#romantic; love is the sweetest poison

[valwrote]

A PREPOSTEROUS PREDICAMENT

pairing : neuvillette x fem!reader

summary: a baker gets framed for a crime she didn't commit. neuvilette comes to her aid as they embark on a crime solving journey full of banter, mysteries and connections.

contains : mention of poisoning, murder and death, usage of she/her pronouns, hurt/comfort if you squint, playful banter, a bit crack energy, neuvillette is such a softie, mentions of voicelines from neuvillette's chatacter quest (no major spoliers), more of a story than a romance based but it has its fluff moments, slight ooc, alot of dividers (sorry), may be incorrect in terms of court proceedings and laws overall because I am not a law student :')

a/n: this was based on @sxttoruu 's idea. thank you for inspiring me to write something. This isn't as romantic because I want to keep it realistic as people who are getting to know each other closely for the first time don't immediately fall in love. Enjoy!

p.s. italics are for flashbacks or events that have already taken place.

not proof read.

w/c: 4.5k words

I heard they were enemies turned lovers."

“Rotten to the core!”

“You are the murderer!”

Neuvilette has beheld this sight yet again. His deep hues gently rested their gaze on the commotion before him. Despite upholding his position as the Ludex of the Fontaine Court – it seemed nothing more than a theatre segment. 

Recently, cases were mundane and yawn-evoking. Lady Furina had attained severe apathy towards all conflicts. 

However, one thing which had created the slightest amusement in his life was one bakery and perhaps the best bakery in the Court of Fontaine region. The owner was a kind soul with the brightest smile and the sweetest loaves of bread in her arsenal. That baker was Y/N.

Though Neuvillette never exchanged words with her, that smile was enough to brighten his day. The bakery was always bustling with not a single moment of solitude. Many asked the secret behind these one-of-a-kind baked goods, to which she would always reply with “Love.”

Yet things spiralled into turmoil on one faithful day.

It was the 50th anniversary of Fontaine’s most prosperous business company. Mr Cornielle was a reputed man with expertise in his niche. He had commissioned the baker as his caterer for the occasion, to which the baker complied.

The party was a grand set-up. Fontaine’s most influential people had been invited as the guests but would be deemed incomplete without the Ludex and the Archon herself.

The blissful environment with bubbling refreshments was a sight to behold. Neuvilette acquainted himself with few folks, yet his eyes drifted across the room, searching for something or perhaps someone.

Was it the baker he sought? He didn’t know himself. Neuvillette constantly had his head boggled with numerous unanswered questions that he kept to himself. Yet it was unequivocal that the baker piqued his interest. Neuvillette just couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

The laughter that surged through the hallways turned into chaos and screams of distress as the host. Mr Cornielle crashed to the floor, mid-conversation, seemingly foaming at his mouth. 

“Everyone, please remain quiet and step away from the victim,” Neuvillette spoke up, creating distance between the guests and the fallen man. “Such gal! To commit such a heinous crime that to in my presence. The perpetrator must not fear anything.” Lady Furina marvelled at the audacity of the offender while taking in the situation up-front.

Neuvillette brushed over her antics and turned to face the person conversing with the victim before the incident, his eyes searching for answers.

“He was talking about the company and its achievements while sipping on the wine before…this.” The person in question stammered out, shaken from the whole ordeal. 

“Anything else?” 

“Well, he was taste-testing the delicacies before the wine.”

Gasps erupted from the crowd as the heads turned towards the baker, who tended to the service trays. Y/N lifted her head, a sweet and proud smile dancing across her lips that soon disappeared after noticing all the eyes on her.

 “She did it! She killed Mr Cornielle.”

 “Arrest her!”

 “Lady Furina, do something!?”

“Seize her,” Furina spoke up, pointing at the baker, whose eyes had widened like saucers. “No, please! I didn’t do anything, I swear! Don’t take me away!” The baker's pleas received no sympathy as the guards dragged her away. She could hear the murmurs amongst the crowd.

“Such heinous act.”

“Wonder if all those years of goodwill were a mere facade?”

The baker’s head hung low from shame. “I have failed you, father.” she grieved and was taken away from the scene.

The stage lights flashed open, highlighting the accused. Trials in Fontaine are like drama, is a saying that lived up to its name. 

“Charges have been pressed against the baker regarding murder through poisoning. All shreds of evidence are in opposition to the condemned. Would the accused like to speak up for themselves?” Neuvillette’s voice bellowed throughout the hall as all eyes narrowed at the person in the middle.

“I didn’t do it, I swear!” the baker pleaded.

“Nonsense! Who else would dare poison such an influential man?”

“I would like everyone to maintain the decorum of the court.” Neuvillette commented. “As all evidence seems to line up against Ms Y/N. I hereby declare her guilty until further investigation on this matter. Guards to escort her to the Fortress of Meropide. The court is adjourned.”

The rainfall after that trial was full of doubt, leaving a gloomy aftermath.

“Oh! hydrodragon, hydrodragon. Please don’t cry.”

The Fortress of Meropide, in all its grandeur, was the last place the baker wanted to be in. She longed for the bright sun and brisk winds. The cold shackles clung to her hardworking palms as she sat behind bars. It was not long before footsteps echoed down the dark hallways. She could make out a faint outline of a familiar silhouette.

“Monsieur Neuvillette?” the baker croaked out. She could see the Ludex of Fontaine in all his glory right in front of her eyes. An aura of authority followed him. The baker found her words stuck in her throat.

“I want the truth.” He said, getting straight to the point.

“I didn’t do it. I made those dishes with my own two hands. I swear upon my father’s legacy that I lack the spine to commit such a felony.” The baker stated without a single falter. Neuvillette seemed pleased with the answer. He admired the baker’s willpower to stand up for herself. Humans were unpredictable.

“Answer this. If given a chance, would you do anything to prove your innocence?” He asked that question. Humans were peculiar in terms of communication. One word may sting them to their core, while the other may send them over the moon.

“You are going to grant that baker a monitored bail?” Furina asked, baffled.

“Yes. I hope you don’t object to my actions, Lady Furina.” Neuvillette nodded, reinforcing his previous statement.

“But why? All the attestations are against her?”

“...” Neuvillette remained silent before getting up and leaving.

“HEY! NEUVILLETTE! Where are you going!?” He could hear the last of her words before exiting the room.

You will see much in the human world, from the delightful to the depressing. One day, when you have dwelled amongst humanity long enough, you will bring judgment as a spokesperson for Fontaine’s past.

Those words made Neuvillette question his emotions. He was in a battle between his sense of justice and morality. Part of him couldn’t accept the baker as the culprit. There had to be something that was missing. Something purposefully hidden from the public.

“I will. Anything to prove my innocence.” the baker affirmed his question. Neuvillette had to suppress the smile threatening to show itself. “Very well. Then, I shall grant you a monitored bail during the next hearing.” He spoke, maintaining the formality in his tone before turning around to leave.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Monseiur, who will monitor me?”

“Ah yes, That would be me.”

"As per the law, a person without a lawyer has two choices. Either get a government-assigned lawyer to defend them or fight for their case themselves." The Court was crowded and bustling. It irked Neuvillette just a bit. To these people, trials were drama shows they could flock to. Neuvillette never liked trials being dramatic affairs in his time as the Chief Justice.

"How would the accused like to defend their stead?"

"I will fight my case myself." Y/N spoke up, slight uncertainty in her tone.

"Is that woman crazy?'

"No way. This case keeps getting interesting!"

The cacophony of mockery and laughter made her confidence plummet to the ground. It was hopeless. How could she possibly fight her case alone? She should go with the lawyer.

"Granted. You have two weeks to gather evidence to prove your innocence under a monitored bail. If you fail, life imprisonment for homicide will be your sentence.”

"You will be monitoring me, Monsieur?!"

"Yes. Any objections?" 

"No, just why?"

Neuvillette remained silent. He seemed to be threading his words carefully.

"....to find answers to certain questions. So far, morality is winning."

"Huh?" The baker tilted her in his cryptic response.

"Nothing. The hearing will begin at 8 a.m. sharp. Be punctual."

"The Court is adjourned."

Y/N stood in the now-empty courtroom before she spotted Neuvilette approach her. “Here, this should help you on this journey of fighting for your innocence.” He handed her the book and bid her farewell. Y/N brought the book closer to her face to analyse it better.

GUIDE TO CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS AS A NOVICE.

ANYONE CAN FOLLOW THIS QUICK AND EASY GUIDE!

Y/N blinked in utter confusion before chuckling at his antics. 

STAGE 1: FAMILIARIZING YOURSELF WITH THE PAST

Additional: Familiarize yourself with the Chief Justice.

The clock was now ticking.

The investigation had kicked off. Y/N found herself more immersed in her thoughts. She was digging out potential clues and links. Delving deep into Mr. Cornielle’s past gave her an insight into the whole matter. Who was he meeting? What were his plans? Which people did he get into a disagreement with often? All questions seemed to answer themselves one by one.

Y/N sat in her room, deep in thought. She was under house arrest as of now. Neuvillette would accompany her around when she was outside. When busy, she would just hang out in his office. Y/N had developed a sense of truth when it came to Neuvillette. He had certainly earned it with his actions. He was a man clouded with mystery.

Though, he did seem to have a strange liking towards melusines and magic shows. She found that endearing about him. Neuvillette was a man, gentle and poise, gracing every place he went to. Though he was a dork when it came to said things.

He would mutter curses each time his hair or robe got stuck in one of the chairs. He tended to be a food critic. He may be polite about it, but he wasn't the best at hiding that he disliked dry food. If the food wasn't wet, he didn't want it. Both of them had grown to appreciate the other’s company.

"If my memory serves me right, Mr Cornielle in a political rivalry with Mr Etienne? They both clash heads. Their history is notorious among the locals. He can be a potential suspect."

"I have worked for that Etienne fellow. Before I started my business as an independent baker, I used to work for him to earn my daily meals. I knew that man is never up to any good. I have heard him threaten to kill Mister Corneille on multiple occasions."

"That is a big lead. You can work on that and visit the crime scene to scope the evidence."

"Wait. Are you helping me, Monsieur?" she mused- a smirk creeping onto her face.

"No. I am mere brainstorming. All the brains applied here are yours. I am simply giving my input."

"Uh-huh..."

"The investigators found a discarded poison vial. It had moisture on its exterior. From the taste of the water, it must've been transported here from Sumeru to Fontaine's port."

"I see. That can be a big clue if we find the receipt- wait, did you say– from the taste of the water??"

"..."

"Monsieur Neuvillette, are you implying that you licked the bottle and figured out it came from Sumeru? More importantly, how do you even know the difference between the waters of different nations?!"

"I think Lady Furina is calling me. Farewell."

"You aren’t denying that you licked the bottle! HEY! COME BACK! I NEED ANSWERS!"

STAGE 2: GOING TO THE CRIME SCENE 

Additional: Getting jump scared and falling into a secret room only to get spooked again.

Y/N felt like she was an incarnation of Sherlock Holmes. She kept inspecting every surface for potential clues, scoping out corners in classic detective fashion. She couldn’t spot anything connected to the crime. That was until she entered the changing rooms. Something didn’t seem right to her. She didn’t put anything in the delicacies. It must’ve been one of the waiters who must’ve tinkered with the food.

The room was dimly lit and elegant. The lockers were neat and had mirrors on the end of the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“You are supposed to inform me before wandering off by yourself. Might I remind you that you are still under monitored bail,” Neuvillette approached her from behind. Y/N, startled by his appearance, lost her footing and fell towards the mirror. To their shock, the mirror flipped open. She crashed into a dark, dusty room.

“Are you okay?” Neuvillette asked with worry before entering the room behind the mirror. It was hard to make out what was in there.

“I am okay.” She groaned before opening the flashlight. The room was empty. She walked a bit further, swaying the flashlight left-right to emit any corner hiding some clue. She spotted what seemed to be an identification sigil. 

“Monsieur, I found something.” 

“Hm? What is it?” Neuvillette approached her and inspected the sigil. “It is a Fatui sigil. One which operatives use.” She made a mental note of it and flashed her flashlight up ahead, only to meet a horrifying sight that made her shriek and cling to Neuvillette’s tall stature. He was startled as well. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Up ahead! It’s a man tied up.”

The statement raised his guard as he took the flashlight and pointed it straight. It was a man tied up with ropes and a gag in his mouth. He seemed to be unconscious and only in his underwear. “I would like to propose a theory.” He started. “It would appear that the culprit caught his man and disguised themselves as a waiter to sneak into the party undetected.” 

“That can be a possibility. After all, I did suspect that one of the waiters messed with the food.”

“I will call the concerned authorities to get this man to a doctor. You can get off me now. I never knew you so easily frightened.” Neuvillette mused. He thought he had been amidst humans long enough to know about their behaviour. However, every time, a new antic would reveal itself.

“Scared? Me? Of course not! I was just making sure you weren’t scared!” She defensively retorted.

“By clinging on to me for dear life? How so?” Neuvillette mused at her.

“How about we save the man in bondage first?” She brushed over his question and changed the topic. Neuvillette chose not to pry further and left to call for assistance.

STAGE 3: ONE CLUE LEADS TO ANOTHER

Additional: Quality bonding time with the Ludex.

“I am not fighting a Fatui Operator. I am a baker! Do you expect me to fight someone with a baguette!?” Y/N gaped at him.

“If you fight with a baguette or any pastry for that matter, the Operator will first chuckle at your antics and then proceed to dispose of you,” Neuvillette stated the obvious and kept walking straight. Mont Esus East was a mountainous terrain. The walking made the baker’s leg feel like jellies.

“How much longer do we have to walk!” She whined and stopped walking. “A bit more. Don’t give up now. We can’t let this turn into a futile attempt.” Neuvillette ushered her to keep going. After traversing for what felt like an eternity, they spotted a small camp. 

“Okay. Monsieur, I am serious. How are we going to fight those tough guys.” Y/N patiently waited for him to explain his plan, but nothing came. “We go and engage in battle. It is a straightforward plan.” Neuvillette began approaching the camp. He didn’t strike her as someone who could fight off bad guys. She watched as Neuvillette made quick work of the Operators.

“Woah- you don’t come off as someone who can brawl!” Y/N marvelled, her eyes twinkling in admiration. 

“I don’t recall ever reading about a judge who can fight.” Neuvillette shrugged.

“You are right, Monsieur. The stereotype of all judges being oldies is quite common among people. No offence.”

“Offence taken.”

“What? HEY! We both know I was joking!” Y/N quickly replied. She didn’t want to anger him unintentionally.

“So was I.”

“Huh?”

“Nevermind,” Neuvillette sighed. It appeared to him that he had to work on his people skills. The baker brushed over the awkward atmosphere and examined the records inside the camp. There were all sorts of legal documents. Old, damp or torn, you name it.

“Gosh, so hard to make out what exactly is written on these.” The baker rummaged through the piles of paper only to find a slightly torn document. It was from a small-scale herbal pharmacy in Sumeru. The document talked about a poison capable of killing someone in under a minute. What stood out the most was the signature at the bottom of the recipient.

“This is it. That is no doubt Etienne’s signature.” Neuvillette spoke, seeing the document himself. 

“Let’s go. We must show this to everyone.” 

“Not so fast. Night has caved in. We should stay here and leave tomorrow at sunrise.” He quickly shunned her advances.

“But Monsieur!”

“No buts.” He remained firm on his decision. Had it been just him, he would’ve departed despite the darkness, but now, with a person by his side, he felt responsible for their safety and chose prevention instead.

Silence engulfed the camp before the baker spoke, “It's funny how quickly people change opinions. All this time, I have done nothing but feed people and bring smiles to their faces, yet I got accused of something I didn’t do. People can be so shallow.” Neuvillette’s gaze soften. He understood the feeling of becoming an outcast better than anyone. “I agree.”  

“Monsieur, why are you helping me?” 

“I apologise if it comes off as something I am doing for my gain, but I am doing this to help you. I can’t explain it, but some part of me kept telling me that there is more than what meets the eye and that I must delve deeper. As the Chief Justice, I can’t afford to be shallow and only go off based on what I see. There is always more to the truth than rumours and gossip.” Neuvillette voiced his reasoning. He could hear hiccups from the baker, an indication of tears.

His heart ached. This situation was Neuvillette’s flaw. He always seemed to get emotionally affected by the plight of people. “I am aware that I am not in a position to say this, but you are worth fighting for. Everyone is. Each individual deserves a chance.” He wasn’t the best when it came to comforting people. He could only try. 

“Y-you think so? I don’t know how I will rebound from this incident. My business will be in shambles. I won’t be able to fulfil my promise to my father.” she wiped her tears away. “I may not be the best at giving solutions, but if you trust my judgement, I’d like to quote, “When there is a will, there is a way.” That captures my advice for you.” Neuvillette mustered his best uplifting tone, a contrast to his usual authoritative one. 

“Thank you." The baker paused before continuing, "Oh! Look, it’s raining.” The baker pointed out. “Apologies, this is going to be an inconvenience tomorrow.” Neuvillette sighed. 

“Why are you sorry, Monsieur?” 

“No reason.”

The baker sighed. Neuvillette was a tough one to figure out.

“Hydro dragon, hydro dragon, don’t cry.” The baker muttered under her breath, which caught his attention. “You believe in that local legend as well? I don’t get why people think that the hydro dragon weeps. Perhaps he gets stirred by all the tears that fall on this land.” Neuvillette pondered about the legend in slight exasperation.

The baker chuckled at him. “Perhaps people think that the hydro dragon deserves comfort as well.” 

Monsoon had dawned upon Fontaine. 

"When is this rain going to stop?"

"My vacation plans are spoilt."

Neuvillette could hear them all. A solemn feeling engulfed him as the raindrops collided with the floor, creating pitter-patter Sorrows, grievances, questions, mysteries and conflicts, all get washed away with the flowing waters.

The human world was both delightful and depressing. Neuvillette had grown accustomed to his responsibilities, yet when the clear sunny skies shined above him, he was mindful of enjoying the warmth they brought, reminiscing the memories of his friends who wished him stress-free days. 

“Hydro dragon, hydro dragon, don’t cry.” he heard a young boy yell that phrase amidst the rain.

“Archenoul! Honey, come inside. You will get wet!” his mother called out.

“Coming! I was just comforting the hydro dragon!”

He couldn't stop his lips from curling up into a smile.

He had always questioned his existence. He tried to connect his past, answering questions that remained unanswered. Yet the sunny days and small moments like such burnt all those thoughts away with their radiance and brought light to his life.

“Comforting the hydro dragon? A silly idea. It is endearing.” Neuvillette spoke after breaking away from his thoughts.

“I know. Wonder who came up with it.” The baker chuckled. The rain slowly came to a halt as time progressed.

STAGE FOUR: FIGHTING THE CASE

“I would like to request Mr. Etienne to come up front.” The baker stood with confidence in front of all eyes.

“Very well. Why exactly do you require my presence?” Etienne stepped up. He was an equally influential businessman. His involvement only made this trial more interesting. “You are known to have a long history with Mr. Cornielle. Both of you were involved in a toxic rivalry.” 

“Are you implying that I killed him?” The man’s face showed hints of anger.

“I never said that.” The baker quickly replied and moved on. “There was a vial in one of the dustbins. It contained the poison that killed Mr.Cornielle. It originates from Sumeru.” 

“How can you prove that it is from Sumeru? That is unless you purchased that bottle yourself, Ms. Y/N.” The man turned the tables. It was now a game of volleyball. The only question that remained was, who’s court will the ball end up in by the end?

“You are right. I can’t prove the bottle’s origin, but this paper does.” The baker pulled out the torn sheets found earlier at the camp. “These are receipts of purchases. Multiple items were imported from Sumeru, including a vial. These documents happen to have your signature on them.”

“Let’s be real Mr.Etienne. Either you confess your crime, or I will narrate your ‘masterplan’ in front of everyone,” Y/N looked him dead in the eye. 

“Fine. I did kill that bastard with my own hands.” Gasps echoed in the hall. Lady Furina had an expression of shock on her face. “That stupid Cornielle. He always found a way to be an obstacle on my way to success. If he had kept his nose out of my business…”

Everyone could tell at that given moment that the man was a lunatic.

“I did sneak into the party that night. I disguised myself as a waiter and snuck the poison into his food. The Fatui were very helpful in the import of the goods without raising suspicions. Just as I had planned, all the blame was pinpointed at you, Ms.Y/N.” He started laughing sinisterly.

The atmosphere had turned eerie and cold. People could feel goosebumps on their arms. “My plan was perfect, but an anomaly snuck in.” The businessman gazed at Neuvillette, who sat in his chair, eyeing the entire scene.

There was a moment of brief silence.

“It seems that it is clear now. Mr Etienne killed Mr Cornielle out of sheer jealousy. He used his alliance with the Fatui to obtain the poison to kill him in cold blood. Then he skillfully made it appear as Ms Y/N’s fault who was sent to jail while Mr Etienne roamed free. Mr Etienne, you are declared guilty of homicide, framing the innocent, inflicting violence and importing illegal goods across national borders. You are sentenced to life imprisonment till your execution date.” Neuvillette stated and ordered the guards to take the businessman away.

“I know you were involved in this Ludex! I will make you pay!” the man screamed till taken away by the guards. Neuvillette sighed before continuing,

“I declare Ms Y/N not guilty and wish her a prosperous business from here on. The court is adjourned.” He finished as the Court slowly began to clear out. Y/N let out a breath of relief. It felt like a huge boulder was taken off her shoulders. She had proved herself innocent.

STAGE FIVE: CELEBRATE YOUR VICTORY

Additional: towards the future with a new special someone.

It had been a few months since that fateful incident. Everyone's tongues had the same question. How did the baker do it? Neither the baker nor the Ludex reveals it. The bakery’s business was booming more than ever. People came, enjoyed their meals and left. Life was back to normal. 

The evening sun was making its descent. The shop was now empty and Y/N was busy cleaning the counters.

“Is the shop still open?” a familiar voice made her ears perk up. “Monsieur Neuvillette!” The baker turned around to see the familiar blue and white robe and tall stature. “Greetings I hope you haven’t faced any unpleasantries up till now.” the man asked as the baker tackled him into a hug. It caught the Chief Justice off guard, yet a warm feeling spread across his chest. 

“Oh- sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” the baker profusely apologized.

“I believe it is fine. We have spent time together long enough to be well acquainted.” Neuvillette waved his hand dismissively.

“Come! Sit down! I will get you something.” The baker offered, but Neuvillette shook his head and politely declined.

“Maybe next time. I was just passing by so, I thought I would pay a quick visit. My schedule is full till next month but I will be sure to come whenever time permits.”

“You better come! I will serve you all of my bestsellers!” the baker shot him a toothy grin.

“Is this perhaps a way for you to mug me off my money?” Neuvillette raised a brow at her. Will she get his attempt at humour this time?

“Mug you? No! It is called a business strategy.” The baker proudly chimed with her hands on her hips. She did take his joke this time.

Neuvillette was enjoying this small yet sweet conversation with the baker. It was lively, and lighthearted and felt nice after a long day. He could get used to the baker’s effervescent personality.

He feels a bit queasy. What are these feelings? Such unrestful emotions are similar to what humans feel when they enjoy someone’s company. Why is this happening all of a sudden?

"Neuvillette!" His thoughts are cut short by her gleaming smile. "Thank you." 

It had been a while since he heard those words. His statement from earlier had now become a concrete thought in his mind. The baker was worth choosing his morality over his judgment for.

A smile finally shined on his face.

"You're welcome."

©definitelysel

please do not copy, claim as your own or translate. plagiarism will not be tolerated.

thank you for your time <3

[prince-jjae]

In My Imagination. ㅡ h.k. [ceilings. pt2]

pairing;

huening kai/gn!reader

genre;

FLUFF. so much fluff. smut. mdni!!! i know i said itd be angsty but im a liar.

tags;

barista!reader, implied jealous taehyun, barista!taehyun, beomgyu being a sassy mf, daydreaming, plushie humping, coming untouched, masturbating, facefucking(mentioned as a daydream), mentions of aftercare, so much fluff omg.

part 1. tyun ending. masterlist.

summary;

"but that look in your eyes, and that smile it makes me want to stay here in this room.. pretending youre pretending too."

hueningkai was never really one for intense, whirlwind romances, but he just couldnt help himself with you. you, who stared up at him with shocked eyes, as if his very presence was the answer to your every prayer. when you looked at him like that, how could he not fall madly in love with you?

Ever since that first fateful morning, Huening Kai made it a staple of his routine to order coffee from your shop every day. He would wait in line, an unknown antsy feeling clawing up his spine as he bounced on the balls of his feet. He was impatient, but blissfully unaware of the reason why. 

He tried not to read too much into it, but he knew you were the cause. How could you not be, when you stumbled over your words and actions whenever he got close? You lit up the room brighter than any sun, and he was firmly convinced that science had it all wrong. 

The world didn't revolve around the sun. it revolved around you.

You, with your cold exterior and sharp gaze that melted even the slightest bit, warmed by his presence, sizzled under his touch. He kept plausible deniability, at first. Just brushes of his fingertips against yours as he paid or when you handed him his drink with the same phrase as always.

“Have a good day.” And have a good day, he did. He doesnt think hes ever experienced days so good in his life until now.

It had been around 2 weeks of this routine and 4 days of relentless teasing from his roommate beomgyu, when it happened.

The dreams.

It started as nothing, really, at first. Just daydreaming of actually mustering up the courage to have a conversation with you for once. Something beyond just ordering egg tarts and a coffee. What were your interests? What did you like, dislike, love, hate? He wanted to know everything, so naturally his mind filled in the blanks.

He daydreamed, nearly constantly. Always about you, always about how your voice felt like heavy whipping cream, drowning him in the sweetest of marshmallow fluff. He could listen to you talk for hours. He supposed he had, in a way, since he fantasized about you so often.

It was around a month after your first meeting with him that the dreams became more than just conversations he wished he could have. They morphed into romantic fantasies. Your hands were so soft, the few times he barely ghosted his fingers to your skin. He wondered what it'd feel like to hold them properly? To warm them after a day of playing in the snow? To swing between your bodies after watching a movie at the cinema?

And your lips.. the plushness of them, the way they formed around words and made them sweet no matter the context. God, he wondered how sweet they would taste. How soft would they feel against his own? Would they make him sweet by sheer contact?

He sat, sipping his coffee, egg tarts long since finished as he stared out the café window. He desperately wanted to stare at you, instead, but anytime he caught himself, your intimidating coworker was glaring pure death directly at him. It was startling enough to deter him.. but only physically. Mentally, he couldn't be deterred by God himself, he thought. Your being haunted him in the sweetest of ways, clinging to his skin and singing in his veins like a poison. 

“This cannot be healthy, dude. Just fuckin talk to them? Why drag me here if you're just gonna gawk?” Beomgyu huffed, bottom lip pulling into a dramatic pout as he slumped in his seat. He poked at his empty coffee cup, scowling at it with disdain. The two had definitely been here too long, and Beomgyu was itching to go home already.

Kai frowned, taking another long sip of his cold coffee, letting the silence between them stretch until Beomgyu shifted uncomfortably. Satisfied, Kai opened his mouth to reply with a hushed whisper.

“I'll talk to them, eventually.. I just wanted to treat you to coffee.” Came his reply. It was a lame excuse, if it could even count as an excuse to begin with. Beomgyu's eyes narrowed in challenge as he sat forward, pointing an accusing finger at Kai.

“you need to stop being such a pussy. You didn't drag me here to treat me and we both know it.” Kai's shoulders sagged in defeat, stealing a glance your way only to catch your coworkers eyes again. He promptly broke eye contact and blinked at Beomgyu, a nervous blush rising to his cheeks. Beomgyu just smirked at the pathetic reaction, head tilting to the side cockily. “See? Pussy.”

It had been four months after your first interactions when his dreams shifted.. again.

No longer were they sickeningly sweet, bringing a pretty flush to his cheeks. No, now they brought a flush to his cheeks in a different way. Now he buried his head in his hands, desperately willing the thoughts to go away when in public. But in private? He reveled in them. 

He had always collected plushies, adorable varieties of characters piled onto his bed and shelves, but now he viewed their innocence in a.. different light. Now, all he could think of when he saw the black cat plushie was you. Your initial indifference, your subsequent innocence and sleek beauty. 

He couldn't help it. You did this to him, after all. He was desperate, whining and puffing out meaningless apologies to the black plush below him as he rutted into it. He was desperate. Every movement was fueled by a different memory of you. The way your glasses slid down your nose, the way said nose would crinkle when you laughed. The way you would roll your eyes at a lame joke your coworker told you, the way youd poke your tongue out of your mouth when you focused on making coffees.

God help him, that tongue. That was what he fantasized about the most, these days. How would it feel to tangle your tongue with his? How would it feel to become so intimate with you, so sloppy that drool pooled and spilled over your lips and chin. He wondered how talented that tongue would be when he stuffed your face with his cock. God, what a thought. Choking on it, your pretty whines.. Would your eyes roll back? Would you moan around him? Would you get so aroused by the action of him fucking your pretty mouth that youd drip all over the floor?

His hips stuttered, pretty whines and a long, drawn out moan falling from his lips as he came. It matted the fur of the poor plushie under his hips, but he couldnt focus on that. No, he was still deep in his daydreams, imagining how hed take care of you, how he'd be so gentle with you.. guide you to the bathroom to clean you up, perhaps even carry you if you asked-

Twenty minutes later, he decided the stickiness was too much to bear. Once he was clean, he took the walk of shame to the laundry room, plush cat tucked in his arms to hide the sin he had spilled on them. But when he looked up at met Beomgyu's eyes in the living room, Kai knew his secret was no longer his own.

It was six months after your first meeting when he finally got the confidence to talk to you. God, he was right. You were everything he dreamed youd be. You were hilarious, your deadpan humor making him laugh harder than he ever had before in his life. He chatted with you while you washed the counters, swept the floors, made coffees. You had a closing shift today, and he had been there since the morning, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He spent the whole day talking to you, about everything he ever wanted to talk to you about. He learned your hobbies, your likes, dislikes, hatreds and passions. You were perfect. 

The two of you had been so engrossed in one another that the store was closing before you both realized. Not even the glare of your coworker – Taehyun, he learned – could sway him. He smiled, bright as ever when he glanced outside, seeing it was dark out. You were locking up the store, Taehyun was already halfway to his own car when he spoke up.

“I could walk you to your car, if you'd like? it's dark out…” He trailed, eyeing you for any potential discomfort. It melted into a pleasant smile after you nodded, inviting him along for the short walk. You two walked slowly, however, not yet wanting to separate just yet. He was infatuated, worse than he initially thought. Maybe Beomgyu was right, he was in love with you. He was entirely, wholeheartedly in love with a perfect stranger. And perhaps it was selfish of him when he asked for your number, clinging to hope that you were just as enamored as he was. 

And maybe it was the look in your eyes when you handed his phone back to him, your number saved in his phone with a pretty typed out heart next to your name; maybe it was the sweetness of the coffee still on his tongue.. but he really hoped you were dreaming of him, too.

[spacedace]

Fuck whatever DC is doing with the al Ghul's characterizations and story lines, I've decided that from now on the al Ghul's are gonna be DC's version of the Addams Family instead.

Now I don't mean just give the various al Ghul's the exact personalities of the various Addams and call it a day. That's boring, that erases all the interesting parts of the al Ghuls, that's just using "find & replace" and not actually adding anything. I mean give them the vibes of the Addams Family.

Keep the al Ghul's as the al Ghul's with all their scheming and machinations and world domination attempts but give them all the unhinged energy, the casually insane view of the world, the deranged levels of love and devotion for family. Make them that group where objectively they are batshit insane but also you cannot argue with the fact that they are indisputably the most stable and functional family in the entire universe.

They're creepy, they're kooky, they're mysterious and spooky. Ra's many opulent homes and impenetrable fortresses are a museum and the al Ghul's really are a screa-um whenever people come to see-um (or when they lay waste upon their enemies in a surprise attack that has been planned for months and is just the first domino in a series that will ultimately lead to achieving a far greater goal).

They all love each other and want each other to be happy, they express this primarily with stabbing and murder attempts (its fine, death is a thing that happens to other people).

And forget the League of Assassins being a cult. Just make the whole vast globe spanning organization a collection of cousins/aunts/uncles/dear old friends ect. No one (not even the al Ghuls, if they cared to keep track of such things) is sure who is actually related to them and who just got absorbed into the ever expanding family tree based on their vibes being right.

(Is Sensei Ra's father you ask? Well he's certainly someone's father - probably.

Anyway have you heard about Cousin Cheshire? Despicable poisoner of a young woman, capable of the most horrific things imaginable - yes she is the sweetest dear. Like I was saying though, she just had a baby!

Everyone in the family is just so excited to throw a baby shower to celebrate! Ubu has really gone all out with the spike traps, he does so love getting to welcome a new addition to the family.

Talia of course has cultivated a brand new strain of the most toxic plants imaginable to make a brand new kind of necrotizing poison. You know, as a nice little romantic gift for Cousin Cheshire and that young man of hers. It really is so important to make sure you take time for you and your partner to go on dates and have a few pitched battles to the death on dark rooftops in the pounding rain when you have children.

Now there is some to-do about it all of course, you know how family get together can be. Everyone is arguing over who should get to give little Lian her first weapon and what it should be. Nyssa is pushing for grenades but Ra's is insisting on a sword - he's traditional like that you know - but Dusan has the vote so far on throwing knives. You know the kind that have the little divots along the edges of the blades them to make it easier to get the poison you dip them in to stick.)

I'm just saying that the al Ghuls should be a delightful cross between the Bond Villains they were originally conceived as and the lovingly unhinged Addams Family. It just feels correct in my heart.

(Again keep the interesting aspects of the characters and the nuances of who each of them are like their drive to save the world through destroying humanity and their strong environmentalist leanings and their constantly playing 5D chess and everything, but like, take away the racism and the cartoonishly evil for no reason bullshit and give them some fun feral energy to go along with it).

[primojade]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄.

“ may the day where we discard all lies for good come soon. ”

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 | romantic tropes that I think would fit them just right.

𝐂𝐖 / 𝐓𝐖 | gn!reader x albedo, wanderer, cyno and tighnari (separate); fluff, mild angst, pining, cursingcursing, kind of cheesy lmao; no proofread; let me know if I missed anything!

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 | This is a very self indulgent fic that I thought of while writing the next chapter of fallacies of love. And yes, I finished this first before that one 🤣 btw, this may or may not have part 2 but for different characters ueue. If I find the motivation to write a continuation, that is xD

masterlist |

second chances to love

Two old friends meet again wearin' older faces. And talk about the places they've been. Two old sweethearts who fell apart somewhere long ago. How are they to know, someday they'd meet again. And have a need for more than reminiscin'.

Can two people finally find their shared happiness the second time around? Is there really a way to fully mend a heart broken by the past? Are second chances really the answer to the heartache that one carried in the present times?

Your relationship with Albedo unfortunately did not work out as you want it to, and as he put it with the Traveller, once a relationship starts to drift away, it will become bothersome. 

But can you really be blamed for why you fell for him? Albedo is a charming man, intelligent to a fault, a gentleman at heart, and your greatest source of inspiration. That's why when he started to show signs of interest in you unlike any other, you wholly welcomed it, cherished it in your heart even. The more time you spend with him, he shows you the other side of himself that he refuses to show to anyone else. The sliver of attention and dare say, love, that he shows you was enough to make your heart race. 

But alas, love alone was not enough, and you both know it—his mere attention is not enough to call…whatever this is…as "love". For only when your heart began to feel weary of his constant busy schedule that you realised that some love was not meant to hold onto. Love that could become your sweetest poison to indulge, love that will surely drift no matter how hard you hold on. And there is that kind of love that cannot be yours no matter how besotted you are.

You were tired waiting for him to decide, to pull you close to him, but when he deemed you too close, he would shoved you away. You got tired waiting for his decision to make, and in the end, it was not you. So, you did what you knew was best for the both of you. To end everything before it becomes to the point of no return.

Still, the heart is a very fickle and turbulent thing, artificial as it may, and just as love could bring you to the highest summits of happiness, Albedo found out that it could also bring you to the lowest depths of despair. For only when you were gone to his life that he realised that the love he took for granted was the one who gave him the true meaning of this world.

Shaking to the very core of his being was the ache that no alchemy nor chemical experiments could soothe, Albedo tries his best to move on, to pretend that everything is alright, pretending that all things will go back to the way it was once, but…

Maybe this time, it'll be lovin' they'll find. Maybe now they can be more than just friends. They're back in his life, and it feels so right. Maybe this time, love won't end.

But alas, time doesn't help when moving on, it does not help him heal, it only teaches him to live with the pain. Settling himself to be your friend does not cool down his flame, and when Albedo sees you smiling at him again, laughing and waiting for him, that flame burns even brighter than ever before. And this time, if he tried his best again…maybe this time, this promised love will never end.

“Maybe…maybe this time? Are you…willing to try again?" He asked, hope blooming and his artificial heart beating so fast in his chest it might as well jump to your hands and never leave again. This time…he will make sure to do everything right, and give you everything he had, this time.

“Because the only way to love someone unconditionally is to realise that it may be lost.”

friends to lovers

Do you remember when I said I'd always be there? Ever since we were ten, baby. When we were out on the playground playing pretend. Didn't know it back then.

“[Name], let's make haste. The weather today is too perfect for our weekly surveillance, and I do not trust you to not wander in the forest and accidentally poison yourself. So, you are coming with me.” 

You immediately noticed the peculiar twinkle in his bicoloured eyes, the lightest tint of pink on his cheeks, the twitch of his ears and the slight wag of his tail. All of his mannerisms are so familiar to the point that you could hear the barely concealed excitement in his usually stern tone. 

Perhaps it's because you have known him since you were both still in diapers? Tighnari has always been someone passionate at what he does, talented and smart and reliable, he was always there to help you even before you asked of him, hell, sometimes, even before you knew you yourself needed some help. He was that perceptive when it comes to you.

Even during the times he was busy with his research papers in the Akademiya, Tighnari would not hesitate to discard whatever he was doing in favour of knowing what was happening to you. He was even fussier than a mother, and would scold you harder than a father would. But as much as his lectures become weary at times, you know that it all comes with good sentiment for your well being, and for his love for you.

Love…for being his very first friend, you supposed. The very first person who saw him through all his hardships, his achievements, seeing him at his lowest and highest. It was supposed to make you feel happy and proud that he still chose you even though it felt like he became someone so…unreachable now. Capable, reliable and an akademiya scholar. And nowadays, the word 'friend' has merely brought bittersweet feelings and nostalgia to your heart.

Love…is not something he would be thinking right now. He was busy enough taking care of the forest and the former sages as it is, and professing your long-term feelings for your childhood friend was not something you would call a wise decision. You were not ready to risk your decades of friendship for something as fickle as love…

Now I realize you were the only one. It's never too late to show it. Grow old together, have feelings we had before. Back when we were so innocent. I pray for all your love. Our love is so unreal. I just wanna reach and touch you, squeeze you, somebody pinch me. This is something like a movie. And I don't know how it ends. But I fell in love with my best friend.

But even though he was supposed to have his hands full, even though you knew the right and logical actions to never disrupt the fine line between friends and lovers, the heart is not something that was meant to be repressed. Ever. 

But what it felt like endless nights of pining, of hopeless hoping, of days of being a lovestruck fool had ended when Tighnari, finally, had enough of your indecision and tiptoeing with him. There were no grand confession like what those Inazuman novels wrote in exaggeration, nor any special place he took you aside from the secret base that you two found as children before. But it felt just as special as he kissed you without reckless abandon, having exchanged the closeness of being friends, to the intimacy of being lovers, at last. 

“...If, hypothetically speaking, would you still choose to return home when I tell you that I wanted to keep you for myself?”

(denial) enemies to lovers.

I never knew life could be like this. Never thought that I would be the one that you would kiss. I never knew love could be so rough. But now I found the real thing I can't get enough.

The first time you met the General Mahamatra, you already knew that you two wouldn't get along. It's not because of his steadfast sense of justice and persistence, or the way he apprehends scholars who broke the academic rules, no, but it's because of how he glared and scowled at you worse than the criminals he set his eyes on. 

It does scare you a bit, especially when you knew to yourself that you did not do anything that would warrant his attention. Tighnari said that your research topic is safe enough, so you don't understand why…why is he so adamant at menacingly tailing you as if you didn't know he was watching you like a hawk in the library? Does he not realise that despite his short stature, ability to sneak undetected and blend in the background, he was basically standing out? And no, it's not because your eyes literally gravitate towards him and would be the first thing that you zoomed into when you knew he was nearby. It's definitely not that.

Though when you decided to bravely confront Cyno about his suspicious behaviour around you, he merely gave you a hard stare boring into your soul, scowling, before saying it's none of your business and walking off. You have never guessed the General Mahamatra is just so rude!! 

Though when you tell this discovery to Tighnari, frowning and fuming, the fennec therianthrope hide a barely concealed amused grin with a shake of his head and told you that's just the way Cyno is when he was faced with something that he didn't know how to handle and deal with…namely, his emotions and the actions that come with it. 

You decided to ignore the sly implications your friend was conveying to you, because there's just…no way that would ever happen! Though the reddening of your ears and the loud thundering of your heart didn't escape the Forest Watcher's observant eyes.

The sweetest surprise caught me tonight, right there in your eyes while I was kissing you. So don't say that you don't love, everything you dreamed of could be here.

"It isn't like what you think!" You exclaimed, defensive, eyes filled with horror as Tighnari smugly smirked at you. "I don't like the guy! He's irritating! And bossy! He's always picking on me! The only reason why I'm thinking of him is because surely, you're a lot nicer than him, unless we talk about your sass."

"Keep your reasons, [Name]." The fennec hybrid snickered when you glared at him. "I personally think you would not feel the need to compare someone to anyone if they weren't important. Really, my parents started like that."

You felt your whole face flushed in embarrassment. "Shut up. It doesn't mean—"

"Deny it as much as you like, but there's a very thin line between love and hate, you know. All those bickering, those exchanges of offending commentaries, calling each other names…" His grin turned wicked, before his eyes darted behind you. "Who knows? Perhaps you and Cyno are merely harbouring what we like to call…hmm…yes, adoration."

"The audacity! How could I adore that guy? There's no way!!" 

Perhaps it may take time. But even though you both were in deep denial, even with the thunderous lies crossing your lips and the faux masks he wore, someday…somewhere, when the time is right and when you felt a little braver, you could finally admit that you loved him too, from the very beginning.

“When you believe me when I say I disliked you, why can't you believe me all the same when I say I love you, too?”

stuck together

…And I tried to find out if this one thing is true. That I'm nothing without you. I know better now and I've had a change of heart…

Sometimes, it does get hard taking care of him, there was no doubt about that. When you accepted the job offered to you by the Dendro Archon herself of taking care and basically being a prison warden of the "false god" that tried to take over her own country, you dreadedly knew that this was not something like a walk in the park, the one-of-a-kind job that you've never handled before. 

But for the sake of not disappointing the newly-freed Archon, you tried your best to get along with your ward. He never ever told you his name, saying a lowly mortal like you doesn't deserve to know, and the few conversations you had with him were just full of insults, cruel remarks and if he's being somber enough to ignore your presence entirely, only silence remains between you two.

This same scenario had stretched over for months, and at this point, you were certain that this boy was merely testing your patience, if that annoying,  arrogant and knowing smirk was anything to go by.

Though little by little, you noticed a bit of changes in his attitude towards you. It takes a shit ton amount of time till he stop with his cutting words, and instead of calling you a 'weak worm' just like what he loves calling your fellow human beings, he would settled with 'stupid mortal' for you instead. His condescending remarks would tone down a bit as well; and at times when he feels like it, he would even answer your questions and inquiries. His good moods were literally just him allowing only you to share under the warm shade of his hat during the rainy days or when the sun is too high.

I'd rather have bad times with you, than good times with someone else. I'd rather be beside you in a storm, than safe and warm by myself. I'd rather have hard times together, than to have it easy apart. I'd rather have the one who holds my heart.

Little by little, step by step that you barely noticed it, he would allow you to see a part of himself that he locked tightly centuries ago. During the restless nights when he was visited by nightmares he long to forget, he would wordlessly seek out your company, and you knew better than to ask him and pester him what was wrong. Deep inside, when this happened, he was grateful that you didn't pry any further. 

This was a routine that you both fell comfortably with, albeit started as a weird, and exasperating one. Cutting insults slowly turned into playful bickerings, his rude name calling became a little affectionate, and sometimes, just sometimes, he would begrudgingly allow you to hold him in an embrace to keep him grounded and sane. 

There was one time that he accidentally fell asleep on you in this position, while running your fingers through his surprisingly soft and silky hair, and the dumbfounded expression on his face when he woke up leaning on you was so worth the numbness of your body the whole night. He then proceeds to threaten you to never speak of this event ever again (especially to anyone or else!) his ears turning adorably red and his face flaming with embarrassment, to your amusement.

These moments are both precious and irreplaceable to both of you, and when the time comes that he could finally find it in himself to completely trust, to trust you fully, once again…maybe it would also be the time that he would trust you with his name, at long last.

“They're the person who held me at my weakest, their eyes saw me at my darkest, and after all of that, they're the one who continued to love me at my worst.” 

TAGLIST (let me know if you want to be added in my future works!): @samarill , @maehemthemisfit , @chocogi , @rvoulte ...

[yandereorg]

The tortured poets department

Yandere writing prompts inspired by The Tortured Poets Department, some songs I didn’t do out of it being repetitive or i just couldn’t make it work.

Feel free to request any and add your own input, I got very tired towards the end<3

Fortnight-

Imagining a past future with a brief lover, full of the sweetest delusions fueling the foulest jealousies

Quotes “And for a fortnight there, we were forever”, “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary”, “Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her” and “And I love you, it's ruining my life”

The Tortured Poets Department

Reading too much into them, obsessed even though they’re hurting themselves and you, wanting so desperately to save someone who doesn’t want to be saved

Quotes “I chose this cyclone with you”, “Who else decodes you?”, “But you're in self-sabotage mode, Throwing spikes down on the road”,and At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finger, And put it on the one people put wedding rings on, And that's the closest I've come to my heart exploding”

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

(Original & final lyrics)

Finally leaving only to be drawn back in, you’re their favourite after all

Quotes, “He was my best friend and that was the worst part.", “I felt more then, in brief moments, Than with all the Kens”, “I'm queen of the kingdoms he destroys, oh, oh”, and “The voices in his head, Ring out louder than our midnight sighs”

Down Bad

The character picking up the pieces after you ruin them, they won’t let you leave them safe and stranded

Quotes, “So fuck you if I can't have us”, “wakin' up in blood”, “For a moment, I was heavenstruck”, “How dare you think it's romantic, Leaving me safe and stranded”

So Long, London

A lover so lost in their melancholy they virtually forget about you, or do they?

Quotes, “And you say I abandoned the ship, But I was going down with it”, “I died on the altar waiting for the proof, You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days”, “I'm just mad as hell cause I loved this place”, and “Stitches undone, Two graves, one gun”

But Daddy I Love Him

When everyone says no you just want it more, a love that’s fast, so bright it’s blinding and based in tragedy you just can’t see it yet.

Quotes, “I'm telling him to floor it through the fences, No, I'm not coming to my senses, I know he's crazy but he's the one I want”, “He was chaos, he was revelry, Bedroom eyes like a remedy”, “The saboteurs protested too much”’ and “It's mine alone to disgrace”

Fresh Out the Slammer

Pretty baby their running home to you, a past causal flame returns looking for sunshine, you’re own addicted brand of sunshine.

Quotes, “Camera flashes, welcome bashes”, “As I said in my letters, now that I know better, I will never lose my baby again”, “children's swings, Wearing imaginary rings” and “And no matter what I've done, it wouldn't matter anyway”

Florida!!!

You take yourself everywhere you go, and somebody else. Is that why your problems seem inescapable?

Quotes, “And this city reeks of driving myself crazy”, “The hurricane with my name”, and “Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable”

Guilty as Sin?

Love potions, so desperate for attention you’ll fall into the arms of whoever’s nearby

Quotes, “What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh, Only in my mind?”, “fatal fantasies” and “How I long for our trysts, Without ever touching his skin”

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

Betting on their feelings might just be the end of your life, well end of a free one anyway

Quotes, “At all costs, keep your good name”, “I was tame, I was gentle 'til the circus life made me mean,” “That I'm fearsome and I'm wretched and I'm wrong” and “I am what I am 'cause you trained me”

imgonnagetyouback

They know you can’t resist, they made sure of it

Quotes, You knew the price goin' in, “hear the whispers in your eyes”, “You'll find that you were never not mine”, “Even if it's handcuffed, I'm leaving here with you”, and “Pick your poison, babe, I'm poison either way”

The Albatross

You misread the signs and the messages, fate was trying to correct course but you just kept fighting.

Quotes, “Shooting the messengers”, “One bad seed kills the garden”, “But I'd visit in your dreams” and “The devil that you know, Looks now more like an angel”

[corpsebasil]

cant get over protective but slightly (slightly is a stretch) dark knight nikolai oh GOD

playing on the Grisha Disney princess power I mentioned in a previous post— VERH SHORT BUT JUST LOSTEN

Like imagine you’re dating a knight. Lets call him….idk. Kyle. HAHA

So this Kyle fellow is paranoid of Grisha. Sir Nikolai was around during the time that women were accused of being witches for their Grisha power SO, because you have that lovely Disney Princess Grisha power where you can speak to and befriend animals, your boyfriend is scared of you.

Meanwhile Nikolai dotes on you as much as he can. He isn’t afraid of your power—never has been—and if anything is completely enamored with the way you have deer, bunnies, and cute birds absolutely wrapped around your finger. You’re like a girl from a fairytale, you know? And he’s your brave knight.

At least he wants to be.

The day he found out that his fellow knight and your boyfriend was going to attempt to kill you—witchcraft is a horrible misconception for Grisha power—Nikolai has never ridden so fast to your adorable little cottage in his life.

You’ve barely gotten your glass of wine to your lips—you planned a romantic dinner complete with all of Sir Kyle’s favorites: roast lamb, baby potatoes, greens straight from the garden, fresh baked bread with butter, the whole nine yards—when your front door just slams open and Nikolai lunges for you.

Your shriek of surprise is enough time for him to yank your glass out of your hand, his nose immediately flying to the rim. Oh god. Then his head is turning slowly—so slowly—towards Sir Kyle, the other knight staring at his superior with a pale face.

“Drink it.” Nikolai says, offering the wine glass to the knight.

“I—Sir, I—”

“I said drink it. Did I fucking stutter?”

When it’s clear he won’t comply you’re beyond confused. Even more so when Nikolai grabs the man and makes him drink it, one hand prying his mouth open while the other works at his throat, triggering the muscles for him to swallow.

Works every time.

But then.

But then Sir Kyle is gagging and shaking, foaming at the mouth as whatever poison he put into your drink kicks in. Nikolai immediately has you by the arms, holding you to him, ignoring your gasping and shocked cries for help.

“He tried to kill you.”

“You don’t know that—!”

“He wanted you dead, Y/N.” He’d grab your face harshly in one hand and force you to look at him. “You’re telling me that being able to talk to bunnies is an excuse to kill you? Look around, Y/N.” He’d grip your chin harder and force you to acknowledge the weapons and religious memorabilia your boyfriend had stored around the cottage.

Nikolai forced you to realize your boyfriend had tried to kill you. The same man that had insisted that your gift for whispering to birds is creepy and—

Hold on.

Imagine one morning Nikolai is planning to visit you (how could he not, you’re the sweetest girl he’s ever met) and he sees you reading a fairytale to about six baby deer. They’ve got their heads on your lap, your legs, cuddled up against you, your powers allowing them the ability to understand as you rub their velvet ears and giggle whenever they nibble at your dress. So freaking cute I stg.

Nikolai knows you aren’t some evil witch. He cares about you so much you don’t even know it.

But when he sees you crying over a man that tried to kill you he has no patience left. He’s digging his fingers into your cheeks and staring down at you—his love—and insisting this was the only way.

Sure enough, weeks later, you’re sitting on the ground in the forest.

Omg WAIT—DRABBLE—

You’re sitting alone, one hand running over the snoozing fawn that’s head is in your lap as you relax in the meadow, surrounded by trees and flowers as you enjoy the forest. The mother of the baby deer lays just beside you, her nose touching your leg as she dozes in the Sun.

You love these animals more than your fellow humans at this point.

The knowledge that your former lover tried to poison you is hard to ignore. You’d trusted him—loved him—and he’d wanted to kill you all because of superstition.

Not Nikolai.

You heard the sound of footsteps and looked up to see Sir Nikolai, Captain of the guard, walking slowly towards you with a basket in hand. These days the animals barely react to him. At first they’d needed lots of reassurance; since he couldn’t understand them as you could this resulted in lengthy debates over your safety, knights in general, and whether they’d be killed for sport. You’d assured them that no, they’d be fine.

So now the baby deer is snoring softly, it’s head on your thigh, your fingers trailing gently over its ears as you smile at Nikolai. He’s so sweet. So sweet. He asked you to try to teach him to talk to animals but you explained it was a skill somehow woven into your DNA. He laughed every time dozens of small birds landed on his shoulders. He grinned when your deer friends nudged him with their heads, earning boyish laughter from the knight.

He was so sweet with them.

And with you.

He sits beside you now, chin propped casually upon your shoulder as you read the story aloud. Even though your cheeks are pink and hot you continue, barely flinching when he reaches out to run his fingers through your soft, silky hair. It’s long now at this point—long and woven with flowers. When he leans in to breathe in the scent of one you pause, turning your face to look at him.

He’s so close.

God.

His grin is so utterly attractive you find yourself smiling back, one hand on the fawn’s head as you pause your story. The only reason why he doesn’t kiss you is the irritated noise the deer makes, it’s little head lifting to shoot an almost annoyed look at Nikolai.

You smile.

“They’re impatient.” You explain, tickling the fawn’s head. It’s mother is nudging your thigh with her head, making a small noise of complaint. “Such sweet creatures. You know they—”

You’re cut off when he kisses you, one hand touching your face as he leans in, pouring all of his love and devotion into the single gesture.

Of course you respond.

How could you not?

STOPPP NIKOLAI WITH BABY DEER RUNNING AROUNF HAS ME GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET

[odiesbun]

...♡Your birthday with them♡...

There may be errors in the text, as my native language is not English. Thank you for your likes and your request!

genre: fluff

warning: mention of food, gifts, love. Jake is a little rude with members? Sunghoon the cook.

w.c: 1.9k

a/n: today(20.02.XX) is my birthday, so why not if I do that part? Especially since I promised that I would post this part.

♡Heeseung♡

•In fact, I don't think Heeseung would have been someone who liked to throw grand celebrations... He preferred to spend the evening alone with you rather than in the company of people whose conversation could be heard as if a swarm of bees had settled over you.

It is for this reason that you are now sitting with Heeseung in a rooftop restaurant in the city, admiring the view, your boyfriend's handsome face, and enjoying your food.

- „By the way, I was thinking that we could continue the feast tomorrow... But I think we should rest somewhere outdoors...“ - Heeseung gives out thoughtfully, putting the cutlery aside.

- „But you've already given me so many gifts today!“ - You exclaim, indignant at Heeseung's sudden idea. Lee laughs, squinting.

- „I know, I know. But it'll be like compensation for forgetting about our date the other day, okay?“ - He covers your hand affectionately with his, smiling again.

(whoever understood the reference to my part did a great job and will personally get a kiss on the forehead from the author ;))) ).

•By the way, about the gift... Heeseung won't really bother with it. You know what he's going to give you this time? A marriage proposal.

- „Honey, I'm not a romantic for this kind of action, and I sometimes still don't understand why you fell in love with me, but...“ - Heeseung's eyes sparkle and he kneels down on one knee in front of you, wrapping his free hand affectionately around your arm and holding out the engagement ring box to you with the other.

- „But will you marry me?“

♡Jay♡

•This man has the most beautiful and romantic gifts, you won't argue with me. Besides the beautiful and expensive jewelry he's 100 percent sure to give you, his second gift will be less beautiful, but 99.9 percent likely to be useful to you in your home. Do you have a power outage at home? Jay's battery-powered lamp is the answer. Your vacuum cleaner stopped working? Jay's robot vacuum cleaner is on its way!

- „Wow, is that a lighted mirror?“ - You exclaim in surprise as you watch your boyfriend haul that thing into the corridor.

- „Yeah, that's it“ - Jay puffs, almost folding in half from the weight of the box, but when you ask him if he needs help, he denies it.

- „How did you know I wanted a lighted mirror?“ - You smirk, stopping in the doorway and crossing your arms over your chest.

- „You've been turning on more bulbs in our chandelier and constantly squinting at the lack of light. All the more reason, I thought a full-length mirror might come in handy for other things~“

•I honestly think that if Jay throws any kind of holiday party for you at your house, all the dishes on the table will be his own making.

- „Wow, you made all this yourself?“ - You raise your eyebrows, surprised at the amount of food on the tables and convinced that you'll be finishing this for at least another week or so.

- „Yeah. I figured buying cooked food at the supermarket would be pretty expensive, caloric, and there's a chance you'd either get poisoned or the food wouldn't taste good.“ - Jay smirks, hugging you affectionately by the shoulders from behind and kissing your neck.

♡Jake♡

•Jake is a big golden retriever puppy, so he will literally wake you up at five in the morning with cheerful shouts of congratulations, gifts and more.

- „Happy birthday, my prettiest, kindest and sweetest princess!“ - Jake jumps happily around the bed as you reluctantly open your eyes, your boyfriend standing in front of you and Layla, who instantly takes to licking you.

- „What time is it?“ - You ask sleepily, reaching out to the phone screen. The screen shows the time: 5:11 a.m. You fall back onto the bed with an exasperated groan. - „It's too early for me!“

- „Rise and shine, beautiful! I have grand plans for you! I have a whole evening planned just for you!“ - Laughs Sim, pulling the blanket off you with Layla.

•He'll probably only invite you and his family to the party, since he thinks it's the kind of party you'd want to spend with the people you grew up with. But at some point, things go awry and six hungry guys, led by Jungwon as leader, gifts and joyful squeals, rush into your apartment.

- „I really didn't want them to come! Honestly, I swear!“ - Jake rambles incoherently, flailing his arms and pointing at the awkwardly standing band memebers in the hallway.

- „I don't mind them being here. I'm glad to see them.“ - You smile, accepting the happy congratulations with gifts and, most importantly, the cake they all made together.

- „Thank you so much. Wow, you made the cake for me?“ - You nod appreciatively, inviting the new guests to come into the kitchen.

- „Yes. But I hope we don't all get poisoned by this cake, because Ni-ki and Sunghoon baked the cakes.“ - Jay looks incredulously at the younger ones, nodding to your boyfriend in your direction.

- „If any of us here get poisoned, you'll be eating this cake yourselves😊“ - Jake giggles, but his words don't sound as cheerful as he does. 💀

♡Sunghoon♡

•We all know Sunghoon's pranks very well, so I wouldn't be surprised if he pranks you again. And by banter, I mean he'll pretend to forget your birthday at least until the middle of the day.

You giggle as you meet Sunghoon in the kitchen. He hides something behind his back, nervously taking a few steps back and looking around, but you don't notice it, too engrossed in your joy and anticipation.

- „Do you know what day it is?“ - You giggle merrily, sitting down in your chair and dangling your feet.

- „Uh... Monday?“ - Sunghoon replies thoughtfully, watching your face change. - „What!? Did I forget something again? Why aren't you answering me? Baby!“

But as soon as your mood is ruined and you don't want to go out, wrapped in blankets and your nose tucked into your pillow, Sunghoon brings a cake of his own making into your bedroom and presents just for you.

- „What is this?“ - Your eyes widen in surprise, you look awkwardly at Sunghoon, a smile spreading across your lips. Sunghoon places the sweet on the bedside table, then holds out to you several colorful wrapped boxes of different sizes, some with an indication of who the gift is from.

- „Open it. Here are some gifts from band members, they asked me to give them to you since they couldn't make it to your birthday party this year due to our busy training schedules.“

•In fact, Sunghoon is going to give you the grandest birthday party of all. He will invite not only your immediate family, distant relatives or friends, but also close people from his side. You may not even know these people, wondering who they even are, but they will be holding out your gift with a happy smile on their face.

- „What is your mother doing here? She's gone on vacation, isn't she?“ - You raise your eyebrows in surprise, turning to Sunghoon. He takes on a playful look, smiling.

- „Yes, you're right, she really did. But once I casually told her about your birthday, she insisted on coming.“ - He shrugged, making you smile.

- „I don't know a lot of people here because they're your relatives... But thank you for giving me such a massive celebration.“ - At your words, Sunghoon gives you an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

- „Anything for you, baby.“

♡Sunoo♡

•Sunoo is the kind of person who prepares for your day in advance, talking to you about all the plans he has in mind and asking you about your gift wishes. And if you refuse a gift, arguing that it's too expensive for the two of you, Sunoo will still get you something. But he'll have to think hard and research all your interests, combining it all into one gift.

- „Wow, what's that?“ - You smile happily, accepting the gift from Sunoo. You retreat to a cozier place, for there were too many guests in the hall and kitchen as Sunoo had organized a grand celebration for you.

- „A gift from me. I'm not sure if you'll like it because you didn't say exactly what kind of gift you want, but open it soon!“ - Sunoo next to you looks like a sly, happy fox, bouncing merrily beside you. You open the gift, looking at the expensive necklace and earrings you saw in the store last week and said they were beautiful, go too expensive.

- „SUNOO, BUT THEY COST LIKE YOUR ENTIRE PAYCHECK!“

- „I know~ But your birthday only happens once a year!“ - He exclaimed, chuckling.

•Sunoo has always been a sweet and sweet boy to you, but on this day he was OWNLY sweet to you because you were his princess that day. He was ready to carry you in his arms, you know? So don't be surprised if he suddenly walks up to you and picks you up in his arms.

- „Wah, Sunoo! Let go, high!“ - You squeal terrified, grabbing onto the limbs of your giggling boyfriend. From the outside, it was like the scene from The Lion King when the monkey was holding the little lion cub.

- „I can't! You're so cute today!“ - Sunoo laughs, finally putting you down and hugging you.

♡Jungwon♡

•The most frustrating thing about this situation is that Jungwon couldn't make it to your birthday party due to a new world tour. Even so, he was able to send you a gift to the other side of the world and call you even though it was deep night on his side.

- „Cutie, hi, happy birthday!“ - Jungwon exclaimed cheerfully, waving to you on camera. The only thing that saved you in this situation was a video call. - „Did you get my present? Did you like it?“

You nod cheerfully, showing the camera the weighty box of sweets, souvenirs and gifts.

- „Yes! The delivery guy just delivered the order, I just opened it to me. Literally a minute before you called.“ - You nod happily, smiling. Jungwon's heart melts at this sight, for he wanted very much to sit next to you right now, but his career has decided otherwise.

- „I'll try to bring you something else beautiful and interesting, something you love as soon as I get home.“ - He puts his thumb up, just like «👍🏻», smiling and sending you an air kiss across the screen. - „Love you, doll.“

•Jungwon isn't too fond of grand celebrations, for that noise specifically can bore him. So don't even expect him to let you invite more than ten people to your birthday party, including you. And if you do break this rule, he will congratulate you and quickly run off somewhere far away.

- „Hey, Yang Jungwon! Let's go, your girlfriend's already opening a present!“ - Jay and the entire cast of Enhypen, who have also been invited, crowd around the door to your bedroom, behind which Jungwon was sitting, wrapped in blankets.

- „I don't want to!“ - Pulls on Yang's vowels, sighing and rolling his eyes. - „You guys are buzzing like bees in there, I'm not going anywhere!“

♡Ni-ki♡

•...Ni-ki will either sleep half the day before congratulating you, or he'll get up at four in the morning and start waking you up screaming „WAKE UP, it's YOUR BIRTHDAY TODAY, WE MUST RUN TO FIVE TIMES TODAY!“

- „What the hell are you doing?“ - You look at your boyfriend unhappily as he pulls the blanket off you, causing the cold to quickly envelope you.

- „We have to stop by the boys' dorm today, then hit the mall, the restaurant and then I have plans to take a walk in the park with you! So if you fall asleep now, you'll miss all the fun! Well, or I'll throw cold water on you.“ - Ni-ki exclaims enthusiastically as he watches you pick yourself up off the bed, making him giggle.

•You've already seen the outcome of the first situation, here's the second, as Ni-ki slept through most of the day.

You were already spinning around the mirror with your makeup and pretty clothes on, anticipating your celebration. Ni-ki was sprawled out on the bed in a star pose, but when your lipstick accidentally rolled under the dressing table with a distinctive sound, he opened his eyes.

- „Ah, you're already awake...“ - He yawned, then turned on his side and stared at you with a smirk.

- „Why are you looking at me like that?“ - You looked confused, smiling awkwardly.

- „I wanted to tell you something...“ - He sighs, coming closer and hugging you. - „Happy birthday, my flower.“

[kings0kc]

@dcsuperherogirls This is going to be a long post! There will also be some extra characters I’ll name at the end if you want to know about them to! There’s so much info I have to make a part 2😭

PART 1

Wonder Woman: Her name is Diana Prince! 17

Favorite food is Sugary cereals

Her fashion sense is athletic and practical

She is the third hero we see to have won hero of the month!

Supergirl: 15

Her favorite food is Superfood cake!

Her fashion sense is Peppy and Preppy!

She is extremely clumsy

She is the second hero we see to win hero of the month!

Her favorite band is called “Opposite Direction”

Batgirl: she/her 16

She knows martial arts

Her favorite food is also superfood cake!

Her fashion sense is Sleek,dark,practical and tech-y

She is the ninth hero we see to win hero of the month!

Harley Quinn: she/her. 15

Her favorite food is kaboom candy cupcakes!

Her fashion sense is colorful and wacky

Harley captures her classmates best and worst moments on her web channel ‘Harley’s Quintessentials’

She is the 8th hero we see win hero of the month!

Bumblebee: she/her 15

She is from metropolis!

Her favorite food is honey flavored anything

Her fashion sense is stylish with a hint of tech

We don’t see her win hero of the month BUT we do see her win hero of the year!

Poison Ivy: She/her 15

Her favorite food is bacon and eggs

Her fashion sense is green and earthy

According to the wiki it is possible that her and Harley are romantically linked it is also implied in “ha ha horticulture” that like her other incarnations Harley is possibly immune to her poisons

She is the 5th hero we see to win hero of the month!

Katana: she/her 16 and a half

Her favorite food is Chopped salad

Her fashion sense is cutting edge couture

She has an unnamed younger brother

She has a pet fox named kitsune

She is the 10th hero we see to win her of the month!

Cheetah: she/her

She is interesting, she has scribbled out so information but I can still see it👀

She is from Notting hamshire, England

Her specialty is Quick strikes and Let

Her favorite foods are Lamb Kebabs

Her fashion sense is Athletic and amazing

(There are so many more characters they might need a whole new post so here’s the characters I did not mention!

Cat women,hawk girl,star sapphire,beast boy,flash,green lantern,thunder and lighting,Adam strange,animal man,arrowette,big barda,cyborg,elasti-girl,el Diablo,frost,lady shiva, miss Martian,ravager,Shazam,silver banshee, Starfire,vibe AND all the staff)

THE THREE POWS OF SHH

Brain POWer

Super POWer

Will POWer

The classes are!: Weaponomics,history,science,physical Education,Super suit design

(Ah yes that’s all they need🤨)

SUPERLATIVES:

Most likely to save the day: Wonder Woman and bumble bee

Best Student ID picture Poison Ivy

^^ the worst: the flash

Best weapons wielder: hawk girl

Worlds best team: Supergirl and Batgirl

Best supersuit: Bumblebee

Most dynamic duo: Harley Quinn and Wondy

Bluntest Bludgeon: Big Barda and her mega rod

Sweetest smile: Starfire

Most disciplined: Lady Shive

Handsomest hero: Green Lantern

Most flexible: Elasti-girl

Most Dramatic: Star Sapphire

Most animal Magnetism: Beast Boy

Best class clown: Harley Quinn

Most likely to create mischief: Catwomen

Most Ferociously Fashionable: Cheetah

Neatest Room: Bumblebee

Messiest room: Harley Quinn

Coolest cave: Batgirl

Room that only star sapphire could love: Star Sapphire

SCHOOL CLUBS:

Junior Detective Society of Metroplis

current members: Batgirl,hawkgirl,Flash,Bumblebee

Vehicles Club

Current members: Batgirl,Harley Quinn,Supergirl, wonder women (just there whole dorm huh😭)

Science Club

Current members: Ivy, frost, star sapphire, lightning, green lantern

MODEL UP (united planets)

represent your planet at Model Up!

Current members, wonder women, supergirl, miss Martian, Starfire, Adam strange, big barda

Track Team

Current members: Wonder Woman, supergirl,flash,animal man,cheetah

Glee Club

Current members: miss Martian,silver banshee,bumblebee

School internet radio station

Current members: Bumblebee (night DJ)

Star Sapphire (relationship advice guru)

Harley Quinn (sanity checks)

Band Club

Current members: Katana,Beast boy, silver banshee, cheetah

CHESS (citizens helping extraterrestrials succeed society)

Current CHESS buddies: Batgirl and Supergirl, Bumblebee and Miss Martian, Lady Shiva and Big Barda, Wonder Woman and Starfire

[hrover5]

I want to talk about both Ed and Spanish Jackie for a second.

One of my favorite types of characters are the people who are at the top of their game, have earned a reputation as somebody you don’t fuck with, and yet with their romantic interest(s) they are just the sweetest and most loving.

@piratecaptainscaptainpirates already covered how tender and sweet Ed is when it comes to Stede. But I’d bet you that Spanish Jackie is the same way with her multitude of spouses (except Geraldo, but that’s a different story).

At first glance, you might think: she’s a powerful woman, a mob boss, she’s smoking hot, she’s got money. And you might think that that’s why she’s attracted so many lovers.

It’s not until we see the Swede just absolutely gush about how her love has changed him as a person that it clicks: Jackie loves him and treats him with care and tenderness! She’s taken steps to keep him safe, up to and including poison-training him in the event that somebody tries to cross them both!

And I bet you it’s that same love and care that keeps her other spouses by her side ❤️

[satterlly]

Well, the game came out two weeks ago, so this post is my little nostalgia about Early Access of Baldur's Gate 3, that I have spent dozens of hours having fun (╯✧▽✧)╯

I was happy, I was sad and I worried for the heroes as for myself Perhaps I liked the conversations with Astarion the most. He was a kind of lovely vampire scoundrel, whose lines sometimes made me laugh my head off :D

But…

Is it just me or did the Larians really cut a lot of content of Astrion? I distinctly remember in early access one night a vampire asked me what I preferred: a dagger, a rope or a poison. However, this conversation never happened in my game now… And there was no dialogue option get him to say "thank you" to me during the party. As well as many comments of my companions about the events of the surrounding world

I am sad if this content was cut in the final version of the game. These dialogues, these comments were the pearl not only of the main characters, but also of the very atmosphere in the game

Also, I have a feeling that Astarion used to be more sweetest during romantic conversations, while now he's more like an excellent manipulator (at least during the party)

(・・ ) ?

[roalinda]

☆Prongsfoot Week 2023 - Day 1☆

What are the first 5 things that pop to mind when you think about Prongsfoot?

Private and co-dependent 

Call them friends, brothers, lovers, it doesn't matter. They are soul mates. They are a puzzle with only two pieces. There are no intruders allowed. There is no space for another in the special thing they have. Yes, they are friends with others and have social relationships, but nothing can ever come close to what they have. No one dares, because it is impossible.

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?” 

"You, My Queen." 

"Snow White, My Queen."

Right? Wrong. 

Forget the old fairytale. The fairest of them all is Sirius Black, with his marble cheekbones and haughty expression, shiny teeth between smirking lips and satin hair, too bright to look at, too wild to tame. Vicious and sarcastic Sirius Black, the one who thrives in danger and smoke. 

The fairest of them all is James Potter, with his mischievous eyes and laughing mouth, honey and hazel shining in his irises behind the glasses like the sweetest caramel, too fast on the broom and too proud on the ground. Cruel and pitiless James Potter, the one who runs riot in exuberance and grey games.

But it doesn't matter, neither to James nor to Sirius. To them what matters is that one's reflection is the other's face, that one's voice is the other's silence. What matters is for them to be in touch and fill the unwelcomed distances. 

They are sick in the head and the heart for each other. People call it unhealthy but to them not being like that is unhealthy.

They make sense. 

In all honesty, I have never understood why prongsfoot is not a popular pairing in HP fandom. 

They make the perfect sense and any logical mind can see their potential. It's not even a possibility, it's a reality that has the strongest evidence. 

Do you want a tragic love story? 

Do you want shenanigans? 

Here, I present you prongsfoot on a silver platter. They are practically canon without the need to change in characterization or how they look. They are a perfect duo and a unique power couple.

Love, love and more love

They love each other and are in love with each other, in both senses. It's something exclusive to them, so unconditional and deep that buries them down within. They are each other's poison and medicine. They are drowned in profound sensations, breathing those in and out.

Bonnie and Clyde 

Yes, you read it right. Prongsfoot is a ride or die and until the end pairing. Make them protagonists or antagonists, heroes or villains, it won't make any difference. They are a pair of mischievous geniuses, each handsome on their own way who are blind to the others but themselves, be it romantic or platonic.

Trust and open admittance 

James - literally put his and Lily's life in Sirius' hands - Potter and Sirius - It's been fourteen years and still a day doesn't go by I don't miss your dad - Black.

@jmagnabo92

[insomniac-jay]

hi, im amrit!! summer said I could redo the outlaws post (they said they wanted to add more to it) so I was wondering if u could give me a lore drop for ur outlaws oc?

OH YES

I have four Outlaws OCs: Lilith, Daisy, Venus, and Azriel

Lilith/Hex

4th daughter of Lucifer/Satan himself. It's a long story

She's not a Demon though, she's a Fallen Angel. That means she has no claim to the throne of Hell and not that she wants it either

Came to earth during the previous Gotham gang wars as an info broker and freelance hacker for anyone who paid a good price (mind you she was like 14 in human years)

Met Daisy in school and became good friends with her

Joined the Outlaws bc she trolled Jason and threatened to leak some of his shit

Eddie is her bf

As for her role in the Outlaws, she's the tech girl and team troll. She likes to spy on people, mostly villains, by hacking into the phone lines to listen to their calls and see if there's any drama happening, her and Babs play 4D chess with multiverse time travel once a week, she could shut down the power to the entire United States if she wanted to

Lilith is also the reason Jason hates the color green outside the Joker trauma

Daisy/Paradisia

Daisy is the team nurse and the love of Artemis's life

She used to be sick a lot as a baby so her dad injected plant DNA into her since the medicine wasn't working. The plant DNA worked and she got better but she also got powers too

She teaches ballet at the local schools

Joined after treating some of the members' injuries during a really intense battle (which is also where she met Artemis; but that's for another time)

Lowkey the scariest member of the Outlaws bc not only can she control plants, she can also control bees so she's beating the baby Poison Ivy allegations

Honestly the sweetest girl ever

Venus/Star Sapphire

The Terra of the group

Venus is a #itgirl. She's a world famous DJ, she's an intergalactic hero, she's the supreme Star Sapphire, she has a doll of herself. She's just that girl

Became a Star Sapphire after she found out her ex boyfriend cheated on her

Might slowly be possessed by the ring??? Who knows

She's married to Kyle by the time she joined the Outlaws

Azriel/Ghoul

Lilith's younger (half) sister and another member

Originally met the Outlaws when Lilith was babysitting her which is how she was able to join later on

She's the half Demon. Azriel has the keys to the Demon realm (think of Lucy's zodiac keys from Fairy Tail)

She's a part of a sub group called the Kid Outlaws since she's like 13

Her and Thad (romantically) hold hands

[sissytobitch10seconds]

Crown of Thorns: My Sweetest Friend

Fandom: Grishaverse: Six of Crows, Shadow and Bone, The Grisha Trilogy Summary: Despite having already messed with the governments of both local and foreign countries, it seems like the world is never done finding things for the six of them to do. They have more endeavors to embark upon and more challenges to face, some of which may tear them apart forever. Warnings: Pregnancy, childbirth, mentions of child abuse, past sexual abuse, panic attacks, vomit, and smut Word Count: TBD (Chapter 1: 5,665) Chapters: 30 Ship(s): Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa/Jesper Fahey/Matthias Helvar/Nina Zenik/Wylan Van Eck

Archive link!

Nina’s life had changed dramatically in the space of only a year.

She had moved away from everyone and everything that she had ever known, the place where her mother had raised her, the place where she had assumed she would raise her own children. She had married a man she didn’t know and wouldn’t know for several more months. She had fallen in love with that man after gaining and losing his trust over the space of several months thanks to the work of his less-than-helpful father figure. She had watched the man that she loved be taken by a brother she had once admired an trusted before she had led their army to get her husband back. That had resulted in her momentarily reuniting with some people from her old world that she loved very much, though there was too much riding on their own missions for the time they spent together to be personal. She had hired four foreigners to help her keep her kingdom from falling into war. She had fallen ill with a poison that her husband’s chief advisor had dosed her with. Then she had been saved by a man she had barely known at the time but would fall into a special kind of love with. 

She had fallen in love with a lot of people in a year, now that she really thought about it. The first had been, of course, her husband. He was like the sun was given a body, warm and comfortable and protecting against the harshness and cold of winter and night. The second was a girl around her age with long black hair and the kindness that only a saint could possess. The third was a boy that was long and lanky, quick-witted and funny in a way that made her belly ache with laughter. The fourth was the boy that she held a special kind of flame for, the kind that felt like more than friendship but not quite like anything romantic. The fifth had been the biggest surprise to her, the one that she hadn’t expected to see. The boy was all sharp edges and harsh words meant to cut deep into her. He had held more layers than anything else she had ever encountered and she prided herself at the ability to get to his core.

Despite the challenges that had come with her position as the Queen of Kalmar, she couldn’t have asked for her life to be any different than it was. She had people that she loved, subjects that were learning to trust her, and she was cherished the way she had always been promised she would be.

The only thing that she wished that she could change was the fact that the people she loved had to leave her. She knew that it was going to happen eventually, they all had their own responsibilities and lives that they had to return to, she just wished that it didn’t have to happen so soon after they had all admitted their feelings for each other.

They had been so busy trying to make and execute the plan to prevent war with the Netherlands that they hadn’t had time to think about it. She had only realized how much she loved all those people when she was laying in bed while recovering from her poisoning, wrapped up in the strong arms of the girl with the long black braid. They had only been able to focus on each other after they were finished with the tournament and knew that their people were going to be safe. 

She and her husband were technically only supposed to have relations with people that were unable to carry or sire children respectively until they had produced one of their own. They were going to make sure that no children of their own were conceived before their heir was, of course, but that wouldn’t stop them from fulfilling their heart’s desires. They had worked out a romantic and queerplatonic relationship with the polycule that had joined them to save their kingdom in the month that followed the tournament as Inej and Nina continued to recover. Until Nina was able to bring a healthy baby into the world, they would be unable to have an official relationship in the eyes of their subjects or government officials.

It was why they were having two goodbyes. One would be in the quiet and privacy of their rooms and then the other would be on the steps that led to the carriage where her partners would be whisked away back to their homes.

“I don’t want to say goodbye to you.”

The morning was still very, very early. The sun was just barely beginning to creep over the windowsill and spill down onto the rugs, through the stained glass and iron of the frame. The birds and bugs and other critters were all still asleep in the woods that framed that side of the castle, leaving it blissfully quiet. The other side would be full of noise and life as the town rose so that they could begin the daily toiling of their life. The servants were skittering around on the floor below as they prepared breakfast and finished up the work that they had left the night before.

None of that could touch them when they were here, though, wrapped up in the safety of each other. Kaz was sitting on cedar chest that they had fashioned into a seat for him by moving the bed against the wall and placing one of the spare cushions on it. He had his leg spread out in front of him and was massaging the underside of it to get the upset muscles to finally let go and relax. Inej was spread out against the wall, toying with the end of the braid like she always did when she was waking up. Matthias was on one side of her and Jesper was on the other, both of them boxing her in so that she felt safer than she had in a long time. Wylan was on the very edge of the bed, toying with the ends of Matthias’ long blond hair.

“I don’t think any of us are really prepared to say goodbye, after all the work that we’ve had to do together and everything that we’ve been through,” Inej sighed. She turned her beautiful head towards Nina and they spent a moment like that, locked in each other’s eyes as if nothing in the world other than the two of them could ever possibly exist.

When Nina was sick, right after she had gotten her near-lethal dose of toluene, she had spent the following month in a room with Inej. The girl had seen her during all of her worst moments, even the ones that she had tried to hide from her husband. While Matthias and Jesper had been training with each other for their then-upcoming tournament, she had been the one to hold Nina’s hair back when she vomited, the one to hold Nina’s hand when her body began to convulse, the one to dry Nina’s face when everything became so overwhelming that all she could do was cry. Inej had an endless fountain of patience that she had used to make sure that Nina drank at least a single glass of water every day, to help clean her when she felt too weak to even lift her arms, and to make sure that she at least nibbled on the food that she was brought by her husband.

All of that had been given to the queen without a single thing asked in return. Nina had tried to repay Inej by holding her hand and soothing her when she had nightmares, by learning bits of her language so that Inej could finally have something familiar when she was afraid, and by giggling at the stupidity of their boys. None of it seemed like it would ever be enough. She could spend the rest of her life waiting on Inej hand and foot and it would still somehow pale in comparison to what Inej had done for her when she was sick.

“We have to go back, we cannot stay here,” Kaz said. His voice was still a dark rasp amongst the soothing sound of the embers dying in the hearth and the breathing of her partners. It should have been grating and irritating, but Nina found it soothing. It sounded like the sharp snap of a log in a fire or rocks tumbling over each other when the river was raging. It was soothing in its own way, but it reminded her every day that he was dangerous.

Kaz had been a different kind of love than she had ever experienced. She had her fair share of romances with the soldiers and princes that had come to the palace, even the maids and visiting princesses had fallen into her bed from time to time. She had always had a sharp tongue and a quick mind that allowed her to have the verbal upper hand, until she met Kaz. His words had a way of nicking her mind and skin until she figured out a way to be sharper, harder, faster. It was like a game that the two of them played with each other every time they interacted. They would push and pull at each other until the first one snapped and then they would share the most clandestine, shy looks that either of them could manage. They were so similar in a way and yet unique enough that it was like learning about herself from the upside down up.

“We technically don’t have to,” Jesper groaned, stretching his arms far above his head. Whenever he did that, he revealed the grand expanse of his belly to the room. He was all lean muscle and perfect skin, only a few twisting white scars marring his beautiful appearance. Nina longed to have her hands trail over every part of his body so that she could find the imperfection, the blemish or mark that made him look more like a human and less like a god. 

Falling in love with Jesper was something that she had seen coming from more than a mile away. It was why she had spoken to her husband about polyamory and other partners in the first place. If she was going to carry a child for any other person before her husband, it was going to be Jesper. He was quick witted in the same way that she and Kaz were, but he was softer and more flattering. He knew the right thing to highlight in every person that he talked to and that made him quite the charmer. He had a way of getting into her mind and making her feel like the most important person in the room, regardless of the fact that she was the first queen of a very powerful empire. Every time that he was around her, she felt like she was rushing through the beginning of a fairytale or a hero’s epic. It was exhilarating and fun and near addictive.

“Jes,” Kaz groused. They had been playfully arguing about their departure since Kaz ahd announced that it was something they were going to do. Apparently there was some business that they had to attend to back in Germany before they could visit again. Nina knew that she and Matthias had some things that they had to discuss before they ended up keeping their lovers close to them anyway.

She felt a bit guilty for thinking of their future like that. She loved these people so dearly already, even though she had only known them for a very short time. She didn’t want to fill them with sorrow by forcing them into her kingdom, but they were the only ones who could not leave. She wanted to have her little collection of people that she adored with her entire heart by her side at all times, but she also knew that they had dreams and lives of their own that they had to return to. She would learn how to make her peace with that, to soothe the anxiety that bubbled up under her skin whenever she thought about them being an entire country away from her. Plenty of royals such as herself made relationships with other neighboring kingdoms’ nobles work.

“We’ll be with you always, in a way,” Inej whispered. She slipped down onto the bed so that she was laying between Jesper and Nina. The boy in question gave a squawk of indignance and then reached his long arms underneath her so that one was holding her waist and the other was reaching towards Nina. Inej let out a little laugh and then inched away from him so that she could press her forehead to Nina’s while having her legs tangled together with the mess of gangly appendages that made up their partner.

“I don’t think that I’m going to be able to handle it if you say that you’re always going to be with me in my heart. I may actually bite you,” she informed Inej pragmatically.

Inej laughed, the sound filling the room with the warmth that she was looking for. It was a sound that she could hear for the rest of her life and never grow sick of. In one of the nights that was hard for her, when Inej had gone to watch Jesper practice so that she could properly encourage him, she had spoken about it with Kaz. The two of them had some mulled wine, only about a goblet full between them both, which was enough to get them tipsy. They had talked about Inej and her beauty, both through her physical appearance in the way that she held and presented herself, and everything else that made it. It was one of the first layers that Nina had ever peeled back on Kaz and it was one she was going to remember forever.

“I won’t tell you that we will always be with you in your heart then,” Inej sighed. “I’m not looking to get bitten right now.”

“Rain check, then?” Nina asked, sending a wink towards the other girl.

Inej let out a little giggle and then shuffled so that her head was tucked into the fold of Nina’s neck and shoulder. Despite their odd angle, Nina could almost feel the heat that was radiating off the other girl’s face in her embarassment. She would never do anything forward or outwardly sexual with Inej, not after seeing the way that she interacted with their boys, but she did like embarrassing her like this.

“We don’t have to leave until about noon today, but I do want to set out when we’re going to have light to travel by,” Kaz said. He turned his head towards the window so that he could observe the sun moving. His hand twitched once, twice. He then leaned down so that he could place his gloved hand on Nina’s ankle, the closest that he could be to her that day.

She had never asked him what had happened to him, why he couldn’t touch her the way that the others could. It was another layer of Kaz that she was saving for a time when they both felt more stable and secure in themselves and their relationship with each other. The last thing that she wanted to do was to break what she had so carefully spent the last two months building up. One day she would find out what it was, if it was only a phobia or if it was a bleeding wound he was trying to scar over. For now, she took what he was willing to give and gave what she thought was safe.

“What are you going to do when you get home?” Matthias asked.

“Check on my mother,” Wylan whispered. Something passed between the two of them, a kind of knowing. She saw that Jesper’s shoulders had tensed a little bit after the mention of that woman. She knew that there was a throughline of some kind, that connected Wylan’s mother, Jesper, and herself. Matthias knew what that was but hadn’t yet divulged the information to her. 

Wylan was a bit of an enigma to her altogether. He was an artist and muscian, he had played the piano and tried to teach her to sing when she was still too sick to get up but not so sick that she couldn’t talk. She felt something very strong towards him, the same way that she had towards her best friends. She didn’t want to kiss him, though, and she certainly didn’t want to fuck him. She wanted tender cuddles, shy hand holding, and conversations that ebbed long into the night with him. She hoped that one day he would want the same from her.

“We’re going to get some of our affairs in order. If you truly want us to return to you so that we can take up residency here and be your consorts, then we need to do some things,” Kaz said cryptically. “Jesper and Inej also have business.”

“We do?” Jesper asked. He shifted on the bed so that his arm was still trapped under Inej, but no longer touching Nina as he used the extra bit of length to prop himself up so that he could look at his husband.

Kaz gave him a strict look and he flopped back down onto the bed with a groan. “I was hoping that we could put that off.”

Something changed in the girl that Nina had in her arms. She went from teasing and bright to slightly annoyed but fond. Inej flipped over so that she was facing towards Jesper and asked, “For how long?”

“A couple years?”

He winced when Inej reached around and smacked him on his hip. “You are not going to put off seeing your father for that long! We’re going to talk about this as soon as it won’t ruin our last couple of hours with our partners,” Inej said with finality.

Nina and Matthias both seemed to know that they weren’t welcome to pry into what the other two were talking about. Their relationship with the other four was still new and fresh, they were still working things out. They didn’t need to know absolutely everything about the other people right off the bat, they had patience. It almost felt like a promise that things were going to last longer than a few months, to not know everything right away. Almost as if they were saving something for later on.

“I suppose that we should get up and have breakfast,” Wylan sighed. There had been some noises in the room next to the bedroom that they were bundled up in. The room they had been staying in technically only belonged to Kaz and Wylan, but since the four were guests in their kingdom, Matthias and Nina had gotten away with being around their rooms very early in the morning.

“We’ll meet you back here in just a little bit,” Nina promised as she wiggled her way out of the bed. She wobbled a bit when she got to her feet, but there were two sets of hands there to stabilize her when they noticed. She was going to miss being doted over that way, though she was eager to recover so that it wasn’t a necessity anymore. She was doing far better than she had been a month ago, and leaps and bounds better than right after she had been poisoned. She was no longer nauseous, she had an appetite for anything just as she had before she had moved away from Russia. She was gaining back the weight that she had lost in the month where she had been really bad, much to Matthias’ delight.

The only thing that was still plaguing her was the dizzy spells. She also hadn’t had a cycle since she had noticed their disappearance. It worried her that her body hadn’t returned back to normal. She didn’t really miss the bloody sheets, cramps, and general fatigue that she would get once a month. She did mind that someone had changed her body in such a dramatic way without her permission and what it might mean for her kingdom. She wouldn’t really mind if she and Matthias couldn’t have biological children, she knew that blood quite literally meant nothing when it came to royalty and love. Nina knew that it would have a huge impact on her status as the queen, she could be demoted down to a consort or scorned by her people for not being able provide them with an hier from their beloved king.

“Are you alright?” Matthias asked as one of his massive hands came to rest on her hip.

She forced a smile onto her face and then wrapped her arms around his arm to bring him closer to her. “Better than ever, my love,” she purred.

The way that his blue eyes tilted in the light let her know that he was seeing right through her. She didn’t know when she had opened herself to him enough that he could read her soul like his mother tongue, but he could. She supposed that it was good that her first husband had that kind fo ability, but it was almost unnerving how quickly he had managed it. “If you need to talk about something we can do it back in our room, I saw that frown,” he told her in Danish.

She kept the smile on her face for the sake of the others. She wasn’t going to bog them down with more of her woes, not when that was the reason that they had come to her in the first place. She was under the impression that they thought she only wanted them for their usefulness to their kingdom because that was the reason her mother had been wanted by her father. She was going to prove that thought wrong, even if it turned out that it only existed to her as the only born royal that had dealt with polyamory.

“Come, let’s go get dressed so that we can have some breakfast,” Nina said. She flipped some of her brown hair over her shoulder and then grabbed her thick dressing gown. It was the same color red that most of her wardrobe seemed to be now, the color that Matthias had first seen her in and loved to dress her in. She indulged him because she liked the way that his eyes would stray and stick to her when they were in meetings together. If she could totally monopolize the time of the people that she loved, then she would.

Matthias and Nina left the room that their lovers were sleeping in through the hidden passage. It was being used for what it was built for, at least. She had read a book about the building of the Copenhagen castle and it was clearly stated that the queen had a secret lover that she had stored in that room and would frequently visit without the king knowing. It was in the time before polyamory had become accepted among nobles to drown out the inbreeding problem that had started forming about three hundred years ago.

They entered into their room and then immediately set to work. Neither of them wanted to miss out on the precious few hours that they would have with the people that they had fallen so deeply in love with. Back when she was a child, Nina had always dreamed of having a fairytale romance where some night on a white horse would whisk her away from all of her problems. She had grown up and understood that wasn’t something that happened to anyone, let alone something that happened to actual princesses. She knew that she would be married to someone for power, either her own or theirs. She would have a secure place in the court that she ended up in and then she would make the best life that she could with what little the world decided she was worthy of being given.

Now that she was with her husband, though, she felt like half of her had found the fairytale that had always haunted her dreams. She was wrapped up in his arms at night while he whispered promises of their bright future together. The reality of the situation was that they had married for power, for the both of them, but they had also found love within that marriage.

Nina chose her outfit carefully that day so that the partners that were leaving her would remember it fondly when they were thinking back to her. She decided on a sky blue chemise that had long, embroidered sleeves and lovely bits of lace up at the neckline. The gown that went over the top of it was a deep blue that had little green and red accents, something to remember Kaz and Wylan by. The skirt was pleated and full so that it would hide the weight that she had lost for her people, even if her partners had seen it all intimately. The sleeves stopped fairly high up so that they could let the chemise shine through and the bodice was low enough that the neckline could be seen as well. There were no strings of pearls or other such gems, now was not such an occasion.

She sat down at her vanity so that she could dab a bit of makeup over her face to make herself look more alive. She was beginning to braid her hair back so she could hide it under a veil when she saw that Matthias was watching her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“You never used to put your hair up before,” he said slowly. He was wearing something that kind of matched her. He had the black and silver tunic that signified his place in the royal family, the one that he had worn to the tournament, because he had meetings for Jarl’s trial that day. He was wearing a pair of dark blue pants and sky blue leg wraps, though. His own hair was in the double french braids that allowed it to be long without it getting in his way while he was working.

“Before I didn’t have an ugly dead patch in the middle of it,” she said sourly.

“What do you mean?” he asked. He finished walking over to her and then sat down on the other stool next to her vanity.

She sighed and dropped her work down. She was struggling to contain her curls into the braids that she was attempting anyway. The ringlets had formed when she started being able to bathe instead of just washing, which made it harder to contain. “Here, feel,” she said. She brought his hand up to the frontmost lock of hair and then ran his fingers down it.

She watched his face carefully as he did so, waiting until he felt the bump from where she had gotten so, so desperately sick. It had ruined her skin, nails, and hair. The skin was the thing that returned the fastest so it was basically impossible to tell anywhere but under her eyes. Her nails and hair still showed the band of illness and poison, though.

“I don’t think that anyone will notice that,” Matthias said. “You should wear your hair how you like it, don’t hide it away because of something that he did.”

Nina paused for a moment when she clocked what her husband had actually said. Jarl Brum had been his head advisor, his mentor, and a second father to him. When she had arrived in Kalmar the two had been thick as thieves, to the point where she had been half convinced the wedding was going to happen between them instead of her and Matthias. She had known that he was upset about what his mentor had done to her and the betrayal that reflected towards Matthias, but she hadn’t know that it was that intense.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t let what he did change the way that I present myself,” she said with a sure nod of her head. She leaned forward, toying with the ends of his braids as she gently kissed his lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too, my little bird,” he whispered as he held her close. She woke sometimes to his arms wrapped so tightly around her that she was worried she would split in two. She had never said anything, though, because she knew that Matthias had suffered a massive loss when the rest of his family had perished. He had actually been close to his parents, unlike Nina.

They finished the last couple of touches that they needed before they headed down towards the dining room where the other four would already be taking their breakfast. When they entered, without knocking or announcing themselves, their partners were gathered around the table. They were dressed in plain traveling clothes because the longest stretch of their journey would be after they left Kalmar, as isolated as it was from the rest of the city-stricken world. It was quaint, in a way, and Nina could almost imagine them as a peasant polycule that had gotten married and moved in together without the political strife that it would cause if they had actually done that.

She took her seat beside Inej and Jesper, smiling across the table at Kaz. Matthias sat down next to Wylan, oblivious to the teasing that his wife was about to waylay on their partners and guests. He let her get away with just about everything that she wanted to do anyway. 

Quickly, their plates were piled with foods that they could barely pay attention to around their conversation with each other. Nina was careful to watch the reaction that the others were having to their meals since she had asked the kitchens to make something special for them all. She wanted to make sure that her partners felt loved and cared for before they had to leave.

---

When the meal was over, they all slowly made their way back up to their rooms. Kaz and Wylan finished packing the things that were private and that they didn’t want the staff to find. As soon as all of the things were tucked back into the bags and chests that they belonged in, Matthias slipped out so that he could have some of their staff get the carriage prepared for them to leave. They spent the ten minutes that took carefully tucked away in Nina’s favorite drawing room, talking about how they would communicate with each other while the others were away.

The walk down the long staircases and dark hallways so that they could reach the grand entrance where the carriage would be felt like it took forever and not long enough. Nina knew that the moment they reached those grand doors and saw the outer garden, she would be saying goodbye to people that had been with her during the hardest time of her life. It was a necessary evil, but not one that she really wanted.

The kisses and hugs that they could all manage with their own level of touch-sensitivity had happened back in the drawing room, so all of the loving messages had to be conveyed in the undercurrent of professional words. Nina was glad that she had learned those when she was studying back in Russia, even if this was the only time that she had ever actually had to use them.

The group stopped in front of the open grand entrance, Nina and Matthias on one side while the other four stood facing towards them. She stepped forward and then took Inej’s hands into her own. She searched the other girl’s face for what emotions might be going through her but Inej was hiding them well. “Thank you so much for all of your help,” she murmured before she brought her into an adoring hug.

While they embraced, Matthias stuck his hand out for Jesper and said, “You will be well compensated for what you have done for my kingdom. We are in your debt.”

“Don’t think anything of it,” Jesper said easily as he took the hand. He used it to bring Matthias in for a hug. Nina marveled at the difference in how they hugged now compared to how they had hugged back when they were in the privacy of frosted windows and locked doors. This hug was short, a couple of slaps on the back with hands between them so that only their shoulders were touching. When they were back in the drawing room, they had hugged for longer and savored every bit of contact that they had gotten.

Nina released Inej and then turned to Wylan, grasping his hands. “Thank you for all of your careful help during these past two months. I owe you my life.”

“I would do it again in a heartbeat, Your Majesty,” Wylan replied with a careful bow of his head. Kaz also bowed before he walked down the steps towards the carriage, leaning heavily on his cane because his leg was acting up again.

Nina and Matthias returned to each other, standing on the topmost step of the staircase that led into their home. They watched in silence as Jesper, Kaz, Wylan, and Inej piled into their carriage and then began to drive away.

She knew that they would be back and that they would still talk to each other in the time that the other half of her heart was gone. She knew that this wasn’t goodbye forever, but it didn’t do much to soothe the ache that was eating at her heart.

[deviantly-inspired]

They tell their new allies that their name is Tav...

...which is a lie, of course. It's safer this way, another layer of distance between them and their fellow tadpole-infected merry band of misfits. Tav is an alias that's easy to slip into; it's the closest to the person they want to be. Someone kind, soft; a little innocent but a lot mischievous. It's a gentler version of the truth of them, if there even is such a thing anymore. Sometimes it feels like there's a different version of themselves every day. Other days, Tav wonders what the point of trying at all is.

Tav is kind, and good, with a past they don't share. They talk fast and insults slip from the tounge like the sweetest poison. They rally allies and switch easily into being whatever their allies need the most at that moment. It's an easy mask, closest to who they wish they were.

Sometimes, they slip, just a little. A snarl a bit too-sharp. Words a bit too cutting. Sometimes they wake with a gasp in the middle of the night that has nothing to do with Astarion and everything to do with half-remembered faced and hands that reach, touch, grab, push, hit, pull for them. They walk those night to where they can see the sunrise and remind themselves that they are Tav, now, and watching sunrises is the sort of bardic romantic notion that they would do anyway. Enough time staring at the shifting colors stills their hands and the smile slips easily back onto their face when they return. Tav is easy to be.

Sometimes, they think their new friends might suspect. Words curl a little differently some days. Touches are either more free or more still. Sometimes, Gale creates shooting stars in the sky for their little band of misfits and it's enough to still Tav's hands. Others, Karlach or Wyll will draw them into a dance until all they can do is laugh and laugh. Astarion loves an audience and will pester until they get one; Tav is usually his victim in this but the poetry is always smooth and slow and watching Astarion play up the lines or mock poor prose is always a good distraction. La'zel will draw them into sparring, and Shadowheart will roll her eyes and drag Tav into brewing more potions.

Tav is their face. It's easy to step in front of them when outsiders get too close. It's simple enough to step or shift when eyes linger too long on a friend with intentions that feel less than innocent. They're Drow; it's not hard to draw ire from the surface dwellers when their hands begin to twitch towards their weapons.

Once, Astarion was caught with his hands in some nobel's purse. It was second-nature, easy as breathing to shift, sigh, make their many bangles chime against one another until the nobel was turning from Astarion's high-brow features and finer clothing towards the Drow in patchwork leather and cocky chip on their shoulder. Easy to step between Karlach and snarling brigands, Wyll and interested looking monster hunters, Gale and wizards with more magic than sense, La'zel and and those who'd name her traitor.

Tav is easy to be, a mask closest to who they might have been had the world been kinder. It's easy to care as Tav, so much so that as they watch the sun rise over Baldur's Gate, the end of their long journey in sight at last, they aren't even surprised to sense the presence of their friends joining them.

"You ready to go, Tav?"

They hum, summon a bit of magic to the tune. Just enough to wake their muscles a bit more, enough to still their hands. The red skies are fading into the blue of day. They glance back, at their... friends.

Maybe they didn't start this life as Tav, but maybe they could end it as them. How much difference is there between the person you want to be and the person you are? That had seemed so important, once.

"Yes. Let's go."

[loosesodamarble]

Hiya Erika 🥰🫂💕!! For thr fruit ask game, may I ask for; 🍓, 🍑, 🍒, and 🫐 please?

🍓 - What’s a fic you’ve written you feel is underrated?

Since they're so short I'm going to highlight two underrated fics of mine. They were both written as part of Whumptober back in... 2021. (Hnnnnghhhh.... Wow they're older than I thought.)

The first focuses on the theme of Refusal to Let Go. The second's theme is Curses. Both pieces center on Josele. (All my Whumptober pieces had been oc centric because I wanted to work on my ocs at the time.)

They're downer pieces but they give insight on Josele and her grieving process.

🍑 - If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work?

😈 Nyeheheheh~!

Nacht and Code Realize. So many of the men from Code Realize carry burdens in their hearts the way Nacht does.

Sin, guilt, redemption, and forgiveness come up multiple times in multiple routes. And what do you know, those are big themes in Nacht's story. Love that for him. Just give him a steampunk aesthetic and then he can join in on the fun that the Code Realize cast has.

Nacht has especially strong parallels to Herlock Sholmes from Code Realize. Looks aside, they're both kinda but not really at fault for the death of a loved one. In Nacht's case it's his own brother. And in Herlock's case it's the wife of his bff John Watson. Oof. Both pretty much cut themselves off from their friend for years. When the friend duos are united, there's no anger or hatred, there's just the desire to see the "guilty" party safe, happy, and healed. Nacht and Herlock, two peas in a pod.

🍒 - What’s you favorite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!)

Maybe my brain is poisoned by modern media and the overuse of quippy characters but I do like writing character dynamics where the roles of "the sane man" and "the one being weird" is passed around in the group. I like when characters, depending on their situation, vary in their silliness/seriousness.

My favorite example of this would be the cast of Variable Barricade. Hibari, Ichiya, Taiga, Shion, and Nayuta all have moments of being sensible or being silly and clueless. One early moment for the whole group is when the guys try to host a barbecue but EVERYTHING goes wrong because Nayuta keeps barrelling Ichiya over, Shion pours oil on a fire, and Taiga kicks over the grill that is on fire while trying to put it out. And poor Hibari watched in poor horror before destroying the men verbally for their incompetence. My favorite moment for the whole group.

But later on, when Hibari and a given love interest are acting in quite infuriating ways (I'm looking at you Nayuta route!/lh), the others guys step in to try and get things moving along more smoothly.

🫐 - What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

Nacht's friendships aside from Yami and Asta in the Bulls. I very much believe he'd be close with people like Finral, Gordon, Grey, Nero, and even Henry. (And maybe I'd even like a romance between Nacht and Finral that's something else.)

I see reasons for Nacht to befriend all of them. Nacht and Finral share the stress over seeing their squad be so destructive. Gordon and Nero's histories are painted by Forbidden Magic similarly to Nacht. And then Grey and Henry are amongst the sweetest and least judgemental of the crew (Gordon is that way too) and Nacht could from their kindness (as well as benefit from it).

[sailorstarr-chan4]

40 Day Anime Challenge 2023 Edition - Day 22: Healthiest anime couple

Zen x Shirayuki (Snow White with the Red Hair)

Synopsis: "Shirayuki was a young girl born with unique apple-red hair. She meets a famous but foolish Prince Raji, who falls in love with her at first sight and orders her to become his concubine. With nowhere else to go, Shirayuki cuts her hair and escapes to a neighboring country. While traversing through the forests, she meets a young boy, Zen, who helps her after she boldly cures his wounds but then gets poisoned by an apple given to Shirayuki. Meanwhile, Prince Raji sends out henchmen to search for her. What will happen to Shirayuki? What is Zen's true character? A fantasy story between an optimistic heroine and a prince who constantly stays on her watch."

~

These are just..... perfect. There's no other word to describe them. They are Literal Couple Goals. These two made what would ordinarily been a dull, but harmless anime into one of the most romantic, refreshing, sweetest series I've ever had the privilege to witness. I feel like anime (let alone media as a whole) often jumps from one extreme to the other when it comes to writing romance: either the Slowest Burn to Ever Slow Burn or Insta-Love. The in-betweens are usually previously established relationships, so we don't really see the blossoming of their love, except maybe in flashbacks or narration, if we're lucky.

Zen and Shirayuki are somewhere in the middle, though you could argue they fall closer to Insta-Love. BUT! They still take their time! There's a spark in the beginning, yes, and Zen falls for her faster than Shirayuki comprehends her own feelings, but there's no pushing or dubious consent. All romantic moments are in the mutual heat of the moment (ie, a hug after an intense moment, their first kiss, etc), and though there's classic "prince going after his damsel" moments, it's the natural course of events with their characters and relationship, not forced or uncomfortable.

Romancing aside, they also just respect and trust each other so implicitly, it's a huge reason why their friendship is the key factor to them falling in love. They are bot strong, idealistic characters, but admit to each others' faults when in each others' presence, and build each other up. There's no needless bickering or insults; even their arguments are respectful and mature, because they'll apologize when they overstepped a line.

But to me, here's the part that astounds me the most: it's commonly said about healthy relationships in fiction is that while they are VERY much the ideal in real-life, in fiction, they're often...... well boring. Often the healthier relationships in fiction have either extreme circumstances to test their love, are Power or Warrior Couples and mostly work as a team not traditional lovers, or are so Wacky, Over-the-Top, and Unorthodox in their shenanigans that they are memorable by default. But plain old normal healthy couples that are memorable and relatable? Not so common.

Whereas, Zen and Shirayuki have all the makings of a Bland, Forgetful Run-of-the-Mill couple, but somehow???? they're not??? Maybe it's because of the great chemistry between the voice actors, or the fact that there are some moments of outside circumstances trying to get in their way to spice things up, or maybe Obi's presence adds to the tenion (Obi is Shirayuki's bodyguard, who has an unrequited crush on her). But Zen and Shirayuki THEMSELVES never once doubt each other and go out of their way to communicate clearly, and that I think is what attracts me to them so much.

While it's all well and good to have relatable couples (those should be the default to keep fiction interesting, don't get me wrong), I don't mind the occasional Ideal Couple, as long as they're likable, memorable, and ACTUAL good representation of what a good, healthy relationship is all about.