#i love them. they would both commit heinous crimes on the pitch and i love that

[ermuellert]

I don't know what the context of the moment is, but Lucas stopping only to hug Joshi and then leaving again just like that....how powerful.

lucas:

but fr it was exactly that lol passed by on his way to the bench? the dressing room? ??? spotted jo and chose to hug him and him only. as he should

[jimlingss]

Moirai [1]

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

➜ Words: 5.8k

➜ Genres: 60% Fluff, 40% Angst, Isekai!AU

➜ Summary: Death is supposed to be the end. Or at least that's what you assumed when you're hit by a TRUCK. But the moment you open your eyes again, instead of being sent to the afterlife, you've become a baby. And not just any baby. You're the female villain of a video game.

➜ Notes: Isekai is a popular manga and light novel genre in which characters from Earth are transported into a new world.

This is the end.   “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”   The Prince stands tall, the very furrow of his brows jarring against the cold, cordial expression he maintains — the one she had always tried to shatter. All she desired was something other than courtesy. If not affection then frustration or misery. But she supposes that anger suffices.   Anger. The first time he’s ever looked at her with an ounce of any true feeling.   His shadow looms over her, his status powerful as the countless eyes are narrowed in around her — he is as powerful as the people who stand behind him. Every word he speaks booms through the ballroom, a grand timbre that has long replaced the mellifluous violins.    The Prince is as noble as he is righteous. He is the hero of this story.   “You choose to answer your crimes with silence?!”   The corner of her lips curl and cackles rasp from her throat. The noise is discordant and shrill, a mocking irony when it causes him to pull the woman in his arms closer. Even when she’s in this position, downcast head, knees burnt on the carpet, all she does is drive them closer together.   “The only sins I have ever committed was loving you until my last breath.”   “Guards!”   Murmurs spark across the room and the knights armour clank as they approach in heavy steps. She knows these are the last moments. “The only crime I have is looking out for the empire! But you chose her.” She looks upon the girl he holds, the one who has the same contempt on her visage. And as the knights rip her away from her place, she spits venom-laced words, “A lowly baron’s adopted daughter to make your wife. I am the duke’s daughter. I am educated. I am your fiancée—”   “No longer.” He condemns, “You have committed treason. Conspiracy against the crown. Attempted murder. Forgery. Harassment. Using your status to oppress the vulnerable—”   “Let go of me!” she shrieks as the guards drag her down the room. It’s undignified. Degrading.   “—Daring to entangle yourself with the dark arts. And you will answer to these crimes whether you choose to confess or not.”    “Let go of me!” she struggles, yet no one chooses to hear.    Their eyes have pierced into her, those who aren’t scandalized are snickering behind their feathered fans. But in the last seconds, status has no place. She looks to the person who matters most, the one she had spent her childhood idolizing. Her beliefs hold true. He will make a great ruler.   But she will never be the one to stand beside him. She knows now.   That position has long been stolen away from her.   “Everything I did,” she cries, “I did for yo—”   The grand doors slam shut with her pitched screams resounding.    Moments later, the lively music continues, violins and trumpets crescendoing to life once more. As if her life had just not been taken away from her. As if the denunciation was merely an intermission of tonight’s festivities.   Her heinous exterior is shattered by tears that no one would have sympathy for. She is limp when she is thrown into the stone jail cell within the depths of the castle. The knights twist on their heel and she is surrounded in pitch darkness with the sound of a scurrying rat echoing beside her.   The only time there is light is by the dim flame of the torch, a guard accompanying a frightened servant who carries a bowl of spoiled oats. It’s not enough to satisfy the grumble of her stomach, but enough to keep her alive for the execution day. Without a silver fork or spoon in hand, a handkerchief placed in her lap, seated by a candlelit table, she resorts to using her fingers to scoop the food into her mouth.   Sometimes, she thinks they forget about her.   Or perhaps time is simply drawn in darkness. A second made into a minute. A minute is an hour. She is merely left leaning against the molded stone, wasted away and drunk on memories of better places.   Punishment does not come in the form of her stripped title or even her head rolling away from her neck. Punishment arrives in the darkened loneliness. That loss of sanity that whisper she has failed to capture the attention of the only person she ever loved. That she failed to make him love her.   Everything she did, it drove him away.   Every act of love placed distance between them.   Everything.   Liberation comes back with the music of trumpets muffled by the stone walls. “What’s going on?” her voice is hoarse through her parched throat. The servant screams when her arm reaches past the bars to tug on the girl’s dress. Her eyes are bleary as she looks up at the girl. “Why is it so noisy?”   “T-The civil war’s over.” The girl backs away and the celebrations become more distinct with the realization. “The villain is dead.”   The girl withdraws into the cell and cackles rip through her lungs, resounding across the empty chambers. The servant scurries away as the knight huffs out through his nose and shakes his head. But it’s the best news she’s received since she’s been stowed away.    And a smile still graces her features when she is dragged out and jostled by the knights, taken up to where the sun blinds her vision.   “On the eve of the Solar Festival, we rid our empire of yet another villain and free it from treachery!”   There are cacophonous cheers in the crowd. Her eyes are hurt by the sunlight and she shuts them tight. Her legs are kicked and she’s knocked onto her knees, head being shoved against wood. She wishes she didn’t have to face the sun rays. There’s no decency to give her shade.   But the discomfort is over by the blade slicing through the air. She lives and both dies as the villainess — an inevitable legacy.            ❇ End of Royal Romances Chapter 7 -Prince Route- ❇

Headbeams.   Fuck.   You never thought it would be like all those cheesy movies — the third Batman film, Grey’s Anatomy, the Simpsons, hell even Attack on Titan. But nope. They’re right. Time really does slow and your life really does flash by your eyes when you’re in the moment of your death.    But instead of feeling grief for yourself, all you can think about is what an absolute idiot you are.   You really shouldn’t have jaywalked at night. That cheesecake in the fridge was supposed to be yours! And holy shit, your parents are going to be really fucking mad that you died at only twenty—   The truck slams into you before you can finish your thought.   …………... ……….. ……. ….. ... .. .   Strangely, it doesn’t hurt. Maybe because it happened so fast. Maybe the initial impact was already enough to end your life. But you’re left feeling an empty void inside of yourself. An overwhelming agony that this is the end. That you never got the chance to fulfill your dreams, enjoy the fruits of your labour, that you never got to reach the happiness you wanted.   You have regrets.   Not for the things that you did. But for the things that you didn’t do.   But well….you suppose there’s no use in lingering in it.   Death is the end.   This is the end.   ……. ….. ... .. .   “—ook...t ...er...!”   “..hush!”   What?   Why are you hearing noises? Why does your face feel warm?   Are you in...heaven? Some sort of afterlife?! Oh man, you knew you deserved this! Fuck yes! You might have kicked that kid’s shin in the fourth grade and totally lied to your manager that one time that you cleaned the ice-cream machine when you didn’t, but your wrongdoings aren’t that bad.   You open your eyes.   Unusually, your vision is blurred. All you can make out is a fuzzy figure looming over you.   Your mouth opens—   “Waah!”   What the fuck. You can’t speak. Each time your lips part, drool dripples onto your chin.   In a panic, you try to move your body, but quickly find yourself heavy and practically stuck. You cry out and swing your arm, and that’s when your hand flashes before your eyes.   Your pupils focus and you realize that your hand is tiny. That you can barely curl and uncurl your fingers together. Holy shit. Holy fuck—   You’re a baby.   Wailing sobs burst out of your tiny lungs.    You don’t know where you are or how this happened. Your last memory is being hit by a truck!   The figure looming above you comes closer. “What is wrong with her?!”   The woman sounds annoyed, but it’s not like it's your fault. This is just a lot to take in.   Your mouth is blocked by a pacifier being shoved in. Immediately, you spit it out and the woman sighs. “Why is she being so fussy?”   That’s not the issue, lady! Christ, you wish you could communicate with her.   You feel yourself being picked up and she angrily mutters, “If the Devereux household wasn’t paying me so much, I would’ve just thrown you out the window.”   Wait. Say what now? Devereux?    Why does that sound so familiar?   You hear another woman’s voice, one that’s higher pitched and softer. “What’s wrong with little Anastasia?”   “Have you finished hanging the laundry yet?”   “Yes, I have.” You’re being passed on and your sobs subside in favour of a frown. Anastasia?   Anastasia Devereux.   You remember cursing that name out loud before, but where was—   Oh my god. Oh my god! It’s impossible, but the truth is right in front of your eyes. You’re living through it right now. This isn’t a dream. No. It’s your game, Royal Romances.    You’ve been reincarnated into the fictional country of Ashea. And of all people, you’ve been reborn as the villainess, Anastasia Devereux.   You burst out crying again.   //   A man in a coat and frilly shirt enters the room. Your head adjusts to see through the wooden bars of your bassinet, vision becoming clearer by the day. You know who he is without an announcement.   Your father. At least he’s supposed to be.   “How is the child?” he asks the maid.   “She is healthy, your grace. She may be a bit fussy at times, but she sleeps and eats well.”   He hums and leaves shortly after, never once coming to personally see or even hug you.    What an asshole. This entire world is fucked. You’re fucked.   Royal Romances is a love story game between a heroine and several potential matches depending on the route you take. Yet in every route, the main protagonist's rival, the Marquess and the Crown Prince’s fiancée, ends up co-conspiring with the villain and dies because of his crimes. Or exiled. Two options.   And you’ve taken her place.   But now that you think about it, that’s so unfair! You didn’t care much about Anastasia while playing, other than wanting her to get the fuck out of the picture for your OTP ship to sail. But why should the villainess shoulder the villain’s crimes?! If anything, it was him who coerced her! All Anastasia wanted was to be with the Crown Prince! He was the only person who ever showed her an ounce of kindness!   Oh god.   All you know now is that you don’t want to die.   You died too early in your past life.   “Anastasia.” You’re shaken awake from your thick slumber by soft cooing. A quiet woman’s voice calls and when you open your eyes, you’re able to focus on a woman you’ve never seen before but is familiar at the same time. She smiles and picks you up. “Good afternoon.”    Instead of fussing around like you usually would, a triumphant smile spreads into your face.   Fucking finally. It’s the first time you’ve seen your ‘mother’. Maybe she’s just been recovering from the birth these past few months. After all, there’s no way the family would actually just abandon you to a bunch of maids—   “Oh my goodness, Elanor!” A shrill voice has your senses tingling. There’s another woman sitting at the rounded table fanning herself with an orange, feathered fan. “What a lovely daughter!”   “Yes, she really is. She hardly cries.”   Now that’s a big fat lie.   You’ve probably cried a thousand times since you got here. It’s not your fault the maids don’t know how to put you in anything other than scratchy dresses and forget to change your underwear after you’ve shit yourself.   Another stranger approaches you and practically digs their nose into your face. Her floral perfume almost has you retching and spewing out an entire bottle of milk in her face. “She is simply too delightful! She has Herrick’s eyes and your nose.”   “Really now? I think she’s growing up to look more and more like the Duke each day.”   “Oh she’ll grow up to be a beauty. You are truly blessed, Elenor.”   Cordial laughter fills the room.   Motherfucker. She’s just using you as a decor! You’re a prop for her to show off at her tea party! She doesn’t care about you whatsoever.    But fine. You can play along with her. It’s not like you have any choice.   You muster an enormous gooey smile, channeling all the cuteness you know you must have and instantly, several of the ladies swoon. It’s an overwhelming victory! But one that requires a lot of energy when you were just awakened from your nap — and squeezing your butt cheeks results in the grumble of your stomach.   Being a few months old, you have poor control of your digestive system. So it’s no surprise that smiling so hard makes you shit your pants.    Oops.   The lump falls into your cloth diaper and instantly, your mother’s brow twitches.   The stench reaches her nose and the nostrils of the lady intruding into your space who immediately draws back in disgust. But what the hell are they expecting?! You’re a baby! All you do is eat, sleep and shit!   “Edith!”    Your mother’s shrill cry has the maid coming into the room. “Yes, your grace?”   “Take Anastasia.”   She passes you off without even looking and you’re swiftly taken away from the room, hearing the laughter and conversations resume the moment the doors close. So cruel!    “Ugh. I’ve never seen a baby who cries so much,” Edith complains and plops you into the bassinet instead of comforting you. If you had limb strength and mobility, you’d slap her for being so rude.   The younger maid with the higher-pitched voice looms over you. “Maybe it’s because she knows the Duke and Duchess never come to visit. She’s missing the comfort of a mother and father.”   Thank god someone can sympathize with you! As incompetent as Joan is — to the point where she’s checking your pants for the tenth time when you’re really just crying because you’re starving — at least she’s not a Karen.   Clearly, the bar is quite low.   “Well, it’s expected.” Edith steps away to fold the basket of your dresses. “The Duke and Duchess tried having children for years and the only child they have is a daughter who can’t even carry the family name. If it was a son, it would be different.”   “I don’t understand.” Joan rushes to the head maid’s side. “Usually daughters are treasured in noble families.”   Edith looks around and lowers her volume. “Don’t you know?”   “Know what?”   “Keep your voice down! If you say this outside, even I won’t be able to help you.” There’s a pause. “The Duke and Duchess aren’t real nobles, they don’t have any noble blood. The Duke’s late father, Arnold, fought heroically in the war and that’s why the King granted his family the title.”   “Oh…but...what does that have to do with anything?”   “Noble society is different from how we know it, you naive girl. No matter what you do, hundreds of eyes are constantly on you. It’s full of scrutiny and someone in power today might be exiled tomorrow. Having a son would’ve made it easier for the Devereux household to maintain their title and prestige.”   Joan sighs, finally realizing why things are the way they are. She comes to you and leans over the bassinet. “Poor thing. It’s not even her fault.”   She gives you her finger and you happily wrap your entire hand around it. Hell yeah! Finally someone’s feeling bad for your shitty situation.   But the older woman with wrinkles around her eyes scoffs. “There’s no use worrying about her. You should be more worried about yourself. If the House of Devereux fails to keep their power and wealth, we’ll be out of a job.”   Joan hums and pries her finger away from your grasps.   You frown and the next time the head maid feeds you, you puke all over her.    But you know what she said is true. It’s the reason why the real Anastasia felt like she needed to become the crown princess, why she tried so hard to make everyone around her approve of her. Aside from loving the Prince, she was desperate for recognition, desperate to fulfill her family’s wishes, and to maintain her family’s lineage without slipping from the status quo.   But you’re different.   You don’t care about those things. You’ll prove yourself on your own and do whatever it takes to survive.   Quickly. Quickly! You want to grow up and walk on your own two feet so you can protect yourself.   After all, no one else in this house will.   You stretch your arm in the air, curling your fingers together, staring up at the starry mobile.    But it’s hard in the body of a mere infant and you fall asleep in the midst of your exercise session, succumbing to the temptation of slumber with heavy lids.

Four years later.   “Are you colouring, my lady?”   “Nooo.”   You’re writing. And it’s not just anything — it’s battle plans.    To anyone, it’s merely incoherent scribbles, a result of poor motor skills you have yet to refine. But it’s actually your life or death.   You don’t need status or power. Living in the countryside and living fruitfully is good enough. All you want is to live a long, peaceful life.   In the original story, after Anastasia’s eighteenth birthday, she was condemned for countless crimes, thrown in prison and then executed within the matter of weeks. All because of three people: the heroine, the Crown Prince, and the villain.   To avoid the effect, you should avoid the cause. Therefore, you need to do whatever you can to avoid these three!   It’s genius! Truly, if anyone knew how your four year old brain operated, you would be hailed as the next prophe—   “Get ready.” Edith interrupts your train of thought, coming into the room and swiftly shutting the door behind her.   “Why?”   “You’re having lunch with the Duke and Duchess.”   “But I don’t wanna,” you whine, especially when Joan starts collecting the crayons. You stand up before Edith can drag you and you stomp your feet. Why would you want to go have lunch with them when the amount of times you’ve seen them in four years can be counted on both hands.   “Don’t be spoiled. Come here.”   You stick out your tongue instead and the moment Edith’s fingers come to snag you, you swiftly dart and run as giggles squeak out of your body.   “My lady,” Joan sighs, at a loss as well.    The two of them try to corner you, but you dive to the left when there’s a chance.   The original villainess was always quite upright and strict, especially with herself. It’s reasonable considering the way she was raised and the massive burden placed upon her. But kids can get away with a lot more than adults and you’d prefer to take advantage of that while you still can.   “Stop playing around!” Edith finally snags the back of your nightgown and you laugh, still thrashing against her hold until she plops you down on the vanity chair. “You’re such an unruly troublemaker,” she mutters as she grabs the frilly dress you’re about to be changed into.   And just for that comment, you undo the pins she puts into your hair when she’s not looking.   It drives her crazy.   But your little antics are stopped the moment you’re sitting at the dinner table. The height of said table reaches your collarbone and the chair you’re sitting in overwhelms your form. The atmosphere is stiff and tense, your father sitting at the head of the table and slicing into his meat while your mom’s posture is upright and she chews gingerly.    Unlike the maids, you won’t test your luck with the Duke and Duchess. God knows they might send you to some kid ranch for the next ten years to reform yourself.    But you also know you can’t get any cuter than this.   You’ve seen yourself in the mirror — soft skin, big eyes, a button nose and chubby cheeks.   Who knows what puberty might do to you someday, but for now, you’re as cute as a four year old can get. And why not use that as a weapon in your arsenal?   “Momma.” You interrupt the silence and your mother across from you looks up. You give a full smile with teeth, quirking your head to your shoulder and open your arms as wide as they can go. “I like you this much!”   Oh. Hell. Yeah!   You can feel it. You’re totally gonna win them over—   Her head swivels over to the Duke. “Don’t you think it’s time to teach her manners?”   Wow. That’s cold.    Stone cold.   “Edith.” Your father glances over his shoulder and the head maid steps forward. “How’s Anastasia’s development?”   The older woman clears her throat. “She’s a bit wild, your grace.” You glare at her for exposing you like this. “However, she can write the alphabet and read through storybooks on her own. She seems to be a bright child.”   Damn straight. Of course, you’d be able to pick up the language of Ashea quickly. You still have the memories of your past life.   The Duke hums. “Then she can start training to be the crown princess.”   You nearly choke on your broccoli.    But you hastily compose yourself and look up at your father. “What’s that?”   “Don’t ask questions,” your mother quips and the room simmers down to the uncomfortable silence again.   It’s so ridiculous — the very definition of jumping the gun. You aren’t the Crown Prince’s fiancée, but they’re already considering you a candidate before you’ve even lost your baby teeth.   Not to mention, it’s all useless anyway. The original Anastasia never became the princess and you have no plans of even meeting the Prince.    “Do you know what happened in the year 921, my lady?” the tutor asks later on, pushing up his rounded spectacles up the slope of his nose.   You’re slumped over the table, one arm rested with your cheek squished in your hand, focused on twirling the quill with two fingers. God forbid Edith or your mother witnesses your awful posture, but no one’s ever interested enough to sit in on these dumb tutor sessions. They’d fall asleep instantly.   “The war of Winter,” you mumble and the tutor’s eyes light up and he enthusiastically nods.   “Yes! The most momentous moment in the history of Ashea. A great dragon rose from the mountains and in the war of Winter, great King Baek, the light priestess and fierce knights of the royal palace came down the lazy brook from Stoughsby Peaks next to the then Canary district which sold fabrics and spices up until the year 914 when the famine of 914 came—”   The tutor drones on and on.   But one thing grabs your attention. You forgot there was magic in this world.   “Ummm,” you interrupt him in the middle of his tangent. “Did King Baek kill the dragon by magic?”   “Great question. King Baek in the summer of 896, seven years after he was born, started to learn the art of swordsmanship through rigorous training with the fierce knights of the royal place who was then under the rule of King Ennik—”   You don’t know why you asked.   “How do you start doing magic?” you interject again.   “Well, magic is part of everyone and it’s everywhere. But some are more attuned to it than others. It requires vigorous training, the most talented magician was Ruffus Dolores who dedicated his life living in the Magician’s Tower and wrote most of the magical texts we have today.”   You look at him, curiosity finally alight in your eyes. “Can I do magic?”   There was never magic on Earth in the twenty-first century aside from Harry Potter or Twilight, if Edward’s sparkling constitutes as magic. But if it’s anything like those movies, then you’re psyched! You can wingardium leviosa yourself and yeet out of here.   Unfortunately, your excitement is short lived.   “The House of Devereux isn’t very magically inclined,” the tutor says and your eyes dim again. You’re not completely surprised considering Anastasia was never much of a fighter in the game. She just splashed water on the main character’s face a lot and made players like you curse her out. “However, while magic is an inborn talent and comes naturally, skills always have to be honed. There’s still a chance you may have magical abilities. We’ll just have to see as you get older.”   You hum to yourself.   //   Edith pulls the curtains together haphazardly, the moonlight crisp where the gap is and sheds a silver sliver onto the carpet. Joan takes the tray with your finished glass of milk, nearly toppling it over and shattering the glass, but finding balance in the nick of time.   “Goodnight, my lady.”   “Night night.” Your hand peeks out from the covers and you wave.   “Don’t get out of bed or else,” Edith warns in a low tone. “The Duke won’t be happy to hear if you’re found wandering in the halls or sneaking into the kitchen again.”   You giggle. “Bye bye.”   The door shuts, darkness engulfs your bedroom and you count to ten within your head. The moment the seconds are up, you throw the covers off of you and slide off the high mattress.   You come to your desk, grasp the heavy duty textbook off of it and lug it over to the windows.    The enormous book sits on your lap as you lean against your bedpost. The moonlight illuminates the cover and you flip to the magic section at the back, the noise of the pages soothing in the quiet space. Magic — not only is it interesting to you but it could be a great defense mechanism if worse comes to worse. Who knows. It might just add to your battle plans and help you survive.   Your pointer finger underlines the sentences and traces the words as you read the introduction slowly.   After reading, you learn that magic is more intuitive, rather than a particular procedure.    You push the textbook aside and hold your hands out. Shutting your eyes, you try your best to envision light. You try to imagine light engulfing your figure and form, causing your skin to glow.   Peeking with one eye open, there’s—   Absolutely nothing.   Well shit. Maybe the tutor was right. Maybe there is no real magical talent in your bloodline. But there’s no harm in trying to dabble in it a little more.   You conceptualize fire in your brain. And when you look in your hand, you’re ecstatic to see a tiny flame actually flickering in mid-air. Oh shit! It worked!   But it smothers out a blink later.   You try to visualize water next to see if your magical expertise lays within the element. When you open your eyes, your breath hitches at the water droplets floating in your palm. And for once, it doesn’t completely vanish within a second. A grin spreads into your face. But as if Lady Luck wants to slap you, the moment you get hyped, the water splashes into your lap.   It looks like you peed yourself.   “Really?!”   You sigh, ready to give up.   Maybe you don’t have a knack for magic after all.    You turn to grab the textbook, but the heftiness is awkward in your grasps and your thumb slips, accidentally flipping over the next page. The page’s heading makes you stop.    Oh yeah. Dark magic exists.   Might as well give it a shot while you’re at it.   Like all the times before, you shut your eyes and hold your hands upwards. You try to imagine darkness — the similar kind that’s already filled your bedroom, or like the empty void that you were plunged in after being hit by that truck. That abyss of nothing, of pitch black.   Suddenly, you feel a pressure on your shoulders. It’s heavy. Comforting. Eerie. All at the same time.   Your lashes flutter open and your breath is plugged in your nose. Darkness has overwhelmed the room. It bleeds out of you, consuming your form like smoke, the hue of ink spilt on oil. It covers the silver moonlight, erasing the sliver casted on your carpet and what was translucent through the curtains. Exactly like the empty void, the abyss of nothing.    It’s trying to consume you.   There’s a shriek from outside your room. “All the candles just blew out!”   Panic drains blood from your face and you drop your hands, flailing your arms as if you can dispel the black before it wraps its hands around your throat and submerges you completely.   It fades, the moonlight traveling back onto you again and you shove the book underneath your bed.   You’re still shaking as you climb back into bed.   God knows you’re never going to try that again.   //   So you might not have an aptitude for magic after all. But the grief is short-lived after the realization that it’s not a toy or something that comes out of a magical wand for you to fight Dementors with. But there’s still a lot of ways you can protect yourself. You just have to get creative.   “I wanna do that!”    Your nose, forehead and palms are pushed against the glass window as you peer outside.   Joan frowns and peeks out. “You want to go flower picking, my lady?”   “No!”   The useless maid finally looks to the two guards sparring with one another out by the field. “You want to sword fight?”   “Uh-huh.”   She bursts out laughing and you whirl around in irritation.    “I wanna! Pretty please?” How else are you going to protect yourself? If you can’t use magic, then you need to go the melee route and pick up a sword or at least a bow and arrow.   “You would have to ask permission from the Duke himself, my lady.” Joan turns away to make your bed, expecting you to give up. When it comes to asking your parents, it’s too much of a hassle to get involved with them. But this time, you don’t concede.   She’s surprised when you tug on her dress. “Okay.”   The Duke’s study doors are imposing on their own. Without needing to open them, the twisting ornate patterns on the wooden surface are enough to eerily remind you of exposed arteries. It feels like you’re approaching the principal’s office — a nervousness of the impending doom.   You’ve always been careful to steer clear any place your mother or father might be. The study on the third floor, the gardens, their bedroom. And any time you passed, your steps would quiet.   It’s not like you’re scared of them. Frankly, you’re just annoyed at how nit-picky they are.   But you remind yourself you’ve been through worse — you once spent an entire summer in customer service serving food in the twenty first century for god’s sakes!   With that in mind, you throw open the doors.   Joan, behind you, practically flinches.   Your father’s sitting behind his oak desk, quill and parchment in hand, and he looks above his rounded spectacles. You give your most charming smile. “Hi, papa!”   He looks to the older girl and deadpans, “What’s the matter.”   The maid clears her throat, clearly distressed that she’s been dragged into this. “Uh, well, your grace, my lady, uh, she…..well…”   “I wanna do sword!” You tottle towards him and round the desk to come eye to eye with his knees. C’mon, as uncaring as they are, they gotta at least care a little for their daughter, right? You’re too cute to ignore all the time. You flutter your lashes for good measure. “Pretty please?”   The Duke’s brow quirks. “You want to learn swordsmanship?”   You enthusiastically nod. “Uh-huh!”   He stares at you. You stare at him.   The older man sits back in his chair. “It wouldn’t hurt to learn an interesting skill or two. It might make you stand out.” Those two lifelessly said statements alone are enough to make you happy. Even when he resumes his paperwork. “I heard from your tutor that you’re a fast learner.”   You’re surprised the old fart said something good about you, but of course you are! You’re technically twenty four now. Mathematics is truly universal when you can recall the basics and the language is easy to pick up. You’re already dumbing down everything to not make it weird.   “Maybe you’re not so useless after all,” he mutters from the corner of his mouth, no longer sparing you a glance.    You hold back a scoff. Instead, you force a smile and a sweet giggle. “Thank you, papa! I like you too!”   You wonder if this is why Anastasia tried so hard. The only time she gains recognition in her family is when she’s focusing her time and energy into studying and proving her worth. If so, it’s depressing. You wish you had more sympathy for her when you were playing from the heroine’s perspective. But you’re beginning to understand her better and better.    Why she did what she did.   How she became the female villain.   “Fight me!” You point your wooden sword at the knight whose eyes are wide. You bet he didn’t expect to be sparing with a four year old when he was assigned to protect the Devereux house, but this is a matter of life and death for you. “Hurry!”   “Y-Yes, my lady.”   You smile, gripping the handle tighter. He comes up and weakly slashes you and you’re able to root your feet into the ground and keep yourself from stumbling back. He’s obviously not trying very hard, but it’s good enough for now. Slowly but surely, you’re finding a rhythm into things.    In your spare time, you learn the history of Ashea, read books and plan the next steps in your battle plan of avoiding all main characters of the game at all costs. You’ll protect yourself no matter what it takes.   And you’ll survive no matter what happens.

[shaynawrites23]

Soulmate

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Moodboard is by the wonderful @heloisedaphnebrightmore, go check out her fics as well! They’re every bit as beautiful as her moodboards 😉 And like an idiot, I forgot about the asks I sent 😂 so the header that I’m still in awe of is by @pcseidcnsvoid!

Word count: 1225

Prompt: Soulmate AU

Written for @marvelouslytrekking’s writing challenge!

Bucky Barnes had never despised his soulmate mark as much as he did now. He examined his right hand, turning it round and round. The palm, his whole palm was pitch black. Before the war, before the fall, it didn't bother him.

Now the sight terrified him. For all he knew the reason his palm was black was because he would strike her, either by accident, or after a nightmare, or perhaps sometime when he was not entirely himself.

For that very reason, Bucky avoided meeting new people if he could help it. After all the heinous crimes he committed under Hydra's command, he couldn't bear the thought of harming the one person he was supposed to love- and who was supposed to love him unconditionally- with his own hand. If he had to live through that, he was sure it would kill him.

"Buck? We've got a new recruit, you coming?" Steve's head poked around the corner and Bucky felt a sudden urge to throw a pillow at his stupid, cheerful face.

"No."

The blond heaved a sigh, disappearing from his view and for a moment, Bucky actually thought he might've given up. Of course not. He should have known, Steve never gave up that easily.

"Buck, it's not good for you too stay holed up in this tower, barely seeing other people. Bruce was watching this documentary the other day discussing humans' social needs, and I caught some of it. It was quite interesting. Apparently we are social creatures, and we need contact with others in order to be health.... Buck?"

The man in question had tuned out Steve's speech, instead engrossed in a book. Or at the very least, pretending to be.

"I know you're not actually reading that book."

"And how do you know that, Steve?" Bucky's expression could easily be compared to that of a parent peppered with incessant questions from a toddler.

"If you were, you would know it's titled How to Meet Your Soulmate."

Steve burst into laughter as the brunet instantly dropped the book like he would a hot coal. He then found himself on the receiving end of the infamous Winter Soldier glare, but it didn't stop him.

"Fine, I'll go to your stupid meeting. Punk."

                                            ~

He could hear the laughter in the common room before he even stepped out of the elevator. Steve, oblivious to his friend's inner turmoil, led the way into the group of Avengers circled around someone like pack animals do to protect their young.

The new recruit was a woman. Of course.

His eyes met hers and she smiled, extending her hand for him to shake.

"Hi! I'm (Y/N)!"

"Bucky."

When he made no move to take her hand, she put it back down, seemingly unbothered by his brusqueness.

"Hey, Tin Man, be nice to (Y/N), alright? She's gonna be your buddy on missions, what with you both being snipers and all." Tony slung an arm around her shoulders and she playfully shoved him off.

Great. Partners.

                                            ~

Despite Bucky's curt replies whenever she asked him questions or attempted to have a conversation with him, she didn't get bored and give up. On the contrary, she doubled her efforts to befriend him. On top of that, it seemed to be working. Bucky found himself warming up to her, and that terrified him.

                                            ~

You couldn't sleep. You had just returned from a mission, with Bucky as your partner of course, and as usual he hadn't uttered a single word more than he needed to. Funny, if it had been anyone else, you'd have stopped trying to approach them, but you felt a certain pull to him. Like... like you were meant to get closer to him.

Sighing, you slipped on a pair of socks and padded out of your room. Maybe a nice cup of herbal tea would help you drift off. You yawned, stepping into the elevator, thoughts swarming your mind.

Why was Bucky shutting you out? You knew what kind of terrible things he'd been through, and you knew he felt most comfortable with Steve. But why did he seem closer to the rest of the team than to you? Were you making him uncomfortable? Maybe...

Upon entering the kitchen, you quickly shielded your eyes from the bright light. Apparently you weren't the only one who couldn't sleep.

Blinking rapidly, you allowed your eyes to adjust to the brightness, scanning your surroundings for whichever one of your teammates was still up.

Oh.

You spotted a tall figure, his muscular back facing you. What was it with guys and walking around shirtless? You saw a flash of metal, the familiar whirring of the plates in his arm following soon after.

He turned around to face you and you gulped. You never denied how hot he actually was, but ever since you were young you vowed to save yourself for your soulmate.

"Hey, Bucky. Couldn't sleep?"

He shook his head no. You stepped closer to him in order to turn the kettle on and you didn't miss the way he shied away from you. Just slightly. But you noticed.

"Me neither. Somehow I'm never able to sleep after missions, so I always come make myself tea." You stood on the tips of your toes, reaching for your favorite mug. "It helps."

When he didn't reply, you turned to face him in concern. Bucky was leaning against the counter, staring blankly out the window.

"Bucky? Are you okay?"

“Huh? Yeah, fine,” he muttered, shaking himself out of his daze.

“Do I... do I make you uncomfortable?”

“What? No! Is that what you thought?”

You nodded, and he facepalmed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I just tend to avoid people out of habit.”

“It’s alright. I just wanted to know.” You smiled at him, picking up your mug of tea. “It’s late. I should leave you alone. We can talk in the morning.”

You took a couple of steps in the direction of the elevator only to be stopped by a warm hand wrapping around your arm. It sent tingles through your entire body, like tiny electric shocks, though the sensations were rather pleasant.

Sucking in a breath, you turned back towards him. It was the first time he’d reached out to you, either to touch you or talk to you. Your eyes met his electrifying blue ones, eyes that portrayed the same shock you felt. His flesh hand remained wrapped around your arm and he didn’t seem inclined to let go anytime soon. If anything, his grip on you tightened.

“Oh my god.” You were the first to react, setting your tea aside on the counter and reaching up tentatively to brush a stray lock of hair behind his ear. He didn’t flinch at your touch like you thought he might and you mentally did a little happy dance.

“You’re my soulmate,” you both breathed in unison, the realization finally sinking in.

Bucky released his hold on you, examining his palm in disbelief. The black had given way to an array of colors, shining like the Aurora Borealis. He reached for you, as if asking for a hug and you gladly let him embrace you, your arms wrapping around his waist.

“I’m so, so glad I met you this way,” he murmured into your hair.

“Soulmate.”

Whoo I’m really on a roll here! I hope you enjoyed reading my sudden burst of inspiration!

[red-winters]

*Batfam fic-recs

*Some are Tim Drake Centric

**Some links are not working in mobile (and ONLY mobile) for some reason? And some titles that were bolded in the original post are ALSO not displaying on mobile correctly. Idk what to do about that, but you can still look up the fic, I guess.

The Bat’s Crest - livierambles

Note: I will always keep recommending this fic. It’s epic, thrilling, and hilarious and sometimes angsty. Also, everyone is confused, including the ones doing the confusing. Maybe especially the ones doing the confusing. Also, some Tim and Damian bonding, which is always nice.

Summary: Tragedy strikes the hero community when Bruce Wayne commits a crime so heinous even the best start asking for blood. However, as the heroes try to recover from the hit and carry out justice for their friends, a random assortment of people start acting oddly, including the current Speedy Tim Drake, a child hostage in Gotham, and a young man from an unremarkable circus amongst others. All of them seem intent on saving Bruce Wayne from the grasp of the Justice League for no apparent reason, going as far as betraying their previous allegiances.

Unknown to the Justice League, these people are equally confused. Clearly they're stuck in another dimension, but how do they get back? How did they even get here? Who else is stuck in this world? And how long will Tim's patience last? Back home, the Bat was a planetary symbol that struck fear in the hearts of criminals. In this new world, it has no meaning, save for the handful of stranded souls.

In the Shadows - Kieron_ODuibhir

(shortened) Summary:

“I’m not like you.”

The cowl still looked like something he was wearing, but Clark knew it was not. It flexed like skin when Batman narrowed his blank white eyes and said, “I can see you know that.” 

Chirp - AmariT

Summary: Every piece of the signal Tim unlocked revealed more locks, and by the time he broke through the last one, he was already mentally rehearsing his many upcoming talk show appearances. 'Yes,' he told the interviewer, 'it was difficult for me, a ten-year-old genius, to break open the worldwide alien conspiracy. That's why it took a whole hour.'

When the crackling audio started, he expected some weird alien language. Maybe squawks and high-pitched squeals mixed with musical woofs. Maybe they wouldn't talk at all, and images would beam directly into his mind. Maybe they'd talk in practiced English with a Midwestern drawl like their other resident alien.

Instead he heard a low, guttural voice growling out of his computer speakers. "Robin," it said. "Are you in position?"

A Better Cage - Mangaluva

Note: I was absolutely DELIGHTED to see a Young Justice Crossover with the Justice Lords (Earth-50) from the animated Justice League series, which is near and dear to my heart. I admit I haven’t really had much time to hunker down and read this, but even skimming, it’s an intriguing piece of work. Also, Justice Lords.

Summary: Wally's grateful to have woken up at all, really. He just doesn't know what to make of the world he's woken up in. At least they want to find a way to his world as much as he does, if not exactly for the same reasons...

Common People - AmariT

Note: The Bat boys are all Bruce’s blood sons, but it still feels very much like a found family. I haven’t really read everything in this series, but I feel the author has an amazing grip on all the characters. Lovely and heartwarming.

Summary: His whole life, Jason’s mom had told him his dad was Bruce Wayne, but he’d never been dumb enough to actually believe it. They lived in a rundown, one-room apartment in the worst part of town, and in every single picture he’d ever seen of that rich bastard he was wearing a suit or sipping champagne worth more than everything they’d ever owned.

But if he wasn’t Bruce Wayne’s kid, then what the hell was he doing sitting outside the man’s office in Wayne Towers?

Red Robin and the Hood - momoejaku

Note: Haven’t read this in a while, but it made an impression. Though it’s a fic set during the Red Robin arc, it very much is about both Tim and Jason. Plus, it fleshes out the Pru and Z a bit more, too.

Summary: Bruce Wayne is dead. Superman brought back his body, and the family mourned him, holding a quiet funeral in secret so that the legacy of Batman could live on. But not everyone has been able to put him to rest.

Reeling from the loss of Bruce, his identity as Robin and his trust in his family, Tim Drake sets out on a personal quest that will take him across the world to prove what he knows in his heart: that Bruce Wayne is alive.

Though intending to make his way alone, Tim reluctantly accepts help from his predecessor, Jason Todd, who knows from personal experience that death is not always as final as it seems.

Together, they are Red Robin and the Hood.

Liminal Spaces - Calamityjim

Note: Skimmed this only since I’ve been busy, BUT it does look well-written, and I’m always a sucker for alternate dimension/dimension travel intervention-type of fix-its. It’s a very specific trope.

Summary:

Bruce's habit of collecting strays is not limited by dimension.

Or

When Young Justice Batman comes across an angsty, seemingly abandoned by his Batman Tim Drake, he decides to step up to the plate and parent the crap out of him.

Little Bird’s Vengeance - KatHarkness-Katara

Note: Crossover with Avengers. Awesome fic with Tim and Jason and some Outsider POV (via the Avengers) of these dimensional stragglers. I think Tim’s team shows up in the later chapters, too. If you’re reading on mobile, it’s still very much worth reading despite FF.net’s horrible format and abundance of advertisements in the mobile version.

Summary: Why is life never simple? Red Robin's ended up worlds away from home once again, and now what's he to do? What do the Avengers want from him; do SHIELD have another agenda; and is there any way back? Pre-New 52. No slash. Rated for inevitable language/violent themes.

A Displaced Red Robin - dragonprincess1988

Note: Worth reading despite FF.net’s horrible format and abundance of advertisements in the mobile version. Well-written fic! EMOTIONS! I love them. Younger Dick Grayson is adorable, Tim is a competent fixer-upper for other people but not so much himself. He’s kind of angsty and making YJ Dick want to keep him (and YJ Bruce, too, if you read between the lines). On the plus side, seems like he’s making good friends with Young Justice Roy. This fic was written before certain episodes of YJ came out, though, and the fic reflects/will continue to reflect that. Still, I give it five stars.

Author’s Summary: Tim gets transported to the cartoon Young Justice world, and he's not sure he knows how to deal with it. Attention: If you want to know about Artemis or people from Tim's world the final note on my profile is for you. Also, a special thank you to angel-gidget over at Tumblr, who made the wonderful cover art for this story.

The Till-then From the Ever Since - Keiron O_Duibhir

Note: Fandom classic. Definitely a must-read for Batfam fans, in my humble opinion.

Summary: It began, or seemed to begin, with Jason.

Usually that would have meant something in the order of fire and explosion and probably at least one gunshot wound, but for once (as Tim said, sourly), it wasn't actually Jason's fault.

The Wayne Family Ghost - pupeez4eva

Note: Please read this. Especially if you’re sad or anxious or just have time. I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s my go-to cheer-up fic. Absolutely hysterical.

Summary: In which Bruce realizes that having a legally dead son, who regularly hangs around the family, might be slightly problematic. 

Bloodline - chibi_nightowl

Note: Complicated family dynamics, this time centering around Tim, Selina, Bruce and, surprisingly, Damian. Jason and Dick make an appearance as supportive big bros, too. It works. Take a read, it isn’t that long.

Summary:

“Mr. Drake, I can’t think of a better way to say this, so I’ll just be blunt. This file is for your first adoption. By the Drakes.”

Tim blinked. “My what?”

“You were adopted as a newborn by Jack and Janet Drake.”

“Excuse me, but what the fuck are you talking about?”

Talon!Tim AU Series by keeptogethernow

Note: Found family, from a different angle. Cool fic and well-written.

Summary of Tso’ape Mumbichi, first in the series: Ten years ago, two people made a deal with the devil--unlimited funds in exchange for their child. And now it's time to pay up. But there's no way to ensure that the child will cooperate.

Shutterbug Series by goldkirk

Note: Exactly what it says on the tin! Found family.

Summary:

Tim Drake is thirteen, runs the famous BatWatch blog that has spiraled hilariously out of control, has absentee parents that suit his purposes just fine, is training himself to run the streets at night, and is doing absolutely peachy, thank you.

Alfred and Jason disagree, and get Dick and Bruce involved in figuring out their weird next door neighbor kid’s life. Everything goes uphill from there.

Thursday’s Child - anthalogia

Note: Well-written and has found family and Tiny!Tim? Automatic win.

Summary:

He’s not the first child with nowhere else to go that Bruce Wayne has taken in. Dick Grayson was the first and the most high-profile – because no one would have thought Bruce Wayne was interested in ever raising a child, let alone the orphaned son of circus performers – but Jason was maybe just as much of a shock to society for being a street kid who came out of seemingly nowhere. Tim Drake is ordinary by comparison – his parents died in a plane accident. He can’t think of anything very special about him except that he met Bruce a few times when his parents hosted parties to keep in touch with Gotham society.

Or, tiny Tim Drake is adopted by the Waynes a little earlier than scheduled.

We’re Not Driving (How did we get here?) - TimTheToaster

Note: Short and sweet, a little angsty, and then very sweet.

Summary:

Tim stared at his phone, as if that would change what was on the screen.

Dick Grayson @FlyingDGrayson

It took some doing, and in some cases a little blackmail, but we've finally got the whole family together for a movie night! #WayneManor #movienight #familytime #schedulingisanightmare

15 minutes ago

Take It Back Now Y’all - TimTheToaster

Note: And Tiny!Jason has made his appearance. Also, Tim, I am begging you to please take care of yourself—ah, Bruce has made his appearance. Interesting. Also, I gotta say this author is good.

Summary:

There was absolutely no way this sunshine was from Gotham in April.

Not possible.

Which meant, Tim was no longer in Gotham, in April.

(In which Tim finds himself in the past, and tries to do the right thing. It's more complicated than he'd like.)

Takes a Little Time, Takes a Lotta Twine (To Get Us Back Together) - TimTheToaster

Note: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, beginning of reconciliation, and brotherhood. A satisfying, cathartic moment during the Red Robin arc to soothe your heart.

Summary:

Tim was in Gotham.

Tim had pretty specifically been avoiding thinking about Dick as much as possible for the last few weeks.

For the last year, really. No need to open that can of carnivorous worms.

Dick had other plans.

Everybody’s Heard (Bird is the Word) - TimTheToaster

Red Robin Era ANGST, but like, deliciously well-written. Also, protective Dad Bruce is always epic. Light bashing of Green Arrow and BC, though. But considering the situation (in this fic), kind of warranted.

Summary:

5 times Batman heard other heroes talking about his wayward brother,

And 1 time they were talking about his son.

A Choice to Make - scorbusfics

Note: fresh and interesting premise! Cool world building, too.

Summary: They have to choose. Dick and Bruce have to choose one person each to save, and one to disappear through the door.

“Send one of us,” Dick says fiercely, not for the first time. His face is dark and angry and desperate, eyes flicking from brother to brother. “Send one of us instead. I won’t choose.”

“Neither will I,” Bruce says.

But Tim knows.

Secret Places - RenaRoo

It’s ANGST, but the author knows how to use it well. Also, Jason’s line at the end killed me. Damn.

Summary: Tim Drake goes missing. The search to find him begins.

[imaginedanganronpa]

Hello may I please request Drv3's cast as remnants of despair? thank you ^-^

I love Remnant of Despair AUs :) Thank you for the fun Request, I hope you like it!Also, I’m going to shamelessly self-plug here because I also did a DR1 Version of the Remnants of Despair, too! If you like this, check that one out, too!

Again, obvious Warnings for Su*cide Mentions, D*pression/Violence/Murder, etc. and Spoilers for V3!

NDRV3 Cast As The Remnants of Despair!

Kaede Akamatsu

Kaede would be one of the hardestpeople to bring onto the side of Despair and puts up a valiant fight againstJunko’s tactics, but even she can’t stay immune forever. After hours of picking her brain, she finally succumbed to the feeling.

Like Ibuki and Hiyoko, Kaede would hold Despair inducing concerts thatbrainwashed her audience, preaching about how they should all spread Despair. Her songs also encouraged murder and suicide and the music notes would be fine-tuned into high-pitched sounds that diminish your brain into mush and physically hurt to listen to.

Those notes are modified by Miu to infect others with Despair, like an auditory brainwashing technique.

Although Kaede would pretend to be a sweetheart and maintain her innocent personality, she would have great influence over her fans. As a very prominent musician, she would start preaching to her fans to follow Despair and do the unthinkable. Most of her younger followers were turned into minions of the Warriors of Hope, while her older audience succumbed to Despair and committed unimaginable crimes.

Kaede now wears her hair in double ponytails, like Junko, and wears Monokuma hairpins as well.

Saihara Shuichi

Saihara would resist the Despair for as long as possible, but would break when shown falsified videos of Kaede’s death.

In retaliation, his first act as a Remnant would be murdering the uncle he was so close to and complicating his death so that it would never be solved. He would do so in such a disturbingly violent and brutal fashion that it sends chills down the Forensic Investigator’s spines. Complicating other’s deaths is something he continues to do as well.

Saihara’s next course of action was to set the violent criminals he put in prison free and kill the guards who watched over them, laughing maniacally as he did so and spreading Despair to the inmates.

This lead to the criminals rampaging through the city, destroying it in Junko’s name. They would set the courthouse on fire and he would stand on top of the rubble, overlooking the destruction with a satisfied grin.

He would encourage them to vandalize Japan and actively force them to commit crimes like breaking into people’s homes and murder. Saihara directly caused the crime-rates in the city to skyrocket.

He would be much more violent as a Remnant. Where Saihara used to be frailer and weak, he would now be hostile and lash out as he showed little remorse for the justice system.

Maki Harukawa

Maki would be more resilienttowards the Despair and wouldn’t succumb as easily as her classmates, butultimately even she can’t escape its clutches. She would spew threats at Junko as she picked at her brain, and would become a valuable ally on her side.

Maki would use her true talent as the Ultimate Assassin to battle against themembers of the Future Foundation. Her mass amounts of assault weaponry wouldcome in handy as she sits in a tank driven by the other minions of Junko and mows down the Future Foundation’s army with a military-grade assault rifle and machine gun.

But she is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat and directly gets involved in the battle. Maki would likely infiltrate the Future Foundation Killing Game if it goes on for too long and assassinate the members participating, giving them no hope of ever finding the Traitor among them.

She would spread Despair to adults by masking as the Ultimate Child Caregiver andmurdering their children in front of them, driving most of the adults to suicide or madness.

Maki’s personality wouldn’t change very much, though. She would still be cold and distant, only a bit more unstable mentally.

Ouma Kokichi

He would be much easier tosway onto their side. Although, he would still be extremely sarcastic in theprocess, Ouma would be more open to Despair since he finds it intriguing. He would be one of the only Ultimates to willingly side with Junko out of boredom.

Ouma would then bring the rest of the members of DICE onto the side of Despair,enslaving them while forcing them to do the unthinkable and kill their families.

DICE already participated in heinous acts, but their crimes would only increase in severity as Remnant Ouma leads them, and anyone who tried to leave his organization or fight against the Despair would get publicly executed to set an example.

They would wreak havoc on the streets of Japan, vandalizing and destroying the city and physically lashing out against both the innocent bystanders and the law enforcement trying to stop them.

Ouma would lead a horde of Monokuma through the streets as their self-proclaimed leader, and command them to participate in countless crimes alongside DICE. He becomes a Supreme Leader over the Drones and Exisals, marching in the front of the pack and telling them what to do.

Himiko Yumeno

Obviously, Himiko wouldbring others onto the side of Despair through hypnosis and her magic. She would hold Despair-inducing Magic Shows where she used both her talent and a video that Junko and Miu created to brainwash her massive audience.

Her Show would be held in the Central Park of the city to reach a large number of people. Many families, including young children, would unknowingly attend, believing it to be a normal Magic Show. Her hypnosis would convince the younger children to join the Warriors of Hope, and the older audience to fall in line behind Junko, jumping on the vandalizing and violence bandwagon.

As a Remnant, Himiko would be much more cruel and cold, although her laziness would disappear. She would also use Tenko and string her along, abusing the poor girl, who actually wouldn’t mind.

Himiko would further herself into Despair, killing the ‘useless’ animals she had raised for her Shows. Her doves, rabbits - animals of that nature would be slaughtered and fed to her larger animals.

And the tigers, pythons, and other dangerous animals used in her acts would be set free after being put under hypnosis to kill anyone in their path.

Rantaro Amami

Rantaro wouldn’t be as easy tobrainwash: he is the Ultimate Survivor after all, and has powered through this once before; but even he can’t hold on forever. Even his determination wouldn’t be strong enough to resist the Despair.

The first thing he would do after becoming a Remnant is sacrifice all twelve ofhis sisters, murdering and mutilating them in violent ways and offering them up as sacrificesto Junko. Rantaro would feel no remorse as he did this, a sick grin forming on his face.

He is a naturally calm and relaxed person, but his personality twists into something much more chilling and disturbing. Rantaro has a way of smooth-talking others, which he could use when trying to lure the others onto the side of Despair. He could easily beckon people onto his side with his natural charm.

Normally, he doesn’t like to use his sexuality or good-looks and is uncomfortable with romance, but he would seduce others only to kill them and watch the life drain from their eyes, similar to Mikan.

And he would use his talent to travel around the world and spread Despair to other cultures, gaining a massive following in the process.

Tenko Chabashira

Tenko would snap very quickly since her will-power isn’t as strong as she would like to admit. After becoming a Remnant, she would starve herself until she was thin and frail, but still wouldn’t lose her physical strength.

She would mainly be used as a tool to fight against the Future Foundation, like Junko’s personal attack dog. Tenko would be used against the Future Foundation but also against innocent civilians who refused to succumb to Despair. Anyone who tried resisting would get ruthlessly slaughtered by the Aikido Master.

She would fall madly in love with Junko and do anything for her, seeing her in a God-like status.

Tenko would also obsess over Himiko more than she already did, though her personality would be much more outwardly perverted. To fuel her own Despair, she would try to strangle the small Magician, ultimately failing.

She makes it her goal to kill any degenerate male who refuses to bow down to Junko; men are the main group that she kills in acts of Despair.

And to further herself even more, she burns down the Neo-Aikido Temple that she trained and grew up in, slaughtering her former Masters in the process. Tenko drives herself crazy as she stands among the rubble of what used to be the Temple she loved so much.

Kiibo

All Junko had to do to turn Kiibointo a Remnant is reprogram him, so his transition was immediate and his personality completely flipped. Afterbecoming Remnants, Miu would also upgrade him to become a full-fledged killingmachine.

Kiibo becomes ruthless, no longer caring about anyone else and feeling little to no emotion. The voices he heard in his head would be reprogrammed, so rather than the public controlling him, he was only controlled by Junko and would be forced to do anything she wanted.

He would use his guns and weapons as an unstoppable force against the Future Foundation. He becomes the main weapon used against them, like a tool, unable to be destroyed. Kiibo’s eyes turn red and he is much more sinister as he flies above their heads and rains bullets upon them, going on a full blown rampage.

In an act of Despair, he also murders Professor Idabashi, since he was unsuccessful the first time he lashed out. Killing the man who created him brought an overwhelming amout of Despair to Kiibo, which is the only thing he can feel anymore.

And he uses his bombs to blow up buildings, as well as dropping grenades and fire-bombs onto the Future Foundation’s Army and Hope’s Peak’s building, completely destroying them.

Miu Iruma

She absolutely falls in love withDespair and starves herself into a husk to satisfy Junko; she very easily joins the side of Despair, almost willingly.

Miu would create inventions to bring people onto the side of Despair, taking great influence and inspiration from Junko.

She becomes the Head of the Robotics Department and would be the one in charge of creating all of the Monokuma and Exisals that rampage through the streets. She’s the one who created all of the Drones that invaded Towa City as well, her machines are programmed to invade the streets and kill as many people as possible. 

Miu would often sit inside the Exisals or have her Drones carry her so she could watch their destruction up close and personal, laughing evilly as they burn the city to the ground and take countless innocent lives.

With her knowledge of technology and the way it messes with the human mind, Miu creates a Despair inducing video similar to the one that brainwashed her; it’s the same one Kaede uses in her performances. She designed it to bring anyone who watches it onto the Remnant’s side.

She would still be a loudmouth, who preaches about Despair from inside her Exisals and screams insults belittling the people of Japan.

Kaito Momota

Before entering his Killing Game, Kaito auditioned with the intentions of killing as many people as possible for fame. After becoming a Remnant, his true psychopathic personality would take over and he would once again be fueled by the desire to earn fame and success.

Kaito would lash out against his fellow Remnants, especially Maki, but when that ultimately fails, he would turn towards slaughtering innocent civilians for seemingly no reason.

He becomes power-hungry and wants to conquer the world. He kills others just for the fun of it all, finding enjoyment out of watching others suffer at his mercy.

Using his talent as the Ultimate Astronaut, Kaito invades the Japanese Space Station and sends nuclear missiles to other countries to take as many lives as possible and start a war between nations. Afterwards, he would blow up the remaining missiles and kill his fellow Astronauts and scientists in the Station.

And Kaito would spread the Disease that he was infected with in the Killing Game, trying to make as many people ill as possible. With one of Miu’s inventions, he would launch the airborne Disease into Japan, which causes a countless number of people to become sick and hopeless.

Angie Yonaga

As a Remnant of Despair, Angiewould abandon Atua since it was the only thing that used to give her Hope and faith in the world, but she doesn’t need that anymore…

She goes on to destroy her former places of worship and delve herself deeper into Despair,laughing as she did so. Angie would go back to her home-island and destroy Atua’s Shrine and Temple, spreading Despair to her people and bringing them onto her side.

Anyone who refused to cooperate would be sacrificed and killed. Angie would recreate her religion to worship not Atua, but Junko, and lead her followers to sinful, Despairing acts. They would all follow her orders and abandon their religion for Despair, with Angie as their spokesperson.

Using her talent as the Ultimate Artist, Angie would also create dark, large, disturbing pieces depicting murder, death, and suicide, among other unsettling concepts and ideas. She would display them in public places where they would be seen often to strike a chord with viewers.

Her unsettling artwork would only further people into depression and emphasize that they had nothing left other than Despair. Angie would also create a large statue of Junko representing her as the nation’s new leader, which also influenced viewers to follow in her footsteps.

Korekiyo Shinguuji

If his sister was still alive, he would kill her and use her as a sacrifice to Junko. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have that option, so he continues with his quest to send ‘friends’ to her in the afterlife. Those friends also become sacrifices to satisfy Junko.

As a Remnant, Korekiyo would be more outwardly perverted and hostile than normal. He would be very easily brainwashed and would fall in love with the feeling of Despair, doing anything in his power to deepen his own mindset.

He would slowly lose his mind and his grip on reality. Korekiyo would become unstable and his moves will be unpredictable, likely becoming a  killer who murders others for the sake of entertainment. He is much less compassionate, but now cold and heartless. The only thing he can think of anymore is Despair.

But he uses his talent to travel to other places and spread Despair to other societies, preaching about how beautiful Despair is. Korekiyo continues leaving a trail of bodies in his path for not only his sister, but also for Junko, and uses his status as an Anthropologist to convince others to join him in Despair. Anyone who didn’t listen would become one of his sister’s friends.

He gains a large following, almost like a cult. He travels from country to country, bringing more people onto his side and becoming a prominent figure in many cultures.

Kirumi Tojo

Being the firecracker that she is, she would try to run away and fight against the brainwashing tactics, but it wouldn’t work.

As the Prime Minister of her country, Kirumi hasgreat power over others and would convince her people to commit suicide andwreak havoc among the streets in the name of Despair.

She would order her people to follow in hers and Junko’s footsteps or be killed, commanding her Army to kill anyone who tries to refuse or escape, which is ironic since that was exactly what she did in the Killing Game.

Kirumi has great influence over others and directs her people to commit suicide to fuel their Despair, and watching her followers drop like flies only dragged her down even more. She holds large public meetings and events where she tries to persuade others to join her, and this works since she is so powerful.

But Kirumi also becomes the Head over the fight against the FutureFoundation. Since she is so persuasive, she becomes a leader alongside Tsumugi, militarily commanding her friends like Maki, Tenko and Gonta, as well as Junko’s average minions, telling them how to fight and creating strategies to defeat the Future Foundation.

She is like the Remnant’s voice of reason, speaking on their behalf as the other Remnants worship her as their parental figure. She loses her own sanity and gains a power-trip, her ego skyrocketing.

Gonta Gokuhara

Gonta would be very resilient, not wanting to give into the brainwashing techniques, but he isn’t the strongest man mentally so he easily breaks and succumbs to Despair.

With that said, he completely ditches his gentlemanly persona and becomes an evil, cruel person. Gonta couldn’t care less about anyone else and becomes increasingly violent and hostile; due to his size and strength he becomes a terrifying, unstoppable force.

He would still be quite gullible, so he’s easy to boss around and does anything Junko tells him to do, like a mindless servant. She is the only person he cares for and respects: the only one he is a gentleman towards.

In relation to his talent, Gonta would infest people’s homes with insects in an attempt to force them to love bugs, but these aren’t just any ordinary insects: they are artificial Monokuma-bugs created by Miu.

Their purpose is to infect others with Despair through bug-bites and they are commanded by Gonta, doing what he says and going where he wants them to go. After being bitten by one of his bugs, you will fall into a deep, dark Despair and can be controlled by Junko.

He has an entire Army of these revolting insects that he can use on a whim. They crawl down the streets in a sea of insects, infecting others with Despair and spreading pathogens; they help spread Kaito’s illness.

Gonta also uses his brute strength as a weapon against the members of the Future Foundation, under Junko’s orders. He will be used as a killing machine, directly jumping into the battle and using physical force to combat them.

Tsumugi Shirogane

Tsumugi would become similar toMukuro and serve under Junko, helping brainwash others and pick at their brains. She would also be Junko’s test-subject for new torture methods and hypnosis videos.

Tsumugi was already overcome with Despair before her Killing Game and likely was the one who helped brainwash her classmates, so she’s been a Remnant this entire time. It was her idea to offer her classmates up as sacrifices, manipulating their talents to spread Despair to the rest of the world.

And she loved watching them all fall like dominoes, it only drove her deeper into her own madness. Tsumugi loved watching the chaos her classmates were responsible for, feeling a sense of pride knowing that she helped create this.

She would also use her talent to Cosplay as, or essentially disguise, herself as others to frame them for the Remnant’s crimes. She could disguise herself as certain Future Foundation members and incriminate them by planting fake ‘evidence’ of their involvement with the Remnants, causing many of them to be executed by the Foundation or thrown into prison. In reality, it was just Tsumugi pinning everything on them to prevent them from stopping the true Remnants crimes.

She would be Junko’s punching bag and servant, working endlessly to please her Master. She does anything Junko tells her to do and falls madly in love with the blonde, becoming her new second-in-command.

Ryoma Hoshi

It was very easy to brainwash Ryoma into becoming a Remnant of Despair; he was already depressed enough, so it didn’t take a lot to finally break him.

Remnant Ryoma would still be depressed, but more outwardly hostile and violent towards others. He is much more cruel and corrupted and this feeling of Despair becomes his reason to live.

He doesn’t have a lot of influence over others and his loved ones are already dead, so in order to spread Despair, Ryoma would work towards slaughtering the remaining Mafia members who took his loved one’s lives.

This strikes fear into the Mafia members who managed to escape his wrath, but those who did escape would be turned towards Despair, becoming very valuable allies with ties to a larger Army.

And Ryoma would become their new leader. He becomes a very prominent, deadly figure as he is the new leader of an entire Mafia organization, all of which are ready to aid the Remnants in the fight against the Future Foundation. He commands them to join in the fight, adding another complicated layer to the battle.

Using his talent, Ryoma would persuade and challenge others to unwinnable Tennis matches where they would work so hard that they dropped from exhaustion, pushing others to their absolute limits. Once they were down for the count, he would hypnotize them into joining Despair and add his colleagues to his own Army.

- Mod Rantaro

[marilynsweet]

You aren't a psychopath at all, you're just RPing with great detail about lesser known personalities and the results are admirable. You get followers while simply being yourself.

The lesser personalities? There’s plenty of villians, I just needed to make one that could fit.Red’s complicated, to say the least. He believes that Frostbite has to stay with him. That’s what he thought when Alphys first showed him the security footage of her trespassing in Snowdin by the Ruins. He’s finds joy in hurting Frostbite, however, and doesn’t see it as wrong. It happened so much when he was a kid and what he saw as a flower that he doesn’t realize that his actions actually made Frostbite’s depression worse, and that the reason she attempted suicide was because of his actions. He’s also controlling, manipulative, and demands to be in power at all times. In all honesty, though, he’s scared of death. That’s why he killed Rossie and attempted to kill Astiel. He wanted to live forever, and didn’t want children to prevent that from happening. He’s scared to go to Hell. He’s scared to lose Frostbite. He forced her to stay because he does care, but doesn’t have a good way of showing it. He doesn’t get that when she says “No”, it means no. Does this excuse his actions? No, it does not. He’s sadistic, maybe a little psychopathic, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that he committed heinous acts that he would prefer were never brought to light. This is part of the reason that he keeps such a close watch on Frostbite. He doesn’t want her to say anything about what he has done, which could shatter him and her both, not just career wise. He thinks she needs to hold her silence, because he thinks nothing was wrong. Though, he’s never made an attempt to apologize. He probably wouldn’t act as such after a true Pacifist run, but this is after the events of the Neutral Run. He watched his father, the one person he looked up to, die by the hands of the person he trusted. He, instead of using the SOULs to make himself Omega Flowey, made himself his body that he currently has. Once he exposed Toriel’s crimes - Treason, letting humans into the Underground and even assisting them, though it was strictly against the law to do so - he executed her, much to the Underground’s delight. They have a strict regime: There are no traitors. As for Frostbite, I made her a year or two ago. She went through a lot, and I mean A LOT of character development. I almost scrapped her at one point, but I didn’t. I wanted to make a character unique to Undertale. She LEARNED about timelines, but if another timeline occurred she would forget, as do most other monsters. She only learned because she experienced it herself. Sans just knows for whatever reason. I wanted to give her a reason. And not a skeleton. Sure, maybe she is a fox monster and she dates a canon character, but they dated after the events of the Underground and after Asriel’s return. So basically anything could’ve happened, including the fact that an occult wanted monsters back Underground. Which leads me to her next point: her backstory. Frostbite was raised in a most-likely occurance for most monsters: in an orphanage after the War between Humans and Monsters. She is classified as a boss monster, but cannot use magic. This is because of her incident with the occult, in which she was kidnapped because she was a monster and they removed her magic ability through torture and believed it was the work of the devil. She’s classified as a boss monster because her mother was, and her father was a very skilled magic-wielder. He studied it in a lab, possibly as an assistant to Dr. W. D. Gaster. He met Blizzard, Frostbite’s mother, because they both worked under the Royal family. Blizzard was the Head of the Royal Guard before Undyne, during the war, in which Undyne was maybe a little older than Frostbite, who was not even 1. Undyne might’ve been 10 or 11, which in monster years is not that long apart, considering how long they can love. Blizzard was killed in battle, but not before she hid Frostbite away in Snowdin to prevent her from being either taken or killed. Her father had disappeared as the War had began, and he is presumed dead. So Frostbite was raised in an orphanage after being found, with her birth certificate and a note that said not to reveal her medical records to her until she was 18, when she would inherit anything her parents had left behind. This is why she knows so much about the War, having read through her father’s notes and her mother’s war journal. I gave her a Fluttershy-like personality, but there was a reason behind it. I used to portray my emotions onto her, and tried to have her be the person I wanted to be, but once I made certain damages to her that would make things confusing if removed, I decided to make her more of an OC and use Miranda for projecting instead. Headcanon voice for Frostbite would either be a slightly lower pitched Fluttershy or Luna Lovegood with a slight itch in her voice every now and then (Frostbite has a very quiet voice due to surgery to her vocal cords after the occult-incident, which was smoke damage). The bullying is part of the reason why she is so quiet and keeps to herself. Ridicule from monster-haters and just flat out jerks was making her very self-conscious, which is something that Red never really got. She doesn’t like to show off her body or anything she does. I gave her little quirks that she does, like her hobbies and what she doesn’t like or does like, something she was studying, her job, her relationship, bad habits (i.e. finger nail biting, playing with her hair, chewing pencils, etc.), things that would make her interesting. Speaking of relationships, then there’s Asriel. The original, not Red. I made him a little different than most others. He’s flirty, for one. He is much more of the person to go out and make friends. An extrovert, if you will. He’s tall, which isn’t surprising, but he isn’t a beanpole, either. He tries his hardest to make others happy, especially after what he did as Flowey. He has tried his hardest to write Flowey off as an alternate personality, but there’s that little voice in the back of his head that is telling him he wanted to do those things to feel. He often had vivid hallucinations and night terrors that would cause him to panic, but in the years he has been on the Surface therapy and medication have helped immensely. You may ask why it doesn’t help for Frostbite. She refuses to go, saying that she doesn’t need it. Asriel, not one to give up, takes her to her therapy sessions whenever she doesn’t go herself. He shredded the ID she had forged to get drinks, and made her join the Alcoholic’s Anonymous group, which she takes seriously and recognizes her problem. However, she doesn’t think that she’s “good enough” or “deserves the care” of a therapist. This is probably longer than my RPs why did I write this-Anyway, that’s a not-so-brief description of characters and my interpretation of them.