#honestly it was a bit of a challenge to think about how eden would want to submit

[softmangoes]

control - eden the hunter x defiant!pc

18+ only | request fill for 🕸 anon

summary: you've been spending a lot of time at the new university. when you get back home to the cabin, you surprise eden with a gift.

includes: sub!eden, sex pollen, pegging, mentions of past sexual abuse, blood, older pc

"that shortcut isn't safe at this time of the year," the hunter said as he rubbed the healing salve onto your fingertips. you winced, the cut that adorned your hand burning as the ointment seeped into it. the ledge you would usually scale to get to the cabin had been slick with tufts of moss, causing you to lose your grip and slip. as you fell, you grabbed onto a stray vine to steady yourself, pain flaring from your palm as its thorns sliced into your skin.

"i figured," you said. a pair of stormy eyes flicked to you, unamused.

"you were careless." eden took a length of gauze and wrapped it around your hand. although he was gentle, the pressure around the cut on your palm still made you hiss. "what would have happened if something out there had smelled the blood on you?"

your eyes fell onto the rifle resting atop the dining table. the hunter had been cleaning it when you stumbled in, all bloody and sweaty and exhausted.

"then you would have taken care of it."

eden scoffed, securing the dressing with a practiced ease. "i've spoiled you, haven't i?"

"have you?" although you were more than capable of protecting yourself, the hunter was no stranger to threatening those who would harm you while you traversed through the forest. 

when you looked at him, his eyes were chips of flint. “say that again.” 

you inhaled, trying to calm yourself.

the hearth made his skin glow warmly, the firelight dancing on his features. his hair had grown longer, his beard more unruly. this time, due to the storms, you had been gone for more than a week. a flash flood could have swept you away as you crossed the river, lightning could have sliced through a tree as you passed below its boughs. a frightened animal could have confronted you as it made its escape. how could he not worry? how could he not want to make sure that you were okay?

but you were no fragile thing. years of hard labor had woven corded muscle into your limbs and months of training had made you more than lethal. you could take care of yourself. he had made sure of it.

"i'm alright," you said, trying your best to assure him. you came back and you were alive. that was more than good enough. "okay?"

after a moment, the hunter's eyes softened. "i missed you," he breathed, taking your other wrist in his hand. he pressed his lips to the tip of each bandaged finger, kissing each one gently. despite the gauze, his mouth was warm, the puff of his breath tickling the underside of your wrist.

once he released you, you brought your uninjured hand to cup his face. stubble scratched at your palm as you traced the old scars that ran across his jaw. one of them, still silvery in the firelight, you had carved into his face years ago. you could still remember the taste of copper in your mouth when he kissed you, the blood hot as it wet your lips. 

he made a sound at your touch, one quiet and full of need, and you found yourself filled with desire. here he was, your hunter, kneeling before you as you sat on the couch. eden had never been one to go into detail about how much he wanted you, but you could tell from his expression that the past week had been difficult for him. his eyes betrayed his usual stoicism: this time, he had been afraid you weren’t going to come back. 

how cute. hunger coiled in you tight, and you slipped your thumb between his parted lips.

a gasp. then warmth. a tongue swiped across the pad of your finger, hot and wet. his eyes flicked open, those twin storms brewing with confusion and desire, before he pulled away abruptly, leaving a string of saliva connecting you to him.

"what," eden started, not knowing how to process what had just happened. a stripe of red flared across his cheeks.

but you only smiled as you licked the pad of your thumb, the hunger coiling tighter and tighter. you were a snake wrapping around its prey, the coolness of your scales sliding along the warmth of its skin. your hunter was always so beautiful, but there was something about that moment of softness, that vulnerability, that made you want to see more of it.

"you really did miss me," you said, your eyes never leaving his as your lips closed over your finger to taste him. "didn't you?"

__

later that night, eden stood in front of the bathroom sink, sweat slicking his skin. outside, the wind howled as rain streamed down the window. he couldn't sleep, couldn't stop thinking about your finger in his mouth and the look in your eyes as you watched him lick at it.

it had been a brief moment, nothing more than a few fleeting seconds, but he could still remember the taste of you.

eden inhaled. at that moment, you were fast asleep in bed, curled up in a nest of blankets to keep you from straining your hand.

at first, he had wanted a companion: someone to warm his bed, cook his meals, do as they were told. what he didn’t expect was you questioning his rules, pushing against his boundaries. one time, you took a knife to his jaw, raking the blade across his skin like a trail of fire. he slapped the knife from your grip and pinned you to the wall, growling that he wasn’t someone who could be threatened like that.

a few years ago, he would have taken you right then and there, injury be damned. 

now that you were taking classes, getting back to the cabin on time was more difficult for you. there were courses for you to take, projects to finish, and papers to write. when you had applied for the university, he had been bitter about your decision for days. what did you need from the town that you couldn’t get here? why did you want more reasons to be away? 

in retaliation, eden would wake you on the mornings he knew you’d have class by pulling your underwear to the side and slipping inside you. the hunter’s size was formidable, so it never took you very long to gasp and open your eyes to the clock you kept by your bedside. 

“h-hey,” you started, your thighs trembling despite your annoyance. before you could continue, he’d slide in deeper, making you claw at the sheets with a soft whine. 

“you’ll be late by the time we’re finished,” he murmured, licking a line up your neck as you clenched down on his cock. after all these years, the hunter knew many ways to keep you within his grasp. “and you have everything you need here.” 

the clock ticked, its hands inching closer and closer to the start of your class with each moment that passed. 

“stay.” he circled your clit with his fingers, bringing you closer to the edge with every thrust. “do you really have to leave?” 

before he found you, there was only the quiet of the cabin to keep him company. the rustle of the leaves scratching against the windows and the soft crackle of the fire in the hearth could not compare to the softness of your skin or the sound of your laugh filling the air. despite the fact that you were the one who had spent time in chains, eden could not help but feel confined by his loneliness whenever you were away. 

but you didn’t have to leave this time. he could make you feel good. he could remind you that you were meant to be here. he could make you stay. 

“eden.” with a grunt, you snapped your hips into his, taking all of him in. the sudden motion made him gasp as he spilled into you, filling you with his warmth as you came with him. 

a few moments passed before you sat up and started slipping on your clothes. by the set of your shoulders, he could tell that you were upset at him for delaying you once again. the walk through the forest would take a considerable amount of time and you still had to catch a bus to the university. 

when he called your name, you didn’t answer. minutes later, your steps faded. a chill rushed into the cabin and the front door closed, leaving him with only the silence for company.

all of that had happened a little more than a week ago. now, his knuckles were pale as he gripped the rim of the bathroom sink. 

after so long, you were finally back. if you had stayed away a day longer, he would have walked to the university to wander the campus in search of you. despite the years you had spent with each other, a part of him was sure that someday you would leave the forest and never come back.

eden shook his head. he thought of your thumb against his tongue, the wet heat of it probing his teeth. it felt assuring that even after everything, you still wanted him. 

the hunter slipped two of his fingers into his mouth, sliding them along the warmth of his inner lip. his other hand found his cock, aching against his trousers. eden panted, desire curling in his core as he tried his best not to moan aloud.

still, a low groan escaped his lips. he was close. so fucking close. and as he came, he thought of the hunger in your eyes and how in that moment, he had wanted to feed it.

__

a box of ammunition. rope. a new whetstone. gauze.

the next morning, eden set each item down onto the dining table methodically, silently appraising each item as he slipped it out of your duffel bag.

after a few hours of rest and the cuts and scrapes from your journey back aside, you felt much better than you did the previous evening. you sipped some lemon balm tea, watching your hunter sort through the items. 

the university had taken a lot from the time you would usually spend together, but you still tried your best to make sure that eden was taken care of. over the years, the town had gotten busier after the campus opened, welcoming new students from the surrounding areas who would occasionally strap on a backpack to trek through the forest. often, they’d run the supply store out of the usual items you’d purchase. this wasn’t an ideal situation for someone as secluded as eden, so you did what you could to make sure he had what he needed. 

a pack of mason jar lids. gun oil. vegetable seeds. 

"looks like the store was stocked well this week," he remarked, setting down the packs of seeds with a quiet rattle. you imagined the sprouts they’d become, bright green tendrils pushing forth from the earth. “we’ll plant these once the frost ends.”  

although attending college was rather expensive, your botany courses had enhanced your time spent at the cabin. after a few months, you had made a natural irrigation system for the vegetable plots, created a compost pile, and even had a small seed archive categorized by their best growing season. around the cabin itself were sketchbooks filled with illustrations of the different herbs, mushrooms, and berries that could be found within the forest. 

years ago, you couldn't imagine that you would stop catching fights in the streets. now, your life was devoted to the changing of the seasons, to bountiful harvests, and handfuls of seeds.

antibiotics. cheesecloth. sewing needles. a—

"this is from that temple boy's shop." eden held up a large velvet bag, which was plain save for a pink heart embroidered onto the deep purple cloth.

whenever you needed cash, you would offer to help sydney run his mother’s adult store. it was an easy enough job and both sydney and sirris treated you well. occasionally, they’d send you off with something new to try to express their gratitude for your assistance. 

“you’ve been eyeing this one for a while,” sirris said, pulling the box from the shelf. you blushed, embarrassed that you had made your interest so obvious. its length was enticing, the construction of the curves alluring. “take it home. i’m sure the customers would appreciate a review.”

when eden pulled the item out of the bag, his eyes snapped to yours.

"what," he said flatly, examining the package's text that claimed the dildo was realistic, sure to please, a fan favorite. "am i not enough for you?"

you laughed. eden had enjoyed the array of lacy outfits from the shop, binding you in silk rope, the samples of lube that were stored in his nightstand. what was one more new thing?  

"relax," you said, taking the bag and upending it. a leather harness, sleek with silver rivets, thudded onto the table. "it's for you."

in all honesty, you couldn’t be more excited. eden was an insatiable lover, fierce and enthusiastic. while the sex was exciting, there was a part of you that wanted to unravel him, to savor him. you would do it slowly, carefully, so that once he was properly plied with your gentleness, you would sink your teeth into his tender flesh and make his eyes glaze in ecstasy. 

the hunter inhaled, stiffening as he pushed himself from the table with a wooden creak. he shrugged on his hunting coat.

"i should go," he said, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. "there's a herd i've been following."

"hey." you dropped the bag, concern lacing your voice. the last time you had seen him tense like that was when you had asked what life had been like for him before. "are you alright?"

when he glanced at you, you swore you saw fear flash in his eyes. "we'll talk later."

before you could say anything else, he was out the door. 

__

there had been a time in his life in which he had been stripped of his sense of control: the caretaker of the orphanage, with her sweet smile that never quite reached her eyes, would take him by the hand and tell him that if he couldn’t pay her fee, then he’d just have to make it up to her another way. 

“you could do that, can’t you?” she’d say, lacing her fingers sweetly. the scent of her perfume was always so syrupy, like the rot that followed after the rain. 

that other way involved eden getting dragged to the fighting pit in the middle of the night, his nose bloody from punching the thug who threw him out of his own bed. 

years later, eden would learn that he had never been meant to fulfill the caretaker’s payments. he was the perfect choice to be her champion. out of everyone at the orphanage, eden was the biggest and the strongest. as far as she could tell, there was no one more ideal to be bruised and battered for cash.

but what was special about him had nothing to do with his strength or size: he was smart. in that reeking pit, which was nothing more than an abandoned pool surrounded by a raucous mix of the town's underground and elite, he would circle his opponents waiting for them to make the first move. if they charged at him, he would dodge. if they struck at him, he would catch their wrist and twist their bodies to meet the hard, mildewed tile below. losing meant getting hauled screaming into the unknown to horrors that made the pit look like child's play. winning was the only option he had, so it was what he did.  

but the thing about winning was that he had never been the winner. not truly.

eden was beautiful, all muscles glistening with blood and sweat, his gray eyes hollow as he surveyed the crowd that cheered in adoration for him. on that first night, after the final round, the last thing he remembered was getting wiped down with an icy towel as he was met with praise for his achievement. at some point, someone clapped his shoulder and gave him a drink, ice clinking against the glass. it had tasted sweet, went down all nice and cold.

and then nothing.  

he woke up to darkness. a strip of cloth around his eyes and rope around his wrists and ankles. he was naked, still bruised and aching but so, so warm. something had been in the drink. something that made him want to be touched. to be fucked and defiled. 

eden was so alluring, a beast in his element. all teeth but deprived of any bite. he was never meant to be the winner, but their prize all along.

there had been voices around him, amused by how he struggled ineffectually against his binds. he was so strong, wasn't he? but so weak, so pliable for them. hands traced the curve of his muscles and the cut of his jaw, mouths so hot and full of want pressed against his skin, cooing their congratulations as they stroked and teased him. against his will, his legs shook and moans spilled from his mouth. he was helpless. defenseless. and despite how much his mind screamed, his body only craved for more.

the forest came back to him, damp and smelling of earth and cedar. eden sighed, his breath fogging in the muggy autumn air. that night was long ago, but never had been far off. he had ran from the orphanage shortly after that, his pockets stuffed with the cash earned from the pit, a knife, a handful of seeds, and his best winter coat wrapped around him. as his shoes pounded the pavement, the sidewalk turned into loose ground and then later into fallen leaves.

once he was tired of running, eden took solace in the eaves of the pines, ate berries, washed himself in the lake to scrub away the memories. in the years following that, he made a home for himself. as he reveled in the safety of routine, he found a sense of control that steadied him whenever he felt his skin crawl with their touch. 

control was the one thing that had protected him throughout all these years. control had kept him alive, helped him start the fires that would warm his cold hands, helped him build a cabin to sleep in. as long as he could determine the boundaries he had when it came to interacting with the world around him, he would keep himself safe. 

the security of his routine lasted until the day he tracked a deer near the lake and found you. in all honesty, he didn’t know what possessed him. it had been a while since he had last seen another person, let alone conversed with one. on that warm summer day, you had offered him an apple slice, cool and crisp and sweet. with a smile, you told him that you had never seen eyes like his. 

for as long as he could remember, eden had never been good with words, but he could take you back to the cabin, no matter how much you kicked and screamed. 

despite his many attempts to tame you, you refused to give in. at one point, you even managed to run away. the hunter had tracked you for hours until you pounced on him, knocking him off-balance. once he was on the ground, you pressed a knife to his neck so hard that a line of blood bloomed on the blade. 

“i want us to start over.” although your voice was ragged with exhaustion, there was a fire in your eyes. sweat dropped from your cheek. “can we do that?” 

he could have rolled over and wrestled the knife from you. pinned your wrists just so he could prove who was really in control. 

but in that moment, as he stared at you haloed in the light of the clearing, all he could do was inhale. you were so strong, so beautiful, and he had been bested. 

“alright,” he said, a bead of blood running down his neck. “we’ll start over.” 

now, he carefully made his way through the brush, the damp earth muffling his movements. there was a boar nearby, kicking up at the patches of mushrooms and new sprouts brought up by the rain. 

the strap-on had been…a surprise. 

eden knew that he had left the cabin in a hurry, but he hadn't known what to say to you. how could he tell you that the thought of submission was one he met with both terror and intrigue? that he had nightmares about being strapped to that chair again, rendered unable to do anything else but squirm? how could he tell you that despite all of that, he still thought about the taste of your fingers in his mouth? 

control was his armor, but it was also his leash. a part of him was thrilled to know that despite what happened the last time you had seen each other, you still wanted to be with him. you still wanted him. 

the boar trudged into the clearing, grunting as it nudged at a sapling. eden crouched lower into the bush, careful not to break any branches. when he took a step forward to get a better vantage point of the animal, something hissed below him. a sweetness filled the air, syrupy and heavy like cherries boiled in sugar. 

when eden looked down, he saw that he had stepped on a patch of yellow puffballs, their disturbed bulbs spraying clouds of purple spores into the air. 

shit. he coughed, pressing his sleeve to his face and staggering away from the powdery cloud. amidst the chaos, he heard the boar whine and retreat further into the brush. eden’s eyes watered and he began to feel his skin warm. lost in his introspection, he had wandered too far into the forest, where the plants and the animals grew strange and twisted. 

his heartbeat roared in his ears. the cabin wasn’t too far off. if he was lucky, he would be able to treat himself before the effects set in. disoriented, he slipped off his shotgun and made his way back. 

__ 

marigold. echinacea. willow bark. the amber bottles clinked against each other softly as you organized the medicine shelf, making sure that the tinctures and extracts had been topped off with alcohol and the salves were still fresh and free of mold. there wasn’t much to do during autumn except prepare for the winter.

during the time you had spent away, eden had been especially productive: there were dozens of canned vegetables from the last garden’s harvest, bundles of herbs and strings of garlic bulbs hanging from the ceiling like withered bouquets, and strips of venison curing in the small root cellar. the man never had a penchant for sitting still and whenever you were away, he couldn’t help but keep his hands busy. 

you sighed at the thought of him, your shoulders sagging in disappointment. perhaps coming back with the strap-on had been too much for him. sure, you didn’t leave the cabin on the best of terms the last time, but you thought the gift would have been a nice gesture to assure him. if he ended up wanting to have nothing to do with it, then at least you would have something you could use to give him a show.

as you palmed the last bottle, something slammed into the front door. quickly, you slipped the tincture into your pocket and pulled the hunting knife strapped to your belt. although the cabin was nestled deep in the forest, there were times in which a panicked animal would crash into the structure as they fled from a predator. whatever it was, you weren’t going to take any chances. 

once you got to the door, eden crashed through it, his breath ragged from exertion. goosebumps prickled your skin at the rush of cold air from the forest. at the sight of him, the knife clattered to the ground. the hunter’s eyes were twin voids, his pupils straining against thin irises. 

“hey, what’s—” before you could finish, he lunged at you. 

the hunter was strong, but you were faster. quickly, you sidestepped away, making sure to kick the knife across the room. 

“i thought we were past this,” you said, referring to the months you had spent at his mercy. “you’re not still mad about me being late, are you?” 

there was no response. when eden swung at you again, you caught a whiff of something sickly sweet. something familiar. 

“shit,” you cursed, uncorking the bottle in your pocket to douse your sweater sleeve with the tincture. when he lunged for you, you slammed the wet fabric in his face. his hands clawed at your shirt, nails raking against your skin as he struggled. after a moment, his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor. 

__ 

eden woke up in a dream. instead of sunlight streaming through the forest canopy, he saw the ceiling of the cabin hazed in a light purple. the air was warm, tinged with the scent of drying herbs and pine. he could have sworn he was just in the middle of a hunt, raising his rifle to train it on a boar.

his body hummed. the hunter could feel the scratch of the blanket against his bare skin, the hot slick of sweat between his thighs, and the pull of the rope tighten around his wrists and ankles.

fear spiked through him. the memories of being strapped to the chair after winning at the fighting pits came rushing. this couldn’t be happening again. not after this long. after all this time, he thought he was safe, that he was okay, that— 

“you’re awake,” you said as you walked through the door. the bed dipped as you sat down beside him. steam curled from a mug in your hand. “the valerian did a pretty good job of knocking you out, huh?” 

“why am i tied up?” his words came out slurred, like he was trying to speak through a mouthful of syrup. eden sank his teeth into his mouth, trying to focus through the haze. 

your nails tapped against the mug in contemplation. “to keep you from me,” you said. “if i hadn’t acted quickly, i would have had to buy new clothes.” 

after a moment, you set the mug down and leaned over to look into his eyes. 

“i thought wiping you down would help, but your pupils are still dilated,” you observed. “the spores must’ve got you good.” 

he remembered the time you had first come across a flush of the strange fungi. they had fruited in the mushroom barrel, a cluster of yellow spheres among the fieldcaps and boletes. on that day, he dropped the firewood that he was hauling back to the cabin, worried about the way you were swaying. when he tried to ask if you were alright, you grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face to yours. 

"you could have had me," he said, swallowing. in that moment, you had been so pliable for him. after months of dealing with your stubbornness, it had been refreshing to see you so earnest for his touch. "it would have been...easy." 

a shadow fell over your face. “easy,” you repeated, pushing his hair from his eyes. eden shuddered, brief and sharp, at the sudden feeling of relief your touch provided him. "what fun would that have been?" 

knowing that you hadn’t chosen to take advantage of him in that state not only made his heart warm, but his body yearn even more for you. this moment was nothing like what happened in his past. 

“show me,” eden said, the words spilling out of him before he could realize what he was saying. the hunter had never been one to beg, but his skin felt like it was on fire and he needed you to touch him. he needed more relief. you were the balm to his suffering and the only person who could take care of him. “have your fun.” 

after a moment, he realized that he had pulled the ropes taut by trying to get closer to you. in that moment, he was intimately aware of your presence: the scent of arousal and soap on your skin, the softness of your breathing, and your fingers resting along his jaw. he wanted nothing more than to close the distance. 

“you know what i want.” your fingers lifted his face and there, yet again, was that hunger in your eyes. “are you sure about this?” 

eden inhaled, and found himself nodding. he thought of the nights he spent alone, the years that had stretched between you two, the taste of you in his mouth. anyone else would have taken advantage of him, but you were the only person he would ever grant his submission. 

“it’s you,” he said. "i'll do anything for you."

your hand slid down his neck to the center of his chest before you pressed him back to the bed, the sensation of your touch cool against his feverish skin. he bit back a whine, trying to keep himself from begging for more. 

from the nightstand, you produced a small bottle of lube. your hand began to drift from his chest, slipping under the sheet, drawing a path of pleasure that made him groan. 

“the spores dilate your blood vessels,” you murmured, drawing away the blanket to expose his naked body. “they make you sensitive to touch and encourage the release of oxytocin once stimulated.” 

“did you, ah, learn that from your classes?” 

you placed yourself between his legs. “i’ve seen a few experiments.” 

hearing that sent a pang of jealousy through him. he imagined you dosing yourself with a tincture of active spores, blushing as someone else’s hands roamed your body. “you didn’t…join them, did you?” 

“what?” you scoffed, pouring some of the lube onto your fingers. “i’m not like that.” 

“i took notes,” you continued. the hunter jumped when he felt a long, slim finger dip between his cheeks, wet and warm with lube. “we live in the forest, so i wanted to know how something like that could affect you.” 

“how considerate,” he said, breath heavy as your fingertip began to circle his hole. he hadn’t often touched himself there for pleasure, but the feeling wasn’t unwelcome. “any progress on that?” 

“i think it’s promising.” you smiled, and slipped a finger inside. slowly, you slid the digit in and out, easing him into the sensation. it wasn’t until you pushed another finger inside and rubbed against something that made his vision go white that he gasped, half-straining against the ropes that bound him. 

“fuck,” he grunted as you began to quicken the pace, coaxing moans from him that echoed throughout the cabin. he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to grind into your hand or into the mattress. 

eden thought he was going to go insane. he’d never thought you would ever have him like this, that you would take him this way, that you would want him in this state. he glanced at you and saw the blush that reddened your cheeks as you watched him writhe.

a feeling cracked inside of him. the need to let go, to give in, to fall into the depths of your desire. 

“so,” he panted, skin on fire. he swore that he was going to melt. “are you going to fuck me or what?” 

you held the back of his thigh with your other hand and pushed yourself down to your knuckles, earning a whine that shut him right up. 

“someone’s a little pushy today,” you said, sliding your fingers out of him. the lack of pressure made him shudder, making him bite back a whimper at the emptiness. “if i untie you, will you behave for me?” 

eden nodded. it took a moment for you to slip off your clothes, the pale glow of the moonlight exposing your pert breasts and the series of scars that adorned your torso. once you were bare, he felt the rope loosen from his ankles. when you climbed over him to unfasten his wrists, he took your nipple in his mouth, drawing circles around the tender bud with his tongue. 

already, he could feel his cock getting slick from your cunt. if he angled his hips right, then he could just— 

you pushed him away, his mouth leaving a line of saliva that connected you to him. he felt the sharp pull of your fingers tangled in his hair cut through the haziness of his lust. “i told you to behave,” you warned him. “will you be good for me?” 

eden licked his lips. it took him some effort to not grab you by the hips and take you right then and there. “i’ll be good for you.”

the rope around his wrists loosened and he felt your thumbs rub at the indents left on his wrists before you stood up from the bed to take the harness from the nightstand and slip it on. 

eden watched you, half dressed in shadow, adjusting the straps so they could rest on your hips. over the years, your body had grown more muscular from working around the cabin—so lithe and strong. the hunter couldn’t keep his eyes off you or the harness wrapped around you. the phallic device was just as advertised: sizable and textured with lines reminiscent of veins. 

obediently, he lied back on the mattress and prepared himself for what was to come, his cock stiffening in anticipation. after a moment, he heard you pop the cap off the lube and your fingers slick the strap-on. 

“what made you want to do this?” he said as you settled yourself between his thighs. 

a look of adoration fell on your face. “so i could see you like this.” gently, you touched his hip with your bandaged hand. “it’ll be easier if you face away from me.” 

"no." he took your wrist, the grip tight. memories of being restrained threatened to surface. he thought of the hands, the mouths, the marks they branded onto his skin. "i want to see you," he said, swallowing. "i want to know that it's you." 

“watch me, then.” you said once he released you, guiding the strap-on inside him as he held up his thighs. “i want you to see me fill you up.” 

you fucked into him, slow and hot, the stretch and burn of the toy earning a groan from him. 

"are you alright?" you paused. all of this was so new to the both of you and the last thing you wanted to do was hurt him. 

the hunter clenched his teeth. he needed more. he needed all of you. “shut up and fuck me already,” he growled. 

soon enough, you buried yourself to the hilt, the sudden fullness causing him to claw at the sheets. 

“some patience would do you good,” you said, rolling your hips to loosen him up even more. between the strokes and the press of the harness against his ass, all eden could do was keen. 

“even more of you would be better.” 

“god, you’re such a slut,” you laughed, bending over to press your body against his. at the contact, his skin became alight with pleasure. “does that make you feel good?” you asked, gentle. 

“y-yeah,” he answered, voice shaky. his head swirled. the hunter had no words for how euphoric he felt having you fuck him all slow and deep, how intoxicating it was to know that you could unravel him like this. 

you licked at his lips before taking them between your teeth. eden’s hands raked across your back, low moans pitching out of his throat. 

“you sound so nice when you do that,” you said between breaths, his shadow brushing against your skin as you kissed him. “what if i fucked you harder?” 

“don’t keep me waiting.” he bit your lip, drawing blood. “you think i can’t take it?”  

“i’m going to make you take it,” you purred, hips snapping forward as you quickened your thrusts, your new momentum encouraged by the pleasure you were wringing out of your hunter. underneath you, the bed groaned. his whines were trapped between your mouths. 

eden’s breaths came out in short puffs. with each thrust, he felt his own orgasm rising and his gut tightening. 

all of this was so good. he felt so full, so relieved within your embrace.

“you trust me, don't you?" your thrusts slowed. his eyes opened to find your skin shimmering with a thin sheen of sweat and your body flush with exertion. in that moment, your face had shifted to something more serious. “you trust me, don’t you? tell me you do.” 

your voice was soft, tender. all he could see was the expression you had made all those years ago when you had asked him if you two could start over. 

“yes,” he breathed, tangling his fingers in your hair. “i–i trust you.” 

after a moment, you pulled back to pour more lube onto your hand before taking his cock and wrapping your fingers around the length of it. the hunter gasped, your name spilling from his mouth as you fucked him. 

“i’ll always come back to you,” you murmured, thrusting into him so deep that he began to see stars. “i wouldn’t leave you.” 

you shoved two fingers into his mouth. he sucked on them, mindless, tasting honey and tea as the gauze on your palm brushed his face. there was the sweetness of your fingers, the scent of blood on your hand. 

with little warning, eden came clenching on the fake cock inside him as his own cock throbbed and pulsed in your grip. he cried out, legs shaking, letting loose a string of profanities as he made a mess all over his stomach and chest. 

you eased your thrusts, gently pulling away from him. you took a deep inhale before loosening the straps on the harness and to slip it off and set it aside. 

“c’mere.” eden grabbed you by the hip, pulling you closer. “sit on my face.” 

you obliged, climbing over him to place his face between your thighs. his breath was warm against your core, his gray eyes hazy as they beheld you. 

“it’d be a shame if i had all the fun,” he said before tonguing at your wetness, pulling soft moans from you. the straps had made you particularly sensitive from rubbing against you, so it was all too easy to make your core tighten. 

“eden,” you huffed, hips rocking against his face as you held the headboard to steady yourself. “fuck, oh my god, oh my god—” 

heat spread throughout your abdomen as your pleasure crested, your legs trembling as he sucked on your clit. although you were coming, eden continued to lap at your tender folds until you could barely handle it. 

once your thighs stopped shaking, you pushed yourself off eden and lay down next to him, your bodies a mess of hot, sweaty limbs. 

when he caught your eye, you smiled. his eyes were no longer dilated. whatever effects the spores had on him had passed, but his tenderness had remained.

“so,” you said, brushing his hair away from his face. this was your hunter, as strange and beautiful as the forest you had grown to love.

“you like the gift? sirris said i have to come back with a review.” 

eden chuckled quietly, pulling you closer to him. he pressed a kiss to your forehead, gentle and soft. he looked at you as if you were precious, as if you were something he wanted to keep.

"being with you is already a gift.” 

[mdhwrites]

Don't you think it's short selling Sasha and Marcy by saying they aren't major players?

Like it's kinda weird you'd sooner consider the Wartwood citizens to be more major than those two. I mean those guys (like Ivy, Maddie, Croaker, Wally, Toadie, and Felicia) only get like one or two focus episodes per season individually at best and it's not as though they have much of a story arc with them or have as much involvement in the overarching story the same way as Sasha and Marcy do.

Like if you count all the episodes that put Sasha or Marcy in a major role, I'd argue they may actually have more focus episodes than Polly (who appears more than them).

For crying out loud, Matt Braly has outright lumped Sasha and Marcy in as main cast in Tweets with one for season 3B even having him outright state Sasha and Grime are main cast in season 3. Voice director Eden Riegel also lumps Sasha and Marcy's voices as part of the main cast with Anne and the Plantars so they're clearly intended as major players, or at least higher on the prominence scale than the Wartwood citizens.

And it makes me wonder how you would classify characters in other shows that are too prominent to be lumped as simply supporting and nothing more, but also aren't 24/7 main cast.

Owl House has Amity, Willow, Gus, and Hunter (who are kinda similar in prominence with Sasha and Marcy) as not being 24/7 main players like Luz, Eda, King, and Hooty, but also too prominent to be lumped as just supporting and nothing more like the Hexside characters such as Boscha, Skara, Bump, and the Blight Twins.

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic has Starlight, Celestia, Discord, Luna, Trixie, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders as not being 24/7 main players like the Mane 6 + Spike, but too prominent to be lumped as just supporting and nothing more as well.

Star vs the Forces of Evil has Eclipsa, Tom, Moon, Ludo, River, Janna, and Pony Head in that same territory as not being 24/7 main players like Star and Marco, but too prominent to be lumped as just supporting and nothing more.

Steven Universe has Connie, Greg, Peridot, and Lapis in that same territory as not being 24/7 main players like the main 4 Crystal Gems (Steven, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst), but too prominent to be lumped as just supporting and nothing more.

Sasha and Marcy certainly have way more prominence than the Wartwood citizens and I feel you're kinda underestimating them into being minor supporting and nothing more, ignoring their importance to the show's story.

Well, I deleted this after not wanting to deliberate on the definition before but if this is going to come back each time I say what is my opinion:

I have never called Sasha or Marcy minor supporting characters. I even admitted in my last blog to Sasha being the primary antagonist for 2 seasons, just that her presence isn't really felt. Honestly, I've been trying to be NICE to Marcy but she has seven episodes dedicated to her... If you REALLY stretch the definition because I'd argue half of those are actually about Anne while we're simply told things about Marcy for Anne to wallow about or Marcy is just there for moralizing at Maddie in what is actually a Maddie episode so that's closer 3-4 which puts her on par with TOADSTOOL. If not straight up behind him.

I'm not saying they're unimportant. I'm not saying they're bad. Just that the focus of the story is on change and on community. Singular characters struggle to fit those themes. Sasha exists for two entire seasons just to challenge them as she opposes Anne's willingness to change, is stubborn in her refusal to change and loses her community because she's not willing to show care to them. It's really good... But it's SEVEN episode segments out of almost EIGHTY. And in s3, she gets two more dedicated to her and then is more an ensemble member for the Oum stuff, especially mother Oum, and then helps in the final fights of the finale, with a bit of her being commander sprinkled in like any random Wartwood citizen before.

And why is that? Because she joins the main cast the same way ALL of Wartwood is a part of the main cast. In finding community, she finds a place amongst the main players but I do not consider HER, INDIVIDUALLY, to be a main character, just like I don't argue Hop Pop or Polly are INDIVIDUALLY main characters. Honestly, questionably even Sprig.

It's the idea that a supporting group of characters can come together enough to build a main pillar of the show better than any one of them. If you claim NONE of the Wartwood characters are main characters, you trivialize the ENTIRE SETTING. But those characters are interconnected enough, tied together so tightly as a joint unit of characters, even if only one or two may get focus per episode, that you can see their change happen gradually in their own, collective arc.

And that arc is more important and arguably even more powerful. After all, if Wartwood hadn't changed, Sasha would never have gotten her second chance. She'd have died in Turning Point. Or they wouldn't have ever gone back to them in the first place. Marcy might have been told to piss off simply because she was from Newtopia because they didn't want to be looked down on. The armies might not have come together if Wartwood and others weren't moved to start thinking of the bigger picture rather than petty squables.

These are all critical to payoffs in the show and the themes, just as much, if not more, than anything with Sasha. It's why I think Thai Temple is one of the most important S3A episodes because it reassures that you don't have to go to a fantasy realm for community. There are lots of them who wish to share who they are, welcome in people with open minds, etc. like that and who will support each other in dark times.

There's a reason why Anne's final words to the Core, her refusal of it absolutely, isn't about Marcy and Sasha. It's about the world. And of course she's the one standing there because she has had the biggest impact on, and impacted by, the various communities of Earth, Amphibia and Wartwood especially. She is fighting for them, for they are her greatest treasures.

SO. With my having hopefully made myself clear: Let's talk about some of the claims you make with other shows so I can dig myself a hole. If you just want the Amphibia stuff, you can leave now.

TOH is a fucking nightmare to classify. Main characters often are meant to be storytelling engines, help establish what is most important to the show and set the status quote for antagonists and side characters to disrupt. Again, it's why Sasha actually makes a great primary antagonist early on for the capstone episodes because she does challenge Anne on much of this, just isn't around 99% of the time.

TOH has the problem that a story can be poorly written enough to make you wonder "WHO THE FUCK IS THE MAIN CAST!?" There's ALL sorts of arguments I could make, not helped that just time wise, Amity takes up a literal third of the show and doesn't help themes, doesn't push the plot forward and mostly doesn't fit the show's GENRE even. But time wise, she actually gets close to as much, time especially Luz, as Eda does. Eda spends literally NO time with Luz in the second S1 after all because she's too busy spending time with her sister.

Gus and Willow are LAUGHABLE to be called main supporting characters because every single one of Willow's episodes is actually someone else's and Gus gets one every half season and they also had to break their magic for one of them with a retcon. Hell, Willow gets maybe a dozen lines in the entirety of S2A and then I'm not sure if she actually says more than two lines to Luz in the entirety of S2B.

The only other one I can comment on is MLP which I watched... A bit over five seasons if I'm remembering right (I despised Starlight's redemption as one of the worst redemptions I've ever seen, let alone how it felt like they were performing character assassination on others to make Starlight look good afterwards) so this is from that perspective.

And like... No. Just no. Not even the entirety of the Mane 6 are always there and Spike certainly isn't around 24/7 but the only characters you listed, besides Starlight because yes, she was made into a main character, who got more than MAYBE two episodes a season are the Cutie Mark Crusaders. A lot of the fandom WISHES Luna and Celestia did more instead of feeling like a stiff breeze can incapacitate them and getting mentioned does not make you a main character. Trixie was a reoccurring villain but not very often. Even with the CMC, Apple Bloom is a main supporting character of Applejack... But they themselves are more side characters. They're along the same vein as most of the Wartwood citizens honestly.

None of them are bad mind you, I have been inspired by all the characters you've listed (Michael Hudson on fimfiction and no, I do not condone everything there but I don't like denying my past and so I don't nuke the entire account) before and I like a lot of stories with them. It doesn't make them main characters. At best, I'd put them in a middle tier where they're just supporting characters and part of that's simply because SIX MAIN CHARACTERS IS A LOT OF MAIN CHARACTERS. It's kind of hard to get in a word edgewise when that's the case, something TOH also suffers from.

I keep main character status TIGHT because those are the characters the story genuinely revolves around. If your existence only revolves around a different character, you're probably not a main character. As an example of my own work: In Rich Witch, I'd argue Pythia, despite being a part of the main 5 girls, is not a main character. Arguably, neither is Blair as she takes on more of an antagonist role. The main characters of that series are Azu, Igni and Daina. If a plotline doesn't have any effect on those three, I'm not going to include it.

And I think that's just straight up better for storytelling, at least if you're going for a tighter, more focused narrative. After all, the six protagonist for MLP work BECAUSE that show isn't about having a tight narrative so having a wide breadth of perspectives to potentially invoke stories is useful for it.

Amphibia is not the same way which is why I argue if anyone is the main character than Anne... It's in units because the whole of those people being affected matters more than any singular one. And that isn't me calling them bad, or unimportant or disinteresting. It's just me classifying it as I believe and that will paint how I analyze the show.

Sorry if you don't like it.

======+++++======= Side note: Don't expect more blogs on this topic. I have now addressed it but I don't think it's actually that useful of a point to deliberate, not when I'd rather talk about how effective the characters are regardless of their specific titles. After all, for as much as I want to teach with this stuff, it's still MY opinion and this is how I view the show.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[adiabolikpastel]

This question might be a bit weird so feel free to ignore it. :)

I was reading some translations of Carnelian Blood and I loved Carnelian's character, the guy is a "calamity" (that's what Karlheinz called him) who is destined to destroy the Makai during a red moon. Unfortunately, Rejet hasn't revealed any more information but I was wondering how all your OCs (Yuuki, Yuki, Skye, Rose, Callista and so on) would react to a villain like Carnelian? Would they do anything to try and stop him, what would they think of such a threat?

I can totally imagine Burai, Karlheinz and Ajax making an alliance to kill him and it would be fucking epic! Even Alrick could join his annoying nephews for once lol.

No no, not weird at all. Honestly, I should really look more into Carnelian Blood - since it is in the DL Universe canon. Please feel free to ask me things like this - cause I love to world build.

Let's see... so, how would the OCs react to a villain of calamity? Hmm... you know that is a good question. I know I have talked about there being 'war' and such - but never really in great detail on how the OCs handle that.

Thank you so much for this ask - it's a bit long but I hope it answers your question! I went ahead and did all the OCs ... hope that is okay!

Let's start with Tormented Reverie: Yuuki and Yuki. Both of them are really tied up in their Diaboy's story. So, they would only care as much Kanato or Laito would. Which, in looking at the events of DARK FATE, means that the two of them do raise up to the challenge when needing to. I think that Yuuki would be a total damsel in distress - she would no doubt be captured by this guy and Kanato would need to save her. Yuki on the other hand, I think this is where his power would awaken - making this actually a perfect thing to happen in his storyline. I can see Laito needing to be saved, and Yuki would be able to do that.

●・○・●・○・● | ●・○・●・○・● | ●・○・●・○・●

Next, Excruciating Duplicity: Skye, Callista, and Rose. Easily enough, Skye and Rose will be with their respected Kings doing their best. I know Rose cannot fight, her role would solely be to sit and wait for Burai to return. I think it would be her influence that finally leads him to act with the other King - rather than on his own. Skye I am on the fence about this - part of me thinks he can fight, or at least be somewhat helpful. Then the other side of me is thinking he wouldn't want to put his life in danger like that. Ultimately, I think he would defend Eden Castle. While Karlheinz is on the battlefield, Skye would defend his home.

In this universe, I can 100% see the Kings all having to team up! I love the idea of Burai needing convincing - especially when it comes to Ajax (also thank you for including him - it means a lot when my side characters are mentioned!). I also think that this battle of calamity might actually be the catalyst for the end of the great Kings. I can think of no better way for the next generation to take over than with the current Kings dying to save the Makai.

Callista is a very different case from everyone else. She is not only Shu's intended - and probable wife by that point, but she is also a princess of the Adler Kingdom. Calli is responsibilities that no other OC has - and because of that, I can see her protecting her people. While not explicitly on the battlefield, Calli would be tending to the wounded and helping with evacuations. Her guards and husband would stress she stay home - but she would not listen.

Now, in her other story route- the one with Reiji, I can see her staying locked away in the castle. Reiji is not the type to go out and fight, and Callista would want to stay with him. That being the case, they are not cowering in fear - rather the two are strategizing and organizing the armies together. Their family starts quite early, so, Calli would probably have a baby to take care of as well.

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While you didn't say them specifically I would like to touch really fast into the Tormented Reverie: Another Day Dream era. Say this person was someone that Karlheinz had warned his successor (more than likely Shu) about and it did not end up happening until centuries later. I can see all of the Sakamaki brothers, now grown, teaming up to take down this foe. I do not foresee it being easy - but I also don't think any of them would die.

Now, if it were to happen in the weird in-between time, where the children were not kids anymore but also had no power - I know that Kanaye and Edward (@silencieux-aube) would be out there fighting. Yukio would no doubt leave, taking Silas to the human world - literally running from their problems. Rini would be locked up with a legion of defenders, or she would be nowhere near it all - as in her young adult life she leave with Spencer and Oliver (@pureblood-prey & @first-blood-moon) to go find herself in the world.

●・○・●・○・● | ●・○・●・○・● | ●・○・●・○・●

In the far far-off future... there is another such story. While it has no title, the new generation - the Kanuki Grandchildren - exists. If this calamity presents itself after Kanaye has taken the throne, he will defend the Makai both behind and on the front lines. Edward, being his right-hand man, would be at his side - prioritizing the kingdom and Kanaye's life. This would no doubt be during the time of his first two children, Jesse and Marcus. Neither of which would be allowed on the battlefield - Kanaye wants them and Isabella to stay safe. Help those at home, and leave the fighting to him.

Should it happen later in their lives, after those two are grown and they have the twins Kai and Kaleb - I can see that being the end of Kanaye. At that point, he would have been King for centuries, and while not old and frail - peace will still make people weak. The twins are born and raised in the Human World (USA) - so Kanaye has long since left matters in the Makai to Edward.

[captaincassianandorr]

Australian Survivor Titans v.s Rebels Ep 1:

As usual I ramble incoherently about what I think: (And of course Australian Survivor spoilers ) I'm stupidly excited I finally get to watch

-2 seconds in and I'm already obsessed with Viola help. -Can someone please explain to me how an LPO(Loss Prevention Officer) is a rebel? Isn't he kind of the opposite of a rebel? -WHO IS THE GIRL IN THE PINK JUMPSUIT?Is that the word? -I am so glad for a newbie cast. Newbie casts are the best. -Kelli is slightly unhinged and I am here for it. -omg I just noticed Viola is wearing crocs (-1 for shoe choice) but I am still obsessed with her. -What is up with the chest closeups of each tribe starting reward challenge? -So far I like Raymond, and Viola and possibly Valeria. -the lack of communication between the Titans is sending me. Who thought lighting the wicker man early was a good idea? -Considering I thought when seeing the theme "the rebels will surely not win anything," how very wrong I was. They worked much better as a team than the titans for this reward challenge. -how is a teacher/paramedic/firefighter a "rebel" -OKAY I ADORE EDEN. I love a cinema nerd. Plus he referenced Star Wars. He can stay. Please let that adorable man stay. -does anyone know how to build a shelter on the titans tribe? Anyone??? -Hmm Frankie and Nathan seem to think they are running the tribe but it looks like the other tribe members are getting along? -Lol Valeria "I do feel like a wet chicken." -And the Titans shelter collapsing. HAHAHA I love newbies playing Survivor. -OMG VIOLA AND VALERIA YES. ALLIANCE FORMING. -Jess is a little bit socially awkward and fish out of water and I understand because I am horrible at social situations. I actually still want to get a test for aspergers because I would like to know if I have it or not(my sister does and I have some of the behaviour from it) -HAHAHA the titans forgetting their ball. If this tribe is this much of a trainwreck all season I am here for it. I love trainwreck tribes. I tend to root for them and pray/hope they get at least ONE immunity. -I think the Titans mistake in this one was not having enough guys left to pull the ball up? -2-2 Rebels and Titans. -Rebels win immunity! Unexpected outcome but I am glad they did in a way. Excited to see the Titans first Tribal Council. -Nathan saying him and Frankie are going to take control of their tribe. Nathan that is 2 people out of many. -LOL "you guys want to have a quick chat about how that all went?" then going "we lost 2 challenges." Jess is putting a target on her back here honestly. -Nathan telling the 2 blonde ladies that they'll carry them through. Um I'm pretty sure those 2 ladies are tough as. -YES EDEN. EDEN. I like this plan lol. -Eden you can play Survivor more than once. Just ask Shonee. -YES I like this kind of play where people risk everything. -I must laugh at Jonathan asking if this tribe of Titans is a Titanic mess? Because yes, yes it is. -Jess/Frankie tied votes. I hope Eden's blindside works here because it would be an epic move. HAHA loving the cocky/shock/confusion of Nathan and Frankie. Like "what's going on? People said they were going to vote with us?? :( " -BLINDSIDE I AM HERE FOR IT EVEN THOUGH IT'S EARLY -An enjoyable episode but I don't think anything in Aussie Survivor history can top David's blindside of Daisy or the cookie idol saga quite frankly.

[bigskydreaming]

Holy shit, I loved the first two issues of X-Men Red, but this third issue just......I haven’t been this invested in a comic, or surprised by the twists it takes, in longer than I can remember. Ewing had me with his S.W.O.R.D. series back in Dawn of X, but his plotting and pacing in XMR is on another level entirely. And his characterizations are just....*chef’s kiss* 

I will ALWAYS agree with the criticism of him being heavily whitewashed compared to his original design and depictions, but writing wise? THIS is the Roberto DaCosta I’ve been waiting to read again for AGES.

The way he played Isca, using the right of challenge by insult to force her hand, tricking her power into ensuring Magneto won his challenge against Tarn, even though he knew damn well how she’d react and what it would cost him......Sunspot is playing 3-D chess out here while all the allegedly more powerful and influential mutants of both Arakko’s Great Ring and Krakoa’s Quiet Council are puttering around playing checkers. He finessed this whole situation from the word go, and even played Magneto to get him into position (though I think Mags at least is very aware of that, and more than a little proud of his former pupil for that. I LOVE that Ewing’s leaning so heavily into their history together from when Magneto was headmaster of the Institute and the New Mutants’ primary teacher).

I mean really, X-Men Red itself is the book I never knew I wanted this badly until now, but its just.....its like Dune meets Game of Thrones but with X-Men. The politics and power struggles, the dedication to examining and subverting colonialist and imperialistic tropes, the larger than life and surrealist backdrop of Mars as a fully terraformed and flourishing mutant homeworld, the way every single main character has multiple agendas and constantly shifting allegiances, the intricacies of the actual fights between the MANY omega mutants on the cast, each and every one of them a potential planet-killer in their own right....

Not to mention the unapologetic over the top DRAMA of it all, lmao:

(Honestly, that’s one of the things that impresses me most about Ewing’s work with the Great Ring. How writers handle uber-powered characters while keeping stakes high and plausible, like, tends to be a very good barometer for their work as a whole. Its HARD to pull off, without making everything feel very paint-by-numbers and with no real risk or urgency, let alone just flat out unrealistic or riddled with plot holes. And not only has Ewing been juggling Storm, Magneto, Tarn, Vulcan and Isca from the start, he’s been laying seeds for Lodus Logos, Lactuca and some of the other GR members to become entangled in the larger plot as well. PLUS there’s the fact that most of these characters are now literally immortal and unkillable thanks to the resurrection protocols, yet he’s still managing to make the now-merely-temporary-deaths feel weighty and significant even without the threat of permanence. And I REALLY want to see Ewing’s take on Ora Serrata).

But like. There’s so damn much to enjoy about this book, I can’t believe its literally only on its third issue:

Brand and Ororo’s ideological war over Arakko’s autonomy and their constant attempts to outmaneuver and keep two steps ahead of the other. (Like seriously, Brand vs Ororo is fast becoming the new Xavier vs Magneto dichotomy for me). 

Cable, Thunderbird and Manifold’s subterfuge, working to undermine Brand from the inside, with even Nate and John’s ‘fight’ in the last issue having just been a deliberately staged bit of theater to sell the idea they hate each other too much to EVER work together against a common enemy....all while remaining true to the fact that its not actually a lie, they really do have beef with each other and are not remotely interested in being friends.

(Also I remain unapologetically stanning one Eden Fesi and I’m so glad his apparent departure from the cast last issue was just a fake-out and he’s not actually going anywhere. BEST CHARACTER IS BEST, SORRY NOT SORRY).

Brand’s blatant manipulations of Vulcan as she attempts to use him as her ‘big gun’ to gain herself an in on the Great Ring, now that she knows there’s no way she can use Ororo to further her agenda. 

Not to mention that every fucking time Gabe gets beaten and humiliated to hell and back, the stakes just keep rising, thanks to how heavily Ewing’s foreshadowing what’s to come once ‘the real Vulcan’ cracks through the shell those aliens from the Fault used to hide ‘his true mind.’

(And I’m like LMAO that freaking MENTALLO has a better read on Gabe’s real thoughts than Xavier. Loooooooool).

Magneto’s breakdown and the reveal of what really made him leave Krakoa and seek solitude on Arakko - how he’d hoped when Wanda made the Waiting Room, it might finally lead to Anya’s resurrection as well, but it turns out she wasn’t even a latent mutant, and there’s just no way to bring her back after all (at least not using the res protocols). 

The way this is juxtaposed later in the issue with Isca’s vulnerability when she’s tricked into basically sealing Tarn’s fate herself, and the fact that for a woman whose own power has made her betray her closest family in the past, no matter how vile Tarn was, the fact that they spent a thousand years fighting on the same side MEANT something to her. She’s not as cold and jaded as she likes to present herself as, and for a brief moment her mask slipped in public, and she’s as likely to hold a grudge against Roberto for THAT as for the actual manipulation itself.

The sheer fucking BRILLIANCE of how Roberto looked at this nigh-all powerful mutant who has literally spent four thousand years being known as THE UNBEATEN thanks to her omega level power to manipulate probability and ensure she literally CAN NOT lose.....and where everyone else sees proof there’s not even a POINT to challenging her, he sees opportunity and is just like....no yeah, I can use that. 

Like, what Magneto did in his actual fight with Tarn was irrelevant before the fight even began, because Roberto had ALREADY ensured his victory just by backing Isca and her power into inadvertently siding with Max instead of her long-time ally, Tarn. That’s so galaxy brain, I can’t even. 

afhslfhalfhal

Like not gonna lie....a BIG part of why I was so bummed when it was leaked that Bobby was just moving over to Duggan’s X-Men title, was because I had genuinely, sincerely convinced myself that he HAD to be the ringer Storm was bringing in to beat Tarn and take an additional seat on the Great Ring, because there was simply no other omega she could both trust AND who was actually capable of beating Tarn. His powerset is a beast and I don’t know that its a given that Magneto could have beaten him without the edge Roberto gave him. Whereas Bobby’s one of the few omegas whose own powerset comes with a built-in immunity/workaround for Tarn’s particular bag of tricks.

I mean I KNEW Gabe wasn’t going to be able to pull it off, no matter how Abigail tried to stack the deck in his favor, but I didn’t think that was where Ewing was going with Magneto either, not for sure, just because I think in most variations of this fight, Tarn WAS the more likely victor there. But the combo of Roberto’s insurance policy and how Max used his helmet.....perfection.

Also perfection? Magneto’s budding bromance-plz-let-it-be-more with the Fisher King. I LOVE their dynamic, and Mags is ABSOLUTELY winning the Magneto/Xavier break-up because of it. LMAO.

As for Tarn’s fate.....eh, its not the last we’ve seen of him. He’s basically the Arakkii version of Sinister, there’s no WAY he doesn’t have clones of himself stashed away somewhere, or some failsafe in place in case anyone ever did get the drop on him. Especially after Ororo humbled the fuck out of him in their duel.....that scene made it clear he’s waaaaaay too big on self-preservation to risk not coming up with some get out of death free card for himself.

But then, I’m ALSO not convinced that we’ve seen the last of Nameless. I don’t buy that she actually killed herself at the end of losing HER duel to Ororo, and I think she just faked it with that lightning strike before slipping away to recover and plan for her revenge another day. 

So I’m kinda expecting that some of these fallen Great Ring members are still gonna be out there, maybe forming a kind of Shadow Ring of their own, to undermine Storm and her allies on the GR.

Of course, even without that, Roberto’s gambit might have won them the Seat of Loss, but it came at a cost as it guaranteed that the formerly ambivalent ‘frenemy’ Ororo had in Isca, has now given way to absolutely-holding-a-grudge-enemy-for-life Isca. And we’ve already seen in X of Swords that ideally, you WANT an apathetic Isca who doesn’t care all that much about what happens to you after her inevitable victory. An Isca the Unbeaten who is INVESTED in beating you.....that’s something to be afraid of.

And lastly, but certainly not least:

I fucking love Khora, and I hope she takes Ororo up on her offer to jump ship from Brand’s camp and join her Brotherhood instead.

[voidsentprinces]

Every bit of Shadowbringers is the Scions it corresponds with.

Amh Araeng Prt 1 is very Alisaie. Mirroring her decision in A Realm Reborn, Alisaie wanders off to the outskirts of civilization. Choosing to observe the powers of the world and figure out a way to stop coming tragedies. We’re introduced to the threat and aggressively fight against it but in mirror the loss of Ga Bu and Louisoix. Alisaie loses someone dear to her by Tempering. Louisoix became a Primal and Ga Bu was tempered by Titan. (Though honestly I wish Alisaie would stop losing people dear to her cause after Requiem for Heroes it feels like the story likes to kick her while she’s down at this point)

Kholusia Prt 1 is very Alphinaud. There is a semblance civilization, a rule of law in the area, there is even a function in which the society works. Mirroring Alphinaud remaining well within spitting distance and very much in the middle of the comings and goings. He uses his diplomatic maturity, which once was made for personal gain with clever wit and scheme. He has learned from the Crystal Brave betrayal, corruption of Ishgards, the result of those who choose might means right and what it results in from his time in Ala Mhigo, Hingashi, and Doma respectively. Applying himself to better comes to grips with the peoples plight. Upon seeing how Eulmore treats those chosen but then thrown away and then coming face to face with Vauthry. Rather than turning a blind eye and just being, “That’s just how it is.” as he was with the Monetarists and Refugees of Ul’dah. He pushes back against the system, damn the consequences, leaving an easily position to effect the politics of Eulmore and even gets a bullseye placed on the back of his head.

Lakeland is very much the Crystal Exarch’s Domain. It is the place of mystery, where life heavily clings on and every time we venture out to it. We come into conflict with either Eulmore or the Sineaters, Vauthry is controlling. It is in Lakeland, we fight through the Holminster Switch. Come face to face with our first Lightwarden and see where there was once furtile farm land, peace, and people. Now chaos reigns and an apocalyptic wave of disaster has struck. Mirror the world, G’raha had woken up to after the Eighth Umbral Calamity. This is where our foot hold is. Where we first bring night back to the First and his plan for saving the Source is put in motion. There is also a sense of myth about the place, Bismarck, a fae being in this shard slumbers in the Lake aptly named the Source. And it is only by bringing together to allies we made that we allowed to travel to the Tempest when he is spirited away. Just as G’raha gathered allies and people to himself to build the Crystarium.

Il Mheg is Urianger’s realm and reflects the game, he has agreed to play with the Warrior of Light at the behest of the Exarch. It is full of beings, who make deals out of innocent furvor at the determent of all who are around them. Pixies trick travels and fellow fae a like. The Nou Mou live to serve mortal kind just as Urianger serves the realm as a whole, no matter what light history might cast him in. And the Amaro dream of comrades lost, wishing to feel the comfort the adventurers and merchants they once wandered with. Grieving in their own way just as Urianger did after Moenbryda’s passing. Il Mheg is the land of faeries, it is steeped in myth and legend just as Urianger always had his nose in a book. Titania lays at the center of the realm. Once the pinnacle of the fae, forever corrupted by the Lightwarden’s energy. A horrific mirror of what should happen is G’raha’s plan should fail and the paragon of heroism, his friend: The Warrior of Light. Could also become a monster wearing the skin of a kingly figure should his mask slip. Yet when we enter his abode in the middle of Il Mheg, the Waking Sands/Rising Stones music plays. Reminding us of home and the Scions, he calls family and he welcomes us as he ever did, cryptically.

“Unto a hero weary of heroes, a heroes wends [their] way...”

Rak’tika is Y’shtola of course. She has turned away from her light magics of conjury to the dark magics of thaumaturge. The great boughs rise up and block out the sun light of the Great Wood. Reflecting the living style of her mentor: Master Matoya. A person who prefers their solitude, away from the dealings of the world, but with great knowledge to progress the plot forward. Thancred and Y’shtola get into an argument on how each other has changed. The two of them stood side by side after the Bloody Banquet and were both flung into Aetherstream by her Flow spell. While Y’shtola adapted to her blindness and halfened life force. Thancred had to push against the constrains of no longer having access to his aether and briefly losing sight in one eye. His last moments were the thought of protecting Minfilia. Only to wake up in Dravania and find out that Minfilia is no more. Y’shtola rejects Master Matoya and Thancred’s choice of solitude. Making friends with the Night’s Blessed. Even though, she knows she might have to leave them behind all too soon. She becomes a pinnacle of the Night’s Blessed community. While Thancred wanders hither and tither unfocused with Ryne at his side. Slipping easily into her role as a Scion, she researches the clues left behind by the Ronka Empire and makes allies with a civilization who has also closed themselves off from the world. Y’shtola is the first one to recognize the faults in G’raha’s plan and is immediately suspicious of the Exarch’s intentions. We see Y’shtola never truly changed however as when it comes time to get the item that will save the world and protect her friends. She readily uses Flow once more. Damn the consequences. Her sacrifice for the greater good is, as always, her charge which she never hesitates to grant. She even bonds with Runar seeing him as a little brother despite his obvious want for something more, just as she has a sister back in Gridania with whom she has a friendly relationship with. Just as Y’shtola’s connection to Matoya opened up the path to Azys Lla. Her run in with Emet-Selch opens up the path to learn of the Ancients and Amaurot and the true nature of Hydaelyn and Zodiark.

Amh Araeng Prt 2 is Thancred. Its tedious, its nearly empty, full of the smallest hopes. Each challenge is made to be tougher than it should be and despite us being able to compliment Thancred when finding a Voebrite coin. He shrugs it off as he is wont to do at this point. We get Ryne’s inner turmoil deepening. Thancred comes face to face with another individual wallowing in their own grief for those he loss and suddenly after coming face-to-face with Ran’jit again. Thancred throws away his misgivings and brings Ryne into the fold as shoe horned and bad written as possible. So lets just skip this area and never talk of it ever again okay? Cause the story never really does save for the Fatebreaker Eden section

Kholusia Prt 2 is Ardbert’s story or what it once was. We gather our group together and besiege Eulmore only for the villain to escape our grasps. But we triumph in liberating Eulmore from Vauthry’s tyranny for a moment. Alphinaud gets his heroic speech, Alisaie gets to combat the threats of the Lightwardens, Y’shtola and Urianger work together to make a massive Talos, Thancred and Ryne keeping tabs on Vauthry and Mt. Gulg. We meet face to face with G’raha. For all intents and purposes our Cylva. A person with a schism coming to a head. We come together as a team for the first time since coming to the First and each shows their worth in their connections to the realm. Mirroring Ardbert’s journey, we are faced with multiple seemingly insurmontible odds and come out on top. Vauthry’s Sineater Guard fall, he himself becomes the last one. The night returns to the First. And. We. Fail. We fail due to the machinations of Ascians just as Ardbert’s group did. The Warrior of Light is brought low by the combined aetheric energies of all Lightwardens. G’raha’s plan fails when Emet-Selch appears and leaves us for dead. Sure the enemy was vanquished, Vauthry and Ran’jit for us, Loghrif and Mitron for Ardbert’s group, but the First still falls to a Flood of Light as the eternal day returns and we are left on the cusp of despair. For all our triumphs. For all the schemes. For all the fighting. We fail. And just as Ardbert learns to protect his world with the aid of the Word of the Mother. The Warrior of Light only survives due to the aid of Ryne. An Oracle of Light who has come into her own and not died on the battlefield. We wander the Crystarium afterwards listening to the tales of the people and what they think of the Exarch. Then immediately find our courage to plunge into the depths. Ardbert giving us the strength to move forward, that he didn’t have when he met Elidibus. No more desperation. Just courage in the face of oblivion.

The Tempest is Emet-Selch. We are bridged there by the mythical Bismarck and find a dwindling but prospering Sahagin alternative. Living and getting by the ruins of those who stood before. The one part of the world far, far, far way from the light of the First. From the people and things, he used to care for. We find he made a city out of nostalgia and even the ghosts become almost too real. He is at the depths of his grief in a world, he cannot forget and will not forsake. It is here, the one clinging to the past the most falls to those who look to the future they yet have. He covets the Exarch’s use of rift travel because he knows if he can harness it, he has a chance to go back and save EVERYONE! But, he can’t and he won’t. He can no longer go home and knowing Elidibus’s memory and personality has been slipping since he left Zodiark’s breast. He asks us:

“Remember us...remember that we once lived.”

The Crystal Tower is Elidibus. It is the shining beacon of hope, he wished to become as Emissary. From the day, he chose to become the heart of Zodiark. To every motion to move for or against his breathren. The Allaghan Empire’s greatest achievement. But ruled by an Emperor whose death dropped him into Nihilism. Conquest was nothing but ashes in the mouth of Xande and he wish to consume the Source in Void. Elidibus wishes the return of Zodiark. For it is his duty, there is no solace in memories he can no longer recall. A being frozen in time just as Amon had the Crystal Tower’s previous inhabitence. Telling us repeatedly that no matter what our Echo shows us of his past. It will not avail us to his present. So he takes on the image of the Warrior of Light, playing pretend at the role of the hero having possessed Ardbert’s body before. He speeds up the Heroes Journey. Has us actively fight against our own memories and in the end, his own brother reappears amidst the clash to grant the last Unsundered Peace in his fall. G’raha sealing away his essence in the Crystal Tower to become part of the beacon of hope and light. Though perhaps in his final moments, his true duty was that he was waiting for someone to return to him. Someone he looked up to in his younger years. A shadow in his memories he has clung to and taken into being the example off in their absence.

“The rains have ceased, and we have been graced with another beautiful day. But you are not here to see it.”

[vitaliciouscreations]

Drop of Paradise - Part Seven

First | Previous | Next

Getting home had been… well, let’s just say it had been a challenge for Marinette.

Considering Marinette’s home was just across the street from François-Dupont, it being a challenge to get from one place to the other was pretty unusual. Unusual, though, was the perfect word to describe the sight Marinette had found herself confronted with when she’d tried to leave the school.

Usually, the street separating the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie and François-Dupont was, well, a street. Cars drove down it, pedestrians walked on it, you know. But just a few hours ago it had looked far more like… well, saying it had looked like a can of sardines was probably the most accurate. But, like, if the can was a street, and the sardines were reporters.

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t Marinette’s best metaphor, but the point still stood! The street had been packed so full of reporters some had literally been crawling over each other, while others viciously tried to elbow each other out of the way, all to get just a little bit closer to the front entrance of François-Dupont.

Marinette had never been more grateful that her time as Ladybug had familiarized her with all of François-Dupont’s exits. She doubted she would have made it out of there otherwise. Even now, there were reporters clogging the streets, interviewing Marinette’s teachers and classmates and anybody even remotely in the area and willing to talk to them. Marinette had made it out safely only because she had plenty of practice in sneaking off unnoticed by now, and even then it had been difficult.

Tiān revealing itself to the world was a big deal, of course. Marinette knew that. And she’d learned from Alya that pretty much every news media company on the planet was going wild about it. But today had been nothing more than a silly school presentation, given by Marinette, a girl nobody knew was Ladybug. So Marinette hadn’t really expected such a media frenzy about it.

Her mistake, she supposed. If Alya had been there, she wondered, would she have known to expect it?

And there it was. Yup. Marinette was still upset about her friends missing her presentation. And honestly, she was pretty sure she was going to be upset about it for a while? She’d tried to talk herself through it after getting home, but she’d failed to rationalize her hurt feelings away. And it really didn’t help that one of her friends had texted her a picture of the entire group, including Lila, having fun without her.

She had other texts besides that one, though. One that had been sent during her presentation, from Luka, wishing her luck. And one from Kagami that she’d received after she’d gotten home, congratulating her on her presentation and reminding her to eat something filling. Marinette had actually already eaten lunch, incidentally, but she didn’t really feel up to telling Kagami the real reason she’d collapsed during her presentation, so she’d just texted back a promise to take it easy on herself for the rest of the day. Those two texts didn’t soothe the sting of her classmates ditching her presentation, but they did make Marinette feel better regardless.

“Marinette!” her father’s voice called from downstairs, actually startling her a little bit. “One of your friends is here to see you!”

Marinette’s heart jumped into her throat. Luka? He normally texted before coming over, though. And Marinette doubted it would be Kagami, either, so then—!

Marinette jumped up and rushed for the trapdoor on the floor of her room. Then she paused, and nearly tripped over her own feet as she rushed back to her mirror and hastily peered at her reflection. Her eyes weren’t noticeably red, there were no tear tracks on her face, and her clothes were only slightly wrinkled. Marinette nodded at her reflection and tugged at her skirt to straighten it as she pulled up the trapdoor and rushed down the stairs. And there—

There.

There.

Standing in the middle of Marinette’s living room, looking far more innocent than she had any right to, was Lila Rossi.

“I have something else to do, so I’ll leave you two girls alone,” Marinette’s papa said, oblivious to Marinette’s rapid shift in mood. Marinette glared at Lila as he hustled out of the room, and Lila simply smiled at her in return.

“Hey Marinette,” Lila said, her demeanor her usual act of a sweet, friendly girl. “Here, I brought you something.”

Lila stepped forward and held out a paper towards Marinette. Marinette didn’t want to take it, unreasonably suspicious that it had some sort of deadly poison on it, and more reasonably suspicious that something horrible was written on it. Marinette eyed it cautiously for several long seconds, and Lila’s fake sweet smile stayed in place the entire time.

Finally, Marinette sntached the paper and turned it over, scanning the words written there. Instead of some sort of awful message, it was just…

Eden is an isolated city high in the Kunlun Mountains. It’s existence has been kept secret for several millennia now because of the locals' fear of the outside world.

“It’s a study guide,” Lila said, drawing Marinette’s attention up from the page. “Sabrina was kind enough to write one out for you while we were all out getting ice cream. It was certainly a much better time than standing around and listening to your boring presentation about your so-called heritage.” Lila laughed, her sweet act dropping to the ground and shattering into a million pieces. “At least that’s what Adrien said when we were all having fun without you.”

“No he didn’t!” Marinette snapped.

“Didn’t he?” Lila asked. “I guess you’ll never know since you weren’t there. Everyone else was, though. All of your precious friends. I told you before, didn’t I? I’m going to take them from you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Marinette’s hands clenched into fists. The “study guide” Lila had handed her crumpled loudly in her grip. “They’re not so easy to manipulate, Lila. They’ll see through you eventually!”

“Oh, will they?” Lila taunted. “I barely even had to try to get them to come along with me today. You know what I think? I think they didn’t even care about seeing your stupid presentation in the first place, even though all of them knew how much it mattered to you. The second I said anything about leaving they all jumped on board. Max even talked about how failing one test wouldn’t ruin any of their grades, and you know how much he cares about his test scores.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not!” Lila insisted. “You just can’t accept the truth; none of your “friends” think of you as anything more than a meal ticket, so to speak. And they’re right! You’re very useful when it comes to free sweets or clothing, but when it comes to actually hanging out with you? Ha! It’s barely worth it.”

“Why would I believe anything you say?” Marinette snarled.

Lila smiled at her way too innocently. “Why wouldn’t you believe me? I mean, if your friends were really your friends, they would have stayed for your presentation today, right?”

“That’s your fault!”

“Oh please.” Lila rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I dragged them out of the cafeteria kicking and screaming. They all agreed to come with me of their own free will. Even Adrien.”

Marinette was shaking. Not trembling, but shaking. Shaking with rage as she did her best to stop herself from doing something she’d regret, though what that something was, she didn’t know yet.

Lila took a step closer to her, an absolutely insufferable smirk on her face. “By the way, Alix wants those pajama shorts you promised her. She said it’s really annoying that you can’t even do the one thing you’re good for in a timely manner. And I agree with her. I mean really, two weeks for a pair of shorts? Honestly, it’s no wonder they’re all reconsidering whether to keep pretending to be your friend.”

“Shut up!” Marinette snapped, lunging forward and getting in Lila’s space.

A crooked grin crossed Lila’s face, making her look downright devilish. She looked at Marinette with expectant eyes, and that, if nothing else, reminded Marinette to rein in her temper.

She wrestled with it; it really wasn’t easy to get her anger under control when there was this much of it, and especially not with Lila still standing there. Marinette could see something in Lila’s face, though. She’d definitely riled up Marinette for a reason; she was expecting to get something out of it. Marinette had no idea what that something was, but she did not want to give Lila what she wanted.

“Goodbye, Lila,” Marinette said, her voice strained. Neither of them moved, except Lila’s face twitched. Her smile looked a little less pleased.

“Goodbye?” she echoed.

“Get out of my house,” Marinette ordered.

Lila smirked. “Or what?”

“Papa!” Marinette shouted. Lila visibly straightened up, looking nervous. Marinette’s father was one of the gentlest men in all of Paris, but Lila didn’t know Marinette or her family well enough to know that her father’s large frame was mostly deceptive.

“Fine,” Lila snarled. She turned on her heel and stomped out the door. Not five seconds later, Marinette’s papa rushed into the room.

“Something I can do for you, sweetheart?” he asked. “Oh, where’d your friend go?”

“She’s not my friend,” Marinette said quickly, not wanting to get into it. “And I just wanted… a hug.”

“Oh sweetheart,” her father said, stepping forward and pulling Marinette into a warm, comfortably tight bear hug. “You can have one of those whenever you like.”

Okay, so it’s been a while. I just left this one alone for a while, but I always intended to keep going with it, and the support I got even during my hiatus only encouraged me more. So I kept going with it.

Tell me if you want to be added or removed from the tag list.

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[seraphsurvival]

episode 1: 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜

with their first official challenge on 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇 complete the angels group up to compete in 2 groups. after hours of practice and fighting for the spotlight will their groups be enough to impress the judges? will they soar high or fall from grace ?

* note that indented + italic text like this means it is confessional footage *

Team One :

MIMI ( @inter-stellar-jyp )

HAEJU ( @hcney-moon )

SUMMER ( @se4sonz )

JAY ( @dulcetgg )

EDEN ( @inter-stellar-jyp )

AME ( @triptychexe )

Everybody wants to rule the world! When it came to picking positions for this week’s competition, everyone in Team One had raised their hand to be center. Tension fell over the group. Being the center of the first round of group performances could be a game changer. On the other hand, no one wants to come off as too greedy. Team one had to decide if they wanted to fight for it or sit back and enjoy the show.

Team One chose: fight for it AND sit back and enjoy the show. through voting the two options tied.

Outcome: The girls equally fight and sit back. the members summer , jay and eden fight for center while haeju , mimi and ame decide to sit back. the team can’t pick a center, which causes a divide among the angels. but as they grow closer, they recognize each others talents. they remove the center position entirely this week and work on their team performance and cleaning it up and form a strong team bond that makes their performance stand out. 300 bonus points for true teamwork . TOTAL: 300 points.

the morning of team one’s first practice was full of excitement. the six girls walked together from the dorm building to the practice room, giggling and chatting together as if they had been a group for years and friends for even longer.

“i knew of haeju prior to being on SERAPH together.” ame shares with a smile. “our companies often work together, so we have a lot to talk about. the other girls are really sweet too.”

“the energy of our first morning was so vibrant and fun and exciting…” jay shakes her head. “i really don’t know where it went wrong.”

once the girls finished setting up, they gathered in a circle to discuss positions for the performance. they all unanimously voted haeju as the leader as well as mimi as the main vocalist. all that was left to do was select a center.

“so,” haeju snapped into her newly-appointed leadership by popping the big question. “who wants to be center?”

all six hands flew into the air. everyone’s eyes widened in shock. upon seeing the amount of hands in the air, mimi put hers down.

“i’m already lead vocalist anyways.” mimi reasoned. “i didn’t want to look ungrateful for the position i had. center position is a big deal but… i don’t know if i wanted to stir the pot right away.”

following her example, ame also returned her hand to her lap.

ame gave a shrug, licking her bottom lip. “i don’t really know why i changed my mind. i really don’t like conflict and i didn’t want to cause any trouble. i probably should have fought for center but… summer, eden and jay all looked so fiery… i couldn’t go against them.”

“okay... well… how about we run through the chorus a few times with different centers?” haeju suggested. “then we can see who we think fits it best?”

“i’ll go first.” two voices spoke at the same time. summer and eden snapped their attention towards each other, surprised that they both spoke. the tension between the two was so thick, the other team members couldn’t even muster a chuckle to dissipate the atmosphere.

“how about jay goes first.” haeju offered, breaking the silence.

all the girls repositioned to place jay in the center and run through the song multiple times trying to get used to the new formations. the rehearsal went surprisingly smoothly much to eden and summer’s dismay.

“i know i deserve center. all the practices where i was center were the cleanest by far. i’ve got it in the bag at the point.” jay bit her bottom lip to try hide the smug smile she had on her face.

the tension still hadn’t dissipated after all three girls swapped around for center. despite how perfect the choreography flowed no matter who was center their dynamic as a group had seemingly fallen apart.

“i’m really nervous about how this week is gonna go,” mimi let out a long huff. “there’s a lot of tension amongst the angels and i’m worried it’s going to jeopardize our performance.”

“i think we need to call it a night everyone. get ready to work extra hard and be ready to fight for that center tomorrow.” haeju spoke before dismissing all the girls back to their dorms. the walk back to the dorm was quiet unlike their energetic lively departure from it just that morning.

“i don’t think it’s that hard to pick a center in my opinion. some people have it, some don’t.” summer folded her arms as she spoke, her annoyance palpable. “ we should’ve sorted it out before bed but i’m not this week's leader so what do i know honestly.”

after days of practicing with a constant center change the girls had to perform in front of the judges.

“we can’t keep changing positions forever, it's unprofessional.” eden let out a long sigh. “the performance is in a day. i just want to impress the judges.”

the silence following their performance had each angel’s breath ringing in their ears. their nerves were unshakeable.

the 3 judges looked amongst each other before each breaking out into a broad smile. much to all of their surprise their rehearsal wowed the judges. each of them applauding the tightness of the choreography and overall teamwork. sunmi didn’t even try to hide her satisfaction as she brought her microphone up to her red lips, “i don’t know what i was expecting but it was not that! wow team 1 you’ve really impressed me today.”

the girls smiles grew as she spoke, each girl bowing respectfully.

the other two judges hummed in agreement with sunmi, j-hope even lifting his thumbs up with his signature smile.

“so haeju you are this weeks leader correct?” hyuna asked. haeju was visibly flustered , having a one on one conversation with someone who inspired her to be an idol is obviously nerve racking. with a shaky hand haeju received a mic.

“yes that’s me.”

“well done the girls look perfect. the choreography was clean, each angel shon and we could tell you fully grasped the concept of the song.” haeju smiled broadly, pride swelling in her chest.

“may i ask who is the center this week?” j-hope asked. “umm,”

“i was worried that if i told them that we had no center yet their view on our team would change. after all the praise we received i didn’t want to taint that image they had of us but i couldn’t lie” haeju looked down at her black tights , hands cupping her face as she took a deep breath.

“we actually don’t have one yet we’ve been trying random combinations but today we just performed without one.”

j-hopes expression was unreadable as he looked down at his notes. “i like it that way. i say get rid of the position this week and perform the way you just did. it was perfect.” his smile broadened as he spoke, “well done team 1 i’m excited to see the final performance.”

the angels all laced their hands as they bowed before exiting the stage. their excitement coming out in tiny squeals.

“getting rid of the position entirely is perfect ! i’m so glad that the judges suggested it. now we can just focus on cleaning up our performance and move past the bickering and tension.” ame clapped her hands excitedly in the booth, relieved that all the conflict could finally end. “it is definitely better for us, maybe now i’ll be able to sleep without worrying about another angel sneak attacking me.” jay joked, making both her and ame burst out laughing the aforementioned tensions were nowhere to be found.

“i cant believe the judges loved our performance i has been so stressed all week. but we don’t need a center, we're all centers,” mimi spoke in a sing-song voice making both her and eden giggle. “i still would’ve killed it as center though,” eden joked, nudging mimi’s shoulder. “of course you would’ve eden.” mimi cooed, slinging her arm around the younger girl, their smiles mirroring each other’s.

“i think this is really the best option. even though i know i deserve the position , the tension was not letting us perform to our best ability.” summer spoke, a slight sense of disappointment in her voice but it was quickly brushed away as haeju rubbed her should. “we’re going to kill it this week , i can feel it!” haeju cheered. with a soft chuckle summer nodded ,”we’re going to kill it !”

all their confessional cams linked up to show them place a fist up as they cheered in unison. “team 1 fighting!”

[ WATCH TEAM 1’S PERFORMANCE OF FAKE LOVE — HERE ]

Team Two:

BAEBI ( @whileinvenus )

CHLOE ( @chloekwon )

DAHLIA ( @d3adfl0wers )

YURI ( @cube-vivid )

JADE ( @nct-krown )

RICKY ( @unholiied )

This week, Team Two’s lead vocalist, Chloe, had woken up to a sore throat. After examination by the in-studio medic, it was confirmed that Chloe had stressed her vocal cords during rehearsals. The medic suggested that Chloe rest up her voice and take on a minor role this week. Team Two had to decide if they were going to keep their vocalist or change positions.

Team Two chose: change positions.

Outcome: This opened up the floodgates. The other angels started ruffling their feathers for a chance to get a better position. This creates some tension within the group. When a vocalist was finally picked* (*randomized), they barely had any time to learn their parts. The performance didn’t suffer, but it wasn’t anything special. No one can out do the doer. 200 for making a tough choice, plus 50 for the performance not burning up in flames.

TOTAL: 250 points each.

the girls sat in a semicircle, awkward silence falling over the group. it was time to make a decision.

“i think we should change positions this week.” chloe croaked, her throat still dry and strained.

“there’s no chance you can power through?” baebi asked as this weeks leader it was her duty to look out for the girls. chloe shook her head making baebi’s frown deepen in concern.

“i didn’t want the other girls to suffer because of my condition.” chloe explained to the camera. “plus i would rather have another shot at main vocalist when my throat is better. i don’t want to give off a bad impression.”

jade clapped her hands together. “well? who wants to take chloe’s spot?”

hands flew up in the air instantly. of course, everyone wanted an important position within the group.

“we have a lot of strong personalities in our group. everyone is very talented.” yuri shares with a shrug. “it would have been more surprising if no one raised their hand at all.”

“okay…” jade breaks the silence. she turns to chloe. “chloe, how about you decide who gets your parts?”

“oh, okay.” chloe looks a little uncomfortable as she shifts her weight from one side to the other. “um how about you each try to hit the note?”

the girls went around, each angel singing their heart out. each solo got a little bit more passionate than the next, and it was obvious how badly everyone wanted this positon. finally, it was ricky’s turn.

ricky took a deep breath before attempting the note. to everyone’s surprise, ricky’s voice unexpectedly cracked on the high note. a hushed gasp chorused over the group. they all exchanged looks within the group as they exchanged unspoken opinions. ricky’s cheeks flushed as she shook her head slightly.

“sorry! sorry!” ricky covered her mouth with one hand. “can i try again?”

“i felt very intimidated.” ricky admits to the camera. “plus i didn’t have time to warm up. i needed to prove myself. everyone on this team is a star. i wanted to shine brightly too.”

“yeah, of course.” chloe nodded. dahlia gave side eyes to jade, who returned the look. no one spoke up, however, and let ricky finish.

“well, you all did great.” chloe smoothed her palms onto her track pants. “the amount of talent in this group is really… wow.” chloe giggled at her simple description. the other girls chuckled politely, but none of them could quite shake the tension building up in the practice room.

“i’m going to have to go with…” chloe inhaled. “ricky.”

ricky beamed at chloe. yuri gave ricky a supportive shoulder squeeze.

whilst the other angels began congratulating ricky, jade and dahlia exchanged obvious looks of shock and disbelief.

“i know ricky and chloe have grown close this past week,” jade crosses her arms. “but if i was chloe, that squeak would have thrown me off completely. we can’t afford for that to happen on performance day and it’s not fair to put us all in jeopardy because they're friends now. i think chloe needs to realize that this is a competition, not a playdate with the besties.”

“i’m the lead vocalist of my own group.” dahlia reasons, her words coming out a little bitter. “i knew chloe was going to pick ricky though. they’ve been growing really close these past few days. it’s just…” dahlia inhaled through her nose, trying to compose herself for professionalism sake. “it’s just that this is a competition. i think chloe should have chosen someone a little more… suitable. even jade would have been a better pick than ricky.”

maybe if chloe had chosen a more ‘suitable’ replacement, team two’s practice would have gone a little smoother. with the change of positions and lines on top of the new and unspoken divide between the teammates, the last three days of rehearsal were tense ones. mistakes were made left and right, lines were forgotten, and toes were stepped on.

the dress rehearsal resulted in a very different performance than the group originally imagined.

“chloe and ricky have two very different stage personalities.” baebi, this week’s leader, shares. “ricky’s stage presence is really strong, but i’m not sure if it fits her role. yuri is supposed to be this week’s center, but ricky is trying to overshadow her. this isn’t a solo performance but she’s not allowing anyone else to shine.”

“so…” hyuna brought her microphone up to her lips, admitting a sigh. “i was really excited to see this group, but… i felt like i was watching three different performances in one.”

sunmi nodded in agreement. “this team is composed of really impressive members,” the idols hand swooped over the group in a generalizing gesture. “but it’s obvious to the audience that you are not on the same page.”

“is yuri the center?” j-hope asked, looking over his notes. yuri nodded. j-hope gave a thoughtful hum. “i couldn’t really tell. to me, it looked like ricky was the center.”

yuri looked a little deflated, her eyes focusing on a spot beyond the camera. “that was hard to hear. i think our dynamics really changed within the group when ricky became the main vocal. ricky is great, but as a performer she doesn’t like to share the spotlight and i think getting the main vocal really highlighted that.” yuri sighs.

“today, work on isolating your own talents.” sunmi suggested. “the final stage should be a harmonious performance showcasing all your skills.”

“honestly, we wouldn’t have this problem if ricky wasn’t our vocal.” jade frowns in the confessional. “i don’t think ricky knows how to share the stage. she’s used to being the popular one.” the singer shook her head. “she needs a reality check, if you ask me. someone more professional and a team player should be the main vocal.”

“i really hope we can pull this performance off.” ricky nods to the camera. “i’ve been working really hard to live up to the expectations of everyone. i can tell there’s tension after i was picked but i hope we can work together well on the stage tomorrow. i am just trying to show my talents off and prove why i deserve to be here. i shouldn’t have to dull myself so others can shine. if that means some of the angels don’t like me then…” she shrugged letting out a long sigh. “ i just hope they bring their all too .”

[ WATCH TEAM 2’S PERFORMANCE OF LOVE SHOT — HERE ]

[i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend]

Explanations ~ A Gordon Bombay Oneshot

A/N: So, I'm very much on a mighty ducks kick lately. I've got a chadam fic in the works, but this one came to me after watching episode 10. I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Bombay has a lot to think about after states. And an unexpected visit helps out.

Characters/Relationships: Gordon Bombay, Charlie Conway, Charlie x Adam (mentioned)

Warning: slight language, mentions of cancer, and alcoholism, no deaths though

Word count: 1042

It was early evening when the bus pulled up in front of the Ice Palace.

After he had waved off all of the kids, Gordon made his way inside to his small apartment upstairs.

He was proud of the Don’t Bothers. They had made the right choice for the team. They’d looked out for each other. They reminded him so much of the Ducks – the real Ducks. And hopefully they’d be able to reclaim that name in the morning.

After grabbing the bottle of OJ, he stared up at the framed newspaper articles next to his fridge.

The Minnesota Miracle Man.

He scoffed at the thought. He hadn’t been that man for a long time. And if he was being honest, he wasn’t sure he ever really had been.

He’d told Charlie once that he’d given him a life. And it was true. He owed everything to Charlie and the Ducks. Which is why it was so hard for him to face them… him after what happened with the NCAA.

Don’t tell me Charlie was right.

Fulton’s words rang in his ears.

Charlie was usually right. And he knew it.

Gordon hadn’t been showing up for his team – his family. But it was never because he didn’t care. He’d known that he’d let Charlie down in more ways than one in recent years, and this time he just didn’t feel like he could make it up to him. But seeing the way the Don’t Bothers rallied for Sofi, gave him hope. His team had always done it, maybe they’d give him one last chance.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. Assuming it was Alex or Evan, he didn’t bother checking the door before opening it. So when it swung open to reveal none other than Charlie Conway, Gordon’s jaw dropped.

“Charlie? What are you doing here?”

The younger man’s expression was tense and he held a large cardboard box in his arms. “Heard what happened with your new team this morning.”

There was less bitterness in his tone than expected.

“And that you’ve got a grudge match with the cake-eater mighty duck wannabes in the morning,” he added with a smirk. “You gonna let me in or what?”

“Oh. Yeah.”

The coach took a step back and gestured for him to come in. Charlie dropped the box on rickety kitchen table and surveyed the room.

“Banksy was right. You are a mess,” he finally declared, leaning on the table in front of the box and crossing his arms.

Charlie had managed to pick up Hans’ straightforwardness. It was unsettling.

“Did you come all this way just to harass me?” Gordon asked.

The former captain looked unimpressed. “All this way? I live 15 minutes away. You’d know that if you hadn’t dropped off the face of the Earth after the shit you pulled to get kicked out of the NCAA.”

“And what do you know about that?” he challenged, bristling at Charlie’s bluntness.

“You broke the rules trying to do a good thing and it bit you in the ass. Like always. Jury’s still out on whether it was for the right reasons. Care to give me your side?”

When the older man simply stared, Charlie stared back. He knew this game, and to be honest Charlie was better.

Finally Gordon sighed.

“There was a high school kid. He was a good player and he was a good kid. He was a smart kid. He wanted to go straight the draft, take his chances at signing a contract. Help his family out more. I wanted to help him out. I wanted him to have a future after the NHL. So I helped out his family, made them comfortable enough that he’d be able to go to college. I got busted.”

“So it wasn’t about winning?”

Gordon sighed and sank into the chair somewhat stiffly with his knee.

“No. It was about him. It was the same reason I lobbied Eden Hall for the scholarships. I wanted a good kid who’d been dealt a bad hand a chance. Hockey isn’t forever, and he had a chance at building something real.”

Charlie shook his head, running his tongue along his teeth before speaking. “You always were a bleeding heart underneath it all. But that still doesn’t explain why you dropped off the map afterwards.”

Gordon took a chip out of his pocket and flipped it over to Charlie.

1 Year.

“It got bad. And by the time I came out of it, and I heard the news about your mom I just thought it would be too little too late.”

“Better late than never,” Charlie hummed.

“I can see that now. How’s your mom doing by the way?”

“Better. She’s in remission now.”

Gordon nodded, more to himself than anything. “I’m sorry, Charlie. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when it got tough.”

The former captain sighed and shook his head.

“That sucked. But honestly it’s always bothered me more that you weren’t there for the good stuff. The wedding. The kids. The Ducks growing up.”

“I regret it. I wish I’d been with you to celebrate. Connie and Guy. You and Adam.”

Charlie arched an eyebrow. “So you did know.”

Gordon chuckled in spite of himself. “I did. I was glad you two figured it out. You deserve each other.”

“Thanks, coach.” The title was accompanied by a small smile. “It really is never too late. The Ducks miss you, and since the whole Spirit of the Ducks thing was a bust we’re planning our own reunion at the end of the month. Are you in?”

“Name the time and place. I’ll be there,” Gordon assured him.

“Good. Now about that grudge match.”

“It’s just a friendly game with a little wager.”

The younger man snorted. “They always are. Anyway,” Charlie turned and pulled the flap on the box he’d brought. “We thought you could use these. Remind everyone in this town how the Ducks really fly.”

“You still have all of these?”

“Yep, everyone has their own, but over time we’ve ended up with a full set. The team sends them with a message.”

Bombay smirked as he touched the familiar green fabric. “Let me guess, Quack?”

“Quack,” Charlie grinned.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed!

[muertawrites]

Hey! I absolutely loved your Zuko x reader one host you wrote, and I was wondering if you could do one where Zuko and the reader barely talk, but she’s part of Azula’s friend group. At the beach some stuff happens, and Zuko finds out she’s not as crazy as he thought she was. Kind of angst. I totally understand if you can’t, or don’t feel like it! I hope you’re safe and healthy, and everything is going well. Thank you!

From Eden (Zuko x Reader)

Word Count: 1,776 (FUHREEDOM MOTHERFUCKERS 🎆🦅🦅🦅 🎆 )

Author’s Note: Ok this request is P E R F E C T. I don’t think I need to tell anyone I love the psychology of this show, but I love the psychology of this show - especially with Zuko and his relationship with himself and others. And this episode??? Ohhhhhh I have some THINGS. TO. SAY. about this episode. I have been in this boy’s place and I feel 👏🏻 for 👏🏻 him 👏🏻 he 👏🏻 deserves 👏🏻 better 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. I went in a sliiiiiiightly different direction, but I didn’t drastically change it (it turned out cute I think). Also, I named this “From Eden” because as I was writing it reminded me of the Hozier song. I’m such a sucker for a Broken Babe™, especially when the babe in question has a lot of personal growth and learns to love because of it. Thank you so much for this, anon, you’re absolutely gorgeous and I hope you’re keeping safe and healthy as well ❤ 

~ Muerta 

(Also, if you’d like to request something, I have a list of prompts tagged! Feel free to ask for anything from fics to headcanons to imagines - I’m also open to new character suggestions!) 

“Hey.”

Zuko sat on the porch of his family’s old vacation home, his mind miles away. Your greeting made him snap his head towards you, glowering down at where you stood at the base of the front steps. You crossed your arms, responding to his gaze with a defiant glare. 

“What do you want?” he growled. 

“To have normal friends,” you spat in reply. “Seems I’m stuck with you instead.” 

A few hours ago, Zuko almost made a crater in the beach from the campfire you, his sister Azula, and your friends Mai and Ty Lee had started a screaming match around. Insults were flung, tears were shed, and skeletons were evicted from closets, all resulting in your realization that maybe political survival wasn’t worth the dysfunction of constantly being surrounded by a sociopath and her cronies. Pretending to have a super fun sleepover with them back at the guest house was proving to be too much for your fragile sense of self-containment, and you weren’t quite friendly enough with your newfound death wish to tell Azula how you really felt about her, so you went where you knew it would be quiet. You didn’t expect to find Zuko and his anger issues there a second time, but he honestly didn’t scare you - you’d take his obvious rage over Azula’s subtle calculations any day. 

“I don’t know why you’re complaining,” Zuko jeered. “You’re just as emotionally fucked as the rest of them.” 

“Ty Lee’s got herself pretty much under control, despite her gullibility,” you answered cooly. “Also, if you really wanna talk about emotionally fucked, I’m not the one who almost roasted my ex-girlfriend alive earlier.” 

Zuko furrowed his brow at you, leaning forward as if to challenge you. You stayed exactly as you were, regarding him with a hard, unimpressed expression that revealed just how little he intimidated you. You couldn’t bend and weren’t a trained fighter - you knew he knew this, and that he wouldn’t actually attack you, despite how convincing he tried to make his empty threat appear. After a long, intense moment of wrinkled foreheads and competitive frowning, he backed off with a sigh, leaning back against the pillar behind him. 

“So, what, you want to come and make peace? Talk it out or something?” 

You shook your head, climbing the steps and lowering yourself onto the second highest; just below him, with a few feet between you as a courtesy. 

“The last thing I want to do is talk about that dumpster fire on the beach,” you told him. “I just needed some time alone. But, since I found you, I guess it’s a good time to ask if you’re okay.”  

Zuko looked you up and down, a confused and partially concerned look on his face. You half expected him to raise the back of his hand to your forehead to check for fever. 

“What do you care if I’m okay or not?” he asked bitterly. “We’re not friends.” 

“Zuko, I’ve known you since I was a toddler,” you said. “I’d say we’re friends. It’s not like anyone else really is.” 

“Mai is my girlfriend,” Zuko snapped at you. “She’s the best friend I have!” 

“Mai dumped you for being a possessive asshole,” you deadpanned, “then she let her best friend convince you to commit arson. Friends don’t let their friends’ sisters manipulate them into felonies.” 

Zuko huffed, slumping back defeatedly. 

“You can’t act like Azula’s never made you do anything you didn’t want to,” he grumbled. 

“I don’t,” you replied shortly. “I’ve just stopped caring about making her like me, since she really doesn’t like anyone. She doesn't get under my skin like she used to when we were kids.” 

You noticed Zuko’s lips curl upwards into the ghost of a smile. You mirrored him, leaning your arms atop your upright knees. 

“What?” you asked. 

Zuko chuckled faintly, shaking his head. 

“Nothing,” he responded. “You just… Do you remember when you were eight, and Azula teased Ty Lee about being too slow climbing the trees in our courtyard?” 

Your eyes widened in realization, your mouth parting into a wide smile as you let out a gasp of hysterical laughter. 

“Oh, that was awful!” you cried, though the memory only brought more fits of giggles to your gut. “I was such a little brat!” 

Zuko was laughing with you too now, arms wrapped over his stomach as he tried to speak between breaths. 

“It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!” he exclaimed. “Watching her fall out of the tree like that, the shock on her face, and then I caught you with the knife and saw where you cut the branch... She deserved it. You should give her a taste of her own medicine like that more often.” 

You blushed, looking away from him as your laughter died down. 

“Now she could kill me if she wanted,” you said. “I try not to say or do anything around her if I can help it.” 

“... Is that why you’ve been so quiet since then?” 

You nodded. 

“She beat me up when she found out what I did,” you explained. 

You stood, pulling down the waist of your sarong to reveal the burn scar on your right hip. Zuko’s eyes burst with shock at first, wondering exactly why you’d be disrobing in front of him, his expression softening when he saw the mark Azula left. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “Most brothers feel like they should protect their little sisters. I always felt like I should’ve protected all of you from her.” 

“You did,” you assured him. You sat back down beside him, closer this time, so that your hips almost touched. “I remember you jumped in front of her once when she threatened us. And that time…” 

Your voice faded, the memory almost bringing tears to your eyes. You couldn’t figure out why. 

“You hid from her,” Zuko finished your thought. 

You nodded. 

“You let me hide in your room,” you recalled. “Remember? Azula punched me. I ran to the first quiet place I could find and accidentally went to your room.” 

Zuko hummed. 

“You were crying,” he added, “and your eye was all red and swollen.” 

“You held me.” 

Zuko’s eyes fixed on you. He didn’t say anything, though he remembered; you burst through his half open door, sniffling, tears and spittle running down your cheeks and chin. It was the first time Azula had actually, physically hurt you, and you were terrified and confused. He asked if you were okay, and you shook your head. Being so young, the only thing he could think to do was hug you, since that’s what his mother did to make him feel better, and you clung to him, sobbing into his shirt and using his much bigger body for protection. After that day, he let you use his bedroom as a hiding place whenever Azula got to be too much - until she found out about it and started teasing you about wedding dresses and baby names. 

“We were friends,” you breathed. “I wish we still were.” 

There was a long silence in which the two of you stared out at the horizon, down the steep hill leading to the vacation house and into the ocean. The moon hung in a small sliver, barely flickering across the calm waters that rocked below; you could hear the gentle rush of waves as they crawled over the sand and shrunk back into themselves, creating a calming din that echoed up to where you sat. 

“... I still remember your favorite game to play with me,” Zuko said into the warm air between you. “Those times you hid in my room. You used to pretend to be a Kyoshi warrior. My mom gave you one of her old fans and we’d jump on and off my bed, trying to catch each other.” 

You grinned. 

“I would wrap myself around your legs to keep you from walking,” you recalled. 

Zuko laughed. 

“I loved that,” he admitted. “It used to make me laugh so hard when we were kids.” 

He looked over to you, and you turned to face him as well. The anger in his eyes was gone completely, in its place a warm, steady sadness that made you ache. 

“I miss you,” he whispered. 

You reached cautiously for his hand, relieved when he slid his fingers between yours and gripped your palm tightly. 

“I miss you, too,” you replied. “I’m sorry I let Azula drive me away from you.” 

Zuko wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tender embrace. Your hands latched together on either side of his back, gripping into his shirt a little bit as you buried your face in his shoulder. He felt and smelled the same as he did when you were little; hard like the walls of a sturdy house and sweet like the last embers in a fireplace.

You didn’t know how long you held each other, but when you broke apart, you sat together for ages, existing in silence on the steps of his childhood house and beside one another. You felt small again, but in the best way - you felt like the girl who was brave enough to cut through the branches of a maple tree so your tormenter would fall out of them. 

“I want to run away,” you blurted. “I could be someone totally different if I weren’t stuck here.” 

“If you do, I’ll go with you,” Zuko said. “We can be different people together.” 

You grinned, leaning your shoulder against his. 

“We could move to Kyoshi Island,” you suggested. “I’m too old to start warrior training now, but we could start a business. Open an inn or something.” 

Zuko chuckled at the thought. 

“I’ll call myself Lee,” he mused, “and you can go by Izumi.” 

“Maybe we could be married. And we could adopt orphan children and cats.” 

“Just cats. You can’t emotionally destroy a cat like you can with a kid.” 

You glanced over at him, noticing the hard gleam in his eye. You wrapped your arms around his bicep, holding him close to you. 

“You’re not your father, Zuko,” you whispered. “You don’t want to be.” 

Zuko nodded. He reached for one of your hands, curling his own around it. 

“... I feel like I am going to leave,” he said, “at some point. When I do… will you stay? So that I have at least one friendly face to come home to someday?” 

You nodded, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. 

“I will,” you promised. “And when you do, I’ll give you Azula’s severed head as a homecoming present.” 

Zuko laughed at that. 

{ epilogue }

[nightwingshero]

1, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 100 for the OC(s) of your choice.

Thank you, love!!! 

1. Does your character have good aim?

Wren: She does, actually. She’s excellent at throwing knives and such, which shocks the hell out of her. 

Whitney: NOPE. Not even a little bit. She wouldn’t try, she would either embarrass herself and say breaking her nail as the excuse not to. 

Blair: Not...really. It got somewhat better with training with Oliver, but...there’s a reason she never played any sports. It’s not really her thing.

Camille: She does now, after training with Clint and Natasha at S.H.I.E.L.D. It took her a bit longer to get it, but she did get there eventually.

Naomi: Yes! She used to play softball when she was in high school, she’s rather athletic. Good luck challenging her to a game of darts. Just saying.  

15. Did your character ever want to be a cowboy?

Wren: No, not at all. She wanted to be a rockstar astronaut at first, something her mother thought was hilarious. Wren swore up and down that Rocketman was about her, but uh...she didn’t really get the lyrics at that young of an age. 

Whitney: Absolutely not. She was definitely a princess kind of girl. Being a cowboy was never her thing, she would rather be the princess or damsel in distress that gets swept off her feet. 

Blair: Not really. She wanted to live on Mars and be an astronaut too. She loves space and always has. Blair grew up to be an astrophysicist though...close enough. 

Camille: I could see that, sure. I don’t think it was specifically a cowboy, I think she wanted to be the Lone Ranger, like the show her father watches. She would make her dad pretend to be a bank robber so she could go after him. 

Naomi: Nope. Not at all. She was more into cops and robbers or princesses, to be honest. Cowboys just didn’t really hold her attention. The only one that could was Woody from Toy Story. 

25. Does your character experience sexism for the job/title they hold? (ie: she’s a girl, she can’t be x,y,z because only boys can be)

Wren: Not necessarily sexism, but Pratt does hit on her and stupid ass comments that piss her off. It’s borderline sexist and she’s borderline ready to punch him in the face.

Whitney: Yes, she does. She was raised treated like that, honestly, and she was raised to believe it’s okay. Joseph definitely treats her like a housewife, even as Mother of Eden’s Gate. She doesn’t know better, even though it really does piss her off. 

Blair: No, not at all. Her coworkers love her and don’t at all think that she shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing. She’s smart and well-respected in her field. And that doesn’t change with the teams at all. Blair isn’t disrespected like that, that’s a big no no. She also helps Mick with being politically correct. 

Camille: It depends on which job we’re talking about. She’s had her fair share as a doctor, her knowledge and rep questioned because she’s female. Now, in S.H.I.E.L.D., she has had moments, but not nearly that many. S.H.I.E.L.D. is known for having diverse agents, and the very few she’s witnessed be assholes, she’s corrected (or Nat has rather quickly.) With the Avengers, it’s a hard no. Her place was earned and she’s respected by members of the team, and those members are quick to address those issues when they witness someone treating her that way (they drink their respect women juice.)

Naomi: As a war correspondent, absolutely. Being told that “this is no place for a girl” was something she received a lot. But she did a badass job at it. Now, S.H.I.E.L.D. was a lot better, for sure. They welcomed her and her skills for gaining intelligence with open arms, she’s a resident badass. Once S.H.I.E.L.D. is taken down, she becomes the PR for the Avengers, in which she’s someone you don’t wanna cross. She becomes highly respected. 

35. Naptime, yes or no?

Wren: YESSSS! That girl loves naps! Give her a slice of cheesecake or some ice cream right before, and she’ll curl up on the couch and nap while watching The Twilight Zone. 

Whitney: Eh, not really. Whit is normally busy with something, and she would rather be doing something productive than nap. 

Blair: Yes! Most of it is because she’s working all hours of the night on something in the lab, so when she gets home, she’s not getting enough sleep. So! Yummy hot cocoa and naps!

Camille: Eh, she’s not known for it because she works a lot during the day, but if it happens, it’s because she’s pulling long hours and needs a break. But Camille isn’t really a frequent napper, it makes her more tired, if she’s being honest.

Naomi: Nah, that’s not really her thing. She’s used to long hours, and knows that if she naps, she won’t be able to sleep that night. So she’ll power through and maybe just go to bed a bit earlier to catch up on sleep. 

45. Would your character kill someone to get what they want?

Wren: Ehhhh...that’s a hard maybe, depending of if we’re talking pre-cult or not. Wren is morally grey, and if she had to have it, she would once she’s joined Eden’s Gate. But before? Not as likely. 

Whitney: Yes! She actually has, to be honest. Joseph and the others pretty much numb her to killing someone, so she’ll poison someone who crosses her. She literally kills with kindness. 

Blair: Absolutely not. Blair doesn’t put her personal needs/wants above the value of others and their lives. She’s very much against that and couldn’t live with herself if she did. 

Camille: I have a hard time seeing it, unless it was a mission in which it needed to be done (her wanting peace, killing bad guys for it, etc), but those are few and far between because she doesn’t do a lot of the things Natasha does. But she is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Naomi: Eh, not really. If it is a “want”, its going to be revenge. But it’ll be with the right intentions and in the name of doing what’s right. She’s not as scared or worried about getting her hands dirty as long as it’s for the right reasons, not necessarily because of something she wants. 

55. Do you have any characters who despite trying their best ended up being horrible parents?

Wren: I think it would depend on how you define ‘horrible’. Because Wren tries her best to be the best mother she can be, but feels as though she’s become her father and failed Harper. Mostly because Wren kept a lot of the Wrath and Judge stuff a secret, and Harper doesn’t take kindly to that. It’s not her being a horrible mom, just making bad decisions that affect her kids (mostly Harper) negatively. 

Whitney: Yes and no. While yes, she protected her son and put him in hiding with Ivy, she still stands by Joseph for the longest time instead of leaving to be with her son and to take her daughter and sister away from danger and toxic relationships. She is able to redeem it, though. Her and Wren both, actually. 

The other three (that I chose to do this for) are good moms, so I don’t think this really applies.

65. Is your character energetic?

Wren: Oh yeah, she definitely can be when she’s comfortable. She can get pretty excited and pumped up, often making Jane, Ivy, and Whit a bit tired. Randy, Gray, and Ro just go along with it, Mel and Quinn join in and encourage it. 

Whitney: Yes and no. She really is, but she tries to keep it on a leash and not show it, because she was raised being told that it wasn’t lady like. The more she grows (as a character) and hangs with the rest of the group, she loosens up a bit. 

Blair: She can be when she’s had too much coffee. Blair is naturally mellowed out though, often being more calm. She’s not reserved at all, she just...has more of a calming upbeat presence. 

Camille: Sorta! It depends on the situation, she’s more reserved when you first meet her. There are moments when she’s with friends that she does absolutely get energetic, but she’s mostly energetic after working out or going for her morning jog. 

Naomi: No, not particularly. Like Camille, she’ll get amped up for a workout, and there may come a time where she’ll get energetic over a big event, but she’s not one to get super energetic. 

75: Do any of your characters wear glasses, sunglasses, goggles, or monocles?

Wren: She’s obsessed with aviators. She collects them, and they’re usually blue, silver, or black. She eventually steals John’s because she digs them. 

Whitney: If she’s gonna wear sunglasses, they’re either the 50′s or 60′s kind. Some cat-eyed, or those bigger glamorous butterfly styled ones. But she does have some nice Gucci and Coach glasses she’ll wear. It depends on what matches. 

Blair: She’ll wear regular sunglasses, mostly Ray Bans. She wears reading glasses from time to time, but she mainly uses contacts. Blair has a pair of backup glasses that have the tinted lens. 

Camille: She used to wear glasses when she was younger, but she eventually got Lasik, so she doesn’t wear them anymore. As for sunglasses, she wears modern cat-eyed or just rectangle ones. Anything that looks good and is her style. 

Naomi: Aviators, and that’s really it. She’s not really big into them, she has one pair of brown aviators, and that’s it. They do the job. 

85. Has your character ever been led down the wrong path because of their anger?

Wren: Absolutely. That’s the whole point of her canon, actually. The Wrath leads to her joining Eden’s Gate and becoming the Judge. She eventually redeems herself, but it does lead her down a dark path. 

Whitney: Yep. She starts killing for Eden’s Gate because of it, but it’s funny, because it’s her anger that actually helps her redeem herself and gain her freedom: killing Joseph and Ethan. 

Blair: Yes and no...? Kinda...? Like, when she woke up from her coma, she found out Carmen had left her for someone else, essentially moving on. The anger is what led to her maybe running into some unfavorable company (Leonard), where she decided to just give him her engagement ring instead of running the risk of him robbing her at the bar they happened to run into each in (his favorite bar). In her anger, she purposefully went to a bar that was known to be a frequent place for criminals. But that anger also had her moving to Star City, where she became a hero. Sometimes her anger can get her in trouble with her powers, but that gets better. It all depends on how you look at it. 

Camille: Sort of. The Civil War incident really...was something else. Camille didn’t see it as a dark path, it was what she believed was right. She was angry that something so wrong went down in Lagos, so she sees the need for restrictions and boundaries. Her siding with Tony caused turmoil between her and the others, even Steve, and it led to a huge fight at the airport while trying to bring them in. Rhodes getting hurt added salt to injury. Later, it’s shown to her that perhaps choosing the Accords was the wrong path after all. 

Naomi: Depends on how you look at it, honestly. As head of Public Relations for the Avengers, most just assumed that Naomi would be in agreement to the Accords, but she’s not. She’s angry that the government is trying to have control over them, especially after with what happened with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, she even says that to Camille when they’re fighting about it. She fully believes Steve and sticks with them as things become divided, and she becomes a fugitive right along with them. So, depending on what side you’re on, it’s either yes or no. 

95. If given total rule over a country, would your character step aside to turn it into a democracy?

Wren: I think this depends. I think, yes, for the most part. Wren isn’t one to be a leader, she would rather not, but can rise to the occasion when needed and if she knows it’s better she’s in charge. But she would want everything to be fair and such. It would have to be a true democracy. 

Whitney: I see her as keeping control, honestly. Whit is the kind of person that will claim she knows best, and maybe she does, but she wouldn’t relinquish control. Not when she’s never been allowed to have it. If given the opportunity to do so, this queen would absolutely rule. 

Blair: Absolutely. She would try her best to set it up with the right candidates, honestly. She wouldn’t want to put anyone in the wrong position where they can do harm, but politics are honestly not her thing. 

Camille: Yes, without hesitation. I could see her turning to Steve, because who else would know better than Captain America (and no, not that knock-off Gucci Captain America they have on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier--we don’t support Walker in the Camille and Steve household), so she would ask who would be better to hand it off to.

Naomi: She would give that up so fast, without thought. She agrees fully with Sam when he says that he’s just the soldier, because she feels something very similar. She wants nothing to do with leading something like that, she doesn’t want that responsibility. It’s why she doesn’t really join the Avengers. She has zero interest in leading. 

100. Are any of your characters queer?

Honestly, it’s safe to say that most of my OCs are. I have more queer OCs than I have straight OCs. But I have so many OCs, I’m just gonna list the ones I’ve done so far, and if you wanna know more, you can always send me an ask!

Wren: Bi, hands down. Her first relationship was with a woman named Lilith in college. She honestly preferred women in the beginning because she doesn’t trust men easily. 

Whit: She’s bi, but still in the closet. She hasn’t had a chance to really be with a woman, but the attraction is there, and so it the want to do so. 

Blair: Definitely pansexual. She thought she was just bi for the longest time, but she’s actually pansexual, and she’s comfortable with it. She was engaged to a woman before she went into a coma, and a few hook ups afterwards have been a mixture of genders. 

Camille: Straight. One of the few that I have that is, honestly. She’s tried in college, but it wasn’t for her. She supports it completely, though. One of her best friends is gay, and she went to their wedding. 

Naomi: Bi, definitely bi. She’s had a mixture of men and women in her dating history, but ultimately none of them worked out because it’s hard to have a personal life when you’re in war zones for the sake of journalism or working for S.H.I.E.L.D. where you’re undercover often in order to gather intelligence. 

[asyeralovelies]

ICARUS - percy jackson x oc (chapter one)

word count: 3,909

trigger warnings: gory description (mrs dodds) , implied physical abuse

a/n: lmao i posted this on wattpad first (@/asyeralovely) so you guys can check it out there too. also on ao3, same user as my wattpad.

"My, my..." Dittany celeste murmured as she looked around Yancy Academy, a private school in upstate new york. Her satyr friend, Grover Underwood, and her mentor at Camp Half-Blood, Chiron, or tío as she liked to call him, had asked for someone to help in picking up a demigod in the school. Apparently, it was so hard to get the half-blood that they needed another one from camp.

Well, Dittany wasn't really "just another one at camp."

The dark haired girl had been left at camp borders when she was a mere one year old, the only information of her mother she had was that the woman's last name was "Celeste."

Honestly, she didn't know what to feel about the woman. Did she leave her there to train early at camp to learn to protect herself? Did her mother simply not want a child and left her there to fend for herself? The daughter of Hephaestus had no clue.

The only other long-timers at a young age in camp was Annabeth Chase, another friend of hers. The daughter of Athena had been there since she was seven.

Dittany snapped her fingers, willing the mist, a veil that covers up the Greek Myths world in mortal eyes, to make her seem like another student in Yancy Academy. She had learned that trick when she was ten, after six years of pestering her tío.

As she walked casually around the halls of the private school, her mind went through notes about the new demigod. His name was Percy Jackson, a boy with black hair and green eyes. He was in sixth grade and seemed to have attracted a very dangerous monster, because Grover had been panicking when he Iris-Messaged her about the situation.

Finally, the girl caught sight of a certain curly haired satyr talking to who she assumed to be Percy Jackson and stalked towards them. She snapped her fingers again, willing the mist to make it seem she was already friends with the two. Well, to Percy. Grover already knew her, without the mist.

The green eyed boy met her own dark eyes and he grinned as if they really did know each other, as if the scars on her face were a natural sight, and Dittany grinned back, acting her role.

"Hey, Perce," she said enthusiastically, using the first nickname that came to mind. She sent a subtle nod to Grover, who gave her a quick thumbs up. "You two having fun without me? After all we've been through!"

Percy rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at her. "Shut up, An. Grover was just saying something about being worried for the field trip tomorrow." He looked at her with a raised eye brow, like he was saying, "can you believe him?"

Dittany was a great actress. "What? You afraid our teacher's gonna turn into a monster and slash us to bits?" she asked Grover, mirth in her eyes. The satyr narrowed his own eyes at her, clearly too worried to laugh in amusement.

"No," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm just.." he couldn't seem to find an excuse for his nerves.

"Just?" said Dittany amusedly.

"Whatever." he grumbled.

Dittany only smiled teasingly at him.

"I'm going to kill her," Percy mumbled. Nancy Bobofit, a red haired girl with kleptomania and freckles that seemed spray painted with crushed Cheetos, had been throwing wads of her sandwich into Grover's curly brown hair.

Dittany knew Percy wouldn't do that, because according to Grover, the demigod was on probation and had been threatened by the headmaster himself with death by in-school suspension if anything remotely strange happened.

See, from what she had gathered with observations in one day, the boy had ADHD and dyslexia, like most demigods. Dittany didn't have dyslexia, meaning she could read perfectly fine, but she could still read Greek. In truth, she didn't know how that worked, but she didn't question it.

"It's okay. I like peanut butter." Grover said. Being thrown at your hair, Dittany mused. Hope you're not serious.

Grover dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it." Percy snapped, standing up, but Dittany pulled him down by his shirt.

"You're already on probation, Mr Jackson," the girl air quoted the last part. "Anything remotely shitty happens and you're out of here." then she smirked. "Wouldn't want to leave your two best friends in the whole world, would you?"

That shut him up.

When Dittany willed the mist, she made it so Percy thought she had been here since day one and only had Grover for a friend. The daughter of the forges had noticed that the only things keeping Percy from straight up leaving was because of his friends who would be all alone without him and his mom who would be disappointed that he just gave up.

Sally Jackson was a nice woman, from last night when Dittany had Iris-Messaged her. She informed the mother that she was also going to keep watch on Percy, since the situation was getting desperate with the really powerful monster. But Dittany had assured her things would be fine when Sally started panicking about the statement.

But today, Dittany's senses were on high alert.

She knew immediately that Mrs Dodds, the other chaperone for the field trip, was their monster. From the way her eyes had widened when she caught sight of Dittany, who had not been there before, and seeing the students just pass by her like she had been there all along. From the way the monster had glared at her, like she was silently asking, "how dare you interfere!?"

She had glared back at the woman. The students saw it as "what're you gonna do about it?" because in their mist memories, the dark haired girl liked to stir trouble. The "what're you gonna do about it?" glare really meant that she was challenging the monster.

Ever since Dittany had left for a quest with Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes and a mutual friend with Annabeth, about two years ago, the twelve years old wasn't so terrified of monsters. Well, she never was, really, but she got to see the real world. She knew what it was like to fight monsters in life or death situations and not just for practice.

She remembered the days very well.

Luke had been offered a quest by his father. Well, not personally, but according to tío, Hermes wanted Luke to go to the garden of the Hesperides and get a golden apple like Heracles had once done.

Luke immediately took it, consulting the oracle.

He had went back down the attic ladder looking confused. He had said the oracle required him to bring only one other person along with him.

The Hermes boy had asked Dittany because she was the most skilled person in combat at camp, partly because of staying the longest there and partly because she trained relentlessly to spite her unknown mother for leaving her at the borders by herself.

They had travelled to San Francisco together, stopping every once and a while for take out food or fighting monsters.

When they were outside the garden, just about to enter, Luke had told her the prophecy.

SEEK THE LAND WHERE THE GREEKS ARE FORBIDDEN,

FOLLOW THE TRAIL OF THE HERO OF TWELVE LABORS,

ENTER THE ONCE SO BEAUTIFUL GARDEN,

FAIL TO PROCEED WHAT SHOULD BE DONE BY SCAR'S FORCE,

TAKE ONE COMPANION OR YOU'RE DOOMED FOR DEATH,

A DISTRACTION, AN ILLUSION, WILL FALL FOR THE THEFT

TAKE A CHANCE WITH FATE IN A HERO'S TRUE END

THE GAMBLE OF HERMES, A GAME OF PRETEND

Unlike Luke, Dittany caught a meaning to it. Well, the first part, at least. The demigods were never allowed in San Francisco unless for a quest because, apparently, it's where they're most likely to get killed off. They were doing one of the labors of Heracles. They were about to enter the garden of the Hesperides.

She didn't understand anything from the second part except that Luke needed one companion or he'd die and Hermes apparently had a gamble going on.

When they entered the garden, at first, Dittany didn't understand why it was only "once beautiful." It was mesmerizing, reminding her of those religious bible stories about the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve used to live before their sin. But the longer they looked around, she felt like a part of the place was missing. Like a song cover with missing lyrics. It could still be beautiful, but it just wasn't right without those missing parts.

Then they approached the hundred headed dragon, Luke warning her to stay put before he called signal so they could both have a role. Luke would distract while Dittany would go for the apple.

The whole time with the ordeal, Dittany felt like she was being watched.

In the end, Luke ended up with a scar running from above his eyebrow down to his jaw. Dittany had to step in the distraction to save him from the dragon's other claws that were going for a second strike and got Dittany's face and shoulder instead. It looked like three knife slashes on her face going diagonally and a scar from her shoulder to the small of her back.

They failed to steal a golden apple, but Dittany felt like they were meant to fail.

They came back with heavy injuries because of going back to camp and facing more monsters while they were already scarred. From then on tío banned quests, not wanting anymore heavy injuries.

Luke had felt like he ruined chances for everyone, but Dittany assured him that he didn't. She told him she should have kept with the plan because Luke could protect himself, but then Luke told her that he would have died without her.

Luke told her he also felt like his father was making fun of him for thinking he could do it, and Dittany silently agreed. But she didn't voice out her thoughts. She just hugged him and told him that one day, someone would clear for the camp and quests would be allowed again. Someday, things would get better.

But both Luke Castellan and Dittany Celeste knew that things only ever get worse for demigods.

Annabeth had taken it to herself to cheer up both of them, saying corny jokes that were so bad they were funny and reading random facts about architecture to distract them.

In the present, Dittany found herself smiling sadly. Luke was better now, and so was she, but sometimes the girl would find the sandy haired boy looking grim and trying to stop the tears.

She knew the boy wanted to make his father proud, prove that he was a hero, but instead he had failed. Dittany would walk up to him, sit on the seat next to him and make his head fall to her lap so that he could cry. She would never ask, because she already knew. She didn't whisper comforting words, because someone's presence and knowing they're there for you was enough.

Sometimes Annabeth would join them and would just tell silly stories where she describes the places in the story.

They would pretend they were a normal mortal family where Luke was their father who was overwhelmed with work and needed comfort and Annabeth would be the one to tell him about her day while Dittany made snacks. A normal, happy mortal family.

Dittany found herself following Mr Brunner— aka Chiron or tío— as he led the museum tour. Tío already knew she was there, and he played his part of acting like she always had been.

He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding the class through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.

It blew Dittany's mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand to three thousand years. What, with the gods' tempers and tendencies to destroy things? Wow.

He gathered them around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling them how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about their age. He told them about the carvings on the sides.

Dittany noticed Percy was trying to listen to what he had to say— she didn't really need to now— because it was kind of interesting for him, but everybody around was talking, and every time he told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs Dodds, would give him the evil eye.

Dittany would back him up discreetly by smirking at Mrs Dodds and playing with her sword's hilt that stuck out of her sheath, right at her waist, and was disguised as some chain belt in the mist. But the monster saw right through that mist and only settled for keeping away from her while keeping eyes on her weapon and on Percy.

Tío kept talking about Greek funeral art.

Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and before Dittany or Grover could stop him, Percy whirled around to face the redhead and said, "Will you shut up?"

Dittany had a feeling he had said that louder than he meant to. She silently watched him in pity as his face reddened from his own realization.

The group of kids laughed, tío stopped his story.

"Mr Jackson," he said, effectively adding more attention to the embarrassed boy, and making Dittany want to face palm at the centaur. "did you have a comment?"

"No, sir." Percy said, looking down to hide his face.

"Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

Damn it, tío, Dittany thought, but her lips were pursed.

Percy looked up with a face of recognition. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?" he said with uncertainty. Dittany looked away and curled her lip in disgust, remembering about reading the "myth."

"Yes," Chiron said, not sounding very impressed. The Celeste girl rolled her eyes. "And he did this because. . ."

"Well, Kronos was the king god and— " Dittany turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised, forgetting that he still didn't know he was a demigod yet and didn't think the Greek Myths were worth the read.

He caught her gaze and cleared his throat. "Titan. Titan.. Lord." he corrected himself.

Dittany nodded, looking away again.

He continued, "And... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"

"Eww!" said one of the girls behind Percy and Dittany, making the latter roll her eyes and smirk. She, too, was disgusted when she first read the story, but then she joked around about it just to annoy campers.

"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," Percy continued, "and the gods won."

Some snickers from the group.

Behind them, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"

"And why, Mr Jackson," tío said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted," Grover and Dittany snickered.

"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair. Grover only smirked and looked away and Dittany stuck her tongue out childishly.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Tío was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.

Percy thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."

"I see." Chiron looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.

Grover, Dittany and Percy were about to follow when Chiron said, "Mr Jackson."

Dittany internally face palmed, having been used to her tío's dramatic tendencies.

Meanwhile, Percy knew that was coming.

Dittany turned to Chiron with an are-you-fucking-serious-right-now look before heading outside with Grover.

When they reached the fountain, they started talking.

"Ten drachmas that tío'll be ominous again and confuse Percy," Dittany immediately said. Grover replied, "Twelve that he actually gives him a clue."

The scarred girl rolled her eyes, muttering with a smirk, "Yeah, right."

They sat in silence after that, waiting for the boy in question to come outside.

Dittany zoned out, staring at the water. She realized she looked like a stereotypical skater girl with a grey sleeved shirt under a black tee. Her ripped denim jeans were just a quick in-the-moment choice that Silena Beauregard, a close friend and her older half-brother's crush, would have not approved of. The sapphire eyed teen would have chosen black jeans to match the "aesthetic" or whatever the hell it was. Dittany just wanted something to wear.

The she caught sight of Percy approaching her and Grover. He sat down between them with a brooding look.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"Nah," Percy said, but he still looked grim. "Not from Brunner. I just wished he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean— I'm not a genius."

Grover didn't say anything for a while, and when he opened his mouth, Percy thought the boy was going to give some deep philosophical comment to make him feel better, but instead he said, "Can I have your apple?"

The raven haired boy didn't have much of an appetite, so he let him take it.

Dittany saw Percy look to the road with a longing expression, and she did, too. But her reason was the want to get hit by a car, feeling restless at just sitting. At least she'd have a reason to be still. She was hit by a moving vehicle! Of course she can't move right now!

As she mused the thought, Nancy Bobofit was suddenly in front of them, or maybe the Celeste girl just didn't notice the redhead approaching.

The bitch had the audacity to dump her lunch in Grover's lap, and Dittany felt her hands prick and warm up, like a flame about to ignite, but she quickly calmed herself. No one knew about that power. She wasn't going to let the secret out anytime soon.

Percy wasn't so calm.

Dittany swore the fountain's water had suddenly lurched forward, grabbed Nancy, and pulled her in the fountain.

Poseidon, Dittany thought immediately. You three gonna do this in order, she silently asked the three gods, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Thunder rumbled and the earth slightly shook beneath her feet. She rolled her eyes.

She was referring to Thalia Grace being the first child of a broken oath, and Percy now being the second. All she had to do was wait for a Hades child and it'd be a complete set. Thunder rumbled again, and the earth shook, but specifically only under her.

How terrifying, she thought sarcastically.

She was splashed by the fountain's water in the back, but her clothes were quickly made dry so Poseidon seemed innocent. She discreetly flipped off the god.

With her interactions with the three gods, she had missed Mrs Dodds taking Percy away and Grover looking at her with an exasperated look, like he knew exactly what she was doing.

When the brunette finally noticed that Percy Jackson, apparently the son of Poseidon, was gone, she looked to Grover with an eyebrow raised. He only shook his head worriedly.

She stood up and ran to her tío who was watching the museum doors worriedly. He took out a pen and looked ready to follow inside when he spotted Dittany.

Chiron handed her the pen and nodded, emphasizing she could get there quicker.

Dittany took it and ran up to the entrance, swinging the doors open and just in time as Mrs Dodds was ready to slash Percy to bits.

A fury!?, she thought furiously, hopefully sending her thoughts to the god of the underworld. How petty can you get, Hades?, she huffed.

"Percy, catch!" she yelled and tossed the pen in the air, the said boy whipping around to meet her dark eyes and catching the pen, watching it turn into a double edged celestial bronze sword.

Dittany would have taken out her own weapon to help, since a fury wasn't usually killed at first try, if Percy hadn't immediately sliced through the monster.

The girl's eyes widened but she didn't stay, immediately running out. She had a feeling Chiron would want Percy to think it was all just an illusion, so she immediately went back to the fountain with Grover, sending a quick thumbs up to her mentor.

She took the face towel Grover offered to dry her sweat, partly from running and partly from seeing the fury.

She sent a look to her tío, silently asking him if she should will the mist again to make up some new teacher, but he shook his head. He had it handled.

A few moments later, Percy came out of the museum looking dazed. It had already started raining, and Dittany was soaking while Grover hogged the only cover.

Percy said something to Nancy, and the girl looked at him like he was mad before scoffing and walking away. Then he walked over to Dittany and Grover.

"An," he immediately looked to Dittany. "Where's Mrs Dodds?" He wanted to know if this was a dream or not.

As was said earlier, Dittany was a great actress.

"Perce," she said slowly, emphasizing that she was trying to see signs if he was going insane. "Who the hell is that?"

Percy looked desperate.

"Mrs Dodds!" he exclaimed. "Our pre-algebra teacher!"

Dittany looked at him in concern. "Percy," she started. "We never had a teacher named Mrs Dodds."

Percy looked to Grover.

The raven haired boy would have believed it was all an illusion if Grover hadn't looked around nervously, like preparing to make an excuse, and said, "She's right, Perce. Are you okay?" in the most unconvincing voice ever.

Dittany mentally face palmed.

Percy looked to Dittany. "But.. You gave me the pen, only it wasn't a pen, it was a sword, and—" he raised his hand, which was holding a normal ball point pen. He looked at it with wide eyes suddenly, like it wasn't a pen the previous moment.

Dittany let her eyes widen, too, but to say, "Hey! That's mine!" in a playfully accusing tone. "Well, I only borrowed it from Mr Brunner.. But still!"

She snatched the pen from him, but the boy was still in shock.

The dark eyed girl ran to Chiron, quickly giving him the pen. She glanced back at Percy who looked to be in a crisis.

"What monster?" her tío silently asked.

"Kindly one." Dittany said simply.

Chiron heaved a breath and the demigod only shrugged.

"Could be worse, honestly."

And... she jinxed it.

tag list: @pallasdira ,

[evabellasworld]

By the Stream

March Madness Challenge for @starwarsfandomfests

What happened, what’s wrong?

You’re sitting alone by the stream

The green grass is sprouting up

And the water splashes with the spring wind

I’m sure there was a promise

That even if you go, you won’t be gone forever

But every day you come to the stream

What are you thinking about?

Even if you go, you won’t be gone forever

Is that asking me not to forget you?

——————————————————————————————

Summary: Obi-Wan and Vanya were sitting beside the stream, not knowing what will become of the long-standing friendship that they built together.

——————————————————————————————

AO3 Link

Staring at the crystal-clear stream in front of her, Vanya was seated on a large rock, with stalks of yellow-orange daisies in her hands, with a smile on her face. Her surroundings were filled with wildflowers and polka-dotted mushrooms grown across the emerald field, along with the refreshing breeze in the air. The sun was shining on the blue sky as the puffy cloud above her glided, giving a sense of serenity inside her.

For months, the battles across the Outer Rims were bloodthirsty. Many of her troops were sacrificed in the battlefield as a price to pay for the Republic's victory. The fields that she was admiring were once soaked in blood and rotting corpses that painted across the bare valleys.

Trenches were dug deep and barbed wires were set up, marking each territory for both the Republic and the Separatists forces. Anyone who trespasses was either shot on sight or disappeared, never to be seen again. Vanya recalled assigning 35 clone troopers to gather intel from their enemies and so far, only 5 had survived.

Her heart aches as she laid on her bunk every single night, wondering whether the rest of her soldiers were still out there. It would be easier to think that the remaining 28 men and women were all dead, probably buried somewhere in the area. On the other hand, Vanya could not help but think that maybe, just maybe, they would return home to their brother’s and sister’s embrace.

Why did I even bother fighting this war in the first place? she thought, sniffing through the sweet scent of the flower. It’s not like we were protecting innocent people of the Republic in the first place.

She glanced at the stream again, only to notice the fishes that were swimming along together. For three years, she had been fighting a war that doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. Though her friends informed her that the Separatist were losing their grip on the Outer Rim, Vanya cannot be too sure about their statement.

In truth, nobody, including herself, had any idea when the Clone Wars would end. She was sure that the war would be over in a few months, but that few months became a year, before it turned into three excruciating years. If another year has passed, then she would be a forty-year-old woman, along with her longtime friends, Cinta Kaarim and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Her former apprentice, on the other hand, would be a fourteen-year-old girl, the same age that Ahsoka became a commander of the 501st Legion. How time flies so fast, she laughed to herself. Just yesterday, Lira was the little girl who was always asking a lot of questions and talking endlessly and now, she’s blossoming into a teenager and soon, she’ll grow into a strong and brave woman.

The thought of her Padawan growing up made her shiver, realising the uncertain future for her and her twin sister, Eva. Will the girls have to grow up to finish the war for us? Vanya bit her fingernails. Will they survive, or will they die young?

That was the question that bounced around her head the moment they were assigned as Jedi Generals for the 101st Battalion, much to both her and Obi-Wan’s distress. As she watches an Eden green butterfly land on top of the flower, her lips curve downwards when it flees in fright, prompting her to turn around and figure out what startled the fragile creature.

Rather, she found Obi-Wan pacing towards her the entire time, making her cross her arms and gave him an icy glare. “You know, your tactics of scaring other people is starting to bore me,” Vanya remarked, as he let out an amusing chuckle.

“Well, in that case, I’ll have to find another way to grab your attention,” he teased, as he sat beside her and grinned, hoping to crack his stone-faced friend. “Besides, you seem to always be in your head all the time. Should I be worried or should I stay out of your internal conflicts?”

“What do you want?” she breathed, her lips stiffened.

“Well, you’ve been sitting alone by the stream,” he answered, his voice laced with concern. “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing really,” Vanya shook her head. “It’s just the thought of us not seeing each other again just pains me too much.”

“But even if you go, you won’t be gone forever,” Obi-Wan assured, placing his hands on her shoulder. “Besides, we promised that we would always have each other’s back, no matter what.”

“But what if I didn’t make it alive?” she pined. “The Outer Rim is currently in siege and right now, I can’t even guarantee if I’m able to make it back to the Jedi Temple.”

“Vanya, don’t say that. You will come back to the Temple once everything is over, and you will see Lira and Eva again, I promise.”

“How can you even be optimistic right now, when you’ve been seeing your own men die under your command? You’ve even lost Satine on Mandalore, and you lose sleep worrying about Anakin and Eva’s strained relationship with each other.”

Obi-Wan bobbed his head, his eyebrows drooped. “You’re right. It’s difficult to think positively, especially when both your apprentices are fighting with each other too frequently. It’s hard when Eva kept crying on how Anakin was saying nasty things to her and how he felt unfair when I called him out on his behaviour. But what can I do? Eva has been depressed for years, and I have to stay strong just for her sake. I can’t afford to break down in front of her, since she’s already been through a lot.”

“I’m sorry, Obi-Wan,” Vanya apologised profusely, her head hung low. “I didn’t mean to provoke you like that.”

“No, Vanya, there’s nothing to apologise for,” he let out a weak smile. “It’s just that I’ve been keeping to myself for too long, and I thought that it would be better if I just let it all out, you know.”

She nodded as she squeezed her nose and wiped her hands on her dress, shifting her focus to the gentle stream. “So, how’s Anakin?”

“The usual,” shrugged Obi-Wan. “You know, flying recklessly, almost getting himself for a billion times, yeah, those are the things that I have to deal with for more than ten years.”

“That bad, eh?” her nose crinkled.

“Well, he had a rough upbringing when he was around Eva’s age. He was enslaved until my master, Eva’s father, rescued him and made me his master as his death wish. Then, he had to watch his own mother die a decade later, and even till today, he blamed himself for not being able to save her from those Tusken Raiders.”

“That was sad,” Vanya sympathised. “But that doesn’t excuse him for hurting other people’s feelings, especially Eva. The girl’s only thirteen, and she’s already in a fragile state of mind.”

“That is true,” he acknowledged. “Ever since Ahsoka left, Anakin is back to his destructive behaviour. His possessiveness towards Padmé, his anger issues, says it all. I’ve tried talking to him, but you know him. He’s as stubborn as a mule.”

“The apple doesn’t seem to fall far from the tree,” she commented. “You were just as stubborn as him when you were still an apprentice to Master Qui-Gon Jinn.”

He snorted, before clearing his throat. “I could say the same for you and Master Plo Koon. You always insisted on flying, even if it was too dangerous.”

“Yup, and now, the cycle repeats with Lira. I have to admit, as jumpy as Lira is, she is one hell of a pilot.”

“It’s like you said, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Obi-Wan repeated her words. “Master Plo was a pilot, you are a pilot, and now, Lira is following your footsteps into becoming a star pilot like the both of you.”

“And Anakin and Eva also have your piloting skills, though you hated flying so much.”

“Yeah, I had a bad experience with them,” he rubbed behind his neck, plucking a small, white daisy beside him. “You know the incident on Pijal. Even to this day, it still haunts me in my dreams.”

“I know, and I’m sorry that you had to go through that, really. No child should experience these kinds of horrors.”

“And we let a fourteen-year-old and two 10-year-olds fight in a barbaric war,” he exhaled. “I just hope that this war will end sooner. I miss the days when the only thing we had to worry about was maintaining peace in the Galactic Republic.”

She groaned in frustration. “God, I hate politics so much. It’s just too many red strings that prevent us from taking further action, you know. I don’t even know why the Jedi Council had to get involved in the first place.”

“I see where you’re coming from. Too many politicians, with a few exceptions, are corrupted. They would rather fill their pockets with credits than caring about the citizens instead. Honestly, I have a feeling that the Republic will crumble eventually. It’s too fragile to maintain its pillars.”

“True,” she relented as she got up from her seat, holding a bouquet with both hands. “Well, I should get going. The Council assigned me to another battle and I have to depart as soon as possible.”

He nodded and bowed. “Is that asking me not to forget you?”

“I guess so,” Vanya lifted her shoulders. “But like you said, I won’t be gone forever, and so will you.”

“Goodbye Vanya,” Obi-Wan gave his last wave at her. “I hope we’ll see each other again once the war is over.”

“I will, Obi-Wan,” she promised, before leaving him by the stream, where the grasses were sprouting up and the water splashes with the spring wind. Little did they know, this was their last conversation with each other before the end of the era.

[mystic-kitten-writer]

Eden [M] ︳Prologue

Pairing: Dabi x Reader

Genre: Smut with plot; romance, angst and some fluff to unfold.

Rating: NSFW-ish

Warning: Mild dirty talking, mild dry humping, mild degradation, and inappropriate touching.

Words: 5300+

Notes: Happy valentine’s everyone~! I hope you had a fantastic day/evening, and here is a lil’ present for you all. It’s the prologue of ‘Eden’, and hopefully you guys get a taste of this new, upcoming, series.

Please note, updates are going to be slow. At the moment, ‘Limerence’ is my main series (Greek Mythology is my side project). But once Limerence is done, Eden will be my main focus! Tags aren’t working (why am I not surprised) - but hopefully that fixes itself soon and appears in people’s feed.

Thank you for reading, and please don’t be shy to leave a like or comment, take care~!

Masterlist ︳01

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

It seems he managed to wander into a garden, and he was starving for a taste of that forbidden fruit. And now that he got a taste, he was not going to let go. His fingertips were engraved with sin, burning her skin with every touch, chin dripping of her sweet juices. “Fuck.” He grunted under his breath because he knew – this was more than just a quick taste.

Savory

(flower); spice, interested.

           “Ah, you’re a lifesaver!” Izuku Midoriya declared, face flushed as his head bounced up and down. His dark green hair flew everywhere, a pretty contrast from his pink freckled cheeks. He was the living definition of ‘rookie’ – filled with an unreasonable amount of energy and enthusiasm. You’re surprised you didn’t see his face plastered beside the word in every dictionary around the world.

           But it was that same energy, desire to be a hero, that had your lips curving upwards, a kittenish smile painting your rose-coloured lips. How could you not shoot him one of your infamous smiles, brushing back your hair as you mused. He’s a ball of motivation and joy – a real hero in the works.

           “If Recovery Girl finds out I healed you despite her orders, she’ll have my head,” you advised with a click of your tongue, truth lingering in your statement. After showing up to work slightly hungover – courtesy of Midnight’s refusal to accept ‘no’ for an answer for bar-hopping – the last thing you wanted was to be caught healing Midoriya.

           As if he could read your mind, the green-haired boy moaned under his breath.

           You wiped the last bit of ointment onto his skin, wrapping his wounds, spotting the way his shoulders slumped for a moment – remorse painting his face. But just like that, he puffed out his chest, a sudden resolve overcoming him.

           “I’m sorry. But I can’t let All Might down – I need to push myself-”

           “Keep pushing yourself, and you won’t have any of ‘yourself’ left to be a hero.” You interjected, causing Midoriya’s mouth to shut close, taking in the weight of your words. He stared at you with those large eyes of his, watching your fingers ease their way off his bruised limbs, the bandages new and tightly wrapped.

           “Recovery Girl is going to whip All Might’s ass if she finds out you were hurt - again.” You spoke honestly, causing the pink tint of his cheeks to turn into a darker hue. His freckles almost blended in with the flush, nodding his head furiously at your in-direct warning.

           It was at times hard to believe that this naïve, well-natured boy was Katsuki Bakugo`s supposed ‘rival.’ It was like comparing apples and oranges – this year’s students were something else. Your hands fell over your lap, leaning into Midoriya, you gaze meeting his.

           One for all…

           “Come on, let’s get going before we get caught. I’ll wrap up a few herbs for your mom to smash up. Make sure you rub it into your skin after your bath. It should numb the pain and stop the bruising and swelling.” You spoke, shooting him another cheeky smile, a weak attempt to wipe that look off his face.

           With a tired sigh, you pushed yourself off your seat, the sound of your black heels clicking against the white tiles of your office, filling the quietness. It was as you strolled around, eyes scanning the dozens of tiny planters that hung along the walls, you realized how late it has gotten.

           The sun was setting; the campus eerily quiet as most of the students were already home. Shit – and you still have to make dinner. Your index finger fell over your pouting lips; eyes eagerly searching for that one particular pot-

           “Ah- there it is.” You hummed pleasantly, reaching forward. The tan planter fell over your desk with a soft thud, your fingers dancing over the dirt until you felt it.

           The roots were starting to stretch, the shoot wiggling its way from the soil, pushing and shoving the dirt painfully slow before breaking the surface. “Come on, baby.” You muttered softly, focusing on the energy of the plant. And you swore, because you could feel the annoyance of the plant, undoubtedly grumbling a faint ‘fuck you, you forgot to water me last night,’ before spouting into a perfectly formed leaf.

           “Hero alias; Eden. Real name; Y/N. Quirk; Bioterra – can take any seed or spore and manipulate them in movement or growth…” Midoriya muffled under his breath. You let out an airy laugh hearing Midoryia mumbling to himself, clipping the newly formed seed leaves carefully, before thanking the plant.

           You prefer not to piss off the seedling. Afterall – this little babe has saved your ass far too many times to count.

           Looking over your shoulder to Midoriya, you tossed the last of the herbs into a cute little baggy. “If you keep mumbling under your breath like that, you’ll end up just scaring all the villains away.” you teased, and Midoriya scratched his head.

           “I never saw your quirk before – it’s really pretty!” He gushed, and it was then you realized that the boy was no longer patiently sitting on the examination table, but eagerly hovering over your study with a pen and book in hand. Where and when did he even-

           “Word of caution, Midoriya, while I may be the sidekick of Recovery Girl – don’t think for a second that all I can do is heal. I can grow some pretty toxic things. Get too close, and you might cease to exist.” You warned wickedly, wiggling your brows at him. But rather than deterring the curious boy, it seemed to have done the opposite.

           His mouth widened, lips racing, “If that’s the case, does that mean you’re immune to all poisons or toxins created by plants? Does that mean no plants can cause an effect on you, whether its good or bad? Does that mean you can’t heal yourself with your medicine-”

           “Midoriya. Just because you’re my favourite doesn’t mean I won’t force-feed you some valerian root for some quiet.” Midoriya’s face stoned at your threat, instantly bowing up and down. “S-sorry-” Midoriya began to stutter before a sultry singing cut him off.

           “You sure you aren’t a sadist, a villain?”

           Both of you shifted your attention to the entrance, eager to find the owner of that vibrating tone.

           “Good evening, Midnight.” You spoke, smiling radiantly to your best friend, as your arms fell over the shy Midoriya. His green eyes widened, studying the pro-hero up and down in interest – no doubt he was thinking about the rated 18+ hero’s quirk. And given a chance, he would ask her thousands of questions like he has done to you since the start of the school year.

           The stunning deep hue of purple against her red mask brought out the teasing glimmer in her eyes. Midnight cocked her head to the side, arms crossing over her chest, emphasizing her ample bust as she stepped into the room.

           “You’re not doing some unauthorized healing, are you?” Midnight pestered, cocking an eyebrow as she eyed the fresh bandages decorating Midoriya’s fingers. In a flash, your hands squeezed Midoriya’s shoulders, shaking your head with a falsely sweet smile on your lips.

           “Of course, not – I’m just showing Midoriya here, my quirk! It’s getting late; we can talk more tomorrow.” Your grip loosened, shoving the boy forward. While Midoriya was undoubtedly naïve, he wasn’t dumb. He quickly got the hint, stepping forward before waving at the both of you, “Thank you for demonstrating your quirk, see you tomorrow!”

           He dashed away from the voluptuous dominatrix, the sound of his heavy feet running down the empty hallways of UA slowly fading the further he ran. The moment he was out of earshot, Midnight twirled her whip, purring.

           “Lying to a teacher, how naughty of you.” Midnight snickered, tapping her chin as she inched her way forward. Her skin-tight costume only seemed to accentuate her sex appeal, and you rolled your eyes.

           “What are you going to do, spank me?” you challenged with your tongue sticking out. Your hands made haste with sweeping up the dirt that littered your counter, giving your seedling a lil’ treat for working so hard today.

           Midnight laughed obnoxiously loud, “You’ll enjoy that too much, you kinky bitch.”

           “And that, I won’t deny.” You giggled back, already knowing Midnight was snooping around your office, sniffing all the flowers that were blooming. She, in particular, loved the darker hued flowers, saying it matched her aesthetic.

           Placing the planter back into its spot, you turned on your heel, reaching for your purse that you left on the floor. “What are you doing here so late, anywho?” You pondered, swinging the strap over your shoulder, checking for your house keys and wallet.

           Midnight sighed dramatically, taking another whiff of the roses, “Meetings. I could use a drink, girl.”

           “Well, count me out, I’m starving, and it’s late.” You stated, shutting the window of your office, and locking it. It was officially dark outside, the streetlights looking like twinkling stars. Time moves faster when you’re having fun.

           “Oh, come on! You’re young and sexy, go out. Get drunk – better yet, find yourself a hot daddy.” Midnight argued, waltzing over to your side in a flash, tone rising with passion. “Just because you work for UA doesn’t mean you can’t live a little. You’re starting to turn into your grandmother – work, work, work.”

           You pouted, “Please don’t compare me to my grandmother.”

           Don’t get it wrong; you loved and respected your grandmother – Recovery Girl.

           She was the first hero of the family, the family pride. Hell – she was the reason why you even wanted to become a hero. She used to take you to her workplace when you a mere toddler, showing you off to all her co-workers, bragging how you’re going to be the next big thing. She was the definition of a proud grandmother.

           That’s why you worked your ass off, becoming the second hero in the family – and next-in-line to become UA’s healer once the old lady decides to retire.

           “Come on, one drink? Maybe I can hook you up with some of my friends. They know how to treat a woman. Want a submissive, a dom, ou- maybe a switch?” Midnight insisted and at that point, you huffed loudly. You saw the stars in her eyes the more she talked about the possibility of hooking you up with one of her friends. This woman-

           Linking arms with the sex addict of a friend you had, you shut your office door behind the both of you, walking through the deserted hallways. The hallways of UA was dead, all the classroom doors locked, blinds lowered so only the poorly functioning lights of the school could guide you out of this prison.

           “Don’t ignore me! I have yet to see you with someone. What do you want? What are you looking for, girl?” Midnight groused under her breath.

           What do you want…?

           Your mouth opened, a sly smirk on your face. “You know what I want? I want a fuck buddy, no feelings. Just good, hot, rough sex.”

           “And I know a friend who can do just that!” Midnight blurted, but you merely shook your head.

           “I already have someone.”

           Midnight’s eyes widen, stopping abruptly in the dimly light hallway. “You have someone? Excuse me, who is this person and since when? You haven’t gotten laid in god knows how long, and it shows.”

           You grinned mischievously, leaning into her. Midnight was on her tippy-toes, eyes and ears eagerly waiting for the spicy gossip. Her hands clasped together, leather whip firmly caught in between her tight grasp. If only she knew.

           “They’re the best. Their name is ‘dildo,’ and they’re always ready to get down whenever I need them.” You whispered.

           The moment Midnight realized what you were saying, the look of utter annoyance was clear as day.

           “You’re fucking ridiculous, Eden.” Midnight fumed, throwing her arms up in defeat as she stormed forward. You laughed from behind her, watching the way she cursed under her breath, her whip swinging back and forth. To be fair, you’re surprised she didn’t use it on you.

           “You love me, Midnight!” You screamed from behind her, and she merely shot you a glare over her shoulder, lips pressed together, trying to hold back a grin. “If you were my toy, I would’ve beaten your ass till it’s purple and blue.”

           You shoot her a kiss, playfully slapping your own ass as she raged. “I can’t wait till you find someone. And I hope they put you in your damn place. Fuck you till you can’t walk.”

           “That’s the goal!” You chirped, earning another hiss from the queen of lust, herself.

           The cold breeze that funnelled its way through the mutedly lit alleyway in which you walked was borderline painful. Your dress suddenly seemed far too short for the summer weather, your arms wrapping around yourself as you grumbled. The temperature seemed to drop in a matter of minutes – the twenty-minute walk from the school to home seemed like a journey.

           It was unreasonably dark, and the brisk air added an uncomfortable feeling in your gut. Not even the flicking neon signs that littered the city seemed to lift the mood – the atmosphere dark and grungy. The faster you get home, the better.

           Your fingers dug into your purse strap, tugging it closer to your body as your UA lanyard bounced off your chest. The bobbing of your identification card matched your heartbeat at this point, your stomach screaming to get some food inside of it.

           Pace hast, you turned the corner abruptly -“You gotta be fucking kidding me.”

           Four men, of medium build, laughing obnoxiously loud and recking of alcohol crowded the already narrow alleyway. Their words were heavily slurred, arms wrapped around each other as they struggled to walk forward. Their clothing was old and dirty, and your nose scrunched up – god even the smell of shitty alcohol smelt better than whatever odour they were emitting.

           Your footsteps eased, cautiously walking behind them.

           They were moving forward, slowly, but they were moving. The smart thing to do would be to walk back and take a long way home  - but that means it’ll take longer for you to cook dinner, take a hot bath, and have a steamy session with your lovely date called ‘dildo.’

           You have the patience for neither.

           With a frustrated huff, you brushed your hair back, letting your gaze fall back onto the ground. Come on, it was a Monday night, and you just wanted to get home. Was that too much to ask?

           Trying to lessen the sound of your heels against the broken concrete, your steps were sluggish. If someone were to be watching behind you, they would’ve thought you didn’t know how to walk in heels. So fucking stupid, these dumb, drunk, idiots-

           “Heeeey maaaan, come over hereeee. We just wanna taaaalk.” A man shouted, and you felt your blood freeze. Your head snapped upwards, hearing the men starting to speak brasher, the slurring of their speech clear.

           Was he talking to you?

           No, they couldn’t be.

           Their backs were still facing you, staggering back and forth as the men seemed to puff in demeanour. Your eyes narrowed, observing one of the men walking hastily, his hands reaching for his back pocket. If he wasn’t talking to you, then that can only mean – he was trying to catch up to someone.

           “Don’t ignore meee, you skinny shit. Come hereee before I add more scaars.”

           Not caring anymore if you made noise, your pace quicken, swaying side to side to catch a glimpse of who this man could be chasing. They can’t honestly be planning on mugging someone; they can barely walk, let alone mug someone. A tired sigh escaped your lips – time to play the hero.

           Your fingers trailed into your purse, grabbing rose seeds, feeling the vines starting to rise over your fingers-

           Heat.

           The sound of your plants whimpering, retreating into your purse as blue flames flooded your vision had your eyes widening, a hostile shiver running up your spine.

           Ashes floated into the clear night sky, the smell of burnt flesh taking over the stench of alcohol as you instinctively pressed your body against the brick walls, seeking any form of coolness. You could feel the hot air rush past your ears, hair flipping for a split moment. Sweat beaded down your forehead – these flames…

           They were explosive.

           Uncontrolled.

           Pure rage.

           But most importantly - absolutely stunning.

           Your long nails dug into the brick wall, shamelessly staring at the light show in front of you rather than saving the other three men. The diverse hues of blue, clashing and mixing like a wild dance. Did that dirty, drunk man unleash this power, such a beauty?

           You quickly realized how wrong you were.

           The ash that was floating in the sky, the smell of rotting flesh – that was him.

           “You’re fucking nuts, man! You killed him – you burnt him alive!” The men screamed, their speech no longer slurred, bringing you back to the reality of the situation. And as the realization of the sight in front of you unfolded, you found yourself swallowing.

           The low-slung chuckle that caught your attention, a snicker that carried in the cold breeze, had your skin rising and lips parting.

           “Well, aren’t you an observant one. It seems I did…wanna be next?” a man spoke, voice raspy, contemptuous in tone.

           You pressed yourself off the brick wall, desperate to seek the man who caused the flips in your stomach. His voice alone was eargasmic, and when you stumbled back, heels clicking loudly, you realized you not only caught the attention of the three drunk men but the man with blue flames, as well.

           The azure embers that lingered in the cold air reflected the streetlights, highlighting a tall, lean man at the end of the shady alleyway. The way his thin lips curved upwards, a sinister smirk emerging as he licked his lips in delight.

           His light skin contrasted against the seared scars that littered his face and neck, staples piercing his flesh in a sadistic fashion. But yet, in some messed up way – the look suited him. The darkness of night adding an air of mystic and dangerous enchantment around him.

           “Well…hello there, doll.” He mused, tilting his head to the side, black hair falling over his eyes. You could feel it, the way his gaze trailed up and down your body, a wild look flashing – appreciating what his eyes were settling upon. You swallowed, a needy flush overcoming your skin, because fuck.

           He was sexy – the type of man, your parents, warned you about. The type of guy, your friends, told you not to associate with because all he was going to do was fuck and dip. You couldn’t strip your gaze away from the man, and he seemed to notice. He let out a small snicker, raising a brow as you gawked shamelessly.

           “Y-you’re a hero from UA! Save us, stop him, arrest him. He killed our friend-” The three men shouted, running towards you with desperation in their eyes. It was their loud and unwanted voices that snapped you out of it.

           What were you doing?

           Here you are, blatantly checking out some stranger – a stranger with an overpowered quirk who just murdered a man. But the enigmatic stranger continued to stare with a look of amusement, even daring to take a step closer.

           “A hero? Oh, this is becoming a lot more work than I wanted.” he snuffled under his breath, eyes half-lidded. The men ignored the man’s commentary, staring at you with annoyance.

           “Do something, you useless women! We don’t pay our taxes for you to look pretty.” One of them shouted, their spit striking your face. Oh - hell no.

           “As if you guys even pay your fucking taxes. Maybe if you didn’t get piss drunk and try to mug the man, your friend would be alive.” You shouted heatedly, stepping forward and shoving the man back. He was getting far too close for comfort – he needs to learn something about personal space.

           The man’s eyes widen, stumbling back a few steps before narrowing his gaze. “This damn psycho killed someone!”

           “He was defending himself against you morons.” You fumed, hands balling into fists. You may be a hero, but you weren’t forgiving. That was the problem nowadays; people could not take responsibility for their damn actions. Starting fights, getting their asses kicked, and then crying wolf. And of course, you had all these ‘heroes,’ eagerly picking up the pieces of their messes to fuel their damn ego.

           “If you’re smart, you’ll leave before I report this whole incident. And I can guarantee it’ll be you three going to jail.”

           “You can’t report shit if you’re dead.” The man sneered before raising his hand. There in his grasp was a small dagger, the moonlight bouncing off the thin blade. So enraged by this man’s ignorance, you failed to notice the way his hand lingered into his jacket pocket.

           You could feel the blood drain from your face, impulsively cowering away from the blade. He caught you out, and you were surely going to pay now, shit-

           That was when you spotted it, the dash of black, a pretty hand reaching for the idiotic drunk. The manic smile that painted the blue flamed stranger’s face, a lust-filled look as his hand outstretched over the man.

           His long boney fingers wrapped around the side of his head, clawing into the skin of his face. You saw the terror etched into the drunken man – eyes shifting to look at your unexpected hero — the last thing he would ever see.

           “Burn.” The stranger whistled, and that was when you felt the overwhelming heat once again.

           An explosion of blue fumes flared before you, and the man who held the knife didn’t get a chance even to scream – incinerated in seconds. There wasn’t an ounce of control or restraint in this man’s flames, just pure and utter chaos. Smoke fluttered from the man’s skin, eyes crazed as he grinned, the flames ceased in intensity.

           Ashes and embers erupted into the air, the sound of the blade hitting the ground echoing between the brick walls. The stranger let his hand drop to his side, before tilting his head to your direction. That was when you spotted it — one of the untouched men was reaching for the burnt knife that laid on the ground.

           “Oh no, you don’t-” You hissed, the tipsy man staring up at you in surprise. But his resolve was set in stone, eager to get revenge for his now two dead buddies. The hot blade twisted in his hand, holding it tight as he swung down.

           He wasn’t aiming for you at all – he was trying to injury your anti-hero.

           You lunged forward, chest clashing with your newly developed crush, arms reaching around his neck. The inebriated man swung, and right before the blade could come in contact with your dark hero, your hands tightly gripped the man’s wrist, nails digging into his skin.

           “Let. Go.” You threatened, teeth clenching as you tried to hold him back.

           “Dude, the fuck are you doing? They’re heroes – they’ll kill us with their damn quirks. Run.” The only reasonable man of the two shouted, and that was all it took. The weapon slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor, and your grasp loosened.

           He whipped his hands from your touch, spitting on the ground where you stood as he ran down the alleyway with his only remaining friend. “Let’s get out of here.” They slurred, the sound of their shoes drumming against the concrete – turning the corner and out of sight.

           A drained gasp escaped you, arms going limp as your forehead rested against the man who saved your ass. Holy fuck – talk about a giant cluster fuck. The air around you smelt like death and fire, sparks spreading across the block, courtesy of the night breeze.

           How are you going to explain this? All the paperwork and details – you really outdid yourself tonight, didn’t you?

           “Hmm…he wasn’t lying; you’re a ‘hero’ from UA.” A dark voice droned into your ear. His hot breath tickled your neck, skin tingling in bliss, and your head shot upwards. That’s when you took in how utterly striking the man; you currently had your arms wrapped around, was.

           His eyes were magnetic, a turquoise so damn vibrant and clear your mouth dropped.

           Being as up close as you were, you could appreciate the silver piercings that decorated his nose and ears — an unpredicted attractive mix with his purple and red coloured scars. Overall, his features were soft, despite his attitude and whisky-like voice, although his jaw could probably cut diamonds with how damn sharp it was.

           Damn, he was attractive, and you couldn’t help but feel your breath getting heavy the further you gawked. Midnight was right – you were sex-starved, and the way you studied this man up and down like a damn snack, was the proof.

           His lips curved upwards to a smile that even the devil himself would swoon, noticing how your eyes scanned him with longing. Your fingers brushed his long black locks by accident, and you could feel your heartbeat pounding in your ears.

           “Do all UA heroes dress like this? Short dresses, low necklines?” The man chuckled, his fingers playing with the lanyard that was perfectly nestled between your breasts. Your cheeks flared, feeling his calloused fingers against your cleavage. His touch was far from tender, purposely letting the ID roll between his fingers, conveniently pulling your neckline further down your torso.

           And the worst part was you weren’t mad at his erotic touch as much as the comment, nipples hardening at the thought of this going further.

           “I beg your pardon?” You retorted, and the stranger merely laughed, licking his lips as he leaned closer to your face.

           “Oh, you can beg all you want, doll.”

           Fuck, this man knows what he’s doing. You snickered under your breath, untangling your arms away from his shoulders, pulling the lanyard that he played with away. “Thank you for saving my ass back there.”

           He smirked, running his hands messily through his hair before stepping forward. Your bottom lip rolled between your teeth, eyes fluttering as you watched the way the man before you dominated. He was rolling his shoulders back, each step of his lazy in demeanour, eyeing you like how a predator stalks its prey.

           “You come here often? Walk down these sketchy alleyways for fun.”

           “I’m kind of a hero, and unfortunately, walking in creepy alleyways is in the job description.”

           “Is eye-fucking people also included in that job description?”

           “Nope, that’s something I do on my own time.” You grinned, earning a handsome one back. He licked his lips, hands falling into his pants pockets as he stepped closer. You didn’t even realize the little dance that was happening.

           Both of you, stepping closer and father between words, walking in circles as you bantered pointlessly. The fact that this man killed two people was lost to the wind (literally) – you were a hero, sure, but you never said that you were good at it.

           “Personal time…that means you’re on your way home. Good to know.”

           “Plan on stalking?”

           He merely shrugged his shoulders, eyes falling back to your breasts without a care in the world. “Mm…maybe. Y/N – pro hero, Eden.” He muttered under his breath. This time you didn’t bother stopping him, the way he outstretched his hand, jerking on the ID card and drawing you closer to his body.

           Both of your eyes were glossed over, a heat building between your damn legs as he studied every curve in the dress you wore. It wasn’t even skimpy or short, but the way his eyes lingered – you would’ve thought you were wearing nothing but lingerie if you didn’t know better.

           “Next time, wear something shorter.”

           “Excuse me?” you blurted, and he merely laughed, letting go of the makeshift leash. But now that you were close, he seemed to take advantage. His hands fell over your hips, drawing you up against his body, his scared skin brushing against your jaw.

           “You see, doll, boobs are great and all, but that ass you got? I much rather have my hands on that.” He growled into your ear, and you couldn’t stop your small moan. Your hands fell over his shoulders, and you couldn’t even wrap your head around the fact that his hands were running up and down your thighs, shoving you backwards.

           Your back hit the wall roughly, him growling into your ear as he licked down your neck with a low grunt. “F-Fuck, what’s your name?” You blurted, and you could hear him chuckle breathlessly, listening to your gasping sighs.

           “Dabi – that’s the name that you’re going to be screaming.” He grunted, his hips thrusting into yours. You could feel his arousal, hard and heavy, rubbing perfectly against your parted legs. Your head tossed back, another mewl escaping your lips as his fingers dug into your thighs, rubbing his hardening cock against your wet heat.

           “Fuck, you’re nasty, a perfect lil’ slut for me, right doll?”

           His words had you purring.

           “Dabi-” you gasped, and the flashing lights of blue and red caught your attention. The sounds of sirens were clear in the dead of night, and they were rapidly approaching. A pout formed on your lips, eyes shutting close for a moment as you swore because the wet mess between your legs was far more concerning.

           You blew frustratingly; you’ve got to be fucking kidding-

           “Told you I’d have you begging.” Dabi chuckled, thrusting his dick perfectly against your sopping panties one last time, before pulling back. He licked his lips, and you couldn’t help but whine under your breath, seeing that bulge in between his legs – something you so desperately wanted your mouth over.

           “See you soon, Y/N, my delicious lil’ fruit.” He teased, before stuffing his hands back into his pants and running off.

           Your face was flushed, your breasts practically falling out of your dress, your thighs and ass on full display. You watched as Dabi managed to mix into the darkness as if he wasn’t even here a minute ago, dry humping you against the wall.

           “Over here- that’s where people reported the noise.” A few voices bellowed, and in a flash, you pulled down your dress, running back down the same alleyway you came from. Here you were, speedily walking down the very route you should’ve taken to begin with.

           If you had taken this path from the start, you would’ve been already home, dinner cooked, and probably in bed.

           But you couldn’t stop the cheeky smirk on your face, your hands falling over your neck, where his lips practically ravished. You were sure there were going to be some marks, although faint, and that thought made you wetter.

           It seems like Mr. Dildo found himself a new name for tonight – Dabi.

Copyright © 2020 Mystic-Kitten, inc. all rights reserved. No reposting, modifying, or translations of any kind allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

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[dyed-indigo]

please tell us more about your oc(s)!! 👀👀👀

aa alright so, this might be a long post 

i’ve got 2 main universes that i’ve developed (+a few characters that i haven’t put anywhere), but i haven’t fully planned any of them out so all of this is subject to change (please note that literally most of this is developed in daydreams)

universe 1 is a kind of fantasy type thing with 2 main protagonists, icarus (formerly known as idly by before i changed his name haha) and adelheid. basically icarus is an amnesiac that adelheid found in the forest after he fell from the sky. this universe i’m thinking of making a comic but i literally have basically none of the story actually planned haha. i know bits and pieces of what i want the plot to be and i have the character backstories mostly figured out though, so hopefully i can actually. try to plan out the story haha. (i know i posted a comic page a while ago that i wanted to be the first page but i have reworked what little i have of the plot so much since then so it’s not really accurate anymore.) icarus i’ve drawn a lot (i’m actually working on one of those art style challenge things with icarus but i’ve been “working” on it for over a month so who knows if i’ll actually finish it haha) and i know i have some drawings of adelheid that i posted a whiiiile back but i haven’t posted any of her recently because i’ve been wanting to redesign her but i cannot get her color scheme right. other major characters with designs personalities and backstories include eden, dante, and rosie (there are definitely more and i know i’ve posted drawings of them before but i need to plan them out a bit more before i’m comfortable sharing about them aaa)

in this picture, from left to right, we have icarus (pre-amnesia, you can tell because he got the glasses after the amnesia), eden, and dante.

eden and dante were icarus’s friends from before he got amnesia, however their friendship might not have ended on the best note. they’ll show up again later in the story, i just don’t entirely know how (i used to but i spend so much time reworking this story that it wouldn’t make sense any more i have reworked these characters to such a degree that they may no longer resemble their original forms). rosie was also someone who knew icarus before, but their relationship is somewhat more complicated. i don’t actually remember if i’ve posted any drawings of rosie though? i miiiight actually need to redesign her haha

a big worry i’ve had for this universe is that i’ve spent too much time developing icarus and not enough time developing adelheid. i’ve got adelheid’s backstory down, but it’s a lot simpler and i haven’t even given a name to literally the most significant character in adelheid’s backstory so. and adelheid’s personality has really fluctuated over time so maybe i should actually get that nailed down as well. 

here’s how much these characters have developed! eden used to have short hair, dante used to be a conspiracy theorist, adelheid used to be an elf, and icarus’s design was repurposed from a sona i tried to make (the design was repurposed because i wanted to show it off but like the sona was a dude and i wasn’t actually out to anyone yet so i was like “alright he’s like a fantasy secret agent now code name: idly by”. as you can tell i changed quite a bit about him)

universe 2 is... actually i don’t know genres well enough to confidently say what it is. it’s dystopian? kind of? it’s got a fallen world type deal, but it’s also kind of fantasy? but like, sciencey fantasy. it’s something. magic is science is magic type deal. the protagonist here is nebulous. not nebulous as in the word, nebulous is literally the name of the character (i just don’t want to capitalize it haha)

this image is a biiiit long but this is nebulous! 

i used to post tons and tons of art of nebulous, but i’ve been drawing him less lately because i’ve been drawing another character. 

anyway so, nebulous actually does not look like this for most of the story, he actually looks like a normal human being in the beginning and then he kind of gradually becomes what’s in the drawing, but this version of nebulous is a lot more fun to draw haha. he’s supposed to also have an actual human name too but i am. so bad at naming characters

basically the main story of universe 2 is that there was like a crisis 17 years ago and the world has fallen into ruin and for that entire time nebulous’s mom literally would not let him leave the house so nebulous is basically that one gif that’s like “they’ve never been outside” (i don’t have it saved so i can’t add it to the post haha). his mom just leaves and never comes back one day though so nebulous does leave the house and when he does he finds out that the town has been kind of ensorceled by...

this dude! (this is kind of an old drawing but i still like it so it’s here)

this dude doesn’t have an actual name yet because, again, i am awful at naming characters, but one of my friends has dubbed him “the wretch”.

basically the wretch can’t like, mind control (listen i’m still working on the terminology here) nebulous so he kind of bullies him into working for him until nebulous finds out that if he touches the ensorceled people they go back to normal and then after that nebulous literally forces the wretch to have a redemption arc (i’m planning on having it go on for most of the story and i’ve literally spent soooo much time planning this out in my daydreams)

after that nebulous and a few un-ensorceled people have to figure out what caused the crisis 17 years ago and how it relates to both the current happenings of the world and nebulous himself. i plan on this universe having more of a video game like structure, i may actually make it a video game if i ever learn how to make a video game haha. 

if it was a video game, the final boss would be...

the king of rot! (this is reeeeeeallly old but it’s literally the best picture of the king of rot that i have because i hardly ever draw him so this is my second most recent drawing of him, my most recent being him from behind.)

i honestly kind of feel apprehensive about sharing anything about this dude, because his whole backstory and motivations are one big spoiler for the story as a whole and i don’t wanna share too too much about it in case i actually do something with it. sorry if you were looking forward to that premium king of rot content, though i can tell you that he is also supposed to have a human name but i don’t feel bad for not coming up with it because that would also be a spoiler haha.

anyway whereas universe 1 has a bunch of underdeveloped characters for me to work with universe 2 has a character deficiency. if i want to develop any new characters i first have to create them *shudders*. this universe boasts a total of 6 characters so far, and 2 of them i literally created yesterday. those 2 are wayyyy underdeveloped because they’re so fresh, but there is one more character i can show you from this universe

this is dr. alexander petrov, he’s actually a repurposed character from another universe that i kind of dissolved because i didn’t know what i wanted it to be aside from this character and 1 other character (who i may repurpose for this universe as well i haven’t decided where he would fit best yet though)

i’m still working on repurposing his backstory properly (because i need to make it fit better with the world he lives in) and i mayyyy have to make him older (i really need to practice drawing older characters though) though i’m still not sure yet.

anyway aside from my 2 main universes i also have a bunch of assorted characters that i don’t know what to do with haha. i’ve posted art of most of them before, but i don’t really want to put it on this post because it’s already really long haha.

anyway that’s it for now i’m really tired so i’m sorry if i got a bit rambly haha

[catbatart]

Hey!! I love your art so much, and it's a nice inspiration for my own art!! I wanted to ask how you got your online presence?? I want to make my own art blog, but I'm not sure how? Or really, how to get the art noticed more. I thought I'd ask since I love your stuff so much! 💚💚💚

Thank you so much!  OKAY! I’m gonna throw a few vague bullet points that I’ve found helpful here and then I shall attempt a VERY brief summary in more detail below the cut. -Memorable username. You want people to be able to find you without your name always being right in front of them. This is optional but helpful. -Post a lot. I gain my most steady stream of followers when I’m posting random sketches but I’m posting them frequently versus posting a few nice pieces sporadically. -Get involved in communities. Use tags. MMOs, D&D, fandoms, whatever you love that other people love! Using the tags to get your art of the things you love out to other people who love it? A+ -Participate in challenges! Inktober! Sketch Dailies! Mermay! Whatever tf monster smut I did in March. A SERIES that gets you posting consistently for a bit that people can follow and look forward to! (Also helpful with tags!) -Giveaways. I love doing giveaways. I love sending people things and people love getting things for free. They’re a great way to promote reblogs over likes and get your work out to more eyes. Plus, like I said, I love sending people stuff?? So it’s a weirdly symbiotic relationship! Those would be my main tips but if you want more of a breakdown, I’ve done a bit of a write-up below for my sordid, dark artist backstory.

NOTE: FOR WHATEVER REASON TUMBLR DOES NOT SEEM TO BE REGISTERING MY “READ BELOW THE CUT” SO JUST PRETEND LIKE THERE IS ONE HERE AND FORGIVE THE ETERNALLY LONG POST

I started my art tumblr back in...2011??? I think? 2012 maybe? To have a place to post some art projects I was doing back for my 2D animation class (I believe all evidence has been eradicated so don’t bother looking lol!) My username was “CatbatCD” at the time. CD stood for “Character Design” because that was the class I was taking. I ended up cultivating a few followers. <100 I think? And I got the very occasional commission. After college, most of what I posted was TTRPG stuff. This was before D&D 5e got REALLY big, so I was posting a LOT of D&D  and Dark Heresy doodles and most people did not care that much. (For those of you who were watching me back when I drew a lot of Eden and Dark Heresy stuff, you the real MVPs.) At this point I had around 400-500 followers would be my guess! 

But I started accumulating more once I started playing MMOs and doodling stuff with those games as a tag! No joke, when I started playing Wildstar (RIP) and started posting work, it generated a lot of engagement from people and I definitely started accumulating more followers (more mutuals, specifically!) It was the perfect combo of original content and pre-established universe that people were familiar with! It was also when I started being more serious about taking commissions.

Now this is the point where my Pro Strat doesn’t exactly get repeatable. Halloween of 2015. I had been following along with the Sketch Dailies prompts on twitter (I don’t even know if they’re active anymore.) And right around Halloween the prompt was “Pumpkin King.” I did a little 20 minute doodle of Jack Skellington and threw it on my tumblr and didn’t think of it.

Well, guess what fuckin 20 minute doodle got featured on the tumblr radar? 

In one night, I randomly gained 500 followers. It was BONKERS. ESPECIALLY since it was a piece I put next to no effort in. I still have mixed feelings about that, but I have about 1000 followers and at this point it’s been about 3-4 years. Now this is where it kinda gets down to a more tedious grind. After this point, I don’t have any follower-gaining miracles except do lots of art! Take commissions! Post commissions! Do art challenges!  In your specific circumstance, you have to just start your blog. You can’t start it thinking “I’m gonna get 1000 followers in the first year.” You simply CAN’T approach it like that. Cultivating followers for an art blog takes a lot of time. And honestly for me, I didn’t really approach it with followers in mind when I first made my blog. It was literally just somewhere I was slapping art projects up for my prof to view remotely.  You just got to go with it. Make your blog, post art you make, be kind, find communities you love, and you will develop a community of your own. <3 I hope that was even a tiny bit helpful, or at the very least somewhat insightful.