#so sorry I took so long to answer this ask! ToT

[some-swan]

Does Jive like/know his other "siblings"

Well, he definitely knows OF them, but despite being quite social, he's pretty hesitant about approaching other parasites, considering how his only frame of reference for how that could go is Fresh. (But if he finds out most of the freshgrease ones didn't have to pull a Houdini level escape within the first few minutes of their lives, he might flip a lid lmao)

[Though if you happen to have a parasite OC we could definitely acquainte them ;P

Main reason he doesn't know them is that I'm not in contact with other parasite-havers to let that be canon haha]

[rect-bibi]

Hi it's me again 👀 after reading the universes synopsis I'm interested in their respective mcs, how are they named? How do they react to the situations around them? ((How would they interact to each other in a crossover?))

THAT IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION THAT I AM VERY HAPPY TO GET and one that will have one hella long answer so uuuh enjoy the read below about my and my gf's OCs LMAO

"YET TO BE RENAMED UNIVERSE" (we will update it soon i promise)

AKARI - He, along with his younger sister - Nora - is a student at the Academy where they train people to either directly fight the monsters called "Alters" (majority of the cases) or help those at the front lines in different ways. He is also the son of a former teacher from the Academy, who was forced to retire due to extreme injuries. Much like practically everyone at the Academy, he has powers. His power is plasma creation and control. (appears in the form of those squiggles you see in plasma lamps) He is extremely hot headed, not patient at all. He naturally had anger issues and given he is the eldest, his parents sadly didn't figure out the discipline until it was a tad too late (the were young parents, give em a break theyre all good otherwise ToT). Either way he is quick to jump into action, more often than not for the worse rather than better. Very overconfident, but he gets CONSTANTLY humbled by his peers.

"BETROTHED"

LYRA & ORION - They are both the main characters, a "do not separate" deal. They are leaders of the Valley Kingdom and the Forest Kingdom respectively, who arranged a political marriage to form a stronger alliance for the sake of their regions Lyra was the King of the Valley, a non-gendered term for the highest ruler of the Valley Kingdom she gave away to Orion upon marriage. Given she inherited the throne at an extremely young age and had to be guided by her personal advisor as well as the Noble Council, she isn't as versed in politics as she would like to be, mostly in regards to being an assertive ruler. She is simply too polite for her own good most of the time. Orion is the opposite - born to a culture that values straight-forwardness and equality above all. He actively listens to people when he thinks them to be reliable, but quick to completely put down anyone who acts out of line. they may be a stereotypical shoujo-esque medieval fantasy couple but they are MY stereotypical shoujo-esque medieval fantasy couple thank you very much

"SALEM'S DISSONANCE"

NER & JODY - Technically two main characters, but they both share the same body. Jody was a normal human child, living his life as well as he could with humanity threatened by the Ilrah - aliens who both overtake human bodies and eat them. However, one day he was coerced by other children to go outside the Safe Zone, which resulted in him being attached by an Ilrah Hatchling. Normally that would result in the Ilrah killing his conscience, thus replacing him within his body, but instead it ended with him sharing the body with the Ilrah that tried to overtake him. Jody himself is a rather cowardly guy, shy and awkward and too afraid to speak up much. He is also more of a pacifist, straying away from violence if he can help it. Ner on the other hand is the exact opposite - brash and loud, not caring about anyone's opinion and more than happy to get involved in any form of brawl.

"ETHTERIA"

MAX - An Ethterian, a descendant of magic alien refugees from an utterly destroyed planet "Ethteria" (hence the title), as well as a soldier for special forces dealing with monsters called "Fiends" - the same ones behind the demise of their home planet who are now spreading disstress on Earth. Originally a member of a team of soldiers, forced to fully disband due to a tragic accident that had majority of the surviving members retire, Max being the only one to stay within the forces, fighting mostly solo. Or at the very least until 15 years later when she is forced to lead a group of newbies and teach them the basics. She is overall logical and stern, but also stubborn. While she values discipline a lot, she isn't above disobeying orders from her superiors if she sees it fit for the current situation.

As for crossover,,, i decided to make these silly things :3

[cata-strophes]

I took a look to your Kofi

(I stared at my phone with an unbelievable sight...Catata. I don't know if I'm crying or laughing, this is like seeing a dad joke)

its because i really like sweet potatoes and we call them batata here :} and catata rhymes :}

[magicaldestinyharmony]

In Life and Death Pt. 4

male!knight x female!count's daughter!reader part 4

CW: mentions of fire, burning bodies, fighting, beating, abuse, hunting of humans, death, killing, fatal wounds, blood, torture and whipping.

WC: 5.5k words

A/N: I don't know what happened guys I'm sorry (ToT) I blinked and it became this long. Enjoy I guess?

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

“What’s your name?”

“What?” Lucca turns to the female voice beside him, perplexed at the question.

She should already know his name.

“I asked you what your name is,” the fifth daughter of Count Balcom repeats.

Lucca blinks again. Completely and utterly confused. “Why does it matter?” he asks.

“Well, since you’re in my care now, I think I should call you something other than ‘boy’ or ‘you’,” she says.

“You can call me ‘slave’ like everyone else does,” Lucca helpfully supplies.

Her face takes on an Are you crazy? look.

She doesn’t say anything else, clearly waiting for an answer to her earlier question. An answer she isn’t going to get. Lucca keeps his mouth shut, hoping the silence will get her to stop asking and leave. The quiet stretches out.

Finally, she jumps up from her perch on the stool beside his bed. “Fine! It’s obvious you aren’t going to tell me so I’m going to leave and you can keep your stupid name to yourself!”

Instead of feeling satisfied with getting what he wanted, he feels bothered that she’s leaving upset. 

“Wait!” his hand grabs her wrist before she can completely leave.

She cocks an eyebrow, silently demanding he let her go.

“Lucca,” he whispers.

“What?” she asks.

“Lucca,” he repeats, a little louder.

She smiles and sits back down. “Thank you for telling me.”

Lucca inclines his head.

“Can I call you ‘Lucca’?”

He blinks at the question, then nods.

She grins. “Thank you, Lucca.”

◇◇◇

“Mommy?” a much smaller Lucca peaked around the door of his parent’s bedroom.

A graceful woman brought her fingers to her lips, a silent indication to be quiet as she left the bed and approached her youngest son.

“Come, sweetheart, let’s go downstairs before we wake up your father.” The mother picked her son up in her arms and headed to the kitchen on the first floor.

She sat him on a chair, knelt in front of him and grabbed his hands. “Is everything okay, love?”

Lucca sniffled. “I had a nightmare.”

“Oh, Lucca, honey.” She pulled him into her arms again in a comforting hug.

“I woke up alone in the dark and that scared me,” Lucca admitted quietly.

His mom pulled him in even closer and patted his back.

They stayed like that for a while. Nothing like a mother's love to chase away the demons of the night.

“Lucca, love.” She pulled away enough just to wipe away the little boy's tears. “Do you know why I picked ‘Lucca’ as your name?”

Lucca shook his head.

His mom smiled and caressed his cheeks. “‘Lucca’ means ‘bringer of light’. I picked this name at the time you were born because the first time I held you in my arms, the sun's rays burst through clouds, bathing you in its golden light.

“The name sounded fitting. But as you grew up from a tiny infant to a strong, healthy child, I realized that this is the perfect name for you. Everything you do, you do with the biggest smile on your face. Your smile is radiant, my love. Just like the light.”

Lucca watched his mom speak, hanging on to her every word. And when sleep gripped his young form again, he fell to its clutches with a happy smile on his face.

◇◇◇

“Hurry up, Beck, Lucca!” A young girl waved at Lucca and their older brother, beckoning them closer.

“We're coming!” Both boys looked at each other and grinned.

Beck smirked and started sprinting. “Last one to Hazel is a rotten egg!”

“Hey! Not fair!” Lucca took after his brother, trying to reach his older sister first.

Beck, with his head start, reached Hazel. Lucca shuffled in a little later, bending over. “That’s not fair! You should have counted down first!”

“Too bad.” Beck smugly shrugged.

Lucca squinted his eyes at the older boy. Beck is the oldest of three children. Then it's Hazel and Lucca.

Lucca grinned mischievously. “Uh-oh, I don’t like that lo–” Beck started but Lucca lunged at him.

“Whoa!” Beck managed to evade the lunge but Lucca started chasing him around the meadow.

“Boys! That's enough! The picnic is all set up!” their mother called for them.

She sighed, a smile playing on her lips as her boys overlooked her call.

Her husband, the boys' father, laughed. “I'll go get them. Why don't you get Hazel started?”

Hazel reached the sheet and plopped down. Their mother smiled at her family’s antics and settled down beside Hazel.

“Dad! Let us down!” The boys struggled in their father's hold playfully as he neared the picnic. He set them on the sheet and sat next to them.

The family had fun out together all day.

◇◇◇

“Are you sure, Hazel?” Lucca asked.

“Yes, Dad gave me my allowance to use didn't he?” Hazel nodded.

“True. But we aren't supposed to go to the market alone,” Lucca hesitated.

“It'll be fine. We’re old enough aren’t we?” Hazel assured him. “And”–she wiggled her eyebrows–“Mom, Dad and Beck are gonna get home late. If we beat them, how are they gonna know?”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her.

“Do you think Beck would like this?” Hazel held up a wooden horse figurine.

“Maybe, he always wanted to ride a horse.” Lucca shrugged.

“Ugh.” Hazel set the figurine back down and sighed. “Why is he so hard to shop for? And you aren't any help at all!”

“You just find it hard,” he teased her. “I’m uninterested because I already got him his gift.” Lucca stuck his hands in his pocket.

Hazel sighed dramatically.

“Let's just go home now, Hazel.” Lucca looked up at the sky. “The sun is gonna set soon. If we don't start going home, we'll get there at night and Mom and Dad will know that we went out without permission..”

Hazel sighed dramatically again. “Fine, you're right. Let's go home.”

The two rented a carriage. Their home was located in the forest. To reach it, you had to go through a bend in the road that led straight to their house.

As the carriage reached the bend, Lucca perked up. He stared out the window intently.

“Stop!” He yelled out to the carriage driver.

The carriage screeched to a halt. “What's wrong, boy?”

Lucca caught Hazel's startled gaze. “Lucca? What's going on?”

Lucca smiled hesitantly. “It’s alright, Hazel. I just remembered that I never bought Beck a gift.”

“That’s not true! You told me you had a gift for him already!” Hazel stared at him with wide panicked eyes.

“I lied. I lied, okay?” Lucca stepped out from the carriage.

He turned around and held Hazel's hands. “Promise me you won't leave the carriage until you reach town.”

“But–”

“Promise me!”

Hazel took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. Will… Will I see you again?”

Lucca smiled sadly. “I love you, Hazel. Forever and ever.”

Tears slid down her cheeks. “Lucca? What do you mean? Lucca?! Why are you say–?!”

Lucca slammed the door shut. Her fists pounded on the wood. “Lucca! Open the do–!”

He moved away, gave the carriage driver money and instructions to drive back to town and ran the rest of the way home.

Lucca stared at the hot, orange, gaping inferno swallowing his home.

Where was his family? His mom, dad and older brother?

Lucca gaped at the sight. He blinked, disbelieving what he was seeing.

He suddenly felt the need to do something. He raced towards the flames destroying his childhood memories.

“A kid! There's a kid running to the fire!”

“What?! Where did he come from!?”

“Is he in his right mind?!”

It was only when Lucca heard the voices, did he see the hooded figures in black. There were multiple of them, moving away from the glowing blaze. Their beady eyes peered at him.

Lucca ignored them and continued into the burning building.

“Mom?! Dad?!” he yelled around, looking for them. “Bec–!”

He gasped. There on the floor are the burnt bodies of his family. Lucca gagged at the smell of burning flesh and dropped to his knees.

“Beck? Beck?!” Lucca nudged the hand of his older brother.

The older brother who comforted him when injured.

The older brother who played with him.

The older brother who would sneak him food at night.

The older brother who had a smile that lit up the room.

The older brother who had an infectious laugh.

The older brother who's lifeless now.

The older brother who he can't see, hear, smell or touch anymore.

The scream that burst out of Lucca is gut-wrenching.

His face hardened.

He will never forgive the people who took his happiness from him.

Never.

He got up.

Ever.

Wiped his tears.

Ever.

Once Lucca stepped into the warm, dark air, it was with the determination to get revenge.

He glared at the men in black. He took one menacing step forward, then another. They snickered at him. What can a child do against many, grown mercenaries?

Lucca growled and picked up the nearest and heaviest branch. His roar had adult men hesitating.

“Capture him. Alive,” an authoritative voice called out from the darkness.

“Yes, my lord!” The mercenaries surrounded Lucca, holding swords.

A small fight ensues. Lucca managed to knock down five mercenaries before he was captured.

A hooded figure in red stepped out from the blackness. Lucca was made to kneel in front of him.

“You are one bold kid.” The man took off his hood, revealing his face.

“Do you know who I am, kid?” he demanded.

When Lucca refused to respond, the man gestured at one of the mercenaries.

The next thing he felt was the hot, searing pain of being kicked.

“Well?” the man urged him.

Lucca still didn't say anything.

Another gesture, another kick, more pain.

Lucca grunted.

The man raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Lucca spitted out.

“There you go. Was that so hard?” the mysterious man asked.

Lucca shrugged and went silent again.

“Well,” the man started. “I’m Count Balcom, the closest advisor to the emperor, one of the wealthiest nobles in the empire and have one of the best lineages.”

Lucca just stared blankly at the count. As a commoner, he wasn’t the most knowledgeable about nobles and their complicated ways.

Count Balcom walked around Lucca, giving him an appraising look.

“You would make for interesting prey.” He crouched and held Lucca’s chin up. “There’s fire in your eyes. I’m sure quenching it would feel fantastic.”

“I will never break. Never,” Lucca growled.

The count backed away and laughed. “It would be better if you cooperated.” He tapped his chin. “I believe a carriage was here. It was carrying your sister wasn’t it?”

Lucca’s eyes widened. “You leave her alone!”

Count Balcom laughed again and grinned wickedly. “If you cooperate, I’ll leave her alone.”

Lucca didn’t even hesitate. “If she stays safe I’ll come with you.”

The count gave an eerie smile. “I give you my word.” He turned to a nearby mercenary. “Take him to the wagon.”

The mercenary nodded and Count Balcom left in a flourish of red robes.

Lucca might have walked into the Balcom Manor willingly but it was hell on earth. He was abused daily and deprived of meals and water. He gave up figuring out time, in that damp, dark, dingy cell.

He hated it. What did he do to deserve this? What did his family do to deserve death?

These thoughts never left him. They circled and screamed. Wanting attention.

Yet he held on.

He must survive. He must survive. He must survive for Hazel. If he dies before he lets him he’ll kill her.

He ate whatever he was given and held on.

Then one day, Lucca was taken out of that gloomy cell. He was put on a wagon and taken to a forest.

When he saw the arrows and horses, he realized what the count meant by ‘prey’. He was going to be hunted.

He was instructed to stay in a small, open field in the woods. The field was beautiful with big trees and colourful flowers. It wasn’t a bad place to die.

He survived for Hazel. Keep on living, okay, Hazel?

When the arrow hit his heart, he had one last thought, he would finally be able to see his loving family again.

However, when Lucca opened his eyes, it wasn’t to the sight of his late family. It was to the sight of a mass of people yelling.

“The Divine Warrior woke up!”

“It’s the Divine Warrior!”

“Save us, Divine Warrior!”

Lucca was confused. What was going on?!

The High Priest explained it all.

Apparently every 1000 years, the evil dragon, Tanan, manages to break the seal placed on him. And every 100 years a Divine Warrior is born.

The Divine Warrior has a stronger physique, superior senses, a good intuition, heals faster, uses aura and has three lives. That means that the Divine Warrior has two other chances at life if death gets to them. 

The Divine Warrior awakens when they turn 18. If they die before that, their soul is preserved at the Grand Temple. Once their soul turns 18, they awaken in their older body. Once awakened, two marks appear on the Divine Warrior’s hand. It is only visible to them and counts how many lives they have left.

The job of the Divine Warrior is to reseal Tanan. If Tanan hasn’t broken free yet, their job is to save the people from evil beasts who are his underlings.

As of right now, Lucca has already lost one life, courtesy of Count Balcom.

“I see,” Lucca said, staring out the window. “So now what?”

“Now,” the High Priest began. “Now, you start your training. It is soon time for the evil dragon to break free.”

“Very well.” Lucca turned to face the older man. “But first, I want you to find someone for me.”

The High Priest nodded. “Sure. Who are they?”

“Hazel. Her name is Hazel Puhlavan.”

“What?! She's what?!” Lucca slammed his fist on his mahogany desk.

“I apologize, Your Eminence. Hazel Puhlavan is dead,” the High Priest repeated.

Lucca shoved away from his desk. She was dead?!

“But how?! I did exactly as he said,” he murmured.

Lucca whirled around to face the man. “How? No, when?”

The High Priest bowed slightly, fearing the Divine Warrior’s wrath. “She was killed on a carriage three years ago. It seemed like murder but the case was closed because of insufficient evidence.”

“Damn it!” The desk received another punch.

He shouldn't have trusted that bastard's words. 

Hazel was dead but he was here and alive.

Lucca dropped back into his seat. “You're dismissed.”

The High Priest immediately scurried off.

Lucca sighed. He survived this long for what? To find out that the fate of the world rests in his hands? To find out that his sister is dead?

What did he do to deserve this?

“Hahaha! A mere mortal tries to defeat me? Me, the great Tanan?!”

Lucca wondered if all the Divine Warriors before him had to go through this. The evil dragon is very full of himself.

“Come at me, mortal. You'll never be able to defeat me!”

Lucca gripped the Divine Sword. It's the Divine Warrior’s ultimate weapon. It's crafted from lodyed, a precious stone given to Divine Warriors. It allows them to imbue the Divine Sword with aura.

Red light glinted on the silver, polished blade, giving it a crimson look. With Tanan came, what the temple calls, the Haur Moon. It's the source of his power and hangs in the sky. Shadows cast the field of the face-off in black. The combination of red and black gave the place an ominous feeling.

Tanan stood tall, taunting Lucca with his prowess.

“If you're so great, how come you keep getting resealed?” Lucca raised an eyebrow.

“How dare you! You're a mere human!” Tanan lunged at Lucca in anger. 

A deadly fight starts.

The evil dragon shot a fireball. Lucca jumped away to avoid it.

The bloody dance continued. Lucca swung his sword. It grazed the dragon’s arm. Tanan roared. His massive tail came crashing down beside Lucca, creating a big dust cloud causing him to cough. 

The dust blocked his vision. His head snapped up just in time to see the mighty tail strike again. Lucca raised his sword to injure and ran backwards, keeping the sword up. He left a gaping, bloody wound in his wake. Tanan howled, no doubt in pain.

“Where are you, human?! I will destroy you!”

While Tanan frantically looked around for him, Lucca used the shadows to his advantage. He crept up on Tanan. Using his aura to propel him upwards, Lucca jumped to land the final strike on Tanan's head.

“There you are!” the dragon suddenly turned around, his eyes gleaming wickedly. 

Lucca's own eyes widened in surprise.

Tanan struck Lucca with his claw. He barely eluded the fatal point but it still pierced his arm.

“Ugh.” Lucca got the wind knocked out of him when his back hit the ground.

With his arm bleeding, Lucca stood again. He grabbed his sword.

It was time to end this. It was Lucca or the dragon.

Lucca jumped again and growled. He imbued the Divine Sword with aura. When he penetrated the hard layer of scales and the soft tissue under, so did Tanan's sharp claw into his torso.

Lucca heaved as blood rushed up his throat. He fell with a thud and coughed some more.

Tanan thundered and collapsed in a heap on the field. The evil dragon has finally been defeated.

I have to perform the sealing spell.

Lucca blinked against the blackness filling his vision. He coughed up more blood.

I have to–

The blackness consumed him.

Lucca convulsed and opened his eyes. The once red field was now bathed in a reddish-orange glow. Lucca spied the sun sinking below the horizon. The Haur Moon was gone.

He sighed. Everything was finally over. Two gruelling years of training have finally paid off.

Lucca spotted Tanan’s black form.

Well, everything was mostly over.

He sat up and propped his arm on his knee. The gash Tanan left him has healed completely. No matter how many times it happened, Lucca’s ability to quickly heal never ceased to amaze him.

A glance at his right hand told him what he feared. He lost another life. Only one gold mark remained. It sparkled in the glow of the sunset. Lucca had one more chance at life.

Lucca sighed again and raised his tired form. He trudged over to the source of much grief and horror.

With the evil dragon defeated, Lucca can finally breathe easy.

It would also be time for his vengeance.

After finishing the sealing spell, Lucca headed out to perform the necessary steps to complete his revenge.

He would amass great power and wealth. And once he did, he would destroy Count Balcom.

Screams filled the dim halls of Balcom Manor.

“No! Please! Please have mercy!” A maid cried at his feet.

Lucca silenced her sobs. He didn't even twitch at the smell and sight of red oozing out of the corpse on the heart pine wood floors.

The staff that weren't on the floor cowered. Lucca brandished his sword and restained the wood red.

Yells echoed in his ears but he kept moving.

Lucca would get his revenge.

“Stop right there, you monster!”

He looked up to see a flock of knights blocking his advance.

“You won’t make it past us!” The knights all pointed their blades at him.

Lucca laughed. His face hardened and he charged. The sound of piercing flesh reverberated in the hallway.

“Wa-wait! Please spare me!” The last knight recoiled.

“Where is Count Balcom?” Lucca prompted.

“H-he’s in the ballroom. The re-rest of the ar-army is with him,” the cowering man gulped.

“Thanks.” Lucca stabbed the knight.

He stepped over the body and continued in the direction of the ballroom.

When Lucca reached the immense mahogany doors, his sword was dripping and his dark blue clothes were splattered with the same liquid.

When the doors swung open, shouts rang out.

“Stop! Drop your weapon!”

“Surrender and you might be spared!”

But one voice stood out. “You’re one brave young man. Your rampage ends here!” Lucca recognized the condescending tone.

He scoffed. All of his staff lay dead and all he did was barricade himself here.

Lucca swung his sword, cutting knights down left and right.

Count Balcom stared in horror at the man who was slaughtering his knights. A wary smile played on the count’s face. He was arrogant enough to think he was invincible. However, when Lucca towered over him, the smile fell off his face.

“Wait! Tell me what you want! Money? Power? Women?” Count Balcom reeled and Lucca stepped forward.

“If you want women, I have plenty of daugh–”

“Why did you burn that house in the forest five years ago?” Lucca cut him off.

Confusion marked the man’s face. “What?”

“And the girl. Why did you kill the girl in the carriage?” Lucca asked again.

After a long silence, it became apparent that the count didn’t know what Lucca was asking.

Lucca laughed. It was a sad, bitter and angry sound.

All that fury and resentment and anticipation for revenge. The five years he spent bending to powerful figures to get honour and wealth. They all amount to nothing if he couldn’t inflict pain and fear upon Count Balcom’s haughty face.

In his daze, Lucca didn’t notice when Count Balcom picked up a sword from a fallen knight.

“Die, you filthy peasant!” The count sloppily swung the sword in a feeble attempt at killing.

Lucca easily avoided the blade and retorted with a swing of his own. His sword plunged swiftly into Count Balcom's chest.

“I hope you rot in hell,” Lucca whispered in the count’s ear.

Lucca left the man in a bloody heap on the once beautiful heartwood floors and took off to find the rest of the Balcom family.

Now there was one left. The fifth daughter.

Lucca approached the fifth daughter’s chambers. She was the last piece to complete his revenge.

He opened the doors and an eerie creak sounded out. He found her standing in the room with her back to him. The moonlight barely illuminated her form.

Lucca’s sword grazed the wooden floors. He stopped right behind the woman. He knew she was the fifth daughter, yet he asked anyway, “Are you the fifth daughter of Count Balcom?”

She turned around and said, “No. I think you have the wrong person.”

Lucca scowled. He wasn’t expecting the sarcasm. The woman gave him a once-over.

Silence rang out. Big and heavy.

“Spare me!” cut the sinister quiet.

She boldly stared into his eyes.

“No.” He didn’t hesitate. No one associated with the Balcom name will live. He would make sure of it.

The woman frowned. “If-if I saved you and prevented that ‘incident’, would you spare me?”

He snickered. Nothing anyone did would erase the pain, guilt and sorrow. It won’t bring his family back to life, would it?

“No. The only way I would spare you is if you drain all of the Balcom blood from your body. Only then would you be spared.” As long as the Balcom blood ran through her veins he would kill her.

She flinched at the gleam of his ruby-coloured sword. With a sudden movement, the woman swallowed something and doubled over in pain. Lucca hesitated, confused. But just as quickly, she fell to the floor and clutched her chest.

A weird feeling washed over him. He blinked. However, when he opened his eyes again, it wasn't to the moonlit room.

◇◇◇

“Is he still in the wagon?” a masculine voice asked.

“Yeah, I made sure of it. The last thing we need is Count Balcom’s anger,” another answered.

Lucca looked around him, very bewildered. What he saw was an oak wood wagon. Crates and barrels filled it, crowding the small space. The contents were jostled around with the caravan’s movements.

He remembered this wagon. Lucca was brought to Balcom Manor on this wagon. Was this an illusion? Did that woman cast some spell on him?

The caravan abruptly halted to a stop. Lucca heard gravel crunching under leather boots before the back covering was removed.

“Come on, kid. Get out. Don’t pull any tricks or the girl gets it.” The same grotesque mercenary and the same words.

This wasn’t making any sense.

Lucca was roughly pulled out of the wagon and brought before Count Balcom.

“Let’s go, son. I’ll show you your new home.” The count stood at the front doors with a conceited grin on his lips.

He motioned for Lucca to go in first. Stepping inside, Lucca saw the foyer. The front hall was beautifully decorated. A grand and alluring glass chandelier graced the cream-coloured plaster ceiling. An immense wooden staircase stood at the back of the space. Lots of vases with colourful flowers filled the chestnut-coloured corners. In the heart of it, the staff and the occupants of the manor bowed in greeting of its owner.

A girl eased out of her curtsy and focused on him. She looked like a younger version of the fifth daughter. She frowned in confusion at the sight of him.

Did she place a curse on him? Was he now fated to relive the grief, regret and misery? Did she think that having him relive all of that would spare her?

Well, she was mistaken. He would never spare a living Balcom. Just like he lost everything and everyone he held dear and fell into misery he would make sure that they felt despair too.

“Hey, you!” Count Balcom rudely bellowed from behind him. “Take the boy to the dungeons.”

A maid nodded and hurried him down. Down to darkness and torture.

Lucca blinked and saw feminine features. The fifth daughter peered down at him.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “I tried to be as gentle as possible. I’m sorry if it hurts.” 

Only then did Lucca notice the salve and gauze sitting beside the girl. The throb on his back was evidence of her treatment.

Was this some kind of new game? A new form of torture?

She pulled out bread from her bag. “Here, I got you some food.”

Lucca stared at her. Was she going to show him kindness and then brutally stab him in the back? Was she going to give him light in this blackness and then take it away?

She took out a pastel pink handkerchief and placed it with the bread in front of him.

He blinked three times.

“Don’t worry! I didn’t do anything to the bread. It’s not poisoned or anything,” she affirmed.

When he didn’t say anything, she sighed. “Alright. I’ll leave you alone.” She stood and dusted herself off. “I’ll come back tomorrow to heal your wounds and get you some food!”

Her absence didn’t quiet his raging thoughts.

The same events over the next 10 years repeated themselves. Getting killed at Count Balcom’s hand, waking up as the Divine Warrior, resealing Tanan and currying favour with the kings of the continent.

The only change was the death of Count Balcom’s fifth daughter. He found her in the same room but he managed to cut her down and she didn’t swallow anything.

Yet the same strange feeling engulfed him again.

◇◇◇

“He-her Ladyship isn't at th-the manor,” the attendant stammered.

“Explain,” Lucca urged.

“Sh-she left as so-soon as she turned 18. No one has he-heard anything from her ever since.”

Lucca laughed. So she was the one who sent him back in time. Did she think leaving would stop him?

With a slash of his sword, Lucca stopped the sputtering man in his tracks. “Thanks.”

The fluttering of Lucca's cape echoed in the soundless manor as he left in pursuit of the runaway lady.

“There you are. I finally found you,” Lucca spoke to her turned form.

She froze. “I admit that leaving the empire was a smart move on your part. It was quite hard to track you down,” Lucca continued.

She didn’t say anything.

“Well, I guess the chase ends here.” Lucca raised his sword and struck her.

For some reason, the sight of her blood on his sword and the sand made him frown. And the same weird feeling from before made him frown harder.

◇◇◇

At the sight of the same oak wood wagon for the fourth time, Lucca sighed deeply.

These time loops need to stop. And the fifth daughter of Count Balcom has the answer.

This time, Count Balcom’s fifth daughter got married to a baron in the countryside.

“Stupid wench! You dare talk back to me? If I tell you to do something, you do it! Why do you never learn?! Do I always have to beat you for you to understand?!”

Lucca shook as he saw the man strike her.

How dare he hurt her?

Lucca kicked down the door and pulled out his sword.

“Who dares to interrupt me?! I specifi–” Lucca didn't let him finish. He landed a blow on his jaw.

“Ho-how dare you!” the man spluttered on the floor.

Lucca scoffed. This man has some guts.

With a slash, the man’s head rolled. A low shriek made him turn around. The sight of the fifth daughter hunched over on the ground reminded him of his purpose.

The haze of anger cleared and the red faded away. He loomed over her.

What was he doing? She was the daughter of his enemy. He couldn’t be feeling bad for her. She was the reason he was reliving his life for the fourth time.

With another slash, Lucca killed her. And on cue, the strange feeling came again.

◇◇◇

“Th-the lady has gone crazy!”

“She was de-demanding ways to drain her bl-blood!”

“Count Balcom or-ordered her to re-re-recuperate at the southern villa!”

“She hurts herself all the time!”

“She has truly gone insane!”

Lucca’s steps reverberated in the hall of the Balcom Southern Villa. It wasn’t hard to locate. A quick interrogation of the servants also told him where the room of its occupant was.

He stopped at the door. Through hell or high water, I will find you and kill you.

Lucca opened the oak wood door. The room was nicely done in shades of light blue and white. But the appearance of the fifth daughter made him frown.

She was tucked into bed. But the iron chains holding her hands up were a morose contrast to the elegant room. Her head was down, her hair a curtain to her face.

He trod into the room and she looked up. The sight of her face was worse. Scratches lined her cheeks and there were bags under her eyes. Her body was skinny and marred by scars and wounds. Her eyes remained blank as she took him in.

For some reason, Lucca’s heart hurt. With a jolt, he realized that he hated seeing her like this. Helpless and wounded.

But Lucca wasn’t one for emotions. So he struck her anyway. His eyes closed in anticipation of the same feeling.

◇◇◇

She approached him. “Hello. Are you alright?”

“For injuring my precious daughter, you will receive 15 whips.” The count grinned creepily.

With a grip on her head, the girl responded, “N-no. Wh-when wronged, we sh-should give back tenfold what we received. I-it’s the Balcom way, right?”

“Take him to the dungeons and make sure to give him his punishment.” With that, Count Balcom departed.

At the intense throbbing from the whip marks, Lucca opened his eyes. He saw Count Balcom’s fifth daughter and scowled. She glared at him, shook her head and continued working.

She patched up his last wound, left some bread and got up. He watched her in silence. Why did she keep helping him, a murderer? No matter how many times he killed her, she treated him without fail.

“Why do you care?” His voice was a little hoarse.

“You got hurt because of me. Of course, I care,” she said firmly.

He scoffed and she shrugged.

She started leaving and Lucca crushed the urge to stop her. To tell her to stay. To tell her that she was the only kindness he experienced through all the time loops. To tell her that he–no he shouldn’t be having these thoughts. She was the daughter of his enemy and, therefore, his enemy as well.

Lucca turned to his side, giving her his back. He heard her footsteps fade away as he told himself to not be emotional. He couldn’t afford it. Survival wasn’t for the weak and emotional. And he certainly wasn’t weak and emotional.

◇◇◇

“Lucca! Are you listening to me?” Count Balcom’s fifth daughter exclaims.

“Ah.” Lucca nods.

She smiles. “So, as I was saying–” she continues telling her tale.

Truth is, Lucca didn't hear most of her story. He was too busy watching her animatedly talking.

Tags!

@dreamlessnight

[theoutcastedartist]

Hello! My friends and I discovered your Shadow Light AU tonight and I just have to tell you that we are INSTANTLY obsessed with this! We love it so much!! I personally have been screaming about how tired Sonic looks (my poor boy) and what is the significance of the 17??? 👀👀👀

I don't know if you still plan on returning to this AU, but we'll be very happy if you do! (I saw the asks where you said you'd gotten into LMK which, valid. Me and a few of my friends love LMK too!) Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful day!

(Also your art style is absolutely AMAZING. Tails looks absolutely adorable and I love the way you draw Sonic!!)

hello! Sorry it took so long to FINALLY answer this XD

Haven't really checked my inbox in a minute imma be real. But I'm very glad to hear you and your friends have been liking the AU (despite it having been in an indefinite hiatus lmaooo) the AU **MIGHT** be coming back if my current returned interest in sonic stays for long enough. If I do decide to bring it back I'll make a post officially announcing it.

and yeah my AU boom!sonic is a very sleep deprived little guy.

The significance of "17", if I remember correctly (it's been a minute since I've thought of the more intricate details of this AU) for sonic is that he was Dr. Thorndyke's 17th (and last) attempt at Project Light (who is a scientific experiment created with the goal of harnessing the powers of one of the Halves of Solaris, known as Iblis the Flame)

Project Shadow on the other hand, is the one and only of himself (the ultimate lifeform) whose original creation under Gerald Robotnik was, like Project Light, meant to harness the powers of one of the two halves of Solaris, his being Mephiles the dark.

The Bio lizard and the Chaos clones were part of a failed abandoned project of trying to harness the God powers of recreating Chaos themselves.

Iblis and Mephiles are some of the gods the Ancients worshipped before the collapse of their old civilization, the two are quite literally halves of a bigger God (Solaris, who does not have a design in the AU yet).

It's important to remember in this AU that despite the two being created within the same facility/on ARK, they are not related by blood at all.

Shadow still retains his black arms DNA (with a twist) and was created by Gerald and his team,

Sonic's DNA is that of one of the preserved remains of one of the royal children from the collapse of the Ancients, and he was created by Thorndyke and his team

(and he and Gerald had very... Clashing views on the ethics/morals of how they treated their respective creations.)

Dr. Thorndyke was not a nice man, from the few interactions shadow and maria had with him. He was a very secretive man when it came to any version of Project Light. They didn't even meet our Project Light - ver. 17 (who we all know as Sonic) until 3 years before shit hit the fan - to say the least.

Shadow, while being in stasis for 50 yrs had his memories slightly tampered with, while he remembers most of ARK, he does not remember sonic (but feels unusually drawn to him for some unexplainable reason) and Sonic had been accidentally sent 50yrs into the future instead, but unlike shadow he has lost all of his memories on ARK - poor blue couldn't even remember his own name (dubbed 'Little Light' by Maria) and was largely mute until he met Tails and Co. His name "Sonic" technically came from Eggman, constantly referring to him as a "SuperSONIC nuisance" lmao

But yeah thanks for sending this ask! Even if it's been a minute ToT

[heartfullofleeches]

I am politely asking for you to write about Erin cross dressing please

(Going off an old request I vaguely remember with Erin overhearing you like feminine guys)

"They're so cute- Hey, Y/n what do you like in a partner?"

Erin leans back in his seat away from the commotion at his table to eavesdrop on yours. You were surrounded by friends flapping their gums over someone one of them was interested in - put on the spot for not giving your two cents.

"Uh, I don't know- someone pretty I guess."

"You mean like those people you follow who wear nice makeup and skirts?"

Your coughing fit is enough of an answer for everyone listening in on the conversation. Erin returns to his group, subconsciously groping his features. He had some softer details thanks to his mother, but was he what others would call pretty? The tingle in his chest combated the nausea from eating school food at the thought of you praising his looks. He picks up a tater tot and chucks it at a girl across the table; it being the only way to get her attention otherwise.

She picks it out of her fruit cup. "What the hell, Erin?!"

"Shut up and give me your lip gloss, Bea."

"Why in the fuck would I do that?"

"I'll tell coach you're the one who stole her flask and replaced it with bleach for giving the lead spot in the parade to someone else."

Beatrix angrily shifts through her bag. "Here."

"Thank you." He tosses her his unopened cup as he gets up from the table and heads to the bathroom. He stops by the janitor's closet and jimmies the broken lock until it pops open, grabbing the out of order sign. He wants for everyone to come out of the restroom and sets the sign up as he enters.

Erin reevaluates himself in the mirror. His long hair did confuse the older crowd when they saw him from a distance. He tucks it all into a high ponytail using a spare bracket as a band. Next, he pulls out the cheerleader's makeup. This isn't his first time with the stuff. Both his mom and older sibling dressed him up in the past whenever he asked about their clothes and was interested in trying them. He let his mother put eye shadow on him whenever they went out as a family.

Erin dispenses some of the gloss on his finger, puckering his lips as he cakes them in the foundation. He smacks them together to even the coat out and looks at the results in the mirror.

It's a start. The gloss is barely noticeable outside bright light, but it adds a little more volume to his lips. He goes back in to work on other parts of himself, but the bell cuts his session short.

"Shit!"

Erin hurries out of the bathroom and down to the cafeteria; forgetting about the sign in his haste. The dining area is nearly empty by the time he gets back, and you didn't have the next period together. He looks back to see if you've already gone, the next person to walk by bumping straight into him.

"Sorry- Oh, hey Erin."

"Sup."

You look him up and down. Erin's teeth pick at his lips in anticipation.

"Not much. You look good. See you next period."

The light force of you walking by almost knocks Erin off his feet. You said something nice about him. He didn't think he'd get this far. Maybe a passing glance, but you completely acknowledge him. You thought he looked good. It was a high he never wanted to fall from. One he craved more of with only one possible solution.

-

Erin hisses in pain as the teeth of his skirt's zipper lodge into his skin. "Fucking damn it-"

He pulls the fabric away from his hip and zips it up; kicking an empty shipping box under his bed. It sticks out of the corner due to the other packages overcrowding the space, but he was too excited to take care of them now or throughout the week they all had arrived. The skirt was the final piece of his outfit which also took the most time to arrive. Erin hooks mini pearl earrings in his ears and pulls his shirt from inside the shirt before looking at himself in the full body mirror by his closet.

The outfit consisted of an off the shoulder light pink top and a black skirt that went down to his thighs. The rest of his legs were covered by white stockings and his ginger hair was yet again pulled back. He wore a more noticeable shade of gloss on his lips and his long eyelashes were extended with the use of a wand. His regular choker was switched with a red one with a heart shaped dog tag. He had muscle, but the skirt hugged his body in a way that showed off his curves. Staring at himself, Erin felt pretty. Time for the next phase.

Erin snaps a photo of him at the mirror. He then gets in his bed with his back against the headboard. He grabs a pillow and hugs it to his chest, tugging his shirt down a bit more as he gets into position. He makes sure that his stocking clad thighs are in frame as he takes another pic and pulls up his contact. He knew your number by heart from the various acquaintances he hustled it off of and when you gave it to himself yourself for a project, but what good boyfriend doesn't have their partner in their phone without a cute title?

Erin sends you the pictures without saying a word. He waits about five minutes to pick up his phone again, both happy and disappointed you haven't opened his text.

"Sorry for the pics. Lost a bet and sent them to the wrong number."

His heart leaps out of his chest as his phone chimes.

"No worries. Hope this is okay for me to say, but you look pretty."

It's more than okay. Erin stares at his phone for ages; eyes rolling over the message countless times yet his brain fails to retain it to memory. He'd probably explode if it did. He experiences a moment of clarity in wondering what your expression was when you saw him. Did you see him as desirable. Did you crave him as badly?

Luck worked in Erin's favor that night - for he may soon have an answer.

"Hey- actually, do you want to come over? I'm bored and thought we could hang out or something."

[combines]

hello again!! as someone who comes from the 2020 fandom resurgence I am. SO SORRY. that happened a lot unfortunately. yeah we did NOT know how to act early on (ToT). I had the vibe it was a lot of people's first online fandoms.

the ship with two guys in it being dubbed butter pecan because of something something 'a lot of nuts' is again, so, so funny. Thank you for enlightening me on this, I know it's probably wild to be asked about this stuff like a decade after. This is like honestly a bit of a mystery in the fandom so it's insane finding out the source!! A real miracle the person who coined it so long ago is still active on tumblr

And speaking, it is and was INSANELY hard to dig for any 'fandom history' or even just any sort of Old post on here and I hate it.

another little question if that's okay- I'd assume that seeing the change in reception to freemance and freehoun kinda swapping around must've been bizarre as an older fan considering this was a fandom for a fps game in the early 2000's-early 2010's, in my head the vibes were kinda reversed where freemance was the big ship and freehoun was less well received by most

hiii again!!! i'm so sorry it took me a few days to answer this sdkfsmdk

i think it's super funny because both half-life: alyx and hlvrai came out within weeks of each other so you had this sort of resurgence on here of old fans returning/posting and getting excited for alyx and then a huge wave of people getting into hl in general because of the audience that hlvrai introduced. personally, i still haven't watched hlvrai because it doesn't really seem like my thing, but i'm still glad that there were so many people who enjoyed it to the point where they actually ended up playing and loving the games too!!

freemance definitely was the big ship on tumblr back in the day so yes it was very interesting to see that reversal!!!! honestly i don't think i was on tumblr too much during that time where hlvrai/freehoun really took off, and so the drama surrounding ship wars or whatever was mentioned to me secondhand. 2020 was just like the worst year of my life for personal reasons, as i'm sure for a lot of people, and i can't remember really any of it tbh LOL but you've got nothing to apologize for! i think you're definitely right, it seemed like a first fandom for many people, and that generally skewed younger. i think (hope) it's a better now at least!

tumblr's tagging/tracking/search is HORRIBLE i completly understand. i still think tumblr is the best place for fandom centralized stuff (pictures, art, gifs, etc) and until there's a new platform that does it better, i'll probably still be here, if super sporadically!

if you are interested in uncovering past hl fandom posts or just looking to follow some great people, i've tagged just some that were active in the hl fandom back in the day!!! :') i'm sure they wouldn't mind if you combed their archive looking for hl stuff/shitposts <3

@mbelyakova @littlewitchbee @temunade2 @loplins @angels-heap @anndromedea @skellagirl @bioticbear @cortnan @duamuteffe @protokol @cerviceps @axiolotl @clodiuspulcher @caramujotan @drgertiefremontphd @jauffre @owligator @saikkunen @utopianoverlord @failssafe @brogineer

[the-ellia-west]

Hiii! I have a bunch of WIPs that I'm working on extremely sporatically so I'm hoping that talking about them a little bit will help with inspo.

the most recent one is an un-named urban fantasy that follows seven different POVs. A year after a fire at their school broke out at their high school, seven miraculously unharmed students learn that they're the key to stopping the incoming end-times. Complete with lgbt rep and telepathic cat mentors.

the second most recent is called A Flower That Has Wilted, portal fantasy that follows Dahlia, the grand-daughter of the princess of another world who is whisked back to her grandmothers homeworld and tasked with defeating/sealing away the evil that is eating away at their world.

the third most recent is a fantasy called As Grandmother Told It. In a world with two suns whirling around one another and a dying moon, three kingdoms wage war against one another over the truth about the circumstances of their moon goddesses death, princess Amaline trades place with Isadore, a genderfluid farmperson in order to both form alliance with the king of another kingdom and also be with his little sister, her true love and leader of his armies.

Ty for letting me ramble <33333

Thank you for the ask @kaseylynnwriting

I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME THIS LONG TO ANSWER THIS OMFG

The beginning sounds extremely hooking and creative! (Telepathic cat mentors my beloved)

These are all amazingly creative and cool, and I would love to read more about them!!! The characters seem like they would be amazing for all of these scenarios

(ToT)

[useless-catalanfacts]

As you've discussed in your blog there's a distinction between Catalans and Valenciansin terms of identity, is there also one for Balearics?

(Sorry it took me a few days to answer, I've been very busy lately and I didn't have time to write a long post.)

First of all, I wouldn't quite say there is a distinction between Valencian and Catalan identity, because for many there isn't. For many Valencians, it's obvious that Valencians are part of the Catalan Countries, but there are right-wing groups who try very hard to push the idea that they're completely different, ignoring uhhh.... All of history, language and most of culture, and basing on pseudohistory, a handful of dialectal/accent differences and mostly a lot of Catalanophobia and Spanish nationalism/supremacy (some of this groups are openly fascist/neo-nazi). I know you're simplifying in order to ask the question, but I just wanted to make it clear.

For those new to the argument, I'll link to a previous post talking about Blaverism (the right-wing movement to consider the Valencian Country separate from the rest of the Catalan Countries, only a region of Spain, justified with conspiracy theories that contradict every serious historian and linguist):

To answer your question: in the Balearic Islands, it hasn't really happened. Technically it exists, it's the posture known as "neogonellisme", but it's soooo small that most people have never heard about it, and very often (as we'll see below) it's imposed from outside of the Balearic islands. In the (extremely few) cases where people from the Balearic Islands have defensed this, it was always Spanish nationalists who wrote exclusively in Spanish (mostly Antoni Alemany). When there's people in the Balearics who want to distance themselves from the rest of the Catalan Countries, it's usually just Spanish nationalism with Mallorcan regionalism, not an indentity in itself (like the now dead Centro Cultural Mallorquí and the still "active" Grupo d'Acció Baléà, Catalanophobic groups created by copying the Valencian blaverist groups).

I've only heard of the existence of these groups years ago when I was doing research into Blaverism, but I've never heard any Balearic person consider that their language isn't Catalan or that they're culturally something else. I know many Mallorcans, some Menorcans and an Eivissan and I think they'd be surprised to hear about this micro-movement.

However, right-wing Spanish groups are trying to push this idea there, since the "divide and conquer" strategy kind of worked in the Valencian Country. For example, the conservative politician Pablo Casado (of the PP party, he's from Castille) went to the Balearic Islands and gave a speech saying "what you speak in the Balearics isn't Catalan, you speak Mallorcan, Menorcan, Ibizan and Formenteran". Basically, this dude who doesn't even speak the language comes to tell us what is it that we speak lmao, but not only that, he says that each island speaks a different language! If I hadn't heard him on the news and knew about the Blaverism he's trying to copy, I would think this was made up as a joke. Sadly, a few time later, the Spanish so-called "left" wing party Podemos also copied this idea and tried to pass a law saying that Catalan in the Balearic Islands from now on should be called "Balearic". Both of this things were widely mocked, of course, since they don't make any sense and everyone considered them ridiculous.

So yeah, the idea exists, but it mostly comes from Spanish people who don't even speak the language and who try to convince us of it for purely ideological reasons, not because they actually believe it's something different. However, very few people actually believe it or defend it so it's basically seen as a joke, unlike Valencian Blaverism which is a bigger movement and well-organised in neo-nazi or philofascist organizations that have even attacked people for it and often get books banned for being written in "Barceloni", have prohibited Catalan TV and radio stations in the Valencian Country, etc., as we explained before.

[nightlight-rising]

scrolled a bit so hopefully this isnt super late, buuut heres this!

🥭Share a snippet (3-5 sentences / 1 paragraph) of lore you wrote and give us the author's notes/director's commentary!

this answer is so late im sorry ToT i had a hard time deciding what to share bc honestly i kinda just.. dont write lore lol (most of it is just kinda basic/straightforward descriptive stuff) BUT HERE !! :

"Forgotten legend tells of an ancient minor deity; a God of Flowers known as the Darling of the Glades, whom the Gladekeeper loved dearly. The God was a peacemaker and entertainer known for her kindness and carefree nature. In a conflict between the plague and nature siblings, the God of Flowers stood before the Plaguebringer and sacrificed herself to save the flora and fauna of the Viridian Labyrinth."

- Exerpt from my Clan progenitor Anemone's lore

i've had the idea of Anemone being a shapeshifter with a special connection to the Gladekeeper for a while now, but haven't written her any actual lore until recently. A really long time ago (back when I first joined in 2016) i wrote a little bit about how Anemone and her mate Bacarra met, but I didn't really feel attached to that story at all and basically haven't thought about them until a month ago.

The concept of doomed relationships in general had been stewing in my brain around then, but for Anemone and Bacarra, I went with a more "i will find/love you in every universe" type thing, which for me made their relationship feel 1000% more compelling. From there I took elements like a sacrificial deity relationship and worldly memory loss (which i admit were both inspired by genshin impact iykyk) as well as a deity/worshipper relationship turned romance for Bacarra (which is also definitely not inspired by tgcf). What can I say, my favorite straight relationship troupe is "GOD I LOVE MY WIFE!!" (<- not to say their relationship is entirely straight when one is a genderless shapeshifting ex-deity)

Putting this into lore also helped me connect Anemone to the Gladekeeper more intimately and give her a more solid/direct reason to have beef with the Plaguebringer

anyway I think I rambled enough about this and tysm for sending the ask!! Someday I will be inspired to write more storylike lore for my Clan...

[surely-galena]

Hey Galena!

Just a lil something i've been thinking about: How did Vincent meet Marius?

They're like the same age so they had to have met at presumably school or somewhere but to go from classmates to working for Marius? There's a story here and we're not getting it.

What are your thoughts on this? (back again with increasing Galena's Marius posts)

Hi hi Rose!

I'm so sorry for the delayed response, the combination of me being busy + the time it took to think about the ask (because it's really interesting!) meant that I took much longer to answer than I normally would.

[WC: 0.9K]

Actually for some reason I had assumed Vincent was a little older than Marius (thus following the pattern of Marius being the boss of people older than him), but I looked Vincent up in the ToT wiki and there is no canonical age. And it's true, Vincent does look really young! He could honestly pass off as 19 if he really wanted to!

But: to be able to work for the von Hagens, one thing is clear: you have to be exceptional. And since Vincent has been working for Marius for what seems like a fairly long time now (since he's trusted to do NXX work), I'm guessing he's probably around 20-ish by now.

So that brings us all back to what you said: he's probably super close in age to Marius.

We know that Payton has been working for the von Hagens since he was in his 20's (Blizzardous Threads of Red), and so there's no reason to think that it's not the same with Marius.

But let's follow the timeline: Marius only returns to Stellis after the Giann incident, which means we can probably surmise that Vincent only started working for him around then (the exception being: Vincent worked for Giann before and was just sorta... transferred). This isn't a long time at all, it's actually about the same amount of time Marius has known Vyn (which hey, means he got introduced to Vyn and Vincent, the two... uh.. Vin's).

So this is possibility #1.

Marius needs a P.A., Vincent wants an internship/job/work experience at a nice company so he can get some good things to put on his CV. For various reasons we'll brush over, he arrives at Pax and that's when Marius meets him (possibly through a series of interviews where Marius and/or Austin search for a good P.A.).

These are the Personal Assistant Trials, or PAT, if you will, where Vincent eventually comes out as candidate number one.

This feels to me like a fairly logical thing that could happen, but I also want to explore the other possibilities that could have occurred -- I mean canon hasn't said anything, so until then I have lots of space to play around with!

Possibility #2: Meet Cute (but platonic)

So let's say the whole PAT thing never actually happened, or that it did happen but Marius wasn't satisfied with the applicants (because they were all insincere or not the right fit or something).

Let's say Marius is still searching for the perfect assistant and Vincent, a fellow college student, is looking for a part time job to pay the bills. Maybe something happens where Vincent demonstrates his Highly Capable Skills and Marius decides to offer him an interview.

Like: it's 2 in the morning and Marius and Vincent end up being the only students left in the library, Marius because he really needs to finish an essay that was actually due at midnight and Vincent is there for... whatever.

Marius is absolutely exhausted, he's had a long day with classes and dealing with Pax and other people, and then he glances over at Vincent, who for some reason is still going strong. Like, he's typing on a computer with one hand and photocopying a textbook chapter in the other, and in the extra seconds where he doesn't need to hold down the textbook, he's crossing off various things on his to-do list.

Marius leans over and sees one of the things on the to-do list is a bit less easy to check off, like get a job or go to an interview, and his 2 am brain puts two and two together. He fumbles around for his business card and takes that leap of faith.

Possibility #3: They knew each other from the start

Okay, last scenario for now.

Actually, this one is where I try to explain why exactly Marius trusts Vincent so much, and it's if they had already met. Like, maybe Vincent was one of the good kids at school, like not just a good kid in the academic sense, but actually good to him. Maybe it went like this: Vincent never tried to take advantage of him, Vincent always smiled at him in the hallway, Vincent always offered him a juice box when he brought extra.

And so as they grow up and go their separate ways: with Marius taken out of school after the freezer incident and then later going off to Florence to pursue art, and Vincent doing... whatever Vincent does. (Accounting? Economics?) And when Marius returns to Stellis, now in need of someone he can count on, and he thinks of that one smart, quiet kid in class who had always been nice to him. He tracks him down eventually and they catch up, exchanging general how have you been's and what have you been up to's. Vincent admits that he's been looking for a job now, but hasn't had any luck since he's got virtually nothing on his CV. And something clicks in Marius' mind as he realizes there is a way they can both get what they want.

So yeah! I'm sure there are loads of other possibilities as to how they met, but this is what I have for now. Marius and Vincent's friendship is pretty subtle and lowkey in canon, but I genuinely think that they both care for each other in some way -- especially, again, if Marius trusts him enough with NXX work. Now that I think of it, we totally should have more Marius & Vincent content that isn't just "hey Vincent look at this database for me" / "okay cool be back in five".

Thanks for stopping by Rose!! I had a lot of fun with this ask :D

[smoll-stace]

I might have missed it but do you have a backstory for Ciel and Donovan

i got so excited at this ask ngl xD so I started ranting about my beans lol so i hope this answers your question even if it might be in a roundabout way. yes, indeed I do! (i have 700 posts so i can see why they are hard to find especially cause i can't tag xD) i have a few animations for Donovan that I have posted on here. and I'm working on either making a more explained version of the animations that isn't a music video but more of story format animation or a written story, depending on what i have time for in my current situation, thought that might be a long time coming since I have a very packed schedule. ToT Though I do have au animation and a few small writings that should be coming soon!

Ciel's backstory is still in wip stages, working out his emotions with his family interactions, and how i want his social life to be portrayed. But I should be having clips of his story out in the next month or so so keep an eye out if you are interested. As of yet though no gt interactions for his story. Just a lot of angst and sadge.

if you were interested in their first meeting here on earth, that story is on a back burner, but imagen quiet kid and sunshine child becoming friends, then high school sweethearts, this one I'm probably going to be writing, maybe later animating if I do want to subject my darlings to more animation xD maybe I'll add that to my new years resolutions! who knows?

here's some links to current works i have for Donovan and Ciel's backstory. :)

im now realizing how much art and writing i forget to post lol oh well

thank you for the ask! hopefully i'll be posting more of them soon xD

[underratedvocaloidtournament]

Is this tournament abandoned?

Teehee I really shouldve made a post XD Sorry for leaving it for too long I hope yall werent getting your hopes up </3

tl;dr- yes its abandoned, I got a ton of hate n didnt want to keep going

Yes, this is abandoned. If anyone would like to continue it on another account, I can give u the link/password to the bracket site n google doc w/ all the submissions, I just wont be continuing it. (Cant give u the password to this acct bcs its connected to my main...)

From the beginning I knew I would be corrected a lot, given that I started the tournament not even knowing "vocaloid" wasn't a catch-all for "vocal synth"!!! lol. I didn't know much abt vocal synths and wanted to know more, which is why I began this

Howeverrrr. Every poll I started earned me some form of hate or annoying ask in my inbox. "X is Y's worst song!! Why include it!!" (I didn't choose it. Also ar least send a replacement if u feel like that???) "You're being way too lax in the rules" (make ur own tournament) "You're being way too strict!!" (Make Your Own Tournament) "Why didn't you do xyz for this?" (Sorry? Idk??? Make ur own?????) "[long winded ask about how one character didnt win bcs the other was too popular and it was unfair]" (take it up with the submitter??? idk??? knew like three of these at the start). Among others that I dont want to venture into the inbox to paraphrase lolz

All of those can be constructive and helpful in their own right!! And many of them were!!! I greatly appreciate everyone who was kind in giving ideas for how to run the tournament, who to include, etc etc etc. All the asks ive answered and comments ive replied to are not the ones im talking about. Thank you all for your kindness ❤️ it is a loud minority doing this.

Eventually I took a short break for my finals (I'm graduated hs now!! yippee!!) and it was So refreshing not having every othe notif being an angry anon ToT so I kept putting off returning until now </3

Sorry for everyone who was excited </3 please forgive me ❤️

[anniesocsandgeneralstore]

@ahopelessromanticwritersworld requested: "I would like to humbly request number 19 from the kids prompt with Mickey and Reuben in the Werwolf au!"

|| prompt list ||

prompt: one is forced to take of a child and handles it much better than expected. when their significant other finds them, they're absorbed in a game with the child

au: werewolf

word count: 1125

warnings: domestic fluff, pregnancy mention, mickey and reuben being so in love

✎……masterlist on pinned

✎……sorry this took me so long, my darling <3

There was a knock at the door and Mickey jumped up from the couch to answer it. Reuben just chuckled at his mate, knowing how excited he had been for the past several weeks for this day.

Flinging open the door, he revealed his Alpha and Luna standing on the other side. Jake holding their one-and-a-half-year-old son on his hip, and Ronnie sporting a large baby bump.

“Hey, Noah, my little buddy!” Mickey greeted as he held out his hands for the tot.

And Noah went easily, little grin on his face showing off his dimples when he was finally in Mickey’s grasp. Noah was a cuddly kid. He would let anyone hold him if his parents allowed it. But if it was a member of the pack it was a whole nother story. Sometimes Jake and Ronnie wondered if he preferred the pack over his own parents.

Mickey moved away from the doorway, tickling Noah’s side to make his shoulders bunch up.

“Hey, guys, come on in,” Reuben said as he got up from the couch. 

“Oh, we’re actually here,” Ronnie joked, stepping through the threshold with a hand rubbing soothingly into her belly. “For a second there I thought we were invisible.” 

Mickey looked away from the baby with a guilty smile. “Sorry. You’re just not as cute.” 

“Hilarious,” Jake scoffed lightly with a smile, knowing it was true and setting down the stuffed full diaper bag at his feet.

Reuben came to stand beside his mate, hands in his jean pockets. “How’re you feelin’, Luna?”

“Very pregnant,” Ronnie replied on a sigh, “Ready to relax for a minute before pup gets here.” 

“Pup!” Noah echoed with a grin, finger pointed at Ronnie. 

“Yeah? Is your little brother in there?” Mickey asked, stepping closer so Noah could put his little hand on his mama’s belly. “Got any big plans for the babymoon?”

Ronnie shook her head as Jake came to stand behind her. Strong arms wrapping around her middle, chin hooking over her shoulder as he kissed lightly at her neck. Reuben smiled as he watched them. Listening to his Luna explain that they were just going to stay home, let Jake do the nesting he’s been itching to do for weeks now but couldn’t because of Noah. They were made to be parents, it seemed. Took to it like ducks on water.

Then Reuben glanced at his mate, who was bouncing Noah on his hip. And behind the excitement and joy, he could see a bit of longing there too. A bit of sadness, maybe. He could feel it. Deep in his chest, where his connection to Mickey laid. 

After a bit more small talk and catching up, Jake decided it was time to go with a nod towards the door and a grunt that made Ronnie affectionately roll her eyes. 

“Everything you need is gonna be in here.” She kicked the diaper bag lightly. “Diapers, wipes, extra clothes. Make sure you put the breast milk in the fridge. I know you have toys here but I packed a few of his favorites just in case. And seriously, don’t hesitate to call if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay, okay — now get outta here you two! Enjoy your last weekend as parents of one!” Mickey shooed them towards the door.

But he let them both get one last kiss and hug from their son. Then they were gone. Mickey and Reuben followed them out onto the porch, let Noah watch as they climbed back into their Subaru and drive away. His little hand opening and closing in a wave as they went.

It was a beautiful May afternoon, the sun shining bright in the clear blue sky, so Mickey and Reuben decided to play with Noah outside for a bit before he went down for his nap. It was mostly a lot of running around. Noah shrieking happily at the top of  his little lungs and laughing whenever one of them would catch him. But he seemed to be having fun and wearing himself out. 

But eventually he lost interesting in that game. Opting instead to look through their flower garden, which he knew not to pick from. Reuben and Mickey sat down in the grass not too far off with a huff. Mickey’s shoulder leaned into his mate’s side.

“God, he’s so fucking cute,” Reuben sighed as he watched him reach up for a flower, then retract his hand with a look like he was scolding himself. 

“I know,” Mickey agreed with a grin. “Who would’ve thought our Alpha could make such cute pups.” 

“I think it’s mostly Ronnie,” Reuben joked, and Mickey barked out a laugh with his head thrown back. Reuben kissed his cheek. “Gonna go get the little guy some water. Want anything?” 

“No, I’m good. Thank you though.” Mickey looked up at him with a smile. 

And he really couldn’t help it, Reuben ducked down and pressed a sweet kiss to his grinning lips. Then he got up and headed inside. 

The unit controlled air inside was refreshing to Reuben’s burning skin as he came in through the backdoor of their cabin. After digging through the diaper bag, pulling out the three pairs of pajamas and what felt like ten outfits that Ronnie had packed, he finally found Noah’s water cup to fill at the sink. It was nearing three, and the little guy needed to go down for a nap before dinner. At the very least, a few hours to rest. Maybe they could throw on Bluey — the only thing Jake and Ronnie would allow him to watch when he was over at someone else’s house. Any other time, they were pretty strict about no screens. 

As Reuben filled the sippy-cup, he could hear Mickey talking through the open window above the sink. Looking out, he smiled at the sight before him. 

They were playing some game. Noah pointing and babbling at his mate before he would turn away and do a lap around one of their garden plots. Little arms swinging at his sides and head tilting this way and that. Reuben laughed at the sight, wondering where he got that from. 

When Noah made it back to Mickey still sitting with his legs stretched out in the grass, he started babbling complete nonsense and pointing at him again. 

“You son of a bitch,” Mickey said like he had just been convinced of something before hopping to his feet. “I’m in.” 

Then Noah wrapped one hand around Mickey’s finger and started leading him around the garden. Reuben turned off the water with a smile.

When the weekend is over, maybe it was time to start talking about starting their own family.

i no longer have a taglist, please follow @anniesocsandlibrary and turn on notifications for updates

[hexcii]

HEY HI uhm so I'm the anon that sent u that ask yesterday, sorry it took me so long but I'm like, terrified of being perceived on the internet, but at the same time I love the dca community and would love to become part of it. I'm also not very familiar with how people just?? become mutuals??? like do u just ask people u'd like to befriend or?? tbh you dont even have to answer I just thought we have very similar tastes + I love ur art (also u do aerial silk dance THATS SO COOL)

HIIIIII!!!!!

No no you’ve got nothing to apologize for!! And yeah being perceived is just- yeah-

I honestly have no idea ToT I’m still fairly new to tumblr so I’m only just getting the hang of things- I’ve never fully understood how people can just ask others to be mutuals (although mad props to the people who do) but for me it’s more of a gradual thing :))

And thank you again!!! <333 And just because why not here’s a blurry ahh photo of younger me doing silks weeeee

[rlmartian]

ummm, no offense, but uhhhh, what do you have against pro shipping?

idk what proshippers even are, but i heard there basically people who don't think shipping is that big of a deal?

but I don't know could u pls explain?

Sorry it took so long and that this is gonna be short. If your still confused after you can ask in replies/reboots below or do another ask.

alright y’all listen up. Important topic. From my knowledge pro ship stands for problematic ship. So basically ppl who suport/ ship/sexualize/enjoy stuff like incest, abuse, assault and many other horrible things. Im just saying this basses off of what I’ve heard/seen aswell as other peoples bio’s I’m not sure how correct I am with this so if you’re confused or think my answer doesn’t add up you can Google it or something. I’m not exactly a professional with this stuff so I could tot be wrong. If I am I’ll prob end up changing my bio. I’ve heard the term used in a lot of different contexts and in many different ways. To one person it might mean someone who minds their own business and just focuses on their own ships. And others might think the more prevalent one I’ve herd which is people who ship relationships that have things such as pedophilia and abuse. So yeah not an expert so don’t take my words too much to heart but this is what Ik abt it