#maybe an elder god or something will finally visit

[sparrownnax]

w.hat was thay noise

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

if gods exist, they made you perfect

cw. fem!reader, childhood friend au, ace novel spoilers (1st novel), pre-relationship, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, light mentions of child abuse (garp), brief loss in ace's ability to control his powers, reader receives a minor burn

pairing. portgas d. ace x reader

synopsis. not everyone is going to reach for ace's hand but you always will.

notes. a very indulgent idea that has been living rent free in my head since i've had it and now it is your problem. cover comes from frederic edwin church's twilight in the wilderness (1860). blazing red skies and ace simply go hand in hand.

"The Five Elders are gonna have the biggest bitch fit to ever fit," with how Ace blinks up at you in surprise, he must have been really lost in his thoughts. You broaden your smile as you plop down right next to him. "I don't think anyone's ever turned down a Warlord position before. Can't wait to see how your bounty goes up this time."

Ace snorts lightly at your words, lips stretching into half a grin, "yeah, they are not going to like that."

"It definitely doesn't help you kicked that vice admiral's ass, either," you recall the events of your final moments in Sabaody. A definitive mixed bag of.

It was a beautiful country, that much is easy to say. Still it came with more than you were prepared to witness. It's only luck there hadn't happened to be any visiting Celestial Dragons coinciding with your temporary residency. Somehow you have the feeling that things would have surely been messier if their had been.

The stint with Vice Admiral Draw will be messy enough on its own.

"Garp's gonna be so mad when he finds out," Ace shudders at even your mention of his grandfather and you snicker. "What if he comes to Fishman Island for one of his grand lectures?"

"Don't even joke like that," the back of his orange hat thumps against the side of the Spadille with his groan of horror. "I can feel his Fists of Love right now."

You feel the phantom pain yourself. If you're both lucky, the semi-retired marine is busy visiting Luffy on Dawn Island. Maybe it's not that lucky though. It isn't the first time the thought the man is even harsher on Luffy now that Ace has gone ahead and sworn his life to piracy surfaces. It's a thought you push away as quickly as you have it.

Luffy's a strong kid, he's fine.

He has a spirit that is unbreakable.

"That Draw guy deserved to get his ass beat anyway." There is no disagreement to be had with your statement, Ace murmuring something similar. He's a million miles away from where you are, however, miraculously sat on a ship sailing beneath the waves. "Isuka'll be fine," you say suddenly, cursing your inability to ease into the topic gently. "She's strong and she was on our ass since immediately after we got to the Grand Line. She'll be back to chasing us soon enough."

Hopefully.

It isn't something you can say with resolute faith.

The ensign's sense of reality itself had been shattered in its entirety. Being betrayed by the one you believed to be your savior is nothing easy to overcome. You choose to believe a woman as impassioned as the naval officer will. You won't pretend to know where she'll head next.

Perhaps she'll embark on a path that leads her back to the marines. Or maybe she'll become a bounty hunter.

Wherever her journey takes her, you can only hope it is a path with no regrets.

"It would have been weird having a bounty hunter on the ship, anyway," you clumsily attempt to soothe your friend. There is irony in how Ace became your better in terms of comforting those around you when he had been the most argumentative and unfriendly between you. "That sounds like something Luffy would do."

At the sound of Luffy's name, Ace's lips do quirk into something more real. "Yeah, that kid would invite just about anyone on his crew, bounty hunters included."

You chuckle trying to visualize what the young boy's recruitment process will be. Somehow, you doubt his prospective crewmates will have much say in the matter. "Knowing Luffy, they'll probably want to join anyway though. He's convincing like that."

"Yeah," Ace only falls deeper into his thoughts. The silence that follows is even more glum than the depths. Damn it, you curse yourself.

You've never been like Makino, you recall the kind-hearted woman from your youth. She's always been gentle, dove-like in her approach when it came to matters of the heart. Knew exactly the words someone needed to hear and knew exactly how to say it in a way that didn't feel intrusive to the recipient.

That has certainly never been you. If anything, you're more akin to Dadan and her rough expressions of affection.

You hold back a sigh, closing your eyes.

"Alright, I guess this is how we're doing this," you open your eyes at last. Shuffling, you face your friend who makes a sound of surprise at your movement. You aren't a delicate person nor are you someone with the ability to handle matters of the heart with the delicacy it deserves. It's best to handle it clumsily, the only way you know how. "Ace, the stuff with Isuka; that wasn't your fault. And it isn't on you that she didn't want to come with us."

Isuka liked Ace.

It's impossible not to like him.

Even when he was a brat with more anger at the world than he knew what to do with, you liked him. Thought he was the coolest person you'd ever met in your short 10 years of living and wanted him to like you back. You like him even now.

Everyone in the crew joined because they liked Ace the moment they met him. He's darling in how effortless he makes it.

Even a marine as firm in her beliefs as Isuka couldn't let prejudice cloud her judgement when it came to Portgas D. Ace. Begrudging as it may have been, there has always been a mutual admiration for each other in spite of the opposing occupations.

You're like the sun. Equal parts the harsh rays of summer and the gentle beams of early spring. He's whichever the moment calls for. A warmth everyone wants to experience if they're lucky enough to come across it. The gravitational pull of the universe that keeps the planets in the sun's orbit. You're amazing!

"I don't know what the hell that girl needs," rough as the sentence is, your voice is soft. "But whatever it is, she wasn't going to find it with us. That's why she didn't come."

Ace opens his mouth but you don't give him the chance to argue or sweep your concerns away.

"I'm not gonna sit here and lie to your face and say that this won't happen again," it's an ugly truth. One Ace became aware of long before you met him. Regardless, as much as you hate it, you know it'd be unfair to lie to him. "Because it probably will. There's always going to be people who, no matter how hard you reach for them, they aren't going to reach back. And you can't do jack about it.

Hell, sometimes you can't even do jill. But," Ace's brow furrows in time with your words and your heart wrenches. "But," you start once more, the back of your fingers brushing against his wrist. "for every person that won't, there's going to be someone that does." You cup one of Ace's hands in both of yours with all the care one would give glass.

When did these hands get so much bigger than your own?

Still, you lips curl upwards in your nostalgia, the warmth that radiates from him remains the same. You squeeze gently, almost afraid that if you touch him too hard, he'll break.

"And I know for a fact there are a lot of people who are always going to want to hold your hands. Even if the shit does turn into fire," you chuckle at your quick addendum and despite himself, Ace does too. You've always loved hearing him laugh, it's even better when you're the cause. "The crew. Dadan. Magra. Dogra. Luffy," you squeeze again, your thumb carressing the back of his hand. "Me. We love these hands, they're yours."

There's a spark of something in Ace's eyes you can't quite place and it's unexpectedly hard to look him in the eye for some reason. "Heh," you laugh breathlessly. Without meaning to, your grip tightens around his hand. It's warm.

Really warm.

Shit, it's actually getting kinda hot ain't it?

You see the flicker of orange and your and Ace's expressions are well-matched in panic as you realize the source. Sure enough, your hands were engulfed flames.

"Shit-" Ace swears but despite instinct dictating you back away from the flames, you find yourself holding on to staunchly.

"Shit-" you fight against Ace's attempt to pull away from you as the flames die down. "[First]! Let go!"

"No way, what did I just say?!" Oh god this hurts like hell! "I don't care if it's fire, I'm not letting go!"

You hiss through your teeth, reeling yourself in with a breath but the flames are extinguished as quickly as they erupted. "Wasn't exactly expecting to prove my point so fast but," there's another attempt on Ace's part to pull away from you again but you only hold his hand tighter. You can ignore the sting of your hands but you can't ignore the way Ace's eyebrows knit together. You can't ignore how he looks like he wants to cry either. "See," you laugh breathlessly. "I love these hands, there's no way I'm never gonna hold them.

Dark eyes, wide, look between you and your face and you squeeze his hand again. The sting of your palms is prevalent but this pain is fine. Pain is merely proof that you are alive in this moment; and in this moment there is nowhere else you want to be.

There's nothing more that needs to be said between you, you believe. Facing him, you lean against the wood as you hold Ace's hand firmly between your own. With the hand he has available, Ace slides his hat down to hide whatever expression he's making.

You close your eyes with a sigh and pretend you don't hear the sound of hiccuping. You don't feel the way his hand trembles either.

You squeeze Ace's hand and he squeezes back.

Your hands sting something sweet.

[earthstellar]

One thing that I really liked in IDW 2 was the concept of Going Immersant.

Given the immensely long average lifespan of Cybertronians, it makes sense:

If nothing kills you, and you live long enough to have experienced all of what you feel you reasonably can in this lifetime, and you feel content with the life that you have had, and it seems time to retire--

--Why not return your knowledge and the entity of your self to the core of your planet, where your energy and your components can be reused and your memories and knowledge can be subsumed into the greater whole?

Plug in with the stray cables that stick out of the cavernous expanses deep beneath the surface of Cybertron, let yourself get situated, and allow yourself to daydream as the crystals grow around you and gradually consume you. It is not painful. It is a process of sharing.

Each daydream then enters the great memory bank of Primus, at the heart of the world, the core of life itself for your species. Your experiences become part of the eternal record of experienced Cybertronian life. You join your God himself, frame and processor, as you combine with him within the physical form of your planet.

Primus created you, and as you are subsumed into the crystalline forms that surround you, you will go on to sustain Primus in some way. An unending cycle.

Perhaps you feel something, leeching up from deep within the crystal mass, some unique energy meeting you halfway, the cables that snake their way into your ports like vines carrying some ancient data, older than yourself, older than the Rust Sea, older than the Hydrax Plateau, older than the Titans.

Maybe you cannot decipher it, yet. But it comforts you. It reminds you that you are not alone, after your visitors have gone. Where there is digital noise, there is something to produce it. You will meet it soon--

--After countless years of a peaceful rest, knowing that at the end of your endlessly long existence, your life will go on to benefit others.

And for as long as you are able, you still remain present, as well. Just not above, on the surface. For some time, others can still come and visit, speak with you, consult with you-- Although as your memory banks purge into the greater whole, you begin to falter in this waking realm.

And that is OK; To rejoin with Primus and re-enter the Well of All Sparks as an ancient elder, a repository of experience and wisdom, is to become a teacher to all. Even in peaceful, gradual death-- And even then, your energy and materials and thoughts remain somewhere, deep within the planet.

Returned. Recycled.

Eternal, in some shape or form.

It's just a really beautiful concept.

Without any natural death, Cybertronians have the option to simply return to Primus, return to the core of the planet, in a half-waking state.

At peace, gracefully and with intent.

All of what they have experienced and all that they are, all of their memories and feelings, all of the metals and compounds that make up their frame and armour and protoform, all of it can be taken in and absorbed.

The option is there, to emerge once more.

But for most, this is the final calling.

To go immersant is to enter peace, to become a living state of meditation until the very end for you as an individual. To have full agency over how you pass on, to make the decision and consciously know. To be happy with that. To relax into your fate, as you see fit.

To make the decision to be recycled, to contribute all that you are, to return your energy to the crystalline matter that fuels your world and your people and your God, who in turn fuelled you and will thus go on to fuel all those subsequently churned out by the Well.

To merge with your living planet on an atomic level, on an esoteric level.

I wonder if the fully immersant aren't dead in the traditional sense. Perhaps they are offline, to those in this world. Perhaps their frame is vacated as their data is absorbed. But that data is not lost, necessarily.

It's just a very beautiful end of life option for Cybertronians, and I do hope the concept is revisited in some form in the future.

[descendantsramblings]

Family Lines

"Hi i wanna request about Uliana. Like reader is Bridget older sister and one day she visited Bridget because it was family day and their parents cant visit Bridget so Reader is the one visiting her instead and when uliana first saw her she immediately fall in love to reader and start being nice to Bridget so she could get more info about reader" - requested by @gayforfemaledancers

Uliana X Hearts! Reader

Pronouns Used: She/her/hers

Summary: Family Day sparks a new found thought process in a particular sea witch, making her change her ways for even those she despises the most.

Warnings: Bridget and the reader's parents kinda suck, honestly I made a lot of the parents suck, it is what it is. Hades finds Uliana's crushing annoying, Uliana is so obviously insecure.

Word Count: 2.6k words

    For most, Family day would be exciting. Royals were bubbling about the campus, fae holding their wands and testing spells in hopes of being the first to please. Desperate for an ever craved praise, the day offering the perfect chance to get the rare reward. For Bridget Hearts, it was bittersweet. As always her parents, ever busy with the ways of wonder, couldn’t make it to see her. Instead, sending her still homeschooled elder sister through the rabbit hole to accompany her. Of course, Bridget would take any chance to see the girl, she was pretty much the only thing in her life that resembled a friend until Ella came along. But that didn’t make her any less upset when she got the news, just once she wished family day could actually be family day for her. She just wanted to resemble the other royals, like Charming and his perfect crowned prince life. Maybe if she had that, she’d get other attention easier too. 

    Regardless, the pink haired girl couldn’t find it in her to care anymore as she saw a familiar face waiting out in the courtyard of Merlin Academy. Barreling towards the slightly older girl and throwing herself into the familiar embrace that awaits her. “Bridge!” “(Y/n/n)!” The squeals are followed with giggles as the younger girl is spun around. “God, Wonderland is so awful without you. It’s so unfair that you’re all the way out here, the castle is far too quiet. I miss hearing your awful music taste through the walls.” Her words are lovingly mumbled into the her sister's hair, firm grip holding the girl close. The bubbly girl’s feet find the ground again, the two finally releasing each other from the nearly painfully tight embrace. “I miss you so much more! I wish you could come out here with me. I really only have one person to talk to.” (Y/n)’s lip finds its way between her teeth, a softness finding its way into her gaze. “Well then,” she dusts off Bridget’s shoulders, adjusting one of her necklaces as she speaks “You best get to introducing me to them. I need to know who takes care of you when I can’t.” 

     A pale hand encases (Y/n)’s as Bridget drags her to the courtyard exit she’d just come through. A nervous girl with blue hair and a patchwork pair of overalls waits for her there, seeming to smile as she sees the excitable princess bound up to her, sister in tow. “Ella, I want you to meet my favorite person from back home!” 

    Family day was not a fan favorite for the VKs either. Their parents were all too withdrawn to care or too stuck up to act like seeing their child mattered. No reason to be down in the courtyard if they were just going to be disappointed.Instead the group sat hulled up in Uliana’s dorm, playing a half-hearted game of black jack. Unluckily for them, her room overlooked the function, the noise of excitable families floating up into their space. She stares out the window, watching the way they all pranced around the grounds. Cards being abandoned as she moves closer, looking out as if willing something to happen. Hand in hand or arm in arm, spells flying through the air and praise following quick behind them. It was sickening, the way heroes loved their kids could make your teeth rot. So full of sweetness and sugar that one taste could bring a ting of green to your skin. Yet, she couldn’t peel her eyes away. Her mother had always shown up for family day before Ursula graduated, Morgana tucked in tow. Where was she now? Shouldn’t she be here for her too? Perhaps fair treatment of her children was too much to ask for. Everything else that Uliana wanted seemed to be. 

    Dark eyes lock on a head of vibrant pink hair, watching her bounce up and down excitedly as she gestures between Ella and someone. Uliana was sure she’d never seen the girl on Bridget’s side before. She was so regal, perfect posture despite the way that Uliana could see her bouncing on her heels. Her movements were too graceful, sliding smooth as silk as she leaned in to hug Ella. The girl was something straight out of a painting and the sea witch couldn't tear herself away. Something about the fact that she was touching the blue haired peasant girl, talking to her as if she wasn’t clearly above her, made Uliana feel wrong. It wasn’t quite sick, it was more so, angry? Sad? No she’d felt this before, she was without a shadow of a doubt, jealous. And over what? Who was that and why did she already seem to have a sense of control over her? That is not how things are supposed to happen to her. Why would she waste time with someone like Ella anyway? A sea of royals and villains so much better than the girl were around her. Uliana should go down there, show her that there was better people for her to look to.

    “Come here!” It’s not a demand to anyone in particular, just whoever will listen. Hook and Morgie appear to her sides in an instant, both leaning over her shoulder to look out the window with her. “Right,” Hook seems to sing the words, turning to her with his eyes rolling in their sockets, “Why exactly?” “Who is that with Bridget? I’ve never seen her before in my life.” Both boys single her out in the crowd, something about her seemed more like she was one of the queens there than someone their age. Too poised, too put together, it was enchanting. Morgie guessed she could be both, maybe something happened to Bridget’s parents and she was already queen. He never really took the time to ask, not like Bridget would give him a reason to. He wasn't exactly supposed to speak to her. Uliana snaps in their faces as she notices the way the boys stare, both seeming a touch too engrossed in the new face of the courtyard.  “I asked you who she was, not if you’d drool over her.” 

    “Well, Uli,” Hades passes a flame between his hands as if throwing around the idea he was voicing, “If you’ve never seen her before, and it’s family day, one may be led to assume that she’s part of Bridget’s family.” His comment earns a chuckle from the pixie beside him. Ulina turns around, eyeing the god in distaste. Family? Someone that effortless related to such a try hard? It seemed nearly far-fetched. “Family? You didn’t even see her, there’s no way.” “No she has to be!” Morgie’s excitable voice sounds in her ear as he turns away from her window. “Bridget told Ella in Alchemy yesterday that her older sister was the only one coming to see her for family day. Said she was her best friend, it’s kinda sweet.” He notices the looks of the room, quickly tacking on a, “If it wasn’t so pathetic. Poor thing has no friends to the point her sister must be the only one forced to talk to her.” 

    Hook swings by the duo, falling back into his seat beside Maleficent, “Tough chance, Uli. No way that gumdrop’s sister gives you so much as a taste of her attention. Pity too, the lass is a stunner.” “No!” Her voice rings out before she can stop it, grabbing the room’s attention. “I mean, I always get what I want, Prissy Pink’s sister should be no different. I could just convince her we’re friends and then she’d have no reason not to want me around. How could she?” Hades snickers, eyeing the sea witch over, “You, being around her by choice? You can’t stand Bridget.” Uliana lets out a slow breath, “It’s not like I’m actually going to be her friend. I just need to be able to fake it.”

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      If Bridget dared to look into her looking glass, she might’ve seen this coming. But the darling girl, ever excitable for surprises, was knocked speechless as the sea witch placed a batch of cupcakes iced in a near ghoulish green on the table before her. “Bridget,” her name came out in a slow drawn, forced coo as Uliana sat across from her, “How are you?” She smiles politely, looking to Ella who seemed just as confused as she was. “I’m good,” she nods curtly, attempting to keep a calm composure, “What’s this?” It causes her to sigh, Bridget was always trying to be friends with everyone; why would she seem so on edge about Uliana when she constantly tried to approach her? Maybe it was because Uliana had the upper hand? Surely it wasn’t that her rose colored glasses had slipped enough to see the true intentions of the witch in front of her. As far as she knew, Bridget’s rose colored glasses were more like contact lenses, suctioned to her eyes and internalized. But, this little charade might just be a harder game than she initially thought. 

   “Well,” she tilts her head to the side, breathing out a slow breath, “I just realized how unfair I’ve been. I mean, I’m in my dorm pouting because my mother is being so unfair to me but treating you so cruel. It’s a little more villainous than I thought I had in me.” To her shock, Bridget takes her hand, a gentle look of near pity written on her face. Everything in her screams to rip her hand away from the walking, talking piece of bubblegum, maybe a girl isn't worth it if she had to act like this. But as she thought that, she thought of the girl from before, the way she hugged Ella, and it made her feel sick. No, she was definitely worth it, even if just to learn her name. She had to know something about her.

    “Oh, Uli,” Bridget coos, “Your mom didn’t show for you either?” Uliana shakes her head, forcing what she hoped was a convincingly saddened look. “No, she's too wrapped up in Ursula to ever realize I exist. I’m sure you understand, right? With your parents not showing up either and all. Too engrossed in your sister, aren’t they?” Pink hair whips around as Bridget shakes her head, “Oh goodness, Uli, I never imagined she’d be like that. I’m so sorry. (Y/n) is the only one who showed up for me, I guess I lucked up in the sister department, she always shows up for me.” 

    (Y/n), it suited her. Perfect for such a stunning face, such a royal physique. It was like taking her first hit. Now that she knew something about the princess, she wanted more. “Oh,” she cuts her eyes up at the pink haired girl, “Is that who that was with you today? I was wondering why I’d never seen the girl around before. Someone like that? You’d be sure to notice her around here.” Bridget laughs and for a moment, as her mind is too wrapped up in the thoughts of someone else, Uliana almost finds the sound attractive. Maybe (Y/n)’s laugh would sound like her sister’s does? No, surely it was better. Everything about her had to be better, no way it wasn't. “Yeah, that’s her. She’s too busy being homeschooled back in Wonderland. She’s meant to take the throne in three years so my parents are absolutely set on having her learn how to be the perfect queen. Her classes are longer than ours. It’s ridiculous.” Homeschooled in Wonderland. So what? She wouldn’t see the girl again until next Family day? She couldn’t stomach it. 

    “Did she,” her voice is unsteady, Uliana taking a deep breath before trying again, “Did she head back to Wonderland already? I mean you must miss her so dearly.” “She’s off picking up dinner for us. She’s not going home until Sunday, lied to our parents so she could see me longer.” Bridget hums, taking a cupcake off the tray in front of her. So she had time. That’s all that Uliana needed to know, if it was up to her, Wonderland’s next queen would be wrapped around the tentacle of a sea witch.

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     Turns out, she decided that wasn't all she needed to know. Each time she thought she was ready to approach the heiress she'd panic, swearing she just needed to know a little bit more about her. The next few days were absolute torture for her. Pretending to be friends with Bridget was exhausting. No girl should have that much sunshine in her. It was too bright and cheery around Bridget, Uliana was sure the gleam that came off of her was damaging her eyes. But it was working. Bridget had let the girl’s favorites slip out at every question she asked. Her own family line being too naive to know she was ratting out Wonderland’s heiress’ deepest wants. It made it easy to make herself someone the girl could want. The princess was like a dog, drawn to treats. 

     A batch of cupcakes leading to her learning the girl was homeschooled in Wonderland. Holding the door open for the two led to Bridget indirectly telling Uliana that her sister was single as she teased her about finding someone. A batch of cookies was the perfect bribe to find out what the princess did for fun and what her favorite food was. A lollipop led to her learning that the object of her affection was into girls at all, something that made Uliana's chest feel a little lighter. Each little thing that Uliana gave the girl seemed to work like a truth gummy despite not having any of the truth serum in them at all. Bridget was just that easy, all it took was giving her the same treatment she gave others to get exactly what you wanted from her. And if she was honest, somewhere deep in her chest, that realization almost made Uliana feel bad. Of course, she was still an obnoxious bubbly fool to the sea witch but something about it nearly reflected Uliana back at herself. The royal family line was surely just getting to her. No way she could actually be growing to like someone with so much, pep.

    “Come on Mali, just one more batch of cupcakes and I’ll leave you alone.” Uliana was begging. Surely she had gotten enough information to ask (Y/n) out already. All of the Vks felt as if they knew the girl despite Uliana being the only one who ever met her.  “Uliana, just ask her out. You don’t need to keep buttering up her sister. She leaves the day after tomorrow. You ask her out or run out of time. No more cupcakes.” She huffs, throwing her arms out in frustration. “You’re being ridiculous. She obviously is going to say no, she hasn’t seen me be sweet enough to her gumdrop little sister yet. She's about to be queen, no way she's naive enough to trust a stranger.” 

    Hades chuckles, looking over the girl who was nearly throwing a tantrum in the middle of his girlfriend’s dorm room. “At this point I can’t tell who’s manipulating who. I mean, I thought you were manipulating Bridget to get what you wanted but,” he waves a hand over her with a chuckle, “Seems your new little royal crush is manipulating you without even having to try. Look at you, acting like a hero to impress her.” She snaps her head over to look at him, glaring daggers, “I am not acting like a hero.” He leans forward, smirk playing across his face with a brow quirked as if he was challenging her, “You’re right. You’re not acting like a hero, you’re acting like Bridget.” It makes her face fall, Uliana staring at the boy as if he’d just set her on fire. “I am not acting like that, try hard, goody-two-shoes princess. Don’t you dare say that.” “Oh really? Because you sure are toting treats around in hopes of having someone pay attention to you. Is that not what Princess does?” He quirks his head like a dog, watching as something seems to snap in his friend. 

    “You know what? I don’t need cupcakes. I’m a villain, I’m scary. If I want something, I take it! And when I can’t I break it so no one else will want it! I can do this my own way, no help from you.” Uliana storms out the room, tentacle snapping behind her to slam Maleficent’s door closed. The couple in the room share a look before erupting into laughter. “Did you see her face?” “God, she looked ridiculous. Twenty bucks says that she goes to Morgie to get cupcakes because you wouldn’t do it.” Maleficent looks at him with a playful smirk and adoring eyes, “Oh she so is. No doubt about it.”

[glorianamultistan]

i need a sangyeon male reader ff from u maybe a continuation it keeps me alive!!! ☹️☹️

Hi @innieplanet thank you for requesting and sorry it took so much time to finish it. I wrote something new and not a continuation I hope you like it.

Sangyeon x Male Reader

I do not own the pic.

Slipping down the sofa slowly, there, between the coffee table and the sofa, one could not easily tell by looking whether it was Sangyeon who was trying to hold both of them up or y/n, who in the trance of liquid kisses wasn't even aware of the slippage, trying to pull the older closer.

Both seemed to be following the same route from afar, at least that is what Sunwoo thought when he yelled at them to stop before their managers come.

Y/n was not a celebrity, just a friend; that is how Kevin introduced him to the group, but the body language between them left a lot of room to be discussed by Sangyeon with Kevin before rushing to conclusions.

As it turned out, y/n was really just a friend, with a love for delicate skinship. Kevin did all he could, hugging, kissing on cheeks and forehead and practically sticking y/n on his lap for most of his visits.

There is always an ambiance of cheerful playness when y/n is invited by Kevin to spend time with him. All the other members, especially Juyeon and Eric started liking y/n company too.

Yet, Sangyeon was always too self-aware around y/n, somehow he was always trying to understand the body language of the younger and the broken Korean he spoke.

Soon Sangyeon realised that it was not some misplaced enchantment he had with y/n; he had started liking the younger; his shy and bubbly antics, his clumsiness and all made Sangyeon want to keep the younger close to him, in his arms, and all these thoughts were making him lose his sanity.

This overwhelming feeling that Sangyeon feels every time some member comes a little too close to y/n irks him.

It happened that one day while most of the members were out on schedule, Kevin asked y/n to come to their dorm and did not mention this to Sangyeon who was the only one present in the dorm.

He saw y/n through the door camera and opened the door with a nervous smile 'Kevin is not here yet.' 'I know hyung but he said I can wait for him as he will bring a present for me.'

Both of them sat awkwardly on the sofa and Sangyeon started the conversation to keep the atmosphere bearable for the younger, somehow during the conversation, y/n shifted closer to the older and was being hugged by him.

It was just how y/n's presence worked, skinship was necessary. But then suddenly Sangyeon realised his hand was around the younger's shoulder and he looked down at y/n typing on his phone.

As he looked up, the proximity was too much, too close; the face of the younger was so clear in front of him, mesmerising. Y/n felt like he was watching a book unfold through the older's eyes, the eyelids, the lips, the face, so close.

'Y/n I really need to ask you, are you single? Are you sure none of the other members like you romantically?" Whisper, Sangyeon did nothing but whisper to not let the moment go to waste, 'No, we are friends hyung.' 'Thank god.'

And this is how the kiss was confirmed and how they were in the situation in which Sunwoo found them.

They both stopped kissing but y/n hid his face in the elder's neck as Sangyeon hugged him. 'Hyung, you really need to let him go; we can not let the manager hyung see you like this.' 'Ah! Did Sangyeon hyung finally make a move!?' Kevin entered the dorm with Juyeon and Eric.

'What?' 'Oh hyung, we have been watching you look at y/n in not-so-subtle ways, so I asked him to come over to make it easy for you.' Kevin said while going towards the kitchen.

So, it was all planned, but the other fact was that Sangyeon was just made aware that he was not subtle while looking at y/n. He looked down, y/n sitting in his lap, looking down. 'Did you know too?' 'No, I thought Kevin was joking because you are my bias.'

Let's just say that it was not going to be easy for Sangyeon to control himself anymore.

P.S.:- If you liked it, you can support me by buying me a coffee; link's on my page.

[lavendarlily]

@phicphight fill #2!

for @balshumetsbaragouin

one foot after the other

prompt: PR041 - Vlad finally gets therapy.

words: 1,578

click here to read on ao3

after the events of phantom's release, vlad feels something different. he chooses to follow it.

Vlad looks in the mirror. 

Not much has changed, not really. At least, not like this.

He lifts his shirt and stares at the long scar across his chest. A faint blue glow outlines the edges of it, pulsing in time with the vibrating of his core. It is a permanent reminder of the first step - a painful, overdue one. 

Now what? What is the second step? The third? How does a man change?    

With a grimace, Vlad pulls his shirt back down and throws on his coat. Perhaps… it was time to make a visit. 

Your future is now entirely in your hands.

A second chance. Something every human could only dream of. For Vlad, it is real. He could leave his home without worrying about a global manhunt. He could make amends with Jack and Maddie, rekindle the friendship they once had. He could fix his relationship with Danielle, invite her to live with him and have a sense of stability. Perhaps there was even room to gain Daniel’s trust and offer his resources as the elder halfa.  

On his way out, he passes his bedroom, and Vlad stiffens his gait. While Phantom was in fact as much of Vlad as he is Daniel, a chasm spans between the two, and Vlad starts to give up on ever having any kind of relationship with the boy. 

The only other thing they share is the long glowing scar.

Driving to the Fenton’s takes long enough for Vlad to question this idea four times and consider turning around two of those times. Maybe if he had another few miles to talk himself out of it a fifth time, he would’ve called it. But there he is, standing in front of the obnoxious orange sign indicating he’d indeed arrived at the residence of his college acquaintances. He rasises his fist to knock on the door, then pauses.

I should’ve called. I shouldn’t be here. Why am I here? 

He shakes his head, takes a deep breath, and raps his knuckles on the door. 

In just the few seconds it takes for the knob to turn, Vlad goes back and forth on the possibility of just turning invisible and flying off, saving himself the embarrassment of what he’d come for. 

“Vlad.”

Through one word it’s clearly communicated he is not welcome, but the young woman standing in front of him is the only reason he dares to chance this visit. 

“Jasmine, I-”

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing here. Just because my parents don’t remember the awful stunt you pulled doesn’t mean you can just come back here and mess with them more. Danny’s not here either, so whatever you came here for you can forget it.”

Vlad waits, hesitant to move forward with his plan, but by God, he needs this. 

“I came to talk to you, actually,” he states calmly. “I,” he wrings his hands together nervously, “have some questions about psychology.”

She stares back at him dubiously. “So what, you’ve moved on to mind control? Psychological warfare? Just because-”

“Jasmine, please. It’s for… for myself. To be better.” He clears his throat. “I want to be better.”

He watches the gears turn in her head, her mouth forming a little ‘o’. For better or worse, she opens the door wider and steps aside for Vlad to enter. 

“No one’s home,” she says, closing the door behind them. “But you should make it quick.” Jazz walks into the living room and sits on the couch expectantly. Vlad swallows the lump in his throat and wisely takes a seat in the chair across the room. 

“Well, I may as well jump right into it then,” he starts. “Ever since the events of,” he waves his hand around, trying to find the words, “Phantom, I suppose we’ll call it, I’ve made some realizations.”

“I do not want to be burdened by my past. I’ve been given the miracle of a second chance, and I understand that I cannot repeat the same mistakes lest I arrive at the same miserable conclusion. Yet I feel I cannot pursue the traditional means of therapy, for the circumstances of my life do not bode well with the openness necessary to achieve the results I need, if you catch my meaning.”

Vlad sighs. “Jasmine - I was hoping you could point me in the right direction so I may begin my journey to heal not only myself, but those I’ve hurt in the process.” 

“I have to say, it’s incredible that someone as dense as yourself could accept the fact they need to pursue psychological resources,” Jasmine says. “So I guess I shouldn’t waste this opportunity of a medical miracle.” 

It takes everything in him to ignore the jab.

“My mom knows someone dabbling in a newer approach to treating mental illnesses. It’s not widely accepted yet, but I think it’s your best chance. I’ll see if she’d consider referring you.” The young woman stands, signaling the end of the conversation. 

“My dear child, I would appreciate nothing more.”

—-------

A few days later a call comes in from Maddie’s friend. Jasmine had come through in the end, though Vlad isn’t prepared for what the physician suggests. Yet after a thorough conversation over the phone, he hangs up having scheduled an evaluation. 

Three weeks later, he’s in his bed, a small pill in his hand. It sits heavy in his palm. So much riding on this one little drug. So many questions to be answered, so many revelations to be had. So much hope for the closure he sought after.

If it worked. 

Vlad pushes the doubt away - this would work. He’s prepared for it, put in the effort, has approached this with an open mind. Otherwise, the alternative would be to stay in his current reality, doomed to a life that he can’t stand.  

He takes the pill, lies down, and closes his eyes, sliding on his eye mask.

The effects start slowly - Vlad gradually eases into a relaxed state, much more relaxed than he’d felt since the time glitches and release of Phantom. It reminds him a bit of the old days, when he and Jack would work together in the college lab, too engrossed in their work to chat, but still enjoying each other’s company. 

The sense of relaxation grows until Vlad feels like he’s actually floating; he grasps at his sheets to make sure he hasn’t accidentally levitated himself off the bed. He lets his mind wander back to the times of working with Jack. How they’d shared breakthroughs, offered advice, celebrated big wins by going out to their favorite diner for a drink and a slice of pie. There was so much happiness in those memories, memories that Vlad had buried deep after his accident. Why had he done that? Revisiting those moments now is a breath of fresh air, a reminder of hope, of what life could be like. 

Then there were the days where Maddie was in the labs with them. Her inquisitive nature and undying curiosity captivated Vlad. She brought a new life to the sterile four walls they shared. There was so much Vlad learned from her - both in regards to ectosciences and life. There was a point in time he couldn’t imagine living life without his two friends beside him. Never did he think he’d lose them both. 

How did he deserve their friendship? What did they see in him? Who was that person, and where did he go? 

Why did Vlad let him go?

He can almost physically see the two paths in front of him. One, the very road he’d taken, filled with bitterness, vengeance, hurt. Turned-down wedding invitations, offers to visit and meet his niece and nephew, thrown out birthday cards and well-meaning gifts. 

The other path - uncharted and untouched. Filled with light, love, warmth. He wants to reach for it, take the first step forward and burst into a sprint towards whatever waits for him at the end, but the gates are locked and he doesn’t have the key. Yet he can’t find it in himself to be frustrated. He only finds hope that the path exists. There was a key out there somewhere. He just had to find it. Vlad focused on the idea of possibility and opportunity rather than outrage at the bump in the road. And he realized there’s a weight lifted off of him. 

It’s incredibly gratifying. 

Vlad is a smart man. He can put two and two together. In this instance, he finds the first clues towards the key: patience and acceptance. Everything needs time. Trying to get what he wants when he wants has only brought pain and suffering throughout his life. While he’d thought he’d been resourceful and ambitious throughout his life, Vlad now sees it for what it is: selfishness. 

Another weight is lifted.

It’s marvelous. 

All too soon, Vlad feels the pull of gravity bring him back to reality. He slowly rises, placing the eye mask on his nightstand. He heads to the kitchen, fills a kettle and puts it on the stove top, then starts a fire in the fireplace of his study. Once the kettle begins screaming, Vlad returns to the kitchen to make his tea and settles himself in front of the fire. The flames are vibrant and hypnotic, and he wonders if he’s actually come out of his state of altered consciousness.

He sits. 

He thinks. 

He hopes.

[lebienquifaitmai]

thoughts about The Emperor

I want to just put all my thoughts about The Emperor while my memory is still fresh after beating the game. Obviously spoilers ahead, obviously personal thoughts and perception, and doing it mostly for myself from the future, but feel free to reply if you have something in mind.

I keep seeing takes about how the Emperor is using Tav for his own goals, but his main goal is, basically, destroying the Absolute. Which is not a bad goal, if I must say it's a heroic goal. But he's not able to do so alone, he needs allies for this, however who would want to go through countless challenges one after another, challenge chosens of the Dark Gods, and face the Elder Brain on top of that? Only someone whomst life would depend on this, someone who not only would die if they fail, but their soul and their very being would be destroyed after turning into mind flayer.

So the Emperor and his crew (not sure if they are also rebels, or Emperor is fooling them around) is gathering anyone they can catch through the worlds, Emperor is putting magically altered tadpoles in their brains, then the nautiloid crash happens. Again, it's unknown if Emperor knew, expected, maybe even planned it from the start, or he wanted to do it the other way.

But it is what it is. He can't stop just yet, when stakes is this high. He starts to manipulate the party into thinking that they are protected by some mysterious dream visitor, I assume that he searched trough the minds and made the most personally appealing appearance for each, just to make it easier. He's successfully pushing the party forward their goal. Trying to put in their minds an idea that they shouldn't get rid of their tadpoles, but they should embrace it's potential instead.

And then there is Act 3. His true identity is getting revealed, a lot of stuff is going on.

About Ansur: Emperor tried to turn him down, to make him leave and go live his on life. The letter we can find on Ansur's dead body is very sweet and very sad. I don't think that it could be staged, since Ansur is laying down below the castle, it's very hidden, to access it you have to pass trials, and Emperor is trying his best to make Tav go back, instead of looking for the dragon, and it's not like there is something that could truly expose him, nothing here hints us that he was doing it not out of pure self-defense.

About Duke Stellmane: We know that he was visitting her every tendays, and that's it. There is a thought that he could be the cause of her condition, but it could also be something else. Emperor himself is not saying anything about it if Tav trusts him, but if Tav is being hostile towards him, he'll show Tav how he'll say "the truth" but. He'll show it even if Tav doesn't want to look, and Emperor will make sure to make the vision the most unsettling thing he can come up with, and on top of that he'll completely clash in tone after that. I think the reason behind of this is that Emperor is getting scared about the possiblity that Tav can do something unpredictable and fail everything when they are so close to the destruction of the Absolute. If Tav doesn't want to cooperate willingly and on a good terms, then Emperor is trying to make them act out of fear. If it's easier for them to put everything in black-white terms then Emperor is gonna play the role of an "evil mind flayer who is here only to bring disaster" I don't think we can wholeheartedly believe what we saw there, especially since he keeps her portrait among his old stuff under the Elfsong tavern.

And my final thoughts: the Emperor wants to survive, this is his first priority, his second priority is keeping his city safe. It's good and very understandable desires. He wants to kill the Absolute, and you can only try to persuade him to do otherwise; also he's not even in a cutscene if Tav is becoming an Absolute themselves. Emperor is getting sad if Tav is turning him down on romance, and I think it means he's not living rent free in Tav's head just to lie or/and manipulate them in all ways possible, because then he'd know about Tav possibly not having a romantic interest in him, so he wouldn't even try to engage. And in the end of the game Emperor is still here to say his farewells, and he feels genuinely sad that his journey with Tav is over, and he's being nice even if Tav is acting cold and rude. There is no point of manipulating in the end, and if all of it wouldn't matter for him, he could just simply leave without saying a word.

I personally think that Emperor is not just "another evil mind flayer" and also I think that he has some real feelings for Tav.

[lukas-dark-miracles]

On the Foundation of Friendship

TIMING : Two or so Weeks before Lukas was killed.

LOCATION:  A Church in Poland.

PARTIES : Lukas and Lizzie

SUMMARY: Father Lukas is given a surprise visit from a kind of parishioner Lizzie. Everything is fine.

CONTENT WARNINGS: None! Just a fun conversation. Very sweet. Nothing mean :)

Hearing the humming of his friend, the Priest looked between the path and the church, looking for Lizzie, going towards a tree to see where the young mischievous woman was. He had just been let go from studies and decided to visit the gardens, and while not every day, he often saw her around here. While the other Priests had seemed weary of her - a woman who appeared to have no interest in entering the church but insisted on asking questions to anyone who would pause long enough in the gardens to answer - Father Lukas hadn’t minded at all. Most of the other priests here were older, and while they were wise in their own ways, they hardly wanted to talk on subjects that fascinated the young Priest.

While Lizzie was odd, she did listen to him and argued with him on points. It had made him better at understanding different viewpoints and had honestly allowed him to consider other perspectives. Although the Priest had only been here for a few months, he couldn’t deny that she had made an indelible mark on his soul. Still, it didn’t mean it was less important than his work here.

“You know, for a man of God, you don’t seem to look up very often, Father,” He heard the lilting voice of his friend say, his eyes snapping up to the tree.

While finally looking up, Father Lukas was met with sparkling brown eyes and a bright smile. Without even waiting, the woman jumped down from the tree, forcing him to catch her in a flash of blonde hair, and giggled as he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Now, Miss Lizzie, that is hardly proper,” The Priest said, putting her down as gently as he could, careful not to rustle the young woman who was grinning ear to ear.

“Yes, but you still caught me, Father. I do believe that means that I am not all that in trouble,” Lizzie said, smiling brightly at the other, causing him to laugh.

“I could hardly let you crash into the ground, Lizzie. You would have hurt yourself. How did you even get that high?” Lukas said, eyes moving toward the tree she shouldn’t have been able to climb, let alone wait in. As if to distract his question, he felt a tug at his sleeve directing him back to the woman who seemed to want his full attention.

“If I tell you, will you tell me a story, Father?” She said very seriously, her head tilting as he considered her offer. He often couldn’t place her, as she very often acted childish one moment and an elder the next. Still, he couldn’t help but be endeared by it. Something he could have imagined a younger sister might have said to him if he had ever been able to have one.

So he nodded and said, “You have my word. I will tell you a story if you tell me how you got into the tree.” With a glint of glee in her eyes that he had gotten accustomed to - usually when he lost something - she simply pointed to the ladder he hadn’t seen on the garden wall.

“You really are careless in your surroundings, Father Lukas. You should learn to pay more attention,” Lizzie said with a chuckle as he groaned at how silly it had been.

“Yes, well, come then, sit down, and I’ll try to figure out a story I haven’t told you,” Lukas said, hearing a giggle as she ran towards the bench they had often occupied - one that the other Priest could see him and know that he wasn’t doing anything outrageous.

“You can tell me an old story, Father. Maybe one from the book you like so much,” She said almost flippantly about the Bible. Raising his eyebrow lightly at the disrespect, he sat quietly for a moment before picking one from the Old Testament anyway. He let her sigh, roll her eyes, and ask questions, interrupting him as he tried to get through the story.

Letting the night fully come in, the two talked until Lukas saw the Priest standing at the doorway, bidding his friend goodbye; he said, “Try not to fall if you try and climb that tree again.”

Lizzie laughed and waved, saying, “I won’t, Father.” As he turned around, her eyes matched other Priests, narrowing at the fact that he had caused him to leave. The man wasn’t much older than Lukas and, with a gentle pat on his back, seemed to not care that he had taken him away from her.

Lizzie decided he’d be the first to die when it came to the end. After all, she really didn’t care for the glare she had gotten back. Checking her watch, she moved to go about her day, knowing that she wouldn’t have to visit the church for much longer. After all, Lukas wouldn’t be a priest for much longer and could finally stay with her. It was only a matter of a few weeks, and while the old vampire had many faults, she was patient. Especially when it came to breaking and creating people, she thought Lukas would be an interesting vampire.

[idolsummons]

Depression to Despair (Tez Couldn't Think of a Better Title)

Finally wrote the drabble about Ren bearing witness to an elder god summoning, enjoy ♥

Trigger warnings for depression, suicidal ideation, etc.

Note: I don't have depression or suicidal ideation, which features as a theme in this drabble. This was written for fun and not any kind of serious piece delving into the mindset of humans, what have you.

[Ren] wanna come over 2nite? Been working on a song

[Hana] I’d love to but I’ve already got something else on, sorry! :(

[Hana] Maybe tomorrow?

[Ren] yeah no prob

[Ren] what’s 2nite?

[Hana] Dinner with another idol and her manager, and my manager, get to know each other kinda thing. Thinking about a collab.

[Ren] have fun

[Hana] I’d have more fun at a dinner if it wasn’t for my strict diet lol

[Ren] gotta let lose sometimes

[Ren] go enjoy yourself

[Hana] Thanks, I’ll try to keep that in mind :) 

[Hana] See you tomorrow! <3

[Ren] see ya

Ren set his phone down on his bedside table.

There is no dinner.

She’s trying to spare my feelings but I know how she really feels.

She hates me. Why would anyone like Hana like a pathetic excuse of a human like me? It was stupid to ever try to get in touch in the first place. I should just stay out of everyone’s way and keep to myself.

Better yet, I should just -

‘Shut the fuck up,’ Ren grumbles. He rubs his hands over his face. It doesn’t help to get rid of the thoughts, but it’s better than doing nothing.

From the ground comes a gentle miaow. He removes his hands from his face and sees a familiar fluffy face.

‘Dinner time already, Jiji?’ The black cat meows again.

Ren gets up and proceeds to the kitchen, where he’s finally, after much rubbing up against his legs like she’s trying to make him fall, able to give Jiji her dinner consisting of raw meat. She starts eating straight away, paying no mind to Ren going outside to light up a cigarette.

Just hold on for one more night.

***

[Hana] Hey Ren! :) 

[Hana] Sorry about last night, you still free tonight?

[Ren] yeah

[Ren] still wanna come over?

[Hana] Yep!

[Ren] awesome

[Ren] come whenever u want

[Ren] anything u want 4 dinner?

[Hana] No thanks, I’ll eat before I leave :) 

[Ren] k

[Ren] see u soon

Despite his kind offer to cook (it might be that Hana refused the offer because he’s not the best chef out there), Ren himself does not eat; it would be too much of a hassle. Besides, Hana’s visiting has given him just enough energy to finally clean up. He doesn’t know how long it’s been, but clothes and various things have been strewn about without much care, and a thin layer of dust covers much of the furniture. He might not have time to clean everything, but he will do what he can.

***

Regardless of whether or not she’s singing those pop songs with mass appeal, Hana has a beautiful voice. Yes, it does seem to have been trained with pop music in mind - he would never ask her to sing rock, not that that’s his style - but he feels she could easily branch out into similar genres was she so minded. So enthralled with her performance is he (as he is every time) that Ren near forgets to stop the recording once she’s finished singing.

‘How’s that?’ Hana asks as she removes her headphones. Her cheery smile has Ren’s stomach twisting into knots. ‘That’s what you had in mind, yeah?’

‘Mind giving me a moment to listen back?’

‘Go for it.’ Hana takes her seat beside Ren.

Ren begins to hum after listening to the short recording a few times. ‘Almost,’ he replies, ‘but I’m gonna have to think about it. If I send you some notes overnight, would you come back tomorrow?’

‘Absolutely. I suppose I shouldn’t keep you then.’

‘You can stay for a while longer if you want. I don’t usually sleep till late anyway.’

Hana checks her phone. ‘It’s already 9, and I’ve got a busy day tomorrow. Better get some rest, y’know?’

‘Sure.’

Both Hana and Ren stand. They move from Ren’s small home recording studio to the front door.

‘I had fun tonight,’ says Hana. She wraps her arms around Ren, who reciprocates the embrace. He finds it difficult to let go, but doesn’t want to make the situation awkward. Once his arms are no longer around her, Ren opens the door. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow!’

‘See ya.’ Ren manages a small smile as Hana looks back to wave farewell.

She only comes here because she pities me.

Ren closes the door.

You think the most popular idol in the country doesn’t have better people to hang out with?

He moves to the bathroom.

I’m just some loser wishing I can make a living off my music, and that doesn’t seem likely.

He opens the cabinet and grabs a bottle of antidepressants. He holds the bottle tight in his hand for some time. He looks at the other medications - painkillers, mostly - which sit within the cabinet.

Why shouldn’t I grab all of these and just -

‘She’ll be back tomorrow.’

Ren removes the lid from the bottle and takes what he requires and nothing more. He puts the bottle back in the cabinet and closes the door.

***

[Hana] I’m really, really sorry Ren

[Hana] Something’s come up today. I won’t be able to make it to yours tonight.

[Hana] (┬┬﹏┬┬)

[Ren] don’t stress

[Ren] it’s fine

[Hana] Tomorrow for sure, yeah? :) 

[Hana] It’s a Saturday and I don’t have any shows so it’ll be fine!

[Hana] Unless they spring something on me last moment lol

[Ren] haha

[Ren] that’d be cruel

[Hana] Yeah lol

[Ren] c u tomorrow then

[Hana] Have a good day! :) 

After feeding Jiji, Ren returns to bed and does not move for the rest of the day, save to give the cat her dinner. His thoughts consume him, with only one ray of light shining through it all.

There’s always tomorrow.

***

[Hana] Ren you’re gonna hate me.

[Ren] they sprung a surprise show on u?

[Hana] Thankfully not that but

[Hana] I have something really important that came up last minute and I won’t be done in time to get to your place.

[Hana] And I know, it’s a Saturday, it’s fine to stay up late this once, but I promised to spend time with my family tomorrow and if I don’t get up early to go to church with them, my parents won’t be happy :( 

[Ren] you’re a busy person

[Ren] things like this happen

[Hana] You’re so understanding, I don’t deserve a friend like you <3

[Hana] I’d love to set a time aside but I can’t really do that because…

[Hana] Well, you’ve seen what’s happened these past few days :( 

[Ren] I’m home in the afternoons anyway

[Ren] just lemme know when u are coming and I’ll wait for u

[Hana] Thank you sooooo much <3

[Hana] (✿◠‿◠)

She’s making up excuses so she doesn’t have to see me. Even Miyu’s not so busy that she can’t set down a date. She’s done this so she never has to see you again. She’ll stop talking to you and then you won’t have a friend in the world.

What will be the point of it all then?

Ren manages to get out of bed. He gets dressed, but only barely, throwing on nothing but a basic shirt (it used to fit, but is now a size too big) and tracksuit pants.

Jiji sleeps happily upon her bed in the sun.

She’ll never notice.

Ren leaves via the front door.

He won’t be coming back.

***

There’s always people on the beach, even in this colder weather, whether playing around or walking their dogs. He’s used the hours to reflect - on himself, his life, those who have been closest to him over the years, on her. Every time he’s come to the same conclusion.

It’s pointless.

Nobody cares.

They won’t notice if you’re gone.

The sun is down before the beach is clear.

He walks down to the shore, stopping short of where the waves brush against his shoes.

The shoes are removed and placed beside him.

With one last deep breath, Ren begins to walk towards the depths.

He takes one look back at everything. At the sand, at the buildings in the distance, at…

‘Hana?’

Despite the fact that only the moon lights the beach, it’s impossible to miss her. Even were it not for the styling of her hair, purple streak on display, but he recognises her from her very build. Something seemingly bundled up is in her hands while she rushes across the beach, paying no mind to the man who stands knee deep in ocean water.

See? She’s not busy. She just didn’t want to spend time with you.

No, that’s not it. What’s she doing here? What’s she holding?

Ren waits until some distance has come between them and begins to follow behind her. His shoes remain at the shore.

It’s some 10 minutes before Hana and Ren arrive at the destination at the end of the beach. Ren keeps himself hidden within some shrubbery nearby; he does not wish to disturb whatever it is she’s doing.

Hana places her belongings on the sandy ground, save for the fabric which he had previously thought to be what kept her items bundled up; rather, it’s a robe which she dons rather quickly.

A pole - or so it seems to be from a distance - is taken from her belongings, and Hana begins to draw something in the sand. From his distance and viewpoint, Ren can’t begin to guess at what it might be.

Once complete, Hana picks up a book - better described as a tome for its size - and flips it open. She seems to look between the book and her drawing for a little while until she nods to herself. She must be satisfied with whatever she’s done.

Hana looks up into the sky, and Ren does, too. All he sees there is the moon. He’s not sure what kind of importance it plays in her task, but Ren observes Hana looking up at the moon for a while longer.

When she is finally done looking at the moon, she looks back towards her handiwork and dons a hood

She flips through the pages of her book once more and begins to say something. Ren isn’t sure what, but it seems almost like a chant.

Despite not being able to hear what she’s saying or see what she’s drawn, Ren feels a tightening in his stomach. It’s not the kind he feels when spending time with Hana, nor when he receives a message from her. It’s an unease which isn’t common to him, for unease is oft replaced with depression, and depression usually comes with a feeling of emptiness which he’s all too familiar with.

It’s what brought him here this night, after all.

Rather, he gets the feeling he should run, that he should forget all that he has seen here, but his overwhelming curiosity keeps him planted on the spot. He wants to know what Hana is doing, what was so important that she didn’t wish to spend time with someone she was so adamant is her friend.

When Hana finishes chanting, nothing happens. He begins to ponder if this was all just some strange kind of rehearsal, maybe she got a part in a show or a movie and is trying to get into character, or maybe -

A dark light explodes from Hana’s drawing in the sand.

‘What the fuck?’ Ren says too loudly, like he was expecting the explosion of light to be accompanied by an appropriate amount of sound.

Hana looks back. Her eyes are wide.

‘Ren?’ Her mouth is ajar. ‘You shouldn’t be here.’

He doesn’t have time to ask any questions, nor time to even formulate such things in his mind. Before he can so much as blink the light dissipates, leaving behind something which Ren does not remember.

The last thing he does remember is darkness.

***

‘It was probably another suicide attempt.’

Ren does not open his eyes. Along with the wavering voice of his mother, obviously trying so hard not to cry, Ren can hear the gentle beeps of a heart rate monitor.

‘This wouldn’t be the first time… but usually he’s not - he -’

‘He’s been talking in his sleep,’ says an unfamiliar voice. ‘Do you know if that’s normal?’

‘Oh…’ his mother mumbles. ‘About what?’

‘We couldn’t really make any sense of it. Something hideous, taller than the trees…’

Ren’s eyes shoot open.

‘It’s coming.’

His mother and the unfamiliar woman - a doctor or a nurse - looks over.

‘Ren!’ His mother rushes to his bedside. She puts a hand to his forehead, rubbing her thumb over his skin. ‘What is it, baby?’

‘That… That thing.’ He speaks quickly, to the point where his words become jumbled. ‘It came from the beach, and - and it devoured the moon.’

The staff furrows her brow.

Ren’s mother stops the motion with her thumb. ‘What is it? You can tell me.’

‘You won’t… you won’t understand. I don’t understand, Mum. It was… was everywhere but nowhere, not of this world…’

‘You just had a bad dream is all. It’s okay, Mum’s here now.’

‘No, no, it wasn’t a dream. I saw it.’

Silence fills the room for too long, before his mother finally speaks up. ‘One of your friends wanted to see you, too. She seemed quite keen about it, too. I’ll wait outside and come back once she’s done, okay?’ She tries a kind smile, but her eyes are filled with tears. ‘I’ll get you something to eat from the cafe.’

Ren’s mother and the staff leave the room. The one who enters next is…

‘No.’ But the word does not leave his mouth. ‘No, no, no, no, no.’

‘Ren.’ Hana’s voice is shaky. She kneels beside his bed. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry…’ Tears flowing down her cheeks are followed by sobbing.

‘Get out,’ he says, but it’s unclear whether the words reach her ears or not. ‘Get out!’

Though Hana remains, crying and apologising and desperately trying to make it all up to him, Ren has never felt more alone in his life.

Anguish and despair are his only roommates, his only bedfellows, his only headmates.

It feels that this will last an eternity, beyond even his demise.

Ending this suffering would be a mercy, but ending it all is no longer a present thought.

All that remains is the fuzziness of the night prior and what will surely be a lifetime of madness.

[amity206]

Ideas that would be cool to explore in future Sky seasons

Exploring more of the Ancient’s relationship with light creatures. It could take place in Daylight Prairie, and include new calls and have memories and quests showcasing how Ancients would bond with light creatures such as mantas - and as the quests go on, we see these relationships harmed by the increasing greed of the Ancients - maybe ending with the first war between the Ancients and light creatures. Maybe it could also have a lake you can explore underwater.

Something that explores more of the lore surrounding the King and Elders. With this season update we would also get more elder masks (anywhere from 50-300 ascended candles) and elder outfits (20-35 ascended candles as they wouldn’t do anything). Maybe we’d view the memories of those who took care of the temples - maybe priests, messengers, or aids. We could learn how the Elders fell from the stars, how the Megabird was worshipped, and what the Sky Kingdom used to look like. I just think that would be really cool.

exploring how darkness works would also be cool. Maybe there’s a god of darkness? The season would go into krill, darkstone, and dark crabs. Maybe it’s a team of researchers investigating darkstone - maybe one of them is even being corrupted by it. Maybe in the end, we can learn to heal corrupted creatures - maybe we could heal a krill? The final quest (I got this idea from krill purification concept art) could focus around a dying krill whose physical form we burn away, before taking their fire/light core to Eden and being reborn with them. And then the krill becomes a light creature we can visit/ride/hug ❤️

on a much lighter note, I know the Valley of Triumph gets a ton of attention but there could be like a Season of Victory in it where we follow two competing teams through the citadel, ice rink, and coliseum. Maybe we could open up that other door in the coliseum too, and add some more minigames for wax (folks.., like all the wax games are in Valley…. let’s give the other realms some love)

another season that takes place underwater (or has stuff to do underwater). Idk what it would be about but I wanna go underwater

this could fit into many seasons (and regular areas too) but I’d like to see more of what life was like before the Storm. Literally they could just stick more murals places and add boxes/crates with stuff in them or hang instruments and papers (like maps, music sheets, kids drawings, etc) on the wall. They could add fabric flapping in the wind and empty broken tables and abandoned stuffed light creatures and other children’s toys, old candles melted on shelves and blankets/beds/pillows and hammocks, cracked plates on the tables and old vases. It would give much more of a sense of this being a world that had once lived, breathed, and loved

I’m sort of getting off topic from seasons specifically but more words would be nice. More hidden places where distant whispers will tell us the story of Sky. Maybe there’s words telling us the story of the King on the Prophecy murals. Maybe the elders talk to us, thank us, remember the mistakes they made and encourage us onwards.

I just think these would be cool. Please comment/reblog with your own ideas, I’d love to hear them!

[idyllic-affections]

Duuuuude, dragons are just so freaking cool, with how flexible there are with how they can be written.

They could be just savage, rampaging monsters, who just so happen to have a habit of collecting precious gems and metals.

They could be intelligent, morally complexing thinking beings. Who just so happen to have a habit of collecting precious gems and minerals.

Sometimes, they're a little mix or both! Intelligent creatures, who just take the piss out of rampaging around and terrorizing the poor peasants….. and may or may not just so happen to have a habit of collecting precious gems and minerals. Lol.

Sorry for that little tangent there, as I'm sure you could never, ever could have guessed(/s/j) I'm something of a dragon fan, eheh.

Regardless, I saw your new OC, and I just wanted to give Lian a grand old welcome to the.... universe! I found your lore for them interesting, and I look forwards to how you potentially may expand upon them in the future!

I unfortunately am going to have to skip the dragon boy, as much as it fucking pains me to do so as I'm planning on saving up for Jingliu when her banner pops. Or maybe Topaz, she's on the table too. I'll definitely try to make a grab for the other High Elders when we start visiting the other Xianzhou ships. Honestly all the High Elders have such sick titles. Imbibitor Lunae, Caelorum Venti, Glaciator Marum, all them are so dope!

Aaaaand, I saw the announcement of you opening up requests for HSR, and oh-hoh-hoh, I got an idea featuring the found family of all time (the Astral Express crew) that you may find interesting!

As well as maybe another genshin one, but I imagine you already have a lot of those, so I'll hold off and let you work through what you already have!

and finally, before I take my leave for the (at the time of me sending you this ask) night, I leave you with food for thought. If you were a god in a fantasy setting (whatever one you find yourself particularly musing with when reading this ask), what would your domain be. As in, what would you be the 'God of'?

-🐉Anon

SOOO TRUE hi beloved <3

dragons are so fascinating and have soo much potential. like. they COULD be feral and a little violent and deeply in touch with their more animalistic instincts, especially DRAGON dragons, where they aren't a humanoid species. or they could also be very gentle and intelligent! just a huge gentle giant who is consciously aware that it has the capacity to be destructive and therefore does its best not to be <3 or they could be a blend of both, depending on the circumstances they're in. and i think that's so cool. dragons are so cool.

lian is sooooooo silly *squishes them lovingly* i adore them. lian the silly. the beloved. i am still altering their details and whatnot, but they're very lovely and wonderful <3

i understand AKDHFJKSH ouuuhghgh the other high elders... i feel like i am absolutely going to want to add them to the collection one day. they seem so neat. they really do have very cool titles!!! i love them they're so interesting to me. i should have gotten into hsr later so that i wouldn't have to wait for more vidyadhara lore smh /j /lh

you are always welcome to send in requests! i promise i'm not overwhelmed haha <3 i can't guarantee when the req will be posted, but i will definitely get to it eventually, so don't feel bad if you send in thoughts often. you wouldn't be the first anon to, and i love reading all of you guys' thoughts!!!

ohhh this question is so fascinating...... i'm not completely sure, really. something to do with change, resilience, and transition, i think. rebirth maybe. the transition between life and death. the transition from cisgender to a non binary eldritch horror (/hj). major life changes. something like that, i think. transformation. not metamorphosis though because i do not like flying insects! but you know. things like that maybe!!!!

[the-determined-sparks-au]

Chapter 2

Ao3 Previous part

“What was the one thing that everyone has told you,” both Ardere and Fuligo cringed as their mother, Consort Nubes stares down at them. Their father, Liege Flamma, sighs as his mate scolds their two youngest, “Do not go past the boundary of the Strath! Those...Kingdom Felis ,” she spits out, “could had hurt you worse than they did,” Fuligo crouches down, his tail curling between his legs, bristling.

“Now now…” their father step over, bringing his head over to press his cheek against hers, “Deep breaths now...the two of them were only curious…”

“Its your fault,” she whispers, pulling back and narrowing her blue eyes at him, “Telling them those stories of Kesteraltail! Giving them ideas in their head...they belong here, not out there,” she shakes her head.

“You know we can’t keep them here…” Father gently said, placing his tail on her side, “There at that age that they want to explore, to see the world, to find out who they are,” he smiles at Ardere and Fuligo, “I know I gave my mother a few gray hairs when I started wandering...we should be grateful that Rubinus doesn’t feel the pull like I did,” Ardere watches as her mother narrows her eyes at her father who grins cheekily, “Anyway...I think she should go,”

Ardere’s head snap to him, while Fortis and Rubinus’ jaw drop. The two had been enjoying watching their younger littermates being scolded by their mother, hiding their amusement behind their paws. But now, they couldn’t hide the shok looks that were painted on their faces. Neither could their mother, “You...you want our daughter to join...they will eat her alive!” she shrieks, fur poofing up so much, it made her look like a giant compared to their father, “This is insanity...you finally have lost it. She knows nothing about them!”

“But how will I learn about them if I don’t give them a chance,” Ardere gently spoke up, for once since they had returned back to the Coalition. There mother had took one look at their limping forms and had hurried them to the Head Medic Hedera to get look at before she started to confront them as soon as she caught the scent of the Strath clinging to their pelts, “I mean,” she shuffles on her paws, “They’re only giving me a chance...I might not like it and they say if I don’t I could always come back home...I just…”

“She will regret it if she didn’t give them a try,” Father gently whispers, “Her eyes have always been drifting towards the Strath...ever since she learned about it, when she not doing chores, you can always find her at the border, staring at it”

“And if I do like it...I will come visit,” Ardere promises, “They said they won’t keep me from my family, I just got to do it at my own time and not when I’m hunting or suppose to do something important,”

“Very reasonable,” Father pointed out and Mother sighs, closing her eyes.

“Well, I think you’re an idiot!” Fortis hisses, “You will die out there for a bunch of stranger that not only you don’t know, but who attacked our brother!”

“Who have been attacking us for years,” Rubinus hisses, tail lashing behind her, “don’t you remember how many of us they killed?! The stories Commander Henricus about the Raids, that they only stopped after grandmother struck down the Deranged Bishop! The fact that you are leaving us behind to go frolic in the Strath. By the Gods, at least Fuligo is smart enough not to do something this idiotic,”

“I mean,” Fuligo cringes as both their elder littlermates snap their heads and glare at them, “Bishop Blizzardstorm only offer Ardere...but I know that if she had offer me a place I would take it… well maybe not really, I don’t see myself sharing a den with Tigerpaw,” he grimaces, his ice blue eyes filling with fear “But honestly, I wish I could join a Kingdom,” he smiles, eyes sparkling, “Learning how to hunt and fight, in a different way than other Coalition Felis can...I mean...I think this is the first time a Coalition cat been ask to join a Kingdom,”

Father nodded his head, “I think so too...Kesteraltail told me that they have welcome in a lot of Drifters into their ranks… though the last time I talk to him, he said that Windmoor isn’t allowing anyone to join as of right now,” Fuligo deflates at that, having grown an exciting look on his face, “But I do know that there’s another Kingdom that allows outsiders to join. The Drifting Sun lives by them during the summer months, when Lady’s Solta’s eye grows the hottest. I could ask Overseer Apollo to allow you to travel with them and ask the Kingdom if you could join them,” he then squawks when mother began to smack him with her paw, bapping him in the place.

“Mama!” she stops, looking at Fuligo, “Can I please at least try?” he looks up at her with icy blue eyes, big and wide, “The Drifting Sun will be staying around there all of spring and summer...if I don’t like it, I’ll be back home by winter,”

Their mother, with the same icy blue eyes as Fortis and Fuligo, stares at them before she closes them tightly, “My babies are growing up...leaving the nest so soon,” she whispers before she curls around the both of them, licking at their ears,

“Well...I think they’re stupid,” Rubinus hisses, tail lashing as she glares at the two, “Go ahead and leave us for those...monsters,” she hisses before she stood up, turning around and leaving the nest. Fortis frown at the two of them, before following after their sister.

“Give her time,” Father whispered to them, “This is your decision. What you want to do in life is up to you, and how brave you are willing to be to do what you believe is right,”

The two littermates blink up at their father, wondering what he meant by that. But they didn’t have much time to think of it as their attention was pulled towards their mother. The rest of the day and night wore on, seemingly endless as the two spent Ardere’s last full day in the Coaltion. She could tell that there were some (maybe all) who didn’t want he youngest princess to leave the safety of the ruins to join the Kingdom that had attacked them in the past. Thought their father eyed them before they could say anything.

When Solta’s eye was high in the sky, Ardere sat beside the border. Tail high as she looks in the undergrowth for any sign of the two Felis that Bishop Blizzardstorm would have sent. The smells of Bishop Blizzardstorm, Voleclaw, and Tigerpaw were very faint, but they were swirling around her. She couldn’t tell if they were here now, or if they weren’t. Ardere frowns but her ears prick, as she heard the leaves rustles before a sandy gray tom pushed his way out. Ardere stared up at him, noticing that he was a little bit smaller than the other two Thundergrowth warriors had been, and had red scales painted across his shoulders and up his face. He has the same white horns as Voleclaw did, but his eyes though were a soft and kind green that shine down at her, “I am guessing you are Ardere?” At her silent nod he sat down, “so what is your decision?” 

“I wish to join you,” Ardere replied, “if the offer still stands,”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t,” he chuckles a bit, eyes glimmering, “My name is Thrushcloud, a Caretaker of Thundergrowth” Ardere blink at this, taking a step towards him and took in a breath, smelling the smell of milk that mixed in with the strong scent of forest that cling to his pelt. But then she stills, fur pricking as a chill went down her spine when she not noticed another freshe smell hiding in the bushes.

Turning her gaze towards it, she hisses, “You’re not alone,” she whispers and a chuckle echo from the bushes as another cat pushes their way out of the undergrowth. She blinks at blue-gray molly that looked a lot like Bishop Blizzardstorm, but this one has the same rosette markings that Ardere saw on herself, her father and her siblings.

“Maybe there is some potential in you,” the molly stated, eyeing Ardere up and down with her orange eyes. 

“This is Rosetteanthem,” Thrushcloud introduced, “one of Thundergrowth’s newest warrior but one with great potential,” Rosetteanthem cracked a smile a bit before her face went neutral once more, but her eyes kept staring straight at Ardere.

“I’ll be watching your training with interest,” she calmly said, before she turns towards Thrushcloud, “we better head back if we want to make it before the night patrol heads out,”

Thrushcloud nodded his head in agreement and eyes Ardere, “Think you can keep up?”

Looking at the two of them, with their long legs, and what look like strong muscles from moons of training, Ardere knew that she could not keep up. But she kept her head straight, her eyes glaring at them in determination, “Yes,”

“Confident,” Rosetteanthem smoothly said, “let’s see if you can keep it, Ruindweller,” and then she bounded off, Thrushcloud close behind her. Eyes widening, Ardere scrambles up and quickly follows after them. Grateful that she already said her goodbyes last night and this morning, as the two kingdom Felis made no allowance for her.

Ardere gritting her teeth, trying to keep pace with them, but as soon as they left the clearing, it was made much harder to keep up. But Ardere was determined to not look weak to these Kingdom Felis. She was breathing heavily, trying to keep up, which was made harder when she couldn’t make the graceful jumps that they did over logs, streams and rocks, or when they made a sharp turn that almost made Ardere run into a tree face first. They were easily bounding through the woods, weaving through all the obstacles like their fur was made of air. And even then, Ardere could tell they were not going as fast as they usually did.

But finally, finally, the two slowed down, allowing Ardere, with her sore paws stinging from sharp stones and thorns, was finally able to just be a step behind them. She eyes them, trying to hide her wheezing, as she follows them through a well-worn trail through the undergrowth, she noticed that the forest grew thicker and thicker. The smell of many felis grew stronger as well, mixing in with the scent of mice and birds. At last, Thrushcloud and Rosetteanthem paused, stepping onto a small rock that rested on the edge of a ravine, “We are very close to our camp now,” Thrushcloud meowed, whiskers twitching in amusement as Ardere halted beside them, puffing for her breath. Glaring at him, she shakes her head, suckling in another breath before she strained to see any signs of life- moving leaves, a glimspe of fur among the bushes below, but her eyes saw nothing except the same undergrowth that covered the rest of the forest floor.

Rosetteanthem rolled her eyes, “Use your nose. You must be able to scent it,”

Grimacing, Ardere closed her eyes and sniffed. Rosetteanthem had been right, she was able to scent it, and how much different it was to the Felis of the Hearth.

“There will come a time, if you are accepted into Thundergrowth, even our own scent feels like home to you,” Thrushcloud smiles, before nodding his head down towards the ravine, “Our camp is down here. It may look like a hard climb, but follow us closely and you won’t fall,” Ardere gulps at this but scrambles back up, grimacing in pain a bit from her pads throbbing, Thrushcloud as he led the way nimbly down the boulders to the bottom of the ravine and through a thick patch of gorse. Ardere push through the small gap in the gorse, Rosetteanthem behind her, watching her with orange eyes as Ardere’s long fur got caught by the thorns and prickly gorse. Ardere looked down, noticing that the grass beneath her paws were flatted into a strong-smelling track.

“This must be the main entrance to the camp,” she thought before looking up as they burst into a bare, hard earth clearing, shaped by many generations of pawsteps. Green eyes widen at the sight before her, though she took a bit of a step back when many eyes turn to her, gazing her with either curiosity, confusion, distrust, or worse anger. But Ardere held her head up high, just as her father told her to. The Hearth Coalition, leadership was inherited by blood, from mother to daughter, the heiress taking the name Hestia once they become Liege, taking the name of their founder. Many look down on her and her siblings because their father was the Liege, as their grandmother, the last Hestia, formerly known as Crystallo didn’t give birth to any daughters. The Veterans, those who have retired from their duties, thought they had lost the favor of the Solta though it had settled down once her and her littermates were born.

So, she raised her chin, keeping her gaze steady as she stared back. It was so crowded, felis everywhere, sitting alone or in groups, sharing food or purring quietly as they groom one another. In the corner, Ardere could see three kits wrestling about, bapping each other and giggling, while a fourth was peaking his head out from the entrance of an impenetrable- looking tangle of brambles, “Over there is the Nursery,” Thrushcloud smiles, noticing where Ardere was looking at, just as a pale golden molly, with patches of gray scales on her legs and face, her belly swollen with kits of her own, squirmed out through the small gap, her tail brushing the black kitten’s head gently as a silver gray molly with teal-gold scales along her shoulds appeared around the bramble bush. The two mollies exchange a friendly lick between the ears before the gray molly slipped inside the nursery.

“The care of our kits is shared by not only the monarchs but also the caretakers,” Thrushcloud meowed, “All felis serve the Kingdom, loyalty to the Kingdom is the first law in the Code, a lesson you must learn quickly if you wish to stay with us,”

Ardere nodded her head in understanding, but turns it to Rosetteanthem as she raises her head, “Here comes mother,” she mewed as she sniffs the air. Raising her head herself, Ardere was please to recognize the scent of Blizzardstorm before she appeared from the shadow of the large boulder that stood tall in the center of the clearing.

“She came,” Bishop Blizzardstorm purred, addressing the two as she walked over.

Thrushcloud chuckles, “Rosetteanthem was convince she would not,”

Rosetteanthem huffs, “We never had anyone from the Ruins join us...sure some of our own had joined the Ruins but..” she shakes her head, “She surprised me,” Rosetteanthem admitted, “She kept up well on the return journey...she has potential I will admit that,”

Bishop Blizzardstorm nodded at this, before she turns back towards the large boulder and leap onto it. Ardere watches before she was gently nudged by Thrushcloud to stand underneath the rock. When the Bishop had reached the top of the boulder, she cried out, “Let all those felis old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock to listen to my words!” Her clear call brought all the felis trotting towards her, emerging like liquid shadows from the edges of the clearing. Ardere frowns when she recognized Tigerpaw’s brown tabby fur among the cats. Beside him sat a large black molly with purple scales going down her spine, licking at his ears before she chuckles when he pulls away. A large dark gray tabby crouched behind them, the blue scales on his face making his yellow eyes glow as he stares up towards the Bishop.

When the felis were still, Bishop Blizzardstorm spoke, “Yesterday, I, Voleclaw and young Tigerpaw encounter a pair of fledgings on the border besides the Ruins. Tigerpaw had attacked one of them and had injured them a bit but before me and Voleclaw could put a stop to it, the fledging’s sister struck him first. And as you can see, Tigerpaw ended up with some bruises and a wounded pride,”

“So that’s why he was sulking in the Apprentice’s den,” laughter broke out at this and Tigerpaw hisses in fury, his tail lashing out.

“After seeing the fledgling’s bravery to protect her brother, even though Tigerpaw is much stronger than her, I offer her a place into our Kingdom, to become an apprentice,”

“Lucky enough to become an apprentice,” craning her head, Ardere blinks at the sight of the black tom with fur sticking up, teal-gold scales going across his throat, glaring defiantly at the Bishop.

“Really my Bishop...is this wise?” one cat inquired, an older dark brown tabby tom, with half his tail missing looked up at her in curisosity, “Its one thing to allow Drifters to join our ranks, but a felis from the Ruins?”

“But aren’t Drifters from the Ruins as well?” a tortoiseshell that sat beside him ask, shrugging his red scaled shoulders, “I mean...whats the difference if we accept someone straight from the Ruins and not one whose been drifting around,”

“Its because Drifters at least know the harshness of the outside world. Ruindwellers stay inside the comforts of the Ruins, all but praying that the Others will come back and care for them,” Ardere frowns at this, eyeing the black tom who spoke in pure disgust, “The Kingdom needs Kingdomborn felis, not another soft mouth to feed,”

“Whose the soft mouths you’re talking about?” Ardere speaks up, the black tom narrowing his yellow eyes at her, “I pray that you aren’t talking about the kits,”

“I’m not a soft mouth!” a wail erupted from the confines of the nursery, drawing laughter from the gather group of Felis.

“You’re just a spoiled brat who doesn’t know the meaning of hard work!” he jeers, barring his teeth at her.

“If anyone is the spoil brat its you,” Ardere calmly stated, not showing the anger that made her stomach churn, that made her claws itch to rip into his pelt, “I mean, who speaks when their leader is speaking?”

The tom growls, but he shuts his mouth when Bishop Blizzardstorm gives him a look, “She may be from the Ruins, but she has plenty of potential, both Thrushcloud and Rosetteanthem agree with me,”

“I seen worse…” a ragged ginger tom wheezes out, “And we could do with some new fresh blood,” he pointed out, “Let’s give the fledgling a chance,”

“Nettlebreeze...you are blind,” a gray tom with small ears pointed out, rolling his yellow eyes.

“He’s right though,” a gray tom with a long scar going down his shoulder pointed out, “It wouldn’t hurt to give her a chance, Spring is here now so if it all fails it won’t hurt us like it would have if Nixames was here with Winter...I support our Bishop’s decision.”

The gather felis quietly mutter to themselves, but no one else spoke up against the idea of Ardere joining. Bishop Blizzardstorm leapt down. Ardere raised her head, stepping into a shaft of sunshine, allowing the pool of light to blaze brightly on her orange pelt, making her fur glow. Bishop Blizzardstorm approached her, whose blue eyes were looking her up and down, “You look like a brand of fire in this sunlight,” she gently spoke, and Ardere frowns a bit when she saw her eyes flash briefly, as if her words had more meaning. But she then duck her head, pressing her nose against Ardere’s forehead, “Lady Solta, you know every felis by name but I ask that you take away the name from the felis you see before you, as with her new path in life, it no longer stands for what she will become. By my authority as Bishop, until this apprentice has earn her Kingdom name, she will be known as Blazepaw-in honor of her flame-colored coat,”

“Blazepaw! Blazepaw!” Ardere, no Blazepaw allow the voices of Thundergrowth wash over her as they cheer her new name. She kept her head up high, even as the felis parted, going back to what they were doing before the meeting.

“So you’re the one who spoiled Tigerpaw’s good looks,” turning her head, Blazepaw watches as the tortoiseshell that spoke up earlier bounce over, “He’s very close in getting his full Kingdom name, but that scar you left on him will make sure to never forget about you,” he nodded his head, amber eyes twinkling, “I’m Flickerpaw, welcome to Thundergrowth!”

Blazepaw smiles, but a low yowl made both of them jump. They both turn to see the gray tom that who had sat beind Tigerpaw earlier glaring at her with his yellow eyes. Flickerpaw dipped his head respectfully, “Darkstripe,”

“Don’t get use to being around here,” Darkstripe sneers, “It will only be a matter of time before you go back running into the Ruins, where you belong,” he spat out the word ruins scornfully before he stalked off.

“Don’t listen to Darkstripe,” Flickerpaw hisses to Blazepaw under his breath, “We have more important things to worry about,” at this Blazepaw blinks at him and he smiles, “Like showing you around the camp! Can’t have you poking your nose into something you shouldn’t and get into trouble,”

Blazepaw merps at this, trotting after Flickerpaw to learn more about her new home.

[prettyinsea-blue]

SPEAKING OF WRITINGS… I finally remembered to finish writing chapter three of The Trail of Withered Flowers so, here it is! TW’s still do apply, read with CAUTION!

3 | The Lie

A month had a passed since that incident and during that time, Mothra was rendered unresponsive. She remained protected in a cave within the mountain with the elders and some akari-moths who healed her slowly.

No one had gotten injured from her since then either, it's like that side had faded. Aspen came to see her every once in a while, and he eventually had to report what happened to the elders— but that was only a few minutes ago.

"At first she was below the thing and then suddenly, the thing was by a tree— and she was standing. She was darker and unresponsive to any of us," Aspen had explained to Keiji and Saki, they were the two that wanted to hear Aspen out. "I don't think it was her fault, and honestly if she hadn't killed them— however she even managed to do that— we would have been dead." Aspen managed to say, "I'm thankful for her."

Saki smiled and nodded, "thank you Aspen. Go get some rest with your family, we'll let you know when she wakes up," she said and watched as Aspen left with his mother.

Keiji motioned for Saki to follow him back inside the cave, and she did. "It's almost winter and most of the moths with Daku's mark have been taken care of," Keiji told Saki softly. He and her stood by the entrance, watching Mothra rest on a grassy-bed.

"What do you think we do with her?" Saki questioned as she folded her arms, "she has the same capacity to kill others just like the rest of her faction."

"I understand that," Keiji replied, "although I believe there is something much more exciting here for us," he grinned.

"How so?" Saki tilted her head slightly.

"If you remember, she's a descendant of gods. Her mother did not have a mark of either of her parents," Keiji walked over to Mothra and moved her neck fluff. He stared at the marking on her chest, an it looked like the moon yet it had cracks all over it— as if to show ruin and destruction. "She bares the mark."

"Do you believe it's genetic?" Saki eagerly asked and Keiji nodded, smiling a little.

"I highly think it's the case. Sometimes genetics skip a generation in a tree and I believe the god gene could have passed to Mothra, which would make her our very own god," Keiji explained and moved away from Mothra. "This could be the era the divine moths take over, we've been the lowest species for so long despite having the favor of Gatix herself," Keiji continued as he motioned Saki to leave with him.

Another elder named Rika came and found them outside, she was eager to join the conversation having heard some of it already. "Perhaps we could use her to our advantage," she added. Keiji and Saki met her gaze, but remained silent. "She will understand eventually that she has a death sentence over her head, which means she will be willing to do anything to keep herself alive."

"And what if she doesn't comply?" Saki questioned.

Rika smirked, chuckling a little, "Injure her little by little, eventually you could break parts of her physically and mentally... Maybe almost kill her."

Keiji nodded, "I agree."

Saki scoffed in disbelief, "What will you tell Setsuko and Azar?" She asked. Keiji and Rika fell quiet, thinking or possibly not even wanting to answer.

"Setsuko is leaving tomorrow to join the war party under Makoto's rule, and Azar is silently distraught about this so I don't think he'll see a problem," Rika explained with no regret, she hardly cared, "We could tell Setsuko that she died within the coma."

"That will work, we shall tell the elders the plan, come," Keiji waved for the two females to follow, Rika followed first but Saki took a minute. She felt horrible for Mothra, and she had no idea for what was come. She worried for the moths safety, and she knew nothing good would come from lying to the mother.

𑁍

Much later that day, Mothra's mother came to visit with Aspen. The moon had decided to show itself, it's light dancing around the cave. "Do you think she'll wake up by the time you get back?" Aspen asked quietly, hopping onto the bed next to Mothra.

"I'd like to think so," Setsuko replied, her mind somewhat elsewhere. She hoped Mothra would be alright under Azar's care but she had a worrying feeling that something would go wrong. She shook her head and shifted her gaze to Aspen and Mothra, she felt better knowing Mothra had a friend.

Aspen giggled, "Hey Mothra, you won't believe what happened!" he whispered to her, "I've gotten more practice with bringing life to stuff, and now I can bloom a whole flower garden for you! Just you wait and see," he mumbled and huddled close Mothra. Setsuko felt horrible, and she was just as quiet as the wind.

Mothra remained still and silent, her breathing slow yet heavy. Setsuko came close and kissed Mothra's forehead, brushing her wings and making sure her daughter was still relaxed.

Eventually, Setsuko and Aspen took their leave. The days continued to pass, and soon another month came and went. Mothra was still unresponsive however, her body responded to the healing. It was only a matter time if she would actually die or not.

.

.

.

"My child, can you hear me?"

"Mhm, hello," Mothra replied.

"Hello dear, are you cold?"

"Yes, who are you?" Mothra questioned.

"I’ll warm you up, but I’m afraid I can't answer your question, goodbye Mosura."

"Wait!"

.

.

.

Mothra eyes crept open, she felt the crisp cold air on her body. Once her eyes opened more, she sat up slowly and looked around the room, there were medical herbs and vines that were used as wraps.

She stood up and felt wobbly, she knew she obviously hadn't moved in quite some time. "The healers said her body has been responding to the treatments more and more," said Saki outside.

"That's wonderful, perhaps she'll wake up soon," Keiji replied. Mothra didn't recall their names at the time. Saki and Keiji stepped into the cave then froze, seeing Mothra up and awake.

Mothra's wings twitched nervously, she looked down at herself for a moment. She was taller and her body wasn't the same color as it had been that day.

"You— You're awake!" Saki exclaimed, "Oh thank you, Lady Gatix!" She prayed before rushing to Mothra's side. Saki grabbed Mothra's hands and twirled her around, examining her and watching her movements carefully.

"Easy Saki, it seems she just woke up," Keiji whispered and Saki seemingly relaxed.

Mothra just stared at the both of them. "Where.. Mm.." Mothra held her head, her voice unheard of and different from when she heard it last.

Saki guided Mothra to sit back down, and then sat beside her. "Try and talk slowly," she told her.

Mothra nodded and focused on her words, "Where is Aspen?"

"Aspen made it out, thanks to you," Keiji told her. "When you get your strength up, we'll escort you to your family's nest." Keiji added before walking out.

Saki and Mothra say there in silence for a while. Saki had never gotten a real good look at Mothra before and now she noticed many things. Mothra had tiny stars on her body, her eyes were as big as her mother's, and her wings were like Daku's. Saki only knew the folktales of Daku and Akari, she wasn't old enough to have been around that time— Keiji was though.

Daku was the first death, and now thousands of kids get the mark and die in the winter. Meanwhile, Daku's wife, Akari and her markings get to flourish with no problem. It's unfair.

"Is my mom around?" Mothra asked, her wings lightly flickering.

Saki shook her head, "No, I'm afraid she's gone to join the war party." Saki felt sick, she wanted to tell Mothra what was happening— what was going to happen. She wanted to tell Setsuko that she needed to save her daughter.

"War party?"

"Oh, right. I'll explain a different day, come on— let's go see your dad." Saki replied and helped Mothra up. They walked out and told Keiji they were ready to go.

As they walked many of the moths looked at Mothra with admiration, confusion, and fear. Mothra didn't understand why, how could she?

Eventually they made it back to her nest, her father sitting down in middle of it. It was lonesome cave filled with flowers and vines.

"Azar!" Keiji called out as he came into the cave, Azar shifted his gaze. Keiji and Saki move to the side to allow Azar to see Mothra, and it doesn't take long for Azar to make his way over.

"You're okay," He whispered as he hugged her, and soon enough Mothra began to sob into his shoulder. "Thank you both— and please thank the healers for me," Azar said to Keiji and Saki, to which they nodded and left.

Azar smiled a little at Mothra and helped wiped her tears but once Keiji and Saki were out of ear shot, Azar grew quiet and distant.

For that entire day, Mothra sat in silence with her father. She felt unwelcome and uncomfortable, and at this point— all she wanted was her mother.

But her mother never came home, and Azar blamed her everyday for it afterwards.

———

Previous Parts:

- Pt. 0 & 1: https://www.tumblr.com/starzy-drawz/737712784729571329/0-monarch-file-61

- Pt. 2: https://www.tumblr.com/starzy-drawz/737713442358755328/note-tws-from-the-terms-and-disclaimers-are

[dreamingsushi]

Eternal Love - Episode 46

I was so caught up in the story that I almost forgot to change the post to a new one. I felt that the previous one was starting to get a little long and then I realized that I was still working on episode 45. Thank god I noticed early enough in the episode.

Bai Qian can finally rest after looking out for the lamp during three full days. But as soon as she wants to sleep, her second elder brother comes to visit. He wants to have Fengjiu married to Diefeng. Bai Qian doesn’t really like it, even though she understands he wants his daughter to forget about Donghua. Diefeng suggests that instead of asking any of him or his brother as a spouse that wouldn’t fit a young lady like Fengjiu, he can have people come to ask for her hand instead. That way they can find a respectful nice young lad to marry her.

I’m skipping the part about Fengjiu and Donghua, I really can’t bother waste my time writing about it when I already wasted so much time watching it.

Yehua finally wakes up. He tells Zheyan to give the elixir to Bai Qian, but not to say he’s the one who made it, since she hates owing others. Zheyan also warns him that maybe if Moyuan comes back, Qing Cang will be freed, but he says someone will naturally come out to seal him back (meaning he will). Bai Zhen wants to stop him from going to tell him that Bai Qian has feelings for him, but Zheyan prevents him from doing so, because it’s not their business to meddle. Yehua returns home, but he has no more spiritual energy so he sends Ali away for now.

Migu goes to see Li Jing under Zheyan orders. He asks for the jade in exchange for being saved by Yehua earlier. Than he gives it to Bai Qian so Dieyong would be able to endure the energy in the pill he had, because as of now it’s too much for its weak body. Bai Qian wonders when Yehua would have saved Li Jing, but Migu really doesn’t know anything. She puts the jade into Dieyong’s clothes, hoping for the best. He should be able to wake up in three days.

And that it is all for this episode. It seems like a short review, but it’s really because of Fengjiu and Donghua. If I wasn’t the completionist type when I watch something, I would actually skip those parts, but some stuff that happens does have an impact on the rest of the story and I don’t really remember which parts. It’s really a pain for me, they don’t have a good chemistry and their story is just so dull. Anyways. See you in a bit!

[huntingingoodwill]

accessory to matrimony - part i

my masterlist  

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pairing: tommy shelby x fem reader

a/n: haha get it it’s like accessory to murder but it’s not because it’s marriage. i’m kind of a literary giant, you guys. anyway. arranged marriage to consolidate power time! we love a good strategy. if you don’t have a brother, surprise! you have one now. i hope you enjoy and consider interacting with this story/my blog :)) okay love ya bye 

“God, Eddie! What’ve you gotten me into?!” You wailed, leaning out of the car window, eyes practically popping out of your skull at the gargantuan house that you were quickly  approaching. The cold wind whipped your hair about you, and you tried to brush it back to better gape at Arrow House. 

Your brother leant against you to poke his head out of your window. 

“What? I thought you’d like it! Looks comfy enough.” He laughed, squinting against the wind before grasping onto your fur-adorned arm, yanking you back into the car. 

“It’s huge! You know I’m no good with directions.” You exclaimed, sidling over to smooth your hair back in the rearview mirror, much to the exasperation of your chauffeur. 

Eddie snorted. 

“Maybe your new husband will hire a tour guide.”

You shoved him, making him cackle. New husband. You’d have your first formal meeting with him today. 

When Eddie had travelled all the way to your family home a month earlier, you knew your elder brother wasn’t coming just to visit your parents. 

He had sat in quiet contemplation all the way through dinner, not even trying to distract you to steal food off your plate like he always did. 

When he finally broke his silence to propose the idea of an arranged marriage with the Shelby family, it didn’t take you long to accept. 

Your family was influential, to say the least. You came from power, money, and had fingers in a reasonable amount of pies across the world. Recently, you’d been hearing more and more about their family and how your brother, who was handling most of your own family’s business in England, was skirting ever closer to their spheres of influence, how closely they were involved in the matters your family was involved in. 

The world was changing, but to your brother, who often lamented about the Shelbys, it seemed to be getting smaller. They seemed to have gained so much traction in your world of business so quickly, their boldness helping them especially. They couldn’t topple the legacy your family spent years building, but they presented a rather substantial disturbance, one that your family would much like to avoid. But what with their alliances and burgeoning power, it seemed impossible to make them disappear from your sights, and despite initial opposition to each other, your brother and the Shelbys decided, a little begrudgingly, that the best outcome would be to merge business in England, not without collateral of course. 

The marriage would provide something stronger than just a contract to seal the merger, something to ensure trust. And from your family’s standpoint, it would be good to have an insider in the Shelby family, keeping an eye on them. 

If having to deal with one man would ensure your family’s security, boost the status of both families and avoid clashes in business in England, you didn’t mind. 

Your family trusted you. You had already managed to establish yourself fairly well, studying at university and accompanying your brother on business trips. You understood the workings of the business, and like your brother, you were a valuable asset. 

Plus, you had heard your betrothed was older than you. If you were lucky he’d kick the bucket soon enough for you to have at least a few years as a rich widow. 

“I don’t get what you’re so upset about, our family compound’s pretty much the same size.” He gave you a couple of derisive pats on the back. 

You shrugged him off. “Yes, and it practically took me 12 years after I was born there to find the study.”

“Is that why you were so bad in school?” He joked, his laugh persisting even as you gave him a slap on the arm. 

“You were worse!”

“True, but completely irrelevant. It’s a beautiful property! If you weren’t marrying him, I’d do it myself.” 

“You might have to if he’s not my type.” You had viewed the arrangement as one that was simply a matter of fact, and had no trouble saying yes, but as you drove closer to the house you felt your nerves grow. You hadn’t even met a member of the Shelby family, let alone the man who was going to be your husband. You wondered what he’d be like. You grabbed Eddie’s hand, grateful when he squeezed it. 

“Don’t worry, (Y/N). He’ll take good care of you. I’ll write so often my arm will fall off and I’ll have to learn to write with the other.” You smiled thankfully at him. There were glimmers of moments in your life where you realised that your brother wasn’t totally insufferable. 

Finally, you reached the end of the long driveway, the house seeming to tower over you even more now that you were so close. You and Eddie looked at each other, inhaling sharply in unison. Ready. He stepped out of the car and you could hear the crunch of gravel as he circled around, opening your door and offering his arm, helping you down onto the drive. 

“How do I look?” You whispered. “Like a sufficient matrimonial accessory?”

“A little ugly, but it’s okay, you get it from me.” He sniggered, tapping you on the cheek. 

You jabbed him in his side and laughed as he yowled in pain, hunching away from you. You were finally feeling at ease, until you noticed two silhouettes watching you from the window. 

“Psst. Ed.” You subtly motioned toward the window. 

Two men stood, casually leaning against the pane, watching you. They seemed to lord over you at their vantage point, surveying you like hawks. Their hands were tucked into the pockets of their tailored trousers as their eyes burned holes into your skin, standing still beside the curtains they peeled back to stop them obscuring their view of you. 

“Is that… him?” You muttered. 

“Nope. Those are his brothers.” Suddenly, the younger looking one nodded his head at you, giving you a wide smile, his bright white teeth gleaming in his mouth. He looked like a hyena. 

You smiled back awkwardly, giving a small wave. 

“Do they always look at people so… leeringly?” You mumbled, seeming unable to tear your eyes away from them. The one with the mustache stared at you in between drags of his cigarette, mouth pressed into a firm line.

“They usually take on a more menacing glare for me, but I’m not as pretty as you are, unfortunately.” He chuckled, and it took you every ounce of willpower not to stamp on your brother’s foot in front of your future brothers-in-law. 

“I thought I inherited your ugliness?”

“Most days.” He breathed. 

The four of you stood, stoic, staring, as if waiting for one of you to try and break the window and tackle the other. 

“He’s massacring that toothpick…” You mumbled, watching one of the brothers chew on the toothpick that rolled along his teeth. “Fuck, Eddie, please tell me they feed people here.” You groaned. Eddie swung you around, backs facing the men in the window, as you both dissolved into giggles, the brothers only able to see both of your shuddering shoulders. 

“Ahem… Mr and Ms (Y/L/N)?”

You both fell silent, taking one long, torturous moment to regain your composures, before turning around again to present the pictures of grace and poise you always showed your business partners. 

The housemaid glanced at the both of you quizzically. 

“Um… Mr Shelby is ready to see you now.” She spoke hesitantly. 

“Lead the way.” Your brother spoke, waiting until her back was turned to mouth “tour guide” to you. 

You rolled your eyes, stopping in front of a huge door. Eddie pat your arm reassuringly. You nodded at him, and he turned the knob, flinging it open. 

The room was cavernous, decorated beautifully with mahogany furniture, looming portraits and a hardwood desk at which your fiance sat, flanked by his two brothers. They wore fine suits and unreadable expressions, and you felt the itch to open a window and let the cool wind in, ridding it of the air in the room, heavy with smoke and alcohol. These weren’t unfamiliar smells to you, but combined with your anxiety it made you feel claustrophobic in the spacious room. 

“Shelbys.” Your brother spoke, his mouth in a grimace, the words laced with the passive-aggressive tone he took on with other businessmen, his voice one octave lower. 

“Welcome to Arrow House, Mr and Ms (Y/L/N).” The man sitting across from Ed sighed out dismissively. He somehow managed to sound more passive-aggressive than your brother, his voice yet another octave lower. You almost wanted to applaud him. 

You felt bad for being shallow but simultaneously thanked God that he wasn’t completely hideous. He was handsome, actually. He had a shock of dark hair, with bright blue eyes lined with long lashes and a stern but pretty pink mouth. He had a serious expression, (was that all they knew how to do around here?) his eyes cold and unwavering as he stared down your brother, the tough look on his face one you’ve grown familiar with when dealing with other businessmen. You weren’t frightened. You knew that most of the time, it was all a facade, and the men were never as cruel as they looked. You hoped he wasn’t an exception. 

He stood, walking toward you as his brothers stayed behind him. 

You thought it odd, their penchant for V-formation. You half expected them to start squawking before taking flight to migrate for the winter. 

“(Y/N), meet Mr Thomas Shelby, and his brothers, John and Arthur.” Your brother gestured at each of them. What do you do when meeting your fiance for the first time? A strong handshake? A Mexican standoff? Wrestle each other to the ground? 

The Shelbys answered that question for you as they each took your hand, planting a kiss on your knuckle, Thomas Shelby doing so especially more out of courtesy than charm. His hand held yours, his fingers calloused and rough as his head dipped down, pressing his lips to your hand. He gestured for you two to sit down. 

“Now, Mr Shelby, I’ve assured my sister that you shall be a good, faithful husband. You’ll take care of her, feed her,” you spotted the toothpick hanging off of John’s lip and held in a laugh. He looked back at you, intrigued as to why you were biting your lip so hard to mask a smile. “... clothe her, keep her just as, if not more, happy than when she was living at the family home.” Your brother spoke, each word like a command. 

Thomas nodded, looking at you. He seemed to be all sharp edges, from the structure of his face, the clean lines of his suit, and his piercing gaze. His stare unnerved you a little, but you sat up straighter, knowing you had nothing to be afraid of.

Just a man with a propensity for comically large portraits of himself wearing silly hats. You thought, your eyes flickering up to the painting that hung above him, his painted image glaring down at you coldly too. You simply had to get rid of that when you moved in. 

“And the merger?” The non-painted Thomas spoke.

“Just as we’ve agreed on. I’m sure you’re satisfied with the contract.” Eddie replied. “Now. About the wedding-”

“We’ll have it in a small church near Birmingham.” Thomas interrupted decidedly. 

“Listen here, Shelby, my sister deserves better than some-” The two of them began bickering like they were the old married couple, Thomas standing his ground and debating your brother, his poker face not letting up for a second. The reality hit you. God, you were marrying a businessman. You held in the urge to groan in despair. 

Finally, after a few minutes of you tuning out the conversation, as it really was something you couldn’t care less about, your brother and Thomas came to an agreement. One wedding in a chapel for Thomas’ family in Birmingham, and a traditional wedding for your family in the ballroom of a hotel your parents owned in London. The arrangements for both would be done in a month. In the meantime, you’d travel back to London and stay with your brother in the hotel. Each of you, having familial ties to the owners, would naturally have a cushy suite to yourselves. 

A whole month. It felt like ages from now. Marriage was just the signing of the certificate. What did he need all that time for? To learn how to sign his name? You paused. Was he illiterate? God, you really didn’t know this guy. Would your brother marry you off to an illiterate man? You looked at your brother questioningly. You supposed you didn’t mind if he was, but you did think Eddie would mention it beforehand. You wouldn’t mind reading aloud to him, but that could make your throat dry and it’d be a whole thing...

You caught Arthur looking at you and pulled yourself out of your inner downward spiral about illiteracy. 

The men, quite ridiculously, shook hands over the wedding location, and you could tell they secretly itched to get it down on paper. “Sign here on the dotted line, Mr Shelby, right under what flavour the cake will be.” 

Now that was settled, Thomas turned to you. “I hope your trip up here was.. pleasant, Ms (Y/L/N).” 

You smiled at him. A master of polite conversation.

Your head felt like it was swimming. Under normal circumstances, you knew how to deal with his type. You were cool, calm and completely collected. But this wasn’t quite the normal circumstance, and though you definitely weren’t going to burst into tears, you could feel yourself become more bold to counter your anxiety. 

“It was perfect Mr Shelby, thank you for asking. Edward pushing me out the car and making me run the last few kilometres was a bit tiring but-” Eddie pinched your side under the table and you swatted his hand away. “Excuse the stupid joke. I must be suffering from the aftereffects of… carsickness.” Eddie pinched you harder and you wanted to scream with laughter. Your nerves must’ve driven you mad, talking to him like this, but his placid, unsmiling face had begun to annoy you a little. 

His brothers certainly reacted, one smiling and the other hiding a chuckle behind his hand. You swore you even saw Thomas’ lips quirk slightly before falling back to his usual countenance. You’d get him next time, if he even still wanted to marry you.  

You stood with your brother. 

“I suppose I’ll see you soon, Mr Shelby.” You spoke as he kissed the back of your hand once more, somehow with more courtesy and less charm than before. What a catch. 

“Enough of that. We’ll be married soon. Call me by my first name.” You nodded slightly at him and his brothers as you both turned to leave, Arthur closing the doors of the room behind you. 

“How do you feel?” Eddie asked, a twinge of nervousness in his voice. 

“He shall present no significant problems.” You said, doubting yourself only a little. 

“I’ll make sure he won’t. “ Eddie smiled. “Just try not to rip his heart out, it’ll be bad for business.”

[roscgcld]

GOJOTWINS!AU || greatest gift

request: I have a request for the twin-sided-with-Geto AU if you're up for it (as angsty or as fluffy as you like)? As a last request, Y/N twin asks Satoru to look after his niece/nephew. A child that looks just like Geto but with his sister's eyes.

note: hmmm....I was more concerned between if I want to make it angsty or make it fluffy, since this idea was definitely interesting for me to explore. However! This definitely gave me some creative juices! The entire ‘jjk men as parents’ trope is honestly so cute >< I wish Gege showed more scenes of Geto with his two ‘daughters’ - domestic!Geto sounds so fucking hot 😣😣 but writing this also makes me want to write something like ‘the adventures of uncle gojo and his niece’

warning: spoilers for anime-only fans! proceed with caution

pronouns: she/her

gojotwins!au masterlist

“You need to finish your veggies, Rei-chan. You know the rules.”

The young girl that sat before Gojo pouts softly, crossing her tiny arms over her chest as she turns her puppy eyes up at the older man. Gojo looks down at the pouting girl, his own oceanic blue eyes were shining behind the darkly tinted sunglasses as the young girl - Rei, as she was named - tried to use her puppy eyes to get out form eating all the ‘tiny trees’ that sat on her bear themed child plate. 

From the outside you would assume that Gojo was probably just babysitting the toddler; the man is wearing an odd uniform in Japanese norms, but it is still certain that he is in school. And from the looks of things, he is definitely a young adult - no older than a college student, despite how good looking he was. And they were right to some extend; the young girl, besides the eyes, does not look like Gojo Satoru at all. 

But Gojo and Rei definitely shared a unique relationship than your average ‘babysitter and child’ one. “Come on, bunny - you gotta eat all the greens if you wanna grow big and strong like your daddy.”

At the mention of her father, Rei perked up immediately; yet immediately deflated at the sight of the broccoli that was held out to her by Gojo once more. Rei lets out a soft whine and a huff, yet she reluctantly leaned forward before she ate the broccoli; making a face at the taste of it on her tongue. “Not a fan, huh?”

“The tiny tree taste bad..,” Rei mumbles quietly as she finishes chewing her mouthful of broccoli, pulling another face that has Gojo chuckling quietly as he grabbed a napkin from the napkin dispenser to clean Rei’s chubby cheeks. “I know they do, bunny. But you gotta eat them to make sure you grow strong, right? You wanna be a sorcerer like me one day, don’t you?”

Geto Rei was not your average child; born with Gojo blood flowing through her veins, she is the ‘love child’ of Gojo Y/N and Geto Suguru; Gojo Satoru’s twin sister and her boyfriend. When Geto first went ‘rogue’ and kill the village he was sent to, Y/N had found out that she was pregnant with his child. She was sure it was his, since Y/N and him have been dating for about a year up to this point. There was no denying who the father was. And that terrified her; she was worried that the elders will do something bad to the child that was growing inside of her. 

Even if she is one of the strongest sorcerers of the century, she is still a woman first - and women who are to have kids outside of marriage, and with someone who isn’t approved by the elders of the clan, are just asking for trouble. And whilst she was sure she can take on whatever the elders will put her through, the thought of her unborn child having to deal with the leftover anger from her parents’ actions, to be brought up in a world where others would shun the little bean, was too much to bear. 

So, even with Gojo’s pleas for her to stay, Y/N had packed up and left without a trace for others to find her. Yet Gojo was certain she had upped and left so she can spend her ‘future’ with her boyfriend, even if she knows that their love story will only end in tragedy. So you couldn’t believe Gojo’s shock when he opened the door of his apartment one random night, having been roused from his slumber in the early mornings; only to find a baby sleeping peacefully in blankets placed at his doorstep. 

Pinned to the front of the baby’s blanket was a simple letter addressed to him, and immediately Gojo knew what the content of it was. There was no denying who the young baby, who Gojo found out was a baby girl, was either. Because in the morning, when the little youngster finally opened her eyes, were a pair of his very own Six Eyes staring up at him curiously as a thick and fluffy head of black hair surrounding her.

“Dear God...wait until ma and pa find out about this...”

That is how Gojo found himself today; third year college student quietly coaxing the young toddler to eat her veggies as they waited at a café for another two kids he had ‘adopted’ to get off from preschool. He was honestly questioning everything he is doing with his life right now. “Since you’ve been a good girl...maybe later, when ‘Gumi-nee and ‘Miki-nii come over, we order some ice cream~”

Just the mention of the frozen treat had the little girl perking up in excitement, causing Gojo to laugh as he gently rests a hand on her head; already being able to sense the waves of excitement that is coming from Rei. “But in exchange, you have to finish your veggies,” Gojo continues as he gestures towards the child plate before Rei; which held a few pieces of veggies from the small salad that came with her meal.

So that was how the Fushiguros found the two in the café, having grabbed some lunch whilst they waited for the two to get off from school. Rei, who looked over when the café doors were pushed open, perked up at the sight of the familiar duo walking towards them. Gojo just grinned and picked her out of her babychair before he sets her down on the ground, watching in amusement as Rei ran towards Megumi and Tsumiki on her chubby little feet.

Megumi, who was her target today, paused before he bends down to catch her as she stumbled into him; scowling over at the smirking Gojo who was still seated at the table. “Don’t worry Megumi-kun. I was 100% sure that you were going to catch her~,” Gojo called back teasingly, his grin only widening at Megumi’s annoyance as the young shikigami user made his way towards the table where Gojo was seated at once more. “Turn that frown upside down, Megumi-kun - try to be like Tsumiki-chan more, she’s super cute.”

Megumi just rolled his eyes as he settles down in a free seat, letting Rei cuddle up into the younger male whilst Tsumiki giggles at Gojo; who had reached over to playfully tug at her cheek. Soon though Gojo gestures for the two kids to order what they want for lunch before they go home; a habit of theirs now since Gojo cannot for the life of him cook. 

The one time he tried cooking...well...lets just say the kids have since begged for him to never attempt cooking ever again. 

Hence why, after a brief lunch and a brief visit to the grocery store, the four of them made their way back towards Gojo’s home. He had long since moved out from the apartment that he rented in the beginning, understanding how important it is for Megumi and Tsumiki to have their own private spaces to retire to after a long they. Because after all that they’ve been through and are going to be going through in the future as people touched by the jujutsu world, they are still growing kids first. So Gojo had invested in a nice home close that is close to the college, yet not too far away from the city where the kids might feel cut off from their friends on the outside. 

“Alright, time to get you into the shower,” Gojo grins at a giggling Rei, who he had set in her baby seat as he puts away the groceries; Tsumiki had offered to make some katsudon for everyone for dinner tonight. Hence the brief stop at the grocery store. Since it was still little early into the afternoon, the two Fushiguro children retired in their rooms to unwind and catch up with homework before preparing for diner. So for now, Gojo and Rei were alone once more. “Gotta make sure you’re cleaned up before your nap~”

Rei just giggles and smiles over at the older man, reaching her arms up so the man can carefully picked her up as he made his way towards his bedroom. It was a normal routine for him to give Rei a shower after coming home from the outside, worried that she was going to be carrying dirt and germs into her bed before she is laid down for her nap. So Gojo carefully filled the baby tub he set out inside his shower stall before he carefully filled it with warm water and bubbles; making sure the water was warm enough before he carefully strips Rei and sets her in the warm bath. 

Many people have questioned him before as to why he was taking care of her like she was his own child. Even though she is her niece, her parents are Curse Users; they defected from the jujutsu world in order to live in a life of crime. Or more so Y/N leaving behind her family and friends for something as feeble as her ‘love’ for Geto Suguru. Many people call her delusional, stupid, naïve - no one can picture just what was it that made her choose between the life on the run with Geto, for the luxurious life that the Gojo estate has, and still would, provide to her. Even after Rei was born.

However, to Gojo, he just knew she saw it differently. 

If there was one person who he can rely on completely, without having to fear of judgement, it was definitely Y/N. She was his twin sister, someone who ‘cursed’ with the same power as he was, and knows all the struggles and stress that comes with being ‘the strongest’. When she had found out she was pregnant, she was terrified - running into his room in the middle of the night with the positive pregnancy test in hand. She was scared shitless with the entire idea that she was going to be a teen mum alone.

And no matter how much Gojo had tried to reassure her that if Geto was here, he would be ecstatic with the idea that he was going to be a father, Y/N was inconsolable. She was terrified at the idea that not only would the baby will not have a father, they might even have to suffer through the stigma of having a parent that was a murderer in their world. Y/N was also going through it as well; it was clear as day that Geto was the last thing that was truly keeping Y/N sane. Although Gojo and her had a special bond, it was like Geto was that extra support that made sure both of the Gojo siblings were still staying strong. 

Maybe it was the stress of the idea that she was going to be called out by the elders of the clan, or her parents might be disappointed in her, or maybe the idea that she was going to be a teen parent itself officially cracked her. Gojo, to this day, isn’t 100% sure as to why Y/N chose to do what she did; chose to stay with Geto even though she knows that it will bring more stigma onto her daughter after she was born. 

At one point even Gojo had admitted to himself that she was naïve and selfish for choosing what she did instead of facing the brief music that will come from the adults in her life.

But as he playfully makes animal noises at a giggling Rei, Gojo hopes that Y/N rest easy knowing how many people loves Rei. How Shoko, Mei Mei, and even Utahime had essentially dubbed themselves as Rei’s godmothers and spoil her even more than he does; and that is saying a lot. Sure, the elders were not as welcoming to Rei, even more so because she was not carry the Gojo name on top of the fact that her parents were not married when they had her, were definitely not helping her case.

However, Rei was special. She was born her with her mother and uncle’s Six Eyes; and it was because of this that the elders have yet to officially cut Rei off from her surviving biological family. 

Whilst he was thinking back about everything, Gojo’s body went on autopilot as he bathe, dried, and dressed Rei like usual. He kept her occupied to the best of his abilities, but from the trip they had earlier today plus the grocery store trip, Rei was already nodding off when Gojo was blow drying her soft black hair. This caused him to smile as he carefully gathered the little girl in his arms, letting her curl up against his chest as he made his way towards his messy study desk. 

Even if he is a sorcerer and taking care of 3 young kids, he still needs to do mundane things like homework before he can fully graduate from Jujutsu Tech. And as much as he wants to just cuddle Rei and sleep as well - he’s been putting off this essay for about 3 days now. And its due date is tomorrow; so he has to get cracking on this essay if he wants to be eligible for the final exam this year.

“I wish I can live as carefree as you do, Rei-chan,” Gojo mumbles quietly to the young girl in his arms, glancing down at her sleeping features as she rests her ear above his heart. It was quite jarring honestly, since the little girl looked like one of his best friends, Geto Suguru. A man who he sometimes wish late into the night that he had made a better effort into reaching out to when they are at their lowest.

Gojo knew that the death of Riko had effected all of them in their own ways; and although Gojo had asked Geto a few times if he was alright, he just wished he tried harder. Maybe if he wasn’t so full of himself, that he tried to spot more of the chances in Geto’s behaviour - just maybe, he might still be here right now. He would be the one who witnessed Rei saying her first words (it was ‘dog’ because of Megumi’s Divine Dogs that he lets out at home), to her standing up on her own for the first time, to her first steps. 

Gojo felt guilty for being the one to witness all of her firsts when her parents should be the one to do that.

“I hope you know just how much your parents love you, bunny,” Gojo mumbles quietly to the sleeping toddler in his arms as he cuddles her closer, his somber eyes watching her tiny back as it rose and fell with each one of her deep breaths. “I know you don’t really understand things now, but I hope you do not grow up resenting your parents for giving you away before you even have a chance to know them. Your mother is a brave woman; she knew what she had to do in order to ensure that you’d get to live a fair and comfortable life.”

Only silence greeted Gojo after his soft admission, yet all that did was make Gojo let out a brief chuckle through his nose. “She may call me a dumbass, but she trusted me enough to know that there was no way I am going to let you fend for yourself in this cruel world,” He hums as he reaches up to stroke her chubby cheek ever so slightly, a soft and fond smile tugging against the corner of his lips at how Rei just cuddled closer to him in her sleep. 

“Because at the end of the day, you’re the greatest gift that has ever been gifted to all of us.”

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