#not taking it seriously can be DANGEROUS. and he still succeeded so well

[layzeal]

yet another thing that leaves me at awe that wwx managed to be one of the best cultivators of his generation despite starting relatively late and messing around a lot during his teens

[blingblong55]

Knock 'em dead kid- 141

This is based on a request:

F!Reader, assassin! reader, mentions of blood,

Backstory:

Before working with the team, you were working as a mercenary for a private military company. You dealt with hard missions, always succeeding though. You were one of the best highly trained soldiers your branch could ever seek for. Always completing the mission with no regrets, and no other questions asked. No one in your old team ever mess with you, they knew what you could be capable of if left with you alone for 30 seconds.

You are now a 28 year old soldier, a badass with snipes, automatic rifles, and your favorite an M-16. After Price visited his old friend he found you. You had just arrived from a mission with your team, you were well groomed for what you had just done. He sure thought you were just another young one. No experience under your belt. Now it was hard to judge you, all of your missions had been redacted, the only thing he could see was your name, alias, age and who you were currently working for, besides that everything else was cleared out.

"you are coming with me kid." he said, handing you your assignment. You grabbed your bags and off you went.

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

It has been a year working with the Task Force. They all tried to take you seriously, but you looked so adorable, like a little kid. You were so small compared to them all. And the way you would look up at them with those kind innocent eyes of yours, how could they ever tell who you were when alone with the enemy.

And apparently tonight would be the night they met "grim" the alias you had earned over the years. As the team geared up, soap approached you. Cocky bastard behavior tonight, you thought. "if you feel like you are in danger you call out for me, I'll protect ya lass." he gave you a smug smile. "sure, I'll do that" you rolled your eyes when you turned from him.

By 0300, the team had touched ground, you all in night vision. "Ghost, soap, grim, take left, gaz, delta, you stay with me." Price commanded, the team splits up, you trail behind the men. "Stay close grim." soap said, you nod. At some point you reach your spot. But things turn left quickly. As you all ducked down, two rounds start flying towards you all. Ghost orders you both follow him. He finds a small trench. It was a gun fight for a while.

And after much fight, you guys can finally move forward. Soap always making sure you are behind him. ''Soap watch our backs, Grim, you stay with me." Ghost cold voice whispers. You two enter a building, ghost gets hit in the face by the butt of a gun. You duck down, "soap, come in!" you order at him. But you couldn't wait for him. So you grab your gun, push a few away from your commander and with a knife you stab on in the eye, you cold bloodlessly take the knife out. The man holds onto his face, kneeling down.

You look back at Ghost who happens to still be on the ground. You finish the man with a bullet through the back of his skull. The other men start bolting towards you. You kick one away as the other holds you by the throat. You wish you could make a joke, but you have to protect your team. It was the first time you worked with a full team. It was odd to be selfless.

Your elbow comes in contact with the mans stomach and as the other gets up, you quickly grab the mans arm, biting into it and then you flip him over. He falls to the ground. You hold your knife close, you start fighting with the other man, your knife cutting his skin. Blood splatters on your face, leaking down your shirt. The man slaps you to which you quickly punch him.

Meanwhile, Soap arrives. He was in shock watching you fight. He tried to approach you, "stay back, help Ghost up." you stabbed the man in his abdomen, you pull your gun out and shoot at his chest twice. You turn back to the man you had flipped around. He has a gun pointed at you, his hands trembling. "not so good are you." you grab his gun, throwing it away. You kick his balls, to which you earn a groan. Price walks in, thinking you and the other men had cleared the room. He was in shock, seeing how a woman of your size took down the big guys.

Gaz walks in, and immediately looks at soap. "yep." he nods, knowing the question gaz was about to ask.

You finish the man, shooting him in the head. More blood splashed onto you. You turn to find the team. They had once seen you as the new kid, a harmless little thing, and now you were here standing in front of them. You smile. "done!"

Your eyes meet there's, you start to laugh at their reactions. Even Ghost, although masked, can really be expressive with his eyes. "you should wash that look now. we have a mission to complete."

Price takes a closer look at the men you've killed. "those men were the mission."

"oh..sorry?"

He chuckled like a proud father and walked over to you, handing you an old handkerchief. "wipe your face and let's go home yeah?"

you nod, that sweet little girl look in your eyes. He was really terrified at that. How can you just switch up on them so easily, dont know, but they were impressed, scared and proud, all at once.

A/N: I honestly believe that was the day Ghost was afraid of something...

I really hope you did like it, also I know this is shorter than my usuals, sorry about that

REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!

[vibratingskull]

Hewo! Can you do thrawn x female reader where he accidentally raising his voice/yelling,and then he immediately feel bad and things eventually get patched up

Thrawn loosing his temper? Damn, that sh*t must be serious!

ThrawnxF!reader

You hold on Thrawn’s stare. You hold your position, sure of yourself and your plan. 

Thrawn on the other hand... Doesn’t appear as convinced. 

“I can do it!” You insist, “If you give me the command of a special squad, hide the navette behind an asteroid that you will propulse with a tractor beam, I can come alongside his mothership, take down his crew and liquidate that fucker!” 

“I refuse.” He simply responds. 

The tone is controlled, calm, almost disinterested. 

“Grand Admiral! You know me and what I am capable of! You saw me in training, you saw my scores, you know my records and all my succeeded missions! I.can.do.it!” 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Thrawn! I ca-” 

“I said no!”  

You start at the sudden shout. 

Did he... Did he just raise his voice at you? 

You were so surprised and shocked you took a step back, with a loss for words. Thrawn had never raised his voice at you before. 

Never. 

No matter how angry he could get, he never raised his voice against you once! 

You gulp, so taken aback you have no idea what to do. Thrawn looks straight at you, gaze clear and decided, brows frowned and back straight. He raised on his feet when he shouted, slamming his two hands on his desk. You shudder under his gaze, not knowing what to say. 

“I... I just...” You feel your lips trembling and your voice cracks. 

Thrawn blinks and seems to snap out of his anger when he realizes how distraught you are. He skirts his desk and comes to embrace you, regretting his words. 

“Ch’acah...” He calls soflty, “Ch’acah forgive me. I did not intent to startle you.” He tries to soothe you, hugging you in his warm arms, pressing you against his broad chest, “But Nuso Esva is a trickster and a devious warrior. I do not doubt your capacities for a second, but he is too treacherous too reckon with a simple squad.”  

You tremble in his arms, slowly calming down from your shock state, hugging him back tentatively with shaking hands. 

“I just--wanted to be useful to you...” You manage to let out. 

“You are Ch’acah, more than you will ever know. But this man is too dangerous for you to take down alone. Your plan would work on any other target but this one, and I cannot bear to lose you.” 

You sigh back a sob, digging your nails in his white uniform. 

“If I let you die without trying to stop you, I could never recover from that. Please my love, understand that I am trying to save your life, not to disparage you in any way... Calm down my love.”  

His thumb comes to caress your cheek tenderly, pressing his palm against your jaw. He gently takes your chin to tilt your head to meatt his gaze. 

“Look at me Ch’acah. I am sorry for raising my voice, but I simply could not let you walk toward your death without putting an end to it. Will you forgive me?”  

His tone is calm and even before recoverng to its usual sterness, but his eyes... His eyes were begging, regretting the shock he instilled in you... 

You sniff a good time and smile to him. 

“Of course, Thrawn.” 

He looks at you intently before letting a sigh out and relaxing his shoulders. 

“Thank you, Ch’acah.” 

You push a strand of hair behind your ear to put up a front and look back to him. 

“Will you at least let me participate in the strategizing?” You ask, hopeful. 

You may not be able to take Nuso Esva down with a quick assassination mission as you do so well but you can still be useful in other ways. 

“Of course, my love. I take all your ideas seriously and await impatiently your opinion on my next plan.” He promises, a small comforting smile on his lips. “We will take him together.” 

This smile... 

Is only for you to see... 

Ever. 

@bluechiss @thrawnalani @justanothersadperson93 @al-astakbar@thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @elise2174 @debonaire-princess @twilekchiss @pencil-urchin @ineedazeezee @mssbridgerton @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @Cortisolcosplay @obbicrystaleo @germie2037

[acefaun]

Yandere Partheno

Synopsis: Partheno gave up his demon roots to be with MC, only for them to reject him for another god. Without them, who was to stop Partheno from resorting to his original plans? Whether he had MC beside him or devoured their soul, it was the same thing to him.

🩸Yandere Masterlist🩸 🩸A03 Link🩸 Female goldfish! Warnings: violence, sexual harassment, mentioned death A/n: Cringy demon Partheno for spooky season! The copy/paste formatting came out a little wonky on Tumblr this time… Some of the paragraphs got mushed together and I don't have the patience to read through and figure out where my paragraph breaks are… So, please read it on A03 if the messy, bulky paragraphs throw you off here. I promise they're not supposed to be like that.

–Word Count: 12,414–

"Careful. Don't get too close to Partheno, or he'll take advantage of you." That was the first thing Ichthys warned me. Ichthys was always playing jokes and messing around with me, so I didn't take him seriously. That was my first mistake. 

"You're really being an alarmist." Partheno defended himself, looking hurt at the accusation. 

But the other gods didn't have anything good to say about Partheno either. Still, with his beautifully convincing smile, I chose Partheno to guard me, which was my second mistake.

I thought the only thing dangerous about Partheno was his perverted mouth because other than that, he treated me well the entire time he was guarding me. He made sure I was nothing but comfortable around him. He was so kind and caring that it was impossible not to fall in love with him. He was known as the God of love and beauty for a reason. Only, falling in love with him was my third mistake. 

It turned out that he was the son of the Dark King and was the reason I was going to die—if not for me 'saving' him. In the end, when faced with the King of the Heavens, he decided to become an actual god. In truth, he fell in love with me too, and he didn't want to die and be without me. 

Though the other gods were wary of Partheno since his betrayal, they had faith that he would continue to be a god as long as he had me by his side. But Partheno wasn't a demon anymore. He didn't have the power to charm me as he previously did, so, to put it bluntly, I didn't love him. I was terrified of him. He tried to kill me and damn nearly succeeded! But what was worse was that he lied and used me. How could I love someone like that?

Still, he needed time to heal and adjust to being a god, and I was thankful to the gods for the time I had to myself before I had to face the horrors in the Heavens again. I was startled out of my thoughts from a sudden banging on my balcony window. My hands began to shake as I looked at the shadow across the curtains. It couldn't have been Partheno; they would have never let him out of the Heavens so soon. That's what I'd convinced myself, anyway. There was only one way to find out.

I walked to the door with shaky limbs and opened the glass door, internally feeling relief at finding Leon standing there with not a single member of the Department of Punishments in sight. Still, I was pretty confused at seeing the Minister of Wishes standing at my door and gazing down at me with an intimidating scowl. Meekly, I broke the silence, "Is something wrong? You don't usually make visits on Earth."

"You made a mistake." That was all he said as he stared at me. 

I had no arguments. I could only sadly agree. “I made more than one." Things fell silent again, but I felt the need to tell him more once I'd already started. I timidly asked, "Um... are you busy? Can we talk?" 

Leon might not have been the best person to ask for advice, or tell my problems to, for that matter. But regardless, he sat in my tiny apartment, not saying much now that I had something to say. It wasn't characteristic of Leon, but I was willing to accept it from the Minister of Wishes. “This is about Partheno?”

“Well… sort of. Yeah.”

He nodded for me to continue.

I avoided his gaze as I spoke my mind, "I've been thinking about everything. Even back when I chose to get rid of your sin first, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I'm just a human in a world of gods, and I didn't really think about how... insignificant I was until I was just a puppet for Partheno to play with. I don't know what I'm doing, and I feel pressured now. Do I or don't I have a choice about going back to the Heavens? After everyone left that day, it was just me, Partheno, and the King; Partheno said he would change. He said he would be the god of love as long as he had me with him. So... I know... eventually, whether it's Partheno or some other Punishment's god, someone's going to come to take me back to the Heavens." I droned on about my worries, Leon not once opening his mouth to interrupt me, but listening intently to what I had to say. "I've never had a single clue as to what I was doing in a world of gods, and I feel like I'm just going to keep making things worse for myself. I... don't think I can love Partheno; I don't know what they expect me to do."

Falling silent, I was sure I had told Leon everything that was on my chest. He rubbed his chin before he leaned back on the sofa he occupied. Finally, it was his turn to speak, "I didn't come here to counsel a goldfish..." He paused, contemplating his following actions. "I came here to apologize—on behalf of the Department of Wishes. We allowed Partheno to manipulate us and take you, a goldfish, putting you in danger that we could have saved you from. The minute we learned that you were in danger from the Dark King, I should have had Karno watch you. I'm the Minister of the Department of Wishes, and I'll take responsibility for everything that bastard put you through."

As much as he wanted it to sound like he was there for the Department of Wishes, I could see the guilt that rode on his shoulders, especially after everything I had just told him. I didn't even think about what he could be feeling when I unloaded my emotions onto him. I hadn't even considered the fact that I could have been adding to his guilt. "Leo... I'm sorry-"

"Sorry?" His face scrunched up as if disliking my apology. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. I came here to apologize to you. I don't want to hear anything relatively close to an apology come out of your mouth." 

I fell silent at his reprimand, unsure of how I was supposed to respond to something like that. He felt guilty over what he let me go through, but why wouldn't he let me comfort him? 

"What are you making that face for?" He sighed, opening his arms to me. "Goldfish... I can't stand to see you make those eyes. Come here."

He was never really the affectionate type. To see him sitting with his arms open, waiting to embrace me, sent a warm feeling rushing through me. I was highly timid as I approached Leon, almost like an abused puppy. But when he pulled me onto his lap and into his arms, I melted in his warm touch, my head resting on his shoulder. Instead of saying sorry again, I explained, "I can't help but feel bad. If it weren't for me making one bad choice after the other, then you wouldn't be here feeling so guilty right now. Don't tell me you're not because you don't have that cocky look on your face that you usually have, and that's my fault."

He stiffened at my words, proving to me that they were true. But he didn't lose the aggressive edge to his voice. "It is your damn fault. I know you've had enough of gods, but I've taken responsibility for losing you and putting you in that perverted freak's hands. I want you to take responsibility for making me feel this way." 

I'd always admired Leon and his strength. He may have had a few personal issues, such as his will to avoid doing work until Karno got on top of him for it, but he was strong. He was the Minister of his department for a reason. Him coming to me and taking responsibility for nearly losing me was enough to remind me of why I'd always admired him. When I was getting rid of his sin, it took some time to understand the root of his feelings. He was always so alone, especially being the powerful god he'd always been. Even after helping the other gods and getting used to being around Partheno and the Department of Punishments, Leon was always the one who stood out to me. Even now, he tried to hide how much he had grown to care for others. 

His eyes met mine, and they narrowed. "What's that face for?" The corners of his lips turned up, regaining that confident look he had lost. This was the face I admired on Leon. He looked so satisfied, like he could take on anything. I needed to be like that; it was the only way I would make it through what I knew I would soon face. Leon shook me out of my thoughts as he mocked, "Don't tell me you fell in love with me?"

"Leo," I announced boldly, catching him off guard for a moment as I smiled despite my inward turmoil. “You were cocky when we first met—well, you still are. But you're so confident, and I can't help but admire how strong you are. We've been through a lot, and I know you feel like it's your fault, but it's going to be okay. I'm glad you came here to see me today. I feel like I can handle things now."

It was quiet between us while I waited for an answer. It was a few minutes, and I wondered why he wasn't saying anything at all. But I let out a squeak when he suddenly pulled me closer, crushing me into his chest. His hair tickled my nose as our cheeks were almost pressed together. His quiet yet sincere tone caught me off guard, "I've always loved how passionate you can be when you feel strongly about something. Saying you'll be okay just to make me feel better... you have some audacity for a goldfish."

"Who's falling in love now?" My question made him draw back enough for him to see the look in my eyes—it was a teasing look that was enough to match the look he usually gave me. 

A grin replaced his smirk as he egged me on, "You're getting pretty tenacious. What happened to that timid little goldfish I first met?"

"That ‘timid little goldfish’ met the God of Leo. Will you take responsibility for that too?"

“You sound like you're trying to push a god's buttons. Are you sure you can handle that?”

“If I can have the slightest bit of your courage… I can handle anything.”

***

My breathing was light as Leon laid beside me in his bed. I felt the bed dip lower on his side before he whispered, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired..." My eyes cracked open as I pulled the blankets closer. Feeling his fingers brush through my hair, I gave a small smile, and heat bloomed across my cheeks. Recalling the intimate moment we shared last night was enough to send my heart racing.

"That troublesome fish from Punishments was looking for you. I told him you'd see him when you were up." 

I nodded, burying my face in my pillow. So, today was the day Partheno asked for me. My thoughts flew back to last night, and I wondered what Leon and I were... Was I just another goldfish for him to play with? These were gods; I couldn't forget that. I would always be something short in their lives, no matter what happened. 

Leon huffed. "What happened to that spirit you had yesterday? You know... if anything happens, you can always come to me. Just let those jerks from Punishments know how you feel. You might be the only reason Partheno is a god, but you won't be sacrificed for him to stay."

How did I feel yesterday? I felt like I could take on the world. I would be confident and stand up for myself. But even if Leon and I weren't actually together—even if we were just a god and human with benefits—I was still glad he would be there if I needed him. A grin spread across my face, and I was ready to face the world once again. "Thanks… I think things are going to be just fine." 

Convincing myself that things would be fine and going back to the Heavens was my fourth mistake. 

I had to admit, Partheno was still as beautiful as ever when I laid eyes on him for the first time in days. But... for some reason, he looked upset when he first laid eyes on me. The last thing we had between us was love... but that was gone. I wasn't sure he knew that, but he had other feelings on the top of his mind. Instead of waiting, I took my pseudo confidence and broke the silence, "Partheno."

The look in his eyes was quick to change at hearing his name leave my lips. His eyes lit up excitedly. "(Name), love! I've been waiting for you! I wanted to see you last night, but Zyglavis was absolutely not going to allow that, saying that goldfish needed a certain amount of sleep and the like... Though, I was sure I would be much more important than sleep to you." He stopped talking for a moment, noticing how awkwardly I was standing by his door. "You're so cute, (Name), but you don't have to be so shy. Come in. Come here. I've missed you so much." He enveloped me in his arms as soon as I was within reach. His hold was tight, and I was almost afraid he was going to crack a rib or two. 

I was grateful when he loosened his hold, but I had to tell him before he could get too far with me, "Partheno, we need to sit down and talk."

Finally, we were on the same page. His expression dropped to something serious, and he gave a single nod. He sat on his sofa with barely enough space between us. "Of course, we need to talk. What happened was really scary for you, wasn't it?" His guilty expression was genuine. Did he understand how I was feeling about everything? "Finding out I was a demon must have been horrible. But thanks to you, I'm a god now. It's all thanks to your love and support that I'm here now."

"Um... About that..." I started awkwardly, twisting my fingers in nervousness. "Partheno... Things were messed up when you were a demon—you know that. You were charming me and making me love you so you could use me. But..." I stared at the floor, refusing to meet his gaze. Would he be angry if I told him the truth? "Your dark powers were the reason I loved you. I... don't really love you anymore."

Despite my cruel admission, he didn't seem upset or angry. His calm smile was still on his face as he tried to disprove what I was telling him, "Nonsense. You're probably not feeling well, is all. You look exhausted—like you didn't get much sleep last night. I'm the god of love, darling. I can see the love shining in your eyes."

I awkwardly stared at the floor. Too bad I couldn't make Partheno understand that it wasn't him I had such intense feelings about. "You don't understand," I stressed my words, trying to get him to see how I was feeling, "You were manipulating me. I don't think- Well... I've never really felt that way about you. I don't know how to make you understand."

He was indeed the most delusional god I'd ever met. The other gods were pretty glad I stuck around with Partheno, having gone as far as actually asked me to keep Partheno on the right track for them. But why was it my job? If only Partheno hadn't promised to stay true to his position as long as he had me. He would never accept that I didn't love him. I flinched as he passed his fingers along my jaw. "Humans are so cute. But it's okay; you don't need to worry. I would never doubt you, even if you are confused right now."

I balled my hands into fists and huffed in annoyance. He wasn't listening to me at all. What was in that thick head of his? "I'm not confused! I'm telling you how I feel! I was confused, but I've been thinking about this since we last saw each other." Did he understand yet? 

My hope died out, replaced by disappointment as I took the chance to look up at him. His smile was as cute as when we first met, and his expression appeared as if he didn't have a care in the world. Didn't he care about how I felt? "I'm glad we're at the point in our relationship where we feel comfortable telling each other how we feel. I'm thrilled you're opening up to me about this." My eyebrows furrowed with what he was saying to me. Why did he deny it so avidly if he understood what I was saying? But I failed to pull back as he wrapped his hands around my head and began to try and gently smooth my scrunched-up face with his thumbs. “Please, don't worry so much, love. You'll get stress lines. Now that you're here with me, I can spend the rest of my time recovering with you by my side. Then you can see how much you still love me. You won't even want to go home when it's time for you to leave.”

My eyes widened. He wanted me to stay that long with him? It wasn't like I could just deny him when I had so many expectations on my shoulders. 

The last time we spent so much time together, it didn't end well for me. But I knew he wasn't giving me a choice, so I ended up nodding my head in silent resignation. Of course, the gods in the Heavens still weren't pleased to have a traitor among their ranks, so we mainly stayed in his room that afternoon. It was quiet and awkward, but Partheno didn't mind as long as he had me close with him. Even when it was time for me to eat something, he lovingly provided me with food and ate with me. 

By the time the stars were out, it still didn't look as if he were ready to send me home, so I quietly asked, "Is it alright if I go home for tonight?"

He blinked before turning to look at me. "Home? You'll stay here with me, won't you? You are supposed to be helping me heal. I hear that healing was one of the powers of the Goddess of Fate." He leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine, too softly for me to react, "Perhaps, if you're interested, this could be your home."

I pulled away nervously, my cheeks turning red as I looked out of the window anxiously, "N- No! I'm just a human! I live on Earth! I'll stay the night... as long as I can go home later." It was a sacrifice I was willing to make. Besides, it wasn't like I'd be stuck in his room the whole time. I glanced back at him while he was getting the bed ready for us. My memory of the last time we shared a bed wasn't a pleasant one, but an idea struck me. Gods might not have needed sleep, but Partheno's body was adjusting to becoming a god, and Ichthys told me he'd been sleeping almost all the time. Maybe he wouldn't notice if I snuck away while he was still sleeping. Perhaps I could make sharing a bed with him work. 

He gave me a comfortable pair of pajamas, though he didn't do anything else, unlike what I expected. He was such a pervert; it surprised me when he passed out on the bed beside me after turning the lights out. Maybe his body was tired. After the day I had, I wasn't surprised at how emotionally exhausted I was, but I also fell soundly asleep on my side of the bed. 

"(Name)- Mmn." Someone was touching my arms. "(Name)." They were calling out my name. "Love... wake up."

I hummed at the feeling of someone's lips on my neck. "Leo..." I called out his name and cried out as teeth sunk painfully into my neck.

He pulled away, and his voice hissed into my ear, "I haven't seen you in days, and this is how you greet me? With the name of another man? Tell me... has he touched you like this?" I cringed as his hands explored my body without permission. My eyes widened as I realized just who was on top of me. It wasn't Leon. This was Partheno. 

"Partheno- Ah- Stop!" 

"What if I was that lion?" He asked, his voice dangerously low, "Would you tell him to stop? No, you would moan his name, wouldn't you? It was him who touched you, wasn't it? His scent, his marks of love. He was all over you. Do you think I'll let you get away with betraying me? Do you think I'll let him get away with touching you?" My body shivered at the dark look that was in his eyes. He looked just like he did when he was a demon. Was he falling back to his old ways? Pain erupted in my stomach, and I doubled over, trying not to cry out. He was grinning down at me. "It seems we're still connected. But... if you won't be mine... maybe I should just go through with absorbing your powers, like I've been wanting to do. Then you won't be able to belong to anyone but me. Your soul will be mine."

I cried out in fright, jumping up from my position. My eyes darted all over, trying to find where Partheno disappeared to. But he was lying peacefully beside me, his face not showing any signs of waking up. I sighed, rubbing my face as I got over the nightmare I had just had. I had to leave. I couldn't stay with Partheno. Staying with my abuser would only cause me more distress.

I climbed out of bed, careful not to wake him as I got dressed and left his room. I stared down at my feet as I walked down the hall. The palace wasn't as busy at night, even though I was told Gods didn't need to sleep—maybe they just preferred to work during the day. 

I walked into the living room and sat quietly on the sofa, though no one else was in there except me. I was still exhausted from my nightmare, but I was sure I wouldn't get any sleep being in the same building as Partheno. Still, the sofa was so comfortable, and I was sure Partheno couldn't leave his room yet, so I should be safe. It wasn't like just anyone would go into that living room. Only the Zodiac gods gathered in there. So, with my lack of better judgment, I took the chance to rest my eyes then and there. They would understand... right?

"Oh, here she is! I found her!"

"Shh! She fell asleep on the sofa. There's no need to wake her up."

"Uh... But should we take her back to Partheno? He seemed worried."

"Wait until she wakes up, at least."

I turned, rubbing my face into whatever pillow was beneath me. I let out a quiet yawn before I finally opened my eyes and found Huedhaut and Teorus watching me. I quickly shot up on the sofa and remembered where I was. "O- Oh. It's just you two."

Huedhaut sat beside me and asked, "What are you doing sleeping on the sofa? You know, any god could have walked in on you and found you in that vulnerable position."

I looked down, picking at my fingers shyly before admitting. "I just had a nightmare... so I couldn't spend the night with Partheno, but I also couldn't just go home and... I didn't know where else to go. No one else was in here, so I stayed."

Teorus shook his head. "That isn't fair. If you want to go home, we can send you home."

Before I had a chance to answer, Partheno rushed into the room, followed by Krioff and Dui. "(Name)!" I flinched with a small yelp as he wrapped me tightly in his arms. "I was worried sick when I woke up and saw you were missing. I thought some cruel god had taken you away from me as revenge for what I'd done. I called all of the gods to help find you."

"Y- You what? All of them? I'm fine. I just-"

"Don't do that to me again!” He interrupted me. “I had to beg them to let me look for you." I couldn't pull away with how tightly he held me against his chest. His nose was stuffed in my hair as he continued to caress my back. "But you're here. You're back in my arms. I'll keep you safe. You must have felt so trapped, but you'll be thrilled at the news. I'm allowed out of my room now so you won't need to stay there all day with me. I can take you anywhere in the palace—even the garden if another god joins us."

Partheno made it sound like a gift, but why did it always feel like the exact opposite?

He said being in his room probably made me feel trapped, but as soon as he was allowed to follow me outside of his room, it was like he was glued to my hip. I had been there for a week, per Partheno's request, and could barely get a minute to myself. 

However, when I did get the chance to have some time for myself, I usually spent it with one of my other friends like Dui or Ichthys. It was always fun until Partheno would show up—which he would do no matter who I was with. It wasn't so obvious... but I could tell how jealous he would get when I was around any of the other gods. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I also picked up on the fact that every time he walked into the room, the other gods would suddenly have something else to do. 

It was so suffocating.

First, Partheno took me away from my home and demanded I stay with him in the Heavens; then, he suddenly wanted to control who was around me. As time slowly passed, I became more irritated with his presence; the fear I once harbored was molding itself into spite. 

Having enough of what I was forced into, I eventually went to Zyglavis for some help and guidance on the situation. 

"He's smothering me. It's like he shows up everywhere I am. Not even the gods who needed me to erase their sins were this controlling! I'm a human. I need to go back to Earth. I can't handle having some god hovering over me every minute of the day." I huffed, trying to calm myself down from my sudden rant. "Zyglavis... are you sure he's alright? Even as a demon, he didn't act like this. I... think something's wrong with him."

Zyglavis was staring at me evenly, and the same as the other gods I'd spoken to for advice, he reassured, "Partheno has been doing his work and staying out of trouble that he would otherwise find himself in if not for you supporting him. He loves you, and it makes sense that he would want to spend time with you—though I believe the King should have gone about this differently. A god and a human..." He shook his head before looking at me with kinder eyes, "In any case, we are grateful to you, (Name) (Surname). We hope that you and Partheno continue to be happy together." 

They might not have seen anything wrong... either that or they were just ignoring it for their own selfish needs. But Partheno was clearly different to me. I was running out of friends. I was running out of people to turn to. Not even Ichthys, Dui, or Teorus wanted to talk to me anymore, fearing that Partheno would appear. The older gods like Karno, Huedhaut, and Tauxolouve would spare some words with me, but Partheno was always there to interrupt us, demanding for me to go with him or for them to leave me alone. They probably saw it as him wanting to spend time with me lovingly, so they gave us our space. But... I felt alone and isolated. Partheno was backing me into a corner, and no one was listening to me.

"Zyglavis!" I called out, making him stop in surprise as he walked away from me. He wasn't expecting me to yell at him of all things. "I want to go home! No one's listening to me..." 

His eyes were wide in surprise. It was rare to see him with this kind of expression, but he looked speechless. "(Name)-"

"You... You want to leave me?" I cringed and turned around immediately upon hearing Partheno's broken voice behind me. "I thought you were making yourself at home with me. I've been giving you everything you could ever want and... Isn't that enough?" 

"That's... not the problem..."

"I'm a problem now?!"

"That's not what I said!" My voice cracked as I looked away from him, my eyes glossing over as I tried not to get him any angrier than he probably already was. "I miss home, Partheno. How can you be so greedy? You have everything you want in the Heavens, but I can't even visit Earth—the place where I belong." Truth be told, he was becoming a problem—but admitting that to him would cause more difficulties than I was ready to face. 

The room fell to silence, and Partheno stared at me for a moment before excusing us from Zyglavis' presence and taking me to an empty room with a firm hand around my wrist. He released me before pacing along the length of the room. "You... really want to visit Earth?" I nodded my head while he was still looking at me, and he sighed. He rubbed his face for a moment before speaking quietly, "I'm not allowed to go to Earth... and I would like to go with you. Do you think you could wait a few more weeks?"

He made his question soft and considerate, but I knew very well that he wasn't giving me an option. It was just me and him, and he was in charge. I took a deep breath before nodding my head and meekly answering, "Okay..." 

I agreed to simply placate him, but that might have been my last and final mistake. I couldn't stay. He was becoming too much. Of all the gods, there was one person I hadn't seen yet... someone who I needed to go to if I wanted to get myself out of the troublesome situation I was trapped in. The Department of Punishments wasn't listening and I couldn’t get a word in with the Department of Wishes. I needed to see Leon. But I hadn't seen Leon since that first day that I was in the Heavens. He had been on Earth working ever since that night we spent together.

It only took that one thought for me to be constantly thinking about him, formulating a plan to get back to Earth. Even if it were just for a moment, anything would be worth getting time away from Partheno. If I could get alone with one of the Wishes gods, perhaps they could take me to Earth—it was the one place Partheno couldn't follow me, after all.

"Oh, love? What's with that look in your eyes? You miss me that much?" Smothered in Partheno's arms once again, he pinned me to his chest without being able to move my arms. Evidently, he didn't understand my reason for sitting on the other end of the sofa from him. I hated his possessive touch. "You must love being in my arms if you're going to have that lonesome look in your eyes just sitting across the sofa from me."

"Actually-" I tried to get in an excuse about being homesick to earn a trip back to Earth, though my intentions were really to see Leon. But Partheno was quick to interrupt me without giving it a second thought. 

"I see," he drawled. I grew worried about the sudden seductive grin on his face and the sexy glimmer that was shining in his pale, pink eyes. "You had such a longing expression; I thought my contact might have been enough to sate you. But... you've been living with me for almost a month now, and I haven't touched you nicely since that one night we spent together when I was a demon. Of course... that was rather unpleasant, wasn't it? I promise this time will be really memorable."

I panicked as he tried to push me onto the sofa. I couldn't let him get the upper hand. Pushing him away from me, I slickly escaped his grasp and retreated to the other side of the coffee table. "Partheno, really, I don't want to do this! You have no idea how I've been feeling. You never listen! I just want some space. I don't even have time to hang out with Ikky, Teo, or Dui because you're always smothering me! I don't love you—I want to leave!"

His laugh in response to my tantrum was an insult to how I felt. "Of course you love me. Who else would those gorgeous eyes be shining for?"

I huffed. My anger was starting to boil over the top with how he seemed to brush me off. "I don't! I hate you!" It wouldn’t have come to this if he just understood and accepted it like the grown man he was—like the god he was supposed to be.

"No, you don't, love." He still had that sickly sweet smile on his face as he joined me and stood from the sofa. "You're just cranky because you didn't get your beauty sleep, is all. We can fix that, isn't that right?"

"I tried, Partheno! I really tried to be your friend and give you what you wanted, but I can't do this! You're not getting better... You're getting worse. You're taking me away from the people I care about. You're ruining my life!" Talking didn't help; if anything, he was upset that I was so upset over being around him.

He was sure that I loved him as much as he loved me... but what was I complaining about? So what if I couldn't hang out with the other gods? I had no business being around them. I had Partheno. Wasn't that the only thing that mattered? How was he ruining my life when all he was giving me was his unyielding love? 

Seeing how he was unresponsive to my attacks, I moved to storm out of the room, only for him to pin me to the wall as I tried to leave. He was not letting me go as he slammed his lips to mine. "What more do you want me to give you?! I'm giving myself to no one but you. Or is it that you're just playing with me? Do you like it more when I'm rough with you like this?"

I let out a distressed cry when he shoved his knee between my legs, but one of his hands pinned my wrists above my head so I couldn’t push him away. "I don't want anything from you! Let me go, you filthy pervert!"

I flinched, but there wasn't anywhere to escape to as his hand wrapped around my throat. "You're going to get someone's attention if you keep screaming like that. If you want to play, you might want to do it more quietly."

"I told you to get off of me, bastard!" I wasn't sure if I was angrier or more afraid—probably an accurate mixture of both—but I was relieved when the door flew open. I couldn't care less who it was, as long as they helped me. 

"(Name)!" The shout took our attention to the shocked person at the door. Aigonorus was standing there with wide eyes, more alert than usual. His sharp, calculating eyes latched onto Partheno. "What are you doing to her? Get off."

In Partheno's state, there was no way he could fight off any of the gods. He still wasn't trusted with all of his powers as a god, and for that, I was grateful. His movements were slow, but Partheno hesitantly released me. My first instinct was to run to Aigonorus’ side, but I stayed glued to the wall in fear that Partheno would step in. Partheno sighed as he tried to excuse the situation. "We were only playing. You don't have to interfere so aggressively."

"I heard her screaming from down the hall."

"She was enjoying herself. Did you really come in here to try and tell me how my own love wants to be treated?"

The word love triggered me immediately, and I snapped, "I am not your love!" Shoving past him, I walked toward Aigonorus, confident Partheno couldn't do anything to me. "I don't want to associate with you. If you even try to come after me, I swear I'm going to kill you."

The room was silent as I stormed out. Only as I walked down the halls did I realize that I was shaking. 

"(Name)..." A voice called out behind me; still, I had no intention of turning around. 

I wanted to leave the Heavens. I never wanted to see Partheno again; I would never turn back. 

"Hey, wait up." 

I didn't stop, but I wasn't walking very fast, giving the apprehending god time to catch up. 

"(Name), wait." Aigonorus finally pulled me to a stop while he looked me over, his eyes lingering on my trembling hands that I'd anxiously pulled out of his own. "Are you okay?"

"No." It was an expected answer with what he just walked in on. I was shaking with the effort of holding myself together. "Thank you... Um... Aigo, can you take me home now? I want to go back to Earth."

He nodded his head and patted my head affectionately. He wiped the tears at the corner of my eyes, offering me a kind smile before directing me back to Earth. We didn't run into any other gods, and Aigonorus kept a concerned eye on my shivering form as he took me through the door to get back to Earth. He had a comforting arm wrapped around my shoulders until we passed in the living room and a teasing voice called out, "Making a move on the goldfish, Aigo?"

Aigonorus’ gaze flew to Leon, who was sitting on one of the chairs. He was talking with Tauxolouve and Karno, but they had no clue what just happened—not that I expected them to. Aigonorus rubbed my arm softly as he explained to them, "I'm taking her home. She had enough of being in the Heavens." 

Leon glanced me over, but I refused to so much as to even look at them–especially Leon. "Goldfish." 

I didn't respond to him calling for me. All I wanted was to run into his arms. Was that too much to ask? Was that only a one-night thing between us? The last thing I wanted to do was make a scene here with how I was feeling. He'd been ignoring my wishes the entire time I was stuck in the Heavens. How did he think that made me feel? 

"(Name)," I looked up as Leon took it upon himself to approach me and lift my chin just enough to get my attention. But he noticed my quivering lips and the tears in my eyes right away and was quick to ask, "What happened in the Heavens?"

Aigonorus sighed and answered for me, "Partheno was harassing her. I heard her screaming-" He stopped talking, and his expression softened in guilt as I finally broke down into tears.

It started as a quiet whimper, and I tried to hide it by covering my face, but Leon was already holding me tightly in his arms. "I'm going to kill that demon spawn myself." After contemplating for a few moments, he hissed, "Why didn't you come to me sooner?!" 

"Because of Partheno!" I cried pathetically, keeping myself buried in his chest, "He wouldn't leave me alone or let me talk to the other gods or let me go home!"

Karno immediately sported a look of guilt on his face as he admitted to Leon, "We should have known better. We were there when he would steal her away. We should have taken her back to Earth sooner."

I tried wiping my tears, but they kept falling. I must have looked as pathetic as I felt when I turned to Karno and asked, "Didn't you know? You left me with him. Even all the wishes I was trying to make... no one granted them… No one listened to me!" 

"Wishes?" The wishes gods exchanged glances, and Leon's eyes narrowed, making a decision. "I'm going to the Heavens to settle this. Karno, Lou, Aigo, I'm leaving you in charge of the goldfish. Grant all of her wishes." 

"Leo..." I trailed off. He didn't stop to regard me as he angrily swept from the room, going to the Heavens—the one place I didn't want to go. I mainly wanted to go to Earth because it was where Leon was... But he was gone now, and I felt oddly exposed without him there. I looked down in embarrassment. They were making such a big deal out of everything because of me.

"(Name), why don't you sit down?" Karno offered, allowing me to sit on the sofa beside Tauxolouve. "Is there anything we can do for you? Is there anything you want or need?"

He was trying so hard to make up for what they let me go through alone. Staring down at my shirt, however, I instantly felt uncomfortable in the clothes I was wearing. These clothes that Partheno gave me... These clothes that he assaulted me in... 

Quietly, I requested, "I want new clothes. I don't like what I'm wearing. It's uncomfortable." He didn't hesitate to snap his fingers, and I was in something more appropriate to Earth. Partheno would have never thought to put me in something so unstylish, and I loved it all the more as I curled up on the sofa, using the sleeves to wipe at my slowed tears. 

Seeing how small I looked on the big sofa, Tauxolouve asked, "Are you comfortable? You can be honest with us." I nodded my head. This was the most comfortable I'd been all day. But... I still felt insecure—like something vital was missing.

Gazing up sadly at Tauxolouve, I asked, "Can you... hold me? Not too rough, but... just until Leo comes back?" 

He offered me a kind smile before sitting back on the sofa, letting me settle onto his lap at my own pace before he gently wrapped his arms around me. He was warm as he held me securely against him. “Here,” he quietly offered, “Let me clean those tears away.” Snapping his fingers, I felt calmed down as he passed a warm towel over my cheeks, gently patting over my moist eyes. 

I kept my eyes shut as I leaned against his chest. I had to focus on Lou’s movements and the comfort he brought me... I needed to think about anyone and everyone except Partheno.

***

"You're back already? Hold on; she fell asleep. What happened in the Heavens?"

Leon looked over the gods in the room. Teorus and Huedhaut had joined the party of Wishes gods after hearing the trouble I was going through. "I spoke with those Punishments idiots about keeping Partheno on a tighter leash. I also spoke to that trickster. He's going to have an audience with Partheno and decide what needs to be done."

My head felt numb, as if sleep didn't reenergize me as I needed. But I could recognize the voice speaking above me. He was the one I wanted to see this whole time. "Leo..."

"Huh?" Tauxolouve glanced down at me before looking back up at Leon. "She seems to know you're here. She fell asleep waiting for you to come back."

Leon's eyes landed on me before he made the quick decision, "I'll take her to my room. I'll leave the rest to all of you. If you hear anything more, let me know."

He was careful, taking me into his arms, but I was already half-awake as he carried me. All I could do was lean closer to him. "Leo... I was scared."

He glanced down at me, gently rocking me with each step. "You don't have to be scared. I'm here now."

Leon was there. He wasn't going to let Partheno have me. Finally, I was able to rest easy. But the nightmares still haunted me through the night. I was sure being around Partheno again triggered them, but it was the same dream repeatedly—the same horrifying experience of him stealing my stars and soul. The same ending.

I jumped up with my heart racing, scanning the room frantically for my enemy but also my protection. "Leo!" 

He was back by my side instantly, only having been by the reflection pool. "I'm here. Calm down." He didn't want to startle me with touches, but he couldn't argue as I threw my arms around him, keeping him in a life or death grip. He rubbed my back gently before brushing his fingers through my unkempt hair. "You're safe."

I looked up at him, keeping his face in my sight as I took him in. I was actually with Leon. Partheno wasn't here. My grip relaxed as I quietly explained, "I had a nightmare. I keep having the same one. Partheno takes my stars and my soul and he goes back to being a demon.” Not for the first time, I felt like a child scared of a shadow rather than a reborn goddess who got rid of the sins of gods and faced demons. 

Leon hummed after hearing my explanation. Partheno reverting into a demon was physically impossible, but he could just as easily turn into a dark god. There were quite a few dark gods that existed, though the captured ones were extinguished. “Impossible,” he said, discarding it as a possibility. “If he takes any actions against you or the heavens, he will be extinguished.”

His threat was harsh, but very real, and I found myself relaxed under his touch. Hearing his voice was enough to make me feel at peace, he was solid proof that I wasn’t trapped in the Heavens anymore. He was the only one I trusted to keep me safe from Partheno. As much as I liked the other gods, they abandoned me with him. It was more Partheno’s fault than theirs but my heart still raced in fear.

The corners of my lips fell, disappointment and guilt filling my bones as I pulled away from him. “I’m sorry I’m so greedy and selfish…” Pulling the blankets back up to me, I almost tried to hide in their warmth.

Leon tilted his head, trying to keep up with the range of emotions I was quickly going through. Sighing, he slowly asked, “What are you apologizing for all of a sudden?” His eyebrows furrowed as I refused to look up and meet his gaze.

��Can we leave the mansion?” I quietly asked, nervous for the answer to be no. But I really didn't want to be anywhere that reminded me of Partheno. Leon’s room was nice, but I wanted to be away from the other gods. I wanted to be comfortable having this conversation with Leon.

Leon hummed, nodding his head. “We can go anywhere you want.” 

Anywhere? I wanted to go somewhere where it would be just me and Leon—no gods or humans to bother us. “Can we go inside your door?” Leon’s place is where I wanted to go most. No one would find us there and it would be the most peaceful day I'd had in a while. 

“Yeah,” he answered. His hand wrapped around mine, his lips softly meeting my forehead. “We can go to my place.” I felt mentally frozen as his lips met my forehead, following his footsteps like a lost child.

Leon made sure to tell Karno where we were going, but none of the other gods were made aware. It wasn't that any of them had bad intentions, but they knew I needed time to myself.

Personally, I didn't want to be by myself. All I wanted was for Leon to stay beside me and protect me from Dark Gods. Sure, I knew Partheno was an official god now, but he didn't feel like one. I was sure that if I could feel the difference then the others should be able to feel it too!

Leon could see my internal struggle. He only recalled ever seeing me so uncomfortable when we first met… It wasn't a pleasant memory, but it happened and he couldn't change it. The only thing he could do now was make sure nothing hurt me. He sighed as he sat in the grass beside me. “Feeling okay?”

I nodded, glancing over to see his face. The vivid memory of how Partheno had his hands all over me made me want to curl into a ball and forget everything. My arms crossed over my chest, as if hugging myself would banish the feeling of his hands… “I hate him… I hate this…”

He kept a respectful distance but, for once, Leon found himself wishing. He wished he could make me feel better. He wished he could get rid of everything that made me feel uncomfortable with just the snap of his fingers. Quietly, he admitted, “I wish I knew how to help you.”

It seemed so out of character for him to be so desperate, but I knew he was being genuine. If anything, I would have loved for him to erase what Partheno did, but I was asking for too much. At this rate, what was the difference between what Partheno did to me and what I was doing to Leon?

Quietly, I argued, “I don’t… I don’t want you to help me.” 

“Huh?” His eyes were quick to narrow on me despite how I tried to hide in the depth of the hood from my shirt. “Hey,” he called out, “don’t start pushing us away. What are you-” He hesitated. “What’s bothering you? Right now, tell me everything on your mind.” 

“Don’t hate me,” I whimpered, my grip tightening on the edges of my hood. 

“I just want to listen and help,” he explained, his gentle hand resting on my back. “No one’s going to hate you for feeling any certain way—least of all me.” Caressing my back, he asked, “Will you talk to me? …Do you want to talk to Karno or-“

“I’m using you,” my voice cracked at the nasty truth I revealed. It made Leon fall silent as he heard me out instead of reacting right away. “I- I know you’re more powerful than the other gods and that makes me feel safe from him. I can’t be with the other gods because I’m too terrified to be away from you.” His hand had stopped moving along my back and he was silent, but I still refused to peek and judge his expression. “I tried to teach you how to be loving and compassionate but the minute I’m backed into a corner I selfishly use you like a shield. I’m a horrible-“

“Hey,” he interrupted me, his arm wrapping around my shoulder as he denied, “You’re not a horrible person. You’re a scared goldfish. Your reaction is natural—seeking the safest place. It’s difficult not to let my pride get in the way knowing I’m what you consider to be your safest place.”

“But… I’m just using you…”

“Are you?” He questioned, making me second guess myself. If I wasn’t just using him… then how did he view all of this? “Someone using me wouldn’t have loved me so deeply beforehand. Are you just using me?” 

I couldn’t answer him, stuck in my own confused thoughts. 

“You came to me, whether you consciously know of it or not, because you knew I would protect you with my whole heart,” he said softly. “I would never allow my loved ones to get hurt on my watch.” 

Glancing up at him from beneath my hood, I could see the blazing stars in his eyes. All of his words were a silent promise to me. “Leo…” My eyes watered. How did he have so much faith in someone as lost as I was?

He leaned closer, his fingers softly prying the hood from my head as he muttered, “I love you.” His lips gently pressed against my forehead, before pulling back to look me in the eyes. “I don’t need you to love me in return right now. You don’t need to do anything until you’re feeling comfortable again. Let me be your shield. What do you wish for right now?”

Immediately, I had an answer, “I want to stop feeling Partheno’s hands on me…” I paused, my eyes desperately searching his. “Make it go away? Please? I want anything else but to remember the way he…” 

I shut my eyes for a moment, but they flickered up as soon as Leon reached down, laying his hand on top of mine. “If you're sure… I'll help make sure that demon is the last thing on your mind.” And to be honest, I was fine with that much because I knew he would take care of me in the most loving way. Leon’s hands were so gentle compared to Partheno’s demonic clawing.

***

After my safety was assured, the days that went by were calm. The gods refrained from telling me much about the situation with Partheno, and Leon kept me with either him or another Wishes god during the time I chose to stay with them, though he always kept my wishes and needs in mind when making decisions regarding who was with me on any day. 

Though, steadily, I was feeling more secure being on my own in the mansion. I was too anxious to leave on my own just yet, but it was a start to getting better. Even Zyglavis praised how well I was doing considering all the angst he allowed to go on under his nose. He shouldn’t have placed so much faith in a demon; I had to agree. 

I was curious as to what they were doing in the Heavens to deal with Partheno… Though, at the same time, I really didn’t care to know. I didn’t care whether they would extinguish Partheno or if the King would help him see the err of his ways and repent. Regardless of what happened, I was never going back to the Heavens to see him. 

“His trial is today,” Leon repeated, catching my attention from the other end of his room. He was much more invested in this situation than the other gods—Leon wanted to make sure Partheno was brought to justice. I couldn’t bring myself to care, but it seemed Leon was doing so for me. “I doubt Zyglavis will let him off easy for what he’s done to you. I’ll be ensuring he can never repeat this again.” 

I slightly nodded my head, just enough to acknowledge his words. “As long as I never see him again… I don’t care how he ends up.”

Leon understood exactly where I was coming from, but beyond that, he knew how I was feeling about today in particular. “This is important regarding the balance between the two departments, but that doesn’t mean we’re not worried about you being alone here. You can stay in my room if you want, but Tauxolouve decided to stay incase you need anything while the rest of us are gone.” 

It was thoughtful how they were still managing to keep me in mind when the Heavens was clearly going through something drastic. To have to replace a member of the Zodiac was a big deal. I doubted that I would leave Leon’s room for anything other than food or water, but it was nice to know that there was a god down the hall if I needed one. “Thank you…” 

“You can thank us after we take care of this business. We’ll be back later.”

I stared down at the carpeted floor as I listened to the door close behind him. So, it was going to be me and Tauxolouve for the day… I didn’t mind Tauxolouve. He was one of the older and more mature gods, regardless of how flirty he was. He was also one of the gods to take care of me when I’d first returned to Earth. It might have seemed like they picked a random god to stay with me, but I appreciated that it was Tauxolouve.

Still, it seemed like this was going to be a long day of waiting. At the very least, I supposed taking a bath would get my mind off of all the trouble happening with the gods.

I was intending for the bath to take up some time in order to thoroughly get my mind off of things, but I expected Tauxolouve to at least give me a kind reminder not to boil myself alive… It was strange that he hadn’t checked on me at all through the day. Though, I supposed if he was left on Earth with work from Karno and Leon that he could be excused from taking care of me like a child. I was old enough to take care of myself, after all. 

Still, I was growing weary of the silence in the mansion. Usually there were a few gods around to keep it lively enough for me to forget that I was ever in danger to begin with. But with all of them in the Heavens, I was left in the silence of the mansion. Well… Tauxolouve was there… and if I wanted things to be less quiet then I was sure he would indulge my anxious request. 

Venturing to his room, I was confused not to find him. But there was no reason to worry. If he wasn’t in his room then I was sure he was in the reflection pool room. Tauxolouve was responsible enough to do his work unlike Leon… But going into the dimly lit room with the small reflection pool, Tauxolouve wasn’t there either and the water of the pool was still and glowing its usual beautiful light. 

Just because he wasn’t in there didn’t mean I was giving up my search! This mansion wouldn’t be eerily silent for long! I was determined to find the god of sagittarius. The gods sometimes liked to spend their time in the living room, even when no one else was there. It seemed like the most promising location sense the last two were vacant. Of course, the mansion was a huge place. The chances of completely missing him while walking around was also a possibility. If worse came to worse, I’d just wish even harder in order to get his attention.

Only, I froze up in the door of the living room, my eyes wide and trained on two figures that stood in the center of the large room. They both had their dark cloaks on, but I could recognize them with or without those cloaks.

Fortunately, neither of them had spotted me just yet, which gave me ample time to escape. Narrowing my eyes, I was quick to turn and run, but all I could manage to accomplish was running straight into the door. Rubbing my forehead, I swiftly turned, finding both dark gods looking me over as if they’d been waiting for me to come out this whole time. 

But… I didn’t understand how they were able to be in the mansion at all. They should have been suffering, at the very least, for stepping into a holy place. Not only that, but the other gods should have been alerted to the danger that was presenting itself. Where was Tauxolouve?

Their presence in the mansion only made me frantically wonder if the other gods still had Partheno under their control. If Partheno had escaped, then they would have been back for me in the blink of an eye. This had to be some kind of background plan that Partheno made. But… that didn’t make sense either.

“You’re… still alive…” I managed to utter, my eyes not leaving them. I didn’t want to take my eyes off of them incase either of them tried to come at me when I wasn’t looking. “Partheno killed you when you invaded the Heavens!” How were they still alive?

Malicious smirks erupted across their faces as Crow answered, “You genuinely thought Lord Partheno could destroy his most loyal servants? He anticipated not being able to keep something special of his. He didn’t kill us; he absorbed our power until he had need of us. We’re just here to collect what belongs to our Prince.”

He was willing to continue the charade of being a god for the sake of having me by his side at all times. With that vision of his failing him, this was a last resort for him. But he wasn’t physically in the mansion… not yet. My eyes narrowed on the two demons. “You might find that collecting your prince’s ‘belonging’ is going to be a troublesome task.” 

They glanced at each other before Servillah sighed, revealing, “As much as we’d love to show an ignorant human its place… Lord Partheno wants his possession in one piece. You can have your fun fighting us another time.” 

They approached me with ease, completely underestimating what I was willing to do to them. After all, I was just a human and they were demons, clearly it wouldn’t be that hard to steal me away. They must have assumed this would be easy work without any of the gods around, they’d regret thinking a human was harmless. 

As soon as Crow was within arms length, I allowed him to pull me closer. I just didn’t allow him to see the knife I’d brandished. Using the momentum he added in pulling me to him, the knife imbedded itself into his chest. “W- What the hell?!” Just as I expected, he was quick to release me following his exclamation, and I swiftly pulled away with my hands and the knife now covered in the blood of a demon. “Gah! You little bitch! What is that?!”

I kept my weapon pointed in front of me, the only thing keeping the demons at bay. “The other gods knew I had to protect myself. This knife is embedded with their powers. It can kill you.”

Servillah scoffed. “That’s not bad for a little human. But what do you think you can achieve against two dark gods? Not even your demigod was enough to stop the both of us with fragments of our Lord Partheno’s powers.”

“Tauxolouve…” I muttered, faltering at the suggestion that they must've done something horrible to him. “You won't get away with that!”

“We already have,” Servillah pointed out, his eyes checking over Crow to make sure he was fine to stand on his own two feet. “Your god of Sagittarius failed to stop us. With Lord Partheno’s power in us, the rest of your little pantheon will never realize we were here. But once Lord Partheno completes his show in the Heavens… then they'll realize their mistake.” 

As Servillah stepped closer to me, I thrust the knife forward again. But with the wave of his hand, I was warded off by an invisible force, the knife leaving my grasp as it clattered to the floor. 

Before I could lunge for it, Servillah’s arms wrapped around me, burning with a familiar power. So, they were being serious when they mentioned having Partheno’s power in them. My only hope lied in threatening them, “You’ll never get away with this! Crow’s already going to die regardless of what you do now! The rest of you demons are next! Partheno included!”

Crow rolled his eyes with a pained scoff. “I'll never see what Lord Partheno sees in this brat…”

Servillah sighed, his grip tightening as he dragged me with me. “Doesn't matter. You'll have enough time to threaten Lord Partheno all you want once we're all in the Under Realm.”

***

After being disarmed by them, it was considerably easy for them to steal me away to the Under Realm. Confident in the power of the Zodiac Gods, I bit back any questions that dwelled on my mind as I waited. 

And I had questions… One being, why wasn't Crow dead yet? That knife was imbued with divine power. How was it possible for a demon to survive that? Was it because we immediately came to the Under Realm? Was that the only thing saving him?

But also… What were they going to do if Partheno didn’t get away with his crimes? What was I going to do if Partheno got away with his crimes? If he successfully escaped the Heavens—which I couldn’t see happening with how severe Leon’s anger was—what was I supposed to do? Well… All I could really do was wait for the gods to potentially save me, just as I had to do before. This seemed like a repetitive process.

But it’s not like my wait would be that bad. After all, I was locked away from Crow and Servillah in a well-furnished room that more than likely belonged to Partheno. But for the moment, they were leaving me alone and I was grateful for the time to myself. 

The time alone gave me time to plot and plan, calmly trying to figure out my situation. After all, despite whether or not Partheno showed up to the Under Realm, I still had to try and escape.

And of course, eventually, Partheno did show up—an added obstacle to my escape plan. Though, seeing him walk through the door gave me a sense of deja vu. His eyes scanned over me, assessing me for any injuries from his dark servants. Finally, a smile graced his lips, as if pleased with his findings—though I could tell the smile was fake. I was used to seeing that particular smile.

Walking past me, he didn’t share any words with me as he opened a nearby window, letting in the rancid Under Realm air. His rose colored eyes returned to me as he spoke, “You’re strong for a human. It takes a lot of guts to fearlessly stab a demon in the chest. What an intimate moment that must have been for Crow…” He trailed off. “But you know a lot about being intimate with others, don’t you?”

My eyes narrowed at his lewd suggestion. I couldn’t tell if he was actually implying that I’d done anything with Crow or if he was just trying to get a rile out of me. “I don’t know what those demons told you, but my goal was to kill them. Nothing else. Still, if being stabbed in the chest interests you, maybe you can give my knife back and we’ll try it out right now.”

“He touched you, didn't he?” Partheno changed the subject without warning. He tilted his head, but his eyes were glued outside of the window as if something more interesting were out in the desolate fields of the Under Realm. I didn’t understand his meaning as he continued speaking without acknowledging that I even spoke at all. “His scent… His marks of love… He was all over you. I could tell the minute I arrived that another god had taken you.” 

My heart jumped in my throat as I realized he was referring to Leo… 

“Do you think I'll let you get away with betraying me? Do you think I'll let him get away with touching you?” His eyes burned into me when he finally turned. He was livid. 

I was starting to long for that fake smile…

My first experience in the Under Realm probably only went so well because I was under Partheno’s influence and was pining horribly for his attention and love. It was the only reason he took me back to the Heavens with him at the time, thankfully saving my life. This round… however… was my last and final visit, and I wasn’t going to make it an easy one. After all… what would Leo do? He wouldn’t take this. “You can’t do anything to him! He’ll extinguish you before you’d even get the chance! So by all means, try!”

“You’ve betrayed me all this time, haven't you? Tell me, how long has it been that you’ve given yourself to that beast?”

My eyes narrowed as I snipped back, “You’re one to talk, being a monster. At least Leon respects me.”

“I could have!” Partheno shouted, his eyes burning as he approached. “I would have given you everything! I would have loved you more than anything you’ve ever experienced before. You have the nerve to call me a monster when you’ve betrayed me for him?”

Reaching out to grab my arm, I pulled away from him with a glare. “Don’t touch me. Don’t act like I should be thankful for anything you’ve done! Because all you’ve done is hurt me over and over again. I thought you actually might’ve been serious about becoming a god. But unlike the other gods, I knew better than to trust a demon spawn!”

Having a semi-aggressive argument, there was a struggle as I found to stay a distance away from him. Growling at his continued attempts of harassing me, I kicked him with as much strength as I could manage, sending him doubling over in pain. This gave me the opportunity to flee to the door, though it was locked and prevented me from truly escaping. I wished the gods were there to save me. It was happening all over again and I was trapped in the dark with a demon. I couldn’t so easily escape this time.

From behind me, Partheno hissed, “I see. You're choosing him over me... After all, you wouldn't tell him to stop. No, you would moan his name, wouldn't you? Pine over him like the usable little goldfish you are. Don't worry, I know just how to fix this.” 

The way he was looking at his own hands, made it evident that he was going to regret whatever it was that was going on in his head. Though, from the looks of him, a sinking feeling invaded my heart. “No,” I whimpered, trying to keep the distance between us, but there was only so far I could go. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you! I’m sorry, Partheno!”

“No. Don’t try to apologize.” Partheno had clearly grown tired of my disobedience. “As a god of love, I understand these things can't be helped. However... you're so very fortunate to be with me. I have the perfect solution to save you. I'm going to take that delicious soul of yours for myself, just as I'd always planned. You're going to be mine permanently. Our souls will be forever intertwined."

With his promising threats, tears welled in my eyes as he drew closer, only making me panic as I pleaded with him, “Partheno… Please. I’m sorry. You- You can’t take my stars! I- I’ll die…”

“That’s the point,” he flatly replied. “If you refuse to cooperate and accept your place here at my side, then I don’t see why I shouldn’t go through with it.” Though, he had to admit, he was very pleased to hear me pleading for my life. All he could do was hold it over my head like the demon and son of the Dark King that he was. After all, it was no small thing to threaten to steal someone’s very soul. 

Seeing me refusing to look in his eyes, Partheno smirked, knowing he had me backed into a corner—both physically and mentally. Quietly, I murmured, “I- O- Okay… Please,” I pleaded. At this point, I didn’t care about Partheno’s plans. All I knew was that the gods could only save me if I was still alive to save. Besides, I knew that if Partheno absorbed my soul and powers, that he’d be even more powerful than he already was. I couldn’t let that happen, for the sake of Earth and the Heavens. 

Though, as if sensing my hopeful thoughts, Partheno huffed in amusement, turning to look back out of the window and give me the space I was internally begging for. Then, as if his goal were to crush any foolish hope that I had in my head, he explained nonchalantly, “This place is a sort of vacuum for divine powers. Similar to how you humans will die in the cold, empty vacuum of space… Their divine powers will be void here. This is my domain.” Turning his head to glance at me from the corner of his eyes, he held a small, victorious smirk. “I have the upper hand. Don’t forget that.”

[exhaustedwriterartist]

Ok, so instead of drawing some turtles right now (as I appear to have burned what drawing inspiration I had atm), I will share some more slightly cryptid tibits about Our Other Halves. It is a little spoilerly, however, I would really like to share some stuff (so somethings are worded in such a way, but it may be easy to figure it out):

1. The teapot. Wonder what happens with that teapot and when? Oh that teapot is going to be a major pain in the shell for the twins. Someone wants it, and their henchmen are out and about much earlier as I mentioned.

2. As I mentioned earlier as well, the Purple Dragons are much more important, and know how to manipulate a certain someone and hurt others' trust in that someone. There will be multiple arcs with the PDs but the first will lead to a major turning point in the story.

3. Raph fights more in the battle nexus than Mikey, however, when he does, they team up... And they are dangerous.

4. Draxum is one of the Sunset Duos' least favorite people. Spider Gothel isn't much better, but at least she acted like she cared when Mikey was forced to attempt something (at least she did before she used that against him). Draxum is seriously selfish and evil in this au, and nearly succeeded in his one of his most selfish plans via Mikey's attempted [REDACTED]. However, Raph would stop Mikey as the lil guy was getting seriously hurt. Yeah Raph really doesn't like Draxum, and Mikey terrified of him.

5. Because of the horrific time he went through in attempting to make the [REDACTED] for Draxum, Mikey had a hard time accepting his new found hair. He did eventually learn to tolerate, as his mother adored the hair, however it wasn't until he was reunited with Splinter that he learned to actually love his hair.

6. When the story eventually gets to the movie, it's going to look somewhat different. Leo is made leader, but because Don was leader throughout the majority of the story, he still acts the most responsible... This leads to something. Mikey will handle not handle the information Casey tells about how he arrived very well. It's going to take something earth shattering to open a portal again... Wonder what that could be.

7. Raph. Sweet Raph. Making this au had made me realize how much I love Rise! Raph. It is so sad what he has to deal with in the au though. He doesn't just hate Draxum for what he did to his brother after all.

8. It astounds me that Spider Gothel would let the boys go back to Draxum for training after the horrific ordeal, but she is selfish too. She won't be the first to break a deal, nor will she see her boys' potential wasted.

9. I have a feeling that the Sunset Duo are curious about the surface... But they are never to go anywhere unless they are explicitly told to go somewhere by their mama.

10. Splinter is somewhat distant still, as he does have to deal with things, however, he is paranoid about where the twins are all the time after [REDACTED].

11. After some thought, I have concluded that everyone in this au needs a hug. Except for Draxum and Spider Gothel. They can deal without one.

@bowandbrush may I offer you some more lore?

Feel free to ask questions. :]

[rewatching-sam-and-dean]

Legitimate Question: Demon Sam and Soulless Dean, what would that be like?

To Start, let’s take a look at what we did get on Supernatural. First, Soulless Sam is frigging terrifying. This character is executed so well and the build-up leading to how dangerous he is is done greatl. At first, once we know he’s soulless, Sam is actually kind of amusing. He’s a dick, but a funny dick (kind of like Dean, but with a harder edge). This is especially jarring when Sam is usually the more empathetic of the brothers, or at least the more restrained one. This peaks, of course, in "Clap Your Hands if You Believe" when he basically steals the show (for me at least … "Safe room…"). We also see that he’s clever and not squeamish (his bloody smile in "Caged Heat" anyone?). But then we see that strong survival instinct and just how far he’ll go to protect himself. Killing Bobby so he can’t have his soul forced back inside him (and the potential danger of it) is … a lot. He isn’t maliciously going after Bobby, it’s just a means that will be justified in the end (for him), and that’s scarier than if he was just angry. He just. Does. Not. Care. And it’s amazing. Later, and in "Clap your Hands." We also see that he bangs every attractive woman that moves in his general vicinity, which is also very unlike our regular, more caring, Sam.

Secondly, we have Demon Dean. This guy is a little more hit and miss for me. When we are introduced to this version of Dean, I have to be honest, my first reaction was, "So, he's basically just a loser, doichebag?" I get the intention of a Dean who doesn’t care and is just out to have fun, free of responsibility or guilt. Whereas Soulless Sam just literally can not give a fuck and ends up being a dick because of it, Demon Dean revels in being a dick. The Demon element in him enjoys being mean and hurting people just because he can. But he doesn’t feel scary at first, just shitty. In the second and third episodes of Season 10, Demon Dean is much more intimidating, the fight with annoying military guy is excellent in showing the scary side of this Dean. He is literally just toying with the man, like a cat playing with a mouse until it’s heart gives out from fear, and the cat just wanders off, now bored. I’ve seen some fans say Dean letting what’s his face (I legitimately can’t remember his name, but I didn’t like the character so I don’t care to look it up) live was an act of mercy, even though Dean himself says it will torment him more knowing he failed to kill Dean, after spending most of his life training for it, than if he had died fighting to avenge his father. I’m inclined to take Dean's word on that. So, yes, this Dean is scary and vindictive. However, the biggest difference in Demon Dean is that he doesn’t care about keeping Baby clean. No, but seriously, he enjoys mocking Sam and their family, and then he tries to kill him. Would he have succeeded if Castiel hadn’t stepped in, as in, would he have actually killed Sam? I’m not sure. But the fact that he wanted to is the polar opposite if the real Dean. For me, Demon Dean had some weak moments and some amazing moments, but he’s definitely not our Dean.

So, if we use these two as a templates for soullessness and becoming a demon, it gives a bit if a template to start with. First, when you’re soulless, you still have instincts and seem to feel certain things like amusement, sexual pleasure, satisfaction (in being successful in a hunt), and a survival instinct. However, you lack the deeper emotions like love, your morality, concern for others, empathy. Jared once described soulless Sam as just being incredibly logical. However, we have also seen throughout the series that soullessness doesn’t affect everybody in the same way (a lot of people seem to do terrible things just because they were curious or are very impulsive). Second, Jensen once described Demon Dean as feeling lighter than regular Dean because he didn’t care about anyone or his responsibilities. So we know, similar to being soulless, demons just don’t care about people (though Azazel seemed to care about Meg in a way). We also see that they enjoy toying with people, inflicting pain (mental even more than physical, for the most part), and they are pretty much also all about their own survival. The biggest difference is, I guess, that they are more actively vindictive and have more true emotion than a soulless person. Also, like with soulless people, demons are somewhat different depending on who they were before becoming demons.

So, if Sam was a demon, say if he kept hitting the demon blood and crossed over, what would he be like? I’m inclined to believe he has the potential to be scarier than Dean, in that he would likely be more focused and goal oriented as a demon. So, would he be pretty much just like soulless Sam, having a lot of sex and killing a lot (people instead of monsters). Would he enjoy toying with people like Dean did, or would he just ruthlessly kill anyone that got in his way. Would he not be all that different because he spent most (or all) of his life with some demon blood running through his veins already? Would he become the new king of hell, leading like he was supposed to as one of the psychic kids? Would he kill Dean for all the times he tried to control his life or because he made Sam feel human in some way, or would he stay away knowing the unknown would make Dean crazy? We saw him threaten Cass when he was soulless. Would he just kill him as a demon for the times he’s screwed the boys over or just because he’s an angel, or would he just be indifferent to him?

What about Dean, if he was soulless, would he act the same as when he was a demon, mostly drinking and having sex, but without the "fun" of messing with people because soulless people don’t seem to feel enjoyment in that way? Or would he go the Sam route and become a monster killing machine, but even more so? I think Dean is more of a fighter/killer than Sam, so it’s possible that while Sam went methodical hunter, Dean would lean into the killeing machine side of things. How would he react to Sam if he couldn’t feel love for him anymore? Would he still have that instinctual drive to protect him, but he just like locks him in the dungeon to keep him safe so he can go out and get stuff done without looking out for him? Or would a Dean who doesn’t love Sam just say screw it, and leave? Would Dean even be an enjoyable character if he didn’t care about Sam, or go fanboy over various different things? How would he treat Cass, like an occasionally useful tool that he’d summon if he needed him (which, let’s be honest, he does even as his normal self at times) on a hunt or something, or would he just ignore him altogether? Would soulless Dean be more similar to MOC Dean, just less angry?

I think I’ll ponder this more and do a follow up post later, but in the meantime …

I really don’t know the answers to my dozens of questions, so if anyone has thought about this in some detail, please do comment, reblog or shoot me an ask with your ideas. I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on Demon!Sam and Soulless!Dean.

[spookymonthcultau]

Lila's panic was relieved and replaced by utter bewilderment. Why would an officer be visiting her at this late hour? Could her mute hysteria have been so clearly audible?As misgivings about the identity of the man at the door were definitely present, the woman first peered through the door peephole. Finding no sign of a cult on the man, she opens the door.

- Hello, Mr. Policeman! I didn't call for help and I don't think my son could have done it since he's sound asleep. - Lila giggled nervously.

- I apologize for disturbing you at this late hour, miss, but the purpose of my visit is far more personal. May I come in? - John asked.

He was frowning and serious, unlike the woman, whose mood verged on mild nervousness.She was still perplexed, but allowed him inside, closing the door.Then she heard something she definitely did not expect.

- Miss, I will be honest with you to the end. I believe there's a cult in this town. And there's a recent theory that you might be involved in their affairs. I'd like you to tell me everything you know. I've been wanting to get to the truth for a long time, but I haven't had enough leads all along. If you have any information, I would like to know it. I hope I don't have to resort to violence.A nervous exhale escapes the woman's lips. Silence is not an option; she will be threatened with a weapon, most likely. Shall I tell it like it is? Does she look suicidal? That would cause even more trouble for her personally. Well, I guess she'd have to use the tricks she'd picked up while she was in the cult.Straightening up and smiling affably, she began:

- Well, your resourcefulness is commendable, no one has ever come this close to learning about something so intimate. - Lila walked leisurely around John, her fingertips barely touching his shoulder. - However, I strongly advise against delving any deeper into this abyss. I know from personal experience what happens to those who go against it. Kidnapping a man I love, I got off easy, but usually cultists prefer bloodier payback.

She stared at him, raising her eyebrows slightly, resting her hand thoughtfully on her chin. Despite the fact that her heart was thudding against the walls of her ribs, she could see that she'd put the cop to shame, which was undoubtedly gratifying.John, however, was not a timid man, and so he repeated firmly:

- Do you have any information?

-Do you have children?

The sheriff was again confused and shook his head slightly.

- Confidential information, miss.

- Hmm, I'll take that as a yes. In that case, I'm afraid your children are in danger, or do you really think you can go against the will of the universe? It's in the hands of the cult, so you'll be doomed to suffer if you decide to play against the rules.

Seeing John's face darken in despair, she mentally rejoiced that she had succeeded, but on the other hand, she was terribly ashamed to let herself be manipulated, even if it was for her own good.Thinking seriously about Lila's words, the policeman bowed his head.

- We'll talk tomorrow, miss. Have a good evening.

- You too, mister! - she shrieked good-bye, smiling awkwardly and closing the exit door.

The sheriff, walking slowly down the sleeping street, pondered now about the nephews he had left in his care, now about Lila's words that all the effort was futile, now about how powerful this cult was, if she said it ruled the universe? Never mind, he would talk to her again tomorrow, but in a more formal setting. And even his bruised state won't hurt. He's hopeful.

***

- What do you need me for, Mr. Mayor? - Patty asks meekly, walking into the office and stopping by the desk.

- It's elementary simple, Patty, all you have to do is correct the case. Specifically, to make it clear that the victim was intoxicated. - Smiling good-naturedly and folding his arms on the table.

The pathologist looks down at the file in mild bewilderment and opens it, his eyebrows arched in even greater incomprehension of what is happening.

- Wouldn't such a lie in Jack's case only make the case worse?

- Not at all, Patty. Alcohol works wonders, and if you write that little correction, the case is closed. Isn't that great? - Evidently Evermore didn't like the fact that Patty had the nerve to ask questions, but keeping a straight face is the golden rule of high society.

- But to shut down a problem with a lie like that is simply ignoring it.

-Aren't you, as mayor.

- As mayor, I am ordering you to carry out what you have said. As a man who has ruled for a long time and pulled on the business, I certainly know better how to please the people. So you'd better learn how to interact with the opposite sex first, then there wouldn't be any silly questions in your bright head. - The man interrupted her unceremoniously, rising from his chair and lifting her head slightly by the chin. To amuse his ego, to emphasize his superiority.Patty's stomach turned cold and she looked away, showing her discomfort, and backed away slightly to avoid being touched. It was unpleasant to hear that, and even worse, she couldn't think of a coherent answer.

- Still, I found the idea...

- Patty, I don't recall asking for your opinion. - And again, the interruption, this time in a slightly elevated tone. - So pick up your pen and go! You are well aware of my credentials, so unless you want to be paid a pittance for your slave labor, reinforce your status as a good worker.

Even before she could object, he added with a foxy chuckle:

- But if low pay is, ironically, the minutiae of life to you, your reputation is long and problematic to repair. And you don't want to get yourself in trouble, do you? Ha ha, you'd still have to deal with the problems in your personal life, and there's more forming on top of that, so I'd advise you to think twice. If blondes are allowed to think.

The woman sighed heavily, taking her pen and quickly adding the necessary phrase.Evermore watched with genuine pleasure at Patty, who, having no other choice, simply obeyed him. She was obviously humiliated and frustrated, and that only made it more fun.Smiling meekly, he escorted the forensic scientist with a glance, only smirking a dry, "Have a good evening."Peeking into the case, a meek chuckle erupted, and then the mayor pulled out his phone, outputting meekly:

"The case has been corrected. Consider the plan already completed."

To which there is an immediate second response:

"The eyes of the universe are enjoying the show. It's proud of you."

- The eyes of the universe are proud of me. - he mutters smugly, putting the file away in his desk drawer. Then, turning to the wide window, Evermore looks up at the starry sky. Dark, distant, alluring, and mysterious.

[sparky-is-spiders]

So my drawing tablet looks to have been injured in the trip back to college and I haven’t checked to see if it still works. So. Uh. Anyway I made my bastard lizards (+ the one insect) into mammals.

Bastard Lizard Battlecats AU!!

I tried to stick to more realistic coat colors but Amaldyne can have a purple eye. As a treat.

Some AU facts, presented in no particular order:

- Amaldyne’s warrior name is just her dragon family name. If you’re wondering who would name a kit “Rotkit” I think there was a bit of a tradition of giving kits “scary” or “menacing” names.

- Blizzardshard (Eityr) got her prefix the same way. That or she was an outsider who was brought to the clan young.

- They’re all in ShadowClan!

- Rotwing was a relatively well-respected warrior. A little intense, but well-meaning, intelligent, ambitious, and with the clan’s best interests at heart. Nobody’s quite sure why her apprentices turned out Like That.

- She mentored Blizzardshard and Lionsong (Leoshgon). Blizzard (who had mostly known her parent’s (Watcherite expy, although I don’t think I’ve talked much about it) intensely controlling behavior found Rotwing a welcome reprieve and a role model. She really looked up to her and became an intensely fanatical supporter. Lion will commit atrocities for affection and Rotwing was more than happy to take advantage of this.

- I imagine that Amaldyne hadn’t considered leadership too seriously, but with ShadowClan under threat from several factions she took it upon herself to fix everything through the power of clawing her way to the top by any means necessary.

- Maybe some horrible calamity can befall her family this time too to give her the push to make some REALLY terrible decisions.

- But without the armageddon time crunch she has time to move the pieces into place. She’s a respected warrior. She has time.

- First order of business is making Blizzard a medicine cat. Blizzardshard would do ANYTHING Rot told her to do so it’s not hard to convince her. Not sure how it happens but it does get done (Blizzard does have a knack for herbs. And maybe some less savory skillsets).

- Leo was the right-hand-man and mate of the Overseer, as well as a former kittypet. As the Overseer got more and more dangerous and controlling he (as before) began collaborating with Amaldyne to kill him (as he was also becoming a serious threat to ShadowClan). When they succeeded, he was brought into the Clan (I imagine she was deputy by this point). While he was a grown adult, he still needed a short apprenticeship period to grow used to clan life and learn how to hunt and fight in ShadowClan.

- Deputy Rotwing had permission to spy on the twolegplace cats but the full scope of her activities was never discovered.

- She was a serious candidate for the deputyship, but possibly had Blizzard place a conveniently rotting birds wing somewhere. Maybe.

- Idk I like the idea of her getting the position legitimately. Or even the sign being real but it being a warning that Blizzard covers up or willfully misinterprets.

- When asked why she was so invested in getting Lion into the clan and making him her apprentice she said that she saw potential in him. This is technically true.

- She worked hard to teach him how to be deputy because she recognized a good puppet when she saw one. She made sure to give him an apprentice as soon as the time was right.

- She definitely got the leader killed after all the pieces were in place.

- Lionsong was her first mistake as leader. He was liked but not respected, both for his outsider heritage and his personality. Rotstar wanted someone who would follow orders and be easily manipulated (but who wouldn’t accidentally start a war by snapping and murdering another deputy like Blizzard), and Lion’s obnoxious chatterbox routine and pushover nature made him a great tool but a poor deputy.

- More charitable cats thought this was just nepotism. Lion and Blizzard were the cats closest to Rotstar in the clan and one of them was too medicine cat to be deputy.

- Less charitable cats recognized Rotstar giving her strongest supporters the only roles with enough power to challenge her decisions.

- Like Blueflame! I haven’t talked about her and Lilypaw (or their original lizardverse versions) but they’re both here. Blueflame’s lizard version doesn’t have a name (that’s like the middle part of character creation for me) but she’s Amaldyne’s ex gf. Their relationship ends as Amaldyne gets worse and worse and it is NOT an easy breakup. Like in the lizardverse, Blueflame is dry-witted, level headed, smart, and somewhat laid back. Lilypaw is an expy of Lesareth Rotwing, Amaldyne’s younger cousin. A somewhat rude academically-minded dragon named after a very rare and poisonous flower.

- Unlike in Lizardverse, Lilypaw is Rot and Blue’s daughter. Canon Amaldyne has enough shit going on without also being a parent but outside of it I like the extra family drama and I eat it like the popcorn.

- Lilypaw is a medicine cat apprentice. Her parents split (on much better terms) when Rotwing first became deputy. She was sort of an absent parent to Lily tbh.

- Blueflame is the one to kill Rotstar and becomes the leader after.

- Rotstar keeps fucking. Starting wars. And scheming to take down enemies. And becoming more and more controlling. She loses a lot of the trust and respect she used to command but is still feared by many. Blizzardshard dies with her, and Lionsong is probably also killed, but might be driven off to parts unknown depending on how cooperative he is.

I left out soooo many things (such as “what if warrior cats did necromancy?”) but this got so fucking long and I am. Tired. Anyway hope you enjoyed. I am constantly putting the lizards in Situations.

[eloquentornot]

Alphabetical List of Empires Problems:

Falsesymmetry: Haunted/possessed by Something that turned her against her twin sister on Hermitcraft when the Rift opened and had her memories messed with and knows how to make amnesia potions and doesn't want to be evil but is too used to wanting to be evil but aaaaa-

...ahem.

fWhip: Sculk maybe given Deep Dark proximity? Is antagonising Jimmy? (on a meta level, is admin and likely involved behind the scenes with the fae stuff, but probably not anything in-character about it)

Geminitay: Despite being a celestial being who chose her fate as a human princess in this world and can leave at any time just by taking a nap, she is bothered by magical things she didn't ask for, including the fae but also some strange soul flame wisps that may or may not have something to do with the Deep Dark near her area maybe?

Jimmy: Is Not A Toy, villain arc, declared his loyalty to the fae... (I won't spoil his latest stream here but that may or may not change maybe idk it's a bit unclear anyway...)

Joel: Not much I guess, his lore is LORE in a not taken seriously yet still fully in-character way as proven by the interaction with his past self that one time, (I headcanon that something about the way he was human and got turned into a god by the wishing well thing at the start will turn out to cause a problem later but that seems to be getting less likely as time goes on and no-one seems to remember that he was human at the start... but yeah that's just my own thoughts really)

Joey: Is a pirate so kind of villainous himself, is also opposing the evil skeleton pirate Skeletron, also there was a thing in a few of his earlier episodes about plants growing over the inside of his storage area that never seemed to go anywhere? Was that just someone pranking him, or...?

Katherine ((sorry for putting you right next to Joey it's alphabetical even if I used the names of the empires instead, I checked)): Literally half of her kingdom is cursed, making the ground unable to sustain life and turning any cute buildings dark. (Also her magical girl transformation gives her the aesthetic of the dark side which is probably just a less flashy colour so her parents don't notice her going out at night but still...?)

Lizzie: Nothing specific at first but she is (secretly a cat and) keeping animals in various places including having taken bats out of their cave and also as a fae book in Shelby's episode today reminded me, she had some sculk spreading long before Cub arrived, that time she had stuff in her attic including a catalyst I guess and she killed a zombie there and it spread and she didn't do anything about it!

MythicalSausage: Evil Sausage keeps trying to get rid of him by sending him to other dimensions where Bubbles can't quite reach, and right now seems to have succeeded possibly and is currently impersonating him!

Oli: ????? Hatched the dragon egg etc? Also is the most isekaied out of anyone and at first seemed to be fighting the narrative but is now fully in character as the bard?

Pixlriffs: Is the DM. May cause problems for others in the form of custom dungeons and storylines but isn't a villain in character. Is actively helping remove the sculk menace Cub caused. Wears the Crown currently. Stole Oli's house. (I know for a fact I have had several moments this season of realising that Pix was causing/escalating conflict on purpose a little bit, but the only example I can think of right now is how he played up the story of Grumbot being evil when he of all people should have known that Grumbot just wanted Mumbo... I know there were other moments too... does it count that he seems to want Jimmy to be a toy?)

Scott: Had his eye stolen and replaced with a magic eye by an evil magic skull. Steals things.

Shelby, Great Witch: Failed at the academy and lied about it, accidentally did dangerous dimensional magic and got expelled and tried to hide it, eventually embraced her status as a criminal at the same time that she started getting corrupted by the sculk which turned out to come from the soul-filled fog of her area!

The Fae: Honestly I don't have time to list out everything that's happening with them, I just want to say I don't even know if they're actually evil and tricking people or if they genuinely think they're trying to be nice and they're just weird and alien and, well, fae... They do seem to be trying to gain power and stuff, but that could just be how they interact with the world? They're probably a problem, either way...

This got surprisingly long so I bolded the names of everyone I think could be counted as a villain currently. Like 5-6 total, lol!

fr im obsessed with the way that empires 2 is evolving into a battle ground for ominous magical entities. theyve got the fog. theyve got sculk, introduced by the fog. theyve got evil sausage just kinda kickin around. theyve got the fae. theyve got whatever is up with e!false. theyve got jims villain arc. this is a nightmare server and i love it.

[bitchlessbkg]

Help Him

recently i’ve become apart of the “bakugou’s gonna try to save shigaraki” belief from these past few chapters, especially now with Tenko popping up, and i just gotta say — i fear heavily for my boy if (when) he succeeds 💀

no seriously, AFO’s regular body is regenerating, and it looks like the AFO team isn’t doing so hot right now in order to continue — hawks’ feathers are scarce and enji is missing an entire arm and has used up his energy/power on those last attacks. our girl jirou has lost half her quirk and i’m not too sure about tokoyami yet but i’m afraid for him as well when this continues.

so regular AFO may be having a comeback, and if he receives the news that bakugou katsuki has somehow freed tomura shigaraki from his grasps, i fear the anger that AFO will hold, because this is EXACTLY what happened in the past, isn’t it?

this second user looking kid is coming to free yochi 2.0 from his grasps (and we know how AFO gets about his brother, disturbingly so) hereby jeopardizing his plans to overtake shigaraki’s mind/body, gain OFA, and rule over japan. AFO also witnessed second user gather allies in order to rebel against him, and i’m not entirely sure how it played out (we’ll have to see second’s backstory) but i think he nearly succeeded (at the very least him reaching out to yochi revealed itself to be a massive threat for sure). the only difference would be that second user sacrificed allies while bakugou is all about saving your allies in a fight, zero casualties (but we also know he’s one to save at the expense of himself — mr “i’ll break myself to achieve victory,” was doing cartwheels with two holes in him to save his allies in the first war, and he currently has a fucked up arm he’s not letting jeanist do anything about. i still think he’ll do some sort of sacrifice — fear for this boy).

so in AFO’s failure to break bakugou’s spirit and kill him before he gets the chance to do anything significant to shigaraki and for deku’s rage, if (who am i kidding, WHEN) bakugou prevails, what more reason to want him dead if he can kill two birds with one stone — kill the man who fucked up his plans AND get deku to rage in order to take OFA for himself.

In other words, as pikahlua said — oh boy he’s in danger

[egg-emperor]

Modern Eggman would be a bit disappointed that Boom Egg's goals aren't that big because he's only targeting an island and can't understand how he hasn't succeeded yet. But it's because Boom will only take it so far and wishes he could get attention in the form of friends but can't so he does this. Modern would try to convince him to expand his horizons and try aim higher but he'd realize he just doesn't have it in him. He'd sort of accept it eventually but would tease and call him a wannabe villain.

When Casino AU Eggman hears about Boom Eggman's ways he's like "Aww, that's the most evil you've ever been? That's so cute." and Boom gets flustered like "What? It is evil, don't make fun of me!" Casino Egg teases him like "Oh I'm not, you're sooo evil and scary~" and pinches his cheeks while he crosses his arms and pouts. He thinks he's just a cute barely evil little guy and it's adorable and funny that it seems like nothing is seriously evil, threatening, or intimidating about him in the slightest XD

But with that, Casino Egg also thinks to himself "Damn I better make sure I never tell him about the worst things I've done 😳" because his evil and how low he can stoop makes him seem totally depraved and deranged and makes Boom look so innocent in yet another way compared to himself lol. Modern also spares the more gruesome detail of his actions, so Boom Egg won't fall out with both of them, but he still gets to hear about some of the crazy shit they've done that he'd never do himself

Modern tries to urge Boom Egg to dream bigger because he wants every world to be conquered by every version of himself, it's important for all to succeed. But if Boom Egg won't do it, he can always come over and dominate his world for him too, after he's succeeded in his own as he will be greedy enough to want more anyway. He has to accept that Boom Egg isn't that evil but he'll always be confused and disapproving of his desire to befriend Sonic and friends XD

Casino Egg doesn't tell Boom Egg that he does anything evil outside of with modern at first because he wants him to think what he does for work is legit, safe, and legal as long as possible, as he does with most people aside from his most trusted crew and modern Eggman. It's also his way of what he believes is keeping him safe and unaware of the dangers of his lifestyle to save anxiety. Plus he likes his cute funny personality and wants to keep him innocent. Well mostly anyway... ;) but in terms of evil, he doesn't want to taint him

[thefanficmonster]

Hey, I'm the 3word anon! I guess to make this easier, you call call me 📚🌻

I just wanted to say that you did an amazing job! I loved reading what you've done! You said that you wanted more words so here it is your next words: tradition, needle and tribute

Love, 📚🌻

I'm so glad you liked it dear 📚🌻 ! I absolutely love this challenge and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it hehe. Hope you enjoy this one too!

Freedom

Pairing: Rick Flag x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of drug use, Mentions of injury Spoiler Free 😊

Genre: Romance, Humor

“Flag, I have someone coming on-board with you.“ Waller’s voice comes in through the radio of the jet colonel Rick Flag was about to take off with, taking the Suicide Squad on their newly assigned mission.

He rolls his eyes, engine of the jet roaring to signal it’s ready to lose contact with the ground and rise up into the skies - much like Rick, who’s already fed up with the Squad’s members who are explicitly annoying and pesky today, promising him a ton of headaches in the near future. With that in mind, these news Waller has given him so suddenly, he’s not particularly excited to welcome another lunatic on the jet. Another lunatic to deal with.

“Who the hell are you sending? Don’t you think my hands are already full enough?!“ He yells at the top of his lungs in order for his voice to overpower the engine’s loudness.

“I’m here to help you, you ungrateful piece of shit!“ This voice, familiar voice, doesn’t emerge from the radio, instead it’s coming from right behind him and is equally as strained as his due to the loud, ear-bleeding surroundings.

Before Rick can even comprehend the presence of another person, said person gets seated on the copilot’s seat, equipping a pair of headphones so the two can communicate without pushing their lungs to the brink of giving out.

“What the hell are you doing here, L/N?“ He asks, his eyes unable to hide even a little bit of the confusion that the girl’s presence has brought upon him.

Contrary to his seriousness and shock, the girl gives him a bright, almost teasing smile, “Oh come on, Flag. I have a soft spot for you, you know, I like helping you.“ She tilts her head ever so slightly, “And I don’t feel like giving Waller the pleasure of detonating this bomb at the back of my neck.“

“Thought so.“ He scoffs, watching Y/N’s movements out of the corner of his eye as she straps herself in. 

She rolls her eyes, cracking her knuckles before turning to him, deciding to pick up on this petty war, just to make matters worse for Rick and more amusing for herself, “Aren’t you gonna shoot me? I mean, it’s our tradition.”

Rick cringes, recalling the exact event - or rather events, plural - she’s referring to: the night he arrested her and a few others, all henchmen of the Joker. Unlike her co-workers however, Y/N put up one hell of a fight while those fuckers chose flight. Their decision didn’t get them far while hers led her to the hospital wing of the Belle Reve prison, a bullet in her side fired at her by colonel Flag. Seeing the report files on the altercation, Waller immediately knew the girl was something else and recruited her for the Suicide Squad.

Unfortunately, her first instinct when her eyes first landed upon the colonel was to pounce at him, despite her low chances of succeeding in her intentions considering there were guards and soldiers literally everywhere, all with guns ready to fire. Yet still, Flag was the one who shot her yet again, this time less dangerously close to fatal.

Yeah, she has a right to be pissed and a right to call it their tradition, but it’s also safe to say that their dynamic has improved. They went on to go on a few more missions together without any complications or unwanted altercations. Sure, there were snide remarks and petty comments here and there, but those could be considered compliments when compared to the shootings.

“When are you gonna let that go?“ Rick snaps, his eyes remaining fixated ahead while the jet slowly ascends, “I got you off the streets. I freed you from that psychopath. The last thing you should be is mad!”

There is a long pause between the two, leading Rick to sneak a glance at his co-pilot. She appears to be deep in thought, staring ahead much like he’s supposed to be doing right now. She doesn’t seem like she’s conjuring up a sarcastic response which would be totally up her alley, but oddly enough she seems to be genuinely thinking about what he said. He starts feeling a bit shitty for having snapped at her like that - she wasn’t completely wrong to keep rubbing it in his face, she did suffer two gunshot wounds from him, after all.

“I’m not mad.“ Y/N finally speaks up, not sparing him as much as a look, “I’m grateful. The Joker isn’t the only thing I was trying to escape. One half the day I was doing his dirty work, the other half I had a needle stuck in my arm or was out cold in a drug induced half-coma.“ This time she does turn to take in the expression change that’s happened on his face and she seems pleased with the shock and confusion she sees. “Bet you didn’t know that, did ya?“ Contemplating her next move for a second, she plays with the belts of her bulletproof vest and gear before seemingly deciding on what to do. Her fingers quickly undo the belts and buttons of the gear that’s covering her torso, removing the strong and dense protective material to expose the skin of her side where there’s a scar where she had to have surgery to get the bullet removed. Around the scar there’s a tattoo of a peculiar looking flower, masking the line as a part of itself, “I got that tattoo as a reminder of that night. A tribute to more than one freedom coming to me at once.” She quickly readjusts her gear, and slumps into the seat with a sigh of a deflating balloon. “No longer a slave, no longer an addict. Though, addicts are slaves too - slaves to our own brain’s dependency on a substance that’s destroying us.”

Rick is at a loss for words. He wasn’t expecting that, never did he think Y/N was an addict as well prior to being a henchwoman and then a prisoner. That’s probably due to the fact that she’s always been in a great physical shape, ready to take on the enemy whenever and wherever. “Damn, fucking hell, I’m sorry you had to go through that, Y/N...“ He really doesn’t know what’s there to say when he now feels even shittier than he did before.

He almost jumps out of his skin when he feels her hand on his bicep, “I would still be going through it if it wasn’t for you. In fact, come to think of it, I should apologize for pouncing at you like that when all you did was do me a favor.” She giggles quietly before adding, “But I won’t.”

He too allows himself a small laugh, “I wasn’t expecting you to.“

Of course he wasn’t, he’s come to know her well. And he also knows it’s nothing personal - Y/N is simply not the type of girl who apologizes. That he can stomach, but imagining his co-pilot seat unoccupied on the way back from this mission he cannot.

Damn it, Flag. God fucking damn you, you’ve done it again haven’t you, he asks himself, knowing the answer perfectly well already.

[neko-rogers]

All I Ever Need

Peter warned you about the dangers of online dating.

words: 4,007

tags: dark!peter parker, strong and explicit non-consensual elements, manipulation, implications of sex-pollen or drugging, lowkey breeding kink

a/n: please forgive me! i’m still new to writing dark!versed fics <3 but this was a request and i couldn’t resist (: if you liked this then you are free to help me out and improve my writing by leaving feedback or suggesting prompts that i could write about

     It was emotionally crushing.

     The moment you decided to create a Tinder account led you to all sorts of feelings. 

     As someone who had been busy with your final year of college, you never thought of engaging much in the relationships territory. With all these, you could only focus on finally graduating and obtaining a stable job. The idea that you were providing for yourself, without having to depend on a significant other, was fulfilling.

     It did not help further considering that most of your group of friends were just as hardworking as you. Peter Parker was one the closest and much more than just a good influence. Truly too good to be true.

     Nonetheless, you finally tried out those infamous dating applications you have been hearing. Despite warnings from your friends about how dangerous it can be, you were confident that you were smart enough to handle it.

     “You're still hung up on that app?” Peter interrupts alongside.

     The professor dismissed the class moments ago, and at least half of the people already exited the room. As always, Peter waited for you before heading for next subject.

     Admittedly, you were a bit caught up with your phone. Swiping left and right sounded boring, but for some reason you found it amusing how convenient it can be – the interaction and messages was a bonus. “So what if I am?”

     You lock your phone before Peter got to snoop further. Both your reflections could be seen amongst the black screen as you placed it on top of your other textbooks to be carried.

     “Any interaction online is dangerous,” he explains. “I thought you out of all people should know that, Y/N.”

     You roll your eyes at his remark. “You’re only a year older than me yet you sound like my dad. You know I’m already twenty-two, right?”

     “I’d hate to be the one to say I told you so when your world comes crashing down,” he consoles. 

     “Oh thats bullshit, Parker.” You could almost laugh at his sense of ridicule. “Like you said, I’m smart. I’m sure I’ll be able to handle online dating. Have faith in me, yeah?” 

     “Yeah, whatever. It’s fine.” Peter nods, still beside as you walked along the hallway. “It’s not like you’re already going on a date with one of them, right.” His assumption comes off as a statement rather than a question.

     However, you stay quiet seeming as it was best to leave it unanswered.

     “Oh no, please don’t tell me you’re seeing someone already.” Peter looks back when you decided to stay a meter behind him to save you from the guilt.

     “It’s just a second date, it won’t harm me,” you defended. “Plus, he goes to the community college nearby.”      “What?! You two are already on your second date before you told me, or anyone of your friends?” You could understand where his temper was coming from, but in the end, it was none of their business.

     “I know, but I just thought it wasn’t a big deal. Besides this is about me and Jacob.”

     Fortunately enough, you and Peter have the same subject which was BioChemistry. This time, he followed you behind while you avoided his gaze. He waited until you took a seat along the second to the last row, and then taking his seat next to you.

     You look straight, facing the chalkboard displayed at the farther side of the room. Though you could not see Peter entirely, you could see his glowering look by the corner of your eye. “So his name his Jacob, huh, tell me more about him.”

     This was the reason why you could not update him, or any of your friends. You knew this would happen. They begin getting so nosy around your life before they even realize it.

     Surely, you did love your friends, much more the boy sitting next to you. They have been with you since freshman year, and you were more than grateful for one another’s support.

     “Peter, I don’t think that whatever I tell you would concern you,” you state clearly to avoid a dragging conversation. 

     “But we care about you, I care about you, Y/N.” He pouts, “The moment he tries to hurt you, you’ll run back to us and cry about it. I just want to skip seeing that part knowing I can’t see you heartbroken.”

     You furrow your eyebrows. His statement comes off as a bit acquisitive, but you knew that it was just his concern caught up in the moment. “That’s the problem. We all need to eventually fail or feel pain. It’s normal, especially for young adults like us, Peter!”

     There was a lot of things you wanted to say now. He trigged you somehow and now you’re at the edge of becoming a rambling mess. The worst part of it was that you were scared that you might say something that you would not be able to take back. 

     “Okay then I’ll–”

     “No look, I apologize for raising my voice.” You sighed to calm yourself down and compose your thoughts better. “You know I adore you so much, Peter. And I appreciate you looking out for me. But this can’t be forever, I’ll eventually have to learn how to deal with these kinds of stuff.”

     You got through barely half of your day yet you could already feel the emotional turn of having an argument with one of your best friends. 

     And eventually, your professor entered the room. Barely giving the two of you a moment to continue the heated conversation just seconds ago. The displeased look on Peter’s face remained as he looked in front, acknowledging that both of you took lectures seriously. He wanted to pick up this argument at another setting. 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ

     "Congrats to your first ever anniversary!” Your friends applaud just as Jacob was seated next to you.

     “We’re so proud of you.”

     “You two look so happy together!”

     “Both of you look amazing, practically perfect for each other.”

     “Can’t believe it’s already been a year.”

     A year has passed, your group of friends remained even so with Peter. In addition, they learned to accept your boyfriend despite their doubts on online dating sites and applications.

     Just as they learned to trust your decisions more, you also learned way more about your significant other. Though despite your differences in fields, you learned to love him more than you thought you could.

     All of you have freshly graduated from college. Most of your friends did not have much planned so far; however, as your friendship with Peter remained, he grew to understand your feelings more and handled it sensitively.

     After your argument during your early days of dating Jacob, he eventually apologized for his behavior too. Though that was not the only time your friendship with him was put to a test. After the succeeding months, Peter still gave feint warnings and acted a bit overprotective when you tried telling him how you wanted to take your relationship to another level and get more serious.

     Nonetheless, you did not let any of your peers affect your view upon your relationship. Seeing that you were now at your first anniversary, you were happy that you followed what your heart and gut believed in.

     “To be honest we didn’t expect our Y/N to be getting into a relationship before we graduate, let alone celebrating her first anniversary!” Liz joked. “But in the end, just know that we love you and we’re here for you.”

     You smiled, looking at your friends who seemed to share the same feeling. After graduation, everything feels too good. It feels as if your life was falling into place.

     Not only have you gotten into a relationship with a kind guy. You also attained high ranks among the other students in your program, which led to companies offering you internships right off the bat. Rather than you worrying about where you’re heading to after college, you got the privilege to pick what you wanted to do.

     Surprisingly, you got an offer from the Stark Industries to become an internship on being their analytical chemist. It was the most tempting offer you got. Who would not accept an opportunity like that, right?

     When you learned that Peter also got an offer, you were more than happy for him. You knew he was one of the smartest persons in class and he deserved it just as you did.

     Both your contracts agreed that the internship starts a month from now which was just perfect, considering that you also have a few things to do prior to it.

     “Well, this girl also has a lot planned ahead,” you announce while catching the attention of your friends that were circled around you. “Me and Jacob were talking about moving in probably in his apartment by the end of the month.”

     Your intention was not to brag. Everyone could see how genuinely excited you were with such a big event. You were just so happy that despite what every one thought your relationship would end, you accepted whether the outcome would be good or bad. 

     Your friends cheered at you for taking a big step into your relationship. Looking back, you were so scared to accept the second date, but little by little you could not notice how much progress has been done.

     “I am so thankful for you guys.” You smiled and nodded at them before looking to your side where Jacob happily watched you interact with your friends. You slung your arm over his chest and planted a kiss directly at his lips.

     “We’re always here for you, Y/N,” Peter added along with a smile.

*

     Unbeknownst to you, just as your friends had left the celebration, you had big news yet to hear.

     As you drape your purse over one shoulder, your boyfriend assisted you out. He held one side of the door for you and walked after you. He held onto the side of your waist until both of you reached his car.

     Like the gentleman he is, he went over to the passenger side to open the car door for you before doing the same for himself at the driver’s side.

     When both of you were finally inside the car, Jacob had not started the car immediately. He paused with fingers gripping around the edges of the steering wheel.

     His sigh was just as evident, hearing it echo around the car which left chills across your skin as you looked at him. “You seem bothered. What’s wrong?”

     He avoided to look at you just as both of your hands reach for one of his. He lets you toy with his fingers yet his gaze still directs straight at the gas pedal. You lean further to catch a glimpse of him, moving one hand to cup his cheek. “Hey, what’s bugging you, babe? I’m here to listen.”

     “I’m sorry,” he starts off. The puzzled look on your face apparent as to what he’s trying to apologize for.

     “What do you mean?”

     “I just don’t think you deserve to stay with someone like me.”

     His self-loathing was not settling your confusion in any way at all. “I still don’t get it.” You did have an assumption in mind, but you chose not to jump into it as it might flare up on what’s happening now.

     “I think we need to break up,” Jacob swiftly drops.

     Slowly, you pull back and rest your back against the window. You bring a hand up to brush the little fringes in front of your face. You were trying to comprehend everything that’s happening. “I don’t understand. Why so sudden?”

     “Don’t get the wrong idea, Y/N–”

     “Then what should I get?” Your voice starts to crack as you hold back the tears. “I don’t understand anything at all! You seemed so happy a couple of hours ago.”

     “That’s why I’m apologizing,” he softly explains. “You don’t deserve me, I’ve been so horrible to you–”

     “You have been so nice to me. I don’t know where you’re getting all of this, at all!” Eventually, tears could not help but form around the corners of your eyes.

     Jacob sighs, finally looking at you. “You deserve so much more than this, I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

     Finally, the tears began to spill. You covered both your eyes with your palms, trying to both hide and wipe them away. “Y-you can’t just break up with me after celebrating our first anniversary.”

     “I’m sorry–”      “Stop saying that,” you sniffed. You did not know what annoyed you more, hearing him apologize like a broken record or hearing him imply the ‘its not you, it’s me and you deserve more’ bullshit. “You’re too cruel.”

     “I’ll drive you to your house,” he offers. The look on his face seemed very guilty. You did not know what was behind these sudden turn of events, but either way you were heartbroken for how

     “No,” you stated. “Uhm, I have a friend who lives nearby. You can drop me off there.”

     “Okay.”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ

     “That’s pretty much my night in a nutshell,” you sighed as Peter entered his room with a blanket and some clothes in hand.

     Your legs were cross-seated over his bed as your hid your face with your hands. Peter frowned as he walked over to the edge of his bed where you were positioned. “I just don’t understand why he dumped me all of a sudden, might I add, dumped me on our first anniversary!”

     You felt a hand over your back, rubbing slow and comforting strokes as you continued to cry. “Just as I thought I was getting to know him better.”

     It was emotionally crushing.

     “I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

     “Well.” You look up at him despite knowing your nose eyes eyelids became swollen, “You can finally tell me that you told me so.”

     “That doesn’t matter right now.” His hands move to the ends of your hair, toying with the strands before turning half of his body aside. He reaches for a mug that situated on top of his nightstand, “Here. I brought you a cup of tea.”

     “Thanks, but I’m not really thirsty–”

     “Drink,” he calmly says. “You need to get hydrated after crying.”

     You could not argue with that. You’ve definitely lost a lot of water in your body after hours of just crying, without drinking anything. “You know me so well.” you told him and added, “I should’ve just listened to you when you warned me about strangers online.”

     “I guess I owe you an apology.”

     Peter chuckled at your statement and watched you as your lips slowly sipped at the heated tea he had just prepared. “No need to be sorry about anything now, I’m just glad you’re safe. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

     “Don’t worry he didn’t physically touch me,” you assure as he nods.

     The adorable boy in front of you slyly looked down as he called for your name. “Y/N? Can I ask you a question?”

     “Of course, Peter.” 

     “Why’d you choose to stop by my place amongst our other friends.” 

     You finally finish the entire drink he had prepared. Before you could answer him, you extended your arm in order to set the fragile mug back on top of his bed side drawer.

     “Well for one, I still know where your place was, and it was closest from the restaurant,” you answered. “And conveniently enough, you were the first person I could think of after Jacob hurt my feelings.”

     “I could vividly remember your warnings just as I realized he was breaking up with me already. I didn’t know whether to feel sad or ashamed. What I do know was that you knew me too well, even before I became fully aware of it.”

     He smiled at your answer, and you gave the same look at him. “Well I’m glad you thought of me.” His hands reach over to yours and places them on top, feeling the warmth of his body over yours. “I would never want to hurt you, nor let you feel the pain Jacob gave you.”

     “You’re too sweet.” You smile.

     Your hands rubbed circles around your eyes first. Then you tried to lean in front, opening your arms wide signaling for a hug. Peter did not hesitate to hug you back, enveloping his arms while both of you rest your chins on top of each other’s shoulders.

     From this angle, you could strongly scent his cologne. However, that was not the only thing you could observe.

     As each second passes, you were not sure if you were the only one who could notice how hot the room was getting. Either that or that your skin was starting to burn up. “Peter?”

     “Don’t you think it’s getting hot–”

     As you were just about to react, you felt a pair of lips against yours. Peter had pulled back, and even when you could have realized it, he was pinning you down as your back presses against his bed.

     And as much as this was entirely contradicting your morals, you did not feel an ounce of guilt as one of your best friends continued to leave kisses down your neck. You were not entirely sure why your mind was doubting this, but your body was suddenly, badly craving for touch – and Peter was conveniently doing you the favor.

     “Don’t I think it’s getting what?” Peter sits up and teases just as he pulls his shirt over his shoulders.

     “Nothing,” you groan. “But I don’t think this is a good idea–”

     He shushes you, “Relax. Let me take care of you, yeah?

     His hands gently released heir grip around your wrists. He was confident enough that you wouldn’t fight back after finishing the drink he exclusively brewed for you.

     Your state of mind was perfectly right where he expected it to be. Just conscious enough to feel him against you, but incapable of thinking rationally. 

     He just hated how smart you were when it came to his friends and school; however, just as he expects, you were not as quick-witted when it came to relationships. 

     And hiring Jacob was definitely one of his greatest achievements so far. He lost a part of his savings along the way, but nothing could ever become as valuable as you. Now that you were in his room, let alone under his touch, he had the upper hand.

     Peter was not letting you go that easy afterwards.

     For now, he continues to leave kisses under your jaw while your hands lazily combs through the locks of his hair. He proudly hums against your skin after leaving gentle nibbles that started to leave evident love marks.

     One of his hands creep under your shirt, reaching to unhook your bra. As he successfully does, he moves to adjust your shirt over your breasts. He gets a good view of them even without having to pull it over your head, smirking to himself as this has been a fantasy he has been dreading for.

     “Fuck you’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he murmurs. With one hand, he gently squeezes around one of your breasts just as he descends at your body.

     “Peter,” your moan comes from above his head just as he was ready to spread your legs.

     “Yeah, babe?”

     “C-condom,” you mumbled with eyelids partially open.

     He chuckled as a response, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

     Peter tried to test the waters first to make sure he was completely in control of this situation. He drags the tip of his fingers across your stomach, further narrowing the path down as it reached at the entrance of your cunt. 

     He could instantly sense how wet you have become throughout his teasing. Both his middle and ring finger grew damper as he inserted them inch by inch, slowly seeing them reappear. 

     The warmth radiating around your walls excites him more, assuming how good you would be while his cock was wrapped around it. He instinctively curls his fingers out of excitement, forgetting that he was trying to handle you gently.

     You react by tightening around it, along with a whine. 

     “Sorry, babe.”

     Moreover, he continues it up until he felt his erection grow harden than before. He made sure he was completely hard before finally dropping both your pants down, attending to yours first until you were completely naked – excluding the shirt he did not haul over your head.

     Next was his turn. He undid his shorts and threw them away ever so quickly. Then rushed to welcome himself between the space of your legs. “You ready for me, babe?” He did not leave a choice despite asking that either way. You remained helpless under him.

     “Hmm,” was your only response.

     Peter did not hesitate as he glides into you. He groans at your heat, grasping that you feel better now compared to when he was using his fingers. “Oh shit,” he groans while speeding up the pace of his thrusts, “you feel so good.”

     “That’s it, holy fuck.” He was surprised at how responsive your body was still. Despite drugging you to the extent of being mentally incapable, your body was contracting all over him as if it was enjoying itself. 

     He continued to praise your body even if you could not understand what he was saying. The entire event revolved around him fucking you and leaving sweet remarks as if he was your boyfriend – and not, at all, a friend who laced your drink and made you believe you were somewhere safe.

     Though Peter did say he was going to care for you. Ironically, it was obvious that all he can think about now is chasing his orgasm and nutting inside you. After all, it was one of his dark and twisted fantasies – to have full control over you, at least.

     There were few moans coming from you, but the happy noises being created by Peter overpowers. With all of this, sexual, tension he finally got to release, it was expected that he was going to cum sooner.

     “Fuck,” and other swears came from him. “Didn’t expect to cum so soon.”

     As he did not care about your take on this, he also did not give a fuck when he was planning to cum inside you. Since he purposely avoided to wear any kind of protection, let alone learn if you were in any kind of birth control, anyone in their right mind would know what could happen the morning after.

     Willfully, he made sure to go deeper inside you until he could feel the tip of his cock twitch as a sign that he was going to cum. “Gonna fill you up with my cum, yeah,” he grunts as if you were going to reply. “And you’re gonna take it like the good girl you are.”

     Even so, when Peter finally felt his release, he took a good look at you beneath. You seemed hot and bothered, but not as him. Your chest was heaving all the while he could feel the speed of the beating of his heart.

     When he steadily pulls out, the awaited moment of his deep, dark fantasies finally arise. He could clearly see his own cum beautifully spilling out of your cunt like a cream pie. He could almost feel himself get turned on just at the sigh of it, but he considered that round two’s with you would be saved for next time.

     “Peter?”      “Hmm?”

     “I still feel hot,” you purr. 

     Peter extends his arm to gently place the back of his hand over your forehead, feeling how feverish your body still was. There were few hints of sweat streaming from your forehead. “Let me take care of you, I’ll just run you a bath, okay?”

     You childishly smile and agree with him, “O-okay.” He pulls back to be able to properly stand and proceeds to head to his shower with a huge smile from his face.

     You were his.

[tenglows]

love is all we’ve got | killian jones

part two | read the story on wattpad here

Originally, Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Gold, Hook and Esme had gone to Neverland to rescue Henry. Having finally succeeded, the group tried to decide what they were going to do now: they were stuck in the island, and there was a demon on the loose - a demon that fed on love, of all things.

“We need to trap the demon somewhere” Regina suggested.

After Pan had released the demon, the usually harmonious group came face to face with everyone’s darkest, and unloving sides. Eventually, they had to do something, before they ended up killing each other.

“Great, we still have Pandora's box so let’s trap it in there. Hand it over, Gold”

“Not so fast, Emma. The demon has grown considerably, it’s stronger than ever. I'm afraid a box, or anything of the sort, won’t do. You see, it has been feeding on love, so the only way to weaken it would be to put it in a vessel that can tolerate its power” Regina paused. “A human body”

Silence filled the cave. Everyone looked at each other, trying to come out with another plan. They couldn’t simply put one of them in danger, risking being eaten up by a demon. There had to be another way. Besides, who could it be?

“Well, we certainly aren’t the best people for this” Henry tried to joke.

“Let's put the demon in Hook” said David, glaring at the man. “It’s not like that pirate has much love in him, so what’s the difference?”

“I’m sorry, mate. I have my great love for Milah, and I’m not letting anyone take that away from me”

“What about Rumple? He doesn’t even love the woman he made a vow to” Regina raised an eyebrow and Rumpelstiltskin glared at her, preparing to talk back.

“It won't work” Esme raised her voice. “Rumple may not love Belle properly, but he loves his power, the dagger, being the Dark One. Even if it’s not love for a human, his love will end up being his undoing”

“Bloody hell. Does anyone have a better idea?”

“I do” Esme spoke again. “You’re going to trap the demon in me”

The statement clearly baffled everyone, all eyes fearfully fixed on Esme.

“What?”

“Unlike all of you, I've never felt love. I don't know what it’s like, how it feels. I've never loved nor been loved. Putting the demon in me is the safest option, hell, it may be the only we’ve got”

“But even if you don’t have love for people, don’t you, like Rumple, love other stuff?” Snow asked, trying to find something to save Esme, everyone having doubts about using their friend as a vessel for a deadly demon.

“I have my pride, yes, and I have my strength. But no, never love”

“It would be temporary” Emma remarked.

“Yes, you would only be keeping it under control until we find out a way to destroy it” Regina helped Emma, trying to make the situation a little bit more convincing to Esme, but they didn’t even need to try, she had already made up her mind.

“It's fine, honestly. It’ll be the same to me”

Regina and Emma looked at each other one last time, doubt coloring their faces. They smiled at Esme, a smile that showed how grateful they were, but also how scared. Esme smiled back at them, being pretty at ease herself. She didn’t have fear, because she had nothing to lose.

—-

After Regina and Emma successfully trapped the demon inside Esme, they left the Skull Rock, and made their way into the jungle.

Everyone kept asking Esme how she felt, and they were sure she was making light of it: but she genuinely didn’t feel anything at all. Sure, she felt the blow when a supernatural, evil demon was filling up her body, but after that, she was the same woman.

“Esme!” someone shouted from behind her, catching her attention.

“Killian” she stopped and smiled, waiting for him to get to her side.

“How are you feeling?”

“Seriously, you don’t have to keep asking me that, any of you. I feel exactly the same way as I always do”

“Alright, just checking” they chuckled.

Killian stared intently at her, as if trying to find any sign of the demon in the sweet features of the woman. He looked down, and then back at Esme, and she could sense he wanted to add something else.

“Look, I just wanted to say you were really brave, doing that for all of us. Not anyone would do something like that. And I'm sorry that you never felt love. I’m sure it won’t stay like that forever”

Esme wanted to roll her eyes at the mention of the L word, she couldn’t keep count of the times the heroes told her she would find true love eventually. She didn’t yearn for love, she was pretty sure she didn’t even need it. Never had and never would. And she was about to say all those things to Killian, but the way he smiled at her stopped her. He was smiling in a way that didn’t display any signs of pity or compassion. He looked hopeful, like he truly believed what he said. And for the first time, even if for a brief second, Esme believed too.

“Thank you, Killian”

“And let me know how you’re feeling, okay? I know you’re strong, but just in case, we still don’t know everything about this demon”

She nodded, and with a last smile and a friendly squeeze on her shoulder, Killian walked away. Esme couldn’t look away from his back, walking ahead of her. The feeling of his touch lingered in the air, and not even Neverland’s sultry wind managed to make it fade away. Suddenly, Talia felt a sharp pang on her chest. She was quick to unbutton her shirt to make sure she hadn’t accidentally grazed anything, especially something laced with Dreamsahde. But after looking thoroughly, she couldn’t find any visible mark on her chest at all.

~•~

continue reading on wattpad!! @/venuslilies_

[lizziethebibrid]

Requested by @thebadassgaysquad

ao3 link here

prompts list here

38. If you move from that spot, so help me, I will tie you down.

Jed was the last one to run into the school, closing the door behind them. It felt like they were getting in these kinds of situations more and more lately and every monster only seemed to be crazier than the last.

The squad was at it and really, Jed had all the faith that they could figure it out, they always did, but they currently had nothing and that was admittedly not great. They had trapped the monster to school grounds, although it was probably looking for a way in, since the very thing - or well, person - he was looking for was on the other side of the door.

“Look, we both know what it wants. What they all want,” Ben tried to reason with him. “If you just let me go out there-”

“Dude, no! We’ve already discussed this too many times,” Jed insisted. They could fix this, he knew they could. Some of them were looking through books, witches were brewing potions and others were patrolling different areas around the school, trying to catch the monster or at least make sure it didn’t come near the rest of the students.

“Jed, that thing is here for me. You know it, I know it, the whole school is aware. Monsters will keep coming to kill me unless I leave,” Ben stated. “The best I can do since I’m still here, is make this less dangerous for everyone!”

“Cleo made a bracelet once, she can tell the other witches how to make it again,” Jed said. “This is just a temporary evil. You can’t seriously tell me you’re cool with dying all the time!”

“It’s really not that big of a deal,” Ben said, like he was talking about a minor inconvenience and not an endless loop of dying and coming back to life.

Jed stared back at him dumbfounded, not exactly sure what to say because his first instinct would probably be to start yelling and they didn’t need that right now. Before he had time to act in any way though, something hit against the front door, thankfully not breaking it, but Jed didn’t really think it would hold for long.

“Okay, we should probably get away from that,” he said, grabbing Ben’s wrist to ensure he actually did follow because he wasn’t exactly certain he would right now.

“Wait, Jed, wait.” True to Jed’s worries, Ben tried to stop them as they climbed up the stairs. Part of Jed was thankful because he knew Ben had the physical strength to keep them both back if he wanted to. He was at least giving Jed a choice here. “This thing is after me. It’s gonna keep trying to get to me. It doesn’t matter how much distance we put between us.”

“What’s the alternative?” Jed asked. “And don’t say die,” he hurried to add when Ben opened his mouth.

“If you’re not letting me get out there, you should at least get away from me,” he said. “Keep yourself safe.”

“I’m not leaving you alone, you’re gonna run out there without supervision!” Jed retorted, making Ben actually smile for a change. It wasn’t exactly a heartfelt moment as far as Jed was concerned, but he’d take anything if it was enough to actually make him stay put.

“I know you care. I appreciate that. But the matter still stands,” Ben said softly. “I am a danger to everyone here. We can’t keep pretending this is not an issue.”

“You have any idea how many things and people we’ve kept here even though they’d been a danger to the whole school?” Jed said. “We used to get a new Malivore monster each week. We had a crazy cult of humans try to kill us because of what we were. A friend of ours was in a really dark place a while ago and was actively trying to kill us all, but we didn’t throw her out! This is not how it works here.”

Ben didn’t say anything, only stared back at him, his eyes glancing over his face. Jed tried to keep himself in the moment and the fact that there was a very present danger after them right now and not that he was standing inches away from his… crush? They hadn’t really sorted everything out.

He really thought he’d actually succeeded in changing his mind, making him see that they wouldn’t just throw him to the monsters - he wouldn’t just throw him to the monsters.

“I know you think you’re doing the right thing here, but I’ve done this countless times. I’ve watched people I cared about die and I’m not going to sit here until it happens again,” his words hit Jed across the face. Why couldn’t he just get it?

Ben tried to move past him, about to go back downstairs and probably throw himself at the monster so this whole attack would be over. But Jed would be damned if he just let him go through with it.

He caught his arm, pulling him back in. Ben stumbled a bit, falling right into him, Jed crushing their lips together. Ben seemed startled for a second, much like the first time Jed had actually had the courage to kiss him like there was no tomorrow, but he was also quick to kiss him back.

And this time Jed actually let himself get lost in the feeling. He let himself forget that there was a monster banging at the door downstairs who wanted to kill Ben and maybe follow up with a student or two. Because for these next few seconds it was just the two of them and all Jed really wanted to show him was that he cared about him. He cared so fucking much and he wasn’t about to just let him go sacrifice himself.

He was the first one to pull back, but still remained close, his gaze locked with Ben’s. He still seemed a bit caught up in the moment and wasn’t threatening to leave which was definitely a plus.

“Was that enough for you to stay put?” Jed whispered.

“You really don’t want me to go,” was all Ben said.

Jed just rolled his eyes. “What gave it away?” he asked, making him chuckle. “We’ve beaten a lot of monsters, we'll beat this one too. The witches will give you a new anti-curse bracelet and you’ll go back to normal. Just- Please don’t go out there. Not without a solid plan.”

Ben sighed a little, letting his forehead fall against Jed’s. “Okay,” he eventually said.

“Okay?” Jed said, slightly surprised now that he was actually agreeing with him.

“Okay,” Ben repeated, leaning in to kiss him again, slower this time.

“If you move from that spot, so help me, I will tie you down,” Jed said once they’d pulled back again.

Ben laughed, making something ease in Jed’s chest. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll stay.”

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Today in Tolkien - October 21-23

During these days, Frodo is unconscious in Rivendell as Elrond labours to heal his wound from the Morgul-blade. As Gandalf tells Frodo after he wakes:

“Elrond has cured you: he has tended you for days, ever since you were brought in…foyr nights and three days, to be exact…We have been terribly anxious, and Sam has hardly left your side, day or night, except to run messages. [Bilbo was also there; he later tells Frodo, ‘I have sat by your side with Sam each day.’] Elrond is a master of healing, but the weapons of our Enemy are deadly. To tell you the truth, I had very little hope; for I suspected that there was some fragment of the blade still in the closed wound. But it could not be found until last night [the night between the 23rd and 24th]. Then Elrond removed a splinter. It was deeply buried, and it was working inwards.”

“What would they have done to me?” asked Frodo? “What were the Riders trying to do?”

“They tried to pierce your heart with a Morgul-knife which remains in the wound. If they had succeeded, you would have become like are, only weaker and under their command. You would have become a wraith under the dominion of the Dark Lord; and he would have tormented you for trying to keep his Ring, if any greater torment were possible than being robbed of it and seeing it on his hand.

…Fortune or fate have helped you, not to mention courage. For your heart was not touched, and only your shoulder was pierced; and that was because you resisted to the last. Bit it was a terribly narrow shave, so to speak.”

Just think what it must have been like to be Gandalf during these days! The hobbits know that Frodo is seriously injured, and would be worried, certainly, but they don’t know clearly what the danger is. Strider is a relatively new acquaintance. But Gandalf has been a friend of the Bagginises for decades, he knows exactly how dire the danger is, and as he admits here, he ‘had very little hope.’ He thought that Frodo would become a wraith, and he must have thought that it was in part his fault, or at least his responsibility. It happened because he believed Saruman, be ause he was captured and couldn’t get there on time, because he wasn’t able to get word to Frodo to set out sooner - and, in the longer term, because he took 17 years after Bilbo’s Party to be sure of the Ring’s identity, and in the years before Bilbo’s party believed Saruman’s claim that the Ring had gone down Anduin to the Sea. Quite possibly no one since Celebrimbor has been so horrified by the consequences of trust misplaced.

The other thing I take from this is the nature of Elven-magic (and, to some degree, of evil magic as well). This healing , a few earlier mentions with Glorfindel, and Galadriel in Lothlórien are about all the details we are shown of the abilities of elves of the First Age and how they work; Aragorn’s healing abilities, though lesser, likely have similar roots. And so far as we can see, they appear to work primarily through will, and to an extent through song (when Aragorn finds the hilt of the Morgul-knife, he ‘sings over it a slow song in a strange tongue’) and touch (when Glorfindel touches Frodo’s shoulder, it becomes warmer and the pain and shadows recede). And they don’t seem to have a lot to do with what we would consider conventional methods of medicine - Frodo had a splinter of the Morgul-knife in his wound, and Elrond removed it, but there’s no indication of surgery: he doesn’t have stitches or anything, and his arm heals very quickly (in less than a day) after the splinter is removed, whereas healing from surgery takes time. So the identification and removal of the splinter must have happened in a manner more concordant with the other types of elven-powers we’ve seen, to identify the spliter and draw it out without cutting open the shoulder. This should probably inform our understanding of the kind of healing that occurs in the First Age (for example, of Maedhros after Thangorodrim, and of Beren by Lúthien; the poetic Leithian described Lúthien as healing Beren through song, after Beren jumps in front of Curufin’s arrow to save her).

The thing we learn about evil magic from this is that the exertion of will also matters greatly in response to it; the fact that Frodo ‘resisted to the last’ the influence and commands of the Ringwraiths was a major factor in why he was able to keep the Morgul-blade from his heart for long enough to be healed.