#the Demon is treated as if it's not real; like. a child's story to scare them into sleeping and not being powerhungry etc

[times-of-drought]

Storyteller Saturday! What is a Glass Demon?

Hello! Happy Storyteller Saturday! :3

The Glass Demon is Satan an ancient creature in the setting from one of my most polished plot-wise stories!

In the setting, the main kind of creature aside from humans is Elemental. There are many, many types of elementals, ranging from typical ones, like fire, to more uncommon ones, like light or even magic itself.

Unfortunately for both humanity and elementals, humans cannot inherently, directly create magic. It is not obtainable to them, simply put. They can, however, employ the 'help' of elementals, using them to craft more and more intricate spells or simply use magic for the human. A spell can be weaved by elementals and humans together, preparing it and storing it somewhere or in something (an artifact, an item, a scroll et cetera) and used by the human anytime, anywhere, so the profession of spellweavers who coordinate different kinds of elementals is highly respectable.

(It started out on rules of equality, but as elementals started being more and more exploited and bound by magical rules crafted by humans, less and less of them were free to do what they wanted and move where they wanted to. But that aspect of the kingdom where the story takes place is more about the story itself, not the Glass Demon fnksdj I got too far)(long story short, the kingdom 'employs' all elementals in it to serve humans. Every new elemental that is born there has to be woven into the pact, binding it like its parents.)

The Glass Demon is, at least now, more of a myth rather than a historical figure. A story told in plays and stories, The Bad Guy in any plot about overcoming the greatest evil. Everyone knows what the Glass Demon embodies, but almost nobody knows what really happened centuries ago.

There used to be a mage. The Mage, often called by haters The Sightless Mage. A real, full-blooded human, with all faults that came with that. They were power hungry, driven only by greed and pride. They were on top, with the greatest understanding of all intricacies of magic and spellweaving. They were not satisfied with that, however. They wanted to attain the unattainable - to be able to wield magic by themselves, with no assistance from elementals. It did not work out, to their dismay.

The only person who knows exactly how their current form came to be is the Glass Demon itself, but stories often involve the Mage employing dozens of elementals, experts in their craft, to help create the most foul artifact. It was supposed to be a new staff for the Mage, one that would allow them to directly use any kind of magic, with no preparation. Not a human, but still holding a copied human soul and The Mage's mind, causing them to be linked and have the same goals.

Well, the soul got copied and transferred, sure. One crucial bit of research The Mage missed to do before was that the soul is not linked to the body's mind. Transferring one does not inherently transfer the other.

I have to admit, the rule of the world was kept. What came out of the ritual was no human. But it was no staff, at least not after the first few seconds. A twisted form of sharp edges rang out the ritual circle, twitching surfaces and contorting in silent wails no-longer-flesh, seemingly shattered, constantly on the verge of falling apart in thousands of little, glittering pieces, The Glass Demon came to be. The first and last artificial elemental, albeit one with a human soul. At the beginning, the thing had no mind, only the most vile qualities inherited from the soul. In a bloody, murderous rage, it has slain its creator and their assistants. Alone, in a isolated vault, it has learned everything it could. Their form was not stable, constantly shifting and cracking with each step, but they have managed to at least vaguely hold a humanoid form. Full of hate, it started destroying everything they came across. Humans, elementals, villages and cities, nothing could resist the sharp, agonizing wrath.

Finally, after years of carnage, a counter-spell of sorts has been developed. Researchers found The Foul Mage's notes, their research, and crafted a binding curse.

Tricked, the Glass Demon was constricted into a shape similar to their original form - a silver staff the shape of a crescent moon, with the Demon's eye hanged between the tips, constantly looking out for victims.

The artifact not only has been sealed away, but additionally enveloped in layers of protective and offensive spells. Anyone who would try to reach the Demon would have to be an expert spellcaster, and after that whole debacle these have been strictly and closely monitored.

Not only that, but even if one managed to tear through all the layers, they still would have to be able to overcome the Demon, lest their form would be overwhelmed and destroyed by its power the moment they bound themselves to the staff just like a human would bind themselves to an elemental.

No human would have enough resistance to survive the binding and no elemental could bind itself to another, even if artificial, one.

Well. Until the main character of my story, Razareth, came along, a half human, half elemental ;)))

[mysicklove-main]

Parings: Yandere! Rengoku x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 14.3k (Part 1/3)

Warnings: This chpt is pretty chill so, overprotectiveness, slight possessiveness, vague meanings, rengoku personality does 180s, character injury, minor character death, gore (demon eating human and reader gets impaled)

Summary: Meeting the one you have idolized for years is a once in a lifetime experience. So, you live it up, baking him all the treats in the world. When you finally befriend him, you believe that everything is going great. But he keeps saying strange things, and is acting like he isn't leaving by the end of the week...

𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

Growing up, you have always idolized demon slayers. Your father was one, and he told you and your brother everything about them from a young age. Sure, it may have scared the daylights out of you, but at least you were forever prepared for the real world. 

He had planned to teach both of you the ways of a slayer, but he passed early into your childhood. With your mom passing at birth, it was only you and your older brother. The two of you made do with the loss.

Instead of following in your father’s footsteps, the two of you lived a simple life. The both of you live in a small cottage, just on the outskirts of a village. You woke up early every morning to sell fresh baked goods to the villagers, while your brother traveled west, aiding the sickly, and making money through donations. He always came back after one week of being gone.

When the two of you are together, you always are reminiscing over the stories your father once told. Most of the time referring back to how he met the Hashiras.

By god, you idolized them. You have always dreamed of meeting them like your father did. He described them as the most skilled people on the planet. The protectors of the human world. His words couldn’t help but draw you in. You wanted to know everything about them. How they trained, how they spoke, how they lived. 

You daydream all the time about meeting any of them. 

Specifically, the son of the man who once saved your father from death. Who granted him an extra three years with you. You have fond memories of how your father used to mention how strong the boy was from such a young age. The boy who was built to protect.

You dreamed of meeting him. You were a plain girl who lived a normal life, so you couldn’t even fathom the thought of being your age and fighting off demons. The thought of him drew you in and you vowed to someday find him.

You knew what he looked like. Your father went into detail about the child. The boy who looks like the flame. Fiery hair and eyes.

You shiver in glee like you always do when you think of your idol. He has to be your age by now, maybe a little older. You wonder what he is like, of course, he has to be unbelievably strong, but was he arrogant because of it? Or was he kind? You didn't care, you just want to see him. Talk to him. Just one time. That's all you needed.

“Hey, Y/N!” Your brother calls as you begin your journey toward the village. You turn, to see him in front of the house, his travel backpack on, and waving at you.

You frown. “You're not leaving right?” You respond, and the waving arm hesitates. He had just got home yesterday, he usually stays for a week before leaving.

“I have to! I just got word that someone needs my help.”

You sigh but nod. He always was so kind. “You'll come back? In a week?”

He grins at you, that bright smile he inherited from your father. You wish yours was as bright as his. That's part of the reason he was loved by all. “Always. I'll be back in a week’s time. Be good without me!”

You throw up a hand, waving him goodbye. “I will! Be safe!” You call and he smiles in return, before turning his back on you and beginning his journey.

You sigh when he disappears, sensing something amiss, but brush it off. Your worries always got the best of you, and you needed to focus. 

Alas, you begin to walk forward and toward the village.

You are greeted by your regulars, and many of the elderly come up to you to complain about how big you are getting. You always have to remind them that you are not a child anymore, but nevertheless, they never seem to get it. 

The villagers have always been kind to you, and you were forever grateful. With the lack of parents, it was nice to have someone to turn to for affection.

Currently, you were walking around and greeting the villagers, with your hands completely full of fresh goods. A handful of people approached you and paid their dues, with a warm smile. The business was going well, and you were having a nice time chatting with the villagers. 

You see a dark hooded figure in the distance, walking quickly toward you. Politely, you make your way to the other side of the road to avoid the stranger. You slightly nod to yourself and continue forward.

Suddenly, at a couple steps away they switch back into your lane and run completely into you. Their shoulder knocks into yours and you wince. Black gloved hands move quickly and you can see them snatch the money in your pocket. You can’t seem to do anything, because the force of his shoulder has sent you falling backward.

You land on your backside with a groan and watch all of your baked goods tumble across the pavement. Immediately you look up toward the stranger, but he was gone. So, you turn back toward the ground and try to scoop up any of the pastries you can. 

They are all ruined. You try not to let it get to you, but it hits you hard. You sit on your knees on the hard pavement and clench your fists, trying not to cry. All that time you spent baking and selling was for nothing. Just for some thief to steal your hard work from you. 

A shadow stands in front of you, but you ignore it, too focused on yourself to deal with another kind villager. You don’t want to lash out at them. 

A booming male voice says, “Are you alright?” 

You jump at the sheer power of the stranger’s call but continue to keep your head down. Tears were now pooling in your eyes and you quickly wipe them away. “I'm okay. It's fine, you can go now,” You mumble, but the shadow doesn't move.

“How could I leave a maiden in need?” He continues, still abnormally loud. You shake your head and sigh, before grabbing the remaining pastries and putting them back in their holder. When you begin to stand up, you feel a strong arm, grab onto yours and help ease your way up.

You finally look up to take in the man’s appearance and your eyes widen. Eyes and hair of a flame. A fire kimono. A sword connected to his side. 

This was him. The man you have wanted to meet your entire life. It had to be.

Your mouth hangs open as your mind blanks. He frowns slightly. “Are you alright, ma’am?”

“Its…It’s you,” You say breathlessly, not caring at the moment how strange you may sound.

He frowns even more at your vague statement. “Oh! Do you know me?” His voice causes some heads to turn, but he seems to ignore it, almost used to the stares.

You blink at him. You are at a loss for words. He was here. You didn’t actually think this would happen. It was supposed to be just a dream.   

A couple of seconds go by. 

He instead changes the subject at your silence. “Well! I see that you dropped these.” He points to the now dirty danishes. “How upsetting! I wanted to buy some. Will you make more?”

This seems to snap you back into reality and you begin to ramble nervously. “Oh…Yeah. A thief knocked me over and took my money. Just my luck, huh? But i'll be back tomorrow with fresh ones.” You're blushing. You didn’t say or do anything embarrassing, but the fact that you are finally in his presence is making you squirm.

He smiles and you tear your eyes away from him, a wobbly smile pulling at your face. “Great! I'll buy the whole bunch in advance!” He hands you a huge stack of money and you gape at him. He just handed you two days worth of cash.

“Sir, this is way too much!” You splutter, beginning to hand him back the money. He just laughs in return. His huge body tilts back with the booming noise. 

“Nonsense! It's to compensate for what the thief did to you.” 

“Are you sure sir? You don't have to do that.”

“I want to. As long as you promise to make more of those danishes!”

His kindness makes you beam and the words slip out of you before you could stop them. “You are so generous, sir. As expected of such a high-rank demon slayer!” 

You knew you sounded like a total fangirl, clutching your fists with sparkles in your eyes, but you didn’t care. The fact that you weren’t freaking out right now was impressive. 

He cocks his head to the side, the soft smile never falling. “You know who I am?”

“Of course, I know who you are! The flame harisha. One of the strongest demon slayers out there. I am a huge fan, sir!” You grin up at him, setting the ruined danishes aside, and he lets out another powerful laugh.

He didn't seem as shocked that you knew about demons as you thought he was going to be. Or maybe he was just hiding it pretty well. “I didn't know I had fans!”

You hum with a frantic nod. “If everyone knew what you did for us, you would have millions of fans!”

He places a hand on your shoulder and you buzz with happiness. “You are too kind, ma’am. But please don't give me so much praise! I am only doing my job.” 

You shake your head, “You’re being way too humble! You have no idea how great you are.” You pause, coming back to reality. You don't want to annoy the slayer with your useless rambling, he was a busy man.

You sigh and instead, bow. “Thank you for everything. I won’t take up your time.” Your voice is quieter and more controlled but still expresses your immense gratitude.

You grab your stuff and head home with a gleeful look in your eyes before he could even say anything. 

A second goes by and you begin to daydream about the types of danishes you are going to make for him. Suddenly, you feel a presence, so you turn to your side to see him walking beside you, a small content smile on his face. You almost jump, his movements were so silent, how did he catch up with you so fast? 

When he notices you take in his appearance he turns to you and grins. “You’ll be back tomorrow, right? I must dine on some of your baked goods!”

You match his intensity with a wide smile. “Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you, sir!”

“Please, call me Rengoku.”

“Of course, Mr. Rengoku!” You are buzzing again. Two conversations you have had with him and now you know his name. You couldn’t wait to tell your brother all about this.

“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow…” He pauses, turning toward you, hinting for you to continue.

“Y/N.”

“Tomorrow then, Miss Y/N. Stay safe!” And just like he appeared, he disappeared in a matter of seconds, while you are stuck red in the face from your idol saying your very own name. 

You could die happy.

You woke up extra early the next morning. The goods had to be absolutely perfect. You were determined for him to like them. You even used some frosting to draw little orange flames on them. You hoped he didn’t think they were lame. It’s definitely a very good possibility he did.

When the sun rose, you grabbed your iteams and quickly headed down the hill. The quicker you got there, the better. You didn’t want them to get cold.

The town was extra busy that day. More people greeted you on the streets and you had to apologize to many that you weren’t selling today. After all, he bought every single one.

Your head hung high and you were practically skipping around the town, beaming at anyone and everyone. 

You don’t seem to notice the small curb in front of you. You run into it, and screech when you begin to fall forward, not knowing what to do. You could drop your danishes and save yourself from pain, or you could move the basket up and brace yourself for a harsh fall straight to the face.

You weren’t about to let Rengoku’s desserts get ruined. 

Just as you were about to hit the floor you stop. You feel a hand on your shoulder, as you stare face to face with the ground. You clutch the pastries. “Miss Y/N, its a pleasure seeing you here!” The familiar voice calls and you turn red out of sheer embarrassment at the situation you are in.

He pulls you back with just one hand and you have to physically restrain yourself from fangirling. He held your entire weight with one hand like it was no big deal. 

You quickly turn around, trying to ignore the fuming of your face, and hold out the pastries to him. “Here! I hope you like them!” You exclaim while pulling the lid off to show him the decorated buns. You take in a deep breath and wait.

His eyes seem to sparkle when he takes in the frosting and you take this as a good sign. He smiles wide and grabs one of the goods. Without a second thought, he plops the entire thing into his mouth. 

He chews in silence, and you could almost hear your heartbeat pound as you wait for his thoughts.

With a swallow, his eyes fall back to you, and he says, “Tasty!” 

You beam instantly, matching his wide smile. “You think so?”

“I know so. These are one of the most delicious baked goods I have ever had!” The gleeful buzzing is back, you knew that your baking was good, but to hear it from his mouth was such a gift. 

He puts both hands on both of your shoulders and you freeze at the touch, internally freaking out. “Come with me, Miss Y/N. Let us eat them together!” He exclaims, before snatching the goods from your hands with one hand and pulling you behind him with the other. You don’t have room for protest.

He leads you to the edge of the town and plops himself on a curb behind a small restaurant, and faces the hill you live on. You sit next to him, and he doesn’t seem to care about personal space, because almost instantly he is crowding yours. 

You’re going to have to get used to this, you can’t freak out anymore than this.

He opens the box again and hands you one of the goods, but you pull away. “Those are for you, Mr. Rengoku. I can’t take something you bought!”

But, to your dismay, he grabs your hands, places a baked good into them, and shuts his fingers over yours. “Eat!”

You weren’t going to ignore his demand, so you pick up the bun and begin to nibble on it. He stares, waiting for a reaction. You smile hesitantly, “It’s good!”

“Right!” He exclaims before placing another danish into his mouth, with another loud, “Tasty!”

You begin to laugh at his antics. The way he yells, the way he dragged you away like it was nothing, and simply how enthusiastic he seemed to be. He was a strange man, but you couldnt help but like him even more.

He looks at you as he chews, while you throw your head back in a laugh. “Is there something funny?” He asks, glancing around the area. It was just the two of you.

“You are just so…so human!”

He mimics your smile, even if he is totally lost at your vague statement. “Well, I'd hope so!” He says before taking another huge bite.

Your smile softens as you stare at the food in your hands. “It’s just, I thought you would be different, you know? A Hashira, shouldn't you be super serious or arrogant?”

He swallows his bite and looks out toward the hill. His voice comes out softer, “You idolize me too much Miss Y/N. I am nothing but a man who must protect the weaker people of this world.”

“But do you want to? You aren’t forcing yourself to do this because of your father, right?” He turns to you with slightly wider eyes and blinks. The two of you remain in silence for a couple of seconds.

But then he grins, with the tilt of his head. He places a massive hand on the top of your head and you freeze. “Not to worry, Miss Y/N. I love what I do. I wouldn't change it for the world,” He says, slightly ruffling up your hair. 

Another couple of seconds go by as you think of what to say. But he speaks up before you do. “You knew my father?” The man prompts, turning his attention directly on you. It makes you nervous, his watchful eyes seem to take in your every move.

You press on either way, tearing your eyes away so you can focus. “No, but he saved my father about ten years ago. So, I am forever indebted to the Rengoku family. I cannot thank you enough, Mr. Rengoku. Even if it wasn’t you who saved my father, you and your family have protected so many people. Saved so many. It's incredible, really, you're incredible,” You hum and he continues to stare.

You continue, you have been waiting to tell someone this, specifically him, so you couldn’t stop the rambling. “All of the Hashira are. For years I’ve daydreamed about meeting them. You specifically.” You glance up at him and quickly look back down in embarrassment when you see his small smile. “I've always idolized you all. It’s strange to think, we are the same species, but you are someone who risks their lives daily to kill demons, why I sell pastries to keep food on the table. It’s kinda embarrassing when you think about it…” You trail off, taking another bite of the good to keep yourself distracted.

Seconds go by and you begin to get uncomfortable. You turn toward him to meet his watchful stare. His fiery eyes seem to look through you. “I’m sorry, did I make you uncomfortable? I said way too much, please just enjoy the bun, I'll be quiet, I promise!”

He sets the danish down and your eyes follow it with a slight frown. He forcefully grabs your hands and you quickly look up shocked at the sudden touch. “Thank you for the kind words!” He yells and you cringe slightly at the volume. “But like I said yesterday, we are just fulfilling our duty. You are not indebted to anything. And Miss Y/N please don’t think that way! You don’t have to kill demons to be great, you know. Being this good of a baker is way more important than someone like me!”

The way he says it throws you off. It all sounds so genuine like he truly believes that what you are doing is important. He definitely knows how to make someone feel special. “T-Thank you, Mr. Rengoku!”

He smiles wide. “Please, call me Kyojuro! I think we are going to be friends, Y/N!”

You are taken aback. You didn’t think you would ever be friends with someone like him. It makes you grin. “You really think so?”

“Yes! Besides how else am I going personalized fresh goods from a pretty lady?” He says, gently letting go of your hands so he can point to the wobbly icing drawing of a flame located on the center of the bun. 

Your face fumes, both from embarrassment at his compliment and the ridiculous decoration. You wave your hands in front of your face. “It’s nothing! You deserve much more sir—Kyojuro.”

“Nonsense! How could anyone deserve something so magnificent!” He declares, loud and full of pride. 

It made another small laugh slip through your lips. It was endearing to see how passionate he was about the smallest things. He was unreasonably kind to you. 

He grins with a small hum, when he sees you smile, before shoving another bun into his mouth. 

“Tasty!” 

And just like that, you made friends with a Hashira.

The two of you were quick to get closer to one another. I mean it was simple really, you interviewed him on his entire life story, while he happily explained. You bring him goods every day, and no matter how much you reassure him it’s fine, he always insists on paying you the full amount.

But nevertheless, you have been avoiding the question that hangs in the air. Why are you here?

You don't want to know. There has to be a demon near or else he would never come to this small town. You fear that when you ask that question it’s going to spur his leave. It’s been four days now. He has to be on his way soon.

You've grown attached even in this short period of time. He has to have that effect on others; you wouldnt believe him if he said otherwise. He was the type of person who people couldn’t help but be drawn to. It made you feel possessively good that he was spending time with you rather than the other villagers.

A shoulder bumps into you while you are lost in your daydream. You flinch back and into Kyojuro. He glances down at you and then snaps his gaze back to the man that knocked into you. In less than a heartbeat, the Hashira steps in front of you and grabs onto the jacket of the stranger. You could barely even process what was happening.

“Sir, I’d ask for you to apologize. You’ve disrespected a lady,” His voice is tight, but the Hashira smiles at the man. It makes you gulp.

You realized quickly that Kyojuro is…overprotective. It made sense though, his whole job is to protect people, but these were humans he was protecting you from. And most of the time they weren’t even doing anything amiss. Simple things like, a salesman having a snarky tone at you, a man trying to flirt with you for your service, a small child almost tripping you, or now, someone who accidentally bumped into you.

He never gets truly upset, the smile is still plastered on his face, but the tone is always sharp, dangerous even. His voice was powerful naturally, so to hear it shift was intimidating. 

You grab onto his arm before the man could speak. “It’s fine, Kyojuro. It was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention.” You turn to the man and quickly bow in apologies. 

His gaze sharpens, and you see his eyebrows begin to furrow at your actions. He didn’t seem to like this.

The man remains in his grasp. “Hey, you can let him go now,” You say, moving your hands to his fingers to try to coax them open.

His eyes remain locked on the man who was now struggling in his hold. “Apologize, sir.”

“Kyojuro, I said-”

He cuts you off, his loud voice cutting your train of thought short. “He touched you, so he must make up for it.” He smiles at you, but this time it doesn’t feel the same as it usually does. The malice in his voice is unhidden.

“I’m sorry! Can you just let me go you crazy bastard!” The man complains, grabbing at the Hashira’s wrist to pull himself away. 

In an instant, Rengoku drops him, and the man scampers away, mumbling curses underneath his breath.

You sigh, your gaze following the man that beginning to disappear into the crowd. When you turn back around, Rengoku is staring at you, the familiar small smile on his face. “Was that really necessary?” You whine.

He huffs a small laugh, before placing a hand on your head. Something he seems to do as a sign of affection. “Of course it was! I can't let you be treated that way!”

His usual smile is back and you find comfort in it. In these moments he was always different, but he always snapped back to usual not long after. So, you tend not to dwell on them.

“Whatever you say, Kyojuro,” You hum, before changing the subject. “C’mon, let's head back to my place, I wanna teach you something!”

He pauses, eyes slightly widening. He has never been to your place before. The two of you tended to stay in the village, spending daylight hours with one other. You have never asked him over, and at this time. It was almost evening.

It made him concerned. Do you invite other men over to your place? He knew you idolized him, but if you had met Tengen or Giyuu first, would you have invited them over as well? It made him feel strange to think about it. You were too accepting, you should be more cautious of inviting people over. The two of you only met a couple of days ago.

“You don’t have to go if you don't want to…” You say, your voice unsure at his original silence.

He snaps back to reality, and blinks at you a couple of times, before grinning wide. “I would love to go!” He bellows, causing heads to turn. 

You’re used to it by this point, so you grab his hand and lead him up the mountain.

He looks massive in your small cottage. It wasn't just his height. It was his overall frame that made him look so out of place. It wasnt built for a Hashira to live in.

You decided not to comment on it, you didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Besides, a demon slayer needs a frame like that. It was rather intimidating.

You lead him into the kitchen, pulling him away from the shrine dedicated to your parents. He didn’t comment on it, instead bowing low and letting himself be dragged. 

You begin to pull out your baking materials, while he stands and watches, occasionally asking if you need any help, to which you deny with a hum.

Finally, once settled you dramatically slam your first on the table, and look up at him with a smile. His eyes follow your fist in a confused, but delighted stare. “I am going to teach you how to bake!” You exclaim, hands thrusting into the air with excitement.

His eyes light up. “Tasty!”

You in turn roll your eyes, the smile still plastered on your face. “That's the goal. I hope that you can make your own goods when…you know.”

His eyes soften, and his voice drops. “I leave?”

“Yeah.”

He walks over to you, and he uses his hand to lightly trace the area near your temple, bending down slightly to meet your gaze. “Don't worry about that for now. We've got time.”

Your mind travels back to that question.

Why are you here? 

You ignore the recurring thought. It never seems to leave you alone. It wasn’t worth thinking about it. You were here with your idol, and that should be enough for you. Just meeting him should have been enough. You found yourself getting greedy.

You nod into the touch, blushing slightly, when he pulls away with a hum. You never got used to how physically affectionate he was.

He seemed to think nothing of it, constantly brushing his hand against your body. You’ve thought it was an accident at first, when his hands lingered on your hips for a second too long, or when his hands seem to twitch when they graze yours. But when he led you through a crowd with a hand on your back, it made you realize how touchy he must be.

You didn’t mind of course. If he was showing any affection toward you, it had to be a blessing. Demon slayers would kill to talk to a Hashira, nevertheless, be friends with one. 

“So where do we begin?” Rengoku prompts, rubbing his hands together as to prepare them for heavy work. 

You laugh, cutting your thoughts off, and begin the lesson.

It turns out he is horrible at baking. For all of the talents he was gifted with, the kitchen was not one of them. 

He tried, truly he did, his face is covered with flour, and whenever you asked if he needed help, he pretended that he was doing completely fine. It was cute, really.

But, after twenty minutes of struggling to follow your commands, you saw him begin to get frustrated. His brows were pinched as he tried to knead the dough, way too hard than usual. His fingers dug into it, and you heard his noises of annoyance under his breath. 

You walk over to him and stand next to him, before reaching over to put your hands on his. “Gently, Kyojuro. Like this.” You murmur, before guiding the both of your hands to knead the dough, gently this time. 

His hands are much larger than yours, and you struggled to move them, but he went completely lax under your hands. He lets you lead them into the repetitive motion, while you mumble instructions. 

His silence becomes deafening. Rengoku isnt one to stop talking, especially in situations like these. 

You glance up at him, to see that he is staring at you. His eyes are opened wide, his mouth curled up in a small content smile. “What?” You muse, automatically removing your hands from his. His smile drops when they leave.

“That's the first time you touched me.”

“What? No, it’s not, I feel like the two of us are always somehow touching one way or another.”

He barks a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, but I always initiated them. You touched me, Y/N!”

You turn red. “Am I not allowed to?” You say, trying not to let the embarrassment get to you.

“Of course not! Please, feel free to touch me at any time and anywhere!”

“Don’t say it like that!”

“What? I am merely speaking the truth. I enjoy it immensely when you touch me, Y/N!” Your hand covers his mouth before he could get anything else out. He blinks at you, before closing his eyes with a wide smile. Probably grateful you were touching him again.

What he was saying was true. You tried to keep a little bit of space between the two of you. Even if he enjoys physical contact, you didn’t want to catch him on a bad time and have him snap on you. Honestly, you don't want to do something that may make him upset, because the idea you have of him in your mind would be tarnished. You like how you see him now.

“Are you done now?” He nods frantically under your hand. You pull away and he beams at you. It was rare to see him not smiling honestly. 

He turns back to the dough, a determined look on his face. “Alright, I believe I can do this! Gently this time!” 

You nod and stand close to him as he begins to try to knead the dough. 

Too soft. Way too softly. It looked like he was afraid to touch it. You sigh. “Kyojuro, I don't think this is going to work.”

His body snaps over to you, his eyes wide and looking a little panicked. “What’s not going to work?” He splutters. 

It was the first time he didn’t look like a Hashira in your eyes. He looked like a regular man, who also have their fears and worries. But you have no idea what he seems to be worried about. 

You place a hand on his lower arm and tilt your head to the side in a soft grin. His eyes flicker to it, and his body seems to jolt at the touch. He focuses his stare on you. “You baking. I think you should stick to demon-slaying, hmm?”

“But how am I supposed to eat these delicious goods?”

You pause, using your other finger to tap your chin. “You could visit me from time to time and I can make them for you.”

He stares at you, a small frown on his face. He seems to do this a lot, you’ve taken notice too. The staring. It’s like he goes into a whole different world when he looks at you. Sometimes he would speak on what he was thinking about, others he would change the subject.

It seemed that he felt like talking today. Even if the results shocked you so. “Or you could live with me!” He exclaims so loud you swear you saw your porcelain cups shiver.

You blink at him. He smiles in return, and grabs both of your hands, cupping them in his own. “What?”

“I said, you could live with me!”

You shake your head, eyes flickering to your hands in his hold. “No, I know what you said, but what are you talking about? I can’t just pick up and move in with a guy I just met, simply because you like my danishes.”

His smile falters. “It will be more than just you baking for me, I promise Y/N. Besides, we met four days ago and we seem to get along perfectly!  Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, you are a Hashira after all. The world has to trust you.”  He doesn't seem to like this answer. His smile drops completely now, and his eyebrows slightly furrow. You gulp, not wanting him to be upset at you. “I mean–It's just that I can’t leave my brother alone! I have to stay here and watch the house when he is gone!”

He drops your hands, the smile returning. “Of course! The brother. You are so kind, Y/N, really.” His hand lands back on your head, ruffling the lose strands. His voice seems to be just barely strained, and the grip on your head is a tad bit harsher than usual. Not enough to hurt, but enough to notice the difference.

It’s not that you don’t want to go with him. It would be a dream come true to live with a Hashira. But you weren’t dumb. You knew that underneath the kimono and the blade by his side, he is still a man. A strong one at that. 

The thought made the image of him in your head start to blur once more. You are getting too close to him, and although it was nice to be his friend, when he leaves you don’t want to think of him any differently.

You focus on the task at hand. You fix your hair quickly, while he laughs gently. You beam back at him. “Well, lets finish teaching you how to bake!”

“Right!”

Tomorrow your task was to pick up necessities from the village next door. Stuff like flour, cloth, string, baking supplies, and maybe, if you made enough this week, a new pair of shoes. You go on these trips once every three weeks. They took about the whole day, as it was about a five-ish mile walk and you needed to visit many different shops.

So, you couldn’t see Rengoku tomorrow. The thought made you a little sad, but the two of you had seen each other for five days in a row. You didn’t want him to get sick of you anyways.

The two of you sat on the bank of the nearest river. Him filling up the containers for you, even when you tried to stop him, reassuring you that you could do it by yourself. He didn’t listen of course.

It’s silent between the two of you, instead listening to the sounds of the river passing by. His leg is touching yours. You don’t know if it’s purposeful or not. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” You hum, trying to start up a conversation.

Silence. Your eyes flicker to him. He stares at the ground, eyes wide, and darting back and forth along the grass, as if trying to process something. His hand grips his kimono. “Where?” He breathes, after a couple more seconds of thick tension.

You try to laugh it off, confused by the mood shift, and his eyes snap toward you. Recently, he has gotten more…serious. It made you even more afraid that he was beginning to not like you. “Where?” He questions again, his voice louder this time.

“To the next village over. Need some supplies. It will only take a day,” You reason, and you swear you could see his body begin to relax. 

And suddenly, as if nothing happened, he turns to you with a grin on his face. “Of course! We shall go together!” 

You blink at him, the thoughts of him getting sick of you resurfacing. Besides, he had a mission to do, you know he did, whether he told you or not. “I appreciate that, Kyojuro, but I kinda wanna do this alone.”

His grin falls in a heartbeat, and his eyes become wide again. Similar to how he looked yesterday. Panicked. “Are you sick of me?”

“What? No! Of course not. How could I ever get sick of you?”

He huffs, turning toward you. “Then we go together!”  

“But,” You continue, causing his smile to drop. “I think it’s a good idea for us to spend some time apart. We’ve only just recently met, and we have spent every day together.”

“That’s true! But we are enjoying it, are we not?”

“Well yeah, but we may not…soon.”

“Why?” He begins to move closer to you. You can almost feel his breath on your skin. The proximity makes you shiver.

“Because…Because I don’t know! That’s just how it works.”

“I will always enjoy spending time with you, Y/N. I hope the same for you.” He says that now, but you don’t believe him truly. It’s human nature for one to need alone time. It was strange that someone like him who works alone most of the time doesn’t understand it.

Your head is scrambling for something else to say, and without meaning to you tell him what you have been wanting to know for so long. “Kyojuro, what are you even doing here?”

He falters at this and your own eyes widen. You didn’t mean for it to come out like that. “I’m sorry–I meant, It’s just…are you on a mission out here?”

He smiles at you, his gaze soft, like you say anything, and still, he wouldn’t be mad at you. “Yes. There is a group of demons near the woods. I’m here to end them!” 

His story sounds plausible, but you weren’t stupid, he was a Hashira. This mission should have ended after at most two days. And not only that, you haven’t heard of any people going missing. Was he saving them and taking his time to kill the demons? 

Rengoku wouldn’t do that. The flame Hashira would never leave demons walking on this world willingly. He must be planning a strategy to kill them. He must be. 

But you’ve heard stories of how his father took down hundreds with little to no trouble. Was Rengoku weaker than you thought?

You couldn’t stand the thought of the glorified picture in your head being damaged.

So, you nod. “Well, you should probably stay here to protect the villagers in case something goes amiss?”

“Don’t you worry, my Y/N! Demons don’t come out in the day! The villagers will be completely fine with my absence. Please let me come along! I will not be a nuisance!”

He seems adamant about him coming, and you didn’t want to be a bother. So, with one last sigh, you nod and give in. Besides, you wouldn’t ever be sick of him, and you couldn’t help but cling to the idea that maybe he wouldn’t be either.

The Hashira accompanied you on your journey the next day, grinning the entire time while carrying your bags.

Two days have passed by. You’ve been with him for six days in a row now, and honestly, you’ve never been better. You were wrong about the idea of getting sick of him. Nothing about him steered you away.

In fact, you believe that you have started to have a crush on the Hashira. 

Not that you would ever admit it. It was a ridiculous idea, but you couldn’t help but fall for him. It wasn’t even him being a Hashira that drew you in now, it was his personality. Sure, he would always make you feel safe and protected from harm, but it was the way he smiled at you that made your heart flutter. The way he was always so polite, and treated you with the utmost respect.

You haven’t experienced many people like him, so like a moth to the flame, you began to fantasize about what it would be like to be with him. 

But, it was naive of you. He was bound to leave soon. A group of demons has ought to be killed soon. If not, his master would surely call upon him soon.

You were growing too attached to him. It was weird to think about how you would have to start doing everything alone again. How silent everything is going to be again. 

If you went with him, what would life be like for you?

You throw the thought out. You couldn’t leave your brother alone, he’s all you had left. The two of you needed each other to survive.

“I feel jealous of whoever you are thinking about, Y/N,” Rengoku calls from behind his shoulder, as he helps you put away some dishes. He turns to you with a smile on his face.

You laugh lightly, beginning to get used to his teasing. “Aw, too bad you’ll never know.” 

He sets the dish down and begins walking over to you, with a small smirk and raised eyebrow. You don’t move. He approaches you, much too closely as usual, and you try to refrain from blushing. “What?”

“And if I make you tell me?” He questions, eyes staring deeply into yours.

“Hmmm, how?”

His smile widens at your tone. “I have some ideas!”

You laugh at this and jab a finger into his chest. “You, my Hashira, wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

He blinks at you. “You know just what to say to make a man blush!” He exclaims, the familiar loudness returning. It was true, his face seemed to have a twinge of pink.

It took you a second to understand. You didn’t mean it like that. The “my Hashira” was only supposed to tease him in turn. It made you fume from embarrassment. You begin to scramble to explain yourself, but he places his large hand on your head again.

His voice goes softer. “But my flame, that isn’t true. Please don’t doubt me. I wouldn’t hesitate to end someone if anyone hurts you. It’s my job to protect you.”

The seriousness in his voice makes you uneasy. “A demon right? Not a human?” You question, sounding way more nervous than you should be. The way he said it made you really think about how strong he truly is. Without a second thought, he could kill you or anyone if he wanted to. 

This thought confused you. Rengoku would never hurt you, nor any human, why does the thought seem to leave a chill down your spine? How are you having these thoughts, when not even a minute ago you were thinking about potentially leaving with him?

He stares at you, the smile not leaving his face. “Exactly,” He says, and then removes his hand from your head, to turn back to the dishes. He was always booming with confidence, why did he sound so doubtful?

Why are you questioning a Hashira’s morals?

You have to get your mind off the subject. It was making things complicated and you were allowing paranoia to get the best of you.

You creep up next to him, grabbing the clay cup from his hands, and away. “Kyojuro, do you remember the time I showed you how to bake?”  

He turns to you with a wide smile, eyes lighting up. “Of course! They were delicious!” Well, yours were. His didn’t turn out as well. You gave up on teaching him how to bake correctly, and he didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Well, you must pay a price for my knowledge,” You hum, turning your back towards him to hide your smile.

“Not to worry, I will pay for all the ingredients!”

You roll your eyes at the offering. “A different price. I did you a service, now you have to do me one.”

Footsteps approach you rapidly, and suddenly his chest is against your back. You jump at the feeling and crane your head to look up at him. 

Two bright eyes stare down at you, blinking owlishly. His hands fall to your shoulder, and his smile is different this time. It seems more like a smirk, rather than a grin. But still, you could tell that the man was practically gleaming. “What type of service, Y/N?”

His low voice startles you, and you flush at the noise. As on instinct you jump away from his hold and turn toward him. “Not that type of service!” You scramble out, trying and failing to keep your cool.

He laughs at this, and you clench your fists in embarrassment. “I apologize, I was teasing you, Y/N!” When you don’t respond, he continues, tone lighter than before. “I am at your beck and call, what do you need from me?”

“I would like for you to teach me some basic self-defense mechanisms.”

His eyes sharpen in an instant, the laugh in his voice gone. “Why? I will protect you.”

You frown at him, not expecting this reaction. “When you leave, Kyo.”

“You don’t need to protect yourself, I said this earlier. I will not let anything touch you. It’s my duty.”

“When you leave,” You repeat when he doesn’t get the memo. He’s acting like he could protect you even when is gone for his next mission.

His eyebrows furrow and his voice comes out flat. “Do you want me to leave?”

It feels like an accusation.

“What? No, but its inevitable.”

He grabs onto your hands and holds them tightly. It feels more than a regular friendship hold, it seemed desperate, but you were too engrossed in the situation to even think about that. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

You try to pull away, but he holds them in place. Your voice goes softer, almost as if you were soothing a small child. “I can’t go with you, Kyojuro and you know that. My brother needs me.”

His smile drops in an instant and his face turns cold. “Fine. I’ll teach you. Let’s go outside.” The swordsman says cooly, dropping your hands and beginning to walk toward the door of your house. 

Regret fills your veins. You have never seen him upset at you, and you have no understanding of what you did was wrong. He should know that the two of you living together was strange. Unless he was asking for marriage? But that doesn’t seem right, he hasn’t made any romantic moves on you and he would need your brother’s blessing to even be considered.

Or was it asking him to train you that made him upset? But that also didn’t make any sense. Wouldnt he want you to be more protected? Learning basic self-defense is something that everyone should know, and could possibly save your life. 

He was so confusing. In one second he’s smiling at you with stars in his eyes, and in the next, he seems to be a completely different person. 

Who was he, really?

You scramble toward the door.

He stands in front of you, back facing you. His figure stands tall, and his hair gently falls on the top of his shoulder. Even from far away, he oozes with power.

You tip-toe your way over to him, gulping when his eyes flash to you the second your feet land on the pathway. You smile awkwardly at him, and he in return nods his head with a huff. He turns around to face you. The two of you stand in front of one another in silence. 

You begin to apologize, the strange mood was not something you intended, but he cuts you off. “To begin, take out the knife in your pocket.”

You flinch, staring at him in shock. You never told him about the knife you store in case of emergencies. It’s hidden beneath enough fabric that nobody could feel it on you even if they patted you down.

He watches you begin to scramble for an explanation and laughs. The powerful noise throws his head back, with the return of the smile. Another strange shift in his personality. But you don’t mind it at the moment. The cold shoulder he gave you worried you. The laugh makes you feel more at ease immediately, almost forgetting completely about the knife. 

“I saw a glimpse of it when you reached for the top shelf!”

A simple explanation. Obviously, it had to be, you were being dramatic, Rengoku would never do anything weird. So, you just nod at him and reach into the cloth to pull out the steel blade. 

It was nothing fancy, but your father gifted it to you when you were younger, so you treasured it deeply.

“Great job, Y/N! Now attack me,” He beams, stepping a couple of feet away to give you running room.

You blink at him, trying to ignore the borderline embarrassing encouragement. He said it like you actually did something great. “What?”

“You heard me! Attack me! Pretend I am the thief from a couple of days back!” You do what he says without much hesitation. You asked to be trained, and he knows exactly how to do it. Besides, he was a trained swordsman it’s not like you were going to actually land a blow on him.

You charge at him and swing the knife up toward his shoulder. As expected, he dodged immediately. He now stands behind you. “Again!”

You shift your feet toward him, clenching your teeth as you take another strike, this time aiming for his neck. Like before, he seems to disappear. An arm grabs onto your wrist. He quickly moves your hand positioning on the blade, huffing when satisfied. “That was great Y/N!” 

You nod your head, ready for some pointers or any sort of criticism. But Rengoku just stands a couple feet away, and waits for another attack. You grip the knife, and try a different strategy, instead aiming for his feet. It’s useless, he jumps away. “Creative!”

You huff from the exertion and glare at him. Frustrated at the lack of advice, you speak up. “You are supposed to be teaching me.”

He flashes you a grin. “I am!”

“No, you’re not. Your toying with me. How am I supposed to get any better?”

“I actually think you are great at self-defense! And with me around you will never be in danger. I think its time to head inside for the night!”

When he turns to walk away, you jump in front of him, clutching the base of the knife. “Kyo, this is training for when you are gone.”

His eyes flicker to the blade, and for a moment, his voice is flat. “If you want to continue, keep swinging at me.” You obey his command and try to slam your arm into his shoulder. He continues, voice now expressing more of his emotions, “Why do you keep bringing that up? We will deal with that later!”

You scan the area for where he landed after the dodge. “Your mission is bound to end soon. I know how these things work, my father told me about it. You will leave and it will be soon.”

With a swipe to his collarbone, he jumps back behind you, and you feel his hand caress your neck. You shiver at the soft touch of his calloused fingers. His breath is right next to your ear. “Are you forcing me away?”

You clench your teeth at this and try to turn to him, but he has already moved. “Why do you keep saying these things?”

“Because it sounds like you want me to leave. Is that it, Y/N? You’re sick of me already?”

Another swing, you're so worked up that you don’t even care where to aim at.

“No! My god Kyojuro, you are acting so strange!” In an instant, you feel the blade come in contact with flesh and you freeze. Your heartbeat picks up, eyes wide, as you stare at the Hashira.

Blood drips from his hand and feel yourself pale. Your pulse picks up when the Hashira eyes for the first time during this training leave yours. He hisses out in pain and you watch his eyes widen at the wound. 

“Oh. Ow.”

You immediately rush over to him to make sure he was alright. You grip his hand, mind trying to grasp anything your brother has taught you. You half drag him to your cottage, dropping the knife midway. He follows behind you silently, holding his hand up to try to slow the bleeding.

You push him into the nearest chair, and scramble toward the first aid kit your brother left. 

When you return, he’s staring at you silently, like he is waiting for some sort of reaction. You pay no mind to it, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. 

You kneel down in front of him and he jumps, grabbing onto the chair with the other hand. You glance at him with a raised eyebrow, before grabbing his hand and beginning to clean the wound. “I'm sorry. I should have been paying attention. I didn't mean to.”

“Hmm. It really hurts.” His tone comes out whinier than you have ever heard before and you begin to really panic. He was a demon slayer, he must get hurt all the time, and if this was hurting him, then it must have been a sensitive spot.

When you pour alcohol on the injury, he hisses and you place a hand on his leg to try to comfort him. You feel his gaze on you, as you hold back tears, the guilt tearing ruthlessly at you.  “I’m sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?”

A smile begins to resurface and you feel better almost instantly. “No more lessons?!” he says, placing the other hand on your head again. 

Why was he so insistent on you not being able to protect yourself? Wouldnt he feel better knowing that you can be safe on your own? 

Maybe he has some sort of traumatic past for self-defense that you don’t know about? You don’t know much about him, so that does sound like a reasonable answer. 

 “Of course! I promise I won't ask again.” 

He beams down at you and your heart begins to pound, like it has been the past couple of days. “Great!”

You nod at him, and his eyes flicker to the hand still placed on his leg. You immediately pull away from him, embarrassed, but he grabs it before you can fully remove it. “One more request.”

You try your best not to blush, as he places the hand back on his leg, and begins to rub his thumb over the back of it. His voice softens, and his stare is unwavering. “You have to dote on me. I’m injured, so you can't leave my side until I have healed.”

You blink slowly, but nod your head automatically. It was his dominant hand that was injured, so he may struggle with basic tasks. Plus, you didn't mind not leaving his side. It’s not like the two of you have not been glued to one another since you met. It wouldnt be that big of a change. “Of course! I'll take care of everything. You don’t have to lift a finger. I’m sorry again, Kyojuro.”

He smiles, with a tilt of the head and picks up your hand, giving it a gentle, but affectionate squeeze. “Nonsense! But Y/N, I need you to promise not to leave my side. Do you understand?”

The intensity in his words makes you hesitate. “Until you are healed?”

His words become more frantic, and the grip on your hand tightens. He refuses to look away from you, the bright eyes seeming to peer into you. “Yes. Can you promise me?”

You had no idea why he was so insistent about this right now, but you give in immediately under his stare. “I promise I won't leave your side.”

He stands up, pulling you up effortlessly with him.“Good! Now, don't you think its time for bed!”

You pause for a second, completely forgetting about the fact that he was spending the night. At night he was off slaying demons, or so you assumed, so you never really saw him past sundown. You glance at the hand and sigh, he must have to stop because of you. You ignore the ache in your heart. You already apologized, it was the best you could do.

“Sure. You can sleep on my brother’s cot. He isn’t here.”

He uses your hand to pull your forward, so you had to look directly up at him. You are used to the forwardness, so when you collide with his chest, you don't even question it. “You just promised,” He says with a cocked head.

“But you won’t need any help when you're sleeping!”

He throws his head back in a laugh. “You never know! Besides, I think–” He hisses out and his eyes fall back to the injury. Your own eyes widen and quickly cup the injured hand, worry plastered on your face.

You are quick to reply, not wanting to make it harder for him. “Okay. I'll bring the cot into my room!” You scramble out, before heading into your brother's room and beginning to drag it over. 

He starts to walk toward you, as to help you, but he stops midway. He glances at his hand, and then sighs gently, fidgeting as he watches you move the cot by yourself.

Once finished you turn to him with a small smile. “I am going to get ready for bed. I can lend you my brother’s sleep attire?” 

“It’s okay! I have clothes under my kimono that I wear to bed.” He says, already peeling himself from the top layer of clothing. You slam the door shut immediately, and you hear the booming laugh from behind the door.

As you head back to wash your face, your mind travels back to the incident. No matter how you think about it, it was strange. He dogged every single one of your attacks without even a hint of a challenge. It was like he wasnt even taking you seriously.

So how did you land a blow? You were just a regular girl and he was a trained Hashira, ready to defend himself at any moment.

Was this on purpose?

But Rengoku wouldn’t do anything sly. He was always kind to you, and a Hashira. Hashira’s don’t trick people, they protect them from people who scheme.

He must have been distracted from the whole self-defense thing. You should really stop doubting his morals.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a slightly burnt piece of paper on the floor. About the size of a letter. 

Immediately, you wander over to it, confused because you haven't received a letter in a while. Plus, you would have read it before and why was it opened?

When you bend down to pick it up, a hand lands on your shoulder. You jump back in shock, to see a shadowed figure.

You know it’s Rengoku, even in the darkness, his figure is very much defined. But the presence still makes you unnerved. Maybe it’s the fact that you can’t see his smiling face in the darkness. “Kyo?”

His voice is flat. “C’mon, Y/N. Let's go to sleep.”

Your eyes flicker toward the paper on the floor. “Sure, one second I just need to–”

“In the morning. Please? I can’t go to sleep if you aren't there.” You feel the brush of the bandages on the back of your neck. It makes you shiver, and remember his injury. You clench your fist for a second, but sigh and turn around. 

He was right, it will be there tomorrow, and besides it would be hard to read at this time anyways. “Right.”

As the two of you lay next to one another, his non-wounded hand brushing over your face, you make small talk. The two of you whisper in the dark and laugh over nothing important.

He tells you stories of the demons he slayed, and you unconsciously lean even closer to hear them. He is powerful, and kind, and smart, its overwhelming that someone like him is next to you.

You see a hint of a smile in the darkness. “What are you thinking about?” 

“You are so cool Kyojuro.”

His body rumbles with a laugh, quieter than usual since its late and the house is silent. “You praise me too much.”

He leans closer, and the two of you are only a couple of inches apart now. “It’s true. Do you know what I give to be like someone like you?”

The face petting stops for a moment. “I don’t like that idea. It’s too dangerous out there for you. I like the thought of coming home to you, with fresh goods in your hands. Safe and away from any threats”

Your face heats up at the words. He makes it sound so romantic, and to be honest, you don’t mind the idea. But your brother should be home any day now. “I can’t live with you. You know this.”

He hums at you. “What if I told you I have fallen for you?” He murmurs, his voice low and soft. His calloused fingers return to tracing your face.

Your heartbeat picks up, and he must have noticed, because he chuckles lightly. “You like me?” You say, eyes wide, wishing desperately to see his face better in this moment.

“Is that outlandish?”

You look away, instead focusing on the shadows of your fingers. “Well…I don’t know. I’m just surprised.”

“I thought my intentions were clear. Please forgive me, if I confused you.”

It made sense that he was pursuing you. All the stares and the adoring touches. You just didn’t want to think of the possibility of someone as amazing as him liking you. Didn’t want to think of the fact the two of you won’t work out. “No, you didn't, it's fine. I actually like you too…But you are leaving.”

“Come with me. Live with me. I will treat you well. We can be happy together.”

At this point, the two of you were going in circles. You have had this conversation multiple times, and still, he doesn’t seem adamant about giving up. “I won’t leave my brother alone.”

He rolls himself on top of you, most likely annoyed that you weren’t looking at him anymore. He rests his body on his forearm, and his hair brushes your face. His voice is in a hoarse whisper. “You are too kind, Y/N. Think about yourself for once.”

You try your best to ignore the position. His body seems to engulf your own, and it makes you feel unreasonably small, but you’re unwilling to back down. “You know I can't do that. You know what it is like to have a sibling.”

His eyes become wider, and more desperate looking. You can’t meet his stare. “What if he was gone? You would come with me, right?”

Your head snaps back to him, and you look at him in shock. “Why would you say something like that?” You seem to hiss out.

At your tone, he becomes meeker, as if he was hiding into himself. He rubs his forehead against yours, with a hint of a whine in his throat. “Do you even like me?”

You immediately regret what you said, and instead begin to grow concerned. You have never seen him sound so upset before. “I do. I promise I do!”

His head falls into your neck, and his body begins to tremble. “You're causing me so much pain, my flame,” he whines and you begin to internally freak out.

Rengoku was never one to get his emotions involved. He was always upbeat with you, and the fact that he was so hurt over this must mean something big to him.

You place your hand on the back of his head, to try to get him to calm down. He was your idol, and now crush, you didn’t want to see him hurt, but you love your brother.

“If my brother found somewhere to live and be happy with, I would go with you. But he isn’t looking for a wife currently. So, I can't. I would love to, but I can't. I’m sorry, Kyo.”

In a heartbeat, his mood switches. He pulls his head out of your neck and begins grinning from above you. He rubs his nose onto yours, and you on instinct scrunch it up in surprise. “You want to. That's all I need. You want to live with me. Thank you. Thank you, so much!”

He rolls the two of you over so now the both of you are on your cot, with your head on his chest. You smile lightly at him, glad whatever you said finally made him calm down. 

His non-dominant hand rests on the back of your head, and you blush, finally taking in a new position. His body expels warmth, and you find comfort in it. 

Savorying the last amount of time you have with him to the fullest. It’s getting harder to ignore the ache in your chest whenever you think about him leaving.

Slumber begins to take a hold of you, and you listen to the rhythmic sound of the man’s heartbeat.

A couple of minutes go by, and you hear a whisper near your ear. “My flame?”

You hum and try to hold back a smile. “I like the nickname.” 

He chuckles, and your body shakes from the force of it. “Me too. But Y/N, make sure you come back to me. Always. Do you understand?”

You yawn, in your half-sleep state, but mumble out a, “Okay.”

He sighs, and he continues to pet your hair affectionately. “Good. Goodnight. Sleep well, Y/N. Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day.”

But you couldnt hear his warning. You had already fallen asleep the second after you agreed to his strange request.

You are awoken at 2:50 AM the next day by frantic whispers and aggressive shaking to your body. You blink a couple of times and flinch at the harsh light in your face.

Your pupils begin to constrict to the light, and your eyes scan the figure in front of you. Your brother was shaking you awake, with panicked eyes and a lantern in his hands. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to leave!”

He drags you from the cot, and you stumble forward. Your mind finally begins to awake, and you regain consciousness of the situation at hand. “Brother? What’s happening? Are you okay?”

He grabs your hand and pulls you through the small house, scrambling through cupboards looking for something. When he pulls out your father’s sword, you gulp.

He heads back over to you and begins to drag you away. “Didn’t you get the letter? You are supposed to be heading east by now!”

“What’s happening?” You reason again, voice louder and more panicked. He turns to you, and you jump at his appearance, finally able to see him clearly. His hair is a mess, he’s slightly trembling, and he looks like he hasn’t slept in days. 

He grabs onto your both shoulders, and his voice coming out frantic. “A demon. Or maybe multiple. I got messages that people have been disappearing from towns, and some of their….remains have been scattered around villages. It’s traveling from village to village, and yesterday it hit the town where we get our goods. Five innocents are gone and our village should be next. Tonight.”

You stare at him, eyes wide in shock. “Why are you here? You shouldn't have come!”

“I was going to grab fathers sword. We need some sort of protection while we wait until the demon slayer’s corpse comes.” He doesn’t know how to use it, he's a healer, and neither do you, but it was better than nothing. Especially if the two of you were without a home until everything clears up. 

“Grab your knife. Everything going to be okay. Just trust me. Everything is going to be fine,” He mumbles, seemingly trying to comfort himself more than you. He begins to drag you toward the door and you begin to reach in your pocket for your father’s knife.

It wasnt there. You lost it when you cut Rengoku.

Your eyes widen when you finally realize his disappearance. You turn around and quickly scan the room before your brother pulls you completely outside. 

“Kyo-” A hand covers your mouth immediately.

Your brother looks at you in pure fear, and you feel your own bubbling up at his gaze. “Quiet. We have to be as silent as we can. It could be near,” He whispers at you, and you nod from behind his hand. 

Your eyes dart around the area for the demon slayer. But he is nowhere to be found. He’s probably out looking for it by now. 

But he’s injured. Is it really okay for him to be fighting in his state?

Your brother removes his hand from your mouth and begins to drag you forward, a sword in one hand and your hand in the other. You gulp and follow him in the darkness.

A couple of minutes go by and the two of you haven’t said a word. The both of you had heard eerie noises, and you swear you heard a woman’s scream far off in the distance.

Your mind flashes back to all of the villagers you have gotten close to. It was better not to think about it. Rengoku should be there soon.

The two of you took the path into the woods. It was not the normal path to take when heading eastward, but it was safer. You both knew the woods well, and the chances are the demon is raiding the village. That’s what they have targeted the last couple of days at least.

Suddenly, you hear a growl to the right of you guys. Your brother freezes, and you run into the back of him. Your heartbeat picks up, and the hair on your neck rises. Your brother is trembling in front of you.

You turn to noise to see three bright yellow eyes staring at the two of you. A deathly aura creeps on the two of you, and it’s pin-drop silent.

Your brother grabs you by the shoulders and pushes you forward yelling out, “Run!”

As on instinct, you turn back to him to pull him with you, but he’s gone. As if he vanished into thin air. The eyes disappeared as well.

A mass amount of dread and fear weighs on top of you, as you begin frantically scanning the woods. Your heartbeat is pounding in your chest and you’re shaking out of your wits. “Brother? Brother, where are you!”

Tears begin to form in your waterline, and you begin running, searching desperately for any trace of him. In the back of your mind you know your not going to be able to do anything, but it doesn’t stop you from trying.

You wish Rengoku was here. He would be able to find your brother in a heartbeat, but he was most likely in the village. Where the demon should have been. But it doesn’t stop you from calling his name desperately for help.

Which is exactly how you attracted your very own demon. Your brother told you to be quiet, and you should have listened better. Fear made you naive.

It was standing in front of you, its eyes seemingly pinning you down. It was smiling at you, showing off its razor-sharp teeth, and you take a step back. You were trembling, alone, and defenseless against the demon.

“What’s a young girl like you doing out here alone?” The voice was high in pitch and shrill. A step toward you.

You don't respond, eyes darting around for an exit, while the demon continues to laugh and move forward, closer toward you.

You turn around and run. You dont have many choices in this situation and you rather take a chance than be a sitting duck.

It didn’t work, but you knew it wouldn’t. The demon grabs at your leg and pulls you back toward him. You fall forward onto the ground and hiss at the feeling of rock digging into your skin. You are being pulled backward, and the clawed hand on your ankle makes you shiver.

“I think I will take my time with you,” The being coos, licking a stripe up the back of your leg. 

Tears stream down your cheek as try to kick it off, to no avail. It’s going to tear your limps apart and eat you. Your brother is not going to be saved, and your family line is going to end.

With your last plea, you begin to scream. Loud enough to most likely alert every living being in the forest. Even the demon hisses out in annoyance.

Suddenly, there is a flash of orange and red. A flame.

You hear the plop of a sliced head a second later, and the slicing sound of the demon’s arm being physically removed from your leg. You cringe at the sound, but relief immediately floods your veins.

You turn your head to the side to see Rengoku, slightly frowning in concentration while he sheathes his sword. When he catches your eye, he smiles, and the comforting action makes the tears continue to flow.

He's holding you in an instant, crouched on one knee while wrapping his arms around your figure. His eyes are wide with slight panic, and his grip on you is tight. In any other situations, it may have been overbearing, but you craved the warmth.

His voice is hoarse and seemed to have a waver in it. “I was so scared, my flame when I couldn't find you. I thought you really left me. Or something worse had happened to you. The thought makes me feel ill. Tell me, why were you in the woods? You weren't supposed to be in the woods!”

You take a couple of deep breaths to calm yourself down, while he runs his hands up and down your body as if reassuring himself that you are actually there. “We were trying to–” You freeze, eyes widening and immediately squirming in his grasp. “My brother. We have to find my brother! A demon has him!”

His hold on you doesn’t let go, and your movement is futile. He stares into the distance as if almost entranced by something. He doesn’t say anything for a long second, but when he does, his voice seems to be in a whisper. “Does it now?” 

You don’t pay attention to the tone, too distracted by the thought of your brother being on the verge of death. “Yes! So we have to go. Kyo, we don't have time!”

He hums, and the grip on you loosens, allowing you to stand up, and away from him. He stands in front of you, calm and composed while staring at you. You, on the other hand, are scanning the woods frantically trying to figure out where the demon is and failing miserably.

“Let’s go this way,” You say with uncertainty, pointing to the direction where you had last seen him. When you take a step forward, a hand grips your wrist, and you make eye contact with his owl-like eyes.

“You will stay. I will find him for you. It’s too dangerous for you.” The statement is unwavering as if it was a command to you, with no room for question.

“But-”

“Don't be afraid, my flame. I will place you in a tree, safe and hidden from harm.” He didn’t understand that you did not care for your own safety, it was your brother that you were concentrated with.

You turn to him with pleading eyes. The idea of you sitting here while your brother could be getting murdered, makes you feel sick. You need to be there for him the second Rengoku saves him. “Please, I won't get in the way! I can help, please just don’t leave me behind.”

His eyes widen at the statement, and he grips onto your shoulders with both hands. “I would never leave you behind. Never in a thousand years. But I am not the type of person to put the one I care about in danger. You will sit on a branch until I grab you. Safe from harm.”

He scoops you up with ease, and you jump with slight surprise. Then, he walks over to the nearest tree. “Please?” You plead for the last time, and he smiles at you.

“Everything will be fine, my love. After tonight, everything will be perfect. Just let me do this.” He murmurs and you sigh, and allow him to do whatever must be done. 

He walks up to the nearest tree and eyes it, before making a small huffing sound. Then he holds you in one arm and jumps. Way higher than a normal man would be able to you, and your eyes widen in shock.

He grabs onto a branch and pulls the two of you up, while you continue to stare at the fact that he is doing this effortlessly with one hand. He sets you down onto the branch, with your back leaning on the trunk for support.

You glance down and gulp. It was way higher than you expected, but Rengoku didn’t seem to notice it. He is balanced on the branch with ease and instead is focused solely on you. “You will be okay, do not fret. If anything goes amiss, shout for me and I will come running.”

You nod your head and he smiles softly. He begins to turn around but pauses when you grip his kimono. “You will save him right?”

He blinks at you and sightly frowns. “Everything will be alright.”

You believed him.

You were an idiot. An idiot for believing him. An idiot for jumping out of the tree in the first place.

Not long after Rengoku left you, you heard your brothers scream.

You acted on pure instinct. You moved within a second, trying to climb down the tree. The Hashira made it seem easier than it was to maneuver on the tree. You slipped and fell. 

You hissed when you landed on the floor. Very much close to breaking your legs, but you got lucky. You stand up and try to ignore the pain shooting up your spine. Then, you turn toward where you heard the noise.

It was during your sprint you realized you made a mistake. What were you going to do against a demon? How are you going to help your brother? He was the one medically trained, not you. Aren’t you just going to make things worse? You could be killed too.

But you were too deep in it now. Tree trunks turn into a blur as you continue to run, your legs throbbing with every step. 

You notice a figure and stop immediately. When you catch your breath and notice who it is, you cover your mouth. Your father’s sword lays next to the curled-up body. There was so much blood, he was barely recognizable. 

But you couldn't keep your eyes trained on your loved one. Crouching above him was a demon, chewing. 

Nausea hits you like a train and you’re forced to take a step back. You dont have it in you to scream for help. Would Rengoku even get here in time?

Where is he? What was he doing all this time? He told you everything is going to be fine, why is your brother laying in a pool of his own blood?

You continue to stare, the fear making you immobile. You take in the demon. It was strange, nothing like the one you had last saw. It was trembling before the body, as if afraid of something. It’s letting out disgusting wavering whines and cries, between each bite. 

Your thoughts are cut short. 

A shiver runs up your spine, and you freeze. You see the hair on your arms begin to raise, and your breath catches. Your eyes flicker back to the body, and the demon hasn’t moved. 

A nail as sharp as a dagger, trails its way up your arm, and you begin to tremble. You feel the power the demon emits, and it is different from the one before. 

You shouldn't have moved. You shouldn't have left the tree.

You hear the horrific noise before you can feel it. Your eyes flicker to the space right above your hip, to see the long fingernail peering out. Through you. And in an instant, you hear the squelching noise, and the finger is gone. 

Like a dog lapping a bone, you hear the demon lick its finger clean and shiver.

You hear frantic, nervous mumbles behind you. “Just a taste is fine. It’s alright if I have just a taste. I didn’t kill her, just wanted to try it…”  The being that made your skin crawl, sounded absolutely petrified. You didn’t know of what, and you didn’t want to find out. 

But, you didn’t have time to ponder. Your kimono is turning a deep red, and you feel the blood beginning to drip down to your legs. You fall to your knees with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. If you don’t wrap it, you are sure to bleed out within minutes.

The demon behind you panics, frantically telling himself that you aren’t going to die and everything is fine. But you’ve tuned it out.

You look up toward your brother again and freeze. Just a couple feet to the right of the two figures was a man leaning against a tree. The fiery hair that you could pinpoint in a crowd makes him recognizable in less than a second.

Rengoku was watching your brother get devoured with a blank stare.

The loss of blood had to make you see things. Or maybe it was the fear. Something had to be wrong with you. He would never do such a thing.

You clutch at your side with your hand. “Kyo?” You mumble, and his head snaps toward you, somehow hearing the call. He removes himself from the tree in an instant, and he stares at you with wide frantic eyes. You’ve never seen him look so petrified. 

In a blink of the eyes, and a flash of a flame you hear the demon behind you getting beheaded. “She isn’t dead! You promised! I was–” Another slicing sound and silence.

He’s by your side in the next second. He’s tearing off his kimono in an instant. “What are you doing here? Y/N, you're not supposed to be here! Fuck, the bleeding.” He’s tearing apart the cloth with his teeth, and wrapping it around your torso. You don't notice the shaking of his hands.

You feel dizzy and weak, from the mix of the bleeding out and all the other beatings you sustained. You can’t focus on his words, you are staring at your brother.

You miss the panic of his words. The way he trembles in front of you. “It's going to be okay. Don’t worry, I will take care of everything. It'll be okay.”

The demon has scrambled off, and it was just his mutilated body left behind and the sword. Tears well up in your eyes, and your brother’s now lifeless eyes stare into yours. 

You point to him and Rengoku follows your finger. Your words are soft, broken. “Help him. Please.”

But he ignores you. You're being lifted again, the callused hand putting a decent amount of pressure on the wound. He leads you back to your house, while your left staring at the body left in the grass. 

You're exhausted, you can't fight him. For the last time, you plead, “Help him.” before closing your eyes and slumping against his body. 

“It's going to be alright, my flame. I won't let anything happen to you. I will protect you now.”

[reticent-writer]

Hi Can I Ask for a Scenario of the Hashiras (Apart from Rengoku, Shinbou) With Their Father Figure Discovering They Are Blood Relatives and Being Their Real Father.

Which Was Separated From Them. I'd Love To See Sanemi Discovering That The Monstrous "Father" He Had Isn't The Real One And Obanai Discovering That His "Family" Stole Him From His True Parents And The Fact Of Obanai Discovering He Was Loved By His Real Parents.

They Deserve So Much Love Please.

I've had this picture for a while and been wanting to use it.

An: for fathers figures I go with their occupation from other fics.

Mitsuri's ff is a Baker. Giyuu and Rengoku's is a retired hashira. Shinobu's is a doctor. Obanai, muichirou, sanemi and tengen are people from their past.

demon slayer master list

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Sanemi

When Sanemi was younger you would constantly visit him and his siblings, oftentimes helping his mother with his "father" when he was drunk. Sanemi and his siblings were yours.

You hated seeing how Kyogo would treat your kids, but you vowed not to say a word because Shizu did not want to tell him that they weren't his.

Unfortunately, you weren't there when tragedy struck.

You came clean when everything settled down. Genya was ecstatic but Sanemi was about to beat your ass.

"You let us deal with that asshole for YEARS and said NOTHING!" He screamed as he pounded on your chest.

"I'm so sorry, Your mother swore me to secrecy. I wanted to tell you so bad." You said, catching his wrists as he tried to punch you. You could barely see his frustrated and tear-stained face right before he pushed it into your chest.

This poor 14-year-old boy had lost his mom and siblings but at least now he has a proper father.

"I'm glad your my actual dad." He muttered as his arms fell limp.

"Me too."

Obanai

When Obanai was born he was immediately taken away from you and your wife, who unfortunately just passed from birth complications. Being in the infamous Obanai clan is hell on earth.

They didn't care that he was your son, what mattered to them was that he was the only born blood male of the entire clan.

(ya know when your family thinks that they are entitled to something you own just because they're family) Obanai grew up just thinking you were a father figure who called him son. You were always there for him especially when he was still in the clan's clutches. While he was with the clan you told him many stories, one of which is about your wife and that she was pregnant but had complications and died during labor, but you never said what happened to the baby.

Today you were watching him train, he looked a bit off, like he had something on his mind.

"Hi son, did you eat today?" You ask interrupting his training with bento boxes in hand.

"No."

"Come eat I made lunch." You beckon him over with a wave of your hand and he listened.

He sat next to you and asked, "What happened with your baby?

All you could do was look at him. It just came out of the blue. You were tongue-tied and didn't know what to say.

"My child?"

"Yeah, what happened to him? You never told me you always stopped the story after your wife died." He asked again. You had to tell him eventually, why not now?

"Well, my son was taken from me, but I still got to watch him grow up. Unfortunately, I couldn't save him from getting hurt. A snake demon didn't like his uniqueness and wanted to make him more like her, She had the clan slit his mouth."

Your words marrinated in Iguro's mind as he realized you narrated his childhood.

"I'm sorry I never told you. I was scared of your reaction."

He didn't respond, instead he scooted a little closer and laid his head on your shoulder and started to eat.

It felt like an entirety before he said something, "thank you... For everything."

Giyuu

You were absent for most of his life, he only knew you existed from letters you'd send him and his sister.

He didn't know what you did, where you lived or if you had a second family, so when he met you he didn't think you were his father. More like someone who looked out for him while he took your spot as the water hashira.

He only found out because he went to your house and found a picture of his sister on a offering table in a spare room.

"Hey who's this?" He asked and you walked into the small room.

"My daughter. I wasn't there to save her but my son is an excellent fighter, a hashira."

Giyuu just stared at you. His eyes starting to tear up

"Are you alright?" You tried to comfort him but he backed away and covered his face with his hands.

"I'm fine this room is just dusty."

"Okay." You chuckled and patted his back.

In a blink of an eye and turned to face you and hug you.

If any other Hashira were present they'd certainly tease him.

✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･**･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　　

[5-htagonist]

dunmesh genderswap au thoughts...

so kabrus backstory remains essentially the same in my au, when taken by milsiril and assimilated into elven culture she is dressed more femininely than she was before thus incurring gender awakening. i dont think it would be a huge struggle for her except for being infantilized, but that happens with my canon compliant trans kabru hc as well. i hc it as a small part of why he left home-- to pursue gender affirmation magic/surgery/whatever without being told You cant know what you want youre baby. so tfem kabru also leaves to become an adventurer etcetcetc.

fem laios is where stuff differs. i REALLY REALLY like the idea of her being a single, possibly teen mom. i think she would still be super close with falin, still be horrified at how he was treated. but i dont think falin would be sent away. as a boy, he would have the agency to Leave rather than be sent away.

i imagine the attempts to beat the magic out of falin would be replaced by manual labor or something at first, due to the maleness. to me, the story about falin and her persecution are very very very much connected with womanhood-- women cant know too much, be too powerful, or theyre a witch. i think its possible boyfalin would instead be coveted for his magic, and leave because of this. a large part of falins character is lacking agency, and i think this would manifest for boyfalin with the village using him for his magic at a point. i think its possible they might idolize and demonize him at the same time, the autism is still there. everyone probably thinks hes weird and could blow the whole village up if they piss him off, which they would always be scared of due to falin being very calm. they would think hes just hiding that Male Rage or whatever. i think without a proper teacher, maybe some sort of mishap happens that pushes falin to leave. i dont know if it would regard laios, but maybe falin hurts her or feels hes at risk of hurting her/their family/the village so he leaves to avoid that. i think hed probably leave before laios has her baby-- maybe falin leaves for magic school when hes 12 to parallel canon laios...

more paragraphs Below!

laios, being a girl, would have a significant lack of agency comparatively. she would Not be able to just leave to join the army. so i think she would get arranged for a marriage, possibly have a child (heretofore known as laiosito) fairly young (im thinking 15 or 16 which is tragic but. realistic for a sort of "red neck"ish village...). laios would still be Weird and quiet, so the husband that was picked would probably be someone who is also at least a little weird and definitely detached, but ultimately he and laios wouldnt be close at all. lots of going thru the motions. i think shed be A Great Mom (learned what Not to do from her parents) about half the time, and the other half shed be burnt out and bedridden. shed be constantly masking the best she knows how (shutting up) on top of having to be Lady Like around others, so shed be pretty reclusive.

i think she might get sick of it all, maybe laiosito says something super profound (as kids often do without meaning to, and i just know laios isnt the type to dismiss someone just because theyre a kid) or maybe something happens to her husband, maybe he mistreats her or laiosito somehow, maybe laiosito is magically gifted and laios gets scared theyll be used and demonized like falin, idk. but she leaves, and i think shed go thru a similar path as canon-- laiosito would be as well cared for as possible, but shed be in the same state as she was in canon when she reunited with falin. falin would be so happy to be an uncle and help laios with her kid and laios would feel Super Fucking Guilty because falin didnt even KNOW she had a kid, and now laiosito is old enough to have real conversations... but ofc falin is there for her big sister....

maybe instead of leaving that night and looking for work and shelter, laios and laiosito crash in marcille and falins dorm. falin wouldnt want to take a kid to look for work without some recoup time from the trip...

i am a little stuck here, at the part where falin and laios in canon join the caravan and then try to form a party. however they end up at the island, whenever they do, the thing that draws them into the dungeon is other than curiosity is providing for laiosito. i think laiosito has heard stuff about dungeons and monsters, thru laios, then thru falin. being a kid, they dont know the actual danger. maybe falin is looking after laiosito and they run off at some point into the dungeon. he would find laiosito safe in like a 1st floor market or something being looked after by kind strangers (maybe kabrus party? then he would get berated for being a shitty dad LOL (falin thoughts: "...but im their uncle.... and i didnt even know they existed until this year...")

i think falin would tell laios about this and maybeee that would trigger something in laios. though i dont think theyd go dungeoning for a few years. its mostly falin taking odd jobs, but they would take turns looking after laiosito until the kid is older. maybe laiosito makes friends with one chilchucks kids and he babysits the kid.... chils kids would be 14, so definitely old enough to babysit)

so they form their party pretty similar to canon, but laiosito would be 11 by the start of canon. almost old enough to join the army... falin gets eated, laios sends mail to whomever is babysitting laiosito updating on the situation and why she wont be back for a while. laios isnt happy to not see her baby for an indeterminate amount of time, but shes confident theyll at least live... but laiosito sees the letter and goes Oh Shit.... I Have To Help Save Uncle Falin..... so laiosito runs off to the dungeon. i think they would be magically gifted like falin, and i think falin would have given them some tutoring. they are not scared of the dungeon, its just their mom and uncles cool job to them despite laios and falins best efforts to emphasize the danger.

now.... i think laiosito would run into kabrus party. theyre always having to start over, so maybe the kid saw them on the first level a couple years ago, that first time they saw the dungeon. i think they would have left a strong impression-- especially kabru (for her eyes) and kuro (doggy). they care for laiosito, because kabru knows this is laios' kid (knew she had a kid and laiosito looks just like her), and also because laiosito refuses to give her any info that could interrupt their mission of Help Save Falin. they tried dropping the kid in town at a playground or other Kid Gathering Grounds and laiosito just comes back. so. they keep them around plus they are a really strong mage for a kid. kabru of course sees this as the perfect opportunity to get close to laios, plus as weird and antisocial as laios kind of seems kabru is ECSTATIC to meet her kid LOL. laiosito ends up really liking kabru even if shes kind of weird and scary sometimes. rin scares them but they are friends. they get along excellently with kuro and probably picks up on her language, at least a little bit.

so they would make SURE laiosito knows healing magic, and that they know to heal holm and rin FIRST!! laiosito is precocious and smart and already figured that out though, and with falins tutoring they are a great healer already. so kabrus party doesnt die like they did as much, but.... they still do. laiosito is usually able to escape, though... but i do think they would have at least 1 death with kabrus party. would it phase them? well. maybe. but i think they would feel invincible, and this isnt a good thing.

laiosito is awestruck when they see faligon until they realize he isnt in full control of himself. then theyre horrified and freeze and have to be protected. kabru is horrified that she let a kid into this situation (she didnt. that kid would have dungeoned no matter what, and because laiosito desired to see their mom and uncle, as well as see the dungeon, they would have always ended up at that nexus). laios is horrified she left her kid and didnt even consider they might have followed, and that she prioritized anything over her kid, even if said priority was falin.

at this point, laiosito would join back with laios' party. marcille and chilchuck would ream laios over leaving her kid (with that girls party??? the one thats always dying????). poor laios. senshi is the only one that really hears her out on her situation. laiosito LOOOOOVESSSS senshi!! and chilchuck and marcille too but they kind of scare them bc of how they talk to laios lol.

my thoughts are still baking on this....

my 3 alt routes for fem laios are:

teen mom, runs away with her kid when theyre is old enough to speak and walk well (like, 6 or 7 maybe. she would run away in her early 20s) (laios rough timeline: 12: engagement and marriage shortly after. 15: falin leaves before she finds out shes pregante. 22: abandons marriage and goes to falins school. 24: starts trying to form party)

teen mom, leaves her kid with her parents or husband as an older teen

teen mom, leaves before pregnancy is too far along (maybe seeking an abortion?) 15 or 16

leaves when pushed to have a baby (this could be her as a teen or her early 20s)

[saber-monet]

Hey I came across your post about embracing the “manifestation coincidences”, and one about making sure to not be unfazed by how well things play out. I’d like to ask how you make peace with the ‘insanity’ of it? Bc I think I’ve shifted to a higher timeline and now am living a better reality. But I spent the last 2 days looking up parallel universes on reddit & now I’m scared I’m going to run into my doppelganger and get killed or that I’m actually supposed to have died in my actual universe.. I’m scared and I can’t talk about it with anyone in fear of them suddenly turning into a demon just like in horror films.

Hey! First of all, everything you’re experiencing is more common than you might think, especially for people who, like me, grew up skeptical or secular about spirituality and are only just now exploring it. Shifting your mindset and embracing manifestation can feel so surreal at first—like you’re stepping into something “forbidden” just by allowing yourself to believe that things can work out in your favor.

I went through the exact same thing when I started three years ago; I felt paranoid, like I was breaking some unspoken rule just by thinking positively. I promise—you’re not going to run into a doppelgänger or anything bad. That’s just your mind processing a huge new perspective.

One thing that’s helped me is thinking of the “surrealness” you’re describing as an emotion, like anxiety or sadness. It can feel jarring, but it’s temporary and will pass. When I feel that surrealness creeping in, I just acknowledge it: “Yeah, this feels weird right now, but it’s going to end soon.” I know my mind will eventually latch onto a less intense thought process, and things will go back to ‘normal’, and so will yours—sometimes in 30 seconds, other times in a couple of minutes. but you will feel fine again.

Also, if affirmations work for you, lean into those! Remind yourself that you’re safe and fully capable of handling these new feelings. It’s all part of the process, and you’re going to get more and more comfortable with it.

And honestly, one tip? Steer clear of Reddit or anything that brings up new fears. I stay away from things that make me question my safety and, instead, focus on what feels grounding and calming, whether that was music, a walk, cooking, talking out loud or even talking to chatgpt helps me (there's a voice call option on the app so you can talk to it like a real person)—anything to keep me from overthinking.

i treat myself like a worried child, what would you say/do to a worried child to make them feel better? You would tell them everything's gonna be OK, put on their favorite comforting TV show/movie/musical, give them a snack, you remind them that you're here for them and that eventually they will laugh about this moment in the future etc.

Watching Abraham Hicks Workshop Excerpt videos helped me so much too (she talks a lot about exactly this topic, and if you’re interested, I can DM you a link, just message me). And these videos, she speaking to people who have gone through the exact same thing that you're going through and had the exact same questions/ concerns/ stories about reality creation.

Her seminars really put into perspective that I wasn’t alone, and neither are you. You will make sense of this experience. You'll know what works for you and what doesn't. It's a personalized journey.

You’re in good company, and there’s an entire global community of people who get exactly what you’re going through. Trust that you’re okay, you're being properly guided each step of the way and give yourself permission to enjoy the experience. You're not the first person or the last person to go through stuff like this.

There's a lot of older people who have gone through the " awakening process" and have reacted differently to it. Some become monks/teachers, others use it to grow their business and achieve their goals, others just use it here and there to get the things that they want and live a relatively normal life, and some never use it again . Don't feel overwhelmed by it, you have the choice on how you wish to proceed .

(also I'm going to dive into this topic in another post im currently working on: but you can ask for less synchronicity and for things to go back to “normal”. Just because you've learned this new information and this new way of interacting with reality doesn't mean that you have to continue if you don't want to. ( Yes, you have lifted the metaphorical "veil" but you can also put it back down)

Also, please reach out , or anybody reading this post, if you wanna chat. I did this alone, I got to this place of balance, reassurance and comfort alone, and I would have really like to have somebody to talk to so I'm here if you need me.

[0shewrites0]

hi can you do hcs for yandere klaus mikaelson x fem reader

Hi anon! I had so much fun with these headcanon's, I hope you like them! Also, you didn't specify if the fem reader was human or not, so I went with a human fem reader, hope that's okay 🫶🏼

Anyway, let's get started!

TW// explicit stuff & mention of murder, death and torture amongst other things

🐺 he doesn't just love you, he worships you - it starts with him treating you like a queen in everyday life (he'll give you anything you want, you can be sure of that, and he doesn't even care how far he has to go to keep you happy and satisfied), then moves on to him showing you respect in a way he doesn't with anyone else (except maybe Elijah), and finally culminates in how he treats you when you have sex

🐺 oh and believe me, you're getting drawn and painted by him, more than a few times, because he's OBSESSED with you

🐺 he definitely has a breeding kink and as a hybrid, he's the only vampire who can actually have children of his own - so even though he'd never do anything against your will because he respects you that much, you'll definitely know he wants to have a child at some point

🐺 if Klaus wants something, he’ll get it.

🐺 he's a wolf and an alpha, so you can bet he'll want to mark you at all times - whether that's hickeys or sinking his fangs directly into your soft skin, it doesn't matter as long as he can show everyone that you're his

🐺 you're his. his alone. end of story.

🐺 if another guy so much as looks at you in a funny way, he won't even have time to blink, because by then Klaus will have him pressed up against the nearest wall, squeezing his throat until the poor idiot knows he's going to die

🐺 Klaus won't even hesitate to kill to protect you or your honour and dignity, after all he's already killed for less

🐺 if you think he'll let you go out on your own (as a human, no less) - better think again, because nuh-uh, that's not going to happen. First, everyone needs to know you're off limits, second, he's so proud to call you his woman and he wants to show everyone that, and third, he couldn't keep his cool anyway if he didn't have you around to keep an eye on you - so be prepared for either him, one of his siblings, or a loyal hybrid to stay by your side at all times

🐺 he's a hybrid - that means his predatory instincts are twice as strong as normal werewolves’ or vampires’, as are his emotions. And you know this man is not good at keeping his emotions in check, so prepare for a lot of yelling and throwing and breaking things when he's upset. This is to the point that you will be scared to death

🐺 he's angry most of the time, mostly because he wishes he could control his demons instead of being controlled by his demons and because he wants to feel safe. But when you're around, he can allow himself to feel safe for a moment, to give up control and just let go for a while. Then you get to see the real him. And only you will be allowed to see him in such a state.

🐺 Klaus can easily read a room full of people as a hybrid - I mean, naturally, but it goes deeper than that, because he can actually read it. You know that you're always safe with him by your side, but if - against all expectations - something should happen to you anyway, he would never forgive himself for it

🐺 in that case he would not only kill the enemy responsible, but torture them in ways that not even the devil himself could think of

🐺 and then, because the pain he feels is eating him up inside (literally!), he would run amok - think Stefan The Ripper on tour with Klaus, only a million times worse and darker.

🐺 and lastly - you know he's dangerous and you know you're dead if you cross him or betray him. As much as he loves you and as much as it would kill him to lose you, there is nothing worse for him than betrayal. He came so close to killing his own sister, don't think he would back down when it comes to you. Rose said it in TVD, "if you're not afraid of Klaus, you're an idiot" and that goes for you too, sweetheart

[maleyanderecafe]

You won't give it to another man, will you? ~ Anthology where your Yandere boyfriend melts you into a mess ~ (Manga)

Created by: Kyo Kitazawa(Art) / Kyo Nue(Art) / Moku Ikuba(Art) / Aya Umemoto(Art) / Uni Okino(Art)

Genre: Fantasy/Smut

This is actually an anthology series and this specific story is called Tashio Interracial Marriage, which is about a demon and a human falling in love. In theory each of these stories has a yandere in them but this one is the only one I can translate for now. It's pretty short but I do like the general idea of it and the kind of implications it has. If you like my translations, please consider tipping me: https://ko-fi.com/lunaslurp

The story starts off with a backstory about a demon that ate villagers. The villagers were able to beat and kill the demon, hanging her body, and in a last ditch effort, the demon gave birth to a child. The villagers raised this child in hopes of using her to ward off demons. Back in present day, Nozumi, the demon child is being stoned by children, and is ultimately saved by a guy named Kuchiki, who is tasked with taking care of him. When going back, he cares for Nozumi by letting her drink his blood, and seems to have been taking care of her ever since she was born. Nozumi is grateful for Kuchiki helping her always, though Kuchiki implies that humans are more demons than actual demons are. We learn that Kuchiki is also an outcast, coming from a family of firestarters. We later see a bunch of villagers looking for her, and upon seeing her and realizing how attractive she is, tries to rape her during the night. They pull off her clothes and tie her up, wanting to cut off her limbs to see if they regrow. Kuchiki is able to save Nozumi and makes her go take a bath in the river while he deals with the villagers. Kuchiki cuts off one of the villager's hands and promises that they will never leave where they are. Later on, we see Kuchiki coming back covered in blood. Nozumi cries and tries to break it off with Kuchiki as she believes that he was hurt because of her and that the two could never be together since she's a demon. Kuchiki ends up confessing to her and once Nozumi finds out that he's not hurt the two start to have sex. We see that Kuchiki is really fed up with the villagers harrassing Nozumi and how she always runs to him when she gets hurt. Seeing as he loves Nozumi, he burns down the village and asks to marry Nozumi afterwards.

Despite it being a oneshot, there's actually quite a lot of good setup for why the villagers hate her and the general theme of humans are the real demon types of things. The idea of killing the demon and raising the child to ward away demons is kind of fun in terms of those ancient villages, especially since the townsfolk really resent her because of her demon heritage. They probably could have just gone the route of raising a child that just ended up being a demon but here we see the kind of reasoning for their hatred, a sort of revenge for the demon that killed their people. Nozumi is in fact the complete opposite of her mother, being the kindest character in the story, happy to even be surviving and even attempting to separate herself from Kuchiki because she doesn't want to hurt him. Even though it would have been really cool to see Nozumi be scary and attempt to scare/eat the villagers it probably would have lessen the general idea of humans are the real demons. Of course, everyone in this village that we see is a terrible person from the children to the adults, including Kuchiki who ends up burning down the whole village near the end. It's kind of interesting seeing how terribly they treat Kuchiki and Nozumi and the kind of retribution that they get in the end, especially since they are still relying on Nozumi to ward away any other demons, which is part of the reason they raised her in the first place.

Kuchiki is the caretaker of Nozumi ever since she was born. His family much like Nozumi was shunned by the village for starting fires, so his point of view of humans (especially after seeing what they do to Nozumi) has never been great, which contrasts with Nozumi who is even thankful that she still lives. Kuchiki always puts the point that the two are more similar than different, given that they are both outsiders to the village, though for different circumstances. Of course seeing the villagers abuse Nozumi like this has led him to be very protective, feeding her his blood so that she can heal and coming to the rescue. This accumulates together after they attempt to rape Nozumi and Kuchiki kills them all in a fire, with his eyes matching Nozumi's red eyes because of the reflection of the fire in them (or I assume-it could also be that he too has become a "demon" like Nozumi). Usually in these smut type stories, they tend to be the "bad guy" since it's their vices that cause a lot of their actions (like jealousy or misinterpretation), though in this case, this is an understandable vengeance towards the village for not only shunning his family but also attempting to rape Nozumi. He is an overprotective yandere foremost, but it also looks like he is the type that is jealous, which is partially why he gets her faced covered with the talisman in the first place.

Overall, a good oneshot story that I quite enjoyed. I'm going to try to get our translator to do the other stories too since it's pretty short. If you like this story, stay tuned because there might be more of them in the future.

[hiemaldesirae]

Ok this is my second attempt at this prompt so the writing is probably not that good but what if Vox and Alastor had their first real fight because of Alastor’s treatment of husk bare with me

Vox goes to the hotel to check it out but when gets there he doesn’t see anyone so he just looks around and as he’s looking around he sees a bar and he sees Husk running the bar. Vox gets really excited about this it’s been so long since he last heard from his old mentor not since his deal with Alastor. Vox goes up to bar to finally talk to Husk but something stops him in his track now that Vox is close enough to get good look at him he notices how different he looked his clothes are scuffed and his hair is a mess not to mention his movement are sloppy like he’s constantly tired. Something’s up with husk and Vox will get to the bottom of it if it’s last thing he’ll do. By the time Vox got to the bar Husk had already prepared him his drink the fact that he still remembered what he liked after all these years filled Vox with a warm feeling. The conversation went on for hours both of them telling stories about the time they spent apart as well as the reminiscing about the moments they shared together it felt good it has been sometime since they had last spoken and it felt like no time passed at all it felt so good that husk forgot to filter what he was saying and he ended making an off hand comment about how Alastor’s been treating him now luckily all of the other hotel residents were already asleep because that would’ve been a disaster if they weren’t but still that doesn’t make this any better Vox has always been one of the last things keeping Alastor together so if he left who knows what would happen. Vox hasn’t said a word everything just went quiet it stayed like that for what felt like hours the silence only breaking when someone arrived right on cue Alastor walks in but before he can even say a word Vox is already dragging him into a random room as Husk watches nervously. Vox is smart he knows not to anger the radio demon he’ll be fine right? That hopeful thinking was immediately trashed when he started hearing yelling growing louder and louder so loud infact that the others were waking up even Lucifer came down to check if anything was wrong they all went to Husk asking if he knew what was going on but Husk was too worried really give them a answer the only thing he’s willing to say is Alastor sparking Lucifer to go on a rant . The fighting lasted for a while before Vox opened the door and storming out followed by Alastor who’s missing his iconic smile instead it being replaced by a scowl. Alastor without his smile is unnatural as creepy as his always smiling face is it’s at least somewhat normal once you get used to it but this was just wrong. No one would dare say word all either too scared are unnerved to say a thing “sooo” all except Lucifer of course “trouble in paradise?”

ough. ruh roh.......... trouble in paradise indeed

this is so good nonny. really. Guys. you have to consider writing these out. or at least detail them more to me... please.... i am but a starving victorian child and this is the last thing i will see before my tragic death at the age of 7 (but you can save me by feeding me more radiostatic morsels)

anyway. ahem. sorry i dont know what just happened i think i got possessed by sir pentious- the idea of vox and al's first real fight after they make up being over his treatment of husk is just. you know what thats so real to me. because like radiostatics general (Canon because if its ME writing ill make sure to make them sappy as shit) dynamic is like, ill treat you like shit and youll treat me like shit but in the end you're mine and im yours and thatll never change- but that only applies to THEM. if vox catches al treating his previous mentor (cough father figure cough) like that it is On Sight because first of all, thats HUSK. thats the guy who taught him like basically everything he knows, almost raised him in hell and on the path to being an overlord- and also, does this mean al would pay more attention to torturing husk than he would to vox? because thats just- unacceptable. honestly. so its just so funny if vox like storms out in a fury and whisks husk away to the vees tower or something and profusely ignores alastor and their dynamic gets reversed all because vox learns about the way al treats his thralls (DESERVED)

[thekidthesuperkid]

Just finished watching the bastard son & the devil himself. Gonna try and write out my thoughts about it, sorry if it's a lot of nonsensical rambling.

What really got my attention about the show is the cycles of violence and abuse and the dynamics of war and oppression that were shown in the show. They don't talk about how the war between the Fairbornes and the Blood witches started. They don't talk about what the original reasons are for everything the two sides do. What the show does focus on is the actions they continue to take in the present and the real results of those actions as opposed to the imagined goals.

Nathan grows up being told he has something evil in him, grows up being treated with suspicion and fear and hatred all because of what his father had done. He grows to fear his own power and even his own emotions for the evil he believes they stem from. But his father was never a devil. His father killed countless Fairbornes, the most well known being at the Peace Massacre. He had tried to arrange peace talks but the terms the Fairbornes proposed were a barely-disguised means for what was basically cultural genocide of the Blood Witches. Marcus was getting revenge on endless amounts of horror inflicted on his people by the Fairborne council. And by doing so the Fairbornes gained a new reason to demonize the Blood witches. This was not Marcus's fault, the atrocities committed by the Fairbornes are entirely on their own heads. Marcus is not a "perfect victim", he attacks the people who attacked him, he's angry and violent and he left Nathan and his mother, but the show seems to make it pretty clear that he's not responsible for what the Fairbornes did in retaliation. I'm glad they did that and I'm glad they didn't make him out to be the bad guy just for fighting back, and at the same time I also like the way they handled showing the collateral of that violence through Ceelia. Ceelia was a survivor of Marcus's attack at Wolfhagen, she was a child and she was scared and she grew up and spent her life fighting the Blood witches. And she was one of the people treating Nathan with fear and suspicion. When she trained him she was violent and angry and harsh. She was abusive, to put it bluntly, and it was because of what Nathan represented. He reminded her of Marcus. She believed that she and the Fairbornes were in the right and were good and just and righteous and that they were justified in what they were doing to the Bloods. Except she saw that she was wrong, the basis for her beliefs was removed and she realized Soul was exactly what the Fairbornes claimed to be fighting against and she changes directions. As the show progresses, we see that instead of drawing from the hatred of the Hunters and the Fairborne, she switches to drawing from her own personal strength, her empathy and the people she loved and the confidence and convictions she'd built herself. She recognized Soul for what he was and she changed. This is really great when contrasted with Soul's story. Because he started out a survivor hiding scared in a closet like Ceelia. But he never had an ability to recognize when his perspective was wrong. Ceelia saw that the war was motivated by hate and fear and bigotry, and that going along with it only fed into that. Soul only saw that he needed to be more like Marcus to win the war, without ever seeing Marcus's reasons. So he went to greater and more horrific lengths to do what Marcus did, and became worse than Marcus had ever been. He became exactly the monster the Fairbornes thought of Marcus as. He was actively seeking to kill and destroy Blood witches and the collateral his mission caused was pretty clearly caused knowingly and intentionally.

There is also something to be said about Jessica and how she was so angry about a supposed devil killing her mother and father but ended up helping the real wolf and the real culprit for her mother's death. She is a uniquely horrifying character because it's so easy to understand why she became that way. Her mother's death was so horrible for her as a small child and she did everything possible in her power to fight back against that, but the only target and the only action within her reach was to abuse her brother, and she just never grew out of that pattern. I feel sorry for her just as much as I dislike her.

Marcus and Nathan's stories are also really interesting in comparison to each other. Nathan was bullied for being the son of Marcus and for potentially being a blood witch but because of also being treated like his anger made him evil he tried to suppress it. Of course because repression doesn't work long term and because bullying naturally makes people angry, Nathan lost control and attacked the people who had been hurting him, which the Fairbornes then used as proof that Nathan was dangerous. Marcus's story mirrors that in several ways. Marcus spends the rest of his life fighting and killing Fairbornes, mainly in revenge. Nathan becomes violent on only a handful of occasions, mostly in reaction to an injustice. He says after trying to kill Ceelia after Odette dies that there have to be consequences even though Ceelia wasn't the cause of Odette dying. Marcus seems to have the same view but slightly more extreme, but in contrast to his father, Nathan has people he loves that pull him back. Annalise repeatedly stops Nathan from getting consumed by his anger. When Nathan does end up killing someone, it's because he believed Kieran is going to attack Gabriel when he was actually trying to help, and Nathan is horrified by Kieran dying. What's also interesting is that Marcus left Nathan and his mother because he believed it would make them safer, and Nathan also tried to prevent Gabriel from coming with him to Wolfhagen, but Marcus never had contact with his family again while Gabriel came back. And throughout the show, Annalise repeatedly reminds Nathan that he is not his father, and Nathan's grandmother also tells him it doesn't matter if a person is Blood or Fairborne. Marcus sent Nathan alone to kill Soul and told him it was a chance to know who he was, but in the end it was Gabriel and Annalise that helped defeat him, with Annalise that killed him. There are repeated instances of people breaking the cycle of violence and oppression with Annalise killing her father and learning about the Blood's side of the story, with Ceelia breaking away from Soul, with Haley falling in love with Marcus and having a child together and not caring about Blood vs Fairborne, and with Nathan not choosing the path of his father.

Soul is great as a bad guy, he literally did so much trying to help the "his own blood will kill the wolf" prophecy get fulfilled that he became the wolf the prophecy was talking about.

What was shown of Gabriel's backstory is fascinating to me, Mercury's abuse and his response to it is shown in a way that feels really accurate. He struggles to get away from her and escape her control, but it seems like he might not have genuinely defied her until Nathan was in danger. There were others like him too, both before and after him. The one before him didn't do anything to help him, and he doesn't seem to have had much contact with the ones after him, but when he finally escapes for Nathan, he also promises to help the other boy get out, which is another way of breaking a cycle although it's not really connected to the main storylines of the show. It seems like the show could have done a lot with Gabriel's story if it had had more time to expand it.

The romance was great also, I hate love triangles so much and am always saying they should just be poly relationships and this show did that! Literally everything I've ever wanted.

TLDR: came for the poly queer relationship, stayed for the themes of cycles of violence and abuse. Also characters who break the cycles <3

[izanamihorrortales]

The Jersey Devil (Myth/Legend)

(WARNING NSFW this post is about a demon-like creature; the word devil and demon will be used reader discretion advised) - Izzy

Living in New Jersey has shown me some crazy stories and legends that could be true, and some come to be just a myth but let me tell you about this one folktale about something that could never be real. The Jersey Devil also knows as the "Leed's Devil" because the story goes that a woman name Jane Leeds, Jane, was known as Mother Leeds because of the number of children had; 12 to be exact. Soon after, in 1734, Mother Leed found out she was expecting child number 13. Once she realized she could not stop the pregnancy she cursed the child inside of her, telling everyone who saw her that the baby would be the devil. That night of 1735, Mother Leeds gave birth to her 13th child.

Once the baby started to grow it had a strange appearance from human to a creature. Its hands turned into hooves, a goat-like head, wings of a bat, and above all the tail of the devil. His tail was supposable in the shape of a fork. Instead of crying at night, it would start to growl and scream in the middle of the night scaring anyone near it. Mother Leeds banished the child screaming "be gone retched devil you are a monster not a child of mine". The devil opened its wings and flew into the woods. Where he planned to stay and kill when the time had come.

Many people in that year and town would come to believe that Mother Leeds was a witch herself and that the Jersey Devil was the son of Satan. Mother Leeds would beg people to believe her when she said that she was not a witch. But how did a mother of 12 normal kids come to give birth to a devil child? If you ever come across the Leeds house this time in age the house is long gone, but according to the locals, you can still hear the growls and screams of the Jersey Devil around the plot of land that used to be the Leeds house. From the 1900s till today many people have reported sightings of the Jersey Devil.

No one knows what happened to the Leeds family after Mother Leeds banished the devil child. Some believe that the devil child came to kill all the siblings and Mother Leeds as well for banishing him and not treating him as her own child. Soon more than 100 sightings were being called into the local police station claiming that they seen, heard, or witnessed the Jersey Devil. Till this day no one has ever lived to say they have been face to face with The Jersey Devil.

[umbranstilettos]

SWEET DREAMS, LITTLE ONE PART 1/?

IN UNIVERSES BETWEEN LIGHT, DARK AND CHAOS, INTERTWINING IN UNTOLD LAYERS…

"Sweet dreams little one", Were the last words that left an impression to her as she felt her mommy's fingers caressing her cheek, softly crooning about flying her to the moon, letting her play among the bank of stars twinkling among the galaxy only to see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.

It was a long day of exploration for her, mommy and that man with a funny scarf seeing her mom casually out and about Vigrid fighting the monsters brought a smile to her face as she tries to catch up with her, even the red ribbon was close second to catch up with her mommy as it flows with each movement that was the reason which made her envious tugging on it the moment she had the chance to do so.

It was a scary day too when she had to hide from the monsters fitting herself inside the small compartment the loud banging noises of their sharp weapons banging against the metal invaded her space as it began to bend locking her inside overwhelming her senses, tears running from from her face as she kicked on the bent emulating the courage that her mommy had fronted when she faced the monsters telling her that it was alright to be scared for the first time before she heard gunfire peeking behind the latch, scared and enamoured by her technique did she just put one in a rotisserie and cooked it to perfection?

That would be a neat trick for her next tea party with Jeanne they always had the newest toys to play with along with the other girls in school. The other adults seem to look at her funny when she approach other children asking the Umbran Elder if she was the impure child the result of their 'aff-ei' that word it was one of the most common words to describe her mother but she always moves on to her other Witchy stories it was a fair trade for her not to ask about the definition she always seem to get more stories when she asks about it when other adults mention it.

The Umbran Elder warns her not to mix with the other Umbran royalties when playing with the others she doesn't have much to offer compared to the carefully crafted tea sets from France and dolls made exclusively by cootierurs from all over the world, when the adults say it it brings a pride on their faces saying it was real expensive to provide for their children, but to her and the pair of mismatched eyes of Cheshire it made their eyes roll to the back of their heads.

It was funny for Jeanne too being the heir of the throne, she didn’t treat her any different and would often sneak out with her to see her mommy and they would listen her stories, refusing to leave her side often getting scold by Rosa when their eyelids flutter when they feel sleepy to go back to their quarters, saying that lying on the damp and cold floors of the Umbran Clock Tower was not the way to live.

When she asked her mommy why she does it, Rosa would only reply that being the most formidable Witch and her contracted demon, Madama Khepri by her side to control the flow of time in the impregnable fortress, and that would shield them from the outside forces and the monsters saying she was the one keeping the place together, her mother being the most powerful of the clan often gets mistreated and being starved and fed only once per day was a question that plagued her mind.

[tinyshatteredwings]

I noticed a thing. In the lead up to transition, which was a long, odd journey, but not surprising, as I already had those feelings since I was a child, my preferences and views of relationships changed. I used to only be intrested in women. I thought some guys were cute, i'd have crushes on and do roleplays as male anime characters or kpop band guys in mybtrens and early 20's, but i was only ever interested in a real way in women, i only had romantic relationships with women.

As my mental health began to crumble, i looked more toward men, as i thought they were better and i should model myself after them. when they wouldn't accept me as one of them, i started dating/sleeping with men. then when i realized i still wasn't accepted that way, and it still felt horrible to be taken advantage of by them , and knowing no matter how much of a 'cool' and 'not like other girls' girl i was, they still treated me like trash, i just decided to become one of them with hormones and surgery. now that i've been off T 2 months, and i don't give a flip about what anyone thinks...i uhhh.....i don't really find myself interested in men so much anymore.

I find my deep attraction to women has returned. it feels like something i lost long ago, that made me feel a strange ache in my chest when i saw lesbians or even just very close female relationships, in shows, movies, or even in real life. I was jealous of what i used to have. it's the part of me that my mother spent oh so many years trying to correct, because she was afraid of it when i was a child(my parents are in a religious cult) and when it turned out to be real she waged a full on assault to make me straight.but the sweetest moments i had, were with women i loved, or when i was laying on my bed, wistfully remembering our conversations, writing poetry about them, exchanging hugs and love letters with my girlfriend in the halls at school. i ended up in tragic romances later on in life, with closeted christian girls, who kept me a dirty secret.i guess because it was familiar, and maybe i didn't think i deserved better? i think more than that, i saw myself in them and i wanted to help them, assumed if they had support, then they could come out too, and be themselves, if i just held their hand, waited, loved them, and didn't push anything, they could end their closeted misery and know they weren't alone, because i wish i had someone to shield me from what happened to me when my parents found out.

i can't be sad about how much time i wasted with them, because it wasn't wasted. the ending was sad, the story was tumultuous, but it was beautiful, and full of real love, and caring all throughout. and god knows how much time i wasted wallowing in my tragedy, trying to be a man. but even so, it taught me a lot. it broke me of much of my fragility, and insecurity. so i suppose, i've come out the other side of all of this knowing who i am much better than before. therapists couldn't quite help me with it, but through these trials of fire i've really had to face my demons, and my past, in a way no one else was able to dig deep enough and confront me with in the way i needed.

anyway this all came because i was happy that i feel this blossoming warmth in my chest about being attracted to women, something i was scared and ashamed of before. something i thought i had burned off of me and thrown away.

[madscientistollie]

The Toons of Main Street

A story or (an AU) of three toons from different eras of animation going to the real world to build a theater to entertain and gain profit. Thanks to their endeavors rumors has begun spreading and some are too interested on their plans. Here are the characters that will get to meet. (from left to right):

Vincent Peter: from the 30's he's a goofy guy with dark sense of humor who's a fast talker. And is the one who instigates some trouble. Used to be part of the circus, but wanted to become so much more so he decided become a comedian with Eric. He works at 70's era bar.

Christopher Wilkens: The main man from the 50's. A smooth talker who knows how to talk his way out and his way in. When he's with his higher peers he talks properly with a straight face, but with friends he lets loose and has a New York accent He's nice well-meaning guy, but can be a nutcase when shit hits the fan. He's an social chameleon who knows everyone in the industry. He works as a jazz singer and writes his own songs. Mostly love songs.

Eric Carter: The shortest and the straight-man of the group. He's polite, soft-spoken gentleman and has a british accent and came from the same era like Vincent and usually to stop their antics but will have fun if it doesn't get anyone hurt. He works as a librarian in the in between.

Matilda O'Donald: Joyful and bubbly woman who can get sassy from time to time. She constantly visits her friend and her kids to go for ice cream outside and gifting them homemade sweets and clothing. She works at the studio as a background artist and character designer with Jessie.

Jessie Dalton: Kind, creative and persistent person, who can be and a workaholic and a bit grumpy. Always thinking about others rather than herself to the point of sleep-deprivation. Tries her best to take care of her kids on her own and makes the most out of the situation. Taught them how to speak finish and how to do tricks. Loves them both dearly. She works as an animator and a writer at the studio.

Cici and Lucas Dalton: Jessie's kids. Cici's a bookish nerd who likes astronomy and anything that is morbid. She's pretty skittish around new people especially people who are around her little brother. And Lucas is a energetic and outgoing boy who loves to meet new people and sour candy. Often times plays with her sister or hangs out with Blake.

Jasper O'Donald: A decent and sincere person who works in a office job, but always dreamed off becoming a dancer. He is married to Matilda. When he meets new people he can get nervous but will calm down when he sees a familiar face. He never goes outside at night because nothing good ever happens at night. Something that he fears, something demonic.

Tammy Surace: A saxophonist and a part of a jazz fusion band in New Orleans. She's a excellent cook and visits her niece and nephew to teach them new recipes, how to play new instruments and hand to hand combat. She can be quite nervous and less talkative around people but will mellow out if given time.

Audrey Ferguson: A doctor who lives in Atlanta, but occasionally visits the kids to give them books and teach them how trespass without getting caught and picking locks. She's cynical, distant woman yet she's cool headed and a dry sense of humor.

Hugo Doley: A man who's sweet as his frozen treats. He's the guy when you first meet him you'll instantly love him. He knows how to put a smile on someones face and make their day with their favorite ice cream. Everybody in the whole town knows the sweet gentlemen-ice cream parlor and it's owner.

Ophelia 'phillis' Mercedes: Cici's best friend. A shy girl that gets scared easily.

Blake Rogers: Lucas' best friend. A quiet kid that loves to talk about engines and vehicles.

Laura McClaire: The oldest trio of the group. sassy, fun-loving who loves fashion. A 20's white cat, she's always the one to turn heads at fancy parties and loves all eyes on her. Works as a singer.

Mitzi Bell: The middle child of the group, workaholic, no-nonsense talker and really needs a rest. A black cat from the 20's who keeps an eye on her sisters for not creating a ruckus. Doesn't like Vincent that much. Works in a 70's bar as a bartender.

Callie Calico: The youngest of the group, out-going, looking for something new and a bit of an oddball. A bright eyed cat from the 20's but will wear colorful clothes from modern eras compare to the others. Thinks Vincent's is really funny guy. Works in a antic store.

(All of them are from the same litter and some of their close friends calls them 'The litter sisters').

Gloria Von Hippo: Posh, timid yet motherly. Doesn't know how to resolve a conflict and more of a spectator than an instigator. A classy lady from the 70's. Works as a fashion designer.

Andy Hill: The quiet one, but a good listener, gets the job done and minds his own business. A guy form the 40's, he's also a workaholic but knows his limits and keeps reminding Mitzi's. Works at the same place as Vincent and Mitzi as a waiter.

Bowser Bulldog: A nervous, clumsy goober from the 50's. Doesn't want to cause some waves so much that he became a pushover, but it doesn't get to his head. Is very scared of Chris and the last thing he wanted is to provoke him. Works in a comic book store

Lana Lamp: The biggest and the shortest diva of the them all. From the 30's she's the most attention seeking and likes to cause some drama in the group or read it on the newspapers, watching things go down. Gets gigs in commercials.

And bunch of drawings at the end.

These are not official designs of the characters, but more of how I think of what they look like.

[000life-is-meaningless000]

I wonder if it's Madness to ask if we have a purpose ?

how can anyone of us expect to receive an answer ?

What ?! do you think out of thin air you're going to materialize a/the voice from God or another deity or a higher power to let you know what your purpose in life is ?

do any of us, have a purpose in life does life have a purpose or is it just completely fucking, Miscellaneously Random ?

Happenstance ?

. . . . . . .

I wonder why we try to attribute meaning things that quite often they could be meaningless we try to treat meaning to everything in existence but logically I don't think anything really has a fucking meaning I think it's just the human mind applying context I can't be too certain if anything truly has the meaning society and life says it does ?

I don't know what anything is anymore I don't know what's right I don't know what's wrong at this point my stage of my existence of anyone to read them as I can read it I can watch a pedophile do some let's just say despicable things that Tumblr won't let me give you the Gory details, to a child and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing anymore ? or a psychopath going on a killing spree, our social path kidnapping someone and torturing them I don't even know if Jim Jones is bad anymore I don't even know what the fuck anything is ? 🙁 ? ( science fucked me up )

( morality was invented by humans ethnics were invented by fucking Humanity no animal has anything we're close to a moral or ethnic even the smartest of animals have no morals. I don't know what anything is anymore I'm so scared for so lost I have no fucking idea what right and wrong is anymore. we should listen some to the old stories of the Bible and see how much of unhinged psychopath God was it should also listen to many other religious stories of how the gods and goddesses with the most unruly Unholy disgusting bastards in existence. they make most demons look Good ? ) - Wtf is Anything ! ? )

what the fuck is what the fuck, fuck defiance is fucking good and what the fuck to find bad ?

on one side of the war they feel like they're the heroes on the other side of the war they feel like they're the heroes it you know that the Nazis believe that they were paladins . . .basically !

did you know that Nazi did not call themselves Nazis that was actually a name given to them by Americans Nazis never even heard the term Nazis until the war bust out and Americans called them Nazis

America invented the word Nazi.

. . . . . . .

the Nazis believe that they were the most righteous holy people they took these German motherfuckers really believe that they were the best of the best that they were an example of radiant goodness they truly believed that they were they were they a pinnacle of good yet everybody knew in the world that they were the most unspeakable monsters !

they thought Hitler really was this beacon of light and they just what gave him the morale to go forth and fight when really he was an absolute fucking demon !

I'm just so fucking lost and I'm just so fucking confused ?

What Is Anything, What Is Reality How Do We Define Reality ?

we can only start by trying to explain what is the physical but that is just physical and most of atoms are made of empty space most of who you are is not even there most of everything is made of empty space so then what is real

🙁 - What's Actually Real ?

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

So, urbanspook is considered as "worst analog horror series ever" nowaday, what's your opinion on it now? I remember you said that's your favorite.

I think that there's three major reasons why its considered the worst.

Stakes Burnout.

Things going too far and handled too clumsily.

The creator being a contrarian ass.

Going a bit into depth on each one; for stakes burnout when the series started it started as a serial killer(s) painting disturbing portraits of their victims and the cops discovering these paintings and the victims they correlated to. It was an interesting beginning: a HUMAN threat (which was a breath of fresh air at the time because EVERYTHING was demons, mimics, or demon-mimics and while I love demons, mimics, and demon mimics as much as the next guy I also like a little variety in my monster diet), fascinating and arguably beautiful art pieces, and a tense atmosphere.

While it had a strong start, it started to slip by becoming a one-trick pony. It had an antagonist, but no real protagonist to follow. The 'Poster who got these police files' isn't our protagonist, the poster is our narrator, the literary equivalent to our plate and utensils which have the job of bringing us the story and giving us tools to eat it.

The police officers aren't the protagonist(s) either as they're far too nameless and faceless.

The victims themselves? The victims are the main point of the first problem listed.

As impressive as the voicework was for the 911 call with Isabelle, we simply don't learn enough about Isabelle, or... any other victim to really care about what happens to them. It was one thing when it was the first, second, or even third victim when it's setting the stakes, but when we ONLY get over the top executions with no way to connect to the victims, it sounds less and less like genuine horrific acts and more and more like white noise.

While Urbanslug, creator of The Painter series on the Urbanspook channel said to 'treat it as a Mortal Kombat death reel' the problem with that is, Mortal Kombat isn't a horror series, its a fighter game series. I've never played any of the Mortal Kombat games but even taking a glance that way it's easy to tell that the purpose of the gory, over-the-top deaths in there are there to make the winning player feel cool and powerful as they grind their opponent into the dirt and the losing player feel demoralized as they watch their character get torn to pieces. To reiterate, there is no protagonist, but there is an *antagonist*, the painting killer is framed as a force that needs to be stopped and we do not follow him or his accomplice, only their deeds. This creates dissidence from the 'intended viewing' as we the viewers aren't in the shoes of the victims and feeling fear or in the shoes of the killer and feeling powerful yet disturbing, we're faceless ghosts watching from behind the screens that start off feeling fear and intrigue only to have it burnt out of us as it does it over and over again but more or less gross.

Leading to the next point: Too far, and too clumsily. Horror as a genre isn't just 'fun halloween spooky ooo'. Sometimes it's sanitized for child consumption, but the horror genre's job is to be an investment in fear, in the macabre, in what makes the audience scared, disgusted, angry, or a mix of the three and thus covers topics that disturb the average person.

But engraved onto the other side of the coin, just because a topic IS disturbing and invokes righteous and rightfully deserved fear, anger, and disgust in people, doesn't mean it should be included in your horror story. Especially when this horrible act is brushed off.

In The Painter, a child named Cory was killed in a disgusting and sexual manor and his painting is dubbed 'Fucktoy Cory'. This murder is treated no differently than the others in universe, while in real life merch is made and sold of this painting, that has been contextualized to be a murderous child rapist's mockery of their dead victim.

In an alternate universe where The Painter might be a better series, the two killer twist and Cory's death could have been utilized better. Imagine if you will...

The police discovering gruesome murders and the paintings in different locations, corpses of the victims are posed as if they are the easels of the paintings they hold.

Carla's Teeth is held by a corpse who's mouth is slit ear-to-ear, all of the victim's teeth have been removed and stuck onto the canvas the victim was holding, the picture depicting a face made of soulless, bloodshot eyes, oddly undetailed skin, and teeth; the 32 real ones used to line the painting's over-exaggerated teeth.

Floating Jackie looked like it was floating in the bathtub before the witness took a closer look and discovered that it was being held up and out of the water by the hands of the victim it was depicting. The painting, like the victim's own face (found to be removed postmortem), was of a disembodied face in a red background or 'bath'. The painting's materials being watercolor mixed with the victim's blood.

James Secret face is found held by a headless corpse. The painting itself depicting a wet red skull emerging from skin and the materials used in it along with normal paint being the victim's blood, brain matter, hair, pieces of their skull, and saliva.

Two months later, several more paintings of the same art style were sent to the police station anonymously. However the titles and depictions of these paintings were not connected to any known cases at the time, and unlike the previous three contained no human matter as part of their composition.

The titles were as following; Wax Doll Tom, Lisa's Secret Face, Hanging Jimmy, Daniel After The Fire, Jennifer's Last Stare, Scream Maggie Scream, Fucktoy Cory, and last but not least... 'Self Portrait'.

Presuming that this is the killer's method of taunting them, the police go public with the case in the hopes of saving anyone that might be depicted in the paintings. Next Episode:

A Police Officer, Bill Collins, who had been on edge before the paintings were discovered by the earlier disappearance of his wife, discovered a copy of 'Self Portrait' in his home and reported it to local authorities immediately as he was clueless to how it ended up in there and presumed it was snuck into his house by The Painter. Presuming that this must have been his calling card, that the killer liked to 'mess with his victims' before taking them out.

While searching the officer's house, police found a man matching the characteristics of 'Self Portrait' tied to an easel and covered in red paint.

Also found in the attic were paintings of Bill's Wife Jennifer (A copy of Jennifer's last stare), ten-year-old daughter Lisa, and two-month-old daughter Angel. The wife's painting was made out of her bodily materials yet did not have an 'easel' while the daughters' paintings were made of regular materials.

The man in the attic has been taken in to police custody.

Now we have our new protagonist, Bill Collins, interrogating this murderer who calls himself... Self Portrait. Self is uncooperative, cagey, and likes to use flowery language to describe his... "Artworks", presumably seeing nothing wrong with what he is doing. In police custody, he does nothing but taunt the police, especially Bill, to their faces. However, as the fourth easel is discovered while Self is still in custody, he confesses the truth: that there's a second killer who Self dubs 'Apprentice' and that they used to work together before Apprentice betrayed Self due to an 'artistic disagreement', leading to his capture.

As the alternate Series of 'The Painter' goes on, Bill learns more about the targeted people by interviewing them, tries and fails to catch Apprentice, interrogates Self Portrait from time to time, and is growing more and more disturbed by both Self and Apprentice's mindsets, meeting his breaking point and almost killing Self in a fit of rage that happens after interviewing 11 year old Cory Beck while looking at the painting that was titled 'Fucktoy Cory'.

The only thing that manages to keep Self safe from Bill Collins's wrath being that one of the other officers pointed out that a key difference between Self's paintings and Apprentice's paintings was that the titles of Apprentice's paintings are a lot cruder and more sexually charged than Self's paintings, but Bill still has doubts in his mind as again, Self is a very cagey and uncooperative person who didn't even try to verbally or physically defend himself when Bill confronted him. ...That and 'Fucktoy Cory' WAS sent in with the rest of Self's paintings...

Granted, I'm not going to pretend that this is a PERFECT version of The Painter, everything is bound to have a flaw somewhere, but at least this version gives us a protagonist who has a personal connection to the killers, stakes as opposed to a conga line of stupidly brutal deaths, and instead of just a morbid notch in a morbid belt, 'Fucktoy Cory' is what makes an already fearful, disgusted, and angry person fucking lose it and almost kill another human being with his bare hands.

...Point three is kinda an afterthought at this point but there's a thing about 'separating the art from the artist'; it's easier to do when the Artist isn't actively being a massive dick to people on social media and pulling Schrodinger's douchebag tricks.

[paleparearchive]

Enchanted by the Magic of Art

Mucha's Halloween 4★ story (1/3) ( 1 - 2 - 3 )

Location: museum reception (morning) | Characters: Mucha, Courbet, Monet, Raffaello, Sisley, Watteau, Aoi/MC

Mucha: Miss deputy director, is this all the candy for the children?

Aoi: The box I just gave you will be all of it! ... Did I buy too much?

Mucha: Probably… I have no idea how many people the Halloween parade will attract, so I do not know… But if we have a surplus, we can make it a novelty and organize a campaign. These are special snacks, and we cannot let them go to waste.

Well then... Is it time to open the museum?

Aoi: Yes! Well then, everyone, I look forward to working with you today!

Mucha: Yes. Distribute them well and try to attract customers for the Halloween parade.

Watteau: You're kinda stiff. Let's just have fun! That's fine, ain't it?

Mucha: Fufu, you are right. Let us have fun.

—

Children in costume: Trick or treat! Give me candy or I'll play a trick!

Sisley: Don't play tricks. Now, I'll give you this candy–

Monet: That's right! I'll eat the kids who misbehave!

Children in costume: Uwaah!!! Scarred face, scary…!

Monet: Uh, you mean my makeup…!? I'm not scary!

Children in costume: Stop following us! Noo!

Monet: Ah! Don't you want some candy!? If ya leave it here, I'll eat it myself, y'know!?

Sisley: M-Monet… You can't do that, you know…?

—

Children in costume: Uwaah! Scarred face is scary!!

Raffaello: Hello there, where are you going in such a hurry? Everyone's costumes are cute.

Children in costume: A-A demon…!?

Raffaello: Oh, what is the matter? I do not want you playing tricks on me so, here, would you like some sweets?

Children in costume: NOOOO!! Demon, scary!! We don't like those horns!

Raffaello: Fufu. It is quite a new experience to be able to see someone escape like this.

Aoi: R-Raffaello-san… Looks like you're having a lot of fun…

—

Children in costume: KYAAAA!!

Mucha: What is wrong? Do not run in the museum.

Child in a princess costume: Ah… It's the wizard lady! Help us, the monsters are after us!

Mucha: … Lady?

No, that is okay. The monsters here are harmless, so you will be fine.

Child in a princess costume: Really…?

Mucha: Yes. It is true. Nobody will do anything dangerous to you.

Children in costume: If you say so, miss, then we believe you! Hey hey miss, can you use magic!?

Mucha: I believe I cannot do that… But in my hands, any naughty child will quickly turn into a good child in no time.

Monet: Oh, there ya are. Here, don't forget your sweets!

Children in costume: Aaaah, it's the scary scarred face guy!!

Mucha: Monet-san. Could you please stop there for a moment?

Monet: Huh? … Like this?

Children in costume: Woah, amazing!! The scary guy has spoken! I bet he's one of your minions, miss!

Monet: I'm not a minion!

Children in costume: Kyaa!

Mucha: Monet-san. Don't scare our little guests too much.

Monet: A-Alright…! Sorry.

I mean, ain’t your smile somewhat scarier!?

Mucha: Fufu, it must be your imagination. After all, if you do not do anything wrong, I will not do anything to you.

Children in costume: Miss, you're amazing! Hey hey, do that werewolf and that devil work for you too!?

Mucha: About those two… Well, what do you say?

Courbet: I'm not a minion and neither a werewolf.

Raffaello: Fufu. Mucha-kun, you are being treated like a big sister by the children.

Sisley: But it suits him very well. I mean, he doesn't find it uncomfortable being considered as a real witch…

Watteau: Well, in Sisley's case, it's not strange to be mistaken for a priest.

Mucha: Alright. There will be a Halloween parade in the afternoon, so please look forward to it, everyone. Before that, let me take you on a tour of the museum's exhibits. Please take your time to look around.

And here is some Halloween candy for you. However, you cannot play tricks after eating these, fufufu.