#how is he ancient but doesn't know that trick? bless him

[savanir]

The cure to vampirism is to never get turned at all

Dick is not ashamed to admit he's in trouble. 

He's surrounded on all sides by vampires (because that's a thing now), he's put in this situation by his sister which is just great. Some ancient vampire lady named Pandora says she needs him to defeat the Queen of Blood named Mary and he's pretty sure that involves him being turned into a vampire as well, which he doesn't want. 

He's good but even he can tell his odds are pretty shit. There is no backup coming and even if he could call them they would never arrive on time. 

And of course he's in his civvies and doesn't have any of his gear. Just fantastic. 

But if he goes down he'll go down fighting.

"DANIEL!!"

everything screeches to a halt as the furious booming male voice echoes through the room. 

A large ornate wooden double door in the back slams open and a young man rushes through slamming them closed behind him.

Intricate red and green flashes of energy cover the doors and then the young man turns to the crowd in the fancy crypt.

"Our young gifted prince? There is no need for you to attend this meeting, But if there is a way we may assis-?" The question hovers in the air, choked off as the young man runs forward and with hands shimmering in eerie venomous green and deep blood red energy he tears through the random vampire's throat, startling all the others. 

"I'm putting an end to this madness, here and now" He drops the gradually disintegrating corpse on the ground. 

"Young prince!?" Exclaims lady Pandora.

For Dick things become a blur after that. Screaming and screeching and inhuman growling. The young man easily tears through them all with his powers. It seems some form of backup did arrive, but if this is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen.

Dick doesn't understand though, he seems to be one of them so why...?

One second they are all still fighting then the next the old vampire lady is lying dead on the ground, gradually turning into dust. The vampires who remain all stare at the young man in shock. “he… he killed Pandora, our oldest. The strongest of us” 

None of them seem to know what to do now. There are a lot of dead vampires all around, in Dick’s humble opinion this meeting could not have gone worse for the acolytes of shadow. He’s not feeling too upset about that though considering what they wanted from him. Still, the fact that they aren’t outright trying to kill this young prince in retaliation… he must be someone special, that alone is more than enough for Dick to keep his guard up around him.

Then the young man darts forward and grabs Dick's wrist, "we have to leave, the seal I put on the door is about to break. I won't be able to protect you from him"

"Who?" Dick can’t help but ask as they both start running for the exit. The young man quickly dragging him up the stairs. For a split second does Dick think about Melinda, he’s not entirely sure if she was among the ones killed or not. She was the one who tricked him into that mess. 

Well, she absolutely knew the consequences, she told them about him being Nightwing, if whatever is left down there decides to punish her for this fiasco that’s probably what she deserves.

"I'll explain everything later, I promise, but we need to go now!"

The furious noises behind them grow steadily in volume. Danny pushes Dick forward as he slams the red fake fridge door closed behind them and another flash or red and green covers that as well, another seal of sorts most likely. The one other person in the kitchen startles as the two of them run past him.

"Who are you?"

"Call me Danny, now this way, quick!" the young prince, Danny apparently, faults over the Waffle House front desk Dick not hesitating to do the same.

"DANIEL HOW DARE YOU!" comes faintly from behind them as Danny slams the fake establishments front doors open and pulls Dick out of there.

"Oh he's next level mad" mutters Danny as they are running again. Meanwhile Dick is just very glad to be breathing in the fresh cold night air of Bludhaven. 

However, his legs are having trouble keeping up with the pace, he has taken some serious hits and those things definitely don't pull any punches. 

He can’t help the faint pained groan and the speed with which the other man snaps his attention back on him almost makes him flinch. 

"Do you need a hand?"

"I'm fine"

"Here let me-" 

Next thing Dick knows he's being carried, if he wasn't friends with so many supers and speedsters he'd probably be flailing. Instead he's just kinda used to it and lets it happen even if it’s a bit awkward what with Danny being a bit shorter than him.

He's glad when they get to a safehouse and Danny puts him on the couch. He then goes to fetch Dick the first aid kit. 

"Who were we running from?"

"Old as balls vampire lord named Vladimir Masters, he’s in cahoots with the acolytes of shadow. And I guess he’s now fully in charge seeing Pandora just had her final death."

Dick pauses and just looks at him. 

"Yes he's really named that" Danny looks rather tired.

"And I'm guessing he's the sort who is going to be a massive headache"

"I mean they had this whole plan of world domination, you were a key player in that plan which is now completely ruined by the way. I was part of it too but I really don't want anything to do with any of that so... here we are"

"Here we are"

It's only when Dick is fully bandaged that Danny flops down in the nearest arm chair and drops his head in his hands and takes a deep shuddering breath. Perhaps all the murder is catching up to him? 

"Are you okay?"

"Don't mind me, I'm just... thirsty... I'll be fine" 

"Ah yes of course, vampire."

"I'm unfortunately a vampire yeah but don’t get it twisted, I'm absolutely not one of them" Danny looks up and sneers, Dick can now clearly see the fangs. “Seeing humans as cattle… the absolute moronic-” Danny trails off in furious muttering. “living in a world with demons and angels and aliens and whatever else but no we’re the ones who deserve special treatment.”

Dick makes a choice and then gets up, Danny watching him go and curiously listening to him opening and closing something in a different room before coming back and holding out a blood bag with a bit of IV tube hanging out of it. 

"Here you go."

“Oh! thank you,” Danny gladly takes the bag, "You just have bags of blood in your house?"  

"You never know when you need an emergency blood transfusion. Especially considering my nightly activities." … you know that sounds kinda vampiric in it’s own way doesn’t it?

Danny snorts and starts drinking. It kind of looks like a huge capri-sun that way. It's sort of adorable. 

If only it wasn't a massive plastic bag of Dick's own blood but whatever. 

They both fall quiet as Danny focuses on his drink and Dick takes a moment to think about the absolute mess he just went through.

“Someone called you gifted… what did they mean by that?”

“This mostly,” Danny holds out his hand and shows Dick the strange glowing mixture of red and green energy he saw down in the crypt. “I am a huge anomaly because I became a vampire while I was half alive and half dead. What that means for the most part is enhanced powers, I am even harder to kill than a regular vampire and you cannot fix my vampirism with one of those disgusting smelling pits of… what was it called? Lar- Lazard?” “Lazarus,”

"Yes that! Anyway I am like.. the backup to their world domination plan, initially they just wanted me to be their weapon but I have morals, pesky things, super annoying according to them. Which is why they decided to ‘recruit’ you. But I managed to screw that up too.” Danny looks very satisfied with himself about that. 

“Thanks for that” Dick says genuinely earning him a cheeky sharp fanged grin from Danny. Though he wished it had not involved such a massive carnage, he’s very glad he’s not a vampire right now. Beggars can’t be choosers he guesses.

“It would probably be best to get the League involved, root them all out. Vlad is definitely going to make more drastic moves now that things have turned out this way.”

Dick ponders to himself, “Yeah… let’s be Helsing about it,” He already got a Vampire on his side too.

Danny dejectedly looks down at his empty blood bag, “... can I have another?” He asks carefully.

“Sure!” responds Dick with a smile that finally manages to ease the tension out of Danny’s shoulders.

[icharchivist]

Tbf I imagine having a torrid romance with a guy and then learning he's a trickster god who is ancient and feared must be quite the feeling

I feel like I'd have to sit down after learning that

why do you think i obsess over it for so many years now

he's not just A trickster god, he's THE trickster god, as in -- you can only romance him if you're from the Dalish Elves, the culture that taught you all your life that THIS trickster god in particular doomed your people and haunts you in your nightmares to eat the soul of the wanderers. It is THE god you were taught to fear all your life. "May the Dread Wolf never catch your scent" is a blessing you've heard from your clan's elder. "The Dread Wolf guide you" is a warning, a threat, to say you are misguided.

On your face you wear the markings of the gods he betrayed. Your culture has been destroyed and scrapped by together so often that this religion is something you have learnt to respect. you've made offering to Fen'Harel back in your clan so he will ignore you all. You've always set up your clans behind Fen'Harel's status so you never catch his sight.

Like he's not any god! He's the one you've been taught to avoid all your life, that he'd only be trouble. That he knows how to trick people, that he's all about manipulating others.

And then you meet Solas. Wise mage who knows everything there is to know about magic, about the world of dreams. You meet him in a dream once -- if you don't romance him you learn specifically that YOU are the one who came into his dreams, YOU're the one who found yourself there -- but if you romance him this is where you end up kissing him. And he freaks out.

YOU run after the Dread Wolf the full romance. He tries to push you away. He knows it's trouble. He knows the Dalish would never accept the truth of what he has actually done.

Yet you understand him, yet you're willing to listen, to change your point of view if you need to. And if you can, then it means he has to try harder, for the people. The more he falls in love with you, the more his duty to leave you behind catches up to him.

And then he'll try to share a secret with you. We know he thought about sharing his identity, before he got scared. Instead he tells you the markings on your face were slave marks back in the days. He offers to remove them for you. ... and then he breaks up with you. and then he promises he'll give you an explanation one day. And then he promises that "whatever happens, what we had is real.". And then he disappears without a trace for two years.

and it's only two years later, while you're dying, that you learn he's been quietly spying on the inquisition. that you learn he's responsible for so many horrible thing going wrong. You wanders in ruins of the ancient times that gives you another perspective on the God of Misfortune. And finally you find him again. You learn he lured you in the ruins in order to save your life from what's killing you. He has to share with you the truth. he can't run away anymore.

You can react in different way but oughh.

and then you learn that he's going to destroy the world as you know it. You can't stop him. He loves you so much he doesn't want you to see the monster he's about to become. He saves your life, and if you show that you won't give up on him, he leaves you with a kiss - and then you learn he appears in your dreams every so often, always in the distance, watching, never getting close, and disappearing if you run to him.

AND VEILGUARD IS SET 8 YEARS AFTER THAAAAAAT. HE'S BEEN GHOSTING ME FOR 10 YEARS.

but it also means that in that romance YOU'RE the one who hunts the Dread Wolf. "He Who Hunts Alone". You learn about a secret past, and you have to reconcile it with the man you fell in love with. The nerd who just loves to talk about magic and history and the fade and people's freedom and rights.

Like. God. Like it almost has a flair of gothic romance to it yaknow? he's the boogey man, the man from the nightmares. If you are a hardcore DA players you've been hearing about Fen'Harel and myths of his betrayals for 3 games before you finally get this reveal.

And yet it all shifts around.

I definitely think the MC is shocked once the reveal happen, obviously. It's just too much. But the weight of everything is SO MUCH at this point. I know personally i have my girl having a mental breakdown during this quest because I MEAN. (it was replaying this quest without romancing Solas that made me realize just how differently i played it. On my other playthrough my girl Laena is so collected, everything is going wrong but at least she has a strong support system around her. but my girl Ithena, who romanced Solas, who just learns so much about the world that shakes her convictions, is just "fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck YOU and FUCK YOU")

but yeah god it's fascinating. I think even without the reveal the romance is genuinely so so good but the reveal adds so much layers to it.

there's a fansong about them called Let The Dread Come In that i often listen to because it plays on this idea. You were warned all your life about The Hunter and now you have to become The Hunter because he escapes you over and over.

Anyway i'm obsessed with him. and them. thank you for reading.

[zorkaya-moved]

" too late for that. you're stuck with me. " (and from al-haitham)

@maquiscursed

Oh, so the Scribe has a sense of humor? Fascinating. Can hear the sarcasm laced in those thoughts of hers? It should be there, dangling right in front of everyone's eyes.

"I thought that was my line," she rolls her eyes at his words, not turning around to give him the satisfaction of seeing that. A man with such pride and such intellect? He'd make a terribly good Sage, she's lucky he's only a Scribe and he has not taken any steps towards gaining any ambition when it comes to power. Zarina's sure that if he were the Grand Sage instead of Azar, she wouldn't be able to be so free within Akademiya's wall (Azar is a good enough actor to not show his fear in the eyes of others, he does not shake or tremble when she greets him or speaks to him).

Sokolova sighs as she looks around the the room they were so amazingly trapped in. It's not an issue to just break out, but it'd destroy such antique. Ancient architecture is quite wonderful, but all these hidden buttons and tricks can be quite annoying to deal with when this place was supposed to be something akin to a library. Not even a temple, not anything else! Not only that, but she doesn't remember why Al-Haitham and she were asked to take a look at it when neither of them were architects. Kaveh would've been a much better choice, but how lucky he was to work on a project.

"Al-Haitham, if you take out a book and sit in silence as I'm searching for an exit, I'll bite you and plead insanity before Cyno," she's not serious, it's not even remotely serious. It's a jest and she is simply playing it up for dramatics. If she were honest, finding a way out for them both probably won't take longer than thirty minutes, but what if escaping from here will take away from the research? "You know. We can just stay here until our shift ends and pretend we've been stuck here for longer than supposed to."

She thinks there is something like an oasis here if the archives were correct. Oh, maybe it's the hidden underwater tunnel they'll need to swim through to get out. Not the first time she hears of such unique ways to protect classified materials. There was one problem, though: the heat. A Snezhnaya like her continues to struggle with the heat, but it's not as bad as in the forests. It's not humid here, so she can live, but it's still not fun. Thank the Tsaritsa for blessing her with a Cryo Vision.

[simbleleven]

Solely inspired by Nyon's part in this post; obviously I have to involve my trio in it.

How good are they with kids?

Alex: Bless my boy's little heart, he tries so hard, but kids honestly could take him or leave him. He's not bad by any means, he's quite enthusiastic when it comes to kids; he just has a very different idea of what entails kid-friendly entertainment. Not that you could fault him; he IS a Goth after all, and they aren't exactly renown to be, for a lack of better words, "normal". So, it does happen (unfortunately, quite frequently) that he'll unintentionally make some kid cry with weird anatomical facts or telling them all about freaky critters that exist. The hardier kids stick around, though, and the more brave ones tend to call him a nerd. Fellow weird kids gravitate towards him, however, and love to quiz him on the weirdest topics, like ancient egyptian embalming techniques and their usage of scarabs.

Max: Opposite of Alex; could take or leave kids – he doesn't hate them, but he is hilariously clumsy with them. Will he have a reasonable sense of community-responsibility about the safety of kids in his vicinity? Absolutely. Would he be your go-to babysitter? Fuck no, your kid will return on a sugar-high and knowing their very first fuck-word. He's just the guy, who will follow along with the group and make sure no kid runs off too far and get themselves killed, but entertaining them? He'd rather key his truck. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but you get what he means. Quiet, calm kids are the ones he can handle best, since they remind him of Shay, when they were younger. Bratty, snotty, little troublemakers are the bane of his existence – yes, he absolutely sees the irony of this, as he was one of those aforementioned bratty, snotty troublemaking kids, and yes, he is convinced whatever deity presides over their world is taking the absolute piss out of him with that one. Inexplicably, however, babies fucking love this guy. Give him a fussy baby, and they will calm down in minutes. No one has any idea why or how, they just do. Only problem is; Max is terrified of babies. Not in the Babies Are Scary way, but in the I Am Holding One Of Earth's Most Fragile Creatures Do Not Fucking Drop It way. You could seriously trap this guy with a baby, he won't move an inch. He's been confined to this couch for hours now, holding a snoozing baby. He has to pee so bad, save him.

Shay: Considering she lives with several younger foster siblings; yeah, she's great with kids. The second eldest of their bunch is like, twelve, so Shay usually takes care of them alongside the nuns, so she's quite the natural. Kids like hanging out with Shay, mostly because they get to be active with her, and she also teaches them cool sport tricks. Besides, they've seen her on a skateboard, she's the coolest thing since sliced bread to them – she also gives them little candies, so she's doubly cool. Overall, though, kids flock to her because she appears so calm and confident, and talks to them like they aren't dumb. It's actually really cute to watch, since she tends to duck down, knees to her chest as she talks to them, making herself smaller to make them more comfortable. She can also make the funniest faces and the kids eat it up every time. Unsurprisingly, Shay's from the Rub Some Dirt On It variety, and will definitely let your kid eat mud at least once to boost their immune system.

[unveiledkinarchive]

joseph. • bodyclaim. • headcanons. • isms. 

BASIC INFO

full name — Joseph Yearwood age — ??? (looks 40ish) gender — cis male, (he/ him/ his pronouns) orientation — pansexual occupation — n/a species — kitsune (void) clothing style — swears by jeans, trainings jackets, a generally "sporty", lenient look, but it's always big brands

PHYSICAL INFO

face claim — Ryan Gosling hair — brown / eyes — blue (ocean blue :p) height — six foot & no inches build — compact, fit, though not overly muscle-y scars — many scattered across his body tattoos — he has the word KUKAN in japanese (区間) on his chest, it's the sign for his clan - the void foxes. his arms, back etc. are covered in a mixture of japanese calligraphy and ancient runes only the kitsune may attempt to understand. the tattoos connect the seven chakra points, so when he uses his magic, they glow. piercings — a pair in his ears, they stay when he shifts special characteristics — nobody will ever know what he thinks unless he wants them to, looking at him... he always seems to know more than he lets on, hardly ever seen without even a small grin on his lips sexual preference— power bottom tbhtho he also feels like he is owed praise and worship, so maybe a lil dom in there

PERSONALITY

alignment — chaotic evil positive traits — independent, cute, calm, confident, observant negative traits — manipulative, mischievous, cunning hobbies — whatever his heart desires

MEDICAL INFO

mental — n/a physical — other than scars, he's a healthy boy phobias — n/a eyesight — 22/20 dominant hand — ambidextrous drug use — sometimes alcohol use — nah diet — whatever. the. f. he. wants.

BACKGROUND

birthplace — n/a parents — n/a siblings — n/a education — n/a notable skills — he gets whatever he wants, always

BIO

Not a lot is known about Joseph Yearwood. He must've been born once upon a time, clearly - but it's difficult to say how long ago that's been. He's not the sharing kind-of-guy, but it's safe to say that he grew up in a small pack of void foxes. His parents both were, his grandparents were and everybody in their lineage had been. It was an honor and a blessing to be born as one as well.

The Kukan differ from the other foxes in the world, they do remember their humble beginnings as the Inari messengers who swore to protect the humans and some somewhere out there might still chase the old codex, but the Kukan don't.

Made from a different kind of fox, they're natural hunters and illusionists. They live to wreak havoc, they hunt humans because it is their right to do so. Because humankind is weak and should pay their kind the owed respect. Instead, foxes of all kinds have been hunted for their pelts for centuries. When respect isn't shown from them, why should the Kukan?

They are not backed by the other kitsune, at least not officially - some .. feel and sympathize, surely. Regardless of that, the Kukan have existed for a long, long time. They embrace the power of the fox. While the ordinary fox will shapeshift and take human form to mingle and fall in love, the Kukan ... don't. They shift, they take human form - they are excellent Shapeshifters, too. They don't struggle hiding their tails, although dogs are still their sworn enemies and the only thing that can mess with their illusions. But the Kukan don't strive to find love in humans, no.

They wreak havoc.

Possess someone of power, abuse it, see the world crumble. No better feeling than that, is there? Possess someone who deserves only the worst, make their life literal hell. Foxes are said to be mischievous and their tricks are only played on those who are deserving. Well, every human deserves to suffer and it's upon Joseph and his siblings to fulfill their destinies.

It's not known how long Joseph has been traveling the world to do just that, but it is safe to say that ... there have been countless of casualties to pave his way. He doesn't regret a thing. Humans are only good for one thing: To worship his kind. There is a reason the humans built shrines featuring the kitsune all across their lands, right? Exactly.

Foxes... earn their tails in different ways. It depends on their kind. Joseph earned his in the only way that's true to his ancestors and clearly they looked down upon him and granted him one after another. The fur of a Kitsune's tail withstands the tides, so he's hiding his most precious treasure in a bag woven of fur from his very own tail, so that it may never tear and nobody other than himself may ever get his hands on what's inside.

Joseph learnt to use what he has to get what he wants. He's got a way with words, he's got that special kind of pretty the old legends say foxes have that is just irresistible to the humans and some Supernaturals alike. He doesn't need to take what he wants, because he's used to manipulating others into fetching it for him. He's sweet, he's charming, he's observant as all hell. Joseph is a menace through and through.

And he never quite learnt there's boundaries, so he traveled the world to spread his chaos wherever he could for ... who knows how long.

After .. a long, long time of solitude, Joseph craved pack, but from what he heard.. the Kukan ceased to exist over the past few decades. There may only be him left now. Just him. A whole pack erased, just like that. Although ... he knew for a fact he had heirs running amuck - somewhere out there. With time, he'd feel them, he'd find them. It was now a game of patience. When they were old enough to come find him, he'd be ready to teach them all they had to know. The town .. confused him, his kind living together with other Supernaturals was one thing, but alongside the humans? Those who hunted them? Those who destroyed the planet? Those who brought nothing but pain and misery to those they didn't count as one of their own? No. No fox should suffer under his watch ever again. He'd never stop hunting them down. And his offspring would grow up to help him.

He would not be the last one standing.

[pseudonympls]

faerie bo has me acting unwise 😩 imagine a tam lin type of story but make it actually really dark.

imagine getting lost in the woods. the sun is already setting. you're not sure how long you would need to be gone for someone to come look for you. you worry about it for only a second before you hear the voice and all your thoughts sink into nothingness. you have no choice but to follow, deeper into the forest.

and then, suddenly, there he is. like something out of a fairy tale, singing to you, entrancing you. before you know it, you're on your knees before him, begging for his cock in a voice that comes out of your mouth but that you know isn't your own. he fucks your throat, and you gag and choke, but you have to take more. his moans are like his song, and you have no choice but to obey everything he says.

you don't fight him when he peels away your clothes, or when he shoves his fingers into you. you don't say a word when he makes fun of how wet you are, what a weak-willed, pathetic little thing who fell for his tricks so easily. he sinks into you, finally, and you sob. if out of pleasure or pain or anger or fear, you don't know. he's too big, you shouldn't be able to take him, but you do, and your fuzzy, clouded mind doesn't even dare think about whether you want this or not.

he releases inside of you, probably more than once, because fae are blessed with far more stamina than humans, and tells you you deserve to be knocked up like this, that really it's your own fault for falling right into his trap.

maybe he takes you with him after this, to show you off to the court, so you can cockwarm him as he sits there and watches the rest of the fae celebrate. you barely even know what's happening at that point. all you register is his cock buried deeper in you than you thought possible, and a hundred other spirits dancing about, signing their strange, wild songs that make your thoughts sticky like tar and elusive like fog.

at some point, you pass out, and when you wake up, you're alone, clothed in a green dress made from a strangely-textured fabric. you can see the end of the woods from here, and you leave as soon as possible. it must have been a dream, you tell yourself, but the ache between your legs tells you otherwise.

and bo waits in the heart of the forest, knowing that, even though you're running now, you will return the second he calls for you in that ancient, enthralling voice of his...

...anyway, i may have a problem 😅😩

😳😳

Anon, if you have a problem then so do I lmao 😳🥴

I actually had a fic idea about shapeshifter!Bo based off one of my favourite albums - The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists, that is deeply rooted in folklore and such - I also had a Crane Wife WIP at one point where OC was an injured crane that Bo helped heal and ofc she is a shapeshifter of sorts as well 🙈

What can I say, I just love fucked up fantasy tragedy 🫠

[in-2004-fandoms-and-counting]

AU where Nico dies (don't hate me pls I'm sorry I love Nico and ship the hell out of Solangelo, this is just to allow for some dark AUs) transporting the Athena Parthenos in BoO.

(Sorry it's such a long post) Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, revered praetor and peace-loving daughter of Bellona, loses the ability to share strength. Now, when she uses her power, she saps your energy, draws on your bravery, and poisons your mind with horrific images. Nico's death has allowed suppressed traits to resurface and overwhelm all her progress since San Juan all those years ago. She picks fights. She becomes a dictator in all but name, abolishing the Senate and making War Games a lot more "realistic": weekly funerals become commonplace, words are spoken under breaths, and terror resides in the heart of every New Roman. And so, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano turns her brilliant mind and poisonous power to Gaea's aid. Gleeson Hedge doesn't seem more than a broken satyr at first glance, his smiles never sincere, his voice never loud, his bat never raised. But when he slips off into the wilderness, he does not sit quietly among the trees and reflect. He whispers into the trees' leaves, his twisted words echoing the bitterness that now consumes his being. He has been tricked too many times: Pan, forcing thousands of satyrs to lose their lives in their quest to find him when he was alive all along; Clarisse, who never tried to connect with nature or understand his own ties to the natural world, who teaches his child the game of death while Mellie watches, fading away, unable to fight back; the gods, who, in their promise of protection, conveniently ignored the nature spirits. He is bitterest about Nico's death: about all he could have done, about what the kid should have done. The glint in his eyes scares even the worst monster that Tartarus could send. But it is Gaea he turns his allegiance to. It is Gaea who promises that he will always be good enough for her. And so, Gleeson Hedge turns nature back to its true mother: Gaea. Hazel Levesque is not someone you want as an enemy. Her golden eyes, gold like the masks of the judges of the dead, seem to see everything. Her powers grow stronger, but now she is able to control them. One glance, and she can cause an entire legion to scream and writhe in agony as she manipulates the iron in their blood, twists their shining armour, forces weapons to turn on their handlers. She stops wearing normal, mortal clothes, and now she wears flowing dresses of molten gold and bronze that no spear could pierce nor hand touch. She calls on the remnants of metal in the cave in Resurrection Bay to rise, and rise they do, twisting and weaving together at her command to form a cathedral-like vault with a solid Stygian iron throne. At the front of her temple lies a chasm from which her first creation arises, complete and healed, at last. Alcyoneus clambers out of the pit, back with his mother's life and Hazel's burning desire for destruction. And so, after seventy years, Hazel Levesque joins forces with Gaea of her own free will. Frank Zhang's arrows are no longer aimed at Tartarus's monsters, but at the people he once considered friends. The ruins of the Zhang family mansion become a shrine to Gaea, the ancient walls falling in blissful happiness into the Earth Mother's embrace. Frank returns often with fresh skulls, unfailingly whole - his arrow pierces cleanly through the eye every time. His piece of firewood safe in Gaea's belly, protected where no flame could reach, he is unstoppable. His shapeshifting causes unforseen problems with the allies' plans, it's very hard to plan how to fight a lion when he could turn into a swarm of bees at any moment. He is the ultimate spy, a literal fly on the wall, and for once, he feels needed. He feels worth something. He feels as though he is good enough, something the gods could never give. All the gods ever did for Frank, he realises bitterly, is take. His mother. His grandmother. His self-confidence. His chance for a stable, loving family. Nico. And so, Frank Zhang finds a different kind of family, one that will not let him down, in Gaea. Piper McLean never wanted to be a tragic love story; that was purely for her mother's entertainment. She

cuts her hair short. She kills Gaea's enemies on sight. Her charmspeak forces even her old family, Camp Half-Blood, to turn against each other, brother against brother, sister against sister, until bodies litter the strawberry fields and the Big House crumbles to smouldering ashes. The gods have her no love. Their boundaries mean nothing to her any more. Her love extends to her favourite mother, her boyfriend, the rest of the Seven, Grover, Reyna and Hedge. Beyond that, it is poison. Gaea takes her hands, looks into her eyes, and tells Piper that she is more than the spawn of an unfaithful, air-headed immortal, more than the damsel in distress. She tells Piper that she is who she decides to be. And Piper agrees. Gaea gives her the opportunity to be out of others' shadows. Piper McLean takes the chance and joins with Gaea, her charmspeak almost her most dangerous feature, second only to her unbridled wrath when Nico's death is mentioned.

Jason Grace owes fealty to only one eternal goddess now. He scours the Underworld with Hazel and Frank, relentless like the wolves he was brought up with. He knows no bounds, his destruction barely controllable by even Piper and her charmspeak. He has obliterated entire cities, counties, even an entire nation. He feels no regret, no remorse, no nagging guilt. He seeks out and electrocutes homophobes as his powers grow in complexity, along with his ability to control them. No matter how much they scream, the same two words shoot from Jason's scarred lips like the lightning bolts he commands: for Nico. As the darkness inside him grows, the son of Jupiter advances on Olympus, eyes and hands blazing, to destroy his father, as one of Gaea's allies, as one of Gaea's found children. Jason Grace vows by Nico's soul and Gaea's love to destroy the gods who shamelessly abandoned them.

Percy Jackson has been close to the darkness before. As just one examole, he's controlled poison to choke the goddess of misery at the edge of Chaos. But now, Annabeth's words at the time - some things aren't meant to be controlled - strike differently. Percy doesn't follow rules any more. That brooding, troublemaking face now alludes to his new form: gone is the class clown, here is something more akin to a devil. Like Hazel, he has made hundreds of people and monsters shriek in pain as he controls their blood, contorting their bodies into unnatural forms and snapping necks with a mere snap of his fingers. If Nico's death is mentioned around the pair of them - Hazel and Percy - both turn on the individual, eyes smouldering with the deceitfully cool ashes of the fire of grief, and slowly unleash their wrath. Percy cannot be controlled. He wants revenge. Part of him wishes he had never given his mother the head of Medusa to kill Smelly Gabe; it tore him to pieces when he made the fluid in her head seep out of her eyes. But she wouldn't stop begging him to leave Gaea. She had to go. She was no longer loving him as he knew he deserved. Now, Percy Jackson takes his support from the mother he should have accepted long ago: Gaea.

Annabeth Chase did not accept powers from her new mother, her better mother. She chose to use her mind as her weapon and Gaea respected that. Gaea gave her the resources she needed to wreak havoc on mortals and immortals alike. Now, instead of studying for a stupid internship in a misogynistic, capitalist society, Annabeth unleashes her fury, her grief, her mind on the world. The gods deserve to pay for what happened to Nico. The demigods need to feel her grief. The mortals started this stupid cycle of overwork and inadequate pay. Annabeth is ready to work with the mother that respects her, that loves her, that nurtures her as she deserves. And work she does. Plan after plan is developed, improved, redrafted, mocked up, redeveloped, and finally executed with clinical precision. Her mind becomes what her enemies most fear, even above her reputation: first child of Athena in millennia to reach Arachne, retriever of the Athena Parthenos, survivor of Tartarus. And she laughs, laughs in a maniacal way that makes you want to take a step back as she strides towards you, grey eyes alight with an unnatural glint as you realise that she knows everything about you and she knows how this will end. She will not let herself or her friends die. She refuses to let another situation like Nico's death happen again. So, Annabeth Chase takes Gaea's resources and turns them into a mass genocide, executed with her new mother's blessing.

Grover Underwood leads the nature spirits now. He commands dryads to extend their unstoppable tendrils through the paths that Gaea forms for them, deep in the earth, then sending them exploding through the surface and reclaiming all that was torn from them under the pretence of friendship. His empathy link with Percy allows him some degree of control, both over the son of Poseidon and over naiads. Grover is betrayed and bitterly disappointed in Pan, in the gods, in demigods, in mortals, in Nico. And so, he turns nature back home with Gleeson Hedge. The hauntingly beautiful whistling of his pipes lures demigods, mortals, even gods to their doom. Apollo is the first to fall, trapped by the music of the satyr whose horns now make him seem diabolical as he dances in the flames. Grover Underwood finds his roots in Gaea and his revenge in destruction.

Leo Valdez wants to burn the world to ashes. There's not a moment he's not on fire, his hair smouldering, his skin aglow. At his feet lies Hera, trussed up like a rodeo calf, bound by the power of the guardian Leo knows he deserved as a child. There is no Piper with her charmspeak to free the ex-queen; at least, Piper is by Leo's side as he blasts her with his searing flames. There's a smile on Leo's face that rivals even Annabeth's as he torches cities, razes acres and lights up the sky with plumes of smoke and columns of fire. His reasoning feels etched into his heart: the gods let Nico die. The gods let us down one time too many. And so he lets the flames go. Gaea stands behind him, her hand on his shoulder, proud and respectful. She knows that he secretly enjoyed starting the war with New Rome. He has fire powers; it's only natural, and that Octavian is enough to drive anyone mad. So, Leo Valdez finally makes his peace with Gaea.

Will Solace goes out like a light as the news of his beloved's death is announced. He lies, broken and silent, in Gaea's arms, tears streaming down his face. He stirs only for Nico's name, and his eyes turn slowly to whoever dared say it. He reaches out an arm, eyes turning black, leaching all the colour from the surroundings as his whisper echoes: there is no hope. Behind him stands Gaea, a tear of her own on her earthen cheek. She feels his pain, raw and fresh. But she takes some of it onto herself. Will Solace shares his grief with Gaea now.

And so they stand, eyes alight and expressions dark and triumphant, by the side of the goddess who did not want to let Nico die.

Gaea smiles.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1020 - Initial Thoughts

And we're back, they said no break but they didn't tell us there wouldn't be a chapter for the next week because of...the Olympics I think? Something that stopped the weekly fix

but that was then, today we have One Piece as we continue on from our chain of Tobi Roppo fights

Spoilers for Chapter 1020 - Support the Official Release too

The cover page now makes me want fried prawns, damn you Denjiro!

So close with Yamato's DF, turns out it's Inu Inu no Mi: Model Makami rather than Okami like I guessed

To my credit I didn't know what a Makami was, there are so many mythological creatures of Japan, turns out though it's a protector deity of Makamiohara...in the Yamato Province. Said to protect the people's crops for boar and deer (which may be a nod to Oden and the Mountain God), it also happens to be the guardian deity of Wano - which feels a little like an Alabasta nod

It's also meant to protect against fire (like Kaido) and robbery (like Orochi), but Kaido - while admitting that Orochi was a tyrant - wants him to protect what Kaido and Orochi has made Wano into: a hub of weapons development

Ice attacks as well to show the contrast with Kaido's fire, though it's pretty apparent that he didn't go all out with that fireball while Yamato is still weary

Finally over to Robin and Brook vs Black Maria but Brook is worried, because Robin's seeing people from her past

Clover, Olvia and Saul too, definitely a trap, though I don't wanna say they're dead in case Oda pulls a curve on us

But Robin is too smart for the trick, suckering the figures posing as illusions with some uppercuts. It must still hurt for her though

The one posing as Saul was a Number as well, seems to be our only female Number, this was Kunyun so given how we've heard that laugh already she's number 9, Numbers 1-3 are still missing

Robin could've given him a signal true, but it is alarming that they can fish into your memories like that

It's a Black Maria ability too, don't really recall Ancient spiders doing that, Mythical maybe but not the Rosamygale

She's also attacking from the ceiling, wrappings that definitely weren't there the last we saw her keeping things discreet

Turns out Brook was subject to illusion too, but pandering to his hopes of his crew being alive is probably not the best way to trick him, I mean he did have to bury them all after 50 years of preserving their bodies on the ship

So it turns out Black Maria's weapon isn't a severed head, it's another SMILE abomination XD I did get a giggle out of that actually, big head but a tiny pug body, guess he doesn't mind so long as he's that close to Maria. Dunno how he can make fires though but Kamijuro's lion belly could do the same

Maria if you keep hanging upside down with all that flesh showing you're gonna give people heart attacks...or awakenings...or both, either way stop distracting us from your horrifying lower half and intent to kill our heroes!

While Taunting the duo's belief of winning and then directly taunting Robin, Maria burns the floor to keep them cornered, Robin using her Spider Net to dangle with Brook in the air

I mean, Robin's not wrong, the Castle's already on fire thanks to Orochi

Brook though has a plan, since we now know the weapon is Alive he can attack it

Robin's 'the fuck?' face though XD

New Attack from Brook, he can freeze people by going through them in his soul form, pretty handy that and it knocks Pugbutt out of the weapon

And then his body deals with the fire to save Robin when Maria knocked away the bit of roof she was hanging on

God bless tiny faces

Maria really trying to pull up old feelings though, suggesting that the crew will sell Robin out eventually like others, because she's a burden and even Sanji brought her to Maria

Excuse you Maria but now that Jimbei's part of the crew Sanji's is the third-highest bounty, and still an undervalue considering how Luffy's is over 4x more right now

Brook and Robin aren't too concerned though, even going as far as leaving Maria to Robin while Brook takes on the goons and Number

'He's one of the wings that will allow the pirate king to soar' - what a freaking line

Here comes Naked Kaiju Robin! Maria your big woman energy can't compare to Naked Kaiju Robin, it's already over

But we're back to the land where in a portside Okobore town Luffy still hunts for meat

Shinobu and Momo have escaped too thanks to Shinobu's kite, which I had expected when she rotted the floor anyway

Momo looks like he was gonna say Kiku and Kin'emon died, but Luffy interrupted him before saying the D word, I wonder if they could still be healed, though it is wishful wondering

Luffy is right though, he can't break now, he needs to be strong until the fight is over

So there's Caribou!

Come on man, I stood up for you after the Cover Story showed you have something like a heart in there, true you may help for your own reasons but in Sabaody you wanted to ride with Luffy

But that's how we're getting back up, Momo is gonna fly Luffy to the top

Though it wasn't the same heights as 1000 and 1010 before them it was still a really good chapter. I mean, I could whine about how Robin vs Maria was only a third of the chapter sandwiched between Yamato's DF being revealed and Luffy coming back into consciousness but frankly, I think we needed the fight to go longer.

Not only did we need to set up Robin 1v1 but Maria hardly got to show any powers up until now, so it was more of a showcase, and it doesn't hurt for some of the Tobi Roppo fights to last longer than the quantity of a chapter and a half. Though Brook and Usopp remain the only characters without the big fights so far now they have been extremely effective on support, and with Oda reminding us of the Numbers I think Usopp may still have a chance to face 1-3, Brook's enemy I don't have any clues on but he showed off a new move.

Yamato's DF being a Wano guardian deity does push me towards the idea that Yamato may stay in Wano after all, he wants to be free yes but Oden wanted to ensure that Wano was ready for Joy Boy, wouldn't Yamato want to follow that? Instead of protecting Wano for Kaido he would feel at least some responsibility to protect Wano from Kaido. Plus it doesn't bode well for his Straw Hat candidacy that his powers are ice-based, since we already have that in Brook (then again, Zoro, Sanji, Luffy and Franky can all use fire so maybe not).

The appearance of Caribou does make me hopeful that he can pull a clutch move as well, he seems on Luffy's side at least for now so maybe we can strong-arm him into helping. The key if he does would be how much he can store within himself, he can contain something or someone as big as Shirahoshi after all, what if he hid someone to bring into the belly of Onigashima?

Luffy riding Momo to the top of the dome also makes a lot of sense, calling all the way back to Punk Hazard too. This'll likely be Kaido's first time seeing Momo in Dragon form too, but Oda remains tight-lipped on how Luffy survived and communicated while in the water.

No break I hope this time, meaning next chapter will likely proper conclude our fight with Naked Kaiju Robin (or probably clothed Kaiju Robin considering that was a mid-transformation) and Maria, cool move but still would like to see some Haki from her, and a new nickname, Devil Child doesn't work when she's an adult. But alas, happy to see Robin get a solo fight.

[glimpseofwonderarchive]

ACoTaR Au 1

Éanon

High Fae, and King of the Fae land of Lostrenia. But doesn't like being called King, so his people call him High Lord, like in Prythain.

Lostrenia has long been a rival to another Fae kingdom, Midinia. It never really reached blood feud levels, but was as close as it could be without the feud actually being declared. The Midinian rulers, the Hothers including Lairan, have long lusted for the power held by the Mourtides.

Lostrenia, since the creation of the world, has been blessed by an ancient goddess, Nonet, who planted the Tree of Nonet. She was the goddess of protection, safety, truth, goodness, and comfort and aid to the lost.

The Mourtide family became the protectors of the tree, and thus rulers of Lostrenia when a priestess who served Nonet protected and defended the tree during an invasion of the temple by Midinia; which began the feud. Nonet was pleased, and blessed the priestess and her descendants, giving them great power and responsibility. The temple would later become part of the Hall of Numfelda, the home of the Mourtides and the seat of the kingdom.

Lairan tried many times, and used many tricks include marriage proposals, to gain access to Lostrenia, and especially Tenivell and the Forest of Elnear, but she is never successful. The invasion of the temple was the first and only time her people ever crossed the border. Éanon eventually has to use his powers to prevent her from further trying to come. She later kidnaps his sister, Endirí, and ransoms her; holding her hostage for over 20 years, which escalated the feud one more into war.

Éanon's powers are closest to those of the Daemati, but do differ significantly. He can read and influence minds, but with him, it's closer to those with ESP or Empaths, as he can read/feel, influence, and be impacted by emotions. Like Mor, he also has a "truth" power, being that he can sense deception. And he also has a much weaker version of Seer abilities, mainly the intuition and clairvoyant visions, but they aren't nearly as strong as Elain's, as she's a true Seer, and he isn't. Éanon also has some levels of psychometry. And he can also winnow.

Éanon's powers are strong on their own, and he is powerful, but he isn't nearly as powerful as Rhys. Furthermore, his power strengthens when paired with his sister's. They both, as the last of the Mourtides, have a connection to and blessing of Nonet. The two also have a twin like connection, experiencing the pain and emotions of the other. But they can also have this connection and influence with their mates.

In the war 500 years ago, Éanon's father and their people fought alongside the humans. They never had slaves, and special humans were allowed to live there, but when the wall was erected, the humans were sadly forced to go below it.

The Lostrenians, this time led by Éanon, Taldann and Tolvel, also join the Prythainians against Hybern/the Queens/Koschei.

He is also what Feyre would consider a dreamer, and is friends with Tarquin and Rhys. During Amarantha's reign, he frequently checked in on them, and tried to figure out how he could help free Prythain from her power.

Additionally, he knows of Jurian from his father's tales. And he also knows Ander, Miryam & Drakon. He trusts all of them, due to his powers.

Lostrenia is located on the continent, as shown in the map below. The thick black line is the kingdom of Lostrenia, tracing the area between the coast below Vassa's lake and the mountains running along the center. The dashed brown line is the area of Tenivell. The dotted blank line is the Forest of Elnear. The red dot is the capital, Oflarion. The blue dot within the red one is the location of the Hall of Numfelda, which can be found by following the blue line above it. On the other hand, the thick white line indicates the borders of Midinia. The dotted white line indicates the area of Nornasda. The red dot here indicates the capital of Thelthalas. And the blue line and dot indicate Lairan's home, Osnundel Castle.

The Mourtide family crest, and namesake of their home, is the Numfelda flower. The Hother family's is the Osnundel. Pictures of both flowers and the Tree of Nonet can be found in this headcanon.

The second war between Lostrenia and Midinia began when Éanon was 180 years old, just months after his father's death and his becoming High Lord.

Endirí was kidnapped by Lairan while she was in her way to visit a friend in another kingdom. Éanon knew her destination, and when she never arrived, and he was alerted by Endirí herself, it was discovered that Lairan took her and brought her back to Osnundel.

Like the Night Court and Velaris, Lostrenia as a whole, but especially Tenivell and Oflarion, are very mysterious to and generally unknown by outsiders. This is due to Nonet's protection, the tree, and Éanon's own power. No one can enter the kingdom, or any part of it, without his permission. And even those who are allowed to enter are magically prevented from finding things they aren't meant to know. All in all, it's one of the safest Fae kingdoms on the continent.

It's rumored that Nonet still appears in Elnear, at the tree's hidden sanctuary, and it's Éanon's favorite place. He goes there often for peace, solitude, and guidance. It's a very holy and powerful place, rather like Under the Mountain prior to Amarantha.

In Lostrenia, Fae come of age at 175. During the events of the Au, Éanon is 200, Taldann and Tolvel are 205, Lairan is 210, and Endirí is 195.

The Mourtide monarchs have ancient rings that were likely presented to them by Nonet when the priestess and her mate were blessed by her. The rings are passed down from ruling parent to heir child/family member and the heir's mate. Like in Lotr, and the Powers of the High Lords in Prythain, they're used to bless and protect Lostrenia. And the rings may have some power directly from Nonet or the tree. Pictures of the rings can be found in this headcanon.

Despite being just over the mountains from Koschei's lake, the Death God never attempts to infiltrate Lostrenia, most likely due to the tree and Nonet's powers.

[radiance1]

Sputter in indignation from being smacked

Anyways.

A child.

A villain.

The hero was blessed with powers to combat an ancient threat to his world, since he was but 14.

Him alone against the villain and his thousands of armies.

The hero started out not very good-since he was a random kid before this, but he got better. Faster, stronger, sharper. More leader like you can say.

But he has no one to lead, no one to stand by his side against the ocean that is the Villain and his forces.

The hero has fought generals, soldiers, witches all the like while protecting his planet, alone. Not without injury mind you, but he handled it, thank God for super ancient powers and first aid.

The hero has combated the arm for about a year, learning, becoming better, growing into his powers and making them his.

Trying to stop attempts to revive their lord from the dead-admittedly he failed once, and that was enough for him to be revived. He's just one man-sorry, child, after all.

His first fight with the leader of the invasion, he managed to win and force him back, later attempts he won obviously but gained numerous injuries.

Until they eventually just, stopped coming. There were no more battles, no more invasions, like they just, gave up. He was thankful for it; he could finally go eat ice cream and catch up on his favorite comic book lines or watch Tv.

It was a trick obviously; one he fell too quiet easily. He was tossed through some kind of portal-to their home world he guesses.

So, there he was, a 15-year-old hero with ancient powers, no resources, no base of operations. Trapped, on his enemy's planet, where all of his forces are centrailized.

So, what does he do? Cause multiple problems for them of course.

Sabotaging ships, stealing supplies, stealing information, and killing off multiple soldiers, or those in high command. Either works.

He's done a lot and received injury after injury. his powers helped out in that regard of course, but he didn't have any medical supplies to give proper treatment. So, he had to make do with fighting while still healing.

He lost and arm on that planet. He still gets nightmares about that.

Much time has passed on that planet, sabotaging the army and being stressed out more than a kid his age should. Also, that whole lack of sleep thing, y'know with not being anywhere safe enough to get any.

He never noticed that he stopped aging, and wounds that he gets that he rights off as usual, should be full capable of killing him. His ancient powers, they make him immortal.

Meaning no aging, and no dying. He doesn't realize that of course, he just writes it off as super good regeneration. Like, one of those heroes in his favorite comic book/Tv series.

He has nightmares, because of course he does. I guess this would count as childhood trauma but eh.

So, he continued thinning out their numbers, slowly, but surely. Until he fought the leader for the last time.

He killed him. No more leader, no more invasion. Simple.

So, he just spent the rest of his time killing off the last remnants of the army on the planet.

Now he's just. Alone.

On a barren planet, no one in sight-because he killed them all y'know. He doesn't know what to do now, he won. He beat the villain. So, he should get to go home, right? Like in the comic books.

Except he doesn't. He doesn't know where his home is, in the vast expanse of the galaxy and all that. He doesn't know how to operate any of the ship because he doesn't know their language. He doesn't understand anything here now that he thinks of it.

He won. So, he should get to go home. But he doesn't, because he can't.

Under that battle hardened hero is a child. A lonely one at that.

No one would miss him; he never had any family nor friends.

He's alone. He would go back home, won't get to see the adventures of his favorite heroes through comics or Tv. he won't be able to eat ice cream or play games.

He's going to be here. Stuck on the planet of his dead enemy.

At least his home won't be invaded anymore...right?

Smacks you back before burrowing into the ground to escape

Crawls out of your hair

Would you like another hero prompt?

Holds my hand out with a vaguely threatening aura

shakes out my hair

...

ignores your vaguely threatening aura and very non-vaguely smacks you

Yes, but stay out my hair!

Then says gravely:

My hair holds secrets not for the faint of heart

*ominous vibes*