#in that manner eri is not much different save that she is in a much more dangerous position in remaining among the displacers

[alteredphoenix]

Some character designs for some more of the girls that appear in the Daemon Familiar’s story in the present day era and whom Airi will meet - and contend with - on her travels to find the Demon King-in-Exile. That I...did during the ice storm and three of the sixteen hours spent in the dark without power, but y’all don’t need to know that.

Locations, and mostly outfits, are not 100% finalized, but written here as a reference point for future material.

A quick rundown:

Rochelle (left): The current leader of a community-driven law enforcement agency out in the jungles west of Esserings that was founded by her ancestors shortly after the Great War, in a direct counter-response to the police brutality and corruption among and enacted by the Displacers. Rochelle is dedicated to continuing her family’s line of work and upholding the peace that they feel the Displacers have failed in their duty to follow since their formation in the Rift War. Although she is willing to give the Displacers an opportunity to redeem themselves of their crimes against the common folk, Rochelle is willing to fight dirty and shed blood against them if it means their corruptive influence and arrogance will not harm her people and fellow officers - including a time-displaced cadet in training such as Airi, whose wanderings with Iryna lead her right into the heart - and the cross-hairs - of the group colloquially called ‘the Displacer Hunters’.

Hikari/Akari (middle): A former Displacer in the Esserings Displacer agency. As one of the two rising stars among their generation, Hikari was considered to be a candidate for promotion as an elite captain of the Displacer Honor Guard, an exceptional honor that is normally granted to more older, experienced members - especially to people that inhabit the islands to the far west and south of the mainland continent. However, observation of the corruption and misconduct committed by not only her own unit but other divisions among the Displacers led Hikari to become increasingly disillusioned, frustrated, and ultimately disgusted with the lack of investigation and accountability toward them, until she became a target of harassment and sexual abuse from the upper echelons. One such crime committed by her unit was the theft of a sword from a demon society, said to be forged under a full red moon, with the spirit of a night gaunt and the ability to drink the blood of people with sinful hearts. Unaware of the crime that had been done save for the claims of its creation, Hikari was drawn to and found solace at the sight of the bloodletting blade. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that the Displacers were a lost cause and must be dismantled. On that day, she broke through the containment housing the Blade, slaughtered her way through the ranks she once called ally, and fled the Esserings a wanted fugitive, taking up the pseudonym Akari. There she finds her way into Rochelle’s community and slowly earns her favor - and her respect - by providing evidence of the ongoing misconduct of the Displacer agencies. At the time of Airi’s travels, Hikari is currently Rochelle’s third-in-command, below her lieutenant and confidante, Marshall.

Eri (right): The second of the two Displacers within the Esserings Displacer agency that were considered for promotion to Honorary Guard. Eri and Hikari belonged to and fought in the same unit and were known to be close friends, to the envy of many that vied for Hikari’s attention. However, whereas Hikari had been relaxed and carefree, Eri is quiet, no-nonsense, and a strict follower of the law, focused on upholding the honor and integrity of her organization. However, she herself was not blind to the rumors and allegations of corruption among the Displacers, and although Hikari struggled to bring to light their severity and calls for investigation from the unions and parliament, Eri could only watch as each request was denied or failed with no follow-up. It is then that news of Hikari’s theft of the Bloodletting Blade and mass slaughter of their comrades quickly spreads through the mainland - news that drives Eri into denial and despair. What became of that promotion is unknown, but presently Eri remains within the ranks not only as an elite Displacer but as a licensed bounty hunter, in the wake of rumblings that the Demon King-in-Exile has selected a new Chosen Hero. Eri bides her time and carries out her duty as seen fit, determined to keep tabs on the time-lost stranger named Airi who is on the move with the return of the Majestic Twelve but root out the corruption of the Displacers from within - and, eventually, come to blows with Hikari, who is equally resolute in supplanting the Displacers from their seat of power.

[daydreaming-nerd]

Young Love and Old Money (Cassian x Female! Reader)

Young Love and Old Money Masterlist

AN: Sorry  I’ve been a little MIA recently. I was pretty busy last week, but I’m back now and I’m so excited to be writing this series! 

Summary: She was the most beautiful woman in Prythian, sister to the High Lord of Night, and now she is the soon-to-be wife of Eris Vanserra. Despite her many titles and her aura of unattainability, Cassian can't help but fall deeply in love with the princess of the Night Court. But will it be enough to stop her impending wedding to a man who is sure to destroy her from the inside out?

Warnings: Sexisim, trauma from under the mountain, Rhys isn’t the nicest in this but he has his reasons. 

Word Count: 3,458

As I sauntered down the hallway towards my brother's study, I couldn’t help but feel my palms sweat and my heart race. It was the first time he had ‘summoned’ me in such a manner since we had escaped from under the mountain. That was a year ago, and ever since we made it back to Velaris he had been different. Colder. Not that I could ever fault him. Rhysand and I’s time under the mountain was grueling, but it was far worse for him. First he sacrificed his freedom to save Velaris, then he sacrificed his body to save me. 

My whole life I had been told I beheld a beauty that was otherworldly. However, I had no powers to go alone with my looks. Once I got older rumors across Prythain grew of two siblings of night. Rhysand, who would be the most powerful High Lord to ever grace the land, and me, his younger sister who was born without magic but given the most coveted gift of all. Some even said that Rhysand stole my magic away in our mothers womb, making him the most powerful high fae alive and leaving me with nothing but a pretty face. 

At first I loathed the idea of being powerless, but I soon realized the power my beauty had over others. High Lord’s begged for my hand left and right, males of reason and education would lose all inhibition around me. I quickly became The Jewel of Prythain, a name that was used far more often than my own. The second Rhysand and I’s mother and father realized that, they locked me away. Me and my virtue were far too good a bargaining chip to be let loose into the world. At first it was jarring, having all my freedoms taken away. But Rhys would always come home and tell me the tales of him and his new friends Cassian and Azriel. In a way I got to live through him and I was forever thankful for it. 

When our parents died Rhys gave me more freedom but I neglected to take them. I became close with our cousin Mor and even spent time with his friends Cassian and Azriel, but that was the extent of it.   I had grown so used to living in solitude that I didn’t long for much more. His time as High Lord was short lived, soon after the death of our parents Amarantha came into power and Rhys was to be taken under the mountain. As the princess of the night court, I had no other option but to go with him, or risk Velaris. 

The second we were down there Amarantha sunk her claws into him. Rhys fought and resisted her, and for a few weeks he had been able to keep her at arms length. All of that changed when Hybern came to check on the state of things. He took one look at me and ordered Amarantha to hand me over to him, to be his whore. I had never been so scared in my life, and I had no idea what to do. Rhys spoke up and told Amarantha that if she kept me safe he would go to her bed willingly. It was enough for her to spare me, but it never spared me from the grief of knowing what Rhys was putting himself through to protect me. 

50 years came and went until we were finally free from under the mountain. I remember the smell of night blooming jasmine gracing my nose as Rhys winnowed us home. Mor was the first to greet us, then Amren. Finally Cassian and Azriel flew to the townhouse and the sight of all of our old friends was almost unreal. As I watched them all embrace us, my eyes couldn’t help but float to Cassian. Had he gotten taller since I last saw him? Bigger muscles? More handsome? 

After settling in Rhys changed. He was harsher, colder, no doubt the things he experienced under the mountain still plaguing him. He stayed in the townhouse while I took up residency in The House of Wind, both of us needing time to ourselves to process what had happened. 

I had lived in the House of Wind for a year now, only seeing my brother once a month for family dinners, and I suppose today.  I approached his office doors and knocked quietly.

“Come in,” his voice boomed, more High Lordly than I had ever heard before. 

I step in the door and shut it quietly. For what reason? I’m not sure, there was just something about this new Rhys that made me feel so small, especially now. 

“You wanted to see me?” I ask my brother, standing before his desk. 

“Yes I did,”  he started, sifting through papers. “I wanted to tell you that I finally read fathers will and there’s something in it that concerns you,”  he says. 

“What?” I ask in disbelief. While our father wasn’t a cruel man he never paid much attention to me, focusing all his attention on Rhys, his male heir.  

“He has it written in his will that he struck a deal with Beron and Eris Vanserra years ago.” Rhys says sliding a paper over to me. “The Autumn Court will give us their armies if you marry Eris.”

I glance at the paper Rhys has handed me. Sure enough in fathers hand writing is a contract signed by all three parties. An agreement I was never told about until now. 

“Hybern is on the move and Azriel say’s that he will dock on our shores when he arrives. I think now is as good as ever to call in the contract.” he states leaning back in his leather chair. 

“You want me to marry Eris?” I ask, hoping it wasn’t true. I knew very little of the Prince of Autumn, except that he was a sadistic brute who had a way with women. 

“Not just me sister,” Rhysand drawls sensing a fight. “It was our fathers will as well. I have every intention of finishing what he started. We leave tomorrow for the Autumn Court. You will meet Eris, and Beron and I will go over the details once more.”

Part of me boils at the idea of what my brother is saying but then I remember why our mother and father locked me up. Why every High Lord thirsted for me under the mountain. I could still hear their voices uttering, “There’s The Jewel of Prythian” and, “The most beautiful female of Prythain,” completed with, “I heard that Rhysand stole her power in the womb leaving her with nothing but her beauty” 

This was my fate from the moment I came of age. A bargaining chip to whatever High Lord or Prince was willing to pay the most for. I wanted to scream and cry and beg Rhys not to make me do this. But then I thought of  all he sacrificed for me under the mountain. I could do this for him.

“Then I’m excited to meet him brother,” I said, giving a fake smile. 

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Rhys smiled, the tension from his shoulders dissipating at my words of cooperation. “You are dismissed to begin preparations for tomorrow.” 

I nod my head and take it as my queue to leave his office. The second the double oak doors close I feel my heartrate pick up and I’m suddenly dying for a breath of fresh air. I walk quickly to the front door, my dress billowing behind me as I try to keep my tears from falling. I sit down on the front steps of the townhouse and let the spring air blow across my face. My tears fell slowly but surely as I let all my composure go. 

My mind raced with thoughts of Eris, all the terrible things I had heard of him over the many years. How other High Lords were terrified of the day Beron passed and Eris took his place. If they were terrified of him as a ruler, how scared should I be to have him as a husband? 

A shadow slammed into the ground outside the townhouse pulling me from my thoughts. I tried to wipe my tears away and act like nothing was wrong, but I knew better than to think I could fool my Spymaster for one moment. 

“Hey are you okay? What’s wrong?” Azriel cooed. Azriel and I had gotten close since I came back from under the mountain as he and Cassian also lived in the House of Wind. He had taken on the role of big brother since Rhys was battling his own demons. 

“I just got done talking to Rhys,” I sniffled, feeling the large Illyrian sit next to me. “He says I have to marry Eris.” 

“Vanserra?” Azriel clarified and I nodded. “He can’t be serious, Eris is a monster.” 

“Apparently our father had it arranged years ago, but I didn’t know about it till now. We’re going to the Autumn Court to meet him tomorrow.” I explain,  wiping my eyes. 

“Well I guess that explains why Rhys called me down. Do you want me to talk to him? Maybe I can stop this.” Azriel says, taking my hand in his. 

“No it’s okay. Rhys is right, war is coming and if this marriage can protect you and Cassian as well as our people then I’ll do it. Besides, Rhys sacrificed so much to keep me safe under the mountain, I owe it to him to do this.” I sigh, feeling my breathing calm down as Azriel rubs circles on my hand. 

“You shouldn’t have to sacrifice yourself for Velaris and you shouldn’t be trying to even the score with Rhys. Rhys did what he did because you’re his little sister and he loves you, not because he wanted an IOU,” Azriel explains, continuing to rub circles on the tops of my hands. His scared and calloused hands soothing me. 

“Maybe, but I’m going to do it anyway. I won’t let this city down or my brother,” I say, taking a deep breath. 

“Then you are the bravest princess I know,” Azriel says, kissing my brow. “Not that I haven’t always known.”

“Thanks Az,” I smile, bumping my shoulder into him. 

“I’m sure this meeting won’t be very long, want me to fly you home when I’m done?” Azriel asks.

“That would be great, thank you,” I smile, even though my eyes are still glassed over. 

With that Azriel went inside to talk to Rhys, leaving me outside to take in the fresh air. I sat watching the people of Velaris going about their daily lives. Couples holding hands on the Sidra, children playing in the streets. I couldn’t help but wonder if the Autumn Court would have a place like this, and even though I was still here I couldn’t help but feel a bit of prophetic homesickness. 

The next morning was full of primping and trying on a million gowns. Rhys had sent ​​Nuala and Cerridwen to make sure that I was groomed to perfection. Even though they had taken hours I couldn’t help but fuss over every detail while looking in the mirror in the living room of the townhouse. After I  made sure that the pins holding in my crown were secure I smoothed my hands over my dress a million times, trying to wipe the sweat from my palms. 

“You look beautiful,” crooned a deep voice. 

I nearly jumped out of my skin, bumping into the table under the mirror and knocking over a vase. I turn to find Cassian standing next to me, red siphons faintly glowing and looking handsome as ever. 

“Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you,” he smiled, picking up the vase and turning it back upright. 

“It’s okay,” I smile. “It’s my fault for being so lost in thought.”

“Everyone ready?” Rhysand asks stepping into the room where Cassian, Azriel and I have been waiting for him. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I sigh, stepping towards him so he can winnow us to the Autumn Court. 

The second we arrive I’m greeted with a cold chill running up and down my arms. The smell of wet leaves and woodsmoke surrounds me, and if I wasn’t being brought here to be sold off like cattle I might even say that I liked this place. Rhys led me up the stairs to the palace, Azriel flanking Rhysand’s side while Cassian flanked mine. The closeness of him almost made my skin buzz with excitement. I mentally slapped myself, reminding my brain that I was about to meet my future husband.

The palace of the Autumn Court is beautiful to say the least. The marble floors are bathed in amber light from the various chandeliers that hang from the ceiling and swaths of deep red and golden fabrics are all over the rooms. A set of large oak double doors opens before us and I’m greeted to the sight of Beron Vanserra sitting atop his throne, his eldest son Eris standing at his side. 

Eris was tall and lean. His eyes were like molten fire and his mouth turned up at the sight of me. If I didn’t know a thing about his character I would’ve said he was handsome. The throne room was intimidating and I couldn’t help but notice that only one throne sat atop the dias. Apparently The Autumn Court didn’t believe in High Lady’s.

“Rhysand, welcome to my court,” Beron greeted us, stepping down to walk towards Rhys. 

“We are honored to be invited,” Rhysand smiled with a charm that only he could possess. 

“This must be your sister y/n,” Beron smiled. “Step forward girl.” 

I wasn’t sure if Beron’s voice was like a spell that propelled me forward or if I was just so scared my body was acting on instinct. But the second the command left his mouth I took two steps toward him. 

“Very nice,” Beron drawled as circled me like prey making my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “I see that all the stories of her beauty are true. Can you vouch for her purity, Rhysand?” 

“I can assure you that she remains untouched,” Rhys says and bile nearly rises in my throat.

“Wonderful,” Beron claps his hands together. “Eris why don’t you and y/n take a stroll around the terrace while Rhysand and I finalize the details.” 

“With pleasure father,” Eris says, stepping down from the dias towards me taking my hand in his. “You are even more beautiful than the stories say,” he smiles, pressing a kiss to my hand. 

“You flatter me Prince Eris,” I smile, allowing him to lead me outside. 

“I’ve been told that flattery is one of my many talents,” he smirks as the fresh Autumn air hits my face. 

We walk until we reach the bannister of the terrace. I lean against it, peering out over the valley below us. Bright bursts of reds, oranges and yellows flow throughout the land, the setting sun making the scene picture perfect. 

“Over there are the kennels where I keep my hounds,” Eris tells me, pointing to a large red barn off to the left. 

“That’s right, I’ve heard you’re a magnificent hunter,” I smile, craning my neck to see more of the barn. 

“It’s true, I’ve been hunting for years. I’ve tried thousands of other hobbies but nothing gives me quite the thrill that hunting does,” he explains and I can sense the double meaning in his words. 

“What’s that over there?” I ask, pointing to a patch of land riddled with targets, bows, swords and what appears to be a fighting ring. 

“That, my dear, is where my brothers and I train, and that’s where our sons will train once they can wield a sword,” he explains and his words make me sick. 

“And if we have a daughter?” I tease trying to keep the conversation light. 

“Then she will be a pretty little wall ornament for a future High Lord, just like you are,” he says brushing a hand down my bare arm. “But know this, you will bear me a son.” he growls and it feels like an order.

I swallow hard trying to keep the tension rolling through my body from gracing my face, “Of course my prince,” I say turning towards him. 

From the corner of my eye I see Cassian leaning against the door watching the two of us, and I wonder if he has been here the whole time. 

“Who are you?” Eris sneers. 

Cassian straightens up, a playful glint in his eye, “I'm merely the humble guardian of your future wall ornament, ensuring she remains as exquisite as she is now." He says with a charming smile that would normally bring me to my knees. Instead it was taking everything in me not to laugh. 

Eris’ jaw ticks at Cassian’s tone but he remains ever the calm and collected prince he was brought up to be. “Very well then.” was all he could say before we were interrupted by my brother and Beron. 

“Look at them, they already make a very handsome couple,” Beron says to Rhysand. 

“I can’t argue with that,” Rhysand smiles. “Come sister we’re going home, you and Eris will have time to talk later this week.” 

I don’t argue or ask questions as I am dying to get out of this wretched palace as soon as possible. I bid my goodbyes to Eris and take my brother's hand as he leads me out of the palace and winnows us away. It isn’t until the scent of jasmine fills the air that I let myself finally take a deep breath. I barely have a moment to think before Rhys speaks up. 

“Things went well, but Eris has asked for the contract to be changed,” Rhysand states. 

“In what way?” I ask, fearing the worst. 

“He wishes for you two to court for a month, if at the end of that month he finds you agreeable you will become his wife,” Rhys states.

In a way part of me is relieved, if at the end of the month Eris decides he doesn’t want me anymore I’m free. Free from this marriage, free to stay home with my family.  

“Then I guess I’ll have to continue to spark his interest,” I say, my words betraying me.

“Precisely,” Rhys nods. “Azriel come with me I have a mission to discuss with you, Cassian fly y/n to The House of Wind.” 

“On it boss,” Cassian replies jokingly, turning to me. “Ready to go?” he asks me.

“More than you know,” I sigh, tossing my arms around his frame and letting him fly me out of the townhouse. 

I had always loved flying, I remember when Rhys first summoned his wings and was learning how to use them. He would come home with cuts and bruises all over him that Madja had to clean up. She always joked that he spent more time being bandaged up than he did in the air. But the day that Rhys finally learned how to fly he rushed to tell me all about it. Later that night he snuck me out of the townhouse and took me on a flight around the city. I had never felt so free in my life. 

I felt the same way now as the wind whipped my hair behind me, Cassian’s warmth seeping through my clothes keeping me from getting cold. I tried to not breathe in his scent of cedar and leather, but with my face so close to his neck it was hard to ignore. 

A sudden gust of wind had us blowing sideways and I gripped his neck tighter, peering down at how far the drop would be. 

Cassian chuckled, “Don’t worry princess I got you,” he assured me, holding my body a little closer to his own just to ease my worries. 

“I know you do,” I laugh nervously, trying to act unaffected. 

“Are you sure? Because you’re still gripping my neck like you’re going to topple out of my arms.” Cassian chuckles again. 

I loosen my tight grip,  feeling embarrassed. “Sorry,” I murmur, trying to cover my blushing cheeks. 

“No need to apologize,” he laughs, touching down on the balcony outside of the living room.

“Thanks for taking me home,” I say softly, turning towards the door. 

“Of course, anytime,” he smiles before taking off into the sky again. 

I watch his form disappear into the clouds and as I make my way into my room I can’t help but long for that smell of cedar and leather.

Part 2  

Taglist: @crystalferret202, @nickishadow139 ,  @graceshifts , @writeroutoftime , @heyyitsnat21,

[electricbathsalt]

(from kainagant) psst what are your extensive headcanons/thoughts on hero!overhaul au? i'd love to hear what you think he'd be like as a hero.

I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED!! Idk why I didn’t talk about this sooner—it’s like I have to be prompted on a topic before I remember “oh yeah, I actually have thoughts on this matter, that I can speak out loud!!” 💀 also, I apologize in advance for how long this is. I’m basically summarizing the entirety of this AU in my mind, and it’s like. The longest-standing AU for Chisaki I have.

Anyway, first things first—he got taken away from the Hassaikai when he was young (like, maybe eleven or twelve?) and gets plopped in a Youth Recovery & Rehabilitation Center, which he was extremely pissed about at first, but his eyes kinda opened over the years as he learned more and more about how families and such are actually supposed to function, and how abnormal his entire life actually was up to that point.

Basically; he gets a stable, safe environment and therapy!! Yay!

By the time he reaches fifteen-sixteen, him going into hero school kinda just. Happened. He initially just wanted to shadow Recovery Girl, but they ended up making him take the entrance exam, and well… he passed with flying colors and all of a sudden he was a 1-A student. Luckily, that means instead of simply shadowing Recovery Girl, he gets to work as her official assistant! Cool, right.

And oh boy, does he learn a lot under her tutelage. Namely bedside manner. I imagine Chisaki who got away from the yakuza and had therapy wouldn’t be as blatant an asshole (obviously), but he would still be a bit lost on social norms and also honest/blunt to a fault. He doesn’t understand “putting things gently”, or “softening the blow”, and so Recovery Girl works to teach him when, where, and how he can be “nicer” to people/which situations require delicacy. She grows unexpectedly fond of him and actually finds his unwavering honesty refreshing because she knows he isn’t malicious and is simply stating exactly what he thinks. You just have to get used to his straightforwardness and he becomes rather endearing.

Recovery Girl also discovers that he’s actually capable of extreme kindness. Turns out when you coax him into telling you what’s on his mind, sometimes he’ll really surprise you with how much he cares, even if he himself doesn’t realize it, either (Without Pops and with therapy, Chisaki slowly grew back into caring about others. It took a lot of work, but without anyone weaponizing kindness against him, he felt he could allow himself to slowly feel it again (this is because doesn’t canon slightly imply Chisaki used to be kind like Eri with how he’s sort of like her if she never got saved? What if the way he escaped AFO’s facility was because he finally threw away caring about others and that was the difference between her and him? The fact Eri never got pushed to that point because she was rescued?))

Now, about his hero training. With his quirk-training, there’s not a lot to say/do. I’d say his quirk-training would involve a lot of “make this into this, as quickly as possible”. Basically, training him to be as precise and fast with his quirk usage as they can get him. I’d like to imagine that with training, they push him into being able to manipulate matter in all sorts of different ways, on the fly. He’s trained a lot in using environment to his advantage and whatnot. And maybe also one day, he ends up gaining the ability to use his quirk in areas other than his hands. Dunno.

For physical-training, I think they would heavily concentrate on making him extremely agile. Because hear me out—imagine Toga’s quirk awakening fight scene where she turns into Uraraka and sprints through all those people and takes them out. Imagine if Chisaki was able to move like that. He’d be fucking terrifying. They’d probably also want him to be extremely agile just on the front of being able to hit his hands against surfaces from as many positions as possible.

He absolutely would carry around things like painkillers and anesthesia like you said. Also hear me out, he’d carry around small bags of scraps that he’d then Overhaul to seal people’s wounds, since if the wound is big enough, he’d need some sort of substitute material to close it without sacrificing other parts of the person’s body.

He’d also sometimes work with the support course. He knows a lot about the human body and how quirks function, not to mention his quirk itself would be very useful in creating support items.

He’d get dragged into a lot of search-and-rescue missions because he’s literally perfect for those.

Pops eventually manages to get back into contact with Chisaki—to ask him to take a look at the girl he’s recently in possession of since her quirk is a dangerous mutation, and he’s such a fancy-pants doctor/support hero and quirk expert nowadays. Chisaki goes (he’s panicking internally from the moment he hears Pops’ voice over the phone to the moment he’s standing in front of the girl herself). He asks to take Eri for a couple days to run some tests. He never brings her back. He obtained full-custody of her via spilling every damn thing he’d ever learned and been through under the Shie Hassaikai.

(Seeing her sitting so lifelessly at that table, waiting to be prodded at like some sort of science experiment, reminded him of himself so much that it had been physically painful. The decision to ask to take her for only a while and then go back on his word was a rash one. It’s also one he doesn’t regret even slightly)

Huge advocate for quirkless people, and brings lots of awareness to quirk experimentation, since he’d been a victim of it himself.

And yes, becomes one of UA’s now multiple official on-site medical professionals. (They switch out as necessary)

So basically, he’s an extremely busy guy who never gets a moment’s rest thanks to the many… energetic people in his life (all the UA students give him migraines galore. Don’t even get him started on his coworkers), he’s slightly (very) terrifying, and SURPRISE! It’s good parent!chisaki AU as well, because I’m not leaving Eri to rot in Pops’ care.

I also play around with the idea of him never getting separated from his bio parents and becoming a hero from there, which mostly impacts his personality versus the actual stream of events that happen.

If there’s any further questions or if you wanted to know about anything specific, ask me and I’ll be happy to answer!! (Goes for anyone who may or may not be reading this)

[blood-starved-beast]

I was reading about your comparison of Mel to Hades, and loved it. I’ve thought to myself several times about how similar they are, in mannerisms and actions.

We know Mel has her mother laugh but she really is so much of her father

I’m really hoping to see her interact with her family late game, because how can you reconcile to a daughter who you where holding as a baby moments ago, is now a women who is a weapon forged under the pressure of saving the world, is literally a stranger to so many who loved her, yet still is so, so familiar

There's an interaction with Hecate who outright points out that Mel always reminded her more of Hades, but lately she's seeing more of Persephone in her. It's just urgh.

Ough I can't wait for the family meeting. I know it's gonna be painful on both ends. Everyone at the House oh they likely had plans, big plans for the whole family. Perhaps a new leaf for Hades and Zagreus to reconcile further in their relationship now that they got to be a better example for the baby. Persephone wanting so badly to be a mom, having this opportunity then having it taken away. Nyx probably looking forward in her own way to have this experience with Persephone. Ough. And that's taken away from them.

And Eris is right that Melinoe doesn't know what she's missing, if not for the reason she was saying that in that convo. She's gonna be so familiar - it's home, it's family, but also she's a person grown up completely different from what they had wanted for her. What everyone wanted for her. Ironically, I think out of all the things she will inherent from Persephone, is the struggle of being stuck in two worlds kind of deal. Mel cannot go live in the House cause the Crossroads is home, always will be home, but there's family there. It's home too. But not in the way everyone would have wanted it. But that is life, unfortunately.

[separatist-apologist]

Still A Sunbeam

Summary: As a child, Elain Archeron is pushed into a pond by the heir to the Day Courts throne, Lucien Spell-Cleaver, and vows she'll never forgive him for it. But as an adult, Elain finds that if she wants out of an arranged marriage to a Spring Court prince, she will need Day Court's help. More is at stake than a decades-old rivalry, and when their home is threatened, Elain and Lucien will have to set aside old differences and work together

Previous Chapter | Read on AO3

Having no expectations should have saved Elain some surprise. Her and Nesta had rushed off too quickly for Elain to really consider what she might find in Night Court, and once Velaris shattered her expectations, her mind didn’t bother filling in any new gaps.

Still, finding her sister paint streaked and beaming ear to ear. Elain certainly didn’t expect to be assaulted by the smell of her sister, either.

Glancing up at Nesta, her older sister merely shrugged as if to say, we don’t talk about that. Elain had a million questions, squashed as she stepped into the airy, bright sitting room that her sister was currently painting in. Seated in a chair, presumably for study, was the object of the scent rolling off her sister. 

The new High Lord. Elain recognized Rhysand from those meetings in Spring. He was just as handsome as he’d ever been, though somehow more relaxed. It seemed it ought to have been the opposite—that becoming High Lord in such a violent manner ought to have made him more nervous, more uptight. Certainly more fearful than he was, out in the open where anyone could drive an ash arrow through his throat. 

“Hello, Elain Archeron,” Rhysand purred, crossing one leg over the other. “How fascinating to hear the kingslayer think of all the ways I might be killed. Not at your hands, I hope?”

Right. She’d forgotten he could hear people’s thoughts. 

“Kingslayer?” Elain asked instead. 

Nesta scoffed, pushing through the living room to stand beside the mantle place. Cassian grinned at the High Lord before dropping into a chair just beside him, wings draping over the arms. In some ways, it reminded her of Day Court, though much, much smaller. Perhaps the rest of Rhysand’s court was in a palace somewhere.

“That's what they’re calling you,” Feyre told Elain, really studying her for a moment. “Did you truly kill the High Lord of Autumn?”

“No,” Elain said automatically. “Eris Vanserra did.”

“She merely stabbed him through the throat, darling.”

Darling? 

Feyre didn’t react to the endearment and Rhysand turned to his sleeve, plucking at some stray thread Elain couldn’t see. 

“Can we talk to Feyre without an audience? For once?” Nesta interrupted, eyes narrowed. Rhysand turned his head to look at her and Elain bet he couldn’t push through the walls that guarded Nesta’s mind.

“We’ll be fine here,” Feyre told the High Lord, once again confusing Elain. What was their relationship, exactly? It didn’t seem romantic on her sister's end, though there was some kind of affection in the undercurrent of her words. 

Rhys stood then, shooting Nesta a look she’d seen on the faces of men one too many times. The sort that warned her to mind her own business, and the kind that only made Nesta more iron willed. Cassian, on the other hand, swaggered to his feet with a lazy, lopsided grin on her own face. 

“Nes—”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, for all the good it did. Cassian merely straightened himself, a soldier being reminded by a general not to slouch. 

“Call if you need me.”

“I won’t,” Nesta retorted, though Elain caught color crawling up her neck. Elain would have given anything to have Lucien with her, murmuring some missing context in her ears. She swallowed, waiting for the males to exit before Nesta rounded on them both. 

Feyre had already plunked down in the chair Rhys had been sitting in, drawing her knees beneath a thick, cable-knit sweater.

“Nesta—”

“If we left right now, no one would stop us,” Nesta whispered, glancing toward the open window. “We could be back in days.”

“If you make me go back, I’ll take Spring apart flower by flower,” Feyre shot back, eyes flashing with fury. Elain remembered these sorts of fights—her sisters refusing to back down until Elain stepped in and smoothed things over.

She tried not to feel resentment for being thrust back into this role. It was a role she’d never wanted to play and had felt forced to, and now, as adults, felt even more so now that she’d been pulled away from her mate and husband to convince the two of them to stop acting like they didn’t love the other.

Their mother wasn’t around, pitting them against each other. They could be friends if they wanted. Elain understood why Nesta wanted her there, though she waited to jump in so she could hear Feyre’s reasoning.

“He won’t let me go. You know he won’t. Lucien Spell-Cleaver saw me unbound and in my right mind and Tamlin is still convinced—”

“It’s not about Tamlin!” Nesta interrupted. “Fuck Tamlin. Let Elain explain how you kill a High Lord for all I care. I know you’re worried about Amarantha.”

That silenced Feyre. Elain came around the room, sitting across from Feyre while she waited, too. 

“Killian is there, too,” Elain told her younger sister, echoing the same fear that Feyre had. “Everyone surrounding them will be telling them how smart and clever and wise they are.”

“I know,” Feyre whispered with a huff of air. “Just the thought of…of placating him when he’s done so many horrible things, I…I want to rip his neck from his body.”

“Do it,” Nesta said dismissively.

“You’re not helping,” Elain murmured without malice. “There is no need to kill anyone, just as there is no need to marry anyone—”

“You’ve done enough of that,” Nesta muttered.

“You’re married?” Feyre asked as Elain wished for a moment she had the fortitude to scream at them both. 

“Yes,” Elain said through gritted teeth, “and I do not want to be here, either. Yet here I am. We will go to Spring and try and put some sense into the heads of the males there. We will spend a week in our old beds, walking those old hallways, and being good daughters. And if we aren’t successful, we will leave and inform our respective High Lords of what we’ve learned.”

“Rhys will never allow it,” Feyre murmured. Elain thought the same was true of Lucien…if he’d known it. 

“They don’t own us,” Elain told her sister while Nesta crossed her arms over her chest. Whatever was going on between her and the warrior named Cassian was apparently going to remain a mystery. Nesta said nothing, made no comment on a male she’d miss.

“We should go before they realize what’s happening.”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to get away with killing two High Lords,” Feyre mumbled, rising to her feet. “And I need a few things. Hold on.”

She raced upstairs, leaving Elain a little irked that she hadn’t thought to grab anything, either. She’d be back in spring florals before the day was through. 

“I didn’t kill Beron Vanserra,” Elain grumbled.

Nesta shrugged. “Semantics.”

Elain sighed, because there was real danger to people believing she’d killed Beron Vanserra. She was safe with Lucien, but anywhere else she might be perceived as a threat. Tamlin could hold her hostage, if he liked, and demand an inquiry to the High Lord’s death. He could ransom her back for gold or protection or allies. It was foolish to think he wouldn’t, and Elain had to hope that her insisting she would never do such a thing, coupled with her reputation for non-violence, would spare her. 

Feyre returned with a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver of arrows tucked under one hand. “While we’re there, I want to trap the Suriel again.”

“Again?” Elain and Nesta gaped, looking at the fine, silk cloak hanging from Feyre’s shoulders. Feyre glanced at them both. She’d changed from her comfy sweater into a high necked, long sleeve, white shirt with a blue and gold tunic falling over top. Tight pants were tucked into immaculate boots, and the paint had  been scrubbed from Feyre’s face, her hair braided off her face so the tail draped neatly against her shoulder.

“Subtle,” Nesta commented, though there was no ire to her words. “Maybe we should tell everyone our plan.”

“We have no plan,” Elain hissed, rising to her feet. “We are just three daughters going home to see our parents. As far as anyone else is aware, we are doing nothing else. And we are not assassinating a High Lord.”

“Again,” Feyre added with a twitch of her lips. “No instructions about a foreign general, though?”

“One problem at a time,” Elain replied, hating the way her palms were sweating. Too much stood to go wrong, with very little seeming as if it might go right. The part of Elain that prioritized safety and comfort was tempted to start screaming until Rhysand returned and gave her back to Lucien. And then what, she wondered? Lucien would know for the rest of their lives that when things got hard, she didn’t really want any of the things she’d once clawed so desperately for. How long before he began suggesting she just stay home? That she didn’t need to do anything at all? And how long before she just let him? 

They had to go. It was a week, which was no time at all to accomplish anything and just enough time, Elain thought, to sow some seeds of discordance. Nesta and Feyre would be far better at that then she was, but Elain was a lot more careful and closer to Killian than she preferred to be. Perhaps he could be reasoned with, even if they were never going to get married. Elain had to trust it, because Nesta was hellbent on them going, and she refused to be branded the coward of the Archeron family.

And maybe, deep down, Elain wanted to prove to her mate that she had just as much courage as he did. That she was the kind of wife he could be proud of. Elain wanted to feel that same pride in herself, too. To know that she didn’t run away when things got hard—that she still tried, even when she was scared. 

Kingslayer. That’s what Rhysand had called her, even though in truth, Elain had just been scared and had acted anyway. It hadn’t been bravery, it had just been instinct. Choosing to walk out the door, though, sandwiched between her sister, though?

That felt like bravery. Even if their presences grounded Elain and made her feel safe, it still felt like courage, however small.

“Lets go,” Feyre murmured, taking the hand Elain offered to them both. “Rhysand is on his way back.”

“Tell him not to do something foolish,” Nesta warned as Elain realized Feyre could speak to the High Lord mind to mind. Elain squeezed both their hands. 

“Tell him to trust you.”

And then they were gone, gobbled up by the icy wind Nesta commanded. Elain held her breath, eyes squeezed shut even as the cold gave way to a cool, lilac scented breeze. Sunlight warmed her cheeks even as somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled threateningly. 

They were home. 

LUCIEN:

“Baby brother,” Tanwen began, clapping his hand on Lucien’s shoulder. Already, Lucien had regrets. Namely, agreeing to anything Eris had proposed, alliance or not. Let Autumn rot for all he cared—if Hybern swept in and took Spring, they’d take Autumn too. Eris could be High Lord for a month before he was replaced.

It was the thought that losing both Spring and Autumn left Summer vulnerable…and forced a battle to be fought in Winter, that convinced Lucien to unpack his clothes in a bedroom that smelled deceptively like apple pie. 

Now he was in the hall, snooping because he was bored, only to find himself face to face with Tanwen and Conall. He knew them apart by their height—Tanwen was taller, Connall bulkier—and the fact that Tanwen kept sharp-bladed axes strapped against his back. Connall merely looked dangerous, but Lucien knew Tanwen was the warrior, Connall another courtier.

“What do you want?” Lucien asked, shaking off Tanwen’s hand.

“Come outside with us. Play a game.”

“Is the game hunting me for sport?” he snapped.

Connall’s grin widened. “Tempting, but no. You’re the one who hates us, remember?”

No, Lucien very much did not remember that. Still, it seemed better not to argue with them when he was currently residing in their fragile court. “What’s the game?”

“Counting how many new sentries Tamlin has sent to our borders,” Tanwen said, flexing a broad hand at his side. Lucien hesitated, certain he must have heard that wrong. It seemed risky to let him see any of the inner workings of their court or relationships with other courts…unless there was something they wanted his father to know.

“How tightly does he guard his border?”

“Lately?” Connall asked, steering Lucien down a hall. Both Vanserra’s flanked him, leading him toward some exit he’d never seen before. Lucien was surprised they were offering him any information at all. Eris must have given them permission—their positions were precarious as it was. Any one of them could make a play for the throne. Could campaign quietly for an army, for support, kill Eris, and take his place.

And yet none of them seemed terribly interested in it. Not that he thought they’d betray that to him. Things seemed…peaceful. Sorted. And Connall didn’t hesitate as he told Lucien, “The borders are tightly patrolled on Spring’s end. They never used to be so well monitored.”

“We slipped over all the time,” Tanwen added with a savage smile. “There is the most delightful village with the curious problem of too many females and not enough males.”

Connall was grinning too, stepping through the immaculate lawn toward the forest beyond. “Say what you want about Spring Court, their females are unmatched.”

Lucien’s spine straightened, hackles raised. He didn’t offer a comment to that, hating both Tanwen and Connall had made him the butt of their joke. Lucien was also strangely drawn to the creeping forest. Something in his blood jumped at the rustling tree tops and the loamy scent emanating from the shifting, golden light slithering through the shadows. 

Tanwen glanced over. “You feel it?”

“Yeah,” Lucien agreed, unable to lie. 

Connall’s brows rose. “Interesting. We wondered…since mother…”

Never once in Lucien’s life had he wondered if he had any claim to Autumn. That place belonged to the Vanserra’s—his enemies. And because Lucien hated them so much, there was no reason Autumn would call to him. And maybe, if he’d known that this place was in his blood, he would have hated them all harder for it.

Lucien was his fathers son—had always been. 

But maybe he was his mothers, too. 

Lucien took a breath of crisp air before plunging into the woods after his brothers. It felt good to stand there, like something that had long been writhing in his body were suddenly soothed and settled. 

“Welcome home, little brother,” Tanwen murmured, shoving Lucien playfully with his shoulder. “Maybe you’ll think kinder of us, now.”

“Convince your father to let us see our mother more often,” Connall added, darkness lacing his otherwise easy words. 

It was on the tip of Lucien’s tongue to remind the two of them that it wasn’t his father that kept them away, but their own dead one. He was certain his mother had already written, begging them to come to dinner once a week, if not more. And Lucien knew—though of course his brothers didn’t—that his father had no say over what his mother chose to do. 

They’d have to figure that one out for themselves. Maybe Arina could model it for them, given Lucien very much doubted his friend was going to let Eris boss her around. Maybe they knew it, given there was no true anger in their expressions.

“Is there a reason you brought me out here?” he finally dared to ask.

“Just to see how you’d react,” Tanwen admitted, that practiced smile slipping back over his features. “Eris wanted to know.

“He could have asked—”

“And watch you refuse?” Connall replied, halting in front of Lucien. Their boots were lost in a sea of multi-colored leaves, their faces dappled in sunlight. “We have to force your hand to see you at all.

“Why would you want to?” Lucien demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. “We are—”

“Brothers,” Tanwent finished flatly. “Which clearly means nothing to you. Here, though…”

“That’s all we have,” Connall added, his expression neutral and guarded. “That’s all we’ve ever had. You don’t understand it and we’ve never held that against you but now…”

“Come on,” Tanwen said when it became clear Lucien wasn’t going to respond. What could he say? This was all news to him. Lucien was trying to parse through his memories, trying to piece together a time when he thought his brothers actually liked him. Never, if he was honest. He was content to trudge behind them, mind racing. What would life had been like if he’d been allowed to be friends with them?

Lucien couldn’t even imagine it. He tried for the duration of the now silent walk, but his mind rebelled. These were the Vanserra’s, tainted by their father no matter how they tried to untangle themselves from that legacy. Lucien’s whole world was shaped around Beron’s cruelty. To admit his brothers had somehow been spared of his influence meant everything Lucien had ever believed was fundamentally flawed.

He wanted to go home. Right then, Lucien considered just winnowing out and burying himself in his wife until this was a grainy, half-forgotten memory. The only thing keeping him from doing exactly that was the disappointment he could see so plainly on her face. She wouldn’t like knowing he’d left rather than try, nor would she appreciate him snubbing Eris when it was so clear that Eris had built some kind of trust with his mate.

So Lucien trudged on, increasingly aware of the world around him. The trees seemed to whisper secrets, speaking in a language he only half understood. Beside him, Tanwen’s head was cocked, ears twitching.

Connall had stopped altogether, one hand on his sword. The two brothers looked at each other before their gazes slid to Lucien.

“You’ll go home after all this,” Tanwen murmured, his voice a whisper on the wind. “And tell the solar courts what you saw.”

“What…” Lucien turned his head, looking through the thinning treeline. He’d expected sentries, well armed but mostly harmless. Not an encampment, with tents buttressed against the borders of Spring and Autumn. Stretching seemingly for miles, and likely touching Summer, too. It wasn’t guards, but a full army preparing for invasion. 

“Time to go,” Tanwen said, his word law. Both Lucien and Connall stumbled back, winnowing back to Autumn before anyone caught the scent of them. 

“Tamlins a fool,” Connall spat the moment they were inside the walls of the Forest House. “Foolish to think you could align with Hybern and not end up ashes, too.”

“Maybe he couldn’t back out of the deal,” Lucien suggested. His brothers turned to look at him, an idea forming in his mind. One his father almost certainly wouldn’t agree to…if he knew. Lucien could go on behalf of Eris, though. Take Connall or Tanwen or Cadmus with him.

“What are you thinking?”

“Two of us go. Just to visit, to extend a friendly welcome. Emissaries,” he added pointedly. “They wouldn’t tell us much, but we just need to see how much of Hybern has clawed its way into Prythian and convene the other six High Lords. And quickly.”

“Take Cadmus,” Tanwen said after a moment. “If Eris will allow it.”

“Lets go ask, then.”

In the end, it took very little convincing on Eris’s part. The words had only half left Lucien’s mouth before Eris was agreeing. Lucien intended to quickly pack his things, the thrill of doing something making him a little less careful than he usually was.

“Lucien. Cadmus,” Eris interrupted, halting them both in their path. “You come back together, or don’t come back at all. Do you understand me?”

Lucien and Cadmus looked at each other, a ripple of understanding passing between them. Brothers, Cadmus’s brown eyes seemed to say. Lucien inclined his head before turning to Eris.

“Understood, High Lord.”

“Don’t fuck this up,” Eris added, though who he was speaking to was anyone’s guess. Cadmus and Lucien exchanged another look, one that very clearly expressed their shared annoyance. It felt brotherly and Lucien didn’t hate that feeling. 

“Heard, loud and clear,” Cadmus mumbled with an eye roll.

“Let's get out of here,” Lucien added, reveling in the camaraderie. He ignored the knowing looks from Tanwen and Connall, telling himself this was his way out of his promise to Eris. 

Knowing full well it counted, all the same.

[flowers-of-io]

Fic Rec Friday #4

The Tyrannical Verses

by @exhaling-dust

Read on Ao3

Written records of the new era of the Osmium Dynasty, carefully repurposed and designed by the once-disowned heir of King Oryx: Nokris, the Whispering God of Life and Death and immaculate ruler of the Hive.

Rating: Gen | Relationships: Nokris & Original Ghost, Dûl Incaru & Nokris, Ir Airâm/Kelgorath | Word count: 4,065 (so far) | Chapters: 5/?

He lives everywhere.  In the first and last breath. In the syllables on his behalf. In the rumors of his name.  He lives everywhere. In the petals where wind flows through. In the insects and animals wandering between. In the quiet hum of unspoken silence.  He lives everywhere.

I am obsessed with this fic. It is a sickness of the mind. I'm pretty sure I'm entitled to medical benefits by now. It’s such a compelling AU being uncovered piece by piece in a sort of non-linear, episodical manner, but it all revolves around the lynchpin that Nokris is.

The way Sylvie crafts new lore that feels so much like it's Actual Canon, and meshes with it seamlessly; the new meanings; the way it reads like Books of Sorrows 2. “Three pillars, three crowns, three worms; as our eyes determinate our sights and our sights determinate our future.” That whole bit in Chapter 2 about the worms feels like taken straight out of Books and it makes me SICKKKK. And oh, every chapter is like a journey; each one is different, distinctly so, yet they're all connected.

When Father was around, he wanted to carry you in his arms. Pillars were tall as the sky as feet touched the floor, yet with him, you could see the stars of the ceilings. In the years to follow, you would then make constellations out of them through a wounded heart. But for now, you are touching every twinkling bright in the darkness.

You were cherished and you were cared for. You were a keen-curious child amongst other children about your age. You had friends. You wrestled about the worms, you pretended to be Father. And brother learnt to hate you for not giving up on the mantle because he didn’t like being Akka. You two would throw a tantrum. You two would laugh the next dawn. You would be friends with your siblings. You would be loved.  Mother, who never wanted to be referred to as that, told you: You are a joyful child. If you follow Father’s lessons, you will be a great ruler. And you believed her.

Crota and Nokris playing-pretend the coronation of Oryx… Gosh this is so precious and so deeply sad.

The assortment of characters is also really interesting! Nokris talking to Eris, Ir Airâm being relevant at all, and oh, this passage makes Season of the Witch so much better in my eyes. Sylvie I’m DYING to know more.

“I severed Xivu Arath from her throne and locked her in the depths no architecture could be forged from the sword. She lays in dirt and she travels aimlessly in hopes to twist this structure in her favor. Savathûn wanted me to save her, and I did it. It is enough for me.”

Everyone please read this fic Right Now. I am gnawing at a wooden tabletop.

[audacioussly]

Glossy eyes follow the frame of the other, tired smile in return as he seat near her, she stretches her arm to take his. there was nothing more comforting than the presence of her brother, that protective figure that had been such a constant in her life. words alone would never be thankful enough. "i do not fear so much as i was simply anxious, i had never been in such position before. it was... different." and slightly terrifying, although she did not wish to give him any more reasons to be angry or resentful towards the crown.

"they have been kind, to me at very least." not to mention the crown prince had saved her from his dragon when she had foolishly found herself in the dragon pit, not that she would say that eris. no, her brother would lock her until their return. to the riverlands, with due reason but she was not about to turn herself in. "i still feel for them, what is that they say?" she ponders in question. "ah, yes. heavy is the head that carries the crown. and heavier must be their hearts with the loss." she gives his hand a gentle squeeze, supportive mannerism she has done for as long as she could remember, it is her presence and support all she has to offer her patriarch. "they feel as much as we do, let us not harden in the face of their indifference."

sapphire  eyes  glanced  out  the  window,  pontus  incarnates  mind  race  with  every  minute  that  passes.  they  had  all  been  there,  gathered,  huddled  together  under  the  weirwood  when  the  death  of  their  queen  had  happened.  all  of  them  were  out  of  the  limelight  and  yet  they  had  all  been  taken  into  question  as  if  no  one  could  be  left.  it  was  terrifying  and  thrilling,  and  a  certain  adrenaline  seemed  to  pump  within  the  river  lord,  which  he  hadn't  felt  since  he  wielded  a  sword  six  months  ago.  his  mind  races,  his  heart  as  well  ⸻  but  as  delicate  voice  of  beloved  sibling  comes  forth  he  calms  in  the  whirl  of  horrors.

gentle  steps  echo  as  he  walks  over  to  olynna,  seating  himself  in  front  of  her,  watching  as  she  trembles  in  her  voice  after  being  questioned.  a  particular  rage  seems  to  grow  at  the  very  words  which  has  been  spoken  to  her.  she  was  innocent,  like  a  delicate  flower  caught  in  a  storm  which  would  rip  of  its  petals.  "it  is  alright,  we  were  all  together.  no  matter  what  questions  they  might  have  told  you,  it  is  alright."  he  muses  as  he  takes  her  small  hand  in  his  large  ones,  comforting,  trusting.  she  was  his  to  protect,  left  behind  by  greedy  father  who  made  promises  and  whispers  which  he  tried  to  remove.  "they  wear  the  crown,  and  therefore  it  is  their  burden  to  not  get  peace."

[yn-dreamlife]

Mr. Confident

Warnings: Simping over tama, smut under the cut, daddy kink (eventually), dom/sub dynamic, he calls reader bunny, dumbmification mentioned, breeding kink, degradation (kinda)

Description: Tamakis secret confident/dominant side (you will pry this from my cold dead fucking hands)

Tamaki Amajiki was a shy guy, there was no doubt about that in everyone's mind. Well, everyone except you. You could see it, the glint in his eye when he took charge of a situation which were few and far between.

You saw it when he had to take charge and hold back three villains on his own during the mission to save Eri.

You saw it when he had to take charge during a situation with panicked civilians, when he would take charge and while yelling orders he would still be able to calm them down with his natural demeanor.

You saw it when he got recognized by a child, albeit it was much smaller than but it was there, he knew at that moment he wasn't the shy student but he was the brave pro-hero.

Now Tamaki being shy was NOT a bad thing, you found it cute and endearing. And so did everyone else, it is what allowed him to be so loved by the people.

While Mirio and Nejire were both loved for their bubby personalities he was different out of the big three. He was loved because even tho he could be 'Mr. Confidnet' as his friends would call him, he could still be soft-spoken and full of stutters.

You wouldn't change him, honestly, you wouldn't. But there was one other time you saw that glint in his eyes, and that was with you.

When you would look up at him his larger stature causing him to also have look down at you. it flickered whenever you would say "yes sir," in a teasing manner. It happened really whenever you came around, you noticed it his friends noticed it and so did he.

He enjoyed the feeling of confidence that washed over him when it came to you. Of course, he still blushed and stuttered and he never acted on what his confident mind wanted him to because in his mind you fell for shy him you wouldn't want 'Mr. confident'.

He was wrong in that regard, you see while you may be a hero and you may be an independent woman, you were also a naturally submissive person.

You remember the first time you really saw his confident and dominating side in your relationship. Not that he was ever the submissive mainly because you were too submissive to ever dom him.

But the first time it happened was when it was just the two of you. You on top of him riding him in bliss loving how he made you feel. And you didn't mean for it to slip, honestly.

there were other times you wanted to bring it up, on many occasions in fact but you never did because it never felt like the right time. But you two had been together for two years, you were out of high school and into the hero world.

And after being with him so long your submission was already his, there was no doubt in your mind. You always tried hard to hold it back till you two talked about it but this time it slipped.

"P-please sir!" His body tensed but you didn't stop as you saw the glint coming more to life in his eyes. "Please l-let me c-cum." you moaned out as you continued to ride him. The words that rang over and over in your mind, the begs that you never let out began to slip.

A surge went through him when the words fully processed in his head and before you could blink you were underneath him, your ass in the air. Tamaki didn't like to be on top often acting like he was too shy to pound into your tight heat like he wanted. He was just so worried you wouldn’t like that, but he did have a suspicion you would and those words just seemed to confirm it for him.

you whimpered as you felt empty and you were so close to your high, but it was cut off by a loud moan as he slammed back into you.

"Do you want to c-cum for me b-bunny?" He said lowly in your ear as he continued to move rapidly inside you. You nodded quickly but he tsked at you, "Now now I know my g-girl can use her words cant she? Be a good girl and tell me." He purred into your ear as he bit at your ear and neck his hips no longer moving.

"Please, sir! Please I need to cum so bad let me cum for you!" He relished in the way you begged for him, his confidence only growing.

"Go on bunny, cum for me." He said as he began to pound into you once again. He reached his arm down so his hand could find your clit and he rubbed it as he continued. "Show me how good I make you feel."

As he felt you come undone around him he wasn't far behind his thrust gradually becoming sloppy. But your begging pushed him over.

The words poured out of your mouth on their own accord as ecstasy washed through you. “Yes please fill me with your cum! Want your cum deep in me, breed me please sir!”

That seemed to be the final push for him and his mouth poured absolute filth into your ear as he came deep inside you.

“Gonna fill your tight little pussy bunny. You feel me stuffing your greedy little hole? This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Want me to make you my own personal breeding toy?” And all you could do was moan and blissfully take it.

After that day you two sat down and had a proper talk about it. Deciding your hard and fast limits and negotiating others, setting safe-words and signals as well as establishing roles. And surprisingly Tamaki was less blushy and stuttery than you.

“Alright, bunny let me ask you, what do you want from me?” His voice was soft yet steady as he looked at you. You forced yourself to hold his gaze.

“I-I want you to-to take care of me. I want to serve you and make you feel good and I....” you trailed off.

“And you? Go on bunny, being so good for me already~” he cooed to you softly.

“Want you to make all the thoughts go away when they’re too much.” You mumbled softly get loud enough for him to hear.

“And how can I do that baby?” He whispered as he cupped your cheek.

“By uh.... well y-you know by-“ you broke finally the heat in your cheeks becoming too much as you covered your face with your shaking hands and rapidly shaking your head.

He eventually coaxed it out of you albeit, in a somewhat roundabout answer he found out you like the idea of dumbification, you want him to fuck you stupid whenever it gets to be too much.

The thought made his clock twitch but he decided that would be for another day so he allowed you two more time to talk about what you needed to.

And now a month later the time has come. He could see it, the jitteriness in your form. The agitation and the snappy attitude, you were never a brat for him every time you tried all he had to do was whisper something along the lines of

“I thought you were my good girl?” Or “don’t you want to make me happy, bunny?” And you were once again his obedient little thing.

You two had yet to delve into anything too hardcore, the most being rougher sex and dirty talk mentioning breeding. He had yet to cum in you more than once whenever he did. Nor did he act on the idea of degradation or dumbmification.

Although the idea of you becoming nothing but a babbling little cocksleve for him to use always made him rock hard. So when you came home and slammed the door and promptly threw yourself into his lap he knew what he needed to do. He wanted to see if you would ask first though so he waited.

“Hey, bunny.” He whispered softly running a hand up and down your back and running his nose along your hairline. This was the first time you two could see each other for more than just a fleeting kiss. Thanks to hero work you two had been busy.

You said nothing but have a low grunt in response along with a deep sigh. “Long few days at work?” You nodded. “Wanna talk about it?” You shook your head.

He held you for a bit and he could feel you grow restless. Your body shifting above him just barely stopping when his hands met your hips. “Bunny?” He whispered and you still said nothing. “If you want something use your words.” He could practically feel your body just melt at his dominating tone.

“N-need you sir.” You finally mellowed.

“You already have me right here silly.” You groaned knowing he was teasing you. Knowing he wanted you to say it. He felt your cheeks heat up as you hid your face deeper in his neck.

When he still didn’t give you what you wanted when you tried to roll your hips only to be met with his hands holding you still he heard your needy voice right near his ear.

“Please, sir. Please use me for your pleasure and don’t let me think about anything but you. Jus’ wanna make you feel good. I just want to be your little toy~”

His breath hitched, of course, he was expecting it but to hear you begging for him like that sent a wave of excitement through him.

"You want me to use you?" He whispered his teeth grazing against your earlobe as you shivered at the feeling of his warm breath.

"Yes"

"Yes, what?" He asked moving to grab your jaw, squeezing your cheeks together to form a pout on your lips. "Go one bunny, yes what?"

"Yes, daddy!" You finally squeaked and this time you had caught him off guard. No one moved, and no one spoke. You had half the mind to get up and run from the embarrassment but the second you made to do so you were being flipped onto your back only to have a blown-eyed Tamaki on top of you.

"T-tama?" you whispered.

He chuckled the sound low and deep sending a vibration through you where your chests were connected. "That's not my name anymore bunny."

[wisteriabookss]

An Extensive Analysis of Eris

The recent excerpt from ACOSF has got this fandom spinning on it’s head because it includes a feral-smiling Eris waltzing with Nesta. As a result, people have now delved deeper into his character and whether or not he deserves a redemption arc (or an arc of any kind). 

So naturally, he has been compared to Rhys, because Rhys also appeared to us in the beginning as a cruel, cunning person, who was eventually revealed to have a bigger heart, and a valid excuse (at least amongst the IC) for his behavior.

I made this post to mainly catalogue all that Eris has done, analyze his actions, see if he indeed can be compared to Rhys, and to determine whether or not he should have a redemption arc. 

What We Know So Far

Our first mention of Eris is in ACOMAF, when Rhysand is explaining to Feyre what happened to Mor. I could put the quotes here, but just to save some time I’m gonna make a long story short.

Mor’s father, Keir, declared that she was to be sold in marriage to Eris. Eris is known for being cruel, and Mor begged Rhys to stop it. Rhys brought her to the Illyrian camp for a few days, and she decided to sleep with Cassian in order to ruin her “pure” image. Because she slept with Cassian, Eris refused to marry her. Said, “she’d been sullied by a bastard-born lesser faerie, and he’d now sooner fuck a sow.” Her family, although it’s not said explicitly, basically beat her, and then dumped her body on the Autumn court border with a note nailed to her body that said she was Eris’s problem now. Eris left her for dead in the middle of their woods.

Now, we’re going to look at what he exactly said during this event, given to us from Mor’s POV in ACOFAS:

“Don’t touch her.” Those steps stopped. It was not a warning to protect her. Defend her.

“No one touches her,” he said. Eris. “The moment we do, she’s our responsibility.” 

Cold, unfeeling words. “But—but they nailed a—” 

“No one touches her.”

A pale, beautiful face appeared above her, blocking out the jewel-like leaves above. Unmoved. Impassive. “I take it you do not wish to live here, Morrigan.”

He must have read it in her eyes. A small smile curved his lips. “I thought so.”

Eris took a step away. Someone behind him blurted, “We can’t just leave her to—” 

“We can, and we will,” Eris said simply, his pace unfaltering as he strode away. 

“She chose to sully herself; her family chose to deal with her like garbage. I have already told them my decision in this matter.” A long pause, crueler than the rest. “And I am not in the habit of fucking Illyrian leftovers.”

Now that we have Mor’s side of the story, we’re going to look at what Eris has said about that fateful day during a discussion with the IC in ACOWAR:

Mor snarled, rattling the glasses. “You never gave any evidence to the contrary. Certainly not when you left me in those woods.”

“There were forces at work that you have never considered,” Eris said coldly. “And I am not going to waste my breath explaining them to you. Believe what you want about me.”

. . . .

A frown at Mor as he drained his wine and set down the goblet. “I’m surprised you still can’t control yourself around him. You had every emotion written right on that pretty face of yours.”

“Watch it,” Azriel warned.

Eris looked between them, smiling faintly. Secretly. As if he knew something that Azriel didn’t. “I wouldn’t have touched you,” he said to Mor, who blanched again. “But when you fucked that other bastard—” A snarl ripped from Rhys’s throat at that. And my own. “I knew why you did it.” Again that secret smile that had Mor shrinking. Shrinking. “So I gave you your freedom, ending the betrothal in no uncertain terms.”

“And what happened next,” Azriel growled.

A shadow crossed Eris’s face. “There are few things I regret. That is one of them. But … perhaps one day, now that we are allies, I shall tell you why. What it cost me.”

A main takeaway from this is that there seems to be much more to story of what happened between Eris and Mor.

Does that mean him leaving her in the woods is excusable? No. Absolutely not. He didn’t try to take the nail out of her (which would’ve been the bare minimum), he didn’t alert Rhys that she was there, he didn’t do anything to help her. He started to make the situation even more traumatic by saying vile things to her. Whatever reason he gives for not helping her will be just that: a reason. But not an excuse. Those are two very different things.

Eris say’s that leaving her there is one of the few things he regrets. There’s something in that. I’m not saying under any circumstance that he should be forgiven because he feels guilty, thats stupid as hell, but it is showing that he’s not some apathetic, other-worldy evil person. There’s some semblance of a conscious in him. 

He also say’s that one day he’ll tell them why he did it and what it cost him. By what it cost him, I’m guessing he’s talking about the cost of ending his betrothal to Mor, because I can’t think of what he lost by leaving her there. 

I don’t think there’s been any mention of someone getting revenge on Eris because A.) Rhys told Feyre that, “Azriel found her a day later. It was all I could do to keep him from going to either court and slaughtering them all.” and B) her family was obviously going to do nothing cause they’re the ones who hurt her.

I’m not going to try and theorize what cost Eris had to pay. It obviously is something (or someone) important to him.

But to me, one of the biggest things we got from this discussion is that it seems Eris knows Mor is gay. That secret smile of his that had Mor shrinking, the way he says he knows why she slept with Cassian, and that he gave Mor her freedom by ending the betrothal without giving a reason . . . he knows.

He knew she was gay, so he ended their engagement, no questions asked. And then Mor was dumped in his woods, and he did nothing to help. 

Morally grey, indeed.

(P.S. To the person that posted something along the lines of, “I can’t wait to see Mor’s face when she see’s Eris dancing with Nesta,” . . . get help)

Another excerpt I wanna look at also happens during the recent discussion we’ve just seen, but it has to do with Feyre and Lucien.

“You hunted me down like an animal,” I cut in. “I think we’ll choose to believe the worst.”

Eris’s pale face flushed. “I was given an order. And sent to do it with two of my … brothers.”

That little hesitation before he says ‘brothers’. . . sus. That’s all imma say. (maybe there’s more than one illegitimate son in that family . . .)

“And what of the brother you hunted down alongside me? The one whose lover you helped to execute before his eyes?”

Eris laid a hand flat on the table. “You know nothing about what happened that day. Nothing.”

Silence.

“Indulge me,” was all I said.

Eris stared me down. I stared right back.

“How do you think he made it to the Spring border,” he said quietly. “I wasn’t there— when they did it. Ask him. I refused. It was the first and only time I have denied my father anything. He punished me. And by the time I got free … They were going to kill him, too. I made sure they didn’t. Made sure Tamlin got word—anonymously—to get the hell over to his own border.”

Where two of Eris’s brothers had been killed. By Lucien and Tamlin.

Eris picked at a stray thread on his jacket. “Not all of us were so lucky in our friends and family as you, Rhysand.”

We see another semblance of conscious here when Eris refuses to take part in the slaughtering of Jesminda. To even be in the same room as it. He then made sure that Lucien wasn’t going to die by making sure Tamlin was at his border. 

I’m not putting these quotes here to say, “Look, he cares about stuff , so let’s excuse everything he’s done.” No. There is no excusing any of his actions. Just like we can’t excuse Rhysand’s behavior in the first two books, or Cassian’s, or Nesta’s, or even Feyre’s, etc. But what we can do is see the reasons for their actions, and try and understand why they acted the way they did. They have their reasons, and Eris has his. (P.S. I’m not trying to compare what they’ve done, I’m just noting that they all had reasons to do what they’ve done, and they all deserve to be heard out.)

Comparison To Rhys

As I said earlier, Eris has drawn a lot of comparisons to Rhys. I agree with most of them.

This fandom has catalogued all of Rhys’s questionable actions like . . .

*TRIGGER WARNING: words like sexually assaulted*

Rhys sexually assaulting Feyre three times in the first book by drugging her, and then compelling her to give him lap dances in front of the folks Under The Mountain. He then displayed Feyre again in a sexual manner in the second book in front of The Court of Nightmares as, and I quote, “The High Lords Whore.” 

In both situations he could’ve done things so much differently. In the first book, he could’ve just, oh I don’t know, kept her in her cell? Or maybe brought her upstairs as a normal person?

And in the second one she literally could have been ANYTHING else. Everyone thinks she’s his prisoner, so why didn’t they go with that? Why couldn’t he have just dressed her in some raggedy-ass clothing, messed up her hair, and then tell her to act super stoic or frightened? Really Rhys, she just had to be your whore? (I know it was consensual but that doesn’t make her persona okay. He could’ve picked literally anything else)

Did he have his reasons for doing this? Yes. Does his reasons excuse what he did? No. You don’t have to make everyone else around you act a part just because you do.

So while we may not excuse Rhys’s actions, we can understand his reasons even if we don’t agree with them. Same with Eris. We know Eris has his reasons, and I doubt we’ll all agree with them, but he still has them.

Let’s also not forget that Rhysand made a deal with Eris and Keir that he would support Eris’s claim to the Autumn Court throne when Eris decides to kill his father for it. He also allowed Keir and his court to come into Velaris, and even though they’ll be turned away by every vendor, he still allowed them in. While he had his reasons for doing this (the Darkling army for ACOWAR) he still did it. It still hurt Mor.

Redemption Arc 

My biggest hesitation in thinking Eris will get a redemption arc is wondering where it would fit in the books for him to have one. We don’t know how if his waltz with Nesta is just a one-time thing or if it’s a result of a friendship between the two. The second book is supposed to be centered around Elain, Azriel, and Lucien, so that could also be a spot where he get’s an arc, maybe through a relationship with Lucian or Azriel. 

Either way, I’m not gonna bring down the hammer and say that he shouldn’t get a redemption arc. Tbh, the term ‘redemption arc’ kinda annoys me because it shouldn’t be about redeeming what was done in the past, but more about learning from past mistakes and taking the initiative to grow into a better person. That’s what I want for Eris. He’s not going to magically be revealed to be this super sweet fun-loving guy like Rhys. I don’t want him to be revealed like that either. 

I just want to see more of his character, see why he is the way he is, and, like i’ve said a million times in this post, know his reasons for acting the way he does. 

One last thing before I go. I’m not interested in seeing any relationship blossom between Eris and the IC, or Nesta, and I think it’s unlikely anyways. There’s a possibility for them to have an understanding, sure, but no friendship. I know there are some people who automatically adore Eris because they hate Mor and that’s just stupid. Mor isn’t my fav either, but I won’t cheer Eris on just because he hurt her. 

That’s all I’ve got. If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you. Really.

[mahoutoons]

Sonic Dimensions: Chapter 2 - The Tale of Two Princesses

yes i have the second chapter already.

at the time of publishing this i have already written four chapters of this fic and i'm currently writing the fifth.

anyways, this entire chapter is narrated by blaze the cat, except the very end after the asterisks.

AO3 link

A long time ago, the king and queen of the Sol dimension had twin daughters - Eris and Harmonia. The tradition of the Sol dimension said that only the Imperial Princess could guard the Sol emeralds, which meant that only one of them would become the Imperial Princess of the Sol dimension. The twins were meant to be in competition from the start. But they were the best of friends.

The twins could not have been more different. Eris was loud, boisterous, and chaotic. She loved adventure and would often leave the palace by herself to explore. She was not afraid to speak her mind. She’d often be the one getting into trouble. In contrast her sister Harmonia was the voice of reason. She was more calm and collected. She knew her manners and tended to be a stickler for the rules. She was obedient and often kept anything she had to say to herself. Though she would tell Eris those things usually. You can guess which one of them was more favoured by their parents. But despite their differences, they were best friends, at least at first.

As children, Eris and Harmonia played a lot. They’d run around the palace, in their rooms, in the palace gardens. They’d go out to explore. On one of their adventures, they came across a beautiful cave, with emerald green gems for stalactites. The cave seemed to glitter from the inside. The children, of course, went to play inside. It became their secret hideout. Any time Eris was upset, she’d go to the cave. And Harmonia would follow right behind her. They’d stay there for hours, wallowing in the beauty of the cave, staring at the stalactites.

That was when they were children. As they grew up, the king and queen’s favourtism towards Harmonia began to show more. They had always neglected Eris or gotten into arguments with her but now it only became worse. They were sure that Harmonia be the Imperial Princess and they trained her as such. That meant Eris would often be separated from her. She’d often ask Harmonia to play with her, only to be told that she was busy and couldn’t play. Eris’ arguments with her parents became more frequent. She’d go to the cave more often. But this time her sister didn’t go with her. No one came to get her. The cave did make Eris feel better but it simply wasn’t the same without Harmonia around. Harmonia, who used to be her best friend but barely talked to her anymore except to reprimand her. Harmonia, who used to comfort her but now didn’t even give her a second glance because she was too busy with her Imperial Princess training. Eris didn’t mind that Harmonia was to be the Imperial Princess. She thought it would be too much work if she had to protect the Sol emeralds herself. But she at least wanted there to be a semblance of the old times.

One day, when Eris had an argument with Harmonia, she stormed out of the palace. As she made her way to the cave, she met a sorceress named Hecate. The two of them soon became friends. Hecate taught Eris a bit of her magic. Eris was fascinated by magic. To the point she wanted to become a sorceress herself. She showed a talent for magic from the first time she tried it. Hecate saw it and told Eris to meet her everyday and she would teach her magic. From then on, Eris would sneak out of the palace to meet Hecate and learn magic. Eris became good at it very quickly. At the same time, Hecate also became her best friend and mother figure. Eris would tell her everything and Hecate would offer her comfort. Those little sessions with Hecate became Eris’ saving grace. Life at the palace was miserable so she would always look forward to sneaking out and meeting Hecate. Those sessions were the only times she was truly happy. Until her parents discovered what she was up to.

Now in those days, magic was seen as a forbidden art form. There was a lot of panic around it and everyone was skeptical. There were rumours that sorcerers and sorceresses were evil and out to steal your souls. The fact that a princess had been visiting such an individual and learning this dark art form did not sit well with the king and queen. They forbade Eris from ever seeing Hecate again. A long argument escalated between them. Eris looked to Harmonia for support but her sister just turned the other cheek. She said she was disappointed in Eris that she would even learn such an evil form. Eris was outraged. She tried to run away to the cave, but the king and queen forbade her from leaving the palace.

The very next day, the king and queen tragically died in an accident. The entire kingdom was devastated. Screams of mourning rang throughout the palace. Harmonia, in her grief, claimed that it was because Eris started learning magic that such a fate befell their parents. She claimed that Hecate had cursed the king and queen and killed them. Eris couldn’t take it anymore and fled the palace. She ran straight to Hecate, only to find out that she had also died. She had left a letter for Eris thanking her for everything, praising her magic skills, and leaving her the two bracelets Hecate had always been wearing. Hecate said in her letter that these bracelets enhanced her magic powers. Eris was wracked with grief at losing not only her parents but her best friend. So devastated was she that when she wore the bracelets, they turned black due to Eris’ strong emotions. They filled Eris with a dark power and enhanced her negative emotions.

The first thing Eris did was go to the palace and start wreaking havoc there. Harmonia tried to stop her but she was no match for Eris’ magic. She had no choice but to flee. With the rings enhancing her powers, Eris threw the Sol dimension into a state of chaos, as a punishment to all the people who had spoken badly of her.

Harmonia knew that to defeat Eris, she had no choice but to learn magic. She sought out a sorceress, Hecate’s sister, and began learning magic from her. Soon, she too was good at it. Hecate’s sister told Harmonia that though Hecate was powerful, much of her power came from her bracelets. And the same would be true for Eris. If she could get the bracelets away from Eris, she could defeat her.

Once Harmonia was good enough in magic, she went back to the palace to challenge her sister one last time. She tried to reason with Eris, but she was too far gone to listen to Harmonia. A battle broke out between the sisters. Harmonia could match her sister this time but Eris was still too strong. Seeing no other choice, Eris summoned the Sol emeralds. She harnessed the power of the emeralds and transformed into Burning Harmonia. With this new power, she was able to take Eris’ bracelets away from her, and remove their dark power. They now became the Rings of Light. With the power of the Sol emeralds and the Rings of Light at her disposal, Harmonia delivered one final blow to Eris. But to her horror, this blow was so powerful that it ended up killing Eris. Harmonia was devastated! She wanted to humble her sister but she had never meant to kill her.

Harmonia took Eris to the cave they often went to as children and buried her there. She also left the Rings of Light there. She never wanted to wear them again as she believed they helped her kill Eris. But she put a spell on it, that the rings only choose those who are worthy of their power and can handle them. Others cannot even touch the rings.

Harmonia continued to rule the Sol dimension till her death. It is said that her spirit resides in the Rings of Light. As for Eris, she remained a haunted spirit, believing the rings to be rightfully hers. If anyone were to get them, she would hunt that person down and take her rings back.

So that is the story of Eris and Harmonia.

***“What a sad story,” Amy said after Blaze had finished narrating. “I feel so sorry for Eris. She just wanted to be loved.” “Y-Yeah, I’ve a-always felt bad for her,” said Serena. “S-She…. Just had a bad hand at life.” “That’s true, but it doesn’t excuse hurting a bunch of innocent people all for revenge,” said Knuckles. “You’re right, these people weren’t the ones who wronged her,” said Sonic. “No matter, Eris is driven by vengeance. She wants to cause chaos throughout the universe as a way of showing people her anger,” Blaze explained. “With the power of the Chaos emeralds AND the Sol emeralds at her disposal, she has become unstoppable. If she gets a hold of the Rings of Light too, well then she will be truly powerful.” “Oh my….. I-it seems like…. There's n-n-no way to stop her,” said Serena. “Don’t say that. There has got to be a way. Right Blaze?” said Amy. “Eris may be powerful but having both the Chaos and Sol emeralds with you makes your power unstable. As she hops from dimension to dimension, she is sure to drop a Chaos emerald and a Sol emerald. If we follow her and collect all the emeralds, and use the power of the Rings of Light as well, then there is a chance of stopping Eris. But since she’s already had a taste of both the emeralds’ powers, she’ll still be powerful even without them.” “Then what are we waiting for? Lets go where Eris went and get those emeralds!” Sonic declared. He put his hand forward and everyone else followed. Serena hesitated. “C’mon, you too Serena,” said Amy. “M-M-Me?!” “Yes, we cannot do this without you. You have the Rings of Light after all,” said Blaze. “A-A-Alright.” Serena put her hand forward with all of them. “Then its settled! Lets go!!” Sonic exclaimed.

The group went outside, towards the tear. “This is it,” said Sonic. “You all ready?” Everyone nodded. Serena stepped back a little. Blaze noticed it. She went back with her and held her hand. “Don’t be scared,” she whispered. “You have the power of the Rings of Light at your disposal. You can do this. If anyone can stop Eris, its you.” “Ah…. b-b-b-but I…. d-d-don’t know to use them…. I-I-I can’t c-c-control my powers. You saw that,” Serena stammered. “You’ll learn in due time,” Blaze assured her. “Don’t worry. Just hold my hand and you’ll be fine.” Serena seemed to be stiff at Blaze holding her hand. Her cheeks flushed. But she looked forward. “I-I-I’m ready!” she announced. “Then lets go!” exclaimed Sonic. The group all held hands and jumped inside the tear.

[elpida]

A card would have done, she thought. She'd have gone to his office and played her game slowly, but it seems there were different plans on the table. Did she want to tell him her name? She kept thinking about it. Nobody knew her name, just her title. She was no devil, no proud evil.. but she twas the shadow, the woman that got each job done whilst covering every single step, never left anything more than a dead body, like a shadow that snuck in during the night and killed with no hesitation. The Shadow. Nobody knew her name, or even that she was a woman, in fact it surprised most when they were met with a woman in such a line of work, they quickly learned to shut their mouths with the threats Eris left them with. This though, was fun, dangerously fun and exciting and worth ten times what she'd ever been offered before.

"I'm fine." wasn't she always? She went to speak, offer her name up like a teased prize dangling on a string but felt his arm slink around her. See, she could handle most things but.. touch? Touch was the one thing that threw her, and it did indeed throw her. It flustered her, not because her mind wondered but because she was sure her skin crawled with revulsion. It wasn't like there was anything wrong with him, he was actually a lot better looking than she expected.. especially with such cold blue hues, but that wasn't it. That was never it. Eris just didn't understand that there was a touch that could be so much better than pain, that she could ever trust anybody else with her skin. She flailed really, internally she for the first time was rendered stunned. She went to speak and half words jumbled out, a fret, a fumble. She let him keep moving her, this inner frustration that she felt useless for faltering in such a manner. That touch was going to hurt her, that touch as going to turn into hands bruising and tearing at her flesh, clammy and suffocating. Never did she think she'd be laid on the grass, feeling the heat of flames... saved by the hands that'd ushered her.

She had looked pretty inside under twinkling chandelier light, she looked breathtaking in the light of a flames heat. That orange hue of fire brought out the hint of red in her auburn hair that was a few strands out of place and better for it, each place the light caught warming her flesh, gold dancing in her darker hues. She looked at those flames like she was about to be welcomed into them with open arms. Her eyes soon found him again, questioning if she'd take his help but she wouldn't. Had she made it obvious, the distaste of skin to skin? Or any hand on her? Given away her biggest uncertainty? Eris could only put it down to being how fast she'd recoiled her hands from him, but he surprised her, his observation... sure she knew he had a reputation, but so many people had disappointed her. Big names, that crumbled with the threat of her blades.

She did move to get herself up on her own, brushing herself down. Not a hiss over it, she barely gave it away, how her ankle did indeed ache a little as some sort of funny twist. Bollocks, she thought. Internally she did thank the fact that he'd covered her evidence of breaking in. If only he knew he'd helped cover the tracks of this double edged sword. "I can walk home." Yeah, sure she could.. didn't mean it'd be very nice and the one tiny giveaway, was the lack of weight she put on her left foot. " Well, thank you for not leaving me to be roasted, or more...chargrilled. Quite impressive organisation Mr Shelby." She wasn't slow, nor did she let anyone think it, she was smart enough to put the pieces together. "However, I am going to ask for that card of yours."

Could it be? A faint hint of a smile on her lips, amusement caused solely by this man? Heaven forbid. "See I'd have forgot about wine stains, easy enough to get out if you know how.." similar to blood stained, the trick was to wash with cosh water first or it stains the fabric with heat. "Grass stains though, they are an awful pain to get out." Her hand went forward, flat and waiting for the said card. "Eris." she then added, and lifted her chin to his gaze. "You asked for my name, it's Eris, Eris Amorello."

To anyone on paper, file, or person... Eris Amorello was a normal woman, a job as a typist for a law firm. Clever, independent, intelligent and fucking gorgeous but she was not anything unordinary. Not a single shadow nor mark on her name.

Since Tommy got his invitation for this event, he didn’t plan on bringing someone of his lovers here cause he was well aware of the fact that there would be an attack later. The only ones he trusted enough to get out at the right time were his brothers, family to be clear and no one of his former lovers including Lizzie had ever earned that kind of trust even if she begged him to accompany him to enjoy the location. No this wasn’t a place for a woman, especially ones like her who he cared about a little bit.

Until now the night had been pretty boring, exhausting nearly and made Tommy cuss into his glasses to hide his rolling eyes. As expected this place was full of assholes that were so full of themself that Tommy couldn’t wait to leave for better drinks and the touch of a fine woman in his own bar. Time was running and he knew exactly they there were only a few minutes left to get out of here, but Arthur was nowhere to be seen. After taking a look at his pocket watch, Tommy groaned “where the fuck are you” and started pushing his way through the mass of people with a fake smile and a cigarette burning between his lips.

Maybe he was too focused on finding his brother that he overlooked the woman he bumped in suddenly, her drink spilling over her dress as he took her hand in the last second. “Fucking hell, excuse me.” Tommy helped her to stand straight again, but realized how fast her hand had slipped from him as if she was too scared to hold onto him. Or was it something else? With furrowed brows he looked at her, freezing in the second their eyes met cause he had never seen such a beauty around a place like this. And not only beauty: there was a sadness in her eyes, something broken he only recognized from himself so well. “Forgive me, I’m alright. What about you? I didn’t catch your name yet.” he muttered and finally remembered to slip the cigarette from his lips to let it fall to the ground and step on it. Wouldn’t matter anyways if this place would go up in flames soon, right?

Before she could even answer he felt the hand of Michael on his arm who hushed into his ear that he found Arthur and they meet outside, so Tommy just nodded and sent him away with a gesture of his head until he could focus on the woman in front of him again. “Listen, Miss. I am so sorry for the inconvenience and you’re welcome to send the bill for this… wonderful dress to my office so I can gladly pay it, but I’m in kind of a rush right now.” His fingers slipped into his jacket and pulled out a business card to offer it to her, but in the moment she wanted to reach for it, he realized it wouldn’t make sense to give her a card when she would burn in the flames after all and trails leading to his family? Not a good idea either.

“Fuck.” he mumbled more to himself and let his eyes wander up to the big clock on the wall which showed him two more minutes until the explosion would happen. “You know what?” His hand shoved the card back into his jacket before he wrapped his arm only lightly around her waist to make her follow him. “Would be a pity not to enjoy the night view, don’t you think? No one will notice that little accident on your dress in the dark.” Tommy was careful enough not to take her hand or grab her wrist, but still he shoved her towards the door and didn’t give her the chance to contradict. It needed a minute until they reached the backyard of the mansion where he saw the lights of his brothers cars waiting for him in the far back.

In the moment of him pulling out his pocket watch, there was a sudden loud rumble behind them and as the fire bursted out of the doors and windows, Tommy just wrapped his arm around the woman he had just saved and fell with her into the grass, pushed by the strong vibration behind them. For a second he waited until he was sure the explosion was over and only then he raised and turnt his face back to the burning mansion with a smirk. “Well… I guess our little accident just saved your life. And mine. So thank you.” Of course he wouldn’t mention that he indeed saved her life instead, but at least now his suit was ruined as well from the dirt they had been falling into.

After raising on his feet he looked down at her but didn’t offer her his hand out of respect. “I guess you don’t want my help to get up, right? But I can offer you a ride home if you want. In case you wanna tell me your name. Guess this place will be very crowded soon.”

[linkspooky]

The Kids Who Can’t Cry

Plenty of people besides myself have pointed out this pattern, but what does it mean? Why are Dabi, Himiko, and Shigaraki essentially the main trio of the league of villains all drawn making this face? Analysis underneath the cut.

1. Shigaraki

What’s important is all three of these scenes where Dabi, Himiko and Shigaraki are all drawn smiling in the most inhuman and unsettling manner possible are all parallels to one another. In those scenes the villain is talking with the heroic foil, and trying to express themselves some way only to be misunderstood. Shigaraki is with Deku. Himiko is with Uraraka. Dabi is with Hawks. 

The common point between all three scenes is that these three characters are fumbling, trying to express something inside of them. The first scene happens between chapter 68-69 when Shigaraki wonders lost in the crowds trying to find an understanding with himself. 

During the scene Shigaraki genuinely talks to Midoriya and asks him what he thinks. He expresses the feelings inside of himself. 

However, Midoriya describes Shigaraki as someone he can neither understand nor accept. He rejects him entirely. 

We, as the audience know all of the similiarities between Shigaraki and Midoriya. We know that Shigaraki was once Shimura Tenko, a boy with a dream of becoming a hero who was told by everyone he couldn’t. We know that Tenko once stood up to bullies and tried to make friends. It’s understandable that Midoriya doesn’t understand this, he’s not a mind reader, but there’s still a great deal of ignorance in the way Midoriya acts. 

Shigaraki shows clear signs of trauma and mental illness, especially in his connection to All Migt, and yet Midoriya’s understanding of him is shallow and two dimmensional. He can’t possibly conceive of Shigaraki having any othr motive for hurting people besides “Wanting to destroy them.” 

Shigaraki is trying to express himself to somebody unwilling, and unable to understand him despite all the similarities between them. This is a pattern in hero society, immediately after the UA attack nobody can conceive of a reason why Shigaraki would want to attack UA besides him being a man-child who enjoys destruction.

When Midnight suggests that somehow Shigaraki might not have gotten the same quirk counseling as everyone and that’s why his quirk is out of control and he uses it so dangerously, Vlad even directly questions why they should even bother talking about his motives. 

Does Deku have to go out of his way to try to understand the motives of him and his friends? No, not necessarily. However, Deku is somebody billed as an empathic and caring character. It’s a character willing to empathize with anyone before this point showing a complete lack of empathy. To a character who shows clear signs of instability and mental unwellness. Shigaraki’s genuine signs of trauma, his itching, his fickleness, his inability to process his emotions in a healthy way just get him demonized as a man-child. 

The kid who was able to see the kindness, in Eri’s quirk. 

The hero who says that he can’t call himself a hero unless he saves a crying little girl in front of his eyes. The hero who says he wants to save everyone, just sort of treats Shigaraki like he’s a one dimmensional monster even though his circumstances are literally exactly the same as Eri’s. Just because Shigaraki can’t cry the same way Eri can. But some people smile when they express trauma. 

When Shigaraki experienced the worst trauma of his life, he smiled and tried to ask for help when his family just died five minutes ago, and this was used to deahumanize him and as an excuse for everyone else in the busiest intersection on the road to ignore him. This didn’t just happen to him as an adult, it happened as a kid as well, nobody helped because he couldn’t beg and cry for help, because he looked ugly instead of like a perfect helpless victim in need of saving.

Shigaraki smiles in response to his trauma. He remembers his worst trauma, literally his family dying, and he grins. It’s literally an attempt to distance himself from his own emotions and process them because he has no healthy way of doing so otherwise. He’s trying to express himself in the only way he knows how and he gets ignored. 

2. Toga

Toga acts similiarly to Shigaraki. She tries to express herself to Uraraka, tries to compare the two of them. As Himiko is much more emotionally intelligent than Shigaraki she also gives a voice to Uraraka’s innermost feelings.

Once again Uraraka doesn’t see her as a human, or try to listen to anything she’s said. Himiko isn’t a person with feelings and her own reason for doing things, she’s just a psycho. 

Even though Himiko is really perceptive of Uraraka’s own hidden feelings the same is not true the other way around, even though we know that Uraraka is a very kind, emotionally intelligent girl who is always noticing the pain on other people’s faces she loses all that perceptiveness when dealing with Himiko.

Does Uraraka have to empathize with a girl literally trying to stab her and suck her blood? No, not necessarily. However, at the same time this is a character we are told always goes the extra mile to understand people, notice their pain, and always being motivated to help just kind of ignoring Himiko. 

This relates to Himiko’s backstory as well. What was Himiko explicitly told to do by her parents? Always hide her pain. Always keep herself hidden for the sake of blending in. Wear a fake smile and be a nice, normal girl. 

Himiko couldn’t even cry when she was sad and alone. She had to repress everything for the sake of being normal, for the sake of being acceptable to others, and now she doesn’t know how to anymore. 

Himiko at least tried to be normal, tried to express herself in normal ways only to be misunderstood by everyone around her and is continually misunderstood and dehumanized even now. The easy life she wants is just the normal life that everybody else has, the one a normal girl like Uraraka has. But she doesn’t know how to express that, and Uraraka who has not been traumatized in any significant way doesn’t really understand what she’s been through. She can’t. 

3. Dabi

We finally get to Dabi and his foil Hawks, where we can see not only is Dabi misudnerstood like in the previous two examples but his feelings are outright denied. Uraraka and Deku are ultimately both children, it’s understandable they don’t get the feelings of villains who have tried to kill him but this. 

Hawks is not any better than Dabi in this situation. He just murdered Twice in cold blood right in front of him, but even though Hawks is actively the agressor in this situation look how he treats Dabi.

He accuses Dabi of nearly killing Twice, even though not only did Dabi show up to intervene for Twice’s sake, but he showed up to rescue Twice, from Hawks. The sheer gall of Hawks to try and kill twice but at the same time accuse Dabi of being the one to put Twice in danger. 

The way they interact is completely different. Twice is someone who trusts Dabi. Dabi literally  puts himself directly in between Hawks and Twice so Twice won’t get harmed any further. Yet, Twice still sees himself as the hero in this situation. Even while actively harming, and trying to kill Twice in his head he still thinks of himself as saving him. 

Then after murdering Twice in cold blood after going on and on about how he was avoiding his vitals, and how he was going to carry him out of here and save him, when he’s directly confronted with Dabi’s anger over his dead friend, Hawks invalidates those emotions. 

You’re not sad because you’re smiling. Hawks says. Hawks, literally the person who killed Twice, right in front of Dabi, then criticizes Dabi for not being appropriately sad about it. This is when Hawks has expressed no remorse for what he has done. 

In his own head, Hawks is the hero and Dabi is the villain. Hawks feels guilty for his own actions. His own inhuman ability to shut off his own emotions and do what must be done. However, Heroes don’t kill people. Hawks must somehow remain the hero. He must be the one who is right. Therefore, he blames Dabi as the villain. Dabi is the scapegoat. Dabi is the one who was wrong. Dabi is the cold blooded killer even though he has done nothing more than try to protect his friend. 

Dabi must be evil, must be a villain so that Hawks can be good. Hawks has to justify his actions and emotoins by dehumanizing the person in front of him. It’s not about Dabi at all. Dabi’s emotoins don’t even factor in or matter. It’s all Hawks self justification and the narrative he tells himself where he is the hero doing the right thing. And this is something that appears in Toga’s fight against Curious too, the villains literally have to fight for control of their own narrative, to be able to tell their story about their trauma in their own way because the heroes will always try to render it in easily digestible forms. They can’t be people, complex, messy people they must either be categorized as hero or victim. 

Toga can’t be a normal girl, she has to be a martyr. Toga’s own feelings or opinions don’t matter. Hawks goes one step further and suggests that Dabi doesn’t even have feelings, he’s not even properly sad that his friend is dead. 

Which Dabi finally replies with what is true for Himiko and Shigaraki. It’s not that he doesn’t want to cry, he can’t cry. Heroes continually confront villains with their actions and act like they feel no guilt at all, like they’re heartless psychopaths and treat them as such when the manga has shown us again and again the opposite. 

Even if Dabi was crying his eyes out it wouldn’t matter though. Jin was crying, and that did not stop Hawks. The heroes who view themselves as heroes, who view themselves as empathic and good people who would never ignore a cry for help all stop acting that way when confronted with Shigaraki, Himiko and Dabi.

It eventually crosses a line into deliberate ignorance. It’s not seeing those on the other side as human beings, which is dangerous because it can literally turn murderous in the case of Hawks and Twice. It’s cries for help that go ignored because they’re not presented as easily digestible narratives. It’s a breakdown in empathy in a story where the stated goal of the main character is to be a hero who “never loses, and saves everyone.” There are people not being saved. There are people who are not being helped because they can’t ask for help. 

Thanks to @savetenko​ for pointing out this parallel to me here!

[hot-wiings]

The One Where Dabi Gets Involved With Overhaul’s Girl. Part Fifteen.

Edited: 1-29-2021

You walked with Kai down to the infirmary. It was a pristine and clean place. It was attached to the Shie Hassaikai but felt like a separate building on its own. Once you opened the door, it took you down a long hall. Several doors led to a hospital-like room. The ones on the left were room with beds for the injured, the ones on the right held chairs you sat in for checkups, and held several different types of equipment used for checking your vitals and various things like running bloodwork.

Kai opened one of the doors on the left and let you go in before him. He followed after you and closed the door behind him, if you both were infected it was good to keep it confined. 

"Take a seat. I'll check my blood, then I'll check yours."

You stepped up on your tiptoes and wiggled yourself up on the patient's chair. It was tall and your feet dangled before you turned your body so your back was slightly reclined and your legs were up on the end of it. Kai sat on a rolling chair that you would typically see in a doctor's office and rolled over to the drawers that held various blood drawing equipment.

Kai rolled his sleeves up before he washed his hands thoroughly and pulled a clean pair of medical gloves on himself. He took a long piece of elastic material and tied it around his upper arm, making a tourniquet. He opened up an alcohol wipe and wiped down the area where his upper and lower arm connect. He pressed his finger down on the skin, looking for a good spot to poke a vein before he swiftly punctured his skin.

He did it so fast and swift, without a moment of hesitation. Kai was in his element when he was doing medical procedures. You had to wonder for a moment if he had been placed in a better environment, somewhere better than the yakuza, would he have gone on to be a doctor, rather than dabbling in drugs and experimenting on Eri. With a quirk like his, he could have easily cut and removed tumors. He had so much potential, but it was all wasted on the life of a criminal. 

You watched as the tube inside the syringe attached to the needle filled up with Kai's dark red blood until he untied the tourniquet and pulled the needle out, along with a now filled tube of his fresh blood. He pulled the tube out of the syringe and put a lid on it before rolling over to the biowaste can and throwing the used needle and syringe inside. He rolled over to the counter and pushed the vial into a machine attached to the computer. It sucked the vial in the machine and unscrewed the lid before taking the blood in and testing it. 

"This machine takes the blood and tests it for anything and everything out of the ordinary. It takes a few minutes for it to read the blood, then it displays it on the computer." 

Kai crossed his arms as he stared at the computer, patiently waiting for the results to flood on the screen. You sat there, quietly as possible with your hands folded on your lap before Kai turned to you. He looked like he was hesitant to open his mouth, but he opened it anyway. 

"Do you want to know where I was the last two weeks?" 

"If it has to do with Eri, I don't want to hear it."

Your tone came out fast and hard, you bit your lip as soon as your mouth closed. You needed to control your tongue. You were supposed to convince him you loved him, not make him angry. Love him, don't agitate him. You weren't sure what he was thinking, what he was feeling. He had an undecipherable expression on his face, still, you tried to deescalate it. 

"I love you, but she's my sister."

"I wasn't away on business. I wanted time away from you, time to think to myself. Time to think about us."

The computer behind Kai chimed, he swiveled around in his chair and rolled over to the computer which now held his blood result transcripts. Your chest bubbled at the sight of him going through his test. It bubbled both with nervousness and a tickled feeling. Seeing him like that, in such a setting brought back those feelings from earlier. He could've ended up so different, had he not been dragged into a life of criminality. 

Your grandfather saved Kai, he took him in when no one else would. He fed him and housed him, he had to join the yakuza as a result. You partially couldn't help but resent your grandfather for that. He could've pushed Kai to be something better. He could've pushed Kai to use his quirk for something better, he would've excelled as a doctor. Maybe you would've finished your psychology degree, and maybe you would've met like that in a different setting. You would've had a better, more normal relationship. 

Yet there was no use thinking about this. It wasn't Kai. It wasn't who he chose to be, nor would he ever be that. He was Overhaul, the leader of the yakuza. You shouldn't dwell on it, not when you'd already chosen to betray him by sneaking around with Dabi.

Kai's words also left you with a bubbling nervous feeling. What did he need to think about? What was there to think about pertaining to your relationship? You watched him with careful eyes, analyzing his every move as you tried to say something. Was he sick of your disobedience? You'd given him a hassle as of late before he took off. Between sneaking off to see Eri then taking the blame for Dabi's action, and overall just giving him lip, you were sure he'd finally gotten fed up. You took in a shaky breath and silently prayed he wasn't going to do anything sudden and drastic to you or Eri. You weren't sure whether he would hurt her to get to you, she was his precious merchandise, but she was still your sister.

"Why'd you need to think about us?"

"It's not important."

You wanted to huff and cross your arms, but that would just be showing Kai what a defiant attitude you held when it came to him. You tried to calm your breathing as you watched Kai read his transcripts. His body was tensed up, worried he was infectious with some disease, and anxious to see his results. Perhaps the reason he hadn't divulged you in a conversation was that his mind was preoccupied with his test results. He got so overworked with things in this manner, of course, he didn't want to indulge you with a conversation. 

You shouldn't work yourself up over something you don't know the truth about. For all you knew, it was something stupid and minor. For all you knew, this was another attempt at making you submit yourself over to him. Another manipulative tactic that he had hidden up his sleeve. 

"I'm clean. There's nothing in my blood."

"Good."

"Even though I'm clean I still want you to get tested."

Kai pulled out more syringes, tubes, and needles from the same drawer. He neatly set them on a tray, then he pulled out a tourniquet and a clean pair of gloves. He rolled the tray over to the patient chair you were sat in then he pulled the clean gloves down on his hands swiftly, a sharp sound resounding in the room as it snapped against his wrist.

"Put your arm out for me."

You put your arm out immediately to show your obedience to him, but your other hand was grasping a tight hold onto as much excess material from your pant leg as you could. You watched cautiously as Kai rolled up your arm sleeve and then proceed to rip open an alcohol wipe. He grabbed onto your arm and lightly pulled it open further, giving him better access to your arms midsection. He wiped your arm, rubbing the wipe in a meticulous motion, careful not to go over a spot he already wiped. He was gentle and careful, he did it in such a manner he hadn't treated you with in such a long time. 

Kai took the wipe and discarded it in a small metal bowl on the table, then he proceeded to grab the needles and syringes. He pulled them all out of their packaging before attaching the correct pieces together, then he gripped your arm and carefully, yet firmly pressed his finger down in various spots, looking for the right vein. Once he located it he pressed the tip of the needle to it. 

You felt your heart stop beating as the needles cold metal made light contact with your skin, but it was barely a graze. It wasn't even in yet, you felt stupid really. Kai had inflicted such pain, yet you were afraid of a tiny one-inch needle.

"This is going to pinch you, alright?"

You gave Kai a little nod. It was almost like he noticed your fear and uncomfortablility. He never cared before, and he wouldn't have hesitated just to push it in without giving you a forewarning. You were truly grateful. You closed your eyes as the needle went in and a sharp pinching feeling went through your skin like Kai had said. You kept your eyes closed as you waited for the tubes to fill up. You didn't open your eyes again until you felt Kai pressing a bandaid against your skin tenderly. 

"All done."

Kai took the blood vials and walked them over to the machine. He took his out and replaced them with yours, then he walked his blood over to the biowaste can as the machine sucked your blood vials in and began to run the blood test. You looked down at the bandaid as you waited for your blood results. It was pink. You didn't know they made pink band-aids, let alone that the Shie Hassaikai would buy them. 

"I bought them for Eri. Figured if she's going to be littered in bandages, she might as well have kid ones." 

Noticing your prolonged stare at the bandage, Kai answered the question you didn't ask. You didn't want to smile for him, at least not genuinely, but the words elicited a small but undeniable smile from your face. You worried about what kind of treatment she received. You knew he was experimenting on her, but you worried— more so not being able to see her—that her quality of life wasn't good. Knowing that Kai was taking care of her, even going as far as getting her girly kid bandages, made you feel more at ease. 

"Thank you. She likes pink." 

He walked over to you and leaned against the chair as he stared at the computer screen. You supposed he was really anxious to see your results, whether he actually cared and valued your life, or was concerned with you infecting everyone else was unknown. You liked to believe he actually valued your life, or else keeping you captive here was for naught. Experimenting on Eri would be for naught. After all, he claimed he was doing this for you. 

"I've been thinking about that night a lot. I want you to genuinely love me, coaxing you into it at such an extremity wasn't how I should've gone about it."

The computer chimed, signifying your blood results were done. Kai sat back down in the wheelchair and rolled over to look at your test results. You were glad for the distraction from your conversation. He was referring to that night he took his need for you to love him one step further. The night he coaxed you into being his 'good girl'. He seemed like he was regretting it and he was being gentle with you, but you weren't ready to forgive him, and you weren't sure you would ever forgive him. 

You stared at the back of Kai's head as he silently read your test results. Maybe if he hadn't been experimenting on your sister, you might consider forgiving him. Maybe if he hadn't already previously hurt you, you would consider forgiving him. But you just couldn't. He hurt you too much, you couldn't possibly consider forgiving him. You would just have to fake it. Fake forgiveness, fake your love until Dabi could get you out. 

"Odd."

"What? Is there something wrong with my blood?"

You had thought that your blood would've been perfectly normal and healthy. It wasn't like you had been going anywhere outside, of course someone in the Shie Hassaikai could've given you something. If Kai thought there was something odd with your results, then you should be worried. 

"Your blood volume is thicker than average for females your age and size. Your platelets are low, and your white blood cells are high. I'm going to have the machine run a deeper search on your blood." 

"Is it bad if my white blood cells are high and platelets are low?"

Kai turned around to look at you. He let out a light chuckle as he ran a hand through his hair, he was trying to remain calm, but you could hear the stress behind the chuckle. 

"Yes, in some cases it's dangerous. There shouldn't be so many white blood cells considering you haven't been injured as of recent and platelets are responsible for your blood clotting. In other words, take away your platelets then get cut and you'll bleed out."

The computer chimed again and Kai swiveled back around to check the deeper results. You anxiously waited for him to read the results, he was starting to get you worked up and you began to think the worst. Finally, he stood up and walked over to you with a tight smile on his face. 

"You're completely fine and healthy. I checked your hematocrit and HCG levels, you're just pregnant" 

"Pregnant."

You say the words in disbelief. You couldn't be pregnant. You couldn't be. You were too young, and you slept with Kai once. But then there was Dabi. Your stomach quaked at the realization that you had been not so careful with either of your partners. You had been so picky with your eating, overly hungry at times, peckish at others. Horny one minute, sad the next. This wasn't ideal. You were trying to escape this place, not up your security. 

"Yes. Your platelets go down during pregnancy, and your blood volume rises to create better blood flow to your uterus for your child."

Kai took his gloves off and placed his hand on your stomach gently. He looked genuinely happy. Of course, he was. He claimed to love you, and he just said he wanted you to genuinely love him. What else would tie you to him even more besides a child. What else would make you his more than bearing his children? 

"I'm with child."

You say the words again but in different phrasing. You were still in a slight shock. A baby was growing inside you. In the coming months, your stomach would begin to protrude, making space for an infant. You would be achy, you would hormonal and hungry all the time. 

"You're with child. You've got a baby growing in there. Our baby."

[fivenightslaughter]

Wicked Serpentine (Part 2)

Part 1

pairing: draco malfoy x femravenclaw!oc

summary: slowburn enemies to lovers fic, multiple parts. <3

warnings: use of m*dblood, malfoy being mean

word count: 2,174

taglist: let me know if you’re interested in being added!

I knew nothing of this school I was willingly sending myself off to, nothing of this world. Other than the fact that I was severely late. I felt stunted and out of place. I couldn’t decide if this was some crazy, hyper-realistic dream or an even more unfathomable reality. But yet, I was standing here, at King’s Cross station.

“You look rather lost, love.” A voice rang.

Another chimed. “Mighty lost, really.”

Two voices on either side of me interrupted my contemplation and quieted the thumps of my palpitating heart. My palms felt clammy.

I had briefly considered asking these two ginger strangers about platform 9 and... ¾ , but ultimately I’d decided to hold my tongue from uttering such an outlandish thing.

“I, well… I’ll find my way, thanks.

”They looked at each other and seemed to jest before looking back at me.

The one on the left introduced himself.

“I’m George.”

The other followed swiftly, gracefully nabbing my trunk from my betraying slippery fingers.

“And I’m Fred.”

They gave each other a glance again before one pointed at the other.

“No, you’re George, I’m Fred.”

Their playful bickering lasted a few seconds before they had spoken to me again, this time about the platform. I had resolved already that these two must be quite familiar with young or lost wizards attempting to find this mystery location? They seemed eerily comfortable in this situation.

“Here, let us show you to the train. It’s just through this brick.”

I nearly gaped, incredibly unsure of this new situation or how to handle it. Was I being toyed with? I decided to give them more merit than I should a stranger and did as they gestured. I aimed to go headlong through a brick wall.

I braced for impact.

There wasn’t one.

Instead, I was met with a completely new sight of bustling students and their parents waving them off. Kisses and hugs goodbye. Yells and whispers, people filing onto the train. It was brighter, much brighter than the train station I had arrived at.

Following shortly behind me were clearly twins I’d now attempt to recognize as Fred and George, not respectively however, as I couldn’t exactly tell the difference yet.

I could swear I felt a fleeting pang of despair as my eyes trained unnecessarily long on two parents who had wrapped their daughter in a hug before she scurried off. My parents had no desire to be here, not with me, not in this world.

That was okay though. I tried to soothe my racing mind by turning to face one of the fiery-haired boys I’d just met, to attempt conversation, but they had busied themselves as pests to some other small, first year looking students. They seemed like a funny pair, maybe I’d unknowingly made my first friends already.

‘Fred and George’. I turned their names over in my head. Friends. I liked that.

I shuffled towards whichever was closest to me, needing a shield from the busy platform. Tapping him on the shoulder, I tried my hardest to gather my thoughts.

“I don’t mean to sound thick, but what do I do now? I mean, at all? I know I need to step onto the train but…” My face flushed as I admitted myself to someone I’d just met, “I don’t know anything about magic, or… Or this place.”

His jubilance eased into faint seriousness. He smiled genuinely at me.

“Oh, we could tell.” He let out a warm laugh.

“Also, I really am George. Don’t tell Fred I told you, though, …?” He trailed off as I assumed he realized he still didn’t know my name. No, there hadn’t been time for that yet.

I answered the question that lingered after his sentence. “Eris. Woodwork, if it matters.

”He seemed to enjoy my full answer, turning to look at Fred not far off behind him, I looked with him, noticing Fred hanging around other red haired kids dressed in robes. I made eye contact with George again and he nodded knowingly.

“Weasley. My last name is Weasley. And to answer your question, you’ll catch up easily and it will all make sense. I promise.”

Lingering kids rushed onto the train like lightning bolts and I took that as a cue to board immediately. I went to wave but noticed George had already taken back up with Fred and the other bright headed kids he had confirmed to be his family.

I suppose that meant I’d be navigating my way into this solid metal contraption alone. I didn’t much mind, though. Deep down I was glad, because I’m sure if I spent any longer with someone so nice I’d bare my whole soul before I could even think about the consequences.

I made my way on and took it all in rather slowly. It’s just a normal train. How curious it was, to be just a normal train. I began searching for an empty compartment from which I could stare outside in awe from without judgement. But it was proving to be more difficult than I thought. Everyone seemed well acquainted with one another, squeezing in with their friends and taking this as a chance to lightly doze before going back to school.

My head began to spin uneasily and my resolve was beginning to fade. Without the twins, or at the very least someone to guide me, I felt as helpless as when I arrived blindly at King’s Cross.

My helplessness only amplified when I felt an aggressive impact with my entire left side, followed by snickering.

“Out of my way, mudblood.”

Mudblood? What did that even mean? I stared back at my aggressor in confusion and it seemed to spark an odd glint in his sharp grey eyes. I took in his features. Pale, blond hair tossed over his forehead and ears. Pink lips pressed in a tight line, lifted into a slight smirk. He was rather attractive, though it was offset by a radiating malice that seemed to course through his very veins. I wasn’t expecting a negative encounter so soon. 

He examined me up and down, finally settling on the door behind me. I knew he could see through the window into the empty compartment, as I had nearly moments before. I knew where he was looking and yet it felt like he was looking over me into nothing, in a way that made me feel small and invisible.

“You’re so stupid you don’t even know what it means, do you? How pathetic I have to explain. It means your blood is dirty, filthy really, and you’re inferior for it. You’re lowly. Like dirt. Get it now?” He had a haughty air about him, as if explaining his insults was below him.

That was my first introduction to a... word of that manner in this brand new world. No good without the bad, I rationalized. I suppose there wasn’t much I could do about that.

“I see, thank you for explaining.

”His lips curled in response and I assumed it wasn’t an answer he heard often.

“Yeah, you should be thanking me. You’ll do well to mind your manners.” He was almost spitting his words as he started off in the direction my presence had halted him from, followed by two others I hadn’t noticed before.

I opened the door of the compartment I had just been pressed against, sliding into a seat. This had been easy enough so far, save for the mark of impurity that I was now aware danced above my head.

My thoughts flurried as I gazed out of the window and with a jolt, the train began to move. Fast. I was determined to take in the scenery passing on the ride but the speed turned it all into an amassed green blur that allowed me to be lost in thought again. The ride was eerily smooth and calm, save for the quick succession of grassy hills and trees I could make out, and it seemed to lull me into a quiet comfort.

I opened my bleary eyes slowly. Without even realizing I had, I'd dozed off. I frustratingly berated myself for allowing myself to miss out on my surroundings, but I was cut short as I noticed a figure in the seat across from me.

She… stared. Right into my eyes, into me. She bore into my very soul. A soft, knowing smile lifted her features up.

"I've interrupted a deep thought, haven't I? I can see it growing smaller in your eyes." Her bluey grey eyes looked dazed and vacant, as if she were talking to herself as much as she spoke to me. Her hair was long and blonde, falling against her almost ghostly frame. For a real, palpable person, she seemed almost see-through.

“Ah, no. Not too deep.” I managed to smoothly answer, much in contrast with my nerves. The only other blond-haired person I’d encountered thus far had been rather harsh. There was something about this girl, though, that felt eerily still and yet pleasant; very much unlike the writhing, seething heat I’d received from the other boy.

“Luna Lovegood,” she began. She structured her sentence as if there was more, but blatantly said nothing. Simply smiling, the action lifting her eyes. What an odd girl, very odd.

“Eris Woodwork. Nice to meet you, Luna.”

I wondered if sharing my name over and over would get old, as it already had bothered me this second time over. It felt intensely personal, despite being the most impersonal part of me yet.

She nodded and I finally noticed an odd looking magazine resting loosely in her hands, upside down. She looked through the window to my left and back at me, then to her magazine cover.

“We’re here.” She seemed to always have a faint smile affixed to her face as she spoke.

She silently slid out of her seat, opening the compartment door. She didn’t look at me, but I was too nervous and out of place to be left alone again. I swiftly followed her, my mind at war with my legs, which threatened to buckle and lock me on this train.

A large man covered my field of vision, Luna had floated off to wherever she saw fit. I looked up, and up a bit more before I found a face under a large, dark beard. He had a positively emanating grin as he clamped a warm hand on my shoulder.

“You must be Eris now, aren’t ya? Woodwork?” He offered, inquisitively. I felt my eyes widen a bit, my eyebrows now drawn together in confusion. He chuckled heartily, a booming and yet, sincere sound.

“Ah, ‘course ye are. Well, on now! Let’s get going ‘for yer late.” He shrugged his large hand from my shoulder and motioned for me to walk in front of him.

“This ‘ere is the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; though I’m sure you knew that much at least. You’ll get yer house sortin’ with the other wee first years and we’ll be on from there!” He shined another pleasant smile while leading me to the school, among some scattered first years from the train.

It was beautiful. Extraordinary, really. A steely grey, old castle. It felt archaic in a gorgeously antique way. Elegance and, dare I say, magic, radiated in waves from the architecture. I felt safe enough with the rather large oaf guiding me to begin asking questions. Although, I could barely find my footing, causing me to stumble embarrassingly over what I wanted to know.

“So, where… What; no, who... “ I stammered out stupidly. I tried to focus on the immediate things I didn’t know- like that boy on the train.

“Is mudblood a dirty word?” I finally managed. I knew it was. I had just wondered, well, if it were a popular or well-accepted ideal.

He took in a sharp breath, leading me to assume it wasn’t.

“Now where ‘ave ye heard that already?” There was a short pause as he continued, almost defeatedly.

“See the thing is, Eris, there's some wizards, like the Malfoy family, who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call ‘pure blood’.”

It was my turn to take in a sharp breath. The boy on the train must have been a Malfoy, who else could taunt that word so carelessly and be so well-known for it? The large man continued, passively angered.

“And it's codswallop to boot. ‘Dirty blood’. Why, there isn't a wizard alive today that's not half-blood or less.” He finished off his rant with that, looking back at me. My eyes were searching the dirt for some sign of life, the buzz of the magic that I knew scattered this place.

“Ay, but I’m Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts. An’ I’ll be right willing to help with anything you need, lass.”

Relief flooded me to know that I wouldn’t be as openly hated or condemned for coming from two muggle parents. I also felt satisfied in knowing the last name of the blond from the train, as it hadn’t been so hard to piece together from Rubeus Hagrid’s small bout.

‘Pure blood’.

I mulled the words over in my head, wondering how much that word would fit in this new world of mine. If it were something important to remember, because it surely seemed like it was.

[mikireyna]

Best of 2020: Best Relatable Villain

Gentle Criminal (My Hero Academia)

What makes a villain relatable? Is it the troubles that they have faced? The trials that they have to overcome? Do they have to be likeable? Maybe the other question one could as is do they relate to the hero of the story? After all, isn’t the difference between a hero and a villain is simply a choice? Because of that and more. My Best Relatable Villain will be Gentle Criminal.

Gentle Criminal is the man named Danjuro Tobita who once had dreams to be a hero. He wanted to save people but to also make his name known in the history books. The problem was that he couldn’t pass the Provisional Hero Licensing Exam that all would-be heroes needed to as one of the steps to become a certified hero. To make manners worst, he got in the way of a hero trying to save a window cleaner. Tobito illegally used his Quirk, Elasticity, which hurt both the hero and made the window cleaner hit the ground. This action of failed heroism got Tobito kicked of school and disowned by his family. Leaving Tobito wandering aimlessly in life with no hopes to become a hero.

It was a chance encounter with a former classmate that pushed Tobito into villainy. If Tobito couldn’t make it into the history books as a hero then he would do so as a villain. Tobito don the name of Gentle Criminal. He would record his crimes and upload them to YuTube. Eventually gaining a fan in the name of Manami Aiba. She would eventually join him on his crimes as cameraperson, hacker, video editor and ace in the hole as La Brava.

I love Gentle Criminal and La Brava so much. They are the perfect mix of silly but their story can really hit you in your emotions. I would include both in this category but it is really the story of Gentle Criminal that fits this category better. Maybe they could be best team but I didn’t want to give these goofballs two days.

The story of Gentle Criminal and his involvement in the story really hits hard due to the timing and how it relates to Deku. That is because he too wants to be a hero. Perhaps their end goals were different but they both have dreams to be a hero known by all. Things become even more interesting because the reason for their plan and fight. Gentle wanted to infiltrate UA High’s Spring Festival to prove that it can be done to make others know about him and live up to La Brava’s love. Deku wanted to help a little girl that he rescue in the previous arc, Eri, to smile. During their fight, Deku learned that this was more than just a prank by some C-Tier Villain. He found out that this was a person who was just like him. They were not fighting for themselves. Gentle went all out to make sure that his plan was successful. Even to the point where he had to fight hand to hand, a thing that he never does. All for the chance to pull off his scheme. In the end, Gentle was defeated at the hands of Deku but the young hero could see who Gentle was. Both were people who had or have dreams to be a hero to make a person important to them smile. 

I like to call Gentle and La Brava the Jessie and James of My Hero Academia. They do crimes but nothing major. In the end they want to make each other happy and to reach their dream. Maybe that is the part that I can relate to. We can’t be successful in reaching that dream all the time but they keep trying for each other. Gentle may not have been the strongest villain Deku has fought but he was the hardest.

[aidendh]

BSD! RAU! Fyodor Dostoevsky

Adopts Atsushi as a child

Adopts the red head (Karma) from a mission(Killing Ace, PM executive) after not being able to bring himself to kill him

Has a personal gruge against Dazai

Has a dark brown streak in his hair

Has a butterfly necklace (Hidden under clothing)

Kids grow up in Russia but move to Japan later

Atsushi still joins the ADA but wouldn't betray his father, and spy's (Spying is just a bonus)

Same with Karma rejoining the port mafia

(Still wants to become the boss)

Vulnerable to mental powers but has some resistance

Teaches his children manners / formal talk

Owns Krysa Orphanage, any staff that harms a child will go missing a week later

*Slams open door dramatically*

"Atsushi! You have a brother!"-F

Karma has a ribbon around his choker

"We'll find a way to remove it."-F

Fyodor Dostoevsky, Father/Papa

Atsushi Dostoevsky, Little Tiger

Karma Dostoevsky, Little Topaz

[Dos•doi•exty]

When referring to more than one of his children, he calls them his Little Krysy(plural)

AUs Theme: Blame It On The Kids (Nightcore)

All children live in the orphanage, on their own or in homes he sets up except Karma and Atsushi

His Children/Deaths (Crossovers)

In order of appearance

{Bnha}

Denki Dostoevsky, Little Spark

Shoto Dostoevsky, Little Snowflake

Neito Dostoevsky, Little Phantom

Toya/Dabi Dostoevsky, Little Ember

-Deaths-

Endeavor

Vlad King

Hagakure (not personal)

All For One (posed as police at Kamino Ward)

-add ons(after mirac)-

Converts Bakugo?

Let's heroes capture him  and put quirk suppressing cuff

On drive to tarturous, car found crashed with all dead by 'quirk' and Fyodor missing

Evidence on deceased police phone of a selfie of Fyodor showing the cuff still on wrist and dead body's in background

-Deaths-

Overhaul (Posed as member / saved Izuku)

-Children-

Mina Dostoevsky, Little Wonder (Was torchered by the league with Denki but league left denki as under protection, she gave in and joined rats)

Eri Dostoevsky, Little Apple (Karma took her / Karma earned Overhauls trust)

{Persona 5}

Goro Dostoevsky, Little Crow (keeps Akechi as celebrity)

-Deaths-

Masayoshi Shido (Goro's Father/CHECK SPELLING)

Palace - Fyodor Dostoevsky - Empire - God - Krysa Orphanage

Shadow - Crime/Himself & Punishment/Ability - doesn't look different apart from shadow eyes

Any of his children's palaces merge with his and his children's shadows live in his palace/empire

{Miraculous}

Adrien Dostoevsky, Little Kitty

-Deaths-

Master Fu

Gabriel Agreste (left Butterfly Miraculous)

Stole Dragon Miraculous for Karma

Stole Rabbit Miraculous but kept dormant (he liked the pocket watch)

Future Alix/Bunix gets ladybug to try to prevent it as it's the second paradox but fail

Ladybug witnesses the death and theft but is frozen in fear / trauma

lb is spared because he makes her promise to never tell anyone about his power

*lifts lb head up under chin gently*

"You would not tell anyone about this, will you little bug?"-F

Ends future alix/bunix because of Rabbit being stolen

Kills Hawkmoth then adopts Adrien after

Lb/Marinette ends up telling everything (including ladybug) to Alya as it is too much on her

CN ends up renouncing Plagg and revealing himself to Ladybug to return his Miraculous

Karma's Choker / Dragon Miraculous is Silver with a Topaz gem

{RPs / KP ocs, AUs}

-Children-

DE! Izuku, Little Bunny (DE! Bnha)

OC! Hazel, Little Knight (BSD) (Forgot original nickname)

-Deaths-

DE! Bakugo (DE! Bnha)

Osamu Dazai (Hazel / After killing Fyodor)

{Death}

1)

In a crossover with kp RAU! Haruno

Killed by her ability

2)

RP with KP oc! Hazel

Killed by Dazai after avoiding other deaths

Hazel chokes Dazai and is given the Rabbit Miraculous

Is reincarnated as Goro Akechi {See Fyodor Goro}

(KP is @noodlekat )