#never thought i’d become a dimitri girl

[goldenlilium-ocs]

Posting my out of context tags for funsies

[wicked-mind]

Betrayed: Chapter Eleven (Path two)

Series Summary: Everybody thought Steve’s sister had passed away decades ago. But when you show up at the facility and try to attack Bucky, there are questions to be answered.

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: Violence

Series Masterlist

All Writings Masterlist

Note: There are two chapter elevens. One is a light path and one is a little darker. I’ll decide which way to go based on your opinion so let me know which one you like better (:

*gifs not mine

Chapter eleven - Killer (Path Two)

As weeks went by, Y/N never talked to Bucky about what was going on inside her head or what the hallucinations had told her. As much as she wanted to tell him, something in her was holding her tongue anytime she tried to confide in him. Y/N didn’t return to any of her next therapy sessions. She could feel an unbridled rage inside her that was getting difficult to suppress and the more she felt the darkness in her bones, the more unstable Y/N became. Her emotions had become erratic, flipping from what seemed like she was in a sad pain to rage without much of warning. She often took out the rage in the training room alone, punching her way through bag after bag until she could feel the anger suppress a little. Y/N had eventually cut herself off from everybody, including Bucky. Something inside her wouldn’t let her got to him or talk to him, holding her back.

Bucky couldn’t figure out what was going on with Y/N. She had gone from his girl to being like a stranger towards him. He would watch her train alone in the gym, seeing the rage across her features was something he had never seen from her before without the venom in her veins. It was pure, white hot rage that illuminated from her and every time he tried to get close, Y/N would retreat out of his grasp, disappearing around corners. Bucky thought he could corner her at night time, but anytime he went into her room she was gone and her window was open. He would sit and wait but as if Y/N knew he was waiting, she didn’t come back until he was gone. Bucky’s nightmares had taken over his mind again, making the moments he slept torturous and he didn’t have Y/N to help keep them away or focus his mind anymore.  He felt like he was losing Y/N again and with that, also a piece of himself and he couldn’t reach her.

One night, Bucky was walking down the hallway when he heard the shower still running in the bathroom like it had been for an hour, steam leaking out from the bottom of the door and into the hallway. He had seen everybody around, except Y/N. He gently twists the knob, opening it and letting steam hit him in the face, “Y/N?” He asks as he closes the door behind him, walking over to the curtain and pulling it back. His eyes laid on Y/N, sitting on the floor of the shower curled up with her arms wrapped around her knees, staring blankly ahead. Bucky quickly turned off the shower before taking her cheeks into his palms, “What’re you doin, doll?” He asks but was met with no reply, just a blank stare as if she was staring right through him, “Y/N…” He said, moving his hands to her arms and gently shaking her to try and get her out of whatever trance she was in but she still sat unmoving. Bucky grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body before picking her up and carrying her out of the bathroom and back to her room. He shut the door behind him with his foot, setting her down on the bed still wrapped in the towel. Bucky kneels down in front of her, snapping his fingers in front of her face to try and get her attention while calling her name but to no avail. He sighed and stood, grabbing one of Y/N’s t-shirts and pajama shorts. He gently put them on her, having to move her body himself as she didn’t move an inch or stop staring. Once she was dressed, he kissed the top of her head, “Baby… Talk to me…” He pleaded, but once again was met with no reply or movement. Bucky panicked, telling Y/N to stay here even though he knew she wouldn’t move anyway. He walks out the door and instantly found Steve sitting in the living room reading over a file, “Steve… It’s Y/N. Something’s wrong and I… I don’t know what to do.” He said, watching Steve instantly and sprinting down the hallway to Y/N’s bedroom.

“Y/N,” Steve said as he approached his sister, sitting on the bed next to her, “Hey, Y/N.” He tried again but to no answer. He looks over to Bucky, “What happened?”

Bucky paced the room, “I don’t know, Steve. I found her in the shower just sitting there like that. She won’t move, won’t speak, won’t blink…” He said, his eyes fixating on Y/N as he stopped, “I can’t get her out of it.”

Y/N stayed in that state the rest of the night, Bucky and Steve watching her closely and one in a while calling out her name to see if they’d get a different reaction. When the sun started to come up, Bucky motioned Steve to come outside of the bedroom with him. He let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his dark hair, “I think we need to talk to someone who knows more about Hydra, maybe knows what was done to her to put her in this state.”

Steve nodded slowly, “I agree with that, we need more answers and the chip we have is still locked. We can’t access it.” He sighs, “Who do you have in mind?” Steve watched Bucky give him a look, then shook his head, “Really Buck? You want to see him? Are you sure?”

Bucky nodded, “I don’t know anybody else who knows everything about Hydra other than him. It’s probably our only option.”

Steve sighed heavily, “I guess you’re right… Take Sam with you.”

Bucky rolls his eyes, “Really? I don’t need a babysitter.” “It’s Zemo, Buck! You do need someone with you.” Steve shot back, “I’ll get the jet ready and let the prison know you’re coming.”

—-

Bucky and Sam walked in to the prison, pausing outside the doors to the cell that held Zemo. Bucky shifted on his feet uncomfortably and let out a deep breath. He didn’t want to ever see Zemo again, but he may know something about why Y/N was suddenly seeming lost after killing Dimitri. He walks in, standing at the glass that separated him from Zemo.

Zemo looked up from his book to see Bucky, a small grin curling on his thin lips as he started reciting the ten Russian words that were used to activate the Winter Soldier.

“I’m not him anymore.” Bucky said sternly, watching Zemo closely.

“I know. Thought I’d give it a try.” Zemo replied through the glass, his hands behind his back, “What do I owe the pleasure of a visit?”

Bucky licks his lips, wondering if this was a good idea but he would do anything to help Y/N. Even talk to the man who framed him and used him as the Winter Soldier, “Do you know anything about other experiments that Hydra did?” “You’re going to have to me more specific, Soldat.” Zemo said with a small smile, slowly pacing his small cell.

“It was an experiment of three people and it got shut down due to Hydra not being able to control them.” Bucky informed, “They have red eyes.”

Zemo paused in his place, looking over to Bucky slowly, “Project Red-Eye. I read through it. Nasty little creatures. Thought they were locked away forever.”

“Yeah, not so much.” Bucky said, trying to not give information on the fact that it was Y/N, “What do you know?” “Well, they successfully created the first one Damon… No, Dimitri. Although, they couldn’t create another like him from scratch. So they used his blood and bits of Dimitri to make the other two which caused some sort of loyalty between them. When Hydra couldn’t control them, it was thought they were locked away and buried forever. But it seems you’ve found one. Which one is it? Dimitri, Alexei? The girl?” When Zemo saw Bucky slightly twitch at the last guess, he smiled, “Ah, the girl. The sister of Captain America. I read her file, ruthless little thing.” He chuckled.

“Yeah, okay, it’s her.” Bucky spat at Zemo through the glass, “She was fine, her chip from Hydra was removed. The other two are dead but she seems stuck now. Do you know why that would happen?” Zemo walked up to the glass, hands still behind his back as he stared at Bucky, “The brain is a fascinating thing, Mr. Barnes, as you know.” He began, “When they first made Ms. Rogers, she resisted to be controlled by Hydra and Dimitri. And you know what they do when someone resists.” He smiled devilishly, “They played with her brain, updating the chip multiple times until they could have her in control. But they also created a fail safe, brainwashing her subconscious so when she wasn’t mission oriented, she was still what they made her to be. A killer. If she was determined that her mission was to take care of the other two red-eyes and they’re gone now, her subconscious killer part will break through eventually.”

Bucky swallowed hard at his words, looking around the room everywhere except Zemo. 

“I would go take care of that, James. You left your friends with a killer.”

Bucky turned and left the room without a word, looking at Sam who was waiting, “We have to get back, now!” He said, quickening his pace down the hallway with Sam on his trail. When they got back to the facility, Bucky sprinted up to Y/N’s room but didn’t find her in there. He ran back out the hallway, finding Wanda. He grabbed onto Wanda’s arms, panic in his eyes, “Where’s Y/N?!” He asked breathlessly.

Wanda looked at Bucky with wide eyes, “She’s sparring with Steve, got out of her trance a few hours ago. She seems fine.” “She’s not!” Bucky said, releasing Wanda and running into the training room to see Y/N sparring hand to hand with Steve and a small smile on her lips, “Y/N!” He yelled at her, walking towards the ring.

Y/N blocked a punch from Steve, holding his hand in her fist as he looked over at Bucky Y/N slowly turned her red eyes onto Bucky as well, “Looks like the funs over.” She said with a small smile before twisting Steve’s arm hard enough to hear a pop. She watched Steve fall to the ground, knowing she dislocated his shoulder. She swings herself through the ropes of the ring, dropping down in front of Bucky, “Learn anything fun?” Bucky frowned at her, grabbing her arm and pinning her against a wall roughly with his other arm pressed up against her throat, “You’re not her.” He growled out.

Y/N smiled at him, licking her lips and wiggling against his grasp, “Oh no, honey. I’m not. I’m the improved version.” She told him before swinging one leg up to kick him away, “As soon as you left the facility out of her presence, she gave up. Letting little old me slip in. It’s her fault you know. She isolated herself from everybody, even you, making it easier for me to slip right on in.” She told him.

Steve had gotten out of the ring, pressing his arm back into place with a wince as he walked over to stand by Bucky, “What’s going on? What did Zemo say?”

Bucky kept his eyes on Y/N, a deep brown still on his features, “Zemo said Hydra created a failsafe in her subconscious through brainwashing. Making sure when she wasn’t mission oriented she would still be the killer they made her to be.” “Yup.” Y/N said, interrupting him, “She’s still in here you know.” She said, pointing to her head, “Crying, screaming, weak little Y/N. She screams for you, trying to find you in the darkness of her own brain. Trying to scratch her way out back to you. I’m surprised you didn’t notice earlier, all that rage was me.”

Bucky walked towards Y/N angrily, shoving her back against the wall, “Let her out!” He yelled, holding her back against the wall.

Y/N smiled sinisterly at him, “God, you’re hot. She should’ve jumped your bones when she had a chance. I bet you’re really good in bed.” She said with a small laugh, pushing her hips up against his slightly, “Sorry, no can do. I like being in control, it’s been a while since I was able to stretch my legs.” She said, pushing him away and onto the floor, “Don’t try to get her back out. Remember, I’m the only one that knows how to reactivate those trigger words in your head now that Dimitri is dead. Piss me off and I’ll turn you back into the little complicit soldier you are.”

Wanda had entered the room, watching the whole thing go down with her jaw slightly dropped at Y/N’s words. Her fingers twitched, glowing red for a moment before Y/N locked eyes with her.

Y/N focused her eyesight over to Wanda, narrowing her eyes slightly at him, “And you, little witch.” She hissed out, “Try to get in my mind and I will snap your fingers off. One. By. One.” 

“What do you want?” Steve asked sternly, a frown set on his features as he realized the person in front of him was a shell of his sister, possessed by an evil that was placed in her head by Hydra.

Y/N moved her red eyes over to Steve, “I don’t know yet. From my understanding, Hydra is gone. Good riddance, I didn’t really like them anyway. And I no longer have a chip so I don’t have to listen to them.” She told him, “This place is nice though. I like it. You got food, parties…” She then turned her gaze back to Bucky, looking him up and down, “And him.” She licks her lips at his figure before looking back to Steve, “I guess I’ll just play it by ear, figure out what I want. But right now, I’m going to go take a stroll in the city. Take in the sights.” She sneered out, “And if you try anything to stop me, I will kill as many people as I can before disappearing forever and you’ll never see me again. See you later, super squad!”

The team watched Y/N walk past them, waving to each of them as she disappeared through the doors. The way she sounded with her threats, they knew she was serious that she would follow through on her promise of murder if they followed her. Once she was out of view and earshot, Bucky punched the concrete wall hard with his vibranium hand, causing cracks to appear against the hard surface, “Dammit!” He yelled.

Steve shook his head, pacing in a small circle as he ran a hand through his blonde hair. Wanda was the first to break the silence, her hands shaking slightly at watching her best friend suddenly switch personalities, “What are we going to do?”

Bucky turned to look at Wanda, biting his lip at her words. He closed his eyes for a moment tightly as if trying to wake up a from a bad dream, “I don’t know… But you heard her. The real Y/N is in there somewhere and we have to get her back.”

____________________________________________________

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[veiledsilver]

top five fictional boys, go

I'M GLAD YOU ASKED. These are the kinds of asks I was hoping for, everyone. The scale is from 1 ("look at my good taste") to 5 ("haha don't judge me")

Boys

1. Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Hands down, no contest, forgive me for who I'll become when this fine swordsman gets animated by Ufotable, I could go on! He's gentle and kind but also the way he gets when he's super focused is SO hot omg... his twin brother had a scene where his kimono got ripped to shreds, revealing his chiseled abs, and the fact that it never happened to Yoriichi is a crime ugh

2. Todoroki Shouto deserves a place on this list for being my first anime crush. In middle school I motivated myself to do difficult homework by pretending I was on a study date with him. I got into reader inserts because of this guy. Also the contrast between crimson and white, fire and ice, and turquoise and silver is just gorgeous omg. I love him

3. I did not like him in the first seasons, but when Zuko started getting proper hair (and it was fluffy hair!) I started paying attention haHA. His redemption arc was brilliant and carefully woven together, and I like how there were subtle hints of him being redeemable even when he was an antagonist. Then I found a fantastic reader insert series and now we're here

4. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd made me blow all my allowance money on fe3h despite not being very good at it. I also lost the game card very early on 💔 so I never got past the bandit's canyon. However. I love how he was described as having the facade of a charming prince but having darkness lurking beneath the surface... get you a man who can do both!

5. ...Ace Trappola from Twisted Wonderland. If I had a nickel for each time I crushed on a ginger boy with zero self preservation, I'd have two nickels. But now I know my dream relationship dynamic and it's me, sandwiched between a elegant yet brooding dark-haired guy and a more outgoing, teasing one with lighter hair. Is that weird? 😂

Girls

1. Lan Fan was my bisexual awakening (I won't watch the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime because she isn't in it). She's so cute but also kickass! Ling would not have survived without her! I like how we both wear black comfy clothes 99.9% of the time! Can I get a bodyguard au where she vows to protect my life and I tenderly h*ld her h*nd

2. Nobara Kugisaki!! Jujutsu Kaisen has so many pretty girls and they revolve around in my head at all times. Today it's Nobara's turn! I love her rose aesthetic and how she's so confident in herself! I'm sure she'd prefer a girl with a spine, unlike me, but I'd love to shop my way through the streets of Tokyo with her! We can get ice cream at a cafe afterwards ♡

3. Emerald Sustrai from RWBY. I like everything about her- her mint green hair, her weapons, her illusion powers, ma'am please stop chasing after Cinder when she doesn't even like you, because I'll definitely return your feelings! I stopped watching the show but I heard Emerald gets major focus in the newest volume, so I just might come back 👀

4. A very very very minor character. I dropped Bleach after the Save Rukia arc to focus on studies, but I'd pick it up again just to see Cyan Sung-Sun have actual speaking lines. She's so mysterious and elegant, and she has such a pretty kimono outfit in the mobile game! Oh to be a shinigami dueling her in a fight dripping with tension,,

5. I'm so sorry but when I read the manga I... also thirsted hard... over Daki. I know she eats people and there's the whole thing with her being turned at thirteen (😬). But... maybe in the author's modern au where she's a high schooler... I can dodge her brother long enough to risk giving her my number. She'll think I was ballsy at best lmaooo

I have more but these are the ten I thought of from the top of my head 😂 but they'll never replace you in my heart, Rin!

[miss-1ng]

Hello! For the Fire Emblem:Three Houses prompts, can I request number 36 for Sylvix??

Of course you can! But be warned, this is a sad one, thank you for requesting!

--

Felix doesn’t like her.

He doesn’t like her face, her smile, her laugh – it all seems fake. And Felix does not like fake people.

Sylvain gets his first girlfriend when he is 12. It’s one of those times of years where the whole group has met up at Felix’s house. Sylvain and Glenn had gone off to the market by their parents’ instruction, while Felix stayed behind with Dimitri and Ingrid, sparring with their wooden swords.

When they come back, Sylvain has a girl holding his hand, wearing a boastful smile as they walk into the garden.

At first, Felix is oblivious to his best friend’s companion, and runs up yelling his name, wrapping his arms around Sylvain’s waist. “Sylvain! Come and train with us!” He pulls at his friend’s wrist, but Sylvain stays rooted in the spot, wearing a nervous smile when his eyes flick from the girl to Felix. Then they go back to the girl..

Then someone coughs, and he meets the sharp blue eyes of a girl. “Syl.” She tugs at his hand, eyes flicking up. “Can you take me to that special place you were talking about?” She flutters her eyelashes. Felix pouts and directs his best glare to the girl.

“Sorry, Fe, can training wait? I’m busy now.”

“But-“

But Sylvain is already gone, the girl with him.

Glenn takes his shoulder gently, directing his younger brother to the rest of their friends. “C’mon Fe. You’d rather train with Sylvain over me?”

“YES!” Felix cries, stomping his foot on the ground. “You’re just gonna want to train with Ingrid anyway.”

Glenn suddenly looks embarrassed. “Well, Ingrid, I did get you something,” he says. Ingrid lights up. “I found a brooch. Thought it reminded me of you.” He hands it to her. She thanks him with a wide grin. “But I do want to train with you, Fe.”

“I want to train with Sylvain though…”

“Well Sylvain’s busy. C’mon.”

--

The years pass and Felix becomes more acquainted to Sylvain’s behaviour.

Three years go by. Glenn dies in the Tragedy of Duscur. Felix shuts himself from the world, from his friends, from his father.

“Fe!” Sylvain exclaims outside his shut door. “Can you please let me in?”

He stays silent, head buried in his pillow while his body shakes with silent tears. Sylvain wraps his knuckles against the door again. “Felix, please! I need to- I need to know if you’re-you’re okay, please.”

“SHUT UP!” he suddenly screams, then regrets it as his voice, hoarse from crying, screams in protest. He feels tears blur his vision wipes them off with the sleeve of his shirt. Sylvain knocks again, and Felix has suddenly had the last straw, screaming at the top of his lungs, “LEAVE ME ALONE!”

There’s silence from outside, and for a horrible second Felix feels as if he’s hurt the older boy’s feelings. Then the door suddenly opens, and Sylvain runs in, concern evident in his eyes as he pulls the younger boy close in his arms.

“You’re not getting rid of me so soon,” he whispers lightly, though the tease falls flat as Felix throws feeble punches against his chest. He screams again, trying to get out of Sylvain’s hold.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” he hisses through his teeth, the threat staying effectless to Sylvain who just holds on tighter. “LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO!” His shoulders slump down. His head falls on Sylvain’s chest. “Please, Sylvain, please.”

“Not in a million years, Fe.”

And through the tears, and the pain, Felix doesn’t think he’s ever been so infatuated before.

--

Things do cool down between them, over time that is. It takes a while, but suddenly Felix is over (he is, 100% is) Glenn’s death, and is intent to go on his life ignoring his father, the boar, and all of his friends.

If only they’d be so intent on ignoring him.

Especially Sylvain. He has been especially clingy since they arrived at the academy, even through the one night stands he picks through, girl after girl.

And Felix still hasn’t told him. Not that there’s anything to tell. Either way, Sylvain wouldn’t care. He’s got too much on his plate – that being girl’s he doesn’t even know the first thing about, not even their names.

“Come on, Fe,” Sylvain whines, his childhood nickname dripping off his tongue like they’re close like that now. They may be best friends, but it’s safe to say they’ve grown apart over the years. “We’ll just drop by the town, pick up some girls, and have some drinks? How does that sound?”

Felix lets his sword drop onto the floor. “It sounds awful,” he spits bitterly, pointedly ignoring the flutter his heart gives. “Why do you even want me to go? I’m sure you’d have much more fun making out with some girl.”

Sylvain looks at a loss for a second. Then he plasters his smile back on and throws an arm around Felix’s shoulder he shoves off. “Felix, think of it this way. I need fun, you need fun. And the girls need fun.” He winks. “Isn’t that a great idea?”

“No.”

Then he frowns. “You know what I’ve noticed, Fe?” Felix scowls as he looks up, meeting the taller man’s eyes. “You hate it when I bring up girls. Why?”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

Felix stares for a second before staggering back as his eyes bug out of his head. “Shut up,” he repeats.

“I never wanted them.” Sylvain takes a step forward, eyes longing as they stray on Felix’s form. He can barely hold in the way he inhales sharply when Sylvain continues. “I only ever wanted you.”

He finds himself shaking his head. “No. You don’t. You don’t want me. You’re lying. Shut up.” Sylvain takes another step towards him, gently cupping his chin in his warm hands. Felix slaps them away. “Sylvain, you don’t fucking get it.”

“What don’t I get?”

“We can never be together, Syl.” He finds Sylvain’s childhood nickname falling from his tongue like water. Sylvain leans forward, his lips slotting against Felix’s like they were made to be, as sappy as it sounded. And yet, despite his words, he leans into Sylvain’s kiss, relishing in the moment before he pulls away again, dropping his gaze to the floor. “It’s time you get that.”

And Felix pulls himself out of Sylvain’s longing grip, ignoring the way he calls for him as he leaves the training grounds.

They couldn’t do this. But why didn’t Sylvain get that?

--

Requests are open! Please request a prompt, I'd love to write one :D

[dimitribelikov]

The Belikov Chronicles: Becoming a Mentor

✶ What if I rewrote different scenes but from Dimitri’s point of view? I have no idea if this is something people are interested in, but this was too fun not to write. Honestly, for all the times Rose is going on about what a god Dimitri is, it’s too amusing to imagine that he’s thinking he’s a total weirdo most of the time. ✶ trigger warnings : some adult language ✶ ship : none but hints of romitri I guess, as well as hints of Dimitri/Ivan ✶ notes : All dialogue is taken straight from Vampire Academy, chapter 2, written by Richelle Mead. The rest is mine.

                                                                   ✶✶✶

       As the double doors opened and we walked into the commons, it seemed as though every set of eyes in the place turned on us. Ok, not much as us as they were on her. Rose Hathaway had been walking by my side, but clearly feeling the effects of scrutiny, she began to lag a little. It was certainly a cruel punishment to walk her though the throng of her peers, like dangling a piece of meat in a lion’s den. Headmistress Kirova had requested it, wanting to teach her and the Princess Vasilisa a bit of humility. Honestly, after the stunt they pulled, I couldn’t help but think a slice of humble pie would do them some good.

But my thoughts weren’t on the effects of a public, teenaged shaming. I was still thinking about the short conversation I’d had with Rose on the plane. Meeting her had exceeded my expectations. When I was tasked with apprehending Janine Hathaway’s daughter, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Janine was a well respected guardian, one that I’ve had to honor of meeting on more than one occasion. Her work, the stories of her past, continue to inspire me, but if I’m being honest, she also terrifies me. Janine is someone not to be messed with, so naturally her daughter would seemingly follow suit.

From the moment Rose squared off with us, ready to take on a whole team of experienced guardians by herself, I knew she had her mother’s fighting spirit. But when I asked her about it, why she’d do such a thing when she was clearly outnumbered, she answered with such conviction that I couldn’t help but be taken aback. “Because I’m her guardian.” 

She wasn’t of course. Not yet. But while I was supposed to be reprimanding her for such a foolish tactic, I couldn’t help but be impressed. Perhaps I even admired her. It wasn’t too long ago, after all, that I felt the same way about my own charge. I would have stood against armies of Strigoi by myself to defend Ivan, but in the end, not even that was enough.

Finally reaching our destination, I took up my stance in the back of the room, across from Alberta. The captain of the school’s guardians was another person I had admired. I mirrored her stance and unreadable expression, knowing my place. Being reduced to nothing more than furniture was a good chunk of life for a guardian. It wasn’t as bad as it sounded, though. Being ignored and overlooked meant you pick up on all sorts of things. I’ve always been curious about the world around me, so I had learned years ago how to take in every detail while standing as still as a statue. 

The only move I made was when Rose shot up and yelled at the Headmistress in outrage. She was angry, but not threatening to I stayed in my spot, eyes trained on her. She was unruly, stubborn, and very reckless. Damn, I admired her spirit.

“I kept her safe!” she continued to yell. The dark curls of her glossy hair bounced against her back as she shook with anger. I wasn’t going to admit that she was pretty when mad, but... “I kept her safe when none of you could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren’t going to.”

I could feel the concern radiating from Alberta, but I actually had to work to keep a small smile from my face. Sure, the teenaged girl just insulted my own capabilities, but I didn’t take it personally. She had a point. Seeing the way she had thrown herself in front of Vasilisa to protect her from us back in Portland, I had no doubt that Rose truly believed she was protecting her. She needed guidance, though. Proper training. Her brash attitude made her jump to conclusions and solutions were way out of left field.

I ignored the voice in my head that told me how I wasn’t much different with Ivan before he’d died. Sure, I never took him out of school and fled the Moroi authorities, but I’d still concocted some pretty crazy schemes to keep him safe. He was my best friend after all. More than that. Ivan was everything and if there was a threat big enough, I didn’t entirely rule out the possibility that I’d have done exactly what Rose did. His death had sobered me, though. Tamed me from my more headstrong ways.

“You will be sent away as soon as possible.”  It the Headmistress who had spoken. She was talking about Rose, of course. That was the exact opposite of what she needed. Didn’t Headmistress Kirova know who she was dealing with? The daughter of Janine Hathaway had too much potential to be wasted, especially with guardian numbers as abysmal as they were. The verbal sparring match that continued after that was intense. I followed every word between the two, and noted the look of sheer panic in the princess’s eyes. Those two couldn’t live without each other. If Vasilisa was my new charge, I had to keep her best interests a priority. This couldn’t stand. Surely Alberta would have an opinion? But she was remaining rooted the spot. The argument was getting more heated. Shit. I had to do something, to speak up or–

No, no, no, no. Furniture. You’re just a piece of furniture. I internally berated myself, biting my tongue. This doesn’t involve you. Stay out of it. 

“They have a bond,” I said. And just like that, I dragged myself in the middle of something I had no business being in. Fuck it, I decided as all eyes turned on me. I kept my expression neutral as though my speaking was fueled by perfectly rational thoughts. I always hated being in the spotlight, so rather than deal with the whole room, I stared solely at Rose. There was something comforting about her, as though if anyone in the room could understand me, it was her. “Rose knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don’t you Rose?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the headmistress look entirely startled by the claim. “No... that’s impossible. That hasn’t happened for centuries.”

Her doubt only encouraged me to continue as I felt a better handle over the situation. “It’s obvious,” I said. “I suspected it as soon as I started watching them.” My eyes were still locked on Rose’s. She was defiant and strong, and I couldn’t help but feel my own strength bolstered by her presence. Perhaps I was starting to come off as a creep, though, because she quickly looked away from me as Prince Victor gave this theory praise. 

Turning my gaze onto Kirova, I continued. “The best guardians always had that bond. In the stories.” I added the last part, hoping that I didn’t somehow sound like a total loon. I technically wasn’t supposed to be talking at all, yet here I was, spouting of old myths straight from fairytales. But every word I said was the truth. I had seen it, and it was something that couldn’t be ignored.

“Stories that are centuries old! Surely you aren’t suggesting we let her stay at the Academy after everything she’s done?” Kirova countered.

I guess I am just a loon, after all. With nothing more to lose, I shrugged. “She might be wild and disrespectful but if she has potential–”

“Wild and disrespectful? Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?” It was Rose who had interrupted and I wish I had a way to tell her to shut up. Couldn’t she see that I was the only one actually standing up for her? I suddenly thought of a few more adjectives to add to “wild and disrespectful”.

“Guardian Belikov is the princess’s guardian now. Her sanctioned guardian,” Kirova corrected. I know I wasn’t supposed to be on her side, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit triumphant.

That feeling fell immediately with Rose’s next words. “You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?” Thank God I had mastered an unreadable expression, because if I could have thrown daggers at the novice, I would have. She knew nothing about me, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt by the statement.

Kirova threw her hands up as though her point had just been made. “You see?” she said, directed at me. “Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and very raw potential in the world can’t make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian.”

I couldn’t disagree, which brought me back to my original point. Pushing my irritation over the insult aside, I knew I had to stand up for the guardian Rose could be. “So teach her discipline. Classes just started. Put her back in and get her training again.” Honestly, wasn’t that the whole point of school? If being undisciplined got students kicked out, there wouldn’t be any left.

“Impossible. She’ll still be hopelessly behind her peers.”

“No I won’t,” Rose finally spoke up. If she was standing up for herself in a rational manner, then surely we could sway Kirova to let her stay at the Academy by Vasilisa’s side.

“Then give her extra training sessions,” I quickly added, feeling victory within our reach. And just like that, the negotiation started. It was the first real hope I felt in this battle. We continued for a while and I could feel Alberta’s eyes on me the whole time. Surely there would be words when we were back in the guardian’s headquarters.

“Who’s going to put in the extra time?” Kirova sounded tired of the conversation and I knew I had my foothold. She was ready to accept, she just needed the logistics of it all hammered out. Just as I was feeling triumphant again, the rug was once again pulled out. “You?”

I froze. Me? Train Janine Hathaway’s daughter one on one? The princess needed her and I could respect that, but Rose was quickly becoming a thorn in my side with her harsh comments. The two of us alone together in a sparring ring would surely end in blood being drawing. “Well, that’s not what I–” I trailed off, feeling like a total idiot. I didn’t think this through at all.

“Yes. That’s what I thought.” Shit. Just like that, Kirova won.

My eyes fell on the two girls, and when I looked between them I saw... Ivan and me. For the hundredth time that day, my mind came back to my old friend. I loved him more than I could put into words. I would have died for him, but instead, it was the other way around. One day off, one day away from him, and disaster of the worst degree had struck. I could imagine with painful clarity how Rose would feel if anything were to happen to Vasilisa while she was sent away. Of course, I would make sure to never again lose a Moroi on my watch. No more day-off’s for me. But if Rose had no choice...

“Yes. I can mentor Rose.” I almost didn’t recognize my own voice as I spoke. The moment the words left my mouth, though, I knew I didn’t regret them. I made a vow, and Vasilisa was now in my care. I couldn’t hurt her chances by taking away someone she was bonded with. And Rose... Rose deserved a fighting chance. “I’ll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones.”

We agreed that Rose should still be punished for her actions in addition to the extra training. With words of encouragement from Victor and Vasilisa herself, Kirova finally caved. Yet I’d hardly call it a victory. I’d just traded in practically all my free time to train a wild and disrespectful girl. She was my responsibility now and as I held her gaze again, I had a feeling I had my work cut out for me.

[luckycheesefoodie321]

I haven’t thought about Vampire Academy in a long long time, but as it was the first book series I ever really connected outside of the childhood classics and I adored it once upon a time (HP, Narnia etc.)... I feel obligated to speak...

I’ve never watched TVD nor do I know what Julie Plec did but I see an overwhelming amount of horror at her being the show runner...

That’s fun to know

To be fair, Richelle Mead did let the travesty that was the VA movie be produced... so she’s known for her poor choices... but again I withhold judgement on Julie bc idk her work...

And yes I watched the VA movie. Funnily enough I accidentally spoiled the absolute bizarre ending by walking into the theatre before the previous session was done and got an out of context Sonya Karp looking to other Strigoi like they were boutta storm the academy like it wasn’t something that was meant to happen 2 books later...

I hated the movie

Putting aside the weird comedic tone that, while VA was quite funny, it was not Mean Girls funny and unfortunately the directors who did Mean Girls let that leak into the story...

Rose and Christian being weirdly friendly and HUGGING

That is once again non-canonical until at least book 3

Lisa’s weird British accent and she kept saying fornicating like what for??? Aren’t they all American teens???

I didn’t mind that they got a Russian actor who looked mostly the part. Dude was beefy tho. Also Zoey Deutsch while quirky wasn’t quite the vibe of Rose Hathaway...

Basically all this to say, the VA movie actively turned me off of reading VA again after that... I mean there were other extenuating circumstances like my exams, but to this day I haven’t even finished the Bloodlines/Golden Lily series with Adrian and Sydney which makes me sad even now. But I still won’t try to reread it. I’m still leery of the whole thing.

One day.

But not now.

So. The VA tv show. I do wish it the best. And I do hope to see Adrian become a reality. But we know he doesn’t really become a fully fleshed out character until later on in the series and into Bloodlines bc Rose just doesn’t pay him enough attention...

I want Lissa to be played by someone who doesn’t overact.

Anyway.

Also I feel like the teacher-student relationship/minor + adult relationship situation just doesn’t pass these days... I was young and naive and enjoyed their relationship before, but it is fairly problematic.. that said Dimitri does do a decent job of warding off a relationship until she’s at least 18 but again he doesn’t discourage the affection either and he’s 7 years older so the maturity imbalance... ehhhhh it’s problematic

If Ben Barnes becomes Dimitri I will laugh. I will laugh and laugh until I can’t laugh no more.

In my own personal fancast before I’d ever even heard of supernatural, I’d been looking up potentials for Dimitri and found a picture of Jared Padalecki so there’s that knowledge out there...

But anyway. I’m ambivalent about the VA tv show. I wanna get hyped but when I saw it was trending all I could think was “but why??”

Bc like when the movie came out very much after the golden era of YA-teen books getting adapted to film, I feel like VA is not niche nor original enough a story to be adapting this late in the game to tv...

But again good luck to them!

[fireemblems24]

can you believe CLAUDE is the lord the fandom thinks should've been the bi option? anyway, judging by your complaints about claude, you'll probs like yuri. jeritza is.... lmao yeah if anything his supports make him WORSE. the fandom will RAIL against dima and rhea for not being perfect depictions of mental stability As Compared To Edelgard but jertiza gets a free pass for some reason >.>

Claude has 0 chemistry with other guys in his supports, and flirts with many of the girls. So yeah that makes a lot of sense compared to Dimitri’s intense relationships with Felix and Dedue, not to mention, apparently no significant dialogue changes with Byleth regardless of gender. /s 

I get wanting to date Claude though. He’s hella gorgeous, and headcannon that he’s bi all you want, but there’s literally nothing in text to support that from what I’ve seen. 

That discourse seems messed up. 

I’m not even convinced Edelgard is mentally ill (someone writing to me suggested it. I would’ve never come to that conclusion myself), but is having violent psychotic episodes really worse than giving a character mental illness so she can become dependent on and rescued by the player’s self-insert character??? Because if Edelgard is supposed to be mentally ill, it’s only served to isolate her to rely on Byleth and to give her nightmares for Byleth to rescue her from. 

I think a storyline that addresses it more head on - like Dimitri and Marianne - is far better. Sure there’s an unfortunate “mental illness = violence” stigma, but there really are people out there who do violent things they’d otherwise never do, and it’s not their fault as much as it is when a healthy person does it, it’s a fault of our systems for not addressing those illnesses faster or having better supports and understanding and less taboo about it. 

IDK I feel many stories that deal with mental illness ignore some ugly realities, like how difficult it actually can be to live with someone struggling with it, and borderline romantize it. It’s refreshing to see a story confront some of the ugly realities head on. And so far, the story hasn’t used it as an excuse either. 

I guess I’d prefer Dimitri’s messy portray that deals with things head on than Edelgard’s barely there and existing to push her onto Byleth one because that’s really is the only “function” it has in the plot so far, if it exists at all. Like, you’d think if she was supposed to have a serious treatment of mental illness you’d see it manifest in some way with Monica or Hubert or anyone but Byleth.  

(I thought a lot about this one before answering, and I have a lot more to say about it, but this is already getting long).

[kitcat992]

I come with questions! — 1) Really enjoyed Identity Crisis so I was wondering how the idea for it came about? Like, was it a small vague idea that grew or was it full grown idea straight from the get go? What things changed as you were writing it? 2) What's your method of writing? Do you plan ahead/outline or just go with the flow and edit as you go/later? I am a mess and so I like knowing stuff like that lol

OMG I absolutely DIE when I get questions like these!!!

If you can’t tell, almost no one ever asks me author related questions so I get super excited when someone does 😆 Your girl is about to rammmmbbllleeeeeeee!

Alright, so! Identity Crisis. How did the idea come about? That’s a good one.

I don’t know.

😅

Next question?

Lol, but for real. I came up with the idea during chapter 12 of Identity Theft. That was the chapter I realized “Oh shit, there is NO WAY in any universe I’ll ever be able to tell this entire narrative in one fanfic. Uhhhh...crap. Okay, so...well...uh....sequel? Eck, no, sequel sounds grabby. A continuation. Yes. We’ll *continue* the story in another installment. Shit. Am I doing a series? Goddamnit. I didn’t sign up for this. This is bullshit.”

Basically, when I was writing Identity Theft, I threw every single idea, concept, piece of dialogue, plot thread - all of it. I threw it into a document and began sorting it out. Things I wanted to write, things I wanted to happen, things I felt needed to happen, ect ect and ect ect. Those oddball moments of daydreaming while driving home from work? I logged it all. No thought was spared from being documented.

I’d say maybe 50% got moved into the Identity Crisis folder because there was only so much I could pack into Identity Theft while still holding true to the original narrative I wanted to tell (that being: Tony realizes just how much Peter means to him, Peter gets himself into a pickle, Tony thinks he’s lost him for good/almost looses him for good, Tony comes to realize he’s #dad and ain’t going back)

Was it always a small vague idea? Yeah, kinda. I always knew I wanted to do Venom. Similar to how Identity Theft’s barebone concept was Tony #dad, the barebone concept for Identity Crisis was Peter having PTSD from Identity Theft, and his emotions being manifested and manipulated into something much more extreme by the symbiote. Now, for a HOT second, I was annoyed with how  many Venom fics were popping up thanks to Sony’s Venom movie, and I reallllyyy didn’t want to seem like I was doing the same, so I entertained the idea of using Kraven the Hunter as the antagonist for the fic instead (seeing as he’s Dimitri’s brother) However, it never clicked, it never worked, and I never even got the concept on paper. I absolutely needed the symbiote for Peter’s character arc, and definitely needed it for Norman’s (which also leads into something bigger than this narrative can contain, godeffingdamnit I really did NOT sign up for this!)

The only major change the story has seen since outlining it has been length. It was originally only outlined as...20 chapters, I think? The problem is, the further out you outline, the more vague your layouts become. You outline “May and Tony have a talk” only to actually *write* that talk and realize it was most of the chapter, and you need to start splitting things up to avoid reader fatigue.

So I guess that leads right into question #2! Do I plan ahead/outline? Abas-posta-tivly-loutly. Every scene, every chapter, even pieces of dialogue are all already pre-written and laid out.

Again, some are very simplistic - May and Tony discuss Peter’s behavior over lunch. Others are much more detailed - I have 20% of a conversation between Peter and Tony during Chapter 19 already written out, and I wrote it easily over a year ago. As I think of it, I write it. Most of the time, I make notes in my phone, and then copy that back into my computer documents when I have the free time.

The whole “I’ll remember that later” thing is a trap and no writer should ever fall for it.

I also have all my chapters divided into Acts. All my stories have 5 Acts - that’s always been the number that works for me. Act 1 is the foundation, Act 2 is the build up, Act 3 is Shit Goes Down, Act 4 is the More Shit Goes Down/and the Aftermath, Act 5 is the conclusion. Sometimes I view the Acts as seasons, too. Like a TV show. I dunno, it just helps me plan and keep a solid flow to the story.

Outlining never happens in one day either, by the way. I was outlining Identity Crisis WHILE writing Identity Theft. I’m outlining the final story in this series while writing Identity Crisis. The outline can change a little bit once the story starts - I’ve added a few unplanned scenes in both fics along the way, and deleted a few others too. Doctor Strange helping during Peter’s surgery in Chapter 24 of Identity Theft? Was never originally planned. Thor showing up at the end of Identity Theft? THAT was originally planned, and scrapped. Tony asking Hank Pym for Pym Particulars during Chapter 12 of Identity Crisis? Was never planned. I still go with the flow when writing. I don’t stick strictly to an outline i f it doesn’t work anymore. Now, that always adds to my chapter lengths, word count, stresses me out and gives me anxiety - but hey. That’s writing for ya

[cry-stars]

Hershel Layton and LayClaire for the meme?

Thank you so much! I’m sorry, this is super long.

Hershel Layton: 

How I feel about this character: 

I love Layton! I really love how, even though he’s a Sherlock Holmes-style genius and puzzle-solver, he has none of the arrogance that usually shows up in those kinds of characters. He’s gentle and kind, and always tries his best to protect others. He just has this calming effect on everything around him, somehow. I love how he shows mercy and kindness even to people that are rude to him or who have hurt him. He’s a true gentleman and really inspires me to be like him, honestly.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: 

I don’t actively ship him with anyone, but I have some fondness for both Layclaire and Layemmy, the latter mostly because of my friends who like the ship!

My non-romantic OTP for this character: 

Layton and all of his students/children, but especially Clive, haha… the two of them are very similar in a lot of ways, and I really love the idea of Layton deciding to extend mercy to Clive and helping him become a better person, and along the way, learning that maybe Clive also has some ways to help him as well.

My unpopular opinion about this character: 

Um… I don’t think he’s an awful dad. I think he’s pretty good, if a bit distant. He’s always kind and thoughtful, and always concerned for Flora’s safety (and I assume Alfendi and Katrielle too; I still haven’t finished Kat’s game). Layton’s main problem is that he doesn’t plan on being a dad, but when someone is in need of a guardian or caretaker, he just can’t say no and jumps to helping them, perhaps without being emotionally prepared. His first instinct is to help. Like, for Flora, Layton just wanted to solve an inheritance dispute, but finds a girl at the top of the tower who has no parents, likes him, and wants to go to London with him. How could he say, “sorry, I’m not ready to be your dad?” and leave her behind? 

Layton just needs to learn when to ask for help himself; he has parents and friends that could be a support system if he asked them. I think that he really tries his best, though, and there’s no way that he would ever be abusive or neglectful. I think he really should listen to Flora, of course; I love Flora to bits and I think the way he leaves her behind is awful. I just think that people need to think about Layton’s past, and how he’s trying his best to fill a position that he may never have been ready to take. It’s a grey area, for sure.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I wish Layton got more closure regarding all of the horrible things that happened to him. His long-lost brother vanishes, seemingly dead. His biological dad goes to jail. His best friend returns from the dead, and they never even get a conversation together. Claire dies twice, and while they got a final goodbye, he learned that she was alive and watched her die again all in the space of one day. So many awful things happen to him so quickly, and he never gets the chance to process them.

my OTP:

Layton/therapy

my cross over ship:

Not romantic, but I love his interactions with Phoenix and Maya so much. I want to see them go on another adventure together (this time with Flora! And maybe Trucy or Pearl from AA).

a headcanon fact:

I’ve thought for a long time that Layton has PTSD, but ordinarily manages to hide it quite well. This is why he’s so reticent and doesn’t show his emotions very much, for fear of losing control, and also why he tries so hard to be helpful and understanding to others who share similar traumatic backgrounds to him (for example, why he takes Flora in, why he wants to help Clive, and why he so quickly takes Luke in as an apprentice). It started after Randall’s death, became worse after Claire’s first death, and was re-triggered for a third time after Claire’s second death and Luke’s move overseas. Layton was trying to help Clive after this by visiting him, but seeing the similarities between Clive’s PTSD and and his own, and seeing Flora and Clive’s concern for him, he was finally convinced to go and get help for his own trauma.

 Layclaire:

when I started shipping it if I did:

I’ve always shipped them casually because I enjoyed the story of PL3 so much.

my thoughts:

Layclaire is one of those complicated ones for me, where I like it in canon and don’t have a problem with it, but I don’t get butterflies thinking about them like I do for my OTPs. Recently though, I got a little more invested in shipping them after reading an old post about the parallels between Layclaire and Clive’s parents. (Of course it was Clive related… :P) Basically, I don’t ship them hard, but I appreciate how they work together in the story and how they make PL3’s story meaningful.

What makes me happy about them:

I love how Claire was such a wonderful new part of Layton’s life! After playing the prequels, we know how tumultuous his early life was, and after losing Randall and having to leave Stansbury, I imagine that Hershel felt pretty lost. Claire’s bright-eyed idealism and motivation might have inspired Hershel, and likewise, Hershel’s quieter nature might have been grounding to Claire.

What makes me sad about them:

Claire’s dead…

Also, I wish we got to know Claire a little better! Maybe if we got to play as young Hershel in a similar way to playing as teen!him in Miracle Mask? I’d like to get to know Claire in the same way that we got to know teen Randall; it might make her loss more meaningful. (I know Clark and Brenda didn’t exist yet, but it would’ve been fun to see them too during a flashback!)

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I haven’t read a lot of Layclaire fanfics, honestly, so I’m not sure. I don’t know if this is the case in any, but I’d be a bit annoyed if Claire was the “manic pixie dream girl” to a depressed Layton and cured his depression, or something. At the same time, I do think she would have helped him a lot, so I might not be too picky with this. 

things I look for in fanfic:

I love fanfics that build on Claire’s character, or give her more of a backstory! Take Two, which is an AU in which Claire survives the explosion and she and Layton adopt Clive, gives Claire a lot of good backstory; she was an adopted child herself, for example. It also lets her grapple with feelings of guilt over having caused the explosion. People often let Layton feel darker emotions in fanfics, but I don’t often see Claire being allowed to have that range of emotion (although again, I admit that I haven’t read a lot of Layclaire-centric stories, just ones that have Layclaire as a part of a bigger plot). Basically, I’d like to see Claire grow as a character, and see her be allowed to feel darker emotions like Layton is allowed to.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

I’m not sure… Maybe Emmy for Layton? And Claire could become bros for life with Dimitri.

My happily ever after for them:

In a canon-like universe, I’m okay with Claire dying, to be honest (although I feel bad saying that) but I wish that she and Layton had a bit more time together. Maybe if they had a week where they could talk through everything they never got the chance to? In a universe where Claire never died, I’d like to see her as a part of Layton’s other adventures, becoming Flora’s mom and being a mentor to Luke.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Layton’s the little spoon, I think, but Claire lets him be the big spoon sometimes.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

They love to ramble to each other about their projects. They’ll make a pot of tea, and sit down, and talk through what they’re excited about and what they’re having troubles with, and give each other advice. Even though they’re in separate fields of study, they always give each other new ideas. I think that they might have been planning an interdisciplinary project together on Azran technology before the explosion.

[frozenartscapes]

Birds of a Feather

@patricia-von-arundel I dusted off an old WIP from the Power Moms AU. Ever since you introduced a cranky, one-eyed cat with a soft spot for Millie, I was thinking about other possibilities.

---

“Mama! Mama!”

“I’m here, little Love! Is everything alright?”

Upon hearing Millie’s frantic cries, Edelgard dropped everything and went running to the source. Millie had barely made it past the entrance of the palace before breaking into the desperate search for her Mama, and thankfully Edelgard had been nearby. 

The Emperor of Fodlan bowed to no one, yet in that moment she was on her knees in an instant - the moment she had closed the space between her and her daughter. She reached for her baby, beginning a thorough inspection to ensure Millie wasn’t hurt. It was hard to tell, because Millie was still blubbering and crying as if she was, but there were no obvious signs of trauma.

“It’s...it’s not me, Mama!” Millie managed to stammer out, rubbing away some tears and snot from her face with an arm, “Come! She needs you!”

“Who does? Millie?” Edelgard demanded, “What’s wrong? Is your Mom alright? Where is she?”

“Mom’s out this way. She didn’t want to leave her. Come on, Mama! We need you!” Millie grabbed Edelgard’s hand and before any protest could be made, the little girl was dragging the Emperor out of the palace and into the expansive, impressive gardens surrounding it.

Millie dragged her pretty far. Well past the manicured hedges and shrubs, past the roses bushes and flower beds, past the fountains and the large ornamental pond. They even went well beyond the little cottage set deep on the estate as a private getaway for the royal family without actually having to leave the capital.

Millie led her into the wooded part of the garden, a part that was far wilder and more natural than the rest. Trees grew untrimmed and unmaintained, bushes and vines spread along the forest floor, a few well-worn paths snaked through the undergrowth, but otherwise, it was completely untouched.

“This way! They’re just over here!”

“Millie, Sweetheart, are you going to tell me what it is that’s gotten you so-” Edelgard stopped mid-sentence, upon arriving in a clearing and spotting Byleth standing near the far edge, looking very torn up about something. “...Worked up...”

“El,” Byleth greeted as they met up. Her voice was uncharacteristically heavy, even comparing it to her voice before gaining a heartbeat. “We...we found something.”

Edelgard swallowed hard. Her stomach dropped as she thought of all the possible discoveries Byleth could have made that would warrant such a reaction from her. She made her way over carefully, and as she drew near her eyes landed on the horrific sight.

Two golden-crowned eagles, the national birds of Adrestia, shot dead by blackened arrows. They had clearly been mates, given how the normally solitary birds had died so close to each other. But what made it worse was the scattered remains of their once grand nest all over the ground. Sticks and twigs and grass lay strewn about, and amidst the carnage, were the remains of the eaglets.

Edelgard gasped in horror, hand shooting up to her mouth. She took a shaky step back out of panic. Thankfully Byleth was there to steady her.

“We found this on our way back from fishing,” Byleth told her wearily, nodding to the fishing poles laying nearby, “I think it...”

The idea hung in the air, heavy and foreboding. Golden-crowned eagles were rare birds, and were one of the few protected by no-hunting laws in Adrestia. They also held such an image of pride that no Adrestian would ever think to kill one. Given that they were the symbol of Adrestia, and the Emperor herself, this brutal massacre could only mean something sinister.

Edelgard’s mind immediately went to the current leading threat to her Empire. “Thales,” she growled, “Leave it to him to send a message...”

“You think it was him?” Byleth asked worriedly, “Why bother killing a family of birds when he could just...”

“He couldn’t ‘just’,” Edelgard stated, her voice low and firm, “He knows if he even gets close to my family I’ll-”

“Mama!” Millie came running up to her side. She had split away when they arrived at the clearing, and Edelgard had been so preoccupied with Byleth she failed to see where her little one had gone. But now Millie reappeared, cradling something close to her chest. “Mama, she needs you!”

Edelgard frowned, and she cast a quick glance at Byleth. Byleth winced slightly, before giving a small, confirming nod. Edelgard knelt down to meet her daughter, and Millie carefully revealed what she had in her arms.

It was just a little scrap of a thing, fluffy feathers slicked and ruffled by blood and dirt, wings crooked, legs broken, beak chipped, clinging barely to life...

At first she thought it was dead.

“She needs you, Mama,” Millie told her desperately, holding the baby eagle out to her Mama with tears in her eyes, “You can fix her.”

“I...” Edelgard had already had this experience with a grumpy little kitten. But that kitten, despite its torn ear and blinded eye, had been in much better shape.

Millie pushed the eaglet into her hands, carefully. It was so small, so broken. Edelgard swallowed hard, watching the poor creature struggle even to breathe. “I can try, my little Love, but...” she said hesitantly, looking to Byleth for help. Byleth merely shrugged, also at a complete loss.

“I know you can save her, Mama - just like you saved me,” Millie said with a sniffle.

Millie sure knew how to tug on her heartstrings. Ever so gently, she repositioned the tiny eagle in her hands to make sure it would be more comfortable. She wasn’t the best healer in the world, but she still called for a healing spell, if anything to help with whatever pain it might be in. She turned to Byleth, and said softly, “When we get back, can you call for Marianne, and perhaps Hapi? They’ll know more about this sort of thing than I will.”

Byleth nodded. “Of course, El,” she replied. She then frowned, gaze falling to the horrors on the ground before them. “And...what about...”

Edelgard drew a deep breath. “We’ll bury them in the morning,” she promised, “Whoever did this will pay, I’ll make sure of it. But right now...” She glanced down at the weak little eagle in her hands. “Right now the living need more attention than the dead.”

---

No one had good news at first. An Imperial falconer had told them the eaglet would be lucky to live more than a few weeks. A veterinarian told them it might live for longer, but it would never fly again, or be able to hunt.

Marianne had tried to be the most optimistic, if anything for Millie’s sake, but even she didn’t have high hopes that the poor creature would have either a long, or pain-free life. Hapi was perhaps a little more blunt, but had a similar diagnosis.

Five weeks after finding her, she was already gaining her flight feathers. And was ready to use them.

At this point, Edelgard had grown completely accustomed to the fledgling scampering across her desk and attempting to hop to her shoulder as she worked. She barely flinched anymore as the little eagle clambered over her, got herself into a good position, then attempted to glide down to the floor. She was shaky, but improving with each try.

“Are you certain you don’t wish for me to fetch the falconer, your Majesty?” Hubert had asked her once, when the eaglet was still mostly a ball of soft fluff and refused to leave the safety of her shoulder.

“No, it’s alright,” Edelgard sighed in defeat, “She’s thoroughly imprinted on me, and I’d rather not distress her.” She reached a hand up to gently stop the eaglet from preening her hair. That had become a favoured sign of affection from the little raptor.

She felt that same action again. The eagle had grown significantly, though nowhere near its full size. But still, when she decided to preen the Emperor she saw as her Mama, she no longer merely messed a few strands but rather threatened to ruin her entire hairdo. She had to stop wearing her horns as a result.

“Ellie!” Millie’s joyful cry thankfully captured the eagle’s attention, and without hesitation, she rather ungracefully flew toward the little girl.

“You’re getting so good at that, Ellie!” Millie praised, stroking Ellie’s feathers. Ellie seemed to melt at the touch.

“She certainly has had plenty of practice,” Edelgard stated, glancing up to spot Byleth entering the room behind Millie.

“Come on, Ellie! Aunt Mari says it might be good for you to try flying where there’s more space, so let’s go out to the gardens!” Millie and the eagle were off like a shot, both excitedly heading toward the back doors.

Byleth smiled as she watched them go. She then turned to her wife, who seemed torn about getting up to go follow. “Need a break, El?” she asked, knowing all the Emperor needed was an invitation.

“I think I can allow a small one,” Edelgard said with a sigh, pretending as if she still wanted to do paperwork for appearance only. Just in case Hubert was around.

Byleth held out one arm, and Edelgard slipped her own through the loop. The pair walked out together, following after their daughter at a leisurely pace. They found Millie out in one of the grassy lawns - the one with a single statue of Emperor Wilhelm standing proudly in the middle of it, one arm extended as he points to the future. Ellie the Eagle was perched on said arm, pacing up and down the length of it as she worked up the courage to fly to Millie.

Edelgard couldn’t hide the surge of pride as she watched the little eagle soar across the lawn. She wasn’t perfect, not yet. But one day she will be strong and fearless.

“Good work, Ellie!” Millie praised as the eagle landed on her arm.

“I’m still not so sure about that name,” Edelgard said to Byleth, who could not to contain her wide grin, “It seems a little...on the nose.”

“And ‘Dimitri’ for a one-eyed, lion-looking cat isn’t?” Byleth asked with a smirk.

Edelgard shrugged in response.

“I think it’s perfect,” Byleth continued, “A little Eagle, the only survivor of the brutal massacre of her family, who now is growing and healing and ready to soar to new and wondrous heights despite all that pain and trauma? If anything, ‘Ellie’ might be too vague.”

Edelgard sighed, though her soft smile gave away her true feelings. “‘Ellie’ is the eagle’s nickname, and you know that.”

---

AN: I’m back with another Power Moms story! I always wanted to write something where El rescues a baby eagle, because symbolism!

Also I’ve had this idea for a while now where the gardens of Enbarr’s Imperial Palace closely resemble the gardens at the Palace of Versailles, so I snuck in a bit of that here, too. I like to think that eventually, Edelgard opens up the palace and gardens to the public to allow everyone to enjoy the space.

[nitholites]

Daminette Soulmate AU

Inspired by this post by @thepeacetea. Thank you for making an AU with so much Badass!Marinette possibilities. We. Stan. Epic. Marinette. I took a few creative liberties by changing how soulmates work a little bit, I hope no one minds too much. If people want more of this, I'll see what I can do. But, if this inspires anyone to write or add onto this- I personally highly encourage it! Seeing the works of art people can make from one thing are always inspiring to me. I'd love to see what, if anything, comes from this.

That's enough from me- time for the fic!

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Marinette sighed, letting her mind wander back. She remembered knowing several languages before she hit double digits, her body reacting to surprise by calming her mind, spinning around, assessing the situation, and figuring the easiest way to... disable whomever startled her. It took a surprising amount of self control to act like a normal kid, which made her wonder.

Who the heck was her soulmate?

She had to have one- not because she wanted one but because of all the skills she couldn't explain having any other way. She remembered asking her parents about soulmates, and getting a few answers. Soulmates weren't common- actually being extremely rare. The bond was usually the same, though. A kind of skill share.

The more your soulmate used a skill or integrated it into their life, the more normal the skill felt to you, becoming habit over time. Which is why Marinette always knew the exits, shadows, hidden corners, number of people in a room with her, direction, and how to... disable anyone at any given time.

Her footsteps were always silent, and she kept to the shadows of the room by habit. Several times, she accidentally sneaked up on her parents or friends when she thought she wasn't being sneaky at all. She was surprisingly talented at gymnastics, and the sport was relaxing to her, so she continued it all through school.

When she became Ladybug, she could only make a mental note to thank her soulmate profusely for knowing so many self-defense styles and aggressive fighting.

At first, Chat had a major crush on her, but after showing him he wasn't her soulmate (by yelling at him in every language she knew [which were about 5 he didn't]), he had to accept the facts.

Life went on, and soon Lila was brought into the picture. Adrien didn't help, and the class soon left Marinette behind, bullying her and excluding her. But still, Marinette continued to do the best she could as the class representative.

Two years after she became Ladybug, Marinette won her class a trip to Gotham to tour the city and learn more about the American school system. They'd stay for the remainder of the school year (about two months) and would have the chance to intern under several high-class businesses, industries, and names. Rumor had it that whoever earned the right to would work with the Waynes during the summer for their internship, a huge boost to the lucky winner's resume.

Marinette organised everything for the trip- the hotel, activities, tours, school, etc- nearly without help (if you counted Tikki and Luka- two of Marinette's last friends and people who didn't even go to her school!).

The plane ride to Gotham wasn't very interesting. Marinette sat in the back alone while Lila and her lackeys gossipped and lied (both knowingly and unknowingly) about this and that. Every so often, Marinette would hear something about a Dimitri Wayne?

She inwardly scoffed, wondering if Lila meant the only blood Wayne child. Marinette had done quite a bit of research into Gotham, it's heroes vigilantes, villains, and important figures. 99% of Lila's claims about the Waynes could be disproven by a simple Google search, yet...

Marinette sighed, watching the sheep flock to the wolf.

There's nothing I can do for those who swallow such obvious lies.

They reached Gotham around 9pm, going straight to the hotel and getting their rooms. Marinette, predictably, was alone. She was thankful for that, though, because then she could leave and go Ladybug-ing whenever she felt she needed to.

Of course, Marinette knew the rough locations of everything she'd visit, but... it would be handy, seeing Gotham from the air and in person.

"What do you think, Tikki? Should Ladybug say hello to Gotham?"

"Not Ladybug, per-say. What if Hawkmoth figured out we weren't in Paris?"

Marinette nodded at the flying Kwami, hovering right in front of her face. "A change in identities, then. Think you can whip up something I'd like?"

Tikki nodded with a smile, thinking for a moment before shooting her Chosen a thumbs up. "Tikki, spots on!"

Before she left, she took a look at herself in the mirror, smiling at the new outfit.

Her hair, once midnight black/blue, was red with black stripes, gathered up into a bun at the top of her head with a black ribbon tying it together and the ends sticking up to form antenna-like things. Her bangs, once swept to the side now framed her face, the left side red and the right black. The ends brushed her chin, but never seemed to get in her way. Her mask was black like the rest of her outfit, red decal swirling intricately across the fabric. Red accents outlined where her gloves, boots, and sleeves were against a black background. Instead of the skin tight onesie, her outfit was split into four parts- the top, bottoms, gloves, and boots. Her top took a different style, looking more like a Chinese or Japanese kimono top, the bell sleeves covering her palms and loose. Red swirled around the top in descrete roses, red lining the hems. Her gloves were red, black roses stitched into the fabric on the back. Her pants were black and only reached her mid-calf, red roses stitched near the cutoff. Her ankle boots were plain black, the three-inch heel not inhibiting her in any way shape or form (thankfully) and her yo-yo was still strapped to her hip, but harder to see. On her back was a staff like Chat Noir's, but black and with spots indicating the button.

She tapped her chin, humming in thought. "I suppose I'll need a new name for Gotham." She shrugged, deciding to think about it later. She easily opened the window and hopped out, getting used to using the staff almost immediately as she vaulted over the roofs near the hotel, quickly gaining distance.

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Nightwing frowned, eyes tracking the strange red and black figure who was easily taking down thugs twice their size. Seems like a new vigilante's in town, he thought, bringing a hand up to his comm. "Has anyone seen a new vigilante around?"

"No one's reported anything, why?"

He slid farther back into the shadows of the ally way he was crouched in, watching as the- what he could now tell- woman glanced around the small area. "I may have found one. See if you can find anything on her, Oracle. We'd better figure out if she's friend or foe before jumping in."

"Copy that. For now, track her."

"Way ahead of you," he said, silently jumping after her when she used some kind of baton to leap over the closest building.

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Marinette paused, stopping on the roof. Her tail seemed more interested in finding out who she was than kidnapping or attacking her, as they would have done so an hour ago when she let them close. She knew she couldn't allow that- no matter who was tailing her. She pulled her yo-yo off her hip, keeping her tail carefully behind her even as they slowly and stealthy approached. They sounded male, if the heavier steps meant anything.

With practiced ease, she opened the weapon, reaching into the glowing pink and pulling out the Fox Miraculous. She had long since started putting the Box of Miracles in her yo-yo when she transformed, careful to keep the Miraculi out of Hawkmoth's hands. She slipped the necklace on, nodding once at Trixx. She held out her hands as she said, "Trixx, Tikki, unify."

Orange replaced the red in her costume, an orange glow surrounding her for a second. No more red was found on the heroine, the dark color replaced by a dark orange and the staff replaced with a flute on her back. She turned on her heel towards her tail, a carefully blank look on her face. "Come out," she demanded, suppressing her surprise when Nightwing appeared.

Neither spoke for a moment, eyeing each other and mentally figuring each other's strengths and weaknesses. "Why were you following me," she asked, keeping her spine straight.

"The better question is, why are you here? Gotham has more than enough protectors."

"I won't be here for long. The League has made it's decision loud and clear, and I won't 'waste your time with pranks'," she angrly spit out, heavy quotations in her sentence. She watched as mild confusion spread on the bird's face, but felt only a slight ping of regret, her emotions having watered down and muted over the years of fighting Hawkmoth. Ladybug couldn't be compromised, after all.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ask those receiving requests for help about a French heroine named Ladybug," she said, pulling the flute off her back. She played an ancient tune that flew into her fingers, removed the instrument from her lips, and fired the glowing orange ball towards the ground, shouting, "Mirage," as she did so. Orange smoke filled the area, a million masked heroines going in all directions and tricking the sensors in Nightwing's mask as she went back to her room, only staying awake long enough to feed the Kwamis and fall into her bed.

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Red Robin frowned as he and Oracle looked through the footage from earlier, replaying it over and over. "Magic?"

"Has to be," he said, his brows furrowing as he scanned the footage once more. "There's no holographic projectors, and she didn't seem to know about the hidden cameras on him."

Oracle hummed, fingers flying away. "Any luck finding sources for the so-called heroine in France?"

Tim had been looking ever since the girl mentioned heroes in the country, only finding the Ladyblog. He didn't count it as credible, what with the obvious CGI. "No. Just a fake source," he said, sighing. "Maybe we should look through the League records. See if we can find anything."

"Way ahead of you," Barbara said, hitting the final key decisivly. "Four clips, one response."

"Play them."

A girl in a red and black spotted mask looked into the camera, the Eiffel Tower in the background. In accented English, she spoke. "Hello. My name is Ladybug, and I'm a new hero for Paris. My city is being terrorized by a villain who preys on any powerful, negative emotions he can find using the power of the Butterfly. I haven't been a hero long- today marks the full week. But I know we need help. My partner and I don't know what we're doing yet, and I can only drag us through battles so often until we run out of steam." Her blue eyes softened, hope and uncertainty in them.

"Please. If you get this- send help. Preferably someone with detective abilities and a good handle on their emotions so we can find Hawkmoth faster. I don't want to think of what damage Paris would go under if we had to fight an Akumatized member of the League..." She sighed, giving the camera a hopeful smile. "Bug out."

The next was in the middle of the day, giant bubbles floating in the air. The camera zoomed in on one, seeing adults trapped. The angle shifted to the streets, where kids were running rampant without supervision. "I don't know if I can fix the damage they'll do," the same voice called from out of the shot. "My Cure only works with very specific damages- and I don't think this counts. Please- the longer this goes on, the more powerful Hawkmoth becomes." Her voice held so much hope, it was nearly painful. "Ladybug out."

The next was again in the middle of the day, but this time, the streets were flooded. Only a few hundred people could be seen safe on roofs, and Ladybug did a full sweep of the city on camera before landing beside a blond hero in a black cat costume. "Syren is the most deadly Akuma we've seen so far," the heroine- Ladybug- said somberly. "I don't know what this will do to my people's mental health. It's already been months since Hawkmoth started his reign, but the changes may be permanent. Even a week after he started, I could see the changes in my people. They're more... empty. Like shells of the people they once were, scared to feel anything for the threat of Hawkmoth and harming their loved ones. I only pray my power continues to erase the memories of all those who become Akumatized, dead, or under the victim's control. My people are traumatized enough already. If anyone sees this, please.... send help."

The final clip showed a furious Ladybug staring into the camera, fires raging behind her. "It's been over a year since I first asked for your help. After so long, I thought I had accepted that no help was coming. But understand- you're leaving the fate of the world in a few teenagers hands! We can't keep going on like this- we'll burn out and Hawkmoth will win! Look at what Hawkmoth caused this time!" She turned the camera slowly, gathering the flaming city of love on screen. Craters filled the streets, no building over a story was intact. Bodies littered the streets- some charred and some bleeding. The Eiffel Tower was in pieces, crushing more people. Flames wracked the once-beautiful city, ash blocking the sun. "He will only get stronger, as will the Akuma he creates. But we won't without guidance and training! And no one on Team Miraculous has any kind of detective training- we aren't getting any closer to the source of the problem! And if Hawkmoth defeats both Chat Noir and I, the entire world may be doomed, depending on his wish." The camera was set down, Ladybug walking in front of it with a spotted object- something looking like a frying pan- in her hand. She threw it up, shouting "Miraculous Ladybug," as she did so. Millions of pink dots swarmed the city, fixing all damages and bringing people back to life wherever they touched. She swung down to a boy with black hair tipped blue, camera on his face, yet it was blurred to protect his identity. "Sir, tell me about this attack. I'm sorry to bring it up so soon, but the League cannot ignore an innocent's cry for help."

When he spoke, his voice went through a some kind of modifier. "Okay, Ladybug... Well, my sister and I were walking home from school. We had band practice later today- I guess that's cancelled. Anyway, we were minding our own business when Inferna came. I tried protecting my sister, but..." He took a deep breath. "She was too fast. My sister burned alive right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything."

"I'm sorry," Ladybug said, a hand coming to lay on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry we didn't stop her in time. That you had to see this. That you have to remember. If I could wipe that memory from you, I would, but..." A heavy sigh came from behind the camera. "Thank you for sharing." The process repeated with a couple more people- some young some old, and some who died during the experience. All were traumatized from this Akuma, and previous, yet they had hope. At the end, Ladybug turned the camera on herself, face stern. "I know this may not seem possible to you. I know this may look like editing, and that this may be a waste of time. But if you think that, spend a weekend in Paris. See for yourself what we've become. Ladybug out."

The only thing left was a letter from the League. It amounted to, "Don't send in prank calls anymore. You're taking away from those who need it."

Tim and Barbara were furious. But this issue needed care.

It was time to call the Batman.

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Bruce's brows drew closer and closer as the clips played, his anger obvious when the letter was shown. But, unsurprisingly, his reaction was the most subdued of those in the room.

Anger freely rolled off of Jason, Dick, Barbara, Damian, and even Alfred. Tim had already started to get his feelings under control as his fingers flew across the keyboard, his face reflecting his concentration. "I don't recognize the signature on the letter," Bruce stated. Which was strange, because he kept tabs on everyone who worked for the League. Just in case.

"You're not the only one," Tim said, keeping his eyes on the screen in front of him. "I can't find this guy anywhere. I'm starting to think he doesn't exist, but..."

"That would mean the League has someone who's either working with Hawkmoth- who seems to be the one attacking Paris- or someone who doesn't want the situation to be known," Dick said, crossing his arms. "Neither situation is good."

"So what can we do about it?" All eyes turned to Damian until he explained. "She said Hawkmoth was using the people's emotions against them. Members of the League aren't exactly the most emotionally strong, and a lot of them use negative emotions to strengthen themselves in battle."

"You're uncharacteristically angry about this," Bruce observed, watching as his youngest didn't react to his statement outside of raising an eyebrow. This wasn't the first time Damian reacted differently than expected. Bursts of outrage or annoyance at specific groups of people, almost muted emotions, nearly inhumane emotional recovery. At first, Bruce hoped the Wayne was simply getting a better control on his emotions, but after a while of observing... He realized that wasn't the case. "What's going on, Damian?"

The teen hesitated, the expression he usually made when he scolded himself appearing on his face. "What's your view on soulmates?"

Bruce blinked, having categorized that specific response as less than likely. "I think if you have one, you should be able to decide to seek them out or not. To have the option of creating a life with them if you so chose. Damian, is your soulmate in trouble?"

"My first language, as you know, is Arabic. But my second is French- if you can call it a second. The language simply appeared in my head the same time I was learning Arabic as a baby, according to my caretakers. I'd switch between the two without thought as a child," Damian explained. "While I was learning other languages, the same thing happened to Mandarin. When I had a pastry for the first time after I moved in with you, I could instantly tell what ingredients the chef used, how much, and what adding more or less of certain ingredient would do to the final product. With all this, I've deduced my soulmate is a French-Chinese baker," Damian revealed. "Now, with this information about Paris..."

"You think your soulmate is in danger," Dick accurately guessed. "Damn, that must be infuriating."

"How many times have they died when help from the League could have saved them," Damian wondered. "How many times have we let them down?"

"You have to remember, Baby Bird- your soulmate gets your skills, too," Tim called, still clacking away. "Whoever they are, they'd put up one hell of a fight if anyone tried attacking."

"I'm aware, Drake. But that doesn't mean they're invincible to drowning and getting crushed."

"Why do you think they're in Paris, specifically," Dick asked.

"It takes effort to feel negative emotions now," the youngest Wayne said. "All of you know I don't have the longest temper. But when I'm not thinking about it, my negative emotions just... dissapere. All of them."

"If what Ladybug said was true, and their terrorist uses emotions to take control of the person, that's likely what the people have taken to to avoid being controlled," Dick hummed, frowns appearing on everyone's faces.

"For now, let's inform the rest of the League," Bruce decided, walking to the computer. "Let's see if anyone has an idea of what's going on."

Alfred, meanwhile, frowned. If the Ladybug is in play... the world is at stake.

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Marinette never had good luck in her day to day life. She guessed all her good luck was spent as Ladybug, and she needed a luck balance or something. Which is how she chose the one outlet in the entire hotel that didn't work. Her phone died during the night, so she woke up late, the clock on the bedstand reading 8:17 am. The bus was set to leave at 8, but she wouldn't be surprised if Lila had convinced them to leave earlier. It was only thanks to the Kwamis that she got up that early, but she still missed the bus. She scrambled to get ready, sprinting out of the hotel after five minutes. She found a nearby allyway, ducking into it and letting Tikki fly out of her jacket. "We gotta hurry. Tikki, spots on!"

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Damian scowled, pinching the bridge of his nose as the group in front of him scrambled to find their missing student. "Didn't you call roll," he asked in French, being the translator and main guide for Wayne Enterprises.

"Well, yes, but... I swear Marinette was with us!"

He was starting not to like the teacher too much. Or the gaggle of girls gossiping about how the missing student just wanted attention. "You realize Gotham has the highest crime rates in the US, correct?" At the teacher's shaky nod, he continued, his scowl deepening. "Then why on Earth would you allow one of your students to go missing?!"

He was about to rant more when the doors slid open, a girl with pigtails running through and out of breath. "I'm here," she gasped, her hands resting on her knees.

"Marinette! There you are."

The bluest eyes Damian had ever seen (a high honer considering his father and Grayson) looked up, holding regret. "Sorry, Madame. My phone died, so the alarm didn't go off. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. We're going to have to hurry through this to stay on schedule."

"Now hold on," Damian growled, steeping between the teacher and her students. "You were just saying that she was in the bus this morning. Now you're saying it's her fault you didn't check the bus properly before leaving?"

The woman paled as surprise grew in the girl's eyes. "It's alright now," she said, standing and catching her breath. "I'm here and safe, and we're already behind. Let's just leave this in the past and go on with the tour."

"You don't seem to understand the danger you could have been in, miss...?"

"Marinette."

"Marinette. Any one of Gotham's rouges could have picked you up, or a common thief or mugger could have cornered you. Especially if you were alone."

"I'm aware," she calmly responded. "That would have been their mistake. There's a reason few Akuma come after me anymore."

"Oh, yeah," a dark boy with a red cap said. "I keep forgetting your crazy soulmate, dudette."

"Soulmate," the dark girl with glasses asked, looking to the boy in confusion. "Marinette doesn't have a soulmate. She would have told me."

Marinette sighed through her nose, seemingly gathering herself. "Alya, I don't like talking about my soulmate. I don't know what they're comfortable sharing about their skills, so I try not to talk about it."

Damian's respect for the small girl shot through the roof. "Yeah, but the dudette was awesome against playground bullies," the boy said, gathering attention. "Kim, you remember?" A tall boy nodded, a grin on his face.

"It was really cool to watch this tiny little girl in pigtails completely destroy them," he commented. "Dunno how she did it to this day, but there were always two things Marinette's never stood for. Liars and bullies."

"Then how come she is one," the glasses girl from earlier asked, her brows furrowing. "Something doesn't add up."

"Maybe she changed," a girl with sasauge hair said. "People do that."

All of a sudden, the atmosphere changed, interest becoming hostility. "Guys, let's just do this," Marinette said, looking tired. She grabbed the extra pass in the tub and plopped it around her neck.

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Lunch couldn't come soon enough for Marinette and Damian. The former because she forgot to grab breakfast, and the latter so he could talk to his family about Marinette's treatment within the class. He heard everything said about her during the tour, and his anger at the class only grew. Usually, he wouldn't care and just be annoyed at the gossip, but even he could see how kind she was. Several times, she interacted with the staff the others ignored, seeing if she could help them carry something or open doors or pick up something they dropped. She was fluent in English, too, and more often than not whatever language the employee spoke first. Which was odd, since WE prided itself on its diverse hiring and multicultural assistance, meaning most people wouldn't be able to converse in so many languages.

She spoke in well over 10 languages- all ones Damian was fluent in, as well.

What a coincidence.

Word about the French angel spread fast through the building, as Damian heard whispers following his steps. At one point, a group of employees came up to him to ask about the French girl, wondering if the rumors were true.

Most of them were, but he was on a mission so he didn't spend much (if any) time dealing with the people. When he found an empty meeting room without anything booked for the next hour, he called one of the best people he knew to get to the bottom of this, as much as he hated admitting it.

"Hello?"

"Drake. I need a favor."

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Lunch went by without major incident- besides Lila claiming a 'Dimitri Wayne' was her soulmate and childhood friend.

Marinette inwardly scoffed, knowing that Damian had been living with his mother until he turned double digits, and that he spent a year or two getting used to Gotham before ever announcing his existence to the world. Even then, no one is even completely sure what he looks like, let alone his friends, and those who actually knew him would be sworn to secrecy by the Waynes. Again, though, she realized how little power she had to change her classmates' views on the Italian and her tall tales. Marinette's instincts told her of someone approaching from behind, and she whirled around on her heel without much thought, pausing as she saw the tour guide walking up to the group. "Okay, lunch's over! Let's get this show on the road, hm?"

Her class quickly gathered around the tall man, ready to continue the tour. Marinette, like usual, was in the back of the group, sketchbook out and pencil flying across the page.

"You're very skilled at drawing."

She didn't jump or whirl around, having heard the approaching footsteps and slight muttering a while ago. "Thank you, but I still have a long way to go." She quickly wrapped up the rough sketch, then closed the book, sending a bright smile at the boy. "And thank you for speaking in my defence this morning."

"Think nothing of it." The teen waved his hand dissmissively, eyes trailing back to the front for a moment.

"Still. My name's Marinette, by the way. Marinette Dupen-Cheng."

"Damian," he said, nodding. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise!" She smiled once again, her shoulders a little more lifted than what they were before. "So, how long have you worked at WE?"

They talked amongst themselves for the remainder of the tour, Damian pointing out and explaining more than the guide for most of the tour. And when there wasn't anything educational to talk about, they spoke a little of themselves, getting to know the person beside them a little better. Damian also asked more about the situation in Paris, earning a sad look from the girl beside him and quite a bit of new information. All too soon, though, the tour ended. Over the course of their conversations, Damian learned that that morning wasn't the first time Marinette had been left behind, and quickly deduced that it wouldn't be the last with the children called her classmates. So, when the time to part came, he offered an alternative course of action.

"Gotham can be a beautiful city. Why don't I show you a few inspiring scenic places?" Marinette blinked at the teen, but smiled.

"Let me ask Madame real quick- I'm sure she won't mind too much."

[goldenlilium-ocs]

It’s time to revamp my vampire academy oc

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

Got invested in figuring out how my Twin Byleths with B and Lethe would happen and wrote up a 3k outline of White Clouds because sometimes you just gotta be self-indulgent, and I’m counting this for my Camp NaNoWriMo total for the month too. That might be the main function of writing up all this shit.

-

The twins’ mother and Jeralt probably only had one name, Byleth, picked out as a name, and when Jeralt ended up with two babies and no mother of them to consult with for a second name, he just sort of played around with Byleth until he got Lethe as something he figured worked as a name. He notes in his diary that he’s sure he’s not ever switched their names around; they might look identical, but it’s easy to tell. One of them is a normal baby. The other is silent as the grave.

Byleth is eventually nicknamed B, and Lethe is Lethe, and they grow up learning to fight and become mercenaries in their father’s footsteps. B is fearless, unwavering, charging into battle alongside cavalry and soldiers with more years of experience than she’s ever been alive. Lethe steps back, knocking aside any ambush or assault from the rear, and proves herself capable enough with white magic that she can help patch up her father and her sister when the battlefield calms. One of them is just another mercenary. The other is called the Ashen Demon.

After seeing them fighting the bandits near Remire Village, and knowing that the Officers Academy now lacks a professor, Alois recommends one of the twins to Rhea as a professor. Damned if he knows which one, though. Jeralt leaves it to them to figure out amongst themselves who wants to be the teacher, and which one of them wants to come join the Knights of Seiros with him. Neither of them really want to be teacher, but Lethe lays claim to the position. While either of them will have to learn a lot of new skills to learn how to teach them, Lethe at least already knows more about magic than B, and figures for that reason she’ll have a slightly easier time teaching it. 

And while neither of them really wants to wade into an academy full of nobles, Lethe is used to watching out for her sister. She figures she will shoulder this burden for her, too. She becomes the professor for the Blue Lions.

B joins the Knights of Seiros. Jeralt worries about the personal interest that Rhea has taken in both of his children, allowing one to be made professor with no teaching experience, and personally picking and choosing which missions with the Knights the other should be sent on. B leads the knights who travel to the Red Canyon with Lethe’s class; Rhea’s assessment of both their skills, at one time, they figure.

(Dimitri tells Lethe that while her sister certainly seems strange, he’s rather jealous of them; that they got to grow up together with a sibling who they knew they could always rely on. Who they knew would always be at their side. He tells her he envies that.)

Their next mission together occurs two months later, when B ditches her orders to guard other parts of the monastery and goes to watch over the Holy Mausoleum with Lethe and the Lions. (“It’s better that you become the professor,” B said back at the start. “‘Lethe and the Lions’ sounds better than any class that I taught would.”) Seteth later wants to have a word with her about that - “That area was already under guard, and they I’m sure would have been capable without you. You were to patrol other areas of the monastery” - which does not happen because, since the Mausoleum really was the goal, nowhere else had an issue without B, and because Rhea is...just too pleased with what happened.

And what happened was, when a mysterious mage pulled a bone-colored saw-edged sword out of the tomb, Lethe disarmed him and knocked the sword from his hands. B caught it, and when she swung it back against the enemy, it glowed red.

B accompanies the Lions, along with Gilbert, to reclaim the Lance of Ruin. She’s the one who takes command of the battle, and the students, when Miklan turns into a beast. And it’s because of her that conversations Lethe has later with her students - the talk with Dimitri after this mission, and then Sylvain’s B-support - take the shape that they do. 

(“So had we been born in Faerghus, to a noble family like House Gautier,” Lethe says to Dimitri, “then no matter what else - even if she didn’t have the aptitude to be the head of house, or didn’t want to - no matter what, she would still be the heir, no matter her actual ability, and no matter my abilities, I would be left out in the cold.”)

(“You and your sister really never knew she had a Crest and you didn’t?” Sylvain asks Lethe. “I guess it wouldn’t matter so much to a mercenary like your father, but - you know, I could hate her for that. Getting to live without burden, no one pretending to like her just for her Crest. That she didn’t grow up hated by you because she had what you lacked. She and I could’ve had a lot in common. Hardly fair that she got to be free and I didn’t, huh.”)

After Jeritza vanishes, and Flayn is rescued, Rhea finally gets her way, and finally finds a solid excuse and reason to keep B close at hand to observe her. By Rhea’s request, B is no longer a Knight of Seiros, but the new combat instructor at the Officers Academy.  

With the Battle of the Eagle and Lion looming, and Flayn having joined her class, Lethe has enough distractions that she can’t really properly worry about how her sister is doing with interacting more with the students now. She’s not really a proper teacher, but she’s still got to deal with them, though it’s the Golden Deer she’s helping out with more often than not, while Manuela recovers from being stabbed by the Death Knight. 

It’s only the month after when Lethe really notices that things are changing, with her sister and her place in the monastery and with the other students. It’s Dimitri who points it out. “Claude’s really taken a shine to your sister, hasn’t he?” he asks, and Lethe stops to think and realizes yeah, she has seen Claude talking to B a lot. Following her around. Everyone is interested by the Sword of the Creator, even Lethe’s own students, but Claude is...very interested in the Sword of the Creator.

And once she notices that, there’s just more she notices. Hard not to notice the time that B and Claude and Hilda and most of the other Golden Deer came limping back into the monastery past the gates, running into Lethe on what seemed to be their hope to get back to the Golden Deer classroom without really being stopped. “What happened?” Lethe asks. “Are you all right? Where were you? What were you doing?” 

“Combat training,” B answers without stopping. There’s a gash in her arm that looked like something clawed her. Something huge. All of the Deer look worse for wear, but B definitely looks the worst, which is strange, because B never gets in over her head. She’s always keenly aware of what she’s doing in battle. Though - she has seemed a little more spaced-out ever since they came to the monastery - lost in thought and deep in her own head sometimes--

Lethe blinks. “You’re not their professor. Are you allowed to do that?”

“I’m the combat instructor, and I teach combat, so there we are,” B says. 

She’s hiding something from Lethe. Lethe knows it. 

There’s never been anything they’ve ever had to hide from each other, before. Before the monastery, they were always side by side. Almost never out of eyesight of the other. They never could hide anything from each other, before. Nor would they want to. 

B tells her, later, when there’s no one else around, no chance of anyone overhearing. “When we went to the Red Canyon, months ago, something about it felt familiar. I wanted to go back. It was full of wild beasts, and I would’ve been killed if they hadn’t followed me. I didn’t tell you then because they didn’t have permission to go and follow me, and I refuse to let them get in trouble after they saved me.”

“Familiar?” Lethe repeats. “What do you mean, familiar? We’ve never been there before.”

“Do you remember,” B says, “months ago, I told you and Jeralt about the strange dreams I’d been having? About huge sprawling battles, and about a young girl?”

And she tells Lethe about how more and more often she dreams of this girl, named Sothis, who B gleans things from, knowledge she should not have, about demonic beasts, the familiarity of Zanado, and other such things. “Are these daydreams, too?” Lethe asks, thinking of how sometimes her sister will just seem to leave the world for a moment, disappear inside her own head. 

“Something like that,” says B, and Lethe cannot know now that there is still more her sister is hiding from her. 

“I wonder if this has to do with your Crest, somehow,” Lethe says. “Surely it must.”

(She pays more careful attention to the attention Rhea pays to her sister. Thinks about Claude. Thinks about Sylvain telling Lethe what it’s like to have a Crest - to have people pretending to like you only because you have a Crest.)

B and Jeralt and others of the knights go to Remire Village with Lethe and the Blue Lions. It is more than Lethe and the Lions go with B and Jeralt. Rhea told B she would be going there, told Lethe she could decide whether her class would accompany her. Lethe said yes, of course. Rhea is up to something. 

(In another lifetime, Lethe is still aware that Rhea is up to something, but it does not really bother her. Her concerns about the Lions are more pressing, and what Rhea wants from her is the afterthought. In this lifetime here, Lethe is much more bothered, because she can see from the outside that this is odd, this is strange, this is Rhea too interested in someone Lethe loves dearly.)

(In another lifetime, B is still deeply bothered and concerned by what Rhea is up to regarding her, what Rhea wants from her, because B always has Claude digging into both hers and the Church’s secrets, and encouraging her to wonder about those suchsame things.)

Halfway to Remire Village, Lethe drops back to the end of the marching line to check up on things there, and finds Claude, and 70% of the Golden Deer with him. “Did my sister actually ask you to accompany us,” Lethe asks, “or if I asked her would she say that it’s ‘combat training’, but only say it to cover for you running off without permission?”

Claude winces. “Oh, you found out about that. But let’s not worry about that now - I can already see the smoke from the village.”

Lethe lets it rest, because she now knows the answer, though B never confirms one way or the other for her. They have much more to worry about on this day. Lethe has Dimitri to worry after too. And to worry what Solon and the Death Knight and their ilk want. And what the Flame Emperor wants. And that the Flame Emperor offered B the chance to join them.

Everybody wants something from Lethe’s sister - Rhea, Claude, the damned Flame Emperor - and there’s an ever-growing part of Lethe that is glad she herself isn’t the one with the Crest. Is glad that she is the forgotten one, the one left out in the cold. But she could never be Miklan - she loves her sister still with her whole heart, her quiet sister who dreams strange dreams and knows strange things and whose eyes are no longer always so dead. Who smiles sometimes, enough that not just Lethe notices it. Who gets angry, visibly angry, at the injustices in Remire Village - a sharp change startling Lethe as much as Dimitri’s does. 

And B gets angry at smaller things now too - when Lethe pulls her aside to worry over her some more, tell her to be careful because there are people here in the monastery who are trying to get something from her and they don’t know their intentions. “I’m not a child!” B hisses at her. “I am fully capable of understanding that Claude is after something just as much as Rhea is. But you, you have no understanding of what it is like to be me. Rhea knows more about me than she’ll tell me, and I don’t just want to sit and wait for what she does next. I’d rather throw my lot in with Claude and see if he can find answers about the Church and about me. You have no idea what it is to be me, to not know what I am or why I am this way - I have a Crest that shouldn’t still exist in this world, and I can use the Sword of the Creator though it doesn’t have a Crest stone like every other Relic weapon. Everything I am and everything I can do shouldn’t be possible. I don’t care if that doesn’t bother you. But it bothers me, and I want to know what I am and why.”

Lethe is glad to have come to Garreg Mach - to get to interact with people near her own age, to make friends, to see her sister make friends, to see her sister learn to smile - but she hates that there is this thing between them now, only discovered because they came here. Because of the Sword of the Creator. Because of Rhea?

Because of Rhea.

The ball passes; they fight the demonic beasts at the chapel. Lethe turns around to see B, apparently unprompted, take a swing at Monica, only for a monstrously pale man to appear and knock aside her blade and disappear with Monica. Jeralt falls.

They read his diary. B reads it, mostly, reads parts out loud to Lethe that strike her as interesting. About them when they were young. About before they were born, Jeralt and their mother. Lethe tries sooner to get back to living; she has a class to teach, after all, and she has cried before. She has never coped with a grief like this, but she knows better how it feels to have a heart. (She doesn’t read their father’s diary about the time of their births, about his suspicions about Rhea. She is burdened only with grief for their father. B is burdened with that, with never having felt this in her life, and now, learning so much more about what she is. About Rhea’s role in it.)

B sticks markers in the diary for parts she wants to show Lethe later. If B isn’t haunting Jeralt’s office, then Lethe will sometimes pick up the diary and read the noted parts herself. She comes back one day and doesn’t find it where B always leaves it. Maybe she took it with her to her quarters? Strange, but at least she’s not just haunting the office anymore. Is starting to move forward again.

Lethe and Dimitri tell B about spotting that strange mage who rescued Monica, together with the Flame Emperor. Dimitri tells neither of them what he knows about the Flame Emperor’s dagger. B tells neither of them what she and Claude are up to with the diary.

Claude and Dimitri come to them to tell them what the Knights learned about their enemy’s location in the Sealed Forest. When they go to deal with that, the Golden Deer come along - this time with B, and Manuela’s, foreknowledge and permission. B might still only be their combat instructor, not their day-to-day professor, but since Claude started hanging out with her, the rest of them wanted to get to know her better too, and they’ve grown rather defensive of their stone-faced instructor. 

B is the one to charge ahead, closest to Kronya to pursue her, recklessly chasing her down only to be thrown into the dark. Lethe is the one, with the students, to see her sister disappear from her sight. And to see the sky split open by a burning blade, and her sister, transformed, to re-emerge from the darkness. 

There’s a lot that Lethe, Claude, and Dimitri need to be caught up on. 

Rhea proposes that B go down into the Holy Tomb to receive a revelation from the goddess. Lethe and some of the students accompany her. Imperial Troops attack, the Flame Emperor unmasks herself, Dimitri cracks, and the Empire declares war on the Church of Seiros.

Now, this is the fun part, because the ensuing battle for the defense of Garreg Mach is where the scenario can splinter.

The first option is the story we know, mostly: B and Lethe fall, and Lethe survives due to B’s powers, and they wake up five years later to find everything passed in the interim as it does.

And the other path, which I find myself with a particular fondness for:

B and Lethe more often than not did not fight side by side. Not when they were mercenaries, and not now with such a large-scale battle. They’re busy on different parts of the field. B is the only one to see Rhea transform into a dragon, the only one to rush off to save her from the demonic beasts. The only one to fall beneath the rubble.

The Empire’s forces are too numerous and well-prepared. Lethe knows what it looks like when a battle is going south. She gathers her students and tells them to run, to help each other return to their homes and prepare themselves and their territories for war. Some - the pragmatists, the tacticians, those who can see past one battle to realize losing this does not mean they are damned to lose the war, those who refuse to die futile deaths - go easier than others. She has to beg Dimitri to live to fight another day. 

She is one of the last to retreat, trying as long as she can to search the battlefield for her sister. Because she noticed, some time after the dragon was subdued, that B was no longer present in the fight. Not because of any mystical twin intuition or anything, but because she and everyone else noticed when the Sword of the Creator was not blazing a path to follow. And she thinks surely someone would have to have seen something - some Empire soldier brag about having cut her down, or some knight seen her fall - Byleth can’t just have disappeared. 

But Rhea just seems to have disappeared, too, and no one can say where she went, or where that dragon came from. (If Lethe was not so consumed by everything else, she could have added that up.)

Garreg Mach is surrendered and abandoned. Rhea and Byleth disappear. And Lethe, the Crestless and forgotten sister, finds not a trace of either of them, and she retreats too. She leaves behind the monastery, the place where all her family fell, where her mother and father are buried, where she last ever saw her sister, and she catches up to Gilbert, Dimitri, and Dedue, to accompany them to Fhirdiad, to prepare the Kingdom for war.

(And there’s another point where things can splinter, once they get to Fhirdiad, but this is already 3k words so we’re just gonna leave it here at the end of White Clouds.)

[msbluebell]

Please more of the bodyguard Au. Like when they they meet again or some cute pre-tragedy dimitri with a crush on byleth

Jeralt and his company was with the Royal Family for about two years, and Byleth was with Dimitri for nearly just as long.

It’s hard to say when, exactly, Dimitri would have developed a crush on her. But I like to think it was a slow, gradual, thing that just happened naturally. He’s a lonely kid in a castle, at the age where he’s going to start to transition into teenhood, with all the hormones and puberty that entails. She’s a pretty girl just a little older than him, and has become a very dear friend to him.

I’d like to think he was a bit oblivious to his crush at first, but slowly just sort of realized it over time when he started to have confusing feelings. He would, of course, not try anything because Byleth isn’t exactly the most emotional person, so it’s hard to gauge whether or not she’s interested in things like that, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t do little, nice, dumb boy-with-a-crush things.

He tries to think of what he heard in stories about what men who like women did. So, poor boy, ends picking the most messy bouquet ever when he and Byleth are outside. It’s a mix of wildflowers and weeds. He’ll be super embarrassed by it, but Byleth takes it all in stride and simply accepts the bouquet with a nod. (Years later Byleth will develop a habit of gifting their students with bouquets of flowers grown in Garreg Mach’s greenhouse. If they developed this habit because they remember Dimitri’s gift and thought that was a lesson in what kind of gifts to share with someone in which you have good will/friendship…well, that’s their business.)

Dimitri learned better than to gift daggers to girls after all the mocking Sylvain gave him for giving El a dagger, so he never does…or at least that’s what he told himself. But Byleth really seems to like weapons, so he gives her a small, blue sheathed, dagger that she always keeps on her belt. (And if Dimitri notices still on her belt years later, well, then that just makes his heart twist fondly.)

He tries to do more things he thinks she might like over other things. It’s really hard to tell because she doesn’t smile, or scold, or seem to have opinions on things. But he thinks she likes listening to him read, because sometimes her head will tilt when he’s reading to her. He thinks she just like learning things at all, actually, because she’s always paying attention when he teaches her things. 

He remembers that El liked dancing. He’s not confident in his ability to dance well, but he thinks maybe she’d like to learn how. (Years later Dimitri will look back on his younger self and despair, because it’s own fault that Byleth even started learning how to dance in the first place, so of course she started eyeing him when she needed to select a dancing representative.)

He’s always chattering to her about something. And during the moments she’s not there he brings her up a lot to others. Gustav is pretty much aware that Dimitri is going through puppy-love (he tells Annette, who will later put two and two together, poor Dimitri despairs). Glenn is aware of the crush and doesn’t let up on the teasing (Sylvain will later never be the one to let up on the teasing). Jeralt probably knows about the crush, but doesn’t put much stock into it because they’re both kids and crushes come and go all the time.

And if starts thinking about how pretty she is and how much he’d like to do…things…well, he IS a pre-teen boy around his  crush. It’s a little confusing for him, but he knows better than to try anything. Because he’s learned to drink his respecting women juice young. 

When Jeralt and his Company are banished, he’s pretty devastated, because not only did his crush leave, but he genuinely did loose people he developed a real, lasting, connection with and that he’d learned to depend on. For a little while after they’re banished he’ll wake up and get ready to go meet Byleth, only to realize she’s not there anymore. Dedue notices this, and it’s just one of many reasons he’s learnt to stick so closely by Dimitri (there’s a whole slew of other, more serious and personal reasons, but that it is a very small factor in a whole sea of them).

Meeting Byleth again is like having the wind knocked out of him. By then he’s moved on from his crush, but seeing her again reminds him of why he had it in the first place. And if another crush on her, or something deeper, starts to bloom after spending time with her, well, that’s his business.

[dimitribelikov]

The Belikov Chronicles: The Tasha Conundrum Pt.2

✶ This one got pretty long. I even ended it quicker than planned, so hopefully it’s not too overwhelming. Admittedly, this installment deals less with Tasha, and more about Dimitri’s feelings towards Adrian. **There will be a Pt.3 and probably a Pt.4. ✶ notes : All dialogue is straight from Frostbite, chapter 15. The rest is mine, based on characters written by Richelle Mead. ✶ warnings : some language ✶ ships : romitri ✶ Part 1 can be found here  |  more one-shots featuring my version of Dimitri can be found here

       My argument with Rose the day before had left me in such a darkened state, that I had completely forgotten about my original mission to check in with the guardians and find out more news on the Strigoi attacks. It was just as well, though. I knew there wasn’t going to be any big revelations unless someone where to come get me. I ended up spending the evening in Tasha’s company. Over dinner, she went on and on about her radical ideas for reforming the Moroi’s views on defense. Usually I ate her passion up with fascination, but I couldn’t help but find myself distracted. I mean, Adrian? Really?

Yet as soon as the vampiric morning came, I had only one thought on my mind as I left my room: to find Janine Hathaway to go over the tragedy that had happened and the ensuing arguments that had unfolded in the Moroi meeting. Janine was someone that I had always looked up to, and she seemed a bit more forthcoming with information than others. Surely with her, I could get a better grip on what was going on in our world. I knew that I could also provide some insight for the guardians into the Moroi side of things via Tasha’s conversation at dinner.

I was a one tracked mind, striding through the hotel’s hallways with no other worry in my head, let alone the fight with Rose. Until I heard her very voice from an open door. Damnit. Even in the wake of such important matters, her voice was able to bring me to a screeching halt, curiosity replacing my earlier determination.

I paused, wondering what she was doing in this wing of the resort. Almost immediately I realized that the open door belonged to none other than Adrian. Again?! Thoughts of her staying the night danced through my mind, but I pushed them out right away. 

“I just want to know what’s going on here,” she demanded of her audience.

Sure enough, when I stood just behind her and was able to take in the scene of Adrian’s room, it looked as though Rose had just arrived. Further puzzling was the appearance of Lissa there. Surely Adrian couldn’t be that much of a scoundrel, I thought. Then again, with the stories I’d heard, I wouldn’t put it past him. “Me too,” I said, announcing myself. I could hear the short tone in my voice, but was careful to keep my expression neutral as I studied every detail of the room.

Rose had turned to regard me with a surprised look, and though I loved the victory of catching her guard, I couldn’t help but notice the cloud fo perfume that surrounded her. Had she actually gotten dolled up for the Ivashkov loser?

My annoyance deepened at the thought and I invited myself in, clinging to the one weapon I had: my authority. “Male and female students aren’t supposed to be in each other’s room.” I’m pretty sure a younger me just rolled his eyes and made a gagging sound at the lame “adult speech”.

“How do you keep doing this?” Rose demanded of Adrian, ignoring my recitation of the rules.

“Do what?” he replied. Ugh, that fucking grin. I wanted nothing more than to smack it off his face!

“Keep making us look bad!”

“You guys are the ones who came here.”

Adrian’s reply snapped me back into the argument. The two, innocent, young girls were visiting his room unescorted? I was beginning to sound like my old headmaster, but I didn’t care. “You shouldn’t have let them in. I’m sure you know the rules at St. Vladimir’s.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have to follow any school’s stupid rules,” Adrian replied. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to actually argue this. In that moment, the girls might have well not even existed. All I cared about what putting the rich brat in his place. Somewhere in my head, a logical voice was reminding me that the Moroi were above me. They come first. I shouldn’t be so harsh in my judgement of him, but I just couldn’t help it.

“Perhaps not. But I would have thought you’d still respect those rules.” Gross. Now I definitely sounded like my old headmaster. Before I could worry about that too much, though, Adrian fired back. And he hit below the belt.

“I’m kind of surprised to find you lecturing about underage girls,” he said cooly.

I froze, feeling anger grow at the audacity with which the Moroi spoke back to me. Under that anger, though, there was fear. What had he’d heard? Clearly that had to be a dig about me and Rose, but I’d been so careful. Surely no one else knew a thing. Right?

“Besides, nothing sordid was going on,” he continued. “We were just hanging out.”

Yeah. Hanging out. Alone in his room. Nothing sordid about that, I thought sarcastically. “If you want to ‘hang out’ with young girls,” I replied, taking another small step towards him. “Do it at one of the public areas.”

My anger was unexpectedly side tracked when Adrian laughed. There was something about that laugh that didn’t sit right with me. My suspicions were confirmed when he went off, rambling about the oddest things. It wasn’t a normal way to win an argument, that was for sure. My head tilted as I studied him, wondering if he was actually as unhinged as he sounded. Just how dangerous is this guy?

Finally he wrapped up the odd soliloquy by actually agreeing me. Though hearing Adrian admit that he was a bad influence didn’t earn much sympathy from me, I was grateful that the discussion was over. It had taken a turn into dangerous territory with a near accusation about me and rose–– and then whatever that was.

Lissa, Rose, and I took our exit into the hallway, starting the walk back into the lobby. “One’s marked with life, and one’s marked with death,” he had said. It was lunacy and I shouldn’t put too much thought into it, but I couldn’t help but feel a strange sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“That was . . . strange,” Rose had said.

I couldn’t even be mad anymore. The odd turn in Adrian’s demeanor had cast a sobering spell over us all. “Very,” was all I could manage.

Stepping out into the hustle and bustle of the lobby woke me up from my tumultuous thoughts. I knew I couldn’t let Rose simply leave without trying to warn her. Whether I was jealous or not (and I adamantly promised myself that I wasn’t), I was her mentor. It was my job to steer her clear of danger and this situation was no different. “Rose. Can I talk to you?”

I saw her exchange a look with Lissa, but mercifully, the princess left us to our privacy. We moved to the side of a room, avoiding the groups of Moroi who were hurriedly checking out in the wake of the new attacks. Alone with Rose, I could feel my emotions begin to spike again. The jealousy of seeing her with Adrian, the protectiveness of needing to be a good mentor for her–– and now the scent of whatever perfume she’d gotten her hands on. She’d never worn any in the time I knew her, but the crisp, sweet fragrance toyed with my imagination.

Quickly pushing such thoughts away, I tried to figure out how best to tell her what was on my mind. I was still mad about her accusations the previous day, but this wasn’t about me. This was about her. “That was Adrian Ivashkov,” I said, trying and failing to keep the disapproval from my voice.

“Yeah, I know,” she replied quickly. I wonder just how much she knew about him. 

“This is the second time I’ve seen you with him.”

I was sure I could detect annoyance in her eyes, and knew I was losing her attention. “Yeah. We hang out sometimes.”

My stomach dropped as my eyebrow arched. That was the second time I heard that phrase used. I wasn’t oblivious to Rose’s reputation at the Academy, but I also felt that I knew her better than that. Sure, I’d caught her in a very compromising position with the Zeklos kid once, but she’d seemed to have learned from that. Or at least taken the lesson to heart in a mature way. Yet I wasn’t sure that there existed a world in which “hanging out with Adrian Ivashkov” could be anything innocent. “You hang out in his room a lot?” I asked, sounding more accusing than anything else.

I knew Rose too well, though. She wasn’t one to simply take a lecture and peacefully leave. If she felt backed into a corner, she fought. While that was usually something I admired in her, in this moment, I was worried about what rebuttal would come. 

Apparently, even my worst guesses weren’t nearly as bad as what she actually came up with. “What happens between him and me is none of your business.” It wasn’t lost  on me that she did a near perfect impersonation of myself the previous day. Shit, she’s good. Logically I knew that she was just trying to get back at me for the Tasha thing, but I couldn’t help the sudden assault of mental images of Rose and Adrian that bombarded my mind. Thanks to my guardian training, I was able to keep it all hidden from my expression.

“Actually,” I retorted, not missing a beat in my scramble to gain the upper hand. “As long as you’re at the Academy, what you do is my business.” Checkmate!

Rather than ending the argument there, however, it only ramped up, each of us firing back in quick succession. We were a good match for each other in the ring, and clearly that sparring spilled out into other areas of our life.

“Not my personal life. You don’t have any say in that.”

“You’re not an adult yet.”

“I’m close enough. Besides, it’s not like I’ll magically become an adult on my eighteenth birthday.”

“Clearly.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Was she actually blushing at that? “I meant––”

“I know what you meant,” I cut her off, not wanting to travel down that road right now. Adrian’s borderline accusations still bothered me. “And the technicalities don’t matter right now. You’re an Academy student. I’m your instructor. It’s my job to help you and to keep you safe.” I idly wondered who I was trying to convince more, her or me. “Being in the bedroom of someone like him . . . well, that’s not safe.” 

I hoped she understood what I was trying to convey. I didn’t want to fight. Our argument the previous day killed me, but I wasn’t going to let her self-sabotage herself, either. Rose had the potential to be great. Perhaps even one of the best. I wasn’t going to let a spoiled, rich, royal ruin that for her.

“I can handle Adrian Ivashkov,” she muttered. The sudden mental image of those two in a sparring ring did much to lighten my mood, but not enough to derail me from on the topic at hand. “He’s weird–– really weird, apparently–– but harmless.”

Well that was hardly true. Adrian might not be a killer or anything, but he certainly one of the least harmless guys I knew. What happened to Mason? Why wasn’t she with him? I actually like that guy.

A thought occurred to me just then. This whole time I’d justified myself not being jealous because I was okay with her being with Mason. Yet Mason was absolutely harmless. He was safe. It was obvious to anyone in the same room as those two that he was completely head over heels for Rose, but I never saw the same passion for him in her eyes. Her being with him never seemed like a threat–– ignoring the fact that I had nothing to be threatened with since I’m not even in the equation. I can’t be. It wouldn’t be right. But throw someone like Adrian in? Hell yeah I was suddenly threatened. Rose deserved better than him, but I knew how easy it was for him to get his way with that cocky grin.

Fuck. I really am jealous.

“Speaking of personal lives,” Rose said, mercifully cutting off my traitorous train of thought. At least, I thought it was a mercy until I heard what she was getting at. “I suppose you were off visiting Tasha, huh?”

My own personal revelation weighed too heavily to allow me a quippy, or even scathing, retort. “Actually, I was visiting your mother.”

“You going to hook up with her, too?” At least one of us was on their argumentative A-game.

My mind was too much of a mess to truly react to it, though I had to admit, it was a pretty good line. “No, we were looking over some new data in the Drozdov attack.” After that, any signs of jealousy or mentions of Tasha and Adrian were forgotten as we spoke about the Strigoi problem. Though the heaviness of the situation pressed in on us, I was glad that Rose could set aside our pettiness and take the real problems to heart. I kept calling her a young girl to Adrian, but she truly is mature beyond her years. That didn’t counter the fact that she’s underaged and shouldn’t be anywhere near that jackhole, but it reminded me that she’s more than just a student. One day soon, we’d be working side by side, and I looked forward to that. I may be assigned as her mentor for now, but as we spoke about the Strigoi threat and Moroi politics, I knew that Rose is more than that. She’s my equal. It felt right to divulge the guardian’s knowledge of the Strigoi’s whereabouts to her.

“Why’d you tell me this, anyway?” she asked eventually. “This is guardian stuff. Not the kind of thing you let novices in on.”

I paused, turning over the words in my head. Our heated emotions were gone, and in the wake that followed, I thought back to the way I had been treating her lately. I thought of her as my equal, but I didn’t treat her that way. I wanted to change that. “I’ve said some things . . .  the other day and today . . . that I shouldn’t have. Things that insulted your age. You’re seventeen . . . but you’re capable of handling and processing the same things those much older than you do.”

“Really?” she asked. The look of hope that kindled in her eyes melted my heart then and there. This was how I liked her best, full optimism and void of the anger that always seem to follow her.

I nodded, feeling the hint of a smile on my lips. “You’re still really young in a lot of ways–– and act young–– but the only way to really change that is to treat you like an adult. I need to do that more. I know you’ll take this information and understand how important it is and keep it to yourself.” I was man enough to admit when I was wrong, and my recent treatment of her had been just that. Surely it wasn’t too late to set things right–– and hopefully steer her away from certain disaster.

A moment passed between us. Looking into Rose’s eyes, I could swear that I could hear her thoughts. She wanted to be the kind of person that I wanted to treat her as. I think on some level, we both understood the burden that our futures carried as the last Dragomir princess’s guardians, but we were also both looking forward to carrying it out together.

That moment of peace was short lived, however, when a familiar voice greeted me. “Dimka!” With those two syllables spoken by Tasha Ozera, I felt the mood instantly shift between me and Rose.

to be continued . . .

[three-houses-text-files]

byleth/dimitri

c-s support + paired ending + night of the ball

Dimitri: Thank you for your help the other day, Professor. Please, allow me to express my gratitude by taking you to dinner.

>It was nothing.

D: Nonsense. Your guidance was magnificent. Just what I'd expect from a professor at this esteemed academy.

>I would be delighted.

D: Fantastic. Please think about what you'd like to eat. After all, such magnificent guidance must work up quite an appetite.

D: I've studied swordsmanship for some time, but your mercenary skills are something else entirely. D: Speaking of which, there's...another question I must ask you. D: Were you reconciled with the reality of battle from your first foray? With...the killing part, I mean.

>I hadn't the luxury of questioning it.

>No. It's never easy.

I see.

>And you?

D: No... I do not carry that burden well. I doubt that will change, no matter how many years come and go. D: The first time I led on the battlefield, I was sent to quell a rebellion in the west. D: It was not a difficult fight. The enemy was not well-trained and their morale was low. D: A swing of the lance, and your opponent falls. A flash of your blade, and a path opens up. That's the sort of battle it was. Easy...right?

>You did what you had to do.

D: That's one way to look at it.

>What caused the rebellion?

D: The noble family from that area sought to seize the throne after my father's untimely death. D: The leader of the rebel army was defeated and the rebellion quelled. This was at the height of the post-war period. D: I recall coming across a dead soldier's body. He was clutching a locket. Inside was a lock of golden hair. D: I don't know to whom it belonged. His wife, his daughter...mother, lover... I'll never know. D: He was a soldier. An enemy. Someone we had cut down without hesitation. D: But in that moment, I realized he was also a real person, just like the rest of us. D: Of course, we cannot stand idly by and allow anyone to commit senseless acts of violence. D: Yet in dispensing what we call justice, we take the lives of cherished family members. Beloved friends. D: Killing is part of the job, but even so... There are times when I'm chilled to the bone by the depravity of my own actions.

>It's normal to feel that way.

D: Is it? Perhaps you're right. I pray that you are.

>I've felt the same way.

D: That you feel the same way is more comforting than you could know.

D: Professor? May I speak freely? D: When we first met, I thought of you as someone who felt no strong feelings about killing your enemies. D: I could never trust someone who kills without batting an eye. My heart won't allow it. D: But after speaking with you and getting to know you better, I can see you're not like that. D: Now I know, with all my heart, that I can trust you. Thank you for that.

——————————————————————————————

b

D: Perfect timing, Professor. If you don't mind, I have a favor I'd like to ask of you.

>What's the favor?

D: It's in regard to sword training. Not for myself, but... Well... D: To be honest, I've been teaching swordsmanship to the orphans at the monastery for a while now.

>How unexpected.

D: I must agree. Frankly, I'm not great with children.

>How did that come to be?

D: Some of them saw me sparring with the knights one day. D: They started pestering me to teach them. They were so earnest... I couldn't help but oblige. D: There's much I wish to show them, but due to my own studies and training, I'm afraid my time is rather limited. D: Which brings me to my favor. Your swordsmanship is unmatched. I hate to ask this of you, but... Would you consider lending me a hand?

>You can count on me.

>You leave me no choice.

D: Thank you, truly. I am in your debt. And I always repay my debts, I'll have you know. D: All of these children lost their families and homes to war or illness. This may sound a bit arrogant, but...I feel it's my responsibility to help them. D: I lost my parents without warning too. In that way, we're the same. D: In Duscur, I lost my father, stepmother, and closest friends. I didn't have many allies at the castle after that. D: In truth, I had only Dedue for companionship.

>Have you no other family?

D: I'm afraid not. My birth mother fell ill and died shortly after I was born. And my uncle... suffice to say we don't get along.

>Is there no one else you can trust?

D: I once had people I could confide in. Family, friends, instructors, even the royal soldiers.

D: But they were all taken away from me four years ago. D: Ah, but there were those outside the castle walls I was close to. Such as Rodrigue!

>Rodrigue?

D: Heh, pardon my rudeness. I meant Lord Rodrigue. He is my father's old companion, and the father of Felix. D: On the occasions he would visit the capital, he'd take me out hunting or on long horse rides. D: While Dedue is like a brother to me, Rodrigue is more like a second father. D: It might sound ridiculous, but...he's the kind of man I hope to become one day. D: Someone who helps others... Someone who can reach out and save a lost soul. D: Oh... Please accept my apologies for boring you with my life story. D: In any case, don't forget your promise, Professor. I'm counting on you.

——————————————————————————————

a

D: …

>What are you doing?

D: Sleep evades me, so I thought I'd get in some extra training. I was just about to finish.

>Still training?

D: Indeed. But I was thinking about ending it here.

D: Perhaps it is the gloomy weather, but I am feeling the sting of wounds that should have healed long ago...

>What wounds?

D: The injury I got when that girl stabbed me after the battle at Gronder. D: Her eyes were filled with revenge...just as mine once were.

>Who was she?

D: I don't know... But I have a guess.

>...

D: Ah, I suppose I haven't told you about that yet.

>What are you talking about?

D: I was attacked inside the monastery the other day. It caused quite the uproar. D: The ones who attacked me...were some of the youths we taught swordsmanship to, once upon a time.

>Are you OK?

D: Of course. I could capture the lot of them with my eyes closed.

>Why did they do it?

D: It seems they were raised by a group of thieves who we put down five years ago. D: I heard Lady Rhea took custody of them, claiming that the children were innocent. D: I have taken so many lives...and with each one, I face hatred. D: During the last five years especially. My life was not so different from that of a wild beast... D: And that young girl's brother... At some point, I must have... D: That is why I thought it only natural that someone would retaliate someday. D: Because I hated, because I stole, and...because I killed. D: But with those children, it's different... We drew our blades with the best of intentions, only to hurt them in the end.

>I suppose this is yet another thing we will just have to live with.

D: I feel the same way.

>It's part of the job.

D: Yes...

D: As one who chose to fight, it is my responsibility to confront this anguish and the true nature of war... D: Until the day my life comes to an end.

>It is mine as well.

D: Perhaps...

>We can confront it together.

D: Thank you...

D: You know, Professor... There is something that I only recently realized. D: I never knew it could be so...comforting to have someone standing by my side...

——————————————————————————————

s

D: Come now, my friend. You must stop staying up so late. Tomorrow is yet another early morning. D: Then again, I know that matters little. You cannot sleep, can you? Neither can I, of course. D: I... I want you to know I am sorry for making you do so much when your battle wounds aren't even completely healed yet.

>And what of yours?

D: Do not worry about me... My shoulder has healed nicely. I still have some numbness in my hand, but it should not hinder me too much.

>It's awful.

D: Well, I am truly sorry. I only ask that you do not overexert yourself.

D: But I am afraid our burdens will only grow in number. I hope you are prepared for that.

>...

D: It is a lovely night... Is it not? D: How many years has it been since I was kept awake by hopes for the future, rather than by nightmares of the past...

>Nightmares?

D: I have had the same nightmare for nine long years. A nightmare in which I am constantly tormented by those who have died... D: They ask me why I have not avenged them... Why I got to live, yet they had to die... D: No matter how many corpses I piled up for them, in the end, their voices only grew louder. D: Voices loathing me, calling out to me... Their inescapable death cries ringing in my ears...clinging to my soul... D: Even now, I can always hear them. I am certain I will be hearing them until the day I die. D: But I will not cover my ears. I will go on living...and their voices will serve as a warning. D: As a king...and as a wretch who claimed countless lives...I will build a Kingdom where the people can live in peace. D: I am sure she would laugh and call such talk foolish... But I wish to change this world in my own way. D: Well, Your Grace, things will be busy from now on. Our first order of business is tomorrow's coronation. D: Once a professor and student... Now an archbishop and a king. How very far we have come.

>We're still the same.

>Only our titles have changed.

D: That is true. To me, you will always be the one who guided me so kindly. My ally through all. My beloved... D: Yes...my beloved.

>Dimitri...

D: Listen... There is something I wish to give you before the coronation. Give me your hand. D: ... D: Please... I beg of you. Say something! D: If you do not wish to accept it, please just tell me. If so, I will face the truth and walk away.

>That's not it at all...

D: What is this?

>I love you, Dimitri. Marry me.

D: You beat me to it... D: ... D: Yes, I see. Right. In that case, let us exchange them, shall we? D: Your hands... Now that I hold them within my own, I see how small and fragile they are. D: These hands that have saved me countless times... Thank you, my beloved. D: Your kind, warm hands... May they cling to my own forevermore...

——————————————————————————————

paired ending

Paired with the end of the war, the joyous marriage of Byleth, the newly-appointed archbishop, and Dimitri, the newly-crowned king of Faerghus, gave the people of Fódlan much to celebrate. The two were devoted to improving life for the people and to seeking greater wisdom in order to reform the government and the church from the inside out. As leaders of church and state respectively, at times they engaged in heated debate. Even still, when enjoying a long horse ride or a quiet evening, they were not as the world saw them, but rather two adoring spouses, desperately in love. They remained as such for the rest of their days.

——————————————————————————————

night of the ball

D: It’s quiet here, isn't it, Professor? D: That reminds me. Do you know the legend associated with the Goddess Tower?

>I've heard it.

D: Is that right? You don't strike me as the sort to enjoy stories like that.

>I'm not concerned with such things.

D: Just as expected.

D: They say that wishes made in this tower will come true. I wonder who came up with such a silly notion.

>You don't believe it?

D: Legends are legends, nothing more. I doubt there are many who really believe that wishes can be granted. D: The goddess just watches over us from above... That is all. D: No matter how hard someone begs to be saved, she would never so much as offer her hand. D: And even if she did, we lack the means to reach out and grasp it. D: That's how I feel about her. D: In any case... I suppose there's no harm in passing the time with silly legends. What do you say, Professor? Care to make a wish? D: We are here on the night of the ball. Why don't you try wishing for something?

>After you.

>I can't think of anything, so go ahead.

D: A wish of my own... D: I suppose my wish...is for a world in which no one would ever be unjustly taken from us. Or...something along those lines.

>That's a great wish.

>I'll wish for the same.

D: Thank you, Professor. Although, at a time like this... D: Perhaps it would make more sense for me to wish that we'll be together forever. What do you think?

>...

D: ... D: Haha! Well now, Professor! You must admit I've improved in the art of joke telling.

>That's cruel.

D: I'm sorry... I guess that was rather thoughtless of me.

>It didn't sound like a joke.

D: ...

D: Honestly... I do regret saying such a thing. Please think nothing of it. D: I've blurted out irresponsible things like that to my classmates. Promises that we'll see each other again and the like. D: I have no business making such promises for the future. D: There are certain things that I must accomplish, even if it means risking my life. I may not even have a future to promise to someone. D: ... D: We should head back soon. D: It's rude of me to keep you all to myself. D: Shall we, Professor?