#ch: anna morales

[pearl-tarotist]

Author's note: This PAC is inspired by Anna Karenina (movie 2012). In the story Anna feels she is being stripped off her honor as she falls in love with a man that's not her husband. She has an affair that, even if it's against her senses, makes her fall in love with Vronsky. The PAC will answer what absurd, non-logical and senseless happiness your spouse and you will feel when being together (even if you feel you are leaving behind your morals and logic).

I love this movie so much I just hope I am able to reflect in this PAC one percent of what the movie made me feel.

PILE 1

New experiences and adventures make both of you feel closer. The development of projects that are still unfinished, the celebration and ecstasy of hopes makes both of you feel one. The intimacy of creating something together while it is not finished offers both of you the opportunity to relax in a time of peace where you both are unaware of the result of it, without having to worry about if the end is going to be a disappointment or not.

The indecision of which project must be the final or which path will be sailed to rock will lend both of you space to breath and enjoy the small things of your relationship: the kisses, the touches, the secret affairs of midnight and the moans spilled in each other’s mouths…

This will be unwilling to the female side as they could be more logical and efficient. She could enjoy the moments with her husband a lot but then she has the guilt of not being efficient and controlling. She has opposite feelings of pleasure and disappointment, indecisive of what’s good or bad.

I see this as fight between doing things correctly and enjoy lust and love. Probably, your relationship could start as a friends with benefit situation or a forbidden love.

“Sometimes she did not know what she feared, what she desired: whether she feared or desired what had been or what would be, and precisely what she desired, she did not know.”

Song recommended: Illicits afairs – Taylor swift.

PILE 2

There’s guilt over starting a new life with your future spouse. There will be a transformation that will make you leave your past life behind, to the point of moving and not coming back. Being happy itself is what makes you feel guilty. I think you or your fs will be guilty for leaving whatever you both are leaving behind, even it was not good. Still, these will make you happy and will make you feel as if you are maturating and evolving in your life. Happiness will surpass the guilt, but, of course, it won’t make it disappear.

Nevertheless, you will be happy when good things happen to you and the way both of you will explore romance will be be emotionally rewarding. Specially, the male side will have a splendid way with words that will elevate the most normal situations to the most romantic ones. I feel that your spouse will be the one forcing the moving too. Maybe, he feels at blame for “forcing” you to move and he will try to balance it being more attentive and meticulous. Even more pointed, he will gift you flowers, roses…

There will be a bit of self – destruction and self-created crisis from your part to try to justify these “bad” or nor-pleasing feelings. And even in those, when you both are fighting, you will feel happy to be next to your spouse.

“Rummaging in our souls, we often dig up something that ought to have lain there unnoticed.”

PILE 3

This couple is probably the nastiest one! There’s something that will be kept a secret that will make both of you extremely happy. This stuff will be kept a secret and that’s probably what makes both of you guilty, not being able to express what you truly are or what you truly like to others.

TW: Mentions of sex, 18+.

Now, in reference to the stuff…I think it’s probably sexual stuff. Both of you could be really kinky and adventurers in the 18+ ambience, it could even be something non-moral to the general public (never surpassing certain limits, you know?). Probably, cnc, an open marriage or maybe, even some of you are cheaters… For the majority I do not think it could be cheaters as the cards do not indicate pain or betrayals…

In conclusion, both of you together could enjoy things that are not as moral or “politically correct” to the normal public, so you both keep them as a secret. These are the type of things that should NEVER be spoken of in familiar meals/meetings.

“All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow.”

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.189 thoughts

[I Dream of Juiz-y]

(Contents: Character analysis - Julia and Anna, thematic analysis - nature/justice, predictions)

I talked a lot last week about how Julia's nature should be mostly retained from Juiz's soul, and that seems to have been pretty spot on. Julia is just as earnest, dedicated, moral and courageous as Juiz was, but as one might expect, she doesn't have the same air of confidence and elegance that Juiz had as a result of living for eons on end. Some things can only be gained through experience and aren't inherent to one's personality, so while Julia could become a perfect recreation of Juiz, at the moment she doesn't necessarily know that she has those traits in her at all

For example, Juiz was heavily motivated by her desire to make Victor happy; if Julia can't see herself in a relationship currently and by extension doesn't have a partner, she can't possibly know how far she'd be willing to go for the sake of someone that she loves. We see in this chapter that she's willing to face down a monster that far outclasses her for the sake of a friend, but it's not like she had ever been in a similar situation before. She probably never could have guessed that she'd act like that here, but that was how she was always going to act in that scenario

This is also why it's unavoidable that she's going to become intertwined with the battle against God. Whether she was Unjustice or not, the personality that Julia inherited from Juiz was always going to spur her to action in the face of injustice. The only difference between her being Unjustice and not being is that she'll learn about the world of Negators, and even then she might have found out somehow anyway, and she'd definitely have made an effort to get involved once she knew. She may be happy with her current life, but she never could be the type to learn an unjust truth and leave it be

I would also venture a guess that it's not simply that she "can't see herself in a relationship," but to some extent also that literally no one in that line was ever going to be anywhere near her type. I'm not going to say that she's still loyal to Victor, but I'm confident that meeting Victor would definitely trigger something in her. Sean sure as hell was never going to, though

Side note: very cute that Sean goes crying to Chikara after Julia rejects him. Another branch to the polycule for sure

Tozuka also clearly went out of his way to illustrate the similarities between Julia and Fuuko, as if to remind us that one of the core tenets of Juiz's character thus far has been how similar she is to Fuuko. Not only did the cover page show how their roles have reversed (which I believe I mentioned last week or the week before), but Fuuko and Julia both made the same stereotypical determined shonen pose in this chapter. Not only did this indicate that they behave similarly, but it also showed that Fuuko wouldn't have been as out of place as Nico suggested, as she likely would have been able to forge a connection with Julia almost instantly

Speaking of friends, I'm surprisingly endeared to Julia and Anna's friendship right off the bat. UMA Gold's ability seems to be a take on Unjustice, forcing people with greed in their hearts to act in particular ways in exchange for money - while Unjustice negates one's sense of justice, Gold pushes its limits, tempting one to betray their justice with an increasing amount of riches. However, unlike Unjustice which automatically flips the target's actions to go against their justice and therefore cannot be resisted without completely changing one's values, Gold seems to be resistible based on the value of one's convictions

Case in point, Anna clearly values money, as she specifically helps Julia train in secret in exchange for payment, but while this allows her to be ensnared by Gold and give some information to him against her will, it does not completely rob her of her will, as she is able to clasp her hand over her mouth and refuse to offer any further information. She undoubtedly would have broken eventually, but the fact that she was able to resist at all suggests that for however much she values money, she values Julia more. This definitively makes Anna a great friend for Julia, and makes Julia's decision to step up for her sake that much more relatable

I don't know how much more we'll see of Anna, she'll probably be like Ryo and we'll only see her on rare occasions, but her presence gives a good sense of what's at stake for Julia's personal life if she doesn't fight on the Union's side

I'm also glad that we're seeing little glimpses of Juiz's life through Julia's eyes, as that implies we'll have an avenue to directly have new parts of Juiz's story relayed to us directly, much like Apocalypse dreaming about his conversations with her. Seeing Julia's take on Juiz's experiences, possibly even seeing her remember Juiz's initial tragedy, would be a great way to develop both of them simultaneously, and would definitely make it feel like we didn't just trade Juiz for Julia. I don't know if that's how it's going to happen, but I don't think that Fuuko can explain Juiz's tragedy to Julia, I think she needs to experience it firsthand, and having Juiz's memories embedded in her soul seems like the perfect way to do so

I'm expecting that next week's chapter will be a deep dive into what justice means to Julia, and could possibly compare and contrast her vision with Juiz's, though I guess that could take a few chapters. Either way, I think there's a good chance that they'll be fighting UMA Silver next chapter, as not only did Gold mention a brother, he also wields an axe, a clear reference to the fable of the Honest Woodcutter

In the story, a woodcutter drops his axe in the river and is then asked by the god Hermes (or a river spirit in the Japanese version) if he dropped a gold or silver axe - when the woodcutter is honest and says he dropped a normal axe rather than jumping at the opportunity for riches, he is given all three as a reward. Just like in the story, Gold wields an axe and represents temptation, while Julia represents the moral backbone to resist temptation and do what she believes is right regardless. She didn't seem influenced by Gold at all, so now she needs to be tempted by Silver as well to prove definitively that she has the strength of spirit to always be honest and just no matter what

The real question is what will her first usage of Unjustice look like? Will she accidentally force Anna to give into Silver's temptation? Will she make Anna attack her? Will Gold and Silver be forced to fight each other? Will Fuuko be targeted? This could go a lot of ways, so it's hard to speculate. Regardless, I think we'll get Unjustice next chapter, and I'm extremely excited to see how that affects Julia as a person

Until next time, let's enjoy life

[catierambles]

Null Ch.10

Pairing: Incubus!Charles Brandon x Anna Williams (OFC)

WC 2792

Warnings: Some innuendo but nothing really Minors DNI 18+ ONLY

@brattymum96 , @ouroboros113 , @peaches1958 , @summersong69 , @henryownsme , @fvckinghenrycavill , @raccoon-eyed-rebel

Charles was leaning against the kitchen sink when she woke up the next morning, heading down to the kitchen for coffee.

“Sleep well?” He asked and she gave him a sleepy glare. “No?” He held out a mug of coffee to her and she looked at it. “Here, darling, this should help.” She took it from him and sipped at it, giving a pleased hum with a smile pulling at her lips. He always made her coffee exactly how she liked it.

“Thank you.” She said and he gave her a gentle smile, nodding slightly.

“How’re you feeling?” He asked, “I’m not really getting anything from you.”

“I’m fine. Like I said, I’m not going to be climbing the walls or acting like a cat in heat.” Anna said, “I’ve been dealing with this every month since I was sixteen, I can handle it.”

“Sixteen?”

“I was a late bloomer.” She said with a shrug. “Moral of this story is that I’m fine and I can handle it. I just…you know, need to orgasm more than usual. Well, not need to, but want to. This isn’t a heat cycle like in some a/b/o fic.”

“A what?” Charles asked and she blinked at him.

“How do you not know about alpha-beta-omega fics?” She asked, “How do you not know about heat and rut cycle smut fics?”

“Is that a rabbit hole I shouldn’t fall down as well?” He asked and she snorted.

“Nah, you can swan dive that one if you want. I think you’d enjoy it and find it interesting.” She said, “You can google it when I get out of work. Speaking of,” She leaned into him without thinking, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “I have to log in. You know where I’ll be,” She left the kitchen, taking the coffee with her and he watched her leave before reaching up and touching his cheek where she had kissed him, a small smile pulling at his lips.

Work was…work, but it seemed to drag on longer than usual, especially with the erotic invasive thoughts that steamrolled through her brain at random intervals. They all featured a certain demonic housemate, because of course they did, and got progressively more filthy and inventive as the day dragged on. She was pretty sure the human body didn't bend like that, and she was reasonably sure it wouldn't work with their height difference. Ah well.

Finally, it was time to clock out and she did so with gusto, shutting down her work laptop and getting up from the chair with a stretch, heading out of the study. Charles was lying reclined on the couch in the living room as she went past, his eyes closed and his hands folded on his stomach, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. She thought he said he didn't need to sleep. She stopped, watching him snooze and she could feel the small smile pull at her lips. She's never seen him like this, utterly relaxed, with no persona being put forward.

Going over to the couch, she stood over him for a moment before bending and pressing her lips to his forehead in a featherlight kiss.

"Your aim is horrible." He said, cracking an eye open as she pulled back and she smiled at him.

"No, I was right on target." She said and his lips pulled into a smile of his own before he opened his arms for her.

"Join me." He said, but she hesitated. "I won't do anything untoward, you have my word."

"I didn't think you would." She said and sighed. Why not? The couch wasn't deep enough for two people, so she had to basically lay on him, her head resting on his collarbone and she felt his arms come around her as her legs tangled with his, her hand on his chest over his heart. She felt him sigh and shift slightly as if getting comfortable and she picked her head up, seeing his eyes closed again. Setting her head back down, she curled her fingers in his shirt and closed her eyes, lulled by the sound of his heart and the way his chest rose and fell with his breathing.

Anna dozed lightly and she wasn’t even sure if he had slept himself, but in a way, she didn’t mind, it was nice to lay with him like this, enveloped by his arms, with no expectation of it being anything more than it was. She wished she could contact her exes and shove it in their faces that a sex demon was more understanding and accommodating than they were. One of them still tried to hit her up from time to time in a futile effort of a booty call, not getting it through his thick skull that she was utterly and completely done with him. He still had a mind that she was “cured” and would be down for some casual fucking, the idiot.

A shiver ran over her skin and she pressed into him a little tighter, burrowing into his neck.

“Aww, they’re so cute together!”

“Piss off.”  Charles grumbled and she opened her eyes. “Darling, we have company.”

“Tell them to fuck off.” She said, closing her eyes again and she heard the laugh.

“They did neglect to knock or even use the front door at all, so we would be well within our rights.”

“Pretty rude dudes.” She said but sighed, opening her eyes again. Looking up, she saw the group of guys standing very close to the couch and blinked at them heavily. “Back up a bit, will you?” They took a couple of steps back and Anna untangled herself from Charles, nearly falling to the floor trying to get off the couch, but he caught her quickly before she hit the deck, making one of the guys laugh again. Standing, she looked at them, taking in their varied appearances. One was younger, with longish black hair and startling blue eyes, and the rest were older. “Introductions.”

“I’m Syverson, call me Sy.” One said with a southern drawl, a beard on his face and his hair buzzed close to his scalp.

“August.” Another said, a mustache covering his upper lip with the beginnings of a beard on his face.

“Napoleon.” Another said, taking her hand in his and kissing the back gently. He was clean-shaven, but like the younger one had neat black hair and blue eyes.

“Really? Napoleon?” She asked, pulling her hand from his, “That’s the name you went with?”

“What’s wrong with it?” He asked with a slight scowl but she just held her hands up.

“Nothing, you do you, dude.” She said and the younger one stepped into her, wrapping his hands around her waist, making her have to put her own hands against his chest to keep some distance between them.

“I’m Mike. Nice to meet you, sweetcheeks.” He said with a smile.

“Aw, you’re a fetus.” Anna said, “Aren’t you adorable.” Sy gave a heavy snort at that and Mike’s smile faltered slightly before he looked into her eyes.

“Charles was right, there’s just nothing there.” Mike said and she gave him a questioning look before realization hit.

“You looked in my head for any latent whatsits.” She said and he nodded, his smile coming back. “And you don’t think that’s a massive invasion of privacy? Or a giant “fuck you” to personal boundaries? Charles did it once, but at least he had the decency to ask first.” His smile fell completely and he looked away from her.

“I didn’t…I didn’t think about that, I--”

“Oh for god's sake you look like you’re about to cry, come here.” She said and pulled him into a hug, “I know people can’t tell when you guys do it, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Okay?”

“Yeah.” Mike said, returning the hug. “Yeah, okay.”

“You okay now?” She asked, pulling away to look at him and he nodded. “You want some cocoa?”

“I would love some cocoa.” He admitted sheepishly and she pulled away from him.

“I want cocoa.” Charles said with a slightly affronted tone, sitting up and swinging his legs over to sit properly on the couch.

“Your legs aren’t broken, you can get it yourself.” Anna said and Sy barked a laugh.

“Oh, I like her.” He said and she gave him a thumbs up.

“Okay, this house soaks up noise like no one's business so I literally will not be able to hear you once I go into the kitchen. Does anyone want anything while I’m in there?” She asked.

“I’ll take a beer if you got it.” Sy said and she nodded.

“I think I got something in the fridge. You two?” She asked, moving a finger between August and Napoleon but getting shakes of the head, both wearing small amused smiles. “Awesome.” Charles followed her into the kitchen, watching as she measured out milk in a mug before pouring it into a small pan, putting it on the stove to heat as she pulled a tin from the cupboard.

“You’re playing hostess to a pack of incubi.” He said, “You are aware of this, yes?”

“I figured.” She said, scooping out contents from the tin and dumping them in the mug.

“You’re remarkably calm about it.”

“My roommate is an incubus.” She pointed out and he shrugged, conceding the point. “I just figured they were friends of yours. Question for you, though.”

“Yes?”

“How old is Mike?”

“Several thousand years old.” Charles said, “But mentally he’s mid-twenties.”

“So not a child.”

“Not a child.” Charles said with a nod.

“And he’s going to look like that for the rest of his existence.” Another nod and she shrugged with a sound, “He’ll be a hit with the co-eds.”

“Yes, the college campus is his preferred venue, he blends in extremely well.” Charles said and she turned off the heat of the stove just as the pan was about to bubble over, taking it off the burner and carefully pouring the hot milk into the mug, digging out a spoon from the drawer and stirring it to melt the chocolate shavings. She let the mug settle before going over to the fridge and pulling out a bottle, twisting off the cap, and throwing it in the trash. Picking up the mug by the handle, they went back into the living room to see that the others had taken seats around the room. Mike accepted the mug with a smile and Sy took the bottle from her with a nod.

“Ooh, minty.” Mike said, sipping at the cocoa and Sy shrugged when he took a pull from the beer.

“Not bad.” He said.

“Give it a second and then breathe in.” Anna said and he gave her a questioning look but did as she said, his eyes going wide as he looked at the bottle.

“What the--”

“Chocolate porter.” She said with a smirk and he took a deeper pull from the bottle.

“Oh, that’s good.” He said, “I’ll have to get some of it for my place.” They mainly talked amongst themselves and Anna stayed quiet, just observing them. She thought about excusing herself and leaving them alone but when she got up to go, Charles tugged her back down gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Hey,” Mike started, “Ann is having a party at her place next weekend, a bunch of us are going to be there. You guys want to crash the place?”

“I’m not pleased with Ann at the moment, Michael.” Charles said and he winced.

“Oh yeah, I forgot.”

“Don’t alienate yourself from your friends just for the sake of me, Charles.” Anna said, “If you want to go, go. The succubitch may be hosting the thing, but you can avoid her.”

“Ha! Succubitch! I’m going to have to remember that one.” Mike said with a smile.

“Yeah, we uh…got the jist of what she said to you, doll.” Sy said, “Not cool.”

“Yes, well, I guess acephobia hits demons too.”

“Acephobia?” Napoleon asked.

“Yeah, kinda like homophobia except for ace people.” Anna said and he nodded. “I deal with it from time to time, even from those in the LGBT community, which is ironic and fucked up, but it’s whatever.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, doll.” Sy said and she gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, I know, but you hear something enough times and your brain wants to believe it.” She said, “Anyway, Charles, if you want to go to the party, go to the party. I can find ways to occupy myself on my lonesome.”

“Why don’t you come with us!” Mike suggested, “I mean, you’re a null so you won’t feel anything and those there won’t make moves on you. It’ll also show the succubitch how little you think of her and her opinion of you.”

“That sounds really petty.” Anna said, “I like it.”

“Mike, don’t you have a term paper due next weekend?” August asked and he shrugged.

“That term paper hasn’t changed for the last twenty years. I just need to tweak it so it doesn’t pop on plagiarism checkers and that takes me all of an hour.” Mike said.

“Wait,” Anna said, “Charles told me that the college is your stomping ground, but you actually matriculate?”

“Yeah, where do you think I meet most of my partners?” Mike said with a shrug, “Frat parties get old. I’ve got like…three doctorates.”

“In what?”

“Here it comes.” Sy said with a snort.

“Psychology, Social Studies, and Gynecology.” Mike said and there was a pause before she burst into laughter.

“You have a doctorate in gynecology?” She asked and he nodded.

“So if you ever need a check-up, baby girl, I got you covered.” He said with a wink and a smirk and she laughed again.

“Oh god.” She said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, Mike, but you’re not going anywhere near my lady parts. That is no-mans land for you, complete with minefield.”

“I wouldn’t charge you an office visit as I don’t have an office, and I’m pretty sure I’m not in your insurance’s network anyway.” Mike said.

“Well, now that I think about it--”

“No.” Charles said and they snorted. “Anna, would you like to go to the party?”

“If only to make Ann uncomfortable? Sure.” She said and he nodded with a smile. “I’m guessing it’s not a hoodie and sweatpants kind of shindig.”

“I’ll make sure you’re properly attired.” Charles said.

“Oh, allow me.” Napoleon said and pushed up from the chair he was sitting in. “Stand, please.” She did and he tugged at the hem of her hoodie. “Are you wearing anything under this?”

“T-shirt.” She said and he nodded.

“Take off the hoodie, if you would.” He said and she did, unzipping it and shrugging it off, throwing it on the couch. Napoleon took her hands in his, spreading her arms a little as he looked her over with a discerning eye. He hummed briefly before letting go of her hands and placing his on her shoulders. Her clothing changed into that of an elegant dress, deep red with a plunging neckline that gathered in pleats at her diaphragm, accented by a gold and ruby broach.

“Holy cleavage, Batman!” She said, “Did you have to give me the push-up bra from hell?”

“It’s missing something.” He said and a gold and ruby statement necklace appeared around her neck, settling into her cleavage and drawing the eye. “Your ears aren’t pierced so there’s nothing I can do about that, but this should suffice. Maybe not this color, though.”

“Excellent work as always, Napoleon.” Charles said and she changed back to her normal clothing. She paused before pulling out the hem of her t-shirt and looking down at herself.

“You forgot the underwear.” She said.

“Sorry.” He said and she shuddered a little as they came back.

“So you’re what…the stylist of the group?” She asked and he nodded, “Not to play on stereotypes, but you’re not…”

“No.” Napoleon said, “And I’d be more than happy to prove it to you, should you have doubts.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Anna said with a snort and sat back down.

“You’re right, Charles.” Napoleon said, “It is…refreshing to not be reacted to in that way.”

“You talk about me?” Anna asked, looking over at him.

“Glowing praise only, I assure you.” He said.

“Yeah, he doesn’t shut up about how awesome you are.” Mike said, “I’m starting to understand it.”

“You got a way about you, doll.” Sy said, “I like it.”

“You’re okay.” August said and she gave him a look, getting a small smile in return.

[meatcrimes]

character sheet for Anna the Malkavian

full name: Anna Yuriyevna Sokolova

Clan: Malkavian

Bloodline: Dominate Malkavian

Generation: 10th

Sire: Dr Gregory Barrow (Alternatively, Bronwyn)

Grandsire: Bronwyn

Predator types: in v20- No one specific type, has Alleycat, Siren, and Bagger tendencies. Her sire was a Consensualist and thus fed that way before parting ways with him. in v5- alleycat/siren

Nature: Visionary

Demeanor: Trickster

Born: 1995, Vyborg

Embraced: 2021, Chicago

Apparent age: Mid 20s

Physical: Strength 1, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2 (same in v5)

Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 5 (v5: Ch 4 Man 3 Com 4)

Mental: Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 2 (v5: Int 4 Wits 3 Res 3)

**the following marked in pink reflect her stats one year after embrace, these will change greatly during her later years as a vampire. also this is a mix of v20 and v5 because i made her for v20 but have only played her in v5**

Talents: Empathy 1, Style 2, Insight 2

Skills: Animal Ken 1, Etiquette 1, Streetwise 2, Performance 2 (Dance) (v5: no animal ken but add brawl 1, firearms 1, stealth 3)

Knowledges: Academics 2, Area Knowledge (Chicago) 2, Occult 1, Science (Chemistry) 2, Linguistics 1 (v5: no area knowledge no linguistics but Occult 3, Intimidation 1, and Technology 2)

Disciplines: Dominate 1, Obfuscate 2, Auspex 2, Animalism 1 (was taught Animalism by a friend in 2024)

Background: Patron (Bronwyn), Resources 2, Mawla (Sascha Vykos), Ingenue 1, Enemy -2 (rival club owner),

Morality: Humanity 6

Willpower: 6

Virtues: Conscience 4, Self-control 3, Courage 3

[queasyghosts]

shaman king ch 23

I almost didn’t read this chapter for this week due to tiredness...but then i remembered we were left at a cliffhanger -___-

this caught me off guard :O

cool scene cool scene

i like that they speak vaguely and not calling Ryu a weak person or anything like that. It puts an emphasis how much strength and also strain these practicing shamans have to build when fusing :o

(@ the bottom scene with yoh) look at him! he’s so polite to get ouf of the way of tokageroh and ami’s frustation and conversation

also i know anna was threatening him in the last chapter, but i didn’t think she would be able to do anything in this so this was neat. also yoh falling in the corner XD

i like that yoh didn’t even question or hesitate with anna’s abilities....but instead he was fully focused on the one that needed his attention and care.

yoh is a true role model. he continues to chose kindness than letting this spiteful spirit just waste away in hell.

yoh is so kind. he’s so strong to continue to follow his beliefs and morals. i love yoh.

it’s also interesting how yoh says this but it also has me thinking he’s somewhat referring to himself too??? maybe im reaching??? it’s just...considering he didn’t have the most caring upbringing besides just training and strict tough love....despite all that yoh still continues to chose love. yoh still continues to stand strong and chose care, to express and feel love unconditionally...even to those that hurt him and his loved ones...honestly what a role model

cool scene :) also this feels like a spoiler for those that didn’t know yet >:(

i didn’t have much to say here but rambling about how wonderful and strong yoh is.

[lyteupthelyfe]

no oh my gosh yes YEs THIS but Anna three houses support chains i would love to see!!! below: Byleth, Linhardt, Caspar, Ashe, Mercedes, Raphael, Hilda, Hanneman, Alois, Jeritza, Constance and Balthus

Anna/Byleth - obv, would maybe be about how Anna previously knows Jeralt, she wants to know what it was like for byleth growing up, some hints as to her own backstory + why she became a merchant, B support locked until after ch. 9, anna mourns and sympathises w/ byleth, some more anna backstory there too, A support could probably be abt anna’s own childhood, her true goal for becoming a merchant, and her aspirations for the future (would probably go to S (for both byleths hehe), in which Byleth tells Anna that she’s a treasure money can’t buy 🥺🥺🥺)

Anna/Linhardt - like chess-blackfyre said, CRESTS. he would be INTRUIGED to find such a rare crest seemingly randomly; C would be that linhardt has heard rumours that Anna has a crest, Anna doesn’t want to talk, B would be her talking it over a little bit with him, tells him that she doesn’t care about her crest; “if people knew i had a major crest, i would stop selling goods and start selling the mountain of marriage proposals i’d have no room for”; A would be more or less her full story, Linhardt understanding that people are not their just their crest to be researched (afaik he doesn’t truly come around to that conclusion in his supports, but feel free to correct me)

y’know what? Anna/Caspar - he would fight off someone who’s belittling/harassing her bc of her prices. because he would. the development would be that we see him realise/be told that Anna’s been doing this for a while, so she knows what’s up. the A support is like they fend off a group of bandits together. they travel fódlan as top-tier merchants with killer prices, and neither caspar nor anna are afraid to take disagreements outside. (that or they travel fódlan, selling their wares, not stepping back from route-blocking bandits at any point)

Anna/Ashe - on the morality of theft, food + ware security and accessibility + perhaps an exploration of ashe’s period in poverty? About how Ashe had to steal and haggle just to get a day’s food, perhaps Anna discusses that her discounts and prices aren’t just to get more sales, but to also, on the occasion, let those who need it get what they need at a price that they’re able to afford, even if that price is nothing. Ashe ends up joining her in her business ventures, and they never fail to make a profit, nor do they fail to provide for those who need it, never wavering in a sense of honour, justice, and fairness.

Anna/Mercedes - Mercedes finds Anna praying alone + at night in the cathedral, asks her why she’s up so late, Anna mentions that she doesn’t want people seeing her like this; is about Anna’s struggles w/ faith + w/ faith in herself, maybe she feels compelled to be a merchant? + mercedes helps her eventually reconcile + “its ok to feel like this/its ok to feel vulnerable”? the A support ends w/ them going to church together, each a comfort and source of strength for the other.

Anna/Raphael - she knew his parents, she suspects foul play in their deaths, she also wants to help him support Maya, and together they gain certainty in the A support that it was gloucester who orchestrated his parent’s deaths, and look to the future with hope and solace in knowing the truth of what happened—perhaps they together seek protections and rights for merchants not just in Leicester, but all across Fódlan.

Anna/Hilda - Anna catches hilda one day making bracelets/charms/jewellery, wants to help hilda capitalise on that, hilda’s not so sure, she does it for the fun of it, for the joy of the craft, and the happiness it can bring her friends, and is half-heartedly encouraged to profit from it in the B support—by the A support it hasn’t gone too well, but hilda has honed her craft and fallen more in love with her hobby, and Anna’s realised that not everything in a person’s life needs to be done for the sake of economic profit.

Anna/Hanneman - like chess-blackfyre said, YES; Hanneman, like linhardt, has heard that maybe anna has a crest, and wants to find out more. anna says no, she doesn’t really want it known, she’s happy living life as she is. this resonates with hanneman, who’s also faced issues w/ nobility + the crest system, and while he’s torn on research vs. knowing that anna doesn’t want to (at least not on hanneman’s terms), he resolves to let it go, sympathising with anna’s position. in the A support, anna approaches hanneman and says she wants to talk, he’s surprised but goes along with it—she then tells him all she knows about the crest of ernest, but as a kind of story, filled in with her personal experiences, no experimentation or crest science involved. hanneman is thankful, but anna realises that he’s taken no notes, he says that if she wants to write what she knows down, that’s up to her; he’s not gonna make that decision for her. it ends w/ anna jokingly trying to charge Hanneman for the information, but the two of them just laugh and leave the crest office, heading out to town for the evening.

Anna/Alois - he approaches her about monetising his jokes. she makes puns back. but says no. he puns back. the b support is alois coming across anna on a soapbox in the marketplace, doing basically standup comedy and people leaving tips—he’s hurt by this and confronts anna about refusing his idea but then just doing it herself. she realises that while she internalised it and reasoned it as a way to make a quick buck, this is something that’s actually very important to him, and quietly decides to stop. in the a support, alois is walking through the town at the base of the monastery (the one byleth wakes up in), and sees the villagers sad and lonely in their work trying to rebuild houses + keep on existing during the war. he strikes up conversation w/ one of the villagers + ends up making a joke; one of the villagers a bit away hears, and laughs, a bit of a smile in his voice. alois, encouraged, makes another joke, and another, and after a short while all the villagers are laughing at his jokes, telling them to each other, but something’s (a je ne sais quoi, if you will) missing. offscreen, a familiar voice makes a punny retort to alois’ most recent joke. the villagers howl with laughter and anna comes next to alois, the two bouncing off each other and bringing a little bit of joy to the villagers’ day, for no profit whatsoever. in the A+, alois and anna are finishing a routine in garreg mach town, and the gatekeeper arrives, commenting on how morale seems to have boosted recently, and he’s not quite sure why. Alois punnily retorts and says that he’s not quite sure either—but after the gatekeeper ponders and leaves, (not before quoting a joke he heard from a friend: its one of the jokes from the A support) anna and he discuss how they’ve been able to make so many people happy recently, and how happy they are because of it. together, the resolve to bring laughter to all those who need it most, even if they gain no coin at all.

Anna/Jeritza - she tries to recruit him for her merchant stuff, bc she’s a bit short on time and staff atm, but he’s not quite suited for it. hilarity and slapstick ensue, but eventually, he proves to rather have a nack for negotiation, and by the end of the A support, his gratitude for being appreciated and thanked for helping with something that isn’t killing shines through.

Anna/Constance - Anna passes by constance a couple times, while she’s talking about wanting to restore house nuvelle. she approaches constance and asks her if she wants to restore house nuvelle for money or for power—constance pauses, not knowing how to answer the question, but responds “neither”. Anna then asks her if she would let her sell her wares in nuvelle territory once its rebuilt, and constance says of course. In the C+, Anna approaches Constance (outside) and wants to give her a whole bunch of money to put to re-establishing the house. Constance refuses, saying that she is unworthy of such generosity and cannot accept. Anna, downcast, leaves. In the B, Anna approaches Constance (indoors) and asks her if she’d like to reconsider her offer. Constance declines again, saying that she must be the one to restore nuvelle, and her alone. Anna asks if this is to prove to herself that she can unequivocally do it, that she’s worthy of the title of Viscountess Nuvelle. Constance half-agrees, saying that she needs to prove to everyone that she’s worthy, otherwise the title would mean nothing. In the A support, Constance finds Anna and tells her that she did some reflection, and found that Nuvelle was the most stable and reassuring time of her life—that’s what she wants to get back. Anna considers this, and asks Constance why does this have to come from Nuvelle specifically? Couldn’t support and affirmation come from somewhere that isn’t Nuvelle? Constance is confused, and says that for the entire past 9 years, her every action has been for the sake of Nuvelle. Anna asks her why she doesn’t live for herself, rather than Nuvelle—move into the future, rather than clinging to the past, to make life as good now as it can be, rather than pretending the past will make things better. Constance admits that she doesn’t know what she would do, but that she’s determined to find out. Anna commends her, and says that no matter what, she’ll be there with her every step of the way.

Anna/Balthus - Balthus approaches Anna and asks her to help pay off his debts. She’s skeptical and reasons that wouldn’t this just put him in debt to her instead? Balthus retorts that he would rather be in debt to anna than anyone else, because she’s nothing if not fair. Reluctantly, she agrees, but there’s a hint that she has more thoughts on the matter. In the C+ support, Balthus rushes to Anna in the marketplace and thanks her for paying off his debts, that he wouldn’t know what he’d do w/o her. She goes like “shush not so loud otherwise everyone’ll want their debts paid and I’ll go bankrupt” and he’s like “oh” but then she also says that he can’t come running to her every time he has debt, since that’ll just end badly for them both. He asks her what can he do, and she begins laying out a self-sustaining plan for how he can pay his debts, or even avoid going into debt in the first place—Balthus is a little concerned but agrees. In the B, Anna’s doing some business in Abyss and runs into Balthus, who’s hiding from a debt collector. She’s annoyed, and Balthus protests that he’s been trying, but it’s been hard to make things work. Anna says that things will only work if you want them to work, but that that also doesn’t mean that Balthus isn’t trying to get out of debt. The collector finds them (and is known to anna), and on the spot, Anna immediately stands between them, insisting that all Balthus’ current debt and credit score be cancelled/reset, so that he can properly start fresh. The collector’s confused, that won’t this just encourage him to go back into debt? Anna says no, that she believes balthus has the capacity to properly manage his finances, he only needs the chance to do so. The collector is bewildered, and asks her how she’s going to do all this—“i know a blacksmith who needs an apprentice” is all she says, before taking balthus with her and leaving abyss. in the B+, Balthus is busy forging a sword byleth left at the smithy, while the blacksmith critiques his form; “no, you have to go at a measured pace”, “not all at once,” “you need to know the right tool for which task”, “think, what are you trying to get out of this weapon? this tool? how do you want it to end up looking? think ahead and act with patience—the sword gets forged eventually”. Anna arrives, and asks Balthus how he’s been. He says he’s surprised by how much forethought needs to go into blacksmithing and weapon forging, and he’s gotten a handful of coin, too. he mentions that because of the hours, sometimes he hasn’t been able to stay at bars all night, because of the hours at the blacksmith, or sometimes he hasn’t been able to put everything on a bet, because he might need that to buy more smithing material later. He finishes by saying that he’s enjoying the work, and Anna agrees, from the sounds of it, before, happy w/ herself, she leaves. In the A support, Balthus runs into Anna around the monastery, and wants to thank her for what she did five years ago. Coyly, she asks what he means, and he replies that working at the smith, which he still does, helped him realise that while the here and now is important, there’s more to life and more to consider than just now. Anna smiles and says he’s welcome, although she taught him nothing—he did that all himself. Balthus realises what she means, and beams from ear to ear—their drinks that night, he proclaims, are on him.

You know, not having Anna have any supports with anyone was a wasted opportunity. If only for Linhardt and/or Hanneman to go "hello mysterious mercahnt with the crest of Ernest, a crest no one seems to know anything about, may I, perhaps, research this??" and for Anna, who throughout the FE series has been at vaguely implied to be some sort of dimension hopping god/eldritch being who is aware of the Fourth Wall to go "lol maybe if you pay me"

Seriouslyyyy. I never do much with Anna because I'm in this game for the supports and she has zero of them but if she did, there would certainly be so much hilarity.

[belovedblossoms-m]

Etc. & Muse Tags

( CROSSOVER. )┊new navigations to follow great minds. ( MAIN. )┊something familiar to delve into new discoveries. ( THREAD. )┊sharing a brand new story. ( CH. STUDY. )┊observations to improve & master the skills. ( ROLEPLAY. )┊fantasies transform. ( AU. )┊traverse amongst new dimensions.

( HIYORI. )┊half-ayakashi with a moral compass. ( BOTAN. )┊motormouth grim reaper. ( GISELLE. )┊dreaming of a true love’s kiss. ( MAKOTO. )┊tactical queen drives for success.  ( MITSURI. )┊love hashira with the hair of sakura mochi. ( VANILLE. )┊not just smiles and sunshine. ( LETTUCE. )┊DNA of the finless porpoise. ( BELLE. )┊most peculiar mademoiselle. ( GLIMMER. )┊princess sparkle bomb of brightmoon. ( MIRABEL. )┊the one who became a miracle. ( ANNA. )┊more than a spare. ( ELSA. )┊spirit of ice & snow. ( RIKA. )┊cursed to the repetition of her fate. ( STOCKING. )┊angelic saccharine bitch. ( NENE. )┊radish legged girl. ( XION. )┊puppet full of memories. ( FRISK. )┊heart full of determination. ( CHIAKI. )┊ultimate gamer. ( KAEDE. )┊ultimate pianist. ( OCHAKO. )┊zero gravity: uravity. ( MOANA. )┊wayfinder & chief of motunui. ( BLAZE. )┊flaming force not to be reckoned with. ( LADYBUG/MARINETTE. )┊clumsy spotted heroine. ( AMY. )┊lovesick girl boss. ( SORA. )┊chosen keyblade bearer. ( SONIC. )┊he’s the fastest thing alive. ( MARKUS. )┊he who shapes the future of androids. ( MELODY. )┊born of sea and shore. ( EMERALD. )┊illusionist ninja. ( HOMURA. )┊time traveler to protect her wish. ( NONON. )┊conductor of deadly symphonies. ( TALIA. )┊popstar & princess of xeris. ( KIKI. )┊witch in training & delivery girl. ( CATHERINE. )┊alluring succubus. ( RIKKU. )┊al-bhed sphere hunter.

[captcas]

Worth Fighting For

WORTH FIGHTING FOR by capthamm

Killian “Hook” Jones is a dominate up and comer in the UFC while Emma “The Savior” Swan’s career was cut short. When Hook’s manager moves up and the office brings in UFC’s youngest legend to keep him in check, will either of them be able to handle it?

read on ao3 // tumblr: ch 1

[Chapter 2/?]

Change has never quite worked out in Killian’s favor, and he can’t help the surge of panic which fills his gut at the prospect of opening up to someone new, but he trusts Rob and Regina with his life— basically owes them it— so he’ll show up to this meeting with a nice suit and his best behavior. Regina assured him that it’s someone who knows the business inside and out and has a good reputation within the league.

He doesn’t really care about all that. He just wants to fight.

Well… mostly.

He exits the subway and walks the two blocks to Mill’s Management. He walks through the revolving door into the lobby and takes a deep breath. He’s been here a million and a half times for meetings and holiday parties -even to help out with Roland- but today the air feels thick with anticipation. He greets the receptionist, Anna, briefly, knowing full well if he talks too much he’ll probably be late for his meeting in half an hour.

She smiles warmly at him, a glint of knowing in her eye.

He figures she already knows who Regina’s replacement is. His meeting is at 10:30 and he assumes whoever it is was already here for a bit of onboarding beforehand. He nods and walks into the elevator physically and mentally shaking himself into character. Whoever this new manager is, expects cocky, dominating, MMA fighter Killian “Hook” Jones, and not the quiet, broken, human being he really is.

He knows he’s going to have to tell this person his life story eventually. They need to know everything in order to steer the press in the correct direction as far as questions and features go. They are going to need the highlights as well as the skeletons. It was easy when it was Regina, she’s been there for most of it and heard the rest from Liam, he didn’t really have to tell her anything.

This is the longest elevator ride of his life.

When the doors finally open, he exits and is immediately greeted with a thud to his knees.

“Uncle Killian!!!!!!” He can’t help but chuckle at the lad’s enthusiasm.

“Hello, Rol.” He slings him over his shoulder with ease. “How’s my favorite lad?”

“I’m fine but mom is waiting for you and she looks stressed. Dad said not to bother her today. Can we get ice cream when you’re done?”

Killian kisses Roland’s temple and sets him down. “Aye, lad. Good call steering clear of your mom this morning. I’ll talk to her about the ice cream though.” He winks as Roland beams and runs back to the room Regina and Robin set up as his place to hang when they had to bring him to work. They try and avoid it whenever they can, but with someone new coming on board, it seems absolutely everyone is in the office. Robin is only a trainer and coach (really has nothing to do with management at all) and even he’s in the corner talking in hushed tones to one of the other managers, Tink.

Killian assumes he’s here as moral support and gives him a nod and wave before heading to Regina’s office.

The visit from Roland was a mood booster but he’s lost all the confidence and swagger he built up in the elevator. He sighs and quickly snaps back into character.

He notices her blonde hair as he knocks rhythmically on Regina’s door frame. They’re chatting animatedly about something. Regina looks up, “Good, you’re here. Please take a seat, Killian.”

The blonde turns around at the mention of his name, and when he sees her face, he can’t help but gasp.

. . .

She hasn’t had to get ready for work since… well since high school. Getting ready for a fight was… different. She had a very specific ritual for fights that did not include the multitude of decisions which are a daily part of working an office job. Today, she had to worry about pant suit vs. skirt suit, heels vs. flats, hair up  vs. down, hair curled vs. straightened, and barely there makeup vs. the whole nine yards of makeup. Back when she was fighting, she wore her fight clothes and had her fight hair, and– let’s be real– her minimal fight makeup. Getting ready for a fight was definitely not the same as putting on a monkey suit and a pound of makeup and hoping it’s professional enough for Regina Mills.

Ruby assured her it was.

She’s not sure what makes Ruby the authority.

She trusts her anyway.

Ruby gave her a few different options as far as outfits for her first day, assuring Emma that it would alleviate stress about what to wear. Emma’s not so sure. She tries on the pantsuit first and it feels a bit stuffy so she grabs the second outfit: a charcoal grey pencil skirt, black sleeveless blouse, and a red blazer with low nude heels. As she slips the blazer over her shoulders and flips her hair out from underneath, she feels a surge of confidence she hasn’t felt since the night before a fight.

At the risk of sounding superstitious, red has always been Emma’s color. From her training jacket to her sports bra to her shorts, she dominated in red and it always sort of stuck. Ruby likes to think it was because of her “impact,” so Emma was not surprised when the red blazer found its way into her cart.

She promised Ruby she’d send her a picture of whichever outfit she went with so she snaps a quick pic before throwing on some mascara and grabbing her new work tote (also courtesy of Ruby) and heading out the door.

She practically runs to the subway, almost missing the 8:15 car. Once she gets off at her stop, it takes her walking two blocks in the wrong direction to figure out she’s lost. Practically late at this point, Emma whistles for a cab and ten minutes later arrives in front of the towering building (exactly five minutes early).

She walks in the front door and is greeted by a bubbly redhead, “Oh my gosh you’re Emma Swan! Mrs. Mills told me you’d be coming but I’m such a huge fan I still wasn’t prepared. Seriously, your KO against Mulan Fa is legendary!”

Emma tries to keep up but with how fast this woman talks, she just nods and smiles.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be fangirling. That’s the opposite of professional, but I really can’t help myself. Anna, by the way!” She turns back to her desk and hands Emma a small white card. “Here’s an elevator pass. She’s office number 815. Floor number 8! Room 15! Good luck, hope to see you around here more.”

Emma smiles at Anna and thanks her for her help before stepping onto the elevator. She tries deep breaths to calm her nerves, but finds herself more jittery than before her first fight.

She swears this is the longest elevator ride of her life.

She steps off the elevator and is greeted by one of the sleekest offices she’s ever seen in her life. The entire thing is decked out in modern black and white furniture, and accented with UFC red. She has to physically stop herself from audibly gasping.

She searches for office 15 and is unsurprised to find it in the back corner. Emma takes one more deep breath and knocks on the doorframe. The brunette woman behind the desk looks up and gives Emma a sharp smile.

“Hello, Miss Swan. Just a moment and I will take you to Sidney in HR.”

Emma breathes a sigh of relief as she follows her, stopping abruptly behind Regina as she knocks on the doorframe of an office much smaller than hers, “Sidney? This is Miss Swan, she’ll need up with some onboarding. Keep it short, she has a meeting at 10:30 with her first client.”

He nods enthusiastically with a “Yes Mrs Mills. Of course. Please, Miss Swan, have a seat. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Emma sits down at his request, giving a tight smile to Regina as she heads back to her office. Sidney seems nice enough, maybe a little bit over-infatuated with Regina but nice. She sits at his desk and he immediately starts talking about her onboarding.

An hour later, Emma is pretty sure this is the best gig in the world.

The benefits alone make this worth taking for her and Henry, not to mention the pay and perks. As Sidney takes her to her desk, Emma gets a better feel for the layout of the office. She’s not one to feel immediately comfortable, but she can see herself really thriving here and it gives her the confidence she needs to walk into Regina’s office a bit early for the 10:30 meeting with her first client.

Regina starts chatting with Emma about last Saturday’s Fight Night and it only makes her feel more at ease. It’s rare to find women as well versed in UFC as she is without them practically suffocating her by talking about her stinted career. Regina is recapping Jefferson Hatter’s TKO when she’s interrupted by a rhythmic tapping on the door.

Emma tenses slightly, realizing this is probably her client. She doesn’t turn around right away as Regina greets the fighter, but ends up whipping around when she hears his name.

Killian? As in Killian “Hook” Jones.

Emma finds herself once again physically restraining herself from reacting unprofessionally— she’s pretty sure scoffing and rolling her eyes at her first assignment isn’t a good look.

He smirks at her knowingly as he enters the room and Emma can’t help but squirm in her seat.

“Killian, this Emma, Emma Swan. You may remember her from—“

Killian cuts Regina off, “I am well aware of Miss Swan, Regina.” He turns his attention towards her, “Swan, big day today!”

Regina looks between them like they’re playing at Wimbledon.

Emma swallows the entirety of her disdain for Hook and plasters on her best fake smile. “Yes! Excited to join the team here at Mills Management.” She shakes Killian’s hand for good measure. “And, to be frank, quite honored to be trusted with one of their best up and comers.” She smirks at Killian and she can tell he caught the slight jab. She expects him to back off a bit, but he responds in double.

“Likewise, Swan. I’m honored to be put into the capable hands of such a legend like yourself.” Emma knows Killian is kidding with her, but the legend joke doesn’t sting less. She tries not to react but she catches a wave of understanding flash across Killian’s eyes as he shifts the entire tone of the conversation and addresses Regina instead.

Maybe he’s not where he thought he’d be either.

Now is not the time to psychoanalyze her new client.

“How does that sound, Miss Swan?” She’s snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Regina addressing her.

She has no idea what she’s agreeing to, but does so anyway figuring there isn’t much choice either way, “Great! That sounds perfect.” She smiles at the two of them and hopes to God someone recaps this meeting with an email.

“Fantastic. Well then, as excited as I am to have you both here and working together, I do have other clients to attend to.” Emma nods as her and Jones stand in unison. “Oh and, Killian, why don’t you escort Miss Swan out and give her a bit of a tour—“

“Oh, Mrs. Mills— that’s not—“

“Nonsense, Swan. I insist.” He smirks at her and grazes his hand over the small of her back as he leads her from the office before turning around once more. “Oh, Reg, I almost forgot.”

Reg? A bit informal— actually, a lot informal.

Regina looks like she may turn as red as the apples on her desk at the nickname but answers him all the same, “Yes, Jones, what is it?”

“The lad wants ice cream.” Killian shoots a shit eating grin first at Emma and then to Regina. Emma is entirely confused but “Reg” seems to understand immediately.

Regina rubs her hands over her temples as she responds, “Fine, but not too late Killian, honestly. And pick one topping. The kid still needs dinner.”

“Aye, aye, your Majesty.” He bows mockingly and if he hadn’t led Emma away so quickly she could’ve sworn she saw Regina flip him off.

. . .

Killian is not entirely sure how to process the fact that his new manager is the woman he’s been secretly pining over since the first time he saw her walk into the training center.

A year ago.

So Killian does what he does best and throws his fighting persona into full gear, only slipping once when it came to asking about Roland’s ice cream.

He probably shouldn’t have called her Reg.

He’ll pay for that later.

He’s showing Emma the kitchen when she finally interacts with more than just a nod. “So… Reg?”

He cringes and immediately scratches the back of his neck, a nervous tick he’s really trying to kick. “Uh, yeah. Regina— Mrs. Mills— and I were close before all this.” He motions to nothing in particular and somehow the entire office at the same time. “She’s sort of the entire reason I’m even here.”

Emma nods; seemingly understanding what he’s leaving strictly between the lines. “Huh, alright then. Guess we have that in common?”

He can’t help but shake his head in disbelief. “Pardon me for being forward, lo— Swan, but I think your track record in the UFC is what got you into the door. I doubt there’s anyone else better qualified who’s not currently fighting.”

Not his love. Bloody hell.

She responds with a forced smile and he can tell she’s not comfortable with praise. He’s unsettled by the amount of joy learning more about her brings him but also by the fact that he’d give anything to praise her everyday of his life.

This woman has walls. Great-Wall-of-China walls.

What he wouldn’t give to start breaking those down.

He finishes the tour of the office and, with a quick “thanks” and “see you soon”, Emma starts to head back to her desk. He nods in response, not wanting to push too much for one day.

He wasn’t positive getting a new manager was a good idea, but if it means being even a small part of Emma Swan’s world, he's all for it. Not thirty seconds after she’s returned to her desk, Killian pulls out his phone to send her an email before finding Roland for their ice cream run.

. . .

Emma sits down at her desk slightly overwhelmed by everything thrown her way in the last— what time is it? Noon?— 3 hours: a rad new job with amazing pay and benefits, a seemingly level-headed and fair boss, a grossly complicated new client who seems to be more than meets the eye, the feeling that shot through her spine at said client’s touch…

Do people say rad anymore?

Why does she care that he touched her back?

She doesn’t.

She grounds herself by logging into the computer.

Bad idea.

She’s immediately bombarded with email notifications. Most of them involve onboarding or her one-on-ones she’s to have with each member of the staff.

It takes her 45 minutes but she eventually gets to the top where she finds an unexpected email from her newest (and she supposes only) client.

Swan,

Pleasure to be reacquainted with you today. I look forward to our blossoming partnership.

You looked a tad far away in our meeting with Regina so I figured I’d recap what you agreed to. Twice weekly one-on-ones between you and I to discuss promotions as well as social media and desired fights, to be scheduled at our leisure. Also attendance at each Fight Night for which I am on the card (comp’d by the company, obviously).

I hope all of this isn’t too overwhelming, feel free to text, call, or email to set up our first meeting.

555-235-8872

I assure you, I am looking forward to it.

K

Killian “Hook” Jones UFC Featherweight Mills Management

Emma snorts– the email sounds like it was written by a thesaurus. As she re-reads for any details she missed, she can’t seem to quell the butterflies in her stomach. The realization that in a mere matter of minutes Killian was able to read her that well is comforting– no… unsettling? This stranger somehow picked up on her disdain for being referred to as a legend almost immediately, backing off and changing the subject promptly. Not to mention he could tell she was distant in the meeting and followed up with an email just like she wanted.

She brushes off the entire thing to pure coincidence and ignores the voice in the back of her head that is telling her they may turn out to be a pretty good team.

(It doesn’t help that this voice sounds a lot like a certain British fighter she just spent an hour and a half with.)

Emma finishes her work day with a barrage of meetings and paperwork. She was wary to start on a Friday, but after the rollercoaster day she’s had, she’s grateful for two days to recharge. Before logging off for the day, she pulls Killian’s email up once more and reluctantly programs his cell phone number into hers.

For emergencies obviously.

She also responds to the email, keeping it as friendly and professional as possible:

Killian,

Thank you for the recap. Let’s plan on meeting first thing Monday morning. I will reserve a conference room at 9am.

In case of emergencies, here is my cell: (555)-265-2335.

Have a nice weekend. See you Monday.

Emma

Emma Swan Talent Manager Mills Management eswan@millsmanage.com (555) 265-2335

She hits send, logging off her computer and booking it to the subway while trying not to dwell on Killian Jones and their work mandated bi-weekly meetings.

Or the way his hand felt pressed against her back.

Definitely not that.

[holeinotomemind]

MLQC Fanfic: Hearts of Storm - Ch 4 - Unfaithful

WARNING: NSFW/18+ fic. No smut this chapter. Dub/non-con, eventual 3P, spoilers, long dragged out fic and angst. Not morally correct. Turn away if this is not your thing. Pairing: Shaw x MC, Gavin x MC, Shaw x MC x Gavin AO3 Link: [here]

Notes: [See full notes on AO3] Catch up post.  Big thanks to Lutz and sushikitty (aka Aelyxandra) for betaing this chapter! Also, special thanks to Kinako, because if it wasn't for her comments, this and the next few chapters would have been a lot different.

Hugging her knees close to her chest, Yui sat, curled up on her couch. Her phone vibrated repeatedly on the coffee table littered with discarded facial tissues. The angry buzzing sounds a stark contrast to the otherwise silent living room.

She buried her head between her knees, making herself as small as possible as if that could somehow make the phone stop buzzing, make everything around her go away. Or better yet, it could make herself magically disappear.

It had been three days since she stepped outside of her home. Three days since she woke up that morning to this nightmare.

She tried her damndest to forget, but she simply couldn't. It was as if the more she wanted to wipe that truth from her memories, the more her brain was determined to make her remember that horrible morning when she opened her eyes to find the naked man sleeping peacefully beside her with purple bangs lazily draped over his forehead.

Her memories of that morning were still painfully fresh. She could clearly remember waking up slowly to the feeling of a warm body cuddling her, his strong arms wrapped around her small body.

The memories of the prior night’s reunion with Gavin was a bit fuzzy in her mind, so she kept her eyes closed, afraid that it was all but a drunken dream. Afraid that, if she opened her eyes, the feeling of Gavin sleeping soundly beside her would be gone. So, she laid still with her eyes closed, listening to the sounds of his even breathing, basking in a peace she hadn’t felt in months.

Six months and twenty-four days, to be exact.

That was how long she had been struggling to find a way to make Gavin and everyone else remember her. Or more precisely, for everyone to gain the memory of her existing in their lives, since, for some reason, the “Yui” in this dimension was not her and, apparently, Gavin, along with everyone else, never met this “Yui” before.

“Yui”, while still the owner of the Miracle Finder’s production company, led a very different life compared to her own. They did not even look alike, at least not to the people of this dimension; otherwise, Anna would have recognized her when she visited the office. She had not even met Gavin during high school. He had left for military school before “Yui” became a sophomore.

She didn’t know why things were the way they were, but she was determined to fix this reality. By becoming Shaw’s informant, she was hoping to find the way to do so. However, days turned into months and she still didn’t have the slightest clue what she needed to do. Bit by bit, she found herself drowning in hopelessness.

That night was the first night, since her arrival to this dimension, that she was able to sleep through peacefully without startling to nightmares or the sheer overwhelming loneliness of Gavin’s absence.

She would give anything for that moment to last forever, but life seemed determined to torture her.

When she finally opened her eyes, she froze in horror at the realization that the one who she had been intimate with the night before was not her beloved. The person who she kissed over and over again, held closely against her and took into her body last night was not the person she thought he was. As if mocking her, the man’s light purple hair and obvious lack of a prominent scar on his left collar bone grew blatantly clear to her as the bright morning sun illuminated her bedroom.

Yui pulled at her own hair as she relived the horrendous memories. She could still remember vividly how horrified she was and still is. Frozen with shock, she opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. It wasn’t until he began to stir that she regained her senses and fled the room.

Since that dreadful morning, she asked herself over and over again how she could have mistaken Shaw for Gavin that night. It was true that she was under the influence of alcohol, but that shouldn't be an excuse as the two of them were so different.

Although her memories of that night were patchy at best and the details were blurry, she vaguely remembered the times when she thought something was amiss. His rough treatment of her, his mocking tone and his light colored hair she’d had a fleeting glimpse of before he entered her were all clear signs of his true identity. Signs she all but ignored simply due to her desperation to be with Gavin.

Yui shoved her hand through her hair in frustration.

Not wanting to think anymore, she forced herself up from the sofa. She entered the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. Needing to clear her mind, she forced herself to focus on her own movements as she twisted the cap open.

Yes, if she could keep her mind on what she was doing now, she wouldn’t have to think about what had happened.

She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a sip.

Why didn’t she take a moment to clear her head to think rationally that night?

Her hands began to shake as she leaned her back on the fridge.

If she had done that even for just a short moment, she would have known that the man she held so tenderly in her arms was anyone but her Gavin!

But she didn’t. She took one look at those familiar amber eyes and trusted.

Yui slid down onto the cold hard floor, one hand shoved through her tangled hair again causing a sharp pain in her scalp.  She squeezed the water bottle so hard that it crackled and cold water spewed onto her hand.

She felt none of it. All she could think of was how much she wanted to question Shaw. Why didn’t he stop everything from happening? But even she could vaguely remember that it was she who took the initiative. He had tried to push her away several times while she begged him to stay.

She wanted to lash out at him, to put all the blame on him for taking advantage of her when she had drunkenly taken him for Gavin. But at the end of the day, did she at any point give him reason to think she had mistaken him for Gavin? She couldn’t remember. What if she confronted him only to find out that it was Shaw’s name she called when she begged him to stay?

She didn’t have the strength to find out.

Feeling like an ostrich, she wanted to bury her head in the sand and pretend this never happened as long as she avoided talking about it.

But what would happen once she found a way to fix Gavin’s memories?

Yui slid further onto the freezing tiles of the kitchen floor, slowly curling herself into a fetal position.

She could already picture the hurt and disappointment in his eyes when he found out that she had shared her body with someone else. Perhaps, he would have looked at her with disgust and she would have deserved every ounce of it.

Gavin had always placed so much care in her, in their relationship. He held her heart gently like a small bird in his palms that needed careful nurturing. In return, he gave his heart fully to her, trusting that she would do the same.

Logically, Yui believed she didn’t actively choose to be intimate with Shaw, though she couldn’t help but blame herself for getting drunk and allowing herself to be vulnerable.

But that night on the rooftop, when she called for Gavin’s name over and over in the wind and was met with nothing but silence, utter loneliness engulfed her, suffocating her like a pair of cold hands wrapping tightly around her throat.

She had been afraid. It had been so long since he had been with her that she feared she would soon forget his warmth, the way his gentle hands touched her and the feeling of being wrapped in the safety of his embrace. So she downed cans after cans of that fruit beer, desperately wanting to relive the evening they spent together on that warm summer night on the Cape Island beach.

She knew she was a lightweight and Gavin had warned her repeatedly not to drink when he was not around. She should have known better. And as a result, she had done the one thing that would hurt him in the worst possible way.

They had promised to belong to each other and each other only. And she had broken that promise.

But what if she kept pretending that none of this had happened? What if she lied by omission about her unfaithful encounter with Shaw?

That would have been the easy way out, no?

Her entire being reacted violently against it.

She couldn’t live her life with him pretending nothing had happened when she knew deep down that she was lying to him every minute and every second of their time together. She couldn’t do that to Gavin.

Once she corrected everyone’s memories, she would have to come clean with him. As much as it would hurt him, as much as it might ruin their relationship, Gavin had the right to know. If he chose to forgive her, it would be his choice, not because she had kept the truth from him.

But if he chose not to forgive her…

Yui could feel the tiny ginkgo leaf digging into her inner wrist as she hugged herself impossibly tighter at the thought of losing Gavin forever.

Gavin had always been her source of strength. It was the tiny hope that she could somehow find a way to fix everything and have Gavin back at her side that kept her from breaking down and surrendering to this reality for the past six months.

But if she stood to lose Gavin anyway, would it be better if he simply never remembered their past together? That way, perhaps, she could pretend that she was simply an underclassman with a good memory, something she claimed to be when she last spoke to him in that alleyway, trying to convince him she didn’t have malicious intent.

Perhaps, she could even try to get to know him again with this new identity. They may not return to the way they were, but at least there would be a chance to keep Gavin in her life, even just as friends.

Deep inside, Yui knew it was despicable to think this way. After all, it was she who refused to stay in the dream world and said that even if reality was cruel, it was, at least, real. And yet, when it came to Gavin, she wasn’t sure if she could make the same choice anymore.

BOOM!

Her room rattled at the sound of the enormous explosion.

[rwby-grimm-guardians]

RWBY Grimm Guardians Arc 3: Separated Union Ch 8

Side Red III: Stories

Welcome back to Separated Union! Here’s Side Red III and here, we learn more about Summer, Evergreen and Anna discuss about Oscar, and Summer and Anna do some catching up.

Also, THIS IS LONG YET AGAIN. Please take your time to read through it. If you need to, take a break from reading it and continue it later. Thank you.

As usual, please give constructive criticism and enjoy.

Disclaimer: Still own nothing.

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(We got another segment with “horror” themed elements and themes that some viewers might find disturbing. So, if you see hhhhhhhhhhhh, then that means you are entering or exiting the horror section.)

-hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

(At the Evernight Castle….)

Ruby blinked. She looked around her, noticing she was in an unfamiliar building. The only thing she knew was that she seemed to be in a...throne room… “Where...am I?” She asked, before finding a mirror. The teenager noticed that she was wearing an entirely different outfit and sporting a new haircut, similar to that of what her mother had now. Short and a bit wild. She was also wearing broken handcuffs. The young leader also noticed scars on her arms and legs, possibly from an escape attempt.

“Was I...a p-prisoner…?” She asked, startled and shocked by her situation. “W-Why would I be…?”

Unfortunately for Ruby, the biggest...and most terrifying surprise was yet to come… There was a thunderous crack and rumble in the air and floor, before yelping in shock as a giant white Grimm-skeletal-armored ARM slammed in the windowed-side of the room, shattering the glass and breaking the architecture. The teenager’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening as she saw that the giant limb belonged to a black dressed woman with ghostly white skin and hair, as well as Grimm-like eyes.

The woman, based on observation alone, seemed to be close to 200 feet.... She also had similar armor on her entire body and was also wielding a similarly styled giant claymore. The woman also seemed to have titanic Grimm-like wings. “What the FUCK…” Ruby whispered, only to have her attention drawn towards the woman’s opponent. Now, Ruby expected multiple things to fight this giant behemoth. Dozens of Atlas airships. A giant robot. EVEN the Gods of Light and Darkness were a possibility.

So when the teenager saw a towering Summer Rose, in the appearance Ruby remembered from childhood and photos, she quite predictably panicked. She instinctively attempted to run, knowing that she wasn’t to be able to defeat something like the armored woman ALONE. However, when she reached the door to the room, the teenager noticed it had been blocked off by rubble from the impact of the giant woman’s arm. “Ah, shit…” Ruby whispered, quickly looking around for an exit.

The air and floor shook violently again as Ruby turned to see her mother’s sabers clash with the giant claymore. Summer let out a furious and uncanny wolf-like growl, before her determined expression turned into one of shock and fear as she turned and spotted the teenager. Using the pause to her advantage, the armored woman grabbed her opponent by the hair and kneed her in the face, before punching her with a left hook. Summer staggered, collapsing to her knees as blood dripped from her nose.

The elder Rose then pulled herself to her feet as she grabbed the building for support, only to get blindsided and knocked back down by the armored woman slamming the hilt of the claymore across Summer’s face. This time, Ruby rushed over to her mother as the white cloaked woman groaned in pain, wiping the blood from her face. “MOM!” The teenager shouted, only for the girl’s mother to turn and groan out, “Run… Go…! You’re...not safe here...!”

“But what about y-...” Ruby’s pleading was cut off as a shadow loomed over the two...and she swore she felt her heart stop beating and her breathing cease. Slowly, she turned and looked up at the armored woman, her blood growing cold as the Grimm-like eyes glared and pierced through the Roses. “Run…now…!” Summer whispered, struggling to stand back up. The teenager felt her body shiver, “B-But…” “Please, Ruby... Go…!” Her mother pleaded, before shoving her daughter away.

With one last smile at her daughter, Summer turned to face the armored woman with a glare. Ruby got up to try and run to her mother again, only to witness the claymore being jammed into Summer’s heart in an instant, before blood gushed out of the wound grotesquely. The young leader felt tears stream down her face, screaming as her mother’s eyes closed and her body went limp… Summer was gone... and if Ruby didn’t get out of the room, she would be too…

Ruby immediately got to her feet and scrambled to the other end of the room, trying to find a way out. “Shitshitshit...come on…!” She whispered, searching for any windows or door she could go through. The teenager found none, before attempting to dig up as much rubble as she could to free the door. The young leader froze as the armored woman’s shadow loomed over her, preparing to bring her claymore down on the teenager.

As the blade came down, Ruby squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable impact as the room around her shook violently….

-hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

(1:33 AM at Mistral International Clinic)

Ruby’s eyes shot open as she gasped for air, sitting up with a jolt. She immediately regarded that decision as she hissed and laid back down, feeling the stings from her injuries course through her. “What...the hell was that…?” She whispered. The teenager looked to her side, noticing Summer at the right side of the hospital bed, mumbling in her sleep. From what Ruby could tell, they seemed to be questions… Ruby put her hand on her mother’s shoulder, only to pull it back when the woman groaned.

Rubbing her eyes, Summer looked up at her daughter, raising an eyebrow in minor surprise. “Nightmare?” She asked, receiving a nod from the teenager. Ruby sighed, “A bit…” After a couple moments of silence, Summer walked to the left of the bed, before hopping onto the mattress. “We got some time, so how about we chat for a bit.” She suggested, laying down next to the teenager. “Might help.” Smiling, Ruby laid back down, snuggling up next to the elder Rose, asking, “Who goes first…?”

Summer shrugged, “That’s up to you, really. Though you seem to have a bit on your mind…” A few moments of silence came once more, before Ruby sighed, “I was...in a castle. I looked...a bit older and...much more different.” “I think I was a prisoner there.” She explained, before feeling her mother wrapping her arms around her protectively. Continuing, the teenager said, “There was an...armored Grimm-like woman. She was fighting YOU.” She then felt Summer freeze in place, drawing concern, “Mom?”

“ Merde …” The woman whispered. Ruby looked up at her, “Do you...know her or something…?” Sighing, Summer replied, “I...think? The woman you describe has...shown up in my nightmares. She...calls herself Salem.” “That one will have to wait until tomorrow.” She explained. Ruby nodded, before saying, “That’s it… At least, I think so. The ending happened too quickly.” The elder Rose KNEW that was a lie. However, she nodded anyway, before asking, “Are you going to be okay?”

A moment of silence passed. Then two. Then four, until Ruby mumbled, “I don’t know.” Figuring that talking about herself would help, Summer said, “My full name...is Summer Artemis Rose… I think…” “Remembered something from your childhood?” The teenager asked. Her mother nodded, “I...think. I...was dreaming where I was about your age. I was...in a snowy forest by a...castle.” Ruby raised an eyebrow, “Did you live near any of the old cities in Vale?” “I don’t know…” Summer said, “Maybe...?”

“A blonde woman with silver eyes called out to me…” She explained. “She was very concerned about me. Another woman, with hair similar to ours and a more athletic physique, tried to calm her.” The young leader nodded, “What did she say?” The elder Rose paused, attempting to remember the dream, before saying, “She said I was...naturally adventurous. Wild. A true wolf.” Summer paused again, before admitting, “I don’t remember the meaning of that last part at all.”

“Maybe it has to do with your semblance...or name…?” Ruby guessed. Her mother shrugged, “The name I could see having a connection. My semblance....” She paused once more, before sighing, “I don’t even remember what THAT is either… Even though I know I awakened it at an early age.” The teenager raised an eyebrow, “How early?” Summer tapped her chin, “Maybe...8 or 9 years old…? Give or take a couple months. That’s...about it, I think...”

“How did you...fall in love with Yang’s mom?” Ruby asked hesitantly, knowing that it was probably a sensitive topic. Summer hummed with a small smile, “When I first met Raven just before the opening speech at Beacon, she protected me from someone who tried to...score with me…” “Because of that, I developed a crush on her.” She explained. “Of course, those developed into legitimate feelings for her. Though she also had the same feelings.” The elder Rose smiled, “Even confessed and asked me out first too.”

Her daughter giggled, “Aw, that’s cute~.” “Isn’t it?” Summer chuckled. “She was a nervous wreck, but I managed to help her realize that I also had feelings for her.” She then sighed, “However, we...only reached a friends-with-benefits level…” She then explained, “I couldn’t bring myself to have a relationship with her that could’ve ended in breaking her heart…or losing her.” Ruby figured that her mother’s reasons for the decision were hidden in her days before Beacon.

“So, what about…?” She started, before Summer said, “I...don’t know how we ended up in a relationship with Tai…let alone maintain OUR relationship.” “We both loved him for the same reasons; that being his personality and morals.” She explained. The elder Rose’s hold on Ruby tightened a bit, saying, “I feel like I should stay with him, but I still love Raven with everything that I am… I feel like I should choose, but I...can’t.” Her voice sounded like she was ashamed of loving more than one person.

Of loving a blonde man with a heart that was bright as day who believed she was dead… And a current bandit leader with a dark, yet kind heart who both loved Summer enough to resurrect her...and was also forced to leave everything and everyone she loved. All in order to protect them. Summer loved them both...and yet, she felt like she needed to make a choice between them. ‘ Even though Raven still cares about me, does Tai?’ The elder Rose thought. ‘Hell, do EITHER of them still love me in THAT way?’

“Do you regret it?” Ruby asked, rubbing her mother’s arm. Her mother stayed silent for a few moments, before saying, “We all make decisions we regret for one reason or another.” “But loving Raven, loving Tai, and having you and Yang as my daughters...will NEVER be one of my regrets.” She explained. “I just…” Summer sighed, trying to collect her thoughts as she said, “I want you and Yang to be able to call Raven family...and possibly your Mom as well… I just want to put this family back together...”

“Well…” The young leader started. “I think you might be on the right track… Yang had...issues with her mother prior to you talking about her at Beacon.” The elder Rose nodded, “She seemed like it. She believed Raven abandoned her?” Ruby nodded, “Something like that. Not sure if Dad thinks so… But you helped Yang feel more positive about her mother.” “So, personally, I think you’re getting closer to that goal.” The teenager said.

Summer nodded, rubbing the ring Raven gave her on her finger as she said, “I’d like to hope so.” “Especially since I, and now you and Yang, know how far Raven would go to protect and save her loved ones.” She explained. Raven really was someone who’d go above and beyond to protect her family. Whether it’d be destroying or killing the threat, sacrificing her own happiness and life to protect her family’s, even going as far as to resurrect the dead. Summer knew that last one very personally.

Ruby nodded, now too tired to speak as she let out a yawn. The former STRQ leader chuckled, “That’s enough stories for now. Try to get some sleep, little gem.” The teenager didn’t need to be told twice as she fell asleep not long after Summer said that. Summer fought the urge to laugh, before kissing her daughter’s forehead. “ Beaux rêves , sweetie.” She whispered, before relaxing and closing her eyes as well. Though why did it feel like someone was eavesdropping on them?

Summer decided to worry about it tomorrow, since she didn’t sense any danger. So why did she feel a heavy weight in her chest?

…

She knew why. She wanted to be with Raven again...even though she loved Taiyang just as much. Summer wanted to hold Raven’s hand again. Hug her again. Kiss her again. Hell, she just wanted to see and talk to her again…

‘ Why do I feel like I have to choose? That I have to be with one person…? ’ Summer thought anxiously, before finally falling asleep with one last thought in her mind.

‘ It’s not fair… ’

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(8:45 AM)

The next morning, Anna found them both sleeping peacefully. They didn’t even budge when she walked in. Chuckling, she decided that Ruby’s check up could wait for now, before leaving the room and heading to the coffee room. There, she spotted Evergreen already pouring himself a cup. The former headmaster looked up with a smile, asking, “Would you like some?” The doctor nodded, “Please.” With that, the suited man poured another cup of coffee, before putting the coffee pot down and handing the cup to Anna.

“Thank you.” She said, sitting down. “May we talk, please?” “Sure.” The former headmaster said, sitting next to Anna. “If I may ask, is this about Oscar?” “You’re very observant, aren’t you?” The doctor asked. Evergreen nodded, “I have to be, as a headmaster and mentor…” The brunette attempted to cool her coffee with a chuckle, “I’m not sure if I’d go that far…” The former headmaster smirked, before sighing, “So, what is it about Oscar that we need to discuss?”

Anna sighed, “Well, he mentioned that you’re training him… Correct?” Evergreen sighed. He was afraid that this would be the topic of discussion. He wasn’t sure if he should tell the doctor about Ozma… “Only to protect himself…” The former headmaster said. It wasn’t a lie, as that WAS one of the reasons why he was training Oscar. Though it seemed the brunette knew that it wasn’t the full truth, as she said, “I’d believe you if I didn’t know Summer. She was also trained to protect herself…”

“Though your teachings with Oscar are not just to protect himself.” Anna said. “You’re not just training my son, are you?” Evergreen sighed. He was going to have to tell the doctor about Ozma in a way that wouldn’t make her hate the former headmaster. He tightened his grip on his cup, saying, “So… I fear that he might be…a target for manipulation, so to speak.” The doctor raised an eyebrow, “By whom?” “A woman from Remnant’s ancient history…” The white haired man said. “And maybe a man of the same origin.”

Evergreen sighed, “The former’s crazed and the latter is unable to make the right choice…regardless of his good intentions.” “You fear that one of them will get him killed. Regardless if it’s for the sake of a selfish desire…” The doctor realized. “Or a considerate belief. Right?” The former headmaster nodded, “Pretty much.” Anna nodded, “Then I suggest you continue.” Evergreen raised an eyebrow, “I...don’t think I follow. Are you…seriously asking me to continue training him?”

The doctor nodded, “Yes. Because he WILL have to protect himself one day. It’s better if he is trained sooner rather than later.” She then let out a heavy sigh. “He is also going to need someone to look up to.” She said. “And I don’t mean as a headmaster or huntsman…” The brunette looked at Evergreen in the eye, unfazed. “You promise me that you will be there for him in my stead. And protect him. Understand?”

The former headmaster realized that Anna was asking him to be something akin to a father-figure for Oscar. He nodded, “Yes, ma’am.” Anna looked at him for a few more moments, before sighing with a small smile, “Summer was right about you… You are different then how people portray you…” Evergreen smiled, “I’m flattered. Thank you.” He then sighed, “I wish more people did, honestly… Ironwood-.”

“Is a lying shit stain, as is Jacques… Some politicians and military officers of recent history are, sadly.” The doctor said, cutting the former headmaster off. “Don’t let a military officer or politician manipulate the way the average citizens see you as.” The white haired man looked at Anna, before nodding once more. “Understood, ma’am.” He said. The two then sat in a comfortable and supportive silence as they drank their cups of coffee. Both were a little shocked that they managed to connect in some form.

The two then turned to face a tired, but awake Summer, who just sat down next to the doctor. “Tired?” Evergreen asked, only to receive a grunt from the taller woman. He then looked at Anna, whispering, “I’ll give you two some privacy. You seem like you have a lot to discuss.” With that, he then left the room, the White Wolf looked at Anna, asking, “So, you have questions, right?” The doctor nodded with a smile, sipping her coffee again, “A few. I’m sure you’ll keep it short and to the point though.”

The former STRQ leader chuckled, “True. Let’s start with how I came back, right?” Anna nodded in agreement, giving Summer her full attention. Taking a breath, the taller woman explained, “So, I went on a mission that gave me false information. It was supposed to be a rescue mission, but it was an ambush made by Grimm Sapiens.” “Yes, they exist.” She said. “Raven unintentionally joined me. We killed the Grimm, only to get blindsided by another who was still alive.”

“She aimed for Raven, but I managed to take the blow and kill the Grimm.” Summer explained. “Died...and Raven used a ritual to bring me back as a Weapon Spirit.” Anna nodded, “And you...lost your memories?” The taller woman nodded, “Yeah. I was changed physically. Lost my memories. And was dormant for...11 years, if I recall correctly.” She then sighed, “I began regaining my memories during Ruby and Yang’s time at Beacon, but there are still a bit of gaps.”

“I barely remember anything before MY time at Beacon…” Summer said with a drained expression. The doctor put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “You’ll get there. You’re already on a good path towards recovery.” The former STRQ leader looked at Anna, asking, “So. How about you?” The brunette took another sip of her coffee, “So, I assume Oscar has told you a few things.” The taller woman smiled tiredly, “Well, obviously you had him.” Anna chuckled, “Yes, I did.”

“I...assume he told you about his dad…” She said, her expression sad. Summer nodded, rubbing the doctor’s back, “I’m so sorry, Anna.” Anna sighed, “It’s...alright. I...think it was his time anyway…” The taller woman raised an eyebrow, queuing the brunette to say, “John had congenital heart disease… He went into surgery and...” The doctor sighed, “I wish I could’ve done...SOMETHING…” She felt Summer wrap her arms around the brunette. “I’m so sorry, Anna…” The taller woman whispered.

The doctor felt a couple tears run down her own face, before wiping them away. “Oscar was young at the time… He thinks his father was killed…” She whispered. “I don’t know how to tell him that John passed on from...something that CAN’T be killed…” Summer just held her old friend tighter as more tears ran down the doctor’s cheeks. Anna whispered as she buried her face into the taller woman’s shoulder, “Despite all that...it still hurts. Still empty. Still lonely. Cold. And fucking unfair…”

The two sat like that for a few minutes, before the doctor got a call. “I’m needed.” She said, gently breaking the hug. Summer placed her forehead on Anna’s, saying, “I’m here if you need to talk. Alright?” The brunette gave a tired smile, “I know. Thank you…” With that, she got up and headed out the door to help another patient. Summer then sat in the coffee room. Alone...and with a lot on her mind now. She felt a weight in her chest again, before getting up to find Qrow.

It didn’t even take her two minutes, as she found the former bandit at the nearby vending machine. “Qrow? May I borrow your scroll?” She asked. “Please?” The red caped man nodded, though puzzled as he handed it to his former leader, “What’s this about?” Summer bit her lip, before clenching her fists, “I need to make an important call.” No further words were said as she dialed a number and waited.

She had a feeling that Anna wasn’t able to say goodbye to John or cherish one more moment with him before he went into surgery. The taller woman heard regret in the doctor’s voice during her story. Summer was going to make sure that she would, at the very least, cherish whatever time she had now with her friends. Her loved ones. Her family. Within a few moments, a familiar voice rang in the taller woman’s ears.

“Qrow? Do you need something?” Taiyang asked on the other end. Summer sighed, “Tai… It’s me. I’m...not Crescent Rose either.” Both Qrow and the taller woman held their breath, before Summer heard Taiyang’s voice cracking, “Sum…?” The former STRQ leader felt her lips quiver into a smile as tears ran down her cheeks. She felt Qrow hug her as she said into the scroll, “Yeah. It’s me… I’m alive...again…” She sighed with a shuttered breath, before saying, “We...have a lot to talk about…”

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And there’s Side Red all finished! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and enjoyed the new lore on my AU Summer, as well as lore on Anna! And yeah, Summer FINALLY calls Tai and reveals her identity. Since I didn’t say it, the figure eavesdropping on Summer and Ruby is supposed to be Qrow.

I’ll explain why he did it next chapter.

And I’m all caught up here! Now I’ll be posting all chapters from here on on the same day. Next chapter will be a SPECIAL chapter, Side JNPR. And it WILL be focusing primarily on JNPR and Oscar. And an old friend will be returning.

[youlooklikearealbabetoday]

I'm rewatching the second season of KE and I can't help but notice how fucking jealous Eve is of Villanelle. First the two girls, then Aaron. I mean, this woman is a possessive bi*ch and I love her. P.S. She was jealous of Anna too (Kenny teased her about it). What do you think about her jealousy?

anonnnn i love this bish, too, and her jealousy. i want more of it from her and villanelle give me all the jealousy tropes i don’t cUURRr. the varying shades of it is supes interesting and, like you said, she’s both envious of and for villanelle.

the desire to absorb v’s history and psychology — her history and family, her previous kills, how she feels when she kills, et al — “i just want to know everything.” her desire for v’s freedom, lack of consequence and being tied down by minor things like morality lol. and of course the desire to BE desired and seen. she wants the entirety of what these shades encompass in v herself. the person and personification. eve’s jealousy slash antagonism towards villanelle is also a defense mechanism as it’s easier to fall back on than confronting the more nebulous, not to mention dangerous, genuine attraction, feelings, and reasoning that go against so much of what she believed about before. 

with anna it’s interesting to think about eve’s progression in how she approached and treated her while she listened to her describing v’s humor and intelligence with still obvious current affection and then finding that anna still kept some of the gifts v gave her before going in for the kill by asking anna if she and v ever had sex. sure, she was jealous of v’s relatively similar obsessive treatment of anna and kenny rightfully calling her out on that — eve’s pathological insistence of her own special place in v’s life is ripe at this point — but laterally i think she was also aiming to disarm anna by the end by purposefully make her uncomfortable and fess up to her own manipulation of v through a possessive, and perhaps protective, lens.

i’ve been chipping away at an eve / villanelle / konstantin thing thinking about their weird love triangle lol and how similar eve and konstantin are in some ways yet diametrically opposed in equal measure. how eve’s distaste and frustration with konstantin is due in part of her moral self-image, sure, but also part mask for her envy of his intimacy and supposed control of v…which we the audience know isn’t complete control per se but knowing when and how to play villanelle’s game (with mixed results). 

anyWAY i’m def curious to see how any jealousy may pan out in the near future when things are so much more complicated..! y’all are intellectually, sexually, emotionally h*rny for each other and almost killed the other. like. we get it. 

[catierambles]

Null Ch.11

Pairing: Incubus!Charles Brandon x Anna Williams (OFC)

WC 1259

Warnings: Eh? Minors DNI 18+ ONLY

@brattymum96 , @ouroboros113 , @peaches1958 , @summersong69 , @henryownsme , @fvckinghenrycavill, @raccoon-eyed-rebel

Anna was still sitting on the couch, Charles’ arm across the back of her shoulders while the guys still talked among themselves. It was getting late, but she wasn’t tired and Charles was enjoying having his friends over so she didn’t want to kick them out. As she sat there, though, there was an odd feeling and she looked up from her phone at nothing in particular.

“I’ll be right back.” She said, getting up from the couch and heading to the downstairs bathroom. “Fuckin’ finally!” They all looked over at the exclamation and Anna came back out from the bathroom. “Sorry.”

“Everything okay, dearest?” Charles asked and she nodded.

“Oh yeah, my period just started, is all.” Anna said, “Now my hormones will find their goddamn chill. Well, somewhat. Can still get knocked up the first couple days.”

“What’s going on?” Sy asked and she waggled her hand at him.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” She said and he looked at Charles. “Should be over before the party, never lasts more than a couple days for me.”

“I know what’s going on.” Mike said with a knowing smirk. “I had to take a course in endocrinology when I was going for my gynecology doctorate. Get a little hot under the collar a couple days out from your cycle?”

“It’s fuckin’ annoying, is what it is.” Anna grumbled, sitting back down again.

“I thought you didn’t feel that.” August said with a slight scowl.

“No, I don’t feel sexual attraction towards any one particular individual. This is my hormones making me want to bang in general, not bang any one particular person. Like I explained it to Charles, it’s my uterus’s last ditch effort in getting me pregnant before the egg jumps ship.”

“It’s not uncommon and the length and severity varies from woman to woman.” Mike said simply. “It can also be mixed with odd food cravings, irritability, short temper, those kinds of things.”

“Mood wise I’m pretty steady,” Anna said, “I just get invasive pornos running through my head at random moments.”

“So you just randomly think about fuckin’?” Sy asked and she nodded. “I can see how that would be annoying for someone like yourself.”

“Have you thought about going on birth control to regulate it?” Mike asked, “Would lessen the symptoms for you by evening out your hormonal levels.”

“Thought about it." She admitted with a shrug, "Probably do a three month pill pack seeing as the patch made me itch and I hate needles."

"Could get an IUD." Mike suggested.

"Nah, they don't sedate or give any kind of anesthesia when inserting them and I don't feel like being in that kind of pain." Anna said and Mike blinked at her.

"They don't…are you telling me they force open a woman's cervix raw?" He asked and she nodded. "What the fuck. Maybe I should open my own practice. That's barbaric."

"Welcome to the wonderful world of medical misogyny." Anna said, "Where a woman's pain means absolutely nothing and it's not that bad, sweetheart, you're just sensitive."

"Personal experience?" Sy asked.

"Not with that in particular." Anna said, "But I once went into the ER with intense stomach pain, they gave me some Tums and sent my ass home. My appendix burst that night and I nearly died from sepsis."

"Fuck." Sy said and she shrugged. "And your religions call us evil."

“Wait until you hear about the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” She said with a smile that was completely devoid of any kind of mirth.

“Heard about that.” Mike said, “It was all over campus when it happened. What a woman does with her own body is her business, not some old guy in Washington.”

“When are we invading?” Napoleon asked, looking over at August and the demon shrugged, Anna giving a snort.

“You laugh, but he’s being serious.” August said and her brows jumped at him in surprise. “End time gameplan, Legion of us invade the moral plane and take over. From what I’m hearing and seeing about humanity right now, I think you’re due for a good ol’fashioned apocalypse. Lucifer knows we’d do a hell of a lot better job at governing the place. The things you do to each other even we wouldn’t have the stomach for, and not just recently. I lived through the Spanish Inquisition, you want to talk about fucked up? That was fucked up.”

“The Holocaust.” Charles said.

“Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.” Mike said.

“Genocide of multiple indigenous peoples.” Sy said.

“If you guys invaded, a lot of innocent people would die, and not just soldiers who are only there because they were ordered to. Civilians. Men, women, children would get caught in the crossfire. You wouldn’t be seen as saviors, you would be seen as conquerors. You wouldn’t be thanked, you would be hated and reviled.” Anna said, “Those who you would spare whatever hardship would die, and that’s the honest truth.”

“War is not without casualty.” August said.

“A war that doesn’t need to happen.” Anna countered.

“It’ll happen eventually, darlin’.” Sy said, “Maybe not this decade or even this millennia, but it will happen.”

“Fuck this got heavy fast.” Anna said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m going to bed.”

“Are you--” Charles started as she got up from the couch.

“I’m fine.” She said and left the living room, heading up the stairs.

Anna was laying in bed when she heard her door open, but she didn’t turn over.

“Darling?” Charles asked.

“I forget sometimes that you’re a demon.” She said, “Yeah, the fact that you’re an incubus doesn’t stray far, but the whole demon thing likes to check out from time to time.”

“The others have left.” He said simply.

“Okay.” She said, “It was nice to meet them, however the conversation ended.”

“They like you.”

“Bully for me.” She said and there was a pregnant pause.

“May I join you?” He asked, his tone somewhat hopeful.

“Sure.” Anna said and heard him come closer before his weight dipped down on the bed behind her. An odd feeling crawled over her skin and when she turned over, she saw that he had shed his human guise, his feline eyes glowing at her softly through the darkness. He reached out, being mindful of his claws, and held the side of her face gently, the pad of his thumb moving over the high of her cheek. Moving closer to her, he pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes closing. There was a moment’s hesitation on her part before she crossed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his gently. His eyes snapped open in surprise before they closed again as he surrendered to the kiss, the hand at her jaw tugging her closer.

“I’ve never…” He said as he pulled away from her, his eyes still closed. “I’ve never felt this way about a human before. I don’t just want to bed you, Anna, I want to know you. Your mind, your hopes, your dreams.”

“You’re wonderfully corny, you know that?” She said and there was a pause before he gave a small laugh. “You want a relationship, Charles, not just a fuck buddy.”

“Yes, I…I think I do, and I want one with you.” He said, “But your life is fleeting while mine is eternal.”

“Then we’d best make the most of what time we have, don’t we?” She said and he gave her a gentle smile, leaning in to press his lips to her forehead.

[nix-needs-coffee]

Torrid Affairs - Ch. 3

Anne goes too far.

Ch. 1 Ch. 2

AO3 Link

Katherine had grown accustomed to finding her phone in Anne’s possession over the next several days. It had occurred so many times that her outrage at the indignation had melted away into something more akin to mild irritation at the inconvenience.

For a time, she refused to let her device out of her sight. She kept it tucked tightly in a pocket, under a pillow, or in her hand, but needs must when performing in barely there costumes. When Anne began picking the locks to gain access to it, Katherine had to let it go. She no longer cared about where she put her phone down. She knew where she needed to go to find it. Anne’s inability to keep her volume at a reasonable level always led her straight to it.

Interventions led by Jane and Parr had been to no avail. Mediation between the parties had only amplified the behavior they had tried to quash. Both women, irritated by Katherine’s repeated claims that her phone had been stolen yet again, had bowed out of the fight, leaving Katherine to fend for herself.

Katherine had also given up on changing her passcode. After Anne had cracked it the first three times, she knew she had lost that battle. She wasn’t necessarily hiding anything on her phone; however, the invasion of her privacy set her nerves on edge. Her skin crawled with the idea that someone was trawling through her conversations, pictures, and files. Her stomach clenched at the thought that Anne had full access to all of her social media accounts. She tried not to dwell on it for too long to keep her anxiety at bay.

Eventually, she became desensitized to the intrusion on her personal affairs.

That was until several weeks after Anne had first stolen her phone. All of her pent up feelings, dissociated to keep her numb, had surfaced in one moment, at one sight.

What had turned her into sweating, tense mess was seeing Catherine of Aragon in on Anne’s scheme as well. She had walked into their dressing room to retrieve her phone and found Catherine peering over Anne’s shoulder as she typed something. Both girls had been giggling uncontrollably.

“Give me that,” she demanded, reaching to snatch the phone out of Anne’s hand, but Catherine beat her to it.

Guarding the phone from Katherine’s view, she swiped several times.

“It’s alright. It’s already done,” Anne piped in.

Catherine hesitated a moment before holding out the phone with a smug, “Here,” for Katherine to take.

“I expected better of you, Catherine. Her I understand, but you?” She didn’t even attempt to hide the wounded look on her face conveying how deeply she was hurt by Catherine’s betrayal. She had come to expect underhanded dealings by Anne, but the lofty pinnacle of morality that Catherine claimed to be a part of  was directly opposed to such a breach of trust.

Katherine felt violated. Alarmed, she grumbled, “What were you doing?” She knew any answer they could provide would not mollify her.

“Don’t look so glum, Kitty! You’ll find out soon enough!” Anne appeared downright euphoric.

Holding her phone in her hand, she watched the display darken before going black, her reflection in the glass marred by frustrated tears.

***

Katherine walked home alone that night, giving the other girls a wide breadth of space and time. She fell further and further behind until they were long out of sight. Walking past the pub just at the top of their street, she heard Anne’s elated cheers and felt herself being tugged inside the dimly lit bar.

“You might not have noticed, but we’ve had something of a small project in the works.” Anne, delighted with herself, dragged Katherine deeper into the pub.

“If your project was anything other than finding yourself on the sorry end of a swordsman’s swing again, I would call it unsuccessful,” Katherine only half-joked, feeling an unfamiliar and entirely out-of-character desire to take up a more murderous path in life.

Anne wasn’t listening. “-and now he’s that one there. Right under that horrid lamp!”

Katherine gawked at her. “Who is where now?”

“Your date!”

“My what?”

“I never took you for an idiot. I mean, not really. But now I might have to,” Anne rubbed at her temples and began to speak slowly, as if Katherine were incapable of understanding her words. “Your. Date.”

“Why do I have a date?”

“Because me and Catherine set you up! Weren’t you listening to me?”

“Do I ever?”

Anne leaned her head against the wooden back of a booth, not caring that it was sticky with an unidentifiable substance, and bounced her head against it. “Look. He’s right there!”

“I’m not sure what you expect me to do.” Katherine had no clue how to proceed with this scenario, nor did she have any interest in the man below the gaudy lamp in a cheap pub.

“I don’t know. Maybe start with ‘Hi. I’m Katherine.’”

She looked around to find Catherine smiling broadly at her from a booth in the far corner and gesturing in the man’s direction with her drink. Katherine presumed she was trying to communicate that she wanted her to buy the man a drink. Making her way past the tables, Katherine set off in the direction of the man before making a brisk escape through the fire exit at the side of the pub. Never more glad to be wearing her flats, she made a break for it through the narrow alley knowing Anne would try to cut her off from the front doors, picking her way over glass shards and leaping over puddles shining in the moonlight.

Anne nearly had her in reach when she emerged from the alley, but fortune, it seemed, had been on her side. Nothing but the wind from Anne’s hand grasping for her touched her as she gave everything she had into getting home.

***

A warm shower did her wonders. Katherine was able to calm her frazzled nerves and her simmering desire for homicide cooled. With her hair wrapped in a towel and I’m a warm set of pajamas on, Katherine re-emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed and able to find the humor in the scenario she had escaped from.

She was turning the handle to enter her bedroom when she was once again yanked off her equilibrium by Anne.

“I didn’t want you to be unprepared?”

“Unprepared? God, Anne, what now?”

Anne didn’t elaborate, choosing instead to pull her into an awkward hug and tucking a small wrapper into her waistband. Katherine pushed her off just as quickly as she had latched onto her, and Anne disappeared into her own bedroom.

Pulling the small package out of her waistband, Katherine’s nose scrunched in disgust at the realization that she was holding a condom. Alleviating some of her feelings, she chucked it at Anne’s door before returning to the solace of her bedroom.

Throwing her door open, she was ready to collapse into her bed and forget about how the day had unfolded, but was held to the spot by the sight in front of her.

Her bed was occupied.

By the man from the pub.

Katherine stood, wide-eyed, staring at the sight, unable to react.

“Hey beautiful,” he greeted her, lifting the duvet up as if the sight of him unclothed beneath it would entice her to join him.

The action was all she needed to remind her limbs how to function. She spun on her heel, storming out of her room. Anne’s door rustled a bit as the occupants of the room shoved each other to get a look through the inch opening, Katherine threw the full force of her weight into it, enjoying the cracking sound it made as it bounced off both of the women’s heads.

“He took off his pants. I’m leaving. He’s your problem.” Katherine deadpanned, unable to enjoy the sight of both girls clutching their heads in pain before she went to seek shelter in Anna’s room.

***

Catherine had to admit, setting Katherine up on a date had not been one of her wisest or kindest ideas that she had made in recent memory. She hadn’t expected the events to unfold in the manner in which they had, and the resulting anger and humiliation that Katherine felt was undeserving. Guilt had certainly settled in, though that was well after the annoyance of trying to dismiss Katherine’s spurned stud.

They had yet to find where he had left his pants.

Anne was already babbling about the next phase of her plan, and Catherine couldn’t help but feel the irritation creeping back up her spine. “Haven’t you given up yet? Please, stop embarrassing yourself,” she begged, holding her head in her hands. The lump just above her hairline a painful reminder of what happens when she lets Anne get too carried away.

“If rather be dead," Anne stated matter of fact.

“Then I have some good news for you,” Catherine mumbled, not sure if it would be herself of Katherine that dealt the killing blow.

[queasyghosts]

ch 10 shaman king

ah it feels so long since i last read shaman king ;o;)/ things have been very busy and will keep being busy, but i hope to get the chance to read more in the. middle of chaos lol

look at ren and bason ;o;)/ they aren’t in this chapter but really happy to seem them regardless : )

ANNA!! also i love the shading of this a lot!

yoh looks very cute here. poor manta is just getting shocked every day by yoh and his world 

looooove this “throw back” and seeing all the previous ghosts that yoh helped! its funny to know that they literally just gossip with what i assume anyone that can see them ??? or maybe anna introduced herself and they started speaking about yoh then? either way its kinda funny to imagine

this the day that manta has become an errand boy by anna U_U)/

poor manta and his cheek X_X

yoh looks very cute here. 

amazing that yoh and anna saw each other like months ago?? and he didn’t know that anna and him are engaged till right now. can you imagine learning about this while you’re recovering from a terrible smack down from another shaman that you wanted to befriend??? :,0c yoh never gets a break and manta too ofc

manta knows what’s up. and yoh is so stubborn its kinda funny to think of considering how laid back he is. he has strong morals and strong sense of self too.

poor ami :,( lol but this was very smart of anna too at the same time

not only did yoh learn he gained a fiance he also learned that anna is going to be just as stern and strict at his grandpa AND she already wants to start her serious training that probably going to be very difficult. but of course necessary for his growth as a shaman.

nice!! very cool scene! its kinda cute here thinking that anna is pretty much saying “we are in this together” without fully saying it. and that anna will and has kept up with yoh’s adventures before coming, she does her homework.

VERY COOL SCENE!!!

lol

it’s so great to see anna : )

SPOILER SPOILERS:

tbh i didn’t really know how to feel about anna at the beginning of the anime. but she really grew on me and i love how badass and “no shits taken” she is. as manta said, shes someone that yoh for sure needs on his side to become shaman king. also my heart melted over yoh and anna’s backstory :,)

[crowkingwrites]

Worlds Apart (Ch.2)

Pairing: Ramsay Bolton X Reader

Summary:  You were born in a world filled with magic. He was not. You were born with two parents who loved you. He was not. Now, he attends the same school as you and wants everything you have–including your life.

As the daughter of Jack frost and Queen Elsa, you know to be afraid of magic. As the son of Pitch black, Ramsay knows everyone should be afraid of him.

Words: 1047 // Ao3 Link //Game of Thrones Masterlist // Chapter One

You looked around at your nearly empty room. Things were packed away in trunks and your furniture had been covered with white sheets. It made your eyebrows knit together in concern. You bit your thumbnail over and over.

“Y/N,” you heard your father behind you. The white hairs on the back of your neck stood straight up.

“Father!”

“Whoa now. Didn’t mean to scare you, sweetheart,” King Consort Jack aged slowly, if even at all. He looked more like your older brother than he did your father. He didn’t don any king’s wear in private. Just a casual blue sweater and pants. He lowered his hands from surrender and stuffed them back into his pants.

“I’m sorry. I’m—

“Nervous. I know,” Jack’s smirk turned into a firm line. “I am too.”

“You are?” You bit your lip down. You knew it. You were going to disappoint your parents at this school.

“Yes,” Jack admitted. “Your mother and I don’t necessarily agree with other noble children’s parents.”

“Is that why I haven’t met any other nobles outside of our family?” Your father looked you up and down. Yesterday, you were nothing but a wild, white-haired toddler running about Arendelle. Now, you were a teenage girl. Your white hair was neatly braided just like your mother’s. Your navy blue dress was a gift from your dear aunt Anna. You were all grown up in a snap. Jack couldn’t believe where the time had gone.

“Yes. We wanted to protect you from them.” Your father started to pace your room. His voice turned cold. “We don’t share the same ideals. Or morals. I’m nervous that we sheltered you too much. You’ll be in the company of some noble people I hate.”

“Why send me then?”

“Your mother was forced to. We. We were forced to,” Jack leaned against the window, looking outdoors. Your trunks were being loaded into a carriage. “Your aunt, Rapunzel, informed us that Queen Belle expected to see you there this year. We wanted to homeschool you, but she had a point.”

“And the point was?”

“We can’t shelter you like this forever. Your aunt should know more about that than I do.” “What about mom? Wasn’t she locked away too? Confined in her room for years?”

“Yes, but Rapunzel was taken. She was forced. She didn’t know any better. Now that Rapunzel has learned of the world and the people, she wishes for you to see the world and experience it. I didn’t like it, but she was right.”

“And if I hate Auradon Prep?”

“You won’t.”

“But what if I do?”

“Then you can run away to your aunt’s home. Rapunzel would be more than happy to have you.”

“I can’t come back?” you choked back a sob and bit your lip.

“It’s time for you to go into the world. You can’t stay here forever and you know that.” Your father wrapped his arms around you tight. Your buried yourself in his chest. One of the safest places in the world. It didn’t feel good. None of this felt good. Jack continued. “You’ll be surrounded by your cousins. You’ll have so many books and classes that you won’t even be homesick. You’re going to make me proud.”

The next afternoon you watched Corona come into view. While you were used to seeing snow and ice cover the grounds, you watched your carriage go over street bumps while inhabitants sold wares on the streets. Each one was happy and friendly just like home, but they enjoyed the warm sun. Green hills are rich soil covered most of the mountain and then you arrived at the palace steps. Your cousin, Fredrick, was there to greet you on the steps.

He took mostly after his father, Eugene. His dashing brown hair and smolder got him the attention of many, many girls. He was a bit of a flirt and very popular among other nobles. He flourished in social circles, but he preffered certain company. Fredrick claimed you as his favorite cousin

“Y/N!” he gleefully shouted, running down the steps to you. You jumped out of your carriage and into your cousin’s arms. His strength showed in how tight he hugged you.

“Freddy!” you hugged him back. He set you down and took your arm.

“I’m so happy you’re here! Ugh, Auradon Prep needs more people like you. I’m so excited that all of us get to leave in a week! Together as a family!”

“All of us?” you questioned. Then you remembered. Your other cousins. Anna’s twins. Navi and Link. The whole family was here to leave for Auradon Prep with you. Maybe you were overthinking everything. You saw the twins running at you from a distance. Boarding school wouldn’t be so bad after all.

---XX---

Ramsay Bolton held the invitation in his hands. The envelope’s broken seal was the royal rose. It was thick and held a potentially big change in his future.

“The experiment with the four children was successful,” Pitch Black spoke from his chair. “They have invited all of the children from this Isle to be educated with the rest.”

“And what if I don’t want to go?” Ramsay spat.

“Oh, you’re going. You should be more grateful,” Pitch stood up. “Some boys wait eleven years locked in a cupboard to have a chance to go away to a school like this.” Ramsay rolled his eyes.

“And learn magic from those who took it from us?”

“You’ll be learning how to defeat them. Do you think the other children are wasting their time?”

“I know some of them turned good,” Ramsay chuckled. “They’re pathetic.”

“You’re not like them. You know what’s important to you. You’re going to Auradon Prep to learn everything you can. We’re going to destroy all of them.”

“We?”

“There are others. Other nobles here who understand and are taking advantage of this opportunity. We’ve formed an alliance. You leave in a week. Prepare yourself, my son.” Ramsay left his father’s company and let his fingers run across the walls of his father’s palace. A darkness left his fingers like smoke. There were awful children on this Island. Ramsay smirked at the idea of his new friends destroying every happiness that the good children ever had.

A new nightmare was coming.

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[imaginationxlost]

🌼 🌸 for the STS asks!

🌼 pick an OC and put them on blast. Call out their flaws, complain about what makes them difficult to write, etc.

ANNA. Oh my god Anna is so hard to write. I'm not even sure why she's so hard to me to write, but she is. She's why editing Storms has gone so slowly because her perspective makes me want to hit my head on a wall. I love her, but she's frustrating.

Anyway, Anna, girlie, sweetie, you're an emotionally unavailable nitwit I stg. You get frustrated about your boyfriend (and is on that asexual spectrum and often touch averse you know that) seeming to take the relationship slower than you want and just a bit later you try to actively move on without addressing it at all when you two have an actually serious fight. You want a serious (and more physical) relationship but you DON'T want to communicate like an adult as would be needed for that.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaa. Like, she does know that she's not perfect in this relationship, but it's a just a goddamn mess. Also she does a poor job communicating what she actually wants to him, because she doesn't like to have serious relationship conversations.

🌸 who's your most morally questionable OCs (not including villains)?

Okay, this is actually funny to me, because I'm not really into morally questionable protags (with one Major Exception), but the vast majority of my villians are morally grey rather than a black and white thing.

But in so far as Morally Questionable Characters who are not and never were villains, starting with those in my main focus right now; the Shadowed Dreams setting:

Erica Mathews: Erica was born into a cult, and in adulthood she didn't really believe their doctrine at all, but she was too afraid to act at all to stop the harm they were causing, even as they were targeting the children of her dead friends, and friends of hers who had escaped said cult. She feels like she can't do anything because four of her closest friends, including her own twin brother were seemingly killed by the cult for even the barest of hints of doubt towards them. So she keeps her head down and does nothing.

James Hynes: James is a changeling, and nearly died as a kid for trying to buck the whole broken system of Changeling and Foundlings, because he never wanted to live on Earth to replace some human kid. And he was quite nearly killed for this. This trauma leads to him being extremely apprehensive about anyone else trying to change things around all of that, and that fear is used to manipulate him into turning on his friend Mitchell (though not actually naming him; just revealing there was a conspiracy at all), nearly messing up a careful plan he'd been setting up for years. But James isn't a villian. He's just terrified of an authoritarian system that tried to kill him once already, and didn't want to see his friend die for some (what he saw as) fruitless hope for a better future.

OUTSIDE of my main setting project I have more:

There's Sebastian Harrison, who's tag on my art blog I just linked because I've rambled about him already. He's closer to a villian, but that's not reeeeeeally the role he plays in the story. He's just as opposed to the actual villians as the heros, since they killed him.

In the same setting but a very different story as Seb is Killian Laflamme who exists under an authoritarian regime. He's just a kid, 14-15 through his original story. He's transmasc in a country that in very anti-queer (though not the same one as Seb. Killian is in Europe; Seb is an American) and toes the fucking line to avoid being outed and facing consequences. His older sibling who ran away years prior and has been working their ass off to protect Killian and is part of the resistance. The two end up on opposite sides of the conflict for basically no reason other than Killian being scared. But being scared drives this kid to do some real questionable shit.

Finally, there's one Miss Carsian Sunchaser, the One Major Exception I mentioned before. She's the main character of a four part series where each part follows a different character in a different time, and she's one some real well intentioned extremist shit. She starts out on a revenge quest against the nation that so badly hurt her people and is all kinds of morally dubious, but doesn't see herself that way at all. It slowly dawns on her that she's just perpetuating a cycle of violence and that revenge isn't going to fix anything, and that the whole damn power structure is broken and corrupt, and it need rebuilt from the ground up.