#only to be placed in the hand of another ruthless general; as a kind one isnt something you'd see everydat

[dcxdpdabbles]

DCxDP Fic Idea: Lex Luther's annoyance

Vlad Masters is....a pain. Not in the usual elite way Lex is used to. Not the empty-headedness of wealthy men like Bruce Wayne or annoyingly humanitarian like Oliver Queen.

Masters was annoying in the confusing kind. He was new money who danced around Lex's manipulations as if they were mere flies. He never gives Lex a reason to take him out but always leaves the bald man feeling weary.

Unsettled. Unsure.

The effect Masters had on him was irritating. Lex Luthor doesn't get unsure.

Luthor's family money came from his father, but it was Lex who turned the moderate company into one of the biggest powerhouses in the world. He was ruthless, always three steps ahead of his peers, using his clever mind to his every advantage.

Lex prides himself in being the danger in plain sight. He charmed kings and politicians alike, carefully placing a controlling hand on the back of their necks with each casual joke or helpful investment. Wherever Lex went, it wouldn't be long before he gained control of the floor and moved his pieces on the board to his liking.

That was if Vlad Masters wasn't in attendance.

Masters rarely join in high-class events- why should he? He was wealthy, of course, but nowhere near Lex's level. He just didn't run in the same circles- but whenever he did, it was like a rock being thrown in Lex's clam river. No matter where he was, Lex found his eyes tracing the underwhelming cut of Masters's suit (Easily one of the cheapest ones there) or catching the man's gaze that hid barely concealed amusement.

That was another thing. All social rules and etiquette indicated that Masters should be chasing after Lex's attention and approval or, at the very least, feel nervous in his presence. Masters acted like Lex was a part of the background, never impolite but never dazed or impressed.

Equals in a way that made Lex's stomach lurch in anxiety.

He has met some people who thought themselves better than Lex through arrogance, but none have taken one look at him and deemed him unimportant. It was as if Lex were just another man walking down the street who was only worthy of getting a passing greeting.

As if the man had a presence at all. Lex was often the man of the hour, and Masters was the guy nursing a drink by the wall, watching the crowd with a calm, nearly detached expression.

Masters was known for being a rather dull wealthy man, only seemingly interested in conversations if it was about his precious football team or random scientific discoveries. Seeing as he made his wealth through scientific discoveries, it was understandable that he knew an awful lot about them.

However, besides being a fantastic investor and stock buyer, Masters didn't have a single social bone in his body.

Lex had witnessed him flout through galas, parties, art galleries, and political rallies without a hint of displeasure or pleasure. Always engaged in conversations, but only if someone approached him first. He would often be seen admiring the decor, as though he was visiting a museum rather than networking or losing himself in a vice-like alcohol or bed partners.

It was almost as if these grand events that others killed to get an invitation were mere walks in a lovely garden for him. A break from whatever hectic life he lived.

Except that after having his people look into it, Masters didn't have a hectic life. He barely had one. No matter how much Lex dug into his background, besides that one accident that landed him in a hospital in college, Masters's life had been a pretty average rise from rags to riches through his hard work and intelligent mind.

A wealth that would likely only be passed down two generations with no hints of wanting to raise it like Lex had. No hints of ambition for something greater. No hints of nefarious schemes or back-alley deals. No hints of any sort of crime.

Just a man who wasn't amazed by Lex's world of wealth.

Lex hated how utterly boring he found the man and yet, how his eyes always followed him through the room, fascinated by how Masters didn't make any sesne. It was irritating how Masters didn't even have to do anything to grab Lex's attention; just walking by had him nearly tripping over his own two feet to watch him.

He didn't even know why he wanted to watch Masters. He wasn't even that handsome! His long silvery hair tied in a perfect tail, his slightly dry-looking skin, the dark circles under his eyes, and that teeth-gritting accent of his.

He didn't even know why Masters sounded like an upper-class British man. He was born in Wisconsin!

What did he take voice acting lessons to craft an accent? (Lex's checked. He didn't. Masters is just like that. It made his heart beat like Superman was about to burst into his office. He called his doctor to check if he's developed a heart condition)

The worst part was the way Master lingered in his mind, sitting at the back of it with inane questions like: What was he doing? Does he like chocolate or vanilla more? Why has he tried to buy the Parkers from Green Bay ninety-five times?

It made him look like a fool. No one made Lex Luthor look like a fool.

In a fit of madness, Lex had ordered Mercy to blacklist Masters from any parties they would host. He could not stand to have that man throw him off his game a second longer.

It worked for about three months, and Lex did not have to suffer from stomach twisting or heart hurting due to the sudden increase in heart rate. Then he ran into Masters at a Wayne Gala of all places where the man was dressed like an idiot with his pure black-on-black outfit only to throw on a Packer's scarf.

It looked so stupid that Lex had to hide in the men's bathroom for an hour after spotting the man chatting quietly with Wayne's butler. He could not describe why that stupid green and gold scarf had nearly brought him to his knees.

According to Mercy, who had eavesdropped, Masters' mother was from England, which explains his odd accent. She didn't quite judge him openly, but Lex could read the subtext of her stare as she reported everything Masters did at the gala.

He danced to one song with Bruce Wayne. Lex had nearly broken his hand when he punched the way to the bathroom.

The night after Waynes' gala, Lex lifted Masters' ban because he missed the rather dull man's presence. This gala had been the season's highlight, and compared to the other various parties, Lex had found himself feeling something besides boredom or contempt.

The next time Lex saw Masters was at a charity five months later. Once again, Masters was wearing his black suit, but this time, he had a silver undershirt and a ridiculous red bowtie. Lex had spent five hours changing outfit after outfit, trying to find the most flattering one, and Masters had the audacity to wear a red bowtie.

"He looks good," Lena says, eyes drinking in Masters, leaning on a wall with a blue drink in hand and gazing over the dancers. Lex felt like hurling up when Masters' lips twitch up into a grin as a man stumbles by with his unimpressed dance partner. "You should ask him to dance."

"No," Lex bites out, feeling sick. "Why would you even say?"

Lena shares a look with Mercy before muttering, " It's almost pathetic how he doesn't know how to handle his feelings."

"What was that?"

"You're pathetic," She says with an eye roll. She grabs Mercy's hand and drags her to the dance floor, though his bodyguard sends him a look, asking for permission. He waves his hand, knowing his sister would bite his head off if he stopped her from dancing with her girlfriend, even if she was currently on the clock.

" I'm not pathetic. I can make a living clone with my own DNA." He grouches, glaring at her as she twirls under Mercy's arm.

"You can?" The familiar accent has Lex jumping a foot in the air. He spins around only to look down into Master's blue eyes. Lex had always noticed that he was a head taller than the other man, but it was one thing to know on paper and another to see in person.

He felt like Masters' blue gaze had grabbed him by the throat. "What?"

"You make clones?" Masters repeat, eyes alight with delight. "I've dabbled in that technology myself. I have a daughter, thanks to it."

Lex stares, feeling off-footed. "You're married?"

"Oh no, no." Masters laughs, though Lex can pick up a hint of anger from the curve of his jaw. "I'm a single father. My daughter happens to have some characteristics of her DNA donors, but she's mine entirely."

"I see." Lex suddenly feels like every social skill he's ever developed has evaporated. Or, at the very least, all of his brain cells because why else would he have blurted out, "I have a son. He's my clone with another man."

"Oh, congratulations. You and your husband-"

"No! I'm single. I mean, I'm not married. I was never married. In fact, it's been a long time since I've been in a relationship. So long I think I forgot how they are supposed to go." Lex cuts in, nearly spilling his drink as he shakes his hand. Masters' fae clouds with amusement, and Lex realizes he's been talking for too long.

"Well, it's hard to date while being a single parent." Masters hums before smiling, and Lex feels like Superman has just punched him through a wall without wearing his power suit. "Science is a wonderful thing, isn't it? To allow us to have our children."

"I suppose"

Masters ponders something before he holds out a card. "My daughter has always wanted to meet others like her. Would you and your son care to join us for dinner if it's not too much trouble?"

Lex thinks he makes a sound of confirmation, and just as he appears, Masters vanishes. He walks into the crowd, disappearing from sight, taking his mind-numbing, amused eyes and his stupid bow tie.

It takes him a moment to realize the card has Masters' phone number. Lex stares at the seven digits, feeling like he's freefalling and he's seconds away from being sick. He stumbles to a chair, falling into it without his usual grace.

Mercy is at his side in seconds, eyeing him wearily as Lena touches his shoulder. "Lex? You okay?"

"I have...to make a call." He hears himself say, stumbling for his phone. With shaking hands, he taps on a contact, bringing the device to his ear and listening to it ring. It takes five rings before it's picked up, and a voice bites out.

"What?"

"Conner." He starts, hands still shaking slightly. "Are you free this Friday?"

[ironyadays]

I'm just thinking about people who say Snow despises Katniss because he sees Lucy Gray in her...but what feels more painful to me is that Katniss (and Peeta to a certain degree) not only embodies the qualities that the capitol despises the most regarding the districts, but Snow can see so many people involved with those 10th hunger games tributes in her:

He sees Lamina looking at Marcus in pain and killing him out of sheer mercy in Katniss shooting Cato as a mercy kill.

He sees Reaper Ash's burial and defiance by giving his fellow districts a dignified death and sepulture when Katniss remained by Rue's side and decorated her grave with flowers.

He kind of sees Coral, albeit in a much more ironic way, this girl who was ruthless and embraced such violence with the purpose to protect herself and her district partner, the one she nurses back to health and refuses to leave behind, with the wish to have either one of them survive the games, only to realise it was all for nothing once she loses him and is about to die, when she loses her frail little sister at the hands of District 13.

He sees Sejanus standing for the revolution and fighting for others in detriment of his own safety, maybe not even taking the best judgement at times, in Katniss and not only her protection of Peeta, Rue, Mags, Wiress, but also her general place in the rebellion and restless pursuit of saving Peeta.

He sees Lucy Gray, who stood by Jessup's side until his last breath and refused to abandon him, that never conformed to what the capitol expected from her, and her long lasting and unbreakable heritage and print in Katniss' during the entire saga, but especially in the song that haunted him once as a reminder of the monster he truly is, and that came back to haunt him again in his downfall.

But most importantly, he sees himself, a man defined by his sense of survival, by his practicality and selfpreservation, in this less than 18 year old girl, and that's what terrifies him the most about that district 12 girl: the fact she forces him to confront that he caused so much pain out of a hunger that was never justified, that he could have made SO many things differently, and that most importantly, different to what he would try to say to himself, there was always another choice, and he might have not chosen the correct one every single time it came to deciding what path to take.

[s-4pphics]

moth. (e.w.)

Protected by the Crest. Guarded by light. 

𝓟𝓡𝓞𝓛𝓞𝓖𝓤𝓔

SYNOPSIS: knights of the devil, you all are to be conquered. 

WORD COUNT: 2.2k

WARNINGS: vampire!ellie, vampirekiller!oc, a lot to come FUCK, violence… so blood(drinking), death, murder, gore, suicide, religion briefly, cult-ish bindings, ellie's coven is so cunt, mentions of witchcraft, future tags: hypnosis, abducting, crazy smut

teaser.

1927

Dawn. Combat. Nightfall. Rest. 

Dawn. Combat. Nightfall. Rest. 

The cycle formed over the last decade has revolutionized you. It is all you know; the only remainder of solace you have in this dastard domain. The older you've grown, the more burials you attend. For strangers, for comrades. For children who have been brutalized and left to rot like swine. All enacted by the Devils that lurk in darkness. Radicalization overcame your senses; first writhed beneath your bones at the age of thirteen when intent to kill the Earth’s torturers flourished within you. Welcomed your stout standing with an offered, sharply angled wood. You have read. You have fought. You have been scarred and beaten bloody by the Overseers; suffered numerous nights of unrest due to the wails of your comrades under their scrutiny. 

Another burial, another Overseer. A prime Hunter that controls your underground dominion, trapped trenches below civilization that beam with only candlelight and the creeping rays of the flaming sun.

Protected by the Crest. Guarded by light. 

The lines you march alongside your comrades are congruous; heads covered with black hoods, dozens of silver-soled heels echoing against the tunnel walls. Not one Hunter out of place. Gruesome symmetry. The narrow halls of the tunnel spread into a perfect sphere near its end. Hunters due their promotion disperse along the widening space, encircling the flaming Crest in the center of the chamber. Both rows of teeth are inseparable; a dull ache in your jaw. 

Your heartbeat is reminiscent of drums. Each step is calculated. A second of delay, and… your brain cannot fathom the consequences. 

Rows of comrades enclose and tighten, standing strong before the risen floors where the Overseers inspect their battalion, hoods removed and insignia burning through their black capes. You sneak glances at them despite the rules of a downcast gaze in their presence; no longer than a second. Their years of battle have overtaken their appearance; gray drapes of wool that cascade their shoulders, creases by the eyes and mouth, hands that tremor. 

“Rise.” 

Necks crane until straightened. Palms raise for the Uncovering, hoods pushed until they lay flat at the peak of spines. The first time your heads have seen the unnatural light of the underground. Your Overseer from your recruitment has been replaced with anew; woman, tall and eyes as kind as a doe, but just as ruthless, just as conniving as he. Her lips spread around her white teeth, somehow more venomous than the ghouls that taunt the lands. 

“Welcome to the commencement of our Prodigies.” 

Despite you being only three rows from the raised platform, the Overseer sounds miles away. The rushing in your ears; the thumping in your chest is intruding. 

“You are all here to be recognized for your efforts. You should be proud of choosing the path of righteousness. Your dedication does not go unnoticed, and today marks the finality of your attainment.” 

“We bless you all with our thanks. For this night embarks society’s next generation of Hunters. You have all accepted your duty as a protector. A leader. A virtuous soldier for our Lord.” 

“The battle against Demons will be unkind… Many will be lost, but after years of sacrifice, use this night as a celebration of your bravery…” 

Silence. Then a seized breath. Faulting from an Overseer is unforeseen. 

“It may be your last chance to witness a night of peace… Of unity.” 

Her sudden somber timbre jostles your comrades, backs stiffened under their cloaks. Empathy: considered a display of weakness from your leaders. 

The winds of the tunnel shifted, aimed to suffocate. 

“Live as kings for this last night. Eat, drink… dance if you must. Because come dawn, you will abandon comfort, and return to the higher lands where anguish awaits.” 

One overseer, the man closest to the orator, extends a black, velvet pillow to her. A silver chain dangles from her wrinkled hands; a Hunters pendant, bordering a lit flame. 

“As the world’s Hunters, you will be honored with our sanctuary’s Crest. This will be your protection against the Lustful… They have demonstrated a great deal of power as they develop… Their spread is alarming… To even us.” 

“Do not fall victim to their allure. Their only desire is our demise. Deceit is their only weapon… But it will never compare to the light in your hearts.” 

Rumors have spread through the training grounds; ones of Hunters, Overseers, being blinded by their darkest desires. Controlled by the Devil’s knights to turn against each other. Entranced by pleasure, by riches. By immortality. Their desperation of becoming the rulers of society, tyrants of the land, past the seas… Brought them to their end. Many believed they were created to birth disarray — distrust between comrades. You, still, are not sure what to believe. 

“… All of your souls are blessed… Even in death.” 

Your palm rests over your pounding heart in oath recitation, promising to die for the cause of freedom. For humanity. The remainder of the ceremony hazes as cloaked patrons emerge from the depths of the cave as the Overseers disperse, dressing prideful Hunters with their pendants. They hang perfectly at the center of the sternum, the flames roaring the closer it lays to the heart. 

Your eyes do not wither from the ground, even with the silver shoes before you that penetrate the dirt. An Overseer is not often chosen to promote a Hunter, but she — the orator — blesses you. The heft of your pendant weighs heavy on your shoulders. You sigh a breath of relief at the glow behind metal. 

“Protected by the Crest. Guarded by light.” You say, dismissing your shock with a hand on your chest.

“Guarded, you are…” 

Her declaration is barely a whisper. She pauses, trembling pupils entangled with the glow of your chain, hypnotized by its glimmer. 

“Child.” 

You remain indifferent at her condemnation, against the gulp from your throat. She inspects your stance with the strength of a stalking lion before vanishing, cape gusting up dryness from below. 

“Someone’s special.” 

A hushed snark airs from behind you. Made to be a laughingstock for your comrades once again. But you are not 13. All naivety has been torn from your consciousness, and your vacancies are filled with revenge. 

The cave, for the first time since your recruitment, is undisciplined. Bass from the celebratory drums. Laughter… Laughter from your comrades, Overseers, patrons you recall from passing as they cheers with the finest wine. Intimidation and constraint are no longer. And still, you take no part in true fellowship. Jollity is forbidden. Leisure is forbidden. Benevolence is forbidden. You, and others amongst —children— were trained to hunt. To slain those who left the world in shatters. A morphed weapon of justice.

A laid hand on your shoulder makes you jolt, left frozen when you're met with the orator from the commencement. 

Come, she whispers, and you follow her path through the tunnels of the cave. She retrieves a lantern from the cavity floors and leads you to its corners, deep and untouched. Never once have you seen an Overseer smile, but she is. A pitiful one. 

“Why do you worry, Child?” 

“I do not worry,” You bite more than needed, “And I am not a child.” 

She takes no offense, “Pardon me. Why do you worry, Hunter?” Her tone is mocking, and your blood churns. 

One slip of tongue could earn a blade in your chest. You self-soothe with the foggy air expanding in your lungs. Your agitation calms, only briefly. 

“I do not worry,” Easier on the ears, “I am believed to be more than prepared—“

“There is no preparation against the Devils.” The hiss of a viper, her mouth turned down in dissatisfaction of your attitude. Your brows pinch. 

“Why have you brought me here?” 

Her chest rises and falls and her hands interlock. 

“Do you know your history, Hunter?” 

“It is all I’ve ever known, Master.” You retort with similar irreverence.

“Not the history of the Devils, you imbecile. You. Do you know of your lineage?” 

Your head rattles, “Surely not… A-All outside knowledge of history is forbidden. That is all we’ve ever been taught—“

“Shame on your mother for leaving you useless.” 

Her slander resonates through the tunnel and your conscience dissolves. The blade you always wield in your sheath presses against the throat of your superior, indented around the aged skin.

“I did not follow you to be defamed,” You rebuke with bared teeth, “Do not speak of my mother.” 

“What spirit…” Others would not blink twice at the mention of their family, dead or alive. 

“The Devils starve, Child.” She whispers. 

“What.” 

“They starve… Desperation grows within them as they migrate. They kill anything they can.” Distress grows in her face as she blathers. “Black magic. I have seen its bounds before my eyes. They have tormented and feasted on the blood of your ancestors! The controller of all Devils… She waits to enslave the last of your name—“

“I HAVE NO NAME!” 

Why must she lie? Why are you only hearing of this now? She lies. A shout that cracks through the underground. 

“Your lineage is most susceptible to the curse! You…” 

Tears hang from your lashes before splintering your cheeks. Panic-struck heaves hit your leader’s, her flyways brushing against her nose.

“They’ll torture you, Child.”

Sympathy. Survival. There is no difference. 

“What does it matter?” You whisper painfully, and your blade drops to your side, weeps unmasked. “So many have died before me. I-I do—“

“Your mother was one of us.”

Her wails are quiet and urgent.

“Ask… pray for her guidance.” 

“Mas—“

The Overseer advantages the weakness of your wrist; snags your blade from between your fingertips and glides the edge across her jugular, maroon coating her hands as she chokes on her own blood, her eyes glazing as she slides down the wall. You holler, knees weakening when her gargling form collapses into your arms. Life drains from her eyes with every exclamation you throw to the Heavens. You shout for help, but the depths are too narrow. 

No one comes. 

-

-

-

You, by the grace of your Lord, somehow managed to flee the concaves without being spotted by your commune, cloak submerged in blood that is masked by its darkness. Anxiety forged in the pit of your stomach; unable to return to your base for the last peaceful rest, you ran. You cowered. Just when you believed it was out of your nature. 

An Overseer committed suicide, and you were the only witness. 

You went to your chambers after the accident—warning? — stuffed what you could into your satchel, and escaped the iron gates of your former home. Scaled them like a rabid hyena until your bandaged soles combined with tall greenery. The scene of never-ending land doesn’t ease your nerves, but you sprint until your lungs burn and your legs give out. 

Your path is blind, but your end is near. 

All fingers point at you. 

The greatest form of betrayal. 

The lifeblood of the wealthy always curdles: from concealed shame. From ego. From both; It always leaves a sour film over her tongue. Despairing times. The rosewood floors are bathed in red as the last breaths of her victim shake through her bedroom. A beautiful one, she was; dressed in skirts and stockings that ripped at the lightest touch. 

Blood drips down from Ellie’s mouth to the collar of her unbuttoned shirt, stains seeping into the crew of her undershirt. Barely any effort was needed to lure them all in. Desperation makes obscenity much sweeter. 

A knock erupts from the other side of her door before a sugary utterance echoes, “May I come in?” 

Ellie scoffs at the pester. 

“You may…” She replies.

The door opens, and she’s met with soft eyes twinkling with brown and burgundy. 

Her brow arches, “Not.” She concludes.

The raven-haired girl squints playfully and shuts the door behind her, “Hush, now,” Her strides are strong and assertive, puddles of red soaking the bottom of her heels. 

“Quite the mess,” she mutters at the scene with an upturned nose, “It smells.” 

“Who am I to complain?” 

“The only one that complains,” Her soft hands land on Ellie’s shoulders, and she sighs, taking in the worn appearance of her partner: under eyes darkened and sunk in, dry lips, voice hoarse.

“I bare news.” Dina whispers. 

Ellie curls a tweel of black hair around her finger, “Hm?” 

Dina leans in close, arms locking around the back of her lover’s neck, lips brushing Ellie’s ear. 

“Our little flower is on the loose.” 

Ellie’s body locks, and pressure grows in her fangs. “Liar.” She gasps.

“Nuh uh,” A kiss is planted to the corner of her stained mouth, “Word is she’s fled the sanctuary. Searches are apparently ongoing.” 

“Where.” Ellie presses. 

“Not sure… I came to ask if we should plan for her… arrival while the ladies are away.” Dina suggests with a conniving smirk. 

Ellie’s lips curl dangerously around her sharp teeth, a blinding white. She lifts her darling off the ground, spinning her in celebration as she squeals, droplets of evidence seeping deeper into the floorboards. 

“Absolutely.” 

wittle taglist :3 HIII DEAR: @elliewilliamsblunt

[aphroditelovesu]

Can I ask for a Yandere Mary Stuart general headcanons? From Reign? I love your writing! ❤️

''Love may be irrelevant to people like me, but to you it is not.'' — Mary Stuart.

❝ 👑 — lady l: here it is! You came at the right time because I'm rewatching Reign with a friend and I absolutely love Mary, so I hope you like it and forgive me for any mistakes! Also, thank you. ❤️

❝tw: obsessive and possessive behavior, mention of death and murder, kidnapping (?), mention of torture, overprotection.

❝👑pairing: yandere!mary stuart x gender neutral!reader.

Mary Stuart is fun, witty, and very kind to anyone who shows kindness or is unable to defend themselves. She is a Queen and behaves like one, most of the time at least. She cares a lot, listens to her heart a lot and this is dangerous, especially when you are involved. Mary is captivating and she will captivate you in one way or another.

She would hardly think that there is anything wrong with the way she feels about you, Mary would probably think that she just cares about you a lot and that's why she feels that way. But when her thoughts become darker and more graphic, when she begins to imagine the slow, painful death of that servant who was so kind to you, Mary knows that there's something wrong.

Mary may try to do something about it, but she won't. She's already suffered so much, dealt with so many bad things, so why couldn't she let herself have you? She is a Queen and does not have the privilege of being able to love freely, but you make her feel like she can. As if she was just a normal woman and not the Queen of Scotland.

She adores you, that's all. Mary loves spending her days next to you, listening to you ramble, while she lays her head on your shoulder and listens to you talk. It is Paradise itself, as far as she is concerned. You make her feel good about herself, even with those disturbing thoughts she has.

Mary would love to spoil you, it's her way of showing how much she values ​​you. Mostly letters written by her, she pours all her love into those words and will blush like a little girl when she hands it to you. She always gives them directly to you, as she doesn't trust anyone but you.

You are the only person she truly trusts, her best friend and confidant, you are the only person who knows all her secrets and who she turns to whenever there is a problem or needs advice. You are the one who has all the power over her and she is happy to allow it.

Mary is kind and benevolent, a fair Queen, but she can and will become ruthless in some situations and one of those situations is when you are involved. She will not be partial at any time and will remain firmly by your side and defend you with claws and nails. And everyone knows that annoying her doesn't usually end well.

She will be quick to be cruel and protective, ordering the torture and death of any poor soul who crosses her path, your path. Mary will not tolerate any possible threats to you or her. You belonged to her and she was going to make sure the message was clear.

She is paranoid about your safety, having experienced many fears and horrors herself, Mary will not allow you to suffer the same as her. If she can keep you locked in a place only where she can see you, she will. She is fully aware that it is not right, but her fears overwhelm any rational thought she may have.

Mary is quite possessive and this becomes more than obvious when you hear her reprimanding a servant who accidentally touched your arm. She is incredibly possessive over you and will make it very clear to everyone who you belong to. If her hard look doesn't do the trick, Mary will resort to other, more definitive means. She will have no remorse, however. Hands stained with innocent blood will mean nothing as long as she can hold you in her arms.

She always needs to have you around, you are a comfort and what keeps her together when she faces something difficult and painful. Knowing that you are there for her is enough for her. Mary had become increasingly demanding of your presence, going so far as to publicly ask for your opinion on matters of state, even if you are not a noble. This shows how much she values ​​you.

Mary is a calm person and usually acts straight, but she goes from 80 to 180 when it comes to you very quickly. She has no control over how she feels about you and will just let her overwhelming feelings and dark thoughts dominate her. But if you remain willingly with her, she'll be willing to try to fight them.

If something were to happen to you, may God have mercy on their souls, because Mary won't. She will be unstoppable and everyone will know the bad side of the Queen of Scots. Mary will only stop when she has you back safe and sound, and even then her desire for revenge will not be completely satisfied. No one messes with what belongs to a Queen and gets away with it. And Mary will make sure they don't end up alive.

[starlostlix]

Divine Being Amenogozen and the horror of the wrath of God

I wanted to talk about the current main threat to the BSD cast because I feel like not many people talk about him and how terrifying he is and also what he symbolises.

His creation/abilities:

So Divine Being Amenogozen was created via the 'Tripolar singularity' - a combination of 3 abilities/ability infused items. These are the Amenogozen sword (or the Space-Time sword), The Holy Sword Soluz Levni and Fukuchi's ability Mirror Lion. In short, Amenogozen can stab/move through space and time, the Holy Sword can infuse people's abilities into their bodies, and Mirror Lion strengthens any weapon by 100 times.

In terms of skills, Divine Being Amenogozen (who I will now refer to as Gozen) possesses the abilities of the Space-Time sword (liquification/absorption of people/abilities and energy blasts), as well as superhuman speed/swordsmanship, Levitation, self-healing and the ability to generate blades from himself to match his sword. He's already a powerhouse of an oppenent with just these skills that makes him an insane enemy for the characters to fight, but it's some of his other skills I want to draw attention to - mainly, spatial manipulation and his higher-dimensional existence (although I may bring mention to the others too).

As opposed to the others, I single out spatial manipulation as it is one of the things that makes him most intimidating alongside his physical appearance/actions. He's able to disappear and reappear in various places in the blink of an eye, something which really adds to the general horrifying nature of him as an antagonist.

The main aspect I want to talk about is him existing on a higher dimension than every other character in the series. Fyodor specifically says that Gozen is a fourth-dimensional being, whereas the rest of them are third-dimensional, and that Gozen's form is simply a shadow of his true self. Essentially, Gozen exists at a higher level of existence that is inconceivable to the rest of the cast, operating at this higher level not only in consciousness but also in ability/skill. It is why all of his skills are so heightened that they surpassed perhaps every single character in the current BSD canon.

To simplify the idea of dimensions, i'm pretty sure that a three-dimensional object is something that can be specifically located via 3 units (or dimensions) - usually this is the scales of height, width and depth in a physical space. A four-dimensional object also adds another variable scale (usually time I think) that you can see. In essence, Gozen is able to perceive the scales of height, width, depth and time (which implies that he can see through time itself).

[I want to clarify that this is not a topic I am very knowledgeable on, and I am kind of teaching myself the basics as I write this. So please feel free to correct me if I've got this wrong.]

So Gozen is able to travel across space and time, as well as manifest himself in multiple places at one via the past and present versions of himself (as if writing with two hands on a piece of paper, as Fyodor describes it). Fyodor describes Minkowski Space as part of his skills, a concept that I can't quite figure out how to explain so I recommend you give it a bit of research tbh). And Fyodor uses that to essentially kill the ability users that stand in his path and intimidate Atsushi into leading him to the book. It's also important to note that Fyodor, due to the seal marked on his hand from the Holy Sword, has seemingly complete control over the actions and abilities of Gozen. It is interesting to combine these concepts of Gozen's character with the general ruthlessness of his actions because it to me acts as a visualisation of the wrath of God.

Religious connotations and the wrath of God

Fyodor as a character has always been associated with religious imagery from his introduction. I don't know what specific sect of religion he's usually associated with, but for the sake of this post I'll talk about Gozen and his links to Christian imagery (since Christianity is the religion i'm most familiar with).

[My understanding is also quite limited so please don't take what i say is complete fact in case i'm completely wrong 😭]

Gozen as a higher-dimensional being to me brings associations with the concept of God and his omnipotent power. God is often said to know all, see all and have immense power (enough to create, for example, worldwide flooding). Gozen also exhibits similar concept:

- when he faces kunikida he is aware of his previous injuries (his hands being destroyed by the explosion in escape from the Hunting Dogs), despite not having been known to exist until much later.

- Gozen uses huge blades to chop down any buildings in a large area around the airport, showing he has power on a huge scale.

- Since he can present in multiple places at the same time (by manifesting past and present versions of himself at the same time) he can perceive through time.

Now, Gozen is not specifically like the Christian God. The christian God is said to have created the world we know and have complete control over it. Gozen doesn't show any evidence of this. Gozen seems more similar to a God present in a religion with multiple Gods that are worshipped by different people for different purposes. I seem to bring this towards the Christian God because often I know more about it (Christian primary school core) and see many depictions of the Christian God as one who is surprisingly ruthless - weather it be in stories surrounding Adam and Eve or The Great Flood for example. It's the inherent horror associated with this wrath (great anger and/or a desire to punish) that I bring to attention.

It is the inherently horror of being punished by someone of a higher existence and power that I focus on. I can see how Fyodor summoning Gozen to rid of his enemies here and his plan to unite humanity via the removal of the 'curse' of ability users can feel similar to the concept of Judgement day, where God is to come down and judge humanity for their actions and send them either to heaven or to hell. Fyodor however is more about force and violence in his methods, suggesting that he has perhaps invoked the more violent aspects of Gozen's wrath.

And there's a huge element of horror in fighting against a being who exceeds you in every single aspect and is at a completely inconceivable level and has so far basically killed anyone it has come in contact with before you but yet it decides to spare you and intimidate you instead because you serve, in its opinion, a greater purpose. Because that's what Atsushi is facing. Gozen is drawn in such an intimidating way at many points when facing atsushi too - I'm adding some because I think his design is so interesting too (might make a separate post on that because this is getting long).

Essentially, Gozen is terrifying because he is above and beyond everything any of these characters have ever known and possibly will ever know. He is a godly being who is ruthless in his directed pursuits and operates with such an intimidating air because of his inherent power and higher-dimensional existence. He is terrifying because he is so inconceivable and invincible in the eyes of the characters in universe, and to them Fyodor has essentially invoked the wrath of a God upon them for the 'crime' of being ability users that dare oppose him.

[This post started to fall apart towards the end because I only have a limited understanding of God's presentation in Christianity but I wanted an excuse to talk about how interesting and terrifying Gozen is as a character concept... I kind of love him as an antagonist despite him being so overpowered.Sorry that this became a bit of a mess towards the end but feel free to add anything to this idea - whether corrections or new ideas!]

[usmsgutterson]

Hearts In Sync- Heartrender! Kaz Brekker x gn! reader

Okay!! It’s season two release day and the concept of Kaz as a heartrender is something I’ve loved and wanted to write for for a bit. I did say I wasn’t going to post anything today because I’m fairly tired and the emotions are emotioning right now (I have cried so many times today,, it’s not even funny) but I edited both this part and the second part already but forgot to post this yesterday, so I lied a little bit lol. 

This is part one! I had to split this fic up to avoid it getting to long, but fret not, the second part will come out tomorrow!

Fic type- this is hurt/comfort kind of? I can’t quite figure out how to classify it lol

Warnings- none

Kaz Brekker was known in Ketterdam as Dirtyhands. He was known as the Bastard of the Barrel, infamous for his gloves and his cane and his scowl that never lifted into a smirk for anything. He was known to be a ruthless killer, a reputation that took very little effort to maintain. 

It was low maintenance, which Kaz liked. It was low maintenance for the fact that the moment that he stretched a hand in a single direction, the automatic assumption was that someones heart either had just exploded or was about to. 

It was good, though, that his reputation was as it had been. It made people afraid, and at the end of the day, people who were afraid still made him decent money when they visited the Crow Club and were too afraid of Kaz’s intimidating presence in any one of the rooms to bother with cheating at a game of Three Man Bramble or Makkers Wheel. 

“You don’t view it as weakness now, do you?” Jesper asked. The two of them had been sitting at a table in the bottom of the Slat, the both of them drinking bourbon. “I mean, you let yourself fall in love. A man who lets himself fall in love can’t view it as weakness. Not when he’s you, and, even despite the cane, he’s practically invincible.” 

Kaz had spent many of his days observing people in love. He noticed the strengthened beats of their hearts in comparison to those who were not, the general happiness that couples carried simply by existing in one anothers presences. 

He registered his own heart as it began to race from the moment he was able to sense your presence in any given room, the smirk that he had to fight as he heard your footsteps approaching, the one he had to fight as you placed a still warm cup of coffee in front of him and sat down, the one he almost grew tired of fighting by the time he’d slid you the steaming cup of tea he’d thought to order in the final couple minutes before you were to arrive. 

“I don’t know,” he said. It’d presented itself as both weakness and strength a plethora of different times over the years. “I do know, actually, I just can’t really explain it.” 

“Ah,” Jesper gave a nod. “You Barrel bosses and your complex emotions.” 

Kaz only registered the familiar beat of your heart as you sat down to his right. 

“Barrel bosses aren’t really all that complex if you learn how to read their expressions,” you said. 

“Bold to say that when discussing a man who’s face always looks monotonous.” 

You shot Jesper a grin as Kaz slid you the tea. “Yeah. He views emotions as weakness, I think.”

“You can read his expression no doubt,” Jesper said, and Kaz found himself smirking momentarily at his bourbon. Even if his face remained monotonous, you knew the right places to look to determine what Kaz had been feeling. You saw it in a way that nobody, not even the ever so observant likes of Inej or Wylan, ever could. 

You paused, shot Kaz a look. Worth it?” 

Kaz only shrugged.

In the seconds to follow Kaz ignored the feeling of your gaze moving across his face analytically, he registered how face your heart had begun to race, felt himself fight a smirk as he realized that his heart had been beating faster than yours. 

“He’s missed me,” you said. “And he’s wondering about the deal. The bourbon he’s been drinking has long lost the effectiveness it used to carry and is now just sour and cold, and he misses the coffee he would normally be drinking during the day. Bourbon isn’t his usual, so he’s probably either looking to get some rest earlier than he would or he just wanted a quick way to get drunk enough to sleep but the bourbon hasn’t been worthwhile enough for him to have another.” 

Kaz met your gaze, blinked surprisedly as Jespers eyes widened. He seemed to be just as shocked as Kaz had been. Someone who was able to read his expressions as easily as you had always been a bit of a surprise, and it never was something he got used to. 

“The deal went fine, by the way,” you said. “All is well and good. Got the building for a discounted price after I mentioned some infidelity on the sellers part. He’s gonna be pissed when he goes home tonight to find his wife has thrown his shit onto their front lawn, but it was worth it.” 

“Ah, so the continuation of using the dirt against our enemies continues,” Jesper said, grinning slightly. “Glad to know that we of the Dregs like our traditions. Speaking of using the dirt against our enemies, however, whens the next heist?”

“Bloody hell, don’t tell me I forgot to mention it? Fuck, I knew there was something I neglected to mention last night. Do me a favor and pass the info along to Wylan as well, will you? We leave for a heist in The Wandering Isle, on the behalf of the king and queen of Ravka, in eight days time,” Kaz said. 

“Two hundred thousand is the payoff, but Nikolai has been so generous as to send along a fully manned boat and a crew to sweeten the deal. The boat is engine powered and it’s ours once the heist is said and done. Called it a gift and let me know that, should the officials from the other countries agree, we’ll be looking at closer to half of a million. Half a million across seven people is worth it, with the adage of a boat that will make getting to Ravka, leaving it, that much easier? I couldn’t refuse.” 

“Nikolai is one of the best negotiators I’ve ever seen,” you said. “Damn him and his charms. We’re sitting at two hundred thousand currently but if he and Zoya can charm the socks off of a few leaders, we’ll be getting 71,000 and some change, when split seven ways.”

“I’m in,” Jesper said. “Wylan will be, too, I think. He misses it; the usage of bombs with criminal intent. A demo man will be needed on the job, correct?” 

“A demo man is never useless,” Kaz agreed. “Especially not in The Wandering Isle. The stuff we’re grabbing is highly guarded and the penalties for taking most of it is death by hanging, and even as such, I doubt that doing so with the permission of the king and queen of Ravka will get us pardoned. The things that we’re taking originally belonged to Ravka and the other countries with which it has temporarily allied itself, but locals don’t know that, and the government likes it kept that way. A few dozen explosions will only do us good.” 

“Rest of the crew?”

“It’s us, Inej, Nina, Matthias and Wylan. Nikolai was also so kind as to allow a healer to be dispatched from his staffing at the palaces so that any fatal injuries can be treated. Provided nobody finds our boat and kills the crew, we’re practically set.” 

Jesper grinned as he got up. “I’ll go tell Wylan the good news. Enjoy the next eight days of heist prep.”

Kaz scoffed. “I will,”

Both you and Kaz watched Jesper go, a quick and easy rhythm settling over you as you conversed. You talked until you had to pick up a shift behind the bar at the Crow Club and Kaz returned to his office to look over heist plans. 

-

Eight days later, you were standing at the ships farthest right, grin on your face and eyes brightened by the dim light of the sunset as you kept an easy hold on a cup of tea whilst the boat moved closer and closer to the Wandering Isle. 

Your forearms were draped over the boats edge, your eyes on the sunset as Kaz approached. He stood to your right, shooting you a smirk. 

“You’ve always had quite the affinity for sunsets.”

“And you have always had quite the affinity for joining me to watch them,” you said. “Not that I mind. Your presence is about the only thing that’s relaxing to me right now. I checked the forecast in the Wandering Isle. Rain for the entirety of the time we’ll be in the city, and snow the moment we’re due to leave. It feels odd to me.” 

“Rain means good luck in Ketterdam,” he’d said, and it had been true. A lot of the heists with the best payouts seemed to come about either just before, just after, or sometime during a period of rain. You should’ve been thinking of the rain to be lucky, not the opposite. 

“I know it does,” you said. “And I know you’ve thought through every possible outcome because that’s what you do, but I’m still--I just don’t trust it. I have no idea why I don’t trust it, but I feel like whatevers left that can go wrong will.” 

“If something does go wrong, we’ll fight through it together,” Kaz said. 

“I love you,” you whispered. 

Kaz turned his gaze to the skyline for a moment for a moment before he looked away. “Always.” he whispered back. 

Silence draped itself over the two of you, though it was a comfortable one as it had always been. Kaz listened to the sound of his own heartbeat for a while, only to stop and listen to yours. 

He realized rather quickly that they were beating at the same rate. It made him remember a study he’d read wherein it was found that couples heartbeats and respiratory rates often synced up, and that just made him scoff, smirking at you as he watched you drink your tea.

“What?” You asked. “I don’t have something on my face, do I?” 

“No,” Kaz said. “Just admiring the view of the sunset, is all.” 

You grinned, taking in his face. “You love me too, Brekker. I can see it in your eyes, in the fact that you’re standing closer to me than normal. You’re also worried because I’m worried, and I appreciate that. Thank you for validating my concerns.” 

“Always,” Kaz said again, and the comfortable silence took the both of you over once more, contentedness wrapping itself around you both much in the manner of a blanket as it did. 

[bonefall]

Do you have any plans for Moth Flight in your au? I always felt like she had a lot of potential, but her super edition…. Oh it’s bad. God forbid a disabled, young, single mom try to raise children and have a job at the same time. Too bad there was no one to help her when things got stressful, like you know, her clanmates… No women should have a job and children at the same time ever again.

If it wasn’t obvious that was sarcasm, Moth Flight’s story has awful implications. But! In BB Clerics Not being allowed to have kits wasn’t a law until the Ripple Era, it used to just be a personal vow and was a bit taboo. So I’m interested in of Moth Flight still had something to do with the creation of the vow itself? And just in general if you have any plans to fix her story or if you’re just throwing the whole thing out. (Which would be completely understandable.) I just think there IS potential there in her story, especially in BB where the Clerics Vow is actually ACKNOWLEDGED to not make sense and be bad. It could be interesting for the idea to rise from such a hyper specific, awful situation. The Clans having altered her story so much over the years that it went from the truth, “the first Cleric was a young, single mother of four, trying to raise her children while morning her husband and convincing the other Clans that they needed Clerics. The odds were against her.” To the perfect, Cleric’s Vow supporting lie, “the first Cleric had kits. She was unable to balance raising them and caring for her Clanmates. She taught the Clans a valuable lesson, a Clerics first and only duty should be healing and worshiping StarClan. Kits only get in the way of that duty.”

Idk, I just feel like there’s still an interesting story to tell somewhere through all of Moth Flight’s super edition’s bs. In the hands of a better writer who doesn’t ACTUALLY believe that Moth Flight’s genuinely tragic life means that all women who have jobs can never have children or get married again.

There's HUUGE overhauls here. I spoke about it eons ago during the last wave where I was discussing my changes to BB!DOTC, but let me give you the fragments thus far.

It's VERY different. Get ready for Moth Flight to be a completely different character.

MOTH FLIGHT'S VOW

She is no longer the child of Wind Runner. In fact...

She's the daughter of Wind Runner's shitty ex, Branch

Moth's other dad is Cloud Flight (prev. Cloud Spots). Since the Great Battle, Cloud has been wandering between the 5 groups as a sort of traveling doctor. It's a lot of work, there's only him and Dapple and an overwhelming amount of cats who need his skilled paws

So Moth Flight has always been a bit detached from people. I want her to actually have ADHD this time around, instead of it vanishing when it isn't convenient.

She kind of has Military Base Kid energy, hopping place to place with unresolved mental health issues. She probably bites ppl because I love weird girls

"papas can i bring my leeches" "honey no"

Cloud really wanted to train her to be a Medic the way he is, but... she has to learn how to do it her own way.

Branch doesn't help he's a goof and mostly interested in playing games with his baby.

I want to portray Branch as someone who's flighty, not another example of "before the Tribe cats came we were uncivilized heathens without society"

I also don't like his original narrative purpose to give Wind Runner trust issues that don't matter. If she had trust issues, what exactly was all that "please let me join ur group" about??

BB!Wind Runner is a breakaway from the River Kingdom, and the leader of the loosely united Moor cats. She created the Wind Coalition and is its intense, notoriously ruthless leader

So something eventually calls Cloud to do his work for the Wind Coalition

Branch: *SWEATS*

Cloud Flight: "..............branch. what did you Do"

Branch: "youre not allowed to be mad at me"

Cloud Flight: "tell me what you did and then we'll see if im mad at you"

The take might be controversial, but I do like the way that Windstar has problems with Moth Flight for no reason. I wanted to preserve it while removing it being yet another case of motherly child neglect, and more of a case of Wind Runner holding unfair grudges. I think it's good drama

Moth Flight's love of nature, herbs, and the natural world eventually prompts her to follow a Hairstreak Butterfly to the Moonstone. It leads her through the winding tunnels, a path that only Clerics will know how to navigate in the future, to the shimmering chamber in the middle.

Through her special connection to StarClan, drawing off the early cultural view of their ancestors as nature spirits (the fact that they are star spirits is a Park Cat contribution and all 5 leaders have their lives by this point), Moth Flight is able to come into her own as a holy speaker and healer. She begins to blur the line between holiness and healing, marked by how Clanmew has only one word for both concepts.

Hairstreak Butterflies also become known as a "herald" type of butterfly. I could get into the linguistics of this, but the old Tribemew word for moth/butterfly becomes the Clanmew word for sacred butterflies.

Micah is not supremely important anymore, but he's there. He doesn't become a healer in MFV, he's just Moth's mate.

But things begin to go wrong when her kittens are born.

All four children are born with a high connection to StarClan, just like their mother.

She takes it on herself to train them, as Cloud Flight had done with her, wiser from understanding that they would learn in their own ways.

Dapple and Cloud Flight never have this connection to star spirits, and they're growing old. Cloud is ready to retire, Dapple dies in some way before she's able to train a replacement

It begins to cause panic in the groups. It was bad with only two healers, but now everything is stretched even thinner.

SkyClan, notoriously violent, is the first to make the move. Skystar was not above the practice of Kit Stealing, taking Misty's kittens and giving them to Petal Claw for her loyalty ages ago.

Kit Stealing wouldn't become common until the creation of the Law of Loyalty, which is only a few years away, but it did exist before then.

They want a Mothkin kitten.

The Wind Coalition, of course, moves to fight and protect them. They call on ThunderClan, who can usually be relied upon

ThunderClan's request... they also want a Mothkin kitten. They need doctors too.

The River Kingdom and ShadowClan are also moving to take a kitten

EVERYONE needs a doctor, and they will fight and kill to get one. They all begin to realize... if they don't separate, there will be blood. People they love will die, and they'll be ripped apart anyway

Moth Flight, seeing this, BURNING with sorrow and fury at the violence of the Clans but knowing there is no other option, tells her children to make her a promise.

"That there will be no Mothkin after you. That you will never take a mate, or give your kidnappers more children. That you will remember that they were willing to kill their own families to steal you, and that you will be loyal the pursuit of life, virtue, and your sacred ability to heal above the cruel commands of the treacherous Clans."

Having accepted this, the family calls for an end to the fighting. Each child chooses a Clan to go to, and has their name changed.

ThunderClan: Spider Flight -> Spider Flight (no change)

SkyClan: Honey Flight -> Honey Pelt

RiverClan: Bubble Flight -> Bubbling Stream

ShadowClan: Blue Flight -> Blue Whisker

They're being shuffled based on which Clan they go to because it always bothered me that their names don't match their Clans, and also Spider Paw going to RiverClan when he has a phobia of water is insulting and I said no

So, TL;DR, this is a completely different story because DOTC is the one arc that I don't value "fixing." It needs a complete overhaul, imo.

This one would take place after Thunderstar's Justice, which immediately follows the First Battle. In terms of timeline, first is Hollyleaf's Century, 30 years later BB!DOTC begins and lasts several years, a few months after the First Battle begins Thunderstar's Justice, and then Moth Flight's Vow follows a year later.

[kyouka-supremacy]

Follow up question why do think akutagawa listened to atsushi request to not kill people for 6 months? I don't think this has anything to do with dazai's approval. I like the bsd omake where akutagawa was having a hard time not killing and gin being genuinely worried about his mood!! It's funny how the entire mafioso seem okay with akutagawa's decision to not kill, until he settles his score with jinko.

I do think it was really just that Akutagawa, for how he is, keeps his promises. Once he accepted it - and he accepted it, because Akutagawa can’t turn down a challenge or a chance to prove himself -, I don’t think he ever even considered breaking it, because he’s of that kind: hyperfocused, straightforward, quite the executer, someone who doesn’t really question things but is used to stick to the directives when coming from a place he feels he has to prove himself to (that’s what Dazai made of him, after all). I do agree Dazai’s approval had secondary importance in this case. I also think Akutagawa just really wanted to kill Atsushi. He’s not used to… Question things, and he saw in keeping his promise the only way he could get to fight Atsushi in six months, which is something he really wanted to do, so he just did that. Akutagawa is quite narrow-minded and straightforward.

But again, even leaving that aside, Akutagawa being one who keeps his promises- I don’t know how to explain it, it just fits his character. It fits his being naïve and it fits his serious personality and his upbringing and moral compass. Seriously, I don’t think it was even because of Atsushi specifically, he just keeps his word in general, even if he was to give it to one of his victims before killing them. He’s a man of his word, it's in his very character introduction.

About how the promise could ever possibly concile with his Mafioso job, thinking about it is my personal treat! It gives back some kind of dignity and authority to Akutagawa after all the mud I so often have fun throwing at him ahah. I think I already summed up pretty well what I think about the matter in the tags here:

Surprisingly, I think Akutagawa has enough power to do that. Despite all the mud I throw at him he *is* one of the most powerful pm members and like... Realistically‚ now that Dazai is gone‚ what is keeping him in the pm anyway? On the other hand, it would indeed be a great loss for Mori to lose him. So I do believe to some extent they just make Akutagawa do whatever he wants to do; which most of the time is killing and maiming so that's quite convenient! But if for six months he decided to limit himself to the maiming part I don't think there's much they can do about it. Besides, I believe it's an important aspect of Akutagawa's character how... You could say‚ capricious, but overall simply untamable and unrestrainable he is. I think that although they never directly confronted about it‚ both Mori and Akutagawa know Mori has to leave Akutagawa enough freedom of action to keep him in after Dazai left. Because again‚ seriously - and that's a whole post for another time -‚ what is keeping Akutagawa in the pm after the dark era events? He doesn't hold any sincere loyalty to the pm like Chuuya does– his true loyalty still lies to Dazai beyond what even Akutagawa himself acknowledges. He can't fear pm retaliation like virtually any other member would, because he's objectively powerful enough that wouldn't be a problem for him. I mean who would they send after him? Chuuya? I mean they technically could‚ but it's going to be unpleasant for everyone. Tl;dr Akutagawa one day really showed up (unannounced) to Mori's office and told him that he‚ ruthless mafioso pm rabid dog™‚ wouldn't have killed anyone for six months and Mori just had to roll with it. But that's fundamentally tied to Akutagawa's whole character and his characteristics of being wild and unpredictable and especially uncontrollable. (Gin's reaction would be indeed hilarious though. Really SHE is the only person left in the pm that holds power over him I'm not joking)

I do actually believe that Akutagawa, despite not being an executive, has enough power to decide what he does and doesn’t do in the mafia. He’s the most valuable member that isn’t an executive, and one of the most powerful members overall. He’s often played a key role in the pm’s major conflicts. Mori has direct interest not to lose him. Yet Akutagawa has no real reason to stay in the pm? He joined because of Dazai, but Dazai is not there anymore. He never showed true loyalty to the pm outside of doing his job. It really is just a job for him- a job he’s quite good at doing, a job that’s perfectly fit for him, but still a job he can abandon any time. There are universes where Akutagawa doesn’t work for the pm. But that doesn't change the fact that it would be a great loss for Mori if Akutagawa left, so if Akutagawa one day is just like, “no killing commissions for the next six months”, Mori just has to deal with it. And Akutagawa – who after all has a very powerfull skill, and after Dazai left was able to climb the ranks easily – has enough authority to do that. He’s not an executive (and I firmly believe he will never become one), but he is not below executives either; in the story he’s always shown receiving orders from the organization boss directly and answering to him only.

Akutagawa is a wild beast. He doesn’t like being kept under the leash. Dazai had (and still has) complete control over him, but that’s because he’s Dazai, and because of the circumstances in which they met; that said, Akutagawa isn’t willing to let anyone else control him very easily, and after Dazai left the pm, Akutagawa stayed, but at his own conditions. Which more often than not align with the pm’s, because he’s good at killing, and gets some kind of satisfaction from it, so he’s fit for the job; but if he ever decided to temporary change the terms, to do as he pleases and not kill anyone for six months, that’s for the others to deal, because there’s no changing his mind (and you don't want to contradict Akutagawa).

[sokkastyles]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well. Thank you for the response on TSR. I had another question regarding TSR.

I was reading a comment about Kataang, and in that comment one thing that caught my attention was that Aang never asked about Kya's death, whereas Zuko did and that got me thinking. It shows that Zuko is willing to figure out why Katara was angry, whereas Aang did not ask, and from my memories of TLA episodes, its never implied that Aang ever asked about Kya, even off screen, otherwise he may have understood in TSR, why Katara needed to make the trip at the start or perhaps not. This seems like a problem with Aang and Katara's friendship. I am not sure whether Aang's age can be used as a factor here.

This is not about the ships, just a thought I had. I would like your thoughts on this.

Yes, I definitely think this is a huge reason why Katara felt alienated by Aang, and not just Aang, but Sokka, too. In general, I think the lack of support Katara gets vs how much she gives to others came to a head in that episode.

As other people have pointed out, Aang's reaction to Katara talking about her mother's death, which she does in order to prepare him for what he might find at the Southern Air Temple, before he realizes what has happened to his people, is to dismiss her. He's not doing this because he doesn't care about her loss, but he's doing it because he doesn't want to face the truth about his own loss, and is very unintentionally careless and condescending.

Katara: [Close-up of Katara.] Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless. [Sadly.] They killed my mother, and they could have done the same to your people.

Aang: [Ponders over her words for a bit. Hopefully.] Just because no one has seen an airbender, doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped!

Katara: [Places one hand on Aang's shoulder.] I know it's hard to accept.Aang[Cheerfully, as Katara moves her hand back to her side.] You don't understand, Katara. The only way to get to an airbender temple is on a flying bison, and I doubt the Fire Nation has any flying bison! [Caresses Appa's head.] Right, Appa?

(He also, ironically, tells Katara that she doesn't understand, but when she says that to him because he's being dismissive to her, she's the one in the wrong, somehow.)

Of course, I feel for Aang not wanting to admit that his people could be wiped out that easily, but what he says to Katara is that while it could have happened to her mother, it can't possibly have happened to the airbenders. They must have escaped! I mean, he has a point - how DID the Fire Nations single-handedly destroy a nation of flying nomads - but still, that's kind of an awful thing to say in response to someone telling you their loved one was murdered and fearing it also happened to yours. Like, RIP to your mom, Katara, but my people are different!

If you think about Katara's other experiences telling people about her mom, Jet was sympathetic but used her mother's death to try to get Katara to go against her morals (something antis often accuse Zuko of), Haru is sympathetic but too scared to act until Katara pushes him, and Sokka, who she also gets angry at in this episode, tells Zuko in the very same episode that his mother's death is not something he likes to think about.

Again, Sokka is not intentionally being callous, his reaction is born of trauma, but it clashes with Katara's trauma because Katara NEEDS to talk about what happened.

Aang and Sokka have similar ways of compartmentalizing their grief, and they expect Katara to do the same thing. Zuko not only is in a position to know that this is not what Katara needs not only because he connected with her in the caves, but also because he and Katara are similar in temperament in that they are unable to repress or deny their emotions in the same way, and both have people around them telling them that they should do that.

And the age excuse...the thing about it is, whether Aang's age is a factor in his behavior or not, it's still the same behavior, and it still hurts Katara. But I especially find it frustrating when people act like Aang isn't old enough to know better in comparison to Zuko. Zuko may be older, but unlike Aang, he is not presented by the narrative as a person wise beyond his years, and did not grow up with excellent role models and circumstances that would turn him into a mature young man. He did do a lot of growing in the short time between when he talked with Katara in the caves and TSR, and that shows in his behavior, but he shows more sensitivity towards Katara's mother's murder even when he's still loyal to the regime that killed her than Aang does. Aang is a twelve year old raised by pacifist monks, but somehow he can't empathize with Katara enough not to belittle her grief, whereas Zuko is able to overcome sixteen years of fascist propaganda in two minutes?

[undercover-monsterlover]

hi mootie! so i was wondering with the previous MCU match up that you’ve done for me if maybe you could do an NSFW add on to it? (you could just do the add on to this ask if you’d like) but it’s honestly completely fine if you don’t want to and understandable :3

have a great day, take your time, get some rest, and drink plenty of water! <3

I would be absolutely honoured to do so😈.

NSFW below cut.

I would assume that Steve is just a little inexperienced, in his timeline he only got that buff body about a few months before he was frozen, and was a rather scrawny, nerdy kid before then, so I doubt he got much attention. And in Civil War, it's strongly implied that the kiss between him and Natasha was the first one he's had since he woke up. He's not entirely naive by any means though. So, boy, do you get the honour of being the recipient of all that pent up energy. He's certainly very eager to put his super soldier enhancements to good use for things beyond combat.

I think he would be less likely to initiate, he's just very cautious about making sure you're in the right mood, and he's not being too pushy. Then again, he's pretty much always eager to reciperocate when you initiate. He gets you lead in the beginning, allowing you to decide the first position, where you want him, the the speed and intensity. However, once he's sure you're comfortable, he becomes more dominant, never demanding, but directing you in what to do, and generally taking charge.

He prefers to go slow and steady rather than being aggressive, but of course, his "slow and steady" is still quite a bit more intense compared to other men. In the heat of the moment he can tend to get a little overzealous, forgetting to restrain his super human strength. It not rare for you to end up with a few bruises around your waist and upper arms, but it never gets to a point where you're genuinely injured, especially if you can manage to remind him to be gentle, which might be difficult to think about when he's got you pressed into the mattress. If you're into a bit of man-handling though, he'll happily oblige.

He tries to be as attentive to your pleasure as he can, he's very service focused. This might come from a place of him feeling he needs to "prove" himself, but he is also just incredibly aroused by your moans, and gasps of pleasure, and he'll try to draw them from you in any way possible. If you're having a good time, you don't have to worry about pleasing him, that's for sure. He also absolutely loves when you show him that simpler kind of affection during sex, even in the roughest of sessions. It just melts his heart that you when you can still caress his face even when he's pumping into you at a ruthless pace.

He love loves loves fucking you in your Lolita dresses, though he tries to be very careful not to damage or stain them while he does, but hey, accident happen. He'll always make sure to get you another one, or have them fixed if he does ruin one somehow, he feels pretty guilty when that happens. And god, if you're wearing heavier make up that day, and it starts to run a little? Get ready for five more rounds, cause he is not stopping. He might even try to smear it on purpose on times, wether with his hands, mouth, or cock. He just thinks it's so cute.

He's not exactly naive, or "vanilla" as I said, but any of the more elaborate or kinky things may require a bit of gentle "persuasion". He's staunchly against any kind of ink at play however, it just feels gross and unsettling to him, even if that's what you like, he can't bring himself to do it. You'd also have to be the one buying any of the special equipment, he couldn't beat to be caught in a sex shop. The First Avenger buying fluffy handcuffs? Imagine the headlines!

If you ever become overwhelmed or upset during sex, he'll immediately slow down, and ask you what you want to do, wether that's just keep a slower pace, ask for praise, or stop, whatever you need, he'll do it. He naturally likes to comfort and hold you afterwards, he had never actually heard the term aftercare until you said it once, he just assumed that's what everyone did. It's just the way he is, why wouldn't he want to make sure you were ok?

[prettyrealm]

how does matty healy feel about his recent scandals?

how did he feel about...

rumors of him dating taylor swift?

on one hand, i think he feels happy and triumphant, like “yeah i dated her and you all hate me but I’m still that guy” & he may have thought this coming out would be good for his career/image in the beginning. now, i think he feels like the timing was all wrong and they should have kept it a secret longer (maybe taylor pushed for this news to come out more or encouraged them to be more open with promises that it would look good for both of them) he may feel tricked or lied to about the response to their relationship. he feels like people are being dishonest about who he is because of this and it may have made parts of the relationship suffer.

people calling him a nazi?

he was very surprised by these comments and he didn’t see this coming at all. he feels like this is a case of friendly fire or like he’s being attacked by his own team. it’s kind of like “no way you guys are calling me this, i’m literally on your side!” he’s really unhappy people are saying this and feels misunderstood. it made him him want to retreat & rethink things. he thought he should be more careful with his actions and more cautious in the future.

the clips of him discussing p*rn on a podcast?

i don’t think he sees anything wrong with it or that he was doing anything wrong either. i think he thought it was a funny situation or conversation and he feels as if the people calling him out for this are just looking for things to be mad about. he knows people feel extremely strongly about this and he may also feel pretty embarrassed about it. but overall i don’t think he sees or understands the full issue.

people calling him racist?

i don’t think he has a lot of thoughts on this other that he thinks it’s stupid. he’s confident that he’s not and feels as if people that matter in his life can attest to this. this doesn’t bother him too much because he thinks the accusation is thoughtless and dramatic.

rina sawayama calling him out?

another obstacle and another embarrassment, but i think one or more people have his back here. he knows there are people there to help him still. i think he thinks rina is being immature, stupid & unfair or just that the whole situation is in general. he expects even more bad (or worse) things to come out about him due to this or even legal disputes in the future. he thinks this all stems from greed and that he may even be being used as a scapegoat it’s like “yeah sure, bring this up when it’s easy to attack me.” overall, i think he feels this is all coming from a dishonest place.

rumors of taylor only collaborating with ice spice to protect him?

he feels as if it’s obvious that this is true and thought that taylor is a smart and ruthless business woman for even going to those lengths for the sake of their relationship. he knows that the collaboration didn’t have honest intentions, but he was he was very happy and maybe even felt cool or like “the man” over this regardless. like it was a major ego stroke. he may have also felt ice spice was sweet for this and saw it as her lending them a helping hand whether it was purely business for her or not (assuming she would know how it looks)

[thequeenofthedisneyverse]

Ain't no love in the heart of the city - prologue

TW: mentions of g*n violence, character death, tween's getting injured.

IF YOU ARE ABOVE 16 YEARS OLD DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS POST

Manny - Masc y/n

Femmiya - femme y/n

Nebbi - Nonbinary y/n

(you don't have to take the names seriously, just as a heads-up Miles G will be in a poly relationship with Manny, Femmiya, and Nebbi)

In the ruthless streets of New York, love was a pretty hard thing to find. Tch, a true friend is hard to find, let alone a lover. New York was only for criminals and  fugitives. The world around New York is surprised that normal people still live there. 

It wasn’t always this bad, when Jefferson Morales it was semi peaceful.Yeah criminals still existed but he made things a little better. He was a true man of kindness and peace, he sometimes got young gangsters and drug addicts off the streets with just his words. He was really a god sent, his wife and brother couldn’t be more thankful for him. And that was more emphasized when it came to his son Miles. Miles was such a bright, happy, and smart kid always being funny in one way or another.  

Miles looked up to his father so much, when he was young he would often play cops & robbers with his friends or with his dad & uncle. But everyone knew being a cop wasn’t Miles’ passion, his passion was to be a physics scientist or an engineer. So Jefferson and Rio tried to put him in the best programs so he could pursue this passion the best he can. 

When he wasn’t being smarty pants and had time to play, he would play with his friends. These friends were Manny Jones, Femmiya Collins, and Nebbi Wilson. There was no way you could ever separate them once they were together. It would be like trying to separate a crocodile from meat, not happening. 

They were all so adorable when they met up, they would always do a group hug once they saw each other. Always melted the heart of their parents. Whenever there was a playdate, some parent had to take pictures and share them once the playdate was over. 

The shining four would always play something crazy that would get either all or one of them hurt. Nebby got a chipped tooth because they thought it was a good idea to jump off the patio railing. 

“We were playing superhero” nebby pouted…with a broken  tooth as they were being raced to the hospital. But it was all good fun, and they never cared when they got an injury. They just kept playing until a parent noticed someone was bleeding. 

The parents would also notice something about the shining four, the little friend group would always get blushy around each other. Nebbi would get blushy around femmiya, femmiya would get blushy around Menson, and Menson would get blushy around Miles and vice versa. Though they were all young at the time, they couldn’t have had a crush on each other right? 

As they got into their tween years they mellowed a little, just a little. If there were times when no one was hurt, everything would be peaceful. Birthday parties and just parties in general would always be a blast. 

The shining four all had big families so whoever had a birthday their entire friends’ family would be invited over and mingle. Same for cookouts, EVERYBODY is invited as long as they contribute something. Which everyone always did whether it be food, handing out needed plates, or cleaning duty. 

Today was just like that, everybody was around just enjoying their time. The park was a perfect place for a family function, why wouldn’t it be? Everyone gathered around on this special day and just hung out. Rio was making jokes, Jefferson was playing cards. Kemani and Lyla (femmiya’s parents) were dancing together, Dwayne and Shana(Nebbi’s parents) were at the card table with jefferson. Menson’s mom was dancing as well. Manny’s father, Demetrius,  however looked worried and paranoid. 

All he did was hang in the corner and watched as everyone was happy, sweat falling down both sides of his face as he kept looking at his watch. Jefferson noticed and called him over for a game of cards, the man accepted and sat down next to him. 

“You ok man, you're sweating like a sinner in church” Jefferson said, chuckling at his own words. 

“I’m aight man, just hot out here” demetrius said, wiping the sweat off his face. 

3

It was not hot at all, it was 78 degrees outside. Perfect summer weather, but Jefferson didn’t press further. He wasn’t that kind of man. So they continued playing cards, demetrius never smiled or laughed at any joke that was said though, Jeff caught on but…not in time. 

2

The music was just kicking up, everybody was making it to the dance floor with their partner or just by themselves.All the kids were there, showing off some moves their parents may have shown them or something they learned from watching MTV. 

1

*BANG* 

Three gunshots, it took 10 gunshots to disrupt a family function. It took one gunshot to hit Manny who was only dancing, it took a 2nd gunshot to hit femmiya who was getting a cup of juice. It took a third gunshot to hit Nebbi, who was going to find Miles. It took a 4th gunshot to hit Demitrius…it took a 5th gunshot to kill Jefferson Morales. 

Jefferson died a hero, he instantly tried to save Demitrius who got hit by the bullet. Jefferson died trying to save the life of his best friend. Jefferson died without saying goodbye to his wife,  brother…and his son. 

It was chaos, people were screaming. Kids were screaming, everybody was scrambling or just froze from the sudden shock. Parents were looking for their kids, some parents were rushing their child to the hospital. 

All of it went by so fast, Rio didn’t know what was going on. She couldn’t find her son and she couldn’t find her husband. The people around were making that oh so difficult, she was panicking more by the second. 

She found Miles, he was hiding under the table and crying his eyes out with his arms wrapped around his head. Rio pulled him from under the table and ran to the parking lot where they hid on the side of some cars. Life was different after this day…

-

Miles didn’t know what was going on. One second his family was smiling and happy, no sadness in sight. The next thing he knew half of his family members, some related or not related,  and friends were clinging to life in the hospital…and his father was dead. He didn’t want to believe, He couldn’t believe it, he would not believe it. 

Once he came to terms with..the incident he changed, and not for the better. He would lash out, yell, cry, and just be numb. It was an ongoing cycle for a long time until he had no more emotions to really give out. 

Rio did try to be there for him as for his uncle and lovers. They always sat through his rages or his tears and tried to help the best they could. But they knew they couldn’t mend that heart that was growing bitter and hateful toward the world by the hour. 

Miles didn’t go to the funeral, he just couldn’t. 

 Manny , Femmiya, Nebbi, and Miles started dating at 13. The incident did cause them to put a semi hold on the relationship but they did try to comfort him like lovers were supposed to. No matter how much he tossed hurtful words at them, they knew he didn’t mean it and he would apologize soon after so it wasn’t a problem. 

 Manny , Femmiya, and Nebbi changed too, and not for the better. They were basically going through the same thing as Miles, they viewed Jeff as their second or only father or a Tio. They would often call him pa and rio ma because they were so close. 

They also became oh so bitter and cold toward anyone who wasn’t a relative or friend. They would be nice but only to people who didn’t seem like they had a problem or needed help. 

They often helped Rio when they could, whether it be with groceries, looking after miles, or helping with cleaning the house. No money needed. 

The world around them began to get worse as the months went on. Crime spiked up and just over all terrible things kept happening to people. New York was no oasis, but it was at least liveable in certain areas. 

It’s not like that anymore, if you don’t live in a gated community and can hire someone to do basic things for you. You might as well carry a knife, taser, gun, and machete with you at times. Things are neutral in the daytime but that doesn’t mean you're safe, there are still sh!tty people around. 

The prowler and his friends did make things semi better, they would “take care of” a lot of evil people. Yeah sometimes innocent people got hurt in the process but at least they were making a small difference.  

Oh yeah, the shining four are the prowler’s of New York. Well, Miles is THE prowler. You could say his lovers are variants of him, all three of them have different styles and colors. It was a tough job but it paid well. It kept their families financially stable and were able to pay for things themselves if there was some money left. 

The relationship between the shining four has blossomed into love, even though they already loved each other since they were kids. They kind of find their relationship Ironic, especially when it comes to a certain lyric

“Ain't no love in the heart of the city” 

There was no love in this place, only heartless savage people. But somehow the four of you found love in a heartless city. Because of this love, you four try to stick together the best you can. For better or for worse. 

Come along and join the shining four as they navigate through a heartless city while trying to maintain love.

@weirdo09 @clearskiiiess@ @purplemauves

[feathers-and-song]

Blood Rains and the Restless Nights

(cw: blood, body horror, nightmares, injury, death, trauma)

Backed against the wall, he could hear nothing but the ringing in his ears from the sounds of clashing metal. Rain fell fast and hard against Kai's face, his shoulder weeping from its opened wound as the claws of the ginkgo leaves tore their way out of his skin. They caressed his face and armor before reaching down for his discarded helmet.

Kai could have sworn he threw it away a long time ago, but when he looked at it now, it's shape was too pointed. The helmet of the Mara was placed into his hands. His fingers trembled around the cold steel. He wanted to throw it away so desperately, but the branches and twigs only pulled it closer.

Kai gritted his teeth and blazed like a wildfire, recreating the scene from eight hundred years ago and melting the steel to the point it mixed with his hands, binding them together.

When the fire cleared, the metal encasing his hands were turned into chains. Chains that connected to steel bars. Beyond the bars was a man with flowing dark hair and a hardened gaze. He stared at Kai with unfeeling eyes, not bothering to give a proper greeting.

The branches swirled around Kai's face now as the dark room filled with a thick red liquid that fell from the open stomachs of the hanging Cloud Knight soldiers on the ceiling. One by one, they dropped into the blood pool and softly floated to the surface.

Other bodies soon emerged as they all stood tall, branches of the mara protruding from their bodies, eyes dull and lifeless. Baiheng stood with a hunch, her back snapped in three places and her arms barely held together by the threads of her flesh.

His fellow soldiers became unrecognizable enemies. These men who he couldn't save because he was too busy moping over the death of someone who didn't even care about him. Jingliu stood in the corner, frostbite tainting her arms as mist poured from out of her mouth with a light rasp. Her eyes bled until they formed a tight mask over her eyes as she stalked off into the darkness, exiled and to never return.

Dan Feng mumbled some words, but they were drowned out by the incomprehensible moaning of his dead comrades. The mara wound tighter around Kai's body until he could see only out of one eye. He watched in horror as Dan Feng turned to stone, putting on the same pose as the statue outside of Scalegorge Waterscape.

The blood rose and rose until it was waste deep. A tall figure emerged later than the others. He had a kind, aged face and soft white hair. Standing behind Dan Feng was Yingxing who looked at Kai with the kindest eyes known on the Luofu. Those soft eyes rolled back into his head as his hair cascaded down, being painted a deep black.

Kai was forced to watch in horror as his best friend turned into a ruthless killing machine right before his eyes. Gentle hands took hold of his shoulders, bringing Kai close to the chest of this deranged world's version of Jing Yuan.

The twisted rendition of one of his closest friends took over the role of the Mara in stroking the side of Kai's head, creating a mirror of what people said on the streets. But Kai knew he did not give the General his body for his position.

They rarely talked at all anymore.

Kai could not struggle, the branches now turned to vines as he was forced to endure the suffocation through his armor, now taking form of the enemies he swore to kill, their decaying hands grabbing at his boots and pants, trying to drag him down into the murky depths.

Blade, once known as Yingxing, stalked out in front of the statue as it crumbled away, turning to dust. Jing Yuan wound his arms around Kai's shoulder, whispering to him that everything would be fine.

There were voices in the back of Kai's head, each one mingling with one another, telling him to embrace the mara, to embrace abundance and destruction in once. The General's arms held tight as Blade ran forward faster than Kai could keep up with, sword extended.

Kai screamed bloody murder as the weapon entered his chest, body bursting with hot pain until he found his eyes opening to see the ceiling of his room.

Jumping out of bed, Kai immediately fell to his knees against the floor sobbing. He gripped his shoulder tightly, feeling the throbbing pain. It was worse this night than any of the others.

And the nightmare was far more realistic.

[dream-meister-translations]

FATE GRAND ORDER

GUDAGUDA SUPER GORYOKAKU #1

━

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : I never expected things to come to this.

??? : That's what you always say, Fool of Owari!

??? : You may have walked a long and strange road to become the mighty demon King, but here in this place, at this very moment, our fates are evenly matched.

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : Indeed, thus far... No... No... This must be the power of the Holy Grail...

??? : But of course, with the omnipotentence granted by my wish on the Holy Grail, there's nothing that can stand in my way anymore.

??? : ...Not even you...

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : Hmph... Then so be it.

NAGAO KAGETORA : W-What!? An ambush! But we only just rayshfited!

NAGAO KAGETORA : I'm on my way!!

HIJIKATA TOSHIZO : Ughhhhhhhhh!!

??? : Hold, men!

NAGAO KAGETORA : Guh...!?

HIJIKATA TOSHIZO : Gah...!?

??? : Are you THE Kagetora, Dragon of Echigo...? What ridiculous nonsense. To think you would spit on the Northern God of War with such a feeble display of power. Don’t make me laugh.

??? : And you... Oh? Hmm… This spirit… Is this the manifestation of some kind of demon?

??? : One after another, how cunning…

??? : But it’s no use. No matter what kind of warrior you may be...

??? : You cannot surpass me!!

NAGAO KAGETORA : Nobunaga, there's no mistake, they deceived us!

NAGAO KAGETORA : We've been lured into a death trap...

NAGAO KAGETORA : Th-This place… It’s…

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : ...Huh...?

OKITA SOUJI : No...!

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : Master, you must go!

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : It’s as they said. In this place. At this very moment… We have no chance of winning!

MASTER : I'll be back! I’ll save you!

TOSHIZO HIJITAKA : Okita! Saito! I'm going on ahead!!

SAITO HAJIME : Yes, Vice-Captain! I'll cover the retreat! Miss Nagao, I’m counting on you to take care of Master!

NAGAO KAGETORA : It's regrettable... but it seems we have no other choice…

NAGAO KAGETORA : Come Houshou Tsukige! We must break through!

NAGAO KAGETORA : Master! Don't let go of my hand!

??? : Oh, and here I thought you’d hesitate to leave your men on the battlefield. You’re surprisingly ruthless.

??? : You truly seem to understand what it means to be a general in spite of your appearance.

??? : And what of you, Fool? Have you no intention to retreat with them?

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : Heh. You’re right. Normally I wouldn’t be caught dead serving as a Shingari on the rear guard. Such a role is far more suited to an insignificant nobody like him.

HIJIKATA TOSHIZO : Oh, shut up... Who exactly is the small fry here?

??? : Hm. Then why remain here in such a hopeless place?

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : ...Because that is my duty.

??? : Because you are who you are, no...?

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : There's nothing more to it. I am the one who bears the true name of Nobunaga. Which means in this place, at this very moment, there is no retreat.

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : For here is where it all began. The path to my Demon Kingship!

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : Therefore this… is Okehazama!

??? : Hahaha! Yes! That is exactly right!

??? : And you are the only mistake I ever made, nay, my archnemesis!

??? : Now, let us settle the karmic debt of our past lives!!

━

MASH : We lost connection to their heroic signals...!?

DA VINCI : Yes, it seems once they rayshifted into that Singularity, the connection dropped. We’ve lost our ability to observe them.

RANMARU X : The Singularity in question… Is Okehazama in Japan, is it not?

SION : We were able to track it up until the rayshift… What changed to make it so we couldn't observe it anymore...

SION : Could someone be interfering with the signal, perhaps?

MORI NAGAYOSHI : Hey hey, if it's Okehazama we’re talkin’ about. You can leave it to me. That’s my yard. But y’know, for someone constantly running his big mouth, that Demon King isn't reliable at all, is he?

ODA NOBUKATSU : Huh? Take that back! How can my sister possibly be unreliable?!

ODA NOBUKATSU : The way I see it, if we’re not even getting a reaction from my sister, then something terrible must have happened!

ODA NOBUKATSU : You need to hurry and send out a search, or, or reinforcements!!

DA VINCI : Easier said than done…

DA VINCI : Even the Servants we already sent were pushing the limits of our resources!

YAMANAMI KEISUKE : Demon King Nobunaga, Kenshin, Okita, and Saito… We prepared the very best team we could based on Aptitude, but...

MORI NAGAYOSHI : So you had to send Bishamonten alongside the Demon King? And they still lost? Now that really is something... Just who could do such a thing?

RANMARU X : We don’t know if they’ve been defeated for sure. We must start a search for Master Fujimaru!

DA VINCI : Ranmaru’s right.

DA VINCI : Fujimaru’s not the type of person to be defeated so easily…

DA VINCI : First we need to start investigating the Singularity so we can re-establish observation of their coordinates.

SION : Whether we can observe them or not, there’s still the issue of our dwindling resources.

SION : We won’t be able to provide backup immediately, but, Mr. Goredolf, please select the search team.

GOREDOLF : Y-Yes… You can leave it to me.

GOREDOLF : But I mean… Aren’t things supposed to be more… relaxed… than this with you guys involved?

GOREDOLF : How is it they say it again? Gudagu?

MASH : Director, this is not the time to be lazing around! The lives of Master and the others are at stake.

GOREDOLF : R-right... You’re right! Okay then it’s time to get tough!

━

NAGAO KAGETORA : ...I never thought it would come to this.

OKITA SOUJI : Even together, we’re completely helpless…

NAGAO KAGETORA : An ambush right after the Rayshift... And the enemy in perfect formation…

NAGAO KAGETORA : We were completely baited… What on earth happened…?

SAITO HAJIME : ...It’s best we shift gears and keep moving forward.

SAITO HAJIME : But this IS crazy… No matter how you look at it…

SAITO HAJIME : We need to find a way to break through and retreat.

OKITA SOUJI : Agreed...

OKITA SOUJI : But even if we escape, where exactly do we go?

NAGAO KAGETORA : We go East... If we can cross the mountain, we'll reach Shinano.

NAGAO KAGETORA : At the very least it should throw the enemy off our trail. We can use the darkness as a cover to make it through.

SAITO HAJIME : Alright, let's do it.

??? : I won’t let you escape that easily.

OKITA SOUJI : ...What!?

[birthday-of-music]

1-12 FOR THE WRITING ASKS !!! hi :3333

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

uhm. i uh. write on the notes app. sometimes on word though and i just use calibri bc default

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

GOD NO I COULD NOT.. fun fact i never fixed my bad pencil grip when i was really young so i hold pens weird as shit and it hurts after a little while. english exam had me dying every five minutes shaking my wrist out and that was only like 600-700 words i think

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

another fun story i used to write about a hundred words every night on my old ipod that i kept in my room before sleeping. said ipod was kind of halfway to exploding. like uh. that one “pillow” post with the dangerous battery. iwdont do that anymore though and i threw out the ipod everything is fine

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

I DONT KNOW UM. in general i have a notebook full of pretty words (ethereal, golden, eternity, that kind of like. overly fancy and poetic shit)

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

uh. i dont think so im kind of basic

6. What is your darkest fear about writing?

i guess that when i post something people will hate it? like. outright hate it and say its bad and stuff?

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

i suppose the opposite of the above but also sometimes ill look back at my writing from a year ago that isnt like. in my mind anymore and ill be able to read it and enjoy it as not something i wrote? bc ill forget i wrote it and then i get to enjoy stuff that is extremely catered to me lmao

8. If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?

oh dialogue definitely theres something kind of fun about writing stuff without dialogue idk what it just. is.

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

uh. nope not really

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

UM. same as you all the bright places. also the fault in our stars. very clear what types of books i like isnt it. also this fic which is saying a lot because i dont care about genshin anymore but every time i think about it it hurts.

11. Do you believe in the old advice to “kill your darlings?” Are you a ruthless darling assassin? What happens to the darlings you murder? Do you have a darling graveyard? Do you grieve?

uh. i like hurting my faves but only if there is comfort otherwise i die inside. every time i write hurt no comfort i lose a bit more of my sanity

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

i always wish for more wishes but lorem ipsum i could never… three wishes uh. one that every time i write a character i can characterise them right. two that when i proofread i never miss any typos. and three um.. the ability to have continuous motivation to write a multichaptered fic

[painted-fanbird]

And SPEAKING of blorbo from my video games, Sylvanas Windrunner?? The Blorbo from my Video Game. By which I mean the version of Sylvanas I made up in my head and not whatever the heck is happening in game. Because uhhh yikes fam.

Like, I like what we had prior to Legion! Which wasn’t exactly much in terms of strictly WoW lore (as far as I remember. I also don’t know what she was up to in Warcraft lol), but it was cool! A woman driven by the need to kill the man who killed her, raised her into undead servitude, and turned her against her own people. And she gets that! Arthas is killed, her vengeance is fulfilled, and with nothing left in this unlife for her she jumps from the top of ICC.

Only to be met with Warcraft Hell not the Maw because that’s dead to me and the reminder that her people still need her. If I remember her short story correctly lol. So Sylvannas comes back, tied to the Valkyrie and with a renewed sense of purpose for her life.

Now imagine, if instead of whatever mess that is canon, Sylvannas instead got an arc that focused on her becoming a protector of the Horde. A ruthless, bloodthirsty one, but a protector nonetheless.

In Cata she’s just vibing and bolstering the Forsaken and maybe connecting more with the Blood Elves. Because I’m not sure how much of that she’s done yet XD But mostly she’s lying low and sassing Garrosh when he comes around and probably still causing problems for Gilneas XD

In MoP she’s chomping at the bit to get Garrosh gone when she realizes he’s a problem, and she realizes she kind of cares about the Horde as a whole and not just the Forsaken and the Blood Elves. Starting with the Pandaren of all peoples. Seeing them get abused by Garrosh, alongside the Forsaken and Blood Elves triggers some long dormant instinct from when she was alive. It’s a protective one lol.

WoD is another lying low expansion, because we as players spend all our time on Draenor. But in the background Sylvannas is actually becoming a close advisor to Vol’jin. Because Vol’jin deserves to be warchief for longer than five minutes lol, and I think him and Sylv as warchief and right hand would be great. He’s more chill and Sylvanas’s first response to most problems is murder.

Legion is her moment to shine, leading forces against the Burning Legion as a military commander like in her Ranger-General days. She’s a beast in battle, she looks out for her forces, and is fast to accept the demon hunters once they prove their worth, because she’s becoming somewhat of a champion for the outcasted <3

BfA is more Sylv as a commander, following the logic I think she had in one of the novels. We’re at peace with the Alliance now, but what about in 5 years? 10? 15? We should be claiming the Azerite now, just in case. But with no burning of Teldrassil. It could still burn, but N’zoth is probably directly responsible for that if so. She didn’t do it lol. Also Azerite is probably most commonly found on the coats, and places ravaged by the cataclysm. For flavor! Also Tyrande can have her little vengeance arc early and turn the moon warrior stuff on the old gods! It’s a win win!

Dragonflight would be a backseat Sylvannas expansion. She’s probably back in Org with Vol’jin chilling. If she drops by the dragon isles, she gets to learn how to relax in between shooting primalists XD