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shingekinohyrulewrites · 16 hours

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An Ordonian Wedding

Link and a very pregnant Zelda enjoy their honeymoon in Ordon.

Read on AO3 here

WARNING MATURE CONTENT AHEAD MDNI :

Pregnancy sex, oral sex

“Are you ready?”

Queen Zelda of Hyrule, freshly married, stood examining herself in front of a mirror. It was the late morning, with bright beams of sunlight streaming through the giant windows in her private chambers. Her dark hair, still curled from the previous night, framed her delicate face. Although she was pregnant with her first child, her face was still slender, her cheeks the only giveaway that she had gained some weight. A simple, pastel pink dress adorned her figure, the material just flowing enough to hide her baby bump. She turned side to side, letting out a quiet sigh as she took note of how - well, how large she had become.

“My love?”

The sound of her husband’s voice had her turning. Link, the Hero of Twilight, stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe. He was dressed in a simple navy tunic, the material stretching over his broad shoulders. When she didn’t respond, he slowly approached her before letting his hands come to settle over her bump.

“How is our child doing this morning?”

“Rather restless,” Zelda frowned. “And hungry as well.”

“Mila came in while you were asleep to ask if we wanted a meal prepared before we left. It is waiting for us downstairs.”

She smiled, nodding before turning around to fully face him.

“I still cannot fathom that we are married.”

Link laughed, his chest vibrating against hers.

“It does feel like a dream, huh?”

He pressed his lips to the top of her head, murmuring into her hair.

“I meant every word I said in my vows. I love you, Zelda. I’m happy to serve beside you as your husband.”

Her heart swelled in her chest and she pulled back to kiss him gently. The two broke apart after a moment, smiling at each other before holding hands and making their way downstairs. Mila and Ezlo were waiting for them at the foot of the stairs, chatting animatedly. They became silent upon seeing the couple making their way down, big smiles gracing their faces before they bowed before them.

“Our Queen!” Mila exclaimed.

“Mila, please, I’m still just Zelda to you.”

“Oh, come now,” Ezlo frowned. “Be proud of your title. You have worked hard to earn it.”

He turned to Link then. “You as well, King Consort.”

Link grinned. “You flatter me, Lord President.”

“Can we go to breakfast now?” Zelda asked, which made everyone laugh.

Mila and Ezlo joined them for breakfast, happily continuing their conversation from earlier. Since Zelda and Link were going to be gone for three months, the couple had asked that they join them for their final meal. The couple were set to celebrate their honeymoon, with the public believing that they would be traveling outside of Hyrule to bask in their newborn bliss. However, the reality was the two would be staying in Ordon, where Zelda was set to give birth.

“Are you excited to go back home, Link?” Mila asked.

“I am,” he beamed. “It’s been a while since I’ve been back.”

Zelda tried to hide her flush as she recalled the last time her and Link had been in Ordon. It had been a wonderful time, and she was certain it had been one specific night there that their child had been conceived.

They finished breakfast with light conversation before they all made their way to the Royal Stables. A plain carriage awaited them, set to be pulled by Epona and another Royal horse. The couple’s departure had not been announced, with the reason being that the couple was seeking privacy after the recent attack on the kingdom. It was this attack that had led to the “three month honeymoon”, with the couple set to enjoy their time together to be able to rule the kingdom successfully. The Hylians, just happy to have their kingdom in one piece again, were happy for the couple and were eager to have them back.

Mila helped Zelda into the carriage while Link and Ezlo busied themselves with checking the luggage to ensure nothing was missing. When everything looked good, the two embraced before Link hugged Mila.

“You watch over our Queen!” Mila warned Link.

“Mila, leave my husband alone!” Zelda called from inside the carriage.

Link laughed, stepping into the carriage and saluting Mila.

“She never leaves my eyesight or my mind. I assure you she is in good hands.”

“We will arrive once the baby is born,” Ezlo promised. “Be safe and enjoy yourselves.”

With that, the carriage door was closed and the horses set off. Link sat across from Zelda, letting out a long sigh as he relaxed into his seat. Zelda giggled, rubbing her belly absently as she stared at Link fondly.

“You can sleep on the ride. I will probably nap as well.”

They awoke just as they were riding over the bridge that signified their entrance into Ordon. Link let out a loud yawn while Zelda stretched. The carriage came to a stop in front of his home, and the two carefully stepped out. Only Mayor Bo and Rusl were there to greet them, as the couple had asked for privacy during their time there.

“Congrats you two!” Mayor Bo beamed.

Rusl, who had been at their wedding the day before, looked fresh despite the late night.

“It is good to see you after the festivities. You both look well.”

“Thank you so much for allowing us to stay here,” Zelda said. “We truly appreciate it.”

“Are you kiddin’?” Mayor Bo laughed. “Anythin’ for young Link here. He will always be an Ordon boy.”

Link flushed, reaching up to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“We shall let you two settle in. Our town doctor will be coming in to see you in an hour, Your Majesty.”

“Oh please, just Zelda,” she groaned.

The ladder leading up to Link’s home was still there, but a small lift sat alongside it now. It had been constructed to help Zelda, as she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. While Link scampered up the ladder, she took the lift, which was rather fast. He helped her settle in, carefully setting her down on the couch while he disappeared to retrieve their belongings. Once they were brought in, he sat down beside her and stared at his house.

“So, our honeymoon huh?”

***

Their first day was spent relaxing, with Link cooking a delicious dinner that they enjoyed in front of the fire. Fado had asked if Link could help out with herding some Ordon goats, and he happily agreed to do so. Zelda was going to spend time with Uli, Rusl’s wife, and get some advice from her about motherhood.

Zelda waddled over to their bed, letting out a long sigh as she sat at the edge of it. Link walked over, looking at her worriedly as she stroked her face.

“Are you feeling alright, my love?”

“The usual tiredness,” she said, sighing again. “I just feel so heavy.”

“You are carrying our baby! Your body’s working a lot to make sure he’s nice and healthy.”

“I know,” she frowned. “I just . . . it’s a strange feeling.”

He sat next to her, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

“I think you are breathtaking. I am so proud of you for handling the pregnancy so well.”

She smiled, turning her head to lean in and kiss him. He had a childish look on his face, seemingly happy from a simple kiss.

“I will never get tired of you kissing me.”

He leaned in this time, kissing her deeply. His hand came up to cup her face, his thumb stroking her cheek affectionately. They broke apart, panting slightly.

“We don’t have to go further if you don’t want to,” Link insisted.

“It’s our honeymoon night.”

Zelda reached behind her to untie the top of her dress, and it slid slowly off, revealing her bare chest. She grabbed Link’s hand to her breast and made him squeeze her.

“I may feel horrible, but I still have needs.”

Link kissed her again, his free hand tangling in her hair. Her hands grabbed at the bottom of his tunic, pulling back to yank it over his head before kissing him again. They broke apart again so he could remove his trousers while Zelda laid down on the bed. He crawled over her, eyes soft as his hands came to rest on either side of her head.

“I don’t want to hurt you. Are you comfortable?”

“Um, my back is hurting laying down,” she admitted.

He moved past her to collect the pillows and helped her lay on her side.

“Here, use the pillows as a support. Try and relax.”

The pillows helped and allowed her belly to rest on them. She felt Link place another one in the middle of her back, and she felt her body relax. His lips ran along her bare shoulder, pressing kisses as he made his way up towards her neck and up to her cheek.

“I’ll go slow, okay? You tell me if you need me to stop.”

She nodded, and she felt Link get comfortable behind her. One of his hands wrapped around her to grab at her breast again. She let out a quiet moan, turning her head back to look for him. He immediately kissed her, gently lifting her leg so he could slide in between. His tips gently pressed against her opening, rubbing against it to collect her arousal before slowly pushing in. Zelda shivered, grabbing onto his hand and whispering out his name.

“If you need me to stop, I’ll stop, okay?”

His pace was slow, his hips pressing against her bottom. His fingers continued to squeeze her breast, gently kneading her nipple as he kept on humping her slowly. The pace was driving her mad, and she needed more from him. She moved her hips in time with his, slamming back against him.

“Faster,” she gasped out. “It feels so good.”

He let out a quiet groan, his free hand coming up to squeeze at her hips to steady himself as he began to fuck her faster. The bed began to squeak under them, keeping pace with his rhythm. She tried to clutch at the bedsheets, mouth falling open at the sheer pleasure she was feeling. Her hand shot behind her, trying to desperately grab at any of Link’s skin, settling on his hips and lightly scratching at it.

“Zelda,” he gasped out.

She could feel his hot breaths on the back of her neck as he grunted and groaned out. Her hips had kept on moving, somehow managing to keep up with his pace. She was beginning to tire, which Link sensed. He paused for a moment, catching his breath before scooting close until his back was flush against hers.

“I want to feel you,” he whispered. “You’re so beautiful, Zel.”

Tears welled into her eyes. Damn hormones.

His movements slowed down, but he reached his hand down to rub at her clit. She immediately clenched around him, causing him to gasp out. He rubbed faster, moving slightly faster to try and help her to the finish line. She came with a shudder, moaning out his name as her whole body tingled with her orgasm. Link finished not long after, his hand reaching for hers and interlacing their fingers.

“I love you so much. I’m so excited for us to spend forever together.”

He gently pulled out, carefully disentangling himself before getting up to gather a wet towel to clean her up. He was gentle, carefully parting her legs to wipe at the sweat and fluids before helping her get comfortable with the pillows. By the time he returned, she was fast asleep.

***

“Link! O’er there! The baby is escapin’!”

Zelda was sitting on the edge of the field, resting on a blanket with Beth and Colin. She wore a sunhat, her hair flowing loosely behind her in the gentle wind. One hand rested absently on her belly while the other held her up. Beth was making a flower crown while Colin watched Fado and Link work.

“Wow, Link is so cool,” Colin sighed. “He’s been away for so long but he herds goats like he never left.”

Zelda looked up, shifting her focus away from Beth’s craft. Link had managed to catch up with the baby goat before it escaped into town. He threw it over his shoulder, yelling to Fado that he had gotten it and making his way towards the barn. Heat coursed through Zelda, admiring how strong her husband was and wondering if he could do that to her . . .

“Queen Zelda?”

She turned to look at Colin, who was staring at her with a worried expression.

“Just Zelda,” she smiled. “We are all friends here, Colin. No need to be formal.”

He gave her an unsure smile.

“Come, why don’t you rest your head on my lap? We can watch the sky.”

He perked up at her suggestion and carefully crawled over to her. Beth shot him a jealous look before continuing on with her crown. Zelda let her hands run through Colin’s hair, humming softly as she continued to watch Link. Beth used Colin’s head as a guide, carefully approaching and sliding it on his head.

“What do you think, Miss Zelda?”

The flower crown was made of wildflowers and smelled slightly sweet. She smiled, turning to look at Beth in approval.

“It’s wonderful.”

“Would you like one? I can take some proper flowers from my Mom’s garden.”

“No need,” Zelda laughed. “I don’t need you getting in trouble.”

“I do it all the time,” she shrugged. “Plus, it’s you, she won’t mind.”

“Well, if you insist.”

“Insist on what?”

Link walked over, wiping his hands on a rag before throwing it over his shoulder. He had removed his shirt, left in his traditional Ordon trousers. Zelda felt her mouth go dry, blinking rapidly as Beth babbled on and showed off her flower crown. Link was oblivious, listening intensely and nodding along. Sweat dripped down his toned chest, leaving trails along his tanned skin. Zelda swallowed slowly, suddenly feeling really warm.

“Zel? Are you still going to see Uli?”

She was pulled out of her reverie and saw the group staring at her.

“O-oh, yes. Colin, would you mind walking me to your home?”

He jumped up, holding out a polite hand. The two left the field, waving goodbye to Beth and Link before heading into town. Mayor Bo greeted them, sitting on his porch as they passed by. Uli was sitting on her porch as well, greeting them with a bright smile. Colin was asked to go inside and clean up for lunch while Zelda settled into a chair beside her.

“How are you feeling today, Queen Zelda?”

“Just Zelda, please,” she groaned.

“Right,” Uli chuckled. “So? Any aches or pain?”

“Nothing more than the usual. My back, my feet, my pride.”

“I remember that,” Uli sighed. “It feels . . . foreign.”

“Yes!” Zelda gasped. “I feel as if I am not completely a part of my body.”

“It’ll fade once you get closer to your delivery date.”

The thought of delivery had Zelda nervous, which Uli immediately sensed.

“You will be alright. You are blessed by the Goddesses themselves. I am sure they will be by your side.”

“How was it for you?”

Uli’s eyes glanced up to the ceiling in thought.

“Colin was rather easy. I felt the contractions, and he was delivered within the hour. His sister, however . . .”

She sighed, shaking her head.

“The stress from Rusl being away for so long took a toll. Her delivery was stressful. It took over a day for her to come into the world. But, by the Great Three above, it was well worth it.”

Zelda paled. Uli’s hand shot out to gently grab at hers.

“All will be well. You are on your honeymoon, and your husband will be by your side.”

Link and Beth were walking on the path, talking animatedly. Her hand was in his larger one, and he was careful as he led her towards her home. Zelda smiled at the sight.

“He’s going to be an excellent father. He has always been wonderful with the Ordon children.”

The door opened, revealing Colin’s face.

“She’s awake, Mom. Can you come in?”

“That’s my cue.”

The two stood, embracing each other tightly.

“Don’t be afraid to stop by. I am happy to help as much as I can.”

***

The first month of their honeymoon was calm. The days were filled with Link herding goats and Zelda visiting Uli or reading underneath a shady tree. Their evenings consisted of a home cooked meal and making love. Zelda was seven months now, her belly evidence that she was, well, pregnant. She had been able to hide it with loose dresses, but it was impossible now. She was also dealing with dizzy spells, often having to lie down and rest. The town doctor had assured her it was normal, and insisted she drink lots of fluids and lay down.

Link began to hover around her, staying by her side whenever he noticed she began to get dizzy. He was quick to fetch her some water, gently guiding her to the bed and helping her get comfortable. Fado understood that he wouldn’t be able to help as much, but Zelda insisted he not worry and continue to help him.

“Are you crazy? My wife needs me!”

His Ordon accent was slowly creeping back, which drove her wild. Her dizzy spells were beginning to get in the way of their intimacy. Link insisted it was alright, but Zelda was needy and frustrated.

As another two weeks passed, the dizzy spells began to subside, but now Zelda faced more exhaustion. Before she had managed, most of her tiredness coming in the form of aches and pains. However, now she often felt so tired that she had to lay down and sleep. She slept most of the day, getting up to use the bathroom before crawling back into bed. Link checked on her often, creeping in after herding goats and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before slipping out again. The doctor, once again, assured her it was normal and suggested that they begin developing her birth plan.

“I assume you will be delivering at home?”

She nodded, glancing over at Link.

“Yes, that is the plan.”

“We will have to set up a bed for you, unless you don’t mind the mess.”

Zelda and Link had agreed a home birth would be best for privacy, but had yet to really work out the details. The two exchanged a nervous look.

“We shall set up a bed. No worries, Your Majesty.”

“Please, no need for the formalities,” Zelda smiled.

“Right. We can go ahead and send a midwife over daily to practice breathing exercises with you and teach you stretches for when your contractions begin.”

The couple nodded, and the town doctor studied them for a moment.

“You . . . are having a son?”

“Yes,” Link said proudly.

“Do you have a name picked out?”

“Griffin,” Zelda smiled.

The doctor’s eyes looked up to the ceiling in thought.

“Strong lord or prince,” he mused. “A name fit for royalty.”

The couple had agreed on breaking the tradition of having the same names passed down. While their children would eventually inherit the kingdom, they didn’t want their names to put pressure on them. The two anticipated a long period of peace and hoped their children would continue that legacy.

After their appointment, the two walked back to Link’s home. Zelda was hungry, and Link happily stated he would prepare a meal for her while she rested. She lounged on the bed, drifting in and out of sleep while he cooked. He placed two places of Ordon beef, rice, and potatoes on the dining table. Zelda sat at the table, quickly picking up her utensils and chowing down. Link watched her with loving eyes, smiling to himself as he slowly fed himself.

The two sat in front of the unlit fireplace, basking in their post-food glow. Zelda rubbed her belly absently, feeling their son kick gently.

“I fear our son is going to be as active as you.”

Link turned to look at her, eyes flicking down to her belly and seeing it move. He reached over and rested his hand over him. He felt the little feet kicking before it suddenly stilled.

“Does that feel weird?”

“It feels like . . . butterflies? But much stronger.”

He hummed, rubbing her belly absently.

“I’m excited to be a father with you, Zel.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Damn hormones.

“I jus’ know we’re going to be great parents. We already love Griffin so much.”

“Oh Link,” she sighed. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Zelda.”

He leaned across to kiss her, pressing their foreheads together.

***

Zelda fell asleep a while after, leaving Link to slip out and go check on Fado and the goats. She awoke a little after dusk, groggy and extremely thirsty. After waddling to the bathroom, she poured herself a large glass of water and downed it quickly. She wiped her mouth, glancing around the home and seeing it empty. The fireplace hadn’t been lit yet.

The door opened then, revealing Link. Two bags hung from his arms, with fresh produce threatening to spill out. Zelda tried to rush over to help but Link stopped her.

“Sit down, Zel. Don’t worry.”

He quickly placed the bags down and lit the fireplace. His home filled with warm light, automatically relaxing Zelda. She sat at the edge of their bed, watching Link flit about as he put the produce away. Once done, he walked over and knelt down before his wife.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”

“Just thirsty, but I’m alright now.”

He nodded slowly.

“Um, Zel?”

She slowly cocked her head to the side.

“I really want to taste you right now.”

Her mouth popped into an “o”. Although she was feeling more and more insecure in her body, it never ceased to amaze her how Link was quickly able to make her feel desirable. He cocked his head to the side, waiting for her answer.

“A-are you sure?”

“Positive.”

He leaned forward, tilting his head up to kiss her. Her hands came to wrap around his neck, pulling him close and kissing him hard until they parted for air. He helped her lay onto her side, helping her get comfortable on her pillows before lifting her dress up. The last glimpse she got of Link before she threw her head back was him grinning at her between her legs.

***

The day before Zelda was due, Link arranged for a picnic on the banks of the Ordon Spring. The clearing was quiet minus the sound of the water rushing from the small waterfall. The weather was still warm, the sun casting its rays onto the happy couple. He had spent the previous day preparing their basket, crafting a delicious lunch and various snacks for Zelda to munch on. He had carefully packed a pitcher of lemonade that Uli had prepared for them.

“Link, this is wonderful,” she sighed after taking a long sip of her drink.

“I wanted to make sure we had some peaceful time alone before we have company tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” she smiled, leaning over to kiss him.

They were silent as they listened to the birds singing in the trees and the water bubbling near them. Zelda angled her head towards the sun, closing her eyes and basking in its warmth. The back of her hand began to burn, and she figured the sun was just warming it as well.

“Uh, Zel?”

She slowly opened her eyes to see Link staring at her, wide eyed, raising his left hand. The Triforce was glowing brightly on the back of his hand, and she glanced down to see hers glowing as well. They slowly turned towards the pond to see the water glowing before a figure erupted from it.

“Ordona,” Zelda whispered.

The Light Spirit of Ordon, Ordona, appeared, floating over the water. It took on the shape of an Ordon goat, staring at the couple with its blank expression.

“O Great Ruler of Hyrule, and Hero chosen by the Goddesses.”

The couple bowed their heads in respect.

“I must bless thee and your soon to be heir. The land of Hyrule will prosper under your rule.”

“Thank you, Ordona,” Zelda replied. “You are too kind.”

“You two saved this land from darkness once again. You deserve endless blessings.”

The couple was basked in a warm light, bringing a sense of peace to them. Ordona’s prayer echoed in their heads, whispering of blessings, health, and abundance.

“Do not be afraid, Zelda. Your child will be brought into this world under the guidance of the Goddesses.”

With that, Ordona disappeared, leaving the couple alone once again. Link turned to look at Zelda, worry creasing his brow.

“Afraid? Are you scared, Zel?”

“I . . .”

She sighed. The last thing she wanted was to burden Link, especially since he was already nervous about the delivery.

“I’m just afraid that something may go wrong tomorrow. Childbirth isn’t exactly a . . . pleasant experience.”

His expression shifted from worry to sadness.

“Zel . . .”

He gently clasped her hands, brushing his lips gently against her knuckles.

“Do you ‘member our wedding vows? I promised to stay by your side no matter what.”

He gave her a reassuring smile.

“I promised to comfort you, and I plan on doing jus’ that tomorrow.”

He kissed her, his hands moving to cup her face. When they parted, it felt as if Ordona had blessed them again. His hands moved to rub her belly, leaning down to speak to their unborn son.

“Now listen here, Griffin. You better do your best not to hurt your mama tomorrow! She has been through enough already.”

Zelda giggled, shaking her head as Link continued to reprimand their son.

“Link, I think that’s enough. Let’s not traumatize him before he is born, hm?”

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Let’s hope he has your personality and not mine.”

She smiled, leaning into his side.

“I hope he looks just like you, especially your eyes. I adore your eyes, Link.”

He chuckled. “I hope they look like you, darlin’. You’re much more of a looker than I am.”

This time, instead of rubbing her belly, he leaned down to kiss it. Zelda smiled, closing her eyes and basking in the sunlight again. Although she was afraid, she knew if she had Link by her side, all would be well.

#the legend of zelda #twilight princess #zelink #princess zelda #link #link x zelda #arranged marriage au #honeymoon #pregnancy

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dbcoatl-art · 8 months

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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Hunters of Ruination

Chapter 4: Getting Settled [15 Pages]

Mila returns to Trueno Village with Jin, his family, and Mayor Sparky. There, she is given a place to stay as well as a task of setting up traps to capture the beast. Mila also finally reveals to Jin the truth about her identity: that she is a human.

Meanwhile, a lost child bides his time in a Mystery Dungeon, hiding from a fearsome foe.

At last, the fourth chapter is up, and with it the end of Episode 1! Enjoy!

~Trueno Village Outskirts~

Sunlight filtered through the canopy of the low trees as the small group of Electric and Grass-types walked down the dirt path. Mila stayed close to Jin, who had Mayor Sparky perched atop the latter’s back.

“So, Jin,” said Uncle Volt, earning a nervous gulp from his nephew in the process. “What exactly happened while I was gone?”

Jin lowered his gaze towards the dirt path, narrowly missing a small stone that would have tripped him over had he not kicked it out of the way.

“Jin, be honest with me now,” Uncle Volt continued. His voice was stern, but he managed to maintain his calm composure.

“W-well…” Jin began hesitantly, glancing over at Mila before speaking further. “I-I wanted to prove to you and Aunt Leif that I could be responsible by catching that beast of the valley, and rescuing George.” He raised his head towards Mila. “But instead of a beast or George, I found this Sprigatito. And she wasn’t dangerous at all…just scared and lonely. And hungry, too.”

“And what about that Scovillain we found earlier?” Aunt Leif asked. Compared to her husband, she was much gentler with her words, and her voice had a sweet, soothing tone – almost like that of a mother.

“When that Scovillain came, I tried to run, but I ended up injuring myself in the process,” came Jin’s answer. “I told Mila to run, but she didn’t. She stayed and blinded that Scovillain with some Geo Pebbles she found. She saved my life!”

Now it was Mila’s turn to look down at the ground, face red-hot with embarrassment. “I-it was nothing, really,” she stammered.

“I’d say otherwise,” Mayor Sparky chuckled. “You jumped in and fended off those feral Scovillain without a second thought, even when you were told to run. You even learned how to use Leafage because of that. You’re a hero through and through, and I am truly grateful for what you’ve done. On behalf of my village, thank you.”

Jin smiled a little, though it quickly faded when he looked back at Uncle Volt. “Still, I’m sorry,” he said. “I ended up putting Mayor Sparky in danger. Maybe I really am just a screw-up.”

Volt picked up his pace a little and stood in front of Jin. He lowered himself down so he could see his nephew at eye level. The Luxray’s expression was softer now as he spoke. “No, Jin,” he said with a small smile. “If anything, I’m sorry if my words from this morning pushed you to do this. I know you’ve got a good heart, which you used quite well with Mila. But I would really appreciate it if you thought things through first.”

That was more than enough for Jin to put that smile back on his face. “Thanks, Uncle Volt.”

“That being said…” Volt added, glancing over at Mila. “Where’s Mila going to stay?”

Jin and Mila looked at each other wide-eyed. Both of them had been so preoccupied with everything that had been going on today, they had completely forgotten about a possible place to stay for Mila!

“Also, what happened to my Egg?” Aunt Leif added, rubbing more salt on the metaphorical wound. “Did we not tell you to keep an eye on it while we were gone?”

“Zipper has the Egg,” Jin blurted out. “As for Mila, I really don’t know. She doesn’t have any Poké on her, and the inn won’t just give a free room to anyone.”

Mayor Sparky simply chuckled. “I’m sure we can sort it all out once we’ve returned to the village,” he said. “After all, you Lightfangs never fail to impress me!”

Volt simply grumbled as he trudged forward along the dirt path. Mila couldn’t hear what he said, but she hoped that having somewhere to stay would be the least of her worries…

* * *

~Trueno Village~

Mila didn’t know how long she’d been walking down the dirt path. Her paws were beginning to hurt, and she could feel exhaustion creep along her entire body. Eventually, however, the trees finally cleared up, and Mila found herself standing atop a small hill. From her vantage point, the dirt path continued onward, winding down the hill to a cluster of buildings. Large mountains bordered the northern area, while another path continued westward to what looked like a beach leading out to the ocean. A small drop led to an eastern part that consisted of a few cliffs. Was this the village everyone had been talking about?

“We’re almost there,” Mayor Sparky announced. “Just down this hill, and we’ll be back home!”

The group began walking down the hill, following the winding dirt path as they went. At last, the dirt path came to a stop at a pair of stone statues. The statues were identical to one another, each resembling a dragon-like Pokémon that was almost robotic in nature. Electrical horns protruded from their eyes, while a lightning bolt adorned their tail-tips. From those statues, the path converged into a stone pathway that led to a plaza – the main square, perhaps?

As soon as Mila walked past the statues, Mayor Sparky hopped off of Jin’s back and waved his paws. “Well, Mila,” he said. “Welcome to Trueno Village!”

Mila looked around, wonder and amazement dancing in her eyes. Sure, it wasn’t impressively big (it was a village, after all), but it was definitely impressive in a league of its own. A large stone plaza stood at the center of the village, encircled by several buildings. Some of the buildings looked to be made from stone, while others were adorned with decorations resembling the Pokémon who manned them. At the center of the plaza was a much larger variant of the two dragon statues that marked the entrance. Short, yellow grass sprouted along the sides of the pathway, dotted by colourful flowers. Two more pathways protruded from the left and right sides of the plaza, reaching out to other areas of the village.

“What do ya think, lass?” came Mayor Sparky’s voice. “Pretty neat, am I right?”

“Very,” Mila replied, still in awe at how Pokémon could live in a place like this. She felt like she could get used to the village.

Mayor Sparky smiled as he scampered ahead. “Come along, now,” he called out. “I’ll take you to the Town Hall first. It’s just right by the cliffs.”

Mila took a few steps forward, but then stopped and turned back to Jin, Volt and Leif. “Are you guys coming?” she asked.

“I’ll come with you,” Volt replied.

“You two go on ahead,” Leif said, waving a vine. “I still need to retrieve my Egg.” She glanced down at Jin. “And I can’t do that if the little mister over here can’t help me track down Zipper.”

Jin sighed guiltily. He knew this would come back to bite him in the rear soon enough. He waved good-bye to Mila before following Leif down the other path.

Mila felt Volt gently nudge her along before walking down the path leading to the cliffs. Mila took one more glance at the disappearing figures of Jin and Leif before following the Luxray to the Town Hall, where Mayor Sparky would wait for them.

* * *

~Trueno Village, Town Hall~

Compared to most of the buildings, the Town Hall was easily recognizable. Though it was built only a few ways away from the cliffs, just its appearance alone was what made it stand out. It looked more like a small mansion than a town hall, with various orange and yellow tapestries adorning its front. Several yellow, orange and black patterns decorated its sides, while the roof had a large clock. On the front of the building, big black letters read “TRUENO VILLAGE TOWN HALL”.

“Wow,” Mila breathed. She turned to Mayor Sparky. “You weren’t kidding when you said the Town Hall was right by the cliffs.”

“Well, of course,” Mayor Sparky replied with a slight chuckle. “Come along now.” He scampered ahead to the big double-doors. Once there, he pressed both forepaws against the doors and pushed with all his strength. It took a bit of effort, but soon the double-doors swung open for all to see. Mayor Sparky then motioned for Mila and Volt to follow him inside, which they did.

Once Mila entered the Town Hall, she was even more impressed by what she found. The colours of the wall were a warm, dark yellow, while the floor was a burnt auburn topped with light sienna carpentry. The corners of the building housed one Berry tree of each kind – Pecha, Oran, Cheri, Rawst. A brilliant orange sofa sat on one wall, while the other wall was adorned with portraits of various Pokémon – past mayors, Mila guessed, from an Ampharos all the way to Mayor Sparky.

“May I help you?” came a feminine voice. Mila’s attention was drawn from the wall to a desk of the same burnt auburn colour that sat right at the center of the room. Behind the desk sat a light brown mouse Pokémon with round yellow ears, and yellow electric sacs on her cheeks. She sat cross-legged on her yellow lightning bolt-shaped tail, while she stared at her with greenish-blue eyes with a rather unamused expression. She wore golden spectacles while a white cravat was wrapped around her neck.

A Raichu, thought Mila, even though this was a different Raichu than she was used to. She looked around the room again. So this must be the lobby, then.

Mayor Sparky approached the Raichu, hopping on top of the desk so he could meet her eye-to-eye. “Greetings, Malia,” he said. “Disregard the spices – we had a bit of a run-in with some feral Scovillain today.”

“I can tell,” the Raichu replied, wrinkling her nose. “Just make sure you don’t get them all over the desk – you know I can’t stand spices.”

Sighing to himself, the diminutive mayor turned around to dust some of the spice off the front of his waistcoat, making a mental note to sweep it up later. Once he was done, he turned around and cleared his throat. “So, Malia,” he said. “Would you care to file a Missing Pokémon report for little George Burrows? He was kidnapped by a ferocious beast last night, and his mom’s worried sick.”

“Sure,” drawled Malia, turning to a small device of some sort. She pressed a button on the front of the device, which caused a blue holographic screen to pop up. She then proceeded to tap her paws on the holograph, arranging a series of letters, numbers, and photos for the report.

Mila was on the verge of nodding off when she heard one final ding from behind the desk. Soon after, she heard a whirring noise, like paper being printed. And after that, she watched as Malia hovered above the desk and handed Mayor Sparky a stack of papers, still seated atop her tail.

“Here you go, Mayor,” she said. “The Missing Pokémon report for George Burrows Phanpy, age 16.”

“Thanks a bunch,” Mayor Sparky replied as he hopped off the desk with the papers. “I’m sure he’ll be found safe and sound in no time. Oh, and uh, don’t forget to post it online as well. I’m sure there are a few hunter teams who might want to look into that.”

“Will do,” the Raichu replied, resuming her attention to the holographic screen. She pressed a few more buttons to proceed with the online posting. Another ding shortly followed, confirming that the report was sent throughout the network.

“Hehe,” Mayor Sparky chuckled to himself. “That’s my lovely secretary for ya. She knows how to get things done. Pretty tech savvy, too. And our network is simply top-notch, thanks to the local Miraidon and their Iron brethren.”

Mila was confused by what the Dedenne meant by all of that. But rather than ask that question, she decided to put her focus on the report instead. “Do Pokémon turn up missing all the time?” she asked.

Mayor Sparky blinked. He pulled up one of the papers, taking a good look at the image of George, before letting out a sigh. “Yes,” he replied. “We’ve had a rash of incidents right here in the archipelago lately. Ferals wandering too close to settlements; Mystery Dungeons taking over civilized areas; even Pokémon being corrupted, or going missing.”

He grinned as he held up the paper with pride once more. “But that’s why we’ve got hunter teams going out and about, taking on the jobs to help other Pokémon in need! Especially those from Greenleaf Academy, trained by a good friend of mine.”

Mila nodded. “I see.” She glanced over at the papers again. “You mind if I take one of those?”

“Sure,” came the mayor’s response as he handed her the report. “There’s plenty more where that came from. Help yourself.”

Mila glanced over at the report, her eyes fixated on the image of a Phanpy. The little elephant-like Pokémon was a bright blue colour with red accents on his floppy ears and the bridge of his long nose. His eyes were a bright bluish-green, and a green scarf was wrapped around his neck. Surrounding the photo was the information provided in the report. Mila began to read:

MISSING: George Burrows Phanpy, age 16 According to his mother Pacha Burrows Donphan, age 43, George was last seen in Thunderclap Valley, just outside of Trueno Village. He had a green scarf made lovingly by his mother, which was lost on the night he was kidnapped by a beast wandering in Thunderclap Valley. It is currently unknown if he is trapped inside a Mystery Dungeon or not. DIFFICULTY: E REWARD: 1000 Poké + 1 Cheri Berry

“Poor George…”

Mila’s ears twitched at the sound of Volt’s voice. She looked up to find the Luxray looking down at the floor. A somber expression crossed his face. “I hope he’s found soon.”

Mila silently nodded. Me too, she thought.

“And he will be,” Mayor Sparky said, his voice comforting. “Have a little bit of faith, Voltmire.”

Volt said nothing, but gave a small smile nonetheless.

Mayor Sparky turned to Mila and approached her. “Now, for our second order of business,” he said, plucking a twig that had been stuck in her mane. “Where do you plan on staying for the night? The inn ain’t a cheap place, and I don’t suppose you got any Poké on hand.”

“Poké?” Mila asked. She’d seen it on the Missing Pokémon report, but she didn’t understand what it meant.

Mayor Sparky sighed as he slapped his forehead with one paw. “I swear to Solgaleo, yer obliviousness is gonna be yer demise,” he muttered. “Poké is the currency we use ‘round these parts. It’s the money we spend to buy, and the money we earn when it’s time to part ways with what we don’t need anymore.”

Well, that definitely explains why the reward for the report says 1000 Poké, thought Mila as she looked over the sheet again.

“She can stay with us,” Volt quickly spoke up. “We’ve already got a spare room anyway.” He was still smiling, but Mila swore she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes – sadness, perhaps?

Luckily, that seemed to get Mayor Sparky grinning from cheek to cheek. “Great!” he said, clapping his paws together. “That leaves one less thing to worry about.” He then turned to Mila and held out a paw. “Well, I guess we’ve got it all settled, little miss. Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, we head out to Thunderclap Valley and start setting up some traps!”

Mila looked hesitantly at Mayor Sparky’s outstretched paw. Having a place to stay was great and all…but setting up traps was definitely something she didn’t sign up for.

Still, anything was better than being forced to sleep outside.

Letting out a sigh, she shook the mayor’s paw. “You got yourself a deal,” came her answer.

* * *

~Trueno Village, Lightfang Residence~

While Mila and Volt had gone to the Town Hall with Mayor Sparky, Jin and Leif had gone in search of Zipper to retrieve Leif’s Egg. Thankfully, the Blitzle wasn’t too hard to find, mostly due to Jin’s good nose.

After retrieving the Egg and giving Zipper some words of thanks, the two began walking down the path back home. As they did, Leif decided to make a small conversation with Jin…one that Jin was not at all looking forward to.

“Now, Jin,” Leif began. “I know you wanted to do the right thing by capturing this supposed beast. But what were you even thinking, running off like that and abandoning your chores? Your uncle and I specifically told you to watch over the wagon and the Egg. And what did you do? You decide to leave it to your friends, as per usual.”

Jin lowered his head in shame, unable to respond. While Aunt Leif was gentle with her words, she was also stricter than Volt when it came to doing chores. She was the family’s sole breadwinner, after all – her job was to help manage the restaurant at the local village inn.

Leif let out a sigh. “Your uncle and I have been raising you as best as we can,” she went on ranting. “Working ourselves tirelessly to the bone. Making sure to keep a roof over our heads, as well as yours. Keeping you well-fed, and fit. But it won’t work if you keep slacking off on your own chores. Especially since…”

She stopped right there. She always did. Jin already knew the rest of it, after all. He knew and remembered all too well about that dreadful night that changed his life—no, all of their lives—in the worst way possible.

It was hard…difficult, even. But Volt and Leif always tried to find ways to make things work.

Still, Jin knew it was only a matter of time before even the work they did wasn’t enough. He needed to find a way to help…and soon.

“Well, anyway,” Leif said, bringing him back to reality. “We appreciate how you’re always looking out for your friends. Especially George. But it won’t do you any good if you get hurt…or worse. You’re lucky to have met Mila at the time; otherwise, who knows what might have happened if she didn’t?”

Jin sighed. “I know.”

They eventually came to a stop at a small fork. Up ahead, the path continued onward and downward to Crackle Beach. There, Jin could catch a glimpse of Kilowatt Cavern and Kilowatt Heights, a joint Mystery Dungeon that overlooked the ocean beyond. And at the top rested the Booming Thunder Titan, who oversaw all of Thunderclap Valley.

To the right was a small cobblestone path that led up to their home – a simple blue dome that gradated to green at the base, decorated with yellow stars. A garden adorned the front of the house, while a clothesline for laundry was posted behind. A small hedge circled the property with a blue mailbox at the front. They took this path, only stopping once they got to the entrance.

“Now, there’s a good chance that Mila might stay with us for the night,” Leif said.

That was enough for Jin to perk up. He turned to his aunt, tail wagging with excitement. “Really?”

“Mm-hmm,” Leif replied, nodding her head. “Especially since she doesn’t have anywhere else to stay. And I don’t think she would want to take any chances of sleeping outside.”

“Well said, sweetie.” Volt’s voice brought their attention to the Luxray who was approaching them just now. Mila scampered next to him, her smile looking wider than before.

“Welcome home, Voltie,” Leif said as she walked over to nuzzle her husband’s face. “How was everything at Town Hall?”

“Better than I anticipated,” replied the Luxray, returning the favour. “We even had to help set up some of the Missing Pokémon reports around the village. Mayor Sparky is already on the move to deliver the rest to be distributed everywhere else.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” said Leif. “And what about Mila?”

“Mayor Sparky said I could spend the night with you guys,” Mila replied. “He also said he was going to help me set up some traps tomorrow.”

“Wonderful!” Leif bleated, tapping her front hoof. “I really hope everything goes well!”

Jin nodded. “I really hope George can be found soon.”

“I hope so, too,” Mila added.

A sudden gust of wind passed by, ruffling everyone’s pelts. They all looked up to find several black bird Pokémon with yellow highlights zipping across the sky. Each one wore a pair of brown aviator goggles over their eyes, and carried brown satchels as they flew off toward the distant horizon.

“Looks like the Wattrel Postal’s gonna be busy this afternoon,” Volt remarked. “Nice to know word travels real fast across the archipelago, though.”

He then padded forward on the cobblestone path and reached for the doorknob. He twisted it to the left before swinging it open, and then turned to Mila with a warm smile on his face.

“Welcome to our home sweet home, Mila,” he said, ushering the Sprigatito inside. “Please, come inside.”

As Mila entered the doorway, she took a moment to look at her surroundings. The room she was in appeared to be some kind of living room. There was a large, circular carpet in the center of the room with a blue and pink gradient, similar to a night sky. A wooden table was positioned on top of the carpet, surrounded by light blue cushions (presumably for sitting, she guessed). In one corner, a fireplace dimly burned, while in another corner sat another table with several picture frames. And straight ahead, behind a counter, Mila thought she could see what looked like a kitchenette of some sort, judging by a few wooden bowls and utensils.

She looked down and noticed that she was standing on top of a small welcome mat. It was soft as moss, and felt very soothing when she wiped her paws on it. She then scampered a few steps ahead, admiring the living room even more.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she heard Leif’s voice. Mila trained her gaze to follow the Gogoat as she made her way over to the kitchen area. “Would you like anything to eat or drink?”

A loud growl coming from Mila’s stomach answered Leif’s question. Mila’s face turned bright red as she quickly nodded. It had been a while since she’d eaten that Perfect Apple anyway.

Leif chuckled as she turned to something that was obscured by the counter. Mila could barely see what was going on, but she did notice two slender green vines sprout from Leif’s neck, followed by a series of creaking noises as Leif retrieved something.

As Leif rounded the counter again, Mila noticed that she was holding two identical objects in her vines. They looked like brown bricks, yet they smelled so sweet, so sugary…

“Chocolate!” Mila squealed, her tail rapidly wagging with excitement.

“Actually, it’s called Sweet Chocolate,” Jin corrected her as Leif handed the treats to him and Mila.

Mila retrieved her portion of the Sweet Chocolate and immediately took a bite out of it. Much to her delight, the taste of it was exactly how she remembered it – that sweet, sugary, savory treat, the kind that left her wanting even more.

She was so focused on the memory that she didn’t even realize that she’d already taken the last bite until all that was left was where bits of it melted on her paws. She wasn’t deterred from this, however, and merely licked her paws to get just a little more of that sweetness.

Leif chuckled. “Goodness me,” she said. “It’s been a while since anyone showed that kind of enthusiasm towards Sweet Chocolates. Looks like it must have hit the spot with you, am I right?”

“Very right!” Mila replied. She didn’t remember why, but somehow, she just had a nagging feeling that she really loved anything that was sweet – especially chocolate!

“So, Mila,” Leif said, turning to Mila. “Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?”

“Yes,” Volt agreed. “What were you doing in Thunderclap Valley? Did you, perhaps, try to explore beyond the Misty Woods and lose your way? Or were you tired of how things were going there and wanted to leave?”

Mila fidgeted with her paws. “I… I really don’t know,” she said. “I can’t remember anything. But I know I’m not a spy, nor have I heard about the Misty Woods until now.”

“Hmm…” Volt put a paw to his chin and closed his eyes, concentrating. Then, he opened them. “That sounds like a case of amnesia,” he concluded. “Though there is something that doesn’t seem to add up.”

Mila’s blood ran cold. Had Volt believed in Niko’s baseless accusation of her being a “spy”? Was she going to lose her one and only chance of figuring out about this world, and the archipelago? Was she…going to be all alone?

“It usually takes about a few months to cross the woodlands to Thunderclap Valley,” Volt went on. “And even then, there are still other Mystery Dungeons to consider.”

“Dear…” Leif tried to interject, but Volt glanced over at her before continuing.

“I may have to take her to see the doctor tomorrow,” he said. “Perhaps he might know something about her ailment, if she has one.” He smiled and clapped his paws together. “But first, I think we should help get you settled down.”

Leif nodded in agreement. “I’ll get the guest room rearranged,” she announced before heading to a doorway from the right, Volt following close behind. Soon, it was just Mila and Jin all alone in the living room.

Mila slumped back with a sigh. It had been one crazy day, and after everything she went through, a good night’s sleep was the best thing she could do to get the stress away.

She felt a paw touch her shoulder, drawing her attention to Jin. His yellow eyes were glowing with curiosity.

“There’s something I want to ask you, Mila,” he began.

“Sure, what is it?” Mila asked.

Jin took a moment to glance at the hallway, his ears pricked as he listened to the shuffling of furniture. It seemed as though Aunt Leif hadn’t used the guest room in quite a while. He then turned his attention back to Mila. “Earlier before, you said you weren’t a Sprigatito,” he told her. “If you’re not a Sprigatito, then…what are you?”

Mila stared at the table, taking the time to carefully think over her next words. She then took a deep breath and said three words…three little words that would finally reveal her true self:

“I’m a human.”

For a few second, the room was all but silent. Mila waited with bated breath as she glanced over to Jin. She noticed that he’d gone silent; his eyes were wide with surprise and his mouth was slightly agape.

“You’re…you’re serious,” he said with a slightly cracked voice.

Mila nodded in response.

Jin turned his gaze to the table, mouth opening and closing as he tried to formulate one single response to all of this. Mila, the once-scrawny Sprigatito who’d saved his life as well as Mayor Sparky’s life, was a human this whole time. And he didn’t even realize it until now!

Mila tilted her head to the side. “Um, are you alright?” she asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

“NO FREAKING WAY!” Jin suddenly squealed with excitement. His yellow eyes glowed with excitement as his tail wagged rapidly.

“Shhh, will you keep it down?!” Mila whispered, covering his mouth with both forepaws.

“Why?” Jin asked, pushing down her forepaws. “I mean, you’re a human turned into a Pokémon. That’s completely unheard of in the Raidon Archipelago! And this world hasn’t had a human come here in twenty years!” He leaned a little too close for Mila’s comfort. “Does that mean you’ve come to save the world? Did some Legendary Pokémon choose you, and that’s why you’re here?”

“What? No!” Mila squeaked in protest. She had absolutely no idea what Jin was talking about. Chosen by a Legendary Pokémon? Save the world? None of this made any sense. Besides, apart from the feral Scovillain and the beast of the valley that still held George hostage, she was pretty sure this world was doing just fine.

Jin frowned. “Then, why are you here?”

“I don’t know,” Mila sighed. “I just don’t remember anything. I know I was brought here for a reason, but…” She groaned and rubbed her head. “I don’t know what that reason is. It’s all a blank slate for me.”

Jin felt a strong sense of disappointment. This was the first time in his life that he’d met – and even befriended – a human. Yet, she didn’t know why she was here in the first place. Maybe the gods had mistaken her for another human they had chosen? No, then she would have been sent back to the human world. Besides, the gods had never made a mistake before, and even the Raidon Archipelago’s beloved guardian would have been smart enough to know whether a human was worthy or not.

Mila glanced over at the hallway. It sounded as if Leif was almost done with the guest room, and she wasn’t sure where Volt was.

She turned to Jin. “Can you promise not to tell anyone about me being a human,” she pleaded. “I don’t want to spread any more panic through the village.”

Jin thought this over carefully. He knew that Uncle Volt would eventually find out anyway, thanks to his X-ray vision. Plus, he was really excited to introduce an actual human to the rest of Trueno Village, even if said human had turned into a Pokémon. At the same time, however, he knew Mila was right. The villagers were already in a tussle over trying to find George and bring the beast of the valley to justice. Having a human in their presence could potentially make things worse.

“Alright,” he finally said. “I promise.” It wasn’t worth the risk after all.

Mila smiled. “Thank you,” she said. She placed a reassuring paw on top of Jin’s. “Don’t worry, though…we’ll tell them once we’re ready.”

Jin only nodded in response.

The soft clapping of cloven hooves drew the kids’ attention as Leif poked her head back in the living room. “Everything’s all set,” she announced. “Follow me, Mila.”

Mila stood up and began to follow Leif, only stopping to turn back to Jin. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

Jin smiled. “Yeah,” he replied. “I hope so, too.”

Mila returned the smile before turning to follow Leif down the hall to another room. Though it wasn’t as spacious as the living room, there was still plenty to be found. The back of the room had a large window that gave a clear view of the mountains ahead. To her right was a tall mirror, and next to it was a wooden chest of some sort. And at the very center, atop another circular carpet with a blue-and-black crystal pattern, was a single straw bed, the last of which Volt was putting together.

“Well, here it is,” Leif announced. “I know it’s not much, but…”

“No, no,” Mila replied. “This is perfect. Thank you.”

She trotted inside just as Volt was about to leave the room. “If there’s anything you need, just give us a holler,” the Luxray told her. “Otherwise, Leif will be escorting you to the Town Hall early tomorrow.”

Mila nodded her head. “Okie-dokie!”

Volt smiled. “Get some rest,” he said as he and Leif left the room.

Mila approached the bed and placed a paw on it, surprised at how comfortable it felt. Looking around to make sure she wasn’t being watched (and that Volt hadn’t turned on his X-ray vision), she then proceeded to pluck a few twigs and leaves that were still stuck in her fur, decorating her bed with them. Afterwards, she hopped up on the bed and circled around a few times before finally settling down.

As she felt the last of the sun’s warmth on her fur, Mila took the time to reflect upon all that had happened today. She knew she was a human who had woken up in Thunderclap Valley, apparently transformed into a Sprigatito. She also learned that there was some kind of beast roaming in the valley, and which had kidnapped a child.

Then there was the manner of the feral Pokémon, particularly that Shiny Scovillain. Though she barely knew what a Scovillain was like, she thought she was seeing things when its eyes returned to their natural black colour. Did that mean that the Shiny Scovillain had been possessed when its eyes were still blue?

She shivered, not wanting to think about it.

She felt her eyes grow heavy, and a great big yawn escaped her lips soon after. It was getting late – and besides, she needed her strength and energy tomorrow, didn’t she?

Curling up her body as tightly as she could, Mila allowed the soft straw bed brush against her fur. She took one last glimpse of the window, sleepily admiring the way the mountains stood out against the dusky purple sky.

Well, tomorrow’s another day, she thought as she slipped into a deep slumber.

* * *

~???~

“M-Mom? Mom, where are you?”

The Phanpy sniffled as he wiped his nose once more tonight. He’d been crying so much that he pretty much lost count of how many times that had happened.

It had barely been a day since George had been kidnapped, yet from his hiding place inside a crevice in the wall, it felt like an eternity. The passage of time was little more than a mere illusion when one was inside a Mystery Dungeon, after all.

George let out another sigh as he lowered his head. His mother’s warnings played in his head over and over again: “I don’t want you getting trapped inside a Mystery Dungeon.”

He’d followed that instruction to a T. Always did, ever since the day his father was lost to ruination. Corrupted in a way that he was no longer himself.

He shivered at the mere memory and buried his face even further.

He’d always been a stickler of the rules, always did what he could to obey his mother and make her proud.

And yet, all it took was for a feral to ruin it all. Kidnap him and bring him to its lair. He’d escaped, of course, but in the process he’d ended up lost inside the one place his mother warned him about: a Mystery Dungeon. And now, because of his reckless stunt, he was trapped.

So, here he was now, inside a stupid little crevice, hiding from his kidnapper. Sometimes, he’d poke his face out, only to cram himself back inside at the mere sound of a hissing noise.

He hated it here!

He wished he was home!

He wished he was with his mother again!

She’d probably gone and arranged a search and rescue party for him. Or, better yet, Mayor Sparky might have gone and contacted a hunter team – those groups of Pokémon who were best suited for doing dungeon rescues.

He glanced over at the supplies he’d managed to gather for himself: a half-eaten Perfect Apple, along with a few regular ones, some Oran Berries, even those pink, puffy Sleep Seeds.

He knew he’d done well gathering the necessary resources – learning about hunter teams was proof of that knowledge. And he was lucky to have gotten anything at all. But he knew his luck was beginning to run out, as was the food. And he didn’t know how much longer he’d last before he…

Before he…

George quickly shook his head. No! He couldn’t dwell on that. Jin never gave up, and neither should he.

Reaching out with his trunk, he sighed as he grabbed one of the Sleep Seeds. It was a long day, and he knew he was going to need his strength.

Cramming the Sleep Seed in his mouth, he chewed on it for a moment before gulping it down. He shivered as the sleepy feeling began to take over before finally giving in to sleep.

As he slept, he wondered how Jin and the others were doing without him…

End of Episode 1

#cyber art #cyber drabble #PMD Hunters of Ruination #Pokemon #Pokemon Mystery Dungeon #Mila the Sprigatito #Sprigatito #George the Phanpy #Phanpy #artists on tumblr #writers on tumblr

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randomnameless · 10 months

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How would you feel if IS decided to release a Forging Bonds where Claude and Hilda acknowledged Cyril's situation prior to Rhea saving him, Hilda specifically apologizes to him for what her family put him through, and Claude specifies that one of his first actions upon becoming leader of the Alliance was to outlaw any and all indetured servants throughout the country and free all the ones that already existed, along with giving them support structures to help them get readjusted to normal life?

On the one hand, it'd be pretty much the only choice IS has at this point if they were to ever adress the slavery problem in Almyra, and the writing team for Heroes has clearly shown itself to be more than willing to go against stances taken by the Fódlan games, such as having Lissa call out Edelgard on how stupid her stance towards crests is, so it wouldn't be entirely out of the realm of possibility; on the other hand, they did go out of their way to conveniently skip over the part of Cyril's backstory where he was a slave when he was added to Heroes, implying they really don't want to touch that subject either, and it'd be really lame if such a major issue with one of the three major countries in Fódlan was only ever addressed and resolved in the gacha game.

Anon,

Have you seen/lived through Book 7 of FEH?

All jokes aside, I think that even in the case FEH suddenly bring backs writers from the fridge, that would teeter to close to "uwu challenging a House Leader" and we know, with the bonkers A!Ingrid FB's event, that this is something they will never do.

Claude (and Hilda) having to grow from their FE16/Nopes selves?

Nah, can't do.

In a way, I think the Nabateans (and Billy?) were able to be "tooled"/"more developed" in FEH because, as ridiculous as it is, they're not the main selling points of Fodlan.

Lissa and Supreme Leader's FB was really odd, because FEH dared to go in that direction (ditto with Mila and Hegemon!gard) - so maybe they could... or, as seen in Engage with Supreme Forehead, they will try to erase everything that made her controversial or a character to begin with, to focus on "uwu rivals uwu school friends uwu".

So, if Supreme Leader's situation is that "difficult", I can't see them give the same amounts of fuck to Claude -

And, as you pointed out, given how Cyril's BG was "modified" to make sure House Goneril isn't mentionned or whatever happened in Almyra, I don't they will ever care - even if there used to be a time (or is it still going on?) where Supreme Leader's MYH blurbs, just like Dimitri's and Rhea's were periodically edited/modified by IS (especially the JP versions, for reasons we all know :p ) so, who knows, maybe one day, Cyril's MYH blurb will also be modified?

As for the idea in general -

In the paralogue, Hilda sorts of feels sorry for Cyril's time as a "servant" in House Goneril, which is like, the minimal kindness-reaction she can give, but there are no other mentions of that situation in this paralogue.

Hell, later on, when Hilda goes to Holst after the battle, she checks on his health, and recovers Freikugel - no mention of "plz tell people not to pick almyran children or at least don't give them so much work to do because they're having a hard time".

And while I liked the idea, in FE16, of Hilda being a sort of kind and caring character, who still has a lot of prejudices against Almyrans - she is lazy and doesn't want to do her chores because she's afraid she will mess up, and yet, she can be lazy because her House is the only one mentionned in Fodlan that has "servants" who aren't fed everyday who do "hard work" - because while Tellius went ham on the people who are prejudiced against other races, sometimes racism means someone can be the kindest and nicest person you ever know... except not to some other group of people (iirc we get this with Lyn's grandpa, who didn't approve of his daughter marrying Hasan, a Sacean, and yet, through his few lines and appearance, we see how he is a kind (albeit feeble) old man - who finally managed to get over his prejudice on his "deathbed", only for him to recover and spend time with his granddaughter at the end of Lyn's story).

Of course FE16 couldn't give this character arc to Hilda - which is kind of a shame, bcs tfw an ultra minor NPC from FE7 can grow but not a playable character in FE16 - but as an idea and concept, it could have been nice.

Instead, both Hilda and Claude are in a kind of limbo regarding this issue, because their games want to push the CoS scarecrow, thus the source of "everything wrong in Fodlan" and so, human vice, human greed and human failings aren't explored in their routes.

FWIW, I don't think any major state and its issues are explored in the Fodlan games, save for, maybe, Faerghus thanks to Nopes - and the Fodlan games aren't really concerned with tackling racism, even if I still give them a spot above Tellius, since Tellius has "biological reasons for anti miscegenation", but even if the games don't pretend to make a huge point of being "anti racism", imo this issue is best presented in the Elibe games.

TBH, I'd prefer a FB where Cyril interacts with the Nabateans and/or calls them his true family, maybe to someone like Medeus and or Xane or even later Jahn when he will be released? who wonder why he is hanging out with Dragons when he is only a human, Cyril replying that human or not human, Rhea showed him kindness and saved his life when no one else cared, so she is his mother and savior, period.

End of FB ends up with the Rheas overhearing him and each taking a turn to hug him which embarasses him to oblivion, with Seiros the Warrior not participating because she doesn't know that human yet, but if there is that kind of human in Future Fodlan, then even if Adrestia will fall, her fight wasn't for nothing.

#anon #replies #FE16 #3 Nopes #Cyril stuff #i know the FB wouldn't be about him per se #but tbh I don't see even FEH trying to develop Leicester and this particular issue more than the base games #they completely ignored it #why would FEH even tackle it?#say if Nader is ever added to FEH #I don't think his FB will be about the souvenirs and rampages and saturday raids #however much like Hegemongard and Supreme Leader who leave when their BS is pointed out #I think a Claude wanting to open borders with Almyra would also have a 404 error and blue screen and ultimately leave a conversation #when another character will point out how it takes 2 to dance and as long as Almyra doesn't stop the raids souvenirs and rampages #Fodlan will not accept to open its borders or even its heart to people who only want to kill them #Cyril being doted on by the Rheas in the FEH verse is a hc I really like!#Seiros the Warrior would try too but she's still at that phase where she thinks offering raw turnips is a sign of appreciation

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phemiec · 2 years

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your ocs Hag and Mire seem cool af, I gotta know some headcannons about them please~

Ahh! Thanks! Gives me an excuse to ramble about them under the cut (some bodyhorror stuff under the cut cuz it’s me and and it’s mutants just a heads up)

Okay so… basically in this AU Kurt and Toad have an enemies to friends to boyfriends thing near the end of high school, then go back to enemies after a falling out as the Brotherhood ramp up their violent revolutionary activity and go more underground so they can’t be stopped as easily.

I hc toad as trans in general but in this AU more specifically genderfucky in a kind of amphibious way, and actually giving birth out of his back like a Surinam toad (MAJOR Trypophobia warning if you look that up by the way) and so he thinks he’s just growing a couple new growths on his back and rolls with it cuz, hey, he’s used to his mutation changing his body a lot by now when suddenly OH FUCK WHAT THE FUCKS GOING ON then boom, uh oh, he’s got twins.

Toad doesn’t have any parental instinct at all really but even he knows a freedom fighting domestic terrorist cell is no place for babies so he breaks into the Xavier Institute in the middle of the night through Kurt’s window and leaves the girls with just a note that says “sorry. -t”

Kurt is obviously stunned and tries to find and confront him but no luck, the brotherhood are laying way low and using unknown tech to block Cerebro. Hank does some paternity test and finds out, yup, these are Kurt’s and Todd’s kids. Kurt has….a bit of an adjustment period, as well as some explaining to do as his and Todd’s relationship hadn’t exactly been in the open.

between everyone at the institute helping him though, he has a village of support in raising the kids, and he really does love them once he allows himself to accept that he’s actually a father, and he takes to it well. He is very doting and supportive but sometimes acts more like a friend than a parent. He’s not a great disciplinarian.

anyway on to the girls!

Hailey (Hag) is tough and rebellious and full of energy from a young age, she is always pushing limits, breaking rules and trying to come along on missions and combat training basically as soon as she can walk and talk. She has a tough time making friends and even as they grow up and more young mutant students closer to her age are recruited, she keeps to herself.

Especially after her acid spit and poisonous claws show up, she keeps everyone at arms length literally and figuratively. the only person she’s at all close to is her sister Mila, who she is very possessive of. She acts tough but is pretty sensitive to perceived rejection so it’s really more of a “hurt them before they hurt you” thing. Though she has some hero worship of the older mutants especially Wolverine as a kid and tries to impress him whenever he’s around, she quickly grows out of that.

Mila (Mire) on the other hand, is very social and curious, she is constantly asking questions and shadowing the adults and other students as a child. She is a dad’s girl for sure, but also thinks of Beast and Forge as paternal figures, ultimately she ends up working alongside them in the science lab quite a lot when she grows up.

She is extremely interested in mutant biology and the science of mutation more so than she is in fighting or politics. Though she is eccentric, and sometimes gleeful over things others find morbid, she is well liked by most of the other x-men because of her genuine, open minded and enthusiastic nature. She loves her sister very much and accepts her abrasive personality as just a quirk of character. Mila is the only person in the institute that isn’t a little unnerved or intimidated by Hailey, and in turn Mila is the only person Hailey fully trusts.

anyway eventually once they’re fighting out in the field they inevitably encounter Toad and he’s like “Oh shit! You’re those weird things that came outa me! I guess we should talk or something?” Kurt hasn’t told them anything about their other parent, so the girls agree, suspiciously but curiously, to sneak out and secretly meet up with Todd outside of battle.

when they meet it’s incredibly awkward for all of them, but Todd very plainly explains everything, and it matches up with what they’ve figured out so far. Mila sneaks some DNA from one of his hairs, and after it comes back positive the girls confront Kurt. Who sheepishly and regretfully fills in the blanks.

this is enough for Mila who has had her curiosity satisfied, but Hailey is furious. She is enraged that the enemy they’ve been fighting this whole time has been her other parent, and it spurs her paranoia over what else the institute’s been keeping from them. she keeps meeting up with Todd secretly on her own, and eventually meets the other brotherhood members and is gradually swayed over to their motives and methods.

Now feeling like her whole childhood was a lie, she tries to get Mila to leave with her and join the brotherhood, but when she won’t, Hailey feels fully betrayed, as though Mila is choosing everyone else over her. She leaves and joins the BH, and from then on it’s parent and child versus parent and child! Kurt and Mila are devastated and keep trying to get her back, but every attempt just bolsters her resolve, especially as she gets closer with Todd and forms bonds with the brotherhood members she never had with any of the x-men.

if there’s any reconciliation in sight I haven’t thought it up yet but that’s where they’re at in that drawing.

thanks for the interest! Been a while since I made such self indulgent OCs but I love them a lot lol.

#Hag and mire #xmen oc #x men evolution #Asks #anonymous #ocs #kurtodd #loooooong post sorry haha

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enmi-land · 5 months

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diaaa, I feel like I'm always firm w my ideas i send and like always resonate with them, but for this one, idk if it like rlly makes sense 😭😭😭 (probably bcoz im kinda tipsy, but you'll understand, hopefully) (bcoz idk if it fits jake or jay more 😭)

so, it all started when I saw a tiktok abt when miss princess meets Mr "ill spoil you even more than anyone". and I think?! it was like a shifting acc or sum idek 😭 but it was talking abt jake... so I thought to transport those ideas here !

the reason why I'm kinda uncertain abt this is cuz like we always see as jay spoiling mila, like buying her stuff, cooking for her etc, but I rlly wanted to solely project this "prompt" kinda w jake, as the original user intended to.

so here's my kinda interpretation of it:

I feel like as much as jay spoils her "money-wise" (and ofc every-wise), Jake is kinda the type to do it randomly ?! like idk how to explain it, but its not like jay where it comes '"naturally" if yk what I mean 😭😭

also see Jake not doing it money-wise, and more in other aspects. id see him carrying mila for no absolute reason, like babes she can walk 😭😭😭 ofc mila deserves it tho 🥰

and then, maybe if the other hyung like members, maybe jay is like stern w her cuz she's not eating properly or smth like that, Jake's definitely 100% the type to go behind their backs and give her that thing. (like chocolate or smth) JAKE WILL SNEAK MILA OUT of the dorms as if they're hiding their relationship even though they're not ?????

OOHH AND TAKINH HER OUT LATE AT NIGHT, EVEN IF IT ANNOYS THE OTHER MEMBERS 😿 like bros probably taking her out for dessert A LOT, EVEN MORE if he knows she's dieting (she doesn't need it :] )

also bro probably has a one-sided competition w jay to spoil her the most 😭😭😭 he probably religiously asks mila when she's getting her nails done, and then sends her design ideas and money.

princess treatment ON TOP ‼‼‼ and jts not even like smth major that he does yk, even the small things, like opening the door for mila, opening her drinks, helping her w the smallest things ! just bcoz he wants to be around her

but, there is just ONEEE scenario where the princess treatment may falter, and that's when Jake's gaming. like yes hes still aware of mila, happy to see her, even okay if she sits on his lap, but then she better sit still. bcoz then he'll be like 😦🥺

also all the credit goes to the og tiktok user who came up w this prompt, I'm just using the prompt to project my ideas in relation to jake and mila !

WAIT STOP bc i feel like jake defs fits the spoiling agenda bc like have you seen him with the maknae line?? fr ppl always talk about Jay spoiling but jake will always be the silent hero of the show ✨✨

is defs the the type who will complain whenever she tells him she wants to go somewhere, bc like “why can’t you go with one of the others” but literally will always en duo accompanying her, even if he’d rather be at home 🌸🌸 with jay, he can usually cook, so Mila doesn’t rlly go out to restaurants with him often (unless it’s for a special occasion), but with jake it’s defs a must for them to be going somewhere to eat especially when they go out ✨✨ but you’re so right… even tho jay is rlly soft for Mila, he’s the one who tends to scold her the most like the responsible bf he is, but jake is gonna use that chance to get brownie points 😆😆 defs is the type to be like “hers some money” or “here’s my card” and Mila is like “wtf” bc it’s not like she broke or anything but it’s just bc Jake likes when she brags about what she buys using his money 😼😼

no that’s so true like don’t get in the way of jake and his games 😆 would defs be like “hold up, soon I promise” but takes five hours before he finally puts down the controller or gets up form the computer chair ☹️☹️

i see jake as the kind of in between of jay and sunghoon, where he either spoils her or makes fun of her/manhandles to out of her like she’s one of the boys and there’s no in between 🤧🤧 but yess thanks to the person who made the TikTok!! 🎀 and thank you for dropping by to leave this in my inbox!! reading about your ideas always makes me happy 💟💟💟💟

#⠀⠀ 𓈒ㅤ ૮ ֗ ⠀⠀ you got mail ⠀⠀⠀ ꯭✉️⟡

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birdfables · 2 years

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The Hideous Strength of Baba Ili

The fire, though large, crackles gently. Its smoke wafts upward, out of a hole in the top of the hide tent. You sit down by the fire, just a few feet from the woman for whom you have been searching. Baba Mila.

She is quite old, sat down on a pillow and hunched over in her robes, clearly having trouble staying warm. Her hair is gray, skin pale and papery, her eyes milky white. “You have found me, and with good timing. This will be my last night. I am going to tell you what you have come to hear, you will say nothing and leave when I am finished. As soon as you have taken your eighth step from my tent, I will die. It is important that you do not turn back.”

You pause. Perhaps the stories of her oracular gift were true.

She turns to face you, giving you a better view of what’s left of her eyes. “You understand, yes?”

You nod in response, staying silent. It felt important to not say anything, somehow.

A middle-aged man brings her a small tray with tea and soft pastries, and she smiles as it’s set down in front of her. She carefully picks up one of the pastries as the man - her son? - walks away. A few moments pass as she nibbles on part of her last meal.

Then she begins speaking, her voice slow and rasping, but not giving out. “A long, long time ago, when our peoples were still one people, and the winter winds still loved us, there was a witch. One of the first witches, she was. A wild thing, she was. Witches often are, no? Hmm. Baba Ili, we call her, and she had strength beyond what any mortal person could normally have, and she used it to protect the people and fulfill her whims with equal glee.”

The woman pauses, nodding to herself. She takes a bite of the pastry, and then a sip of the tea. After a sigh, small black spots begin appearing on her eyes. Somehow, you are sure this has something to do with her seeing magic.

“But something happened to her. It set her down a dark path. Some say she was spurned by a lover, others that she gave in to the temptations of any mortal given power. I don’t quite believe either, you see, but what is important is where this led her, not how it started. She trafficked with dark powers. Ah...free advice, yes? Don’t deal with demons, except to banish or kill them. Or maybe to flee. They never want what is good for us. Never!” Mila continues.

She pauses again for a generous sip of tea, then rubs one of her shoulders. “My joints have ached badly for years. It is a small consolation, this night, that they will soon stop.”

The man returns with a blanket to drape over her shoulders. As he does this, one of Mila’s hands holds onto one of his for a few moments. The man is clearly trying to hide how distraught he is, but once again walks away. She takes a sip of tea, and finishes the pastry she had been slowly working on. “I am sorry I cannot bring you proper hospitality. But when the tale is told, I am sure that anyone in this camp will make up for this and more.

“Now, I shall continue. Baba Ili got very far down this dark path, her soul and her strength corrupted. Her strength became...more. Worse. She became possessed of a strength hideous enough to pull the sun, moon, and stars all from the sky, and she did. How they were returned is a tale all its own, but it took years.

“Hm. What is important is that under this hideous night, three great heroes rose to challenge Baba Ili. Each time, they fell, and each time Baba Ili claimed as her prize the privilege to rend our people in twain. We went from one great, unified people, with one rich, expressive language to eight scattered people with eight tiny shadows of that original tongue. Each time, our hearts were poisoned with contempt for one another, and it took many years of peacemaking and intermarriage to even become three peoples, as we are now,” Mila says. She pauses to cough, and then coughs again, almost doubling over. You instinctively reach over to her, but she waves your arm away.

After a few breaths, she drinks deep from the tea, and lets out a sigh of relief. She turns her eyes up to meet yours, dark blots floating over them. “Don’t worry about these...people like me who can see will see more during our final moments.”

“I am almost done with this part, is what is important. The most popular version of the tale says all the rest of the heroes of the land rose up at once, forming a great army that used strength and guile and magic all to slay Baba Ili. I happen to know this is not quite the truth, but that is not the part you have come to hear.

“What is important here is that the dark path she walked down could be trod again. It remained even after her death, and remained a temptation. Every few generations, someone would start taking those steps and become the Demon Witch, but it is always prophesied. With only two exceptions, every Demon Witch was irredeemably evil. The first exception is Natasya the Great, whose end was an immense tragedy. I remember my grandmother, who was there to see it, told me the story many times in my childhood,” the old woman says.

She wipes a tear from her face. “I cry at sad stories sometimes. Hmm. What is important, though, is the second exception.” At this, she seems to run out of breath, and takes several moments to eat most of a second pastry, and finish off the tea.

After a breath, she continues. “Here. Born to people who once lived among this band. Kostya was his name, and I saw that in him, the corrupted strength would grow so much that he would defeat death itself, and become...Deathless. It would have been so, so terrible. But seeing a prophecy, with rare exception, means things can be changed. And there is no Kostya the Deathless, is there? No, there is a Vasilisa the Demon Witch, his little sister. But I know for sure that this strength has awakened in Kostya, wherever he is.

“I did not let all the people know of the prophecy. Oracles who foresee the coming of the Demon Witch usually do not. Killing infants in their cradles is not the way to prevent tragedy. What we do, you see, is try to avert evil...well, we try. All but those two times, the Demon Witch starts down that dark path, but they are usually slain early. Before they start destroying the sky or dividing the people or other such evil things, is what is important,” she continues. The darkness has almost completely overtaken her eyes, interrupted only by pinpoints of brilliant white, so much unlike the milky white they were before.

“Kostya consciously defied the prophecy. Many have done this, and most have failed. Kostya, however, by luck or willpower or some blessing, succeeded. He was quite a strong boy, yes, but he did not have the hideous strength. He was a clever boy, but he did not learn magic or lay down curses. He was on the path to becoming a hero of the likes of Natasya the Great, and he knew it. His family knew it. His baby sister, Vasilisa, knew it. With this, you see, his family started favoring him over his sister, and he lorded it over her for years. She turned...bitter with the years. She started to consort with questionable folk,” Mila said, and shook her head.

“Kostya’s eyes were so dark. It felt like the darkness in his heart, even if it was not the Demon Witch kind, overflowed into those eyes. The important part though, is the night before Kostya was to head out to war, Vasilisa left home without telling her family where she was going. Kostya, failing to see this as important, went out to war and never came back. Perhaps the things he saw and did changed him enough that he could not come back. Perhaps he just died. I see many things, but not this thing.

“Vasilisa did come back, though, and with dark powers much like the Demon Witch of old. As far as the people know, she is the only Demon Witch, but I know this is not true. Her power was - and likely still is - great, but nowhere near the full potential of a Demon Witch. Hmm. It was still more than enough to wreak great havoc. She summoned evil things, or perhaps rose them from the earth itself, and sicced them on us. We were forced to unite into the short-lived stronghold of Devnaya. Over three years, the horrors lasted!

“And then Anechka, a warrior woman, came to fight Vasilisa. She had dark eyes, like Kostya...hmm, but otherwise like night and day. Humble where he was arrogant, giving where he was demanding, tame where he was wild. Regardless, she stayed in Devnaya for three months to fight off the hordes. Vasilisa’s minions tried to lay arrows and curses on her, but neither could touch her. It was so strange to see magic fail to touch what seemed like an ordinary woman! Yet extraordinary she proved to be, as in a final confrontation with Vasilisa, she cut through the magics protecting her and destroyed Vasilisa’s mortal form. Anechka left after this, but I do not think Vasilisa’s tale is quite over, even after a year. Sometimes a soul corrupted enough can come back, you see. Maybe not as a mortal, but as...something,” Mila continues, and by the end seems exhausted.

She struggles to hold up her body even more. It takes her several moments to push the tray aside. “I am sure I have not seen every part of this story, though. You see, my son swears up and down he saw Anechka heave a boulder off of the man it fell upon after Vasilisa’s horde launched it. But it is not my place to intrude, especially since my part is done.”

She lets out a long sigh. “More of this, I have seen, but it is more important that now I am done. I wish I knew all the whys. Now, go. Gather your cloak and step out into night, under the stars and the moon, beneath where the sun will soon be. Other mysteries await you. Worry not for me - my gifts will outlive me. Go. Go!”

At her insistence, you get up and turn to the outside. At your eighth step out of the tent, you hear a woman gasp sharply, then suddenly stop. A man’s cry follows. You stop, seized by something. Dread curiosity? The urge to help? You fight back, and eventually keep walking. It felt important to not turn around, somehow.

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iturbide · 5 years

Text

I guess Duma misses his sister, huh?

#submission #vitunhienokivi #fire emblem: heroes #aether resort #this is outrageously adorable i can't even #heroes when are you going to give us mila #duma needs his sister #dragon creche

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mermaidsirennikita · 7 months

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Please, give us some loser heroes

Hahaha gladly

(this got long)

I mean, I've gotta say, one of the loseriest heroes I've read recently is Envy from Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco. I've said it before and I'll say it again--if you're looking for a fantasy romance to try, especially if you normally read historicals, this is it (and TotF does stand alone if you want to try it first versus the trilogy that comes before it).

Envy is like, on a quest to save his court, and he's ostensibly a Prince of Hell and therefore very strong and full of supernatural gifts but like... He spends so much of this book falling flat on his face, ESPECIALLY with his heroine Camilla, who is Extremely Unimpressed. (There's a moment wherein he has to do something amazing to save his own life, and she's genuinely like assuming he's just going to die lmao.) His brothers randomly show up to dunk on him throughout the book. Not even for like, plot, just to be like "Sooooo have you seduced her yet? No? Shocker." He does things he thinks are so cool and then is like "Oh God immediate regret mistake".

*love him*

Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell is a recent read wherein the hero presents himself as very suave and confident, and he's like "I SHALL KEEP YOU HERE FOR SEVEN DAYS AND SEDUCE YOU, MY INNOCENT MUAHAHAHA" before being like "nooooo I have harmed the innocent, I AM A WORM!!!" when the heroine shows pitches an emotional fit at him.

Allegreto in Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale is another "muahahahahaha" hero, and he is like, legitimately dangerous and threatening (TW: noncon in the first encounter) but once the heroine, Elena, gets her hooks in him... He is.... a sad little baby. A sad little baby who doesn't think he can go to church because he's done too many murders and is going to hell. BUT HE'S COOL WITH THAT. He's totally cool with that.... he's cool.... Arguably even more of a loser if you read For My Lady's Heart first, which is set ten years earlier and features another couple (the hero is less of a loser but still has embarrassing moments like being visibly aroused in front of the heroine and getting called out on it by her in front of SEVERAL priests, and also thinking this heroine is his perfect lady who he's pledged to for thirteen years only to meet her for real and be like "oh my god she's kind of EVIL??? My life has been devoted to a VILLAINESS???? I'm so STUPID") and also a teenage Allegreto who does absolutely RIDICULOUS things like carry a plague apple around because he's scared of plague, and like, hold the hero's hand during sleep because he thinks the hero will ward off plague, and pretend to be A CASTRATO for an ELABORATE SCHEME which he HONESTLY DID NOT HAVE TO DO.

A Rose at Midnight by Anne Stuart (TW: a lot of dubcon between the hero and heroine at first, noncon in the heroine's past not with the hero) has another "I am such a villain, my lady!!!" hero who is actually a massive ball of guilt and angst. The first time they sleep together she actually secretly enjoys it and hates herself for it, but she didn't Get All The Way There and he walks away like "I'M SO EMBARRASSING I CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT" and like kicking rocks while pretending to be very above it.

Mafia Madman by Mila Finelli. Enzo d'Agostino's master plan is to kidnap the heroine by blowing up a bar for REVENGE and everyone around him is like "honestly your master plan... doesn't even make a lot of sense" even though it TOTALLY makes sense, y'all just DON'T GET IT. He then proceeds to get schooled by the heroine at every opportunity and become her dog (literally there's a bonus epilogue where she's gone for like 30 seconds and his brothers are like "look at what she did to him, he used to be a perfectly good mafia don, now he has anxiety").

Charlotte and The Seductive Spymaster by Grace Callaway has the titular spymaster who faked his death to keep his wife safe and IMMEDIATELY regretted it, returning from the dead twelve years later and getting mad that she's flirting with another man. So he like. THROWS ROCKS AT THE OTHER MAN??? FROM A SECRET HIDING PLACE? Embarrassing behavior. He also faints at one point. Like, it made sense, but I still laughed my ass off. And his wife is super competent, so she's constantly like "... really?"

Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas has Kev Merripen, who is extremely competent on paper because he's literally the only person in that series who has a real job, but emotionally... the boy ain't right. He literally thinks that if he sleeps with Win ONCE she'll get pregnant and die. He like, hides in the background. Married by Morning also has an extremely losery moment from Leo Hathaway in which he basically does that thing from that meme where he trips and drops all of his obsessive things about the heroine, and the obsessive things are tons of drawings he did of her wearing nothing but her glasses. And she's like ".... you sure have an active imagination". Honestly, Harry from Tempt Me at Twilight also has his share of cringe, like the time he thought he was super hurting Poppy during her first time, so he just jumped off her and hated himself for days and ran away and she had to literally hunt him down and go "I'm FINE now FINISH IT".

Hart Mackenzie from The Duke's Perfect Wife, I will always maintain, is a massive loser who pretend to be extremely competent. Like, he's all "Eleanor, as you know, we did it three times when we were engaged" and she's like "yes.... like a decade ago Hart... I'm not.... impressed". He's being blackmailed by a stranger who sent Eleanor (a reporter) nude photos he took years ago and he's like ".... well those certainly are photos I took Eleanor". He gets all growly at her and she boops his nose. It's pathetic.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole, aka "he's constantly being reincarnated after sleeping with the heroine, like they hook up and then he just dies half an hour later in what sound like frankly increasingly comical death scenes, and she's immortal so she finally just gives up on even kissing him"... One of the legitimately saddest heroes I've ever read, lol. He's been brainwashed into hating immortals (with some solid reasons tbf) so he's like, the head torturer in this prison of immortals (TW, it's kinda intense) and he HAAAATES the heroine and she's DETERMINED to kiss him to kill him this time because she HAAAATES him. But like. His body count is like 1.5 because he's never actually really been interested in anyone because, though he doesn't know it because he doesn't remember, his soul only wants HER. So he meets her and is very *boing* about her and HATES it, and they literally have a fight in his office where he ends up on top of her and she's like "... I can feel EXACTLY how into this you are" and he's like !!!!!!!!!! He's just increasingly confused.

Also, this leads very nicely into Lothaire, where the big bad of the series is revealed to be a frankly loony tunes nightmare who's like "honestly I'm only 50% lucid at any given time". And he does a lot of puzzles in his spare time. And he wears trenchcoats because he thinks it looks cool (it doesn't). And he's constantly getting OWNED by a 24 year old psych major dropout. Like, she'll just perfectly diagnose him and he goes "... well you got me there". At one point, she hops on it with their clothes on (because he's trying to menacingly be like "YOU HAVE NO CHOICE" but it was actually exactly what she wanted him to do) and he has an Incident in his jeans, and she later finds him in the shower and throws said jeans at him like "NEXT TIME YOU TRY TO BE ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY REMEMBER WHAT I MADE YOU DO LOSER". Sad of him.

Embry Moore in Sierra Simone's New Camelot trilogy falls in love with Ash when he's literally stepping on him. And it's honestly just a string of embarrassments after that.

The Master by Kresley Cole (Kresley kinda specializes in Powerful Losers) features a billionaire Russian mafia hero shivering in the rain while the heroine takes an important test texting her like "I hope you do well :D!" because he's trying to get on her good side again lmao I was frankly embarrassed on his behalf

A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley features the demonic big bad of the last book coming back with AMNESIA and the heroine rescues him from getting beaten up in like, the first chapter. And he's all "wooooow she's so strong *_*"

Hugo and The Maiden by S.M. LaViolette has a sex worker hero who's all "I'M JADED, I CARE FOR NOTHING BUT MYSELF" getting shipwrecked while being transported on a tiny island, and he gets picked up by a giant, sweet guy who carries him like a baby (while he angrily protests) to this makeshift hospital where the heroine, a vicar's uptight, bossy daughter berates him, and it's like all downhill for his dignity from there.

We cannot forget my beloved Duke of Lockwood from The Duke Gets Even, who spends three books getting swerved or cucked or both, and finally admits he's into Nellie and is all "we shall begin a no strings affair" only to like, immediately fall in love with her. And the rest of the book is her being like "we aren't going to get married Lockwood" and he's all "but whyyyy" and she's like "because you literally said this was a no strings affair which is the only reason why I agreed to it. (Him: :(.) He's also completely broke and thinks that he, as a duke, has sway in America, and there's an entire scene where Teddy Roosevelt himself is like "I like you but I can't help you because you're actually just a broke loser here" after he tries to boss up.

Wynter from C.L. Wilson 's The Winter King is all, "I'm a conqueror, I'm so dangerous, if you don't give me a child within a year I'll leave you on a glacier to die" only for everyone in his employ to be like "girl the glacier thing is actually bullshit". He's actually a puppy. The heroine discovers that he makes sad little ice sculptures of his dead family because he's so lonely. I was like "aww" but also "Jesus dude go outside".

The Duke Gets Desperate features a duke who's an art history major, basically, and like all art history majors (I say as one) he has no applicable life skills and his estate is going under. (I LOVE a broke aristo.) So when the heroine shows up having also inherited the estate and is like "we're going to charge people for tours of the castle to make sure we can pay for it" he's all "GAAAAAASP MADAME DUKES DO NOT HAVE TOURS OF CASTLES DUKES ARE DIGNIFIED AND BROKE!!"

Mercy by Sara Cate features a hero who was literally a cheater in a previous book, a rotten SCOUNDREL finding out that what he really needs to straighten up is to be humiliated and dominated by an older woman (ideally, his dad's close friend).

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian has former highwayman and local sad man and cafe owner Kit begin tutoring dandy swordsman Percy on how to like, rob people. But Kit is ridiculously attracted to Percy, something Percy clocks immediately by being like "this loser is looking at my ankles" and whenever Percy Does Something to Kit Kit is like "THANK YOU OMG".

Oh, speaking of, Shane in Heated Rivalry is like, a perfect athlete and also a massive dork. He's also a "thank you omg that was amazing" guy and then is immediately like "I SAID THANK YOU???" At one point when he and Ilya do it for the first time his inner monologue is like "what if we get stuck together and the fire department has to come and pull us apart and EVERYONE WILL KNOW". A human ball of anxiety. Constantly embarrassed by himself. Ilya is more confident and smooth but also has some losery moments, like when they're camming for each other and he looks at Shane after and says in Russian "I'm so in love and it's horrible" lmao.

Lol Jamison from Tracey Livesay's American Royalty is notably pathetic because he's like, a frosty uptight British prince, and as soon as he sees the heroine he immediately becomes a slobbering ridiculous mess. He manages to keep up the frosty prince act for approx. five minutes.

Managed by Kristen Callihan. Scottie is so in control and prickly and TOGETHER... except for the scene where he fishes her dirty laundry out in the bathroom and does Unspeakable Things and then hand washes it and hides it under the mattress for Later and she FINDS IT.

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller has a virginal hero who believes he must be celibate to be an amazing operative, and he's great at the operative stuff, but he's soooo into the heroine. At one point there's a scene where she's bandaging him and she touches his ribs and he's like "pls stop" and she's all "why" and then Looks Down and goes "oh". Humiliating stuff!

Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez has a hero who gets caught by the paparazzi when he's servicing the heroine on his knees in a car. Very sad for his dignity.

#i mean there are more #i guess i just really like men being humiliated #romance novel blogging #book recs #romance novels #declan chase (DC!) is really peak humiliation and he deserves it #when he's like...#sitting on a chair while regin sits in a bathtub talking about how they could live out this life #and he's like *I literally can't handle this* shifting around in the chair #getting put in Torturer Detention bc he 'put his had in the cookie jar'#(she is the cookie jar)

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sshbpodcast · 2 years

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We flatter you, sir, we flatter you!: The best Cardassians in Star Trek

By Ames

We’re wrapping up our series of alien species discussions with one of our favorite Star Trek races: the Cardassians! These are a people that are so varied that it’s a relief from more monocultural societies. Instead, we get to see all kinds of individual motivations that make our reptilian friends tick. Whether they’re fascinating villains, redeemed heroes, or (more likely) a little bit of both, these are the best of the best that A Star to Steer Her By has compiled for you!

Cardassians concoct some of the best-laid schemes of the show, even outdoing the best Romulans we discussed previously. Check out our favorite spoon-headed friends below, listen to our discussion on this week’s podcast episode (Cardi chatter at 1:00:08), and pour yourself some kanar as we toast the Cardassian Union!

[images © CBS/Paramount]

Ames – You knew I was a snake…

Dukat

Mila

Madred

How could I not pick some of the most villainous, secretive, manipulative characters we’ve met in all of Star Trek? I’ll start things off with our favorite gul whose layered portrayal, self-serving motivation, and sexy swagger drive him head, neck, and shoulders (but especially neck) above the competition. Let’s also give some praise to Tain’s housekeeper who has hinted depths that Andy Robinson makes canon in A Stitch in Time, and to the nefarious Orwellian agent from TNG who had Picard seeing who knows how many lights?

—

Chris – Shades of obsidian

Garak

Damar

Marritza

We see in Chris’s favorite Cardassians how a character can go from toady in an evil government to rebel for a good cause on their way to redemption, or at least as close as they can get with the number of literal skeletons in their closets. There is a thick grey area for characters like the former Obsidian Order operative turned simple tailor, for the right-hand man to a tyrant turned revolutionary leader, and to the file clerk turned martyr for the people his kind nearly obliterated, and we salute them!

—

Jake – A few good lizard men

Marritza

Damar

Ghemor

Jake’s picks turn out to be good people at heart, contrary to the totalitarian nature that drives most Cardassians. Early in DS9, we were fans of the lowly file clerk who concocted a needlessly elaborate scheme to bring about some much warranted justice. Later, we got to watch the full realization of one character who sees the Dominion for what they truly are and sacrifices himself for the cause. And pour one out for the rebellious father who tries to save his daughter only for someone who looks like his daughter to save him.

—

Caitlin – Wanna spoon?

Ghemor

Rejal

Garak

Caitlin put together a list of Cardassians who follow their hearts and do what they do for the love of family, romance, and maybe just some lunch with a cute Starfleet doctor. We were fully sympathetic to the secret rebel who formed a fatherly kinship with Kira through their couple episodes together. DS9 gave us some great awkward tomfoolery when a young Cardassian scientist got the hots for O’Brien of all people. And what else can we say about Gar/shir that slashfic all over the internet hasn’t already planted in our wildest imaginations?

—

Those are all the alien races we’re covering for this blog series, so thank you for taking this trip through the galaxy’s family tree with us. There will be plenty more topics for us to explore as we get through more Trek, so continue following along here, keep up with our trip through the Delta Quadrant on SoundCloud, hail us on Facebook and Twitter, and count how many lights you see. We’ll wait…

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af1899 · 3 years

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Resplendent Kagero is here!

Artist: Kakage. (Also did art for Erinys, Resplendent Azura and [4 more])

Theme: Dökkálfheimr.

Official page + all art: click/tap here.

And announced two days before than normal, way to go!

Now, I'll share below what I think of the artwork plus do a mini showcase, but an appreciation post might be coming later this month.

Reaction

I thought I'd share this short anecdote before moving on to talk about the Resplendent upgrade, feel free to skip this part if you want.

So... it was 5 a.m. when I woke up and thought for whatever reason I'd go to Twitter and see if there's any fan art up, still half-asleep, then I saw a funny edit of Kagero doning what seemed a watermelon themed attire, at first I thought it was fan art the OP made, but it was hard to believe, I knew my eyes were deceiving me since I know about their edits.

Scrolling a bit further below in my feed, I found out the truth... 🥴

Kagero got a Resplendent upgrade!!! 😱

I was shook when I saw the artwork and laughed at how I mistook a meme for fan art, when it was actually edited official art... lol. 🤭

I'm so happy in this moment, but worried I might not make it to round up enough cash for a subscription to get her, Kagero is my favorite character in Fire Emblem Fates and I'd be delighted to invest in every version she has in Fire Emblem Heroes (and save the $5 it'd cost getting her once her distribution period is over), but so far still had not luck getting a job.

Anyway, I'd like to express my hype for this upgrade plus share thoughts on art and some preliminary appreciation for my best ninja. 🤎

Artwork

As you could see above, Kagero is doning Dökkálfar attire... and I really love it.

The color palette alludes to her original uniform as a ninja from Hoshido, and this art even draws from some of the original elements like her scarf, and what's more, some elements got cool replacements, like her hairpin now being a butterfly shaped one, to match with the whole Dökkálfar thematic.

And you can see in how determined and strong-willed she is like she's always been to carry on with her job and protect Ryoma (even going as far as sacrificing herself if it means safeguarding him), who she devoted to protect and underwent rigorous training to achieve that, she never lets her attire bother her or interfere with her duty, but it seems she doesn't mind to try out in new fashion.

Did I mention I really like butterflies?

Also... one thing would be certainly... questionable, is the size of her breasts, I knew they weren't that big in her original design and even in Lack's take on her, but that's how it's been ever since her Spring alt is a thing, not that it really bothers me, but I highly favor design consistency.

That'd be the only thing I'd "dislike" in the artwork, but even like this, the design overall is just too beautiful and well done for me to even worry too much about this detail... also, feels kind of fitting the artist is similarly named like her.

I'm also liking how her voice sounds, but I'll wait for all quotes to talk even further about that and give my final opinion.

And certainly, she'll appreciate the boost in every stat, she can potentially use all of them even in a player phase build, so long as you stick to her refine.

I rate the art: 9.5/10

Showcase

Nothing particularly too special, nevertheless, here she is:

I don't use her as much as before since I got other projects to focus on and [HM] in slow but sure grinding process (as you can see, hers is already maxed out), plus I still don't have the fodder I want on her, which includes [Sturdy Impact], the most expensive thing I have given her is [Darting Blow 4] with [Null Follow-Up 3] from one of the 4 Legendary Alm copies that trolled me while pulling for Mila in her debut, I also foddered a Lethe since I refuse to make of her a project and thought Kagero could use better [Spd/Def Solo 3] for the meantime until I get her the A-skill I really want on her, but so far I was never pitybroken by a Tibarn...

Still, I'm happy with her performance and utility, being still a strong player phase unit with good offenses and ability to take incoming retaliation damage with ease thanks to her refine effect, even nowadays, it's still great and effective, and works effectively with {Impact} skills since her refine effect works only in foe's first attack and said skills generally prevent the foe can make a second attack, which would do the normal amount of damage instead of it being halved.

At the present, I use her in Anima season [AR-D] with [Fury 3] and [Atk Smoke 3], but otherwise I used to run her with the build shown above, back when I got [Infantry Rush 3] on her, Kagero was still part of my [Arena] offensive team, providing a source for area debuffs and support for my Sonya so that she could run [Hardy Bearing], as [Vantage] remains a weakness of hers, but that's still hardly an issue since over time I found out it's extremely unlikely for me to run into someone who could easily counter my Sonya before she gets to deal the finishing blow... so, sadly, Kagero has been slowly replaced by other units, as I also didn't feel any need for debuffs anymore.

It might be true that, for now, I don't use her like before, but my main driving force to keep playing Fire Emblem Heroes is undying appreciation for my favorite characters in the series, Kagero being among them.

To put it short — as to why I like her — I'm most fond of her gorgeous design and rather interesting personality; she shows a clear interest in protecting her liege and commitment to do so, and this is for pure dedication to the country and the people she's most fond of, she seems serious just from looks, but she's a dutiful woman with a certain kindness in a sense, always watching over the people she cares about from the shadows.

Anyway, I'm really hyped for this Resplendent upgrade and here's hoping I can make a proper showcase and appreciation talk later on, while I'd love to secure her Resplendent upgrade once it starts to be distributed, it won't be the end of the world if I can't get it, I just would like to save the $5 it'll cost getting her later.

Thanks for reading my post (I sure rambled for quite a while lmao 🥴) and take care!

#feh #fe heroes #fire emblem heroes #FE Kagero

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fantasyinvader · 3 years

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Lately, I feel like Echoes was a case of being misunderstood. People often treat Alm’s sides taking the nobility to task as one of the game’s central messages, one that is broken by him being the true heir to the Empire. Not to mention fuck the god. Perhaps this is why people gravitate towards Crimson Flower, because it makes itself look like it’s doing just that.

But I think the story was something else entirely. Consider that Alm lived as a commoner in Zofia. He’s not going to have the same point of view as someone like Clive or Fernand. He’s going to understand the plight of the common man more than them even with his education at the hands of Mycen, and his upbringing is certainly going to be different from the social Darwinist views of Rigel. And even his own points of view gets ends up being challenged.

Meanwhile, you compare this to Celica. Celica who believes Mila will solve the land’s problems, and after that will even sell her soul to Duma. Celica’s belief in the gods is her flaw, not because she has faith but because she’s dogmatic in this regard. She believes that the gods will save the people, rather than believing people can save people even after all the stuff she’s done during her route.

Echoes is a story about points of view. How important it is to see those of others, rather than just sticking to your own beliefs stubbornly. Duma fought against Naga and was exiled because he didn’t agree with her, founded his own country based on his own beliefs which ultimately led to the social Darwinist Rigel and the Duma faith we see in the game. He and his sister end up growing apart from each other because their views are incompatible. Jedah is a devote follower of Duma’s beliefs, to the point of sacrificing his daughters to the mad god. Fernand’s classist views lead him to defect from the Deliverance, while Berkut’s views eventually lead to him sacrificing his lover for power. Rudolph pushing the entire continent to war because that’s just how Rigel rolls, not to mention instilling it’s mentality into Berkut.

Even Clive at his worst still believes in keeping the current system in place despite his talk of looking out for the common man, while Claire is completely unaware of how the masses really live. And we get no shortage of commoner characters who explain that they’re in this for money at first, and how the system won’t benefit them due to the inequalities already in place. Merit is only a thing when it’s useful for someone higher up in the food chain. And then we have Faye’s devotion to Alm... her creepy, creepy devotion to Alm that she never gets over even after marrying someone else.

Not to mention, in Fernand’s case his fall is started when his family is murdered by commoners. Kinda hard to say the game is about fuck the rich when that’s there.

I feel like a lot of what Echoes had to say is pretty revelent to the conversation surrounding Three Houses. People say the game is about different points of view, but then take Edelgard completely at her word. They’re willing to justify her actions because she says she’s doing it for the people and fuck the gods, but her system is all about giving herself absolute power and promoting people who will be useful to her. She’s the one fighting agaisnt the rest of the world, a world that was confirmed to have been developed to support fighting against her in Silver Snow. It’s led to an insanely dogmatic fanbase that refuse to budge from their position, creating all sorts of elaborate headcanons to justify what they’re supporting rather than taking the time to see what the entire game has to say, They don’t take the game’s information in good faith, instead believing whatever they think is true is.

And is it any surprise Heroes explicitly compared Edelgard to Duma?

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sassyduckqueen · 3 years

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Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 57

Whooo!! The next chapter!! I hope you guys like it. It was fun to write and to follow up on the Mob Boss chapter. Also only on more chapter to go then it's time for my Miracle Queen and love eater. I have a nice plan for that :D Anyway, next up is actually pixelator so that should be fun to adapt.

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Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Song of the Frightingale

Luka sighed to himself as he tapped his foot nervously. He was sat in an waiting room, waiting to go inside to talk to a therapist. Penny had actually been the one to suggest it, bringing it up to his mother. The captain had agreed and they had contacted one of the best for him. Luka himself had tried to insist that he was fine and didn't need to see a therapist but if he was been honest with himself, he knew he wasn't fine. Despite Issac been arrested, he was still suffering from the whole experience. He wasn't getting much sleep because he was waking up from nightmares but that wasn't even the worst part. He had broken down in gym when Mr D'Argencourt had shouted. It hadn't even been directed at him but it had triggered a full blown flashback and panic attack. Aurora and Marc had been the ones to calm him down as he saw Mr D'Argencourt as Issac and had cowered away, afraid. He sighed to himself as he played with his hands. He had been more anxious as well and had taken to turning into Anatis more then necessary but he had found he wasn't as afraid when he was in the suit. He figured it was because in those moments, he wasn't Luka. He wasn't powerless or helpless. He was strong and the hero of Paris.

"Luka Couffaine?" The receptionist called out, making him jump. He was sat on his own but that's because he asked to go alone. Anarka was working more often at the moment and he didn't want to bother anyone plus it was something he wanted to face. He looked at the receptionist who gave him a nice smile. "Dr Lang is ready to see you now,"

"Thank you," He mumbled, getting up and walking over to the door. He knocked on it and entered, noticing the chinese paintings on the wall straight away before turning his attention to the doctor. She looked like she was in her early 30s and was very pretty. Her hair was dark and tied in a loose bun and she wore a red cheongsam with black pants. Her eyes were dark brown and she was asian decent. She smiled softly at him and gestured to the seat in front of her. He slowly took a seat as she took out a notebook.

"Luka Couffaine, I'm guessing?" She asked, making him nod. "I'm Doctor Mila Lang,"

"It's nice to meet you," He mumbled, playing with his hands.

"Likewise," She replied, writing down on her notepad. "I read over your notes and it mentioned that you recently experienced a traumatic experience?"

He nodded, glancing down. She rose an eyebrow as he played with his hands again.

"My stepfather kidnapped me and tried to kill me," He muttered as she wrote on the notepad again.

"Your notes also mentioned you broke down at school?" She asked, glancing up at him. "Care to explain to me what happened?"

"I was in gym and Mr D'Argencourt had risen his voice at one of the other boys but it spooked me and I started to feel panicky. It just got worse from there," He sighed, frowning and looking to the side, trying to focus on something while he retold the story. "I started to panic as I began to feel like I was back in the warehouse my stepfather had held me in and I begin to freak out as I saw Mr D'Argencourt as my stepfather and then it was like I was living it all over again..."

"A flashback..." She muttered, writing down the details. "Do you have similar nightmares?"

He nodded, making her frown a little.

"How often?"

"Almost every night..." He admitted, frowning. She wrote it down too. "Even my mediation doesn't help anymore..."

"You mediate?" She asked, glancing up at him. "Why?"

"Um to help my mind and feelings... I'm kind of sensitive I guess..." He mumbled, not wanting to tell her about the empathy. Doctors tended no to believe in things like that. "Part of the reason why I started it was because of my stepfather. Um... he was... he wasn't a very nice man and would look for any reason to hit me. I had imaginary friends as a child but he would punish me for talking to them. As I grew up, I moved on from them as kids do but then he would punish me for not completing my homework on time or for wanting to learn to play guitar. He would even punish me for been sick or for crying... so I started to mediate to calm myself down before he got home... after he left my life, I continued with it because it helped ground me..."

"It mentions in your notes that you were homeschooled for the last six years and that the last time you were in a normal school was when you were nine years old?" She asked, looking up at home. "And you also use to live Bordeaux?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Luka replied, making her nod. "We moved to Paris after my ma split up with my stepfather,"

"You mentioned your stepfather was abusive towards you... can I ask if he was abusive towards your mother?" She asked, glancing up at him.

"He was but I only found out recently," He admitted, looking down. Dr Lang nodded and wrote on the notepad again.

"Ok," She muttered as Luka tapped his fingers. "Let's talk about the akumas,"

Instantly, he froze up, making her frown a little. His eyes had gone wide and his hand was actually shaking.

"Luka," Her voice made him look up as he felt his heart rate increase and he felt sick. "I want you to close your eyes and focus on your breathing,"

Luka nodded and did as instructed as Dr Lang frowned a little, writing down on her notes that he had a panicked response to the word akumas. She had been working with a number of the akuma victims she arrived in Paris a year ago and a lot of them had unique reactions to them but she hadn't seen anything of them almost enter a panic attack just by mentioning the word. Slowly, Luka calmed down, focusing on his breathing. He had experienced a number of panic attacks since Blackout but since Mob Boss, they had gotten worst. He didn't get them as Anatis but he just figured that's because he had a way to fight them and that they hadn't gone near him or tried to possess him but when he thought about them or someone mentioned them, his mind just went into overdrive.

"While we talk about them, I want you to keep focused on your breathing ok?" Dr Lang's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he nodded. "Ok. Your notes mentioned that you have been possessed by akumas twice but have never actually turned into a supervillain. Is this correct?"

"Y-Yeah," Luka replied, taking slow but steady breathes.

"Let's tackle the first one. My notes mention that you were almost possessed before the akuma blackout happened," She stated as he kept his breathing steady. "Can you tell me why?"

"M-Mr Roth stole my music and my friend's costumes," He muttered, thinking back on that day. Everything had been great until they realized Bob Roth had ripped them off. "S-She had worked so hard on them and I got so mad because he stole them and then he threatened her..."

"And he also stole your music?" She asked, making him nod. "What happened when the akuma entered the item you were holding?"

"I h-heard Hawkmoth's voice. He called me Silencer but then there was this buzzing noise and I tried to tell him no but he insisted and the buzzing got worst then I heard Marinette scream before I had a seizure and blacked out," He replied, not telling her about the hut or meeting Feng. She wouldn't understand. "I briefly woke up when Marinette tried to get me away from the akuma but I don't remember much from it to be honest,"

"I see," She replied, looking up from her notes. "And what happened the second time?"

"I... I almost suffocated," He replied before sighing. "H-Hawkmoth wanted to give me the power to escape. Even a s-sentimonster this time,"

He took a deep breathe.

"He decided Escape Artist would be my akuma but I had another seizure. It was... worse then before," He continued before frowning as he thought about why. "M-Maybe it was because I had been beaten up or because it was an akuma and an amok but I couldn't breathe..."

She nodded as he spoke.

"M-My stepfather had put duct tape around my nose and had broken my nose and ribs. I only managed to escape because one of his men actually realized I was fitting and removed the duct tape and handcuffs. I escaped while they were distracted," He replied as he felt tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. "S-Sorry,"

"It's fine to cry, Luka," Dr Lang replied, grabbing a box of tissues before passing it to him. He took one out and wiped his eyes. "You have gone through a lot in the last few weeks. Been nearly akumatized twice, having your step father attempt to abduct you and then actually succeed and try to kill you. It's not a surprise that you are frightening and having nightmares. Your mind is trying to deal with that trauma but bottling it up won't help,"

"With all due respect, Doctor but if I don't bottle it up then I could be at risk at been akumatized again and it's not like that's very good for me," He replied before sighing. "I am afraid but I can't let myself feel it. Hawkmoth preys on negative emotions,"

"I understand that, Luka but it isn't a healthy coping method," She replied, making him frown. She was right. He knew that but there was a lot more at risk for him then just been akumatized. He would have a seizure again but more importantly, he was Anatis. He couldn't afford to be akumatized. "Now it's an excellent thing that you are meditating but have you tried to keep a diary or a journal?"

"I have one but I only really use it for important things," He replied, thinking about the one he kept some of his superhero thoughts in.

"I think you should take up writing one," She replied, making him nod. "I think it will help releasing the negative emotions but another thing you should considering doing is socializing. Go out with your friends. You're a teenager, Luka. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, even if it feels like you do,"

"What makes you think that?" He asked, looking at her. She didn't feel like she knew his secret but maybe she did. She chuckled and tapped her pen.

"You have a part time job, you live with your mother and sister and more then likely you see yourself as the 'man' of the house or their protector," She replied, making him frown. "And your file mentions that your reaction to waking up in hospital wasn't 'am I ok' but 'is everyone ok?'. It suggests that you see yourself as someone who's job is to protect those who are weaken then yourself and while it is noble and there is nothing wrong with that, I don't wish for you to forget that you're still a teenager. You're 16 years old after all,"

"You're wrong about one thing," He stated, making her look at him. "I don't view myself as my family's protector. I know my ma and sister are more then capable of looking after themselves but even if they are, I'll protect them. Not because I'm the 'man' of the house but because it's the right thing to do and because I refuse to become like Issac,"

"It's good that you don't want to be like him and it's good that you have a strong sense of justice," She replied, making him nod. "But just don't get that you're still a teenager. It's ok to ask for help if you need it,"

Luka nodded, causing Dr Lang to smile before they continued their session.

~A Few Days Later~

Luka moved his fingers across the neck of the violin as he played his latest creation. He had been writing a song but chose to play it on his violin instead of his guitar. It had a melancholy feel to it and as much as he loved playing his guitar, he felt like it wouldn't do it justice. The song was made to played on the violin, especially since he was taking the emotions he had felt with the whole Issac situation and put them into a song. Sure, it wasn't exactly a journal but he still had a feeling that Doctor Lang would approve. He stopped playing and grabbed his pen, adjusting the notes on his sheet of music before playing through it again. He smiled as it sounded perfect before he put his violin down and stretched, glancing over at Tikki. She was dancing in front of his computer as she watched one of Clara Nightingale's song, making himself before he walked over.

"Having fun?" He asked as she spun before grinning at him.

"Definitely!" She declared as the song came to an end. "I love her music. She is really incredible!"

"She is pretty good," Luka smiled as he grabbed the case and equipment to clean his violin.

"And that was Clara Nightingale's latest single Big Bang," Alec stated as he looked at the screen. Clara walked over and stood next to him as she continued to dance, making Luka look up and chuckle a little.

"She seems passionate about her art," He stated as Alec turned to her. Tikki nodded in enthusiasm as Luka dusted down his violin before placing it in the case, securing it. He picked up the bow next and began to clean that as he looked up.

"Clara, you have once again become an international sensation with your hit single, Big Bang and your unique style," Alec stated as Clara sung around and moved her arm up and down as she continued to dance. "Apparently, you ever sing and dance in your sleep. Do you ever stop?"

"Never, you see! Singing and dancing is everything to me!" She rhymed as she danced around Alec and faced the camera. "And I'm happy to share the joy of song and dance to the amazing people of France,"

"See that, Luka?!" Tikki gasped, making him look at her. "She's a true artist!!"

"Well, I'll take your word on it," He grinned, putting his bow in the case and closing it up. "After all, you are the embodiment of creativity,"

Tikki giggled as he gently patted her head before she turned their attention back to the computer.

"You've come back to Paris to film the music video for your next single, titled Miraculous," Alec declared, making Luka look at the screen in surprise. He knew Jagged had made a song about Anatis and Lady Noir but he didn't think other artists would.

"I really admire and adore Anatis and Lady Noir," She rhymed, smiling. "An homage to them I wanted to pay because they inspire me every single day!"

"But last time you tried to film a video for a song devoted to our heroes, you became an akuma," Alec stated, making her frown. "Are you concerned that something will go wrong this?"

"No, not at all. It will be ok. It is my call," She declared, smiling again. "And even if I fall under a spell, I know that everything will be swell. Anatis and Lady Noir will save the day and I'll be ok. You see, with our heroes around, I know we'll all be safe and sound,"

"Your faith in our heroes is wonderful," He smiled as Luka smiled as well.

"I can believe she's written a song about Anatis and Lady Noir," Alec replied as she continued to dance. "So authoditions will be held in the Grand Paris hotel. Tell me have you casted Anatis or Lady Noir yet?"

"We have not cast the heroes just yet but don't worry we won't forget!" She declared, moving her arms as she grinned. "We must also must cast extras by the way so come out and audition today! Whenever it be hero or someone to dance, come down and give it a chance! You never know you might get to play a hero of France!"

Luka jumped a little as someone knocked on his door. Tikki hid before he walked over to it and opened it. Juleka was stood in front of it, playing with her hands. She glanced up at him and gave him a little smile.

"Um Everyone is meeting up to go to the auditions for Clara Nightingale's video and I was thinking you could come with us?" She suggested, making him smile a little. Since the whole kidnap thing, Juleka had been finding more excuses to hang out with him. Part of him thought it was because she was worried and part of him suspected it was so she could be sure he was safe. He didn't mind though. He liked spending more time with his sister and their friends.

"Sure, Jewels," He smiled, making her smile back. "Let me put on my shoes and grab my hoodie,"

"Ok," She smiled back before disappearing back into the living area. Luka closed the door before grabbing his shoes and slipping them on. Tikki flew over to him.

"You're not gonna audition for the Anatis role are you?" She asked, a little concerned. Luka chuckled and gently stroked her head.

"Don't worry, Tikki. We're just gonna be extras in the video," He smiled, putting on his hoodie. He held it open for her to fly in, which she did after giving him a nod.

~At the Grand Paris Hotel~

"Oh this is so exciting!!" Rose declared as they walked up to the stands. Juleka had her arms wrapped around her and leaning on her. Alya was stood next to Alix and Mylene as she took photos. They had manage to get there pretty early but there was still a lot of people stood outside. They hadn't opened for the auditions just yet but the gang had gotten quite a good place. They should be some of the first in the que. Currently, Luka was stood next to Juleka and Marinette, who was practically vibrating with excitement. Adrien was stood with them, along with Chloe. Sadly, Kagami couldn't make it. "Ooh, do you think you'll get to play Lady Noir this time, Marinette?!"

"Oh, I just want to be an extra," Marinette smiled, holding up her hands. "I mean it was really cool that I almost got to play Ryuko last time but I'm definitely no Lady Noir. She's way more graceful then I am,"

"I think you'd make a good Lady Noir," Luka smiled, making Marinette's cheeks turn red before he turned to Adrien. "Are you gonna try out for Anatis?"

"Father wants me to but I managed to convince him that I wasn't tall enough or even the same build," He replied, making Luka nod before he clicked his fingers. "Oh you should try out for it! You're the same height and build plus you know him so you would be able to play him better then anyone else here,"

"Oh that's true!!" Marinette gasped, making Luka blush. "You're good looking enough- I mean you look similar to him as well,"

The girls sniggered as Luka went bright red from Marinette calling him good looking. Chloe shook her head as she smirked.

"While Luka is attractive enough to play him, Anatis has that little bit extra," She explained, looking at her nails before looking up. "No offense, Luka,"

"N-None taken," He replied, blushing still. He still found it strange that people found him attractive. "But I won't be playing Anatis. I just want to be an extra with you guys,"

"Aww!!" Everyone stated, causing him to smile bashfully. However, a shrill laugh made them look over as Lila walked over, smirking. Marinette instantly froze up as Luka grabbed the pepper spray in his pocket. He had brought it everywhere with him since Issac. It's not that he didn't feel safe. He did to a certain degree since Issac was been held in a secure unit outside Paris until his trial but he had been badly shaken up by the whole event and brought his pepper spray with him. He hadn't need to use it yet but it would be useful for him to keep it on himself. Especially with someone like Lila.

"Hi, everyone," She smirked as she walked over. She clearly ignored the glares from Chloe, Marinette and Juleka before stepping closer to Luka. "Hi, Luka. It's nice to see you out and about. Though I'm surprised. I would be terrified if I were you,"

"Lila, piss off," He stated in a harsh tone, making her gasp in shock. However, the rest of them were sniggering. Lila narrowed her eyes and swept them across them, landing on Chloe before she smiled falsely.

"Oh, I'm surprised you're not trying to audition for Lady Noir, Chloe," She stated in a too sweet voice. "You would have the most experience been that you were Lady Copycat... Oh but didn't you cause Clara's akumatization last time? I'm surprised you showed up,"

"Well, unlike you, Liela, I have actually changed," She pointed out, making Lila glare at little. "And I have no intention of been Lady Noir. I know I'm not right for the role,"

"That's probably a good thing," Lila smirked, trying to bait her but when she didn't bite, she decided to go with another thing. "I mean after the role of Lady Noir has been promised to me by Clara and Gabriel. She just loves my moves after all and I'm his best model but to make it look fair and so her rep isn't ruined, she wants me to audition so I better get in line,"

She turned on her heel and walked off, making the group let out a sigh.

"I still don't understand how that harpy got a contract with Gabriel," Chloe gasped as Adrien shrugged. "Is Uncle Gabriel on drugs?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Adrien replied as an event worker came out of the building. "He might have had way too much caffeine though,"

"Extras on the left!!" He declared, pointing towards the left as the doors opened, allowing people to head inside. "Auditionees for Anatis and Lady Noir to the right,"

The gang moved into the door on the left and walked into the building, standing behind the barriers as auditionees moved through the barriers on the right. Luka looked around as he took in the place. The stage had giant colorful triangles around it that resembled Clara's outfit. Luka couldn't help but smile at the song he was listening to. It was full of hope and excitement. Marinette glanced at him, making her smile as she saw the light in his eyes. She moved a little closer to him and poked his cheek, making him glance down at her.

"What does it sound like?" She asked, making him smile before he closed his eyes and began to hum. The people around them stopped chatting and turned to listen to his humming, finding themselves smiling as they listened. Marinette smiled and lightly closed her eyes as she leaned against him, listening. Chloe and Adrien felt their hearts flutter and feel light while Juleka, Alya, Rose, Mylene and Alix closed their eyes. Rose placed her hand over Juleka's as Juleka placed hers on her heart. Alya swayed a little as she listened. Mylene wiped away a tear as Alix tapped her foot. Finally, he came to a stop and opened his eyes, causing everyone to do the same.

"Something like that but there's so many different instruments in here that I can't do it justice," He replied, gently rubbing the back of his neck nervously as everyone around him smiled and looked at him with amazement. However, their attention left him as Clara Nightingale walked onto the stage, causing everyone to look at him. Luka blinked as her song sung much louder then others he had heard but it was full of love, compassion and excitement.

"Thank you for coming all of you!! It's like a dream come true!!" She declared as she danced and moved around the stage. "Together, we'll all dance and sing!! It's gonna be awesome and amazing!"

"We're gonna be in Clara Nightingale's music video!!" Alya gasped as everyone else practically vibrated in excitement. "This is humongous!"

"I can't believe this happening!!" Marinette grinned, jumping up and down a little as Luka smiled at her before he turned his attention back to Clara and the stage.

"Time to have some fun and find a star!" Clara declared as she spun around. "Let's start by finding our Lady Noir!"

The security guards opened the line of the Lady Noir Auditionees as Clara climbed down from the stage as the music started. Luka watched as the first person took the stage, wondering who would end up playing his partner. Whoever it was who have to have a playful energy but would also need to know when to be serious. They would have to be brave and kind as well as tough and ready to do what was right. He frowned a little as no one really had the energy that she did. Most people were just moving around the stage or doing small things. One or two tried gymnastics but made both him and Clara frown when they failed but he had to admire them for trying and it was nice to see so many people wanting to portray his partner. He glanced back over at the line and frowned as he noticed Lila talking to people, causing them to look down. He knew her game. She was using her silver tongue to make them feel bad or convincing them that they have no chance. She actually dropped something and picked it up but the person who she knelt next to end up tripping on her shoelaces, making him frown. Soon, Lila's turn came up and she strutted onto the stage like she owned it before beginning to move and dance, causing everyone to start at her in surprise. Luka hated to admit it but he always gave credit where it was due. She was good. She threw her arms and flicked her hair with confidence as Clara watched her.

"Your moves are good and your dancing is too," Clara stated, making Lila smirk. "But your heart doesn't seem true..."

Lila couldn't help but frown at her comment before quickly fixing her face but it was too late. Clara had seen it and she frowned as she did but even if she hadn't, it didn't matter. She didn't want Lila to be her Lady Noir. She knew about the whole her been exposed by Anatis and it felt wrong to have her play one of the heroes who had exposed her. The only reason why she was giving her the time of day is because Gabriel had suggested her. She was the face of his new clothes line for teenagers but seeing her in action, Clara couldn't understand why. While she had the moves, she had no passion.

"I assure you, Miss Nightingale, as the face of Gabriel, my heart is sincere and true," Lila stated, trying to look innocent. Clara sighed and glanced around, noticing a familiar face in the crowd.

"Marinette, is that you?" She gasped, rushing over. Marinette gasped and blushed. "Oh, this is a dream come true! My Ryuko has grown and became a star! Tell me, will you be my Lady Noir?"

"Her?!" Lila screeched but Clara ignored her and Nathalie gave her a warning look. Lila wisely shut up.

"Oh, I mean... I'm honoured but..." Marinette gasped, blushing as she played with her hands. She glanced over at Lila, who smirked at her. She knew if she said no, Lila would get the role and there's no way she would be a good Lady Noir. However, Marinette really just intend to come here to hang with her friends. "I would like to just stay with my friends,"

Lila gasped in surprise as she generally expected Marinette to take the role. She knew she would have but apparently, Marinette thought she was too good for it. Clara frowned sadly but gave her a small smile before nodding in understanding.

"It looks like you get the role, oh face of Gabriel," She replied, making Lila smile. However, she said for now in her head as one of the stage hands walked over to her.

"Head to the changing room and try on the suit," He ordered, causing Lila to walk off stage and headed to the changing room. A few minutes later, she walked out and back onto the stage, making Clara look at her with a critical eye. The suit didn't suit her and she hadn't even put on the wig.

"Where's your wig?" Gabriel asked from the tablet as Lila flicked her hair.

"Oh, I didn't think it worked," She replied, making him frown before turning to a stage hand.

"Find the wig,"

"It's no biggie. It's ok," Clara stated as the stage hand ran off. "We don't need to the wig for the anatis tryouts anyway. Come on!"

The security guard by the line for Anatis Auditionees moved and let them come on the stage one by one. And one by one, they went back. Either they didn't have what it took or Lila glared at them. Clara frowned as she hated the look of Lila and it was becoming increasingly clear that she was definitely not the right choice. She glanced back at Marinette who also was considering changing her mind but while Marinette was perfect for the role of Lady Noir, she needed to find a perfect Anatis and these tryouts were just not working. They had gone through all of them and not a single one was worthy to be Anatis. Even if Lila wasn't there, they wouldn't be. She held out her hand, causing the music to stop.

"Lila, please go get changed," She stated, surprising her. "You don't have the right feel or range,"

"I'm perfect for the role!" Lila gasped, looking to Gabriel to agree but he shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Rossi," He stated, making her gasp. "Besides, all this filming will interfere with your contract... I'd hate to lose you as the face of Gabriel,"

"Oh... well when you put it that way," Lila gasped before walking off. She exited a few minutes later and walked out. Though Marinette and Luka felt like it wasn't over yet. Clara, however, ignored her and tapped her cheek as she wondered what to do. She didn't have a Lady Noir or an Anatis yet. She could probably convince Marinette to play Lady Noir. She knew the girl was perfect but she still needed to find a perfect Anatis. Someone who would compliment her in the same way Anatis compliments Lady Noir and vice versa. She glanced over at the crowd who wanted to be extras. Her Anatis was in there. She could feel it. She glanced over at the refreshment table and smiled as an idea popped to her head. She walked over and picked up a tray of snacks before turning to them.

"You must starving from all this waiting," She declared, spinning around before walking over. She smirked to herself before on purposely tripping herself up, falling to the floor as the snacks covered her and the tray landed on the ground. The crowd gasped in shock but only one person made a move. Luka slipped under the ribbon and helped her up, asking if she was ok. "Oh there you are!!"

"I'm sorry?" He asked, surprised.

"Here's a hug!" She declared, hugging him. "Because you're Anatis the Ladybug,"

"Uh I have no idea what you're talking about," He gasped, going bright red and holding up his hands. Clara looked over and saw how Marinette looked at him before smiling. He was the right choice. She grabbed his arms and spun around with him.

"You did what Anatis would have! Just the same!" She declared as they danced, spinning them around. "Your heart is pure like his. What's your name?"

"Um... L-Luka..." He gasped as she dipped him down with surprising strength.

"Luka..." She smiled, spinning back around before getting down on one knee. "Say it so! You will play Anatis in my video?!"

"M-Me?" He gasped, completely taken back as Clara looked at him with hope and his friends cheered. He didn't want to disappoint her but he also didn't want to disappoint Tikki. He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ms Nightingale. It's really kind of you to ask but I came here to be with my friends and I'd like to stay with them,"

"Oh, that's a pity and shame but I know it's true," She declared, smiling a little before standing up. "That's a very cool gesture. Very Anatis of you,"

She grinned before taking his hand and pulling him over to a make up area.

"Just sit here for make ok?" She grinned, dancing a little. "I'll have your friends sent over right away,"

"Thank you," He smiled back before she walked away. A few minutes later, Marinette and the others rushed over to him, hugging him. Clara gave them a smile as she walked over, still determined to find her Anatis and Lady Noir.

~Outside of the Building~

Lila huffed to herself as she was annoyed. She wanted to be the star in the show but apparently, Gabriel didn't want her to be. The good thing was Marinette wasn't gonna be playing Lady Noir either. Still it annoyed her. However, her mind was taking off it when her phone vibrated. She took it out and saw it was a withheld number, making her smirk as she pressed answer and held it to her ear.

"Miss Rossi, time to prove your usefulness and show me those skills you promised you have," A deep voice stated, making her smirk.

"Consider it done," She replied, hanging up before scrolling through her phone, stopping on the mayor's number. She had stolen it from her mother's phone when she wasn't looking. She figured it would be useful to have. She pressed the call button before holding it to her ear. It answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Mr Bourigous?" She asked in her sweetest voice.

"Speaking but how did you get this number?" He gasped. "Who is this?"

"Oh, my name is Lila. I'm a close friend of your daughter Chloe. She gave me your number in case I ever needed to get in contact," She lied, smirking. "I hate to bother you but she is really upset,"

"What?! Why?" He gasped, sounding worried.

"Because of the music video that Clara Nightingale is filming," She stated, smirking. "She wouldn't say it herself because she is trying to be a better person but she feels really upset that she can't play Lady Noir in it. I tried to comfort her but nothing I said has cheered her up. I fear she might be akumatized unless something happens,"

"My goodness!" He gasped, buying it. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. My Chloekin's is too kind for her own good,"

"Oh yes. She's improved so much," She stated, rolling her eyes. "But she's still so upset,"

"Of course, thank you for informing me," He replied.

"Anything for my friends," She replied, finishing up the phone call. She hung up and smirked before flicking her hair and walking inside. Clara was chatting and working with the stage hands and direction as they tried to work out who should be in the role. Lila frowned as she saw Luka and his friends sat talking happily. She narrowed her eyes before noticing Clara's microphone set aside. She moved closer to it and picked it up, looking at it as the door burst open and the mayor came in, looking angry. The look on Chloe's face was priceless as he stormed over to Clara and began to tell her she couldn't film in Paris without a permit. Luka looked alarmed as Chloe jumped up and rushed over.

"Daddy, what are you doing?!" She gasped, making him look at her.

"Don't worry, darling. Daddy will fix it," He stated, turning back to her. "Since you don't have a permit, it means you can't film anywhere in France including Paris!"

"Daddy!" Chloe gasped as Marinette, Luka and the others rushed over. "Why are you stopping her from filming?!"

"Because you're upset about not playing the main role," He gasped, making her look at him in horror and surprise. "You... are upset right?"

"What? No, I don't want to play Lady Noir!" She gasped, surprising him. "Who told you I was upset?!"

"Your friend called me!" He gasped, making everyone look at Lila with a glare. She was the only person who would do something like that after all. She gave them a smirk back. "Sweetie, I've already put the permit through. Clara can't film here today,"

"But I don't understand..." Clara gasped as Lila walked over. Alya instantly looked at her.

"Girl, tell me you didn't do that," She asked as she ignored her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I really did think Chloe was upset," She replied, in her sweetest voice as everyone stared at her. Clara looked extremely hurt as Lila held out her mic to her. She went to take it but Lila dropped it to the floor, causing the star on it to crack. It seemed to be the last straw as Clara began to cry as she picked it up. "Ooops,"

"You did that on purpose!" Marinette gasped, glaring at her along with the others. Even Alya was glaring at her but Lila looked at them with watery eyes.

"Of course, I didn't," She sniffed. "My hand shakes from my athirist and I really thought I was helping Chloe. I didn't meant to completely ruin production but it's not a massive deal. I'm sure Mr Mayor can reverse it,"

"I... I can't," He gasped, making them all look at them. "Once the paper work is done, it's done... I'm sorry..."

"No, the video needs to be shoot here in Paris, the capital of love... the City of Anatis and Lady Noir..." Clara gasped, holding her broken mic in her hand as tears rolled down her cheeks. Luka gasped and leaned down to try and comfort her. "This ruins all of my plans... I'm sorry, my beloved fans!"

She stood and rushed off, sobbing as she did.

"Clara!" Luka gasped before turning to Lila with a dark expression. It actually scared her a little and reminded her off how Anatis looked at her. "You're evil,"

"I was-"

"Save it for someone who believes you, Rossi," He stated, coldly. "We all know you did it on purpose because you didn't get the role but this just proves you're not worth to play Lady Noir at all. You're no hero,"

Lila went to say something but Luka rushed away from her and towards the trailer Clara had rushed into, knocking on the door as he did. However, Clara refused to open the door. Lila smirked to herself and walked out of the building as Luka sighed and walked back over to the group.

"I can't believe Lila did that," Alya gasped, making Marinette frown.

"I can," Luka stated as Marinette nodded. "She isn't a good person no matter how much she pretends,"

"Yeah... I'm starting to see what you mean," Alya stated, frowning. She wanted to give Lila the benefit of the doubt but the whole incident with Luka and this was really making her wonder who Lila really was. However, she didn't have much time to think as a whip suddenly hit her and Mayor Bourgeois who was near her. "What the hell?"

"Sing, dance or rhyme!" Clara declared, causing everyone to look over at her. Luka and Marinette gasped as she had clearly been akumatized. "Or you're be frozen in no time!"

"What?!" The mayor gasped but he suddenly turned into a magenta statue, causing Alya to gasp.

"Um, yo it's alya and I'll keep up this rhyme," She gasped as Frightingale grinned. "I don't want to be frozen! Not this time!"

"Bravo," She declared, clapping her hands. "You have the right tempo!"

She laughed before lifting her mic and using it to whip people, causing them to scream and run as they turned into statues. In the panic of the crowd, Luka and Marinette managed to get away without getting hit. Luka managed to sneak into one of the trailers and opened his hoodie, causing Tikki to fly out.

"I'm proud of you resisting been Anatis," She grinned, making him smile.

"Yeah but now it's time to be the star of the show," He declared, swiping his earrings. "Tikki, spots on!"

He transformed into Anatis and slipped outside, looking around as he noticed there were statues but Frightingale wasn't inside. He frowned as he heard screams coming from out. He ran and jumped, climbing onto the roof as Frightingale stood at the top and whipped people, turning them into statues.

"Sing, dance or rhyme!" She yelled, smirking evilly. "Or you'll be frozen in no time!"

"I thought you were a fan of us, Nightingale so you should know we fight villains!" He yelled, throwing his yoyo and wrapping it around her whip, making her look at him. "And this is not a very nice way to treat your fans either!"

"I'm Frightingale from now on out! Forever and ever, there's no doubt!" She declared, yanking the string and pulling him a bit closer to her. Anatis jumped back and down to the edge of the building as she tried to whip him. "And if you stand in my way, there'll be a price to pay!"

"You can't let negative emotions get to you!" He declared, dodging and throwing his yoyo at her. "Forcing people to sing or dance isn't who you are!"

"Song and dance will make the world a better place," She declared, catching his yoyo and spinning it as she jumped down. "If you don't agree me then you're a disgrace!"

"The only disgrace is Hawkmoth!" He declared, dodging his yoyo as she tried to attack him with it before he jumped off the building, pulling her with him before the two of them landed on the ground. He charged at her, trying to hit her with his yoyo as she moved away and dodged it. "Listen, I can help you. Just give me your akuma-"

"No!" She screamed as she jumped back. "I won't let you take my akuma away!! I like the new me and I'm here to stay!!"

She charged at him, causing him to lift his yoyo but she tripped as Lady Noir arrived and used her baton to knock her down. She grinned as she jumped over to them.

"Might if I join the dance?" She asked. Frightingale jumped over her and landed on the building across the street. "Well, she's got a lot of energy,"

"I'm not surprised," Anatis replied as he walked over to Lady Noir. "Clara?! There's another way!"

"You're just like the others but you can't silence me!" She shouted back, making him sigh. "I'm just trying to make the world better, can't you see?!"

The butterfly mask appeared around her eyes as Hawkmoth talked to her, causing Anatis to frown before she pointed her wand at him.

"Do you really think the two of you can win this battle through and through?" She asked as Lady Noir clicked her neck.

"Two is always better then one!" She replied before turning to Anatis. "I'll take the left,"

"I'll take the right then," Anatis replied before the two of them ran over and scaled the building as Frightingale smirked and striked a pose. Anatis threw his yoyo as Lady Noir extended her baton but Frightingale dodged them, causing his yoyo to wrap around her baton. He pulled his yoyo back as Lady Noir backflipped out of the way of Frightingale's whip before throwing it again. Lady Noir dived at her this time, causing her to backflip out of the way. Anatis' yoyo wrapped around Lady Noir, causing her to fall onto the roof as Frightingale landed again. She went to hit Lady Noir with her whip but Anatis pulled her out of the way and caught her in his arms. Seeing her chance, Frightingale threw her whip and hit them both, causing them to gain a magenta glow before she laughed.

"Welcome to my musical show!" She shouted, taking a bow. "I hope it will be your fatal blow,"

She laughed as Lady Noir and looked at her arms.

"Oh, really now? Is that what you think?" Anatis stated, surprising her. "Well, I got news for you. Me and my partner are in perfect sync,"

"What?!" She gasped, surprised as Lady Noir gently danced. "No, that can't be so! You should fail. How are you resisting my glow?!"

"Music is my nature, it's in my soul," He replied, making Lady Noir look at him. "So let's get on with this fight. It's time to rock and roll!"

He turned to Lady Noir and gave her smile as she looked a bit unsure. She was just moving her arms to stop herself from been turned into a statue.

"Don't be afraid. I'll get us freed," He stated, holding his hand. "But til then, just follow my lead,"

He winked at her, making her blush as she took his hand. He spun her around and pulled her towards him as Frightingale charged at them. Using dance, they fought her. Anatis lifted Lady Noir by her hips, allowing her to kick out at Frightingale before he spun her back around and the two of them jumped out of the way.

"What should we do? We can't keep up this dance," She stated as they jumped back. "We don't stand a chance,"

"Not right now but I know what to do," He stated before saluting Frightingale. "Adieu,"

He and Lady Noir jumped off the building and landed behind the bus before the two of them moved in a sort of dance. They heard Frightingale land on the ground and declared that they can't hide as she looked around for them.

"It's not in our favor in a glance," Lady Noir gasped, looking at him. "Cause we have to advance while constantly keeping up the song and dance. We can't leave nothing to chance,"

"I agree and I have a plan you see," He replied before taking out his yoyo. "If there's anything that can do her harm, it will be my... Lucky Charm!"

"Handcuffs? Now that seems strange," Lady Noir gasped as he caught them and looked around. "Maybe our luck will change... but we know we need to stop her so what plan do you have to offer?"

"Hmm..." He stated as he danced, glancing around. The handcuffs, his yoyo and Lady Noir's ring lit up, causing him to smirk. "They're not for her. Theyr'e for us... but we're gonna need you to do your stuff,"

"How can I use my power? I can't think of a rhyme!" Lady Noir gasped, looking down a little. "Maybe you could help me out this time,"

"Hmm... well, you're a good talker, dancer and talker," He stated, tapping his chin. "So look on the bright side today. Don't be pessimistic and make way..."

"For optimism!" She gasped before holding out her hand. "Cataclysm!"

The dark energy appeared in her hand before Anatis handcuffed their hands together and used his yoyo to tie their feet together. Just as Frightingale lifted the bus they were hiding behind. However, she gasped when she saw them stood back to back, chained together.

"I warned you that we are in sync," Anatis stated as she stepped back before he looked at Lady Noir. "Let's get this done before she can think,"

"Our movement are one and we are the same," Lady Noir grinned, moving with Anatis as the two of them fought against Frightingale, knocking her back. "We're done with playing your little game!"

"By any chance, will you grant me this dance?" Anatis smirked as they punched her and kicked her, causing her to retreat farther.

"Of course, for you... my sweet bug-a-boo," Lady Noir winked before they kicked her through the door to the audition room. They walked through as she scrambled to get up.

"You can't bend the rules!" She shouted as she ran over to the stage before pointing at them. "Dancing tied up is cheating, fools,"

"When someone's akumatized, we never compromise," Anatis stated before they ran over to the stage and dived at her, causing her to dive out of the way. They got back to the feet and landed a hit on her as she tried to hit them with her whip. They dodged by blocking her with their arms before using their conjoined arms to knock her back. They made a grab for her wand, causing it to turn into dust as Lady Noir touched it with her charged hand. The akuma broke free and the two heroes grinned, taking off the handcuffs before they both threw them up in the air and shouted the magic words. They burst into the swarm and fixed everything, flowing around them before disappearing. Anatis threw out his yoyo and captured the akuma before releasing the purified version as Lady Noir grinned.

"You never told me you were good at dancing," She grinned, making him blush a little as Frightingale turned back into Clara. Lady Noir rubbed the back of her neck as she looked to the side. "Sorry I wasn't..."

"You're not bad, kitten," He replied, smiling a little as Clara blinked and looked around before noticing the heroes.

"Anatis?! Lady Noir?!" She gasped as Anatis helped her to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"You were akumatized," He stated gently. "But it's ok now,"

"I was saved by both of you!!" She gasped, spinning around. "Oh this is a dream come true!"

Lady Noir giggled and walked over.

"I have an idea for your video if you're interested,"

~Later that Night~

"Can I ask a favor, Annie?" Lady Noir asked as they sat on top of the Arc de Triomphe. They had finished up their patrol for the night and were just enjoying the evening while sharing a bag of cookies. He looked over at her and nodded. "Could.. could you teach me to dance?..."

For a moment, he was quite and she thought he was going to say no before he put down the cookie he was eating.

"Well, I don't know if I'm the best to teach you," He replied, standing up before holding his hand to her. "But I'll try,"

She smiled and took his hand, following him to the middle.

"Ok, place your hand here," He stated, putting her hand on his shoulder before taking her hand in his before placing his spare hand on her waist. "Now step back,"

She did as he stepped forward before stepping to the side then back then to the side again before repeating it.

"One, two, three, four," He counted as they did before he spun her, making her laugh a little before they continued to dance. Lady Noir found herself leaning against him slightly but when to stop and apologizing but he gave her a soft smile. She smiled back and continued to dance with him under the moonlight and stars.

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Next Chapter: Coming Soon

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