#not much longer tho! shes making progress

[rusted-phone-calls]

The day the school treated us to ice cream <3

[rooolt]

free my boy from the shackles of the ugliest athleisure known to man, I know in my soul he could learn how to dress

[autisticsonic]

My take on a Sonadow fankid! She actually existed for a while now, but the trend gave me motivation to finally draw her!

Most sonadow fankids are purplish and tube-grown, so I decided to make her neither!

Background for the story under cut, in case it gets long!

So in this AU, stories from the more recent games happen when Sonic and Shadow are at most around 20 years old. Back then Sonic was rambunctious and reckless as we know him to be, and Shadow was a depressed, traumatized emo kid. While at first they were rivals as depicted in the games.

Over the years tho, just like their friends, the two matured. They started getting along a lot more, and became official friends, which eventually lead to dating. They both were afraid of getting serious though, so they took things slow and casual. Due to some of their unresolved issues, they couldn't get any closer. But not for much longer.

Some of it has been brought on by a Particular Event, and some of it due to restructuring how they go about saving the world, but things changed. As Forces has shown, putting so much responsibility on One Guy isn't wise. Sonic felt so quilty for failing, but it never should've been his job alone, so they created an organization, to share the load more evenly!

The org became global, with local groups of heroes being recruited all around, meaning that now the characters we know and love now had more time to take care of their personal lives.

While for some the change hasn't been much, Sonic, and to a lesser extent, Shadow, struggled quite a lot. Many of things happened in between, but eventually both of them grew to quite enjoy the domestic life.

They moved in together, and started taking things to the next level, now that both have done some healing and therapy. They found that they get along quite great. After a bit longer, they decided to start a family :)

Shadow came up with the name. He wanted to honor his sister's memory, but Mar-Mar was also a symbol of all his progress. He did go to therapy to make sure that he can handle them sharing a name, to see if it's a good idea, and well, it was!

She's now 4 and very loved, and her dads love each other very much as well. For a certain Sonic though, things won't go so great.

[qqueenofhades]

I am FULLY ONBOARD the Harris/Waltz train, tho before this i was leaning towards Mark Kelly (AZ is a swing state! He's an ASTRONAUT!) If you want or have time, no pressure, but any thoughts on what makes Waltz a better pick?

I like Mark Kelly too, and since he's married to Gabby Giffords (having run for public office after she got shot and could no longer do so) he would have been an amazing pick in terms of supporting the first female POTUS. But he is a less charismatic public speaker than Walz (for whatever that's worth, but politics is a mess of Aesthetics and Vibes that matter as much and/or more than actual facts) and more moderate/conservative. He's been a great senator and picking him would defuse some of the BORDER IMMIGRATION BLAH BLAH!!! scaremongering that Republicans love to run on, but it would also leave open the possibility of losing a special election and other dangers with the Democratic senate that we really need to minimize. So Walz is a better choice for that alone, but also:

He really has serious progressive credentials as governor, even if he was a fairly mainstream Democrat (who flipped a rural red House district in Minnesota that Democrats have not been able to win again after he left) during his 12 years in the House. This is an INCOMPLETE LIST of what he was able to do in two years with a one-seat Democratic majority in Minnesota:

A Climate Action Plan that included:

Investing in energy infrastructure

100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 goal

Transition off of fossil fuels and onto clean energy resources

Building more electric vehicle charging stations

Providing funding to help workers acquire new skills through apprenticeship programs in clean energy fields

Direct state funding for transit

Money for rail

Tax credit for e-bikes

Permitting form to fast-track clean energy projects

And that was in addition to:

Codified abortion access in Minnesota

Guaranteed paid sick time and paid family and medical leave

Funded replacing ALL LEAD PIPES IN THE STATE

Free school breakfasts and lunches for all

Made public college free

Stronger labor protections

Drivers’ Licenses for All

Voting Rights Act to reverse recent court rulings that make voting harder, including restored voting rights to convicted felons

Banning medical debt from credit bureaus

The "Taylor Swift Bill" requiring all ticket "junk fees" be shown up front

Banning most "junk fees"

No book bans

Protection for tipped workers

Banned non-competes

Legalized recreational cannabis

Gun control, including increased penalties for straw purchases of firearms, expanded background checks and enacted red-flag laws, passing gun safety measures that the GOP has thwarted for years

Made MN a Trans Refuge State, and required health plans to cover “medically necessary gender-affirming care.”

Pay increase for Uber and Lyft drivers

Elimination of the so-called “gay panic defense”

A ban on “doxxing” election workers

A prohibition on “swatting” elected officials

In March, during the height of the Gaza/uncommitted primary protests against Biden, Walz said that young people should be listened to and they had a right to be speaking up and the situation in Gaza was horrible and intolerable, without directly slamming Biden or getting involved in the issue in a way to draw negative headlines. Regardless of what you think about any of it, that is a very deft way to handle it and pairs well with Kamala's better responsiveness on the Gaza issue overall. That was a big part of the reason why Gen Z/younger voters were very excited about Walz despite him being an "old" (actually the same age as Kamala but he has joked that teaching high school for 20 years will do that to a guy) white guy. If half the battle in politics is making the right pick to excite your core voters and reach out to new ones, then Harris nailed it. As I have said in earlier posts, there was just too much energy with young voters FINALLY checking in when Harris became the candidate, to risk introducing a big ideological split with Shapiro.

Aside from that: the most insufferable Smart White-Bro Political Pundits (TM) are big mad about Walz, many Never Trumper Republicans thought they were entitled to a "moderate" in exchange for oh-so-generously lending us their vote against Trump and not run the risk that we might end up with someone *gasp* progressive, and the regular MAGA Republicans are hysterical, which means they're terrified. It's also incredibly hard to paint Literal Midwestern Stereotype Dad (football coach, social studies high school teacher, military veteran, etc) as THE EVIL END OF AMERICA in the way they desperately want to do, though the fact that they're trying shows that they've got literally nothing. The fact that Kamala picked Walz against the PREVAILING WISDOM!!! that she had to take Shapiro (for whatever reason that might have been) is also a good sign, because by far the most genuine and extensive enthusiasm that I have seen from Democratic voters, especially those feeling burned out or disillusioned or angry with specific policy choices of the current administration, was for Walz. Having everyone excited for the pick beforehand, effectively using the "weird" line, and rallying behind the guy, only for her to actually go for him, is inspiring. It makes people feel like they're being heard and the Democrats have decided to win by being progressive, and not just endlessly Catering To The (Imaginary) Middle as they have always been told to do (and often done). That alone is MASSIVE.

Walz is tremendously funny, personable, has Democrats from AOC to Joe Manchin praising it (again, shocking), was right out the gate supporting Kamala, has already been majorly successful on TV, was by far the most progressive-on-policy picks of the VP finalists, is incredibly, hilariously wholesome and small-town Midwestern (he's the JD Vance that they wish JD Vance was), and is already sending ActBlue gangbusters with donations again. And when you're getting this kind of response on the Cursed Bird Hellsite, just:

Just. I don't know what's happening either. But let's enjoy it, and then work hard, because we gotta fucking do this and for possibly the first time this entire year, I really think we might. Heck yeah.

[almostmylove]

Sleepover with each batfam members

A/n:I did not put in Cassandra or Steph since I don’t know much about them and I don’t want to miss characterize them from the little information I have( I’m going to read the comics soon trust) try to spot my favorite character!!!

None of the pictures belong to me!!!!!!

( you can think of it platonic or romantic i think it works either way🤷‍♀️)expect maybe for Alfred.idk

Summary:you’ve managaed to convince the batfam to take a break for once, lets see how it would go

Alfred👴🕴️

Place: Wayne manor

Its rare for Alfred to take a hour or day off but when asked with those pleading puppy eyes it was hard to say no to the one he considered his child.

He considers you like a children of him tho he does with everyone but more or so with you. But when you first asked him his immediate response was to direct you to dick or something else in the house but you insisted it be him.

Tho initially states that he is “ too old” to be having sleepovers and has a lot of things to do that doesn’t stop him from making your favorite cookies and other snacks( you going along with progress)

Out of curiosity you ask him about his childhood and you guys end up watching shows and movies that he used to watch back in the day. That something else that you never knew about him but he surprising used ( and still) loved telenovelas

Somewhere along the movie or show you fall asleep and wake up in the crips morning of sunrise with food (and freshly baked cookies) at your bedside and a small yet subtle smile from Alfred.

Bruce Wayne🦇

Place: Wayne manor

It's really rare for bruce (cough cough!) batman, to the have the night off but today is different. Most of the villians are locked up and stayed that way

He was planning on working on a case since he still had work but when you asked him he couldn't just refuse since he promised you a long time ago he would make time.( he could take back his promise to you at a perfect time) plus it wasn’t every day that Gotham was quite ( mhmm wierd).

I think he would be type of guy of guy to put action movies and skip to the action part just to analyze them (he woukd never admit but he takes a little bit inspiration from them).

Also Maybe some disney movies for old times sake since he probably liked that before his paresnt died. But he would be attached to them since he got to watch too many and it was more of a new thing back then. ( damn he’s old)

As for snacks probably popcorn for the both of you and a bit of wine for him tho if you want some he would probably serve you some. ( unless you are a child of his or something)

The rest of the night goes pretty well. Sometime the batboys “accidentally” stumble upon your movie and start joining in.

Dick is the first one to join and then the rest come in as if in queue ( in age too). After a while He apologizes and leaves leaving you with the remaining batfam. Alfred stop by and hands you guys some snack in a tray of freshly baked goods.

After the movie is over you excuse yourself to to find Bruce and you find him in the batcave , leaning on the chair and taking a Power Nap. His screen displays a case that recently happen so you leave him be.

You don’t happen to notice that on the very top corner of the monitor is a live video of you and and the batboys watching the movie with you no longer there.

Barbara Gordon💻👩‍🦽‍➡️🦇

Place: Barbara’s house

I have a feeling she would like action horror or romance and if you guys had a hard time choosing one, you would try via coin flip.

Head for horror and tails for romance

HEADS WIN!

You guys ended up watching a horror movie which probably wasn’t a good idea. Gotham was slow and calm which most people would expect you to be relaxed and calm but that made you guys even more worried. Like nurses say “never say it’s a slow night” since it means something big is going to happen

For snacks you guys would definitely order pizza and fries with a side of soda. Probably not the healthiest but who cares a movie night is the perfect time!( you guys would later regret that since you end up spilling food from a jumpscare)

In the end you two end up being too scared and paranoid that you guys ended up watching Barbie

( specifically barbie a Christmas coral and Barbie: a mermaid tale) on dvd and some how falling asleep on the floor, cuddling each other for safety

Listen you might be judging but even tho both of you are skilled, hard to crack people because of your double life , it still doesn’t stop movies from scaring you.

Dick Grayson🤹‍♀️

Place: bludhaven apartment

You guy would definitely have the sleepover in one of his apartment in bludhaven ( my mans rich or daddies movie but it could be his police officer salery🤷‍♀️)

He would like to have everything prepared in advance so that you guys don't have get up and miss parts of the movie. You guys would probably also do skin care like clay mask with the bandana that holds your hair out while gossiping or just talking about stuff and future.

(He definitely tried juggling your skin care products to see if he could still do it. Nope but close enough).

I feel like you guys would be watching a random romantic movie and since none of you guys read the description that one of the main love ingress going to die so you two ended up crying in the end ( him more than you)

For this one he would bring out one of his favorite cereals from his cereal collection which is littered in limited addition cereals.

For snacks Definitely pizza but instead of regular you guys get the spilt one. Half pineapple and half your favorite toppings. He ends up finishing his side and takes some of yours.

Afterwards you guys head to sleep but a new movie pops up peaks your interest ( something about superheros and you guys watch it until he falls asleep.

You bring his drowsy body and place it in his bed and head to sleep yourself

You aren’t too sure why he insisted on having the sleepover even tho he had a long day tomorrow. Well you did mention wanting to have a sleepover but that was months ago

Doesn’t matter tho cuz I’m the morning you woke up with glowing skins( same with Grayson) and an added chain to memories of connections

Jason todd🔫💪

Place: his place and out

In my opinion instead of just hanging out at his house/apartment or at the wayne manner i think he would like to watch a movie in the theater maybe hangout a bit in shops and then go to his place and watch a movie when you guys are cozy and relaxed

This one is a bit complicated but i think he would like to watch a slice of life first. It would only to see how it would look like to live a normal life and worry about normal problems (his death).

•You guys would maybe make home made hot/chile dogs and that was when you fortunately found out that Jason liked to grill. Surprise right?(HE CAN COOK GUYS)

The night would go pretty quickly going movie after movie but then Jason would urge you to go to sleep becuase its bad for your health to to stay up too long. It wasn't fair why'd he have treat you like a child it was only 3 am( same tho)

With reluctance from you and lesson on why sleeping is important from Jason you went to sleep but not before telling him to do the same. He nodded and with a soft hum later back and closed his eyes.

What a lair he was

Tim Drake💻👾

Place:Wayne manor

It didn't take too long to convince this man to have a sleep over with you as he had just finished a project that he had been working on for a week snd wanted a bit if time to relax(shocker. dw guys he just invented a way to teleport lol).

Im not too sure what types of movies he would like but i really think he would like super hero movies or shows and stuff that makes you learn so you guys would maybe put on shows like odd squad or wild krats. after a while you guys would change it to movies like karate kid and all you would hear is Tim cheering for the main character.

You guys would eat a lot of junk for that night like donut, ice cream ( nepolitain icecream), chips, soda etc and of course coffee. One of guys had the bright idea to mix the food together as a small experiment on the side and eat it. Probably not the best idea but at the moment it sounded fun.

Even tho all the hyper foods were severed and you needed a way to take your energy out so what’s better then movement

Just dance and Mario cart it is!

It was a surprise when drake pulled out his Nintendo to play a game snd suggested to play a bit.

You were crushing it at both games , too bad he crushed you at Mario kart but you got your come back in just dance.

it wasn't a surprise that Tim would fall asleep after that despite die to the insane amount of coffee he was running on.( you took away his coffee)

You let him sleep, wrapping a blanket around him and take off any accessories he might have like earbuds and stuff that might hurt him

In the morning it would be Alfred that find you guys and tucks you two into bed . You guys never know that there’s a small photo of that morning in plastered in Alfreds memory book with both of your names at the bottom surrounded by familial names and photos.

Damien Wayne ⚔️🤺

God damn, why was it hard to talk to this boy about.

It took about a whole month of you asking for him to finally but reluctantly gave in. He always said that “sleepovers were a waist of time” when he could be doing his better stuff ( he didn’t have anything better to do)

The sleepover would definitely take place in his room. Like hell he would risk anyone see you guys having a sleepover especially by dick (he would tease him none stop)

The words that he would say over and over again were "sleep overs are for kids, very childish i would never be caught watching a cheesy kids story". Little did he know what you had in store for him.

When you started putting on the lion king he stood up and almost left. If it wasnt for alfred pointing out how he had accepted the deal and couldn't back out now or he wouldn’t be up to the Wayne standers. ( Alfred’s the best). That seem to hurt his ego a bit and grumply sat down next to you

He sat very reluctantly and seemed very disinterested for the start of it until scar killed mufasa ( scar kinda reminded him of his gramps, maybe just the looks?)

After that he locked in like crazy maybe even being more interested in the movie then you.

Alfred would make some Sabich Sandwich ( vegan? This do before batcow)

You'd definitely fall asleep like 3/4 into the movie and Damien would let you. He couldn’t let you see the rang of emotions he went through in those few minutes.

In the morning you woke up in Your bed with a note on your bedside table, reading a great time watching and a possible discussion on the events of the movie+ an invitation by him to another movie night in secret

He wouldn’t be able to live if Jon or his brothers teased him on it or worse started to join

For next time is waiting to watch zootopia or maybe something else?

[fairiesheart]

I swear alot of the other ships are moving so far along in terms of romantic development. Gray and Juvia both mutually have feelings for each other and it’s just a matter of time for Gray to verbalize those feelings to Juvia and make them official. Jellal and Erza are also moving forward with their relationship (we just need to have Jellal hopefully join the Fairy Tail guild so then he and Erza can no longer be separated from each other) their only issue is mainly due to them not being around each other as much. With Gajeel and Levy they became canon during the final arc of the series and 100 year quest only adds to their dynamic showing people how happy they are to become parents and showing us how their lives are now as a canon couple.

However with Nalu there are hints of Lucy having romantic feelings for Natsu (even tho she continues to deny them) and Natsu himself just still remaining oblivious to romance. But I think with them it feels like the overall ship hasn’t progressed the way the other two soon to be canon pairings have. I think it would be nice to at least have one of them confirm that they do have romantic feelings for the other at least soon in the manga so then we can see more progression for these two. Idk if anyone feels a similar way but Nalu just feels like (despite how strong the ship is; we haven’t made much change since the end of the main series ☹️)

[ihavemanyhusbands]

The Wine of Your Blood

Also on AO3

A/N: As usual, thank you to G <3

Pairing: Father Paul/Monsignor Pruitt x Fem!Reader

Summary: After Father Paul's transformation, he is tormented by a hunger only you can quell.

WC: 5.1k words

Warnings: 18+ ONLY!, vampirism, blood drinking, religious imagery and symbolism (I'm not a religious expert tho I grew up catholic, sorry if I used wrong terms), canon divergence, hierophilia, corruption, graphic depictions of sex and some violence, unprotected sex (do not try at home), cunnilingus, ummm let me know if I missed anything pls!!

------------

The silhouette was there again, shrouded in a thick fog that rolled in from the tempestuous sea. It was tall and statuesque, like the guard of some mythical place – monstrous and terrible. Golden light blazed behind it, flickering like an ardent flame. Or like a beacon, slicing through the night’s darkness and calling you home.

You could not see its eyes, and yet you could feel the prickle of an assessing gaze. The siren-like lure was undeniable, and for a moment you could understand why sailors jumped into the sea with total abandon. 

But you were not afraid. You’d seen this apparition for various nights now, like an omen, even if you didn’t really believe in that sort of thing.

The real questions were: What was it presaging?

And why, especially, did it feel so inevitable?

————-

You awoke, as you often did in the late fall, to a gentle rain. As the day progressed, you knew it would grow in intensity, but for now, there was peace and quiet.

You stared at the drops trailing down your window like glistening tears of melancholy. The milky white early morning sky was the same as it ever was, casting a thin, watery light on everything.

When you finally pulled yourself out of bed, you peeked into your grandmother’s room to find her still out, snoring softly. Her breaths no longer sounded like wet, raspy gurgles, which made you sag with abundant relief. 

Sarah had diagnosed her with a mild case of pneumonia the previous week, but even so you knew things could turn for the worse on a whim. Your grandmother was nearing ninety, and while she had always been a sturdy woman, her body could only take so much now.

For a minute, you were seriously starting to consider getting in touch with the new priest, Father Paul, once again to talk last rites. For your grandmother’s sake, you wished Monsignor Pruitt could have performed them, but he was still recovering in the mainland.

But that all would be a problem for another day, given that she was doing much better. 

Still, she had adamantly refused to miss mass, and while she wasn’t strong enough to leave the house, Father Paul had been gracious enough to swing by for a house visit on Sunday.

He seemed like a fine man, soft-spoken, amiable, and welcoming. Not to mention, he had quite a charming way about him, especially when he laughed. Perhaps you shouldn’t be taking notice of that, but you couldn’t help it, despite how conflicted you felt in his presence.

There was something vaguely familiar in his dark eyes you couldn’t place — something that seemed far older, perhaps wiser, but definitely weathered. At times, prolonged eye contact with him seemed daunting, but you attributed it to your general wariness of strangers.

He hadn’t been at Crockett for very long, but you appreciated the effort he seemed to be making with everyone on the island, but especially with your grandmother. There had to be some way you could repay his kindness… perhaps in the form of a homemade treat.

You padded over to the kitchen to make some coffee, rummaging through the cupboards to see if you had all the ingredients to make some banana bread. 

You spent the rest of the morning cooking, your grandmother’s small house warm and permeated with the sweet, enticing smell of baking bread. You got ready after that, making sure your grandmother ate some breakfast and took her medicine before you headed out. 

Gravel crunched under your rain boots as you trudged over to the Monsignor’s house, where Father Paul was currently residing. You nodded in greeting at passerby, stopping only to spare a few words with Leeza Scarborough, who was on her front porch reading.

When you arrived at the house, the curtains were drawn and there seemed to be no lights on inside. You frowned in slight confusion, given that it was past noon. Perhaps he was out and about, but with so few residents on the island, you surely would have seen him.

You stepped up onto his porch, hesitating for a moment before knocking on the door.

“Father Paul?” You called tentatively. 

No answer. You tried knocking again, waiting for another few minutes.

When you were about to give up, you kneeled to set down the tupperware, and the door suddenly opened to reveal Beverly. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing you there and you quickly straightened.

“Oh, Beverly,” you said as a form of greeting. “Sorry, just wanted to drop something off for Father Paul. As a thank you.”

She cleared her throat, hands clasping in front of her. “I’m afraid Father Paul has fallen ill and is currently indisposed for visitors…”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” you said sympathetically, further confused by the slight worry you felt at the news. “I can just give this to you, then. I’ll talk to him when he’s better.”

“How nice of you to do this,”  Beverly smiled tightly, eyebrows raising just a little. “I’m sure he’ll really appreciate it, though I’m not sure if his stomach will be able to take it right now… Oh, I just hope it doesn’t go bad.”

You gave her a wry, uncomfortable smile in return. “It’s the thought that counts, right? Erm… I’m just glad he’s got someone to take care of him.”

“He’s in good hands, I assure you,” she nodded. “Mine, and the Lord’s, of course.”

You nodded in return, starting to back away slowly. “Right. Well, can you tell him my grandmother sends her regards?”

“Of course, I will let him know. Good day now.”

And with that, she shut the front door. You shook your head and let out a sigh, glancing only once back at the house as you walked away.

—————

For once, the night was clear. The stars and the waxing moon were visible, keeping you company as you stepped off your porch. The air was fresh and crisp, smelling faintly of petrichor. 

You stretched a little as you looked up at the sky, thanking whoever was up there for letting the rain cease for the time being. It seemed like forever since you’d last been able to go out for a nighttime jog, no one around to talk to or look presentable for. It was the perfect time to clear your mind, now that a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders. 

You started down the gravel road, the wind whistling in your ears. Your legs kept a steady rhythm, the old houses of all your neighbors whizzing past your field of vision. You passed by the school and the convenience store, winding away from the main town area towards the harbor. 

The moon’s reflection made the black waves glitter, endless, ominous, and hauntingly beautiful. You stopped for a moment near the pier, looking beyond the water at all the distant lights of the mainland. So close, and yet so far. 

Sure, you yearned for all the mainland had to offer – an entire world that wasn’t just bite-sized, predictable, safe. But you could not yield to those selfish fantasies, not while someone who gave you so much throughout your life now required your help. You closed your eyes and breathed in the salty breeze.

Perhaps someday…

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?”

The familiar voice made you almost jump out of your skin. You whirled around to find Father Paul a few feet behind you, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. Maybe you’d been so distracted that you hadn’t heard him approach, but it still felt eerie.

“Oh, I’ve startled you, I’m so sorry,” he said with a nervous chuckle. 

You placed a hand on your chest as if to placate your racing heart. “It’s okay, Father. I just wasn’t really expecting to see anyone, is all.”

“Especially not the priest, right?” he raised an eyebrow, which made you huff in amusement.

“Guess I just thought you didn’t come out at night.”

He smiled lopsidedly, looking down and clearing his throat slightly. “You know, I think I’m becoming more partial to nighttime. I guess you could say I’m an insomniac.”

“All that weight on your conscience?” You said as he approached, standing next to you. 

“Something like that,” he sighed, now looking off into the distance. “Thank you for the bread. It was delicious.”

You shrugged it off modestly. “Grandma’s recipe. I’m just glad she’s right as rain again. Maybe… Your prayers helped. It’s what she insists on, anyway.”

He shook his head, a loose dark curl brushing his forehead. “That’s much too kind of her.”

You assessed his profile for a moment. “How are you feeling, Father? You were out for a few days, too.”

“I definitely needed some fresh air. Now, I’m much better,” he said with a smile, meeting your gaze. “I could not stay cooped in that house any longer. I’m really looking forward to our next mass.”

You said nothing, unsure of how to respond. Despite the fact that you’d grown up religious, you weren’t really practicing anymore. Sometimes you’d accompany your grandmother to sermons, but you often tried to find excuses to skip them.

So far, you had only been to one of Father Paul’s, and you had to admit there was something rapturous about his speeches. They were not only engaging, but the passion behind them was sort of infectious. You even caught yourself leaning forward in your seat, which you quickly corrected. 

It only added to the confusion of how you felt about this man, but such a mystery was undeniably alluring.

“Will you be joining us?” He asked. “No pressure if not, but it’d be nice to see you there.”

“Ah, is that what this is? You’re trying to convert me or something?”

“You’re very clever,” he observed, his grin broadening. “But no, that's not all it is. Part of it, sure, but I don’t want you to miss out on something really special.”

You couldn’t help the slight blush that spread across your cheeks, your heartbeat suddenly spiking once again. His easy, confident smile faltered for a moment, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. The bestial hunger that had been tormenting him for days, rendering him weak and sickly, flared inside of him. 

“T-think on it, but like I said, no pressure on my part,” he added quickly, gasping a little as if he lacked air.

You nodded, failing to notice how he slowly clenched and unclenched his fists. His muscles were taut with self-restraint, rooting him to the spot. Luckily, you moved first, taking a step back. 

“Alright, thank you for the invite. Um…I should probably finish my jog and head back home,” you said, gesturing behind you. “Don’t get in too late, Father. You don’t want to catch another cold.”

————

Despite the fact that he was a passionate speaker, you had never seen Father Paul so worked up. 

He started by speaking about eternity and how hard it was to visualize it. The fire inside him was stoked as he spoke of God’s gifts, his miracles and his mysteries. How they were something tangible, something within reach of every grasping hand… even if one couldn’t understand them.

Then the fire turned into a feverish glint in his eyes, his skin paling considerably. He stumbled over his words, pausing to keep nausea at bay. Sweat broke out across his forehead, and he dabbed at it with a handkerchief. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said, clearing his throat. “Just a little dizzy spell, but I’m fine now.”

Still, he braced his hand on the pulpit. You noticed Beverly was also leaning forward in her seat, ready to spring to action if need be. That was all the confirmation you needed that something was wrong.

But for a moment, as he continued talking, things seemed to settle. You relaxed in your seat, folding your hands on your lap.

“No abstracts. No colorful exaggerations. No. ‘Rebirth’, ‘Second chances’, ‘E-eternal li…’”

His eyes rolled to the back of his skull as his words faded into a shuddery exhale. He collapsed onto the floor, thudding heavily down the steps as the panicked voices of the congregation rose in volume.

Beverly reached him first, of course, but you knelt at his side only moments after. You hadn’t even registered you were running until you got there, cradling his head in your hands.

And even if he was unconscious, you could’ve sworn he leaned closer to your touch.

—---------

It was an audacious plan, you knew that well enough. Still, that clarity didn’t stop you from attempting to go through with it. 

As soon as Sarah Gunning arrived to attend to Father Paul, Beverly had kicked everyone out, holding firm even as you insisted you wanted to stay. Her stubborn will was infuriating, but perhaps also commendable, in a way. You had to bite back a few bitter words as you left, but that didn’t mean you intended to stay away.

You waited for her to leave Father Paul’s house, which didn’t happen until after the sun had set. Even when you couldn’t hear her receding footsteps any longer, you waited a few more minutes before approaching the front door. 

You raised your fist to knock, but the door suddenly opened to reveal a haggard-looking Father Paul. There were dark crescents hanging from his eyes and his skin was so pale it was almost translucent. 

For his sake, you held back from gasping, but he could still see worry written across your features.

“It’s like you knew I was coming,” you said with a small smile. 

“Keen senses,” he said softly. “Would you like to come in?”

You hesitated, despite the fact that a ‘yes’ was on the tip of your tongue. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. Gave us a real scare earlier.”

He swallowed hard, closing his eyes for a moment as if staving off an ache deep within him. In the dim light, you noticed the corners of his lips were a dark red. For a moment you wondered if he’d been drinking the sacramental wine.

“It may not seem like it but… better,” he said, mustering a small smile. “I fear I-I may owe you an explanation.”

“Oh, Father Paul, you don’t…”

“Please, I insist. I can make us some tea, if you’d like,” his voice dropped into the faintest whisper. “Just, stay. Please.”

The desperation in his voice gave you pause. You searched his face for the answer to a question you didn’t dare ask, and perhaps you deluded yourself into believing you found it. 

You nodded, crossing the threshold and taking off your shoes. You heard him shuffle about in the kitchen, and you wrung your hands nervously as you glanced around the small, austere rectory. 

This was wholly improper, you knew, but you felt a magnetic sort of pull towards him that was getting harder to resist. It was easy to deny it at first, brushing it off as curiosity and excitement over having a newcomer on the island. 

Most were wary, but you… you wondered if he could be your link to the rest of the world. Your appetite for that dream was only whetted, closer to your fingertips than ever.

“Water’s boiling,” he said as he came into the living room. “Sit, please, make yourself comfortable.”

Obediently, you did as told. There was a palpable tension in the atmosphere that made your skin prickle. He sat across from you, gripping the armrests of the chair as he adjusted himself, unable to find a comfortable position.

“I have to insist that you owe me no explanation, Father. I just worry about your… condition,” you said.

“It’s no ordinary ailment. I think you’ve sensed that already, haven’t you?”

You nodded, unsure of where he was going with this, but willing to listen. 

He continued. “You have witnessed miracles here on the island. Things that you can’t explain and yet are so clear to your eyes. Were you listening to my homily earlier?”

“Yes, Father,” you said, even if you’d only been half-listening. 

But he was speaking the truth, if Leeza Scarborough was any indication. She had risen from her wheelchair just a few days prior, no longer in need of it. Since then, you’d seen other changes around Crockett, some of them more subtle than others. 

You clasped your hands on your lap to keep from moving them. “You mean to say you’ve brought about these miracles?”

He smiled patiently, indulgently. In this light, his eyes seemed darker than you’d ever seen, like two chasms you could get lost in.

“No, not me. God. I am merely a vessel for His glory, and all of the gifts He wishes to impart on us,” he said, leaning forward slightly and resting his forearms on his knees. “On you in particular.” 

“Me?” You blinked, genuinely surprised. “What sort of gift?”

“The gift of life anew. Rebirth. A holy transfiguration, if you will.”

His gaze was fixed on the way your throat worked as you swallowed hard, on edge despite your curiosity being piqued.

“You see, I was visited by an angel. Larger than life, with a greater wingspan than even an albatross. It was utterly magnificent… as well as horrifying. I was afraid at first, of course, for we all fear things that are unknown to us. I was on the brink of death regardless, but see me now, restored, in my prime!”

You frowned, a myriad of questions on the tip of your tongue, but then Father Paul doubled over, clutching his stomach. His dark brows were furrowed from the influx of pain and you instinctively rose to help, but he lifted a hand to stop you.

“But to be reborn, the old self must be destroyed, and thus… and thus it is not an easy road to walk,” he rasped.

You knelt beside him, concerned and abundantly confused all at once. “What do you need? How can I help you ease this pain?”

He looked at you from the corner of his eye, pleading, desperate. Like a wounded animal, almost. You wondered if he, too, might bare his teeth in warning.

“There is this hunger inside of me that I cannot seem to dispel. I-I fear it threatens to consume me,” he swallowed hard, straightening into a sitting position once more. “God asks terrible things of us sometimes, but I cannot help but think this is a test of my strength. My will.”

“I want to help,” you said softly, so softly, daintily placing a hand on his knee. 

But his ears were keen, as he’d said, and he heard you perfectly fine. Still, his eyes – glazed over in pain and hunger and desire – searched yours for any sign of doubt. Instead, he found resolve, as well as a very clear distress at seeing him suffer so much. 

Oh, pious, gentle little lamb. What a good heart you had. The idea that your blood might taste just as sweet made his head spin, his beastly hunger lashing out inside of him.

His hands cradled your face, thumb tracing your cheekbone ever so slightly. You found yourself leaning into his touch, too entranced by him to think objectively about the morality of the whole thing. The charge in the atmosphere changed into something more taut, all too close to snapping.

“You do not know what you are offering,” he said, holding fast to his self-restraint even as his mouth watered. 

“Maybe you could show me, then.”

A slight chuckle escaped his lips at your eagerness, one of his hands leaving your face to pat his thigh. “Come, would you like to sit here? Perhaps I shall whisper it in your ear.”

You started to lift yourself, but then hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Sure as I’ll ever be of anything, my dear,” he assured, his smile momentarily taking on a certain edge, like that of a wolf’s.

You situated yourself on his legs gingerly, closer to his knees, but he brazenly grabbed you by the hips and pulled you closer. You gasped, a tingle forming between your shoulder blades and slowly crawling down your spine.

“You’re so warm,” he murmured, closing his eyes as he relished the feeling, his arms circling your waist to keep you from squirming. “I hope you didn’t catch a fever from me.”

“I-I didn’t realize this was the sort of hunger you were referring to, Father,” you said tremulously, more heat sparking in your lower abdomen.

He traced his nose against the bare skin of your arm. “Not quite, but it’s making your heart race, isn’t it?”

You couldn’t help the blush that crept to your cheeks, silently willing your heart to slow as it hammered insistently against your ribcage. Tenderly, he brushed your hair off your shoulder, exposing your neck. Instinctively, you tilted your head back, showing more of it. 

He hummed in approval, licking his lips. “Here, just a little taste first.”

He grabbed one of your hands, bringing it to his face. He kissed the tip of your index finger before taking some of it into his mouth. His inky black eyes held your gaze as you suddenly felt a painful prick on your digit that made you gasp once more. 

He groaned softly, holding your wrist as he lapped at the thin rivulet of blood. The mere sight paralyzed you for a moment, but it’d be a lie to say it didn’t make your cunt throb. 

And to make matters worse, the small rush of shame that followed this realization only seemed to turn you on more. Without thinking, you raked your free hand in his hair, tugging his head towards you. 

“Do it,” you rasped, your tone dangerously close to begging. “Please.”

“God bless you,” he said deliriously, clasping you tighter against his chest. “Oh, God bless you. I-I want to make it good for you, too.”

He buried his face in the crook of your neck, breathing you in and letting out another weak sound at your dizzying warmth. You shuddered and he scented a small note of fear as you tightened your grip on his hair. He shushed softly, soothingly, his lips ghosting over a quivering vein.

When his teeth first pierced the sensitive flesh, you let out a pained mewl as all of your muscles seized. Then — as fast as it had come — the pain vanished and you went slack against him. Stars danced in your vision as you felt the vibration of his groan against your throat.

Every single one of your nerve endings was alight with pleasure, which only seemed to grow in intensity.

Without you really noticing, your hips rocked back and forth, clothed cunt dragging against his leg in short, desperate movements that made your eyes roll to the back of your skull. He gripped one of your hips tightly, guiding your movements with urgency.

In the kitchen, the kettle started whistling loudly just as an orgasm hit you like a freight train, rattling your very bones. You felt yourself melting in a way you never had before, toeing the line between life and death. You’d have gladly gone to heaven in that moment – or hell, for that matter – if fate so decided. He held you steady throughout, running a soothing hand up and down your spine.

Just when exhaustion began to creep in from the blood loss, he painstakingly pulled away, his mouth stained crimson. He looked drunken and dazed, like he was caught in between dreams. But he also seemed less frail, and definitely more alert, pupils fully dilated. 

“Thank you,” he breathed, gazing at you adoringly. Reverently, even. 

Diligently, he lapped at the weeping puncture wounds. His lips left a smear behind as he kissed your collarbone, hands ripping at your blouse to expose more flesh. Panting, you tried to undo the buttons of his shirt with shaking fingers, but he stopped you.

“Lovely, eager thing. We’ll get there. Let me take care of you first,” he murmured against your sternum. 

He tore any garment that stood in his way fervently, until you were practically naked in his lap. Your back arched, taut as a bow, as he continued leaving sanguine kisses in his wake. He hauled you into his arms with preternatural strength as he stood up. Instinctively, you wrapped your legs around his waist as he carried you into his bedroom, laying you down on the bed gently. 

There, standing over you, he seemed every bit the statuesque figure that plagued your dreams.  His eyes glinted in the half-dark,  reflecting the moonlight spilling in through the window. He sank to his knees as if preparing for prayer, his grin hungry as he hooked his arms around your thighs and pulled you to the edge of the bed.

“Come here, little lamb. My most precious sacrifice. My hunger for you has not nearly been sated,” he said, licking his lips. “I am yet to make a feast of you.”

A kiss on your navel that had you shaking all over again. If you had come so hard without so much as a caress, you couldn’t imagine the delirium of his mouth where you ached for it most. Perhaps then, you would truly cross the line for good. 

He discarded the last garment covering you, revealing your glistening, slippery cunt for his appraisal.  He made an agonized sound, ducking his head immediately to kiss your inner thigh. The tip of his tongue traced your skin just a little bit, getting a taste of your divine essence. 

He knew then and there that he was utterly lost; That he would no longer know a  greater devotion than this. What a perfect altar for him to worship you, the cradle of your thighs.  It took all of his willpower not to sink his teeth into your femoral artery and drain you further, until all of your blood mingled with his. 

Another day, perhaps, when you’d recovered some.

Instead, he finally licked a long, languid stripe through your soaked folds. With a low moan, his mouth latched onto your overly sensitive bundle of nerves, making your entire body jerk. He gripped your thighs harder as you squirmed, your fingers burying in his dark curls and holding on for dear life.

You hadn’t expected him to be so good at it, but then again, it was a night of surprises. Not that you could ever complain, anyway. Your wanton moans only encouraged him further, his lips and tongue and even the slightest graze of his teeth making you buck and arch on the mattress. 

Once more, you felt a tidal wave begin to form, making your breath come out in sharp little exhales. But you didn’t want to let go again quite yet, at least not like this, with so much distance between your bodies.

You resorted to pleading, attempting to pull his head back. “F-Father wait, please, I want—”

“Don’t hold back from me,” he urged hoarsely, between licks. “Come on, give me one more. I’ll reward you doubly, I promise.”

You began to protest once more, but with an expert swirl of his tongue, the wave finally crested. Violently crashing against the rocks of your sanity. Your eyes searched for heaven again at the back of your head, mouth falling slack in rapture. He made sure you rode it all the way through, softly murmuring praises.

You lay there spent, chest heaving with great, deep breaths. He chuckled, both amused and inexplicably fond at the sight of you so undone. He pulled back to make quick work of his clothes, smears of dry blood further darkening his black shirt.

“I fear you might be turning me into a glutton,” he said, removing his collar and setting it down on the nightstand. 

Your eyes trailed his fingers as he unbuttoned his shirt, and you gave him a weak, teasing smile. “You are not the only insatiable creature here, Father.”

“I see that now,” he grinned, his canines all too sharp. “What a great gift He has bestowed upon me, bringing you here.”

His jeans were next to go, merely kicked to one side, and his body slid over yours in a warm embrace. Then finally, mercifully, his lips found yours in a slow, searing kiss. It was the last piece missing from the puzzle that connected you; The last nail on the coffin of your fate.

You tasted yourself on his tongue,  moaning into his mouth as you cupped the back of his head. Ankles crossed behind his back, pressing down, silently urging him closer. He guided himself into you, moving slowly so you could get used to the stretch. There was a growl low in his throat as he bottomed out, and his kiss became fiercer. Possessive, even.

The only sound in the dimly lit room was that of flesh slapping together lewdly as he quickened his pace, your sharp breaths and wistful sighs. The way he whispered your name like a prayer as he nearly dissolved with passion. It was then that you broke the kiss, tilting your head to the side as his lips chased yours in a dreamlike, desperate state. You shifted, baring your throat for him to ravage once more.

“Just like this,” you murmured, eyelashes fluttering over your cheekbones as you readied yourself. “I’m yours.”

“Only a little more,” he promised, kissing the base of your neck before tracing his way up with his nose. 

A gasp, and then you were submerged in that languid, morphine state. Ecstasy hit him like lightning, and he was no longer able to hold back. He trembled against you as he came, crushing you tighter to him, buried to the hilt. You felt heat flooding you as he sealed the puncture wounds again, lips finding yours right after.

He rolled off of you only to tuck you both in, drawing you close and kissing the top of your head. His onyx eyes scanned your beatific features, wonder and amazement written all over his own. 

“The night suits you, my dear,” he said, wiping strands of your hair away from your sweat-dotted face. “Perhaps it would be less lonesome with you around...” 

He seemed truly vulnerable in that moment, smaller, entirely human. Eyebrows pinched together in consternation, lips pursed with some guilt at his actions. You snuggled even closer, leeching off his body heat. If anything, seeing this side of him, complex and familiar in a way you instinctively understood, reassured you.

“Will you take my hand and guide me through it?” You asked, voice low and wistful.

He nodded, lacing his fingers through yours. “Through the valley of the shadow of death and beyond. There is still so much for you to see,  and the gift of time is at our disposal. Isn’t that a lovely thought?”

Yes, yes it was. Comforting enough to finally drift into dreams of the stars beyond the horizon.

[momentov1vere]

Assigning PJO/ HoO characters to Knights Radiant orders (+ my reasoning)

I put too much thought into this not to share it somewhere so here’s a sort-of character analysis that is much longer than it needs to be (bc I was bored and stuck in a car for 10 hours) :)

Not sure how much of a crossover there is between the PJO and Stormlight Archive fandoms but this was mostly for fun (and I want to see what happens lol)

Here we go!

——————————————————————————

🔱 Percy Jackson : Stoneward

The powers don’t rly fit (Cohesion- manipulating objects at a molecular level- & Tension- changing the stiffness of something) but none of the Radiants have water powers so 🤷‍♀️

Loyalty is pretty much the #1 belief of the Stonewards (“Though sometimes gregarious, they are never flighty. If a Stoneward is your friend, they will be there for you”) and Percy’s fatal flaw is literally loyalty so that’s that

Percy is said to be one of the best fighters seen like anywhere in a long time and Stonewards are the order that is viewed as the best soldiers of the Radiants

They like a challenge and will often take on more than they can handle (like Percy choosing to take on the Great Prophecy)

Stonewards are also good at being able to find a solution to a difficult situation with only few resources and Percy often comes up with things on the fly/ improvises

I struggled SO MUCH picking one for Percy oh my god he had similarities to like half of them (I almost made him a Bondsmith or a Windrunner but they didn’t seem right)

🦉 Annabeth Chase : Elsecaller

Powers : Transformation (changing an object into something else- aka ‘Soulcasting’) and Transportation (looking/moving between realms); Annabeth likes creating new things (architecture) so there’s a bit of a connection to the Transformation power even tho she doesn’t really have powers

Elsecallers are always trying to reach their full potential, like how Annabeth is always be seen trying to learn new things and become the best version of herself

They are regarded as the ‘wisest’ Radiant order (just like Annabeth/ the Athena cabin are viewed as the ‘wisest’ demigods)

Annabeth always has her goals in mind but also always trying to lead and encourage others (like Damasen) which is common amongst Elsecallers

🐐 Grover Underwood : Edgedancer

Powers: Abrasion (altering the friction between surfaces) & Progression (quickly growing organic objects faster than normal- including plants, skin, body tissue, etc.)

He’s able to make plants grow faster using his magic reed pipe so that would translate into Progression

Abrasion would kind of fit for him too, bc of the goat legs (he’s able to navigate more difficult terrain than humans)

Edgedancers care about the ordinary/ overlooked people of the world and spend most of their time making sure those people are protected. Grover cares deeply about nature/ animals and always tries to protect them bc humans often deem nature unimportant (nature = ordinary people in this scenario)

☠️ Nico di Angelo : Dustbringer

Powers: Division (control over destruction/ decay) and Abrasion

I don’t know if Nico has anything that really fits the Abrasion power- except for maybe the fact that his shadow travel helps him get places quickly- but Division is definitely similar to his power over death/ earthy materials

Dustbringers typically don’t get along with others (including people in their own order) because of personality differences and stereotypes about their powers like how Nico is often ostracized at first bc he scares people

☀️ Will Solace : Edgedancer

Powers: Abrasion & Progression

Will is a healer so Progression would be a good power for him to have; while he doesn’t have any powers similar to Abrasion I think it would be useful for him to have to get to injured people faster

Will cares about everyone and will do his best to heal anyone because he doesn’t want anyone to suffer, and he doesn’t just focus on the powerful demigods- he makes sure to lend his power anywhere it’s needed

Fighting is not the the Edgedancers’ main concern, preferring to protect/help the injured (especially people who aren’t necessarily warriors) and Will also is more like a wartime medic than a fighter (though he- and the Edgedancers- can fight if necessary)

They want to see and understand both sides of something, even their enemies, rather than seeing everything in black and white. Will struggled with this in TSATS but eventually realized that places like the Underworld aren’t necessarily just about death/decay, but are also about life

🌩️ Jason Grace : Windrunner

Well first of all the man flies and that’s basically what the Windrunners do lol

Their powers: Adhesion (temporarily sticking two objects together) and Gravitation (changing the direction/ strength of something’s gravitational pull)

He cares a lot about protecting innocents/ the defenseless and keeping his friends safe which is a main idea of the Windrunners

Windrunners are very militaristic in general and Jason was raised by the wolves and the Romans to be that way as well

Tempest would be his windspren & prefer a horse form cus they can do that (I think)

⚡️ Thalia Grace : Windrunner

I know she hates flying but I don’t think it’s really a requirement of the Windrunners to ‘fly’; they mostly just change the direction/amount of gravity that’s pulling on them so she could find creative ways to use Gravitation (walking on walls/ceilings which then appear to be the floor to her, etc)

The Hunters of Artemis are pretty militaristic as well (they have a specific leader & ways of doing things, similar to the Romans)

Thalia cares about innocent people/creatures and is very protective over the people she cares about (Annabeth, the Hunters, etc)

Windrunners tend to attract “big-sibling types” and Thalia is definitely a big sibling type lol

🏹 Frank Zhang : Stoneward

Powers don’t rly fit him either but personality-wise I think it’s right

Frank is really loyal to his friends (sometimes to the point of attacking/fighting people more powerful than him to save them) and will always be there for them both in battle and for personal issues

He’s pretty good at improvising and his shapeshifting allows him to come up with creative solutions (turning into an iguana to get out of the Chinese handcuffs lol)

He’s also pretty quick to come up with creative solutions without many resources (using his firewood to free Thanatos when there was no other heat source, etc.)

💎 Hazel Levesque : Lightweaver

Powers : Illumination (illusions) and Transformation

Hazel learned how to manipulate the mist from Hecate, essentially giving her illusion powers, & she can change the shape of earthly materials (can’t change the material but it’s close enough to Transformation); this is one case where I almost made her a Stoneward but Lightweaver just fit better for everything else I think

Lightweavers are the ‘artistic’ order and attract people who love art/ creativity (Hazel is an artist)

They tend to not follow rules the way other orders do, instead choosing to reach their goals by their own means (ex. Hazel choosing to go her own way and make her own choices rather than taking one of the paths Hecate gave her in HoH)

🔥 Leo Valdez : Dustbringer

Same as Nico; both of them being Dustbringers would be an example of contrasting/ clashing personalities within the order

Fire is definitely a destructive ability similar to Division (they can burn things) and without a level of control (which Dustbringers need to learn before they can advance their powers) things could get bad (and have- rip Esperanza Valdez)

Leo hasn’t really been ostracized for his personality like Dustbringers could be but his powers originally made people scared (they didn’t know he had them at the time but his cabinmates did say a that having that power was dangerous and they hoped no one would ever have it again so he took that a little personally)

🗡️ Reyna Ramirez-Arellano : Bondsmith

She’d be bonded to the Stormfather (1 of 3 beings who can gift Bondsmith abilities), allowing her to generate Stormlight and infuse other Radiants with it; this is incredibly draining and similar to Reyna’s ability to share her strength

Bondsmiths’ main focus is unity/ bringing people together and Reyna definitely spends a lot of time attempting to unite the Roman and Greek camp (after all, she did spend an entire book helping Nico and Coach Hedge get the Athena Parthenos back to CHB as a peace offering)

Bondsmith powers aren’t typically used for fighting but rather for assisting other Radiants and keep them fighting; Reyna is skilled with weapons but doesn’t use her powers to fight, only to help others keep up their strength/ motivation

🕊️ Piper McLean : Lightweaver

Piper had some personal things that she had to work out (lying to her friends in TLH, etc) before she fully embraced her power, & Lightweavers have to come to terms with truths about themselves before they can progress as people & as Radiants

There aren’t really any Radiant orders that work with manipulation magic so it’s hard to bring the Charmspeak in but the illusion magic Lightweavers have does allow them to change their appearance, so I’d imagine her using it to make herself super beautiful for espionage purposes or smth (maybe using it to transform into someone’s loved one?)

Transformation would allowed her to turn something into something else (etc. mud to food) which kind of relates to her cornucopia & how it makes food out of nothing

——————————————————————————

Hooray we made it to the end!! Sorry that this was so long, I had a looong time to think about this and wanted to get all my thoughts down

I mostly used coppermind.net and the descriptions of the Radiant orders on Sanderson’s website so some of this info may be a little inaccurate but this was just for fun lol

[reegis]

More Hadeon lore?? I love them sm

aaaa i love to talk about my dumb babies dont give me any excuse..

She’s actually part of like. a whole Thing. which i will now ramble about for ENTIRELY too long, so ill put it under the cut

ahhh im so bad at explaining things even tho theres like. a lot of lore & worldbuilding (by my standards anyways)

but basically all of my angel & demon OCs are part of an idea i have for an rpg/ttrpg?? set in a world where God, angels and demons all exist in the world, mainly in a sort of eldritch sense. God has essentially gone missing for thousands of years - with only scattered miracles to occasionally make Its presence known - and in Its absence, the angels have taken on their own warped interpretation of Its edict while the demons have wreaked havoc, and both have entwined themselves very heavily into human society (mostly to humanity’s detriment).

The players would create a character (human((religious, cult, or agnostic)), fallen angel, redemption demon, etc) that would give them certain skill sets/abilities/affinities depending on their choices, but the overall goal of the game is to Meet/Find God (and your characters reason for this would vary)

The continent in the game is basically one enormous mountain range, with the peaks actually reaching the heavens (think like olympus) with those living closer to the peaks being basically ultra religious societies who still believe God is there and everything that happens is still somehow part of Its plan, and those at the base and few small surrounding islands (which deal with much more demonic corruption and angelic attacks) doubting It still exists, and becoming home to fringe groups of cults creating their own deities (sometimes literally) and agnostics.

Players would meet somewhere at the base and progress up the mountain, and - depending on their group make-up - meet angels and demons along the way, both of which could potentially be foes or allies.

The angels exist in a hierarchy, with the seven Seraphim at the top, but almost all of them pose a potential danger. With God no longer at the reigns, the angels have had centuries to interpret Its will however they see fit. Many of the lowest ranking angels still hold the original ideals and are mostly harmless, granting blessings and offering sage advice, but are of no Real help. Of the higher ranking angels, many have gained their own twisted sort of moral compass and have lost touch with Gods original love for mankind. What is or isn’t a sin, what deserves punishment or what deserves blessing, has become subjective to them and they bestow their judgment upon mankind with great prejudice.

The demons exist in a hierarchy as well. As angels stripped of their holy power (and thus blinded) when they attempted to overthrow God, they seek to earn back their power and sight by stealing souls. The harder to corrupt a soul is, the more power they obtain when that soul finally succumbs. Lower level/weaker demons mainly seek to cause wide spread devastation and death, as they dont have the power to corrupt, but feed on any souls lost. Higher level demons are more insidious, possessing or manipulating people in power, in search of “higher quality” souls to assist their climb.

There are also a small group of “fallen” angels and “redeemed” demons, who exist sort of outside of the status-quo since they no longer fit neatly into either group. Fallen angels are (usually lower ranking) angels that have fallen in love with humanity and rejected their base angelic nature to live amongst them. They forfeit most of their angelic power and assume a more human-like appearance in order to live amongst the humans they adore, but have a still-perceivable “otherness” that leaves them mostly an outcast. Redemption demons are somewhat similar; they have gained/retained enough love for humanity since their fall that they no longer seek to claim human souls for power and are instead attempting to regain Gods love through redemption and acts of kindness. Falling from heaven has irrevocably changed them physically, however, and they face great hardships attempting to fit in to human society.

Of the Seraphim, Hadeon represents the Wrath of God. He is tasked with finding and punishing sinners, those who would blaspheme or turn against God. Originally she was the fair hand of Justice, but in the centuries of Gods absence, his sense of right and wrong have become irrevocably warped. Their presence can first be felt with the smell of ozone, and a sudden intense pressure, like a storm on the horizon. She, and the army of angels under her command, hunt sinners through the streets, meting out their vigilante justice. Where he goes, indescriminate bloodshed almost always follows.

Her mindset is entirely black and white, but despite eons walking the earth they retain a naïveté of human society that makes her pretty easily distractable. He can occasionally be reasoned with and/or distracted, and even more rarely convinced to bestow a blessing.

Hadeon is one of the first Minor bosses the player faces, and your decision to either befriend, escape, or kill her will play a role in your later encounter with other higher angels.

obviously there are all of the other Seraphim, and other high ranking demons that have their own names/info/etc i could literally keep going on and on abt them & more in depth world building forever probably but i will stop now 😔

[waywardsou2]

Summer of Bad Batch 2024

Week 3

Prompt: "It's just a scratch"

A/N: Not me writing this literally 24 hours before the next prompts come out haha. Ngl tho it's kinda of topic but i just wanted to do some retired Pabu writing and this prompt kinda subtly fit it, I was planning on making it more angsty but it ended up being nice and fluffy. Anyways I hope you enjoy. This will be on my ao3 as well. Tags: none, fluff, slight injury

The afternoon sun shone down on the rocks that Omega and Echo were standing on. Despite Hemlock being gone and Tantiss destroyed Echo wasn’t done training Omega.

Since his cadet days he had done his best to work by the book and train for as long and as hard as he could. Spending time with Clone Force 99 has taught him to loosen up just a little bit, but old habits die hard.

He knows Omega isn’t a soldier and her biggest threat was sitting at the bottom a valley but she needed to know how to keep herself safe in a galaxy so vast, because he knew that eventually one day she would leave Pabu. It was a given but in the meantime all he could do was prepare her.

Right now with the sun beginning to sink lower in the sky but Echo was trying to get as much training done with Omega as he could.

“You need to keep your guard up; one wrong move and you are open and vulnerable. And then you get hurt, or worse” He took another light swing at Omega, and she brought her arm up to block his punch. She did so successfully.

“Where are your weakest points?” he says testing her as he makes another swing.

“My throat, ribs and knees. I can’t leave those open or in range”

“Good. What points do you aim for?”

“The sides of the head and eyes, neck and legs. Attacking the head can disorient, damaging the eyes can be dangerous, neck can be fatal, and legs can subdue them”

“Yes perfect. And what if they are carrying a weapon” he swings again

“Focus on disarming them then either fight or run”

“Excellent” he says before taking one final swing at Omega

Her progress has been promising; she has been able to keep up with him during exercise. She can shoot her practice targets with accuracy that even Crosshair has praised her for. Her ability to complete the terrain courses he sets up have been slower than the rest of her progress, but he knows at the very least she’ll survive.

“The suns going down but I want to try one last thing. You think you’re up for it?”

Omega is breathing hard, but she is ready. She’s going to prove to Echo that she is just as capable as the rest of her brother or any of the regs. Tech has given her the knowledge, Wrecker had taught her demolitions, Hunter had taught her how to track and scout and survive on next to nothing, and Crosshair had taught her the ins and outs of every weapon imaginable, but Echo taught her how to adapt. How to defend herself and defeat enemies of all kinds. If she was able to keep up with and stand up to him then she would be ready for anything the galaxy will throw at her.

“I’ve got the boys to organise their own obstacles for you to complete all over Pabu. Consider this your final test of sorts. At the end of the route, you will have to defend yourself against a surprise attacker – me. If you can best me then I’ve taught you all I can. You think you’re ready Havoc 5?”

Omega takes a deep breath in then smirks at Echo “I’m ready!”

He smiles back at her, looking at her now he takes a moment to notice how much she’s grown. He remembers when they first met her, how small she was, how often they had to get her out of trouble. But now she’s taller, stronger. Her shoulders have widened and her training has helped her build up a stronger frame. Her hair had grown out which Hunter had helped her keep in a tight braid. His years of having to deal with longer hair started to become useful again since she grew it out. They were luck because the rest of the batch would have been useless when it came to hair.

So, Echo set her off on the path and made his way to the final location waiting for her to arrive. He set himself up in the shadows by the entrance to the cave and waited for her to arrive.

Omegas first challenge was set up by Crosshair, she had to complete a small parkour course whilst avoiding stun blasts from him as well as hitting her own targets. Crosshair almost got her, but she ducked just in time and shot her last target. Trying to hide his pride in Omega, he directs her to her next step of her test.

She made her way around the beach of Pabu and came to where Wrecker had set up several types of explosives along the beach. Some hidden and some in plain sight. Omega counted at least eight visible to her. As soon as she got to Wrecker, he clicked the detonator and told her she had 30 seconds to defuse them all. So she got to work moving swiftly one by one to each bomb disarming them, she thought she had tripped one of the last ones but she was able to reroute the circuit and cancel the detonation command. With only three seconds left, thanks you Wrecker’s rather loud counting, she completed her task. Wrecker roared with approval and sent her to her next task with a pat on the back that almost sent her into the sand.

She next found Tech sitting down a side street along the main town centre. His test was a quick-thinking verbal response test. He thew facts and questions at her with lightning speed as she answered just as quickly, she stumbled over her words once or twice but was able to pick herself back and up and continue to recount the information Tech has taught her over her years with them on the Marauder and even on Pabu, giving her exercises and tests to make sure her information was up to date. Once he was happy with the questions, she had answered he told her she had to go to the small forest at the back of the island. She guessed Hunter was waiting there for her.

When she got there she was a little confused at first as Hunter was no where to be found but when she stepped onto a small piece of paper with the word “Come find me” written on them she knew what her next test would be. She took in her surroundings and made note of every clue to where Hunter was hiding. An indent in the dirt which was a boot track that had attempted to be covered. Disrupted leaves moved in the direction opposite to the wind. Any whisper of movement or a breath taken in too sharply. Eventually she found Hunter hiding up between two trees, his back pressed to one and his feet to the other.

“Found you” Omega says, and Hunter lets himself fall to the ground gracefully

“Good job kid, you beat your record time,-” He ruffled her hair “-go on Echo’s waiting for you at the cave”

“Roger that!” She said and sprinted back to the other side of the island.

Hunter smiled after her, watching her run away. She had gotten fast, really fast. Her comfortability with the lay of the land made her lightning quick. As he watcher her go the pride in his heart swelled. Omega had come so far, and he was proud of every single thing she was doing to improve. It reminded him of seeing his brother progress when they were cadets. Watching them move up from Cadets to “Shinnies” and then to Troopers that were being dispatched every free moment they got. He remembers how Shaak Ti looked at them when they “graduated” she praised them for their effort and progress. It’s one of those memories that stuck with him, and he hoped with his brothers too.

As Omega made her way back to the cave her heart began to race inside her chest. She was ready, she knew that. She had completed all of her tests and done all of her training along the way, but she knew that she had to complete this final test for her brothers to fully see her as capable and as trained as them. For them to recognise her as a soldier the same as them. She knew that didn’t want her to be a soldier that they wanted her to a kid, but she was a clone like them, and she wanted to prove to them that she was no different.

As she stepped into the entrance of the cave she slowed from her run to a hesitant walk, making a slow rotation as she walked further into the cave. She had to wait for Echo to appear, she was listening, preparing herself for the first attack.

And then it came, out from the shadows high up in the walls Echo leaped at her taking a sweeping dive for her legs. She jumped and turned around to face him, bringing her arms up in a guard position. He makes another swift attack for her, and she ducks.

“You can’t stay on the defence forever” he calls to her and her brow furrows

She knows this is her final test, but she worries that she might hurt Echo is she uses all her training. But then again, that is what he wants.

Echo keeps up his barrage of attacks aiming for her head and her arms, leaping around to attack her sides and her back. He makes swiping kicks for her legs, but she is able to keep him at bay. But he keeps encroaching, quickening the pace of his attacks and forcing her to move quicker each time, keeping her thinking on her feet.

She knows the test won’t be over until she manages to knock Echo down but she just can’t bring herself to attack him.

Faster and faster his attack comes, and Omega can feel her arms bruising up slowly, she’s starting to get agitated. She’s never going to complete this test if she doesn’t act now.

So she does, she ducks and hides in Echo’s blind spot kicking in the back of his knees. He buckles and turns on his knee bringing his arm up to block an attempted strike to his shoulder. But Omega is fast, and she takes his arm and pulls it backwards causing Echo to be put off balance and pulled onto his back. She attempts to get on top of him to pin him, but he presses a boot to her chest and pushes her off. He stands up again and she recovers from his attack, he leaps for her as soon as he is on his feet again. But this time she is ready; she grabs his arm as he makes a grab for her and twists her body so his arm is pulled away from her and his chest. Continuing her spin, she pulls him further and with all of her strength she tugs sending him stumbling forward and falling into the dirt. Before he can even stand up again, she has crawled on top of him and subdued him.

She won.

“Good job kid” he said as she crawled off him and offered him her hand and helped him to his feet once more.

When she grabbed onto his hand, she felt dirt and something wet on his hand. When she took her hand away there was a light smear of blood on her hand, looking worriedly at her own hand she grabbed at Echo’s and saw a gash across his palm and gazing on his fingers.

“Oh Echo, your hurt”

“Nah, its just a scratch, I survived getting blown up remember? I’ll be alright kid” she doesn’t let go of his hand and carefully begins to wipe away and pick the larger chunks of dirt from his hand

“You should be proud of yourself kid. You’re officially a Clone Trooper now” He stops her from clearing the debris from his hand and pulls her into a hug instead.

Omega wraps her arms around him and squeezes his middle, she is tall enough now to be able to hide her face in the crook of his neck.

Behind them they heard loud yell and Wreckers voice saying, “Way to go Omega!”

Omega lets go of Echo and the two of them walk over to the rest of the squad, they head back to their home in lower Pabu praising her as they go.

Today has been a good day.

[theepoetspoem]

We talk hurriedly

Knowing that at any moment one of us will have to go

Maybe that's what makes our eye contact so intense

Maybe it's why we kiss deeply

And hold on a little bit longer than necessary when hugging

Every moment is stolen

So we know

We have to squeeze every drop of life from "this time".

I've stopped counting. I've stopped planning for the next time. I've stopped trying to document our progress. I've stopped.

My therapist asks me where this is going

I tell her that it takes me down a road paved by his foot steps

"it's unlike you to follow anyone"

We talk more. Much more.

The tears fall. Fat heavy droplets that splash and leave smaller droplets on the wooden desk.

My finger dips into one and trails, leaving a swirl of a disappointment behind it

"does he even see this going anywhere? Did he ever respond to your question about what milestones he would like to reach with you?"

I shake my head.

"Do you think he ever will?"

I don't answer.

"Sometimes people love you because you love them"

My stomach hurts. I empty it into the trash bin I keep beneath my desk.

She looks at me a bit uncomfortably and adjusts in her chair. "Is this too much too soon?"

The truth is. I don't think there'd ever be a good time to be told what she said. There's so many things untold within those 8 words. So many implications.

She takes four steps back. "I am not saying he doesn't love you. Just that part of why he keeps you around might just be the way you hold him. Part of why he feels safe not making as much of an effort in making you feel important".

"I feel like a fish having it's scales ripped and torn from me."

She smiles a half smile. "Your descriptions always make so much sense to me. They would to anyone. You are a poet".

I shake my brain like an etch a sketch and hope to clear away the clutter.

"so, with all these unknowns. What now?"

"on paper...nothing has changed. He makes no promises. You love how you love. Nothing is different. There are no efforts to make the sacrifices you do. Today we just talk."

"I feel better with a plan"

"what would you plan for? Change? You are not the kind of person to ask for more. Even tho you deserve it."

Nothing's changed

But the weight of my soul is different

I'm walking in water

And the resistance is hard to tread through but it's not in me to give up on what I love

Every day I try to love myself

Every day I wake up and tell myself that lived experiences don't mean a lifetime of repetition.

So I do all the things

I get myself flowers. Watch movies alone. Take myself out to lunch. Buy myself jewelry. I look in the mirror and tell myself "this outfit is flattering". I wrap my arms around myself at night. I slip my fingers into the waistband and think of those lips on mine.

I will be loved.

[swiftsaltsweet]

Two Knives Interlude 3: Rangi- Damn It All!

Characters: Rangi and Kyoshi (RoK characters tbh)

Pairing: Rangshi

Rating: E (rating changed from M to E, see author notes)

Summary:

Things have been stressful for Kyoshi. First, she sang a poem and now the whole kitchen staff thinks it’s about Rangi, and is sure that there will be gossip. Then, Yun asks her to join him for the Fifth Nation treaty signing. Now Rangi’s acting strange. It’s becoming a bit much for Kyoshi’s small corner of the world.

(Canon Divergent AU- Kelsang wasn’t the one who heard the poem?….aka What if it took longer for them to realize Kyoshi was the Avatar?)

Other Sites: AO3 

A/N: First, thank you all who have stayed with this for song long, even after this impromptu hiatus. And Happy New Year! (a week late but still)

I’m so sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. TT0TT This specific chapter has been done for AGES, but the next three…..those next damn three chapters. TT0TT Blame them. Had to finish them so I could move on to Arc 2. *sob* And I wanted to make sure they were satisfactory before I posted them.

Um spoiler (not really) y’all are getting that smut scene…..if you want incentive to keep reading TT0TT just gotta…..get to that point in Rangi’s side now….. And um…..we’re just gonna change it to E rating. u_u (I’ll post in the tags which chapters, assuming I decide to write more smut in this).

If you don't read The Hunt for Kyoshi (one of my other fanfics), I mentioned in a new chapter that I am going to release a chapter a week. Randomly for different fics (wasn't gonna post any new ones and then...well...forgot there was one I wanted to start posting so :'D Hope you want a Kyoshi prequel cause that's what next week!).

Good news for people who like this one the most, Two Knives has the most completed chapters! So you most likely will see an update to this one. I've yet to technically start Arc 2 of Two Knives as of posting this tho (I did write a chapter that's a few chapters into it....I had a mighty need ok? TT0TT)

Fun fact, I talk on my tumblr (swiftsaltsweet) every so often about the fics (cause that’s dedicated pretty much to fics). So you can see me crying about aspects of my fics or how my progress is looking. (I’m usually babbling about this fic for some reason)

____

“Are you going to attend the Beifong party?” Rangi asked Kyoshi. They were lounging in the brush behind the mansion. Kyoshi, now fully recovered, was on break, and they were sharing onigiri that she made for lunch. Rangi chose to eat slower than she normally did, she wanted to enjoy Kyoshi’s cooking. 

Rangi had a feeling Kyoshi would say ‘no’ but wanted to try anyway, just in case. 

Kyoshi looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “No? Why would I be invited?”

Rangi brow furrowed just a tad. Because you’re a hero…

She was annoyed that Jianzhu and the other’s weren’t giving Kyoshi her due. They were too busy fawning over Yun, which was understandable, he was the Avatar , but… still . 

Rangi scoffed. “I mean, you were technically the one who took out Tagaka. You should be there.”

Kyoshi thought her words over while she ate a bit of her lunch. “Do you want me to go?”

More than you could ever realize. Rangi mirrored Kyoshi’s action. “Yes.”

“I don’t have an outfit.”

“We’ll get you one.” It was shameful for Rangi to admit it, but she’d already had a list of dresses she was ready to pay for if Kyoshi ever asked. Other than Kyoshi getting her due, seeing the girl in a dress was another reason Rangi really wanted her to go.

“Am I even allowed to go?”

“I’ll convince them.” She hadn’t broken any chairs or tables since she’d come to Yokoya. She prided herself on having not thrown a childish tantrum in two years, but if she must resort to such tactics to get her way. Then she must . 

Sorry, mother. But not really. She thought, smiling wryly to herself. 

Kyoshi picked at the grass in front of her, thinking hard. “I need to take care of Kelsang.”

Rangi nodded to herself. Yes, this was the main reason why she thought Kyoshi would say ‘no.’ She’d accepted it. Well, at least she tried. 

She played up her sigh, to show her disappointment. “Then that’s what you should do.”

Kyoshi snorted. “So now you don’t want me to go?”

Rangi let her wry smile play a bit broader on her lips.  “I never said that. I do want you to be there. Revel in the victory…. But Master Kelsang needs you, I won’t keep you from that.”

Rangi kept looking off in the distance, the distance being a large wall that encased the entire estate, but the distance nonetheless. Maybe next time…. HuH?!

Rangi almost jumped when she felt a weight gently lean on her shoulder, but she held her ground. Kyoshi had decided she should rest her head on Rangi’s shoulder. 

Rangi reveled in how Kyoshi’s brown hair touched her cheek. It would've been a transgression if Kyoshi was a Fire National. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. It allowed Rangi to enjoy the sinful touch.

“Thank you,” she sighed. Rangi could only hum in response. She didn’t trust her voice at the moment.

They stayed in that position, that bliss, while they ate. It only came to an end when the gong for lunch had rung out. The two sighed, not wanting to part from each other’s touch.

Rangi dusted off her trousers, and started making her way back to the barracks when Kyoshi called out to her.

“Rangi, wait!” Kyoshi yelled, crossing the distance in only a few strides. Her hand went towards Rangi’s face again, unknowingly almost giving her a heart attack.

She felt Kyoshi’s fingers pluck something gently from the corner of her mouth. 

“There you go. You’re all good now!” Kyoshi grinned like mad, proud of herself.

Rangi stared up at Kyoshi, trying to keep herself grounded as much as she could. How was it possible for someone to have such power over her? Make her come undone in a single second? 

She wondered if she should give Kyoshi a briefing on Fire Nation customs….but decided against it. She loved the unabashed display too much.

Rangi’s eyes trailed to the single grain of rice that Kyoshi held in her fingers. How could such a small thing be her undoing? 

New resolve seeped into Rangi’s being as she gazed at the grain. She was going to make Kyoshi feel what she felt. She wasn’t holding back anymore.

Rangi gently took Kyoshi's hand, and dipped her head down. She gently ate the grain from between Kyoshi’s fingers. Slowly and with intent, making sure her lips grazed as much of Kyoshi’s flesh as she could. 

As she pulled away, she felt a sense of satisfaction thrum through her as Kyoshi’s thumb made a move to chase after her lip and caressed it, wanting to keep the contact going like she did.

“Thanks,” she rasped out, making her voice lower than usual. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked up with half lidded eyes. Then she smiled coquettishly at Kyoshi, enjoying how Kyoshi had formed a strong blush and how it deepened the color of her pretty freckles. “I don’t like wasting food.”

Rangi turned on her heel and made her way to the barracks, making sure she had an extra sway in her hips as she left and rounded the corner. As she did, she stole one last glance back at Kyoshi, and felt pleased with her new change in tactic. 

-------

Rangi didn’t want to be at this party. She just hated parties in general, found the whole idea frivolous. But after meeting Kyoshi two years ago, it became more unbearable. It’d be one thing if she could spend the party with Kyoshi, but they were always so close but too far at times like these.

And now? The new developments in her relationship with Kyoshi? Well this part had taken on a a new form of torture. She just wanted to be near her girl in an entirely new way now.

Sometimes, it really sucked being the Avatar’s bodyguard.

The entire time she stood by Yun as he talked to various politicians. Jianzhu and Hei-Ran stayed close by and even interjected at times. Hei-Ran moreso when the men would ask either her mother or Rangi herself about marriage. Because of those three, Rangi didn’t need to talk.

They talked about political arrangements in the Earth Kingdom, Avatar affairs, and the battle. Which was more of a disaster than Jianzhu, Yun, or Hei-Ran let on to onlookers, but that wasn’t Rangi’s concern. 

The only thing that irked Rangi, that threatened to make her talk, was when someone described Yun as the one who personally took out Tagaka . It took all her effort to not boast about Kyoshi’s prowess, because in doing so she’d undermine the Avatar.

Yun, however, surprised her, and gave Kyoshi credit. Jianzhu, however , decided to undermine said credit by stating that Tagaka’s real power came from the fleet of ships. Which he and Yun had destroyed. Thanks to Yun’s masterful display of raising earth from the sea floor.

Rangi rolled her tongue in her mouth. She wouldn’t speak. She wouldn’t talk back. She wouldn’t go home and break a chair. She would meditate. Or find Kyoshi. 

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Yes. Kyoshi. Even just the thought of her relaxed Rangi. She would go home, and find a way to entangle their time together. Without being too much of a bother to the maid. 

Maybe she would even show off the dress she was wearing. She wondered what Kyoshi's reaction to it would be.

But first, she needed to get away from some very persistent man who kept trying to get her attention. He didn’t even flinch when Hei-Ran’s demeanor changed from politely annoyed, to dragon mother when his intentions to bother her daughter were made clear.

Rangi excused herself to the drink table, allowing the adults to sort the issue out.

She grabbed a glass of wine, and went outside to the garden for a breath of fresh air. It smelled like mossy dew, another earthy Kyoshi type smell. The one she’d get when she’d tend to the gardens sometimes.

Rangi had only taken a single sip of her drink, when a figure saddled up beside her. She was contemplating roundhouse kicking them, risking dropping wine on her dress, when she realized it was actually Yun.

“You shouldn’t sneak up on me,” Rangi said coyly, putting the glass to her lips again. “I could’ve killed you.”

Yun grinned and laughed. “Ooooo scary !” He shook his hands out in front of him in mock terror.

“ Your funeral,” Rangi smirked into her drink. 

“Ah, well, then I guess the world will get a Fire Avatar sooner!” he laughed.

Rangi frowned, she didn’t like that for a number of reasons. Mostly because it’d be a very bad look for not only her, but the Fire Nation as well.

Yun bumped her shoulder, visibly happy he didn’t have to worry about voiding her spiked armor at the moment. “Oh, c’mon you! I was just joking .”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved him off.

Yun sighed after a moment of silence. “I wish Kyoshi was here.”

Rangi hummed in agreement. 

“You didn’t ask her to come?”

Rangi finished her glass. “I did.”

“You didn’t try to force her to come?”

“No,” Rangi said. “She needed to take care of Master Kelsang.”

“Ah,” Yun nodded. He understood, Master Kelsang was like a father to Kyoshi. It wouldn’t have been right to rip them away from each other.

Yun reached down and picked up a rock from the garden, and rolled it in his hand. Inspecting it. Rangi wondered if it was an earthbender thing. She’d have to ask Kyoshi. Though she wondered how much the girl could or would tell her. She’d never seen the girl bend even a pebble, despite being listed as an earthbender in the staff's ledger.

“It’s a shame,” he said, rolling the rock expertly between his fingers. “I was going to ask her to be mine at the party tonight.”

Rangi’s glass slipped out of her hands and shattered on the deck below. What did he just say?

Yun sucked air through his teeth. “Rangi! Be careful , you could’ve hurt yoursel–oh, too late. You're already bleeding.”

Rangi barely registered the pain, the nick from the glass hitting her….shin? Foot? She didn’t care. What did he just say ?!

“What….did you say?” Rangi’s voice came out as a strangled rasp.

Yun whirled his hands in the air, and the glass formed into a neat ball above his hands. Then he made a crushing motion, and the glass grounded back down into fine sand. Then he let it fly onto the ground of the garden.

“I said, I was going to ask her to be mine.”

He was looking at her, but Rangi couldn’t move. Her eyes were transfixed over the flowers and pond that was in the Beifong garden.

“What about Master Jianzhu?” 

The entire reason on Yun’s side, from what she could sparse together; for why Kyoshi and him hadn’t gotten together officially, was because Master Jianzhu had forbidden it. Partially because Kyoshi was a servant. Partially because he didn’t want Yun to follow the same escapades as Avatar Kuruk. 

Yun never went against Jianzhu, not when he laid down the law like he’d done with dating. So why now ?

When Yun spoke again, it was a hushed whisper. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks. I’m the Avatar. He shouldn’t get a say in what I want .”

A wave of disgust ran over Rangi as she heard his words. What he wants? What about what Kyoshi wants? Then a new wave hit her. Am I the same as him? Is this how I sound when I think about her too?

“Why the change?” she forced a gulp down. “It’s just…so sudden.”

“ Perspective ,” he said. “What happened at the iceberg, I realized… It can all end in an instant. I don’t want to live or die with regrets.”

Rangi changed a glance at Yun, he stared head on at her. No humor could be seen on his face. Something in his demeanor, something made it feel like they were two animals about to go at each other.

“Perspective?” she questioned.

“Perspective,” he clarified with a nod.

The poem. It wasn’t just the iceberg, Kyoshi’s poem had also influenced Yun as well. It had lit a metaphorical fire under both their asses.

Yun tapped his foot on the ground once. The motion was familiar.

Rangi’s eyes widened in realization, remembering the day she was willing to beg him to keep Kyoshi from going with them. No, not just that. Could it be… could he have seen that they were getting closer since the iceberg? How Rangi was becoming more bold, and Kyoshi was accepting each action? Was Rangi’s reckless behavior her own undoing?

Yun closed his eyes, and inhaled. Then he cocked his head to the side and gave Rangi a lopsided smile. The same one her mother said Avatar Kuruk had. 

It made her sick.

“So what are you going to do about it, Rangi?”

Rangi widened her eyes at him. “What?”

“Are you just going to stand there and let me take her?” Rangi's response was to stand stock still. She was still in shock. “Because when we get back to Yokoya, I’m going to carry out my plan. I’m not going to wait .”

“What if she says no?” Rangi asked hurriedly.

“She might,” Yun nodded. “But then again, I am the Avatar . Not many people want to say no to me.”

Rangi’s heart quickened. Was Kyoshi really so shallow she’d only be with Yun because of his status? No. No she wasn’t. Either Yun didn’t understand Kyoshi as well as he thought…..or this was a different kind of threat. Rangi could only hope it was the former.

Rangi turned to him, shoulders square now. “What if, what if she says no because she’s with me?”

Yun cracked his neck side to side. “Then I guess it’s my loss?” He stared Rangi down. “Or, I’ll steal her. Guess we’ll see.”

He smiled at her one last time, and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Ah, too bad we’re stuck here for a few more days. Apparently it’s supposed to storm.”

He released his hand off her shoulder, and walked off. Leaving Rangi to pick up the pieces of her falling world.

No. No no no no! She’d just gotten a light of hope that Kyoshi might like her back! The world couldn’t do this to her! Not now…. Especially when she almost lost her once already!

Rangi stumbled to a nearby wall, her head in her hand, and started hyperventilating. 

She was happy to be by Kyoshi’s side but… not if Yun took Kyoshi from Rangi. She wouldn’t be able to withstand it. 

All that grandstanding of just wanting to be by Kyoshi’s side. Saying she didn’t need anything from Kyoshi. It wasn’t the full truth. Only a part of her thought that. 

Rangi wasn’t a wholly selfless person, she was also selfish. She wanted Kyoshi, all of her. She didn’t want to share with anyone. She wanted Kyoshi to only look at her. 

If she didn’t then….then she…. She was sure she wouldn’t be able to handle the heartbreak.

Rangi pulled away from the wall, taking big gulps of air. She knew what she had to do. And she realized she may have to burn some bridges just to do it.

Rangi needed to find her mother.

_______

Rangi bobbed and weaved through the bodies in the party, looking for a familiar face. She found her mother, leaning against the wall, attempting to ignore more nobles asking for her hand. 

Rangi ran right up to her, not caring about who she might’ve snubbed.

“Mother!” Rangi said.

Hei-Ran looked up from the floor she had been preoccupied with staring at, and her eyes widened. She shoved her wineglass into some noble’s hands and walked over to meet her daughter. “Rangi, what on earth–”

“I need to talk to you, now !” Rangi said in a rushed whisper.

Hei-Ran nodded, and the two Fire Nationals hurried to a private room. As soon as the last one entered through the door, Hei-Ran turned and shut it tight. Then whirled over to her daughter.

“Rangi, what is going on? Did something happen?” The sternness of her voice belied the softness that was resting just underneath. 

“Mother, I need you to watch Yun for me,” she pleaded with urgency.

Hei-Ran visibly relaxed. “Is that all?” She let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. “If that was it, there was no need for the theatrics. Yes, I can do that. For how long–”

“Until you go back to Yokoya.”

Hei-Ran stiffened. Rangi knew the older woman probably only assumed she’d take on the role for maybe a few hours at most. Not days . She was basically asking to abandon her duties, and at a public event no less. 

Hei-Ran finally looked up at her daughter. Stern wariness in her eyes. “Do you understand what that means ?”

Yes, her reputation would take a hit. The Masters at the mansion would look down on her even more. It’d be harder to rise up the ranks with this kind of mark on her record. But Rangi didn’t care, there was something more precious at stake.

“Yes,” she responded with hardened resolve.

“And you’re willing to take that risk and responsibility?”

“Absolutely.”

“Can you at least tell me why ?”

No she couldn’t. Not the whole truth at least. “There’s something I must attend to back at the mansion, it cannot wait any longer.”

Hei-Ran looked away, her face wavering with different emotions. Finally it steeled, in the same fashion she would use to scold the children at the academy. Panic shot through Rangi.

“Mother! I need to go back to the mansion, now , it’s an emergency!”

If Hei-Ran said ‘no,’ then….then…. Rangi would just run off! She was ready to disobey her own mother if she had to! She didn’t care. She needed to–

“Go,” Hei-Ran said, a look of stern fire in her eyes. 

“W–what?” Rangi looked at her in surprise. Her mother was allowing her to be dismissed from her duties? Why?  

“Why are you asking questions? Is it not important? Go! Now!” Hei-Ran waved Rangi off. “And take the ostrich horse with the blue reins, it’s the fastest. Go now and you might only have to endure the storm for half the journey!”

Relief swelled through Rangi, and before she ran off, she hugged her mother tightly. “Thank you…”

And then she bolted out the door to the stables.

______

Rangi stumbled through the mansion in the dead of night. Tired, drenched, caked with mud. She’d laugh at how Kyoshi would probably scold her tomorrow for making such a mess, but she was so raw from the ride over she couldn’t process any humor at the moment.

Yun’s words hung over her being like a sword ready to fall. There was no time for humor. There was almost no time at all. Rangi had to act . 

She reached Kyoshi’s door, and then looked at herself. She tried to smooth her hair, and readjust her waterlogged dress. But it was in no way presentable. She could only hope Kyoshi would take her as she was, mess and all.

She began rapping at the door, it took awhile before Kyoshi came and answered it. The taller girl was in her night clothes, her night robe barely on and hugging her body. Rangi had seen Kyoshi in a similar state a few weeks earlier, when she’d delivered the gloves she’d had custom ordered for Kyoshi. The sight made her breathless then, and it made her breathless now.

“Rangi?!” Kyoshi said aghast, a worried expression permanently set on her face. 

Rangi couldn’t hold back. She lunged at Kyoshi, tackled the taller girl through the door, burrowed her face into the girl’s chest, and wept.

Rangi could hear the sound of a door closing, and then Kyoshi’s warm and strong arm on her back. Rangi gasped as Kyoshi’s soft hand touched Rangi’s exposed back. It was like a balm to the raw wound of her nerves.

She felt Kyoshi guide her body, and she complied. 

“Rangi, what happened?! Is everything alright?” Kyoshi asked, and Rangi felt the feeling of cloth fall around her shoulders. Kyoshi had gotten her a towel. Thoughtful as always.

“No,” Rangi whispered through gaps in her cries. “I mean, yes. Everyone else is alright but… I’m not .”

She wouldn't be fine. Not until she made her feelings known…. Then the next hurdle would be if Kyoshi accepted them.

But it was so hard. Now that she was at that moment, she didn't know what to say. How to say it. She had so much time, the entire long ride over here. Hell, not even that, she’d had two years to mull over this. But she still couldn’t get her words formed, let alone out .

She felt Kyoshi wrapped her arms around her, trying to comfort her. It brought Rangi comfort…and worry. Stability, yet instability at the same time.

“Talk to me, what happened?” Kyoshi whispered in her ear. 

Rangi’s resolve started to come undone. What was there to say? “I wanted to beat Yun to a confession!” Yes, such a selfish declaration would surely win over Kyoshi's heart. 

“I know this is sudden and it's the middle of the night and I just barged my way into your room… But I'm in love with you and have been for the past two years! Take me!”

It was the truth, but it sounded pathetic. She wanted to confess to Kyoshi in the right way. But she'd run out of time and options. She didn't know what or how to do it. So she just sobbed into the other girl's chest.

Kyoshi hugged her harder, and Rangi gasped from both the comfort and closeness. If she wasn't such a mess she would be enjoying this so much. 

“Are you hurt?”

No, not in the physical sense. Save for a shallow cut she may need to treat. 

“No,” Rangi forced out. She realized her behavior was worrying her friend. 

She felt Kyoshi's shoulders untense, but not by much. “Then, what’s the matter?”

That I love you and you don't know it.

“Oh, Kyoshi …” Rangi lifted her head from Kyoshi’s chest, to nuzzle into the crook of Kyoshi’s neck. 

She felt Kyoshi react to her touch. Her shaking, her pulse quickening, her breathing becoming more ragged. 

Like flame to coal, it reignited Rangi's resolve in an instant.

“ Please… ” she begged. To Kyoshi. To herself. To the spirits. Whatever gave her the strength to do what was next.

Kyoshi gulped.“W–what do you need me to do?” she stuttered.

And like that, her spark caught like a wildfire. There was no going back. 

Damn it… Just… Damn it all!

“I can’t do this anymore,” Rangi whispered. She couldn't keep running. Waiting for the right time. Trying to find the right words. 

She was a girl of action. So she would show her love with that action.

She lifted herself away from Kyoshi, and took Kyoshi’s face in her hands. 

Kyoshi’s wide eyes stared right into Rangi’s tearful ones. 

“ Please , Kyoshi,” Rangi pleaded one final time, praying the girl she loved would accept her. Then she pulled Kyoshi’s face down and pressed their lips together. 

It was the most amazing feeling in the world. Her entire being felt like it was glowing, pulsating. A warmth radiated from Kyoshi that rivaled Rangi’s own inner fire, igniting her more. Fanning her flames. The best part? Kyoshi hadn't pulled away. There was nothing that could break Rangi from this moment.

Except for the sound of the towel hitting the floor. 

Strange. Kyoshi wasn't holding as tightly as she was earlier. In fact, Rangi couldn’t feel Kyoshi’s arms around her at all now. Rangi pulled herself out of her reverie, and opened her eyes. 

Rangi iced over by what she saw. Kyoshi, eyes screwed shut and still as a statue. She was…. She was… Petrified !

Petrified by the kiss. Petrified of… her ! Of Rangi !

Kyoshi was repulsed by her. She….she….

She was just withstanding Rangi. Like the earthbender she was. Like the Earth Kingdom citizen she was. Withstanding, persevering, waiting for the unpleasant thing to pass. Neutral jing.

Rangi took a step back and her hands flew to her mouth. As if it was a weapon that needed to be contained.

“I–I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” 

She'd been wrong about Kyoshi's feelings. She'd been wrong about everything . She…she caused that reaction from her friend. She had ruined it all.

She grabbed at her dizzying head and retreated backwards. She needed to leave Kyoshi's presence. She'd done enough damage. “I–I’m sorry, I should go–.”

Rangi turned and ran for the door. She couldn't bear to see Kyoshi's reaction anymore. 

She had just started opening the door when it slammed shut, and she could feel Kyoshi's body flushed behind her. Her arm extended over Rangi, keeping the door shut in place.

Of course. Rangi couldn't just run away from her act like that. She needed to face the consequences of her actions.

Rangi closed her eyes and stiffened, bracing herself for Kyoshi's rightful wrath. Kyoshi's body moved again, and wrapped her free arm around Rangi’s waist.

Rangi panted through in between held breaths. Unsure of what Kyoshi's next move would be.

Finally, Kyoshi spoke.

“Rangi, don’t go ,” Kyoshi said, leaning down to nuzzle her face into the crook of Rangi’s neck. 

Rangi let out a shaky and silent sob. Once, twice. Then finally, a shaky laugh of release escaped her lips, almost like a sigh. She couldn’t believe what she just heard.

She leaned into Kyoshi’s touch. If this was a cruel joke, she wanted to enjoy it for just a moment before it blew up in her face.

“I don’t want you to leave.”

Rangi turned her head as Kyoshi lifted hers. Rangi saw it, the same wanting in Kyoshi's eyes that she felt. It wasn’t a cruel joke the world was playing on her. She hadn’t been mistaken. Kyoshi…wanted her as much as she wanted Kyoshi.

She waited with baited breath, as Kyoshi finally kissed her back.

____

A/N: Fun fact! This is where I thought Rangi would like chill out. We'd move onto Arc 2 and everything would be gucci. :D But that wouldn't be fun now would it?

:3c (Sorry Rangi, you're just destined to spiral. u_u Be it with high stakes or low ones)

Second Fun Fact! This was my favorite chapter of the fic so far! (besides the one chapter in Arc 2 I jumped the gun on writing).

I really like exploring Hei-Ran and Rangi's strained relationship. And I wanted to explore a more...ummm....antagonistic relationship between Yun and Rangi. ;D

[chronological-knight]

HI HI YOUR TURN 48 for the Spotify drabble :)))

Girl Hell 1999

fandom: Rottmnt

word count: 996

content warning: i THINK none but tell me if i missed any

AO3: here!

misc: EUGH BOY this took way longer then i thought it would. for some reason this fic fought me from start to finish. song i got was rly good tho! girl hell 1999 by femtanyl is one of my favourites and i already associate it with Cassandra so. its done im free!

][][][][

The first time Casey was hugged since she betrayed the Foot, it was in passing.

It was a few weeks after the Battle Nexus New York, everyone in the newly-found and newly-cleaned abandoned subway station, helping renovate the place. It was still clearly dilapidated, damp and slightly stuffy, but Casey was shocked at how fast a sense of home seeped into it's edges. There were recovered posters hanging on the walls, various boxes filled with knick-knacks awaited shelves on the floor, and Donatello had just finished setting up fairy lights throughout the lair the day before.

It was nothing like the Foot.

Which should be obvious. The Foot were the Hamato’s sworn enemies! Of course they’d be nothing alike. But she kept comparing the two anyway, for some reason. 

Casey herself was building something, a skate ramp, she thinks. Mostly, Donatello had pointed her in the direction of a pile of wood and a hammer, and told her to start building. But she knew that making herself as helpful as possible was how she impressed the Foot, and if she had wanted to impress the Foot, she definitely wanted to impress the Hamatos

So she kept hammering, with all her furious need to be liked by these people fueling her.

Honestly, she still didn’t understand the Hamatos. They called themselves a ninja clan, but they were so different to all the clans she’d applied to. For starters, there were only seven of them, eight including her (she's not sure if she’s included). And their structure is basically nonexistent! There’s no separation between basic soldiers and commanders, or commanders and leaders, there’s no management! There’s no ranks for her to progress in, and no higher-ups for her to impress. Sure the Foot were evil, but they were easy to understand.

When she’d asked about getting a clan uniform, she'd gotten weird looks. She didn't ask again.

Back in the present, the echoing sound of many things falling over in rapid succession startled Casey so bad, she nearly hit her thumb again.

Her eyes snapped to the source of the noise, hammer hefted over her shoulder as she half expected to see a hoard of Foot soldiers invading the subway station. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of Michelangelo, cradling his head and sprawling at the foot of the broken escalator, along with several boxes and piles of disorganized stuff.

"That's what you get for carrying boxes three at a time." Donatello said, elbow-deep in what Casey thinks is a fridge. His words are careless, but the way his arms still and drawn-on eyebrows scrunch belies genuine concern. Getting to know Donatello, Casey was learning, meant getting to know a lot of these small body-language cues.

"Gee, thanks Donald," Michelangelo grumbled, undignified and still very much on the floor.

Seeing her moment, Casey dropped the hammer entirely and very consciously did not salute Michelangelo, because this was not the Foot and they didn't do that here! Instead, she marched to where he had fallen, and stretched a hand in his direction.

"I CAN CARRY SOME OF THE BOXES," she said, at a normal volume, tacking on a quieter "If you want!" on the end.

"Really? Thanks Casey!" He said, taking her offered hand and only stumbling a little bit with the force of being yanked to his feet. Casey, faced with another way to prove herself as the new (maybe?) part of the Hamato clan, was ready to let go and start picking up boxes, but for some reason Michelangelo didn't just let go of her , instead opening his arms wide and throwing her into—

—a hug?

A hug.

Her mind crashed to a halt, thoughts both utterly blank and claustrophobically packed. It was… warm? He was short enough that his head slotted comfortably under her chin. If she wanted to, she could rest her hands on the back of his shell. She was being hugged?

She was being hugged.

She didn’t know what to do with her hands.

It had been… a while, since anyone hugged her. She was stiff and frozen, and all too soon Michelangelo pulled away, mild frown tugging at his features. Casey was just looking at her hands. Her emotions were going haywire, and she couldn't tell why. After all, it's not like she needed hugs, or friends, or…

Oh god, she has friends.

That's what this is, isn't it? that's why comparing the Hamatos to the Foot didn't make sense. It was a fundamental mismatch; apples to oranges.

Comparing the Hamatos to the Foot felt wrong, because the Hamatos were her friends.

Mikey jumped backwards, keeping his arms extended as if trying to create a physical barrier between them. "Sorry! Sorry, you don't have to like hugs, I should have asked before- EEP!"

Without warning — half without thinking — Casey rushed forward and hugged Mikey, and this time she did wrap her arms around his shell, squeezing like she was doing her best impression of an orange juicer. He caught on fast, hugging her in return with just as much enthusiasm.

She would have been glad to stay there until nightfall. It was the most comfortable she felt in days, like she actually understood herself a little bit more, a little less like she was floundering. That was, until Mikey tapped her on the back and wheezed "Casey, this is great an' all but I can't breathe."

She released him, and he beamed a smile at her she could feel reflected in her own features. Later, they would order pizza, and all the eight members of clan Hamato would watch Lou Jitsu movies until the sky changed colours, and then changed colours again. Later, when she's thinking about proposing to April, Mikey would help her pick out a ring, and Donnie would help her pick out a wedding outfit. She'd change their lives and they'd change hers.

But for now, for the first time in a long time, she just felt safe.

[joyful-witch]

That moment when you create an OC for an entirely different fandom to project all your chronic illness trauma on, but you made them too hot on accident, so your friend who writes X reader fanfic is like “I’m simping for your OC at the same time as I’m simping for Stanford Pines. I’m going to ship them together. Can I write fanfic”

And you’re like, “well they do have a mad scientist ex so it would make sense… and she is an Owl House OC so technically same universe… sure why the hell not”

So now after months of hiatus, your friend is no longer working on her Alastor X reader fanfic and is instead, writing a fanfic of your OC X Stanford Pines because she is a simp.

She’s got the rough draft of the first few chapters done and just needs to put it in a doc for her editor to check out. She’s so much better at fleshing out my OCs character than I am lmfao.

Anyhow, her ao3 user is Radio_Wolfe. Idk when she will be updating her Alastor fic, but I know this fic is a good work in progress. Just doesn’t have a title yet.

She has given me permission to “leak” previews since it’s my OC, so if anyone would like details about my OC (that is now basically being turned into a Stanford Pines wife OC. Though I plan on using her in the future outside of fandom contexts because I have gotten very attached) let me know lmao.

The general gist is she’s a chronically ill witch with a werefox curse, her Palisman acts as a service animal, and she enjoys killing awful horrible men (predators) and using their body parts for spells (tho in the context of the fic she’ll only start doing that post-portal incident). Also since one of the things me and Rads have bonded over is our shared “can’t have kids cus of medical issues but want to be a mother eventually” trauma that’ll be in there somewhere too lol.

Also special thank you to Hana Hyperfixates (on YouTube) aka fordtato (on tumblr) for figuring out the GF timeline because it was driving Rads literally insane trying to figure out when to place the events of the fic lmfao.

[moraxsthrone]

I got a floofy Kaeya idea!

Our dear Captain's been tired as of late, and despite his reassurance to his beloved partner that he's alright, she begs to differ and feels like he needs a well-deserved break.

After confiding with Jean to give him a day off, her plan is set.

The next morning, Kaeya wakes up to the delicious smell of food coming from their shared hone and walks down to the kitchen to find a table full of delicious food. After breakfast, the two decided to take a walk around town, just chatting. Around evening time, they witness a group of street musicians playing music as people around them started to dance with the couple joining as their laughter fills the air.

Before bed, the two take a bath and reader massages Kaeya. As they lay down to sleep, reader could only smile at her beloved's peaceful expression

r

ooohhh thank you for sending me this lovely drabble! now i'm craving kaeya fluff even more tho lol! which isn't a bad thing AT ALL! i just wanna care for he?? 👉🏼👈🏼

kaeya probably would downplay any exhaustion or ailment he experiences. he doesn't want you to worry about him (although he secretly loves it when you do). deep down i think he fears that if he's too much of a burden, he'll be abandoned again. 🥺💔

so yeah, he'd need a really thoughtful partner who can read him and knows his tells; an empath perhaps. someone who can anticipate his needs without him having to ask for a lot. it's something he works on and gets better at as your relationship progresses bc he knows how important it is for partners to communicate their needs to each other. but i think it'll always be a struggle for him to some extent no matter how much you encourage or reassure him that you want to care for him bc caring for him makes you happy.

yessss, pamper him when he needs it bc he certainly pampers you all the time! a nice, hot bath by candlelight...just the two of you and the quiet, relaxing pattering of water as the occasional drop falls from the tap. kaeya's sitting between your legs, his back facing you as he turns to putty under your magical touch. be careful, though, bc he's liable to lay back and fall asleep on you. if he does, you just press your smiling lips to the side of his weary head and let him rest. the bed can wait a little while longer.

[laugtherhyena]

In a dra/sdra2 zombie apocalypse au, who dies/gets infected first, who was the one who spread it all, and who are the modt lilely to survive? (All on your opibion)

Well someone has been watching those infection Aus going around huh? I've been having a blast watching those but pulling the strings on who does what is a litte harder.

First off, here's how I'm going with the virus:

-Infection spreads only through bites, afterwards there are 4 stages the person goes through in the zombification.

-Stage 1: Starting stage after the person is bitten, they're still acting fine since the infection is just starting to settle in and hasn't started spreading much further from where the bite is. it's the only stage in which amputation can stop the virus from spreading, tho this needs to be done as quickly as possible after the bite.

-Stage 2: Virus is already running through the person's blood system and become very tired as their muscles begin to ache, they develop eyebags under their eyes and their skin starts becoming pale with a slightly greenish hue. This is the first stage in with the infected can spread the virus to another person, it's also where they start feeling hungrier than usual.

-Stage 3: The hunger is starting to become unbearable as the person's body begins rejecting most types of food, they can't sleep and now their skin has gotten greener with an itchy sensation all over. This is where the person's sanity really goes downhill and the decay of the body begins, all the scratching leaves open wounds that only get worse as the infection progresses.

-Stage 4: Final stage, by now the persons mind is completely gone and they're just mindlessly wandering around and trying to eat people to quench their hunger. They're the most aggressive in this stage, however it doesn't take much longer until the decay makes their bodies fall appart completely and the zombie dies of "natural causes" per say.

Anyways, this got really long so I'm putting it under the cut. Taking their chronological ages for this btw (Aka: Dra cast being younger than most of the Sdra2 people)

-Utsuro and Akane:

Utsuro was the patient zero of the infection, spreading the zombie virus as a way to throw the world in despair while remaining fine as his devine luck made him asymptomatic. Roaming around the desolately city watching the chaos unfold, always accompanied by his loyal servant; Akane Taira, who is by now a stage 3 zombie whose devine luck slows down the spread of her infection significantly and leads to her retaining most of her sanity.

She strives to be the perfect servant for her master, carrying out his orders and acting as a "bodyguard" of sorts. Sometimes she wonders if her former classmates manages to escape safely, other times she wishes to see them as decaying zombies.

-Since I'm talking about the luck people here's Nikei, Hajime, Emma and Iroha:

Their devine luck is steadily running out, looking for Utsuro is no longer an option with all these zombies around. The voids stick together in hopes that the remainder of their luck acts in unison and gives them a better shot at surviving this mess.

As their leader, Nikkei is always trying to think of safer ways to traverse the city and places for them to get supplies or steal steal from other survivor. He's stressed pretty much all of the time but tries to control his emotions to not end up lashing out at his friends, he doesn't always succeed. Hajime is the closest they have to a doctor due to his knowledge in health while Emma tries to get keep the group's morale so that they don't all go insane, not an easy task when her own sanity is starting to go down the drain.

They lost Iroha pretty early on, she was very scared, jumpy and paranoid, which led to her lashing out at Nikkei and the others out of frustration (sorta like she does in the void theater segment) then storming off where she was attacked and killed by a hoard of zombies. The remaining 3 voids swear to stick together and survive no matter what.

-Mikado and Kokoro:

Mikado was getting in contact with Kokoro for his future plans and when the zombie outbreak happened, he stayed by her side since they were pretty much stuck inside her laboratory for a while because of all the zombies outside.

Kokoro is scary smart, however, curiosity surely gets the best out of her. So she wants to study the zombies to see how they function, how the infection spreads and affects the body, maybe even try to find a cure in the way. She has chemical components, protective suits and a lot of things to keep herself safe, and since Mikado is stuck with her she makes him work for her so she shares these supplies with him.

So for a while all he had to do was lure zombies into this designated containment area and collect samples from them for Kokoro to study, while also bringing some dead ones in too from time to time so she can dissect and study them as well. But nothing good lasts forever, Mikado was bitten by a zombie he thought had died while collecting a blood sample, Kokoro takes this as an opportunity to start testing possible cures on him.

She was able to develop a solution that keeps his infection from spreading beyond stage 2 (the one Mikado had reached by the time she first tested this solution on him), but there's been no progress on one capable of reversing the effects of the virus so far. Probably because Kokoro's lab is starting to lack a few things by now, not that this will stop her from continuing her research tho, if someone's gonna find a cure it's probably her.

Anyways, back to the Dra cast. This whole apocalypse starts in a similar way to how the cast gets captured in canon, Kisaragi brings them to the foundation's place without knowing Utsuro and Akane (who is at early stage 2 now) are the causes of this mess. The two of them let a bunch of zombies in and reveal themselves as despairs, at this point the class ends up getting divided as they lose track of where the others are.

-Group 1; Yamato, Mikako, Teruya, Satsuki, Haruhiko: It was a hard decision but seing as zombies were everywhere around the facility, they couldn't risk staying for very long to try finding the others. Yamato directed the people with him alongside several other foundation members that hadn't gotten bit towards some helicopters where they left the island and headed towards a secret underground facility/bunker.

So they're safe, but obviously worried about the others. Yamato manages to contact Tsurugi via some kind of communication device early on and hearing that he's got a lot of their clasmates still with him makes them all a little relieved, Yamato sends the coordinates of the bunker to him so that Tsurugi can bring him and the others there safely, he also tent to talk him whenever he has the time to make sure everything is going well and even send supplies to their location when needed.

Because i imagine Yamato would absolutely be overworked on this, trying to keep the people at the bunker safe and sane while getting news from their friends still outside while ALSO trying to find a cure himself. Which is a lot harder to when he is very unwilling to bring infected into the bunker to make tests as in depth as Kokoro is doing. His are done by shooting zombies around the area on the surface with a dart that has one of his solutions and a microchip onto it, he keeps track on these zombies to see if it does anything. Not very precise, but the safety of the people in the facility is more important to him than that.

Mikako also helps with it from time to time but most of what she does is keep check of the people in the bunker and make sure they're ok, while also being in charge of checking and disinfecting anyone that's gonna enter the facility and coordinating ocasional missions to go outside and gather more suplies. Where are these supplies coming from? Otori mart of course! Hence why Teruya also helps with these missions by telling them which stores will have certain itens and where to find them.

As for Satsuki and Haru, I don't think they're doing much, sorta just trying to settle in the facility and reassuring the other people there that they're safe down there. I like to think Satsuki maybe pulls up some performances to boost morale of the people at the facility and make them smile even if just a little.

After getting separated from Yamato and the others, Tsurugi took the lead in guiding his classmates to safety after deciding that they should head down and try to leave the island via boat, but things don't go so smoothly as the group is followed by a hoard of zombies. Kakeru, Mitch and Kinji stay behind to hold back the zombies while the others reach the boat, Maki wanted to stay behind with them as well but Higa insisted that she should go with the others to protect them.

-Group 2; Tsurugi, Kiyoka, Ayame, Kanata, Kizuna:

The remaining members of class 79 stick together as they traverse through the city, making contact with Yamato via Kinjo's two way radio and getting the coordinates for their location. Tsurugi effectively becomes the leader of the group, though his weird morals tend to make him pretty cold and rather unsympathetic during the apocalypse, prioritizing their survival above all else while being somewhat paranoid about the infection and possible traitors like Utsuro and Akane.

Back in the foundation's island Ayame had gotten bit by Taira while in denial that she could have helped cause this, she tried to get Akane to "snap out of it" and return to her senses, but it didn't work out. Seeing as Ayame had gotten infected Tsurugi wanted to put her down to avoid more casualties, which was not taken well by pretty much everyone else in their group, except for Rei who begrudgingly took his side she figured keeping Ayame with them would be risky.

Thankfully, Kanata stepped in and begged to be allowed to try doing something to help Ayame and if there was nothing she could do to save her she would let him go ahead and kill her. They headed towards an abandoned hospital where Kanata performed mant tests on Ayame and ultimately decided to amputate her armnin an attempt to stop tye infection from spreading. She monitored her closely for tge next few days and was overjoyed when she didn't show any signs of infection afterwards.

Because Kizuna is not doing well either, a few weeks into the apocalypse she became absolutely terrified of zombies and the virus which led to her becoming extremely paranoid and scared that she could get it and turn into one. She was never bit, but her anxiety and paranoia makes her afraid that maybe she has gotten it somehow, she constantly asks Kanata to do check-ups on her and asks if what she's feeling is normal or if she's turning into a zombie.

Ayame is.. not doing very well. Her mental health has gotten pretty bad after learning the truth about Akane, she blames herself for not having been able to "see her true colors" despite being so close to her and is generally really hurt over her betrayal of them since she had feelings for her.

Currently she doesn't talk much, doesn't eat much and doesn't do much, which bothers Kinjo since she could have been very helpful due to her talent if she had the strength to be a more active member of their group. Kanata tries to help her mental health improve even if that's beyond her field of knowledge, she's essential always near her and Kizuna to keep an eye on them and reasure them that they're gonna make it to the bunker.

She pretty much doesn't sleep anymore, something Kinjo uses to the group's advantage and tends to leave her in charge of looking over them while they sleep for the night, if she sees or hear anything strange she can wake him up and he'll know what to do from here on out.

With Kanata being their only medical professional and Ayame and Kizuna not being in the best state of mind, Kinjo and Kiyoka are the ones who do most of the work for the group. They scout areas they're about to head towards next (since their goal is to reach the foundation's underground facility, they're always on the move) to see if their safe and look for suplies and food. Maki is essentially his right hand woman and voice of reason a lot of the time, she also taught the other girls how to fire a gun, just in case whatever base they are currently staying in gets attacked while the her and Kinjo are out.

-Kakeru, Higa and Kinji:

While Kakeru and Mitch were killed by zombies back in the Kisaragi foundation's island, Kinji managed to free himself and reach the roadway, unfortunately he was infected in the process. Knowing that he would eventually lose his mind to tye virus, he decided to not go after the others from his class and instead dedicates the time he has left to giving a proper burial to the dead people and zombies he finds on the streets, praying that their souls are able to rest in peace.

Kinji's infection has reached mid stage 3, his memories are starting to become foggy, keeping his sanity while resisting the hunger is becoming harder and harder.

-Rei:

She stayed with Tsurugi's group for quite some time but eventually left after a huge argument with him and generally being fed up with having to deal with them. Having the coordinates to the foundation's bunker written down in a notepad, she decided to find it on her own, believing she could get there way faster without having to wait for a bunch of other people.

She was certain that her intelligence and problem solving abilities would be enough to get by, however, in these situations safety is in numbers. Rei had a close call in the city when she stumbled upon zombified versions if her parents, unable to bring herself to shoot them, she was attacked but luckily a group of survivors came to help her before the worst happened.

She stayed with them for the night, having her minor injuries treated by the father of one of her classmates. While she was offered a place in the group by their leader, Rei refused, adamantly sticking to her goal of making it to the bunker on her own.

She made it out of the city, but is starting to run out of supplies and ammo.

-Setsuka and her crew: Working as a detective for a good while before the apocalypse and having the devil's eye to help her, Setsuka is a master of stealth and doesn't have a hard time at all avoiding zombies by traversing through some safer routes. She set up a base in an abandoned warehouse and overtime managed to rescue a handful of people, these being Ryutaro, Midori, Keisuke, Minako and Yoruko.

Things were going as smoothly as they could be for a while until zombies broke into the warehouse and the crew had to leave in a hurry, Minako was killed in the process and Yoruko was bitten in the ankle, something she only took notice of late at night. When the others woke up the next day, she was nowhere to be found. Ironically, it was while the group looked for her that they met Hikaru, who could possibly have saved her from the infection the same way Kanata did to Ayame.

On a good note, now that they have a medical professional, Hikaru can take care of Midori and tell them what kind of medicine they should look for in this situation, the two of them tend to stay at their new base most of the time (set on the roof of a tall building, stairs barricade to prevent zombies from getting up. The group climbs down usinga rope whenever they need to leave) while Setsuka and the boys go around to gather food and suplies.

It was in one of these small missions that they met Rei and agreed to give her some of their food and a place to stay for the night in exchange for medical supplies. While she was asleep, Setsuka rummaged through her backpack and found the notepad with the coordinates for the underground facility. She used the devil's eye to record it and now there is a new group heading towards the bunker.

-Kanade and Hibiki:

Hibiki panicked and ententered her puppet stage early on into the apocalypse, Kanade found that delightful, now she has her sister all for herself and no facades to keep on at all since the world has gone to shit. Her focus is not on surviving or making to a safe shelter, she's just having a blast brutally murdering zombies all over the place and people too whenever she sees that they have something she wants or simply managed to get on her nerves.

Zombie or human, Kanade likes to sign her work, other survivor have learned to recognize corpses killed by her not only for the guresome ways in which they were left for display, but also for a music note symbol carved in their foreheads. Every once in a while she will be sent to eliminate people or specific trade groups that Syobai considers a threath to his business, in exchange, he allows her to take any weapons he wants from his stock and stay in his shelter if she desires.

The person Kanade talks with the most is Hibiki, which is more like talking to herself by now since she remains unemotional and unresponsive to anything but direct orders from her.. Or is she..?

Either ways, if one hears singing around the bloody city streets, it's better to run away immediately.

-Shinji and Yuki:

Shinji was on a business trip outside the city when the apocalypse started, he was attacked and his car was destroyed by zombies when he tried to come back there when the outbreak was in its peak. In the outskirts, he stumbled upon the place Akane and Utsuro had locked the real Yuki in. Took a while but he eventually managed to free him, the boy was scared and confused, it took a few days Shinji to explain things to him and for the reality of the situation to settle in his mind.

Although scared Yuki is determined to reunite with his mother, just how Shinji wants to find his wife and daughters. Together the two of them are making their way back to the city, with Shinji promising himself he'll do anything to protect the young boy, who is like a son to him by now.

-Syobai:

Being a broker during the apocalypse sure has its advantages! Since money is pretty much worthless now, Syobai makes a living by trading goods (weapons, clothes, medicine, shelter, drugs, whatever you want, he probably has it) by things of his interest, be it food, other suplies, information or even services from people. Though a handfuls survivors tend to avoid doing business with him, aware of the dangers that come with the deal.

Most of his goods were taken from other traffickers/criminal organizations after they were attacked and killed by zombies, so Syobai has a lot in hands to trade and lots of contacts he made during this mess to keep him up to date on the situation, always gotta be one step ahead of the curve you know.

-Yuri: Stage 2 infected, he achived his dream of sacrificing himself to save a woman!.. Now what? His health is deteriorating fast.