#you still can argue that he's a trickster | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

caxycreations · 1 year ago

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Okay, I've been nerd sniped, I'm sorry

NOTE: If you're going to reblog just to say "not reading that" or some other rude shit, DON'T. I've seen so many notifications of people just saying they couldn't be bothered to read it. I don't know if it's just that they don't see how incredibly rude and disheartening that is or if they know and don't care, but either way it really hurts to see, so please don't reblog if it's just to tell me you won't read it.

So let's go through the canonical likelihood they could each beat Goku. For the sake of keeping canon, we'll keep groups/pairs together if they would never reasonably be apart for something like this. Long post below the cut.

So first up are the ones I see that would, without a doubt, beat Goku.

Saiki K

Saiki is an omnipotent psychic/psionic with quite literally every single possible power out there. Now, this on its own isn't enough to beat Goku. Versatility doesn't mean everything, but Saiki is also powerful enough to rewrite the genetics and reality of everything within range, and his range is, so far, "Earth".

So this, on its own, would allow him to rewrite Goku's biology to make him Human. Bye bye zenkai boosts, bye bye Saiyan transformations. And Saiki, with his powers, has no trouble beating a Human of any caliber if he truly wanted to. And for those who ask "Why would he ever fight Goku?"

One simple reason: Goku would sense his immense power, and be excited for a fight. Goku is respectful enough to not force one if he's refused, but he's persistent enough to badger Saiki until he's given a chance. And Saiki, being Saiki, would simply take off one of his limiters, or both, and rewrite reality as such: "Being an alien isn't possible", thereby making it effective immediately that Goku must be lying/insane, and he is, in fact, Human. Easy win for Saiki.

And for those who would argue against this, bear in mind, the funniest way to beat Goku in this instance would be to simply make him weaker than Saiki, and Saiki is a gag character from a gag series, and it's already been shown in the world of Dragon Ball, and again in Dragon Ball Super, that Goku is incapable of defeating a gag character regardless of that characters canonical ability.

Saiki could win without gag character status, but even in the instance of Goku "beating" him, the gag would turn out to be that Saiki only pretended to get beaten, and is actually entirely unharmed because it was the easiest way to get Goku to leave him alone. Followed by a reveal that Goku will still show up now and then to ask for sparring matches, to drive the point home.

Popeye

Gag character. Would get beaten handily, crawl his way to spinach, and then be exactly as strong as he needs to be to take Goku down in however many hits is funniest.

Bugs Bunny

The gag character to end all gag characters. Someone on this hellsite once described Bugs as a "Trickster God who traps us in our own societal expectations" or some such. Like convincing Thanos to remove the Infinity Gauntlet by establishing a security checkpoint with a metal detector and shaming him into cooperating by telling him there's others waiting.

He could beat Goku in a billion ways, and each and every one of them would involve some shenanigan like Goku throwing a spirit bomb, Bugs showing up behind him holding it, saying "Ehhh, can you hold this for a second?" and as soon as Goku takes it and Bugs is off-screen, it would explode and Goku would be a pile of ashes with blinking eyes. Bugs would win because Bugs' gag is that...well, he simply can't be beaten.

The Warner Trio

Gag trio. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot would snark, sass, and sarcastic-joke their way into the scene, and they would spend the entire time poking fun at him, roasting his look, being unfazed by his attacks because "Nice laser show but we didn't bring our glowsticks." and just being too unbothered to care.

They would undoubtedly annoy Goku into admitting defeat simply to get away from them.

Road Runner

Gag character. Would force Goku to chase him, Goku would fire some blasts, chase him around, and inevitably be led right into the path of a blast he fired earlier to be disintegrated by it.

Pop Team Epic

I know nothing about this series except that it is a gag series. They are gag characters. That means Goku is inherently incapable of beating them.

ASDF Guy

Gag character. Could beat Goku with a simple "Hello, Mine-Turtle!" or "I like Trains."

Heart Diagram

Goku was literally killed by a heart virus in Future Trunks' timeline. This is one that has actually canonically already killed Goku.

Chowder

Gag character. Would likely be after S-Cells for some recipe and need to take Goku's as he's "The only Saiyan in this episode!" or some such, thereby ending the fight with a shot of Chowder wearing Goku's Gi for comedic effect while Dahl stirs raw Super Saiyan aura in a pot to hint that Chowder killed Goku for his S-Cells.

Force Ghost Trio

Gag versions of serious characters, and also ghosts. Goku is canonically unable to beat ghosts or gag characters, and these guys are both.

Those are the ones that would, without a doubt, beat Goku.

Now, let's go over the ones that could, potentially, be it likely or unlikely.

Kirby

Kirby is often considered a gag character, but he isn't. He has a very specific level of power, even if that level of power is "fuck you" levels of power. Kirby has beaten Gods, but so has Goku, even more often and with greater ease. However, Kirby has absorption and power-theft. Kirby could, potentially, absorb Goku (he isn't the brightest and Kirby has his unassuming appearance on his side) and take on his strongest form, including its powerup, and given Kirby in base form is likely more powerful than Goku in base form (Goku needed SSJ to scare Supreme Kai, Kirby beats Gods in base), it's possible Kirby would be more powerful than Goku with the same power up.

Kevin McCallister

Okay, hear me out.

Kevin is technically a gag character, BUT. He is not TRULY a gag character. He just happens to be a comedy character.

So he isn't guaranteed to win, but he could still possibly do so. How you ask?

Goku has been somewhat injured or lightly shaken by the following: planet-shattering attacks. Punches that rock the universe. Energy blasts so potent they would destroy entire galaxies.

Goku has been rendered inconsolable from the pain of the following: chest pain and a half-heartedly, boredly tossed pebble.

It is canon that when Goku and the other fighters in the series are expecting an attack or primed for battle, they are protected by their ki, like armor. It's how they're able to knock away attacks that would destroy planets, or put their "bare" hands on plasma energy that would normally burn the skin off you from a mile away let alone touching it.

This is why when Krillin threw the rock at Goku, it left him in agony and bruised him despite Goku being in Super Saiyan form at the time. This is why Chi-Chi is able to injure Goku regardless of how strong he gets.

So, how does this relate to Kevin being able to beat him? It's everything. It's critical information.

Kevin McCallister's entire M.O. is unexpected attacks. You open a door, you see a bucket fall, think it's over, turns out no, second bucket pulled by the first, second bucket is full of paint and open, you're blinded, you get your bearings, you take a step and feel cars, you smirk and step over them only to find marbles, you slip, you land on the cars which turn out to have been rigged to break easier to let loose a single thumbtack which is now firmly stuck in your back or butt. You bolt upright only to slam your head on a 2x4 that was rigged to hang down from a rope when you fell because your impact shook things enough to make it fall from a precarious perch above.

You get the idea. Every time you think it's safe to let your guard down, that's when the next wave hits. So you say "well he would stop letting his guard down" right? You fool. You know nothing of Goku. He would never put his guard UP. This is a human child, Goku can sense his pitiful power level. His strength? His speed? His ki? Weak. Pathetic. Nothing. A scouter wouldn't even register his power it's so low.

Goku never raises his guard to Chi-Chi, or to Bulma, or to Hercule. He does not raise his defense against normal, powerless, non-combative humans.

"BUT KEVIN IS COMBATIVE" No. He isn't. Goku can sense intent, power, and location. But Kevin isn't actively intending to hurt Goku. He's intending to protect himself and his home. He's not actively wanting to hurt Goku, he's just wanting Goku to leave. He doesn't have power to threaten Goku with, so Goku won't pick up on any threatening aura. And while Goku could simply instant transmission to Kevin and do what he will, we're not talking about how Goku could win, we're going over the fact Kevin could POSSIBLY win.

Enough injury and Goku is down for the count. Otherwise, Goku leaves to avoid further injury, and thereby admits defeat. Both cases, Kevin wins.

Shedinja

This one took me...quite a while. I had to do a lot of extra research for this. So, my immediate thought was Shedinja is a Ghost type, so ghost rules, right? Nah. Bug and Ghost type, and they are the physical shell left behind that has been reanimated. So they very much are physical beings, and given their ability to faint in the games and show they are capable of being physically damaged.

But There's a real case to be made for Shedinja beating Goku.

It can learn Ghost type moves, which operate on ghost-logic, and therefore are a canon weakness Goku is known to have. So things like Shadow Ball, Hex, Curse, and the like would all effect Goku regardless of Ki or form.

It also has access to Wonder Guard, which renders it "immune to all damage types that are not Super-Effective". For those unaware, we can actually attribute Typings to Goku's moves based on attributes and traits they share with Pokemon moves. His melee is, by nature, Fighting type, which Shedinja is immune to. In fact, Shedinja is immune to ALL attack types except Flying, Rock, Ghost, Dark, and Fire type moves, which are all Super Effective.

Goku's most common methods would actually fall under Fighting and Normal type attacks. "But his Ki blasts-" would be Normal type moves. You want proof?

Focus Energy is Normal Type. Quick Attack is Normal Type. Self Destruct is Normal Type. Techno Blast is Normal Type. Tera Blast is Normal Type. These are all energy based moves similar to ki blasts. Know what other energy based move is Normal Type? Hyperbeam. Which is almost identical to the Kamehameha and every other beam attack in DBZ.

Those few attacks Goku has that aren't going to be Normal Type will be Fighting Type.

Shedinja is Immune to all Normal and Fighting Type moves. Goku literally can not damage Shedinja, but Shedinja can damage Goku through Ghost Type moves. Shedinja can beat Goku. But why is it not "absolutely will" beat him? Because Goku can also transform his Ki and if he finds out Shedinja is vulnerable to fire, he can and will use that to his advantage.

That's who could potentially beat Goku. Here's who absolutely could not.

Saitama

I forgot to go over Saitama originally so here's the edit that features that analysis. Bear in mind I am saying this as someone who has seen Seasons 1 and 2 of the show AND is aware of some of the events of the manga.

A lot of reblogs over Saitama claim he is a gag character. But there is a case to be made that he is NOT. What is that case you ask? Well, for the sake of fairness, here is how I am handling gag characters: if their gag is in effect in 100% of all cases (such as looney tunes like Bugs or Road Runner) or if the gag is triggered in 100% of all cases (such as Saiki K or Chowder) then they are a True Gag Character and will insta-win.

However, if their gag has failed (such as Wario, or, yes, even Saitama) in ANY case, then it CAN fail again, and the fairest fight is one against two non-gag characters, so we can safely apply non-gag Saitama here since his gag has failed and Goku meets the conditions to cause it to fail again, which I'll explain.

So, first off, how does his gag fail? Well, his gag is that he kills everything instantly in one hit, unless he actively chooses not to. So we can safely say his gag fails if any of the following are true: he fails to instantly kill an enemy with a single hit while intending to do so, OR if he fails to kill an enemy with a serious hit intended to kill.

He meets both of these conditions. Boros survived for several seconds AFTER Saitama hit him with a Serious Punch. It was a single hit that intended to kill...But he didn't kill Boros INSTANTLY with it. Another example of his gag failing, if that doesn't satisfy, is Garou. Garou, in the manga, has survived MULTIPLE Serious Punches with intent to kill. This, on its own, is proof Saitama's Serious Punch does in fact have a limit to its output. It also proves his gag can, and does, fail against certain opponents.

So the next thing we need to look at is similarities between Garou and Boros to identify what they share that could possibly allow them to get around Saitama's gag, or to nullify it entirely. First similarity is that both are determined to have a good, satisfying fight. Boros crossed the stars seeking one, and Garou sought to become a true Monster powerful enough to force every hero, every do-gooder, to unite under one banner just to take him down. They both seek a battle to end all battles, even if Garou's intention is to end it in his favor, not simply enjoy the fight.

The second similarity is that they have incredibly unique circumstances, even by OPM standards. Garou is a man who has always felt love for the bad guy, he looks to the monsters as inspirations, as the misunderstood and the victimized by those claiming to be heroes. He's trained by an S-Class hero, and has developed into a being of unimaginable power in the pursuit of his dream. Very much a true foil to Saitama, who looked to heroes in comics as inspirations, as the righteous and unshakably moral, self-taught through and through and developed into a being of unimaginable power in the pursuit of HIS dream. Garou is, in this way, a reflection of Saitama, the Tails to Saitama's Heads, the dark to his light.

Boros on the other hand is an alien, forced to become strong by his homeworld's unforgiving conditions, developing a level of power necessary to survive and then some, and on realizing he was far too powerful for his own good, he sought purpose, meaning, and when he heard he may find a worthy opponent, he did everything he could to achieve that future, to realize his dream of facing a foe that would give him a true challenge.

So what are the similarities we can identify? Notably unique circumstances even by OPM standards, sharing strong similarities to Saitama's desires or dreams (Garou dreaming of becoming the greatest Monster vs Saitama dreaming of becoming the greatest Hero, Boros feeling lost in life and seeking a worthy foe vs Saitama feeling bored with living and wishing for the sensation of a real fight again), and the desire for a serious and ultimate battle.

Goku fits ALL of these conditions. He is an alien sent to Earth for his protection, grew up in hostile conditions (surviving on his own for most of his childhood, constant battles with Nation-level threats throughout his teen years, constant battles with world or universe-level threats throughout his adulthood), trained extensively until he was the best of the best, has the ultimate dream of a truly satisfying battle (a dream he routinely seeks out by facing down powerful foes), and being entirely bored with mundane life because there's absolutely no challenge to it, not to mention the fact he has the ultimate dream of becoming the strongest, something he shares with Saitama's pre-OPM self.

Since Goku fits ALL the conditions needed to make this battle exempt from the gag, we will NOT be considering it, as Saitama is not a True Gag Character, and Goku fitting conditions for nullifying it means we can assume actual power limits and such.

So let's look at feats of power. Saitama's Serious Side Hop technique allowed him to create AT LEAST 60 after-images (based on the manga panel) which, when compared with Sonic's 4, means Saitama was moving 15x faster than Sonic in that moment (bare minimum). An afterimage like that is created by moving at least 572mph, stopping in each position for at least 1/255th of a second (any less and the human eye can't pick up on it), so by moving from position A to B for 1/255th of a second and back to A, going 572mph between the two, you create the afterimage.

Sonic creates 4 simultaneously, meaning he needs to move to 3 positions and then back to starting position, or go from A to B, B to A, A to C, C to A, A to D, and repeat.

This means Sonic, to move into each of these positions in less than 1/255th of a second, would need to be moving ~4x faster than the speed for one afterimage. That puts him as moving at 2,228mph while creating those 4 afterimages. Given he is capable of Mach 5 speeds (he's said to be hypersonic) this feat is easy for him, as Mach 5 is 3,805mph. I assume, just as it's easier to move at top speed in a straight line than at sharp turns for a normal person, it's likely more difficult to create such consistent afterimages and so the difficulty that makes it his best attack is from the technique and reaction involved, not the speed itself.

In any case, if Saitama made at least 60 afterimages, putting him at 15x faster than Sonic's speed while creating 4, that puts Saitama's speed at 33,420mph just to account for the 60 we can count in the manga panel. This means 33,420 is the MINIMUM speed we can assume for Saitama's max ability. To be generous, given he wasn't winded after doing that and given he was able to react incredibly easily to the near-instant directional changes, I'll be kind and put his maximum speed at 10,000x this number.

That puts Saitama's speed at 334,200,000mph, or 49.8% the speed of light. We'll be kind again and say 50% the speed of light, round up that last .2%

So we have a speed value for Saitama. Now what about Goku? Well, let's look at Goku on Namek, for a moment. Base form Goku, at the start of his fight against Freeza. Goku, BEFORE his super saiyan transformation, was moving at 3.26 (we'll round down to 3) times the speed of light. How do I get this number? Buckle up, it's involved.

The Namekian ship Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan took to get to Namek made it from Earth to Jupiter in "seconds". That means less than a minute, so we'll say it took them 1 minute just to lowball it and to have a solid starting number. Jupiter, when the two planets are at their closest to each other (assuming shorter distance for slower speed, another lowball), is 365,000,000 miles from Earth. This means the Namekian ship moved 365mil miles in 1 minute.

That puts the Namekian ship at a speed of 21.9 billion miles per hour. They made it to Namek in 30 days of travel. The ship Goku took to Namek made the trip in 5 days. That means Goku's ship is 6 times faster than the Namekian ship. Don't worry, the ship speed DOES matter in this, I promise you.

So Goku's ship moves at 131,400,000,000mph. That's 131 billion, 400 million miles per hour. Or 195x the speed of light.

Why does the ship speed matter so much, you might ask?

Because King Kai could visually keep up with the ship. He was able to track Goku's progress with ease, and could see his ships movements without problems. This means King Kai's eyes and brain are capable of perceiving and processing things that move at 195x the speed of light.

Why does that matter? Because Super Saiyan is canonically a 50x multiplier to ALL base ability. Strength, speed, durability, etc.

And Goku, in Super Saiyan, was moving so fast King Kai stated he could no longer keep up. King Kai, capable of seeing and processing the input of vision on a ship moving 195x the speed of light, could not see or process the input of vision on Super Saiyan Goku.

We'll lowball it, and say Goku only needed to move 1 mph faster than 195x the speed of light for King Kai to lose track of him. So whatever value we get, we'll add 1mph to for Goku's base form speed.

So 195x the speed of light +1mph. 195/50=3.9x the speed of light. That's 2,616,900,000mph, adding in the extra mph makes it 2,616,900,001mph. So Base Form Goku moves at ~3.9x the speed of light, ON NAMEK. Super Saiyan is a 50x multiplier, putting him at ~195x the speed of light. Super Saiyan 2 is a 100x multiplier to Base, so 390x the speed of light. Super Saiyan 3 is a 400x multiplier, so 1,560x the speed of light. Super Saiyan God is a 20,000 multiplier so 78,000x the speed of light. Super Saiyan Blue is a 1 million times multiplier, so 3,900,000x the speed of light. And lastly, Mastered Ultra Instinct is a 300 billion times multipler, so 1.17 trillion times the speed of light.

Why did I bother going through all those multipliers? He wins in Base as of Namek saga lol. Anyway, continuing on to strength now that we've established Base Goku on Namek could move 3.9x faster than the Speed of Light while Saitama could only move at 0.5x the Speed of Light.

Strength. Okay. This one is harder to gauge, but we CAN gauge it. We'll go in terms of level of damage, so human level (would be on-par or less than peak human ability), town level (small towns), city level (large cities), nation level (an entire nation, less than a continent), continent level (one or more nations that span an entire continent), world-surface level (the surface of an Earth-sized planet), Planetary (capable of destroying an entire Earth-sized planet), Solar (capable of destroying a solar system), Galactic (capable of destroying a galaxy), multi-galactic (capable of destroying many galaxies), Universal (capable of destroying an entire universe), Multiversal (capable of destroying multiple universes).

We'll start with Goku this time. Goku's punches are, as of the Battle of Gods arc, strong enough to match Beerus perfectly to nullify the shockwaves of Beerus' attacks. Mind you, the mere shockwave of Beerus' attacks are enough to rip and tear the fabric of the universe itself, as stated by Elder Kai. This puts Goku's punches as being powerful enough to tear the fabric of the universe in when he first obtained Super Saiyan God. Why does this matter for Base Goku? Because Base Goku retained his SSJG power, as stated by Beerus.

So Goku in Base, post-battle of gods, is physically capable of punches that can tear apart the universe from the aftershocks alone. This is important to note because Elder Kai could physically feel the shockwaves from the World of the Kais. This makes Goku Universe-level in strength. This means Goku, post-BoG, in Super Saiyan is 50x stronger than what's needed for Universal, while Goku, as of current manga canon (assuming he didn't actually get any stronger since BoG and is simply more powerful due to new transformations) is capable of a form (Mastered Ultra Instinct) that puts him 300 billion times stronger than minimum Universe level strength.

And Saitama? Where does he fit here? Well, I thought this gap would be bigger honestly? But after researching, it seems the gap isn't all that big. Saitama has, canonically, with a Serious Punch, snuffed out an entire cylinder of stars and presumably every planet, moon, asteroid, and more, at a distance surpassing that of our solar system, and with a diameter surpassing it as well. This puts Saitama's power (if we lowball it MASSIVELY) at Solar. He could, in a single punch, destroy our entire solar system, and he wouldn't even need to be serious to do it. It's worth noting this is coupled with Garou's own Saitama-level Serious Punch, so we can assume this level of power is double Saitama's own.

So how do we determine the specifics? Well, he cleared an area large enough to cover, presumably, half the area of stars destroyed in the path of his and Garou's serious punches.

Through future revelations in the series we learn they didn't "destroy" every star in that path, but likely only several were destroyed, and possibly a galaxy, while the remainder of the void left behind was from the shockwave forcing every other star within range into a new position, creating a void in space that all stars had been moved from, save the few that were in the DIRECT path of their attack.

Another theory is that the Serious Punch^2 simply distorted the photons in the area, resulting in the appearance of a massive void, and this theory is based on the angles in the manga and comments made by other characters that paint Earth as the only thing in real danger from the power of the attack.

To be fair to Saitama, where we would lowball Goku, we'll highball Saitama, and say the Serious Punch^2 outright destroyed every star in the area. That level of power would, naturally, have shockwaves that push nearby stars out of the way AND distort photons in the area, resulting in a massive cone of destruction surrounded by a large cylinder of force.

This puts Saitama at, quite easily, multi-galactic level of strength.

But why did I say this gap isn't as big as I expected? One simple thing. Saitama has canonically punched his way into a different dimension in the manga. That means he's capable of brute-forcing his way out of the bounds of his universe. He is capable of physically destroying the fabric of the universe.

Meaning Saitama's strength is, bare minimum, Universal in close proximity. That puts him, strength-wise, on par with Goku, who through training has become stronger than Super Buu (who was so strong he could shout his way out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, a dimension separate from our own), meaning Goku is also Universal in close proximity.

So...while I expected Saitama to be ~Planetary, MAYBE he'd be Solar at most...Research indicates he's actually Universal, or near-Universal, meaning the fight may not be too far a gap after all.

Goku may have Saitama beat on speed (given recent manga events in OPM, I'm willing to allow that Saitama is faster than light speed, but Goku having as many forms as he does (Kaioken, which he can combine with other forms and can hit a multiplier of x100 on top of whatever power he currently has, SSJ1-3, SSJG, SSJB, MUI) means even if Saitama matches Base Goku, he's likely not going to stand up to his stronger forms).

But on strength, I'd wager they're close enough for this fight to be one hell of a battle.

What about Durability? After all, all the strength in the world won't save you if you're as easy to kill as a simple bullet to the head, right?

Goku has withstood universe-ripping punches (from Beerus, the God of Destruction, and based on comments in the manga he's one of the stronger Gods of Destruction too), dimension-tearing attacks (from Goku Black, pre-Fusion), energy blasts that even the Gods of Destruction were nervous of (from Jiren during the Tournament of Power), and he survived multiple blasts from Granolah post-wish buff, who was renowned for his sniping power pre-wish, and post-wish was as powerful as he would be if he had spent every single second of the next 147 years training non-stop with the absolute healthiest amount of rest and physical care, making him, presently, as powerful as he would be at the END of that time, with the price paid being that he only had 3 years to live as he lost 1 year of his lifespan for each power boost.

It was also clear that Granolah was the strongest in the universe...at the time of his wish. Goku and Vegeta, who were already on their way, were not as powerful as Granolah even with their transformations. They became stronger during their fight with him, and stronger still during their fight with Gas (who was more powerful than Granolah after Gas transformed and mastered his transformation).

So we can safely assume Goku is Multiversal in Durability, as he himself was able to output Universal damage with each punch, and he was able to survive hits from beings drastically stronger than himself.

What about Saitama? Well, Saitama was able to survive the force of the Serious Punch^2 and he was able to casually bust his way into another dimension. So his Serious Punch, if he wanted it to, could easily destroy the barrier between universes or dimensions.

And given he survived the force of two of them impacting each other, I would put Saitama at, bare minimum, Universe-level durability. But given he was able to survive prolonged battle against Garou, who is a Power Mimic and has shown Saitama-level strength, we can safely assume Saitama is BEYOND Universal-level durability, and so we can put him right there with Goku at Multiversal durability.

So what do we have so far?

Goku has speed equal to, in Base Form, 3.9x lightspeed, and 1.17 trillion times lightspeed in his most powerful form.

Goku has Universal level strength in Base Form, 300 billion times that in his most powerful form.

Goku has Universal durability in Base Form, Multiversal durability in his most powerful form (300 billion times his Base Form's durability).

Saitama has speed equal to, at minimum, 0.5x lightspeed, and at maximum, if we highball it, 2x lightspeed.

Saitama has Universal strength.

Saitama has Universal durability at minimum, and Multiversal durability at maximum.

At this point, I'm convinced the speed difference between Base Goku and Saitama means nothing. Saitama's durability means even with Base Goku moving at his top speed, his impacts won't be enough to beat Saitama. At top speed Base Goku may be putting out Universal damage, but he's not putting out enough to actually BEAT Saitama. Only injure.

Making me rethink my "Goku wins in Base lol" claim earlier, how dare you!

Anyway, at this point, Goku would HAVE to transform to beat Saitama. His ability to sense power and Saitama's evident inability to suppress it (as evidenced by multiple characters sensing his ungodly power even while Saitama is completely relaxed) would mean Goku would know, right away, he needs to transform for the fight.

Saitama's durability means Goku would likely need Super Saiyan 2 or 3, or, more likely, SSJG. Super Saiyan God's multiplier to Granolah-arc Goku, after all of his training with Whis and Vegeta, would most likely be enough to beat Saitama. And given SSJG is enough to "most likely" beat him, then Super Saiyan Blue (aka Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, the form above SSJG) is surely enough, and Mastered Ultra Instinct (a form drastically more powerful than SSJB) is absolutely more than enough to beat Saitama.

And given Goku's mastery over the Kaioken technique, and he's been shown to enter Kaioken x 20 while in Super Saiyan Blue for fair amounts of time as of the Moro saga, meaning even if SSB wasn't enough, given MUI is overkill, it's possible SSB x10 or x20 would be.

The point being, Goku wins this fight due to a combination of technique, experience, and power from his transformations. Given Goku is faster than Saitama and would sense his power as Saitama doesn't know how to suppress it, nothing Saitama could do would be a surprise attack to Goku, meaning Goku would have ample opportunity to react to everything Saitama does.

And given the relatively similar strengths the two bear, Goku would recognize he needs to transform to beat Saitama's output.

And given Saitama's greater durability than Base Goku, and greater durability than even what Saitama himself can put out, Goku would see he needs to transform to have enough of his own output to beat Saitama's durability.

Conclusion: Goku would absolutely win this fight, BUT...I'll give Saitama credit where it's due.

Out of everyone on the entire list, Saitama is the fairest matchup here, and the one most likely to give Goku a truly satisfying fight, given it would be a battle on par with those Goku has enjoyed most.

Kingdom Hearts Mickey

K.H. Mickey has a clear power limit and ability set. He is not strong enough, fast enough, smart enough, or durable enough to beat Goku, but he is just enough of a threat for Goku to actually put his guard up, which is why K.H. Mickey would lose; Goku would see it as a fight, unlike with Kevin.

Crash Bandicoot

Crash isn't nearly powerful enough to be a threat to Goku, but he IS insane enough to push Goku to hostility. Goku would feel the need to put effort into getting him away and that is his downfall.

Hatsune Miku

Goku would assume she is a Red Ribbon android and fight her on assumption she's trying to kill him or bring harm to Earth. He would hit her full force expecting her to tank it and she would keel over dead instantly.

Wario

Everything he could possibly do, the Red Ribbon Army has tried and done better, and they've never beaten Goku. Neither would he.

Sans

Lost to a child with slightly above average human determination, and standard human strength and speed. He does not beat Goku.

And just because you specifically told me not to @ you, have this :)

@that-one-enby-onyx

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junkdrawerfan · 1 month ago

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I haven’t read the odyssey in a long time but from what I remember Epic!Odysseus is far more tragic than the original. By the end, Odysseus is a monster and a far cry from the man who struggled over killing a baby. Poseidon wins. He is ruthlessness. His mercy “drowned.” He has no guilt over the slaughter of 108 young men and is exactly like the Cyclopes he spared all those years ago.

And so little of it is his own fault.

In fact, you could argue that Epic!Odysseus’s hero flaw is his mercy, unlike the OG!Odysseus’s flaw of arrogance and pride.

He should have killed the cyclops. He should have killed his men to keep the wind bag closed. He should have left his men behind at Circe’s since they’ll betray him anyway. He was right to sacrifice six to Scylla. He was right to chose himself over his men. He was right to fight Poseidon. He was right to kill the suitors who threatened the fate of his family.

It’s a tragedy because we watch a good man lose his humanity to survive and ultimately be rewarded for it.

How much kinder would the world have been to EPIC!Odysseus if he’d just been cruel first?

Which is why I’m glad we don’t get the reconciliation between Athena and Odysseus in EPIC like we do in the Odyssey. Athena became more human as Odysseus lost his humanity. They are no longer able to walk together to a better tomorrow because Odysseus can no longer picture a kinder world.

I can easily picture the retuned King of Ithaca a hard and punishing ruler. His orders must be taken without question unlike before where he allowed discussion — before the betrayal of Eurylochus. He does not tolerate rumors. Punishments are swift. He will not allow others to try and trick him with their words. He’s a liar and a trickster and a thief and a murderer and stronger for it.

I still believe Ithaca will flourish under his rule. The power hungry are crushed. The King of Ithaca will trust no one except his wife and son.

I can also see Odysseus and Telemachus clashing often. Telemachus grows into the man Odysseus was. He is allowed to stay youthful and gentle under the tutelage of a kinder Athena and has always strove to craft himself to be like the man in his mother’s stories. Maybe over time, he’ll learn to be harder from the father who returned but never as cruel. The world simply hasn’t made him abandon his mercy.

#odysseus #the odyssey #epic the musical #epic odysseus #telemachus #epic telemachus #epic athena #epic poseidon #my thoughts #of course the painful truth is that Odysseus probably doesn’t rule for much longer #maybe 20 years at most before he retires to give the throne to his son #I doubt he’d even crave that responsibility after losing 600 men #I know Penelope will always promise to love him #and I’m sure she does but she will have to relearn him

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spectralreplica · 6 months ago

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But do you think the plan will work?

Oumota: tarot reading edition! I had this idea during Oumota Week and just got around to finishing it now 😔. At first I thought about giving Sun to Kaito and Moon to Kokichi (a la Reversed Sun by grayimperia), but I think it works better to have them both in each card, to highlight the parallels. (If you want more explanation of my design thoughts, I'll put it under a cut at the end.)

General tarot meanings:

The Sun: happiness, confidence, success, optimism, innocence/childhood, inspiring others, internal motivation, truth

The Moon: illusion, imagination, uncertainty, secrets, confusion, intuition/the subconscious, fears influencing you, insecurity

The Star: hope, regaining inspiration, renewal, healing, moving on, new purpose, calm after the storm (Reversed Star: despair, lack of faith, pessimism, boredom, anxiety, being overwhelmed by past problems)

I feel like while Kaito is naturally more Sun coded and Kokichi more Moon coded, they have some qualities of both cards. And Star vs Reversed Star is so temping to bring in for DR.

I was thinking of it as a past, present, future kind of reading, but also maybe situation, action, outcome. Starting out with high self confidence and some childish black and white thinking. (Maybe a little over confident and childish to the point of egotism and inflexibility, shades of reversed sun...). Covering for insecurities by projecting a fake persona to everyone around, doubling down on the lies and self-deception a la chapter 5. Finally, either coming through everything stronger, with renewed hope, or else crashing and burning, overwhelmed by unacknowledged issues that have built up.

As for the specific imagery...

Sun: I stuck pretty close to the traditional imagery here. The flag/banner has their respective prints on it, and I put Kaito on Mars while Kokichi remains on Earth. It's also sundown or sunset for Kokichi; is he moving towards the Moon or away? The horse is obv. very chess piece inspired. Kokichi gets his King Horse a la the mask on his bed, and I gave Kaito a pegasus because flying.

Moon: Moving a little bit away from traditional imagery as more of the canon situation seeps in, but still pretty close. The moon floats "outside" the cage, wearing their respective false faces. (We know from the ending that the skyline on those glass panels isn't real...) They both have an Exisal in the background in place of one of the towers, but Kaito has a bamboo grove a la Princess Kaguya; Kaguya came from the moon and she will go back, no matter how much people on Earth love her. Kokichi has one of the racks that sits beside shrines where you're supposed to tie bad/unlucky omikuji (paper fortunes) so that the bad luck doesn't follow you; living in purposeful denial of bad things, but they lurk there on the horizon.

They both still have at least one dog/wolf, but I gave Kokichi a fox because of their association with being tricksters. Also, wolves and foxes, as predators, are framed as villains in stories, but at the same time it's also not uncommon to see them as heroes (stereotype of predator/hunter vs stereotype of bravery/nobility and cleverness). Also, contrast of fox and hound, like the clash of Kokichi presenting himself as childish + annoying vs a genuine threat. Kaito has the dog, monkey, and pheasant that accompanied Momotaro, continuing his fairytale theme.

Everyone seems to argue over what the crawfish means in the original, but I went with the interpretation of moving from water to land, evolution, things coming to the surface. So, Kaito has a koi. I think most people know about the "koi climbs a waterfall and becomes a dragon" thing because of Magikarp, but here it is again just in case! Kaito's got an aquatic creature struggling against its nature in hopes of someday actually transforming into something grander. Kokichi has a poison dart frog. Already amphibious, so it can go between water and land freely, but visibly harmful to anyone who tries to get close.

Star: The least traditional imagery and the most V3 canon imagery. There's still a tree, but it's a pine tree. ...I dunno, no explanation for that, it just looked nice 🤷‍♀️The two jugs are replaced with the poison and antidote bottles. Originally, they're supposed to represent the conscious and subconscious and pour in two different places, but here they're mixing together directly. V3 resolves the "truth vs lies" theme by arguing you have to accept ambiguity. Also, Kaito and Kokichi's whole plan rests on them managing to work together to obscure exactly who is in the Exisal in the end.

There's a figure in the foreground in Kaito's jacket, but they're just a silhouette (a la the culprit); it's not either of them, it's both, and they're reaching beyond the bounds of the game. The star in the sky is ringed by the trial podiums, since all of their hope for the future rests in derailing the next trial. Can they win? Well, Shuichi and Kiibo are at the top, the two people they (or at least Kokichi...) know can be problems, but Tsumugi is specifically blocked from view, always overlooked...

#Oumota #Kaito Momota #Kokichi Oma #Kokichi Ouma #New Danganronpa V3 #Danganronpa #Spectra Art

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keanusbabydoll · 3 months ago

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disturbance

paring: loki laufyson x fem!reader

warnings: 18+ content, unprotected sex, rough sex, little to no plot, overstimulation, choking, fingering, spanking, dom!loki, getting caught during sex, doggystyle, swearing, heavy arguing

A/N: i love this story so much. and i am deeply sorry if there are any mistakes <3

MNDI

Loki reclined on the huge sofa in the dimly lit living room, his fingers steepled as he contemplated the complexity of his life. born a prince of Asgard, he had walked many paths -trickster, villain, anti-hero. now, however, he found himself in the most unexpected of roles: a secret lover. the object of his affection, tony stark's niece, y/n, was a beautiful enigma who had captured his heart in a way he never thought was possible.

their relationship has been fraught with obstacles from the start. tony stark, known for his sharp mind and even sharper tongue, despised loki with a passion. tony never actually forgave loki for everything he's done and sometimes sees him still as the bad person he was before. but the feeling was mutual. to complicate matters further, tony's overprotectiveness over his niece was as fierce as it was understandable. so, you and loki decided it was the best to keep your relationship a secret. you didn’t even tell your best friend natasha, even though you suspected that she knows something or maybe even saw. the secrecy was both a thrill and burden, one that strained your time together and kept your love perpetually in the shadows.

this particular evening, however, was different. you just came out of one of the longest and most relaxing showers you ever had, feeling completely fresh. with uncle Tony being away there was also no complaining about you showering too long. you brushed yourself off with a towel before you exited the bathroom and went over to your closet, pulling out your favorite panties, also loki's favorite, and a oversized shirt you stole from loki, which lazily slipped off one shoulder, revealing the delicate curve of your collarbone.

the avengers had embarked on a mission that was expected to keep them away from the stark tower for several days. tony himself had assured them that it would be a long operation. and to your luck, your uncle insisted that loki should stay at home because he didn't feel well knowing that you would be completely alone... and because he loathes loki and doesn't like it when he joins them on a mission. for once, you and loki had the tower to yourselves, a rare and precious gift.

you bubbled with excitement, simply because of the thought that you and loki had so much time to spend together. alone, without anybody interrupting you or having to act like there's nothing going on between the both of you.

with a smug smirk, you made your way down the corridor and to the huge stairs that led to the living room. your eyes lit up with happiness when you found loki sitting on the couch, his eyes focused on the tv in front of him. the city's night lights twinkled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft glow over the room.

as you stepped closer to the living room, loki finally noticed your presence, a smile creeped to his lips and his eyed followed you as you moved gracefully closer to him. you settled beside loki, snuggling up against his side, resting your head against his shoulder. his arm wrapped around your waist lovingly, pulling you closer to him. "can you believe it?" she said, her voice a soft murmur. "we have the place completely to ourselves. no annoying uncle or acting distant."

loki smiled down at you, a genuine expression that was rare from him. "it does feel rather ... liberating." he admitted. his voice usually laced with sarcasm or menace, was warm and tender. you knew that he was just as relieved as you, finally being alone.

as your eyes met his you saw them sparkling with love, but there was something else you caught a glimpse of.

it was lust.

of course, you both haven't had good, proper sex in weeks, as loki had to help out on some missions or you got interrupted unfortunately. and to be honest you suffered as well. you missed his touch dearly, you could almost say you were sexually frustrated.

as if loki heard your thoughts, which he probably did anyway, he tightened his grip on your waist and hastily pulled you on his lap, your thighs trapped his between them. you wrapped your arms around his neck and smiled at him. loki's eyes were full of mischief as he leaned in closer to you, his lips almost touching yours. you felt his warm breath on your lips and you opened your mouth slightly, aching to feel his touch.

"no interruptions this time." he stated, before finally capturing them in a slow, lingering kiss that sent shivers down your spine.

"you have no idea how long I've been craving this moment. ravaging you, doing bad things to your little body and making you mine without any of these folks interrupting us." the god almost growled, his lips found yours again. you moaned into the kiss as you felt his erection poking directly on your center, the arousal already started to pool in your panties.

the kiss got more passionate and one of his hands found it's way to your throat, squeezing it gently, while the other slid under your shirt, roaming over your upper body. when it finally stopped at your breasts and two of his fingers began to pinch and pull on your nipple, you arched your back, leaning in to his touch.

you felt yourself growing wetter by second, needing him to release that already unbearable ache in your core. instinctively, your hips began to grind down on his lap hard, loving the feeling of his clothed cock rubbing against your clit perfectly. he let out an answering groan, signing you that he enjoyed it just as. gently, you pulled away from his lips and looked at him with lust clouded eyes, your movements on his dick never stopped. "please loki." you whimpered.

a wicked grin formed on his lips and the hand that once twisted your hardened bud, went down to your hips, controlling your movements. "what do you want my little dove." he asked you purposely, loving to hear you confirm your need for him.

"you sir, I need you so bad." you almost cried out, the tingling sensation in your abdomen just grew even more intolerable. in response, he chuckled out darkly and started to plant rough kisses to the side of your neck. you bent your head to give him more excess and let your fingers tangle in his soft raven locks.

loki quickly pulled your shirt off of you and tossed it away, before he continued his abuse, leaving a hot trail on your body. in a matter of seconds, loki gripped your hips and threw you roughly on your back, hitting the plush sofa. loki took a moment to take in the sight in front of him, you sprawled out and completely at his mercy. his cock grew harder if that was even possible. "look at you darling. oh, I can't wait to get a taste of you.”

the god leaned down again and pressed a few wet kisses to your breasts, licking the flesh feverishly. after that he licked down a line on your belly, to your most sensitive part. his teeth tugged on the black lace material of your panties before he wrapped his fingers around it’s waistband and pulled it quickly down, shedding the next piece of clothing to the floor.

"you’re so wet.” he breathed out as he nestled in right between your thighs, while spreading them further apart. loki's gaze examined your pussy which was visibly glistening in the dim light and his green eyes darkened even more.

“just for you sir.” you purred needingly, shifting your hips closer to him.

he hummed approvingly before he slowly dipped down into your cunt, immediately licking a stripe up your wet folds as he moaned out at your sweet taste.

there is no way he could ever get enough of your sweet little pussy. it’s his favorite little play thing.

a shiver went down your spine when you finally felt him. he continued to lap at your hole, savoring your arousal to the last drop. but your stomach turned, when he suddenly wrapped his lips around your aching clit, sucking on it strongly and flicking the tip of his tongue on it while doing so. he already had you moaning and crying out his name in pure bliss, loving the feeling of his mouth devouring you at its best.

when you felt two of his fingers teasing your entrance, your right hand shot straight to his hair, pulling harshly on it’s roots. a low muffled hum escaped his lips when his digits slid in your warm, welcoming walls.

you already felt your orgasm building up, but when he curled his fingers and hit that one certain spot you saw stars, and the coil in your womb just threatened to snap even quicker. a loud squeal rattled against the walls when loki started to move his fingers in a fast and rough pace, every time pumping deliciously against your g-spot. his eyes shot up to yours, knowing that you’re close. he lifted his head while his fingers continued to pump inside of you and he looked at you in pure mischief. “are you going to cum princess?” his tone was almost bitter sweet, but still dominating.

“fuck loki! yes, please let me cum.” you managed to choke out and threw your head back at the intense pleasure you were receiving from him.

“cum for me my pet.” he groaned out before he went back to abusing your swollen bud with his mouth and tongue. one last flick of his tongue and a thrust of his fingers sent you straight over the edge, gushing all over his digits. your high crashed through your whole body, making you feel numb and your brain went fuzzy. loki fucked you through your orgasm, making it even more powerful as you shuddered and your legs started to shake violently. the sweet high pitched sounds that left your mouth, made his dick twitch, almost feeling like cumming in his own pants when he heard them. norns, he needed you so badly.

slowly, after it faded away, the god pulled out of your tight cunt and released your clit from his mouth. deep shallow breaths fell from your lips as you tried your best to recover quickly from the intense orgasm. loki planted a few more open mouthed kisses to your plush thighs, giving them a harsh squeeze before he crawled up, hovering directly over you. you looked down his body and almost frowned when you realized he still had his clothes on. quickly, your hands grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, his pants and boxers followed sharply.

a whimper escaped your mouth when you saw his long, thick cock directly above your pussy. your hands slid up and down his toned, hot body and reached behind his back, pulling him further down to your flustered form. his dick was now brushing against your clit as he grabbed himself and let him slide through your wet folds teasingly, gathering your slick on his cock. "loki! please fuck me already." your voice dripped with frustration.

"so impatient." loki stammered with a dark chuckle, before he let his dick glide into you, your wetness just made this way easier. a moan left your lip as a sharp pain cursed through your body. it doesn't matter how many times you guys had sex before, you'll never get used to the size of him. his girth stretched your tight walls to their limit and his length filled you up to the brim, tip kissing your cerfix. you always felt full with him stuffed inside you, so heavenly full.

the god groaned out and buried his face in the crook of your neck, the feeling of your tight, warm walls wrapped around him perfectly, made him a mess himself. there's no way he could ever get enough of you. “you’re so tight princess.”

when you began to wriggle your hips and tried to get comfortable with his size, he let out an almost animalistic growl, not being able to hold him back anymore, with your clenching and soft cry's escaping your mouth, he only thought about one thing; he needed to fuck your cunt immediately.

"norns, y/n.”

the palm of his hands rested next to your head as he began to rock his hips into yours with a harsh and fast pace, he didn't even think about letting you get used to him, his hunger for you just took over him. a few strangled moans echoed in the dimly lit room, the slight sting from the stretch made you loose your mind. loki grunted out your name shamelessly, confident with knowing that you were on your own.

after a few minutes of his brutal thrusting, the pain his dick caused, passed as quickly as it came and your moans were now out of pure pleasure. your hands that once clutched the soft cushions beneath you, found it's way to his neck and pulled him in. his lips met yours in a messy and breathless kiss, devouring each others taste. his tongue swiped over your bottom lip, before he bit down on it, pulling gently. "you feel so good darling." loki exclaimed, his voice still laced with desire.

when you started to clench tightly around him, loki almost lost himself. he got to his knees, straightening his upper body and pulled your hips up with one hand, holding you in place, while you wrapped your legs around his torso. the new angle allowed his tip to constantly brush against your sensitive, spongy spot and the slight overstimulation just added more fuel to your burning pleasure. loki's free hand sneaked down to your clit and began to rub lazy circles on it. a pornographic moan slipped past your lips at the indescribable sensation, as you felt the already tightening coil in your core, tighten even more.

as loki looked down to where your bodies connected, a jolt of pleasure ran through his whole body and he felt his orgasm approach slowly. but he wanted you to cum first, he knew he could hold back his high for some time, wanting the hot moment to last even longer.

you knew you were on the edge of cumming, you just needed him to go even rougher. "f-faster loki." you managed to choke out and he didn't need to hear that twice. with his head tipping back in ecstacy, he increased the speed of his hips clashing against your ass.

his deep, harsh pounding, the abuse on your poor aching clit and the intense smell of sex in the room, let the coil it your stomach finally snap and pushed you off the edge. a long and powerful orgasm crushed through you, your back arched off the sofa in bliss. you couldn't help yourself but screamed out his name, rolling it off your tongue in the most ecstatic way possible.

the god of mischief continued his animalistic pace, letting you ride out your orgasm. he found it almost impossible to hold back his release but he did his best and pulled out of you for a second, edging himself. you cried out at the loss of his cock filling you up, but before a single complaint could leave your mouth, his hands gripped your hips and manhandled you on your stomach. a hand wrapped around your middle and pulled you up on hands and knees. his cock re-entered you in a matter of seconds and his hips pounded into you even faster and rougher than before.

it was almost too much for you, the slight overstimulation, his harsh thrusting and the intense after waves of your previous orgasms. your already wobbly hands almost gave out and you cried out. "gods, loki, please s-slow down."

in reply, loki landed a hard slap on your ass and you jumped a little bit forward at the sudden burning pain. "no. take it like the good little slut you are." his degrading words made you shiver and you felt another slap on your ass. you were a whimpering mess, but let him use you for his pleasure, chasing his own release.

even though you seemed to have barely any power left, you secretly loved it when he was being rough and dominating with you or pushed you to your limits.

you heard his moans and sharp breaths getting louder and quicker by second, signing you that he was close. once again, a hand wandered to your middle and a finger began to rub your overstimulated clit, which sent sparks of slight pain but mostly pleasure through your entire shaking form.

loki noticed your hands almost giving out, not being able to hold your weight up anymore, so he grabbed the length of your hair and pulled your upper body slightly back, which made your back arch discomfortingly. the aggressive slamming of his hips became more erratic and the finger that was pressed to your clit moved quicker. as a deafening growl rang through your ears, you felt his cock twitching hard, filling your velvety walls with his thick ropes of cum, slightly triggering your own orgasm.

without the both of you noticing, being too lost in the long desired moment, the elevator doors opened and out stepped some of the avengers. their mission had been cancelled sharply as there were some huge complications which could have ended deadly for all of them. your uncle tony was in the lead, his face set in a grim expression that quickly turned to one of shock, disgust and anger and his movements stopped abruptly as he took in the scene in front of him. behind him, nat, clint and thor tried to stifle their amusement with varying degrees of success.

your eyes were shut tightly, brows slightly furrowed and your mouth was wide agape. loki's now slower and softer hammering brought you extremely close to your high, almost tripping over the edge. but before you could reach your highly craved peak, a loud, booming laughter filled your ears. a laughter you knew too well.

thor.

your eyes shot open in horror and your face dropped when you found few of the avengers, including your uncle, standing by the elevator, which was facing the living room perfectly. you were so shocked, you didn't even notice that loki stopped his thrusts and released the grip on your hair, but you definitely felt him still buried inside you.

out of panic you reached out for the nearest pillow and tried your best to cover yourself, but it was too late, they had seen you already.

for a moment, there was a stunned silence. but again, thor's almost deafening laughter broke the tension, he couldn't hold himself back. "brother, you certainly know to make an impression." he cracked out between his laughter and put a hand on Clint's shoulder, laughing off his ass. loki's expression darkened, but he remained silent, waiting for what was to come. and he didn’t want to worsen the situation even more.

Clint's amused grin also turned into a whole hearted snickering, joining his beloved friend. "I guess we should have knocked."

Natasha's lips just curled up into a knowingly smirk while banner seemed to be caught between disgust and amusement.

"oh my god Tony," clint managed between laughs. "this is the best thing I've seen all week."

Steve stood there with a grin and shook his head.

natasha on the other hand, chuckled, nudging clint, suddenly remembering her bet. “you owe me twenty bucks, barton. i told you something was up with those two.”

hawkeye groaned but handed over the money. “damn, i really thought this was just a phase.”

thor still in his moment, shook his head. “i guess we know now why my dearest brother has been so cooperative lately.”

out of a sudden Tony raised one of his hands, his pointer finger upward, before turning around to face his team members. "silence! this is fucking serious!" he almost yelled out before he focused his attention back on you and loki. "y/n! what the fuck have you thought?" the room fell quiet in a matter of seconds, everyone knew that tony was being completely serious.

you cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but you also felt tears prick at your eyes. you had known that this moment might come, but the reality was more painful than you had imagined.

just as you opened your mouth to answer him, you remembered, you were still stuffed with loki's cock. you pressed the pillow closer to your body when you turned around, enough for you to meet eyes with your boyfriend. "loki-" a annoyed scoff left your mouth.

"could you please-"

"oh, sorry love." he quickly registered your request and grabbed a blanket, covering both your bodies before he pulled out of your cunt and laid down with you snuggled up against him.

Rogers cleared his throat, trying to bring some semblance of decorum back to the situation, knowing that this isn't a moment anyone wished to be in. "alright, guys lets give them some space." but tony wasnt budging. his gaze shifted from loki to you, disappointment and hurt etched in his features. "i want her to answer me first."

you finally found the courage to look at him, your eyes pleading. "uncle Tony, I... we can explain," you stammered.

the billionaires face was a mask of fury. "explain?" he spat. "explain how you're fucking this- this trickster? in my home and on my couch?" as soon as his words came out of his mouth, a tear rolled down your cheek. you knew that this wasn’t going to be easy to get out of this situation.

loki, the ever master of deflection, attempted to diffuse the situation. “stark, before you launch into one of your infamous tirades, perhaps we should discuss this like adults.”

your uncles eyes narrowed dangerously. “adults? you think this is a matter for a calm discussion? you’re sleeping with my niece, loki. there is nothing calm about this.”

“uncle tony, please-“

“no.” tony cut her off, his voice hard. “this is loki we’re talking about. you’re young, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

lokis once calm expression turned into on of full annoyance. “i assure you stark, i have no ill intentions towards y/n.”

“you? assurance? don’t make me laugh.” you did your best to hold back a scoff, tony was such a dickhead from time to time.

you squeezed loki’s hand, finding strength in his presence. “i love him.”

there was a shocked silence. none of the avengers expected this confession from you. thor though, was still chuckling and stepped forward, placing a hand on tony's shoulder. "stark, perhaps we should all take a step back. my brother, for all this faults, seems to have found someone who genuinely cares for him."

Natasha nodded in agreement. "look, Tony, we're all surprised. but maybe we should hear them out."

Clint, always the voice of reason, added, "and it's not like they did something wrong, technically. they're both adults."

in that moment your heart warmed up, seeing all of your friends defending you, supporting you. Tony sighed out loudly, a hand ran through his hair, clearly torn between his anger and his affection for his niece. finally, his glance that was once glued to the floor, wandered up to you. "fine, we'll talk about it. but not here and not like this. every one out of the living room. now."

the avengers filed out immediately, leaving loki and you to quickly get dressed and gather your composure. meanwhile, Tony made his way to the conference room, deep in thought. but when he heard his team members chatting and snickering behind him, he sharply turned on his heels, making thor almost bump into him. "what do you guys think you're doing?"

"uhm, waiting for loki and y/n to explain everything?" Clint answered smugly as if it were self-evident.

"absolutely not. I'll talk with my niece alone. go to your rooms, I don't want to be disturbed." Tony coldly answers before he entered the room.

the avengers shared all to knowingly glances when they quickly hid behind a corner as they heard you and loki approach.

"we are not going to our rooms, are we?" Clint asked in the group, too curious of what was going to happen. "pff, of course not." thor smirked and looked around the corner and saw that the both of you just entered the conference room, shutting the door.

the team took this as advantage and quietly walked over to the closed door, listening closely to your voices.

as soon as you stepped into the room, you found your uncle pacing around like a caged lion. "start talking."

loki took a deep breath, preparing himself for the inevitable confrontation. "stark, I know you have every reason to distrust me. but my feelings for y/n are genuine. I would never dare to harm her." tony's eyes blazed. "you expect me to believe this? after everything you've done?"

you gently let go of your lovers hand and stepped closer to tony. "uncle tony, I trust him. and I love him. I know it's hard to understand but he's changed. please give him a chance to prove it."

tonys glance wandered behind you, directly to loki. "have you? really?"

loki met his eyes without flinching. "I have, for her."

for a long moment they stared at each other, a silent battle of wills. finally your uncle sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I don't trust you loki. and I probably never will. but for y/n's sake I'll give you a chance." you felt a rush of relief, tears spilling down your cheeks. you hugged tony, feeling the tension slowly drain away. "thank you uncle tony, I love you."

tony hugged you back, his grip firm. "I love you too." but his attention shifts to loki, pointing a finger at him. "don't make me regret this." he warned him. loki nodded solemnly. "you have my word."

"but if you hurt her, I swear-" Tony started, voice hard but you pulled away from his form and put your hands on his upper arms, interrupting him. "okay uncle tony- that's enough. I think he understood." a grin tugged on Lokis lips.

as the tension began to ease, you heard the door opening and clint poked his head in, a mischievous grin on his face. "so, is it safe to come back in? or should we wait for round two?" you blushed furiously, and even loki couldn't suppress a smile. Tony rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "get in here, barton," tony said. "but if you make one more joke, I'm locking you in a room with hulk."

clint raised his hands in mock surrender. "no more jokes. promise."

as the rest of the avengers filed back in, the atmosphere lightened. the initial shock and embarrassment began give away to a more relaxed camaraderie. sarcastic comments and teasing ensued, but there was no malice in it, just the usual banter that came with being part of this unconventional family.

you stayed close to loki, your heart lighter than it had been in a long time. the both of you still had a very long way to go, but for the first time, you felt like you had a real chance. and with loki by your side, you were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

#smut #loki laufeyson #loki laufeyson smut #loki imagine #loki laufeyson x you #loki laufesyon x reader #loki odinson #loki laufeyson x y/n #marvel #thor odinson #tony stark #loki laufeyson fanfic #fanfiction #fiction #god of mischief

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ghouljams · 1 month ago

Note

I do wonder who the rest of the 141 and kortac would be, but I do have some ideas:

Price: Athena (I at first thought Zues, but he'd never cheat on his wife. I just can't see it) Goddess of wisdom and war strategies cause it makes sense. If not Athena, then I could see him as Demeter cause I have Goose brain rot, and who says Ghost only gets with Prices daughter in one universe. Like Demeter Price and Persephone Goose with Hades Ghost just makes my brain purr. There's also just the thought of Price on his little farm harvesting and growing plants after the horrors of the Titan War. He grows sad and cold when his daughter leaves but understands she just wants to be with the one she loves. Maybe he, too, could find a lover to warm his home.

Ghost: Hades cause of the above post, though whether or not he kidnaps her or she just walks down there grabs him by his neck and marries him is up in the air. If not Hades, then probably Hestia just cause the image of this 6-foot heavily scared man being the god of the hearth, home, virginity, and guardian of the flame of olympus makes me cackle. Plus, I saw a head cannon where Hestia gave up her seat to Dionysus so she wouldn't have to be olympus's therapist anymore, and yeah, Ghost would do that. And yes, he abstains from sex cause he's traumatized, but that doesn't mean he can't have a companion. Or this one's on the nose, but Thanatos, plus him getting trapped in a box and having to be rescued, makes me cackle too.

Soap: Apollo god of the sun and creativity because he's good with his hands, and I always saw soap as a guy with a sister who loves his mom. Plus, the angst of Apollo soap never getting requited love is ooph. He's just very passionate and often times that leads to his lovers getting turned into plants. If not him, then Hermes or Dionysus could work, too. I could see him being Dionysus and giving people who piss him off madness. And just throwing great parties, if he does take Hestias seat and becomes olympus's new therapist, he'd definitely open a bar and make fancy drinks while listening to people's troubles.

Gaz: Nike just cause if Price becomes Athena, then Nike is Athenas companion, and Gaz is Prices companion. If not Nike, then maybe hear me out, but Ares (who canonically has a pretty boy face under his fearsome mask) cause, let's be honest, Gaz would steal your girl with a smile. I could also see Ares Gaz as the protector of women and very respectful of them. He still will use his good looks to get them in his bed, and because of that, he has so many daughters. He becomes thee girldad by accident. And if not either of them, Hermes cause trickster god of messages who is best friends with Apollo soap makes sense for him too.

Laswell: Either Hestia or Hera and if she is Hera she's definitely plotting to murder her husband and marry her wife.

Nikto: Hephaestus

Konig: ngl I struggled with this one, but hear me out, Dionysus konig. Dionysus is interesting cause he's the god of wine, parties, madness, and rebirth. And while you could say konig couldn't be Dionysus cause he has anxiety, I would argue he still could be, but more so as someone who watches over and plans parties. He just brings the wine to get the debauchery started. Voyeur könig anyone? Also, a lot of Dionysus's riuals and sacrifices are very bloody and involve dismemberment. Dionysus can be a very scary god when he wants to be, and I like that about him. Plus, just imagine him and Ariadne with the "you dont like the murder" sound. As for anyone else, he could be idk, maybe Artemis loner, goddess of the moon, and the hunt. Could definitely see könig Artemis snipe perverts and protect virgins.

Kruger: Eris goddess of chaos cause why not. If not Eris, then hear me out he's one of Aphrodites kids (not Eros, cause I like to think Eros is Hephaestus Nikto and Aphrodites love child). But he could def be mania and is constantly giving Nikto problems because everyone goes to him cause they know Aphrodite reader won't punish him properly. She's a gentle parent, though that does mean her kids aren't disciplined correctly, but thankfully, only Kruger gets in trouble. (I also thought of this cause of that one fanart where Nikto leaves Kruger with the 141, and they call Nikto to come pick him up)

Horangi: I also struggled with him, too, cause I'll be honest. I don't know much about him besides him being a konigs friend. But when I think of him, I could see him being either Artemis, Thanatos, Ananke, greek goddess of inevitability, or if you're feeling adventurous, Posiden. He could also be one of Aphrodites kids but one of her more chill kids.

So for the most part I want to keep Nikto in his own au mostly so I can use/abuse the other gods without worrying about my own headcanons for them.

that said :eyes: at Goose as Persephone... I was going to disagree with you on Ghost being Hades but you have persuaded me with just that concept alone.

Here's the problem is I think I could make a solid argument for Ghost to take the place of multiple gods because his character can be interpreted so many different ways. I am so desperately begging people to pitch me Ghost doing things other than mask/skull/violence when it comes to aus.

Anyway I'm just going to be talking about gods under the cut, rambling if you will

Price as Demeter I sort of fuck with severely, not as a god of plenty but as a god of famine and loss. Willing to take away family and fruit in equal measure if that's what it takes to do his job. There's something very "every greek god is a god of war if you piss them off enough" about Demeter that speaks to a slow death, a rapid but lengthy decline. The crops wither and the livestock dies. Your children insist on joining the war, you receive only their letters until the letters stop coming, you know that you've displeased the gods but you cannot say how or why.

On the other hand, Price is an exceptional tactician and would kill as Athena. He's a warrior but he's a smart one, doesn't tend to rush into things, instead he holds his soldiers back and tries to play things by the book, until he can't any longer and must take action into his own hands. Athena is a great fit for him and a role that would be easy to slot him into.

Gaz I also love as Athena though ugh. I could also slot him into Apollo or Helios just for the irony of a man who's fallen from a helicopter twice being forced to cart the sun across the sky. Lots of jokes to be made there. I will say that when I was first thinking about the hephastus!Nikto au I slotted Gaz into Ares' space, but I don't like the idea of Gaz spreading rumors that he's sleeping with poor aphrodite, because it feels mmmmmoderately out of character for him. I think he's more in line with manipulating you into his arms rather than straight up lying about sleeping with you. This man doesn't have to lie about having you in his bed, he'll talk you into it.

Lemme hit you with this one: Gaz as Artemis. The sniper skills would transfer beautifully to a hunter god, and I like the idea that he's so busy with his work he's just never had a need to find a lover thus earning him the title of "virgin god"

Alternatively: Hypnos. I like a man that visits me in my dreams, and I could probably write a whole book about Gaz playing both savior and boogey-man to a poor sleepy thing that just wants one night not being visited by haunting visions.

Soap as Apollo, yeah... yeah accurate. I can't really place him well anywhere else. I think there's already something exceptionally golden about him that translates well to Apollo, and you're right about him having terrible luck in love. An Apollo/Daphne retelling would be right up his alley.

I think my other pick for him might be Ganymede. Not a god per-se but in this au we'd count the cup bearer as a god. Just the idea that he's so pretty the king of the gods swooped down and snatched him up just to make him his personal boy-toy? Soap would be so down. He'd be salivating for the chance.

Ghost as Hades but not because of the skull imagery. He's a lonely god, relegated to the underworld because he doesn't like the big and flashy, and only showing up to events when he has to because he doesn't like the crowds. He prefers being alone after being crammed in his father's stomach with the rest of his siblings, has gone through hell worse than any of the new gods can imagine, growing up within the bitter sting of acid and the childish pleas to just let him die before he grew up and realized no one was coming to save him, and the best he could do was find a way to live with the pain. The burns still cover him, seared into his skin so that he never forgets the agony of digestion. His aversion to eating is less noticeable when he's around the dead, when the most he can stomach are fruits and bread, the other gods feast on fat and meat. And well, he just can't do it, not when he's smelled his own flesh burning.

(and of course he's shocked to find precious Persephone insisting that they marry when he's sure that he'll repulse her once she finds out what he is beneath the mask and heavy robes. More so when she breaks into his house and tells him she's staying.)

Hestia though??? Oh baby you're cooking with gas. He wants nothing more than to stay out of the politics of god-hood. And you're right I love making Ghost anxious about sex because of his own assaults.

However Laswell as Hestia??? The ceaseless watcher, privy to conversations mortal and divine because there's a hearth in every home, in every bedroom on olympus. She knows all things and keeps the information close until she can use it. Not the virgin god that mortals think she is just because she's never laid with a man, after all her wife keeps her more than satisfied...

Nikolai as Poseidon perhaps. Another old god, but this one eager to explore the world, eager to lap his waves against virgin shores, if you know what I mean. He's not looking to rule the gods, but that doesn't mean he isn't a force to be reckoned with. He'll take whatever offerings he's given, meat, wine, women, men? Just leave them on his shores and he'll find his way to them eventually. There may be a string of broken hearts in his wake, but who would dare try to hold onto the ocean?

And I suppose Konig as Dionysus maybe? I think the madness he inspires is a good fit, but I don't see him as particularly social so partying is fairly off the table. Also I don't think the rest of the gods would like him enough to give up a seat for him lol. The voyeur aspect is incredibly tempting I will give you that. I could make it work, but only because he's such a blank slate.

The rest I don't write for and don't know well enough to comment on, sorry!

#ageless blog arguing with me about how Ghost wouldn't be a jedi he'd be a mandalorian because he's a soldier #they're called jedi knights for a reason babe #also ageless blog = blocked so... blockt #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #captain john price #kyle gaz garrick #konig call of duty #nikolai cod #kate laswell #greek gods au #I do have ideas for some of these #Gaz and Soap especially #but also the Nikto au is very specific to him so idk if I will write a lot #actually that's a lie I could write a lot of Gaz #I might write a lot for Gaz

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slowd1ving · 8 months ago

Text

ACT IV: DECAY ✦ . 　⁺ VIL SCHOENHEIT NSFW

Vil Schoenheit and second place aren't supposed to be a thing. He's supposed to be the very embodiment of perfection, so why the hell is someone else's name usurping his crown on the Potions leader board? In which our starring actor cannot quench the flames of academic rivalry and resentment that consume him, nor can he fathom the enigma that you are. gn! scientist! reader warnings: contains nsfw but only later, angst with a happy ending, spoilers for book five, canon-compliant violence

TWISTED WONDERLAND MASTERLIST

BREACH THE IMMEASURABLE CHASM MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST ・゜・NAVIGATION

PREVIOUS PART ✧ ･

Scene I: Ink . 　⁺

It all starts again on a very dull morning. Staccato beats of the rain on the rickety windows of Ramshackle provide background music for Vil to drink his smoothie to. Except that’s not the only miserable music. His ears are assaulted by the conversation you’re currently having with Jamil, Rook and Ace. Does Grim count when he’s technically the other pea in your miserable pod?

“All I’m saying is that there’s no reason to make a movie series that long,” you argue. Whose movies are you referring to? Vil wishes he was paying attention earlier. “Like what have you got to say for that many movies?”

“Trickster, some people are just dedicated to the pursuit of their passion,” Rook intercedes, leaning his head on his hands to gaze at you more efficiently.

“The Fast and Furious franchise has no reason to be that long,” you lament, frustration creeping into your tone. Vil’s never heard of that movie series. He doesn’t think he wants to know what it is.

“Rook, there’s like nine sequels, and the last one especially does not make any sense,” Vil takes back his earlier thoughts. This seems to be a conversation between you and Rook, in which Ace and Jamil are unenthusiastic spectators. “There’s nothing less beautiful than plot holes.”

“Anyways,” you continue in the same breath, all hints of sadness gone. Vil’s not sure whether to be annoyed or impressed. “Do you guys feel ready for the SDC tomorrow? Your routine is really impressive.”

“My bones hurt so much,” Ace groans from behind his food. “I’ve never felt so pulverised.”

“We will win,” Jamil promises you, fiddling with his spoon on the table. You give them both a cheerful thumbs up while eating - for once, you’ve got scraps of decorum.

“I will put on my most beautiful performance knowing you’re watching, mon cher,” Rook clasps your hand between his gloved ones. Sure, Rook’s probably just being himself, but Vil can’t help the trickle of unease that he feels.

“I don’t doubt it,” you respond with a grin. “Those RSA twerps won’t know what hit them. Although, I’ve had a really weird set of dream-”

“Spudling,” Vil clears his throat to get your attention. You turn to face him, still wearing your jubilant grin. His heart almost stops. It takes all he can to not fumble while taking the lanyard out of his blazer pocket. “Keep this lanyard safe so you can come backstage as the NRC Tribe Manager.”

“Cool,” you take it one handed, still allowing Rook to clasp your other hand. Why does Vil care so much? He tries desperately to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. “Thanks!”

“We’ll go over the routine and iron out any wrinkles in around twenty minutes,” Vil continues, meeting the eyes of each cast member. He’ll just have to ignore whatever he’s feeling until after the SDC. “Make sure the rest of the potatoes are up and ready to go.”

The tell-tale signs of nervousness creep into Vil’s being after he exits the room. He��has to beat Neige. No longer will he be cast aside to play the villain. The world will see what he’s got to offer.

“Mira mira, tell me who, at this moment, is the fairest of them all?” Vil speaks slowly and quietly to his phone as he makes his way to his room to get some items for practice.

“Neige LeBlanche.”

He should’ve expected it, really, but he cannot help but let his teeth grind slightly in anger. Just you wait, Neige. He’ll beat Neige fair and square. Finally, he’ll be able to step out of the villain’s shoes.

His muscles ache after his gruelling training. Nothing he won’t be able to recover from; he can’t help but push himself to his limits at the prospect of beating Neige. The rest of the crew somehow manages to execute a near-flawless performance, with only a few minor hand-placement errors.

“Wow,” you cheer them on by your designated spot next to the speakers, cradling Grim in your lap. “You guys are absolutely gonna shred the competition.”

“That’s right!” Ace grins at you, catching the water bottle you toss at him and taking a few enthusiastic swigs.

“Pass me one too,” Deuce reaches out as you toss another water bottle. It’s a natural cue for a break, and the crew decides to take a breather. Vil feels an absurd surge of pride at the sight; somehow, these ungainly tubers have managed to grow into shapely potatoes who can no doubt beat Neige.

“We’ll regroup in ten,” Vil instructs. He’s not satisfied completely, but the passion that’s been poured into this routine is undeniable. Before he can question his body, his legs are already taking him to you. You’re scratching behind Grim’s ears and look up in abject surprise at his approach.

“I need your opinion,” Vil murmurs, leaning down to you so your faces are in close proximity. You furrow your brows; he knows how unlikely it is that he’s approached you. Still, your analysis skills are seriously impressive. “Can you give me a detailed observation of our performance? Spare no detail.”

“Right,” you pull out your phone nonchalantly, scrolling through your gallery until you find the recording of the practice. Of course you’ve come prepared.

“Right at the beginning it’s a really strong start, but as soon as those first few seconds are up, Deuce always misplaces his hand-” Vil’s not sure when he joins you on the floor, leaning ever so slightly into you as you zoom into the areas of imperfection.

“You’ve noticed that too?” Vil comments. You murmur your assent, pressing play again.

“It’s only a slight error, but yeah,” you continue, pausing the video again where it’s Kalim’s misstep. “I think it’s just overeagerness and the adrenaline of performing. The rest of the errors are really just minor hiccups with the singing - but I won’t be able to point them out as well.”

“I’ll give them some extra individual instruction,” Vil promises, more to remind himself than reassure you. You turn to scrutinise him; it’s not like he’s unfamiliar with the weight of people’s gazes, but it’s just you.

“I’ve made notes on the small, consistent screw-ups that’ve surfaced recently when it comes to dance steps. Rook and Jamil are both fine, and Epel only has one,” your shoulder brushes against him as you turn extra carefully to not disturb the snoozing Grim on your lap. You hand him your class notebook, which has been filled with quick sketches of the mistakes. Vil’s eyes widen considerably at the level of diligence you’ve afforded your role. Sure, he knows your eye for detail in science, but he never thought-

“You can borrow it for a bit,” you turn the page to show him the notes you’ve made. Then suddenly you flip back to the previous page.

“I forgot you won’t be able to read them,” you sigh in exasperation. “All that work for nothing.”

Vil is oddly touched. You’ve made extensive notes just for him? He can feel the gesture warm his cheeks as he stares down at the outreached notebook, waiting for him to take it.

“The thought is appreciated,” he thanks you, carefully placing your notebook within his lap. He’s lucky the diagrams are circled with different colours marking out areas of weakness, or he’s sure he’d get lost trying to read through the scribbled notes right next to them.

“I can always just read them out if you need me too,” you lean back on one palm, balancing your body weight as you scritch under Grim’s chin. As much as the little furball wants to deny it, he’s very clearly got the mannerisms of a cat as a large purr rumbles from him. You stifle a little giggle into your shoulder.

“That- that would be great,” it’s so unlike Vil to get flustered, but he can’t help the smile that stays on his face well into the remainder of the practice.

He can’t seem to hold onto whatever hatred he had for you.

Scene II: Rot . 　⁺

The next time he sees your face is around ten minutes before the dress rehearsal on the SDC stage. Vil can feel his already straight posture adjust itself so it’s completely perfect, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Rook, given the look the hunter shoots him. He’s ignoring that.

“They almost didn’t let me in,” you complain, striding over to Rook and waving the lanyard that’s around your neck. Vil’s not sure how they could’ve missed it, with it being what can only be described as a neon red.

“It’s good to see you regardless, mon chou,” Rook is once again clasping your hands, and once again you’re not pulling away.

“I’m going to ignore that you’ve just called me a cabbage,” you comment, looking around at the stage. The little furball that’s normally with you is nowhere to be found; Vil isn’t sure whether to be relieved that he isn’t wreaking havoc here, or whether to be worried that he’s wreaking havoc elsewhere. “Where do I sit while watching?”

“There’s actually the front seats directly next to the stage,” Vil points to the special row reserved for managers and important personnel. You unhook your hands from Rook’s to turn to where Vil’s pointing, your eyes lighting up as you see the comfortable looking chairs set up.

“Right, thanks,” you flash an extremely brief smile at both of them. It seems that whatever rivalry you had with him has been dissolved on your end. He doesn’t know if he should be insulted or happy about it. “Break both legs for both performances.”

“What?” Vil mutters to himself as you stride away enthusiastically. Maybe it’s just a saying from wherever you’re from. It’s ‘break an arm’ for performances, what are you on about? “What could that possibly mean?”

“Mr. Shoenheit, we’re about to go on air to tape your practice performance,” a cameraman apologetically interrupts Vil’s musings. He snaps to attention, letting his face fall back into the most professional poker face he can manage.

“Of course, I’ll get the NRC Tribe into formation,” Vil responds smoothly, waving the rest of the crew to the front of the stage. It only takes a minute; they’re clearly enthusiastic (if not a bit nervous) to perform in front of people who aren’t you and Grim. Deep breaths. A wave of resounding calm flows through him; it’s a lucid state he’s perfected before each and every performance.

The first notes of the rhythmic song start. His eyes unfocus slightly, allowing his muscle memory to take control for the most part. It’s now just a matter of pouring his emotions into the song and dance to truly capture the hearts of those watching. The flow. The haze. It all becomes a part of him, and he knows the rest of those dancing up on stage with him can feel it. Surely they feel the connection of their passion?

He meets your eyes, your wide, enraptured eyes as you gaze at him. He doesn’t fully realise, but the words he sings are for your ears for now. Let this be dedicated to you, and he can worry later about sharing the passion he feels with the rest of the spectators. Vil’s not emotionally stupid; he can tell his feelings have veered into territory that he simply doesn’t want to acknowledge yet. He just has to let them flow into his performance and worry about the rest later.

His mind is deliciously clear, enjoying the endorphins pumping through his blood at the pleasant stretch of movement. It’s already halfway done? The altered passage of time when he’s in the zone is always a surprise. From your excited grin, he can safely assume this performance is one, if not the, best they’ve given. And it’s all for you to watch, before it’s posted for the world to see.

Raucous applause disrupts his flow as the cameras are cut with a signal from the camera crew. You’re standing and clapping your hands with some serious force as you join them up on stage.

“Almost moved me to tears,” you joke, congratulating them on a flawless performance. “Seriously though, you guys are ready.”

You don’t need to say anymore. You stand back to give them space, but Vil watches in dawning horror as you bump into the one and only Neige LeBlanche. It’s only a mild shoulder bump, but it’s happened. The two of you have made contact.

“I’m so sorry,” you apologise profusely, taking a big step back. “I should’ve been looking where I was going.”

“It’s fine, really,” Neige smiles at you, sickeningly sweet. Beside Vil, the NRC dance crew members look at you with incredulity. Why are you so goddamn oblivious? “I shouldn’t have approached this way.”

“If you’re sure,” you trail off, noting the weird looks directed your way by Ace and Deuce. “What the hell are you guys gawking at?

Before Vil can say anything, you’re already being yanked away by Ace’s insistent tugging. Your brows are still furrowed. Goddamn. Have you really never heard of Neige LeBlanche?

It seems Ace is interrogating you with that very question, judging by the furrowed glances he sends both your way and Neige’s. It seems Neige is quick to mask his surprise, walking towards Vil (which was probably the whole reason he approached the group in the first place).

“Your group was amazing,” Neige gushes - his eyes are lit up with awe. Vil feels… nothing, eerily enough. All that’s coursing through him is malicious calm.

“Thank you,” he maintains the professional image easily and smoothly, not missing the way Kalim and Deuce’s eyes swivel between him and Neige.

“It was truly a sight to behold; I had chills just watching,” Neige continues with starry eyes. “I can’t wait to work with you again!”

“It has been a while, hasn’t it?” Vil muses calmly, letting the air of conversation fizzle out. Out of his peripherals, he spots you and Ace rejoin the group. Unfortunately, it seems Neige has also spotted you again; he shoots you a smile and turns to you.

“Hi, I didn’t catch your name earlier,” Neige’s innocent question leads you to a quick pause before introducing yourself. You’re not overly friendly, more like care-free as usual.

“I didn’t catch your name either, sorry,” you continue politely. Did Trappola wander off-topic while lecturing you? It clearly seemed like it from your slightly bewildered expression.

“Neige LeBlanche, at your service,” Neige’s eyes carry that stupefied look for only a second before it’s swiftly replaced by a cheery smile. Nothing. Vil suppresses a snort of laughter at your politely unknowing expression. Of course you’d be like this, meeting the arguably most famous person in the land with no respect for their importance.

“Cool, I’ll leave you guys to it,” you respond amiably, sending a thumbs up his way. You’ve just upped and left? Vil turns to the side slightly to stifle his laughter as you wander back to the seats where you’ve left your notebook. Utterly lacking proper conversation etiquette as usual. He supposes it’s a positive seeing the Neige LeBlanche seemingly at a loss for words.

“Was that NRC’s manager?” Neige asks Vil. With dawning horror, Vil realises that most of his crew is also standing at the first row with you, due to their practice slot being finished.

“Yes,” Vil responds succinctly, watching Neige watch your movements as you talk with Rook. You’re currently being rattled like a rag-doll with the way he’s clasping your shoulders and shaking you slightly, no doubt grilling you over how you didn’t know who Neige was. He can hear your raucous laughter from all the way on stage.

“Your manager this year is awesome,” Neige compliments, leaning forward slightly to see the action further. Vil suppresses the shudder of disgust. No way this is happening right now.

“Ah, I’ve got to go round up my own crew,” Neige comments distractedly, looking around him. Vil gladly takes this opportunity to take his leave to join the rest of his group, leaving nothing behind but a goodbye.

That bastard. Vil watches the concluding moves of the RSA crew’s performance with barely concealed disgust from his seat in the stands.

“We’ve been had,” he utters in shock. No way. That bumbling performance they’ve put on-

“What do you mean?” Kalim asks in dismay at Vil’s change in attitude.

“He’s right,” Jamil agrees with a heavy sigh. “Look at how much they’re appealing to all demographics with their sugary sweet performance.”

Deep resentment begins to fester within Vil. A familiar ringing noise fills his ears as he tunes out the chatter of everyone surrounding him. He almost doesn’t feel the way he slips out of his seat and down the stairs leading to the rooms within the colossal arena. He feels the pressure of a heavy glass bottle within the palm of his hand, not even having to look at it to know it’s one of Epel’s apple juice bottles. He’s only dimly aware of subconsciously infusing the drink with the same curse he used during the poison assessment.

May those who drink this fall into an endless slumber, Fairest One.

The comforting bubbling slosh of the drink lets him know it’s been tampered with. A small, rational part of his brain urges him not to do this; the rest of his body is consumed by an abyss of disgust and hatred. Gunpowder and other acrid chemical smells appear in wisps, only registering faintly as familiar with his nose. He ignores it all.

“Hi, Neige,” Vil smiles brightly at the youth in front of one of the backstage doors. “I just wanted to congratulate you on your wonderful performance.”

One heartbeat.

Neige turns at the sound of Vil’s uncharacteristically cheerful voice. He doesn’t suspect anything amiss, but Vil supposes he’s always been that way.

“It makes me really happy hearing that from someone I admire a lot,” Neige beams back. Perfect.

Two heartbeats.

“How about a drink? I’ve become rather partial to this brand of apple juice,” Vil’s smile is rehearsed; it’s absolutely oozing with venom.

“Sure!” Neige agrees enthusiastically. “I saw the brand on your Magicam a few weeks back - I was even going to order before I realised it had all sold out.”

Three heartbeats is all it takes to deceive him.

It’s quite ironic, isn’t it? Vil’s downfall has been secured by Neige over the course of his life, whereas Neige’s downfall will be brought about in only a few seconds. The smooth glass of the apple juice bottle does not reveal the curse roiling within. It’s perfect - scentless, colourless and lethal. He wants to laugh when Neige accepts the cool glass bottle so easily. Has he no sense of danger?

“Roi des Neiges!” Who does that voice belong to? With a start, Vil turns to see Rook’s slightly dishevelled form as he runs up to Neige. “My apologies for interrupting the two of you, but the staff were looking for you, Neige.”

“Roi des Neiges..” Neige’s voice trails away as he stares contemplatively at Rook. “Wait-”

“My, I’m absolutely parched after running around looking for you,” Rook swiftly takes charge of the conversation. Why now? Vil can feel sharp cracking within his very soul. “Might I trouble you to let me have some of that refreshing juice you hold?”

No.

“Of course,” Neige agrees enthusiastically, if not a little perplexed.

“You should hurry back, Neige,” Rook continues, taking the bottle offered kindly. “And do not come back here.”

“Huh? What do you-”

“Go on, off with you! Away!” Neige’s question is sharply cut off by Rook’s insistence. Vil can hear him scurry off, like a little rodent.

“That sweet, tart aroma,” Rook breathes. With a start of horror, Vil notices that the cork of the flask has been removed. “Truly.. Epel’s hometown beverage is magnifique, to say the least.”

“I shall drink it to the very last drop, Roi des Poisons,” his knowing gaze meets Vil’s stricken one as he slowly raises the bottle to his lips.

No.

“Don’t do it, Rook!”

Glass shattering. It’s all Vil can do to keep track of what’s happening. His head feels like it’s underwater.

“He used his signature spell to curse the apple juice!” It’s the same speaker from earlier. Kalim?

“-look on his face was the same as Jamil’s-”

“-lost control-”

“Rook,” Vil’s voice rasps. He’s not sure he made the conscious decision to speak. The hunter turns to him with eyes not holding anger or disappointment, but concern. “Why did you..?”

“I wanted to believe in you,” Rook holds his gaze with no traces of accusation. “If it was cursed, I still wanted to taste it. I wanted to taste the fruit of a poison derived from an obsession with beauty bordering on madness.”

Madness?

Vil tunes them all out. He’s dimly aware of you speaking in concerned, hushed tones to the rest of them. Why are you here as well?

“Vil, do you have any idea how foolish that was?” Kalim’s voice is rimmed with desperate emotions. “After all that work, after saying the other teams would look like spuds compared to us, why stoop to this?”

Why stoop to this? Can’t he see that there is no other way? Rage pummels his veins, ripping through his body, his mind, his soul. Something gathers within him, dark and inky and fatal.

“That’s what I want to know,” Vil’s voice is laced with ice, and pure venom. “I’ve come to a realisation. That I… can never win! I’m going to handle Neige myself.”

“Trickster, Kalim! Do not inhale that mist rising from the floor! It’s the evaporated form of that cursed liquid!” Rook’s urging has hints of desperation within it. He turns to Vil. “I don’t see why one glass would have such a drastic… Oh, Vil, you didn’t-”

“Stop looking at me with those eyes,” Vil pleads. It’s not just Rook, he can see you as well, looking at him with that gaze that makes him want to bury himself away. “I just wanted to be the fairest, so why? Why? Why am I so ugly?”

“Roi des Poisons, you are far from ugly,” Rook calls out to him, reaching out a hand. Vil longs to take it, but he can’t. He’s too far gone.

“You haven’t actually hurt anyone!” Kalim’s pleas fall on uncaring ears.

“Silence!” Vil’s voice snaps. He can almost see himself from a separate plane, mist rising up around him in acrid, poisonous billows. He can see you, swaying on your feet slightly, looking more shaky than your companions. “What do any of you know? What does it matter if any of you forgive me? I can’t forgive myself!”

Let go.

Dark streaks overcome his vision, ebbing and flowing along the edges. It would be nice, to hand over the reins for a while, wouldn’t it? To let go of his fury, his resentment, his jealousy. What a dream.

“If I just melt everyone into hideous messes,” Vil’s barely aware of speaking. It’s a rather distorted voice, isn’t it? He can’t help but laugh. “Then I’ll be the fairest one of all, won’t I?”

The last thing he sees before it all overcomes him is your stricken face. He’s not sure you’ve ever worn such an expression before. He’s unlikely to forget those eyes, your facial muscles contorting into a painting of intermingling horror and worry. Why does he feel that shame rising again?

Didn’t he let go already?

Scene III: Wake . 　⁺

“I was the villain bullying the hero in the last play, too. Why do I keep getting picked to play the bad guy? Do I really look that mean?”

Villains never stay on stage for the whole play. Once their role is finished, all they can do is watch from the shadows as the happy ending plays out. What I want is to stay on stage longer than anyone else.

“Those kids were trying to hold me accountable for a work of fiction. Silly boys, the lot of them.”

I always aim for one role - the hero. But… all I ever get to be is the villain.

“Vil is too special to play the part of a regular teen that viewers can relate to. Without that reliability, I don’t think he’ll ever pull off playing a hero.”

I would do anything to be beautiful. The most rigorous training. The most tedious hair and skin care regimens. I would shy away from none of it. And yet.. Why? Why is it never me? All I want is to stay on stage until the end of a show.

In the end, it’s not the gentle splattering of rain on his face that wakes him up. It’s some foreign warmth on his face that causes his eyes to slowly open. Framed by his eyelashes and the haze of a deep slumber is your face. It’s as if you know, the way you look at him with such tenderness and concern. It’s as if you’ve pulled him from the deep recesses of his memories yourself, with the way your rough hands prop his head up so gently.

“How am I..” Vil rasps out, looking at you with nothing but queries in his eyes. His eyes search over your tired expression, the way the sclera of your eyes is still tinged a slight purple, and the various small cuts across your face. Did he do this? Waves of shame hit him and he can’t bear to meet your gaze.

“Thank goodness you’re awake, Vil,” you murmur down at him. Is this the first time you’ve said his name? It sounds foreign on your lips, and unbearably sweet. Why aren’t you mad at him? Why do you keep looking at him with those unaccusing eyes?

“Oh, Vil.. fair Vil,” Rook sighs in relief, crouching beside you on the rain soaked ruins. Ruins? Vil takes the opportunity to look round the battle site, the upheaved flagstones, the despoiled decorations. Another wave of shame meets him when he notices the haggard faces of his crew (is that Kalim bawling his eyes out? And is that Jamil scolding him?).

“I’m.. sorry you had to see that undignified display,” Vil apologises, making sure each and every one of his words is sincere. He cannot begin to comprehend how much shame he’s feeling at the moment. “Only third-rate people throw temper tantrums and take their problems out on others. My conduct was most unbecoming of all…”

“Y’right about that,” Epel grumbles, but without a trace of actual malicious intent. “Thought ya said people grow out of temper tantrums by the time they’re three?”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right, Epel,” Vil uses your shoulder to haul himself up so he can sit up. You don’t seem to mind, even grabbing on to his wrist to steady him. With another crash of guilt, he realises how your grasp is shaky, no doubt due to your exposure to the curse when you don’t have any sort of natural magic resistance. “I’m no longer fit to be your leader.”

“You haven’t actually hurt anyone, Vil,” Kalim argues. Vil can see him approaching and standing next to where Rook crouches. “You haven’t stepped over that brink.”

“He’s right,” Jamil says, jabbing his thumb in the general direction of outside the coliseum. “Neige is dancing out there happily with the seven dwarfs. It’s a stretch, but we can say we got worked up and had a team brawl in here.”

“Yeah,” Ace interjects. “No way we’re letting you pull out because of a few bruises, after the wringer we’ve been put through.”

“All of you,” Vil feels a horrendous mushy feeling swell up within him. You’re still supporting him with the way you’re steadying his wrist. “You just want to pretend nothing’s happened?”

“I never said that,” Jamil retorts, but his face blooms into his signature smile. “We can just hold off explanations until after the competition.”

“You truly are wicked, Jamil,” Vil replies with a small laugh. It hurts, and he feels his chest contort with pain. Your grip on his wrist tightens and you steady his shoulder with your other hand, clearly not missing the way his face twists into a grimace.

“Here, I’ll help you stand, alright?” you’re surprisingly strong, with the way you unceremoniously (but carefully) haul him up so he stands leaning into your firm touch. Even with your clearly weakened state, you still grip onto him as if he’s the fragile one that isn’t allowed to fall. Vil can’t even bring himself to protest.

“I wasn’t the one who made the shot so strong, Vil was,” Deuce seemingly replies to a conversation Vil’s unconsciously tuned out. “The spell stores all the damage I take, then hits it back all at once. So it was only potent because of Vil’s potent magic.”

Ah. Deuce seems to be describing the final hit Vil can barely remember taking, the one that likely brought him back to the brink of consciousness.

“Don’t make it sound so violent!” Deuce splutters in indignation, and Vil once again realises he’s tuned out. He doesn’t particularly mind, focusing instead on the way you unconsciously seem to tense your muscles against him when shifting, the way you still have that signature chemical smell to you, the way you’re looking directly at him with that expression-

“Signature… You mean that’s my signature spell?” Deuce seems to be coming to a realisation with sparkling eyes. Good on him. Beside him, Ace seems to be coming to an unpleasant realisation with the way he’s incredulously muttering to himself about how he can’t believe Deuce has mastered his signature spell before him.

“Behold, Vil is awestruck and weak-kneed from the splendour of your blow,” Rook proclaims, gesturing to the not-awestruck Vil.

“I’d wager he’s also weak-kneed from something else,” Jamil comments sardonically, looking pointedly at the way you’ve got him in your grasp. Vil only hopes you’ve become suddenly preoccupied with something else.

“No, I’m just beaten head-to-toe,” Vil swiftly retorts. “That last blow did strike soundly, though. Nicely done, Deuce.”

“Thank you, sir!” Deuce smiles at him eagerly. “Although, I don’t know what to do about the wrecked stage.”

“It’s not feasible to fix it all with magic,” Jamil replies pragmatically, looking around him with a calculating expression. “With what power we have left.. Every scenario running through my mind all ends with the same brick wall.”

“Does that mean.. SDC is…” Epel trails off, looking at Jamil with a dawning sense of horror.

“What do we have here?” The new, booming voice is accompanied by green fireflies that send a small shiver down Vil’s spine. What’s he doing here?

“I thought I’d arrive earlier,” Malleus hums with a touch of surprise, surveying the surroundings briefly. “What do I find but a stage laid to waste?”

“Hornton!” you exclaim, and Vil can feel your sternum vibrate through his shoulder. You’re.. acquainted with Malleus Draconia enough to call him nicknames? He can’t even be surprised anymore. “There’s still two hours until the SDC opens!”

“Hornton?” It’s a collective response from the rest of the crew, voicing Vil’s thoughts.

“Do you have a death wish, calling your upperclassman that?” Ace shudders at your audacity.

“Do you even know who that is?” Epel’s shocked voice causes you to blink in surprise at his tone.

“He told me to call him whatever, so I did,” Vil has to stifle a laugh as you shrug. Of course you did.

“However did you get into the coliseum, Roi des Dragons?” Rook sounds positively astonished.

“I was invited by the Child of Man from Ramshackle,” Malleus replies, gesturing to you.

“Yep,” you affirm. Vil feels as though you’re ignoring the other, more pressing question Rook’s asked.

“The entire venue is still enveloped by the poison mist generated by Vil,” Rook’s explanation trails off as Malleus holds up a clawed hand.

“I am impervious to any curse, no matter how powerful,” Malleus takes another look around the wrecked coliseum. “Whatever could’ve happened here?”

Vil watches as you briefly and efficiently describe the events, listening extra hard for the parts where he would’ve been unconscious. It’s curious, the way you don’t let any trace of exhaustion or pain enter your voice. It only takes around two minutes for you to give the gist of the situation to Malleus.

“Children of men, I shall bestow upon you a gift,” Malleus’ words come with an incredible magic pressure that leaves Vil’s eyes wide. He steals a glance at you, and watches your own expression become slack with awe and curiosity.

“That’s Malleus Draconia for you,” Vil murmurs to you. Your brow furrows as you look down at Vil.

“That’s Malleus? Hornton over there was the one everyone was so excited about at the Spelldrive tournament?” you ask incredulously. After all this, you’re still holding on to that nickname? Your eyes dart back to those green fireflies that are somehow lifting all the ruined flagstones and pillars, and rearranging them into pristine condition. Within the space of a few heartbeats, Malleus has managed to restore the conditions of the arena into an exact replica of how they were before.

“He’s ludicrously out of our league,” Ace mumbles in awe. Vil can’t help but agree.

“Thanks a bunch, Hornton!” you beam at Malleus, who stares at you for a brief second before breaking out into chuckles. It’s the first time Vil’s ever heard the fae laugh, but you’re full of surprises as usual.

“Though you know who I am, you still stick to that pet name?” Malleus sounds terribly amused, looking at you as you fumble with an explanation. He interrupts whatever apology is about to leave your lips with another chuckle. “Truly, I do not mind.”

He turns to look at Vil with a resolute expression in his eyes that’s made all the more disconcerting by his piercing green eyes. “I’ve set the stage for you, Schoenheit. I trust you will keep me entertained.”

“I hardly need your urgings to put on my finest performance,” Vil suppresses the wince of pain as he straightens his posture, ignoring the very tangible reality of you still grasping onto him. “Be prepared for a standing ovation.”

“I’ll expect nothing less. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Malleus’ last words fade out with his disappearance. The only traces left behind by him are those green fireflies.

“Lady Luck is truly on our side,” Rook comments after the flashes fade out. “I was hardly expecting Roi des Dragons to appear here.”

Me neither. Though it seems today is a day full of surprises.

Vil leans into your warmth a bit more, and you indulge him. The arm carefully wrapped around him is sure and steady - he wants nothing more than to stay here until the end of time. You don’t ask questions, looking past his shoulder so you can direct the crew to their water. He knows he must let go to perform - it’s highly unusual to see the Vil Schoenheit rely on anyone, even if it’s a little bit. To see him clinging to someone, his rival of all people…

Gingerly, he lets go of you. Your grasp on him is firm to the very end as you let go and make sure he’s not at risk of fainting. The concern you display is almost comedic, but you don’t say anything.

He can feel your eyes burning into his back as he walks away, but he doesn’t look back.

Scene IV: Unopened Missive . 　⁺

Vil supposes it’s comedic as he pours everything he’s got left into the final performance, only to score exactly one point below RSA. It’s always like this; him, exactly one step behind Neige. He can’t fault Neige, anymore, not after he’s come to terms with it. As the thrum of music faded and the flow of performance left him, he was acutely aware of the raucous applause he drew. He did not care. All he was searching for were your eyes.

He’s sure Lady Luck is laughing straight at him as Rook proclaims himself as one of Neige’s biggest fans. What betrayal! Of course this has been added onto the list of surprises. It’s strange; he doesn’t feel the annoyance he’d expect to be simmering through his veins at that moment. It seems he’s let that go.

It’s practically hilarious as he joins Neige on stage to sing an encore. Only scraps of bitterness remain - had Vil not exhausted the whole team earlier, they might have won and took back that one measly vote. He’s accepted that. Still, his frustration is palpable as he leaves his crew to sing with Neige, though not to the audience. His professionalism is the one thing he’s managed to keep up.

“Hey,” your voice breaks him out of the reverie. It’s bizarre, the way you’ve escorted him back to Pomefiore, even though he’s got Rook and Epel to do that. It’s even more bizarre, the way he’s let you gently drag him to his room, where Rook and Epel have already gone back to their own chambers. They already know it’s best to leave him alone when he’s in a bad mood. So why.. why are you still-

The sharp tang of medicinal ointment brings him back to the current situation. You’re poised between his legs as he sits at his vanity, with an assortment of bottles behind you. It’s strangely intimate with the way the soft dusk lighting envelopes you with its mysterious aura. He’s not wearing any makeup, but you don’t seem to care; your gaze caresses his features, laced with only concern.

Please, don’t look at me with those eyes.

“I’m going to begin, alright?” you murmur, searching his eyes for any traces of discomfort. Vil nods wordlessly. The pressure on his chin from one hand of yours is feather light; he finds himself leaning into it slightly. Your other hand lightly brushes over the cuts on his face with the ointment swabbed onto a cotton pad - strangely, it lacks the usual sting which normally elicits a sharp hiss of surprise.

“I made this ointment myself,” you explain after seeing the surprise conveyed in his eyes. Of course you did. In any case, it seems to be working fine, judging by the rapid cooling sensation he’s feeling across his face.

“Why-” Vil begins to ask as you cap the ointment bottle and twist it closed with practised ease. Your hand is still on his face, but he can’t bear to pull away. Not here, in the privacy of his room, where the only eyes upon him are yours. “-why are you still here? Don’t you dislike me?”

You pause in the rummaging you’re doing in your pocket. Vil holds his breath as you turn to him with that contemplative look you wear while figuring out potions.

“I don’t actually dislike you,” you comment matter-of-factly, tilting his face to each side to observe your handiwork. “I’ve got better things to do than spend my energy stewing over you.”

Ouch.

“You still haven’t answered my first question,” Vil’s composure is rapidly slipping down the drain as he remains (quite literally) in the palm of your hand. Your gaze doesn’t falter. “Do you just feel bad for me?”

“No,” you respond idly, still tilting his head this way and that. It’s like watching a cat bat at a toy. “I thought it might be good to have company and rely on someone else for once.”

There’s something else you aren’t saying. It’s unspoken in your eyes and the way your brow makes imperceptible furrows every few minutes. Vil’s breath hitches in his throat slightly.

“Did you-” he’s interrupted by that look, not one of pity, but one of resolute determination.

“Yes, I saw those memories,” you admit. You don’t look at him with an apologetic expression, one that screams pity. It’s a relief. “I didn’t mean to, like at all.”

“It’s fine,” Vil supposes it is fine. You wouldn’t tell anyone, he feels. He watches as your expression shrivels up into one of abject surprise as you feel around in your pocket, drawing out what seems to be a cream-coloured, expensive looking envelope. Vil knows exactly what it is, even as you scan the front quizzically then shrug. Of course. You can’t read the runes.

“It’s the results for the poison assessment,” Vil supplies. Strange. He doesn’t feel any excitement, or fear - it’s bordering on the neutrality of acceptance. It seems you feel the same way, as you just toss the envelope down with disregard onto the vanity and continue your search in your pockets.

“Aha!” your triumphant exclamation leaves him blinking in surprise. Why haven’t you acknowledged the results at all? You brandish another bottle of ointment in front of him excitedly, almost hitting him on the nose due to your very close proximity. “I’ve found the muscle and bone ointment!”

“Aren’t you going to look at the results?” Vil asks incredulously - it slips out before he can even comprehend he’s said it.

“I can’t even read them,” you untwist the ointment with your teeth, leaving tiny dents in the metal cap. “I’ll look at them later.”

The potent tang of nettles permeates the air as you set the open bottle onto the table behind you, letting go of Vil’s face.

“I’m going to need you to undress so I can access your back,” your nonchalant tone makes Vil’s reaction delayed. He can feel the back of his neck heat up at your words. “I heard the nastiest little crunch when Deuce’s spell hit you, so I’m gonna have to check those ribs.”

“Right,” Vil swallows thickly, standing up. Wrong move. You’re much too close now, pressed up against the vanity with him standing right in front of you. His body is brushing up against yours, and he can feel your body heat. Shit. He moves out of the vicinity to the bathroom, with all the composure of a professional actor.

“This ointment’s designed for deeper use than surface level injuries,” you call out behind him. “It’s gonna sting!”

“That’s fine,” Vil responds before shutting his bathroom door. He quickly loosens his shirt, wishing it were your hands doing- His heart pounds in his ribcage as he shuts down the thought. It only takes a minute before his shirt and blazer are both tossed into the laundry basket, all too soon considering the flushed sheen emerging on his face.

One final cursory inspection of his face in the mirror is necessary before he goes out to face you. He’s almost taken aback - not by the lack of makeup which he’s already accustomed to, but the sheer vulnerability within his expression. He looks like such a mess, and you’ve not even commented on it? You’ve just accepted that it doesn’t matter what he looks like; you’re going to treat him the same regardless. It’s a far cry to what he values as his principles.

He pushes open the door hesitantly. His torso is exposed, and he suddenly feels the jarring pangs of shyness. Why now? He’s gone topless for movie scenes before, for Sevens’ sake! Steeling himself, he opens the door completely. You’ve placed the vanity chair by the bed- surely you’re not-

“You can either lie on your stomach here, or sit up on the chair, which might be more uncomfortable,” you explain briefly, rolling up your uniform sleeves as if you’re about to conduct a lab practical. Am I the lab rat? “I’ve picked up a few massage tips here and there, so overall it should be a quite pleasant experience. Of course, if you want to omit the massage-”

“No, it’s fine,” Vil lets out a shaky breath at your nonchalance, gingerly lying on his front on his covers. Jack of all trades, aren’t you? He doesn’t realise just how tense his muscles have been until you press your thumbs into the muscles situated around his scapula. Your hands are coated in some sort of resinous, volatile substance, judging from the brief alcohol fumes flaring up whenever you place your hands down. You were right, there is a sting, but it’s not as sharp as he expected.

Why are you doing this? It’s a question that keeps replaying in his mind’s movie theatre, with the cruel laughing soundtrack interspersed in a tragic loop every few seconds. The two of you aren’t friends, and what you’ve done goes beyond the level of care Vil normally receives from friendship. He can’t complain, not when your warm, rough hands are finally on him, even if it’s to just rub the ointment in.

“Now, I’m no medic,” there’s a faint apology in your tone as you concentrate the ointment into a specific, aching spot. Vil barely registers the sting of pain due to your burning touch. “But I think that your rib’s been bruised at the very least in that spot, and that ointment should’ve healed the worst of it.”

His rapid heart rate distracts him from the loss of body heat from you as you move your hands away from his body. Please don’t stop. He feels a heavy pressure on his right shoulder, and to his surprise it’s the palm of your hand waking him from his reverie.

“I’ll bandage you up just to be sure,” you murmur, shifting your weight from foot to foot and looking around. It’s clear you’re hesitant, maybe due to your lack of experience playing a so-called “doctor”. Still, judging by the way the deep ache within has eased, you’ve done a pretty darn good job, as Epel would no doubt say. “Sit up.”

Vil obeys, gingerly swinging his legs round the bed until he’s sitting, and you’re once again hovering over him as you slip a clean bandage out of its plastic wrapping. He breathes in the comforting warmth of your body heat and repertoire of chemical smells that mask the floral traces on your skin. Don’t you feel the rushed thrum of blood that’s pumping through each vein and each capillary, as you wrap your arms around him to begin winding the bandage?

Is he nothing more than a mere patient to that clinical precision you currently sport?

“What would you have chosen, if you won the poison assessment?” Vil suddenly asks as you clip the bandage into place with a satisfied hum around the middle of his torso.

“Why are you asking as if I lost?” you let out a bemused chuckle, gesturing to the still-very-closed envelope sitting on his vanity. “We don’t know yet.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Vil could melt with the way you’re gazing down at him as he sits with you standing in between his legs. Your sharp eyes contain a warning, one he has no intention of heeding as he presses the subject. “Won’t you tell me?”

“Fine,” your voice rasps slightly as you stoop down to his level. He can’t help but shiver at the sensation of your warm breath rustling past his ear. “Are you really that eager to know?”

“Go on,” Vil almost pleads, and he’s sure you hear the quiet hints of desperation in his voice. Your eyes lock back onto his; he’s slightly regretting asking you as he sees the dangerous glints in your eye. His breath hitches as he realises it’s the same, all-consuming look of seriousness you reserve for your experiments and potions. It’s as if he already knows what your answer will be, with the way his blood excitedly thrums to the surface to respond with an echoing yes.

Please.

The rough pads of your fingers meet his chin again in that gentle grasp as you tilt his head upwards. This is really happening, right? It’s as if he’s in a haze; anticipation of your movements is the only thing breaking him out of it.

“Can I..” you murmur, brushing a thumb over his bottom lip. He holds his breath. Yes. Your mere touch calls forth fireworks to explode in a vibrant cacophony.

“Please,” Vil’s quiet gasp is all the encouragement you clearly need, because the next thing he knows you’ve stepped forward and met his open mouth with yours. The heady taste of woodsmoke and cherry syrup lingering on your tongue is positively intoxicating. He’s not sure, but he can also taste the coppery tang of blood as well. Perhaps it’s from the heat of battle earlier? Regardless, his blood rises in response; he’s sure his face is flushed a deep pink.

You don’t hesitate, leaning his head to the side with your fingers to kiss him deeper and deeper. He groans into your mouth, feeling you smile as you taste his desperation. He positively convulses as he feels your hand trace the bare skin of his side; he’s so vulnerable like this, and he knows you feel it as you press into his body.

Vil gasps for air when you pull back. A string of saliva connects your lips to his; with a start, he realises that your lips are shiny and traced with the purple lipgloss he’s wearing. Your eyes are half-lidded with intensity and some other roiling emotion he can’t place. It makes his breathing even more uneven when he realises he’s made you look like that.

“Like what you see?” even now, traces of rivalry still lace Vil’s tone; he cannot help but provoke you to elicit another reaction. Your gaze slowly travels up and down Vil’s dishevelled appearance, making sure to scour every inch of it. He holds his breath when your lip curls in disdain.

“Please,” your voice rolls deep from your throat with sarcasm. It makes Vil’s blood cells burn with want. The sharp, intense look in your eyes only becomes more turbulent; it’s insanely attractive to be at your mercy.

“Don’t make me laugh-” your fingers curl into his chin more, and Vil can feel the suppressed strength within the grip. Blood is rushing straight down, and he can barely keep track of all the thoughts racing through his head. “-not with the way I’ve seen you almost do flips for my attention, with your one-sided rivalry.”

“Ah-” Vil’s gasp sounds suspiciously like a moan as you move closer, pressing a knee in between his legs inadvertently. You’ve clearly heard it, with the way you furrow your brow and pause your motions.

“Did you-” your eyes fully take in his heavy breathing and the way he’s coming undone from just kissing you. Your question is answered immediately.

“Please, keep going,” Vil pleads, removing one hand from where it’s gripping the sheets to your hip. You swallow thickly, eyes darting between his hand and face.

“You sure you want to continue?” you prompt, eyes settling into that same dangerous glint once again. “I don’t want to aggravate your injuries..”

“Please,” Vil all but begs, seeing the way your eyes glaze over with desire. The hazy, smoky smell of your skin almost acts like an aphrodisiac; he cannot help but be ensnared.

“Alright,” your voice is hushed when you tilt his head upwards to access his jugular, biting into the area slightly with sharp canines. He knows you feel it: the way his pulse jumps erratically beneath your touch. You draw out quiet, hushed gasps with every mark you make on his throat, with every movement of your waist against his bare torso, with every nudge of your knee in between his legs.

More.

He doesn’t even realise he’s slowly rolling his hips against your leg to feel any sort of friction until you press down on his hips with the hand that’s been supporting his shoulder.

“Not so fast,” you breathe against his skin - his back can’t help but arch slightly at the feeling of your breath against his neck. “Allow me to take care of you.”

It’s your words that make him pause in shock; they’re an eerie echo of what you said in his dream. Judging by the lack of change in your expression, you don’t know about it; thank Sevens.

You’re pressing into him, forcing him into the bed on his forearms while you lean in, kissing his mouth feverishly to bring out his gasps and moans. He’s unbearably hard, all the more so because of your knee moving out of reach each time he chases that delicious high. This is better than any dream.

Burning kisses trail their way from below his ear down to his collarbone. He’s suddenly glad for the wonders of concealer as he thinks about the marks you’re leaving. On the other hand, he’s strangely into the idea of people seeing he’s taken by you, so much so that you’re marking him up like this.

“Ah- right there,” Vil can’t suppress the noises he’s making as your lips travel down to his chest. He doesn’t care who hears him; he’s seeing goddamn stars with the way your tongue circles his nipple and your thumb mirrors the action with the other one. The pressure you’re applying deftly is making him intoxicated.

“You look so beautiful like this,” your fingers glide over the neatly wrapped bandages on his chest, trailing down to his waist. He doesn’t think it’s possible for his heart to beat any more erratically without thumping straight out of his chest. Is he really sure that you haven’t magically seen his dreams? After all, you’ve seen his memories. He waits with bated breath for your next move, not realising that you’ve already positioned yourself to hover between his thighs with a small grin on your face.

“Mind if I take these off?” you hook your thumbs around the tailored trousers he’s wearing. It takes considerable self-restraint to not tell you to just rip them off.

“Go ahead,” it’s a wonder that his voice doesn’t crack from the sheer pressure of what he’s feeling at the moment. Your grin is all edges as you efficiently unzip the front and slip the pants off. It seems that he’s surprised you when you look down at his smooth legs with your eyebrows slightly raised, taking in the fact that he’s wearing sheer black stockings to his mid thigh underneath his pants.

“All for me?” you run your fingers down his legs appreciatively, feeling the soft material underneath your fingers with an even sharper grin than before. Vil can’t help but shiver at the feather-light touches you give, contrasted sharply with the jagged vertices of your smile.

All for you.

It’s as if you can read his thoughts. You’re once again hovering between his legs, spreading them with nothing more than a gentle push. The touches you leave on his legs feel almost possessive; he cannot help but adore it. Will he be the only one seeing that expression on your face? He wants to be the only one, the only one to see the tumultuous desire warp and thrash within the glints in your eyes. It’s a far cry from your usual composure.

Sticky residue from his lipgloss is left on his soft inner thighs as you press kiss after kiss to the skin. He can feel desire pulse through you with every bruising mark you leave. It entrances him. The unspoken words you leave him are more than enough to assure him that even like this, with all his bruises and scrapes and tears, he’s beautiful.

Your hands slowly ease his underwear off; the cold air on the sensitive skin makes him hiss slightly, but it quickly turns into a gasp as you leave kisses in the crook of the skin connecting his thigh to his pelvis.

“I’m going to absolutely ruin you,” you promise quietly. The ravenous look in your eyes doesn’t subside as you gaze at him from between his legs. He can’t help but let out a small groan at your words. What would his fans say if they saw him, lying so pliant for his supposed academic rival?

One of Vil’s hands fly up to his face to muffle the moans escaping his lips when your thumb circles his slit, made all too easy by the flow of pre-cum from his dick. The other hand is left desperately clutching at the sheets of his bed as his hips involuntarily buck upwards into your hand.

“Uncover your pretty mouth,” you slowly twist your hand down, all while gazing at his flushed face. He’s already seeing stars at the friction and can barely register his hand leaving his mouth to grip the sheets. “I want to hear how good I’m making you feel.”

He can only hope that his door is soundproofed from the obscene noises leaving him as you pick up the pace. It’s not enough. Your hand moves away each time the haze of pleasure builds up, leaving him chasing after your touch. He’s sure he looks an absolute mess right now with the way tears are leaving his eyes and his brow has the sheen of sweat; you clearly don’t care as you lithely move upwards to kiss him. The cool fabric of your clothes presses into his bare skin, making him feel incredibly exposed to you.

You’re still moving with that teasing pace as you swallow down his moans. It’s unbearable, all the more so because you’re still covered in your uniform. He almost sobs in relief when your hand picks up speed and the pleasure starts steadily building in his stomach. His hips desperately grind into your hand and you let him, let him come undone with your touch and quiet praises. He’s close; the dopamine is flooding through his veins and all he can focus on is the way you touch him, the way you’re currently kissing his jaw and leaving more marks on his neck, the way you’re coaxing such obscene sounds from both his throat and from the skin on skin friction.

It builds and builds and builds, until all he can fathom is saying your name over and over, as if he’s some devout worshipper invoking some otherworldly being. He lets go, feeling the way you slow down to allow him to ride out the climax. Only white-hot pleasure courses through his mind, fading out more slowly than usual. He kisses you feverishly, feeling the warm skin on the nape of your neck as he pulls you in closer and closer. You’re now lying side by side on his bed, with you pressed up against him wearing your despoiled clothes, ones that have been despoiled by him.

“You’re removing your clothes as well, I hope?” his gaze trails down your body, looking at the offending uniform that you’re wearing. It’s a wonder he’s managed to form a coherent statement. Still, it’s only fair that you also remove the fabric with those deft hands like you did to those tailored trousers he was wearing.

“Right,” your gaze softens, moving your hands away from his body. His brows furrow with a question as he watches the hand sticky with cum approach your face- oh my. A scarlet flush blooms on his cheeks as you use your tongue to clean your hand up, before using it to lazily remove your blazer and vest. You don’t give them a second glance as you toss the clothes on the floor. The warmth you’re emitting is all the more palpable as only a thin buttoned shirt separates your skin from his. It’s incredibly attractive, watching your languid movements as you discard the shirt off to the side as well as your trousers.

The feeling of your bare skin on his shouldn’t elicit such a burning reaction from him, but it does; he groans as you lean back to slowly kiss him, feeling the way your body heat envelopes him without any barriers. He’s acutely aware of all the points your skin brushes against him - it’s insanely addicting. You’re kissing him without a care in the world, judging by the way you lazily cradle his face with your hands. He’s so malleable under your touch, so starved of affection that he’s wrapped around your pinky finger. He’s sure you can feel the way his skin flushes with a simmering heat.

The blue hour soaks you both in the gloom as your hands press him closer and closer, until he can barely distinguish where he ends and you begin. Is this what it means to become one, united in flesh?

Does he look beautiful to you like this?

He knows he does. He knows he does when you reverently trail down with your kisses, settling between his thighs again to fill him up with your fingers. He knows he does as you feverishly coax those angelic moans out of him; your eyes are blazing with desire for him. He knows he does as you draw out his climax for as long as you can so wave after wave of pleasure can keep hitting him.

It’s late evening when the two of you fall asleep, tangled together and worn out.

The letter on the vanity lies forgotten; Vil doesn’t particularly care about the results when he already feels your equal.

Scene V: Closing . 　⁺

“Goodness, trickster,” Rook’s exclamation when you emerge in the Pomefiore lounge room in the morning thankfully goes unnoticed by the few students milling about. “Our dorm uniform looks simply ravishing on you.”

“Yeah, mine got quite ruined from yesterday’s events,” your voice sounds raspy as you try to sell your act to Rook, who’s positively cooing over you. What a little prankster. Vil can’t help but glance at you from his favourite armchair. As the culprit responsible for ruining your uniform, he of course had to lend you a uniform. Still, you do look rather good in it.

“Don’t tell me you slept over and didn’t tell me?” Rook plasters a look of mock-hurt on his face, and Vil implores you to shut your mouth for once and put on the best act of your life.

“Something like that,” your expression is innocent, with the exception of your raised eyebrows. You don’t look at Vil at all as you smile at Rook, who’s unfortunately glanced over at Vil, scrutinising him with that disgustingly perceptive look.

“Does that explain the bruises on his neck?” Vil chokes on his smoothie hearing the hunter’s whisper. Of course he forgot something this morning. Of all days.

“Whatever could you mean?” you inquire nonchalantly, straightening the ironed collar of the uniform.

“Oh my,” Rook’s eyes are as wide as saucers as his gaze swivels between you and Vil. It’s rare to see him this gleeful. “You two totally slept-”

“I’m going to need you to shut it, Rook,” you cover the offender’s mouth abruptly before he can say anything more. You’re not denying it though, looking back at Vil with a wicked grin on your face.

Shit.

#vil schoenheit #vil x reader #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland #vil schoenheit x reader #gender neutral reader #twst x reader #res ･ﾟ writing #slowd1ving #x reader #x gender neutral reader

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ceaselesswatchersspecialboy · 3 months ago

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Okay so I know this is a silly ask but like—there are so many interesting things with certain episodes that would change if Stanford/bill was around in them. So I wanna ask about things from certain eps and stuff! Just a few simple ones(I really love this au btw it’s so interesting!!)

—How did bill respond to Mabel dating Gideon?? Or did it not happen in some way cause of him?

—Does he help Stanley scare kids on summerween? Or does he do trick or treating instead?

—So like- Did the sock opera bill plot never happen or was it just a somewhat normal play? Did he end up helping out Mabel?

I love the silly asks so much. For as messed up as the au is when you think about it, it is also still Gravity Falls, and there’s a lot of wacky hijinks afoot that I also love to think about!

— Bill was so close to adding assaulting a child to his criminal record. Mabel is his favourite out of the two at this point in time, with his relationship with Dipper still being tense at best, and he hates to see her free and chaotic spirit held down by a nine year old who’s more hair than flesh. I mean seriously! Shooting Star is a Star that needs to shine bright and unleash her boundless energy onto the world. She can’t do that if she’s being made miserable and boring.

I can see him arguing with Stan over the whole arranged couple thing, try and snap some sense back into his old, sagging brain.

I got my own Book of Bill today finally, and so a bit of this is based on the Vinegar Pete section, which, historical inaccuracies regarding one of my special interests aside, did show a pretty interesting to side to Bill, and how he is willing to give people power in the name of freeing them of their chains, alongside causing entropy. This is kind of like that, in a way.

Thinking more on it, he might even end up being there during the final confrontation — for a few reasons. Not sure which route is most plausible yet though. Either way, it’d probably be the first time he actively protects the kids from danger, namely because A) He likes Mabel B) Stan would go into a state if anything happened to these kids, which wouldn’t benefit his situation at all.

He isn’t super attached to them yet, so he lacks the same vulnerability his future self will have.

— I mentioned this in a previous ask today but Bill and Stan have a tradition of who can scare kids the most on Summerween or Halloween, so he’d be at home with Stan doing that. He’d be annoyed to know he missed the Summerween Trickster. The guy owed him money. And he missed out on eating him too? His night is ruined (he’s being dramatic).

— I haven’t fully worked out Sock Opera yet, but I do have a thing in mind where Bill is desperately trying to sabotage Dipper’s attempts with the laptop, because he really is getting way too close. His issue is he has to be more careful about it. Not really his forte. I’m not sure if that’d work alongside the original plot of that episode, or if I’ll have to scrap it and come up with something else. I’ll have to come back to this I fear.

#asks #gravity falls #gravity falls au #not who he seems au #mabel pines #dipper pines #bill cipher #stanley pines

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calcifiedunderland · 2 years ago

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Mirror, Mirror, Speak to Me~

or, Encounters of a Disney-aware Prefect ft. Vil Schoenheit

Part 1 (here), Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Hiii this is my first fic in a while, hope you like it I’m totally not nervous ahaha

SFW, no warnings. Please enjoy~

Reader is Prefect/Yuu, uses they/them pronouns.

—————

This was the fourth time today that Vil had to remind himself to relax his brow, before he got wrinkles.

First, he woke up and saw a brand new, bright red dot in the very middle of his forehead, undoubtedly thanks to stressing out over meeting you today. After he heaped on concealer and foundation to cover the nasty thing, his new heels he’d just bought snapped off just as he was about to leave the dorm. Third, while he was trying to put on a new pair of heels, some graceless first year slammed into him. They only spilled their alchemy potion homework over his carefully picked outfit that you would’ve undoubtedly complimented him, and also faceplanted his makeup all over the wall.

And now there was a smear of his carefully-applied makeup on the wall, his nose hurt, and his ego was about to shatter.

And fourth, but worst of all, he now had to stand you up because of some impromptu dorm head meeting. You, who had to deal with him and his antics during VDC. And his stupid jealousy of Neige. And his training regimen for the crew. And not to mention his overblot-

The two of you couldn’t pass a day without arguing in your dusty Ramshackle living room. Even still, it felt like aeons ago when he was nagging you about something-or-other, and you were yelling back. You were infuriating, but somehow it was nice to finally meet someone who didn’t see Vil Schoenheit the actor, world-class supermodel, and housewarden for Pomefiore. Someone who challenged him despite his authority and skill, someone who questioned him. Somehow, you pushed him to be better than he was already, but only after his overblot did he realize what you’d done for him.

And somewhere along the way, he started liking your presence, after you two warmed up to each other. Little things, like asking for your help in film club, to managing Epel, brought you closer. Until it finally came to taking you on a day-trip to his father’s movie set in the Shaftlands on a not-date date. Taking you out was the least he could do. He was taking you out to show you how film-making is done. And after he’d take you shopping. And maybe you’d notice the nice shade of red lipstick he’d bought and his eyeshadow to make his eyes pop and you’ll compliment him and you’ll tell him the things he wanted to hear from you oh-so badly—

He pinched the bridge of his nose, just as Epel poked his head into his room, dressed in his Spelldrive gear.

“Hey Vil, Rook wanted me to get you for the dorm meeting.” Vil stood and walked with him, meeting Rook at the hall of mirrors. His vice housewarden smiled at him.

“Bonjour mon roi, I see you’re as elegant as ever!” Vil’s brow twitched as Rook smiled innocently at him, reading him immediately. “Shall we head off? Afterwards, you can meet sa tricksteur for your little get-together.”

“Ya mean f’r his date?” Epel’s eyes widened as Vil glared at him, “I’m merely showing the prefect how film-producing is done. Besides, I haven’t seen my father since winter break, and unless you want to help me direct and edit the next movie in the Film Club-“

“You needn’t take the prefect all the way to the Shaftlands just to teach them about movie-making,” Rook pointed out, “you could just teach them. And isn’t your father’s set very close to some shopping centers you mentioned you wanted to take them to?”

Rook’s eyes narrowed and he smiled deviously. “You’re wearing your Tenebrés heels from monsieur mastermind and the lipstick the trickster said they liked on you. Not to mention, your pupils widened when you mentioned them.” Rook leaned in, grin widening. “Is visiting your father all you will be doing? ”

Epel smirked at Vil’s blank expression, adding “‘n when did they start bein’ prefect an’ not potato?”

Vil’s face felt hot. “Let’s go, Rook.”

———

Vil’s going to be late.

You frowned at your phone, staring at the message.

Good morning (y/n), the headmaster called for a quick housewarden meeting. It shouldn’t take too long, I sincelerelt apologize for the delay. I’ll be there soon.

-V.S.

You sighed and pushed open the doors of to the Mirror Chamber. You’d agreed to meet Vil here and take the Mirror to the Shaftlands after getting permission from Crowley, but you didn’t even see the message until now. And now you had time to kill until Vil arrived.

The Mirror Chamber looked strange while it was empty. The room was lit by the ever-burning green flame torches, but it still looked ominous. Probably thanks to the big-ass mirror with a face looming in front of you.

You looked at it. You vaguely remembered your life before NRC, barely a few months ago but still hazy to your memory. You remember crouching in front of a television, watching an animated movie with jaunty music play.

A black-haired girl in a blue and yellow dress singing to a well. A man with a feather in his cap, brandishing a dagger and a wooden box. A beautiful woman with a crown and a black cape sneering at her, then with a flourish of her robes marching to…

A mirror?

You frowned, plopping in front of the mirror. The dark voids of its ‘eyes’ stared emptily. She said something to the mirror. Mirrors can talk? What did she say to it?

Your head hurt as you remembered the dreams you had leading up to Vil’s overblot. That woman looked too much like the Fairest Queen. But that mirror can’t be the same.

What did she say to the mirror?

You thought for a long moment, then mumbled awkwardly “Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”

The Mirror loomed silently, not even regarding you. Well, you thought, the mirror isn’t really on a wall. It’s… floating?

Something about your wording still didn’t feel right. You shut your eyes and laid on the floor, trying to remember the Queen’s words.

Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?

That sounded right, but you’d have to reword it to be true. You thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, “Magic mirror in front of me, who would the fairest of them all be?”

The Mirror remained silent, and you laughed to yourself, “of course the mirror wouldn’t talk, it was just some drea-“

“Eyes bright as the starry sky,” the Mirror intoned,

“Heart kind as the mountain tall.

Mind broad as the clouds are high,

Thou, (y/n), are fairest of them all.”

Congrats, Mirror. You broke the (y/n).

How the fuck did you get the mirror to speak to you? You thought it only spoke to the headmaster that was just a stupid rhyme from my dream why did that-

Your mouth felt dry. Why did that work?

You stared at the Mirror. Now it’s void-like eyes seemed to look back at you and regard you. Not just a magicless prefect now, huh?

Was that just a dream? Was that just a movie you watched when you were younger? Five different dreams relating to Seven couldn’t be a coincidence. Why did it feel like you knew those stories? Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy???

Your mouth opened but before you could speak, your phone buzzed at your thigh. You flicked your screen and picked up the call, swallowing thickly and tried to act as if a Mirror didn’t call you fairest-of-them-all while you talked to the dude who overblotted over it.

“H-hey Vil, the meeting ended?”

Vil walked as fast as he could, heels clicking. “Yes, I’m heading to the Mirror Chamber,” he flicked open a compact mirror with his other hand, “have you been waiting long? I’m sorry.” Yes. His makeup stayed pristine.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll see you soon,” you hung up just as Vil swung the door open. You smiled at him. Was his makeup more on-point today?

“Ready to go?” He offered you his arm, which you took. “Yeah…” you regarded the mirror again. It stared blankly into the distance. Vil seemed to notice your stare, and he smiled sadly.

“You know, I think you’d like the Shaftlands,” he said softly, “where I grew up. The mountains where Jack and I used to play are beautiful. The sky is clear, and when the Aurora appears, it’s breathtaking. Jack and I used to cloud watch too,” he chuckled at the memory while you reeled from what the Mirror told you. Vil noted your arm tightening on his, and he patted you, “don’t be nervous. You’ll like it.”

That’s not why I’m nervous, you smiled at him, calming yourself. “I’m excited, don’t worry.”

With that, he turned to the Mirror and in a voice as authoritative as the Queen in your dream, said “Take us to the Shaftlands.”

The glass swirled and as you stepped into the cobblestoned streets of the Shaftlands, you pushed your encounter to the back of your mind. After all, your own Queen needed all your attention now. <3

Besides, what could some dusty old mirror know?

——

Hi!! i hope this wasn’t too ooc, I had this idea for a while and the twst brain rot is real so I thought I’d write it. Likes and reblogs are appreciated, id love to know what you guys think 😄✨

I plan to do a pts 2 and 3 with rook and epel, stay tuned :3

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst yuu #twst vil #vil schoenheit #vil schoenheit x reader #vil schoenheit x yuu #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #pomefiore #pomefiore x reader #twst vil schoenheit #eric venue #calcified writing

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theonceandfuture · 1 month ago

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Once & Future Infodump #1

500 years ago, the kingdoms of camelot and balor were one. camelot was ruled by a family of dragon shifters, notorious for their strong connection to magic, their kingdom lying deep within the darkling woods. balor, to the southeast, was ruled by the dragonlords, companions of the dragons that lived within both camelot and balor's borders. it is said that the peace between the kingdoms ceased when one man, known now only as the dragon king, the leader of the dragonlords, became too greedy, and desired the throne of the pendragon family as well as his own. (some sources argue that it wasn't the greed of the dragon king that motivated his actions, but the influence of a trickster god, but since the beginning of uther's reign, this knowledge has more or less been lost to time due to the purge of magic in camelot.)

the dragonlords used their unique abilities against the pendragons, twisting them to their will. as punishment for their cruelty, the gods had no choice but to intervene, (possibly because this problem was caused by the gods themselves, but who's to say?) and they struck the dragonlords, diminishing their numbers and dimming their power. the last of the dragonlords went into hiding for hundreds of years, keeping their ways to themselves and protecting the dragons from persecution. the pendragons thrived, though the dragon blood in their veins thinned over the years, naturally diluted by their mingling with humans. though it is still whispered that the pendragons retained many of these traits, despite no longer harnessing the ability to transform. in uther's time, the remaining dragonlords reunited with the pendragons, forming a friendship once again. but once again, the peace did not last between them...

some quick facts about dragon shifters:

the ability to transform into a dragon sticks around for about 5 generations

usually they are born like humans, but sometimes (say, like, 25% of the time?) they are hatched from eggs, much like actual dragons

most of the dragon shifters that have been around for the past century or so are related to the pendragons, hence why dragon shifters have disappeared (they can only copulate with humans, think of it kind of like how scientists think that the neanderthals disappeared)

some dragon shifters used to be created purely through magic (aka they have no genetic parents) and thus they would typically take on the appearance of the humans they grew up with in their human forms

anyway. that's what you needed to know in order to understand the joke i'm about to make. merlin was under the impression aithusa would probably look like him or gaius/freya because he assumed she was created through magic, but aithusa is actually a distant pendragon ancestor who's egg was preserved for centuries using magic!

thus, this image:

(aithusa is just arthur with albinism)

edit: corrected my language on this post! for those who may not be aware, "person with albinism" etc is a more respectful way to describe people with albinism as opposed to the way i said it before. here and here are my sources.

#*this was pointed out to me by a friend who sent me these sources but i don't wanna put them on the spot lol #i tried to make aithusa's/arthur's facial expression kind of fugly and annoying (lighthearted) i hope it worked out #my friend said they have the dreamworks face #if this post randomly gets edited or deleted it's because this lore is still pending approval metaphorically as i work #if you want to pretend this is eggpreg i support you and you can do whatever you want forever #once and future; a bbc merlin rewrite #this one gets arthuriana tags. this is a heavily arthurian inspired project i'm sorry!#bbc merlin #merlin #merlin bbc #merlin emrys #aithusa #arthur pendragon #king arthur #king uther #uther pendragon #adventures of merlin #arthuriana #arthurian legend #arthurian mythology #welsh mythology #camelot #art #fanart #artists on tumblr #redraw

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krems-chair · 2 months ago

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Am I exhausted from driving three hours in the snow today and destroying my back from tensing up at every failed braking attempt or is there something to Solas having remorse making people hate him more than they should? Is it the dimension of it all? Because I've seen some wildly destructive characters with no regrets get absolutely scooped up into the arms of a fiercely protective fandom (and them being fictional characters that can be engaged with like that, who am I to give a hoot) but enter a trickster god who actually is like "sometimes I fuck up and this haunts me" and a tidal wave of people emerge to be like "yes and for that reason you should die in the worst possible way."

Like again, I am far too tired to tell if I'm cooking or burning to a ghastly crisp here but I would argue that Solas feeling regret to the extent that he does* is arguably the most mortal thing about him considering how few of the Evanuris seemed to have that particular emotion in stock. And to me, personally, that makes him more accessible. But I suppose that's a double-edged sword in that it can make fans decide that if he's less untouchably blithe and irreverent that means it's open season.

Like. There are people out here wanting to jump Elgar'nan's bones and the man unapologetically owned slaves and is in the market for more, right?? Idk.

In conclusion, driving in snow sucks and I need to go find a heating pad, but I thiiiink something something does at least part of our hate for certain characters that have introspection/ruminate on their failures stem from them feeling more "real"/multi-faceted and therefore somehow harder to fit within an easy fuckable box?

*yes, I wish more of this had been explored specifically with the dwarves but what we did get is still if nothing else a sign that he can feel the emotion at all)

#datv spoilers #solas #datv #veilguard spoilers #solas dragon age #not even tagging elgar'nan because fighting with his girlies is not on my agenda #he's just there as an example #let me theorize while craving the sweet relief of muscle relaxants in peace I beg of you #solas meta #sort of?

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body-face-words · 10 months ago

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Assembly - Michael and David

Now for all of David's bits!

This is not the interview so (do)n't click on it.

They will all be on this post. Might be a bit long, but I didn't see a reason to make multiple post because some sections are too short.

Keep in mind that Michael is an actor.

5:24 - 5:47

"Who's the rudest celebrity that you've met?"

"Have you heard of a man called David Tennant?"

This part, he's just acting/playing saying David is 'Doctor Rude.

____________

"The rudest man."

Has a genuine smile - cheeks puffed, corners of the lips up, lower eyelids are up making his eyes noticeably smaller and his wrinkles around the eyes are more prominent.

"No, he's not really. He's lovely. He's very nice."

Wide smile, lower eyelids up, smaller eyes, corners up, lips relaxed, cheeks puffed, quickly licks his lips then smiles. No surprise here, he's happy talking/remembering David. Licking his lip and smiling can mean a few things: he's 'savoring' a thought or he's being mischievous/playful/trickster/ or he's just joking.

____________

18:02 - 18:07

"How about Doctor Who?" (Do you like Doctor Who?)

"Depends on which one."

Nods, eyebrows relax lips tight, licks lips, then smiles.

Before Michael says 'Doctor Who' in the beginning, he already has a slight smile, but that's more of a diplomatic smile. When he relaxes his brows, that's a sign that he's considering his answer/is more concentrated.

Tightens his lips to stop himself from talking or saying/showing too much, then licks them as he smiles. Whatever information he's trying to hold back amuses/causes happiness in some way.

It can be argued that he's smiling because of he reaction from those around him, but he was already holding back the smile before they started to laugh and Michael couldn't hold it back once he heard them.

____________

21:06 - 21:42

"If you were in Doctor Who, who would you play? The Doctor or the Master?"

"I think the master would be a good part."

His eyes are narrow - thinking and analyzing his reasons/answer. His volume is also low/quiet.

"They'd have to bring David Tennant back as Doctor Who."

I can't see his face well because of how far the camera is, but something I noticed us that Michael's tone of voice/volume went up. There was emphasis on the 'back'. It slowly starts to pick up volume as the sentence goes on, up until 'back'.

____________

22:48 - 23:26

"Can you walk us through the before, the during, and the after of your passionate kiss with David Tennant?"

Looking off, mouth open - thinking/processing the question. He's listening as he goes through his memories. When he hears David's name, he laughs which to me sounds forcefully. Michael throws himself back as he laughs, but his eyes are still off somewhere else.

He is listening and reacting, but it seems on autopilot. Michael is still in his head and laughs when he hears the people around him. Doesn't mean that the smile is fake. It's genuine, but his laugh is a bit lost because he's still thinking.

"I remember reading the script and thinking 'that's gonna be a big deal'." Image 1

Nods as he speaks - congruent to what he's saying.

His face on the first image means 'yep, that's it'.

Image 2: Lower eyelids up, cheeks puffed, corners of lips up, thin lips, tense face - Michael is once again, refraining from speaking or reacting/showing too much. His face is tense even with the smile meaning he's really stepping on the breaks.

"Didn't really talk about it and just went for it." Image 3

Face still a but tense, but he's not faking the smile. A fake smile can be mostly seen in the eyes and cheeks. Michael is smiling a real smile in this case (if you're not sure about it go look at the 'smiles' he would do when speaking about AL). He's just trying to hold back the smile, hence the tension.

"I remember seeing that everyone was quite moved by the scene and all the people who were there working on it."

The images above happen during the highlighted part.

Head tilts to the right, visibly and audibly swallows, slight frown, and tense face. The tone of voice also falls in this part.

Swallowing saliva means nervousness/worry and the fact that we can SEE and HEAR it means that his emotional/mental state was shaken remembering that moment. Remembering how the people on set reacted, is something that Michael doesn't like. He's once again, omitting information on what really happened and holding back from sharing. Michael disapproves how the crew acted on set. (There's a written interview stating that some people on set were acting strange after the kiss scene so this reaction could be linked with that)

"Yeah so we knew it had gone quite well."

Slight head nod, leans upper body forward then back, smiles.

His cheeks aren't as prominent, but there's still a slight horizontal smile. The eyes are smaller, but the corner of the lips are more horizontal and the wrinkles around the eyes aren't deeper. It's on the borderline, but it looks to be more of a real smile. From the tone of voice, Michael is still in his head, so his face reacts in a more softer way.

"And now we never talk about it."

Shakes head no - congruent to what he said. There's a flash of sadness. Inner brows are slanted up, lips tight, cheeks aren't prominent, and corners of lips down. There's sadness or disappointment about the fact that they haven't talked about the kiss. That sadness is quickly turned into a genuine smile/laugh.

It could be that he was acting sad/disappointment then laughed it off because it was juts a joke. I doubt that was the case because the first image happened so fast that not many would see it without slowing down the video or paying close attention in person. It appeared for a fraction of the second (micro expressions are an involuntary reaction that lasts for less than a second showing what the person is truly thinking/feeling).

At the end, he does genuinely smile and laugh. Could be that Michael thought that what he said was funny/amusing + the reaction of those around. There could be other reason for his smile. Just know that he did smile and laugh honestly.

"If I had the opportunity to kiss David Tennant I would never live it down."

"Well maybe one day you will - maybe one day you will."

Brows raise, white part of upper eyes not visible, mouth shut - surprised but not too much. More like a 'oh really...' or 'you don't say...' it's a feeling of perplexity and doubtful to what we are hearing.

His 'smile' at the end is obviously fake and not a smile at all. Mouth is horizontal, corners of lips are flat/down, brows are kept up probably trying to show a smile or bigger eyes (makes people seem friendly), cheeks bones are neutral, lower eyelids don't make the eye look smaller (look at the images above to compare his real smile). That 'smiles' is forced and shows disapproval, displeasure, skeptical, and/or dislike.

In short, Michael really tried to hide how he felt and what he thought throughout these segments. He stopped himself from giving too much information as well, but was as successful in hiding his feelings towards certain moments and the mention of David.

If I missed anything, please let me know!

#michael sheen #mention of david tennant

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coolkat223 · 9 months ago

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An idea for (if sagau works) is that the reader is just stupidly forward when talking (Or just outright unhinged.) If they hear scaramouche talking smack? "I don't want to hear it from the short grape with a plate for a hat." Or calling childe ed sheeran. In short their mouth has almost little to no filter. And each time they say something it usually ends like: "They... Have a point..." or "Why does the creator hate me???"

Ooo this one will be very interesting to do!!

SAGAU The creator with a sharp-tongued.

They wound up teleported into Genshin Impact world and as known as the creator. But they have a strong mind as vast as the heavens but also has a tongue as sharp as a primordial blade.

Love to be straight forward or just outright unhinged when they are irritated at someone.

When they get irritated at someone they tend to say something that makes them think twice about themselves. (cause deep down when the characters think about it... it makes a lot of sense.)

And when they are very irritated they sometimes use their ability on some of the characters. Like trapping them in a golden bubble.

Short Story:

(a/n: while I write this I decided to use y/n instead of using they/them because it confuses me to tell the difference.)

As y/n are relaxing in a peaceful meadow after finishing some paperwork and having a meeting with the Archons. As y/n are relaxing the quietest get disturbed by someone's arguing, so y/n decide to check it out cause they disturb your relaxing time. Once they get to their destination they have a very unimpressed look because you saw Scarmouche and Childe.

'Of course it has to be them two.' They thought.

Notice that both Scarmouche and Childe are about to fight. Y/n decide to intervene by using their ability to trap them in a golden bubble. Once those two realize that they are trapped they turn their head towards y/n and saw that y/n is non-impressive and on a verge of snapping at them.

"Can't you two just either get along or don't make eye contact with one another." Y/n said while you can hear how irritated they are.

Of course the first one to speak is Scarmouche and said a whole lot of talk and no bite in hopes that y/n can let him go.

"I don't want to hear it from the short grape with a plate for a hat," the Creator declared, unfazed by Scaramouche's snide remarks.

Immediately Childe burst out laughing at Scara's face expression, but he is still under the flames from the creator y/n, who quickly turn towards him with golden flicker in their eye.

"The same goes for you too 'Ed Sheeran'." Y/n said with a sneer that could equal the trickster god himself. Then decided to let them go by dropping them on their butt and walking away from them.

Both Scarmouche and Childe were indazed by the creator's boldness, at this point underneath their distrust lay a resenting affirmation of truth. "They... Have a point," mumbled Scaramouche, hesitantly surrendering to the creator's unpolished perception. "For what reason does the creator loathe me???" considered Childe, however where it counts, he really wanted to appreciate their shameless negligence for accepted practices.

Thus, the creator's excursion through Teyvat proceeded, each experience leaving a path of confounded partners and dumbfounded foes afterward. For in our current reality where words held power unfathomable, the creator used their tongue like a sword, slicing through misrepresentation and uncovering the crude pith of truth, doubtlessly stirring up a lot of entertainment for everyone around them.

#genshin impact #self aware genshin #genshin x reader #genshin impact sagau #genshin sagau #genshin childe #genshin scara #genshin wanderer #genshin impact x gender neutral reader

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linkspooky · 1 year ago

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You need to make another one of those "metas written by comparing characters with another show you liked" post about Getou now that you experienced FGO Morgan/Aesc.

Time to compare two characters from two different shows I liked (in this case Jujutsu Kaisen and Fate Grand Order: Cosmos of the Lostbelt 6 Faerie Britian) to illustrate what makes a good corruption / fallen hero arc. Two of the best examples I can think of in recent memory are Geto Suguru, and Morgan le Fay of Faerie Britian. They both have tragic arcs which follow similar beats which I think will illustrate exactly why audiences find these characters so compelling.

Both of these characters have their stories told out of order, appearing as villains first before their backstory is revealed but for the sake of simplicity I'm going in chronological order, the heroes they started as all the way to the villains they ended up being.

Before beginning though, a brief lesson on tragedy. Aristotle's poetics argued tragedy runs on the principal of catharsis. The audience feels for the characters on stage, no matter how terrible their acts may be. He argued in favor of moral ambiguity in its heroes. The tragic hero must neither be a villan or virtuous man, but a "character between these two extremes, ... a man who is not eminently goo and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice of depravity, but by some error or frailty [Aristotle's Poetics.]

The protagonists of tragedies are still heroes, but their good qualities are twisted against them. A tumblr post I see going around from time to time makes the argument that if Othello (the protagonist of Othello) were in Hamlet the story would not be a tragedy because Otello would just stab his uncle and avenge his father. If Hamlet (the protagonist of Hamlet) were in Othello, the story would not be a tragedy because Hamlet who is a characteristic overthinker would probably not fall victim to Iago's manipulations and jump to conclusions the way Othello did. Both of these characters are heroic, Hamlet is a clever and scheming prince, Othello is a talented general a moor who's managed to rise up the ranks in a racist society. However, they are both put into stories where those heroic values are twisted against them by the narrative framework itself. So to make the protagonists of tragedies into villains who were evil all along, ruins the moral ambiguity and therefore the catharsis of a tragedy.

Geto Suguru and Morgan Le Fay are heroes, placed in a narrative framework that twists their own heroic traits against them in ways they can't endure. They fall because of frailty, not because they were inherently evil to begin with. They are antagonists who have the qualities of protagonists, and once were arguably protagonists of the story, which is probably why they have so many fans in the audience despite the fact that they are both of them mass murderers and tyrants.

Now with the long preamble let's look at the stories.

Both characters start as essentially protagonists, and they foil the protagonists they are fighting against during their villain phase. Geto Suguru is a heavy foil for Yuji (we'll talk about this later) and Morgan so heavily foils Castoria because they are both the chosen one.

I'm going to start with Morgan because Fate/Nasuverse lore is a pain to explain. To simplify her story, Morgan Le Fay is from an alternate universe version of Britian. In that Britian everything is ruled by faeries. These are trickster faeries who are total jerks and extremely murderous at times. They were supposed to forge excalibur, but they just didn't do it because they were lazy. This was very bad, so the universe sent a big huge guy to tell them to forge the sword. They were lazy though so instead of listening to him they murdered him in his sleep and he died a horrible death.

The faeries could no longer be forgiven for failing to craft excalibur which is a really important sword that needed to exist, so god or heaven or fate or whoever decided to punish them and sent Aesc who will later be known as Morgan le Fay.

There's some time travel shenanigans but I'm going to skip it because it's confusing. Basically Aesc's job is to wipe out all fairy life and bring an end to their alternate universe, but she decides to defy her destiny instead. The heavens or whoever keep conjuring calamities to wipe out the fairites to punish them for their sins, but instead Aesc fights against them and saves the fairies.

I had a duty to paradise, but I knew that duty would result in Britiain's destruction. This other me, though... She loved Britiain dearly, even the lostbelt version of it. I thought about it, and I realized I wanted the same thing she did. From then on I chose to live as her. (Witch! Witch! Witch! You were the only one to survive the calamity) Countless times, I stopped the calamities. Countless times, I mended clan disputes to end wars. I did not mind. It was not the fairies I loved. I only loved britain itself and the home I would make here. It would be my very own Britian - something that was forever beyond my reach in Proper Human History. I did everything I could to make it a reality. Eventually though, I realized the best way to do that was to keep the faeries safe.

However, because Aesc is not one of them the fairies are generally ungrateful for her saving them again and again. Aesc gathers comrades around her to help ward off these calamities and save people, but she's often attacked by the same fairies she's just saved.

She continues fighting the system of her world again and again, until she's betrayed for the last time in her attempt to save Britan. The final straw is when after years of hard work she's finally brokered a piece and made a king who rules over all the allied fairy tribes, only for his coronation to be ruined, the king to be assassinated along with the entire round table. The king was also her lover, Uther.

Aaah! Aaaah! Why? Why? Why? This was supposed to be the greatest day in fairy history... Everything was supposed to change for the better! BUt they killed Uther! They slaughtered my entire round table like they were trash! They asked the world of us! They thought the world of Uther! BUt now, they've poisoned him...THey were too afraid to even face him cowards. Uther talk to me, please say something! I never let failure stop me! I've kept trying all these thousands of years! Am I doomed to failure here, too! Is it still not enough? Am I not enough? Is it not... Can I not save Britain? Is there no Britain that can be mine! Peace, equality, I never should have tried for either! How dare they! I can never forgive them ever!

You see much like Geto Suguru which I'll later illustrate, Aesc is caught in a cycle where she must continually fight disasters for the faeries to save them only to be met with their continued disdain. Her own higher minded intentions to save the people are what damns her to this painful cycle. If she'd been less heroic, if she didn't care she wouldn't have suffered. She's sacrificing herself over and over again, but sacrificing yourself is in a way just suffering. No one actually wants to walk the thorny path of the martyr, you'll get your feet hurt from all the thorns.

The people who are now accustomed to being saved despite doing none of the work themselves, are by and by completely ungrateful for Aesc's sacrifice. Aesc is a hero, but she's not in a hero's story so she doesn't get any of the benefits of a hero really. She's working with higher minded and more idealistic goals in a deeply cynical world and punished for it. I remind you, she was just there to kill all the faeries and end the world but she tried to save them instead.

It's important to emphasize their good intentions, because a shallower character reading would suggest that they just came out of the womb wanting to murder people. However, they're driven to it because they tried to be good, because they tried to be a hero. They are like Hamlet, and like Othello in the wrong story. They're also sacrificing themselves going against the system of their world and trying to be better than it, only to get dragged down. Their resentment grows against the people they are trying to save, the selfish and weak people who don't seem all that grateful for their heroism. The ones who aren't making sacrifices, the ones who are just content being saved.

I finally understood. My enemy wasn't just the calamities, it was the faeries of Britain as well. They were pure and innocent in the truest sense, they enjoyed both good and evil things alike without losing either that purity or innocence. They are at their core, no different from the loathsome humans who drove me from britain. So I crushed every possible source of malice. Vested interests. Discrimmination. Oppression. Envy. Mockery. All of it. But it wasn't enough. A few fairies took a look at the foundation of peace so many had worked so hard to build ... and tore it apart, because they didn't like it, because they could.

This is what finally leads to Morgan's breaking point, to decide that actually... fairies don't deserve rights. Morgan decides that the fairies are unworthy of salvation and rather than being the hero the only way to accomplish her goals is to become the oppressor and tyrant.

I give up, if everything has failed if it has all come to nothing, then I can never believe in people's so called goodness or understand it. Even if I did, what would be the point? Everything I did, everything I worked for... was just a waste of time. After all the times they betrayed me I should ahve known better... but I still clung foolishly to a sliver of hope. ANd now, because I wasted my time caring about something so utterly absurd, I've failed yet again. If my intent was to keep britain alive, then I was a fool to think being its savior was the way to accomplish it. No more. I will find another way. A better way. ...That's it. I won't deliver the fairies to absolution; I won't deliver salvation. Enough of this faerie of paradise, enough of being Avalon le Fae, I should have ruled this land from the start.

However, as I said it's only Morgan's repeated attempts to be the hero and save the fairies that drove her to this conclusion. However, I'd be amiss to say that Morgan didn't have flaws or selfish qualities from the start. Morgan le Fay is created from the Morgan le Fay we created with from proper legend. I'm not going to explain the lore, but basically she's an alternate universe version, who received memories from the Morgan le Fay of our universe. She knows the story of Morgan le Fay who tried to steal King Arthur's kingdom out from under him.

Alternate Universe Morgan le Fay still had the same chip on her shoulder, and entitlement that our Morgan did. She wanted the kingdom, and wanted Britain for herself. Her desire to play savior might have come from that very same entitlement that she deserves britain. Similiarly, she was most likely hurt so badly from the lack of praise because she also deserves praise for her actions. She has a bit of a superiority complex that places her above the fairies and makes her believe she has the right to rule.

However, as I said Morgan didn't start out as a tyrant she did earnestly try to save the faeries despite harboring those more negative qualities and selfish intentions. She may have had a more self-serving variety of selflessness but it's more the fragility of her that causes her fall. She didn't fall because she was rotten to begin with, she was just not strong enough to withstand years and years of ungratefulness from the faeries and betrayal. She has all the makings of a proper hero, she decides to defy destiny to save the people of faerie britain when she was supposed to be their destroyer. However, because she's in a tragedy she falls due to her insecurities and flaws overwhelming her rather than rising to the occasion.

Her manga chapter and the FGO Lostbelt game prose itself uses the light in the distance as a metaphor for this. Morgan continues going forward on the faint light of hope that things will work out for her and that even as a tyrant she can save Britain. However, it's that same light that damns her. In tragedies heroic qualities become flipped into flaws. Morgan's most heroic quality is her determination, the willpower to endeavor for thousands of years to try to save Faerie Britain, but that determination makes her unchanging, causes her to make the same mistakes over and over again, and just makes her continually suffer like Sisyphus pushing his boulder up the hill.

But that light is just an insect trap - or at least that's how it is for the protagonist of the tragedy. Road to hell, and all that.

After reaching her breaking point Morgan decides she'll no longer try to save the fairies but rather only care about saving the kingdom itself. She goes from the kingdom's hero to its oppressive tyrant after seizing the throne for herself.

That's where we meet the villain we know today.

Now shifting gears to Geto Suguru, he is someone who starts out his story trying to be a hero. A little bit of context on the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, it takes place in an urban fantasy version of Japan where the jungian collective unconscious and the negative emotions of humanity create curses that kill and eat people. These curses need to be exorcised by a few special humans who are given superpowers known as jujutsu sorcerers.

There is an institution of sorcerers known as Jujutsu High, which raises sorcerers from a young age gifted with these powers to exorcise sorcerers. THese teenagers are often sent out on msisions. This is different from most stories of teenage heroes with superpower, because fighting curses is brutal and dangerous and most of these kids are going to die young. There's also no end in sight to the fight against curses, because no matter how many curses are exorcised humans will just keep making more.

Not only do they live in a cynical, and brutal world but most sorcerers are insanely selfish. Just to give an example of how immoral sorcerers are, one of the allies of the main characters is implied to molest her brother, and if she's not she still uses her like 12 year old brother as a child soldier. Nobody ever bothers to question this because the institution of sorcerers are inherently corrupt, it's an instituion that continually sends children off to their deaths and uses people as nothing more than cogs.

Caught within this unfair system and trapped in a cycle of exorcising curses that are just going to come back anyway is Geto Suguru, who is not only a model sorcerer he's presented as much more selfless than your average sorcerer. He's directly contrasted against Gojo Satoru who is kind of just a petty kid with a god complex.

Gojo uses his powers selfishly, he only fights because he's really powerful and killing curses is a way to test and use his abilities. (This is literally stated as canon by Nanami don't fight me on this I'm simplifying his motivations because this is not a Gojo meta look at the entire fight with Sukuna saving Megumi was a secondary concern he wanted to fight a strong opponent). Whether people are saved by his actions are a secondary concern.

Geto on the other hand goes against the grain for most of Jujutsu Society, and believes that they as stronger people have a duty to use their strength to protect the weak. This idea of noblesse oblige is way way different from the attitudes of most sorcerers, who as I said usually turn into petty little people with god complexes.

Not to say Geto doesn't have a god complex, but we'll get to that later. Geto is explicitly contrasted against Gojo who's the only other powerful sorcerer and his best friend, but doesn't think they have an obligation to use their powers to help anyone.

Right away we have two things in common with Morgan le Fay, number one they hold themselves to a higher minded ideal that of using their powers to act as a hero and protect the people underneath them. Number two, this is a choice they make to be better than the people around them. Morgan's destiny is to destroy the faeries and she tries to save them. Sorcerers usually just keep their heads down and do their jobs, they're not heroes, they don't save people they kill curses. In fact, the sorcerers who are selfish assholes (Mei Mei) are wildly succesful, the ones who try to help other people like Nanami die young.

They sacrifice themselves for others. Geto pursuing his higher minded ideal is faced with the same kind of tragedy that Morgan is, where his attempts to save a teenage girl named Riko not only blatantly fail, they fail because of Toji a person who cannot use cursed energy. Everyone they tried to protect died, and they're shown first hand not only does the world not really care about their idealism, but they're not really powerful enough to change this world in any way.

Morgan's lover Uther and all of her allies is ruthlessly slaughtered, by the same faeries she was trying to save after she brokered peace. Geto tries to save a little girl, and he not only watches her die, but he sees an entire crowd of normal people, the people he is fighting to save applause for her death. They all applaud her death because they're a part of a cult that believes that the girl was an affront to their god, but she was mostly just a normal teenager. He witnesses first hand that normal people do not care for the fate of Jujutsu Sorcerers whatsoever.

If Geto were more selfish he would be rewarded. If he didn't attempt to save people, if he just only cared about exorcising curses like Gojo did he'd probably become more powerful and he wouldn't succumb to despair the way he had. Geto exists in a narrative where selfishness is rewarded, and his selfless, heroic traits are continually punished.

This traumatic event makes him aware similarly to the brutal cycle he is caught up in. Morgan le Fay can't save the faeries, because faeries are jerks who can't change. Geto will just continually exorcise curses over and over again. Not only is humanity just going to keep producing more curses, but humans are vastly indifferent to the sacrifices that sorcerers (who are mostly children) keep making to try and save them.

Geto's choice to protect people is the cause of his suffering, because sacrifice is inherently taking on suffering for the sake of someone else - therefore sacrifice is suffering.

This too, leads to Geto's eventual breaking point where he lets his resentment for the same people he's trying to save corrupt him. An incident where just after seeing his dear friend die because of a curse, he's brought to a village of people. The whole village put two little girls in a cage, who were capable of seeing curses and blamed them as the scapegoat for a curse reflecting his village. Geto sees a flash of what happened to Riko again, a crowd full of normal people who don't have to fight curses applauding for the sacrifice of a little girl who was innocent. It's the macrocosm, all of society forcing a few sorcerers to die exorcising curses for them, shown on the microcosm, one village scapegoating two little girls who did nothing wrong.

That's what leads Geto to snap and massacre the whole village. He's now turned against the masses he wants to protect. He then decides that instead of protecting the masses, he's going to kill them and build a world of only sorcerers. He's no longer trying to save them, like Morgan le Fay he's turned to the hero and the Tyrant.

They both even utter similiar words.

I will never save the faeries! I will never forgive the faeries! I don't like monkeys. That's the truth I chose.

Monkeys is by the way, the word Geto uses to refer to normal people who cannot fight curses or even see them. People who don't have superpowers.

One more time I want to emphasize Geto did not come out of the womb wanting genocide. Hamlet didn't start out the play stabbing people. He does have his flaws, just like Morgan by assuming the role of the hero he sees himself in a separate, superior category to the people he wants to protect. There's a line I like in a youtube analysis for for Yuji that applies to Geto as well.

(Other people exist to be saved, which gives Yuji a role in the world) In a way Yuji thinks other people exist to validate his own existence.

Geto begins the story not seeing other people as people. They exist in a category separate from himself. Part of the reason that his failures hit him so hard, is because they disprove this idea of superiority he has for himself. He's shown his god complex is just a complex and he's as flawed and capable of failure as any mortal.

It's an inability to recognize that failure, learn from it, and reconcile it with themselves that causes both Morgan le Fay and Geto to spiral. They are the hero, they are trying to be just, they should reap the just rewards for being a hero. Geto even says as such in a moment of rare jealousy for Gojo, that Gojo is someone who also has godlike power and if Geto had that same power he could change the world the way he wants. He could create his more just world.

Morgan and Geto are characters who begin their narratives with superior complexes and senses of entitlement, selfishly selfess heroes and those negative qualities eventually lead them to fail. Geto thought being a sorcerer made him superior, he just also thought that with that superiority came a responsibility to protect others. Morgan le Fay thought she was the rightful king of Britain, she also thought that divine right to be king also came with an obligation to protect Britain. However, they're not meant to be seen as people who all along wanted to oppress and hurt others.

The key word with tragedy is catharsis, we are supposed to feel for the protagonists of tragedies. We're supposed to see our own traits reflected in them. It's their human qualities to drive them to tragedy.

After all, you reader on tumblr would probably not be able to be a perfectly selfless hero. If you saved someone and then they immediately tried to kill you, you would probably just be a little bitter about it. If you were like Geto and you were working tirelessly to exorcise curses, and all you got was your friends dying, I don't think you'd be like "This is okay :D". If anything, going mad in their extreme circumstances seems like a reasonable response, because could we as the audience do any better in their situations?

Of course the last similarity between Geto and Morgan (besides the fact they both adopt daughters they raise up to be little psychos but this post is getting too long already) is the fact that they both heavily foil the heroes of the story they occupy. They see themselves as villain, they play the role of villain, but they're really just heroes of another story.

Paradise or god or fate or whatever in Faerie britain eventually conjures up another chosen one. This chosen one Altria or as the fandom calls her Castoria is far less heroic. IN fact unlike Morgan who embraces the role of savior she would rather do anything she could to avoid Britain.

This is because for similiar reasons as Morgan, the faeries have basically abused her and tormented her all her life. Yet they still expect her to selflessly step up as their chosen one and save the day from the evil oppressive tyrant Morgan.

You have one protagonist who embraces their heroic quest, and even goes above and beyond by ignoring her destiny to wipe out the faeries and saving them instead. You have another who continually runs away from the heroic quest, and honestly doesn't seem to care that much about saving faeries.

Morgan is actually openly sympathetic to Castoria, and even offers to ally with her a couple of times because she bears the same burden as chosen one. This is another example of how Morgan doesn't quite fit the role of either hero or villain, the ambiguity who makes tragedy.

However, while Morgan does everything to defy fate, Castoria just kind of keeps marching along every step of Joseph Campbell's the heroes journey until she ends up defeating Morgan. Well she doesn't truly defeat her, but Morgan meets her tragic end and gets stabbed a whole bunch of times.

There's a similiar foiling between Geto, and the series protagonist Yuji who both start out the story believing that as sorcerers they have a duty to save others. There are several in story comparisons and direct parallels between the two.

Yuji attempts to save others with his power as a sorcerer over and over again, and is met with the same continual failure that Geto has. Yuji is the only real sorcerer in his generation that cares about saving strangers with his powers. Nobara wants money to live in Tokyo, Megumi only cares about protecting Yuji and his sister, Yuta only cares about his friends, Maki only wants revenge against her clan. Like Maki blatantly says whether people get saved or not by her actions is none of her business.

His own attempts to save people not only fail badly, but he watches people die. He watches a lot of people die in a situation where he is powerless to stop them.

He's met with the same tragedy of Geto but he doesn't succumb to it. The same for Castoria she doesn't decide to be a Tyrant the way that Morgan le Fay did. I would argue this isn't because of any inherent goodness that Castoria or Yuji have but rather because both of them are able to let go of their egoes. Yuji kind of believes the same thing Geto does, that other people exist to be saved by him. He's broken when he realizes that he's not a savior after all...but he's able to continue in a way that Geto isn't.

Yuji lets go of his ego entirely and believes that he's just a cog in the machine and he doesn't need to be some big hero or be rewarded at the end of his hero's journey.

Geto and Morgan le Fay both long for a role in the grand scheme of things. They are still employing narrative thinking, they need to play a story role to validate their existences. It's just that they flipped their role, they tried being the heroes but it didn't work so they're the villains now.

Geto is similiarly rebuffed by Yuta who is his eventual killer by saying that he doesn't actually care about saving the world or if Geto is right that sorcerers are superior to humans, he's only fighting for his friends.

I would say for both castoria and yuji it's not a matter of being inherently good people, but rather of being better at enduring than their counterparts are. Morgan le Fay and Geto try to take the world's suffering on their shoulders, and it breaks them because they're not heroes they're just normal people. Yuji, Castoria and to the same extent Yuta kind of learn to let go of their great heroic aspirations but because of that they're able to take on suffering better. They're trying to live in reality not a grand heroic fantasy.

To bring the example back to FGO, for Castoria and for Morgan the light of hope that led them down their heroic journeys mean two different things. For Morgan that light is an insect trap. Her flying towards that light just causes her to keep suffering through her sisyphian task. Castoria has a much more realistic point of view, she's not trying to get a happy ending or even save people, that light is the hope that at the end of her journey her actions will have meant something. It's more about the journey itself and the people she met along the way, then some big grand reward at the end.

Morgan le Fay and Geto both fail because they are fragile, because they are human. That's the most important takeaway of this long rambling post. They may be selfish, they may be entitled but they're flawed in human ways. After all, who doesn't want a happy ending?

#jjk meta #fgo meta #morgan le fay #fgo morgan #camelot #fgo lostbelt #geto suguru #suguru geto #idk what else to tag this #for the three people who are going to read this post #i hope you like this comun #the things i do for love

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