#army of darkness death coaster

[lukewholey-blog]

The Legend of Zelda x Army of Darkness

[quornesha]

Ferrugunious Hawk Prophecy And Symbolism

The Following Channel is from higher powers, Divine, the ancestral plane and is prophetic through Quornesha S. Lemon|

Whether the Ferrugunious Hawk appears in dreams, visions, waking life or synchronicities, it is a sign and message that God/Divine is about to make the room go dark. He says he’s got it from here. The divine is taking over. And he says you've got to continue to be obedient. You're getting ready to be surrounded by those who support you. Who are not jealous of you nor intimidated. They love you. Your eagle community is coming in. God is about to deliver you from the Egyptians. You're about to cross over. And he's raising you up as queen/king. The love that's coming will be what God sends. A divine collaboration is coming in.

All those years you've had to fight are coming to and in one second. God is about to use you. Your story, your life is a movie. Disease will know you and it's time to say goodbye. Your whole life is about to shift. You will speak a word over your life and others and divine will make it so. You're one with the mind of God. Angel armies are with you. It's too late now. The enemy can't kill you, your ideas, your destiny, your offspring. Nations are rising up to support you. You will have a visitation from a loved one. In the physical. The blood of yeshua has commanded this visit. They will smile and disappear. They may lay hands on you and pronounce life over you and your home.

But they're not meant to stay. Your paradise has come in. Life as you know it. Has changed. From death to life, now you rise. God says, he won't let you fall this time. Whatever was on you, its over. There's a demon portal that has opened in Australia. You're getting ready for assets not liabilities. People who appreciate you not depreciate your value and self worth. The divine says what If you leave and they're wrong. Your ancestors are not in foreign lands and countries. Stay put. God says let those doors close. I've got bigger, better and grander for you. The table i have set for you will be plentifold for years. Your redeemer lives. Everything that attacks you teaches you. And when you alchemize and master it you become more powerful. The Ferrugunious Hawk, is a sign of power. You’ve gained a new power and you’ll demonstrate your abilities in public wherever you’re invited. The Ferrugunious Hawk, is a sign that whatsoever your fears are, will never happen now. And you’re tapping into ancient indigenous wisdom. You’re acknowledged your calling and stepping into your gift with boldness.

You’re acknowledging that you are the golden opportunity and that you do not miss out on opportunities, opportunities miss out on you. Know that everything happens for a reason. You will be recognized by tribes and you are part of the Lakota prophecy. Your medicine is needed. You have the gift to naturally and supernaturally heal disease. You’re a medicine man/woman. Your womb has recently healed. Whether this was your mother or you, specifically. You are also aligning with the planet Jupiter, the sun and the holy mountain. You’re about to deliver many people from infirmities and generational curses. You’ll cast out demons in the power and authority of God/Jehovah Sabaoth.

There are armies of angels rising up for you. You’re definitely the seer that you express. The Ferrugunious Hawk, is a prophecy that dark days are over and even though the divine is taking over, light is breaking forth. Your inner temple is illuminated with extraordinary power. You’re getting ready to be put back on track. You will have many dreams and visions in the coming days, weeks and hours. Demons that once came against have no power now. Divine is allowing you to take energy at will. There’s an indelible level of protection upon you now. Years of failures are over.No longer will you have achievements few and far between. No more up and down roller coaster momentss. This next chapter is called stability. Financial crisis, bankruptcy are rescinded. If you’ve been feeling as though you’ve been in retirement, now that time will end. Because there’s plenty of work for you to do. And it’s an activation of the blueprint upon your life. Youll never go a day without money coming your way. You’ll have confirmation of this by the 8’s that appear, people will go out of their way to show kindness to you. Something good is happening. Your enemies, can’t rest, they can’t eat, they can’t think, because it hurts them to see you finally getting your just rewards.

This message isn't, obviously resonant with all whose paths it crosses, as perhaps you may encounter someone of this vernacular, mastery or skill. Therefore, it is a sign from the universe that you're meant to work with such a person. 

Need further clarity or your own queries answered? Book your own reading as my schedule is full and I do not guarantee a reply on social media regarding this post.

If this is not you, then it is time to get clear to rejoin your tribe or the rest of the world of infinite beings. It's time to bring your light to the forefront. However, if you aren't able to invoke, heal or otherwise on your own, call on the assistance of shamans, healers, intuitive people, etc. to assist you. This synchronicity can possibly have specific meanings for you, it's time to get insight. 

The Gift that Quornesha Has can never be duplicated, She is a Shaman, Writer, Healer,  And Teacher with incredible prophetic/healing gifts. Please do not infringe upon her rights as the author. You are not permitted to reuse, nor are you to sale as you wish. This information has been made available to you for the purpose of introduction and demonstration. All rights reserved. If you'd like to use this in a magazine, online publication, or other, please ask for permission first. Legal actions will be taken if you proceed to impose. Be blessed, bless others and be at peace on your journey. What you do is coming back on you. Make sure that it is good, and all is well within you, through you and around you.  The source sees all and knows what you think it does not.  Photo credit Photo credit

[mandoalorian]

Fairytale with Pero Tovar

DAY THREE: Fairytale with Pero Tovar [Requested by @honeymandos]

Taglist (let me know if you want to be added!)

Permanent: @supernaturalgirl @phoenixhalliwell @ah-callie @luvzoria @stardust-galaxies @wickedfrsgrl @goth-topic @nerdypinupcrystal @wonderfulfluffer @kiwi-the-first @pedroepascal

December Writing Challenge: @mandos-blaster @silent-and-resigned @valentinasubmarina

December Writing Challenge Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Warnings: mention of arranged marriage and brief allusions to sex. Might it be a warning that I was exhausted when I wrote this? Feels like that should be a warning.

Word count: 2k

Rating: PG

Pero Tovar was unlike any other man you had ever met. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, but hidden beneath the colour was enigma and mystery. When he returned from the crusade, your father, the King, praised him. To have appraisal from the king is every little boy’s dream— but Tovar stood there, scowling, unfazed. When your father knighted Tovar for his efforts, he didn't speak a single word. Whilst most fresh knights of the realm would typically offer a speech of gratitude; Tovar simply nodded and sauntered off. You didn't see him again until that evening.

Tovar was on his third cup of ale, sitting alone at the bar. The palace’s main hall was lit up with an abundance of candles, golden flames illuminating the spacious room. There must have been hundreds of people sharing his company. The laughter, the dancing, the music… Tovar despised it all. That was until you slid into the empty stool next to him.

You had been watching him all day, intrigued by his misery and his demeanor. He didn't speak to anyone; even when spoken too, he merely offered them just an utter of a few words. You wondered if he would speak to you, the princess and future queen of the kingdom. You waited for him to make the first move, in hope he'd initiate conversation, but he didn't even do as much to look at you.

"Lovely evening," you greeted the Knight. "Wouldn't you agree?" Tovar grunted and took another sip of ale. You noticed that he must've been heavy handed, because when he put the cup back on the bar, little bits of the amber liquid splashed out, dripping down his hand and pooling around the coaster. Like an animal, he licked the sticky ale from his skin. "Your bravery is very much appreciated by the kingdom," you sighed, placing your elbow on the bar and cupping your cheek. He finally turned to look at you. "Would you do me the honour of dancing with me?"

"I don't dance." Pero spat. Ah, your first words out of him. His voice was gruff, but not angry. He didn't look angry. You did struggle to weigh up his facial expressions. He didn't look happy to be at the Christmas ball, which confused you. He should be happy to be here.

"Not even with a princess?" you smiled, fluttering your eyelashes in the direction of the attractive mercenary.

"Especially not with a princess." He replied, gulping down another mouthful of ale. "You don't want to be seen with a man like me."

Pero felt shame. You were a princess, and by far the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. But he was nothing but a peasant boy compared to you. That didn't change the fact he wanted to pick you up and pin you against the wall, kiss down your neck, and revoke every ounce of your purity. Those were just his thoughts. It was pointless to even consider acting upon them. Not with a princess.

"That's the thing…" you said, looking down at your knees and biting on your lower lip. "All my life I've been sheltered from men like you."

"And for good reason." Pero turned back to the bar and gestured for the barmaid to come over. He reached into his pocket and hurdled a handful of coins to pay for the next glass of ale he was ordering.

"Do you ever just want to run away?" you sighed, leaning close to Tovar. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. You regretted the words instantaneously, as soon as they left your lips. He was a mercenary— constantly on the run from town to town. It was a stupid question.

"You want to run away?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow. Now you had peaked his curiosity.

"I do," you whispered, feeling your cheeks heat up at the thought of disobeying your father. "My whole life I've craved for something more than this. This is my last Christmas as a free maiden, for next Summer, my father plans to marry me off to Prince William of Ireland."

"And you don't want to marry a prince? You are royalty. You do not want to give that up." Pero huffed, looking irritated that you had made such a suggestion.

"You don't get it. Everyone thinks I have a perfect life," you shook your head. "But I long for something more than this. I want to see the world— journey the seas. Ride my horse without having an army follow. I want to fall in love, Pero. Don't you?"

Pero paused. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, a gleam in his dark brown eyes.

You took a deep breath. "I wish for you to help me escape the palace."

And for the first time, Tovar laughed. You stared at him, blinking a few times in bewilderment. "Oh, you're serious? With all due respect, your worshipfulness, I will not disobey the king like that. He will have me hanged."

"The brave Pero Tovar who was just knighted by my father is… scared?" You raised an eyebrow.

"Not scared. It's just a foolish idea." Pero sighed, running his fingers through his short and messy hair.

"Very well then," You clasped your hands together and stood up, courtesying to the scowling man who sat before you. He grunted and took a swing of his ale. "A pleasure to meet you. Venture safe." You told him before pondering off.

Tovar was your first choice. There was something about his rugged yet handsome looks which you craved so bad. He was different to everyone else. Different to all the other men who graced the ballroom that night. The princes, sires and knights who had come from all across the land wore the best garments and tights; whereas Tovar doted a ripped tunic which looked like it was at least a few years old. The other knights would ride their horses into battle and surrender, but Tovar was a true warrior. You could tell from the scar across his eye, his pessimism; like he had seen too much. He made all other men look like imposters.

But you had to escape the walls of the castle, and if Tovar wasn't willing to help you, so be it. You scouted the room for another potential man who you could trust to carry you away from this life on his noble steed. Your dress trapesing around your ankles as you padded towards another man, of Roman descent, who had recently been knighted by your father. Unlike Tovar, his armour was pristine and a blinding silver. He wore a vibrant red tunic and gold boots, and even brought his Roman helmet to the Christmas ball.

"I like your helmet," you smiled, placing a hand on your hip as you reached up and felt the feathers sticking out the top. "What's your name, fine gentleman?"

"Julius." he replied, putting down his goblet of red wine and offering you a small bow. "I was not expected to share the company of her highness tonight, I must admit."

"Julius, as the future queen of the kingdom I have a request for you, but you must listen carefully." You told the Roman, avoiding his precious attempt of a flirtation. Before you could reply, you felt a large hand grab the curve of your shoulder.

Spinning around on your heel, you were greeted by Tovar. He had been watching you from his seat at the bar, scowling miserably when he saw you were speaking to another man. Tovar was wise enough to know you shouldn't trust any of the men in the ballroom tonight. When he bolted over to you, he had hoped you hadn't already revealed your plot to abandon your position as princess of the kingdom.

"Ah, Pero, this is Julius." You smiled politely, introducing the two knights to one another. You were a little taken aback, not expecting Pero to even look twice in your direction, nevermind come over and see you. "Pero, I was just speaking to Julius about an urgent matter. Now if you excuse me-"

Tovar's grip on you tightened and you felt a rush of heat flood your body under his touch. He looked up at Julius. "M’lady offered me a dance," Tovar explained before looking back down at you. "And I'd like to take you up on that request."

You gulped, unsure where he was going with this. You supposed you could spare a few moments to dance with the handsome knight.

"And as you heard, Pero, her royal majesty has an urgent matter to discuss with me." Snarled Julius, earning a death glare from Pero.

"That's okay Julius, I wish to dance with Knight Tovar." You told the Roman Knight. Tovar smirked and took your hand, interlocking his rough and calloused fingers with yours. He dragged you to the centre of the dance floor, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you in close.

"I don't dance." he started as you briskly began to guide him, swaying your hips to the bard’s music.

"Tovar, why did you interrupt my conversation with Julius?" you questioned him with genuine confusion. Tovar sighed, looking around to make sure no one was paying any attention.

"I will help you escape the palace," he leaned into you and whispered into your ear. You smiled eagerly at him and he felt his heart soften when you saw the way your eyes sparkled with excitement. "When do you want to do this? When is the best time for you?"

You dropped a hand to his chest and bit your lip, leaning in close. "Now would be perfect." you hummed and he knotted his eyebrows together.

"Now?" he quizzed, feeling a little weary.

"Everyone is distracted with the Christmas ball. If we slipped out now, I don't think anyone will notice we've gone."

Pero contemplated your words but he agreed that you poised a valid point. He sighed and looked around once more. "My horse is outside. Grab a cloak from your quarters and hurry. I will meet you by the back entrance of the palace gardens in five minutes."

You nodded your head and let go of Tovar. You looked at him and smiled, pressing a kiss into his cheek. His dark stubble grazed your lips and when you pulled away, you spotted a fluster of redness blush his cheeks. "Thank you." you whispered, before sneaking out of the ballroom.

Tovar waited about two minutes, to avoid suspicion, and headed to the bar to finish his cup of ale. He did not expect to spend his Christmas Eve helping a princess escape the confines of her own kingdom. He took a moment to process what exactly was happening and tried to form a plan. Where was he going to take you? He was a mercenary, constantly on the run. No matter how much he wanted, you couldn't stay with him. You'd be in danger. What about when he had to flee into battle and slay dragons? Where would you stay? He figured it was a conversation to have with you when you had successfully escaped the kingdom.

Tovar wanted you to stick by his side because you were, simply put, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen before. Sparkling eyes and the most beautiful smile. When you were on the ballroom floor speaking to Julius, he couldn't help but admire your body and the way your dress hung off your shoulders. He was obsessed with the ribbon that laced up your front, thinking of how easy it would be to just pull it out and undress you.

Your flirtations hadn't gone unnoticed by Tovar. He could see straight through you. But, you were a princess. It would be beyond foolish to assume he could forward the same advances to you. That didn't change the fact he wanted to pin you against a wall and bite down on your skin until you were screaming his name.

With caution, Pero slipped out of the ballroom, certain he was unseen and quietly jogged outside to his horse. The thick white December snow crunched under his boots as he comforted his shivering steed. "It's okay sweetheart," he whispered, running his fingers through his horse's hair. "I know, I know it's cold. But we'll get outta here very soon." he promised his companions before hopping up and straddling the animal.

He heard you padding towards him, your breath shaky in the cold air. He turned to face you, completely mesmerised at the way the little snowflakes balanced in your hair. You really were an angel. He grabbed your hand and helped you onto his horse. "Put your hood up," he ordered you, to which you obliged. "and wrap your arms around my waist. It's going to be a long ride." Tovar warned.

You shuffled closer to him and wrapped your body around his, already liking the familiar warmth he radiated. "You are the bravest man I have ever met." you admitted, your fingers curling in the hairs on the back of his head.

"Nonsense." he cursed you.

"I mean it." you smiled. "Thank you, my brave knight. When we stop for the night, I wish to show you my gratitude through a kiss."

Pero felt his muscles tense up at the prospect. Now he had to get you out of the kingdom alive. "There will be no mistletoe where we stay, your highness," he frowned, preparing the horse for the journey.

"I don't need mistletoe to kiss you, Tovar," you giggled.

"No?" he asked.

"No," you confirmed. "I have love on my side."

[gameofdrarry]

Wizards Hearts Recs: Patronus Themes

Wizards Hearts was a four-month-long Drarry reading fest. Players were given a playing deck of 52 tropes, and were asked to find 52 different fics to read and comment on to fill their decks. To prevent the same few fics from being read, fics were restricted to only being used for the game three times before being considered ineligible for further points. The tropes and submissions list can be found here.

Check out the masterlist of fics for this trope below the cut!

📜 Changing Tides by carpemermaid Rated:  Explicit Words:  109687 Tags: Bisexual Harry Potter, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Dumbledore's Army, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Auror Harry Potter, Auror Partners, Auror Draco Malfoy, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Patronus, Gardens & Gardening, Cultural References, POV Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts Fifth Year, POV Alternating, POV Harry Potter, Wandless Magic, Coming of Age, Mutual Pining, War AU, Romance, Falling In Love, Humor, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Healing, Post-War, Ministry of Magic, Minor Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley, Soulmates, Community: hd_erised, Sexual Fantasy, Wet Dream, Snogging, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Non-Penetrative Sex, Emotional Sex, Hand Jobs, Professor Harry Potter, Person of Color Harry Potter Summary:  Draco has spent half of his life spouting the things his father has taught him without much thought about how he feels about what he says. When he unexpectedly comes face to face with the Dark Lord, he grapples with the harsh realities of the world and struggles with his changing views on life. Instead of doing what’s expected of him fifth year, he joins Dumbledore’s Army and learns how to defend himself, how to make his own choices, and how he can be something greater than his father’s example as he grows into his own man rather than his father’s shadow. The choices he makes change both his and Harry’s fates, intertwining their paths until they converge. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Eight Days (to Save the World) by Gnarf Rated:  Mature Words:  47632 Tags:  Post-Hogwarts, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Housemates, Friends to Lovers, Minor Character Death, Mentions of Death, Dementors, Dementor's Kiss, Inferi (Harry Potter), complot, Unforgivable Curses (Harry Potter), Potions, Spells & Enchantments, Auror Harry Potter, Unspeakable Draco Malfoy, Arrests, Duelling, Corrupt System, slytherin friendships, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, House Elves, Blood and Injury, Scars, Oblivious Harry Potter, patient draco malfoy, Abuse of Authority, Abuse of Auror Authority, Corruption, Law Enforcement Corruption, Ministry of Magic Corruption, Breaking and Entering, Drinking, Drinking to Cope, Lies, Manipulation, Veritaserum, Memory Charm | Obliviate (Harry Potter), Interrogation, Battle, Murder, Supremacist Group Murder of a Black Character followed by Government Cover-Up, H/D Erised 2020, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Case Fic, Conspiracy, safe houses, Minor Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas, Love Confessions, Auror Ron Weasley, Patronus Charm (Harry Potter), Friendship Summary:  Darkness returns to the Wizarding World. People disappear without a trace, and all they leave behind are rumours. When the Aurors are tasked with arresting innocent witches and wizards, Harry once again takes it upon himself to fight against the evil infiltrating the Ministry. But this time he isn't alone. And one of his friends is especially determined not to let him die a second time. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 It's Joggers Season (or so the Muggles say) by carpemermaid Rated:  Explicit Words:  10160 Tags: Romance, Joggers, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Pining, Falling In Love, Growing Up, Person of Color Harry Potter, Studying, working together, Banter, Patronus, Bets & Wagers, Sharing Clothes, Hung Harry Potter, First Time, Sexual Inexperience, POV Draco Malfoy, Post-War, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, HP: EWE, Wandless Magic, Fluff and Humor Summary:  Everything about Draco’s life since May has been one bloody long exercise in subverting everything he’s known, that’s expected of him, in an effort to get as far away from the mistakes he’s made��the wrong choices he was forced into. He’s returned to Hogwarts to take his N.E.W.T.s and everything is different—namely, Harry Potter strutting around in clingy joggers that Draco can’t get off his mind. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Promise of Summer by Omi_Ohmy Rated:  Mature Words:  66713 Tags: Post-Second War with Voldemort, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hogwarts, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor Lavender Brown/Parvati Patil, Lack of Appetite Due to Stress, Studying, Exams, fire damage, Post-War Trauma, Scars, Injury, facial injury, Fade to Black, Slow Burn, Fire, Room of Requirement, Healing, Bubble Bath, Bisexual Harry Potter, Self-Discovery, Coming of Age, Coming Out, Friendship, marbles, Toast, Transformation, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Sexual Identity, H/D Erised 2019, POV Harry Potter, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Sentient Hogwarts, Rebuilding Hogwarts, Apologies, Hogwarts Prefects' Bathroom, Transfiguration (Harry Potter), Patronus, Kissing, Frottage, Coming In Pants, Gay Draco Malfoy Summary:  How was Harry supposed to know that coming back for eighth year would be so confusing? Everything is the same, and yet not the same. And nowhere is this more obvious than with Draco Malfoy. Harry finds himself once more watching and following Malfoy, trying to work him out. When they are drawn together to heal the castle, Harry doesn’t just find Malfoy - he also finds himself. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Love-Lines crossing by acGranger Rated:  General Audiences Words:  4573 Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Divination, Palm Reading, Amortentia, Patronus Charm (Harry Potter), Fluff, Getting Together Summary:  One Divination lesson is all it takes for Harry to become obsessed with Draco Malfoy all over again. When he notices that the Slytherin can’t produce a Patronus, Harry decides to help him, only to keep tabs on him of course. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 We Are One by orpheous87 Rated:  Mature Words:  80748 Tags: Accidental Bonding, Humor, Fluff, Angst, Auror Harry Potter, Drarropoly: A Drarry Game/Fest, Slow Burn, Bonding, Magical Bond, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), POV Alternating, First Kiss, traumatic memories, Complete Summary:  Harry and Draco haven't seen each other for two years, then suddenly they're thrust together in bizarre circumstances. Determined to make the best of a bad situation, they get on with their new way of life. Eventually, they realise that this might not be so bad. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Show Me by loveglowsinthedark Rated:  Mature Words:  7355 Tags: eighth year, Patronus, Getting Together, Awkward Flirting, THEY'RE DORKS, Fluff, Harry Teaches Draco to Cast a Patronus, And like, other cute stuff happens, Gift Fic, background Ginsy Summary:  “We can be friends, if you like,” he says instead, nonchalant and careless. “What I’d like,” Potter says seriously, “is to kiss you.” Draco feels his jaw drop, feels the way his hair tumbles into his eyes when he whips around to stare at Potter. “What?” he breathes. “I think I’d like to kiss you,” Potter repeats sombrely, no hint of mirth evident. “You think?” Draco says steadily, proud of himself for holding himself together. Potter’s eyebrows slide up briefly but then Draco can’t think or act or speak or breathe because Potter is leaning in and cupping his cheek gently. “I know,” Potter says simply, and kisses Draco. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Expecto Patronum by Magicaltally Rated:  General Audiences Words:  1432 Tags: Cute, Romance, Fluffy, Like, super fluffy, and cute, maybe? - Freeform, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Drarry, Oneshot, One Shot, Short, but not really, Love, Sweet, Patronus, Harry is a Little Shit, draco is frustrated, Happy, can be funny at times Summary:  Draco is struggling to find a happy memory to produce a patronus, and Harry steps in to help. -Slash- my attempt at a fluffy oneshot! ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Potter-Malfoy School of Patronus Licensing and Identification by AhaMarimbas Rated:  Teen And Up Words:  1849 Tags: Original Character(s), Patronus, working together, Draco hates his job, Draco also likes to swear Summary: The Potter-Malfoy School of Patronus Licensing and Identification Unit 69 B, 303 Diagon Alley Open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 4pm Please floo for all queries or to schedule private instruction. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Til Death, Never May We Part  by carpemermaid Rated:  Mature Words:  5150 Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Near Death Experiences, Dementors, Patronus, Romance, Drama, HP: EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Post-War, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:  This was meant to be their wedding day and here they are, both dying at the hands of Dementors. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 When I Put My Eyes On You by Zzzara Rated:  Explicit Words:  31160 Tags: Blindness, Blind Character, Blind Harry Potter, Disability, Physical Disability, Disabled Character, Slow Burn, Falling In Love, Love, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Dorks in Love, Friendship/Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Requited Unrequited Love, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Amortentia, Potions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Emotions, Emotional, Emotional Roller Coaster, Pining, Pining Harry Potter, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Developing Friendships, Romantic Friendship, Best Friends, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship, POV Harry Potter, Patronus, Spells & Enchantments, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, Angst and Romance, Jealousy, Jealous Harry Potter, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Spin the Bottle, Halloween, Party, Party Games, Mistletoe, Kissing, Surprise Kissing, Boys Kissing, Rough Kissing, Drunken Kissing, Gentle Kissing, Boys In Love, Drinking, Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, First Time, Explicit Sexual Content, Sex, Gay Sex, Hand Jobs, Emotional Sex, Awkward First Times, Sleeping Together, Literal Sleeping Together, Dancing, Showers, Masturbation in Shower, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Sexual Tension, Dreams, Fantasizing, Desire, Self-Esteem Issues, Substance Abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Happy Ending, Lights Camera Drarry 2020, Lights Camera Drarry, LCDrarry, LCD - Freeform, The Way he looks, film inspired, Self-Prompt, Healing Summary:  When a hero defeats a villain, there's supposed to be a happily-ever-after... but when did anything ever happen to Harry Potter the way it was supposed to? Having sacrificed himself to the greater good, Harry is left alone in the darkness, blindly groping for the shreds of the life he knew. When the enemies meet, how is the story supposed to go, once they learn there's more to it than the eye can see? A story of pain, hope and things we discover, once we stop looking for them with our eyes. ❤️ Read on AO3

[irethepotato]

My thoughts on the new Inazuma archon quest

SPOILERS

Disclaimer: I'm no way a professional in game developing and such, therefore don't take my opinions in face value. This is just my opinions

Boi, the new archon quest is a roller coaster ain't it? There were a lot of things that I think were great, and a lot of things that can be improve.

The good shit:

1) Let's get this outta the way and say Mihoyo are really good at invoking our feelings on the deaths that happened.

Teppei's death invoke a lot of grief from the player through really good writing on Mihoyo's part. From our first meeting with him in the beginning of the quest through getting to know his ambitions, his personality, we see this person more than an NPC. Mihoyo made us see Teppei more human if that makes sense? Than just any background NPC. It's because of that good writing that it hits us hard when we found out he was dying. It's because he was working so hard to achieve his ambitions, and yet he died before seeing it achieved by the traveller.

2) The traveller facial expressions. At the beginning of the game, the traveller were mostly blank face. But as the story progresses, we can see clearly what the traveller's felt like and what they're thinking. From Teppei's death to their confrontation with Scaramouche. They become more human to us the players.

3) The dark story line. Oh boi. Between the deaths and the war, it's quite obvious that this is the turning point of the game. Not to mention that scene after Signora's death opens up a ton of questions and not a lot of answers.

4) The heart stopping moments. From scenes like Scaramouche's appearance to Kazuha's sword scene, there were a lot of scenes that brought chills down my spine. That right there, is some good shit.

Ok, time for the part that I personally think can be improved:

1) The pacing. The previous archon quest pacing was actually pretty good. We were introduce to the situation of the island, how foreigners were treated, the hierarchy of the commission, the military, slowly not to overwhelmed us by just info dumping.

However, the new archon quest's pacing was too fast. The whole thing felt too rush. There wasn't any breaks to let us sink into the story fully you know?

2) Kokomi's characterization. She's been described as this cunning war general and yet she didn't question the mysterious benefactor's identity or reasons. That doesn't makes sense for me as her character. Not to mention she only appeared at the beginning and the end of the archon quest without fighting the shoguns army. At least gorou was there at the end, fighting alongside Kazuha. Shouldn't she, as a war general of the resistance, fighting alongside the final confrontation?

3) Baal's redemption. It felt cheap. So what we can make her rethink her decisions? Doesn't excuse her actions towards the people of Inazuma. There were deaths, relationship destroyed, mistrust, not to mention the effects of the delusions. She should be trying more than just abolishing the Vision Hunt Decree is she really do wants to redeem herself. Like giving out compensation to the families of deceased, giving treatment for the people who were affected by the delusions, stuff like that you know?

I haven't played her story quest so maybe she did find a way to redeem herself, but right now, her redemption felt cheap.

4) Yae Miko's info dumping. There's were too many exposition from her that's it's just ridiculous. Mihoyo could've show us the info without dumping it on us in one go. Maybe through story quests or world quest. It's feels rush for them to just dump us the info about the Ei's puppets, Scaramouche's origins, etc in just a dialogue you know?

5) What happened after the archon quest? No I don't mean Baal's story quest or Sumeru. I mean what happened to the people of Inazuma after the war is over? They can't be just fine and dandy considering the bad impacts they face, especially the people who are caught up in the war. There's no closure for them.

There's probably more that I missed but these are my thoughts about the archon quest

[writing-the-end]

LoL Chapter 25- Checkmate

Masterpost

A Wizard Hermits tale (AU and Red belongs to @theguardiansofredland )

Captured by Dolios, it’s up to TFC to decide who lives, who dies, and who gets to walk away from the game Dolios plays with them. 

Chapter idea credit to @whumpster-dumpster

_____________________________________________

“How about a game of chess, guildmaster?” Dolios waves the hermits into the antechamber of the prison. The death dungeons Galena warned them of. TFC is pushed forward, standing before and alone from his friends. He stumbles and turns, head spinning from the sleep he was awoken from as he  looks at them all. Helmets cover the faces of the guards standing behind each hermit, but he can clearly see the knives at their throats. Every single one, a hair’s breadth from death. Some are stoic, like Doc. Unafraid and unblinking to the cold blade. Others are nearly collapsing to their knees- if doing so didn’t mean being cut by the knife. 

TFC turns back, a fierce growl rising from his throat “What is this about?” 

“I’m trying to be civil, can’t you see?” Dolios sweeps his purple robes to the side, revealing a table and two chairs. Atop the table, crystal and obsidian chess pieces glitter in the torchlight. “I’m letting you decide your team's fate. You see, each piece is a member of your illegal guild. On both sides. Each one that’s captured is eventual doom. Play my game, and decide the fate of your beloved friends. Who is more important, who will live? Who is sacrificed for the good of the cause?” 

“What kind of sick game-!” Grian claws his way out of his captor’s grip, biting down on the gloved hand before the masked man regains control over the spitfire. 

“And what happens when I win?” TFC puts a hand on his waist and raises a silvery eyebrow. 

“You won’t, but just to ease your fears, when you win your friends will get to live. It won’t be a nice time living, but they’ll be alive.” Dolios chuckles. “If you lose, those who are captured are killed and become another husk to add to my army. The rest may leave, in fact. But trust me- I won’t leave anyone alive. I play to dominate.” 

“What if I just don’t play?” TFC looks at the chess pieces. He picks up a knight, turning it over. Scrawled on the bottom of the crystal white horse, he can see Wels’s name. One piece, but one real life in this game of strategy. He has to be smarter than Dolios. 

“Then we can just make this fast and kill them all right now. I’m giving you the chance to free some, or all! Of your friends.” Dolios pulls out a chair and motions to it, brushing the cushioned velvet flat. “Sit, guildmaster. Let’s play a game. Show me your true worth as a champion guild.” 

Reluctantly, he does. He has no choice. This is the only way he can ensure some sort of life for his friends. But at the expense of others. As soon as he pulls his chair in, a blast of air and magic reverberates from the chess board. He winces, his hair blowing back and gripping the chair for support. When TFC reopens his eyes, the prison chamber has changed. 

Dolios and him are floating above the ground. Just beneath them, a massive chess board has appeared. The guards are gone, and on each checkered color stands a hermit. Only a few pieces are actual stone. Grian opens his wings, attempting to fly free from his place as bishop. But as soon as he takes off from the ground, his eyes widen and pain laces across his face. He crashes to the stone, black lightning shooting up his skin. Iskall and others step forward, before hesitating. They’re chess pieces now. Pawns. They can only move when the player moves them. Dolios looks down, chuckling. “He’s quite the wild child. Completely different from the last angel I quarreled with.” 

“Why are you doing this?” TFC hisses. “This isn’t fair!” 

“Since when did things ever become fair, guildmaster? You’re already playing with their lives by challenging me. Now you can see how your own mistakes led you here.” Dolios intertwines his fingers together, resting his elbows on the table. He leans his chin on his hands, a coy smile making his brown beard scratch at his skin. “I’ll let you make the first move, TFC.” 

The guildmaster looks across his chess board, as well as below him. It’s not just his pieces that are hermits, that are his friends. Dolios has some as well. Standing deathly still, waiting for the first move to be taken. TFC closes his eyes, thinking. He needs to be smart, to be a better strategist than the magistrate of Lairyon. This isn’t just a game. This is beyond what happens at the table before him. He needs to think of the repercussions each move will make. He has to make the least bloody moves as possible. Save as many of his friend’s lives as possible. 

“You promise no harm will come to my friends that survive?” TFC’s eyes open, realizing what he has to do. Without hesitation, TFC picks up a pawn, directly in front of Grian. It’s Mumbo. 

“I promise, on my word as the magistrate of Lairyon. May the ancient ones strike me down themselves.” TFC sets the pawn two spaces forward. Below him, he hears Mumbo’s yelp, followed by a cry of pain and feet scrabbling forward. When the crystal mage looks up, Dolios is grinning. “So the game begins.” 

He shoves his own pawn forward, moving exactly as TFC wants him to. The one directly in front of the king- of Dolios himself. TFC looks down, seeing Ren shuffle forward. He’s missing a sandal, only one flopping against the cold marble chess board beneath him. Two moves in front of him and to the left is Mumbo, shaking in his boots. 

TFC moves a second pawn- Scar. “You have my friends marked wrong. None of them are pawns. They’re all stronger than you could ever hope to be.” Wels is exposed, Scar standing beside Mumbo. 

“Tell that to this- checkmate.” TFC straightens his back, staring directly at Dolios as the magistrate shoves his queen diagonally. It’s not linked to any hermit, so a stone statue moves into the corner of the board. Turning and facing the white king. Capturing TFC. “You stupid mining moron! You lost in two moves!” Dolios cheers, his chair knocking backwards as he pumps his fist to the air and stands. “I didn’t even lose a single damned piece!” 

“Neither did I.” TFC whispers. “Now let my friends go.” 

Dolios stills, freezing mid celebration. His head turns, looking to TFC. He can see the magistrate slowly piece it all together, and the moment he realizes what’s happened. Elation breaks away in seething anger. A rage so bright and hot TFC swears he can feel it from his chair. “You tricked me!” 

“No, I played your game.” TFC’s voice is calm, collected. “You just happened to win. What was it you said before… you play to dominate? And dominate you did. Shouldn’t a good leader find a way to win without bloodshed?” 

Dolios waves his hand, a black magic circle appearing. A reverberating sonic wave shoves TFC out of his chair, throwing chess pieces all around him. Floating above his friends, he can hear them gasp. Only able to watch. Unable to move, to help their guildmaster. Their friend. Doc reaches out, but the black veins quickly reach back towards him. Towards his heart. TFC winces, sitting up. “You swore on your seat to let them go if I lost! If you go back on your word, everyone will know!” 

“Oh, I don’t plan on going back on my words.” Dolios snaps his fingers, and the hermits warp back to reality. The chamber is it’s old dull hall, torches and stone bricks. Hermits collapse together, checking one another for wounds sustained while apart. Grasping to stay together, to piece what happened between their last memory and now. Most only remember the capitol hall, then being woken up by the masked guards in individual cells.

 Dolios approaches TFC, setting his grey leather boot on the older man’s chest. Pressing his gilded heels harsh against his ribs. “But you still lost, you were captured. And all the pain your friends avoided? I’m going to do it tenfold to you!” 

A black ball of lightning grows as Dolios snarls, hand winding back and aiming directly for TFC. His eyes are wild, unhinged and untethered to reality. TFC raises his hand, a weak attempt to stop the growing dark magic before him. 

“Oh no you don’t!” X’s voice is sure, loud and reverberating off the stone walls. Unhindered by his mask. A snap follows soon after, and the dark lightning is dragged into nothingness. Into the void as X’s black hole grows. It threatened to eat up Dolios then and there, had he not taken an alarmed step back. 

“How? You shouldn’t be able to do that! You’re weak! My sleep spell should’ve...” Dolios turns, staring down the other hermits. Not noticing that Cub was hidden behind the others, or that TFC was no longer at his feet. 

“Nah, I’d say we’re pretty strong. Especially together.” X shrugs, and lets his black hole explode in a miniature big bang. 

With Dolios distracted, the crew makes their escape. Wels casts a shield and speed buffs, one hand raised to protect the retreat. Etho disappears down the hall, bouncing through shadows and silently taking out the guards ahead. At the top of the stairs, Mumbo hacks his way into the redstone powered door. Focusing all of his strength into forcing it open. Stress releases a sheet of ice before them, Jevin wraps everyone together into a bundle of bodies, and Impulse takes up a position next to Wels and his shield. Bracing against his friends, he casts his magic. Short spurts of explosions erupt from his hands, jetting the guild down the hall. 

Etho appears above the group from an arching shadow, grabbing Doc’s hand and joining them as they careen through the halls of the capitol building. Zipping past guards and wizards before anyone can even realize what they’ve seen, like a roller coaster ride. They don’t stop until they’ve burst out the back doors. Stress still doesn’t stop making a highway of ice, not until they’re well beyond the city limits, skating out into the open marshes that surround Milliara. 

Only then does the crew stop, breathing heavily and taking a moment to realize what just happened. And once they come to the same conclusion- they drown TFC in hugs. 

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

“Sir… they escaped. Again.” Apatia runs up, his breath heavy as his chest rises and falls. “They’re well beyond the walls. Should we send the Arcane guard after them?” 

“No. I don’t want anyone to question why we’re chasing after our champions. Erase all memories to anyone that saw their escape.” Dolios growls, rubbing his hand. Feeling the void still against his skin, trying to tear it apart. 

“But what about the illegal guild? They know-” 

Dolios turns away from the guildmaster, forcing the redstone door closed. Hiding the dungeons beneath the capitol building. “They are not our main concern. Let them squirm, let them think they’ve won. I have more important things to deal with. I have more power to gain.” 

Dolios looks down as something rattles against the floor. He stoops low, picking up the black pawn. It’s chipped, the onyx stone heavy in his hand. The Order of Hermits have captured this pawn, but he’s just setting the stage. Playing the whole field. “Check.”

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Every Attack on Titan Character and Which Side They’re On

  Attack on Titan Final Season has been a roller coaster of emotion so far. The beginning of the season gave us a long look at the goings-on in Marley, both from the perspective of the Marleyans themselves and the Eldian Warriors who are fighting for them. Now, with Paradis's surprise attack over, we've returned to the original protagonists from the Scout Regiment and are finally finding out what they were up to during the four-year gap between seasons. Things have never been more exciting, but if you think it's a lot to take in, you're not alone. So today, we're going to break down all of the factions currently operating in Attack on Titan, as well as explaining the roles of the still-living major characters in each faction.

Paradis

Historia Reiss

Previously known as Christa Lenz, Historia took back her real name and her right to the throne after the Scout Regiment staged a successful coup against King Fritz. Fritz himself was only a puppet ruler, standing in for Historia's father Rod Reiss, in a setup meant to keep the people in the walls ignorant of the outside world. Under Historia's reign, scientific progress is allowed and the people are not kept completely in the dark regarding the truth about their world.

Historia is one of two known living characters with royal blood, an important trait as Eren has said recently that contact with Titans who are of royal blood allows him to use the full power of the Founding Titan. Zeke Jaegar's plan to secure Paradis's future is to maintain at least one Titan user with royal blood for the next 50 years or so as Paradis builds its military to stand with the rest of the world without having to use the Titans in the walls as a deterrent to outside aggression, colloquially known as "the Rumbling." This would involve turning Historia into a Titan and having her birth as many children as possible in the 13 years Titan users have to live so that there are a number of people with royal blood to pass her Titan to. For now, Historia has agreed to this plan, and is pregnant and staying in a secret location to birth the child, though she has not inherited a Titan yet.

Hange Zoë

Hange is the current Commander of the Scout Regiment, taking the position after Erwin's death in the battle against the Beast Titan four years ago. Hange is also a Titan researcher; their experiments responsible for much of the knowledge the people of the Walls have, both in terms of how they function and how to effectively combat them. Recently, Hange has been working closely with the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers to advance Paradis's technological understanding, working to build infrastructures like railroads and ports as well as preparing the soldiers in Paradis for battle with enemies in the outside world with access to more advanced military options like planes and anti-Titan weaponry.

Levi

Levi is the leader of the Special Operations Squad, colloquially known as the Levi Squad, which hosts most of the protagonists in the anime. He was raised in the Underground, a city underneath the Capital in the Walls which was originally meant to be the first in a larger project to expand the living space for the people of the Walls until it was ultimately abandoned. To help him survive in the poor and crime-ridden Underground, Levi's uncle Kenny taught him to defend himself, leading Levi to become a skilled fighter and eventually joining the Scout Regiment on the suggestion of Erwin Smith.

With the Scout Regiment, Levi has been defending the shores of Paradis from survey ships sent from Marley. Most recently, Levi has taken Zeke to a forest in Paradis, where he will ensure Zeke doesn't do anything to betray Paradis while they continue to consider Zeke's proposal for an unspecified plan to set the people of Paradis free.

Mikasa Ackermann

Mikasa is Eren's foster sister, having been taken in by Eren's parents after her own were killed in a violent crime. Though one of the most skilled members to ever be in the Scout Regiment, she only joined for the sake of ensuring Eren's safety after he decided to join the Regiment himself. She and Levi are both descendants of the Ackermanns, a family who were once dedicated to defending the king until they eventually fell out of favor with the royal family. According to Kiyomi Azumabito, and corroborated by a tattoo given to her by her mother when she was young, Mikasa is also a descendant of one of Hizuru's lords who was left behind in the Walls after the Great Titan War.

With the Scout Regiment, she has been defending the shores of Paradis from survey ships sent from Marley, and during the battle of Liberio, she expressed doubt regarding Eren's increasing aggression and disregard for innocent lives. Despite Eren's recent callousness, she believes he is still acting with good intentions for her and the rest of their friends.

Armin Arlelt

    Armin is Mikasa and Eren's childhood friend and joined the military at the same time as his friends to help pursue his dream of seeing the ocean beyond the Walls. Having earned a reputation as an effective strategist, he inherited the iconic Colossal Titan in order to be saved from death in battle four years ago. He has since been using his power to help subjugate incoming Marleyan ships and to decimate a Marleyan port in the battle of Liberio. He is now unsure of Eren's allegiances, wanting to believe he still has Paradis's best interest at heart but also being disturbed by Eren's newfound extremism.

Conny Springer, Jean Kirschtein, Sasha Braus

Conny, Jean, and Sasha make up the remaining major members of Levi Squad. Like the others in the squad, they defended the shores of Paradis from incoming Marleyan survey ships and are working to help build the infrastructure introduced to them by the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers. As close allies to Eren, each proposed inheriting his Titan powers when Eren's 13-year time has run out, but Eren turned them all down, preferring his friends to live long lives without the burden of the Titan curse. At the end of the battle of Libero, Sasha was felled by the Warrior Candidate Gabi, and Eren's seemingly nonchalant reaction to this turn of events as well as his other actions during the battle have caused Conny and Jean to begin to doubt Eren's allegiances.

Floch Forster

Floch was a member of the Scout Regiment under the Klaus Squad and was a participant and one of few survivors of the Battle of Shiganshina District, led by Erwin Smith against the Beast Titan. During that battle, he expressed an intense fear of dying, specifically wishing for a death that has meaning, and was roused by Erwin's speech about how their deaths would help carry their comrades. Ironically, though, he was the only person in that attack to avoid a grisly fate and later advocated for Erwin to be the one to be saved by inheriting the Colossal Titan over Armin. While cowardice defined him in his earlier appearances, his experience with Erwin at Shiganshina has clearly changed him; during the raid on Liberio, Floch expressed no regret in the deaths of innocents, proposed throwing Gabi out of the airship after she shot Sasha, and, with some other soldiers, has leaked information to the public about Eren's confinement by the Paradis government. Eren and his Attack Titan are seen as symbols of hope among the people of Paradis, including Floch, so the leak has caused strife and distrust in the government. Recently, Floch and a contingent of soldiers formed a guerrilla faction (dubbed Jaegerists) that broke Eren out of prison in order to unite him with Zeke.

  Anti-Marleyan Volunteers

Yelena and Onyankopon

  Yelena and Onyankopon hail from unnamed nations that at some point were overtaken by Marley. They and others in their situation were then made to fight in the Marleyan army, where they eventually met Zeke Jaegar. Zeke saved them from a near-death experience, earning their respect and recruiting them to his efforts to free the Eldians from Marleyan persecution. Upon arrival to Paradis, Yelena killed her commander and began negotiations with Hange, explaining their connection to Zeke and offering to share information about and technology from the outside world.

Later, Yelena participated in the attack on Liberio, leading two Titan Warriors to a trap, though they ultimately escaped, while Onyankopon assisted by piloting the airship they used to escape. With the attack successful and Zeke back on the island, she and the other Volunteers delivered Titan serums stolen from Marley to Paradis but were subsequently detained. The Paradisan military soon after uncovered a plot by Yelena to aid the newly formed Jaegerist faction in bringing Eren in contact with Zeke.

Nicolo

Originally one of the captured Marlayan soldiers from the first Marleyan ship to approach Paradis, Nicolo is a skilled cook who ended up using his skills to feed the Paradisans while they built the island's first port. In that time he ended up becoming close to the Scouts, and Sasha in particular and was devastated to learn of Sasha's death in Liberio. He met with Sasha's father at her grave and promised to cook for him in the future. Sasha's family came to Nicolo's restaurant as promised, but with two Warrior Candidates in hiding, leading to Nicolo nearly killing Gabi to avenge Sasha.

Marley

Reiner Braun

    Reiner is a Warrior for the Marleyan army, former member of the Scout Regiment, and current wielder of the Armored Titan. The result of a union between a Marleyan man and an Eldian woman, Reiner initially strove to become a Warrior in the hopes of winning the affection of his estranged father. Upon realizing this was futile, and the subsequent death of fellow Warrior Marcel Galliard, he turned his efforts toward imitating the more confident Marcel, aiming to become a leader like him. Reiner, Marcel, Annie Leonhart, and Bertholdt Hoover were sent as children to Paradis in order to retrieve the Founding Titan, but their plans fell apart and only Reiner returned to Marley years later.

Struck by survivor's guilt and conflicting feelings about the residents of Paradis he once fully believed were evil but since became his friends, Reiner has been struggling with a crisis of identity and purpose since returning from the island. However, his desire to protect the remaining people in his life such as Gabi and Falco has kept him going. This enabled him to fight against Eren during the raid on Liberio and most recently recognize the need to take the initiative on attacking Paradis instead of waiting for support from other nations, noting that such a long delay would likely be part of Zeke's plans.

Porco Galliard and Pieck

The other two remaining Warriors, Porco wields the agile Jaw Titan while Pieck uses the versatile Cart Titan. When he was younger, Porco was the leading candidate for the Armored Titan, but he was passed over in favor of Reiner thanks to his brother Marcel's influence and desire to protect Porco from what Marcel thought of as a tragic fate. Since then, the Jaw Titan has passed hands through various events from Marcel to Ymir and finally to Porco, despite Marcel's efforts. Porco is initially unkind to Reiner, holding little respect for him after Reiner took his place in the Warriors and subsequently failed to retrieve the Founding Titan and protect his brother and the other Warriors. However, having experienced the power of Paradis' soldiers firsthand at Liberio, his attitude seems to be changing.

  Pieck assisted Zeke with his attack on Paradis years ago, though was only seen in her Titan form. This was possible because one of the Cart's abilities is endurance, allowing its user to maintain their Titan form for extended periods of time, though as demonstrated by Pieck herself spending all that time on four legs causes the user to have trouble adjusting back to walking on two legs once human again. As noted by Zeke, Pieck is one of the most intelligent Warriors, understanding the Tyburs' true plan right away and recognizing the danger she and Porco were about to be put in when brought to the trap room by Yelena before the raid on Liberio.

Theo Magath

  Theo is the main commander of the Warriors and, since Calvi's passing during Eren's attack on Liberio, the general of Marley's military. He is devoted entirely to Marley, using the Eldian soldiers under his command as expendable tools to achieve victory in various battles. However, he is also perceptive, choosing Warrior candidates based on evaluations of how their personalities and skills match up to their respective Titans, and working with Willy Tybur ahead of Tybur's speech at Liberio to secretly plan for Paradis' attack, which he and Tybur saw coming. During their discussions, he also showed some self-awareness about the cruelty of his actions, noting that he and Tybur were "devils'' as much as Paradis for foreseeing such an outcome and going through with it anyway. After Zeke's betrayal of Marley, he called the Warriors together to tell them about a coming global alliance in order to fight Paradis in response to their attack, but Reiner called for them to retaliate sooner than the alliance can be formed in fear that Zeke's plan may be accounting for that delay.

Gabi Braun and Falco Grice

    Gabi and Falco are Warrior Cadets, though while Gabi is the favorite to inherit the Armored Titan, Falco is not as suited toward combat and the stresses of war as she is. Gabi is fully indoctrinated into the Warrior lifestyle, admiring her cousin Reiner and desiring to become a Warrior herself in order to prove that not all Eldians are evil. Her feelings about this have only become more extreme since experiencing the raid on Liberio, during which she snuck aboard the Paradis airship with Falco and killed Sasha Braus. On the other hand, Falco is driven not by a sense of duty toward his country or people, but instead, a desire to protect Gabi from becoming a Warrior herself, egged on by Reiner.

Falco and Gabi were imprisoned upon arrival to Paradis but managed to trick a guard into opening their cell, incapacitating him and escaping confinement. On the run, they met a girl named Kaya, who lives with the Braus family alongside other orphans whose parents were killed by Titans. Meeting the kind Braus family and Kaya, who knows they are from Marley but doesn't tell the adults their secret, has begun causing a crisis of faith in Gabi, who is having her illusion of Paradis being filled with unrepentant devils shaken by these encounters. The Braus family took Gabi and Falco to Nicolo's restaurant for a free meal, and Nicolo attacks the two upon finding out Gabi killed Sasha.

Wildcards

Zeke Jaegar

Zeke is the son of Grisha Jaegar and Dina Fritz, making him Eren's half-brother as well as a carrier of royal blood. His parents were Eldian Restorationists, and as a child he was sent by them to be a Warrior Cadet in order to spy on the Marleyan military. However, he was indoctrinated by Marley in that time, and the conflicting messaging from his parents and the military-led to him turning his parents over to the military for treason. He went on to become the head Warrior and wielder of the Beast Titan; years after the Warrior children were sent to Paradis to retrieve the Founding Titan, Zeke came to assist them, forcing them to abandon the incapacitated Annie and refocus their efforts on their original mission, until they are driven away in the Battle of Shiganshina District.

  He continued acting as the Warrior Chief afterward until the raid on Liberio, which was actually the culmination of a plan between him and Paradis. Years earlier, Zeke sent Paradis a vague outline for a plan to liberate Paradis, including using a person with royal blood and Eren's Titan powers to activate "The Rumbling," an awakening of the Titans in the walls, in order to deter other nations from attacking Paradis until their military is strong enough to enter the world stage. His betrayal complete, Zeke boarded the airship with the Paradisan soldiers, and on arrival, was taken to an undisclosed forest supervised by Levi and a select number of soldiers while the Paradis military decided whether to trust him or not.

Eren Jaegar

The protagonist of the series, Eren initially joined the Scout Regiment in order to take revenge on the Titans after the initial breach of Wall Maria by the Colossal Titan. Sometime between these events, his father Grisha Jaegar forcibly turned him into a Titan and had Eren eat him in order for Eren to inherit the Attack Titan and Founding Titan. Eren's sometimes unhinged anger caused him to be a problem child for the military, but his abilities in his Titan form proved to be invaluable to their success in the coming years, eventually leading to Paradis' discovery of the outside world and their current efforts to integrate themselves into the world as a fully-fledged nation.

Eren's unchecked feelings of anger and revenge only festered over his time in the military, though, and now he is acting seemingly without regard for the thoughts of his fellow soldiers and loved ones. He initiated the attack on Liberio himself after tricking young Falco into letting him meet Reiner, causing wanton destruction and the loss of many innocent lives. During the attack, Eren managed to eat Lara Tybur, giving him the power of the War Hammer Titan but failed to retrieve the other Titans before Paradis made its escape. Due to his unpredictable nature, and because of his connections to Zeke Jaegar and Yelena, Eren has been imprisoned by the Paradisan military, a largely symbolic act as Eren has stated he could easily escape if he desired with the combined powers of his Titans. During his imprisonment, Hange pointed out that Eren's actions in Marley have only made the world look with more bitterness toward Paradis, but Eren seems unfazed by this, seeing everyone outside Paradis as enemies that must be eliminated. Following Eren's arrest, Floch and the Jaegerists staged a coup and broke him out of jail in order to unite Eren and Zeke.

And there it is — every major character in Attack on Titan, their backstories, and where they currently stand in the ongoing conflict between Paradis, Marley, and even the rest of the world. Though most of them seem to have their allegiances spelled out, there are still mysteries to be had and tensions to be resolved - how do you think it will all shake out?

Is Zeke really fighting for Paradis, and to what lengths will Eren go for his people? Let us know what you think might happen in the comments below!  

  David Lynn can be found obsessing over Fate/Grand Order on Twitter @navycherub. Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll. Features!

By: David Lynn

[dayliqhts]

––– i believe that is EVALISTA  ROCÍO , the LADY IN WAITING of NABAR. they are twenty seven years old and are known to be very ambitious & onerous though they can also be very vengeful & stubborn. they remind me of building walls around your heart, dark eyes and very dangerous, knowing you’ve won a battle before stepping into the fight.

hello!! it’s me, su, who have been joining imperialrp since 2017. i am addicted to this rp and i am happy to be back here. go under read more to read about my baby eva, she’s a supporter of the bastard king and wants some spicy connections!   /   @imperialstarters​

i.         statistics.

here

ii.         history.

HOUSE   ROCÍO

house  rocío  is  not  the  wealthiest  families  in  nabar,  however  they  possessed  a  strong  militia power. fathers,  sons,  and  daughters  have  all  served  in  the army  or  court  and  fought  in  wars  and  political  games  for  the  greater  good  of  the  kingdom for  generations..  they  are  a  house  of  fiercely  loyal,  devoted,  and  proud  people.  they  do,  however,  have  a  speck  of  taint  in  their  reputation.  that  being  their  cruel  and  sometimes  sadistic  ways  to  secure  means  of  power  and  influence  within  the  court,  and  underhanded  ways  to  get  things  done.  despite  this,  they  are  of  quite  prominent  standing.

when  the  dispute  between  the  two  brothers  broke,  house  rocío  was  quick  to  choose  their  side.  it  was  with  the bastard  older  brother  that  they stood  with.  believing  in  the elder  brother’s  potentials  to   be  the  greater  ruler  between  the  two,  the  house  rocío  is  steadfast  in  their  support  for  the  king  esau  bastos  who  they  proclaimed  as  the  one  true  king  of  nabar  and  the  other  :  the impostor.

to  this  day,  they  are  still  one  of  king  esau’s  strongest  supporters.

EVALISTA ‘EVA’  ROCÍO

evalista  was  born  in  the  house  rocío,  an  old  mansion  built  with  large  slabs  of  rocks  by  the  rivers,  that  runs  just  a  tad  too  cold  at  night,  and  evalista  let  the  cold  seeps  from  the  stone  floors  to  her  bare  feet  and  to  the  deep  ends  of  her  heart,  just  like  everyone  did  in  this  family.

father  had  a  plan  for  her,  as  he  did  everyone  in  the  family.  father  might  be  an  unscrupulous  character  and  he  might  be  a  harsh  an  authoritative  figure  in  the  household  but  his  eyes  see  no  gender  and  it  mattered  not  that  he  had  no  sons  yet.  his  daughters  will  carry  on  the  rocío  name.

when  a  son  finally  come  a  few  years  after  ella’s  birth,  the  treatment  towards  his  two  eldest  daughters  did  not  change.  all  of  the  rocío  kids received  the  same  standard  of  education.  they  were  taught  in  literature  and  politics  and  was  expected  to  be  familiar  with  the  saddle  and  the  swords  —  something  evalista  truly  enjoyed.

mother  married  into  the  family,  so  sometimes  it’s  a  bit  hard  for  her.  sometimes  the  house  gets  a  bit  too  cold  for  her.  perhaps  that’s  why she  passed  on  early,  shortly  after  delivering  her  baby  brother  xavier, the  last  of  the  rocío  children.  evalista  was  fifteen  by  then,  and  though  she  loved  her  mother,  she  also  loathed  how  evalista  always  turned  her  eyes  away  from  her  and  seemingly  distant  from  the  rest  of  her  family.  her  death  was  not  missed  by  much  in that  cold  house.

LADY  SEVILLE

the  war  is  something  truly  vivid  in  evalista’s  memories.  she  was  already  sixteen  by  then  and  arranged  to  be  married  to  the  lord  seville.  father  thought  it  a  good  match.  he was  not  the  heir  to  the dukedom,  which  would  allow   more  freedom  for  his  daughter  and whatever  ploy  the  house  rocío  is  up  to  in  the  future.

at  the  urges  of  her  father,  her  marriage  to  the  seville  was  ushered  forward.  both  her  and  her  groom  was  entirely  too  young  to  be  wed,  just  kids  in  a  game  of  chess, only difference  is  evalista  was  entirely  in  control  of  the  situation  and  consented  to  it.  she  was  seventeen  back  then  but  she  remembered  the  look  on  her  young  groom’s  face  vividly;  he  was  probably  the  same  age  as  hers,  yet  his  eyes  were  soft  and  his  gait  entirely  different  than  evalista.  she  thought, oh! how  delightful,  he  seems  easy  to  control.  despite  having  no  say  in  the  marriage,  evalista  was  content  with  her  father’s  choice.

from  then  on,  evalista  was  known  as  the  lady  seville  and  moved  from  the  cold  family  house  by  the  rivers,  hidden  away  by  thick  foliage  and  into  the  sun.

evalista  didn’t  know  much  about  her  husband  but  there  would  be  time  to  learn  and  she  intended  to  learn  as  much  as  she  could,  for  ignorance  is  only  a  fool’s  game.

LADY   EVALISTA   ROCÍO  OF  THE  QUEEN’S  SERVICE

despite  the  impeccable  scheme  his  father  had  put  in  motion  for  evalista,  when  the  king  of  nabar  passed  away,  all  was  pushed  into  disarray.  with  the  two  brothers  fighting  for  their  claim  to  the  throne,  the  family  must  make  a  choice.

house  rocío  chose  to  stand  with  the  true  son  of  the  king,  who  they  put  their  faith  in  and  believed  to  be  the  better  choice  for  king,  as  he  possessed  the  qualities  of  a  great  ruler.  this  effectively  put  them  in  conflict  with  the  house  seville.

evalista  promptly  requested  for  a  divorce  after  declaring  her  allegiance  to  the  bastard  king.  her  husband’s  family,  in  order  to  save  himself  from  the  embarrassment,  instead  annulled  their  marriage  and  sent  their  children  out  of  the  seville  house.  evalista  didn’t  mind  this,  one  way  or  another,  she  had  achieved  her  goal.

at  twenty  years  of  age,  evalista  was  stripped  from  her  title  as  the  lady  of  seville  and  the  rocío  house  rallied  forces  to  fight  with  the  king  esao  for  his  rightful  place  in  the  throne  of  nabar.  in the  midst  of  a  great  war,  nabar  was  fighting  internally,  and  it  costed  the  rocío  family  their  eldest  son.  lorentz  fell  in  the  civil  war,  fighting  in  the  frontlines,  and  it  only  steeled  their  resolve  even  more.  they  had  to  win  this.  the  cause  became  more  personal  for  them  more  than  ever.

evalista  entered  the  queen’s  service and  kissed  the  ring  on  her  finger,  a  display  of  her  undying  support  and  devotion  to  her  and  swore  that  she  would  do  what  it  takes  to  see  that  esao  bastos  is  crowned  the  king  of  all nabar  and  to  stand  by  his  queen’s  side.

iii.         wanted  connections.

if you’ve read up ‘till here, might as well leave ‘miss americana’ or some hearts in the comment and i’ll give u a surprise too ; )

former husband :  of house seville (NABAR). perhaps the second of third born, definitely not up for the dukedom seat. should be around the same age as evalista. would support the SOUTH NABAR. their chemistry and history during the marriage can be discussed, i don’t have a set idea for it yet and i want to give you space to explore your own character  — this also goes for their children / if they have any during their marriage or not and who has them now.  /  reserved for blossom.

information broker: someone she goes to for information from places the ears of a noble can’t reach. probably a shady character, but UTP.

hired hand: someone she hires to do her dirty jobs for her, offing someone, cleaning up her mess, getting rid of inconveniences. is either motivated by money or loyalty to the house rocío.

mentor: i don’t think she’s TERRIBLY good at swordfight but she definitely can hold her own if the situation calls for it. this is someone who taught her the sword, i think her father would train her personally as well, but for the most part it will be this person. can ALSO be someone she just met and decided to brush up her skills with so she doesn’t get rusty.

toxic relationship: a lost flame. probably happened after her marriage until recently. you’re a heartbreaker and she’s not a docile little lamb, no matter how much she liked to play the part. you’re mean and she’s twice as vicious and your relationship is a roller coaster of emotions and toxicity. your passion and love for one another burns brighter than anything else, it’s no wonder it burns faster than lightning too.   /    taken by petal

the mandatory childhood friend

[kiara-carrera]

ODDS FOR LENORA

under the cut? you know it!!!!

basics

1. what’s their full name? lenora ines carlisle

3. do they have any nicknames? nora

5. when’s their birthday? may 27, 1979

7. what’s their species/subspecies? do they have any special/magical abilities? she’s a half-blood witch. she’s fairly good at potions and charms.

appearance

1. what do they look like? dark hair, shoulder length dark hair that typically wears either in a messy bun or half-up/half-down. dark eyes that tend to give off very mischevioys vibes. bright inviting smile. rather tall.

3. what’s their style like? clothes, hair, makeup? soft sweaters, jeans, scrunchies, barrettes and butterfly clips, skirts, cute little spaghetti strap dresses layered over long sleeve shirts. makeup is pretty simple, just some mascara and chapstick, maybe eyeliner if she’s feeling it. her hair is usually pulled back or up, but it depends on the day.

5. do they have any physical ailments or disabilities? she does not.

personality

1. what’s their alignment? neutral good, though she does lean to chaotic good sometimes.

3. what are their hobbies and interests? do they have any particular “favorites” (food, books, and so on)? like the twins, she’s very interested in inventing new items and pranks, the boys truly took her under their wing when they were little and nurtured her mischievous spirit. 

5. what kind of things do they dislike/hate? assholes, a majority of slytherins, cormac being a sleazy asshole, when fred and george plot pranks without her, snape, super hot summer days (she likes a nice spring breeze or a chilly fall day).

7. what are their goals and motivations? making it through school, spending time and making memories with her friends, www taking off (her name isn’t on the sign, but nora’s a very important third partner you can pry this from my cold dead hands).

9. what are they most afraid of? death, losing loved ones, the man who killed her biological parents, the impending war.

background

1. where were they born? what was their childhood like? she was born in/around london. her biological parents were young and her father was a muggle. they were murdered by a death eater when she was very young, like somewhere between 0-1.5 years old. she was adopted by helena and ophelia carlisle who gave her a loving, happy home. she grew up in the surrounding area of ottery st. catchpole and was constantly at the weasley’s house due to her mothers’ being family friends with molly and arthur.

3. what factions or organizations are they a part of? what ranks and titles do they hold? she’s apart of dumbledore’s army, somewhat involved in the order of the phoenix, and helps out a little bit with potterwatch during the war. there’s not much of a rank or title for any of them, but her potterwatch codename is rainstorm (as of right now, but it’s subject to change).

5. where do they currently live? what’s their place like? she lives on strawberry hill, which is a tiny tiny area just on the outskirts of ottery st. catchpole (that i’ve only barely plotted so don’t quote me on details), but basically she’s on the opposite side of ottery st. catchpole from the weasley’s, a tad closer to where the lovegoods (and maybe the diggorys or fawcetts) live. she lives in a charming little house with her mothers, and honestly the whole place is a vibe, like flowers and books and plants like sorta eccentric hipster vibes idk her mothers are ravenclaw and hufflepuff respectively if that tells you anything).

relationships

1. do they have any friends? would they consider anyone to be their best friend? she has a lot of friends! her best friends are fred and george. a close contender would be katie bell. she’s also close with lee jordan, angelina johnson, alicia spinnet, and other students from her year.

3. what’s their love life like? do they have any kids? it’s a little chaotic tbh. before ron, she had a few dates here and there, maybe one very shortlived relationship. with ron, she catches feelings during her sixth and his fifth year, but they don’t get together until the end of the events of hbp. eventually, they probably will have at least one or two kids, possibly three.

5. who do they hate? do they have any enemies? stuck up assholes (like generic asshole slytherins like malfoy). she also has no patience for anyone who was involved in the potter stinks events or the cruel weasley is our king thing...so basically it’s your typical gryffindor agaginst slytherin feud. she also wants to throw cormac mclaggen off the astronomy tower.

7. are they good with kids? animals? with kids, it depends but generally she can handle them well. she loves animals, though. at home, there’s her mothers’ two cats, winston and shortcake. she also has an owl of her own that she loves dearly.

fun facts

1. which tropes do they fit? which archetypes? i’m not great with this but prankster, girl next door, the effortlessly cool girl in teen romcoms who’s entrance is like a smiley slow motion wind blowing walk. very bubbly and happy.

3. what are some items they always carry? her wand, chapstick, a spare scrunchie or barrette, maybe small candy items as a pick me up. during the events of ootp, she always has a spare pranking item on her either to help drum up business for the future of www or to piss off umbridge.

5. what position do they sleep in? on her side, a little bit of a fetal position.

7. what languages do they speak? english.

9. what’s their favorite candle scent? anything sweet and sugary or fruity. 

11. which animal would you say represents them? i mean, her patronus is a manx cat and those apparently represent things like independence and curiosity, which i feel like could fit her rather well!

13. what would their favorite ride at an amusement park be? she loves a good adrenaline rush, so roller coasters would be her thing!

15. who they follow any religions/gods? do they celebrate holidays? she’s not religious by any means, but she loves halloween and christmas. she’s also not opposed to valentine’s day.

17. if you had to choose one tarot card to represent them, which would it be? going purely based off the major arcana cards, the sun!

[sammysreelreviews]

Counting Down My Top 20 Films Of The Decade: Part 2

Here we are y’all, the last decade list. I can’t believe I actually finished this list. This list took fucking forever and I can’t believe I’m finally sharing it! All my decade lists are listed here in my intro to the first part of my top 20! Okay so some of these choices may be crazy, I know, but I picked the movies that have made me feel things and movies that I have watched over and over and over again. I’m so glad I got to reminisce on all these wonderful films and I’m so happy to share this with the world! My next post won’t be until 2020 and the topic is still to be determined but it will be a list of television shows cause I know how much y’all love that. This past year has been a roller coaster for me but one positive is that my blog really grew! I appreciate anyone who reads or shares or likes any of my posts it means the world to me. Even when I was at my absolute worst I kept up with this blog and everyone who interacts with it helps keep me going. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Years! Before I forget ***THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!!*** Mwah!

10. Upgrade (2018)

This past year I realized that I may like sci-fi movies more than I thought. My friend Kelsey raved about this and after I watched I 100% saw why. This action packed film about a technophobe looking for revenge is absolutely insane!!! I don’t wanna give it away cause I highly recommend you watch this so if you wanna hear more about it click here!

9. Drive (2011)

Ugh, I don’t have much to say about this BRILLIANT film cause words are not enough but that elevator scene alone deserves an Oscar. The 80’s themed soundtrack, and neon lights started a revolution in 2010 indie cinema and I stand by that.

8. La La Land (2016)

I wrote a review on this movie that you can read here so I’ll keep this brief. When I watched this in theaters I sobbed at the end because it just reminded me of how much I loved film and writing screenplays. Anytime I feel like I can’t do anything or that I’m not progressing I put La La Land on and remember a career in film is what I’m meant to do.

7. Happy Death Day (2017)

I’m really going to try to not talk about this movie in 2020 but I can not make any promises. If you follow me I am so sorry you have to see me mention this movie for the 7000th time. If you’re new here first of all, welcome! Second of all, you can read all about it here, here, and here. I love Happy Death Day so much and the sequel is just as good so please rent it or stream it! I want a 3rd movie! I need it!!!

6. Nocturnal Animals (2016)

This is one of the most underrated films ever. Like where was the Oscar nomination?! I wrote an entire review about it so you can read more about it here! All I’m gonna say is, that scene where she’s getting an abortion and Jake Gyllenhaal is waiting outside in he fucking rain for her?!?! I literally gasped in theaters. 

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Let me start by saying that this is the funniest movie ever created. I know every single line to this film and every time I watch it I still laugh which is impressive because I’ve literally been watching this movie for almost a decade now. I’m kind of out of words to say because there are so many things worth mentioning but I’ll try! Let’s start with the how insane this cast is. Can you believe that this movie has Superman, Captain America, and Captain Marvel!? The best Avengers movie is this one if you ask me! Michael Cera is always hysterical but Kieran Culkin is one of my favorite parts of this movie. When this movie came out I had a crush on Jonny Simmons so he was one of the reasons I saw it but he’s underrated as Young Neil. Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza have small parts but they make quite the impact. Alison Pill deserves a damn Oscar already! She’s honestly one of the best actresses of our generation. Ellen Wong as Knives Chau kills me and I was so excited when she was a main cast member on The Carrie Diaries. Lastly, Mae Whitman says one of my favorite lines ever and although she’s in the movie for like 3 scenes she certainly makes the most of the little time she’s given. The comedic timing of this film is perfection and it’s one of the only movies where every single scene is entertaining! There are so many things I quote from this movie it’d be unfair to only pick one honestly but “Alright this next song goes out to the guy who keeps yelling from the balcony. It’s called We Hate You, Please Die.” And that song title is exactly what I think of anyone who does not enjoy this PERFECT film.

4. Like Crazy (2011)

If you know me you know how much I love this movie, movies about love, and how much I loved Anton Yelchin so this movie is a firm sucker punch to the gut. I haven’t watched it since Anton passed but it’s one of the most emotional films I’ve ever seen. A couple with an ocean between them is probably the decade’s best romance. Felicity and Anton had insane chemistry and improvised most of the movie. I would write more but I’m tearing up thinking about Anton *insert every sad and crying emoji*.

3. Call Me By Your Name (2017)

When I first saw this movie I left the theater asking myself why this movie was such a big deal. Then I got in my car and started bawling my eyes out. What I love about CMBYM is how optimistic it makes you feel about love the whole time Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) were falling in love I had puppy dog eyes. I’m a Pisces so I’m all about deep and fleeting love and every time I watch this movie it gets me in my fucking feels! When Elio cried on the car ride home after saying bye to Oliver but they couldn’t give each other a proper goodbye cause they’re gay and it was the 80’s!!! HeartBREAKING! Not only did this movie make me wanna runaway to Italy but It’s also one of the sexiest movies of the decade and I haven’t looked at peaches the same since.

2. Gone Girl (2014)

I read Gone Girl before I saw the movie and I’ve regretted it everyday since. The book took me three days to finish, which is a lot for me, and I felt like it was too detailed. In the book you read a lot of Amy’s (Rosamund Pike) journal entries which makes it pretty obvious that she’s alive and well. I hate Ben Affleck but honestly he was the perfect choice to play Nick. This movie is one of the only movies that is better than the book. When this was on HBO I literally watched it every time it was on tv for months. The cinematography is phenomenal and the acting is even better. Fincher is a genius and in my eyes, Gone Girl is his best work.

1. Black Swan (2010)

The flavor this film has... I mean it’s immaculate. Growing up I studied at Boston Ballet School and it was very intense! Those ten years helped shape me into the woman I am today. While I did ballet I used to always go see ballets cause we got discounted tickets and my favorite was Swan Lake. The music, the story, the costumes, it’s all so beautiful and timeless. When the film came out I was so excited. I had no idea what to expect but if it’s about ballet I am in. I love this movie so much it’s dark, the acting is superb, and nothing is better than Tchaikovsky’s music blaring in the background during the most climatic scenes. Black Swan might be my third favorite movie of all time but it’s 100% my favorite movie of the 2010’s. I have no idea not know why it didn’t win best picture.

[save-the-spiral]

InkWizTober Day Twenty-Six: Dark + Revolution

Welcome to day twenty-six of Inktober! Totally not day thirty! I’m back home from evacuating wildfires and such, finally can write again! This is a continuation of these two fics! Warnings for arachnophobia/spider stuff (paragraph right after ‘butterflies’ if you wanna skip), torture, and death mentions.

(link to prompt lists) (link to inktober tag)

Queen felt something wretched and crawling inside her abdominal cavity. For a moment she was concerned for her internal machinery, only to remember a human phrase.

Butterflies.

This nervousness, this dread, felt more like awful, hairy tarantulas like deep in the jungles of Skull Island, with far too many legs to be okay, all creepy and scrabbling through her wiring and gears. Queen shivered in fear and disgust, hoping to never encounter one in person. She might just scream and run the other way.

She drew herself out of her thoughts as Captain Avery began speaking again, his monologue wandering and so animated she wondered if he would bring out the puppets, as was pirate tradition. It would be more entertaining than his recalling of Queen and the young pirate captain’s past adventures, both stories she was very knowledgeable of.

It was only when he got to Valencia in his story that the faux heartbeat created by gears and pistons inside her began to almost audibly tick, and she was glad for the layers of muffling fabric and armor. The way Captain Avery grinned with several shining golden teeth, the way he savagely barked out his words, the glee as he described Kane and his court’s demise- her demise- it made her fingers twitch for her sword, to protect herself.

Her crew mate and fellow ex-armada soldier, Zircon, was standing even stiffer as she listened to Captain Avery’s words. She was almost creaking with the force of her tension, fingers gripping her mace too tightly, that Queen tried to settle her. One of her delicate gloved hands rested on Zircon’s slightly sturdier one that was already on Queen’s shoulder protectively. 

“While this tale is entertaining, Captain, I am sure we all could recite the story. I have informants from Valencia who told me as much.” Queen spoke up, glad she had modified her vocal systems after going pirate. It would be a shame if the young pirate recognized her within the minute and summarily killed her, especially when she just started lying and getting to the point.

“Of course, Captain.” Avery’s sly grin and sparkling eyes set Queen on edge in a way Kane and his lapdogs never could. There’s something so human about it, so mischievous for the sake of it. “Maybe proper names are in order, then. ‘Course, the young pirate has one, but everyone calls ‘em young pirate anyway. What about you? You have worked for over a year with too much mystery in a business so full of reputation.”

“I...” Queen wished desperately she had thought this far. Planning was more Sterling’s forte, she just edited the ideas into fun adventures. “Ferro. Captain Reyna Ferro.” 

I am. The stupidest creation in the Spiral. I just named myself something that translates to Queen Iron. Goodness, I wish I could be concussed just to slam my head into the table and forget this.

Captain Avery looked delighted, and the young pirate was exchanging wide eyes with their companion. 

“Well met, Captain Ferro.” The young pirate’s companion, a goose in Mooshu attire, spoke for the pair. “I am Egg Shen. We are fascinated by what you’ve accomplished.”

“Yes!” Captain Avery spoke again, putting down a gaudy tea cup on the table- without a saucer or a coaster, the monster. “Especially your work in Polaris and Marleybone. They’ve been beneficial for all pirates, guaranteeing that the two worlds will blame deserters from the other’s army! Ingenious.” 

“It was quite simple, really.” Queen demurred. “I am sure it pales in comparison to your own dealings with Marleybone, having created this haven, Captain Avery. I simply implied some things, made some people disappear who needed disappearing regardless.” 

“Still, Ferro. Not since my glory days have I heard of such an efficient and thorough plan executed with no mishaps- you must run the tightest ship this side of the Spiral!” Avery was eager, showing his hand. He was leaning too far into flattery, not getting to the point. It must be dangerous. 

Thankfully, Queen isn’t some man who needs their ego stroked. She knows what she is capable of, doesn’t need someone to compliment her when her work speaks for itself.

“It’s simply a matter of trust and similar circumstance, Captain.” Queen let her gloved finger trail around the rim of the wide, squat teacup in front of her, as if she weren’t thinking about her words. “I only hope my crew can be of assistance- I had come simply to meet you, but I am glad you seem to have a job that needs done. I’d love to prove that we have a place here in Skull Island.”

Goodness, playing the competent but in need of guidance pirate captain would grow old rather quickly. Luckily, Captain Avery was too determined to impress her more, the old washed up pirate he was. 

“Of course! We’re going to wipe out the rest of the Armada and their influence, as simple as that.” Avery stood tall now, chair almost tumbling on his thick decorative rugs. “We will finally rid the Spiral of their influence, my fellow captains! Together, we can pick off large fleets into bite sized pieces, chew them up, and spit out the cogs. Horrible for digestion.” He chuckled at his own joke, as if the young pirate and ‘Captain Ferro’ were not staring at him.

“Really?” The young pirate spoke for the first time, looking eager. 

“Really.” Avery was getting far too into this, considering his age. Queen hoped his heart didn’t give out, that would be annoying. “Currently they are leaderless- and we have all the connections in Valencia thanks to you, young pirate. We can do it all, and finally take them out. Valencia gets to set up a competent- a caring- government, pirates get to move far more freely through the Spiral, and we get credit for doing it!” 

Egg Shen was nodding. “We certainly have the resources. Our own crew is almost too many for our ship, and we’re owed favors from almost everyone important who’s worth knowing. That, plus Captain Ferro’s innovative plans and skilled crew, we could do it in a matter of months. We’ve already severed the snake’s head, this is just burning the body, ending it properly.”

Zircon’s hand on her shoulder was in danger of denting her metal plating. Queen stood, just so that her crew mate would release her, and so Queen would have level ground here. “I have terms.” 

“State them.” Avery said right away, slowly settling into his own chair, likely from aching joints.

“No one inquires as to the identities of my crew. We all have secrets, I am sure, and my crew’s faces happen to be ours. Also.” Queen felt something wrenching and awful in her gut, something wrong about just slaughtering beings that were like her, that bled oil and never slept, that had potential to feel but could not yet. “We capture as many as possible. My crew deals with them. I know that the Armada tend to die before accepting defeat, but-”

“No, no. I understand.” Avery cut her off. It pissed her off. “We all have grudges, the Armada’s likely effected you and yours as well. Just do your torturin’ and killin’ on your own time after battles.” He waved her off, and it made Queen wish she could cut that hand off. 

Having a man act as if she needed his permission made her furious. It made her feel helpless, like she was just waiting for Kane’s next order again, was just a puppet, a doll, a thing, existing only for the Armada, the cause-

Zircon’s free hand caught hers, held it- and goodness that gesture was just so alive, needing comfort was so alive, it helped snap Queen out of her rage, her flashbacks. She sat back down. 

“Of course. We are professionals.” Queen finally said, voice firm. Zircon finally sat beside her, no longer looming over the room. 

“Not too professional, I hope. Would be dreadfully boring, wouldn’t it, Captain Ferro?” Avery grinned.

“Oh no, Captain. I assure you, we know how to have fun.” Queen’s lilting tone was light, playful, coy. She tilted her head, masked face blank but the gesture full of an almost childish air. “I am sure there will be plenty of opportunity to show you while we decimate the Armada, no?” 

[nerdypinupcrystal]

Every Breath You Take  Chapter 6: Pain, Hurt For So Long

Masterlist

Hey guys I’m back with number 6!!! Last chapter was a roller coaster of emotions, and this one is full on angst, so brace yourselves... There’s no music playing in the actual chapter, but the song that inspired the chapter title is “Pain” by Tiger Army.  Great song, and it’s perfect for Iris.  Anywho, enough of my rambling, on with Chapter 6!

Chapter 6: Pain, Hurt For So Long

I woke up the next morning still sitting on the floor, barricading the door.  I use that term loosely; waking up would require going to sleep first.

After that terrifying nightmare last night, I was on high alert and in full panic mode. I kept the knife in a vice-like grip the entire night, as if I was expecting him to pop up out of nowhere.

But that’s not going to happen. He’s still in Miami, he has no idea you’re here. You’re safe.

Was I really, though?

As long as I was being plagued by these nightmares and the paranoia, I was never going to be safe. Not from the dark corners of my mind. Not really.

I sluggishly stood up and walked over to my room to get dressed for work. I had no idea how I was going to get through the day without passing out from exhaustion. But I couldn’t disappoint Lucy on my second day of work. I’d never forgive myself.

It wasn’t until I reached for my clothes in the dresser that I realized I was still holding the knife. I shakily set it down on the dresser, allowing a few tears to fall before I stiffened my spine with determination and grabbed my clothes.

I was exiting my apartment and locking the door when I saw Matt stepping out of his apartment at the same time.

“Good morning, Iris.” Matt greeted. His voice so sweet and tender, it even sounded concerned. I was on the brink of tears again.

“Good morning, Matt.” I replied, my voice as hollow and broken as I felt.

Matt tilted his head in concern. “Are you alright? You don’t sound so good.” He asked as he stepped towards me.

“Yeah, I just didn’t get much sleep last night.” I replied, my eyes shifting to the ground.

“Are you sure?” He asked, his voice a lot closer as he reached out to touch my shoulder.

I couldn’t control the impulse as I flinched away from him. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s no big deal.” Liar.

Matt seemed to agree with my inner thoughts. “I’m sorry, but I’m having trouble believing you.” Matt replied as we started walking towards the elevator. I walked ahead of him to keep him at a distance.

“Well, it’s really none of your concern, Matt.” My voice was tight as I tried to keep my composure.

“I disagree.” Matt argued as he walked ahead to stop me from moving. “Iris, I care about you.  A lot.  So whatever you’re going through is my concern.” He tentatively reached for my face to caress my cheek. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I feel something between us, and I know you do too.”

I could hear my heart racing, my eyes welling up with tears. “Maybe there shouldn’t be anything between us.” I whispered broken-hearted. Don’t you dare end this with him before it can really start.

Matt stiffened. “Don’t do that. I know what you’re trying to do.” Of course he does. He’s a very clever man. “I know you’re in some kind of trouble, and I want to help you. But you have to let me in.  Please.”  He begged desperately.

I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat as tears ran down my cheeks and onto his hand. My voice cracked as I gently squeezed his hand before pushing it away, and I replied, “Nobody can help me.”

With that, I walked around him, not giving him a chance to argue. I walked past the elevator and took the stairs instead, distancing myself further from the first genuinely sweet man I had met.

I entered the bakery feeling more broken and exhausted than I felt earlier this morning. I had barely reached the counter when Lucy appeared from the kitchen.

“No.” She pointed at me with authority. “Go home.”

My eyes widened perplexed. “Good morning?”

“Good morning, Sweetie.” Lucy greeted. “Now go home.”

“Why? What did I do?” I asked, feeling super confused.

“Not taking care of yourself, apparently.” Lucy replied, gently scolding me. “You, my friend, need to go home and sleep. You can come back to work tomorrow or when you’re well-rested.”

Now I was even more confused. “How the Hell did you even know about that?”

Lucy was quick to reply, “Matt called Foggy, and then Foggy called me. So it’s my duty as your new boss and best friend to help you.”

I had so many questions for that statement, but only one came to mind at the moment. “Foggy called you?”

“I encouraged him to ask me out and I gave him my number; don’t change the subject.” Lucy replied with a fond smile on her face. “The point is we’re all worried about you, and you need to take care of yourself even if the three of us have to force you.”

There was no winning this argument with technically three people ganging up on me for my own good.

“Alright.” I conceded. “You win, I’m going. I’m so sorry, Lucy.” I felt so guilty for being the one thing I hated being. A burden.

Lucy wrapped me in a comforting hug. “Don’t be sorry, Iris. Just get some rest and come back when you feel better. And call me if you ever want to talk about what’s going on with you, okay?”

I nodded as my eyes welled up with tears for what felt like the hundredth time. “Thank you so much, Lucy.”

I started walking towards the exit when I stopped and asked one more question. “Did you call yourself my best friend?”

Lucy shrugged with a smile, “We baked shot glasses out of cookies and christened them with chocolate liqueur. If that’s not Best Friend material, I don’t know what is.”

I let out the first laugh I’ve had today. “I couldn’t agree more.  See you tomorrow.” I waved to her as I walked out of the bakery. Unaware of a familiar presence watching over me and following me from the rooftops above my head.

I couldn’t bring myself to go back to my apartment yet. The idea of being cooped up in there alone with my thoughts and the nightmare from last night still lingering terrified me. I just kept walking with no real destination in mind.

I found myself at a park not too far from a hospital I passed on the way.

I saw an old pay phone nearby; surprised there were any still around, I quickly made my way towards it. Relieved to find it was still working, I put in the change and called for the one person whose voice I desperately needed to hear.

“Amsterdam Nursing Home. How may I help you?” A woman’s voice greeted on the other end.

“May I speak to Violet Williams in room 17, please?” I asked patiently.

“May I ask who’s calling?” The woman kindly asked.

“A friend of the family.” I answered.

Thankfully that was enough for the receptionist to patch me through to her room.

I could feel my palms sweating, my heart beating a mile a minute.

“Hello?” My mouth went dry as I heard the sweetest voice that always gave me comfort.

“Hi, Mom.” I whispered, keeping my hand on the mouthpiece so she couldn’t hear me.

I had panicked. I didn’t have the courage to speak to her yet. But all I wanted was to hear her voice.

“Is anyone there?” The sweet and confused voice asked.

“I love you so much.” My whispered voice cracked from the tears I fought to hold back.

“If someone’s there, could you speak up, please? I can’t hear you.” Mom asked kindly with a chuckle, breaking my composure more and more.

“I have so much to tell you.” My knuckles turned white from the death grip.

“Jane, I don’t think anyone’s there.” I heard Mom say to who I assumed was her nurse.

“But I’m okay.” I whispered, wishing I had the courage to let her hear me.

“I’ll hang that up for you, Violet.” Another woman, possibly Jane, said on Mom’s end.

“I miss you, Mommy.” I said as the other line hung up and all I heard was the dial tone.

It was only when I hung up the phone did I allow myself to surrender to my tears.

I wandered aimlessly through the park until the lack of sleep caught up with me, urging my exhausted body to sit down.

I sat down at the nearest empty bench,staring off into nothing as I lost myself in my thoughts.

I was startled out of my thoughts as someone took a seat next to me.

“Hi. I’m sorry if I startled you, but is it okay if I sit here?” The woman kindly asked me.

I turned to look up at the stranger. She was a beautiful brunette with caramel colored skin, and was wearing blue hospital scrubs.  

I smiled and silently nodded for her to sit.

She sighed in relief. “Thanks. I’m on my lunch right now, and I needed to sit somewhere that wasn’t in the hospital.” She held up her small bag full of food, pulling out two green apples. She held one out to me.

“Here. You look like you haven’t eaten anything today.”

I shook my head in protest. “No, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine.” My stomach chose that moment to growl in hunger.

The woman eyebrow raised at the sound. “Sweetie, your stomach is calling you a liar. Take it. I have plenty.” She insisted as she pushed the apple into my hand.

“Thank you.” I softly replied as I took a huge bite of the apple.

“I’m Claire, by the way.” She introduced herself, holding out her hand towards me.

I took it in return, “Iris. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Claire replied. “I haven’t seen you around here before.” She rolled her eyes, “huge city, I know. But you seem new. Did you just move here? Or are you visiting?”

I couldn’t explain it, but I felt comfortable enough around this woman to give her an honest answer. “Just moved here. To be near my mom.  She’s by herself in a nursing home. She's blind and can't move her left side very well. She had a stroke.”

Claire’s face crumpled with sympathy. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” She paused for a moment before she continued. “Where were you at before? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

“I was visiting an old friend.” I started to lie. “She needed me.”

Sympathy still painted Claire’s features. “Oh god, was she sick too?” She then shook her head. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”

After going this long without telling anyone the truth about me, I couldn’t contain it any longer.  I felt so tired and done with keeping my past to myself. It didn’t really hit me until that moment that I needed to talk to someone. Maybe I needed to talk to a kind stranger who I didn’t see every day. Who didn’t truly know me.  I needed to tell someone the truth.

“She left her husband.” I finally said in a whisper, causing Claire to turn her eyes towards me.

There’s no turning back now.

My heart raced as I continued, “He was a horrible man. He used to beat her.”

“Oh my god.” Claire gasped, keeping her eyes on me.

“It started right after their honeymoon.” My voice sounded hollow as I continued. “At first, he was charming, and tender. But then it all changed.  He was a tyrant; he controlled everything she did. Took away things she loved that he didn’t like. Kept her isolated from the world so that all she had was him.  He said if she ever left him, he would punish her, and he meant it. His punishments…” My voice cracked and my body shivered at the memories. “Were terrible.”

I took a shaky breath to calm myself. “He would never let her go. He said he’d find her anywhere.”

“What a bastard.” Claire visibly shivered as she asked, “Couldn’t she call the cops?”

I quickly nodded, already expecting that question. “Well yeah, she did. She called them, and a lawyer too. They said she could make a citizen's arrest, get a restraining order. It was pathetic.” I let out a weak laugh. “She knew that would never be enough. She truly realized that nobody could help her. She was all alone.”

“Well, how did she leave?” Claire asked anxiously.

I took a deep breath as I looked away from her. “She...risked everything.  She escaped. Started a new life. New home. New look. New name.” I finished with a whisper.

The silence was deafening. I could feel Claire’s eyes on me as I looked over at the trees.

“She’s a really brave girl.” Claire spoke with admiration.

I shook my head in protest as I admitted in a broken whisper, “She thinks she’s a coward.”

I felt the unnecessary shame of my actions hit me all at once. I never truly felt brave for doing what I did to escape him.

“A coward?” Claire exclaimed in disbelief. “No way. Not a girl like that.”

I’m glad one of us thinks so.

“How long did you stay with him?”

My heart stopped and my head snapped over to face her. There was no judgment in her eyes. No disgust or shame. Just a knowing look of sympathy . She nodded in understanding.

Tears of pain and relief ran down my cheeks, my voice cracked as I replied. “Too long. Three years. Seven months. Six days.” Three years of my life I could never get back.

I quickly wiped the tears from my face as I gave Claire a broken smile.  “Thank you for the apple.” Claire smiled back at me, her own eyes welled up with unshed tears.  “And thank you for listening.” I thanked her graciously.

“Any time.” Claire replied with a gracious smile. “Do you have a phone on you?”

“Yeah, why?” I asked out of curiosity as I pulled out my cell phone.

Claire reaches for it and started typing on it. “I’m giving you my phone number. Anytime you need someone to talk to,or just have a friend to hang out with, give me a call.” She finished as she handed back my phone after using it to call hers.

“Thank you, Claire.” I said, not knowing what else to say to express how grateful I was.

“You don’t have to go through this alone anymore, Iris.” Claire gripped my hand in comfort. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

I nodded gratefully as I tried to swallow back the tears threatening to pour out once more. I couldn’t believe my luck at finding the most genuinely kind and caring people in Hell’s Kitchen of all places.

My mind immediately brought up Matt, and my heart felt heavy. I felt awful for how I treated him this morning. He poured his heart out to me and wanted to help me, and I repaid him by pushing him away. I didn’t even know where to begin with how to face him again.

Claire must’ve noticed my mood dampen even more. “What’s the matter?”

Well, you’ve gone this far with telling the truth.  Why stop now?

“There’s a man,” I started, “He’s my neighbor.  He’s…amazing. He’s so sweet, and considerate, and funny, and charming.  I like him...probably so much more than I should.  He feels the same way, he told me as much this morning. He’s also incredibly clever and observant.  He knows that something is going on with me. He even wants to help me.” I started to crack as I continued. “I pushed him away. I was so rude to him. I just don’t know how I’m going to face him.” I rolled my eyes at myself, “Hell, after this morning, he probably wouldn’t want to come near me anyway.”

Claire rubbed my hand in sympathy. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. And if he’s as great of a guy as you say he is, then he won’t be driven away so easily. He probably understands better than you think.”

I couldn’t help but agree. “You’re right. He had his friend call my boss to send me home for the day because I didn’t sleep last night. He was worried about me, even after I was being horrible to him.”

“Sounds like a pretty great guy to me.” Claire chimed in.

“He really is. The amazing thing is he’s blind, and yet he can see things better than anyone else can. When I’m with him, it’s like he can not only see me, but see right through me into my soul.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Claire sit up a little straighter with curiosity.

“This neighbor of yours...his name wouldn’t happen to be Matt Murdock, would it?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“You know him?” My eyes widened. How small is this damn city?

Claire chuckled. “Yeah, he’s a friend.” She looked like she wanted to elaborate, but she didn’t. “If there’s one thing I can tell you about Matt, it’s that he’s extremely protective over the people he cares about the most.” She looked at me pointedly. “When he says he wants to help, he really means it, and will do everything he can to do it.”

“I believe you,” I said in agreement. “I definitely got that impression from him. But I just don’t know if he can help me with this. I tried talking to a lawyer before, and it did nothing.”

“True, but Matt’s different from most lawyers. He actually gives a shit about the people he fights for.”  Claire gave me a gentle nudge in the shoulder. “And in your case, that especially means you.” My face flushed at her statement. “Now, Iris, I’m not going to push you into doing anything you don’t want to do. God knows, you’ve experienced enough of that. But will make a suggestion if you’re willing to hear me out.”

What do I have to lose? “I’m listening.” My eyes met with hers, giving her my full attention.

“Talk to him.” She advised. “Tell him the truth. At least as much as you’re comfortable with. Speaking from personal experience, I know what it’s like to be with the wrong guy and have him break your trust, and you have every reason not to want to trust a man again.” She really gets it.  “But, and I’m not just saying this as his friend, you can trust Matt. Believe me when I say he’ll understand, and the last thing he would ever want to do is hurt you.”

What Claire said made a lot of sense. I thought it would be easier and safer to just keep my past to myself. However, I’m starting to realize that keeping everything that happened to me bottled up inside is actually doing more harm than good. Maybe telling Matt could help me; although the thought of telling him everything scares the shit out of me. Can I trust him? Should I trust him?

He’s been nothing but wonderful to you. He hasn’t given you any reason not to trust him. He wants to help you. Give him a chance.

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding and nodded in understanding. “You make a hell of a point, Claire... I’ll try.”

Claire smiled, “At least you’re considering it, and that’s what matters.” Claire started to stand up from the bench. “I guess so should head back in before they actually miss me.” She said with a sarcastic roll of her brown eyes.

I offered a sympathetic smile, “It was great meeting you, Claire. I hope the rest of your day doesn’t get too crazy.”

Claire snorted, “You and me both!”  Claire stopped and looked at me. “Have you had a checkup at all?”

My brows furrowed in confusion, “Um, not in a long time. Why do you ask?”

Claire gave a tense nod. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’m only asking because of what you said about…” she trailed off, hesitating on how to approach this delicately. “How your ex treated you?” She paused until it dawned on me what she meant. “I was just wondering if you’ve had anyone check on your...injuries.”

I couldn’t help but feel touched at someone actually asking about that. “No, he’d never let anyone else see me like that. He’d leave me alone to tend to myself.”

Claire shook her head in disgust. “I’m hating this asshole more and more.”

I let out a surprised laugh, never having had the courage to say such a thing myself.

“Me too.” It felt liberating to allow myself to admit that much at the very least.

Claire offered me her hand with a sincere smile. “Come on. I want to give you a check up, it’ll ease my mind.”

I could feel those damn tears coming up again in gratitude for this incredible offer of kindness. How could I possibly refuse such a generous offer? I grabbed her hand and rose up from my seat. “Lead the way, Doc.”

“Technically I’m a nurse, but I’m not going to stop you from calling me that.” Claire smirked.

I let out a laugh. “Then Doc, you shall be.”

I proceeded walking towards the hospital entrance with my new friend.

Once more, I wasn’t aware of the secret third person keeping a close watch from above; and had been listening to the entire conversation.

Matt

Matt stood on the roof of the hospital speechless; his body stiff and his fists clenched tightly to the point they were shaking.  His usual vision of the world on fire burned even hotter and redder. He waited until Iris and Claire were inside the hospital before he grabbed an abandoned empty beer bottle and hurled it aggressively against the wall as he let out a yell of rage.  

Oh how he wished the bottle was the face of the asshole who dared laid his hands on the woman he’s fallen for.  

Oh God, Iris. What did that bastard do to you? What monster could look at your sweet face and still have the nerve to hurt you like that? You’ve been through so much for so long. You didn’t deserve to suffer in that Hell. You deserve to be cherished and loved, and protected.  He thought as he loosened his tie and tried to control his heavy breathing.

Oh how Matt wanted more than anything to hold Iris in his arms and protect her from anything and anyone that wanted to harm her.

He knew that she was running away from something, but he never thought she’d be running and hiding from the one man who was supposed to love and protect her for the rest of their lives together.  

His blood froze as he remembered one detail she mentioned. “Three years. Seven months. Six days.”  Iris is only 23. She got married when she was only 19, 20 at the most. She was just a kid, young, naive, and in love. Too young and naive to realize who she agreed to spend the rest of her life with before it was too late. She had sounded somewhat older than her actual age in the few times Matt has spent with her.

Suffering at the hands of that pig forced her to grow up too fast.

God, Iris. You were so young, and small and fragile, you must’ve been terrified. You’re still so young, and you’ve survived this whole time. You’re so much stronger than you think, sweetheart.

Matt’s heart broke for Iris as he listened to the still vague details of her past being told with years of pain in her voice; and his blood boiled with an unspeakable rage towards the man responsible for that pain.

It took all of his self control to not burst into Iris’s apartment the moment he heard her scream last night from the other side of the city. Her heart had been beating out of control, causing his heart to beat in sync with hers as he rushed back to their building to check on her. Each sob she let out caused him more pain than being stabbed ever did. She wasn’t the only one who lost sleep last night.

Matt didn’t expect to feel this strongly for anyone, but that all changed when the adorable girl next door with an enthusiastic love for music charmed her way into his heart in the span of a week without even meaning to.  She managed to ignite a light in his life he didn’t think he deserved to have; and he’ll be damned if he let some worthless abusive asshole hurt her any more than he already did.

It didn’t matter to Matt whether or not he and Iris would ever get together; he swore right then and there that he was going to protect her no matter what.

He hoped Iris was going to take Claire’s advice and talk to him.  He wanted her to trust him enough to tell him the full story, but it’s her choice to do so, and he wasn’t going to force it from her.  She deserved better than that.

Until then, he’s going to continue watching over her and making sure she was safe. If only he could protect her from her nightmares and memories. The thought of what she could’ve possibly dreamed about last night made him sick to his stomach and made him shake with rage towards the man who’s caused her suffering.

He needed to let out his aggression.

Feeling hesitant at first at the thought of leaving Iris alone unprotected, Matt reasoned with himself that she’s safe with Claire for the time being.

With that resolve, he leapt across to the next building, and made his way towards the church, all the while he kept a vigilant ear out for Iris.

Some guidance from Father Lantom was in order; but first, he was going to make great use of that punching bag they kept downstairs.

A/N: Matt knows! I’ve been looking forward to this chapter and that scene with Iris and Claire since I started this fic! So a lot more has been revealed about Iris, but still not the full story, but ALL will be revealed very soon! I hope I did Matt’s POV justice, this is a much darker side to him that I haven’t fully explored in this story yet, but I hope I did him right.  He has so much anger, but the first and most important thing in his mind is Iris and keeping her safe.  God I love this man.  Well, that’s all for now.  Thank you so much for reading, don’t forget to follow me, reblog, and PLEASE leave comments! They really make my day and I love hearing what you guys think.  Until next time! *Kiss noise*

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[mizukixtsukiyomi]

Hey Mizu-chan, Bishonen'sFoxyMiko here. Once again, I'd like to say that I had LOVED my Elias/mermaid!Kagome request. And for my request today, I'd like to request a Castlevania scenario where Dracula welcomes Kagome into his fold as one of his few human generals after the death of his wife by the church. Hope this provides a challenge. Lots of love to ya.😘😻

I want to give you the BIGGEST apology ever for getting this out so late. I had promised to finish the last two, but I feel so bad for having it never written it. Things in life occurred and I am not even sure how I feel about writing overall. Lately it’s been a roller coaster of emotions. Part of me wants to return to scenarios to see if the motivation comes back…

But again, I am so sorry, senpai!

Flipping through the pages of the rustic book in hand, blue eyes scanned the rest of the library around her. The whole place was covered in forgetful dust and left to rotten. The whole place was beginning to cloud in darkness as the lord of the place focused solely on his revenge.

Revenge for his aching heart.

The priestess scoffed. ‘Heart? As if vampires could have one’. Closing the book, dust flew upwards making her cough. ‘He completely shut down this place.’ The priestess placed the book down on the table in front of her before taking another look at her surroundings. This was the place Dracula’s lover adored.

Or so she heard.

And so she questioned herself why she was even there. Someone like her, a human, should have met hell the second she stepped close to his palace. She remembered the nightmare of being greeted by Dracula’s hellish black creatures salivating at the sight of her human flesh. Yet, Dracula welcomed her with a statement she could not deny.

‘You are seeking revenge as well.’

Since when had she allowed her own heart and conscious to be swallowed by revenge’s hunger.

She closed her eyes as she felt the coldness of the library brush over her skin. Dracula had found her mysterious. A human looking for revenge against her own kind.

He had found it appealing.

Now here she was, part of his army to quench his revenge.

The powers the gods have given her, trust her with, and should have used to help human kind were now at the mercy of Dracula. Something she was okay with.

Something her own free will had decided.

The very humans she trusted viewed her as a monster. A traitor. And someone that should have died long ago. But the last wish she had made on a completed jewel had made her soul live for an eternity.

Chained to a life of suffering. It had become a sin in others’ eyes for her to be alive.

A sin.

“Kagome.”

Her name paused her out of her shadowing thoughts before turning her head over her shoulder to see a long blonde haired male with pale skin wearing tight black leather pants and a black coat standing by the door frame of the two large mahogany doors.

A smile graced her lips. “Alucard-sama, what are you doing here?”

His gold hues narrowed at her dead tone. “You are aware that my father is only aiding you so he can use you as he wishes, yet…,” he took a step inside the dark library, “you decide to remain her as his servant that he can discard at any time.”

Kagome shifted her focus back on the books piled with dust on the main desk in front of her: his mother’s desk. “My decision has been made; I’m not changing it.”

Alucard’s shoulder dropped; he exhaled. A priestess who had served both the gods and humans and had come to be be betrayed by both. She no longer felt pain. She no longer awaited warmth.

She just wanted fate to take its course.

But he wanted her to live the life she deserved.

A fair life.

“I will not stop if we cross paths once again. I have to stop my father.”

Kagome’s head tilted to his threat. Nodding without looking back, her finger slowly grazed over the title of the book in front of her.

Cursed Souls.

“I don’t expect you to.”

[duraxxor]

I would love to know more about Dura's past! Nothing specific, really, just anything that you'd like to share?

Thank you @sanasunbringer bringer​ for bringing this question to me! As you may see from up above, Dura here has had quite the roller coaster ride. I won’t go into any massively detailed explanation as that would take quite some time and writing to do. ( Maybe some day. ) So I will give a briefing by explaining each stage up above from Right to Left.

Age 0 - The First Damnation ( Not pictured ) - On June 16 at approximately five hundred years before the opening of the Dark Portal, a male heir was born into the Daevara family to Sephirrion and Apolla Daevara. Unfortunately, Sephirrion had passed several days before the birth of his son Alphus Durand Daevara, whom he had named after his own grandfather. In doing so, there was some sort of a blemish in the Thalassian community that the child was indeed cursed. Little did they know that they were right to some degree.

Age 10 - Due to the loss of his father prior to his life, the youthful Dura knew very little of what it was like to feel happiness other than when it was just him and his mother. There was even the occasional voice in his head that spoke to him in the darker moments of his childhood. His mother was often had to cut shady deals with a variety of colorful people which lead to the eventual and untimely ending that would leave a scar on Dura in more ways than one. Her death at the hands of a drunken human male was also the catalyst to unlock Dura’s murderous potential that he would learn to sharpen like the knife he used to pierce the bastard’s throat.

Out of fear, little Alphus fled into Eversong Woods and was never heard from again. He was forced to live out a life as a homeless, filthy child which often times lead to near starvation and desperation. But one fateful day, his actions in the wild caught the eye of some other mercenaries who eventually took the young lad out of the wood and into the jungle of brickwork.

Age 17 - Having earned himself an alias known as the White Lynx, Dura’s reputation began to grow in some ways good while other’s bad. There wasn’t really anything that he wouldn’t do for coin when it came to the art of death. Yet, something within his heart ached for many years when it came to children and mothers. Yet, the pubescent lad possessed an iron will to keep himself on the task at hand whilst not even giving the opposition a means to pry information from his mind. For Dura possessed a dark gift that even he had no idea was protecting from such things.

Age 120 ( not pictured ) - Maturity and experience was his teacher in his somewhat criminal lifestyle that spanned almost an entire century. Eventually, word had caught up that the forgotten heir was still of the living as an angel of death. As a result, the hundred-year-old, adult Quel’dorei was eventually found and given a proposition. If he would serve under the Thalassian military under his one true name, they would clear him of any crimes held against his people during his growth and release custody of all of his family wealth in exchange. Despite the reluctance to possible shoot them a middle finger, Dura chose to accept this not only to gain a cleaner record or wealth, but because he possessed the desire to live some sort of a life.

Age 225 - While serving in the military, many often looked at Dura as if he were some sort of a monster despite his cocky expression. It was always said that he possessed the eyes of some sort of devil. One woman did not see him this way. As a matter of fact, she not only idolized him but, she also fell for him. Telondra Firehawk’s heart burned with a passion to gain this predator’s attention. And when she finally did so by accidentally bumping into him at the lunch hall, that cocky smirk set her heart a flame. The two eventually gave one another a chance despite Dura’s own awkward disposition with anti-socialism. Not even long after, Telondra betrothed and accepted the forgotten name of Daevara over her own.

Age 497 ( Not pictured ) - More centuries had passed and it seemed nothing could truly break this marriage. So much so that in the process, the two became four. The first child was a daughter named Raven-Lynn Daevara. She possessed the white blonde sheen of her father as well as many other traits that contrasted to the feminine gender. The second of the children was Aiden Durand Daevara, dark haired much like his mother and was quite the shy boy at that. Between what wars there were and the world’s changes, everything seemed to be going well for Dura and his family.

Age 523 - The Second Damnation - After the Scourge had rose it’s ugly head under the command of Arthas, the surviving Quel’dorei had turned themselves to finding supplement in various magics to quench their ancient thirst. In doing so, their eyes bore the emerald of fel magic. Not even the Daevara family could escape this fate as they struggled, much like their brothers and sisters did. Though, unlike what was likely half the population, Dura accompanied by his family followed the elven pilgrimage that would lead them to new paths. While many reveled in the alliance with Illidan Stormrage and his naga acquaintances, Dura secretly despised such. However, he felt it was the only way to keep his family alive and to reek vengeance upon the Scourge for what they did to his home.

The forces of the Sin’dorei were given that opportunity when the armies marched upon Arthas and his armies as a means to intercept and prevent the Lich King from rising. It was at the final hour that Alphus urged both wife and children to take themselves out of the expeditionary encampment and flee back home. War began and with it, the causalities were high. And much like his brothers-in-arms, he fell at the hands of the Scourge despite fighting with everything he had. And so, because of their use, he too was not given the mercy of death and was reborn anew. He was reborn amongst the Darkfallen.

Age 533 ( not pictured ) - As many of you know, the Lich King eventually fell to the armies of Azeroth that had banned together. Yet, the reborn Duraxxor was not present during this battle for the world. Imprisoned for his violent will, Duraxxor had remained hidden until the remnants of the San’layn had fled. Somehow, he managed to free himself and walked a path where his will was his own, despite possessing no memories of who he used to be. Fighting for survival and traveling by sea, Duraxxor continued onward to the only clue he possessed in his thoughts: The Daevara House. In doing so, he found his children, alone and without a mother who had abandoned them. With their help, however, he managed to relearn of his past and tried his best to be a father to this practically grown children, hiding the monster he truly was for the most part.

Age 538 - The Third Damnation - Unable to find trace of their mother, Duraxxor Daevara was given his house once more thanks to a few connections with a Forsaken magi while he was under the guise as a Death Knight. They faced many foes and forged many friendships along the way. Eventually, even Lord Daevara had remarried to another of the dead, who was slain during the events that were forged from the curse of his family, something that had finally come to light. An entity naming himself The Beast had plagued a curse within the bloodline that spanned thousands of years up until Duraxxor’s time. Yet, the son of the monster was yet to bare such a curse that bled words into his cranium. Seeking to find answers and assistance with a foe related to his late wife, the Sanguine Sorceress answered the call and little did Duraxxor know that this creature would be coiled around his neck for eternity.

The Beast finally sprung his trap using Duraxxor’s body against his will and eventually managed to create a host body for his rebirth, using some of Dura’s own allies against him with false promises. Despite the children and allies attempts, they failed to save Dura from plummeting to his second death into the void. Most would assume it was over at this point. . .

You would probably be wrong.

The Sanguine Sorceress not only predicted his fate but she would not see that their dark bargain would be left unpaid. So she willingly pried his corpse from the void and once again brought Duraxxor back, giving him and opportunity to recuperate before she would have use of him in her endeavors elsewhere. However, the damage that was inflicted upon his body would leave a tainted scar of void magics that would over time blend into his form, physical and soul alike. Now, the Faceless bides his time as he masters himself and forges other alliances in what will eventually lead to a fight with his hated enemy. But will that be enough to sate the monster that has been ripped apart and pieced back together?

[[ mentions: @sanguinesorceress ]]

[randomly-random-jen]

Attention to Detail (4/6)

A Red vs Blue fanfic

Chapter 4

It seemed like forever before Church got the vomiting under control. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then gulped water right from the tap, swishing it around his mouth before spitting it out. What he wouldn’t give for a toothbrush right now.

He’d forgotten about this side of having fun. He found that kind of ironic—what with being made of pure memory. He didn’t dwell on it. He did consider ditching this body for someone less pukey, but after splashing water on his face, he felt better. And switching would just confuse Caboose.

Church hurried back to where he last saw the gang—near an ice cream stand where Grif had been trying to convince Simmons that mixing all ten flavors was a sure cure for a hangover—but when he got there, the shop had closed. Fuck.

He scanned the mass of people, looking for a mop of black hair bobbing above the others. Or a glimpse of the turquoise sundress Carolina was wearing that was giving Church very confusing and uncomfortable feelings. He saw only strangers.

“Great,” he muttered. “They ditched me.”

He rubbed his face, wincing at his sore nose. This poor bastard was going to wake up to one hell of a hangover in the morning. Instinctively, Church reached for his radio toggle before remembering a second later he wasn’t wearing his armor. He wasn’t even wearing his own skin. Now what? Caboose would never voluntarily leave without him, so he figured they went on ahead when he took too long.

He located the looming beast towering over the other buildings—the sounds of delighted screams drifting on the wind like a dream. His stomach twisted again, but he ignored it. How many battles had he been in now? How many near-deaths? How many horrible tortures had he endured? 

“Too fucking many,” he mumbled, getting a nasty look from a mother dragging a little girl behind her. The girl had red pigtails and green eyes. They were the wrong shade, but for a second he was back on Earth—a tiny girl by his side.

“Look at my dress, Daddy. It floats.”

Church shook his head as the spinning girl in his memories morphed into the one in front of him who was currently sticking out her tongue. He resisted the urge to flip the kid off.

“Sorry,” he mumbled to the lady then sprinted away because she had that look like she was about to lay into him. Carolina gave him that look a lot—it never ended well.

His heart didn’t settle for three whole blocks. What the hell was that? It sure wasn’t his memory. Or Alpha’s. But he knew, deep down, it was still him—Leonard Church. They were all essentially the same person at their core. Just their experiences sent them on different paths.

Church swallowed the lump in his throat and wiped the dampness from his cheeks. Fuck, he was never drinking again.

“Cody! Hey, Cody, wait up. Cody!” Someone grabbed Church’s arm, spinning him around. “I knew it was you?” the petite brunette said, hugging him. “It’s been forever. How have you been?”

“Uh-” Church blinked at the girl. It took him a second to match the name she called him to the one on the ID in his wallet. Cody Lawson. Age twenty-two. From Portland, Oregon. Wonder what he was doing so far from home? He cleared his throat when he realized she was waiting for some kind of response. “Um, okay, I guess?”

She slapped his arm. Hard. “That’s all you have to say? Okay, you guess? What happened to your grand plan to see the galaxy one planet at a time?”

“Well, um. I-” Was he always this awkward talking to girls? Tex would say yes. He shoved the thought of Tex way back in his brain where he kept the shit he wasn’t ready to deal with yet. The girl was still waiting for a real answer. The best lies are the ones rooted in truth. Someone had told him that once—probably Tex. He took a deep breath. “Well, see, there’s this war. And it’s pretty much everywhere, and one thing led to another. And I got drafted.” He shrugged.

Horror replaced the curiosity on her face. “Oh, Cody, no! You’re a pacifist. Can’t you like conscientiously object or something? Protest?”

Figures the guy in plaid shorts would be a pussy. But then he thought of Doc, and as annoying and often useless as the guy was, he held his own in battle. With or without O’Malley riding shotgun. “See, I figure,” Church told her, “I go into the medical corps. Couple years training to be a medic and then I’ll be saving people instead of shooting them.” He felt really proud of that whopper until the girl gasped.

“But you didn’t even finish high school. You said you were dropping out because you couldn’t read. I think you need to know how to read to be a medic.”

For crying out loud. He was so done with this conversation. Thankfully, he saw a flash of aqua and red hair in the distance. Finally. He shrugged at the girl. “Eh, I hear they take anyone now—they’re kind of desperate. Gotta go.” He didn’t wait for her to respond before taking off.

“Where the hell have you been?” Carolina yelled. Church was amazed at how clear her speech was when he was still fighting his tongue every other word.

“Nice to see you, too, sis.”

That softened the anger storming in her eyes. She took a deep breath, letting it out in a puff that ruffled her bangs. “Did I mention I’m a mean drunk?”

“The meanest,” Wash agreed, coming up behind her with a steaming cup of coffee. “This one time, her and Maine-”

Carolina slapped her hand over his mouth. “We agreed we’d never speak of that again.”

Wash winked at Church and mouthed, “I’ll tell you later.”

Church smiled. Damn, his face hurt from all of the smiling he’d done today. And it felt pretty fucking good. Seeing Carolina and Wash happy after everything they’d been through—even if it was for this brief moment—was worth compromising his dicey morals. He knew he was the cause of most of their pain. In one way or another. Wash more personally. His smile faltered. Another thought to keep Tex company in the back of his mind. Eventually, he would have to take stock and clear the skeletons in his closet. But not today. Today, he was on vacation.

“Where is everybody?” Church asked before he was swallowed by his dark thoughts.

“Don’t know. We turned around a second and they were gone,” Carolina said.

“And by ‘turn around,’ she means puking in a trash can and getting a ticket for public intoxication.” 

Church snorted as Carolina punched Wash in the arm. He rubbed the spot with a goofy grin.

Carolina grabbed their arms, dragging them along. “Come on Tweedledee and Tweedledum, let’s go find the others. It’s getting dark and we should be heading back.”

“Yes, Mom,” Wash mumbled.

“Don’t make me smack you again.”

“Yeah, Tweedledum, leave her alone. She’s had a hard day of drinking and puking.”

“Reminds me of my college days. Brief as they were.”

Carolina glared at Church over her shoulder. “Don’t think I won’t deck you, too.”

Church laughed. “Oh, I know you would, Carolina.” He shot her a crooked grin, getting an eye roll in return. It was weird seeing everyone without their armor. Faces expressed so much emotion that was normally lost behind a visor. He wondered how often Carolina rolled her eyes at him.

“Now wait a minute,” Wash said. “I am most definitely Tweedledee. You’re Tweedledum.”

“What? No way. I’m not being Tweedledum. He’s, well, the dumb one.”

A grin slid across Wash’s face. “Too bad. I call dibs.”

“You can’t call dibs on a name.”

“Can.”

“Not.”

“Carolina?”

She let out an exasperated sigh—the kind Church’s mother gave him when he was little and on her last nerve. “They’re both idiots so the names could go either way.”

“See,” Church said, but was cut off by Carolina.

“But, Tweedledee did call dibs. Sorry, Dummy.”

“You both suck,” Church grumbled while Carolina and Wash laughed at him. There was nothing but affection behind his words, though.

They finally arrived at the line for the roller coaster. The front half was full of queued people. The end was occupied by only three red soldiers.

“Lift those legs, maggots. Double time!”

“But, Sarge,” Grif whined as he jogged through the winding fences. “I’m on vacation.”

Simmons was a few turns farther along, cursing under his breath.

“Preparedness takes no vacations, Private. What would you do if we were suddenly attacked by unseen alien forces?”

“Honestly, sir,” Grif said through gasps, “I’d just bow down to my new alien overlords. They probably treat their army better than this.”

Sarge smacked Grif with a stick he was carrying like a shotgun. “Nonsense. You will lay down your life in the line of fire protecting your commanding officer. As it says in my report, er, will say. Now drop and give me twenty.”

The three of them gave Sarge a wide berth. Church was pretty sure Grif was crying. He hopped over the barrier to join Simmons as he walked back and forth along the path. “You okay?”

Simmons held his side and sucked in gulping breaths. “That man is deranged. He’s going to kill us. Kill Grif.”

They glanced over their shoulders. Wash patted Simmons’ shoulder. “I think I’ll go rescue him. I really don’t want to drag an unconscious Grif back to the ship. Save me a spot in line.”

Simmons moaned. “I am not going on that thing. I don’t care what Sarge does. I’ll take the court-martial. I don’t give a fuck. I’m done.” He slid under the fence and trudged to the nearest bench where he collapsed.

“Wow,” Church said. “Looks like Red team is falling apart.”

“It’s a nice change of pace,” Carolina said with a nod. The two of them continued to zig-zag along the path. Church smiled when Carolina started singing along with the song playing over the speakers lining the path. God, she was awful.

As they caught up with the tail end of the line, Church caught sight of a pink oxford shirt and ugly purple hoodie. “Hey, there’s the others,” he said with a sigh. “Finally.”

They annoyed quite a few people in line as they pushed through and hopped the fences to get to their friends. Doc and Donut waved, each holding an ice cream cone.

“Where the fu-” Tucker uncharacteristically stumbled over his words. He eyed a little old lady standing nearby and cleared his throat. “Heck. Where the heck have you been?”

“Long story,” Church said, absently. He counted the people with Tucker and came up one short. Church looked around. “Where’s Caboose?”

Tucker frowned. “I don’t know. I thought he was with you.”

Church’s real human heart stopped. His lungs refused to work. Shit. Shit. Shit. How could he let this happen? Caboose depended on him to keep him safe. And he failed.

Again.

Later, they’d go over the day, detail by detail, looking for those missed signs. Beating themselves up for not paying better attention. For not keeping a closer eye on Caboose. It will be one of those lessons they learned the hard way. Which, let’s face it, has been the majority of their lessons so far.

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

Month of Drabbles Day 10: Diplomacy (Super Danganronpa 2)

Summary: Sonia Nevermind has always had a way with words. But how much use, really, does a diplomat have in a killing game?

Words: 2295

Warnings: Mentions of death, violence, and suicide.

When Sonia Nevermind was five, she kept her twenty kidnappers entertained until she convinced them to send her back to Novoselic in a first-class jet clutching a suitcase of diamonds. When she was eight, she secured a trade deal between Novoselic and the United States which boosted Novoselic’s GDP by fifty percent within the first month. When she was eleven, she stopped a nuclear war with a tilt of her head and a few words from her lips. Her mother had asked her how she did it once. Sonia told her she said her “please’s” and “thank you’s.”

Sonia always found that she had a way with words. Of course, she had to if she wanted to be queen of Novoselic someday. Novoselic had the highest civilian to militia ratio of any country in the world, but its tiny size meant that a good leader must use words instead of brute force in foreign relations if she wanted her country to survive. Despite this, everyone was surprised when at age twelve; Princess Sonia Nevermind became the head of foreign relations in Novoselic.

There were people that called her the Ultimate Princess. Sonia thought that that would probably mean something a hundred years ago when there were more princesses in the world. It pained her to think that she only had this title from her birthright and not from any talent of her own.

When she was accepted into a school in Japan because of this birthright, she didn’t feel the excitement that she thought she should have. Here was another prestigious school that wanted Sonia Nevermind not for her skills but for her bloodline. It was richer and better staffed than any school in her entire kingdom, but she was about to reject the invitation when it hit her.

Here was the best school in the world. Everyone who graduated from it was set for life. Sonia would have been set for life anyway, but Hope’s Peak Academy might take what skills she had and amplify it by tenfold. She had to go to this school. After all, wasn’t it a queen’s duty to become the best person she could for the subjects of her kingdom? Sonia proudly entered herself into Hope’s Peak Academy as the Ultimate Princess.  If she was going to become a leader, she should try to grow fond of the position before the end of high school.

~

Except…in high school, Sonia didn’t get to lead. She led a group of girls onto the sandy beaches to enjoy themselves, but that was the end of it. When the black and white bear appeared and announced that she and her classmates will be killing each other, a Byakuya Togami immediately took charge. Sonia didn’t have to worry about protecting everyone anymore-someone else was doing that for her. This newfound freedom was almost euphoric.

And then Byakuya Togami was found lying face down under a table and covered in blood. Teruteru Hanamura was the killer. If Sonia had been aware of what Nagito Komaeda was planning, would she have been able to convince him to put his knife down? If Sonia had beaten Byakuya to taking charge, would she be the one lying face down on the wooden floor of the old hotel?

Sonia had disarmed bombs with her smile. She had stopped armies in their tracks with just a few words. She had saved millions of lives with a firm handshake and steady eye contact. So why, oh why, could she not save the lives of two classmates?

~

After Teruteru was dropped into that volcano, Sonia decided that letting someone else take charge was a luxury she did not have. If she simply took absolute power over her class, there’s bound to be opposition. That was not the way Sonia Nevermind did things. A good princess-a good diplomat-was to find the core problem and to solve it while the smile on her face never wavers.

The core problem with this class was that they didn’t trust each other. That was a given, seeing how they’ve only known each other for a few days and one of their classmates just killed another. This class needed to do more activities together.

Sonia organized a “girl’s only” party. She took a page out of Byakuya’s book. What better way to unite half the class than to have a party? It was going to be on a beach in the bright daylight, with no circuits to break and no floorboards to stab through. When Hajime Hinata and Kazuichi Soda decided to tag along too, Sonia didn’t mind. As long as Kazuichi didn’t try to hit on her, she was happy to have more of the class along. Some of the girls were missing, but the classmates who were her were happy. What’s the worst that could happen?

~

The worst that could happen was Kazuichi finding the dead body of Mahiru Koizumi lying in front of a door in the beach house. As Sonia stared at the blood-soaked corpse, she wondered if Mahiru would still be alive right now if she had been more insistent that she joined her party.

At the trial, Ibuki Mioda revealed that she was going to go with Mahiru had she not already agreed to come to the party. So Mahiru’s death was all Sonia’s fault, then. If she’d never arranged this beach party Ibuki would have been there to stop Peko Pekoyama from swinging that deadly baseball bat and none of this would have happened.

Peko claimed that she was Sparkling Justice, the serial killer that Sonia admired so. Something was wrong. Sonia tried to say something, but her classmates all talked over her. She felt a rush of anger. Why weren’t they listening to her? Wasn’t she their princess?

Peko Pekoyama had been lying about being her friend the whole time. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu had been lying about his history with Peko. Hiyoko Saionji lied about small things, but those small things had almost gotten Sonia’s entire class killed.

Sonia turned away as the straw robots on the screen plunged their swords deep into the body of Mahiru’s killer. She had seen through the lies of countless politicians and diplomats. Why couldn’t she see through the lies of her classmates?

~

Monokuma announced something he called the “despair disease.” Again, no one in the class was willing to lend their ear to what their princess had to say. Sonia decided then that if she was going to unite this class, she would have to start with individuals. And it seemed that most of the class was more than happy to be friends at Sonia’s request-except for one Hiyoko Saionji.

Hiyoko Saionji was a challenge, Sonia decided. The rest of her class had their differences, but they at least tried to get along, if only to survive. Hiyoko, on the other hand, had shut herself off from everyone. The only person exempt to her rotten attitude had her head split open with a metal bat.

Sonia wasn’t sure why she tried so hard to befriend this rude girl. Was it because she just enjoyed this challenge? Was it because she wanted everyone to get along that badly? Was it just out of pity for this girl who had lost the only person that cared about her on this island?

A day passed after Sonia told Hiyoko about that mirror in the studio. Ibuki hung from the ceiling. Hiyoko was strapped to a pillar. Once again, Sonia was responsible for the deaths of her friends. If only she had been kinder to Hiyoko. If only she’d volunteered to take care of her sick classmates with Mikan. If only she had done something.

~

Sonia gave up on being a good leader after Mikan left them. She would rather spend the night after the trial sitting on the beach, Gundham Tanaka at her side, chatting about hamsters or horror movies or demonic rituals. Gundham told her about the poison in his blood. Sonia smiled. Her blood was no good, either, not because of poison, but because of a family and responsibilities she was beginning to wish she never had.

If Kazuichi was glaring at her and Gundham angrily, then so be it. She was finished dancing around others with her words. Maybe if she was lucky, Kazuichi would realize that Sonia was no longer the perfect princess he thought she was.

~

Monokuma said that he was leaving Sonia and the others to starve to death in the Funhouse unless a dead body was found. Sonia decided then that she would accept her death with dignity.

Had it been a week and a half ago, Sonia would have taken her own life at the first opportunity in order to free her classmates from starvation. A princess should not simply sit and watch her people suffer, nor should a princess ever take an innocent life. Sacrificing herself for her subjects would have been a great honor for the Ultimate Princess.

But these were Sonia’s classmates; not her subjects. Sonia was not their princess. She had long since decided that her title of princess had no use on this island, but that didn’t mean she was allowed to panic and scream like a child. She found that she cared about her classmates, and so Sonia resolved to keep them calm in their final moments, so that they could slip out of the world of living not with a shout, but with a whisper.

~

Nekomaru Nidai’s metallic parts lay scattered on the floor. Hajime and Nagito present argument after argument of Gundham’s guilt. In the end, not even Sonia could prevent the truth.

Gundham told her to keep living, so she promised to do just that. As she ran into the execution grounds to scoop up the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, she realized something: if she had not helped convince everyone to ride that roller coaster that brought them to the Funhouse, none of this would have happened.

Sonia always found that she had a way with words, but now she realized that her way was simply making the poison that poured out of her mouth taste sweeter. How many people had she led to the deaths of already?

~

Nagito Komaeda was planning to blow up the entire island. Sonia searched for the bombs along with the others. She wanted to save her own life, but she also wanted to save the lives of her classmates. That feeling of responsibility towards these other Ultimates has not gone away. But this time, instead of protecting them as their princess, Sonia would be protecting them as their friend.

When she saw the streams of fireworks shoot into the sky in colorful bursts, Sonia thought her heart would stop with relief. Now that she was certain she wasn’t going to blow up in the next few hours, she went to study the weaponry on the fifth island. If any of that equipment worked, Sonia planned to use her expertise to fight her way out of Jabberwok Island. After nine deaths, she hardly had any patience left over for words-sweet or poisonous. A princess did not point weapons at the innocent, but Monokuma was not innocent.

A fire started in the warehouse, resulting in the discovery of Nagito’s mangled body. Sonia knew she should have been horrified. Maybe she was, but that feeling of guilt that lingered after every previous death no longer lingered here. All these horrible injuries on Nagito’s body could not have been caused by her. She was only responsible for finding the killer of this case and bringing them to justice.

~

She was responsible for suggesting that her friends throw the fire grenades that killed Nagito Komaeda. Why couldn’t they have just poured water? They were on an island, for goodness sakes! Because of Sonia’s carelessness-because of her sweet words-everyone on this island was about to die.

She told everyone to vote for her. She was the one that suggested the fire grenades. She might as well have been Nagito’s killer. She wasn’t sure if she was so willing to sacrifice herself out of love or responsibility but it didn’t really matter anymore.

Chiaki Nanami suggests that she may be the traitor that threw the poisoned fire grenade. No, Sonia decided. She didn’t care if Chiaki was lying or not. This was the final straw. She couldn’t let another classmate-another friend die from her mistakes.

Chiaki wasn’t the traitor, Sonia declared. Sonia didn’t care that pointing out that she knew about the fake bombs made her more suspicious. She was ready to die. Over the past few weeks Sonia’s words have caused so many deaths. Her lack of words has caused so many deaths as well. Maybe this time she could use her words properly like she used to and save just one more life.

Hajime refuted her every argument. Sonia wasn’t sure when tears started pouring down her face, but she didn’t attempt to wipe them away. If she were still in Novoselic, these tears would have tarnished her image. Now, she didn’t care.

Sonia stared at the screen in the trial room as it showed her images of Chiaki Nanami running desperately from her inevitable death. She was never going to be a princess again. She was never going to be a queen. She was just Sonia Nevermind, whose sweet and deadly words killed whether they were used or not.

~

Sonia always found that she had a way with words. With her charm and wit, she could almost control the world. She could save the lives of millions of strangers with her words, so why?

Why oh why, could she not save the lives of eleven innocent friends?