#i want to get to the sisters of battle so badly..... i can take all three of them at once

[picory]

the mantis lords fight never ceases to be fun! it's not as challenging as it seemed at first once you get used to their moves, and yet that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. it almost feels like we're dancing, it's such a well paced and rhythmic (?) battle. and their theme is one of my favorites... so energetic and elegant AGHH i love this game

[artdcnaldson]

mean art in patricks sister au being upset with art after they finally fuck for leaving. so she doesn’t talk to him like for a week. and finally he corners her and takes her to his dorm and fucks the attitude out of her bc shes being a brat

i need this so bad bc 🐞 anon made me feral

Ok this is so different but so fundamentally similar that I’m combining these <3 <3 <3

But mmmm <3 taking a week away from him, denying him the pussy he craves so badly because your feelings are hurt :( Because he can’t keep being mean to you and treating you like you’re disposable. You’re NOT, and you know he actually wants you. Maybe he just needs a reminder of how badly he does.

He knows something’s up when you don’t show up to one of his practices. You usually sit on the bleachers, in a section shaded by the sun. You’ll have your books laid out, your headphones on, and you’ll catch his gaze and wave sweetly, just so he knows you’re there (not that you’re hard to miss). He hated it at first— it was embarrassing and so fucking clingy— but he hated it more that you were gone.

It felt mortifying to text you, to sink to your level, but your absence grated on him. Where were you today?

It’s a while before you respond, just a plain one-word response like he usually sent you. Busy.

That night, he pulls up your facebook page, gets hard looking at pictures from the Mediterranean vacation you went on. He starts to jerk off, but gives up once he remembers he could always just actually fuck you instead of beating off to bikini pics like a fucking loser. He texts you again: Still busy or can I come over?

You type back after ten minutes. Yeah, still busy.

When you walk out of your lecture the next day, Art is waiting nearby. He knows you’re going to say goodbye to your little friends, walk over all cute and dainty, and let him take you back to your dorm. Instead, you avoid eye contact and walk along with your friends. You disappear inside of a coffee shop on campus. He watches you giggling and talking over open textbooks. Occasionally, you sneak a glance outside, like you expect him to be there.

After a week of you brushing him off, he waits outside of your room. You walk up and frown when you see him, distaste dripping from your features. “I’m not in the mood,” you say plainly.

“You’re always in the mood,” he says, wrapping an arm around your waist, tugging you closer, so you’re pressed against his chest. “C’mon, your roommate’s out.”

“She’ll be back any minute,” you lie, wrestling out of his grip. When he persists you just sigh and meet his gaze. “I really don’t feel like being treated like shit right now, okay? It’s a fucking lot to take, and maybe you get off on it, and maybe I do to, but after we’ve both cum it just sucks.”

He swallows, knows he’s in the wrong, but won’t admit it to you like this. “I’m not going to fuck you like a girlfriend,” he says firmly.

You roll your eyes and shake your head. “Yeah, but you could fuck me like a person, at least. Night, Art.”

He feels like a fucking idiot, standing in the middle of the hallway, freshly rejected and wearing it like a battle scar. He sulks back in his room, tries to jerk off to your tits in a bikini but can’t stay hard. That’s your fault.

When he’s outside your lecture in the morning, you sigh and try to avoid him. He jogs to catch up, turns you to face him. “I’ve been an asshole.”

“Yeah,” you reply with a sigh, meeting his gaze. Your eyes are soft, sweet. You’re trying your best to understand, even when he’s not sure if he does. “It’s fine, I mean— I’m not your girlfriend.”

“But you’re… I mean— I’m not fucking anyone else, okay?” It feels like he’s being slowly flayed alive to admit it, to expose that soft mushy side of his heart to you after everything.

And your eyes brighten up, happy and eager, hopeful. "You're not?" When he shakes his head, you practically bounce on your feet. Smiling so sweet and pretty up at him. "Me either. I mean, you knew that."

And he does know that. You wouldn’t even dream of letting another man touch you if it meant it might spoil your chances of being happy with Art. You were still clinging to that hope that he’d pick you, that he’d wake up and realize you’re his sweet, perfect little girlfriend.

“Okay, so we’re good?” He asks, almost frowns because he feels so stupid. If Patrick knew he was acting this fucking whipped for anyone, he’d never let him live it down. But here Art was, trying to make sure you weren’t mad enough to deprive him of your perfect fucking pussy.

And sure enough, you nod, smile sweetly. “I’m free for the afternoon. My next class got cancelled.”

It’s no surprise when he’s right back in your dorm, bullying his cock into your tight little cunt. So pretty beneath him, so fucking devoted. And your body just takes it like an act of fucking worship. He shouldn’t have even apologized, he knew you would wind up begging for it. You needed him that bad. He just got impatient is all.

Your legs wrap around his waist, tugging him closer, deeper. “So good, so good—“ You gasp, over and over. Your nails dig into the meat of his shoulders as he drives into you, so hard he’s worried you might draw blood. “Fuck, Art— missed this, missed you—“

It had only been— what?— a week? You needed him so bad, craved him with your entire being. It gave him a major fucking ego boost, knowing that the week apart was just as bad for you as it was for him. That you’d been fucking killing yourself to prove a point.

Nicer. He’s supposed to be nicer. He leans down and kisses you hungrily, licking into your mouth while you mewl beneath him. He feels every moan reverberated against his mouth, relishes when you pull back and pant soft gasps against his lips.

When you’ve both cum, when you’re just laying in your sweet, frilly bed and smiling over at him like he hung the moon, he feels a pang of… something. He could’ve done this that first night— stayed, held you a little. He was a dick— just trying to prove a point, prove that you didn’t mean anything.

But look how desperate he was after a mere seven days. Couldn’t even go to another girl to get his dick wet because he just wanted you. He knows he’s fucked— knows he’s already in too deep and he cant crawl out of this hole he’s forced himself into.

You lay your head on his chest and your breathing goes steady after a while. He tries not to feel a twinge of fondness. Tries to remember this is all just to keep you happy so that he can have unrestricted access to your pussy. Tries being the operating word.

[scary-grace]

Enough to Go By (Chapter 4) - a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic

Your best friend vanished on the same night his family was murdered, and even though the world forgot about him, you never did. When a chance encounter brings you back into contact with Shimura Tenko, you'll do anything to make sure you don't lose him again. Keep his secrets? Sure. Aid the League of Villains? Of course. Sacrifice everything? You would - but as the battle between the League of Villains and hero society unfolds, it becomes clear that everything is far more than you or anyone else imagined it would be. (cross-posted to Ao3)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

Chapter 4

You think about Tenko more now, but you’re allowed to – he’s your patient, and if he was your patient at the clinic, you’d expect to see him for a follow-up on the four gunshot wounds you cleaned and dressed. You’re allowed to think about him, so you think about him. You think about him a lot.

The thoughts take two directions. One is just wondering about him – how he’s feeling, how he spends his days, what he’s thinking about, what he thinks of you, whether he’s thought about you at all. The other is thinking about the situation he’s in. His parents and grandparents and his sister are dead. He’s been missing for fifteen years. He’s got a quirk and he’s a villain, ambitious and strategic enough to target UA High and escape alive, albeit badly injured. His guardian is a cloud of mist in a suit with some kind of split personality. And there’s someone else in his world – two someone elses. The doctor he referenced, who wouldn’t help him, and the one he calls Sensei, who gave him his new name and a hand to wear over his face and set him up to fail.

You think about Tenko a lot, but you can’t think about him all the time, because now that you’re a nurse, you’re twice as busy as you were before. The doctors expect more of you, and so do the other nurses – and so do the MAs and CNAs and high school students who are starting their apprenticeships, since you now have three years’ experience to go with your reputation for smoothing things over with difficult patients. Your friends keep you busy, too. They might call Kazuo to find out if something’s wrong with them, but they call you to find out what to do about it.

“You need to get a scan,” you say to Yoshimi for probably the fifth time. “I know you don’t want to –”

“It’s weird!”

“Not any weirder than whatever Yoji does when the two of you are at second base,” you say, and in the background of the call, someone snickers. If you had to guess, you’d say it’s Mitsuko – she has the guts to bully Yoshimi into making the call, combined with the brass balls to feel comfortable eavesdropping. “It’s called a mammogram. You’d have to start getting them at some point anyway, just like we all do. It’s just to make sure there’s nothing weird going on.”

“Stop it. You’re freaking her out for no reason.” Yoji’s there, too. “It’s probably just an STD.”

You’re stunned into silence for a second by the sheer classlessness of saying that about one’s own girlfriend, but you bounce back fast. “First of all, they’re called STIs, genius. Secondly, there’s not an STI on the planet that gives you nipple discharge. Yoshimi, get the scan. I’ll go with you if you want. Just get it done.”

“Can I do it at your clinic?”

“Uh –” You glance at the Imaging queue. Things look quiet, but you can’t count on that to last – but if you report Yoshimi’s symptoms, which include soreness, nipple discharge, and what she describes as a weird rash, you’re pretty sure the doctor on call will bump her to the head of the line. “Yeah, come in now. I can’t stick around after my shift, though. I have stuff to do tonight.”

“Ooh, stuff. Let me see –” There’s some rustling, which you can only assume is Mitsuko grabbing the phone. “Is stuff tall, dark, handsome, way too serious, and currently working as a sidekick?”

“That would be stuff,” you admit. “It’s not a big deal. We’re just grabbing a drink after our shifts.”

For the first time since you and Kazuo broke up, you have a date, and it’s Kazuo’s fault. Or maybe it’s you and your friends’ fault, because you decided to throw Kazuo a twentieth birthday party and invited a few of his friends from UA. One of those friends is Sugimura Hiroki, who fits perfectly with your type of dark-haired boys who want to be heroes and who’s so painfully shy that it took him six beers and the entire party to talk to you. You were sort of weirded out by that. You’re not very intimidating, and you spent the first half of the conversation trying to figure out if he knew you were quirkless, since you learned the hard way that it’s something you need to disclose up front. But the two of you eventually worked your way around to the point, which was that Sugimura wants to get to know you better, and he tripped over his tongue so badly that you finally just asked him out to end the suspense.

It’s taken you a while to actually schedule the date, but tonight’s the night, and you’re sort of anxious about it. Luckily, work is busy enough to keep you distracted. Your lunch break ends while Mitsuko is still going into increasingly nasty speculations about Sugimura’s physical attributes, and you hang up the phone without saying goodbye.

There’s a message waiting for you on your computer, from the front desk. FOF. Can you take him?

It’s not Tenko. You know Tenko wouldn’t come here again. You send the same message you did when it was him. How F are we talking?

Jumpy, talking to himself, chainsmoking. He’s in costume.

“In costume” could literally mean that the patient’s wearing a costume, but it’s also code for when the front desk thinks the patient’s a villain. You’re used to dealing with villains by now. Send him back.

When the knock on the door comes, you’re ready and waiting, and the CNA ushers in a tall man in a black-and-grey bodysuit – so “in costume” was literal this time around – and a paper bag over his head. You’re momentarily transfixed by the paper bag, and more so when you realize that he’s bringing a lighted cigarette to his mouth while wearing something highly flammable on his face. The CNA shuts the door and bolts. You face your patient and introduce yourself. “Have a seat if you feel comfortable doing so. What brings you in today?”

“I’m not – whole.”

That’s concerning. “Are you injured?” Your concern grows when he gestures at his face. “It would really help if I could see the injury. Can you take the bag off?”

He shakes his head. Instead he reaches into his pocket and produces a torn full-face mask. You look at him, then at him, putting the pieces together. “How do you feel right now?”

He doesn’t answer – maybe can’t answer – so you default to the face chart you use when little kids aren’t able to express how they feel in words. Your patient points to scared, stressed, anxious, angry. Then he throws in happy, possibly to mess with you, or to distract you from the fact that the first four emotions indicate that he’s ready to snap at any second. “How about this?” you ask, after thinking it over. “I can ask the doctor to give you something that will help you calm down –”

“Please!” The patient bursts out. Drug-seeking? “No, I don’t need it, sister! I’m so calm it’s hard to believe.”

“Okay, then we’ll just have it here in case you decide you want it. As an option,” you say, keeping your voice smooth and calm. “Either way, this is a quiet place to wait. You’re safe in here with me. And if you want, I can sew up your mask for you. Would that help?”

“You can do that?”

“Easily,” you say. “Can I see it for a second? I need to make sure I grab the right thread.”

The patient hands the mask over, which is a good sign. You’ve established at least a little bit of trust. You examine the mask and decide that you’ll need the thinnest-gauge needle and thread you have. “I can definitely fix this,” you tell the patient. “It might look a little rough, but it’ll cover you up like it did before. And it should last until you get where you’re going.”

The patient nods. You stand up. “I’m going to get some supplies, and a little anxiety medication if you decide you want it. I’ll be right back, okay? Just wait here.”

The patient nods again. Given how labile his mood is, you need to be fast about this, and get back before he gets upset or decides to leave. You step out the door and shut it behind you, heading for the supply closet, but you’re waylaid on the way there by one of the doctors. “We need you up front. Now.”

“I can’t. I have a patient, and he’s –”

“I don’t care. We’ve got a hero coming to visit, and we need somebody to keep things calm,” the doctor says. Shit. “Figure out what they want, get them as little of it as you can get away with, and get them out of here.”

“Which hero?”

The doctor shakes his head. Great. “Just hurry.”

You can’t go just yet. “My patient’s got a lot of anxiety and he’s in costume. I need him to stay calm. Can you –”

“2mg diazepam. I’ll put it in the chart.” The doctor unlocks one of the medicine cabinets, extracts a prefilled dosage cup, and hands it to you. “Go.”

Diazepam is long-acting. Hopefully long-acting enough to keep your patient quiet while you get rid of the hero. You skitter back down the hall with the dosage cup and hand it over to the patient, along with a tiny bottle of water to wash it down. “I’ll be right back. Just finding the right thread.”

The patient downs the pill dry, which is both good and bad for you. You shut the door again and head for the lobby. You don’t make it there. A cloud of black mist boils up around you, swallowing you whole.

By the time your feet hit the familiar wooden floor of the bar, you’re already out of patience. “No. Send me back right now.”

“Shigaraki Tomura has need of you. You will assist him.”

“Not right now I won’t. You snatched me from work,” you say. You’re facing the wall and the All Might poster again, and you don’t want to turn around. If you see Tenko, it’ll make it harder to say no. “If I go missing, people will notice. Is he dying?”

“No,” Kurogiri says.

“Is he in imminent danger of dying?”

“No.”

“Then send me back,” you say. If Tenko’s asked Kurogiri to get you, it means he needs medical assistance – or follow-up. You’ve needed to follow up anyway. “I can come back later.”

“No, I need you right now!”

“How much later?” Kurogiri asks, ignoring Tenko’s protest.

You think it over. You can dispense with the hero situation quickly, stitch your patient’s mask, and sneak out of work early. They’ll have to give you the emergency time off. You’ve never asked before in three years of working there. “Ninety minutes.”

“That’s too long. Kurogiri, don’t let her leave!”

“Ninety minutes. I’ll be in the alley behind the clinic.” You ignore Tenko, too, in favor of focusing on Kurogiri. He’s the one who decides if you leave or not. “All right?”

The mist wells up around you again, which counts as a yes. You land on your feet in the hallway, reorient yourself, and head for the lobby again. Tenko wants you again – needs you, your stupid brain corrects – but he’s going to have to wait for you to sort this out.

The hero in the lobby is Uwabami, the Snake Hero, and she’s got two sidekicks with her. No, students. You recognize one of them from your limited viewing of the UA Sports Festival and feel a spike of guilt run through you. She’s from Class 1-A. The same class Tenko tried to kill.

You don’t need to think about that, and you don’t need to feel guilty, because you didn’t do anything to her. You force yourself to focus. Uwabami wouldn’t have brought high school students here if she was doing any kind of investigating, which means your patient and any others who might be nervous around law enforcement are probably safe. The question of why she’s here still remains. You step forward. “Welcome to Yokohama Free Clinic South. What can we help you with today?”

“We’re on patrol,” Uwabami says. “My interns gave some feedback that our patrol involved a little too much publicity –”

The students look unrepentant. Good for them. “So we’re engaging in some down-to-earth patrolling,” Uwabami continues. “Tell us about how heroes support your clinic.”

Heroes don’t support your clinic. Most heroes strongly dislike the free clinic network, and the feeling is mutual, for a bunch of reasons you’re more than willing to articulate. Then you think better of it. Picking a fight with a hero in front of hero students is a bad move if you want to get out of here any time soon, and if you’re going to keep helping Tenko, you need to stay completely off the heroic radar. You focus on the students instead. “You’re on internships, right? They’re supposed to show you what life will be like as a hero.”

“Yes,” the girl who’s not from 1-A says. “They’re supposed to.”

“We have a program like that here, too,” you say. You gesture for them to come forward, and they desert their supervising hero at high speed. “A lot of our nurses and techs started working here in high school. Let me introduce you.”

You’re on much more solid ground talking about this. This clinic and this program saved your ass – without their sponsorship, you’d never have been able to get around your quirklessness as a barrier to nursing school, and you started getting on-the-job clinical training while most other nursing students were stuck in the classroom. You catch yourself evangelizing a little bit, but you don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world to do. You’re proud of the work you do as part of the clinic. It’s nice to get to talk about it.

You clear the hero students out in half an hour, hoping you’ve impressed them even a little bit, then hurry back to your patient. The diazepam’s kicked in nicely, and he chatters away to you while you stitch the tear in his mask. You learn that his name is Jin, or Bubaigawara, or Twice, which you’d guess are his first name, his family name, and his villain name, in that order. He doesn’t say how his mask got torn and you don’t ask, but you send him on his way in a better mood than before. “Thanks, sister,” he says on his way out the door. “You could be worse. You’re a saint!”

Different tone, different pitch, completely different meaning between the first sentence and the second. It reminds you of Kurogiri. You know enough villains now that you can compare them to one another. You shake your head, bemused, then head back inside. Time to guilt-trip your boss into letting you leave two hours early.

Your guilt-trip is successful, mostly because of how you handled the hero situation, but as you’re trying to sneak out, Yoshimi arrives for her scan. After you cajoled her into the office, you can’t abandon her to some random tech. You do abandon Mitsuko in the waiting room, though – she says the words “nipple discharge” as loudly as possible, then starts picking on the scant amount of makeup you did for your date. You don’t feel bad at all for leaving her behind.

Yoshimi’s scan goes quickly, and just like you feared, it nets her a follow-up appointment at the main branch of the free clinic tomorrow. Tomorrow’s your day off. You promise her you’ll go with her – you, and not Mitsuko or Yoji – then talk the doctor into sending her home with a dose of a different anti-anxiety medication than the one you got for Twice. Then you check your phone for the time. Almost ninety minutes exactly. You race out to the alley.

The mist engulfs you almost the instant you set foot in the alley, and you’re in the bar a moment later, facing Kurogiri. Tenko’s nowhere to be found, and before you can ask the question, Kurogiri turns and sets off through a doorway, deeper into the recesses of the building. You follow him, wondering if this counts as being taken to a secondary location. Or maybe the bar counts as the secondary location, even though you’ve been here before. Either way, you’ve listened to way too many of Mitsuru’s true-crime podcasts.

Kurogiri leads you into an absolutely filthy room. The floor is covered – empty wrappers, empty cans, old newspapers and magazines, plastic cases for game disks and chips. You have a bad feeling about who lives here, and when Kurogiri clears his throat and speaks up, you’re proven right. “Shigaraki Tomura. I have brought the girl.”

The only semi-organized spot in the room is a desk with two monitors on it, a keyboard in front of it, and Tenko slumped down with his head pillowed on one arm. He looks up, and for a split second, you can see that he’s happy even behind the hand. Then his face turns bright red and his expression twists into a snarl. “I told you not to bring her in here! Get out!”

You don’t need to be told twice. You duck out the door and retreat about twenty feet down the hallway, listening as Kurogiri tries to placate Tenko. “You asked for her to be brought to you immediately, not for me to summon you when she arrived. I followed your orders to the letter.”

“I didn’t want –” Tenko breaks off, swears. Then he mumbles something, and Kurogiri chuckles. “Don’t laugh at me!”

You check your phone. You aren’t supposed to meet Sugimura until eight, but you’ve got no idea how long this particular encounter is going to run. You might need to tell him you’re running late. You’ve just sent the text and tucked your phone away when Kurogiri reappears. “We will return to the bar,” he says. “Shigaraki Tomura awaits you there.”

So Kurogiri warped him to the bar. You wonder what that was all about. Was Tenko embarrassed that you saw how filthy his room was, or just embarrassed that you saw his room at all? Or did he change his mind about wanting you here? The last thought upsets you. You follow Kurogiri back into the bar and find Tenko sitting at the counter. It’s an improvement from the last time you saw him, when he was sprawled out and bleeding from four gunshot wounds, but this time he’s got his arms crossed, clearly pissed about something. His face is still red behind the hand. There’s a bloodstained bandage taped to his right shoulder.

A pile of supplies appears on the bar as you come closer. “What happened this time?”

“It wouldn’t stop bleeding.” Tenko uncrosses his left arm to gesture at the wound. “This is the fourth one I’ve used.”

If he’s gone through four bandages, it must be pretty deep. “How long ago did it happen?”

“Two hours,” Kurogiri says. “Shigaraki Tomura sent me to retrieve you immediately.”

“Can you fix it or not?” Tenko snaps.

“I need to see it first,” you say. You come a few steps closer, sit down facing Tenko on the barstool next to his, and reach for the bandage. He doesn’t stop you from unwrapping it, and you detour to glove up before you start peeling the fabric of his shirt back from the wound. It’s oozing blood rapidly. It’s jagged at the edges, and deep – if you suctioned the blood away, you’d be looking at exposed muscle, and you’re so horrified by the fact that Tenko’s been badly hurt again that you ask a question you shouldn’t. “How did this happen?”

“Hero Killer,” Tenko says, and your stomach lurches. “I thought he might be useful, but he’s just like the rest of them. Obsessed with the precious Symbol of Peace.”

You don’t know very much about the Hero Killer, except that he kills or cripples heroes and he’s not in Yokohama any longer. Tenko’s still ranting. “Why can’t anybody shut up about All Might? Don’t they know –”

“That he’s not gonna fuck them?” you interrupt, and Tenko nearly chokes. “I guess they can dream.”

Tenko’s expression is contorting behind the hand. You’re pretty sure it’s not the result of your explorations of the wound, because you’re not touching it. You watch, concerned, as his shoulders shake and his mouth twitches, until awkward, rusty laughter finally issues from his mouth.

You always try to make people laugh. You’ve been in the habit since you were little. It’s an effective strategy for defusing tension, whether the joke is funny or not, and your jokes are usually at least kind of funny. But you always liked making Tenko laugh when you were kids. You were always just a little prouder of that than you were with other people. Tenko made people smile all the time. He deserved for somebody to make him laugh, too.

Tenko’s laughter is brief and uneven, because he’s trying to get it under control. “Stop it,” he finally snaps at you. His mouth is still twitching. “It’s serious.”

“Right,” you agree. But you can’t resist another joke. “It would be a novel strategy. If you can’t beat the Symbol of Peace, make him unfuckable instead.”

“I can beat him,” Tenko says, but his voice is strained to the point of snapping, and his shoulders are shaking again. “Can you fix my arm or not?”

“I can fix it,” you say, “but I’ll need a suture kit. And I’ll either need to cut your sleeve or you’ll need to take your shirt off.”

“I’m not taking my shirt off.” Tenko’s face is red again. “It’s ruined anyway. Just cut it.”

You cut his sleeve open from the neckline and peel it back, then go looking through the medical supplies. Kurogiri took your advice about additions to their supplies, and nothing turned up missing at work, which means they honored your request to steal from someone else. You’ve got local anesthetic this time, which is good, because you need it. You start numbing the edges of the wound, asking every so often if Tenko can feel what you’re doing. When he stops saying yes, you open the suture kit.

It’s a bit weird, but putting stitches in is one of your favorite parts of the job. You can get in the zone with it, even when the patient wants to talk. Tenko wants to talk. “People talk about the League of Villains out there. Don’t they?” he asks. You nod. “What do they say?”

“Um –” You’re not sure this is an answer Tenko wants to hear. “They’re wondering why the attack on UA happened.”

“What do you mean, why?”

“Like, if there was a message behind it,” you elaborate. You need to be careful, with the stitches and with this line of thought. “More than just killing All Might, because lots of villains want to do that. If there was a message, it didn’t get out. The police and UA haven’t shared much information – not even how the breach happened in the first place.”

Tenko scoffs. “They don’t have a clue. They won’t see it coming the next time we hit them, either.”

He’s planning something else. Your blood runs cold, and for a moment you’re torn about whether or not to ask. Tenko makes the decision for you. “What else do they say about the League?”

“Not very much, otherwise,” you say, and Tenko swears. “There are a lot of villains, just like there are a lot of heroes. People talk about the ones they see the most of.”

“Which heroes do you talk about?”

“I don’t really talk about heroes.” You tie off a stitch, trim the thread to the appropriate length, and take another. “One of my friends has this nasty crush on Endeavor, so we talk about him sometimes, but otherwise – no.”

“Your friend has a crush on Endeavor,” Tenko repeats.

“Like I said. Nasty.”

You’re conscious of Tenko staring at you, and you will your face not to heat up under his gaze. You don’t even know why he’s staring, and you’ve got stitches to do, so it doesn’t matter. Your phone buzzes in your pocket – probably Sugimura, probably confirming your date. A date you’re not sure you want to go on anymore. Did you ever really want to go on it? Or did you just say yes because –

“You look weird.”

You look up from the stitches, startled. “Huh?”

“You look weird,” Tenko repeats. “Your clothes are different and you’ve got stuff on your face.”

Tenko and Mitsuko feel the same about your makeup skills, apparently. “Sorry.”

“Why do you look like that?” Tenko presses. You tie off his next stitch. “Are you going on a date or something?”

You answer without thinking about whether it’s the smart thing to do. “Yes.”

It’s quiet for a long stretch of seconds. “Go on your date, then,” Tenko says. His voice is flat. “I don’t need you.”

It stings. You don’t want it to, but it does, and you look down at the cut on his shoulder so he won’t see it on your face. “You still need a few more stitches. At least let me finish them.”

“No. Get out.” Tenko jerks out of your grip. You barely have enough time to cut the hanging thread on your last stitch. “I don’t want you here. Kurogiri –”

“Shigaraki Tomura, I’m not sure that’s wise.”

“I didn’t ask you!” Tenko swats at you open-handed and you leap backwards. “Get out! I don’t –”

You don’t hear the end of that sentence. Kurogiri warps you away too fast, and possibly saves your life. He drops you back in the alley behind the clinic, holding half a suture kit and still wearing bloodstained gloves. You peel them off and dump them into the garbage, furious with yourself. You shouldn’t have said that. You shouldn’t have talked about your life at all, and above all else, you should have remembered that you were talking to a villain, not your best friend – that whatever’s left of your best friend isn’t enough. He’s angry with you, and he’s been having you followed. Just how angry is he? Angry enough to hurt you? Or angry enough to never talk to you again?

You’re sickened and more than a little scared to realize that you’re more frightened of the latter possibility than the former. It’s entirely possible that you’ve never been in less of a mood to go on a date.

But you do go on the date, because you said you would, and it’s – fine. There’s nothing to complain about, but there’s nothing to be excited about, either. You and Sugimura hug to say goodbye, and you promise to text each other about setting up another one, and then you walk home. Mitsuko texts you, wanting details, or DETAILS, but you’ve got nothing to share. It was just a date, and no matter how many times you try to tell yourself otherwise, you’re angry about it.

Not because of Sugimura asking you out, not because you agreed, not because you went. Because you told Tenko and gave him a reason to get rid of you. Why does this keep happening? Why do you keep finding him and losing him, over and over again? What is it going to take for you to hold on?

“So how was the date?”

The voice emanates from the alleyway on your right and you nearly jump out of your skin. Tenko’s there, hand down from over his face, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He hasn’t changed his shirt. “I didn’t think heroes were your type.”

“They aren’t.”

“Then why were you on a date with one?”

“He asked.”

“And you just go with whoever asks?” Tenko looks half-incredulous, half-disgusted. You shake your head. “Forget it. Come with me.”

You shake your head again and take a step back – away from the alley, closer to the street. Tenko looks frustrated. “Come with me,” he repeats.

“What, so you can kill me?” You take another step back, well into the glow of a streetlight. You see shock flicker across Tenko’s face. “I don’t have a death wish.”

“Well, I don’t want to kill you,” Tenko fires back. He looks surprised at himself for saying it, but only for a moment – then he repeats himself, with more conviction. “I don’t want to kill you. You’re supposed to be my sidekick.”

Your jaw drops. “You remember?”

“I don’t remember everything.” Tenko takes the hand called Father out of the back pocket of his pants and studies it for a moment. Then he puts it away. “I remember that.”

Some kids played a different game every day. You and Tenko always played the same one, with a rotating cast of classmates at your side. All the heroes in the world were working together to fight one big villain, the worst villain the world had ever seen, and Tenko could never decide which hero he liked best, so he played a different one every day. But no matter which hero he played, no matter who else was playing with the two of you, you were always his sidekick. You reminded him every day that you didn’t have a quirk, and he always said the same thing in response, no matter which hero he was pretending to be that day, even though he didn’t have a quirk, either: You don’t need a quirk to be on my side. My quirk’s enough for both of us.

“Come on,” Tenko says again. He holds out his hand, three fingers and his thumb folded down, his pinky finger extended towards you. “Are you coming or what?”

You’ve never seen the world in black and white, but some things are unmistakable: There’s a line here, not visible to others but clear as day to you. On one side of it is Tenko and the darkness that’s swallowed him, the evil that surrounds him, the terrible things he’s done and is planning to do. On the other side is everything else – your dreams, your friends, your family that’s always loved you but used you anyway, a world that’s punished you time and time again for being born without a quirk, the knowledge that the world is so much crueler to so many others. You don’t think Tenko’s planning to kidnap you, to never let you leave. You’ll come back here, physically. You’ll go home and go to sleep and wake up early on your day off to take Yoshimi to her appointment at the main clinic, but you know instinctively that if you cross this line within yourself, there’s no coming back. Tenko was your best friend when you were five years old. Is he worth it?

You hate yourself for asking the question. You leave the light behind and link your finger with Tenko’s. “Where are we going?”

The black mist rises and wells up around you both. “You’ll see,” Tenko says, and for the first time since you found him again, he smiles.

[demonslayedher]

What if nezuko and tanjiro were raised by Obanai and Mitsuri?

Whoa, I have never considered this. Let's assume an altered timeline, so, say, itty-bitty Tanjiro hid with almost-walking Nezuko in a closet when a demon killed their parents. Mitsuri and Obanai, who like one another and have sort of figured that out by they are awkward about where to take it from there (since Mitsuri doesn't want to make the first move but can't figure out why Obanai won't), arrive on the scene, and Kaburamaru finds the hiding children.

Mitsuri is instantly attached and wants very badly to make it up to these orphaned children whom she failed. Obanai is trying to tell her why that idea is irresponsible, but Kaburamaru has already become fiercely attached to the terrified children who find comfort in the cuddly snake. It's not as if Obanai can't relate to that, so he gives in, on the caveat that they will take care of them only until they can hand them off to someone more qualified.

They're first thought is Shinobu, but she already has her hands full. They ask the Kakushi, but the Kakushi insist that this is out of their skill set. They think of asking Ubuyashiki but don't want to bother him by setting a precedent. No luck at Wisteria Houses they come across, who are already doing all they can. Wishing to find someone with experience to adopt them, Obanai makes a desperate visit to Shinjuro, who yells at him to take responsibility and get what was coming to him by so idealistically becoming a swordsman. He announces to Mitsuri (who is already very attached) that they'll see their responsibility through.

Since the Kamado children stay at the Kanroji estate most of the time, this is what gets Obanai to finally meet her family, which pressures them more into considering the state of their relationship, especially they Obanai spends time with the children out of a sense of responsibility and Mitsuri, once the decision to keep them was made, wants to spend as much free time with them as possible. Being in a coparent relationship also forces them to confront Obanai's issues.

Both toddlers take to Mitsuri readily, and they like Obanai too, but they both (especially Tanjiro, who can talk better) are sensitive to him being sad. Obanai is nice and tries to be child-appropriate but answers very plainly and honestly when Tanjiro asks why he's sad, thinking that this is out of respect for a child's intellect. Poor Tanjiro wants to help but is often confused. Obanai is a little annoyed how buddy-buddy Tanjiro and Kaburamaru are but he allows it. As Tanjiro grows up and the snake gets older, Kaburamaru spends less and less time in battle with Obanai. Tanjiro is a dutiful son whom Obanai figures pucked up a lot of traits from being raised by Mitsuri, but he reminds Tanjiro to always be grateful to his original family who loved and protected him too. This makes him supportive (albeit concerned for his safety) when Tanjiro says he wants to fight demons too. Tanjiro eventually picks up Snake Breathing, though Obanai points out that he's not totally suited for it. (If it weren't for how annoying he finds Giyuu, he would suggest Tanjiro try Water Breathing.)

Mitsuri is less supportive because she worries about Tanjiro's safety. He is her wonderful son whom she loves very much, after all. But if he's sure he can accept the risks, she allows him to try.

Nezuko has grown up babied by her unckes and aunts and does not know the responsibility of being an older sister. She always wants to be just like her mom (but Obanai sternly put a stop her dressing up like mom, which made little Nezuko cry because she didn't understand why he was angry). She wears fancy kimono and makes sweets and wears long braids and goes to school, and is a dutiful and sweet daughter as she grows up. Despite having riches, this does seem to go to her head, and she still practices humilty and thrift, which really endears her to Obanai. He originally was a bit more standoffish from Nezuko, but Nezuko feels secure in his care for her even if it's nothing like the open, loving, huggy relationship she has with her adoptive mother. When Tanjiro picks up the sword, she insists on learning too, but Tanjiro and Mitsuri don't want this. Obanai lets her give it a shot, but she's too fiery for Snake Breath, and not physically capable of Love Breath, despite how much she has always done her best to imitate mom.

So Nezuko finally does something a spoiled brat would do and she runs away to ask Uncle Kyojuro for Flame Breath training. This causes a brief argument between Hashira but it is soon settled, and Tanjiro sort of wishes he had thought of that before getting so deep into making Snake Breath work for him. Tanjiro & Kaburamaru and Nezuko eventually go through the Final Selection together and begin a sibling journey to avenge their birth parents, with their adoptive parents giving them their blessing and watching over them from afar.

And then, having seem that through, Obanai is finally ready to get married.

[yandere-sins]

Before reading: R18+, Mature Content Warning, Violence/Gore Warning, Yandere Warning

Oh, my, look what the wave swept in!

Yet another misplaced human in these wondrous waters, a… poor unfortunate soul, as my sister would say. It hasn’t been that long since another tribe—who was it? The sharks?—had been… blessed with an unusual mate. And now there’s you! How exciting! The orcas are a little temperamental, but I’m sure they’ll treat you lovingly– 

Oh… so you want to leave? Already?

Ambitious, are we? Escape the creatures and get back to land. Well, don’t you look determined? Think you can handle these three strong orcas all by yourself? I’d love to see it. I delight in everything happening around these depths of the ocean, as they are so dark and deep, with barely anything transpiring all day. But as of late, love, freedom, and misery swim hand in hand down here. Intelligence and instincts fight battles that are beyond your little human comprehension. I could not be more pleased with the beautiful bonds that are being woven under the sea.

But I will cheer you on, I promise! I might even have some tips for you, seeing how I’ve been around these sandy lands and great reefs longer than you have!

I don’t think you can trust anyone besides me, really, but you’ll need an ally if you want to get back home. But be careful choosing who you trust. Sometimes you have to take drastic actions to get out of a situation, but there are also times when you need to sit back, stay calm, and let someone else handle it for you. And as badly as I know you want to get out… don’t do anything rash.

These orcas have a fickle disposition, and you wouldn’t want them to decide you’re no fun or tastier than they initially thought. In fact, you don’t want them to think about you at all! Otherwise —ey w—t l— —u ——!

You wake up before the voice can finish. Open your eyes?

Welcome, welcome to Mermay ( & Merjune) 2023!

I think most of you have already understood what will happen, but I thought I'd give a small heads-up about the how, so we're all on the same page:

This will be an interactive story, which means you guys will have to work together to figure out how to continue onwards by choosing the right poll option. Every chapter comes with a decision at the end, and three possible choices. But only one will continue the story while the other two lead to 'Bad Ends' aka not continue the story. Your goal is to escape the three orcas because they won't always like your decision, unfortunately.

I can already tell you that if the majority votes for a Bad End, you'll be able to choose again at the end of it, hopefully picking the right option this time. The story will not stop just because the right option wasn't picked. But who knows? Maybe choosing wrong is actually the better option sometimes (;

To clarify, there are 5 main chapters (the right choices) in total, 10 possible Bad Ends and 1 True End. This is not a video game so there are no secret routes. Nothing will change if you choose certain options after another. Your goal ultimately is to finish this story. But... some interactions and information may or may not be hidden in Bad Ends that could be enjoyable to you as well. (After finishing the main story I'll let you guys pick some other options you would have liked to see if you're interested in that ^-^)

One more exciting thing! I was able to commission a good friend of mine to actually do references for the orcas! We're still working on them but I hope you guys will enjoy some visuals of the new bois ♥

And for good measure: Please read the warnings on the individual posts, as some of the stories contain disturbing content not suited for everyone. Don't read what you don't like.

Thank you for participating and I hope you guys will be able to enjoy the story as much as I do ♥ (If you have questions, please ask away any time! ♥)

[bonefall]

can you give us more info on Spottedleaf’s Plague and the events leading up to the beginning of the first book?

Sure! Spottedleaf's Plague is still pretty loose right now, I have an ending in mind but the central theme is still up in the air. It's one of my looser planned SEs, it rotates around in my head like a microwave but it's still uncooked.

(Horrible Histories Plague Song Tune)

The intro is largely Spotty, Red, and Tiger as apprentices.

Whitestorm is a young warrior above them, and the cool older cousin of Red and Spotty

A lot of the dynamic is established. Spotty and Tiger are BESTIES and cradling a mutual crush, Red is kind of a snappish, awkward apprentice

Redtail is trans and is going to transition about midway through this book btw

Thrushpelt is Redtail's mentor. Thistleclaw is Tigerpaw's mentor. Unsure who is Spottedpaw's mentor; looking to pick a molly here.

Growing up, Spotty has to deal with how her crummy uncle Thistleclaw suspects her of being halfclan and has basically become intolerant of his sister, Rosetail, for claiming Queen’s Rights

Tigerpaw is picking up a lot of this

Thistle is a violent, abusive person who subjects Tigerpaw to intense training. Spotty is usually the one patching up his minor injuries

The worst of them happen on the day the Parable of the Thistle is written. He's covered in horrible prickles all over his face, and his paws are cut up

This sends him to the Cleric's Den, which is where Spotty eventually falls in love with the idea of being a cleric.

Featherwhisker is AMAZING, he's so funny and wise, she wants to be like him super badly.

Through hanging out with him, she learns she is absolutely fantastic with rituals. She can draw a perfect circle and has a knack for invoking the warriors of StarClan.

But... more than ever, she is losing Tigerpaw. If she becomes Cleric, they can never be mates, or go to battle training, and they'll spend less time on patrol together

More than a possible romantic partner, she is losing a friend, as he's sucked further down the hole Thistleclaw is digging for him

Bluestar became deputy, and then leader, in less than a month. This was towards the end of Spotty's apprenticeship.

She is overjoyed for this, because Blue is her mom's best friend, and Featherwhisker's choice. (and possibly her mentor's mentor, if her warrior mentor was Frostfur)

Big timeskip at a point, because there are 4.5 years of general peace under Bluestar.

The next big event here is the titular plague, which I'm still unsure of what the disease is specifically. HOWEVER, it is going to be the same plague that Runningnose starts in TPB so I'm planning to play loosely with it, to make its rules easier on myself.

It's either a disease like rabies, or black death.

Possibly a mix of both. Frothing Death?

Info: This disease has some kind of obvious physical symptom but is infectious before that point. It has a survival rate, but can stunt growth. Adults and adolescents are more vulnerable to it than kits and elders.

It spreads first by bat, but is spread further by fleas.

Spottedleaf and Featherwhisker are working themselves to the bone to care for every sick cat

Spottedleaf is taking every waking moment to beg for help from StarClan. They're not totally useless and do manage to get her some good pointers

And then, while tending to Leopardfoot, Featherwhisker gets Anime Blood Cough Disease or whatever I make the symptom LMAO

Tigerclaw loses his mom and Spotty loses her mentor

When she tries to invoke him, StarClan does not send him down.

So... she channels him instead. And he pops up.

StarClan sent him to the Dark Forest even after he died tending to a patient, for his constant disregard of the code and siring a child with a kittypet while on the vow (Frostfur)

That Shakes Her Up A Bit

The final scene, I can see it perfectly in my head:

Tigerclaw finds Spotty while she's still stumbling around, dazed by her revelation, reconsidering everything she's ever thought about morality, StarClan, and the meaning of life. He's furious out of pain and basically trying to provoke her by asking if her path of the Cleric was all worth it

She couldn't save his mom and she couldn't save her mentor, or any of the like 1/4th of ThunderClan that died

And she hears this and like, this Fool. This Stupid Man. He doesn't even know the half of it.

So she starts laughing, because she's Spotty. Shaking her head, returning to her old self, gets her paw on his big ass shoulder (she has to reach up he's so tall)

Paraphrased:

"Nothing matters! Even the things we can change are nothing in the long run! Everyone will forget our names someday and you can be the best clanmate in the world or die trying, we all get buried in the same dirt! My claws can keep us here a little longer but yours can't dig us up and all that matters is what *I* KEEP PEOPLE JUST A LITTLE LONGER AND NO STARS OR WARRIORS WILL TAKE THOSE MOMENTS FROM ME"

Claws dug into his fur Tigerclaw is a bit speechless. Same Old Spotty. "...i apologize, my friend. I was... crass."

Spotty: "s'allright. Im sorry about your mom. Wanna get lunch?"

And that's what I've got so far. I want to keep its ending a bit raw and abrupt, because it's got this budding vibe that Spottedleaf's story is about the life she lived and the moments she's collected within it. Something about the absurdity of it all, how 'wasted' effort isn't totally wasted, and the beauty within just having a person for a little bit longer.

[killuwumi]

Gepard HCS/blurbs

a/n: gepard is so special 2 me....fr.... im back at it with mindless dribble!!!!!!!!!

warnings: shy gepard, lowercase, not proofread, female reader implied, mentions of having a family. (i think that’s all of them lmk if i missed any)

gepard is a really clumsy lover, like, stumbles on his words and isn't always so sure of his actions. i think he has a very cute and clumsy side, but also a serious and strict side. he does not let you talk bad about yourself, but he will talk with you if you feel like you have areas you want to improve in. he is honest, has never lied to you, other than maybe one or two white lies, he doesn't want you to worry. with his job being so time consuming he always finds creative ways for you to hang out. you'll play hide and seek on patrol with him if you're able to convince him, or maybe you spend time practicing your stealth, always trying to get the jump on him while he is patrolling, it helps both of you. but when he is on guard he prefers you don't disturb him. gepard doesn't want anyone hurting you, thinking you are an intruder or monster. lunch breaks are a must with him, you have daily meet up spots depending on what his task is, and since the fragmentum as calmed down he has the chance to take a lot more lunch breaks with you. before he would just skip them and eat small snacks. but now he will get huffy if he doesn't get to see you at least once during the day. whether you fight, or you just work around belobog, he wants to see you. once a day. just once please, he will lose his sweet mind.

he constantly randomly calls you beautiful, stunning, gorgeous. even if you just got done sweating your ass off at work/battles/training. he sometimes doesn't even realize he has let such a statement slip until you return the compliment or thank him. gepard really just can't help but be honest with you, he wants to make you happy. gepard wants to be the one that makes you feel self assured and content. he wants a strong confident partner so he knows that when he is away, or you are, that you feel loved and safe. even when he can't protect you. which he hates by the way, he loves when you are in belobog because he knows you are under his watchful eye, and his undying protection. for you and all the citizens, but especially you.

gepard wants a family, a happy small family. he has a long line of military and brilliant ancestors, and he just feels like you would be perfect to settle down with and carry on that legacy. he wants SO badly for you to take his last name, oh his big heart would melt knowing you carry that name with pride, and it would feel so claiming and validating for him. everyone could stop hitting on you and know that there is a strong man by your side. he knows you can handle anything yourself, but that has never stopped him from being protective, he doesn't view it as his job or responsibility. just something inside him wants to be the one to protect you from others predatory gazes, and all too friendly hands. having his last name holds status too, and he really desperately wants to hear you refer to him as your husband, hubby, whatever you want in that regard. and he'll wear his ring every day, he'll never take it off. it doesn't matter how many battles he enters, he will have his ring until it rots off his finger, and even then it will be there.

he tells his sister everything, even though she has unorthodox methods, and strange ideals in his mind, she is still his sister and even better, a great source for getting the scoop on you. serval was so helpful in the two of you getting together, while gepard had been upfront about his feelings with you, awkwardly asking you on a date with big flowers hiding his blush, he worked so hard to grow those and you didn't even know until serval told you. anyway, gepard was upfront with his feelings after only the few times you had hung out, and that's because every time he went running to his sister and gushed about you for hours, and serval finally told him that he definitely has a crush, more than that even.

so easily flustered, it doesn't matter how long you two are together, even after years you can catch that same blush on his face. it is less red now, but it's still there, he still talks about how amazed he is that you are with him, and how much he appreciates you. but when you gush about him he gets all flustered, hiding his face and thanking you every second. the truth is he replays these moments in his head like a broken record, especially on days when he is away from you. even just the thought is enough to make him have to clear his throat to shake from his thoughts. everyone in belobog knows what he's thinking about when he has that blush on his face. he isn't huge into pda, but he loves to hold your hand. and if you like giving him kisses and hugs in public then he is in no position to deny you in his mind. he calls you his love, princess, dove. has a special soft spot for calling you his flower. doesn't do it often because he gets embarrassed and worried its cringe but you love it.

[crescentmoonlupin]

If you need help, I'm here to listen..

There are days that are easier than others. When you have depression, you tend to feel like the world is against you and it just feels like a constant battle that no matter how hard you fight, how much experience you have with it, it just never seems to be enough to throw at the problem. And of course, giving up is never ever an option cause once you do, the monster you are battling just gets bigger. Bigger to the point you just must live with the drooling, foaming beast.

I’ve had depression for a number of years, as of 2024, it’s been about 14 years since I was originally diagnosed, but about 17 since it first manifested itself within my mind. It's never been an easy beast to live with. I’ve tried destroying it by destroying myself. I held it down, but the bubbles never stopped coming up. I tried to drown it in sex, making it seem like the reason I was upset so much was because I was alone and needed the company to get me through, I cut myself so I could hold some sort of “control” over it but, of course that never works. Eventually it becomes an addiction that you don't realize you started, and it takes everything in you to stop. Years even.

To this day, I am still self-destructive. Some days, I wish I could still continue hurting myself, but I know its counterproductive, it’ll never solve anything. It just hurts everyone else who happens to catch it when the wounds are fresh. Cutting myself didn’t make me feel better in the sense I thought it would, it just gave me a false sense of control over something I didn’t have control over. The chemicals in my brain didn’t do what they were supposed to when they were supposed to, and I suffered the consequences.

I wanted to blame everyone else for my problems. My mother, my father, my stepparents. Sisters. Everyone who wasn’t me. “You made me do this!” I’d say, when really, I was the one who put the razor or knife to my skin and pulled. I made it count, I counted every mark, and it’s not a pretty number. Not only did I cut but I carved words into my skin, so I would remember why I did it in the first place. So many initials. Failure. Perfect. HIT ME! I’M NOTHING! Sorry :] Smile. And the list goes on from there. Now it’s just a bunch of scars.

I’m not ashamed of them, and I don’t really regret them, they’re part of me and it was what I thought I needed at the time, ultimately, I was wrong in the end, but teenagers never listen, do they?

I do wish I could go back though, and just talk to myself. Tell myself it does, eventually, gets better. That things do start going right, years down the road. That it’s not worth it to be so angry all the time, and to learn to love myself sooner so I didn’t have t struggle as badly as I am now at almost 30, because yes, we do make it past the age of 18, as surprising as that is for me to even believe to this day. Eventually we meet a man who loves us in his own special way, and we have the most beautiful son to raise together. And he loves that little boy as if he was made from his own blood. He reads him bedtime stories and helps him learn to walk. He teaches him to ride a bike and plays in his sandbox with him, the one he made him for his second birthday.

Things do get better, but you have to fall down so you can get back up, so you can grow up the way you need to, because it is necessary. Because as soon as you heard that little boy’s heartbeat for the first time, you know, you just knew, that everything was going to change and you knew that you would do anything for him, even if it meant changing everything so he could grow up better than you did. So, he can go farther than you ever got. So, you can make sure he is actually stable and doesn’t have to recover from his childhood. Make sure he is okay and knows he is heard.

I just hope I’m doing the right things when it comes to that little boy because I don’t know where I’d be or who I would be without him. There’re days where I struggle and all I want to do is to curl up into a ball and cry till I fall asleep. But I have this little boy watching me every day and I just have to keep going to make sure he has everything he needs to grow into a respectable human and a caring man. Fight for what’s right but know when to step back as well.

[liam-an-siorc]

BBC Ghosts pirate au?? Hmm?? Yes?? 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️???

Note: They are all alive at the same time like how they are as ghosts if you get what I mean

Robin: running away from a bear one day during a storm he runs to the doc and hides inside a ship that's tied up there because the bear is sceard of the water Robin is scared to go back on land after the storm ends because there might be bear so decides to take this ship he lives there for a year stealing from navy ships to survive

Humphrey: same sort of thing his thing with his wife happen but not catholic plot because different era but he gets blamed for it and runs out he runs to the doc and it’s spotted by a pirate going by who is robin, robin decides to help he but Humphrey is injured he has a scar on the back of his neck from this and now has a peg leg but robin helped him and he survived (peg leg and scar trying to represent how it is for him with the head cut off)

Mary: Accused of killing her husband and stealing from the town she’s thrown in jail and is going to be executed but her “friend” Annie breaks her out so they run away and find there way onto robins ship then later when we have more ghosts Annie and her get married !!! It’s one of them gay marriage on pirate ship things yes

Kitty: Polly (if you remember she was mentioned in Kittys death episode) is convinced Eleanore is going to murder kitty for the inheritance to tells kitty this kitty dose not believe her until kitty gets bitten by a non deadly spider and gets lightly poisoned from this Polly thinks this was Eleanore so when kitty wakes she tells her they need to go immediately kittys listens because she’s not fully in her mind and gose with her Polly sees robins boat passing and asked them to take kitty, kitty confused gose on the boat and Polly runs back (yeah i didn’t know how to do that one because kitty would not believe her sister wanted to kill her also ik Eleanore did not kill Kitty but in this it’s what Polly though)

Thomas: Similar thing to kitty he finds out about Francis wanting to kill him and foraging the letters so tried to get out because he was scared he would try again he made his way to the ship with or without Isabell you can chose if you want canon as we can be or happy ness

Fanny: I dont know she finds her husband cheating znd it breaks her mask a following the "ladylike" rules and so she decided fuck it I'm a pirate now I'm going to steal from stupid rich men who think I'm not clever and are less then them because of my gender but she's still quite strict bc can't take her character

The captian: Part of the navy yes ik he dose not like the navy but you understand why yes? So anyway part of navy his love havers leaves for some big battle or something he think he died but he did not but then there gay love is reveled and they run away and join the crew where they have a gaygay homosexual gay pirate wedding like Annie and Mary did to they find them married and stop hiding snd get married themselves I refuse to stick to Canon for the gays so sorry

Pat: I can't think of a way he would ever choose to leave his family so making alot of stuff up so same sort of carry on happens a child injures him badly and he passes out close to shore the kids are lids and afraid so they run off then Pat is found by the crew and they try to help him but the police ofthe time see and try kill them all so then they run with Pat and get away but then police are looking for then so they can't go back there so Pat cant go back bc he will be killed

Julian: Gets drunk ends up on the ship

Mike and Alison don't have anywhere to live they end up on a ship

If they are conterdicting eachother then I'm sorry this was in drafts for ages kept coming back to it and going away and also if its not fully historical accurate I am sorry this is only for fun

[birchbow]

Your character designs are always so dang cool!!! Are the captain positions on other ships in the holy fleet challenged for like the position of GHB in a duel to the death, or are they appointed? (Some combination thereof?) The Orisoner looks so friendly, but I bet he’s brained somebody with that whimsical staff! I love that in the group shot Kurloz’s frame is almost a 2x scaled up version of Sister Waspclaw - his Gigantic Lankiness is just so fun. (Also LMAO at Kurloz being too prudish to claim his right to show tits! Honestly any time he mentions modesty standards being different a couple centuries ago it cracks me right up 😂)

Aw, thank you! :D Waspclaw is real small for a highblood, especially a relatively old and powerful one--smaller than pretty much all her pupated students, and a few of the pre-pupation ones! So next to Kurloz "Big Motherfucker" Makara, she's absolutely tiny. But does still manage to have more boobs than he does. Tragic.

RE: succession, it varies! It's pretty much always going to include some amount of combat--some of the variety where the loser is allowed to slink away and lick their wounds, and some where they definitely don't. Let's see. On a scale from most to least "Challenge To The Death"...

Definitely the Behemoth. It follows the same rules as the Grand Highblood challenge--if two trolls who want to be in charge walk into what passes for a captain's court on the Freakshow, only one is going to come out. Yozuna's not fast, and most trolls who ARE fast aren't nearly strong enough to make a dent in it even if they hit it--but the fact that Kurloz is big enough to really hit it hard and also came up specializing in speed and evasion is probably a real big part of the reason it hasn't made any attempt to challenge him for the throne, honestly.

Waspclaw. She's very lax with gutsy newbies getting fresh with each other and their superiors, thus the Joker's reputation for letting people get away with stuff, but stepping to her directly is SUPER dangerous. Make your gamble if you know you can get away with it!! But always know you aren't going to get away with it with her. :o) Plus, much like the Uderaks and Untoxxic, she works in poisons and venoms, and also she's heavily min-maxed into speed, so by the time you realize your challenge fight has officially been accepted, she's gone "well, they made their choice!" and you've been stung with something fatal.

The Abattoir. He isn't fucking around, although she also strikes me as very businesslike about it, and not inclined to be vindictive about the act of the challenge itself. I think the format is a little less "immediate fight to the death" and a little more "courtly duel" in keeping with both of his knightly sort of vibes. The exception being if you manage to draw blood on either of him, in which case shit flips very much into death-match mode. Also like. Hard-mode. You do have to challenge for both ships at once, and you will be fighting both of her. So like, considering authority over Elixir and Stardust features a lot of interfacing with the nonbelievers and doing Finance and shit, not a lot of people are jumping at THAT daunting prospect lol.

The Judgment. She wants to hear your argument for why the fuck you think you have what it takes to perform the physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually-taxing work of disciplining the wayward sinner-criminals of the church, and she's not getting any younger, here! If she feels like she's won her argument and the battle and you're inclined to back down in shame, she's not going to continue to press the point, but she will definitely openly think less of you for making a stupid and badly thought out attempt on her authority. She's as close as the church fleet gets to having a legislacerator taskforce, and she's just as stern and hard-assed as the Cruelest Bar, but also a large part of the Penitent's function is for flagellation and rehabilitation (???) of potentially-redeemable highbloods who've fucked up in ways that the church considers forgivable enough to give them a shot. She's down to clown (fatal) but also she's not an executioner necessarily.

Brother Libation. I drew inspiration from Il Dottore from the commedia del'arte, Bacchus, and the whole concept of drunken fist characters as an archetype, so if he's challenged he's got like... a 33% chance of just offering some kind of whimsical puzzle challenge that nobody ever manages to solve to his satisfaction, a 33% chance of just verbally convincing them to chill the fuck out by being a Cool Hang, and a 33% chance of bonking them heartily to the brink of death with his big spiky gourd.

The Orisoner wins for least deathmatchy. You can try to challenge, but you'll just get invited to come chill and vibe and just like. Really get into why you think your leadership will be hilarious and honoring to the messiahs, and what you think about art, and why you feel like you need captaincy to make the changes you want to see in the church and empire. If anybody attempts to escalate to violence, they'll mostly be met with a vaguely disappointed, surprisingly benevolent no-weapon-open-palms kind of rebuff, and if things continue to get more aggressive from there, the big spiky walloping staff will come out and be employed with startling effectiveness and skill lmao. But! If there were ever going to be highbloods inclined to take debate of best leadership policy over violence, it's the ones who decide they want to be theologians professionally. (Debate of best religious interpretation is a whole other ballgame, and gets aggressive here more than any other ship on the fleet lol). Orisoner in general though, would be one of the safer trolls you could be around as like, a human or a lowblood, if you had to pick a ship.

[ireadyabooks]

YA Fantasy for All Readers🔮⚔️💘

Here at I read YA, we can’t get enough of our favorite fantasy reads. We love transporting ourselves to different worlds, cheering on adventurous characters, and even, at times, swooning over magical romances. Most people only think of fantasy in terms of dragons and extraordinary battles, but the beauty behind this genre is that you can find something for every type of reader. We have compiled some of our recent favorite fantasy books in the hopes that you can find something perfect for you!

Okay, Cupid by Mason Deaver

As a cupid, Jude thinks they understand love a little bit more than the average human. It makes sense -- Jude's been studying love their whole teen life. And, yes, there have been some bumps in the road, and they're currently on probation for doing something that they absolutely, definitely shouldn't have done... but they're ready to prove they can make matches without ever getting involved.

Only . . . Jude's next assignment isn't about setting up two adults. No, this time Jude has to go to high school, with kids their own age. And the assignment is a tough one: two best friends who are meant to be more than just best friends . . . but who aren't currently speaking to each other after a huge falling out.

Jude thinks they've got this one all under control, and that they won't get involved whatsoever. Which proves that maybe Jude hasn't learned the first lesson of humans and love . . . It’s complicated.

This contemporary fantasy is perfect for readers who love a big sprinkle of love and magic thrown into an everyday fantastical read!

Start reading Okay, Cupid now!

Immortal Games by Annaliese Avery

The Blood Moon marks the start of the Immortal Games. The Gods of Olympus randomly select humans as their tokens and then gamble with their lives. The stakes are high and survival is unlikely.

16-year-old Ara is seeking revenge on the Gods for allowing her sister to die in the games. She's determined to be selected as a token, but when she is, she realizes that it isn’t just her life at stake, but also her heart. With the odds stacked against her, it will take an unlikely hero to twist her rage into something much more complicated. Ara is playing in the games of life and death… and love. What will she sacrifice?

This high-stakes fantasy is perfect for lovers of Greek mythology looking for an intense romantasy!

Start reading The Immortal Games now!

The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson

In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great peacekeeper of the three systems, a heinous secret lies buried -- and Freida is the only one who can uncover it. As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library's ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique -- and dangerous.

When Freida meets Joshua, a Tierran boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to help them. But in order to do so, she will have to venture deeper into the Library than she has ever known. There she will discover the atrocities of the past, the truth of her origins, and the impossibility of her future.

With the world at the brink of war, Freida embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny, one that pits her against an ancient war god. Her mission is straightforward: Destroy the god before he can rain hellfire upon thousands of innocent lives -- if he doesn't destroy her first.

This thought-provoking fantasy read is perfect for those looking for a unique take on the hero’s journey and an inclusive and diverse fantasy world!

Start reading The Library of Broken Worlds now!

Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly

What makes a girl "beastly?" Is it having too much ambition? Being too proud? Taking up too much space? Or is it just wanting something, anything, too badly?

That's the problem Arabella faces when she makes her debut in society. Her parents want her to be sweet and compliant so she can marry well, but try as she might, Arabella can't extinguish the fire burning inside her -- the source of her deepest wishes, her wildest dreams.

When an attempt to suppress her emotions tragically backfires, a mysterious figure punishes Arabella with a curse, dooming her and everyone she cares about, trapping them in the castle. As the years pass, Arabella abandons hope. The curse is her fault -- after all, there's nothing more "beastly" than a girl who expresses her anger -- and the only way to break it is to find a boy who loves her for her true self: a cruel task for a girl who's been told she's impossible to love.

When a handsome thief named Beau makes his way into the castle, the captive servants are thrilled, convinced he is the one to break the curse. But Beau -- spooked by the castle's strange and forbidding ladies-in-waiting, and by the malevolent presence that stalks its corridors at night -- only wants to escape. He learned long ago that love is only an illusion. If Beau and Arabella have any hope of breaking the curse, they must learn to trust their wounded hearts, and realize that the cruelest prisons of all are the ones we build for ourselves.

This revolutionary fantasy read is perfect for readers who love gender-swapped, fractured fairy tale retellings with a dashing romance!

Start reading Beastly Beauty now!

The Second Chance of Darius Logan by David F. Walker

Darius Logan is far from a hero. Since his parents were killed, he has spent most of his life navigating foster homes and shelters, abandoned neighborhoods and decaying buildings. All Darius knows is survival. Life was hard enough, but now he finds himself being hunted by the police after a drug deal he never should have been involved in goes bad. And when they catch him, Darius is positive he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

But in place of a long prison sentence, Darius is handed an opportunity almost too good to be true: the chance to get away from his circumstances by joining the Second Chance program of the Super Justice Force, a league of people with special powers who strive to do good and protect the world from harm. Darius soon discovers a strength he never knew he possessed, but evil forces manifest and threaten to destroy everything he holds dear. Will Darius be able to save the world when he faces a deadly--and all too familiar--enemy?

This remarkable YA fantasy debut is perfect for fans of all things superheroes and powerful takes on justice and second chances!

Start reading The Second Chance of Darius Logan now!

Shadow Coven by S. Isabelle

The Haunting Season has ended, but dark magic lurks in the shadows in this deadly sequel to The Witchery.

After defeating the Wolves, Jailah, Logan, Iris, and Thalia want nothing more than a summer of fun and relaxation. But there is no rest for the wicked, especially when Death comes for Iris. She is to become a Reaper, tasked with banishing souls who refuse to cross over. But Iris suspects there’s something more ominous going on when Mathew’s role as her tether grows sinister.

Logan and Thalia are ready to prove themselves as witches. Except Logan still hears the howling Wolves and realizes that the Haunting Season may have awakened more than just her magic. And while Thalia wants to spend her days cleansing the Swamp for good, she finds herself heading to a place she swore she’d never go again: home. Witches have started going missing near Annex, and Thalia is convinced that her father is behind the disappearances. With the help of Logan and Trent, Thalia returns to stop him.

Meanwhile, Jailah is focused on her internship with the Haelsford Witchery Council until she discovers a treacherous magic hidden beneath Mesmortes, and there are those who will go to great lengths to keep it buried. So, she turns to the only person who understands, even if it’s the one witch who hates her the most.

Separated by distance, the coven is surrounded by magical and mundane threats that must be defeated before they lose their witchery--and each other--forever . . . 

This thrilling fantasy read is perfect for the dark academia lovers out there looking for a witchy book full of romance, horror, humor, and BIPOC representation!

Start reading Shadow Coven now!

[hereforreadandwrite]

Chapter Two

Masterlist

"As soon as I get back, we're going back to Ravensthorpe. Stay here and rest."

After making sure you were well settled, Eivor leaves Tamworth to go find Sigurd and Ubba to find Burgred's wife. According to Ceolbert, she was still in Templebrough and was the only one who knew where her husband was hiding. He left almost two days ago. You stayed in hiding, ashamed of your behavior. Ivarr's words were spinning in your head. A frightened little mouse. Ivarr was right. It was what you were everyday. The night was the worst time of the day. At nightfall, the slightest noise made you jump, you slept badly and were prey to his nightmares. What could you do to fight them? You had tried so many times, without results. You were too weak.

"You don't have to fight (Y/N). Sigurd and I fight for you."

Yes, Sigurd and Eivor have always fought for you. They had always fought for you. Everyone who hurt you had to face your brothers, never you. You had asked them to train you, but they still refused to harm you. No one in Ravensthorpe wanted to hurt you. Everyone knew your tragic and horrible story. Everyone was taking tweezers with you. You had gotten too used to it, you had become weak. You were brought back to reality by hearing a woman vociferate. You saw Ubba and Sigurd enter the barn with a group of four women. Three servants and a noble lady. Probably Burgred's wife. Ceolbert explained to you that he heard Leofrith dispatching soldiers to protect Aethelswith. Obviously, that didn't stop your brothers and Ubba from capturing her.

"Hey, (Y/N). Can we talk?" Sigurd asked, coming closer to you.

You nodded slightly, following Sigurd out of the barn, allowing Ubba to question Aethelswith. He took you to a quiet corner, where he was sure no one could hear your talk.

"Eivor explained your situation to me. What happened with Ivarr? Did he hurt you?"

"No. No, he didn't," you say, fiddling with your fingers nervously. "He just said one thing to me that makes me realize that some things aren't going as well as I thought."

"What do you mean? You're doing a great job."

"Stop it Sigurd. It's not true! I'm useless on a battlefield! The only thing I can do is surprise the enemy and then... I just know how to stay back and hope that the battle is over as quickly as possible," you said, looking upset at him. "And you say I'm doing a good job? If one of your drengrs acted like I do, you would have kicked them out without even giving one another chance. Am I wrong?"

Sigurd was speechless hearing your tirade. He took a deep breath before shaking his head, agreeing with you. If one of his drengers acted like you did. Sigurd would have banished him immediately, but he couldn't banish you. You were his beloved little sister. He loved spoiling you, more than Randvi. He had been away for two winters, leaving behind a young girl and on returning home he had found a young woman. But right now it was a broken, exhausted young woman in front of him. Sigurd sighed, putting his arm around you, pulling you into a hug, kissing the top of your head.

"We'll find a solution," he said, hugging you. "I promise you we'll find a solution."

You nodded your head slightly. You didn't seem convinced by Sigurd's words. You pulled away from your brother's embrace, smiling at him and telling him you were feeling better. Lie, but at least that reassured Sigurd. He placed a last kiss on your forehead before returning to Ubba. You took a deep breath, leaning against the wall, sliding down it, sitting down on the muddy floor. What could you do? What were you supposed to do?

"You can hide here like a coward if you want little mús. You seem to be good at it. After all, we each have our fights and it looks like you haven't won yours. As long as you refuse to win, you'll stay a scared little mouse."

Win? How could you win against a monster? Just thinking about him, you became again this terrified little girl hiding in a trunk, watching helplessly the people who are dear to you being massacred. You got up, brushing the mud from your pants before finding Ubba and the Ragnarssons brothers. Eivor came out of the barn, announcing that he knew where Burgred was. All they had to do was go find him and capture him. Ubba asked you to watch Lady Aethelswith and make sure she or her servants do not run away. Aethelswith was giving you a dirty look as you leaned against the wall, staring at them.

"And you, who are you?" Lady Aethelswith asked bitterly, crossing her arms across her chest, looking like a stern grandmother.

"The sister of those who captured you," you say in the same tone.

"I see. You are the whore who killed men of God."

"If your husband had been braver, his men would still be alive. The only one to blame is the cowardice of the king who did not hesitate to abandon his men and his wife. What kind of faithful and caring husband, a king, can abandon his wife, his queen, to her fate?" you asked, arching an eyebrow. "Whatever, you don't look better, you used your servant, much braver than you who was ready to sacrifice herself for her queen who took to her heels at the first opportunity."

You could see in her eyes that Aethelswith had a mad desire to kill you. You sat with the group of Saxon women praying to their God to help them through this ordeal. You couldn't help thinking that their God was cruel to them. How cruel your gods have been to you. You were snapped out of your thoughts when you saw your brothers and the Ragnarssons brothers return with none other than Burgred. Aethelswith quickly passed you, calling for her dear and tender, who quickly came to meet her.

"My lady! Are you injured? Did they hurt you?" he asked, glaring at you.

"Nice to see you again," you say as you move closer to the couple.

"No, no. I'm fine," reassured his wife.

"Move along, lord. Your king awaits," Eivor said, showing Burgred the way.

"Your death will come. Your end was write the moment you wame for me. I have made damned on that!" the king swore, turning to Eivor.

"The Zealos will know your names soon enough. No matter where you are, or how far you travel, they will hunt you down!"

"Enough of that, you squeaking sparrow," Sigurd ordered, glaring at the former king sternly before punching him.

Burgred fell unconscious, under the bewildered gaze of Aethelswith. Sigurd slung Burgred over his shoulder, leading him to the barn. There was still some time until Ceolwulf's coronation. Eivor and Ivarr went their separate ways, leaving you alone. You walked around Tamworth, watching the people celebrating. News of Burgred's capture had gone around. The drengrs drank, sang and danced. Everyone seemed so happy. A sigh escaped your lips as you finally found a quiet corner. Gods you hated all that noise. You lit a fire, settling on the ground. You were sure and certain that Eivor or Sigurd would join you. They always managed to find you.

You jumped when you heard a branch snap. A man who must have been in his fifties came up to the side, asking if he could sit by the fire. You nodded slightly, allowing him to settle down. The man had two mugs of mead. He handed you the full tankard, saying that everyone should celebrate the coronation of the new king. You glared at the man, telling him you didn't drink mead. A lie, but you didn't trust people you didn't know. You didn't care if it was a drengr of Ubba and Ivarr. It was one of yours who had killed your parents and orphaned them. You ignored the man who was trying to strike up a conversation with you, letting him know you had no intention of befriending or having a conversation. Night was beginning to fall when Eivor arrived near you, completely drunk. You saw the man wince when you saw your brother lying down beside you. The drengr rested his head on your lap, wondering why you hadn't come to get drunk with him. The man got up and walked away from the fire, not without glaring at the Wolf-kissed. This guy was really weird.

"Are you doing well?" Eivor asked, waving his hand in front of your face, catching your attention.

"The man that was sitting there. He was really weird," you say running your hand through his hair.

"He hurt you?"

"No, he made me feel uncomfortable and... he gave you a funny look."

"Probably a guy I had to punch in the face," he said, starting to fall asleep. "I'll talk to this guy... tomorrow..."

Eivor fell asleep like a rock, snoring so loudly he could wake Thor himself. You leaned back better against the tree trunk putting you to sleep in turn. You were awakened the next day by Eivor for the coronation. You hurried to reach the longhouse. Fortunately, you had arrived in time.

"Where were you two?" Sigurd asked sternly.

"He kept me awake because of his snoring and he used me as a pillow," you say looking at Eivor.

"You're our hangover cure," the concern said with a sneer.

"That's right," Sigurd replied.

You nudged your giggling Jarl in the stomach. Ivarr and Ubba arrived, escorting the fallen king to Ceolwulf. Burgred gazed intently at his old friend who was seated on his throne, surrounded by pagans. Like the others, you observed the interaction of the two men. Burgred was determined to retain his title. Burgred approached Ceolwulf when he recognized her, commenting that the goshawks of justice did not suit him. You leaned towards Sigurd, asking if the coronation was going to be okay on Burgred went on like this. Sigurd put his arm around your shoulders, telling you that everything was going to be fine.

"You stand before us to accept this witan's unanimous decision," said the Anglo-Saxon man. "That you are unfit to rule and are hereby deposited. We demand the abdiction of your kingdom and your crown to Thegn Ceolwulf."

All eyes fell on Ceolwulf. The Thegn rose from his throne, telling his former king that Mercia had spoken. He held out his hand to Burgred, ordering him to hand over his crown. Burgred eyed Ceolwulf intently, pretending to recognize him before apologizing. He approached his new king, telling him that the trappings of justice did not suit him and that if heaven no longer wanted him for you, let him be forgiven for his blindness. He asked for his crown which the Anglo-Saxon man brought to him. Burgred picked up the crown, eyeing it intently. The former king sneered, again asking forgiveness for his temper. He stood there, straight, for he had never learned to kneel in the ground. Burgred approached Ceolwulf handing him the crown before kneeling before him commenting that it was finally easy to kneel without fear or feeling. Burgred laughed at him. Ivarr shouted that he deserved the death penalty for that. According to the laws of your people, it was true. Anyone who mocked a king deserved to die. But obviously, Burgred was trying to use what little power he had left to impose his conditions before giving up his crown. He was brought back to reality by receiving a slap from Ceolwulf.

"You fool! Look around you. You have no leverage here. Plead for your life, for it's the only thing these men will grant you."

Burgred looked around to see that no one was supporting him. Your brothers approached him, as did the Ragnarssons sons.

"Yes... yes. Forgive le, I... do not harm me, I beg of you. Please. I'll go anywhere. here!" he said, handing the crown to Ceolwulf. "I resign it! here!"

Ceolwulf took the crown that was rightfully his, turning his back on the fallen king. His first order was to send Burgred and his wife to Rome, banishing them forever. A man carried the fallen king out of the house. Ceolwulf put the crown on his head. The witan announced to recognize Ceolwulf second of the name as king of Mercia. A just king. A king of mercy. The people acclaimed their new king. But you were still puzzled. Will Ceolwulf be up to it?

The joy was short-lived, as a northern woman quickly entered the longhouse, announcing that Mercian soldiers were marching on Repton. Ubba spoke of Leofrith, to which Ivarr commented that this dog was faithful unto death. Eivor approached the brothers, telling them to round up their men and divide them between the North and South gates. It should divide the enemy forces. Sigurd put your hand on your shoulder, telling you to stay here until he comes back and you're safe. Your brothers and the Ragnarssons brothers quickly left the longhouse, leaving you alone with Ceolwulf in a panic.

"Ceolbert is there," he said before turning to you. "(Y/N), you must save my son."

"Me?" you asked surprised. "I... I don't know. I... I can catch Eivor and..."

"(Y/N), it's an order. Save my son."

You nodded slightly before leaving the longhouse to fetch a horse. Why did he have to ask you to save Ceolbert? No, you shouldn't have thought of it like that. You were going to bring a son back to his father, you didn't need to shed blood. You mounted your horse, setting off for Repton. When you arrived there, the city had become a real battlefield. Everything was on fire, the drengrs and the soldiers were killing each other. You got off your horse, looking for Ceolbert. You quickly crossed the battlefield, firing your arrows as a croak reached your ears. You rolled your eyes to see Synin. The crow flew in a circle, above you before flying away. She wanted you to follow her. She had never failed you. You followed the crow, crossing the battlefield, shooting arrows, eliminating those who tried to stop you. You had to cross the river to find Ceolbert standing in front of Leofrith.

"Please. You do not want to do this," Ceolbert begged as he stepped back, tightening his grip on his sword.

Leofrith drew his sword, he had nothing to do with Ceolbert's words. You nocked one of your arrows, aiming between Burgred's hound's feet before firing. Leofrith and Ceolbert froze before turning to you. You put yourself between the two men.

"Let him walk, Leofrith," you say as you pick up another arrow. "You answer to me."

"I answer to my king," he said, glaring at you sternly. "I silence Danes... with this."

Leofrith held up his sword, letting you know he had no intention of talking quietly. You put away your arrow and bow, turning to Ceolbert to take his sword and tell him to back off. The young man nodded slightly before stepping back.

"Lay it by, Leofrith. There's nothing left to fight for," you say, getting into a fighting stance. "My brothers and the Ragnarssons stormed Repton. Only a matter of time."

"I cannot do that."

Leofrith rushed towards you, bringing his sword down on you. You manage to parry the attack with your sword. Attacking yourself. Why did this man have to fight for a man who didn't care about him? Why did you have to fight him? Leofrith threw dirt in your face, blinding you and making you cough. Burgred's right-hand man swung his sword down on you, slicing you from your right shoulder to your left hip. Ceolbert screamed your name as he saw you fall to your knees and saw all the blood escaping from your wound.

"You're weak," Leofrith commented as he kicked your stomach, knocking you to the ground. "And pathetic. You're not worthy of being considered a real fight."

Weak? Yes. Pathetic? No, that was out of the question. Your grip tightened on the sleeve of your sword. You quickly rose to your feet, bringing your sword down on Leofrith. The man was surprised to see you get up and be so upset. You landed sword blow after sword blow. Leofrith tried to parry your attacks, but to no effect. You kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground. The man was dumbfounded. You got on top of him, stabbing the sword into his arm, making him scream in pain. Ceolbert watched you shock. You had never been so pissed off. You released the sword from Leofrith's arm, pointing it at his face.

"Weak? Yes, I grant you that. I am," you say between your teeth. "Pathetic? Never in the Nine Realms, I wouldn't make anyone feel that way."

"Go on then," he said between two breaths. "End it."

"No appeal to your God? Or your king?"

"I swore an oath to serve Burgred to the death. I fought. I lost. We both know how this goes."

You didn't understand him. How could he continue to serve Burgred? Why was he willing to die for such a man? Now you had his life in his hands. Your attention fell on Ceolbert who was begging you with his eyes not to shed any more blood. You sighed heavily, lowering the sword you dropped to the ground. Leofrith looked at you puzzled as you held out your hand.

"Stand, Leofrith. You're not going to die today."

"What?" he asked, accepting your help.

"It would be unfair of me to kill you without you knowing the truth. Your loyalty to Burgred is not a loyalty returned," you say, tearing off a piece of your tunic to wrap it around his injured arm. "He resigned the crown and fled to Rome. He's gone."

"You lie," he said stepping back, not wanting to believe your words.

"Lie to a man seconds from death? What would I gain?" eyeing Leofrith who seemed resigned. "He saved himself and left you to dia. All this fighting, it's for nothing. For no one. To betray one so trusted, so close... it's a dishonor worth a thousand deaths."

Leofrith nodded slightly, considering your words. Ceolbert moved closer to you, thanking you with a slight nod for letting the man live. Burgred's former right-hand man moved closer to the water, reflecting on the aftermath of his events.

"(Y/N)... you have show me a great kindness," he said turning to you. "It... it is only fitting that I do the same. At Venonis, there is a statue with a scroll laid in a small bowl. Eivor must burn it."

"A Scroll?"

"Eivor's name is on this scroll. At Burgred's request, I put it there. When it is found, the Zealots who read it will hunt him."

"Who are they?" you asked perplexed.

"It doesn't matter now, you haven't much time. Burn the scroll. Or they will never stop hunting him."

"Where will you go now?"

"Rome," he replied sternly.

Leofrith's gaze fell on Ceolbert, he put his hand on his shoulder, smiling at him before leaving. Leaving behind him, the young man and the Dane. A groan of pain escaped your lips as you put your hand on your wound. Ceolbert seemed to remember you were hurt. He asked you if you were okay. You had to cling to him, asking him to take you to your brothers. You needed to be treated as soon as possible. Ceolbert put your arm around his shoulders, he wrapped his arm around your waist, apologizing for the inappropriate closeness, leading you away from the battlefield. You pointed out to the king's son that he was wounded. He reassured you, telling you that it was only a few bruises and gashes from the fight. You considered him lucky, because his wounds will heal quickly. Ceolbert sighed, explaining to you that he had thrown himself on Leofrith, but this one was happy to play with him. Leofrit knew he couldn't do anything against him.

"You should have stayed hidden, Ceolbert," you say between your teeth. "This wasn't your fight."

"That wasn't your fight either," he said as he crossed the stream. "Why did you come?"

"Order from your father. The new king of Mercia. Congratulations, you are a young odlingr or aetheling. Whichever you prefer."

"(Y/N)... thanks for helping me."

"You're welcome."

The duo arrived at the gates of Repton. You breathed a sigh of relief when you saw Eivor and Sigurd. Your brothers were talking to the Ragnarsson brothers. Their gaze fell on you and the young aetheling who let go of you, being sure that you were steady on your feet. You thanked him with a nod, allowing him to move closer to Ivarr who didn't hesitate to tell him that he was delighted to see him covered in blood and glory. If he continued like this, he would end up as a clan leader. Eivor and Sigurd weren't so thrilled when they saw your sorry state.

"Sister. What happened to you? Why didn't you stay with King Ceolwulf?" Sigurd asked, checking your wound.

"Order from the king to go save his son's ass," you said as you clung to Eivor. "I am fine. It will heal."

"You fought Leofrith alone?" Eivor asked looking at you surprised.

"Surprise?" you asked, grimacing when Sigurd lifted your top to check the depth of the wound.

"It needs to be stitched up as soon as possible." he said straightening up.

"There's a woman who can help him with that. She found herself a few steps from here in a blue tent," Ubba said. "Her name is Kyssa. Go see her quickly."

Sigurd thanked Ubba with a nod, leading you to the tent. Eivor followed suit. The famous Kyssa didn't seem at all surprised to see you so banged. She made a sign for you to sit on the table, the time she prepares the necessary to heal you before telling your two brothers to get out of the tent. You stopped Eivor explaining to him what Leofrit had explained to you with the scroll containing his first name hiding in a statue holding a small bowl to Venonis and that he had to hurry to burn it. Eivor nodded slightly, saying he was going right away. He left the tent, leaving you with Sigurd who left the tent in turn, explaining that he had to speak to the Ragnarsson brothers. You were now alone with Kyssa. This helps you remove your top, revealing your wound.

"Well, you did great," she said, dabbing a water-soaked cloth on your wound. "From your right shoulder to your left hip, I've never seen such a gash before."

"I've always done it big for the first time."

"Was this your first battle?" she asked, putting the rag on the table to take a needle which she passed through the flame of her candle.

"Yes."

"Well, now you're going to taste the joy of being stitched up. Lay down. It won't be long."

You lay back on the table, watching Kyssa thread the thread through the needle before getting to work. You gritted your teeth as you felt her make the first stitch, pulling your ripped flesh together. Kyssa observed your body. She noticed that you had no scars.

"You did great for that first injury," she said, continuing her points.

"Yeah, it's always been that way with me," you say through gritted teeth.

"Was that your first fight?"

"You could say that. I've seen fights. I've been through battlefields, but fighting myself... it never happened."

"Why is that? You seem like a good warrior," she said as she dabbed at the blood.

"My brothers have always fought in my place."

"I see. Brothers a bit overprotective? Hm! Mine was the same. Always taking the ax" out of my hands so I wouldn't hurt myself," she smiled. "That idiot even tried to convince Ubba not to put me on the raids. He was too scared for his darling little sister."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Don't worry, they'll leave you alone when you prove your worth to them. Which you've probably done, sweetling," she said, cutting the thread with her teeth. "There you are, you're good as new. You just have to wait for the wires to fall before you return to the battlefield. And no training. You have to rest."

"Thank you Kyssa."

"You're welcome sweetling. Can you just tell me your name?"

"(Y/N)."

"Enchant (Y/N)," she said, wrapping bandages around your torso, covering your wound. "You are more docile than the others."

"You have finished?" asked Sigurd.

"Yes, you can come in."

Sigurd entered the tent again, thanking Kyssa for healing you. She helped you put your top back on before she let you go. Sigurd asked you to follow him to a place quite isolated and where he was sure that no one could hear your conversation. Your brother helped you sit up, asking if you weren't in too much pain. You smiled at him, telling him that you were fine and that your wound will heal quickly. Your Jarl nodded, seeming reassured by your words. Silence fell between you two. A restful silence. Despite the battle there was, Repton was calm. As if nothing had happened. It was quite strange. You never stayed at the end of a battle. Every time Sigurd called you, you did what you had to do and then Eivor brought you home, safe and sound. It has always been like this.

"(Y/N) I... I thought about what you said to me when you came back Ledecestre. You're right about one thing. If any of my drengrs acted like you do, I banished him without giving one a second chance," he said, rubbing his hands nervously.

"I know."

"But! That doesn't mean you're useless," he said taking your hand in his. "You are strong sister. You are the bravest and strongest person in his Nine Realms. Yes, Eivor and I fight for you, as you do for us, but I believe... that we a... too much fight for you to avoid making you suffer. I think that after what happened when you were a child, we wanted to avoid that the least evil happens to you. We wanted to give you an easy life without you need to fight whatever. It was a mistake. Not to protect yourself, of course, but..."

"It was a mistake to protect me too much."

"Yes," he said with a sigh. "Eivor and I will never be able to train you as we would like. We always see you as our little sister who we don't want to hurt. So I asked Ubba and Ivarr to train you. welcome to them when you are healed. They are the best able to provide you with a training worthy of the name."

"So... we're going to be separated."

"Only for a while. But it's for a good reason and it's a good reason. I promise you'll be fine."

"I know. What do we do now?"

"I'll take you back to Ravensthorpe with Ceolbert. You'll rest and when the young aetheling receives a letter that he can return to his father, you'll come back with him. You'll probably be well by now."

"Ceolbert must leave Mercia?"

"Yes, there are still Burgred's soldiers lurking around. The king has asked for him to be safe while things calm down," he explained as he stood up. "We'll be on our way. I have to get to the Oxenefordscire quickly."

You nodded, accepting Sigurd's help to get up. He led you to the waiting horses. Ceolbert was in the company of his father, Ubba and Ivarr. The attention of the group arose his tone to arrive and that of your brother. He helped you get on your horse, telling you to tell him if you feel any discomfort during the trip. Ceolbert mounted his mount, asking you if you were all right. You nodded slightly, telling him that Kyssa had you back on your feet in minutes. Ivarr sneered, commenting that you had better be on your feet, as he would personally take care of your training when you return to Mercia. Your gaze rested on Ubba who apologized in advance. Sigurd announced that it was time to go. You followed your brother and Ceolbert, taking one last look at Repton to see that Ivarr was watching you intently. You stared ahead, feeling your heart race. It was really strange.

"I know that look," Ubba said looking down at Ivarr. "Whatever you plan to do against (Y/N), nor think not. She's an ally and sister to a Jarl."

"You forget, Ubba, that I am the one who will be in charge of her training when she comes back here with the twig that clutches the king's offspring."

Ivarr turned his back on his brother and walked away to return to his tent. He put his axe on the table before undressing and lying down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling of his tent, his thoughts directed towards you. A little mús that was full of surprises. To see you covered in blood, dirt and sweat. It had excited him. And now Sigurd had just asked him to train you. A cowardly little mús who returned her meal at the slightest drop of blood and who didn't know how to fight. He was going to be able to play with an innocent little mouse. Fresh and tender flesh. It had been a long time since he had had one in his mouth. He couldn't help but snicker, licking his lips.

"I will devour you."

[florelia12]

Naturally, I was thinking about florelia and their backstories (what else am I supposed to do with my life?)

I was also reading dramione fanfics (again) and it got me thinking abt 6th year Draco being asked to assassinate Dumbledore…

Did I find a way to turn that into a Helia backstory? Yes. Yes i did.

So, I started thinking about first-year, fifteen year old baby Helia being sent to kill Saladin. Going undercover as a Specialist in Red Fountain.

And it’s got a bit of Necromancer!Helia in it. So CW for child abuse, DV and death.

I’ve had this headcanon that Saladin wasn’t always a cheerful/understanding old man. He used to be rather fierce and unforgiving, emotionally detached and tied to duty. I think it’s also canon that he left his ex-girlfriend because she went into the dark arts.

Something consistent in all my hcs about Helia is his parents straight up being on the dark side and working with Valtor (maybe inspired by that one scene with Valtor and Helia). So, Saladin’s son kind of turns on him and the light side and joins Valtor.

This would result in Saladin disowning his son in an effort to remind the rest of the Company of Light where his loyalties lie. Saladin has shown that his reputation matters highly to him so i think this would be fairly in character.

Even go as far as to killing his own son during a battle.

At this point does Saladin know he has a grandchildren? Nope.

So out of fear of Saladin and a new hatred for Valtor for letting her husband die, Helia’s mother takes her kids and goes into hiding. She turns to her family who are Necromancers, begging them to bring back her husband. She’s too weak to do it herself.

Her family was once on the dark side but turned neutral after realising that the Company of Light might actually stand a chance at defeating Valtor.

So they refuse at first but they know that after the battle is over, the light side will shun them out or even prosecute them so having power over Saladin’s grandkids might come in useful one day.

They bring Helia’s father back to life but he’s not the same since bringing back the dead will always have consequences. He’s more evil than before and swears to take revenge on his father. Kind of loses his mind a little from spending time on the other side. Since it took some time, his body also kind of stays in a half decayed state. for the creepy effects..

After watching Vox Machina I can’t help but think of Helia with a twin sister. However, in the case of twins in my hcs is that one of them (the healthier one in the womb) will end up absorbing magic from the other one. So only one twin can use magic while the other can’t, basically making them a human.

Helia is the one with the magic potential, twice as powerful since he absorbed his sister’s magic as well. Also he ends up inheriting the necromancy magic.

Helia is raised and trained by his father to kill Saladin while maintaining the cover that his father is dead.

They both grow up with his mother’s family but they don’t know about Helia’s father’s plans.

Helia of course doesn’t want to kill anyone, but since his father is crazy atp he uses his sister and mother to threaten Helia. Goes as far as to torture his mother to keep Helia in line. But, mostly ignores his sister because she’s useless to him.

He also leeches off of Helia’s powers to keep himself alive that makes Helia rather weak and sick at times, resulting in him having to visit Linphea to get help from the healers. Kind of makes sense for necromancers to work with Healers so they’ve got big connections, aka the royal palace where he meets Krystal. (Trying to tie it all in is tiring but fun)

Helia has a close relationship with his sister. She knows he does his best to protect her but she’s also treated badly for not having any powers. There isn’t any animosity between them but she does envy him. A lot. She won’t be able to fulfil the ‘task’ since she doesn’t have powers and can’t be a Specialist either which she finds extremely unfair.

She kind of has to become a caretaker for their mother who refuses to leave their father because she knows the man he once was but her health gets worse from the torture. Especially since their guardians, their mother’s family, doesn’t know what their father does to them.

So once he turns fifteen, he ends up in Red Fountain, just like any other Specialist. Saladin of course takes note of the resemblance and his magic signature but once he looks into Helia’s background he doesn’t find anything suspicious.

Maybe his records show that he was an orphan. Taken in as a ward. Still ironing out that part.

Helia is of course canonically one of the best students. Catching Codatorta’s and Saladin’s attention. This gets him closer to the professor and they end up sending him on more espionage missions that makes him a better spy. He then uses his advanced spying skills to plot out the best way to unalive saladin.

At some point, Helia starts to remind Saladin of his son before he turned dark. This kind of brings out the guilt he always felt for killing his son without giving him a chance to redeem himself.

The normally strict, fierce and commanding headmaster starts going soft on Helia.

This of course confuses Helia because isn’t this the man ruthless enough to kill his own son? How is he supposed to kill him now?

Codatorta on the other hand is extremely suspicious of Helia and he is the one who figures out who he truly is. But, when he tells Saladin, Saladin decides to not let Helia know that he knows.

When the time is right, Helia is supposed to carry out his plan. But when he does, Saladin is just there waiting for him. He offers to take Helia in, even pardon his mother and do his best to protect him they way he couldn’t protect his son.

Helia is torn and doesn’t know what to do. He wants to keep his family safe and he is terrified of what his father will do. He breaks down and tells all of this to Saladin.

Codatorta thinks it’s all an act but Saladin chooses to believe him. To end the cycle.

Helia realising he actually wants to stay at Red Fountain and that he can be something other than a murderer. That he can actually protect people, be a hero and all that.

Both Helia and Saladin take a leap of faith. Helia accepts.

Helia’s mother is first rescued and sent to Lightrock where she can safely serve her time since she too has started to deteriorate from the torture.

His father is arrested and sent to the Omega Dimension since they can’t actually kill him again.

His sister is missing at first but she finds Helia and is angry at him for betraying their family. She’s mad at him because they took their mother away and no matter how much Helia tries to reason with her, she refuses to listen. She says she would have gone through with the assassination but he couldn’t.

Then she abandons him and disappears.

The news breaks out that Helia’s Saladin’s grandson causing uproar and rumours that he purposely hid Helia’s identity to prevent nepotism accusations.

Having learned his lesson and in an effort to be a better grandfather, he publicly claims Helia as his grandson.

This backfires on Helia who was once respected by his fellow specialists but now they hate him for lying. It caused a lot of issues for Saladin as well.

Helia who is exhausted from everything that has happened and doesn’t know what to do with his newfound freedom, decides to leave and explore the world.

Saladin respects his decision but Codatorta wants him to stay because he’s grown fond of Helia.

Of course, Helia leaves for art school in the end, renounces his magic because he is so done with that shit and then the rest is history.

Phew…

Now ive always wanted to write a fanfic about Helia’s first time at Red Fountain but it always turns into this complicated mess of angst that I decided to just ramble.

If there was ever a sequel it would be about Helia’s sister coming back after years and she’s evil now (maybe even breaks their mother out of prison) but Helia tries to save her and all that. Or his father got out of omega dimension when Valtor broke out. So much familial angst.

Anyways that’s all for tonight. Thanks for tuning in.

[thelongforgottenrealm]

UPDATE 03.10.24

Hey everyone!

Just a quick update: I hope to get the last couple of characters from tier 3 posted this evening, but if not they will be the first thing to come after my hiatus! (Speaking of, I don't think I'll be on much this week, at all. The next couple of days before I go away will be pretty busy tbh)

I also wanted to give a quick overview of what is going on with the Lorcans! They will come in the next tier in a few months, but since Saoirse works for them/they are Malconaire cousins, I think it would be helpful to know about their situation!

Lorcan's estate is basically a fortress that is built into the side of a mountain

And, in true Lorcan fashion, it was designed with the potential to not only protect the family instead, but had enough room that it could provide shelter to the entire village below in the event of a war or natural disaster

There is also a secret labyrinth of tunnels beneath that can be both used as a shelter and as a means of escape -- the tunnel will eventually lead out through a cave that borders the Malconaire lands (so, in theory, the Malconaires could secretly visit their cousins w/o being spotted ... however this journey does take several hours, one way, on foot)

During the way, not a single Astairan life was lost upon Lorcan lands. When Roderick sent an army to set siege upon them, the villagers took shelter inside and had more than enough supplies that they outlasted the army

Lord Lorcan, however, was not present during the siege -- having left days beforehand to offer his help to his in the Battle of Malconaire

He never returned (nor was his body ever found)

Lord Lorcan was married to Aine Calleary and with he had two children. His eldest, a son, is only nine years old

While he is Lord Lorcan now, in name (his father presumed dead), he is too young to govern and Roderick knew that a steward must be appointed to him

Lord Lorcan also left behind two (or three??? I haven't decided yet #whoops) sisters

Given that his wife and his sisters are unfit for this position under Roderick's rule, given that they are females, Roderick's next choice was Aine Calleary's brothers and therefore uncle's to the new Lord Lorcan, but as their own father was executed for being a traitor, Roderick did not wish to bestow such a valuable holding to either of them, either

So he has appointed his own steward, who the Lorcan's must live under

The Calleary's are also relatives of Eoin's/Ciara's (their mother being the the late Lord Calleary's younger sister)

The Calleary's ancestral seat of Hanthom was taken from them after their father's refusal to bend his knee to Roderick and was gifted to Godfrey upon his engagement to Ciara

Cormac Calleary, the eldest son of Lord Calleary, has been gifted another estate of slighter smaller size and prestige, but one that had also been so badly destroyed during the war that it is currently uninhabitable and he, his brother, and two sisters are currently living with Lady Lorcan, her children, and her sisters-in-law at Lorcan under the watch of Roderick's steward

[laurancezvahlslefteyebrow]

I feel like info dumping about my MCD OC and her family lore etc

Quick pronunciations: Eserty (es-er-it) Yrva (ear-vuh) Björn (byorn or byern) Aerdna (air-d-nuh) Lihcem (lie-chem) Zerimar (zair-i-mar)

Ok so her FULL name is Eseryt Yrva Björndotter of Barton. She is the long lost bio sister of Cadenza. They were separated when Zerimar was attacked, and they stayed that way for 13 years, until Eseryt was guided by the sentient forest to Phoenix Drop. Eseryt is a siren (though she doesn’t know until later) who’s name means ‘to perceive.’ She is able to read people like a book, but is practically impossible to read herself. If you manage to get a good read on her, it’s either because she let you or because its how she wants you to see her.

Cadenza’s full name started as Cadenza Yrva, but became Cadenza Yrva Zvahl when she was adopted by Jo and Hayden. Cadenza is a siren who’s name means ‘beautiful voice’. Her given magicks is an advanced version of her siren abilities. Not only is her voice literally beautiful, but she also has a way of making other do as she says, without needing to sing.

Their parent’s names were Aerdna and Lihcem Yrva, mother and father respectively.

Aerdna was a siren who’s given magicks was her beauty (I know how original, she didn’t pick it), and she was a teacher and nurse. She was a kind and loving person, though sensitive and self sacrificing.

Lihcem was Second in Command Guard of Zerimar, who’s name meant power. His given magicks was his great strength: physical, mental, and emotional. He was a strong and smart man, but selfish and arrogant.

Björn is a turned werewolf who found Eseryt the night Zerimar was attacked, just after she’d lost Cadenza. He took her to Barton and adopted her as his own. He had just lost his wife and son, and had she not been there he might have lost himself. His wife Amelia, had always wanted a daughter. He felt like he was meant to protect her, that he’d found Eseryt for a reason. She was with him from ages 5-18, never allowed to leave Barton for her own safety. Björn tried to explain to her that the rest of the world wasn’t as peaceful and loving as Barton, but Eseryt felt pulled towards the forest and has the need to explore and wander.

One night she waited for him to fall asleep and left into the forest, where she was guided to Phoenix Drop and reunited with her sister. Es didn’t return for nearly 20 years, 15 of those years not being of her own choice, seeing as she was quite literally in another dimension. When she did return, she was different, Björn could tell. She was a shadow night, and in danger.

In my rewrite’s conclusion, the Island of the Phoenix Alliance becomes comprised, so Eseryt takes everyone to Barton for refuge. Shad eventually tracks them there and that’s where to final battle is: Just outside the village.

Now this is where it gets extra angsty and whumpy:

Travis, who is in love with Eseryt and vice versa, is injured pretty badly during the battle. Eseryt stops what she’s doing to get him to the village so he can be treated. After the battle is won, and Shad is killed once and for all, Es goes to see Travis. He’s barely conscious, mostly from blood loss. She steps outside to talk to Lucinda, who’s taken over his treatment as well as most of the other injured people. As she’s telling Es that he’ll be fine, Eseryt suddenly collapses. Absolutely no sign she was going to whatsoever. She’s freezing cold, more so than a shadow night should be. She goes to alert the others only to find them panicking because Laurance and Vylad have also suddenly collapsed, at the exact same time no less. Everything had been fine moments before, they were laughing and celebrating.

They’re all brought to the inn, the one that Björn runs. It’s determined that this is bc Shad is dead, and he was somehow keeping them alive. It’s hard to live with only half a soul, so they’re bodies shut down. When Travis is finally healed enough to be conscious, he asks for Es, and is informed by none other than Björn of what’s happened.

Oooookay that’s enough of that

I could talk about my OCs for literal hours but that’s not what you’re here for

I just had to let some out before I exploded… just like Aaron… hehe

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Rolin Rising

So, I'm not gonna lie here. I bogged right the hell down in what I am told is something of a rite of passage with the Throne of Glass (TOG) series: I read the first witches chapter and couldn't have cared LESS. After getting permission to skip a couple of them though, I got moving again and actually thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's climactic conclusion. Let's talk Heir of Fire.

As is par for the course for this blog, there are SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. Be warned and proceed at your own risk.

Ok, SJM structures her books in such a way that it's easier to jut take her books by POV character(s), ships, and geographic groups, so that's what we are gonna do here.

Rolin (I have no idea if this is the official ship name, but its better than Aelan)

*Stares in baffled confusion between Rolin and Feysand*

I swear, this section is going to be about more than comparing key ships, but I read ACOTAR before TOG, and I am fucking baffled as to how you write a couple like Aelin and Rowan only to follow it up with Feyre and Rhsand. The former is made of interesting characters who complement and contrast each other and who are deeply interesting to watch because despite their differences, they dont feel toxic. The latter is...Feyre making Rhysand and painting (sometimes. Usually off-page or in her head more than in reality) her entire personality at age 20. I don't understand the progression is what I'm saying, and I am so much less interested in Feysand after reading Heir of Fire.

Ok, I'm done bashing Feysand. Rowan and Aelin's relationship in this book did not start as something I thought I'd enjoy. Aelin was sad and self-destructive in ways that felt narratively draggy after the first two books, and Rowan was just a dick. But as they were forced to exist in each others' space and train and survive skinwalkers (put a pin in that, we'll get there*) and Valg Princes, their dynamic developed in a way that felt earned and organic, and I ended up deeply invested in their relationship.

Possibly my favorite overall piece of their relationship is that neither quite gets the other until HELLA late in the game; it might even be fair to say that they don't fully get each other by the end of this book. Rowan was floored when Aelin yote herself into a death battle (low-key I think he should have seen that coming, but I guess soldiers don't imagine people flouting orders and lying to a commander's face), and Aelin really had to come to terms with herself before she really could get into understanding Rowan.

I also like that they are allowed to fuck up. Notably Rowan's early threat to take a whip to Aelin. She genuinely would have murdered him for that. That's also not entirely his fault, because Maeve withheld information, but once they like each other enough to communicate civilly, they work that stuff out.

The other really good thing about Rowan and Aelin's relationship is that their dynamic is two people who stand together but make their own choices. That can often get overlooked or trampled in romantic relationships, but Aelin is extremely herself, and I love that.

I also cannot wait to see how Aedion reacts to Rowan having sworn a blood oath to HIS queen...

Manon, Abraxos, and the Witches

Ok, so for all that not loving the witches in this book is a canon reader experience (I am told by the memes and my sister), I really only skipped a couple of chapters before the witches caught me too. I just incidentally thought I'd skim a chapter, and it turned out to be the one where Abraxos murders the crap out of Titus (I think was his name? He's dead though, nobody carea). And y'all? It wasn't Manon who grabbed my heart; it was Abraxos. Abraxos, who wanted to live so badly, who chose Manon so hard the entire culture felt it, and who likes wildflowers stole my heart right out of my chest and cuddled with it like a cat with a ball of yarn.

If anything happens to Abraxos, we riot.

Now, while Abraxos had my heart immediately, Manon grew on me more slowly. The fact that the witches are literally raised as little sociopaths and the cracks are starting to show is interesting, and I'm definitely interested in seeing how this develops. Also, I cannot WAIT for Manon to put her grandmother down, because that woman is VICIOUS.

Chaol and Aedion's Excellent Adventure

Ok, so Chaol and Aedion are kind of...on deck...this entire book. They're just kind of biding time and making sure the resistance stays alive and playing politics while they're waiting for Celaena/Aelin to make her next move. Their dynamic is more or less two soldiers who are strange bedfellows out of necessity and don't REALLY trust each other, but they have enough in common that they sort of grow on each other. Reluctantly. It's actually very cute.

Also, Aedion pulling that final self-sacrifice play to try to save everyone at the end and to get Chaol out because he meant something to Aelin bumped him up SEVERAL significant notches in my estimation.

Chaol took Fleetfoot with him when he bailed on Adarlan, so he gets pupper protection points.

Dorian Needs a Hug

Dorian Havillard is having a terrible time this book. He's terrified of his own magic, down bad for a pretty healer, and sans his childhood best friend and murder Barbie BFF. He's also ingesting iron to try to keep his magic from being outed, hiding his healer from his father (who already murdered her parents and would murder her without a second thought), and feeling hella betrayed because Chaol thinks he's evil and scary for his magic. This man needs a hug SO BADLY at the beginning of the book.

That's nothing compared to how badly he needs a hug after his girlfriend is revealed to be a spy and beheaded in front of him, is *probably* captured by his Dad after his magic being explicitly outed, and everyone who could help him either already in chains or fleeing for their lives.

SJM and Cutlrual Appropriation*

Ok, let's get back to that skinwalker pin for a sec here. Red from OSP has a great little mini talk in the Urban Fantasy Trope Talk on why appropriating the term "skinwalker" from Navajo lore is...IFFY AT BEST, so I'm not going to reiterate why using the term here is perhaps not the best choice and should probably have been run through a sensitivity reader and axed in the drafts. But I do want to just...highlight that SJM is still very, very comfortable with wholesale nabbing stuff from global mythologies and folklore, stripping it of its context, and dropping it into her books without really doing any REcontextualizing. Because SJM's baddies in this more are more magical Freddie Kreuger than anything else, and to use a specifically Navajo term for that low-key gives me the ick. I'm not a fan of this in SJM's work as a whole. It feels appropriative, and the fact that a lot of the bad guys are from colonized (or attempted genocided, in the case of Indigenous American mythologies) people just intensifies the ick. Part of seeing all of a story you love is not ignoring the problems, and this is VERY MUCH an ongoing problem with SJM books.

So overall, I had fun with this book. The pacing at the beginning is a little rough, but the character and relationship dynamics are well handled, and I enjoyed a lot of this book. Abraxos is also just awesome, and I will die on this hill.