#but then like remembers himself and JUST BARELY DOESN'T

[mischievousmoony]

𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚣𝚎𝚛𝚘

⟢ frat boy!james potter x fem!reader ⟢ a guy makes unwanted advances on you at a frat party, and the president comes to your aid ⊹ 3.0k ⟢ warnings/tags: alcohol, unwanted advances + touching and sexist comments from another character, james gets aggressive confronting said character, american!james hehehe (not that it's explicitly stated)

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

By your third visit to the crowded, beer-scented kitchen, your features have set into a deep scowl. You groan, slumping against the wall—only to immediately push yourself off, unwilling to let the exposed skin of your back come into contact with any part of the frat house you're in. Was the wall sticky, or have you started sweating from the heat of all the drunk bodies around you? Either option makes you cringe.

Tonight was supposed to be fun. Frat parties weren’t exactly your ideal night out, but your best friend had dragged you to this one with the promise of a fun time. But your night has quickly turned into a wild goose chase after she disappeared with some guy.

"Are you okay?" a voice calls from your left, barely audible over the music that's starting to make your head pound. You realize that you had started pinching the bridge of your nose. When you lower your hand and turn your head, you find a pair of kind eyes staring down at you.

He introduces himself as Todd after you explain that you've been looking for your friend for half an hour to no avail. With a sympathetic smile, he offers to help, which you gratefully accept. Anything to find your friend and put this dreadful night to an end.

"Are you, like, one of the brothers?" you ask, noticing the letters on Todd's cap as you follow him through the house, but it's a little too dark to make them out. Not to mention, you don't really remember which fraternity your friend even brought you to tonight.

"Nah," Todd shouts over his shoulder. "Not here." He doesn't provide any more information than that as he changes the subject, suggesting the two of you search the backyard.

"I thought the yard was off limits,” you shout as you speed walk to catch up with him. He’s walking so fast that you barely have time to consider why he would think your friend would be outside.

Stepping into the cold, he explains, "Apparently their neighbors complained about the noise last weekend, so they're trying to keep the party inside. But a couple of quiet people shouldn't be an issue. It's nice to be away from all the noise, eh?"

You shudder when the night air hits you, hugging your arms around yourself tightly and attempting to smooth away the goosebumps already prickling on your skin.

"Maybe if it wasn't freezing."

You look around at the back yard, finding it completely empty except for a thin layer of fallen leaves and scattered beer bottles hidden in the uncut grass. Todd is leading you straight across the lawn, farther away from the house and any source of light. You’re starting to get a weird feeling about this—and Todd—so you slow to a stop while he continues to head deeper into the darkness.

"Hey, I don't think my friend is gonna be out here. I'm gonna keep looking inside–"

"What's the rush?" Todd's demeanor changes when he notices you’re falling behind. He quickly closes the distance between the two of you again in two strides.

You release a dry laugh, realizing that you've been too trusting, and your tone turns serious. "I should really find my friend."

"You said she was with a guy, right? C'mon just let her have her fun." Todd drops his voice an octave, trying to sound seductive, but it comes across embarrassingly forced. "Maybe we can have some fun too."

When he reaches to touch the side of your face, your mood starts to change from a little let down and slightly annoyed to seriously pissed off.

"Don't," you say coldly, jerking your head away from his touch.

"Aw, c'mon," he continues to try to coax you, still somehow thinking he has a chance at convincing you. When his fingers graze your sides, you shout at him to keep his hands off, but instead, he slides them to your waist, holding you firmly.

"Let go!" you demand, planting you hands firmly on his shoulders and pushing. He chuckles at your feeble attempts, making you angrier, so you switch tactics. You wrap your hands around his wrists and pry his hands off, applying a pressure to the inside of his wrists that makes him release you with a hiss.

There's an angry voice in the distance shouting "Hey!" presumably at the two of you. You hear the steady sound of footsteps growing louder—one of the brothers probably coming to yell at you for sneaking into their backyard. You're a little too busy to care as you stomp away from Todd.

Todd doesn’t seem to notice the newcomer either. Too absorbed in the sting of your rejection, he starts getting angry too.

"Don't be such a prude," he snaps. He catches your wrist and pulls you back to him with a swift tug, spinning you around to face him. You draw your free arm back, using the extra momentum from the spin to your advantage as you punch him squarely in the jaw.

The punch throws him off balance, sending him stumbling back. His foot catches on an empty beer bottle, twisting his ankle as he loses his footing and crashes onto the grass with a heavy thud.

You stand above him, a little stunned at your actions. Todd is whining pathetically about the pain from the punch to his face, and the pain from the fall to his ass.

Someone jogs up beside you, and you can feel their gaze darting back and forth between you and Todd.

"Nice punch," he says, a little out of breath.

"Thanks," you reply flatly, only now starting to process that you—with the help of a beer bottle—sent this man tumbling to the ground.

"Alright," the mystery man says like he's about to get to work. He steps into your line of sight, looming over Todd for a moment.

He has a mop of dark curls spilling out from under a red baseball cap sitting backwards on his head. The cap matches his letterman-style jacket, which clings to his broad frame, drawing attention to his muscular body. Under different circumstances, this is a view you’d appreciate.

He bends down and grabs Todd by the collar of his shirt, roughly pulling him to his feet. Even with both of them standing, he still towers over him.

"Hey, man. What's up?" he asks Todd, his casual words contrasting with his abrasive tone.

"That slut just punched me!" Todd shrieks.

You roll your eyes. How pathetic.

He tightens his grip on Todd's shirt collar, using it to shake him roughly. "Watch your fucking mouth or I'll be the next," he threatens, and Todd goes quiet.

Your eyes widen at his sudden sharpness. Almost involuntary, you shift your position, angling yourself to get a clear look at the boy’s face. Black rimmed glasses sit lazily on the bridge of his nose, under his furrowed brow as he glares daggers at Todd. His eyes are big and brown, almost seeming out of place against the hard scowl carved into his features.

"Here's what's gonna happen," he continues. "First, you’re blacklisted. You’re never stepping foot in my house again. And what's this?"

He plucks Todd's hat off his head, inspecting the letters with a scoff before tossing it to the ground. "Of course. I'm sure nationals will be happy to hear about how you've conducted yourself tonight."

Todd's eye twitches at the threat. "Let's not pretend I was doing anything she didn’t want. Look at the way she’s dressed—flaunting herself, just begging for attention."

"What did you just say?" he seethes.

"James, c'mon," Todd says, revealing the name of the taller boy. He speaks with a nonchalance that makes James' nostrils flare, angered by his dismissiveness of the situation.

You begin to wonder how they know each other when James sets him straight.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to? My friends call me James, you don't get to call me shit. The fuck do you think this is, man? I catch you in my backyard putting your hands on a girl who clearly doesn't want anything to do with you and you think you can talk to me like we're friends? I don't even know who the hell you are."

Your eyes must be bulging out of your head by now. It feels like you’ve been dropped into a scene from a movie—an exposé on the dark side of greek life, or maybe the mafia. Not knowing much about either, it’s hard to say, but the backward hats and pounding music from the house quickly remind you of where you are.

James lowers his voice, his tone dipping into something almost menacing. "But I’ll find out from your brothers, and when I do, you’re finished here. Done. Now come on."

Todd flinches as one of James' hands clasps over the back of his neck with a sharp smack. There were some other guys you hadn't noticed before back near the house, to whom James hands Todd over.

Once James notices that you're still standing in the middle of the yard, he jogs back over. On his way, he takes off his hat, running his fingers through his hair to loosen his curls.

"Hey," he says in a soft voice, vastly different from the one he used on Todd. "Are you okay?"

The change in his demeanor catches you off guard. You exhale while you collect your thoughts, a steamy white cloud filling the space as your warm breath meets cool air.

"That was intense," you say. You don’t mean to dodge his question, but he did just switch from mafia boss levels of threatening to sunshine and rainbows.

James breathes out a laugh. "Sorry about that. Gotta be a hardass with some of these dicks, especially ones like that. Part of the job."

You raise an eyebrow, curiosity piqued, wondering what job he's talking about.

James reads your expression, and stands up a little straighter as he introduces himself. "President James, at your service." With an exaggerated wink, he tugs at the edge of his jacket, pulling it taut to show off the letters sewn over his chest.

You nod in understanding. "Well, thank you for stepping in, Mr. President," you say, a slight tease coloring your tone.

A smile like sunshine overtakes his lips. "No need to thank me, really. Anyway, you handled it pretty well before I got here. That was some punch—is your hand alright?"

You had forgotten about that. Splaying your fingers out in front of you, you inspect your knuckles. "Mhm. Fine. I don't think I can feel my limbs anyway." You wrap your arms back around yourself, the cold become almost unbearable in your tank top.

"Shit, yeah, it's cold out here, isn't it?" James holds his hat between his teeth, freeing his hands as he strips off his jacket. Your eyes linger on his toned arms for a moment too long, and suddenly his hat has made its way back onto his head and he's holding his jacket out for you.

"May I?" he asks.

As much as you want to say no, you truly are freezing, so you let yourself be draped in his warmth and the scent of his cologne. The fabric has an unexpected weight to it, almost offering a comfort similar to an embrace.

James rubs his hands up and down over newly blanketed arms to encourage some warmth into them. James studies your face with softened eyes, his tone taking on a more serious note.

"Hey, listen... I'm really sorry that happened to you. Everything he said, and did–"

"It's alright," you interrupt.

"It's not. That shouldn't be happening. Not at my house—not anywhere. I'm really sorry you had to deal with that creep. And if you wanted to take it to the school, I'd be more than willing to–"

"No, no. That's more trouble than he's worth."

James nods, respecting your decision. "For what it's worth, I'm gonna make sure he won't be allowed in any of the parties around here anymore. I doubt I can get him completely blackballed, but I'll do what I can."

You offer James a small smile in response. You're glad to hear that, really, but now that Todd's gone and that's all over, your main concern is finding your friend and getting the hell out of here.

"Why don't you let me give you a ride home?" he offers, almost like he can read your mind. His kind, brown eyes almost make you want to say yes. But after the night you've had, you owe it to yourself to be a little less trusting.

"I don't know." You bite the inside of your cheek while you decide if you should disclose your current dilemma. James does seem eager to help. Deciding to tell him, you say, "I was looking for my friend."

James is quick to offer his assistance. "Who's your friend? Maybe I can help."

You tell him your friends name and recount what she was doing when you saw her last. "She ran off with this guy. Long black hair, leather jacket, I think I heard his name but it was something... unique."

James sucks in a breath through his teeth. "Sounds like Sirius."

"Sirius, yes! That was his name." You're momentarily excited, thinking that James could actually help, but the look on his face squashes the feeling promptly.

"Yeah, uh," James scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, "Sirius left with a girl like an hour ago. About yay high," he holds his hand out to your friend's height. "Tan. Brown hair."

You sigh. Some best friend you have. Here you are, searching for her endlessly, and she's ditched you at the party she brought you to.

"She was your ride, I’m guessing?" The corner of James' lip quirks up in a sorry half-smile as you nod. "It really is no trouble for me to drive you home."

You tap your foot on the ground anxiously. You're really wanting to just accept his offer. He seems nice enough, but there's still a little voice in the back of your mind telling you to be careful.

"I just... I don't really know you."

"Understandable," James starts. "But... you kinda do. I'm pretty sure we have chem together."

"I don't think so." You think you’d remember a muscly, likely rambunctious, frat boy in your boring chem class.

"Okay, I was playing it cool,” James’ teeth graze his lower lip in a bashful manner. “I know we have Chem together—with Professor Brown? Tuesdays and Thursdays. You sit in the front row. Y/N, right?" James looks a little sheepish as he recalls your name.

You nod slowly, really looking at James for the first time, trying to place him. Then it hits you—you do remember him. He sits a few seats down from you in chem, always rigorously taking notes and asking questions you wouldn’t have thought of (but are glad to have the answers to). Seeing him like this, though, is such a contrast to the smart guy from class that you didn’t even recognize him at first.

You feel a heat creep up the back of your neck. You’ve only ever spared him a few glances, but you’ve always thought the smart guy from chem was pretty cute.

"Oh. Oh, right. I–I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. You're James Potter." You try the name on your lips, realizing the name didn't click because you had only ever heard your professor call him by his last name.

"That's me," he grins. "And don't worry about it."

You give him a nod, a bit awkwardly. He seems like a good guy, but you’re still not sure if you want to get in his car. "Well, James, I should probably just call an Uber or something anyway. I don't know if you've been drinking or anything so..."

"Oh!" James holds up a finger, stuffing his other hand into his pocket and pulling out a black rectangle. You mistake it for one of those big, clunky box vapes and almost want to roll your eyes. But then, James surprises you by blowing into it instead of breathing in.

The device beeps, and he shows you the little digital screen, previously hidden behind his hand, that reads "0.00" over a glowing green background.

"Haven't had a drop," he confirms. "I haven't smoked or anything else, either. Not my thing."

"Why do you own a breathalyzer?" you ask, a little dumbfounded.

"So I can breathalyze people," he shrugs, fiddling with the device—tossing it a few inches up in the air and catching it.

You raise your eyebrows at him, not satisfied with his non-answer.

“Sorry,” James chuckles at himself. "Uh, I have a lot of people leaving my parties trying to tell me they're sober enough to drive. I got loads of these ‘cause they can't argue with the numbers... as much as they might try to."

"Where did you even get that?" you ask. You can't imagine there's a very big market for personal breathalyzers.

"You can get almost anything with Prime delivery!" he says it like he's proud as he tucks it back into his pocket. "Hey, you want one? I've got a drawer full back in the house." He points with his thumb over his shoulder.

You laugh, shaking your head at his offer. James laughs along with you, his lips curling into a boyish grin.

Well, if you’re going to put your trust in anyone else tonight it, it might as well be the smart boy from chem who takes safety seriously enough to own multiple breathalyzers.

You start walking towards the house. When you don’t hear a set of footsteps following behind, you call over your shoulder, "Come on."

James catches up quickly, happy to be invited to join you. "Where are we going?"

"To your car so you can give me a ride home."

From the corner of your eye, you watch his face break out into a wide grin. And from there on out, there's an extra pep in his step as he leads you to his car.

When you're safe and sound, back in the comfort of your own room, you flop onto your bed with a dreamy look on your face. You hug the jacket closer to your body, thankful for the excuse to talk to him in chem on Tuesday. Little did you know, he let you keep the jacket so that you'd have one.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

[elijasz]

Rook - Anehi (he/him, won't correct people who use they/them for him)

1. Born in Vyrantium to tailors who died early, was send to an orphanage in Marnus Pell, then moved to Vol Dorma but was abducted to Minrathous by Venatori. After getting freed by the Shadow Dragons he joined them.

2. Chaotic Good

3. Elven Rogue with Crow specialisation (He felt bad when he saw the Blight in Treviso and put everything into helping the city, which meant working for and with the Crows.)

4. He'd be fighting Venatori somewhere outside of Minrathous. He was told to leave the city but he's too stubborn to stop beating up "bad guys"

5. Humor. He's just a funny little guy. He wants to make people happy and is very capable with his words. Sometimes a conversation can get you everything you need.

6. Lucanis and Neve (He's thirdwheeling hard)

7. Davrin

8. Solas. But who wouldn't be. He's a cautious guy but gives everyone a chance. He does keep important info to himself and sometimes hands out the wrong information to see what happens. That's why him and Neve get on so well.

9. Absolutely. He loves everyone there deeply. He probably likes Tarquin the most, apart from Neve. Ashur is like a mentor to him.

10. Absolutely not. He tries to play in secret sometimes but quickly gives up.

11. In general? Well swords. But daggers are pretty nice too. Any Rapier type weapon is nice. He does use Weisshaupt's Wail most after he starts dating Davrin. I assume that it's actually a gift from Davrin, Evka and Antoine.

12. vertical? (He's bi if that's what this question is about)

13. He feels bad about it but knows it is sometimes a necessary evil. He doesn't have nightmares because of it but does wish he didn't come into contact with murder as early in life as he did.

14. He likes to play cards and collects little figurines. (He loves Davrin’s carvings) He also enjoys martial arts to exhaust himself on his days off work. Otherwise he, just like Neve, is married to the job.

15. Absolutely loves Elek. If he was romanceable, Anehi would have tried his luck. He also likes Ashur, Tarquin, Dorian and most of the Grey Wardens. He does get along very well with Teia and Viago but disliked Illario since the beginning. Also there are a few merchants he doesn't like. (Not Hal. Hal is perfect)

16. Griffon.

17. Somewhat but only because he's never known a quiet life. After the main story him and Davrin help clear the Blight in Treviso and eventually take regular breaks in Arlathan. Neither is able to sit still for long though.

18. He'd likely still be fighting Venatori until it eventually goes wrong and he's killed or he meets Neve on a job and starts tagging along.

19. This one is heavy and depends on the story. When Davrin eventually dies, likely before him, he will move to live with the Griffons for a bit, which will make him incredibly sad. He will eventually recover and move to Minrathous to help Neve or to Treviso to help the Crows. He will be haunted by every darkspawn he encouters and one day gets distracted on a job, thinking one of the darkspawn is Davrin (it isnt) and he'll fail to notice an attack and get killed. If someone actually comes to drag him out of his regret and sadness while he is with the griffons, he will recover and start a calmer life, eventually dying in some accident relatively late in life. One moment he's having a nice day and the next he's dead, not even able to grasp what happens. A quick and painless death.

20. Fight him. He knows a liar and manipulator when he meets one. That's kinda his job.

21. Explosive Daggers

22. Trade Tongue and some Tevene (Real languages he'd speak English for Trade Tongue and probably some Arabic dialect because I think its a very pretty language with a lot of variety)

23. Shut down and leave to somewhere remote.

24. It's complicated but mostly yes.

25. Duelist

26. Some kind of fox or wild cat. Maybe a lynx.

27. Already described above. Nice early childhood he barely remembers, traumatic event, a short time of living with a family friend, then in an orphanage and so on...

28. They play the leader but Neve is the co-leader. He talks to her when he doesn't know what to do. He also talks to Varric, but you know...

29. Mourn Watchers. I think it would have given him a companion and friend in Emmrich and also a way to deal with all the death in his life. But he'd also never have met Varric then.

30. Everything. Hes handsome, he's witty, smart and calculated but still doesn't lose his soft side. He would definitely have the hardened status at the beginning of the story but would warm up through these people he meets. He's just very complex to me, even though he isn't really that in the game. A lot of the story happens outside of the game.

Rook Questionnaire

inspired by @cassieuncaged's BG3 Character Development Questions but for Rook instead!

1: Where in the Thedas is your Rook from?

2: What is your character's alignment?

3: Race and subclass?

4: If your Rook was a companion, where would they be found?

5: What emotion did they usually pick?

6: What companion are you platonically close with?

7: Romantically close with?

8: Who are they suspicious of?

9: Does your Rook get along with their chosen Faction?

10: Are they proficient in playing any instruments?

11: Weapon of choice?

12: What is their orientation?

13: What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it?

14: What hobbies does your Rook have?

15: What NPCs do they like? Which one's do they dislike?

16: Do they have a favorite creature in the Thedas?

17: Do they enjoy life as an adventurer?

18: What would your Rook be doing if they weren't recruited by Varric?

19: How do you think they'll meet their end?

20: Would they side with Solas or fight him?

21: What is your Rook's favorite ability?

22: What languages is your character fluent in?

23: What do they do after an absolute crisis?

24: Does your character believe in the afterlife?

25: What specialization best represents your Rook?

26: What animal best represents your Rook?

27: What was their life like before the events of Veilguard?

28: Is your character the de facto leader of the party? Or do they consider someone else to be the leader?

29: If you could choose a different faction for your Rook, which one would they have joined and why?

30: What's your favorite thing about your Rook?

[larluce]

Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU (SERIES 2)

FIRST PART (SERIES 1) >> PREVIOUS PART >> NEXT PART

(Sorry for the delay. This part is going to be a bit crazy)

Merlin has never been able to stay mad at Arthur for too long, so he soon finds himself back in Arthur's chambers and stays there the rest of the day, lying in bed, while Arthur pampers him.

Being taken care of is a pretty new feeling for Merlin. And, though sometimes it still feels weird, he doesn't get that feeling of wrongness anymore when Arthur brings grapes to his mouth and massages him to help him relax. If anything, he deserves this after the uncomfortable moment Arthur put him through.

As night falls and Arthur cuddles with him, Merlin can't help but wonder: What did he do to be this fortunate in this life? To get this Arthur to love him so throughfully and cherish him this much? Some fear invades him too: Is this a trick of The Sidhe? To get him everything he ever wanted to later take it all away from him. But then Arthur tells him "I love you" again and dissipates his fears with a kiss.

Merlin spent all his previous life suffering and worrying constantly. In this life, he'll let himself be happy.

Arthur: (his hand trails down Merlin's body as he kisses him)

Merlin: (pulls away from the kiss, breathless) Wait... We shouldn't...

Arthur: Why? (kiss) You are my lover. (kiss) I already made you mine yesterday. (kiss)

That is other thing. While Merlin is still processing the new nature of their relationship, Arthur assimilates it and his active role in it with ease. It disorients and overwhelms him, the intensity of how Arthur shows his love. Merlin doesn't recall a single time Arthur has been this possessive with Gwen, let alone Arthur making jealous scenes like the one he did with Gwaine moments before. It makes him nervous... but also hot for some reason.

Merlin: (stops the kiss, though he still blushes, a mix of embarrasment and arousal at Arthur's words) My offended lover act. I'm supposed to be avoiding you for two weeks, remember? If we do it everyone will know and think I forgave you too easily.

Arthur: We'll be discret.

Merlin: My limp won't be so discret.

Arthur: I'll be gentle.

Merlin: (looks doubtful)

Arthur: Please. (hand caresses his waist, hip and then his thight) You can't tell me you don't want it. (lips very close to Merlin's)

Merlin: (gives in, beacuse gods he wants this so bad) Alright, but just once. And be gentle.

Time skip. Next day in the morning.

Merlin: (Wakes up and whimpers in pain) You fucking liar! 😡 (hits Arthur with a pillow)

Arthur: (chuckles softly) Again, you weren't exactly complaining.

Merlin: (doesn't want to admit he was in fact enjoying it too much to stop him) Well, now I am, you brute clotpole! How am I supposed to go for your breakfast now?

Arthur: That can be arranged. (calls out) Guards!

Guards: (enter, weapons up) My lord!

Merlin: (startled, barely has time to react, just covers himself with the covers)

Guards: ...

Guard 1: (looks away in respect) Uhm... Did you call us, sire?

Arthur: (very chill) Tell the cook to send someone else to bring my breakfast, please.

Guard 2: (also looking away) Right away, my lord.

Guards: (leave)

Merlin: (uncovers himself, almost shouting) Why did you do that?! 😡

Arthur: (innocently) You said you couldn't bring breakfast.

Merlin: You know what I mean, you prat! We were supposed to be discret! Now everyone will know- (cuts himself, opening his eyes wide in realisation) And that's what you wanted. You did it on purpose! (gets off the bed furious despite the pain)

Arthur: (gets off the bed too) Merlin-

Merlin: (dressing himself with hard movements, furious) NO! You think this is funny? Letting them see me in your bed as if I was some harlot? Do you know how humiliating that is?

Arthur: I didn't think-

Merlin: Of course you didn't think! But you knew how important this plan was to me and you still didn't care. You trampled on my wishes as if they were worthless. As if I didn't matter (hurt emerges into his fury) How could you do that to me? (finishes to dress himself)

Arthur: (realising how much he fucked up, very sorry) You are right. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. (about to put a hand on his shoulder)

Merlin: Don't! (makes a move to go to the door)

Arthur: (puts himself infront of him) I'm really sorry!

Merlin: I don't want to hear it! (darts around him, but ends up tripping with a blanket and ends with his face on the floor) Stupid blanket! (his eyes glow and the blanket ends in little pieces)

Arthur: (swallows, thinking) Even his magic is angry, he must be really upset (aproaches carefully, kneeling before Merlin) It was never my intention to step over you and I hate myself for making you feel that way.

Merlin: (very hurt) Then why did you do it?!

Arthur: (sighs) I wasn't honest with you.. regarding your plan.

Merlin: ... What?

Arthur: I was never comfortable with it. It hurts to pretend that we are separated when that's not true. And you involved me in this plan before even consulting it with me first and then make me go along with it. You never once asked my opinion on the matter either. It made me feel like you care more about some rumors than me, as if our relationship was something to be embarrased of. And it is not! If anything, I'm proud to show you off, to let everyone know that I love you and you are mine.

Merlin: (calms down a bit, feeling bad, but still angry) You are right, that was selfish of me and I apologise if I made you upset, but what you did was not better. Is one thing to "show me off" and other to expose me naked in your bed after being intimate! And how dare you say I'm embarrased of us? Me trying to recover some of my dignity has nothing to do with that! If you were so against my plan you should have said something instead of making me look like an easy lay!

Arthur: (caressess Merlin's face) I know. I was childish and impulsive. I'm sorry. I'll never discard your wishes ever again. Relationship is a two-way street. If we are not okay with something we talk it out from now on. Alright? Will you forgive me? (offers Merlin a hand to help him stand up)

Merlin: (just stares at him, still frowning, resentful)

Arthur: I'll tell everyone I gave you a very big apology gift and that's why you forgave me.

Merlin: So now I'm not a cheap whore, but a expensive one.

Arthur: (desperate) Then tell me what to do to make you forgive me! Anything and I'll do it!

Merlin: (keeps staring at him, frowning)

Arthur: (begs) Please! I'm so so sorry. Tell me how to make it right. (holds Merlin's hands, pleading) Please.

Merlin: (sighs, giving in cause Arthur looks like he might cry if he is not forgiven and Merlin really doesn't like making Arthur this upset) My lily is lonely. I want another.

Arthur: (relieved) Sure!

Merlin: And I want it to be white.

Arthur: I'll get it for you right away. (hugs Merlin and gives him a kiss) Are we okay now?

Merlin: (thinking) I'm still angry and hurt that you put me in such a vulnerable position, but what's done is done. And I can see you are really sorry, why waste time fighting? (smiles, reassuring) Yes, we are okay.

Time skip. In Gaius' tower.

Merlin: (enters, limping)

Gaius: (worried) My boy! (grabs a little bottle and gives it to Merlin) Take this for the pain. Shouldn't you be resting?

Merlin blushes, very embarrased, because of course Gaius knows. Everyone in the castle knows. If the limp and guards catching him on Arthur's bed wasn't enough of a clue, all the visible bites Arthur left on his neck definitely are. Not even his neckerchief is able to hide all of them.

Merlin: Thank you. (drinks Gaius's potion for the pain) I can still help you around here as long as I don't have to move much. (grabs some herbs and jars with liquids and puts them on a table) It's the least I can do after losing your ingredients yesterday. (sits on a chair, wincing a bit)

Merlin frowns at the memory of Arthur and Gwaine's display from the day before (in which he lost his cest with all the ingredients he had collected). It's difficult to concieve a world where Arthur and Gwaine don't get along, let alone one when they hate each other to guts.

Merlin: (thinking, reassurring himself) They just have to stop acting like cave men and get to know each other. I'm sure they'll become friends again soon enough.

Gaius: You don't have to worry about the missing ingredients. Someone else brought them.

Merlin: (surprised) Really? Who?

Gwaine: (comes out from Merlin's old room) Me.

Merlin: (avoids his gaze, still angry at him for yesterday and starts to grind some herbs)

Gaius: Oh, Gwaine. What a surprise seeing you here. I thought you'll be at a tavern by now.

Gwaine: (to Gaius, but not getting his eyes off Merlin) Hungover.

Gaius: (shakes his head) I'll prepare you something for that. (about to that)

Servant: (enters) The King requests the presence of the physician inmediatly. Something about needing his concoction.

Gaius: (sighs) Of course. (turns to Merlin) Prepare Gwaine's medicine for the hungover, I'll tend the king. (leaves)

Merlin: (sighs, thinking) Perfect.

Gwaine: (walks around the table, grinning) So... Merlin, isn't it?

Merlin: (ignores him, smashing the herbs, still not looking at him)

Gwaine: I can help you with that if you want (about to grab a bowl)

Merlin: (puts the bowl away and keeps smashing in silence)

Gwaine: (notices Merlin's love bites on his neck, chuckles and decides to joke) The prince was eager to mark territory, it seems.

Merlin: I'll finish this in my room. (stands up, grabing his things)

Gwaine: No, wait! (stops him) Forgive me. It was a bad joke.

Merlin: (leaves the things on the table and crosses his arms) Is that the only thing you are sorry for?

Gwaine: I may have also crossed the line with your prince yesterday.

Merlin: And?

Gwaine: And I'm sorry.

Merlin: As you should. (sits again and continues to prepare Gwaine's medicine)

Gwaine: (sits besides him) I know we had a rocky start. Two rocky starts if we count the Lady Merelyn one. But I would really like to be your friend.

Merlin: (confused) Why? (thinking) We bonded before due to our similar pasts. He doesn't know about my father yet. Why does he...?

Gwaine: (grinning, amuzed) Are you kidding? You are the most interesting person I ever met! There's always people telling so many stories about you they even contradict each other. It's madness! But the kind of madness I like. And the little time I spent with you was explendid.

Merlin: You mean the bandit attack and your almost confrotation with Arthur?

Gwaine: What can I say? You are a magnet for trouble... and I love trouble. 😏

Merlin: (rolls his eyes, but can't help but smile)

Gwaine: So? (extends his hand) Friends?

Merlin: (thinking) I do miss his friendship... (says) Alright, but only with two conditions.

Gwaine: Isn't friendship supposed to be unconditional?

Merlin: (warns) Gwaine.

Gwaine: Fine, Fine. Tell me. What are the conditions?

Merlin: One, you'll stop talking bad about Arthur in my presence or his presence.

Gwaine: Noted. (thinking) I can still talk bad about him with Percival.

Merlin: Two, you'll never EVER bother Arthur again in any way. This means no insults, no fights and no fake flirting with me just to get on his nerves.

Gwaine: (nods) Understood. No insults, no fights-wait, did you say fake flirting? 😧

Merlin: (extends his hand) Do you accept the conditions?

Gwaine: (shakes Merlin's hand) I accept.

Meanwhile. Arthur and Lancelot in the woods.

Lancelot: I found some, Sire! (points some white lilies)

Arthur: (aproaches) Just now?

Lancelot: Yes. What a relief! After you told me how long your search for the purple lily was, I thought it would take longer.

Arthur: It did take longer.

Lancelot: (confused) Didn't you say it took you days for you to find the purple lily, Sire?

Arthur: The purple lily yes. But I came across those white lilies in the first two hours of my search.

Lancelot: ...

Arthur: And it took YOU three hours to find them. Honestly, Lancelot, I had more faith in your hability.

Lancelot: You already knew where they were.

Arthur: I did.

Lancelot: (catiously) Why did you ask for my help then, Sire?

Arthur: I wanted to speak with you privately.

Lancelot: About what, Sire?

Arthur: Well, It had come to my attention that you holded up some facts in your narration of the events regarding the bandit attack. Specifically some actions one of your new roommates did.

Lancelot: (thinking, nervous) Gwaine... the poor man. (says) Percival or Gwaine?

Arthur: You know who. Merlin told me Gwaine flirted with him and talked ill of me.

Lancelot: (sweating) Oh... that. 😅 (thinking) He's SO dead.

Arthur: He did not go into details though.

Lancelot: (thinking, in relief) Thank the gods!

Arthur: And that's why I'm asking you for said details.

Lancelot: (thinking) I talked too soon... (says) Pardon me, Sire?

Arthur: (with and icy calmness) What exactly did Gwaine tell Merlin?

Lancelot: I can't really remember, Sire.

Arthur: That's a lie. (pulls out a knife calmly) You have a great memory and you are more observant than anyone. That's how you could give my father a very detailed inform and how you discovered Merlin's magic so fast. So, I'll ask again. (plays with the knife in his hand) What did he say?

Lancelot: (trembling) S-sire 😰

Arthur: Why are you looking at me like that? This for the flowers. (passes Lancelot and starts cutting some leaves so the lilies are more visible) I don't want to ask again.

Lancelot: (swallows hard) I truly don't remember, Sire. I was a bit distracted. Gwen was there and... Well, you know, how love is.

Arthur: (gives an understanding smile) I do. You must love her a lot. I can't blame you.

Lancelot: (sighs in relief)

Arthur: (smiling sweetly) Now tell me the truth or I'll make sure you can't never marry her.

Lancelot: (thinking) Sorry, Merlin. I did try to save him. (says) Well... this is what I remember.

Time skip. Gawine and Percival walking around the Lower Town.

Gwaine: I spit it and I told him "Did you make it taste this bad on purpose?" and he said "No, that's how all Gaius' medicines taste". So I retorded "I rather have hangover that drink that shit again".

Percival: (laughs) You didn't even had a hangover. You were waiting for him.

Gwaine: (shrugs) I owned the guy an apology.

Percival: And since when do you apologise for anything?

Gwaine: (brings a hand to his chest dramatically) It offends me that you think of me that way. I'm a man that recognises his mistakes and knows how to apologize. I feel no shame in it.

Percival: I agree that you feel no shame for anything. (sighs) You finally have some genuine romantic feelings for someone. And of all people you could have chosen, it had to be the prince's lover.

Gwaine: (chuckles) I don't have "romantic feelings" for Merlin. He's fun to be with, is all.

Percival: Good. Because he is out of discussion. The prince will have you killed if you dare to try something.

Gwaine: Uuuh! Forbidden love 😏.

Percival: (warns) Gwaine.

Gwaine: I'm kidding! I'm not suicidal, I don't want to end up dead in an ally.

Percival: (stops to buy some vegetables)

Gwaine: Oh, I'll be over there (points somewhere). I need to... eh... take care of something.

Percival: Do not flirt with married women. 😒

Gwaine: That happened once! She wasn't wearing her ring and was not exactly rejecting me. How was I supposed to know she was married?

Percival: Nor some other prince's lover.

Gwaine: Again, once. (pats his back goodbye) I'll see you by the chickens. (leaves)

In some jewellery stand.

Seller: How can I help you?

Gwaine: Yeah... uhm... (pulls out a ring) I would like to sell a ring.

Meanwhile, in Merlin's chambers.

Merlin: (just lying in bed resting, not because he wanted to, but everyone insisted him to)

Lancelot: (enters suddendly) Merlin! Sorry for disturbing you, I know you are... erh... indisposed.

Merlin: Honestly Lancelot, it would surprise me if someone DIDN'T know I'm "indisposed".

Lancelot: But this is an emergency. Do you know where Gwaine is?

Merlin: He went with Percival to the Lower Town to buy some things, why?

Lancelot: Great. We have to go there. Now! (grabs Merlin wrist and drags him outside)

Merlin: Wha... wait, Lancelot! What's the emergency? What are we doing?

Lancelot: Saving a life!

Back with Gwaine in the jewellery stand.

Gwaine: Come on, man! I got it for more.

Seller: That's what I offer. Take it or leave it.

Gwaine: (accepts the money reluctantly) You Camelotians are such thieves.

Arthur: Says the one who wanted to steal my lover.

Gwaine: (startles and turns) Oh, the princess has arrived! (remembers his promise to Merlin and corrects himself) I mean, what brings his royal highness here?

Arthur: Why on earth are you in possession of a ring?

Gwaine: Men are allowed to have rings.

Arthur: It looks pretty feminine for you.

Gwaine: I have very... epecific taste.

Arthur: Sure, it had nothing to do with Lady Merelyn asking you for a ring if you wanted to be with her.

Gwaine: Look, I didn't know Lady Merelyn and Merlin were the same person at the time. As far as I knew, you had rejected her for him after what happened with the bandits and the only thing that could restore some of her honor was marrying someone.

Arthur: And you were so willing to do that sacrifice, weren't you? So eager to save a damisel in distress from a, how did you say?, a corrupt and debauchee prince.

Gwaine: How did you... It was Lancelot wasn't it! 😠 That telltale!

Arthur: No, he's good at keeping secrets. I'm just good at getting them out. I don't care what people say about me, let alone a nobody like you. What infuriates me is that you, did not only flirted with MY lover, but dare to tell him that I was playing with him, that I did not love him or took him seriously.

Gwaine: Again, as far as I knew, you had this lady as a misstress instead of as a wife, knowing that kind of relationship damages a woman's reputation. Anyone would think you were playing with her. If I knew she was actually a he I would have understood why you couldn't marry.

Arthur: And if it had been so, what? Are you always this honorable, defending the virtue of women unknown to you? No, you only did it because you wanted something with her. It wasn't out of the goodness of your heart. If you had any honorability or goodness in your heart at all, you wouldn't have filled Merlin with insecurities just to get your way!

Gwaine: (offended) I didn't fill Merlin with-

Arthur: (raising his voice) Tell me how telling someone their love does not really love them back, that they are just being played and will never have a serious comittement is not filling them with insecurities!

Gwaine: (actually feels bad) I... didn't think of it that way.

Arthur: Of course you didn't.

Gwaine: (impatient and annoyed) Look, I'm sorry, alright? I spoke out of turn, now I know you love Merlin genuinely and I won't question it or your relationship with him ever again. So go back to your big castle and do whatever is that you royals do. (makes a move to leave)

Arthur: (steps infront of him, not letting him pass) I believe we have something pending. (throws a glove to the ground) Pick it up.

Gwaine: ... What?

Arthur: You said you wanted to fight me, to see how skilled I was, so... (points the glove) pick it up.

Gwaine: (laughs) I won't pick up your fucking glove.

Arthur: By the knight code, you have to pick it up. So… Pick. It. Up.

Gwaine: No.

Arthur: Why not then?

Arthur: (smirks) Why? Scared?

Gwaine: Believe me, I have no shortage of desire.

Gwaine: One, because I promise Merlin I wouldn't fight you. And do want to keep being his friend, you see.

Arthur: (sarcastic smile) How sweet.

Gwaine: Two, I have no obligation. I'm no knight.

Arthur: Oh... you are right. There's no need of this. (punches Gwaine in the face)

Gwaine: (falls to the ground and brings a hand to his face in pain) You motherf- 😡

Arthur: I heard bar fights were more your style! (gestures him to stand up with his hands) Come on!

Gwaine: (stands up, angry) You asked for this.

Meanwhile, Percival by the chickens.

Percival: (being waiting for about half an hour, says to himself) Where is him? (hears people making commotion) What's happening there?

Little kid: (from afar) Mom, mom! They are fighting!

Mom: Stay away sweetie!

Percival: A fight? (an horrible thought comes to his mind and runs there, praying) Please let it not be him, please let it not be him. (gets there and spots Gwaine) It's him... 🤦‍♂️. (praying again) Please let the other not be a nobel, please let the other not be a noble. (recognises Arthur) That's the prince! 😨

Arthur and Gwaine: (beating the shit out of each other furiously, both bleeding from their recent injuries)

Percival: (very worried, runs to intervene)

Knight y: (who is patrolling there, stops him) What do you think you are doing?

Percival: I'm the one who should be asking! 😠 Isn't your work to prevent unrest from happening?

Knight y: Normally I would put an end to it, but this is the prince. We can't intervene. Is against the law.

Percival: What kind of law is that?! You are supposed to be protecting your prince!

Knight y: It was his wish to fight. I can't go against his wishes.

Percival: Well, I don't care. My friend is there. (makes a move to go to Gwaine's aid)

Knight y: (stops him again) I'm sorry, but we can't let you intervene.

Percival: We? (looks around and spots more patrolling knights) You have to be kidding me... What if my friend fatally injures your prince? Haven't you thought about that?

Knight y: We kill him before he does.

Percival: ... What? 😰

Knight y: It's the law.

Percival: And... if your prince fatally injures my friend? Will you stop him too?

Knight y: (shakes his head) He's the prince.

Percival: (thinking) Now I understand why Gwaine hates nobelty so much. (tries to pass the knights anyway)

Knights: (point Percival with their swords)

Knight y: Trust me it will be worst if you intervene. You won't only get your friend killed but yourself too.

Percival: (begs) Please, you can't let this happen! There must be a way to stop them!

Knight y: (thoughtful) Well, I think there is a way...

Knight x: (scolds) Alynor!

Percival: (desparate) How?

Knight y: The prince always listens to his manservant.

Percival: Merlin! Of course. Where is him?

Knight x: In the castle, resting. I heard he is... "indisposed".

Knights: (laugh)

Percival: (leaves running)

Knight x: (shouting) It's quite far! You won't get him in time! (sighs, to Knight y) 15 silver coins that he won't make it.

Knight y: Make it 20.

Some other part of the Lower Town.

Merlin: (still being dragged by Lancelot, sore and exhausted) Lancelot, please. We've been walking for hours. I'm tired.

Lancelot: (notices Merlin in pain and lets go of him, feeling bad) I'm sorry. I had a feeling that... (thinking) That Arthur would commit murder. (says) Forget it, I'm just being paranoid. Forgive me. I'll carry you back to the castle if you like.

Merlin: (chuckles softly) I would say no, but I really can't take one more step.

Percival: (crosses pat with them) Merlin! Thank the Gods! You have to come with me! (grabs Merlin's wrist)

Lancelot: (stops Percival) Wait, wait, wait! Where are you taking him?

Percival: The prince and Gwaine are fighting!

Merlin: WHAT?! 😨

Lancelot: (thinking) I hate being right... 😔

Percival: (starts dragging Merlin)

Merlin: (trips) Ow! (frees himself from Percival's hold, angry) Stop dragging me like some rag doll! 😡 I can walk on my own! (walks on his own, but he's too in pain to walk fast enough and he's limping) Those stupid idiots-Ow!

Percival: (Impatient) There's no time! (Picks Merlin up in his arms quickly and runs)

Merlin: AAAAAAH! 😱

Lancelot: (runs after them)

Meanwhile, with Arthur and Gwaine.

Arthur: (kicks Gwaine hard)

Gwaine: (falls on his back in the ground) Argh!

Arthur: (approaches to help him stand up, cause it's still dishonorable to fight a man when he is not in a position to defend himself)

Gwaine: (thinking Arthur was approaching to beat him on the ground, kicks in the air to protect himself, but ends up kicking Arthur in the crotch by accident)

Arthur: (bends over in pain, his voice a scale higher) Ow! You son of a bitch!

Gwaine: (laughs his ass off, while he stands up) This was not my intention, but oh gods! (keeps laughing) I hope you are not planning to have offspring soon.

Arthur: (still bending over, catching his breath) Shut up!

Gwaine: (joking) On the bright side, maybe now I do have a chance with Merlin.

Arthur: (straights up again, a murderous look on his face)

Gwaine: (thinking) Me and my big mouth...

Arthur: (lunges at Gwaine in full rage)

Meanwhile, Percival finally arrives with Merlin in arms and Lancelot by his side.

Percival: (puts Merlin on the ground gently)

Knight y: (To Knight x) Ha! He's here. Pay me.

Knight x: (reluctantly pays him)

Merlin: (serious) Where is him?

Knights: (point in the direction of the fight)

Merlin: (walks as fast as he can there)

Knights: (step away to let him pass)

Percival: Sure, you can't let a broad man stop the fight, but the defenseless scrawny manservant that can barely stand on his feet is more than capable.

Lancelot: (to the knights) We are his friends. Let us pass.

Knights: (look doubtfully)

Lancelot: He may need reinforces. The prince won't forgive you if he gets injured.

Knights: (step aside)

Lancelot: (to Percival) Hurry!

Lancelot and Percival: (run)

Back to the fight.

Arthur: (on top of Gwaine, choking him on the ground with his hands)

Gwaine: (trying to push him away, in barely a whisper) I yield! I yield! You proved your point. Pleas... (can't pronounce a word anymore, trashes harder, he can't breath)

Arthur: (thinking, eyes cold) 278.

Gwaine: (his movements weaken, face almost purple)

Merlin: (screams) Stop! You are going to kill him!

Arthur: (lifts his head and gets off Gwaine, like getting out of a trance) Merlin?

Gwaine: (Takes a deep breath and coughs, his hands on his neck)

Percival: Gwaine! (kneels to check him, worried)

Merlin: (furious) What is the meaning of this?!

Arthur and Gwaine: (pointing at the other, Arthur in a loud voice and Gwaine in a hoarse voice) He started!

Merlin: (yelling) I don't care who started it! You are ending it. Now! (to the people who is around in a circle) What are you looking at? GO!

People gathered around: (disperse)

Merlin: (turns to Gwaine and Arthur, dead serious) We are going to Gaius now and I don't want to hear a single word from you until we are there. Do I make myself clear?

Arthur: Merl-

Gwaine: But he-

Merlin: (raises his voice) I said, do I make myself clear? 😠

Arthur and Gwaine: (nod effusively)

Merlin: (sighs, tired, and turns to Percival) Percival, help Gwaine. (to the knights) You, help your prince. (turns to Lancelot) Lancelot, carry me on your back.

Arthur: Why is Lancelot carrying you on his back? 😠

Merlin: BECAUSE I'M INDISPOSED! 😡 And you are not exactly fit to carry me right now.

Arthur: (tries to stand up) Of course I-Ow! (winces in pain)

Merlin: That's what I thought.

Arthur: (opens his mouth to protest)

Merlin: Not another word! (to the others) What are you waiting for?!

Everyone present: (hurry to do what Merlin said)

Percival: (whispers to Lancelot) I take back what I said about him being defenseless, he is scary.

Lancelot: (whispers back, smiling) You'll learn soon enough Merlin is not what everyone sees.

...

Arthur after his fight with Gwaine:

This Arthur is so full of red flags I swear xD

Any idea of what is going to happen next?

Tagging @aceauthorcatqueen , @fallenxjas , @smileytrinity , @lucifertookmyshoe @an-entity-i-think , @thecornerofbelu , @griffonskies , @odinjm , @cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu , @thelady-mary , @bennedict , @nightninjaboy , @st8-of-grace , @starrieisdelusional , @error-username-not-available , @dogberryrowan , @jamieweasley13 , @tansyuduri , @tercais , @robynnemrys , @evadne01 , @serasvictoria02 , @hairdryerducks , @curiously-lazy , @harriettesthings , @andrealux16 , @wacko-weirdo , @greatdonutenemy , @yougottobekittenme , @anxiousosaurus , @kinkforwings , @someweirdassnamee , @impracticalantlers , @miyriu , @hobipabo , @whitemaskcd , @bogslob , @braziiis , @rubinaitoart , @thebigoblin , @toomanyfanficsbruh , @farmboyprince , @nonsensefunsense , @slightly-psycho-multifan , @jxmimac , @anarchelsworld , @beepbeep-yeah , @faithiikins , @the-moons-undying-light

[uncannydevotion]

“ would you fall in love with me again? ”

a/n: someone sent in a request tht was for masky in relation to this song (epic the musical my beloved <3) but then it spiraled and i started thinking of other creepypastas w this song in mind and it became this so. so. so. yeah. i was gonna include more but i didn't wanna overwhelm myself so you only get these 3. weirdly turned into a sequel post for some of my other work?? somehow??

includes: masky, ticci toby, and homicidal liu.

warnings: purely self-indulgent, varying lengths, so many references to the song, mentions of murder, toby thinks of hurting the reader it's brief but idk heads up there, a lot of guilt and self-loathing, masky's part is technically a sequel to this post, and toby's part is vaguely a sequel to this post, lots of crying, many religious references in liu's part, attempted violence against reader in liu's part dw it's brief and not graphic, borderline unhealthy dependency in liu's part?? idk but the vibes are there i think.

MASKY

Two years. Two years had gone by since Slender wiped your memory of Masky. Two years since he was forced to leave you, forced to give up on the only thing that ever brought him happiness.

Two years, and you were standing right in front of him. And you remembered him. He doesn't know how, but you were looking at him with recognition in your eyes, his name falling from your lips.

His heart was racing so fast he thought he was dying, and his hands were shaking. It took everything in him to not run up to you, to not cling to you until he was certain you'd never leave.

He had been so sure that he'd never see you again. Truthfully, had he not been so utterly overjoyed seeing you, he would've been scared. When Slender finds out about this—and it will—it'll have you killed.

When he asked how you remembered, how you knew where he was, you smiled and told him that you didn't remember everything, just bits and pieces. But it had been enough to make you search him out, picking up on a trail he hadn't even realized he was leaving behind.

Honestly, Masky had dreamt of this moment far too many times. From the moment he left you behind, he would dream of reuniting with you. Dream of returning to your arms. It was hard to believe that this was real.

But he knew it was real.

Your touch felt far too warm to be fake as you gently took his mask off his face, revealing the tears staining his cheeks as he looked at you. He didn't even realize he was crying, he was just so caught up in the fact that he was with you.

Though his joy was short lived when he realized that this meant you knew what he was. A murderer, a cog in whatever machine Slender was running. He didn't deserve you. He didn't deserve your love, or your touch, or your smile.

He choked on his apology, barely able to get the words out as you pull him into a hug. He wants to tell you that you should just forget about him. Your life was probably easier with him gone, right? How could you ever fall in love with someone like him?

But all of his concerns seemed to go quiet with you here. Just this once... just this once he'll be selfish, and focus on the now.

TICCI TOBY

For as long as he can remember, Toby's felt as if he were missing something. He's never known what, but ever since Slender... took him in, it's felt as if a piece of him had disappeared. Or maybe he never felt whole? He... he can't remember.

Sometimes he'd have dreams. Dreams of his family, he thinks. A mom he can't remember, a father he murdered, a sister... did he have a sister? He doesn't know. He's not sure if he wants to know. But what he does know is that in some of his dreams, there's always someone else. Someone who isn't part of his family.

Someone who makes his heart ache when he wakes up. It's a confusing feeling, one that he finds himself loathing and clinging to at the same time. It's a feeling that reminds him that he's alive, at least.

A feeling he becomes unbearably aware of when he reunites with you in the forest. He was going to kill you. Wanted to kill you. But then you said his name, and so many memories came rushing back that he didn't know what to do.

So he scared you off.

But now, a few days after your less than friendly reunion, Toby wanted answers. You knew him, and he's sure he knew you. That's how he found himself lingering near the edge of the forest, hoping that maybe you'd come back.

And you must've wanted answers too, because you came back. You came back, and the conversation that followed was painfully awkward. He didn't apologize for trying to kill you. The urge was still there, really, and if you didn't have the answers he wanted, he'd probably give in to it.

According to you, you and Toby used to be friends. You had been in love with him, apparently, back when you were both younger. And strangely enough, Toby believed you. Something inside him told him he could trust you, something he didn't quite understand.

There was this fond expression on your face as you rambled off memories you had of him. He couldn't remember anything you were talking about, but it sounded familiar, and the look on your face had this tightness in his chest easing.

It was like he was home, in an odd way. He's not sure he's felt this content in a long time, just sitting here in the forest with you. There's this sick feeling of want in his chest as he looks at you, and it felt like he was going to suffocate because of it.

He doesn't even process the words he's spoken until you're looking at him with a shocked expression.

"Would you fall in love with me again?"

It was a stupid question. It was so fucking stupid, and he can't help but internally berate himself for asking it. How could you ever love him again? He tried killing you! He's killed more people than he can count, he's prone to violence, he's barely keeping himself together. How could you love someone like him?

But instead of you brushing the question off, you coax him into meeting your gaze, "I never stopped loving you."

And suddenly, the world didn't feel as lonely anymore.

HOMICIDAL LIU

Liu was never meant to fall in love with you, he thinks. You were like an angel, one he would never deserve. But meeting you, it made him realize that it was... okay to live, even just a little.

He's always been so caught up in hunting down Jeff, in trying to kill his own brother, that he's forgotten how to be a person. But you reminded him of that, like some sort of blessing from God.

He never knew what he was going to do once he finally killed his brother, but now he finds himself picturing a future with you. It seems a bit silly, especially since there's no telling whether or not he'd be able to deal with Jeff without dying himself, but...

It's a dream he finds himself thinking of often.

And Liu was, by no means, shy about his past with you. You knew everything, right down to the smallest little detail. The small things, like what his mother's favorite food was, and how he used to spend the weekends at his granddad's.

You knew everything. You knew that Liu was out to kill his brother, something he had admitted to you one night under the stars. He had been ashamed, the confession coming from him quietly, his hand tightly grasping yours, scared that you might shy away from him.

The fact that you didn't leave him meant everything, more than you'll ever know. You didn't condone murder, but you also understood that this was something he had to do. And you promised to be with him every step of the way.

Truly, a gift from God.

Which is why Liu could feel his head pounding, knife shaking in his hands. His chest was heaving, and he was only vaguely aware of the blood staining his clothes and skin as he stared down at the person he just murdered. Someone who tried to hurt you. He doesn't know the full story, all he knows if that their grip on you was too tight, the fear in your gaze making him see red.

He only really understands what he's done when he hears you saying his name. Tears were streaming down your face as you gently pried the knife out of his hand. Liu never killed. It was always Sully. Never him. Never. But this... this was him.

Liu just murdered someone. For you. Right in front of you. You... you witnessed it. Oh dear lord, what has he done? He barely registers the tears in his eyes, apologies spilling from his lips. He didn't apologize for committing the act, but he apologized for letting you see it.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to see that. You shouldn't--fuck--are you okay?"

There was a feeling of panic swelling up in his chest at the thought of you realizing how horrible of a person he truly is. The thought of you leaving had his throat closing up, and it was difficult trying to take in deep breaths. It was bad enough that he could feel Sully trying to take over, to spare him from the panic and stress.

Anything you were saying went unheard until he felt your hands cupping his cheek, forcing him to look at you. There was a look of determination in your eyes, and it's almost as if you knew where his thoughts were spiraling as you spoke.

"Nothing can make me leave you. I don't care if you kill thousands of people, I'd fall in love with you over and over again. I'm here, always."

And Liu can't help but cry. You were too good for him. He didn't deserve you. He'll never deserve you. But he clings to you.

God may never forgive him for his sins, but getting into Heaven didn't seem so important anymore as you pulled him into your arms.

[cynthiav06]

Does Percy ever have any trauma from Gabe?

I mean, in Tartarus, he says it smells like Gabe and I cannot fail to acknowledge his self-esteem issues which Gabe contributed to, but I mean more specific trauma like hating beer and gambling, etc. Something like that?

Percy has suffered due to Gabe for a long time, which contributes quite a lot to his trauma. You see, Rirodan was writing a children's book, and he didn't want to go down too many uncomfortable details, but the signs were there. A lot of them. And despite the canon's inconsistencies, Gabe is at least mentioned in accurate context every small time that he is referenced.

Rick, however, just to be safe, makes Percy's personality so that Percy avoids thinking of Gabe, and rightfully so. Let's take this slow. Because two important things, Percy's situation in the first book and all his issues are due to Gabe and, of course, he carries forward trauma from those situations, so what are they?

1.

Physical abuse is a part that is usually glossed over by the readers to some extent, even though it's in the first book. What I am trying to say is it is always acknowledged that Percy was abused, but rarely does the fandom go down the rabbit hole of specifics. If you see it once, you won't stop seeing it.

Gabe has both verbally and physically abused Percy so much that he has an extreme amount of self-esteem issues and a self-depreciating personality.

Not only did Gabe abuse Percy, but he also made Percy work part-time jobs or side hustles just to get extra money from Percy. Mind you, Percy was barely 12 in the first book, probably still 11, and this had been going for a while.

2.

If that wasn't enough Gabe controlled the budget of the family, not allowing Sally to spend more than he allowed and he splurged most money gambling so Percy grew up in very poor conditions but was sent to boarding schools with rich people which led to a lot of bullying from their end. Since Percy fought back, he somehow earned the per usual misnomer of being a troubled kid.

Cue all his expulsions. Some may be due to monster business, but most were definitely due to Percy fighting against bullies. Why is that notable? This is the start of Percy's anger issues. Percy has a lot of repressed anger from home due to Gabe and not being able to fight him (he hasn't tapped into his power yet, at least not enough of it). Plus, the bullies and horrible living conditions all contribute to Percy's attitude.

3.

Now, if you remember, in Book 1, Gabe threatens Percy severely so that he won't harm his car. But Percy was 12, and he himself says he wasn't going to be driving, but that wouldn't stop Gabe from blaming him. This means Gabe blamed Percy for everything, relevant or otherwise. We can see this in Percy's behavior when he immediately correlates every mistake as his fault and is always reflexively seen taking the blame for everything, even those that weren't his fault.

This scene actually creates a nice parallel against that scene in Book 5 where Percy is on a drive with Rachel in Paul's car and he is very suprised that Paul himself offered the car to him and didn't even impose any rules on Percy. He is however very worried when Blackjack dents the car because even though Paul is not Gabe, Percy has this natural fear against him at least subconsciously but is also very suprised when Paul doesn't get at all angry over the dent. It's such a sweet moment for Percy; he gets to learn how good fathers are.

3.

You mentioned gambling and drinking. Percy shows great dislike for the game in book 1, but he is forced to play cause of Dionysus. He's relatively good at it but doesn't play because he associates the game with Gabe. Same for alcohol. There's a line in the book where Percy says he knows how to recognize when others have been drinking or, as Percy calls it, hitting the happy juice. Obviously, alcohol makes Percy uncomfortable in itself, and he immediately dislikes Dionysus because he is a drunkard and a poker player along with a build similar to Gabe, which makes Percy naturally dislike him greatly. It doesn't help that Dionysus is a complete asshole but his initial natural dislike of Mr. D is due to Gabe.

4.

We all joke about how Percy is a fugitive and known terrorist in tons of states. This is all Gabe's fault. Percy gets in such problems with the law all due to Gabe and how he set literally every police department possible on Percy's trail. Now Percy, being Percy, he manipulates the officers to get on their good side, but he obviously still has problems with the law due to this entire fiasco.

The fandom likes to say that Percy got all his dark aura after Tartarus, but Percy has literally had killing intent since he was 12. One of his first lines in the book is "I am going to kill her" in reference to Nancy Bobofit. He gets gut punched by the realization that Gabe has been hitting his Mom. Gabe literally raised his hand against Sally in front of Percy in book 1. You can't tell me Percy recovered from that. He thinks then too of pulling Riptide and killing Gabe but realizes it wouldn't work on Gabe. Now Percy, who almost always means exactly what he says when talking to people, calls Gabe 'human by the loosest definition.' A 12 year old thinks that you can imagine how bad the situation was.

After Book 1, Rick heavily avoids mentioning abuse in his book cause he is trying to write for kids, but it shows.

Percy thinks of Gabe when he first accidentally iris messages in on one of his Mom's and Paul's dates. Percy is immediately suspicious, which is obviously why Sally hadn't told him anything before this. She wasn't completely sure about Paul, and she also didn't want Percy to worry. When Percy sees her laugh with Paul, he thinks of how much trouble his Mom went through with Gabe.

This is important because after Book 1 when Percy finally learns why Sally kept Gabe around in his head he twists the narrative as his Mom suffered Gabe, not that both he and Sally but only Sally suffered Gabe and why? To protect him. He BLAMES himself for something that's obviously completely not his fault. But in his head, he ends up masking his own pain and considering only Sally's pain valid. This is why Percy doesn't talk to anyone about Gabe and also why everyone thinks Gabe was a bit of a jerk but not an abuser. We literally see PERCY DO THIS TO HIMSELF. Same thing in The Last Olympian. Same thing in Mark of Athena. He talks about how his Mom suffered by staying in the awful marriage, not about himself.

5.

Now the famous House of Hades scene. See Tartarus draws out negative emotions and experiences and worst nightmares of a person to feast on. This is very telling because despite the endless life-death situations Percy has been in ,he thinks of Gabe. Because to Percy, self suffering is no suffering at all. But his Mom suffering is the worst of all. Now Annabeth obviously doesn't get the cue because she has no idea about how Percy lived in his past. While it is true that Annabeth cannot be held responsible for not getting why Percy brought up Gabe in Tartarus and took it as Percy making a joke; a case can be made against Annabeth's lack of initiative to learn more about Percy's life before all this. I digress as that's a completely different discussion. Point stands is that Percy is so unbelievably broken yet loyal that he doesn't even consider his own pain valid.

The next mention of Gabe is directly in Chalice of the Gods. Percy rather openly thinks how much he hated family dinners with Gabe. Also, he has a very nice conversation with Sally soon after he recovers from being turned into a child, where he talks about how powerless being a child felt and how afraid he was. I am certain that the implications indicate at both monsters and Gabe and how a young Percy had been very afraid of both situations but more of Gabe than monsters. Go figure.

It's plenty clear how much trauma Percy has from Gabe and how much he has trained his mind to either avoid it or redirect it elsewhere lest he regress into bitterness and anger issues.

It's probably longer than you expected, but I like systematic exploration of points, hence the long rant. I have done my best to break it down, so it's easier to follow. Also, I am very, very happy for this ask as I really love to explore Percy's personality and Percy's powers. Feel free to send me more along this line of thought.

@fourcornersofcreation ,@hermesmyplatonicbeloved, @helenofsparta2 , @ogjacksonsimp, and @berrybore have all also made posts exploring some of Percy's trauma and they will probably have things to add as well. So please check their posts on this topic as well in case I missed anything.

[tuptastic]

watcher!xisuma headcanon headcanons (links to the initial post!)

Xisuma keeps forgetting he doesn't have wings anymore every time he tries to engage in any form of wing gesture or language and has to pause to think. Made worse by the fact he used to have two sets of them.

However being raised by winged folk very much means he finds comfort in wings so sometimes when he's stressed out a winged servermate will find him to cover him up and help comfort him and help him calm down

Barely anyone remembers what he used to look like before his code was reset and he took on his Admin-form. Xisuma himself doesn't remember. It's almost like the code reset to let him exist with his players really tried to get rid of all of him...

There is absolutely nowhere he can technically safely breathe. While he won't die straight away in some atmospheres, which is why he can sometimes get away with just a lower mask for his lungs, he wasn't meant to exist in his current form and the world is really just out to get him the majority of the time. Too much prolonged exposure to the air can cause him a lot of pain and glitches that are difficult to repair or that hurt.

Xisuma has a Binary Form, which is related to his code reset (he is one of a few who has this form). It's technically his actual appearance, with his player-model being cast overtop of it due to the blank-slate of the Binary Form. It is an all-white humanoid figure with three sets of eyes (Xisuma has two on his left and one on his right), beetle-like wings that hover behind their back, and a waist, neck, and elbows detached and reconnected by 'tubes' containing binary code. Xisuma's also has pointed ears, as does his player model, his facial scar, and a large scar across the chest from damage he took from the coding reset. In this form he's extremely quick, but has very low defenses and hit tolerance and can be taken down fairly easily, and is unable to wear armor in this form due to its unstable nature. It's because of this he chooses to use the cover of his player model, which, while it takes energy to maintain, keeps him safer and better protected.

Hermitcraft's first watcher, Poppy, had a world before hermitcraft that she lost to a world corruption. Because of the extreme way in which she lost her players, she chose for a long period of time to separate herself from them and not to allow herself to interact directly with them.

Almost all of Poppy's nicknames for Xisuma involve some variation of "little xyz". The most common are "little galaxy" and "little bird", though the second has become more of a fond recollection over time as he, well, no longer has wings unless he loses his player model cover.

Ex formed when Xisuma's player model reset. It was difficult for them at first to figure each other out, but the two are fairly close, even if it doesn't seem like it. They like to spend time (elytra, lmao too many wings here) flying together (even if sometimes they end up knocking each other out of the sky). Poppy is very fond of him. Her son and his weird twin brother he dragged home one day out of the trash.

hermitcraft eventually deals with conflict from a rogue watcher specifically related to Poppy and her previous world. It is incredibly rough and in the process of her trying to get rid of them a secondary world corruption almost occurs, and a LOT more. (I'd tell more about how that goes, but I want to save it for some artwork and maybe some writing (and gauge interest in seeing this event lol)

Im having a good time

[bugisastranger]

a/n: prompt once again from @scealaiscoite | i haven't written for steve rogers (or watched any of his movies) since like 2021 so this is all off memory. third installment of my valentine's day series <3

"you're telling me you really have nowhere better to be than here today?"

steve says as the elevator doors open, taking a few steps forward. he turns, about to reach for the button, when he realizes you're going to the same floor.

"you're here, too. i don't wanna hear it."

"yeah, well.. i'm still figuring all this out," steve says, his smirk barely noticeable. he leans against the wall of the elevator, which suddenly feels smaller than you'd remembered.

"is that what you've been doing?" you couldn't remember the last time steve mentioned seeing someone, if he ever had.

"yes."

you hum in response, letting his answer settle into the silence. and then you think... "i could teach you." that's not the right thing to say, is it? "sorry, i meant—i meant that i could be like a consultant. help you out. plenty of girls must be fawning over captain america."

steve scoffs. "that's the problem, though. isn't it? i'm just a guy." the elevator doors open with a ding and he waits for you to exit first. "i appreciate the offer."

he walks down the hallway beside you, and you start to realize this is the most you've ever really talked to steve about himself. "i'm sure someone can look past the red, white, and blue."

"can you?" he counters, holding open the glass door for you. it's a serious question, but he asks it like he already knows the answer—that you can't.

"sure, i can."

steve stops, grabbing your arm lightly to make you look up at him. "okay. what do you see?" you see that his hair is blonder than you remember. you see all the details in his eyes, the different shades of blue.

"i see a guy," you say. he drops his hand from your arm, smiling and looking to the side.

"touché."

you remember what you're here for, to work. but steve seems stuck in this conversation, so you are too. it's not unfamiliar that you're so drawn to him, but there's something more today, like he's magnetic. "what do you see in me?"

there's an almost awkward silence as he looks at you, almost studying your features. it's clear that he's thinking something, that he has a real answer, but he says, "a romance consultant."

"wow. that's all?" you chuckle, leaning against the wall.

"no, i..." he starts. his hands move from his pockets up to his hips, and it seems like he's trying to decide whether or not to continue. then, he catches your eyes, and that seems to make the decision for him. "i see someone too good to be spending valentine's day alone."

"well, you're here. i'm not exactly alone."

"you know that's not what i meant."

"i know. i'm just saying, i don't have to be. alone, i mean."

"i don't have flowers or anything." it almost sounds like an apology, like he should've foreseen this, even if there was no way to.

"that's okay. your company is enough."

"you should be getting flowers." he takes a step closer. "and chocolate." and he takes another step. "and... i don't know, what do people do on valentine's day? go to dinner? get jewelry?"

"they kiss."

"is that what you want?"

you nod, and steve throws caution to the wind. before you can blink, one of his hands is on your waist, the other holding the side of your head. he doesn't give you an opportunity to reconsider, his lips are pressed against yours like he's been waiting a lifetime for this moment. when he pulls away, it feels like you'd been kissing for ages, but then it feels like you'd only been kissing for seconds. his breathing is labored, and you can see red in his cheeks.

"was that your first kiss since 1945?"

"i'm not answering that."

"oh, come on," you pester, bringing your hand up to the side of his face, which seems to do the trick.

"yes."

"really?"

"yes, really."

"it didn't seem like it."

"well, i guess if you put enough heart into something you can fool anyone." his words make your heart practically soar out of your chest. 'if you put enough heart into something'. you wonder if he planned for that to sound the way it did. you could feel his passion in the kiss, but to hear him imply that it actually means something to him is something else entirely.

"although, now that you mention it... maybe i could tell. kiss me again?"

"i will, but that is so corny."

[differenteagletragedy]

In which Soap's significant other/spouse dies unexpectedly :(

“Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

It was a question Johnny had been asked countless times over the years: in hushed, anxious tones by his mother in visits home, when she still held onto hopes that her son would pick a safer life, and in slurred, almost voyeuristic voices from girls he’d pick up in bars.

And the answer was always no. An easy, thoughtless no, because he wasn’t, not really.

Now, as he stands in front of the mirror of the bedroom you used to share until you were taken from him, he realizes why.

The hard part isn’t in dying. If something were to happen to him on the field, it would likely be quick — a gunshot, an explosion, with no time to think about what it would mean to no longer exist. And even if his last moments were drawn out, there would be an ending to it in sight. A clear cap on whatever suffering there would be.

No, the hard part wasn’t in the idea of leaving this world. It was in being left.

Johnny takes a breath, tugging up the pants of his dress uniform -- the only nice clothes he had, and the ones he'd wear to bury you.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, and the weight of that knowledge threated to drag him down, so hard and heavy that he wasn't sure he'd be able to carry it. After he fell in love with you, really let himself fall and feel it, it broke his heart to know that someday he might die on you. Thoughts of your sweet, beautiful face, crumped and lined with tears when someone told you he'd never be coming home would flicker in his mind during missions sometimes, always unwelcome. They haunted him.

It never even crossed his mind that he'd be the one on the other side.

He shrugs on his jacket, lines still crisp from when he'd hung it up in the back of the closet after moving in with you, and quickly does up the buttons and tugs it into place. He looks at his reflection, but it's all wrong. Who gives a fuck about medals and ribbons and how nicely the seams are pressed when he's never going to hear your laugh again?

But it's not just that, the awkward formality of it all -- his eyes come up to his hair, too. He's always liked the mohawk (obviously he has, or he wouldn't have kept it this long), but seeing it now feels almost shameful in a way that doesn't necessarily make sense but still burns.

He's in the bathroom, decked out his dress blues with clumps of dark hair lining the sink, when Simon comes in.

Johnny barely remembers this -- some plans made at some point in the last week for Simon to come help him with everything. Did he give him a key, has he been locking the door? Ever since he got the news, things have been happening in waves of clarity and a strange foggy dissonance, so he can't be sure what's real, or if it matters.

The deep, familiar tone of Simon's voice as he says his name though ... that feels real. The feeling of his fingers brushing against his chest as he unbuttons his jacket and carefully dusts it off, countless tiny hairs falling to the floor, that's crystal clear.

Johnny's own voice sounds further away, a rush of words coming out that barely registers in his mind. "Feels like a fucking joke," he tells Simon, but what he's talking about, he's not exactly sure.

Simon tells him a number of things, rattling them off in clipped, calm sentences, enough to start to push through the fog, and he doesn't fight it when he takes the clippers from his hand and spins him around, saying something about cleaning him up.

"Just get through the day," his lieutenant tells him over the buzzing. It almost sounds like an order, and Johnny, ever the good soldier, gives an affirmative hum, like it's possible.

When Simon finishes with the clippers, he grabs Johnny's jacket again, holding it out for him to put back on, and when he does, he rebuttons it for him. He systematically goes over the insignia, strong, steady hands making sure everything is in order, and Johnny could almost weep at the small relief of not having to worry about one more thing.

But more than that, Simon's hands feel like an anchor, like a tangible weight holding him to now. There's warmth radiating from his body, and it's not like yours -- he doesn't think he'll ever be able to find a warmth like yours again -- but it's there. It's something, and after days of wallowing in your empty home, smelling your pillow and cradling your clothes and letting himself cry in a way that he hasn't since he was a child, it's a hell of a lot better than nothing.

"You ready?"

Simon's words are phrased like a question, but Johnny picks up on the tone -- another order. It's time.

And he's not ready, not even close. His stomach turns at the thought of seeing your lifeless body laid out in a casket in clothes he picked, and everything in him is screaming, telling him to run, far and fast and hard, from all of this.

But, as always, he's been hardwired to obey his superiors. So instead, he nods.

The funeral is unbearable, but somehow, Johnny bears it. And later, when the grief has settled into an old achy wound instead of bared nerves burning, he'll know that it was because of Simon. Because of his presence beside him, an occasional hand on his shoulder, calloused and sure, that kept him tethered to him when all he wanted to do was float away.

[k0nanharv3y]

Robin Hood Au

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

///

In fact, it all starts with a message

"I need help"

A number known but not added

"Young Detective. Is good to hear from you again"

Tim knew what he was doing, he had proof, he just... he just needed help

"Batman is alive"

Because he was. Batman was still alive

And Tim was willing to sign a deal with the devil to prove it

///

The next few months were tough, he never imagined following his parents' legacy of traveling the world looking for specific artifacts to prove something

To prove that Batman was alive. Every night, he would look up at the sky and mentally note the stars he couldn't see from Gotham. Every day, he would get up and search for more proof. Ra's always spoke to him with satisfaction in his voice, for having won, for having Tim at his disposal, for having power over the one who managed to defeat him

And Tim knew he wasn't getting out of there. He knew that even if he brought Batman back (which he would, it's not an "if" it's a "when"), Batman would be more focused on getting better, on his family, he wouldn't... he wouldn't give a shit if the guy who brought him to this time was safe

He never cared, he never would, Tim had made peace with that, he would never have anyone, and Tim was okay with that

And then he saved the League of Assassins frome the Spiders, and... And he brought Batman back. He sent every single piece of evidence to the Justice League and to the Batcave... and yes, Ra's was creepy, and he had his spleen somewhere in these complexes that imprisoned him, but... it wasn't that bad, was it? He had support, he had security, food, a bathroom, every need was met...

And maybe if he told himself that enough, he would convince himself that this wasn't so bad

And then Ra's began to want him as his heir, he began to be more intolerable, more authoritarian, more imposing, more possessive, more... Evil. And Tim could only think of escape, of running away, of how this was wrong. And... and he did

Holding the dagger that Ra's himself gave him

He managed to finish this

Feeling the blood run down and stain his sandals

He could escape, he could flee, the League was no longer a threat to him

His hands trembled, still remembering the smoothness with which the dagger had slid across the skin

For no one, actually

Anyone who entered would have a sublime spectacle

Ra's was gone

Ra's was dead

And now Talia was in charge

Because his father was murdered at the hands of the one who would be his heir

The woman looked at him impressed, before nodding and putting her hands on the boy's bare shoulder

"You are allowed to go, Young Detective, your debts have been settled with me"

Tim shivered until he let out a sigh and the next thing was a blur. Because he was in Gotham now, with different clothes and the dagger weighing pounds in his pocket. He doesn't understand why Talia let him go, he doesn't understand how he's in Gotham, he doesn't understand what he's doing in Drake Manor

The lawn is trimmed like the day Tim left, the house looks clean from the outside, and the “For Sale” sign is covered by “Sold” tape

His chest sags as he scales the wall with a muscle memory that makes him dizzy and wanders to the tree beside the window that led to his room and stands still in his place

The adrenaline that has been running through his system for years seems to run out as soon as his hands touch the bark and he collapses on the grass

And now what's next?

He wonders after spending hours curled up in the tree. Feeling like the 9-year-old boy who was going to stalk Batman and Robin with a camera

What is his next big mission?

And for the first time, his mind seems quiet

///

Part 5?????

[no-psi-nan]

hsfjdlshfks some disagreements with your disagreements (friendly) (philosopher discussion at the Greek forum style)

While the Hairo x Nendo bit was clearly labeled noncanon silliness, there WAS an entire chapter dedicated to "does Hairo is gay" that turned up ZERO evidence to the contrary. Also his primary gag is having his bare ass out. Hairo being gay is pretty heavily implied (in a bit of a homophobic way lbr) if not outright canon imo.

Yeah Saiki definitely does not want to deal with the idea of his dad being attracted to Teruhashi. And we all know he's king of denial and repression lol.

Not sure what you mean about Saiki's hypnosis, unless you're referring to that particular bit of canon-contradictory fanon that Saiki is using hypnosis to somehow change people's perceptions of him despite a) hypnosis being basically a simple illusion, and b) him not being able to use hypnosis on himself at all.

It's not totally clear what level of devotion Teruhashi inspires but it seems to be, at minimum, parasocial relationship with a celebrity strength but instantly. Kuboyasu literally thought about tattooing her name on his arm despite showing very little interest in women in general.

I didn't say that Saiki instantly falls in love with Teruhashi upon losing his powers but that he becomes susceptible to her beauty. As much as he whines about his X-ray vision, he can still see perfectly fine for about 3 seconds, blink, and then see perfectly fine for another 3 seconds, and so on. He's had like 6 years to scrutinize Teruhashi but doesn't because he's just not very attracted to women, by his own admission. However, when he loses his powers, now he's staring at her for so long that she almost dies lmfao. The timing is suspicious! And remember that Teruhashi's effect seems to diminish the more a person hangs out with her personally — Saiki is THAT affected by her beauty while powerless even after being in her vicinity for 6 years and knowing her better than anyone else. It's not explicitly *canon* that powerless Saiki is weak to Teruhashi's beauty but it's not NOT canon.

I don't know that Teruhashi actually does a lot of good in the world. Sure, guys cheer up when they see her, but does that change their attitude towards the other people in their lives? It certainly isn't as peace-keeping a power as Teruhashi believes it is, if it drove those 2 guys to try killing Saiki. But Teruhashi only sees dudes smiling at her and not the cult meetings where they purge people they perceive as being too close to her, so her narration is very much unreliable when it comes to the effects of her powers.

Also a story prompt that occurred to me while originally writing this post: Saiki losing his vision during some act of heroism and terusai where Teruhashi has to completely change her perception of self-worth based on beauty since now it truly means nothing to Saiki, plus her learning to understand other people's needs as she tries to help Saiki with his newest disability.

I mean, this still doesn't eliminate the potential dubcon of her power over God/luck, but it comes pretty close and allows for a lot of character growth on her side lol.

I'm not a fan of soulmates in romantic fiction because it's basically arranged marriage with extra supernatural noncon/dubcon elements.

However, in the Saiki universe, the soulmate connection seems to lack pretty much all of those problematic elements.

We have to do a little extrapolating from what we see in canon since this aspect of Aiura's powers is not covered in detail, but:

Soulmates do not seem to be guaranteed to ever meet, considering the fact that Aiura specifically looked up her soulmate and that one guy who was linked to someone in a remote African village that would almost certainly never cross paths with him.

Being with your soulmate is completely optional, otherwise Aiura wouldn't bother providing relationship scoring and just tell each person to go find their soulmate. This allows for a lot of narrative opportunities to explore why someone would consciously choose to not be with their soulmate, and also opens up the door for polyamory.

Soulmates do not instantly fall in love, and are not forced to stay in love by any supernatural powers. Aiura didn't think anything of Saiki until he flawlessly saved Yumehara's life like 10x in a row, and Saiki certainly didn't fall for Aiura right away either. They fought over their values strongly enough that it would've been a breakup if they'd ever been together.

Soulmate status just seems to indicate particularly good chemistry, and like the rest of Aiura's powers, is purely informational and not determinative. Presumably soulmates have the highest possible compatibility scores, and it's kinda cool that it seems guaranteed there's at least 1 person out there who will jive with you, but also plenty of other people you can connect with to various degrees.

With Saiki and Aiura specifically, it's shown that Saiki can change the future Aiura sees as soon as he hears about it. It may even be possible for him to change the soulmate determination, and he certainly could've used Time Leap to fool Aiura into thinking someone else was her soulmate if he was really opposed to the concept. She had scryed it recently, so the butterfly effect shouldn't be a challenge.

But they do work so smoothly together with their powers complementing each other, and Saiki is kind of a lonely romantic tsundere at heart, so it makes sense that he would let the soulmate thing play out and yet test the connection by pushing Aiura away as much as possible.

Actually, considering that Saiki can't control people's actions directly (and that he sucks at trying to control people indirectly), the strongest noncon/dubcon force in the Saikiverse shockingly appears to be Teruhashi's beauty.

The only male character that doesn't seem at all affected by Teruhashi's powers is Hairo, most likely because of his heavily implied homosexuality. Women attracted to other women are also impacted by her power, as seen with Aiura.

While Saiki says that married people aren't affected by Teruhashi, Kuniharu does actually show several signs of being affected by Teruhashi, and so does Kumagoro.

All affected people instantly fall in love with her on sight, no exceptions.

Critical thinking ability appears to drop precipitously when it comes to her, with her fans accepting that she had a secret child with Saiki despite being in school with her every day and that she can just choose not to poop for a week. More effective mind control than anything Saiki can do tbh.

The instant Saiki loses some of his powers, he starts being affected by Teruhashi's beauty.

The narrative supports Saiki's theory that Teruhashi is literally favored by God and can affect reality just by hoping for something. The implication that God is (physically??) attracted to Teruhashi and does whatever she wants is.... yikes on several levels. If she asks for someone to love her, do they get a choice in the matter??

Anyways, there are way more elements of noncon/dubcon with Teruhashi ships than there are with actual canon soulmate mechanics in the Saikiverse and that's just such a wild choice by the author lol.

Truly subverting tropes!

[wrencatte]

7. “No. No, stop. Stop talking like that. You’re gonna be fine.”

With Merrin and Cal please :3

Thanks for the prompt!

"Mer," Cal chokes, bloodied hand flailing until he snags her sleeve. She goes to pull away, only stopping when he wheezes her name our again, wet and thick, more blood bubbling the corner of his mouth. Now that he has her attention, he doesn't seem to know what to do with it, tugging on her sleeve, mouth opening and closing like a beached fish gasping for air. Merrin's shoulders hunch, her hands shaking, some terrible certainty making a home in her chest as she watches him struggle to stay awake, to stay aware, pale eyelashes fluttering rapidly, his chest jerking. "Mer-rin," he says again, barely a whisper.

She gives in finally, wrapping a hand around his, gently uncurling his fingers so she can clasp them between her palms. They're cold and limp. She remembers half a dozen instances in this same position because Cal Kestis never learned how to put himself first. People have called his single-mindedness selfish. Once or twice she accused him of the same, but she eventually learned that to even be selfish one needs a sense of self, and Cal has never truly believed himself to be a person enough to have that sense.

"T-Tell Greez," he mumbles. The thought abandons him. His brows furrow. Merrin shakes her head before she even registers her denial. "C-Cere...Tell, tell C-Cere..."

"You can tell her yourself," Merrin says. They should be here any minute (please) with BD-1 leading the way. "I will not be your messenger, Cal Kestis. Not like this."

His distant gaze comes somewhat closer. His fingers twitch. "I'm glad I met you," he breathes out. The words are speckled red. The haze of death drapes heavier. Merrin sweeps it away again, burning the frayed edges until the shroud recedes - a little less this time. "Merrin..."

"No. No, stop. Stop talking like this. You are going to be fine." Merrin ignores the way her voice quivers. Ignores how she does not believe it herself. But for as long as she has known Cal, he has been steadfast and unrelenting, and she can not allow him to give up now. Not when he promised to show her a proper ocean to make up for the one on Nur. "You will be fine," she says firmly around the coldness in her chest.

"Will be - fine," he repeats weakly, the corner of his mouth twitching in the ghost of a smile. "Of course," he says with surprising surety. "Have you."

Merrin closes her eyes against the sting of tears and bows her head, pressing their clasped hands to her forehead. "Stubborn, foolish Jedi," she says helplessly. Cal just sighs in response, unable to give strength to whatever nonsense he wants to waste his energy on next. "Hold on just a little longer."

She does not cry when she hears Cere call their names, but it is a near thing.

[martianbugsbunny]

the way my heart was actually racing during this scene, they ate this up

[mycroftrh]

Okay this didn't get notes but I'm still fascinated by the idea because

This is an incredibly feminine-coded use of power. He's not using his money, not directly using his social power, not using his fists or his combat abilities, not using any masculine form of dominance. He's casually ruining a family's lives by acting as a femme fatale. (Which is much harder for Gotham's elite to fight against.)

The experience of being that prep kid is one of unsettling and probably traumatizing psychological horror, yeah, but the flipside of the psychological horror is the odd heartwarmingness. Because Bruce has been the weird, bullied orphan at Gotham's snootiest school. And by god none of his kids are gonna be. It doesn't matter how petty the schoolyard argument was, he is fully ready and willing to go completely nuclear and ruin the lives of the Gotham elite because their kid called his kid a mean name.

It's also worth noting that, while he's leveraging his social power in an extremely feminine way, Bruce is leveraging it. On the one hand, he's taking advantage of his reputation as a dim slut, to give himself plausible deniability and make it impossible for people to reasonably blame him. But, on the other hand, he's also the Prince (Princess) of Gotham, and he's throwing that weight around like nobody's business. That hedge fund manager, that member of the Court of Owls, that Old Money "I went to a gala with the President's daughter last week" asshole who thinks he's untouchable - Bruce Motherfucking Wayne steps in and says no. In this city? I'm the Prince. I am at the absolute top of the social hierarchy. I just generally choose to exercise noblesse oblige. (You went to a gala with the President's daughter? Good for you - guess who was hosting that gala, and guess who the President's daughter went home with that night?)

I'm also intrigued by the, like… the generational trauma, the unspoken fear of Gotham's elite. Because yeah, at any given moment, you can laugh condescendingly at Brucie tripping over his own feet and spilling champagne all over Lex Luthor's $700,000 suit. But also… at least one person in that room has had their family life ruined by him on what barely amounts to more than a whim. You know too the families that aren't there, you know Malcolm Roswell was the hottest up and coming thing last year before the messy divorce and scandal and lawsuit and he'll never show his face at one of these events again. Maybe you're one of those kids, grown up, and you laugh at idiot Brucie Wayne but also there's a little child part of you that remembers that look and remembers what happened afterwards, and also a part of you wondering how many other people here have experienced that, too.

Imagine being a student at Gotham’s most snooty school. You get into a fight with a Wayne kid and he looks dead into your eyes - there’s something about the look that chills you to the bone - and says “My dad’s gonna fuck your mom and give her a child she’ll actually love.” Maybe you laugh uncomfortably and walk it off. Maybe you punch him in the nose.

A week later you’ve almost forgotten it, either way. Until you hear a clatter in the hall in your snooty house. You open your bedroom door, and there is Bruce Wayne, drunk, stumbling over furniture, doing the most obvious Walk of Shame you have ever seen. Suddenly he cuts off mid-giggle and turns to you. A familiar shade of lipstick is smeared over his face as his eyes cut into your soul. It’s a look you know. It’s a look you felt last week and may now never forget. And you know. This is your fault.

this is an experience dozens of Gotham preps have had over the course of generations

[qoldenskies]

How bad are Donnie's memory issues really? It's kind of vaguely explained but how much as he actually forgotten about everything pre-curse?

i think there's a lot of significant gaps in,,, uhhh everything, its retrograde dissociative amnesia. things are really patchy and memories kind of randomly surface in and out, its really upsetting for him considering all of the gaslighting. really its because he tried to convince himself that to an extent this was always happening, so he kind of shut down and stored all of the happy memories he had with his family elsewhere. they're still there, just deeply buried.

the scene before the finale of CL was mostly meant to be there to draw contrast, its hard to say how much of it he actually remembers. especially after the whole murder attempt which was extremely traumatic for him.

cant know what you dont know, and they cant really know what and what he doesn't remember either. it was kind of wild rewatching the show again a little while ago because i was just sitting there and thinking about how cc donnie just does not remember so many of the shenanigans he got into LOL

he tried so hard to convince himself that it wasnt real and that this is and has always been his life. and even then his memories of the past 4-5 months or so are pretty spotty too, especially around the last month or so of the curse. he checked the fuck out after his room was destroyed and really only came online when he was in immediate danger, tbh

[kumakuma-circus]

y'know my friend pointed it out once and it is kinda weird to me: why is mitsuo's boss theme (revelations: mitsuo/shin mitsuo tensei) in golden based on i'll face myself -battle- and not a new world fool (or a more generic boss theme like reach out to the truth)?? only party members' shadows and marie/kusumi-no-okami use that theme- i guess you could argue it's just the theme for shadows as a whole since mitsuo's the only non-party member whose shadow you fight (ignoring adachi technically being his shadow also-) but. weird choice i feel like-

[heirbane]

I was yelling at bree incoherently earlier and was really sitting here thinking about how Gaius really has just... always been the way he is. As long as he can remember.

He barely had time as a child to be just that. After his father died, he seamlessly stepped into being the head of the household. With his mother being beside herself and still a young adult by anyone's standards, Gaius had to quickly learn how to do what his father had done: provide.

And when he saw how his mother began to unravel, begging his infant brother to be quiet and stop fussing, overwhelmed and alone - he learned what not to do, too.

Gaius doesn't remember crying when his brother was laid to rest. He can't say he truly knows when he died, just that the house finally became quiet but they did not heal. The solace his mother begged for had come, and it only made her worse.

He knew what he had to be. He knew what he couldn't be.

(He doesn't remember crying when she died, either, half a decade into his military service. He was suns shy of adulthood, and her death felt like a mercy, a balm: finally. Finally. Maybe peace would find her. Maybe peace could find him, too.)

With the death of his own children, and the memory of how his brother's death had turned his mother into a ghost, Gaius is lost on how to grieve in a way that feels proper. He remembers his mother, curled up in her marital bed, blankets covering her like the corpse she wished to be.

He remembers her quietly weeping, there in body but not in spirit, and calling for her, a man lost at sea with not a thing to save him.

He remembers himself, and he sees Allie, and the grief and torment is enough to flay him alive.

Peace had found his mother, he hoped.

Maybe peace would find him, yet another call into the void, a whisper in the dark, the weight of it all crushing him alive.