#he returns to the sea but even there he cannot escape her because she's with him! and it's all in his head!

[forasecondtherewedwon]

This very much could just be me but There Once Was a Pirate by Duncan Sheik (a deleted song from Spring Awakening) came up on shuffle and for some reason it made me think of Jack x Belle. Probably the sailing the sea and laden heart imagery but i’m having Thoughts 👀

Allow me to join you. 👀👀

“How’d he get himself assigned?”

“Best surgeon in Her Majesty’s Navy, that’s how.”

“Absolute loon. The hell’s he looking at?”

“Just stares into the water. Seen him at it yesterday. And the day before.”

Their mutters drone across the deck until the thunder comes, crushing them under its roll. He’s not as mad as they think, or so very different from them. Everyone’s fleeing something: poverty, responsibility, a signed death warrant. A death, plain and simple. One they couldn’t prevent.

Logic says Belle’s gone, but longing whispers that she’s there, there, there, there, adrift on the next, next, next wave.

send me a prompt about ANYTHING for one of these fandoms!

#it's not just you!!! #that song has big time Gothic nursery-rhyme vibes that to me scream Belle's dead and Jack is haunted by her memory #he returns to the sea but even there he cannot escape her because she's with him! and it's all in his head! #(but she's touching his chest now / he takes off her dress now)- no no I'm so sorry lol #Second's midwinter cleanup #my writing #dodgerfox #The Artful Dodger

[scaly-freaks]

Snippet of Rhaena/Aemond from my AO3 fic which I probably won't be able to fit into the work itself because...plot issues. Might write bits here, I don't know. We'll see.

tw // implication of dubcon

"WHERE IS SHE?"

For such a petite woman, his wife screams like a banshee. But to her little dragon - that raw, pink, ugly creature - she coos like a siren, all trills and undulations.

Rhaena's arm sweeps across the table, sending his books scattering. Half of them belonged to her grandfather, along with a few scrolls from Yi Ti scribed in a language Aemond has yet to decipher. He pores over them in the evenings, following along with Corlys's annotations - he never had much opinion on the man beyond helping to kill his wife. But Aemond must admit that he had a sharp mind for linguistics.

"Your dragon - " he pauses to finish reading a line of script, thumb pressed to the ink-stained paper. " - is safe. Don't fret."

Rhaena's voice dips low, trembling with rage. "Give her back. She needs me to feed her. She won't feed unless I prepare the bottle - "

"That's funny. She was feeding just fine when I left her with the dragonkeeper." Aemond flings the scroll on the table, and tosses one leg over the other, hands folded across his stomach.

He smiles at her - that cold, cruel, curl of a smile - and waits for it to sink in.

For months now, he has been patient, allowing his wife to come to terms with the reality of their marriage. Granted, he had forced his sister to give her stepdaughter over in marriage as the only elder left in that wretched household, but there was no mistreatment beyond that. Rhaena had her own chambers, her own separate life. All he asked was that eventually, she turn her mind to the reality of ruling a great house.

Heirs.

"Give her back," she repeats, and he almost feels sorry for her. It is clear she is struggling to draw air into her lungs, the absence of her dragon has her so distraught. "Please."

"Give me what I want and you can have your dragon."

"Sire a bastard and have your brother legitimise it. Isn't that what you fought the war for? So that you could both do as you wished? Now this realm is yours. Go! I give you permission. Find a whore and sire a whelp, but first return my dragon to me."

Aemond rises from his chair, slowly, so as not to alarm her.

Ever since the incident in the riverlands, Rhaena has treated him like a caged tiger, giving him a wide berth where and when she can. When he is reminded whose daughter she is, her fear strokes his nerves like silk on velvet, satisfies that deep, sadistic pit in his stomach he has nursed since the first time he watched Vhagar's flames swallow a man whole.

He won't hurt her - the girl is too precious for that sort of bad behaviour - but her fear keeps her in line, prevents her from choosing treason in her bid to escape. Besides, her mother's dragon now keeps watch, turning her childhood home into a prison, one which she has tried and failed to run from. The irony is steeped in poetry.

Rhaena takes a step back, and then another, glassy eyes searching his face for any indication he will accede.

"I want heirs off you." Half the battle is won through physical stature, and Aemond towers over his wife in her delicate rose-pink dress and gold-braided hair. She is a petal, easily plucked and viciously torn, unlike her sister who is all thorns and ice. "A boy, another boy, and then maybe a girl. Little fishes to populate Corlys Velaryon's grand, old Driftmark."

She is staring at him as if her mind has left her body and walked a hundred miles into the sea, deep under the white foam, to a place where he cannot reach her. Except a single trace of his finger down one of her braids brings her twitching back to him.

Only one question remains.

"So...do you want your dragon back, Rhaena?" Aemond asks, sugary sweet.

#aemond targaryen #rhaena targaryen #rhaena x aemond #rhaemond #aemond one eye #aemond fanfiction #house of the dragon #the god of wine and rainbow lamps #scalyfreakswrites

[skaikruswan]

That meowpheus fic was amazing. Could you do one where he's sulking and everyone in the dreaming is trying to figure out why. Turns out that reader has gone on an excursion to map out fiddlers green. So once returned morpheus(or meowpheus your choice) is suddenly very clingy and wants so much PDA. Thanks love, keep up the great stories!

One should never ignore a cat or an Endless, or both  

WC: 1,6 k Ao3

Relationship: Morpheus x reader

Notes: sulking Morpheus, fluff, PDA

Thanks, this was a great prompt! Dear readers, while you can read this as stand-alone, it is more of a soft sequel to this Meowpheus prompt. Enjoy! If you liked this, check out my other stories.

I chose this gif because that's how I imagine Dream to look like while sulking.

You’re standing inside Fiddler’s green, breathing in the crisp air, and can’t help but jump in excitement. This place is a marvel. You’ve always loved nature, but as life has it, you don’t always find the time to walk through forests, climb on mountains, or swim through the sea. 

Fortunately for you, Fiddler’s green is the answer to all your dreams. The endless green glades and lush forests are practically begging you to explore them. 

You’re ready, your backpack filled with everything you need. You know that you could dream yourself right into the heart of this wondrous place, find the best sites in the blink of an eye, but where would be the fun in that? 

You’re going to map out this place, old-school. If one dream is not enough, you’ll simply continue in the next. Nothing and nobody is going to stop you. 

Setting one foot in front of the other, you begin your adventure. The birdsong sounds like the finest music to you, and as you wander through into a beautiful meadow, you let out a squeal. You are living the dream. 

Lord Morpheus controls the Dreaming, but what cannot be forgotten is that it is also a part of him. Lucienne remembers how the proud palace grew to become a desolate ruin, reflecting the damage their Lord’s absence had caused. 

The library is brimming with life, and each tome and volume makes her heart soar. As its librarian, she feels a deep calm and serenity settle within her. 

Even now as the palace shines anew and dreams and nightmares populate the realm again, Lucienne will always remember the horrible period during which she was the only who, despite being lonely and concerned, kept faith with their Lord. She will never take his presence for granted again. Even if his mood leaves to be desired. 

The sky above them, usually a lovely blue, is now a myriad of grey shades, the color of an oncoming storm. But as she watches Lord Morpheus rebuke a nightmare for leaving their designated place, his expression thunderous, Lucienne wonders if the storm might be already here. 

Lucienne hopes that you will return swiftly.

_______________________________

Matthew is circling above the throne room, looking for a comfortable spot to land. He is definitely getting the hang of this raven-thing. What else can you do when you wake up with feathers and claws, and tasked to help and watch over the world’s moodiest immortal? 

Matthew would rather glue his beak shut than tell him that in person. The boss has a lot of responsibilities and duties, so he can have a cranky moment or two. Now that the boss has reclaimed his power and things have settled down, Matthew actually enjoys his job; then again, anything beats going to literal hell. 

Besides, the boss is not so bad. He tries to listen, to take other people into consideration. Meeting you has helped, and right now he and every soul – real or dreamy – wishes for your return. Matthew is glad that he can just take a break and fly into the waking world to escape the gloom that follows the King of dreams. More like king of sulking.

Just in that moment, the boss looks up, and his dark glare is enough to send Matthew soaring towards the sky. It’s settled: Matthew won’t come back until you have returned. 

                     _________________________________

The roaring of water is getting is getting louder, and you can’t wait. You’ve been following this small stream for what feels to be ages, and you feel it in your bones that it will pay off. The water is so refreshingly cool, it is a pleasure to drink, but you want to finally swim in it. 

Your effort and perseverance are rewarded as the forest thins out, with only a few trees framing the wonderful waterfall and azure lake. The view is breathtaking, with birds flying over the thundering masses of water. 

“This is the best!” you scream as you race towards the azure water, and for a moment you hear an old man’s chuckle inside your mind. As you come closer, you think you see a blur of black and gold at the edge of your vision. 

“I am so happy that I got to do this alone.” Was that mean? Maybe just a little. Will you regret this? Hopefully not. But you had told Morpheus that you wanted, no, that you needed this to be a solo adventure. 

You feel your clothes turn into a swimsuit as you run towards the lake, giggling all the way. 

                        ______________________________

Merv knows the palace in and out. As a janitor, he could walk through this place blindly, which is why it doesn’t bother him that the light seems to dim inside the palace. 

What worries him is how dutiful dreams and nightmares he has known for ages suddenly start to quiver like mortal children. 

The boss has returned, pacing around in front of his throne like a caged tiger, and boy, he looks like a nightmare himself, all dark and broody. 

Merv hopes that your trip will be over soon. 

                             ___________________________

“I am back,” you call out, more softly than you initially wanted to. You still feel a little bad for dismissing Morpheus like that, especially since your trip was longer than anticipated. 

“Hello?” The throne room is eerily quiet, and you scurry past some dreams. One of them almost looks like they wanted to give you a hug, but then opted for a bow. Odd. 

It took some time, but you’ve become better at controlling yourself inside the Dreaming. Right now, you feel just the right mix between spent and serene, right when you stand on top of a mountain after a long hike. 

You walk towards your room, not even bothering to close the door, and drop down on your bed. You’re going to stay here or a while. This bed is your favorite place right now. 

“My love.” Despite your exhaustion, you roll around in your bed to see Morpheus leaning against the door frame. He’s giving you one of his precious, soft smiles, and you feel your heart flutter. 

“I have missed you,” you admit quietly and watch as he advances towards your bed, the mattress dipping as he’s lying down next to you. 

“I have missed you too.” He gently cards his hand through your hair, and you close your eyes, savoring the heavenly moment. This here feels like a dream within a dream, and you hope he continues forever. Way too soon he stops, and you look at him with an expectant pout. 

“Your turn.” You start moving your fingers through his silky hair in return, a proud grin on your face as he starts to hum. Carefully, your movements become slower until they stop. 

“We are not finished.” He turns his back to you, rolling his shoulders once, and you roll your eyes dramatically at him in fond chagrin. You glide your fingers down the shell of his ears, before applying the right amount of pressure to massage his neck. Your hands roam over his shoulders, idly drawing patterns. You press one quick kiss at the top of his spine, signaling him that you’ve finished. 

Apparently, you’re not done, because Morpheus captures your hands with his, his eyes half-lidded as he blinks at you. A heartbeat later, a black cat with golden eyes has taken his place, rubbing its head against your palm. 

“Well, you’re awfully needy today, Lord Meowpheus,” you tease, only for him to playfully nibble at your fingers. You giggle as you sit up, waiting for Morpheus to find a comfortable position on your lap. As you let your fingers glide through his soft fur, you listen to his low purr while telling him about all the be wonders you have seen on your journey. A flower crown is still adorning your head, a souvenir from an extraordinary adventure. 

“I would like to accompany you on your next journey, if I may,” Morpheus asks, his voice deep and comforting like dark chocolate, and you scratch his favorite spot underneath his chin. 

“Hmm, let me think about it.” You try to keep your face impassive, one hand holding your chin in thought. A minute passes as you hum contemplatively, then another. You feel sharp claws pinch your thighs, neither painful nor drawing blood, but enough to let you know about the cat’s displeasure. You let out a soft scoff and lean down to press a kiss between his ears, and Morpheus starts purring again.

“I would love it.” Now that you’ve explored Fiddler’s green, you can’t wait to experience it with Morpheus by your side. 

“I am looking forward to it.” Morpheus moves, exposing his belly, and you continue your ministration in comfortable silence.

“Of course, you would have to keep up. I am a good, fast wanderer.” You can’t help but tease him again, feeling your lips quirk into a smirk. Meowpheus stands up suddenly, arching his back, an in a blink of an eye, Morpheus is lying next to you, rolled to one side, his head propped on his hand. 

“I shall hurry then. If necessary, I will chase you.” His voice is deliciously low, and you see a flash of hunger in his fathomless eyes. You bite your lip, feeling a flush of heat at the memory of Meowpheus chasing mouse-you. That certainly had been an experience, to say the least. 

“Challenge accepted.” What mouse can claim that she tamed a cat? As Morpheus leans down to press his lips and his body against yours, making every inch of you tingle with molten satisfaction, you realize that you might want to revise that statement. 

#the sandman #morpheus x reader #dream of the endless #dream x reader #sandman x reader #my writing #my sandman fics #lord meowpheus

[praisethesuuun]

Ok, maybe this request has already appeared on another blog. But my request is for Poseidon with an Amaterasu priestess. Her family was of high social and economic hierarchy in Japan, being her only female daughter they offered her to the Ise Jingu (Great Shrine of Amaterasu). She where she suffered many physical and mental abuse, including confinement, demanded by her family from the monks and senior priestesses if her daughter was not perfect to the letter in her demands. During one of her punishments in isolation from her, Amaterasu adopted her as her daughter and was with her, until she fatally died in the temple because of the monks and a demon. In her life in Valhalla, she attended a party after Ragnarok with her mother Amaterasu. And that's where Poseidon saw her and became interested in her. But Amaterasu kept him at a distance, because she knew of Poseidon's problem (cough-fetish-cough) with virgin priestesses. But Poseidon was worth half a melon and he kidnapped the priestess to court. she and/n her rejected Poseidon over and over again because he was a married man (Amphitrite), and that man did not cause her confidence. Trying every day the priestess to escape from Poseidon's residence and return to her mother. While Amaterasu was about to rip off Hades' head for defending her brother, he kidnaps daughters (mmmm…it runs in the family I guess) (Please let him escape, it doesn't come to my mind how, but let him escape from the crazy king of the seas)

if it is very long you can reject it, good night. (*￣3￣)╭❤

Anon, I'm happy to announce that I finally finished it! I did my best, I swear and I hope you like it❤️ Plus, it was very funny to mock Poseidon eheh

Poseidon x priestess!reader: the Song of the Sun

Type: angst, with an happy ending

Warnings: abuse, violence, kidnapping

Some things cannot be forgotten. Humankind has a dark, hidden and scary side; made up of vices and deadly sins. The man hides it behind a second face, a mask that tends to slowly crumble, making the malice overflow like a river in flood, and sadly you found out the hard way.

Sometimes memories come back to the surface, making your scars burn like never before, a bitter pain, like the taste of blood. Your mind was ruthless with you, making you relive those memories despite being in Heaven, maybe humanity is not a race made to be happy, the gods know it and that's why they deny total salvation: when you no longer have a body, the soul takes over and clings to all that remains of earthly life, assimilating beautiful things and ugly ones with them. If you think about it, this is precisely the mechanism that allows ghosts to take the shape they had in their past life, that damned mandatory condition that had "materialized" the marks you had on your body.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, my dear"

A voice roused you from your thoughts, making you raise your head towards the door of the great hall of the temple. Your eyes soften at the spiritual vision before you: your holy mother, the sun that shines in the sky in the morning illuminating the few remaining traces of the night stars. "I'm sorry, Amaterasu-sama"

The fleshy lips of the deity arched into a slight smile, the bearer of deep compassion: Amaterasu had decided to make you her eldest priestess and favorite daughter, she loved you with all her heart, especially after witnessing all the prayers you dedicated to her in the evening, asking her to save you from that horrible place you called "home". She had treated your wounds like the mother you never had, visiting you in the rooms of your old temple, healing every cut with a simple touch; she would listen to you with pleasure as you let off steam and yelled at your monster parents. How could he not protect you under his wing? A little priestess who kept praying to her, despite knowing only the worst of her religion.

"What is bothering you, my little ray of sunshine?"

You always blushed whenever she called you that: since you never received parental affection, you attached yourself to any sign of affection that made you feel special, wanted. "Just old memories, that's all, but your light scared them, like always!"

Your ability to laugh had always fascinated her, it is no coincidence that you were her best worshiper, worthy of being in contact with her. All those little remarks distracted Amaterasu from the real reason she came to you; so he composed himself, approaching your smallest figure, lowering himself until his long black hair touched your face, then she talked: "The Greek pantheon has thrown a party after the legendary event of Ragnarok, we are required to attend"

Your heart skipped a beat. Your concerns were well founded since you were a human, but you were spared thanks to the protection of your goddess. True, she would have shielded you, but even a strong deity like her could do nothing against the onslaught of different Pantheons, so you limited yourself to praying, entrusting your protection to the goddess of sun light. "I understand, mother"

"Good, now go and rest, tomorrow will be hard" she said, before disappearing behind her snow-colored dress, retreating to the other side of the temple and leaving you alone, in the large room full of golden statuettes and scarlet tapestries. You stood up, abandoning your prayer position, and once you had fixed the sun-shaped hair clip in your hair, you decided to follow Amaterasu's advice. Who knows what the gods would have thought about your presence? Suddenly, the room became cold or maybe it was the shiver down your spine that was? It didn't matter, the only important thing now was to think about not making the gods angry the next day, keeping quiet and attracting as little attention as possible, maybe you would have worn a mask too, posing as a minor deity; no, they would surely find out. "Ah! How the hell am I supposed to do it?"

Your only consolation was being able to change the air once in a while: staying all day at the temple could be boring and monotonous; due to the dangers you ran living there, Amaterasu was very protective of you. The party would have been one of the few occasions in which you had been allowed to cross the walls that surround the house. Don't get me wrong, you loved to stay there - especially in the sunflower area - but every once in a while you felt like exploring Valhalla, the Garden of Eden and the temples that grace it.

You sighed, deciding to sleep on it, hoping for peaceful dreams and begging that fortune would listen to you. The bed in your room was soft, with white sheets scented with incense, while the red walls were adorned with sacred objects and golden rays; it had seemed heavy to you at first, more like a ceremonial chamber than a bedroom, yet you slept so blissfully in it! Every time you realized where you were and your current rank you felt so proud of yourself: despite the pain - and also thanks to that - you had fallen into the arms of your goddess; that thought was enough to give you peaceful dreams.

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

"My lady! Are you sure about that?" you said, while Amaterasu continued to put one dress after another on you, having fun dressing you up as if you were her doll. Every cloth he put on you was precious, the hems were adorned with precious and colored stones, while the softness of the best cotton in all of Heaven caressed your hips, gracefully descending to the ground. Given your rank as a high priestess, you had to maintain your purity, your soul must not suffer any kind of stain or sin, so Amaterasu had been very careful to cover every part of your body - even if in reality she had done it for not making you uncomfortable with the scars. It was a way to respect you and your body.

"Of course! You'll see, even Aphrodite will be jealous of you" Amaterasu answered, while she was intent on braiding your hair properly, using your usual sun clip and small bundles of pearls, which were alternated with the strands, creating a pleasant play of light. Perfect, just the thing you absolutely didn't need, but you didn't feel like telling your mother the truth...she was having so much fun.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't enjoying yourself too: all that attention was nice, plus you wanted to look pretty too once in a while, you died young after all. All those colors were magnificent, not to mention the Chihayas that the goddess was presenting to you. It was like a dream for you, you were about to have that experience you've never had before: your parents refused to let you go free, just like the other temple priests; this meant a lifetime of watching other children enjoy themselves from a distance, without going to festivals with them and without weaving flower crowns.

"You look happy, my daughter"

"Maybe, just maybe, this party won't be so bad..."

A loud laugh escaped Amaterasu's lips, so loud that it echoed throughout the temple. Your eyes widened and your mouth dropped in amazement, the sun goddess had always been very loud and full of life, but you didn't expect such a reaction. "Of course it won't! If you were concerned about your human nature, then don't worry, everyone will be too drunk to find out anyway"

You smiled, sincerely. "So, I trust you"

"And then, maybe you'll meet some handsome god ready to pay court to you~"

"Mom!"

Your cheeks tinted with pure embarrassment, becoming the same color as the flake around your hips. You had forgotten how spontaneous the goddess could be, she had really caught you in the bag and you no longer knew what to answer. The only thing that occurred to you to do was to hide your face in your hands, trying to hide your emotions, but Amaterasu didn't stop giggling, stroking your back lovingly. After all, there was nothing to be ashamed of if you wanted to get to know other deities: your mother only wanted the best for you, she knew that sooner or later your adolescence would fully invest you and she could not have done anything to avoid it. You deserved to be happy and live the life you never had, even though you were a priestess. Before being a goddess, she is your mother and would do whatever it took to see you smile; in addition, some of the looks that the gods had turned to her little girl certainly hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Uncover your face, my darling, and put on some powder, we'll be leaving soon" Amaterasu said, assuming a calmer and more peaceful tone, clearly in contrast with the previous one. You nodded, starting to pass the candid powder on your face, stopping from time to time to observe your figure. Your mother had really dressed you up like a doll, you were adorable in your white kimono with reddish patterns, which reminded you of sunbeams and stars. For the first time in a long time, you felt beautiful, thinking about who you really were and not the scarred skin under your clothes. Suddenly, an annoyed growl from the goddess roused you from your thoughts, moving your eyes (e/c) in her direction. "What's going on, mother?" you asked in a calm voice, trying not to anger her further. When angry, Amaterasu-sama was frightening: she darkened the sun condemning to the deepest darkness, locking up anyone who provoked her in a prison of shadows. Your teeth were chattering just thinking about it.

"Only your uncle...stupid Susanoo"

Oh yeah, those two had been at war since the rice paddies incident - but that's another story.

Apparently, he wasted no time arguing with Amaterasu, as the latter still didn't understand why he wanted to accompany you. Then, she remembered that he is a god too and that it would be safest for you to travel with both of them. "I'm just saying this for her own good, she's my niece, I love her too" said the storm god, ready to escort you en route to Olympus. You didn't mind his company, you didn't talk too much, but those few times you were able to hold a conversation with him, the god assumed an attitude of respect and affection. The truth was that your mother had told him your story and Susanoo had accepted his role as an uncle without a second thought, he would have protected you, you were family now.

"Let's get moving," concluded the sun goddess with a dark aura around her, her bright eyes covered in darkness. "Don't worry about her, little priestess" sighed the other, beckoning you to follow him out of the temple. You couldn't find the right words to answer, so you didn't say anything. Those two were awful when they got into a cat-and-mouse game, pulling you in the middle every now and then, wondering who was right and who was wrong, even if you've always shown yourself to be neutral; every now and then, you wondered how you found yourself in the middle of two deities - very powerful, by the way - acting as mediator. 'Destiny plays tricks sometimes' you thought as you walked through the beautiful gardens surrounding the temple. That day would have been one of the most important challenges of your life, may luck send you good luck!

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

Meanwhile, on the top of Olympus, Hermes was busy welcoming every deities who presented themselves to the Greek mountain. He always got excited whenever all the gods were gathered, whether it was a party or a meeting, something interesting always came out of it - like the destruction of mankind. His blood-colored irises scanned the area for problems, but found none. "Perfection"

But as always, everything was going too well. It was his father Zeus who broke that balance, who called him to a table where he and his brothers were gathered. That family was as chaotic as it was diverse: the father of the gods did nothing but drink, downing glass after glass as if there was no tomorrow; Persephone was beside her husband, while Hades stood in silence, but with a serene smile crowning his angelic face, atypical of a king of the Underworld; and then, there was Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite, the most lopsided couple in all of creation. They had been the focus of gossip for weeks, given Poseidon's disinterest in his love life and the needs of his wife. There were even rumors that she planned to cheat on him, but in reality, the sweet queen of the seas still clung to the hope of saving her marriage.

"Do you need anything, Lord Zeus?" asked the god messenger, approaching him with his usual friendly and apathetic smile. "More wine, my son!"

"If you continue like this, we should start calling you Dionysus" said Hades, eliciting laughter from Aphrodite and Amphitrite, who were seated close together and with a half-empty goblet in their hands.

Suddenly, the rumble of thunder shifted the attention of all the guests to the doors of the great temple, where three figures could be glimpsed from a dark, stormy cloud full of rain. In a few seconds, the mysterious cloud was swept away by a gust of wind so powerful as to mess up those who were nearby, dissolving that blue curtain and revealing three figures: you, Amaterasu-sama and Susanoo-sama. Your gown and the pearls in your hair gleamed in the sunlight, much brighter after the arrival of your mother, who radiated solemnity and elegance. Your entrance amazed; the three most precious Japanese treasures of their pantheon, simply wonderful. Aphrodite, at the sight of Amaterasu's candid dress, had already started to puff and show her chest - more than she already did -, while Zeus had hearts instead of eyes and hoped not to be pecked by Hera. But a spontaneous question had arisen in all those present: who was the mysterious damsel?

"Who is that?" asked Persephone, as she observed your figure curiously, much smaller than those accompanying you. Thus, she wasted no time in approaching, abandoning the table where she was sitting, the smile never left her face, in fact, it widened as soon as she saw you blush once you realized what was about to happen. "Hello! Nice hair, what's your name?"

Your brain sent a warning signal to the rest of your body, but you still decided to keep calm. No errors, not even one.

"My name is Y/N, it's my pleasure" you replied with a small bow, a small gesture, but suitable for increasing the sympathy of a deity towards you. Over time, you learned that by doing so, the gods would think you were easy going or a staunch believer; leaving you alone. It seemed that this little trick hit Persephone's heart, and she wasted no time in dragging you along. In your panic, you couldn't utter a single word of disapproval, while Amaterasu watched the scene in amusement, wishing you good luck with a wink.

"Go and enjoy yourself, dear daughter!"

"Mother, you traitor!"

But the goddess who held your arm was so amazed by you: you looked so naive and pure, not to mention your grace and mysterious figure, it was impossible to resist you. "Look who I brought?", Persephone spoke enthusiastically, making space on the sofa on which she sat previously, positioning you - or rather, crushing you - between you and the queen of the seas. Hades looked up, gave you a slight smile, before returning his attention to Zeus, who was so drunk that he didn't even notice your presence. Amphitrite introduced herself cordially, slightly lifting the voluminous skirt of her green-blue dress. "I've heard of you, you're Lady Amaterasu's daughter! You look so pretty" the latter broke the silence, looking at you with her violet eyes. The three of you continued to talk, even though in reality, for you, it was just a matter of answering their questions. You were so taken by the two queens that you didn't notice the interested look of a certain tyrant of the seas: not surprisingly, in the eyes of Poseidon you appeared perfect, with your delicate ways, never hesitating or stammering even once, maintaining your composure. But the thing that attracted him the most was your purity, your not having been touched yet. Your soul was white, untouched, something more unique than rare in the midst of that vortex of vice in which the other gods had sunk. You were stunning.

Poseidon was careful not to show his interest, casually sipping his white wine, watching the dance floor and the celebrations of the others...

But, in reality, he was memorizing your every word, imprinting every minute detail on his memory, absorbing informations like a sponge does with water. The only entity to notice his interest was your mother herself, who knew well the tendencies - cough pervections cough - of the god of the seas, worrying. "Brother" she called to Susanoo beside her, too busy drinking a flask of sake to pay attention to the table of rulers; so he slapped him on the back of the head to revive him from his hangover. "Poseidon has his eyes on her"

"Fuck"

"Let's go, now"

Susanoo nodded, leaping to his feet and leaving the area dedicated to the Shinto pantheon, hurrying to rearrange his armour, but refusing to leave the booze. Now Olympus had clouded over, darkening more and more with every step Amaterasu takes towards you; all the gods were fine, anyone - except Zeus, that goes without saying - but not Poseidon, absolutely not him, that terrible fish and ruiner of virgins. With your daughter? Not even in the slightest.

"Darling, let's leave this temple", the sun goddess didn't even leave you time to answer, but there was no need since you literally ran away from your captors: they were making you uncomfortable, with all those questions...

At first, you thought it was simple courtesy, but gods can be just as ruthless as humans, after all they created them; and jealousy was the hardest viper to kill. You weren't stupid, you didn't fall into certain traps, yet you felt slightly proud: you made two queens jealous, you, a simple human. Sweet.

And in no time at all, the cloud returned, again engulfing the three figures and bringing you back to the temple of your only goddess.

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

"That stupid fish! Who does he think he is? That fuck-"

"That's enough, mother"

It was just the two of you left in your bedroom. Amaterasu had been gossiping about Poseidon for hours and didn't seem to have any intention of stopping; she had explained to you all the reasons for so much hatred, of the rotten blood of his family. His being a "usurper of virgins" had somewhat frightened you, so that saying that the silent ones were always the worst was true. "It's never enough when the subject is him!" your mother yelled, furious, in fact the kingdom where the sun never set, was now plunged into total night.

Three hours had to pass before your sweet words of reassurance convinced the goddess to leave your room, going to rest in her private part of the temple. You were so tired: the party had gone terribly wrong from your point of view and now your only wish was to sink into a deep sleep.

To think otherwise, on the other side of Valhalla, down in the depths of the ocean, was Poseidon; at the party he had discovered the most precious pearl in all the seas, as bright as a rough diamond and as calm as a spring tide. Comparing you and his wife was like comparing a mussel to a prized oyster.

You had to become his, he wouldn't rest until he brought you to his castle. But it pissed him off: this little obsession of his was like a crack in his perfect god image, it was a slow and corrosive disease, like the waves that erode the coasts. He couldn't even imagine your body, Amaterasu had been good at hiding you, but he wanted to picture it, touch it and feel your soft skin under his fingers. "Honey...why don't you come to bed?" Amphitrite whispered to him: she had slipped into a totally white lace set, white, exactly like your dress. You had totally invaded the tyrant of the seas, cornered him and now you were tormenting him; he didn't even spare his wife a glance before exiting his bedroom, trident in hand and an evil shadow covering his face.

Amphitrite remained there, abandoned and alone, in an icy bed. She sobbed, releasing tears she'd been holding back for a long, long time, dreaming of a happy future, one in which she hadn't chained herself to Poseidon. But it was too late for that, so she just cried.

Meanwhile, her husband had already sailed the seas towards the Shinto sun goddess temple, ready to indulge himself and with the remains of the wine to give him the right adrenaline to challenge the sun. A force invaded him, something profound, born partly from the perverse nature of the gods and partly from that gap in strength between you and him.

The night was still long and full of mysteries, and it was time for him to use the Hades technique.

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

When you woke up, your eyes widened and your breath caught as soon as you realized you weren't in the temple. The air was cold, the walls pure white marble, while the soft tatami had been replaced by a set of blue and teal tiles. Terrible, sad, imposing. You tried to get up, but your limbs were pinned to the bed you were sitting on. "No, no, please"

Memories of your mortal life came flooding back: your brain began counting down the seconds, a technique you had developed as a child to shorten the pain between strokes. Without realizing it, you began to sweat, sweat staining the sheets beneath you, while your hair stuck to your forehead and neck. Was it a nightmare? A lucid dream? How did you end up there? Help...someone please...

The first tears began to flow. You looked around looking for hope, but from the only window present you couldn't see exactly where you were, but it seemed stormy and dark. Then, some waves, with some fishes? Sea. Oh no, sea.

"Miss, she's awake"

Your swollen eyes fixed on a figure in the dark corner of the room, a greenish-skinned merman. "My name is Proteus, I will assist you in these days, for any need I will be here at your disposal"

"W-wait! Please, where the hell am I?" you sobbed desperate, looking for any kind of consolation or clue. You were in total panic, you wanted your mother and the warm sunlight, your protector Susanoo was gone. "Uncle..."

"Proteus, come out"

A deep voice, it reminded you of a storm in broad daylight. You had never heard his voice, yet Poseidon was unforgettable. His blond locks, his eyes piercing and reflecting the sea of his kingdom, he was beautiful, yet he remained a tyrant; nature was ruthless with even the most perfect gods, ruthlessly ruining them, in the image and likeness of man.

In less than no time, you found him on top of you, looking you up and down as if he wanted to judge you, grabbing your cheeks with one hand and squeezing tightly. You squeaked, forcibly turning your face away in hopes of freeing yourself from his grip, but you felt like a little mouse in the jaws of a python. Hopeless. It was terrible, your world had collapsed, but why did fate hated you so much? You had suffered so much, just to come full circle. Fucking Poseidon, Amaterasu was right, you should have left her by your side instead of convincing her to leave; you felt so stupid and hated the feeling of inferiority, but now the important thing was one: to be able to escape. "Look at me, mortal"

But you didn't want to. "Look at me, I said"

He didn't raise his hands, Poseidon didn't want to hit you, otherwise he would have ruined your perfect face by reddening your skin; he couldn't afford it.

Unfortunately, after years spent in fear, this teaches you things and among them there is a fundamental rule, which is to satisfy the abuser's small requests, so you looked him straight in the eye. In return, the god kissed you, a hungry and possessive kiss, poor in love but rich in violence, so deep as to leave you breathless. "My lord, Lord Hades is waiting in the hall"

Thanks be to the Seven Lucky Gods, Someone had heard your prayers then, and if they had, they had reached someone else as well. Poseidon turned away, annoyance on his face, but said nothing, boxing the door behind him and ordering his butler to lock it. You spat, wiping the taste of that repulsive thing's saliva out of your mouth, trying not to vomit at the thought. Still, a new feeling of determination invaded you, warming your chest and making you grin to yourself: "Amaterasu is coming, prepare for the wrath of the Sun, tyrant of the oceans"

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

Meanwhile, a very stressed out Hades was pacing all over his brother's dining room. "I'm a terrible big brother, how could you take me as an example?"

"Well, Persephone married you, so it wasn't bad"

"I can do it, you can't, especially not with the priestess of Amaterasu. You're in trouble, I can't keep lying to her for long"

The ruler of Helleim was right: the sun goddess had already begun to raise a fuss throughout Valhalla, accusing every deity who came under fire, but it was only a matter of time before she ventured into the depths of Poseidon's castle.

As soon as the goddess saw your empty room, she immediately gave the order to her servants to search for you throughout the structure, including the gardens, and then sent Susanoo to patrol Valhalla, while she would go down to Hellheim herself. She had threatened Hades, grabbing him by the collar and silencing his wife with a single look, literally making her tremble with fear. "Where is my daughter, king of the Underworld?"

She had threatened him, her grip burning like fire, while her eyes were filled with anger. He had defended his brother despite everything, even though he knew that Amaterasu-sama would have discovered them anyway. So why not extend your life for a while?

Persephone was furious, she felt teased and humiliated, plus, as if that weren't enough, Hades proved helpless and didn't even defend her. What a shame!

Instead Hades was much worse off than her and wasted no time in rushing to Poseidon.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?"

She found them. It's over.

Poseidon was the only god left in all of heaven that hadn't been searched, therefore, Hades was asked to piss off - which is equivalent to being dragged out by Amaterasu. Tongues of fire shot their way from behind her, while the sea king was already ready to use his trident, but the goddess was much more powerful than him. "Y/N's prayers are heard from miles away and Hades was stupid enough to come here right after we met. You are one more pathetic than the other"

There, Poseidon lost his mind, his brother was to remain out of the question. He attacked without a second thought, but Amaterasu dodged, striking him painfully in the side. Poseidon coughed up blood, lay on the ground as a searing pain ate his side, so Amaterasu spoke again: "Susanoo is already bringing her home, look at her again and I'll kill you, you filthy piece of shit"

And having said that, she left. "Mother!" you said jumping down from your uncle's arms to run and hug her. "My little ray of sunshine"

You were together again and that was the important thing, from now on he would never leave you or force you to go to any party. You were safe, alive, and that was just fine.

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror x you #snv x reader #snv x you #request #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie #snv poseidon #poseidon x reader #poseidon #record of ragnarok poseidon

[shkika]

Do you have a post explaining your SoS = Saint headcanon (like the hows and the whys)? I think it’s a super cool theory but I can’t find anything you’ve written in depth about it :(

Yes sure!

I have realized it is extremely difficult to search through my asks related only to a specific topic oops..

My theory stems from a specific Moon dialogue. The one in the void where she explains that the solution was something beyond their understanding. A variable out of infinity that EVEN if they found, the wouldn't know to test. Basically this this finding one single thing out of an infinity of options. Not only that, but the only way to know the answer is to cross into the void and escape the cycles. Which would mean that upon discovering it, you would ascend.

Hey. Did you know that Sliver of Straw's name suspiciously much sounds like the saying "Needle in a haystack".

I've rambled about her name before it's extremely clever. I mean it literally translates to SOS while she's known for sending the triple affirmative signal and perishing.

In my theory I want to give the idea that Sliver didn't find the answer on purpose. She stumbled on it and forcefully ascended before she had enough time to explain, share or do anything more than send it out.

So then okay she's in the void. Why did she come back as Saint. What's going on?

Well the void is described as a dream. Which would mean it gives those who have departed the cycles a peaceful existence. Think of Hunter being embraced by NSH and Survivor finding their family in the home tree. Monk finding their sibling as well.

Well Sliver no doubt went through the same experience as well... however..

You can tell it's a dream. Or at least the iterators can, because they are much more intelligent. Sliver would know that her dreams aren't real. Her loved ones she sees are still stuck in the cycles, somewhere she can't reach. And she's stuck unwillingly, it was all an accident she can't escape from. And she had friends! She often bet on animal fights like a dumbass, you cannot tell me she was fully devoted and did nothing else, but work with that silly hobby in mind. It's a very goofy detail to add to her character.

I think she suffered a lot in the void. Being all alone and stuck. It was unfair to be the only one free of the cycles, especially when her accomplishment wasn't even purposeful. So she attempts to escape. More or less swim up just how we see Saint doing.

But there are in fact void worms guarding the sea. I imagine they dragged her back down. Again and again.

What goes in the void can't leave. That's a rule!

So what she does is basically destroy herself. Take herself appart in any way she can, mentally and physically so that she can ascend as something anew.

Which is where the last challenge in arena mode makes more sense. It's non canon. Sliver didn't die, because of Saint. But it is more so symbolic! She is ascended so that Saint can take her place.

It is difficult and painful, but she manages. It is also beyond cool how the motif of the game, but inverted is use for Saint's swim back to the world. I did a lengthy ramble about it here I highly recommend you give it a read, because even the music used adds to this theory! > (x) < Here it is.

All the creatures in rain world are helpless from the big iterators to the smallest of slug cats.

Sliver takes her fate in her own hands refusing to follow the world's rules, becoming Saint. This was he can give the answer to his family. To every creature he can save from the repeating cycles. Comic about that here > (x) Even if Saint's goal is unachievable he chases it anyway. Which is what makes him an echo!

As Moon and Pebbles understand.. he's the only one that can. And it is why his journey is so incredibly important. He's the only one who has seen beyond the void sea and can bring back that knowledge to others! And it's what Saint does. This is why Sliver can never return to a peaceful existence in the void sea.

#rain world #rainworld #rw saint #sliver of straw #kiki rambles #ask #anonymous #PHEW #hope this is clear enough! #this took a long time to write ill check for typos later

[xxhispieceofheavenxx]

And I'll watch || Regulus Black

Summary: When their seventh year comes to an end, Regulus wants nothing more than to live his life with the woman he's loved for years by his side. Fate has different plans for him, despite his wishes.

CW: angst, mentions of suicide (very brief), French!Regulus, depressed!Regulus, a hint of emotional abuse/dependency, just Regulus being very sad about life, sad Black!brothers talk because they are my boys that constantly hurt my heart and they deserve better than they ever got :(

Word count: 2k words

Hello!! I'm back with an angsty Regulus one-shot. I have to say, I'm not really good with angst, but I tried my best, and I think it came out quite well. I might have gotten a bit teary-eyed towards the end. This was requested, so I hope you liked it, anon! Thank you! Let me know what you think and on what wip I should focus on next!!

Request are open

Masterlist

Regulus watches on as a stampede of students moves swiftly through the corridor. Everyone carries a smile, clearly elated that their seventh year has come to an end. He sees people laughing and smiling as they hug their close friends; some look sad at the prospect of leaving the place they have been calling home for the last seven years but excited nonetheless.

He looks through the crowd, searching for her face. She is easy to spot for his watchful eyes. She stands off to the side, hugging one of her roommates, a big smile plastered on her face as her friend's tears wet her school robes. Even if he cannot hear her words, he knows what she is saying, reassuring words leaving her lips as she promises to keep in contact. Regulus waits for her to finish her goodbyes, a small smile on his own lips. He stays on his spot, even as his roommates and friends go over to him to say their goodbyes, exchanging pats on their backs.

She turns around in the sea of people looking for something, or rather someone. As soon as she locks eyes with his, a smile spreads on her face. Regulus returns it, excited at the mere prospect that she was looking for him. He raises his hand in a wave, beckoning her to get closer. She starts pushing through the crowd to get to his side.

A puff of air escapes her lips when she reaches him. "Ready to get out of here?" She smiles and grabs his hand, pulling him away before he can answer.

They make their way through the crowd until they reach the big entrance doors, where fewer people are gathered to say their goodbyes. Despite how easy it is to navigate around the small groups, she doesn't let go of his hand. Regulus smiles as he soothes her skin with his thumb.

Today is the last day of their life as students, a coming of age of sorts. They will no longer have to worry about homework or quidditch matches. It is easy to spot in the air how many mixed feelings there are, some happy, excited, others sad, perhaps even dreadful. Regulus feels invigorated; his life is about to change. It already is changing, and as he looks at the young woman holding his hand, he can feel the nerves rising through his chest and up his throat.

"Can you believe it's over?" Her voice calls out as they thread through the grass, leaving behind the noisy voices.

"It's weird, but yes, I can believe it." She picks up her pace, making both of them go faster, her goal to reach the Black Lake before anyone else.

"It's just… everything is going to be so different." She sighs, a mixture of dreaminess and doubt. "I mean, Pandora is engaged, Barty is ready to work with his dad at the Ministry, Susan is moving abroad… Everything is changing so fast."

"I know, but we knew it was coming."

"Yes. Doesn't make things less difficult, mostly when I don't know what I'm going to do now. My only option is going back to my parents and working at their shop, it seems."

"It's not your only option." His voice is soft as he stops in his tracks, letting go of her hand.

"What? Should we go and travel through Europe? Maybe you'll finally teach me some French." She stops a few steps ahead, turning to face him.

His face is solemn, an earnest look in his eyes. Regulus shakes his head, opening his mouth. No words seem to come out, his throat drying and his stomach flipping with nerves. The looks in his eyes, the hopeful, loving twinkle, must give him away as a knowing look takes over her features.

"No." She shakes her head as she moves backwards, turning to get away from him. "No."

"Please." His steps are quick as he catches up to her, getting in front so she cannot keep moving forwards. "You have to hear me out." His hands gesture to his chest. "I've loved you since the moment I saw you. You have to understand. I've tried to stop, to give you space, but it isn't working."

"No." She looks past him, trying to avoid his face, which has more emotion displayed on it than ever.

"Please. I've done everything. I've tried to let you know many times. But, but you wouldn't let me, which is fine." Her gaze turns to the floor as his voice fills with even more emotion. "Please, I just need you to consider it. Just once, please."

"Stop, please." Her voice is almost inaudible.

"I've done everything. I've worked so hard so you would see me. I've changed so much for you, which is fine, I'm happy I did." His knees start bending, trying to get her to look into his eyes. "And I did everything because… because I figured you'll love me." Her eyes close as if she is feeling pain from his words. "And I know, I know I'm not good enough, and I'll never be this wonderful man of-"

"Yes, you are. Reggie, you're a wonderful guy, too good for me." Her eyes look directly at his, her hand grabbing his arm, bringing him close. "And I wish that I could love you the way you want me to, but I just-. I can't."

"Yes, you can." His voice wobbles as the tears pool in his eyes, threatening to fall. "You can." It's just a whisper.

"I can't change how I feel."

Regulus turns his face, looking towards the floor, avoiding her eyes. His lips parted, ragged breathing as if she had just knocked the air out of him. In a way she has; he has imagined this day, this moment thousands of times and even when she said no in his thoughts, he never felt like this. He never felt the sharp pain in his chest, the way his throat is closing on him, how his tears are almost spilling down his face as the woman he wishes to spend the rest of his life with crushes his dreams.

"I can't do it, Reggie. I'm so sorry." Her voice is a whisper, emotion taking over her as she tightens her grip on his arm. "I'm so, so sorry, Reggie."

He takes a deep breath and steps back, needing to create distance between them. Needing to breathe anything other than the lingering scent of her shampoo on her hair.

"I can't love anyone else. I only love you." His voice is monotone, the words feeling foreign in his mouth.

"Reggie…" His eyes don't meet hers, he can't bring himself to do so. "We'd make a horrible couple. We-"

"No, we wouldn't. It would be-"

"We would be a disaster, Re-"

"We wouldn't be a disaster, we would-"

"I tried! Reggie, I tried and I can't." She raises her voice, making his words die in his throat.

He finally meets her eyes. They shine with intensity and love, just not the love he wishes she felt for him.

"Then why does everyone expect it?" New emotions make his voice louder. "Evan expects it, Barty expects it, Pandora; everyone expects it!" His hand extends to grab hers. "Say yes and let's be happy." Her hand moves out of his reach, she steps closer and grabs his arms.

"I can say yes, truly, so I'm not going to say it." He gets closer to her face, wanting to touch her lip with his but not doing so. "And you'll see that I'm right eventually, and you'll thank me for not saying yes."

Regulus steps away, momentarily looking at her. "I'll be dead before I thank you for it."

"Reggie." She steps closer, trying to grab at him once again.

"I'll kill myself before that happens."

"Reggie, don't say that!" She watches as he walks away. "Reggie." She starts walking, trying to catch up to him. "Reggie! Listen, you'll find someone." She reaches his back, putting her hand there, taking hold of his hand. He swiftly brushes her off. "You'll find a lovely, pure-blood woman, that your parents will approve of. And she will adore you." She keeps her pace with his. "And she will make the perfect wife and mother, and daughter-in-law. She'll be everything I could never be!"

"Yes, you could." He stops and turns to her. "You could."

"Look at me! I'm awkward-"

"I love you."

"And I'm not a pure-blood-"

"I love you."

"I'm weird and you would be ashamed of me,-"

"I love you."

"We would fight constantly, I could never meet your parents' expectations." She reaches closer to him, pointing to her chest. "I'd hate elegant society." She points her finger at his. "You'd hate that I don't fit in. And we would be unhappy, and we would wish that we had never done it and everything would be horrible." She pants as her words die. Regulus' jaw ticks as he looks up from the floor.

His lips wobble.

"Anything else?"

"No, nothing else."

"Alright." His voice is breathy and defeated as he turns away from her once more.

"Except that," He turns back around, nodding to her with his face tight. She pauses, looking around before she meets his eyes again. "I don't believe I was made to be in love." He pushes out a breath. "I'm happy as I am. I love living in my own little world too much to give it up."

"I think you're wrong about that."

"No."

"I think you'll find love. I think you'll find a man that you want to share your world with, and you'll love him with everything in you because that's the way you do things." He pauses. "And I'll watch." A stubborn tear finally runs down his cheek.

Regulus turns around, defeated, and continues to walk away from her. She stays, watching his back get further and further away from her. Both of their happiness stripped away with just a conversation. Her frame falls to the floor with a thud, curling her legs into herself as she cries sour tears.

With quick steps, he marches back into the castle and down the stair to the Slytherin dorm. He gathers his belongings that he packed the night before, when he was still hopeful. Before his life came crashing down, before his dreams of twinkling eyes and beautiful smiles turned into nightmares. Everything is his fault, he knows. She has never owed him anything, and she doesn't now either. She has happily given him her friendship for years; that should be enough for him. But it is not. Nothing that she could ever give him would be enough for him, he realises. Because Regulus knows that she, no matter how hard he tried, would never allow him into her dreams and passions. The knowledge of it doesn't take away the pain.

#regulus black #regulus #regulus black x reader #regulus x reader #regulus black angst #regulus angst #regulus black x reader angst #regulus x reader angst #marauders angst #marauders #sirius black angst #sirius angst #black brothers angst #sirius and regulus angst #fem!reader #regulus black x fem!reader #regulus x fem!reader

[gellavonhamster]

near dark (1987) but make it asoue

@carnivorous-horses-lover first of all, thank you for enabling me

Secondly, imagine, if you will, a small-town young man who works at his stepfather's farm. The young man's name is Fernald, and his life is pretty miserable - his attempt at an acting career in the City failed, forcing him to return to his hometown, and now he's stuck in a routine he doesn't enjoy. His relationship with his stepfather Widdershins isn't great - in part, probably, because his stepfather is a pretty miserable man too, a former sea captain now bound to live on land after sustaining injuries that made him unfit for life at sea. Nearly the only bright spot for Fernald is his teenage sister, Fiona - she's talented and smart, and surely won't become a failure like him.

One evening, as Fernald is getting drunk at the bar after a particularly angry row with his stepfather, he meets a cute and charming person called Orlando (I think this name would fit in fine in this AU - iirc, Sunny refers to the Henchperson like that at some point either in the books or in the series, and Virginia Woolf's Orlando is able to live for centuries without growing old). They hit it off right away, and damn, this might be the drink talking, but Fernald feels like he's falling in love. At the end of the night, just before sunrise, as Orlando is about to leave, he kisses them.

And then Orlando bites him. Bites him and sucks his blood.

After that, Orlando runs away without explanation, so at first, Fernald doesn't understand what has happened to him. But then the rising sun starts burning his flesh. As he's trying to hide in the shade, an RV drives up, and Orlando pulls him in. Inside, he finds a group of people all screaming at Orlando that they should kill Fernald, but then Orlando tells them that they've already turned him, and, after some discussion, the strangers inform him that they'll let him live - for now. Fernald learns that his new acquaintances are a band of vampires who roam the Land of Districts under the guise of a travelling acting troupe. The band is led by Count Olaf, a man claiming to have been an 18th century nobleman. Apart from him and Orlando, there's Olaf's girlfriend Esme, a Bald Man, two White-Faced Women, and Carmelita, a tween girl recently turned by Esme when the latter decided she wanted a daughter. They travel from town to town, kill people to feed, and occasionally steal a new vehicle and burn the old one to cover up their tracks.

The Count and the others tell Fernald that they're going to give him a probational period of sorts - he gets a week to learn to hunt, and if he doesn't, they're going to get rid of him. The problem is, Fernald can't make himself kill people. His thirst is strong and he can feel his organism starting to reject human food, but he cannot overcome his fear and disgust. Orlando helps him by hunting for him and feeding him their blood after they have fed themselves, but they tell him this cannot go on, and Fernald knows that eventually he has either to become a murderer or be murdered. In the Village of Fowl Devotees, where the vampires attack a bar, he fails to kill a local handyman and lets him escape. Everyone but Orlando is furious and wants to kill him, but then the police arrive, and Fernald risks his life to help the rest of the group escape. This pacifies the vampires, and they decide to give him more time to adjust.

Meanwhile, Widdershins and Fiona follow the trail of the vampires' rampage from town to town, hoping to catch up with Fernald and see if he can still be saved. They meet the handyman, Hector, who has seen which direction the vampires drove off to. After driving all day, they decide to stay at a motel, not knowing that Olaf's troupe is also staying there. At some point, while Widdershins isn't present, Fiona goes out of their room and runs into Carmelita. They strike a conversation, and Carmelita, happy to finally have someone her age to talk to, invites Fiona to their room. When Fiona sees her brother, she is overjoyed, but he immediately gets worried and tells her to leave. It is, however, too late: Carmelita wants a friend, and even though Olaf hates the idea, Esme is still fond enough of her toy - pardon, her child - to indulge her whims.

Luckily, Widdershins arrives and threatens the vampires with a gun. A scuffle ensures, and the whole family, including Fernald, manages to escape. For some reason, Widdershins is sure that a blood transfusion might help Fernald revert to human state. They try it, and it works.

The family returns home and wards the house against vampires ("but Stepfather, how do you even know all these things?" - "don't worry about it"), yet it turns out they've been followed. At night, Orlando comes and persuades Fernald to go out and talk to them. They try to convince Fernald to let them bite him again and go back with them, but eventually, unable to lie anymore, they break down and reveal that the other vampires made them distract him. Turns out that while they were talking, Olaf's troupe somehow broke through the protection of the house. Fernald discovers that his stepfather is grievously wounded and his sister is gone. Widdershins tells him that the vampires took Fiona away and urges Fernald to follow them. Fernald calls the ambulance for his stepfather and leaves to chase the troupe, who have by then picked up Orlando and driven away. He is attacked by the Bald Man and the White-Faced Women, but manages to defeat them.

Orlando, who is genuinely in love with Fernald, decides to risk incurring Olaf and Esme's wrath and help Fiona escape. Together they break out of the car and run towards Fernald. The sun is rising, and Orlando has to cover themselves with a jacket, because the sun keeps burning them. Furious Olaf and Esme, with Carmelita in the backseat, pursue them and attempt to run them over with their car. Fernald manages to push Fiona and Orlando away, but the car crashes into him, and he passes out.

He regains consciousness in the same small - and, honestly, shady-looking - hospital where his blood transfusion was performed. He is aching all over, and one of his hands has been amputated, but he's alive. Fiona is there, and so is his father, bruised but still standing - and Orlando, who has also been cured by a blood transfusion. Another person present, strangely, is the handyman from the Village of Fowl Devotees. He tells them that the car with the vampires exploded in the crash, but no human remains were found when the fire was extinguished. Perhaps they burned to ashes completely. Perhaps not.

Okay, says Fernald, what the hell. Why are you here? How did Stepfather know that the blood transfusions would help? What kind of hospital is this?

Widdershins and Hector share an awkward glance.

There used to be an... organization some years ago, they tell him. An organization created to battle supernatural threats. It was founded long ago by people privy to the secrets of the world. But it has been dying out for decades, and their generation was the last. Too many died, too many quit out of fear (Hector looks away, embarrassed), too many were seduced by the occult and joined the other side. But the few still remain - the ones who don't seek out the enemy actively, but still remember how to fight against it.

They call themselves volunteers.

And it seems no one can hide from what one is forever.

#the ending is kinda... nothing of that sort happens in the movie but i wanted this to have its own version of vfd #and it could probably be integrated more smoothly but i can't think of anything better at the moment #anyway! near dark! a good vampire road movie. highly recommend #asoue #a series of unfortunate events #fernald widdershins #captain widdershins #fiona widdershins #hector #henchperson of indeterminate gender #count olaf #esme squalor #carmelita spats #gella talks snicketverse #talk talk talk #snicketverse

[richincolor]

Review: Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier Clarion Books

Publisher Summary: In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person’s greatest sorrow. But as with all things that offer hope when hope had gone, the tale came with a warning.

Every wish demands a price.

Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile. In the years that follow, Hanalei finds solace in studying the majestic seadragons that roam the Nominomi Sea. Until, one day, an encounter with a female dragon offers her what she desires most. A chance to return home, and to right a terrible wrong.

Samahtitamahenele, Sam, is the last remaining prince of Tamarind. But he can never inherit the throne, for Tamarind is a matriarchal society. With his mother ill and his grandmother nearing the end of her reign. Sam is left with two choices: to marry, or to find a cure for the sickness that has plagued his mother for ten long years. When a childhood companion returns from exile, she brings with her something he has not felt in a very long time-hope.

But Hanalei and Sam are not the only ones searching for the dragonfruit. And as they battle enemies both near and far, there is another danger they cannot escape…that of the dragonfruit itself.

My Thoughts: Dragonfruit captured me and wouldn’t let me go. This is an action packed fantasy that is just as vivid and gorgeous as the cover would lead you to believe. It was an extremely satisfying read and I appreciated that though it could have a sequel, one isn’t necessary.

Readers get to learn about the seadragons through Hanalei’s perspective. They are dangerous, but they are also beautiful and fascinating. Hanalei studies them for multiple reasons. Her life is all tangled up with the seadragons and even as she searches for the dragonfruit, she wrestles with herself because using these beings is not without cost to both the person and the dragonfruit. Seeing the characters work through their ethics around what they are willing to do to help a loved one is quite interesting. Along with ethical questions, there are also questions about science and belief in the gods. Can you practice science while believing in intervention from gods?

I don’t want to spoil anything so I will only say that the bat on the cover was a delight and the other animals like it that show up add a special dimension to the tale. The images on the cover really are fabulous. The illustrator is Tran Nguyen and the designer is Molly Fehr. There are wonderful details throughout including designs on Hanalei’s hand, neck, and face. The rope and spear winding around her and all of the moving boats hint at the large amount of action on the water.

It is nice to see the different relationships developing or progressing whether they were friendships, romantic, or familial. The characters learn and grow even in the brief time we get to spend with them.

Recommendation: Get it as soon as you can. Lucier has told a enchanting story that will stick with readers. And also there are seadragons so of course it’s a must read.

Review copy: Final copy via publisher

Publisher: clarion Books

Availability: On shelves now

Pages: 368

#young adult books #book review #ya lit

[tmnt-obsessed-ace]

Lost But Never Found: Chapter 1, A Clashing Of Titans

How will the world end?

A grim question to be sure. Will it end in flames? A giant inferno consuming everything in its path.

Perhaps a flood will be the cause. Drowning all life before the titans of the sea consume the remains.

Maybe the world will freeze, a giant lifeless ball of ice floating through space.

Of course there's a more terrifying option. When the world crumbles due to something else. Something not natural.

Something that's indestructible.

Even the strongest weapons known to man cannot even graze it.

It's too powerful, stronger than the wildest hurricane, the biggest volcano, the deadliest earthquake.

How would you even fight something like that? Answer: you can't.

You can't fight it.

Can't hide from it.

Can't escape.

Its raw unrestrained power, strangled into a body made of metal. Metal that has been infused with nothing but pure evil.

Begging for mercy is out of the question. It wont grant it.

It doesn't even seem to understand the concept of "mercy." Destruction is all it knows.

It is a wild feral animal, attacking anything and everything that moves.

But what exactly is this terrifying creature that could bring about the end of the world as people know it?

It is known by one name.

The Shredder.

Once a kind man turned a monster by the armor his soul now haunts. The armor had been destroyed, the pieces scattered across the globe. It was the only way to ensure that the Shredder would never return to the earth.

The key word being had. The horrible dark armor had been destroyed.

It had been reconstructed, piece by piece by the Foot clan. The Foot Clan was a cult devoted to the Shredder, their ultimate goal was to unleash their lord and together they would take over the world.

Of course that scenario did not exactly play out as they had hoped. The Shredder attacked them instantly, because it was not the Shredder they expected. Instead of a conquering evil warlord they got a feral wild animal.

Serves them right honestly.

However those cowards had fled as soon as things went south. Leaving their enemies, the remains of the Hamato clan to deal with the fallout.

The aforementioned fallout being the Shredder attacking everything in sight before zapping to a new location to trash, rinse and repeat every fifteen minutes.

It was exhausting.

Fighting this unstoppable bundle of rage, barely staying alive until it zaps to another location.

So a plan had been made, to go get help from one of the top crime bosses of the yokai-populated Hidden City beneath New York.

Her name is Big Mama, she is as deceptive as she is entrancing.

Now outside of her beloved Nexus Hotel a blue glow appeared in the air, swirling brightly as it formed a massive circle. A portal.

Two figures landed crouched down in front of the massive hotel. The taller of the two slung an ōdachi over his shoulder, looking down at the shorter with a slightly anxious gaze.

"So you knew Big Mama back in the day?" The taller figure, a mutant red eared slider asked curiously. The shorter, a portly mutant rat flushed nervously.

"We were just friends!" He replied all too quickly to be convincing. "I mean, it will all be fine!" The rat finished with a horribly nervous laugh. The slider rolled his eyes gazing up at the massive hotel.

It will be fine! He'll go right in there, crank up the charm, and face-man Big Mama so hard she'll be on her hands and knees begging to help them! Easy! He's got this!

The dozens of cuts and scrapes that littered his body stung as a painful reminder that he had to do this. Everyone was counting on him. If he didn't get Big Mama's help, his family and the entire world were fucking screwed.

But he's got this!

He turned to the rat, time to face the music, or in this case the manipulative spider yokai that would most definitely try to kill them given the chance.

The rat had turned around and was muttering under his breath while clutching his head in his hands. "Just rat up and see her. How bad could it be? Okay, super awful, but come on! Tuck in your tail and let's go!"

Okay…

They entered the hotel. The slider spotted one of the bellhops, a fox yokai, standing in front of the elevator. First get past this guy and then deal with Big Mama.

The slider, Leo, cleared his throat as they approached the bellhop.

"Two to see Big Mama. We're totally on her schedule." He said, piling on the charm. The fox's expression didn't change, better throw in a compliment to sweeten the deal. "Sweet whisker mustache, BTW. Makes you look young. Or old, whichever you're going for."

The bellhop rolled his eyes in annoyance before pulling a walkie talkie out of his pocket, score.

Leo glanced down at the rat, who is his beloved father Splinter. Splinter grimaced, nervously fidgeting with his tattered Lou Jitsu costume.

"Two chatted-up mutants here for ya, mum. A rat and one of them bleedin' turtles." Leo resisted the urge to scoff. Now that was just plain rude. He held his tongue, can't screw up now.

Big Mama's voice crackled through the walkie talkie "Tell them to shove off" The bellhop repeated it, much to Leo's annoyance. But that's fine! Plan B he portals them straight to that stupid spider lady's office!

Before the witty response could leave his mouth Splinter spoke up.

"Fine. Tell her her snuggle muffin beefcake is here." An embarrassed blush coated Splinter's face while Leo felt his stomach churn.

"Uh," He started, cringing down to his soul. "How do you know Big Mama again?" The slider yelped when his shorter father pulled him down to eye level. After a short glance at the bellhop to be sure he wasn't listening, Splinter sighed before turning back to his son.

The rat began to whisper "In addition to being a crime boss, Big Mama is also kind of…my ex."

Leo sat there, frozen as the words rooted himself deep into his skull.

Then he screamed in horror, his body cringing so hard it felt like he was being out through a meat grinder. Dear god why? Why?

Splinter began talking about how they met, a story of love, an inseparable pair. Those two were practically soulmates! Then the story grew dark when Big Mama rejected his proposal, revealing her true form and kidnapping him to the Battle Nexus to become her champion.

The boy was struggling not to throw up, the thought of his dad dating Big Mama! Yeah no he would rather stick his head into raw sewage. His father sighed as he finished his tale

"I do miss her pre-kidnapping times. I mean, how could anyone stay mad at those eyes? That smile. And those-" Leo covered his ears, if he heard more of his father's dating life he would scream.

"No, no, no, no more lovey and or dovey talk!" The bellhop made a noise of annoyance, gaining the duo's attention. A sinister smirk was one his muzzle.

"Hey, rat! Big Mama's got a message for you two." Splinter muttered something about a long overdue apology while Leo huffed. Showtime. Before they could blink, two dark blue coins were thrown at their heads.

The coins swirled into a pink and orange portal, sucking both rat and turtle into the vortex. Screams tore through their lungs as they zipped around through the blue vortex before crashing face first into unforgiving concrete.

When they sat up they were behind a glass railing, looming over the arena below.

Far below was a massive kraken, tentacles waving around the arena while some poor sap with a flimsy battle ax cowered nervously before the beast. Even from high above it was obvious the poor guy was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

In the blink of an eye the poor fool was flung into the stone wall hard enough to leave a massive crater. That had to hurt.

The crowd erupted like a volcano, blood red petals falling from the ceiling into the arena.

Splinter visibly shuddered next to Leo, but the slider pretended not to be phased. Fake it till you make it as the saying goes.

"The Battle Nexus? Okay, no biggie. We've got this. Trust me." His father scoffed, grabbing the poor boy's face.

"I do not!" Splinter scolded. "You don't know Big Mama like I do. She's ruthless!" The elevator dinged, speak of the mother fucking devil. Out came the jorōgumo herself.

Perfect timing, the slider was beginning to let the mask slip. It was slapped back on, glued down and hopefully the cracks couldnt be seen.

"Snuggle muffin beefcake?" She began, not even sparing Leo a glance, which he was grateful for because he once again felt like he was going to puke."Where did you hear that naughty little nickname, rat man?"

The rat's cheeks darkened once more, before he steeled himself. Before Leo could gag his father spun Big Mama around, gazing up at her six glowing red eyes.

"From you, as we tangoed the night away, my sassy sugar badger" Ok that's it Leo couldn't take it anymore. He noped right out of that conversation and gazed down at the arena below.

The kraken was gone, the poor idiot's bloody remains being cleaned off the arena floor. Poor guy didn't stand a chance. The turtle grimaced, even from here it didn't look pretty.

He looked up at one of the mystic monitors, which was displaying the next upcoming fight.

"The Sunset Serpent vs the Akuma Kappa"

On the left was a huge red and orange constrictor snake yokai with way too many eyes for a danger noodle to have.

But the fighter on the right truly got Leo's attention.

The fighter on the right was much smaller than the snake. Despite the short stature this guy was nonetheless menacing.

Most of the guy's body was covered by a black cloak obscuring it from view. He was holding twin katanas, blood from a previous battle dripping from the blades. The guy's hands appeared to be massive spider claws just Big Mamas.

The only part visible was the face under the shadow of the hood.

Glowing blood red streaks under the eyes, mouth covered by a black mask with a truly vicious glowing demon fang decal. It was…sinister to say the least. Like a monster underneath the bed.

Eesh, wouldn't want to piss that guy off.

Big Mama's voice cut through Leo's thoughts.

"I do have a splendiferous mystic bauble that you can have. For a price." Her masked assistant held up a projection of a mystic looking collar. Leo smirked.

Bingo.

"And there it is. Always has to be something in it for her." Splinter retorted, time to crank up the Leo.

"Prickly Petey losing his charm?"

He got between the two old lovebirds, slinging an arm around Big Mama's shoulders.

"Hey, hey, hey, water under the bridge. Big Mama, Bubby, let's talk Shredder. He's bad for us, bad for New York, bad for your Yokai business in New York. So, if you got a solution, let's make a deal." He cooed sweetly, watching her like a hawk.

He caught her expression shift subtly from annoyed to confused to understanding. He could vaguely hear his father's protests, how "no one outsmarts Big Mama."

Well that may be true but Big Mama never met the only and only Neon Leon Hamato! He's got this!

"You know, I don't hear a lot of cheering." He began, and it was true there was a lot less cheering than the last time the turtles were here.

"Business is not booming. What you need is a headliner. Someone to put butts in seats. Someone to take on your new champ. Someone like your old champ in new form: Ratjitzu!" Splinter squawked in protest, which Leo swiftly ignored.

Before Big Mama could even open her mouth Leo kept going "Okay fine, let me sweeten the deal!"

"But she didn't even say no to your first deal yet!"

"And Ratjitzu is going to be fighting with no weapons." Big Mama looked excited, seriously considering such a proposition.

"But that beast has rat-crushing tentacles!" Once again Splinter's protests went ignored.

"We have a deal!" Big Mama said, whether from genuine excitement over the supposed battle of the ages or perhaps sadistic pleasure at watching her old ex most likely get pummeled. Who really cares about the specifics.

Splinter all but screamed in the background. Leo however smiled brightly at Big Mama.

"Yes! Ah, I'm not sure how this works. Which hand do I shake?" After a brief handshake he pulled the rat close to his side. "Trust me pops. You got this."

"I knew I should’ve bought purple." Leo rolled his eyes as they were escorted to a dressing room. Big Mama was watching them with a sinister smirk. She thinks she was playing them, gaining their trust to betray them soon after.

But what big spooky spider lady didn't know is that Leo was playing her right back.

And he plays to win.

The plan was in place, and Leo couldn't be more giddy.

Everything worked out perfectly, he already knows exactly how they will take down Kraken Tom. And Big Mama still thinks she's the one in control!

Ha!

Yeah right!

He can already picture her shocked face when she gets outplayed by a teenager!

There's just one last detail needed to make this plan a success.

A portal coin.

He'll stuff it into his brand new totally awesome Lou Jitsu costume and when Big Mama betrays them, because she will betray them, Wham! He'll steal his Ōdachi and they'll be home free!

The hard part is getting the portal coin without anyone noticing.

Big Mama and her creepy ass assistant were in her office, organizing the event while Splinter was still being fitted for his new costume. Only three more battles until its showtime.

So Leo was wandering around the halls of the Nexus, sneakily avoiding the gaze of the bellhops and guards. He should be able to snatch a portal coin from one of them.

But which one? Which one has the lowest attention span so they won't notice turtle fingers in their pockets?

Then he heard a noise.

The slider stopped dead in his tracks, not even daring to breathe. If he's caught now the world's done for!

A few seconds pass before he hears it again.

The noise was a faint whimper. You had to strain to hear it.

Leo glanced down the hall, following the sound. As he got closer to the sound it sounded like someone was in pain. Soon he stood in front of a wall, the noises could be heard on the other side.

A wall making noises?

There was a small indent on the floor, a button from the looks of it. Hidden just out of sight to anyone not paying attention.

Leo gently kicked the button with his foot, a soft click could be heard as the wall opened a bit. He smirked, pushing his way into the wall. There was a small back room hidden behind the wall.

The wall clicked shut behind him, leaving the only light source being some dim glowing crystals here and there.

There were boxes, some old weapons, bones… yeesh this place was creepy.

A pained grunt caught Leo's attention.

Sitting on one of the boxes was another turtle.

A turtle with a badly dislocated left shoulder.

The left hand was planted firmly to the wall while he was trying to move the joint back in place with his right hand. His arms and legs were wrapped in thick layers of dirty fabric similar to boxing tape up to his biceps and upper thighs.

"Uh boy that looks bad." Leo couldn't help but blurt out. The turtle yelped, and in a split second the blade of a katana was pointed at his throat.

"Who are you?" The turtle gasped, the sword shaking like a leaf. Leo gulped, taking several steps back. There were incredibly dark bags under the turtle's eyes. He looked exhausted.

"Woah woah woah there pal!" Leo hastily backtracked, waving his hands in surrender.

"Shut up! Who sent you? W-was it Big Mama?" The turtle stuttered out, nearly dropping the katana from how hard he was shaking.

"No! No, I just heard you whimpering and wanted to check it out! Honest!"

"Well everything is fine! So leave! Before anyone finds us!" Leo frowned, gazing at the dislocated shoulder. That straight up looked painful. The medic in him was screaming to fix it, set the joint or else it would heal badly.

There were several dozen cuts all over the turtle's body all in various stages of healing. From deep gashes to thin scrapes. Some even looked infected.

Leo reached for his fanny packs under the thick jumpsuit, causing the turtle to straight up flinch.

"Easy! Look let me patch up your wounds and fix your shoulder then I'll get out of your hair! Ok?"

"It's not your job to fix me up. It was my fault I got hurt so I got it!"

"Uh clearly you don't got it pal."

"Save your energy for your own battle."

"What?"

The katana blade was pointed at Leo's sick ass outfit.

"You're dressed like a fighter, albeit a really dumb looking one, so your turn in the arena is coming up soon."

Leo rolled his eyes, crouching down to be eye level with the turtle. "First of all dude this outfit is the iconic jumpsuit of the famed Lou Jitsu! And second, I'm not an official fighter."

"Who's Lou Jitsu?"

The slider gasped, a hand over his heart.

"You don't know who Lou Jitsu is?" The other turtle shook his head, a curious glint in his eyes.

Leo sighed, clapping his hands. "Let me patch you up and I'll tell you all about him! Deal?" The turtle looked at him questioningly.

The blade was lowered, set down on one of the boxes. "Fine, do your worst." Leo smirked, gently grabbing the dislocated shoulder. The turtle winced, already gritting his teeth.

"Ok so Lou Jitsu is one of the best action fighters of all time!" Leo began, keeping his voice to a quiet whisper as he worked on easing the joint back into the socket.

In two minutes there was a loud pop, the turtle biting his lip to keep from screaming. He slumped against the wall, breathing like he ran a marathon.

"Feels better?" The turtle nodded, moving his arm around. "Hey buddy you gotta rest that arm or it won't heal!"

The turtle huffed out a tired laugh.

"Tell that to Big Mama!"

"I'm sure the look on her face will be worth it!" Leo boasted, pulling out some disinfectant spray and bandages. Time to deal with the smaller injuries.

"What do you mean?" The turtle asked, suddenly afraid. Leo smirked, leaning close to him.

"I'm gonna outplay Big Mama!" He whispered with an excited giggle.

The turtle gave him a horrified and or baffled look.

"Are you insane?" Leo smirked harder, ignoring the soft hiss from the turtle as he sprayed a cut on his thigh. "That's full on suicide!"

"Is it?" The turtle smacked Leo on the head, hard enough to make him yelp.

"Of course it is! Big Mama is crazy manipulative! She sees through any plan you could make and stops you from making a move. Then she will kill you!"

"We got a deal!" The turtle scoffed, flicking Leo in the forehead. He got his payback by tightly tying a bandage over the cut, far tighter than necessary. The turtle squeaked before the bandages were loosened a tad.

"It doesn't matter what 'deal' you have! She will betray you!"

"Exactly!" Leo countered before moving on to a gash on the turtle's stomach. "In fact I'm counting on it!" The turtle shook his head, muttering under his breath.

"We both know your little plan is going to flop!"

"Do we?"

"Uh yes! It's Big Mama, you can't win against her. Believe me I tried." The turtle took off the boxer tape on his right arm, revealing three massive dark scars extending from the wrist to the elbow.

Marks from Big Mama's claws.

Dread pooled in Leo's stomach.

"I almost bled out because of these. She said this was the first and last warning. Defy her again and…" The turtle made a cut throat motion with his finger. "Only reason she kept me is because I'm a good fighter."

Leo gently ran his fingers down the dark scars, heart drumming in his chest. The boxer tape was back on the turtle's arm a few seconds later, wrapped in a practiced mechanical motion. Leo continued patching the rest of the turtle's injuries before finally sighing.

"Everyone's depending on me to win this. Win against Big Mama. I got this!" The turtle rolled his eyes.

"And how exactly are you going to pull this grand scheme off huh?" Leo glanced back at the wall he came in from. No one can hear about this.

"You promise not to tell anyone?"

The turtle nodded, scooting closer to Leo. The slider pulled out a small notebook and pen from his shell, sketching out the plan and how he and his dad were going to whoop ass.

"You're going up against Kraken Tom and the Evil Six? Well if Big Mama doesn't kill you they certainly will."

Leo sketched out the pointy helmets, scribbling some portals onto the paper.

"All I gotta do is snatch a portal coin and we're good to go!"

"And how are you going to do that genius?"

Leo deflated, shrugging nervously.

"I was figuring that out when I heard you."

The turtle frowned, gesturing at Leo to fork over the pen and paper. He started scribbling something before handing the notepad back.

There was a poorly drawn picture of…something. A goat…no maybe a bear…or a narwhal?

"Uh what am I looking at here pal?" The turtle groaned, standing up on unsteady legs.

"I'll show you, follow me!" He limped over to the wall, immediately getting Leo concerned.

"Dude why didn't you mention your leg! Sit back down!"

The turtle just stared at Leo, a weary gaze that made him shudder.

"It's been like that for as long as I can remember. There's nothing you can do. Now hurry up!" Leo frowned but obliged, following the turtle to the wall.

It was then that he realized that the turtle is much shorter than him, maybe three or four inches.

There was a click and the wall opened, the duo peering out into the hallway. There was an elephant seal bellhop passing by in the far distance.

"See that guy?"

"Dude you gotta learn how to draw better holy shit." The turtle ignored that comment and continued.

"His nap break is coming up in about two minutes. Once his head hits the table he's dead to the world."

"And you know this, how exactly?"

"Because I steal knives from him all the time and he never notices."

Leo snickered at that, watching the bellhop go down the stairs.

"Ok cool but how will I find him?"

"He snores like a freight train, it's pretty hard to miss." Leo smirked menacingly, all those years of stealing money from dad's pockets is about to pay off.

"Thanks bud! Wait…" Leo trailed off as the turtle went to grab his katanas. "Why are you helping me? You literally said that my plan is suicide!"

The turtle shrugged at him, in the light from the open wall Leo could see his eyes more clearly.

They were a dark bluish-purple color. An Indigo color framed by a thin rim of electric yellow on the outer part of the iris.

Those eyes were so tired. So utterly drained.

"You helped me so I helped you, now we're even." There was more to it though.

"Is that all buddy boy?"

With a sigh the katanas were picked up, slung over both shoulders like an x.

"I really hope your plan works out, someone's gotta take Big Mama down a peg or two." The two left the backroom, time to go separate ways.

"Hey wait!" Leo grabbed the turtle's right shoulder, stopping him from leaving. "What's your name?"

The turtle's face shifted from stunned back to neutral.

"I don't have one." He said calmly, like he was talking about the weather.

"You don't have a name?" Leo echoed, eyes wide.

The turtle nodded, albeit a bit solemnly.

"I've been in the Battle Nexus for as long as I can remember. I don't know anything else."

"What about Indigo?" At the turtle's confused look Leo pointed to his eyes. "Like your eyes! They're a weird bluish purple color so it fits!"

The turtle chuckled a bit half-heartedly. "I don't really look in the mirror that much but I'll take your word for it…"

"You, my friend, can call me Leo! Or Leon! Whichever makes me sound cooler!"

Indigo smiled a bit. "Sure thing Leon. Hope you don't end up here, your scrawny ass won't last a week!" Indigo said as he left, leaving Leo alone.

Maybe once this whole Shredder nightmare is over they can stage a rescue mission for his new friend Indigo…

Showtime.

The Battle Nexus was absolutely packed with yokai. Some were even fighting over seats just to watch the incoming battle.

You could almost smell the excitement in the air as the entire crowd was screaming. From high above the fuss and the fray sat Big Mama, clapping her hands excitedly.

"The arena has never been this woozy fuddled!" Big Mama cheered, absolutely delighted. Leo smirked, sipping on a cup of fancy tea. In a matter of minutes Big Mama will be as good as got.

What the announcer said shocked Leo to his very core.

"Yokai of all ages, tonight marks a once in a lifetime event! For the first time in Battle Nexus history it's a three way championship knockout to the death! The three biggest titans of the Battle Nexus will go head to head, only one will survive!"

You know what? That's fine no biggie the announcer means that those six big guys are the third person. It's fine! Totally fine! Right?

"In the first corner of the arena are six horrifyingly familiar faces we love to hate and love to root for. You know them! You fear them! The Evil Six!" Those six pinkish looking yokai stepped into the arena. All of them were wearing the pointy helmets.

Leo's heart slowed down, so far so good.

"Joining them in the most unlikely team up of the millenia, with his powerful tentacles he can crush any opponent in seconds! The very beloved current Battle Nexus Champion, Kraken Tom!"

The Kraken slithered out into the arena, bellowing a horrible screech that made everyone go absolutely bonkers! Wait a team-up? But it's a three way battle! Who's…

"And now entering the arena after thirteen years of absence, the biggest former Battle Nexus champion is ready to reclaim his glory, back and even hairier Rat Jitsu!"

Splinter stood trembling in the arena as the crowd roared. Leo smiled, standing behind the glass rail. He looked awesome as hell in his custom Lou Jitsu uniform.

"Dad! Daddy Up here!" He yelled, waving his arms excitedly. Splinter glanced up at him, eyes filled with barely contained anger.

"Can someone tell my son I am not talking to him!" Splinter shouted, Leo ignored the comment. Everything is going to plan, they'll be fine.

"You got this pops! I love you!" The slider blew his father a kiss, which he swatted away like a fly. The boy slumped back onto the couch, glancing at Big Mama. Time to put the plan in motion.

"Remember a deal’s a deal." Big Mama chuckled deviously. Bingo.

"Of course Big Mama never goes back on a deal. She does, however, alter the terms at the very last second." Yeah he saw that one coming, exactly as he wanted. But this has to be believable.

"I’m sorry?" He asked in faux surprise before he was tackled to the ground by guards, his tea cup slapped out of his hands. One of the guards took his ōdachi. "Not my ōdachi!" He whined as Big Mama turned into her spider form.

"One last wrinkly doo. You’ll be fighting alongside your papa. But you still get my bauble if you win." The spider lady said in a singsong voice even having the fucking audacity to boop Leo on the nose.

"An out of nowhere betrayal! NOO!" He screamed as a green trapdoor opened underneath him, sending him into the arena. It wasn't an out of nowhere betrayal, all according to plan.

Splinter looked at his son, who was brushing dust off his own jumpsuit.

"Oh, the old last second trap door betrayal?" He wasn't even trying to hide the sarcasm.

"Please this was my plan all along-" Leo was cut off by the announcer.

"And to complete this unholy trifecta with the third challenger!" The father son duo turned to another set of massive doors, where a fearsome silhouette stood. The figure stepped forward, body covered by a thick black cloak. He lifted his head, Leo's blood turning to ice.

The glowing red streaks under the eyes, the mask with the glowing demon maw.

Indigo eyes framed with a band of electric yellow.

No fucking way-

"What started as a plain old nobody now becomes one of the deadliest fighters in over a century, with his blades he can slice even the biggest of giants down to ribbons. He may be small but he grants no mercy. Everyone give it up for the Oni of the Battle Nexus, the Akuma Kappa!"

What? Oh god this wasn't part of the plan.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Just admit it already son. You were played!" Splinter's voice cut through Leo's thoughts like a knife. Leo shook his head, this was unexpected but that's fine he can still salvage this plan and save everyone!

But his father's words still hurt.

"How come nobody trusts me? None of you guys have any faith in me. Why?" The black cloak shrouding the last fighter was ripped off, causing Leo to flinch.

The spider claws were actually custom made gauntlets, with matching black metal boots on his feet. The boxer tape from before was still there and at the same length, though now it was a blood red color.

There was a thick chest plate covering Indigo's plastron. It was diamond shaped with a massive demonic skull design. The fabric from the mask over his mouth extended down to the chest plate, completely covering his neck.

Two blood red shoulder pauldrons were connected to the chest plate. They looked nearly identical to Big Mama's shoulder pauldrons except smaller.

Then there was something on his neck, sitting on top of the fabric from the mask.

It looked silver, with a red spider shaped gemstone in the center. It kinda looked a bit like a dog collar.

Leo couldn't see it in their earlier encounter as the backroom was very dark but Indigo's body was absolutely covered in scars. Some dark and recent others pale from long ago.

Jesus Christ.

Splinter snapped his fingers, regaining Leo's attention.

"Do you want to know why I don't trust you? How about this whole situation!" Leo looked around at all the fighters. The Evil Six, the fucking Kraken! Indigo…

"This whole situation was my plan all along. If it wasn’t, then why'd I ask your tailor to make me this outfit?" Leo kept looking at Indigo, who had unsheathed both katanas and was giving Leo a pitying stare.

The fighters were starting to close in.

"So we could both perish looking super fly?" Leo reached into his costume, pulling out the dark blue portal coin.

"Or so I could sneak this baby in." The portal was activated, right next to the guard holding Leo's ōdachi. He grabbed the sword but not before flicking the guard's cup of tea to the ground "...To sneak this baby in. My deal was no weapons for you, not me."

And then it was on.

Three of the evil six charged first, weapons raised and ready to attack but Leo was faster. He dodged every attack, portaling in and out of sight. This was too easy!

A mace swung towards his skull, which got instantly sucked up into a portal and spat out in the far end of the arena. The yokai screamed, attempting to punch the slider into the ground. Leo was faster, weaving between every single punch and kick.

He swung the ōdachi, creating a blue portal and knocking the ape into the vortex. The portal opened over the top of the furious kraken, who merely swatted the yokai away like an annoying nat. He slammed into one of the distant Battle Nexus walls while the crowd cheered.

"If you would do the honors papa-" Leo stopped when he saw who his dad was fighting.

Dad was running circles around Indigo, dodging the majority of the lethal strikes from the katanas. Katanas that were already streaked with blood.

There was a broad slash that Splinter jumped to avoid, slamming his tail down into Indigo's head. In a burst of speed Splinter's tail was cracking like a whip, attacking Indigo who could barely keep up with the unexpected speed.

A kick to the left shoulder knocked Indigo to the ground, Leo winced. That was the same shoulder that had been dislocated when they met. Dear god that had to have hurt!

"Dad stop-"

The now evil five charged at Splinter, one swinging the mace, knocking him into the wall. Leo growled furiously, portaling on top of the brutes. With ferocious swings of his ōdahi he summoned dozens of portals, one of the brutes falling through. He zapped this way and that like a ball in a pinball machine.

Leo slashed at the other three brutes, landing some very bad ass cuts here and there. Mostly just thin scrapes, their skin was very tough.

"Leonardo!" Dad squawked as he tried to dodge Kraken Tom's massive tentacles. Leo tried to run over and help his dad but he should know better.

You never turn your back on enemies.

A mace slammed into Leo's carapace, knocking him face first to the ground. He rolled over, the mace about to be brought down on his skull. He screamed.

Shhink.

There was a gargled scream causing Leo to gaze up in horror.

A katana was impaled through the yokai's right eye.

A flash of black and red zipped by, yanking the katana out with a swift motion. The spiked helmet was kicked off the brute's head, spinning up in the air.

The yokai's screams were cut short when the twin katanas were slashed through his neck. His body fell to the ground, head rolling not far away. Indigo caught the helmet when it fell back to earth before tossing it to Leo. He started hyperventilating while the volume of the crowd nearly made the building shake.

"D-Dude?" Leo stuttered out, staring in horror at the lifeless severed head, bright green blood pooling around it from both the neck and the right eye socket.

"He was going to do far worse to you." Indigo replied, though his voice didn't sound normal. Almost hazy if that makes sense. Like he wasn't fully present.

Leo gulped, shaking like a leaf. The stench of blood made him nauseous. He could vaguely hear his father screaming while he fought off the other yokai. Though it was difficult to hear of the roar of Kraken Tom and the crowd.

"Leon, now is not the time to freak out! You said everyone's counting on you right?" Indigo yelled, shaking the slider. "We're getting the helmets right?" Leo stood up, swinging the helmet around. He pushed the panic, the horrible bile in his throat down. He can have nightmares about it later.

"Right! Let's take em down! Come on dad!" He shouted, summoning a portal for his father. Splinter begrudgingly hopped in, furiously tail whipping two of the brutes while yelling "Hot Soup!" knocking them both unconscious.

Indigo charged after the other one, katanas swinging mercilessly in a spray of green. Leo shuddered but followed close behind. "I'll go for the head, you take out the legs!" Indigo nodded, slashing violently at the yokai's legs. Leo jumped into the air slamming his legs into the brute's face, knocking him unconscious.

Leo snatched the helmet, twirling it around on his finger like a basketball.

"Now grab the helmets daddy-o!" He yelled at Splinter as Indigo grabbed the helmet at the far end of the arena.

Splinter confusingly popped off the helmets of the two yokai, looking at Leo with concern.

"Oh is this one of those moments I’m supposed to trust you?" A portal appeared and Leo gingerly took both helmets. Indigo threw the other helmet, which Leo caught.

The helmets were chucked like trash into a small blue portal, another forming directly above it. The helmets zipped through over and over, gaining more and more speed.

"Bingo!" Leo said confidently before it happened.

One of the tentacles grabbed Splinter.

"Papa!" Leo screamed, watching helplessly as his father was shook around like a damn rag doll.

"Give me a boost!" Indigo suddenly shouted, charging towards the slider. Leo interlocked his fingers crouching down. When Indigo stepped into his hands Keo flung him upwards with as much strength as he could.

Once in the air Indigo began spinning like a top, both katanas slicing through The tentacle effortlessly. Splinter was released, staring up in awe at Indigo while he looked like a freaky beyblade.

"Time to get Kraken!" Leo swung his ōdachi, creating a portal above one of the tentacles. One of the helmets was sent flying spike first. It slammed into the tentacle, pinning it to the ground.

Kraken Tim screeched in agony as two more of his tentacles got pinned.

"I'm just too good at this!" That statement proved to be his downfall. At that moment one of free tentacles swatted at his head, knocking two of the helmets he was about to portal down far off into the crowd, impaling two spectators.

Although the crowd didn't seem to give a damn.

"Shit!" Leo cursed, now they wouldn't have enough helmets!

Indigo landed in front of Leo, splattered with kraken blood. He pressed a button on the side of his spider claw gauntlet, releasing the construct with a grunt. He pulled his hand out before doing the same with the other gauntlet. "Use these!" The gauntlets were shoved into Leo's hands.

"But these are yours-"

"Are you kidding? I hate those stupid things, they're too tight and heavy!" He picked up the katanas and dashed off to fight the Kraken.

"Seriously Blue, how do you know that guy?" Splinter asked as the gauntlets were portal chucked at the tentacles.

"His name's Indigo, he's alright!" Leo boasted. He grabbed the last helmet, shoving it onto Splinter's head. "One more helmet." Splinter went tense, suddenly realizing he was a part of the insane plan.

There was a purely demonic screech, an earth shaking slam knocking them both off their feet followed by a pained scream. Two of Kraken Tom's tentacles had been pulled free and were viciously slamming into something over and over again with the speed of a cheetah.

That something was Indigo.

There was a spray of crimson before one of the tentacles grabbed Indigo and chucked him into the far wall of the arena.

Time seemed to stand still, the cheering of the crowd drowned out by the ringing of Leo's ears.

Indigo slumped down from the wall, landing on his knees before falling forward. There was a horrifying red streak on the wall.

Oh hell no.

"Ok Daddy-o lets kick some fucking ass!" Leo growled furiously, shoving his dad into a portal.

"Wait what? Can we try a new plan?" Splinter screamed as he descended from the very top of the arena, the spike aimed straight for Kraken Tom's skull. Leo fully ignored his father, portaling over to the unconscious Indigo.

The first thing he saw was a massive crack on Indigo's shell. It covered over two thirds of his carapace! That was bad, that was really fucking bad.

Blood was gushing from the crack, making Leo truly feel sick. He pushed past it, forcing all the lessons from Splinter to the forefront of his mind.

First check for a pulse.

He pressed his fingers to the shorter turtle's neck, sighing in relief when he felt the weak but frantic beating of his heart. Leo pulled out his fanny packs, grabbing as much gauze as possible to stuff into the crack to try and slow the bleeding. He covered it with medical tape, flipping the turtle over to look at his front.

It wasn't much better.

His right arm was bent at an awkward angle. The chest plate looked like it got run over by a tractor. At least it saved his plastron from some of the damage. His breathing was short, clearly strained. Most likely injured ribs.

A bruising bloody gash was on his head, probably what knocked him out cold. So definitely add a concussion to the list.

And that's just the wounds he can see. There is probably so much internal damage.

Leo gulped, summoning a portal before gently pushing Indigo inside. This portal led to the medbay of the lair.

This was surely breaking the terms of the deal he made with Big Mama, if she found out.

She wasn't watching him, her attention was stuck solely on dad, her expression furious.

She doesn't need to know.

The crowd was cheering like crazy at their victory. They had won, they took down the fucking Kraken!

"It's a knockout folks!" The announcer yelled excitedly as the blood colored petals fell from the ceiling. Leo gulped nervously, flicking the petals off.

Play it cool, don't let anyone know.

"They love you pops!" Leo said with fake enthusiasm.

"It was all you, my son!" Splinter replied, making Leo cringe. Not it wasn't 'all him' it was him and Indigo.

"Silence!" Big Mama shrieked as she landed in front of them. Leo plastered the fakest smug look onto his face.

"Just the spider I was coming to gloat to." All six of those Scarlet eyes were rolled.

"I am not one to be outmaneuvered my turtley boo. Well done. And now a deal is a deal. And as a sign of respect, I shall return this Shredder beast to his prison dimension if you catch him." She handed him the Bauble, making Leo's shoulders sag in relief.

Time to get the fuck out of here, stop the Shredder and head back home to patch up Indigo.

When the father son duo landed in front of the others, Leo instantly felt his stomach clench.

The dread was so heavy in the air you could smell it.

Leo hopped off of a squished Splinter, ignoring the freezing cold rain splattering over his skin, washing the bits of dried blood away.

"You love us, you missed us, we’re back, baby! Lou jitsu and Blue saving the day!" Leo barked with fake optimism, can't let the mask slip now. That lasted all of two seconds Raph shot him the deadliest of glares.

"It’s about time! We’re getting our butts kicked after you left us high and dry." Leo gulped, trying not to shake. They weren't the only ones left high and dry.

"High and dry? Come on dudes. Well, when I said ‘You got this’ I mean that. Look I bet the only reason we’re here right now is ‘cause Donnie inputted coordinates of blah blibbity blah blah blah! Donnie looked so utterly drained.

"Mikey razzed his tazz." Mikey was shaking like a leaf, whimpering softly.

"April finally used her crane license." April winked at Leo, at least she didn't seem too miserable.

"And Raph’s gonna put it all together in a plan to defeat that lead head with this mystic collar." He held up the collar, it shined brightly against the rain.

"Wow Leo, that’s remarkably accurate." Raph said, avoiding the slider's gaze. Suddenly there was a flash of magenta light, causing everyone to tense up nervously.

"He's back!" Raph gasped as the Shredder began to take form. "Prepare for Operation Fire Hanky Tickle collar! Leo, you sure you can get that on him?" Raph asked, grabbing Leo's arm.

Leo nodded, no shred of doubt in his eyes.

"Trust me!"

"I do." Raph let go of his arm.

Together with a fire distraction from Mikey, a blindfold hanky from Donnie and tickling from Raph Leo managed to get the collar around the Shredder's neck. The shredder crumpled to the ground, completely immobile.

Everyone began to cheer.

"Perfectly flasmogoric. You turtles are not to be trifled with." Big Mama stated calmly as she walked towards the turtles in human form. Lines of guards surrounded the turtles. No way to escape.

Leo stepped forward, trying to keep a neutral expression.

"One tamed, no longer phasing. Scrap metal psycho ready for your disposal!" Big Mama chuckled, gesturing to her masked assistant to step forward.

"You did your part So I will do mine." The assistant threw a device into the air, sucking up the Shredder. Once he was gone everyone cheered before scrambling into the sewers completely exhausted.

Leo sprinted through the sewers, ignoring his family's alarmed protests.

"We gotta help Indigo come on!" He shouted, charging through the sewer tunnels.

"Who's Indigo?" Mikey shouted at the top of his lungs.

"You brought him home?" Splinter yelled, Leo ignored him, getting closer and closer to the lair.

"Leo!"

"Leo what are you doing slow down!"

A metal pincer grabbed onto Leo's shell, dragging him backwards. Leo looked up at Donnie's annoyed eyes, suddenly feeling the whole weight of his family on him.

"Alright, who is Indigo?" Raph asked, that classic big brother concern coming through.

Leo was currently trying to squirm away from the metal pincers, there wasn't any time for this!

"One of the fighters from the Battle Nexus!" Splinter's tail smacked Leo's head, earning a whine from the boy. "You didn't seriously bring that maniac home? Did you?"

He did not just say that.

"Are you fucking serious? Indigo helped us! He saved you from Kraken Tom!"

Splinter crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath.

"Besides, he got hurt really bad and we gotta help him!"

"Like we didn't get injured!" Donnie scoffed, trembling a bit.

"His shell was cracked so hard it was bleeding so bad I had to stuff the crack with gauze so don't fucking act like shell injuries are not a big deal you fucking hypocrite." Everyone's eyes went wide.

"Wait he's hurt!" April chimed in.

"Yes! That's why we have to get back home so I can patch him up so he doesn't die!"

"Then portal us home! Quick!" Mikey handed Leo the ōdachi, when did he lose it? It doesn't matter.

The sword was swung around, the blue light illuminating the dark sewer tunnels.

When everyone stepped through, Leo sprinted to the medbay. When he got there, there was a streak of blood on the cot, leading to the floor. But no Indigo to be found.

"Where is he! He was supposed to be right here!" Leo screamed, looking around the cot. No Indigo.

"He's not here?" Donnie asked, nearly gagging at the blood stains. A drop of something landed on Donnie's head. He wiped his fingers, revealing a small red streak. More drips landed on Donnie, making him squeal before backing up.

"What the?" Before they could blink a blur of black and red lunged from the ceiling, tackling Donnie to the floor. Left hand pinned to the softshell turtle's throat, the right holding a dagger, ready to strike.

"Indigo no! Get off of him, he's my brother!" Leo pleaded to the turtle. Indigo looked up, bizarre eyes unfocussed as he swayed on top of Donnie.

"Shelldon activate the defense protocol!" Donnie hissed into his cracked wrist band.

"Dude its ok, this is Donnie." Leo began, trying to try the scissors out of Indigo's iron grip. "Sure he can be the most annoying person on the planet-"

"I heard that!"

"But he won't hurt you! Promise!"

Indigo didn't move, staring up at Leo.

For just a moment, his eyes seemed to change color.

Not the bluish-purple hue rimmed with yellow Leo had grown familiar with today but pure dark blue, like the ocean's depths. His eyes rolled into the back of his head before he flopped onto Donnie.

The softshell screamed, thrashing about while complaining that Indigo was all "icky and disgusting, covered in blood and sweat." Leo pulled the shorter turtle off, looking at the rest of his family who was standing in the doorway.

Yeah that was not the best introduction in the world.

#tmnt 2012 #rottmnt #crossover #tmnt crossover #have this absolute beast of a first chapter #final word count 8212 words #fuck

[kanafinwe-makalaure]

My original characters, Maglor's daughters: Iþilmë (in pink), Alkarmë (in blue), and Armarë (in green), ca. YT 1495.

They are featured in this fic if you like them 💕

Notes under the cut (spoilers for the aforementioned fic :D)

In my version of things~ Maglor has four children, three daughters born in Valinor and one son born in Beleriand. Their mother is Ilmë Airëlírë, a grandchild of Olwë, and as such, they are princesses of both the Noldor and the Falmari. Here, they are wearing chitons, since I like to depict my Falmari as (ancient) Greek inspired in many ways, and the silver and pearls that we know the Falmari like, but at least the younger ones are also wearing Noldorin gold jewellery.

After the kinslaying of Alqualondë, they have no interest in seeing their father again at first, like their mother, but when Ilmë decides to cross the Helkaraxë with her cousins, the children of Finarfin, they follow her and, with her mother, dwell in the household of Finrod at first. After decades, they begin to reconcile with their father and subsequently alternate between living in Nargothrond and the Gap, especially after their little brother is born. When Maglor begins to foresee the end of the Long Peace, he sends his family away to the Falas, but his daughters decide to ride to Nargothrond instead; Alkarmë and Iþilmë are killed during its fall and Armarë travels to the Falas alone.

(Also, Celegorm is all of their favourite uncle for different reasons.)

Alkarmë, the eldest, is a few years younger than Tyelpë and inherited her grandfather's talent and enthusiasm for smithcraft (which definitely skipped a generation through Maglor). She is inventive and creative and also loves to mix scents and perfumes. In Beleriand, she develops outstanding military talent and is always righteous and splendid (as her mother foresaw when she named her) and also develops a deep connection with her father's horses. When Nargothrond falls, she escapes at first with Armarë, but goes back for Iþilmë and never makes it back out. She is re-embodied shortly after the Doom is lifted, later marries the Maia Vëar.

Armarë, the elder one of the twins, is a little ray of sunlight (hence her name); she bursts with energy, loves the outdoors and is a gifted musician like her father; they bond over music a lot. Losing both sisters, however, takes that light and warmth out of her. She returns to her mother and brother alone and bitter. Her mother teaches her songs of healing, which help a little, but she eventually decides to return to her father and uncles with some Fëanorian supporters of their household and stays with them until she is eventually captured by orcs on a patrol long after Sirion, making her the only one of Maglor’s children to become a kinslayer (but also the only one to help raise Elrond and Elros). Lucky for her, the orcs do not recognise her, but because she tried to use her voice to heal her dying companions, they damage her throat; it heals eventually, very slowly, but her voice sounds rough and she will never really regain her ability to sing. In Angband, she meets the blandest most boring wood elf ever and decides to take him with her when she escapes; they get married and live in what will later be Greenwood for a while until she can no longer bear the sea-longing and sails, but he stays behind because he cannot bear leaving his home. (He does promise, though, that if there is ever a last ship to Valinor, he will be on it, and he is not one to break a promise.)

Iþilmë is usually more mellow than her siblings, kind and forgiving, but is also the most stubborn, can even sometimes throw Fëanor-like temper tantrums. She looks almost exactly like Míriel (and gets her albinism from her), which complicates her otherwise very close relationship with Fëanor a little. She is very connected to plants, likes to carve wood, to ride out into the woods with her mother, and to tend to the gardens of Nargothrond and of Maglor’s stronghold. In Nargothrond, she falls in love with a Sindarin girl, the cause of her and her sisters’ fateful return. When Nargothrond falls, the two end up trapped; Alkarmë finds them and since it is their deepest wish to have their wedding blessed before they are separated by the Doom, Alkarmë does so instead of trying to rescue them, and there they remain, all three cuddled together, until they run out of air to breathe. Of course, when the Doom is lifted, they are re-embodied together and live happily ever after. :)

#silmarillion art #the silmarillion #silm #silm oc #original characters #silmarillion oc #daughters of maglor #children of maglor #my art #id in alt text

[marivenah]

Off The Abyss

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: Mentions of Death

Disclaimer: You don't necessarily need any st*r w*rs knowledge to read this chapter. It is generally very vague and would need context from later chapters to fully understand it. The MC's thoughts are italicized.

Summary: Shortly after witnessing a great disaster, Shireen succeeds her predecessor and is honoured with a coronation.

Chapter 0 || Next Chapter >>

Chapter 0 - Prologue

How many times had she thought about this day before? A great honour for which preparations had started years ago with more to come. How long would it take? She didn’t know. No one did. Because the learning process never stops. The cup will never be full. But every one of them fills it differently, in their very own unique way. What if hers stays empty?

The fleeting yet returning thought of failure has plagued Shireen ever since she was told of her purpose. The quick pounding of her heart, heat that flushes through her without warning, the soreness in her throat that hurts and becomes bitter whenever she swallows — turned into memories. Remnants of a luxury she has now lost.

All of it is now gone and it fills her with nothing but emptiness. The same emptiness she had contributed to the cause. The muscles in her body slowly growing sore from straining them after standing still and upright for so long, but her spirit remains numb.

The voices of the people present are muffled. Her ears can’t take in any sound. No matter how hard she tries, the words stay beyond the veil that surrounds her. What are they saying? The unknown had always left her feeling uneasy. Her mother had shown the young girl how to soothe her mind and soul by harmonizing. Now, it’s lost. As if she forgot how to breathe. The harmony cannot ever vanish, it's impossible. And yet she’s standing there in a pressuring silence.

Maybe she herself is gone, maybe Shireen fell with Korvak.

The sensation of something cold and creamy prickling on her skin snapped her out of the numb state. Kholvo’a breached the veil. He carefully applies the Blessing Of The Ancestors to her skin. Patterns that honour them, Shireen, and the next ones to come. Fortune given to her by the many mothers before her. Her own mother’s trusty advisor — former, now Shireen’s — draws the warm paint all over her body. Trailing from her shoulders down to her hands, alongside her collarbones, and finally, on her face.

The young girl has her gaze averted, getting a good look at her arms. The white paint seemingly illuminates on her grey skin.

As he finishes his work, Kholvo’a takes a step back, revealing Shireen to the audience. The noise of their talking still dull in her ears. Are they even still talking or are those the echoes of a planet lost? If only she raised her view she’d find out. But the mere thought of looking into thousands of eyes knowing she will bring nothing but disappointment makes her stomach churn.

A tingle quickly travels up her nose. She can feel her eyes starting to burn and her vision going blurry. She inhales sharply as she tries to contain her emotions. Her eyes wander upwards while fighting back the tears that want to escape. The pain of a billion souls being ripped from her, from her people, is still present. The sting in her head, the ache in her heart, the feeling that almost pulled her soul apart. Never before has Shireen experienced it in this intensity.

A single tear escapes, rolling over her cheek. And it breaks her. All that she has lost — five billion people, her father, and mother among them. The one thing they’ve never prepared her for and now she’s on her own. So, she cries, bursting into tears for everyone to see. Building a tightness in her chest that doesn’t loosen. Her posture collabs and the crying turns into sobbing. Time seems to slow down, and the moment feels like an eternity, never-ending. The only noise in a sea of silence.

That is until something drowns it out. A voice. Is it… singing? The place is still silent, but Shireen’s mind isn’t. The voice is harmonizing with her.

The sobbing stops and she goes completely still, arms hanging loosely at her sides. Her eyes are still fixed on the ground, staring into nothingness. This was the first thing her mother had taught her. How to sing with her people. There are countless harmonies but whoever sings to her chose this one specifically, the one her mother had always favoured.

A second one joins in and finally, Shireen decides to lift her head to search for the source. Among the crowd, she spots the people trying to connect with her. And as she listens on, she can feel her eyes getting dry, the streak of tears now sticking to her cheeks.

After each verse ends, more of them join in and start harmonizing until every one of them can be heard. Shireen slowly scans through the crowd, overwhelmed by the sudden influx of voices. They’re calling for her. The young girl knits her eyebrows together as her view wanders to look at Kholvo’a. His expression is soft as he nods at her. Though she hesitates for a second, Shireen takes his outstretched hand as she walks down the few steps and into the crowd of her people.

Everyone makes way for her. Her movement is slow, but it gets surprisingly lighter with each step she takes. The tightness in her chest all but gone, her heart beating to the rhythm of her walk. While she passes her people, her hands brush over theirs. Everyone is reaching out to the young girl. Not for selfish reasons, but to let her know that she isn’t alone. This nation has just experienced a great loss, but no one has to grieve alone.

It is when someone puts their hand on her shoulder that Shireen stops in her tracks to turn around and look at the person. While she looks into the woman’s yellow eyes, Shireen can feel the tears creeping back as she frowns, letting herself down once again.

Before the tears get the chance to fall, she feels another hand on her back. She turns her head towards that person. She barely realizes what’s happening as other people surrounding her start doing the same. The ones closest to her lay their hands on her shoulders while the remaining people do the same with the person closest to them.

Her situation is helpless, it brings her to tears again and she closes her eyes shut. She cries. And yet, somehow it takes all of the weight away, calming her in the process, soothing her soul and spirit. The anguish slowly washes off her face, her muscles relaxing, her expression softening. With her eyes still closed, she slightly tips her head back. Her chest rises and falls gently as her breathing finds a steady pace.

Eventually, Shireen decides to drown out the pain and instead focuses on the joy those memories bring her. Her first steps on the red sand of Korvak. How it warmed her feet as she sank them into it — a feeling as soft as cotton. Seeing young Sundancers fly over the dunes, making their journey to the mountains to fully mature, and hearing the older ones whistle in the night. And the lights that emitted from underground, the centre of the city. How they danced around as the people wandered through the streets. Her father had always told Shireen how the planet reminded him of his own home, Mandalore. And she remembers his promise to take her there one day.

She lets the tears fall, though this time they’re not sadness. It brings a faint smile to her face and she finally starts harmonizing with her people, singing along with them.

The young heir will never be able to forget what happened, but she can heal. They all can.

As she opens her eyes again, she finds relief in her exhale. It is giving her peace.

#mywriting* #oc: shireen oqir #fic: of the abyss #hey! writing! #not me starting another longfic with only one chapter out for my other one eufhkdfkfe #fyi when I say young I really mean *young* #prepare for imposter syndrome for the next two days 😃 #also sorry i prefer writing british eng for some words so i have to fully commit ✊😔

[evita-shelby]

Cake and Champagne

Slightly aged up Allie and Diane so it could take place in Diane's spin-off fic, Tie Your Heart to Mine.

In this one shot Allie is also bi(diane is bi)

I hope you like it @raincoffeeandfandoms

Cw: infidelity

While both girls were bold and brave modern young women, Diane carried herself with a confidence that never led her wrong.

And yet under all that she was prone to insecurity, afraid of falling too hard and bracing for rejection.

Perhaps it had been what kept her from acting out on her feelings for her best friend and joining the Lees in Manchester that summer.

Diane had met and fallen in love with Thomas Bennett, a wayward young man who joined the Navy because even he cannot outrun fate. They had promised to wait until the war was over, and yet when he returns from his first battle at sea ,they rush to the altar because neither want to part again without knowing what could’ve been.

Allie was her maid of honor, because who else would the young witch want by her side than her best friend?

And yet as they get drunk on the left over champagne and cake from Diane’s wedding after Tom leaves on the HMS Keith, the witch finds herself locking lips with her best friend, Allie Solomons.

The young women pretend not to remember it, but when word comes of Tom having escaped Nazi-controlled Paris, Allie surprises her with a white cake and champagne to lift her spirits. As if by magic, Solomons and Shelby find themselves in the same predicament as before.

This time, Allie and Diane give into those feelings both have denied for so long.

They still love their young men, and yet as they take cover from the Blitz in Arrow House, Allie and Diane realize they love each other just as much too.

#diane shelby #allie solomons #solomons and shelby #tom bennett x diane shelby #allie x diane

[lookthetart]

Child Ballads, rated (1-10)

Because I can :)

1, Riddles Wisely Expounded: 8/10. Dated at least 1450, the morning after a wild night, the knight puts the woman's wits to test. Only if she can answer the riddles he'll marry her. I like the contrast between the sweet melody and my girl fighting tooth and nail for a life of spouse support, and the riddles are actually very sweet.

2, The Elfin Knight: 7/10. It is ballad 1 on steroids. The elf knight makes a series of absurd request to the woman to marry her, she uses a UNO reverse card and makes more absurd requests to him. This chaotic energy conquers the knight, who marries her. Also, the Scaraborough fair (10/10) ballad is a more recent evolution of this and they have been classified as the same ballad! Minus: i don't like the "blo blo blo blo blo the winds blows", I hear blo blorbo blows and I'm not confortable. I may actually prefer Scaraborough Fair.

3, The Fause Knight upon the Road: 3/10. Not even a beautiful rendition (fiddler's dram) can save this ballad from being boring. The child doesn't fall in the devils tricks and goes to school and listens to his parents... boring, 0 edgy. Strong stranger danger rethoric

4, Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight: STRONG 10/10. First murder ballad!!! The princess is feeling naughty, she steals gold and horses from the castle and runs away with the elf. But here the elf knight is actually a serial killer!! After bringing her to the banks of the sea he reveals that he has already killed 6 of the King's daughters, Isabel is to be the seventh. She asks for a last kiss by him, and takes her chance to throw him off his horse and tosses him in the sea 🥰 he begs for his life but my girl is all "lie there, you false young man, lie there instead of me, for if six maidens thou hast drowned here, the seventh has drowned thee" 🥰🥰 Honestly SLAY Isabel! In some versions she returns home and her parrot (wtf, barbie animated movie moment) helps her to keep the story from her father

5, Gil Brenton: 0/10. Difficult to find a decent adaptation, also not a fan of the "cutting the breasts of the wife if she is not a virgin" theme. The plot twist that he was actually the one who raped her earlier in the woods doesn't make things a lot better and it's unclear how they manage to not recognize themselves. Eww.

6, Willie's Lady: 9/10. Sweet ballad. The witch mother of king Willie (his mother did him dirty already with the name) despises the foreigner woman he married. The mother (who has always voted Tories and supported Brexit) curses the daughter in law to be always pregnant, but never deliver. She tells her son to leave his wife to die and remarry, but the son will not tolerate his mother's bullshit further. He comes up with a plan: he creates a doll of wax and invites her mother to the christening. She doesn't realize the trick and is furious that somebody undid all her spells, and in her rage reveals how to actually undo them.

7 and 8, Earl Brand and Erlinton: 3/10. Not tragically bad, but unremarkable. The Earl loves the lady, they cannot marry, they run away together. Her brothers pursue them, wound him, in Earl Brand he dies, she dies of sorrow, in Erlinton they escape. Already seen, next.

9, Fair Flower of Northumberland: 11/10. This late 1500s ballad screams that people have always been people. The support of the mother to the daughter (even if she broke all social expectations by freeing the prisoner, stealing from the parents, running away with him, "her love was easily won" ) actually moves me. The contrast between her begging the scotman to either kill her or use her as a servant in order to not face shame at home, and the mother welcoming her home with a smile and reassuring her she is not the first to make mistakes, and she'll have everything as it was (bread, wine, silver for a marriage) and that she is STILL the fair flower of Northumberland moves me to the core 🥺🥺🥺

10, Two Sisters: 9/10. Murder ballad that has everything: family drama, hauted instruments made of human bodies, an interesting relationship with many similar ballads in Scandinavian countries.

For this post that's all, but I may continue to review them when I've time

#child ballads #england #maybe I'll make follow-up posts

[queer-as-used-by-tolkien]

Storyline Study: Sea of Sorrows (feat. Macha)

The conflict in Sea of Sorrows is primarily between Cobiah Marriner's wife, Isaye, and one of his best and most loyal friends, Macha (as asura who also represents Cobiah's little sister, Biviane).

They each personify and symbolize a different ideal of Cobiah Marriner's life; Macha represents the seafaring life of a pirate, free to sail where he wishes alongside his trusty crew and longtime friends. Isaye represents the steady, relatively mundane life in a city, managing Lion's Arch, a place that had come to represent freedom of life and trade regardless of race to the peoples of Tyria. These two ideals are mutually exclusive; Cobiah cannot do both.

Biviane died from slipping on a dock and drowning, early on in the story. Cobiah was traumatized by her death, this precipitates him leaving his abusive mother and embarking on his new life as a sailor and, eventually, pirate. Everywhere he goes, he carries Biviane's doll with him (despite mockery).

As a pirate, Cobiah built a crew including Macha and Isaye, but eventually settled down to rebuild Lion's Arch and marry Isaye. A misunderstanding caused them to separate, and Macha tried to get Cobiah to return to pirating, yearning to sail the high seas once again.

Cobiah, however, will not leave Lion's Arch, despite multiple attempts of Macha's - some straightforward, such as appealing to nostalgia, others quite devious - to get him to do so. Eventually, Macha learns that it is Cobiah's devotion to Isaye that keeps him ashore.

At one point Macha climbs up on a railing near the sea and Cobiah, having flashbacks to Biviane's death, whisks her down instantly (to Macha's irritation). This shows the connection between Macha and Biviane - Biviane's death precipitated Cobiah's life as a sailor and pirate, and Macha now represents that trauma and is trying to get him to return to pirating, despite Cobiah's more healthy, non-trauma-driven desire to settle down, start a family, and lead something important and worthwhile.

At this point in the story, I found myself sympathizing with Macha because I found the city-based political intrigue boring compared to pirating and fighting Risen, and I keenly felt Macha's nostalgia and appreciated her loyalty to Cobiah.

Macha then sets about trying to negate Isaye's influence on Cobiah (still strong despite their separation and coldness to each other), ultimately attempting to kill Isaye on several occasions - lastly nearly destroying the entire Captain's Council - before Cobiah finds her out.

Macha escaped Cobiah's anger and left him to deal with the fallout in the Captain's Council, also leaving him to work out his issues with Isaye in peace. The story's climax begins with the Great Krytan Blockade - during which Cobiah learns Isaye has a son (by another man, he thinks) - and a full-scale Risen assault, during which Cobiah learns the child is his and allies with the Krytan prince to fight the Risen.

Cobiah's misunderstanding with Isaye is sorted out mid-negotiations, and then he gives his son Biviane's doll - representing his recovery from the trauma of her death - before the battle ensues. The battle seems hopeless due to the activity of a Risen beast known as the Maw.

Macha returns mid-battle to save the day, and apologizes for her actions before heroically sailing off in Cobiah's unique, engine-powered ship to destroy the Maw - killing herself, Cobiah's ship, and the dream of pirating she championed and symbolized.

Sea of Sorrows is a great book and even the political intrigue is great (just not what I was expecting in a GW2 story about pirating and fighting Risen, lol). It's also consistent with the rest of the narrative of GW2 - the emphasis on the ideal of unity and working together, as oppose to individualism.

Macha is my favorite character in this book. I don't normally go for villains, but then, villains aren't normally characterized with the 'loyal friend yearning for the good old days' brush, either. I do desperately adore the way she and Isaye characterize two ideals of Cobiah's life and the way it plays out narratively (though I do wish he'd decided to go with Macha back to pirating... but I would have done what he did in his place XD). I don't often see the 'redeemed villain' type either, and I find I like it.

That scene where Cobiah yanks her off the railing because he's afraid she'll fall and drown - that's what clued me in to all this and it's really great. Macha's just really cool. They even named part of LA after her!

Also, she died, and you know what that does to this fangirl.

#gw2 #sea of sorrows #cobiah marriner #isaye #macha

[incarnateirony]

First, the spider. Now the dove--twice actually, I live reported cheesing the reaper for it once, and then she kept getting sicker, and now we have Shea bringing home the wrong kind of bird because she didn't look at it close enough which is, in fact, also the general plot. But, you know, she loves parasitic mimics anyway.

This is about to become a test of how many creatures, beast or man, Shealyn will sacrifice pretending not to understand what's going on to save her own ego. The one she's supposed to crucify, if she ever knew or cared about a single Hermes message (she even reposted crucify the ego early during this), but is objectively refusing, because she's refused to understand what any of these sentiments MEAN.

Lady, lady it should not be this hard to break up with you. You know by now what you need to do. Unfuck thineself, your stupid fuckboy ain't even worth fighting for in the scale of things going on around you, and if he leaves you once you tell the truth, that is a trap you made yourself and still need to face. Aphrodovey has just been replaced by a homing pigeon, but we don't have time for you to unpack all that. Lady, your whole mycobiome is fucked right now, lady. Whatup we're in the house like carpet, or the fungi that determines what lives and dies in a sleeping forest.

I think she really thought I was like, alone in observing this. Not only were the furries she was manipulating watching, and the game server she was trying to invade, and the old mega-coven, but she's just helped established a new brotherhood that are all aware of her toxic lies ground up AND all belong on, or near, or at least understand and respect and follow the path of, this cell; old wolfies and crows in the new way all resonating to talk about thoth and the rest whether following the thread or not, dreaming the same dreams together; and it is what it is, and girlllll, you got problems.

11 will still always be 11.

there's a jar in a hole in a box under a nuclear reactor in the bottom of the sea she refuses to return to~

What part of, you literally can't copy and paste me, my life, my face, my soul, or my works is missing her? Even works she thought she was "only" plagiarizing fiction she was deifying in shadow. But even those, she always missed the point, ground-up. There's a reason the three DMs of the Xorvintaals are three brothers that know the truth and are fighting together around the eldest magus.

Like. Girl. You can't copy my writ core or philosophy, you can't copy my collected communities, you can't copy my years spent teaching many in it, you can't even copy the Xorvintaal or understand why even it is being used to ream you. Literally everything you have ever refused to understand, and always hated, and were jealous of, and tried to destroy, is all being used against you, and all because you have absolutely rejected anything that requires you inspecting or controlling yourself, right up to rolling into this trap. Because you can't. You literally cannot face yourself. You've become too much of a monster, and we both know it, and that's why we're here now, with you.

#magus stop taking my shit homegirl, u place copyright papersymbol and you take others creations? How you tricks (Reptilians) I know you, you still connected to me. Psycho.

Her ongoing denial of anything, and everything, and every sign, and every omen, foretelling, manifestation or result, only further exposes that she doesn't actually BELIEVE in her "magic" that she rotates, she is indeed using it for therapy and attention yet charging other people for it, but her random UnBeliefing in anything isn't gonna save her, cuz it Is What It Is until she faces herself, and again, I made her a big game she couldn't escape this time. I knew her too well. We all did, and I don't mean my protoges.

She ignored every warning, man, god or blog post, since at least July, and now we're here. And the very guy she was gonna "warn" about me is, in fact, just helping yeet new toys into the house that Jack and John built. Drove backwards into it. Acted surprised. And now is getting reamed by ten kajillion years of history and her own cowardice behavior which has escalated to here, and the many, many, many great magicians she has very, very thoroughly exhausted. And the new ones being born, both locally around me, and abroad in the wild hearing this mess, and talking of their dreams of this though we have never spoken in person.

Her greatest contribution to Hermes comes only through her failures, and his exhaustion with her. Like, damn Freyjadite, I knew you were mad he clipped your girdle or whatever but he's given you the best possible shoes as an offering for his freedom, and still, you refuse. You just really hate him, actually, even if you think you love him. All of this, all destroying the works of his workers, all for your ego, and now once you're finally cornered by the king of games, you're still running and denying it and thinking you can ignore it out.

Sorry Shay Shay Shar Shar Sea Star, nobody likes hearing that you're the bad guy, top to bottom, immortally, in this life and across time, to the point it's disrupting ancestors and taking lives and rotting your life inside out, and dragging people to the abyss with you but um.

Baby, Baby, Blue Ray. Sorry.

You're the bad guy.

Girl this is past psychotic at this point. You not knowing, and not liking, the truth have always been two things you intentionally blurred the line between. Thou hast been dumped, mama maya. Cope. All the way this time.

Start writing. "Rumpocky was never real. Brian was always part of someone else's Brain. The Hermes I was speaking with is not real. These concepts and many works I have stolen belong to Aaron, who I have aggressively misgendered to disassociate from the truth I knew over ten years ago from Oron." And then keep writing from there, and keep writing, and rip out all that nasty shit, cuz we're ripping it out for you and replacing it. You decide if you want to have any autonomy in this process, because you ceded it by aggressively refusing mine.

Yes, Shealyn. At the start, I told you, you threw out everything you wanted. That wasn't exaggerating or puffing. It's what's rotting your world until your holy water is turning acidic and your pets are dying, and you know, the smaller things tend to go first but. Oh well, I guess you won't care about Mark when he goes either, you don't actually care about people, you just use them for yourself until the attention and soft bedding runs out. Which is why we're here.

Spicy messenger pigeon.

SHEA SAY SIKE ABOUT THE EGG. SAY SIKE. NO THIS IS A LEVEL OF GREEK BULLSHIT I REFUSE TO EXPERIENCE WTF SAY SIKE

Because if you aren't messing with me, the triangles were assigned to the people bound into your mess on your end with the binding rune and the spiral, all traffic directs one way really, and that's a really unfriendly message right there.

I already said no bargaining Shea, again, this is all reflection, karma free for me, this is you hurting yourself until you face yourself, so we're ignoring your other whiny reblog and focus on that you won't say sike, just post your spicy pigeon that hates you and talk about my Influence all over your room, i guess, since you won't say fucking sike about the henry egg. bitch that is a REAPER. I influenced real good, since you won't hop off it.

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE SPECTRAL/COGNITIVE LIKE THE OTHER ONES, I DIDN'T THINK WE'D LAY A FUCKING EGG

fun fact shea. Even me acting through the masses on you is considered a net good. It's a reduction of shadows, while you won't. Not sure if you're familiar, but they're not favored things. Maia, you've become negatively charged, my dear, and we're fixing it since you won't.

There's no way to plea out of this as if your own personal satisfaction is the only good or right to be had in the end. What's wrong is wrong. No means no. Boundaries are important. You can't ride me forever. You know my name, my face, and who I am, and what you are doing, you just did not know who I had become.

Even that is yours to work out. But since the beginning it was said, the only way out of this was you, and the truth. Karma says you need to go away. Ethics say you need to go away. General consideration of blasphemy say you need to go away. Vampire. False teacher. Now you can let the monster you have become die by becoming the truth, or you can wait to roll the dice on full rewire and flatline.

Something about serpents in service industry, blackscreening people rude to managers, pinned documents of theft from supervisors, and blocking someone for starting a kung pow penis chain in his notes, skins removed for homophobic remarks, et cetera. You know, metaphors.

#it's a horticulture business and we're in promix #magus #stop taking my shit homegirl #u place copyright papersymbol and you take others creations? #How you tricks (Reptilians) I know you #you still connected to me. Psycho.

[lilyevanstan1325]

✨ Astral Lovers ✨

Chapter 2

I open my eyes and I do not understand what is happening. I find myself in the middle of a sidewalk, where I am literally overwhelmed by the crowd.

People walking quietly, there are those who yell on the phone against some poor unfortunate and those who are simply out shopping.

I look up to the sky and in the distance I can see the Statue of Liberty.

Even at this distance it is bewitching.

Majestic.

This is New York.

I turn my gaze to the tall skyscrapers, I've never seen anything so impressive in my life.

Honestly, I've never seen anything other than Brookville.

I have never gone beyond its borders, for one reason or another I have never been able to visit any other place.

The fault of a father too oppressive.

For him I don't need to go anywhere else, all I need is Brookville and I have to make it enough.

It's my home and it has to be enough.

I have never even had friends with whom to escape to foreign places and then get lost in the meandering unknown cities.

It is as if Brookville were a black hole that drawing everything in with its innate and devastating force of gravity, not allowing anyone who unfortunately ends up in it to get out.

That city is the gate to hell.

God I hate that place.

A moment later my sense of smell is tickled by a sweet, inviting, captivating smell.

I look to my left and notice a wonderful shop that sells cupcakes.

Whit a couple of steps I reach the shop.

All the cupcakes are arranged in rows in their beautiful and colorful display cases, as if they were precious jewels ready to embellish the palate of a lucky customer.

The shop is full of all kinds of people.

There is a couple, they are two beautiful guys holding hands and laughing together.

Their eyes are so full of love that I have to look away.

Looking at them is painful.

Painful for me that I have never felt such a great love and maybe I never will.

Next to them there is a beautiful woman with a wonderful baby bump, her husband gently stroking her belly continues to whisper that she is beautiful and that if she wants she can eat all the cupcakes she wants because she is perfect like this.

Further on, sitting at a table is a sweet granny with her two granddaughters.

She is telling them how their grandfather courted her and how he convinced her only thanks to his sweet smile.

I take a few step when suddenly I come across one of those delicious hot dog carts, just like the ones I've only seen in movies.

A little girl tries to get her mom's attention at all costs.

She craves a hot dog so badly.

A smile escapes my lips.

Suddenly a thought strikes me like a bolt from a clear sky.

I'm dreaming.

It cannot be otherwise.

Even if it's so real it's all just a dream.

Well honestly I'm not complaining...better all this than the usual damn nightmare that invades my nights for almost 10 years!

I don't care if I'm dreaming.

I'm here and I want to enjoy the moment.

I turn around trying to absorb everything I can.

Colors, flavors, smells, emotions.

I still spin around.

Again.

And again.

Until I run out of breath and stop, with my head down and short of breath.

When I raise my head my gaze is chained to the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.

They are turquoise like a Caribbean sea.

Turquoise like a spring sky.

Only after a few seconds I realize the wonder that surrounds those eyes.

A perfect face, a greek god.

The jawline is absolutely perfect as if it had been carved in marble by Leonardo Da Vinci himself.

Fleshy, red and sinful lips that just at that moment curve into a pleased grin.

I return to his eyes, pure lapis lazuli, and I realize that he too is staring at me.

And now he's walking towards me.

Breath become more difficult.

As soon as he reaches me he gives me a breathtaking smile, white teeth as pearls, and with a firm but sweet voice he says "Hi, I'm Steve"

My legs are shaking and a shiver runs down my spine.

I can't help but notice an emerald green tinge in the center of his irises.

And I'm fascinated again.

I remain speechless for a few seconds and as soon as my neurons are operational again I try to gather all my strength and, with a faint voice and my cheeks on fire, I finally answer him...

"Hi, my name is Lily"

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@deansapplepie

#fanfiction #fanfic #steve rogers #steve rogers x oc #marvel #chrisevans #fanfiction recommendation #steve rogers fanfiction #captain america #captain america fanfiction #captain america x oc #astrallovers