#should volunteer there basically live in there anyway

[mer-se]

once again back at the cemetery finding all the color

[monthly-raining]

characters as adults

i sometimes throw up in my mouth thinking about my old art style im so much happier and expressive except i havent figured out how to add color lmaooooo

im thinking these are everyone in their early 30s

i think sophie would become a keeper... bc its literally in the series title... maybe emissary too? anyway i dont think shed be the happiest in her position but i think when she grows up she'll start to resemble oralie a lot. maybe some people will put two and two together but this might be eons after oralie resigns from the council and it becomes a little irrelevant at that point

sophie WILL go bald at a certain point when she has the biggest existential crisis

i dont know how to draw dex in general because i just dont have a clear image of who he is this late into the series... bc its been such a long time since book 9 and i havent preordered 9.5 yet

i think he might actually be the most successful out of everyone bc everyone seems to agree that he's a very talented technopath and he worked with the council when he was only a level three??? even if it was making sophie's circlet???? very impressive accepted into harvard 10/10

i love drawing biana shes just ugh. very gorgeous. cant tell if she'll live a celebrity life in the elven world or shed just mysteriously disappear for the longest time and have everyone speculate on what happened to the youngest vacker and she just comes back with like a billion luster book deal to write an autobiography of what she was up to and its basically her freaking out over the ugliest fashion trends ("i leave for three centuries and you guys make THIS a trending item of clothing????") bc biana will always stay biana

linh will cut her hair along with the silver tips. still do not know how the silver tip works. i love drawing her moles, i feel she just has to have a lot of them around her face. she volunteers for animal rehabilitation. she gives free seminars for young hydrokinetics to teach them how to control their abilities. what a woman

im the iffiest with his rendition but he probably grew out the silver tips with his sister and he toggles between keeping his bangs out of his face and keeping it down

weirdly, i think hed be a teacher of some sorts. maybe tutor for 5-10 year olds? i feel like hed be good with small kids

they get their ears pierced together. keefe's a little sadder as an adult. he also grew out his hair

fitz hasn't changed his style much

not sure why keefe is sad. i feel like the older he got in the series, the more sadder he got. it makes sense-- id be sad too. later on, he'll be happy again but i think seeing how long an elven lifespan is theyre probably still considered babies. he has time to figure it out

it'd be really nice if fitz became an author or journalist. i think alden should quit his job as emissary and write an autobiography. i think all the vackers should start journaling and not join evil organizations as a mode of therapy.

[spicedwatermel0n]

Young adult designs

Finally redesigned them!!! I wasn't really comfortable with keeping my late teen designs and young adult designs looking mostly the same aside from a few minor details so this is to fix that!! I've said I was gonna do this for a while lmfao... Anyways this look will span from 21 to 30 in which they undergo changes that I may not post rn? Adult and early teens are both sort of untouched designs. I have the looks in mind, but they're not really heavy on plot so... They haven't been drawn out. But I will post middle aged designs!! Now for obligatory "what are they like"

Nigel: looks pretty dead beat. He lost his arm in a mission for the KND some time ago. He's difficult to find, as he doesn't really... Live anywhere. If you need him, just wish for him. He'll probably arrive... Or not, because he's not a mind reader. He's starting to get into minor conflicts with the police. No one knows anything more about him, and that's probably his goal.

Hoagie: went cold turkey on EVERYTHING when he got his apartment. He's too busy fooling around with Wally or working to do anything bad to himself... He works a pretty rough 7-5 at a store where he does whatever they ask him to. Stock shelves, mop the floors, deal with customers... But it keeps a roof over his head, so he does it. He tends to wear a basic company uniform to work, that he absolutely DESPISES. Once he's home, he usually gets into something feminine. His job sometimes requires him to work extra hours or stay a bit longer to finish something. He holds internal anger for it, because he just wants to get home and smother Wally with love, but he does it because he DOES get paid for overtime. That's the least he could ask for, really.

Kuki: working a 9-5. She plans on getting to college to become a lawyer at some point. No one knows what exactly her job is. It's not her fault, she just doesn't care for it enough to remember. She got top surgery at 22 after working her ass off for the money she'd need. Don't tell anyone, but Hoagie helped a little. Also, she has her own apartment, too. It's really fancy and decked out, but she lives alone. She likes it that way. After years of living with her parents, she needs alone time all the time, unless she actively decides to invite someone over.

Wally: also went cold turkey on everything when he moved into the apartment. He's taking college classes at UVA to become a pediatrician. It's not quite Harvard, but it's damn near close. He's actually pretty dedicated to it. ADHD medication is the sole reason he can be so dedicated. He tends to wear somewhat feminine attire, as he's learning to understand that he doesn't have to conform to how society believes the genders should dress, and isn't any less of a boy just because he wants to wear feminine clothing.

Abby: going to an unknown college for her therapist degree. She doesn't tell anyone because she worries they may show up there to bother her, or something along those lines. She's often very busy studying, and if she isn't, she's doing volunteer work. She lives with her parents still. Chronically tired, just like, a little bit more than before. She has stopped caring about what she wears and just puts on whatever the hell works. She visits Kuki whenever she needs socialization or love.

Additional piece: the layout of Hoagie and Wally's apartment. This was for my own reference but I'd figure I'd post it

[lukedanger]

Replaying WotR with all the DLC, I forgot how full of shit Regill is about the rest of the Crusades.

What prompted this is his nonsense about Irabeth. He acts as if she had no achievements to her name so he can pretend that she's unqualified when she has a PTSD breakdown before Drezen - as if she had not gone through Kenabres, or hadn't rebuilt the Eagle Watch from scratch to the point where it's one of the most competent forces (more competent than the Hellknights, TBH: at least the Eagle Watch doesn't have to threaten every soldier with execution for the slightest infraction)

I mean look at it - 'her first serious challenge'? Is Hellknight intelligence so incompetent that you don't even know her career before returning to Mendev? Did you forget that she and Anevia rebuilt the Eagle Watch from scratch after uncovering Baphomet's infiltration? Or do you not know that Kenabres survived because Irabeth managed to weld together a cohesive fighting force at the Defender's Heart and that the plan to take back the Grey Garrison was entirely hers?

Irabeth is no wet-behind-the-ears recruit thrown into high command without being tested: she's a veteran commander who's been fighting the Worldwound longer than anyone in the tent besides Anevia and Queen Galfrey (whom the narrative also maligns, I'll get to that in a minute). Irabeth has been fighting for high stakes: Mendev dies if they fail. If the Hellknights' token expeditions die? They lose some lances, but none of their core territories are threatened and they can easily shrug it off because the Crusades are basically Avistan's dumping ground for undesirables anyways.

This is a perfect example of the sheer arrogance of the Hellknights. Especially since Regill admits that just a glimpse of what happens in the Lost Chapel is almost enough to make him puke. Irabeth lived it and watched good people die in a horrible manner and be transformed into monsters against their will.

Irabeth isn't a coward. She's dealing with unrecognzied PTSD given how fast the march on Drezen usually occurs after Lost Chapel, and it picked the absolute worst moment to manifest... especially if the KC is an incompetent leader who constantly berates her and makes her a scapegoat for other people's failures.

It's not like Irabeth is asking to be dismissed - if you warn her that you'll bench her, she's terrified of being left behind to be the one who gets to mourn everyone that dies. She's still in the fight, she's just conscious that the odds are against them after how badly the gargoyle ambush went.

Galfrey, as an aside, acts as a leader should: she works to reassure Irabeth and console her. Galfrey has suffered immensely under the pressure of defending Golarion from the Worldwound with basically no support (Avistan's nations more or less uses the Crusades as a way to dispose of undesirables) - she knows what Irabeth is feeling. And the narrative did Galfrey so dirty by not giving her more moments like this - Galfrey's presence should have been an auto-success for reassuring Irabeth even if the KC still got to do a reassurance option even if only to give Irabeth an extra and much-needed verbal hug.

It's telling how much the narrative had to bend over backwards to make the Hellknights seem competent rather than a bunch of arrogant pricks who are trying to take credit for holding back the Worldwound while offering little actually useful. I think the most useful thing they do in Act II is give you another option to get at the giants at Drezen, everything else is them either being counterproductive, needing the crusaders they sneer at to save their asses, or volunteering to be vescavor fodder because their egos wouldn't let them stay behind while those best equipped to tackle the threat deal with it... and get the credit.

[ennas-aesthetic]

Retired!Dream as a Librarian AU

Both @ineffablyendless and I spent a night brainstorming on what we think Retired!Dream would be doing (you know, if he walked away like Destruction did and decided to live life not tied down to impossible responsibilities), and we immediately agreed that he would LOVE being a librarian. So here's a collection of our Retired!Dream as a librarian headcanons:

Surprisingly, joining the library wasn't Hob's idea.

The first few months after he left his duties and responsibilities as ‘Dream of the Endless,’ Morpheus had gone into a bit of an existential crisis. He has basically lost his entire function, which was the anchorage of his whole being and identity. If he is NOT the manifestation of the collective unconscious and the Prince of Stories, then who the hell is he?

(He has no idea where Destruction has gone, too, so it’s not like he can tap him and ask casually how to start living his life as a human. Dream is drawing on a blank, and is completely lost on who he should be and what it is that he wants to do.)

Hob is there for him during those months. He is gentle and kind and patient; he tells Dream that he can do whatever the fuck he wants, and encourages him to try various things. Crafting, painting, writing. Dream has a natural affinity to the arts (of course) but none of them seem to stick (and the Bohemian starved-artist persona was more Destruction’s thing, anyway. Dream may be a ‘human’ now, but the pettiness went nowhere, it seems.)

Hob tells him that he will NEVER mind Dream going out of the flat when Hob’s off to teach at the University. Encourages it, even. He tells Dream that he does not need to be cooped up in the house, that he can go wherever he wants. Dream often stays in, anyway, (because he has got nowhere to be), until he could not take the constant ennui and boredom any longer and books out of the flat.

He goes around the locale for a bit, explores the town he and Hob live in. Inexplicably, he is drawn to the local library.

Stepping into the library reawakens a small part of him that has been dormant ever since he left the Dreaming. Stories had always been his domain, and it is there that a tiny part of his soul (if he has any) is moved – as if the place has put him under its spell. He browses the shelves, reads through books and novels that he has read a thousand times. Often, though, he is content sitting at the little visitor’s nook, looking at readers of all ages exchanging and accepting stories and tales, and feeling a forgotten part of his heart twinge with bittersweet calmness and serenity.

Haunting the library became a daily ritual. And as it is with humans and rituals, the staff become more and more used to him the more he frequents the place. Slowly they integrate him into their tight-knit band of librarians. Dream finds himself in deep discussion with various people over folktales and legends and stories, and they are entranced by how much he knows, endeared by his seriousness and aloofness. It is in conversation with the head librarian that he finds out they are always accepting volunteers. Would Dream like to be one?

When Hob finds out he is overjoyed. It was a no-brainer, really.

And that’s how Dream became part of the staff of the local library.

Sometimes Dream wonders how he had gotten here. Oh, if only his subjects could see him now. If only Lucienne could see him now. He was the owner of the Dreaming’s vast, endless library, sure, but as Monarch he had left the more menial tasks to Lucienne. Which, he realizes, was quite the “dick move” (as Hob puts it), on his part. He gets taught how to shelve books using the Dewey Decimal system, how to administer fines for books that are way past their return date, find the exact shelf for Fortunately, The Milk that a child had wanted for forever, how to wrangle silence with a vehement ‘sssssh!’ and a death glare. The last part he could do with ease, but the others not so much. He resolves to be more appreciative of Lucienne’s work over the millennia, if he ever sees her again.

But the work itself is pleasant, an anchor. He never had a sense that being a librarian is a chore. In fact, the task seems to keep him fixed, hinged on an axis of purpose and drive. After months of senseless brooding he is happy he has this at least, to define the fuzzy boundaries of his identity. He is still crafting who he wants ‘Morpheus’ to be, but it gets easier, a day at a time.

And the people, to his bemusement, love him. He is surprised at the ease of which he gets accepted into the brood, and realizes that people are so much kinder than he could ever have thought. There is Lissa, who is going through her bachelor's degree in Sociology, but who heads the Weekly Library Scavenger Hunt and frequently asks Dream’s help to cut up various visual aids and decorations for their bulletin boards. There is Annalee, who sometimes brings him coffee when they exchange shifts. They help him with the shelving and sorting at the end of the day, and they enthusiastically drag him in to help organize the monthly Slam Poetry competitions. Rupert, an elderly man who comes to stay at the library all day, and who does not forget to ask Morpheus how he is doing. Charlotte, the matronly Head Librarian who notices Dream not eating or taking breaks at the right time (his relationship with food has been complicated and rocky since his imprisonment at Burgess’), and clucks at him like a mother hen for skipping meals.

It’s… it’s a community. Dream has found himself a community: people who CARE about him, who allow him to be part of their little found family, who do not cower away from him or act as if they’re walking on eggshells around him. For once he has found himself an actual, healthy support system. Hob says something about Dream resonates with them: how aloof and awkward he is, how utterly serious and straight-faced he is about the job. They give their kindness so freely that sometimes Dream thinks that there is a catch (because there always was.) But sometimes kindness is brash and natural and emergent - it shows up wherever, whenever, just because.

(He is loved by the community, too. They are obsessed with him, this awkward, no-nonsense, goth librarian in doc martens and earrings and black nail polish. Whose partner, a genuine University professor, comes over occasionally to give historical talks and seminars. This skinny, goth, queer librarian who can and frequently glares people to death for the slightest perceived misdemeanor but blooms like a fresh flower for every nervous child who has questions about books. He’s done so well that they upgrade him from volunteer to full-time librarian, of which Morpheus accepts graciously.)

Another thing the community is obsessed with: Morpheus’ Children Reading Programs.

He was not in charge of Story Time Tuesdays. Peter was, except Peter wanted to move back to Brighton to be closer with his family. Morpheus takes the mantle when he volunteered to adlib a story on the behest of one of his fave kids. Of course, unbeknownst to literally everyone else, Morpheus is in his element. He does not just read: he performs. He takes the voices very seriously, and he is an excellent storyteller, weaving a tale of dragons and knights and pegasi so enrapturing the entire floor goes dead quiet hanging on to his every word. When he is finished they erupt into incredulous, awestruck applause.

Story Time Tuesdays become a hit. The kids are apt listeners and a great audience, and adults come over once in a while to sit in, too. Sometimes he does not even need a book. He's like a fucking bard. An old-timey rhapsode who could string one story into another with ease. EASE. He could recite them as though he himself was there for each and every one. (And he was. HE WAS.) The children love him completely.

He is so good at storytelling that the library club affectionately nicknamed him the Library's "Prince of Stories." This sends Hob to hysterical tears.

One time the kids suggested he tell the story of Mr. Sandman. This is the one time he is taken aback, the one time he sputters as he insists Mr. Sandman doesn’t have his OWN story, because he was the storyteller. He does not have a story of his own.

The kids call BULLSHIT on this, because somehow Dream trained them all into believing EVERYONE has their own story. Hob, bastard that he is, who has made a habit of getting off the university early to listen in on Dream’s Story Time Tuesdays, yells "YOU'RE RIGHT!" So Morpheus is delegated into the sidelines as he watches the kids make up a story of their own for once, about a dream magician named Mr. Sandman with a dragon best friend who goes on a quest to leave his island.

Mr. Sandman becomes a recurring character in all of Dream's adlib stories now, at the kids' insistence. He’s the magical godmother and the helpful NPC that helps the heroes on their quests. The other librarians who are secretly compiling all of Dream's adlib stories are naming it "Sandman Stories". The kids dress up as "Sandman" on Halloween and Dream is beginning to realize the children perceive Sandman to look a lot like himself.

He also DID NOT have a complete breakdown in the bedroom he and Hob share, about how the children are adamant that Morpheus has a story of his own, despite believing for entire eons that he has none. It's still hard to reconcile his issues on self-worth, remember that he deserves kindness and compassion. But Hob is there to help him get through it, and the kids continue insisting that the Sandman is a real character with a story of his own that MATTERS. That he has a life worth living, a tale worth telling.

And slowly but surely, he starts believing that, too.

We have SO MANY MORE librarian!Dream headcanons that we haven’t touched on yet! If you have questions + want some more these hit us up! 

[manygeese]

okay had a conversation with @puzzled-pegasus abt fankids (by this i mean we were heatedly debating middle names) but anyways here they are. Featuring percabeth, valgrace, pipeyna, and frazel.

PERCABETH

Kids, Oldest to Youngest:

Matilda Charlotte Jackson: nerd with anxiety, not athletic at all but is gonna get into a good school bc of her grades (she is stressing about it nevertheless), freshman year, 15 years old

Daniel Morgan Jackson: AUTISM, loves dinosaurs, space, and trains, especially trains, 5th grade, 10 years okd

Atalanta Sally Jackson (AKA Addy): ADHD, literally always outside playing with the neighbor’s kids in the park, 2nd grade, 8 years old

Names/Parenting Hadcanons:

Annabeth takes Percy’s last name because she sees Sally, Paul, and Estelle more as her family than the Chases.

Matilda- it was both Percy and Annabeth’s favorite book growing up. Charlotte- after Charlotte Brontë the author of Jane Eyre because Annabeth is a nerd.

Daniel- idek. It was giving Daniel and I think Percy was stumped and at his birth he was like “uh. Uh. Daniel. He’s Daniel, yeah. He looks like a Daniel.” Morgan- means circling sea.

Atalanta- their godly parents wanted them to name at least one of their kids after a hero and Athena was like. Actually present when Addy was born. And she like immediately got attached and was like “such a fierce little warrior! Her name shall be Atalanta!” And Annabeth was too tired to protest. Sally- Percy’s a mama’s boy.

Annabeth loves studying with Matilda and doing volunteering stuff with her to build her resumé.

Percy watches kids shows with Daniel and Addy and becomes surprisingly invested. He wakes them up at like ten on weekends with breakfast so the family can have their Saturday morning cartoons.

Matilda calls her parents Mom and Dad because her friends told her she should (she used to call them Mommy and Daddy), Daniel calls them Mommy and Papa, Addy calls them Mommy and Pops because she saw somebody call their dad Pops on a show once

VALGRACE

Kid:

Hope Clio Piper Valdez: AuDHD, takes after her dad (Jason) in relation to athletics, freaking jock, 8th grade, 14

Names/Parenting Headcanons:

Jason took Leo’s last name because he doesn’t like the memories he has with his mom.

Hope- didn’t want to use the name Esperanza since names have power, but Esperanza means hope, so it indirectly honors Leo’s mom. Clio- muse of history and Jason is a nerd. Piper- their bestie.

Hope has two middle names because A) Leo likes the sound of it and B) Jason wants to cram the most happy meaning into her name as possible because he wants her to have a good life.

They only have one kid because Piper and Reyna live near them and their kids are Jason and Leo’s basically, and vice versa.

Hope babysits Piper and Reyna’s kids on weekends and after school and sometimes other kids. When they’re in New York, she watches Daniel and Addy so Matilda can go to the mall with her friends.

Leo and Hope fix cars together and he is simultaneously so proud and a lil disgruntled about the fact that she will probably be taller than him soon.

Jason gets so invested in Hope’s volleyball and basketball games and he is her biggest fan. Leo drives her and her friends to the high school football games on Fridays and sometimes he and Jason make it a date. Hope is mortified because all her friends can see her dads cuddling.

Hope calls Leo Pops (habit she picked up from Addy) and Jason Dad.

PIPEYNA

Kids:

Calliope McLean-Ramírez-Arellano: AuDHD, books it to the swings as soon as recess starts, 1st grade, 6 years old

Timothy McLean-Ramírez-Arellano (AKA Tim): AuDHD, in the mud and drinking honey from the honeysuckles at recess, 1st grade, 6 years old

Names/Parenting Headcanons:

They adopted the twins when they were about one and a half- apparently they just turned up at Camp Jupiter one day and nobody knows who their mortal or godly parent is. Reyna wasn’t about to let them pull a Jason with the kids, so she and Piper took a road trip to go get them.

They each keep their own last names but decide to hyphenate for their kids’ last names.

Calliope- when Piper heard that Jason gave his kid a middle name from the muses, she was like, “omg we should match!” And Calliope is both a whimsical little instrument on a boat and the muse of epic poetry so it was meant to be.

Timothy- Reyna wanted to name him after somebody important to Piper, so Piper suggested Thomas after her grandpa, but then she vetoed that because “he wasn’t giving Thomas.” Reyna kept suggesting T names until Piper approved.

No middle names because Reyna doesn’t like them (isn’t that right, RARA?)

Absolutely LOVE Hope. When Tim is mad at one of his moms (they didn’t let him have ice cream for dinner), he starts calling Hope his mom which never fails to make her laugh.

Calliope loves to be pushed by Reyna on the swings because unlike Piper she’s never afraid to actually make her go higher when she orders it. However, Piper is better to play tag with because she looks funny when she runs.

Tim reads stories to his sister at bedtime: Corduroy, Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Gorilla, and the storybook version of Cinderella because they both love that movie.

Tim and Calliope call Piper Mommy and Reyna Mamá.

FRAZEL

Kids, Oldest to Youngest:

Frank Zhang-Levesque, Jr. (AKA Frankie): anxiety, takes after his mom, ironically, but built like his dad, 8th grade, 13 years old

Harry Parker Zhang-Levesque: autism, takes after his mom still, followes his big brother around like a lost puppy, 6th grade, 11 years old

Names/Parenting Headcanons:

Frank and Hazel broke up in college but got back together in their thirties.

They hyphenate their last names for both themselves and their kids.

Frank Jr.- Frank didn’t want to name their kid after him, but Hazel was like “I want it to be a family name because I love you” and Frank is a weak man. Couldn’t think of a middle name and Frank didn’t have one so they figured they’d stay loyal to the source material.

Harry- originally wanted to name their kid after baby after Hazel, but it was a boy and Frank insisted that the name Hazel for the boy wouldn’t go over well with the other kids in his 6th grade class. They settled for Harry. Parker- wanted to have and homage to Percy, but Hazel admitted that she didn’t like the name Perseus (then apologized even though Percy wasn’t in the room), so they just went with a middle P initial instead.

Harry likes archery and Frank is SOOOO relieved because he was afraid he wouldn’t have many things to connect with his kids over. He does pottery with Frankie.

Hazel loves going to art classes, museums, etc. with Frankie and Harry. The whole family goes to the pumpkin patch and gets their own pumpkin to paint/carve in the fall. It inevitably becomes a contest because Frankie, Hazel and Frank can get competitive. They iris message Leo and Jason, Piper and Reyna, Nico and Will and Percy and Annabeth to get them to vote on who won. It’s usually Hazel.

Frankie calls Frank Father and Hazel Mom, Harry calls Frank Dad and Hazel Mother.

[yingfelis]

Hey! I want to request if you don't mind, Fu Hua x Mantis!Reader, basically this reader I really like that fic lmao, thank you anyway!

Hellooo <333 ofc I actually hadn’t read that one yet until you requested this and it was so cute I loved it

I hope you don’t mind any sort of plot holes or such cause I actually haven’t really finished the ER/PE story yet 😓 (also sorry if the ending seems kinda rushed)

I found you, you found me

Fu Hua x Mantis Reader

You had been in the moths much longer than Fu hua due to getting caught up in honkai attacks at a young age.

When both of your parents had died the moths was the only place left for you to go

You dedicated everything into fighting because in truth what else was there for you to live for?

Due to this you became a mantis at a young age, not caring for the risk of the outcomes, you were one of the few who volunteered and one of the even fewer that survived

But you couldn’t feel anything, your already dull life seem to grow even dimmer.

You lost taste in food and anything that affected the normal human senses seem to dwindle for you

However that does mean you can actually be near and interact with Kevin without feeling his coldness. (This makes him secretly happy)

Everything just felt empty though, no matter what you would do in the end it got you nowhere, life was simply a chore and fighting was all you knew how to do.

Then she had to walk into your life, a broken yet determined girl had suddenly came crashing into your life…. Well technically it was you who came crashing into hers, literally

Being flung through the battle grounds and crashing into the raven haired girl was not part of your usual routine but here you guys were.

Honestly it was just a simple clearing out mission nothing too big but you being you couldn’t feel an injury on yourself until it was too late and a sharp pain took over your body

A large honkai beast took notice of this weakness and immediately rammed into you sending you flying. You would had probably gotten more injuries had a certain young girl around your age appeared in your way and help break your fall

As you got up and were about to apologize/say thank you, you instead had to grab the other girl and duck as an attack was hurled at you two

Snapping out of it you both immediately got back into battle, on the battlefield you two were warriors, not human.

However after the battle, that same girl managed to find you again. She introduced herself to you

“Hua…” you said testing how her name rolled off your tongue. It was surprisingly easy and something just felt right about it.

Hua nodded her head with a small sound of confirmation. “And you? Who might you be”

“Call me Y/n” you said bluntly and a look of realization came across her face.

“Yes, I believe Kevin had mentioned you to me just before this” she said, which didn’t surprise you much. Kevin was fond of you due to you being unaffected by his current state and also one of the few who had successfully became a mantis.

“Mhm, Dr. Mei had mentioned another mantis would be in this mission. If I’m not mistaken we must be around the same age then.” Hua nodded in confirmation as silence fell upon you two.

Hua, not knowing what to do, studied you a bit and instantly noticed your injuries that you seemed to pay no attention to. “Are you going to treat your injuries soon?” She asked, pointing them out

You looked dumbly at her before looking down at yourself. “Ah… I had forgotten about these. Perhaps I should, but it would take too long.”

“So you’re just going to go untreated” a hint of concern was present in her voice

“Perhaps, I’ll see what I can do for myself though-” you felt a hand grab your arm as you were dragged away

“Come, I will at least apply the necessary first aid needed” you dumbfoundedly followed Hua as she led you away from your previous spot. She made you sit down as she grabbed a box filled with medical supplies.

You both sat in silence as Hua begins to clean and bandage up the wounds that were littered around your body.

It was a comfortable silence and you couldn’t help but to feel relaxed and warm at this feeling of being taken care of

Wait….

Feel?

That isn’t right.

After that interaction you found yourself meeting with Hua more often. Whether it was coincidence or your own body unconsciously leading you to her you wouldn’t know

At the very least Hua doesn’t seem to mind the company so you’ll continue to stick around her.

Though this got some teasing from Elysia and intrigued looks from a few others. Your almost instant connection with Hua felt almost like second nature.

You’re not sure why, and Hua doesn’t seem to understand the extent of how out of character this is for you but you can’t help but want to stay with her and protect her from everything. Even her own mind sometimes.

Yes, perhaps jumping in front of an attack with an already unstable body that was on the verge of breaking due to overuse in battle was not the best idea you’ve ever had.

But in your defense, it was aiming at Hua and her getting hurt right in front of you es just unacceptable.

As you awaken in a hospital bed, your eyes immediately noticed the sleeping figure laying their head down next to you.

“Hua…” you mutter, unable to not keep her name from escaping your lips. It was such a pleasant feeling, to say her name, you could do it a millions times if it meant the warm feeling inside of you would remain

Hua stirred before her eyes cracked open. They seemed dazed for a moment as she processed everything

You were awake, her body snapped up, eyes looking at you in shock. You stared back with an unreadable expression like always

Hua simply relaxed a bit as her hand gripped the bed sheets tightly. “You’re awake, thank god” her voice was quiet with a bitter yet relieved expression

You nodded and took the hand she was gripping onto the bed so tightly into yours, loosening the grip of it. You didn’t like it when she did that all agitation and stressed, you liked it when she was relaxed. Hua knew this

“Even now you’re still focused and worried about me… why? You could have nearly died due to my ignorance.” Hua was frustrated, why did you always do this, why for her, what did she do to deserve such protection from you?

“I didn’t want to see you hurt” You responded calmly, almost like it was as obvious as what color the sky was

This only made her more frustrated. She stood up “you think I want to see you hurt too!? Y/n what you did was reckless and idiotic, had your body not mange to pull itself together you would not be here. The mission would have been a failure and I—…”

Hua’s voice died down at the end as she looked down

“I could have lost you too… and it would have been all my fault-”

Hua found herself not being able to continue as arms wrapped around her abruptly pulling her close. It was a bit of an awkward position due to you still being bed bound but it was warm

“Y/n! What-” “I’m sorry hua please forgive me”

She looked at you in shock as there were silent tears in your eyes. Why? Why were you shedding tears for her? How were you shedding tears? This all confused her

“Hua, none of what happened was your fault. I was so scared to see you hurt, I wanted so badly to protect you. I didn’t even know I could still possess these emotions or any emotions. But you still make me feel them and I latched onto it.” You didn’t even let her get a word in before continuing again.

“You make me feel things I never would have thought I could possess again. In this soulless life I found comfort in your warmth, so please don’t think badly of yourself.” Hua was in no way a love expert but even to her this sounded like a confession. It comforted her in a different way then normal, it was so warm.

So warm that the icy cold exterior she had melted immediately as she cried in your arms. You started to panic fearing you had done something wrong. “Hua? Hua I’m sorry please don’t cry.”

You tried to brush the tears away gently cupping her cheek only for her to lean into your touch… and upwards. A soft pair of lips met yours and you froze, the only thing you could manage was to close your eyes.

As she pulled away you both stared into each other’s eyes. A small blush dusted her face as your mouth was hung open in shock. “I have never once liked seeing a comrade put themselves in harms way. You are no exception to that fact. In fact, you are the one person that I cannot lose.”

Your eyes softened at her words. You let Hua curl up against you as you held her. Leaving a kiss on her temple. “I won’t leave you Hua, I never will. A moth cannot stray from it’s light, and you burn too brightly for me to loose you”

After that, you two were officially dating, though never stated out loud it others it was obvious.

When it came time for the previous era to come to end and the current era to begin, you were along side Hua.

However due to the complications it was decided that while you both were to complete the same task it would be in different areas.

This sadden Hua but you brushed it off “no matter how long it will take I will come back to you, whether you have forgotten me or not will not stop me from being by your side.”

These words brought her comfort as she knew you had meant those words. Entrusting Hua’s care to Fuxi and Nuwa. You two had to part ways

Eventually, Fu Hua’s memories of you had faded until they were completely destroyed in the fight against Sirin. This had broken her in a way she couldn’t understand.

In times of need she found herself longing for the comfort of someone familiar she couldn’t remember, she found herself unconsciously seeing certain fighting styles that made her lost in thought

You were someone that took on many identities over your lifetimes. Fading into the background was normal for you, you had done that a lot during your time with the moths.

Leading others to the goal while remaining undetected was much easier than actually being the leader.

However eventually someone had taken notice of your presence. A man by the name of Welt, Welt Joyce, the first Herrscher of Reason.

Then boom you were sucked into the chaos of Anti-Entropy generally assisting them from time to time while still keeping your identity mostly hidden from others.

You helped them make better tech using your knowledge from the previous era which basically had made you Einstein and Tesla’s go to test subject lab partner

In exchange, they kept your identity a secrete, help you fulfill the goal of passing on your knowledge to the correct era, and finally, gave you tabs as to how Fu Hua was doing.

Despite the many years that have passed your memories of your light was something you treasured. Even if her journey didn’t include you in it, it doesn’t matter to you. Knowing she’s safe is enough for you.

Only after the whole HoS and HoD incident was when you two finally reconnected. Fu Hua had obtained some of her memories back and that included those with you. At first it pained her a bit to know she had no idea of someone she had treasured so deeply before.

She didn’t know how you were or if you were even alive. Had you change? What were you doing for so long? Had you kept you promise or did you forget about her by now? It was all confusing to Fu Hua

Due to the injures she had sustained in the battle with Dominance, Fu Hua was referred to a few days of rest (despite saying how she was feeling fine)

She was getting an examination with Tesla and Einstein when they had told her how they were expecting a “lab partner/a stoic idiot” to show up soon. They said how they would like her to meet said lab partner, which confused her a bit but she didn’t questioned if.

“Doctor Einstein, I had gotten your signal. Was there something you needed to discuss-…” You paused at your eyes took in the very familiar face and body of your (past?) lover. You stood in shock as Fu Hua looked back mirroring your expression.

Einstein ushered doctor Tesla out as she gave you a knowing look and felt you two alone.

You blinked “Hua..?” You asked trying to see if she had recognized you. Which the answer was obviously yes. “Y/n” the name had rolled off her tongue so easy. Yes, it felt right

At that confirmation, the room grew silent. Fu hua didn’t know what she could say to you. Not like either of you two were big talkers before anyways.

Then, when the silent tears rolled down your face that reminded her so much of her memories of that night she stood closer to you and cupped your face.

Wiping your tears she was greeted with the realization of how the roles were reversed now yet it still felt so right.

“Hua… I found you”

“You found me, y/n”

Fu hua gently held you as you basked in her warmth, like a moth to a flame, you had been guided to her once more.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for not giving someone the wifi password and not telling my parents about it when they asked?

this happened a while ago and ik it sounds trivial but i feel so damn guilty and i just need to know if i did something wrong (fake names used ofc)

so about seven or eight months ago a friend of mine (liz, 16f at the time, now 17) was brought to our house. child protection services had taken her and her two brothers (they're all adopted, but one of the boys is her biological brother, who i'll call james) from their parents because the boys did something to their neighbor's dogs and were found wandering all over town at night. i'm not sure exactly what as i've never been told, but i deeply suspect it was something sexual. i'm not sure. about a week before this, my friend's dogs were brought over here, again because cps wanted them removed.

so my friend is now staying with me (16f) and my twin sister sister (anna). we have a large "closet" that is really more of an attic than anything, so we put liz in there because our house is small and we didn't want her sleeping on the couch.

for about a month, things went pretty well. we had a good time! we hung out a lot, and she told me about some volunteer firefighting she did, and also some farming stuff she did with her adoptive uncle (this is important for later). but she had a secret cellphone (her parents weren't big on cellphones and they were kinda strict) that she used to do social media behind their backs. most importantly, she was talking to an older guy (axel, 28m) via snapchat. anna and i have autism and adhd and are kinda clueless about some things, so we didn't think it was such a big deal at the time. so when she asked for the wifi password, i thought nothing of it. one day when my mom asked if she had a phone, i told her no bc liz asked me not to tell my parents and i thought being loyal to her was the right thing

well, one day, liz found her biological family via facebook and started contacting them

from what little i've heard, liz and james were taken from their bio parents because the mom was an alcoholic and doing drugs, and the dad was abusing them. they never visited the kids once. but now this mom is telling liz that she wants the kids back, and because of this, liz really wanted to go back to her bio family, even though they lived in another state that was pretty far away.

so she goes up to my mom and tries to talk to her about it. also, cps came by again and said liz couldn't sleep in the room she'd been sleeping in anymore because it had no windows and thus no fire escape. and my mom found out about the phone and the older guy she was talking to. things finally got so stressful that my parents had to have liz moved to another home about an hour away

now here's why i think i was the asshole. apparently, liz had been lying to me A LOT. she never actually did the firefighting work (she did some cooking for them. that's it) and when she said she knew how to milk a cow, she actually didn't know how, AND THEN WENT ON TO MILK OUR COW ANYWAY. IN FRONT OF MY DAD. it was insane and it made anna and i freak out because we have a hard time making friends sue to previous bullying issues at a school we'd gone to

later on i overheard my mom telling my dad that she was afraid that the bio parents were trying to groom her or something, and they didn't know i'd heard that. so now i'm afraid that i'm responsible for my friend leaving and all that. also, since she's left, liz has gone on to refuse to go back to her adoptive parents and has basically made their lives hell. and she keeps getting james upset by trying to convince him into thinkking that he should want to go back to the bio parents

so am i the asshole for hiding stuff frmo my parents?

(fyi: they have since known that i gave her the wifi password. they were pissed, but they realized that i didn't know any better and aren't mad at me)

What are these acronyms?

[whumpbug]

hey so I'm gonna send a lil prompt

You don't have to answer it of course but it's been rolling around in my head for a while and I doubt I'LL write it since I don't know how you feel about fanfics

so I figured

why not put it in your askbox just for the sake of it

The idea is that at some point, Archie goes to Simon's apartment for either a minor injury (really just an excuse to see him) or something that's kind of serious but can be delt with pretty easily. Basically anything that isn't fatal and wouldn't be fatal even without intervention. When he gets there he sees that Simon is clearly MUCH worse off than him for whatever reason and now they're BOTH fussing over each OTHER and fighting over who gets taken care of by the other

Definitely a whumpee-turned-caretaker/caretaker-turned-whumpee situation. I don't know I just think it'd be fun but if you're busy or something that's totally cool I just wanted to show it to you

HI ANON!!!!! like i said in a previous post, i will literally give you my firstborn child if you ever make a fanfic for my boys. i dont think you understand how thrilled i would be. you are ALWAYS welcome to write about my guys!!

anyways, heres a little prompt fill!!! it ended up being more about the fluff than it did about the fighting over who should be fussed over so i hope thats okay!! simon being cuddly when hes feverish is one of my favorite traits i gave him. i hope you enjoy too!!

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

In hindsight, the cut on his leg really wasn’t too bad.

Archie was about ninety-nine percent sure he would have been able to suture it himself. He saw it done more times than he could count, and the wound itself was neat and shallow, though bleeding profusely. Wouldn’t have taken him more than twenty minutes.

But he really missed Simon.

Simon had been swamped with exams and lab practicals and volunteer hours for the last week and a half. The poor guy had 2 hours a day to himself if he was lucky. Archie made himself scarce to not add more to his plate, of course, but it had been three days.

He figured a little pit stop couldn’t hurt. Even though it was well past midnight, Archie knew Simon had finished his last final in the afternoon because he texted him that he was going to knock out, and then went radio silent.

It had been seven hours since then. Simon was definitely awake by now.

So that’s how Archie ended up silently slipping through Simon’s kitchen window, a common practice for him, angling his leg just right so as to not drip blood all over his floor. 

All the lights were off. Weird.

He shut the window gently behind him and padded into the living room, squinting as his eyes started adjusting to the dark.

Suddenly, a lamp flicked on and Archie nearly died of a heart attack then and there.

He blinked at the sudden brightness and was greeted by.. Simon?

His friend was slowly sitting up from the couch, head still lowered as he viciously scrubbed the sleep from his eyes. There was a mess of blankets and pillows surrounding him as he propped himself up on his forearms. 

Had he been sleeping?

“Archie?” His voice was rough. He blinked blearily, hair mussed from sleep. “What are you doing here?”

Simon’s gaze lowered to the bright red stain on Archie’s leg and he jolted a little bit. 

“Oh. I see. Come sit down, I’ll--” He was cut off by a soft yawn-- “take a look at it.”

Simon went to grab the suturing kit that was already on the coffee table from the last time Archie stopped by, but his hand slipped and he nearly toppled over. Archie rushed to catch him.

Something was not right.

Simon was never one to be this groggy. He was the kind of person that could go from dead asleep to awake and alert in a matter of seconds. He hardly ever had a “wake-up” period, and he was certainly never this out of it.

When Archie helped Simon back to sitting, he frowned at the unnatural heat he felt beneath his palms.

“Simon? Are you okay?” He cupped his cheek and stifled a hiss at the burning, fevered skin.

“You’re burning up!" Archie exclaimed.

He should have known something was up when Simon didn't text him after his nap. He suddenly felt a bit guilty. "I'm sorry for waking you, I should have called first. You should be sleeping.”

Simon shook his head, but it only succeeded in making him dizzier. “Mmh. I’m fine. You’re the one bleeding. Just sit down, would you?”

“No way. This--” Archie motioned to his leg-- “can wait. You’re sick. You’re exhausted. You need rest. I'll get you some medicine and some tea, okay?"

“Just sit down. You're dripping blood. I can still suture. I’m fine. I can practically do it with my eyes closed.” He looked up at Archie again in a hazy way that made him not want to test that theory.

Still, Archie knew Simon well enough to know that he wouldn’t back down, especially not while mildly delirious from fever. He had to improvise.

He made a show of sighing and sitting down as if he resigned to Simon’s orders, but then, when his guard was down, he reached over and snatched the suturing kit from Simon’s trembling hands.

“Hey!” He shouted, but it came out as more of a whine. He was too disoriented to do anything about it anyways.

“Shush. How about I let you sit here with me while I do suture myself, y’know, so you can supervise, as long as you promise to let me get you to bed when I’m done.”

Simon peered up at Archie with glassy, fever-bright eyes and finally relented.

“Fine.”

Archie smiled. Admittedly, he was very pleased with his small victory. He sat back on the couch, beside Simon, and propped up his leg.

He pulled out the pre-threaded needle and hemostats and got to work.

The process was actually relatively easy. Archie practically memorized how it looked when Simon did it, so it was no trouble at all. He fell into the rhythm of threading, looping, anf knotting.

He only faltered the smallest bit when he felt the weight of Simon chin settle on his shoulder. In the corner of his eye, he could see Simon was flagging. He was more exhausted than he was letting on. He was blinking slowly and lazily, gradually nuzzling further and further into the side of Archie’s neck.

By the time Archie finished the last knot, Simon was nearly a deadweight on him. Archie's heart clenched.

“Alright sleeping beauty. Let’s get you to bed, m’kay?” He murmured, replacing the items in the suturing kit and carefully getting up to crouch in front of Simon in an offer of a piggy back ride.

Simon was not one to decline.

It took Archie a bit longer because of the throbbing pain in his leg, but he eventually got Simon tucked into his bed with a damp washcloth on his chest and forehead. 

Just as Archie was leaving to go find the ibuprofen, he heard the smallest, saddest sound come from the bundle of blankets.

“You’re leaving..?”

Archie thought he might die right there. 

He all but dashed back to Simon’s bedside and cupped his face. “No. No, of course not. Not when you’re feeling this sick. I just wanted to get you some medicine. I’ll be right back.”

Simon just averted his hazy eyes and huffed a small whimper. “Stay? Please?”

Archie bit his lip in contemplation, but his mind was made up before the question even made its way out of Simon’s mouth. 

He kicked off his shoes and crawled under the covers next to Simon, who scooted over to make room, and pulled him into an all-consuming embrace. 

Simon melted easily into it, letting his head fall on Archie’s chest. Even in his foggy state of mind, he made sure to be careful of Archie’s injured leg as he wrapped himself around him. 

Finally, he felt like he could breathe again after such a hellish week.

Archie rubbed up and down his spine, reveling in how the tension in Simon’s muscles melted away with each pass.

Medicine would have to wait. For now, this was far more effective.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for lying to my subjects’ families?

ok, ok, i know this sounds really bad but im kinda freaking out rn so just. just hear me out ok??

I’m a scientist, and a real important one too (i work for the king). and i LIKE to think i’ve actually done some really good work, like fixing up the geothermal energy plant my predecessor made, making a new prosthetic body for my friend… etc etc. so recently his majesty gave me a new assignment.

So… basically our country is at war. Kinda. Not really. But sorta? Ok anyway we’re at war because the enemy trapped us down here with this barrier made of this special mesh only they can go in and out of. And the theory is that the reason why they can go thru and we can’t is because of this special substance in their bodies called DT..

You can see where I’m going with this, right? It seemed so simple! Just, like, inject some DT into a test subject’s body and they should be able to go thru just fine.

And ofc I took all the precautions. I’m not an IDIOT. I started with a control group, this random flower I found in the king’s garden, and it seemed fine (though I ended up losing it a couple weeks ago, the pot probably got knocked over or something) so I moved onto live, elderly volunteers who were on death’s door anyway.

That’s where the, uh… troubles, started.

See, this is the part where I start thinking I might be the asshole, because I went above the original planned dose. Like, WAY above. Because the DT was, like, not doing anything at first?? and, ok, i admit i REALLY wanted this to work. like really really wanted it to work. so i kind of just kept injecting them with more and more because it HAS to do something interesting eventually, right? right???

And, uh, it did. It was very sudden, actually. I woke up this morning, had some ramen for breakfast and came downstairs to find out the volunteers had all… melted.

What makes all of this worse was that one of the families actually called me to ask how the volunteers were doing, and I kinda… panicked and told them they were fine??? look, i didn’t want like a mass panic or something, ok??? I could have lost my job! its not like i could have known they were gonna MELT

anyway.. the lab is locked now, and i refuse to go down there until i figure out some kind of solution, but i SWEAR i can hear something moving around down there, and it doesnt sound like machinery.

am i the asshole?

[scourgefrontiers]

so me and eden talked about it and ive decided to take a sort of internet break with her, just for a week or so. i hate hate hate being so dependent on the internet (particularly social media) for both entertainment and socialization and i feel like being online so much and relying on it for SO LONG (since i was maybe 11?) has really been detrimental to my mental health. and since ive made rent for this month i feel like now is a good time to just step away for a bit.

i still unfortunately rely on the internet for my livelihood--i HAVE to take commissions in order to make rent, provide food, etc, so i wont stop posting art or taking commissions! i'll just be less social i guess. i wont make any posts or reblog anything, i'll just be posting art and contacting ppl abt commissions.

i want to spend more time with my wife. i want to go outside more. i want to hang out with irl people more (i literally have no irl friends). i want to go to meetups. i want to disconnect from the internet so bad i HATE relying on it as much as i do. i mean this so unironically i want to touch grass again

im ngl. i also talked w eden about possibly starting up an irl small business for my art--something along the lines of basically being a caricature artist again, but this time self employed. i'd have my own brand and go to parties and draw people, and volunteer at the local children's hospital sometimes too and draw the hospitalized kids. im honestly just trying to think of ANY job that would help me ease up on being so reliant on social media for income, if possible, that would still be fun for me and not absolutely kill my mental health like my previous irl jobs did. dont get me wrong i love drawing yalls ocs! but i cant charge as much as i should be b/c i dont have enough of a following/demand, so i have to take a lot of commissions before im able to make a decent living. it sucks.

if i could charge more to where i only had to take maybe 3 commissions a month in order to make rent, thatd be ideal. id still love to do commissions for a living! i love drawing your blorbos and i honestly dislike the idea of going back to caricature art--its not my passion by a longshot and its very stressful to do live art so quickly. but im just trying to think of anything to help at this point u_u i cant get on ssi b/c then we wouldnt be able to use my bank account for income and we'd basically have No Money To Do Anything Freely Anymore. so i gotta just. stick with what im doing. IDEALLY id be able to take commissions and post art while not being necessarily Active on social media anymore, but idk how to make that work just yet or if thats even a thing i could do..

anyway. TL;DR im going to take a semi-break from social media/the internet for about a week, but i'll still post art + take commissions + accept messages from close friends on discord. i want to HEAL, man

[writer-of-various]

Another plot twist? Hell yeah. I gotta up my game now.

Summary: She thought she's seen it all. Now, she's in charge of a lost man who's as much as a victim as she is. Her husband isn't to blame for this one.

It is 0300 in the morning, and Emilia Adler couldn't give two shits about being in her pajamas with her curly hair in a messy bun. The guards knew her well enough and stepped aside, not bothering to ask for her ID once they saw the expression of pure anger and annoyance on her face. When the beloved CIA agent is mad, it means no one is safe from her wrath.

She turned down a corner and scowled when she saw the man who woke her up at the Devil's fucking hour already waiting patiently outside her office door.

"Agent Black." She grits out, growing angrier when the man smiles cheekily at her.

"Ah, Mrs. Adler, sorry to awaken you at such an early hour–"

"It's way too fucking early to deal with your games, Emerson. The fuck did you and my boys get into now?" She seethes out, unlocking her office and shoving the man into the dark room. She flips on the light switch and slams the door shut behind her, watching as Black makes himself comfortable in a chair across from her desk.

"You've always been feisty. I like it. Anyways, on to business; your husband is an idiot." Yep, so it was Russell. Emilia slams her briefcase on her desk and sits down in her chair, meeting eyes with the gleaming man.

"Tell me something I don't know." She grumbles, opening her briefcase because she might as well start working on those files. Black notices this and places his hand on top of hers, halting her movements. She looks up at him and frowns, seeing how serious he now looked. "What is it?"

"I think I should show you." What the fuck did her husband do?

\\\

"In 1981, the CIA started a new experiment. It's called 'The Cradle'. William Calderon was a young, fresh faced agent back then. He heard of the experiment, how they were looking for volunteers, and upon seeing no one has yet sacrificed their lives for this project, he volunteered to be a subject. They conducted the experiment on Caldreon, only for it to fuck up and he goes...on a killing spree basically. It's because the brainwashing induces such intense fear. He destroys the facility where the program was taking place and they get him under control, brainwash him a little more, and is introduced to Jane Harrow. She becomes his handler for a bit, until he's put into Frank's Rogue Black Ops team. I know you and Russ don't care for secrecy so I'm sure you heard of their tales. Anyways, Harrow is a bad guy, er, woman, and shit goes down and Caldreon, or Case as he's known by now, kills her."

Black pauses, glancing at the young woman peering through the observation window.

"Why does this concern me, Black?" She whispers, hands clenched into fists at her sides. Black looks back at the window and sighs, handing the file he's been holding over to the other agent.

"He's been through what you, Alex, and Russell have been through. He's been used and abused. He wants to change, for the better. He wants to control the brainwashing. I want you to be his handler, take him under your wing and show him how to control it. Show him he's still human, even if it doesn't feel like it at times. It's the one thing I wish I had really focused on for Alex, and now that's he gone...I don't want that for another person." Black looks at Emilia again, who's facing him with an unreadable expression. She stares at the file in his hand before looking up at him, and her heart ached at the raw emotion shining through his features. Alex's death is still a sore topic among them, and she could see that Black saw Case as a do over, someone he could actually help and not shove aside.

"Okay." And she felt the need, the urge, to help this man out as well. Because she is tired of this brainwashing bullshit that agencies thought they can get away with. "Okay, I'll help him. Can I go in?"

"Yeah, he's been writing the last 24 hours. I've tried to ask what he's writing about, but he barely acknowledges me. I don't know how talkative he's gonna be." Black unlocks the door and takes a step to go in first, but Emilia stops him.

"I think it'll be better if I just went in." She says quietly, and Black looks uncertain.

"He can change any second, Em. You know that. I don't want you getting hurt. Russell would kill me." He tries to joke, but deep down he's scared to let the young agent go inside alone. But Emilia gives him a reassuring smile and pat on the arm before walking in, shutting the door behind her.

"Case?" She makes her presence known, walking along the side of the room so if he were to turn his head, he'll have a full view of her. "My name is Emilia."

"I know." A soft, almost broken voice whispers. "Adler talks a lot about you."

Emilia smiles, walking closer until she's standing beside the man, peering at the papers under his arms. "I hope all good things."

Case nods his head, going quiet again and Emilia takes a seat in the empty chair by his. "What are you writing, Case?"

The man looks at her, reading into her soul, before sliding the papers over. Emilia hides her surprise, gently grasping the papers and skimming through the words. Her smile turns into a frown that grows as she reads everything.

"No one knows. I can't talk about it. But I trust you. If Adler and Woods trust you, I trust you." Case murmurs, and Emilia looks at him. He's exposing himself to her, he's willing to be vulnerable.

"Have you ever had blini?"

\\\

Russell sighs as puts out his cigarette, staring at the two story house he missed so much. He knows Emilia would have many questions to ask, especially with the subtle things he's dropped about what they were working with. He gets out of his car and locks it, walking up the steps and standing there on the porch for a moment, staring at the door. Something felt off. Perhaps he was still recovering over the events of the last few weeks.

He unlocks the door and walks in, frowning when he hears his wife laughing from the dining room. He quietly shuts the door and walks towards the noise he adores, eyes widening when he sees Emilia and a very familiar man sitting at the table, talking over some berry blini. Emilia notices him and suddenly her cheerful expression becomes unreadable, and the man also goes quiet, turning around to face him.

"Case." Russell doesn't bother hiding the surprise out of his voice, looking at his wife questionably. Emilia nods, walking over to him and placing a hand on his chest.

"Give us a moment, please, Case." She says softly, and Case nods, turning back to the pancakes. Emilia drags Russell into the kitchen, busying her hands with putting the pans in the sink. Russell crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the island counter.

"What is he doing here, Mila?" He asks.

"Black asked me for help. You have a lot of explaining to do, Russell. Did you know?" She turns to glare up at him, and Russell winces.

"Yes, I know. I made sure they didn't do anything to him. I just didn't think Black would get you involved."

Emilia scoffed, "Woke me up at 2:30 in the morning. Went to the office dressed like this," she gestured to her pajamas and hair and Russell chuckled lightly, walking over to plant a kiss on her head.

"Still so sexy. God, I missed you." He wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her body against his. She wraps her arms around his shoulders, leaning up to kiss him softly.

"I missed you too, Russ. Now excuse me, we have a guest." She pulls away, but Russell keeps his hands on her hips.

"So what are you helping with?"

"I'm his handler." Emilia says, and Russell is dumbstruck the second time that night. Emilia pecks his cheek before walking back into the dining room, resuming her conversation with Case. He stands there for a few minutes before looking into the dining room and observing how Case seemed to speak freely with Emilia.

With a smile, he walks upstairs to their bedroom. Case is in good hands now. They were finally doing something right for once.

[gabriel-xander]

Don't Forget

[Sans x Female!Reader]

11: That Was a Real Rib-Tickler

♪⁠────✿⁠(⁠✧◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕✧⁠)✿⁠────♪

Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t take much to persuade Papyrus into letting a human stay with them and NOT report you to Undyne. He had an internal battle with himself about lying, but after explaining your situation a bit, and saying how you just want to live peacefully, he gave in pretty quickly.

Papyrus is sympathetic to your situation (specifically how there’s a crazy monster who really wants your soul), and even volunteered to clean out the Capture Zone so you’d have somewhere to sleep!

Sans then had to stop his brother because no, you cannot sleep in the garage (if you told Toriel… oof, there’s no telling how she’d react). Instead, you can just crash on their couch.

WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA!

And so it’s the next day after talking to Toriel, and Sans will be returning with you in time for dinner! Their new… roommate? Papyrus is so excited! In fact, while Sans is going to get you, Papyrus will take this time to make you some spaghetti as a great welcome!

…

That’ll be a great surprise for sure.

In all honesty, Sans is a little nervous to meet you. Toriel said you’re nice, but the way Toriel basically threatened him yesterday… It’s like you’re her little princess or something. Sans actually has to watch out for you because if he doesn’t, there’s a real chance you’ll snitch him out. How inconvenient. But if this is what he needs to get to know the new human and determine if you’re a real threat or not, then he’ll just have to deal with it.

Sans is out of range of the camera’s lense that’s hidden in the bush that’s by the Ruin doors. He’s gotta find a way to hide you from it without it being suspicious. From what he knows, it doesn’t have a mic, so that’s one problem out of the way. He could just… He can just stand in front of it with his back turned towards it?

Creeaak…!

The doors slowly push open, so Sans hurries (not really) to move in front of the bush, putting his hands in his sweater’s pockets.

“Goddamn…!” A female voice grunts from effort on the other side of the doors, “These doors are so fucking heavy, what the fuck?!”

…???

Sans debates if he should help you or not, but he kinda wants to see where this goes. The doors are hard to push open because of the snow getting caught in the bottom. It doesn't seem like you're entirely aware of that though.

“Hooooh, my fuck!” The door opens more, revealing [h/c] hair, “Okay, I know I’m not weak, this is so embarrassing…!”

…Okay, he’ll admit that was funny. You know what will be funnier, though?

Oh so casually, Sans uses a bit of magic to swing open the doors.

”WAHH!!!”

A body falls to the ground, getting a face full of snow. A suitcase was still in the Ruins behind you. While you’re busy eating shit, Sans pulls your suitcase so he can close the doors. He looks down at you, holding back a snicker.

Well, you look like a princess with that dress of yours, but he probably shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. With a soft whine, you push yourself up with your hand while the other goes to wipe the snow off your face. Then, you tense up. Slowly, you turn your head to look at his feet. Gradually, your eyes and head travel up until you two finally make eye contact.

You blink, “I… Hello.”

Sans gives you a wink, “welcome to the underground. how was the fall?”

Naur…

He said it…

He said the thing…

That had so many layers with that one line alone.

You put a hand over your mouth, your eyes begin to water from holding back laughter.

“Hey, man.” You squeak, a giggle almost escaping, “It was alright, I-I had better…”

“…you okay?”

You nod, taking a deep breath while standing up, “Yeah, I just—It’s been a long day. Ahem.”

You wipe off the snow from your dress, but give up immediately. ”Anyway, you must be the friend I heard a lot about, right?” You put out your right hand, “I’m [Y/n]. [Y/n] the Human. It’s great to meet you…?”

Sans takes your hand into his pink gloved one-

PPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTT…!!!

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…” You pinch the bridge of your nose with your other hand, not bothering to hide your wide smile, “…I’d give that… a six out of ten.”

Sans barely holds back a snort, “did you just rate my whoopee cushion fart?”

“Don’t get me wrong, it was really good!  But I didn’t feel like it came from the soul, you know? I think it can do better next time.”

Nothing could have prepared him for you rating his fake fart as a first interaction. And…. And such a low score, too!

“i guess i should think about investing in better whoopee cushions,” Sans finally lets go of your hand, “anyway, i’m sans. san the skeleton.”

“Ah, Sans the Comic,” You give him an obvious once-over, “A skeleton monster, though? Gee, I couldn’t tell.”

Sans is… not what you were expecting, yet at the same time, you could’ve guessed it’s how he looked in person. His head is an actual skull, not just that funny little round face he has in the game. Though that’s not to say he ISN’T round–a lot of his sharp edges are, well, not very sharp. His teeth are somehow in a permanent, cheeky smile and his white pupils are just eye-lights, you assume, he summons with magic.

He’s also not as… thick as you’re used to seeing in fanart. You suppose it makes sense since he’s a whole fucking skeleoton, but he somehow has that fluffy vibe to him as well. He’s also taller than you were expecting. Toriel said that monsters are just naturally bigger than humans, and it proves now since Sans looks to be about… what, 5’ 5 (165cm)?

You noticed that when he talks, his mouth (mouth? Teeth? Whatever) isn’t moving.

How spooky.

His voice kind of reminds you of… what’s that Youtuber’s name? Moist Critikal?

“How are you doing that?” You decide to just ask, motioning to your own lips, “You’re talking but your mouth isn’t moving.”

“that’s the cool thing about magic, we can get away with a lot of things that we normally can’t,” He tilts his head up, showing off his neck that’s hidden behind that turtleneck, “i don’t got a voice box, but my magic is my voice.”

“Oh, shit. That’s actually cool,” You shake your head, “Sorry, we’re getting off track. I’ll just be honest, I’m a little nervous about this, especially because I don’t know you. But I hope we can get along anyway and over time, we can become friends. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Caught off guard, Sans blinks at your bluntness. Straight out the gate you tell him that you don’t fully trust him, but still share that you hope that you two can be friends eventually. Your body language certainly showed you were nervous right now. Shifting from one foot to the other, avoiding eye contact, your awkward smile.

“what? you mean you’re scared to be in a dark, spooky cavern with monsters crawling around?” He offers you a wink, “i promised toriel that i’d take good care of you, so that’s what i’m gonna do.”

You tense up. Toriel never mentioned that she told Sans her name. And he’s “not supposed to know” until the very end either. You can also pinpoint the moment Sans realizes his mistake. Unfortunately, you’re a little shit and don’t let him get away with it.

”How did you know her name, bone boy?” You smile slightly, raising an eyebrow.

”heh. so she told you about that too, huh?” Sorry, Napstablook. “i’ve seen a ghost go through the door a lot lately. when i asked him about it, he told me why.”

“Ahhh,” You nod in understanding. “So, you already knew about me before Toriel told you anything. What’s the verdict then?”

Well… You don’t sound upset.

“what do you mean?”

“That ghost, Napstablook, he must’ve told you more than just Toriel’s name and that I existed, right?” You ask, “He’s a great friend, you know. Did he tell you anything else about me?”

“nothing else but praise,” Sans gives you the side eye, “so, what? am in trouble now?”

“Pfft—For what, dude?” You chuckle and shake your head, “You’ve mistaken me for someone who gives a shit about my friends talking about me. Unless Blooky was talking shit, I don’t really care.”

Oh.

So, you’re actually more carefree than he thought. So far… you’re nearly everything as Napstablook (and Toriel) described you. You’ve shown a funny side already, you’ve been pretty polite, and you’re showing good signs of integrity. You’re kind of cheeky and a tease, but it’s not entirely unpleasant.

Sans is just… waiting for the other shoe to drop.

You look around for your suitcase, glad to see it’s right behind you. You went to grab it, but the skeleton put a hand up to stop you. Huh. He’s wearing pink mittens that match his slippers, how cute!

“i can get that for you. i even know a shortcut to get it back to my place ahead of us.”

Ah, his little tricks that go semi-unexplained in the game. You didn’t think he’d do something like that right off the bat. And apparently it extends to things other than himself?

You wince, “Sure. Just, uh… be careful with it. Toriel baked a pie for you and your brother as a thanks. I wanted to eat it by myself, but then she yelled at me.”

Sans snorts as he does a wave of his hand. The next moment you look at your suitcase, it’s already gone.

“did she really?”

“Nah, I’m just kiddin’,” You laugh, rubbing your hands together because you’re a dumb-ass who didn’t think to wear gloves, “That was a cool trick, by the way. I’d ask how you did it, but I’m guessing the answer is just “magic.” 

“you catch on fast,” Sans jerks his head to the side, “come on, let’s get going. my brother is really excited to meet you, so we shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

You begin walking with the funny skeleton by his side, going at a rather leisure pace even though he said you shouldn’t make Papyrus wait. You hope he’s not suspicious of you; you’ve been trying really hard to stay friendly so as to not put him off. He seems to like the cut of your jib so far, but you can’t be too careful.

“Dumb question, but does he know I’m human?”

“yep. my younger brother, papyrus, is a human hunting FANATIC.”

“Oh! How wonderful! I can’t wait for my ass to get thrashed.”

“ha-ha, i wouldn’t worry ‘bout it. he’s not dangerous, even if he tries to be.”

“Ah, I get it. I get it,” You smile in remembrance of a fond memory, “I have a younger brother, too. Two of them, actually. Only one of them is a total softie though, the other is a whole gremlin.”

Brothers? You have a family? Of course you do, it’s not out of the question. But Frisk never expressed having another family, and if you have siblings…

“i gotta ask, then…” Sans raises a brow-bone, “are you trying to get back to the surface soon?”

To his surprise, your answer is confident and fast. “Not anytime soon, no. Maybe it’s cowardly, but I’m not in a rush to get myself killed. Toriel told me about Asgore and what happened to the children that fell down here.”

“I’m sympathetic about what happened to the monsters, but… I don’t want to die either. So I think for now, I just… Maybe I can just live here for a while. In the Underground.” You tell him the truth, smiling nervously at the fear of being judged, “Ha, who knows? Maybe when I get a little older, Asgore can take my soul then to break the barrier.”

You barely reach the “gate-thingy” when Sans stops walking. You stop ahead of him, turning around halfway to give him a curious look. He doesn’t have eyebrows, but it seems like the bone is malleable enough that he can furrow the bones of his eyebrows. His smile looks a little strained.

“is that really it? you just wanna live here and do nothing?”

”Well, not exactly,” You make a show to put a finger on your chin and look off somewhere in thought, “I’d like to get a job, too. That’s kind of why I’m leaving the Ruins; I need something to do.” You then snort softly while dropping your hand, “I can’t exactly be a doctor anymore, maybe I can go back into my theater nerd phase.”

Sans represses a sigh, taking a step forward to resume walking. with you. He lets you go through the gate first, making sure you don’t suddenly fall since the bridge is over a gap.

He tried really hard to find something wrong with you—anything wrong with you. Something to give him a reason to hold onto his previous skepticism about you and less reason to feel bad about giving you the cold shoulder.

But you’re literally just some lady.

The skeleton would like to think he’s great at reading body language on others. He may not have clear memories about every single Reset, but when Frisk would try to complete a full No Mercy run (they were never able to beat him, so they’d just do a full Reset), Sans was able to tell how many tries it’s been just from the expression on their face. But you?

Your words and body language have been nothing but honest. Yes, you’re showing signs of anxiety around him, but he is a stranger and a skeleton monster so your anxiety is justifiable.

You…

You really are a good human, aren’t you?

“a doctor, huh?” Sans starts casually, his smile becoming a little more sincere, “i heard humans have doctors for almost anything.”

You laugh softly, “Yeah, pretty much. Short story long, the plan was to become a general surgeon.”

He snorts, “short story long?”

“Oh, come on. I’m just trying to make you laugh, throw me a bone here.”

Sans’ grin widens, “tibia honest, that was a little weak.”

“It takes a lot of spine to say that to someone’s face. I think I’m pretty humerus, but you might be too much of a numb-skull to truly appreciate my rib-tickler. Guess I gotta learn how I can tickle that funny bone of yours.”

A FUCKING QUINTUPLE-COMBO!?!?

Curses!! You’re a human with great taste!!

“i can’t believe i just got out-punned. and with puns about skeletons no less,” Sans sighs dramatically.

“Oh, how the mighty has fallen,” You roll your eyes. “What about you, Sans? I think it’s only fair if you tell me a little about yourself.”

“hm, sure. can’t say i got anything interesting to share.”

This is bad. It seems like Sans can’t really hate you after all. That’s fine with him; it might take some time to fully trust you to not be secretly two-faced, but right now? He’s content with who you are.

You, on the other hand… Maybe you were too nervous about Sans. You might’ve accidentally projected some “fanon” stuff on the poor guy. He doesn’t seem as bad as you made him out to be in your head.

By all means, this is just fine by you.

Taglist:

@lemonboy011

@adriixboo

[black-rabbit-razumikhin]

Raz Reads Les Mis (V)

Fantine - The Descent

I know the title of this book should have prepared me for the misfortune of everyone in here but so far this has been nearly 200 pages of so much hurt

And it makes the small rays of hope so much more powerful

In the same breath that we're introduced to our Monsieur Madeline, bishop Charlie dies

Which I understand from a literary point of view makes sense because they're basically the same character

But why did bishop Charlie have to die??

Madeline, though, also the sort of good, kind, just, upright man that's meant to give us some hope for The Establishment

And we find out how he's so good and just in the same place that we meet Javert

Technically we meet Javert a little earlier, we find out he works for the police

I think it's interesting that he comes across as very similar to Valjean, with them both being described as stern and driven towards a particular goal that overtakes them

But one's a convict (for bread, I'm still mad) and the other's the guy who put him there apparently

Anyway! Why is Madeline so wonderful?

He saves his arch nemesis - arch nemesis being just some petty lad - from being crushed by a carriage because nobody else is willing to risk their lives for it

The whole time Madeline is looking for volunteers to do this before he helps, Javert is squawking in his ear about this prisoner he knew and ooh he was so strong and manly and ooh he could have picked up that carriage so easily

Sure Javert, but your prisoner isn't here right now is he? You're not helping

The prisoner being Valjean of course. Though no mention of his name is made

But the carriage scene (I guess Madeline also makes a little town flourish because of some patent he made and whatever, but the most dramatic scene is with the carriage and the crushed enemy) sets up nicely the juxtaposition that Fantine has to face

Fantine is honestly such an incredible woman. Her extreme devotion to her daughter and complete selflessnes to her own position is not given enough respect in this chapter

She's working for pittance in a factory, spending something like 80% of her wages on her daughter

Which the people she's left Cosette with swindle and demand more at every step

Fantine's been hiding the fact that she's a mom from the rest of the women who work in the factory, for fear that it will compromise her position

But they find out

They gossip, office gossip spreads

Fantine, beautiful Fantine, is fired

And she blames the mayor (Madeline. Madeline's the mayor) because she's given pittance and nobody else will offer her work

She makes shirts for soldiers for 17 hours a day, every day, until price cuts at the factories make that impossible

She sells all her furniture, she sells her clothes, she cuts her hair

Her hair! Her beautiful, long hair and the whole act makes Hugo calling her hair "gold" and her teeth "pearls" that much more sinister

Guess what happens to her teeth by the way

All of this to ensure Cosette is healthy and warm and safe, except all the money she sends gets used by the couple and none to the wellbeing of the Lark

As her final desperate attempt to protect her daughter, Fantine turns to prostitution

And that, after fighting back at a man who insults her - and throws snow at her while she's walking past - is where Fantine meets Javert

He detains her and wants to throw her in jail for 6 months for her attacks on a citizen

What about all the attacks on her?!

She explains her position to him, begs him for mercy and compassion and to let her protect her daughter

Who to show up at this time than our Mayor Madeline?

This throws Fantine into a rage. And why not? To her, this is the man that cost her her job and left her on the street to rot

She goes so far as to spit in his face, which I'm taking as a win for her show of agency

But it is not Javert that listens to her wanting to be free and her situation, it is Madeline that advocates on her behalf

Fantine cannot understand this, she's too shocked that her villain is starting to look a lot more like her hero

Madeline goes so far as to say that he'll pay for her, for Cosette; he'll bring Cosette to see Fantine

The news of which, along with Madeline's kind gestures, makes Fantine faint

I hate Tholomyes. Have I mentioned how much I hate Tholomyes? He wasn't even in this chapter but Mr Rolling-In-It Attorney could have stopped all of this by simply not being an absent father. Aaah!! And bishop Charlie is gone! Who is going to look at Valjean and go "I can fix him" now?? Also I really hope Fantine is fine. Please let Fantine be okay. Please let there be some mother-daughter love and bonding and reunion. I can't believe when I first met Fantine I didn't like her and I thought her agentless. She's done so much, she's been so strong. She deserves love and kindness and happiness.

But that isn't what happens next is it?

[adashoflavendermelancholy]

First Impressions and Modern Au

Ace should have known better than to go with Sabo on a job. It was just that Sabo need one more person to volunteer, and Ace had time. It was going to be a lot of work and bandaging up a lot of people. He knew that it would be rough and not fun. Ace knew people were starving and would do scary and desperate things. He didn’t think that a little girl no older than five would wander up to the food cart. Holding her hand out with a single coin in it. She was so small and weak. Nothing like a child should be. Ace could see himself in her. The only thing missing was the anger he felt at her age.

Which is how he ended up adopting a daughter without telling any one. Sabo being the first to learn about it because Ace had to get another plane ticket at the end of the mission.

“Why do you need another ticket?” Sabo asked, over the radio. He was working a double shift thanks to there not being enough volunteers.

Ace looked down at the girl smiling at him. “I had a daughter.”

“WHAT?” Sabo yelled, the radio cutting out at his voice. Ace knew the man just about knocked over the radio on their end. Koala was going to kill Sabo one of these days.

“Otama say hi.” Ace said handing the phone over.

“Hi.” She said, smiling. Ace wasn’t sure if she knew what was happening. She was only just picking up his language. Knowing just the basic hi, no, bye, and Ace.

“So the ticket.” Ace said.

“I can’t wait to meet her! Ace it’s no fair that you did this without telling me!” Sabo whined. When the voice changed, “Nothing ticket is no problem. Just make sure to have all the adoption paperwork ready when you go back. They will look at it.” Koala said. It sounded like she was smiling.

Now to the problem at hand. Ace was a high school drop out. He didn’t have a college degree and was living with both his brothers, in a house that his grandfather owned. Not the best person to raise a child. Especially with how expensive they were. Ace needed a new job. One that payed well.

For once the world was on his side. Four days after he got back there was a job posted at Moby Corporation. A large group that ran many different things. From a restaurant, to makeup. It happened that they were hiring for one of their gym locations. The pay was good, and he was mostly going to be sitting in an office.

Ace went to the interview not expecting for it to be more than just the manager. There was three people there. A blond man that introduced himself as Marco. A man with an outdated hair style named Thatch. And the owner of the whole thing Edward Newgate.

“It might seem weird for the three of us to interview you, but this position will have you working closely with the three of us. I hope you understand.” Marco said, looking a little bored.

“Yeah. I have no problem with that.” Ace said, a little annoyed they hadn’t given him the heads up about this. Well that was fine. He was going home with this job anyway.

“So Ace why are you looking to work of us?” Thatch asked, leaning forward. It looked like he was trying to intimidate Ace. There was just one problem with that. Ace was a feral street rat. Unless you had a gun to his head there was nothing that would intimidate him… Well that might not work either.

“I like the pay and know I can handle the work.” Ace said, smiling back. The three didn’t think he was going to say that as they looked shocked.

The old man snickered, “The money huh? What do you want to buy?” He sounded more amused then annoyed so Ace thought he was on the right track.

Taking a breath, “I have daughter. I wanna buy all kinds of stuff for her. From the cute outfits to school stuff.” Ace said. It was the truth and from what he heard the company had a soft spot for kids. This was his in. The three adults looked at him, their eyes slipping to his age on the paper. They could judge if they wanted.

Edward smiled again, asking more about her. Until Marco turned the conversation back to work. Ace learned that he was going to be in one of the positions that manages a few locations. From there he would have a chance to move to a higher position. But only after the trial period, of three months. The pay would double after the trial period. Making the job even more worth it. They talked for a while. When Ace finally left he knew he had the job. And would come back to retry again if they thought they would get rid of him.

Two days later while playing with Otama at the park. Ace got a call. “Hello?” He asked, watching Otama climb up the slide.

“Hello, I’m calling for Portgas Ace.” The voice said. Ace recognized it as Marco.

“This is he. How can I help you?”

Marco said, “I’m calling to let you know we would like to welcome you to the team. We just need you to come in and fill out some paperwork. When are you available?”

Ace smiled, there wasn’t anything that could make this better. Making an appointment to meet again. Everything was falling into place for a change. The job was great. Otama was in dance classes that she loved.

The only down side to all of this was the theft that happened by a long time employee. Teach was a man that worked there for 20 years. He worked under Ace making the younger man feel guilty about not seeing this coming. It was his job after all.

[yandere-fics]

(Veronia is excluded because who's bullying you in the forest lol.)

♡ How They React To Someone Bullying Their Darling ♡

♡ Her garden has not been fed in awhile, how gracious of someone to volunteer to be the next victim. It's incredibly stupid to bully the favorite maid of the crown princess, not to mention how everyone should be well aware that you are way beyond a maid to her at this point. It doesn't matter who did it, she could kill the rule of another country and no one would bat an eye, they'd simply send their next heir to the meeting to apologize for the previous leaders crime. She may need to make a noble couple adopt you so you can be much closer to her from now on though. ♡

♡ Like Theanna, Elisha can kill who she wants, she is the one and only dragon slayer and since dragons are a massive fucking issue, they need her. Besides no one important would be stupid enough to bully you, anyone important knows that the hero is very protective of her chosen companion. She'll strike them down without mercy no matter how far along you are in the relationship, the only difference is in the beginning of your relationship she'll say it's because they were being a pest, if it's further down the line though then she'll look at you for praise after she beheads them at a dinner party. ♡

♡ Pauline met you when she was bullying you but even then she would hurt anyone who took the bullying too far, she enjoyed simply teasing you so if anyone went further than her then she'd enact an extreme bullying campaign on them before returning to her favorite target you. Once you two are together however she will ruin their lives and make it impossible for their noble bloodline to be seen in public again. This is not only a crime on you, who she secretly adores the fuck out of, it's also an insult to her family name which she can not allow. It's mostly for you but she won't tell you that. ♡

♡ It's a duel for her lady's honor. While she isn't pleased you were being hurt, she lives for the chance to be the knight jumping to your rescue so any knight caught bullying you will not only be kicked out of her platoon but they will also be forced to duel her which will likely lead to lifelong debilitating which will destroy the future of any promising young knight. Basically they can kiss their bright future goodbye. ♡

♡ Perhaps they thought it would never reach her ears since she never leaves her tower and it's not like you would rat on them anyways. They probably thought she just kept you around for fun like she had done with previous lovers however it was rather stupid to mess with her true love even if they thought they could get away with it. She'll summon them to the tower weeks in advance, the blood gets more potent the longer they are afraid and waiting for punishment. The blood will likely be used to prolong your lifespan so their idiocy gave her some research at the very least. ♡