#she’s looking behind herself in this case

[ahhnini]

general headcanons with sevika! (relationship ver.)

a/n - this is taken place post arcane canon!

warnings - angst, men and minors dni, strap use, thigh riding, I am aware this is lowkey kinda ass I wrote this in a yearning frenzy at 3 am last night.

sfw

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ I imagine she smells woody, almost piney with a hint of that sweet pinecone scent. it’s subtle, and it doesn’t overwhelm your senses. only when you’re cuddling her can you smell it. and she smells like home.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ surprisingly a homebody. when she walks down the streets of the undercity she gets flashbacks to harsher memories, so she prefers to stay home with you and make new, better ones.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ however, she feels conflicted. zaun is her home, where she grew up in, so sometimes she forces herself to walk along the alleys where she’s seen so much blood been shed. it’s her home.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ she rants to you about the council members, telling you how pretentious they are and how she hates working with them. you listen, pouting at her frustrations.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ since she works at piltover now, she sees vi sometimes, and her heart clenches because she resembles jinx. you’ve made a small tribute to her, as well as isha in your shared home.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ she is so protective of you. always an arm wrapped around your shoulder or waist when you two go out. she doesn’t let you out of her sight.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ she’s so so so pouty!! :( when you visit her in her councilor’s office sometimes, you see her pouting over her desk looking at the cases. and it’s so adorable. she also pouts when she sleeps!!

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ speaking of sleep, she’s a soft snorer, but heavy sleeper! you two could literally be living next to a train station and she would not move at all. however, if you move, then she’s gonna wake up right away.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ lowkey an insomniac. the only way for her to get comfortable is to have you by her side.

nsfw

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ okay, we all saw and heard how sevika literally GROWLED when cait bit her hand…and I have a LOT of thoughts about that…

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ LOVES when you challenge her in bed. brat tamer to the max!!

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ her fav position is where you’re sat on her lap, she’s manspreading, and she watches you ride her thigh :3

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ she would snake her metal arm around your back, the coolness of the material making you shiver. her other hand would gently caress your face, her soft touches making you feel loved.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ she lovesss seeing you beg for your orgasm, she loves having that sense of control over you. even when you did nothing wrong, she’d still make you beg to cum.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ this is so obvious; her strap game is insane. she’d manhandle you so easily on the bed, pushing your face down on the pillow, pushing into you inch by inch, bending down to whisper in your ears.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ she’s relentless with you, pounding into you fast and hard, bottoming out each thrust. but if she knows you’ve had a rough day, she’ll be gentle towards you. kissing down your body, moving her hips slowly.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡ ˚ gives the sweetest aftercare. she runs a bath for the both of you, carrying you with her muscular arms into the tub. she sits behind you, massaging your body and scrubbing you down, eyes full of love.

PLSS I NEED THIS MIDDLE AGED WOMAN SO FUCKING BAD

[startaegi]

ON THE RUN, cho hyunju. 【 CHAPTER 01 】

⤑ pairing, cho hyunju x fem!reader

⤑ synopsis, where secret-not so secret lovers, hyunju and yn find each other in the unlikely of places.

⤑ series masterlist, on the run.

⤑ chapter two, coming soon!

⤑ notes, hi welcome to my first fic on here! i haven’t written anything in years but i couldn’t not write something for my girl bcos she deserves all the love. anyways enjoy, i hope it isn’t too bad!! 🫶🏻

⤑ taglist, @etta-huracan (if you would like to be added let me know)

The day seemed to pass slowly. You spent most of it watching the hours tick by. Midnight at Hangang Bridge the robotic voice had said when calling the unknown number two days ago, a number from a card you'd received from a well dressed man in Sinchon station. Your face was still slightly bruised from that interaction, you had never been the best at playing ddakji. It was 30 minutes until 12 and you knew if you didn't leave now, you wouldn't make it on time. As risky as it was you weren't missing out on the opportunity to potentially win life changing money.

You unplugged your phone from the charger and switched off the broken lamp that did nothing to light your room. The apartment was small, all contained in one room minus the bathroom but it was the best you could get with what you have. You slipped on your shoes, eyes scanning the place one last time and eventually landing on the fridge. The note she had left was still there, her messy handwriting followed by little hearts in the corner, you could picture her folded over the kitchen island, a little smile on her face as she doodled her love onto the page. You missed her more than anything.

You quickly pulled yourself together closing the door behind you. A noise to the left startled you, keys almost falling from your hands. The sweet lady who owned the building with her son was hiding herself from view of the streets, the curtains slightly moving from the wind. "Hi, Ajumma" You called.

She turned with a smile on her face, backing away from the window. "Oh hello Y/N love" She replied. 

"Are you okay?" You questioned. It wasn't like her to be roaming around the halls so late in the night especially at her age.

"I don't want to worry you" She said hesitantly. You froze, mind instantly going to Hyunju. Did she finally come by? "Those same men where outside again, no good for nothing they are" She seethed.

Your heart sank. "Oh"

"I've been keeping an eye on them just in case but looks like they're gone now" She said, walking alongside you towards the exit. "You're leaving late? Everything okay?" She asked.

You nodded. "Going to visit a friend for a while, i'll be back in time for rent payments" You assured her, the last thing you needed was to be evicted.

She patted your shoulder affectionately. "Don't worry about that, you go have a nice time" She smiled. "You deserve it"

You paused for a second, words caught in your throat. "If-" You started. "If you see Hyunju can you tell her i'll be back soon? Tell her not to go anywhere, please" You practically begged. It would be just your luck, the moment you leave she would appear again.

Her eyes softened, a look of sympathy flashed across her face. She nodded, caressing your shoulder again. "Of course I will sweetheart. You still haven't heard from her?" She questioned.

You shook your head. It had been 30 days, an entire month since you last seen the one good thing in your life. You were left with a text message, one you'd read more times than you could count, one you could recite by heart if asked. She was leaving but she'd be back soon. At first you were angry, how dare she leave you after everything you'd been through together, with just a message through a screen. Then the days turned to weeks and your anger became worry. Where was she? Why wasn't she returning your calls or texts? You didn't want to expect the worst but in the country you lived as the people you both are, being alone wasn't a good idea. You lost sleep, your headaches not that you thought they could, somehow became worse. Your medication bottles became empty and your pockets just the same. You only hope she'll be back by the time you return and this time you'll have a bank balance enough to get you out of this place.

You finally left the building when another resident entered, distracting the older woman and making your exit, but of course not forgetting to say goodbye. The rain was heavy, bouncing against the cracked pavements. The silence is eerie. The broken street lamps flicker casting shadows on the wet pavements, your jacket doesn't have a hood leaving your hair to get drenched by the midnight drizzle. You scan the roads, no cars or people in sight. An overwhelming feeling of anxiety washes over you, a familiar sensation that mostly greets you in the night.

You don't have time to dwell on it as a beam of headlights approach you. A silver car pulls up beside you, the passenger side window rolls down. You're taken back at the person sat in the driver seat, face concealed by a black mask. They're also wearing a pink suit, their entire body hidden.

"Name?" The masked person questions.

"Y/N L/N" You reply, droplets of rain falling against your open lips.

They don't reply instead the back door clicks open. You quickly slide into the empty seat shielding yourself from the rain. You push the wet hair from your eyes only then noticing other people sat in the seats around you, seemingly asleep.

"Uh, excuse me?" You ask the masked driver. "What's-" You stop mid sentence, suddenly it becomes harder to breathe and a mysterious mist fogs your eyesight. You struggle to move your mouth, your entire body feels heavy. You feel the jolt of the car starting again and before you know it you're being sent into a slumber completely unaware of the hell that awaits you.

[star2fishmeg]

CONGRATS ON 1K 🥳

Could I request Quinn Hughes helping reader through a stress breakdown + #13?

Thank you for requesting <3

FLUFF #13 "You came." "You called."

📞 dialling…

Quinn had never gripped his steering wheel harder in his life. Never had been so impatient and desperate to get back to his apartment before. He’d never burst through the front door, dumping his bags and almost tripping through his hallway like he had after he saw the notification back in the rink’s locker room. The second he opened his phone after practice and saw her name on the ‘missed call’ notification, his stomach dropped drastically, and all clothing and equipment was shoved into his bag without much care.

Following the sniffling, he peered into his living room, slowly and quietly stepping closer to y/n curled up on his sofa, as if she were trying to melt into the back cushions from how tight she had pressed herself against them, like she was trying to get as far away from her laptop that sat on his table behind her and curl up into a ball. He thought for a second that the way she had positioned herself, she didn’t want to look at the device she usually would be working from when he got home, her eyes red and wide, wet with glistening cheeks, choked sobs falling from her chest staggered.

Taking a seat next her, lips pulled into a compassionate frown, Quinn wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her onto his lap and holding her to his chest, “Sshh, I’m here, darling, I’ve got you.”

For some reason, one she could not explain, she cried harder, a lump in her throat that was cured by wails and uncontrollable tears as she melted into his hold, tucking her head into his collarbone and letting his voice and hands sooth her. His heart ached, a sting in his chest as her hand clutched his hoodie.  

After allowing herself to fall into vulnerability, safe in his warmth, y/n sniffed, eyes bleary and grip on his hoodie loosening. Quinn’s hands remained soft, caressing over her back and placing gentle kisses to her head. 

“You came?” she croaked, voice only loud in the silence of the apartment. 

His hold tightened, wiping her cheek with his thumb and gazing softly into her eyes, “You called, why wouldn’t I come?” 

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry I…I know not to call when you…you’re at practice but, but-�� the words seemed to blurt out into breathless sobs, the kind that had her ugly crying where strings of saliva coated her lips, and she sniffed every few seconds to spare the embarrassment of getting mucus all over him. 

“No, no. It’s okay, you can call me whenever you need.” He cooed, leaning back into the cushions. 

He didn’t need to ask what she meant; they’d been together so long he just knew. She would never call him during practice unless it was an emergency. Not that he’d pick up until he’d re-enter the locker room, but y/n had a stone pride, a fear of asking for help and case of responsibility she felt obliged to even when she wasn’t. Being a hard-worker and carrying a weight were two different things and she couldn’t tell the difference, which led to situations like Quinn had walked in on. Y/n wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t out of desperation and the only time she ever called was when the weight of her stress crushed her into a mental and emotional collapse.

The sobbing gradually dulled into sniffing, y/n staring into space while he stroked her hair, “Do you wanna talk about it? Or I can run a bath with the candles? Or we can just cuddle and watch something?” 

She didn’t ask a lot from him. Just to be held when she needed him the most and to let her hold him. And that intimacy was enough for her heart to slow into a peaceful rhythm.

“It’s too much, Quinn.” Her voice was strained, cheeks hot from her outburst. Yet, he didn’t know how long she’d been crying and panicking for until she called, and that pained him the most. “There’s so much work to do and so little time, but if I don’t do it, I’ll let everyone down and they’ll hate me and I’ll lose my job and-”

“-and you don’t have to do it alone. Why don’t we take a bath, cuddle on the couch and we can talk it through?” 

She’d never met a gentler man in her life. She’d seen him tussle on the ice, throw a punch or two but that never made it outside the rink. He never raised his voice, never left any argument unresolved and his voice was always softer with her, whether he knew it or not. His arms, his warm and inviting arms paired with him knowing exactly what she needed without her saying a word broke away the distress chip by chip.

Shaking her head wearily, her lip quivered, “No, Q, you don’t have to go through all that, I can handle it, I swear. You’ve got your own things, I’m just overreacting, I’m fine, it’s fine. Yeah.”

“Y/n, look at me.” Quinn pulled her away from his chest, hand cupping her cheek and bringing her head to look him in his eyes. “Breathe. You’re not going to do this alone. I’m here for you and I love you, I will do whatever it takes to make you feel better, okay?”

She nodded, his thumb wiping away any excess tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat, breathing in for five seconds and exhaling for another five, just as Quinn taught her. Soft lips pressed to her temple, and she gave a small smile, leaning against his chest once again.

[456-is-the-way]

Hi! I love your fics so much! Gi-hun definitely needs more love, I mean come on, so here it is. Could you maybe write something about the reader being a foreigner and she was in the games when Gi-hun first was and they feel in love there and won together, so now they live in the Pink Motel together and make a plan about the games where Gi-hun returns to the games as a player and reader somehow infiltrates herself into the games by being the triangle guard and watches over them (kind of like what Hwang Jun-ho did) and during the player's rebellion she stays and he captures her along with the other triangle guy and then takes her mask off and Gi-hun realizes that it's her. They reunite really sweetly and she helps him to try and stops the games during the shootout. You could maybe even include the very ending where the Frotman kills Gi-hun's frined, like how would that scene in that case play out.

Thank you so much, love u 💚

FIRST OFF OMG WHAT IS WITH THIS FUCKING AMAZING PLOT IDEA. Seeing this I am going to be honest it's giving me an idea for a 5 part series. I dont want to stuff all this into a quick response a one shot wouldnt do it justice. If you wanna lokwey dm me I'll tag you in the comments , tell you when its done or just look on my page because this is a really good freaking plot idea !!! So imm be cooking this one I love Gi-hun. He is hot daddy. Ngl. 👀 but yeah I should be cooking up a start for this maybe around Friday it should be posted because this is behind 4+ other requests i have but I do want to give this spot light so yall keep looking at my posts !! Ahhh!!

[kyunniebuns]

˗ˏˋ Entry : 055 - Big Brother! Sylus x Little Sister! Reader ◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡ ˎˊ˗

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚ 𝕊𝕪𝕝𝕦𝕤 ˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

‼️[ tw: contains some spoilers for his myth except i dont fully understand but all ik is waw dragon man ayeeee. Child abuse mentioned as well as human trafficking. Murder and body horror. pure fluff ending btw....]‼️

╰┈➤ ❝ [ Hush Little Bird, Brother is Here to Keep You Safe ] ¡! ❞

Sylus had finally awaken from a long and tiring slumber that felt like he would be asleep for an eternity. But somehow he had awaken... In a body of a child.

His tall and proud body reduced to a bunch of stick and bones. He's wearing an oversized white shirt. He takes a deep sigh and decides to look at his reflection on a puddle.

Surely enough, he still has the bloody crimson eyes and the same silver hair except his masculine body is that of an 12-year old's.

Great.

Just great.

He died a miserable death in the arms of his beloved and yet here he is in the body of a child.

How the hell is he supposed to survive in this case?

"...."

Sylus takes a deep sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose.

He needs to figure out what the hell to do before setting off to look for his dearest.

He'll figure it out.

He has to.

꒰ .... ꒱

Sylus managed to figure out how the world works through some snooping and watching other mortals go about their days. He figures out that the 'city' he resides in is known as the n109 zone. It's an underground city similar to the slums of his time full of crime and well... Danger.

Not that he's afraid of course.

Sylus had already managed to make a living through street fights and occasionally stealing from oblivious passerbys.

What else can he do for now anyway?

It's demeaning in his honor as a proud dragon who once guarded a cave of luxuries but he needs to live.

This city he's in leaves everyone struggling in it's murky alleys.

It was either he succumbs to it's mercy or he overcomes everything as the topdog.

Survival is his priority if he wants to find that person again. He needs to make a name for himself and secure money in order to live in this brutal world where anything and everything is after his throat.

Cough... Cough....

He hears small sounds coming from behind a slanted signboard abandoned on the side of the alleyway. It sounded like it comes from a little girl.

Against his logic to leave it alone incase it might be a catfish pretending to be a helpless child— Sylus cautiously approaches the sign board and peers underneath it.

And there, he finds a little girl all ruffled up with her hair sticking everywhere, dressed in a makeshift adult shirt covered in grime and dirt.

Sensing his snooping, she lifts her tiny little face and looks up at him with her wide and tired beady eyes.

"...." Sylus stares back at her for a while before reaching behind him and handing her a pack of crackers.

After that, he just gets up and leaves her be.

What good is there to bring deadweight on you? She's a child, she'll be a hindrance to him. Giving her some food should sustain her enough to survive a few more days.

꒰ .... ꒱

Maybe he shouldn't have helped the little girl back then.

It's been three days since she started following him around whenever he's out to pickpocket or get into street fights to make some money.

She's a stubborn one.

But a clever little girl too.

She knows how to utilize her small body well to hide herself from the adults and everyone else. She never once got him into a tricky situation.

Oddly enough, Sylus had a feeling she knew more of the city than he did since she always manages to pop up anywhere he is and disappear just as fast whenever she senses danger.

At least he doesn't have to worry about her getting mixed up into the mess he gets himself into.

... Why is he worried about her anyway?

Ugh.

Anyway.

Sylus just finished one of his matches and secured a hefty sum as well as some food to sustain himself with.

Humans in this age are really fragile bastards. How come they're shitty at even the most basic fight? Their fighting forms are all over the place and it's pure bullshit they call themselves proud fighters!

They mind as well frolic in the arena waving their stupid delusions of being top fighters.

It irritates him to no end that they are no match eve a twelve-year-old's body but atleast he has it easier in building himself a name in this shitty place.

"You're here again, sweetie" Sylus said coolly as he lifted a cardboard box where the little girl was hiding herself in while watching him fight. "Aren't you scared someone might sit down on this wobbly box and crush your cute little body?"

"..." She starts giggling as she shows him a toothy smile with a missing front tooth.

'Does she think I'm playing with her?' Sylus thought as he watched her jump in her steps when she stood up and took his hand with her smaller ones.

The little girl started dragging him by his hand and leading him somewhere.

"You..." Sylus sighs and lets himself be dragged by her.

He followed her through winding alleyways and even went so far as entering a pipe just hanging in the backside of the tall buiding of n109 zone. When they came out of the dripping and dark pipe, they arrives at a makeshift base made in a withered and empty building.

It's lightsource is nothing more than a flickering light bulb and the contents of the little fort held up by sticks is a small blanket serving as a bed and a ruined bunny plush that is covered in dirt and dust.

"!!!!" She rummages on a box she had stashed under the blankets and pulls out a piece of bread then offers it to Sylus with twinkling eyes. "Brother... Eat!!!"

He was quite for a little while, scrunching his nose at her little action.

Regardless, he takes it and takes a small bite out of it before shoving the bread to her little mouth.

"Much appreciated, sweetheart" He said, glancing at her with less hostile crimson orbs. "But I'd rather you eat this."

Sylus made sure she finished the food before laying down on the makeshift bed, crossing his arms behind his bed.

He didn't have shelter yet, and since the little girl was so kind and naive enough to lead him to her hideout— What else should he do but rest? He has a lot to do tomorrow and he cant go around sleeping on the streets like he usually did.

So mind as well, right?

꒰ .... ꒱

In contrary to his previous thoughts, he ended up taking care of the little girl who always followed him around quietly or running behind him calling him "Brother, brother!" with that awfully cute voice of hers.

She's just like a stray kitten that he can't shake off no matter what he did.

Does he push her away? A few days back he would have, but now?

Yeah. No.

Absolutely Not.

It's another day of pickpocketing and petty street fights.

Sylus knew his shenanigans are going to catch up to him, but does it have to be so soon?

"Ack!" Sylus groans as he was hit with a pipe straight to his stomach.

He curls himself on the floor, panting heavily as he tries to school himself.

'These... Bastards!' He curses at them repeatedly in his head.

The fuckers followed him all the way to the back alley and ganged up on him in revenge for humiliating them in the previous fights.

"Fucking little shit" One of the men scowls, inhaling his smoke then stomping it out on the floor after blowing it out while his face is black and blue from being hit by Sylus earlier. "That son of a bitch put up a fight despite already being tired. What the fuck is he anyway? A fucking monster?"

"Shit, that must be it" Another sneers, kicking Sylus's stomach when he was already down. "What should we do with the bitch anyway?"

"Break his fucking legs, maybe even cut off his arms"

They laugh wickedly at that, making Sylus feel more pissed off at them.

"B-brother!" He hears a familiar voice crying out for him.

"What the hell?!" Another one of the group grabs the girl by yanking her back by her hair. "Why is there another rat here?"

"She's young?" The main perpetrator moves forward, ignoring Sylus's hand that grabbed his ankle to try and stop him.

"Don't touch her!" Sylus yells desperately, coughing out blood when his head was slammed down on the pavement.

"Must be his sister?" The one holding his head down laughs.

"Nah, I see no resemblance, this bitch looks like trash" The head man yanks the little girl's face. "She's around 5 or six? Maybe even younger? Either way, she'd fetch a good price at the black market"

"!!!!" She wriggles out of his hand and bites it, causing the fucker to pulls his hand out and hiss at the sharp pain.

"Fucking dipshit! She's just like that brother of hers!"

Sylus's eyes widened when he saw the same hand raise itself— About to hit her.

'Wake up.'

'Wake up.'

'WAKE UP'

'I'M TELLING YOU TO FUCKING WAKE UP!'

Boom.

An explosion suddenly resounded in the otherwise decrepit alleyway.

The hand that was holding Sylus down exploded, blood splatter painting the walls and falling onto his dirty silver hair.

He stands up, breathing heavily as crimson black wisps covered himfrom head to toe. Blood dribbles from his mouth to his chin, creating a wicked image with his bloodshot eyes.

The men attempt to scatter and call for help, but they only ended up having heads either severed or their limbs exploding.

He raises a hand towards the fucker that tried to hurt his dearest little sister.

"You..." He snarls, his red eyes overflowing with absolute malice. "I don't give a fuck even if you kidnap me to beat the living shit out of me, but involving my little sister who has nothing to do with anything crosses the line."

And with that, the man's head with suddenly explode into nothingness and his body would flop on the floor with a thump.

Blood puddles beneath him as the dead men spill out what they had in them from the injuries he gave them.

Sylus was in great pain.

Regardless, he stumbles towards the little girl he calls his family and tugs her to his chest.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Oh I'm so sorry" Sylus breathes heavily, stroking her head lovingly and placing kisses on her hair. "Brother is sorry, I should've awakened earlier. I'm so sorry."

"Brother... Wahhh!!..." Her loud sobs pierces at his heart, opting Sylus to hold her even tighther.

"Sshh..." He hushes her lovingly. "Brother is here, baby bird. It's alright"

He can't continue on like this.

He needs to be stronger and better.

Not just for the sake of the beloved he is looking for, but for this little girl who clings onto him so weakly.

This sweet little thing who still calls him her family despite the monster that he is.

He isn't really human even, but this girl loves him as a little sibling would for an older brother.

What can he do but to pamper her and shield her away from everything?

And so, he holds her against him, soothing the sweet little thing he calls his beloved sister.

꒰ .... ꒱

Through the years, Sylus rose in the ranks and soon enough was crowned as the Onychinus leader. He became the rightful leader that he should be with all the wealth and power he can flaunt as much as he pleased.

He raised his little sister along with the struggles he went through.

She didn't have to be involved in the bloody things he does, so it's alright that she herself is just hiding away in his home safe from the dangers of the n109 zone.

He is comforted as long as he knows she is safe and sound.

Sylus made sure no one touches her or even aware of her existence as his family.

So, he managed to live a peaceful life with his little sister who often banters with him for fun.

If there's anyone who can be outright shameless and call him insulting names— It's his baby sister who can do it without fearing for her head to be flying.

"Bastard Santa"

"Old man onychinus"

"Walmart edgelord santa claus"

"If only everyone knew that the leader they all fear is shit at singing"

... Yep, totally shameless.

But does he do anything? Nope.

He just teases her back and pinch her cheek as a form of revenge for each insult she throws out to him.

Right now, he was accompanying his little sister in linkon city for their weekly outings. She was quite sickly and fresh air is a need for someone like her with a weak body.

And what better way to do that than to take her out to Linkon since the air here is much more cleaner?

The colors in the city are also brighter, lifting anyone's mood despite the fact he absolutely detests the sunlight.

"So I managed to pull a new five star in the game yester...day." Her voice drifts off as she passes by a tall man.

She turns her little head to the stranger, glancing back at the tall back wearing a black coat over his broad shoulders. His hair is neat and the ebony black locks made him captivating, underneath those black locks are a pair sharp and charming hazel-green eyes behind rectangular glasses that gave him an air of sophistication and maturity.

His features are sharp and extremely handsome, not as intense as her brother's but still giving off this ethereal air to him. He's beautiful with the small bump on his nose, but not as prominent as Sylus's nose bump.

The stranger's gaze is cold but alluring, almost captivating even.

So captivating that she doesn't realize the fact that she is holding her breath.

Sensing her gaze, the man politely nods at her— Causing her to be a bit flustered and nod back before turning back to Sylus.

"Something catch your eye, sweetheart?" Sylus cocks an eyebrow up as his sister suddenly clung onto his arm.

"No, no!" She shakes her head, bashfully hiding her expression with her hair.

"... Is it a handsome man?" He teases, nudging her gently causing a pout on her lips to form. "What? You always tease your brother when it comes to his girlfriend, why can't I have a bit of fun when my baby sister finds someone attractive?"

"...I'm telling Rei-unnie about this!" She spites at Sylus who always chuckles, amused at her little tantrum and then ruffles her hair up with his free hand up.

"Don't grow up too fast, baby sister. Brother isn't willing to walk you down the aisle and hand you off to someone else" Sylus said affectionately, earning him a soft punch from her.

"Oh don't be so dramatic! If you're so upset about the idea then go and propose to Rei-unnie!"

"Help me pick up a ring then?"

"Buy me plushies after~"

꒰ 🪼 A/N: //Gasp!!!. Kyunnie posted twice for a day???!!! Omgg!!!!! Hahah jk x3!!! I was hit with inspiration because I've been daydreaming about being Sylus's baby sister for quite a while now!!!~~~ I'm always rambling to my mootie about this idea because I like the idea of being Sysy's baby sis who roasts him everyday heheh!!! I even sneaked in Zaynie//giggles. My hubbyyy~~~~ Should I make a fic where the other three lads men date sysy's lil sis 🤔🤔🤔. Maybe? Heheh٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡. Soon, one day>:3!!! ꒱

ʚ(੭´͈ ᐜ `͈)੭ .｡✧: ~ —! stories written by kyunnie; translations, reposts, plagiarism are strictly forbidden.

[trrenchertrash]

The initial tag is mine. The issue is that episode 7 is not about Ekko “learning to trust” an “ideal version of Powder.” It’s about Ekko being reminded who she is. It’s about him realizing that Jinx is still the girl he loves/trusts/remembers from when they were kids. That’s why we’re seeing him bond with AU Powder and that’s why we don’t need to see him do it again with Jinx, because the point is that she’s the same person.

You’re right that it doesn’t develop Jinx, but again, it’s not supposed to. Episode 7 is about Ekko and the way he sees/feels about Jinx. Jinx has been developed all season long and doesn’t need that time the way that Ekko, who has been missing for an entire arc, needs it.

The biggest problem with this argument is that the show does in fact give us everything we need to know about Jinx and what gives her the hope she needs to move on. She tells Vi, “there’s no good version of me,” and then Ekko shows up and tells her, in not so many words, yes there is and I met her. Vi tells Jinx “maybe we can rewrite your story” without understanding that it’s too late for Jinx to go back. Her only way out is to move forward by leaving her past behind, which is exactly what Ekko and Powder talk about in e7 and what Ekko passes along to Jinx in that key moment. He says it’s never too late to build something new, and that he learned that from “someone worth building it for.” Then we see Jinx look at the Z Drive and see her little signature monkeys in there and THAT’S when she changes her mind. We’re supposed to understand that she understands what Ekko is saying to her here and that the reason she finds the strength to move forward is because Ekko is presenting her with proof that what she said to Vi isn’t true. She was wrong about herself, and that’s what changes her mind. We don’t need to see them talk it out in detail and honestly I’m glad we don’t because in this case I think less is more. I can’t imagine anything they could’ve written into Ekko’s mouth that would’ve been more powerful than what we got and I don’t see how anything more they could’ve written wouldn’t have come across fanfictiony and cheap.

It’s one thing to say you wish we got to see more or that you would’ve liked to see more, it’s another thing to criticize the show because it didn’t cater specifically to your desires. There’s no flaw in the storytelling here.

S2 skipping over Jinx and Ekko bonding, rallying zaunites together, and both realizing they can built a new future, motivating them to fight for Zaun is the equivalent of taking s1 ep9 or arcane, keeping it the exact same, except the dinner party scene happens off-screen and we just cut to Jinx blowing up the council.

[sturniololuv08]

TreeHouse Prologue

Summary: A glimpse at what is to come...

"The sharpest pain is often caused by the people we love the most." 

"I think I want to be Barbie." She giggled.

Chris sat upwards in a semi-ab crunch to look at her. "Barbie is a dumb choice." He rested his head back down on his interlocked fingers. He inhaled the earthy smell of the freshly cut wood surrounding them from top to bottom and side to side.

"But she's so pretty." Sienna sat cross-legged, gently stroking her Barbies' bleached hair. She fiddled with her pink frilly dress and sighed.

"Be a transformer. At least they have a purpose." Chris scoffed. He wanted to be openly honest with her and tell her how he thought she was prettier than Barbie but decided against it.

"Barbie is useful. My mommy said she is a tool used to empower women." Sienna nodded her head, proud to know that information. Even though she had no idea what it truly meant, she liked sounding smart.

"Nessie." Chris groaned, annoyed. He also didn't know what that meant. He rolled over to look at his best friend. She looked up from her Barbie with big brown doe eyes. "At least transformers have handguns." Chris was ready to fight his case. He playfully pointed finger guns at her and popped them off, making 'pow' noises. "See. Now your Barbie is dead."

"Oh, shut up." Sienna stuck her tongue out at her annoying best friends.

"Kids, it's time for dinner!" They both looked up in the direction of the wooden window to see the sky painted a dull, darkening blue outside. The old Christmas lights half hanging from the ceiling cast a soft false white glow on both of them. Neither of them realized what time it was.

"The last one down is a rotten egg." Chris stood up fast and shoved her back down to the ground when she was about halfway up as he ran by her.

"No fair! You're cheating." Sienna frowned, getting up again. Chris was quick to position himself down the ladder and took one rung at a time hastily.

"You're just slow, Nessie," Chris yelled back up. Nessie peered down the hatch and tucked her Barbie in the corner of the tree house. She slowly took one step at a time down the ladder, upset she wasn't as fast as Chris. He waited for her at the bottom of the rope frame, holding it steady for her. As soon as she hopped off and her feet were in the cold, dewy grass, Chris propelled his body forward toward the house. "I told you!" He laughed. Sienna didn't want to give up without a fight, so she tried to play catch up but was still behind.

"You are so mean, Chr -" Sienna stopped talking when she walked through the door frame. She looked upwards to see her parents talking with Chris' parents. Her parents looked apologetic and his; angry.

"Chris, can't stay for dinner tonight." Her parents tried to sound nice about it.

"Why not? We were supposed to play Transformers after dinner." Sienna whined. She tucked her arms and began to pout.

"It's okay, Nessie. We can play tomorrow." Chris smiled one of his classic big cheesy smiles.

"Promise?" She huffed.

"Secret handshake promise." Chris looked at her with happy eyes. She immediately dropped her angry stance and started smacking, clapping, and even kicking their handshake. They ended it on her favorite move, where Chris would princess twirl her. He hated it, but she insisted she had to have the princess twirl. If she couldn't be Barbie, she was going to be a real-life princess. Her parents were smiling in awe as their babies got along so well. His parents looked irritated.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Sienna waved as Chris followed his parents out the door.

"Bye, Nessie." Chris waved back with the big smile he usually had around her.

The next day, Sienna asked about Chris relentlessly. She had her parents call him over what seemed like a thousand times. She waited by the front door, hoping to see their car pull up or to see him trotting down the sidewalk, which was rare before. She would go and sit in the treehouse by herself, hoping his head would pop up through the hole in the floor and scare her like he loved to do. She waited. Chris never came back. The next day was the same routine of waiting, looking around, and having her parents call his. She waited and waited for him, but she was met with disappointment.

A whole week went by with no word.

Then, a long, lonely month had passed.

She thought it was because he didn't want to be friends anymore.

After every month that passed, she worried less and less about it. She got used to spending alone time in the tree house. She started to get herself to believe he moved away after school started up again and he wasn't in any classes. She would play Barbies and Transformers by herself in the tree house. Even though she pretended not to care, she still looked for him at lunch and during recess. She even hoped he would miraculously show up at their bus stop one day.

It wasn't until Chris missed her 11th birthday party that she realized it was time to give up on him.

She gave up.

She stopped going in the tree house.

She made new friends and began to grow up without her childhood best friend by her side. She started playing sports and excelling in Language Arts. She had a few fights with her parents about personal space. Those very fights made her think about going up to the rotting tree house one more time, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she slammed her bedroom door in frustration.

She was becoming a young woman learning to navigate her life. But deep down, she held onto the little girl who would sit cross-legged in a pink frilly dress that almost matched the Barbie she once held in her hands. She felt a little heart-string break every time she would envision the little boy with blonde hair shifting into brown with a big toothy smile laying down on the fuzzy carpet, staring up at her with icy blues. She didn't think about him often, but when she did, she always hoped he was still a big goofball like the nine-year-old she knew once. She only had one regret, one thing she would have done differently if she could have.

She wished she had known that he was going to disappear that night because if she had known then what she knew now, she would have twirled a few more times under his arm just to make the memory last a few seconds longer.

Treehouse Taglist: @trevorsgodmother @mintsturniolo @wysmols

Random taglist: @chrislilcumslvt @matthewslover @middlepartmatt @thenickgirl @miss-sturn @christophersmiddlefinger @chrisswife4lf @blushsturns @lovesturni0l0s @delusionalbri @abbilmao @sturnshood @sturnkial @sturniolowhore @chrissweetheart

Dividers ALWAYS @issysh3ll (fucking babe)

**This Fic Series will NOT be for people with triggers. This Fic Series will have very descriptive moments of abuse.**

Please Read At Your Own Risk.

[specialagentartemis]

discussing with @ontologicalsynaesthesia as we watched Return of the King: I don’t quite remember how it’s presented in the books, but in the movie, Théoden doesn’t want Éowyn to fight for the normal sexist reasons but also because he tells her that she’s needed back in Rohan, to be a leader to the people who are staying in Rohan while the men ride out to fight. And like… he has a point! That’s a very important job! Théoden the king and Éomer his nephew and now his heir are both riding out to battle in Gondor against a larger and better armed fighting force of Evil; Rohan needs a leader who’s strong, brave, and respected to stay behind with the people, and to take over and rule in the very real possibility that all the Riders of the Mark get slaughtered in battle against the Orcs. And Théoden is recognizing that Éowyn has that capacity! If Gondor falls—and it very likely may have if Aragorn hadn’t managed to recruit the Army of the Dead—Rohan is right next door and the armies of Mordor certainly won’t leave them alone. They’ll need a leader to look to in that case, and if the whole royal family is wiped out, that’s a very bad sign in a world where the Divine Right Of Kings is very real.

Éowyn rides with the army of Rohan into battle at Gondor, of course… but it makes me wonder, who did she leave in charge back in Rohan? Éowyn you are cool and brave and I love you but Éowyn your country! Your people! Who’s left in charge. (I‘m sure Éowyn has more cousins—Théoden had four sisters, one of whom was Éowyn and Éomer’s mother—but Éowyn and Éomer were adopted by Théoden after their parents died and was the main one involved in royal politics and an obvious choice for acting queen)

I totally get Éowyn, living in this culture, wanting to be recognized as a warrior and a rider and to win renown and respect with courage and strength and true-heartedness because that is what’s valued here, and to join the battle for the fate of the world because like it’s also true that if Gondor falls to Mordor what’s Rohan realistically gonna be able to do after that anyway. But also who’s looking after your people Éowyn!!

(anyway now I want a story about Éowyn’s cousin… let’s call her Eadthryd… who hasn’t really been involving herself with family royal politics because Théodred and Éomer and Éowyn were obviously the heirs… who is now left behind to defend and rally the people of Rohan and prepare for the worst if the Riders don’t come back…)

[heaven-s-black-box]

Head Down- Jing Yuan x fem!Reader

Return to File

Recovery date: January 6th, 2025

Description: Hi I was just watching the first episode of the apothecary diaries and I had an idea, what if the reader was in a similar situation with Jing Yuan

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with an anonymous researcher, we thank them for their contributions. I took the whole, trying to keep to yourself but wanting to help and getting dragged in to stuff, aspect. Hope that's good enough.

Word count: 1 371

Back to directory

Survival is predicated on keeping your head down; at least that’s what Y/n has been taught.

It was how she’d made it through life so far, working hard through school and never going above and beyond, finding a quiet career as a waitress at the Sleepless Earl. Even her hobbies were fairly mundane.

Y/n stood in the kitchen, hugging her tray to her chest and watching the water boil as she made a new pot of tea for one of her tables. The door to the shop opened and closed, and there were heavy footsteps on the polished wooden floor. Her lips curled into a barely noticeable frown.

Cloud Knights rarely entered the shop, it was inconvenient in case they were called off for an emergency. Only once or twice had Cloud Knights come in, still armored, right after a shift.

She waited with baited breath for the footsteps to pass, to find a table inside, but luck was not on her side today.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” Y/n looked up from the water. “Can we speak with Ms. Mengming?”

“Ms. Mengming isn’t here today, but she left me in charge.” Unfortunately. “How can I help you?”

The Knights looked at eachother, having a silent conversation, and then addressed her again.

“Is there a way we can contact Ms.Mengming?”

“I can get you her number,” Y/n offered, not bothering to probe.

They agreed, and Y/n excused herself to the back; coming back with Mengming’s contact information scribbled on a note. Surely she would understand that Y/n had to interrupt her day off, though she did feel a little bad.

The Cloud Knights left, and Y/n assumed that would be the end of it.

It was not.

A week later Y/n showed up for her morning shift and was immediately met with a gossip circle in the break room.

“Y/n!” One of her co-workers called her over.

“What’s up?”

“What did the Cloud Knights want the other day?”

Y/n shrugged, putting her stuff in her locker. “They were looking for Mengming, I didn’t ask why.”

“That’s Y/n for you,” someone else commented, he was new so Y/n didn’t take it to heart.

Most of her co-workers appreciated her behavior, because she’d definitely caught them doing things they technically shouldn’t and she’d also gone above and beyond without credit to lessen their workloads. Because technically, one could live with their head down as long as they never got caught doing more than the bare minimum.

“Well the Cloud Knights are back, and they’re interviewing everyone individually.”

“I think I saw the General here too.”

“Why would the General be here?”

“Must be serious if he is.”

“Great,” Y/n mumbled.

Y/n was the first interviewed.

She’s barely started the first batch of snacks when Mengming called her into her office. The foxian bid her good morning with a reassuring smile and held the door open for her.

Even before stepping in, Y/n took note of the room. The only person in the room was, surprisingly, General Jing Yuan. Outside the door were two Cloud Knights on either side, and Mengming who excused herself to go help the rest of the staff.

Y/n nodded politely at the Cloud Knights before stepping into the office. The Cloud Knights closed the door behind her, and she stopped to stand behind the chair across from the General.

“General, is there anything I can help you with today?”

This was not the first time they’d met; Jing Yuan was a fan of the Sleepless Earl, and Y/n had been working here for quite a while.

“Please, sit.” Y/n did as she was told, crossing her hands in her lap. “Apologies for interrupting your day.”

“It’s alright, I’m sure the matter must be important if you’re here yourself.”

Jing Yuan laughed. “Always straight to the point.” The General leaned forward, lacing his hands on the desk. “Have you noticed any of your co-workers acting suspicious lately?”

“No.” Y/n bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from wincing, she’d answered too fast. “I mean, I don’t really pay attention to know what’s suspicious and what’s not.”

The General raised a brow, scrutinizing her lie.

You see, Jing Yuan is very perceptive. He has to be. He also likes to think he knows Y/n pretty well, so he does know that she definitely pays attention to the things going on around her. It’s very hard to pass unnoticed when you don’t know what the norm is.

“Y/n.”

“Yes?”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out two pieces of paper. One, a receipt from the Sleepless Earl with a note scribbled on it. She doesn’t need to read it, or see the second paper, to know what he’s getting at. The second paper, which she glances at anyway to confirm her suspicions, is a note.

Side by side, she wants to kick herself.

It is very clearly her handwriting both times, rushed but legible.

“If you have a tip what’s with the interviews? Surely the Cloud Knights can investigate on their own.”

“How did you figure it out?”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“A bit of an abuse of power, no? You’re disrupting our business for your own curiosity.”

“You wouldn’t have answered me otherwise, now, the sooner you answer the sooner we leave.”

Y/n sighed, setting her hands on the desk and leaning in.

“She’d unpacked a shipment of tea and ‘thrown out’ the shipment box saying it was damaged. Unfortunately for her, I’d already checked the shipment and knew it wasn’t damaged.”

“So you investigated.”

“No. What do you take me for, a PI? It was one box and I’d scratched off the approval seal, I do that with all our shipments. But she didn’t want it to get something past inspections, did she?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Y/n sat back, dragging her hands along the desk. It shouldn’t matter that Jing Yuan couldn’t tell her, she was already more involved than she liked to be. Survival was predicated on keeping your head down, and not getting involved with dangerous people– and anyone could be dangerous.

But, Y/n wasn’t the type to let injustices she could stop pass her by. That was why she was here, wasn’t it? Because she couldn’t keep to herself like her parents taught her to.

That was why she had packed that stupid note in Jing Yuan’s order of tea cakes to go.

“Is that all then?”

Jing Yuan nodded. “You’re free to go.”

She stood up, bowed politely, and left.

Her co-workers practically swarmed her, asking what to expect and what it was about. They were silenced when the office door opened again and Jing Yuan stepped out. He apologized to them for disrupting their day, and then Mengming escorted him and the Cloud Knights out.

Y/n watched them until the door to the shop closed.

The next day, one of her co-workers was arrested for the trafficking of illicit substances on the Luofu. Y/n had been half right, it didn’t matter that the boxes no longer had inspection seals because they were only being used to hold and move the substances within the Luofu. She’d had a feeling it involved illicit substances, she hadn’t mentioned anything to Jing Yuan but there had been more to her tip than just the boxes. 

Since she was using empty tea boxes, she would keep some of her wares around the Sleepless Earl. Y/n had taken great care to keep anyone else from finding out; it would be too much of a hassle. The Sleepless Earl would have to close during the investigation and everyone who worked here would be implicated. It would do more harm than good to report her.

As Y/n watched the news, her phone lit up with a text from an unknown number.

Unknown 8:16 AM I think we work well together I hope you’ll keep me updated in the future It’s a lot of effort to pull a stunt like yesterday, and it’s counter to your motto I do believe

[the-crooked-library]

I noticed something near the end of Dracula when Jonathan and Mina separate for a final time (so she can go to Dracula's castle), that a difference between Harker and Hutter is also near the end.

For context, several chapters earlier Jonathan gets two weapons “put these flowers round your neck”—here he handed to me a wreath of withered garlic blossoms—“for other enemies more mundane, this revolver and this knife;.

Then when Mina and Van Helsing are about to depart for their ride to the castle, Jonathan keeps the knife and gives the revolver to Mina. Even for me a large-bore revolver; Jonathan would not be happy unless I was armed like the rest.

I know the phallic analysis of the weapons in the book are overstated in scholarship but I think it's telling that Jonathan insists Mina to be armed with a big gun while he lets her go do what she wants without him. Thomas didn't arm her and likely wouldn't even it were suggested imo.

omg yes! That is definitely another detail that really stood out to me during my watch, and yet another reason I genuinely start getting annoyed whenever people conflate Thomas with Jonathan - because frankly, that is allowing Thomas to reap what Jonathan sowed, so to speak. I've seen a lot of people absolutely in love with him, and yet the traits they list as the reasons are none that he possesses; in fact, the great majority of them are in exact opposition to his canon personality, and this is one of them.

Don't get me wrong, I love Thomas as a character. I think he is quite sympathetic - and, on the Watsonian level, really trying his best; but at the same time, I think it is essential to acknowledge that he is deeply flawed, if only because on the Doylist level, these flaws are fundamental to his arc in the story. It is purely a question of structure and function; because, at the end of the day, he is a fictional character, and thus, a narrative component, rather than a person.

In this case, his choices prior to the vampire hunt provide the viewer with further evidence -> of an aspect of his characterization -> that acts as one of the driving forces behind the plot of Nosferatu. Specifically, he does not notice that Ellen is lying to him; he leaves her at home as he goes off to "fight"; he doesn't even consider arming her; and he does all these things because, even though he does care for Ellen, he never really thinks of her as a person.

Thomas doesn't notice that Ellen is lying, even though she is clearly nervous when she does it, because he doesn't know what she looks like when she's hiding something (I personally think it is because she masks around him, at least to some degree - throughout the film, he is uncomfortable every time she's honest). He doesn't bring her to the hunt because it doesn't occur to him that she could help with tracking down Orlok - despite him being aware now of her immense psychic abilities, despite Von Franz describing her as a native in a world he is only visiting. And, exactly as you said, he doesn't even think to leave her a weapon; because, even as he sets out on his "quest," even after she's told him of Orlok's obsession, even though the point of the hunt is apparently to "save" her, he doesn't consider the possibility of Orlok going after her.

Contrast that with Jonathan - who knows Mina so well that they can get concerned over three lines of writing, who works with Mina's brief psychic connection to Dracula in order to track him, and who arms Mina before the final fight, because he is not satisfied unless he can do everything in his power to ensure her safety. When it comes to their relationship, Mina's revolver, while not exactly phallic (seriously, why is that topic so overwrought?..), becomes a narrative symbol of his thoughtfulness.

The difference here is that, while Ellen is important to Thomas, this importance only extends insofar as she is his wife. He sees her as a responsibility, but never as herself; and, ultimately, he never actually considers her a factor that could conceivably affect his - or anyone's - decision-making. He plans their life without even asking what she wants from it, he neglects her emotional needs, and he leaves her like a sitting duck during the hunt, without a weapon or anyone to guard her. She continuously slips his mind, utterly inconsequential beyond whatever their surrounding society defines as her role and value; and Thomas, tragically, is unable to overcome this ingrained, rigid set of rules.

This is an essential aspect of his character - because, as stated previously, the plot wouldn't happen without it. If Thomas took Ellen's wants into consideration, he wouldn't have been so hell-bent on chasing a promotion, and he wouldn't have left her right after their honeymoon to go to another country, especially if she begged him to stay. If he knew her better, he would've picked up on the plan she made with Von Franz - or she would've told him!.. Most certainly, if he saw any real personhood in her, he wouldn't have dreamed of leaving her unarmed and undefended.

Nosferatu is about Ellen's continued systemic dehumanization. The point of the story is that every single human character contributes to it on some level, despite whatever love and best intentions they might have for her. It's about the inherent monstrousness of being othered by humanity, and Thomas is - inherently, narratively, crucially - human.

[livefromthedas]

Lifeless, barren, hazy and grey. At first, Rook could see nothing that would indicate where she was. She felt disoriented and unusually, bitterly cold.

“Spite?” Rook asked, her voice sounding weirdly hollow and distant in the space, “Are you—“

She turned and gasped. The form that Spite cut here felt surreal. Hunched and watching her with intense curiosity, the demon was a near carbon-copy of Lucanis, but shorter, somehow, and kohl black in color, as though dark, billowing smoke had worked itself into a person. Lucanis’s usually dark, kind eyes cut through that black in a bright, glowing purple.

“Maker, he wasn’t kidding,” Rook said pensively, slowly dawning on her just where the demon had brought her, “You’ve managed to look just like him. A demon with good taste.”

Spite didn’t immediately respond. He seemed unusually tense and twitchy, as though coming to grips with this very real new person encroaching upon a private space.

“Hey,” Rook said quietly, “Hey, buddy. It’s okay.”

Despite nerves that crawled in her belly, she steeled herself. Trust was a decision, albeit a potentially reckless one, and as had repeatedly been the case, Rook willed herself to trust Spite… at least until he gave her a reason not to.

The demon shied away, initially, at the careful hand she extended its way. But as she remained calm, he managed to still himself. And Rook found herself endeared as he nuzzled into the palm of the hand she’d graced to his cheek. Every bit as touch starved as his unwitting host.

“Spite, how did you manage to pull me… here?” Rook glanced around. It looked like the fade, but different, somehow. It was neither truly beyond the veil, nor a memory, as she’d experienced from Solas… It was, instead, somehow more familiar.

“Lucanis keeps us here. Always,” Spite said, “Behind locked doors. I can’t break through.”

“Keeps you here…” Dawning struck her and Rook’s eyes went wide, “Literally here… Mythal’enaste. Are we in Lucanis’s head? How?”

“Rook tastes his blood. Spite reaches Rook,” the demon replied matter of factly.

Rook winced against memories of waking to crimson on her lips, warm copper, and the immediate panic that had followed. Always a bit chaotic, with Spite.

“Okay, we are going to have to have a nice, long conversation about using blood magic. And soon,” Rook sighed, feeling ill. Spite seemed to tumble into an immediate panic, fidgeting where he stood, and she was quick to add, “But first, let’s figure this out. Lucanis is here?” The demon nodded quickly, and Rook glanced up and around, squinting against the gray haze, “Then, let’s go get him.”

No sooner had the notion left her lips, the haze of their environment began to clear - solidify. Rook took several paces forward, wide eyes blinking and mind doing her best to register what she saw.

A cold, despondent man’s voice - a memory? - rang in her ears.

“Couldn’t you simply die already? This experiment has gone on for far too long.”

Rook knew that voice.

“That was Calivan,” Rook stammered, “That son of a bitch. And this…” She was fighting internally what she already knew.

Spite ambled up beside her, watching closely as she admitted, “I know this place… It’s the Ossuary… the prison we freed Lucanis from.”

“Freed? No!” The demon scoffed, “We’ve always been. Here.”

Rook’s heart felt lodged in her gut as the full picture of what was going on here took shape, “Aw, Vehnan…”

She swallowed hard, shook off nerves, and did her damnedest to focus, before catching Spite’s gaze, “Ok, if he’s here, then where? Where they kept his blood?”

The demon grew excited. Hopeful.

“Yes! Go there!” Worry was quick to shadow Spite’s features again, though, “But… The locks. Everywhere. I can’t touch them.”

“Well, then, the least I can do is try,” Rook decided, “Come on.”

It was the Ossuary, but wrong. Darker. Somehow even colder and more cloyingly damp. Rook walked uneven ground that felt ready to drag her to her knees at a moment’s behest.

“So…” she thought aloud to the demon on her heels, “Less the actual Ossuary… more like.. the experience of the Ossuary.”

“Yes. Yes!”

“So, locks to the experience of the Ossuary…How do we get past those? Turn ourselves into mice? Fight giant spiders?”

Spite looked at Rook as though she’d grown a second head.

“By getting past the guards. It’s a prison.”

Rook managed an awkward laugh, “Right. Naturally.”

This was Lucanis’s consciousness, after all. And the man was nothing if not a pragmatist.

… A pragmatist with some very deep shadows, Rook was quick to find. With as damp and isolated as the Ossuary had felt in passing, it became nearly intolerable when combined with the weight of genuine fear. Of hopelessness. Of meager scraps of longing for revenge. The deeper Rook traversed its crumbling hallways and surprisingly claustrophobic ocean as sky, the more she felt all of these things. Viscerally.

“You feel the same pain he does,” she noted carefully, after his breathing once again matched the calm of her own, “Do you not feel his exhaustion as well?”

“All. Of it. And he feels. Mine.”

The depth of Lucanis’s shared experience with Spite hit Rook hard alongside this memory, and fast. It was horrible here. And heartbreaking.

“Promoted from flying vermin to malicious spirit,” Rook heard the memory of another familiar voice, “Whatever will you become next, I wonder?”

Zara Renata. That bitch. Rook bit hard, quelling anger. She pressed ahead with an even more determined stride.

“… Nobody’s here,” she said, baffled, as they waded into The Ossuary’s storage. Memories of blood vials - Proof of prolonged, meticulous torture and control - hovered eerily near by. Lucanis, however, was nowhere to be found.

“Of course not,” Spite said, “Rook can’t be here.”

Rook had barely begun making sense of that statement when she found herself bracing, hearing the memory of another familiar voice. Another absolute bastard.

Illario Dellamorte.

“If I were in charge, you wouldn’t have to do this anymore.”

“Oh, absolutely fuck you, guy,” Rook spat.

Still, she took the memory as a hint, and wandered in the direction of that voice.

It was a long, disparaging walk. Frayed memories and frigid, deeply compartmentalized feelings of grief seemed hidden in shadows around every corner. They broke her down, slowly and methodically. It was impossible not to share those sensations here. It was awful.

Worse still were scraps of parchment Rook kept finding, singed at the edges and written neatly in Lucanis’s hand.

…But we’re more like brothers. Caterina took us both in… (all we had left.)

What if I go after him and get Caterina killed? (All I have left.)

Rook was startled then, bracing to fight, when she rounded a corner to find someone else in the room with them.

And not just any someone.

The First Talon of the Crows, Caterina Dellamorte.

“Rook,” the old woman bit coldly, “Did you forget our deal?” She somehow stood taller than was natural.

Rook struggled to harangue the electricity that crackled anxiously at her fingertips. She breathed deep, and righted her stance, though no less baffled by the question.

“You were to bring my grandson back to me.”

Rook eyeballed the woman cautiously, “I… did?”

“You brought me an abomination,” Caterina sneered, “Where is my grandson?”

Rook was immediately incensed, “Oh, fuck yo—“

Spite’s slither up beside Rook, accompanied by a curious sniff, stole her attention.

“Tenderness and terror. Rage and relief. Old, stale fear of disappointment,” said the demon.

That’s right, Rook thought, this is the memory of Caterina - Lucanis’s idea of her - not the woman herself.

With everything he had told her in confidence about his family’s long-time matriarch, their relationship had been contentious, at best. Stories of days without food, time locked away in dark, tight spaces. Countless beatings with that damned cane if he so much as put a toe out of line.

“Lady, I don’t give a singular fuck who you are,” Rook sniped. This was a lie, of course - Rook did care. Deeply. Caterina was important to Lucanis. And, admittedly, Rook found the woman absolutely terrifying. But by the maker, she was mad - and it felt good to lay into Not-The-Real-Caterina, “He’s not fielding insults from anyone monstrous enough to do everything you did to a child.”

“I kept him alive,” Caterina replied simply. Frigidly.

Rook struggled to swallow, still furious. “Look, you say that you love him?”

“He is my grandson,” she said, as though that made it obvious.

“Lucanis is trapped here. Somewhere. He needs our help… he…” Rook sighed, “The idea of disappointing you terrifies him, do you get that? I think that’s part of the reason he’s even here.”

Caterina eyed her down the bridge of her nose, “What is it that you want? To release a demon?”

“The demon isn’t the one who’s trapped!” Rook gestured to Spite, who hovered - practically hid - at her left shoulder, “Lucanis is. Out of fear that he’s failed you… when you know he hasn’t done a damned thing to deserve what he was put through here.”

Rook stumbled back a pace, bumping back into an equally startled demon. Caterina’s entire visage had suddenly undulated and churned. Seconds later, it evaporated into a haze of white light, the old woman’s last words fading with her, “My poor boy.”

“Ok, Lucanis,” Rook muttered before righting her stance, half-smiling that the man’s demon seemed uninterested in releasing his grounding grip on her arm, “What’s next?”

There were more people to be found, it turned out. Or, visages of people they knew, at least - shallow projections of them rooted deep in a fear of rejection.

First came Lace Harding. This surprised Rook at first - He and the tenacious little dwarf had gotten on quite well over the past many months. Rook often caught Lucanis smiling fondly after the little woman, like one would an endeared little sister.

But then she remembered their rocky start. With so much experience fighting demons beneath her belt, Lace had been more vocal than most about their new “team abomination.” She hadn’t trusted Lucanis in the least, and made no qualms about saying so. Out loud. Repeatedly, and oftentimes as though Lucanis wasn’t even in the room.

And then, there was Neve.

Ah, Neve Gallus. Stunning, brilliant, irritatingly charming Neve. Rook liked Neve. Truly, she did. But she also doubted it was lost on anyone by then that Rook had stopped bringing the detective and Lucanis on missions together after only a handful of outings to Dock Town within weeks of the Crow’s joining the team.

They had chemistry, Neve and Lucanis. She also clearly found the man attractive, having little problem saying so - Neve was a flirt, and a talented one. And petty thought it was, it drove Rook nuts. Doubly so when Lucanis started playing right along.

Unsurprisingly, there was something extra satisfying about watching Lucanis’s gorgeous mental image of the woman erupt into blinding white smoke.

Rook was more than happy to leave that mess in her wake.

Still, the further she and Spite ventured, the more memories and fear found them. The sound of Zara Renata’s voice circled overhead like a vulture, and every time it crowed, Rook felt a seed of nausea that she wasn’t entirely sure was her own.

“I was supposed to have a useful demon, and instead I have a useless abomination. Wonderful.”

“Still fighting? How tiresome. There is no point, you know. Nothing awaits you anymore. You’re long dead.”

Rook caught a singed piece of parchment as it flittered down into her path. Some of its words she remembered, others Lucanis had kept to himself.

“I didn’t want you to see that. Again.”

(I’m not this… I cannot be this.)

Rook felt absolutely gutted, and for the first time since arriving, she stumbled against the weight of the grief this Ossuary held. She choked back hot, furious tears.

“Rook?” Spite hovered at her flank, growing nervous. His rescuer breaking into tears had certainly not been part of the demon’s plan.

“Rook… you’re too good to be wasting your time in a place like this.”

Rook suddenly glanced up with a ferocity that could have cut glass. That voice again.

Illario.

She grabbed Spite by the hand, and immediately strode in the direction of the disembodied voice.

The visage of Illario Dellamorte stood, suave and cocksure as ever, at the bend of an especially dark hallway. Even as a concept, he peacocked where he stood - a man fully aware just how obnoxiously gorgeous he was, with no qualms about putting those looks to use.

“You have my attention, all right?” Rook said irritably, “So, where is he? Where is Lucanis?”

A forced but no less gorgeous smile stretched across immaculate white teeth.

“Forget my cousin,” Illario purred, “You’ve got much more important things to worry about, don’t you?”

Spite stepped in flush with Rook. She could feel the emotion radiating from the demon - it nearly mirrored her own, amplifying it all the more. Righteous anger threatening to boil over with a healthy dose of fear. He inhaled deep.

“Sharp. Jagged edges. Hurt with every breath,” Spite growled, “Grief and relief. Hope and anger. Mixed.”

“You’ve no right to tell me or anyone else what’s important, you dick,” Rook managed to keep her voice steady, though barely. “And you don’t even owe this bastard the time of day. Do you hear me, Lucanis?” Rook found herself shouting at the endless, watery grave that consumed them.

Spite added, snarling, “He. Put. Us. HERE!”

Illario was furiously unthreatened.

“You’ve got to leave this be, Rook,” he crooned with another flirtatious half-smile, “You turn my cousin loose, it’s only going to cause more grief.”

“Yeah? Who’s?” Rook sniped, “Zara Renata’s? Her Venatori thugs? Because they’re all dead, Illario, without a single innocent bystander so much as breaking a nail. And that just leaves you.”

“You know,” the assassin ignored the threat completely, “that Caterina had five children. Eight grandchildren. All dead now, except for Lucanis and me.”

“I…” Rook trailed, “Yes, I know. I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Last time the Crows fought a war of succession,” Illario continued, “House Dellamorte lost everything. Except the seat of First Talon. This time, we fight ourselves. What will be left then?”

Rook shot the man a look to kill.

“You think you’d survive as his friend, let alone his lover?” Illario smirked darkly - authentically, for once - as the observation made the pretty little elf before him squirm, “And what about your friends? Your cause?”

“Yeah… yeah, no,” Rook shook off indignation, before speaking past Illario again, “This asshole doesn’t get to speak for you, Lucanis. I’m not going to stand here and act like the bastard who stabbed you in the back gets to tell anyone how to feel about it. This is his fault. All of it.”

“Is it? Are you sure?” Illario mused, “Do you really think he made a deal with a demon? He’s not even a mage! Or do you think, maybe, he just found the one there already? He’ll carry this prison with him forever, and he’ll fill it with corpses, given time.”

Spite was only growing more anxious, radiating heat where he glowered at Rook’s side.

“We. Need. OUT!”

“Lucanis, anything could happen - we could literally die tomorrow!” Rook called out, feeling desperate, “But that’s not a good excuse to hide somewhere that’s hurting you. Please, just…”

“You always have an answer, don’t you?” Illario bit sharply, “Are you sure you can live with the consequences?”

“Better than I can live with the consequences of not even trying, like a complete fucking coward,” Rook sniped without a moment’s hesitation.

Spite sneered, and grinned at the younger Dellamorte, as though that sure showed him.

… And the demon was right. Illario’s visage shuttered and broke, erupting into a mist of white light like the others.

Rook breathed a massive sigh of relief, promising aloud, “Whatever happens, Lucanis, I’m going to be there to help you. You’ve handled enough alone.”

The deep, resonating clang of a deadbolt lock slipped loose through the air. Rook shared curious glances with Spite, before the pair of them followed the sound. Massive, heavily fortified double doors lay around the corner, and with a low, baleful creek, one of those doors had opened by a matter of inches.

Determined, Rook once again gathered their demon, “Come on.”

To say it was a relief to spot Lucanis the moment she stepped past that threshold was an understatement. Rook was quick to sprint his way, Spite on her heels like an eager wisp of smoke.

Lucanis looked as exhausted as he was startled to see her.

“What are you doing here, Rook?” He stammered beneath a deeply furrowed brow.

“I had to find you,” Rook struggled to catch her breath under the weight of relief, “If anything happened to you… I can’t even think about it.”

Lucanis sighed softly, barely masking a pained wince. He shook his head.

“You should go,” he said softly, “It’s better I stay here than risk losing you.”

Rook felt the threat of tears at those words, quelled only when Spite snarled in frustration, “You see? He breaks. Our. Agreement! His mind. Is still here. He wants. To stay here. So he keeps. Me here!”

“Mierda,” Lucanis cursed the demon, “Why would I want to stay? Even in my head, this place is a nightmare.”

“Right, but,” Rook said softly, “It’s a nightmare you’ve already defeated…” Her mind raced as she caught Lucanis’s gaze. Those warm, kind eyes were so tired. So utterly defeated. He quickly looked away.

She understood. And sometimes, it hurt to understand, too.

“I get it now,” she said with a sad smile, “As bad as the Ossuary was for you, it was better than the alternative.”

Lucanis glanced up past that knotted brow, “What alternative?”

“The Ossuary, Zara,” Rook explained, “You could solve those problems with a blade. But healing again? Living as an abomination? There is no simple answer there, vehnan. And, if you fail,” she shrugged, finally admitting to a very real danger, “You could hurt the ones you love.”

This sheer level of transparency seemed to rattle the assassin to his core. It was a truth given words that he had fought so hard to ignore.

“No! I… This is not…” Frustration boiled over and Lucanis growled angrily, “Damn it, Rook!”

It was frustration he apparently shared with his demon.

“Make. Him. Leave!” bellowed Spite.

Rook shuddered a sigh, determined to stay calm, “It doesn’t work that way, Spite, I’m sorry. It’s going to take time. And it’s got to be something Lucanis chooses to do for himself.”

Spite growled in frustration, but something about the presence of possibility at least helped him calm.

Rook, meanwhile, was watching Lucanis carefully, reading the storybook of emotions that played across his face. He finally breathed deep, a palm at his forehead. He seemed to settle on simply looking overwhelmed.

“Rook, you are right. There has to be a way through this,” he said, sounding like a raw nerve, “It’s just… so much. I cannot see how to begin.”

She watched him quietly for a moment. He seemed to find some calm in that silence, as did Spite. The demon became distracted, apparently content in the fact that there was a productive conversation between the two adultier adults in the room.

“Start small,” Rook suggested, “You and Spite. Figure out a goal you can both agree on. Then, make it happen.”

Spite’s attention returned - He lit up, curious, “A contract?”

A flicker of amusement teased Lucanis’s face, but he seemed to be giving it a serious consideration.

“Contracts are for clients,” he said to Spite. “Call this… an alliance.” Dark eyes came back to Rook. Always back to Rook, “But on what terms?”

“Didn’t you just learn your grandmother was alive?” Rook grinned - doubly so at the light it brought to Lucanis’ tired features, “What are you waiting for? Go rescue her!”

“That’s true.”

Spite looked eagerly between Lucanis and Rook, “Fighting Crows?”

“And anyone else who gets in our way,” Lucanis said to his demon, that steadfast fire returning to his eyes with a renewed determination. “Do we have a deal? We free Caterina together?”

Spite looked earnestly excited, to which Rook could barely stifle a grin.

“Together. We fight!”

Spite’s words rang in Rook’s ears as a flash of white light consumed everything in sight. She felt a distinct yank backwards at the navel, and a full-body halt, the sound of the Seventh Talon’s voice chiming as that bloom of light faded back into the fire-lit innards of the Cobbled Swan in Minrathos.

“Rook? Are you all right?” Teia sounded worried.

Viago, meanwhile, sounded very annoyed, “What is the matter with the two of you?”

Lucanis and Rook were both struggling with eyes re-adjusting in the dark.

“It’s ok,” said Rook as she caught Lucanis’s gaze, “We needed a moment, but… I’d say we’re ready for anything. Though, uh…” she pulled a face, asking awkwardly of the Talons, “How long were we standing here?”

Teia smirked, “Long enough for it to get awkward. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Lucanis smiled after the concern, “We’re fine, Teia. Don’t waste your worry on us. Can I trust the two of you to keep an eye on Illario? If he starts anything, I want to know about it.”

“I was going to do that, anyway,” Viago assured.

Teia’s gaze danced between Rook and Lucanis knowingly, “You’re planning something.”

“I’m getting Caterina back,” Lucanis grinned, “But Viago is right, we need more information before we move. Illario panicked when I came back alive. If he panics again, he could actually kill her this time.” He looked between the Talons and Rook, “We’ll only get one chance at this.”

“We will make it count,” Teia said.

Viago nodded in agreement, before his gaze fell on Rook, “That aside, we finally got word this morning on which contracts Caterina had in motion for House Dellamorte before she was taken. There are complications with three of them, and the chance that Illario will make any calls, let alone good ones right now is…” he looked to Lucanis.

“We will talk,” Lucanis agreed, “Give me a moment to show our guests out.”

“Rook,” Teia nodded and smiled as Lucanis took Rook’s hand and ushered her away from their murder of Crows.

“Find me, when you get back to the Lighthouse?” Rook asked. They came to a table near the door, where Bellara caught sight of their return over a fancy-looking bottle of wine.

Lucanis rounded to stand before Rook, his expression warm and soft. He had hands upon her shoulders as he often did to steady her, “This may run long, but I will find you as soon as I can. And Rook?”

She glanced up just Lucanis stepped in closer. A hand at the side of her neck, thumb brushing the delicate spot behind her ear, the assassin surprised her with a kiss.

Stunned and delighted at once, Rook pulled him even closer by the belts on his coat. Their kiss became a chuckle into a mischievous grin.

“Oh, you’re blushing,” Rook whispered teasingly.

Lucanis was already ambling away, back towards the Talons, looking endearingly smug.

It took a number of moments for Bellara to hoist Rook’s attention from the gutter well enough for Rook to realize her fellow Veil Jumper had joined her at her side.

“Heyyy. How we doing?”

“It, uh…” Rook finally managed to relocate words, before joking, “It got a little warm in here all of the sudden.”

Bellara giggled, “I’ll bet it did. Want to talk about it?”

“Oh my god I do.”

Rook’s enthusiasm had the pair of women cackling as they headed for the door.

Notes:

Oookay, so re-interpreting game stuff can be a little tiresome, but hey, we got there.

Also, just a heads up, the next chapter gets ( ˘▽˘)っ♨ SPICYYYYY ( ˘▽˘)っ♨ and will probably up the overall fic rating. So, avoid that chapter, if that’s not your bag (Though, we all know it probably is. Greetings, my people!)

Thanks for reading!

[violetvines]

heyy! could you write headcanons about alisa and a new spanish boyfriend please??

yesss perfect timing! i was thinking of doing something w alisa and a potential significant other too~

a very successful lawyer & a very annoying frenemy ⚖️

- let's call him... [lorenzo]

- they met in law school bc alisa decided to continue pursuing her studies and get a phd

- more specifically... they met in a simulation course where alisa was the attorney for the "defendant" and he was the attorney for the "plaintiff"

- alisa ended up not winning (but the professor said it was a close one) and she's not used to losing... so you can imagine her reaction

- lorenzo studied in england before coming to america so when he speaks english, his spanish accent is nearly gone, leading alisa to believe that he isn't fluent in spanish

- age gap of a year or two (alisa is ahead of most people her age)

- alisa is ice, not fire, but somehow he manages to always get on her nerves (even if he isn't doing anything wrong in particular)

- their trope is mainly enemies to lovers

summary: how alisa and lorenzo's story begins

warnings: slight swearing + spanish (with english translations!)

Alisa looked at the man before her. Her opponent. The plaintiff's attorney. Alisa Ortega was not used to losing, and perhaps in that way, she was every bit a Hawthorne as Tobias Hawthorne was.

She channeled her inner strength and power, as she did every time she fought a case and began presenting herself.

Twenty minutes later, after two rounds of going back and forth, the professor, seated in the judge's seat, pounded the gavel. Her opponent had just finished his sentence.

Was she going to let him have the last say?

She ignored the professor, locking eyes with the suit-clad figure before her. If you think I'm going to let this slide, you are dearly mistaken.

She continued with her points. When she spoke like this, she was like a force of nature. She made sure to mention all the points he had and counter them with arguments of her own. Her words flew out naturally like throwing stars, all aimed at one person's head.

Lorenzo Ramirez, he called himself.

During their introductory class, he'd told everyone that he'd been born in Spain but moved to England for the early years of his childhood. She doubted he was even fluent in Spanish, since he hadn't reacted when she'd asked him "¿Eres fluida en español? Are you fluent in Spanish?" She had thought about it that same night of her first class and had wanted to roll her eyes at the memory.

Why had she even bothered to ask? Maybe it was because she thought it was a coincidence that someone who shared her heritage had entered her life. It was ridiculous, now that she thought about it.

She ended her argument with a crossing of her arms. Then, her professor cut in, before that Ramirez could say a word.

"Thank you, Ms. Ortega. I commend you for your display and how you carry yourself, but I'd like to remind you that this is a university class and not an actual courtroom. We are now fifteen minutes behind schedule."

"Because of that, Mr. Ramirez is the winner of this round. I'd like to add that it was a close one, but it's important to maintain order in the court."

Alisa didn't know how she looked in the moment, but she was glad she couldn't see herself. She hoped she managed to maintain her composure. "I'm sorry, sir. I got too carried away."

"It won't happen again," she said, through gritted teeth and she looked up, just in time to see Lorenzo Ramirez grinning at her. So he was happy she had just gotten humiliated in front of everyone? Fine. She would wipe that grin off his face, sooner or later. Preferably... sooner.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ ⭑

She didn't like eating in the cafeteria, because it reminded her too much of high school and all the ridiculous cliques. The coffee place opposite the campus was her go-to.

Alisa had been typing away on her laptop, replying to emails, when someone decided to set their tray down on the table she was occupying without even asking. She was about to open her mouth when she realised who it was.

"You look like you've seen a monster," Lorenzo muttered. He looked at her like he was concerned. That was good. He should be concerned.

"That's because I'm looking right at one." She replied, making sure to look right at him. He sat down, unfazed.

"Why are you here?" The question was a simple one, but somehow, it seemed like all questions were too difficult to be answered by him. He only stared at her like she was crazy.

"Because... it's lunch break?"

"You blockhead! ¡No es eso lo que quise decir!" (That's not what I meant!)

Alisa sighed. He probably didn't even understand. She had a habit to reverting to Spanish when she was frustrated. She wished he would just go away.

"Sé lo que quisiste decir." (I know what you meant.)

He said it so quietly and quickly, had Alisa not been fluent in Spanish, she wouldn't have been able to catch it. Now it was her turn to stare at him. So he could speak Spanish. And he was fluent in it.

"Blockhead is too strong a word, don't you think?" He continued, not missing a beat. "You're talking to the winner of the case."

She knew he said that just to spite her. She didn't know how or why she was feeling this way, she was usually able to keep her cool, but there was something about this guy that ignited the fire inside her.

"Agree to disagree. My counter-argument was good and you know it." She countered.

"Well, I don't know... you just said I'm a blockhead, so maybe I don't know it." He shrugged, like he hadn't been saying the opposite thing one second ago.

"What-"

Alisa slammed her laptop shut. She couldn't do this. She couldn't sit here with him. But before she could get up and go, he slid over his cup of coffee to her.

"I wanted to apologise for just now. My grinning at the end of our... exchange or debate or whatever that was back there in class must have made me look like an absolute jerk."

"Please take it. Don't leave a gentleman like me hanging." He had the audacity to wink.

She took it anyway, just because she needed coffee right at that moment. Their fingers brushed slightly and they locked eyes.

He smiled softly. And Alisa didn't smile back.

Because she would never admit that her heart had warmed just a little bit more, with a different kind of fire, when she was met with the sight of his smile.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ ⭑

They walked back to campus together. Before parting ways, they had a final exchange, one she would go on to remember forever.

"So... are we friends now?" Lorenzo asked. He didn't look afraid if he thought she would say no. There was something self-assured about him, in a good way.

"No... not even close." She replied, because she wasn't used to letting people in.

"Frenemies then?" He tried again. He was persistent, too.

She decided to give that a chance. "Frenemies."

- they end up dating a few months after this exchange and he has a habit of getting her a different bouquet of flowers each time they go out for a date

- they study together and graduate together with flying colours <3

- most of their dates consist of study dates but he also loves taking her out to dinner at expensive places (she feels bad about it sometimes, but she secretly loves it and he can see that)

- he makes sure she isn't too hard on herself bc alisa is alisa

- anddd he becomes the hawthornes' most trusted attorney (after alisa!)

- they have spanish inside jokes

- they open a law firm together, one of the most successful ones ever

- they love debating w each other, even if it's about silly topics

- they are the intimidating power couple and they always coordinate their fits to match

i hope you like these <3

[phosph-ate]

Tether

Dr. Phosphorus x GN!Reader

Rick is sent to collect someone from inside of seemingly haunted woods. He realizes he's bit off more than he can chew a little too late.

CW: violence, gun violence, swearing, canon divergence, no use of y/n

Word Count: 2k

A/N: they/them used for reader!! this veers away from the show. it is not set in it. it's just an idea i had and i want to run with it. it probably won't be too many parts/chapters. also, there is an oc in here, she is important to the story. just in case you have feelings about ocs! reader's abilities will be touched on more thoroughly next chapter! divider made by cafekitsune

The woods were considered haunted. They had not always been that way. In fact, they used to be beautiful and lively. But now, a heavy fog and dark shadows shroud them. Not a peep could be heard from inside once in them.

“This can’t be normal.”

“No, Phosphorus,” Rick sighed, “it fucking can’t be normal.”

Bride, Nina, and Weasel stood a little behind Phosphorus, who was directly behind Rick. After what seemed like an hour of trekking through the heavily wooded area, they stumbled upon a cabin.

“This is it.” Nina chimed in from behind them. “This is what the hunter described.”

“You all wait back here,” Rick begins to walk towards the cabin. “I’ll handle this for now.”

Phosphorus groaned but stayed put. The only one seemingly not antsy was Weasel. He stood there, patiently. Or as patiently as he could.

Rick walked onto the porch. He immediately noticed spots of blood scattered on it. The wood creaked loudly; it was very noticeable considering how silent the area had been. Before he could even knock the door was swung open. Someone who could not be older than sixteen stood in front of Rick. She was chewing, no smacking, some gum.

“Who the fuck are you?” The teenager looked Rick up and down, staring at him with distaste.

“I was about to ask you the same question.”

The girl peeked over Rick’s shoulder and noticed the group a little way from the porch. She rolled her eyes. “Well,” She stepped to the side. “I guess you can come in.”

“Huh?” Phosphorus was loud and confused. “You’re going to let some monsters into your home.”

“Not my home.” She shrugged. “Anyway, we’ve been expecting you.”

“We?” Bride asked. “Where is the owner?”

“Resting.” The girl seemed too calm. Rick hummed a response. The girl walked back to the couch and picked up a controller and continued playing some old game. “Any of you want to play with me?” She motioned to another controller. “We’ve got plenty of games! Diddy Kong Racing, Mario 64, and Donkey Kong!” She was excited to share. “I’m positive I’d kick all of your asses simultaneously at any of the games… But I’m not going to stop you from playing.”

Phosphorus looked down the hall. His head cocked to the side. “Where is the owner?” He sounded more assertive than Bride had earlier. “There is no way some kid is living out in these creepy woods by herself.”

“I said they’re resting.” The teenager snapped. “Now get your ass back in here. They don’t like people pokin’ around. I’d hate to see what would happen if they came out to you looking through their home.”

Phosphorus walked towards the steps and huffed. “We need to see them. Who are they? More importantly, who are you?” The doctor turned his head towards the girl.

“I’m Oli.” She gave her name quickly. “And I thought you knew who they were.” Oli mimicked Phosphorus’ huff. “Why else would you be here?”

“We’re here because people have been going missing in these woods. One man got away and was heavily traumatized.”

Oli went pale. “Not people.” She was short. She turned back to her game. She began to play again, and Phosphorus groaned.

“Look, kid!” He shouted. He started to walk towards Oli, and she froze. She went pale. A scream ripped from her throat, and she began to wail for something. For someone. A name Rick was not familiar with ripped through the air, straight from Oli’s lungs.

The house began to shift. The floor creaked and the lights flickered. The TV shut off and Oli fell off the couch and hit the floor, covering her face, still screaming.

“I’m not-” Phosphorus had no time to defend himself.

The wall behind the TV, closest to Oli, became covered in shadows. A black ooze dripped from the center of the wall. A loud crack, the crack of bones, came from the other side of the wall. Wind whipped outside and suddenly birds could be heard all around. The silence had been broken in the worst way possible.

Fingers creeped out from the wall, and then a hand was visible. It grabbed the wall, pulling whoever it belonged to out from the shadows. Bones continued to crack as whatever the fuck was coming from the shadows made its way into reality.

“What the fuck!?” Phosphorus screamed.

A distorted yell came from the person and once they dragged themselves from the shadows, they stood over Oli, protecting her. Their eyes were pitch black, no sclera, and their body cracked as they stood up straight.

“That must be the owner.” Nina said, eyes wide and full of shock.

You had been trying your best to replenish your energy. To recover from the earlier visit. But when you felt Oli’s fear and heard her screaming you could no longer rest. You pulled yourself together long enough to crawl out from your hiding spot.

When you stood over her fearful form and looked up to see the exact people she said would be paying you a visit you groaned.

“Oli,” Your voice was distorted. You peeked down at her before looking back around the room, assessing the situation. “You’re okay.” Your voice slowly returned to something more normal. “Aren’t these the people who you said were coming?”

“Yes.” She sat up and looked up at you with a smile. “They wanted to meet you!” She grinned, proud of herself.

“Excuse me?” You scoffed at her, “You just did all of that for me to come out? You couldn’t just say ‘Hey! The people from the fucking prophecy are here!’ That would be just as effective, Olympia.”

Oli stood up. “Do not call me Olympia.” She gave you a nasty look. “You are not my-” She paused. She took in a deep breath and looked at the TV. “Anyway,” She turned it back on, “I gotta restart my game now. Because you turned the TV off when you showed up.” Her voice was low. “Go take care of whatever the fuck they need you for.”

You narrowed your eyes at Oli and turned back to the group of people in your home. “Sorry about, uh, earlier,” You gave them a nervous smile. Your eyes had returned to their normal color, “unless of course you came to kill me. Then I’m not sorry and you will not be leaving this property-”

“We are not here to kill you. My name is Rick, and we are investigating the missing people-”

You interrupted him. “Missing? They’re where they belong. Those men were fucking evil.” You rolled your eyes. “I try to keep this place unreachable. And yet, some people just cannot help themselves.” You glanced towards Oli. “Look, I’ll let you all go. I’ll make a path for you. It’ll be safe. I’ll even let a little sun come in, but I’m not going anywhere. We aren’t going anywhere.”

Rick ran a hand through his hair. “That hunter that escaped, was he…-”

“Oh!” You waved a hand around, “He was just a hunter. Happened to see a little too much, but he seemed like a nice enough guy.” You walked towards your front door and opened it. “I hate that I didn’t get to know all of your names, but… goodbye!” You smiled widely at them and motioned for them to leave.

“No.” Rick stood his ground. “What the fuck are you two doing out here? You just have this kid out in the middle of nowhere, where are her parents?”

“Dead.” Oli looked back from the TV and at Rick. “My family is fucking dead.” She paused her game and stood up. “Did Waller not tell you that? Or did she not know?” Oli snapped. She walked past you and straight towards Rick.

“Who’s Waller?” You asked, while quickly placing yourself in the middle of her and Rick. “What are you not telling me, Oli?”

Rick looked down at Oli with the amount of confusion you seemed to be in. “We were not aware you were here. We were told to bring them,” he pointed to you, “in. That is the extent of our knowledge.”

Oli’s nails were digging into her palms. Something in her seemed to snap. “You are not doing that!” She snarled at Rick. You tried to calm her. “That is not- I didn’t see that! You’re supposed to help us!” She had tears in her eyes.

“Olympia!” You grabbed her face. “What are you talking about?”

Her eyes glazed over, and her knees buckled. You were quick to grab her and hold her up and keep her from hitting the floor.

“What is happening?”

You looked up to see the obviously irradiated skeleton speaking. “She- She’s-” You did not get to finish your sentence. Oli sucked in air harshly, and her eyes widened. She looked at you in fear. You felt every ounce of her fear. Your stomach flipped.

“Oli,” your voice was soft, “What did you see?”

“Me-” She sucked down a sob, tears filling her eyes. “Dead.”

You sat at the kitchen table with Oli. You had insisted your visitors leave, she insisted on them staying. Because of that, you had learned who each of them was. Bride, Dr. Phosphorus, Nina, and your personal favorite: Weasel.

You grabbed water for Oli and sat down beside her. “It could be nothing.” You tried to reassure her, keep her calm.

“My visions are never ‘nothing’.” Oli sipped on her water. She sighed and looked past you and at the group of people in your home. “I haven’t been telling you everything…” She shut her eyes tight and gripped the glass in her hand. “The people who are coming to these woods, they aren’t coming for me. They’re coming for you.” She looked at you with a scared look.

“Well,” Dr. Phosphorus clapped his hands together and began to walk towards you, “we’d better get you out of here then!”

“I can’t leave her!” You snapped at him.

At the same time, Oli whispered “I can’t leave them.” She sounded defeated.

“Why?” Nina cocked her head. “Do you not have anyone else?”

You were growing frustrated. “No!” You pulled Oli into your arms and stood over her as she sat at the table. “Her family is gone! She was wanted for her abilities. I took her in and she’s safe with me-”

“I’m their tether.” Oli sounded distant. You froze, arms falling slightly, but not leaving her sides. You were shocked she would give that information away so freely. “If I die-” She stopped talking and closed her eyes tight.

“What is she talking about?” Rick swallowed hard. Things got a lot harder if what she was saying was true.

“I’m their tether,” She repeated. “You know how when a baby duck imprints on, like, a human?” She looked back at the group of monsters standing in your home.

“What does that have to do with this?” Bride crossed her arms.

“We found each other in times of need. And somehow, their need was much greater than mine. I’m keeping them sort of… holding onto humanity.”

You were standing there silent. She was talking like you were not even there. So, you decided to speak up. “If she dies, I’ll feel it. And I’m afraid of what I will do.” You watched the group, face deadpan. “I’m not leaving here. We are both safe here.”

There was a heavy silence before Dr. Phosphorus spoke up. “That’s too fucking bad, we need you to come with us.”

You groaned. And then you felt it. Something was getting close to your cabin. Your hair stood on end, your head snapped towards the window behind you and walked towards it. Oli pouted, she knew what that meant by now. You tried to pinpoint where they were coming from. Your head began to pound.

“What are you do-”

The window shattered and a bullet flew through, hitting you straight in the forehead. You heard Oli scream. Her fear was palpable. She was at your side in a second. “There’s blood!” Oli wailed. “They can’t even bleed!” Her screams wrecked you. Everything went black.

[thevoidstaredback]

One of the perks of being King means that he can talk to the Realms Herself and She usually responds. One of the cons is that She likes to mess with him. A lot. Especially when it’s inconvenient for him.

Phantom and Deadman found themselves outside the Phantom’s Keep, the castle in the middle of the Realms. She’d made the trip quick for them, but had been oddly silent the whole why. When they’d arrived, Phantom knew why.

When Dark Pariah had been sealed in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, Pariah’s Keep had deteriorated, breaking down and collapsing on itself. When Phantom took the Crown and Ring, the Keep rebuilt itself, changing to better fit Phantom. Looking at it now, though, it was changing again. The changes were unnatural, and obviously not the Realms’ doing.

Someone was making a claim before a challenge.

“Why did you hide this from me?” he asked the Realms. She didn’t answer.

“I’ll go report this back to the others,” Deadman said, “Do you think you’ll be able to come back?”

Phantom sighed, “Before this is dealt with? I don’t know.” He paused, his eyes still not leaving the Keep.

“You have an idea of who’s behind this, huh?”

“Yeah. I think he’s behind everything.”

“What?”

“The Comas that are practically a plagiarism of Nocturn’s work? Someone trying to open a portal into the Realms? It all screams human-orchestrated, but I think there’s a ghost pulling the strings.”

“Vengeful?”

“Most definitely.”

“What do we do?”

“Tell the others that I’m officially taking over the investigations. All of them. Have Constantine and Zatanna go to the League of Assassins, take a Bat if they need, and shut down anything that even looks like it could be a portal. If they can get Ra’s near the Pits, I’ll take care of it from there from inside the Realms. As for the Comas, I want you to take the Speedsters and the Supers and investigate any hauntings in the areas where the coma patients live.”

“Are you sure bringing them is a good idea? What if they get overshadowed?”

“Any Spirit or Ghost hauntings shouldn’t be strong enough to overpower them, but the House might have something to protect them. Take Captain Marvel, too, just in case.”

“Alright. Anything else?”

“Have Batman, Raven, and Wonder Woman, look into the D.M.A, specifically the branch that used to be the G.I.W.”

A gasp. “You don’t think…”

“They’re involved somehow, I know it.”

“Alright.” Deadman said, “You’ll be safe, won’t you, Phantom?”

“‘Course I will.”

***

Deadman made it back using the same door he and Phantom had come through in the first place, largely because that’s where the Realms lead him. The House greeted him on the other side, changing the halls so he’d be with the rest of his team almost immediately.

Zatanna was the first to see him. “Deadman!”

“What’s going on?” Constantine asked, “Why’d you two rush out like that?”

“We’ve got a problem.”

“Well, that’s comforting.” Raven snarked.

Deadman shook his head. “Get Batman, Superman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman on a call. I need to talk to all of you.”

“That can’t mean anything good,” Zatanna said, doing as asked.

The House brought them a T.V. for the conference call, Zatanna stepped out to make sure Superman was paying attention. Soon, everyone that had been asked for was present in the call, masks on of course, and in their respective bases.

“King Phantom asked me to inform you all that he’s officially taking lead on both the Portal Case and the Coma Case.” Deadman started, “With recent evidence, he believes them to be connected.”

“Where is Phantom?” Wonder Woman asked.

“Someone’s attacked Phantom’s Keep in the Infinite Realms, so he’s dealing with that.” Clearly, everyone had questions, but he ignored them. “He wants Constantine, Zatanna, and one of Batman’s cauldron-” there were snickers at the name, “-to go to the League of Assassins base of operations and shut down anything that seems to be related to the portal, natural or artificial. He also wants you guys to try and get Ra’s close to the Lazarus Pits.”

“Why?” Batman grunted.

Deadman shrugged, knowing the exact reason, “He didn’t tell me.”

Batman hummed, typing something on another monitor. “Take Red Robin with you. He’ll be able to get you in and out safely,”

“Alright,” Constantine nodded.

“Flash and Superman? Phantom wants you and your sidekicks to come with me and Captain Marvel to check out the Coma Case. He has a theory he wants us to check on.”

“Which is..?” Superman prompted, Superboy popping into frame behind him.

“If he’s right, then we’ll find some Ghosts or Spirits near where our victims were affected.”

“Oh, no,” Flash shook his head, “I’m not about to get myself, Kid, or Impulse haunted!”

Impulse ran in, skidding to a stop right on the edge of the frame. “What’s this about ghosts?”

Kid Flash was the next in, “Are we going ghost hunting? I’ll go get our stuff!”

“You have ghost hunting gear?” Superboy asked.

“Don’t you?” was the response.

“I guess that matter’s settled,” Superman sighed.

Wonder Woman muted both Superman and The Flash so the conversation could continue. “And the rest of us?”

“Batman, Raven, and Wonder Woman. He wants you to look into the Department of Metahuman Affairs. Specifically a branch formerly known as the Ghost Investigation Ward.” He watched their expressions carefully, though none of the three he was speaking to reacted. “Phantom thinks they have something to do with this, too.”

There were a few beats of silence before Raven spoke. “I guess we should get started.”

“Right,” Batman said like he was in charge, “Dismissed.”

Part 23 Part 25

[camping-with-monsters]

Some Duck Duck Goose character doodles I’ve done lately :))

[real-reulbbr-band]

The place where the lost things go. (Click images for better quality)