#he outlives most of his family.

[sangriaking]

(( going to put out some starters shortly, but do you guys ever think about how in a family of people cursed to die young, Joseph is the only one cursed to live ? ))

[fandomunsexyman]

Yaga and Panda’s relationship is what the JJK fandom thinks Gojo’ and Megumi’s is.

[builtintripping]

Hey! I love the concept of your forgor AU, so I was wondering...

We kind of know the reactions to the Timmy's friends. But what about Crocker and the rest of the Evil Syndicate? Would they be happy? Or weirded out? Disappointed?

ooooHHH INTERESTING QUESTION!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR ASKING!!

I already answered about Crocker's reaction, but basically he only vaguely rembers Timmy having Fairy Godparents. Da Rules affected him somehow but not as directly as on Timmy since he's still passionate about hunting fairies down whether Timmy's involved or not. Sooooo he's still salty around the kid. He just targets him less than he used to.

As for the rest, they probably don't even notice (or care) about Timmy forgoring lawl. If they did, it would be convenient for them cause that's one less ally of their nemesis should the Syndicate and the NU Gang ever engage in battle once again. Unless they actually turned into a new leaf, which could yield interesting results...

[quietwingsinthesky]

i understand that the modern day segments are the thing that binds the assassin’s creed games together and that they’re essential to the story. but consider. they suck dick and balls.

[maegalkarven]

I think for a bhaalspawn Noah is relatively normal, heroic type of guy. He is a druid and a Harper and he sticks his nose into a lot of shuff what has absolutely nothing to do with him.

Urges hit him when he's teenager and is in this phase of life where he doesn't even listen to his archduke father, so why the hells would he listen to his awful dead granddad?

When he's around 20s and urges get worse, him and Levi go to settle some nasty god stuff, which leaves Levi bruised and battered beyond comprehension, sitting in the realm of his Father', with Bhaal's unholy essense slowly dissolving into nothing by his feet. Noah has to drag Levi away as things collapse around them.

The echoes of the death of the God of Death haunt them both for a while.

After that Urges stop completely, as if they were never there.

Then Noah dies in some heroic mission went wrong and is ready to pass into another plane, only to be dragged back by the collar because his fathers never learned to let a single thing go in their entire lives.

I think Noah knows better than many what a suffocating and great force love can be.

He also starts a painful process of separation from his parents at the age of 40-something bc of how too much they can be at the times (always).

And since he was forced back into the land of the living, he'll do it his way.

[wonder-worker]

Anne de Pisseleu had exercised a form of power that was intrinsically extra-institutional and dependent entirely of the king’s favor; her role was clearly understood by political insiders. Criticism took the form of conventional hostility to the role of women in power, yet in the king’s lifetime had to be circumspect and oblique. However, she lived more than half her life after the death of the king whose love had given her power and wealth. In this, she weathered the storm of disgrace remarkably effectively, carved for herself a new role and ended her life a moderately wealthy woman whose assets became a matter for ferocious competition among her relatives.

-David Potter, "The Life and After-Life of a Royal Mistress: Anne de Pisseleu, Duchess of Étampes"

[ocdhuacheng]

So laios and fallin have been ostracized by society since they were children, Marcille has lifelong grief from constantly outliving her loved ones that leads her to dark magics, kabru’s village was destroyed by monsters, senshi and mithrun both have horror movie level backstories, izutsumi was sold as a freak show attraction, and then there’s chilchuck, who is a normal ass divorced middle aged man. And somehow he’s the most shady and secretive out of all of them

Edit can y’all please let me live I didn’t make this post bc I think chilchuck doesn’t have his own trauma or doesn’t experience racism or that being a union boss is a walk in the park or whatever I made it because him lying that he cheated on his wife to get the others to stop asking about his family was funny as fuck. Come on.

[emmafrostyyy]

y'all sleeping on Astarion/Lae'zel bc this moment is so...the way the flippant demeanor drops and he doesn't hesitate to call her out for sticking with her version of Cazador like their relationship is so underrated fr...

sitting down writing this bullshit like let me peel it like an onion a bit and elaborate why this pairing is fascinating to me

It's really interesting how during the most cathartic, life-altering moment in Astarion's questline, the reactions of the other companions are more about the moral wrongness/guilt of sacrificing innocent lives. Lae'zel doesn't do that and instead relates to his hurt.

She knows what's he's feeling, the lack of control, the unfairness of being powerless for too long. This is a woman who just found out her entire life purpose was built on lies, discarded and hunted by her own people after outliving her usefulness, and groomed to basically die for an insane power-hungry lich queen. She knows all too well that power isn't always real freedom. Her first instinct is to empathize with Astarion to steer him away from his hate and resentment.

Astarion/Lae'zel is so interesting to me because they're such a classic "can we make each other worse or make a better person out of the other?".

They both have genuine appreciation for violence and respect each other's ruthlessness. Astarion was used as a weapon of seduction while Lae'zel was of warfare. Sex with people is meaningless and not real intimacy for them, and while both have little understanding/experience of interpersonal relationships beyond the physical, they still feel and love very deeply. They have no frame of reference for things like friendship and warmth, but they badly want all of that and more, even if they don't know it yet.

In-game they can sleep with each other, which is basically the foundation of the normal Tav/Astarion romance. Lae'zel saw him during combat and got horny, who knows. Astarion who's used to luring people with his charms, takes up Lae'zel's blunt offer because she's a strong hardened warrior that can provide protection and be a worthy ally, and he doesn't know how to say no. Navigating the complications between one who wants to be seen beyond as a sex object, and one who comes from a totally alien culture with no concept of love/family/connections and only sex is honestly really compelling to me. It's a transactional, mutually beneficial thing with no emotional expectations. Once you get past the skeevy rockiness of their early relationship, I really like the idea of them slowly seeing something past the exterior and realizing they may have harshly misjudged the other, an unspoken friendship blooms, and in comes the realization that they are essentially loners longing for kindness and a comforting touch in the most desperate of situations.

Lae'zel is prideful, direct, has no sense of courtship talk, and doesn't hold back her thoughts the slightest--she's not sweet/agreeable and what you see is really what you get, which I imagine would be disarming for Astarion who's used to vacuous flattery and has difficulty trusting others. But she's also insanely protective, passionate, loyal, and an initiator-- every romance scene is triggered by her first and she's always showing effort towards her relationships, which would mesh well with Astarion who does need someone to nudge him.

She doesn't purposely suppress her feelings, she's just simply at loss at how to express them sometimes due to her wildly different upbringing. She stops the sparring match you agree to and an easy vulnerability slips instantly out of her: "I don't want to hurt you. I want to protect you, and for you to protect me." and "Thus far I've taunted you, devoured you, battled you. Now I want more than anything to soothe you." are romantic as fuck and Astarion of all people really needs to hear that tbh.

Astarion is also someone who struggles with reinforcing his boundaries, and a key theme in Lae'zel's romance is that she encourages and wants you to challenge her and learn to stand your ground. It's not gentlest method, but hey, relationships are about having to make an effort to learn each other's language.

I think he also would take pleasure "educating her on the matters of Fay-run" (I believe there's a whole banter with him teasing her and teaching her pet names) and would get a kick out of coaxing Lae'zel out of her shell with her shyness at showing public affection, and making her blush. Also it simply would be fucking funny to see Astarion who's used to easy seduction, trying to pass a persuasion check just to get a smooch and generally having to work to earn regular kisses from Lae'zel lmfaooo

Lae'zel also initially struggles to see her chains as chains. When she learns about Vlaakith's betrayal, she copes instantly through denial and shuts it down. Astarion is NOT having it and calls her out, he knows her well enough to recognize that she would value blunt honesty above all.

I imagine he also despises her lack of self-preservation, the way her entire identity is tied to duty and being in service of others, and doesn't understand her desire to still help/liberate the people that want her dead and are hunting her down. He wants to make this duty-bound soldier realize that looking out for herself, and putting herself first may not be the worst thing in the world.

They're so similar to each other but are also polar opposites in some ways that make a more equal, balanced romance I think. It's not a simple, one-sided, feel-good "she/he can fix her/him" fantasy because both of them have to earn each other's love, actually cut through the other's flaws, and actively motivate each other to be better versions of themselves.

They're not at all the other's ideal guiding hand. It's rough, jagged, and imperfect, but that's how healing goes. It's so far from being the healthiest relationship -- but even if their belief systems differ, their moral compass does often align. I imagine it's a slight relief for them to have a partner where there would be less shame and judgment when they expectedly, occasionally slip up and fall into their bad habits.

Also, man, the "You showed me the betweens and beyonds. Beyond war and peace, beyond passion and obsession, most importantly, you showed me freedom.", "First you were my wound, now you were my cure.", "But you saw something else in me - someone else I could be. Someone who could break the cycle of power and terror that started centuries ago.." lines really hit hard when applied to them.

Of course, they can also make each other worse, feed into the other's negative traits that will bring out the worst part of themselves. It's this duality of their pairing that is very interesting to explore, the way it can steer in either direction because it's an intense, fraught relationship at its core.

[radiance1]

There was a new player in the Gotham.

An Underground doctor going by the simple name of Medic. He treats everyone regardless of if they're civilian, vigilante, or rouge.

Everyone including the Joker.

The Medic was a neutral force, mostly sticking to his own area and not really expanding too anywhere else. The place he stuck out in received some very good healthcare, most of the payment being either in favors, food, or other things instead of the usual money.

Not to say that he doesn't make money, he just usually takes favors or food instead of it most of the time.

For those few, most of the time various gangs, who tried to force him into compliance of being their own personal healer was sent running. Medic could fight and fight well with scalpels of all things.

===

So, Danny has been alive for a while now, outliving his friends and family. And because of his long he lived, he decided to test out some things.

Recently, however, he obtained a medical degree and could now go around claiming himself a doctor.

He guesses those lessons Vlad gave him came in handy indeed.

Where did he decide to put his clinic?

Gotham City.

Sure, with Vlad's backing he could sprout one wherever he wanted, but the wheel decided Gotham and that's where he'll go. He managed to score a place (With Vlad's money of course) that he then turned into a clinic.

Then he just opened for business and sat around, treating his neighbors injuries (most of them being homeless) and asking for favors in return and some occasional ingredients he doesn't want to make the trip himself for.

[dunmeshistash]

RE: His age, I think Thistle being a child is narratively important to his story. Thistle was a child "adopted" (read: probably trafficked) by a race of people who live much shorter lives than him. None of the tallmen in his life know how old he is. Maybe even he doesn't know, since he's probably never met any other elves. Delgal grows up without him and treats him like an older brother who can protect him from anything, even though Thistle is still a kid. He's given adult responsibilities because of the inherent clash in cultures that comes from "acquiring" a child who might outlive you and still not grow up. It's like getting an exotic pet on a whim and having no idea how to take care of it. No wonder he's become so temperamental and immature! He's a child with the weight of an entire kingdom on his shoulders! He deserved to be a kid :(

Exactly, that's why I think hes younger than 80, it's what makes the most sense for the story thats being told

Thistle really deserved better :(

Maybe his age being ambiguous is part of it tbh, Delgal and the golden kingdom see him as an adult, and I'm sure "Elves just look young" is part of the jusfication in their heads

Poor jester baby just wanted a family

[theeoriginals]

“It was- not love at first sight, but familiarity. Like, oh, it’s you.” With Klaus or Elijah please! Something to make me feel better while I do this awful assignment 🥲

deep breaths | elijah mikaelson

pairing: elijah mikaelson x reader (no y/n!)

warnings: noneeee this is just sweet

author’s note: i wrote this at work on my phone just now so sorry if it’s not the best <3

The thing is, Elijah Mikaelson has lived many, many lives. He has had so many names, faces, stories, and voices he can hardly remember them all at this point. That, he supposes, is just part of the curse of immortality. Esther likely didn’t think that far ahead out of her grief when she turned them all into monsters. She didn’t think to consider that she wasn’t saving herself anymore loss, she was cursing her children, leading them to damnation and then blaming them for what she did.

Elijah would likely live another thousand years before he was able to fully comprehend all of the tangled, contradictory emotions that came with vampirism. A gift and a curse, like most things.

What he could for certain say was that he’s loved just as much as he’s hated. He would even argue that you can’t possibly know what it means to hate someone unless you loved them before, unless you still loved them. And although he believed that, he was not someone to give second chances often. At least not to anyone besides his siblings— though that was a different beast altogether.

Elijah knew that even if he hated someone, someone else could love that person just as much. He’d seen it often enough, felt betrayal in his gut like a stake to the heart.

Love, in all of its glory, was not often kind to Elijah.

So whenever his siblings found it necessary to tease him for being so uptight and closed off, he did nothing more than roll his eyes, because it was much easier than telling them that he was scared. Truly, deeply, in his ancient bones, he was scared. Not of love itself, but of the continuously growing sense that he would never truly find real love. And perhaps it was entirely too human of him to think that way, and perhaps it made him weak to some, but Elijah knows that his brothers and sisters more than anyone crave love just as much as he does. He knows they feel it just as deeply as he does, that want in their bones that rushed through their blood, the want for someone to just come in and never leave.

It’s hard to find that when you outlive most people. Harder than one might think, even if you fall in love with an immortal being. It’s not just that he’ll outlive most everyone he could fall in love with, either. It’s that every time it seems he’s done it, he’s fallen in love even knowing it won’t last but letting it happen anyway, it doesn’t— it doesn’t fill that void inside of him.

It doesn’t flood his mind and his body, it doesn’t fill him with life, it doesn’t make him want to breathe.

Elijah doesn’t have to breathe, but he wants someone to make him feel like he has to.

For the past thousand years he’s fought and won and lost, and he’s done his best to keep his family alive despite everything they do to drive him insane, despite the fact that they try to kill each other more than anyone else. He has been holding his breath for a thousand years, fighting and fighting and fighting. He wants to exhale.

He can’t explain this to his siblings. They would understand, he knows, but it’s something he’s never said out loud to himself let alone anyone else. Saying it out loud makes it real, and he can’t— he can’t admit it. When you are drowning, when you are holding your breath, you don’t realize you’re drowning for a long time. And the moment that you do, you realize that you can’t breathe and suddenly you’re gasping for air and you’ve all but killed yourself.

Elijah can’t admit that he’s drowning.

He sighs loudly, and it’s not an exhale and it doesn’t lift that weight off of his shoulders. It’s an expression of his annoyance with his siblings, because this far into their collective immortality, all they live for is getting on each other’s nerves.

And here at Rousseau’s is the last place he wants to entertain their petulance. You never know who could be listening, and Elijah really doesn’t want anyone less than favorable to hear about his love life, or lack thereof.

“I wish you’d just bring someone home to meet us at least once!”

“I wish I could go out and have a drink without being harassed by you people,” Elijah says moodily.

Rebekah pushes her bottom lip out in a pout and widens her eyes in a way that has always gotten her anything she wants from anyone ever. Elijah is, in fact, very aware that he and his brothers have worked overtime in making her as ridiculously spoiled and entitled as she is and yet he still manages to be surprised when she behaves like this.

“We aren’t harassing you, Elijah, we want you to be happy. Is that so wrong?”

He sighs again and closes his eyes for a moment before opening them again and fixing them on Rebekah and Klaus. “It’s not wrong. But I don’t know what you expect me to do about my lack of prospects, it’s not like the perfect person can be conjured at whim.”

Klaus lifts a finger and Elijah knows that he’s going to say something ridiculous before he even speaks. The gleam in his eye never bodes well for anyone. “I bet we could find a witch to do just that. We could compile all of your wants and desires in a partner and get a witch to mix it all together for you. Problem solved, Elijah has a soulmate!”

Elijah gives his brother a deadpan look. “Is this witch Victor Frankenstein?”

Rebekah snorts in amusement, and Elijah dutifully ignores it.

“Be creative, Elijah! Open your mind,” Klaus swipes an arm out dramatically, sloshing his drink over the side of his glass, splashing a few drops of bourbon onto Elijah’s suit jacket.

Elijah’s lip curls in distaste and he gives his brother a look of disdain that goes ignored.

“I have an open mind, what I don’t have is an open schedule,”

“You are not as busy as you like to believe,” Rebekah drawls out, finishing off her own drink. “Your life will never change if you don’t go out and do something different! You’ll be stagnant forever, and I do mean forever, brother,”

“I will never be stagnant with your dramatics, Rebekah,”

She rolls her eyes at his avoidant response. “Your love life is stagnant. I don’t even think stagnant is the proper word, it is downright nonexistent. It is extinct.”

“Thank you, Rebekah,”

“Even if you have a sleazy, completely forgettable one night stand, you need to do something. You’re constantly dealing with us, you need to focus on yourself!”

Elijah pours the rest of his bourbon down his throat, barely tasting it as he swallows. “Maybe if you did less idiotic things that I have to deal with I’d have a more active love life. And truly, I’m not sure why I’m being lectured when you two are the furthest thing from romantically successful.”

“I have a child, I’m plenty romantically successful!”

“She was conceived during a drunken one night stand with a werewolf who is now married to someone else.”

“The details don’t matter, I have a child to show for it. I have a father’s wisdom now, you should listen to me!”

Elijah raises an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, I am not part dog and therefore am actually incapable of reproducing much like you thought you were. And considering the trials and tribulations we went through with Hope, I can’t imagine I’d have any better luck in my own venture to fatherhood.”

“You’re being purposefully obtuse,”

“That doesn’t sound like me,” Elijah simpers, gesturing to the bartender for another round for them.

“I have a challenge,” Rebekah cuts in before Klaus can continue their bickering, and Elijah narrows his eyes at the determined gleam in her eyes.

“I don’t like this,”

Rebekah dismisses him with a flutter of her fingers. “The next person to walk through that door, I want you to go and talk to them. You don’t have to have a one night stand, you absolute prude, but you need to speak to someone that you’re not related to, and that isn’t trying to kill you.”

“Rebekah—”

“I don’t want to hear it. Just do this one thing for me, for your darling little sister,”

“My darling little sister—”

“Shut up, look! Someone’s walking inside, get ready to go be your charming self,”

Elijah groans and turns to look at the door as it opens and someone walks through. He sighs again, weighted, empty, scared.

When he lifts his gaze, though, he finds a woman. He takes her in— eyes, nose, lips, hair— and thinks beautiful.

The bar is as crowded as ever, no breaks in sight for the bartenders and waiters, and he’s tucked away at a table with Klaus and Rebekah in the back corner because they are particularly antisocial and Klaus really just wanted to use this outing as a way to remind everyone that they are still here, and that New Orleans is still theirs. The exit is across the room, Elijah has not paid much attention to the distance at all, and yet now.

Now, the crowd of people in between him and the door is frozen and endless. Elijah’s standing before he realizes, and it feels like he’s stepping around the people frozen mid-laugh, mid-drink, mid-bite, because the world has stopped just long enough for him to cross the room.

He parts the crowd and stops before her, eyes roaming over her face. Committing it to memory and vowing to keep it there for the rest of his eternal years.

She looks at him with a smile, blinking at him slowly like she’s got all the time in the world. There’s a necklace sitting on her chest that has a familiar blue stone hanging off of it and he inhales sharply.

He thinks vampire, perhaps a coincidence but things rarely are for him and it’s something new to think that she is immortal, too, of course more fragile than an Original but if she’s smart, and he knows that she is, he can feel it, then she’ll last just as long.

“Hi,” She speaks first, and the world starts up again, the noise comes back and people unfreeze. Now that he’s stood here before her, the world can keep spinning, but it had to wait— it just had to wait for him to catch up.

“Hello,” He responds quietly, too quiet for the bar, but she hears it anyway. “I’m Elijah.”

Her smile widens and she says, “I think I knew that already,” and then she tells him her name and Elijah repeats it for himself, and then for her, and then he turns it over in his head a hundred times over so it never gets lost.

She tilts her head slightly, looking up at him. “Were you trying to leave? Am I in your way?”

“No,” He responds quickly, almost rushed. “Not unless you’re leaving, too.”

She seems pleased at his response and the longer he looks in her eyes, he thinks he’s found a new favorite color.

“I’m not leaving,”

Elijah exhales, and the weight is gone, and the void is no more. And he thinks— oh.

There you are.

[im-not-your-nice-jewish-boy]

we've got long memories

I am not the least bit surprised by any of the tidal wave of antisemitism the left has spewed since October 7th. Every single post saying Hamas did nothing wrong; every single targeted attack on my fellow Jewish people on this site; the number of people who proudly paraded misinformation and disinformation to the extent of funding organizations actual Palestinians have said outright don't help them in any way just because it's against Israel which means that it must be good. None of this is surprising to me.

Now, maybe you could say that I'm a cynical bastard, and you'd be right. But you'd also completely be missing why I'm a cynical bastard. I learned this from my mother, who was beaten up just for being Jewish as a child. I learned this from family who disappeared between my ancestors fleeing the countries they came from and looking to see who made it with them. I learned this from the story of one of my grandfathers picking a new birthday because his birth certificate had been burned when the Shul was destroyed so he had no idea when it was. I learned this from people using "Jewish" as an insult in school and watching a girl I knew break down in tears because people were calling her a Jew when she wasn't. I learned this from holiday after holiday that repeated the same verse of people trying to destroy us and us celebrating our survival.

We remember these things because the rest of the world is very good at deliberately forgetting them.

"It's not that bad because it happened to the Jews. It's not an actual problem because Jews are white anyway. Was the Holocaust really even so terrible? Why do you want to be oppressed so badly if not to use it as a weapon against people who you're oppressing yourselves?"

Some variety of every single one of those is something I've seen in recent memory.

So, dear Passionate Goy Internet Leftists who have spent the last few months attacking and accosting every single Jewish person who dares to speak on the issue in any way that doesn't make them a Good Jew?

My dear friend, just know that we will remember you. You can try to go back to normal. You can try to just sweep it under the rug. You can try to act like it was all just business as usual and there was no harm done to any "Good Jews" and just to the "Evil Zionists" (both of which deserve their own rant post and have multiple of them from people a lot smarter than I am).

We will remember what you did

You will never be able to make us forget you calling for our deaths

And most of all, we will outlive you, just like everyone else who ever bayed for our blood

[redtsundere-writes]

Part 5: Hunting Season

King!SukunaRyomen x Servant!FemReader

Summary: You used to be just another servant among the army of humans operating under the command of the terrible king, Sukuna Ryomen. An ordinary human who only knows how to wash, clean and cook. Until one day, he notices something in you that you hadn't seen before.

Tags: MDNI. +18. Murder. Blood. Cannibalism. Sukuna Ryomen Is The Warning Itself. Nudity. Sexual Display. Vaginal. Fingering.Sometimes fluff, sometimes angst.

Word Count: 3914 words.

Beginning. | ← Previous | Next →

Winter was dangerously approaching, and you could feel it in your body. In the darkest part of the castle, all the servants slept in giant bunks that stretched from the stone floor to the cobwebby ceiling in the freezing dungeon. The worries of survival and the stress of slavery were on pause so you could dream of a life outside the dark castle. You covered yourself as best you could with the thin cotton blanket that all the servants had. You tossed and turned to find the most comfortable position to sleep on the straw-filled mattress. Over the months you had perfected your technique to not freeze to death in winter in your sleep. You would wrap your arms around your legs and tuck your head between your knees to keep yourself warm. It was times like these when you missed the people who used to be your family.  

You were about to complete one year of serving his majesty. You still couldn't believe that you had outlived him for so long, but you were glad. The fact that you didn't have any scratches from the king meant you were doing a good job. You hoped it would be that way for the rest of your stay there, meaning the rest of your life. There was also the possibility that you would become as important to him as Uraume, but that was asking for too much. 

Loud metallic sounds woke you from your uncomfortable sleep. You slowly opened your eyes to get used to the sharp light coming from the open door. Uraume was standing at the entrance to the dungeon, banging on one of the kitchen pots with a metal spoon. All the servants were slowly waking up amid grunts of reluctance at the commotion. You pulled your hair back in confusion at the white ribbon that matched your uniform. This was the first time they had been woken up like this. 

“Today is hunting day. After breakfast, head for the parade ground,” Uraume announced in their characteristic monotone voice before retreating. 

When he closed the door behind him, all the servants wailed in unison. You didn't understand what was going on. All you knew was that this would be a day unlike any other. You quickly put on your white apron to join the others in their collective grief towards the dining room. Unlike the king's dining room, this one was larger and sadder. Instead of elegant ebony wood furniture and gold utensils, there were long wooden benches damaged from all the years of use and uneven china. 

Upon entering the dining room, they were met with a completely different picture than usual. A table full of delicious dishes on marble tableware shined in the center of the cold room. Exotic fruit cut into different shapes, different cuts of meat paraded on beautiful gold trays and unknown foods were displayed around the elegant table. They looked like works of art. It was a buffet at the height of a royal feast. Although it was a magnificent surprise, the other servants did not look happy. They reluctantly served themselves, took advantage of the jugs of wine, and some sobbed as they ate bread. 

“What's wrong with everyone?” You asked the servant in front of you in the serving line. 

“It's hunting day,” the servant replied dryly. 

If there was one thing that set you apart from Sukuna servants, it was that they were all over 40 years old. They were old curmudgeons, judgmental ladies or people who were just waiting for Sukuna to kill them after making some superficial mistake. So most of them envied your youth, but they also felt sorry for you because you had ended up in the same hell as them at such a young age. Luckily, there were a few exceptions. 

“I know that. It's the first day of April, the best month to hunt quail, wild boar and deer.” You answered excitedly. 

“I forget that this is your first year here.” Said the woman before turning around between limps to look you in the eye. “We won't be hunters, we'll be the prey.” She corrected you in a whisper, about to burst into tears. 

She lifted her skirt to show you that she had a horrible cut above her leg. The reason for her limp. One after another, the veteran servants around you showed you their survival wounds. Across the chest, some were armless and others were one-eyed. You hugged the porcelain plate of shock. That's when you realized why the shock. They were being served what would potentially be their last meal. With that disheartening feeling, you helped yourself to a few crêpes with jelly and strawberries. With your eyes, you looked around for the one servant you considered your friend, Mrs. Inoue.  

“Today looks like it's going to be an interesting day, doesn't it?” You greeted her as you sat down next to her. 

“How can you be so positive in such an environment?” she asked you with a faint smile. 

Mrs. Inoue was a 50-year-old woman you had met on your first day at the castle. Her ashen hair, raisin skin and trembling fingers made her look older than she really was, the result of a life of tireless hard work. Although she had a face of few friends and kept to herself, she was always good to you. 

“I'd rather be happy on my last day of life,” you replied before biting into a juicy strawberry. 

With her arms entwined, you helped Mrs. Inoue out of the castle at her slow but sure pace. The cloudy sky, cool wind and green grass welcomed you to the expansive parade ground. They lined up with the other servants to wait for instructions. At the perimeter of the castle, several curses in shining armor watched them like vultures. If any of the servants tried to escape, they would be snacked on by the first one to sink his teeth into them. They watched them from above, sneering with possessive eyes. You tried to ignore them, but it was difficult when you could hear their whispers. 

Two curses opened the gigantic main doors of the castle to usher in the great king Sukuna and Uraume. They reached for the trumpets under their armpits to sound an imperial march to introduce the highest authority of the nation as an inauguration to the great event that was to take place. They stepped onto the platform to the rhythm of the music to get a better look at all the inferior beings who were about to give their lives to entertain the tyrant they served. 

Uraume called the roll of all the servants, making sure they were all present. Sukuna did not take his eyes off you, his gaze constantly analyzing you as always. You tightened your dress to calm your nerves. Sometimes you wish you knew what he was thinking when his cursed eyes fell on you amidst the sea of heads. 

“The rules are the same as every year, but I will repeat them for the new servants,” Uraume began their speech. 

If Sukuna has something in common with the other kings, it is that he loves hunting day. The royals usually carry out this activity with animals that are eaten at the end of the day in a great feast. A refined event to test the discipline of the upper class, but for Sukuna it is an opportunity to satisfy his sadistic needs. His version of the hunting day consists of throwing all his servants into a dangerous forest on the outskirts of the kingdom. They will all try to hide or run away like white rabbits so he can catch them. To mark those he has found, he cuts them down with his cursed technique. Some die in the process, but most survive, only having to deal with the injury for life. 

“The last one to be caught will not be cut and will get a week off from housework as a reward. This is with the intention that you take this activity seriously,” Uraume finished their speech. 

“Wow, that doesn't sound bad,” you commented, surprised that the tyrant would give such a generous prize. “What will you do if you win?” you asked Mrs. Inoue.

“Yeah, right, like if I could win,” the lady laughed at herself. 

“Oh, come on. Don't give up just like that,” you encouraged her as you hugged her arm affectionately. 

In line, all the servants were escorted by Uraume and the other curse knights into the forest while the king rode in a luxurious carriage behind them all. The leaves crunched under their feet, the rich smell of earth dampened by the morning breeze reached your nose and the gigantic trees welcomed them to the battlefield. You would let those behind you know if there was a branch they needed to dodge or loose dirt they could slip on. You noticed how one of the servants began to sob louder and louder with each step he took. The old man was looking around paranoid in search of an escape route and scratching the back of his neck anxious. You wouldn't be surprised to see the poor man pee himself. The servant behind him was trying to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work. That was not a good sign. 

“I can't do it anymore!” The man screamed in horror before breaking formation and fleeing in panic in an attempt to get lost in the shady trees. 

He could only take three steps before a curse caught him in its jaws, eating him alive in front of everyone without remorse. The poor man was writhing and screaming for help, but no one dared to help him, fearing of suffering the same fate. He was already more dead than alive in that situation. Everyone sobbed at the bloody scene. His own panic had just consumed a colleague. The curse ripped off his head and threw it towards you to scare you even more. The head fell in front of your feet, its eyes wide open and staring at you. There was not a trace of life behind them. It was just a pair of eyes that used to belong to someone. Sukuna arrived on the scene, surprising everyone. He inserted his claws into the man's black hair to lift it off the ground, while his equal continued to eat like a messy child. His gaze traveled between the faces of his terrified servants until it reached your face drab with shock. 

It was just like that time he killed your rude colleagues in front of you. You didn't scream, cry or vomit like you used to. You just processed the situation in your mind to make sure you were fully awake. You were completely shocked to see the insides of that man who once gave you advice or helped you do an assignment. That man no longer existed, he was now food for the curse and the rest would serve as compost.

“What are you waiting for? You have 5 minutes to get out of my sight,” Sukuna said before taking a bite of the head as if it were a juicy red apple, filling his lips with blood and dead skin, starting the event. 

Everyone ran terrified into the forest while screaming for their lives, including Mrs. Inoue. You blinked a couple of times, taking in the situation. This was really happening, and you had to act fast. You bowed to your majesty before escaping his dangerous sight, running to the opposite side of where the servants had headed. Sukuna smiled as he watched you run through the trees, your dress, and hair swinging back and forth in the wind. You were fast, you were in good shape.

“I still don't understand why you think so highly of her,” Uraume said as she approached him while he was losing sight of you.

“You'll see,” He answered before wiping his lips of blood. 

Sukuna threw the head to the side and followed the direction where most of the servants had run. Uraume just followed him. They could question him all she wanted, but he always had the last word. 

You were running between trees, bushes, and plants that could possibly kill you. Your feet were starting to get tired, you could barely breathe from exhaustion and your hands were pulling on your long skirt so you wouldn't trip. The wind whipped your face as you followed the steady rhythm of your panicked steps. You didn't know where you were running to nor did you have a plan in mind. You just ran in the opposite direction of your colleagues because it was logical that a hunter would prefer to go after several prey rather than just one. 

You really didn't want him to hurt you. You had done so many things together that you doubted he was capable of doing such a thing. He always tried to touch you gently as if you were the most fragile rose in his garden. You had slept together, he had fed you the best food he could offer, defended you, given you a shower and had played together. You wanted to be by his side, but here you were, running away from him. 

You didn't see a thick tree root sticking out of the fertile soil. Your foot got stuck in the hole, causing you to stumble. You fell onto your stomach, knocking the air out of your chest. You tried to recover quickly, but fell back to the ground from the lack of oxygen in your system. Your head began to spin, so you gave up. You stretched your limbs out like a starfish on land. Your gaze began to cloud over with tears emerging from your eyes. The plowed leaves that heralded the end of autumn danced over you in an attempt to lift your spirits. Sukuna will hurt you soon. You wiped your tears with the back of your hand. You felt so foolish for thinking Sukuna considered you someone special. You had no powers, you weren't the most beautiful girl in the kingdom, much less had royal blood. You were just another servant he would mark or, worse, kill. Your heart was beating a thousand beats an hour from the adrenaline coursing through your veins. An agonizing scream from one of your companions cut through the sky, causing a couple of little birds to fly away in fright. 

You got up little by little to avoid falling again. You dusted yourself off and took a deep breath. It was confirmed. This was not a nightmare. If you wanted to survive, you had to keep running. You set off again towards the opposite side from where the scream had come from. You would do your best to be the last to be found, but nothing assured you that this would be the case. If a cut was the price for having been caressed by him, then you would pay it. 

You kept running until you reached a cave in the foothills of a gigantic mountain. You debated whether to enter, it was so dark inside that you couldn't risk going in without knowing what was inside first. In an attempt to see beyond the darkness, you took a step inside. As soon as your foot touched the stone surface, a roar emerged from the incognito. Slowly, a three-headed bear came into view. A gasp of surprise escaped your throat. Its six red eyes were staring at you hungrily and the white foam coming from its snouts was not a promising sight. You were now facing a beast lesser than Sukuna, but one that would eat you alive no matter what. You backed up little by little, but he kept advancing at your pace. 

“Shit…” You whispered before running for your life. 

Your feet were moving as fast as they could, even faster due to the adrenaline rush that was running like crazy through your body. One false step and you were dead. The bear had its eyes fixed on you and was not about to give up until it consumed your flesh. In the distance you saw a tree that you knew you could easily climb. You ran to the tree and jumped onto its branches as if they were a makeshift ladder. You would be safe there. Grizzly bears don't know how to climb… or so you thought. Your hand-eye coordination was being put to the test as you searched for the next branch to continue climbing quickly. Your labored breathing barely let you think, but you had to focus. 

The path between the branches ended when there were only thin branches that couldn't possibly support your weight. You held on tightly to turn and look at the bear. Your eyes widened as you realized you weren't dealing with just any bear. Besides having three heads, it was climbing the tree perfectly. It was the end of you. You backed up as far as you could, but if you chose wrong you could fall out of the tree. You looked down to see if you could survive the fall. A small branch broke under your feet, it fell for 2 seconds. If your math didn't fail you, it was a fall of at least 30 meters. If you survived, you would break a bone and be easy prey for the rabid bear. You watched as the dangerous beast continued to climb the tree little by little, you had no options left… Well, you had one left. 

The poor servant broke out in a cold sweat, his limbs trembled, and his throat closed as he watched Sukuna slowly approach him. Without hesitation, he cut the air. A deep wound appeared on the man's abdomen. He writhed on the ground and shrieked his mother's name from the excruciating pain. Some servants, who had already been marked, dragged him back to the castle to heal him like the others. 

“This is number 53. Only one is missing,” Uraume informed their majesty. 

“She's still out there, isn't she?” Sukuna asked, subtly proud. 

“That's right. She's the winner in her first year, how lucky,” they replied, playing it down. 

“It's not luck,” Sukuna corrected him. “She walked away from her herd when she ran. She knew perfectly well what she was doing,” he turned around to look for you. 

“Is that why you are interested in her? Because she is smart?” Uraume questioned him as he followed. 

“It's one of her qualities, but she has something else. Something that no other woman has,” his main servant arched their eyebrow at that answer. His majesty used to be someone direct and focused, why was he hiding the reason for his choice?

“So, what is it?”

“My king!” Your voice echoed through the trees like an echo that lost power with distance. Sukuna arched his eyebrow when he heard you. I could recognize your voice anywhere in the world. Had you given up so quickly? “Help me, please, my king!” 

Uraume was about to say something to him, but he disappeared with the speed of a snap. They were speechless at how quickly he had reacted to your call for help. Did he care that much about you? They ran at full speed to catch up with him. They couldn't help but smile to herself. At last… her king had a clear weakness. 

Sukuna ran through the trees until he reached your location. Quickly, he realized the situation you were in. You had given up because you were about to be eaten by a bear more terrifying than he was. You were at the top of the tree, with no clear escape. He could see your face scared and about to burst into tears because you were facing your end face to face. You had given up and decided to call him in the face of the situation. You, a human who knew you could be hurt by him, decided to call him anyway. He knew you were special, but you surprised him more and more every day. Uraume didn't take long to arrive, a few seconds late and with their heart in their throat from the effort, but they arrived.

“My king, this way!” You cried as soon as you saw that he had come to your call for help while you waved your arm from side to side so he could see your whereabouts. 

“Jump,” Sukuna ordered you with a mischievous smile as he crossed his arms. 

Uraume was surprised to hear that. He had run halfway through the forest at such a speed to ask you to jump instead of saving you? They thought he cared enough about you, but it seems they had thought wrong. No servant would be crazy enough to jump that high for a tyrant like Sukuna.

You looked at the bear and then at your king. Both could kill you easily, but you had to do your lord's bidding before anything else. If he asked you to do so, it was for a reason, wasn't it? Without hesitating twice, you jumped from the tree while letting out a war cry. You closed your eyes waiting for the painful impact that would cause you to break a bone or two. The first second step, the second would come soon. Just as you thought you were about to hit the ground, you were suspended in midair. You slowly opened your eyes to see the ground in front of your nose. 

“Huh?”

Sukuna had caught you just in time by the knot of your apron as if you were a human yo-yo. He tossed you as if you weighed nothing so that you fell right into his strong arms. The king cradled you as if you were his tender baby. Your brain could not comprehend what was happening. His four eyes looked at you tenderly as he smiled proudly that you had obeyed him. You no longer knew if your heart was pounding from adrenaline or from joy that he had saved you. 

“Good girl,” He said before ruffling your hair with one of his four hands. 

Uraume understood at that moment what Sukuna meant when he said “you had potential”. You were not the most beautiful, nor the most intelligent, nor, much less, powerful. But you were extremely obedient and loyal to such an extent that you could risk your own body for him. You didn't question or challenge him, you just did what he asked without hesitation for a second. 

Sukuna cut the bear into thousands of pieces with a slash while looking you in the eye. Your eyes wanted to see how the bear had finished, but his black claws directed your jaw back to him so you wouldn't lose sight of him, taking care not to scratch your face. You had already seen too much.

“Thank you for saving me, my king,” you said between stutters, still in shock. 

“It's the least I can do for this year's winner,” he said before walking back to the castle. Two of his arms tightened around your body, while another one went around your back, his hand holding your ass. Your cheeks flushed as you realized he was touching you shamelessly. “Do you know what you'll be doing on your week off?” he asked. You couldn't help but smile at that.

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Masterlist.

[jester-lover]

Could you do a Diasomnia dorm with their soulmates? Like the guys meeting soulmate for the first time, mc preferably being a human for that extra drama in case you’d want to add that?💙

Soulmate Sorrows

Oh you know I love the drama. Thank you for requesting, I hope my favoritism towards Sebek doesn’t show as much.

Feat/ Diasomnia

CWs/gn! Reader, angst-to-fluff, mentions of mortality, war and discrimination, brief kidnapping/isolation, bittersweet fluff (various soulmate aus), uhh, Sebek insults you pretty heavy

I took the creative liberty of making Lilia and Silver’s more humorous to tone down the angst of Sebek and Mal. (Also, I hope someone notices the flower language in the Sebek HCs.)

Malleus

When Malleus saw the red string on his finger connected to yours, he was filled with a sense of pure and simple happiness

As he holds you in his warm embrace, some realization hits him like a brick

As a human, you would live for a minuscule amount of time compared to him; he would see you grow gray and weak and pass on as he held onto your memory for eons to come

Or, even worse, a simple accident could take you away from him in the blink of an eye

Some sort of dragon instinct fills Malleus for a while, always suggesting to spend time with you away from others who may hurt you

He tries to keep you safe by hiding you from others, but humans like you are social creatures, and even the most introverted of us need some communication every once in awhile

He slowly realized he would be making you miserable by hiding you away and eventually stopped his behavior, apologizing to you meekly

During this process, Malleus breaks.

He cries into your arms, apologizing for his actions and revealing his fears and worries

As you comfort him, you tell him that you’ll be happy to be his for whatever time you have, and he decides from that point onward to keep you happy no matter what

He’s a very tender, affectionate lover

You can expect to sleep in his big bed, with the warm prince wrapped around you, and to hold his hand in between classes

Malleus seemingly forgets any social norms from his home when it comes down to you; he will literally fight tooth and nail with his advisers to keep you as his spouse when the time comes

Mortality rarely comes up in your discussions after a certain point, as he focuses on keeping you happy and safe

“My dearest, long after you’ve passed, I will still only have you in my heart... you’ve taken up all the space.”

Lilia

He’s as playful as ever when he sees the matching tattoo on your arm; his own is practically centuries old, and while he was content with being alone, he's so happy to see you!

Lilia might play his feelings off as being plainly giddy, but deep down he does worry a bit about how the two most important people in his life will most definitely outlive him

Now that he has a partner, a strange form of protectiveness surrounds him, like he’s found another purpose, a reason to grow stronger 

(A reason to cook more!)

 Moving on from that more serious topic, Lilia will be most excited to spend time just lounging about with you, strumming little melodies on his guitar, taking you on upside-down walks, cliche couple stuff, y’know?

(Just wait till he starts spilling historical tea)

To wind down and enjoy the little moments with the family he’s built, however long it lasts, is a major priority in his life

“I need someone to try out my new recipe~, all the ingredients are actually edible this time around!”

Silver

y'all are chill lmao

Okok, but when he sees you start showing up in his dreams, he’s a little freaked out, partially because you’re very attractive to him but mostly because he has zero clue how to navigate romance

Imagine going on a date with him, and he’s down for the count in the first 10 minutes

Thankfully, I assume you are aware of his sleep habit, and he’s always very grateful when you wake him up 

Despite his stern exterior, Silver has a tendency to show his deep affection for you through acts of service, such as helping you clean Ramshackle House, because God knows how much it needs help (thanks, Crow Man).

Another little quirk about him is his tendency to go along with any cute couple activity you want to do

Wanna wear matching outfits? Cool with him.

Walk him to his classes? Absolutely.

Be the loudest spectator at his equestrian club meets? He appreciates the enthusiasm.

Even if you consider yourself to be a volatile or argumentative person, it’s very hard for Silver to get mad at you because of the genuine adoration and respect he holds for you

He can’t wait to grow older alongside you, to see you at your best, your worst, and your most human moments, until the two of you are old and wrinkly

“I saw something I thought you’d like at the store while I was running errands… maybe we could make dinner together…?”

Sebek

NO.

this is Sebek's worst nightmare come true; the words written on his wrist were the first you ever spoke to him, you, you disgusting, vile, no good human...

He runs far away, back into his room, and under his covers

He refuses to speak to you, refuses to look at you, and refuses to do anything involving you

For a couple of days, he just sulks, which is super heartbreaking for you, considering the fact that you can't control who you are, and your only soulmate just harshly rejected you

Sebek cries a lot. Like, a lot. at one point or another, his mother calls him to verbally smack some sense into him (and most likely Lilia too)

You see him standing at the door of Ramshackle House, breathing heavily as Grim offers to flambé him for you

You decide to hear him out, and he practically spills his years of self-loathing and hurt on your lap

Some part of you hurts for your soulmate, and you hold him in your arms

This relationship starts out turbulent, to say the least, but there’s a mental click that happens for him at one point, where he just realizes how if his own mother found joy with a human, he can too

Sebek tries his best to earn your trust, trying to break down the emotional layers his own internal bigotry has put between you

(it’s also very cute when he shows up with a bouquet of daffodils, as per Lilia’s recommendation) 

You two definitely have a long road ahead of you, but Sebek’s affection is loud and unwavering, and while he might be stubborn in his nature, he knows when to cool it down now

For your sake and for the lifelong relationship he wants with you

“Human! I have a few hours to spare before training, would you like to read with me?”

OMG I actually posted??? I'm crawling through requests as fast as I can ya'll, school has been destroying my creativity for the last few weeks.

[chiisana-sukima]

hi so what qualities do you think dean admires about sam and vice versa would like to know your thoughts

Love your meta btw as a new spn fan

Hi Nonny, tysm for the ask!

I haven't thought a ton about this question prior to now, so I'm interested in other people's opinions too if they want to add them on reblog. But it seems to me that the 'what does Dean admire about Sam' half of the question is pretty easily answered, because Dean isn't shy with his praise of Sam in canon.

He's also not shy with his criticism, of course, and I think this is because some of the things he admires most about Sam are the same things that are dangerous to him personally. My favorite recap is in the finale:

And there's this from 15.11:

Dean says similar things in other episodes, going way back to 1.11, which the finale speech is practically a word for word recap of:

I think Dean legitimately believes all this; that Sam is better than him in practically every way-- smarter, more compassionate, more optimistic, possessed of a better moral compass (usually), more skilled in a variety of ways, etc. And especially that Sam is healthier than him; more of a complete, autonomous human being who would be fully able to live a "normal" life if circumstances were right, whereas he, Dean, would not be. By "you're stronger than me" (which he also tells Sam before he goes to Hell in s3) he means "capable of independence".

I have decidedly ambivalent feelings about the "Dean is Sam's Parent" reading of spn, but I do think this is a very parental type of admiration; both because of the 'I'm proud' piece and because 'I raised you to be able to outlive me' is maybe a parent's primary responsibility second only to unconditional love. And I think it's realistic and sympathetic that Dean admires these traits in Sam while simultaneously fighting tooth and nail to undermine Sam ever actually becoming fully independent as long as Dean's alive (and until the finale, even afterwards). "You're better than me; don't leave me" is honestly extremely relatable.

R.e. the 'what does Sam admire in Dean' part of the question, I think that's more complicated to explain, and I'm especially interested in what other fans think about this part. I think obviously if someone asked Sam what he admires in Dean, he'd be able to run off a list of traits. And he does sometimes mention traits he finds admirable in Dean, like in 8.14 where he says "You're not a grunt, Dean. You're a genius" and says Dean is a better hunter than either himself or their father.

But for the core of what I think Sam feels about Dean that's in the same, idk, synonym group ig, as 'admiration', I don't think 'admires' really covers it very well. It's almost more like worships. He thinks, quite simply, that Dean is good. And since he thinks that he, Sam, is fundamentally not good, he sees Dean as the final arbiter of, well, everything. Sam thinks Sam could never go on a quest like Galahad, but although it's never specifically mentioned, I think its pretty clear he believes Dean could.

I think Sam feels about Dean the way I think deeply religious people--not the kind that mouth platitudes but the kind that have really struggled with and thought long and hard about their faith--feel about God. He knows Dean makes mistakes, he knows Dean is deeply fucked up in many ways, he yells at and argues with Dean and goes behind Dean's back and lies to him and etc, all because he does truly understand that Dean's decisions are, on a practical level, sometimes honestly pretty messed up. But he also has an unshakable faith that where he, Sam, might make bad choices because he's bad, Dean will struggle but ultimately always eventually choose correctly, even if one of the steps along the way is chopping Sam's head off with Death's scythe. Because Dean is good. Sam fans (myself included) will look back on the panic room and think "wow Dean sure was living up to the family-is-hell premise on that one", but Sam will look back on it and think "he saved me".

[theskee]

thinking a lot about Them this morning and i already went on a mini ramble on bluesky but i gotta just dump more detailed brainrot here because this is where most of my fellow emmcanis lovers are but like

there's a dialogue that comes up between emmrich and lucanis if treviso isn't saved. and emmrich is concerned about lucanis, his emotional state, and what it might do to him and spite. and lucanis kinda snips at him about whether or not he actually cares or if it's weird professional curiosity. because lucanis is so damn raw. it reminds me of how he snaps at rook when rook suggests lucanis talk to emmirch and says "he looks at me like a thesis topic" and there is some level of truth to emmrich being curious about what's happened.

but the thing that comes through the strongest, every time it comes up, is that emmrich thinks what's happened to lucanis and spite is unfair and horribly cruel, but that there's hope for them. that they can find harmony and survive.

so in this dialogue, where lucanis is short and defensive, emmrich's response is simply a promise. that he'll be there, to look out for lucanis and spite, no matter what. emmrich has seen some shit in his time as a watcher, and he hates suffering. he knows loss. i think there's such a depth of empathy and understanding that he has for lucanis, who is coping with the loss of everything important to him, so suddenly and senselessly, and emmrich knows intimately how difficult that is, especially when you're trying to get a handle on unexpected changes to who you are as a person that are outside of your control. emmrich began to talk to spirits after his parents died. while going through so many life changes, along with the manifestation of his magic, he began to talk to the dead, something we know he didn't master until he was an adult.

how jarring must it have been, to have lost his family, and for distant relatives to have rejected the responsibility of taking him in, to suddenly have magic and have the dead talking to you? i think in a lot of ways, emmrich feels especially strongly for lucanis and his situation because he can see parallels between them.

and emmrich is patient. he never takes it personally when lucanis rebuffs his support. he's calm. he lets lucanis reject it. and eventually, we know lucanis softens up and lets emmrich help him.

lucanis goes to emmrich for help keeping himself and spite contained, and emmrich sets wards for him. more than once. when lucanis is alone in the dining hall, he questions why emmrich is still hanging around, and emmrich simply expresses that he thought lucanis might want the company. emmrich understands loneliness. keenly. he knows it well.

and lucanis goes to emmrich. timid, exhausted, and asks if emmrich has time to talk, because spite won't leave him be. and emmrich is so gentle and welcoming, insisting he will always have time if lucanis needs to talk. emmrich will stop what he's doing to create a safe place for lucanis to express himself and open up about how hard it is. and emmrich is kind. he's there. he's steady and he understands more about the nature of what lucanis is going through than most. he has the most hopeful perspective of it possible, from the very start, that despite the tragedy of the way it began, that lucanis and spite will survive together, because of each other.

he encourages lucanis to bond with spite and read to him.

and then... on the other side of it. lucanis is direct with emmrich in a way emmrich needs. when it comes to the topic of lichdom and immortality, lucanis confronts emmrich with something that i think emmrich needs to hear. that undead forever is still dead. and he asks why emmrich would want to outlive everything he's ever loved. just as emmrich has so much acceptance for Spite, this thing that Lucanis is afraid of and wrestling with, lucanis has acceptance for death. all things end, is what lucanis says. and that's okay.

when i look at these interactions, and add them to all the little things, like Spite growing attached to Manfred or Manfred breaking into Lucanis room-- the debates and the references to their companionable time drinking fine wine together, out of glasses Lucanis bought for Emmrich, and all their little cultural back and forths and i just. in the final run up to elgar'nan, emmrich tries to thank lucanis for the wine glasses. he's trying to get his affairs in order. and lucanis tells him no. don't do that. no squaring up. it's bad luck. and it just screams of subtext, of reassurance that we're not dying here today. when death seems so fucking certain and emmrich is so afraid of it. my heart for these two.

i know it's might not be as fun or full of friction as the enemies to lovers vibes one gets from say, davrin & lucanis (which omg what's not to love) but the slow burn of rejection to acceptance to closeness-- the inherent intimacy of sharing space with another person who understands your fear. and doesn't let you linger in it alone... i just. am so so so in deep with this pairing.