#so it symbols end to an extent
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grim-has-issues · 6 months ago
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guys, i don’t know what GBA is planning to do with those Greek letters, but it can’t be good.
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hauntingblue · 3 months ago
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ARCANE EPISODE 7!!!!
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MY GOD I WASNT READY FOR ANY OF THIS!!! WHAT WAS THAT!!!
Also ekko wallpaper I got with my fries lmao
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#OH MY GOOOD!!!!!! POWDER AND EKKO!!! AND BENZOOOOOO#ITS LITERALLY WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN OMGG!!!!! POWDER LOOKS SO CUTE 😭😭😭😭 IM CRYING ALREADYYYY#VANDER WITH A BUN!! AND EVERYTHING IS SO FULL OF LIGHT!!! HER EYES!!! MYLO LOOKS SO RIDICULOUS AKDJSK THIS GIRLAAA#“where would you be without her” WELL BUDDY IF YOU KNEW HOW HE IS WITH HER!!! VI IS DEAD????? OR SHE WAS TAKEN FOR THE INCIDENT!!!#LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID JAYCE!!! MY GOD!!! THE GEMS KILLED VI SO THEY JUST COMPLETELY PROHIBITED THEM!!! JAYCE IS IN JAIL PROBABLY!!#the fact we are seeing exactly why jayce should be sorry about what he has done.... and we are seeing him suffer because of it... cinema 🚬#also mel fading into viktor.... also has he realised how she manipulated him in the beggining??? there is so much stuff...#jayce eating contaminated animals and his wound being infected with the arcane too..... is that what will push him....#omg.... ekko likes powder so much... he apologised by painting actual adult vi portraits where the fallen are in his universe 😭😭😭#“she looks so badass” if you knew... is he gonna ask her to help him make hextech.... that is so sick and twisted....#also jayce hurting his leg loke viktor and having to use a cane and brace.... damn and you know whats worse..... that ekko could be like#this with the jinx of his universe IF ISHA HADNT DIED!!! AND IT IS BEACUSE OF JAYCE!! AGAIN!!!!! THIS MAN!!!!!#the drawing with the anomaly and the two men and the inifite symbol... we get it... jayce and viktor forever intertwined by fate....#powder is sensing something is off.... omg time travel..... THE LIMIT IS FOUR SECONDS AFTER HEIMERDINGER EPXLODED ALDHAKSHSKSJSOJSOSLS#i dont want a time travel ending.... if its done for plot to an extent is okay but idk about solving it all.... it makes it feel worhtless#claggor looks so fine its not even funny..... i cant wait to see what everyone thinks. WHERE IS THE LITTLE LADY bc hes called little man 😭#and vander with arm tattoos.... why did they hipster fied him.... he looks younger somehow ajdhakj he went from taking care of 4 kids to 3!#SILCO!!!! AND HE DID TRY TO KILL HIM!! ALSJAKSKAK Ekko just laighing at it.... girl i would be pissed STROMAE??? OMG POWDER!!!!#I JUST REALIZED THE PINK IN HER HAIR IS FOR VI!! AND HER JACKET!! AND A DRESS LIKE HER MOTHER'S!! CRYING!!! FULL BODY CHILLS!!!#CAN WE JUST PRETEND LIKE ITS THE FIRST TIME!!! I GAVE UP ON YOU!!! WHAT HAPPENED BACK THEN I NEED TO KNOW!!! IM SOBBING!!! EKKO!!!!#NOOOOOOO THE ANOMALY NOOOOO!!!! HEIMERDINGER NOOOOO!!!! AND THATS JAYCE!!! IS THAT MAGE VIKTOR???? the monkeys......#the vi toy with the out love song machine.... my god i wasnt expecting any of this i need to breathe i am stil tearing up my god#what a fucking punch in the stomach christ i cant breathe right akdhsksso#the credits saying the deries has benefited from a spanish tax rebate in the canary islands??? you're welcome i guess lmao#animation production carried out there and has ben collaboration with the Spanish gov... alright another win for perro sanxe#talking tag#watching arcane#watching arcane season 2#watching this i dont think im ready for caitvi sex.... after reconciliation even like what will be of me.... now im scared#i am still scared bc idk what happened to jinx and vi and cait still... thats what worried me and boom!! ekko powder with the steel chair..
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monstersholygrail · 7 months ago
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With the slow stroke of Demon Priests' cock driving you to insanity, you can't help but look down at his neck. His uniform askew and messy yet his collar still intact as he was so desperate to get inside you he didn’t even bother to take all his clothes off. As you tease the skin just under the collar, Demon Priest shivers, a low rumble moving through his throat in encouragement to keep going.
“Why is part of your formal wear called a collar? A little kinky for religion, l'd say," you moan as he continues his deep thrusts.
Demon Priest laughs into your own throat, his nose rubbing along your pulse point, almost purring at the sign of your vitality. "The collar symbolizes my calling to the Lord."
You think about that for a long moment that's promptly interrupt by the smooth glide of his length along your walls.
“Would you wear a collar for me?" You ask almost absentmindedly, not knowing the extent of the meaning your words hold for him.
A loud groan escapes him, his cock twitching inside of you before he picks up pace. His member now aiming to consume and posses. Your pleasure, your body, your very being. His claws grip at your waist, marking you and making his claim on your soul just as you have his.
You cry out, your pleasure shooting through your body and collecting in your core as your orgasm builds. Body arching up into his as you meet every deep plunge of his hips, you can’t help but dig your nails into his dark skin and draw him up into your inviting form. Demon Priest’s face darkens at the control you have over him, at the ease in which he simply bends to your will.
"I'd do anything for you, you only need ask," he rasps lowly through clenched teeth as he fucks up into you, not giving you a moment to breathe or think. All you can do is hold onto him and let him ride you through waves upon waves of ecstasy.
“P-please wear a collar for me. Want your devotion, love, please,” you whine, a blubbering mess. It’s all Demon Priest needs for that final cord of restraint to snap.
With a ferocious growl that has you jumping in your skin, Demon priest holds onto you tighter and pounds away at your pussy like a savage beast. Your bodies wetly slapping together, the sound overpowering your own moans and groans.
Your mind blurs with an overwhelming intensity as shocks spark through your already buzzing body. If Demon Priest wasn’t already a demon you’d swear he was acting like a man possessed by the way he was rutting into you.
Demon Priest worships every inch of your body, small whimpers leaving you as he caresses his cock bulging in your lower tummy. An apt reminder of how deeply he’s fucking you. Your pussy clamps down on his huge cock and he growls, somehow picking up his pace.
Your body jolts with every thrust but luckily Demon Priest is right there to slam you back down on his pulsating girth, balls slapping heavily against your clit over and over again till you erupt all over his length. Squeezing him and suffocating him with your gummy walls till he joins you in climax. Pumping countless spurts of cum into your eager cunt, your tummy distending with the amount of hot semen he spills inside of you.
Demon Priest’s worship of you doesn’t end there, not that it ever truly ends. He slumps on top of you, whispering endless praises and showering you in light tender kisses and gentle massages to help you through the aftershocks. Blessing you and thanking you for making him feel more than he ever could’ve imagined.
Yet he doesn’t properly show just how much you mean to him till a few days later he stands in front of you in his formal wear with you resting naked on your bed. He makes a whole show of undressing himself, baring himself to you completely.
All to reveal the small collar you had gotten him hiding underneath his clothes. The sight turns you on more than words can describe and you can’t control yourself as you pounce on him and drag his body on top of yours by the collar. Both of you more than ready to spend hours with his body being controlled by your every dark whim.
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pokeberry5 · 1 year ago
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the classic body builder physique jiménez gives dick is SO funny to me because it makes him look so female love interest coded, complete with unreasonable hour glass figure and booty-out poses
like ok i'm gonna start with a comparison between how he draws dick vs how he draws selina
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there's that same!! exaggerated curve at the waist
the rest under the cut bc this is gonna be long—i'm pulling mostly from batman (2016) #137-138 (i've been keeping up with gotham war lmao)
he gives them the same sort of broad shoulders that taper down into a tiny waist
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FURTHER, this is technically where dick's pecs are in comparison to selina's curves:
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HOWEVER something about the way jiménez draws dick's lats also creates a curve lower down his torso that mimics the shape of selina's tits:
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this exaggerated tiny waist is even more striking in comparison to how he draws other male characters
like don't get me wrong, he definitely favors a broad shoulder to slimmer waist sort of build, but never to the extent he goes with dick
take bruce and tim from the same chapters:
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their shoulder to waist to hip ration is a lot more equal, they've got much more of an rectangular build, the curve in at the waist/hips is gentle
and i swear jiménez chooses poses to exaggerate dick's tiny waist (not quite booty-out poses but the same sort of vibe)
like????
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SIR??????
this sort of twisted side pose to show off the tiny waist is extremely reminiscent of the contorted poses comic artists put female love interests in
take this side by side comparison with a panel from nightwing (1995) #1 (i read it recently so it was on my mind):
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there's even!!! the drawn back arm highlighting that inward curve!!
AND THEN
the booty out poses!!!
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rip his back honestly
like i'm pretty sure the design choice was actually to emphasize he broad shoulders and show off his nightwing symbol, but imo all it does is makes his waist look tiny
tldr: strong female character dick grayson ig
Ok as thanks for getting to the end, gratuitous batcooch:
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and a tiny dick sketch
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genderkoolaid · 3 months ago
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In 2014, the Gloucester county school board voted to ban Grimm, then 15, from using the boys’ bathrooms, even though he’d been living openly as a boy for months and using the restroom without incident. The policy turned deeply intimate facts of Grimm’s life into a media spectacle. With the ACLU, he sued to defend his rights to use facilities that matched his gender, launching a groundbreaking national case on bathroom access. Grimm became an LGBTQ+ icon, celebrated by Laverne Cox at the Grammys and interviewed by Whoopi Goldberg on The View. He eventually won a landmark federal decision asserting trans youth’s constitutional protections against discrimination. [...] And while Grimm became a civil rights trailblazer, the case did not secure him stability or financial security. The Pride parade invites have stopped coming, and like so many other marginalized trans people, Grimm has faced significant mental health challenges and struggles with poverty. He recently lost his housing, and is now facing homelessness. “I’m someone who has had worldwide visibility. I represent an outer crust of privilege most people will never see, and I cannot make ends meet no matter how hard I try,” he says. [...] Much of his family rejected him [after coming out], but many friends and teachers were supportive as he entered 10th grade as a boy and clearly more comfortable in his skin. He initially used a private nurse’s restroom, but it was inconveniently located; peers and staff noted his long bathroom breaks, leaving him alienated and humiliated. So the principal and guidance counselor agreed to let him use the boys’ restroom, and for two months, he had no issues. But gossip circulated outside school and on a community Facebook forum, where people posted vicious comments. Friends defending him online faced harassment. “It was the adults who made it a problem, because their mentality spread to their kids,” recalls Evelyn Hronec, another friend. “These were grown adults talking about a 16-year-old’s genitals. It was vile.” At school board meetings in 2014, speakers stood feet away from Grimm, misgendering him, asking questions about his body and transition, calling him names and demanding he be kept out of boys’ facilities in the name of “safety”. In one speech, Grimm pleaded for the opportunity to “use the restroom in peace”. When a man called him a “freak” and likened him to an animal, Deirdre lunged out of her seat, she recalls. “I was fighting for his life.” [...] In 2021, the supreme court allowed Grimm’s victory to stand, and the school board was ordered to pay $1.3m in attorney’s fees. Grimm, however, only got a symbolic $1. To secure damages, Grimm would’ve had to give the opposition’s lawyers access to his medical records to scrutinize the cause and extent of his emotional distress, a process he couldn’t stomach after years of fighting. The idea he’d have to prove his anguish was unbelievable to his mom, who can’t shake the memories of her son becoming suicidal. Grimm doesn’t regret moving on without damages. But he desperately could’ve used financial help – especially as the trauma of his childhood began to catch up with him.
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peachhoneii · 1 year ago
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I was always so confused as to why Lucifer was thrown off by Alastor's design. You'd think as the King of Hell he'd be more receptive to grotesque imagery, but a video essay summed it up perfectly.
"He's the King of Hell with a mind of an angel."
You can take Lucifer out of Heaven, but you can't take the Heaven out of Lucifer. He's still an angel, albeit a fallen angel. He probably adheres, to some extent, to Heaven's aesthetics.
His outfit is primarily white with red trimming, a sharp contrast to Charlie's primarily red outfit with some white.
I could be reaching too deeply, but it could be symbolic about how they perceive Hell at this point in the story. The dude sees Hell as a mistake, as the sum of his failures and a punishment.
Charlie sees Hell as her responsibility. She serves Hell because Hell is her kingdom. She exists to help her people. Even by the end of the first season, Lucifer drops his coat. He doesn't wear it in the finale.
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I wonder if this is a symbolic gesture that Lucifer is finally embracing himself as the King of Hell and all of its responsibilities. He's begun the process of shedding his identity as an angel of Heaven.
I’ll say it’s easier to do construction work without the jacket. Charlie took off hers too but wears hers later in the finale number. He never wears his again.
His coat is similar (not identical but pretty close) to the robes he wore in Charlie's introduction.
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I wonder if he'll update his wardrobe as the story continues. It's impressive how loud yet subtle the animation designs are. They can tell their own stories sometimes.
But I’m probably overthinking it.
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meiguicha · 14 days ago
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Would You Fall in Love with Me Again?
Mydei x Reader - Reincarnation AU
No matter how, where or when, you'll always be his greatest love.
cw: major character deaths, descriptions of wounds and illness, spoilers for Mydei's backstory, mild allusions to sex, cussing, ten million liberties taken and written pre 3.1
//happy cny have a borderline thesis. reader has like three thousand past lives/j so i named them for my own convenience (and symbolism but who cares in this economy). n e ways. mydei really reminds me of mobe-- *im immediately knocked out and taken to the back
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The inability to die is oftentimes the answer many offer when asked that ridiculous question.
It's easier to sensationalise it, to imagine the feats one could achieve without the fear of death rather than consider the suffering and agony of a feeling body. Though the flesh is willing, what occurs to the mind is far more detrimental than the sensation of pain. 
Perhaps for those with a weaker will that is so, but Mydei is not the kind to linger on the hopelessness nor the what-ifs of impossibility. He can endure the hardships those cannot, so even if he has experienced ten thousand deaths, he will keep pushing on.
Though, just like a man, and no matter how much they might spin the tales, he is still a man, within his damned beating heart springs forward a doubt at every turn of the decade. 
In countless lives, on countless battlefields, it is always you who wrests that uneasy hesitation from somewhere long forgotten. 
Soldier, healer, scholar. 
Kremnos, Okhema, Aidonia.  
He could count the lives you spent by his side, the names you have taken, the forms you have borne. Yet such trivial things did not matter, inevitably you would learn of him and you would return to his side. And somehow, perhaps through some ancestral wiles, you would coax his very soul around yours, make your very being an integral pillar to his life and cruel as you are, it is only you who could make his head bow. 
The first of your lives was advantageous to your nascent mission, the child of a Kremnoan sergeant who served as a childhood playmate. Androphonos, your mother named you. Androphonos, your father declared you. 
Fleet footed and much so of wit, he remembers those eyes that bore the flames of day, bands of gold decorating lean arms and that voice akin to the howling wind. Your smile that could assail a thousand men, your parents named you well, for even the sight of it seemed to thrust a great lance into his heart. And yet still, he will never forget the look you gave him when he bested you in combat, the joy and relief on your face when it was he who pinned you unmoving, for that was what struck that final blow of this battle they call love. 
“I’m glad it's you,” Admitted to him in the quiet of the afterglow, you had pressed a soft kiss to his palm just before, and though the years have passed, he still remembers your warm breath against him.  
He kept his own voice murmuring, carefully returning your affections with a cradle of your jaw, “You are? What kind of people have you been surrounded with that you’d prefer me?”
Your gentle touch was so foreign to him, he couldn’t understand what you saw in him. There was nothing but conflict that predated and awaited him, and if you joined him, you would only scorn this life. The extent of your affection seemed cursory, a kind of obligation rather than true desire. It had troubled him at first, but your words truly held a persuasion unlike any other.  
You had only laughed at his response, the ends of your eyes crinkling together as you bared teeth and mirth. Like a teenage boy, the scene of you bathed in warm light, draped in crimson robes and hair undone, had made him feel ever more aware of you, of himself.  
“I’ll take no one else, I’d rather die than to be deprived of you.”
Warm as the great skies and embracing as so, the eyes in which he looked upon you could no doubt be described as nothing more than reverent as you pressed kiss after kiss along muscle and sinew. You yielded to him once more, providing little protest as every breath from your lips were more like whisperings of greater divine. 
Hands that have ripped the flesh of mortals clawed and drew blood, yet what you left were not scars of shame but that of pride, proof of your conquest. No matter that they were temporary, you merely left more in their wake. He pushed and prodded until even the stars of Kephale bore themselves in your vision, wherein just the sight of your dishevelled and splayed bliss had him comprehend Nikador’s infatuation with Bepsis. 
No, though he has never laid sight upon her, he knew you were more beautiful then. 
Androphonos they called you, and were it possible, he’d lay dead at your feet for even the thought of your returned ardour was more powerful than any weapon.
Androphonos, a name he thought of within that cell. 
The jail of the palace was decrepit, damp and worn. Prisoners did not remain here long, and though he remained undying, that did not mean he did not worry for those beyond it. He has grown weak from weariness and exhaustion, now even copper could restrain him without fault. 
That man has gone mad with delusion and paranoia, it seemed he was keen on following after their god along a treacherous path. 
From afar his ears picked up on rushed steps against stone, fabric rushing along the wind before all that filled his senses were the swift fall of armour clanging against the floor. The cry of slain guards accompanied the symphony of combat and perhaps to another, this would not be a sound as comforting. But the winds favoured one, the fleet footed and the lean armed. 
It was you who appeared before him, a shield and spear  in arm with eyes blazing with fury. Breaking open the door with a simple slam of your shield, you had rushed in with little explanation and set to work. 
“There’s arrangements for you outside the walls,” Your voice was harsh, yet still you refuse to let your affections be absent. As you released him from his binds, your hands moved swiftly as you wrapped your cloak around him. “I’ll remain here to buy you time.”
To stay there would be the same as a death sentence, and though glory only awaited those who perished in battle, he did not wish for you to pass on away from him. Not in such a dishonourable place, not if he must leave you like a coward to fight his battles.
“Do you think you're invincible?!” Mydeimos retorted back, pulling down your spear as he forced you to face him. 
He had not seen sorrow so palatable on your face before. Though tears did not fall from your flaming eyes, the severe furrow of your brow and the grip of your calloused hands were all he needed. 
Your free hand, wet with the blood of faithless men, held his face. This body of his cursed to suffer a thousand deaths, his path bathed in blood and fraught with hardships, he should have foreseen your own would be drowned with it. Yet even then, you will hold him as though the most precious thing in this world. 
A smile tinged your lips, flesh pulling wide like a mockery of joy. “My love, I will not be killed so easily.”
“Your people need you, you must go.”
He doesn’t know when you dropped your weapon, but the clatter of it meant little in comparison to your touch. So gentle, you were so gentle with him no matter the strength you bore. Chapped lips pressed against his own as iron filled his taste buds, yet you would not let him have this moment any longer, pulling away before he could even convince you otherwise. 
“I’ll be with you soon, and if not, I will not join Nikador until I find you in my next life,” your last words to him were whispered against his lips, a quiet promise. 
Your laughter is the last thing he hears before you shoved him away, howling in the rushing wind as you bear your spear and shield once more.
Mydeimos would not let you have that last word, and before he escaped, he had yelled, trying desperately to reach you in your fervour, “You won’t die, don’t say as if it's so!”
You did not hear him. 
Killer of men. The historians will not write down your name nor your feats, but he will chisel your very being into his memory. 
The second of your lives tucked you away in the steppes of Cypris, a healer amidst the townsfolk fleeing from the black tide. Eleemon, the children dubbed you. Eleemon, the soldiers cried for you. 
Slender handed and poison tongued, you shielded yourself with a veil, legs akin to a hind and a temper to match. Your reputation preceded you, but nothing could have prepared him for the fire in your eyes when you first forced his gaze. It was not humour that greeted him, not even curiosity, nothing but pitiful vexation. 
“You are a fool,” Spat to him in your private tent, you had sat him down atop a makeshift bed to conduct a checkup. Even now he remembers the cool of your palm, nails dragging along his skin as you surveyed his form.
Mydei only retorted back, and in that time he had not known why he found himself unwilling to let the brash bite of his words stain his voice, “And so are you for thinking I need your help.”
He had never met a healer as audacious as you, uncaring of class nor occupation and critical of all. With the detachment only having just been born, taking in the survivors of Cypris was foolish but the sight of your shrouded form enticed the final decision. It was purely logical but not even logic could explain the familiarity in your eyes nor the weight of your speech. 
“Not so much as you,” Sneering, your acerbic spite was bared through teeth and a slight mirth. And as you regarded him with a glare that could only rival Nikador’s, he felt some part of Kremnos remained with you.
“Only the foolish think themselves unnecessary of rest.”
The days of travel grew weary on all, wearing down on morale yet you would not allow for even a minute of complaint. Your own pouch of water hung noticeably lighter than the soldiers’ when rest was needed, portions of rations smaller than the children’s, yet you denied the care of your elder and your assistant. 
In a past life, he promised to care for you as you would him, so no matter that your lips spewed poison upon each proprietary act of service, he could ignore the flush on your ears for the sake of your fragile pride. If you did truly mind after all, you would not hunch yourself so protectively over his form when the rest hours fell. 
He knew you meant it when you declared that you would find him in your next life.
Eleemon they called you, if the gods above were anything like you, perhaps Amphoreus would have no need for Chrysos Heirs like him. 
Eleemon, a name he thought of when a youth handed him a cup of wine.
The goblet was made of copper, he remembers, a knuckle’s worth of deep red wine sloshing in the vessel. Your elder had decidedly presented it as celebration when the bright light of Kephale’s gifts grew ever closer. Not even you were immune to the solemn look of the older man, perhaps you had long known he wouldn’t be able to bask beneath the warm sun once more. 
You were quiet when your assistant handed him the cup, eyes narrowed at the contents before they directed themselves to your own. 
There was that look in your eyes, spiteful and vexed, yet you said nothing, merely pursed your lips and set your drink in front of him. Instead, you busied yourself with pushing his own further and further away from his grasp, and when he shot you a look, you persisted.
“Do you want to deprive me of drink?” Mydei snorted at your almost feline display.
With a sneer, you simply hissed, “Don’t touch it.”
He followed the direction of your gaze, and when all he was greeted was with the back of your assistant, you snatched the copper goblet from the makeshift table to dump out its contents. There at the very bottom were ground up leaves, stained red and certainly not part of the wine if he considered your unusually irate expression. 
You never told him what it was, but for the rest of that meal, you spent it staring at that youth. 
Far sooner than he imagined, he was left bereft of your snarky comments and acerbic smirk, slinking away from his side with nothing but a tap of his arm. Though he supposed when the target of your withering glares disappeared in the afterglow of festivity, you would be foolish enough to give chase. 
Yes, foolish indeed. 
When he had finally managed to follow after your tail, you were already in your tent, voices raised to a pitch that even from afar he could hear your enraged roar. You who was so often described as mercurial and high-strung, whose words were already armed with barbs, was truly and utterly wrathful. Tearing into whoever was idiotic enough to incur your already short impatience without care for reason.
Yet, with how grave your expression was before you left, even though he knew you were more than capable, worry still crept up on him. The last time you ran off, far away from his sight, from his grasp, you left him. And now? Hearing the shuffle of limbs and the crash of items, something roiled in his veins. 
If anything happened while you were just within reach, he thought, he really would have failed you again. 
As he stepped closer towards the entrance of the tent, a familiar voice threw accusation after accusation at you without recourse. Muffled by the light cloth, it did nothing to hide the disgust in their tone, dripping with palatable odium. 
“Even now you defend him? What has that patricidal coward done to you?”
Though he couldn’t see your expression, he imagined you were sneering again, baring teeth and pride, “Says you! What have you to your name beyond attempting to kill the man delivering us?!”
“Just because you laid with him does not mean we are happy with this!” They hissed and as though picking up something, you rushed to hinder their path. Even then, this person pleaded, begged, “Don’t you see that it is their god that harms us?”
“Elis!”
That person barely managed to enact their rampage before being swiftly put down, knife thrown off to some distant place and arms dislocated. What happened to them, he doesn’t remember more so than the thudding in his chest, his heart attempting mutiny on his ribs as he rushed into your tent. 
He hated that you were always quiet about your grievances. You never let a peep out when you were lacking in food or drink, injured or exhausted. If something bothered you, you’d merely up and leave to sort it out yourself. 
Mydei hated it most at that very moment. 
He could care less what others did to him. Cut his stomach open, leave hemlock in his cup, curse and call him every name under skies. Nothing could possibly hurt him more knowing that you would take that same suffering in stride, that you would not even tell him. 
Even in this life, you were the one protecting him.
Hand held limply over your abdomen, you sent him a weak jibe, devoid of any actual mocking. Your anger and your regret melted away as easily as your strength. 
“It's too late, don’t bother,” Murmured through your obvious pain, you made a weak attempt at batting him away as he approached.
“You’re a fool,” He gritted through his teeth, arms desperately scooping your limp form into his embrace. The ceding heat of your limbs was too quick, the spillage of your life more so. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Shaking your head, you refuted him again. “Elis wouldn’t have listened otherwise.”
“I have suffered through worse, a stab would be nothing.”
If he had not known you as well as he did, he could not have possibly discerned what emotion blinked in your glassy eyes. 
Sorrow. It was always sorrow. 
With a strength that did not belong to you, you squeezed his arm as you forced him to look at you, forced him to look away from your organs spilling out. Still so stubborn in the face of death, he still doesn’t know why you were so wilful, why you refused to even let him help. 
“Don’t let them burn my body,” your voice waned. 
“They won’t, there will be no body.”
“I wanted to see Okhema, bury me there.”
“You’ll be there to see it, just shut up and stay awake.”
“Mydei.”
That simple call of his name snapped him out of whatever delusion he had entrapped himself with. 
“I really….” A strangled laugh wheezed from your throat, your fingers loosened their grip from his arm and even then he could not find the strength to let you lie so defeatedly, holding your hand in his as he watched your eyes cloud. “..liked you.”
And as you reached out to cradle his face, sticky with your own blood, he let himself lean into the last part of you he had. You were gentle, so gentle. He didn’t deserve your gentleness, he’d rather your anger and your poison once more. Maybe then, it wouldn’t have hurt that much. 
A tear he had not even known existed fell on your mouth, your lips lifted as you used what little energy left to curse him one last time. 
“... don’t look so sad, I’ll be back to torment you before you know it.”
The merciful. Cypris is a name devoured by the black tide and the sands of time, but you will live on in the prayers of countless. 
Your most recent life placed you closer still, an Okheman scholar who found the research of Castrum Kremnos life work. Ambologera, your peers sighed. Ambologera, your neighbours laughed. 
Fair faced and soft hearted, you bore the mind rivalling Cerces, fingers littered with rings and form almost vulpine like in movement. He heard your name first before all else, the moment the detachment returned to the eternal city, the exasperated groans uttered alongside the call was all he knew of you. And from the roofs of red tiles and billowing silks was you, as though a gift from the heavens presented straight to his hands. 
“To think you all would keep me from seeing him!” The incredulity of your tone was exaggerated, offended even at the idea. How could anyone possibly think of stopping you on your endeavours when you… 
…when you could only bring blessings upon those you favoured? 
With little care for the procession of homecoming, you leaped down from your perch to squeeze your way to the front. Dancing between the tight lineup of armoured soldiers, it proved such a simple task for you to emerge in his vision, effortlessly keeping up with the pace despite one trait he had neglected to consider.
You appeared older, noticeably so. Light wrinkles decorated the ends of your eyes, grey hair peppered amongst your bound braid, and yet he could not tear away that image of you. It had brought such an odd giddiness that for a sparse minute, he believed himself poisoned. 
“My lord, it would be my honour if you would spare me some of your time!” Offering a bright smile, the excitement on your face was like pure adrenaline through his veins. A joyous lilt tinged the end of your words as you mused, “I wish to hear everything of the Castrum Kremnos, everything you know!”
Involuntarily, the corner of his lips had quirked at your antics. You were so spirited, for a resident of Okhema to not only greet the Kremnoan procession with little more than genuine enthusiasm but to approach the very leader of it as though little more than a random stranger on the street. It was still you. 
At that very moment, just before he could reach for you, a youth rushed out from the alleys to pull you away, then another and another. Despite your age, it seemed as if an entire village was required to hold you back. You would not even allow them to take you back quietly, chiding them for not respecting their elders and still desperately trying to catch the prince’s attention. 
Yet, they had such a striking resemblance to you that in that very moment, fear struck far more lethal than any possible mortal weapon. Was it possible that this time, you had finally decided to give up on him? Or had he taken too long? 
A treacherous thought surfaced then, whoever it was that married you, could they possibly be more powerful than he? 
Within a few days, you appeared before him again, furiously scrawling notes above the marketplace. The sight of him returned the levity of your mood far swifter than any arrow, far swifter than a stranger should. You forced him to join you, and without any more delay, set to questioning on this and that, who takes on the dominant role in households, what materials were most abundant, how trade operated without much farm land. He could have talked of the number of steps in the palace and you would have still made him tell you the exact floor plan of the room. 
Odd. You really were odd. But you meant it, you meant your curse. 
As if to make up for the lost time, you would find some manner of requesting his presence at all times of the day. Dragging him to here or there, yapping his ears off with talks of your research and any idle old topic, smiling and laughing at him so sweetly that every night he’d dream of you. Your nieces and nephews could have glared at him until Okhema fell to the darkness and still then he believed he would have rather been struck dead that very moment than leave your side. 
Torment was a light definition for the ache that lingered at every thought you occupied. 
Ambologera they called you, and were it possible, he’d have liked for it to be true if only to spend more of this odd life with you. 
Ambologera, a name he dreaded to hear when he returned. 
He had been set to engage in another campaign, and though he worried, no, all but agonised over the state of your health, you would not let yourself be part of his hesitation. Mydei took your energy for granted, he hadn’t thought that though the threat of external conflict was absent, there was one foe even he could not defeat with his own hands. 
Your house was quiet when he returned, devoid of your usual chaos filling the rooms, and though your nephew had greeted him with a solemn nod, it was cold comfort. He wasn’t used to it, to the silence that seemed to cling to the white walls or the tidy corners of every room he passed. Your bedroom loomed closer and closer, and though he had seen sights that would turn the stomach of even the most grizzled of soldiers, seeing you so weak, so helpless, brought a sliver of despair onto the fortress of his affections. 
The windows were wide open, letting in the warm sunlight to wash over your form. Your hands, still adorned, lacked the strength to even wave at him, all you could offer was a tip of your head and that smile of yours. Beckoning him over, he could do nothing but indulge your request, more so when you asked to see the marketplace from the roofs once more, the same roof you leapt off of, the same roof you admitted your illness to him. 
You were so light, bundled even in blankets and coats, you were so light. And when you tugged them closer to your form, he simply held you closer. Even as he trekked past curious bystanders, your silence was deafening.  
Having settled you comfortably, he watched your hand pull out a small vessel, and when you struggled to open it, he took it off your hands to pop the cork off. The smell that greeted him was acidic, cloyingly sweet and burning his senses all at once. 
Mydei scrunched his nose at the item, directing a furrowed brow and grimace at your grinning face. “Should you really be having alcohol in this state?”
“I haven’t had wine in forever, least of all my niece’s,” You just laughed, gesturing for the bottle and taking a swig from it as carefully as you could. 
A swig was an understatement, you drank from it as if it was the life-giving waters, anymore and he worried you would have tumbled down from the heights in drunken confusion. You let him snatch the copper vessel away with little protest, and suddenly the action felt so wrong. 
“You can’t have more than this.”
“I’ve got the whole amphora in my kitchen, give it to your men, they’d like it.”
He didn’t have the heart to look at you after that exchange, and were it not for the hushed breath ridden with rue, he wonders even now whether you would have known how much it pained to even see you lose your will to fight with him. 
A light poke at his arm pulled him from the momentary lament, and your eyes, your bright eyes that had still yet to lose its brilliance crinkled together in an approximation of reassurance. 
Reaching back into the depths of wherever you pulled the wine from again, you hummed, “I have something for you.”
“Is it more wine?”
It was not more wine, but rather a hefty bundle of letters, tied up in golden thread. Your handwriting littered the outside, detailing dates and times neatly at first until he got to the last few, lines shakier and less steady. The dates started the day he agreed to help you with his research, but your eyes rifled through the bunch until you pointed out a few.
“Could you read these first? You can read the rest when I’m gone.” He listened, gingerly removing them from the rest and unfurling it. 
Parting hour’s second quint, tenth month
‘I dreamt of Kremnos last night, I don’t know whether it was a part of my dream but it felt like it was. I was younger, I could run so much faster and I could do so much more. You were younger too, but you were chained up in a cell and I had to come to your rescue. Could you believe that? Me? Saving you?
You looked so angry but I couldn’t hear you. I can’t remember much but I remember crying a lot, cursing while I fought off guards? I think they were guards, you’ll have to tell me what Kremnoan guards wore when you come back. My back hurts a little bit, my body probably thinks I was actually hurt. 
Praise be to Kephale, wishing you safety upon your journey.’
Entry hour’s first quint, tenth month
‘I dreamt of you again. Maybe this is a sign of me missing you? This dream felt real, I think I’ve had it many times before but this was the only time I could recognise who was there with me. Did you know I wanted to be a doctor when I was younger? I only curse my vanity for my being a scholar now. 
You were holding me so tightly while I said things, I don’t remember but I know you kept telling me to stay awake. I wish you were here, maybe I could see how you would react to these ridiculous dreams. Would you tell me I have a hyperactive imagination? Only the gods know how many times I’ve heard that from Potnia in my youth. I have a feeling you would indulge me just a little bit though.
Praise be to Kephale, wishing you a most swift return’
Curtain-fall hour’s fourth quint, eleventh month
‘I can’t sleep and I hadn’t the energy to write this morn so I thought to do so now, funny because Skotia keeps telling me I need to do more than sleep the day away. I remembered hearing a debate between my peers arguing on the matter of the afterlife back in my schooling days. One of them said all souls join our gods but another said that souls must return to the living, otherwise our lands would grow barren of life. They argued like that for about an hour until they were forced to leave. I completely forgot about it but with so much time alone, I couldn’t help but to think about it.
I keep seeing you in my dreams, myself as a warrior or a healer, but you remain the same. I dreamt of marrying you beneath the warmth of Kremnos one night, and I dreamt of carrying a young child through the mountains with you on another. The details are consistent, and I can only surmise that perhaps my peer had been correct about reincarnation. 
When you come back, I want to know about the beaches of Cypris and the courting traditions of Kremnos. You should know, right? It's okay if you don’t remember, I just want to talk to someone for longer than an hour again.
Praise be to Kephale, I wish to see you most soon’
Gripping onto the furled scrolls, he managed to meet your eyes, gentle. Still so gentle. 
“How did you know?”
With a wistful sigh, you dropped your gaze to your hands, flexing them as your rings glinted in the light. “I recognised the architecture, it really was as beautiful as you say.”
“My third life huh… Who else can say that?”
“I want to have more time with you. Maybe fourth time’s the charm.”
“Maybe next time you won’t get a wrinkly old thing like me,” You sounded so amused, yet your voice carried that undertone of remorse. 
Next time? He never knows whether there’ll ever be a next time. 
Outrage– no. Rage was an emotion too simple for what he felt then. It was fear, desperation, regret and guilt all honed into one lethal lance to be thrust into him, and such a wound was not one that could be utilised against the wielder, for one could not tear the machinations of death.
His voice trembled, and those walls crumbled ever more in the face of your acceptance, “Don’t say that, no matter what form you take, I’ll–”
“You don’t have to lie to old me.”
“You’re not that old,” Mydei insisted, pulling you closer when a shiver wracked through your form. He wanted to bring you back to your room, how the mildest of winds could dissuade you, but even now he knew you would have fought him on this one decision. 
As though playing along with a young child, you shook your head and smiled, “Yes, yes, I’m as youthful as you and beautiful as Bepsis.”
“You are,” He insisted once more. “There is no one more beautiful than you.”
It was clear you still didn’t believe him and maybe if you’d have more time together, he would have spent more effort convincing you otherwise. He settled for the softening of your features, even after the passing of the years, you still looked as radiant as the day you fell from the skies. 
Resting your head against his shoulder, your voice grew quieter. 
“I feel like I could make you do anything now.”
“Will you find me? Next time we meet?”
“No matter where you are, I will bring you back.”
“Then, will you marry me when you do?”
“If you wish so, we can get married as soon as I find you.”
“Will you–” Usually so eloquent, your words lodged in your throat as you turned away from him. “Would you really keep loving me? Even if I change?”
He took your hands in his own, pressing a kiss to each of your palms and drank in the sight of your widened eyes and parted lips. 
“I will sooner die than ever stop.”
For all his years in your presence, that rendered you speechless. And so you resorted to merely lying against him, muttering in rambled pace as you asked him about cremation or burial, on eulogies and your will to him. When the descent hour eventually fell, and so did your last words from your lips, Mydei could only tuck you closer into his embrace. 
Delayer of old age. Your work will be tucked away in the shelves of great libraries, but it is only your most private writings that will remain immortal. 
This time, he’ll be one who searches for you. He had nothing, for all he knows, you could have been reborn in Janusopolis or some long thrown region like Cytheri. Even then, he was willing to traverse the whole of Amphoreus if it meant he would be able to see you once more. 
But Mydei finds you, far easier than he had expected, in the depths of the Marmoreal Palace just as the crimson thief star falls. That feeling that tugged at his tendons and played with his heart grew harder to ignore as he wandered sleepless amidst the ivory halls, and though he knew what it meant, he did not know where to go. 
Tucked away amongst shelves and shelves of records with the hum of flowing waters to accompany him, that rush in his veins came to a stand still all of a sudden. Hunched over a random table and multiple open scrolls, he supposes that he’ll have to keep his first impression of you drooling onto what seemed like important accounts to himself. 
It was endearing, he had to admit. Lashes fluttering as you babbled some nonsense he couldn’t quite hear, he took a few steps closer and your hands swatted at the dust around you. Anyone could have just snatched you away and you would have none the wiser. He stayed, somewhere further of course, otherwise who knows who might come to rob you naked. 
And if the sight of seeing you resting so peacefully helped his own slumber, he won’t tell. 
Child of Aidonia, follower of none, sharp witted and deathly reticent. Eye bags hanging ever present, arms constantly holding onto baskets of scrolls and ever ready to abandon your duties for a quick nap, the chief accountant is a position few envied and for good reason. 
There was only one matter that troubled him, and that was exactly the nature of your job that meant seeking you out would be out of the ordinary. For what reason could he possibly devise to approach you? You reported directly to Aglaea and the council elders, all inquiries were directed to your subordinates and unless it was a matter that was urgent and required utmost discretion, you hid yourself away within the confines of your work desk.  
He had once debated requesting your services to directly manage the accounts under his name, but when he thought of your drowsing form still writing and babbling about your work, he decided against it.  
As the entry hour welcomes the new day, Mydei thought he got his chance when he saw you scampering towards Demetria with your basket, hair half done and the scowl on your face all but indicative of the current state you were operating in. The transaction is quick, barely any words exchanged as the older woman drops two pomegranates into your basket of scrolls while you drop a sack of balance coins by a crate. 
Your scampering grows louder and louder, and perhaps he shouldn’t have been so entranced with even that sight of you since his first real, proper greeting is a hard thump into his shoulder. The contact does little but to send the contents of your basket flying, and though he has the reflexes to catch a few of your documents and the fruit, not everything is so lucky. 
Dropping to your knees, your hands flew across the ground to gather everything back as you yammered, “I am– I am so sorry. I wasn’t– I haven’t–”
And when he offers what he has on hand, you snatch them back just as quick, blanching at him before rushing off, at least not before wheezing out a pathetic, “Sorry!” 
You’re skinnier, he belatedly notices. Your face should not look so gaunt, nor should your grip be so weak. It was as if the mildest of winds could have drifted you away if you weren’t paying attention. 
The thought of how to approach you lingers in his thoughts even as the Chrysos Heirs gather to discuss the state of their mission. He can’t even properly retort when Phainon says something ridiculous, offering a weak remark about how he’s not a single good thing in that head of his rather than scathing snark. 
There isn’t much information recent nor shocking enough that he feels the need to fully push you away from his internal contemplation. Tribbie is about to say something when there’s a rhythmic thump that cuts through the air, and yet despite the interruption, no one pays you much mind when you all but slip yourself to the front, arms still filled with that basket. 
“Lady Aglaea, I apologise for my interrupting but I have the reports you required.” Your voice is soft, marred with some elements of sleep but still reaching the ears of your intended. “I will leave them by the table if that is okay.”
“It is quite alright. Now that it has come to this, I believe we can bring this meeting to an end.” 
Though everyone else trickles out of the room with varying levels of enthusiasm, he finds that he can’t tear his eyes away from you, even as an aggrieved expression crosses your face, the sight a fleeting minute but more than enough to spark a streak reserved for you. The grimace barely lasts, but it doesn’t diminish the desire to remove the source of your troubles yet still. 
As you’re looking around, shiftily, as though you’ve done something wrong, your eyes meet his in a misplaced act of carelessness. In an instant, your tendons and ligaments shrink as you visibly tense at the brief eye contact. He wants to apologise, but then the thought of scaring you even more springs up on him far more shameful than any trap and so he doesn’t. 
The goldweaver is quick to usher you away to somewhere more private, your tucked in shoulders only further highlighting the difference in your states. It was as if you were trying to make yourself smaller, trying to make yourself near unobservable to anyone else. 
An approach of familiar steps is what ultimately snaps him out of his foolish trance, humour and some hint of disquiet seeps into a man’s voice, and when he brings himself to consider another presence beyond your own, he is graced with the deliverer’s amused grin.
The young man muses to no one in particular, blue eyes sparkling with mischief, “This is the first time you’ve lingered so long after a meeting.”
“That’s none of your business.” Biting back, he averts his gaze from your now laxed form. The diversion lasts but a second, before from the corner of his perception, he catches how the resigned breath that leaves your lips as you slip back out from whence you came. 
Phainon follows after his abandoned trail with ventured interest. “Who knew that you of all people could get so googly eyed at…” Yet it is only when he gets a proper look at who exactly has captured the attention of his companion, his voice trickles off to little else but confusion, “The chief accountant?”
A huff escapes him, now that you have left, there was no point remaining here. “I’m leaving.”
Metal thumps against marble floors, for someone to slink out of his awareness so quickly, let alone you, would be impressive if not for the fact that he really still has no clue how he was going to talk to you without somehow upsetting your seemingly skittish senses. 
“Hey! Wait!” Chasing after him with the fervor of a loyal dog, the only clue of how far exactly his search for you has taken him is by Phainon’s unprepared wheeze that even he has to admit, forced an even smaller snort out of the Kremnoan prince. 
“If you really want to talk to them, I can get you just that.”
Mydei has the decency to face him, a brow cocking up in disbelief as he urgently suppresses that ugly feeling he only knew existed a few decades ago. “You? How would you even be able to do that?”
“You’d be surprised by the kinds of deals they cut,” The youth smiles, still panting as he slaps a friendly hand over his shoulder, a move that he doesn’t push off as the younger man begins his ‘master plan’. 
Phainon’s plan sucks. 
The warm light from hanging vessels of ever flame shine upon your features, bound up hair absorbing the light as you lead him through desks and shelves of sprawled books and people alike. Hands move at a pace bordering languid scrawl and eyes heavy with listlessness scan across multiple rows of work. Yet when they notice his towering form following after yours, their idle activity picks up to a peak, a notion that seems to surprise you judging by your raised brows. 
You’ve exchanged little else but pleasantries the moment you saw who had called upon you, and once more he curses that white-haired idiot in his head for not even telling you. For someone so brilliant, this was the best he could come up with? He could have sworn he was lying but when he insisted up and down, swore on his name that he was telling the truth, far more desperately than he’s ever seen now that he looks back in hindsight, he relented.
You keep a steady stride despite the way your hands pick at your nails, and though you remained silent for what seems like the entire walk, you deign to give a younger man some matter of note as you draw closer to what appeared to be your office. 
As Mydei is ushered in, the feeling of being trapped closes down onto him before anything else. The room is upsettingly small, made only more so with the looming bookshelves filled to the brim with records and books. He barely has the space to fully stretch out his limbs unless he wants to knock some important matter or two out of its place, and if he does, he has no doubt you would boycott any further interactions with him for life. 
Beyond that, this pathetic excuse you called an office only had one other chair, a poor little thing he had to shift baskets upon baskets just to sit properly on. 
You couldn’t seriously live like this, could you? 
You don’t seem to mind any of it, settling down into your own seat as you hum to yourself, “Having someone they actually respect is the only way they’ll listen nowadays, they’re certainly doing much better with you here than when Lord Phainon offers his services.”
“You make it sound as if you’re being tortured,” All he manages is a brash riposte, and for a quick moment he almost believed you would shirk from his presence again. 
Yet, you do little else than to bark out a sharp laugh, shaking your head as you murmur some incomprehensible vent. Glancing at him from beneath your lashes, your attention now fully directed to the sprawling scrolls across your desk, you tip your head to the side to urge his heed.
“Anyhow, I have food on the platter by my desk if you get peckish and an amphora of water on the shelves.”
“If you’d like, you can wander around though there isn’t much to see.”
For the next four hours, you’ve essentially shut him out from your perceptions as you pour over documents with names that did not belong to you, calculate matters as big as annual tax rates and small as the price of the ambrosia served in the palace. 
There’s little else for him to do beyond reminding you to drink water, a notion you only mildly indulge him in, and glaring at any slacking fool that comes looking to dump more work on you. The only person who he lets come in is the youth from before, a young blond who only periodically drops by to take baskets of completed work off your hands. 
The distress of your working conditions, and living conditions now that he’s been privy to many more of your little life within the marble walls, haunts him for days. It appeared that you weren’t the only one plagued with such woes, but you are certainly the one most affected by the inefficiency that infected your department. And yet, you did nothing to counter it, allowing your meagre office to grow so encroached with the faults of others all the while you smile and suck it up. 
Another issue that can’t be solved with his hands. 
When the hours grow late and the thief stars threaten to race across the bright skies once more, he finds the opportunity to ask you. The response hurts him more than he would like it to, and he wishes more than anything that he could take this suffering from you. 
“Does it not bother you? That you have to do all the work?”
You smile at his question, the corners of your eyes crinkle together as a sardonic smile tugs at your lips. The flames of light dances within them, infusing your weary features with a spirited edge. In these quiet little moments where your every expression belongs only to him, no matter what emotion you present to him, he selfishly indulges in every inch of annoyance and mile of rue. 
Vexation of the utmost resignation falls from your lips, droplets of water clinging to the soft skin. “I have little say over it, and it seems like with every new person that gets added to my team, my pay gets lower and my work gets heavier all because some old coots want their perfect little children to have the joy of a prestigious job without any of the miseries.”
“Do I look happy?” You hum.
Of course you don’t. He’s known you couldn’t possibly be happy the first time he’s laid eyes on you. But foolishly, he had hoped that you could find some sliver of joy from your work. 
You are about to return to your work when he gingerly rises from his seat, offering an open palm to you. Your face twists, but it brings your hand to a standstill. 
Mydei offers once more, “Come.”
“What?” Despite your confusion, you put down your pen and take his hand. Your palm is warm, slotting perfectly in his as he waits for you to straighten yourself out. 
“I’m going out for something other than recycled air, and you look like you need a break from your self mutilation.”
A smile, one devoid of your neverending complaint or your heavy burden, blooms across your lips. And so he spirits you away from these walls of shelves and marble, jewellery and fabric dancing behind your rushed steps as though two lovers eloping from the eyes of the world. When you are eventually unable to keep up with him, he hefts you over his shoulder with nothing more than a brief stop, returning back to your fleet-footed journey. 
The squeak that leaves your lips and the giggled mirth falling as easily as rain against him sends pleasant shivers through his bones, and he’s certain that he’ll think of those sweet sounds when you must eventually part. 
He only sets you down when you’ve reached a garden hidden away from anyone who could possibly disturb you. Surrounded by the virtue of life, basking under the grace of heavenly light, free from those confines, he thinks he’s fallen in love all over again. 
There stands you, leaning over marble railings and smiling at him, and now he’s all too aware of every movement he makes, every little twitch of your fingers and every inflection in your voice. 
“I think I would’ve fallen dead over my desk if you didn’t drag me out here,” You laugh, joy and relief flickering in your eyes as you urge him over. 
He listens. Of course he does. You could have him leap off this ledge and he would have done so if it means pleasing you. 
You talk of everything and nothing. Your work, your meals, the pleasant conversation you’ve had with Phainon, how sweet the cloying wine you sneaked one night was. You spoke as if given a deadline on your life, and he held onto each and every piece you would give him, even as you devolved into petered silence. 
That wretched star appears across the west, Mydei leans closer. “If there’s anything you want done, tell me.”
You only brush him off, as if indulging a child, “I couldn’t, you’ve done so much for me already.”
How can he tell you that he wants to be your shield and your spear? How can he tell you that beyond anything else, he wants to ensure that every waking day you spend, it is one that is filled with nothing but felicity. And if you would let him, how can he tell you that he wants nothing more than to lay by your side once more? 
“Okhema would probably collapse if you die, and I can’t have that,” He continues, and you only laugh once more. 
Perhaps not Okhema, but he would. 
That too, he keeps to himself.  
‘Got the day off and they’re doing a promo on those pancakes, you want?’
When Mydei’s teleslate lights up with your name decorating its screen, he scarcely has to even read before he’s racing off to your side. 
The face you give him when he does appear, in front of a plate of golden honeycakes and a chalice of what he knows is apple juice, could only be described as incredulous. No matter that this must be the thousandth time he’s done so, you always act as if it was the first.
“You’re here fast,” You hummed with a pleasant squeeze of your eyes. 
“You asked me out, and knowing you, you’d probably have to abandon ship to get back to work.”
He delights in the mock offence that immediately twists your features, the dramatic show of your arms, you even go so far as to hold a finger up, sipping from your cup before continuing. “Don’t curse me, I’m really looking forward to these.”
It's cute, he is certain you don’t realise that your dramatics are something he looks forward to even now. 
Picking up your fork with poorly hidden anticipation, the metal surface spreads an even amount of sweet fruit syrup over the tower of cakes, and as you cut away a small piece, your teleslate rings to life upon the table. 
A glower pulls onto his face, and what feels like the nth time, he understands in his gut how annoyed you must have been the first time this happened. His own irritation could not possibly compare to that of your own, the sheer chagrin that manifests in every limb is only masked by the sufferance you’ve honed so long ago. 
As you pick up the call, your eyes close and your fingers press against your temple. “Hel– Hey!”
Still careful to not accidentally yank too hard, he snatches the device from your hand  and checks the contact. Not Adon. Free game. 
“They’re with me, if you have anything important it can wait until tomorrow,” Hissing into the speaker, he hears the person on the other end sputter out some remark about ‘unfinished reports’ and ‘mistaken data’ before he merely snorts and hangs up. 
As if you were the one making some asinine mistakes easily fixed, you leap out of your skin, stealing your teleslate back before rushing to pack up. “I don’t even know who that was! Shit! I have to go back, I’m sorry but–” 
Mydei has to grab you by the arm before you start running off on him again, an act that has you staring at him wide-eyed and betrayed. 
“You said so yourself, you have the day off. And you’re spending it without worrying about what some freeloading idiot’s dad thinks,” He says, as clear as day and obvious as the skies. 
“If anyone has a problem with that, they can talk to me.”
It takes a little more than that to convince you to stay, in fact, it requires footing your bill and being fed more than half of your pancakes for you to not go running off without his discretion again. But, there’s a noticeable lightness to your shoulders, and watching you eat so well is more than enough for him.  
The descent hour has fallen upon this day, and your eyes keep glancing between him and the passing folk, then lower and back to the streets. You tense again, shrinking within yourself when he meets your gaze with little more than a raised brow. Acting as if you’ve been caught stealing, your ears flush hot as you rush to break the eye contact between you two. 
Mydei leans closer to you, he notices some remnants of red syrup clinging to your lip, “What?”
“Nothing! I was just…” You swallow hard. “...just thinking about what to gift my cousin for their wedding.”
Somehow, he doubts that but he’d sooner drop dead than get you to admit what goes on in that head of yours. Instead, he settles for wiping off the stain of sweet fruit from your bottom lip with his thumb, licking it off when he pulls away. That only worsens the burning beneath your skin, and for the rest of your time together, all he gets from you is wide-eyed stares and rambled sputtering.
The Kremnoan leaves you at your doorstep that day, pomegranates pushed into his hands and a very, very oddly, high pitched farewell. 
For the days following up to an annual get together, your actions have only gotten more and more odd to him. It isn’t quite the same in which you used to be, bothering him for this and that despite being able to ask anyone else, no. This course of mannerism you have chosen to go with is odd in the sense that it's confusing. 
Although Mydei still joins you in your office whenever he has the chance, your voice doesn’t fill his ears quite as much. He has grown so used to your hushed mutterings of percentages and one sided conversations that now, he absolutely hates only being able to hear your writing. Every now and then, you would glance up at him and look away, murmuring beneath your breath before you’d squeeze your non-dominant hand tight. 
He writes off your new behaviour as the effect of an overloaded workload. You’re still asking him to join you on your days off, you’re still staining your hands red with fruit to give him, you’re still welcoming his presence. He can accept that. 
Your absence from his side during said get together is the only thing that worries him most, the glimpses he gets of you from afar just barely satiates that hunger to see you, to be near you. There’s still that flush aglow beneath your skin, your eyes crinkling together as you smile and laugh along to whatever it is that blond assistant of yours said. The warm lights cast a radiance onto your features, onto the valleys of your chest and the curves of your shoulders, a sight that once belonged to only him. Your lips wet and plied with drink, your tongue swipes over them but even that sends a heat through his form. 
It's an ugly feeling, worse than anger or regret. Those had reason to exist, could be made into something bigger than petty disgust, but this… whatever this emotion is, can only be left to stew. He thinks he hates it more than anything else. 
The prince must force himself to look away from you, an agonising feat he hadn’t even thought was possible until now. He makes that treacherous mind of his listen to the conversation to be had, endures Phainon’s teasing and the curious looks, anything to shift those thoughts of you out of his head. He makes himself smirk at snide remarks and offers advice, he makes himself ignore the intrigued look on that white-haired idiot’s face when he follows after his meandering gaze. 
It doesn’t work, of course it doesn’t work. It is as if every part of him was made to search for you, and just sitting here knowing that you are but a few metres away is a torment he would not wish on anyone. He would rather you claw his heart with your own two hands than this, at least then you would be pouring your undivided emotion into him, at least then he would be the only one to have this part of you. 
You’re the last remaining by the time the gathering dies down, with Adon trying and failing to pull you out of your seat, your hands waving him away as you mumble out something. And as he approaches you, you seem to perk up at his presence, a matter that he preens at internally. 
Smiling at him, baring teeth and joy, you gesture for him to come closer with little care for your assistant’s nagging. “You’re here.”
A glance is all it takes for the blonde to throw in the towel, shrugging his shoulders before slinking out. Mydei takes this opportunity to bask under your gaze far swifter than logic should dictate, his form sidling to sit beside you and yet, you are faster, pressing yourself to his side as a strap upon your shoulder slips down. 
“And you’re sitting here like you’ve been abandoned, because?” He manages a response, shooting his eyes upwards as he tentatively pulls up your fallen strap. 
You don’t seem to notice, your arms drape around him as the weight of your body slumps, “I’m sleepy. And wine makes me say things people don’t like.”
He can feel your chest pressing into his arm, he can feel everything if he was to be honest with himself. Your gentle touch dancing on his skin, the warm breath from your lips, his every vein and bone, he’s so keenly aware of it all that he’s certain that a weaker man would have been rendered dead by your feet. 
Your wide eyes meet his, watery with slumber and fiery with something distantly related to reliance. 
“...come, I’ll take you back.”
Just like a time long before, he scoops you into his embrace and carries you through marble walls and flowing waters. Your feet dangle and kick along your mirth, and when you shiver from the wind, he simply holds you closer. This pleases you ever more, and knowing that even that could elicit such sweet sounds from you forced a flush of his own onto his cheeks. 
With you like this, he can pretend that you’ve accepted these feelings for you the moment you met. He can pretend that he’s carrying you back to your shared home where he can place you into your sleepwear and lay next to you. He can pretend that what you feel for him is more than cursory friendship. 
You wave at those sacked with the late shift all the while you babble about this and that, of your increased salary and the new flavour he must try when you get your next chance. There was no rhyme or reason to your rambling, but it is still yours, and so selfishly, he takes it. The Kremnoan man tries his best to respond, humming along to your prattle or offering an answer to your rhetorical questions, and even if your pace simply outpaces his own, he can’t help but to indulge you. 
“Y’know, my family keeps asking me when I’m going to get married. But they don't even know that the only people I see consistently are my staff, Lady Algaea and you and I can’t possibly get married to any of you!” Your voice is louder than usual, as though scared he wouldn’t listen. 
“And sure sometimes I dream of you and we’re always doing some sappy bullshit but those are dreams y’know? I’m pretty sure it's some weird past life thing but that feels worse. So there’s no way you could possibly love me when you have a face as handsome as that but every time I wake up it feels so nice so when I see you in my office I pretend you really are in love with me.”
You close your eyes, he’s not sure whether the glow on your cheeks is from the alcohol or emotion, and you giggle into your hands, “I had this dream you even took me once! No way is that happening!”
He can barely believe his ears at this moment, barely process your speech. His brain has almost likened your drunken chatter for a different tongue that he can’t even muster a response. All he manages is a choked out, “You…”
“Ahh, it's fine. I’m sure you’ll get tired of me one day, they always do.” Resting your head as casually as if uttering the weather rather than implying he could do anything other than love you, you turn those watery eyes onto him again, and like a death sentence, he feels his heart ache. “If I fall asleep, can you stay? I’d feel bad if you didn't.”
Mydei doesn’t get the chance to respond, still too struck with the weight of your words to realise you’ve fallen to slumber in his embrace. 
‘...I pretend you really are in love with me.’
Pretend. How foolish of the both of you, that two separate minds would both desire the other’s love yet be too cowardly to seek it out, to pretend that the other is in love with you. 
Then the next part fully registers in his head, and then the last. 
He opens the door to your house, closing it behind him as he settles you into your bed. The prince is half tempted to steal into the night, but when his eyes inevitably drift to your sleeping form, drool leaking onto your pillow as you mutter nonsense to yourself, he can’t bring himself to leave you. 
How could he ever grow tired of you? If anything, with every passing day he spends in your very existence, he falls deeper into the abyss called love. He can scarcely remember what your past lives looked like anymore, in his memories they all have your face and your voice, and he wonders now how much of it is because of this ache in his chest. 
Your gentle touches, your barking laughter, your sharp remarks, your rambling speeches. The way you look at him as if he is nothing more than a mortal man. 
In your befuddled slumber, his name falls from your lips, again and again until something he never thought he’d ever hear comes tumbling out, “...I love you too, Mydeimos.”
He wants nothing more than just to be a mortal man who loves you. 
That him of the past that once said torment was to be in the same room with you yet unable to be by your side could not possibly have known that there is greater affliction. 
He awoke in your house with the sunlight streaming through your window and your blanket carefully draped over him, the smell of your soap clinging to the fabric and his senses. There was a cup of water on your bedside table, left there with nothing to accompany it. He half expected to hear you shuffling back in or your faucet running from somewhere, and yet there was no one but him left alone once more. 
Every morning he passes by the fruit vendor, Demetria is bound to ask about your wellbeing and not even he can find the heart to tell her. So he affirms her theory of your rush and takes your pomegranates, leaving the exact amount needed to pay despite her protests.
Every morning he is barred entry from your office, and all he can do is leave your fruit in Adon's hands. 
You’re cruel. To have offered all your love onto a golden platter then snatched it away the moment he thought he could finally have it. He’d rather never have your love than to never see you again. 
Since becoming so keenly intertwined with your life, he waits until the thief star appears upon the eastern skies to find you. He knows there won’t be anyone, and foolishly, he hopes that means you’ll be honest with him. 
“As I’ve said, they aren’t currently taking visitors right now. Not only that, but it's literally the crack ass of curtain-fall, go back.”
But as always with you, it seems that Adon is somehow always there to be his obstacle. The youth is obstinate in his insistence that Mydei not even be allowed to leave a message, and for a man who has rarely ever wished violence on those undeserving, he’s starting to wonder how much you pay him if it means that lap dog would stop his path so earnestly and whether its worth it. 
With closed eyes and an exhausted sigh, you emerge from your office reprimanding the blond, “Adon, who the hell are you arguing with? Just because Lord Mydei hasn’t been h–”
You must have been expecting someone else to so easily hang his name by his lips, but it's clear that his appearance is not one you appreciate right now. 
The first thing he notices is the tear tracks down your face, akin to fiery magma when illuminated by the torches hanging above. They’re fresh, still dripping from your lashes as you gape at him. Your lips have been bitten entirely raw and bloody, crimson staining beneath your nails. 
Your assistant scowls and twists to shove you back in, but you catch him before he can do so, averting your eyes as you hiss, “Let him in.”
Only then does the blond relent, still sending him a nasty look before you send the youth one yourself, effectively hushing Adon. 
Your office somehow feels even smaller than it did when you first met. You seemed to have abandoned the thought of organisation as now even the floor is littered with scrolls and baskets. He, and you, have but a small patch of clear space, an arm’s length away. 
There is no pomegranate by your desk, not even the carcass of one at this late hour.
Faced with your back, with your clear sorrow and misery, the thought of spilling his most vulnerable emotions vacates. 
“You’ve been crying.”
“You’d cry too if you had to do what I’m doing.” You only retort, voice barely above a whisper as though to not betray that facade you always put up, “Is that all you came to say?”
You won’t look at him. 
Mydei calls your name and your shoulders shrink onto themselves, a repressed weep wracking through your form. He calls for you again, “Is someone bullying you? Who is it?”
You still won’t look at him. 
He wants to throw his pride off this ledge, he wants to lay his head by your feet, he just wants to bring your face into his hands and take your suffering from you. Because if Nikador has cursed him with this undying body, then let him put it into good use for you.  
Not daring to reach for you, his voice fractures at its very foundations, “Please. Tell me what is bothering you, if I have done anything to wrong you–”
“Wrong me? Mydei,” You rasp, words all too shaky as your eyes spill more of your salient despair. “It is exactly because you didn’t that I can’t stand looking at you.”
You’ve never been particularly eloquent, not with him, not now. Not as you choke on your own emotion and words, pawing at your bloodshot eyes and clawing at your scalp. “I– I can’t– I’m not– why are you—”
Your knees weaken, and before they can give out on you, he reaches forward to soften your fall. Mydei pays no mind to the brief shock of pain that comes from the sudden action, instead focusing on how much harder your chest heaves and your desperation for breath as you collapse into yourself. It only worsens when you see him by your side, when you realise what he’s done for you. 
“Breathe, you have time.” He forces you to sit up, keeping his distance despite how badly he wants to hold you.
You shake your head, trying your best to speak as clearly as possible, “I can’t– I’m not– the kind of person people like you should care about.”
“And why not? Do you think I would be so cruel to you?” He asks, like an idiot. 
“I don’t know!” You snap, because really, your patience for him should only go this far. “I can’t throw myself into glorious battle for you, or protect you. I can’t do anything for you! For all I know, the only reason you’re even here is so you can fulfill what a version of me wants.”
“But guess what? That me is dead! Every single version of me you love is dead! And all you have now is a pathetic fool who thought they could have that too!”
He stares at you, your wet eyes and wet anger, your humiliation he now understands burning at every single rational thought that could possibly cross your mind. 
Mydei has failed you. 
You’re finally looking at him but your sorrow shrouds you, you still won’t look at him.
He doesn’t know what to say, he knows that at this very moment you might not believe him but you have time, you have time together and that’s all he needs. 
Inching closer, he takes your lack of movement as a sign of acceptance. 
“I could care less about what you can or can’t do for me, I love you no matter who you are, regardless of who you were.”
They’re warm, he finds your hands and cradles them within his own and he can feel every line and scar that has marred the soft skin. The soft act rips another flinch from you, but you don’t move away, staring at him with wide eyes and quivering lips. 
He presses his lips to your non-dominant hand, littering gentle kisses along each and every bloodied mark as he murmurs, “You could tear every tendon from my body and I would still crawl back to you.”
Your dominant hand, the one that wields a weapon far more lethal than any lance, is most deserving of this. “If you think my love for you is that shallow, I am willing to spend the rest of our lives proving otherwise over and over again.”
More tears only streamed down your cheeks when he finishes, but the way you lean closer into him, it is as if you’re all he can see and all he will know. He would like that, for the world to fall away for just this moment so that he can show you how much he adores you on his knees. 
“Would you…?” You don’t finish your question. You don’t need to.  
‘You’re beautiful here, under warm lights and with wet eyes, in your too small office and your undone hair’, Mydei thinks, selfishly, ‘and in his arms’. 
He holds you against him as tight as he can, as if slackening his hold would let you slip away from him. The arms that drape themselves atop his shoulders seem to share that very same fear, and when a hand of his slings itself on your hip, a soft sob escapes your sweet mouth. Your body is still twisted in some odd angle, spine trying to compensate for the distortion before he simply shifts your legs proper himself. 
Your eyes upon him, reflection bearing only him, you’re looking at him. Before he can say anything, you lean in for a clumsy kiss. 
Teeth clack together as the taste of your blood and tears fill his senses, his lip catches on your canines at times but you’re quick to correct course, adjusting your head to avoid nipping him anymore. He responds in kind, squeezing his arms around you harder as he presses into the kiss. 
You kiss like a starved man, taking everything he gives you as if he’d take it back the next. The prince yields to you, providing little protest in a way he will only ever for you. 
Murmuring against your bloodied lips and sharp teeth, he promises to you, “...over and over again, as long as you let me.”
Adon received the title of vice-chief the day a few days after your honest confrontation. You had vouched for the young man in an effort to reward the new talent but based on the youth's horror struck face, you’re half certain that he’s been cursing you out in his head since the revelation. 
Anyhow, with Adon being able to exercise a higher degree of power and the threat of actually being sacked hanging above some staff’s heads, you happily filed a request for leave and immediately took off the moment it got approved. 
At least, that must be what your love was hoping for. 
Kneeling by the desk of your office, you gestured towards a few baskets surrounding it as your eyes darted between the documents on the table and Adon’s dying hope. “These need to be done and in Lady Aglaea’s hands before I get back, if not, we’re all going to get it.”
“Yeah, yeah, congratulations on your wedding too, don’t die I guess,” Without wasting a minute, he rolls his eyes as his hands start the first few stages of preparation. And as if you were deaf, he mutters under his breath, “What kind of world are we living in that you get married within three months?”
“A nice one that rewards people who get work done.”
The blond just sneers, “Pah, if I didn’t know better I’d ask which old bag you shacked up with to be looking like this.”
There was a kernel of truth to such an acerbic statement, truth be told ever since your feelings have been pitched down by the weight of your lover’s clarity, you’ve had the excess time to put more effort into your appearance. Well, effort is an understatement as now you’ve been receiving and wearing the many gifts as per customary of the wedding process. Golden hairpieces, necklaces with deep sapphires, rings to adorn your fingers, robes of smooth sheen draped over your shoulders, to the untrained eye, you appeared more of a nobleman’s spoiled wife than the chief accountant of the Marmoreal Palace.  
“And if you did know better you wouldn’t have said that,” Your voice comes out a hum, less interested in disturbing the boy from his work than waiting for a certain someone. 
When the sounds of chatter die and the scrawl of writing starts, you still feel lightheaded at the thought of him, at the sight of him. Striding amidst the now hard at work, a smile breaks onto your face as you urge for him to come closer. 
“My love!”
Mydei sends a triumphant glance at the now grimacing Adon as he enters the cramped room, ignoring the fake gagging and retching with an open hand offered to you. “Have you sorted everything? Or will you leave me high and dry for the palace’s ‘negative’ cash flow again?”
“That was one time!”
“Of course, as you say,” He only raises a brow and grins at your rebuttal. 
You’ll dig yourself out of any grave for him. Thanatos will have to fight you tooth and claw for you to consider ever leaving him again. How could you possibly leave him here? Even thinking about it spirits you. 
You want to spend the rest of your days with him under the bright light of day, you want to fuss and talk his ears off as he looks at you with those lovestruck eyes, you want to return to his homeland and learn all there is about him. You want to be a person who loves him more than ever. 
Taking his hand into yours, you bring it up to press a soft kiss to his palm, gentle and cherished. A small smile is all you can muster, “You’re going to have to try harder than that if you want to get rid of me now.”
“As if I could ever.” 
Mydei leans closer, as though fettering himself to you for the rest of time untold. 
“Can you two get out?!”
245 notes · View notes
yandere-daydreams · 1 year ago
Text
Title: Meat.
Pairing: Yandere!Ayato x Reader (Genshin).
Word count: 4.5k.
TW: Non/Con, Fem!Reader, Branding/Burning, Prolonged Imprisonment, Forced Marriage, Possessive Behavior, Descriptions of Gore, Implied Stalking, Mentions of Pregnancy, and Suicidal Ideation. Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.
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You always thought you would wear red on your wedding day.
It was a family tradition – passed down with dutiful care for as long as anyone could imagine. Your grandmother had given her dress to your mother who had gifted it to you, her only child, on your eighteenth birthday, years before you would so much as think about getting something as permanent as marriage. Still, you safeguarded it with a religious devotion, never going more than a week without laying it out to check for signs of moths or mold. When you found yourself on a boat set on a course for Inazuma and could bring nothing but what could fit in the space underneath your bunk, her dress was the only item you truly could not bear to leave behind.
It was one of the few things Ayato let you keep, when he first brought you to his estate. He hadn’t wanted to, but he’d known that you’d throw yourself off the nearest cliff if anything ever happened to that dress. You still would, if he so much as touched it without your permission.
The kimono you were being fitted for now was not red. The fine silk was pure white, the detailed embroidery along the hems and sleeves dark blue and bright, shining gold. The symbol of his archon glowed violet on the swell of the train – meant to appease the other factions of the tri-commission who protested when Ayato announced his intent to not only marry a commoner, but a foreigner. You hated that embellishment most of all, more than the sickly way his colors crawled over your body, more than the irritating smoothness of his favored silks where they hugged against your form and groped at your skin. It marked you as a tool, something to be used to one end or another. It marked you as a sacrifice – and an unwanted one, at that.
“Just as exquisite as I knew you’d be,” Ayato announced, his voice strong and unabashed. You’d begged him not to, but he’d insisted on sitting in on your appointment, making sure you couldn’t correct seamstress or overrule any of the choices he’d made on your behalf. The tailor hummed as she fastened a temporary sash around your midriff, tight enough to press uncomfortably against your ribs. If you needed to cry on your wedding day (which, in all likelihood, you would), it would have to be loosened. “How do you like it?”
You hated it.  You despised it. You wanted to claw it apart with your own pristine nails, separate each thread and seam with your very own teeth. You would’ve set yourself on fire just to see it turned to ash that much sooner.
“It’s perfect.” Your own voice sounded distant, distorted. There was no façade of sincerity. He knew as well as you did that there was nothing he could force onto you that you wouldn’t loathe, and you knew that any word uttered as to your hatred for him outside of the privacy of your shared bedroom would result in a collection of fresh rope burns to decorate your wrists, the better half of a night spent bent over his knee. “So long as it pleases you, my lord.”
You dropped your eyes to the floor, attempting to spare yourself what suffering you could, but your resistance didn’t matter; you could hear the sharpness of his smile, picture the way his head tilted to the side as he basked in his own self-satisfaction as he went on, addressing the tailor. “If there’s a veil, you can get rid of it.”
You didn’t think you would ever get used to the way his voice seemed to grate when he was happy with himself.
 “I think my heart might give out if I’m not able to see my beautiful fiancé’s lovely smile.”
~
After meeting Ayato, you began to dream in red.
It was more of a pink, at first – during the first few weeks of his courtship, when the extent of his intrusive affection was a few dendrobiums left on your doorstep and a lingering glance as the handsome young commissioner passed your stall during his weekly stroll through the city market. For a short while, after his possessive habits began to rear their head and you were able to catch his guards in your peripheral more often than not, your subconscious was tinted a near-violent shade of scarlet, the kind that would leave you drenched in your own sweat and half-suffocated by the time you forced yourself to wake up. Recently, since he announced your engagement, they’d taken on a darker shade; choking velvets and deep crimsons blurring the distorted setting as Ayato’s faceless body moved on top of you, as his mouth unhinged and his lashing tongue dragged you down his waiting throat. On your worst nights, he’d tear you apart with his hands, first, divide you into neat, orderly pieces that he could slip past his lips and savor one at a time, one after another, until there was nothing left of you. He’d always preferred you in your most consumable form.
It was ironic, really, considering just how little red he let seep into your waking life. Maybe you had a deficiency; like a pregnant woman craving fish to make up for a lack of calcium. The closest you got to red from the doorway to his study were a few cherry blossoms fluttering past the window, their color dulled by age and their tree nearly stripped bare by the approaching winter. He looked away from his paperwork as you shrugged past the screen door, his pale eyes lighting up as he saw the tea tray in your hands. It was Thoma’s handiwork, but you doubted Ayato cared. He wanted to see you in the role of a caretaker, playing out the part he wrote for you to the best of your limited acting skills. What happened behind the curtain was none of his concern.
“To what do I owe the honor?” he asked as you set the tray on his desk. “I can’t remember the last time you visited me on your own.”
You flashed him a small smile. “Can’t I dote on my soon-to-be husband freely?”
He visibly straightened at the word ‘husband’, a familiar zeal infecting his expression. There was a quirk to his grin, a light tap to his thigh, and the tea went ignored as you obediently fell into his lap, your legs hanging over the side of his chair as his arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you snug against him. If he was a monster, he’d be one with a thousand hands and a million fingers; he couldn’t seem to go a full minute without clutching at your hips, groping at your chest, burying his face in the crook of your neck with a deep, relieved sigh. “Husband,” he repeated back to you, all spellbound awe and deceiving wonder. “Archons, I can’t wait to be your husband.”
You wondered, sometimes, if it was his childhood that made him the way he was. After so many years of loneliness, so many tiny disappointments and frigid betrayals, you could only imagine he’d be eager to grab the first warm body he could and refuse to let you go. But, he let Ayaka come and go as she pleased, and seemed to take a certain delight in sending Thoma off on long-winded, far-flung errands. Whatever cruelty his upbringing had bred, it was clearly reserved for you.
His hand slid underneath the slit of your yukata, his breath turning hot and unpleasant against your collarbone, and you drew back with an airy laugh. “I do have an ulterior motive,” you admitted, hoping his curiosity would offset his insatiability, if only for a few seconds. “It’s about my wedding dress.”
“The breathtaking and priceless dress I’m having made by the nation’s most talented tailors so that all of Inazuma will know that I’m marrying the most beautiful person in Teyvat?” He raised his head, clicking his tongue. “What about it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it,” you said, because he wouldn’t listen to you if you didn’t and you needed him to listen to you. “It’s just— I’m such a long way from home, and I know my family won’t be able to come, but—” You cut yourself off, swallowing back the bile that threatened to spoil your sweet smile. “I was hoping we’d be able to incorporate my mother’s dress, somehow. If it’s not too late.”
It wasn’t. You’d been tracking the progress of his tailors meticulously, counting down the days until your wedding like a prisoner waiting for their execution date, and if it was one of his whims, another row of bedding added onto the sleeves or a new embroidery pattern worked onto the train, you knew that there’d be all the time in the world to make any adjustments he asked for. Still, his smile wavered, a brief sigh slipping past his lips as he shook his head. “My love,” The petname lulled off of his tongue as if it’d been coated in sugar and syrup and all the worst things you could think of. “That’s quite the risk to take. The poor thing’s so old, it might fall apart as soon as the tailor’s needle touches it.”
He'd been crueler, before – called the dress a rag as he looked at you with disdain-tinted pity, swore that your reliance on the filthy relic must’ve been caused by some inherent failure of your homeland – but your heart still clenched just a little tighter in your chest at his veiled disdain. “I’d like to try, at least.” Your hands curled around his collar, your frown taking on a more pleading note. “Please, my lord?” A pause, a tightened hold. “Please, Ayato?”
It was his given name, loving and tender and so rarely spoken in your voice, that did him in. He relented with an airy groan, letting his head roll forward in faux exasperation. “We’ll see.”
You beamed, but he was too lost in you to notice, already preoccupied with pressing open-mouthed kisses into your shoulders, your neck. The sash of your yukata was drawn loose, your sleeves pulled down to your elbows and your body shifted onto his desk, where he could spread your legs apart and bury his face between them. Your eyes drifted back to the cherry blossoms trickling past the window, but whatever tree they’d been falling from had finally been stripped bare. All you could see was the bright, cloudless sky – blue enough to leave you burnt and begging for a storm.
~
Two springs ago, the Kamisato Estate had been overrun with finches.
It’d been a comedy of errors, in hindsight. Ayaka had taken up a fondness for a new kind of flower – one native to Sumeru, introduced to her by an outlander with golden hair and knowing eyes. Thoma, the miracle worker that he was, quickly found a way to propagate it in the estate’s garden, and within the month, little violet blossoms had consumed all that they could reach despite the best efforts of the gardeners to keep them in-check. It would’ve been a delightful problem to have on its own, but the peak of the infestation happened to align with an annual migration of a type of finch that happened to hold a particular shining for a plant with a similar shape and color and— well, anyone could’ve guessed what happened next.
It was a nightmare for Thoma and the other groundskeepers and, since Ayato was staying in the city on business, paradise for you. You spent your days in the courtyard, showing the servants’ children how to braid crowns out of vines and press flowers between the pages of books stolen from Ayato’s personal library. You and Ayaka fed seeds to the red-crowned invaders and coaxed them close enough to pet and sketch, as little talent as you had for the latter, and she listened as you rambled excitedly about the crane-headed whistles you used to make every summer for a very wealthy ornithologist with very slippery fingers. She was just as lonely as her brother, albeit significantly less deranged, and you – trapped, isolated, desperate you – were the perfect victim for her. The two of you were never quite friends, but you came close that spring.
And then, Ayato returned. The flowers were uprooted, the children sent back to their chores, and the finches driven away with nets and stones and salt. You sobbed for hours the day the final flock left, and by means of consolation, Ayato presented you with a blue-speckled wren in a cage of pure silver, silk flowers bound to the bars with yellow ribbons as a reminder of your lost haven. To this day, you still aren’t sure if he meant it to be as cruel of a gift as it was.
You made it all of two days before risking another month spent shackled to Ayato’s bed and sneaking past the guards posted at the estate’s frontmost gates, the golden cage tucked against your chest. You released it in the woods, somewhere with plenty of tree cover and places to hide while it remembered how to be a wild creature, and watched with a smile as it fluttered past the cage’s door and into the open air, eventually landing on the leaf-littered ground.
It hopped all of three tiny steps before a fox emerged from the underbrush and swallowed it whole.
~
“Are you still with us, love?”
You should’ve gone limp. You should’ve acted as if the pain had gotten to you. You should’ve pretended you were dead to the world and that you couldn’t feel his cock languidly thrusting into you and that you’d gone numb to the searing iron slowly cooling into against the small of your back but, for as resentful as your mind was to him, your body was entirely subservient to Ayato. You tried to respond verbally, and when your voice caught in your throat, you forced yourself to nod, the motion small and shaky. Ayato rewarded you with a breathy chuckle, a fleeting touch to the curve of your spine. A hundred pinpricks of purified agony accompanied his touch.
The silver brand had been commissioned from the finest metal crafters in Inazuma City, made to resemble the warped camellia that was the Kamisato Clan’s crest, and you let out an agonized scream as Ayato drew it back and pressed a calloused thumb into the tender patch of burnt skin. “You always do make such pretty noises for me.” He circled the shape of the white-hot bloom, drawing out another ragged whimper. “It’s a shame I only get to hear them when you misbehave.”
You wanted to apologize, to beg for his forgiveness, but try as you might, you couldn’t seem to remember what you’d done wrong. You hadn’t tried to run away. You hadn’t talked to any of the servants. You hadn’t done anything aside from smile and sit beside him as he spoke with the head of another clan – an older man whose eyes burnt into you for the entirety of their brief conversation. As far as you could tell, he was just a particularly shameless nobleman trying to decipher the curiosity that was the Yashiro Commissioner’s reclusive bride, but Ayato hated letting other men gawk at you at the best of times. Such prolonged exposure would’ve surely brought out the worst of his possessive habits.
You felt something tighten in your chest, catch in your throat, but you only realized you were crying when Ayato’s lips ghosted over your cheek, the gentleness of the gesture quickly replaced with the brutality of his fingers tangled in your hair, your head forced down and into the plush of his bed. You body threatened to collapse, but his free hand fell to your hip, keeping your back arched and your ass raised as he ground lazily into your cunt, in no rush to put you out of your suffering. “I think,” he groaned, lust heavy in his voice. “We’re going to have a big family. Half a dozen kids, at least.”
You beat your fists against the mattress, shaking your head violently, and he twitched inside of you. “They’ll have your eyes,” he went on, a sadistic delight in his voice. “And my swordsmanship, and I’ll love them as much as I love you.” He paused, the head of his cock scraping against something deep and vulnerable inside of you. “Well, almost as much as I love you. As much as I can.”
You tried to struggle, to get away from him, but Ayato held you close, his grip as unrelenting as his slow, aching tempo. With a calculated sort of grace, he leaned towards you, slotting his chest against your back and bringing his mouth to the shell of your ear. “You don’t think it’s too soon to start, do you, darling?”
All you could do was try and fail to scream in response.
~
The first gift Ayato ever gave to you was a necklace the color of freshly split sapphires.
He insisted that you not think of it as a present, that you consider it little more than justified repayment for an item from your stall broken by the clumsy fingers of one of his couriers, but it was a present, it couldn’t be anything else. His courier had paid for the ruined pottery days prior, and yet, he’d sought you out in person to apologize with that sun-bright smile, to let his fingertips brush against yours as he passed you a satin-lined case with a perfect, ocean-blue velvet choker tucked safely inside. It was a beautiful thing, embellished with silver and dripping with transparent crystals, but you’d liked the color most of all. It’d reminded you of Ayato, and there’d been a time when you treasured any excuse to think of him.
You’d worn it the first time you saw each other properly, too. The occasion wasn’t formal enough to warrant something so needlessly extravagant, but you couldn’t seem to stop smiling for the entirety of your brief-meal-turned-seven-hour-conversation, and as your night came to an end, perched on the edge of a cliff underneath the Raiden Shogun’s palace and breathless from laughing, he told you that if you weren’t careful, he might just fall in love with you. You’d told him that, if he waited a few more days, you might fall in love with him, too.
You’d been wearing the same necklace when he broke your heart for the first time. It’d been an overcast day, the sky a clouded blueish grey and the shogun’s fury just barely audible in the far distance. He told you, with that perfect grin and those lonely eyes, that it really was terribly improper for the lover of a commissioner to run some meager stall in a sweat-soaked market, that he owed you better than a cramped room on the outskirts of the city where you had to wade through hours of farmland to reach anything of importance. When you said that you enjoyed your work, that you adored the back-breaking labor of your craft and loved having neighbors who would leave baskets of cabbage and lavender melon on your doorstep in exchange for misshapen cups and off-pattern bowls, he laughed as if you’d said the funniest thing in the world and cupped your face in his hands, pulling you into a kiss deep enough and sweet enough to make you forget whether or not you’d agreed with him.
You were brought to the Kamisato estate less than a full month later and had yet to leave since.
~
The final garment was delivered two weeks before your wedding day. You watched from your pavilion as Ayato met the courier at the estate’s gates, accepting a large package wrapped in scarlet silk and brushing off the guards’ attempts to carry it on his behalf. You were embroidering, that day – a delicate, time-consuming art that Ayato praised in comparison to the messy, unpredictable medium of clay. You loathed the monotony of it, the strictness of the patterns, but it meant Ayato was less likely to break your fingers when he found you scrounging away spare mora in the hopes of some perpetually eventual escape and so, you embroidered.
“My mother’s dress,” you said, as soon as he was close enough to hear you. The wooden hoop was forgotten in your lap as you stared up at him, hope written clearly across your expression. “Do you know what they did with it?”
His grin widened. “Eager, are we?” You nodded frantically, and he added, “If I’d didn’t know better, I’d say you care about a dress more than your own betrothed.”
He settled next to you, the package laid across his thighs. He moved to unwrap it, then pivoted – his attention shifting as his gloved hand took hold of your wrist. He’d been touching you more delicately, lately, something you couldn’t help but link with his long-brewing but only recently materialized desire for children. It was a problem you elected to deal with later on, after the wedding, if only for your own inability to process just how horrific of a problem it was.
(There was a part of you which knew, even before your conscious mind could bear to accept it, that you would never be able to love something he put inside of you. Ayato’s obsession was enduring, able to feed off of nothing and contort reality to suit its needs, but your love had always been a rational thing, bound to end the moment it became inconvenient to house. Your love for your homeland died with your mother. Your love for Ayato died with your abduction. And, whatever love you could’ve had for a child— no, a shackle would die the moment the foul creature was born. You could hold no affection for a child that was made in Ayato’s image, that would be cleaved from your flesh for the sake of his happiness, and if by some miracle you did love the monstrosity, then you could only assume it would be because you’d abandoned all hope for yourself. Both futures seemed equally grim.)
“Ayato,” you simpered, leaning against his side. “Please?”
He rolled his eyes, playing soft as he handed you the oversized package. “It should be wrapped separately. I said I didn’t want to see the finished product until the day-of.”
Your hands shook as you undid the many knots. A smaller bundle sat within, separate from the tumor of ivory fabric you forced yourself not to linger on, and you took it up with a desperate sort of keenness, practically trembling as you tore it open with no regard for the integrity of its packaging. The crimson silk was torn away to reveal—
Blue.
Dark, never-ending blue.
“The color came out so beautifully. I’m glad you protested the way you did – otherwise, I might’ve never known we were missing something on our wedding day.” This time, you didn’t fight as he tore the remains of your mother’s dress out of your hands, holding out a sash the shade of apathetic night. You searched for something familiar, for something you could use to ground yourself, but it was absent of all recognizability, desecrated to the point of being all-but alien to you. “It had to be dyed, of course, but I’ve been told the process only cost it a moment of its integrity. The tailors—”
You blinked, but your vision remained black when you opened your eyes. Your body was lurching forward, and then you were in Ayato’s arms, limp and buzzing. Ayato was laughing, as shocked as you were drained, and you made no effort to pull away from him. “My poor little wife. I know – the anticipation’s almost too much to bear.” He pressed a kiss into your forehead. “Why don’t we spend some time together, like we used to? I think I can push my obligations aside for the day, considering the occasion.”
You didn’t respond, but he gathered into his arms regardless. He had always seemed to prefer you as dead weight.
~
You did end up in red on your wedding day, but you doubted you’d be getting married, anymore.
His own sword slid and out of his back with a wet, gripping noise – only interrupted when the blade slipped in your hands and hit bone rather than viscera. Blood splattered against the white of your kimono with every plunge, staining the susceptible fabric easily and leaving you struggling to keep your feet underneath you as the puddle of scarlet grew deeper, as the screen walls began to drip and your lungs filled with copper and iron. Ayato, the ever-worried lover that he was, had come to check on you before the ceremony, fussing over your blank eyes and the tear-tracks that had ruined your make-up twice, by then. He’d been concerned, but giddy, unable to keep himself away from you despite his many promises of tradition and decor.
He'd made it three, maybe four minutes before beginning to toy with the clasps running down your chest.
You’d taken up the first thing you saw – a hand mirror gilded with shining rose gold – and brought it down on his head.
That, on its own, would’ve left him with a scar and little else, but you’d worked quickly, drawing the sword from its sheath on his belt and bringing it down into anything that seemed vital, anything you could reach, anything that bled calming, soothing red. He stopped moving on the fifth strike, his uncalled upon Vision going dull on the sixth, and on the seventh, you heard someone call for the guards.
You waited until you could hear their footsteps before falling to your knees, bringing the point of your blade to your stomach and clenching your eyes shut, praying to any archon who would listen that you’d hit something they couldn’t be healed, that they’d lend you a more merciful fate than another jail cell, another lifetime of entrapment.  You plunged the blade into your stomach and—
And were met with little more than a cold, blunt sensation and a bottomless pit of despair.
You opened your eyes, your gaze flickering from your ice-coated blade to the doorway of your dressing room, now occupied by Kamisato Ayaka, one hand raised and her Vision pulsing at her side. Guards rushed in on either side of her, grabbing at your shoulders and wrists, but your stare never left Ayaka, her parted lips, her flushed cheeks.
Her bright eyes, just as blue and just as lonely as her brother’s had ever been.
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lillotte17 · 2 months ago
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Mythal thoughts this morning:
Morrigan said that the "closest" word for the kind of spirit Mythal came from was 'Benevolence' and my immediate reaction was:
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Because even her idea that 'when kindness is denied it becomes retribution' doesn't really hold water. That's...not really how kindness works. I would think that a spirit formed around the idea of benevolence would have the same sort of path as Compassion if it became corrupted. Something more like Desperation or Despair.
To me, the idea that seems to fit her is Protection.
Protection is good! It's a feeling and impulse born from kindness and a desire to take care of others! It is also one of the oldest and most primary emotions people have. Desire and Fear came into being, and then Protection must have followed soon after. Because what else can you feel when someone you love is afraid? And a universal symbol for that feeling is a mother guarding her children, which is what Mythal always touted herself as being. "She was the Mother, protective and fierce." The Caretaker calls her 'the protector'. And the name of Solas' regret that you have to fight about her is called 'Fall of the Protector.'
But protection pushed too far becomes overbearing and oppressive. Controlling. 'Just do what I say, this is for your own good.' The cat who eats her kittens so they don't starve. The mother who breaks a precious golden mirror to teach her daughter a lesson.
Solas was Wisdom. He wanted to learn and to teach and to reflect, but even as a spirit, I think he wanted to give his knowledge purpose, and it suits him that he would be drawn to an embodiment of Protection. He could share what he knows and she could use it to keep others safe, and they will both find fulfillment in the exchange. It was mutually beneficial for them, and it was helping other people. A kind of symbiosis and even dependency, to some extent.
And then Elgar'nan makes a body. And he convinces Mythal to do so as well. And it's all downhill from there.
But you can see the thread of how Protection could convince Solas as that kind of spirit, not only as his friend, but because of what she embodies. For example, “it’s not wrong to build bodies from the titans, it gives us strength to protect ourselves and others” and “it’s not wrong to sever the titans' dreams, we’re protecting our people by ending the war” and “it’s not wrong to become a god, because the people need someone to watch over them.” Every bad step she asks him to take with her still echoes with the purpose of her original being, even though it is being pushed to harsh and terrible extremes.
Solas being Wisdom sees how she is wrong, but also doubts his convictions because protection is her nature. They have had a mutually beneficial partnership for thousands of years. He relies on her for fulfillment of his nature just as much as he believes she still relies on him for hers. And he loves her. And he trusts her. And for so many thousands of years, she has wanted to do nothing but good, so what she wants can’t be THAT bad, right?
Narrator Voice: It was, in fact, Much Worse.
And everything spins outward. He is Wisdom and he is a spirit, and spirits don't handle sudden change well, and Wisdom does not handle being wrong well, and the more things fall apart, the more he has to try and fix them. The more he has to justify the choices he made as being right. The more he has to defend the idea and the memory of Mythal being Inherently Good. Because if she wasn't good, then he put his trust in the wrong place. He was not Wise. He has lost not only Mythal, but himself and his true nature in allowing her to lead him to horrible places even when he knew better. He has to make the world the way she wanted it not only to soothe his conscience about what happened to the elves after the Veil, but because he is still clinging to the base of his initial partnership with Mythal. Mythal wanted the world this way because she was Good, and I was helping her which made me Good, and anything I have to do to achieve this goal is Acceptable because the results are Good. He can do what they have always done together. He will give his Wisdom for what she wanted to achieve, and the people will be Protected. Their contract and their natures will be fulfilled. And maybe everything else he did can be justified, even if it cannot be forgiven.
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r0ugesun · 7 months ago
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Hello! I have a little request for writing: Aemond's gotten into am arranged marriage for politics, for the Dance of the Dragon's War. I'd love to read his reaction when his bethrothed arrives in a carriage to King's Landing and when she descends and is introduced to him he finds out she is chubby or curvy, at least curvier than most of ladies of court.
I hope you get inspired from my request or from other and I get to read a lot from you. Go writers!!!
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YEAHH BUDDYY !! During the medieval period more ample figures were seen as a symbol of prosperity and health, fertility and femininity :)) so I have no doubt he would be drooling over a chubby reader!
I made it short and sweet hope that’s okay! ^-^
Aemond Targaryen x chubby!Reader
“She’s late” aemond thought annoyed, it was one thing for his mother to betroth him to house (surname) behind his back, it was another to make him greet you personally, he needed to be planning strategies, training, not dallying with some women that would surely be less than thrilled to be bound to the one eyed prince.
He stood rigidly at the gates of the Red Keep, his single eye scanning the horizon with impatience. He let out a frustrated sigh, the arranged marriage was a political necessity, a means to an end the union designed to solidify alliances in the brewing storm of civil war. He had steeled himself for this encounter, determined to approach it with his usual cold detachment of duty.
The clatter of hooves and the rumble of wheels on the cobblestone announced the arrival of Lady y/n’s carriage. The procession came to a halt, and the door of the vehicle swung open. Aemond narrowed his eye, his gaze fixed on the opening.
A delicate ornate foot appeared first, followed by the hem of a beautifully embroidered gown. You descended gracefully, and as you came into view fully, Aemond’s breath caught in his throat. You were….voluptuous, your form fuller than he had expected, there was an undeniable elegance and beauty to you.
Your eyes met his shyly, and you smiled, a soft and inviting expression that made Aemond's heart skip a beat. You stepped forward, and the formal introductions were made, but Aemond scarcely heard them. His eye roamed your face, taking in the curves of your cheeks, the fullness of your lips, and the warmth in your eyes.
He found himself entranced, not just of your beauty, but of the poise with which you carried yourself. There was a sparkle in your eye that intrigued him.
As you curtsied before him, Aemond took your hand, soft and round, a stark contrast to his calloused and lithe hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it gently, holding it there a little longer than necessary. "My lady," he said, his voice softer than he intended.
“Welcome to kings landing”
You smiled, you looked up at him through your long lashes with a mix of shyness and curiosity.
“Thank you my prince, it’s an honor to be here”
Aemond nodded, his mind racing with thoughts of what this marriage could mean, not just for the war to come, but for himself. A great beauty such as yourself deserved to be ravished every night, he thought, and he couldn’t wait to see the full extent of your curves on your wedding night.
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hydrangeapartridge · 3 months ago
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Manfred learns about rings (EmmRook post game short fic)
I have so many ideas for domestic post game EmmRook... Here's another one featuring their favourite skeleton son. This is pure tooth-rotting fluff (with mild spoilers for the end of the game of course but still spoilers)
Enjoy! (Update: part 2 can be found here)
Fire cracking in the hearth, a warm cup of herbal tea and a good book; Rook loved those peaceful and cosy evenings. While she was lying on the living room’s plush meridian, Emmrich and Manfred were discussing magical artefacts near the fireplace. Manfred was sitting crosslegged on the carpet, listening with undivided attention to his teacher’s lessons. The subject of the night seemed to be the use of enchanted rings to enhance one’s magic. Comfortably sitting on an armchair, Emmrich took his time taking off his rings one by one, explaining which enchantement they bore and their purpose before placing them neatly on the coffee table when he was done.
Manfred’s shiny eyes reviewed the display of jewels intently, with his signature curiosity. Carefully, he pointed to each of them in order, and repeated what he learned. Emmrich nodded along, gently correcting his apprentice’s few mistakes or sharing more details.
Rook couldn’t help but be distracted by the scene. Manfred made so much progress in so little time, making her, and mostly Emmrich, both ecstatic and proud. During the last Blight, she had no opportunity to witness the extent of Emmrich’s love for learning and mostly his love for teaching. It was an area in which all his generosity, patience and intelligence shone through. Being knowledgeable didn’t necessarily imply being pedagogical, but Emmrich excelled in it, and thrived in discussing and challenging his own wisdom.
There was one ring left on Emmrich’s left ring finger. Manfred noticed and asked about it.
“Ah” A small private smile graced Emmrich’s thin lips as he gazed down to the simple but finely chiselled golden band. “This one like you noticed holds no enchantment” He said.
Manfred was present at their wedding of course, but Rook wasn’t sure how much he grasped the meaning of such an event. For all his practical knowledge, Manfred, as a spirit, had a different take on emotions; one that Rook and Emmrich didn’t always understand.
“What for?” Manfred asked and Rook waited on Emmrich’s answer with renewed interest.
“Well, it is a symbol. A reminder of the bond between Rook and I, and the promise we made each other to be together” He gulped before he added “Until death does us appart”
“Until forever” Rook corrected him with a gentle smile.
Emmrich quickly turned to her, surprised to find she had been listening. He shook his head but a relaxed smile graced his features. “Right. Forever. In this world and beyond”
Manfred tilted his head, and Rook could almost see the gears turning in his skull.
Emmrich started putting his rings back on, leaving the lessons of the evening to sink in for now.
Rook took a sip of her lukewarm tea and was about to go back to her book when Manfred asked: “Can I have one? Ring?”
Emmrich stopped mid gesture and blinked in surprise, but he was quick to regain his composure and welcomed the question. “Well, I am happy to see you’re interested in them Manfred. I would offer you one but apprentices in training aren’t authorised to use them. No exceptions. I wouldn’t want the other teachers to think I play favourites.”
Rook snorted a little at that. It was a nice sentiment, and she admired Emmrich’s will to be just and fair. But in other instances, she knew he did play favourites without even being aware of it. How could he not? His relationship with Manfred was most special.
“Not those. The other one” Manfred said, poiting to Emmrich’s ring finger.
Rook perked up from her book. What an unexpected twist. Even after all this time, Manfred always managed to surprise them every day.
“Oh” Emmrich half breathed half chuckled. “Oh” He repeated, visibly taken aback. He ran a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair before he set on asking: “And why would you want one?”
Smart move to choose not to assume what meaning Manfred puts behind that ring. Rook waited intently for the answer. Manfred couldn’t possibly want to marry someone; and her poor husband was most definitely not ready for that either.
“To be with you. Forever?” Manfred asked, visibly unsure of what the last part meant.
Rook’s heart positively melted in her chest. She looked to Emmrich, who had brought his gloved hand in front of his mouth, eyes wide and shiny with both joy and disbelief. Neither of them trusted themselves to talk for now.
Manfred rocked on his back bones, self conscious. “I can’t? Bad?” He asked lowly.
Emmrich leaped out of the armchair and knelt before the curiosity spirit. He took both Manfred’s bony hands in his. “Of course you can Manfred! Of course you can” He reassured him, eyes teary and voice shaky with emotion. “That would be wonderful! We’ll get you one of your choosing”
“Yeay!” Manfred beamed.
Emmrich sat back onto his heels “But to be clear, you must understand that if the meaning of matching rings is that we share a bond, the one we share isn’t the exact same one I share with Rook?” He felt the need to clarify, once his initial shock had passed.
“I know” Manfred immediately replied, like it was obvious to him.
“Good” Emmrich clasped his hands together, considering the matter settled. “The anniversary of your return from the fade grows near. We’ll get the two matching rings then. It would make for a most perfect occasion” He decided excitedly as he got up, dusting his perfectly clean trousers in the process.
“Rook gets one too” Manfred stated and Emmrich turned to his wife, that baffled expression that reminded her of their first flirts painting his refined features.
“Really?” Rook replied, flabbergasted too. “ Thank you Manfred! I’d be honored” Her heart squeezed in her chest, full of overflowing love for them both.
Emmrich and Manfred had a very special relationship in which she didn’t want to intrude too much. But feeling included by the curiosity spirit was an incredibly touching surprise.
- - -
A few days later, they found themselves shopping in one of Nevarra’s most famous jeweller's shops. Emmrich let Manfred in, and let the spirit survey the displays while he explained their needs to the clerc. Rook wondered if they often sold jewellery destined to undead; none the less, the clerc didn’t bat an eye at the weird family’s request. Perfect client service was expected from such a place, and Emmrich was a regular customer.
They waited patiently for Manfred to choose a ring, watching him ponder the options. At one point he came to Emmrich to ask what price was the limit. Thoughtful of him; he was well taught, and more and more proficient in calculus as well as assessing the value of things. Unsurprisingly, Emmrich told him not to worry about it. The watcher now earned a more than comfortable living yet he didn’t throw money away and was often more frugal than most would expect. He had consequent savings but wouldn’t be stingy when the expanse was deemed important. Of course he wouldn’t put a price limit to the symbol of his bond with Manfred. Rook was sure her husband would pluck the stars from the sky to satisfy his protégé’s curiosity. Thankfully Manfred was too pure to purposefully take advantage of it.
Manfred’s final choice was a thin golden double band joined with a discrete pale turquoise green emeral in the center. Its color reminded Rook of the skeleton’s eyes, and she would be happy to wear the same one on her left pinky finger, close to her wedding ring. Emmrich decided on the same finger placement, and the clerc happily took their meisurements, not commenting except to praise their taste in gems. They would receive the rings just in time for Manfred’s ressurection anniversary.
Emmrich was last to go for measurements, and while waiting for him, Rook joined Manfred, who was still admiring the jewels in the display cases. His attention was completely taken it seemed by a tiny silver hairpin shaped like a coiled up snake, a pale zircon in place of its eye.
“You do have great taste in jewellery Manfred” Rook commented “Too bad you don’t have luscious hair to wear that”
Emmrich arrived just when her joke flopped. “Are we good to go?” He asked, and Manfred finally took his gaze off the hairpin. Only to point at it with his finger.
“I get it for Neve”
Emmrich stepped back and Rook hid a snorted chuckle in her hand at the way his jaw almost dropped to the floor.
While his caretaker was having an existencial crisis, Manfred took out his personnal money pouch from his hip satchel. He started sorting the coins, and when he was done, showed Emmrich the large amount resting in his opened palm. “Is this enough?” He asked, still unsure about his calculus skills.
It turned up he did get the amount right, but even if that hairpin was small and amongst the cheapest articles in the shop, its price still represented a good two-thirds of Manfred’s savings.
Emmrich cleared his throat and eyed the coins with uncertainty. “That would be the exact price indeed, well done on your calculus. But are you sure you wish to spend that amount on this gift?” He asked gently. “It represents a few months of your earnings as an apprentice, and I won’t be compensating it with a rise of your allowance”
“I buy” Manfred brushed off Emmrich’s concerns, and the watcher sighed in defeat.
What more could he say? Manfred needed guidance to prevent him from getting into dangerous situations but he wasn’t a child. He was his own person, and deserved to be able to make enlightened decisions of his own.
“I’m sure Neve is going to love it” Rook encouraged him. “We’ll have to invite her as quickly as possible”
“It is a very beautiful and thoughtful gift indeed” Emmrich agreed.
While Manfred paid, Emmrich placed a hand on Rook’s waist, bringing her closer, pressing her to his side.
“Our skeleton son has grown so much” She teased him, resting her head against his arm with a content sigh.
Emmrich didn’t correct her anymore; he knew now that it was a lost cause to stop her from fondly calling Manfred their son.
“I wish he wouldn’t grow so fast” He confessed his worries to her.
“Next thing we’ll know he’ll be getting married” Rook couldn’t resist teasing him. It had always been her way of trying to lift up his spirits. “I hope you’re ready for grandchildren” She said, wiggling her eyebrows.
Emmrich almost choked on his saliva. He gave Rook a chidding look and she only grinned in return.
“We should probably warn Lucanis that he’s got some serious competition”
“That is quite enough dearest” Emmrich reprimanded, but at the same time, he squeezed her waist harder.
A few meters away, the clerc was handing Manfred a small blue gift bag that the spirit took with a giddy sort of caution. It was adorable.
“I believe we’ll remember this day for a long time” Rook whispered, looking up to the beautiful face of her husband.
Emmrich placed a small kiss atop her head. “I treasure the memories of each day I am allowed in your company”
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mixingandmelting · 2 months ago
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Winter Series: Day 3 - 2D vs 3D
Summary: He finds out you have a list of 2D characters you love and would stay committed for life
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Dick: has an issue with it
Has the famous Dick Grayson’s frown on his face when he finds it
Doesn’t appreciate it and despite trying to pretend it doesn’t affect him, he throws a fuss going how they’re not even real
Went to the point of his voice cracking and  high pitched when he got to the part about their shippings with yourself and to other characters you also are in love with
Grumbles when he watches and reads the series your favorites are from with you and on his own, constantly going “I can do better than them” 
If you ever were to jab him by asking if he can do something only they can do and he obviously can’t, that will genuinely tip him off and get extremely sulky where he’ll be venting to everyone both in the chatroom, joint missions, etc., while to you he pulls the pettiest of all pettiness he’s ever done
Eventually let’s up when you confront and tell him that he was obviously the only one you love and ever be with along you choosing him over any 2D character as you couldn’t imagine life without him
Also gives in and starts adding notes of his own on to your list because he does admit some of them are cool
Tim: isn’t bothered and actually cool with it
Does any eyebrow raise when he finds it
Sort of figured it was those character pairing lists but with how thorough your notes are, also entertained the thought that it was a hit list
More open minded and tries to understand why you were to enamored by un-real, fictional characters
Ends up joining you in adding notes to your list as he also gets into the same characters you like, especially seeing why with context
Literally, he’s going through the whole character-analysis meme where he discusses socioeconomic factors and symbolism to psychological influence of the character’s past during his talk with you, which is a sign that he is fangirling just as much in his own way 
He’s so engrossed he does the forbidden and starts reading/watching ahead of you for more scenes of the characters
When asked by the others about it, he’s the one getting defensive as if the list was originally his and he liked them before you
Jason: has his own list
bold of you to assume that you were the only one to have a list 
Right on spot critics how you have your lists organized and your ranking of characters
Gives you 10 points for color coordination but what were those notes in graphite? Excuse you but you are not a true stan if you write in pencil. If anything you are a coward
Doesn’t get why you’re surprised that he has his own list considering he’s into literature so of course he’d know more and up-to-date for any series that were adaptations having read the original source first
Causes an argument to break out over him gloating he’s the OG fan since day 1 to who you have ranked higher, lower, or not on your list
First off, you’re wrong. Ichigo should’ve been with Rukia and Toji is more badass than Gojo. He does agrees Drarry had potential and Stoik is a badass viking
The two of you end up staying up all night trying to prove each other who’s right and logical regarding each other’s lists and end at 5:00 AM with deciding to treat other's list with "respect"
Duke: doesn’t get it
Can’t wrap his mind around you simping over a character, in general
There’s genuinely no jealousy, he just feels confuse how you could this passionate with people who aren’t even real 
He gets it if your characters were just your favorite, he can get that. He has favorite characters from the shows he watches too but to your extent?
Passes the list off with the awkward “sure” and nod of head when you get passionate and pull up your slide shows as to why he should also stan and simp over them with you
Reminds you that the characters you’re head-over-heels for are fictional, not people in real-life 
Starts to understand why you like the characters you like so much when he joins in watching/reading whatever series you were into currently 
He does end up creating a “just-like” character list where he writes the characters��� name and from what series. No notes like you though, he still stays realistic
Damian: obliterates it on spot
Your list is gone the second he finds it. Ripped. Crumpled. Burned. Gone
Will not acknowledge that he was in the wrong seeing how you weren’t as excited with him as you are with those fake people that exists only in books and TV shows
Makes excuses how teens shouldn’t be that invested in things kids like and doesn’t seem like a mature hobby at all when he’s burning with jealousy
Pettily wages a silent war against you when you give him the silent treatment until a week passes, making him realize he probably crossed the line
During the time he figures out a way to get in your good grace again, he does try watching and reading whatever was on the list
He hasn’t and will never tell you this but you do have good taste. Just that your favorite characters shouldn’t be your favorite when one, he’s better than them and two, there were far more superior characters
Gets you to forgive him when he hands you your list he re-wrote and tolerates you having one. He still sneers at the characters on it and argues how the ones he likes are better than them
Just make sure to hide your shrine, `cause those are going to be permanently removed and never restored
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therandompagesblog · 3 months ago
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SKZ Pack Chapter 2
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Trigger warnings: angst
Being mated to a head alpha was something special. It was symbolic in the way that you became one. Not one with him, but also one with the pack. It meant you had earned your right as their omega, as their mate. The mark was as important as having intercourse with that person. The mark symbolised their love and care for you, along with ownership. The power of that werewolf becomes transcribed into your veins, re-writing your whole DNA. It was powerful, but the act of mating was even more powerful. It was the combining of two souls into one. It was the union of bringing two people together. The traditional way was the head alpha would present himself to you and offer you into his nest that was newly decorated. The head alpha would ask for your approval and ask you to scent in the room, to make yourself as comfortable as possible. The head alpha would then lie you on the bed preparing you in a way he fitted before he did the act. While he mated you, the head alpha would mark you in a way that called to them before releasing their seed, locking your souls together. Once the bond was sealed the head alpha would allow the other wolves to become actively involved with you and may too mate with you when they are ready. That's what the elders taught you in werewolf school anyway, but for Y/N it was a little bit different back then. Not by much but she did mate with her old head alpha first. This was the reason Y/N started to get more emotional. Y/N felt more anxious, more detached, she even felt lost to a certain extent. Lost in the pack. It didn't help that Jisung marked her the other day.
Jisung's second accident posed a slight problem that day. It started off as a sweet day with him and Y/N spent the day together, binge-watching a series together. As you do, you move onto each other, and then a kiss happens. A kiss that got quite heated. Jisung was feeling needy but knew he had to tread carefully because of his last mistake but he had this need to please his omega so he did. Jisung had started off with his hands in her joggers teasing her but he still couldn't quite get the hang of it because he could smell the other members around. In the end, Y/N agreed to let him grind on her if he kept his boxers on which helped massively for Jisung as he got her to cum and made himself cum, but he ended up biting her during his release which scared the crap out of him and an angry Felix scolding him. Much to Y/N's surprise Chan was completely fine about it or that's what he said anyway, but Y/N felt there was much more to it. He too was getting agitated that she was unclaimed and he was willing to risk Jeongin to do it correctly.
As the days went on Y/N was starting to get more emotional and Chan could feel it. She came to his room and spent less time each day, especially when he mentioned Jeongin. She did want Jeongin but she wanted her head alpha first, she craved him badly but his leg wasn't healing and it had gotten infected that Jaehee had to give him some strong antibiotics and once they settled she would have to re-break his leg so it would heal correctly, which to Jisung's amusement was hilarious at the thought of his alpha having his leg broken. Jisung was scolded by Chan with a snarky comment that he could re-break his leg for biting Y/N. As much as Y/N wanted to laugh she couldn't. Everything in the house was so unsettled for various reasons and she didn't like it so she asked Jeongin to call a meeting after everyone was finished with their duties.
Jeongin would lead the meeting as he was nominated to take over Chan with Minho until he was better. It annoyed Y/N that Hyunjin was being pushed out but he assured her several times he did not mind and he knew Chan needed time as they all did, which was why they needed to clear the air once and for all. They needed to put this right and allow everyone to have their own chance to voice their opinion regardless of the others. "Right, so, um. I wanted to talk to you all because, Y/N is right, there is a lot of tension and upset in the room that we are not addressing and I wanted to talk about it because Chan is upstairs in pain and needs to focus on healing but he can't if he knows where all pissed off at each other." Jeongin stared as he stood in the middle of the living room awkwardly. It was new to him to take the lead. "What I did want to state is despite how we feel about that night. Hyunjin, Y/N and Seungmin risked their lives. They could have died and if they did it would be a different conversation and we all would have had massive regrets about our actions so we need to draw the line today. Things are going to be different because we have an omega now, our mate who we have to love and care for. Things are different even for her, let's remember how she didn't even know how to make a nest, that was hard for her, let alone for her to trust us, but we were patient. Think about the first day, we didn't know she existed. We didn't know she was going to arrive and it was hard but we got through it, like we did when we took Hyunjin in. We got through it and we will get through it again." Jeongin stated.
The wolves nodded, listening to Jeongin's words. It was all different for them. They were used to being eight and not having to worry about having an omega. They were used to going about their day until everything shifted far too quickly. "Can I say something?" Felix asked, nervously, breaking the thick silence. "I want you all to say something anyway so go ahead," Seungmin stated. "I am grateful to you guys, honestly, I am and I am sorry I was a coward that day. I don't have it in me. It felt sick for what I did to San. I can't do it again." Felix said honestly as he looked at them, giving Y/N an apologetic smile as Changbin held her hand. "No one's blaming you. It is alright." Hyunjin whispered. "Thank you. What I do want is for everyone to be fine. I know it won't happen overnight but I want us to make more of an effort." Felix added. "Alright, I'll speak. I want everyone to get along, that is all. Hyunjin is still our alpha regardless and we know now that he had his reasons. He is our friend, our brother and our alpha so let's all work on that." Changbin stated which Hyunjin appreciated. "Nothing else?" Jeongin asked. "Unless I'm a terrible mate? No." Changbin added.
Seungmin was next and stressed his lack of communication skills within the pack was causing problems. He admitted the secrecy with Minho and Jeongin was unfair and it left problems for Y/N and Hyunjin who felt they had to do something. Jeongin and Minho accepted that answer and promised to be more communicative. Jisung apologised for his defiance and messing up every so often but admitted his insecurity of feeling abandoned and rejected, which was why he thinks he felt the need to mark Y/N. Y/N felt sad heading Jisung's story and knew there was more to it but said nothing as she knew it wasn't the time. Hyunjin too spoke and apologised for his cowardness and will repent for his actions, but reminded his wolves he was their alpha and that wasn't found to change. "Hyung?" Felix nudged Minho who was staring at the floor. "Yeah. Um. I want everyone to be happier." Minho whispered. "Hyung, come on. Everyone else has said their issues." Seungmin said. It was unfair if he didn't speak. "What? What do you want me to say? I don't have problems with any of you. The rest is between me and Y/N which is being resolved." Minho growled, but the truth was Minho didn't like confrontation. He actually wanted to speak to Y/N privately and resolve it away from interference. "A thank you would have been nice. I almost got fried by some weird ass fog." Seungmin growled as he wanted some form of gratitude from the stubborn elder. "Thank you for stupidly following an OMEGA to your death. Ya, if she told you to sacrifice yourself would you?" Minho chided. His words made Y/N feel stupid and low but she had to accept it, this was meant to be uncomfortable for all of them. "Maybe. Depends on what it was for, but in all honesty, she was the one who was prepared to die. Think about that." Seungmin growled. "Yeah, and we're left to pick up the pieces," Minho grumbled, but in truth, Minho felt guilty when he found the note. He hadn't expected them to leave and tackle it alone. Minho was the one who panicked the most where as Jeongin was the one who was angry at the time.
"Why don't we let Y/Nssi speak? She's allowed to say how she feels about us too."  Felix added, but Y/N waved them off. She didn't know what to say at this point but hoped they could move on, but still, Jeongin wanted her to. Jeongin crouched down in front of her as he took her hand in his, trying to urge but she dismissed him. "Ignore Minho hyung. Why don't you tell us how you feel about us? Please, it would help us." Jeongin pleaded. "I promise everything is fine with me. I want everyone to be happy and to get along. I want you to stop blaming each other and be yourselves." Y/N explained but Jeongin shook his head, she was avoiding a particular topic. She wasn't stating how she felt about them. "What about us? Do you feel happy with us? Content? Satisfied?" Jeongin asked. "I think so," Y/N whispered as she looked up at the creme ceiling. She didn't want to think about this. She didn't want to disappoint them and say she felt lost with them. She didn't want to say she felt useless. She didn't want to say she felt rejected. "Baby, don't cry. Tell us." Jeongin urged, wiping her tears that she didn't know had fallen down. "I feel lost. I think after everything that happened with Ateez I felt lost when they left, like I don't know who I am. I feel like I don't belong here or I'm being rejected I don't know why. I want to be loved but I don't know how." Y/N admitted. "Take all the time that you need. None of us is ever going to pressure you into anything. We will go at any pace you set for us." Changbin promised. "I agree but I want you to think about what Chan said, but I also want you to know. I will never force you to ever do it with me. Ever."
Taglist for the iconic readers
@galaxy4489 @mbioooo0000 @jisungs-iced-americano @maybeimmia @hwangrfrnd@wolfo2027 @kayleefriedchicken @leamueller920 @borahae-reads @jennibahng @cookiesandcreammy @leezanetheofficial @jutdwae-flower @danceonmyheyday @jc003 @hpnsfwaddict @linocz @itzreetal987 @skzdreamer13 @reallychaoticwoo @liv1sworld @upsidedownchaire @jutdwae-flower @danceonmyheyday @jc003 @hpnsfwaddict @skzdreamer13 o @ihttinniee @kingdomofpentagon @pixie0627 @tsunderelino @notevenheretbh1 @catlove83 @h0rnyp0t @hash2013 @hyunmikim @emi-han @iknow-uknow-leeknow @jigglypuff3000 @aalexyuuuhm @reallychaoticwoo @missseoulite @ihrtlix @estella-novella @xxeiraxx
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i-am-the-oyster · 2 months ago
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Some not at all lighthearted thoughts about Maxwell's Silver Hammer
I've been thinking a lot about Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Joe Orton, and 'original sin'.
Orton was killed by his (male) partner with a hammer on the 9th of August 1967. He had written a script for a potential Beatles movie (it was returned without comment) earlier that year. He was due to meet with Richard Lester on the morning of his death, to discuss filming a revised version of the script, with Mick Jagger as a possible lead.
18 days later, on the 27th of August, Brian Epstein was found dead.
Less than six months later, in Rishikesh, Paul started working on Maxwell's Silver Hammer. On the face of it, one of Paul's 'story songs'. On closer inspection though there's reason to suspect it's more symbolic and less allegorical. The timeline is off: Maxwell starts in college, then goes back to school, then suddenly finds himself in a court. The second and third verses are dream-like in their unrealism.
The other three Beatles' frustration with the recording of the song is well known, but John also said it was their first attempt at writing a song about Instant Karma.
From this site:
Former Apple employee Tony King expands on the song's meaning a little further in Steve Turner's book “A Hard Day's Write,” by relating a conversation he had with John Lennon concerning his song “Instant Karma.” “John told me that 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was about the law of karma. We were talking one day about 'Instant Karma' because something had happened where he's been clobbered and he'd said that this was an example of instant karma. I asked him whether he believed that theory. He said that he did and that 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' was the first song that they'd made about that. He said that the idea behind the song was that the minute you do something that's not right, Maxwell's silver hammer will come down on your head.”
Paul tends to speak of the hammer metaphor more like random negative events, rather than some kind of deserved retribution, but he did talk about the breakup like this:
That whole period weighed on me to such an extent that I even began to think it was all tied in with the idea of original sin
So I was already thinking something along the lines of: what if John and Paul had come to some terrible conclusion about "sinful" gay activity attracting divine retribution. They decide they need to find "the right woman" to settle down with, and resist these "sinful" urges. Paul deals with this, in part, by writing a freaky song partially inspired by Orton's murder, where he giggles at the mention of the word 'behind' (in every take, apparently). He also allegedly obsesses over the recording of the song.
So when I saw this section of John's lyrics sheet for Now and Then I gasped:
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Remember when we thought our life <love> had ended the gods had been offended
Yeah.
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morgana-larkin · 4 months ago
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Hi!
Can you please do an Agatha x Reader fic where Agatha recruits you to the coven but when all the coven is in the Road all the other coven members are always hitting on reader and Agatha is jealous so she starts to distance herself from reader until Agatha snaps (some jealous with smut if it is possible)🙏🏽
Hi Anon! Thank you so much for the Agatha request. I didn’t know if you wanted them together or not but thought it’d be better if they were already together. Not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!
Her Witch
Warnings: Jealous Agatha, smut
Words: 4.7k
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“What the hell happened here?!?! AGNES!” You yell as you see the state of the house. You then see Agnes running towards you in a robe.
“Y/N, hey.” She says.
“I go out of town for a couple of weeks and then the house gets destroyed? Like where’s the front door and… and why is there a teenage boy tied up?” You ask her.
“Well first of all, I got my memories back, I’m back to Agatha.” She starts and your eyes widen.
“You got your memories back?” You say in disbelief and she nods. You then lunge at her in a hug. “Oh thank god! How?”
“Well this boy right here.” She says and points to the tied up teenage boy. “He casted a spell and broke me out.” The teenage boy nods his head at you with a smile.
“How did you break through a spell placed by the scarlet witch? I’ve been trying for 3 years.” You say and he shrugs his shoulders.
“I just did.” He says.
“You obviously don’t know the extent of your abilities, since you’re powerful enough to break through the spell.” You tell him.
“Well whatever you were doing was starting to work, I felt like I was losing my mind.” Agatha says and you smile.
“I know, it was entertaining.” You tell her and she smiles at you. “Now why are you in a robe? And what happened to the front door?”
“Well remember Rio?”
“Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her.” You say with a sigh.
“No, she also helped break me out and it shedded all of my clothes and she broke through the door trying to kill me. That’s all.”
“You must be back to yourself if someone is already trying to kill you.”
“Well also I’m walking the Witch’s road so I can get my magic back and defend myself.”
“Woah! No way! You are not walking the witch’s road without magic Agatha! Last time you barely made it and you had magic.” You tell her sternly.
“Well what if you came with me, to defend me?” She suggests and you already know your answer.
“We don’t even have a coven. We need one to open the road.” You tell her and she smiles.
“I know, me and teen here are going to find some witches.” She tells you and you look at him.
“What’s your name?” You ask him and he answers you but all you see is a symbol covering his mouth and it blocks the answer. You turn to look at Agatha and she gives you a quirked brow and a smile. “How interesting.” You say and she nods.
“I know right. So I’ll just get dressed and then we’ll go.” She says and then she goes to find some clothes.
“Do you mind untying me?” He says.
“Want to pass me a knife then.” You say and he looks around. “Top drawer over there.” You tell him and point. He goes over and with a bit of trouble, gets a knife and then passes it to you.
“I didn’t know Agatha Harkness had a wife.” He tells you as you cut the rope.
“She doesn’t, she has a girlfriend. Got together a year ago and we were friends before that” You say and then he turns around to face you.
“Cool, I have a boyfriend.”
“Are you walking the witch’s road as well?” You ask him and he nods. “You might want to say your goodbyes then, just in case.” You tell him and he looks at you confused. “The last time Agatha and I walked that road with a few other witches. We were the only ones that made it to the end.” You tell him and his eyes widen.
“Ok I’m ready to go, let’s go team.” Agatha says and she goes to walk out. “Oh also Rio is telling the Salem Seven that I’m alive and we have until sun down.” Agatha says and walks out of the house.
“Wait! The Salem Seven! Are you kidding me?!?” You say as you run after her.
“That’s why we need to find these other witches and open the road before then.” She tells you with a smile. You all get into teen’s car and he starts driving away.
“So we have me and a green witch.” Agatha says and teen looks at you through the mirror.
“You’re a green witch?” He asks you and you nod. “So you like, control nature?”
“Yep, my lady.” You say and hand Agatha a flower that you made appear.
“You’re such a flirt.” She says with a laugh. “But thank you.” She says and takes the flower from you. “Oh stop here.” She suddenly says and teen pulls over safely.
“Isn’t this Lilia’s place?” You ask her and she nods.
A couple hours later and you’re on your way back home to get ready for the witch’s road. You are sitting on the bed while Agatha gets changed.
“Do you think we’ll survive?” You ask her and she stops getting dressed for a second and looks at you.
“We survived last time didn’t we?”
“Because of luck and you had powers to help protect yourself. You’re a witch without magic, you’re kind of a sitting duck.” You said and she snorts.
“Why do you think I want it back? I know you can’t always be right by my side to protect me.” She tells you and cups your cheek. “We’ll be alright.” She tells you and you nod at her.
“It’s almost time, let’s go.” You tell her and stand up as she puts on a blue coat. “Purple is more your colour but that coat looks so good on you.” You tell her and she wraps her arms around your waist.
“Ya? We can have sex after we get back, when death isn’t looming over my head.” She says and then kisses your forehead before heading downstairs.
You both get downstairs and after a few minutes, the witches show up and you sing the ballad. The door appears just as the Salem Seven show up and you all run down the path to the road. Once you get there, you look at the road, taking it in and it looks exactly the same as the last time you were here. You all take your shoes off and then start walking. You stay a bit behind Agatha but close enough that you can defend her if needed and Jenn catches up with you.
“So you’re Y/n right?” She asks and you nod.
“Yep.”
“How do you know Agatha?” She asks.
“We’re friends.” You tell her. You and Agatha agreed that you wouldn’t tell people you’re dating until after she gets her powers back, to keep you protected.
“Why are you friends with her? She’s a known killer.”
“Because, after you get past that part then she’s pretty cool.”
“You’re weird.” She tells you and you look straight ahead of you with an eye roll and a smile. “You’re also very cute.” She adds and you whip your head at her and she’s smiling at you. You blush slightly at her compliment.
“Thank you.” You say, not knowing what else to say. You briefly see Agatha look behind at you then brings her attention back to Teen.
“Aren’t you two dating?” Teen asks Agatha and Agatha brings a finger to her mouth in a shushing gesture.
“We are but it’s safer for her if no one knows until I get my powers back.”
“Why is it safer for her?” Teen asks her.
“Because a lot of people want me dead and if they find out I don’t have magic then they’ll come after me. And of course some of them will go after Y/n to get to me when they find out that she’s a weakness of mine. And without my magic I can’t protect her. So don’t tell anyone, especially these women because they can use her against me.” She explains to him and he nods.
“Look a house!” Teen suddenly says and you all turn to where he’s pointing. You go and stand right beside Agatha and you both look at each other briefly, knowing the first trial has begun. You all walk up to the house and enter. As you enter the house, your appearance and clothes changes for the trial.
“Ew a light pink blazer,I’m definitely more of a green girl.” You say and you see Jenn and Alice chuckle silently.
“You’re telling me, I’m more into purple and I’m in a beige shirt and sweater.” Agatha tells you and you giggle at her outfit.
“You do look ridiculous.” You say and start laughing harder at her.
“Alright pink blazer, laugh later.” She says and playfully hits your arm as she walks past you with a smile.
“I might not get the chance to laugh at your outfit later.” You tell her as you all start looking around the house.
5 minutes later…
“You’re a little swollen.” Alice tells you and you look at your wine glass then at their panicked faces.
“Oh shit, it’s poison isn’t it?” You ask Jenn and she nods before they all go look in a mirror. You then turn to look at Agatha who is walking up to you. “Is it bad?” You whisper and she smiles at you.
“I think you look fantastic.”
“You’re such a fucking liar, but thank you.” You say and she chuckles slightly. “You know you have to drink it as well, and they will notice that you didn’t.” You tell her.
“You know me so well.” She tells you with a smirk before she goes to look for other clues.
The group comes back to you and starts asking you questions to figure out what type of poison it is. Then they all look shocked at your face as it’s back to normal and they all go to touch theirs and feel it be back to normal.
“Is it the poison that I think it is?” You ask Jenn after they all look to see their faces back to normal.
“Alewife’s revenge.” She says and you sigh.
“Face swelling is just the first sign.” You say and she nods.
“Next is dizziness, delirium, loss of motor function.”
“My heart is racing.” Alice says.
“That’s another one.” Jenn adds. “Also hallucinations and eventually death.” She says and you all look at her with a horrified look.
“We have to get out of here.” Agatha says as she realises that both you and her can die. She goes to a window with a hard object and starts hitting it, it starts to shatter when you’re able to grab the object from her and place it down. While doing that, everyone else realises she didn’t drink the poison and try to convince her. She only drinks it to stop Teen from drinking it and she downs the entire thing. “Ugh, it’s so cheap.” She says and you crack a smile.
Your smile falters as you start seeing Wanda standing over Agatha, about to kill her.
“Wanda please! Please spare her, don’t kill her please!” You say as you start to summon your magic and use it. Just as you were about to use your magic, a hand on your arm stops you and you’re brought face to face with Agatha.
“It wasn’t real, just a hallucination.” She tells you as you start to calm down. “Potions witch.” She turns to Jenn with a swollen face. “Time to make an antidote.” She tells her and Jenn nods. “Are you ok?” She asks you when everyone runs off to the kitchen. You nod at her and she brings you for a quick hug. “I’m starting to regret bringing you. I could lose you on the road.”
“I decided to come with you, you didn’t force me.” You tell her and she strokes your head.
“You came to protect me so in a way I kinda forced you.” She says and you smile at her.
“I wanted to protect you, so come on, let’s go help make sure we don’t die.” You tell her and you both make your way into the kitchen.
Jenn goes over everything needed to make the antidote. Teen and Alice go to find something, while you, Lilia and Agatha go to find an ingredient. You 3 make your way to the garage only to realise there’s no car which means no gas and then make your way to the bathroom and look through the creams.
“Try to save Agatha.” You suddenly hear and both you and Agatha turn to Lilia.
“Ye-yes, I love this plan. I just think that we should find the ingredients first though, right?” Agatha says and you look at Lilia suspiciously. You all go to walk to the kitchen and you see Lilia trail off a bit so you take the chance to speak to Agatha.
“Agatha, why did she say ‘try to save Agatha’?” You ask her and she shrugs. “She’s a divination witch, she might have seen something in the future. Doesn’t that scare you?” You ask her.
“This whole thing scares me ok. The Witches road is no joke and last time everyone else died. I honestly don’t care if everyone else dies, as long as you and I survive alright?” She tells you seriously and you nod. “Ok let’s get these go Jenn so we can make the antidote.” She tells you.
“Wait, where’s Lilia?” You ask and you both turn around to go and find her.
You both bump into her and she mutters something about death in Sicilian.
“What do you mean? Who’s dead?” You ask her and Agatha turns around and looks at you with a sympathetic look before turning back to Lilia.
“Ok.” Agatha tells her and Lilia calms down after that before you all go back to the kitchen.
You all meet up at the front door and you all make sure everyone is ok. Just then the crack that Agatha made in the window earlier makes a strange sound and you all go to it and see there’s water dripping and Jenn confirms that it's salt water.
“Ok let’s go get that antidote ready.” You say and they all nod before going to the kitchen. You all gather around the sink and begin putting in the ingredients. You all finally manage to get it ready and you’re all about to pull a strand of hair when Agatha walks away, clearly in a hallucination. Agatha screams out and falls back on the floor and you run to her.
“Agatha! Agatha hey.” You say and that seems to snap her out of it. “You ok?” You say and she nods after a moment.
“Agatha! Y/N!” Jenn snaps and you both look at her. “Your hair.” She says and you both stand up and go over to the sink. You both yank a strand of hair out and then you all put it in the sink at the same time. A few minutes later after working out what was missing, you all are able to take the antidote, saving you all from death. You then all escape in an oven instead of drowning.
“That was a close one.” You say and everyone takes a moment to catch their breath.
“You know, even with a swollen face, you’re still pretty.” Jenn says to you and force a smile.
“Thanks.” You say awkwardly and you see Agatha glaring at Jenn. “Can we all sit down for a moment before we walk again? That was intense.” You say and everyone agrees.
You, Jenn, Lilia and Alice all find a log to sit on while Agatha starts pacing. Alice and Jenn both sit next to you and start asking you questions about yourself. At some point you look up and you don’t see Agatha there and you furrow your eyebrows.
“Where’s Agatha?” You ask and they all look around. You get up and find her a bit further out, she has a hand leaning on a tree, looking deep in thought. “Agatha.” You say and she turns around to look at you. “Are you ok?” You ask her and she nods and clasps her hands together.
“Yep, we should probably go though just so we can get this over with.” She says and you nod.
“Ok ya, I think we all caught our breath.” You tell her. She then goes to the group to tell them that we’re continuing before dramatically swishing her coat and you smile at her antics, she’s such a drama queen.
Jenn and Alice walk next to you and continue to ask questions and occasionally throw in some compliments. You see Agatha casting glances behind her to you guys, even to you. You then all see the next trial and Alice goes to walk away from it.
“You can’t really escape from this Alice.” You tell her while Agatha walks after her. You all follow them and see the house in front of you all again. You walk up to the house and see a wax moon.
“The fire phase.” You hear Lilia say and you all look at Alice. You then all walk through and look to see 80’s items and what looks to be a recording studio.
“Check me out.” You hear Agatha say who’s looking at herself in the mirror. You all look at yourselves in the mirror and you notice you’re in a similar outfit to Agatha. The others begin to look around and Agatha turns around to face you. “The road could have made you look less desirable.” She says a little flirty and you smile.
“I don’t think that’s possible.” You tell her and she catches Jenn looking over at you two.
“If anything, at least could have made you less desirable for everyone else.” She says before walking away. You look at her walking away with a confused expression.
“Wow, you look beautiful.” Alice tells you and look at your outfit.
“Thanks, nice outfits the road picked for all of us.” You say and they all agree. You then see Agatha sitting in a chair behind a glass wall and she’s staring at you. All of a sudden a terrible noise starts playing and you see Teen frantically trying to turn it off. You all cover your eyes at the noise, begging to turn it off.
“What is that?” You yell.
“I thought it was a clue.” You hear Teen say.
“Why?” Jenn asks and Teen holds up a ‘play me’ sign.
“Turn it off!” You yell and Agatha comes out of nowhere and throws it on the ground and smashes it, effectively stopping it. Right after that, a metronome starts and you all look at it. “Oh look, the trial started.” You say sarcastically.
“We’ve been cursed.” Lilia randomly says.
“Does anyone feel…lighter?” Alice asks and you all look at her strangely. Just then you start to feel like you’re burning and you start screaming in pain and fall to the floor.
Agatha and Alice both run to you and start asking what’s wrong.
“It burns! Make it stop!” You yell out. Alice finds a sharp object and starts making a circle around you while saying an incantation. When she finishes the circle then the burning stops and you stop screaming. “What was that?” You ask and Agatha goes back to your side, with fear in her eyes.
“Are you ok?” She asks and you nod. Just then Jenn starts screaming in pain and Alice goes to save her from the burning. You then all hear the flapping of wings flying across the room.
“What is that?” Lilia says.
“That must be the curse.” You say. Just then Alice goes to find what song was playing and Agatha angrily makes her way over to her.
“It’s you isn’t it? You brought this curse with you.” She questions Alice.
“I didn’t think it was real!” Alice says, scared. Just then Teen gets pushed aside and then thrown across the room, into the glass wall. Agatha, Alice and Lilia all run to him while you and Jenn are still locked in fear, in your circles.
“Is he ok?” You ask while Agatha and Lilia are coming back out.
“Do you both live in your circles now?” She asks you both.
“Maybe.” Jenn says. You get out of your circle as instruments appear in front of you all.
“We have to sing Lorna’s ballad.” Agatha says and Alice immediately disagrees. “All signs point to a jam session.”
“I’m not singing that song. The song is to open the road, we already did that.” Alice argues.
“Lorna’s version is different though.” Teen says.
“What did Lorna want from the road?” Agatha asks out loud. You then think of the song and it hits you.
“To save her daughter.” You say and everyone looks at you. Agatha then convinces Alice to play the song and you all get ready to play, with you at the drums.
You all start the song and then Agatha starts yelling in pain. You go to get up, and Alice stops playing to go to her as well.
“No, keep playing.” Agatha says, you and Alice briefly look at each other before Alice starts playing again. You love hearing Agatha sing, hearing her sing so beautifully honestly warms your heart.
“I’ll see you at the end!” Alice finishes singing and then the curse is killed and you’re all free to go through the piano. All of a sudden Alice's smile vanishes and you look to see what she’s looking at. You see Teen there and he’s bleeding and then he passes out. You all get him out of there and find a big rock to lay him on.
“He’s bleeding a lot.” Jenn says.
“What do we do?” Agatha asks.
“He‘s young…” You tune everyone out as you see Agatha’s reaction to Teen being hurt. Jenn ends up saving Teen and you all lay him down to rest and heal. You see Agatha put her coat on him before you sit by the fire with everyone else.
“So Y/n.” Alice says as she sits beside you. “What do you want at the end of the road?” She asks you.
“Oh I don’t really want anything in particular.” You say.
“Then why are you here?” Jenn asks.
“Agatha asked me to come with her, thought it’d be fun.” You say and they all look at you weirdly. You then see Agatha come to sit down on a log.
“So Agatha, do you have any battle scars?” Jenn asks her and Agatha smirks before showing her elbow.
“Knitting needle to the arm. Ever heard of the sisters of liberty?” She asks you all and you chuckle.
“No.” Jenn says.
“Exactly.” Agatha says proudly.
“Y/n, do you have any battle scars?” Alice asks you and you nod. You lift your shirt up to show your stomach.
“Deep knife cut to the stomach.” You say.
“Who did that to you?” Alice says, examining the scar.
“That witch right there.” You say and point to Agatha.
“I mean you were trying to kill me.” Agatha says, defending herself. “It’s how we met.” She adds on.
“You have a beautiful body by the way.” Jenn says as you put your shirt back down.
“Oh thank you.” You say sheepishly and you then see Agatha get up and leave and you follow after her. “Agatha.” You say and she stops walking but doesn’t turn around. “Hey, what’s wrong?” You ask her and put a hand on her arm.
“Nothing, just go sit back down.” She says and shrugs off your hand.
“I can tell something is wrong so what is it?” You ask and fold your arms.
“Just go and sit back down with your two admirers.” She says with venom in her tone.
“What? What are you talking about?” You ask her.
“Jenn and Alice. Wouldn’t you rather be close to them as they keep complimenting you, and checking you out. That’s gotta be feeding into your need for attention.” She says and walks away from you. You follow after her and turn her around forcefully.
“You’re jealous of them? Seriously?” You say with a scoff.
“Well you keep taking their compliments and not doing anything about it.” She says.
“I can’t tell them I’m with you, even though I wish I could.” You tell her and she laughs.
“Ya right.” She says. “Just go and be with one of them. I don’t know why I thought tha-” She says and you lean forward and kiss her forcefully. She immediately pushes you closer to her and grabs your head. You both pull away for air after a minute.
“Feel better now?” You ask her and she shakes her head.
“No.” She says and then pushes you up against a tree, so the others can’t see you or her. She surges forward and kisses you with force, pouring her jealousy into the kiss. She starts to roam her hands on you and you moan when she cups your boobs. She inserts her tongue in your mouth when you moan and then she pins your arms above your head.
“Agatha, Agatha we can’t do this here.” You tell her and she ignores you. She kisses your neck and uses her free hand to go under your shirt and unclip your bra. She grabs one of your boobs without anything there and you gasp. She lets go of your hands and cups both of your boobs with her hands and starts rubbing the nipples while sucking on your neck. You push her hips closer to you, not even gonna try and stop her as it feels good.
“Mi amor.” Agatha says and you moan. She then slips a hand down your pants and underwear and quickly finds your clit. You buck your hips and she covers your mouth with her hand to prevent you from being loud. She starts circling your clit and you bite your lip to try and keep yourself as quiet as possible. She then goes down more and slips 2 fingers in your entrance and a gasp leaves your mouth. You haven’t gotten the chance to be intimate with Agatha, only Agnes. Although recently little bits of Agatha have been peeking through but now you got all of her.
She begins pumping in and out of you while rubbing your clit with her palm at the same time and you know you won’t last long. She puts her free hand on your throat lightly and looks deep into your eyes.
“You’re mine and only mine.” She says and puts a bit of pressure on your throat. You feel your orgasm building and you moan out. She kisses you to prevent you from making noise and your legs start to shake. She removes her hand from your throat and wraps her hand around your hip to prevent you from falling. You put your arms around her neck to help stabilise yourself as you’re at your peak. “Come for me, prove that you’re mine.” She whispers in your ear and then she kisses you as you come. She slows down inside of you before pulling out of you. She licks her fingers that were inside of you and she moans at your taste.
“Is this what sex with Agatha is like?” You ask her and she smirks.
“You’ll have to find out. But I’ll tell you that there’s sometimes magic involved and Agnes was vanilla in the bedroom compared to me.” She says and winks at you.
“Ooh, how intriguing.” You tell her and she smirks.
You both then sit down against a tree and you lay your head on her shoulder and she wraps an arm around you.
“Get some sleep, who knows when we’ll get to again.” She says and you nod with heavy eyes.
Your eyes snap open as you hear Lilia yelling and you realise you fell asleep as your head was on Agatha’s lap.
“We have to leave! It’s the Salem seven!” You hear and you both look at each other before getting up and running over to them.
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messiahzzz · 1 year ago
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i have been thinking a lot about mystra’s relationship with gale, how reducing her to “his ex” really is an understatement. she was and still is so much more than that. moreover, using the term “ex-girlfriend” in relation to her plainly feels wrong and diminishes the influence she has over him, as well as the role she played in his life since his childhood (and it also trivializes the abuse he suffered through her).
there are several instances where gale gets defensive when his companions mention or ask him abt mystra. he claims that their relationship was no less real even though most of their interactions were incorporeal.
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we have already established that gale is an unreliable narrator in this particular case, still not having fully come to terms with the fact that he was groomed, manipulated and abused. he ping-pongs between bouts of realization (even in his romance), gaining clarity that he was merely used and eventually discarded and that mystra never truly cared for him, back to making light of his situation, idealizing her once again. realizing the extent of his trauma, that he is indeed a victim in this scenario, unlearning what he has been made to believe from a young age is a slow and painful journey. he is in the process of healing, but it takes time. time he deserves just like anyone else.
which makes me wonder what their relationship really looked like, once the lines between teacher, muse, and lover began to blur. i also feel like one of the reasons why part of the fandom still struggles to identify mystra as his abuser, is because she is a white woman who initially presents herself in a soft-spoken, benevolent manner… and well, the fact that gale himself is ambitious to a fault and a lil insane about the promise of power. he also briefly mentions "crossing mystra’s boundaries” when he confides in tav and tells them about his folly. (“i am, after all, the villain in this story.”) which led to a looooot of misinterpretations.
leaving the overall lore and mystra’s treatment of her other chosen aside — what we can discern from her interactions with gale in-game, is that mystra is civil as long as she remains in control and gale follows her demands, but as soon as there’s even a slight mention of challenging her power or defying her rule, she rather quickly changes her tone.
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there is also one particular exchange between them that just won’t leave my head:
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“you were many things to me, but never a threat. and never a savior."
even if we choose to blatantly ignore the fact that mystra is a deity, his goddess - there is no possible way that their relationship ever could have been equal by any mortal standards. the power imbalance that comes with her being his teacher and a symbol of his admiration, plus the sheer control she holds over him and his powers are simply too great. don’t even let me get started on how it is a common tactic of abusers to isolate their victims from any outside influences so they can exert full control over them. and how up to meeting tav and their merry band of misfits, every single soul he was close to was inevitably tied to mystra in one way or another. he briefly mentions his colleagues and then there’s elminster, also mystra’s chosen and former lover, and tara, who is a fine wizard in her own right. he spend so many years in service of her, dedicating his life to her, that now there is no one left he can truly call a friend. most of his little anecdotes and stories he tells are restricted to his childhood and university days, everything else was mystra.
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evidently, ordering gale to detonate the orb is the most efficient course of action in her eyes. he is just as expendable as any other mortal, after all. maybe once significantly more useful given his status and the extent of his powers, but she doesn’t feel sorrow nor remorse for ordering him to end his life. his death is simply the most convenient means to an end.
another thing i would also like to briefly touch upon is the trigger/detonator itself. a dagger to the heart. it could have been literally anything else, a simple incantation. it is well within mystra’s power to stabilize the orb and also to remove it from his body entirely. but no, what she requires of gale is to stab himself. one might argue that it was simply a cinematic choice meant for a more dramatic effect, but it really leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. especially considering the fact that she is commonly known and referred to as a jealous goddess. it almost makes it seem like yet another form of punishment or mere pettiness. after his long period of isolation, gale is now surrounded by fellow humans. people he cares about, even perhaps people he might eventually consider good friends — which is enough of a reason for him to not want to die, to keep going and try to find another way, rather than to blindly follow mystra’s bidding. now there’s a group of people who support him and are genuinely invested in him staying alive. hmmm...
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