#especially not an innocent child who deserves to be as far away from this circus as possible

[faithinlouisfuture]

.

[missymurphy1985]

The Umbrella Girl (part 6)

The Aftermath of your night with Cillian...

Taglist @queenshelby @margoo0 @being-worthy @peakyscillian @ntmynouis @janelongxox @elenavampire21 @noctvrnalmoth @ysmmsy

Warnings - language, mentions of baby loss, smut (this got long... Sorry!!)

The morning after your night with Cillian had gone incredibly well, considering. Your mum was surprised to see him the following morning, but she was one of the most liberal people you knew - and she adored Cillian too, especially after the cooked breakfast he'd knocked up. Emily had arrived home with Steph later that day and Steph pulled you to one side to talk to you alone.

"Lisa's gone crazy y/n.. she's already contacted the Sun, the story's going live tomorrow morning... It's all over social media.." You took a deep breath and Steph hugged you tight. The sound of Cillian's phone in the background interrupted you, you had a feeling you knew who it was. He came into the living room to join the two of you so Emily and your mum didn't overhear anything in the kitchen. Steph left the two of you alone.

"All you have is one side of the story Mr Grayson.... No I'm not prepared to give a statement yet..... Yes I'm aware of the implications... Again, I'm not interested in giving a statement... Call me again and I'll have your job Grayson, delete my number!" You could see the anger rising in his eyes and you swiftly took the phone from him before he said something he'd regret and ended the call, turning his phone off. He wrapped his arms round you and held you tight, you could feel the emotion rising in him.

"It's okay. It'll be okay... I promise..." Suddenly two little arms wrapped round you both, Emily looked up at the two of you sadly.

"Cillian crying?" She whispered, and he lifted her up into his arms to give her a big hug. Your heart lurched watching your child wrap her arms round his neck tight.

"I'm better now I've had that hug Emily... Thank you." He kissed her cheek affectionately and smiled at you, nodding. He was okay. For now.

"I'm gonna head home y/n... I have a feeling my publicist will want a word or two. I'll call you later, okay?" He kissed you, still holding Emily who giggled at him as he tickled under her ribs. "You gonna take care of your mama?" She nodded and he placed her back on the floor letting her run back into the kitchen. Saying a quick goodbye to your mum and Steph, he kissed you again before opening the front door. He quickly came back inside and closed it again.

"Fucking press are out there y/n... There's dozens of them... The fuck do I do?"

"Shit... Did they see you?"

"I think so.." he ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against the wall.

"Stay here. Call your publicist from my room upstairs, tell him EVERYTHING. He needs to know before it comes out tomorrow.. he'll know what to do?" Cillian nodded, and headed upstairs, turning his phone back on.

CILLIAN MURPHY IN BABY SCANDAL!!

Former Peaky Blinders Personal Assistant Lisa Tyler reveals she lost her and Cillian's baby as a result of the stress caused when he refused to have anything to do with their baby... even going as far as to claim she wasn't even pregnant. Their affair began six months before Murphy's wife, Cassie, left him, speculating she found out about the affair which led to their divorce last year. Murphy is yet to make a formal statement, however he did threaten to have our entertainment reporter, Len Grayson, fired yesterday when we contacted him. His temper clearly something he needs to keep in check.

Cillian's head sank into his hands, he couldn't read the rest. The front page even had a blurred out screenshot of the sex tape Lisa had made, next to a photo of Lisa holding a baby scan photo - not her scan, clearly, she was only 2 weeks pregnant when the miscarriage happened, but for the purposes of the story the image just added to the drama.

There were reports the tape was now all over the internet - the date mark clearly photoshopped to make it look like it had been filmed months before it actually was, but the untrained eye wouldn't spot that. She'd given the Sun all of the details - nothing left out. His publicist had gone ballistic the day before when Cillian told him. Even his ex wife had called him to berate him. His family didn't believe a word of it - they of course knew the truth and were standing by him unconditionally.

You sat next to him on your bed and held his hand. He hadn't left your house since Friday night, too worried about facing the paparazzi outside, but he needed a change of clothes - he had to face them today whether he liked it or not.

"Want me to come with you?" You asked him, resting your head on his shoulder.

"No.. I can't drag you into this any more than I already have y/n.. this isn't fair.. you don't deserve this. Emily doesn't deserve this..."

"Don't you dare Cillian... Don't you dare push me away now!" He looked into your eyes and put his hands either side of your face.

"I couldn't push you away now if I tried.. please don't leave me y/n?"

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere! Come on. We need to do this sooner or later... Hand in hand, remember?" You stood up, taking his hand and led him down the stairs. Your mum with Emily in the living room. You both walked in hand in hand, and Emily rushed to Cillian. The two of them had spent the weekend playing tea parties and dolls, they'd become thick as thieves. He'd charmed your mum all weekend, cooking meals and helping with the cleaning - you were worried your mum loved him more than you did, because that's exactly how you felt. You wanted him completely, and had fallen for him hard.

He put Emily down and looked to you.

"You sure you want to do this?"

"Shut up, Murphy." He laughed, and kissed your hand, leaning in to kiss your cheek. Leaving your mum and daughter in the living room you both made your way outside to the waiting reporters, statement ready. You wouldn't speak, simply hold his hand for support and let him do it.

Approaching the cameras, Cillian took a breath and told his side. Essentially repeating everything he'd told you that day in Sophie's trailer, but with less emotion. His publicist had warned him not to get emotional - the papers would simply rip him apart even more. You stood to the side, hand in his, squeezing it now and then, as he came to the end of his speech.

"This lady has completely bowled me over. Without her, I couldn't have faced you today," he looked back at you and cleared his throat. "I'd ask, politely, that you give us space. Respect the privacy I've always requested in good faith. Allow us to deal with this privately and together. What's been said about me isn't all true. I was never unfaithful to my wife of 21 years.

I have made mistakes. Show me a man who hasn't? I have hurt people. I have disappointed people. I have let people down. What happened with Lisa and the baby was tragic... It was a tragic accident. Yes, I was angry. Yes, I doubted the baby was mine, and no, I'm not proud of my actions. I've nothing else to say on the matter, and I repeat, respectfully, that I'd appreciate privacy for myself and my family now. Thank you." You both made your way to his car, ignoring the barrage of questions from the paparazzi, and Cillian kissed your cheek before getting in and driving away. You walked back into the house, closed the door and fell into your mum's waiting arms, finally letting out the tears you'd been holding all weekend.

That week's filming was, fortunately, smooth sailing. Not a single person on Peaky believed the venom Lisa had been spouting in the media, and even Cillian's ex wife had been convinced of his innocence over a course of phone calls and texts. Anto had instructed that you cancel any media interviews Cillian had planned in order for him to keep as low a profile as possible. For the most part, it was business as usual. You were all meant to have a week's break, but with the situation as it was, it was agreed across the cast and crew that the sooner you all finished filming the better so the week off was cancelled. As disappointed as Cillian was not to be going home to Dublin for a week, it meant an extra week with you, so he wasn't complaining too much.

You were sat in Cillian's trailer, a cold, miserable Friday morning. The story had been out for nearly a week and the media circus was showing no signs of calming down. There were even random women sharing 'kiss and tell' stories now that were completely false, Cillian had never even met these women, never mind had sex with them. His head was laid back on the sofa cushions his hands over his eyes rubbing them tightly. He hadn't slept properly since Sunday. You made your way over to sit across his knees and pulled his upper body into your own, holding him tight to your chest as you stroked his hair gently.

"You need sleep Cill, you're not doing yourself any favours. Plus, Steph is sick of wasting her expensive eye cream on you covering those suitcases under your eyes," you chuckled, making him laugh a little under you. He ran his hands softly up your back making you shudder. You hadn't slept together since Sunday either - his mind too preoccupied.

His hands soon snaked underneath your t-shirt, making you arch you hips slightly closer to his. He lifted you off him, and sat you on the sofa next to him. You were about to ask what he was doing, before his body was hovering over yours, his lips attacking your neck. Your fingers began unbuckling his belt and jeans, pulling them down to his ankles allowing his hard cock to spring in front of you. Without missing a beat, you took him into your mouth, his hands gripping the back of the sofa behind you as you licked slowly up his shaft. Pumping the base of his cock with one hand and taking the tip into your mouth, bobbing your head over him quickly. This was not going to be your usual slow, sensual session, but neither of you wanted that right now.

"I'm not coming in your mouth y/n... Turn around..." he pulled you up and bent you over the sofa, your skirt now hitched up over your waist and your underwear pulled down to your ankles. He ran his tongue slowly against your slit, his hands squeezing your thighs. You were already wet for him after days of no physical contact.

"I need you inside me Cillian, please...." You raised your hips up, he groaned as pushed himself inside you until you felt him flush against your thighs. His thrusts quickly becoming hard and fast, pounding into you as you gripped onto the sofa, panting his name.

"Stop... Wanna ride you... Sit down..." He spun the two of you round, never leaving your warm core as he sat on the sofa, you were now on top of him with your back pushed forwards. You held onto the table in front of you for leverage and moved your hips in circles over his thick length, buried deep inside you. He pulled you back into his chest, his hand now between your legs rubbing your clit as he thrust up into you sharp, hard, and fast. The new angle hitting your sweet spot inside with a new level of intensity.

"Fuck... I'm gonna come Cillian... Don't stop..." Your walls clenched around him as you came harder than ever, your juices flowing from you onto the sofa underneath, his release following quickly with a deep, gutteral groan. He rested his head on your shoulder, and you felt his breathing becoming shallow, before his eyes closed softly into a deep sleep. You eased yourself off him slowly and cleaned yourself up, before laying him down on the sofa with a cushion under his head and a blanket over his half naked body. He barely made a sound as he slept. Kissing him gently on the head, you straighted out your clothes before heading out of the trailer. Luckily he wasn't due on any scenes for a couple of hours at least.

Your phone pinged with a group message to you and Cillian from his sister, Orla, you could see 4 missed calls from her too. Opening the message, you nearly dropped your phone in shock.. a video of Cillian's house in Dublin... Surrounded by fire engines and police cars, smoke bellowing from a window downstairs...

The scream from the trailer behind you could've woken the dead...

[animeyanderelover]

Joker’s pregnant s/o leaving him after finding out he kidnaps kids

Finally something about him! I love him!

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, paranoia, pregnancy

Joker’s pregnant s/o leaving him after finding out he kidnaps kids

🤡Joker was a bit unsure when finding out that his darling was pregnant. He was an aware one and so far the only real interaction he had with children was in the circus or when luring them away to bring them to Baron Kelvin. That and the fact that he lived in a circus, meaning they would constantly move around. And during a pregnancy you needed some rest which would be a bit hard whilst living in a circus and being constantly watched. Not even to mention that the only person with medical knowledge in this place was Doctor.

🤡Lots of worries and unsureness mixed with happiness and excitement made for sure an interesting combo. But Joker acted like he always did, calm and composed. He did it for you, seeing that you yourself were pretty worried and nervous, reassuring that everything would go well. He had already successfully manipulated you into loving him as well so he tried to think optimistic, telling himself that he and the troupe would protect his child.

🤡The troupe nearly lost it when finding out, absolutely all over Joker’s darling and fussing over it, Dagger already busily speaking to her stomach. And that’s when Joker knew he could count on their help. It was later on agreed that they would all protect you and the baby, it deserved a better past than they all had. But some like Beast and Doll felt also a bit weird about it. They were used to kidnapping children, never really taking care of one. It was a sensitive topic and thinking about what would happen if you would find out. Joker interrupted their heavy thoughts, telling them that he would never let that happen. And he would also never tell his father about this, not even wanting to let you anywhere near his mansion.

🤡At the beginning everything went well. They continued their daily routine. Only exception was that Joker and the troupe spent a lot more time with you, wanting to encourage and support you through this all. As soon as you started showing everyone wanted to touch your stomach, but they needed to get Joker’s approval first. And they all started talking to your belly, especially Dagger and Wendy were very talkative. Joker had grown clearly more overprotective and possessive over you the more you started to show. The thought of having created something innocent was very soothing for him, finally being able to not ruin a child’s life. No, he wanted to give his baby a good and happy future and he and the troupe were ready to kill everyone who dared to hurt the baby.

🤡Doctor was the only one besides the troupe who was allowed near you besides him and the troupe, checking on your health and the baby. But not without Joker standing besides him and keeping a close eye on him, not fully trusting him. For good reasons as he would later find out.

🤡I can imagine that the truth crushed down on his darling during the time when Ciel and Sebastian appeared and started doing research in the circus. For Sebastian it was rather easy to find out about Joker’s darling and it was also easy from the growing bump to tell that she was pregnant. But no one in the circus seemed to know very much about her, telling Ciel and Sebastian that Joker and the troupe were really protective over her, even more after they had found out that she was pregnant. No one from the other people in the circus had seen her much since then.

🤡Ciel found out quickly about Joker’s little obsession thanks to Sebastian and Joker’s and the troupe’s reaction whenever he tried to ask them about you, provoking them purposely. And that could probably be used to his advantage. Ciel almost pitied you for all of this. Being kidnapped and manipulated beyond belief until your brain told you that you loved Joker was pathetic, but also pitiful. Something about that agitated Ciel. He wanted to destroy that naivety of yours, show you who these people really were, destroy that perfect picture you had of them.

🤡And he did. Successfully. During the whole event where Ciel met Baron Kelvin and the other members tried to kidnap him in his mansion you were left without protection. Ciel had beforehand sent you a letter where he had told you that Joker and the others were suspected of kidnapping kids, something you didn’t believe at first. But even in letters Ciel had his way with words, slyly plaguing your mind with doubts. You knew that Joker had wanted to visit his father and you also knew where that was even though he had flatly refused to let you go there. So despite his pleas to not do anything too extreme whilst you were pregnant you took a horse and rode there.

🤡When you arrived no one was there so you just let yourself in, walking around in an attempt to find Joker. And that’s when you heard the noises, quickly following them and in the end reaching a weird looking room. And that’s when you saw it. You didn’t know over what exactly you should cry. Over Joker, who was lying bleeding on the ground, his father, who acted and looked like a complete lunatic or the children who were sitting lifelesy in the cages. You quickly hid, clamping your hands from your mouth to muffle your sobs and cries and listened. To everything. You had been dumb. A fool who had believed his lies. And after you had realized everything you just left that place, left Joker, left everything behind. Whilst riding back you didn’t even notice Doll passing you by. Nor did you realize the huge fire later on.

🤡This is an AU where everyone survived. For this story line’s sake. After Kelvin’s death they were all crushed. Because despite everything he had done he had been still their father, the man who had saved them from the dirt and trash of the streets. But some people like Beast also saw it as a chance to start new, to get over their past, continue the circus life and finally not having to feel guilty about you and the child you were carrying. And that’s when Doll told everyone in an anxious tone about what she had seen whilst riding to their father’s home. Literally one of their worst nightmares coming true. They instantly rushed all back to the circus, Joker storming despite his wound to the wagon you were supposed to be in and slammed the door open. You weren’t there. Nor were you somewhere else in the circus.

🤡Joker had on that day a second breakdown, much more worse than he had when seeing his father getting killed. Because now he had really lost everything. Everyone else suffered too, having just lost an important family member and suffering with Joker. But after Joker had cried and sobbed himself out he calmed down a bit, starting to think rational and wanting to find you. You couldn’t have gone that far in your state.

🤡You indeed hadn’t. Your family was in a completely other city than London and you wanted to go back there, but it wasn’t like you could just ride there on horse. Not whilst being already months into the pregnancy so as nervous and uneasy as it made you, you needed to stay in London for a bit longer. You needed to find a place to stay and needed to wait until the child was born. After that you would try to travel per train back to your hometown.

🤡Joker on the other hand had completely lost it. He had gone nearly crazy, not being able to handle the thought of never seeing you, his love, and his unborn child again. The troupe was worried about him, trying to calm him down. But as soon as they tried they had a knife against their throat. So they gave it up at some point, focusing instead on finding you faster. Using their charm as a circus to ask people if they had seen you during the day and during the night using threats and blackmailing to get informations about you. And the more time passed, the more desperate and mad Joker got.

🤡It took a few weeks for them until they had finally found you and the nice family that had taken you in. But now they needed a plan. You were heavily pregnant by now and they didn’t want to use violence, scared that they might harm you and the baby. Joker had quickly one, bribing you into coming willingly back by threatening to kill the family who let you stay with them. The other members were unsure and some not okay with that. But Joker just replied that they had already killed beforehand and asked them in a subtle threatening tone that they wouldn’t let him down now, right? Everyone didn’t like that they had to do this, but they also wanted you and the old Joker back. So they tried to justify their action by saying it would be the last time and after that they would all live happily together.

🤡And just like Joker had expected, you came willingly back once you received the letter from him, paling when you read through it. He had gone completely crazy judging from what he had written in the letter, the way he had emphasized the words and combined them together made you shiver. But by all means, you weren’t going to let innocent die just because of you. And even if you would try to escape again, you knew that they would just search for you again. Joker would never stop. So with a heavy heart and a lot of tears you did as he had told you, leaving the place and going to the named meeting point.

🤡Joker was already waiting impatiently for you, fearing that you hadn’t listened and that he would have to kill those people to get you back. But then you came. You were a crying mess, but you came. And Joker couldn’t help, but laugh happily and embrace you, not caring that much in the moment that you were sobbing and shaking in his hold. He could fix that later. The most important thing right now was that you and his unborn child were back. Now he only had to make sure that you wouldn’t try to leave again and would start loving him again. And then he could have something he had never in his life before. A small and happy family.

[woeismyhoe]

Azula

It constantly upsets me whenever I see people say that Azula doesn’t deserve any sympathy, that she was a monster, she deserved what was coming for her, she abused people (to a certain extent she did to Mai and Ty Lee)*, a playing victim, doesn’t deserve any redemption arc etc...

And so, i’ve decided to write this so people can understand her character better.

In the comics, it became clear that Azula’s accusation of their mother (Ursa) liking loving Zuko more than her, was indeed true. Never once did we see Ursa actually alone with Azula unless she was reprimanding her. Ursa was always just with Zuko. It was only once did we see Ursa actually with Azula (albeit Zuko was there too), and even then Ursa was neglecting Azula and just paying her full attention to Zuko. You can say Ursa loved Azula, sure, but the fact is that Azula never felt she was loved by her mother. Why would she? Ursa never praised her when she actually did something praiseworthy, or even when she behaved better than Zuko.

A child, especially a child as perceptive as Azula was, could’ve only reached the conclusion that she was never loved if there wasn’t any evidence to prove her wrong. Compare Ursa’s goodbye between her children. She kisses them both, but she only wakes up Zuko to tell him she loves him. For Azula, she has no knowledge of Ursa even coming to her room.

Now for Ozai. According to Zuko, Ozai favored Azula over him because she was a prodigy, which was true, but notice how even in flashbacks or in the comics, Ozai was not seen spending time with Azula like how Ursa was with Zuko. Ozai only favored Azula for her talent, and that was it. As a child, Azula only received praise from her father when she did something praiseworthy and her ideals matched his. Was Ozai truly spending time with his daughter? No. Did he truly love her? No.

In contrast to Ozai’s treatment of Azula, Ursa’s was the complete opposite. Ursa only paid attention to Azula when she did something wrong. To Azula, it was better to be scolded than to be ignored so she did bad things.

People always fail to remember that Azula never had any guidance, unlike Zuko. Ursa was always with Zuko. When she’d reprimand Azula for her actions, she’d never tell her why they were wrong and only send her away. Azula actually questions her mother as to why she couldn’t do what she did, but Ursa only tells her that she should treat the flowers with respect. Ursa NEVER explained to Azula what was wrong with what she was doing.

Notice the difference in how Ursa treated her children when they misbehaved. Ursa’s first thought for Zuko is to understand her son’s reasoning behind his actions while for Azula, her first thought was to only scold her.

Again in this scene, Azula was just asking a simple question but yet again, Ursa scolds her for it and doesn’t tell her why it was rude. Azula only understood why it was inappropriate when Zuko interjects and gives her an example. ‘Fine but I still think Dad’s better’ is basically her response to Zuko. Ursa never tried to get Azula to understand why her questions were inappropriate.

Even Iroh was playing favorites with them. It’s obvious that Iroh didn’t even know Azula enough to know that she wasn’t the usual doll loving girl since he gifted her a doll while he gifted Zuko a dagger. Take note that Azula was merely 11 years old when she was left completely alone with Ozai for the next 3 years.

Azula grew up in a militaristic environment surrounded with only her servants and cruel war aged old men. Her friends were rarely there since Ty Lee had run off to the circus and Mai probably didn’t even come to the palace that much either since she was closer to Ty Lee.

Azula was completely left alone with Ozai. She was forced to mature and have the mindset of an adult at 11, to forgo her childhood innocence and anything else that may prove to be a weakness in the future. Ozai made sure of that.

So growing up, Azula basically didn’t have a mother, father, grandfather or an uncle. There was literally no one to guide her to the light unlike Zuko.

As Azula grew older, Ozai’s expectations of her only grew higher. That was how Azula’s obsession with perfection began.

‘Almost isn’t good enough!’

Azula needed to be only perfect. Anything lesser than that was not appreciated by Ozai. Since Zuko was a failure to Ozai, that only meant that he was harsher in perfecting Azula to be the heir he desired. Since Azula was capable of incredible feats as a child, that means his expectations of her was even higher than his was for Zuko. Azula was expected to not only just excel, but to be the finest of all firebenders (second only to him of course).

‘My father gave me far more leeway than he ever gave Zuko, but he is not a patient man.’

‘This scheme is indeed my master stroke, destined to place me in Father’s good graces forever.’

- Azula (Tale of Azula)

From this we can deduce that Azula was not always actually in Ozai’s good graces, unlike what Zuko thought. Azula knows the consequences of disappointing and disobeying her father from watching Zuko, and she knows that even she herself isn’t exempted from her father’s cruelty.

The higher you climb, the harder you fall— this quote perfectly describes Azula demise. Azula was known as a prodigy even as a child so only perfection and brilliance was expected of her. Failure was considered improbable. No one expects her to fail, so if she does, her punishment is twice as worse as it should be.

Take note, Azula actually loved Ozai. He was the only parent who praised her, who understood her worth, who agreed with her ideals even when she was just a child. Ozai approved of Azula. Azula had seen his approval as Love, which was why Azula never betrayed her father and did everything he commanded her to. To Azula, Ozai was the only person who truly loved her and didn’t actually fear her. She wasn’t going to lose that one and only person who loved her.

Azula was afraid. She was actually afraid of what her father might do to her for speaking out against him. She knows from Zuko’s experience of what Ozai was capable of. Her brother had spoken out of turn in the war meeting, disregarding Ozai’s opinion in the plan of General Bujing, which then resulted in the Agni Kai between father and son. Ozai had struck Zuko with lightning when Zuko showed defiance and disrespect.

Azula knew she wasn’t an exception, and it was her instincts of self-preservation that prevented her from comitting the same mistakes that Zuko did. Zuko was the prime example of what she would be if she wasn’t what her father desired. She became what she was so she could survive.

Azula was every bit a victim as Zuko was, and probably even more.

[menagerie-rpg]

「 MARCELLA CHEY 」

STRATUM: One AGE: Thirty-one OCCUPATION: Ringleader SUGGESTED FCS: Elodie Yung

CREATURE FORM.

BASILISK is the king of the serpents, said to have the power to kill with a single glance. Consequentially, the beast’s cage is surrounded by a one-way mirror. 

ABOUT.

Everyone has teeth, though only the top of the foodchain are willing to use it. This is an ideology you once struggled to swallow. But you relish in it, savour the taste of bloody victory now. Your former self is dead, foolish, for having mistaking idealism for an asset. In reality, many times had you died and risen again, betrayed by the very people you believed in. So you consider The Menagerie your home because it is Hell. But at least you sat so close to the throne. You fear not monsters nor Hellfire, no. Your night terrors are of an innocent you, kinder yet so defenceless, beckoning you to come back.

BIOGRAPHY.

All under the cut.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence.

I.

You are thirteen and have learned your heritage, which you were once proud of, was something to be ashamed of. Your mother explains that if she could’ve helped it, she would not have chosen to be what she is. You are confused and ask her why. She tells you it is because of the danger, the constant need to watch her back, and now having children who are also creatures have only made things worse. She no longer had the chance to be selfish when her hips broke carrying you and your sister. She explains that while it is important to have loyalty towards the cryptids. you could never reveal who you really are in public. Your powers have just started to fully form but now you must suppress them further because of the humans around you.

You are fifteen and arguing with your mother about family history day at school. You want to boast of your powerful lineage but she begs you to stop. You curse at her and slam the door, feeling ashamed as the snake in you swallows you whole, leaving behind the girl in order to sneak out late at night. At night, you mess with the humans because it is fun and calms you down. Sometimes they faint, sometimes they try to hurt you. Each day you learn that humans are more volatile than you are, at least for now.

You are seventeen and thrown in jail for being rowdy at a bar you had no business being in. You were arguing with a man too old for you about cryptids and why they are not inherently dangerous, and proved yourself wrong when you punched him. He dropped the charges after learning your real age, but the encounter still stuck with you. You never had understood why you had to assimilate with your peers when you were so much more than they were, but you knew if people knew your true identity -- that night in the bar could’ve been your last. This did nothing to quell your thirst for righteousness, but instead ignited the spark underneath you.

II.

You and your sister are partners in crime, always had been. But now especially since you both have begun protesting for cryptid rights. It was just blown off as college neoliberalism, but since has turned into something more serious. You have organized sit in’s with her, as well as a variety of events. You are not soft nor gentle like your mother wanted you to be, and your sister is loud and present. She is your inspiration because if things don’t get better in your lifetime, they can for hers.

You are rebellious and a thorn in your parents sides. Their growing concern only serves to irritate you further and push your agenda harder but your sister is also worried for her safety as well as yours. You try to assure her nothing bad will happen but agree to set up more boundaries. Secretly, you go off and do much worse alone. You anger strangers, dangerous strangers because you are arrogant. Sometimes, you think of yourself like a god. Other times, you’re so much more. But you never bring that back with you and your sister.

These dangerous strangers do not take lightly to being mocked and they make you pay. Well, they think they were making you pay but instead it was your dear sister who suffered. At a protest, you both were thriving. She left to get some water and was alone when she was attacked. Beaten over the head with a bat, you could barely recognize her face when the police asked you to identify her body. Her killers were found shortly afterwards, so as far as the law was concerned? Justice was served.

But it really wasn’t. Not until they were dead, or someone innocent who they love dearly were dead. As your sister’s body was lowered into the ground, you promised her that vengeance would be delivered.

III.

You became obsessed with revenge, but even more so with not letting her die in vain. Humans had to be somewhat sympathetic, right? Not all of them thought that all cryptids were savages, that was barbaric of them to make such a generalized statement. But as you grew older, you realized that perhaps it was not this life that your sister was meant to live anyhow. At least now wherever she was, she got to live her truth. You? You were still lying to everyone around you, especially yourself.

Your parents blame you and they are not subtle about it. She was the golden child, despite being similar to you. But death turned her into an angel, she was the ideal. You could never know the pain of losing a child, but you did know the pain of losing your own blood. You did not cope well, sometimes substance abuse made more sense than “family” time. Because there was only so much you could listen to before leaving. That’s right -- you became sick of being blamed for your sister’s death. It only fucked you up more. So one night, your parents lost both their daughters as your packed everything you had to escape.

You were far enough away from home where you decided to utilize your powers for money. It was true, humans didn’t necessarily hate all cryptids but they were amused by them and were willing to pay money to watch you do tricks. Men thought you were desirable because isn’t the snake the ultimate temptation? The snake forced Adam and Eve’s hand, and you now force others. A snake charmer you are, charming people into giving their money to you. But make no mistake, you weren’t always adored for your serpent like ways. No, many times you were met with violence. Sometimes you fell into a game of how to steal your stolen money back from the other humans.

One day, you tasted blood and you knew you didn’t want to stop.

They will all get what they deserve.

IV.

Mr. Michael Metzger once made the mistake of thinking you were a pretty little dame who wanted stardom, and he spoke to you like that. You quickly shut him down and told him either he paid up, or you would have no choice but to strangle him. He laughed in your face and said something about how he admired your spunk. When you first met Metzger, the Menagerie was simply a location with construction constantly surrounding it. But what you didn’t know was that he wasn’t here to be entertained by you, he was here to recruit you whether you liked it or not.

But what choice did you have? The Menagerie sounded like a utopia for cryptids, as if finally you could have a place to be yourself and bask in the glory. You learned shortly that it wasn’t the Paradise you dreamt of, but more of a functional Hell. He wanted to make you the ringmistress and of course you accepted. What else were you to do? You had one request, since Mr. Metzger seemed to be so powerful, and that was to help you kill your sister’s killer. A few days later, there they were in your tent, tied up and confused at how they escaped prison only to be in a completely new one.

You took joy in their death, and for that, you stupidly decided to trust Metzger. He seemed to be different and he paid you well so you never questioned him. But you should know that there is no human out there that can be trusted, there are only the loyal cryptids and the humans. You however learned that there is a time and a place to be defiant. Your sister would’ve said you sold out, since you now have power in some form and are sitting pretty on your throne in Hell. But your sister is also dead, now isn’t she?

V.

Perhaps to others, you look drunk with power. But you are always calculating, always watching every single move. You see how the humans treat the other cryptids and it takes everything in you to not bare your fangs and infect them with your venom. You think of yourself as the silent maternal figure, no one else would realize of your secret soft spot towards the others in the circus because you know it is best to keep your emotional distance. Sometimes you slip up, but not often.

Your dreams consist of a better tomorrow, but you also know to be realistic. Yes, once upon a time you believed that humans and cryptids could get along if you just tried to be fair. But nothing is fair when your kind is unwanted, so even if all you ever wanted was justice, that is a luxury you cannot count on anymore. Instead, you will take things into your own hands and place your faith with the other cryptids around you. Slowly but surely, you will get what you want.

These humans will pay, and you are determined for this. They all deserve to die, after all, it is the humans who can help their monstrous ways. You can’t control what your cryptid self does. You have made it your life mission from here on out, that there will be a new era of evolution and it will be glorious with all the cryptids around you. You as their queen. Make no mistake, you will come out of this on top, and anyone who dares to defy you will meet your wrath but never their demise. No, you will save your energy for the mass destruction of human culture, and when you become the supreme ruler, all you will do is laugh in the faces of those who hurt you.