#i'm still mulling this one over but i'm curious what anyone else thinks

[deliriumzer0]

Another GenLoss thought re: "The Hero"

Okay so this has been bugging me and I couldn't stop thinking about it, it's been creepin' & crawlin' around in my head for the last two weeks.

Awhile back Nathan Hanover posted a bit of "The Hero," from the Gen 1 OST, and he talked about how the track was originally called "The Main Character", but it was changed to the more "thematically appropriate" title "The Hero."

I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't initially read too much into the term "Hero" being used for GL!Ranboo, and in my head it was basically synonymous with "protagonist". But the above tidbit of info gave me some pause on that and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Why "The Hero" specifically??

In the stream, Hetch refers to the other characters dying on his behalf as part of what makes GL!Ranboo the hero, but I mean, it's Hetch. We can't rule it out as relevant, sure, but we can't fully trust it as being anything more than a taunt either, so I kind of threw that away.

Then the other day I had a shower thought about the Hero's Journey.

At this point, a lot of my corner of the internet knows of Joseph Campbell's theory of the monomyth, and if you're big into storytelling, writing, story structures, human history, myths, etc. you probably know the Hero's Journey story structure by heart at this point. I've certainly used it as a jumping-off point for stories in the past (and to help me when I got stuck). But for those who aren't aware, it'd be too long to get into it on this post so I highly recommend checking out the wikipedia page on the concept. There are some pieces of it that are more gendered than they need to be, but a lot of the story beats are undoubtedly a bit familiar to you if you've ever seen a movie.

While Gen 1 has a ton of hero's journey story beats (most are in common between a majority of "hero faces a challenge and overcomes it" stories in the western world, tbh), a lot of Gen 1 does NOT seem to follow this journey, so my shower thought was like "Eh, maybe? ...nah" and then I thought about it some more, and remembered one VITAL aspect of the hero's journey: the freaking LOOP.

Graphically/visually, the hero's journey is almost always depicted as a cycle because it has the hero starting at one "normal" and then returning home having carried what they learned forward into a new "normal." The Hero leaves one person, and then comes home as another. I think this fits a lot of the fandom's theories about Gen 1, and fits in with my theory about Gen 1's entire universe being on a VHS tape that gets replayed & re-recorded over and over.

That's why GL!Ranboo is "The Hero," not because he's an actual heroic figure, but because he leaves his origin point and then returns changed over and over again, slightly different each time it happens. Y'know, like how generation loss works, except hat generation loss is a negative effect, a degradation in quality over time, and the hero's journey is typically presented as a positive, being an augmentation of the hero's knowledge, skills, and experience.

Kinda makes you (over)think...

[yuus-sentient-teddy]

"You've been staring at me for a while. What are you thinking?" Chaco turns the rest of his body so that he's now sitting fully facing you.

"I don't trust you," you declare simply. That was you, wasn't it? Not one to beat around the bush and carrying yourself like a school teacher, all proper and head held high. But there was a whimsical air around you that anyone who spent plenty of time with you would notice, and he has spent plenty. Put simply, you were like a character from a dramatic comedy. The seeming straight, no-nonesense friend with a soft and caring heart.

He quirks a brow and leans forward. "Oh? Why is that?"

"You smile too much," you say, folding your hands on the table and also leaning forward. "And your smiles are too perfect. I'm willing to bet that you're hiding something. No one can smile always perfectly."

"But what if that's how I am? Besides, there's always something to smile about. Like our lord."

Unwillingly, your lips pull up into a smile. "Can't argue with that," you concede. "But then, what else are you thinking that makes you smile?"

"Have you always been this curious about me? Can't get me out of your thoughts?" he teases.

"Yes. You're very interesting." Another simple declaration from you, the whimsical, no-beating-around-the-bush you. You even bob your head in a nod!

The almost deadpan delivery makes him want to laugh, but at the same time, he feels his cheeks start to warm. So, to hide the fluster, he lets out that laugh and rests his chin in his palm. "You know, I could say the same for you too. You're not like most of the other skaters here. If anything, you and Tuxedo Sam's Fragaria might get along."

"No offense to him, but no thanks."

That makes him laugh, much harder than before. He actually turns his body so he could double over, which causes him to miss your satisfied smile and small giggle. Once he's done laughing, he says, "The others are going to love hearing that. Say, did you know you can get a special type of ice cream down the street?"

"I knew it! This is banana ice cream!"

Chaco just smiles as he bites into his spoonful.

"You said there was a special type of ice cream sold here, but this flavor is common," you say.

"Take another bite," he says.

You narrow your eyes and stare at him for a second too long before taking another bite. Your eyes then widen. "Oh! There's a frozen banana slice in here."

"And that's what makes this ice cream special. The other parlors in the area don't have this trait, see?"

You mull it over, taking another bite of ice cream, and nod. "Mmyeah."

And that's how things are between the two of you. Whenever he suggests something, you would take his word for it. Of course, it was not without staring at him for a second too long, as though you could parse the truth out of him by searching his grey eyes. Despite "tricking" you many times (always harmless tricks, mind you), you never backed down.

That brings us to now: the two of you sitting on swing sets staring at the dawning sky, after Chaco said he knew of a quiet place with a great view of the sunrise.

"A while ago, you said you didn't trust me," he says. "Do you still not trust me?"

"Yes."

The way the answer is delivered so whimsically serious makes his smile genuine. "But you still hang out with me. Shouldn't you be more wary?"

"Yes, but if I'm too wary, I wouldn't be able to get to the bottom of what exactly is making you untrustworthy."

How paradoxical, he thinks. Not to mention, it was dangerous of you explain your plan so plainly to the very person you wanted to know more of.

The strangeness of you was so amusing just as it made you so endearing.

"So far, I've figured out that you like pulling friendly and clever pranks, and that you're not entirely untrustworthy. As a Fragaria, you would have the want to protect your lord and the kingdom, but even if you weren't, I can't see you as someone who enjoys hurting people. Whenever we hang out, nothing malicious happens."

"But what if the next thing we do does hurt you?"

"You wouldn't want it to happen and you wouldn't let it. That's not you. Besides, I'd be disappointed. I look forward to whatever silly surprise you have for me."

Chaco considers this. "So you hang out with me because you look forward to that?"

"That's half of it. The other half is that it's just very nice hanging out with you, even if we don't do anything exciting." You pause for a moment to admire the changing hue of the sky. "Like now."

The sun is now beginning to peek over the trees. Chaco immediately thinks of how perfect you look smiling under the golden light.

He likes gullible people, but you are a very special and very interesting exception.

[duckielover151]

Thoughts on s5ep1 (Both Sides, Now)

All right, I've had some time to mull it over, and I think I've solidified my thoughts on this first episode to our final season. There are a lot of storylines running at once. Let's go in a negative-to-positive direction.

I think the rivalry between Paul and Marjan is probably the most inconsequential, and I'm just not feeling it for a few reasons. For one... I just cannot take them seriously any time someone tries to say they're equally qualified for the promotion. I like both their characters, but Marjan has consistently earned a reputation for being reckless and kind of irresponsible, and you just don't put someone like that in a leadership position, no matter how flashy her rescues look. Never mind the fact that I have a feeling this whole competition may be pointless anyway. I genuinely have no idea what they're going to do with Judd if not bring him back. It's hard to picture another future for him.

Which kind of brings us to Grace... Whose storyline-- or rather, excuse for an exit-- I already knew was probably going to disappoint me...

This mercy trip excuse is weak. Hardly an excuse to leave your own child when she's still so young. (And was the scene where Judd was explaining it to Wyatt just a little... uncomfortable to anyone else? I don't know, something about the way he was describing her just kind of skeeved me out. It felt almost like the writers could have been romanticizing their failed negotiations with the actress herself and just... yuck. I'm interested to hear someone else chime in on that, though. Was it just me?)

But honestly, the more I've thought about it, the more I really feel like the only excuse for her absence I could accept would be character death. And I've read interviews about how the writers didn't want to go that route because it would feel disrespectful to her character... And I just can't get behind that. Not least of all because it feels like the respect just couldn't have been there for the actress herself. I don't want to hear all this lip service after the fact about how Grace was such a crucial, irreplaceable character. You're telling me Sierra McClain was the only one whose contract they couldn't figure out for the final season? Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm kind of half and half on Owen's story. Curious to see where they're gonna go with that. I've seen some speculations that the series may end with his death-- leading to Judd taking over the 126. But I think it's just as likely that he may end the series by going back to New York. It's weird to think about... but he's kind of accomplished everything he set out to do here. And I think he's settled here, but the thought of Texas being Owen's permanent home just feels a little off to me. On a more short-term note, though... I feel like we as a fandom have mostly overlooked-- or ignored-- something kind of big. The series itself is focusing on his grief over his brothers' death(s). But uh... Euthanasia is not legal in Texas. There could be some serious problems headed his way (possibly leading up to a forced retirement and return to New York???) if his role in Robert's death comes to light. Just some food for thought right now.

I think Wyatt's going to slot in nicely as the new dispatcher. Not much to say there.

And Carlos's storyline is definitely the strongest so far. I like his new partner. I have this wild, unsupported prediction that the Rangers chief may have had something to do with Gabriel's death and Carlos and Campbell will team up to take him down... We'll see. I think they're gonna be a really good team though.

(Okay, but was anyone else getting, like, secondhand embarrassment during that scene where Carlos was presenting his slideshow thing to Campbell and the chief? The posturing!!! XD The way he was forcing his voice to be, like, painfully, unnaturally deep... It felt super real. I think it was great acting. But I'm also glad we're past that stage already.)

Overall, maybe not the strongest opening episode, but I fully expect it to pick up with the next one.

[anxious-witch]

Also ANOTHER prompt because I'm unwell

Jance fic inspired by "What happens after we die?" dialogue in Midnight Mass

Robin you are killing me, oh my god. That's beautiful ajd heartwrenching. I love it.

Okay so I know this is tehnically not your first but the second prompt but I was having a lot of feelings about jance today so. Here it is. Very loosly inspired but I still hope you like it.

CW for mentions of death and religious musing in general

Jan really wasn't planning on ending up in Nace's apartment today. When he tugged him into the alley for a kiss, he wasn't planning on it turning into a makeout.

He definitely wasn't planning on a heavy rain, either. It just happened.

Nace's apartment was close and since neither of thek had an umbrella...well. Jan wasn't particularly keen on getting soaked to the bone.

So that's how he ended up on Nace's couch, sipping tea. Nace made him strip out of his wet shirt and threw firstly a towel and then a blanket at him. Usually, Jan would snap that he didn't need babying, but things between them felt more fragile lately.

What was meant to be a simply friends eith benefits-if they could have even been called friends at that point-was quickly turning into something else. And Jan didn't know how to behave towards him.

They didn't talk about it. Neither wanted to break the precarious balance their whole...thing was leaning on.

Jan stared out of the window, at the pouring rain. It didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon.

Nace sat on the opposite end of the couch. He sipped his own tea, but his eyes were fixated on Jan.

"Can I ask you something?"

His voice was quiet, almost hesitant. Jan didn't like the sound of that.

"Sure. What's up?"

"What do you think happens after we die?"

Jan stared at him. Was this some sort of joke? He out the cup down on the coffee table a bit too hard.

"I didn't mean-I know you don't believe in God or anything like that. I'm just...curious, I suppose. What do you think happens?"

He mulled it over for a moment. Nace looked genuine in his question, and he never tried to impose his views on Jan before.

He supposed that if there was ever a way to test if he ever would, now would be a perfect opportunity. So Jan answered honestly.

"I can't say I know what happens. I don't think anyone knows. I'd even say you are bullshitting if you say you know what happens for sure."

He gave Nace a pointed stare, waiting for him to disagree. When he stayed silent, he continued.

"What we know from science is that medical death happens first. The heart stops, you stop breathing, all that. And few minutes later, your brain dies too. But before it does, it releases a bunch of chemicals used for dreaming. So we dream the way we never had before."

Nace watched him intently and Jan, who usually always held his gaze, looked away. Beliefs weren't something he liked to talk about. In his mind, he had this one life to do what he wanted and be the best version of himself he could. That was it. No one held you accountable after.

"But what happens after?"

He shrugged.

"I suppose that depends what you believe in."

Jan looked over to him. Nace's brows furrowed.

"But what di you believe in? What happens when you die?"

Jan sighed, drumming his fingers against the couch.

"I think perhaps I stay at those five minutes forever. Living my life through memories and hopes and dreams. Sleeping. My body simply goes on decaying. Becoming...part of something bigger. Part of the earth. Just like it was before."

Nace's gaze turned soft, and his mouth fell open a bit, in what Jan could only describe as wonder. He looked like he was about to say something wonderful that would shatter their little balance.

So, Jan did one thing he could think of to cut him off.

"What do you think happens?"

And-shit. He wasn't planning on asking that. He could see shock flicker over Nace's face, too. They both knew Jan didn't give too fucks about God or Heaven and Hell.

He almost takes it back. But the way Nace thoughtfully chewed on his bottom lip, trying to form his thoughts in words changed his mind.

"Speaking for when I die...I think there is a light. You float up and you are surrounded by love, even before you see anything else. Just, that feeling you used to have as a kid, y'know? Of simply feeling loved."

Jan swallowed. He supposed that didn't sound too bad. He nodded.

Nace trailed his eyes to the window. There was a faint sound of the rain in the background. Other that that, silence.

"Then you look at you see everyone you ever lost. Everyone you ever loved. They are there and they are whole and healthy and just...they love you. There is a sense of belonging. True belonging. That's what I think true Heaven is."

He bit his lip as he met Jan's gaze.

"I know you don't...see it that way, but I find it easier to believe than in just...nothing. In dreams."

Jan wasn't sure what made him reach out and touch Nace's face. There was no real reason. He just wanted to comfort him.

"I just thought it'd be peaceful. Dreaming. And then nothingness. Relief. Being useful for other things that don't come with the burder of consciousness."

Nace turned his head and kissed Jan's palm. Jan's heart skipped a beat. No matter how suspecious he was and how much he tried to push his feelings away, Mace kept surprising him.

"I suppose not all dreams are bad," Nace whispered.

Jan kissed him, just so he wouldn't say anything else. Nace melted under his touch and pulled him closer. He was so trusting. He gave in so easily.

He pushed and Nace let him lay him down on his back. Even when Jan pulled away and sat back on his thighs, he didn't even try to get up. He simply lazily reached for him.

"Do you think there is Heaven for people like us?"

The question caught him by surprise. He tensed, waiting for a cliché, "God forgives everything", answer. But Nace didn't answer immediately. He took Jan's hand in his and played with his fingers for a moment.

"I don't know. I hope so. I don't see how feeling like thos could be wrong. But if there isn't, well. I hope I dream of that there is one."

I hope I dream of you, the thought came to Jan, passing through his mind before he could stop it. He leaned in, almost close enough for a kiss, so his lips brushed against Nace's when he spoke.

"In this specific case, I suppose I can agree."

Then he kissed him again and for a moment, he was sure there was a Heaven. Right in that moment in time, cocooned in Nace's living room. If he could take that one memory for whatever happened after, well. He'd be okay.

After that, he thought of nothing at all.

[lady-harrowhark]

I’m more asking for confirmation than anything else since I don’t have a copy of htn or ntn I can check, but do we have any concrete evidence that John is still capable of performing full resurrections? Or were the original resurrections the kind of thing that were only possible in the aftermath of 10 billion deaths + 9 planets worth of thanergy being released (much like how harrow’s parents supposedly performed a type of resurrection in the aftermath of murdering 200 children)

I've been paging through, and I don't think we do have any concrete evidence... I also don't think we have any concrete not evidence though either...

I think most relevant to this question is this passage from when John is showing Harrow the 500 he's going to send to the Ninth:

No, I haven't truly resurrected anyone in ten thousand years. But at that time... I set many aside, for safety... and I've often felt bad about just keeping them as insurance. They've been asleep all this myriad, Harrow, and it's frankly a relief to my mind to wake them up.

So if we take this at face value (never a given with John), he resurrected them back ten thousand years ago, but will be waking them up now.

Which, of course, aligns with what he says in John 5:4 of NtN, "...resurrection is different from waking up."

That difference is something I've been mulling over since I first read it, and I don't have any great takes at the moment. It's definitely something I have flagged to keep an eye out for on my next reread though! I think your point about needing that massive amount of thanergy sounds very reasonable, especially compared to Harrow's conception, which he also refers to as a type of resurrection.

Also just as I was typing this I got curious and went back to the avulsion trial scene, where it says Gideon "died" and then pulls the "gotcha!" (except in hindsight it seems it was not a "gotcha!" at all lmao). Very interesting wording here, no?

"Ha-ha," said Gideon, "first time you didn't call me Griddle," and died. - Well, passed out. But it felt a hell of a lot like dying. Waking up had an air of resurrection, of having spent a winter as a dried-out shell and coming back to the world as a new green shoot. A new green shoot with problems.

So we've clearly got this resurrection vs waking up thing again, but I'm really curious about the comparison to the "green shoot," with green being so heavily associated with Alecto (e.g., Varun calls her "green-and-breathing thing"). And especially because it's used with this context of "A new green shoot with problems," because that particular turn of phrase sounds very much like Camilla's description of Nona getting dressed looking like a "worm with problems." (Is this anything? Am I reaching? Am I having fun while reaching?)

I'll also just throw in the verbiage around John saying he "switched [Alecto] off" as compared to, say, the NtN epigram poem's "sleep, I'll wake you in the morning" (and further: "Annabel, good morning.")

I feel like things are kind of coalescing around the difference between a true death and being brought back to life vs a sleep or suspended animation state in which one isn't actually dead, and therefore is simply waking up (I can't let myself go down this tangent right now but it does sound suspiciously like the whole cryo project... moving on!). It makes me wonder if it's not so much that John hasn't resurrected anyone in ten thousand years as much as it is that no one has truly died in ten thousand years for him to resurrect; therefore he can only wake them.

Which seems incompatible with necromancy at first, but is it? We know something's fucky with the River. Perhaps crossing the River (or whatever verb we want to use for that) constitutes a true death, and if something's stopped it up, the thanergy stays pooled up and accessible for necromantic purposes rather than crossing or being cycled back into the River or dispersed or whatever happens to it. A death magic dam, essentially. And if a soul can't finish its journey to a true death, he wouldn't be able to resurrect them, hmm.

I don't know how well that meshes with the 200 dead Ninth children, though, if that's also a resurrection, other than what Harrow says during the pool scene: "The infants alone generated enough thanergy to take out the entire planet. Babies always do - for some reason." The incomplete explanation is conspicuous here, but so is the reference to "taking out the entire planet", now that we know what we know. So that may actually track. (Is John's baby finger bone crown meant to be like... a tribute? Thank you for your service and all that? Yuck.)

Two more incomplete musings and then I really will stop! I've been harboring some thoughts about whether the Ninth (and specifically the Tomb) may have a more direct connection to the River (and the barathron specifically) than other locations do, and if that's the case, perhaps that's also at play in achieving a resurrection, whatever form that may take.

The other thing I'm thinking about here is the whole Alecto/Anastasia/tomb-keeper line situation. If the tomb-keeper line is carrying a bit of Alecto's soul, is this more of a direct, one-to-one passage down the line? Or, over the however many thousands of years since that vow, has it branched out from that central family tree and dispersed amongst the generations? What I'm getting at here is essentially, if many or all of the 200 Ninth children housed a bit of Alecto's soul, taking any/all of them out would be a small scale planetary death... which could account for why babies generate so much thanergy (again, the phrasing of "enough to take out the entire planet" seems significant). It feels reminiscent of the way Lyctors flip planets as well, turning them thanergetic... if killing a planet creates thanergy, could killing bits of a planet (and the children carrying them) create a necromancer?

I swear when I sat down to answer this, I only had the first two quotes in mind and then I just kept pulling at threads and ended up unraveling a whole sweater, so apologies from getting away from what you were asking. But thank you for providing some good food for thought!

[crazycatfaery]

ん乇ﾚﾚの, ｲんﾉ丂 ﾉ丂 刀のｲ んﾉﾚﾚﾉ乇! You have not, in fact, seen the last of me, your HEX anon! 🧚 I have a few questions for you this morning as I continue stirring the pot to brew your gift... 1 - Your list of characters only includes one of the younger generation, but would you be okay with others showing up if it makes sense for the story? Anyone you don’t want? The story would still mostly be about characters from your list! 2 - Of the ships you listed in your request, are there any songs you associate with them? If there are too many (coughSilrahcough) what are a couple of your faves? Bonus crack: pick a character and associate a musical instrument with them. 3 - What are the proper spices to make Hillie-approved mulled wine? Until next time! ✨💚

Hiiiii Anon!! I'm so curious what kind of gift your cooking up, can't wait to see it 👀.

1 - Side characters: I'm completely fine with that! As long as, like you already said yourself, they make sense to be added, I'm good with anyone. I'm also fine with original characters, if you really need them.

2 - Songs I associate with my ships: I can only remember Silrah, Ben/Luna and Ben/Rose, so forgive me if I forgot any.

For Ben/Rose: There's this one heart wrenching song, the inspiration for a scene that has been haunting me for over a year by now (it's for a way later chapter of a wip of mine). The only spoiler I will give is that it immediately made me think of the morning after Ben receives some devastating news: Wide Awake and Dreaming (stripped duet) - OSKA, Stu Larsen.

For Ben/Luna: I hadn't thought about songs for them yet! Doing a quick scan through some of my playlists, maybe: Heal - Tom Odell ?

For Silrah: Oh my goodness this was HARD! I have a Silrah playlist with currently 160+ songs I had to filter through for this (as you said, too many, lol). There’s a few different themes in there, mainly around different periods in Saul’s and Farah’s lives, but also plenty that are linked to certain stories in my mind/wip folder (so those are rather specific). I��ve tried to keep it to three of my current favorites, in no particular order:

Who We Are - Hozier. I suppose it’s actually a breakup song, but a lot of the lyrics just feel very fitting for them post Aster Dell. So much of our life is just carving through the dark, or You and I burned out our steam, chasing someone else's dream. Perfect.

Oblivion - Bastille. Saul's worries towards Farah. Makes me think of that scene with the two of them in Farah's office, when he asks her if she got hurt by the burned one. In the context of S1, pre-episode 6 Silrah, these two lines in particular seem very foreboding: Are you going to age with grace? Are you going to leave a path to trace?. Ahh, my heart.

Hurricane - Tommee Profitt, Fleurie. Could be them during any time period, really. But probably works best right after Aster Dell.

Angst, pining, pain, what else could make me think of these two idiots? I promise, there’s sweeter/nicer ones on there too. I think.

Bonus crack: Saul is a contra-bass. Farah is an alt-violin. Ben is a bagpipe. Rose is a transverse flute. Luna is a triangle. Make of that what you will😏.

3 - Mulled Wine: I realise I said mulled wine previously when I meant glühwein, my bad! Is mulled wine the same as glühwein, or different? I’ve only ever had glühwein, and I genuinely don’t know any other spice combination than sticks of cinnamon, whole star-anise, and cloves. Now I’m wondering what other things I could throw in there👀.

These were fun again! I’m glad to not have seen the last of you😁

[baldursgatedatingsim]

These are just random blurbs I wrote during EA about a dnd OC that I turned into a BG3 OC. Her name is Kill-Sin (because tiefling virtue names are the best), and her wife is killed after the Descent to Avernus by an anti-tiefling mob. In the EA, Kill-Sin was an Oath of Vengeance Paladin devoted to Jergal which I know makes no sense bite me.

...

Shadowheart's eyes fell on the open locket near Kill-Sin's bedroll. "Who is she?"

Painted in painstakingly minute detail on the inside of the locket was the portrait of a tiefling woman. She was ghostly pale with wide all-white eyes and a flowing mane of pearly gray hair. She had four horns, two on each side of her head, which curled out and away from each other. Her upturned lips reminded Shadowheart of the faces sculptors often gave Celestials- exceedingly kind and ultimately forgiving.

Almost reverently, Kill-Sin knelt down and picked up the locket. Her thumbs carressed the outer edge which acted as the portrait's frame. The ghost of a smile haunted the corners of her lips. Then she remembered where she was, and who she was with, and Kill-Sin snapped the locket closed. She wrapped its chain around her fist. "No one."

"Can you really say that? She seems important to you. You sleep with her next to you every night, after all." Shadowheart tilted her head, waiting to see the effect of her words.

Kill-Sin stood, expression stony. "Whatever game this is, I suggest you play it with someone else." She bit out the words with a cold fury Shadowheart was used to seeing from Kill-Sin, but never before directed towards her. The tiefling woman was trying to cover up for her exposed vulnerability. But they both knew it was too late. Kill-Sin stalked off without another word to continue packing for the day. They were returning to the Emerald Grove. Hopefully, Halsin would be grateful enough for his freedom to cure them of the tadpole parasite.

...

Dammon shook his head as he cast a glance at Kill-Sin surrounded by Mol and the other orphans. "It's a tragedy, what happened to her," he remarked. Shadowheart and Wyll were going over some armor, while Lae'zel inspected his arms.

"What do you mean?" Shadowheart tried to keep her tone politely curious, and she never took her eyes off of the fine metal gloves arrayed in front of her.

"After what happened in Elturel, well...you know." He gestured to the gathered refugees. "People started attacking tieflings, calling for us to be exterminated. Someone claiming to be a cleric would go around saying, "Oh, such-and-such a god is giving me visions. The divines are calling for hellspawn blood." I don't know how much anyone believed them. Seemed like just another excuse to come after us." Dammon shook his head at the harrowing memories. "Sometimes I can still hear the screams of innocent people being carried out of their homes just to be hung outside of the city walls or in the parks."

"That's awful," Gale remarked in genuine horror. "No wonder Kill-Sin is so...walled-off."

Dammon nodded. "That's what happened to her wife, Lethe. Sweetest person you could ever meet. Everyone joked she was the 'Gray Lady' because she looked like a ghost, and the way she just glided when she walked. Then one night..." His eyes unfocused again, lost in another nightmare. Pulling himself out of it, he shook his head vigorously. "You don't need to know all the gory details. Hells, I don't want to even think about them. But Kill-Sin was never the same afterwards."

They made their requisite purchases, trading in some of the weapons and jewelry they had looted back at the temple. He nodded as they left, smiling politely, and went back to packing up his mobile forge.

They walked back to the gate, each mulling over Dammon's story. Halsin and Zevlor stood atop the wooden walkway, conversing. In the shadows under them, Mol was attempting to pick up Kill-Sin's greatsword, a fancy new quill tucked into the strap of her eyepatch.

"Just wait 'til I'm big," she huffed, struggling to even get the pommel over her shoulder. "I'll be a better forger and warrior than you."

"Not if you don't practice your lettering," Kill-Sin chided. She picked up Mol and the sword in one swoop. The little girl, who often acted more like a mob boss than a child, squealed in delight.

"Ready to head back?" Wyll asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Ready to watch some big people drink themselves stupid. I've got the grandest of plans," she teased.

Wyll laughed. "Trying to impersonate the Blade?"

"Let me guess," Mol quipped, hopping to the ground, "I've got a big scabbard to fill. I'll see you in Baldur's Gate, boss?" She gave Kill-Sin puppy dog eye, her lip quivering with genuine emotion.

"Of course." The woman sounded almost gentle. She slung her pack to the ground and rummaged through it. After a few moments, she pulled out an envelope with a wax seal, stuffed almost to bursting. "Nearly forgot. Take these for practicing. When you get to the Gate, seek out a svirfneblin named Taliesin Glitterskein. Tell him Limos sent you. He'll ask you for the password first, but he'll teach you everything you need to know."

Mol gripped the envelope in her tiny hand like it was the grandest treasure. "What's the password?"

Kill-Sin winked. "I guess you'll have to figure that out."

The girl gave a toothy grin, then ran off to rejoin her flock of orphans. Kill-Sin watched her for a moment before banishing any remaining frivolity from her bearing.

"Who's Limos?" Wyll wondered.

"An...acquaintance." Kill-Sin re-sheathed her sword. "Let's go."

...

The dream started off pleasant enough. Kill-Sin was lying in the grass, green blades swaying softly in the breeze. The sun danced merrily between downy clouds. A perfect afternoon.

"You frown when you sleep."

Kill-Sin's blood turned to ice when she heard the voice- kind, sweet, loving. She sprang to her feet and wheeled around. Standing there, clear as day, was Lethe. She wore a see-through purple gown which draped from a gawdy jewelled halter smithed from gold.

"Who are you?" Kill-Sin demanded to know. Her heart hammered in her chest and panic rose in her throat. She had to get away from this thing, this Not-Lethe. But all that surrounded her were cliff faces. There was nowhere for her to go.

Not-Lethe tilted her head, pity in her pale milky eyes. "I think you know. In your heart you know."

"You are not her! How dare you. How dare you!" Kill-Sin screamed, and her accusation echoed around her.

"You would reject me, Killy? After I saved you?" Heartbreak tinged Not-Lethe's words with sorrow. Crocodile tears appeared at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill.

"Don't..." Kill-Sin sobbed. "Don't call me that."

She fell to her knees. Confusion and pain overwhelmed her. This was a nightmare and she prayed for it to end.

A cold hand pressed against Kill-Sin's cheek, then retreated. "I will return to you when it's time. Hopefully, you'll be ready for me then."

Kill-Sin awoke in a cold sweat, the drumbeat of her heart set to a dizzying speed. She stormed out of her tent, grabbing her sword, and headed out into the trees. The feel of Not-Lethe's cold hand lingered on her cheek, the sound of the voice echoing in her ears, and Kill-Sin roared with rage. She heaved the greatsword with all of her might, smashing through the nearest tree and into the dirt. Half a dozen more trees fell to the ground before Kill-Sin collapsed, emotionally and physically spent.

"I do not envy whosoever draws your ire." Withers emerged from the shadows, his steps silent against the forest floor.

"If you do not leave," she growled between heavy breaths, "it will be you."

"You and I both know your threat is devoid of any real substance." The strange undead rested a bony hand on the hilt of the greatsword. "You are as incapable of harming me, as I am of harming you."

Kill-Sin didn't bother responding. Instead, she focused on her breaths and returning them to a normal rhythm. This took a few minutes, her eyes shut tight against potential distractions, Withers included. All the while, he studied her with a detached curiosity.

"Is he as silent with you as he is me?" the skeleton asked out of the blue.

"Who?" Kill-Sin stood, brushing the dirt and leaves off of her night clothes. She held out her hand for the sword, but Withers simply looked at her.

"Jergal. Obviously." He stepped back and motioned for her to grab the weapon herself. She wondered if he was even capable of lifting it. He didn't really have any musculature.

She pried the sword out of the ground and considered the question. Prayer had never been one of Kill-Sin's regular activities. Nor was she a true follower of Jergal as the armed scribes had been. The books from the chapel did reside in her tent, but those she collected out of a strange compulsion she assumed was the work of the god. Even Lethe had not been devout, though she was a believer in what she called 'little miracles.' Animals with fur on their paws that looked like they were were wearing little boots, perfectly brewed cups of tea, the smell of wildflowers- these were the things Lethe believed in.

There was only one time a prayer had mattered in Kill-Sin's life. When the broken and battered body of her wife lay in her arms, she had screamed out for anyone to help her. Her hate-filled heart sent out a call only one god dared to answer. A god of death and murder and ink made of bone-ash. Jergal.

He spoke to her once. Offered her vengeance in exchange for a lifetime of service. And that was it.

"I haven't...heard anything. I assumed he would speak when the time is right for him," she replied. "He is a god, after all."

Withers nodded, considering her words. He retreated once more, presumably to his spot by the river. Following his lead, Kill-Sin returned to camp. The heavy embrace of armor would help her sudden feeling of being unmoored.

When she got back to camp, the others were huddled together over their bowls of breakfast stew.

"There you are," Shadowheart greeted her. "Care to join us?"

"No." She continued her resolute path towards her tent and the armor she had lain out last night.

"Her dream must not have been as scintilating," Astarion remarked. "Although, it's hard to tell if Kill-Sin's in a bad mood or just being her usual cheerless self."

"Shut it. I had a dream, I just don't want to talk about it." She glared at the smug high elf.

"Did it feature your dearly departed wife?" he teased.

Lightning fast, Kill-Sin made her way across the camp and punched Astarion. He went flying back several feet before landing on his ass in the dirt. She growled at him, ready to spring and continue her attack.

[cdelphiki]

so I'm curious, with Reclaiming Innocence, do the JL know about Jason? because like, Batman raining hell down on the Falcone family made national news. and I'm sure Dick was talking about his little brother with the Titans unless Bruce asked him to keep it quiet.

I've been mulling over this ask for like a week now, and honestly I'm still not 100%!

I guess it all depends on how good of friends Bruce is with them all, at this time. I feel like he and Clark are good enough friends that he's mentioned having a foster son, but I don't think he's told anyone else. And he's certainly not told anyone any sort of details, not even Clark. Clark likely knows, just from connecting the dots between what Batman's been doing, Bruce's general mental state ever since taking in Jason (he's getting very cynical and grouchy the further into this dark side of Gotham he gets, and he's ESPECIALLY been pissed when the JL calls him away from hanging with Jason), and the rumors about Bruce having one of the boys.

I don't think Dick has told anyone. He knew instinctively not to go blabbing about Jason, because of his connections to the mob and because of the sensitivity of his background. He's maybe mentioned he's playing games with someone, whether he's called Jason his foster brother to the titans or not, I'm not sure. He definitely sees them as his second family, so it's very possible that he's just casually dropped 'foster brother' and never elaborated.

[certain-death-awaits]

Ages ago you made a post discussing whether Warren was irresponsible and I had disagreed. You had said you were busy, but you'd respond to my response later, but you never did, which I totally get! Life is crazy, I'm terrible at responding to things myself, so I'm not salty or anything at all! But I am still curious what your thoughts are. Are you up for having that discussion? No pressure whatsoever, to be clear, I realize this is old. I'd be happy to try to find the original post if you'd like

[the 2 year old post in question, for context]

You're right! I had the post in drafts, but by the time I had the time to answer it, I thought it would be too late to post. I'm happy to talk about it now. Keep in mind that I love Warren as a character, at least in the original series (I feel Dragonwatch wasn't true to a lot of original characterisations). For the sake of fairness, I'll only be talking about the original series. Using Dragonwatch to defend my position would be low-hanging fruit.

✧ We hear from Ruth Sorenson about how Warren goes behind Stan's back to give Newel and Doren a TV and batteries for it. They tell Seth he also got them high-quality tennis equipment, which must've been a trade.

"Graphite, light and strong", Newel said. "Warren got us our equipment. Back before he went all Boo Radley on us."

They also try to get Seth to trade for wine, which they sell as something impossible for him to get normally because of his age. Maybe they got used to doing this with Warren when he was young. Either way, is trading with the satyrs for anything (especially gold, given the means they use to get it) responsible?

✧ The reason Warren became albino in the first place was because he was carrying out a covert mission for the Knights of the Dawn. This is why he told nobody where he was going when he ventured into the valley of the four hills. He was supposed to remove and transfer the artifact to a secure location all on his own. Even though it was a secret mission, this is a ridiculous thing to do. Removing the artifact without the knowledge and consent of the caretaker is just theft. It makes sense to tell Stan at the very least; the only reason he retired from the Knights was because caretakers aren't allowed to be Knights. It's irresponsible to go in somewhere even a small modicum as dangerous without telling anyone else where you're going and when you'll return.

✧ During the battle with the guardian of the Sands of Sanctity, Warren gets severely injured. He's already been stabbed in the gut, and is feverish; this is an extremely serious injury. He's lost enough blood, it's surprising he's conscious. (To be fair, I don't think Mull understands how fragile humans are. He seems to think getting gored by antlers is easily survivable.) And then he gets bit by one of the guardian's snakes, and hot acidic sludge is sprayed across his chest and legs. Vanessa says he's dying, and offers him a gaseous potion to extend his life. He refuses this, and uses the spear to attack the guardian, using the rod to fall full speed at it for the last 30 feet. Here's a description of the state he's in by the time Kendra gets to him to save him.

Warren was a wreck, facedown, unconscious, breathing shallowly. Heaving with both hands, Kendra rolled him over, wincing as something inside of him crunched. His mouth was open. Tilting his head up, she tried to ignore the snapping sound his neck made, and dumped the potion into his mouth. His Adam's apple bobbed, and much of the fluid leaked out the sides of his mouth.

Clearly, this was not a wise move; had it not been for the Sands, I believe he would've died. Heroic, certainly. But it left Kendra alone with Vanessa. When Tanu arrives, he says Warren must be nearly gone, or he'd be able to move around freely. It doesn't guarantee the guardian will be killed, only that he will be, and the guardian still has another life that Vanessa would have to deal with.

✧ Warren's decision to confront Stingbulb! Kendra in the middle of the night seemed to me a terrible lapse in judgement. It's true he didn't know she was a stingbulb, but he suspects something of that magnitude. When Seth asks if mind control is likely, he shrugs and says nothing would surprise him. Any way it could've gone might have been disastrous. If it was mind control, there's the suicide tactic. If not that, then she could just make a scene, wake up her parents with screams of "there's a strange man in my house!", and neither Warren nor Seth would be able to give a reasonable explanation. He must've believed she was aligned with the enemy, because if he went in thinking it really was all her, and she sincerely believed in leaking these secrets, they'd have to have a long and involved conversation with her grandparents present. This outcome doesn't necessitate confronting her in the middle of the night.

✧ Peeking at Chalize on the Lost Mesa mission. You already know this one, but I am including it for others who might be reading. From Warren's perspective (not knowing Gavarog's true identity), Gavin warned everyone not to look at the dragon, staking his deal with her on the promise his companions were not to gaze upon her. This was dangerous, and there was no good reason for it.

✧ Warren basically convinces Seth to join the Knights on the Wyrmroost mission in SotDS. Seth fully intended to just sulk about it. Warren certainly didn't coerce him, but he more than encouraged him, and Seth wouldn't have been able to act alone. It should be obvious why this is irresponsible. You can read an excerpt from the book of the part where Warren collaborates with Seth to bring him on the mission here. I've put it in a pastebin, as it's a bit long to include here.

✧ I'm going to double down and say having Raxtus drop Warren so he could attack the harpy was still reckless behaviour. He had all the facts, yes, but none of the facts justify dropping Warren only to dive and catch him again moments later. The initial reason Warren had for wanting to be dropped was so Raxtus could make a speedier escape with Bracken and Kendra. The plunging attack manoeuvre doesn't facilitate that. Its sole purpose would be taking the chance that Warren is able to attack a harpy while falling. The risk is Warren falling to his death, or Raxtus botching the catch- imagine grabbing an arm or a leg and having it dislocate; or the harpy grab Warren and attempt to carry him off.

Now that I'm through with examples of Warren being irresponsible, let's move onto your point on there being a difference in thought process. I don't think there is much of a difference between Warren and Seth when it comes to their decision-making process. Here's an excerpt from right after Seth returns after stealing the unicorn horn.

 "I'm with your grandfather on this," Grandma said. "We love you and we're proud of you. The risks you took worked out this time. But how can we reward such behavior? Because we love you, we must teach you caution, or your boldness will destroy you. "

  "I weighed my options and made smart choices," Seth responded. "I didn't set out to borrow the horn. I only decided to try for the horn after Graulas showed how my skills as a shadow charmer gave me a realistic chance at success. It was me or nobody. What would Patton have done?"

  Warren chuckled. "He would have shaved the centaurs, dipped them in honey, covered them with feathers, and hung them up like a bunch of piñatas. " Kendra, Seth, and Tanu laughed. "I'm just saying. " ...

"Yeah, well, I'll give this stupid horn back to the centaurs before I get left out of the trip to Wyrmroost," Seth threatened. "Good luck taking it from me!"

  "It isn't going to be a vacation," Coulter said.

  "And it isn't about seeing cool dragons," Grandpa growled, clearly losing his temper.

  "Although they will be cool," Warren murmured, earning an elbow from Tanu.

 Tears brimmed in Seth's eyes. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say more; then he turned and stormed out of the room.

  "What are we going to do with that boy?" Grandma sighed.

  "I don't know," Grandpa said. "If he hadn't decided to go after the horn, we'd still be treading water. Maybe he's the only one of us seeing this clearly. "

  Grandma shook her head. "Don't kid yourself. His main interest is still the adventure. Saving the world is a happy side effect. This is all still a game to him. "

  "Patton was the same way," Warren mentioned. "He did a lot of good, partly because he relished the thrill. "

  "I think Seth cares," Kendra spoke up. "It isn't only about the fun anymore. I think he's learning. "

I think this part speaks for itself. And I get the feeling Warren's counting himself among the "like Patton" crowd. Warren and Seth do things for the right reasons, most of the time. I think that their most egregious risks come in situations with seemingly no way out, where their idea presents as an outlandish "so crazy it just might work" option. You bring up the time Seth went into Graulas' cave for the first time in GotSP. He goes in not knowing much at all, which is rash. He doesn't know Graulas will radiate fear, and he doesn't know he's immune to said fear. But he doesn't make this decision out of nowhere. Shadow! Tanu has assured his safety to him. Here's an excerpt from the book, which comes after paragraphs of Seth contemplating whether the risk is wise.

Was sneaking out of the house to follow the shadowy manifestations of Coulter and Tanu into the woods going to be dangerous? Absolutely. The question was whether the risk was justified.

Earlier that afternoon, Tanu had completed his transformation into a shadowman just outside the window. He had waited in the shade on the deck until sundown, when he had ventured off into the woods. A few hours later, with evening deepening, the silent shadows of Tanu and Coulter had returned. Visible only to Seth, they had stood halfway across the yard from the house, allowing Grandpa to address them from the deck. Tanu had indicated that all was well with two thumbs up, and they had gestured for Seth to follow them, inviting Grandpa to come along as well. Through pantomime, Coulter had expressed that he would scout ahead as they traveled in order to prevent encounters with dangerous creatures.

But Grandpa had declined the invitation. He had stated that if Tanu and Coulter could devise a way for him to follow them without Seth, he would consent to accompany them. As he told them this, Seth stood behind him making subtle gestures, stealthily pointing at Grandpa and shaking his head, then pointing at himself, then pointing at them, then winking. None but Seth could see Tanu salute that he had received the message.

The house had been still for some time. If he was going to follow through on the message he had mimed to Tanu and Coulter, the moment had arrived. But he hesitated. Was he actually going to disregard a direct order from Grandpa and entrust his life to the shadowy versions of Tanu and Coulter? If Tanu and Coulter had his best interests in mind, would they be willing to let him sneak away with them against Grandpa's wishes? Hopefully they were certain he would be safe and confident that Grandpa would thank them all later.

What were the possibilities? They might lead him into a trap. He might die or be transformed into a shadow himself. Then again, he might solve the mystery of the plague, restore Tanu and Coulter, and save Fablehaven.

Seth scooted out from under his covers, pulled on his shoes, and started tying the laces. The bottom line was that Grandpa would have been willing to risk his life on the gamble that the shadows of Tanu and Coulter meant to offer meaningful assistance. He would have followed them if he could have done so alone. He simply was not willing to risk Seth's life. To Seth, this proved that the risk was worth taking. If Grandpa loved him too much to let him take a worthwhile risk, then he would bypass Grandpa.

It speak for itself. This is the option that presents itself to him, as the gang seems backed into a corner. They don't know what to do about the plague. Stan seems defeated; he questions if he's fit for his role as caretaker. They contemplate ditching the preserve before the plague claims them as victims, but stand by because they're worried the Sphinx would become caretaker in their absence.

In conclusion, I'd like to go back to the point of my original post. People like to joke about Seth being an idiot, someone who doesn't think things through, while seeing Warren as slightly devil-may-care but ultimately smooth and capable. I'm saying that there's no difference between the two in that respect, but Warren being an attractive adult makes us perceive him as more responsible.

[fairestwriting]

Since I'm a sucker for angst, may I request hcs for Riddle, Malleus, Azul, and Vil who are trying to help the reader ask their vice dorm leader out on a date (since the reader has a crush on the vice dorm leader), but while they're trying to set them up together they accidentally fall in love with the reader? sorry if this request is a bit confusing, I'm not too good with words

first angst request.... i owe you my life anon i love writing pain. i totally went crazy on this i hope you like it

+ ko-fi link, if anyone feels like financially supporting my writing

Riddle Rosehearts

The three of you are friends, and had been for a while. You met Trey first and he introduced you to Riddle, all way before NRC. Even as you entered this latter part of your school years, your relationship never really changed, you were still eating baked goods together and chatting afternoons away, everytime Riddle could sneak out of his home.

He’s rather reserved when it comes to showing platonic affection, but you could tell that Riddle appreciated having you around as much as he did with Trey, you saw it on how happy he was to know the three of you became NRC students. Even as he turned into Heartslabyul’s tyrannical ruler, he was still a good friend to you both.

So you’re not afraid to come up to him and ask for help on asking Trey out, after mulling over your feelings for months.

Riddle is, before anything, embarrassed to do something like this. He mutters about how it isn’t his responsibility, that this was a private matter between you two, but he’s always had a soft spot for you, he couldn’t say no.

You two end up in his room trying to think of how to go about this. You’ve known Riddle never confessed to anyone, really, so you didn’t expect him to give you much of a hand on that topic, just on how you should approach Trey specifically, since they’ve known each other for longer.

Riddle averts his eyes as he tells you some earlier childhood stories about Trey. You watch him with attentive, curious eyes as you find out about how he’s always been this caring, with this older sibling-like personality, and you can’t help but smile. Riddle’s speaking falters at that, but he goes on.

You decide on writing Trey a letter, so you could express your feelings in a more cohesive way. Riddle helps you make sure the text is written correctly and flows well, it’s a couple hours of hard work before you have everything on paper. The nervousness you were showing seems to fade once you write the last word, and you smile in a way that Riddle had never seen before, and didn’t want to look away from.

You chime about being excited to deliver it, even if the thought made you anxious. Riddle assures you that even if Trey didn’t return your feelings, things wouldn’t change, since the three of you were mature enough to not throw a fit over something like this. You thank him for the help and encouragement, giving him a big hug that has him yelping before you’re out of the room.

Then the door closes, and his eyes fill with tears -- It contradicts what he’d said before, but he doesn‘t have it in him to care. Had he loved you for all this time you’ve known each other? He can’t tell, but now that he’s realized it, he can’t do anything about it.

Malleus Draconia

Malleus knew you as Lilia’s friend, plain and simple. You two weren’t close at all, he’d only barely seen you hanging around Diasomnia to talk to the vice dorm leader -- So you can imagine how surprised he was when you came up to him and asked for him to help you ask Lilia out.

It’s hard to get Malleus dumbfounded, and you actually managed to do it just through your conviction when you asked him, somebody people were so terrified of, for help on such a matter. He never thought anything like it would happen. He’s so surprised, he can’t do anything but say yes.

Since then, you two begin spending time together. You’re constantly surprising Malleus with your determination on winning Lilia’s heart -- You’re constantly asking him questions, about fae traditions, about Lilia, about him, too, sometimes. It’s not a friendship, he knows, and yet he just can’t help but feel captivated by your energy. No one had ever approached him like that.

It’s a long time until you can feel secure on how to talk to Lilia about your feelings, and you end up becoming quite close to Malleus. Conversations that were initially just plotting turn into normal chatting, you begin to truly value him as a person, and not just somebody you found admirable but didn’t know, but that was it. You knew who you wanted, and you couldn’t help but let that show -- And as time passes, what once impressed Malleus begins to feel so sour to him. He’s actually happy to have grown close to you, and yet, he feels like he’s constantly haunted by a sense of unsatisfaction...

But everything comes to an end, of course, and when the end of the school year is growing near, you decide it’s time. You’d been working hard to understand Lilia, someone so enigmatic, better, and now you’d tell him you loved him like you always dreamed about. Hopeful, you invite him to meet you at Ramshackle after twilight.

Malleus is naturally the first person you tell about this, right as you give him your most sincere thanks. He hears the news, and it’s like something inside him shatters.

It’s you showing him feelings he’d never felt before again -- But he just smiles through it, saying he’s glad he could assist you, and giving you and Lilia wishes of happiness. And he means them, no matter how much they hurt, because he’s grateful you’re here either way, even if it isn’t how he wants.

Azul Ashengrotto

Getting him to set you up with Jade probably wasn’t cheap, so he is, before anything, surprised at your determination to be with him.

Before coming into his office to make the deal, Azul just knew you as “the twins’ friend”. You two spent time together as well, but he didn’t think you were especially close or anything... still, he’s surprised to learn about your feelings for Jade, and like this too, he doesn’t know why it’s so uncomfortable.

He pushes that aside in favor of his work, of course. Once he has his payment -- Whatever that was -- your feelings for the eel really are even less of his business than before. He tells you to show up at his office again at a given time, so you two could go over what you knew about Jade, and he’d give you some possibilities of how to go about the situation, so you could pick one and sign the contract later. You agree to his terms almost without a second thought.

A couple plotting sessions happen. Azul had done something like this before, so he expected it to be easy -- He introduces you to a couple magical methods that could just get Jade in love with you instantly, but you refuse these. In the end, it’s just Azul asking you questions about you and Jade so he could plan a perfect date.

The contract has low stakes like these, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a strange couple of meetings, he’s just taking notes as you talk, and while you do, eyes sparkling everytime you mentioned Jade, Azul gets all that discomfort from the beginning but worse. It hurts now. But spending time with you, and learning things about you, even if it was for business, felt strangely healing.

He doesn’t get it. Is he jealous that Jade has someone who loves him? He should be happy, they’re friends, and he’s cutting a deal with someone. Is he that starved for affection? The thoughts just keep swirling in his head.

The last session is when you two have finished putting together the date plan, considering every little detail so everything would go perfectly. A big, confident smile appears in your face as you thank him.

Azul blinks. So it was over -- That ache returns now. He glances at the contract you’ve signed, then you, acting in a way that makes you look like you’re ready to take on the whole world.

You’re out of the door in a minute. Azul never put a name to any of his feelings, but he feels... so empty. The contract is torn up later, he’s lost interest in whatever you were to give him. He can’t really meet Jade’s eyes for a while.

Vil Schoenheit

Knowing Vil as the most beautiful person in school, you spend some time building up courage and then ask him about how you should become a beauty worthy of Rook’s attention.

The question surprises him. Isn’t Rook the one that finds beauty in everything? You’re already worthy of his attention. No matter who you are, the hunter could find something about you that he finds oh so captivating, and sing praises to that trait for hours. That’s just the sort of person Rook is, no?

You explain to him that he’s misunderstood you request, and that it wasn’t about beauty exactly, rather... you’d fallen in love with Rook, and you wanted to get his attention, but in a way no one else had gotten his attention -- You wanted to ask him out, basically, but you didn’t feel like you could just yet, so you asked Vil for his help.

It isn’t a request he’d gotten before, so Vil is on the fence about it for a moment. Does he have time for something like this? He barely knows you, too, and it was just... an odd request, in general. Not the sort of thing you’d ask of anyone.

He doesn’t know why he felt compelled to accept, really, but he does, but he quickly explains to you that you shouldn’t try to change yourself in any way to be with Rook, that was just a recipe for disaster. You’re eager to listen to his advice in a way that no one else had ever been, and on the inside, he’s pretty happy at that. Everyone else seems so unwilling to just make an effort.

Vil ends up becoming determined on getting you two together, since you were too. He tells you he’ll teach you how to really bring out your own personal beauty, and you two can plan how your confession is going to work, too. Being in Vil’s care, you feel confident that you might actually be able to get what you want, after all. You promise to do your best.

You end up coming to Pomefiore’s dorm quite often. Before anything else, Vil helps you care for your own appearence better, regarding things like clothes, skincare, and makeup. Not just so you could look better, but so you could feel better too -- And since this obviously isn’t just about outer beauty, he’ll have a word with you on things like how you interact with other people, what sort of talents and skills you have, so he can advise you on how to keep improving these as most as possible.

It isn’t much of a matchmaking scheme or anything, because Vil doesn’t believe in that, and something so standard wouldn’t apply to somebody like Rook. He’s actually just helping you with your confidence, and he sees the effects of your combined efforts everyday, in how your nervousness turns into excitement as you talk about the confession.

And he’s proud of you, don’t get him wrong, but sometimes, when he’s alone, he thinks about how you being around him so often is temporary, and it just hurts. He hates to acknowledge it, but he’s grown attached to you, captivated by your energy and willingness to learn.

One day, it’s just over. You’ve become a much more confident person, confident enough you can just decide to walk up to Rook and tell him your true feelings -- And that’s it. You tell Vil about how you’d do it today, ambushing the hunter after class, giving him countless thanks.

Again, he’s proud. But it’s bitter. He wishes you good luck as you slip away, just like he’s thought you would. Forced to acknowledge that he hated to see this happen, he just tells himself that it’s just how things were, even as the jealousy corrodes him inside.

[couldyouspeakmyname]

Not me basically stalking this whole page bc like No OnE writes of Beastars and I'm starved

I love your writing honestly, thanks for doing God's works for us lmao 💕

When you have time could I request a sheep/wolf female reader (looks more like a sheep and only had wold teeth/ears) with Pina and/or Bill? Just like their initial reaction to them maybe and after they find out that she's technically a carnivore (even if she looks like a sheep)

Thank you!

Are you asking me to write for a wolf in sheep's clothing? Because it feels like you're asking me to write for a wolf in sheep's clothing and I am all about that life

Thank you so much! That makes my day ;-; I also got a bit carried away, so I hope it’s okay. Feel free to send again if I missed something!

Pina

“A new student?” Pina closed his locker, interest now fully on Els. Pina really hadn’t been listening that closely, but it wasn’t everyday the school got a new student. 

“Yeah! A new girl. She’s a sheep,” Els continued, going over the very few details she knew. It wasn’t much, but she was still excited about it. As she continued to speak, she quickly checked her phone. Pina could tell by her sudden expression that it was later than she anticipated. She needed to get to class.

“Why are you telling me?” Els gave him a look while slinging her bag over her slim shoulder. 

“Because you’re a total flirt! I don’t want you to make the school or the drama club look bad. I heard she may stop by the club after classes. Behave yourself, okay?” Pina just gave her a look as she retreated. He shook it off, he didn’t need some upperclassman lecturing him. It was well meaning, but when had anyone ever stopped Pina from doing what he wanted?

-

Your hand grips the handle of the door. You take a deep breath through your nose, letting it out through your mouth. You tried to anchor yourself, and prepare for the onslaught. Everyone at the school seemed really nice so far, but it wouldn’t take much for that to change. 

“You’re the new girl, right?” You jump, pointed ear flicking as you turn on your heel in alarm. You hadn’t even heard the male walk up behind you. Were you that much in your head? Usually your instincts were better than that. 

“Yeah,” Being a sheep meant you were pretty small, and it helped you talk to the ground so no one would see your fangs. You were really good at hiding them, you had to be. 

“My name’s Pina, you are?” You looked up at him, taking note of his shining horns and wool that fell just right around his form. He looked like he walked out of a magazine. 

“O-Oh! Y/N,” You offered a small closed mouth smile. Pina didn’t stop looking you over. Your alarm bells went off. There was definitely something up with him. Did he know? Usually people just assumed your ears were deformed or you were just bad at managing your wool which is why there were so fluffy. Was it your eyes? Your hands? You trimmed your claws between classes, so by all accounts you looked like an herbivore. 

“Nice to meet you. Don’t look so worried, pretty much everyone is tolerable,” He reached past you and walked in, letting you follow after. 

- 

You’d been going to drama club for a while. Thankfully for you, everyone was super nice, if not al little eccentric or weird. It at least gave you a solid friend base, if nothing else. You often would eat with some of the members. Sheila even introduced you to another sheep named Peach. Though, more often than not, you’d find yourself with Pina at some point during the day. You had no idea how it happened, it always just...did. You had suspicions he had somehow orchestrated running into you. 

“What class are you studying for?” He tried to peek over at your book, having managed to peel his eyes away from his phone that pinged every few moments with messages, no doubt from the possibly many girls he had been dating. 

“Science,” He looked immediately disinterested, going back to his phone. He started texting again, at a speed most cheetahs would find impressive, but he continued to try and carry a conversation with you. 

“Okay, I have to ask. What’s your deal? Why did you transfer, and why did you end up in drama club?” Pina’s words would have been accusatory, or pointed, but his tone was so casual it was like he was asking about the weather. 

“My deal?” You froze, and tried to casually turn the page, but you had stayed still a few moments to long. You didn’t have to look over to know Pina was now leaned over, waiting. 

“Your deal. Like, Legoshi is a pervert, Sheila used to be a dominatrix or something...No one normal as you usually joins. So, what’s your deal? You’re so...normal,” You hands closed your book with a thunk! You adjust on the bench to turn over and look back at him, scooting away just a smidge. 

“Promise you wont say anything?” You looked serious, but Pina was unaffected. Instead he tapped his chin, seeming to think hard about it. 

“Sure, why not?” He smiled, that same charismatic smile that he had perfected. You didn’t know if it was genuine, but his words were. Pina was a flirt, but he wasn’t known for spreading or telling rumors. Plus, he was your friend, even if you didn’t know how you ended up being friends in the first place. 

“Well, I’m not a sheep, at least...not all sheep,” As you spoke, he leaned in, curiosity getting the better of him. His phone was now long forgotten, and not even the chirping from text alerts took his gaze away from you. You glanced around while mulling how to say what you need to say in your head. The coast was clear. 

“I look like a sheep but, I’m also half wolf,” As your spoke, you didn’t hide your fangs, and actually went out of you way to adjust your more pointed ears. 

“Woah,” You waited for the fallout. Waited for his expression to turn to disgust, or for him to ask if your wolf parent ate your sheep one. You wanted for all of the normal questions that came with the confusion and ager from finding out you were a hybrid, but it never came.

“So that’s why you’re weird looking,” You shot a glare his direction. At least he was honest.

“Yeah, I guess...So, you wont tell anyone?” Pina leaned back.

“Nah I wont tell anyone about you, as long as you don’t chew on me at practice,” he shoots you a smile. This one seemed actually honest. 

“Thanks...I really appreciate it” 

“No problem. Can I ask another question?”

“Sure, I guess,” You suddenly felt much more relaxed. It was like a weight had been lifted. 

“Do you classify as a carnivore or an herbivore? I’ve never met a hybrid before,”  You blinked, and fiddled with the corner of your book.

“Carnivore, technically. I have to take supplements since I’ve been eating the herbivore lunch. It’s not balanced for me”

“Oh! Well, that sucks,” He laughed and grabbed his phone again. “Just order the food you want. I’ll can always get you one, or ask Bill to get an extra. Or Legoshi, they’d get one for you,” He was so casual about it, you almost had to pinch yourself. 

“Hey Pina?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks...for being so nice about it.” 

“No problem. You can’t help who your parents are, plus you’re more interesting than over half the school. It’d be a waste to stop hanging out with you over something so stupid.” 

----

Bill

“New student?” Bill held the door open for Els who snuck by, holding her bag. They’d just got done at drama club, and Els was eager to talk about the new student their director told them about. Supposedly she was a transfer from another school. The details weren’t specific but they were all pretty excited. Having someone from a new school could offer new perspectives, which could be great for the drama club.

“Yeah. She sounds like she could fit right it,” It’d be nice to have another girl in drama and another herbivore. After the incident with Tem, some herbivores were still cautious about carnivore students, so it was exciting this new girl was joining an interspecies club out of the gate. 

“I hope so. Just gotta make sure Pina doesn’t do anything overwhelming, we don’t need that kind of drama,” Bill did not need Pina to flirt with the new girl, and go and forget her name. Bill was honestly one to talk, but that was beside the point. 

“Well, we’ll get to meet her tomorrow!” Els smiled, and they waved goodbye to one another. She was in high spirits, and with a shove of her shoulder let herself into her dorm room. 

“See you tomorrow Els!” Bill waved and went to his dorm. A new girl huh? He wasn’t thrilled at the idea of more Herbivores to look after, but if they were even a fraction as cool as Els, they couldn’t be to bad. 

-

You took a deep breath, and your hand gripped your school bag tightly. You grabbed the door of the drama room and pushed it. It was a bit stuck, but nothing major. You did pretend to struggle with it in order to fit the persona you were following of being a basic herbivore. No one had to know about the fact you had a carnivore parent. 

“Hello! Sorry I’m late! I got a bit lost,” You walked in, smiling carefully, avoiding showing any teeth. Your slightly longer and fluffier ear twitched. Most students just thought it was some sort of deformity, and were polite enough not to talk about it. 

“Welcome!” A goat ran up to you, and quickly introduced herself. It took very little time for you to be introduced to everyone else. They all seemed nice, friendly. Juno and Els were quick to sweep you away from a flirty and curious Pina, and show you the ropes and the possible areas you could end up.

“This big guy is Bill, don’t worry, he’s not as big of a jerk as he likes to pretend to be,” Els fondly pat the large tiger on the arm, and he just gave you a smile.

“Nice to meet you,” Bill smiled your direction, but there was a moment where the look in his eye turned briefly to confusion, but it went back to normal almost as quickly as it came. 

“Nice to meet you too!” Maybe it was your imagination. Yeah, your imagination. 

-

Drama was really fun. Everyone was supportive, if not a bit quirky. Even out of drama club, they tended to stick together. Els, Sheila, as well as Juno, tended to stick close with you. Thanks to them, it wasn’t difficult for you to find a close group of small and honest friends. That also included Bill, on rare occasions. He stuck mainly with carnivores, but the rare times you were alone, he’d slide next to you. 

“Hey, you doing okay?” He had two meals in his hand. You wondered if he was meeting someone. 

“Yeah, I’m doing alright!” You set your supplements down. He eyed them for a moment and motioned with his head.

“It’s nice outside, we should go enjoy the rest of the evening,” You sat confused, but decided to follow him. Bill carried those two trays out and somehow still held the door for you. 

“Thanks, but why do you wanna eat outside?” You sat on a bunch, setting your try on your lap, and you opened your drink to take your supplements. When people asked, you told them they were just additional vitamins. 

“So you could eat this instead,” He offered the second tray he had been holding. You looked at him confused. 

“Why?” It was the carnivore lunch tray. You were a sheep, as far as anyone knew. 

“Because taking supplements suck,” He sat down, and offered the second tray again, “Take it, I want to eat my food too, kinda hard to do that with my hands full,” You set your other food aside, and took the offered tray, 

“So, you know?” Bill shrugged. He didn’t seem that worried about it. 

“Yeah. To be fair, Aoba figured it out first. He happened to see you yawn one day, spotted your fangs. Aoba has really good eyes, being a eagle and all. We figured you didn’t want anyone to know so we haven’t asked you about it,” You freeze. If Aoba knew, who else did?

“Aoba knows?” You looked shocked. You thought you had been so careful! 

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. Only Aoba, Els, and I know. We didn’t want to bug you about it, but it’s been bugging me, watching you take those pills all the time. It’s better to just eat what you need instead of eating salads and hoping your “Vitamins” even it out. If you’re part carnivore, have some pride in it,” He spoke between eating. You were surprised, he seemed so okay with it. 

“Oh,” You didn’t know what to say. No one had treated you different, everyone was still super nice. 

“Promise you guys wont tell anyone?” You finally picked up your utensils, and began eating the lunch you should have been getting from the beginning. It was really good, but maybe that was just because it came from someone who accepted you. 

“Promise. We stick together, you’re one of us now,” He jokingly shoved your thin shoulder with his own, grinning. 

“So, what are you mixed with?” Bill asked, his food all but gone. How did he eat so much so fast? 

“Sheep and a wolf,” He laughed.

“Oh boy, I bet that must be a story,” He laughed, and you would bet he was trying to picture how that happened.

“Yeah,” You kept eating, finally relaxing. You didn’t even know you were tense. 

“If you ever need anything you can ask me, okay? Like I said, we all kind of stick together. I don’t mind buying extra food for you so you can avoid taking those pills,” He looked away, scratching his cheek. You got the feeling he wasn’t used to being sincere or so outwardly nice. It wasn’t a surprise, he frequently played the tough guy. 

“Thanks Bill.”

“You’re welcome” 

[schtroumpf-a-lunettes]

Rainy Days, Part 3

Be sure to check out Part 2 if you haven’t already! I fear it may not have shown up in search because I linked back to part 1 in that post :’D Here’s the next part for everyone <3

--

“He calls himself Rainy,” Papa said, addressing the smurfs gathered in the centre of the village. “He… Well… He seems to have developed an essence of his own, different from Brainy’s. He seems to be… His own smurf. He’ll be coming here shortly and I think we should give him a warm welcome.”

“But Papa Smurf, what about-”

Papa Smurf raised a hand. “There will be time for questions later, I think we should focus on one thing at a time right now, my little smurfs.”

--

Seeing the village again would have been overwhelming even if everyone wasn’t watching him. These mushroom houses… It had been so long since he’d set eyes on them. The memory of his fleeing from this very place came to his mind, but things were a little different now. He wouldn’t be erased.

As it was, the other smurfs gathered around him tentatively and slowly, and conversation started up. They all got to talking about all manner of things. Everyone was very curious about him, and Rainy supposed that was understandable. After some prompting, he tried to tell them about how it had been for him at the very start… How he hadn’t slept at all and seemingly hadn’t even needed to. But then he found that when he tried… He was capable of sleep, and soon enough he needed it just as much as anyone else. He didn’t know how to explain the empty spots in his mind that he was able to fill in over time – that he could keep filling in whenever he encountered them… the spacing out that was such an issue at first that had then started to fade… But he tried his best. And then there was the way the blue of his skin had gotten deeper and deeper. And now, here he was.

“Smurfaroo… So you really don’t remember anything from before you lost your essence, huh…?” one of the littler smurfs – Mr Snappy – had said. “But… Isn’t that more than a hundred years of your life just… gone?”

Rainy shook his head. “That’s- That’s not….”

“Gee…” one of the other children – Mr Nat – was speaking up now. “I mean, if I’d lost more than a hundred years of my life… I’d sure want ‘em back again, you know? I’d want to remember. Who knows what important things I might’ve forgotten about…?”

“Well,” Rainy shrugged, “Good thing it wasn’t my life then, was it? Because I didn’t lose my essence. I’ve got my essence. This Brainy Smurf and I have nothing in common… Okay, apparently our voices are kinda the same and we both need glasses, but… Besides that. You know what I mean.”

Mr Dreamy seemed to be lost in thought. Before Rainy could ask him what was on his mind, Mr Ytinav was speaking, or Mr Nav for short.

"Maybe he's kinda like me? I originally came from Vanity's reflection and I even have the same voice, but... I'm my own smurf now. I don't even wear the flower on my hat much these days... Since I know Vanity prefers being the only smurf to do that. I'm not really all that much like Vanity at all."

"Yes, well, I'm certainly far more handsome than you," Mr Vanity added.

"This village just isn't big enough for two Vanitys, it seems," Mr Greedy chimed in with a rueful grin.

"Hmm… You might be onto something, Nav… Maybe..." Mr Dreamy said, bringing the conversation back into focus. Rainy couldn’t help noting that he did not sound entirely convinced, but despite evidently still mulling something over, he declined to comment further.

It was Mr Jokey that rushed to fill the lull in the conversation, because of course he did. Both him and Mr Hefty spoke far too much for their own good. How on earth did the village put up with them? Even as nice as Miss Smurfette could seem at times, she was just the same… It was a marvel that anyone ever managed to get a word in edgewise sometimes.

“Rainy, do you want to smurf down to the smurf?” was Mr Jokey’s question.

Rainy only blinked back at first. “Um… Come again?”

“Do you want to smurf down to the smurf? We can all smurf there together. I thought it might be smurfy of me to suggest since you smurfed that your nickname is Aqua and everything.”

“Uhh… do I want to… what…?” Rainy leaned in closer. “Mr Jokey Smurf, sir, is this another one of those ‘jokes’ you were telling me about…?”

Now it was Mr Jokey’s turn to be confused. “How much clearer can I smurf it to you?”

“I ask you, what kind of a smurf can’t smurf in smurf…?” he heard Mr Hefty mutter.

“I’ve got a smurfier idea,” Mr Dreamy said then, a smile now on his face. “Instead of smurfing down to the smurf… There’s something else a smurf nicknamed ‘Aqua’ might also enjoy. How about smurfing aboard my ship for a short cruise, Rainy? I’ve only just used it recently so it’s just about ready for us to jump on.”

“Oh, I think that would be wonderful, Mr Dreamy!” Rainy beamed. “I’ve never been aboard a ship before, but it sounds fun. To be surrounded by sea and all of its interesting wildlife… I’d love to!”

--

A short while later, a couple of other smurfs accompanied Mr Dreamy and himself aboard the ship. What a contraption it was… He looked over the railing at the sea below and the sight calmed him. Such fresh sights and smells were in abundance…

Mr Dreamy set the ship in motion and then they were off, the waves crashing against the ship steadily, the ship rocking… rocking… the floor… tilting…

After a little while, Rainy stepped carefully over to the railing to grab hold of it, feeling more unsteady on his feet by the minute.

“Anything wrong, Rainy?” Mr Vanity asked pleasantly from nearby.

“No, n-not at all… It’s… nothing…” he just needed a little longer to adjust to the motion of the ship, that was all. This was supposed to be fun, and he didn’t want to ruin it. He wasn’t one to complain, after all.

Rainy’s grip tightened on the railing. He no longer trusted himself to let go.

“Having fun, Rainy?” Mr Tracker asked in a casual tone a little while later. Rainy hadn’t noticed him approach. “How are you feeling?” he added with a smile.

“I’m f-fine… I think. I feel… nnnghhh…” he couldn’t quite finish that sentence right now. A few deep breaths. “…Actually… M-Mr Tracker Smurf, Sir, I don’t believe I feel well at all…”

Mr Tracker was still smiling. “Well, why didn’t you just say so? The real Brainy got seasick very easily too.”

The real Brainy.

The words made him feel ill. They made him feel even more ill than any of the ship’s movement possibly could. His grip on the railing loosened and he tried to sink down to the ground with little fanfare, lurched to the side with one of the ship’s rough movements instead. He didn’t bother trying to get up.

“…You tricked me…” his voice was shaking and he needed to refrain from speaking as much as possible in his current state.

“We didn’t trick anyone,” Mr Tracker insisted innocently as he stood above him. “How could we have known you’d get seasick just like Brainy would?” But he was still smiling that awful smile.

“Stop the sh-ship. Let me off. Or… Or I’m going to be sick…”

--

Dry land again. But it was still some minutes before the world finally seemed to stop spinning around him. The nausea had thankfully cleared up without consequence.

The other smurfs had chatted nonchalantly amongst themselves as they waited for him to gather himself. He didn’t look at them. His eyes were on the ground.

He felt that most of his strength had returned, and yet…

When he spoke, his voice sounded so weak. Insignificant.

“…You still don’t see me as my own smurf. None of you do.”

He was chancing to look up at them now. Mr Vanity had registered the words, but continued to look into his mirror, apparently having deemed Rainy not significant enough to warrant a passing glance at that moment, even while responding to him. “What do you mean, Rainy?”

Rainy’s fingers dug into the dirt before him. “You all… tricked me.”

Mr Dreamy knelt down in front of him. “Hey, now… I just thought… Well, you did say you and Brainy have nothing else in common, right? I figured there was no harm in putting that to a little test. Turns out there might be a little more overlap than you thought.”

“It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a coincidence.” His throat was closing up and getting out the words was becoming more difficult, but he struggled onwards. “So I get seasick too, so what? Does anyone who happens to get seasick… Does that mean it’s only because they all have some sort of link back to Brainy too? But you’re all leaping at the chance to… to use this against me as if it means anything at all…!” He’d gotten back on his feet now. He wouldn’t cry. He turned away from them before they could respond.

--

Mr Clumsy found him some time later, sitting by a stream, watching the water flowing by.

“Hey, Rainy.”

“Mr Clumsy…”

They sat in silence for a while.

Whenever he gazed at a pool of water, whether it be a pond or a lake or what have you… He’d always think about the world that lay just beneath the surface, where everything seemed to work so differently. But sometimes, when the water was still and reflected the world around it, he liked to imagine the situation as reversed – to pretend that he was the one submerged, and that the reflected image was what actually lay beyond the surface - that he was gazing up out at it. When he imagined that, it made it feel like he was already in that secret hidden world, safely tucked away. The surface of the water was the dividing line splitting apart two different realms, and it was fun to imagine those realms being flipped.

In truth, he didn’t know much about what life must be like for creatures underwater, just as there was much he didn’t know about many things. But he liked to imagine, to create and shape in his mind an image of what it might be like. Even while knowing it may not correspond with reality, it was still nice to have it there in his mind, a comforting notion to return to of a mystical underwater life, completely separate from the one he lived.

But in the end, he wasn’t capable of living underwater. He had no choice but to make a life on solid ground. The idea of the underwater world was nothing but a fantasy to return to whenever he wished to daydream.

The water of the stream he was looking at now was not still, and so offered no reflection to gaze at. Only opaque, running water with the occasional rock jutting out of it, but there was no true insight on offer as to what specifically lay beneath the surface.

“I just wanted to try finding a life for myself,” Rainy said at last. “To see if maybe there was a life for me here… to live among other smurfs like me. But… I guess not.”

“Gosh, Rainy… I’m sorry. It’s… hard for everyone. I’d be lying if I said we didn’t kinda want you to take Brainy’s essence back…”

“But it’s not… It’s not my essence!”

Mr Clumsy looked at him, expression difficult to discern in that moment. “…I know.”

“I don’t really know what I expected… Given everything. I guess I was just… naively hoping I could try to make my own way without being overshadowed.”

Mr Clumsy picked up a nearby rock and inspected it. It was small enough to fit comfortably in his palm. “We just miss Brainy a lot… He’s been gone so long now. We wish real bad we could have him back.”

“…Why?” Rainy found himself asking. Every single thing he knew about Brainy pointed to him being nothing but trouble. The three smurfs that bore his essence were overwhelming evidence of that. Rainy always tried to see the best in others but he could not make out a single redeeming quality in what seemed to consist of that most intolerable know-it-all smurf’s personality. Any of the goodness he could find in Miss Smurfette, Mr Hefty and Mr Jokey… all of it appeared to be drawn from their own original personalities and simply made worse by that other smurf’s annoying essence. He had known them for a brief time before they’d been splashed with the essence and become infected by it, after all. Why they willingly continued to put up with that essence mixing with their own was far beyond his comprehension.

And they all only had part of the essence. To think of it all being condensed into a single smurf… How could someone so awful even put up with themself? As harsh as it was… Maybe they were all better off without him.

His attention was drawn away from that train of thought to the way Mr Clumsy was smiling wistfully. “What d’ya mean, ‘why’? Maybe Brainy could be a bit mean at times an’ all that… But he was one of us. He cared about us an’ we all cared about him. A lot of the time I think he was really just tryin’ to help out or smurf things better, you know? He had plenty of smurfy qualities.”

Rainy couldn’t help but feel that the words were a grand exaggeration. A fundamentally kind-hearted smurf like Mr Clumsy was surely unable to truly tell it like it was for a smurf like Brainy and speak the harsh truth of the matter. Not to mention the bias that would come into play during someone’s absence… you were bound to exaggerate the positives and even find positives that were never there to begin with. ‘Smurfy’ qualities, good qualities… Hah… He would beg to differ.

“If he was so mean, did no one tell him so and hold him accountable?”

Mr Clumsy laughed a small laugh. “Oh, yeah, the other smurfs would make it clear whenever he was goin’ too far. They were kinda mean back to him too, but it didn’t seem to bother him much. When it got pointed out he was bragging too much or putting others down and smurfs got real mad at him… He didn’t really seem to listen; he could be back at it again right the next day. It was just who he was. But no smurf is perfect. Besides… his ability to bounce back like that, and the way unsmurfy comments seemed to just bounce right off him… Y’might even say it was uh, impressive.”

Impressive… Well, that was certainly one way of putting it. Rainy, on the other hand, would describe what sounded like such wilful blindness in quite a different manner. But he didn’t dare interrupt Mr Clumsy, especially when he noticed the way the other smurf’s eyes seemed to be misting up.

“…He was my bestest friend,” Mr Clumsy finished, wiping at his eyes.

“Perhaps I could be your friend, Mr Clumsy,” Rainy suggested then. This Brainy must have been lucky to have a friend like Mr Clumsy… He doesn’t seem to have deserved such a friendship at all. Mr Clumsy deserved better friends than that, who wouldn’t always put their own needs first, as this Brainy seemed to have done.

“Well in that case… I think you should smurf another try at mingling in with the village. We can show ya how to play smurfball.”

He hadn’t been planning on returning to the village, not after what had taken place on the ship… He’d planned on going back to Mr Mildrew’s place at the earliest opportunity. But Mr Clumsy made him want to give things another try.

(To be continued)

[musicallisto]

Hi, congrats on 800 followers! Can I please get a Six of Crows ship? I’m have short brown hair (I dyed red last week) and green eyes. I don't mind if im shipped with a girl or a boy. I like reading (no romantic novels), music and photography. I'm Aquarius. I’m very curious. I'm a little shy and even cold at first. I’m not good with feelings, I mostly keep them to myself if I can, but I care deeply for my loved ones and would do anything to help them, even if I'm not very good at giving advice. ☆

hi! here’s your vanilla milkshake, I hope you like it! I ship you with jesper fahey!

You don’t imagine the extent of my joy to be able to add a gif of an actual real person for Jesper... however shall I survive until Aprid 23rd?

For the longest time, you thought the world started and ended at your corner of Fjerda, in your frozen estate by the True Sea.

You were descented from minor Fjerdan nobility, and your father, jaded by Court Life and its political intrigues - and, unofficially, penniless after giving his all for the sempiternal wars on Ravka -, had decided to leave the capital and retire to his family’s estate by the sea a few years after you were born.

All you had ever known were the large, marbled corridors you’d spend entire afternoons wandering, daydreaming about adventures in the confines of the country - or living the lavish life of a true Fjerdan princess, in an outrageously enormous bed of satin sheets...

The house was spacious and beautiful, with a marvelous view over the sea, gently carrying its boats to and fro before you - and you’d stay there on the balcony in your flowy white dress, admiring the ocean until you couldn’t fight the chills of the night creeping up your spine anymore; but as tranquil and languid as your existence was, it was also terribly lonely.

All you longed for was a sibling, a friend, a partner in crime, someone you could explore the world and go on quests with...

... until a lighting bolt tore the silence, one night.

You couldn’t sleep, so you had gone on a walk by the shore as you often did - your father was never worried about it, since you knew the rocks and their cracks like the back of your hand, and would know the way back home even with your eyes closed.

But you were so absorbed by the distant twinkling of stars that you didn’t notice the shadows creeping up behind you until it was too late.

Screams in a language you can’t understand; an arm around your neck in a chokehold, another slipping under your knees; you thrash around, slice all you can, bite and claw at all you can grasp...

Your abductors know better than to let Fjerdan nobility get away from their grasp. They don’t know exactly who you are - but they’ve guessed from the distinguished aspect of your house that there’s a fine sum to gain from whoever will be willing to pay for you - your father for a ransom, or anyone else, in Kerch, who’ll make good use of your services.

Those brothels in Ketterdam pay good money for young girls, they hear - even more so for a Fjerdan pearl.

When they throw you on an overloaded carriage like a potato sack, you’re still yelling at the top of your lungs, pleading for your father, for one of your maids, for anyone to help you.

But no one hears.

You shed all the tears you have in the first night, tossed around in a dark chariot, off to somewhere unknown. Your father hasn’t prepared you for this - nothing, not even your books nor your fantastical imaginary adventures...

But you don’t intend on being sold off that easily. So you devise a plan to get away.

The first opportunity to break free presents itself when your kidnappers force you to board a ship; but they manage to catch you before you’ve run very far.

But second time’s the charm; with nothing better to do during the voyage than to bide your time and gnaw at your bonds, you’re able to slip from your captor’s watch, and blindly run through the harbor - just to get as far as possible from the stench of this floating carcass.

The first thing that strikes you is the odor. You’ve known the sea forever - it’s clear and bright as ice, and smells of fresh mornings and cold salt; never of this green rot that festers everywhere in these streets... and all those chimneys, all those people, who stare you down as you run down these grimy streets, barefoot in your off-white dress...

You understand that you’re farther from home than you’ve ever been, and it’s not a thrilling adventure, it’s terrifying and overwhelming, and you want nothing more than to burst into tears.

But you don’t, because a pair of strangers flag you down in a language you don’t understand.

A tall and lanky dark-skinned boy, wearing vibrant fabric and a self-assured grin; and possibly the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen in your life, all bright eyes and genuine frown.

Paralyzed, you open your mouth, once, twice, incapable of making the slightest sound; until the girl notices your visible discomfort, and, eyeing your pale eyes, asks in the slightest of Ravkan accents;

“Are you Fjerdan?”

You nod with all your soul. You’re ready to cling onto them both for dear life.

“What happened to you?”

Your voice fails you - you can’t explain it - you haven’t even comprehended it all. You were curled up in front of the fireplace just the night before...

“Do you have anywhere to go?”

You shake your head with despair, trying to blink back the tears.

“Come with us. We know someone who’ll help you.”

You don’t mull it over very long. Maybe it’s your sheltered uprbinging that has made you naive; maybe it’s the curiously comforting warmth you see in the Ravkan girl’s eyes; but you simply have no better option, and you can’t understand a word of Kerch, or wherever it is that this barbarian folk speak.

Although your two saviors start arguing, probably about whether or not they can reasonably take you in, your tear-stained cheeks and desperate vulnerability are enough to convince them - so you follow them.

Into the lair of the Dregs, of whom you’ve never heard - and of Kaz Brekker, who you know very well.

After all, he’s the infamous gangster who invaded your homeland, broke into the Ice Court, and stole the Shu boy - or so you saw your father read in the papers. To know that you are under the same roof as that lowlife would be enough to give your father a heart attack...

You’re half convinced that he’ll throw you back to the streets, but Nina and, surprisingly, Jesper as well, plead in your favor with a greatly convincing fervor. You learn that it’s probably because Kaz has much greater worries on his mind - the criminal group is planning on retrieving one of their own from the clutches of a treacherous business partner, or so you’ve gathered.

Either way, you’re more than happy that the terrifying and redoubtable Kaz Brekker is leaving you alone, and that you can enjoy Jesper’s company.

You two become unexpectedly good friends overtime. He comes to visit you at the Crow Club, where you’re staying, almost every day. Yet communication is not your strong suit, especially in a language you don’t understand at all, and you don’t fancy yourself a particularly enthralling girl to be around.

Not when one has lived the life of a criminal, a sharpshooter, a wanderer, a playboy... well, all those things that Jesper prises himself on being, and all those words he’s taught you in Kerch.

(That and the curse words, of course, that you’re a bit intimidated to use at first, until they slip out of your mouth one evening when you drop your plate at dinner with the Dregs, and the entire canteen falls dead silent.)

“Did she just say ‘fuck’?”

“I think she just said fuck.”

“See, Matthias, she wasn’t immediately struck by lighting by Djel’s hand. You won’t die if you say it.”

Speaking of Matthias, he’s also a good friend of yours - it’s comforting and refreshing to have a familiar face around, one of Fjerdan roots and mores.

Although the rest of the group says you’re not that Fjerdan.

“You’re one of the feisty ones, at least.”

“I’m not ‘feisty’. Shut up, Jesper.”

“Ah, I see you’ve been working on the vocabulary I taught you!”

Matthias and you both have a lot of soul-searching and unlearning to do about the outside world - you were raised in particularly bigoted environments, you somewhat less than him. The hatred for the Grisha he’s been taught by the Drüskelle is fear in your case; you’ve been brought up on bedtime stories of bloodthirsty Grisha who devour unruly kids, and war and devastation caused by their unstability and blasphemous magic.

It’s even more of a shock to you when you learn Jesper is a Grisha.

Unbeknownst to you, you’ve started to fall a little for him - how could you not? He’s funny, charming, sarcastic and witty; always has the best stories to tell, and despite it all, sincerely cares for you amidst the chaos of their heist and revenge plans.

But to learn he was the kind of monster - no, the kind of creature - no, the kind of person, you force yourself to correct mentally - that you had been taught to fear for your entire life...

“I’m so sorry. You should never have been there.”

He’s pacing back and forth in your room after a shootout has gone awry and you were caught in the crossifre; it’s the first time he’s ever had to use his Durast powers to get you of the mess - and normally he wouldn’t have, because it’s a secret he wishes he could carry to the grave, but the fear of losing you was too strong...

“Thank god that I was there, though. What would you do without me?”

He’s fidgety and restless, nervously playing with his pistols, and his nervous laugh is all but genuine; and you’re huddled up on your bed, staring him down with wide eyes.

“Jesper, you...”

“Yeah, maybe not the best moment.”

“Jesper...”

“It’s like they have a knack for knowing exactly where we’re gonna be and when...”

“Jesper!”

He abruptly turns to look at you, and his eyes widen. He’s starting to understand, almost, but refuses to believe it. Your voice is a murmur, and you can hardly hold his gaze.

“Jesper, are you... going to hurt me?”

His words die in his throat. He remembers where you’re from... the garbage that they must have filled your ears and head with from the day you were born... how feverish Matthias was with Nina... he looks at his hands, and his Materialki magic rumbles like a dark curse.

“Y/N, you’re scared of me?”

The sheer hurt in his voice breaks your heart. Even though you’re trembling, you let him step closer to you, slowly. It’s Jesper in front of you, not some ungodly monster from legends... Jesper, your Jesper...

“I’m... I’m sorry...”

He cups your face in his hands, warm and just a bit moist, and stares into your eyes with a vulnerability you have never seen in him.

“I’d never do anything to hurt you, Y/N, I swear on my life. All I want is you to be safe...”

Safe from me, if that’s what you wish, he thinks for a split second, but you don’t give him time to doubt; you’ve captured his lips in a frenzied kiss, and hold on for dear life onto his lean shoulders.

Fjerda and its blind hatred is very far from you, now. You're locked in Jesper's embrace, and you won't have to hear their lies anymore.

You know you have nothing to fear from him; not now, and not ever.

800 follower sleepover CLOSED!

[sailordiavolo]

I'm curious, how do you think nero would react to meeting Alice, if she is his mom?

(very long post)

well, i may have to take a few liberties in answering this, so i shall establish some assumptions. 1) we assume alice is his mom (obvi) 2) we assume she is alive 3) we assume that she left him in fortuna as a way to protect him and 4) we assume that alice became a devil hunter. oh and 5) they meet post-canon, aka after the events of dmc5.

also, conclusions i draw from this will be somewhat based on how i would react, if put in these circumstances, i.e. if i were in nero’s shoes. i don’t know if that might make it strange or not, because sometimes i think i have abnormal reactions to emotional things happening.

another thing i would like to point out, is that as someone who hasn’t actually read the manga, my understanding of alice comes from second-hand accounts, and information i could glean from the wiki, and of a few panels i’ve seen. that being said, let’s get into this, shall we?

before covering nero’s reaction, i’ll touch on how i think alice might be as a person, or at least her feelings towards being a mother, and possibly towards nero himself. i’ll also talk about nero’s thoughts towards what he thinks his mother might be like, prior to finding out.

alice

from what little i know about alice, she was a little girl who was used by arkham as a tool to lure out the sons of sparda. (i think if lady/mary hadn’t turned against him, that role would’ve went to her tbh). i think it’s safe to say she was groomed by arkham, who probably also put her up to seducing dante (and vergil too). it just gets worse the more you think about it, really. i think she was forced to (or made to feel like she needed to) grow up prematurely. the powers she has were probably given to her via some weird demonic ritual, (assuming she’s human). what i’m getting at here, is that she definitely has a lot of trauma from all this, all of which would affect how she’d react to having a baby.

i won’t go so far as to diagnose her, but some things i thought she might struggle with include intense self-hatred and very low self esteem, very quickly going from feelings of independence to codependency, intense trust issues especially with authority figures, nightmares or night terrors, vivid daydreaming as a coping mechanism, being prone to delusion, going from feeling emotionless to having too much emotions, and not wanting to be perceived versus wanting to be the centre of attention.

that’s a lot actually, but basically i imagine alice as an adult to be someone who has a lot of trauma to sift through and unpack, and not really knowing how to handle it most of the time, especially since she’s doing it all on her own. barely keeping it together, but powering through it simply because she has just enough reasons to keep living.

alice as a mother

i don’t think there’s any question that alice, had she been nero’s mother, would’ve loved him dearly. in fact, i think he would remain a strong reason for her to keep going. however, she keeps herself away from him. this is because she wants him to have something better, something safer than what she can give him. she doesn’t know how to be a mother really, especially given how young she was when she had him.

i think alice would actually feel unworthy of being in nero’s life, feeling guilty for abandoning him, despite these reasons. she has considered many times going to see him, especially when she’s older and a little more stable, but she can’t bring herself to do it. and then she mulls over all the things she struggles to do for herself, and uses that as a reason to justify in her mind why she shouldn’t be seeing him. it continues like that for a long time.

nero

nero, on the other hand, has always longed for a mother. i don’t think this is any secret. when he was being bullied or was suffering as a child, he would fantasise about his mother, and how she would come to whisk him away. although it never happened, nero probably has a set image that he hopes his mother would be like. this may have been more specific when he was a child, but by the time he’s a more well-rounded adult with foster children of his own, he gains more perspective. i think the most important thing to him is that he had a mother who had loved him. a mother who would’ve taken him home, had she the resources. the idea of his mother discarding him really wounds him deep down, and i still don’t think he’s over it, even up to dmc5. that’s why the deadweight comment hit him so hard.

meeting each other

the first thing nero is going to be is overwhelmed, feeling all-too many emotions at once. if he ever met her, it would take him a long time to process it all completely. and it would be somewhat odd and awkward, too. alice doesn’t strike me as the most socially eloquent person. that and, alice doesn’t really come off as a mother. she certainly doesn’t dress like one. she doesn’t even seem that much older than nero, or so nero thinks. he just expected her to be older than that.

the first thing alice would feel the need to do is apologise. of course, she feels very emotionally raw & vulnerable in this situation, but she feels like she owes nero that much.

nero would start crying actually. like a baby. they both might. it would be very emotional for both of them and anyone else present. he would definitely warm up to alice a lot quicker than he did vergil.

nero of course, has so many questions for alice, who is at a point where she’s ready to answer them, i’d think. nero would ask all sorts of questions, like how she’s been living, etc. but he’d really wanna know about how she met vergil and how the hell that happened. alice sits with nero and tells him her story, maybe the first time she’s ever told it aloud to anyone in full. she asks about nero as well, sitting and catching up on all the years lost between them. being a foster father, nero is able to empathise with alice more as he listens.

i think they would bond very quickly after that. alice had been terrified that nero would spurn her, but he didn’t. alice has difficulty expressing emotions normally, and probably has her own way of expressing affection. but after meeting nero, she tries hard to make time to visit him.

if she were to become a devil hunter based in fortuna or something, i think she’d be very proud of nero, and nero would be totally amazed by alice’s strange powers.

also, i think nero wouldn’t know whether to call her mom or not. alice doesn’t know which she prefers either, but if nero does decide to call her mom, it secretly makes her happy.

[aniverous]

Read your Murder Drones fic (loved it by the way) and I had a "what if" at the back of my mind. What if Uzi had lived? What would have changed? Would she go back to Copper 9? I'm genuinely curious.

She would think about going to Copper 9, but would only actually go if someone else encouraged her to do so.

There were plenty of times during the war that she missed home, but not because she missed the people there; it was more like she sometimes got overwhelmed with all the fighting and wondered what would have happened if she never left the exoplanet. Especially after a big loss that made winning seem impossible, or made her feel like she was going to get everyone killed, or both.

When it's finally over, she keeps mulling over whether or not to visit Copper 9 in person or just let someone else tell them about everything. It was her home, but she hated it there, but it's been years what if people have changed, but she's changed what would they think about that-and on and on and on.

Until someone gave her a reason one way or another, she would never make up her mind.

If she did go back, she would be the one to walk up to the first colony-she can't believe there are more than one now, she never thought they would progress so much-to just get it out of the way. She manages to stay professional as she gives them the news, but it's hard with everyone staring at her like she's an alien, even if she kinda is now.

Uzi doesn't enter the bunker, doesn't ask to speak to her dad or anyone else. The group asks tons of questions and she keeps her answers brief. Eventually she says all she's willing to say and turns to leave.

Thad grabs her hand. He won't let her leave yet, he needs to talk to her more. She holds a hidden dagger to his throat on reflex.

They go to talk in private.

He asks how she's feeling, what it was like to bring down to company, if she had to stab people on a regular basis, that sort of thing. Uzi gives slightly longer replies but would stay quiet for some of the questions-too many bad memories.

Eventually Thad apologizes for not seeing her before she left, for not leaving with her, for not being there for her when she lived here.

Uzi doesn't say anything to that.

He asks if they were friends, and if they still are.

She says she doesn't know as she walks away.

She leaves Copper 9 before the end of the day.

[sinnaminsuga]

New Royalty

(here's that supernatural cross over fic! i'm still not sure i'm happy with it how it turned out but here it is! 😂)

@indigosaurus @zealoushound @killjoy-assbutt-1112 @hope-to-hell @wendimydarling @infinite-shite @inlovewithhisblueeyes

Being a crossroads demon, life wasn’t easy. Especially so now, when you’re adjusting to becoming the fresh new King Of Hell. I wanted to continue my job as a crossroads demon because truthfully, I loved the work. But, being the King was a daunting task all on its own, so I let my number one Knight Of Hell, my brother (for all intents and purposes) Sy, handle the crossroads deals. And he had been doing an amazing job, snatching up souls left and right. But I could tell by the look on his face as he stormed into the great hall, that something had gone very very wrong.

“August, I can’t handle this chick anymore! She’s driving me fucking nuts! And she must be a lawyer or somethin’ because she knows her contracts man. But she’s driving me up the wall and I’m gonna gank this bitch with the First Blade if you don’t go talk to her.” Sy shouted through the hall as he approached my throne. The anger was rolling off of him in waves, scaring away the low level demons milling about.

“Sy what are you talking about?” I asked, flipping through pages of paperwork. “Listen, there’s this girl who keeps summoning me right? And there’s no offer I make her that will make her take the deal and eventually I get annoyed and I leave. And EVERY night she does this. She summons me EVERY. NIGHT. And this last time I went topside to see what she wanted and SHE ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE FUCKING MANAGER. Can you believe this shit?!” Sy said, finishing with an exasperated sigh.

“What’s her deal? Like what does she want?” I asked, genuinely curious about this strange woman and what she wanted. “Dude she won’t tell me! I told her whatever she wants is gonna cost her, her soul and I’ll come and collect it in 10 years. No dice. I offered 11 years, ya know an extra year to sweeten the pot but still no. She said the only way she’ll stop summoning me is if I give her a good enough deal or if I send my boss. August I can’t keep dealing with her. I have so much shit to do. You ever been zapped away in the middle of a battle with a leviathan? Because I can now say that I have! And it sucked! Please, I know you’re busy too but can you PLEASE deal with her?” Sy pleaded, kneeling at my feet, his hands clasped together.

���Fine. I’ll go up there just this once. But do not make it a constant thing to come in here asking me to do this. The King does not make it a habit to bend the rules for anyone. Not even his own brother.” I said, casting a glance down at him. I stood up from my throne and stretched out my arms and legs before heading to the crossroads.

When I arrived there was a stunning girl leaning against a shitty blue pick up truck, her head hanging low and her boot drawing patterns in the dirt. “Hey! You wanted to see me?” I called out, her head snapping up to look at me. “Yeah. Yeah I did.” She said. As she made her way closer to me I could sense there was something different about her. I don’t know how Sy couldn’t tell what she was but I definitely could.

“Ah ah ah sweetheart. I don’t trust angels. Drop the blade in the back of your truck or I’ll smoke outta here faster than you can blink alright?” I demanded. She was an angel. And not just in the sense that she was beautiful, no. She was a real angel. Hidden wings, angel blade, grace, and all. She was stunningly beautiful but terrifying at the same time. The blood beneath my skin thrummed with anticipation. What could this gorgeous, heavenly creature want from me?

“Oh! Oh right sorry! I forgot to ditch it because I didn’t know if you would actually come talk to me! I’m Y/N.” She replied with nervous laughter, throwing her sword into her truck. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at her. “So, what ever could you want to talk to me about? My brother said you’ve exhausted him. I suggest you don't try that with me, I'm far less forgiving.” I grinned.

“Well you see, the thing is, Sy didn’t understand what I wanted and I think it’s because he couldn’t tell what I was. I’m what's considered an archangel. One of the original angels that God created.” She said. “Oh honey I know exactly what you are. I could see it the minute my feet hit the ground up here. Dont waste my time with things I already know. Spit it out. Now.” I grumbled, growing impatient.

“Okay. So you obviously know my brother Lucifer, he used to be like your leader or whatever. But what no one knows is that I was supposed to fall too. Lucifer took the full blame even though everything that happened was half my fault. I believed in him and his cause but he insisted I stayed upstairs with Dad and the rest. When they found out I had conspired against them they locked me up for thousands of years. Can you believe that?! God forbid I’m a free thinker! Pun intended. I’ve finally gotten free and I needed to get the fuck out. I’m so angry and I just can’t stay there anymore!” Y/N growled. Her eyes were glowing with the force of her anger and it made the surrounding air sizzle.

This woman didn’t know it but she was having quite the effect on me. The cogs in my brain were spinning with all the ideas of what she would say next. “Y/N what do you want from me? There’s a reason you keep contacting my brother and I want to know why.”

“I want to strike a deal.” She said. “No shit sweetheart. That’s what everyone wants. I want to know what the deal is since you refuse to speak to Sy.” I huffed, growing tired of this game. Dancing around the point was never my favorite thing.

The beautiful stranger sauntered closer to me and splayed her hand over my chest before slowly lifting her gaze to meet my eyes. I could feel the warmth radiating from her palm and it made my skin tingle and the blood in my groin pulse. “Every king needs a queen right?” She said, grinning up at me. “You take me as your queen, and we all get what we want. I get to take my place in hell where I should have been a long time ago, and in return you get an extra set of hands and eyes to help you run the joint. I can help you August. Truly I can. And you can help me.” Y/N murmured, delicate fingers tracing over my chest.

I mulled it over for a moment, weighing the options and all that. It would be good to have a loyal partner to help me run my empire and she was beautiful and intriguing so I wouldn’t mind her being my wife. Also she had a great deal of power and with her in my arsenal I would never lose, should the opportunity of war arise. The decision was an easy one.

“Well if you know so much about crossroads deals, you know how we seal this contract don’t you?” I smirked, my eyes flashing to black. “Of course I do. I’ve been waiting for this part for weeks.” She said, her hand snaking around the back of my neck and pulling my face towards her. Our lips met in a heated clash and I could feel electricity pulsing from her body. A loud thunder clap sounded in the distance as her tongue slipped into my mouth. The feeling of kissing her was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. My hands began to roam her body and squeeze her flesh. She was so warm but so strong, like velvet covered steel. I couldn’t get enough of her. My lips moved to her neck and I tugged on her sensitive skin with my teeth. The whimper that fell from her lips sounded like paradise. She was clawing at my back and writhing against me and all I had done was kiss her. Her responses to my touch were amazing and I never wanted this to end. I pulled back for a moment to catch my breath and she whined like I’d stabbed her. I pressed my lips to the shell of her ear before whispering, “Sweetheart, if we keep going at it like this I’m going to have no choice but to fuck you on the very ground you stand on.”

“So do it. I want you to. I’m yours now.” She snarled. Before I could register what was happening, she hooked her right leg behind mine and shoved at my chest, effectively bringing me to the ground. Once we landed, I began kissing her again, my snaking my tongue into her mouth. She audibly moaned when I ground my hard length against her clothed center.

“Baby, I’m all about dry-humping but if you don’t hurry up and get inside me I actually might explode. And the last time an archangel exploded, cities were leveled and people were killed.” She giggled. “Keep sweet talking me honey. Death and destruction are a demons favorite things.” I groaned into her neck, a mischievous smile on my lips, before I sank my teeth into her neck. She laughed aloud, the sound like bells, and I never wanted to hear anything else ever again.

She took my face in her small hands, her beautiful eyes scanning my face before whispering “Take me home August. It’s where we belong.”

THE END