#how could this happen. who could have forseen this!!!

[haunted-xander]

BBS is a tragedy in many ways, but one of the things that gets me is that the catalyst, the one big thing that caused this mess to begin with, is so avoidable.

Like, the story starts primarily because Terra starts to fear himself (because of the darkness he has unwittingly 'used') and this causes a spiral of doubt and obsession. A spiral which he could've escaped from or maybe not even started if he just 1) had been taught the balance between light and dark properly (that darkness is more than just unquestionable evil, that light is more than unquestionable good, that they can and should co-exist in balance), and 2) had consistent socialization from more than the same 3 people.

Like. BBS is a cautionary tale about what happens when people aren't exposed to a wide enough variety of people and, therefore, end up naive and overly trusting because they never learned that people have ulterior motives. Terra is consistently manipulated and used by people literally everywhere he goes, because he can't see that they might not have the best intentions! He can't see the red flags because he doesn't know there are red flags to look for!

Xehanort knows this. It's why he targeted Terra to begin with: because he would be susceptable to his words. The main reason he couldn't use Aqua is because she was too confident in her own values, she didn't have the seed of doubt that Terra had. It's the only thing that prevents her from being used the same way he is, even though she is just as naive and trusting as he is.

Ven probably has it the worst socialization wise. Unlike Terra and Aqua who, presumably, has/had a family and life outside of the Land of Departure prior to beginning training there, Ven doesn't remember anything before then (not that he had much he'd be happy to remember anyway). And since he's the youngest and most 'fragile' one (due to being in recovery for most of his time here), he gets somewhat coddled and shielded by everyone else. Not to mention the way Eraqus completely forbid him from leaving and never intented for him to ever see worlds outside the Land of Departure. Sure, Terra and Aqua aren't typically supposed to leave either, but at least they'd be allowed in certain situations. Ven wouldn't.

Ven isn't allowed to interact with anyone outside of home. He's not allowed anything that involves the outer worlds. (He and Naminé are a bit alike in that sense. Though at least the people he's stuck with are nice to Ven and do genuinely care for him, unlike Naminé...)

BBS happens largely because Eraqus failed as both a teacher and a parental figure to all of them, but Terra most of all.

#started bbs again and had feelings. not sorry #so much of the story in general (but ESPECIALLY terras part) happens the way it does bc eraqus was a flawed man with flawed values #he taught his pupils a rigidly black and white worldview that doesnt work when put to practice #and he isolated them from the outside world meaning they lack so so much necessary knowledge and exposure #its why they were so much more susceptable to manipulation and misdirection than someone like sore #who is also largely trusting #but he has had proper socialization and exposure to different people as he grew up #that he can tell good and ill intent apart #but its also like. #at the point where the story starts its already too late #because the damage is done #they cant undo the flawed teachings and under-exposure in an instant #eraqus failed to see the consequences for his teachings- that by demonizing darkness he makes it a source of fear #and as he himself said: fear leads to obsession and obsession feeds the darkness #and obsession he unwittingly stoked by creating said fear #also just to be clear this is not meant as eraqus hate he is a complicated man who made mistakes #but nevertheless meant well and could never have forseen just how badly his teachings wouldve made things #OUGH its a complicated situation and none of them are really at fault! #(except xehanort) #(he is very much directly at fault) #terra #aqua #ventus #eraqus #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts birth by sleep #kh #kh bbs #xander rambles

[enchantedlantern]

Victor Frankenstein is only 19 when he makes the creature and I think that context explains a lot about him actually

#and. the way he acts before hand too. he wouldn't be ABLE to take care of the creature he can't even take care of himself #man has the same energy as those hamsters that off themselves in a bizarre are horrific way #frankenstein #i love him he's so messed up physically and mentally <3 #THE sickly poor little bastard man whom everything bad happens to by his own hand and ooohh how could this happen who could have forseen #Victor YOU did that

[charismat1c-megafauna]

Crying screaming going insane over the fact that even if you THINK Hickey deserves the thirty lashes (or the twenty-three that he actually receives), it's still a difficult order to justify (even though Hickey was objectively in the wrong, although unfortunately it's not a massive leap in logic for your average white British sailor in the 1840s) because it's fundamentally part of Crozier's arc regarding alcoholism bringing out the worst in him. Sure, he comes to Silna's aid, but in the next episode, he wants to throw her out and abandon her, and even punishes his good friend for rightfully standing against him! It's a careless act of anger and cruelty that costs Blanky his leg, and ultimately his life (or at least, what might have remained had he not gotten gangrene). Ultimately, its the catalyst for Crozier's sobriety, his moment of "oh god I REALLY fucked up," and he's a better man for it, but it comes at the cost of his friend's life and Silna's safety.

Back to Hickey. I think we tend to let this moment slide because we know Hickey is a terrible person who does terrible things and we want to see him suffer, but Crozier continuing to up the ante as Hickey keeps talking is downright petty. The addition that Hickey be lashed as a boy is pretty needlessly cruel. And it leads to the moment where Hickey goes from a reactive nuiscance to an active threat. His homoerotic joker origin story. It's a moment where, like the Blanky situation, Crozier creates a future problem for himself.

It's a hard scene to watch (and the performances are incredible), and in that scene, it's kind of easy to see how mistrust of Crozier could breed in this environment. Flogging for an offense is terrible, but it's also expected. Hickey's flogging kind of pushes a lot of boundaries as to what is acceptable punishment or senseless cruelty, and we see different characters struggle with this. Crozier didn't just make an enemy of someone who previously wanted to be on his good side, he also created a martyr. It's just one of those things where nobody could have forseen the consequences down the road.

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love this scene and the way it furthers Crozier and Hickey's respective arcs and their dynamics with each other, but I think we can safely say Crozier acted from a place of malice, and it's just one of a few pretty fucked up things he's done, but we want to brush it off because Hickey is an acceptable target even though what happens to him is objectively pretty terrible.

I heard it said that flogging makes good men bad and bad men worse. There was no way Hickey was gonna come out of this normal, and in that instant, it's like fate was sealed. Crozier would never be able to be anything but a mortal enemy in Hickey's mind after that.

I love that this is a moment when Crozier crosses the line. I love that it seems to be more about taking out his feelings than serving a just punishment. I love the constant glances from Hickey and Fitzjames. And I love that this behavior escalates to Crozier going past the point of no return, leaving Blanky to the mercy of the elements and the Tuunbaq and abandoning Silna, and it's a huge moment of reckoning for him! He doubles back! He realizes he fucked up and he tries to change, and in some ways it's too late, but he still commits himself to changing for the better even if it kills him. Which. The DTs could have very easily killed him. It's just as much of a transformation for Crozier as the flogging was for Hickey.

It's so neat. These two men having these massive transformations involving deep personal suffering, and in Crozier's case, Hickey is a footnote, and in Hickey's case, Crozier is the cruel hand of God.

Or somwthing idk I'm like really sick and the nyquil hit.

Anyway I'm not going to bat for Hickey and saying he was right but I think we need to bear in mind that he's a sewer in the sense that he is the sum total of the society he came from and everything that was put into him- love and hate and betrayal and cruelty and everhrhjngi- and in the end, he is colonialism taken to its logical extreme. He's gonna fight God and then become God because he is Special (and Britain is going to conquer the passage and thus control the world because they have the power of God and anime- I mean uhhh they're doing it for queen and country so they are totally right and correct for trying to exploit a sea route for spice, right 🙄). Except he gets torn apart because nature doesn't give a shit.

Idk. Hickey gradually becomes warped into everything Wrong with the Franklin Expedition from the outset, and Crozier isn't a perfect saint who is right all the time and that's why I love this show. I'm gonna go to sleep now.

#terrorposting #amc the terror #the terror amc #cornelius hickey #francis crozier #somebody insert that iasip meme of charlie in front of the corkboard #i love hickey because he has limitless ambition but is also a huge dumbass and the fact that #his only redeeming quality is that hes in love with a guy who divorced him and he wants to be someones pet so bad #adam nagaitis i am cupping your face begging for your notes #the mans takes are chefs kiss and i like that hickey isnt senselessly evil from the outset hes just a scrapper who #got fucked over too many times and decided to make some bad decisions #and i love crozier because he is flawed!!! hes complicated and messy and hurtful and raw!!! #and his transformation is incredible!!! goddamn!!!

[cienie-isengardu]

I remember scrolling MK reddit and a post basically asked why Bi-Han let Sareeena live and consensus was basically Bi-Han thinking with his lower head and feeling bad for her, though a lot of people leaned towards Bi-Han being horny unironically and sparing her because he thought she was pretty and because he didn't seem her a threat.

Like lmao, I get Bi-Han is not socialized that great and I can see where people are coming from but I'm hoping he's not that shallow lol.

Nah, Bi-Han is not that shallow. The man does not comment on women's beauty - or anyone’s for that matter, the way the clearly horny characters do, like Johnny, Erron or Kano. His intro dialogues also has no sexually creepy undertones, the way Kano and Mileena sometimes imply things. So I think it is safe to assume that Bi-Han in general is not a sexually driven type of person. 

It would help a lot if the game or tie-in material gives us more direct reasoning for his action, however even the provided basic knowledge allow us to see the main difference between Scorpion and Sareena and it’s not about gender (though that may play some secondary role), but the fact that Hanzo, presumably, wanted to kill Sub-Zero, not for rivalry over the Map but because he was a Lin Kuei, an sworn enemy of Shirai Ryu clan, while Sareena was doing just her duty - following Quan Chi’s orders and there was nothing personal about their fight. So in a sense, Bi-Han could feel some kinship with the woman even despite her attempt at stopping his effort to save Earthrealm and trying to kill him, because he understood well what it means to serve merciless masters, as he himself, no matter how praised, was ultimately just a tool in Grandmaster’s schemes. Sareena has never been anything other than another obstacle in his path to beat down Quan Chi and steal the amulet back, so I can see why murdering her could feel pointless as it didn't serve any real goal of his.

Hanzo on other hand was tipped by Quan Chi about Sub-Zero’s mission - something the sorcerer did not deny at all 

Quan Chi: Greetings, I see the ninja has been successful in retrieving my map... as I have forseen.  Sub-Zero: Let's get something straight... I am not a ninja. I am Lin Kuei. Scorpion was a ninja!  Quan Chi: Ah yes, your Japanese counterpart. It's unfortunate that you happened upon him in your battle with the pesky Shaolin monks.  Sub-Zero: Scorpion was tipped off... he knew I was breaking into that temple, and if he weren't there - there wouldn't have been a battle! You are responsible for this sorcerer!

and as the game shows, Scorpion managed to get inside the Shaolin Monks Temple before Lin Kuei. But instead of quietly stealing the man and getting the hell out of the place while his rival was busy fighting Shaolin Monks, Scorpion literally was introduced as a man who mocked and provoked Sub-Zero  (“You will fail. Hahahaha”) and challenged him to fight over the Map ("The map is mine Sub-Zero. Fight!").

When the both men met again in Netherrealm, Hanzo accused Bi-Han for killing him in cold blood to which Bi-Han responded he had no choice. 

Warrior: I am a dead man. But somehow you have retained your mortality, which would mean you are vulnerable to death.  Sub-Zero: Wait... I know your voice.  Scorpion: Yessss... I am Scorpion. You killed me in cold blood.  Sub-Zero: I had no choice. If I had not stolen that map I would be the dead one.

Maybe Sub-Zero did not trust Scorpion to not attack him again as he did not believe Shirai Ryu would respect the act of mercy. Maybe he figured out he must kill his sworn-enemy, because Lin Kuei tradition demanded that and if Grandmaster learned about Sub-Zero sparing Scorpion’s life, he would be severely punished. Whatever was the reason, Bi-Han took no pride in killing Shirai Ryu, as he did not boast about that. When returning to Lin Kuei Temple, Bi-Han greeted the leader with “Grandmaster, in honor of the Lin Kuei, I bring you this sacred Map of Elements.” but there was no as a bonus, I also killed the filthy Shirai Ryu dog. Instead, he was clearly angry at Quan Chi for creating the whole situation in the first place by hiring the second assassin of the enemy clan (“[Scorpion] knew I was breaking into that temple, and if he weren't there - there wouldn't have been a battle! You are responsible for this sorcerer!).

So to my understanding, killing Hanzo was dictated by unfavorable circumstances and long-termed enmity between Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei clans that forced Bi-Han’s hand while Sareena was just a demoness doing her job the same way as he was doing his. Frankly, Fujin too was not killed by Bi-Han, nor I don’t think sources implied he attempted to murder any Gods of Elements or Shaolin Monks on purpose - otherwise I think Raiden would be much more angry at the Lin Kuei assassin. Or at least mentioned that, in similar fashion to intro dialogue in which Liu Kang said "The Shaolin's losses have left many angry" to past!Scorpion, who took part in murdering Shaolin Monks in MK11.

Also, when Sareena came to aid Bi-Han in his fight against Quan Chi, Sub-Zero was understandably surprised by demoness’ action:

Sub-Zero: Why did you help me?  Sareena: You are still mortal... that means you can escape the Netherealm.  Sub-Zero: There won't be anywhere to go if I don't get the amulet back.  Sareena: Take me with you... I've waited an eternity to escape.  Sub-Zero: You don't understand. I can't leave without the...

but there is literally zero implication he finds Sareena sexy or hot or trying to pull the card “I spared your life so you own me” to get a “reward” from her. I repeat, a relatively sexy/beautiful lady just asked Sub-Zero to take her with him and Bi-Han’s mind was solely on the mission - getting back the amulet before Shinnok destroys his realm. 

Dunno about you all, but that interaction for me doesn’t sound like Bi-Han was thinking with his dick or in any way ever was smitten by Sareena’s beauty; he was a man on a mission and there is a chance he may be just more merciful than people want to give him a credit for. 

The last one brings me back to MK9, in which I still think Bi-Han's head gesture was a voiceless support for Johnny to not kill Baraka, the same way Raiden did for Cyrax. He may not have any love for strangers, he may mock Hanzo, but I don't think he is the cold killer that takes pleasure in killing like some characters do.

#mortal kombat #my replies #bi han #sareena #sub zero #hanzo hasashi #scorpion #quan chi #hanzo was unlucky but the question is if bi han saved his life would he respect that? #while sareena there is a chance they had some mid-fight talk that gave bi han the sense it is not personal for her she is doing her job #so the threat was less than letting the sworn enemy to stay alive #i'm trying hard to remember if original bi han even made any comment about women's beauty and nope nothing comes to my mind right now

[acourtofthought]

Elain, who'd been spared the cruelties of Grandmamma's tutelage, had wept and dutifully laid flowers at her grave - one soon joined by their mothers stone marker.

"Will- will many of these soldiers die?"

And Elain ... Amren was holding Elain upright as she vomited in the grass. Not from the Cauldron. But pure terror.

Like the rest of us, Elain's recovery was ongoing. She'd wept for hours the day I'd taken her to a wildflower-covered hill on the outskirts of the city-to the marble headstone I'd erected there in honor of our father.

And Elain had deserved a place to visit with him, talk with him. She went at least once a month.

He knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her.

Past Mor and that too-small bundle in her arms, Elain at her side, frozen in her crying.

I don't think it can be denied that Elain is greatly effected by death. She worries how many soldiers will die, vomited in terror after the Cauldron wiped out the Illyrian soldiers, insists Feyre swear that she will not harm Graysen, was sobbing while asking Feyre to hold on during the delivery scene. And I wonder if it's that scene (and what came before) that will become the possible catalyst for Elain's book, for her saying enough is enough:

In ACOWAR, we had this:

Followed by this:

And this:

And this:

It's not proven yet but it does seem like Elain may have had a vision of Cassian's death in ACOWAR ("It'll take more than that to kill me" / "No, it will not") and was able to prevent that from happening when she somehow made her way to the clearing in the war and stabbed the King of Hybern, that she maybe even healed Cassian when she rushed to his side.

But in SF, we're told her powers have gone dormant, most likely because she has not bothered to train them or attempt to access them.

I wonder if she'll now feel guilt over Feyre's near death in the same way Nesta felt guilt over their fathers death. Nesta felt she should have done more to prevent what happened to him and it's possible Elain might now think, had she not allowed her powers to fall dormant, that she could have foreseen Feyre nearly losing her life or forseen a way to save her (as she once did for Cassian).

She stood in the room praying to the gods and the Mother to save Feyre but it wasn't a god or the Mother that saved them, it was Nesta. Something that might lead to the realization that if she wants something done, she might need to take it upon herself to make it happen.

She might even feel guilt over Nesta being forced into the Rite because again, had she pushed to train and keep her powers sharp, she might have had a vision of Nesta being taken and been able to stop it.

SJM said that when you get to the end of SF, you'll know who the next book is about and people take that to mean Az's book because of his bonus and because she said "and Azriel's journey is one I'm very excited to write". But his bonus occurred about 2/3 of the way through the book. Yes, she's excited to write his journey but she talked about how the second Elain and Nesta came back on the page of ACOMAF, they'd have journey's beyond what Feyre was seeing. Journey does not mean a character gets the next book. Journey includes all the groundwork that the author lays for a character before eventually getting a book. So Az's "journey" could still be laid out in an Elain book in some fashion though that might not mean he's getting a POV in it. Nesta and Elain's journey's were laid out in ACOMAF, ACOWAR, and ACOFAS (in Feyre's pov). Elain's journey was still being laid out in ACOSF (in Nesta's pov). Just as Lucien's journey has been laid out since book 1, though he still hasn't gotten a book of his own just yet. I do think Az's journey (before his own book) will involve him having to witness why Lucien is worthy of Elain and why Lucien would not be quite so easy to defeat as he once believed, it seems too easy for him to finally acknowledge these things in his own book when he gets his own HEA.

Az wanting a mate and a lack of self worth isn't really much to go on before starting a book when you consider the outstanding plots (Spring / Beron / Koschei), not when you consider that Chaol's book happened after he lost the use of his legs and they needed allies for the war. Not when you consider that Lucien not only has a lack of self worth too but unknown powers, an unknown father, a lack of a true home, an unaccepted mating bond after two years (things that have been unresolved for a long time), is often underestimated and is connected to Spring / Beron / Koschei. Not when you consider that Nesta's book began after she had pushed everyone away because she felt helpless to save her father during the war. Not when you consider that Elain is always being pushed to the sidelines, having both Nesta and Az claim she shouldn't be involved in anything dangerous and she may have come to her own realization that had she bothered training her powers after the war, she may have "seen" what was going to happen to her sisters at the end of SF. Not when we still haven't gotten Elain's pov on her experience of being put into the Cauldron or the death of her father or being turned fae.

The end of SF, the last page actually, has Nesta taking Elain's rose carving and placing it on her father's gravestone as a "permanent marker of the beauty and good he'd tried to bring into the world" (almost like Elain is about to do her thing).

The end of SF has Feyre and Elain beaming at Nesta, beckoning her to join.

SJM began to set up Az's journey in SF for sure and she'll continue setting up his journey. But I still don't think the end of SF is setting up Az for his book so much as the focus being on the relationship between the three sisters. And in order for them to truly come full circle, Elain needs to come into her own as Feyre and Nesta both have.

#elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #acotar elain #pro elain archeron #pro lucien vanserra #lucien and elain #sarah j mass #acotar theory

[jd-brainrot]

new chapter rant

spoiler warning

AAAAAAA PAOLA IS PULLING ALL THE TWISTS SO FAR WHAT THE FUCK

I had several theories of how season 3 would go and I could not have forseen this?!?!?!?

now David can see Exer's magic I've got a few THEEOOORRRIESSS

I think its either going to go the "they love eachother so much they've become intertwined and connected" route, which would be adorable but slightly predictable

or (and this is only in the case that the scenes of jackson and exer + david that are mushed together in the panel aren't happening simultaneously, and jackson's happened first) because jackson decided he was never using the diary again and is - metaphorically and physically - putting it out his mind, exer's magic has decided to latch onto david??

exer's magic might need someone to balance it out? like it needs a host to be in, and someone without powers who can influence it?? and he might have accidentally chose jackson as a child to be that person? and now jackson has resigned, it's connected to someone that's close to exer???

I'm betting now jackson might not be able to see exer's magic anymore if that's the case.

or maybe he still will be able to. who knows

anyway i don't have much else to say on that.

moving on

I LOVE HARRY <33

specifically his parenting it's HILARIOUS. he's got that dad look. the death look. one look and you're silenced. you know you've fucked up and it's an immediate apology.

THE FEAR IN EXER'S EYES IM SCREAMING WITH LAUGHTER

and. to conclude my screaming.

scrunkley jackson supremacy.

ive said it once, i'll say it again, i love this man in this art style

#in the second photo jackson looks zesty #sorry #theres a reason im leaving that in the tags #jacksons diary #jackson's diary #jd #jackson's diary spoilers #jackson's diary s3

[yukisdomain]

ships: chosoyuki, nobamai, takaken

So sorry for the late answer 😅 I've forseen a lot of typing and my mind just went: procrastinate 🙃 (this is why I don't do meta)

For chosoyuki, I've already answered it here:

For nobamai:

Don't Ship It

1. Why don't you ship it?

While I can see Mai falling for Nobara (and being in denial about it), I can't see Nobara falling for Mai. I have nothing against the ship tho. Actually, I'd enjoy seeing Mai pine for Nobara. I don't know what's with me and enjoying one sided love, but here we are.

We tend to fall for those who remind us of people who we have unfinished business with, not consciously ofc. Say your mom didn't give you love and validation you needed. You will fall for someone who reminds you of your mom and who you will have hard time getting that love and validation from. You will purposely choose a person that can't give you that and try to fix it, because if you fix it and manage to make that person give you what you need, congratualtions, you've won! Of course this barely ever happens, and that's why people who have some sort of trauma suck at relationships.

Mai, unconsciously, could probably see some of Maki in Nobara and she'd try to get her attention by teasing, try to overpower her in battle, you know, everything she wished she could do to Maki. On the other hand, she'd enjoy being around a girlier girl, because she herself is like that. I can also see this pining help Mai grow as a character. At one point she'd snap and in an attempt to heal her heart, learn to let go of everything.

In conclusion, it's not that I don't ship it because I don't like the pair, it's because I can't see it work out.

2. What would have made you like it?

If Nobara was different and more compatible with Mai I guess, but then she wouldn't be our Nobara.

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

If they did date for like a short period of time before it got toxic because of Mai's unresolved trauma, I think those two would be the hottest, baddest and sassiest couple - in a positive way ofc 😂

For takaken:

Ship It

1. What made you ship it?

Similarly to chosoyuki, I just went with the flow. I'm not much of a shipper in general.

Also the ship is as cannon as chosoyuki is. We saw both couples go on dates (except takaken went better) and we heard verbal conformation from both scientists...

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

Their acceptance of each other when nobody else does. Then there's Kenny with real smiles, finally. You can see how much both of them enjoyed spending time together.

I'm sorry my reply is so dry compared to other two ships, it's that I had more time to think about chosoyuki and nobamai. Lately I've just been skimming through the chapters to get the general idea of what is going on in the manga, not thinking much of anything. Once the manga (or at the very least this arc) has ended I will reread it properly.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Nope, I'm not an opinionated shipper. I'm barely a shipper in general.

Thanks for the ask :)

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #ask #kugisaki nobara #mai zenin #nobamai #kenjaku #takaba #takaken

[damsel-in-mistress]

Hogwarts-Era:

1) Ashes of Another Life - 6th year, 987 words, oneshot

Summary: At the dead of night atop a Hogwarts tower, Draco Malfoy falls prey to despair.

2) Knock Me Sideways - 6th year, 3.038 words, oneshot

Summary: She wasn’t supposed to walk in on him. She was supposed to be tutoring some third-year half-wits, not catching him red-handed, clothes wildly strewn all over the floor while he was still at it.

On the bed.

With mussed-up hair and shock-widened eyes.

Unable to deny what he was doing.

3) You Know it Will Always Just be Me - 8th year, 6.391 words, oneshot

Summary: Her palms grew damp in his elegant fingers.

“Is it still me that makes you sweat, then?” he murmured smugly, clearly having noticed.

If they hadn’t been followed by so many curious pairs of eyes, she would have openly glared at him, but since she couldn’t – in favour of keeping up appearances – she chose to grit her teeth behind the front of a charming smile and ignore his statement.

“Why so quiet, Hermione? You’ve never been one for silences and we’re required to have some civil conversation, aren’t we?”

“If that’s your understanding of ‘civil’, then I suggest you keep quiet for the remainder of this dance,” she replied curtly, that saccharine smile never faltering.

A low hum of recognition snuck its way past his sealed lips. “Seems to me like I hit a nerve there.”

4) The 'Pretty' Series (dark!Draco warning) - 3 drabbles, 443 words

Summary: She may be a beneath me, tainted, filthy, but Merlin help me – she’s so pretty when she cries.

5) F*** the Pain Away - 6th year, 8.049 words, oneshot

Summary: "Three things happened simultaneously: His left hand shot out to grasp the intruder’s wrist in a death grip, he realised who the intruder was, and the Stupefy died on his lips. Brown eyes open wide with surprise, brow furrowed, mouth ajar in a soft gasp, Hermione Granger stood before him."

When Draco's world is misery and dread, Hermione happens upon him in Myrtle's bathroom. None of them could have forseen what this will lead to.

Post-Hogwarts:

1) Fighting Destiny - 4/4 Chapters, 11.417 words

Summary: In a post-war world with cushy jobs at the Ministry of Magic (and a night club as his personal playground), Draco and Hermione grow closer. What destiny awaits them? And if they don't agree with it, will they be able to fight it?

2) Education is Key (jealous!Hermione)- oneshot, 1.617 words

Summary: No, Hermione Granger is certainly NOT the catfighting kind. Least of all now that she's nearing 30.

But some people just bring out the worst in her and isn't it great to have friends like Ginny who then remind her that sometimes, you just have to educate. . . .

3) Broke-Broken - oneshot, 735 words, Muggle London

Summary: Mentally and physically beaten like a disobedient house elf under his father’s cruel command he still stood tall – and that’s how she recognized him. For, other than that, he looked nothing like the young man she used to know – and yet, he was still the same.

4) Terrible Angel - drabble, 328 words, Second Wizarding War

Summary: He stares into the jagged piece of a mirror amidst the rubble, cracks pulling across the dulled surface like a spider’s web, and all that’s alive in the unmoving reflection is a pair of silvery eyes, ablaze with the feverish intensity of hunger.

5) Wish - drabble, 539 words, Post-War, St. Mungo's

Summary: The sight that met his silver gaze spoke volumes: her breathing ragged, her eyes shut tightly, her skin flushed and damp with perspiration she lay in front of him on the bed. But this couldn’t honestly be real. She would never ask him to do that – she was Hermione Jean Granger, after all. This had to be a dream. And a vivid, visceral one at that.

6) Vertigo Kiss - smut trilogy, post-war, bdsm, WIP

Summary: Due to her prominent position as Minister for Magic, it has become increasingly difficult for Hermione to scratch the persistant itch that is her sexual appetite. An unmarried witch at 31, the wizarding dating world is quite unforgiving - the Muggle world, on the other hand, has no clue who Hermione Jean Granger is.

Recently divorced and in need of distraction, Draco is loath to try and find carnal pleasure amongst the wizarding kind. Too recognisable is his face, too eager for the spotlight and money are the willing witches - the Muggle world, on the other hand, has no clue who Draco Lucius Malfoy is.

An anonymous underground Leather and Lace sex-positive party in masks might be just the place to find a solution to such problems . . . .

7) 37 Snapshots of Dramione - Microfic May 2023, NSFW

smutty Dramione in their thirties - 37x50(ish) words

#masterlist #masterpost #dhr #dramione #draco x hermione #dhr fanfiction #hermione x draco #dramione fanfic #dhr fic #dramione ao3 #dramione fanfiction #dramione fic #dramione smut #dramione one shot #dramione angst #dhr fandom #dhr ff #dramione ff #dramione fandom #damselsdramione

[letstalkaboutfandomsbaby]

im a little bit fucked in the head today…. just wanna babytrap Gojo while he’s babytrapping me and we’re both unaware of each other’s efforts to babytrap and pretending to be surprised when i turn out pregnant

Just in the most monotone voice “oh, how could this happen…! We have been soooo careful…!”

No but i love this. Gojo switches out your birth control for sugar pills and you just stop taking your birth control so both of you think you're being clever and sneaky. And ofc you never use condoms so obvs you're gonna get pregnant and you're both just ":o oh no!! Who could've forseen this happening?? This is quite a shock indeed." And either yall never figure out what happenrd or you find out after you have the baby and it's just that spiderman meme where you're pointing at each other all shocked sksksk. Anyways yes i support you and Gojo's babytrapping ways sksksk

#ask #smut #babytrapping #tw babytrapping #gojo satoru #☀️ asks

[halloweenkills]

tell me ab ben and harley 👀

HHIII okay so. let me ramble hold on

some Benjamin Hart facts:

serial killer. reason number one for the forseen tumblr discourse, because not only is he a aerial killer but he's also got Mental Illness and like don't get me wrong i understand the trope of making mentally ill characters evil is bad but he doesnt kill Becuase he's mentally ill okay. he kills people as stress relief and also just happens to have ocd and a tendency to hallucinate.

reason two for tumblr discourse: he's an addict, specifically self medicates with morphine which again. has nothing to do with why or how he kills people. it actually makes me Less likely to kill because it's another form of stress relief.

his father was a psychiatrist and Ben was also sort of... off even as a child, miscategorized as antisocial but really his brain is just wired a little wrong like he just Doesn't Get It when it comes to social relationships and people in general, so as a result his father kind of like medically experimented on him as a kid trying to help but nothing seemed to work. he was in and out of hospitals a lot as a kid, got a lot of unethical treatment (shock therapy and various medications to sedate him and hypnosis) which obviously like kind of just made him Worse.

he feels emotions so strongly that he doesn't know what to do with them and he also never really could figure out how to recognize which emotions are what so. that's really the biggest factor in his being a serial killer. he feels love so strongly that it becomes obsessive so as a child it was expressed through violence, and as an adult whos learned self control/regulations as least a little bit it now leads to some rather stalkerish behaviors. and maybe some light kidnapping. (but it's fine bc Harley loves him back. NOT in a Stockholm way though I know people would argue for that too)

his parents immigrated from Austria just before he was born and they're like Rich Rich like old money in the millions Rich and he was homeschooled, so despite living in America he has a mostly Austrian accent. German is technically his first language though he learn both that and English at the same time growing up. he's also from Chicago and has never left Chicago and was more so raised by his parents staff/nannys so his accent also has some hints of Chicago in it at times.

his mother died when he was young like 9 or so. she had cancer and Benjamin killed her to put her out of her misery. she was his first victim. he also killed his father when he was older but that was malice not love.

he's 31 years old + in modern terminology (the story is set in the early 1990s) fits the definitions for agender as well as being on the asexual and aromantic spectrums but he would never identify as such. he just doesn't care, he's fully apathetic about it. he considers himself to be a gay man but even that label is like pointless to him.

there's several iterations of him so some things are a little different from when I first made him but as of currently Ben is also a psychiatrist, bc it's really all he knows. specifically hes working at a university.

WHICH is where Harley comes in! Harley was actually created by a friend of mine for the sole purpose of shipping with Ben so like none of the following was created by me, im just stating facts.

Harley is a Jewish, half Pakistani and half romani, immigrated to america as a young child, grew up in California before coming to Chicago on full scholarship. i can't remember what his majors called but his ultimate goal is to find a cure for aids.

another reason for tumblr discourse is the age gap. Ben's 31 and Harley's 24. also Harley is autistic so that just leads to further infantilization. (and I also know that people would bring up the fact that Ben is German while Harley is Jewish like. that means anything at all)

AND the "power imbalance" of Benjamin being harleys psychiatrist (and in some iterations just one of his professors)

more harley facts bc i got sidetracked: he has a tendency to never sleep bc he works as a stripper in a gay club during nights then spends all day at school or in his lab doing research. (he's got a private lab fully funded by the uni)

and harley while not a serial killer is kind of unethically preforming experiments on dead bodies (which are often illegally obtained but Not by killing them)

the plot of the story is sort of scifi ish in nature with harleys research leading to growing living organs in dead bodies. and that's a major conflict in the story where harleys like "Ben you can't kill people it's wrong" and Ben's like "harely you can't resurrect people some would argue that's also wrong"

I also can't remember harleys full name at the moment but I remember his initials spell out the word 'help'

and anyway Ben and Harley are just so in love and are soul mates and just 100% belong together in a way that is inherently obsessive and toxic (on both ends)

AND spoilers for the end of the story. aids is a major theme throughout the story, as is tragedy, and resurrection. so i think u get where im headed with that (one of them dies and the other resurrects them out of love. but they come back Wrong because you can never truly have eternal life)

#august.txt #answered #woo oc lore #ALSO Thank You for give me a reason to tak about them

[circle-girls-tower]

Knock Knock Knock.

"It's Annie."

"Come in."

"The...The portal scrying, who used it..."

"And?"

"Vampire. There is...there is a full-blooded vampire among the Sisters, with power over shadow. They've been a part for a long time at this point, just...hidden. They melded into the darkness and slipped through the cracks."

"A vampire?"

"Corina Ioneta. They've been here for...decades, at the least."

"And how long have you known about their existence?"

"For as long as I've been here. All of the seers know about her existence, and we've had an agreement to not talk about her."

"And this pact to not talk about her implies that she can block attempts of scrying, because otherwise the consequences could be forseen, correct?"

"Correct. I don't want to look at the exact timeline of events for fear of her detecting my scrying, but...that's what happened. It has to be."

"Well, if she has been here for decades without signs of vampirism or other signs of a vampire appearing here, she is at least intelligent enough to not prey upon people where she could be tracked. The public answer will be that that there was a mishap, and I will go and inform the Admiral about the true matter privately."

#Japhziel #Annie

[sammy-a-87]

GGAD Fanfic

Expelled (1350w)

“Expelled! After everything we've done! All we've covered up for you! The whole school has had enough and expelled you! Fucking disgrace!” 

A man's angry German shouts brought Gellert back to his senses. He was…home? His childhood home. He could recognize the living room anywhere- with the giant stone fireplace, the animal pelts hanging on the wall, the lavish couches and sofas, the woolen carpet- it was just as he remembered it. But that begged the question, how was he here? Is this that ‘life flashing before your eyes’ moment? But why am I seeing it straight from this point? Why not earlier, or later? He took in the sweet scent of aromatic herbs and candle wax, even the faint smell of smoke felt like a luxury after all those years locked up in that empty cell. 

He barely even felt the slap, his father's heavy hand colliding with the side of his face. 

“Are you listening to me, boy?! Answer me, verdammt!” 

He brought his eyes to meet the man's eyes and for a second looked confused. This is not how it happened…. He's had this scene play out before him time and time again- that's all he did in that cell, remember. And he knew that that day he didn't get slapped. The man was furiously awaiting an answer.

“Yes, Father. I am sorry, Father.” 

“Sorry?! Sorry?! That is all you have to say for yourself?! I've covered up your little ‘experiments’ at the cost of my own bloody reputation! I waited- your mother said you'll grow out of it- for you to stop your nonsense.” He stopped to take a breath. His face was red and veins were threatening to pop from the pressure of his anger. 

“And yet no amount of gold could’ve saved you now- killed the headmaster’s fucking child…” Pure disbelief resonated with those words. 

“Where the fuck have we gone wrong in raising you?! Despicable. Demon spawn- that's what you are! And all you can say is ‘sorry’! So you're pathetic as well!”

Gellert could only watch in silence as his father raged on. He’d known already for a long time that his parents hated the path he was walking on, but he could never stop himself. The Dark Magic sang to him, lulled him in, promised to give him the future he had forseen for himself. And knowledge- knowledge called out his name, asked him to discover, to become grand. A horrible mix, really, for a young, prideful and ambitious mind. After each mishap his parents bribed the headmaster and teachers into silence- even when his experiments hurt others. They always made their displeasure clear but he thought he could read pride in between the lines, for he was truly great. Or so he had thought of himself at that age.

“Me and your mother have turned a blind eye for too long. We are giving you one last chance at redemption. I'm sending you off to your aunt for the summer. Hopefully she can bring some sense into your thick head.” The man had yelled himself hoarse, so now his voice quietened into an almost civil tone. 

“Aunt Bathilda? In England?” Gellert asked, masterfully suppressing his glee. Bathilda Bagshot, the only person in his life who had accepted him exactly as he was, no matter what he did. She had been the only one who wrote him letters back in Nurmengard….

“Yes. No magic, no fancy books. Just good hard work. If you still have some semblance of a conscience you'll do as you're asked and maybe you won't be disowned. Step even once out of line, Junge, and you kiss this place goodbye!” The old man scowled at him, icy blue eyes almost burning holes into his skull. 

If young Gellert had loved something, then that had been a lavish life. He had loved the attention, the gold, the fine cuisine and rare furs- everything his aunt had thrown away when moving to that little island. His father always spoke ill of her, so naturally he had grown to hate her too, grown to view her as less. He still couldn't wrap his mind around how she could love him so much. 

“When am I leaving?” I put up a big fight the first time…. But better there, than here.

“Tomorrow. Go pack. Raus mit dir!” His father swatted his hand, ready for another hit, but he was faster at ducking and ran straight for his room. 

The door closed behind him with a loud bang. His childhood bedroom- he hadn't visited it even once during his time of glory. Often he wondered what his parents had thought of him, of what he had become. Had they been ashamed? Proud? Disgusted? Probably not disgusted- they did instill in him a hatred for muggles ever since he was a child; stupid pureblood ideals. The room was big and spacious, walls painted a dark wine and dark oak were the floorboards. A giant white wool rug sat in the middle, opposite to the door was the bed- red beddings trimmed with golden constellations, to the left was his heavy oak desk with equally bedazzled stationary; it all stood in contrast to the old, no ancient, bookshelf that occupied the whole right wall, it was filled to the brim with books of all types- silent ones, wailing ones, ones that snapped at you, others that appeared and disappeared; books on potions, transfigurations, dark magic and rituals; and one row, the lowest, with children's books, the books every pureblood child had been read to, that never missed from any household. 

He turned to the side and got greeted by the tall mirror he used to spend hours looking at. He stepped closer. His hands were shaking as he touched the cold surface. Gellert was no longer a skeletal old man, withering away in a lonely tower. No, what greeted him from the other side of the mirror was a young man, a teenager really, with soft golden hair that curled at the tips, pale skin free of wrinkles and any indication of the passage of time- he didn't even have pimples! bright, lively eyes of different colors- icy blue and earth brown; he was lean and fairly tall, features almost femininely delicate. A doll that had never needed to lift a finger in his life. 

He took a seat on the tiny chair next to the mirror (he used it when putting his shoes on) and just stood there quietly, deep in thought. Nothing had gone according to his memory, sure the conversation, he could say, went as close to the script as it could- but it wasn't the same. Neither had his reactions been. And there was also the fact that he was actively thinking about all this. Something wasn't adding up. These can't be my memories, because you can't just change them like this- unknowingly. There has to be another explanation. Am I truly dead? Is this my hell? I don't feel punished. This isn't right. Could it be-.... no way. But what if? Then the question would be ‘why?’. Why am I here? Why am I reliving this day? 

He just sat there, pondering. He touched his face, his hair, pinched himself- it was all real. He was real. Could he have truly been sent to the past? But who and why and how would do this? Could he really be gifted a second chance?

“Gellert, Abendessen ist fertig!” His mother's voice rang out in the silence, so loud he almost cried out in pain- he had forgotten that living with others was so noisy. Dinner, did she say? So long had it been since he'd eaten actual food…. The dilemma of this supposed new chance, that's what he wanted to believe it was, could wait until later. 

“Ich komme!” 

(translations under cut)

verdammt-dammit Junge-boy raus mit dir-get out Abendessen ist fertig-dinner is ready ich komme- I'm coming

#ggad #grindeldore #gellert grindelwald #albus dumbledore #albus x gellert #bsads #ch2

[shelobussy]

HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY HAPPEN TO ME WHO COULD HAVE FORSEEN THIS SCREAMS AND STARTS THORWING UP BLOOD

#yeah thats fair

[awesomefringey]

"Believe me, there is this part of me that really couldn’t make sense of why Harry stretched out the pr stunt for as long as he did, especially the more he got dragged into the entire embarrassing Olivia Wilde trash tv show.

From custody papers to the entire Shia dispute, from Miss Flo to nanny silhouette interviews. Why would Harry even agree to make himself part of Olivia’s camp in all of this…!? But blackmail?" but if not blackmail then for what reason would Harry have dragged out the stunt when it was ruining his image? her being a beard for the MP release date doesn't wash for me. If you're a closeted gay man who has gay rumors and is worried about more speculation on your sexuality then maybe don't do a gay movie where you're playing a closeted gay man? no doubt Harry expected Holivia to end before MP came out. DWD was delayed a year because of the pandemic and on top of that it was delayed because a staff was fired and they kept editing the trailer. It was repeatedly pushed back until it was released a short time from MP. Harry couldn't have forseen that. The day the RS interview came out Harry was in tears at his show that night and was upset the whole time. Whenever Amazon promoted MP Olivia and WB would drop the 10th, 11th, 12th DWD trailer or poster to try and steal attention away from MP. There were 'reviews' coming from Olivia's side who were praising Olivia to high heavens and doing character assassinations on Harry. So yes, Olivia and WB was out to get Harry and he was probably scared to end the stunt because of what would happen next. Blackmail sounds plausible. Louis isn't the only one who gets grief in the industry.

"but if not blackmail then for what reason would Harry have dragged out the stunt when it was ruining his image?"

This is the real question here. And while I see how you found a possible explanation for it (Warner Brothers and Olivia Wilde forcing Harry in continuing the showmance), I still don't understand how that would work.

I get that the Azoffs have enemies and that plenty would like to see them go, and how someone could use knowledge about Harry to try and hurt Jeff's reputation. But I think I'm missing major information to fully comprehend how a blackmail would lead into Harry not ending a fake relationship that hurts his profile.

I'm rather inclined to believe Harry/Jeff agreed to a PR stunt to promote DWD until its premiere. But then it was delayed by a year and Harry couldn't/wouldn't get out of it.

I also think that both movies were released back to back and Olivia having literally NOTHING in her calendar for two years was a cluster fuck situation for Harry.

#ask #was harry blackmailed?

[xadoheandterra]

Series: Semblance Title: Patriciate Fandom: Jak and Daxter Chapters: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI Characters: Jak, Daxter, Samos, Keira, Kid!Jak, Ashelin, Torn, Tess Tags: Worldbuilding, Accidentally King of Haven!Jak, hurt/comfort, things go wrong, things get better, things get worse again, slow build, slow burn, slow to update, cross posted, fantasy racism, canon divergence, been meaning to share this here Summary: “It’s yours,” Jak said softly. “Keep it…remember where you come from. At least one of us should remember….”

If Jak knew the consequences of that one, selfish choice…well, he’d probably have made the same decision either way.

The path of fate has changed, so what does that mean?

Pecker kept himself small, huddled in between boxes and crates to not cast a shadow on the tent walls. He glanced cautiously over toward Onin who sat cross legged surrounded by various trinkets while she meditated. Pecker shivered while he listened to the telltale shuffling of the Metal Heads outside the tent canvas. He watched through the thinnest cracks along the bottom of the tent the creatures sniff around. With bated breath Pecker waited until they shuffled off, the sounds becoming distant.

“That was close,” Pecker huffed. Onin tilted her head, turned it in his direction calmly. “Oh please don’t give me that look.” Her lips twitched up and Pecker could easily read the minute gestures that told him all he needed to know.

 “That is bullshit and you know it,” Pecker pointed out in response to what he read. He huffed and flew over to Onin exhaustedly. “How much longer are we going to be stuck here anyway?”

Onin sighed breathlessly and shifted. Pecker watched for the signs of communication, the twitches of fingers that were far subtler than when she made grandiose gestures at her guests. Pecker frowned best he could at what he read there.

“You needn’t be so hard on yourself,” Pecker said quietly. “Please, Onin.”

Onin twitched her head and pushed air through her nose in another huff. She opened sightless eyes and turned them toward Pecker tiredly. This time she made a sharp gesture with her hand, twisting the rest and curling the fingers. She shifted in her spot, face curling with more words.

“Well yes something is obviously different,” Pecker agreed. “This rescue is taking far too long!” He let out a faint squawk. “That doesn’t mean you should doubt yourself.” Pecker poked her in the head. “You haven’t been wrong yet.”

Onin frowned. She poked Pecker back and moved her fingers in an intricate pattern. She drew faint lines of light eco into the air, and then waved her hand through it the next second to wipe the trace. Pecker glanced to the front of the tent, tensed, and waited to see if any Metal Heads made their way back at the scent of eco. He breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened.

​"Honestly Onin you worry too much,” Pecker said bluntly. “We’ll be out of here soon enough and Jak will finish his destiny. So what if it’s a little different? That’s just the minor details.” Onin arched an eyebrow. “Well yes I’m upset! This rescue is taking far too long. You think they’d come get us first thing, won’t you?”

Onin frowned and poked Pecker in the forehead. She made a small gesture, then sighed wordlessly. Pecker frowned.

"This doubting is not like you," Pecker said. Onin rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. Just wait and see. As you've forseen so shall it come to pass." Pecker paused, then slumped over with a sigh. "Although I admit I am not looking forward to that bit with all the sand. Or that Vegan fellow. Or any of it with the daystar thing." Pecker stared down at the ground and completely missed Onin's silent response. "I know it is fate, but to pin it on him? On them? It feels like a sham."

Onin placed her hand atop Peckers head and bowed her own in understanding. More than anyone they understood the chains of fate.

"We need to discuss the eco situation before we get any further on the recovery efforts," Jak brought up before greetings could be provided.

"Eco situation?" Keira questioned with a frown. She glanced around the table and noted that out of everyone only Samos and Zoe seemed to know what Jak meant.

Jak licked his lips and flicked his fingers against the table. Abruptly in front of everyone the reports began to scroll. "These are the records we have on Praxis' exchange of eco with Kor." Jak made a gesture and the lines of red, blue, and yellow eco lit up. "From what he recorded Praxis traded in red, blue, yellow and dark eco considering the overabundance of it. Not once did he send Kor a barrel of green."

"Considering how green and dark interact," Keira murmured in understanding. Alyin glanced to her, then to Jak. Ashlin blinked.

"What do you mean?" Ashlin questioned. "How they interact?"

Keira looked over to Ashlin, and then made a short gesture. "Green eco and dark eco interact poorly. With an overgrowth of dark green is used as a cleansing agent. It counteracts the corrosive influence and rejuvenates. That's why we need green eco in the cleansing process; fire'll work for disease but to cleanse the taint of the dark eco we do need to bathe the pits in green...."

"So that's why you mentioned the green eco," Aylin said surprised. "That makes sense...."

"Except we're short," Jak said slowly, and that grabbed the younger generation's attention. Torn stiffened at his back. "It went largely unreported but the hospitals have a green shortage; while there are unreported missing barrels of all types of eco, the unreported missing barrels of red, blue, yellow, and dark match up with the records we do have of Praxis' deals with Kor."

"An' then there's the green stuff that's jus' missin' entirely," Daxter said darkly. "Which means either someone's been hoardin' shit, or somethin' else is going on."

Jak pulled up the information on the green flows and pointed out the discrepancies. He highlighted the comments on blockages and the room descended into silent, contemplative reading for a minute. He didn't say his thoughts out loud just yet, instead glanced to Keira. Keira knew most about eco flows out of everyone back in Sandover. Her intense interest into precurian technology helped, and then with Samos for an adoptive father she learned plenty on how the eco flows worked. From her seat Keira stood up, moved her hands alongside the report and then pulled up a map to coincide with it.

"Keira what are you doing?" Samos harrumphed tiredly but stalled when Zoe held up a hand. She also got to her feet and shifted around the table to see what Keira saw.

"What do you notice, child?" Zoe questioned quietly. She glanced between Jak and Keira curiously. "What do both of you notice."

Keira blinked and looked to Jak. "You see it too, right?" Jak nodded slowly.

"Like when the blue lines were closed," Jak said softly. "When the Acherons...."

"That's what I thought," Keira agreed. Carefully she tapped out a few quick commands--Zoe took the time over the past few days to get her acquainted with the system. "The question becomes how long and if there is a pattern...."

"There is," Jak agreed softly. He got up and quickly pulled up the relevant files. In between reading through the reports for the preparations to the Stadium and the Waterfront, both performed as quietly as Keira and Daxter and the Underground could make it, Jak delved into the reports and history in regards to the eco flows in an attempt to suss out a pattern for the eco shortage if he could. "See here? These records go back to before Praxis took over."

"I'm not the only one lost, am I?" Koray muttered quietly, and Alyin shook her head with a frown.

For a moment Keira and Jak went back and forth in half-sentences and thoughts while the rest of the Council tried to follow. Daxter occasionally would pipe up some nonsensical comment that only both teens understood. Out of the entire council Zoe and Samos seemed to have some vague idea what what they three discussed. This back and forth continued for some time until Ashlin grew tired of the lack of explanation, stood up, and slammed her hands down onto the table to gather everyone's attention.

"Jak!" Ashlin snapped out and Jak jerked his head up. "What are you two even talking about?"

"The eco lines," Keira said bluntly when Jak just blinked in surprise. "They've been turned off. Why would you even remotely do that?"

Torn shifted and frowned at the three teens. "It attracts the metal heads," the commander said carefully. "Historically the council decided to shut down the eco lines for the protection of the city itself."

"That makes no sense!" Keira threw her hands up in a huff. "You crippled the city to protect it? What kind of nonsense--" Jak sighed and Daxter let out a loud, "Hey, hey, hey!" before the table could erupt into arguing.

"Lemme get this straight," Daxter said sharply. "Ya'll shut down the eco lines cuz the metal heads are attracted to eco, right?"

Ashlin nodded. "Yes. The Council made the choice several generations back."

Daxter frowned, then glanced to Jak who sighed irritably.

"Metal heads are attracted to liquid eco," Jak said slowly. "The eco lines filter vaporous eco to the vents which the metal heads aren't even interested in. Meanwhile you've broken open who knows how many dark eco silos and practically polluted whole sections outside the town walls with liquid dark eco that the metal heads can gorge themselves on. They have an easy source of liquid eco, dark eco, readily available. They don't need to try and harvest any from the eco lines while the dark eco from the silos is still so abundant."

"The lines still hold liquid eco," Ashlin pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's so far deep down that not even the precursor ruin with the control switch can reach it," Keira pointed out. "You know we barely interacted with liquid eco before the metal head invasion right? If any of the Sage's wanted to touch eco in its liquid form they had to condense it back down after harvesting the vapor from a nearby vent."

"That's what always bugged us 'bout the whole tradin' eco thing with Kor," Daxter pointed out. "They didn't need it."

For a moment the table remained silent in complete shock. Then, carefully, Ashlin asked the question that lingered on the older council members mind. "How...do you know this?"

Jak blinked. He glanced at them one by one. "I was taught it," Jak said carefully. "During my...stay in Praxis' care." He didn't like to honestly think about the knowledge Praxis and Erol stuffed into his head during the two years he stayed in their tender mercies, between the eco treatments and assessments. Jak breathed out slowly. "Did honestly none of you know this?" Jak glanced to Samos and to Zoe who both held thoughtful frowns on their faces.

Zoe sighed heavily and scrubbed a hand down her face with sudden exhaustion. Samos tightened his grip on his cane.

"We were informed that the 'dark eco' outside of the walls in fact contained poison," she said softly, "and indeed all tests done by House Azul proved such."

"Agreed," Samos said. "We were lead to believe the dark eco outside the walls in fact meant nothing to the metal heads. The research and the data backed it up." Samos sagged. "To think he'd gone so far..."

"We don't even have records of where the switches are anymore," Zoe said bitterly. "They were destroyed some sixty, seventy years ago...."

Jak exchanged a glance with Keira and Keira nodded. "Look, I have a few suggestions for that, things to look out for, locations from Sandover that I can remember. We never dealt with the green line, never needed to, but the blue, yellow and red ones I can give you rough approximations based from there."

"If we follow the pattern of the other eco lines, we might be able to pull up where the green line is as well," Zoe agreed. "First things first though we need to focus on the recovery efforts."

"Eco is just as important, especially green!" Keira argued. Samos' hand stopped her from continuing.

"Keira," Samos said lightly and Keira glanced back to him. "Let Zoe and I handle the eco lines. You, Jak, and Daxter provide the information on the previous locations and we'll run from there. The rest of you should focus on the recovery efforts and where to spend our attention. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, and for the time being we can make do with what green we do have. We're short, but we're not in the red just yet."

"We will be if we don't take care of it," Ashlin said softly.

"Definitely," Aylin agreed, "but Zoe and the Shadow are right. We need to prioritize. So, back to the recovery efforts and the space requirements; what do we have to work with?"

Koray knew his own strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand. Hunt down Onin in the middle of Metal Head infested territory amounted to suicide, but Koray knew to ignore Veger on something so important spelt trouble. Easily enough the answer settled with the Sage Lines and the Council that the freak designed. The Market District sat closest to Main Town aside from the Agricultural District which made it a prime target for immediate rescue. Koray planned to bring it up in favor of the people of Haven; not even Alyin could refute him that. After all House Karga focused on the people.

While the rest of the group discussed the logistics of removing the equipment in the Stadium pits and the Stadium itself, Koray flipped through the reports on the most damaged areas and House Praxis' assessment of the damage thus far. While they brought up Eco storage and the shortage concerns, Koray dragged his fingers along the comments towards the advantages and disadvantages of their current position. He noted the rate of food, the concerns in regards to metal head incursion in the Agricultural District, the supplies potentially remained in the Market District.

With the freak and his sycophants Koray knew he'd need to phrase his change to the plan just so in order to get them to go along. If not Jak then at least Aylin and one of the other Houses. When the meeting began to die down in regards to the plans--somehow the Waterfront became refugee location number two for those not sick and infirm, which meant that they'd need to build shelters for the people and given the amount of open space over the water the shelters would be housed there--Koray could see the outcry of turning such a centralized location into essentially a secondary slums district.

"I have a proposition," Koray said cautiously in a slight lull in the conversation where Zoe, Samos and Ashlin made notes and adjustments. Aylin shot him a look, an arched eyebrow that conveyed the cold 'and what are you doing now?' that found itself in all House Karga women. Koray continued on and ignored the look. "We've made a note on the eco shortage and on how best to settle the refugees but we're ignoring two major districts that could provide additional room to house people temporarily."

Koray quickly brought up the Agricultural District and then the Market District. "You can see here that reported damage to both districts are minimal," Koray highlighted primarily the borders. "In fact for the Agricultural District borders itself against both the Waterfront and Main Town. Freeing that space would ease the public's understanding and raise open, land bound areas to house refugees not deemed a health risk."

Aylin leaned forward and looked over what Koray marked down. "Interesting," she murmured, and Koray knew she could see the same he could--the strangeness in the revelation that only one path between the Waterfront and to Main Town that focused solely on the Palace itself.

"Plus there is the concern of an increase in metal head activity within the Agricultural District itself," Koray pointed out carefully. "The corruption of crops and food will lead toward an increase in disease and dark eco levels among the common populace."

Samos frowned and Jak furrowed his brow in thought. Koray watched House Haggai put together the details and waited. Keira spoke up instead of her father though, and Koray twitched her head in the young girl's direction.

"In order to free up the agricultural areas of Haven we need to use the green eco to cleanse what damage the crops already suffer from," Keira pointed out. "Green eco we don't have to spare."

Aylin nodded. "The space increase you bring up, and the health increase, are good points Koray," she said calmly, fingers steepled together, "but in this case I feel that even House Karga can't support the change in focus. While we might gain space to place cleared refugees we run the risk of an increase in sick and inform, lowering the locations where we can store them and increasing the rise of disease among the populace without a clear way to keep them down."

"Plus you need to think of the bodies contaminating the rest of the city itself," Ashlin agreed. "We need to clean out the heavily infested areas first, focus on reclaiming sections of the city we've lost entirely. We haven't completely lost the Agricultural District or the Market District; they're under attack, but still fairly clear of metal head incursion."

"Beyond even that," Zoe spoke up, voice sharp, "the shield wall needs immediate repair, especially if we are to take back any part of this city. The equipment for that resides only in the Industrial District under the purview of House Azul."

Koray clenched his fists and glanced about the room. While the others considered, his plan still removed itself from the table. He clenched his teeth.

"What about the Prison," Koray said cautiously. "The medical facilities there--"

"--are not worth dredging out," Jak said shortly and everyone froze. "The Prison doesn't house any green eco on site, therefore reclamation of the Prison is not a priority."

Ashlin exchanged a glance to Torn who stiffened behind Jak, and Aylin looked over at Koray whose lips tugged into a faint sneer.

"The other stores of eco alone could increase our fire power, not to mention the use of the KG supplies that were contained there--" Koray started, but Aylin cut him off by dragging him right back into his seat with a sharp glare. Her normally amber eyes glowed bright yellow with her fury.

"Koray, enough," Aylin said coldly. "Sire, House Karga apologizes for speaking out of turn." Jak inclined his head. "It is our consideration to leave the Prison as it is. When we reclaim the Industrial District we can look towards that path if we find ourselves short on the eco supply. That is House Karga's suggestion in regards to the reclamation."

The sudden turn toward formality left Koray frozen solid. Obviously he'd overstepped into something, and with a gentle incline of his head for apology Koray observed the group as a whole. Praxis knew something, as did the traitor and Zoe, although Koray couldn't be certain toward what. Most likely something that Erol worked on, given the stiffened nature of Torn's spine or the way Ashlin seemed to suddenly regain the privileged stick up her ass.

The eco freak's silence and near black eyes helped cinch the matter toward something Erol worked on. Most probably something in regards to the Dark Warrior Program, then. Koray pondered for a moment what secrets the prison could be hiding before he settled back to silently observe the rest of the meeting. A minor setback, the thought to have the recovery efforts designed by Jak to rescue Onin was a good one, but the opposition meant that Koray would have to seek this out on his own. The thought of entering territory claimed by the beasts, tainted by the dark eco--well, Koray wasn't a fighter at heart. That didn't mean however that he didn't know how to fight when necessary.

Jak breathed a settling breath through his nose while the room cleared out, the meeting finally come to an end. He stared down at the streets of Haven, hands clenched tight to mask the faint tremble to them. Daxter kept himself rather still, fingers on his hands gently tugged through his braids, a silent form of support. Once the meeting finished Torn shifted to settle against a wall and kept one eye on Jak, and one on the departing members. Jak felt rather grateful that Torn out of everyone recognized Jak's reluctance to deal with any member of House Karga and carefully steered Aylin out of the room with a shaken head and a soft word.

When finally everyone left, aside from Samos and Torn--Kiera lingered in the doorway, curious and cautious and not-at-all like the Keira Jak could remember. Jak glanced to her before he kept his gaze solely on the streets below.

"The boy had a point," Samos spoke as he moved over toward Jak. The soft clump of his feet thudded heavy to Jak's ears. They drooped faintly. "We might need the eco stored at the Prison." Samos slapped his staff into the ground with frustration. "There is no telling how much eco Praxis stored--"

"There is no green eco in the Prison," Jak said stiffly, voice clipped, "and that is the only eco we'd need at this time."

Samos frowned and hummed in thought. He sighed exasperatedly after a second. "Just because the inventory records state one thing--"

"The inventory records say nothing on the eco stored there," Jak tightened his fists and dug sharpened nails into his palms. He closed his eyes and hunched his shoulders inward a bit, ears dropped down. "There is too much blue, some yellow, some red, but no green."

"Jak," Samos said slowly, but before he could continue Torn stepped in, shifted from his position against the wall. Keira also spoke up, a soft, "Daddy," to get Samos' attention before Torn completely overtook her.

"Jak's right, Shadow," Torn said. "Praxis never felt the need for green eco to be stored at the prison, there's always been too much blue eco anywhere near the Guard and the locations they frequent, and the little yellow and red also stored there worked as spare ammunition than anything."

Samos seemed paused, a frown tugged at his mouth as he stared at Torn and then glanced to Jak and the way Jak's shoulders trembled faintly. He reached out a hand to place on Jak's shoulder, meant to be a calming or understanding gesture. A spark of dark eco snapped at his fingers and Samos jerked back with a hiss. He looked between his hand and then over at Jak. For a moment Samos wanted to say something--something about the dark eco that bubbled just beneath Jak's skin. For a moment Samos wondered how he never saw it, saw the depths of the eco that coiled in the teenager.

Then Samos pulled his hand back, let out a soft sigh even as Jak tensed further. He kept his thoughts to himself, intent to puzzle this one out further--and for a moment he wondered if he'd forgotten something, somewhere, that happened between now and Sandover. Samos knew he probably had; a lot of what Samos once knew he'd lost already due to age and distance and probably something to do with the rift and timetravel and two of him existing in one space--Samos huffed, and then turned.

"Very well," Samos said. "That shield wall is the priority for the moment." He paused to say something else, Samos thought toward all that he'd seen out of Jak these past weeks, before he sighed and carefully began to lead Keira from the room as well. Jak remained stiff and tense, small sparks of dark eco jolted from his shoulders. Daxter dug his claws in a bit deeper against Jak's skull as he dragged them through the braids.

For a moment the room sat in tense silence, and then Jak let out a heavy, shaken breath. One moment he stood tense, and then his knees felt weak and his vision felt hazy and all Jak wanted to do was settle into the ground. He didn't even notice Torn slip from the wall and grip his upper arm, tight but loose enough that if Jak wanted he could break free without any enhanced strength. Torn held on despite the eco that singed at his skin; instead the commander tugged until Jak settled down onto the floor and he knelt next to the teen.

"In, and out," Torn said carefully, "breathe with me, Jak." Jak glanced to him and Torn exaggerated breathing in and then breathing out, and Jak slowly began to follow. "That's it. In, and out."

In, and out. The haze began to settle a little, the trembling to his limbs eased up just the slightest bit. Jak could feel Daxter's claws in his scalp, a steady pressure of faint pinpricks. In, and out. The tightness in his chest began to loosen, and for a moment his breath wavered and hitched. In, and out. Jak's hands began to slowly unclench, the faint coppery scent of blood hit his nostrils and the sting felt sharper, more intensive.

"That's it, Jak, in and out."

In, and out. In, and out. His eyes burned and Jak choked lightly on his breath before he sucked in another. It began to hit back at him, hit home that even Samos agreed until Torn backed Jak up, backed up his knowledge with cold efficiency. Even Samos felt like they should unearth the prison just for what might be contained there. Samos who knew, who had to know--

"Jak! In, and out. With me," Torn snapped out and Jak sucked in a sharp, hitched breath and the burning in his eyes eased with tears. "There you go. You with me? In and out, Jak. Come on, kid."

It crashed down on him at once and Jak leaned his head forward until it rested against Torn's clavicle. His shoulder's shook, and his breathing came in soft, steady breaths as his black coated eyes stared down at Torn's lap.

"Come on, kid," Torn murmured. "You're here. You're here."

Torn could admit he'd never quite seen Jak just crumble before. He'd found the kid in terrible situations, and those first few weeks once he'd escaped from the prison Torn often found himself seeking out the kid in whatever alcove he'd holed up in before Jak fully accepted that in the Underground's HQ he was welcome, he was relatively safe, and could sleep without fear. As far as Torn understood Jak broke down in private, with just Daxter around to pull him back out--there wasn't a chance Jak didn't break down, unless he'd actually been pressing himself onward for a year without letting himself quite reach the reality that no longer was he there, in the prison, in the Program.

Torn sighed out heavily, kept his breathing steady even when it hurt just the slightest bit to do so.

"It took me a long time to wake up in the morning and feel like each day wasn't a mistake," Torn said quietly. "It took me a long time to be capable of sleep without seeing someone I'd once trusted implicitly take my knife and kill me with it." Jak stilled for the most part, just breathed although his shoulders shook. Given the way his ears perked Torn had his attention. "To go to sleep and not feel myself choke, to be capable of breathing, of even touching a knife without trembling or being sick." Torn's voice shook faintly and he focused on his own breathing for a moment.

"How did you do it?" Jak asked, voice a dead whisper.

Torn closed his eyes. "For a long time I didn't. I repressed and suppressed whatever I could. Every memory, every bite of betrayal I shoved it away and dealt with every day as a job. Work to be done, couldn't focus on it, not now." Jak stilled almost completely. "Until one day I couldn't anymore."

Jak pulled back a little, and Torn could see the blue in his eyes again. Torn licked his lips and glanced away.

"Tess found me," he said hoarsely, "bleeding." Jak pulled back further. "She didn't leave me alone after that. Stayed at my side, forced me to rest, forced me to take care of myself and when I didn't, did so for me." Torn looked to Jak. "She ingrained herself so fully into my life, brought me back from that edge...." Torn breathed in and out. "Tess was my Daxter," he said eventually, glanced to the little rodent on Jak's shoulder and Jak blinked in understanding.

Daxter grabbed a few of Jak's locks tightly.

"No one needs to know anything of what happened if you don't want them to," Torn said carefully and Jak stared at him with such a broken look that Torn wanted to resurrect Erol and Praxis if only to give them a taste of the hell they'd put this kid through. "Ashlin and I have been working on removing all of the records so that only you can let others read them."

Jak swallowed. He breathed, "You know?"

Torn closed his eyes and nodded once.

"We kept an eye on the program," Torn said, "and when you joined up with the Underground I needed to know what to expect from you, and what to watch out for." Torn sighed. "Vin got the information. He made me swear to never use any of it, especially in regards to you." Unsaid went 'or against you' and Jak could pick up the subtleties there, that Torn knew what Praxis and Erol did to attempt to control him, to control the beast they'd created in two years of torture.

"How...much?" Jak asked.

"Anything in an official capacity," Torn said. "Anything further than that..." Torn shook his head. "It's not my place to know unless you want me to."

Daxter leaned forward and stared at Torn's face. "An...that's it? Nothin else?" Daxter questioned.

Torn looked to Daxter. "It's not my place," Torn said calmly. "If you want to tell me, then that's your choice." He looked back to Jak. "Your health is my job, Jak. I take care of my own. I always have." Torn squeezed Jak's arm. "If you want to talk, I'm here. If you need to break down, I'm here."

"S'why you kept dragging us in outta the cold," Daxter murmured, as if he suddenly just got it. Torn knew they'd figured that much out long ago, he'd overheard them discussing it in the dead of the night once or twice. Torn inclined his head in agreement either way.

"How did..." Jak struggled, not sure if he should ask, but Torn gave him a bitter smile.

"What happened to me?" Torn asked, and Jak nodded slowly. "You saw Dead Town." Jak swallowed and nodded again. "My squad was sent there to...save it, we were told." Torn sighed. "We were actually sent there to die." Jak froze. "Praxis...already deemed Dead Town a loss. When we tried to evacuate, when we asked for reinforcements he..." Torn sighed. "He sent in another squad to slaughter us instead, to ensure we didn't save anyone."

Torn let go of Jak's arm and rubbed at his neck.

"I thought they'd come as back up," he murmured, "instead as I went to call to my men Erol grabbed my knife from my belt and slit my throat." Torn stared off into the distance. "I later learned I'd died for several minutes, and only the Shadow and his underground is the reason why I survived, why anyone survived."

"Erol...?" Daxter hissed between his teeth, almost inaudible. Torn opened his mouth to agree, yes, Erol because he knew what that sounded like. Erol at one point his friend? The man who'd single handedly ruined so many lives for fun, a friend? Torn didn't have an explanation for it, aside from he'd honestly thought he could trust Erol, trust Praxis--he was naive.

Then Jak blurted out before he even could say anything, a weak sort of hoarse whisper, "I was raped."

Torn froze, then let out a slow breath. That explained everything.

"As--as a means to control me. I...he..."

Torn closed his eyes, got to his feet, and offered Jak his hand. Jak blinked in surprise.

"Come on, kid," Torn said tiredly. "Let's go somewhere...else for this. More comfortable." He paused, then added, "With booze." Jak stared at him and Torn looked down. "Strong booze. Pretty sure there's some stashed away somewhere in this maze of a palace."

"You..."

Torn's lips twisted and he said, "We can share our respective stories over a good drink if you really want. Share what an asshole Praxis and Erol were, what twisted up pieces of shit they've done and rejoice in their deaths." Torn chuckled darkly. "Honestly they got off easy."

"Yeah," Jak murmured in agreement, voice deeper, almost darker. "They did." He took Torn's hand and let the commander tug him to his feet. He licked his lips. "Thanks."

Torn shook his head, let out a bitter laugh, and just lead Jak from the room. He didn't want the thanks; he didn't deserve it. Torn wanted nothing more than to drink himself into oblivion because he should've seen it. He should've known. After all he alone knew the exact depths Erol fell to; he provided the means once, even. He took Erol to that edge, and Torn didn't bother to stop him from falling.

#fic: patriciate #fic: semblance #jak and daxter #accidentally king of haven #fanfic #wip #crossposted #canon divergence

[fictionkinfessions]

I made so many mistakes in my past. Invading Popstar, technically Invading Ripple Star or at least rushing into my plans fast enough it was seen and felt as one. It’s nobody’s fault but my own. Though both plans were to stop a worse forseen future from happening, I only made things worse and I know this now, later than I should have ever

To Dedede, who I probably traumatized with initiating the attacks I was there for, possession probably isn’t nice to go through. Especially for not watching over things properly, the worst of that probably came from me letting the leaders take whatever decision they decided

To Nebula, I should have looked harder for you. Though it was hard, I assumed you had left, taken in. That was the only way I could think that I would have lost track of even your aura if you had not died. I’m so sorry that you were left alone for so long

To Miracle, who I left alone to watch over other things, you fell before me, I shouldn’t have let that happen. I’m nearly immortal, you were not. I left out this fact in my recap as well, you should have known sooner. It shouldn’t have happened at all

To the Fairy Queen, or Queen Ripple if you go by that, whom trusted in me to keep things quiet and organized, again, I should have watched closer. I had no clue that someone caught on, and I should have better control over my kids. Normally I have these things planned out better, yet I messed up so bad

To these 3, and anyone else I didn’t address directly affected by the panic of everything, if anything sounds familiar, forgive me or not I hope you read this and know I’m very truly sorry. I don’t know how anyone could forgive me. I failed at the one thing I was supposed to do, watch over the world at the absence of a stable god and yet I left my emotions control me. I hope you all have better lives now, and that your day is amazing. I also wish you a swift recovery - 02/0 ( Kirby Fictive ) 🌹

'

#fictionkinfessions #fictive #kirbyfictive #kirbyseriesfictive #apology #wars cw #prevabuse #death cw #mod party cat