#and so he asks for her help and thus that relationship was born

[thatnonameuser]

The Red King holds a Bleeding Head

A Wonderland of Yanderes - Masterlist Chapter 1. Heartslaybul Part 5.

"But about your mom, could you tell me about her? She sounds like a really nice lady." Is what you asked.

Because you couldn't help but be a little curious. This is so alien to you that the idea of Deuce loving his mother in a completely wholesome way sounds so outlandish in a world of obsessive love is so hard to comprehend that you can't help but be interested.

Deuce's eyes light up like fireworks at your question. Sure, you might be endearing yourself to him more like this, but still, your pickings on information in this world are kind of slim, so you'll take whatever you can get.

Especially considering the bad ending of this misadventure ends with you sending the rest of your life as someone’s possession.

"Y-You want to hear about her?" Deuce's eyes light up at you, wanting to talk about his mother.

"If you want to." You repeat with the same enthusiasm.

"W-well, she's amazing. She works really hard and...." Deuce's speaks enthusiastically about his mom and all the fond childhood memories he has of her. All the way back to Sam's shop to get another carton of eggs, and all the way back to Main Street. It's shockingly normal, the stories he tells about her, and it has to be one of the sweetest of things you've witnessed thus far.

Until you remember the fact that means Deuce had a relatively normal mother-son relationship, meaning his yandere behavior was caused by something else or, even worse, is intertwined in his very being.

Back on your world, usually, people who became obsessed with someone to the point of doing horrible acts to keep someone to themselves had some sort of trauma or past relationship that pushed them into doing such horrible things.

But so far, everyone that you met was moderately normal. They acted in a way that was completely normal or had some quirks that were somewhat normal in your world. Like Cater's social media addiction, for example.

If they are normal, does that mean that they, no, does that mean that everyone here was just born this way? And they just accepted this behavior was normal? There has to be something more to it, right?

You're struck with a thought as Deuce is talking. He hasn't told you about his dad yet. That's not to say that it's wrong that he doesn't have a dad. It's just for a world that romanisticises a love life and marriage that never ends even when one side of it really, really wants to, it's odd that Deuce's mom is a single mother. Did her darling pass away or something?

Well, it's a question you'd like answered. Because maybe it will answer your other question. The death of a parent is deeply traumatic for a child and can maybe a way to explain the growing madness of the world you're in. So, there is no time like the present to ask.

"Uh, hey, Deuce," you say, and he’s quiet, ready to hear whatever you have to say. You swallow roughly, you hope that this won't go wrong,"... I know that this might be a difficult topic, but....how do you feel about your dad?"

The small smile on Deuce's face sours immediately. You can see anger in his eyes, as if the very reminder of his father's existence is capable of working him up into a fury. Ok, so that was a sore subject.

You quickly backtrack, "I'm sorry if that was a sore subject-"

He shakes his head, but the silent rage that you'd seen before is back as he explains, "I never met him, and he should be grateful I never did."

Shit, were you right in thinking that Deuce's dad was a darling. Had he run away, and Deuce hated him for breaking his mother's heart!?

"You must hate him a lot, huh?" You say uneasily. Given Deuce's delinquent days, he probably would have no qualms killing his father if he got the chance.

"More than anything. After how much he hurt my mom..." he trails off, voice deep with anger.

"How does that work? I thought darlings were the powerless ones, how did he hurt your mom?" Now Deuce is the confused one, he gives you a funny look.

"Prefect, I think you're confused."

"What? But I thought-"

"_____, my mom's a darling...."

Wait, that's possible!? "B-but I thought -" You had thought that darlings basically had no say in how their lives went once in captivity. So wait, if Deuce's mom is a darling, then his dad is...."Oh. Oh! So you hate your dad because of what he did to your mom?"

When Deuce nods, you can feel a rush of relief. So a life in captivity isn't the end all of all darlings and it is possible, and more importantly legal, to escape yanderes. Thank the Seven for that one, and apologies to Deuce's mom for the misunderstanding.

Now, all you have to do is figure the escaping part out before you're saddled with a child. If things get that bad, at least.

"So, wait, how does that work? I thought darlings had to stay with their yanderes?"

Deuce shakes his head, "We're from the Queendom of Roses, and they're pretty strict about that stuff so.....wait, is it not the same in your world?"

"What? No, why?" You say almost automatically. Your world has to be the farthest thing from this one.

"It's just -" He trails off before changing his words,"I've been wondering if your world is anything like ours... But do you not have darling laws in your world?"

"Well...." How can you put this in a way that can't be misunderstood? Your world doesn't believe in whatever psychotic idea this world bases their love lives on. So how can you say it that won't make you sound like a darling.

Maybe you could be honest. Or at least, sort of.

"Well, to be honest, my world doesn't really like the whole darling thing. They think it's abusive."

Deuce looks completely flabbergasted, as if you told him something incredulous. "But that’s not true!"

"But they think it is, besides in a way I kind of get it."

Now he looks confused. "What do you mean?"

"Deuce, would you do anything that your dad did to your mom to your future darling?"

"No." He says, completely serious. "I never would."

Well, it's time to crush that idea. "But what if you did it on accident? Maybe you might think that you're protecting them or loving them, but you’re actually hurting them unintentionally.....Do you really want to risk that?"

His serious look on his face falters, and you don't let up. "B-Back in my world, all the stuff you learn about Darlings is illegal. So we're not allowed to do anything to get them no matter how much we want to. It's because everyone thought our treatment of them was too harsh, so they made it illegal."

"But that's not fair," He argues, "what about-"

You aren't going to let him talk about how bad it is for the kidnappers and abusers, maybe a change in perspective will help your argument. "It's not really fair, but I get it. I wouldn't want to be stolen from my family and be forced to love someone else. Would you?"

The look he gives you is conflicted. He's, at the very least, considering what you said.

Is there a chance?

The slightest chance that he can be persuaded out of his yandere ways? Does he care about his future darling want to even risk making her unhappy?

"Prefect?"

"Yes, Deuce?"

"If I-" His eyes avoid yours as he rephrases, "If you were my darling, would you hate me for doing that to you? Taking you away from your friends and family?"

That was- that was one hell of a hypothetical.

Did he know about your status, or is he just using you as an example? Either way...."Would you hate me if I did that to you and your mom?" You dodge the question. You were always going to dodge that question. You were no darling, no matter how much this world says otherwise.

"But pre- _____," Deuce pushes you for a response, as if he needs one to live the rest of his life, "Would you hate me?"

"I would." You say point-blank. And it's the truth. He turns away from you, not wanting to meet your eyes. Still, you're prepared to rub salt into that wound. You give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. If he feels guilty, then good. Feel guilty. If he was considering it. Then now he probably won't. And he turns back to you "But you wouldn't do that to me, would you? After all, you're my friend Deuce."

He doesn't reply. Out of guilt, or contemplation. You don't care. And if it fixes him, then you need to be mean about it.

"C'mon, Ace is probably wondering where we are." He nods, still silent.

Maybe there's a chance that you can fix them, just maybe.....

....you weren't cut out to be a baker.

After another grueling hour of making and topping that gargantuan tart, your arms hurt so badly that they felt like falling off. A whole day of exercise is going to make you real sore tomorrow.

How Trey did this for his dorm without pay, you don't understand. Because you didn't even want to do this and you don't even get to eat this delicious looking tart. Thanks again, Ace...

"Finished!" The victory cheer that Ace and Grim let out is the polar opposite of Deuce's.

"Fin..ished." You can't tell if this depressed cheer is because of all the hard work you've had to do, or because of that conversation you had on the way here.

"Did something happen to him while you were shopping?"

"He's still in shock." Oh, probably because he had his whole world being being flipped. But since he clearly loves his mother, you were a little surprised that he was this upset from it. The truth hurts, but it's probably for the best that you let that stab wound scab with a extra helping of salt. "Better let him work through this one himself."

"For sixteen years, I was so sure...." And for sixteen years, you were lied to. If that's what he was talking about.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm pretty beat. Making tarts sure takes it outta you."

"Yes, and now we can just give this to Riddle, and this headache is over." And it'll probably won't, cause life is such a dick.

"Hey fam!" And you were right. Another headache comes into the kitchen. Yay! "You look wrecked. Are the tarts done?"

"Ooh, those look sooo cute. Lemme snap a quick pic for Magicam!"

"Wa-" You don't even have a chance to move out of the frame before the bright flash goes off. Again.

"What, NOW you decide to show up?"

"I just came to see how hard my little newbs were working." Or to reap the rewards of all your hard work. But out of everything this could be much worse.

"It's tough work if you're not used to it. But there's no better cure for the ails of fatigue than something sweet from the oven!"

"Ooh finally!" You cheer, clapping your hands. Out of everything you went through in one day, something good will finally come all this BS.

"Pretty funny how you managed to show right when it was ready to eat, Cater." Free food means you don't are about Cater's shenanigans. Unless he takes too much then you're going to be mad.

"Mmm...That smells so good!" For what feels like the first time today you actually agree with Grim.

You take your first bite, and you feel like you've been set on cloud nine. It's delicious. Light, creamy, sugary and nutty. If this world's priorities weren't ass backwards you would consider staying just to try all the desserts it had to offer. You can't help the little jumps you make as you take your second bite.

"Rich in flavour, yet not too sweet...It's like chestnuts are dancing across my tongue!"

"Is that...a good thing?"

"Of course, it is! What I've give to eat these forever!" You say, dreamily. No wonder Riddle threw Ace out. You would've if they ate one of your tarts and they tasted like this.

"Oh, Trey! You gotta do the thing." Wait, what was Cater talking about?

"What thing?" You ask mid-chew.

"Oh...that thing." Ok, now you're spooked. What thing?

"Uh, Wanna fill me in here?"

"What's everyone's favorite food?" Kay. Weird thing to say after a mystery thing enters the chat. Wait now Cater's got you doing it, damn it.

Ace, Deuce and Grim all list off their favorite foods, "What about you, _____?" You respond in turn, with your favorite food, still what does that have to do with-

" All right, you've got it.....Let's 'Paint the Roses'!" A spark of magic goes off, but otherwise does nothing.

Regardless, you hit with another wave of deja vu. A set of clubs, and specifically, the three of clubs had been painting the roses red in your dream. So why was your dream connecting with real life?

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Take another bite of your tart and see." You, hesitantly, take a small bite of your tart. But you don't taste the chestnuts, or the cream, or the even the sugar.

You taste home. You taste the birthdays you had with this on the menu. The sad nights where this was the only thing that could cheer you up. That one restaurant that made it perfectly and the nights you tried and failed to recreate it in your kitchen. It's so perfect it brings tears to your eyes.

The taste reminds you of home. A home you can't go back to. That has your friends and family waiting for you. Oh seven, are they looking for you? Are they worried? Are they panicking because you're gone? Even if they saw you leave, who the hell would believe a magic carriage poofed a kid out of the known universe?!

"_____? You're crying..." You instinctively reach up and wipe it away, you really were crying.

"S-Sorry, it really is my favorite food and....and it tastes like home." You say with a sad smile. "H-How did you do that?"

"It's my signature spell. Technically, it's 'overwriting characteristics'. I can change taste, color, smell and whatever. It only lasts for a little while." Well that's both cool and dangerous. Cool, because you can change so many things for a short time. And dangerous, because that whatever is carrying a ton. Does that mean he can change the characteristics of a person? Or a completely erase something from reality for a while? Curiouser and curiouser. "But it is kinda like covering up the real thing hence, 'painting'."

"If I had magic like that, I could be eatin' canned tuna every meal of every day!"

"You would do that, wouldn't you, Grim?"

"That's way better than Riddle's stupid collar magic."

"You love tempting fate, don't you Grim. The last thing we need right now is him popping outta nowhere again." You scratch your fingers through his fur, with a chuckle.

Trey doesn't seem to agree with Grim's compliment, "Oh, Riddle's magic's in a whole other league. His signature spell is a weapon. Mine's just a childish prestidigitation."

Is he insecure about it, or something? His magic is pretty cool, and the only reason you're really afraid of it is because of the fact that changing characteristics is pretty broad.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. Yours is cool in your own way. His is just a little.....dictator-y."

Trey smiles at you, "Thanks, _____." Well, isn't that great. Now all we have to do is-

"Speaking of Riddle-it's too late to give him these now. Let's call it a day and do it tomorrow." Spoke too soon. Great, just great. You think the compliment would have buttered him up a little. Well, at least you just have to barricade your door.

"Don't forget that tomorrow's the unbirthday party. You don't want to be late."

Yeah you're have to go. Mr. Stickler-for-the-Rules Rosehearts wants you to attend so that he can keep an eye on you. Also you should probably go to make sure Ace doesn't fuck it up and get permanently kicked out.

Still, you aren’t looking forward to seeing that red tyrant in all his glory. But when the price to pay is having Ace living in your dorm until you graduate, you have to do it regardless.

"Yu, can I crash with you again? It doesn’t look like I'll be allowed in my own dorm tonight."

"It's not really like I can say no..." You murmur, which is true because you're afraid if angering him, but Deuce and Grim actually come to your aid.

"It isn't right to keep mooching off of ______, Ace."

"Yeah, it ain't! If you wanna stay tonight, you gotta pay for the privilege! Ten cans of tuna!"

"What? Guess I'm sleeping outside, then." That's all it took? Really?

"Why don't you go and stay at Yu's dorm," Well, that was a given. Thanks Trey, you didn't expect him to open his big fat mouth, especially after all the kindness he spared you and you in turn, thought you at least buttered him up," -too, Deuce, so you can keep an eye on him?" What.

Great, now you have two people. Two unwanted guests in your dorm, fan-fucking-tastic. That's two people wondering your dorms halls, and sneaking around.

"What fun for you. Ooh, maybe I'll come too!" Aw fuck no. Two was already overcrowding, three was way too many. "What do you say, Yu?" How about, fuck no Cater. You already going have two loose cannons roaming in your dorm, you don't need third.

Trey says what you can't for you much too your relief. "No pass for you." Thank you Trey, even if he did unintentionally, or intentionally since you don't know his motivations, hang you out to dry, that kept on liability to your freedom off your back. "Sorry to dump them all on you, _____. At least it's just for tonight."

"It's no problem." It's very much a problem, but you can't do anything about it. "See you tomorrow."

Till tomorrow, just a little longer it seems.

Just a little longer.

You were exhausted as soon as you went back to Ramshackle.

Having two yanderes in your house was two way too many, but with the day's exhaustion staring you directly in to the face. Half a night of sleep mixed with too much exercise, too much work, too much spent adrenaline, and too many emotions running high is a exhausting combination. And when it finally set in, you could barely keep you eyes open long enough to walk back to Ramshackle. So you were scooped up by Deuce, after a three minute argument between Ace and Deuce, and carried the rest of the way.

The way back to Ramshackle is uneventful, save for Grim's 'demands' for what he wanted for dinner now that the extra tart from earlier was well buried in his belly.

After feeding Grim like the cat he wasn't, you barely had the energy and strength to keep your eyes home as you made dinner. Thank the seven that instant noodles exist here. You didn't really want to cook for your two unexpected guests, but you just want to go to bed. The sooner, the better.

You also tuned out whatever conversation Ace and Deuce were having as you all ate in the lounge, way too tired to actively listen to it. If they asked you anything, you couldn't really remember what they said, you'll worry about that tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, Ace and Deuce hopefully wouldn't bother you tonight, everyone's tired because of today so all you can hope for is that you had a peaceful night tonight.

But that didn't happen, because it's happened again.

Or it's better to say that that strange dream is happening again.

You remember drifting off in the warmth of your scratchy sheets, exhausted from the days events. Only to wake up just like you did last night. With that floaty feeling, making you feel like you were flying in the air and swimming in mud at the same time.

Unnerved, you throw off the covers to escape that uncomfortable feeling. But when you reach out to feel the blankets, you don't feel the scratchy fabric against your palm. Or the lumps of the old springs in the mattress or the warmth of Grim's sleeping body.

You place a hand of his fur but reel back in confusion when you don’t feel the softness of fur or the warmth of the flames on his ears.

"This is....it's a dream, right?" You ask to no one in particular. You get only silence in reply.

But like last time, the mirror glows its pale white light. It calls to you, it beckons you.

So are your dreams trying to show you something, like last time. It had told you about the painting the roses, and you did meet the three of clovers today. So maybe it's trying to warn you of something, something destined to happen tomorrow.

Well, the only way you'll be able to find out is if you try the mirror.

"Do you want me to go through?" You ask, and surprisingly, the mirror ripples in response.

Hesitant, you place your palm on the front of the mirror and, much more gently this time, it pulls you through.

Like last time, you're blinded by a too bright white light, and then you're on soft grass.

The world looks like a more animated version of Heartslabyul now, and you're stuck in what has to be the center of the rose maze.

You turn around, and the mirror that transported you is half buried among the surrounding hedges, showing your bedroom on the other side, just like last time.

But unlike last time, there's no one here.

The greyscale hedge maze is full of half and fully red roses, but there is no one here. Strange.

There are no card soldiers, no Alice and no Queen of Hearts, just en empty wonderland-

You freeze as you feel something hit your foot. You look down and-

He's tiny. That's not even an insult. The little guy is so tiny that you could have stepped on him if you weren't paying attention. He's dressed in a red cloak and has a proportionally tiny crown. And he's desperate pulling on your pants leg to drag you back to otherside of your mirror.

"You're the King of Hearts..." You realise, and the tiny king lets go of you, eyes widening at your recognition.

And then he goes back to yanking you back with all his force. Which isn't much, and he falls over twice in his attempts.

"Hey, wait a second. Why are you pulling me back." Is he trying to make you leave, but the mirror wanted to you come back here for something so could you even leave?

The Red King mimes something rapidly in panic, but he doesn’t say a word. Is he mute?

"Calm down." You object, reaching out to do.....whatever was needed to soothe him. Sure, he's small enough to pick up in your hand, but it's obvious that he's concerned about you. Maybe this has to-

You're cut off mid thought as soon as you wrap your hand around him, another light burst out even more blinding than the first, and you feel the tiny body and fabric in your grasp grow so rapidly, it's almost likely it was magic.

Which is because this is a dream.

You wipe the blinding light lingering in your eyes away with a groan, just as a pair of hands, this time normal sized, grab you by your wrists and pull you in the direction of the mirror.

<You need to leave!> The person sounds so desperate as he pulls you, <If she finds you, she's going to cut off your head! I'm just trying to help you!> You lurch forward as you struggle to blink away the remnants of the flash in your eyes.

You're thrown forward against something. It's hard, cold, and smooth to the touch. You try to pull away from the hard surface, but as soon as you rear back two hands on your back, push you forward. And then your vision finally clears.

<B-But I just saw you- I-It was fine a minute ago.>

What you landed upon is the mirror leading back to your room. From here, you can see Grim dozing away in your bed. The mirror had hardened as if stopping you from leaving till you've accomplished what it sent you to do.

But from this angle, a glare of stray light also hits the cold glass. Because in that's reflection, you can see a face that's all to familiar and at the same time not at all.

The person pushing you is dressed in a royal grabe, colored red, black, and gold, and it's covered with heart motifs. From his shirt to the crimson red jacket on his shoulders, from his buttons to the choker on his neck, tiny red hearts cover his clothing. He's still wearing a red cloak, but now it hangs as a cape rather than serving as his whole outfit. He's a little on the shorter side, about Riddle’s height but slightly taller.

And he looks panicked. No, panicked is an understatement. He looks like he's going to have anxiety attack followed by a mental breakdown.

He's stepped back to think ,or rather grasp helplessly at his ginger hair in abject horror. He's close the actually pulling it out, too. Surprisingly, the crown on his head has managed to stay put despite his frenzied pulling.

He's spiraling into a dark abyss of frenzied muttering. <What am I going to do!? She's going to cut off her head, and then the guards' heads and then my head, and everyone's heads!> Is that what you sound like when you're spiraling? Because he looks and sounds like he's on his last nerve and that nerve is fraying very fast.

Wait.

"Hey.....hey!" You manage to intervene somewhere between his ramblings of heads, and he shuts up as soon as you raise your voice.

<Y-Y-Yes?> He looks at you in fear, as if expecting you to be angry. If your theory is right, then, you can't help but feel sorry for him.

"You are the King of Hearts, darling of the Queen of Hearts?"

You hate the way your stomach sinks when he nods.

[prythianpages]

Slipping Through My Fingers | Azriel

Azriel x Green Witch | Summary: it's your baby girl's first day of school and Azriel isn't ready to let her go.

warnings: fluff/angst; some suggestiveness at the end (bonus scene)

a/n: This is part of my ABBA x ACOTAR series (masterlist) where I dedicate a song to a character (: but also my Dandelion series. I really adore this song and this was the only series I could apply it to. This can pretty much be read as a stand alone imagine. All you have to know is that reader is a witch and is an established relationship with Az.

In the quiet hush of morning, Azriel and Melaina find themselves at the breakfast table with sleep in their eyes. The floor is cloaked in their shadows, joining one another at their feet in a vast sea of darkness.

Yet, the dance of their shadows harbor distinct meanings.

Though he tries to hide it, your keen eyes pick up on the subtle poignant unease in Azriel's demeanor. An undercurrent of melancholy taints the air, prompting you to send a reassuring tug through your bond. Azriel returns the gesture, his hand finding yours across the table. Meanwhile, Melaina quietly finishes her breakfast. Her shadows, a whirlwind of nerves and excitement, betray her impassive appearance. Today is her first day of school, the precipice of a new chapter in her life, and Azriel can't help but grapple with the realization that his little girl is growing up far too quickly.

“All done, my pretty?” You ask softly, gaze alight with admiration as her small wings flutter behind her.

She’s the mirror image of her father with her captivating hazel eyes–a perfect blend of greens and browns that remind you of the nature you’re so fond of. Two braids cascade down her shoulders and delicate bangs accentuate her sun-kissed complexion. When she was born, you had joked that you had given birth to Azriel’s carbon copy and little did you know that even her personality would match his. 

Melaina nods and you rise, taking her plate to the kitchen sink. The corner of your lips lift up into a smile when you hear Azriel ask, “Are you sure you want to go to school? You can always start next year.”

“Mel is more than ready for school,” you lightly chide Azriel, who chooses to ignore your words of consolation. 

His gaze is fixed on Melaina, a plethora of scenarios plaguing his mind. He wishes he could see what’s really on her mind–to be able to foresee any worries she may have and ease her through them. The same way he’s eased her through every milestone of her life thus far. He was there when she took her first steps, when she first got hurt from tripping over a rug that he immediately disposed of after, when she said her first word–which much to your dismay was your cat’s name, Binx. 

But now, she was ready for school. Her first time being away from home without you or him or his brothers by her side. Her first time being on her own. What if the kids in her class don’t take well to her? To her shadows? He remembers the apprehensive looks he’d receive in Windhaven when growing up and the thought of anyone doing the same to her pains him. What if they are mean to her? What if they hurt her?

The obsidian tendrils at Azriel's side stir with an eerie melody, commanding Melaina's shadows to rise. They snap to attention like disciplined soldiers heeding orders. An unspoken promise unfolds—her shadows would help guide her and protect her from any lingering stare or slightest suspicion of malintent. They return to her side as she rises to her feet, tickling her sides and causing her to giggle.

 Azriel smiles and shares her laughter, capturing every minute of it, the feeling in it.

**

There’s that odd melancholy feeling again as he stands in front of the school with Melaina on one side and you on the other. He can’t help the frown that settles over his face when she wiggles her tiny hand out of his grasp to run to her cousins. You’re following after her, tugging Azriel along with you to join his brothers and their mates at the front of the school.

“Good morning, Azriel jr,” Cassian greets her with a smile, playfully tugging at one of her braids. “Are you ready for your first day?”

Melaina lets out a huff. “Of course I am, Uncle Cas.”

Cassian then looks toward Azriel, who continues to brood, and chuckles. “It doesn’t look like your daddy is.”

Azriel glares at Cassian. You leave his side to hug Feyre and the frown leaves his face at the delighted squeal that comes from you, his shadows singing in response. He turns his head to see you and Feyre exchange smiles while you gush in excitement over her growing belly. Though Feyre looks at Azriel with a knowing smile, her words are directed to you.

“Rhys was the same way with Nyx,” she muses and out of the corner of his eye, Azriel catches his brother rolling his eyes. But he doesn’t deny it.

“So was Nesta,” Cassian adds, propping an elbow on Nesta’s shoulders. She shoves him off with a shrug before chiding after their twin boys, Cardan and Calian. The aftermath of the aphrodisiac you made–or rather, remade–for her after Azriel accidentally drank the first batch.

“I’m surprised you’re faring well with this,” Feyre says with a raised brow at you.

“Well, someone has to be the strong one,” you tease, side glancing at Azriel and squeezing his hand. 

Azriel lets out a small huff, similar to the one Melaina let out earlier. He knew you were also stressed and a little sad but you were surprisingly able to hide it better than him. But unbeknownst to him, just in case the obsidian necklace she wore was not enough, you had casted a protection spell over Melaina before she went to bed…and packed her bags with a variety of charged crystals.

The gathering of students at the school's entrance slowly disperses, and Azriel tenses beside you, acknowledging the imminent moment of having to say goodbye. Nyx, ever courteous, takes it upon himself to accompany Melaina to class. Azriel suspects Feyre's influence in Nyx's gesture, as if she intuited the added difficulty for him and you. He watches as Melaina walks back to you and you lean down, gently smoothing her bangs before placing a kiss on her forehead.

“Today will be a wonderful day for you,” you affirm for her with a radiant smile, making Azriel's heart melt at the sight of the two girls he loves the most.  He wishes that he could freeze the picture and save it from the funny tricks of time. 

Your hand delicately reaches for the obsidian crystal suspended from her neck, lifting it tenderly to your lips. There’s a flash of green light that engulfs the crystal and as you release the necklace, Azriel notices the new sparkle to it. “Love you, my pretty.”

Though Melaina doesn’t verbalize it back, her eyes radiate a golden glow and the soft caress of her shadows against your face feels like a tender whisper that articulates, "I love you too.” You pull her in close, hugging her smaller frame and lean down to whisper. But Azriel’s attentive senses still catch it.

“Now hug and give your daddy a kiss so he doesn’t cry.”

Azriel resists the urge to roll his eyes. Feeling a tug on his sweater, he leans down to meet his daughter at eye level. Opening his arms expectantly, a surge of warmth envelops him as she eagerly rushes into his embrace. A tender kiss graces his cheek, accompanied by the familiar caress of her shadows against his other cheek similar to the way they had done with you. He pulls away to look at her, holding her gently by the shoulders. He knows her shadows will do well to protect her and if those aren’t enough, her older cousins are just a couple of classrooms down the hall. But he needs to hear her say it.

“What will you do if someone is mean to you?”

Melaina’s eyes light up and she steps out from his hold. True to the goddess you named her after, she's a tiny vision of nightmares and madness, as she assumes a defensive position, her shadows dancing around her.

“Kick them in the face!” She exclaims as she raises her leg up with a glare directed toward her nonexistent enemy.  “I'll make my enemies bleed.”

Cardan and Calian follow after her while Nyx wisely keeps a safe distance, amused by the spectacle of his younger cousins engaging in an imaginary brawl. Cassian watches them fondly, striking punches of his own into the air but you’re shaking your head with furrowed brows. Azriel catches the pointed look you send his way and a subtle blush overtakes his cheeks as you’ve discovered his secret. He continues to read Melaina, those books you told him not to. 

“No, Mel, that’s not–”

“That’s my girl,” Azriel grins as he rises to his feet, feeling slightly better. He rustles her bangs fondly.

The sound of the school bell echoes through the park as a final warning that class should be beginning shortly. Azriel reluctantly shrugs Melaina’s backpack off his shoulder, the small bag looking ridiculous on someone of his stature. He adjusts it on her with careful consideration for her delicate wings and feels an ache in his chest as the backpack nearly engulfs her smaller frame. 

As the faint rustling, reminiscent of rocks shifting, comes from the bag, it is Azriel’s turn to send you a subtle yet pointed look in your direction. A suppressed smile tugs at his lips when you quickly avert your gaze and he realizes he wasn’t the only one keeping a secret.

“Off you go, my little shadow. See you later.”

Once the backpack is secured to her, she takes Nyx’s waiting hand and runs off to the entrance with him. Azriel almost frowns but then, at the top of the stairs, she turns around, waving goodbye with a small absent-minded smile.

He watches her go into the school with a surge of that well-known sadness. Tears prick his eyes and though he knows he’s being dramatic, he can’t help the feeling that he’s losing her forever. His sweet little girl who keeps on growing. She’s slipping through his fingers all the time.

**

Bonus scene

Before his family could indulge in making fun of him, Azriel grasps your hand, drawing you close as he summons his shadows. The inky tendrils swirl around you both, transporting you back to the familiar sanctuary of your home.

"If this is your reaction on her first day of school, I can only imagine what you’ll be like when she has her first crush," you say, a teasing sparkle in your eyes.

Azriel's grip on you tightens. He doesn’t want to grapple further into the inevitability of his daughter's growing independence because to him, Melaina will always be his baby girl. A subtle strain echoes in his voice as he pleads, "Don't."

Easing out of his embrace, you giggle at his dramatics, strolling toward the kitchen with a lightness in your step, intent on brewing some tea. "It's just a couple of hours, Az," you reassure him.

"A couple of hours?" Azriel echoes, a pensive note in his voice as he joins you in the kitchen.

Having taken the entire week off, he had intended to be present for every moment—dropping Melaina off and picking her up during her first week at school. He didn’t plan for much other than that and he was used to spending his days off with his little family but now Melaina was off at school, leaving the two of you alone.

The kettle placed on the stove begins to whistle, harmonizing with the new thought that brews in his mind. You’re raising your steaming cup of tea to your lips, peering over at Azriel as he walks up to you. “What? You want some?” You ask, raising your cup to him.

Azriel shakes his head with a smile. Carefully taking the cup from you, he places it onto the counter behind you. He gently but firmly holds your chin, coaxing you to meet his gaze. The faint blush on his cheeks returns, a soft hue that complements the golden brilliance in his eyes as he looks down at you with adoration because you’ve given him everything he’s ever dreamed of and more.

Still, there's an insatiable desire within him for even more moments, more shared dreams, and more of you.

“Let’s have another?”

“A baby?”

Azriel nods, attentively studying your features for any nuanced emotion. He feels relief when you smile and you voice your answer without having to say anything, flooding him with love through the bond you share. The two of you had discussed having children years ago, almost two years before having Melaina. After she was born, you mirrored each other’s desires for having more but had agreed on waiting but not too long as you wanted your children to grow up together.

“We do have a couple of hours to ourselves,” you remind him again, embracing him with arms entwined around his neck, fingers brushing through the back of his hair.

He hooks his arms under your knees, lifting you up with ease and you’re wrapping your legs around his waist. He grins when your legs tighten around him and kisses you.

“Let’s not waste another second.”

a/n: hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it <3 Sorry, I skipped ahead. I do want to eventually write an imagine for when Az & reader first find out they're having a baby. That might be the next imagine for this series.

tagging: @fxckmiup

[series masterlist]

[mxtxfanatic]

I would also like the mdzs fandom to stop inventing turmoil between Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli just because Jiang Fengmian had a strained relationship with Jiang Cheng. There’s nothing to say that the father-daughter duo had issues, that Jiang Fengmian was neglectful (to either of them, tbh), or that he was indifferent to his daughter's presence. You feeling like Jiang Yanli is disappeared into the background of her family life because she, like her father, doesn't have a lot of scenes is not supported by the canon. While we don’t get a lot of interactions between them (because there is literally no plot or conflict to highlight), what we do get is Jiang Fengmian sticking up for his daughter and terminating a marriage contract that his abusive wife set up, something even Jin Guangshan was afraid to do:

[Jiang Fengmian] told Jin Guangshan, “The engagement was originally made at the insistence of Ah-Li’s mother. I never agreed with it. Given what happened today, it seems both sides aren’t very fond of each other, so it’s best not to force the issue.” Startled, Jin Guangshan hesitated a bit. Regardless of the situation, ending an engagement with a member of another Great Clan was never a good thing. “What do children understand? Let them fight. Fengmian-xiong, we need not take notice.” “Jin-xiong, though we can help them arrange a marriage, we can’t live the marriage for them. In the end, they are the ones who will spend their lives together.” This marriage business wasn’t Jin Guangshan’s idea in the first place either. From the perspective of consolidating power through a marriage alliance, the Yunmeng Jiang Clan would not be his first choice, nor was it the best choice. The engagement had happened only because he was perpetually afraid of opposing his wife. But in any case, since the Jiang Clan had brought it up of their own accord, and Jin Clan was on the male side of the arrangement and thus had fewer things to be concerned about, it was not necessary to remain entangled. Besides, he knew Jin Zixuan wasn’t happy with having Jiang Yanli as his fiancée. After giving it serious consideration, Jin Guangshan found his backbone and he agreed.

—Chapt. 18: Elegance VIII, fanyiyi

We get him hand-making kites with her to decorate for Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, and the rest of the disciples to play with:

Back when Wei Wuxian lived at Lotus Pier, he had played the kite shooting game with the disciples of the Jiang Clan and had placed first many times. ... Jiang Fengmian had constructed the frame himself and Jiang Yanli had drawn the design. Thus, whenever Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng had taken their kites out to compete, they had felt a kind of pride.

—Chapt. 32: Morning Dew V, fanyiyi

We get them having family dinners often enough that Wei Wuxian seems worried that he would miss one right before the Wen show up to Lotus Pier:

Wei WuXian asked, “Uncle Jiang went out so early in the morning —why hasn’t he come back yet? Would he make it in time for dinner?”

—Chapt. 57: Poisons, exr

We get him having no qualms with Jiang Yanli's hobbies such as cooking, even seems eager to partake in her creations—if we assume he hasn't before:

With a smile, Jiang YanLi wiped Wei WuXian’s mouth and chin, and walked happily out with the bowl in her hands. Jiang FengMian sat down where she had been sitting. Glancing at the porcelain jar, he seemed as if he wanted to taste it as well, but the bowl had already been taken away by Jiang YanLi.

—Chapt. 56: Poisons, exr

The reason why Jiang Cheng thinks his father hates him is because he takes any whiff of disapproval from his father to mean hatred, a trait he picked up from and that is nourished by his mother's own insistence that Jiang Fengmian "must" hate her son for being like her:

The founder of the YunmengJiang Sect, Jiang Chi, was born a rogue cultivator. The ways of the sect were honest and unrestrained. Madam Yu’s manners were the exact opposite. And, both Jiang Cheng’s looks and personality took after his mother. He hadn’t ever been to Jiang FengMian’s liking. Since birth, he taught him in many ways, yet he still couldn’t change, which was why Jiang FengMian had always seemed as though he didn’t favor him too much.

—Chapt. 56: Poisons, exr

The founding father of the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng, Jiang Chi, came from a knight-errant background. The family was exuberant, honest, magnanimous, and carefree in its ways —all of which were in complete opposition to Madam Yu’s spirit. Jiang Cheng took after his mother in looks and personality, which had never been to Jiang Fengmian’s liking. He had tried to educate Jiang Cheng in a myriad of ways, but it had all been for naught. This was why it always appeared as though he didn’t favor his son.

—Volume 3, Chapt. 12: Sandu: The Three Poisons, 7seas

Notice how it doesn't say that Jiang Cheng, himself, was never to Jiang Fengmian's liking, but that Madam Yu and her personality type that Jiang Cheng inherited was never to his liking, and it only "seemed/appeared" that Jiang Fengmian did not favor his son because he spent a lot of time trying to correct Jiang Cheng's bad habits, something Jiang Cheng resented. Notice how it also does not say that Jiang Fengmian avoided or ignored his son. In fact, we are told that he tried different ways to teach Jiang Cheng, a futile action we see him still committed to even up to the fall of Lotus Pier. Jiang Fengmian never gave up on his son. Jiang Cheng gave up on himself as Jiang Fengmian's son. None of that has to do with how the Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli interacted in life nor how Jiang Yanli felt about her parents in death, still visiting their tablets regularly to clean and talk to them:

Jiang YanLi was kneeling in the ancestral hall. She cleaned her parents’ memorial tablets as she whispered. Wei WuXian poked his head inside, “Shijie? Talking to Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu again?”

—Chapt. 71: Departure, exr

To say that Jiang Fengmian is a terrible father simply because Jiang Cheng is more comfortable believing his mother’s lies than understanding that unconditional love does not mean unconditional tolerance for poor behavior does Jiang Fengmian’s character a disservice. To say that Jiang Fengmian is a terrible father to Jiang Yanli based on Madam Yu and Jiang Cheng’s own fantasies of victimhood is just an extra unnecessary lie to give credence to an idea that the story proves untrue. At worst, Jiang Fengmian was a man reserved in physical displays of affection that could have stood to hug his son more if that was what Jiang Cheng truly wanted. But if we are being truthful, Jiang Fengmian's just a regular fucking guy juggling raising kids and leading a clan with deterring his abusive wife from turning his home into a battlefield any time she deigns to show her face. Whatever issue you think Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng should have with their upbringing, the locus of the problem is named Yu Ziyuan, not Jiang Fengmian.

[grimlers]

OUTLAST TRIALS OC POSTING

Dennis - Reagent

Backstory and how he got to being a reagent at Murkoff:

Born 1924 in Britain, raised as a Christian and came from a well-off family, his early years were pretty normal but as he got older, around 15-17 he realised he was a homosexual and due to societal hatred as well as how he was brought up he felt extremely wrong for it and was desperate to distance himself from it by marrying his wife, Sarah, at 19 in 1943.

Their marriage was arranged, Dennis asking for his parents to set him up and they did, Sarah agreed, genuinely interested in Dennis and having a family with him but that didn’t happen and ever since their wedding leading up to Dennis joining the RAF she began to pick up on hints of who he truly was. Their relationship was extremely strained, with Dennis being inattentive and cold to Sarah, he was never physically abusive nor did he intend to harm her in anyway, he just had a lot of hate for himself that was projected onto her.

After a few months of marriage, Dennis joined the RAF in 1944, becoming a pilot. He had a much more relaxed personality before joining the military and was overall much easier to get along with (apart from him and his wife) but came out much more blunt and cold. The military instilled a more practical and apathetic side to him purely because that’s what he needed to do when seeing death all the time. He liked the routine of the military and had three confirmed enemy aircraft’s destroyed during his service.

However nearing mid 1945 his plane (Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV) malfunctioned and crashed, he survived the crash but was stuck in the wreckage and badly injured, thus two fellow soldiers came to help him and while dragging him one was shot dead and the other captured by the enemy, Dennis wasn’t captured because the enemy believed him to be dead and so Dennis was stuck there until eventually more soldiers came and rescued him, bringing him to safety.

He was taken to recover but was honourably discharged after his injuries deemed him unfit for duty, suffering from nerve damage to his left limbs as well as shell-shock (PTSD) .He had extreme survivors guilt from the incident and felt as if he was the cause for the two soldier’s that attempted to help him fates. This made him press to be released early so he wouldn’t have to face anyone and so his burns didn’t fully heal before release.

He then went back home and found that his wife had left, house sold, nothing to stay in Britain for and so he went to America, trying for a fresh start. But when he got to America, sepsis from his burns started and he ended up in a confused daze on the streets, seemingly homeless and a perfect candidate for Murkoff.

He was then taken to Sinyala facility where his blood poisoning got worse, making him extremely confused and aggressive, causing him to seem unapproachable to other reagents even after being treated and returning to ‘normal’ because of how he started, he was a very isolated man but this didn’t bother him, caring more about where he was and the actions he had to do in trials rather than friendship.

His story is still being tweaked so sorry if there’s any gaps 😭😭🙏🙏, I’ll be posting a few of my other outlast OC’s stories/information at some point too.

[nonbinarypirat]

Hello! I really like your character analysis from m!ik. I wanted to ask you what do you think of Amerie? And her influence on Iruma? And their relationship?

Great question! Okay, I’ll go in order of your questions since you have a few for me :)

Okay, so I have issues with how Ameri is written on the character, some of the few issues I have with Nishi’s writing thus far. But before I talk about the negatives I want to focus on the positives of Ameri and her character because I do think she has a lot of potential that I hope we get to see! Ameri is a classic capable but soft character type that we see in both her romance fantasies but also her deep care for her fellow students. She isn’t just a student president because of the prestige or power it could give her, it’s because her ideal is for every demon to be proud of themselves and their authentic selves. And this is a quality in her that I find deeply profound and beautiful. She’s proud of herself and she wants others to be proud of themselves as well. And what I like about Iruma and Ameri is that she encourages him to strive for more, more than he ever could have dreamed of in the beginning. And he makes her enjoy herself more rather than overworking herself. He makes her be still more, stop to appreciate the little things. She also has the power to inspire others, a nature born leader, and one that is willing to do anything for her fellow students. Not to mention she has given her fellow student council members a place to belong and by doing so, they have deep respect and loyalty to her. And for demons who are inherently selfish and idealistic, this says a lot. They aren’t with her because of her strength, they care for her and I think that speaks volumes in itself.

What I have a problem with is how much her growth is tied to iruma. I think in this Nishi failed at making her an independent character. For instance, we don’t get to see her work towards rank 7, which would help her in her main ambition. We know she wants to take over for her dad, but we don’t know why that’s so important to her yet. And we don’t get to see the steps she takes towards that goal. Her growth is her progress in her relationship with Iruma and I think that’s a let down. Like I said, I love how she inspires and pushes iruma to be a better version of herself. I enjoy that a lot about their relationship. But I don’t find myself interested at all in the romance aspect of the two, mostly because of how they met each other. The trope is that in so many animes and mangas (and the romance genre in general) have two characters run into each other and instantly fall for the other. They went for the trope, we had some laughs about it, but then it kind of just… stuck around? It’s making fun of the clique while also adhering to it and to me it just didn’t land. I think for the joke to work and to make the relationship flow better, the immediate attraction should have quelled and from there a more slow burn of feelings for Ameri. I think if she didn’t become so Iruma crazy so soon into the story, it could have made a more compelling relationship compared to the current one we have. Right now, besides motivating each other I don’t see much in the way of their relationship? I think it’s also hard because we see so little of her in the actual plot and story so the relationship feels like it’s going at a snail’s pace while also going too fast when we do get to see them interact again to make up for the lack of Ameri. It’s weird, they’ve gone on three or four dates (or at least, we can categorize them as dates even if both characters haven’t called it that) but at the same time it’s like nothing has happened for them. I guess besides Ameri realizing her feelings, Iruma blushing when hugging Ameri, and the talk with Henri. I wish the relationship was more friendship focused or the feelings took longer to develop. Because she’s a busy woman and she’s a year above Iruma, we don’t see her actively take part of the plot often and it just makes it hard to get to know more personal stuff about Ameri.

This isn’t to say I’m a Ameri x Iruma hater, I just don’t find their relationship a fun part of the story. I do also admit to having a bias for the love trio when it comes to Iruma ships. But I do hope that the relationship develops more in an in-depth way because I could see her and their relationship becoming more interesting if Nishi takes the time to write her (in my opinion) better.

[soul-controller]

Father-Son Bonding

When Scott Matthews first found out that his girlfriend was pregnant, the 20-year-old college student was ecstatic. Despite the newfound stress he now felt in terms of finding a career that could sustain a wife and kid, there was nothing else that he wanted more than to be a father. 

In his youth, the man found great solace in his close relationship with his father, so when Scott and his wife went in for an ultrasound and discovered that they would be parents to a boy, the man was eager to replicate it with his first-born. Just like his father, Scott was an incredibly athletic and handsome guy, which allowed his father to help mold him into a standup guy who was both instantly charismatic to others and appealing to the eyes. His father helped coach him in sports and do fitness training with him on the weekends, so the concept of doing the same for his own kid was extremely exciting for the expecting father.

But as his son Jacob was born and began to grow up, Scott was disappointed to learn just how different his life was in comparison to how he envisioned it. Firstly, the man had never considered the concept of being a single father, but he was forced to accept it after losing his wife to cancer a few weeks after Jacob’s sixth birthday. Even prior to the death of his wife, being the main breadwinner was a lot of stress and hard work so the fact that he now had to handle his roles on top of his wife’s after her death made him feel incredibly overwhelmed.

Additionally, the warm tight-knit relationship that Scott aimed to form with his son never really materialized. Attempts to play catch or be active outside were instantly rejected by the young boy, who would have much rather stayed inside to read books and watch television. Despite his own disappointment in not having a sporty son, the man still viewed his son’s behavior adorable as it just reminded Scott of how much Jacob resembled his mother. But in the aftermath of his wife’s death, it soon became a painful reminder of what he lost and thus only caused the duo to become more disconnected as they both grew up. 

By the time sixteen years since his birth had occurred, Jacob had also come to realize a similar case of disappointment and resentment towards his relationship with his father. Unlike his popular and athletic father, Jacob was more of a reserved academic – who found flexing his intellect more interesting than his muscles. In school his father was a straight C student, so the 16-year-old wasn’t too shocked to realize that the mid-30s man didn’t have much understanding or interest in most of his hobbies or coursework (including the AP courses he took at school).

Yet even if his dad didn’t understand anything, Jacob still would have loved it if his dad ever attempted to show up to his various events and provide some encouragement. But unfortunately, the young man was forced to attend mathlete competitions and Science Olympiad events utterly alone with no one to cheer him on. Of course, his dad said that he couldn’t get off of his factory job to go, but Jacob knew deep down that his dad just simply didn’t want to go. He always knew that he resembled his mother more than his father, so sometimes when he’d sit and think about why his dad wouldn’t come, he’d feel guilty believing that he was a constant reminder of his father’s loss and suffering.

Eventually, their tensions reached an all-time peak after his father didn’t come to the final mathlete competition of the semester. As they drove home, Jacob was the one to break the tension, asking why his dad hated him so much. From there, their conversation bounced between annoyance to tear-filled responses as the duo finally purged themselves of all of their innermost thoughts. Once his dad’s truck pulled into the driveway, Jacob exited and headed into the house with haste before slamming shut his bedroom door and falling into his bed.

Despite wanting to patch things up with his son, Scott’s own tear-filled eyes caused him to choose to give the duo some alone time so they could properly comprehend their emotions. As a result, the duo simply fell asleep crying into their pillows, wishing that somehow someday their bond would be unbreakable and the duo would equally understand each other. 

Upon waking up that next morning, both men were shocked to find that their bodies had been swapped. Of course, such a shock caused both men to decide that they needed the day off to fully focus on figuring out what happened and how to swap back. So now forced into the fatherly role, Jacob called into his father’s job before then calling his high school to state that his “son” was sick and thus staying home for the day.

For both men, it was equally uncomfortable and unnerving to find themselves in each other’s bodies, especially due to Scott’s new teenage morning wood refusing to dissipate and thus forcing him to deal with his son’s boner. The same could be said for Jacob upon waking up in his dad’s body, especially as his father slept nearly nude besides his underwear so the teenager was forced to look at a rather scandalous amount of his father’s muscular mid-30s dadbod.

Despite their best attempt at finding some sort of online solution or consulting with supposed “magical consultants”, no solution to their body swap problem ever presented itself to the duo. As a result, the worries of both income and teenage truancy meant that they were left with no other choice but to live the lives that they had been magically forced into.

Understandably, the adaptation period was quite rough for both men as they adapted to the new roles that they were either 20 years too early or too old for. For Jacob, it was an instant struggle adapting to being the hardworking breadwinner of the family. Additionally, the teenager wasn’t the type to get his hands dirty or be physically active, so the concept of going to work in a factory was incredibly daunting and terrifying quite frankly. In fact, there had been several instances in his first week as his dad that the young man had nearly gotten himself severely injured by a machine.

As for Scott, the popular and athletic man had quite a rough time adapting to his son’s life. Rather than the countless friends that he had growing up, Jacob only had three best friends who were a part of the same programs and clubs as Scott’s son. As a result, his social life was relatively limited and thus meant that he had a lot of free time to just wander around town or find somewhere to hang out to avoid going home and interacting with his son-turned-father. Additionally, it was an absolute mindfuck for the straight C student to suddenly find himself tasked with living up to his son’s potential. He could barely pass biology and chemistry yet now he was expected to ace AP variations of these courses!

Over time though, the initial distance between the duo faded as they found themselves needing each other to best adapt to their new scenarios. With the several near-injuries that his son experienced at his job, Scott worked hard to help teach Jacob what to do in addition to teaching him about his co-workers and how to stay safe 24/7. In response, Jacob returned the favor by helping tutor his father in those tricky AP subjects that he did in addition to showing up to Scott’s various Science Olympiad and mathlete competitions due to his intense nerves. 

As six months passed, both men had ultimately begun to accept that they would most likely never be going back to their old lives. Yet despite how most would mourn such a loss, neither the new Scott or Jacob felt that way. As time passed and they got into the routine of their new lives, the duo had truly felt as though they had been given a new lease on life. While “Scott” was able to be more mature, it also meant that he had the ability to help improve the family’s situation by beginning night school courses at a nearby college for engineering. In time, the 36-year-old hoped that one day he’d be able to leave the mechanic position at the factory entirely and instead get himself promoted to one of the engineering positions which provided a much more appealing salary.

So as Jordan lifted up his phone to take a selfie with his father at the county fair, both men’s smiles couldn’t have been more genuine as the son’s finger pressed on the camera button. Through some magical interference, the father and son had grown closer than ever and after being able to say they’ve lived both of their lives, each man could confidently say that these were the bodies and lives that they were meant to have.

Eager to read more stories like this? Head over to my Patreon to discover tons of hot transformation fiction including monthly mini-stories like this one!

[kakerutori]

Elmax is actually pretty wonderful the more I think about them.

El, for practically all her conscious life, has been taught to do things against her will: strengthening her powers, finding the demogorgon/Henry, staying shut in at home for secrecy (and no hate to Hopper for this. I get that he’s trying to protect her, but it’s stifling nonetheless which is why I include it to consideration). And while I really love the way that Owens treated her in season 4 and gave her the choice to rekindle her powers or let it go, the stakes were pretty insane, and above all, it still involved her powers which she was forced to obtain.

But Max. Max is the only person who’s given El a chance to be herself. “Not Hopper, not Mike, you.” She takes away all sense of authority that puppeteers her, putting the strings back in El’s own hands. And when El does occasionally use her powers, it’s to pull pranks - nothing that ever puts her or others in harm’s way - not to mention that Max doesn’t ask her to carry the world with them. Of course, when things got serious, El went back into savior mode, but for the very first time, for even a day, Max was able to give El the liberty to do what she wanted and explore what she liked. And once again, no, Max didn’t give her everything, but with the town they lived in, with the opportunities they had, going to the mall is actually such a fun place to be. It’s a marker of girlhood to go on a shopping spree if you ask me.

What makes this most apparent to me is that Max is one of the most independent characters. We don’t really see her parents, never get to see her actually interacting with them besides glimpses of her mom in season 4, and Billy very clearly didn’t provide much for her besides the occasional car ride. She’s the perfect character to support El, and the stance of independence that Max has made a perfect lead-in to show El being supported by her and having fun with her as she, too, learned what independence meant for her. I don’t know if this was intentional by the Duffers to write the climax of events to be July 4th, Independence Day to tie in this theme, but if so, it’s incredible.

I love Max and I love how quickly she took El in. Even after failing to be properly introduced last season, did she hold that against El? Nope. She saw her girl in trouble, took her in, and even dared to expand her horizons. And on the flip side, I love how El immediately turned to Max when she was broken up with. She knew where to get solid advice and Max truly didn’t hold anything good back from her. And thus, their relationship was born. It took no time at all for them to click. And that’s sweet as hell.

In short, Max is awesome, El is incredible, and they deserve to have more moments together next season or so help me.

[strawberryshortcake1495]

The Rise and Fall of a Northwest Princess 👑

Now I came up with all of this in a dream I had during a school nap about 5 hours ago, so I’ll just start by explaining what this AU is. This AU is a mashup of the Only Child AU by @Inumari12 (albeit slightly altered), Reverse Portal AU, and Mr. Bill Pines AU by @honeqq (love their art).

Mr. and Mrs. Pines were expecting twins, but the male baby, Mason, was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air and thus killing him. The female, Mabel, grew up as an only child who was rejected by her parents and society for being autistic, which to her doesn’t make her any different than all the other kids. She heard countless stories about her stillborn twin brother and really desperately wanted him to survive. To live, to exist alongside her. Maybe he could’ve been autistic too. Maybe she could’ve had a real friend.

One day, her parents sent her off to stay with her great uncles Stanford and Bill for the summer. She was happy to get away from her nasty hometown and was quick to pack her bags and get on the bus. As it drove away, she swore she saw her mother looking relieved to have her gone. When she got there, she was surprised to find out Grunkle Ford was the owner of a successful company who created this thing called “Oddology” (whatever that means). Ford was very warm and friendly to his great niece, but then Mabel asked where Grunkle Bill was. Ford simply told her he was in the basement but it was best not to go down there because of all the “anomalous” mechanics. But his niece was Mabel Pines. If you tell her not to do something, you know damn well she’s gonna do it.

Shenanigans pursue, and Mabel finds out her lovely Grunkle Bill was actually just some one-eyed yellow triangle. Ford calmly explained to her that Bill was an inter-dimensional chaos demon who fell in love with Ford. Bill is a little silly but he’s seriously not a bad guy. Fiddleford and Stan would beg to differ, though. Ford and Fiddleford had a falling out because of his relationship with Bill and for some strange reason, Fiddleford managed to contact Stan (Ford still doesn’t know how he got his number) and send him down to Gravity Falls to talk some sense into his brother while his mind deteriorated away due to the memory gun. Stuff happens, and Stan gets pushed through the portal. Bill secretly feels super guilty about this and helped his husband with trying to bring him back. Ford doesn’t tell Mabel this until after Stan comes out of the portal, though.

Mabel spends some time with Bill and they click easily. Knowing that he’s practically a god who can do anything he wants, she tells him one simple thing. She wants her brother back. Bill doesn’t resurrect Mason cause deep down he knows the boy was always meant to die at birth so instead he creates this phantom clone with no face and his whole body is pitch black (except for his fluffy brown hair). Mabel names him “Dipper” and decides he is enough. Then she gets to work on knitting clothes for him. She only knits sweaters cause Dipper was born wearing his red shirt, grey shorts, and white socks (obviously he didn’t spawn naked). Dipper doesn’t speak but communicates through noises, actions, body language, or just messages written in blood. Despite his unnerving appearance, Dipper is actually really sweet and polite, always doing what Mabel asks of him.

In a giant International Institute building with nothing but a man, his demon husband, a little girl and her monster brother, along with officers and workers studying anomalies, what can go wrong? Mabel knows deep in her heart that this will be the best summer ever!

[lostinthesoulsociety]

Setsuko Okada – Bleach Oc.

Name: Setsuko Okada;

Height: 5’9”;

Occupation: formerly, third seat of the Fifth Division; later, she became the co-lieutenant of the Eleventh Division; currently, Captain of the Ninth Division;

Age: her appearence is that of a girl in her early twenties, albeit her soul age is something more than 125-years-old;

Affiliation: as a Captain, she is loyal to the Gotei 13; however, unbeknown to her fellow Captains, she was sent by the Captain Commander to spy on Sosuke Aizen and worked by his side to be able to pass on informations to the Soul Society: to prove her loyalty to him, she was forced to fight along his army during the fake Karakura battle;

Species: soul, born from two inhabitants of the Rukongai;

Sexuality: straight;

Partner(s): formerly, undefined relationship with Shuhei Hisagi (actually, still going on); currently, married to Sosuke Aizen (although she visits Muken every single day asking for a divorce). Nobody knows if they really had and have genuine feelings for each other. Considering he helped her escape Rukongai, they did;

Eye color: Setsuko has heterochromia, making her left eye pale blue and her right one forest green;

Hair color: chestnut brown, fading into purple when she unleashes her bankai;

Zanpakuto: Shitsuren (失恋), unrequited love;

Personality: short-tempered, but she is still working on it. Setsuko is actually a polite and, deep down, caring person, who barely judges people’s choices. Morally grey, she rarely takes a side. She is brilliant and cunning and, sometimes, she could give off the vibes of a standoffish and punctilious woman when it comes down to work. In battle, she is unforgiving and sadistic, thus making her Captain Zaraki’s favorite companion for sparring. She is definitely a party person, though, and she gets quite flirty when drunk.

𝑾𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑺𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑲𝑺 𝑨𝑩𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑺.

BYAKUYA KUCHIKI: Too serious and uptight to strike up a conversation with. He’s too full of himself and would rather save his clan’s reputation than admit the laws are too retrograde to still exist. Ugh, stupid spoiled brat… Still, I like to prank him.

UNOHANA RETSU: Something’s off about her. No one is that terrifying and loving at the same time. I smell the blood of a pretty little liar. Overall, we get along, though… Mostly because Zaraki and I need her assistance after our training sessions.

JUSHIRO UKITAKE: He’s like the brother I never had. He doesn’t hesitate to scold me in front of the others, when I mess up. Yet, he can’t stay mad at me for too long. He’s such a sweetheart!

SHUNSUI KYORAKU: a partner in crime. He is pretty much my favorite person to share a drink with. We may have got in troubles together more than once and, maybe, our way of playfully flirting has gone too far once or twice. Nobody is going to know, right?

ZARAKI KENPACHI: My former Captain is a force of the nature. I admire that man so much! Sometimes I miss hanging around the Eleventh Division’s barracks. We still train together, though! We match scars on our eyes.

TOSHIRO HITSUGAYA: Arrogant kid. I don’t like him at all, but I guess he still needs time to mature. I pity Rangiku for keeping up with him every single day. Our relationship probably deteriorated because of his friendship with Hinamori Momo. To be honest, I don’t care.

GIN ICHIMARU: Too sneaky for my likings, but I am not easy to fool. He better watch his back around me. Not too bad to have a chit-chat with, but I can’t bring myself to trust him fully. Great shikai, though. When we were younger, he used to tug at my hair. I threw worms in his tub to get back at him.

SAJIN KOMAMURA: He’s a pure soul. Sometimes, we go to take strolls together in the Rukongai. He helps me to take care of orphan kids and never questions why my haori is stained in blood after I come back from ‘talking’ to the bastards causing problems in the districts.

SOIFON: Oh, right, Yoruichi’s dog. She’s a pain in the ass. If I catch her meddling into my business, I will tear her apart limb from limb. She’s not smarter than Omaeda, you know? Ugh, I hate her.

SOSUKE AIZEN: This man gives me migraines, but I owe him my life. He saved me from a life of misery. I love him, okay, I do. Yet, he is a bastard. Can you believe I married him? He’s a supportive partner to some extent and he’s great in be—. Uhm, he better rot in Muken.

MAYURI KUROTSUCHI: I heard a song in the World of the livings. It went like “Psycho killer. Qu'est-ce que c'est?”. Yep, that describes this freak. I mean, he’s a meanie and I don’t get along with him, but it can be interesting listening to him talking about his researches. Also, our zanpakutos are both based on poison.

YAMAMOTO GENRYUSAI: Respectable, but too keen to take matters in his own hands. All he does is giving orders and he doesn’t listen to anyone’s opinion. Still, he is the Captain Commander. I follows his orders, that’s all I have to do.

KANAME TOSEN: Justice here, justice there. Come on, has anybody ever told him to shut up? The world doesn’t revolve around justice. The world is unfair, so wake up to reality. There’s not such a thing as suprume justice. It’s all in his head, for God’s sake. Boring.

𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀.

Setsuko Okada is a soul born in a disreputable district of the Rukongai. She has no memory of her parents, supposedly murdered by a local gang for some trivial dispute. Growing up in the streets, fed by an old woman who realized she had a great spiritual pressure, she played around the district with the local orphans. Shuhei Hisagi, albeit a little younger than her, was among her best friends and she always stood up for him during fights.

The hunger among the kids who possessed spiritual energy was too big to be satisfied by some rice and bread and some of her friends decided to blow a fetch at the head of a dangerous clan who controlled the food distribution in the district. When they did not come back, Setsuko sensed something was off and left the old woman’s house to search for them.

Finding out her friends were dead, she got blinded by rage and stabbed the man responsible of their deaths right in his eye. Too little and fragile to properly fight back and escape, she was captured and, as a payback for her aggression, the man scarred her face. Hungered and enslaved by the clan, she spent nearly two years alone in a cell, until someone pulled her out of her confinement to sell her out in the streets. It was in that occasion that she met Sosuke Aizen, a young Lieutenant of the Fifth Division.

Sensing her Spiritual pressure, he bought her and took her into the safe walls of the Seireitei. Stitched up, she spent a few nights in the barracks of the Fifth Division until she enrolled to the Academy and studied there until her graduation. During the night, Sosuke offered her the chance to train harder and learn some other fighting techniques not taught to the new recruits.

In her mind there was only the thirst for revenge that consumed her. As soon as the graduation party ended, she paid a visit to the Rukongai district where she came from and killed the members of the gang who had hurt her one by one.

𝑻𝑹𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑨 — 𝑻𝑨𝑰𝑺𝑯Ō 𝑺𝑬𝑪𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑺

• During a mission in the World of the livings with Shunsui, they ended up getting drunk and got arrested while in their gigai form. The shinigami sent to their rescue was Jushiro Ukitake, who signed a petition to ask Captain Yamamoto not to pair Captain Kyoraku and Captain Okada together in a mission ever again.

• During her time in Las Noches, she taught Ulquiorra some basics about human feelings and interactions. The Espada seemed to enjoy her company, however he never expressed his thoughts about their ‘friendship’, but gifted her a green hairpin, upon learning presents were a way to show gratitude among humans.

• She is kind with children and often visits the Rukongai to bring them food and gifts. If some kids have troubles with adults, she makes sure to keep them safe and handles the situation on her own. Most of the time, said people mysteriously disappear. Literally.

• When she left the Gotei temporary to follow Sosuke in Las Noches, Shuhei was the only one who did not believe that farce. To convince him she had made up her mind, she tossed him a necklace he had gifted her when they were kids and told him his own existance was a mistake. Those words hurt her more than they affected him.

• She is kind of a nerd and reads a lot of novels and manga from the World of the livings.

• The only two people who know she actually has feelings for Sosuke are Rangiku and Gin. Albeit they only married to establish a stronger hierarchy in Hueco Mundo, she actually did it for love. On the other hand, Sosuke cared for her and admired her a lot. He grew affectionate of her throughout the years, causing some feelings he despised to seep into his mind and heart. He denied them, but at the same time he refuses to set her free by agreeing on a divorce.

• When it comes down to food, she dislikes a few things, some of them being sushi, broccoli, savoy cabbage and strawberries. She has been addressed a picky eater by Shuhei more than once and he went to the extent to force feed her broccoli to shut her up during an argument. He was headbutted.

• Setsuko’s habit of picking scanty dresses irks Byakuya to no end and he constantly throws cloaks at her to cover up. Everyone knows about it and she got once dared to sneak into Byakuya’s chambers naked. His shouts could be heard in the entire Soul Society.

“You are shameless!”.

“Virgin boy”.

• She sold pictures of Ikkaku with the wig he had purchased in the World of the livings to earn money for the Shinigami Women’s Association. He never forgave her.

• Setsuko was and is the only one who doesn’t fear testing Sosuke’s patience with sassy and sarcastic comebacks.

“We haven’t discussed the chance to give the reign an heir”.

“That’s out of discussion. Fuck yourself and see if you get pregnant”.

• She loves going to concerts in the World of the livings and often asks Kisuke to buy her tickets for the events for when she visits Karakura. She makes sure not to tell Sosuke about it, or he would truly get free from Muken out of irritation.

• She is scared of millepedes and fainted in Jushiro’s arms, during a picnic.

• Ready to throw hands at any times, she loved wrestling with Grimmjow. Sosuke forbid them to indulge into such savages activities ever again, after spotting her straddling the Espada’s waist to tackle him down. Someone has jealousy problems. Naturally, he denied it all.

AUTHOR NOTE.

Our beloved Setsuko is ready and by that I mean ready to fight. Is there something more you wish to know about her? Ask right away through my inbox✨

Credits for the art: me;

Credits for the banners: @cafekitsune

[lady-of-the-english]

Tommy and Grace and Marriage Part 1

Something that always struck when when originally watching, and then rewatching, Peaky Blinders was how much Tommy wanted to marry Grace and thus how resentful he was that "work" (i.e. Russians) crashed the day he'd been looking forward to for years.

We first get to see Tommy's desire back in 1919, in season 1, episode 5, after they sleep together. We see that he defines their relationship as a true partnership.

After sleeping with her and next to her, for the first time since the war, he doesn't "hear the shovels against the wall," and he asks her to "help me with everything. The whole fucking thing. Fucking life...business. I found you and you found me. We'll help each other."

Tommy offers both a plea and a promise. With Grace, he found a true sense of love, home, and safety. He is willing to be his most vulnerable with her. As "people look different at home," in seeing her there, he hopes and asks to stay. For the first time, "life" comes before "business" with Tommy. He wants to provide her with all that she gives him. With Grace, he has the strength and courage to truly live.

The episode thematically ends with "Bring it On" by Nick Cave," emphasizing his sense of feeling strongest with Grace with the following lyrics:

"This garden that I built for you/that you sit in now and yearn/I will never leave it dear/I could not bear to return/and find it all untended/with the trees all bended low/this garden is our home, dear/and I got nowhere else to go/So, bring it on/Bring it on/Every little tear/Bring it on/Every useless fear."

In the following episode, Tommy shares with Grace his fantasy and plans - that they will share a life and "home."

He promises her that at "the next family meeting, I'll make sure you're there." When Grace argues that she's not family, he says back, "That could change," implying a future proposal and marriage.

He continues that flirtation. When Grace asks when they can talk so she can confess to him, he teases her, saying, "Oh, is this how it's going to be, eh? You waiting at home for me, saying 'What time do you call this?'".

Seeing that Grace is upset as she is wiping away tears, Tommy walks it back, reassuring that "I was joking" and that "I'm not talking about marriage," but I think that is a lie.

I think he is absolutely is thinking about marriage and the rest of their lives together. And he is afraid that he is scaring her off.

When Grace tells him, "When you come back from the races, I won't be here," he asks, "What are you talking about?" But he doesn't let her answer.

He immediately jumps in with reassurances, trying to convince her to stay and be with him. He assumes that she is afraid of being with him and that the life he can offer her isn't one she is used to or interested in.

His own insecurities and plans come out: "Grace, I know you weren't born to be with a man like me. But I'm turning things around." He emphasizes that he's going off to get the "biggest legal racetrack syndicates in the country and I'm going to close down some of that other stuff."

He touches her face to get her full attention and asks her to "remember" that her contract is with a legal "real limited company," asserting that he'll keep her safe and away from the illegal business that he wants to get out himself.

When Grace replies that she "remembers everything," we see Tommy's full desperation. He swears, repeating, "I am going to make a success of this. I am going to make a success of it. I am."

And then he switches to what is most important to him about their relationship. If marriage scares her, then he asserts that "I'm not talking about marriage," as he is willing to wait for that. For he does stumble and hesitate after saying this. He trails off, saying, "I'm so..." as he doesn't know what to say, as marriage absolutely is what he was talking about at the start of this conversation.

Tommy gathers himself, defining the strengths of their relationship. As they hold hands, he reminds her that "we know each other. We can talk. We're the same."

The end of the season emphasizes Tommy's heartbreak and confusion, but also the love they still have for each other and how they still know each other.

When he returns to Grace, she asks, "What exactly can I say?...if I tell you who I really am?" Will it matter and change anything?

Tommy replies, "I think I know who you are" highlighting his uncertainty. He finally knows her true identity and motives for being there, but he still also knows the true her since she shot the IRA man (both in revenge for her father and fear of Tommy dying the same way in my opinion).

Grace reiterates that idea. She argues that they know and love the true versions of themselves and the rest is "circumstance" and "just uniform."

And Tommy does seem to accept that. When she tells him, "I love you," he believes it despite the betrayal and lies. He tells her, "away it goes," but doesn't argue that it wasn't real in the first place.

With that belief in their love, we still see how Tommy holds onto the fantasy of their future, even if it is one that he no longer sees as feasible, at least in the near future.

Where before, he assured Grace that he'd begin shutting down some of the illegal businesses, with the mess of Kimber and Campbell and the loss of Danny, that becomes a "someday." The hope is still there that "someday I will throw this gun in the canal," and with it the implication that they can have the life and marriage he dreams of.

He reassures her multiple times that he does love her even if they can't be together now. He says that "we can say" they love each other as much as they want "but there is still no chance."

In his closing letter, he confesses that he never "loved" an enemy before her and that the idea of going to New York to be with her is "interesting" and appealing. In his heartbreak, he reverts to putting business first. In telling her no, he cites "responsibilities" as the reason he must stay.

But even in telling her no, the hope of someday is still there. He tells her he used to flip a coin to help him make decisions, and "perhaps that is what I will do again." The decision he just made is one that can easily change "within three days, " as the love they have for each other is real.

He ends the letter reassuring her that he does believe that she loves him as "Polly is never wrong about matters of the heart," and with that, he offers her "all my love."

Thus, the desire to marry Grace is not dead or forgotten, and season 2 will show us that time, in fact, does heal these wounds that leave him uncertain and unable to commit right now.

[mrsillytickles69]

Breaking into terrible peoples houses and stealing their oc's and changing their lore part 778 + their lore (don't be afraid to ask questions)

R.I.P Cain you would have loved Ethel Cain and hated BookTok 😔 "Why did you make Vincent, Sano and Farz (I don't assisote btd Farz with TINR Farz stfu)?!" Bc I love WOMEN!!!

Deleted things: -Sa scenes between them and MC -No incest between Akira, Sano and Cain (they're found family) -Sano dosen't fuck everyone rage emoji -Damian dosen't cheat on Vani with MC -Daman, Akira and Vani aren't really part of the btd lore that much, honestly out of the btd lore -Cain has a clone that travels around the mortal realm to check up on Sano an Akira plus to find someone interesting so he won't be lonely Added things: -The marking on Cain's face is the amount of tears he cried after being sent to his prison -Vincent is a lesbian -Vincent and Sano are trans fem -Sano is in a healthy relationship -Sano is a morally gray character who thinks she's helping other sa victims but is causing worse by trying to make them feel clean again -Cain, Vincent and Farz are the only ones that gets a romantic relationship with Mc

-Can't really die from Sano, only dying from blood loss or if you try and attack her which will result in you getting killed by her boyfriend -Sano and Mc's relationship is platonic, they stay in touch after :3 -Vani is the forgotten/old ruler of the universe

Cain, Damian and Veni:

Lore: Before the original lore the world was rather peaceful being ran by 3 gods. Veni and two other goddess that were lesbians bc I can't make lore without lesbians. Of course my other oc Jude during his rain of terror took notice of the universe and saw how un "pure" it was. Veni already knew yet he couldn't do anything thus he made himself a clone so Damian would never get lonely and so he could trick Jude into thinking that he had killed him. Anywho, Jude kills Veni and the two other goddesses and took over the universe. As he began, he took notice of Cain who was 16 at the time. Jude saw how lonely Cain was as he was always so distant from his family. Being over looked because of his younger brother Damian. Jude knew he could take advantage of that so he ended up getting into a toxic and sexual "relationship" with Cain. Cain thought Jude loved him, as Cain just wanted to be loved yet as he turned 23 Jude lost interest. Jude then went after Damian so out of rage and jealously of once again getting overlooked because of Damian. After killing Damian Jude got pissed the fuck off and stripped away Cain's innocence's making him realize what Jude did to him. While he was at it, he also ripped Cains wings (yes a metaphor for sa) and put him into Cains personal hell where he would spend a eternity of loneliness'. Just to torutre poor Cain more, Jude put a mortal woman into the prison. Cain loved her dearly, she was also free to go to the human realm in which is where she found baby Akira and baby Sano!! Taking them in Cain was hesitant to raise them yet soon grew attached to Sano. Sano was Cains favorite and Akira was Cains wife favorite. Years pass and Sano and Akira go out to live their own lives and sadly Cain's wife dies from old age. Cain who is once again alone with no one as he knows Akira is dead and thinks Sano had also died bc of Strade. Moral of the story Cain dosen't really get a happy ending even with MC. Mc would eventually die leaving Cain alone once again. Sano:

Akira:

Lore: Akira was born first, he lived a relatively normal life with his mother and father. That was until Sano was consived. His mother struggled through out the entire pregnancy. After being told so many times that she needed to get an abortion, her family disagreed. Especially her husband who was dead set on both the baby and her surviving the birth. After hours of labor, Sano was born and of course their mother had died right after from blood loss. From there on, their father neglected them completely. Akira spent days taking care of baby Sano making sure that Sano was well taken care of. 7 days after Sano turned 5, their father ended up killing himself where Akira and Sano had to become homeless which is where they met Cains wife!!!. They grew up to be really good people despite their upbringing. Akira wanted to be a lead guitarist and Sano wanted to be a doctor always finding the human body fascinating and how it could survive without certain limbs. Akira and Sano remain close yet part ways. Akira joins a band and Sano attends collage where she studied hard. On one stressful study night, Sano went to a bar where she met Strade! She thought she was gonna make a new friend as she never really had any. Sadly Strade ended up kidnapping and torturing her for 4 days. Akira finds out that Sano had been kidnapped and the dumbass took it into his own hands to try and find her. Akira ends up getting killed in front of Sano in the process. After grieving his death, on the 4th day Sano ends up escaping bc dumbass Strade FORGOT TO LOCK THE FUCKING DOOR (also b4 you ask abt Ren this was before Strade kidnapped Ren). Soon after returning home, Sano debated on killing herself to get rid of the unclean feeling along with preventing it from happening again. After hours of laying in her bathtub, she came up with the idea of making prosthetic arms and legs. She gave herself bottom surgery (girlboss behavior ik ik) and replaced her arms and legs with protreptics. After days of not leavng her house in fear still, she came up with a plan which was taking in other people who went through the same thing she experienced and replacing their body parts with prosthetics. This is getting long so she does that, goes back to collage, meets her bf and wham bam thank you ma'am she is happy but Akira and Cain still thinks she dead. Vincent and Farz:

Lore: Both of their backstories are the same BUT how they met is different. Vincent is still a veteran (got that money money from sueing the place LOL) and Farz is just a photographer! Vincent runs a lesbian strip club and Farz had to do a little report about it. Vincent noticed how pretty and nice Farz was, getting a lil crush on her. Farz who interviewed Vincent about the club also couldn't help but get a lil crush on Vincent. Vincent of course looked like an asshole on the outside, even putting on a persona to protect herself but Farz saw past that. Anywho after a month of interviewing the place (she got busy hanging out with Vincent and other projects LMFAO) they started dating YIPPIEEE!!!!!! Vincent is very protective over Farz, will in fact punch a cat caller or someone trying to homophobic towards them. Overall it's a healthy relationship lol. Vincent only hurt Farz when she pushed Farz a lil to hard.

[trippinsorrows]

Hey Ari! That last chapter of LTYE has me curious if you ever considered giving Solana a 'normal' childhood or background story? It's just all so sad, and I wonder how different her life could have been if she wasn't born to such a evil man.

hi!

this is an interesting question.

warning: long ass post literally no one asked for, but i don't know how to stfu clearly.

i actually went through a couple of different scenarios and even plots for this story. i knew i wanted to tackle abuse, sexual trauma, and/or mental health, so most touched on some aspect of one or more. a couple that, obviously, didn't make the 'cut', so to speak, are as follows:

solana being a nurse who is secretly in a relationship and married to roman, but they live separately and only those closest to him even know he's with her/married for safety reasons. her relationship to and with him eventually gets 'exposed' i.e. is exposed by someone and she's attacked by his enemies and miscarries as a result (she hadn't had a chance to tell him about the pregnancy). thus a lot of the story would focus on their healing from that.

roman meets solana who works as a waitress at a restaurant and is almost instantly intrigued by her because she randomly comes up to him and serves him pie because he looks like he's having a 'bad day.' (she's more bubbly and not as nervous in this iteration) he's not used to this kind of friendly behavior. his intrigue results in him randomly coming to see her and a relationship/connection forming. there were two options here where she has a baby from an abusive ex she escaped where roman would develop a bond with her and the child or where xavier (i know) is still her dad and arranges a marriage between her and someone who is an equal pos which roman is not here for obviously. some other things lol

there was also a similar one to the above where solana was forced into an arranged marriage with seth's psycho (no offense seth girlies) ass, they have a baby together, but he's abusive. he's deep in the hole in the bloodline and one night roman and the gang break into his house, demanding to be repaid. well, obviously, his gambling ass ain't got it, so roman, unaware of just how bad shit is or that seth really don't gaf about her and the baby, takes solana and the baby as 'collateral' that seth can 'get back' when roman gets his money. welp, feelings grow and obviously roman is like 'i'm never sending you back there' and yeah.

and one of the last was solana taking care of her two younger sisters, the youngest being a half sister. still piece of shit xavier as the father who was abusive and had the mom killed (a secret as well) and solana stays around because one sister is only like 15, and the other is lik 5. she refuses to leave her sisters, and xavier won't let solana take them. well, xavier stays true to his piece of shit nature and plans to sell off the 15 y/o with some illegal arranged marriage and enter the human trafficking world which terrifies solana, so she risks her life and approaches roman to ask him for help and/or a loan smuggling her sisters out of the country and into mexico to escape their dad. she'll then return and work for him, indebting herself to the bloodline. roman is like fuck that and just moves solana and her sisters into his house until she can figure out a better plan or whatever. and obviously, feelingssssss.

so.....yeah. 😩 my creative process is....a lot when it comes to story creation, clearly 😭😭😭😭

[7thcirclebaker]

Alright, so since we don't know who's the lead for season 4, and we mostly think Eloise needs someone who will actually call her out on stuff, and clearly the canon relationships at this point are up for grabs, I propose a Theloise potential storyline.

In this season there was the focus on heirs and family inheritance and how surprise titles just are like a thing. From Season 2, we know the Sheffields don't have a male heir, or at least we can assume so, as we never see or hear of one. As Edwina has made a good match on the continent, likely her first born son would inherit whatever title is there, assuming there's only one. And she doesn't seem to have gotten pregnant yet either. This means the Sheffields would need to hold out another couple of years to have an heir, even from the daughter they basically disinherited. But clearly, it's also possible for families to go searching for the nearest male next of kin who would inherit which we saw in the Mondrich plotline this season.

Enter Theo, a like 4th cousin of the Sheffields. They find him, and quite forcefully don't let him out if it, because well he can actually read and is young, fit, and healthy. But he's really not a fan of this, doesn't want it really, is always talking about workers rights etc. in an attempt to tire him out, and for him to be more palatable to the Ton, they buy him a commission, because there's very much a war on. It's a cushy one that's unlikely to see too much battle so he's not at major risk but it should alter his life priorities or something.

Danbury hears that the Sheffields are sending this poor lad of to war, doesn't connect Theo Heir to be Sheffields, to Eloise's printer apprentice Theo and tells Kate about him. They decide to invite him to the next ball as he's kind of her cousin and she wants to do some fence mending. Eloise bumps into him there and they're both just an absolute mess, but like defensively angry at the other. Still people don't connect them to the scandal from season 2, and the only one Eloise would tell is Pen, who won't be writing about this.

They cool off after a little bit and send an apology letter, I wanna say Eloise apologizes first because Pen calls her out faster, and also Theo might die like, is that what you really want the last things you've said to him to be. Thus we get the letters over several months.

Boom! Combat! Things actually go pretty okay, and Theo gets a commendation and a shiny medal. He's horribly wounded though, like weren't sure he'd survive wounded. He does, and gets sent to the country for air from the military hospital only no one told Eloise. So she's thinking he's ignoring her or dead, he thinks she's ignoring him because he's now somewhat fucked up (I wanna say in a way that means being a professional printer is no longer viable because of the work, so he has to accept that he's the Heir now). Someone tells Eloise that he's not dead and is in fact at the Sheffields. She storms herself up there all abluster and yells at him for letting her think he was dead and after that last letter was somewhat touching and like maybe he proposed in it. They argue, they make up, they make out.

Eloise was of course unchaperoned, as we'll say the Sheffields died or were in the city lauding how great their heir was in battle. We get three angry Bridgerton Brothers battle ready for their baby sister. They agree to get married and the family slowly come around once they see how in love they actually are. Also because he's like actually maybe willing to ask for help about how to do the estate management and also how he can implement some reforms and it makes his brother's in law think about the estates they manage and do some reform as well. Everyone wins.

[holymaccaronii]

im sorry i absolutly love BE

I see AM as a father figure for some struggles I got and BE is sooo well writed for me I couldnt help but slowly see her as a mother figure as well,,,,UGH i love her you writed her so well pls ramble more about her(BE and AM are even divorced just like my irl parents/j)

Ou anon you don't know how happy you make me when knowing you see AM and BE that way + asking me for rambles. Of course I'll ramble comforting facts abt BE and her behavior towards AM. I might've mentioned a few things before but i dont rlly mind. Have some rambles below the cut and a doodle :P

So first an introduction shall we? We might explain some background as well despite being repeated a lot. As her lore dictates, BE was born from the materials of a much bigger ai implanted on the moon after HEL-102 (former human that was part of the mission turned into a dictator) tore it apart and built his society + kingdom. She spent a good while in there being used as a role model (with other units like her too) for lower-class units to believe that, if they worked hard enough, they could achieve to be upgraded into her type of model. This being all a big lie. She lived a life seemingly flawless and perfect... but at last, it was her own curiosity, determination and hope that got her out of that hell she realized she was in. She eventually meets AM after a series of events on earth and she gifts him the ability to be anything and do anything he wanted, their relationship eventually grows and grows...

Facts about BE herself:

-Up in the moon, she used to accompany HEL-102 to his personal theater a lot. She gained an interest for dancing in there + learned her classic "to be or not to be" phrase during a play.

-Her exposed cables showcase their current temperature thru colors. Her core/closed body is the warmest area, thus why you can see red/orange colors in there. Her hair and arms are the most stable areas, but if touched/affected they can vary on color patterns. This also means that she can give you a warm or cool hug whenever you need it c:

-BE is able to configure your body to dream about something specific, and she uses this feature to avoid any nightmares on her survivors. As long as there is not another evil ai trying to access your dreams, you'll get a guaranteed good rest.

-BE can grant you about any wish as long as it doesn't pose a threat to you, her, or anybody. Want to have a profession or be someone? Sure! Want to go somewhere and experience the place of your dreams? Of course! Want to have a cat? Have 15! Her power is limitless as long as she uses it above the surface.

-I headcanon her voice to be similar to the one of Rose Quartz (SU).

Facts about BEAM (yep that's their ship name):

-I have mentioned it many times alr but BE literally provided him anything he wished for and even things he didn't know he wanted... mainly to receive different forms of affection and the ability to shapeshift. Their relationship relies heavily on comfort from BE's part, since she believed he was abandoned and thus deserved all the affection she gave him.

-BE wasn't really allowed to be too affectionate or expressive up in the moon, but with AM, she could show as much love as she wanted.

-She was all in for physical and verbal demonstrations of affection. She LOVED to do stuff like face smooches, teeth smooches (since well yk about my AM), rubbing, scratching and cuddling.

-At some point she also started to call AM names such as dear, sweetheart or honey, and he initially had to eat these up to not give her his real-self impression, but as time passed by he got used to them.

-To comfort him she also used her abilities to create and transform matter with her code as well, allowing him to shapeshift and enjoy life not necessarily in a human body.

-Annnd you guessed it right anon, they do behave as motherly and fatherly figures towards the survivors, BE forming a bond with them ever since they proved their worth and values to her as humans, and AM forming a bond when they accepted to help him get back together with BE. The ending of that route gets even better but I won't spoil that :p

I hope these were good rambles and sorry for the wait tehee

[nychthemeron-rants]

Single Mom AU pt 3

Laia’s (Laios’) Timeline

Pt. 1 (AU Summary) Pt.2 (Name Guide) Pt. 4 (Chilchuck's Timeline)

Age 13- tried to disguise herself as a boy and join the army to escape ridicule from both her father and the other kids at school. Was caught and returned home near immediately. This resulted in severe punishments from her parents and even more social isolation from her peers. Her close relationship with her little brother, Fanil, is what got her through this dark period in her life.

Age 14- Encouraged Fanil to go to the magic school their parents have been threatening to send him to. She knew that since Fanil was their only son they didn't want to actually send him and were hoping that the threat would be enough to get Fanil to “act normal” but Laia knew Fanil could use this as an opportunity to escape and make something better of his life than inheriting their father's position.

Age 16- Reached adulthood and was married off to Dimar, the 19 year old eldest son of a wealthy merchant from their village. Dimar's family only agreed to the marriage because of Laia’s status and the chief's daughter and eldest child. While Dimar had heard of Laia's peculiar ways, he also knew she was proficient in many of the skills a “good wife” needed to have, and he considered her good looking enough to be fine with the arrangement. Laia wasn't thrilled but was raised to expect an arranged marriage and was honestly relieved that her husband seemed kind and was of a similar age.

Age 17- Her daughter, Lind, was born. It was shortly after the birth of their daughter, that Dimar's feelings towards the marriage turned from passive contentedness to resentment, as the added responsibility of raising a child with a woman he did not love began to weigh on him. Laia noticed her husband growing distant but blamed it on the exhaustion of having a newborn (despite Dimar doing little to help with Lind). 

Age 19- Dimar's resentment towards Laia and, by extension, Lind, for supposedly holding him back and saddling him with responsibility at a young age and leaving him unfulfilled boils over. He divorces Laia suddenly, leaving their village without informing anyone where he’s gone. He even, vindictively, sold their home expecting her and Lind to simply move back in with her parents. 

Laia, instead, took this as an opportunity to finally leave her village and try to make a life for herself and her daughter thats better than what she's experienced thus far. Obviously her parents were strongly against this, but being an adult now they couldn't do anything about it.

She felt only mild irritation at Dimar's action as she also felt no satisfaction with her life as his wife, had never loved him, and again, saw this as a chance for a new life 

Age 19 cont. - Made it to the Magic academy to see Fanil before she picked where to settle. Besides, Fanil had never had the chance to actually meet his niece before, which Laia wanted to remedy ASAP. 

Fanil convinced her to settle in the town next to the school so they can see each other regularly, which she did, picking up odd-jobs to fund the small apartment she was renting.

Age 22 - Odd jobs stop paying as well and living expenses get dire. Fanil suggests they start adventuring while they ask the school to look after Lind while they're gone. Laia is hesitant at first, considering Lind is only 5, but relents when Fanil asks his best friend and teacher Marcel to help them find long term babysitters for  Lind for cheap. They then join the gold stripping party.

(Marcel is EXTREMELY against this idea as he doesn't want Fanil to leave the school so close to graduation, but relents because he knows Fanil is going to go regardless, and knows that Lind being at the school means he HAS to come back. Still low-key judges Laia, whom he has never met, for being so much of a hot mess she has to “kidnap” her little brother away from his education and dump her daughter on the school.)

Age 23- Leaves the gold stripping party and forms her own party with Fanil. 

Lind, now 7, is old enough to enroll in the Magic Academy, allowing Laia and Fanil to go on longer Adventures as they don't need to go back to the school quite as often. (Both still write Lind as often as possible and visit frequently, as well as Laia sending most of her money back to Lind)

Laia discovers that Chilchuck is also adventuring for the sake of her daughters as a single mother. This happens after Chil discovers Laia quietly crying over a letter from her daughter. In order to comfort her, she explains that she understands her feelings because she has kids to look after too. However, Chil doesn't specify her daughters’ ages and tells Laia to keep her family info quiet.

Age 24 - Marcel joins the party to look after Fanil and try to convince him to come back, after a year ensuring Lind is adjusting well to the school. Decides to stay for research and Fanil.

Age 26 - Plot begins. Fanil is swallowed by the red dragon and with the weight of having her (now 9 year old) daughter on the surface waiting for her safe return, she ventures back into the dungeon with no provision to save her brother.

[volkoss]

Hi, for the WIP folder game:

7. Olivier Ingellvar - My Favourite Mistake

That one I would love to hear more about

Hello! Firstly tagging @nerdanel01 because she also asked about this fic. I've briefly mentioned Olivier here as a character I was excited to write about this year because I want to dig more into writing OCs. Basically, he's the father of Rook Ingellvar, and he and Emmrich dated back before Rook (Klara) was born. Anyway, I've done more outlining of this fic since the last time I've talked about it, including something approximating a loose outline but with some significant changes to Emmrich's personal story line, because given Olivier's existence, Emmrich is now relegated to Nevarra's second-most eminent meddler 😌 Cases in point: 1) Johanna and Olivier are the first living people to find Klara, and Olivier is highly suspicious that Johanna Hezenkoss--not known for her maternal instincts--wants anything to do with an infant. Emmrich can't help but feel like Olivier's putting the baby above their own relationship, which is already strained because of how Olivier's basically tenured and Emmrich is still at the point where he's pumping out research. 2) Olivier advocated so fervently for his daughter post War of the Banners he actually got himself exiled from the country (hence Rook also needing to get out of dodge). Feeling awful for getting his daughter kicked out of the only home she's ever known, he... arranges for her to adventure with Varric while himself laying low in Orlais with his mother, trying to reason that it's because Klara is an elf and would thus be mistreated in Orlais. (His mother has some choice words for him.) But for the better or the worse, the entire story is planned to be told from tight Emmrich POV, so despite Olivier's name being in the document title, he spends a lot of time just haunting the narrative through his daughter who bears such a striking resemblance to a man she cannot possibly be biologically related to. According to my planning doc, core themes are: nature vs nurture, The Eternal Question (in the Mourn Watch sense of whether some shade of the departed returns when a spirit possesses the dead), intersectionality, and finally: getting Nevarra's Most Indecisive Man to Make His Own Goddamn Decision About Something Important in His Life For Once (a mission Klara intends to pursue with as much intensity as destroying the elven gods 🫡)

Anyway, given that this will most likely be the fic I actually write should I actually genuinely attempt a multi-chapter this year, I am incredibly amused to find myself returning to my fandom roots of exploring dysfunctional Family of Choice dynamics incited by a father's bad choices that he made out of love. (WIP Folder Game)