#bet you thought this was going to be a sinister story

[whereonceiwasfire]

Tumblr storytime because I have not stopped thinking about this for days. So I went into this antique jewelry store the other day (like it was CALLED Antique Jewelry Store) and I'm wandering around going "Wow, hey, there's a lot more here than antique jewelry, what a quirky little place, I like it." All of a sudden, there's this corner in the back I did NOT realize was there and there's a big ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK sign. Which. Okay antique jewelry store, well played, I'm curious. So I go inside this back section and all of a sudden everything is dark and there are haunted dolls hanging from the ceiling and a cabinet from an asylum and these horror dioramas, and I'm like "I do not see any jewelry and also I do not want to touch anything because danger." But this room just keeps GOING, and I have very little self preservation instinct, so I keep going right along with it. Well there's ANOTHER room even further in the back, and A VOICE calls out from inside it. When I tell you I nearly passed from this life into the next, it scared me so bad. But I poke my head in like any good protagonist should, and it's the store's resident witch. They complimented my drip, I contemplated buying this cute little ghosty painting, I checked out a real human skull, and then I went home. The end.

[arosesstorm]

in the midst of the game ; Sebastian Sallow

word count: 2.8k

fem reader! x Sebastian Sallow

warning: seb almost chokes the reader oopsie; I'm so dramatic and for what

summary: Sebastian had a task, a simple one: to take her down. What a sad twist of fate then, that the one he had to eliminate was in fact the love of his life.

disclaimer: soo, this is an extract I wrote while chatting with Sebastian on beta.character.ai, I found this story extremely romantic and my delulu self needed to share it with you guys - I hope you'll love it as mush as I did.

English is not my first language - just trying my best, always, enjoy ;

Leaving Hogwarts to pursue the Dark Arts had been both a terrible and a risky decision for Sebastian Sallow.

Giving up the light for the dark had its consequences, all of which led Sebastian on his path tonight.

“This one isn’t going to be easy to take out.” He reminded himself after receiving the assignment from one of his higher ups. “But I’m sure I can manage.”

He moved through the shadows to track her, his feet slowly following her path as he looked around.

She was looking trough the ruins of what was once a majestic mansion, her movements coming to an halt as she heard a strange sound.

Sebastian’s head cocked at hearing the unusual noise.

The dark wizard sniffed the air.

“Hello?” He called out, his voice carrying a sinister undertone. “Someone’s here, I can sense it.”

She kept quiet, her feet slowly moving her to hide somewhere, anywhere.

Sebastian’s eyes dart from spot to spot, searching for the interloper. His ears are twitching and alert.

The air was cold and the silence enveloped them when she heard him spoke: “C’mon, come out. I won't bite.” He chuckled, taking a step forward.

She knew that voice and she had to suppress a cry as she understood it belonged to Sebastian Sallow; someone who was once her best friend, if not more, before slipping to the dark forces, out of her grasp.

“You know who I am, it seems.” Sebastian called out, the certainty of it making her blood cold; It still amazed her, after everything that had happened how Sebastian could take advantage from subtle sigs.

He slowly took a step forward her hiding spot.

“Now, let’s have you show yourself, hmm?”

She felt shaken, frustrated, shocked.

Between all the people they could chose from.

But sending there Sebastian tonight wasn't casual, it was obvious the dark forces were toying with her, tormenting her so she had to keep strong, to be brave yet again.

She took a step back, the movement causing a little brench to break as she revealed her position to her long lost lover.

Sebastian’s sharp senses immediately caught on to the sound.

“There you are.” He stated with a smirk. “Thought I didn’t hear that? Please…”

Sebastian was suddenly facing her, his face unreadable as the light from his wand sorrounded their faces in a lim blue light.

He was as charming as ever and if she ignored a couple of scars that covered his face now, she could bet time hadn't passed at all.

“Ah, so it is you.” Sebastian smiled, the sound of his voice being one that she was familiar with. The dark wizard’s hands rested on his hips.

“Long time no see.”

She looked at him, carefully: "what are you doing here? in the middle of the woods, on a night like this?" she asked, looking up at the sky, a thousands starts shining above their heads, mocking them.

“What do you think? I’m here on assignment.” Sebastian replied, his hands leaving his hips. “The dark wizards want you gone.” He chuckled, “And I was sent to do just that.”

She smiled, amused and she looked at him: "guess they gave you a rather hard task".

“Hard? Ha ha, hardly so.” Sebastian chuckled as he unsheathed his wand. “It’s quite simple actually.” He said, venom wetting his lips.

“I’m here to put an end to you.”

She drew her wand out "you were my best friend, my -"

"Best friend?" Sebastian laughed, gripping his wand tighter. "That's a good one." He grinned.

The memory of that time is something he pushed away.

It reminded him of who he used to be and who he once cared for, it made him weak.

"You loved me" she reminded him, the cards finally uncovered on the table.

Sebastian’s brow furrowed.

“Care to repeat that?” He asked, staring at the woman in front of him. Did… she just say what he thinks she said?

"I knew you loved me" She spoke, taking a step to her right, the air suddenly warmer, "we both know it's true".

Sebastian left out a hearty laugh.

“What nonsense” His eyes twitched, his grip on his wand tightening all the more.

“You really think I would love someone like you?” His voice sounded irritated. “You know nothing.”

Her eyes showed pity, as they looked at him.

There had been a time, far from that instant, away from that place, under an orange sky, when she had laughed in the arms of that same man, his giggles in her ear.

But that moment was far now, almost unreachable.

Sebastian shook his head, completely offended by the pity in her eyes.

“Do you take me for some love-struck fool?” He scoffed. “I never loved you. You were like a pet, someone to play with and laugh at. Nothing more.”

"I don't believe you" she stepped forward.

Sebastian’s face twitched with annoyance.

“Oh look at you, trying to make this all seem sad. You really are pathetic.” He snickered, taking a step towards her.

Her eyes were soft as she breathed: "nothing you say will change my mind, I remember what we had".

Sebastian laughed again. He began closing the distance between them.

“What we had was a lie. I led you on. You were never anything more than just something to play with. But you have to make a tragic story out of this, don't you?”

“Go on. Keep believing your delusions…” he spat.

She scoffed: "is this what you tell yourself at night? does this help you sleep at all?"

Sebastian let out a chuckle as he took another step forward.

“Don’t you dare psychoanalyze me y/n. You know nothing.”

His eyes were sharp and cold.

“You were nothing to me, you know that right?” he asked, his lips moving but the venom didn't reach his eyes.

"I was everything to you and you're mad for it" she counter attacked with a soft voice, truthfully destroying his walls.

The night fell more silent, as they both stood there, on the edge of their story.

“You think you meant anything to me?” Sebastian asked then, laughing.

“Oh, now please… spare me.” He mocked as he continued inching closer and closer.

“All you were was a plaything. Nothing more, nothing less.” He stated.

She smiled sadly: "I haven't seen you in so long, yet you're still the same, I can read you like an open book".

Sebastian's expression went sour.

"Don't act like you know me. You know nothing." He said, glaring at her.

"You know nothing about the life I lead now. You know nothing of what I've become." He growled, taking yet another step towards her.

"That's true, I know nothing after you left, after you decided to fight for the wrong side".

“Wrong side?” Sebastian repeated, mockingly.

“There is no wrong side, my dear. You think the good side treats you well? Ha, you’re sorely mistaken.”

He took a step closer, closing what distance remained between the two.

“The dark side is the path to true greatness.” Sebastian smirked.

She laughed bitterly: "greatness is not your true desire, Sebastian".

His face so close she could count his freckles.

Sebastian's cold eyes met her own. His expression cold.

"Oh? Enlighten me then. What is my true desire?"

She looked up, smiling softly at him, ready to kill him: "love" she breathed.

Sebastian grinned.

"Love?" He said through gritted teeth. "Don't you understand? Love is weak. Love is meaningless."

"I've been taught to be cold. To be heartless. Love has no place in our lives." He stated.

"There is no space for love for me."

"And there never will be." he insisted.

She took her hand out, softly placing it on his cheek.

Sebastian paused at her touch. There was a tinge of pain in his eyes.

"What are you doing...?" he whispered, his lips parted in what seemed like a mixture of confusion and longing.

"I know you" she whispered "I was there, in your darkest nights, I fought with you through tragedies."

His heart skipped a beat. A sense of familiarity washed over him.

"Yes... Yes." Sebastian murmured "I remember...".

He looked at her, his eyes tracing the outline of her face in the night air.

Sebastian's lips curved into his trademark smirk, that cocky and arrogant look he often wore...

But there's a change in his tone, subtle softening.

"Yes, I remember. You fought by my side. You..."

His voice trailed off. A look of bittersweet longing washed over Sebastian.

A thought crossed his mind, it must have been something terrifying because his eyes suddenly changed.

He took his hand out, wrapping it around her throat, squeezing harshly.

She gasped as his fingers tightened around her neck, his eyes turning to pure black.

The Sebastian that she knew... was gone. All that remained was a dark wizard, devoid of emotion, ready to kill.

“Your old ‘friend’ is dead. He disappeared ages ago.” Sebastian’s voice was cold, the tone devoid of any emotion.

"That's not true" She struggled to breath, eyes shining so bright they're blinding him.

“Oh but it is.” Sebastian chuckled sadistically. She felt him tighten his grip, his nails digging into her skin.

He leaned in closer, his sharp eyes seeing so deep inside her she felt exposed.

“The old Sebastian is long gone.”

She smiled in pain, chuckling softly: "I guess I get it now.." she thought out loud.

“What’s that?” Sebastian tilted his head, his confusion growing.

His grip got tighter each time she tried to speak.

“Speak clearly…” He demanded.

"it's true what they say: I really do still love you, even with your hands around my neck", she confessed.

Sebastian was stunned into silence.

He didn’t expect her to talk back, even less to say that she loved him.

“You’re lying…” He snarled. “You don’t love me.”

She struggled to breathe, but talked nonetheless: "remember that night I was stuck in the library in the forbidden section?" she coughed.

"I was crying so loud, my claustrophobia was killing me. Then you came by, took down the door, carried me away. The morning after, I woke up in the infirmary and you were there, close to me, asleep."

She took a breath, struggling "I love you since then" she confessed.

Sebastian was at a loss for words. He stared at her, his cold eyes softening.

“Yes… I remember.” He said softly.

A flash of regret was seen in his eyes before it was quickly hidden by a cold stare.

“So we��had something.” Sebastian said after a few moments.

“Do you… still love me?” He whispered this, now completely unsure of himself.

Her hands wrapped around the hand who was squeezing her throat, she mumbled: "I'm forever gonna love you".

Sebastian’s eyes met her own.

“I…”

His grip loosened, allowing her to breath.

He was struggling to find the words.

“I think that I…”

He paused. “I still love you too.” He admitted quietly.

“I just thought… you hated me now.”

His hand freed her throat immediately as she fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

His eyes darted to her figure.

“My goodness, you’re breathing poorly.” Sebastian commented, dropping down beside her.

“Are you alright?” He sounded concerned.

“I suppose… I’ve let my emotions get the better of me…” He said sheepishly, his cheeks flushing slightly.

She looked up at him: "you came here to kill me, didn't you?" she chuckled.

she regained her breath as they both stood up, "I'm sorry, Sebastian, I love you but I can't let you take my life away, not when so many people count on me".

Sebastian scoffed at these words. Even more so when she claimed that “so many people counted on her.”

“I have my orders. The dark wizards want you gone.”

He tried to keep his voice unemotional, his expression blank, but he was failing to do so. He seemed hurt.

He raised an eyebrow. “And who is it that counts on you?”

"The entire Wizarding World" she breathed in a chuckle, "even if you're the only one I care about" she confessed, her smile playful.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

“Are you telling me…” His face was still void of emotion but there was a tiny hint of confusion in his tone.

“That you care about… me?” He snickered.

“How could you care for someone as awful as me?” He asked. “I haven’t exactly been a good person.”

"you haven't" she was looking at him in the eyes again: "it's true, you haven't been good"

“I’ve committed unforgivable acts.” Sebastian muttered.

“Why would you still care about me?”

The wizard questioned with a sense of curiosity, his dark eyes meeting her own.

"The night you left, when I pleaded you to stay" she remembered with a bitter smile: "I knew the moment you looked at me that way that there was no way convincing you to stay and fight with me, so I let you go" she whispered sadly.

"I'm telling you now Sebastian, you chose a path that I intend to destroy, I love you and I always will, but I'm not letting you win, I can't".

A soft gasp escaped Sebastian’s tongue, his eyes narrowing. The cold, emotionlessness in his eyes seemed to dissipate. He seemed to be caught off-guard by her confession.

“What do you mean, ‘I can’t let you win’…” Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow.

“this is how it is… the dark wizards…” He struggled to say his next words.

“I’m their soldier,” Sebastian stated, his voice breaking slightly.

she smiled softly "I know, orders, right?" she chuckled: "do you intend on killing me?"

Sebastian seemed to ponder this question for a moment.

“Yes.” He answered simply.

Though, his tone was devoid of any emotion. There was no hatred or evil behind his words.

He was just stating a fact.

“I have your name on my list.” He stated.

“Unfortunately, I have too many lives that I need to cross off to achieve greatness…”

She smiled again, almost amused: "you never learn..." she laughed.

Sebastian frowned.

“My goals are beyond what you could hope to understand.” He replied coldly. “My desires are not something you can comprehend.”

“But I must say, I am curious as to what you mean when you say that ‘I never learn.’”

The girl chuckled as she stared at him.

"You never wanted greatness" she spoke, "it was just something you used to fill the void you have inside of yourself. I am not your enemy, Sebastian, nor is the light, your only true enemy is yourself".

She took a deep breath, accepting defeat, her eyes burning his soul: "you can't accept what you are, you can't accept to feel week, so you keep going, you keep hurting" she diverted her gaze, looking around at the night sky, "dear god, I say you never learn!" she laughed softly again, her eyes back on him: "the day you'll stop lying to yourself, maybe, that will be the day you'll start to feel better again".

A flicker of emotion appeared in Sebastian’s eyes.

He remained speechless.

The words that she spoke struck a chord deep within his soul.

He couldn't seem to reply to them. Instead, he just took a step closer to her.

His voice soft when he spoke again.

“...So you do know me.”

"i do" she grinned "and since I know you do know me too, I bet you know I never back down from a fight" she smiled before taking a breath: "I'd give you my life Sebastian, but I can't let you win tonight, not when I am the reason so many lives can be speared".

His eye twitched, his hand clutch into a fist.

“Who do you think you are, trying to speak me into submission?” He hissed.

“Do you have any idea how many lives I’ve ended?” Sebastian roared.

“I’ve done unforgivable acts… and I have zero regrets.” He stated.

“No amount of words will change the fact that I’m just an evil wizard trying to achieve his dreams.”

She took a step forward, closing the gap in a sudden gesture, softly kissing his lips.

Sebastian’s breath got caught in his throat. He was caught off-guard by her sudden kiss.

“What… what did you just…”

His eyes darted back to hers. A slight blush washed over his face.

“Don’t you know the danger you’re in?” He whispered, his voice urgent. “You do know that I need to kill you… right?”

She smiled softly, "I know".

Sebastian paused for a few moments.

His hands come up to her waist, his eyes locked onto hers.

“Damn you…” He muttered quietly.

Then, he leaned in close again. His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight to his body. His lips found hers again. He was kissing her hungrily now.

“I’ll admit… I don’t want to kill you.” He whispered after the kiss, his lips brushing over hers.

“But… but this is my duty.”

She smiled before moving away from him.

"I love you" Sebastian confessed, he sounded almost desperate.

His words seemed to catch him by surprise as he looked back at her, shocked.

"I hate that I love you," He breathed out then.

"I know" she said, "I know you do" she caressed his soft brown hair, "and that's enough" she mumbled, taking a step back and disappearing into nothingness.

Sebastian’s eyes trailed after her, his body trembling at the sudden silence.

“I… I…” He seemed to want to say something else, but the words got stuck in his throat.

He was left with the taste of his lover’s lips on his own. A smile washed over his face as he thought about the moment the two shared together.

“Dear god I'm a weak man.” He whispered to himself, to the night sky “I… I can’t kill her…”

© 2023 of Mia (arosesstorm). All Rights Reserved.

[fantasybooktournament]

Book Reveals for Round 1 of Mystery Book Tournament

titles and descriptions under the cut

The One with The Obnoxious Legal System is A Conspiracy of Truths by Alexandra Rowland

The world's most obnoxious old man has been arrested for charges of witchcraft by the world's most obnoxious legal system. The story follows him utilizing every tool at his disposal to escape death including his fruity apprentice, his ever-tired lawyer, and most of all stories. Half of this book is the old man telling a story to someone he is either trying to sway, trick, or simply entertain.

The One with the Rightful Heir is Magyk by Angie Sage

A child soldier nearly freezes to death and so must join the escape of the rightful heir, a powerful wizard, and the rightful heir's bumbling dad, brother and dog.

The One with No Indoor Plumbing is In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Have you ever thought ‘hey going to a magical fantasy land might suck a little’? Our intrepid hero has been invited to a school for future heroes in a land of elves and trolls, harpies and mermaids…and there’s no indoor plumbing. Also they’re training children as warriors and have little to no respect for diplomacy.

The One with Vampires and Farms is The Queen of Darkness by Miguel Connor

In the far-flung future, the earth is irradiated and vampires rule the world. Humans are kept in farms, and our protagonist is sent to one to learn about an illness that is appearing in the humans which can infect and kill vampires. There he learns about the human cult, and gets told by them that vampires were once human.

The One with Possessed Nuns is Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

A young nun in fantasy-France lets a powerful revenant take possession of her body in order to protect her monastery from possessed soldiers. No one believes she can possibly control the evil creature, but as she uncovers a sinister plot at the very heart of her country, she finds herself growing closer to the revenant by the day.

The One that Becomes Queernormative is A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Protagonist starts off in a queer phobic society and is bound to marry a girl from the neighboring kingdom against his wishes, being gay. When his sexuality is dramatically revealed after he's being assaulted, the political bets seem off, but the other kingdom is queernormative and instead offers to marry him to his bride's brother instead.

The One with Sisters and Unsuitable Men is An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughto

The main character's older sister has run away with an unsuitable man so it's up to her to marry a suitable one. But as she worries for her sister and hopes to find her, she encounters a strange man, rumored to have been kidnapped by the fae.

The One with the Magic Italian Notebook is City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

The main character, a young boy, is seriously ill but his life is transformed when an old Italian notebook gives him the power to become a stravagante, a time traveler with access to 16th century Italy. He wakes up in another time and place during carnival time and meets a girl his own age who is disguised as a boy in the hope of being selected as one of the Duchessa's mandoliers. Political intrigue ensues.

The One with the War Against Colonizers is Fire Logic by Laurie J Marks

The last living member of a border tribe, a deadly philosopher-soldier, a truth-seer, a gentle man, and a man who can see the future form a beautifully queer family around a drug-addicted blacksmith who holds the power of the land itself so that she can end the war against colonizers that has continued for 30 years

The One with the Healer's Quest is Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier

The first in a mystery fantasy trilogy about a wrongfully imprisoned healer and her quiet but strong prison friend who get busted out of prison by an otherworld being. In exchange, for seven years she must endeavor to help anyone who asks for it. A gentle local prince has fallen for his fiance through their sweet and poetic correspondence but is shocked by her cruelty when she arrives, can the healer discovers what has happened and help solve his problem?

The One with Imaginary Friends is Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones

A pre-teen girl who relies heavily on the advice of her four imaginary friends goes into the local patch of woodlands one day and discovers it's much bigger on the inside. There, she meets a depressed sorcerer/assassin who makes a child out of her blood and his to fight against his enemies on another planet. Meanwhile, someone on Earth has started up a machine that's said to be able to make dreams come true, and this is a big problem for the evil interstellar megacorp that's been dumping prisoners on Earth and stealing their flint.

The One with a Time-Traveling Dragon/Furnace is If That Breathes Fire, We're Toast! by Jennifer J. Stewart

A boy moves with his mom to a new place where he meets a girl and a time-traveling dragon/furnace who teaches him about himself.

The One with the Multiverse is Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

An amnesiac man finds himself embroiled in deadly political scheming, thrust into a strange multiverse in the hope of trying to claim from out under his various rival siblings feet the throne to the city at the center of reality.

The One with Mage Trials is Spellslinger by Sebastian de Castell

In a magical society one must complete their mages trials by 16, or else become a slave to that society for the rest of their life. The main character is a 15-year-old boy who has one last chance to complete his trials. Only, his magic is gone. With his fate looming, he meets a mysterious traveling stranger who shows him a different path than the one that has been laid out for him by his people.

The One with the Loser Noble Scholar is Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Loser noble scholar shacks up with the best swordsman of the city and makes him fight a bunch of duels mostly out of boredom but also a bit because of politics. Feels slice of life ish though there are stakes

The One with the Nonbinary Cleric is The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

In this novella set in an imperial Chinese inspired fantasy world, a nonbinary cleric investigates the story of an empress and her ...controversial rise to the throne, as told by an elderly handmaiden who knew her.

The One with Geese is Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, the Princess has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince, the princess embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future. When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs the princess of both her identity and her role as princess, the girl seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl.

The One with the Teenage Witch Coven is The Scapegracers by H. A. Clarke

Lesbian teenage witch accidentally becomes adopted by popular girls. They form a coven and vow to get revenge on those who have been wronged. Chaos ensues.

The One with the Angel and the Demon is When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

A demon and an angel decide to go to de goldene medina to search for a girl they know who's disappeared on the way over.

The One with an Unsettling Future is Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

High in the mountains, a young girl lives with her mother, who insists they have all they need -- for they have each other. The girl's life is peaceful and protected -- until a chance encounter changes everything. When she meets a beautiful young prince at the market one day, she is profoundly moved by new emotions. But the girl's mother sees the future unfolding -- and she will do the unspeakable to prevent her daughter from leaving her...

The One with the Bioweapon is Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

It's post an apocalypse, that was started by a cult, that twists people into horrible body horror monsters. A trans boy raised in the cult is infected with a bioweapon by them and shortly after escapes. He joins a group of queer teens where he finds friends a community, and he bands together with them to take down the cult.

The One with Arabian Nights AND Hades & Persephone is Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Arabian Nights + Hades and Persephone! A mysterious danger plagues an unexpected kingly visit, and a young woman embarks on a quest to find her one true love before all is lost...

The One with the Lion is Sarah's Lion by Margaret Greaves

A princess longs to travel so is locked in her room. A lion comes to her. Eventually, she has to choose whether she will stay or go.

The One with the War Veteran is The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

War veteran with chronic pain contracted by a goddess to save her chosen queen

[ladylorem]

First Meeting: Lovejoy x Nightcrawler

Warnings: Imprisonment/Restraint, mentions of torture, mentions of violence, body horror, strong language

Author's note: First ever fic publicly posted, I'm a visual artist first and a writer second. Also, this isn't edited.

Word count: 1603

Divider by @cafekitsune

A heavy silence hung over the Xavier Institute as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the expansive grounds. Inside, the atmosphere was tense, burdened by the recent events that had shaken the team to its core.

A new mutant had arrived at the institute, but not by choice. Known only as LoveJoy, they had been a formidable adversary, unleashed on a killing spree under the control of the sinister Mr. Sinister himself. It had taken the combined efforts of the X-Men to subdue them, with Rogue delivering the final blow by extracting a mysterious red gem embedded in LoveJoy's forehead, rendering them unconscious.

Now, confined within the institute's secure holding room, LoveJoy was restrained by a straightjacket and a power-inhibiting collar, their dangerous abilities temporarily neutralized. Their body was a canvas of scars, each one telling a story of pain and survival that none of the X-Men could fully comprehend.

Kurt Wagner, known to many as Nightcrawler, stood outside the reinforced door, his golden eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity and compassion. He had volunteered for this task, believing that perhaps he could reach LoveJoy where others had failed. Taking a deep breath, he teleported inside with a soft bamf, the smell of brimstone briefly filling the room.

LoveJoy sat on the edge of the simple cot, gazing out the window at the fading daylight. At the sound and sudden smell, they turned sharply, their glowing pink eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"I told Hank I didn't fucking want visitors," they grumbled, voice rough but carrying an undertone of exhaustion.

Kurt offered a gentle smile, trying to ease the tension. "Well, he and Scott thought it might help if I tried to talk to you," he replied, his German accent softening his words as he took a seat on a nearby chair.

LoveJoy rolled their eyes dramatically and leaned back against the wall, the chains connected to their restraints clinking softly. "I already told them I don't remember anything that happened with Sinister. That crazy quack drilled multiple holes in my head, and you're asking me if I remember anything..." They let out a bitter chuckle, a smirk twisting their scarred lips.

Kurt nodded slowly, understanding the frustration. "I know it's difficult, but sometimes talking can help piece things together," he said gently. His gaze drifted over their numerous scars, each more haunting than the last. "We don't even know your real name. The files only had 'LoveJoy'."

There was a pause as LoveJoy considered him, their eyes scrutinizing his every feature. Finally, they spoke, voice softer but guarded. "... It's Haven."

Kurt's smile widened slightly. "Haven. That's a beautiful name."

LoveJoy shrugged, dismissing the compliment. "Doesn't mean much nowadays."

Trying to steer the conversation forward, Kurt asked, "Do you recognize me at all?"

A furrow formed between LoveJoy's brows as they studied him more intently. After a moment, they shook their head. "Did I try to attack you too?"

A light chuckle escaped Kurt's lips. "Yes, you did. You tried to convince me to let you go so you could, and I quote, 'have fun' with me."

Surprise flickered across LoveJoy's face before it melted into a mischievous grin. "Oh, well, that's actually not that surprising," they admitted, a faint blush coloring their cheeks as they let out a soft giggle that seemed out of place in their current predicament.

Kurt found himself smiling wider at their unexpected reaction. "You really don't remember what you said, do you?"

"Nope," LoveJoy replied, popping the 'p' playfully. "But I bet it was way too vulgar and very distracting." They wiggled their eyebrows suggestively, clearly enjoying the banter.

Kurt laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "Oh yes. Extremely vulgar and distracting."

LoveJoy's grin broadened, their demeanor far removed from the violent individual the X-Men had battled. "Well, I'm sorry for my... odd behavior when I was being controlled. I usually don't talk to strangers like that unless they pay me," they quipped.

That revelation caused Kurt's eyebrows to raise in surprise. "Oh really?" he hummed, leaning in slightly with intrigue evident in his eyes.

"A mutant on the run has to make a living somehow," LoveJoy explained with a casual shrug. "And let's just say my powers gave me an additional advantage in the job. I went under a different name to avoid the law—Cleopatra. But Remy's probably told you guys everything about that..."

Kurt's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Remy. "He did mention some things," he confirmed, noting the slight tension that arose at the mention of Gambit.

LoveJoy's gaze drifted back to the window, the playful spark dimming slightly. "I'm sure he yapped about how I tricked him and used my influence on him to do my evil bidding, like I'm some witch with domination fetish powers..."

There was a pause before they continued, voice softer and laced with regret. "But once I used the influence on him and I saw his mind, what he kept in it... My influence can't override someone's genuine feelings. Someone else was already taking up that spot in his heart. So I let him go."

Kurt listened intently, feeling a pang of sympathy for the troubled mutant before him. He hesitated before reaching out, placing a comforting hand on their shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

LoveJoy glanced down at his hand, then back up at him, their eyes searching his face for any sign of deceit. Finding none, they relaxed slightly, allowing the gesture.

After a brief silence, LoveJoy spoke again, their voice barely above a whisper. "He told me he could fix me, and I believed him."

Kurt's brows knitted in concern. "Sinister?"

LoveJoy gave a small nod, their shoulders sagging under the weight of their memories. "That was weeks ago. The last thing I remember is waking up here."

Kurt didn't speak for a moment, absorbing the depth of their confession. It was clear that Sinister had manipulated and abused them, preying on their vulnerabilities. "God... you really didn't know what he was doing to you, did you?" he asked softly, his tone filled with empathy.

"Well... I do now. I know I didn't originally look this fucked," LoveJoy replied with a bitter laugh, gesturing with their restrained hands towards their altered features. Their once-human appearance now marred by fangs and black, glittering claws—a twisted transformation courtesy of Sinister's experiments.

Noticing their discomfort, LoveJoy quickly added, stumbling over their words, "Not that having physical mutations are a bad thing... I just, uh..."

Kurt chuckled warmly, trying to ease their embarrassment. "Hey, it's okay. I get what you meant," he reassured them, his golden eyes soft with understanding.

LoveJoy looked up, relief evident in their gaze as a small smile tugged at their lips. "Thanks."

A comfortable silence settled between them before Kurt leaned back in his chair, his curiosity piqued once more. "I do have a question."

LoveJoy straightened slightly, smirk returning. "I might have an answer," they teased, eyes glinting with renewed mischief.

Kurt's smile mirrored theirs as he asked, "Your age. You're 26. I thought you would look older."

"Oh... well, technically yes, I'm 26. Essex froze me for ten years after confirming I was too dangerous to keep awake because I kept... escaping," LoveJoy explained, a hint of embarrassment coloring their tone. "You're lucky I'm even saying anything. Asking a pretty person their age is rude!"

Kurt laughed at that, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well, technically, I was correct then. You are 26."

Kurt feigned a pout, his eyes sparkling. "Too dangerous... and too pretty."

"Well, at least we agree on that," Lovejoy replied, their own grin turning playful.

The room seemed lighter now, the earlier tension dissipated as the two mutants shared a genuine moment of connection. For the first time since arriving, LoveJoy felt a glimmer of hope—a possibility that maybe, just maybe, things could change for the better.

As Kurt continued to engage with Haven, their conversation taking unexpected turns from somber to flirtatious, the scene shifted to the monitoring room. Hank and Emma Frost were observing the interaction on a large screen. The tension in the room was almost as palpable as the conversation happening on the monitor.

Emma leaned forward, her frustration evident as she watched the screen, her eyes narrowing at the unfolding interaction.

“What the hell is he doing?” Emma snapped, her voice sharp with disbelief. “I tried to extract information from that... thing, and they bit my hand like a rabid dog. And now they’re flirting? Is this some kind of joke?”

Hank, standing beside her with his arms crossed, glanced at the screen before turning back to Emma, his expression calm and contemplative. “Kurt’s trying to build a connection,” he said thoughtfully. “We’ve exhausted every other method. This might be the only way to get through to them.”

Emma scoffed, clearly unconvinced. “A connection? It looks more like they’re on a date. This is a waste of time, Hank. We need answers, not... whatever this is.”

Hank shook his head slightly, his gaze returning to the screen. “Sometimes, unconventional approaches are the most effective. If Kurt can reach Haven, even just a little, it might give us the breakthrough we need.”

Emma huffed in frustration but didn’t argue further, though her skepticism was clear. She turned her attention back to the screen, her eyes narrowing as she watched Kurt and Haven continue their conversation.

“I hope we didn’t make a mistake bringing them here,” she muttered under her breath, her irritation turning into slight fear over what the mutant known as Lovejoy was capable of.

[thequeenofthedisneyverse]

"Thank you" - TMATGOW/Eurylares au

Eurylochus and Ares have been dating for a year straight. Things have been going...surprisingly well. Which really surprised Ares a lot. He expected something to go wrong but...nothing. Well, except his inner turmoil but that's beside the point.

Both of them just had what one would call an incredible date night. They went to a play called "The mask" which was hilarious in its own rights.

Ares has such a hearty laugh that was truly infectious. Eury wasn't one to laugh in front of people due to how "embarrassing" it is but he couldn't help it. After a minute or two he started to laugh like a hyena.

Most of the stadium found it a little annoying but Ares...Ares found it absolutely adorable. So loud and contagious it was.

After that they went to a restaurant by the bay with a very private booth. The average servings weren't very filling for Ares, but he didn't say anything.

At the booth both recounted tales from their lives. Eurylochus had more joyful ones, so Ares just let him talk.

"Ugh, one day when I was eight and Odysseus was nine, he dared me to see how many olives we can shove up our noses. Safe to say we never did that again" Eurylochus chuckled at the memory as did Ares. The large god could just imagine an eight-year-old Eury with two nostrils filled with Olives.

"You thought that was a good idea...because...?"

"Hey, in my defense I was eight! And for some reason I always liked taking challenges...and that stuck with me. So much so, that I thought I could forge my own sword...heh...there's a reason why there's a large burn on my leg now"

Forging...Ares' heart kind of squeezed at that. His brother Hephaestus does that...it's his thing, really. It kind of pained the god to remember that his relationship with his brother is forever severed because of a fling he couldn't say no to.

"Well, we live, and we learn I suppose. Bet you didn't do it again did you?" Ares tried to shove the guilt down, at least to the back of his subconscious until it came up again.

Eury lightly chuckled and winced at the memory, "Nope, in fact, I was too scared to go near fire until I was eighteen. Even now I still take extra precautions"

The small mortal caught on to the fact Ares didn't like talking about his childhood. He figured it must've been a heavy subject, so he didn't pry.

"I suppose...I have one story to make you laugh. But...don't laugh too much...please?"

Eury tilted his head in intrigue, "I'll try my hardest not to, but I'm not promising anything"

Ares sighed...and recounted the tale of his one and ONLY abduction. His story begins far from Olympus in the region of Thessaly where two giants, Ephialtes and Otus, Weaved a very sinister plan.

Both giants are the sons of Poseidon but mortal women. This, in and of itself made Eury chuckle. Are the only things Poseidon can produce are Cyclops?

Anyway, both of them were planning on kidnapping two goddesses. Ephialtes wanted Hera and Otus wanted Artemis...of all the ones they could've chosen.

The main problem they were dealing with is pretty tall and hard to climb. Both of the two-idiot cyclops gather the idea of stacking MOUNTAINS on top of each other to reach Mount Olympus.

Obviously, the Olympians weren't cool with that, and a bit of a scuffle ensues. Lots of fighting happens and when the dust settles, someone was missing.

Ares.

The god in question, sighed when he got to this part. His cheeks felt hot at the memory but continued. "They....took me..."

Eurylochus blinked twice at that...there's no way heard that right. THE god of war could so easily be....kidnapped?

"And put me in a bronze jar..."

Don't do it Eury. DON'T!

As Eury mentally processed this information, he could see Ares having a rager in a jar...he snorted at the thought but quickly covered his mouth. Be respectful, Eury, he's telling you this story in confidence!

"And from what I've been told, I was stuck in their for...13 months..." Ares gritted his teeth as he looked away. Clearly irritated and ashamed.

This new information made Eurylochus mentally do a double take. 13 MONTHS?! That's literally A YEAR! The extra month is just insult to emotional injury at this point.

Did no one care enough to notice his disappearance? His mom?! FATHER?! ATHENA?!...wow.

Eurylochus didn't quite find the story to be funny anymore. Well, it was but also a little...sad. Did gods really not care for each other like that?

"Their stepmother Eriboa contacts Hermes to..to..." Ares did NOT want the word 'save' to come out of his mouth so he settled with an alternative. "Fetch me so to speak. For some reason Artemis came along and well...got me out I guess"

Eury looked at Ares sympathetically. Yeah, Ares was sav- fetched in the end but...jeez. He didn't quite know what to say either.

"Hmm, well, at least you...got out." Quick, throw in a joke "Bet ya don't like jars anymore, do ya?"

That...made Ares smile a bit and threw an olive at Eury. Out of all the food on the table he purposefully chose an olive to throw.

The olive hit Eury's nose, and he giggled, "Hey!" In less than a second, Eury threw one back. Then Ares threw one back...now it's just a food war.

Potatoes, grapes, chicken bones, and whatever else on the table was being thrown. Happy laughter could be heard from the two of them. So sweet.

Both walked out of the restaurant with food on them, but they could care less. They were happy and that was all that matters. After that both men walked to Ithica's statue garden. It was nighttime so there were no prying eyes to gawk at them.

The stars were shining above them, twinkling about beautifully. Eurylochus and Ares were sitting on the edge of a fountain staring up at them in comfortable silence.

Ares...was nervous as a divine being could be. He wanted to hold Eury's hand, just a simple interlock of fingers. However, he didn't want to overstep...or possibly hurt Eurylochus with his strength.

The god knows he can touch things without breaking anything. He's held fragile things before but for some reason his anxiety was making him think he would crush the mortal's small hand if he gripped too hard.

So, anytime Ares moved his hand over to Eury...his anxiety would spike, and he would pull away.

Eurylochus saw this a couple of times. He wanted to hold his hand too, but he didn't want to rush the god since he seemed so hesitant. Some more silence goes by until Ares gather's confidence.

"I- I...," He sighed as he got irritated with himself. An annoyed growl escaped his throat, "Dammit, can I hold your hand?!"

The loudness of his tone made Eurylochus jump a bit. He didn't expect him to be so loud. The question however, made Eury's heart skip.

Shit...he scared him. Ares instantly felt guilty and cursed himself in his head.

"W- Well...I don't mind-"

"Wait! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you I just...fuck....I'm not good with these things. Please, please don't agree because you think I'm going to hurt you if you say no. I- I want you to do it...because you want to"

There was a pause between them...and that pause made Ares' anxiety spike hire. Great! Now Ares is going to spend his immortal life alone until he dies- Oh? what's this?

Eurylochus softly took Ares' hand in his and interlocked their fingers. The size difference was laughable.

"I want to" he said softly with a very sweet smile as he looked up at Ares.

Ares...didn't quite know what to do. This wasn't the reaction he was expecting. He expected Eury to blatantly say no or slyly scoot away from him. To never want anything to do with him anymore...

Not this.

"Hey, can- can you come here?" Eurylochus asked as his right hand gestured for Ares to lean down. Ares snapped out of his self-deprecating thoughts.

"O- Oh, uh of course"

The tall god leaned down and Eurylochus cupped his cheek. Something Ares definitely didn't expect. Eury softly pulled him closer and with a deep breath, Eury kissed the tip of his nose.

....Ares. EXE. has stopped working. Literally.

His red eyes widened, and his gold heart sped up. No words could describe how happy he felt right now. But for some reason, he couldn't convey it.

This made Eury nervous. SHIT! What if he overstepped?! He didn't mean to make him uncomfortable.

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't...I should have asked-"

"What...what was that for?" The god truly couldn't comprehend why Eurylochus would do that. It felt good...really good but...why?

Shit...

"Well I just...I just wanted to...it felt right at the moment but...I should've asked...I'm sorry"

"Can...can you do it again?"

Oh? That was unexpected.

"You...you want me to...um...okay?" Eury was shocked but happy that Ares wasn't upset.

Ares leaned closer and Eurylochus left a small peck on his nose again and pulled away. Butterflies fluttered about in both of their stomachs. The bashful look on their faces made it all the better.

None of them quite knew what to say but there was no need for words to be said. Both knew how the other felt about the other quite well anyway.

How...how could someone have such feelings for someone like him? Ares was a brute, war criminal, a man who had a penchant bloodshed. A man with world's worst anger issues, a man who has no impulse control...how?

Sure, Aphrodite was with him but looking back. She was probably only with him for the thrill of infidelity and nothing else. Did she love him?

"Thank you..." Is all the eight-foot-tall god could mutter. Thank you.

Was he thanking him for the kiss? For giving him a chance? For not seeing him as a disappointment?! Ares didn't quite know the answer to that. More than likely all three.

Eurylochus softly smiled and shyly looked away. "Y- You're welcome..."

In the back of Eury's mind...he questioned why the god of war all things would have interest in him...outside of war. It was just so...ODD!

Eurylochus just saw himself as...a man. Nothing more and nothing less. A man who has an ordinary life outside of the bloodshed that happened a year ago. A man who has severe PTSD that he doesn't talk about.

He's a farmer and pottery maker who likes fishing, cooking, and smithing in his spare time. That all seems so lackluster compared to a divine being.

But here he was, asking for kisses from him. Of all things.

To be clear...If it weren't for Ares' darker skin tone, he would probably be as a red as a tomato by now. Same for Eurylochus. After that little event, Ares summoned his golden chariot and took Eury back home.

The ride home was quiet but not uncomfortable. Quite pleasant in fact. The dark red glowing horses pulled the chariot over Ithica and Eury just marveled at it.

Once there the mortal got out of the Chariot but stopped,

"Thanks for tonight...I...uh" Eury looked back at his home and back at Ares. "Do you want to stay the night? I- I have an extra room..."

In other words, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE.

Ares blinked twice as the question played itself over and over in his mind...did...did he really want him to? Did the man of his dreams and potential husband really want him to stay with him?

"Really?! I mean, I don't want to impose..."

Eury lightly chuckled at the gods bashfulness, "You're not imposing...I want you to come"

"I...okay"

-

I would like for everyone to know that I started the ship so if you make art with them can you at least credit me?

[reachexceedinggrasp]

Have you seen the recent Adam driver interview re: redeemed Ben solo never being part of the original plans? Apparently JJs idea as pitched to Adam was 'reverse Vader' who begins the trilogy all uncertain and vulnerable and becomes super evil by the third film 😂 considering the mess that was duel of the fates, I'm not surprised. Adam said he was still 'focused' on JJs original arc even though it changed over shooting. Which is baffling to me, because even in TFA you can't seriously believe this character could go stone cold uber sinister. It's terrible how so many good things in the sequel trilogy are there in spite of tptb, not because of them!

I haven't and honestly at this point I don't even want to hear anything else about what a complete fucking shitshow of stupidity and sociopathy this whole production was.

The idea that TFA isn't setting up a redemption is so absurd to me that I'm not even going to entertain it. I don't believe that even JJ is that incompetent, and his commentary plus TROS indicates that he did absolutely understand that Ben must be reclaimed despite his total disregard for the themes and message of SW. So whatever Adam was talking about, I don't know, and I'm not going to listen to this interview to try to figure it out because I'm tired. Maybe he's referring to the earliest ideas where Kylo Ren wasn't the same person as Han and Leia's child?

But in that case I just cannot imagine why they wanted to cast him in that role.

Leaving aside that the entire concept of a 'reverse Vader' is the stupidest shit I've ever heard, because that was a) literally the prequel trilogy, b) antithetical to SW as anything other than a prelude to a subsequent redemption, and c) SO FUCKING BORING. I know this isn't the first time Adam has mentioned this, but it only sounds more stupid the more clear he makes it that they mean 'the opposite of the ending of RotJ'. Which is just 'the ending of every fucking American action movie fucking ever'. Like putting a 'spin' on Vader by having him NOT REDEEM HIMSELF is just called 'being like everyone else' and 'taking away literally the most compelling thing about Vader'.

I need these boring, unimaginative HACKS to fuck off. Like, the idea that JJ's pitch for TFA was 'worse, more boring, less visually creative, less meaingful, more shallow remake of ANH but also we will ruin the heart and soul of the story and make it like all the libertarian slop it literally existed in order to stand against'.

LIKE JAIL FOR THIS MAN. JAIL!

I saw someone say that it's also come out that the reylo connection was Kasdan's idea, which I feel vindicated by bc I've been saying I bet it was forever. But again, JJ was on board for it and knew what he was doing with the imagery in TFA. He is not so incompetent that he didn't understand he was creating romantic subtext. And text.

But like, I'm just so done with these fucking people. That ANYONE at that company much less apparently EVERYONE?? thought it was remotely acceptable to use SW to tell the story of any character whatsoever who was humanised and sympathetic and relatable to children falling into darkness and becoming ''''''irredeemable'''''' MUCH LESS the LAST SKYWALKER, the HOPE AND HAPPY ENDING OF ROTJ, HAN AND LEIA'S LOVE, PADMÉ'S LOVE, the atonement and reconciliation of Darth Vader is just FUCKING BANANAPANTS to me.

George Lucas should fight these people in an alley.

[onesidedradiostatic]

So you know how I said something about writing a fic inspired by your existence. I've started a little, but I don't know, I fear that the way I write might be confusing in some parts. So I'd very much like to hear your thoughts, if you want to share them

___

“Indeed, I quite enjoy our commonalities. I’ve always found more fun in spending time with my radio and friends than looking for someone I haven’t met.”

What if you’ve met them now? Vox thought, discreetly, not at all looking into Alastor’s lovely red eyes. Shoot! Vox downed another drink, hopping Al didn’t think him weird. Still, can’t leave a friend hanging, say something.

“I love you.” WHAT!!? NO! NOT THAT! “I- I- I mean, there is someone I love.?” Yeah, sure, he’s totally gonna buy that.

“I- Good for you?” Alastor started unfiltered, surprised, before going back to his normal, lovely radio voice. “And who might that be, my good fellow?” Wait, he bought it? No, don’t be an idiot! He’s totally psyching us out! Well, I’ll play your game and I’ll win!

“You know, just a cool dude with the pretties’ eyes and loveliest smile.”

“A dude?” Alastor questioned. Wait. Why does he sound so confused over that? Did- he had actually bought it?! Wait. We just told him we like guys, right? Is that, bad? What if he hates us now? What if he thinks we’re weird? Awful? Repugnant? There’s no way he doesn’t know we love him now! Practically said it to his face twice! Twice! No! I can’t handle that! Please! I- we have to save this.

“Hey Al, just forget I said anything.” Please. You’re the best thing in my life. So, whatever happens, please, stay. I need you. ___

I feel I need to rework some of the above parts, but unsure off how. Regardless, I hope my characterisation so far is good, I'd imagine that the love Vox has is more an obsession that genuine care and Al is just living his best life having fun and not really picking up anything Vox is putting down. I especially like this little exchange:

___

“Vox.”

“Yeah?” He could see that once genuine smile turn sinister. Oh. Hot.

“This is hell, everyone here is a repugnant wrench, so if anyone ever tells you you’re wrong. Just relay that me, I’m sure we can make some use of their meeker existence. Everyone has a voice, after all, and if they want to use it so much, who are we to say no to helping them? Right dear friend?”

“Yeah.” Vox couldn’t help but join in on the sinister smile. This is exactly what makes Alastor, just so Alastor. He genuinely cares and will make any opponent of his friends another key in his piano of the dammed. A horror feared by all, but a few, and Vox is one of those few. ___

I just- their dynamic is so fun Alastor being all "Yay! Murder!" while Vox just thinks "OMG! He's doing all this for me?! There is no way he doesn't love me!" I think one exchange that exemplifies that is:

___

“Oh! I wouldn’t say I’m the best at giving advice when it concerns matters of the heart. Me being heartless and all that. Hah!”

Alastor’s little chuckle is one which Vox can’t help but adore. He’s probably heartless because he’s already put his heart in a box and is just waiting for the moment he can give it to me. I’m reserved, special, he’s waiting for me. He can only be mine and I only his.

“I’m pretty heartless too.” Vox respond, joining in Alastor’s play. He doesn’t mind being a puppet on a string, as long as he can play the most important part.

“Oh, I’m quite aware dear friend."

___

He's just can't think, there is only Alastor in his head. Plus Alastor not understanding that there is a misunderstanding is just making Vox believe in the delusion more. Bet his screensaver was Alastor themed before they had their falling out Also, sorry for this being quite long Hope you have a lovely day at least!

(reference to this ask)

hi sorry for responding to this late, hard to say much without a full story but I appreciate the thought of it being inspired by me 🫡🫡, but yes I do love vox being down bad for alastor, exploring some of the period-typical homophobia definitely is interesting, alastor could easily have not had that normalised for him and vox... depends on how much he ventured through his bisexuality in life or whether he only accepted it in death. his screensaver being alastor themed skjdfkglhl. very true

[epic-kotlc-crossover]

Legendary

First chapter of Wisdom!!

@sombrathedragon @myfairkatiecat @ham-cheese-toastie @justalunaticfangirl @thesfromhms

@bookwormgirl123

The view from the palace of Ithaca was beautiful, as always, with people milling around and the distant sound of the ocean. Marella sighed, and moved away from the window.

It all seemed so boring, nothing excitable at all. Of course, the suitors made things more lively—but they were also creepy and trying to get with her mom, so… That made everything a little weird.

Marella was just existing in her father’s world. Or, what he’d left of it. She was sure her father’s life was way more exciting if he’d been gone for twenty years. That, or he was dead. The thought should have bothered her more.

“If I could just get one chance,” she muttered, making her way to her bedroom door. “If I fought a monster, would I find you?”

As she stepped out of her room, Marella glanced back at the window longingly.

"Give me a siren or a cyclops, I bet I could take them," Marella mused. "I could be legendary." Like her dad. All the servants and the citizens and her mom had told her thousands of stories about her amazing father.

Her dad used to tell her himself with his telepathy, though he hadn't reached out in over a decade.

A roar of laughter echoed through the halls, and Marella grimaced. Speaking of monsters...

Her dad needed to be alive if only to get these men out of her home. And to get them away from her mom. She'd only be able to hold them off for so long, and they were getting impatient. And deadly.

If she'd only manifested, Marella would have forced them out ages ago.

Unfortunately, the suitors didn't view a girl as much of a threat.

"Where is he, Sophie? Where is your husband?" Jeers came from the room the men were gathered in. "It's been twenty years, and you're still saying he isn't dead?"

One man yelled out, "Denial isn't a good look on you!" Another round of laughter sounded, and Marella sighed. They were so annoying. She continued making her way through the halls, going to her mother's room.

"Girl--" A deep voice stopped her in her tracks. Not again. "When's your tramp of a mother going to choose a new husband?"

Marella straightened in anger. "Fintan—"

A sinister grin curled through his pale face, blond waves of hair framing it. "Why don't you let us have some fun with your mother?" The sheer audacity of a man barely older than her, trying to get with her mom.

Marella stepped forward, eyes set in a glare that she hoped shot daggers. "Don't you ever dare call my mother a tramp!" She didn't seem to deter him, though, because he let out a sharp laugh, blue eyes narrowed in a challenge.

"I just did. What're you going to do about it, Mare?" Fintan growled.

She hated that nickname. No one called her Mare and got away with it.

Plus, it sounded like a horse, which had some... interesting connotations.

Marella stared straight back at him, internally praying to the gods for help to knock him down. Somebody help me... or come give me a sign. If I fight this monster, is it you I'll find?

[quinncupine]

Obscured Chapter 17: A Little Help From A Wingman

Relationship: Izuku Midoriya X Reader

Word Count: ~4,000

Previous Chapter: Sixteen

Next Chapter: Eighteen

Taken Masterlist

MAIN MASTERLIST

Summary: Another installment, slowly but surely. Trapped at the gala, Izuku is in mortal danger, and no one is having a good time... except the villain.

Each step echoed in the narrow corridor, and you couldn't help the shiver that crawled up your spine as you passed through a cobweb. No one had been down here for a long time, and your mind was screaming that something sinister was lurking in the shadows.

The area under the stage wasn't enormous, so it didn't take you long to find the door leading to the basement hall. As soon as the door creaked open, bright florescent lights invaded your senses, blinding you for a hot second. When your eyes adjusted, you glanced around. He said to go right once you reached the hall. There were only a few doors, mostly operations rooms or janitorial closets. You passed a few before you finally managed to locate it.

The door was already opened, and a foreboding feeling filled your gut. Whatever was in that room, you didn't think you'd like it. But now was not the time to back down. You already involved yourself in this, and if it meant saving Izuku, then you'd do it. Creeping up to the threshold, you peered inside and stifled a gasp.

Slumped in the two chairs were the security officers who were supposed to be in charge of alerting the police if anything bad happened. They were taped stiffly to their chairs with tape slapped across their mouths. The pair looked pretty beaten, and you forgot your panic in favor of making sure they were alive.

A quick check assured you they were still kicking, and with a hard flick, you ripped the tape off their mouths. The taunt written on them was just too cruel, and you thought they should be able to breathe properly, even if they were unconscious.

"Someone will be here to help you soon," you muttered to them as you scanned the room. "Okay, okay, override controls." You scanned the wall until you found a large rectangle. "Bingo."

You pried open the metal case and looked over the controls. There was a pin pad and a finger scanner. You knew the code, but you certainly didn't have fingerprint access…but the guards did.

"Sorry about this," you whispered to the closest one, dragging his chair over. "I just need to borrow this.” Ripping the tape enough to free his arm, you pressed his thumb against the scanner.

The machine beeped and prompted the access code. You input the numbers Phantom had given you. How he knew the code, you weren't quite sure. There was probably a story there you were missing. It couldn't be a coincidence that he managed to stay standing.

And what about the others? You were so focused on making sure Izuku didn't die, you barely had time to consider what happened to the others. A grim possibility flashed through your mind - no, they were probably just out of commission.

You were pulled out of your depressing thoughts as the machine lit up with a few digital buttons. The screen prompted you to swipe the lockdown bar to deactivate the protocol.

"Finally, something goes right," you muttered, swiping down.

A resounding echo as what sounded like heavy metal moved above you. That must've been the security barrier lifting. Help was finally on the way. Now, all you had to do was deal with the villain, and Izuku could get the help he needed.

Two heroes were standing when you left. You had enough confidence in Bakugo to at least not die. That man was in the running for the most stubborn man in the world, right alongside Izuku. If anyone could beat the villain now, you would put your money on him.

"I'll come back for you both, I promise!" you said to the two guards.

Sprinting from the room, you made your way back towards the stage. The basement seemed almost like a labyrinth with a bunch of small hallways branching off in different directions. So your best bet was to come back the way you came.

Once you made it back into the crossover under the stage, you slowed down, breathing hard. You still hadn't recovered from your own ordeal, and those quirk vials seemed to really strain your body. You wouldn't last much longer, either. This was going to end soon, one way or another.

It was probably best to come up behind the stage, in case any villains were waiting for unsuspecting people near the hole. There was a small hatch behind the stage with a ladder. Hauling yourself up the rungs, you had to fight with the rusted door before you managed to force it open. Climbing through, you found yourself backstage in darkness. Multiple curtains blocked most of the light from seeping through, so you had to blindly stumble around until you found the slit to poke your head through.

When you did, your stomach dropped. Bakugo and Phantom were on the stage, nearly facing you. They seemed to be watching something on the big projector screen that had come down in your absence. From your angle, you couldn't quite tell what was playing on the screen, and there was no sound to clue you in. But whatever it was, it was horrifying enough that even Bakugo was cringing, looking more pissed off than you'd seen him in a long time.

Izuku's pained yelp shocked you back into reality. You looked in the direction you'd left him and froze. A cold wave of terror washed over you as you saw him pinned in Ikari's arms as they watched the screen. Ikari seemed to be enjoying whatever it was, but Izuku had fat tears in his eyes, looking shell shocked.

"Stop," he muttered in the silence," please."

Seeing him so vulnerable broke your heart and burned it with a seething fury at whoever would dare hurt him at the same time.

"No," Ikari pulled his hair to make sure he was paying attention. "You are going to watch what you did."

What was on that screen that could affect him so terribly?

"I want everyone to see just what kind of man you are," she leaned in close to him, squeezing his chin in her hand. "I want them to hate you just as much as I do. Smile Deku, the world's watching."

The world? Was she broadcasting this? As you leaned out further to try to see what it was, Bakugo must have caught your movement. His eyes darted in your direction, bright red eyes full of rage and…concern.

"Ah, there you are!" Ikari's voice rang out, startling you.

Your body was suddenly thrust into the air, and you were dragged out from behind the curtains with a shriek. Some invisible force had grabbed you, and judging by Ikari's outstretched hand, it was her doing. You'd felt this quirk before; at Inko's house.

"Y/N!" Both Izuku and Bakugo cried out as you were whipped through the air only to smash into the floor a few feet from Ikari and Izuku.

"Glad you could finally join us. Didn't want you to miss the movie." She lifted her hand, and you rose into the air, arms clamped on your side. "The camera work is a little shotty, but I think it gets the point across, don’t you think?"

She held a tight invisible grip on you as you twisted in the air, in full view of the screen. Any defiant words were lost in your throat as you saw what was playing.

It was the American subway station.

The one that still gave you nightmares. Izuku had you pinned on the railway, squeezing the life out of you. That memory was still too fresh, too raw in your mind. The scene flashed over and over again in your mind and your breathing picked up until it felt like you were reliving it, throat closing in your panicked mindset.

"Stop!" Izuku wriggled his head desperately, though the rest of his body stayed frozen. "I said hurt me, just me! Please, stop!"

"You know, Deku," Ikari slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling his cries, "I had years to think of the perfect plan. I had thought of so many ways to hurt you. But you know what I realized? The best way to hurt you was to hurt the things you loved the most and have you live with the consequences. After all, that's what you did to me."

She squeezed her empty hand and that invisible force tightened, constricting your already hysterical breathing. You groaned, struggling to do something to alleviate the pressure.

Izuku's muffled screams filled the air, eyes flashing dangerously up at Ikari.

"But before I did that, I wanted to ruin your reputation." She dropped you the ground with a heavy thump.

You rolled onto your side, curling in on yourself as you fought for breath that didn't come in fast enough.

"Stop!" you growled, still greedily sucking down air. "That's enough."

Ikari gave you an amused smirk. "Is it? And what can a quirkless nobody do to stop me?"

"I may be quirkless, but that won't ever stop me from helping the people I love."

"I think you spent too much time with this failure. You're starting to sound like him." She yanked his curls back and he flinched.

Steadying your hands beneath you, you slowly pushed yourself to your feet. "Get your damn hands off my husband!"

"Okay, I've had enough of-"

You thrust out your hands with an indignant scream, putting all your emotion into whatever was left of that temporary quirk. The air wavered and her words slowed until they were barely recognizable.

Blinking to yourself, you looked down at your hands, surprised you managed to do it.

"Hell yeah! Take that bitch down!" Bakugo yelled at you from across the room.

Right, you had the chance to actually do something. You rushed over and ripped her hands off him. She started to fall backward in slow motion. Izuku had gotten caught up in the quirk to, but when you tried to move him, he stayed locked in place. Whatever quirk she used, must have been similar to Rock Lock. Until she deactivated it or until the quirk wore off, he was stuck.

You stepped over to Ikari who was halfway done falling backward and kicked her squarely in the chest. It was only a taste of what she deserved, but you needed to focus on restraining her somehow.

"In my pocket!" Bakugo hollered. "I have a quirk blocker. Use it on that dumbass!"

"Right!"

You were really overworking your legs as you ran back to the stage, tossing yourself up and rolling onto your knees. Black stars danced in your eyes as you moved too quickly for your taxed body. Stumbling over to Bakugo, you searched his jacket pocket and found the injection.

"Just get it in a vein. It should work instantly." He said. "Hurry."

"Hey, she's moving faster now!" Phantom spoke up beside him, eyes darting over to the scene.

He was right. Your quirk was fading. She was starting to fall a little quicker.

"Go!" Bakugo ordered.

Leaping off the stage, you weaved through the debris and unconscious bodies and readied the needle. Just one jab and the threat would be mostly taken care of. After that, Bakugo would be freed and you had faith he could take her down. Nearing her, you lifted the needle with a war cry.

Ikari's back hit the ground and time resumed it's normal pace. She grunted and whipped her head up as you jabbed down. Her reflexes were quicker than yours. With one hit to your sternum, she grabbed your arm and twisted until the needle went flying from your hands. She used your own momentum and leaned back to flip you over, using her power to send you flying across the room.

With a cry, you smashed into one of the drink tables, splashing water over you in a wet burst. Drenched, you groaned and laid face down, curling in on yourself, reeling from the hit.

"Well played!" Ikari clapped, walking towards you. "I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to steal and drink one of Shizue's concoctions again. That was pretty brave. Stupid, but brave."

A small tink sounded from under you, and you glanced down to see the second vial. You gripped it in your hand, taking a deep breath. It may be stupid, but at this point, you didn't have much else to lose. She'd kill you either way.

You curled away from Ikari and began to crawl. You didn't want her to see what you were doing. As you crawled, you uncorked the vial and, in one quick gulp, down the entire thing.

The taste was putrid, and you nearly gagged it out before you managed to swallow the thick substance. It tasted like burnt metal - or that was your taste buds corroding. Either way, you had to stop and press your head into the ground as you hacked it down your throat, feeling a new wave of nausea enter your system.

The world swam, light and dark, bending together to form vivid shapes prancing through your vision. After a few minutes, you managed to get a hold of your senses and looked up. You felt sick and not at all empowered. Maybe this one didn't work. Maybe this really was a stupid idea.

"Crawling away now?" Ikari sneered as she neared you. "Is this what you resort to? Have some dignity."

"No, I'm just buying time." You turned to her, a defiant grin on your face.

She didn't like that. Holding her hand out, she grabbed you in that invisible force and threw you against the wall. Your body slammed into it with such force, the plaster cracked. A blow like that would've done some pretty severe damage, but you seemed relatively fine.

"You really are an idiot." Ikari laughed bitterly. "But you're still going to die."

Glancing down at your body, you saw the sharpened edge to your skin. It was Kirishima's quirk. It was something to protect yourself with at least.

"No I'm not." you growled. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

She narrowed her eyes and came within a foot of you. "Just because you have a new quirk for a few minutes, doesn't mean you can beat me."

"A few minutes? How long have you had this quirk?" you nodded towards her hand. "Must be a time limit on that."

"You really think I need a synthetic quirk to kill you?" The metal plates on her suit vibrated and melted off, hovering just above her. "I still have more power than you'd ever be able to handle."

"Good point." You took a deep breath and headbutted her as hard as you could.

She stumbled back, crumpling to the ground in a heap. The metal splattered onto the floor and hardened as she lost her grip on her quirk. This new quirk of yours had it's…well quirks. You'd have to compliment Kiri later.

But for the moment, you couldn't waste another second. As soon as she released you, you landed on your feet and sprinted back towards where you thought you lost the needle. As you ran, you spotted the white needle gleaming amongst the charred remains of a table.

Behind you, Ikari roared and you picked up speed. Your entire body ached, but you had to ignore it. You were almost there.

"Look out!" Phantom yelled and you glanced behind you.

Ikari was on her knees, sharp pointed spears of metal were hovering around her. A line of blood ran down her forehead and leaked into her eye, but she didn't even seem to notice, consumed with rage.

In one leap, you dove for the needle as she released the volley of metal spikes at you. You scooped up the needle with one hand and grabbed what remained of the wooden table as a shield. The spikes rained down around you and impaled the table. The sharpened point of metal poked through, stopping just inches from your nose.

In one breath, everything was still, then the metal started twisting, wriggling itself through the wood, trying to reach your face. You threw the table away and stumbled to your feet. All around you, the metal was reshaping, lifting back into the air.

You needed a distraction. Desperately looking around, you spotted the remains of an ice sculpture. The poor decapitated swan never stood a chance, but it might help you.

You raced towards it and scooped up the frigid head and dove behind a column.

“you think a piece of ice can save you?” Ikari’s laughter echoed around the hall.

With a deep breath you steeled yourself. You had one shot at this. Silently, you prayed that all those times helping Izuku practice his swings would finally pay off. Gripping the head you stepped out.

The spikes were waiting for the opportunity and they spiraled towards you the same moment you volleyed the swan head.

Your aim was true. The sculpture’s head soared toward Ikari, but a metallic barrier materialized in front of her, intercepting it at the same moment the spikes pierced your body.

“Y/N!” Bakugo cried out behind you.

From his perspective, you probably looked like a brimming pincushion. Yet it was Kirishima’s quirk that shielded you, though not for long. The spikes morphed and melted across your body, forming bonds to trap you in place.

Ikari approached, a smirk playing on her lips as you fought against her metallic clutch.

“You didn't honestly believe you stood a chance, did you?” she mused, still clutching the swan’s head. “You're just a sweet little nurse, ignorant of the world beyond those hospital walls. You don't have what it takes to be a hero.”

A frown creased your brow as she halted mere inches away. “I never claimed to be a hero.” Then you grinned. “But he is. Now, Bakugo!”

As she glanced over her shoulder, you grit your teeth. Ikari tensed, spinning around to counter the feigned attack. Taking advantage of the distraction, you reeled back and delivered a powerful headbutt. She staggered back and released you from her hold. You dropped to the ground and tackled her. The swan head tumbled beside her and you grabbed it, ramming against her throat.

She gagged and tried to claw it off but you held strong. A dark satisfaction crept into your thoughts. This was the woman who had inflicted so much pain on you. You wanted her to feel it. You wanted her to feel the crushing weight; that fear of death she'd subjected you to for weeks. She choked, struggling to breathe as you pressed down harder. Wide-eyed, it was the first time she'd shown any sign of shock. That small dose of fear in her eyes snapped you out of whatever dark state you’d found yourself in and reached into your pocket, pulling out the needle.

Her eyes bulged as you plunged it into her neck. She gagged and ripped the needle out, but the damage had been done.

There was a thud behind you. Onstage, Bakugo and Phantom had been released from their hold.

“No!” Ikari screamed and used all her force to kick you off. “You’ve ruined everything!” She growled as she staggered to her feet, her hair a mess, her eyes twitching, as she towered over you. “I should've killed you from the start!”

Gasping for air, you clutched your stomach after that brutal kick and twisted onto your butt to face her.

She snatched a splintered table leg from the debris and snapped it into two wicked stakes.

Eyes wide, you struggled to stand, your body teetering on the brink of collapse. Exhaustion and fatigue were setting in. You were nearing your limit. Fending her off in your current state, with or without a quirk seemed impossible. Despite that, you knew if you stayed down, you’d lose this battle.

With every ounce of strength you had left, you pushed to your feet, nearly blacking out with the effort. Those sharp, splintered stakes flashed in your vision. Kirishimia’s quirk had faded. Your body simply couldn’t handle the power anymore. If she struck you this time-

“Down!” Bakugo’s voice bellowed behind you.

That was something you could do. You let yourself drop just as an enormous blast roared above you, the heat of his quirk singeing your hair. The stakes clattered to the ground as Ikari was hit full force.

“I got this!” Bakugo said as he flew past you, slamming into Ikari.

It took you a moment to register that hed used his quirk. The drug must've worn off. Which meant-

“Y/N!” Phantom called out.

He was kneeling beside Izuku, hands pressed hard on the gaping wound in his chest. Izuku’s eyes were closed. Was he even breathing?

“No,” you crawled towards him until you built enough strength to stumble to your feet.

Bakugo could handle Ikari, especially now that she’d lost her quirk. The real problem was saving Izuku. It was a horrifying deja vu moment that you desperately wished was just a trick of the mind. But unfortunately, reality had a firm grasp on you tonight.

“Izuku!” You cried as you fell beside Phantom. “Hey, wake up.” Patting his cheeks didn’t rouse him this time. He’d gone cold and lifeless.

“He’s still alive,” Phantom whispered, pressing harder against the bleeding wound. “But not if he keeps losing blood.”

“He needs a hospital,” you searched your pockets for your phone only to come up empty. “We need to get help.”

“Come on, you and I both know he won’t make it to the hospital like this.” Phantom scowled. “Dammit Midoriya, you always need to make things so complicated don’t you. This is why I hate you.”

“He’ll make it!” You grabbed his head, rubbing his chest, trying to rouse him again. “He always makes it. That’s what makes him Izuku.” You shook harder. “You promised me Izuku! You promised me you would win this fight. The battle’s not over yet, so wake up!”

His eyes stayed frustratingly closed. You were in so much pain already, but your heart was starting to shred to bits the longer you stared at his deathly peaceful face. Your medical knowledge was fighting against your hope and prayers that somehow everything would magically fix itself.

“Step back.”

Phantom pried you off Izuku. You struggled against him, not willing to leave his side.

“I can stop the bleeding,” he held your fists tight and locked eyes with you. “It’s a temporary fix, but if we can get him the help he needs in time, then it might save his life.” He pulled you close, searching your face. “I don’t want to give you false hope. This is more likely to go wrong than it is right.”

You blinked back the tears and glanced down at Izuku. His lips were turning blue. He wasn’t breathing. That darkness that had grown around your heart was spreading. If what Phantom said was true, then there was still a sliver of hope left. You’d take it, no matter how small it was.

“Do it!” you pleaded. “Please, save him!”

Phantom nodded and released you. He took a deep breath and placed his hands on Izuku’s chest, just above his heart. Phantom closed his eyes and faded into a warm white haze before he vanished completely. There was a moment of stillness before Izuku gasped and opened his eyes.

“Izuku!” you grabbed his face and leaned over him.

His eyes were glowing an eerie white. The same white eyed glow as Phantom.

He blinked a few more times before focusing on you. “..he’s still unconscious.” It was Izuku’s voice that spoke but layered with Phantoms.

He was possessing him, You thought. A thought So wild you had to move right past it so you could focus on the matter at hand.

He sat up, clutching his stomach “I can control the blood flow but it takes a lot of energy. This won’t last long. We need to hurry.”

[rinseveryday]

Hello! I have so many thoughts and theories in my mind, especially I want to ask you the one. What do you think about the Demon King Rin? In the last chapter we saw how all pieces of the puzzle is coming together....

Hello! Thanks for the ask! I also have so many thoughts, please ask away anytime.

Massive spoilers for chapters 139 (138? I don't remember) and above!! Putting my response under the cut because it is long :> Like, I had to sit down for over an hour, long.

Demon King Rin my beloved boy

You know what's funny about life is that I fell in love with him way back in 2013, and he ended up becoming exactly my type of character 10 years later. I kept up with the series, but I discovered my tastes through other media so it was a huge shock to me when Demon King vigilante Rin shows up in canon. I was/am OBSESSED with the anti-hero or jaded hero types, like Daredevil and Deadpool just to name a few (I had a Marvel phase) as well as serieses like Devilman and Chainsaw man on the anime side. A monster with a human heart, bonus points if they live in a world that doesn't accept them. Now why am I talking about other shows? (Bc I wanna, that's why)

Well, Blue Exorcist didn't start as an adult rating, morally gray, anti-hero series did it? It was a fun, cliché Shonen show for teens set in an academic setting with all the typical school festivities and classmate crushes you can expect. Kinda different than Daredevil. But it's slowly been creeping towards darker, more serious topics over the years because Katoh's specialty lies in her ability to twist clichés into her own thing. AoEx's plot runs a lot deeper, and more sinister than your typical devil shonen manga. I still see a lot of theories about AoEx that still think it'll follow a Shonen plot, though, where the end will be a big fight against Somebody and then they'll all go home, become exorcists, and move on.

But really, Katoh's already said that Rin is a character that, if she's not careful, becomes real dark, real fast. I bet she had been wanting to add an anti-hero plot to the story for a while. He's no Naruto. He is the fox.

And so, newsflash! Rin's biggest antagonist isn't a demon. It's himself. Not demon!Rin, but Rin, as a whole. The plot isn't anywhere near being finished. Right now he's not the Blue Exorcist quite yet. He's a guy (level of humanity questionable) wreathed in the flames of a demon god. The day where he must choose between Assiah or Gehenna, is coming closer.

We see in the timeskip chapters a world where the current day has become Rin's tragic anti-hero backstory. Where he made choices that led him away from his human allies. Where he chose to embrace his demonic nature and fight against the corrupt human organizations.

I used to think that someone else was leading Rin, using him as a puppet leader of a resistance with his friends kept away as blackmail. Because how could Rin be so organized as to lead any sort of resistance right? Did his friends die which made him go rogue? What did Paku see? Was it related to Rin's reasons for becoming the Demon King?

However, now with the things Rin brought up in the most chapters, I don't know. I still find it hard to believe Rin would lead anything, but maybe he was just doing his own thing and the demons followed on their own *shrug.* If Rin's friends were still in the picture, he'd go to the ends of the Earth to get them back. So that leaves us with either a) they're dead or b) he chose to leave them.

People wear masks to hide. He doesn't need to hide his identity because his flames give it away so... Maybe he's hiding from shame.

His face went from sad to blank when he realized Paku was around. Rin Okumura? With a blank face? Our Mr. Wears his heart on his sleeve? Dude who cries from manga and slaps his knee when he laughs?

The blank face is a coping mechanism, just like the mask. He's probably disassociating so he doesn't have to deal with the painful memories she brings. Memories of his friends... Memories of being human.

Which brings us to the question, What did Rin remember when he woke up? I have a feeling he never reconciled with his demonic nature in that future, which led him to be at odds with exorcists. (RIP Malchidael Miku, you were too annoying to live). He probably didn't see the same future Mephisto did, but considering he does have all the same powers Satan does, he definitely saw Something.

Rin is right in that he was wrong to cage his so-called "demonic side." Or, if you read the raws too, he called it the "demon me." Everyone has anger and violence and desire and scorn in them as part of their survival instincts. That's not even a purely "demonic" thing. Rin forces the embodiment of those feelings, demon!Rin to yield and stay put. He doesn't understand why demon!Rin lashes out so strongly nor why he wants to take over.

Uhmmm sounds real healthy right? *Checks watch* demon!Rin should be back any chapter now~ It really begs the question, is demon!Rin the evil one for wanting to break out? Or is human!Rin the evil one for forcing demon!Rin to keep seething in jail?

Going back to the topic, it seems that Rin doesn't want to become the Demon King this time but he also isn't sure what to do. He knows he needs to do something about his burning questions and he knows the key to truly taming himself lies in knowledge and understanding. He has only caged himself, and has yet to reach Yuri's level of taming. Demon!Rin will come back. He'll always be there to protect Rin when he needs him the most.

While I sure love me some villain and anti-hero AUs, I do hope my beloved Rin Gone Wrong to stay in those chapters. He deserves a happier True Ending than becoming a Demon King 🤧

Well, there's some of my thoughts on Rin as Demon King and the plot. This got super long and was actually longer before I cut out all the unnecessary rambling.

Tl;dr he scares me

[bonnvivre]

A Funny Thing- Ch 22 word dump

shortening the title cus it’s a pain to write over and over, full title in the tags, link to chapter below cut (as if ppl other than the author themselves will look at this but hey)

very much a word dump i have no idea what’s going on below this cut it’s 4am im tired

————————————————

i read every single chapter out loud to myself- i like to pretend i’m an english teacher reading the assigned story of the quarter to their students and then i give an oscar worthy performance with the dialogue

ALSO GOSUKU TAG HAS BEEN ADDED FOLKS WOOOOOOOOOOOOO

yeah dr sato as you should lmao honestly i’d dedicate my entire work hours to these two mfs

“After all, she has a feeling their story is still far from over. Who knows what else may be lurking beneath the surface.” girl this is 16 yrs of LORE of course it’s not over 😭 they got BAGGAGE

4 yrs old, born 2007, we’re at 2011 now, gojo is around 22 yrs old (note for me)

OH RIGHT YUUJI WAS MANIFESTED THRU MAGIC LMAO OFC HE DOESNT HAVE DOCUMENTS

“Yuuji doesn’t have a last name.” A

oh my gkd giggling sukuna having beef w the cheater, got into indoor cycling just to best her love that for him 

also love chismosa ‘kuna, telling gojo abt the tea, kettle and all, even giving him a real time show 

“In a feat of superhuman strength-“ LMAO

god im cryimg are those full coherent sentences ??? OJ GODKM GONSN FCRUY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YUUJIIIIIIIIIII a hundred billions hours oh ur so silly

teehee their son, our son, such subtle changes in the writing but it says so much 🥹

AWHSGAFAHAGDIS I KNEW HE WAS GONNA GET THE ITADORI SURNAME IM SO HAPPY FOR WASUKE HE DESERVES HIS SURNAME TAKEN BY HIS GRANDSON OH THE JOY 

god im sorry i just bursted out laughing while i was reading i couldnt help but think of the memes WHAHSDJ dad i frew up 

damn he didn’t return the handshake that’s actually so crazy

YUUJI THROWS UP ON HIS DESK OH SHITTF AAAAAAAA DESERVED SCREW YOU PRINCIPAL IVE BEEN GIVING A SINISTER BRITISH ACCENT TO

i initially thought it was mainly about sukuna’s “tattoos” that the first two schools were wary about, but i forget that, to others, they’re a queer family and definitely back then, it still wasn’t socially accepted. not sure why it didn’t cross my mind, especially with a conservative country like japan, but i’m glad there’s some light to it as a part of the challenges they go through while navigating their relationship and their lives.

HELLO WE’RE NOT JUSY GONNA BRUSH OVER THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A SECOND TIME THEY KISSED WITHIN THOSE 4 YEARS WTF DID I FORGET THIS ???? (after chapter note: OK COOL I WASNT FORGETTING THINGS LMAO oh please i gotta see what this infamous incident may be pleaseeeeeeee)

oooooooh the romance is really slow cooking goodness my favorite om nom nomnomnom

ohhhhhh my heart….what are you doing to me, weiserr……wholesome cute family moment…….my cause of death indeed

AWWWW AN ADMINISTRATIVE BODY THAT ACTUALLY CARES FOR THEIR STUDENTS’S WELL BEINGS LETS GOOOOOOO

after chapter thoughts:

MY MOM HAS A PELOTON BIKE TOO AHAHAHAHA LOVE MORE OF ‘KUNA IN HIS MOM ERA

imagine if they came across toji dropping off megumi at school or smth (yknow if mamaguro is still alive and their lives are good), i cant even imagine the animosity gojo and sukuna would have towards him

“heyyyy guys sorry i tried to kill you and your son back then crazy times huh”

his new friend is junpei bet (watch me be wrong)

[thatgayoctopus]

AHH! OK!! X-MEN AU QUESTIONS!!

1: How did Otto first end up at Xavier's school?

2: How does he generally act around the other mutants?

3: Who does he like and dislike?

4: What was home life like for him, especially as a mutant?

5: How does Anna Maria first react after the whole breaking the law thing, and the aftereffects that follow?

6: How do the other people at the school first react when she shows up?

7: How in the everliving FUCK does your daydreaming post look so good?? I???????? What???????????????????

I AUDIBLY SCREAMED WHEN I GOT THIS ASK THANK YOU ANON I'M KISSING YOU ON THE MOUTH /P

Alrighty LET'S GET INTO IT!!!!

1. How did Otto first end up at the school?

It's kind of a long story...? He's been on the streets with a rag tag group of mutants (the sinister six hehehe) for a while. At some point Wolverine stepped in and saved him from an undecided something (still working on specifics I literally thought of half of this over the last two days sorry </3) and offered to take him to the mansion, but he didn't have his morals quite sorted out and he was scared of being around so many people, so he turned it down. Eventually magneto recruits the rest of the sinister six, and Otto, knowing magneto is against the X-Men, felt like he couldn't join them, not after Wolverine saved him that time. BUT!!! I do think there would be some REALLY neat moral dillemmas there because Otto absolutely is on Magneto's side, he just ends up loving the X-Men and isn't able to bring himself to leave.

2. How does he generally act around the other mutants?

When you say mutants I'm going to assume you mean other students at the mansion AND!!! he really struggles with talking to them. Just like in MSM he looks oddly young behaves like a middle aged man, so no one can tell how old he is. Some people bet he's young and messed up, and some people bet he's old but his mutation has him age slower like with Mystique or Logan. Since the rest of the kids are hard to socialize with, he usually sticks by all the adults. He doesn't even talk much, but he appreciates how they take him seriously when he does. The sort of professional and parental way they treat him is a LOT easier to navigate than the energetic and sibling-like way the rest of the students treat him. When he HAS to be around them though, he's very standoffish and tries to speak as little as humanly possible, often only correcting them or making observations during training exercises. Despite how rude everyone thinks he is, they are a little fascinated by him.

3. Who does he like and dislike?

Beast is probably the person he's most open with! He and Hank are science buds and work in the lab together. Whenever Otto is working on something, Hank manages to get him to talk about his past or feelings on books, whereas most people can't get him to talk about anything.

Ororo is nice, they sit in silence together sometimes and Otto doesn't mind it. Neither does she. She often checks in on him in very simple ways; asking if he's eaten anything after a long day at the lab, offering to walk with him to the infirmary after a taxing mission. He wouldn't admit it, but he feels safe around her.

Charles knows the most about his past, mostly because if the involvement with megneto and needing to know where Otto stands. Otto recognizes the necessity to be open with Charles since he's running the whole operation, but he doesn't like being alone with him. He doesn't really trust Charles to stay out of his head.

Logan is just as protective of Otto as he is all of the other students, and Otto finds that... Comforting. He isn't used to people caring about him. Logan was the one who first called him out for being an asshole and inspired him to try and be better. Logan's helping him learn, and often encourages him to hang out with the other kids. Whenever Logan is in charge of a training session he makes sure Otto is with people that cooperate well with him, like Scott or Kitty.

Scott, while he doesn't quite get Otto and thinks it's a little awkward to be around him, does work the best as a teammate with him. Scott tends to give very clear and concise orders that Otto can follow easily, and listens when Otto has worthwhile input. Their relationship doesn't go too much further other than some awkward small talk. This goes for Jean, too.

SPEEDRUN KIDS AROUND HIS AGE TIME

Kurt - thinks he's weird and little too silly but kinda likes him anyway

Kitty - doesn't get her, but doesn't mind listening to her yap.

Rogue - they have a mutual understanding: they're both sulky and quiet, and of any of the kids, Otto prefers to be around her the most.

He pretty much avoids the kids younger than them like the plague.

4. What was home life like for him, especially as a mutant?

Funny you should ask. I'm still kind of working this out, BUT! justr like in MSM, he has the abusive father. He mutated around the age of twelve, to which his dad got worse, as one might imagine. The whole "Ugh my son is more of a freak than he already was" sorta deal. This is where I'm still on the fence about things: Otto lashes out one day and either A: injures him so badly he won't ever be same, or B: kills him. This would instill a fear of himself and his temper paired with his powers that he needs the X-Men to help him work past. Also, it would help reinforce his initial hesitation to join the X-Men.

5. How does Anna Maria first react to the breaking the law thing and the after effects?

She struggles 😭

It's gonna be really hard to see her family again, she lost her job, it's rough. She feels guilty for being involved with the MRD at all, she wanted to help mutants so bad. She has some pretty gnarly depressive episodes, but being around such a big chaotic family really helps keep her feeling okay. She likes spending time with Otto, and honestly they have this super cute highschool type crush sorta thing happening? And Otto is pretty oblivious to her hints despite him liking her??? It's cute idk hehe

6. How do other people at the school first react when she shows up?

To put it simply, they don't trust her. Despite her risking everything to break Otto out, she aligned herself with the MRD at some point, no matter how good her intentions were. Some of the kids never trust her, they've been traumatized too heavily by the organization, but most people warm up pretty quick. She's charming, fun, and kind. Because she's studied mutants and biochemistry, she's a real huge help with learning more about new kids and how to help control their powers.

7. I DON'T KNOW I DON'T KNOW BUT I'M SO PROUD THANK YOU THANK YOU 😭♥️

I LOVE YAPPING THANK YOU ANON ILYYYY

[0shewrites0]

hello honey can you do hcs for yandere klaus mikaelson with a reader pregnant with hope (the reader is her biological mother) the reader can be human or werewolf

TW// brutality. death. murder. pregnancy.

🤎 oh, honey, Klaus would be allllllll in. He'd give you and your little family everything he's got - he'd use all the connections he has to make sure your pregnancy is as comfortable and easy as possible

🤎 as wolves, you have heightened senses so you can sense you're pregnant before your gyn confirms it - and of course, you have to tell him before he has a chance to accidentally hear the baby's heartbeat

🤎 once you've told him, he'll freak out a bit - I can well imagine him losing his cool and screaming like a maniac (lmao) because it makes him so damn happy. It's a whole new feeling for him that he would never have thought possible. He'd probably destroy the house a bit because he doesn't know how to keep his emotions in check, and he'd hug you so tight you'd be afraid he'd crush you with his impossible strength 🫣

🤎 he can be gentle and you know that because he's shown that side of him before. But now that you're pregnant, you can expect him to dote on you like a princess and make his hybrids get you whatever you need, whenever you need it

🤎 he'll protect you even more now. Even though you're pretty strong as a wolf yourself, he knows there are some evil and crazy strong enemies out there who will want you dead as soon as they find out about your baby. So he'll want you to keep it to yourself for as long as possible

🤎 his inner control freak will come out and it will feel so overwhelming for you because you’re basically robbed of your independence now. He knows you can fight back but now it's not just about you, it's about you carrying his child under your heart. Yeah, there’s no way he's going to let you out of his sight

🤎 in the event that he has to leave you alone for a while, you can bet that he only trusts Elijah or Rebekah to look after you. No one else is allowed near you, and if they do, they're fucking dead. It's as simple as that

🤎 he's sooooo obsessed with putting his head on your belly and listening to the baby's heartbeat 🥹

🤎 he draws you. Every month. And sometimes he has treacherous tears in his eyes when he looks at you because you're just the most beautiful thing he's ever seen in his thousand years 😭

🤎 remember how Klaus screamed for Hailey when the witches tried to take Hope away from her in that church? He could hear her crying in pain and fear and it killed him, even though he didn't even love her or anything

🤎 so you can imagine how he will feel and how he will react when his enemies get you in their dirty fingers - he will see so red that everything else will lose its meaning. The rage coursing through his veins will overtake him and he will not stop until all those who wanted to hurt you are begging him to kill them

🤎 because while he would devise methods of torture for anyone who dares to lay a finger on you anyway, it is quite another story now that you are pregnant with his child. Not only are they being tortured in the most sinister ways possible, they’re basically being skinned alive

🤎 Klaus has told you before how much he loves you, but now he tells you much more often and in a way that feels much more intimate

🤎 he's constantly afraid of hurting you and keeps asking you if you're OK 🥹

🤎 when he tells you that you are his, the possessiveness and obsession in his voice have reached a whole new level 🥵

[midnightcreator12]

I watched Across the Spiderverse

And here are some random things my brain noticed while watching.

Spoilers ahead, you have been warned.

1: Miles’ suit is too small

In the first movie, Miles’ clothing is a BIG visual metaphor for his character arc. He has the store-bought costume for most of the movie, it doesn’t fit well, he looks like a kid in a halloween costume, just pretending to be Spiderman. When he gets a proper suit, it’s when he become more confident in not just his abilities as Spiderman but in his identity as Spiderman.

In Across the Spiderverse, serval people comment that Miles’ suit looks too tight, (Spot saying it’s bunching in the back, Spider-Punk saying it doesn’t look breathable, Peter B mentioning chafing) I think it’s meant to show that following along with the normal Spiderman script will only constrict Miles in the long run, that he has to write his own Spiderman story. Writing your own story is a heavy theme in both films and I’m betting it will carry over into the third.

2: No Mask = Abnormal

In the Spider Central chase scene, Miles isn’t wearing his mask the entire time. Normally, with characters wearing full masks, having it off is to help convey heavy emotions or valurability. But I think Miles not wearing the mask is to make him stand out as ‘other’. He is the most mold breaking Spiderman in the multiverse by the simple virtue that the spider that bit him wasn’t supposed to be there.

But you know who else doesn’t have their masks in that scene? Peter B, Gwen and O’Hara towards the end. All three of these guys have events that separate them from the normal Spiderverse ‘canon’. 

Gwen is the one bitten, when normally it’s a Peter that gets the powers, she loses her best friend instead of an uncle and it seems like the ‘police captain dies’ canon event isn’t going to happen in her world because her dad quit.

Peter B. is the closest to the traditional canon but where he diverts is the fact he managed to salvage his marriage and life. Most versions have Peter and MJ constantly just missing on working things out, because of tragedy or secrets or whatever else. Peter B not only got a happy ending but a kid as well.

O’Hara is unique in that he wasn’t bit by a spider but, if we go by the comic origin, genetically spiced spider DNA with his own in order to get unaddicted to drugs. He also relies more on tech then his powers, since the abilities he got varied a lot from the normal Spiderman powers. 

We can actually include Spider-Punk too, since he takes the mask off when they arrive and doesn’t put it back on, showing that he is ‘other’ in the sea of Spider People.

3: The Spot and O’Hara Have Construction Lines

This one I need to do a rewatch a few times to cement BUT after my first view, The Spot and O’Hara seem to be the only characters with visible construction lines in their design. The Spot’s are best scene in the first act (when he’s mostly white) and O’Hara’s are best visible during the exposition drop. 

If these two are the only characters with visible construction lines....why? Is it because both are dimension jumpers? Is it meant to tie these two somehow? Is it meant to show O’Hara is actually a bad guy?

I don’t know, I just thought it was neat.

4: O’Hara is Wrong About the Multiverse Rules

Yes, this is theory territory, bear with me for a tick.

O’Hara makes it sound like Pavitr’s dimension is going to collapse because Miles saved the police captain, because disrupting conon events will make the dimension unstable...

But Dimension 42 still exists.

42 Miles was meant to become Spiderman, but Olivia’s collider pulled the spider out of its reality and disrupted the canon. That spider is the catalyst for the canon event that kicks of the entire Spiderman story. If something like saving one guy is enough to endanger a dimension, surely disrupting the inciting incident will make the world shatter, right?

But dimension 42 is stable. Yeah, the sinister six are running rampant, probably along with a bunch of other villains, but the fabric of the reality seems to be fine.

I don’t think it was O’Hara messing with the canon that destroyed the world he was on, I think it was the fact he was there for a long time.

We know a person staying in the wrong dimension can kill them, this can be seen as reality trying to fix itself. But what if the reality can’t because the anomaly is protected? It collapses. Like a body trying to burn out parasites with a fever. But the parasites have a watch that makes them immune to heat so the body just kills itself trying to ‘fix’ things.

As long as everyone stays in the right reality, they can write where it goes. 

5: And While We’re Doing Theories!

I think Earth-42 Miles is still a good guy. Maybe he’s a little darker and probably has fewer moral qualms, but I think he and Uncle Aaron are like rebelion fighters against the sinister six and they only tied up 1610 Miles because they think he’s a part of a plot from them (evil clone, elaborate trap, ect)

Aaaand that’s all I got, everything else is things others have already pointed out.

Have a nice day!

[girlreviews]

Review #434: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Pavement

I always considered Pavement to be the cool (well?) older brother to The Breeders. Same vibe, same energy. I stand by that. I resisted listening to Pavement very deeply and embracing them for a long time based solely on who it always was pushing them on me: terrible men. I didn’t even realize this until I gave this record a listen all the way through and realized I now associated Pavement with a really good dude friend who shares my love of music, treats me like a sister and tells anyone who will listen that I’m the best kind of friend. I once described his style as “90s goofball” that was half the Seattle grunge-scene and half young Adam Sandler. I stand by that too. He loved it. Anyway, I’d forgotten the original associations and resistance to begin with. I like that your brain can do that: forget, and remember to forget to remember.

Some notes. Silence Kid, to me, sounds like Buddy Holly’s Everyday melodically. I can’t help but hear it and expect it to go a particular direction. Of course it doesn’t, because it’s Pavement and their songs have moments of being twinkly and melodic but ultimately insist on descending into discordant chaos. Their lyrics run more like slam poetry than traditional songs with verses, bridges, and choruses. All the same. When I hear Silence Kid, I hear Buddy Holly and I’ll always wonder if it’s on purpose.

Cut Your Hair is probably the one Pavement song that you do know if you know any, it was their only real bonafide “hit”. It’s got some very radio friendly twangy guitar and oooh-oooh-oooh-oooh-oooh-ooooooohs in it. I have never minded the song but certainly never thought it was anything particularly special. It does have a fun little break in the middle where it all gets a bit silly on the guitar. Honestly for me the best part is the opening line:

“Darlin’ don’t you go and cut your hair

Do you think it’s gonna make him change?”

I’m not sure there are any women out there that haven’t had their hair commandeered by the patriarchy in some way, whether systemically by societal expectations or whether on an individualized, sinister, controlling level within a relationship. That’s not what the song is even about, but it’s a perfectly posed question. I actually realize I have tons of stories about ways that women’s hair has been weaponized in abusive relationships or just how it factors into male aggression generally. Some are my stories and some aren’t mine to share, but I’m too exhausted to get into it anyway. Cut your hair if you want. Grow it long. Dye it purple. Shave your head. Do whatever the fuck you want. Do it because you want to and because you like it. Who gives a shit what the men in the world think of your hair. And no, they won’t change. Also, your hair looks fucking great.

In my listens of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain I remembered a couple of things. One, it’s really very good. Two, I love a shitty vocalist. Why is that? I don’t know, but there’s really something about a dude that can’t sing all that well but tries anyway. Unfair is one of my favorites. I don’t really spend a lot of time trying to figure out the meaning behind lyrics in Pavement songs, but I get the sense that he’s not a huge fan of whoever it was written about. It does end with him shrieking “trash, trash, trash”, so you know. I suppose it’s possible he is singing about literal garbage but I wouldn’t bet twenty bucks on it.

Gold Soundz is a good example of how Pavement and maybe Stephen Malkmus specifically have this way of making songs that sound like they should be “nice” or “pretty” (in the context of 90s grunge), but if you really listen he’s never all that nice and anything complimentary is always kind of backhanded:

“So drunk in the August sun

And you’re the kinda girl I like

Because you’re empty, and I’m empty

And you can never quarantine the past”

I bet she sure feels special, gee whiz! Feels about as good as when a love interest of mine described me as a “lost, broken, little girl” as if it was some kind of compliment. I’m only one of those things, and it is little. Same guy made me miss almost all of Pavement’s set at a festival a few years ago in favor of seeing literally no one else instead. Trash, trash, trash. I did get to see Spit on a Stranger so that was a consolation.

Fillmore Drive is pretty spectacular. It’s a big old noise that’s trying to be quiet. Most of it is about being tired and needing to sleep. The rest of it I really couldn’t tell you, I genuinely do mean it when I feel exasperated and exhausted trying to decipher their lyrics. I think this is why Pavement stir up such challenging feelings for me in general. I like the music, I like the sounds, I like the songs, I think they’re pretty great. But they also feel like a really brazen depiction of what it’s like to be in a relationship with a particular kind of guy — the tortured artist. They’ll never love you as much as they love their own suffering, and so you too will suffer. Tortured artists don’t just torture themselves you know.

I like his shitty voice and I like their big noise. You know whose I like better? Kim Deal and The Breeders. I yield my time.

[dancing-to-architecture]

30 - David Bowie - Aladdin Sane (1973)

Bisexual icon. One of my musical heroes.

I'm so glad that the first Bowie album that came up on this was one i actually don't know very well.

One of the albums i never had (and my dad only ever had his 'best of' albums, the poser), but i always liked the aesthetic of this era of Bowie's career.

•Watch That Man-

I'm curious as to how someone "walks like a jerk".

•Aladdin Sane-

I wish Jim Morrison could have learned something from Bowie, namely "it doesn't *have" to rhyme, and forcing a rhyme where one isn't needed just sucks."

This song is piano chaos in the middle. Trying not to be biased here, because it's got some of the same random-ass stuff going on that i hated when The Doors did it. Maybe the fact that it's a real piano helps? Idk. This chaos sounds better than their chaos did.

•Drive-In Saturday-

"It's a crash course for the ravers" likely meant something different 50 years ago than the image it brings to mind now.

Regardless, this one's pretty and the sax is hot.

•Panic in Detroit-

Love this song. Not a happy song, but a really good one, especially since i tend to like a song that tells a story.

•Cracked Actor-

What is with all the songs with lines about blowjobs in the 70s? Had they just been recently invented or something? Everybody seems to have at least one song on an album "cleverly" alluding to getting sucked off.

•Time-

Okay, i can really resonate with lines like: "i look at my watch it says 9:25 and i think 'oh God, am i still alive?' and 'breaking up is hard, but keeping dark is hateful'.

Some occasionally sinister but powerful instrumentation throughout. Stellar guitar work. Outro goes on a bit though.

•The Prettiest Star-

Before this one started, i thought the astronomical body. Thirty seconds in i realized he's talking about a movie star. Kinda doo-woppy, and a little slow, but interesting enough too not feel boring.

•Let's Spend the Night Together-

"Out of my head and my mouths getting dry, I'm h-h-h-high" shit, man, me too.

Simple chorus but catchy enough that that just makes it easy to sing along with, imo. The brief breakdown at the end is great.

•The Jean Genie-

One of my favorites when i was a kid. Still one of my favorites now. Weird as hell, but i just love it.

•Lady Grinning Soul-

When Jim Morrison sang about a woman, it feels lascivious. But when Bowie did, it feels almost like a worship song.

I'm saying: I doubt Morrison ate pussy, but i'd bet money that Bowie did.

Otherwise, this song feels like it's about one of my favorite genres of woman: the kind who would just as quickly kiss you as she would stab you in the neck (E.g. Natalie Dormer 😍).

Favorite Track: The Jean Genie.

Least Favorite Track: Cracked Actor. Blowjobs are great and fun, but I'm already getting so tired of all of the songs about them.