#the eyepatch and the star are on the wrong eyes

[leternumo]

cannibal AU wittebros 🥩

[hazelnootnut]

i'm sorry, siffrin. and thank you, loop.

[jklpopcorn]

god's specialest little chew toy be upon ye

[fisshontoast]

ID: a digital drawing of siffrin from in stars and time. He is drawn from the shoulders up. They have both eyes. /end ID

Siffrin that I drew on my 3ds 👍

[magical-girl-coral]

I can't stop thinking about the wrong kids. Here's how I think they all ended up like that:

Ragh- murdered Fabian while under the effect of the nightmare forest. Fabian took out his eye before going down, and Ragh claimed the Hangman just as Fabian called him after killing Johnny Spell. He took Fabian's eyepatch so that fear would never control him again.

Aelwyn - couldn't save Adaine in time and watched in horror as their father killed her. She then killed him and got attacked by a charmed Tracker, which turned her into a werewolf. She failed the constitution check on purpose to embrace her monstrosity fully. She has to use Adaine's sword to focus better whenever a full moon occurs.

Zelda - went berserk from grief after watching Gorgug get murdered in the forest and became reckless during battles afterward, losing her arm in the process. She impulsively broke up with her old adventuring party after they called her out and started studying artificer classes to get a piece of Gorgug back to her life.

Ayda - sacrificed herself to stop the nightmare king after she saw Fig dies. She is immediately reborn as an infant and was raised on the tales of the tragic love story between her former self and some rock star. She got sick and tired of constantly being compared to the previous Ayda, so she picked up bard classes and dressed like a punk, unknowingly taking after her other mom instead.

Tracker - after snapping out of her hypnosis when the nightmare king was done, she became disgusted with her actions and vowed to never allow her feral instincts to take over again. She abandoned her goddess and worshipped Helio instead, knowing how well his followers were at being controlled. The silver bracelets were her idea.

Zayn - when he heard about none of the bad kids returning from the nightmare forest, Zayn felt as though he had lost the last connection to the world of the living with all of his friends being dead. He trained himself to become a phantom rogue, fully embracing his undead life and refusing to connect to any living again. He still tries to find their ghosts when no one is looking.

[startagainaprologue]

reference lost

randomized isatswap au minific :]. more me thinking normal thoughts.abt Guide

--

(Your eyes turn back to the drawing on the ground as soon as 'Dile is gone.)

(It's you. That's what she said. That's what you look like.)

(Your claws dig into the roots that you sit on. That. Isn't. You.)

(It's not it's not it's not.)

(You KNOW what you look like at least. What you should. And this thing is not you.)

(You kick at it. You scatter the dirt around it till it's gone and you don't have to look at it anymore. You pick up the stick 'Dile used earlier.)

(You'll draw it right this time. You'll do it better.)

(You draw. You aren't good at it. But you draw yourself. You think of the copy that's here and took your face and your sister and your home. You do not draw them. You draw you.)

(…..)

(It doesn't feel complete. You continue to draw.)

(You start with Lulu next. They're easy. Cool star head. Cool star on their chest. And then lightless for the rest.)

(Then… then you draw your 'Dile. You… remember she had a really big coat. You also draw her with the wrong eye for a second. You fix it immediately. Not your 'Dile)

(Then.. Frin. Big cloak. eyepatch. All darkless hair. Big hat, like yours! 'Za. Belt.. kind of spiky hair. Big darkless pants. Earrings..? You think. That sounds right. Belle. Big bow!! at.. where.. The side of her hair? Maybe. Her hair is puffy, like a cloud! Then.. little brooches on her shawl. And then a big dress!)

(You do not draw your sister.)

(You sit back and look at your drawing.)

(There is something wrong with it.)

(There. Is. Something. Wrong.)

(You didn't do it right. It's WRONG.)

(But you don't know what it is. You just know that it's WRONG, IT'S WRONG!!! But you don't know what to fix.)

(BECAUSE YOU DON'T REMEMBER!!)

(YOU DON'T REMEMBER ANYMORE!!)

(You're friends are all wrong and you messed them up because you FORGOT. AGAIN!!)

(You stomp on the drawing. Again.

(And again.)

(And again.)

(And. Again. Till it's gone.)

(You take a deep breath iiin. And ouut. Iin. And out.)

(….It's. Fine. You're okay. This is all crabbing stupid. You're getting all upset over a stupid drawing!)

(It's fine. It's okay.)

(You're the only person this matters to anymore anyways.)

[intothegenshinworld]

Fate’s Destiny ~ Chapter 11 || Four people, one destiny

You somehow, not being able to explain it, had fallen into the Genshin world you know oh-so-well. You were no new player and had explored most of the nooks and crannies of the world. When you first had woken up in Windrise you wondered; it might be a dream, after all, you were behind your screen usually, and now- here? It made no sense, and the world was keen on keeping it that way.

Warnings: Spoilers for main story.

Word count: 2.7k+

Auteurs note: My health is worsening. This chapter has been prewritten and queued in advance because of it. I hope you can enjoy it

↺ PREVIOUS CHAPTER || ↻ NEXT CHAPTER || MASTERLIST

A resounding crash jolts you from your slumber. It’s not a sound you’d expect to hear in the middle of the night, nor is it something you can pass on to your imagination, and so it plunges your mind into a primal fight-or-flight.

Without a second thought, your body jumps up from the sleeping bag, ready to combat the suspecting intruder. When the moment passes, you realize there never was one. Silence fills the night once more until you hear Lumine call your name, gentle concern lingering in her voice. 

You blink your eyes to adjust to the darkness. A few meters ahead of camp, you see branches stacked in a pyramid formation, set ablaze to keep its company safe and warm. Around it, comfortably on the grass, sits Lumine. She faces camp, and although the shadows obscure her expression, her body is visibly relaxed.  

“Are you alright,” Lumine’s voice, a mere whisper, breaks the night's silence. “Did you have a nightmare?”

You look around the area. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. The world is quiet aside from the occasional winds brushing against the ruins and trees. Even the nocturnal animals and insects seemed absent in this moment.

As you remain unsure of what had awoken you, the person next to Lumine causes concern. “Who is that?”

The stranger is facing away from you and towards the fire. He has to turn his upper body to look at you. Once he does, you‘re able to make out his blonde hair and dark clothes. Half of his face remains hidden—an eyepatch, maybe? And the only thing that stands out is his cape full of shimmering stars. 

While an unsuspecting party member isn’t your favorite way of waking up, Lumine’s relaxed composure makes you feel safe. You move to sit upright more comfortably in the sleeping bag.

“I apologize if either of us stirred you.” Lumine turns her head to the stranger, gesturing at him. “We happened to run into each other and we decided to catch up.”

The stranger lightly nods his head in your direction, now turning around to properly face you. “My name is Dainsleif. We have met before.” 

Your first memories in Windrise appear vividly in your mind. The soft zephyr brushing against your cheeks, the crystal butterflies, Dainsleif.

Then, in Mondstadt, another muddled memory. You recall talking with him, but the topic of conversation is no longer clear to you. He appears to be more focused this time. His eyebrows furrow together and his lips are pulled in a thin line, leaving you to guess how he felt at that moment. 

Another memory breaks free. You remember the cape on his shoulders, and trying to dip your hands into the fabric, wanting to break the stars free. You recall how safe it made you feel when the world started to turn dark, unlike the night, and more like nothingness.

Dainsleif turns his head away from you. With his new position, you only see the back of his head and the black side of his cape. Your mind leaps from side to side, making sense out of nothing and confusing the things that once made sense. Up is down, down is up, under is right, up is wrong. 

You furrow your eyebrows. 

“Who?”

Lumine turns her head to the male next to her. She lifts her shoulders before they fall again. The night hides her face but you notice the change in her expression. She normally seems so neutral, calm, and put-together—but now her eyes seem to scream at you.

You hear the male, Dainsleif–why is that name so familiar—whisper something before Lumine replies in the same hushed manner. Then, the stranger stands up. Without a goodbye, the mysterious man walks away. The further he goes, the more he blends in with the darkness of the night. 

You look at Lumine.

Her voice is gentle as ever, “Try to get some more sleep,” but her eyes scream louder and louder. Something is telling you to run. “I’ll protect you throughout the night,” she says.

You move your eyes towards the darkness once more. 

What had awoken you again?

You decided to listen to Lumine. 

Peacefully, you let your world succumb to the same darkness that swallowed you whole so many times before. The distant crackling of the fire lulls you to sleep and casts a protective warmth over you, though, it might have been Lumine who made you feel this safe—even with the increasing darkness.

Sunlight cuts through the white clouds in the blue sky and paints the ground with warm hues. Yesterday, the start of your journey to Mondstadt started with your departure from Liyue’s main city. You had set out towards Guili Plains, but with your current pace, and the fact you’d been avoiding the main roads, it’d take a few more days before your arrival. 

Right now, you are making the final preparations for your second day on the roads. Up till now you hadn’t encountered anything noteworthy. Hilllichurl camps seemed sparse, there were little to none adventurers present in the wilderness, and the animals seemed more absent-minded—not bothering to run when Lumine had been hunting for dinner.

Perhaps it was a stroke of good luck after misfortune. Perhaps it was the calm before the storm.

You weren’t going to wait to find out which of the two it’d be.

“Good morning!” Paimon greets you with a warm smile, only to cross her arms right after. “Wait a minute, Paimon thinks you look tired. Did you get any sleep?” 

She accusingly points at you, which makes you laugh in the process. “Really? I slept like a rock. It’s as if I caught up to all those restless nights from before, I’m feeling better than ever.”

Paimon hums, not attempting to argue back. You sling your bag over your shoulders as you stand up. Without a mirror it’s hard to check your appearance, however, you don’t doubt that the little pixie began to see what you’ve been seeing the past few weeks. Even at this very moment when you stretch out your bare hands, you seem to fade away. 

You pull your cloak over your head, turning to look at the pixie. “Have you seen Lumine yet?” 

She makes a stressed sound. “She went out to check the surroundings, to make sure everything is safe for Paimon and you, but… she hasn’t returned yet.” 

The little pixie turns her head towards the treeline, whispering below her breath how it shouldn’t take much longer, no doubt a bit worried about Lumine’s delay.

“Oh, Paimon forgot to ask.” She turns her body back to you, “Did you end up reading the book that Paimon and Lumine bought for you in Liyue?”

The bag begins to feel heavier at the mention of the book. Your hand instinctively moves over, and when you graze over the fabric, you feel the item within. When you fish it out, a heavy book yells out the contents of the story through a title. 

‘The Divine Creator’s Demise & the End of Teyvat’

Paimon’s smile falls into an agonized frown, her eyes casted onto the cover. The picture appears to represent the Creator, you, with a star-hilted sword in the back. It gives you an unsettling feeling.

You are quick to force it back into the bag, safe and out of view. “I don’t think I’ve read it yet. It’s been quite hectic, even when it was just me and the gnosis in the inn.”

“Paimon understands. When you first asked for a book, Paimon and Lumine were surprised to only find such a dark one. They should make happier stories for The Creator, y’know!”

You try to recall the moment when you asked for a book. However, nothing comes to mind.

You get ready to defend your past actions but you are interrupted by a familiar voice calling out both your and Paimon’s name. From the treeline, Lumine appears with a stranger by her side. When the two stop in front of you, Paimon puts her arms on her hips. The pixie is quick to recognize the man, calling him by his name, to which he responds with a curt greeting. When Paimon doesn’t further react to it, you realize that they must be well acquainted. 

Your eyes inspect the stranger whom Paimon called ‘Dainsleif’. 

His outfit consists of a black jacket with blue details, a grey vest, and black pants. He seems to be wearing black armored gloves and boots, but you’re not too sure about that since the right side of his outfit was laced with a blue veiny pattern. And while his outfit already made him an easily recognizable figure, his cape seemed to catch all your attention. The stranger’s black cape had a beautiful starry, space-patterned interior that seemed to reflect the night sky, shimmering and dancing behind him. 

Something like that, you’re bound to remember. The way the small stars shimmer and fade, even with the daylight blinding them, has you mesmerized. After a small moment you look over at Lumine for guidance.

“This is Dainsleif,” when Lumine mentions his name, the male offers another nod in your direction. “He felt your aura. That’s how we encountered each other. He offered to join us while we head towards Mondstadt, but only if you’re okay with it.”

An uncanny sense of familiarity wafts over you. “Join us?” 

Paimon floats closer and clings to your arm. “Dainsleif might not seem approachable at first, but Paimon knows we can trust him. After all, he helped us with finding the Adepti.” she quickly adds to it, “Plus, he knows a looot of things. He might be helpful to you as well!”

You take another look at him. He appears a bit stiff, but not in a threatening way. He genuinely seems to have no idea what to say or do. An understandable thing, considering you were The Creator. “I’m pleased to finally make your acquaintance in this world.” 

“As am I,” you reply. You’re surprised at how easy the words fall out of your mouth. While you’re not thrilled to have a stranger join you on your journeys, you put your trust in Lumine and Paimon’s judgment. “So we’re all going to Mondstadt together?”

Lumine puts one of her hands on her hip while shifting her weight onto one foot. “With the help of Dainsleif, we could once again use the main roads. If you’re exposed to people who are unable to sense your aura we might land in a troubling situation, but considering how slow our current journey has been, I’m willing to take a chance.”

“Paimon thinks it’s a great idea. We can travel on the road during the day, and set camp further away!” The pixie exclaims her idea with pride. 

You think about the proposition. The gnosis concealed by your cloak is no longer a cause for worry. Ever since you set out towards Mondstadt, it stopped glowing. While its lack of power caused concern, you no longer needed to worry about someone seeing the light it usually radiated. 

Furthermore, on multiple occasions, your cloak had proven sufficient capability of hiding your face. With Dainsleif traveling alongside you, your group had grown big enough for everyone to feel confident with your current camouflage. Unless another aura-sensitive person showed up, you’d go unnoticed.

You can’t help the way your lips curl upwards with excitement. “Sounds like a plan.”

Paimon cheers, floating a little higher as she kicks her feet in the air. While both Lumine and Dainsleif remained neutral, you sensed something different from the latter. He kept looking around him as if he was busy with something else and absent from the conversation. 

You’ve only known him for a few minutes, so you’re unsure if this is another part of his ‘not approachable’ appearance. Thus, you decide to not comment on it. 

When his eyes land on yours, you notice the star-shaped pupil. 

It reminds you of Kaeya.

Paimon’s snores during her evening nap are enough to keep you distracted from your book. 

When you finally decide to stand up for a fresh breath of air outside of camp, you’re met with the sight of Dainsleif well on his way to start a fire. He sits on a fallen tree trunk, having found the perfect spot for everyone to sit once Lumine returns with dinner. 

While sitting, he throws another log onto the pyramid of already burning ones, carefully nurturing the fire until it crackles loudly and has enough fuel to last the entire night. 

He is clearly a step ahead of you and Paimon. The latter had fallen asleep once you finished setting camp with her, and then yourself, gazing in stupor at the new companion with a book in hand.

For a moment longer, you observe his actions. 

His cape flutters behind him onto the grass, the stars within fluttering with each movement he makes. For the first time, he averts his attention from the fire. You instinctively follow his gaze. 

Dainsleif’s blue eyes turn from the treelines, towards the open field with the makeshift camp, until they land on you. Eye to eye, you stand still in your place until you decide to give him a wave. He hesitates but ultimately sends an equally awkward wave back into your direction. 

While the interaction could’ve gone better, it’d be even more embarrassing if you were to turn back to camp, so you approach him.

“Can I sit next to you? Paimon fell asleep after we finished making camp and she snores too loud for me to read.” You lift the item in your hand as you approach him, the cover shining brightly; ‘The Divine Creator: world walker’.

"An interesting title. I did not expect that ‘The Creator’ would read stories about themselves, much less any praising ones." His tone remains the same but his words seem to silently tease you, acting as if he’d known you for a longer time. You smile, sitting yourself next to him at a comfortable distance. You’re close enough for it to seem friendly but far enough for it not to be awkward. 

"It's a study read. I can't sit idle while everyone is working hard to regain my memories. And who knows? I might look like a self-centered god but maybe the book will have answers," you respond.

His eyes stay focused on you. "What makes you confident that the contents are all factual and not made up?" 

When he sees you raise an eyebrow and open your mouth to defend yourself, he adds, "Here is another question. How can you be certain that you are, in fact, 'The Creator' without any memories to support it? Have you ever entertained the idea that ‘The Creator’, as a concept, never existed prior to your arrival?”

Despite the outlandish question, you find yourself trying to answer his questions. After all, your lack of memories have been raising doubts. A troubled sigh leaves your lips when you realize that they have from the moment you entered Mondstadt, up till this very moment. And while he was right on the fact that you’d never be able to confirm anything without your memories, it’d be absurd to doubt the many people who do have memories of you, right?

The fire in front of you dances as thin strands of smoke twirl around. Above the horizon, the sunset was slowly merging from bright colors into a solid dark blue. You’d lose the light to read fast, but you feel like you’ll get more answers from Dainsleif than anywhere else. And thus, you entertain his thoughts.

"If the creator didn't exist before my arrival, it's another thing I won't be able to confirm without my memories. Regardless of what is and what is not true, I have to continue forward—trying to find my memories as I do." You look at Dainsleif, resolve filling your mind as you grow more confident about your past choices. "I will go to Mondstadt, and I will find out the truth. Furthermore, I’ll accept that truth as it is, with or without me being ‘The Creator’."

Dainsleif's lips curl upward for a split second. The moment is so fleeting that you doubt it ever happened at all. You do notice how his shoulder relaxes. Dainsleif lets out a breath that feels like a burden he'd been carrying for a while. Then he turns to the fire once more, poking the stick in his hands against the charred ones. 

He speaks to you, "Then it'll be my pleasure to accompany you once more, so-called creator of ours."

If you liked this chapter and think I deserve a comment, please leave one behind! I appreciate it a lot and it'll make me more motivated to write in the future ♡

© intothegenshinworld. Do not copy, repost, translate or take heavy inspiration from my content. Thanks for reading.

[madaboutmunson]

Perfectly P-awesome

For Stranger Things Writer’s Guild Daily Prompt

‘Daddy’

Summary: Drabble of Steddie at the dog rescue

Word Count: 700

——————————————————————-

“Eddie, this was a mistake,” Steve whispered out the corner of his mouth, as they walked between the enclosures.

“No it wasn’t, my love. You’re just upset we can’t take them all,” Eddie replied in a whispered sing-song tone. He looked smug, and he had every right to, because he knew his boyfriend, and he knew he was correct.

Steve channelled his annoyance into a grumble as he avoided eye contact with the dogs they passed by.

“Imagine what a wonderful thing we’ll be doing, giving one of these sweet things a new home,” Eddie encouraged swooping into his side and linking their arms, “A new leash of life, if you will,” Eddie wiggled his eyebrows and stifled a laugh.

Steve rolled his eyes but the smile he was wrestling to hide became too obvious. He sighed, “We don’t have the space.”

Eddie made an incorrect buzzer noise, “Wrong! We had three whole humans in that apartment, a dog is smaller than a human.”

“Ok well are you gonna walk them every day?” Steve said, putting one hand on his hip.

Eddie pouted, “But baby, you go for a jog or run every morning, if you took the dog you’d have some sort of protection, when you’re out on your own.”

Steve was about to say no and stopped in his tracks, “Ok, alright,” he said throwing his hands up, “A few conditions. You join me on morning walks and you can walk the dog. The dog cannot be so big it takes up half the sofa. It must be a mixed breed, and no puppies! You got that?”

“Yessss!” Eddie hopped and punched the air making his wallet chain jangle. With a wild look in his eyes he grabbed Steve’s arm and yanked him along behind him at top speed.

“Eddie, what the hell, calm down! Where are you dragging me?” Steve complained as they nearly pushed past several families and couples until Eddie came to a sudden halt and Steve crashed into his side.

Eddie, completely unaffected by a half speed Steve crashing into him, points at the enclosure.

“This is the one, babe,” Eddie’s smile was huge as he rocked on his heels.

Steve sighed and wondered what kind of hell beast Eddie had picked out. He took the plunge and stepped forward to look at the dog.

Steve looked at the creature behind the cage door.

This wasn’t a dog. This was some kind of gremlin muppet from outer space.

Its ears stuck out like the little green funny guy from Star Wars. Its dark fur was patchy in places but generally short and wiry apart from on top of its head where it had an accidental mohawk. Its lower jaw jutted to the side giving it half an underbite and it was about the size of a Beagle. It had an eyepatch over one eye, a missing leg and a tail with an almost right angled kink in it.

“See, Daddy follows all your rules, aaaand,” Eddie pouted his lips and clasped his hands together, “He weally weally needs a home,” he said, with his own biggest puppy dog eyes.

Steve put up a finger, “What did you just call him?”

“Daddy,” Eddie repeated and the creature from the depths of hell replied with a yip. Eddie crouched down to the door at the response, “Who’s a good boy? It’s Daddy isn’t it? Daddy’s a good boy!”

Steve didn’t particularly want this walking nightmare fuel in his home, or to shout Daddy at something in the park, but when Eddie looked up at him with such joy, he rolled his eyes and sighed, and went to look at the information sheet.

Steve realised the huge mistake he’d made by reading this. This dog was a hero, a loyal pet, and was only in here because his owner passed away and no one would take him in. Not only that, but he was an old dog. He knew right then he couldn’t leave him here. He was coming home with them

Steve felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to meet Eddie’s compassionate expression, “So is he gonna be a Munson or a Harrington?”

[roo-fanart]

This post contains Spoilers for all of In Stars and Time!

Please play the game blind if you can it’s so so so worth it.

So! I made a post on my main account a few days back making a joke about Loop looking like a xurkitree. I edited their eyes onto an image from bulbapedia, and voilà!

A loop both in full colour and greyscale!

But that got me thinking - what pokémon best suited the other characters? I’m still stumped on most of them, but the ideas for Siffrin flowed way too fast. some were obvious - pokémon with funky hats like murkrow, space themed pokémon (with a little extra) like minior or jirachi, celebi or basically any ghost pokémon for the loops, pokémon like ditto or zorua for twohats, SOMETHING to tie back to where he’s from, etc.

I was REALLY attached to mismagius (mostly for the hat/ghost type combo) but also kept coming back to mimikyu for the island. mimikyu were added in alola, their whole thing is mimicking (but in a way that’s obviously wrong), the ghost type also works for the loss of memory and the disguise has a lot of potential for any conversations Siffrin normally has about their clothes. I really loved the idea of a disguise that told of how clearly they were loved. and then I had an epiphany.

do mimikyu disguises have to be pikachu?

I somehow managed to forget to write this, but Odile was the one who came up with the idea of the patch being the same colour as a mismagius eye. Siffrin doesn’t have an actual eyepatch underneath, because there is no eye (or eye socket) there either, most of the time - it’s just ghost mist. The patch was necessary to keep the disguise from fraying thanks to the damage, and the only way Isabeau could find to do that without damaging the craft on the disguise further was by patching over the damaged hole.

I debated a LOT with where to put Siffrin’s eyepatch. The ability disguise made it even harder - it would make more sense for it to activate, but the enemy wasn’t aiming for siffrin, they were aiming for Bonnie, who is probably tiny. I eventually decided that I was still going to have the sadness (equivalent) hit their actual eye, on grounds of “the only reason for an eyepatch would be if Bonnie stitched up the disguise eye as a non-verbal apology, rather than Isabeau” and “regardless of how naturally it happens, writing out disability is something I’m wary of”.

And yes! Mal du Pays! I knew fairly early on that I wanted to keep the silhouette but not the outline. Still not sure if I want to go with something close to canon Siffrin or something related to jirachi, but…

[betweendisorders]

Sunny has an eyepatch.

A real, proper eyepatch. The straps are mostly obscured by his hair; it had grown longer, over the last few months. But there are two on his right -- Basil's left -- to go over and under his ear, and one that wraps around the other side of his head. It's white; almost medical. Not like Basil had imagined. When he'd imagined it.

Which wasn't often.

Basil wasn't courageous.

He might call himself cowardly, in fact, if you caught him in the wrong mood. But being around Sunny had always made his rougher edges dull.

Or maybe sharpened his spines.

Polished him, either way. Refined him, maybe.

He was losing his thread. Shit.

Basil wasn't particularly courageous. But with Sunny, he was... something closer to it, maybe. Not exactly comfortable. Just, different. There was a side that you never showed other people, and there was a version of you that you put on for strangers -- and then there was that third you, somewhere in between. Made for your best friend, or your spouse, or maybe just your pets.

Sunny was taller than him.

Not by a whole lot. Sunny was fairly average, in terms of height -- maybe a bit on the shorter side. 5'6, 5'5. How spindly he was made him look taller. So did his sweater vests, subtly tight around his thin, fragile chest.

(Basil knew how fragile that chest was, from experience. Spending time throwing someone against walls, pinning them to your bedroom floor, trying to impale them with garden shears would do that.)

Though he wasn't really trying to impale Sunny, of course.

Regardless. Sunny was taller than him. Basil couldn't help but notice as much, sitting next to him.

Sunny was watching the sky with one eye. And Basil couldn't stop noticing that he had an eyepatch.

Because he was missing an eye.

They were standing on the sidewalk. Sunny was going home in the morning.

Back to the city. Back away from Basil.

And he was missing an eye, under his eyepatch.

(An eye that Basil had torn from his skull with dull garden shears.)

Ah. Scratch that. Sunny wasn't watching the sky.

He'd started looking at Basil, now.

"Um," Basil looked away. "Sorry," he said, automatically.

Sunny shook his head no, a little. There was a softness to his gaze -- a quietude, a tiredness. He was relaxed.

He hadn't been, for this whole visit. But he was now.

(Sunny was missing an eye, and Basil wouldn't stop noticing.)

The something behind him -- it hadn't been distinct.

It hadn't been real, more importantly. Basil knew that, now, of course. But it hadn't been distinct, at the time.

He couldn't tell you what it felt like. He couldn't tell you if it had any proper, physical form. That wasn't how he'd conceptualized it.

It was an eye. An eye, first and foremost. Seeing everything they'd done. Painting their sins across the canvas of its pupil.

(And he'd torn it out. Ended it.)

Sunny was wearing an eyepatch, and the sky was inky black behind him. Stars glittered, distinct against his hair.

The cosmos wrapped them both in a perfect bow, and Sunny was wearing an eyepatch.

Basil leaned a little closer, without thinking about it.

(It wasn't that he was courageous. Not really.)

(Maybe Sunny just made him impulsive.)

Sunny shifted, a little. His posture automatically leaning away, for a moment--

And then, he corrected himself. Stood straight again. Let Basil lean closer. Peered down at him. His gaze was curious -- a little concerned.

His gaze, which was defined by a set of slight furrowed eyebrows, and only one eye to go with them.

Basil was reaching forward, before he really realized what he was doing.

Sunny startled, this time. Leaned away. His mouth opened, a little -- showed a soft, pink mouth, beyond chapped lips.

"Sorry," Basil murmured, quietly, without really thinking about it. Almost subconsciously. "Can I...?"

He didn't wait for an answer. His fingers -- curious, clumsy, thoughtless fingers -- rested gently against the sharp lines of Sunny's cheekbones. Crawled up his skin.

Toyed, curiously, with the edge of his eyepatch.

Sunny's entire frame froze. Tensed up. His shoulders raised, his face pulled away a little -- and Basil had to lean further, to keep his fingers against Sunny's skin, and lift his eyepatch, just a little. Until his sweater brushed against Sunny's perfectly buttoned dress shirt.

Curious, impertinent fingers lifted Sunny's eyepatch. Peered underneath -- raised it just enough to not let any proper starlight underneath.

(The skin was scraped red. Fleshy, wounded, still half scabbed over. Knotted scar tissue.)

Sunny had a glass eye.

It was polished. All blank, opaque. Just to fill the socket, Basil assumed -- because it would cave in, or fill up from the tissue trying to repair itself, he thought. From what little research he'd done.

(Not that he'd been thinking about it.)

Sunny was barely an inch away. Close enough that their noses could brush, and Basil could see the flush start to cover his face. See his eye widen, and the scraped-raw flesh of his other socket shift with the motion.

(He must've still had some control of the muscles; and Basil could've watched those scraped-down, raw, still half scabbed over muscles shift for longer than he'd ever admit.)

Sunny was close enough that Basil could smell his perfume. Could feel the warmth on the underside of his eyepatch, under the pads of his curious, thoughtless fingers.

Sunny had a glass eye. To fill the socket.

Sunny had a glass eye, and--

And Basil was disappointed.

(this ficlet was based off a wonderful piece of art by @white-tulips, which you can see here)

(now cross-posted to ao3)

[hyper-juice]

You were there all along

Part 2 of The Epic Divorce AU, posted to tumblr since I'm in gay baby jail for uhhh eight more days.

Summary: In one glorious moment stretching on for infinity, the King remembers everything. Every. single. thing.

Until he wakes up again, and it's gone. All he has left is... the Head Housemaiden sitting by his bedside?

(Tentatively Kingphie, spoilers for the whole game, 2.167 words)

It’s leaving you. No, no, no, NO! You don’t want to wake up! You don’t want time to move again! Why can’t it all stay like this? Why can’t you stay like this? You don’t care if you’re frozen, you don’t care if Vaugarde suffers.

You see it. You see it in the distance. And it drifts across the ocean, further and further away.

Single moments, stretching like taffy between your teeth.

“Do you remember?”

You’re at the beach. In this memory, you’re running. From what? Toward whom? Something behind you cracks and crackles and caramelizes. There’s a bright pinprick in the distance, and you’re barefoot in the lightless sand, uncaring of rock of splinter all to get to them.

Something is wrong. Something is breaking. What are you searching for? Who are you searching for? There’s a boat out at sea. Is it that?

Someone’s behind you. She’s smiling. She asks you why you’re so scared. She follows your gaze back to where your home used to be and freezes.

That’s the last thing before you trip over into the waves.

“Do you remember?”

You cry and cry and cry because it’s all you can do. It’s all you can do as your power worms its way through Dormont, through Vaugarde, through your home. It’s not enough. It’s not enough.

It won’t ever be enough, until

The scent hits you.

Before they even enter the room, it reeks. It reeks of comfort, it reeks of the Universe. Somebody else has been blessed, same as you. It could only be…

Something forgotten recognizes them. Not the eyepatch or the dagger, but that knowing glint in their eye and the stitching on their cloak. Why do you know what it feels like to the touch?

You need them to remember. They have to remember. Please. Please. Maybe it’ll be enough. Maybe two will be enough, but it will never be enough, nothing is ever enough to make up for what you lost

“SAY IT!!!” you beg. You are a King, begging on his knees. Disgraceful. Pathetic. No wonder you’ll never be enough.

Blood drips from your mouth. This can only end in tears and blood, but you have to try anway. It’s all you can do. All you can do is cry and cry and cry out for time and stars to listen to you.

The bright one’s friends crowd around them. The heroes stand between you both bleeding night onto the ground but you are so close.

You see it. You see flashes of it. You are not in the House in Dormont, you are on a beach at dusk running toward a distant boat, a tiny figure in a darkless hat, you reach out your hand to them and…

“We just have to say its name!”

You struggle to speak, to force the air out of your throat as it bubbles and coils. Why why why does the Universe grant any wish, but not the one you desire most? Remember, remember, why can’t you remember!

The bright one hugs their own chest, shaking their head, crying along with you.

You almost heard it, almost heard their name, “Once again, we have to try...... Together! “

But they break away from their little group. They stare you dead in the eyes and scream.

“Let it die, let it die, let it die!”

Never. Never never never never. Fine. Fine, you’ll do it alone, as you always do it alone, as you are the only person in this blinding country who will ever even bother to try, because you know, you know, you know, no one will remember for you. No one will remember you.

Your throat burns and your lungs burn and your head is swimming your insides melting with every wheezing grasping shaking breath you force out.

Just one syllable, and the next, and

And before it all fades away once more, you see their face, etched into your memory.

“Do you remember?”

You cry and cry and cry because it’s all you can do. It’s all you can do as your power worms its way through Dormont, through Vaugarde, through your home. It’s not enough. It’s not enough.

It won’t ever be enough, until

The scent hits you.

Before they even enter the room, it reeks. It reeks of comfort, it reeks of the Universe. Somebody else has been blessed, same as you. It could only be…

“Let’s stop fighting,” they say. You disguise your laugh as a croaking sob.

You see it. You see it in their eyes. You needn’t ask if they remember, because they are trying just as you. But you, you’ve had years. Years of distant flashes put together, of research and Color Theory and wishes and stars and the Universe.

They…

They are sure of what to say. Even as their friends object, they press on.

Time pulls at your stomach. You’re sure of it, you’re sure in just enough, in their confident gaze…

“We’re looking for the same thing,” they say, “Just leave this country be,” they say. And, well, how do they know that? Hm? How could anyone ever know what you truly want, when even the stars refuse to give it to you? No, no, no, you have to take what you want.

And what the bright one wants… is surely not the same.

If it was, you’d have won already.

What a fool. As if moving on could ever be enough.

“Do you remember?”

The Bright One is scared of you. Can’t they see you’re not trying to kill them? The other ones, the ones you care about much less, are scared of you, too, in ways you expect. You meant for this appearance to intimidate, after all. A king cannot be soft-faced and sweet. He must be cold and jagged, like all the old stories before the kings all died.

“Do you remember?”

You arrived in Dormont with little fanfare. After all, nobody yet knows what you set out to do. But the Universe’s favor sizzles at your fingertips, tugs at your stomach. You froze birds and stray leaves and even fish in the river, so you’re sure it’ll work.

The House welcomes you in with open arms. Of course they do. They are Vaugardian, after all. So kind. So sweet. So welcoming. Your strange (forever strange) appearance garners attention of the Housemaidens. You see a ribbon-wearing one skitter back. How cute.

Even the Head Housemaiden welcomes you. She is tall, with long, kinky hair, a wide smile gracing her lips and she…

she…

had to be frozen. Immediately. One such as her cannot be allowed to wither. She opposes, of course, always so dear to changing and forgetting but it is a phantom reminder that crashes through your head and compels you to freeze her first.

A terrarium. How did you know that word and so few others..? Somebody had… it slips away again.

She reaches out toward something, sweet craft sparkling to life around her in the shape of the Universe. ...what did she do? Well, at least you caught her in this moment. In the moment the Universe shines down upon her face.

Would have been nice had her expression been more serene, but, ah, no matter. As long as she is preserved.

“Do you remember?”

The bright one stops you. How often have they stopped you? How often have you won? Aren’t you doing what the Universe wishes? She always thought it did not care. It granted everybody’s wishes in equal measure, after all, but to you, only those worthy of it gained its favor. She’d never liked the stars as much as you did, though she loved hearing you talk about them, hearing you explain constellations to… to…

You had to do something to make it stick. To stop the Bright One. Under other circumstances, you’d freeze them instead, but, ah, the child won’t remember, will they? What a shame, what a pity, that the child must die for it to stick, to feel them wriggle in your palm with vigor, with fear.

It won’t stick for the child. It will for the Bright One, you hope. Otherwise it was all for naught.

You needed to believe the Universe still loves you.

Otherwise you’d have to accept that…

it meant for this to happen.

“Do you remember?”

They are unremarkable. A big hat and a long coat obscures most of their body.

They are unremarkable, but not in Vaugarde. No. No, no, no, not in Vaugarde. Here, they are most remarkable indeed.

They are familiar. So familiar. You trace the shape of their face and try to hold it in your mind as it already slips away like sand (sand, sand, hold the sand, lightless sand in an hourglass).

They are familiar.

So all you can do is ask, “Bright One, do you remember?”

You… don’t know where the term comes from. It’s just a habit. Big one, pretty one, reading one.

Bright, bright, bright, say it three times for good luck.

They stare at you, resolute. They are here to stop you. To kill you.

You are not afraid of death. You are afraid of oblivion.

“Do you?”

And you laugh. For the first time in so long, you laugh and laugh and laugh, crying all the while.

No, no, no, how could you ever remember? Only broken shattered pieces you can never glue together, words you hold on the tip of your tongue. Flashes of your past, of memory, of family. Somebody warm and something soft, a touch on your face and a hand in your hair -

your own child could stare back at you, and you’d never recognize them.

Of course you don’t remember.

Sand slips between your fingers. You call out, reach out, but your fingertips can’t even trace the feeling.

“What am I supposed to remember?”

Someone’s braiding your hair. Already, it winds across the bed, onto the floor, and nonetheless, deft fingers weave away the strands.

The Head Housemaiden? She’s… sitting at the foot of the bed. Your bed. Because you’re not frozen in that hallway anymore. You…

You cry.

“Awww, don’t cry! You just failed to destroy Vaugarde, is all. Here. Have some water.”

A cup of water is unceremoniously shoved in your face. What else are you supposed to do but cry? You had it. You had it all, you had your wish. Why are you here. Unfrozen.

Why are… why is it already slipping away…? Boat and hat and face and voice and repeat it over and over again--

She pushes the glass of water into your face, spilling a drop on your clothes. You’re not… wearing armor anymore, just an undershirt and cloth trousers. Simple, and comfortable, and not at all intimidating.

You take the water from her hands to avoid her eyes. It’s easy to tell she’s still watching, like a cat that caught the canary. Amused.

You swallow. Tastes like sugar.

Some of your headache clears. Now thinking a bit better, you can actually take in your own state. You failed, obviously. You can’t even remember what happened after you froze (something about sand…? And a boat?) and looking at the Head Housemaiden makes your stomach lurch. In pursuit of your goal, you haven’t eaten or drunk in quite possibly several days.

She puts a hand to your forehead and you sock her for it, except she catches your fist with a barrier spell. Ah.

“You were much friendlier in your sleep. Just mumbling ‘do you remember’ over and over.” She even pitched her voice down in a very bad imitation of you. As exhausted as you still feel, you can scarcely protest when she pushes you back into the pillow and takes your temperature.

She shakes her head. “Still running a fever, I see. The same thing happened to the traveling one, you know? Craft overuse, what with your… reality warping powers, and all that. Time Craft doesn’t exist, silly.” She slaps you on the shoulder.

“But it does…?”

Maybe it’s the fever, maybe it’s your stomach doing somersaults, but the Head Housemaiden is strangely offputting.

And she keeps chattering. “Seeing as you are still ill, you can stay in the infirmary as you recover. And since all the Housemaidens are terrified of you, you’ll be in my care! Isn’t that nice?”

…. you nod.

“Glad we agree! And I’m sure you also agree, someone of your notoriety can’t go prancing around Vaugarde again, can they? Once you’re recovered, as resident of the House, you will sadly be obligated to participate in chores, such as cleaning, cooking, or laundry. Usually, Housemaidens will also venture into Dormont to help there, or pilgrimage around the country, or give and take classes, but that’s not quite on the table for you yet, hm?“

You don’t even know her name.

Not like you know yours, either, right?

…and you sure aren’t a king anymore.

“So, nameless traveler! Welcome to Vaugarde!”

[youraverageaemondsimp]

part 3 of aemond x niece reader. you think i am done with the edging? think again. in the words of sabrina carpenter, "i'm so fcking horny". that is reader in a nutshell.

https://www.tumblr.com/youraverageaemondsimp/768666466549661696/yup-part-2-of-aemond-x-niece-reader

she cursed her own body. she had prayed to the gods every night for salvation. heck! she even thought of her aunt's disapproval in her face! and yet, no matter how hard she tried, her body continued to tingle and crave for his touch. as for her cunt? it was even worse. her throbbing cunt could still feel the ghost of his cock inside her, teasing and teetering and caressing along the edges of her maidenhead being taken.

hence, her completely nude in her own chambers. her door was locked. she could smell whiffs of cinnamon. the familiar scent of her uncle. her eyes landed on the corner. her wardrobe was always closed. and yet, it peeked open. as if challenging him, she closed her eyes and mounted the woollen bear skin with its head attached and began to rub her clit against its nose. she threw her head back and a series of soft moans escaped her lips, as she massaged her breasts and scraped her nipples. her nipples hardened, turning into hardened buds. she pinched them before slipping her fingers into her folds while her other hand played with her breasts. a delicious pleasure continued to build up that helped alleviate some of the throbbing pain her uncle had left. and that throb grew, grew and grew until it burst into stars behind her eyelids, prompting her to lie on her sheets, completely nude.

"you little vixen!" growled her uncle, kissing her hard and pulling her into his chambers.

"you cruel being!" she snarled, kissing him back. she cursed her own body's response when aemond trailed his pads up her skirts when she was in a meeting with the council. despite his gaze being covered by his eyepatch, she could feel him challenging her to make a sound.

the door was locked behind them.

"do you know what sort of torture you put me into? watching you mount that rug?!" he snarled.

"and do you know what you have done to me?!" she cried, tears prickling against the corners of her eyes.

aemond then pulled away. he clicked his tongue. before pulling out his dagger and plunging it into his feathered sofa. her eyes widened.

"you dare to torment me. then i shall do the same to you," he growled.

"take off your clothes!" he ordered menacingly again.

she stood in silence. aemond sighed. before grabbing her and kissed her hard again. he then ripped off her gown and her undergarment before tying her wrists behind her back. she was completely exposed, except for her silken stockings, the tiny skirt underneath her gown and the wraps around her chest. her wraps were discarded too, leaving her breasts exposed. and her dripping cunt was exposed in a way so that it could fit the dagger.

it was futile, her struggles, as her uncle was stronger than her. she squeezed her eyes shut, as she felt her cunt being stretched open by something smooth, cold and metallic.

"open your eyes!" he demanded, pinching her nipple.

she did. and was struck by how accepting her cunt was towards the hilt of the dagger. engulfing it to the hilt. she whimpered, as it made her feel almost full. her uncle then proceeded to tease her bud.

"now, be a good girl and fuck this dagger, will you? just like you did with that bear," he taunted, playing with her breasts and twisting her nipple.

she knew that she had no choice but to obey, despite his sweet words. before she could control herself, her hips began to rock against the hilt, alleviate some of the pleasure. it felt so wrong. and yet so good.

but, as usual, just as she was to cry out her ecstasy, her uncle pulled her off the dagger and threw her on the sofa. he then discarded the dagger away with a clang and peppered her face, lips, throat and column of her breasts with kisses while her wrists were tied above her.

her legs were spread wide open, forcing her hips to buck. much to her uncle's pleasure, her pussy was dripping wet and swollen, like the peaches of summer. they looked plump, ripe and lovely enough to feast upon. and they clenched and unclenched in order to beg for his seed. so, he positioned himself towards her entrance.

she cried out for his size and thrashed her head everywhere. beads of sweat dotted her forehead. that throbbing sensation again from being stretched by him. his uncle teased her by slowly moving in and out of her entrance and rubbing that bud hidden by her curls. her hips bucked in an attempt to relief of that pressure, only for her to crave more of him.

"please!" she cried out.

finally, aemond reached her maidenhead. he nudged against it. he smirked. he then leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"please what? my niece?" he taunted.

"please! just end this!" she begged. end what? she wasn't sure. that painful sensation? or for him to pull away?

"i could. but i can't give it to you," he taunted even further.

she whined. it was wrong. and yet it felt so right. and so good.

"please!" she begged again, as her uncle continued in building up the pleasure between her legs.

"then beg me to make you my wife!" he growled, quickening his pace, leading her to cry out her pleasure louder, louder and louder.

"make me your wife! please!" she cried out, stars blooming before her eyelids.

aemond then finally snarled before pulling out of her, leaving her empty. he then untied her wrists. her eyes landed at the seed before her. before flitting back at aemond.

that throbbing sensation returned between her legs again.

"you bastard!" she hissed, cupping her throbbing womanhood again.

he smirked. "do you think i'd give it to you, right now? no, my niece. i will keep you wanting me until you are tied to me. forever".

WHY DOES AEMOND EDGE US SO MUCH😭😭🙏🏻🙏🏻 THIS IS JUST WHAT I WANTED HEHEHE

[thesepigsareafterme]

When Jet Star first lost his eye, the rest of the crew were overly cautious around him. It was terrifying for everyone when Jet lost his eye and as much as nobody wanted to admit it, they were all scared that they could have lost their beloved friend.

At first it was endearing, Jet could see how much the whole crew cared about him, but it started to get frustrating. He could still do most things by himself, he just a bit of time to adapt. And maybe had to be a little more careful when going out to make sure that any dracs definitely couldn’t sneak up on him. Party Poison was especially scared and overprotective over Jet. As the somewhat of a leader of the group, they felt that it was their fault that Jet had been injured, that they could have prevented it if they had just tried harder.

Over time though, the crew’s dynamic settled back to its normality. Just with small adaptions to help Jet out where needed. These things eventually became habits, wordless suggestions. Someone would do it without needing to say to the rest of the group. It just became the norm for them all. And it was just simple things, such as making sure someone was always covering Jet’s “bad side” in a fight, or handing things to him instead of throwing them (only having one eye can mess with depth perception). And they even got Jet a cool eyepatch!

And that’s just how it works in The Zones. Something will inevitably go wrong somewhere, but killjoys stick together. They work as a team, and support each other through everything.

[sercphs]

@bangboomania asked:

"Broooo!" A certain blue-eyed, silver-haired gentleman stopped in place as he locked eyes (well she only has one eye right now...) with the awesome-looking stranger before him.

"Cool eyepatch, lady! Pretty sick ensemble you're wearing. Is that some kind of costume from a movie?"

(ZZZ! Basil meets Ifischl oh dear)

⠀⠀⠀⠀The genuine confusion on her face when Basil - the wrong Basil - addresses her in such a positive tone is impossible to conceal. The way she stars back at him, pondering if the onslaught of Basil's is somehow life's punishment for her sins.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀This punishment sucks, she wants a different one.

"Uh... No, no this is... Just my clothes..."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Ten points to this Basil though. He's the first Basil she's ever had the (dis)pleasure of meeting that didn't jump to some kind of backhanded comment or insult in the first two sentences. She gives it five minutes for now.

"Can I help you?"

[tornoleander]

Alright yes trauma and trauma in the bbnb and none of us will ever recover from that (help) But can we speak of the sweet moments? The comfort in between? The kinda break? I kinda wanna know your point of view on the lighthouse moment (or the other comfort scenes we got with this fic (like the Cole moments))

YES THANK YOU FOR THE ASK!

SO Much to say! I could write a whole essay about this (one day just for my favorite dead canary hater though she might want to read this)

But Holy hell the sweet moments are the root of my obsession. The contrast between them and the Horrors is an indescribable feeling.

I have to be SUPER cautious when talking about what I love about this fic because I don’t want people to get the wrong Idea It’s the most traumatic awful thing you’ll read and it’ll stick with you like a sick lingering feeling. (Even just finding these moments my heart aches at the surrounding events)

Having said that here’s my excessive response gushing about almost every single light in the dark moment.

Cw: Implied SA, Discussion of Rape, Mild gore, and depiction of bite marks

(Chapter 4)

Starting with this because his lighting powers were how he physically and helped him somewhat emotionally survived.

Jay’s eyes shot open and he breathed hard. This had been so complicated! But he managed to do it! Him! Jay Walker managed to reconnect his members by using his elemental power. Like a pro. He chuckled as tears rolled down his cheeks. Too easy. He raised both his arms this time, checking if he could bend them both properly. They seemed to be working; he could turn them as well, and his fingers were still responding correctly.

This was an hour after the second traumatic encounter. It’s such a rare moment of pride in his own strength. His limb’s physicality could not even function but Jay found a way to use his power like nerves to contact his muscles.

He is so unbelievably strong in an impossible situation and I’m a sucker for how Hat writes his lightning ability.

Clancee Stargazing

Clancee searched, curious, but then pouted “…I can’t see it…” Right. How did his parents teach those again? Oh! He remembered. “Focus on the biggest of them right now, can you see it?” He nodded, and the ninja kept going “It’s surrounded by three others, not as big, but close to it. Doesn’t it look like a pan to you?” The serpentine’s eyes were focused, then widened as he got it “Oh yeah! I-I see it n-now!” And Jay chuckled at the sight of wonders that was on the other’s face.

A pretty scene I’ve drawn this one. Just a small moment of joy in a horrific situation. Clancee while being a coward (will only help Jay by giving him eyepatches), does respect and sympathizes for him.

One of my favorites is the Skeleton

“How be yer bones kid?”

Jay raised his eyebrows “Uh… what do you mean?”

A crackle “I am no fool. I know broken bones when I see some.” He brought a hand to show his own ribs, cracked in some parts, then pointed at Jay. “Ye look like a pile of shit.”

The ninja chuckled “Well, at least I’m not dead yet, right?”

The bones brandished its sword “damn right!” and then, went back to look at the stars.

After some silence, that at least didn’t appear too uncomfortable, Jay cleared his throat, avoiding the previous question. “So uhm… what are you anyway?”

“Ain’t that easy to guess?” he seemed… amused? As much as someone without anything but its jaw moving could get.

Jay shook his head “No, I mean… you kinda speak like a pirate, but… I don’t know, you don’t give the impression of being one.”

“Are ya tellin I be too smart for bein a pirate, my boy?”

Well, Jay knew irony when he heard it, so he smiled as he answered “Maybe.”

I absolutely love this, the skeleton shows Jay kindness. The way he starts by joking, offering Jay positive intention. He later slanders Nadakhan, both are things ment to make Jay feel comfortable.

The end convo is tragic.

“I be aware of what the djinn is doing to ye. So hear me; use this to stab him in his heart when he’s distracted, I don’t need to go into details, do I?” he blushed and shook his head no, fighting tears and dread invading him as he realized that, yep, there was this probability that Nadakhan would rape him again. As much as he would fight back.

Yikes man, that hurts. The skeleton just does all he can do, he gives Jay hope and a weapon.

(Ch 5)

There’s not much comfort in chapter 5, but this is when Jay stabs, Nadakhan in the throat with the bone a moment of strength and confidence, though it’s riped away very quickly and Violently.

We also get to see Jay use his power to resist the vengestone burning anyone who touched it. Very cool love how he freaks everyone out. BUT OH god the horrors after FUCK.

(Ch 6)

The Scene with the First spinjizu master is beautifully done. The picture it paints is so perfect (drawing it next)

It keeps the other worldly feel of him offers so much strength. Gives Jay the option to die but the strength to keep going. It’s not Jay’s fault.

“Tell me Jay, have you ever seen lightning break?”

He shook his head. He looked above, feeling the electrified air rubbing on his skin, giving him pleasant goosebumps. On his back, he felt the sap of the tree speeding up, the grass almost bristling, pointing to him. The sky was clear though. Still blue, with golden rays starting to peer through it.

“Lightning… is never deviated from its course. Striking once, not missing its target.” He looked back at the man, bittersweet. “But I can’t do that; my lightning is slower and weaker then a raw one.”

The man’s smile grew bigger.

“For now”

He felt the strike of the bolt as it went for the tree, shocking Jay with its force.

Jay sparks a lightning storm under vengestone.

(Ch6/7 COLE OMG COLE)

Losing my shit for every scene he’s in SObBINIG over how much I love him. I reread all Cole parts an embarrassing amount. Ugh the concerned, he feels rescuing Jay. How he’s so observant and empathetic. THE COMFORT scene when he gets Jay to open up.

…No. He still was a ninja. He- he still was worth something. He could feel some warmth in the back of his mind, pushing him toward the earth ninja. And it wasn’t the first time he could feel it. It was a good feeling, almost akin to hope.

The trembling voice of his friend brought him back to reality. “…T-the first time?”

Jay’s eye widened. Oh. Right. More salty water escaped his eye “I- I- I couldn’t do anything about it. But I feel like I should’ve fought more! It’s just-!” he groaned as he tried to explain. It was hard. “Every time, he would offer me these kind of- ‘options’. But it didn’t matter what I choose, he would still- It would end the same-” he hiccuped, and tried to get more air so he could speak. Looking at Cole, he saw that he had his lips shut tight, eyes still black with tears. So many black traces on his face, reminding him of Morro’s own.

Fuck. He had forgotten how emphatic the earth ninja could be sometimes. He had not expected this reaction at all. He’d think that he would’ve pitied him, maybe even think that this would be enough for him to be repulsed by Jay. But no, he could still feel the arms around him. Firm.

I’m not not crying after the 100 time reading this fuck you I can sob my eyes out all I want.

“It’s not your fucking fault Jay, please.” He looked back at Cole. He seemed so sad. And a little mad. He swore he could something bright burning in his eyes. Warmth was now all Jay could feel around his wrists, but he didn’t think too much of it.

He just placed his head back on Cole’s chest, disappointed in himself. But still happy he’d been able to get most of it out. It did feel good. He was glad to be with him.

“…Can you hold me again?”

Cole nodded and immediately embraced his friends in his arms. It wasn’t feeling cold anymore, and Jay was just so tired. This temperature was very different than Nadakhan’s, and it was all that mattered.

 For once, he could fall asleep, feeling at ease.

He’s what Jay needs right now. He wants so badly to take Jays pain away but there’s nothing more he can do than be there.

Love the way hat added his lava arms very warm and protecting. AND amazing for punching that motherfucker in the face later.

(CH 8)

Thank you Nya for bringing him to the hospital. Jesus Christ I have a scar reference and Jay has been left in a blender.

I Love the nurse. I’m usually not big on OCs but Ava gets a pass. The interaction feels realistic, I love her sense of humor and story. Judging for going through medical school and then settling on becoming a therapist later in sheesh that’s a big pay and with medical debt!?! cut, but other than that. But Jay needs a therapist right now. Leaving a lot of her speech in because what she says is incredibly important. To the fic and real life.

“What do you say to your patients that have… uhm…”

She bandaged his hand while he struggled with his words. He could feel tears rising again, which was getting annoying at this point. He used his free hand to get rid of them, as she finished bandaging the damaged one. He didn’t know why he couldn’t name what happened. Why was he so stubborn on not being able to even say what happened.

His voice felt small. “…That got- got raped?”

He felt her grip tighten around him. She had been about to put a bandage around his right arm, where it had been sewed, but stopped. She breathed heavily, before moving the basin on the floor so she could seat, to handle what had just been said to her.

“FSM. I wanted to be wrong on this one.” She sighed and grabbed the same cream she had used on his ankle, rolling the seat up so she could be near his shoulders. She squeezed some ointment out and applied it on his shoulder. Harshly. As if wanting to keep Jay here, to make sure he wouldn’t let his mind wander in more memories.

“The first thing I’d say to them, is that none of it was their fault. From the moment there was no consent, then it’s not them they have to blame. It’s the one that did that shit to them. There’s not a lot you can do when you’re feeling danger everywhere around you. Some people freeze, or even go along what’s happening in order to have it be over as soon as possible.”

Jay frowned, swallowing thick. “And what if they begged for it at some point?”

She clicked her tongue. “Wanting pleasure, being lost in lust, as some would say, has nothing to do with consent. It can feel good even if you don’t want it. And that’s the only thing you have to remember. You did not want it.” he tried to speak, but she cut him. “Sometimes, no one has control over their brain, on how it reacts to things. It’s complicated to explain, but it’s quite easy for someone that knows how, to muddle with their target’s mind.” She gritted her teeth, and went to wash her hands when she was done with his shoulder. She came back to disinfect the multiple cuts she had found, precise. “It can be through drugs, touch-starving. I’ve heard things about-” she cut herself, gnawing at her lip. She was hesitant on sharing what she’d heard during her time helping people getting rid of their trauma. But Jay wasn’t having it.

“About what?” he sounded impatient. Or maybe afraid. He wasn’t sure.

“About… well, it’s fucked up, but making sure the person can do nothing but take it. And somehow make sure that the body can only feel that.” she looked at Jay, for a brief moment, but saw how he inhaled at the shared info. She sighed. “But at the end, it never is your fault. No consent or choice? Then no blame to take. That’s it.”

“… and how do I forget about it?”

She sat back on the stool, not able to stand with the conversation they were having. “You can’t really. At least, not in such a short time.” She tapped her fingers on the small table as she started to write down what she had seen. “I don’t want to lie to you. You’ll never forget about this. And your body won’t either.” she looked at Jay “But this doesn’t mean you’re weak, or anything like that. I hope you’re aware of this. Going through it and still standing?” she pointed her long fingers at him “That’s some damn strength I’ve rarely seen before.

“You gotta keep using that strength. And to do that, you have to accept what happened.” She got some bandage that sounded like tape, placing it on the largest cuts on his chest. Starting with the ones Nadakhan did, since they were the deepest. “You have to stop keeping that in, stop ignoring it, and accept the fact that, damn it Jay, you’re still breathing and alive. And sure, you were a victim. But, again, this doesn’t mean you weren’t strong, or that you should blame yourself for not fighting back more. But whether you like it or not, you did fight back. And I know, deep down, you know you are not responsible for any of this.” she groaned when she noticed a cut she had missed on his side, taking some kind of needle near her to get rid of the pus there. “You were not given a choice. And you should not feel ashamed that this happened. You have the right to be angry, mad, at this, or to not react to most things anymore.” She tapped the rest of his large cuts, and came back with a soaked cloth of alcohol, passing on them.

“None of it Jay, was your fault.”

He had let some tears go without realizing, breathing shakily. Her hand held to his arm and squeezed there, bringing some kind of comfort. He caught her wrist with his free hand and squeezed back. He breathed, just like he needed to, and tried to not cry more.

“Cry you have to. It feels good to do that y’know? Look at me, almost forty, and you saw me crying like a baby. Have the head of one too.” He couldn’t help the light chuckle. He brought a hand up to get rid of the tears on his cheek. “Fuck.”

This is key it establishes good core Morality in this fic.

Something that’s so sooo hard to talk about and almost never written right.

Actions and physical pleasure while being raped.

Jay in this fic struggles with this throughout the entire fic. HE blames himself hard. It’s the most common way to react for those with that trauma.

Difficult to understate how much pleasure fucks with your brain. I HATE when it’s used to justify atrocities. Real life and fictional. I was scared that’s what Bbnb would be but it never does that. Forced sexual pleasure can be the most potent vile emotionally physically psychologically traumatic shit there is. And Writing_Hat knows this.

(Ch 9)

Nya Light house :)

He wondered how she would open anything with those, since it wasn’t a padlock.

She raised her arm, and smashed the knob repeatedly, until it broke. If she had broken much more then the door, they didn’t say anything about it.

He smiled, amused. “Yeah, I guess that works too.”

Nya sighed heavily, looking to the side. She shrugged. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s okay. Don’t worry.” He gave her a smirk. “We’re tired. I can understand frustration at the slightest inconvenience.”

She scratched the back of her head, and snorted. “Yeah.”

In this moment, he could see Nya, the woman he’d fallen in love with. The one that made mistakes, but couldn’t admit they were ones, like him. That didn’t like relying on anyone, not even Jay, when they used to date. Not even her brother. The woman that had built an entire mech with pure frustration, of being left behind, of not being able to help when she knew she could. That loved machines and fixing stuff as much as him.

Nya *bashes in door

Jay: Omg I’m so in love with her

Can’t help but laugh every time I read through this scene.

“Do you think seagulls eggs are edible?”

Lmao this conversation

Ugh and Nya written so real, she expect Jay to be transparent with her like he’s always been and believes that he is fine when he tells her.

He placed his forehead on the wood as soon as the door stopped getting pushed. “I can’t do this anymore. Fucking Master, I can’t do any of this anymore. So please-” He took a shuddering breath, trying to focus his blurry vision. He felt something getting on the wood on the other side, and wondered if she had her forehead there as well. It only made him want to sob harder. “Please, don’t remind me of how weak I am.”

He had whispered that, but the sob that reached his ears made him aware she heard him.

He cried. He cried, and let himself sliding along the wooden door, to be on his knees. He didn’t think he’d be able to stand up after this. He placed both hands on the door, not bothering to hold the handle anymore.

“I’m so sorry Nya.” He breathed, speaking through his tears. “Please, just please. Don’t ask questions. I’m begging you.”

He heard a sniffle from behind, before an exhale echoed in the other room. “I won’t. I swear. Just… just let me help you take care of those.” She cleared her throat. “You did so fucking good so far, I swear, but stop pretending you can take care of those on your own. At least, let me help you with the physical pain.”

Jay closed his eye. He waited, but he still didn’t hear her getting away. He sighed, getting rid of the last tears on his cheek, before getting back up on shaky legs. He turned the lock, slowly, but didn’t touch anything further. He walked away from the door, making sure to be facing it.

Nya waited a little, before opening the door, slowly, peaking her head inside. She had red and puffy eyes, her face still fresh from tears.

“…Jay?”

He raised a hand “Just.” He turned to the bed, sitting on it with a big sigh. “Let’s just get this over with. Please.”

He won’t take care of himself >:( Hat said Nya has trauma from Kai never actually taken care of himself or opening up till crisis growing, so she’s pushy.

Arms surrounded him. Strong, but not as large as the djinn’s. Holding him with force, but not too tight. Just what he felt he needed. The person was red, illuminated by in a blue light by his powers as lightning shot everywhere to attack those that dared getting close to him.

But she could stay. Her embrace was burning, at first, like a brand. So he tried to push her off, as much as he pulled on her clothing to have her close. He didn’t want to be left alone again. Not with Nadakhan, at least. He didn’t want to face any of this twisted evil on his own. The vines that were strangling his heart to pump his blood faster diminished their strength, so he could breath correctly as she hugged him.

Finally, he hugged back. His nails clinging at her back. He didn’t understand it, but his powers were still coming out of him. He didn’t understand that it meant she could be getting hurt too. But she seemed so patient. The thought that she could be in pain didn’t even brush him.

He just needed her.

The blue lights all over soon diminished, and the heartbeat in his ears slowed. He still could only hear that, until he could hear someone breathing. It was low, and focused, so he based his own lungs on that rhythm. It felt good, like water lulling him. Soon, he wasn’t drowning anymore. He was floating, because the water had decided to help him out of the depths.

Comforttttt Nya gets lightning scars tooo. The wording here makes me happy water symbolism it’s so ugghhh!

(Spoilers ch 10)

HAt said screw canon, they kiss!!! And I’m all here for it.

Time stopped for Jay.

It felt eternal, in that moment, to have her lips on his, correcting some of the fears from in his brain. This, was a kiss. Not like anything the djinn had stolen from him in a horrible way. She was so nice, and careful in this. Almost moving naturally.

The surprise made him gasp, small sparkles escaping his lips. But she didn’t back away; in fact, it was almost as if it made her want to deepen the kiss, sighing at the feeling of Jay’s lightning on her lips.

But he hadn’t been able to kiss back, nor enjoy it properly, before she pushed him back through the portal.

Jay’s interaction with his parents breaks my heart.

“Mom! Oh Master, Mom! It’s really you!” She gasped at the sudden hug, her bones and joints not really used anymore at surprising movements or anything like that. But she took it, for Jay. She hugged back, her hands pushing on the between of his shoulder-blades, to feel him through the tissues. But it wasn’t the only barrier. There were bandages here, too. She frowned, but kept a firm embrace, wanting to focus on the fact that he was here.

“Yes Jay! It’s me!” And she couldn’t really fight the way her voice wavered, not enjoying the emotions that strangled her. “You’re home.”

“H- Home?” He pulled away, looking around and panting, as if out of breath.

“H- Huh. I didn’t…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but frowned as he looked around, perhaps suddenly realizing that he was, indeed, home. She didn’t ask anything, and grabbed his face between her hands, to get him to look at her.

“Oh Jay. What happened?”

He breathed. “I just… I- can you hold me? Please?”

She nodded, and sat on the bed, to hold him properly. He threw himself on her, trying to keep air flowing in and out despite his unstoppable sobbing. She passed her hand back and forth on his back, thinking of nothing in particular. She couldn’t, or she’d lost herself in despair.

And if she did, she would cry with him, and wouldn’t restrain herself to ask questions, and figure out what had happened to her baby. Why was he hurt? Who did this to him? What happened to his eye? Did he come back from another fight?!

Oh, sometimes she wondered why he hadn’t just stayed their little boy, chasing his dreams in the big city as the most creative inventor. But Ed and her could never go against this dream of his. They could only stay in the back, and encourage him as he became, well, a hero.

The price was too big, she saw it every time he came home, with marks from his fights, or when he had to turn down one of their invitation to get to work. He usually came back with a big grin, proud of himself with new tales to ramble about, or complain of the simplest things. But it had never had this kind of consequences.

Something horrible happened to him. And she hated the idea that she hadn’t been there for him.

MAN

A little moment I like personally, and I drew is when Jay summoned his Dragon.

“Jay laughed. He had done it! He had summoned his dragon! The wind slapping his face and messing with his hair had never felt so good! He sighed, enjoying the fresh air above the desert, wanting to throw his fists in the air and scream at the top of his lungs. So he did! This stretched on his muscles, hurting, but not enough to stop his insane happiness, taking over. He screamed, glad no one was around to witness this madness.

Frankly, he didn’t think he’d care about that.”

(This was the second thing I drew in the scars are not accurate)

He blinked, looking at the concerned face of Cole. His friend gave him a bright smile upon seeing he had woken up. “Hey zap-mouth.”

Jay groaned, not able to stop the small smile on his lips. “Hi boulder brain- ugh.” He still felt heavy- perhaps side effects from being stuck in that blade, and had to accept the hand that was offered to him to get back up.

The cold hand was a welcomed feeling. He looked at it, then the arm, and then Cole.

I… I did it. He looked around, seeing his friends, all watching him expectantly. He swallowed hard, tears building up as he realized he truly had managed to get everyone out of the blade. Holy shit.

He noticed the cabin was now in shambles, but couldn’t think of it too much, when a hand came on his shoulder. He looked up, to see his Sensei, nodding to him.

Strong red arms pulled him into a hug, wheezing air out of him. “Jay you did it!”

He cracked a smile, and chuckled, tears falling down. “I… It’s great to see you guys!-” The grip around his arms tightened, forcing a cry to get past his lips. Kai placed him back down, apologizing, and dusting off his arms- only making things worst, but Jay wasn’t about to tell him.

COLE COLE AND other I love them I Need Them. JAy did it!!

(Ch 11)

A strong hand on his shoulder. He looked behind, seeing Cole with worried features.

“Jay, wait.”

He pinched his lips. He knew the question that was going to fall on him, but kept looking at his friend anyway. “How…” He swallowed thick. How was he supposed to ask this?

“How are you holding up?”

Jay gnawed his lip, his mind spacing out quickly as he thought of all the answers he could give- answers that would make him fall on his knees, body weakening if he ever stopped the adrenaline, to really take in all that had happened. A pain flashed through his spine, and he had to hold back both tongue and tears to not crumble in the hands of his best friend.

So, he shrugged. “I’m fine, I guess.” Lie. Lie lie lie lie- and Cole knew it. “I just… I’ll feel better when we get rid of Nadakhan.”

The ghost frowned, lower lip trembling as he restrained the shaking of his body. He wanted- he wanted to do something, anything. Hold the blue ninja in his arms, maybe? So he tried, but Jay took a step back, and it was like a spear, got through his heart. But he couldn’t force his friend to come to him, he had- to respect whatever was happening to him.

“Cole, can you… can you not say anything to the others?”

It broke him from his thoughts. What? “I just… don’t tell them what happened. Please. I- I can’t-” he gasped, and cleared his throat. “I can’t keep going if the others know. Please.”

Cole nodded, but Jay shook his head. “No, I want you to promise me with words. Here, and now.”

What am I supposed to do? If he even tried to share that with someone-who could he even say that to? Jay didn’t want anyone to know, and this was his choice. As… heartbreaking as it was.

As difficult as it would be for Cole.

Especially when he wanted Jay anywhere but near the djinn. But they needed him, and his guidance, since he was the only one that had spent that much time with- fuck, he hated thinking of that. And, with the lightning ninja wanting nothing more then what had happened to be kept as a secret, telling everyone that he did not want to see Jay part of this mission could only raise suspicions.

Fuck. Fuck, I hate this. But after everything, they could talk about it, he hoped.

“I…” He couldn’t go against that one wish. “I promise, Jay.”

COLE AGh MAN fuck my feelings every time you open your mouth.

He then looked back to his friends, seeing Cole trying to come back to him and Nya. Which, Jay knew he could’ve managed, with how weak Dogshank was becoming each second, soon without enough force to keep him from coming back in the room.

But Jay shook his head. It froze Cole on spot.

He could almost hear the panicked interrogation in his head, and it made him crack a smile. Such a boulder brain.

He looked at his best friend, silent tears falling as he made him understand that he couldn’t come to save them. Not now. Cole gritted his teeth, still hesitant. So Jay mouthed the word “Go”, letting unspeakable words being shared, to make sure he would not try to come for them. Jay and Nya were too weak to follow, and by the time they reached the broken doors, Nadakhan would’ve already gotten rid of Doubloon. This, he was sure of.

So they had to escape, now that they could.

I’m counting on you to save us. Cole cried, but nodded back, following reluctantly his friends and the pirates that had helped them.

Uggggh he had to leave Jay behind to save them all hurt how much they care for each other.

(13 there is 0 comfort in ch 12 oops Just horrors)

JAY Catches a LIGHTNING BOLT and fucks of the monsters arm.

Catch that force, take it away; but this time to keep it in. He inhaled hard through the mouth, because his nose had stopped answering too, apparently. He twitched, once, twice, feeling everything collide inside of him; the electricity he produced, and the one coming from the outside. Electrons mad to be confronted to something that stayed a threat despite their similarities.

But they had no choice. They had to cooperate. His fingers shook, as he absorbed everything, and then everything tensed, and then-

He took a deep breath, feeling the insanity of his lightning under his skin. He heard gasps, and he really didn’t know what that much power was looking like on him. He exhaled, and focused his eye back on the djinn. He still had his hand on the lever, made out of metal, like everything around them in this room. And he has no fucking glove.

The lightning was buzzing, getting his train of thoughts. Apparently, liking the idea.

Because Jay did.

Jay cracked a smile, enjoying how it made Nadakhan’s eyes widen in surprise.

Motherfucker.

After thinking that, he released everything, letting it explode through the vengestone, the chains, the wires that were connected to him, and the machine.

It felt heavenly, despite old and new wounds re-opening under this much pressure. He could feel his blood, pouring out, from his head, his arms, hands, chest- he coughed, as lightning still escaped him, feeling the dizziness taking over.

Last thing he saw, was Nadakhan holding a smoking arm, screaming and looking at Jay with rage.

Worth it.

He blacked out with a smile, ready to let himself go.

The kind lady give food :,)

“Oh First Master of Spinjitzu. You’re… you’re Jay! The lightning ninja!”

He tried to answer, getting shocked by his own nerves. He shook his head, almost feeling those sparks escape his mouth to float all the way to his brain, before gone. He clenched his fists, trying to get back on his feet with the help of that golden bar, and looked at the woman through the cage.

He sighed. “Used to be.” Damn, his voice sounded broken and raspy. He looked away in shame.

“What?” She took back the pitcher she had used to hydrate him. “What do you mean?”

“Take a look.”

And she did. Though her face indicated that she had focused on his state before, it seemed like she still wasn’t able to stomach it. A shuddered breath made it past her lips, and she reached for something inside the pocket of the robe she was wearing- the cloth had flowers pattern, probably beautiful when brand new. But here, it was torn, in parts…

Seems like we got one thing in common, fuck. He turned his head away, not able to take in something else he had failed when he had given the djinn power. He started to shake, ready to let another trail of tears fall down his face. But he couldn’t, not in front of someone who seemed as distressed as he was; so he took a deep breath, and turned back to look at her. She had retrieved bread, in that dress, that she handed to him- to his mouth, since he couldn’t use his hands.

“Here, I stole that from the kitchens.” She smiled. “They’re not very careful about things.”

He thanked her, and opened his mouth. His stomach rumbled, and though he blushed in embarrassment, she didn’t say anything, holding the back of his head so he wouldn’t get hurt when bending his neck that way to eat the bread.

It was dry, but it was better then nothing. And after so long without food, it felt heavenly.

How many people were stuck here? People he couldn’t help, despite his best attempts.

Fuck off, what kind of attempts, exactly? When he had tried to cowardly run away from Delara? Or when he had eaten an innocent?

He was useless. And he knew that. She must’ve noticed something in his eye, because she hurriedly spoke, as soon as he finished the bread.

“Please, don’t give up. I have no idea what’s going on outside.” She took a deep breath. “But if you’re still alive, then it has to mean not everything is lost. Please.” She placed a shaky hand on his shoulder, her eyes watering with emotion. “Please.”

…Was she seeing a symbol of hope? He hated that. He wasn’t one! And he had to tell her! But when he opened his mouth, no words came out. Instead, his throat tightened.

Because he could see the cracks in her, too. How close she was to give up- she had, at some point. Did seeing Jay lift her spirits back up? Her eyes were almost dull, but ready to let that hope shine through.

So…

He nodded, ever so slowly, and forced on his muscle to speak. “I won’t. Don’t worry.” Lie. “I won’t let anyone down.” Maybe she wouldn’t notice he was lying, since he couldn’t really make a difference himself if he was or not; it sounded more like he tried to convince himself.

Something sparked, in her eyes, and a frail smile drew on her lips when she sighed, relieved to hear him say those words. “Thank you. For everything-”

The Ninja finding him is currently the scene that’s emotionally devastating me.

Cole took a deep breath, and raised both arms up. He then left some space, walking back.

Jay looked at him confused, but with a form of relief. His arms lowered down, and he was still shaking, but it somehow worsened when his eye suddenly widened- the face he would do when realizing something important.

So, the earth ninja tried to keep his face neutral, as he looked at him directly in the eye.


“I swear Jay. I swear to you, I’ll make them pay.”

COLE they found Jay because of him this scene is so so sweet and bitter.

A hand came on his back, and he gasped. But this time, the hand didn’t go away. It pulled him, and he tried with whatever force left in him to fight against it. But he ended up in the cold arms of the ghost, embracing him like he was the most precious thing in the world. And he hated that, just as much as he craved this. Because this really was his best friend- because it meant they still cared.

Other arms came in, and he saw the white tissue that defined the ice ninja. Still so cold, somehow more then the ghost’s ones.

He cried when red surrounded him too. Sobbed, even, in the welcomed heat that was so different from Nadakhan’s, bringing some kind of peace to his mind at the idea that the djinn’s was nothing but foreign and poisoning, compared to this one. He hadn’t even been aware they could be different kinds of heat- or maybe his brain was making things up to make him feel better.

Never the less, he held onto those. He didn’t know which arms he was holding onto, exactly, but he couldn’t care. He sobbed harder, closing his eye, realizing that this was real.

His brothers were here, and he was about to get out of here.

I’m so soft for hugs I can’t even function.

Anyways thanks again for the ask!! I think my heart has been waiting for someone to ask me this.

For more of my bbnb art here

[gravesung-moving]

soft muse drop: orion aisa

A PAINTER, A FORGER, AND A BIT OF A RECLUSE. identical (trans man) twin to persephone aisa (@/huntershowl), orion works for THE UNSEEN as the inner-circle replicator, identity crafter, you know the drill. don't get on his bad side or your next undercover name is gonna be dumb as shit!

though he's always been a softer sort than his twin sibling, he shares her snark and rebellious tendencies, and his sense of humor outmatches theirs. the twins were born under a dark sky on the winter solstice, when the veil was thin, and on the day of their birth, something unknowable marked them. where persephone's void-trait is smoky hair, orion's sclera are pitch black, glittering — as the darkest parts of seph's hair do — with faint smatterings of stars. his irises, in contrast, are rings of glowing white.

iris, that is. his right eye is gone, covered by an eyepatch made of soft black satin. orion favors soft cotton and silky textures in clothing; he hates feeling restricted, so flowy blouses and wide-leg pants are the go-to. (a canvas apron loosely fitted over them, of course.) you'll never find him with hands free of ink or paint stains. too much to do, never enough time to let them fade. and naturally, there is always a pen and a tiny notebook somewhere on his person.

it's rare orion goes anywhere other than his apartment and the coworking space he shares with the unseen's inner circle. when he does go outside, it's not for very long. incredibly nervous about getting social interactions wrong, he has simply decided it's best not to risk it. but when he does make a friend? he is steadfast and loyal. a real one. (and a bit of a scamp.)

bio below!

being neurodivergent in a space that barely has words — let alone infrastructure — for the care he needs, orion struggled during his early days in the unseen. he was called stupid in more ways than he could count. children were to be molded and shaped by their handlers into efficient tools. he learned quickly to stay quiet and out of the way. they taught him to fight, but he was never very good, often uncoordinated and too in his head to react quickly enough. between the two of them, it was seph that excelled at violence. but after gaining some respect and renown among their peers and handlers, she stopped following orders without the condition that orion be left alone — and after several failed attempts to get her in line, they reluctantly agreed.

it was a good thing they did. it was dropping the leash that led to their realization that orion was an excellent life artist, able to copy down visual details near-perfectly. they enrolled him in the non-physical track with other scrawny and brainy kids: they would train as engineers, spies, dog trainers, fences. as his forging skills skyrocketed, orion quickly caught up to seph's level of renown.

he lost his eye during the twins' failed escape attempt as teenagers. it was seph's idea; the higher they climbed, the more they realized it would become their futures if they weren't careful. crime was only supposed to be a way to make a quick buck and get a little tougher on the streets while they searched for better work. orion was ready to resign himself to his fate; persephone, ever the hothead and the architect of their first escape from their parents as children, refused to give up.

of course, they were caught. by the tower themself, no less: the leader of the entire organization turning their wrath on them was the worst possible outcome, and now it stared them in the face. persephone took responsibility for the mistake. of course they did; it had been their idea, and they would have let fletch kill them right there if it lessened the suffering their brother had to feel. orion's tongue was bound up in his mouth, fear tangling up the words in his throat.

the punishment was harsh and traumatizing, but afterwards the twins sought refuge in the freedom and anonymity of the tower's inner circle. they allowed him to live as he needed to live and grow his skills in a way that worked for him. so long as he produced results, that was all that mattered. and he and persephone could finally live together.

which they did, in relative peace and with relative ease. after walking through the fire, they now had the freedom to work as they pleased, do what they wanted with their spare time, and spend more money than they would ever know what to do with. sometimes persephone cooked for him, like they had when they were kids — nowadays they could only really make donburi and ketchup rice, though, so they went out to eat or ordered in more often than not. things were good. they were happy.

and then his sister vanished for two years.

in the beginning, fletch reassured orion that they had gone deep undercover for a job and would return when it was finished. when a year passed with no word, the inner circle's murmurings became constant gossip; his coworkers walked on eggshells around him, and he became quieter than he had ever been.

another year passed — still no word. the tower, amari fletch, did not seem worried, despite the fact that they were running business without a right hand; if they were reacting to her disappearance in any way, they kept it quiet. orion occasionally caught them beginning to turn to ask her something, then stop. but he never confronted them, because any time he considered it he remembered how it felt to listen to his sibling's screams as fletch tore their arms from their sockets. how it felt to lose his eye. he didn't dare, and he hated himself for it.

persephone returned to him in a medical coma. her throat had been cut, and a third-degree burn stretched up the right side of her body. the riots that day — the exile riots, people getting up in arms about a politician's disappearance — had caused explosions and fires all over the city, but who could have gotten to her? orion had never seen persephone taken off guard. and he would never find out. after she woke up, they barely lasted two weeks living together before they had an explosive argument and persephone stormed out.

she never spoke to him again. it has been three years.

they live in the same tiny, tight-knit social circle, but persephone ghosts him every chance they get, only interacting when it is absolutely necessary for work. he lost himself in grief and anger for some time; that first year was... really rough for both of the twins & the rest of the inner circle. vibes were rancid. everyone was on edge all the time. but ... eventually, things evened out; orion went from desperation to anger to resignation. he poured himself into his work to an unhealthy degree.

life goes on, after all.

VERSES

BNHA — along with his sister persephone, orion still works for the unseen as one of their high-level lieutenants ( the inner circle, known as the sanctum ). though everyone in the sanctum doubles as a hitman, orion is by far the worst fighter. even when he and seph were spies in UA's hero course, he worked as a support student and avoided fighting whenever possible.

quirk: iterate! he can perfectly replicate anything he sees from memory as long as he has the right amount of matter on hand. the more complicated the object, the more difficult it is for him to do so. additionally, he can add or change details while forming the new duplicate object. this is what allows him to perfectly replicate IDs, even when they have special embedded anti-forgery materials within them. he's also used this to quickly turn chunks of metal into iterations on support weapon designs, but he doesn't do this much anymore.

quick notes: orion and seph were pulled out of the hero course just before graduation ( or in current-gen verse, right when the war starts to get serious ). he remains in the united states until the present day, in his mid to late twenties, following hellhound from the US to japan (the whole sanctum does, actually — they're helping the unseen get a foothold here, now that the shie-hassaikai has been neutered.)

though his sister is still ghosting him, he stubbornly keeps tabs on her.