#so much content and more to come!! yaaay!

[books-books-smolderinglooks]

Not in secret but in front of the world, hand in hand! ❤️

Young Royals S3! 💜 They're coming back to us, one more time. More golden Wilmon moments! More kisses, more hugs, more forehead touches, maybe fish scene pt 2. There's still more trials and tribulations to come but now they'll get through it together and we'll get to see their happy ending! Can't wait. 💜

[fairymint]

phew shit, no news is good news, no fucking crunch this year for pokemon mainline wise.

but! I'm actually really happy about the trading card mobile thing, because I'm one of those guys who like. would play but i don't wanna inevitably ruin my scattered, binderless cards-

[namazunomegami]

Into the Void

Pairing: Geto Suguru x gn!reader

Synopsis: Geto is so succumbed to his ideals that you have no choice but to run. But the hunt for you is more than a simple chase. It's resurrection. It's repentance. Just like in the parable of the lost sheep.

CW: canon compliant, established relationship, predator/prey, injuries, blood, toxic dynamics, heavy religious symbolism, emotional distress, dissociation, tiny bit of hurt/comfort, yandere behavior, Geto is a manipulative ass how surprising

WC: 5.2k whoops

Credits: my dear @notveryrussian for proofreading but tbh I should start calling you my editor from now on lmao. I'm glad you enjoyed my sneak peeks so much 💕

Song rec: since I can't control myself, I picked 3 songs by Nine Inch Nails that gives the perfect vibes to the story. For the exposition, I recommend Heresy, mostly because the lyrics resonates with the reader's thoughts about Geto. For the escape/chase part, I picked Eraser for the creepy vibes and reader's slowly deterioriating sanity. For the closing part, I picked A warm place because it's a comforting yet a bit gloomy track

A/N: Saying that this idea possessed me is an understatement. Initially I only wanted to put effort into the whole chase scene but obviously I started to add lore into the whole thing. And since they grew on me and I simply love their dynamic, a part 2 is on the way yaaay.

Minors shall not interact unless they wanna get punched.

And a usual warning for dark content. I wanted to keep it mild but I couldn't. Maybe I'm a lil bit too skilled when it comes to writing about fear.

It’s all too painful to think that maybe running away with Geto wasn’t the best idea.

Of course you loved him, you loved the twins too and the makeshift family you created, it really healed some of the wounds you received in the past. But you wished it would’ve stayed that way. Living together, somewhere far away, isolated, in peace. Have a fresh start, build a nest for the four of you and fill it up with love.

But he had other plans.

There were a lot of improvements in the initial phase of your plans. Building community, uniting the herd. You enjoyed some reverence from the followers too. Eventually the initial number of breakthroughs began to stagnate, despite all the effort. It became routine, like you were being dragged through the same day for years and years without end. When you were faced with even more setbacks, you started to realize that you basically never left the temple and it soon began to feel like a cage. Golden and holy. It was draining to see people lose their sense of individuality and how he became their only source of validation. It was torment. Living life as an idol of worship tucked into a forgotten corner of a church. Praised like a twisted Gothic Madonna with a blue cloth over your head, but in reality you weep, you’re their Mater Dolorosa, with swords piercing your sorrowful heart.

The most devastating thing about realizing you’re not fit to run a cult, is the fact that you lack the most understated yet important aspect of it: believing in the agenda you want to spread. How could you guide all those helpless, simple-minded sheep while questioning whether your destination is real or not? Maybe that Canaan has nothing to do with milk and honey, instead it’s just a pile of rubble.

You soon got tired of it all. His drive, his goal, all too impossible to achieve. Maybe he knew he could never make it happen, but it consumed him regardless. You’ve lost the most cherished parts of him to his hatred, his deeply repressed rage against any injustices he had to deal with after the infamous Star Plasma incident.

You weren’t sure about your feelings towards Geto anymore. Were you afraid of him? Angry at him? Bitter? Disappointed? Worried? It all turned into mush, a grotesque, black liquid as the thin walls of the temple slowly made you feel like they were closing in on you. You had no idea how much time you had, until your unresolved feelings will taint the whole place.

You always circled back to the worst possible action to protect your soft, aching heart… When you thought that nothing will change for the better, you wanted to run away. You wanted to hide. The ambivalence of your feelings towards him weighed on your heart and conscience, like a thousand stones. You loved him, yet you loathed what has become of him. Despite that you trusted him with the map of your soul, made it through all the highs and lows of your relationship so far, all the deep abysses of pain and suffering.

Maybe you should run, just for the sake of it. To test how it will make you feel. Will it make you feel freed? At ease? Will it lift the weights on your chest? Will this sense of incoming doom vanish?

Maybe you should find Gojo. He wouldn’t condemn you, but he would be disappointed. If you set your judgement and resentment to aside, he’s the only one who can talk with the higher ups to scratch your name off the list of curse users who are on death row.

How much time did you need to forge your plan? Not even a single minute. It was only natural for you to memorize everybody’s routine, how to distinguish the sound of their steps, to pick a timeframe when nobody is lurking around the halls. The first (and probably last) time you were glad those who have hurt you gave you a skill, besides the ability to harness cursed energy of course. They made you stealthy, alert, observant.

And when Geto left you to cater to his followers, you decided to put your plan into action.

Your body is strung tight with the tension of waiting, agitation making you feel as if you were unraveling at the seams - but something deep inside of your mind pleaded for you to stay. Agony and anxiety were plaguing you until you’ve found enough courage to get up and sneak out. Now, you had the chance to show off everything you’ve learned: sliding the doors shut so slowly that they don’t make a noise, walking down the corridors with socked feet, carefully putting the middle parts of your feet on the floor, instead of your heels, easily avoiding those parts that creak.

Sometimes, when he was immersed in his thoughts, he was amused by how faint your steps sounded.

An involuntary instinct warns you. It’s trying to convince you that he can see you through the eyes of bodhisattvas residing in the thangka paintings decorating the walls. You almost give up your quest as you glance at the depiction of Vajrabhairava. In all its anger, with its six faces and twelve limbs. A dreadful beast that defies death itself.

You don’t want to do this to him, do you?

You look away from the painting, focusing on getting your shoes on and climbing out through the window. As you’re squatting on the windowpane, you can see all of Tokyo stretched out beneath you. You’re a little bit annoyed that all temples are built on a mountain. A long way to go, but you can never know when this place will turn into a funeral pyre.

It’s a little bit too easy. There’s no sign of surveillance curses nearby, you only need to slide down on the wet tiles, jump up high, land in the mud and let yourself be swallowed by the darkness of the forest. You specifically picked your least conspicuous clothes to blend into your surroundings perfectly. And the cold and murky night will let you go safely. The leaves will conceal your tracks.

So many things are working in your favor tonight.

You know there’s no need to rush. You can only draw attention to yourself if you are running around, creating noise and disturbing the wildlife. You don’t even use a flashlight, you have to get used to the darkness, the full Moon will guide you with all her dazzling light. And after that, Tokyo will do the same, with its crowded streets and all its places to hide.

There’s a weird kind of tranquility in your heart. How the cold prickles your skin, the moisture in the air, the faint noise of the creatures dwelling under the leaves, up in the trees, singing, chirping, crawling. The scent of wet soil, the gentle caress of the wind…

Now, you feel free.

As you walk deeper and deeper into the woods, you feel lighter, you feel like you could fly away, like you could dance all the way towards your destination. You’re thinking about actually doing that, as if you got possessed by a strange spirit…

But the uneven, slippery ground makes you fall right into the mud. You squirmed a little, trying to get hold of a tree trunk and then…

Silence, dead silence.

Your heart sinks deep in your chest.

You know what it means. When nature falls silent. There’s…

There’s a threat nearby.

A primal instinct tells you to run.

There’s no way, there’s no fucking way that he already noticed you were gone.

Twigs whip at your skin as you’re running mindlessly. Wherever you end up, it will be fine, as long as you can enter the outskirts of the city. The cold night air stings your throat, your heaving breath leaves your mouth in puffy clouds. You feel the urge to cough, deep from your bone-dry lungs.

The ground beneath you turns soft and steep. You lose your poise, stumbling and rolling all the way down until you fall from a high clod of rain-washed soil. Your body collides with a cold, wet, yet incredibly hard and flat surface, fraying the skin on your palm and face. Your back and shoulders will be bruised by tomorrow, painting your body with black and blue spots. The pain ripples through your entire being, paralyzing you for a couple of moments.

As you slowly gathered your battered self from the ground with a grunt, you realize you landed on a road. It’s a good sign, you’re not so far from civilization. But instead of following the road, cutting through the forest is the wiser decision.

Your relief is short-lived, just like a may fly.

A sinister feeling takes hold on you. It makes you freeze, squeezing your insides. Like you’re sitting in the jaw of an eldritch beast. You slowly turn back to the direction of your fall.

The lights are flickering.

You grab on the guardrail for dear life. You try to fill your lungs with shaky breaths, your heart desperately beating against your ribcage. Your trembling knees barely keep you upright, yet nothing can make you move. You have been found, you’re defeated, there’s no point in running away from him. The injuries, the already forming bruises will only deplete your strength.

How could you fight him? You’re aware that if he wanted to, he could break your bones and twist your body at the joints with an arm behind his back.

How could you outrun him? He’s capable of summonning a swarm of curses before you even take a step.

How could you make war with him?

Three of the lamp lights were already out, you stared into the darkness, the boundless abyss right before your eyes. You can’t even force yourself to blink.

And when the lights came back on, he was just standing there. Without breaking a sweat. Your pulse feels non-existent.

What infuriated you even more was that he wasn’t wearing his gojo-kesa. The motherfucker even gave you a head start by changing into something comfortable before he came to fetch you. Or simply he noticed your absence later than you expected.

Whatever, both is bad news for you.

He doesn’t utter a single word, he merely walks towards you. Slowly cornering you. Feasting on the terror on your face. Meanwhile you can’t unravel what could possibly be going on in his mind. The only thing you notice is that those violet sparks in his eyes are so sharp they could cut yours out of their sockets.

Should you give up? Should you beg for forgiveness?

But then, an idea blooms inside your mind.

You don’t hide your fear, you let your body tremble freely, fingers desperately clinging onto the metal, with your shoulders hunched to protect your neck and your wide, frightened eyes stare back at him. Letting him believe that you won’t fight back. That he can take you back to the temple and throw you back into your cage.

And when his foot hits the bisector, you jump. Right into the nothingness behind your back.

You fall on leaves and broken twigs again. You roll and roll with such speed you can’t comprehend the growing distance. Not even having an idea of how far you’re from him. Small rocks, branches, hardened roots of trees, bones all cut, scratch and pierce you. But you endure it, you’ll undergo any torture if it meant you’ll be freed. Your only hope is that the adrenaline will deal with the pain.

Suddenly, you violently crash into a tree, the ridged texture imprints deeply into your stomach. Acid bursts from your throat. Your diaphragm didn’t avoid the hit either, breathing is not unlike Sisyphean task as you try to get your shaking limbs to stand. Your mind is disturbed by the lack of air and your desperate attempts at getting yourself together. You’re wheezing like a dog. You must look pathetic, you think.

It takes almost all of your mental strength to calm down and slowly breathe through your nose, your lungs finally opening. But Geto won’t let you recover, you hear the fallen leaves getting crushed under his feet. You take a few sharp, ragged breaths, like it’s the last drag of a cigarette before the train comes and then, you move.

You hide behind a thick pine tree, palms covering your mouth and nose. The lack of oxygen is just another frustrating hindrance to your successful escape plan. Dizziness fills your head like a thick fog and sucks the strength out of your shins, needing to lean against the trunk to keep yourself standing. You try to conceal your cursed energy with all your might. A tracker who’s untraceable is a useful pawn in the hands of the higher ups, this skill made you a cherished student back in the day. Back when everything was so… no, it’s only the nostalgia making you wistful, it wasn’t any better.

The rustling gets quieter, you wait until the sound eventually dies. An almost muted sigh of relief leaves your lips in a thick cloud, dancing in the cold air.

From the corner of your eye, a floating form cuts through the pale moonlight.

Looking closely at its shape, you realize what kind of curse it is. The beetle looking one that attacks instantly once it senses movement. You can’t believe it, you’re going to -

The curse drags itself into your aura, scanning your form that is fused with the pine. Every muscle is tensed, you’re stiff as a board, you suppress every reflex in your eye and empty chest. You’re just like a statue, a corpse, showing no signs of life. Only an agonizing scream echoes inside your skull. A scream that puts mental breakdowns to shame.

It’s like an eternity until the curse finally disappears from your sight.

You definitely look exhausted, your body is limp and heavy like lead. But you must keep going at all costs, even if you have no idea how many curses are sent after you. You walk around the mountain instead of going down like he’d expect it.

Slowly yet surely, you calm yourself down. You know that you’re still in his grasp, but you still have a chance to outsmart him. You go deeper and deeper, you’re near the heart of the forest now. The moonlight barely crawls through the leaves, it’s easier to navigate according to what you hear rather than to what you see. The surroundings are growing eerie, you ache for light and warmth. And the longing sucks a bit of spirit out of you.

Before you can start questioning yourself, the sound of running water fills your ears.

A narrow, yet fast running stream plowed through the forest. Though you were unsure of staying close to the stream, going through it and getting to the other side sounds like a smart idea. As you take a reluctant step, you realize the water is ice cold. And when you dive into it further, enduring the strong current, it’s not as shallow as you believed. You’re submerged all the way up to your thighs. At its deepest point, the stream hugs your waist. The cold makes your movements slow and rigid, your teeth clang together in a frenzy. The bottom is filled with smooth, flat pebbles, they make it easy to - 

You slip on the rounded, polished stones and fall into the stream. The freezing temperature makes your skin shrink, it prickles you like a thousand needles. Scared, you crawl around the bottom, trying to get a hold of something and emerge back to the surface. A sharp, burning pain wakes in your palm, tears streaming down your cheeks. You try to swallow your scream, but it wants to burst from your lungs, you grunt and whimper until you can bite down on your sweatshirt, letting the material muffle your shout. Your gaze fixates on your hand and even in the darkness of the night, you see blood oozing from the deep cut, from your own torn flesh. The urge to retch is strong.

You palm is plunged back into the cool water, in hope of easing the pain.

He calls out your name right behind you.

You crawl out of the water, running from him, just as before. It doesn't matter how many times you trip, fall, stumble. It doesn’t matter how your fresh wounds end up in the mud, you don’t have it in you care about the pain or the looming threat of an infection. You hear him trying to reason with you. You must come back home, you’re injured, you’re bleeding. He must take care of you.

Why are you running? Where could you go? Who’s going to help you recover?

No, you mustn’t let your determination crumble. But oh… it sounds so easy. Giving in to your hopelessness.

An evergreen bush becomes your shelter to collect yourself and check on your wound, which is aching from all the dirt and is still bleeding. Water is dripping from your hair, your clothes are soaked, makes it easier for the cold night air to bite into you, to shake the whole length of your body. Your fingers are hardly moving and have no strength in them. The adrenaline is starting to wear off. You feel alone, small, and vulnerable. You’re freezing, scarred and aching. All the things you see in the dark twist into creepy, threatening forms. Everything that surrounds you is suddenly dangerous. As a lonely spider crawls within your field of vision, you flinch. The world around you is evil and everything is after your flesh.

And the only person who can save you is the one you’re running away from.

What are you going to do now? Fight, flight, or freeze? Which instinct is going to win this time? Because comprehensible thoughts won’t work on you. Every little layer of a fully-fledged human with a conscience has been stripped from you. You left them scattered everywhere in the woods. You’re nothing more than a primordial shell of a being.

Ceremonial horns wake in the distance, soon followed by howling. They let the dogs out to hunt you down. Poor, little hare. Your own stupidity has woken up the beast.

Who is like unto the beast?

You defeat the paralyzing dread and decide on flight. You dash out from the bushes, but - Oh… your eye. Your soft doe eye. There’s something in it. And your tears have an oddly metallic taste on your tongue.

And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

You wish you could see yourself from the outside, but you’re probably nowhere near as majestic as you think you are. Right now you feel like you’re the fastest, stealthiest creature who’s ever lived, even if your muscles are almost torn, weak, and tensed. This is the last crumb of your strength, this is your all.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him.

You don’t dare to look back. You know he’s there. He’s so close, he’s orbiting around you like a moon does with its planet. As if all of this is a dance. A hunt is a dance with a coital rhythm. And mother nature is the audience to your deadly waltz.

And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.

He takes your hand in his. Gentle and kind. To not scare you any further. You snap like an electric current under his touch, but you break free and zigzag between the trees.

He grabs your waist. Forcefully. It scares you this time. You escape from his embrace before he can swallow you whole. But he might have bit your throat during the process, you feel something trailing down your collarbones. You hear your bones crack.

It was all a mistake. You are a mistake. But mistakes can be forgiven, right? He has forgiven you so many times, you can’t even think of a number.

You slide down on a slope, leaves stick to your clothes, and you drop onto a thick trunk of a fallen oak. Tensive pain ripples in your side. You should stand up and run, but you can’t move. You won’t move. What’s wrong with you? What kind of prey gives the fight up before its last breath? But you think about your frozen limbs, the pain in your palm, your back, your shoulder blades, everywhere. You think about home… you want to go home or be left here to die. But the thought of dying here, alone, makes your heart palpitate rapidly, like there’s not enough air to fill your lungs. Your breathing becomes desperate, panicked even. Your chest hurts, your ribcage is ready to break apart by your racing heartbeat. You press your palms against your head, clawing into your hair. Every little morsel of you is bursting into a tremor. The connection between your mind, your body and the world cease to exist. And that lovely, unlimited stretch of space inside your consciousness is shaken, it’s in utter chaos. Breaking into tiny little pieces, like glass, like porcelain. Tears and plucks like paper and fabric. Shrieks and wails, rejecting the only thing that makes all creatures on this plane of existence agitated over their own mortality.

You’re doomed.

Unconsciously, your limbs curl into the very same position you took when you saw the world for the first time, protecting your belly and face, making you seem small. Geto knows you only do that when you fear what might happen to you, despite being unaware of the kind of terror your brain had subjected you to. That’s why he approaches you slowly, making no sudden movements as he picks you up gently, like one would lift a porcelain figure from the ground. When you open your eyes, he had already settled you into his lap as the manta ray curse lifts the two of you up to mount the skies.

You have no idea if he hunted you down or saved you from your own demise.

What a defiant, ungrateful creature you are, you think. You tried so viciously to run away from your burden, and now you feel safe with him again, you dare clinging to him, you dare seek his warmth. The contradicting thoughts and desires torture you on the way back. There’s only one faint voice inside your head that’s capable of calming you down, able to keep your sanity intact…

You’re the lost sheep, and he’s the shepherd who searched all over the world to find you. And he’ll bring you back to the flock, and he’ll love you more than the rest of them.

Your false god. Your fallacious savior. Will he forgive you if you repent on your knees? Until they get bloody and bruised?

Back at the temple, he refuses to let you take even a step on your own. You weren’t born to run, to soil your soles with the ground that filthy monkeys walk on. You’re meant to be worshipped, to claim the whole world as yours beneath dainty, soft feet.

The warm lamplight and the comfort of your shared room helps you unwind. To shift back into a much more civilized, humanlike state. And as you practically glue yourself to the heater, you notice more dirt, more cuts, more blood marring your flesh than you expected.

When you take off your grimy sweatshirt, shoes, and socks, Geto is towering over you. There’s nothing imposing about him, he looks rather troubled as he sighs.

“What do I do with you?”

You roll your eyes. Oh, the good old rhetorical question. He has no idea if he should treat your wounds first, bathe you or break your leg just like the Gospel says.

“Come, let me take a look at your hand.”

You see your reflection in the mirror, and you’re horrified. Your right eye is bloodshot, a deep cut is splitting through your lower lip. You’re drenched in mud, already dried on your face along with some patches of wine dark blood. Together they seal the scraped skin on your cheek, makes your hair stick together into thick strands, accessorized with pine leaves and other remains from your little hike. You’re blistered and torn, you can barely recognize yourself.

It's pleasant to rinse your hands with warm water at the sink, but the sight makes your stomach twist. That nasty wound is too deep, it has to be sewn shut. A shiver races down on your spine when you see the first aid kit. He soaks a fresh gauze pad with wound solution and guides it towards the gaping cut with a pair of tweezers. The sting is horrible, the burning sensation rivals acid being poured straight into your flesh, it makes you grunt and hiss. He gives you a moment to breathe and collect yourself then he continues, despite your whimpers and twitching, tensed fingers. But the pain pales in comparison to when he swipes a new, clean pad inside your wound, cleaning it of all the filth. A pathetic cry erupts from your throat.

“Stop.” you sob, pulling your hand away to hug it close to your chest. You’re too distressed to realize that the temporary discomfort is necessary. But maybe this whole act is nothing but another one of his silly little games.

He places a finger under your eye, close to your lashes and collects your tears. The sight of you crying is somehow not worth of savoring to him. Before any little drop of your sorrow and regret can roll down your cheek like diamonds, he smears them, as if they could make your misery vanish. Well, they can’t. It frustrates you that you can’t let your feelings manifest because he’s ready to devour them just like his curses.

He doesn’t care that your face is caked in dirt, blood and tears, he lifts your chin up to kiss you. Deeply. You’re not reprimanded for not kissing him back.

You were right, he’s definitely toying with you. He makes it hurt before he soothes the ache. He creates a connection in your mind. Like you’re the dog of Pavlov, slowly conditioned to associate him with anything that makes the human heart fill with delight.

The tiles attract your attention much more than watching how the curved needle dives into your skin, how the thread closes the wound proficiently. Your features soften for a moment. Shoko would be so proud of him... Not for the reason he got so good at it though. He learnt to treat his wounds for the sole purpose of not letting a non-sorcerer doctor ever touch him.

He’s crazy. Vile. Petty. And delusional. It drives you crazy too.

But when your stitched hand is wrapped up in bandages, you seriously think about thanking him for putting up with you. For not being angry at you.

“Maybe this will make you reconsider your actions next time.” he remarks in a flat tone, concealing what’s going on in his mind.

You keep your gratitude to yourself.

But it’s not an easy task when he continues spoiling you, with so much care that it rivals motherly love. How he rinses all the grime out of your hair, how he gives you a moment of peace in a tub filled with plain, warm water, no bubbles or scented oils to irritate your scarred, sensitive skin. He dries you, brushes your hair and fills the whole bedroom with the calming notes of lavender and cedarwood coming from the incense burners. But he’s just so fixated on your injuries… every scratch, every surface level cut is thoroughly sanitized. It’s still humiliating, even when you’re the one sitting comfortably on the bed and he’s kneeling on the floor.

You’re afraid the extra pampering will twist your reasoning and resolve. That’s all part of the mind games he plays. You know he’ll go out on his way to prove that the world outside is cruel, that this is the only place where you’re safe, loved. In his proximity, under his hand.

And somewhere, deep down, you admit that he’s close to convincing you.

It makes you mad, you want to tear him to shreds, you want to weep for him just like Mary did under the cross. There’s still care, there’s still love under all those layers of burning hatred. What remains is twisted though, but it is there.

After you’re patched up, he glances up at you, thumb brushing your lip right next to that nasty cut. His other hand is resting where your thigh and knee meet. It’s a sign, a warning.

“Was it worth it, little lamb?” his tone is soothing and playful. So close to being outright mockery.

You reflect in silence, averting your gaze from him. All those scars and discolored skin, your disturbed mind, and the ache in your bones - you realize that your stupid little plan was futile. Totally unnecessary, it’s no achievement you can be proud of. At least if you’re not as masochistic as to pride yourself on your injuries. But the fact that he can recognize the parallels coats your answer with bile.

“No.”

Because you know that you can be so much more… There’re unlimited possibilities to a repented non-believer. And now you know that being his doubting Thomas has no benefits.

Maybe you did lose your faith in him, like the lamb in that story, to eventually realize how much you need him and vice versa. But you’re not satisfied with being a lost sheep. You just haven’t decided on your role in his Gospel yet. This is your call, you don’t know exactly which part of him calls out to you, but you’re satisfied with either of them. Whether it’s a prophet, a messiah, a beast, or the devil itself. The fallen Morningstar who used to be the favorite.

This can be your true Genesis.

“Go on, break my leg if you want to. There’s meaning in that, at least.” you dare echo his last words to Gojo, clean and low.

And your bones remain whole.

You’re relieved. Though you’re sick of his maneuvers with your mind, you’re aware their purpose is not to hurt you or punish you. These aching limbs of yours go limp as he crawls into bed next to you. The arm you were scared of coils around your waist. Viciously tight, much like a snake. The snake that corrupted Eve in the garden. The one that made her sin, got her cast out of paradise, the one that turned her whole world upside down. And maybe Eve did fall in love with the serpent, the worst creature that God had ever created. But even though he caused the fall of mankind, the serpent freed you from the clutches of a jealous, ungrateful god who denied knowledge from his own creations. Now you have the passion to rebel, to prove your creator wrong, to avenge his mistreatment. Give in to the temptation of your snake, believe his honeyed words, accept the fruit for a second time. Because you still remember the taste, oh so sweet and luscious. And with all the power he wields, you can win back your lost Eden or re-build it on earth, the home you’re both yearning for. It’s a promise between the two of you, silent, because words are not needed, only closure.

Something warm blooms inside your chest. Yes, that’s it! You can finally feel it now…

The very first ounce of belief.

[genericpuff]

How do you feel about LO fans reading Rekindled? I mean, I know Rekindled wasn't created only for the critical side of the fandom to read, but have you ever had LO fans that read Rekindled coming at you because of your anti lo posts?

Honestly, I find I don't get that much harassment for it here, which has been great. One of the most common criticisms I get are accusations that I'm "riding off Rachel's coattails", but considering I'm making this comic entirely from the ground up, for free, in a way that fuses my style with Rachel's (which means it's still fairly distinguishable from LO) technically I'm harming Rachel's bottom line far less than the legitimate fans who draw Rachel's style 1:1 and sell adoptables and commissions LMAO (and that's not to be accusatory, I think it's neat that there are artists who can replicate it that well, but idk why people get mad at me for doing literally the same thing and I'm not even profiting off it lol it's literally just because I'm a critic and not a diehard fan). And if I didn't genuinely enjoy working on this project beyond getting fake internet points, then I would have dropped it from the starting gun, I'm not good at committing myself to new projects (yaaay ADHD).

I think it helps that I (intentionally) don't use the general LO hashtags, I try to stay away from using any fan-focused hashtags because ultimately the work I do isn't necessarily going to be meant for them and I don't want it getting recommended to them if that's not the kind of thing they wanna see. Of course, that won't stop fans from finding it, but if they're getting recommended stuff from the anti community, then chances are it's because they've already been lurking in it. If a fan of LO finds my work, they're more than free to read it and if they enjoy it, great! I was a fan once too, the comic itself isn't so much for the anti's and "haters" as much as it is for people like me who used to adore this comic and wanted more than what we got.

Considering LO is going to be ending by mid next year, Rekindled will very likely be going on long after it, so who knows, it might even become a new favorite for fans who want more LO-style H x P content. Of course, it'll come with all the layers of salt that come loaded with my content, but that's what we have the Dillyhub mirror for now ;)

I find I tend to get more pushback on Instagram and I can only assume it's because IG's recommendation algorithms work a little differently. I thiiink IG might be suggesting accounts that are followed by other accounts (so through mutuals) so if a fan is following the same people I am (ex. editolympus is one I can think of off the top of my head), regardless of whether or not those accounts use the same hashtags I do, I get recommended to them. I imagine it's a pain for people who don't want to be seeing my content but they can take their own advice for once - don't like it, don't read it (￣y▽,￣)╭

[necros-writing-stuff]

Yaaay Necro is back! Drop us some more Eden or Dare content to drool over! MOOOOOAAAARRR!!! It's never enufff!! Neverr!! Also someday can't promise when I'll get around making fanart for both and you'll be the first to see! If only my brain can pump some juice oho~ pump

More is always coming, don't you worry! Also I'd be honored to see the art, thank you very much for loving Dare enough to do that!

Okay okay so. Old dog man Darius. Retired (fired) police dog. Caucasian Shepherd.

Was a great working dog until one day he turned around and savaged his handlers arm. No one could figure out why, and he was about to be euthanized, until you came along and promised that you could safely house and care for him.

These dog people are much more intelligent than the general public believes, you know that. It's cruel how they're treated. The least you can do for Darius is provide him a safe place to recuperate until he can find a permanent home.

Or rather, that was the plan. Darius decided he'd never be leaving. This is his home now, and more importantly, you're his fucking mate.

The neighbours shudder in fear everytime they pass, Dare's ever watchful gaze glaring at them from the window. Any one of them could be a threat. His skin itches, the urge to snarl and bark to make them all leave powerful in his mind. But he's aware you could get evicted for that. So he stays in his spot, watching.

When he's not at the window, he's following you around. Satisfied and content as you make his food, always the absolute best diet you can manage for him. Always delicious. You aren't afraid to pet him, either, scratching at his chin before he rests it on top of your head so he can better see what your hands do as you work away at the stove.

He can't help how he hardens when you're so close. He's from a good breeding line, so he was never neutered like many other dog men. Your empathy for him and acknowledgement of his intellect stopped you from chopping the boys off, too. You could have. Hell, the vet recommended it.

But you ignore his less than sneaky humping at your backside. Just gentle little motions at first, testing you to see how you'll react. Most of the time you do act like nothing is happening, other times you give an excuse of needing your space for this or that to make Dare back away.

He's frustrated, you'd argue to yourself. He doesn't fully comprehend what he's doing. Not like dog people are taught sex ed like humans are. You add it to your list of things to approach him with. He's a diligent student in that class, already surprisingly knowledgeable in some parts but missing gaps elsewhere. His dry humping doesn't cease. If anything, now he's becoming bolder. Nuzzling against your neck, licking at the skin there and giving you hopeful eyes. But the answer is still no.

You're his guardian. You own him by law for God's sake. It's not fair. But maybe you can find him another dog person to be with, someone who wouldn't have power over the sweet old dog man.

It was the morning he woke up to find you cooking in nothing but one of his shirts that he snapped and just gave in altogether. Not the best mental health week for you. You'd lacked on laundry, he didn't know how the machine worked (you'd tried explaining, he just "never got it" - aka, didnt want to), so you'd thrown on one of his clean t-shirts to sleep. You'd do the washing today, had to, but breakfast was always first.

Poor thing. So tired, so lost in your own head that you aren't aware of the looming body behind. Darius practically salivated at what he was seeing, his tail wagging and his ears pricked forward. He's not one for oggling legs, they're just a body part, but yours look amazing that morning. There was no hesitation as he sank to his knees behind you, lifting the hem of his shirt to expose your core to his hungry eyes.

People ask you all of the time if you're scared that if Darius, as big and strong as he is, decided to attack you, you wouldn't be able to fight him off. You'd always laughed it off. You weren't now. Not with his hot tongue lapping incessantly against your hole, one arm pinning you to the counter (and keeping you bent at an angle) as the other holds a leg still. No, you're stuck whimpering and moaning.

The sounds it makes is obscene, the wet smacks too loud in your ears. Darius is ravenous in how he devours you, how his tongue pokes, prods and flicks, his lips suckling and kissing until your legs feel weak and you orgasm right there against the counter. Darius has to slowly lower you to the floor with him, pulling you into his lap as you both catch your breath.

"You-you can't do that again, Dare. It's not okay, its-"

"Mates take care of each other, no? You're less stressed now, aren't you? What's the big deal?"

There's no getting through to him. Not a chance. He's a dog with a bone, and he certainly has a resource guarding issue.

[arudoe]

talk about bruise anything you want, i wanna hear

YAAAY MORE BRUISE

i alr talked about some hcs so ill chat a bit about some aus i have heehee!

- idol jay au !

i feel like this one is prolly the most well known (only because its the only one ive ever drawn for….) but basically jay is an idol/musician and cole is his nr1 fan! it was very inspired by prime empire and also those like harry styles x reader wattpad fics from back in the day… yeah…

all ive got for the story so far is that cole went to a fansign event and while getting his magazine signed jay also sneaks his personal phone number on one of the pages (something along tbe lines of xxx-xxx-xxx text me o_<) and… yeah things move on from there 🙏🙏

- mad scientist jay and his creature cole

OKAYY this might be one of my weirder ones but i think about it a lot 😭😭

anyways jay is a disabled basement dweller college dropout scientist guy and one day he kind of feels some paranormal presence in his lab and conducts a bunch of tests and comes to tbe conclusion there is a ghost floating around in his lab. so like the normal person he is he tries to communicate with it but only gets a bunch of weird cryptid messages that dont make sense… so he comes to bright idea of “hey! i should make this ghost a vessel they can possess!” so he makes a body frankenstein style and low and behold his plan worked!

cole, a ghost from the 80s who possessed the body is now chilling in jays lab with him, but like most people who have been dead for over 40 years he is very curious about the outside world and what has changed.

but jay for some reason is very adamant about him not going outside at all, which causes some tension between the two..

(the reason is jay has abandoned issues) (also cole is kind of a freak of nature) (affectionately)

I LIKE THIS AU A LOT cus its so stupid honestly and i love me some ghost cole also like im still mad about how ninjago decided to completely discard jays love for inventing… let the man make his little trinkets…

- wizard school au

basically what it sounds like… they are wizards.. at a wizard school… and do magic…

yes this was partly inspired by h*rry p*tter BUT ONLY THE VIBES (i barely remember the movies)

BUT UM this is like a whole universe thing and theres so so much lore and world building so… if u want a separate post about it… lmk

- roommates au!

this is my most recent one (and the one i think about the most) but um yeah pretty self explanatory it was based off this jdrama/manga called good morning call so uhhh ya!

basically cole and jay were enemies throughout highschool and basically spend all their energy hating each other but they to their separate ways during college but reunite (unwillingly) as roommates!

they navigate living with each other and learn to let go of their hate (which stemmed from a mixture of misunderstandings and insecurities) and then eventually fall in love!!

i think this is the au i have the most work done on (i have a draft for every major scene that happens in the story heehee) and perhaps! one day i will actually make it a real thing !

so um yeah! i have a bunch more but most of them are very unfinished or just… vague ideas or vibes i go by… i also have some aus that arent bruise so um if anyone wants to hear about those… smiles

BUTTT TYSM FOR UR QUESTION i dont rly say this a lot but any interaction i get with my content means the world to me and i always giggle and kick my feet when reading reblog comments bc everyone is so nice 🥹🥹

[osleeplessflowero]

L.O.VE And Justice

a somewhat satirical bad sanses reader insert fic

Chapter One: Nice To Meet You

Ao3 Link < Fic Masterpost < Next Chapter >

Content Warning: Violence

A dark, empty void.. 

There’s no hint of light anywhere. Only the darkness that surrounds you, threatening to swallow you whole. You hear echoes of voices calling out to you, before fading into silence. 

You feel weak..cold, too. As you fall further and further.. 

Your arms are extended in front of you, as if you were reaching for someone. But no one is there.

Your vision is blurry. You’re so tired.. you can hardly move. 

A light comes into your view as your eyes slowly squeeze shut..

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP- 

Ah yes..your alarm clock ruins your dreaming yet again. You feel around a bit, your vision still blurry from tiredness, until you finally find it, lightly hitting it to make it stop beeping. Such an annoying sound..at least it does its job. 

You sit up, yawning and rubbing your eyes with your hands, getting up and going down the hall towards the kitchen to make breakfast.

“Oh, I almost forgot-” You mutter, walking back into your room, grabbing a hairclip off of your nightstand and carrying it with you back to the kitchen. There’s a gem on it shaped like a heart, or rather a SOUL, your soul to be more specific. 

This gem is your most valuable belonging, being that it is directly linked with your Soul, and if something were to happen to it you would be in grave danger. 

You walk into the kitchen, quickly making and eating breakfast, then go into the bathroom to shower and fix your hair. 

It’s time for work..yaaay.

You change into your work clothes, exiting your house and getting in your car, playing one of your favorite albums and lip synching to the lyrics of the first song you hear. You wave at a small monster child that’s smiling at you from the back seat of the car next to you. They wave back excitedly.

It’s been quite a few years since monsters returned to the surface, after their ambassador Frisk freed them. A child did all of that on their own! Quite impressive, really. 

At first a few humans were uneased by the presence of monsters, but the more they interacted, the more peaceful and casual things became. Nowadays there’s countless monster-human friendships and other relationships, and everyone gets along pretty well. 

A peaceful life in a peaceful town with kind people..well, they’re kind most of the time. 

“WATCH IT, YA HEATHEN- ANYBODY TEACH YOU HOW TO DRIVE? CAUSE THEY DID A POOR DAMN JOB!” An older man shouts from the window of a car in front of you, looking back at you.

You roll down your window a bit more and shout back. “WHY DON’T YOU TRY DRIVING AT A NORMAL PACE FOR ONCE, GEORGE-”

“DON’T YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT MY DRIVING!”

“I’LL TALK TO YOU ANY WAY I WANT TO- God every day with this- EITHER MOVE OR GO FASTER YOU OLD SNAIL-”

“SOMEONE OUGHT TO TEACH YOU SOME MANNERS, RESPECT YOUR ELDERS!”

One of these days you’re going to snap on this man and it won’t be pleasant. Unfortunately, this is an everyday occurrence.. He’d better not make you late for work. 

A few minutes pass by and you finally reach your workplace, walking inside quickly. Don’t be late, don’t be late, don’t be late!

You sprint for the elevator, thankfully making it inside with some of your coworkers. 

Made it.. 

You lean on the wall, distancing yourself from the others to let out a sigh.

The other people in the elevator chat with one another, and you simply stay to yourself scrolling on your phone, not really in the mood to talk so early. 

Same old news, same old gossip.. Not much goes on around here. It’s so boring..

You step out of the elevator after the others, making your way to your desk and sitting down, staring blankly at a monitor in front of you. 

Times like these make you remember your highschool days.. 

After you were given your gift, you were able to use your magic to help those who needed you most, stopping injuries before they happen, or fighting off some delinquents, or rescuing someone from a high platform- those were the days..every day was interesting, something new was always there to be found around the corner. You were a hero!

But as you got older the troubles around you seemed to lessen and lessen to the point where you weren’t needed to help. 

You are grateful people are safe and can handle themselves, but at the same time that leaves you with nothing to do! You wanna have opportunities to get back out there in the field, using your magic for the greater good. ..Despite how selfish that may be.

But you’re stuck in here..with a shitty, boring office job, and magic you can’t use. If only there were some conveniently timed chaos..

You stare out a window, waiting, but ultimately nothing happens. 

“Damn..no comedic timing.” You mutter to yourself, turning back to the monitor and switching tabs. 

Minutes pass incredibly slowly as you work, typing out information to send to higher-ups. The usual stuff..nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary.

This is all the day will bring..

The same thing, over and over and o- 

Windows are heard shattering nearby. 

You stand abruptly as the door to the room you’re in is completely destroyed from some kind of blast. 

No way.

No fucking way. 

This is it! Your chance! There was (delayed) comedic timing after all!

Now now, this is no time to celebrate. Now is the time to think of what to do next.

You quickly move to a safe hiding place. 

“alright, everyone!” A skeleton monster steps forward, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. His eyesockets are empty, a strange black substance staining his face. There’s a bright red target on his shirt. He seems like bad news..

“here’s how this is gonna go down. you can run, hide, whatever. but in the end, you’re still gonna die. if you decide to fight back, well.. give us a good show.” He smiles with malice as he glances around the room, sending a chill down your spine. Definitely a monster with high LV.. You need to be careful with how you approach this scenario.

“let’s just get this over with, killer.. i’m sure nightmare wants to head back soon.” Another skeleton stands in the doorway behind him, leaning against the side of it. He’s wearing a blue hoodie like the other’s, except his hood is up. You can’t really make out his face too well from your current position. He seems to have a more tired demeanor. 

“yeah yeah, i know. wait, where’s horror? he was supposed to come along for this one-” 

“you know him. he hates working with us, remember?” 

“yeah, that's true.” 

While the two of them talk, you take this opportunity to crawl into the next room over where thankfully no one else is.

“Justice, Give Me Strength!”

The hairclip on your head glows a brighter shade of yellow, its magic beginning to surround your body. You allow it to consume you, lifting you off of the ground for a moment. The magic swirls around and forms into your now updated costume, having mixes of yellow in it. A hood forms on your back. The rest of it, well..we’ll leave that up for interpretation. 

You land on the ground, hugging yourself. 

"I missed you, old friend. I wish the moment I could’ve felt you again wasn’t during a crisis.” You mumble quietly before lifting your hood up and sneaking back into the other room.

People are freaking out, running around and dodging attacks that come their way. 

“Get to safety!” You call out as people make their way outside.

“now ain’t this interesting..” The skeleton with the target over his shirt turns to you, twirling his knife around in his hand. “got ourselves a wannabe hero.” His grin stretches menacingly as he stares you down. 

“Leave this town- attacking innocent people is unforgivable and unjust.” 

“like hell are we just gonna listen to you.” 

“i’m gonna make sure horror’s okay. you got this?”

“go on ahead.” 

The hooded skeleton leaves. 

The other skeleton turns back to you, throwing a sharp bone and killing a civilian who tried to run out of their hiding spot. He didn’t even look away. He just kept what you can assume to be eye contact with you, considering there are no lights in his eyes.

A chill goes down your spine.

“if you want me to leave.. why don’tcha make me?”

He points his knife in your direction. A silent threat. 

You hold up your hand, imitating a gun with it. 

“If that’s what it takes, then so be it.” 

His grin widens as he looks at you, just waiting for you to make a move so he can attack and get this over with. 

A yellow light emerges from your index and middle fingertips in the shape of a small sphere, before it surrounds your hand. Once it does that, it takes its form into a physical object: an actual gun. 

It has little heart shaped symbols on the sides, the trigger being a bright shade of yellow to match your overall color scheme. 

You point it at him, right between his eyesockets. 

“Let’s dance, skeleton.”

He charges at you with his knife held high, and you shoot. But the moment your heart shaped projectile is about to reach him, he..disappears? 

“What-” Was all you could let out as he knocked you to the side with the handle of his knife, dealing a small blow to your HP. 

How the hell did he hit you that hard? 

You get up, pointing your gun and shooting at him again. He immediately jumps out of the way, seeming to phase in and out of existence with each shot. How is he pulling that off?

You watch from the corner of your eye as everyone makes it outside, before jumping out of the way of a knife slash. 

Figure out a solution..anything..something that could work-

That’s it!

You aim your gun again and focus, shooting and waiting for him to phase out, before shooting the knife out of his hands the moment he reappears. 

“fuck-”

You shoot at him again as he holds out his hand to summon his knife back to him, not giving him an opportunity to think. 

“you fought like this before or something? seems you’ve got experience-” He finally pulls his knife back to himself, slashing at you. You lean back to avoid his strikes, which results in the glass of the window behind you to shatter, falling onto the ground below. It’s a really long drop.. 

“Something like that. I’m used to getting rid of punks like you-” You shoot at him again. Maaaybe you should try adding some new weapons to your arsenal for scenarios like this..If that's possible-

“huh, if that’s the case.. why haven’t you already gotten rid of me, then?” 

He slashes his knife towards you, you jumping out of the way. You shoot at him again, him dodging before sending a bone your way and catching you off guard. You fall out of the space where the window was, holding onto the ledge with your free hand and holding up your gun with the other. 

He stands over you, his foot just beside your hand. 

“a shame we couldn’t fight longer. but i’ve got business to attend to, so let’s cut this short, kay?” 

You shoot at him again abruptly, hoping to catch him off guard, and he slightly shifts to the right. COME ON-

“maybe i’ll meet you in another timeline. see ya!” He grins and waves before kicking your hand off the ledge, resulting in you falling.

Gotta think of something, gotta think of something, THINK OF SOMETHING YOU’RE GONNA DI-

.

.

.

Someone stands on the street below, bashing the heads of civilians in with a massive thigh bone. 

He has a grimace on his skull, a large crack visible on the left of it. His coat slightly sways in the breeze, large blood stains visible on his sweater beneath it. A bright red eyelight glows, visible at even a distance. 

“why’d i hafta get stuck killin’ these humans- of all the places i have to go. i fuckin’ hate this job." 

He swings the bone around again, killing someone else. 

“humans and their cozy lives on the surface with these other monsters who didn’t hafta go through a lick of suffering- must be NICE-” 

Another hit as he puts the thigh bone over his left shoulder, stepping over a few bodies and walking ahead. 

Civilians cower and flee at the sight of the large skeleton and the corpses below him, screaming out as they run to other locations. Too bad that won’t save ‘em..

A faint scream is heard from above. 

He raises his head, confused at just what that sound i-

BONK!

Something heavy lands on top of him, causing both him and the foreign object to tumble to the ground.

“Ah fuck- I think I might’ve broke something- ow-”

“what the fuck-"  

You sit up, looking down at the skeleton on the ground beneath you. This skeleton has a large crack in his skull. That must be painful.. He has a single, bright red eyelight that takes up most of his socket. He..doesn’t look too friendly..probably working with those other skeletons from before.

“Uh..hiya, sorry for the sudden introduction, haha-”

He immediately raises the thigh bone in his hand, you jumping off of him out of the way just in time. 

“great.. another one to deal with. and this one’s chatty.” His grimace stretches further. 

You hold out your gun, the cape of your costume flowing out behind you.

“So, you workin’ with those two dorks back there?” 

“don’t associate me with them.” He stands.

“Strike a nerve?” You shoot at him, and sure enough, he dodges in the same way “Killer” did. Do all skeleton monsters have this ability? You’d never met one personally before so all of this is pretty new to you. You hope this isn’t something you’ll have to get used to..

He charges at you, thigh bone raised. You take note of the fact that there are no bones in the ground around here..maybe he doesn’t want to use magic and relies on that thigh bone. It could be to your advantage..it’s a heavy weapon. Heaviness means slowness, right? At least, it should.

You shoot at him, jumping over some broken glass. Little yellow heart shaped projectiles going everywhere but at their intended target. 

He raises the bone and swings it at you, only barely missing. 

You move back out of instinct before tripping over some office supplies that fell out of the window from earlier, falling onto your back with a thud. 

He looms over you, his bright red eyelight burning. He swings the bone again as you crawl backwards, shooting at him with one hand and moving with the other. 

During this time, you decide to [CHECK] him. 

High LV..Only 1HP? You’d kill him with a single shot! That must be why he’s learned to be so good at dodging. One hit and he’s down for the count. 

He holds the bone up to shield himself against the bullets before slowly walking towards you, taking his time. 

You move quickly away, trying to find something.. anything to distract him long enough to get away and think of a plan so you don’t actually have to kill him. Come on..come on-

“bad aim? that’s a shame. that’ll get’cha killed.”

“Sorry, but dying isn’t really on my schedule for today.”

He raises the bone again, preparing to strike. You back up a little more and find..a stack of paper? Well, you did just fall out of an office building. It’d have to do. You tear the plastic off of the stack.

You wait until he’s looking, then throw the papers at his face, getting up and running off, hiding behind a nearby building.

“what the fuck- paper? Seriously?”

“yo horrorrrr- did you get ‘em?” Killer jumps down from above, landing right beside Horror. He scowls at the shorter skeleton, holding the thigh bone above his shoulder.

“they threw a fuckin’ paper stack at me and ran off.”

“huh?-- so that means they got away..looks like we’ve got a game of cat and mouse.” He grins, spinning his knife around.

“or, and just hear me out..we could actually do what we were sent here for and carry out the mission properly.”

“you’re no fun, dust- we’ve gotta have a little bit of spice.” 

“What the fuck is taking you all so long? I expected you to be done by now.” 

You peek from your hiding spot, looking over the new skeleton in the area. 

He’s tall, (though to be fair, all of them are taller than you.) A black and green inky sort of substance covering his bones. He appears to be melting in a way, though the substance never seems to fall off of him.. There are tentacles emerging from his back, wriggling around in different directions. From his body language you can assume he’s a bit annoyed right now. 

“oh- heeeey, boss- we were just working actually-” Killer points fingerguns at him. 

“It seems to me like you’re doing a whole lot of NOTHING.” 

“would be doing something if that stupid human would quit screwin’ around.”

“A human is what you’re having problems with? Haven’t you killed several versions of that child? Why is this scenario any different?”

“they have a justice soul, boss. which means they have a gun, and dodging is a biiit of a pain in the ass.” 

‘Boss’ lets out a hum of acknowledgement. “Whatever, let’s just get out of here. We’ve spread enough panic through the area and standing around is wasting time. It oozed with positivity before..he’s been here.”

“you got it!” Killer gives him a thumbs up. Dust simply averts his eyes, Horror glares at the ground. 

“This would’ve been easier if you actually worked as a team, you know.”

“like hell am i working with THEM.”

“rude!”

“well, i don’t blame him for not liking us.”

“He- e- e- ey- Are you- ou idiots done in here? I’ve got business to ta-ake care o-of in this universe and I doubt you want to be in here when it ha-a-appens.”  [Hey, are you idiots done in here? I've got business to take care of in this universe and I doubt you want to be in here when it happens.]

A more colorful skeleton appears from a white, pixelated portal. What’s up with all of them showing up? How many are there?!

His voice has a sort of glitchy effect, causing his words to slightly distort. His bones are black, his face having dark blue marks over it. His eyesockets are red, eyelights being yellow and blue. His teeth are also yellow. You can’t really see his body from where you’re standing, plus the fact that it’s mostly obscured by the portal, but you can see that he’s wearing a dark blue scarf over what looks like a suit jacket of some kind that’s over a red sweater. 

“Yeah yeah, we’re leaving. Wasn’t much to find in this universe anyway. What’s important is that his influence is gone..”

“Then hurry u-u-up and get out-t-t, Nightmare. I’ve got shit to do.” He shoos them away with his hands. ‘Nightmare’ opens up a portal, shoving the other three inside. 

You start to lower your weapon, but accidentally pull the trigger, sending a projectile right towards him.

He just stops, holding out his hand and..catching the bullet between his fingers. He turns to you, bright green eyelight focused. It looks as if he’s staring right through your soul, sending a chill down your spine. 

And then..he crushes it, letting the bright yellow pieces hit the ground before entering the portal himself. 

You stare forwards in shock, closing your mouth since it was wide open. He just- broke it- just like that- without even giving it another THOUGHT- 

Well..no time to worry about them right now, they’re gone and that’s what matters. It’s time to clean up the damages and find any injured.. 

What did that one skeleton mean about “business to take care of”?...

“Please- someone get me out from here-” 

You immediately run towards the civilian shouting for help. You’ll dwell on all that later. Something tells you this won’t be the last you see of them..you need to make sure they won’t kill anybody else. 

The rest of your afternoon is dedicated to helping those who need it and making sure that damages are repaired safely. As soon as you get home, you de-transform and walk into your room, collapsing face first onto your bed and removing your hairclip. You trace your hand over the heart shape, staring at it.

What a day… You hope that tomorrow won’t be as exhausting. 

[mmkin]

The Siren's Shark

New Arlong story! I originally wasn't gonna post this til I finished GYSA but I'm struggling with the next chapter for that one so i decided to go ahead and share my new Arlong project... yaaay. Link here, chapter also under the cut.

Summary - After losing Arlong Park to that damn rubber kid, Arlong is forced to confront his inner demons and the consequences of the choices he made throughout his life, which is not easy for a prideful and arrogant sharkman. However, a chance encounter offers Arlong and his fishmen a chance at happiness even if it's hard-fought.

The Siren’s Shark

The events of Arlong Park have come and passed, and this story starts after the Sabaody arc but before Marineford. However, one thing I noticed while watching more OP episodes is that you don't see Arlong or his men at Impel Dawn even though with their crimes and whatnot they'd in all likelihood have ended up there. We do know that Hatchan escaped, and reappears in the Sabaody episodes (which just delighted my heart) I was also thrilled when they introduced Jinbe in the Impel Dawn arc. Such a cool character.

But still, no one knows what happened to Arlong as of this date (aside from Eiichiro Oda) and since I think Arlong and fishmen are cool, I wanted to do a story with Arlong regarding this. So this story, aside from flashbacks or backstory, starts after Sabaody and happens concurrently with Impel Dawn/Marineford and so on but focusing on Arlong and his crew (and Siren!) Hatchan also appears in this story – he was in Sabaody but joins up with Arlong later on (which will be explained in the story)

Haki comes in three main forms as we see on the show but given that all sorts of weird things can be done with willpower (with or without Devil Fruit. i.e. what Portgas D Rouge did with her pregnancy) I decided to play around a bit with that idea here in regards to what the siren can do.

Content Warning – There will be discussions/instances of slavery, racism, violence, sexual assault, torture, etc (nothing you don’t already see or hinted at in One Piece) This isn’t Game of Thrones and I will keep most of that in the background/offscreen but there will be scenes which some readers might find disturbing, depending on various tolerance levels.

o0o0o0o

Somewhere in the South Blue…

Arlong narrowed his eyes as he stared out at the chilly waters of the South Blue. The last months had been especially trying for him, with one challenge after another after these damn Straw Hats came to the Conomi Islands. Much as he wanted to deny it, the Arlong Park era was over. He could try starting over somewhere else, but where? He and his men had managed to break free of the Marines and throw the government off their trail, but he didn’t doubt that by now, it was known that the Marines who had arrested him and his gang were missing, never having made it to their destination.

The Marine ship had been useful for a while but too conspicuous, so they stole a merchant ship and here they were, on a ship laden with various goods – some more useful to the fishmen, others less so. He shivered before he pulled up the collar of his jacket. He missed the balmy atmosphere of the Conomi Islands, and again cursed the Straw Hats and Nami.

The crew managed to keep itself well-provisioned with various catches from the sea, but certain things could only be obtained on land. Fishman Island was a ways off, and Arlong had gained a healthy sense of caution. His distinctive appearance was on wanted posters through the East Blue, and self-preservation tempered the recklessness he had sometimes. So they'd made a hasty retreat to the South Blue, going south enough to enter a climate that eight years in the tropical Conomi Islands left them little prepared for.

He huffed as he looked at the water, pulling up the collar of his jacket. Take had modified it to accommodate his dorsal fin, cutting a slit down from the neck before attaching a knit hat to it that Arlong could slide his fin into. Fishmen were hardy creatures, but even they could only tolerate so much cold before it became uncomfortable and the carp fishman had an appreciable talent with needle and thread. Fortunately, between what was cobbled together from Marine uniforms and the various items on the merchant’s ship, the fishmen were able to find some level of comfort, but it still felt weird having to layer clothing after spending years wearing little more than shirts and shorts.

And now they were running low on booze. Arlong had a hard time sleeping many nights, overcome by anger, frustration, depression, confusion, anxiety, bitterness, and regret in a seemingly endless random cycle. The alcohol helped to take the edge off that. Dimly, Arlong was aware that it was not a healthy method of coping, but at this time there seemed little else to do than hide. There was a reason he’d targeted the East Blue. Out of the Blues, it was considered by many the most placid of the seas, with pirates and criminals there being relatively minor compared to those in the other Blues and he didn’t want to be fighting one of the Warlords, Emperors, or various families or organizations.

Life is a constant struggle. If you see an opportunity to exploit others, grab it. Get whatever breaks you can, he recalled the gruff voice. The fishman race has suffered far too long. Mercy is for the weak. Someone hits you, hit back twice as hard if not more. Ajkul’s voice hissed at him from the depths of his memory.

Arlong created such a reputation for himself that if he tried to re-establish himself anywhere in the East Blue, the Marines if not the World Government would be on his ass. It was a humbling experience not only for him but the fishmen that were still with him. They'd reigned high and mighty in the Conomi Islands, having twenty towns under their control and a steady influx of tribute money and good times. Aside from a few examples that had to be set, the humans had generally been docile in paying their tributes and doing their work.

Then the Straw Hats had to come and fuck it up, and Nami had gone off with them. He grumbled to himself as he narrowed his eyes, seeing a speck in the distance that could be an island. Turning around, he called a few fishmen over to do some scouting. There were a few grumbles as his subordinates faced the prospect of heading into the chilly water, but he was still the captain of his crew.

o0o0o0o

Since that little long-nosed bastard had beaten him around the head multiple times with his hammer, Chew suffered from migraines. They’d lessened some by that point, but he still suffered bouts of debilitating pain that made it difficult for him to focus.

And now, he was sick too. And there was no doctor to look after him or the few other fishmen who'd been unfortunate enough to catch something from… wherever the fuck they'd caught it from. Hatchan did his best, but there was only so much even a man with six arms could do. Some of the fishmen knew first aid, but there was no substitute for a well-trained doctor. Or even the loving care of the mother he barely remembered.

o0o0o0o

Kuroobi sat in the infirmary, hearing the soft groan as one of the fishmen rolled over, trying to get comfortable despite his aches. When the fishmen had taken over this ship, there were some medical supplies in the infirmary, but it wasn’t as well-stocked as it should have been. And with what had been going on lately, they were already out of a few things. Not just medical supplies or pharmaceuticals, though. And it wasn’t as if they could just waltz into a marketplace anytime they pleased. Stealing was tempting, but the crew wanted to draw as little attention to itself as possible, especially from the damned Marines.

The ray fishman furrowed his eyebrows as he mused over his defeat at the hands of a human. A fucking human. It’d been many months, but it still rankled him. He’d prided himself so much on his skills, but as he now bitterly realized, nearly a decade of living in the Conomi Islands had softened him. The humans he’d come across were easy to terrorize, even the Marines. And so he and his fellow fishmen and captain had lived eight easy years, relying on brute force and intimidation to keep things under control.

He frowned at Chew thoughtfully as he looked over his longtime nakama. Hachi was making soup for everyone here, and Kuroobi looked forward to having a bowl of his own. Cold weather was not kind to fishmen who had large fins like he did, so when it was possible, he spent his time within the ship, and looking over Chew and the others was as good an excuse as any to avoid going outside. Take had put together a coat for him using one coat and much of another, which he was grateful for, but it felt unnatural having his fins covered in the thick material of a jacket.

His stomach rumbled hungrily. Hatchan mentioned something about being low or out of some ingredients, but he wasn’t a picky eater. As long as it was hot and edible, he’d take it.

o0o0o0o

Hatchan looked over the ingredients, making note of what they were running low on on top of what he’d already run out of. When he’d rejoined Arlong, the sharkman was in charge of this ship, though it bore the emblem of the man who previously owned the vessel. Sorrowfree Wanderer wasn’t a bad name for a ship, but right now, there was plenty of sorrow.

Reeling from the loss of his beloved takoyaki ship at the hands of xenophobic humans, he’d left the Thousand Sunny in the care of Duval, Silvers, and the other friends of the Straw Hats, no longer feeling quite as safe at Sabaody, especially after what happened with Camie. Besides, as he’d reasoned, the Straw Hats needed his help, and perhaps if he traveled out into the world, he could find at least one of them. That would do more good than sitting around and waiting for them to come back.

And instead of finding a Straw Hat, he’d found Arlong, making his way down the South Blue.

Arlong knew none of his business with the Straw Hats, though. That was the last thing Arlong needed to hear, that one of his long-time nakama had befriended the Straw Hats, of all people. All the sharkman knew was his undersea stroll and how he had helped a village of catfish and gotten a takoyaki ship. When Hatchan recounted how his ship was destroyed by humans, Arlong gave him a bitter but regretful sneer.

“When you asked for some time, it was not easy for me to let you go, but I did. I am sorry that happened to you, we know how stupid humans are but destroying your ship is an absolute disgrace. Fishmen aren’t even allowed to have their own damn takoyaki stall!”

Reeling from his loss and nursing the sting of justified anger and rage, Hatchan could only accept Arlong’s words, bowing his head and resuming his old position within Arlong’s crew, welcoming the protection and company they offered. He didn’t hate all humans like Arlong expected him to. Despite his loss, he knew there were plenty of good humans out there, and perhaps one day Arlong wouldn’t hate them so much.

Eventually, they'd have to go among humans again, if they didn't come across an island inhabited by fishmen. Arlong would grumble about how fishmen had a safe place on the surface until Nami betrayed them and the Straw Hats defeated them. It was tempting to remind Arlong that he’d betrayed Nami by finding a way around the promise he’d made her almost a decade ago. The one time he’d done that though… Arlong had gone into a blackout rage, alcohol and anger proving (for the umpteenth time) to be a poor combination for the sharkman’s already considerable mental and emotional strain.

Hatchan wasn’t sure if Arlong remembered that the next day, waking up with one hell of a hangover that had him snarling at anyone who came near him. And the octopus man never asked, nor did he bring up the topic again.

Hatchan simply hoped that in the next market, there would be no trouble and they'd be able to get in and out with the supplies they needed. Perhaps some hot and/or fried food would improve the captain’s mood.

o0o0o0o

One of Yolande Sato’s favorite things to do was look out at the sea. Sometimes at night, she would go swimming, going out further or deeper than anyone else on the island could. But right now it was too cold for that, so she hunched over the railing, taking in the vantage before her, the sea a deep but forbidding blue. She took a deep breath, feeling the cold air cut through her throat before she noticed a ship on the horizon. This remote island in the South Blue did not get a lot of traffic, but it was not so out of the way that a ship caused great excitement. Idly, she wondered if it was a Marine or merchant vessel. It revealed itself to be the latter when the sail came in view, a lighthearted caricature of a smiling face. She smirked to herself, wondering what sorts of stories these sailors would bring. Not to mention how much alcohol they would buy at the bar, and how much they might spend on supplies here while the locals looked over whatever trinkets they would offer for sale. She stood outside the pharmacy, enjoying the fresh air and letting her thoughts wander as there were no customers to serve.

She had to stop herself from doing a double-take when a trio of men from the ship came to the pharmacy. From a distance, they looked like ordinary men bundled against the nippy weather, but given her experience, she recognized what they were as one of them approached the bench she was sitting on. They looked worn and tired, but then many sailors coming to port after a long voyage did.

“Do you know where I can find the doctor?” the fishman with an especially bulky-looking middle asked her.

“Yeah, sure, he should be in his office now. Just, go up two buildings to the one with blue shingles. Ring the bell.” She afforded him the courtesy she would afford anyone else, regardless of race, but she knew not everyone viewed others the same way, and though the newcomers tried to conceal it, she could tell they were more than just tired.

They left, and she went back inside, taking inventory until they appeared again, startling her when she turned around. A glance at the clock showed that less than fifteen minutes passed. This time, the two other fishmen looked upset and angry, though they tried to not be too obvious about it, and her stomach formed a knot.

She found Doctor Flen to be snobbish, even regarding other humans. So, in regards to fishmen… She held back a sigh. Come on, really, you old fucking asshole. So much for age and wisdom, and the oath you’ve sworn as a doctor, eh?

“Can I help you?” she asked with the same warmth she offered before. She was glad the pharmacist was not here at the moment, because he was Doctor Flen’s nephew. “Would you like vitamins, or analgesics, or…?”

“We really need a doctor,” the stocky fishman said. He had wide lips that made her think of an octopus. Actually, that would explain the bulk under his jacket… he had to be hiding extra arms. Though his companions were upset, their leader seemed less angry and more desperate.

She swore under her breath. “Doctor Flen’s the only one on the island. But…” She looked at the fishmen, understanding their anger. It wasn’t fair, the way Flen was acting, but when a doctor could hold life or death in their hands, you tried to not piss them off. “I’ve been trained as a nurse. If you like, I could look at whoever needs help. And if it seems severe enough… well, let’s say Doctor Flen owes me a favor.”

“… Seriously?” the octopus fishman exclaimed softly. One of the other fishmen – one with ruddy skin that could pass for severe sunburn if one didn’t look too closely – regarded her with a curious glance.

“Unlike some others, I’m not prejudiced against fishmen.”

“Oh, thank you!” the octopus man gushed, barely registering that she’d identified him and his companions as they really were. He seemed like he wanted to pull her into a hug. “I’m Hachi.”

“Nice to meet you, Hachi. I’m Yolande. Let me get my bag and lock up.” She paused as she stared at the trio. “I have a question to ask, and this has nothing to do with race. If I come to your ship and render my services, you will guarantee my safe conduct?”

She was, after all, a lone woman who faced the prospect of going on a ship full of strange men. She was good-hearted, but not stupid.

“You have my word!” Hachi promised, and the others nodded in assent.

The air was brisk but the sun shone brightly as she walked down the pier with the octopus man at her side. Hachi had explained to her that there were several fishmen abroad that were sick and feverish and that they lacked a doctor at this time.

She had even more questions about the situation as she was led onto the ship – under the questioning, and then indignant glares of the fishmen on the deck when Shioyaki quickly recounted the tale of the doctor refusing them. When she entered the infirmary, she came face to face with a monolith of a pale-skinned fishman with dark hair and eyes, and impressive pectoral fins.

What the hell had she stumbled into, she wondered as she clutched her bag to her chest while Hachi talked to the ray fishman. She was allowed to examine the fishmen but could feel the heat of Kuroobi's gaze as he kept his attention on her the whole time. She was thankful for the octopus man's presence, as she took out her stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and thermometer because it looked like Kuroobi expected her to pull out a bomb or poison.

What the hell happened to these fishmen to make them so fearful and paranoid, she wondered as she took vitals and asked questions. One fishman seemed especially reluctant to have her touch him at all, and the one with big lips appeared delirious. She tutted over him gently, wiping his feverish brow.

“Fortunately, I don’t see anything that requires emergency intervention, but these men do require care and rest, as well as vitamins and medication. How well-stocked is your medicine chest?”

Not very, as it turned out. Well, it was a good thing she worked in a pharmacy, right? “I can help you stock up on all the things you need,” she offered Hachi. “I can put together some things for you once I get back for immediate care. It’ll take a bit more time to stock the ship, but we’ll worry about that later, ok? If you’re willing to come back with me, you can return to the ship with the vitamins and medicine, all right?” she asked.

“Sounds good to me!” Hachi said with relief evident in his tone. Kuroobi pulled him aside and had a whispered conversation with him as she put everything back in her bag, giving the fishmen one last glance. She was glad it wasn’t a broken bone or serious illness, but these poor fishmen were not quite out of the woods.

o0o0o0o

It was a bitter pill to swallow to allow a human aboard the ship, but Arlong couldn’t sit back and let Chew and the others get sicker and possibly die. They’d already been through so much and he didn’t want to lose another nakama.

Going to Fishman Island had been – and still was – a possibility. But it’d been over a decade since he’d been there, and now a human protected Fishman Island. Could humans ever be trusted with such a thing? Apparently, King Neptune believed so.

And like the merman king was entrusting a human with the safety of his kingdom, Arlong was being forced to trust a human with the health of his fishmen. He glared through the window, seeing a glimpse of Hatchan leave with the nurse, descending the gangplank of the ship with Shioyaki and Kaneshiro. She was bundled up in a jacket but he saw the top of her head, a thick mass of wavy dark reddish-black hair. He narrowed his eyes at the receding figure.

-yours-

He blinked and shook his head. Couldn’t even get a fucking doctor, they had to rely on a fucking nurse. That was what Shioyaki informed him of when Hatchan led the woman into the infirmary. In the days of Arlong Park after their doctor had died, he could have simply forced the doctor from Cocoyasi Village to render medical aid when needed. Doctor Nako knew what price would be paid for failure, so he’d been compliant, and Arlong could have trusted that he would administer medicine or treatment to the best of his ability.

Once they were gone, he emerged from his cabin, lifting his head to feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. How he missed the Conomi Islands and its comfortable climate. He stood there for a few minutes before entering the infirmary. It pained him to see his brothers suffer so, especially Chew. Even when the illness passed, there would still be the migraines.

And for the whole crew, unless something happened or something concrete was decided upon soon, they would continue to drift. After nearly a decade comfortably ensconced at Arlong Park, with the promise of the park waiting for him and the others at the end of every trip and mission, it felt strange to not have a place to go to.

o0o0o0o

Hatchan sighed with relief as he felt the parcel tucked in his jacket with the instructions she’d written down for him. There were various bottles of several different types of pills along with a few hypodermic needles after she asked him if he or anyone on the crew knew how to use needles.

Kuroobi had been reluctant to let him go back to town, wondering if an ambush had been arranged somehow by Yolande, but Hatchan didn’t believe so. She’d seemed upset upon hearing that the doctor was refusing to help them, and she seemed so kind when looking over the patients in the infirmary.

There were good humans in the world. Plenty of bad ones, true, but as Hatchan knew from experience, there were plenty of good ones, too. When he’d asked Yolande how much the medicine cost, she said she’d wait to settle up, pointing out that there were sick people to take care of first. Yes, she was right, and he hurried back to the ship with the medicine.

o0o0o0o

Yolande got scolded by her boss when he came back from his lengthy lunch break. She pointed out to him that his uncle had denied some men in need service, so she’d rendered it.

“Huh, that doesn’t sound like him.”

“They were fishmen,” Yolande said. He blinked and then shrugged.

“Well then, that explains it. Fishmen can be violent, and my uncle has to protect himself.”

“So why did they walk away instead of committing violence, then?” she challenged. He had no real answer to that, and she scowled to herself as she went about her work, hoping that all the aid she’d rendered would do Hachi’s friends some real good. She was not a doctor, but she’d learned plenty enough from studies and experience to make solid judgment calls (which included telling someone they needed an actual doctor)

She sighed softly as she looked down at the ledger, having written down everything she'd given Hachi. There was more room to write in anything else the ship might need. She'd been nagged for giving Hachi the medicine without payment, and to get her boss off her back, she volunteered to cover the tab in case the fishmen disappeared. There was the chance of that, of course, but Hachi seemed so genuine in needing her aid and wanting to be fair with her that she didn't think he had any ill intentions.

Hachi was there in the morning, almost right when the pharmacy opened. He brightened upon seeing her.

“I take it the medicine helped,” she said.

“It did. Chew’s fever finally broke. Thank you so much!”

“I’m so glad to hear that. Is there anything I can help with?”

“Would you know who is the best person to go to if we have goods to sell?” he asked. Why are you asking a pharmacist’s assistant, she mentally asked before the answer was as obvious as what was in front of her. If the doctor was willing to spurn him, who else on the island would?

“If you want, I’ll help you myself. I’m curious to see what you have, too.” she smiled.

o0o0o0o

Arlong glanced over the crates as Hatchan and his companions pulled them up onto the ship. Some of the knick-knacks had been unloaded, and most of the saffron. Thank goodness for that, Arlong thought. He didn't much care for the flavor of saffron but Take insisted it was valuable and should not be unloaded so easily.

He glanced up at the sail as he recalled the ship he used to have. The Shark Superb. It had been a magnificent vessel, and much larger than this. Much of it had been used to build Arlong Park, and sometimes he regretted the loss of his ship. Especially in comparison to this merchant ship. It was serviceable enough for him and his crew, but it still felt cramped.

Perhaps they would upgrade soon if circumstances moved in their favor. His attention returned to the supplies. What if the help that had been so easily offered was just another trick? Was the cooking oil, flour, or beef tainted in some way? Had the medicines been compromised?

“Have the provisions been examined?” Arlong asked sharply. Shioyaki nodded.

“We looked over everything before agreeing to anything. She even haggled on our behalf a couple of times. We’re going to be good on most of our supplies for a good while now,” Shioyaki acknowledged. At seeing the captain’s frown, the salmon fishman quickly added, “She knows we’re fishmen. She was simply wise enough to acknowledge our superiority which is more than I can say for that stupid doctor.”

"Hmph," Arlong smirked. Hatchan frowned as he heard that, but continued hauling up the sacks and crates.

o0o0o0o

Yolande squinted for a moment as she turned around, the wind whipping a few strands of hair free from the loose braid she had her dark hair in. She’d been to the ship’s infirmary once again and all the fishmen seemed to be on the mend. She’d spent a bit of time taking a walk along the pier with Hachi, delighted for the opportunity to make a new friend. The two others, Shioyaki and Kaneshiro, who usually accompanied Hachi to town, also seemed to warm up to her a bit.

Not that she didn’t sympathize with their paranoia. Something happened to make Kuroobi leery of her, his eyes fixed on her whenever she was on the ship. Perhaps humans had attempted to take them into slavery. Or they were escaped slaves? She hadn’t asked too many questions, but Hachi simply said they’d sailed south and that humans had destroyed his takoyaki stall and tried to enslave him.

She knew there were whispers on the island about the fishmen. But they had caused no trouble. It seemed that all they wanted was to rest and resupply, no different than any other crew. Nothing more, nothing less. That didn’t stop the scowls and whispers, especially around her because it was no secret that she’d been helping the fishmen with their needs. The fishmen might not have made use of the tavern, but a fair amount of alcohol was traded for and taken onto the ship, so the brewer still made his profit.

Whatever. She shared a laugh with Kaneshiro, Shioyaki, and Hatchan, entertaining them with a few amusing limericks. It was one of the things she enjoyed about newcomers to the island – they often brought with them amusing anecdotes and limericks that she could share.

o0o0o0o

Arlong ventured out on the deck. They would be leaving in a couple of days, and good riddance to this cold, forsaken place. If Chew or any of the other fishmen had taken a turn for the worse, he would have given serious thought to rampaging through the island with his crew.

The tinkling of unfamiliar laughter echoed through the air, and Arlong blinked as he approached the side of the ship, seeing a handful of fishmen busy loading the last of their recently-obtained provisions. Hatchan was laughing with a woman that he recognized after a moment as the human who'd done much good for his crew. He'd only ever seen her from behind, Hatchan speaking while she listened.

He stared at the pale, laughing profile, her hands clapping together a couple of times as she stood there with Hatchan, at ease as several fishmen moved past her. He felt himself pulled forward as if this woman had grabbed him by his collar.

He slid down the gangplank, silently and predatorily, closing in on her like a shark does its prey.

“Oh, that’s a good one, Hachi. I’ll have to remember that,” she said with a chuckle, wiping a tear from her eye. The octopus man giggled and caught his breath before he took notice of his captain, eyes widening in surprise as Arlong approached them. His shadow moved across Yolande, and she turned to look up at him, sunlight catching in her dark gray-green eyes for a moment.

Arlong had heard plenty enough about her from Hatchan and even a few grudgingly kind comments from Shioyaki or Kaneshiro. He had to admit his curiosity was piqued, but he'd also remained suspicious and distant, not wanting to deal with a human directly unless he absolutely had to.

He stared down at these eyes, feeling that pull more intensely now. In his mind, there was a note playing, one he now knew he had heard before, the first time he saw her. Only that first time, it'd been so distant he hadn't been sure it’d been real. And then he was certain he heard it in his dreams after that day, but dreams were so hard to remember upon waking unless they were terrible. But now, looking into these eyes, hearing her laugh and her voice… it couldn't be. It was impossible, but there was no denying what was happening.

“Boss?” he heard his nakama ask. He blinked, tearing his attention away from Yolande’s face, realizing that a few other fishmen looked surprised to see him out here with a human around.

“I wanted to meet the person who was so helpful to my crew,” Arlong finally said, pulling his frenzied thoughts together. Hatchan stared at him for a moment before smiling.

“Of course! Yolande, this is the captain of our ship, Arlong.”

o0o0o0o

Yolande repeated the name she was given, staring up into eyes as clear as the sky, and as cold as the southernmost reaches of this sea. His shoulders were broad, the effect bolstered by the jacket he wore, and even though she wasn’t a short woman, he towered over her. Well, most of the fishmen she’d met were taller than her, but Arlong’s mere presence overwhelmed her, with almost as much physical force as a brick wall slamming into her, and she found herself unable to breathe for a moment. Thick black hair was held in place – just barely – by a dark, wide-brimmed hat. Aside from his eyes, the most arresting feature was his nose.

She stared up at him, and his mouth spread into a slow grin, revealing sharp teeth. She was barely aware of Hachi's hand on her arm. She heard her name come from the sharkman in a rumble that seemed to vibrate through her.

Yolande blinked and took a step back. Arlong’s grin only widened. Hachi moved between them, whispering something to Arlong as the two stared at one another. She managed to pull her gaze away, wondering what the fuck that was.

-mate-

She wasn’t chaste – before marriage or after becoming a widow – but she couldn’t remember wanting to fuck anything as much as she did Arlong. It wasn’t even simply a desire to have sex. She wanted something more, and though she couldn’t explain it, she knew that Arlong felt the same.

What the hell? Her hand fluttered to her throat as she felt heat creep up her neck. Several whispered words were exchanged between him and Hatchan, but his eyes remained on her, cool azure under the dark brim, glinting from the shadows. His grin widened further, and it seemed that her breath was frozen in her throat.

"The captain wishes to thank you for all the help you've rendered us. Please accept his invitation to come for dinner tonight," Hatchan said as he stepped in front of her, blocking Arlong from her view, which filled her with both disappointment and relief. She blinked and looked up at the octopus man she'd been on friendly terms with since the first moment they'd met.

“Dinner? Well, that sounds like it would be fun!” she said with a smile as she looked up at him, hearing a faint, deep note that she chalked up to the lightheadedness.

o0o0o0o

Ajkul – Arlong’s mentor Akula (and several variations of spelling, including ajkula) is the word for shark in Russian and several other Eastern European/Central Asian languages. Neat factoid – when I was looking for a name for Ajkul, I was looking up the word shark in various languages, and noticed that language families tended to have a similar word for shark, there were a couple of similarities (or differences) that I didn’t expect, which led me to brush up a little on geography and history, haha.

Hatred – whether it be racism, or sexism, or homophobia, etc, tends to be passed down. It doesn’t come out of nowhere, and I figured that as Arlong has passed down that hate to Hody Jones, someone had to pass it down to Arlong. The talk of carrying on bitterness and vengeance and all that sounds like something that Arlong had been inculcated in. These hateful beliefs would only have been reinforced by the things Arlong witnessed such as human pirates coming to Fishman Island/District to kidnap and enslave seafolk, which would only reinforce Arlong’s beliefs and give him justification and/or excuses for the things he did.

It’s honestly fascinating. Judging Arlong simply by the Arlong Park arc in the anime, he’s more of a one-dimensional asshole but the live action of OP as well as what is revealed about fishmen in the Sabaody and Fishman Island arcs give the gorgeous sharkman (as well as the fishman and seafolk races overall) some depth.

Yes, Yolande is Arlong’s y/n. This story is a standalone, but if Marvel and DC can have their multiversal stuff, why can’t I do one for Arlong too? I had a lot of fun with my first Arlong story and setting a scenario where he got to keep Arlong Park but this time I wanted to do something closer to canon. This also resulted in some serious consideration for Yolande and how I wanted to develop her (and Arlong) and I’m having a lot of fun so far, I already have several chapters written for this and am watching the anime on Netflix (as well as many of the movies) and hoo boy, the most recent episodes of OP certainly have come a loooooong way from the first season/saga of the anime.

This story was in development for a few months and the chapters I have so far were a hell of a lot of fun to write. Who knows if we will see Arlong again in the anime or manga, but I hope this story is a fun what-if of that. All feedback/suggestions/reviews are welcome.

[in33d4n4me]

"Try me"

Warnings: Swearing

Synopsis: Basically a shy aruji-sama is not letting nobody talk bad about their butlers

A/n: yaaay Vee is becoming consistent with their content

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You really tried not to be rude.

But these damn nobles think they're better than everyone else

Your butlers risk their lives everyday and this is how they're repaid???

It didn't help that you were a shy person, so you didn't have the courage to snap back at them

Not at first.

But as time went on, and you truly saw how badly your butlers- no- your friends were being mistreated, you got even more upset.

When going on your first shopping trip in espoir, you were first exposed to how the townsfolk hated them.

You never understood why.

The butlers help them all day, every day.

Then, that same day, when ammon was beaten and the men that had taken part in his beating dared to tell him to fight?

You will never forget the rage you felt.

You never forgot their faces either.

You didn't forget the faces they made when they were taken by the angels either

Serves them right

Now, the butlers aren't very aware of how pissed off it makes you.

They understand that it makes you upset, but not how upset you are about it.

In all honesty, everyone should be borderline worshipping them with how much they save people's asses

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When you were at the ball, and you bumped into that noble and sprained your wrist, when lucas came over to help, you'll never forget the words the noble spewed out of his filthy mouth

"Not a single one of you Devil Butler's is a good person."

Huh?

What the hell was he saying?

Lucas was just making sure you were okay?

Yet another reason to despise the nobles, it seems

Well, that's just one reason added to many

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You've been with the butlers for months now, and over and over, they're mistreated by townspeople and nobles.

The final straw was when a female noble had made fun of flure because he "looked too much like a girl", while he was shopping for fabrics in espoir.

What?

"Care to repeat that, ma'am? I don't think I heard you properly."

To say you were pissed the fuck off would be an understatement, but your face held a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes.

You were now in front of flure, hiding him behind you while staring straight in to the nobles' eyes.

" I mean, look at him! He looks weak and frail, there's no way he could be a devil butler. He probably can't even fight!" The noble said as she giggled a little bit.

At this point, flure was now fully hiding behind you. He wants to dissappear.

"Honestly, this is why people keep getting attacked by angels, because we're trusting weaklings like him to defend us."

"Well then protect yourselves." You snap back with a harsh tone. If looks could kill, that noble would be in the grave already.

"Excuse me!?" She seems appalled, not expecting you to come at her. And apparently flure wasn't expecting it either. You were always so calm and quiet.

"You heard what I said." You snarled back at her

"If you think they're so weak, then defend yourselves. Don't ask them for anything. You insult them, and treat them like trash, and on top of that, you expect them to be perfect?!?!? Did it ever occur to you, oh-so- selfish noble, that they're also fucking human?!?!? They may have the power of devils, but they still have human emotions and limitations. You can't just say shit like that and expect them to work for assholes like you!"

At this point, a group of townspeople gathered around you, flure, and the noble, and needless to say, they're rethinking how they treat the butlers.

The noble looks around and realizes that others have seen her get called out, and tried to formulate a response.

"Well I've never seen such a disrespectful little-"

"Disrespectful?"

"If anyone is disrespectful, it's you lady. How about you acknowledge that fact first. And don't you ever talk to me about disrespect. Let's go flure."

You drag flure behind you while he's in shock. He's strangely happy though. His master defending him makes him smile a little while blushing.

When you get back to the mansion, you're still pissed off, but try to hide it. Flure is still in shock.

"Hm? What's this? Are you alright, you two?" Berrien seems to materialize in front of you, and while you're a little startled. You still answer him.

"Yes, we're alright, some noble was being a jerk while we were shopping though." You respond, looking displeased when mentioning that disgusting noble.

"Ah. I see. I'm sorry to hear that. And flure, are you sire you're alright? You look rather jarred."

"A-ah, yes I'm fine, it was a successful shopping trip. Sorry for worrying you."

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Needless to say, the butlers were confused when everyone in town was treating them kindly.

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A/n #2: wanted to write this bcs the nobles piss me off with how they treat the butlers smh

[baconcolacan]

i love the difference between the two aus but ur true about regimen infecting the stay au with angst LMAO

but really i really love the stay au it's so sweet to see a nonfucked version of tord be so warm and gentle and that tord is ACTUALY in love with tom, and that does work to better himself(we love healthy relationships yaaay!!! :DDD)

YAAAAAAA TOMTORD HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY BRAINROT SHIP IVE BEEN DECAYING FOR YEARS ON THESE STUPID RED-BLUE BITCHES I HATE THEM SO MUCH KJHDGKDSJHG YEEE Stay AU Tord my belovedddd, his love is very all encompassing. Love me a man who would burn the world down just to make sure his love his safe mmmmm.

Mini rant (?) below about my stupid red-blue bitches ship.

I know people joke that the tomtord shippers have died out but genuinely, I don't see a lot of people make content (like non fucked decent content) for them anymore. Sometimes I feel like I'm standing alone in a broken city that used to be teeming with life, but it's all gone now and people talk about it like it's taboo. Sometimes I meet other travelers, but they only pass by and I'm all alone again.

It's slightly why I'm cannibalizing myself on Stay AU, I really want to see the dynamic of theirs thats more on 'Bickers like an old couple' Or 'Bitch attracted to Bitch'. We have enough content thats dark and fucked up (And yes I am counting myself with Regimen but that fic was always meant to be angsty and dark), and not a lot of people, that I can see at least, leans towards a cuter dynamic these days :/ Like its so possible for them to still be bitching at each other but still care!! That's exactly the kind of relationship I have with a very close friend of mine, they give me shit, and I bitch at them, but I fucking love that asshole to death (even if its not romantic love).

A healthy romantic relationship won't always be just pure fluff, sometimes we can get irritated at our partner and nibble at them a little bit, but we never hurt them in any way that matters. Thats the kind of dynamic I really really like when it comes to tomtord, but unfortunately all the decent creators that liked it have moved on, or just dont try to make content for it anymore because people accuse them of liking an "abusive" ship which just :////// naurrrrrrrr

I'm really sad that getting branded as a tomtord shipper has like this stigma to it now, like you could just say "Oh that person ships tomtord" and suddenly they're a pariah like mannnn I just wanna see two whiny loser bitches fall in love and be whiny loser bitches together.

S i g h but whatever, I'll just continue chugging along on this abandoned train track =7=

[pastelwitchling]

Malex au The Other Side chapter 3 teaser.

***

                Michael had never before given thought to the whole “I must’ve done something terrible in a past life” joke, and then he found himself lying awake on his own living room couch, staring once again at the ceiling with the knowledge that his Alex was lying somewhere inside, and he knew he must’ve very much literally done something terrible in another life.

                He’d spent the past two hours racking his brain for what he could’ve said that would have Alex looking at him in a way he’d never done before, and the problem wasn’t a lack of answers. In truth, there were plenty of things he could’ve said and done that would hurt Alex, each one making him flinch where he lay at the very thought of spewing anywhere in his husband’s direction. But if he was going to really be honest with himself, there was one thing, just one, that he knew would turn Alex away from him for good. One thing he couldn’t come back from.

                One thing he’d teetered dangerously close to in the past, but managed never to cross that line. Because he’d always loved Alex too much and known in his heart, no matter how hopeless their situation had seemed, that if he’d really said anything like it, it would truly shatter any chance he and Alex had of getting together. So he hadn’t said it.

                Except now, he feared that some version of him had. That some version had given up completely on the idea of him and Alex together, and so had said the one thing that he was sure would send Alex away for good. The one thing he’d never believed, but knew had the power to destroy.

                The very idea of it made Michael push himself off the couch and head into Alex’s bedroom. His and Alex’s bedroom. He stopped at the doorway, watching Alex lie there with his eyes shut tight, shifting in bed as quietly as he could, trying to get comfortable and being unable to.

                His fists clenched and unclenched, his heart hammering at the thought that the furrow in his Alex’s brow was because of him, and he stepped forward. Alex’s eyes fluttered open and he snapped to attention almost at once, sitting up and looking Michael up and down for injuries.

                “Are you okay?” he asked. “Do you need another blanket? Are you cold?”

                Michael’s lips quirked. That was his Alex, always more worried for him than for himself. Then the thought of what he might’ve said made any semblance of a smile vanish and he came to sit on the edge of the bed. Alex looked confused and wary and curious despite himself.

***

My dentist told me yesterday that I could have regular food and coffee again, so I'm celebrating with a mocha and some fanfic! Finally! Full disclosure, there was a complication with my surgery that had my mental health in tatters, but not being able to write and be creatively productive was making things soooo much worse. SO. With coffee comes more malex content! Yaaay!

I wrote quite a bit of the final chapter this morning and wanted to share some of it with you guys. I will keep working as hard as I can to get this out soon so that I can start working on my rnm bigbang. You guys aren't ready.

[babyjakes]

happy to see you. [blurb.]

〈 disclaimer: this blog posts content not suitable for individuals under the age of 18. minors are strictly prohibited from viewing, sharing, or interacting with this blog. for more information on this blog's commitment to protecting minors, read our full statement here. 〉

summary | steve coaxes you out of your shell the first time you become little around him.

pairing | daddy!steve rogers x little!reader

warnings | sfw regression (daddy!steve little!reader), reader’s first time being little around steeb, very shy!reader, sOFT!daddy!steve the softsoftsoftest <3, just very fluffy and nice and sweet :’-)

word count | 411

requested by @nony-bear | Hehe I know I’m early but I wanted to send in a blurb idea because I love you and I’m so proud of you and your blurbs are always so good 😊 also I know I’ve gotten several requests written by you before so if you want to save me for last or another time that’s okay too 💕 but I was wondering if I could have a blurb where either Steve or Andy are with their little and it’s early on in the dynamic so the reader is being a little shy and the daddy is a little nervous too but he talks to her and gets her to open up a little and giggle and blush and then they end up cuddling or something like that

an | friend friend friend omg yaaay i’m so glad i get to write more stuff for you hehe <3 thankyou so much for this request i love this idea so much, hope it’s okay i went with steve. he’s just the softest, nicest daddy and so soothing to little!reader when things are starting out – hope you enjoy!

Though it’s never happened before, the first time you drop into littlespace around Steve, he somehow instantly knows it.

You’ve appeared in the doorway to your shared bedroom, waiting cautiously in the wooden frame of the door as the blonde-haired man relaxes on the bed, shading away at something in his sketchbook.

As soon as Steve catches a glimpse of your almost trembling form, he lowers his work, his gaze drifting up to meet yours. One look at your slightly cowering demeanor and he knows, his face softening immediately as he offers you a warm smile.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” he coos, his voice much gentler than usual. Dropping your gaze down to the floor, you bite your bottom lip, unsure of what to say. Am I supposed to tell him, you ask yourself, how is he gonna know?

“You need something, lovebug?” the man’s sweet voice interrupts your racing mind. Looking up shyly at him, all you can manage to do is blink. “Hey,” he hums, keeping his voice mild and soothing, “S'alright sweetheart. You just looking for a little time with Daddy?”

Perking up slightly at his use of the word, you nod, earning another brilliant smile from Steve. “Yeah? Come on over then, peanut. I could use some good snuggles right about now.”

Making your way over to the bed still somewhat shyly, you climb up next to the broad man, melting instantly into his arms as he pulls you in close and shifts you onto his lap. “There’s my good girl, hi baby,” he sings, bouncing you gently on his legs. “How’s my sweetie pie doin’ today, hmm?”

“Good,” you mumble shyly, heat rising through your cheeks as he runs a soothing hand across your back in broad circles.

“Yeah?” Steve chuckles softly, planting a gentle kiss on your cheek. “What’ve you gone quiet for, doll? Just feelin’ a little shy?” Nodding, you tuck your head against his shoulder, inhaling the safe, familiar scent of your partner as he coos over you dotingly. “Aww, that’s okay, princess. Just so precious, aren’t you, bunny? Daddy’s sweet baby girl.”

“Daddy’s baby,” you repeat, allowing yourself gradually to slip further and further into that warm, fuzzy headspace you’ve been craving for so long to surrender to.

“That’s right,” Steve smiles proudly, taking one of your hands in his and bringing it up to his lips to plant a kiss on your pinky. “Daddy’s little baby. M'so happy to see you, honey.”

[yandereloversblog]

𝕐𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖!𝔾𝕝𝕒𝕞𝕣𝕠𝕔𝕜 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕒 -> 𝕐𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝔸𝕝𝕡𝕙𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕥

───────•°˖~❉᯽❉~˖°•───────

───────•°˖~❉᯽❉~˖°•───────

>Fandom: Five Nights At Freddy's: Security Breach

>Character: Glamrock Chica

>Warnings: Mentions of violence. Abduction. Murder. Unhealthy obsession. Detailed description of said unhealthy obsession. Stalking. Delusional behaviour. Sentient robot. Emotional manipulation. Toxic mindset. Poisoning. Mentions of bugs and rotten food.

>Type of content:... Headcanons?

───────•°˖~❉᯽❉~˖°•───────

•Ahhh I love her! She's so adorable-

•Also I think I might've done her a bit more violent than I intended to... Also I have a few more posts for Valentine's day!

•And yaaay! 1 down, 3 (possibly 5... 7?) More to go :D!

───────•°˖~❉᯽❉~˖°•───────

A= Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

: ̗̀➛ Chica is very physically affectionate so you're going to get hugged a lot, smothered and petted, maybe even a few kisses. She does have her moments where this affection becomes so intense and overbearing, and they happen a lot after she's kidnapped you. She also likes cooking with you and sharing her food!

B= Blood: If they’re extreme how messy are they willing to get?

: ̗̀➛ Chica doesn't mind messes, though if she finds out you're scared of it she'll probably tone it down, make sure no blood gets on her, but that's only on her. She doesn't care the mess she leaves for the victim that got in her way.

C= Cope: Do they try to deal with this jealousy sooner so they don’t lash out?

: ̗̀➛ She really doesn't understand, the way she'll deal with this jealousy is get rid of the cause. Cause = the poor soul who bothered the two of you. After that she'll be back to her happy and cheery self

D= Death: Do they feel any sorrow for their victims at all?

: ̗̀➛ She does find them a bit pitiful, especially when they're begging nonstop and crying, promising not to do anymore but Chica isn't fond of second chances on those who bothered you.

E= Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their s/o?

: ̗̀➛ Depends on how her darling acts around her, if they're open to her advances of a romantic relationship Chica is going to immediatly drop her guard and become vulnerable as she does what she can to gain their darling's attention and approval. If not then... It's going to take a while for her to fully open up again, she does feel guilty about kidnapping them.

F= Fight: How would they feel if you fought back against them?

: ̗̀➛ A bit annoyed, just pouting and huffing because she doesn't want to harm her darling in any way but she also doesn't want you to fight back, Chica doesn't have that much patients but she also loves it when you're active and energetic, just not when you happen to insult her or say something she doesn't like, like "I don't love you" and "Leave me alone"

G= Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

: ̗̀➛ She does find it fun when you're going through Mazercise, Chica feels like she knows that area well enough to make sure you don't fully escape but other than that she doesn't want to let her darling go anywhere else.

H= Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

: ̗̀➛ Chica loves eating with you, but she also happens to be rather clumsy so when you hang around the kitchen with her an accident may happen, or when she brings you food after you're kidnapped it might have gone bad and rotten and you'll get a few bugs as a surprise in them. That might've been intentional or not depending on how you behave and if you angered her.

I= Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

: ̗̀➛ She doesn't exactly have a long time plan, all Chica knows is that she'll love it if you forever stayed with her and kept her company. Though if you also have something in mind that you want to do with her she's open to it.

J= Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

: ̗̀➛ She doesn't like feeling jealous so she tries not to, but she's easily irritated when your attention is off her for a long period of time and on someone else. Lashing out might include binge eating to get her mind off things and keeping you away from that person but if she's in the deeper side of her obsession she might actually poison someone or cause a violent accident.

K= Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

: ̗̀➛ She's very lovely to be around -If her darling is acting good too- She barely gets upset with her darling unless it's a serious case of escaping her. But other than that she's very affectionate and full of praises for her darling that it could take days for her to be finished about how adorable and amazing you are. She loves doing activities with you too.

L= Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

: ̗̀➛ Food. Or maybe other than food some cute desserts she made herself and candy! You'll just be doing something random and Chica would hand you a lollipop out of nowhere, and also offers on spending the time with her darling on different attractions of the Pizzaplex. Chica is talkative enough to talk for both of you so it will never be too awkward.

M= Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

: ̗̀➛ I don't believe Chica has a mask, most of her actions are on impulse and coming from a genuinly good place -still she's excessively nice with you-, though her wrath and anger make her do a 180, it might not be that well of a thought out plan but it's a fast and effective one and none of her victims had made it out alive. If Chica abducted you, she'd just get unusually quiet when people mention you, nearly everyone assumes it's because she's sad but really she doesn't want to say anything unnecessary.

N= Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

: ̗̀➛ You might get food poisoning or a few knife cuts and burn wounds around your body from kitchen accidents. A few might've been accidents but Chica definitely planned some of them if you spoke some gibberish like you didn't love her. Despite the clumsiness she knows how to properly patch a wound so it'll only leave you with small marks that won't bother you on your everyday life.

O= Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

: ̗̀➛ If you're dating? Not many, she'd just like to know where you are and what are you doing, Chica doesn't want to miss out on anything fun with her darling! If you're abducted? Well as if your freedom wasn't enough she'll also like to control what you do, not in a controlling and possessive way, she just wants to find fun stuff for her darling and her to do. Chica doesn't want you to be bored!

P= Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

: ̗̀➛ Not much honestly, she'll tolerate some but Chica is very quick to anger on certain topics, other than that she's really patient if you calmly take time to get used to your new environment. And if you're dating Chica is never angry with you no matter what, it's always overshadowed by the fact she can show you around and go anywhere with you freely and you love her back! That's the most important.

Q= Quality: Would they to be secretive or be flashy about what they do?

: ̗̀➛ Chica has a very big problem about being flashy about it, she loves showing off how much you love her when you're dating, even when you do something as simple as give her a bracelet or another bow she'll be sure to wear it and actually is careful not to lose or break it. Even when you've been abducted she struggles to not rant how her darling is only spending time with her now. She's really obsessive about your affection to be on her.

R= Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their s/o? Would they ever let their darling go?

: ̗̀➛ Guilty? Yes, if you make her feel guilty that is. Otherwise she'll think she hasn't done anything wrong. Ever let her darling go? No... Why would she do that when she abducted them to keep them close to begin with. No amount of guilt will trample the love she feels for you.

S= Stalker: Would they stalk their darling? How intense would it go?

: ̗̀➛ Really intense. Before she get to know you, Chica will want to make sure she'll say all the right things, she'd not exactly subtle with her stalking so you sometimes just see her hanging a lot around you. In fact if she sees that you saw her she'll just wave, nothing suspecious with her! She's just hanging out at a place you happen to be at.

T= Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

: ̗̀➛ Chica doesn't like it, it makes her feel guilty and like the bad guy who will harm you. She really isn't! She just wants to love you, she swears on that! The isolating treatment might actually get Chica worried, even though she's sometimes clumsy on your meals she knows you're suppose to at least eat SOMETHING.

U= Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

: ̗̀➛ Chica wouldn't kill EVERYONE. She does like her friends enough to keep them alive and she doesn't have a long time plan on what to do. Chica also doesn't know how to do blackmail well to make you stay put. And she might let it slip about where you are which is why she keeps quiet when you're mentioned, she doesn't like being careless but Chica really wants to boast and brag about how the two of you are in love when others say you've disappeared.

V= Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

: ̗̀➛ Chica is rather clumsy. She's not as observant as she likes to think she is. She doesn't notice most injuries on you unless you point them out to her, it has also been a few times she accidentally brought you bad food, having forgotten humans can't eat that. She'll even take you around out in the open if she thinks you've finally fallen for her too, after all you do need to do some exercising! But keep in mind an angry Chica is never a good one, so whatever escaping plan her darling might plan they need to do it fast and quick, and not get caught.

W= Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

: ̗̀➛ Yes. Either in a spur of a moment or in an actual long plan of punishing you because you did something bad. She will never take it as far as to kill you but Chica doesn't like to leave you without consequences for your actions. You need to learn that she loves you the most and you need to do the same. She will apologize after though, probably let you watch your favorite show and get you your favorite snacks.

X= Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their s/o over?

: ̗̀➛ Chica will do ANYTHING... Literally, she has very limited stuff she won't be able to cross. I don't think she will worship her darling at a god level tier but she does adore them and when you're dating or she's in a good mood, Chica will shower you in compliments or do whatever you need of her.

Y= Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

: ̗̀➛ It's a very unset time. Just a little praise and chat can get Chica to snap, or it might take months of dating and the slightest sign of you not liking her might be it for her to lock you up somewhere. If you're strangers or you don't like her that much it will actually give you more time, Chica will get all pouty but she'll do her best to make you like her and once you're at a progress she assumes you won't get mad at her for abducting you she will.

Z= Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

: ̗̀➛ If you get Chica angry enough she might actually do it, whether consciously or unconsciously it'll happen, she can only give her darling so many chances before getting too tired of running after you and stopping you from escaping and also hurting HER feelings despite how much she loves you, although she probably cried if she broke you.

[bokutosworld]

i won’t say (i’m in love) | kageyama t. 

pairing: kageyama tobio x gn!reader

wc: 1,935 words. fluff, high school crushes. hinata being a wingman lol. 

summary: an encounter at kageyama’s favorite spot in school leads him to meet someone that makes him feel all sorts of confusing feelings. 

a/n: so if it’s not yet obvious by the title, this was inspired by the song from hercules, i won’t say i’m in love :D this idea has been on my drafts for quite some time and i finally had the chance to work on it yaaay 

The first time Kageyama saw you, you were in front of the vending machine he frequented.

It was lunch break, and with ten minutes left before the next period, he figured he could get his favorite banana milk. He was walking towards the area that hid the machine away from prying and hungry eyes. Kageyama was confident that no one was familiar with its spot, especially since the machine always seemed to never go out of stock of his go-to drinks. But boy was he wrong.

The instant that he rounded the corner, he heard the recognizable thud of the drink box falling and someone getting it from its confines. He took a peek and saw a glimpse of a student cheerfully sticking the straw to the pack, humming as they take a sip of the milk. With a contented smile, the student walks off and passes him, giving a side glance and showing off a smirk to Kageyama.

How odd, the setter thought. Though he didn't dwell on it for any much longer, opting to get his own share of the milk. However, when he stood in front of the machine, his heart lurched upon seeing the red light that indicated not available. Kageyama's eyes shoot wide open and he whipped his head towards the direction you went, sending a glare to your retreating back as he realized you took the last milk. Oh, he was furious and poor Hinata was on the receiving end of that sour mood for the rest of the day.

Since that unfateful encounter, Kageyama has been noticing your presence everywhere. And it was an understatement to say that he didn't find you annoying. He remembers how you went under his nose to grab that last box of milk and it still infuriates him.

Whenever you walk by in the hallways, he can't help but follow you with a pointed look on his face. To any outsider, Kageyama looked as if he was sending curses towards your way, at least that was what Hinata thought. But actually, the setter was trying to figure out who you were and why he hadn't seen you in the campus before that day. One day, his curiosity finally got the best of him and he asked Hinata about his concern.

"Huh? What do you mean you don't know Y/N," the orange-haired boy replied. Hinata gave his friend a puzzled look, and as if the cogs in his mind stopped turning, a teasing grin made it way to his face. "Ah, so that's why you've been looking at them like a madman recently. You're so dumb, Kageyama! How could you not recognize them, they're literally our class president."

Hinata was right. That time, Kageyama was dumbfounded when they returned to the classroom and saw you chatting with your friends in the corner. He was entranced by you and the way you were laughing at one of the jokes that he hit his hip in the sharp edge of the desk. He shrieked, causing you to turn your head towards him with worry cast over your face.

It didn't hurt that bad. He was massaging that spot on his hip when you silently stalked towards him. You stood by his side, placing a hand on his back and asking if he was okay. It took all of Kageyama's willpower not to lose his composure in front of you, but Hinata caught on his actions. In that moment, an idea popped up in Shoyo's mind.

"Hey, Pres," he put an arm around Kageyama's shoulders, wiggling his eyebrows at him. "Can I ask you a favor? Can you bring my friend here to the clinic and get his injury checked out? I'm sure it's only minor but we can't be too sure." Kageyama angrily nudged Hinata, a string of stupid, you idiot falling on his lips.

"Yeah, no problem. Come on, Kageyama, let's get you to the nurse."

He was immediately flustered. Kageyama swears his face has never felt that hot when you took his shoulders and wrapped them on your own, acting as his crutch as the two of you walked to the clinic.

Kageyama cleared his throat, his eyes looking at anywhere but you. "H-hey, I'm not completely paralyzed. I can walk on my own."

You laughed, "It's fine. You can rely on me sometimes, you know. Besides, I don't want our star player sitting out of the games." A moment of silence clouds over the two of you on the rest of the way, but just before entering the clinic, you say, "I know you love volleyball. You should enjoy it without any injury."

Kageyama thinks that maybe you were much more than a milk thief after all.

Hinata doesn't know what happened after he sent you and Kageyama to the clinic. But he has a slight idea about what changed when he sees that his teammate has been talking more to you at every chance that he gets, walking by your desk and starting up conversations when he can.

In mornings, he notices that Kageyama always has two packs of milk in hand. And when you enter the room, he sees how he lights up, a shy smile forming on his face as you wave a hand and walk to his desk. He couldn't believe his own eyes when he watches Kageyama give you the other milk and he comes to a conclusion that he bought it just for you.

In gym class, Hinata observes the way Kageyama is extra pumped up to be against you in the 100m dash activity. He sees the playful taunts he sends your way and how you gladly react to them and indulge Kageyama in his competitiveness. He honestly thinks Kageyama won't let you off the hook but he's shocked, when just a few centimeters away from the finish line, he fakes a trip and falls down on the ground. You pass him in high spirits, jumping up and down as you exclaim that you won against the King of the Court. And Hinata knows that the normal Kageyama would be pouting and pissed off at his loss.

But this wasn't a normal Kageyama. He figures that this was a Kageyama in love. 

The pair was assigned to set up the net and prepare the gym before practice started. They were in the storage room getting the equipment when Hinata started teasing Kageyama about his little crush.

"I don't know what you are talking about." The taller boy strongly denied all the accusations that Hinata was throwing at him. "Just shut up and help me here."

Hinata chuckled like an evil villain and continued to spew obvious facts. "You give them milk every morning. You unconsciously make them laugh with your not so funny jokes. You look out for them during gym class more than their friends does. You make time before practice to say goodbye before they go home."

"So, what is your point?"

His friend smirked, "Kageyama Tobio, you have a crush."

Kageyama stood frozen, his hands went limp by his sides at the sudden realization. He was aware that in his recent interactions with you, he'd sometimes feel sick, like he'd get nervous around you, his breathing becomes unstable and his palms get sweaty.  He has noticed it himself how the surroundings would turn brighter whenever you walked in the hallways or how his own heart would beat twice as fast whenever you were approaching him in his desk.

He didn't know what that feeling was called. He didn't want to give it a name. But Hinata just had to point it out. Frustrated that his friend called him out on his adoration for you, Kageyama stayed silent and started playfully punching Hinata. The poor boy was only saved when they heard footsteps come in, and Kageyama was quick to push Hinata away and avoid your gaze when you walked in.

Hinata was grumbling as he walked out of the scene, leaving you two some time to figure out your mutual feelings.

Kageyama immediately crouched down and hid his face on his hands, making you laugh at his awkwardness. He inquired in a muffled voice, "How much of that did you hear?"

You answered him truthfully, narrating the moment when you stopped to hide behind the doors was when you heard Hinata starting to tease him about his little crush. "I'm honestly flattered, Kageyama. Though I am also surprised that Hinata was watching us closely. Or should I be creeped out?"

He glanced up at you, standing from his position and going off on a tangent about how he also thought that Hinata was looking into things too much. He complained that instead of thinking about his love life, Hinata could've used that time to practice his spikes and jumps.

At this point, Kageyama was rambling and though you thought it was endearing, you needed him to pause and breathe. "Can you stop talking for literally ten seconds?" This seemed to work as he shut up and straightened his back, his eyes gazing straight into yours.

Kageyama realized, "Why are you here anyway?"

You smiled and brought out something from your pocket. "I wanted to give this to you." It was the banana milk that he loves. "I saw that it was the last one in the vending machine. I figured you'd want to have it. Have a drink before or after practice."

You thought it wasn't humanly possible to see eyes literally sparkling, but Kageyama was giving you proof of that as he excitedly took the drink from your hands. The corners of his mouth turned upward in a soft smile, and you thought that was the prettiest that he has ever been. He remembers the moment he first saw you and laughs, "You didn't have any problems before taking the last available milk for yourself."

It was your turn to get shocked, hiding a blush behind your palms. You also recall that incident, "Stop, I didn't do that on purpose. Was it my fault that they haven't restocked on that day?”

Kageyama scoffed, "Yeah, right." You pouted, crossing your ams on your chest as you looked away from him. "Thank you."

He has put the straw in the opening of the pack, taking a sip of the milk when you asked him for the second time. "So, you like me, huh?" Kageyama almost choked on his drink, and you laughed before patting his back to help him calm down. Some liquid were spilling from his lips and you were quick to wipe it with your hand. The action was enough to render Kageyama speechless, so he put some distance between the two of you.

You were taking some tissue from your bag to give to Kageyama when you also shared a confession of your own. "If it makes you feel any better, I like you too."

"I'm free this weekend. If you want to take me out a date, you know my number." He looked at you expectantly, the words yes, I'd love to go out with you resting on the tips of his tongue but he wasn't able to let it out. Because in a few seconds, you boldly took a step closer and pressed your lips to his cheek. His face felt warm and his heart was beating like crazy.

"I'll be expecting your call, Tobio."

In that moment, the feelings that he kept on a tightly closed lid were overflowing and it was the affirmation that he needed to know that he was already in too deep for you.

[shadowflash]

I can't say that I like how the 'secret' and 'functionally true' chapter closes the Shez and Arval arc.. It just feels like a punishment for getting invested in Shez and Arval's companionship? And for what.. because we became friends with Byleth? Like. Okay.

It's just too sad to leave it at :

[Shez cuts Arval/Epimenides down]

"It's incredible.. just how strong you've become..."

"Arval.." [Shez reaches their hand out out to Arval]

"You have grown more than I ever thought possible. And yet.... I've never felt more alone."

[Arval/Epimenides fades into Shez, granting them power to leave Zahras as Sothis did with Byleth]

The escape from Zahras basically mirrored what happened with Byleth and Sothis, but on much sadder terms. Like, after a big fight, Arval/Epimenides basically surrenders themselves to Shez so that they can leave this place. This coupled with a big point of Shez's history being "i'm not used to people i care about sticking around. people have always been coming and going." (and how from early in the games development, Shez was decided to not be allowed to form similarly intimate connections with other characters as Byleth was) and Arval suddenly making it clear that they were caught in-between the sole purpose of their creation being to seek revenge against Sothis and this deeper desire to just not be alone.. -anymore*, if we are to be conscious of how Arval/Epimenides are a rejoined entity and how this might be what Epimenides wanted as well... Looking back on Arval's comment on feeling "pure emotion" (between disgust and affection) when facing Kronya sort of foreshadowing.. something.. Perhaps their simultaneous resentment towards the TWSTID for having a hand in their trapped in the nightmare dimension situation but still feeling obligated to save them.. And in Byleth and Shez’s A-Support, how Byleth tells Shez of how hard Arval was trying to make sure that Shez’s body wasn’t getting hurt while they were possessing them.. It's so!! Waaaaah.

It just kills me. Like, well if you don't recruit Byleth you just don't get all the answers and Shez is pretty upset about it "Well if only there was a different way.." and Arval not really understanding why they suddenly feel like they've been released from this gigantic burden they didn't know they had. If you do recruit Byleth, you get extra content (a byleth, jeralt and leonie paralogue plus one with the lord you chose to affiliate with!) and Shez and Byleth hit it off! But Arval/Epimenides is forced into taking matters into their own hands, only to fail spectacularly at getting their revenge against Sothis in the secret chapter, as only the lords and Shez were present with their sole companion, Shez, being the one to cut them down. I guess this follows a "freeing them from their torment" idea with more drama than the previous option but.. for what exactly. No one else really cares about Arval save for Shez. Arval was basically begging Shez's companions to stay out of it so they don't get caught up in all this. We don't get answers for what exactly happened between Sothis, Epimenides/Arval, and the TWSITD. and Shez has to walk away from this like "I've got no choice now but to live out the destiny the two of us once shared" without the understanding, despite not being able to hear their voice anymore, that Arval is kind of more of a part of him than before (again, looking to what happened with Byleth and Sothis). I'm not sure what kind of closure I'm supposed to get from this beyond "well. we're done now." And at the end of the 'recruit byleth' campaign, you get Arval's sprite on the save file along with your lord.. Something that doesn't appear if you don't recruit Byleth, so this basically screams "yep this was the thing that was supposed to happen!" Like... okay. What now. Was I not supposed to care that much about Arval and Shez? Was I supposed to walk away from this like “yep this is a great way to end this, yaaay byleth!” Was my reward for saving the previous game’s protagonist a simultaneous yaaay here’s more stuff to play but also fuck you if you wanted the whole Shez and Arval thing to turn out happy? If you wanted to know just what the hell was going in Fodlan pre- and post-Sothis? A big idea in Three Houses is that you can’t get a golden ending but when the Shez and Arval stuff is in this bizarre position of stuff that pretty much happens on the side but is also secret and ‘true’ content so it kind of does but also does not matter in the greater events of whatever route you chose to play on.. it’s like. Okay. Okay!! What is this conclusion to Arval and Shez for? "It's not your choice to decide the future for us [Arval]!" But that's not what Arval was doing? The one thing they wanted to do was blow up Sothis and no one bothered to ask wtf Arval was going on about with their stakes being "the cycle of this world is in peril" and "We need to kill Sothis or this land will never be allowed to heal." like? What is this 'cycle' exactly? And Heal from what? What do you mean when you say Sothis bathed the land in flame? How is killing her supposed to let the land heal and allow its original inhabitants to bounce back? These questions justify why Arval/Epimenides needs to be stopped in the moment this exchange happens in but the events that follow don't do anything to actually address the grander problems Arval/Epimenides is attempting to solve nor does it disclose any meaningful information about why this.. everything.. specifically needs to happen the way it does.

The TWSITD are still the bigger bad guys no matter what the Nabateans/Sothis' guys did as far as this narrative is concerned but damn at least give us more for why Arval/Epimenides and the rest of the TWSITD were so compelled to right this perceived wrong. Because to leave it at: "well Sothis fucked us over and took our homeland :/ to get our shit back or at least end her reign of terror (which doesn't get even elaborated on in any meaningful way) we're going to get into some elaborate scheme to project this one person's consciousness from The Scary Nightmare Dimension into a convenient vessel to get this shit over with with as little collateral damage as possible (Arval/Epimenides) or orchestrate some insane nonsense WHATEVER to the people who happen to currently live in Fodlan by subjecting its people to horrible, horrible things like human experimentation and some other absolutely reprehensible stuff WOOOOOOO (The rest of the TWSITD)" and treating these things to be equally bad is kinda... It's kind of horrible I won't lie.

To be fair I've only played golden wildfire so maybe I'm missing something. Doing scarlet blaze at the moment to pry some answers about those two but if what I’m hearing from other people having a similar “what the hell. why.” moment from the other routes + the secret chapter has any degree of truth to it, I feel the need to temper my expectations :( And if they don’t give me answers oooh Intelligent Systems you’ll pay for what you do to me. At least there’s a fairly good chance that we’ll get DLC when looking at Koei Tecmo’s track record and how obviously they want to continue milking this franchise. But if they don’t.. well fuck my liiiiife.

[imagine-lcorp]

Written In The Stars (One Shot)

Request

Hi! Can I request something like Lena falling in love with an alien reader?

A/N: Hey guys!!! First one shot of the year!!! Let’s hope we can keep the rhythm this time...also I broke my phone so I’ll probably be less active on the app...the writing is still going tho so yaaay! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one and as always, let me know what you think! Love ya beautiful people! 

Lena Luthor x Alien!R//Word Count: 2,204 -------------------------------------------------------

When she was younger, Lena Luthor used to look at the night sky with infinite awe. The map of stars that hung above the Earth had been the place where she could find solace and a sense of peace. The stars were never alone, always needing one another to form their constellations. They reminded her she was also not alone even if it seemed like it.

However, as she grew up most of that wonder translated into scientific interest, which started to diminish as she found herself enthralled by more practical sciences. The sky, as vast as it was, was a mystery she recognized she couldn't unravel in her lifetime. She needed to focus on more earthly things, but she was content to be another curious viewer of such canvas of light.

Being a curious viewer, however, was something that changed abruptly when the existence of extraterrestrial life was proven by no other than Superman. Even more when it was known the Earth had been a refuge for many more aliens than it was possible to believe. The stars had reached the Earth, and they came bearing their own cosmic forms of life.

The population had been divided between those that accepted and welcomed the space travelers and those that rejected the idea, defending their right to their land and planet, fearful of an unstoppable invasion, living with the enemy and whatnot. For a while, Lena found the latter to be a matter of great concern. She wanted people to feel safe and believed they had the right to know who among them was or not an alien.

It wasn't until Kara came to knock that idea off, presenting her with an alternative story and reminding her that those aliens too had a right to their own freedom. She opened her eyes to the reality most of them lived. They were mmigrants of desolated planets, seeking shelter from wars and just like Superman, seeking a new home after their planets had been shattered. There were a few bad seeds, yes, but most of them were only looking for a better life. Wasn't that enough to give them a vote of confidence?

Her alien detection device was then transformed into an image inducer, a new gadget that helped aliens conceal their true appearance if they wished to look physically human. It was great to blend with the crowd, and it was a great success in the alien market.

"Miss Luthor, Kara Danvers is waiting for you in the conference room." Jess told her one day as she arrived to the office.

"Kara?" She found herself surprised by the sudden visit of the journalist. "Does she want another interview?"

"No, she has come along with someone else. She said she only needed a few minutes with you."

"Alright." Lena said leaving her purse on her desk and taking a couple of files from Jess to revise them later. "Let's see what it is."

Lena Luthor entered her conference room to find two figures chatting amicably at the room table. One she could recognize immediately, with her golden locks and bright smile, the other she had no idea who it was but as soon as your eyes were on her she was curious to find out.

"Lena!" Kara said rising from her chair, with you following suit. "Thank you for meeting us in such short notice. We promise not to take too much of your time."

"Kara, of course. How can I help?"

"Well, actually, I would like to introduce you to (Y/N) (Y/L/N)." At the mention of your name, you stepped forward, extending your hand to Lena. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Luthor."  

"Lena, please." She said taking your hand.

"Then, please, call me (Y/N)." You said with a firm grip and a kind smile, something rare for Lena to see during those days.

"(Y/N) is the leader of an alien race residing in National City." Kara continued with a proud stance.

"Is that so?" Lena replied with a raised eyebrow and the hint of a smirk on her lips. "Is (Y/N) your real name?"

Lena's words prompted a chuckle from you, and you decided to clarify before there were any misunderstandings.

"It's my chosen Earth name. I don't think you have enough tongues to be able to pronounce the real one." You said with a playful smile. "Also, I wouldn't go that far. I am what you would call a representative, and it is of a small group only. Miss Danvers here is just too kind."

"She is, indeed." Her smile only grew bigger as she saw Kara fail to conceal a little pout.

"Well, you're still a great representative." Kara said.

"But to what do I own the honor of you visit?" Lena said gesturing to you to take your seats again. Kara smiled at you and moved along with you towards your seats.

"Right." You said pulling a small box from your jacket. "I'm here to deliver this."

Lena took the little box from your extended palm, her curiosity growing as she inspected its contents. Inside she found a little black matte icosahedron, nothing extraordinary by the looks of it.

"What is this?" She finally asked.

"The alien community wanted to thank you for creating the image inducer. It has helped a lot of people, especially those of us that don't exactly fit into the human shape." You started to explain as she inspected it.

After the launch of her device, Lena recalled, the company had received countless letters and e-mails, most of them in gratitude for helping the aliens in National City as they were still fighting for acceptance within the human population. It helped them find jobs, housing and places to be without having to worry about their looks or if other people reacted negatively to them. It helped them feel safe.

Only then Lena understood the impact it had on other's peoples lives and how her work had helped them accomplish that.

"So this is a thank you gift." You moved your hand and placed a finger on one side of the icosahedron.

Lena was startled as the other sides of the new device in her hand started to open. Suddenly the room was filled with a clear colorful light, but it was more than that. It was lines and spheres and points and spirals well defined. It took her a moment to realize what it was but Lena found herself looking around the conference room with a fascination she thought she had long lost. As the conversation followed, you explained Lena the device in her hand was a space chart. It contained information about several planetary systems, their galaxies and stars, and common routes to reach them, you said as if it was nothing but a travel guide.

Lena turned her eyes towards you a few seconds later, ready to declare her own gratitude when she noticed your expression. You were staring at a far corner of the room, not with the usual distant look of a daydreamer or that of someone who has lost interest in the present moment. You were looking with intention and, more than that, with longing in your eyes.

"It's wonderful. Thank you." Lena finally said, pulling you out of your thoughts. You blinked a few times before the smile returned to your face.

"If you ever wish to know a bit more about what's out there, you can always consult it and if you need help navigating it, I'll be more than happy to help."

Lena thought about it for a moment more. While she had long ago left her intentions of unraveling the skies, she saw a chance within those stars. This was the opportunity she had been hoping to find in National City. If she could gain the trust of the alien community, she would be able to expand her work and better help not only them but the whole city. To help put the world back together instead of tearing it apart. She was more grateful then to you, for giving her that chance.

Besides, she thought, it was also a chance to fulfill her curiosity about you.

It wasn't long after that meeting that you were back at her office, teaching her how to use the space chart. Her attention bouncing from the lines of stars and planets to understanding the technology behind the device. While her studies on science and astronomy made it easy for her to identify the structure and functioning of the chart, and the several celestial bodies it showed, she still had to learn how to translate that into terms she knew and relearn the names people used to refer to their own planets and stars. You did your best trying to explain how both things worked, which she highly appreciated.

As days passed, Lena took a new liking to your teachings which turned into more personal reunions. You didn't limit yourself to talking just about stars or planets but about the different cultures that inhabited them. Mentions of your home planet became more regular and you even used it to contrast the big differences between Earth and the rest of worlds you had known. Lena was delighted to indulge in such conversations, taking in as much as it was possible.

The way you talked about your home planet, your country, if such concept even applied, your family, your house, everything, was enough for her to look at you with the same awe she used to look at the stars when she was younger. She knew she wouldn't get to know all the stars in the universe but just knowing you, she thought, made up for it all.

"The sunsets there were hours of golden light washing over the citadel, and the nights were, oh, the night was too beautiful with its waves of light across the sky." You told her one day as you both had finished one of your reunions.

You were leaning against Lena's balcony, both of you observing the sun go down behind the city skyline.

"You know, I don't think you have ever showed me where you're from." Lena said, crossing her arms and taking a step towards you, seizing the opportunity. You had showed Lena at least dozens of planets, especially those closest to Earth's solar system but yours, for everything you talked about it, somehow still remained a mystery.

Lena felt a slight pang in her chest as she saw the smile in your face turn sad.

"No, I suppose I haven't." You said and after a moment, where you seemed to ponder a few options, you moved your head, signaling Lena to follow you back inside her office.

You took the space chart from her desk, activating it and moving your hands again until the hologram in the room moved, showing a single planet in the center of the room. You took a few steps back and gestured to Lena to take a closer to look at it.

"Here it is."

The planet, surrounded by seven moons, was a very Jupiter look-a-like. Lena was instantly enthralled by the colors and the stripes, swirls and waves that formed the planet's atmosphere. The hologram displayed a name in a language Lena certainly didn't know and that made her wonder just how many tongues she would need to pronounce it correctly.

"It's beautiful." Lena said, still looking at it.

"It was." You replied, and she turned to look at you with a confused frown and a question clear in her face.  

You moved the chart once more, reducing the image to show the whole system your planet used to be a part of.

Lena saw other nine planets but only one caught her attention as its name was being displayed in an alphabet she actually recognized.

"Krypton." She whispered, eyes widening in shock.

Everyone already knew the story. How the almighty Kryptonians had traveled to Earth when their own planet had been destroyed. But no one, including her, had thought too much about what it had meant for the rest of their own little universe. Lena imagined it then, an explosion setting a chain reaction. Not only one but several worlds shattered, with their people trying to escape the path of destruction.

Lena's eyes landed on you once more, finally understanding the longing she had once seen in your own eyes. She also knew, in some way, what it was to lose your home. So she approached you, slowly taking your hand and muttering an apology, for whatever little comfort it could give you.

"It's alright." You said looking intently at her with a reassuring smile. "I found a new home."

"And I'm glad you found it here."

You made her feel at home, Lena thought and, as she smiled back at you, she thanked the stars for giving you both the chance to find a home along each other, and hopefully, one day, a home for you both.