it to the end, that end being how their redemption and the work they put into that was handled).

There were absolutely ways of setting up a 'bad' Slayer, and that concept would have also been interesting. But all they did was set up an unsupervised child, abandoned by absolutely everyone, who was fully set up for failure, and then had to work even harder than anybody else for redemption.

[caspersickfanfics]

For @monthofsick day 11: Totally drained/Exhausted

Prompt List | AO3 | Ask | Rules

Warnings: Vomiting, panic, trauma/trauma response, ptsd, passive self harm in the form of deliberately not caring for one's body

This went a bit off script - I apologize if it's not what you were looking for, anon, but I really hope you enjoy it anyway!

Anon asked:

I know that someone recently requested a sick Cyno one so I fully if this wouldn’t fit, but I was thinking about a cynari one with sick Cyno for the prompt totally drained/exhausted? Maybe Cyno has come back from a long job, and is just worn out from it all, that his stomach is rejecting food or maybe got poisoned or something. His stomach is just…so upset and Tighnari won’t allow him to simply “power through”

Cyno stumbles up to Tighnari’s home in the middle of the day. He’s not surprised that the forest watcher is out; he’s often quite busy with his duties, and he takes his job seriously. 

Any other day, Cyno would join him and offer his assistance. Just this once, though, he sits just outside of the small hut, and trembles. It’s a bit torturous right now, to be still. Every so often, he gets up and paces, in spite of his aching muscles and tired body. Cyno scouts the area for danger once, twice, too many times to track. He is annoyed with himself and with his body, impatient to see Tighnari and more overwhelmed with each shallow breath. As much as he hates to admit it, Cyno is aware that in his current state, he would only be a distraction - or worse, a burden.

Tighnari finds him there, hours after his arrival. It’s dark enough that, even squinting, it’s hard to make out Cyno’s face. Though his posture relaxes somewhat at the forest watcher’s presence, something still something seems off. Tighnari ushers him inside for a better look.

The lamps illuminate a sorry state that the setting sun did not: Cyno is visibly exhausted. The bags under his eyes could just as easily be bruises. They’re so dark that it compels Tighnari to touch them, only for Cyno to violently flinch away. 

They both freeze. Tighnari blinks. That’s never happened before. In the privacy of their home in Gandharva Ville, Cyno has always basked in physical contact, seeming to need it as he does air. Now, he pulls away further, eyes wide, and trembles harder. His shoulders bunch up by his ears. When an ashamed apology slips from Cyno’s lips, it makes Tighnari’s breath catch. He shakes his head.

“No,” he says, pulling gloved hands behind his back. “It was my bad. I’ll brew us some tea.”

Cyno nods absently. He’s barely listening, Tighnari can tell. Hopefully the tea will help. Even the quiet pop of the stove clicking to life makes the matra jump.

“I’m just tired,” Cyno says, uncharacteristically defensive. “You were out for so long today.” Tighnari nods placatingly and stays thoughtfully silent as he waits for the tea to brew.

Once it’s ready, Tighnari moves slowly, and says Cyno’s name quietly to get his attention. He still startles, but accepts the mug with both hands and a quiet thanks.

The matra stays standing while they drink their tea. It’s painful to watch. His legs look too shaky to hold him on, the lines of his face drawn and tense at the effort. Tighnari should probably ask him when he last slept. He doesn’t. Instead:

“Did you wait long when you got here?”

Cyno shrugs and avoids his eyes, telling Tighnari everything he needs to know.

“You silly man,” Tighnari huffs. “Why didn’t you go in and rest?”

He doesn’t get much of a response. Another shrug. They finish their drinks in silence, Tighnari’s eyes traversing Cyno’s body, calculating and evaluating his needs. There’s a flush across his cheeks, and Tighnari wonders if he’s managed to catch a cold. It’s an unusual event, considering Cyno’s healthy constitution, but lack of sleep could certainly have made him more susceptible. 

Fortunately, the tea seems to be doing its job. Cyno’s eyelids droop, some of the tension in his muscles fading away. He doesn’t protest when Tighnari asserts that they’ll do the dishes in the morning. It’s unnatural, keeping his distance, but Tighnari is careful to give the other man his space as they transition to the bedroom.

Once they’re under the covers, Cyno speaks quietly. “Nari. You can touch me. I’m not– I’m not afraid of you.”

His breath is still coming in short, erratic huffs, making Tighnari hesitate. He hums softly, so Cyno knows he’s heard, and turns to face him. Cyno is turned away, and Tighnari aches to hug him, can guess that’s what Cyno would like as well, but then he sees a shiver run through him. He has to make sure.

“What do you want?”

The answer comes quick, with an edge of desperation. “Little spoon. Please.”

Tighnari is all too happy to comply. Never to this extent, but it has happened in then past that, after a particularly taxing job, Cyno needs some help with calming down. This part is familiar to Tighnari. He curls around his partner, chest pressed to back. His hand comes to rest over Cyno’s heart, and he can feel it pounding relentlessly.

“Tachycardia,” Tighnari mumbles, counting each beat. Definitely too fast, but not enough to require a trip to the Bimarstan. Not yet, at least. “For how long?”

Cyno makes a noise that sounds both pleading and irritated. “It’s okay, Nari. Just need to sleep.”

There’s little Tighnari can do at this point, so he lets it go. He snuggles in, pressing his nose against Cyno’s nape and clutching him tighter. He forces himself to stay awake; sheer willpower has him blinking his eyes open multiple times until he feels Cyno’s heart calm and his breathing even out. He presses a gentle kiss to his shoulder.

“Sweet dreams,” he murmurs, finally allowing himself to drift off as well.

–––

Cyno’s mind is not kind to him. He had hoped that Tighnari’s presence would calm his nerves, and it did, but only temporarily. He still wakes no more than 2 hours later with tears on his cheeks and a conviction that he’d done something horrific. He checks Tighnari over for injuries in a haze, his head pounding and stomach swirling. It’s fear, though he hates to admit it.

He wishes he couldn’t remember the last time he was this tired, but he can. He was about 12. Back then, he was…

Cyno bites his cheek, hard. He pushes the thoughts from his mind. If there was a time when he was a monster, then so be it. If the monster still resides with in him, then he will simply refuse to let it rise up again.

Though his brain is ready to move, his body is not. Cyno turns slowly out of Tighnari’s grip so as to avoid waking him with his once again racing heart. He’d like to prevent further questions about that. He doesn’t want to confess that it’s been like this for days. 

It truly is a relief to have gotten some rest. Tighnari has a uniquely calming presence on him, and for a while, it’s bearable to just lay there. Cyno tries to manage his breathing, tries to keep his mind blank or thinking about the forest watcher beside him. It works, until it doesn’t.

He hoists himself up with great effort, reassured when the pain shooting through his muscles brings clarity to his mind.

Then, he keeps himself occupied.

First it’s tidying the hut. Just little things, here and there - nothing that would be loud enough to wake a sleeping fox. Once he’s done as much as he can, Cyno slips outside. It’s dark, with only the moon and stars brightening the sky, but he’s long since learned to navigate without relying on light.

He finds a peaceful field nearby and trains his body, a familiar routine that is frustratingly more difficult than normal, until the sun starts to rise and the town starts to wake. His body aches. His head pounds. Cyno wanders the village and helps the older folks who rise early with their morning chores, and then he helps the older folks who slept in with theirs. One of them asks if he’s alright, and Cyno blames his wilting appearance on the forest’s humidity.

It’s still early when he returns to the hut. He plans to make breakfast in exchange for Tighnari’s hospitality, but the forest watcher is waiting for him in the doorway. From a distance, he looks annoyed. As Cyno draws closer, his expression changes to one of disbelief.

“Oh, archons,” Tighnari breathes, looking at him like he’s seen a ghost. When Cyno tries to look back, there are suddenly three Tighnari’s in front of him. Hm. That can’t be good.

“Cyno, sit down.” He sounds distinctly exasperated, “Do you even know what you look like right now?”

“Probably like a very strong, intelligent, and admirable human,” Cyno quips. 

Tighnari glares, ignoring the joke entirely. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Yes,” Cyno says, and perhaps he responded too quickly, because Tighnari’s eyes narrow keenly.

“How long?” It’s a demand more than it is a question. Cyno can’t help but hesitate. He knows Tighnari sees right through him, but suddenly his brain just isn’t working right.

“Don’t worry, Nari,” he mumbles. He tries to think of something reassuring. “I’m fine. I’ve been helping the villagers all morning.”

The concern in Tighnari’s face morphs into something more akin to horror. He shakes his head. “Get in bed.”

“I’m going back to work in a few hours.”

“You’re hilarious. Bed. Now.”

“At least let me make you breakfast.”

“Absolutely not.” Tighnari has been working himself up into a fury, and it’s alright - this is how Tighnari responds to worry. But then his face falls. Utter devastation mars his delicate features. Cyno trembles. He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know how to fix this. Tighnari, bravely, forges on.

“Do you– do you know that you’re hurting yourself right now?”

Cyno flinches away. Something aches, more than his muscles, deep in his soul. It swirls his stomach. He wants to sleep. He wants to relax. He wants Tighnari to smile and lie around in bed with him all day.

He cannot let Tighnari get hurt.

Unbidden, the vision from Cyno’s nightmares is superimposed on top of the forest watcher before him. It’s gone in an instant, but the damage has been done. Heat washes over his body and tremors run violently through him. Tighnari’s eyes widen, and then he disappears from Cyno’s vision. 

The matra manages a choked noise of protest. He wants to follow, but his feet are held frozen in place by an overpowering wave of nausea. He doubles over, retching, and Tighnari reappears, bucket in hand. Cyno grasps at it. He coughs uncontrollably until hot, burning liquid shoots into the container, a revolting splatter against plastic. There’s just barely time for a moan before he’s being sick again, choking on a few chunks of undigested food until they’re carried forward by another gush of puke.

“That’s it. You’re okay.” Tighnari’s voice is thready and strained. “You’re safe.”

He certainly doesn’t feel it. Cyno would’ve liked to remain standing, but his legs give out. Tighnari catches him by the waist and guides him to the floor as Cyno continues gagging and heaving. His head feels heavy, ballooning bigger and bigger with each heave, and the ground is shaking beneath him. There’s a moment of relief when Tighnari’s cool hand finds his forehead, but then it draws away with a curse.

“I shouldn’t have let you go out this morning,” Tighnari mumbles. As if it’s his fault. Cyno’s stomach squeezes, wringing itself out all the more forcefully and emptying into the bin.

He doesn’t remember leaning into Tighnari, but when the retching comes to a stop, Cyno realizes that he’s practically in his lap. Queasy tremors continue to run through him, but his heart is finally slowing. Tighnari holds him without complaint. He gives him time to catch his breath, waits as he burps again and again, bringing up a few more pathetic streams of bile, catches him a second time when Cyno slumps against him.

“Did you know you had a fever?” Tighnari asks eventually. Cyno just shakes his head. He’s spent, 100%. He doesn’t move when Tighnari’s hand falls over his heart.

“It seems… better. How are you feeling?”

It takes a moment to find words again, but Tighnari waits. “I didn’t do it on purpose, Nari,” he croaks. “I just can’t–” He squeezes his eyes shut, awful memories on the edge of his vision again. Tighnari hums.

“Tell me, Cyno. You can’t keep bottling it up.”

He’s right. Cyno knows it. And Tighnari knows about his past, he’s fine with it. Still. There’s a difference between knowing his monstrous history and finding out that he still carries the beast with him. That it’s with them, ready to attack, every night in bed. That Cyno can’t guarantee it won’t get out in the moment when he’s weakest. When he’s tired. When he’s sick. Cyno whimpers. He doesn’t know how to tell Tighnari this, and he doesn’t know if he should.

“You’re scared of something,” Tighnari whispers knowingly. “That’s okay. I’m scared of things, too.”

Yes, Cyno thinks, but not of me.

The thought has him lurching for the bucket again. His throat grates as he heaves, repeatedly, until he manages to weakly cough up a few splashes of bile. He’s so exhausted. And Tighnari is so sweet. It pains him, but Tighnari deserves to know. Cyno wipes an arm across his mouth.

“I could hurt you.” His voice sounds small even in his own ears. He knows Tighnari heard. He must have. And yet, when there’s no big reaction, when he doesn’t jump away or even tense up, Cyno second-guesses. “Did you hear me, Tighnari? I said–”

Tighnari snorts. As if he’s laughing. Defiance flares and Cyno’s fists ball up. When he speaks, Tighnari sounds entirely unfazed. “I heard you. You have seen my ears before, Cyno, haven’t you?”

Cyno squirms, irritated and planning to remove himself from Tighnari’s lap until a hand presses down firmly on his chest. “I heard you, Cyno,” Tighnari tries again, his voice serious, now. “And I don’t mean to dismiss your concerns, but really. I’m not afraid of you.”

“You should be,” Cyno says darkly, but Tighnari is shaking his head before he finishes speaking. 

“I know what childhood was like for you. I know it was difficult, and painful, and scary, and that you think you hurt people. But I also know it wasn’t your fault. You were a child.”

“I’m a monster.” The words slip out and send a clawing fear up Cyno’s throat. Tighnari holds him tighter, and nothing else happens. Tears flood Cyno’s eyes. “Tighnari, I– I’m a–”

“No,” Tighnari says firmly. “You are not. I trust you. The villagers trust you. Collei, who trusts few others, trusts you. Sumeru trusts you.”

Cyno wants to protest. They’ve all made a mistake. They shouldn’t. They don’t know what could happen, the risk–

“Please, Cyno, trust our judgement, for once. Just a little bit. Just for today.”

And it’s… Not a fix. It doesn’t obliterate Cyno’s fears, doesn’t make him feel wholly human. But something fizzles out, like a balloon deflating through a single pinprick. Cyno does not give his trust out easily, but for nearly as long as they’ve known each other, Tighnari has held it gently in clawed hands, never so much as threatening to scratch it.

Perhaps he’s simply too tired to maintain the tension that’s kept him awake for so long, and it will be just as bad tomorrow, but Cyno doesn’t think so. Dazed, but hopeful, for the first time in nearly half a week, Cyno nods. Tighnari smiles, and Cyno can breathe a little freer.

“Okay,” says the keeper of Cyno’s trust. He stands and takes Cyno up with him, cradled in his arms. Safe. Almost whole. It’s good enough, at least for now. “Let’s get you back to bed, then. When you wake, we’ll play a game of cards, if you want.”

Cyno mumbles something unintelligible into Tighnari's chest and falls into a deep and peaceful sleep.

–––

Send asks here!

[arachnxphobe]

random miguel hcs

will not admit it but he has cried to multiple animated kids movies

definitely the classics like toy story 3, the iron giant, and inside out

but he also BAWLED at the end of finding nemo because he was thinking about gabriella

he thinks that toothless from how to train your dragon is cute

no i will not elaborate on that

secretly celebrates st patrick’s day

likes to wear something green under his suit or have one piece of decor hidden in the depths of his office

has really low spice tolerance BUT really likes it and also he has a reputation to keep up as the big and tough guy so he WILL try and hide how much water he is chugging

he likes the dad ice cream flavours like pistachio and rum raisin

but hates dad hobbies like golfing or collecting stuff like antique coins or dioramas

he just doesn’t have the patience for it

can cook and bake!!!! actually scratch that he can do all of the chores and is basically a househusband but is simply unwilling to do it

peter b may or may not have gotten him a kiss the cook apron that may or may not be the only apron he owns…

he could 100% have gourmet meals every day but he doesn’t have anyone to impress but himself so most days he just lives off of the sealed, pre-cooked chicken breasts from the convenience store and reheated rice that he makes in a big batch once a week

because yes chicken can be store bought but microwaved rice tastes too much like chemicals, especially for his heightened taste buds

is a shower guy

he thinks that baths are too inefficient and most tubs can’t fit him

but if you somehow manage to find one that’s big enough…oh boy he’ll act like you are waterboarding him but honestly he’s having the time of his life

competitive as hell, even when he acts like he could not care less

like he does not understand the concept of letting somebody else win, why is he handicapping himself and letting them think they’re better than they actually are?

he doesn’t mean it in a way to establish dominance or superiority

he just thinks that it’s weird to let someone win because wouldn’t lying to them be worse? now they can’t even improve

designed his own suit and probably gets a little bit self conscious when someone comments on it because he really isn’t an aesthetics guy but he worked really hard and is proud of his suit 🥺

was perhaps a little bit salty about the dark garfield comment but you didn’t hear that from me

please never trust him with naming or decorating though because if left on his own, it’s either going to be the most disgusting combination of items ever known to man or quite literally the bare minimum

don’t even think about a bed frame, there’s a chance that he doesn’t even have a mattress

he’s good with personal hygiene though

a slight germaphobe in the sense that he wants everything to be sterile (a habit he picked up from always being in the lab) but is more than okay with getting his hands dirty, just as long as he can thoroughly sanitize them afterwards

a terrible movie watcher

he either does not understand the movie whatsoever and keeps on asking questions that they just answered a minute ago

or he’s ripping them apart for their weird pseudoscience

honestly his ranting ends up being more entertaining than the movie at times

be prepared for a full lecture if you don’t stop him at some point though

i’ve heard a lot of people throw out spanish songs that they think he would listen to but might i suggest some non-spanish songs

he gives me doja cat vibes, don’t ask me, i just feel it

personally, i don’t think he would actively listen to kpop or be into the fan culture but he probably enjoys some songs without even realizing they’re kpop

i’m thinking newjeans and maybe epik high??

ABBA

mitski and hozier (where are my depressed wlw at) because you know that when he’s in his brooding self hating mood that he needs suitable bgm

HATES cruises

something about being on water does not vibe with his spider-catness

neither does the overall cruise ship experience

hot tubs and buffets just don’t really do it for him

there’s not much space for privacy except for your own room but even then the walls are fairly thin

so it’d be nearly impossible for him to get any sort of peace

me and the rest of the internet all seem to have agreed that he has insomnia and i feel like a cruise ship would not help whatsoever

would complain about how the mexican food is just what americans think mexican food is like

is too much of a workaholic to take an extended break, and it’s too difficult to jump back into work should there be an emergency

[ghostlspirit]

|| male!Yandere x gender neutral!reader ||

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

tw: Yandere tendencies (it gets worse progressively yet still pretty tame maybe probably) Embarrassing moments, semi-stalking,

notes: PART 2!! My exams are killing me but this was fun to write lol. Maybe a little cringe at the end, but I'm still new to this so whatever! English is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes or errors. Hope you enjoy~

Masterlist

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You became friends

Well.. If you could call this wierd relationship "friendship". Maybe it's more like "still strangers" or if you're generous, "acquaintances". You haven't spoken since that one morning, not that you minded. If every conversation with him is that awkward and uncomfortable, you'd prefer it the way it is right now. I mean, you still don't know his name and he doesn't know yours.

You still see him regularly by the train station, and when your eyes meet, you give a small smile to acknowledge his presence, sometimes combined with a nod. He always smiles back, with a nod on his own. It's kind of become your greeting. Yet that's all there is, no desire to approach each other or strike awkward conversation, as you guys still mind your own business.

When you're in a good mood, and don't lack the confidence, you even give a small wave or show a peace sign. He always seems to smile brighter after that. You got used to him, and he slowly got used to you too.

What more is there to desire?

Fabian finds you wired, in a good way though? You're just so... normal? Maybe even below normal, but still nothing that strikes you as abnormal. At first, he thought you might be a stalker, or some wierdo with a crush on him. But after the whole spiel of you avoiding him, he thought otherwise. You're just some random person, with a painful case of social anxiety. Like, he judges you, compares you to others and such. Fabian tries to find a reason to stop finding you interesting, trying to find a reason to ignore and avoid you. He kind of has a reason already, (that being your awkward encounter) but he denys it. It doesn't count.

And just when he thought he figured you out, you suprise him the next day. Like today. He thought you were more of a cat person, yet you seem to stare at the golden retriever a little too enthusiasticly. "Maybe you like animals in general?" Or the other time - your habit of drumming with your hands - he thought he figured out your usual rythym, as it seems to be the same one every time. "Maybe your favourite song?" He tried to memorize it, even to a point where he repeated it throughout the day absentmindedly, trying to find the song it's supposed to fit, and annoying his co-workers in the process. Yet he couldn't find it. And the next month it was another rythym, faster and wilder. "Just what songs are you listening to?" Or the one time you nearly fell asleep in your seat, barely being conscious. The next morning you seemed perfectly fine. "You have an inconsistent sleeping schedule...?"

No, this isn't wired. He's just cursed with observant eyes, always noticing the littlest details people often try to hide. No, it's not like Sherlock, and yes, he does have hobbies. He just likes watching people and judge guess what their life is like. What kind of people they are, and what makes them tick.

Because of that, he exells at marketing and sales. He knows what people want or what their dislikes are, and can adapt quickly to that. He's in high position in his department, but not the CEO. Just a well paid office job overseeing and managing the lower ranks. You seem like a mystery to him though. Maybe it's because of his job that he's fallen into this... dilemma...with you. He's never really done this outside of work. Fabian compares this as bird watching, you being the bird and he's the watcher. He's also a perfectionist, obvious by his style - neat and tidy. He doesn't like mistakes or incomplete things, reason why he hasn't quit observing you. He's sometimes upset when you appear with your messy morning appearances. "Another rough morning for you? Or do you just not care about appearances that much?"

Fabian nearly collapsed one morning when seeing you. With your pant zippes open. You're just so??? He wonders how you are still alive! And you seem so oblivious to it too!! He doesn't know if he's supposed to laugh or cry as you give him your signature greeting smile. Your hair is a little messy and your eyes look tired, yet your smile is still very bright in his eyes. He bitterly smiles back, unsure what to do.

Was he supposed to tell you? He can't even imagine how he'll start the conversation. "Hey stranger I sometimes meet in the morning. Your pant zippes are open." - Yeah no way. He has a feeling that with your anxiety, he'll chase you away and you'll avoid him again, permanently this time. But he can't just leave it, right? Who knows when you'll realise, and he can imagine than when you do, you'll never show yourself in public ever again.

Maybe he shouldn't interfere at all. It's not his business after all, right? You both are still strangers, bonded over a simple "Are you okay?" but that's it. It shouldn't concern him that much. He shouldn't care that much. He shouldn't be drawn to you like this.

...

He can't resist, huh?

He can feel himself waking up instantly, using his brain to think of a plan, a strategy. If he doesn't approach you with a plan - who knows what'll happen. You're so unpredictable to him! He takes in other passangers position and determents if they also noticed you too. Seems good, everyone is on their phones. Alright, next. You're sitting, your bag besides you, also on your phone, Headphones in, would it be rude to start talking to you? Maybe it'll worsen your mood. Your pant zippers still open on full display. Wait, are those striped underwear...?

He looks away, blood rushing to his head, not something that happens often. Shaking his head he settles with hinting at it and hoping you get the hint. No-one will see the Interaction hopefully as they're all distracted on their phones. He starts with trying to catch your gaze. He stares, waiting for you to feel his eyes on you so you look up, as that seems to be a skill you have. It doesn't take long and you soon have a staring contest again. You can tell he's trying to communicate something, his gaze serious, but you're no psychic so who knows what he wants. "Is he sick or something?" You tilt your head, showing that you have no clue what he's saying. He uses his hands this time, moving and making silhouettes, you still have no idea what he's saying.

He feels blood rush to his cheeks as he shakes his head. Fabian takes a breather, and thinks again, frustrated that you didn't get the massage. "Better to rip of the bandage." You can tell he's contemplating, and when he makes his way over to you, you just confusedly look up to him. He looks at you again, and you can tell hes kind of... nervous? He points at the seat besides you with your bag, probably wanting to sit down. You make space, maybe he's dizzy?

"Are you okay?" you ask quietly, taking out one headphone as this is a very strange situation, again. You looked worried, perhaps he needs to go to the hospital? "Yeah," he quickly answered, licking his lips, shit you're so nice "Just uh,-" he leans over to you, quickly invading your personal space. You move back a little by instinct, making him stop as he whispered relatively close to your ear, goosebumps rising on your neck "sorry, please don't panic. But uhm, You're, uh, pant zippes are, are open...". Your eyes nearly jump out of their sockets, having a physical reaction to the news as you flinch and instantly check, hunching over yourself trying to hide. Yup, he's right.

"Fuck."

"Sorry" he answered, still whispering, as he places his bag on your lap. It's big but relatively light as it hides your whole lower half. You can tell it's expensive. "Here. No-one has or will notice a thing." He looks away out of respect as you take this opportunity to zip your pants finally shut. When you move his bag to him, he noticed your shaking hands. He takes it and sees you instantly hide your face in your hands, ears flushed and bright red. It's like you want to hide from the whole world.

After a few moments you gained the ability to speak again. "Thank you. Than you So. So. Much." You say with a shaky voice "You saved me again, huh?" Your words are a little rushed and slurred. "thank you.". He tears his gaze away and after a few moments he start to chuckle, then laugh. You shrink more into yourself "Is he LAUGHING at me???? SERIOUSLY?!?" He's holding a hand to his mouth, trying to hold in his laughter.

This is just funny to him. Hilarious even. The way his heart is beating rabidly, the rush of euphoria, your face, voice, messy hair - the whole situation with the zipper. "Sorry, haha - it's just, Its just - Phahaha! Why- why are we like this?" Why is he like this? He looks at you with crinkled eyes, face flushed, he has never felt anything like this before. You frown and reluctantly ask "Like what?". He shakes his head, trying to calm himself. Seriously, this feels like out of a comedy show. He kind of doesn't want it to end. "Awkward, embarrassing, uncomfortable, everything!" He proclaims, moving his hands to prove the point. You groan, now hiding your face in your own bag. If you could, you would have punshed him, but he did basically just helped and looked out for you. "Sorry" Is all you could muster - why must you always be so clumsy? Fabian's laughter died down and he takes a deep breath. "No, it's okay. Glad I could help." he reassures as he looks foward again, his head feels hazy after all that laughing. He really can't predict you, just how he never could've imagine his morning going like this. You're just so unique, so different from others.

You shift uncomfortably in your seat, feeling like you're being crushed by the world. You feel like you could cry, the humiliation weighting you down. Your heart stings painfully. Taking in a shaky breath you move your body away from him, so that he doesn't see the tears that are threatening to fall. He notices your movement from the corner of his eye and watches you. He really wants to know why he's so drawn to you, but he can't just ask something like that, right? Did you put a spell on him or something? Seconds pass and he pulls out his phone.

You rub your eyes, tears nearly falling but when you open them again there's a screen in front of you. Fabian leans in, shoulders nearly touching as he holds his phone to you, and playing on it is a...cat video? Your tears are forgot as you look up to him, noticing his calm face. "Science when did he smell that nice?" He notices your gaze and answer "Watching funny videos always helped me cheer up. Here, this is my favourite."

You put in the headphone he offeres reluctantly. It plays a cat that tries to jump up a snowy car, yet it failed miserably. The cat leaving a quiet meow as it mades the jump this time, puffing up with pride. But after the cat takes a few steps in the direction to the owner the cat slips and falls again, leaving you snickering at the face it makes. You lean in, shoulders are now touching as he notices your scent. His breath catches and becomes a little uneven, his personal space suddenly dissolved, welcoming you in, as you both start watching the compilation of funny videos.

You let your shoulders relax, the morning sun engulfing you two in a nice blanket of warmth. You bask in this moment of kindness from the stranger as you feel cared for and seen. A stark comparison from the treatment at work you get. His stop is coming soon and before he leaves you leave a genuine "Thank you, I really owe you one."

"It was no problem. Enjoy your day. And...be careful."

With a chuckle, a wave and another thanks from you, he leaves by his stop. He doesn't know when you get off as he doesn't stay longer on the train as necessary, but he wished he stayed longer. The moment was gone too soon. He still doesn't know your name, but now he desperately whishes he does.

Would you two be considered friends now?

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

Yay! Part two done! He's oblivious to his actions, what could possibly go wrong? I'm gonna start working on part 3 tomorrow and hopefully get it done quicker than this. And thank you for reading! Have a nice day!

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[missdeepend]

Why Natsu, Happy and Lucy Work as a Trio

Natsu, Happy and Lucy are just three in the group we get to know well in the shonen series Fairy Tail. From episode one we are able to register that this trio are going to be a fun group even if the story was focused on them. Of course it is not only focused on this set and the three have their big moments with other people, but their biggest moments are often with each other or for each other.  These three work in terms of the theme of Fairy Tail, something you will most likely hear me talk about in every post I make of Fairy Tail due to how important it is. The theme of this series is the glue that holds it together and although you can understand the events without this theme, it gives greater reasoning for the person’s actions and brings out deeper emotions in the reader/watcher. The biggest reason why they work is in a way that although they are friends they conceptualize a family bond. Natsu being the father, as stated by Lisanna when Happy was first found as an egg, Lucy as the mother, and Happy as the child. It isn’t a literal form of it by any means and Happy and Lucy would never have a parental look on each other. The best idea of this is to show that Happy is often the more younger joyful one, seen as a “father’s boy in some eyes. Natsu would be the brute, noted to be caring for his family but also a bit lost minded. Finally there is Lucy, the more mindful and kind of the group but also not afraid to put her foot down if needed.  Even if you do not see those three as a small family, their friendship is the strongest bond they have best bound together by their personality match. They each are filled with excitement and ready for adventure with their goals always in the forefront of their mind right behind what would be good for their guild and each other. Their own lives behind their goals. Lucy is the biggest example of the one that manages to keep a clear head during the most stressful situations while Natsu is the one to do what his gut instincts are aiming for. Happy is a mixture of the two, able to come up with ideas while also being brave when he needs to be and fighting. Even without thinking of these three as a trio, they still work as individual personalities, Natsu and Lucy being better than this than Happy due to Happy being so close to Natsu. However, Happy also managed to his own moments. Lucy manages to set herself aside as a sexualized girl, but she is also shown to be extremely smart and talented as a wizard. Natsu is the one that is your typical protagonist, a fighter who thinks of his actions later but has some sort of brain cell in there. He’ll be willing to do almost anything in order to get answers and his fiery personality gives him strength. Happy on the other hand finally had his moment during Edolas when he stands up for himself and Carla, but he is often stuck with either one of these two. However, when he is with these two he seems to bring out the best in them with his witty jokes. When watching Fairy Tail from the beginning to current, you see the slow build up of trust between Natsu and Lucy, although it seems a bit sudden at times. Natsu teases her at first, although she doesn’t understand his teasing quite yet until later and he doesn’t quite understand how truly smart she is as a wizard. However, as they are guildmates in Fairy Tail, they put faith in each other and trust the abilities that the others have. They flush this out as the series progresses with Lucy knowing full well that Natsu will protect her and she eventually does the same for him multiple times. Overall, I adore watching this small group and the relationship they have with each other. I do miss the original scenes we had in the beginning of the series, but alas the show goes on and so the stakes grow. Anyways, as always I would adore to hear your opinions! <3 So far your comments have been so fun to read and I appreciate the love I have gotten on my previous posts!

See you later in the Deep End!

[charbeloved]

A State of Gainsay

Word Count : 5,551

Warnings : Description of violence, The turning process of a watcher, Death, Grief : Denial, Revival

This is part 1 in a 5 part series.

POV : Tomathy Innit MineCraft

Note : Tommy does not cuss in this AU.

May 17th, Tuesday, 11:05pm

Tomathy, an 17 year old who works at L'Bucks, is almost done with his shift when he sees a light of purple shoot past the windows at the fleeing figure of a winged man. He goes to take a break from cleaning a coffee maker to take a peek out the window and sees Dream, the second in command of the L'Manburg county's hero team Dream Complex, fighting Vulture, the leader of the villain group Syndicate. The villain's left wing looked like a few bones were out of the spots they're supposed to be in. He went back behind the counter and resumed the cleaning of the products. After a few minutes he leaves through the back alleyway to not get caught in the fight. What he doesn't realize is the sound of Dream's power is gone, and thus the fight is over. As he's walking he finds the unconscious body of Vulture and leans over him. He starts setting the man's bones, and ends up waking the bird up. "Hey, I'm trying to help you. Don't kill me," Tommy softly says to the man, trying to stay calm himself at the same time, "I know how hard it may be to not panic." He is allowed to fully set the bones of the wing and is able to use his power to heal him. He continues his walk home at a faster pace then usual and notes that his two roommates and best friends, Ranboo and Tubbo, aren't there when he's home at 11:26pm again.

May 18th, Wednesday, 2:49pm

Tomathy is making an order for Aunt Lizzie when Quackity came in with a few friends, talking about healing. He listens in while his aunt is watching the TV.

"Seriously though, Phil. We do need a healer," his manager spoke softly in loud, whisperIng voice. "Yeah, yeah. We do just fine on our own. We don't have any need for a healer," the strange winged man replied. Quackity gave a doubtful look at the winged man before speaking, "I'm not gonna pretend I didn't see Tommy heal you last night. You were on the brink of death, dude."

Tommy stopped listening in on the conversation and focuses on work a little bit more then usual.

7:27pm

When he got home, Tubbo was playing on his phone in the dining room while Ranboo was quite literally nuking ramen in the microwave. "Boo, why are you cooking?" Tommy asked sternly while getting rid of the flaming ramen. "Tubbo wanted food!" "Then why didn't you just make a honey nector sandwich?" "Yeah, Boo?" Tubbo pops in, teasingly. "Why didn't you?" Tomathy smacked his best friend in the forehead, "You hush.. Mother Hen is taking care of this." The three barely contained their laughter before Tommy actually got onto the two for even thinking of letting one of them cook while Tommy made scrambled eggs and waffles.

June 7th, Monday, 4:02pm

Tommy made it to work, and immediately he is taken aside by Quackity. "Yeah, Bossman? What'd you need?" "Tommy, this is important. You must not say even a singular word of this, alright?" Tomathy nods, skeptical as Quackity is never like this. "Phil wants you to join the Syndicate. You already know one or two identities because of me, and if you decline you may die." Tommy is shocked, "Do I have to decide right now..?" "He said you'll have a week to tell me." Tommy nods, thinking about it while getting back to work.

June 9th, Wednesday, 11:03pm

Tommy started to walk back home from work when the ground started to fall beneath him, and a his arms are forcefully lifted up. "..Tubs?" Tommy says, hoping it's right. "Try 'Shadow,' To- Boy," A rough, familiar voice replies. It took a little bit for them to get to their destination, with this 'Shadow' guy making awkward jokes.

11:37pm

They make it to a cottage out in a forest, and that's where Tommy gets to see this dude's face. Turns out, he's Vulture. "It feels so weird to be in this form," Vulture mumbles. Tommy perks up at this, as Vulture is constantly in 'this form.' "My power's shapeshifting," 'Shadow' tells him, starting to ruffle Tommy's hair while they started to sit on the grass right next to a tree. "I will bite your hand if you don't stop petting me, Big S," the child warns. The hand does not lift, so Tommy bites the guy's hand, and sees him shift into a genderbent version of Quackity for a split second then into a navy-colored haired man. "Quackity?" The man looks up a tad bit. "Wait, I was scared of Big Q?" The man goes back to looking at the grass. "You okay..? You're nor-" "Shadow! Why did you bring the child?'" the real Vulture says, cutting Tommy off. "Not safe.. Code XD," Quackity mumbles. Vulture gasps, and brings Tommy into the house, and turns on the news. "Welcome to Everest News. This is Lauren Side with your Hero Update! Xavier Dean, much better known as the leader of the Dream Complex, father of number one hero Dream himself, and XD,  has been seen killing a innocent vigilante called 'Bee.' This vigilante was in the middle of helping an old woman across the street at the time of the murder. XD is no longer a hero, and instead is in jail. We have identified Bee as the civilian Tubbo Underscore. His partner, Ender, and friends will dearly miss him. Thank you for tuning in!" The room was udder silence. "He tried it to get me under his roof again, too," Quackity added. Vulture took off his mask when he called for his son, Wilbur, and the man was crying. "His father killed Bee, too," Phil said to his son. His eyes grew wider, and his fists clinched. "Tubbo is Toms' best friend and roommate," Quackity yet again adds, "And code XD for me too. That's why I brought Tommy, actually." Wilbur nods, and brings him to the room across from the one he came out of. The room contained a desk with a computer on it, and an axe hanging above. A bed with a blanket made with a red cotton and 3 fluffy white pillows was set for someone. There was a brown couch, and many blades on the wall next to it. There was a pig plush right next to the computer, and a rug with a pig's face on it in the middle of the room. The walls were painted a maroon color, a huge contrast from the baby blue walls of the living room, kitchen and hallway. Wilbur brings him into a tight hug. "Be.. Before Te-Tech di-ed, he-- he was ta.. talking about how y-you and The.. Theseus are alike," Wilbur said, sobbing and hiccuping in between breaths.

June 10th, Thursday, 3:28pm

"Hey, Tommy, wake up," A familiar voice says, "You've got a shift today." He opens his eyes slightly to see who's talking to him, because Tubbo would never talk to him so sweetly, nor would Ranboo's voice be able to reach that low with his voice. He sees Quackity, and remembers that he was in Vulture's house. "How long is the drive to L'Bucks?" "Around a 20 minute drive, Theseus," Wilbur says from the doorway. "And I want my hot choccy Bubba would always get for me while he got bitter coffee." "Wait, you're Tech's brother?" Tommy said, putting two-and-two together, "He was always talking about his whiny little brother who would be best friends with me." "I am not whiny!" "Anyways, get out the room while I get dressed, Athena," Tommy adds, teasingly. "I am not Athena! If anything, Dadza would be her considering he's too much of an empath!" Wilbur defended. Tommy kicked the taller men out of the room, and grabbed the uniform Quackity had left on the desk. He was in the room from earlier with the axe on the wall. It reminded him so much of his second favorite villain, BloodBlade.

Once he was done putting the uniform on, he checked the clock. 3:32pm. He opened the door after putting on the scarf Tubbo had knitted for him while he was alive. "Quackity's going to drive you to L'Bucks, please bring back the order Tech would always get, except the Frappé when you get off work," Phil had informed and asked him. "Tell Quackers over there to remind me. I may not have Boo's memory, but I won't remember that after 7 hours of pure work." "Sure thing, mate."

June 12th, Saturday, 12:28pm

Tommy had gotten back to the apartment on the 11th, but Ranboo hadn't been back at the apartment in over 24 hours. When Tommy had gotten back, it was 11pm and Boo left as soon as he saw Tommy. Jump in the c-BEEP! Tommy answered the call he got from the contact 'spooderphobia at its max.' "WHERE IN THE NAME OF CREEPER ARE YOU?!" "Hey, calm down," the man on the other side tries to reason, "I'm fine." "The fact I can hear SLEEPBOY talking to SNAPMAP in the back tells me otherwise." "Ender, who have you called?" Mushroom asks, seemingly to Ranboo. "Erm, my roommate, so he wouldn't get too worried..?" Ranboo answers. "You are a vigilante," Tommy states, "And you never told me?" Ranboo's phone picks up air, then suddenly stops and Ranboo whispers, "Y-yeah..?" "You could have at least told me! I would rather be able to know why you have strange bruises and cuts then have to pretend to be oblivious! At least then I could have tried to help you." "S.. Sorry." "It's fine." "Alri-" Ranboo is able to get out before he loses signal.

8:57pm

Tommy is debating on if he really should join the villains now that his roommate is now literally working with the heroes. "Toms, I'm home!" "About time! Quick question, do they know your actual identity?" Tommy asks. The tall 16-year-old shakes his head in a 'no.' "What's your perspective on Heroes and Villains?" "Villains would be good if they could actually get the help they need or the heroes stop picking fights with them, and heroes are manipulate people who bribe the news into only showing the good things about them." "What would you think of joining the Syndicate?" "..The Syndicate?" Ranboo asks in disbelief, "We'd have to find them first, and not get killed to ask! If we could, I would so join them!" "Thanks, I'll ask if you can join too since you're my roommate."

June 13th, Sunday, 3:08pm

Ranboo and Tomathy are waiting for Phil to arrive at the door. Knock Knock "Comin'!" Tommy called, running to open the door. Phil walks in, Civilian clothes on. "It's time to make your choice." "I've got one request, can Ranboo join, too?" "If you accept, indeed." "I accept. One thing, heroes have tracked down our apartment." Phil nods at this, calling for Quackity who now has wings. "Can you get these two to the house?" He asks, and Quackity nods. "Tommy, I'll fly you there again. Ranboo, Phil can take you."

June 14th, Monday, 10:59pm

Tommy walks over to the window at the noise, peeking through the curtains. He sees Creeper and Dream fighting. "You know," Creeper says, breathing quite hard while dodging an attack, "I wanted to be like you before you killed my bloody brother." A quiet hum came from Dream in response as he teleported behind Creeper, and put him in a death hold. "Hah," Creeper laughs, "How the ship has sunk, the most inseparable pair of Philip High trying to kill eachother." "Wilby would never act like you," Dream said, putting his sword to Creeper's throat. "Kill me, and live with the guilt when I'm unmasked. Leave me, and I'll stay silent about identity. You're choice, Clay." Tommy closes the window, and walks around and out the back door.

11:23 PM

The door creeks as Ranboo and Tommy walk into the house. Wilbur is crying while sitting on a couch, Phil soothing the boy. Tommy walks over to the two. "Hey, Wilby," Tommy says while Wilbur gives an even more pained look, "Where does it hurt? I.. I can heal it." Wilbur lifts his right arm up, covered with pink-ish bandages. Red is still slowly oozing out from beneath the plasters. Tommy walks over, and sets his hand atop the bandages, and looks towards Phil. "I'm trusting you set the bone?" A nod is the only response he gets before using his power. He closes his eyes, and is able to actually relax as he focuses on the injury. The more relaxed he is, the faster it will heal. A slight blue glow comes from under his hand as many wounds slowly close beneath the bandages. Once it is done, Tommy asks the brunette if there's any more wounds. Wilbur shows him his left hand, cut and bleeding. Phil audibly gasps, and tears start to form. Tommy heals each wound on the hand carefully, making sure not to upset a single nerve. "Thank you," Wilbur says, slowly looking up. "My neck, too, if you would?" Tommy leans down to more easily reach the wound on his neck and heals it. "Phil, I'm gonna drag Wilbur over to my and Boo's room, if you don't mind." "Ofcourse!" Once they get to Ranboo and Tommy's new room, still a work in progress since they had just learned they were being moved to Phil's house at 11:18 PM, Tommy sits down on the red bed while Wilbur sits across from him on the black-and-white bed in the otherwise empty room. "Wilbur..?" Tommy starts. "Hm?" "..Are you.. Perhaps.. Creeper..?" Tommy gets out. Wilbur looks stunned as he slowly nodded.

June 15, Tuesday, 5:03 PM

Quackity had given him a few days off so he and Ranboo could unpack their stuff. Tommy took out a few bookshelves, and rebuilt them. He took out BeeInnIt, and him on his bed. He put up a few Vulture and BloodBlade posters, and put up the fan art he made when he was younger. He put a plush of a flying pig up on the top shelf of a bookshelf, and put a few books up from his childhood. He put the 'Employee of the Month' picture up over a foldable desk. He put bee stickers over the desk, and started to set his pc up. Once he was done, and went to sit down on his bed and look at Ranboo's side of the room. The portion Ranboo had has a giant bee plush on the wall next to the bed, and a bookcase full of fantasy books with the Barbie movies. A TV was placed in the split of the two's room. "Boo? Do you feel up to making the drawers right now?" Tommy perks up, seeing the other sitting on the bed, panting. Ranboo checks his phone, "Maybe in the mornin. We've worked for three hours straight." "..You're kidding." "Nope it's 8:27."

June 16th, Wednesday, 6:09 PM

Tommy walks out, and is greeted by his favorite alive cousin, Niki. "Hey Toms! I want you to meet my brother Jack. He is known as Blaze. I'm Flower." "Ah, alrighty."

-----

"Samuel, SHUT UP!" a tall brunette man yells across the table. "I still don't think we should be the Dream Complex!" says Samuel, the black-haired man. "Brother. Sam. Please stop yelling. You're hurting Gog's ears," A female brunette says. The taller brunette looks at the shorter next to him. "Gogy, I'm sorry." His face gets slapped. The female, being the only reasonable one here, suggests a vote to change the name. A agreement is settled. The names chosen to be voted on are Dream Complex, Dream Team, Dream 'n Co, and Men and a Girl. The rules are as follows; Your cannot vote more then once, or for your own. Dream Complex gets no votes, as expected. Dream Team gets 3 vote. Dream 'n Co gets 1 vote, and George gets a smug grin. Men and a Girl gets no votes, and Sam shouts he couldn't think of anything and started to panic. The push out a news letter saying that their name has been changed to 'Dream Team.'

-----

June 20th, Sunday, 6:38 PM

"Pesky!" Tommy screeched, overjoyed to see his brother again. "TomToms! I see you've found Father!" Grian says, gliding down with his red, blue, and yellow wings. "..Found.. Father..?" Grian's ear feathers twitch before he nods. "Did you not realize Phil was our dad?" "..I didn't realize we had a dad in the first place." The two burst out laughing at the embarrassing moment. "..So that means a hero is..?" Tommy trailed off. "Yes. A hero is related to villains. Actually, Tubs is on the trail of being able to join HermitFusion. Where even is he?" Tommy let out a choked wail before responding. "Dead, he's dead just like The Blade. Gone, dead." Horror crosses Grian's face. "He.. He can't-- You're joking, right? Yeah! Ye-Yeah! This- This is just a terrible prank or.dream and I just can't wake up! Haha! Yep!" Ranboo comes out their room, eyes puffy. He sees Grian and runs over to the shorter man. He hugs him as tight as he can. "Don't- Don't die on me, like- like Tubbo did." Tears started to fall from Grian's eyes as he knew Tubbo was dead. Phil rushes to Grian and wraps his wings around his, pulling Tommy in. "Grian, thank you for doing as I asked. Thank you, I knew I wouldn't be able too raise him very well after Kristen died." "It's fine and not a problem, dad." "Thank you," Phil continued, sobbing. Tommy joined in on the hug. "I brought someone with, if you don't mind. A few someones, actually." Tommy and Phil broke away from the hug and stepped to see who it was. A petite brunette with green all over her outfit. Her eyes, too, were green. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had few wounds. Next to her was a tall brunette man. He had a mask around his head that resembled a head of a hog. He had a sword on his waist, being held by a amber-brown belt. He suffered many scars, his eyes of blood red. It took Tommy a second, but he finally registered who he was looking at as BloodBlade, someone who had died. BloodBlade introduced the girl as Clara, or Dream Complex- Dream Team -'s  healer, Drista. "I'd like to join the Syndicate. I do not agree with my brother's ways."

June 23rd, Wednesday, 2:01 PM

Shlatt had invited Tommy to Tubbo's funeral, and Philza went with. He did have to pay respects to his nephew, and check up on his family. "Liz? You actually dyed your hair pink!" "Oh! Phil! I need to introduce to you Joel! He's the father-" "You had CHILDREN?! And without telling me?" Phil cuts her off, jokingly offended. "Father of our fur-babies. We have two cats." she continued. A few moments later, the actual funeral started and they payed respects.

2:28 PM

Tommy was walking out, and chatting with with his father, aunt, and uncle when he saw a flash of purple. Hands grabbed his shoulders, and he was teleported back to Phil's house. Tommy turns around, and falls into Shlatt's arms. "Thank you, Uncle." "No problem, Toms."

June 29th, Tuesday, 2:57 PM

Tommy woke up, his arms tied around him. His mask was on while was patrolling earlier in the day. They'd finally come up with his name, Theseus. He'd encountered Mushroom, and at that very moment he was put to sleep. His mask wasn't there. "Ah, looks as if he is awake," Dream's voice booms from above him. A silence is spread across the room. "Reveal some secrets of the Syndicate." Dream demands. "W-what?! No!" Tommy yelps. Turning to a door, Dream says, undoing the ropes, "Hm. Xqulea, dispose of this boy. We in the Dream Team no longer need him." Grian walked out in his hero form, panicked. "P-Pesky..?" Tommy mumurs. "What was that? You wanted to be tortured before dying?" Tomathy burst out in tears, jumping up and running to hug his brother. "Pesky, are-are you okay? Why are y-you here? I-Isn't HotG-Guy and Whisper su-supposed to be f-fighting over your l-love? W-Where's Mum..?" "Shh.. Little, Gem is sick right now. I just got found by Dream and his squad. I'm okay. I'm sure Hot is getting his butt beat right--" "Ehem. Xqulea, you're supposed to be killing the boy." "Dream, if you wanna be like Sam you can. I, on the other hand, am not going to kill my baby brother." "I am not like the Killer Rabbit!" "That's what he forced me to do. Luckily enough, Toms wasn't there for him to actually be able to make me." "Oh, wait, so Theseus is Tommy, now hm?" Silence. "He may leave, alive."

July 19th, Monday, 11:37PM

Tommy is in his costume, patrolling with his father, Quackity, the pesky birb, and his emotionally adopted mother, Gem Tay or Crystalline. While walking, he thought about when Day talked about how Charlotte had met someone named Gemini. "Hey, Crystie?" Tommy starts. "No, no no no no," Quackity starts freaking out. Philza grabs the shaeshifter and gently holds him still, keeping his hands in view of Quackity's eyes and knowledge. "Hey, bud, it's me, Vully. Hey, hey look! Look, stupid bird wings haha!" He says, flapping his wings a little bit. "C-Cover.." "Mhm! Ofcourse! Now, I want you to remember that Theseus was not calling you that. Remember, Crystalline is here and is his emotionally adopted mother," Phil says, trying to soothe the traumatized shapeshifter while covering the group with his wings. "Greetings, Syndicate. Mayhaps I ask why you lot are all huddled in a cuddle?" Dream says, walking up on the five. "Oh! I see a hero within you all." "I'm just here for my brother and yours," Grian says coldly. Quackity looks at Grian with wide, shook eyes. "Wh-How..?" "Let's just say I knew Crystalline before Lilac did." "There's not way that one of thou is brethren from Xavier. Dance, shall we not?" Sapnap and Mushroom came out from behind trees, and they started to fight. Fire from SnapMap's hands flying towards Gem, Philza and Quackity fighting against Mushroom, Grian fighting with Dream. Drista can from behind we tree and started to fight Tommy with rock paper scissors. Tommy won 8 games out of 13, so he counts himself the best. Grian has Dream pinned down, and everyone freezes, not knowing what was fixing to happen. Sapnap burned feathers from the parrots wings, but he didn't even flinch. Mushroom tried to put Grian to sleep, and that didn't work, either. Even Philza and Gem tried getting Grian off the dude, but it was to no avail. "Do you even know what could happen with your power?" "No, why?" "You could make someone like us. I wasn't even like you until I lived with Killer Rabbit and PcyBun! Just as easily as we could kill or heal someone, we could turn them, and that feels like dying three times." A flash of purple is sent of in the distance, behind Grian where he could not see who was near. What he did not expect, though, was hearing Tommy wail before Tommy screamed loudly.

-----

Tommy 'woke' up to the sound of crying. All he could think of, though, was the massive pain in his back. He couldn't understand why he hurt so badly, or why had suddenly couldn't move, but something he could understand is his pesky bird of a brother was crying his name. "Tommy, please I can't loose you too," he cried, "I can't loose you like we lost Mum." Day after day, night after night. His brother crying on what was presumed to be his deathbed. "I- I understand that you are in pa-in," Grian choked. "Where ever you are you will always be my gremlin little brother." Some days Scar would come visit, too. "Hey, Tommy, we miss you and your crazyness," he'd always start, "We need you to wake up soon, okay?" Taurtis would always say the exact same thing as Scar when he came. Wilbur and Techno would sometimes come in, too. Always together. "Hey Toms, we miss you. Can you try to flex your hand for me?" Tech would always ask. Wilbur always told Tomathy's body dad jokes, Phil did too when he visited. Philza didn't visit alot, anyways.

One day, though, things changed. Everyone one was there. Scar, Taurtis, Grian, Wilbur, Phil, Techno, even Dream was there for some odd reason! "Tom-my," Grian choked out from his harsh crying, hugging him. "Plea-se wake u- up so-soon." Tommy heard the sound of boots step up, along with a quiet sob that sounded like Wilbur. "Tommy, if you don't wake up by next week they'll pronounce you dead," Wilbur said, void of all emotions but grief. "He's not dead, Wilbur!" Grian cried. Then, they left.

December 4th, Saturday, 2:39 PM

Tommy woke up three visits after the day that everyone was in the room, and the room was dim. No nurses or crying was able to be seen as Tommy realized he was really awake. "Nur'!" he yelled. The lights slowly turned on as the door opened and he saw his normal nurse at Pogtopia Hospital, Nurse Hannah, walk through with his family. "Tommy? You're awake?" she said in disbelief. "M'eah, 'ow long ha' I been out?" Tommy asked, slurring his words. "You've been out since July 19th, so just under," she trailed off, counting in her fingers. "Six months." "It' a'ready past Chrima'?!" A hand on his back causes pain to sprout. "No, Toms, you woke up just in time. It's the 4th," Grian tries to soothe him, turning to Hannah he asks, "Can we take him home?" Hannah nods, "Just make sure Brother keeps me updated. I know how hard this was when it happened to him.." "Ofcourse," Grian turns to Philza, "And I'm kidnapping my brother." Phil gives a thumbs up and Grian takes Tommy to HermitFusion's base.

3:57 PM

"Why have you called this meeting, G?" Scar asks. "I'm sure you all remember how much pain I was in when I left Sam's after he turned me?" "Grian, why are you-" Xisuma tried to ask before getting cut off. "Dream is a watcher, not a turned one but a born one. He didn't know he could transform others until it was too late and he had shot my brother with the power." "Tommy, Wilbur, or Techno?" Taurtis asks, "Techno could survive with little to no trauma, Wilbur a bit of trauma but Tommy could actually be driven insane because of the amount of pain it gives you, and combined with the grief of Tubbo? That's one to kill the world!" Tommy steps up, "Well then I guess the world will be killed?" The entire room gets loud quickly, and Tommy ends up with his ears covered by Grian in a corner and Taurtis cleaning the blood off his back. "G..? Why is there blood on on my back..?" Tommy asks, voice shaking and cracking. "It's because you're growing wings, and new eyes are opening. Tommy, soon you'll feed off of emotions and you'll have eyes no one else can see around you, and you'll see everything." "Gri..? I thought-" "I was a parrot, yes, I was. But, I am now a Watcher. Even after death, you will exist. Only reviving someone will even allow you to shed a physical form." "So I can revive Tubbo..?" "If you want him to have to build you a robot to have a physical form, yes."

December 8th, Wednesday, 1:09 PM

"Thes! Are you alright?" X yells through the Comm. "Axolotl send Cry, Lea, Hot and Whisp!!" Tommy yells back. Over the past few days, he'd become acquainted with the members of HermitFusion. Currently, though, he'd need Gem, Gri, Scar, and Taurtis "They should be behind now!" "Theseus! Are you okay?" "Xqulea! I'm okay but I do need help. Thorn and Diamond are being a pain!" "Thorn? Let me deal with her. She'll get Diamond to back down too," Grian says, walking over to Thorn. "Theseus over here is my little brother, Thorn. The youngest one, that is." "Oh I didn't realize! I am so sorry Theseus! Diamond, retreat. This is a battle you won't fight and I won't let get started." "Tell me at the base why."

December 25th, Saturday, 5:29 PM

Tommy sets out of L'Bucks after getting picked up by Philza. "So, merry Christmas, mate?" Phil says, sounding more like a question.. "Yeah, merry Christmas Dadza."

6:02 PM

They walk through the door to the Syndicate in costumes. "Niki? Jack? Big Q? Drist?" "Tommy, get HermitFusion and both of you get in your costumes. Brother's wanting to fight us and they have the Eggpire behind them, even though they are villains." Tommy grabs his comm off his waist and calls Grian. "Pesky, you there?" "Yeah, what's up Toms?" "D-Team wants to fight us- Uh, the Syndicate and they have the Eggpire behind them." "Oh. OH. I'll get X and everyone else!" "Cya, Pesky!" "Bye, Tommy."

6:36 PM

"I see you have received my message. I'm glad you agreed to fight," Dream says, "I suspect you don't know we have allies as you have none?" "Wrong, Clay Dean," Xqulea says, reaching the ground. "They have us." "Oh, so you decided to have your brother involved." "The Eggpire consists of only 3 people, of which one is a nurse I went to school with. Diamond, BadBoy, and Thorn. BadBoy is honestly really sweet and is being puppeteered by Xavior." "DREAM I THOUGHT YOU SAID THEY WERE WILLING!" SapNap yells. "I THOUGHT SOTOO"Dreamyellsback. "BROTHER SHUT IT" Thorn ends up yelling, stunning SapNap. "I'm the one who agreed to fight with you lot in the first place. Now that I understand Theseus is part of the Syndicate, and the only willing one of the Eggpire, I back down." "Oh? Scared of a newbie, I see." "I'll see you in my office once this fight is over, Thes and Xqulea!" "Wait Hannah?!" SnapRap yells, running after her. A wall of thorns grows in his path, and Diamond pulls BadBoy away. "Pesky, you can call the others off." "On it." "Oh, how generous," Dream laughs, "Show them what we can do, everyone!" "There's literally 3 people on our side and like 7 on theirs." "Oh well. Mushroom can put them to sleep." "Dream I'm not your puppet." "Just this once?" "No, but I will fight." Grian's wings flare open, and so does Dream's. Soon enough, Tommy and Drista are helping Techno, Phil, and Niki against Mushroom, Jack and SapNap are burning each other with Wilbur, Quackity, and Ranboo helping out Jack, and Dream and Grian are fighting. After an hour or two Tommy breaks away and runs to the cemetery. He finds Tubbo's coffin, it was over ground for some odd reason, and opens it. He places his left hand over Tubbo's torso, and closes his eyes. He focuses on all his energy onto his hand, and purple starts to spout out of his hand, and over Tubbo. The world around him slowly shifts to his old apartment and Tubbo crying in the corner, a dead version of him in the middle of the floor. "Tμßb•?" Tommy calls out, "¥∆u ®€@dy +0 b£ @|!v€ ag@¡n?" "T-Tommy..? Why- Why are you here in my limbo? Oh, please tell me you aren't dead!" Tommy reaches out and takes his best friend by the hand, pulls him up, and hugs him. "G°∆dẞ¥€, My f®£πd."

-----

Tubbo awakens, and he finds his best friend hovering over him, slowly fading away the stronger Tubbo gets. "Tommy?" He sees a black thing on him, and grabs it. "Theseus? Thes? Tommy? Toms? Tomathy? Hello?" a familiar voice practically yells through the device. Tubbo presses the big, black button, "..Hello? Who is this?" "Tubbo! Oh, no he didn't. I'll come get you, hold on." "..Who are you? You- You do sound familiar, don't get me wrong, but I can't-" "Yeah, I understand. Taurtis could only remember Sam and Me. Not even his girlfriend, as we were the closest when I revived him. You probably only remember Toms and Boo, right?" "Tommy and Ranboo, yes." "I'm Tommy's eldest brother, Grian." "Ah, so you're him!" The sound of wings flapping is above him, and tommy is only an outline. "Put the comm on him so he can still talk to us!" Tubbo puts the 'comm' back onto Tommy, as it was also fading, too. "I'm Grian, or the hero-villain Xqulea. Sometimes I help the Syndicate, most times I fight the Eggpire.

[mamahersh]

Right... right. MAG 192-194 thoughts. fuck.

Ok, so MAG 192-193 kinda felt like one bigger episode together, so I’m gonna lump them together. Starting off: 193 was really cool with how they set up the sound and the reveal in 194 about the difference in power levels between Jon and Elias in the ascendant Panopticon. Like, we are told in the Jonah room that nothing can really interrupt Jonah’s connection with the Eye as he is the focal point of the apocalypse all the terror is siphoned through and into the Eye. However, less than 5 minutes later we have Jon “taking a Statement” about Elias where Jonah is forced to participate in the Statement instead of Watching the apocalypse. So that was really cool, and actually even more cool for this being the first “collaborative” Statement we’ve ever had? Like, I think this is the first (and probably only) time in TMA that more than one person has participated in a Statement.

Also, I guess, to address Rosie: about all I can say is oof. No one deserves what happens to them in TMA, but Rosie definitely ended up pulling a “Jon” in that she was too close to Beholding and fed it it she could no longer escape even if she wanted. Not quite as literally as Jon, but she’s practically a Revenant or a Vampire’s slave at this point. She has thoughts of her own, but she exists only to serve the Pupil of the Eye at this point. Or just “Elias”? I don’t know if we ever get an answer about what happens to her during the events of MAG 200 from what little I’ve heard about the episode, but I’m definitely curious to find out. (And isn’t that the problem? Wanting to Know but never interfere, no matter how terrible it ends up being. And 100% that’s how Jon was Jonah’s perfect Archivist, because Jonah’s Archivist for Marking needed to fight the Watcher’s implicit tendency to Watch but never interfere just enough to get himself into situations where the other Powers had access to him, but not enough to try to escape the supernatural in any serious capacity. fuck, getting this “on paper” made it actually click holy shit.)

One last note about 193: I know the Statement is OG!Elias’s, but why do I have a very strong suspicion that Jon’s interview went very similarly to Elias’s, and that’s why Jonah/Elias played a part in the Statement recital? What are the odds that Jon pulled something similar in both the “What are you afraid of” and “Why are you here” sections of the interview? Even worse: do you think Jonah managed to give Jon a minor panic attack in his interview as well? Things to think about I guess.

And finally, 194: #1) that was rough. They needed that argument don’t get me wrong, because Jon still can’t actually communicate but he also still struggles with falling to his monstrous tendencies; and Martin is still trying to keep Jon on the straight and narrow. I will say, I thought the “sending all of humanity to it’s ultimate demise faster“ plan had been synthesized with this revelation about being able to control the apocalypse. I thought Jon had told Martin about this plan before the evil spider plan. He still might, and probably will, and it shouldn’t still surprise me that Jon is still incapable of making good plans, but this definitely recontextualizes some of the time travel fix it fics I’ve read in the last several months. (How on earth have I only been in this fandom for upwards of 4 months? It feels like years and my bookmarked fics hit over 120 recently.)

#2) It’s very amusing to me the Eye tries to communicate through Statements. It makes sense that a sapient fear god communicates through other’s trauma, and opens the floodgates to questions like: if the Stranger created it’s own version of Magnus’s apocalypse, how would it communicate with it’s designated linchpin? The Hunt? The Dark? ect.

#3) Ok Martin, I get it. Your BF is impossible and the spider lady who you seem to hate way more now than you used to has a plan, and by God you need literally anything all to convince your BF to not metaphysically kill himself in a bid to move the suffering around to people who “deserve” it. Because you don’t trust that he’ll come back from “thinking” without trying to convince you again that it’s a good idea.

It fucking kills me how terrible these two are at trusting each other. I know at the start of the season I was bemoaning their unhealthy dynamic, got excited mid-season that things were turning and they were making baby steps towards maybe being healthier towards each other.... But nooooooooo.

I think what gets me most though, is that all these problems are normally fine in long form slow burn relationship portrayals. Like, even in a healthy relationship these kinds of pressures would be sure to cause some strife. But we never get to see them have a functional relationship. The 3 weeks in the cabin we can presume they at best “honeymooned” at, was all off screen. We went from them having a moment to reconnect for the first time in months - over a year, to them sounding relatively happy together before Jon accidentally kicks off the apocalypse. I mean, we get snippets of Martin trying to help Jon cope in the cabin, but the moment they’re on their first domain they’re falling apart at the seams with little moments sprinkled throughout that almost feel forced because there’s just... no background to it? augh, I’m so terrible with words, but does any of this make sense?

In any case, I feel for both Jon and Martin in this, but due to my particular leanings towards Jon as Blorbo of my Show; I’m probably going to be more sympathetic to him even if Martin is generally speaking, the better person in every conceivable way possible.

[trinoxtrinox]

Danny's guardian

Ectoberhaunt 2022, Side Chaos. Prompt: Wraith

Summary:

Wraith: The word has no certain etymology. J. R. R. Tolkien favored a link with writhe. Also compared are Scots warth and Old Norse vǫrðr (“watcher, guardian”), whence Icelandic vörður (“guard”). See also wray/bewray, from Middle English wreien. Perhaps from wrath as a wraith is a vengeful spirit.

Vǫrðr: In Norse mythology, a vǫrðr (Old Norse: [ˈwɔrðz̠], pl. varðir [ˈwɑrðez̠] or verðir [ˈwerðez̠] — "warden," "watcher" or "caretaker") is a warden spirit, believed to follow from birth to death the soul (hugr) of every person.

Concent Warning: Death, but then again, it's Danny's death that gets mentioned, does it really count?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

In the backyard of Fentonworks resided a tree, it wasn’t the tallest tree of them all, standing at 70 feet tall, with a white trunk filled and patches of light brown, no knots present in any part of it’s bark and branches twisting and going up and down, side to side, leaving all the leaves to give the tree as a whole a dome shape stretched to the top, leaves which are more often than not dark green, with some of them that haven’t fully grown yet being light green. Its roots spread deep underground, with all of them being thick as well.

This American Basswood has been in this lot for quite a while, with it being 85 years old, and despite it not being the strongest tree, it has managed to stand tall and proud all the time, no matter the weather nor the condition of the place.

From the roots of the tree rose a light, which was tinted green and barely illuminated its surroundings. From said light eventually a baby was formed, one that remained invisible all the time for the human eye. Said ghost floated away from its tree and eventually came upon a window, from which it remained a respectful distance away as it saw the baby whose appearance it was copying sleep peacefully.

“Another night safe from the dangers of that house.” the ghost spoke, smiling softly as he said so, only to frown upon thinking something else, “Or at least for now.”

He began floating away from the house and back to the tree it resided in, leaning himself against its bark as it had done plenty of nights before. “Oh if only I could spare him of his fate.”

“You know you can’t.” another voice joined him, as he felt a medallion slip onto his neck and landing softly on his small chest, said medallion occupying the totality of his torso. Beside him floated calmly a ghost with pale blue skin, purple cloak covering his face and the sound of clocks chiming from both his wrist and chest, both of which showcased a variety of watches from different time periods.

“I know Clockwork, that doesn’t mean that I have to like it,” the ghost who was faint to the sight thus far showed himself, showing that he was indeed a carbon copy of the bay in the room before, however instead of having his black hair or blue eyes, he had white hair and neon green eyes; not to mention that their skin was darker than the human counterpart, “it’s always sad to see a young human pass away, and even though he’ll survive, a part of him will still die.”

“That’s why you’re his Vǫrðr, you’ll be able to help him and protect him once the time comes.”

“In this time and age the correct word is Wraith and you know it.”

“Yes, however due to Dungeons and Dragons, your kind has gained an unfair stigma, one that I wish would have never started to begin with, but alas, it is unwise to change history and avoid those negative connotations to bleed in to begin with.”

“Anyways, have you only come here to stop me from trying to do something stupid or is there another reason?”

“Perspective as always Phantom.” At this the master of time, who now resembled an infant much like the Wraith in front of him, lowered himself until he was touching the roots with his own tail. “You know that young Daniel’s future is full of hardships, and those will make your job of protecting him difficult as well; what I came here for is to give you a warning, and something else as well that will help you once the time comes.”

At this Phantom stilled, looking straight in the only good eye Clockwork had. “... I’m listening.”

“Not so young Vǫrðr, the warning you’ll need to heed and remember is that soon this tree won’t be safe for you…” watching how the face of the young wraith paled, Clowork changed into his elder form and continued, “... the Fenton’s defenses might be lax and weak right now, but eventually by the time young Danny reaches the age of 10 the backyard will be within the range of detection of the security system.”

“B-but that’s not going to be healthy for me, being forced to be far from my tree when Danny is in his home where I won’t be able to protect him even then. How will I be able to accomplish my purpose when that happens?” a quivering voice was heard when Phantom opened his mouth, and even though he regained a semblance of control by the end of it, some tears could still be seen on the rim of his eyes.

“You’ll find a way Phantom, do remember where you come from when the time comes, and you’ll be able to keep yourself healthy alright.” Clockwork became an adult once more, and once the transformation was done he continued speaking. “What I’m giving you here is a gear that’ll be able to deactivate the house’s defenses, however do remember that it’s a one time use item, so don’t waste it.” That last part was said with such intensity that it caused Phantom to gulp and nod nervously as he received a gear with the initials CW etched inside it.

“The day Jack and Madelline Fenton finish the portal, and before it actually begins, you’ll need to be there present,” emphasized the Ancient, pointing with his staff to the Wraith, “if you want to properly protect your charge when the time comes, you’ll need to be next to him, and that gear will be the only thing that’ll allow you to get inside that house. It lasts for 24 hours, so that should let you do everything safe and sound and get used to the future.”

“Understood” replied Phantom, only to float down and phase said gear into the ground, next to the roots of his precious American Basswood. “Anything else before you leave?”

“Yes, this won’t be the last time we’ll meet Phantom, and I’m looking forward to the time where we find each other’s faces once more.”

“Thank you for your help Clockwork.”

“You’re welcome Phantom, goodbye.” And with that, the ghost left, taking with himself the medallion that was sitting on the torso of Phantom.

The years continued to fly by, and Phantom’s appearance changed alongside Danny Fenton’s, always being a carbon copy of himself with the differences in his hair, eyes and skin color. Eventually the day where the Fenton’s security system began reaching the backyard, Phantom became nervous and couldn’t think on what to do, until he recalled Clockwork's words and phased himself underground. Thankfully the defense system couldn’t detect anything underground, so he was safe there, but sadly he couldn’t defend Danny from anything that happened inside that house anymore; Phantom had no more option but to have faith that Danny had enough common sense to avoid dangerous objects and that Jazz would protect him whenever he could not.

Finally the time came though, where Jack and Maddie announced that they would turn on the ghost portal, and when they left the house dejected for their daily patrols. Jazz was outside at the time Danny invited Sam and Tucker inside, and Phantom knew that it was time; recovering the gear from its hiding place, he threw it at the house and, after waiting a few seconds, went inside in search of Danny. He eventually found him, but by then he was already donning his own hazmat suit. Phantom began floating beside him and put his own hand on top of his shoulder, and they both entered the portal together, even if only 1 of the 4 beings present really knew that. A flash of light, some molecules rearranged, and one fusion between a human and his Wraith later, and Danny Fenton-Phantom was created.

[mr-buisson-bosquet]

Something I realized is that Keita and Koen have a LOT of similarities. They both have red as a main color, a legacy kept by their respective grandfathers (the creation of the yo-Kai Watch for Keita and the Enma clan for koen) and both of them share the same ideals about the bond between humans and yo-kais, but also played a major role in it.

It's true that I never quite paid attention to this before, but these two do indeed have a lot in common !

I guess you could say that both are also a sort of ambassador in their own kingdom as well, with Koen in the Yomakai and Keita in the human world-

I also realised something, but their personalities when together could also be associated to Itsuki and Shin from Forever Friends !

By going even further, we could even theorize that this is the same friendship, simply in a different timeline ! And while we know that Nathaniel and Shin are from different families, I think this theory still has some charm nonetheless !

Itsuki, the independant, rebellious but somewhat mature twelve year old, not by choice but because of the loss of every one of his family member. And Shin, the unnoticeable mailman, living an average life (in the beginning at least) who inspires Itsuki to become a great ruler to make his friend proud.

All of this could sound quite familiar to Koen and Keita !

Koen, the young king without a biological family, pressured into perfection to be as responsible and mature as possible, and Keita ! The average boy without much to tell, who will help his newly made friend (that being Koen in the second movie) to become a better ruler that everyone can be proud of. Which would also explain why Koen immediately put his trust in him, beyond simply his role of Watcher, and why they always get along so well.

And even though Shin and Keita are absolutely not related whatsoever, maybe the sole fact of finding a Watcher with a similar personality to his former friend was enough for Koen to make friends with him !

But if this whole argument still makes a tiny bit of sense, it goes to show that mourning is definitely a difficult task for Enma... even if he manages to see Shin again several years later, this poor kid must have felt so much guilt all this time...

But anyway, thank you very much for pointing these similarities out because I would never have noticed them on my own ! I don't really pay much attention to Keita in general, so it's especially fun to link him to Koen once in a while ! XD

[sparxwrites]

Hi!! I'm the anon that sent that long and uh, "immaculate" ask about the scarian fic :D I'm really happy that you liked it so much, it made my day to read your response <3 (i somehow saw it only days after you responded and i was like "aw man it'd be awkward to respond so late" so... i didn't, sorry ;-;)

But!! I saw you were curious about the Winged Grian lore, so I'm gonna try to expand a bit on what other have already said.

So, there's a few ways that the fandom originates Grian's wings: Avian/Mob Grian, Watcher Grian, or simply Shapeshifting Elytra.

Avian/Mob Grian: Either born as an avian (a person with bird characteristics) or a mob (aka parrot/chicken). This usually presents as: Grian with white chicken wings, parrot wings (either the tri-coloured mc one or other irl parrot species) or custom coloured wings pertaining to his colour palette. Lately, due to Him getting the Dragon Egg and protecting it, people have also been giving him dragon wings, which belongs to the headcanon that his wings have shapeshifting abilities. This headcanon (i can't remember who first made the headcanon, sorry!!) can be found related to the other origins as well. (You might also find older stuff with dragon wings due to a very brief story line at the end of s6).

Watcher Grian: The backstory to this one is pretty big, but to condense it: In Grian's previous SMP series, Evo, there were beings of great power that tasked themselves with creating worlds, updates and so on in the MC universe. It happens that they take an interest in Grian and his server, helping them along the journey of hopping from update to update, beginning from the Alpha build. At the end of the series, right as Grian & co go to the end to defeat the Ender Dragon, Grian is taken by them (this technically was him starting his Hermitcraft series at this point, but lore wise it's a big blank of time). They are not really shown as malevolent, but since we don't really know their true motives, people went on to create their own takes of them. ATUS (And the Universe Shifts) was the most popular HC fanfic for a long long time (it was even read by Cleo) and it is what shaped today's most popular interpretation of the Watchers: entities with too much power and too little compassion, aka pretty evil! Anyway, Watcher Grian is presented as: Purple, lots and lots of purple and void and EYES (the SUPER focus on eyes is a bit more recent, tho), with the Watcher symbol & mask. He's been called (by the fandom) the Red Watcher, Techno's Blood God (due to the red watcher thing) and the Chaos Watcher. Wings usually are purple, void, cosmic, EYES, red, black, his cloak, or a combo of any of those.

Shapeshifting Elytra: this sorta speaks for itself. It's actually a headcanon that is used for all the other hermits as well, due to the focus being on the Elytra, rather than the character's origins! Mostly, the idea goes like this: Elytras take the shape, form and colour of whatever the player is like, unique to each of them. For example, Scar, as he is sometimes (canon and fanon!) a vex mob/hybrid, would have vex wings, sometimes he'd have wings matching his outfits and skins. This is presented as: Grian's wings shifting from watcher wings (s6) to (sometimes, depends on the fan artist) chicken wings (s6) to parrot wings (s7) to dragon wings (s8). That, or simply from parrot species to other parrot or bird species across seasons & smps (like last life).

I think that's all! I miraculously haven't hit the word limit in anon asks, so imma stop here, before i do! Hope this is helpful, but if you'd like to know more, check out @/give-grian-rights, they're basically the expert on Grian and his lore :D I'd also be okay with dms, btw, as long as you are too, but tbh I'd prob just ramble on and on (like I haven't already xD) Hope you have a great day <3

ah, hello again!, and yeah, that’s pretty much what i was aware of - thank you for the very comprehensive guide, though.

i’m very ambivalent about assigning hybrid status to people who don’t have skins that make it very evident they’re some kind of animal/mob cross, but i do very much like wings and i think given grian’s history of bird-related pranks and fondness for flying, i can see where it came from... i’ve seen some of the elytra designs for all the hermits, though, and i loooove them, they’re so good. very fond.

the watchers have shown up in last life since evo (which i have now watched in its entirety; taurtis my beloved...), btw - watch inthelittlewood’s pov for more. they’re pretty unequivocally evil in that. and, i’d argue, they’re also pretty evil in evo. the only reason it gets overlooked is that like... grian is almost worse behaved lmaooo.

...someone remind me at some point, when i’m drowning in work a little less, to write a meta post about how c!grian is, in fact, kind of a Bad Person. especially in evo, where he kills and explodes and burns and traps and teases remorselessly, and generally without asking permission, and often taking it just a few feet over the too far line. and how that makes him more interesting to me, rather than less, this man who’s natural inclination is chaos and violence and explosions and an absence of natively-felt empathy, very carefully reining himself in for the sake of his friends, because he was told to, because they asked him to, because he cares about them and wants to be liked and accepted. and also makes me want to use him as the world’s featheriest football even more, rip.

(also my dms are always open, as a general statement!! i know like... nobody in this fandom, it’s like me and one poor fucker i’ve dragged in after me, please come talk to me about shit. but also please bear in mind, depending on your age, that i am Very Much over 18, and that this blog / myself is intermittently 18+ in the nsfw sense.)

[be-a-snake-stab-your-brother]

Oh ho ho ho prepare thyselves, I have some thoughts about Loki's appearance in the latest What If... episode

Let's jump into this.

Okay. So Loki shows up with an (if not the) entire contingent of Einherjar and the Warriors Three (Four, really), giving the same damn speech he did during Infinity War, minus the "Odinson" portion.

Okay. So Loki shows up with an (if not the) entire contingent of Einherjar and the Warriors Three (Four, really), giving the same damn speech he did during Infinity War, minus the "Odinson" portion.

This isn't a mistake. Loki, at this point, damn well knows who he really is and why. And assuming that events up to this point follow the same trajectory as the "sacred timeline" (does anyone else think the "Watcher" is just Kang hanging out with a bowl of popcorn overlooking the multiverse because that's how I'm reading it...) Anyway, assuming everything we see in the first Thor movie holds true up until Thor's murder...

And that's just the thing, isn't it? It's Thor's murder that is the "nexus event." Loki comes screaming down to Midgard, apparently having secured the loyalty of all of Asgard as its acting King (he's still holding Gungnir, after all) so something must have gone on behind the scenes for everyone to start trusting him. Even when they obviously know he is Jotun.

AGAIN, HE LEADS WITH THE WHOLE JOTUNHEIM THING. Doesn't deny it, proclaims it in front of the entire Asgardian army. This...this is a very different Loki than we saw in the first Thor movie. Whatever shame he held about being Jotun, he's at least come to partial terms with it. And it's not the reason he ends up taking over Midgard/Earth (more on this later).

Loki isn't on Midgard because he wants a kingdom. He's the "rightful" King of Jotunheim, not the actual one. And he's actually quite forward about the fact he's rallied the entire Asgardian army to avenge his adopted brother's death. He loves Thor that much. (As if Asgard would deny him this. Of course not, they'd want their "pound of flesh," or more, just like Loki does.)

Remember the Loki series? When Classic Loki just wanted to see his brother again? This is the same thing.

Now here's what I find really fascinating.

When Loki goes for his show of strength, when he declares he will reduce Midgard to ruins (specifically, "ash and ice") if he doesn't get the "pound of flesh" aka the entire corpse he deserves (and just...the meta of this...the pound of flesh being a reference to Merchant of Venice and Tommy H being a Shakespeare expert is just perfection on every level)

Anyway, Loki goes for the bloody Casket of Ancient Winters.

Again, Loki has Gungnir, which is not only a weapon no one would laugh at, but a symbol of the Asgardian monarchy, and yet he takes them all out with the Jotunheim Casket. I mean, fascinating. And Loki doesn't turn blue while handling it, which I believe (contrary to some internet opinion) means he has mastered the Casket as its wielder. Meaning he's come to terms with his identity. Even if he still hates Odin, who may be dead or alive at this juncture (Frigga is most definitely alive, or else Loki would be having a breakdown). I find this choice utterly fascinating.

So I want to reiterate that through this entire exchange, Loki is on Earth for a single purpose: vengeance. He wants his brother's killer. He shows no signs of desire to take over the planet, to subjugate its people, and he has never met Thanos (in any iteration) because he never let go on the Rainbow Bridge. It's not until later, not until Hank Pym spills some beans regarding Fury, that Loki seems to switch tracks.

So Fury and Loki strike a deal and Loki (illusioned as Fury because that is most definitely one of the powers Loki has) outs Hank Pym as the murderer of the proto-Avengers, who is on a revenge tour due to his daughter's death during her SHIELD days (which was likely an alt-universe Bucky Barnes/aka the Winter Solider seeing as it was in Odessa and that's just an entirely different story to deconstruct).

But here's the interesting part:

Remember, Fury is not Fury here. I doubt the real Nick Fury would ever refer to Thor as a "Prince of Asgard," and so we know this conversation is happening between Loki and Hank (and wow, I a) never thought I'd type that sentence and b) I cannot believe Marvel got bloody Michael Douglas to play this character, holy hell).

But the important thing to remember here is Hank's point of view. The way he casually says Fury would have recruited Thor for his initiative. Hints that if Fury had done so, he would have considered Thor as an expendable hero. Outright says he would prefer Fury's death over Thor's and this is the moment I believe Loki decides to conquer Earth. Because he cannot trust these warring factions and his brother is dead because of it.

And Loki wipes the floor with Hank. Think about it. Hank has managed to kill all of the Avengers minus Steve Rogers (only due to the fact Steve was doing his popsicle impression at the time). He managed to kill Thor.

And Loki destroys him within a few minutes. I mean, what a testament to our deity of mischief.

But has Loki really gotten his pound of flesh? Hank is taken away, not dead. Thor is still gone, forever. And there was enough logic in what Hank said during their confrontation (after all, Loki would know about being used as a weapon, or at the very least a means to an end. He had that conversation with Odin. He will not stand to see it repeated with Thor). There was enough in that exchange with Hank, there was enough in the negotiations with Fury...that Loki directs his army (his legitimate army who does not rebel against him) to take over Earth in what we can only assume is a mostly peaceful coup (minus some frigid temperatures here and there, but you know, we can just say Loki was counteracting global warming at the same time.) No Chitauri, no Thanos, no utter craziness.

Just...retribution on this planet for making Loki lose what was dearest to him.

[alexiethymia]

A Case Study on Vanitas’ Character: On Vanitas’ Two Conditions

Since they’re animating the What is Love? episode next (episode 7), I couldn’t help but want to talk about that chapter. [spoilers for anime-only watchers!]

Vanitas has two conditions for Jeanne: 

1) She mustn’t drink blood from anyone else but him.

I admit that like Jeanne, it’s easy for me to fall into the trap of thinking Vanitas is a better guy than he is because of certain biases. Let’s admit it, this part was plain blackmail, and yet for some reason, with what we know of Vanitas now, there are also different ways of seeing this scene. 

Vanitas is ‘blackmailing’ Jeanne, but at the same time that blackmail is actually him also offering a solution to Jeanne’s problem. AND YET, HE DOES IT IN SUCH A WAY SO THAT JEANNE NEVER HAS TO FEEL LIKE SHE OWES HIM. More to the point, he does it in such a way to ensure that Jeanne continues hating him. In other words he, in his own twisted way, is doing a nice thing for Jeanne, while ensuring that she never likes him for it. Now I’m not saying it’s a purely altruistic thing, but I still think that Vanitas is drawn to Jeanne because she reminds him of himself back then. If so he knows precisely how to get her to receive help albeit through manipulative means. 

It’s not a purely altruistic thing. He states it so himself, what he gets out of it is the ‘divine feeling’ Jeanne sucking his blood gives to him again purposefully painting himself as a pervert so that Jeanne wouldn’t like him for helping her. But if we are to believe some theories that it’s not actually as enjoyable as he himself paints it out to be (I digress, but I think he’s being honest here. He strikes me as having a bit of a masochistic streak in him) (I digress from my digression, but theory time, what’s his bases of comparison?? Who besides Luna and Jeanne have drunk from him??), then there’s another dimension to his condition of ‘you must drink blood, only from me’. If he’s just in this for the feeling it gives him, then why word the condition that way? He’s never stricken me as possessive of Jeanne despite his words of ‘I want to possess all of you’, and as he’s stated, he doesn’t want Jeanne to love him back. I think this is just another case of his ‘use me’ mindset rearing its head again. He’s said it to Count Orlock, and we know that it started since his time with Dr. Moreau. It is definitely, definitely, unhealthy, and I believe it’s also coupled with his slight suicidal tendencies. If worst comes to worst and Jeanne ends up going out of control and killing him, he seems not to care. 

Going off tangent here, but another one of his contradictions is how ruthless he is at surviving and yet how careless he is with his life, especially when it comes to people caring for him. He’d rather be left in the snow than have Jeanne take care of him as repayment for him protecting her, or when he got angry at Noe for protecting him from Ruthven.

But at his core and as Luna stated, Vanitas is a kind child. It’s developed in an unhealthy way, but he’s quite self-sacrificial. It’s fine for Jeanne to use him so that Jeanne has a focus or outlet. At least when the craving for blood gets to be too much, Jeanne knows there’s someone she can drink from, which helps her so that she doesn’t lose control and lash out against Luca for example. And on Vanitas’ side, it seems like it’s fine for him to be put at risk so other people don’t have to be, and on Jeanne’s part too, it also helps her from further hating herself if she ends up hurting other people. 

In other words, his condition is both a selfish and selfless one, yet he paints it to be blackmail. It’s not an entirely good thing for him to do, because there’s definitely power play involved, but it’s also not as scummy as it is initially presented out to be with what we now know of his past. 

2) For Jeanne to call him by ‘name’. 

There are so many things going on here that I just can’t help but ramble about it. Firstly, I’m really interested in how this’ll be translated in the anime. Did Vanitas say call me by ‘Vanitas’, or call me by ‘my name’? Because if it’s the latter, then couldn’t Vanitas also mean (although not fully consciously) that he wants someone to call him by his true name like Luna did before he inherited the name ‘Vanitas’? (And I will just die if in a future chapter, Jeanne and Noe do end up getting to call him by his original name).  

Second, there are slight parallels and contrasts with this arrangement he has with Jeanne and with the one he had back then with Moreau. Obviously Moreau is trash and took full advantage of ‘No. 69′. He exercised all the power. In this case, Jeanne is hesitant about hurting Vanitas despite how aggravating he is towards her. She doesn’t want to drink his blood at all. Moreau was a human. Jeanne is a vampire, and despite physically being superior towards Vanitas she changes her demand into a plea or request for Vanitas to keep her secret. (And whelp that’s when she sealed her fate, because she apparently triggered Vanitas. Don’t worry though Jeanne, you’ll get your payback soon enough). Vanitas was completely without power before, so faced with a similar situation this time around, I think part of him let the power get to his head, causing him to partly take advantage of Jeanne (he’s a complete sadist AND a masochist). He has complete agency this time around. Sure he’s once again offering himself with the expectation of pain and at the risk of his life, and he’s also doing this for another person, like with Misha, but unlike with Dr. Moreau, the power is on his side this time around. 

Going off tangent, that’s one thing that Vanitas and Jeanne have to work on. Balancing power and agency. I get where Vanitas is coming from, surrounded by vampires as he is, and with his past too, but he has to realize that caring about and loving someone isn’t a matter of power. You don’t lose when you love and care. You don’t surrender power. You don’t have to take away someone’s agency or exercise your own power for you to manage to do good things for the people you care about. He has to manage that balance - likewise with Jeanne, Noe, and Domi as well. 

Going back. Since he has full agency in this case, it’s his decision to offer himself to Jeanne in this way, he doesn’t want to be dehumanized while doing so. He’s had enough trauma about that already. Despite how he words it, it’s actually a somewhat equivalent exchange between Vanitas and Jeanne. He offers her blood as a way for her to keep her sanity, but she can’t be removed from it, she has to look at him properly and consider him a person with full agency and choices, and not just as ‘that human’. 

And looking at their faces - Jeanne’s is an incredulous one as if to say, ‘that’s it?’ It’s both an easy and difficult thing for her to do. Meanwhile, for Vanitas, I’d expected him to look goading, but he just looks patient and soft. At least in this instance, I don’t see it as him forcing Jeanne to do something she doesn’t want to do - just an unexpected moment of wanting to be known and treated as himself. 

LISTEN HE IS FULL OF CONTRADICTIONS OK. We’re led to believe that all of his interactions with Jeanne until the moment he realized he fell in love with her was just him teasing her, but I believe he was already in the process of falling in love with her slowly. I’ll go so far as to say that he was the one who fell in love first, but he just interpreted it as his being ‘excited’ by her. In other words, the words he said (’I love you’) which we thought was a lie was actually the truth, albeit a truth he didn’t realize much later. 

Why do I think so? It’s because he revealed certain moments of vulnerability or sincerity with her or about her without any of the teasing, as represented by the italicized dialogue. It’s the same case for when he said he didn’t want to trod on her foot with Noe, or when he happily grinned and he said forthright Jeanne was the side of her he liked best (or when he promised he’d kill her). 

This is just an example of his contradiction. He never wanted or expected Jeanne to fall in love with him, and sure this could just be his wanting to push boundaries or test limits, being the chaotic person that he is, and yet, wanting to be called by name is a desire to form a genuine connection. 

He could have just remained as ‘that human’ to Jeanne while interacting with her. After all, what could stop him? He also had the first condition in place to make sure they’d continue to interact. And yet, he refused (like how Noe refuses to be ‘that vampire’ to him). 

Like Luna said, as long as he didn’t close his heart, he wouldn’t be alone. Even if Vanitas thinks it burdensome or wants to be ‘free’, it seems that he still does long for connection - romantic, platonic, or otherwise. 

And this is why I ship them, even in this instance so early on in the manga when arguably the dynamic wasn’t at its healthiest. It’s because of their background that draws them to each other and allows them an understanding of one another. It’s because of that desire to know more about each other. It’s because of that genuine care and wanting to form a connection with each other, despite part of them rejecting it because of their issues.

Do I think they’re good for each other? Yes. Admittedly, they have so much to work on, but I believe that they push (Vanitas with regards to Jeanne’s blood addiction, and Jeanne with Vanitas in his moment of vulnerability) because the both of them tend to be self-destructive if left to their own devices. It’s just that their version of care for each other is aggressive. They’ll have to find that balance though eventually. On Vanitas’ part he also has to be inspired by Noe that the kind of salvation a person wants may not be the best possible outcome, especially for those left behind. I’m not sure what Mochizuki sensei’s end message is suppose to be, but death I don’t believe is salvation.   

tldr: Vanitas is a self-sacrificial idiot who longs for connections under layers of self-loathing (but he’s still an asshole), and VaniJeanne is a good ship which had the foundations laid down from the beginning. 

[nateezfics]

I’ve been watching the anime Vampire Knight again and my mind is going insane. Like...I am absolutely crazy for spending so much time on this. Below the cut is me brainstorming and running away with an idea.

Imagine going to a private university where the student body is split in two parts. The day class and the night class. These two classes never cross as it is forbidden. The day class knows nothing more than that there is a night class, but the rest is a mystery. Not a single student of the light has seen a night time student. The daytime students do not know the the school’s dark secret. They do not know that the night class is full of vampires, vampires who wish to turn away from their evil natures. Though they are learning to keep their inner monsters at bay, they are still a potential danger to the day students, hence the separation.

You are the president of the women’s dormitories, and also part of the night watch. One night, after reprimanding two wandering students and sending them back to their dorm, you are confronted by two dashingly beautiful men. They wear uniforms with the school’s emblem, but you’ve never seen them before. It dawns on you that these must be students from the enigmatic night class. Their otherworldly beauty, their sharp fangs, their glowing eyes....everything about them seems...inhuman. Before you can blink, they close in on you, and then everything turns black.

When you awake, you realize much to your horror and confusion that you are not in your dorm. You’re in an unknown place. Soon you’re surrounded by a group of men, all who share the quality of dazzling beauty. As they gaze upon you with illuminated eyes, you realize that the night class is more than a class of students...it is a coven of vampires. You wonder what in the world you’ve been dragged into.

The Night Class

Hongjoong; Night class student president; president of the men’s dormitory (night class); level A/pure blood vampire

Hongjoong was the first student in Cross Academy’s night class

Befriended the Headmaster many years ago and the two shared a common interest: to see humans and vampires living harmoniously

Hongjoong originally fed on humans, but after meeting the Headmaster, decided to change his ways and fight against his own nature

Hongjoong helped give way to Headmaster’s dream of using Cross Academy as a way for vampires to better themselves

Hongjoong is several centuries old

He is a pure blood within level A, the top tier of the vampire class system, making him one of the most powerful and feared vampires around

The Kim family is one of the few remaining pure blood families

Saved the reader many years ago when she was only a small child from being killed by a vampire

Cared for her through the night and brought her to the Headmaster’s doorstep

Hongjoong follows the university’s strict rule of keeping himself and the night class hidden, despite wanting to check up on the reader who does not remember him

He is a kind vampire, but has a stained past which he tries to overcome

Is respected amongst both the school’s night class students and the vampire realm

Though he does get flack from the Vampire Council for trying to resist his vampire nature and being so friendly with humans

Seonghwa; Night class student secretary; right hand to the night class president; level A/pure blood vampire

Seonghwa is an old friend to Hongjoong, the two of them knowing each other for centuries

He is older than Hongjoong

Did not agree with Hongjoong’s theology at first, but eventually decided to join him at the academy

Seonghwa often acts as Hongjoong’s voice of reason, mostly because he helps keep the rest of the night class in check

If Hongjoong is away, Seonghwa acts as temporary president

Is a bit less ruthless than Hongjoong in terms of discipline, and he often gets called the “mother of the night class” due to his nurturing nature

He is a pure blooded vampire from the Park family, another powerful vampire line

He is not too fond of humans per se, but tries to follow along with Hongjoong, and tries to understand that their lives are precious

Him and Hongjoong both rely the least on blood pills (pills that act as a placebo to quench a vampire’s desire for actual blood from humans) due to having been in the academy the longest

Yunho; Day watcher/enforcer for the night class; hunter; level B/aristocratic vampire

Unlike the former two vampires, Yunho is not a pure blood

Meaning somewhere in his ancestry there are humans who’d been turned

Comes from a wealthy family, earning him the status of level B vampire

Has always been kind to humans somewhat, never preying on the innocent but instead preying on the evil, wrong doing humans like criminals

Befriends the Headmaster and joins the academy by his request

It doesn’t take long for Yunho to fall in line with the hope of one day living along side humans

Yunho watches over the night class section of campus and its dorms during the day to make sure no day students wander too close.

Carries out punishments to night class students at Hongjoong’s judgement

Often aids the Vampire Council in hunting and eliminating rogue level D vampires

Will also follow Hongjoong along side his missions to recruit more vampires into the academy

Is slowly trying to become less reliant on blood pills

Yeosang; Night class’ top student; scholar; level B/aristocratic vampire

Yeosang was recruited by Hongjoong to join, but at first was unwilling to join

He only decided to go to Cross Academy because of his ages old friend, Wooyoung

He’s an extremely picky eater

Always preyed on humans with a certain blood type and humans that came from high society families

After coming to the academy, Yeosang struggled with denying his bloodlust

His dislike for the blood pills didn’t help

Learned to keep it under control when he decided to just hunt for animals around the university’s campus

Is indifferent about wanting to be harmonious with humans

Despite this, he is the top student of the night class, having shown the most growth and progress

He’s a man of knowledge, loves to spend time in the library

He’s very sharp tongued, and often makes condescending quips about the other night class vampires, especially San

Does not use blood pills, rather he just feeds straight from animals

San; Night class transporter/gatekeeper; level C/common vampire

He’s in charge of leading the night class from their dorms to the main building

He makes sure all the day students are out of the building and classrooms

Usually has to wait for an all clear from the Headmaster

San was the first commoner, level C vampire to enroll at Cross Academy

Commoner vampires are normal, every day people, usually they are the vampires that walk amongst humans the most

San is incredibly powerful for a level C, and this is why Hongjoong recruited him

Isn’t quite sure how he feels about denying his vampire nature, but his respect for Hongjoong and his close lineage to humans compels him to try

Wooyoung is his companion, whether romantically or platonically is something the night class is always trying to find out

The two are inseparable

San came before Wooyoung, and when the latter first started at the academy, the two vampires quickly bonded over both being level C’s

San requires many blood pills a day

Being a level C means there is a lot of humanity in his lineage which also makes him most likely to go berserk and turn into a level D vampire, a mindless feral being

Mingi; Night class bookkeeper; scribe; level A/pure blood vampire

Mingi is somewhat of a right hand to the right hand

He often aids Seonghwa in managing the more tedious side parts of the night class, like paperwork

Mingi keeps record of all complaints, new students, dorm inspections, punishments, and schedules for each day

He also tends to the library as well as the music/recreation hall

Yunho is responsible for his presence at the academy

Mingi quickly earns respect from Hongjoong, and becomes Hongjoong’s left hand man with Seonghwa as his right

Mingi is tender hearted, and always struggled with his vampire nature

Feeding on humans was something he never enjoyed, a strange trait for a being with not a single ounce of humanity in his bloodline

Mingi often acts the source of cheer amongst the night class

He likes to compose, and sometimes he will play for the other vampires to allow everyone to unwind

The Song family was always close with the Jeong family, and because of this Yunho and Mingi have known each for a very long time

Does not rely on blood pills all that much, but takes them as soon as he feels any amount thirst for blood because he does not like the feeling of bloodlust and the way it reminds him of how evil his kind is

Wooyoung; Class socialite; level C/common vampire

Wooyoung is a common vampire like San, but this does not keep him from befriending vampires of all classes

He is very extroverted, and Hongjoong believes his love for socializing will one day help bring humans and vampires together

Wooyoung has no official role within the night class, but helps where he can

He maintains an upbeat atmosphere within the class along with Mingi

He often gets on the other vampires’ nerves, especially Seonghwa

He loves to cause mischief and naturally Seonghwa is the victim more often than not

Yeosang is a common target as well, but he remains aloof to his friend’s shenanigans

Wooyoung learned very quickly on to never pull anything on Hongjoong, he was scolded by the elder vampire so bad that he refused to leave his dorm room for a week

He’s always with San, and secretly loves it when Yeosang makes jests about them being a “couple”

Wooyoung often attempts to sneak around the day class dorms, just to take a peek, but Jongho always catches him

He takes blood pills regularly

Jongho; Day watcher/enforcer for the night class; hunter; level B/aristocratic vampire

Jongho has a reputation amongst the vampire realm of being a champion hunter

His strength knows very few rivals despite him being a fairly young vampire

Was commissioned by the Council centuries ago to be a hunter

Jongho mainly hunts level D vampires now, especially after enrolling at the university

But he used to hunt vampire hunters - humans who specialize in eliminating vampires of all levels

Jongho’s strength is normally enough of a deterrent to keep night class students from pulling anything stupid

Though Wooyoung often pushes his luck

With Yunho, the night class section of the campus is secure

Isn’t exactly onboard with Hongjoong and Headmaster’s ideals

He sees humans as lesser than

But Hongjoong is working with him, and slowly Jongho is beginning to reform

He may be the youngest, but everyone (even Hongjoong) is somewhat intimidated by him

The Day Class

Reader; Night watcher/enforcer for the day class; president of the women’s dormitory; human

When you were young, you were out with your family one evening

You were attacked by a strange man

He killed your parents right before your eyes

Before he could harm you, someone rescued you

Your savior had the same glowing eyes as the man who killed your parents, but for some reason, you trusted him

He was so kind to you, and even brought you to someone who could take care of you

You don’t remember him in the years to come, save for his glowing eyes

But as the years pass, you dream of his eyes, wondering if you’ll ever find him one day

The academy’s Headmaster raises you as his own, and naturally when it came time for you to attend university, you chose to attend Cross Academy

You take your role as dorm president seriously

And you never miss a shift as night watcher

With all your responsibilities, you don’t have much free time

But late at night while you rest, you ponder about the night class

Your father never tells you anything when you ask

Something tells you there’s more to it all, more to the story

Fortunately, or maybe not so fortunately, you find out the mystery soon enough

[whenimaunicorn]

“Fight Me” - Ragnar the Younger x Eivor Wolf-Kissed (female)

Content Warnings: Explicit smut, fighting as foreplay, to the point where it resembles consensual noncon roleplay. Face slapping/striking, rough sex, exhibitionism, negotiating on the fly. Don’t like, don’t read, and I’m not interested in hearing if you think Eivor is OOC to your headcanons. These are mine.

Notes: I am maybe halfway through my playthrough of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and I haven’t found anyone I want to ship my female Eivor with yet. So, I did a thing with my favorite Last Kingdom hunk. You can easily imagine that one of her missions was to get involved with the Danes’ gathering in Young Ragnar’s stronghold (season 3) since the setting and time period is exactly the same in both game and show! I suppose Brida doesn’t exist in this fic; I didn’t find a useful way to write her in or out of this scene (although I’m sure Eivor would love to take her to bed too!)

Ragnar the Younger finishes a long pull of ale and sets his cup down with a flourish. Then he eyes the woman beside him. “Fight me.”

Eivor merely cocks a brow, regarding him over the rim of her own mug. “You have offered me no insult, Earl Ragnar. Why would I fight you?”

The big blonde leans in, his eyes swimming with mischief even as they seem to cut through to the core of her. “You are restless, Eivor Wolf-Kissed. I see a need in you, to feel your blood sing.” His charming gaze lingers on her an extra moment before he continues to speak. “You grow frustrated with the delay, how long I want to wait before marching on the Saxons.”

Her lip twists. “It is too late to talk strategy tonight. Let’s not ruin the merriment.” The talks had lasted for days; to Eivor they had seemed endless. But tonight the ale had been just as endless, and most of the Danes are now passed out around Ragnar’s hall. Or retreated in pairs to the darker corners, for more private diversions.

“No more talk,” Ragnar agrees. “Let me give you a bit of what you are craving.” He stands, wide and imposing. “Fight me. Just a friendly brawl.”

Eivor grins and kicks her chair back as she rises.

Only a few of Ragnar’s warriors, as well as a handful of others from the gathered forces of Northmen, show any interest, though they do clear a space for them. Although they are famous warriors, the two combatants are not exactly the center of attention in the hall; it’s late enough that most of the revelers are too far gone to notice what is happening.

Ragnar lifts the axe from its place at his belt and tosses it on the table. Eivor follows suit, although it takes her considerably longer to unstrap the blade at her wrist and the other sharp edges she keeps at the ready, hidden all around her person. Ragnar’s brows climb as he watches her produce them all, and she thinks he might be impressed.

She’s only recently met the young Earl, but Eivor has the impression of a good-hearted man who will be an absolute bear in a fight. Perhaps too good-hearted to lead a bloodthirsty people, given his reluctance to turn on his Saxon neighbors, but there is steel within his bones. Eivor admits that she would love to test it.

They enter their makeshift square, and contrary to her expectation Ragnar is upon her immediately. He grasps her at shoulder and waist, hooking her leg for a takedown which she is only barely able to twist away from. Straight to grappling, then. She doesn’t really mind. Eivor has never been afraid to take a punch, but Ragnar the Younger is a whole head taller than her with the muscle mass to match, and if they started this bout by trading blows she’d likely have been black and blue all over in the morning.

While she evades his attempt to trip her, she can’t quite dislodge herself from his arms, and so she’s down to twisting and turning inside his grip, trying to gain the advantage. Her muscles heat, jaw clenching into a ferocious smile as she thrills in the effort and the challenge. Ragnar was right; this was exactly what she has been craving.

And it’s not just about the combat, although she lives to best those warriors that dare to underestimate her. She shifts her hips, letting her center of balance slip just enough to lead Ragnar to believe that he’s gaining the upper hand. When he pushes her into a takedown she turns his leverage against him and rides him to the floor.

Cheers and jeers of the drunks watching them with varying levels of interest ring in her ears as Eivor clenches her thighs around Ragnar’s broad waist. He’s a handsome one, and she likes them big and not too stupid. But it’s hard for Eivor to find someone she truly wants to take to bed. She is a consummate warrior, skilled enough to best just about any challenger, and yet she only feels aroused by a man that she cannot beat.

Will Ragnar turn out to be that man? He’s grinning up at her from the floor, looking as ferocious as she feels, and when she loses grip on one of his hands he cuffs her across the face.

She reels from it, more than she should. It’s not that he hit her so hard—it’s the way her body reacts. Heat of an entirely different sort burns between her thighs, ignited by the adrenaline, and the coiled power of his arm. The disorientation of her animal reaction gives him the opening he needs to drive himself up and force her to the ground beneath him.

She doesn’t go without a fight, of course, but the heat of the struggle is only feeding her awakened lust now. That she-beast within her does not want to make it easy for him, but she’s craving his victory too, wants to feel her strength repelled and her thighs forced apart by his knees.

She arches her back beneath him. She considers hiding her feelings, given that at least some of the men are still watching, and it burns her pride to think that anyone would know that Earl Ragnar had won her in this way. But even that potential humiliation twists her insides with some undeniable appeal of its own. She won’t stop herself on account of the watchers.

She knows the heat has entered her eyes by the way that Ragnar’s darken, as he looms above her and holds her arms down at either side of her head. “Is there, perhaps, another craving I can satisfy for you tonight, Eivor?” he croons.

She lets a wolf-smile grace her lips. “I am considering it.”

He releases her hands, leaning in to kiss her, perhaps, but this isn’t how Eivor wants it to happen and so she uses the opening to push him off her and regain the upper hand. She strikes him and Ragnar’s eyes burn and she can see now how much he wants her too. “What will sway your decision?” he asks, breathless with their struggle.

Eivor leans down, and purrs into his ear: “Whether you can take it from me.”

They struggle like their very lives depend on it, after that. Ragnar crushes his weight against her but now he’s trying to achieve something much more difficult than a simple pin. He has to get one of his hands free to loosen her clothing, or his own, and every time he gets both her arms pinned at once he can’t keep her there for more than a few seconds. He growls his frustration, and she bites his neck in some primal combination of denial and encouragement.

With his shoulder pressed into her chest, grinding her to the floor below his considerable weight, he manages to get one hand shoved inside her pants. The greedy press of his seeking fingers should be uncomfortable in such a sensitive place, but he finds her so wet that he slides easily there, until two of his fingers are buried inside her.

She cries out between clenched teeth and arcs her body to the angle that makes those fingers feel most satisfying. But as soon as he shifts to an angle that’s not completely holding her down, she slips away.

Pulse pounding, she stares at him, eyes wild as she catches her breath. Her entire core is burning for him, but she won’t give up this game.

Ragnar’s gaze thickens with satisfaction. “I won’t do this to you in front of my men,” he says, “but I will finish this, exactly how you want it, if you come to my bedchamber, Eivor.”

“Better catch me,” she snarls with glee, and springs to her feet to sprint in that direction.

He overtakes her at the door. She gets only the vague impression of a big bed covered in furs before his body hits her from behind and she’s thrown on top of it. He holds her down with her face in a bearskin as he tears at her waistband, pulling it down over the curve of her ass.

There’s not much struggling she can do from this position; he doesn’t have to control her arms at all if he can keep her chest pinned down tight. He does so first with his arm, then with his chest as she feels him struggling with his own belt. She throws her hips up savagely, not to win anymore, but simply to feel herself fighting in the face of the inevitable. Her entire body is burning for this, to be bested, to be fucked only by the fittest and the strongest of warriors.

His grunting changes, and she knows he’s gotten his cock loose. She wonders what the shape of it is, if she’ll spend time exploring it with hand and tongue some time after this. She’s not opposed to gentler lovemaking after a partner has proven himself, like Ragnar is doing now.

She writhes beneath him, ready for him to get on with it. She feels the cool air on her ass and she’s aching for him. His fingers swipe her roughly, leaving a trail of spit to make sure he’ll go in easy. She’s about to growl a protest; she’s not fragile, and she likes the pain, but then the blunt head of him is pressing against her entrance and she knows why he’s in that habit.

His cock is wide. The pressure is intense as he centers his weight and pushes his way inside. Eivor keens at the perfect mix of pleasure and pain she feels as he makes his claim. Inch by inch, he stretches her, taking what he wants just as she bid him, and when he bottoms out he groans low in her ear.

“Are you still going to fight me?” he challenges, and in response she throws her hips back up against him. He hits her cervix and she squeals between her teeth but she does it again, then Ragnar is roaring and driving himself into her as hard as he wants. He stops crushing her against the bed in favor of gripping her hips with both hands, and Eivor rises up for better leverage to meet his savage thrusts.

He’s impossibly deep. They sweat and grunt together and Ragnar is relentless, hollowing her out with the massive force of his need. She feels her body clench and shimmer around him, and Eivor’s eyes widen. No man has ever brought her to the brink like this so fast . . . but rarely has a man met her passion with such confidence, and endurance, either. She drops her face to the furs, overwhelmed by the rushing pleasure flooding her core, the steady stroking of his cock spurring her on to a shuddering, bellowing release that she tries to muffle in the bedding.

He slows down when she stops screaming. Although his cock has stretched her, she feels more loss than relief when he pulls himself out and releases his grip. She’s panting, balanced on her knees and elbows, and turns as she hears Ragnar pulling off the rest of his clothes behind her. Aside from breeches pushed down to her knees, Eivor herself is still fully clothed.

Her eyes land on the gorgeous cock sticking proudly up into the air, a massive, glistening thing weeping with a thicker milkiness at the tip. “You didn’t—” she asks dumbly.

Ragnar smiles, a thick, arrogant thing. “Wouldn’t want this to be over too quickly.” He strokes a big hand idly over himself. “Thought I’d give you a moment to catch your breath. And I’m hoping that took some of the fight out of you. I want my woman to fall to pieces more than once before I take my pleasure, and I need you to hold still for the next few things I want to do.”

TLK taglist: @ceridwenofwales​ @oddsnendsfanfics​@laketaj24​ @thewildbeauty @geekandbooknerd​ @therealcalicali​ @tiyetiye​ @pokeasleepingsmaug​@goldentailedmermaids​ @sifshoney​ @titty-teetee​  @savismith​ @ariellostatci​ @perfectus-in-morte​ @axiseeu12 @kingofshadowalkers @glitta-killa​ @just-random-obsessions​ @volvaaslaug​

Specific thirst list: @fearlessindigo​ @artemiseamoon​ @naps4bats​ @evelyn-shelby​ @autumn--the--season​​