#calling for other apprentices to come and interact

[greystend]

When Jason die, he becomes a ghost in the Infinite Realms.

A ghost kid, with a literature obsession and a Justice core, a big smile and robin's wings.

At first, his memory is a little blury and confusing, but by fulfilling his core's needs, he gains it back bit by bit.

He stills can't remember how he died, but he can't let Batman (who's also perhaps his dad ?) fight alone ! It's not like this other guy (who's such a dick he can't even remember calling him by any other name) will help the hero, so Jason needs to go back !

Except... apparently, ghosts don't have a lot of power, in the living world. And even if Jason's pretty powerful for a new dead, it's not enought without a ectoplasm source. The only way he will be able to interact is by possessing someone.

And even that is limited, at some point his host body will reject his spirit.

But there still a body, out there, that's perfect for him and won't reject him : his own cadaver.

So he decides to learn how to heal, to heal his body back in living condition. Or at least, in apparence.

He goes to the Far Frozen and apprentice under FrostBit. Even helping a few times with Phantom's half human part, so he can practice on a living body !

And he feeds his core by going after the people who hurted his patients, so he keeps gaining his memory back.

The day he remembers his death, he has a mental break down and execute his plan without waiting to be really prepared.

He goes to his tombstone (Jason Todd ? Why not Jason Todd-Wayne ? Why in the cimeter, with that disgrace of a biological mother and not in the Wayne family plot ?), heal all the damages and the decay he can find, and possess the body.

Except, in his state, he forgets something really important.

He healed all the things he could see, yes, but brain damage isn't visually detectable.

Once in his body, he's really confused, having barely enought consciousness to realize he needs to get out of the tomb and how.

From there, it's the canon, except the Lazarus Water is normal extoplasm and helps him regain a few memories so he start instinctively healing his brain. But so much ectoplasm after so much time starving intensify a lot all the ghost traits, and his Justice Core makes him completly unhinged at the idea of his murderer still free and runing around.

Years later, Danny & co needs a healer, but can't go to the Far Frozen because they destroyed the portal to stop the GIW from starting a war.

Danny can remember one of Frosbit's apprentices talking a lot about Ghotam, before disappearing. He can only hope he's right and the apprentice succeded in coming to the living realm.

It's his only chance.

[spoiledblogif]

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This is the development blog for the interactive fiction called "The Second Sight", which you can find on itch.io at the link above!

This is my first IF project, although I've been writing original stories and fanfiction for years.

I've included the story description and character profiles from the itch page below the cut.

This blog will be a combination of development info, images and music that I associate with the story, and other musings.

Fair warning, there might be spoilers from the latest chapters here, so I recommend catching up before reading too far.

Asks and submissions are always open.

You’re an urban legend in a county full of them.  When you were thirteen, you were found passed out in the road by one of the local cops. No missing persons report. No fingerprints on file. No memories. Just a name.

Oh, and some bizarre psychic powers.  You're content with simplicity. You like your isolated cabin and helping Carter track down missing persons.  You know that in theory there are more people like you out there, but you've never wanted to look behind the curtain to find out.

However, with the disappearance of a local teen named Casey Powell and a recent attempt on your foster father's life, your serene, isolated life comes abruptly to its end and a new chapter begins.

✤✤✤

The Second Sight is an urban fantasy story, where you step into the role of a psychic whose strange powers have always separated them from others. Those same powers will drag you down the rabbit hole and into a world that is both the familiar and foreign to everything you know. A world filled with magic, witches, fae, demons, and the unknown.

You can immerse yourself in the story by customizing your protagonist's general appearance, choosing how they interact with others, and whether you lean on logic or intuition to problem solve. There are three love interests planned (more may be added depending on player reception and feedback), the genders of which will be selected by the player upon meeting them.

Characters

Jacob Carter

Age: Late forties

Race: Human. Definitely.

Gender: Male

Temperament: Carter radiates grizzled, old bastard energy and despite being the least paternal person in the world, he is your adoptive father. While harsh and aloof on the surface, he is also fiercely protective of you and has bent over backwards to give a decent life to a kid that isn't even his. He doesn't talk about his life before coming to Herman County and you haven't asked him, though that might change soon enough...

✤✤✤

Zander/Zora

Age: Late twenties.

Race: Human.

Appearance: Umber brown skin, black locs, grey eyes

Temperament: Gentle and resolute, Z isn't what you imagine when you think of an agent of the mysterious Magic and Anomalies Bureau. Kind, soft-spoken, and exceedingly polite, Z is Carter's former apprentice and something about them puts the old man on edge.

✤✤✤ Renard/Rowan

Age: Appears to be in their late twenties or early thirties

Race: Human. Maybe.

Appearance: Tall and slender, white-blonde hair, and gold eyes.

Temperament: Playful and flirtatious, talking to R always feels like a game of cat and mouse and you can never be sure which role is yours. Part sad clown, part trickster, and always maddening to work with, the only things you can be certain of with R is that they probably know what they're doing. Everything else is up in the air.

✤✤✤

Unknown aka "The Kestrel"

Age: ???

Race: Definitely not human.

Appearance: Tall, beautiful, elegant, with black hair and black eyes.

Temperament: The Kestrel is a complete unknown. It's impossible to say whether they are a lethal ally or deadly enemy, but either way they are a powerful dreamwalker. You don't know how long they've been watching you, but you're willing to bet that it's been longer than you're comfortable with.

[ellapurnellmybeloved]

fluff alphabet |clarisse la rue

author's note: Hi lovelies, please send me requests! I don't know what gave me the confidence to think I can write, probably delusion. Also, this is according to my personal views of Clarisse so don't be mad if it's different from what you've imagined. Leave a comment, I love interacting with people, xx.

warnings: I tried my best to keep it gender/race/cabin neutral for the most part but there are still some feminine coded things here and there. English is not my first language so excuse any grammar mistakes.

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Starting off strong because with Clarisse sparring is a must. Although she doesn't like to think there will ever come a time in which she won't be there to protect you, it's still an essential part of life as a half-blood. And who better to train you than the daughter of war herself? And in case the apprentice becomes the master and you happen to beat her or pin her to the ground or even hold your dagger to her neck? Oh boy, she's done for. Actual heart eyes.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

She pretty much loves everything about you, she can't really just choose one aspect. Though, if she had to, she'd probably say she loves you for being supportive, understanding, and patient with her. You understand her better than anyone. That's what made her know you were the one for her. You can control her anger issues and calm her down when she's on the verge of exploding and she thinks that's beautiful.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc?

The art of intimacy or comfort never came easy to Clarisse. Her relationship with her mother isn't the best and hasn't been for a while now and her father is a grade A asshole. Her first instinct when you're feeling down is to fix it, to ask you who or what happened and give them a physical piece of her mind, but that's not always how it works. She'll pull you to her lap and hold you through the night or for as long as you need, wiping your tears and kissing your cheeks. She'll let you vent your heart out. You can tell her anything. Or nothing, if you prefer. She's not the best with words but her actions speak much louder.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

She's never thought that much ahead if she's being honest. Never allowed herself to daydream too much into the future, choosing to live off the present for now. Sometimes, however, she pictures what could be only described as an utopia; to go on such a fantastical quest that the gods can't help but grant the both of you immortality, that way you'd bask in the glory of your love forever and ever.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

On the outside looking in it would seem Clarisse is the dominant one for sure. And in some ways she is; she likes that you can rely on her, she wants to provide for you, yearns to prove herself capable of such. Still, you're the one in charge. Clarisse is completely devoted to you, and your relationship means more to her than anything she's ever felt before. She cherishes it like no other, always at your beck and call.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Clarisse is intense, that much we know. Her anger runs deep and her passion burns red. She's not perfect, and doesn't try to hide it either. She's hot-tempered, arrogant, she's got a short fuse and she holds grudges. Her fatal flaw is pride, which sometimes gets in the way of her good senses, so you'll most likely be the one apologizing first. Despite all that, she can't bear the thought of you being mad at her and absolutely hates fighting with you. It's like it's tearing her apart, especially if you're sad over something she said or did in the heat of the moment. Truth is, she is a fighter at heart so when all is said and done she'll try and make it up to you in some way, somehow.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

She is so appreciative of everything you do and are. As previously stated, Clarisse didn't get much love growing up so any semblance of that is something she clings hard to. She notices everything, every little thing you do for her and the underlying of your words. How you treat her and others is always stored in the back of her mind and she loves to be loved by you.

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Clarisse is a very closed off person in general, she doesn't like feeling exposed and being possibly seen as weak. She'll tell you things but there's still some matters you have to pick up on your own and know how to approach them, especially regarding her feelings and personal struggles. She's very honest though, she feels like she owns you that much and appreciates you if you do the same for her. The more your relationship progresses you'll notice being able to read her like an open book because although she does her very best to hide it there's an underlying vulnerability to her behavior in certain moments you'll take proper notice of the more you know her.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

Clarisse has definitely become more gentle since you. It still doesn't extend to your friends and family but more so how she behaves around you and knowing she doesn't have to put up that though front all the time. Her sense of self worth has improved as well, especially when you reassure her through her insecurities and doubts (never being the son her father wanted etc.)

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Oh, boy. Clarisse’s jealousy is very fuelled by… Well, anything really. She doesn't necessarily need a motive to go toe to toe with someone, just staring at you for a second longer than she deems them worthy of and she's ready for a fight. It's hard for anyone to get close enough to flirt with you because she's always there, by your side, kind of like a guard dog. But only because she knows how amazing you are and her insecurities do blurry some lines on what's acceptable. She's working on it though.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Clarisse is definitely a good kisser. She doesn't have much experience, if any, but she's a natural. It sounds cheesy but the first time she kisses you was like butterflies and church bells dancing loudly in the wind. The way she cups your face so uncharacteristically soft and how she breaks off the kiss with a series of small pecks only to smile one of her beautiful smiles so close to each other's faces… Magical. It could be at the fireworks on the fourth of July or it could be in your favorite spot in the woods, soaked in lake water during a midnight swim or after a heated argument. No matter how many times Clarisse kisses you, she'll never not feel electricity similar to her spear’s sharp edge digging into her body and soul.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Clarisse does not have a clue what she's doing. I feel like she'd say something in the heat of the moment; either confessing her true feelings or masking them by saying something hurtful she doesn't actually mean. In the latter scenario she'd storm off and berate herself over it but her pride and fear that you'd never look at her again made her put off her apology for some time and let it all sink in to talk to you when she's ready. That is until you start properly ignoring her and she nearly goes crazy with longing, just missing your overall presence and having her stomach turn to knots at the way things were left between you two. That's one of the few times Clarisse sucks it up and reaches for you. The apology is awkward but overwhelmingly honest and she tells you she's an idiot but you're content in forgiving her and giving her a second (actual first) chance.

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Again, Clarisse never thought she'd live to see the day she'd actually have a marriage prospect. Her life just doesn't seem complete without you anymore and the moment she realizes that she's done for. It would probably be while you're laying in bed together, your head on her chest while you play with her fingers. Your eyes are heavy with sleep but hers are wide open, thinking. “Will you marry me?” said while staring into the distance and you probably think she's joking except Clarisse is not one to joke about that sort of thing. “Not now. But eventually.” and whether you ask if she's serious or just accept it right away, she'd look at you seriously for a beat and then tackle you into a bear hug, crushing you underneath her. She doesn't see the point in a big wedding, but if that's what you're into, she won't mind.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

She is not immune to babe or baby but would still like to keep some variety. Things like sunshine, gorgeous, angel or others (I'm looking at you, person who created the “mama/s” HC). She does like your name very much, or probably a shortened version of it. Don't expect her to not tease you if any of these make you flustered.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Clarisse likes to think she's good at hiding it when she's absolutely not. As Taylor Swift once said, you can hear it in the silence. Just the way her eyes soften when she's looking at you speaks millions, but people also get whiplash at how fast her mean attitude changes whenever you're around. Her love giving languages are probably acts of service and physical touch. She loves to do things for you, feeling all big and mighty whenever she can make your life just a little easier. Touching is also a must but we'll get to that in a second.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Clarisse is not very comfortable with public displays of affection, because she is afraid of being judged or mocked by others for being weak or soft. She prefers to keep her relationship with you private and intimate, but doesn't mind the little things. She does gloat about being with you as well as showing you off, so that everyone on camp knows you're hers. She brags about you all the time and I mean, seriously, all the time. She's not a big hand holder but she almost over compensates by grabbing at your hips and thighs, throwing an arm over your shoulder or hiding her face in your neck. She especially loves bonfires when you sit on her lap and she can hold firmly onto your waist while she's talking to her siblings or just press her forehead against yours when her social battery is low.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

She's very perceptive. She may not know what has changed right away but she's also persistent so she'll figure it out in an instant. If it's the way you did your hair or something that happened along your day, even if you change your usual greeting. She notices and she'll definitely ask you about it.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

Clarisse wants to be loved, that's all she’s ever wanted, and she has so much love to give, therefore I believe she'll do just about anything to make you happy. That includes being an absolute sap. She honestly doesn't mind how cliche it is, if it works on you, you bet she's using it. If anyone cares to say anything remotely negative about you or your relationship she will promptly glare them into oblivion or give them something to really worry about.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

She is your absolute biggest supporter. Especially if you don't believe in yourself, then she's trying even harder for you to see just how well you can do something if you put your mind to it. With something like sword training she is more than willing to help you, rewarding you with kisses and cursing you for distracting her with your pretty face.

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Clarisse doesn't mind change, she rolls with it. If you have a certain way of doing things, a routine you like to follow, that's fine by her. If you're unpredictable, even better. She just loves to see what comes next in terms of your relationship, not necessarily needing anything to amplify her love for you. It's already hardwired into her.

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

She knows you like the back of her hand. Even the slightest furrow of your eyebrows or tilt of your head and she'll be there in a second asking what's wrong. She does learn to be more empathetic towards your own struggles, which was hard at first because she wasn't sure how to see things from someone else's point of view. Though road but you make it work.

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

She doesn't have much to look forward to so Clarisse values her relationship with you very highly, as you are one of the few people who can see past her tough and aggressive exterior and appreciate her softer and more vulnerable side. She is fiercely loyal and protective of you, and would do anything to keep you safe and happy.

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

I actually read this one on a Wattpad story a while ago so credit to the original creator but, Clarisse has a teddy bear named Mr. Muscles she's had since she was like, nine and she cherishes it like it's her most prized possession. When she introduced this piece of information to you, you just found her so incredibly adorable you couldn't contain the giggles and she gets so hot in the face she pushes you off her bed and it's honestly one of the most memorable moments in your relationship.

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

I headcanon Clarisse as your personal furnace as well as a koala bear so kisses and cuddles are a must, especially if it's cold outside. She loves to take naps with you, it gets to the point where she has trouble sleeping without you (so you give her a vial of your perfume to spray on Mr. Muscles for when you're away).

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Clarisse with you: 🥰

Clarisse without you: 😡

She gets snappier than usual and easily annoyed but she'll also get really sad because she's never had to deal with being away from you. Her siblings try to cheer her up by shoving some kid's head into the toilet but she's so disinterested in anything that does not involve you she just goes about her days training until she can see you again and show off her muscles.

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lenghts for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

The answer is yes, one hundred percent. “Touch her and you die” trope goes so hard. Not only that but she would willingly sacrifice the world and herself for you and your relationship. She would go out of her way to make sure you are okay, that you are fed and hydrated and well rested, even messing up her own sleeping schedule in order to take better care of you.

[donat-senpai]

Yandere!Maomao X Reader X Yandere!Jinshi Please don't read this if you are uncomfortable with the yandere! tw: possessive behavior, eunuch-related themes, stupid funny youth ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶

It was nearing lunchtime. Maomao finally decided to take a break. She set the box down on the table, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and glanced around in search of you. You were nearby, carefully arranging ingredients in their proper places. She wanted to call out to you to invite you to eat together, but she didn’t get the chance.

The front door swung open, and Jinshi glided in as gracefully as a butterfly, with his indispensable assistant at his side. To Maomao’s displeasure, the eunuch immediately captured your attention. You greeted the men politely, offering them a gentle smile. Maomao clenched her teeth so hard it felt like they might crack.

Maomao liked working in the pharmacy. She enjoyed handling medicines and having space for her poison experiments. She liked being useful, even though she rarely said so out loud. To her surprise, she also liked her apprentice. Curious and diligent, you had grown on her more than she cared to admit.

From the very beginning, you showed remarkable determination in your desire to learn her craft. Like her, you wanted to be useful to the imperial court. You wanted to ease Maomao’s workload, something you once admitted to her. You paid close attention to her every word, absorbing knowledge and striving to remember it for future use. Since you arrived at the palace, you had come a long way—transforming from a timid, frightened slave who couldn’t even write into a charming pharmacy assistant whom Maomao could already trust to manage a full day of work on your own. She was proud of you.

But, like any blossoming flower, you started attracting all sorts of insects.

Unfortunately, you weren’t only admired by Maomao. Lately, Jinshi had been visiting the pharmacy suspiciously often. At some point during your brief interactions, the eunuch-pervert (in Maomao’s one and only opinion, of course) had taken a liking to your delightful reactions. You were sweet and kind to him but didn’t swoon over his charm like every other girl (and not only girls) in the palace—excluding Maomao herself, who felt like vomiting every time he turned on his so-called charm.

He kept coming back again and again (though he could’ve easily assigned such trivial matters to any servant!) and flirted with you unbearably long—at least, as much as his status allowed (which, according to dear Maomao, was obscenely too much). Sometimes he grew bold enough to touch your shoulders or your hair (How dare he?), and—worst of all—he made you laugh. A lot.

Maomao snapped out of her thoughts and, deciding for now not to throw a book at the eunuch, smoothly slipped between the two of you, greeting the visitors in a (she tried) friendly manner.

“You’re here again, Lord Jinshi. Could it be that you’ve fallen ill? The sick are supposed to stay in bed and not get up.”

“Oh, not at all, dear Maomao. I’m here merely for a consultation,” Jinshi replied, ignoring the sly remark with his usual refined grace.

“With such burning enthusiasm for consultations, be careful—your manly virtue might awaken again,” Maomao fired back, choosing an especially sharp comment to jab at Jinshi and subtly remind you that he could never be a proper husband, so there was no point in even considering him as one.

“If that is fate’s will, then perhaps I’m destined for another purpose,” Jinshi responded lightly, as always unfazed by her mockery, casting a brief glance in your direction. Maomao’s eye almost twitched.

“But then you’d be dismissed from service. The entire harem would mourn such a loss. You’re of great value to us. If that ever happens, I’m ready to secretly prepare a special decoction just for you,” Maomao said with polite courtesy, omitting the fact that, instead of a decoction, she’d much rather put a hammer to good use. Perhaps to knock something else off the eunuch—like his head.

You watch their bickering closely. Your heart skips a beat with a sudden realization. You bring a hand to your mouth and whisper softly:

“Oh. They’re… madly in love with each other. How did I not see it sooner?”

Gaoshun, standing nearby, became an unwitting witness to your conclusion—and couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. He slowly turned his head, casting a shocked glance at you.

But you noticed nothing, too lost in your own fantasies.

Gaoshun let out a heavy sigh. These young people would drive him insane.

[tizeline]

The thing I probably love about your Tiz Sep Au is that Mikey is this powerful young mystic apprentice (or whatever his actual title is xD) and he genuinely doesn‘t like humans?? Like?? In every other au, Mikey is usually the one to be curious about human nature/culture, which is absolutely fine dont get me wrong, all those aus are so fun to read!! But in yours he doesn‘t and that‘s so fun to see!! He genuinely believes all humans are evil and deserve to be eradicated and he‘ll happily do so

Lmao yeah I felt like it would be a really fun diversion from the norm to have Mikey of all people be the most enthusiastic about the evil plan. At the same time, I think it makes sense in the context of the AU for Mikey to be the way that he is?

Mikey has a very strong moral compass and wants to do good, it's just not always easy to know that IS good and what isn't. In TSAU Mikey was told his entire life that yōkai are good and humans are evil. And like, he's still very young, he still has a rather naive and simplistic world view, a world view where humans are evil simply because they want to, and Mikey and his family are good guys because they have good intentions and that's all it takes to be a good guy!

Also, whenever Mikey has been shown in the AU so far, he's usually acting hostile towards humanity or something similar, and because of that he can come across as rather hateful, I guess? And I wanna emphasize that Mikey isn't a hateful person. Or- Well- maybe a little bit lol, he hates humans, but his hate towards humanity very much comes from his love towards yōkai-kind. Because whenever he's interacting with yōkai, Mikey is a LOT more similar to his canon counterpart, he's very kind and caring towards yōkai. He hates humanity because he's convinced that they're gonna eradicate his people, the people that he loves, really Mikey just wants to protect them.

And I'm not quite sure what exactly Mikey's title would be? He's definitely strong enough to be called a mystic warrior, but Draxum might still insist that Mikey remain in the apprentice-role for now. Mikey's powers are definitely a double-edged sword, he's a bit too powerful for his own good and as such risk hurting himself if he can't keep control of his magic. Because of that, Draxum would probably not let Mikey graduate from his apprentice-position until he's absolutely sure that Mikey can use his mystic abilities without turning himself into glitter confetti lol

[aventurineswife]

hello, platonic aventurine with an in-debt teen reader?

"Let me make you an offer, Friend"

Tags: Aventurine x Teen!Reader, Platonic, Mentor-Apprentice Relationship, Found Family, Protective Aventurine, Gambling Metaphors, Debt Repayment, Strategic Mind Games, Subtle Bonding, Hidden Emotions, Survival Tactics.

A/N: Why does this sound like me...? 😕 I need an Aventurine in my life to pay debts fr

Aventurine met you in a rather unconventional way—caught in a game of your own, albeit one where the stakes were dangerously high. You were attempting to negotiate your debt with some questionable IPC associates when he happened to stroll by. He watched the interaction with mild curiosity, and when you caught his eye, he gave a knowing smirk and intervened with his characteristic smoothness.

He’s intrigued by your situation, partly amused by the audacity of someone so young to get mixed up with IPC debts. He decides to help you—not out of pure kindness, but because he sees a bit of himself in your resilience and audacity. He “pays” off your debt as an investment, but he makes it clear this is not charity. His favor comes with strings, and he subtly suggests that you “owe him” now. But there’s something protective in the way he delivers this message, almost as if he's warding off others who might take advantage.

Despite his initial aloofness, Aventurine takes a strange liking to you and becomes a bit of a mentor, though he would never call himself that. Instead of lecturing, he offers advice in cryptic phrases, urging you to think five steps ahead in every decision. He teaches you the art of reading people, gauging their motives, and knowing when to bluff and when to hold back. There’s a thrill in the way he demonstrates this, turning ordinary interactions into high-stakes “games.”

Aventurine provides you with occasional tasks, small errands that allow him to gauge your talents. He lets you accompany him to upscale IPC events, knowing that exposure to this world of high-stakes deals and strategy is the best teacher. He’s a sharp observer, quickly noting your strengths and weaknesses, and he offers blunt advice when needed. While he maintains his enigmatic aura, he never allows you to get too close, reminding you in his own way that trust is earned—and rarely granted freely.

With time, Aventurine drops subtle hints about his own life philosophies. He talks about taking risks but always with a hidden safety net, teaching you how to survive in a world that might otherwise devour you. He tells you, with a shadow of seriousness, to never let anyone see how deeply they’ve cut you, reminding you that even vulnerability is a weapon when wielded correctly.

Aventurine’s protective side reveals itself whenever he suspects someone might try to exploit you. Though he doesn’t make a show of it, he’ll quietly “rearrange” circumstances to keep certain people away or to ensure you’re not drawn into IPC’s darker undercurrents. He’ll offer a calm warning with a smile, his eyes glinting, as he reminds you of the “price of trust.” You know that, while he claims your debt as his own, he’d sooner see you free from it than bound tighter.

Over time, your bond with Aventurine becomes something close to friendship, even if he’d never label it that way. While he maintains his air of mystery, there’s a camaraderie in the way he smirks when you catch onto his tricks or in the rare instances when he actually praises your progress. You share jokes—most at others' expense—and a silent understanding grows. Though his motives may remain unclear, you realize Aventurine has become an unexpected ally, guiding you with a peculiar mix of mentorship and care that only he could offer.

Aventurine is careful not to coddle or shelter you. Instead, he pushes you to stand on your own two feet, even as he watches over you. “No one else will hand you a chance,” he reminds you, “so make your own and gamble on it.” Eventually, he hints that he sees potential in you to one day challenge him in the art of strategy. And though he says it with his usual enigmatic tone, you sense a rare glimpse of pride behind his guarded gaze.

[kittyfuckincheshire]

📺WORK SHENANIGANS📺vox x reader

18+ minors please don't interact!!!

CW: oral,cunnillings,slightly dubious consent(?),work stuff,sharp claws

____

You set down the hairbrush on the marble countertop and look yourself over in the mirror.you were in a fancy dressing room, getting ready for a special interview with the 6_6 news!!!

You had gotten accepted for the 6_6 news apprentice program awhile ago,when the letter came in you were ecstatic, immediately packing up your belongings as it said in the letter.According to it you were being granted a free room in what was called (the Vee tower).

But that was all in the past.now,you had worked your way up to being chosen to explain today's weather.it may not seem like a lot to a normal sinner.but to you it was exhilarating being able to do something important for once.

You applied a generous amount of lipstick/balm and stepped back to fix any outfit imperfections.you decided to just wear a regular uniform,a short skirt and a tight blouse ordered by vox of course.

You nodded to yourself in the mirror confidently before opening the door and walking out, you turned the gold colored door knob and are greeted with the long hallway that leads to the news room. It was bustling with soulless sinners working for the various overlords staying in the big tower.you squeezed through the crowed room barely making it out the room.

You take a long sigh and slouch a bit,immediately perking up to look around the room and to partly not show weakness.

It was a room with a greenscrean back drop,a counter,a teleprompter ,etc everything just like a normal news stage on earth.

You look around to see no Katie kill joy and no tom trench around, only empty seats and by standards.

Where's Katie and tom?asking no one in particular just hopping to get a answer from someone.

Called in sick last minute,that's why we need you to do the weather, a demon leaning on a teleprompter said scrolling through their phone sounding like he was annoyed by your presence.

You grumbled taking your seat behind the news counter, rolling your eyes, if the others wanted to have attitudes then you could dish it out to.

You look up a timer splayed on another teleprompter,above on the ceiling read 3 MINUTES ,which you guessed ment the cameras should start rolling in 3 minutes.

You rest your chin in one of your hands and stared at nothing, beginning to day dream about making it big and being the next Katie kill joy.

You're quickly snapped out of your thoughts as sharp pricks are felt at the tops of your thighs.You want to gasp, but you hold it in as you lean back to look under the desk.

A glowing teal screen looking back at you,with a sharp tooth grin. VOX.you're employer that you have come to have a more than co-worker type relationship with.

On multiple occasions you'd be the main target to take his pent up stress out on,finding yourself pushed up against an aquarium wall or even dangling of the Vees tower balcony as your holes were ravaged. But it wasn't like you didn't get off by the rough treatment too.

His red eyes bore into yours as you made eye contact,he was on his knees under the desk looking at you hungrily.

You wanted to crawl into a hole and die right at this point,you couldn't say anything to make him move because of all the people there,so you had to deal with it,not that you didn't think it wasn't kinda hot...

You snap you're self back into reality to look up and see 1 MINUTE on the timer instead of 3,Shit.you looked to your desk and scrambled around until you found a drawer under it,but vox was already rummaging through it and handed you a stack of papers with a devious smirk.

You take the papers and his claws lightly graze your finger tips, which sends a shutter down your back.

You straighten up as you read over the script,flipping through the pages to get to the most important bits before a voice was heard shouting through the studio.

"ALRIGHT WERE GOING LIVE IN 10" GET FUCK'IN READY"

the demon screeches at the crew and they all scurry around the studio like rats trying to get everything as instructed for their superiors.

The camera ticked a couple of times before it started rolling live.you shuffled your papers around before turning to the camera with a professional smile.

Vox vibrated under the desk, seemingly chuckling at you trying to be 'professional' for the audience.His eyes kissed as he caressed the insides of your thighs the sharpness making white marks,but not enough to cut.he pushed up your skirt before forcefully opening your legs to gawk at his prize.the thin black colored panties being the only thing that kept him from you.

"hello and good morning pentagram city"!,a lovely sunny day is on the horizon,a rare and odd phenomenon in hell,hear it more professionally from our scientist at voxtech,the camera panes over for a moment giving you time to catch your breath.you don't dare to look down as you mumble softly,almost inaudibly.

"VOXX..."

His audio receptors heightened to listen to your voice,as a jolt of electricity is felt course through him as his hand twitches,his claws lightly sinking into your flesh making you instinctively pull away with a quiet wince.

The camera is quickly panned back over to you,a quiet rip of your panties is unheard by the cameras, as you begin to talk about the weather for the week.

Vox had sliced them right down the middle,normally this would make you gasp and angrily tell him not to do that,but this time,you were powerless.he could do whatever he wanted to you under this desk and no one would be the wiser.but the thought of getting caught only spurred him on, soon noticing the thriving erection threatening to break the fibers that hold his pants together. But that could wait.

He let his younger lull out,a thick glowing teal appendage,almost tentacle like in shape having a "sharp" rounded of tip, a soft blue light was cast across your torso, it being barely picked up by the camera, but still noticeable if you were seeking it out,you hoped no one was.

He made a long lick on the inside of your left thigh,the surprise of darkness made you crumple the piece of paper you were holding slightly, you're mind was starting to get foggy,You're brain going on autopilot for the time being, you read from the script.

His sharp teeth grazed your sensitive inner thigh were he just licked, making your legs try and shut them selves instinctively, he held your legs open forcefully,in a strong almost painful grip.

You set your papers aside,opting to hold the cup of coffee on the table with a death grip instead, it was vox's, it reading "FUCK ALASTOR" just another way to sneak propaganda about the old timely prick anywhere he could.

But no thought could pass your mind without being interrupted by the tiny licks and bites from the man himself.

Your core thronged and pulsed in need,he would call you a slut, or maybe a good little slut of he was feeling nice,but he had to restrain himself as the slight bucking of your hips from your exposed cunt.

You continually talk about the weather,another camera panning moment to see another news reporter with a green screen pointing out all the major weather areas.

Vox took his time teasing your lips,short quick licks,neglecting the spot you wanted him most,you wanted to whine, to tell him to just fuck you already,but you were helplessly under his control right now and he reveled in it.

He suddenly plunged into your heat,his long younger reaching all the way to your cervix.he mapped out your inside, carefully licking at your walls to try to elicit an reaction.

Tour fingers twitched around the mug as your posture shifted to arch your back, your mind was clouded with pleasure as he found the spot that would usually make you squirm.

The camera was moved back to you with a short goodbye from the other reporter,you're smile began to falter slightly as you spoke.

"THANK YOU JANE" and now for tonight's tv schedule.. You looked down at the papers with a twitching eye,beginning to list the shows that would be on tonight.

Vox's rhythm never faltered,each thrust made your vision cloud, forcing you to swat it away as you tried to list off the names.

He could tell you were close,your cunt squeezed his tongue like a vice your clit throbbing for attention.He curled his tongue upward and began to rub a knuckle against the under-stimulated bud.

The suddenness made you voice falter into a slight stutter, but you quickly snapped out of it as your hips began to grind into him subconsciously.

Your end was close you could almost taste it,as the end of the broadcast was coming closer, only two more shows to lost off.

Vox put his all into pleasing you that moment,absolutely pounding your sweet spot and rubbing your foot in unison.

Your vision almost went pure white when you read of the last name,back arching impossibly as you let out a little sigh,your organs am hit you like a truck.

But the thing is,he didn't stop. Your legs wanted to clap shut around that tv screen head put the grip he had on your legs made that hard.

You picked up the last piece of paper to wrap up the report, the goodbye,it was fairly long it took up 3minutes of air time.

But he did have some mercy, letting go of one of your legs to reach a hand out to you,You quickly slide your hand down to lace it with his, squeezing it hard,The overstimulation was enough to force you into another,smaller orgasm,as you tried your hardest not to make any engrossing sounds.

You wave the camera good bye,with your free hand the director shutting it off with a click.

"AND THATS A WRAP PEOPLE BACK TO WORK" the overseer boomed as he clapped,making you flinch vox carefully retracts his tongue back into his mouth, your taste still coating his tongue and mouth as he hummed satisfied with him self.

You began to tremble slightly as you pushed your chair back to look down at him.

His eyes were lidded and his gaze loving as gently pressed a kiss to each of your knees.

"Thank you my little spark, I needed that".

-END

This took forever, it is really long, I hope y'all enjoyed it!

[aether-the-bakugannie]

The Fated.. Bad Ending?

Hello hello! I've been thinking about this for a while and now I've finally gained access to the episode, I think it's about time I wrote out my thoughts on why The Fated First Battle was such a horrific ending to Ajit's arc.

Ajit's arc in Armored Alliance was honestly my favourite arc in the whole show. They wrote it so well, from having Ajit start to love brawling when he battled against Dan but seeing it as something he could love alongside thieving, to having him subconsiously make his choice between thieving and brawling in Magnus PI, when Magnus chose to let him go, Ajit could've simply left with both the promise to continue the battle someday and the stolen lightbulb to complete the mark, instead he threw Magnus the lightbulb he'd previously stolen, promising to continue the battle and gave up the theft. To having the two things pitted against each other further and further until he finally makes his choice and quits thieving, to eventually joining the Awesome Brawlers.

Something very important to Ajit's arc is his relationship with Storm. Ajit was saved by Storm as a child, then became his apprentice - training to be a phantom thief like him, it's clear Ajit cared deeply for Storm, even viewing him as a father figure. Yet to the viewers, it's clear that Storm has been manipulating and grooming Ajit into becoming a thief.

Storm continually treats Ajit as lesser, saying he needs "retraining" whenever he does something wrong, it's implied Ajit never had any friends before the Awesome Brawlers and that he was generally isolated from others, therefore Storm would be the only one to show him kindness - making Ajit rely on him. He switches between being kind to Ajit and being extremely dismissive and blunt and even calling things Ajit does (clearly hoping to earn approval) dissappointing, he doesn't even let Ajit call him by name, insisting on being referred to as "Master". During Secrets Exposed, Storm refers to Ajit as his "masterpiece" which almost objectifies him as a possession, just another thing he's stolen and keeps around. Even before Haavik comes into the picture, as soon as Ajit makes the decision to be a brawler rather than a thief, Storm decides he wants to destroy him as revenge or punishment for this choice. "Ajit. If I'm going to loose my masterpiece anyway, I will destroy it myself." - Storm in Armored Alliance episode 17: Secrets Exposed.

We never truly find out if Storm truly cares about Ajit or if he only cares about having an apprentice, someone he can train into a phantom thief just like him. And it's clear Ajit doesn't know either as whenever he interacts/fights against Storm during AA, he's shown to be unsure about fighting him as a part of him misses him.

Ajit breaking free of Storm's control and choosing his own path as a Bakugan Brawler is such an important moment for his character arc. I could talk about Ajit's arc forever because he's one of my favourite characters and he was so well written in Armored Alliance, he was more of the protagonist of that season than Dan was.

However, when watching Legends episode 5: The Fated First Battle, it's always left a bad taste in my mouth. In this episode, Ajit faces off in a battle against Storm for the first round of the battle judgement against Hanoj. Legends is a thirteen episode season and this is really the episode that concludes Ajit's arc. You only need to mention this episode to me in passing and I will go off ranting about how awful an ending this was for Ajit.

Geogan Rising is typically thought of as the season with the worst writing, however Geogan Rising actually succeeded in writing Ajit better than Legends did. ...Well, at least in episode 16: The Taste of Memories, I'm still not a fan of how they wrote him in most other Geogan Rising episodes.

In The Taste of Memories, Ajit mentions a certain type of curry he used to eat a lot when he was younger. The group assume he misses eating it when he says there aren't any resturants around that sell it and decide to make some for him.. Yet in the end, Ajit admits he didn't like it as he's not a fan of spicy food and he only used to eat it because it was Storm's favourite. "I'm sorry, but I don't really... Like curry at all. I don't like spicy food, I used to eat lentil curry when I lived with Storm because it was his favourite, not mine." When Ajit actually tries the curry, he's surprised how good it is and how it's not spicy at all.

I actually view this as a metaphor or a message of sorts, that bad people can taint good things for you but later on good people can help you see those things as good again.

(Side note: It's interesting how this curry that Ajit didn't even like was his first thought when asked about food he grew up eating and how upset he seemed when answering. It makes it seem like he was never able to discover his own favourite foods because Storm would only make his favourites.)

This episode ties in well with Ajit's development arc, it shows him recalling something from his past and realising how this food he didn't like could've been enjoyable all along if the person who had made it had cared about his preferences. I'm not entirely sure how to make curry, but I assume it would be quite easy to split the mix of curry ingredients into two bowls/pans then add the spice to one and not the other.

Also noteable about this episode, is how when Ajit decides to try the curry because of how much effort the others had put in to make it for him, Lia is quick to tell him not to force himself. While it would seem he'd had to eat it when he was younger despite not liking it.

Now, finally, The Fated First Batle. The way this episode starts off is alright. It feels in character for Storm to choose to fight on Hanoj's side because if the world is going to be destroyed, he doesn't want to be someone who struggled pointlessly against it, he'd rather help destroy it. Ajit being the one to fight against Storm also makes perfect sense, he's the one on their team with the strongest reason to fight against Storm.

During the battle, Ajit uses things Storm taught him in the past against him. This is something he's done since Farewell Phantom Thief in Armored Alliance, this isn't where my problem with this episode lies.

Instead, my problem is after the battle when Ajit approaches Storm.

"You said you've saved the world from countless dangers?" "Then you should keep going down your own path! Prove to me you can save the world." "After you defeat Hanoj and this is all over, we shall meet again."

Storm's sudden personality switch doesn't feel genuine. It feels like a last attempt from Storm to manipulate Ajit again and to come off as a good guy rather than a villian. Which, to be fair, is in character for him. Of course Storm wants to be viewed as a good person, especially since he lost the battle, it makes sense he wants to do something so that no matter what side wins, he'll be viewed as someone who supported the winning side. He's also trying to take credit for Ajit's achievements, giving him permission to do the very thing Ajit's been doing this whole time and making it about him.

Ajit's response is the problem.

The writers chose to have Ajit respond to this by smiling and mentally saying "You've got it, master." Backtracking on all his development since Armored Alliance.

Now, if they were going to have another few seasons after Legends and have Ajit go through another arc of falling into old behaviours as he's getting manipulated again, then slowly realising that as his friends call him out on it and he finds himself in similar situations with them as he was during early Armored Alliance (Eg. trying to steal things behind their backs like in Phantom Thief Ajit or battling Magnus to get away with a theft like in Magnus PI) then have him finally go to therapy and cut Storm and his manipulation out of his life permanantly, I would get it. It's common for people who have spent a long portion of their lives being manipulated by someone else to regress back into past behaviours or to get manipulated again while they're still improving. That would be a realistic way to continue his arc and make that scene make sense.

However, that's not what happened, Legends was the final season and this episode was supposed to be the conclusion of Ajit's arc. And as it was, this was a horrible ending for his character. Having him forgive Storm, having him go back to calling him "Master" and thinking of him as a mentor, having him welcome Storm back into his life after three seasons of cutting him out of it. Then ending it like that, acting as if Storm deserved to be forgiven and as if this is some happy ending for Ajit.

This is why this episode leaves such a bad taste in my mouth, it's such a horrible ending, even if it wasn't intended to be. I assume the writers thought it would be nice for Ajit to reconnect with his father figure before the show ended. But Ajit's whole arc read as him being supposed to break free from the manipulation and realising Storm wasn't that great! Ending his arc on this note feels so sour and such a disservice to his character, especially after how well written he was during Armored Alliance.

Ajit was Bakugan Battle Planet's best written character and it just makes me so furious that he was given such a bad ending to his character arc in the final season.

I personally believe when Storm said that, Ajit should've had a line more along the lines of... "Yeah, I'll save the world.. But not to prove anything to you, I'll do it for my friends and for myself. Because no matter how much you taught me... I'm following my own path now. One that you're not a part of anymore." Albeit probably not that exactly because that's quite long and dramatic... But you get what I mean.

Of course Bakugan is a show aimed at children, I understand they can't exactly come out and say that Storm was manipulative and was grooming Ajit into becoming a phantom thief. However, it's still obvious that was the intention and that's quite clear to older viewers and to younger viewers who can see themself in Ajit's situation. Ending Ajit's arc like that sends a bad message that people like Storm will change and become better and that you should forgive them. Which is generally not true.

I just wish they'd chosen to end it in a way that didn't have Ajit allowing Storm back into his life and that the writers had put more thought into it.

Legends was a thirteen episode season, so I understand some things were rushed but this was one of the most important things they had to do in the season and it's so upsetting that Ajit's arc was the victim of this rushed writing.

Anyway, that's about all I have to say on this topic for now! Thank you for reading and please let me know your thoughts on this topic. Do you think this ending was okay? How would you have changed it? I'd love to know!

[the-whispers-of-death]

Meeting the Beast

18+ ONLY Blog!!! Minors & Ageless Blogs, Do NOT Interact!!

CW/TW: Brief Mention of Period-Typical Homophobia

I've got this Beauty & the Beast AU with Ghost stuck in my head, but it has a slight twist. And it's gay. So here is the first part.

NOTE: Your father's job and your job in town is set to be specific jobs, because it will come into play in later parts, and you're going to be shorter than Ghost (simply because he's a "monster" and thus the tallest, you can still imagine yourself as being taller than the townspeople). However, everything else about the Reader will be ambiguous, so you can easily put yourself in the Reader's shoes.

You grew up with stories of a beast living in a castle, deep in the first that surrounds your town.

These stories painted the beast in a gory, cruel manner. The adults around you, minus your father, told you all about how they've had to sacrifice one town member each year to sate the beast's hunger. Because if they didn't, then the beast would ravage the town and lay waste to the land.

It was clear, however, that the people chose town members they thought odd or freaks. Every year, you'd watch one of the town outcasts be carted off to the woods to be tied up and left to be ravished by the beast. And their friends and families, who had long since disowned them, just let it happen.

You and your father were two of the so-called outcasts.

Your father was considered an outcast, despite him being a doctor, because he tried hard to get the town's kids to read and do things that the others thought were foolish. They thought their looks and their wealth were all a person ever needed and they frowned upon their kids sticking to just reading and not doing as many physical activities as they could.

You were considered an outcast because despite being well into your adulthood, you still didn't seem to date or marry any of the women in town. This made them all think there was something wrong with you, that you were unnatural.

So when the seasons passed by and it was time for the annual sacrifice, you had gone to bed that night, worried. Your father tried calming your worries, telling you that neither you nor him would be taken because Mr and Mrs. Saxon's daughter was being far too unruly for their tastes.

And you believed him, drifting off to sleep now that your fears were eased.

You woke up in the early morning, quietly getting out of the house to go to your job because you thought your father was still sleeping. The town around you was slowly, very slowly, waking up as you walked to the blacksmith's shop.

You had been the blacksmith's apprentice ever since you were a teen and you were nearing the end of your apprenticeship, so close to taking over the shop yourself. It gave you a sense of purpose, which you loved.

So the day went on, you deep in your own world as you helped reduce the blacksmith's load of work. It was mid-evening when you heard whispers of the evening sacrificial ritual.

You never knew why, but the townspeople liked to sacrifice the outcasts in the early evening. Perhaps it was so the sacrifice's screams didn't disturb people as they went to their houses to rest after the work day.

Finishing up with the extravagant necklace you had been ordered to make, you strained your ears to try and discern who had been sacrificed. You were far too curious for your own good, it seemed.

"The town's doctor was finally sacrificed," a woman nearby whispered to her friend, said friend gasping at the gossip. "The town's council finally had enough of him trying to corrupt our children."

It felt like cold water was doused over you, your skin paling at the news.

No, no, no. It couldn't be. Not your father.

Without much though, you abandoned the work you still had yet to do.

There was still time for you to go to the beast's castle and beg him to take you instead of your father. It wasn't too late.

You ignored the sounds of your mentor yelling at you to come back as you ran all the way to your house. As you neared, you saw that your trusty horse was still tied to the post near your house.

Yes, you could do this. You could make it in time.

You quickly untied your horse from the post, grabbing the nearby saddle and making sure it was secure. Once that was done, you mounted your horse and wasted no time in nudging them into a gallop.

As you rode to the edge of town and to the beginning of the forest, people cried out as they dove out of the way, you not sparing them a single glance. You had a mission, to save your father.

The journey to the castle was long, it becoming night quickly. You pressed forward nonetheless, still convinced you could save your father. The castle came into view and you rode past the gates, ignoring the way the thorny bushes nipped at you and your horse.

You dismounted as soon as you neared the large, formidable doors that were the entrance to the castle. You stood there, about to walk up to the doors.

But before you could, a large, monstrous figure dropped down from one of the castle's parapets. It landed right in front of you, allowing you to see it clearly under the dim lights of the castle.

The beast, the same beast you heard stories about.

The beast before you was hairy, brown fur encasing his imposing figure. He stood on two legs, but his feet and hands were paws that had claws constantly extended, his natural posture slightly bent and yet he was still so much taller than you. And covering the upper half of his beastly face was a wolf's skull, his brown eyes peering back at you.

The sight made you freeze.

The beast clearly thought you were a threat, his knees bent to lunge at you. He growled low in his throat, his mouth opening to bear his sharp canines.

"Leave!" he roared, preparing to chase you out, or worse maul you, if you didn't comply.

You opened your mouth to tell him that you were here for your father and to beg he release your father, when the doors to the castle opened.

Both you and the beast turned to look at who exited the castle, a sob of relief escaping your lips when you saw your father, alive and unharmed.

"Stop, please!" Your father begged, getting in between you and the beast. He didn't seem afraid of the beast, however, turning to face him. "Please, this is my son, the one I told you about. He just came to try and save me, I swear he won't harm you."

The beast took a good look at you, taking in the similar features you and your father shared. He stared for a while before speaking.

"Your son?" he mused, straightening as best as he could. "Mm, you said he too was an outcast, yes? He can come inside then."

"Huh?" you asked, confused as you saw the beast turn and walk into the castle, leaving you and your father to follow him. "What's going on?"

Your father turned to you, shushing you gently. "{Name}, the beast you've heard about your whole childhood, is not the same beast you see before you. He doesn't eat the sacrifices those wretched townspeople give him, he takes them in," he explained, his hand on your shoulder. "The beast is an outcast too, you see. He was born like this and the townspeople banished him to this abandoned castle so they didn't have to see him. They believed him to be a monster and a bloodthirsty one too, so they used his "bloodthirst" to get rid of other outcasts. This is a safe place, {Name}, he will not hurt us."

"Come," your father continued, shivering. "It is rather late and the castle is warmer. Come inside and see, every "sacrifice" is here and alive."

With those words, your father gently led you into the castle, the doors closing behind you. You glanced back to see who closed the heavy doors and saw two outcasts that had been scarified the two previous years before this year.

As you looked around, you could see all of the sacrifices that you had seen be carted off. They were all here, lounging around the lit castle like they owned the place.

The castle was warm in both the sense of heat and how lively it was. It wasn't dreary like it seemed on the outside, tons of people laughing and chattering about. Fireplaces were lit, several people huddled around them for warmth. There were bookshelves upon bookshelves filled to the brim with books.

It felt... homely.

Your father left you to walk around, your feet taking you to the stairs. You walked up the winding stairs, an east and west wing on either side. You headed towards the west wing, sensing this was where the beast's bedroom was, since it was dark and no one else was going down the hallway.

As you walked, you saw portraits hanging on the wall, but each person's face was clawed out, like the beast had done it years ago, back when he was first banished to the castle. The sight should've scared you, should've made you fear his temper, but all it did was make you feel sad.

The beast was indeed an outcast, just like you.

"I see you're exploring," the beast said as you walked into his large bedroom, the beast not inside the lit room but rather standing on the balcony. Now that he knew you weren't a threat, his gravelly voice was softer.

Hesitantly, you joined him on the balcony, straining your neck to look up at him. "I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to explore here," you said, your voice soft as you took in the way he seemed peaceful out on the balcony. "I noticed others don't go down here."

The beast turned away from his gazing up at the stars, looking down at you. "It's alright, this wing isn't exactly off-limits. However, those who've been here long enough know I like my privacy." His brown eyes stared into your own. "Do you like it here? You can stay, you know. Every outcast has a place here."

You thought on his offer, thinking back to your time in your little town.

Your town wasn't as accepting of you as this place seemed to be, you saw men cuddling with men and women cuddling women here. But in the town, you were a freak for not wanting to marry a woman despite being a man yourself. You could be yourself here.

Besides, you liked knowing your father was safe.

"Thank you, I think I will stay here," you replied, appreciative of his offer. You glanced at the stars before looking at him again. "Though, I do have one condition."

"What's that?" The beast's voice was full of curiosity, his eyes never leaving your face.

"I'd like to know what to call you."

The beast chuckled, the laughter being deep and rumbling in his chest. He seemed so amused by the way you wanted to know what to call him. Like you just amused him in general.

"Ghost, you can call me Ghost."

Separator made by @une-femme-de-lettres

Oof, this was so long. Longer than I thought it would be. This is just the beginning, but I have plans for this AU.

I hope you enjoyed!

Reblogs are welcomed & appreciated! Asks are open, feel free to pop in and request something! (Check the rules in "Rules for Requesting NSFW" before requesting.)

[all-about-kyu]

Summary: Whatever you did to mess up the recipe really has you desperate for Kun. Pairing: Wizard!Kun x fem apprentince!reader Tropes: magic au, wizardry au Genre: smut Rating: R 18+ Warnings: language, magic, fictional herbs Smut Warnings: aphrodisiacs, overstimulation, fingering, oral sex (f receive), sudden female orgasm, unprotected sex, marking, crying, aftercare Word Count: 1,700 Host Tags: @sanjoongie @thelargefrye Note: thank you to @stardragongalaxy for proofreading! Before You Interact February Filth Masterlist

Listen to ♡ Same Scent by Oneus

“Watch this brew while I handle the inventory for a moment.” Kun smiles sweetly.

“Are you sure? I can do inventory. I don’t want to mess–”

Kun shakes his head, “I trust you.”

You nod and move toward the cauldron. The bubbling brew smells sweet, almost as if to draw you in more. You vaguely hear Kun talking to himself in the storage room, likely checking how many phoenix feathers you have left. You started running low, but your pet phoenix just rebirthed, and its feathers are nowhere ready to molt yet. That or maybe he’s checking the progress on the pixie dust crystalization. Either way, you swear you hear him call you. Whipping your head around, you see him still deep in the store room, not even attempting to get your attention. When you turn, though, you move the spoon and knock it into a small vile next to the cauldron. You close your eyes and slowly turn your head back to the large cast iron pot. When you open your eyes, it looks the same. It just smells the slightest bit sweeter— the vile lies on its side, with barely a drop still inside it. 

“The brew should be done! Put the fire out, okay?” 

You nod, even if he might not see it, “O-okay!”

“Also,” Kun says, walking back into the kitchen, “I want you to try a little bit of it. It’s a romantic-based potion, but just one sip won’t do anything.”

You don’t want to seem suspicious, so you nod, take a small spoon from the side table, and dip it into the metallic pink liquid. After blowing on it a few times, you place the spoon against your lips and sip it. Instantly, a rush of heat goes through your body. Everything is hypersensitive. You’re far more aware of everything around you than you’d like to be. When you look back at Kun, he can immediately tell something is off with you. You suddenly feel the need to fuck him like your life depends on it. You’ve always respected the line of Wizard and apprentice, no matter how hot he is. Now, though, all you can imagine is being absolutely railed by him to the point that you can’t form a coherent word in your mind.

“Are you okay?”

“Kun,” your voice comes out almost like a moan.

His eyes go wide as saucers. Then his eyes darted to the cauldron. He leans over and smells the sweeter scent. Before even thinking to check his surroundings, he dips his hand in, using it as a cup of sorts, and sips the liquid as well. Suddenly, in his peripheral, he notices the knocked-over vile. Amorus.

“You knocked over the Amorus.” He states with a slight groan, picking up the small glass container, “How much– fuck…” 

“I didn’t want to upset you.” You pout and step closer, “Kun, could we maybe…”

He was starting to feel the effects of the potion as well, and damn, did he need to see you fall apart for him right now. He finds himself leaning in slowly, and you are, too. There are so many lines being blurred right now, but with the effects of the botched potion, neither of you can think about anything other than fucking each other. Kun places his hand on your waist, and you feel goosebumps on your skin when his hand makes contact. Finally, his lips are on yours. It’s not a very coordinated kiss, but it’s desperate, needy, sloppy. You absolutely melt at the sensation. Kun whispers something against your lips. It’s a spell you don’t know yet. You’re so fixated on him that when you finally let your hands wander, and you don’t feel fabric, you moan against his lips.

“That’s a fun little spell I can teach you once these potions wear off.” Kun chuckles, “It’s very handy, no?”

“Kun, please?”

He wraps his arms around your waist fully and tells you to jump. You wrap your legs around his waist tightly. A whimper escapes your lips at the feeling of your clit pressed against his bare skin. His cock stands tall and is perfectly pressed against your ass. You find yourself seated on one of the worn wooden tables. It’s not the most comfortable, but it’s more than enough for Kun to lay you out and fuck you stupid.

You hear the sound of jars and dishes being pushed to the side haphazardly as Kun guides you to lay back fully on the table. His kisses finally start trailing down your throat and between the valley of your breasts. You have a constant stream of moans and profanities falling from your mouth as Kun hungrily lays wet kisses everywhere he can. When his kisses finally reach your lower belly, you can’t help but let your hips jerk. Each kiss grows just a bit closer to where you need him. 

Even though he’s just as desperate as you are, the fact that he’s putting you first has your belly swooping and flipping. He continues to place kisses against the area just above your soaked entrance. You tangle your hand in his hair, and that gives him the last bit of push to lick a wide stripe up your folds. He eats you out like a starved man. After a few licks, he sucks on your clit. Kun continues this pattern for a while. Your other hand finds a place in his hair as well, tugging at the reddish-brown strands as he makes you melt into a feral puddle. He brings a hand up to your folds while his mouth is focused on your clit. Kun presses two fingers against your cunt, barely teasing your entrance. 

“Kun,” you moan, “Please just put them in, don’t tease me!”

Kun releases your clit for a moment, chuckling through a smirk. He pushes his fingers into you. You knew you were sensitive, but you suddenly feel arousal burn through you so hot that your orgasm tumbles through you. Your thighs shake around his head, wanting desperately to close. Kun holds one of your thighs down, stopping you from fully closing them. Kun doesn’t stop; he continues to lap at your clit while pistoning his fingers into you. The overstimulation burns through you in the most pleasurable pain you’ve ever known.

“You’re still so needy.” Kun muses, pulling away from your pussy, face still covered in your arousal, “You want me to fuck you?”

Your eyes are glazed over and needy. His fingers still pushing in and out of you render your brain completely empty. Your mental space is nothing more than an aroused fog. Kun chuckles again as you nod so hard you nearly smack your head against the hardwood of the table. When he pulls his fingers out of you, you whimper at the lack of contact. A moment later, you feel him rubbing his tip through your folds, and that same painful pleasure returns as he pushes his cock against your clit.

“Ready? I’m gonna make you see god, maybe even more.” He practically growls.

“Kun, please!” You moan, reaching up to wrap your arms around his shoulders.

He pushes into you and immediately pistons his hips against yours. You scream out at the feeling of the overstimulation. Kun pulls your legs up beside your chest on either side and holds them there before pressing his body against yours. The feeling of his bare skin on yours makes you have a fresh shot of arousal course through your body. 

Neither of you is going to last very long. The potion won’t allow that. You’re already well on your way to your second orgasm as it is. Kun hides his face against the junction of your neck and shoulder. He starts to bite the bare skin, leaving teeth marks and hickeys. You dig your nails into his skin, leaving small crescent moons behind. Locking your legs around his hips, you feel your second orgasm burst forth almost painfully.

“So fucking good.” He growls, “You feel so fucking good. Maybe I should stay wrapped up in this pussy all day, every day.” “Please!” You gasp, starting to come back down from your orgasm.

The overstimulation is almost too painful, but you also don’t want to stop. Kun starts to moan more often, which you assume to be an alert to his impending orgasm. You hardly come down from your second orgasm when the third forces its way through. Tears start rolling down your cheeks as the nearly painful orgasm wrecks you. As you scream and moan at the feeling, Kun’s orgasm finally hits him. He pulls out and cums across your belly. He pushes his fingers back into you and presses his thumb to your clit to help you ride out the rest of your orgasm. 

When you finally start to catch your breath, Kun has already manifested two glasses of water and wiped your belly clean. He pulls you to sit up and then onto his lap. Your body is shaky and weak from the intensity of three orgasms and crying. The wizard continually rubs your back and presses kisses to your hair.

“The potion wear off for you?” He asks quietly.

“Mmm,” is all you can muster at the moment.

“You did so good, sweetheart. I’m proud of you.”

You shift in his lap, wincing slightly at your sore state.

“Was it too much?”

“I think we both needed to fuck it out.” You mumble, still very much out of it.

Kun nods and holds you a bit tighter, “If you accidentally mess up a potion again, just tell me, okay?”

“Okay,” you respond, “Kun?”

“Hmm?”

“What does this mean?”

Kun sighs in thought, “It doesn’t need to mean anything. But– you want honesty?”

“Complete.”

“I wouldn’t mind taking you out on a date or two if you let me.”

You pull your head away from his shoulder, “I’m your apprentice… is that allowed?”

He shrugs at you, “There are plenty of witches and wizards who have their partners as their apprentices.”

You smile, “I’d like that then, only if you promise we can have fun with this new brew sometimes still.”

“Deal.”

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[lol-jackles]

I know its beens awhile but what did you think of S15 as a whole?

As a whole I think season 15 was an above-average season due to below-average execution and ended with a stellar series finale that added rewatch value not just for season 15 but also all of 15 seasons.

Season 15 started and ended with callbacks to previous seasons; from season 1's woman in white and Sam's goal of returning to a normal life, to season 5's Dean's time in hell as Alastair's apprentice and bringing closure to Adam Milligan, to season 8's endgames for Sam and Dean.

The first half of the season 15 was about free will vs determinism, with Sam representing the former and Dean representing the latter.  Sam and Dean’s confrontation with God parallels how they've reacted to family and authority their entire lives: Sam challenged God’s Divine decree over His Creation while Dean accused God of abandoning His Creation.  When Abraham spoke with his heart and mind to God over His plan to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah, it led to Abraham transcending himself, leading the way for God, and becoming the father of faith. Metaphorically it's all about lessons in honest, meaningful relationships with our fellow human beings.   People often suppress their true selves and principles for the sake of avoiding conflict instead of taking the relationship a step further into a place of sincerity.   From season 11 to 14, Sam and Dean spoke their hearts and minds to God and the brothers' relationship became at its strongest, never wavering even when occasional arguments sprouts up because they were honest with each other.

Sam and God became connected through Sam's hope which manifested in their identical wounds. Secular-based hope is about anticipating something good to come in the future.  Sam has hope in a better future, so Chuck showed him a bleak future to make his lose that hope.  Once Sam lost his hope, God leaves.  That’s pretty much what happens to people in real life, when they lose hope, they feel there is no God or God abandoned them. Another physical manifestation of a bleak future is Dean's old friend who retired from hunting, Lee, who became so corrupted that Dean is forced to kill him.

The return of Sam and Dean's half-brother, Adam, brings welcome closure.  Adam is not out for revenge as he acknowledged his own culpability for agreeing to vessel-ship in the first place.  Him and Michael only having each other for 10 years in the Cage led to their codependent-symbiotic-ish relationship that parallels Sam and Dean to some extent.  

I like to call the second half of season 15 the "Dean redemption tour" where side characters were used to address Dean's unresolved issues in order for him to be good enough for Sam in their eternal afterlife. Normally whenever Dean interacted with side characters it is about the side characters, not Dean (see example here and here). But when the formula is reversed, it becomes a bit disjointed, and the audience picked up on it. The final redemption act target Dean's anger issues that both Amara and Chuck discussed.

Chuck: This is my ending.  My real ending. 

Very next scene: *Dean pulls a gun on Sam*

Dean’s been so obsessed with having free will that he’s actually following Chuck’s writing.  As usual Sam broke through to Dean, in effect breaking Chuck’s influence. Then a very mad mad Chuck shows up.

Chuck:  “Are you kidding me? After all that, you did it again!”

Then 15x18 happened. Ignoring the hilarity of that scene, the speech was supposed to remind the general audience that Dean is A HERO before he dies two episodes later. By 15x19, free will vs determinism comes to a conclusion.   Michael and Lucifer betrayed the Winchesters and succumb to determinism, fulfilling their destiny to destroy each other.  Sam and Dean manipulated Michael to lure Chuck into a trap to replace him with a new God, Jack. Chuck is left only with human frailties and for the first time Chuck has no idea what happens next, bringing the free will theme to a full circle.  

Due to interactions with Sam, Rowena became the new queen of Hell while Jack becomes the new God of Heaven. Jack promises Sam that He will have a hands-off approach and people don’t need to pray or sacrifice to Him. Jack’s perception of humanity is distilled down to, “When people have to be their best, they can be.” 

Before the story ends, the protagonist is supposed to accomplish their primary goal that had kept them driven and move the story forward.  Sam’s goal was attaining normal life, it was never about eradicating monsters to extinction or avenging his mother’s death.  In fiction it always seems like the main character want many things, but there is always a primary goal.  Harry Potter gets dragged into many subplots such as conflicts with his best friends, romantic misfires, and incidents with secondary characters, however his main goal was always to defeat Voldemort and that's what the audience is holding out to see.  Sam Winchester’s journey is flipped from Harry Potter’s; Sam gets dragged into many subplots of saving the world, defeating the Big Baddies, and conflicts with his brother, however his main goal was always to have a chance at a normal life. But this can't happen while Dean is still alive.

Dean has everything he wanted: Sam and hunting.  Dean is a complete person; he doesn’t need anything else. But Sam had given up just about everything so that Dean wouldn’t be alone. 15x16 reminded the audience that Sam wanted out of the hunting life since he was a child. Sure, Sam is very good at his job and even became a leader, but they always made sure to show that Sam doesn’t have passion for the family business other than saving people’s lives.  Claire Novak shows way more enthusiasm for the job. But Dean would never retire from the hunting life.  Even when Michael gave Dean a fantasy life, Dean still conjured up monsters so he can fight and kill them.  As long as Dean is alive, Sam will never be free to pursue a normal life.  Think back to Dean's speech in season 8 telling Sam to pursue his normal life only after Dean dies with a gun in his hand and a smile on his face.

The pivotal barn scene in the 15x20 finale was genius, bringing the series to full circle with callback to the pilot, fleshing it out, adding backstory to Dean’s pov that brings his fear, need, relief, and love to stark relief.  It hurt like hell, and at the same time, cathartic because Dean was honest.   The way Dean said, “Come here. Let me look at you. There he is!”  That’s Dean in dad mode, the parental figure to Sam.  The show reminded the audience in 15x18 that Dean raised his little brother.  Still in dad mode, Dean then tells Sam that he is proud of him.  It’s what every son wants to hear from their dad.

Dean then goes into brother mode and tells Sam he admires his strength even when they were children.  Sam’s strength is such that Dean was afraid that Sam doesn’t need him. Fearing rejection, he stood outside of Sam’s dorm for hours before finally going to Sam because it’s always been Sam and Dean, and Dean can’t comprehend if he didn’t have Sam. 

From there Dean gives Sam his blessing to keep living his life.  “I love you so much, my baby brother”. Sam’s reaction was pure and raw, he has always been honest about his wants and needs but craves Dean’s approval to pursue them, and now he has it.  Sam’s faith in Dean went answered with Dean saying how proud he is of Sam, how much he admired Sam’s strength so that Sam knows he is strong enough to go on living without Dean.  

Another reason why the barn scene is genius is the pilot callback sets up Sam and Dean’s reunion in New Heaven as pilot 2.0.  From there they will build their relationship just as Sam and Dean.  They are at peace without monsters disrupting their lives, without vindictive angels disrupting their afterlives, and without childhood angsts weighing them down.  They have both freedom and peace.

This applies to all of the hunters.  Jack’s New Heaven is like a retirement home for hunters where they can enjoy their peace and socialize with their friends and loved ones and even upgrade themselves to the people they were meant to be on earth.

[skidtheperson]

Shower idea because all good ideas come from the shower somehow

Poppy Playtime swap AU where the roles are swapped

The Poppy team (Poppy, Kissy, Dogday, ect.) are the "bad guys" and team Prototype (Prototype, Huggy, Catnap, ect.) are the "good guys".

Playtime made Poppy, a small doll for kids, mostly girls. She is the same as she is in the game, human like and interactive. The only part different is that she isn't made from a human. She is instead just a regular doll that is really human like. After this, Harley saw potential since the doll was so popular... Toys, animatronics that could BE like human kids, thus can bond more with them, what can better than that for a kid's toy factory?

The BBI (Bigger Bodies Initiative) are actually good in this, creating huge plushie like animatronics to play their own role in the factory. Huggy is the guide, Mommy is the caretaker, the Smiling Critters are the playmates, ect ect. They all have a purpose (other than Prototype since he was supposed to be the guide, but was a failed experiment). But, Poppy, the original, started to question everything.

Why were they so much like kids? They felt so human... TOO human. She doubted if she was just a toy. The similarities were too much, too many. She then came to the conclusion that they ARE children. What else could it be? They were too similar, there had to be a connection! She told others her theory, and some agreed, starting to doubt their creators and in fact hate them, while others disagreed and just said that they were toys made for children. But she didn't give up.

Then one day, they struck. They started killing workers, higher ups, and even parents. Yet because they believed they were children, they left the kids unharmed. In fact, some lead them to the orphanage where they then locked them in there to keep them "safe". The others saw this and tried reasoning with them, but to no avail. They wouldn't listen over their beliefs. This resulted in thousands deaths, which then caused the factory to be shut down.

Years later, we, the player, come back after hearing about what happened. We left due since it was mostly just something to make us money, but we didn't care that much about the kids. But after we heard that shit happened in there, we were curious and explored.

In this, Huggy is a guide for us instead of trying to kill us. He's the Poppy of this AU. He even warns us about her, saying she went crazy and started believing these lies and false truths. She was nice,, but then she thought too hard, which caused chaos... Poppy is basically the Prototype, trying to manipulate us into believing that Elliot was a horrible person. Huggy stays with us as much as he can, even helping us with high heights. Kissy is Poppy's apprentice, attacking us and Huggy when we get to close.

Mommy is a caretaker, giving us a place to stay before we have to go down further, allowing us to explore and keep safe. Though it's not fully safe, since we're still being chased and hunted. The toys (Boogie Bot, CatBee, Bron, ect.) are basically followers, and will chase and try to attack. Once er finally are able to get the train code, we go in and it's the same thing. Poppy overrides, but this time, it's to stop us from leaving cause she believes we're evil and trying to hurt them. So she tries crashing the train so we die, but thankfully we survive (how do we survive this stuff-).

Chapter 3. Huggy and the player are passed out, which gives the antagonist, Dogday, a chance to throw us in the crusher. Or whatever that's called. The events are the same there, we escape, get out, take the tram, then get to the Playcare. It's still relatively empty. This when we get to here from the Prototype, who helps us gain access to new areas. Dogday, Kickin, Bubba, and Hoppy are all the main antagonists of this area. Dogday resides in the Playhouse, Kickin is in the Counselor's office, Bubba's in the School, and Hoppy is roaming the outside most of the time, though she lost her ears while fighting, so she depends on her speed and sight.

The Toy Store is the first place we go into, which is where we meet Crafty and Bobby, both nervous and scared. They at first are afraid of us, avoiding us and hiding, but eventually warm up and start helping us around. We get the power and we are able to leave. Next place we go to is the School, where we meet Bubba. He attacks us and tries killing us, in a chase sequence like Ms. Delight's, but gets killed. We find out this area's power had been destroyed, sadly, so we move on. Next, we go to the orphanage, where we meet Picky, making food. She sees how hungry both the player and Huggy (don't ask how) are, so she gives us food and her room to rest up. Though we can choose not to.

We once again get attacked, this time by Hoppy. She and Picky fight, and we're able to crawl away thanks to Huggy, who follows us after. We get the power and escape. We then go to the Counselor's Office, where Kickin then tries to get us out of. But Huggy holds him down. And does so the whole time we're in there. Kickin will try and escape, but he's just kinda stuck. So we explore, and eventually get caught by Dogday, who knocks the two of us out. Dogday then lets Kicks free and makes sure he'll keep an eye on us and make sure we can't escape, then leaves back to the Playhouse. Once we awake, we have to find an exit, which is not that hard since the dumbest fell asleep. So we have to escape through the caves, bringing us to the Playhouse. It's basically the same, mini toys trying to hurt us, Dogday chasing us throughout, until we get to the Cage Room. There we finally meet Catnap, trapped in a cage and chained in the wall by his ankle.

He sees us and tells us to leave. This place was no longer safe. He's been here for years, with no clue of the outside other than what Dogday told him. That it was horrible, everyone was dead, and that there was no more fun. Only sorrow and misery. He didn't care to escape, no reason to do so since everyone had died. He told us to just leave him here, as although it was a fate worse than death, eternal isolation and torture by your once best friend, it was the only place he could call home. So we instead leave, getting the power from here and going down. Though sadly, we have to leave Huggy behind.

So yeah, that's it. Some things might change if I actually wanna keep this or not. Just a random thought I had that someone's probably already done Idk.

[moliathh]

tbh idgaf about whether alucard called integra count or countess bc how is integra holding "sir" title as legit as a male knight yet the same validity cant be apply to this situation if she was called a "count" ?? "hes regarding her as his equal" doesnt add up to me like im genuinely curious if u dont read it as somewhat romantic aligned how do u read it? one thing i noticed is that when it comes to reading between the lines sometimes we take a thing out of context and nitpick it and it doesnt seems fair, we have to put it in within the plot and among other details to read it too, and alucard already stated beforehanded that he regarded integra higher than himself or anyone else "i am a monster, regarding you, integra" he already stated how her will controls him, even major (yes i know hes an unreliable narrator but a broken clock is right at lease one time or something) said shes the authority alucard recognize. So the point that "he regards her as equal" contradicts what alucard said previously, and integra is his master, not his apprentice or servant to be recognized, unlike seras. Supposedly it was truth that he's claiming he recognize her as equal, wouldnt there be a better way to state it? "count and countess/count" cause confusion, and disrupt the intention if they were meant to be non romantic, Hirano wouldnt do things half way like that. And he had recognized her authority through BOTH actions and words before, wouldnt it break the smooth flow and insinuating atmosphere of the story by stating something that had been very efficiently shown between the line before by addressing it so crudely by spoken words. If "count and countess" solely means "platonic equal" i am sure there are LOTS more ways for it to be expressed without using such a complicated interaction, Hirano Kohtah is no amateur if he wanted to get a point across he would have done it.

[blurbfics]

There'd Better Be a Mirrorball | Azriel x OFC [part six]

Summary: Azriel is notoriously feared throughout the Courts of Prythian for a reason. The longest living Shadowsinger and Spymaster is no one to meddle with. A bratty little priestesses's challenge should be nothing to him, right?

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: none

a/n: short one but it was so fun to write from Azriel's pov. hope ya like it! (can you tell im a lana stan)

part five

Masterlist

"I'm the board, the lightning, the thunder

Kind of girl who's gonna make you wonder

Who you are and who you've been."

Lana Del Rey, Mariners Apartment Complex

Master, the shadows hiss, swirling around his ear at dinner time, there was little the Darkness could share regarding the acolyte.

A tinge of irritation filtered through the words spoken to only him, a rarity for his shadows who usually echoed the spymaster's own emotions, or lack thereof. Seldom did they express opinions or emotions that weren’t an extension of his own.

Well? he encouraged

She was brought to the keep within the mountain a little over half a century ago by the Morrigan, they supplied. 

The use of Mor’s full name didn’t surprise him, nor did it cause his heart to skip a beat as it had for the past five centuries. He had long given up on convincing the shadows to call her by her nickname, as they remained firm on referring to her by her epithet. It wasn’t that his shadows disliked Mor. They considered her family the same way they did his brothers, he knew, but despite their lack of explicit opinion on the matter, they had never fully understood his affection for the female.

Mor saved her, he mused, mostly to himself. Where did she find her?

There was a brief pause. The Darkness would not say.

Azriel’s eyebrow twitched imperceptibly at that. It was the second time the shadows mentioned the Darkness, an entity of its own accord that the shadows seldom turned to, more comfortable obtaining their information from the net of shadows that united them all. Azriel knew the shadows only appealed to the Darkness when in dire need and it was rare to obtain something from it that it didn’t want known, including the whereabouts and doings of their enemies like the King of Hybern and Briallyn while they were still a threat.

What did it say?

Only what can be known. The Morrigan brought her to the Keep with the High Lord’s permission and within a decade, became one of Priestess Clotho’s closest apprentices.

At that, Azriel couldn’t contain the surprise from raising his eyebrows slightly, perhaps briefly perceptible only if someone was watching him, which they weren’t, as his family spoke amongst each other at the River House (Mor excluded, still in Vallahan). The shadow’s information was vastly more entertaining than the banter shot back and forth between Nesta and Amren, however.

He could admit he was no expert on the administration within the Library— always aware of its importance to the fae held inside, of why they embraced it as a safe haven away from the outside world, as he mostly did not feel it right to intrude upon their privacy— he was privy to the general comings and goings of the place, if only to fulfill his duty to the Night Court in maintaining the safety of its fae population. Thus, he was aware that while the priestesses held no strict guides of hierarchy, there was a system that was typically followed, which allowed the females with more experience and seniority to obtain higher statuses, not only within the temples of the priestesses, but within the chain of command in the library, as well. For Eowyn, someone so young– or at least he assumed she was– to have climbed that social ladder within a decade and become Clotho’s pupil was highly impressive.

And what else? He pushed, suddenly intrigued in knowing everything he could. He thought back to the interactions he’d seen Eowyn have with the other priestesses. He had noted how a few weeks ago she had walked in after everyone else had piled in, not late enough for him to feel the need to say anything, only that she filed in last. Almost in unison, the priestesses inclined their heads in greeting only for her to respond with a single curt nod, but had only assumed it was a normal practice of theirs. Now, he wondered if it was a particular demonstration of respect.

Nothing. The shadows hissed.

His stoic face didn’t reveal his clear disappointment. She said she’s from the Dawn Court. Is that where Mor found her?

Silence. It was as such when the shadows had no response. At that, he couldn’t hold back his frown.

“Are the potatoes not to your liking?” Feyre’s voice cut into his thoughts from his left, his High Lady observing his face gently as he pushed his food around his plate.

He hummed lightly, shaking his head, “they’re fine.”

“Are… you okay?” Someone else spoke up, a voice he had tried hard to forget for almost an entire year now, ever since the Winter Solstice. 

Only, when he turned his eyes to Elain, who had come to visit Feyre and Nyx with Lucien in tow, the empty ache in the pit of his stomach was simply… not there. He hadn’t realized quite how long it had been since he’d last dwelled on it. On her. Easily over two months now. Probably around the time he’d gotten busier with the Valkyrie training, as more priestesses joined.

He brushed away a rogue thought that crossed his mind as soon as it came, not daring to linger on it.

“Yes,” he replied evenly, although by her flinch perhaps a bit too curtly. “I’m okay,” he assured, softer this time. She held his gaze for a second longer than she usually dared to, eyes searching his. Once she found whatever it was she was looking for, she offered him a shy side smile and turned her attention back to her sister, hand squeezing gently where it was placed over Lucien’s larger and smooth one. The male didn’t so much as glance at him, not that Azriel cared all too much.

Conversation turned back to something else he had no interest in, leaving him at peace with his thoughts.

Only, his thoughts brought him no peace and much less any reprieve that night as he attempted to sleep. Eowyn had permitted him— no, challenged him to find what he could about her the morning before, and while he had sent out his shadows to figure out what they could, only to come up short (which wasn’t entirely unheard of), he figured one more day to give the shadows more leniency to spread their net of information further, would be enough to find what he needed to face her tomorrow afternoon during their training session.

He wasn’t all too sure why it was eating at him that he couldn’t find anything of substance about her. Who was she before she came to the library? He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what had happened to her to be driven there, as that was her story to tell, but to find absolutely nothing on her, not her family name, birthday, or precisely where she was from, was bothering him much more than it should.

With a frustrated sigh, he kicked the sheets away and stood up, dressing quickly in his usual leathers before slipping outside of his room and out into the front balcony.

Mind set on taking to the skies to clear his head and tire himself out, he didn’t notice Rhys sitting outside immediately until his shadows brought it to his attention, hidden amidst the dark in what was a slightly jarring vision of himself.

“Wha-“ he didn’t even finish his word, mouth slipping shut as he noticed the bundle sleeping peacefully in Rhys’ arms.

“He’s been colicky this past week,” Rhys explained in a soft murmur, rocking back and forth gently, rubbing the tiny back up and down.

“Why are you out here?” 

“He likes it out here, believe it or not,” Rhys smiled adoringly down at the babe, eyes glinting with the spark that had been ignited in his eyes the moment Nyx was born and hadn’t left for a second. It was the look of a father who loved his child and would do anything to keep him safe, even staying up all night in the brisk night air to offer any sort of relief for his discomfort. “Besides, Feyre has barely slept a wink this week. Letting her sleep is the least I could do.”

Judging from the dark circles under Rhys’ eyes, Azriel doubted his brother had gotten any more sleep than his mate. Sagely, he decided not to comment on it.

“And you?”

“The usual,” Azriel shrugged, not bothering to elaborate. Rhys didn’t press further, either. Azriel had always had trouble sleeping, despite his family’s insistence that he was safe and needed his rest. 

“Any news on Koschei?”

“You’d be the first to know if there was,” it took everything not to snap at the High Lord in annoyance. It wasn’t his fault, the shadowsinger reminded himself. Hell, he wasn’t sure what was keeping him up at the moment, all he knew was that he had plans for tomorrow. Had a training drills set in mind he wanted to run by Cassian before the priestesses arrived, had a whole lecture on daggers to go through with Eowyn after the morning session, before she could even think about waving one around the way he’d seen her mess with the arrows during their archery lessons and-

Why did his stomach churn so suddenly at the thought of her?

The High Lord sighed. “Is it… Elain?”

His head snapped towards his brother, suddenly stunned as he spoke words that suddenly made no sense to Azriel.

Surprising even himself when something completely different left his mouth, “what do you know about Eowyn? One of the priestesses from the library,” he was quick to add.

Rhys blinked.

“Az, you know I can’t-“

“She gave me permission,” he added immediately, slightly affronted his brother would think he’d go behind a priestesses’s back and invade her privacy so thoughtlessly. 

But his brother only observed him with that infuriating knowing look.

“What’s this about?”

“Is it a crime to want to know more about the fae I’m spending time out of my day training? I'd look into anyone I had to spend time with, priestess or not.” Female or not, is what he meant, but Rhys knew that.

And despite his annoyance at his brother, Azriel allowed his mental walls to drop only enough for Rhys to get a glance at the one-on-one training held the morning before— just a snippet of Eowyn standing in front of him, head tilted slightly and staff held solidly at her side. Pushed him out before he could see the way she’d prowled around him, however, as she sought a weak point in his stance to attack. She hadn’t found one. 

(He refused to admit, even to himself, the exhilaration he felt at being observed under her preying eyes.)

The quick reference was enough for the High Lord to consider his words, eyebrows furrowing slightly in thought. “I have to admit I don’t know much about her. We’ve been corresponding quite a bit recently regarding a greenhouse project that seems rather promising, but before that… I faintly recall Mor asking me to bring in Madja… she’d been injured, but I never got to see the extent of her injuries or to even talk to her. She didn’t want me near her, much less dig around her head to find who had done what to her.”

Azriel nodded. None of that had surprised him. He was once again at square one and with even more to consider before he could even think about sleeping.

“You know,” his brother spoke up after a moment of silence. “If training the Valkyries is becoming too much for you, you don’t have to keep at it. It started with Cass training Nesta and it’s taken on a life of its own, but you’re not expected to stay if you don’t want to. You can let Cass and Nesta do their passion project-”

“No.” Was all Azriel said, before taking off to the skies. It was all Rhys needed to hear to confirm his theory. He sighed, wishing his brother the best in what was surely going to be a thunderstorm of emotions.

part seven

taglist: @lilah-asteria , @a-courtof-azriel, @honk4emoboyz , @feyretopia , @mrsjna , @buttermilktea11 , @bravo-delta-eccho , @kylieinwonderland

[shunin-gumis]

As Master Joe Wishes - Track 01

Seasonal Team Event - L4mps

Worked with 18TL Ward on this!

Thank you Jelly for handling this chapter!

Location: HAMA House — Lesson Room

Sakujiro: Rules of the Oguro Family’s butlers, “Butler Oblige –108 Commandments–.” Pledge, “one must be willing to sacrifice themselves!”

Nagi: For the sake of granting their master’s wishes…!!

Sakujiro: Correct! If the master so wishes, you must give it your all, pour your heart and soul into it in order to grant their wish!

Sakujiro: Pledge, “One must not speak!”

Netaro: Without permission from their master~♪

Sakujiro: Correct! Should the need arise, observe them as one treads around their boss during the on-season and aptly conveys the scent of a delicious cup of black tea straight to their nostrils, gauging their reaction from there.

Sakujiro: Pledge, “A servant’s greatest honor!”

Toi: Is to take care of their master!

Sakujiro: Pledge, “When the master and other guests have a gathering!”

Yodaka: Await by the wall and refrain from interactions as if one was a shadow.

Sakujiro: Pledge, “When one receives an order or instructions from the master!”

Ryui: THE FUCK IF I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!

Rest of L4mps: …

Sakujiro: My, my… Ryui-san, you still refuse to recite the commandments. Honestly, what a troublesome apprentice.

Nagi: Ah……now we have to “bow” 150 times again as a group…

Yodaka: Perhaps I’ll break my back like Danny this time... Speaking of which, are you alright?

Daniel (off screen): Hell naw… Bowed too many times, my back…

Netaro: Ahaha, Daa looks like a catapwellier~.

Sakujiro: Ryui-san, I’m not asking you to remember all 108 commandments.

Sakujiro: At this time, you need only to drill the important parts into your head. Is that too much to ask?

Ryui: ‘S not like I can’t remember it, or some shit like that.

Sakujiro: If that is the case, what is the reason for your refusal? This is basic knowledge that is essential to being a servant.

Sakujiro: You must practice reciting them for the sake of attaining a class, mannerism, and devotion of honorable quality, drilling it into your body at a level where you unconsciously and naturally respond to—

Ryui: Like I said, that ain’t the fucking problem.

Ryui: Listen here. There’s no way I’d pledge my loyalty to anyone other than Toi.

Netaro, Nagi, Yodaka: …

Toi: Ani-sama…! To think you thought of me that way... I'm so grateful!!

Sakujiro: I see. What you are saying is that the only one you are loyal to is Toi-san?

Yodaka: “A warrior dies for those who understand him” …A wonderful phrase indeed.*

Netaro: Sigh~, but you can’t keep acting like this. Oh! Are you that? One of those people who's allergic to teamwork?

Ryui: You’re the last person I wanna hear that from.

Nagi: *shakes head* Ryui, please. I don’t wanna do Saku-san’s punishments again. It’ll be hard to run the store if I break my back.

Ryui: Fuck you, break it for all I care.

Chief: *enters* So this is where everyone was. Are you training for the HosLive……?

Yodaka: Hello, Chief. No, this is something a little different.

Daniel: Perfect timing. Couldja gimme a back massage...?

Netaro: Doudou, you have food?

Ryui: (Fucking Yowa… We’re in this shitty situation ‘cause of him, but this dickhead ain’t giving a single fuck…)

Ryui: (This all happened ‘cause yesterday, that guy—)

~~~(flashback)

Toi: Waah, What a cool mansion! It’s like a CG out of the otome game “The Black Swan’s Kaleidoscope!” Right, Ani-sama?

Ryui: Yea. That’s the 7th one you played? Should I take a picture of you from the same angle as that CG?

Nagi: Hm? It’s Ryui and Toi.

Ryui: Huh? What the hell? Don’t tell me you were also called out here?

Nagi: Yup. A letter of challenge affixed to an arrow appeared at the shop. It was from Netaro… and it told me to come here.

Ryui: An arrow…?

Yodaka: Oh, everyone else is gathered as well.

Daniel: This is just the entire night group.

Toi: Oh! It’s Yodaka-san and Danny-san! Were both of you called here as well?

Yodaka: Indeed. Via smoke signals. I have to say, the Shingen Takeda-style* smoke flare was magnificent.

Daniel: It was a carrier pigeon for me.

Toi: Ani-sama and I got a telegram!

Ryui: (For fuck’s sake, just send us a text like a normal person.)

Netaro: Oohhh, the cast is all assembled! And with not one mortal injury! Welcome welcome♪

??: Hello.

Ryui: Fuck Yowa for now… Who’s the old man?

Netaro: This is Sammy!

Sammy: I’m Sammy, nice to meet you. I’m a detective. Here’s my police badge.

Nagi: T-The real deal.

Yodaka: Hmm, so Sammy-san’s real name is Koutetsu Samejima-san?

Nagi (mumbling): T-There’s been a mistake. While it’s true Netaro might be an intergalactic trespasser, he said he’d protect the Earth and all…

Samejima: Thank you for coming all this way. Um, shall we move inside? It might be better to sit down and chat.

Toi: Yay! I wonder what the inside looks like!

Daniel: Will we make it back in time for happy hour? This better not turn out to be a pain in the ass…

Nagi: Netaro is a very good friend of mine. Well, I can’t deny that he’s lacking in Earthian common sense, and I guess sometimes he makes me partake in some pretty random stuff, but it’s not out of spite. He’s in the middle of learning about Earth and all, and—

Ryui: Oi, the fuck you mumbling about? Everyone’s already gone. Let’s get going.

Notes:

Og: 士は己を知る者の為に死す It's a Japanese idiom with Chinese origins meaning that any good person would be willing to die for someone who knows and recognizes his true worth.

a famous warlord from the sengoku era of Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeda_Shingen

[8um8le]

Back with some asks about Cyberpunk au!

-Can the boys detect vitals?

-Can they defend a human from being harmed by another human?

-Does Bot hang out with the others daily?

-You’ve mentioned that Bot has taken the other boys to a lot of cool places for sightseeing and entertainment. When the boys go to clubs do they dance? Do they often break into places to sightsee? I’d imagine they’d be kicked out soon after entering cubs or get enforcement called on them fairly often.

Ooo nice questions, answers under the cut <3

Can the boys detect vitals? 

They can only detect their own vitals, and understand why another robot would be close to shutting off forever. It can be pretty confusing for them to understand the human body when it comes to helping them out, but at the same time they know how to kill a human, and where their weak spots could be, so they could use that info to know whether they are about to die or not. 

(Gore mention tw)Their lack of comprehension of how the human functions is a reason why 8ot likes to dissect and play around with how he ends a human’s life when it comes to targets, especially with the guilt that he couldn’t save a loved one because of having no knowledge how a human body falls apart. He’s almost like a doctor or mad scientist when it comes to bots, he can repair and build robots, so he wanted to expand towards organic life. 

Sun and Moon don’t know as much as 8ot when it comes to saving a human’s life, as they don’t have a reason to why they would need to save a human, when their job is to end them. They stayed distant from humans for a long while since they only tried to scrap them in their first vessel. Their experience with humans trying to smash them to bits is another reason they learned to fight for their survival. 

Of course this would change if they happened to meet a human that they end up caring about, they’d want to learn more about organic bodies. (Possibly a y/n/oc interaction dynamic ehhehe)

Can they defend a human from being harmed by another human?

Okay so the city’s justice system is complete ass, people can get away from murder as long as it’s not the wrong person; being the super rich that has a network of others who will hunt down your entire bloodline, OR a super strong opponent that turns the table and ends up killing you instead. The only time police get serious is when someone makes a huge mess or destroy a large chuck of property (example would be using explosives to make a building completely crumble to the ground) 

Does 8ot hang out with the boys on the daily?

Yeah they are very close to each other, although I left their relationship with one another to be ambiguous, the viewer can chose whether they are involved in a romantic or platonic way. 8ot often drops them off to their day job on his hovering vehicle.(aka flying car lmao) They are very comfortable with each other that they show up to each other’s place uninvited. The two are also comfortable with telling 8ot just about anything. Thing is it’s usually one sided when it comes to pouring their heart out about their past, since 8ot is self conscious of what he was, often trying to copy the mannerism of people around him to cope. 

Koi is also another guy who is close with everyone in fact, even Eclipse. Funnily a lot of people like to rely on him, and turn to him for comfort. Eclipse loves to hang out with him when he gets the time, and Eclipse shares his knowledge on robots while Koi shares his knowledge of organics (since he is a organic himself)

Eclipse is seen as a higher up/ apprentice to Sun, Moon and 8ot. He also happens to have a soft spot for the three, actually caring about their well-being, normally he wouldn‘ t even bat an eye towards his lowers in the criminal underground. He still acts coldly, strict and harsh when it comes to the boys, but that’s his weird way of showing he cares. For this reason I like to joke about Eclipse being their dad since he’s constantly and voluntarily on babysitting duty.

When they go to clubs do they dance? Do they break into places to sight-see? 

Yes they go to clubs to dance and overall vibe and wind down, their dynamic making all their trips interesting. Sun being a responsible person and tagging along to keep an eye on the two trouble-makers, but genuinely having a good time in the process, Moon thriving in the chaos and even starting fights, 8ot knowing where to go, and laughing at the other two. 

AHHHhahah getting kicked out or police gettin called on them, the first part is definitely true, but police don’t get called often since the city doesn’t trust or rely on police, but if they have body-guards or a posse, they’d call them to scrap. As goofy as it is to see two shiny eight foot robots with a sun and moon mask as their heads, and a feminine looking humanoid with a masculine voice and mannerism, they have the upper hand when it comes to combat, never losing a fight yet. I mean it’s not like hey can afford to lose a fight, since that would cost them their lives when it comes to this city