#i’m not even going to tag it i’ve seen that major spoiler two times on my feed

[catastrxblues]

me ignoring every mcu content that comes on my for you page when they roll out a new project because i know i won’t be able to watch it yet :

#still stuck on phase 4 aaaa #the pain is real #i’ve been too distracted on other medias to continue catching up on mcu stuff #so now i can’t hop on the newest train 😔 #i hate it because spoiler is always around the corner with this shit #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #marvel #i’m not even going to tag it i’ve seen that major spoiler two times on my feed #anyways isn’t this meme i found on the internet so cute #nadirants

[berlinbabylon]

review of s4 (skip if you don’t want to read criticism)

SPOILER WARNING

so, i finished season 4 a couple of days ago and... i liked some parts of it and one episode was good (episode 8) but for the most part i really absolutely hated this season and i never thought i would say that. in my opinion, it actually got worse towards the end! i must be living in a different reality from everyone else.

i’m sorry. i really am. but i have to get this off my chest:

- charlotte double-wielding guns and shooting up those white hand idiots like she’s in a john woo movie? awesome! except... it was dumb af. this could have been so good, i’m a huge genre fan of this type of action, but not at the expense of a character’s intelligence. there was zero reason for her to barge in there when she did. at least make it seem like they’re just about to kill the good pathologist, have them string him up or whatever and she sees and has absolutely no alternative but to intervene. or have them conclude their meeting and start making for the door. please, i’m begging, just anything to make her desperate actions make sense.

- malu taking a shot for kiddie fiddler wendt? thanks, i fucking hate it. for that matter, i hate what they did to wendt’s character.

- for that matter, awesome lgbt+ rep or uhmm not. reinhold and fred don’t even get a kiss or any significant scene together (the couples date at the very end is cute but too little too late) although fred actually has a fairly important role to play this season. we never even really get to see them talk about his decision to work for that nazi paper. like, what. okay, fred quits at the end, good for him, but does this qualify as a character arc now?

- speaking of lgbt+ rep, them blowing up the esther/edgar/walter polycule only to have walter go “well whattaya gonna do. i loved him ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” right as he croaks was the most ridiculous thing i’ve seen in a long while and didn’t land at all. i actually cackled. i can’t believe they turned the complex dynamic they had introduced in s3 into this clichéd jealousy mess that had no nuance whatsoever. i’m stunned people preferred their storyline this season. it didn’t track at all. neither did edgar showing up again (as i had predicted) and gereon believing him about wanting to broker peace in the underworld. el oh el.

- also edgar being like “oh btw we need to kill doktor schmidt, he’s an evil mastermind” was an absolutely ridiculous and lame way to try and advance that storyline. it also just got dumped in there and you don’t get any sense that it’s influencing gereon or his character actions at all. not that he has much of an arc or anything this season anyway but back when the show was still good (and by good i mean exceptional), his drug addiction and guilt complex was a major driving force behind much of what he did, how he behaved at work etc. here, in s4, you have to be grateful that they belatedly remember to send him to confession because he’s a catholic but that scene also just unceremoniously gets dumped in there. not to compare but since we have already seen an absolutely outstanding confession scene this tv season (in interview with the vampire, fabulously acted by jacob anderson), i couldn’t help but notice how the confession with gereon was neither written well, nor particularly acted well, nor integrated in its episode well, nor, in fact, scored well.

- max raabe’s ein tag wie gold is a bop but other than that, this season was not scored well and i say that as someone who owns the first two soundtrack releases on vinyl. there were many times when i noticed that something was off, where the music actively worked against the scene it was supposed to be enhancing. the song at the shabbat dinner was nice but as a jewish friend who i watched it with pointed out, them playing piano on shabbat is very sus, even if they’re a reform household. there was a woman with a wig which indicates (ultra) orthodox. not going to nitpick that scene any further though because the shabbat dinner and abe goldstein’s character in general were a highlight (although i loathed the storyline he was stuck in).

- tell me you don’t want to write actors out of the show without telling me. nyssen and helga have long overstayed their welcome. nyssen they could justify by having him pop up from time to time in connection to the rocket science “plot”. but he’s lars eidinger (who’s great), so. helga has just become whatever they needed her to be. anne marie’s actress had some extremely dodgy acting going on this season, sorry to say. i don’t even want to talk about the idiocy of how they wrote this storyline which could have been extremely good and important. i’ll just say that i laughed my ass off when anne marie clocked abe with her flute but generally it was not a good choice to play these kidnappings for laughs (and i guess these rich people just have no security whatsoever, even after the first kidnapping). there’s a time and a place and this storyline wasn’t it. but rich people, funny, or something. well, they are ridiculous.

- the whole story with the butler. talk about wasting screentime. his götz von berlichingen monologue was also really bad although i was delighted when i heard the verses. it just didn’t land. that goes for many scenes this season imo. i don’t know if it was the directing or what but even stuff that looks interesting on paper just does not come across well. it just comes across as ridiculous and manieriert. but not in the good way. (there is a way to do this well and the show used to walk that line very well. not anymore, it seems.)

- (side note: the frivolity of the movie industry provided the perfect pastiche for that sort of thing in s3. which is why i really vibe with it, as someone who’s a huge fan of 1930s movies. didn’t even mind that they relocated the apex of expressionism into the late 1920s when that’s very ahistorical. but anyway that’s a different topic.)

- actually as a last point on the nyssen storyline, abe goldstein shooting a hole in the ship instead of shooting anne marie in the head made me groan. it was so obviously written that way just to give her a chance to pop up later again. it made absolutely no sense, even if you try to handwave it as an attempt at poetic justice. neither did helga leaving her down there make any sense. she had no way of knowing that abe would kill her or make it seem like he killed her. at that point, helga still looked like she could think straight, she didn’t tumble around deliriously, she made a clear choice. and they just did it for the twist, not because it made sense for the character in that moment.

- the show was always very drunk on coincidences, twists of fate etc in that 19th century charles dickens / victor hugo way and i could dig that for the most part because they had this rich tapestry of social commentary going on. while i can still appreciate the breadth of society that they’re trying to show, it now comes across as shallow, there’s no immersion, i was extremely distanced from everything going on and couldn’t have cared less, which is a damn shame considering that this is where we should start feeling even more involved.

- as for one storyline that i couldn’t have cared less about: everything to do with toni. in fact, i think it would have been far more poignant if we hadn’t seen her for a season and hadn’t known what had become of her after running away and then when we least expect it, charlotte comes across her living on the streets, maybe while chasing a suspect or something. now that’s a coincidence i could buy. and such a scene would play like a gut punch. but they rob themselves of any dramatic impact by wanting to overexplain and overshow and being all pedagogical which is a huge problem in the writing of german tv shows and s4 of babylon berlin has started showing all the hallmarks of mediocre german tv and it makes me feel sick, considering how stylish and epic the previous seasons were.

- toni’s actress is not good. i’m sorry. i just have to say it. but also, they stuck her in a nothing storyline. moritz’ actor fares better but if they wanted to pair off the spares and get rid of them, they needed to do that in a way that would’ve left more screentime for the interesting and/or relevant stuff. like, uhm, everything to do with malu/litten/charlotte etc. it’s a damn crime that they didn’t do anything with lotte being fired from the police and then hired by litten. nothing. she gets to mope around at the bar a little bit and poor jacky gets to be her hapless sounding board (he deserves better, so many characters and actors in this cast deserve better). and then she gets to be gereon’s emotional support system. once again, charlotte is deprived of any and all agency and no, the double-wielding scene does not make up for it. the scenes in that haus sonneborn institution were well-shot, the horror film genre influence was clear, but unfortunately i don’t much care for horror films and i also, at that point, did not much care for toni or her friend or the pathologist (f*ck him for getting rudi killed in a very lame rip-off of stephan’s much superior exit) and we all knew lotte wasn’t going to die. that’s what i mean by immersiveness: where in previous seasons i’d have been on the edge of my seat with tension and dread, this didn’t elicit much emotion from me at all. except for the groan when lotte did her thing at the end there. the only good thing to come out of that was her conversation with gereon about her guilt which was the only time in the entire season where i believed a scene between them, emotionally, and was invested.

- i guess that, on the bright side, she got to be happy. i support that. even though i don’t believe it should have to come at the expense of the show being good. and she still had to go through that awful ordeal of the dance marathon. (one of the few memorable scenes of the season, at the very least.)

- random but i very much liked the actor playing oskar. and he was very much underutilized. really, don’t get me started on the entire debacle that was malu’s storyline. i think i’d rather have watched an entire season set on that zeppelin than what we ended up with.

- litten not even being in the finale should actually be considered a crime against humanity considering he’s literally the best character on the show at this point. for that matter, the trial against katelbach and the undermining of the legal system and the press should have been a much bigger arc and point. katelbach still being a comic relief character only used to bumble about not knowing whether he did propose to behnke or not is absolutely ridiculous. these are the characters we’ve come to know and care about and they were paid absolute dirt in s4. behnke’s best scene was the train heist and even that was not edited or scored well but hey, at least it was amusing and they did something with some sort of flair there.

- going back to lotte for a moment. i’m happy for the charlotte/gereon shippers that they got so much fucking out of them this season (to be crude, then again so is the show) but i can’t be the only one who thought they were awkward as all hell together. i never shipped them but i did always like their dynamic and i thought their kiss in s3 was magical. what they did with them here did absolutely nothing for me, i cringed when she visited him at the station and their idea of sexy talk in between kisses was discussing case-related work. none of it had the levity, flirtation or charm you’d see in a lubitsch film (one of the alleged inspos for this season) although liv lisa fries sold the hell out of her infatuated smiles and looks. volker bruch trying to smile was physically painful to me, however. sure, it could be charming that he’s an awkward turtle duck but considering everything we know about the bts issues, it really didn’t endear me any further. i dread having to watch them be awkward together in future seasons and i absolutely dread lotte’s only purpose being tied up in that. for that matter, how did she earn her badge back at the end? surely not with her double-wielding gun action? but it’s not like the show really cared to pursue this as a storyline or her as a character this season, so why should i care.

- the way they threw rukeli in there at the very end of the season was almost offensively bad. i was extremely excited for him to show up ever since they had insinuated that he’s her half-brother in s3. the actor here was fine (i wouldn’t count on him being accurately or sensitively cast bc german productions usually don’t do this, haven’t checked it, however) but you’re really going to do a whole season where boxing is at the very least on the periphery and you’re only going to throw him in at the end to make some sort of point? we didn’t even get to stay with him and lotte during their first meeting? we’re just supposed to believe they have some sort of relationship now after that camera shot panned out, showing them through the window of the café? i’m sorry but what?

- worst of all: them having him use chalk as white paint to mock the nazis in the audience to make a point. you can’t make a character we’ve barely even met the dramatic and emotional high point of the season. and i’m sorry but rukeli was a real person and in real life he was forced to present himself with bleached hair and white paint in an “aryanized” form, this was part of the abuse he suffered!!! it makes me absolutely mad to think about how they tried to turn this into some kind of empowerment thing here. nevermind that at this point in time, audiences were still overwhelmingly on his side and actually protested against fights being rigged against him. i just absolutely hate everything this scene chooses to be. i also hate how gereon walks up to that one guy who can command~ the crowd and we get a flashback to something that happened in the same episode, like, just 30 minutes earlier, to remind us that this is the guy he refused to shoot so they can defuse the situation in the dumbest most construed way possible. i feel like i’m losing my mind when i see people say that this is good writing. good writing would have involved audiences not needing a flashback to something that happened in the same episode, just because almost nothing in this season is giving anything resembling the appropriate weight and focus.

- speaking of which, the case of the season was so uninteresting and lame i even forgot to talk about it. and i still don’t have anything to say. except one thing: why did weintraub not immediately suspect that something was up with max (the henchman) when that car bomb went up killing the other henchman? because weintraub arrived in the car, went inside, came back outside and suddenly a bomb has been attached to his car in the meantime and max was standing there all the time? like, what?? this season is littered with this dumb shit and maybe it was prevalent in the other seasons as well and i just chose to overlook it because there was so much for me to love but i genuinely can’t believe five adults wrote this season and struggled so much with thinking any of it through. it feels like they just had little chess figures with pictures of the characters attached to them and tried moving them across a board.

- oh and one more thing about the flashback issue. böhm and his family being in that apartment at the very end was an absolutely ridiculous scene. his money issues were well-telegraphed, a little too well-telegraphed if you ask me, and his involvement in the shoot-up was already extremely obvious by the time his wife demands to know where he’s got his money from. that bit where he collapses against the wall and we get all these flashbacks to things an audience that’s half-way intelligent and half-way paying attention has already gotten long ago was just embarrassing for the show. the issue wasn’t just with the flashback, however, it was also with the way it was shot and edited. so many scenes this season really don’t land as intended. i feel bad for the actors because they’re doing their best and they’re also not at fault for this weird issue in german shows where they do really bad ADR (re-dubbing scenes when there were sound issues in the footage from set, it makes dialogue sound very unnatural and strange and the show always had this issue in certain scenes but in this season it’s amplified to the max, i almost couldn’t watch the edgar/gereon reunion because of the bad sound engineering). but woof that böhm family scene could have been a highlight but the way he creepily said something to the effect of them never being separated (probably telegraphing an eventual fate that we call “erweiterter suizid” in german where usually a man kills his family and then himself) and then the show just straight up cutting to the nyssen last will scene without giving any of it the time to sink in was absolutely comical. i’m sorry. but there are scenes this season that feel amateur and i don’t think you can blame it on covid when the editing is at issue.

- having said all of that, i was excited for gereon’s arc this season and imo they never did anything of note with him undercover in the SA. why not have him befriend stennes for real, become conflicted about what he’s trying to do (and, well, in fact him and the police president do want stennes to succeed so it wouldn’t even have been that outlandish). him talking to the police president about the mission at home while his very much indoctrinated nephew is in listening distance was so so dumb omg.

- the stennes putsch which i also was very much looking forward to was such a flop that fizzled out without any real spark. his confrontation with wendt was lame af. the actor is awesome, his interactions with wendt in s3 were intriguing and this what it all leads up to? gdi. i can’t believe they wasted so much time on that homophobic blackmail material plot when it was never even picked up again after it got stennes out of prison. he never should have gone to prison before the putsch, he already had his conflict with wendt from last season, they could have saved so much time on this and dedicated it to something actually interesting. and if you actually want to get into the messiness of homophobia and homosexuality in the SA, röhm and all, you better be prepared to bring on figures like magnus hirschfeld (it’s honestly ridiculous he hasn’t even been referenced on the show yet because he was super famous in berlin and germany in general and also a favorite target of the nazis). reference the harden-eulenburg affair. do something with this. not just have wendt buggering a kid in a park. i like that gräf was quietly pissed at gereon about the whole thing but this should never have been a storyline in the way it was implemented.

- it really ruined wendt on top of things. not that it made him worse as a person because he was already bad before (though lbr it did make him worse ofc) but it made him a whole lot more uninteresting as a villain (he only seemed to find his groove back in the last two episodes). the interesting part of his dynamic with malu in s3 was the intellectual clash of ideologies. while i did not and do not ship them, i was very intrigued to see where they would take that in s4. well, i have my answer. they skipped any and all interesting and relevant development and turned it into an extremely clichéd and lame honey trap plot because we all know communists loved honey traps. groan. (yes, i watched the americans.) also, rilke is my favourite poet and has been for many many years and wendt needs to keep his words out of his damn mouth. i can’t believe they revealed that wendt used to sexually abuse underaged boys and still wanted us to think that his relationship with malu is in any way romantic, cute or intriguing?

- i was so rooting for doktor völcker to get him and then malu just had to take a bullet for him. bruh. just when i thought i couldn’t hate this season more. i know i already mentioned it but still. at least she didn’t die from it, small blessings, but her getting shot straight through the chest and then being back to spy shenanigans on the zeppelin not much later was just the height of ridiculousness. i always hated the train confrontation between gereon and bruno and it seems that the show is very very determined to evermore move towards that pulpy comic book-y version of the show that i can barely tolerate in order to get to the good stuff. but when there’s barely any good stuff to get to, it gets tough.

- do i even want to talk about edgar? him taking the kids away from esther was lame. anything to do with esther was lame. i can’t even muster more to say and edgar/gereon was one of my absolute favourite dynamics in s1/2 so i should’ve been overjoyed to see it make a return here. but, in the eternal words of the matrix: not like this.

- finally, doktor schmidt, eh? well. where to begin. first of all, jens harzer is one of the best living german actors, he’s phenomenal, and the fact that he still gets so little development is a fucking joke, frankly speaking. i might have liked his scene with alfred lying on the floor best. at least it was funny. his sessions with gereon were hamfisted in their analogies. his last scene with gereon also didn’t land, it was just groan-worthy. gereon repeating back his words just made it all the more obvious how much of their luster they have lost at this point. i can’t believe someone spoke schmidt’s platitudes in a serious way like some sort of cool mic drop when the “quelle der angst” stuff only works in that hypnotic evil drugged out therapy session way jens harzer says it. the cgi was also bad but that’s neither here nor there (there was a surprising number of badly lit and framed scenes in this season, idk if they changed cinematographers but even the staple shot of following a centered gereon with his hat around became extremely overused). the thing is that i’ve long been convinced that doktor schmidt isn’t actually anno / gereon’s brother, so i should be happy that he seems to be finally be revealed as a svengali type which i also find very fitting for the movies and culture the show references as well as the history it tries to reflect (in fact, this season was as thematically rich as ever, with many metaphors and analogies for the rise of evil etc etc but what good is that if it’s all pedagogical and the actual character writing is either non-existent or utter bullshit?). they’ve dragged this out for too long now. they also, and this might be the worst offense, have completely lost the connection gereon is supposed to have to this plot. nevermind helga or moritz. have doktor schmidt be a svengali figure, fine, love that, i vibe with it, but that doesn’t mean this plot should have no advancement. it really feels like they treaded water for as long as they could because they only had a very vague idea of where they wanted to go with this and still needed to figure out the details. well, hire some fucking writers (and by that i don’t mean hire your wife, like one of the director/writers did for s4).

- i’ve really come to loathe this very german tradition of producers, directors and others thinking they can write scripts themselves and that there are barely any decent writers around who are just that, writers. we have some that are barely okay but the structural issues of underpayment etc ensure that the talent that exists can’t turn this into a job. instead you really just have nepotism and all those people who think they can write but where the wheels eventually come off. now i’ve loved babylon berlin for a very long time, i’ve been there since the beginning, i’ve actually been there since the first press announcement (the show spent a lot of time in production hell before s1/2 saw the light of day, the budget kept ballooning etc). and i will say that i think the first three seasons featured some of the best that german tv has to offer. (s3 slightly less so but it was still entertaining and i think they did a really good job introducing a number of great characters like malu and litten in it, plus sabin tambrea is always fun!) but i must now question whether i was not more so taken in by the direction, the music, the style, and some very expertly shot and executed scenes that the show either cannot or does not want to afford anymore. the type of scenes that are needed to let the wild and often nonsensical plotting breathe and give the characters a chance to shine, to give all of it depth and resonance. i’m really so profoundly sad by the direction this show’s quality has taken and i have no idea whether it’s because one of the directors did more this season than the others, whether it was because of the new writers (i hope not). whatever happened, they had enough prep time and this just ain’t it.

- last point: i know how annoying it is when a show that you love gets hated on by others, so this is the last thing i’ll say about that. but i really needed to get this off my chest because i’ve been loving the show for a very long time, i’ve been investing a lot of time (not so much in recent years but before that) into spreading the word, at least here on tumblr and irl where i got several people into the show who all disliked s4 as well btw, i loved making gifs (which is also why i’d say i have a very good eye for the cinematography and style of the show and all the finer details but gif-making isn’t a real credential ofc lol). and i’m usually quite chill about stuff, i’m neither a super stan even when i love something (which is also why i didn’t watch it first thing it came out) nor am i a hater when i don’t like something but a case like this, where i genuinely loved something and it turns sour, that hurts, man. i’ll probably watch the next season - if there’s a next season! - because i still hold out hope that it might be better, i think it’s an important history to tell and the show had everything set up in order to tell it. there are two gif sets i want to make of this season (which is also always a good gauge for me to tell how i feel about something, and even those sets aren’t sets i absolutely want to do but i’ll do them nonetheless at some point; probably). after that i don’t think i will use this blog much anymore but i’ll keep it online for as long as tumblr is online because i always find it annoying when other people delete their stuff.

so long und auf wiedersehen!

#babylon berlin #babylon berlin spoilers #s4 #i realize that this a long post of mostly negativity which i do apologize for but i hope someone might find some validation in this #if they have the same opinion #for those of you who don't i hope you don't take this to heart because most of it is really a matter of taste #and things that i'm peculiar about i suppose #i do believe s4 has objective issues with quality (yes also in comparison with the much-maligned s3) #but that's neither here nor there #i just wanted to get my personal grievances off my chest #all the best to everyone and if you still enjoy the show - good for you! #i mean that genuinely

[clairelsonao3]

Characters Out of Context Tag

I have @j-1173 (whose post is here) to thank for this procrastination tactic today! The challenge is as follows:

Rules:

Include one character quote — of your choosing ⁠— from each chapter of your WIP (or as many chapters as you'd like)

Give absolutely no context, save for what's between two parts of an interrupted sentence, should that occur. You may mention who said it.

Have fun, no pressure!

I gave myself some additional rules: Since I'm up to 23 chapters of GSNBTR, there's no reason not to include one quote each from ALL the major primary and secondary characters up to this point, so I'm going to do that (it won't quite equal out to one per chapter, so the MCs will get a few extra ones!). And because I'm doing that, I'm going to try to choose quotes that kind of encapsulate the "essence" of each character, or at least who they were at that point in the story. Wish me luck!

Oh, and I'm not going to mention who says what because that makes it more like trivia. And if there's anything I love, it's trivia!

Ch. 1

“Is that any way to talk to me?”

Ch. 2

"What have you so-called ‘experienced slave handling professionals’ been doing to the poor kid?"

Ch. 3

"Now a guy can’t even have sex with his own property without some social justice warrior calling it rape?

Ch. 4

“And calculus, and physics, and engineering. If I were free, I’d be a certified nerd,” he said. “And probably rich, too. But who’s complaining?”

Ch. 5

"You can tell me, you know." 

Ch. 6

“Your back isn’t nearly as pretty as your face, boy.”

Ch. 7

“You’ve been quiet. Secretive.” She kept poking her rhythmically with one of her sculpted coral nail tips. “But inside, you’re glowing. I see it.” Poke poke poke. “So there’s no use denying it, sweetie. What’s his name?”

Ch. 8

"Thanks for the relationship advice, dickhead. Have you ever even seen a girl naked without having to hide behind a bush?"

Ch. 9

“Nobody does anything for me. Ever."

Ch. 10

“And why shouldn’t they?” he said. “I mean, what are we trying to do here, Keith? Disrupt slavery, right? You’ve been in the corporate world too long, that’s your problem. You don’t question things anymore."

Ch. 11

"He's not mine," she said. "He's his own."

Ch. 12

"You could never, ever let me down,” he assured her.

Ch. 13

"And by the way, if you’re looking at the master being away as an opportunity to get away with murder, forget it.”

Ch. 14

“I’ve always wanted to see the ocean. But he didn’t take me, so I’m stuck here with a shit ton of time on my hands, and you’re still in the hole from the last one.” 

Ch. 15

“You know who I’m talking about. You have to find him, Louisa,” she continued. “Immediately. Normally I would never betray the confidence of a slave who came to me like this, but I can’t reach him now."

Ch. 16

 “The stuff he said about you was really awful, Lou; I’m not telling you this to cause drama. I just wanted to warn you.” She glanced quickly at the boy again. “Both of you.” 

Ch. 17

“She learned, and grew, and changed. She had a pilgrim soul.”

Ch. 18

“You’re so wrong. If I could only give you one thing in this life, it would be to give you the chance to see yourself the way I see you. Now and always.”

Ch. 19

“And to never, ever give up on me.”

Ch. 20

"You know you seem to have a real problem telling the difference between people and things?”

Ch. 21

“And everything I said the other day, about not giving up? It all still applies. Nothing's changed. Whatever happens. We'll figure it out. We always do. ”

Ch. 22

“Well, it’s a perk, no doubt. She invites some of us here sometimes to hang out, and of course, for such a rich guy, Jake is pretty chill. I like his vibes.”

Ch. 23

“What’s he been telling you? I don’t trust him. He’s a snake.”

I don't think I forgot anyone, but there is one character missing. It's better to leave them out at this point for spoiler-avoiding reasons, though.

I'm gently tagging @tabswrites @mysticstarlightduck @whither-wander-whump in case they would like to participate in this!

#characters without context #tag game #tag game answer #gsnbtr #my writing #writeblr #writing

[thuganomxcs]

I’m gonna start posting things like this more often. Like moments in video game since I feel majority of us are gamers, whether it’s on console, handheld or mobile. Okay question: That one time in a video game that made you cry/choke up/feel sad. (you don’t have to literally cry but you know just feel some emotional pain.

For me as dead inside as I am with some form of media, I can’t say the same for video games and for me it were two games that I remember..oh no Three. Infamous 2, Persona 4 and Spider-man PS4.  But this time I’ll talk about Persona 4 SOO spoilers for persona 4 under the cut. 

Nanako’s death scene. Nanako is the cousin of the protagonist of the game and I shit you not you will want to protect this girl on day 1. Cause you damn well know this is an ATLUS game and they really don’t hold their punches when it came down to angst. You’ll have to forgive me cause it’s been like...6-7 years since I’ve played this game and I’ve only done so once cause I’m still waiting for my PS4 remaster. but Nanako starts out as your typical little girl. She’s young so she’s happy-go-lucky and just about the sweetest cookie you’ve ever seen. Then you spend some time playing and one you realize that this girl is a lot more mature than you think. Her father Dojima-san is a hard working man (a detective or captain if I’m not mistaken) and whenever he does come home the man just clocks out so needless to say the girl is a little lonely. I mean I’m not saying Dojima’s a bad parent because he’s not (coughs at p5′s parents) but the man really doesn’t have as much time as he wants for family and you can see and feel that regret through both the story and his social link. BUT back to Nanako, this girl despite ALL of this loves her father more than life and she loves her cousin along with the family she’s managed to build through Yu’s circle of friends. You spend a lot of time with her, making this strong girl smile and laugh thus attaching your soul to this girl’s more and more and then that ONE fateful night in the game. Something’s wrong with her, she’s having trouble breathing so she’d rushed to the emergency room. You get there and you share a moment with her and she expresses the fear she’s feeling and THAT right there was what got me. I didn’t cry or anything but my heart sank into the pit of my stomach. I felt so bad for this kid and at that one point I REALLY did wanted to go ahead with the party’s plan. POINT for Yosuke the ever for being the first to speak up about that plan and even Naoto joining in to. Because seriously if you’re a child killer I’ve got no mercy for you.

Anyway THAT was one of the moments a video game made me sad. I’m curious about your moment. Feel free to post it in the comments or you know you can make a whole new thread and even tag me cause believe me I’ll read it. This is just me your neighborhood nerd wanting to know more bout y’all. We ain’t just mutuals we’re homies.

#ooc #tw death mention #tw murder mention

[animereaderinsertwriter]

Previous - Chapter 9 - Next - Series Masterlist - Series Playlist

Pairing: Dabi x Reader

Rating: Explicit

Tags/Warnings: fantasy au, violence, smut, angst, fluff, non-major character death, pregnancy, dub con/fuck or die but only kinda?, enemies to lovers, there's an arranged betrothal somewhere in there that eventually goes away, spoilers for dabi's identity

ao3 link here / art here and here

Two and a half months later

“One truly fascinating aspect of the outer wall defending the Summit is its quasi-sentience. It is a little-known fact that if you talk to it every day, form a bond with it, it will allow you to scale its height— something only a handful of men ever achieved.

Or, at least that is the story that has been related to me, dear reader. I’m afraid I’ve never seen the like in my lifetime, and likely never will.”

— Balthazar the Wise, On the Legends and Myths of the Clans

"Of course," Dabi lied straight through his teeth. "While I'm in the area, I'll send some scouts and report back on status. Anything else?”

As Shigaraki took a moment to think, Dabi had to work very hard not to grin. He imagined every man in the room had the same problem; in only two and a half months, Dabi had managed to convert over half of Shigaraki’s main fighting force to his side, including all of his inner circle. To hear the madman before them barking orders that the rest of them simply weren’t going to follow was almost as funny as it was sad. 

“Nothing else,” said Shigaraki. “Just don’t get caught so close to the Summit with so many men— it’s a miracle they haven’t discovered this encampment, much less where you’ll be going.”

Another bitten-off chuckle— the Clans knew exactly where they were and what they were doing. Once again, Shigaraki was the only man in the room that didn’t know that they knew. 

“And if I do?” Dabi challenged, raising a brow.

Shigaraki smirked.

“Then burn it to the fucking ground. It won’t be long before the imperial forces arrive, and I want to either be ready to fight alongside them or to take the Summit and fight against them.”

Dabi grunted in assent, then took his leave of the tent.

It won’t be long, Shigaraki had said. He’d been cagey of late, never giving exact time frames for their movements; Dabi had almost thought that Shigaraki had begun to suspect his men until he realized that Shigaraki didn’t actually know the information himself. The Empire didn’t trust him with it. Worse than that, Shigaraki still felt that he could trust the Empire to hold up their end of the bargain— foolishness, Dabi thought.

All the same, Shigaraki’s madness played into Dabi’s own plans and ambitions quite well. (Y/N)’s belly was stretched so wide with their child that Dabi couldn’t help but wonder how she could even move, and it was high time that she was brought to Midoriya Inko to be watched over until the child came; with any luck, they would make it to the Summit right at nightfall and sneak (Y/N) in for that very purpose under the cover of sneaking soldiers out to camp around the capital city. Shigaraki would never suspect a thing, and the timing was perfect. Almost a little too perfect, really— but no one would catch Dabi complaining. It was about fucking time something went right for him.

On the way back to his section of the encampment, Dabi pondered what he would do once the Empire did arrive. Naturally, thanks to Dabi’s regular flow of intel, the Summit would be prepared for the assault when it came; (Y/N) would be safe within the walls of the city, probably either caring for or giving birth to their child, leaving Dabi free to act. From there, Dabi could either join forces with the Clans’ forces upfront and risk their dissent— Clan Todoroki had thus far kept him as their dirty little secret— or just attack the Empire from the rear in a pincer maneuver, trapping them between two Clan forces. The former would mean taking more personal risk, since many Clan heads would no doubt want him dead, but the latter would be more risky for his men. After all, battles are a confusing, messy business; it would be a simple thing for the Clan soldiers to just assume Dabi’s men were in league with the Empire, and that wouldn’t do.

“You look pensive.”

Dabi looked over to find Toga falling into stride with him. Lately, she had been doing better; Twice’s death had hit her hard, and she had been quiet and withdrawn up until about a week ago, when she had begun to show signs of improvement.

“Pensive, huh?” he asked, ruffling her hair. “Where’s a whore like you learn big words?”

"(Y/N), of course," said Toga with a sweet little smile. "She's teaching me to read!"

Dabi put a hand to his chest, scandalized. 

"Perish the thought!" he teased. "Reading is a slippery slope to thinking— whatever will we do with an educated hussy?"

"Hopefully recite raunchy poetry," she suggested, eyes shining. "Oh, and maybe explore those books about sex positions Spinner told me about! Have you read them? I think you should read them. Ooh, maybe you could even read them to me…"

A devious look came into Toga's eye, and Dabi threw his head back and laughed. Though there were many who had fallen into the ways of the Empire, despising whores and "loose women" while still benefiting from them, Dabi still remembered a time when the Companion houses (as they were called then) were respected as sacred places, and the Companions who worked them were considered gifted by the goddess. War, displacement, and strife had made Toga a victim of circumstance, but in another time, she might have been revered, maybe even made a leader of those women who prided themselves on their self-confidence, sexuality, and sensual talent. 

Dabi hoped desperately that he would one day see that time come again, and see Toga happy within it.  

"Where is your tutor now?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. "She was supposed to be packing, not teaching you to read."

"She told me you'd say that," Toga chirped brightly. "Everything is packed, and she's down by the river. She said to tell you to meet her there."

Dabi grunted, gave Toga one last pat on the head, and started off in the direction of the river.

When he found (Y/N), she was sitting on a large, smooth stone, her feet dangling in the water. The flowing water rippled around her ankles, wetting the smooth skin of her leg, and her gown of pale yellow was pulled up past mid-thigh. Her hands were resting slightly behind her, supporting her weight, and her head was thrown back so that the sun caught the gleaming of sweat and water droplets from the river's spray, making them glitter and dance like jewels on the column of her neck. The curve of her full breasts and rotund belly couldn't be obscured even by the large, billowy fabric of the gown she wore, and Dabi took a moment to stand and admire the view. 

Then, once he'd looked his fill, Dabi decided to join her. 

Taking off his boots and long woolen socks, he stepped into the freezing cold water, wading up to mid-calf to reach (Y/N). The January wind was bitingly cold, and Dabi shivered— both from his own change in temperature and from watching as (Y/N), seemingly impervious to the weather, rolled up her sleeves and dipped her hand into the icy rapids.

"I thought pussy-cats didn't like water," he told her as he hefted himself up onto the rock beside her with a crooked grin. "A pretty kitty like you will catch her death out here."

(Y/N/ turned to him with a soft smile. As she curled beneath the warmth of his proffered arm, he wondered not for the first time how he’d gotten so lucky as to have her love. 

"The goddess wouldn't let me die from a common cold," she told him, her voice colored with an inner warmth that told Dabi that she was somewhere else, far away in a land of her own making, "and I wanted to feel the water and the sun."

Dabi said nothing for a moment, allowing himself to feel the warmth of her body against his. In the intimate quiet, (Y/N) placed Dabi's hand on her belly, and the little life inside kicked and flailed with more strength than Dabi would have thought possible. He smiled and said,

"She's strong." He rested his head against (Y/N)'s. "Just like her mother."

(Y/N) hummed in agreement, smiling softly.

"Have you been thinking about the names we chose?"

Dabi had. 

"I think I've picked one, if you're okay with it."

"Yeah?"

(Y/N) turned so that their noses were almost touching, and Dabi said,

"Yara. I want to name her Yara."

(Y/N) kissed his cheek, her chapped lips warm against his scars.

"It's a beautiful name. I love it."

They sat there for a few moments more, watching as the sun drifted closer to its zenith. Dabi was taken with the strong urge to stay there forever and never leave, to spend eternity in this small pocket of time— but it was not to be. The cold was driving the feeling from his bones, and there were things yet to be done. He stood, then turned, holding out his arms. (Y/N) went gratefully into them, and Dabi carried her across the water, keeping her warm and dry as he waded back to shore. 

"We go to the Summit today," he told (Y/N) as he set her down gently next to her fur boots. "Toga said your bags are packed?"

"They are."

"And you'll be fine without me until the baby is born?"

(Y/N) smiled at that. 

"Yes, I will."

"And you'll come back to me the moment you're able?"

"I will, Touya."

"And not a moment before? You'll wait until you're healed and ready, won't you?"

(Y/N) stopped what she was doing and looked up at him with an amused quirk of her brow.

"I never thought I'd say this," she told him, placing a hand on his cheek, "but you worry too much, my love."

Dabi took that hand and kissed it, felt the icy cold of her skin— without thinking, he heated his breath and released it out into her palm, the heat from it rising as steam in the air. (Y/N) shuddered, and Dabi drew her closer, closing his eyes as they embraced.

"You really shouldn't have let yourself get so cold," he admonished, moving heat through his body to share with her. "Goddess incarnate or not, you're not immortal."

"I know," she sighed against his chest. "It was probably stupid, but… I was trying to savor the freedom of the countryside while it lasted."

Ah. That, Dabi could understand. Back at the Summit, (Y/N) would be surrounded by people who would want explanations, reassurances, and detailed accounts of where she had been and what she had been doing. All of her responsibilities would resume, and she would be expected to tend to the sick and the wounded, to provide spiritual advice to leaders, and to solve problems like uneven distribution of resources within the Clans. Much would rest on her shoulders, and with the baby so close to being born, it would take more out of her than it would normally, and, being herself, (Y/N) would work herself into the ground before she let even one person leave her temple without something to show for it. 

"You sure you don't want me to burn the place down?" he offered, and she laughed as if he were joking. 

"I'm sure." She took him by the hand and said, "Let's get going, though— wouldn't want to make you late."

Together, they wandered back to the camp, hand-in-hand. It didn't take long to load their scant belongings onto a horse-drawn cart, or to organize the men; with a little care and preparation, the party was ready to move out within half an hour. As they stood beside their horses, ready to mount, Dabi caught (Y/N) looking back over her shoulder, and he extended a hand to her, hoping to bring her comfort.

"All good?" he asked.

"All good," she replied, and the smile she wore told him all he needed to know. 

"Let's get you home, priestess." He walked over to where she was and helped her mount her horse, guiding her with strong, gentle hands to keep her from falling. "You've been away too long as it is."

Comfortably seated in her saddle, (Y/N) looked down at him with fond eyes and said, 

"I'm going to miss you."

Dabi grinned. 

"I know," he replied, sneaking a hand under her dress, up her leg and to her thigh. "None of the little lordly peacocks or temple popinjays will do the filthy things you demand of me, and even if they would, you know they wouldn't do it half so well, and then what would you do when—"

He was cut off by her boot digging playfully into his side, and he kissed the cloth covering her knee in silent apology. It was often difficult for Dabi to say what he felt, but he was learning that he wasn't the only one afflicted with that particular problem; no matter how easily communicating most things came to (Y/N), there were some things that her pride often prohibited, and admitting emotional attachment and dependency was one of them. He shouldn't have teased her, and he said as much.

"I love you," he told her softly. "I'll miss you too, pussy-cat."

"Just think," she said, reaching down to run fingers through his hair— he was wearing it white now that he was feeling less shitty about his heritage. "The next time we see each other, you'll be meeting your daughter for the first time."

I can't wait, Dabi thought, but didn't trust himself with words. Instead, he took her hand and kissed it, then returned to his own horse, slinging one leg over Bandit's saddle and urging him on, waiting for (Y/N) to follow. 

One day closer to the fall of the Empire, he thought, watching as his troops moved out. One day closer to freedom.

For once in Dabi's life, he was actually looking forward to a future outside of bloodshed and the end of days; days of peace and plenty were looming on the horizon, waiting just out of reach, and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that. What was life outside of running, stealing, killing, and survival? What was an existence without vengeance?

Dabi wasn't sure.

All he knew was that any future with (Y/N) in it was one he wanted to be in— and whether she wanted him to wage war and bring the Empire to its knees, or learn to deal in peace, to work a plow and love the land, Dabi would do whatever she asked of him.  

***

Despite its name, the Summit was not a mountain, and not even much of a hill; it was a slight swelling of the ground— the only one for miles— upon which a citadel was built. The first wall surrounding the citadel was the highest, standing fifty feet tall, but every consecutive wall stood a little taller than its counterpart despite the stature of its own construction because of the elevation of the ground. The resulting effect was a towering mass of walls, the enchanted troll-stone twisting and winding in a spiral around the capitol building, the meeting place of the Clans. 

The Summit had been home to (Y/N) for as long as she could remember. It was a place of crowded streets, laughing children, and street vendors hawking their wares; it was somewhere lost souls could be found and a wanderer could lose themself in the oneness of the city. A sanctuary, a sacred city, a place of political ideals, debate, and decisions— the Summit had always been and would forever be a place where the changing of the world took place, and there was no place on earth that (Y/N) loved more. It had raised her as an orphan girl, trained her as a novice, and taught her to live, not just survive, and its people were a vibrant patchwork quilt of kindness, quirks, and quiet strength. 

When (Y/N), alongside Dabi and his men, approached the Summit to find its northern border surrounded by imperial soldiers, she felt sick to her stomach at the sight. 

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, more to herself than anyone else. "Who dares give the order to march on the Clans, who could possibly justify—"

She was cut off by the foreboding boom of imperial war drums, and fury made her hands tremble in a white-knuckled grip. 

"Easy," Dabi said, both a warning and a reassurance. "Looks like things are moving ahead of schedule."

Toga, who was riding beside them, turned to look at Dabi expectantly, her soft, sweet expression oddly comforting in its consistency. 

"So," she said. "What do we do?"

Dabi thought for a moment. After a heartbeat, he began to smile— after two, the smile turned nasty, more like the baring of teeth an animal would give a lone hunter crossing its path. He looked at Toga and unlaced the leather gauntlet on his left arm, baring it to her with deadly purpose. 

"Listen to me carefully," he told her, drawing a knife from the scabbard strapped to his thigh. "Just this once— only this once, Toga— you're going to taste my blood."

The younger girl's face lit up like a beacon, but Dabi wasn't finished. 

"You're going to go back to the camp," he said, drawing a long gash along his arm with the blade, "You're going to talk to Spinner, and the two of you are going to mobilize every man you can find that will follow and bring them here."

Toga's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, but (Y/N) wasn't shocked in the least. She knew it would take every man they could spare and then some to pull off whatever Dabi was planning. 

"All of them?"

Dabi nodded. 

"All of them. When you're in position— right here, behind this underbrush— you send me a signal. Blue flame, straight up in the air, you know what I mean?"

Toga nodded, and Dabi continued. 

"Good. When you do that, I'll see it and return a signal of my own. You'll know it when you see it, and when you do, Spinner will lead the charge. Have him sneak around to the back of the imperial dogs and unleash hell— from there, we either win or we lose. Think you can handle that?"

Toga smiled brightly, nodding, and Dabi reached over to take one of her hands, allowing it to cup the crimson flow from his arm. (Y/N) looked away as Toga did what was necessary, feeling as though she were something of a voyeur on an intimate moment, and when it was done, an exact copy of her lover sat atop Toga's chestnut mare, smiling unnervingly.

"See you on the other side," said not-Toga in a voice that most decidedly did not belong to her. "Be safe!"

With that, she spurred her horse on and left nothing but dust where she had just been. (Y/N) placed a hand protectively over her belly, feeling an odd cramp come on, and Dabi reached out to steady her. 

"This is it," he said, gripping her shoulder. "The moment of truth."

"I want them dead," (Y/N) confessed quietly, tightening her grip on the reins of her horse. "I want them to die screaming."

"They will, sweet one. They will. We have to get you behind the walls first, though."

"I want to watch," she hissed, trembling. "I want to hear them, to smell the death-shit as their spirit leaves their body—"

"You can," Dabi interrupted, "from safe behind the walls. Come— let's go. The faster we get you in, the faster I can start killing the bastards for you, yeah?"

Dabi dismounted, and (Y/N) let him help her down from her horse. He barked orders left and right at the men who had come with them, and as preparations were being made, (Y/N) forced herself to breathe deeply, calming herself. Such excitement wasn't good for the baby or for her, and Dabi didn't need an emotional sandbag at the moment. He needed clarity, soundness of mind, and peace of heart, knowing that she would be alright, that she would remain in control. 

That didn't make containing the rage she felt any easier. 

A little while later, all possible preparations had been made, and Dabi returned to her side, this time clothed in his fine black armor, looking to the world like a dragon on the prowl. His burn scars were scales shining in the sun, and the staples that held his skin together were sharp, glinting teeth, ready to tear the throat from his enemies; his eyes glowed the same color as his flames, and (Y/N) wanted him with a sudden fierceness that surprised even herself.

"Ready to make a run for it?" he asked, glancing around. "I'm afraid going on horseback will draw too much attention, but if we're careful and quick on our feet, the enemy troops won't see a thing before we reach the escape tunnel on the southeast side of the citadel."

(Y/N) frowned. "How do you plan to signal the others without getting caught that close to the outer wall?"

Dabi grinned. 

"Easy, pussy-cat," he said, "I'll be on top of the wall by then."

(Y/N) blinked, all else forgotten in the face of this conundrum.

"How?"

What she meant by that was this: how do you intend to scale a wall designed to be impossible to climb because of its enchanted troll-stone, the purpose of which was explicitly to prevent it from being climbed? Any other route would take too long— the tide of a not-yet-battle like this could turn in the blink of an eye— and unless he secretly had flying powers that (Y/N) didn't know about, she wasn't sure how Dabi planned to achieve such a thing. 

"The walls and I have an understanding," he told her with a wink. "I used to be a noble brat too, remember?"

(Y/N) wasn't sure what that meant, but she didn't have time to question it either. She only took a large, gloved hand in her own and kissed the sharpened spikes that adorned the knuckles, trying to push every ounce of love and care she possessed into that one gesture. 

"Let's go," she said, turning so that she had a chance to look more ready than her face surely portrayed. "Daylight's burning, and you have imperials to kill."

Dabi nodded, and with a few last-minute instructions to the men, they slipped out from the scant cover of the underbrush and into the open land. Their soft winter boots made no sound as they scurried across the seemingly endless expanse before them, and overhead, the shadow of a cloud drifted over them, keeping them in shade as they went. Silently, (Y/N) wondered at how heavily the hand of the goddess lay upon her; both her duty and her blessings were almost too heavy to bear at times, and there were moments when she questioned what life might have been like had she been born free to do as she pleased with her life.  

"You think we'll get bored when we don't have to do barking mad things to stay alive?" Dabi asked as they neared the wall, stopping short as a guard peered down in their direction. 

"I think we'll always have to do barking mad things to stay alive," (Y/N) huffed under her breath, running her hands over almost entirely smooth stone to find the one close to the ground that would vibrate. When she found it, she used her teeth to tear a hole in her thumb and draw a rune on it, and the stretch of wall before her shuddered, rumbling like a contented cat as the stones before her flickered, wavering, before disappearing entirely into a (Y/N)-shaped hole. 

"Oh, I've missed this," Dabi said with a fierce fondness, patting the stone next to him. "I never got sick of watching this damn thing change."

(Y/N) wished she had time to ask what that meant, but she really, really didn't. Instead, she flung her arms around Dabi's neck, kissing him fiercely, and his arms came around her, holding her close. 

"Come back to me, Todoroki Touya," she commanded, fighting the feeling of helpless frustration that swelled in her as it became all too real that she wouldn't be out in the field, fighting beside him, watching his back. "If you die, I swear to the goddess that I'll make a deal with another water sprite and show you just how much worse I can make your life than dying— stop laughing, Touya, I'm serious!"

Shoulders shaking with helpless laughter, he didn't even flinch when she smacked his arm, and only laughed harder when she threw her hands up in exasperation. 

"You want to fight so bad that you just can't stand it, can you?" he teased, forcibly planting a big, wet kiss on her forehead. 

"No," she admitted with a bit of a pout, "I can't stand it."

"Don't worry, pussy-cat," he said, grabbing a handful of her ass. "I'll fight hard enough for both of us, and if you aren't popping out a baby by the time I get back, we'll fuck like rabbits and I'll get to tell you in detail how I—"

(Y/N) stopped him there; if she knew Dabi at all, she knew that if she let him get going properly, he wouldn't stop in time to kill any imperials and that simply wouldn't do. 

Not if she wanted to get a play-by-play while she was getting railed later, anyway. 

"You're all talk," she sniffed in faux disdain, pushing him away. "I'll believe it when it happens."

Dabi grinned at her, and his face was like that of a laughing predator— darkly proud and victorious, and entirely confident in his own self. 

"Go safely, then," he told her, "and we'll see about it."

(Y/N) wanted to stay, to say one more I love you, but she reigned herself in, forced her back to turn and her feet to carry her forward. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do at this time, in this place. There was much to be said and done ahead. 

Goodbye, my love, she thought, not daring to chance a backwards look, and good luck. 

***

Shoto stood atop the outermost wall of the Summit, glancing around with his hands on his hips.

"Well," he said somewhat unnecessarily, "I think we might have a problem."

He was aware that he might have just made an understatement. Seemingly overnight, a massive imperial force had made its encampment around the Summit's walls, surrounding them on the front side. 

"You don't say," Midoriya replied with a nervous chuckle, and Bakugou grunted. The three of them stood side-by-side, looking out over the wall, and all around them, clan soldiers were buzzing around, making preparations to strike and counter-strike against the dogs barking at the base of the outer wall. Shoto knew from experience that the wall would be impossible to scale even with ladders— its age-old enchantment prevented that— but the front gate of solid oak wood would eventually fall. When that happened, would the Summit's defenses be prepared to handle it? Had Shoto done enough beforehand, with all his sneaking and scheming, to pull off a victory against a force this size?

As thoughts and fears bounced around in his head, a commotion arose from a little ways off, and three seasoned clan warriors were dragging some poor sod over the parapet—

Dragging some poor sod over the parapet? Unless someone had fallen over the parapet, that should have been impossible. 

"What the fuck is that?" Bakugou said plainly, and Shoto's eyes widened as he caught sight of what, exactly, was happening.

His older brother, clad in the same black armor he'd used in their duel, was being held roughly by three men, grinning like a cat that had got the cream. Dabi didn't fight back, didn't resist— not even when one of the men drew a blade and pressed it against his throat. Eventually, those azure eyes found Shoto's from across the way, and Dabi said,

"Greetings, brother! I bring tidings from abroad!" His voice, though mocking, was a growl, and his grin was toothy, calling to mind a predator's maw full of incisors. "The Empire is wiggling its arse, hoping to get fucked— what are we waiting for?"

That dragged a few befuddled chuckles from the men goggling at the scene, and the warriors holding Dabi looked at each other, then at Shoto, confused. 

"Release him," said Shoto, waving a hand, and two of the men stepped back. One— a mistrustful piece of gnarled bark from Clan Ashido— didn't move, keeping his blade tucked against Dabi's skin.

"I don't answer to you, lordling," said the man with a scowl. "Don't think I don't know a traitor when I see one. Black Dabi is no more welcome here than the dogs barking at our front door."

This, Shoto thought, was the worst possible way for his brother to become reintroduced to polite society— and then he was promptly proved wrong when Dabi shifted, grabbed his would-be captor, disarmed him, and dealt three heavy blows to his head before holding the poor bastard by his neck over the edge of the wall one-handed. The display of strength was not lost on Shoto, nor on any other warrior present.

"One wrong move," Dabi said, still smiling, "and I drop him."

No one moved— no one breathed. The Ashido clansman kicked and sputtered, choking, but with seemingly superhuman strength, Dabi held him there, unmoving. 

"A demon," someone to Shoto's left whispered. "The goddess has sent a demon to punish us for—"

Someone shushed them, but the damage was already done. That was the worst possible reintroduction to polite society that Todoroki Touya could have had.

"Brother," said Dabi without looking over, "I have men waiting in the underbrush a ways off from here. (Y/N) is inside, taking the escape tunnel in as we speak."

"How many men?" Shoto asked, and somewhere in the distance, familiar blue flames arched upwards into the sky. 

Dabi brought the man he was holding back onto the parapet and dropped him, allowing him to choke and sputter his way back to normalcy. 

"Enough," he replied, kicking the Ashido clansman in the side rather unkindly as he tried to rise. "If we launch an offensive now and drive them back, we'll have more time to plan for the next wave."

Shoto blinked, stunned.

"Next wave?"

Dabi shrugged. "It's just an assumption, but… if they didn't plan on taking the Summit by force, why send this many men? Do you think the Empire wanted to flex its muscles just to show off? Why waste the resources with nothing to show for it when they could finally have victory, full and complete?"

"Can your men drive these off?" Shoto asked, but before Dabi could answer, Bakugou stepped forward, arms crossed. 

"Can anyone explain to me what the fuck is going on here?" he demanded, glaring first at Dabi then at Shoto. 

Well, no point in hiding anything now— Shoto glanced around, raised his voice, and said,

"Warriors of the Clans," he called out, addressing every person within hearing distance. "I present to you my brother, Todoroki Touya, back from the dead to reap vengeance on the Empire."

The truth— with a little dramatic flair, naturally— had every breathing creature on the wall in an uproar. Chaos raged around them, and Bakugou shrugged a bit haplessly at the commotion and Midoriya's disapproving stare.

"That would have been nice to know ahead of time," Bakugou said by way of excuse. "That's all I'm saying."

Shoto sighed. 

"It's complicated."

That was all he managed to say before Todoroki Enji set foot on the parapet and shouted in a booming voice,

"Quiet!"

A hush fell over the soldiers then, and once it was quiet enough, Shoto heard the thunderous racket of a battering ram crashing against the main gate. The sound itself was harrowing; even though Shoto knew, logically, that the gate would stand for hours, if not more than a day against such an onslaught, knowing that imperial soldiers were so close and working persistently to harm his people was unsettling. Not only that, but with that sort of noise and strife made the perfect conditions for—

"A distraction," Dabi noted. "They know they can't get in that way— no sane man would even try. They're using the battering ram as a distraction."

Endeavor nodded grimly in agreement, and Shoto knew his father and brother were right. 

"Time is of the essence," said Endeavor, studying both his sons in turn. "We have to act."

Another clamor arose then— men shouting what they thought should be done, who they thought should lead, what should be done with this strange man who appeared before them as a friend with the face of an enemy— and amidst the chaos, Dabi strode to the other side of the parapet, somehow unnoticed by the men that were so enraged by his presence. Intrigued, Shoto moved to follow his brother, but stopped short when Dabi turned on his heel at the end of the parapet with a manic gleam in his eyes.

"I promised my woman that I'd kill imperials today," he told Shoto, bouncing briefly on the balls of his feet before drawing his sword. "If your men decide to help, do send them— they can wipe the blood and shit off the boots of my men when they get through stomping out your enemies."

Before Shoto could ask what the hell Dabi meant by that, he found himself stumbling backwards as Dabi took off at a dead sprint, running directly to the other side of the parapet and making a desperate, superhuman leap that sent him flying from the edge like a madman. 

Silence fell for a beat, then two— then a massive column of blue flame erupted, and all were blinded by the heat and searing brightness it produced. Shoto was in awe; he had experienced Dabi's flames before, knew the height and breadth of his power, but even that was no comparison to the nova in front of him. Some men were shouting, others screaming, and still more weren't moving at all— Bakugou was one of the latter, staring at the madness and chaos that broke out among the imperial ranks. Midoriya stood beside him, equally awed, but snapped out of it quickly once he caught sight of Shoto striding towards them. 

"Is he actually your brother?" Midoriya asked, pulling his eyes away from the carnage below them to lock gazes with his friend. 

"Yeah," Shoto said. "He is."

Bakugou grunted. 

"That explains why you were so eager to trust him with gathering intel," he said, folding his arms as imperials died and Clansmen watched. After a moment, he added, "He's one hell of a fighting machine, I'll give him that. I've got no idea how you managed to defeat him."

Ah, yes— Shoto kept forgetting that he had told no one the reality of what had happened that night, not even his two closest friends. There were reasons for keeping the truth from the world, not least among them Shoto's own right to privacy… but there was also shame there, deep and ugly, that Shoto never wished to acknowledge. 

Before he could ruminate long on that dark night, Shoto caught sight of movement in the distance, and his eyes widened as he realized just what was happening. Midoriya, who was next to notice, said,

"Are those— how many men is that? Whose men are those?" 

"My brother's," Shoto replied distantly, watching as the force approached. "He said he had enough to help, but…"

They seem so few, he thought. 

"Well, I don't know about you lads, but I'm not about to sit here and jerk off while those bastards get all the glory," Bakugou said with a fierce grin. "When they write the history books, I want my name listed under those who took up arms instead of squabbling like a bunch of brats over their mother's teat."

Shoto couldn't help but agree.

"So what do we do?" Midoriya asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. 

At that, Shoto smiled.

"We jump."

Slowly, Midoriya and Bakugou began to answer his smile with grins of their own, and moving as one, they mirrored exactly the action that Dabi had taken only moments before. They ran, they jumped, and as Shoto felt the freedom of open air, he realized with sudden, sharp clarity that this was the moment that goddess had saved him for, the reason that he hadn't died months ago. 

He was alive to slay the war dogs barking at his door. 

Before he hit the ground, Shoto used his right side to unleash an icy blast that allowed him to simply slide down a ramp of ice and into the fray, blasting flames with his left side and spikes of ice with his right along the way. He must have killed at least ten men within the first ten seconds of being on the ground, and from the booming of Bakugou's explosions and Midoriya's punches, he'd credit his friends with the same and more. Imperial soldiers fell left and right, and Shoto remained largely untouched amidst it all— in a rush of exhilaration and adrenaline, he brought two hands above his head and brought them down in a massive torrent of ice and flame, uncaring of what damage he might cause. He was finally free to unleash the anger and humiliation that had been building inside him since the day that the Clans had surrendered to the empire, and he did so with reckless abandon. 

Later, Shoto would learn that after he and his friends had followed his brother's example, many others on top of the wall had come to their senses and followed suit, joining their offensive. Those who were not so easily swayed by their passions (or perhaps simply less suited to a dive off of the wall) stayed atop the wall, reorganizing and using their resources to aid the ground forces. Dabi's one leap of faith caused a chain reaction in the men, each of them emboldened by his example— later, Shoto would be in awe of it.

Now, though… now all Shoto knew was the razor-sharp, all consuming focus of battle, and the deadly weapon of his body ending lives more easily than snuffing out a candle flame. 

***

All things considered, Dabi had thought the battle would take longer. Honestly, he'd demolished little peasant villages that had more spunk. 

Before the sun was anywhere near the horizon, the imperials were retreating. It had taken only a few hours for the waves of soldiers to stop coming, which Dabi took to mean that the imperial force had run out of spare troops from a nearby camp, forcing them to retreat until their main force arrived; however, even with finite resources, the imperials had fought well and hard, most of them living supernaturally long against the onslaught of blessing-fuelled attacks. Even so, there was little living that could withstand Dabi's flames, and although most of the ground surrounding the Summit was scorched, there were no imperials, so Dabi considered it an improvement. 

"Way to show off," said Shoto, falling into step beside him as they made their way to the gate of the citadel. "It's true what they say about you and your men— you fight like demons. The imperials never stood a chance."

Dabi found himself grinning. 

"There's more where that came from," he said, "but don't get too cocky. This isn't over."

It was not, in fact, over; it had only just started. With every hurdle cleared would come another, taller, wider one— and as it happened, one such hurdle presented itself ass-up as Dabi and Shoto neared the entrance to the Summit. 

"No fucking way," said a big, burly blond man, fists clenched at his sides as he spoke to another man, who appeared to be skeptical as eell. If Dabi recalled correctly, the big blond one had been the one responsible for truly admirable explosions all over the battlefield. "I'm not letting these motherfuckers in my city. They might have helped us today, but who knows what they'll do tomorrow? This could be part of a plan to bring us down from the inside!"

Dabi had to hand it to the kid— it did sound like something he'd do. 

"Any ideas, chief?" Dabi asked his brother sotto voce, only half-joking. 

"Don't punch him," was the only advice Shoto had to offer before the two of them were upon the scene, and Dabi took that as permission to do whatever the hell he wanted. 

"Oi, what's the problem?" 

Blondie turned to him, scowling, and repeated his earlier sentiment. 

"I don't trust you, and I sure as hell don't trust them," he finished, pointing to a group of Dabi's men who were wounded, waiting to get inside. "We didn't ask for your help, so we don't owe you anything for it."

Dabi would have begged to differ, if he were so inclined to be bothered with begging at all. As it was, he just stepped closer into the man's space until they were almost nose-to-nose, grinning like a madman.

"What makes you think you can stop them if they want to come inside?" he challenged. "What makes you think you can stop me?"

With that, he made a chomping motion with his teeth, the hard bones clacking loudly together, and blondie flinched. 

"Way I see it, you have two options," said Dabi, allowing a slow purr to roll in his tone. "You can let us in, nice and easy, somewhere you can watch us to feel safe, or we can take what we want by force. The choice is yours. If it's the latter, there will be no mercy— my men don't like being insulted."

The man before him scowled, opened his mouth to rebuke him, but before he could, the other man who had been standing beside him put his hand on blondie's shoulder, a motion that seemed to soothe him somewhat. 

"My name is Midoriya Izuku," said the man in a soft, kind voice, "and my friend here doesn't mean to mistrust you or seem ungrateful. It's only that you and your men have a reputation, and we would hate to destroy the bonds we've started to build today by allowing something unfortunate to happen. I take it you understand my meaning?"

Dabi studied this Midoriya Izuku and found him to be sincere. 

Huh. 

"I understand," he replied, "but you must understand that my men and myself risked a great deal to offer aid to the Clans. Those who fought alongside you today are wounded, and hungry, and tired. They need water and rest, and most of them could use a bit of skirt to—"

Shoto cleared his throat, and Dabi took the hint. 

"The temple has always been a place open to travelers and those in need of sanctuary," said Midoriya after the awkward exchange between brothers. "That is all we can offer. No more and no less."

Dabi pretended to think for a moment. 

"We'll take it," he replied. 

Midoriya smiled— a disarmingly sweet thing— then extended his hand.

"Welcome home," he said as he grasped Dabi's hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Touya."

Dabi blinked. He turned to Shoto, then said,

"Do they know I killed you?" he asked, jerking his thumb toward his brother's friends. "I thought that happened pretty publicly."

Shoto shrugged. 

"Lots of smoke— no one really saw what happened, and I didn't think it was necessary to tell them."

Shoto looked pointedly at him then, and realization dawned on Dabi.

"Ah," he said. "That makes this a bit awkward then, doesn't it?"

"If you killed him, then how is he alive?" Midoriya asked, but before either Dabi or Shoto could answer, the voice Dabi had been wanting to hear since the battle ended was calling out, sounding hot and bloody bothered in every sense of the phrase. 

"Todoroki Touya!" (Y/N) called out, charging at him like a small, waddling bull. The fury on her face stirred something deep in Dabi's loins, and he grinned as she approached him, all sorts of nasty thoughts in his head. 

"I cannot believe you jumped off of the wall, are you insane?" Dabi could see that she was practically shaking with rage, her hands curled into white-knuckled fists at her sides. He didn't doubt for a moment that she was winding up to using those fists— though for what, he wasn't sure. "You stupid, stupid man, I should— I should— I don't know what I should do, but it would be horrible, just— fucking horrible—"

Dabi didn't need to hear any more of the lecture to know it meant I love you, I was worried. Prepared to respond with the fullest reassurance that he knew and understood, he grabbed his woman by either side of her face and kissed her long and deep, thrusting his tongue in her mouth when she tried to speak again; immediately, (Y/N) responded in kind, kissing him back with equal fervor, one of her legs rising to come between his— a thoughtful gesture, really, but a useless one with the armor Dabi wore. Still, he grasped at her tits through her gown, and the small moan she let escape into his mouth had him even harder than the adrenaline from earlier. 

Her hands drifted from his shoulders to his neck, and then fisted in his hair, pulling him closer. Nearly wild with wanting, he kissed down her neck, licking and sucking and wondering how fucked up it was that he wanted to bite and mar that beautiful expanse of skin with claiming bruises, so dark and ugly that a beast might have done it instead of a man— goddess divine, he was going to fuck her right here in the middle of the fucking street if—

Someone wolf-whistled, and (Y/N) pulled away. Dabi turned to see a young woman striding towards them, her face splattered red with blood, and she smiled widely, holding her arms open to (Y/N) for an embrace. 

"(Y/N), darling!" she said as (Y/N) opened her arms as well, hugging her close despite the gore soaking her armor. "Look at you— you're glowing! Absolutely stunning, you are! And what's this— the rumors of a little one are true after all?"

(Y/N) pulled away, laughing. 

"There is always some truth to what the gossips say, Ochako," she replied, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Speaking of which, I haven't been in the capital for an hour and I've already heard some rumors about you and one Midoriya Izuku."

Dabi couldn't tell for certain because of all the blood, but it seemed as though the young woman's face turned red. 

"Oh, it's not like that," she said, tucking her hair behind her ears in a shy, girlish gesture that looked strange on a warrior like herself. "I mean, he's— I'm— it's not—"

Ochako fumbled, and (Y/N) reached out, placing a hand on her arm with a kind smile. 

"I understand," she replied, her voice tender in a way that implied that she truly did understand. "Regardless, it's good to see you— I've missed you so much!"

The two women smiled and embraced again, and Dabi felt a strange jealousy arise. He wasn't used to not being the center of (Y/N)'s attention, and he almost found himself saying something foolish when a heavy hand dropped onto his shoulder, and he turned to find his father looking on beside him with fondness in his eyes. 

"You'll learn to share her," Endeavor said with a small, distant smile, as though he knew what Dabi was experiencing and had experienced it himself. "It won't come easily, but it will eventually come. Until then, be patient, and understand that there are many who love her as much as you do."

Dabi grunted sourly, but it sounded half-hearted at best. 

"You did well today," his father continued, not moving his hand. "The men followed you, you know. I think the half that don't hate you are in awe of you."

Dabi scoffed. 

"Yeah, right."

Endeavor turned to look at him. Those deep blue eyes, so like his own, were soft and kind, but not yielding.

"I'm serious. I watched you take a bunch of whining children and turn them into a fighting force just by being bold enough to act. You knew what needed to be done, and you didn't hesitate in doing it, not for a single second— that's the sort of leadership the Clans have been missing."

Dabi wasn't sure what his father meant to imply by that, but he got the distinct feeling that he wouldn't like it even if he did know. 

"That said," Endeavor continued, "There will need to be a conversation about… well, about you. I'm afraid you aren't trusted yet despite the risks you've taken for our sake."

Truthfully, Dabi had expected no less, but he reserved the right to be offended about it anyway. 

"Fine," he said, allowing his features their natural downward turn, "but not before I've had something to eat and some time with my woman."

Endeavor grimaced. 

"That won't be possible," he said. "I've already done all I can to stall—"

"I AM HERE!"

Endeavor sighed, and Dabi noticed the presence of a man as tall as his father and just as large with another two feet of enthusiasm tacked onto his height and breadth. The man had bright yellow hair, blindingly white teeth, and tan skin from labor in the sun. Yagi Toshinori, the All Might, hadn't changed a day since Touya's youth. 

"Here we go," said Endeavor, sotto voce, and it seemed that no force on earth or in hell itself could have stopped All Might from giving both father and son (as well as every person along the way) an enthusiastic clap on the back. Dabi nearly stumbled from the force, and he didn't bother to hide his irritation as All Might introduced himself and welcomed Dabi to the capital. 

"You were splendid out there!" All Might told Dabi, flashing him a thumb-up. "Truly magnificent! You remind me of your father in his early days!"

Dabi shrugged, uncomfortable.

"Thanks, I guess," he replied, hoping that would be the end of this awkward encounter, but All Might wasn't done making Dabi uncomfortable— not by a long shot. 

"You're a man of many names, I hear!" All Might's voice boomed with power even as he seemed to attempt to speak more quietly. "What should I call you, young man? Touya? Dabi? Black Dragon?"

Dabi floundered for a moment. He was caught unawares by the question, and once he thought about it, he found that he wasn't sure of the answer. 

"Todoroki Touya was the name I was Welcomed into this world with," he answered finally, saying the only truth he knew. "Any other name was given to me after."

"Splendid!" said All Might. Then, as conspicuously inconspicuous as possible, he glanced around, hunched lower to Dabi's height, and said, "Young Touya, I'm going to have to ask you to come before the Council today. We agreed with Young Shoto that you were a valuable resource for gathering intelligence, and no one can deny your valor here today, but you must know that there are things in your past that require addressing."

Dabi scowled, opening his mouth to protest, but All Might cut him off. 

"Come, Young Toya! There is much to do, and the sooner you come before the Council, the better!"

Thus, Dabi found himself swept off, towed along beside his father in All Might's wake; as he passed, he watched as (Y/N) was swept a different direction, surrounded by women about her own age— some warriors, some priestesses, some simply nobles— who were speaking animatedly and reaching out to touch her belly. Before (Y/N) and Dabi were too far to see each other, their eyes met, and Dabi knew they were thinking the same thing. 

Wait for me, said their gaze. I'll find you.

Dabi felt oddly comforted by that gaze. He wished he could say fuck it and cut down every barrier (human or otherwise) between them, but he knew he needed to be patient if he wanted to succeed against the Empire. After the Empire was gone, he could do as he pleased— but until then, he had to play the long game. 

Time to turn up the charm, he thought, flexing his hands lightly beside him. Maybe they won't try to kill me after all. 

On the walk to the center of the Summit, Dabi was surprised to see how much of the city had changed and how much had stayed the same. The cobblestone streets were still there, seemingly untouched by time's passing, but streets that had once been abandoned were full of shops, vendors, and art that hadn't been there before. Statues, tall and lovely, lined what used to be the main street into the city, and Dabi marveled at the depictions of heroes of legend. Heracles stood bravely with his club and a dead lion at his feet; Ozymandius, with scepter in hand, gazed down at him in disdain. Nymphs and bards and soldiers and kings lined the streets in marble and bronze, and Dabi wondered if, one day, the heroes of today would number among them

Before long, Dabi found himself ushered inside the castle at the center of the Summit, a towering building that served as a center for Clan affairs. The building was just as he remembered it— still gray, still gloomy, and still able to make Dabi feel strangely small. The same tapestries hung on the walls, depicting harrowing scenes of justice— Prometheus chained to a rock, a world destroyed by flood, a man blinded, his eyes seared by brightest light— and Dabi scowled at the one on the end depicting one man stabbed with a thousand blades. He hated those damn tapestries. They'd scared him as a child, and they scared him now, though for very different reasons; back then, though he'd been frightened of the violence, he hadn't understood what it represented— but now, he knew what it represented, and that's what frightened him. 

A warm, heavy hand rested on his shoulder, and he turned to find his father looking at him with kindness in his eyes. 

It'll be alright, his eyes seemed to say, but Dabi shrugged off the hand and strode farther ahead with a scowl. Dabi didn't need comfort, didn't need advice; he held all the cards he needed. All he had to do was play them right. 

Down the central hallway, past the tapestries, there was one final door, large and foreboding. It was made of ugly, gnarled wood, and creaked awfully when it was opened, but as All Might pushed it inward, Dabi saw that the inside of the room was pleasant enough, with a round table and a large fireplace, which popped and crackled with life. A few people already sat there, among them a young man with bright red hair and sharp-looking teeth, a young woman with short, dark hair and dangling ear lobes, and a blond, handsome man of an age with Dabi that had bright crimson wings and yellow, reflective eyes that reminded him of a falcon's. 

"Hello, my friends!" All Might boomed with his signature smile. "I am here! As well as Endeavor and Young Touya!"

Dabi wanted to scowl at the unsatisfactory introduction he received, but he didn't have time to be irritated before the young man with red hair was approaching him with a large, sharp-toothed grin and an outstretched hand. 

"Ejiro Kirishima," he introduced himself, shaking Dabi's hand in a firm grip. "It's nice to finally meet you— your information about imperial movements was invaluable to my men, and I heard you fucking wrecked it out there in the battle!"

Dabi cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward and wrong-footed by Kirishima's enthusiasm.

"It's a two-way street," he replied with a shrug. "I scratch your back, you scratch mine."

Kirishima's smile faltered a bit at that, but was back at full force as Endeavor approached. The two of them struck up a conversation— "How was the battle, I wish I could have seen it!", "Fantastic— wish you could have seen it as well, but we needed you blocking that gate,"— and it distracted them enough for Dabi to slip away unnoticed.

Or, at least he was unnoticed until he took two steps to the right and nearly bumped into a short, angry-looking blonde woman who might have been a close relative of the explosion bastard.

"Oi!" she said, more out of reflex than anything. "Watch where you're going!"

Having said her piece, she looked away, but did a double take as she realized who she had spoken to.

"Hey, you," she said, narrowing bright red eyes. "You're Black Dabi, aren't you? The one who killed all those people, burned all those villages."

"So what if I am?" he shot back. That appeared to be the wrong response, because the woman stepped up into his space with calm, quiet rage, and told him,

"You hurt my son's friend— your own flesh and blood. You hurt innocent people to fulfill your ambitions." She folded her arms, her eyes never leaving his. "I don't care who you are or what you've done since then, but I don't trust you."

Dabi opened his mouth to respond, but in the amount of time it took to blink, the man with the wings was out of his seat and at the woman's side, putting his hand on her shoulder. 

"Mitsuki, don't," said the man, an odd expression of repressed hurt drifting over his face. "The reason he went after Shoto… that was my mistake."

This time, it was Dabi's turn to double take. 

"What did you just say?" Dabi asked, his tone sharpening against his will, and Mitsuki bristled in front of him, moving to stand between him and the other man. 

"I— I killed Bubaigawara Jin," the man admitted, shamefaced. "It was an accident, truly— I didn't know who he was, and he was killing people in the street. I should have only restrained him, should have done something, anything else… and I'm so sorry that I didn't. I will carry that regret for the rest of my life." 

The man bowed, crimson wings tucked neatly against his back, and several things happened at once. 

A crash sounded from somewhere behind Dabi, and a woman he didn't recognize lunged forward, knife in hand. Halfway to running past Dabi, the woman's features began to change, and Dabi knew that it was Toga's blessing wearing off, the effect of the blood she'd taken from someone else diminishing. With one move, he clotheslined her, snatching the knife from her hand before she could use it; in mere moments, Toga returned to her usual form, screaming and crying and kicking in Dabi's grip as he held her back. 

"He killed him!" she screeched, tears falling down her face in streams. "He killed Jin, murdered him—"

"I know, dammit," Dabi growled, nose aching from the blow her elbow had given it. "Stop struggling, Toga— I fucking mean it, you little bitch!"

In reply, Toga only bit him— but despite his roar of pain, Dabi didn't release her. 

"I'm telling you, you stupid whore, you can't just kill him in front of all these people!" he admonished her, forcing her into a headlock. "They'll kill you for it— learn some subtlety, for fuck's sake!"

In hindsight, that wasn't going to earn him any brownie points with the Council— but it was the fucking truth, so that was something.

"Let me go!" Toga whined, kicking her feet as he lifted her off the ground. 

"No! Not until you promise not to kill anyone!"

Toga howled and kicked him in the shin, and Dabi swore, tightening his headlock on her. 

"Don't you understand?" he growled, eyes burning. "If you keep shedding blood in this stupid, fucking endless cycle of revenge, nothing has the chance to get fixed! If you kill that prick, some prick from his clan is going to come kill you, and so on and so forth until we're all fucking dead or slaves to the Emperor! If any of us are going to have freedom sometime this century, then people like us are going to have to shut the fuck up, sit the fuck down, and kill people in order of goddess-damned priority!"

Toga stilled. Dabi wasn't sure if the message had gotten through to her, or if she'd just passed out from lack of airflow, but either way, Dabi dropped her to the ground, letting her choke and sputter her way back to normalcy.

"Well, suppose that's the meeting," Kirishima quipped cheerfully, meeting Dabi's eyes with a mischievous grin. "See you lads later!"

A chuckle came from here and there, but most people were staring at Dabi or at Toga (who was naked as a jaybird in the middle of the council room). Mitsuki was speechless, Endeavor was scratching the back of his head, and the All Might was grinning as though he'd just won a game of chess. 

"Pretty words," said a dark-haired, buxom woman with a whip at her side, "but I've met too many men like you, Black Dabi. You swagger in, save the day, lull your prey into a false sense of security— but at the end of the day, we have no control over you and no reason to trust that we won't need control over you. You're a liability."

"A liability that saved your asses today," he shot back, but then Midoriya, who had previously been standing quietly in the background like some ornamental vase, stepped boldly forward and said,

"We don't need to control him— we need to unleash him."

Every head turned to him, Dabi's included, and the young man held his head high as he continued, confident in his claim. 

"Those of you who were on the outer wall today saw what he was capable of." Deep green eyes searched the room, and Dabi had to make an effort not to look away when those eyes fell on him. "His blessing is strong, yes— but what saved us today was his ability to act. That's what we've been working toward for months now, and still, when the time came, no one could do anything but argue. It's time we came to realize that in times of war, we need someone to lead."

Midoriya looked to Shoto. Dabi followed the action and smiled when he realized what was happening. 

"The same blood that led us today can lead us again. I know that none of us have put our trust in Todoroki Touya fully, there is another that I would trust with my life and with the fate of the Clans." 

Midoriya extended his arm, outstretched his hand to indicate Shoto, and said, 

"Todoroki Shoto is the person I trust most with ruling during wartime, and I'm not the only person who feels that way."

Slowly, Kirishima and the woman with short-cropped dark hair moved to Shoto's side, followed by Endeavor, then Mitsuki and the man who murdered Jin. That totaled up to nearly half the room, and the others looked warily at one another as though they had suddenly realized that there were wolves among the sheep. 

"I… didn't choose this," Shoto said, meeting the eyes of those who apparently had yet to be convinced of his worthiness. "It was chosen for me, and I accepted."

A murmuring fell across the room, everyone looking at one another, speaking under their breath. Shoto's poker face was good, but Dabi could read his hesitation like words on parchment. The others needed a push, something to give them more assurance than they had, and the other side of the room was all out of cards to play. 

What the hell, Dabi thought, crossing his arms with a crooked grin, watching looks of skepticism pass around the room. What could it hurt to help a brother out?

"You want a way to control me?" he asked, jerking his chin towards Shoto, "Well, there you have it. He came back unscathed from a duel with me. Do you know what that means?"

Everyone looked around as if searching for the answer. Shoto stared at him with a blank expression, and Midoriya with suspicion. 

"It means," Dabi said slowly, enunciating every syllable, "that he won."

The wording of it was key. Dabi didn't say that Shoto defeated him, or that Shoto could kill him if it was necessary, though his words might imply it. What he had said was, Shoto won— which, in a sense, he did. After all, Dabi had been aiming to kill him, and yet here he stood, alive and well and with Dabi on his side. If that wasn't winning, he wasn't sure what would be. 

The dark-haired woman with the whip who had questioned Dabi earlier spoke up.

"If we accept you as a leader, young Todoroki," she said slowly, her gaze calculating, "What is to keep you from keeping that power even after wartime, forcing us to remain united under one banner?"

At that, Shoto smiled a little. 

"The better question is if I'll survive even a week trying to unite the Clans at all," he replied wryly, "but I'll bite. No man— or woman— could give you the assurance you're asking for, but I will say this: may the goddess herself strike me dead if I ever lift a hand against my own clansmen, or if I ever seek to use the united Clans to fulfill my own ambitions and vainglory."

A subtle vibration trembled through the room. It could have been Dabi's imagination, or it could not have been— regardless, there was power in those words, and Dabi believed them to be a binding pact with the goddess as surely as he was standing there.

"You're really capable of leading us?" another person— a blond man with slicked hair— spoke up. "No offense, but you are very young— why should we trust you and not someone more seasoned?"

Shoto raised a brow, and Dabi had to actively hold back a laugh. 

"Besides the fact that the old guard have been noticeably ineffective at dealing with the Empire?" —it really was incredibly difficult not to howl with laughter; Dabi was shaking with the force of it— "I plan to ask a small council for advice… one much like our current company. Leaning on the experience and wisdom of the excellent is the only way the Clans will ever achieve anything, and that's what my strategy for decision-making will be."

The man thought for a minute, then nodded. 

"Very well," he said, stepping forward to extend his hand to Shoto. "With this understanding in place, I accept your position as leader for the foreseeable future."

Shoto nodded. 

"I'm grateful," he replied. 

One by one, the others followed suit. Some were more reluctant than others, but by the end, Shoto was officially unanimously chosen to lead the Clans. Dabi felt a strange sort of pride watching it happen, and he wondered if this was what having a brother was supposed to be like. 

"So," said Kirishima, who had reclaimed his seat at the table, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "What now, Commander?"

Shoto grinned.

"Now we plan a war."

Dabi cleared his throat, and the whole room looked his way. He couldn't help but smirk at the feeling of power that gave him. 

"If I may," he said, "I have a sneaking suspicion of what the Empire will do as a counter-strike for today's victory."

Like a good little peon, he waited for Shoto to nod consent, and when he did, Dabi leaned forward, placed his fingertips on the table, and got to work.

***

"Do you think they're raking Touya over the coals right now?" (Y/N) mused to no one in particular as Ochako combed her hair, gently working out the knots that had formed from going too long without a cut. 

"I wouldn't know," Ochako replied, pitching her voice teasingly low, "but I'm sure he'll live. If earlier was any indication, he seems more of a man of action than one of words, if you know what I mean— "

A titter of giggles sounded throughout the room, and (Y/N) turned to find Mina, Tsuyu, and Momo grinning at one another.

"What's all this, then?" (Y/N) demanded, half laughing and half serious. "Do you lot have something to say to me?"

"Only that I wish my man were so hot blooded," said Mina with a salacious wink. "I thought he was going to hike up your dress and plant his flag for the clan, if you know what I mean."

The others giggled at that, and (Y/N) felt heat rise to her cheeks. 

"Come on, it was just a kiss!" she protested, but the others weren't done. 

"He was practically eating you," giggled Tsuyu. "Under any other circumstances it would be gross, but he's just so handsome— all the Todoroki boys are, now that I think about it— but still. The chemistry between you two is incredible!"

"You're a lucky woman," Momo agreed, her usually kind and soft features sharpening into something just a little bit wicked. "I bet he's a real beast in bed."

Ochako snickered, and (Y/N) just barely resisted elbowing her from where she sat.

"Oh, if his prowess on the battlefield is any indication, then his skill is beyond imagining," she added conspiratorially, running the shell comb once more through a section of (Y/N)'s hair. "You know, I saw him kill three men at once— one with flame, another with his sword, and the last with a boot to the face? And he's so flexible, and strong, and—"

"Oi," (Y/N) warned jokingly— a habit she'd picked up from Dabi— and Ochako laughed, soothing her with a gentle pat on the shoulder. 

"He's all yours, darling— he's all the things we said, true, but he's only had eyes for you." Ochako looked to the others, and (Y/N) saw that the others were nodding. "You've got him wrapped around your little finger… I mean, the reason he gave for jumping off the wall like a raving bloody lunatic was, 'I promised my woman I'd kill imperials today.' If you ask me, that's one hell of a devoted man."

"How romantic," purred Mina— but before the conversation could go any further there was a knock at the door, halting (Y/N)'s embarrassment. 

"Come in," Ochako called out, setting her comb down, and the door opened to reveal Toga, still covered in blood and smiling shyly in the doorway.

"(Y/N)?" Toga asked, the very picture of timidity. "Can I come in?"

"Of course!" (Y/N) replied gently— despite the fact that she was in Ochako's chambers and not her own. "Make yourself at home."

One by one, (Y/N) introduced her friends to Toga, and with each introduction, Toga seemed to smile a little more, blush a little brighter. Soon, the others were fetching warm water for a bath for the newcomer, and as Toga was scrubbed clean of blood and dirt, she basked in the attention she was given, happy as a lark. 

"You're all so pretty!" she gushed, stepping lightly out of the now-dirty bath water. "I think I really love all of you!"

The others laughed, somewhat confused, but altogether charmed, and Toga beamed. It warmed (Y/N)'s heart to see the girl so happy— right up until the moment the topic of conversation turned back to Dabi and herself. Then, she was ready to punt the little shit off of the roof of the capitol building. 

"You mean they fucked on the very first night?" Mina leaned forward, hungry for gossip. 

"Oh yes," Toga giggled, cutting her eyes slyly at (Y/N). "I got it from Dabi himself that he'd spanked her raw only hours before—"

"Toga, please," (Y/N) groaned, but she was nowhere near done. 

"Not to mention that he walked straight into a faerie ring to protect her," Toga added, "and through fire, and through a magical forest—"

Toga continued to gush, and (Y/N) wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Even so, the others took great delight in the tales of (Y/N)'s adventures with Dabi, and they laughed and cheered and made comments out of the side of their mouths, all in good fun; the joy and love they showed Toga, (Y/N), and each other burned bright and warm, filling the room with it, turning the whole word soft around the edges.

It was good to be home. 

***

Outside, the night was bitterly cold, and the light of the heavens was obscured by a thick blanket of clouds, plunging the world into blackest midnight. In a castle a few miles away from the Summit, the warlord sat among his council, quiet rage swelling in his chest. 

"Defeated," he growled. "An entire legion, defeated! Who is responsible for this fucking travesty?"

The men before him simply looked at one another, dismayed. 

"They were powerful, sir," one captain said, worrying his cap in his hands. "They were sorcerers, all of them, and they were led by a man with blue flames—"

"Blue flames?" the warlord demanded. "You let a little fire stop you from ramming down the gates?!"

"It was an inferno, my lord!" The man who had spoken up was trembling. "An inferno of the hottest fire I've ever felt! And there were others, my lord, who were using black magic against us—"

The warlord stood, slamming a gauntleted fist onto the council's table. 

"Did you not have sorcerers of your own? Seasoned experts in the dark arts, gifted powers by the Emperor himself?"

The man before him nodded frantically and said,

"You did, my lord! You did, but— but they all died in the blaze that—"

The warlord grabbed his subordinate by the neck, curling his meaty fist to crush the man's windpipe. The man kicked and struggled, but the warlord refused to release him until he stopped moving altogether, dead. He tossed the bastard aside, turned back to his men, and said,

"Who's next in line to lead?"

A woman with a sharp, hawkish nose and dark, close-cropped hair stood up and stepped forward. She wore the brand of a sorcerer on her neck, and the warlord grunted with approval. 

"Tomorrow, there will be three legions surrounding the Summit," the warlord told her, resuming his seat at the head of the table. "They're traveling here as we speak. If you do not ensure the death of the man with the blue flames with the men given to you, you will meet a far worse fate than your predecessor's. Do you understand?"

The woman nodded. 

"I understand," she answered. "Would you like it done tonight, sir?"

This piqued the warlord's interest. 

"Can it be done?"

"It can, my lord." the woman affirmed. "I just need the body of one who saw him."

The warlord gestured to the body on the floor.

"Will this trash suffice?"

She nodded. 

"It will."

"Good. Then be on your way. This meeting is adjourned."

The warlord had always thought it was somewhat comical to see the members of a council stepping quickly out of his presence after a particularly harsh meeting. It was an excellent indication that his point had been made. One man, however, lingered— the only man in the meeting that the warlord hadn't been able to intimidate into a frightened frenzy, or even move at all. Shigaraki of the League— the warlord's most recently acquired ally— approached him, damp, greasy-looking pale hair hanging in front of his unnaturally red eyes. Severed hands gripped the man's body in various places, and the warlord fought off a shudder at the sight of him. Fucking sorcerers. 

"I know who your blue-flame menace is," he said casually as he moved to stand beside the warlord, "and I have a bone to pick with him."

The warlord grunted. "I've been assured that he will be dead before the night is out, so if you have business with him, you'd best hope your horse can outrun my new lieutenant's."

Shigaraki cackled— a dry, hacking sound that would raise any man's hackles. 

"He won't be." Shigaraki hacked again, his grin sick and manic. "She'll never get over the wall, much less kill Black Dabi. He's twice the fighter even the best of your men are. No, if you want him dead, you'll need something more than that."

The warlord raised a brow. 

"What do you suggest?"

"I can destroy the outer wall of the Summit with a single touch."

The warlord didn't gape, but it was a near thing. 

"Then why didn't you fucking say so earlier?" he demanded. "I could have used that information well before now, you slimy—"

Something flashed in Shigaraki's eyes, and the warlord stopped. He was no coward, but he was no fool either— he knew bloodlust when he saw it, and not being a sorcerer himself, he wasn't inclined to provoke one who claimed he could destroy the greatest feat of architecture known to man.

"I didn't say so because I wasn't informed of your coming," Shigaraki replied shortly. "If I were privy to your plans, I would be more able to assist."

The warlord took the admonishment for what it was— the whining of a little lordling who was used to getting his way. 

"I do what the Emperor, the All for One, dictates," the warlord said truthfully. "No more, no less. If you have a problem, naturally, you may take it up with the Emperor himself. Until I hear otherwise from him, you will know what I tell you, sorcerer."

Shigaraki scowled, but didn't argue. 

"Very well," he replied unhappily. "Even so, I suppose I'll tell you what I was thinking we could do to take down the Clans once and for all— the final, killing blow to a dead society."

The warlord nodded. 

"Go on. What is your plan?"

Shigaraki explained his strategy at length. The longer he spoke, the more excited he became, and the warlord was both disturbed and impressed by his strategic prowess. The plan was the essence of simplicity, and yet seemed a more effective use of resources than any other strategy the warlord himself had ever created. 

"And you're sure this will be effective?" the warlord asked, almost certain that it was too good to be true. 

"Positive," Shigaraki replied. 

"Then we move as soon as the reinforcements get here. I'll give you a legion and every sorcerer we have."

Shigaraki nodded, that evil grin back in place, and the warlord took a moment to wonder if giving this man more power was a good idea after all. 

Too late now, he mused, grimacing at the outline of the sorcerer as he left. May God help and forgive us all if he should turn on us.

With that unpleasant thought, he turned away and headed towards the place he would sleep tonight, hoping rest would come easy and undisturbed. 

#dabi #dabi x reader #mybigbangacademia #touya x reader #mha x reader #bnha x reader #dabi smut #dabi x y/n #touya x y/n #fantasy au #enemies to lovers #a suitable match (to start a fire)

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Addressing Potential Controversy [Into the Ocean Arc]

//Sup!

//Hey. it’s me, the mod, coming at you with just a couple of things that I need to talk about in relation to the next arc of the story in Danganronpa Survivor, because for those in the know, and who have figured out a synopsis for the next arc based on my hints, I imagine there are one or two people who are either confused, or possibly even upset, at what’s coming.

//And I will reinforce now that no one has actually called me out on it, at least not maliciously, so don’t go thinking that I’m being attacked. I know a vast majority of you guys are highly above that, and if you aren’t, then you don’t deserve to be here.

//But I want to take the time to do two things. Firstly, address my line of thinking, and secondly, enlighten the people who aren’t in the know and are confused as to what I want to talk about.

//That said, I will be posting the majority of this rant underneath the cut, because it contains some spoilers for the ensuing story of the next arc. Nothing major, but even so, if you want to go in completely blind, then don’t click Read More.

//But if you are curious, then keep reading.

//I see you’ve decided to continue. Alright, let’s do this.

//First of all, a basic synopsis of this arc is that it picks up shortly after the previous one, which we have just finished. More specifically, after the events of “The Melancholy Of Nagito Komaeda” three weeks have passed in-universe time.

//We transition from the escapades of Hajime and the gang, over to Washington DC, Capital City of the USA, where Makoto, Kyoko, Byakuya, Yasuhiro, Hina and Kuripa are all living together in a moving camper vehicle bought by Kyoko, with the intention of hiding away so that Zetsubou do not find them. This has all been established previously.

//But during the story events of the arc, the Future Foundation meet a rag tag band of societal rebels, and due to certain circumstances, end up forming a pact with them. With a lot on the line for both groups, they work together to overthrow one of the state’s biggest financial conglomerate’s. 

//This group of rebels call themselves the Freedom Foundation, but really, they aren’t so much a “foundation” as they are just a band, and they are the highlight of this arc, and the reason why I make this post in the first place. The reason? Because the characters are from THIS game...

//The full title of this game is “Hyper! Danganronpa H2O - Abandon All Hope.” This is an English Danganronpa fangame created by a person named Milkpunches. It is known for being the first complete English Danganronpa fangame, and was based in a RP group the developer was part of.

//Originally it was downloadable on Microsoft Windows, and ran on the Official Hamster Republic Role Playing Game Construction Engine, abbreviated as OHRRPGCE or OHR. Unfortunately, the game is no longer available to be downloaded, so all that remains of it are a few gameplays left on YouTube.

//If you want to check the story for yourself, I recommend doing so through a Let’s Play by USAviator. He has some of the funnier takes on the game and covers basically everything there is to cover.

//So the bottom line is that the characters from Hyper H2O are going to be in Survivor. In fact, the arcs name, “Into the Ocean” is in direct reference to it. Not all of them mind you, just a few. And you may be wondering why it is that I need to sort of address this as a result of potential controversy. Well, I’ll tell you.

//Hyper H2O is widely considered to be one of the worst Danganronpa fangames in history, and for those who know of it, one of the worst video game fangames IN GENERAL. And there are an assortment of reasons why. One of the greatest takes of the game I’ve seen is by a Reddit user named u/DragonFirePie, who played through the whole fangame and I will post their review here to get a better idea: https://www.reddit.com/r/danganronpa/comments/d5qvdo/hyper_danganronpa_h2o_an_awful_fangame_made_by_an/

//If you’re not up for all that deep reading though, I will quickly summarize some of the key points. For starters, there’s the characters, and the biggest issue most people seem to have with them is that amongst the typical 16 students that the game throws at you, every single one of them has only one of two types of personality right from the get go. Either they are overly and annoyingly nice and friendly, or they are overly and annoyingly rude and detestable.

//The “glaring” exception, is a character named Caeser...who has no personality.

//That doesn’t necessarily mean that every character is the exact same, and there is enough to differentiate them, but even so, there’s a severe line when there are characters who are nice and friendly to the point where it’s annoying, and characters that shit on you for LITERALLY no reason. Seriously, a selection of the cast just take one look at the protagonist, Maya, decide she is annoying, and call her out on it, when they DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HER.

//Speaking of Maya, she’s another problem. Personally speaking, I like a fair share of her dialogue. As a character, she’s much like Hajime, in that she has his bluntness and isn’t afraid to call people out on their BS, but imagine that, an amp it up to 11. It’s interesting, funny, and she IS a step away from a typical protagonist character, but it does somewhat come at the cost of likeability.

//Take for example, a character like Kuripa. One of the things that makes Kuripa so controversial is that he can be an enjoyable source of entertainment at one point, and a detestable cretin at another, due to his trait of constantly changing personalities and opinions based on the situation. He’s problematic, but he CAN be nice and welcoming when the time calls for it, so he is redeemable. Imagine if Kuripa at his ABSOLUTE WORST was a protagonist for a full game, and you’ve got Maya Canzanilla, the protagonist of H2O.

//The SECOND issue with the game is it’s gameplay, but that mainly has to do with it’s engine. As mentioned previously, Hyper H2O is made in OHRRPGCE; open-source, "All-in-one" game creation system. It was designed to allow the quick creation of 2D role-playing video games, and as an engine, is used to make basic games swiftly and easily.

//Which, in short, makes it a bad engine to create a Danganronpa fangame on, since it mainly constitutes to RPG’s and platformers. It could just be the case that there were limited options at the time of creation, so I can’t hold the logistics against the game, but as a result of using OHR, the class trial minigames are easy, and the mysteries are relatively easy to figure out. It just doesn’t have the same sense of fun or entertainment as an actual Danganronpa Class Trial, and that’s where the game falls super flat in terms of gameplay.

//And one last thing I will mention is the main issue a lot of people have with the game is in regards to it’s creator, Milkpunches. Now, I will be careful with what I say here, because this post is a critique of the game, and not done as a slight against the creator. I hold no spite against Milkpunches, and even if I did, I wouldn’t brazenly slag them off like this.

//I firmly believe that just because a content creator/author/person who made something is bad, that doesn’t mean the thing they made is ALSO bad. The best example I can think of is J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. I’ve loved Harry Potter for years, and just because the author is acting disagreeable in recent times, doesn’t mean I’m immediately going to start disliking Harry Potter. I can enjoy something without giving two shits about who made it.

//The only reason I’m even talking about the creator is because they are one of the primary issues, and I do have a MAJOR problem with them in one regard. Namely, Hyper Danganronpa H2O wasn’t created simply to be an enjoyable fangame, but to spread Social Justice Warrior propaganda.

//Every character in H2O has a sexual alignment, gender identity or otherwise that isn’t completely straight. And that’s fine and all; I will stand for pride, now and forever, and I’m by no means opposed to a cast of a game that’s entirely made of trans or nonbinary or gay/lesbian characters; but what I DON’T like is that the entire game’s premise REVOLVES around this. It’s less like a Danganronpa that features LGBTQ+ characters, and more like an LGBTQ+ plotline and coming-out story that just so happens to be in a Killing Game.

//And it makes me wonder...what’s even the point?

//SJW’s are quite possibly some of the most detestable people that exist in the universe, and in the case of Milkpunches, the biggest problem people seem to have is that they respond very harshly to criticism. Regardless of whether it’s malicious or constructive. Again, like I said, I’m not making this post to slight the creator. I’m merely bringing it up in the case of it being a primary problem for the vast majority of fans.

//So that’s a basic breakdown of why Hyper Danganronpa H2O is “bad.” After all this, you may be wondering why it is that I want to put this very controversial game in my series. Well, there’s a reason, and it’s not simply because I like the game, because I don’t know if “like” is exactly the right word.

//Simply put, Hyper Danganronpa H2O is what I like to call the Sonic 06 of Danganronpa games. By that I mean that in terms of both gameplay, and aspects of development, it is rather terrible...but it CAN be fixed.

//I personally believe that if certain decisions had been made differently, Sonic 06 could have been a masterpiece, but as a result of poor decisions in development, writing and gameplay, it ended up being one of the most notoriously bad video games in history. Which is why I’m so grateful that Project 06 is being made, because even though 06 still has problems with it’s story, P-06 is working to better the gameplay and graphics.

//And that’s also how I believe it is with H2O, and what I intend to do with the characters present in Survivor. And if anyone’s going to try to call me out on “Oh, you can’t just take matters into your own hands” or “rewrite characters to better suit your own tastes” I hope you’re aware that I’ve DONE THAT BEFORE.

//Specifically, with the characters in the blog that are from V2: New World Order, Blowback and Rebirth/RebirthVoices. No character from those two projects are exactly like their characters from the original projects, and I take liberties and change them where I can.

//For example, in RebirthVoices, Narumi Osone and Akira Tsuchiya are a duo of Mastermind’s, but they aren’t nearly as close as they are in Survivor. RebirthVoices influenced their relationship, as well as Akira’s love for Despair and Narumi’s love for Hope, but little more than that. The original Narumi Osone wasn’t a battle hungry ball of homicide, so much as she was a bratty little kid like Hiyoko.

//Additionally, the Blowback Characters have this as well. Barely any of them, save for a few like Mikihiko, have the same talents and capabilities they did the original game. For example, Yosaku Fujita in Survivor is a greedy cabaret manager, who turns around and sees the light after he loses his place in society. In Blowback, he is a chubby, laid back music composer, who means nobody any harm. His character is COMPLETELY different. So for anyone who wants to complain that I changed the characters...you missed your chance long ago.

//What I intend to do with the Hyper H2O characters is a mix of what I do with the Rebirth characters, as well as the Another 2 characters, which basically means that I’m going to take liberties and change up a few things, but I’m going to keep things mostly the same, including each characters individual history. Not like what I do with Misuzu for example, where she is a Shrine Maiden in Rebirth, but a hostess, and Misaku Rokuhana’s daughter in Survivor. It’s not going to be the same case, for example, Maya is still a barista, and the events that happened in her life before now STILL happened. Same goes for the rest.

//And there are a few things about H2O that I genuinely like and see potential in. The main one being the dialogue. Many people may disagree, but despite H2O’s problematic storytelling, the dialogue is amazing, and unfortunately I can’t pick a good example because there’s a lot to choose from. It’s also chock full of clever and funny references to classical media, and it feels ORIGINAL.

//Secondly, for pixelated sprites made in an undesirable engine, the style and character designs aren’t bad. They don’t necessarily befit each person’s individual talents, but they don’t really NEED to. Think of something like the cast of Danganronpa 1, where they have certain aspects of their designs that give away their talents, but nothing really that major to the point where they’re easily guessable.

//And also, despite what I said about the severe limitations the OHR, the game still is able to retain the classic Danganronpa UI, in it’s own unique way.

//The last point I will make is in regards to something I heard about, but I’m not really certain of; but supposedly, Milkpunches is planning to remake the game with more playable characters, a new story, and new and better graphics and mechanics. If this is true, then it may be a sign that they are now acting upon the criticism they received, or are at least conscientiously aware that the game has a lot that’s left to be desired.

//That’s pretty much the summary, but I hope you’ll patiently await to see what I can do with these characters. Again, they’re not going to change much, unless it’s to fit the overall story of the arc. Personally, I think it’s interesting to see the same character handled by different writers, and I hope you’ll think the same with “Into the Ocean”

//If there are any more questions, I’m open to them, on the condition that they are genuine and mild as opposed to hostile, or hate-based.

-Mod

#important notice #hyper danganronpa h2o

[readingfanficismyhobby]

I posted 32 times in 2022

That's 23 more posts than 2021!

25 posts created (78%)

7 posts reblogged (22%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@readingfanficismyhobby

@sasukelluar

@greenistheboy

@babysitterpng

@henderdads

I tagged 31 of my posts in 2022

Only 3% of my posts had no tags

#stranger things 4 - 22 posts

#stranger things - 20 posts

#st4 spoilers - 15 posts

#st4 vol2 - 13 posts

#steve harrington - 9 posts

#eddie munson - 8 posts

#dustin henderson - 6 posts

#st4 theory - 6 posts

#she hulk - 4 posts

#nancy wheeler - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 91 characters

#it’s just the most random fic ever and it somehow saved me from the abyss of steddie fanfic

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Anyone ever think about how in season 1 of stranger things Joyce was the only one to “sense” Will in the Upside Down, and then her and Jonathan could sense each other in the final episode?

Well I do, because in season 4 Steve was the one to sense Dustin. Which means they’re as close as a mother and child. Excuse me while I go sob in the corner.

I’m sure there’s a good mom Steve wordplay in here somewhere but I’m not articulate enough for that.

17 notes - Posted July 31, 2022

#4

I just had this awesome stranger things 4 volume two theory!!! Credit goes to @.dizay on tiktok for pointing this out.

So in the tiktok the user points out that in the D&D game in the first episode Dustin couldn’t beat Vecna when he rolled an ELEVEN. This foreshadows El being unable to beat Vecna alone, just like Brenner said. But at the same time as the D&D game is being played, Lucas wins the basketball game at the last second by scoring the winning shot. Guess what number he is? EIGHT!!! THIS could foreshadow Eight, aka Kali, coming to El’s rescue near the end.

Imagine this: El has just lost against Vecna, and a majority of not all of the cast have been captured and/or killed by Vecna. Vecna is making his victory speech that we hear in the trailer, and as he’s about to finish El off, the striking blow goes THROUGH her! He, along with the audience, realizes this was an illusion and that everyone is getting away!

Having Kali come back would be EPIC! I’ve always wondered what else the Duffer brothers were going to do with her, especially because she appeared only in season two and was never mentioned again. They’ve proven with clock noises throughout the series that there has been a plan this whole time, so I don’t think they’d introduce Kali just to further El’s arc in season two. I think they WANTED us to forget about her, so when she comes in and saves the day it’s even more amazing! This theory is supported by the fact that Kali was referred to briefly by Vecna during El’s time at the lab, and I don’t think she’s ever been mentioned before this outside of season 2.

Even if this theory is totally wrong, I still believe Kali will be back! Lucas getting the winning shot could be foreshadowing Kali’s triumphant return next season instead of this season. Who knows honestly, this show is so good at getting you thinking you know what’s up and then it turns out you actually don’t. Can’t wait for volume 2!!!

19 notes - Posted June 22, 2022

#3

I don’t think I’ve heard anyone talk about this, but has anyone seen that one clip of Eddie and Dustin together back to back?

I was rewatching the vol 2 sneak peak and I realized that Eddie is holding Steve’s nail bat!! This is so cute, I bet there was this whole scene where Steve is telling Eddie to protect Dustin for him, since he’ll be doing something else. And Steve gives Eddie the bat like a good luck charm.

Ugh I’m just so excited to see them again.

23 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

#2

Major spoilers for st4 vol 2!!!!

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Okay, so I know it’s a little early for this but I have some predictions about season 5:

- In the last Dustin has always been very insistent about solving mysteries related to the upside down. However Dustin’s face when he saw the upside down particles leads me to believe the trauma from Eddie’s death will affect his confidence. He looked absolutely terrified when he noticed the particles. This is foreshadowed by Steve and Eddie’s comments about “getting his ego in check”, which will happen but not in the way anyone would want it to. So in season 5 Dustin will have an arc that revolves around Eddie’s death and regaining his confidence.

- Max’s almost-death in vol 2 felt absolutely BRUTAL. But I don’t think the Duffers would have left her alive if they didn’t intend on bringing her back somehow. We heard from Brenner that when Vecna kills, he takes everything that a person is and absorbs it. This makes me believe that the reason Max isn’t waking up and El couldn’t find her is because her soul and memories are will Vecna. I think there will be an arc next season about rescuing Max, but I don’t know how.

- at the end of season 5 there was a very dramatic scene where you can see a HUGE gate to the upside down. It’s kind of hard to ignore, so I think maybe the rest of the world will find out about the alternate dimension.

- The supposed timeskip is the most confusing part of season 5. The Duffer brothers confirmed that there will be a timeskip of 2-3 years between seasons 4 and 5, but I’m not entirely sure how that will work. I think that maybe Hawkins will be ground zero for a war between humans and Vecna with his monsters. Nancy described him having an army, so this would line up.

I’m ready to be completely proven wrong when season 5 info starts releasing, but I just had to get these thoughts out.

24 notes - Posted July 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Honestly I think episode 8 of she hulk was just amazing, even without daredevils appearance. The suspense building from the moment Matt left Jen’s house was palpable. There was a drastic tonal shift from that point to the end of the episode that I think was amazingly executed especially considering the genre of the show is comedy.

I wasn’t expecting for the video to be released as revenge porn, but honestly I’m so here for it. It’s an issue that many women unfortunately have to face. The idea of having a video like that recorded without your knowledge or consent is jarring enough, let alone it being released in front of your colleagues, family, and friends at an event you were supposed to get an award for. And then of course Jen is viewed as the “bad guy” for reacting strongly at the release of this video. But its nice to see that this very real issue is being directly confronted. I’m excited to see how the show ends, and I look forward to Jen being even more badass.

(And while I’m on the subject, the talks about getting Jen’s blood for something was a brilliant misdirect. The blood will probably still play a factor in the finale but it successfully distracted me from a plot twist.)

This show has been amazing to watch as a whole, not just this episode, because it’s explicitly stated and shown the issues women face every day from episode 1 in the very first scene (where Jen had to deal with that asshole who thought he knew better). In fact, it even called out the types of misogynistic men who exist today during the brief social media scene in episode 2 I think. Here’s to hoping future marvel projects show similar traits!

33 notes - Posted October 7, 2022

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[cydhouseofgryffindor]

I posted 8,387 times in 2022

36 posts created (0%)

8,351 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lovebittenbyevans

@07-05-1994

@soufcakmistress

@wandahadavision

@breanime

I tagged 192 of my posts in 2022

#bridgerton - 36 posts

#mayans mc - 19 posts

#ez reyes - 14 posts

#angel reyes - 13 posts

#bridgertonedit - 13 posts

#anthony bridgerton - 12 posts

#kate sharma - 10 posts

#bridgerton spoilers - 10 posts

#looks - 9 posts

#will smith - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 93 characters

#wow i’ve always been fascinated by houses with greenery but i’ve never seen the seasons shift

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Mayans Spoilers

Episode 8

Chile EZ no longer in the building…like that man is completely gone! Is it bad that I’m kinda turned on by it? 🙃

Louisa does not need to be anybodys mom…not rn at least…she needs to do some major healing. But Angel is such a cute daddy omg 🥺 I wonder why he hasn’t said anything to Felipe or EZ about the baby.

Angel semi trying to be there for EZ is adorable. He’s not that good at it probably because he always felt he never had a support system

They just ok Nails girl bye lmaoo

I’m sick of Emily like why? Just why?

Felipe is just heartbroken all the way around and it’s breaking my heart

Miguel can’t catch a break lmao

Taza giving Bish the same attitude now and I am all the way here for it.

Jess girl should’ve just minded her damn business because now look at her ass smh

24 notes - Posted May 31, 2022

#4

It still think it’s hilarious that JD plays the younger brother and he’s older than Clayton lmaoo

26 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

#3

Mayans spoilers

This shit is out of control chile!

I was so conflicted when EZ and Manny (idk his characters name yet) were fighting 😭

Gilly is forever about that action lmaoo

Angel and Nails? No just fuckin no. She is not built for this life. Her trying to stop him from going after his brother pissed me off so bad…even though I know it’ll hurt Angel I really hope the baby ain’t his because I can’t take much of her and all her crying. Like idk why they’re forcing this…mans literally dreads having to go home and then deleting his other baby’s pic? Ion like that. At least he isn’t sleeping in jeans anymore though.

I thought we were going to get two whole episodes without Emily but…

Bish has officially lost it…idk mans needs a hug and therapy

While I’m happy Manny has a neck tattoo (they knew) that shit is so ugly lmao like wth?!

They did not have to make me think they killed Angel..I was about to turn the whole show off and never watch again

EZ with that fake ass beard had me crying lmaoo but I’m happy we get to see more of his time in prison

The time jump was weird though..like why?

Letty needs to relax like foreal

EZ also needs a whoopin for many things but do not ignore my father in law like that sir! Also that big ass dog in that little ass trailer?

Taza just seemed out of it man…he’s battling his demons like shit

I’m guessing we’re going to get a lot of flash backs? Because they didn’t explain some shit within those 4 months. I mean was coco punished or anything? Or they just said fuck it. I’m so happy he’s clean again thought but he needs to let Hope go.

This man from jail is gonna set EZ on a rampage I feel like…

I’m excited for this season though

27 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

#2

Mayans Spoilers

Episode 6

Manny is back!!!! Been waiting on boo and he’s ready to tear some shit up!

So like I know Angel is the bad boy, fuck boy and everything else but them making him sleep with Letty? I feel like he really never would’ve done that. That’s so fucked and messy and her ass better not be pregnant! He shouldn’t have been the one to go anyways

Gilly was really the only one visibly upset about Coco and I don’t appreciate that at all

I hope something actually happens with EZ and that girl. Especially since Emily is on his line again. Can she just go to jail or something?

Miguel coming out of hiding? 👀 I wonder who he called. Where is Nester? 👀

Once they showed Luisa finding her baby I knew they were going to make Nails lose hers. Which is fucked up. But she can go ahead and take that ring off because we all know…

I don’t like that they made Angel lose another child though and papa Reyes was excited about having a grandchild.

Also what is papa Reyes doing? Is he moving like what’s going on? Did I miss something?

I guess we’re going to war 🙃

29 notes - Posted May 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My chest 😩😭

216 notes - Posted April 5, 2022

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[noforkingclue]

Flustered (Thomas Thorne x reader)

I’ll admit, I did change this after seeing series 3 episode 1, although no spoilers for the episode for people who haven’t seen it so don’t worry!

A request for @violetlucrezia who wanted a Thomas Thorne x reader with some suggestive flirting. Hope you like it! :D

Warnings: nothing major, just some innuendo 

Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary, @imjustassaneasyou

Your fingers brushed just above the keys of the piano and you smiled softly to yourself. Memories of playing for your family and friends flooded back. It wasn’t very often that you thought back to when you were alive but when you did the memories were always bittersweet.

“Y/n?” a soft voice dragged you out of your thoughts, “Are you alright?”

You looked over your shoulder and smiled as Thomas approached you. You were always glad for his company even if he could be a bit eccentric at times. Then again, who out of your strange little family wasn’t? Thomas came and leant, against the piano and looked down at you. You looked up shyly at him and said,

“Yeah, I’m alright. Just…”

“Yes?”

“Y’know,” you sighed, “Remembering when you used to be alive. You think about what could’ve been and how life could’ve been different if you had done things differently.”

You traced your hand over the keys but when you tried to push down your hand just sunk straight through. You grimaced but suddenly jumped when you felt Thomas sit down next to you. You weren’t used to having such close contract with any of the other ghosts, even ones as affectionate as Thomas. You shifted slightly as you continued,

“Before I died I wanted to be a pianist. I would practise every day. I thought I was quite good, if I say so myself. I miss it.”

“Yes,” said Thomas quietly as he looked at the piano, “I remember your playing. It was a joy to listen to. Your fingering has always been remarkable.”

If you were alive you would’ve been blushing. Sure language had evolved a lot since Thomas had died but surely he must know the double meaning of his words. You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye before saying,

“My… fingering.”

“Is that not the correct term,” Thomas said innocently, “I do apologise! I was never truly understood the majesty of the piano while I was alive and now it is too late for me to learn.”

“No, it’s just,” you paused while trying to figure out the best way to phrase your explanation, “Never mind.”

You stood up, suddenly feeling very embarrassed, but Thomas quickly put a gently hand on your wrist. He pulled you down so you were sitting back down next to him. He gave you a soft smile which you couldn’t help but return.

“I apologise if I made you feel uncomfortable,” he said, “You know how much I appreciate your company.”

“I know.”

“And how much I like to hear you fingering.”

There it was again. A seemingly innocent comment but the way Thomas said it made you shudder although in a good way. Emotions swirled in the pit of your stomach, emotions that you thought you’d never feel after you had died.

“I do miss hearing the sweet music that you used to play,” said Thomas, “You held so much skill. It makes me wondering what other skills you could’ve honed if you had remained alive.”

Your eyes widened at his words as he moved closer. You felt him press up against your side and you realised how much you missed contact with other people, even if they were dead.

“I don’t know,” you said sheepishly, “I’m really not that talented. I don’t pick things up very easily.”

“Preposterous!” exclaimed Thomas, “You are a natural at the arts. I’m sure under expert tutelage you will flourish. I, for one, will be more than happy to guide you with your oral skills. I know that you would’ve made a marvellous poet.”

There is was again, a harmless comment for Thomas’s era but in yours could be read in a completely different way. You spluttered at his comment as Thomas leaned closer. Part of you wanted to move away, knew that you should, but instead you stayed. You locked eyes with him and you found yourself unable to look away. It was just an innocent comment, a difference in language, that’s all.

“If only we had met while we were alive,” Thomas said quietly, “We would’ve made such beautiful music together.”

You hadn’t realised that he had been leaning closer until his nose bumped against yours. In a flash you were on your feet and had jumped away. The two of you stared at each other for a moment before you stammered,

“I… I need to go. I have th… things to do!”

“Things?” Thomas gave you an amused smile as he stood up

“Yes,” you moved towards the door, “Lovely speaking with you, as usual, but I’ve got to go. Stuff to see, people to do. I mean,” you were so glad you couldn’t blush anymore, “People to see and stuff to do.”

Thomas couldn’t help but soften his gaze as you practically collapsed through the door. Your shyness to his affections was an attractive feature and he couldn’t help but be drawn to your quiet and peaceful nature. He never realised how much he enjoyed seeing your flustered face until now and he was determined to see it again.

#fanfiction #bbc ghosts #reader insert #request #thomas thorne #thomas thorne x reader

[clairecrive]

can u make a nikolai x reader based on the song mr perfectly fine by taylor swift?

Mr Perfectly fine

A/n: Ahh, thank to you friend, I've been jamming to this song every day lmao Hope I've done it justice x Also, I've left out some parts of the lyrics to make it better fit the story.

(if you want, you can add yourself to my taglist here)

for my other masterlists, you can find them on my navigation page

Word count: more than 7K (ikik it took a life of his own, what can I say)

Warnings: bit of fluff, angst (like a lot), character's death, spoiler if you haven't read Siege and Storm

Tagging: @jupiterandbutterflies (Thank you so much for your comment! I saw it and it made my day✨)

(I don't remember where I took this from so if you know pls lmk)

Most people knew of Nikolai Lanstov. He was a prince, the second born and the most charming. Most people knew him thanks to the countless rumours that went around at court: supposedly he was not of royal blood. "Sobachka" was what they called him.

No matter how though, everyone knew of the last Lanstov prince. But very little knew him.

Meeting him wasn't difficult. Since he had been of age, Nikolai had always been out of the Grand Palace and among people. He’d also volunteered to enlist in the first army, refusing any kind of special treatment and fought beside his brothers in arms in the infantry. That was part of the reason why everyone outside the court loved him so much.

Being Grisha meant that fighting in the Second Army was mandatory. Not that you minded. There was nothing you wanted more for your people than to finally be free. Also, that Shadow Fold needed to go and as the Darkling has always said, all efforts are necessary.

That’s how you met Nikolai the first time. Generally, the First and the Second Army were stationed in different parts of the campsite. Numerous quarrels between oprichniki and Grisha had rendered the separation necessary. However, you never liked crowds much and living in the Little Palace meant that you were always surrounded by people. So, every chance you had to draw away and be by yourself for a while, you took it. Also, being a Healer meant that you’d spent more time in your assigned tent taking care of soldiers than among them.

Word had gone around that everyone in need could come to you. Usually, you had been instructed by the Darkling that your powers were reserved for Grisha. However, what good was it to have the ability to cure people and only take care of a selected few that very rarely got seriously injured? Meanwhile, soldiers of the First Army often suffered from severe injuries, fatal gunshots or knife wounds. You could help them and possibly save their lives so why shouldn’t you?

That was why Nikolai found you one night. Sure at that point it was just another nameless soldier to you. He had never been in your tent before so you had never seen his face before. The boy whose arm he had draped on his shoulders though, was a usual visitor of yours.

“Oh, Petyr, what happened this time?” gesturing to his blond friend to lay him down on the table, you started gathering everything you needed. Not that you needed much but you had found out that Petyr was absolutely incapable of bearing having his bones or injuries in general repaired without having some kind of pain reliever before.

After a few tries, you came up with a herbal composition that dulled the pain but didn’t make him unconscious. Using kvas would mean that Petyr would be knocked out for a couple of hours. That would put him in trouble with his superiors.

“He’s a fool, that’s what happened.” The explanation came from his friend after he put him down gently. Despite his words, you could hear in his tone worry and guilt?

“If saving your life makes me a fool then go ahead and call me one,” Petyr huffed in pain.

“Who knew you were so brave, uh?” After quickly shredding the herbs you needed, you poured hot water on it and brought the cup to Petyr’s lips while helping him keep his head up.

“He’s the bravest of us all,”

“If I knew it took a bullet wound to make you hand out compliments so easily, I would have done it sooner.” Scoffed Petyr after sending you a thankful look.

“See? What did I tell you? A fool,” his friend said dramatically and you smiled amused at their playful banter.

“Let’s see what we’re dealing with, shall we?” You said out loud to warn both Petyr and his friend. Letting them know what was about to happen was best, your experience taught you. Both for the person on the table that could brace themselves for what was about to happen and for the person with him that was filled with worry and cautiousness. Oprichniki didn’t trust Grisha that much.

After assessing the damage, you let out a relieved sigh as the bullet had gotten through and it had not hit any major artery. It had already got infected though, so you knew it would be a painful one to treat.

“So, did you receive any letters lately, Pety?” You ask, suggestively wiggling your eyebrows while your hands cover the wound. You had your eyes closed to better focus but you were sure that he had rolled his eyes.

“Only from my mum.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t write her back,” you said, opening your eye just in time to send him a glare.

“Ugh, not this again, y/n, please. Have mercy on me, I’m bleeding all over the table.” Petyr moaned making his friend snicker.

“You’re not bleeding all over the table and if you didn’t notice, I’m already taking care of you, am I not? That doesn’t excuse you for being an idiot, though.”

“Are you two in cahoots or something? It’s not fair. Wounded man over here.”

“Oh shut up.” Both you and his blond friend said at the same time. Petyr moaned once again and you sent a little amused smile to the blondie.

“Should I leave you with a cool battle scar? Maybe acting like a war hero will give you the balls to write to her.” You harmlessly threatened him but your hands were already reconnecting the tissue of his skin without letting it scar.

“I’ve told you, y/n. She deserves better than what I can give her. I am, who knows if I even make it home? I’d be only stringing her along.” Now Petyr was dead serious. It was true, you had talked about this often since he was a regular you got to know him better and he had soon told you about his sweet Katia.

While his friend chanted “fool” like a mantra in the background, you took his bloodied hand in yours, his wound fully healed.

“Petyr, how do you think she’s gonna react when she learns that there hasn’t been any delay to her letters but you’re just ignoring her? Besides, you should let her make this decision too. Who knows, she’ll surprise you.” Squeezing his hand you turned to let your words settle and to put away your utensils. You knew you had given him so much food for thought so you didn’t address the subject anymore. His friend helped him off the table and that’s when you noticed that he was injured too. He had a pretty nasty cut on his lower lip and there was already a bruise forming on his temple.

“Petyr, you can sit on my chair while I take care of your friend. You should be fine but for at least a while don’t stress your body.”

Mentally making a list of the things you need to tend to this kind of wound and where you kept them, you started collecting before heading back to them.

Petyr had sat down but his friend was still standing.

“You don’t have to lie down if you don’t want to, but unless you don’t want me to go take a ladder or something, it would be best if you sat on the table.” You gave him your best reassuring smile as you mixed the healing paste. Sometimes, men didn’t like to put themselves in a vulnerable position with someone they didn’t know and had learned to fear. He wasn’t that badly hurt and it would only take a couple of seconds to fix but not every oprichniki was comfortable with being healed by Grisha power. So the paste would do your job for you. It would take longer, sure and it would also sting a lot more but at least he’d be healed at last.

After looking at you for a little while, the blond man did as you instructed, giving you a dazzling smile in return when you settled between his legs to fix his cut.

“The name is Nikolai or handsome if you prefer.” It was not the first time a wounded soldier tried to flirt with you. IT didn’t bother you, you found them amusing more than anything and you knew it was the allure of someone taking care of them speaking more than any real interest.

“Let’s hope you won’t be around here much for me to learn your name.”

“I’ll have to find another way to make myself unforgettable then.” He winked at you before hopping off the table.

You didn’t address his words, only gave them the paste you had prepared. It would prevent any wound from being infected and would be able to cure small cuts and bruises if applied for a couple of days. With that, you sent them both on their way. Petyr waving you goodbye while Nikolai sent you another wink.

And so this was how it all started.

Mr. "Perfect face"

Mr. "Here to stay"

Mr. "Looked me in the eye and told me you would never go away"

Everything was right

Despite your fellow Grisha, military life could be a bit alienating. Which sounded like a paradox, sure, but everyone had their own way of processing trauma and emotions and of course there were plenty of those during the war. If the best way to come to terms with everything that happened was to distance yourself from others and try to find the solution in solitude, it could get to the point where you’d feel alone in a room full of people.

To get a little respite, you’d usually go on a long walk or resort to stargaze. Sometimes, depending on where you were posted, it wasn’t safe to leave the campsite. So, that’s how Nikolai found you one night. Even he had to take a breather once in a while. Being a different version of yourself based on who you’re interlocutor was must be exhausting. Of course, you didn’t know this. You knew nothing about Nikolai at that point if not that he was Petyr’s friend and a socialite, according to other soldiers.

He seemed to be at the centre of gossip no matter what group of people you found yourself with and there also seemed to be a consensus about him. Everyone liked him. Even if it was rare for some Grisha to appreciate oprichniki, you knew they somewhat respected him because if they didn’t praise him out loud, they didn’t speak ill of him either.

“Not a fan of crowds, are you?” he announced his presence before sitting down beside you.

“I love them, I really do. It’s just that sometimes it gets too much.”

“Yeah, I know how you feel.”

“You do? Everyone seems to think you’re a socialite.”

“It’s what I want them to think but alas, I enjoy being more complex and multifaceted than that.” He lightly bumped your shoulder with his, eyes aflame with mischief.

“I bet.” you simply smirked. Despite how everyone seemed to think they knew him, you got the peculiar vibe from him, like there was a lot more to him than what he let everyone see.

“No one seems to know much about you.”

“Maybe you’ve talked to the wrong people.”

“Well, then I guess it’s better if I got straight to the source, don’t you think?”

“That will surely be a better start. Not sure you’ll find what you’re looking for though.”

“We’ll see.”

That night had been the first of many. It had become a sort of an unspoken arrangement between the two of you. While it didn’t last long, you sensed that you got to know him better than everyone. There was something about late nights meetings under the stars that prompted deep and meaningful conversations. It wasn’t hard to form a solid bond with him after a few nights.

The conversations weren’t always personal in the conventional sense. You’d often stray and talk about the most bizarre things. Like why something had the name it had or how cool it’d be if it was possible to pass through surfaces, which led to imagine all the uncomfortable situations one could find themselves in if they were to simply go into a room through its wall.

Nikolai was witty, overly confident and ambitious and he knew a lot of things. You always wondered how he had learned them since he was so young and been in the army for a couple of years already. But Nikolai was never too forward on certain topics, his family and childhood being some of those. You understood, those were sore subjects for you too. So you never insisted. It was much more interesting to listen to him rumble about impossible future projects of his, like a flying ship.

"When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable." He’d say whenever you’d point it out to him. Somehow, despite the absolute absurdity of them, the sheer confidence that he seemed to constantly exude, made you consider the possibility of his success.

You got the distinct feeling that there was nothing this man couldn’t do.

But that was when I got to know Mr. "Change of heart"

Mr. "Leaves me all alone," I fall apart

It takes everything in me just to get up each day

But it's wonderful to see that you're okay

But, alas, as all things do, these encounters of yours also got to an end. You knew it would happen, you were both soldiers so your lives were both heavily characterised by uncertainty after all. However, you were not prepared for it to end so abruptly though. And without an apparent reason. Because Nikolai’s unit hadn’t been posted elsewhere and he hadn’t been fatally wounded. You would have heard of it were that the case. But it wasn’t.

You thought that he had come to cherish your nightly encounters too. Some of those had been full of his promises. How he’d love for you to be around when he’d eventually find the time to work on his ideas. How you had been a nice surprise, a most interesting person among so many dull idiots you were surrounded by every day. How he’d come to value your opinions and presence in his life and that he was going to find a way to make sure that that would never change. Promises that turned to be empty.

You had never allowed yourself to fully believe him. It wasn’t the first time that a boy had made the same kind of promises but Nikolai looked sincere. Honest enough to be believable. But, of course, you had been wrong.

You didn’t realise just how much you had come to rely on him until he was gone. You tried to keep your mind off him and luckily the perfect distraction came your way. The Darkling had scheduled an attack on the enemy’s army and had posted you to be on the field to take care of everyone promptly. You had never been more grateful to the man, even after he had given her a home and a purpose.

Ever since your first encounter with Nikolai, you had thought it had been a blessing. However, you had soon changed your mind and now considered a curse more than anything. Why? Because as soon as you got to the field you couldn’t help but scour the troops for a familiar mop of blond hair. Many looked like him and being this far you couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t one of them but you certainly despised the leap your heart made every time though. That was a distraction you couldn’t afford. Besides, it wasn’t smart to let your heart get involved in times of war.

The battle began, Inferni and Squallers were working together to impair the enemy’s visual so they couldn’t shoot or use their cannons while the First Army marched after them to swap in as soon as the air cleared to catch the enemy by surprise. While your role wasn’t active per se, you were a Corporalki after all, and even if you had been specifically trained as Healer, you had also got one of your friends to teach you the basics of an Heartrender’s work. You weren’t a powerful one but you could hold your ground in a fight. Especially since they weren’t expecting you. And you were still far from any real threat.

The battle dragged on and soon there were wounded soldiers that needed your attention. You hated this kind of work, it was messy and dirty and had to be quick because spending too much time on one soldier could mean dooming another to death. You were accustomed to it by now and soon found a rhythm focusing on ensuring everyone’s survival and not bothering with the aesthetic side of healing. That could be taken care of later if they wanted to.

As soon as your eyes fell onto a crouched figure you sprinted towards them. It was dirty and you didn’t recognize them but you got the feeling it was a life or death situation. Oh, how you wanted to be wrong.

The person crouching turned out to be Nikolai and he wasn’t alone. He was kneeling beside someone, Petyr.

“Where are you hurt?” you hurriedly asked as you tried to assess the damage. His uniform was dirty and full of blood but you couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Trying to answer you, Petyr opened his mouth only to let out the most gruesome gurgling sound as his respiratory tract was flooded by blood.

“He got shot in the gut.” Nikolai offered.

“Is the bullet still inside?” Opening his uniform jacket you tore a piece from his shirt to use it to put pressure on the wound.

“It’s too late,” Nikolai uttered.

“No.” You strongly refused as you removed the cloth and focused on the wound. His heart was straightening and he had already lost a lot of blood. If the bullet was still inside that it was going to be a problem, if it wasn’t then you still had a fighting chance.

“I removed it earlier.” So that was why he had lost so much blood. Nodding your head to show that you had heard him, you set out to stop the internal bleeding. Slowing his heartbeat so that it was pumping less blood and thus eased your endeavour. You were still in the middle of the field and while you were keeping up with the warfare but in the back of your mind, you registered the sounds of screaming and of gunshots getting closer. A bullet hit you in the shoulder propelling you forward over Petyr’s body. Grisha’s kefta were bulletproof so you weren’t worried for your incolumity but for the harsh movement you had made.

Leaning back, you heard Nikolai calling for you but your eyes were trained on Petyr. You tried to listen for his heartbeat but could only hear two instead of three. Nikolai, who had never left your side, immediately understood what had happened by the fall of your shoulders and the tensing of your hands.

He kept calling for you but the only thing you could focus on was that you had let your friend down. Now there will be one more family crying for a loss, another girl mourning a lost loved one. And it was all your fault. It was because of you that Petyr wouldn’t live to see another day, to write another letter or to fight another battle. It was on you.

The details of what happened next were a bit blurred. Someway you must have found your way back to the campsite. Whether you did on your own after tending to everyone else, you didn’t know. Your memories picked up after you woke up in your tent. Someone was calling your name, saying that the Darkling wanted to see you.

Mechanically you raised and made your way to the Darkling’s tent but your mind was elsewhere. Your thoughts were plagued by Petyr’s face, by that godforsaken sound he made when he tried to speak. The realisation that he was gone hit you like a wall of brick that would have made you stumble if you weren't’ sat in front of the Darkling’s desk. Whether he was speaking and stopped after seeing the forlorn look in your eyes or he hadn’t been speaking at all, you didn’t realize. You did hear him say that you were going to be posted somewhere. Under different circumstances you have said something, anything to not let him send you away. Your mind immediately went to Nikolai. You’d be leaving him behind along with the campsite.

However, you now realised that you had already lost him. Losing Petyr had been the last thing that had completely severed your bond. There was no turning back now and part of you was grateful.

Hello Mr. "Perfectly fine"

How's your heart after breaking mine?

I've been Miss "Misery" since your goodbye

And you're Mr. "Perfectly fine"

You couldn’t know, of course, but Nikolai had left not long after you did. Albeit for a different reason. He had finally earned the Major rank and as such, he took a step back from military life deciding that his skill would be better suited for a life on the sea. Assuring Ravka the supply she needed but in ways that weren’t exactly suitable for a prince but worked just fine for a privateer. And thus Sturmhond came to life.

As for you, you kept doing your job at your new post but were relieved when a letter came from the Darkling instructing that you were needed at the Little Palace. Part of you had relegated Nikolai to that part of your mind where the unmentionable was, however, a traitor thought whispered that maybe there was a chance that you could see him at the royal grounds. Sure, the possibilities were close to zero but it was still possible, right?

No.

You already were ashamed of the fact that you’re still suffering because of him. And yes, you missed him but you weren’t going to indulge the pathetic hope of seeing him again.

He doesn’t want to see you. If he did, he would have already found you. Or write you a letter if he couldn’t, but he didn’t.

You were right. You knew you were, nonetheless, the thought only brought you a bittersweet feeling.

You found the Little Palace just how you’d left it and yet it seemed changed in a way. The insane amount of work you found there waiting for you helped you drown the feeling that it was you that had changed.

Months passed this way, sometimes the Darkling would post you with him or outside the Little Palace. All in all, you’ve kept busy. When news of the little prince leaving the Palace reached you, you let it wash over you. It wasn’t like it mattered much, whether he was a few feet away or in another nation, Nikolai wasn’t part of your life either way.

When the whole expansion of the Fold happened, you were stationed at the Little Palace. Chaos and terror ensued as soon as the news reached the capital making most of the Grisha flee. Most of them went looking for the Darkling while others simply ran away and hid. You were amongst the first group.

Soon, your life was radically changed. The shift in the Darkling was palpable and it didn’t have anything to do with the scars on his face. You had tried your best to heal them and Genya to tailor them away but somehow, they could not be removed. It was an unsettling thing to realize that they didn’t take away his beauty. One could even say that they enhanced his attractiveness.

He was certainly more powerful. None of you knew what had happened in the Fold that day, just that the Sun Summoner had fled and that there were no survivors apart from him. However, as your journey in pursuit of Alina dragged on, you were soon witnesses of his newfound power.

The nichevo’ya, he called them.

He had always been immensely powerful. One of a kind. But this- this was different. And as dread settled among your group as you watched them in action, realisation sat heavily on your shoulders.

He soon found a trail and traced Alina in Novyi Zem and set out to reach the island by hiring Sturmhond’s crew. He was a famous pirate after all and despite his unreliability, the Darkling was sure that as long as he got his money, he wouldn't be a problem.

In the round trip, you didn’t see much of the captain anyway. Some members of his crew were amiable enough, particularly the Yul-Baatar twins. You had even asked Tamar to spar with you from time to time. Your lessons with Botnik were a distant memory and you knew that mastering combat training skills could increase your chance at survival.

When Alina and Mal were held captive though, that’s when Sturmhond made an appearance. He looked younger than you’d thought and there was something oddly familiar in the way he held himself. Still, you didn't talk with him much. Your job was to take care of Alina and so you spent most of your time in her room.

It wasn’t until the Darkling asked Mal to track Rusalye and consequently spent more time with Alina that you had a chance to talk with him. It was during one of your night shifts when he approached you, the Darkling had wanted some of his to always be patrolling the ship.

“What could possibly make a little thing like you be amidst this wretched company?”

“It’s all a matter of perspective, I guess.”

“The thrill of adventure?”

“There’s plenty of it everywhere you go if you’re Grisha, even if you just go on a stroll.”

“Is that why you follow him?”

“I owe everything to him.”

“I’m sure you realize your role in this.”

“Of course I do. I’m not some naive girl who has a crush on her general.”

“Ah, so who, pray tell, do you have a crush on then, beautiful lady?”

“You’re certainly noisy for a pirate.”

“Privateer,” he corrected you, “there’s not much to do around here is it?”

“Not if you have everyone taking care of it, no.”

“Amuse me.”

“It isn’t wise to let the heart get involved in times of war.” That was all you were willing to share. Yes, he was handsome. Yes, the twinkle in his eyes was oddly familiar but he was a stranger. A dangerous one.

“Those sound like words spoken from experience.”

“Maybe.”

“Well, I’d say it’s no fun to only think about war. Life is so much more.”

“Believe me, if I could, it’d be the last thing on my mind. But, alas, l don’t have the privilege to do so.”

You had already lost too much time speaking with him. If someone were to see you or tell the Darkling you’d be in trouble. And you had made it your goal to never put yourself on the path of the Darkling’s anger. So you excused yourself and went back to your rounds.

If only you had stayed and talked to him more maybe you would have understood what was about to happen. Maybe you would have had an enkindling of Sturmhond’s plans. Instead, you were taken by surprise, just like everyone in your group, when Rusalye was spot and a shot was fired. You had found yourself in the uncomfortable position of having to fight against people you had grown to like.

“I don’t want to hurt you, y/n,” Tamar warned you as you stood face to face on the sinking ship dock. Her trusted axes in her hands while your hands were raised ready to attack.

“I don’t want to hurt you either.”

“Then you don’t have to. Come with us.” Her proposition made you gasp.

“That would be treason,” you whispered hoping that the Darkling wasn’t around to hear you. A shiver ran through you as you thought of the punishment he’d give you for even thinking about leaving his side.

“Then you leave me no choice.” She said lowering her arms. Was that guilt you heard in her voice?

Before you could voice your question though, she shouted for her brother and not even a second later, you felt your body grow still. Your eyebrows faltered as you felt your heartbeat slow down.

They were Grisha.

They must have seen you realise because you heard Tamar apologize before everything went black.

Mr. "Never told me why"

He goes about his day

Forgets he ever even heard my name

Well, I thought you might be different than the rest, I guess you're all the same

You didn’t stay out for long though. As soon as Sturmhond’s crew had left the Darkling’s ship and had safely made it onto the Volkvolny, the privateer had asked for you to be awakened.

There wasn’t enough light for you to realize you were on another ship, what alerted you of your new situation were your hands. They had bound them behind your back. Immediately you started to struggle, hoping to wiggle out of the restraints. To no avail though. Huffing out in frustration, you settled for looking around you and see if there was something you could use. That’s when you noticed him.

“Release me- this instant, or else-”

“Or what? You’re a Healer. Not exactly a violent job, is it?” Sturmhond interrupted you, a smirk on his face since he had the upper hand.

“I don’t need my powers to kick you in the ass, do I?” He laughed but didn’t look remotely threatened. Rather amused, actually.

“Please, you have to let me go. He’ll kill me if-” Panic started to build as you realized that there was no way you could successfully escape.

“He won’t touch you.” A solemn glow took over his eyes. “He won’t ever hurt you again, you have my word.” He promised, looking subtly at your left shoulder. You winced as you realized that he must have seen your scars. The ones left by the Darkling’s niche’voya.

“How can I know if you’re trustworthy? You don’t exactly have a good score, you know?”

“You’re going to find out soon enough. Don’t worry.”

Of course, he didn’t bother offering further explanations. He’d left it at that. You weren’t a captive per se but he left your hands bound, only freeing them when you needed to eat or relieve yourself.

Fruitless were your efforts in making you tell more. He often ate with you and would check in at least twice a day but that was it.

It wasn’t until after you had landed after that forsaken vehicle of his had gotten you through the Fold that you understood. His coming out as Nikolai Lanstov, prince and second in line for the Ravkan throne, had shaken you all to your core. However, you doubted that it had sent a pang to the others’ hearts as it did with yours.

Nikolai Lantsov. The man you had been dreaming about, the one that had left you behind without any sort of explanations, the one you missed so dearly, had been by your side all this time.

You weren’t sure how you felt. It made sense now why his eyes looked familiar and his posture. You then connected that the vehicle you had used in the Fold had been one of the many projects he used to geek about with you. It tasted a lot like betrayal. Not because he had lied to you about his name but because he had tried to get close to you again and had managed to somehow break that growing bond again.

'Cause I hear he's got his arm 'round a brand-new girl

I've been pickin' up my heart, he's been pickin' up her

So dignified in your well-pressed suit

So strategized, all the eyes on you

Oh, he's so smug, Mr. "Always wins"

So far above me in every sense

So far above feeling anything

Even if his secret had been outed thus causing some shift in the dynamics between Nikolai and the two new members of his crew - you suspected Mal was closer to punching him every second that passed- not much had changed for you.

On the outside, you pretty much looked like a prisoner. Albeit a very clean one. You rode with them, hands still bound, scowl ever-present on your face.

Nikolai had not come to see you ever since that night after the Fold. And now it had been almost a week since you had started your journey back to the capital. Whether this was all part of his plan to make you look the part of the captive even more or he was just gutless, you didn't know. It was working either way though.

You liked to think that his reason was simply that he didn't care. He had far too much on his plate right now as it was. Going back to court after years of absence while also making claims to the throne and trying to sway the Sun Summoner your way. It was no easy feat. But hadn't he always liked to say that impossible often meant improbable? A lot of things had changed since that night but even so, you'd still pose your bet on him that he'd be able to achieve anything he set his mind to.

It wasn't exactly that thinking this way brought you actual comfort. Of course, not. But it was better than foolishly hoping for him to still care about you the way you did for him. After all, he had sent plenty of signals that pointed in the other direction.

But then why did he kidnap you? Why take you with him? You weren't that close to the Darkling to be of any use to Nikolai in that way. And, as a matter of fact, no one had come to interrogate you regarding his plans or whereabouts. Then why?

You still couldn't figure it out.

Some days your anger shifted more to frustration and you were ounces away from asking for him yourself. Almost as if he had heard you though, he gave you the final push.

It was the usual day, Nikolai and Alina were riding in the carriage, stopping in every village we passed to meet with the locals. However, this time, before climbing back into the carriage, they kissed.

You were too far to figure out who started it and the details. The gist of it was enough though.

You most certainly were a fool. Still thinking about a guy who didn't give two shits about you, who had kidnapped you putting you in a dangerous situation and you were still wondering whether he felt something for you or not? Pathetic.

You had to do something about your situation and quickly too. Officially, you were a traitor. You had fled and joined the Darkling, that wouldn't make you look good in front of the king. He was a lousy bastard anyway and will probably sentence you to death to set an example. You hadn't survived so much shit to end up at the end of a rope.

So, even though you had initially thought against it since you were so close to home, you decided to escape. You were already headed towards certain death so what was the worst that could happen?

Your hands were left unbound when you were in your tent. One less problem to solve. Closing your eyes, you focused on listening for any nearby heartbeats. You heard two, those of the guards posted outside your tent. Maybe you could find an excuse to call them inside, put them to sleep and then slip away.

That was not exactly what your powers were for but you were desperate. You had to at least try.

And so you did. You called them in and immediately set out to slow their heartbeats. You had almost succeeded in putting them under when someone else slipped in. The last person you wanted to see.

"Am I that bad of a host?"

You didn't meet his ruse though, you knew it would make you lose focus.

"I'm afraid I have to ask you to release my soldiers." As soon as he said it though, they fell unconscious at last. Your chest was heaving by now, using so much power in such a different way was costing you. But you couldn't back down now. It was one on one and you were Grisha and a woman scorned. He stood no chance.

"Move out of my way, your highness."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"You can or I can make you. Your choice." The venom in your voice was unmistakable and it took him by surprise. He gave you a curious look tilting his head to the side like he was seeing you for the first time over again.

"I didn't realize ruthlessness was one of your personality traits."

"You know nothing about me," you seethed. The tip of your fingers flexed, the tension in the room could be cut with a knife and you were already weary.

"It may have been a while y/n, but I like to think I know a good deal about you."

"And I would like to completely erase this last year but you don't hear me yap about how shitty it has been, do you?"

"You never did like opening up much."

"I'm well past the point of sentimentalism, Nikolai. It is coming far too late anyway. And whatever my feelings for you may be, I won't let you put my life on the line." Your posture straightened, stance ready for battle.

His eyes flashed, jaw clenched. His hands closed in fists and he almost looked hurt. But why would he?

"Is that what you think all of this is?" Nikolai always acted aloof. He was always composed and dignified. You had thought it was for his insane amount of self-confidence but now you understood it was for how he was raised. But you recognised the pout on his lips. It was the expression he’d always have whenever he tried to get something from getting to him. To prevent himself from showing emotions.

"You're holding me captive while you go around Ravka parading your latest conquest, flashing your return everywhere. I don't know why you're doing this but I don't care. I've stopped waiting around for you and I certainly won't let your father put me to death."

"You think I'd let him?"

"So you want to do this?" you threw your hands up in exasperation, "Fine. You really want to know what I think?"

"Be my guest."

"I think that the Nikolai I knew would have left out of the blue without so much as a letter. I think that the Nikolai I knew was ready to go to any length to achieve what he believed in. However, I thought that the Nikolai I knew cared about me and what we had but look at me now. So maybe, I know nothing at all."

"You certainly do seem to know a lot of things. But you’re not wrong."

"If this is the way you care about me," I gesture to my tent, "then I'm not sure I want this Nikolai to care for me."

“This,” he said, emulating your gesture, “is to keep you safe. This is my way to ensure that if the Darkling got news of your whereabouts, he’d be sure not to think you willingly left his side and betrayed him.”

“That’s because I didn’t!” You raised your voice in outrage. The nerve of this man.

“Spare me your indignation. I know you hate being at his beck and call, to do his dirty work and be constantly surrounded by warfare.”

“Do not presume to speak for me.” You snapped. You knew it was best to keep a cool head but his cockiness was getting on your nerves.

“Didn’t you? Hate it, I mean.”

“We’re at war, Nikolai. Being away or close to the Darkling won’t change that. At least with him, I was safe.”

“You can’t be that delusional to think that he was protecting you.” He scoffed at your words as if they were the most absurd thing he had ever heard.

“And you can’t be that delusional to think that bringing me back won’t result in your father killing me.” You fired back shifting on your feet. He winced as if you had physically hurt him.

“You have so little faith in me?” His voice was just above a whisper and you knew that your words had struck a chord.

“How can I have any, Nikolai?” your voice softened a bit. “One day you’re telling me how much you value my opinion, you promise me a future where I’d be the first to see your project come to life and then you left. You just left, Nikolai.” And when I was starting to make my peace with it that’s when you come back? Also, let’s not forget about my abduction and your flirting with Alina.”

“So yes, I don’t trust you.” You concluded, crossing your arms on your chest with finality. He just stared at you for the longest time. If someone would come in now, they’d think you were in the middle of a staring contest. Then he sighed and started talking.

“I had to go away. I had already pushed my parents’ limits when I said I wanted to be part of the infantry. So, one day I got a letter written by my father personally and I knew that my time was up. I had been Nikolai for too long, now I had to start being a Lantsov prince.” His eyes were on the ground now, shame making her way in his words.

“So that’s what I did,” he went as he started pacing,”I went to Kerch to study, just like my father wanted. I did what he asked, he couldn’t reproach me anything now. I could never stay too still though, a life of adventure was calling me and I could not ignore it. It was only then that I realized that I could do so much more than sitting in a class, to realistically help Ravka.”

“I couldn’t take you with me. You had such a larger role to play in the army and besides, there wasn’t much I could offer you. So yes, I left. I left thinking that I would find my way back to you eventually.” He had stopped by now, regret was swirling in his shining orbs as he looked at you.

“You could have told me.” You contestated, taken back by all the information he gave you. “I would have waited for you.” A whispered promise for something that would never be now.

“I was afraid, y/n. That’s not my best moment, I know and no number of apologies could ever make it right. But I was afraid of your answer. I knew I’d be asking for a lot and let’s be honest-” the desperation in his tone was evident now, he had unconsciously started to lean towards you but you knew what he was about to say.

“You weren’t sure if the future you were offering me would just end up with me being your mistress, am I right?” Your tone hardened but despite the insulting implication of what you said, you weren’t made at him.

“I’m a prince, y/n. We do not marry for love and this country cannot afford to disregard the advantages that a political union could bring.”

His honesty was as refreshing as it was unsettling. He was right. As soon as you had learned he was a prince, you realized just what kind of future you could have with him. But then he left and that problem did not exist anymore. Neither of you spoke, both of you were seizing the other. You had laid it all out, defences were down putting you both in a vulnerable position.

And someday maybe you'll miss me

“You should have talked to me, Nikolai. We could have figured it out together. If it came to being your mistress to stay with you, then that was my decision to make.” You said softly after a while. It pained for you to say this, you would have never thought that getting closure would hurt this much.

Tears streamed on both of your faces, in front of you had been laid what your future could have looked like. It was everything you had wanted, you could still do your job and have the man of your dreams. You were surprised to find that you wouldn’t mind sharing him with his supposed wife. You had been at court for enough time to know how most marriages went. If he assured you it was only a diplomatic affair but that his heart was yours, that would have been enough. Who knows, maybe she’ll get a lover too.

But now… now you didn’t know if you could ignore everything that happened. You did not trust him nor could you ignore how hurt you were by his lack of communication and thus of trust in you.

But by then, you'll be Mr. "Too late"

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov imagine #nikolai lantsov imagines #nikolai lanstov one shot #nikolai lanstov fic #nikolai lanstov x you #nikolai lanstov x y/n #shadow and bone #grishaverse #nikolai lanstov angst #nikolai lanstov fluff #nikolai lanstov blurb

[celestialarchon]

The Celestial Archon

Chapter Two: The Moonlight Phenomenon

Genshin Impact x F! Reader

Warnings: major Genshin Impact Spoilers! Possible grammar errors.

Tag list: To Be Added. (sorry it needed to be published!)

With the return of a mysterious archon, celebrations began! The night was filled with laughter, food, and memories being made. One person was amiss during the celebration, Mona still found herself unsettled and unable to be as excited as the others. An eerie feeling of unrest and anxiety has settled over our esteemed astrologist as our beloved heroes celebrate.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“I’ve finally found you,” Mona’s intense astrology session was interrupted by a cheery high pitched voice.

“Hello, Seraphim.” Mona turned to greet the beautiful woman.

She nearly gasped as the woman walked in, her hair now styled and her eyes shining brighter than before, the mysterious tattoos seemed to have faded and though she was still striking she looked far more human than before. The Celestial Archon merely smiled at the woman’s surprise and stepped towards her, hand out.

“We should talk, my child. Fate had brought us together, an astrologist with a water vision instead of a celestial vision is strange enough.” The woman was calm but not cold as Mona took her hand.

Mona was warm as the gentle archon interlocked their fingers and led her to the corner of the room, sinking down into a comfy chair and pointing at the one next to her. Disappointment creeped up in the astrologist as her idol released her hand. It was quickly replaced with embarrassment and a soft flush across her cheeks. Mona was wholeheartedly captured by the mystery goddess.

“I’m sure you’re aware,” The bright eyes goddess sighed, “That my arrival in Teyvat has stirred up some trouble.”

Mona frowned slightly, “There was already trouble, your sudden appearance is not the cause of it.”

“That’s good, but I still feel that my presence is going to stir the pot a bit. I am connected to all the stars and spaces of this world, I can feel and see things so deeply and I am well aware that there are challenges coming. It’s annoying in some ways.” Her eyes were distant again.

Words were lost on Mona for a moment. She couldn’t begin to imagine how stressful it was to feel so deeply, to constantly be overwhelmed by information and one’s connection to the world. Every piece of text written about the Celestial Archon was very vague. Information on the god of stars was hard to find and many details had been lost, yet one thing seemed to stay the same in ever piece of information Mona had consumed.

Even when the world was teeming with elemental energy and gods were far more common, the goddess of the sky, Seraphim, was an oddity. Before the Archon war, Seraphim was a lone wolf being without many ties. The last god of stars kept to herself and had no desire to interfere with the other’s problems, despite knowing so much of them. It was incredibly lonely and sad.

“You said it’s strange that I have a water vision,” Mona finally spoke.

“Yes,” The archon clicked her tongue, “Had I been around, somebody like you would’ve received a vision from me. However, you did not receive one of my visions and ultimately that should’ve impacted your abilities over astrology but it did not. You are quite the gifted character, aren’t you Miss Mona?”

Mona’s face was tomato red at the words of the beloved celestial archon, “I am honored to be complimented by the goddess of stars.”

“You’re very formal,” The starry eyed goddess laughed.

“Excuse me,” the two were interrupted by none other than the acting grandmaster, “I would like a word with the Lady of the Stars.”

Mona was hesitant, not wanting her idol to slip away but nodded and escorted the woman to the door. She was a bit dissatisfied with the conversation they’d had, wanting to know more and more of her long awaited god. The woman turned back to Mona, eyes twinkling, and embraced her. The normally level headed and somewhat haughty astrologist stiffened in shock but returned the warm hug. A sigh escaped Mona’s mouth, but she didn’t mind. The goddess was warm and something about her affection put Mona at peace.

“I am so lucky that somebody as beautiful and gifted as you awaited my return, Mona Megistus. Until we meet again, my darling.” The woman’s grasp around Mona tightened as she whispered in her ear.

The water mage watched as the strange goddess gracefully glided away with Jean. She was ethereal with the moonlight filtering in from tall windows, her skin illuminated as she hung on to every word Jean said. Even the confident and ever busy acting grandmaster found butterflies swarming her abdomen at the sight of the goddess. Jean felt as if she could be swept away by the young woman.

A part of Jean felt guilty for several reasons. As acting grand master, it was her duty to know about the citizens of Mond, it was her duty to work without personal emotions interfering, and her duty to oversee the safety of all the wind borne citizens. The Celestial Archon was challenging all of these duties. It was only natural for an astrologist to be obsessed with a god of stars, and Jean had interrupted the conversation. The Dandelion Knight couldn’t help but feel an innocent sort of crush on the goddess, she was kind and beautiful and she really seemed to want to get to know everyone. Ultimately, Jean was also aware of the danger a new archon posed.

Even so, the beautiful knight couldn’t help but want to push all those thoughts aside and capture the attention of the goddess for hours. She shook off that thought, attempting to focus on her duty as Mondstat’s respected Grand Master. Jean explained the general politics of the city of freedom and the individual jobs of the knights of favonious. She even went as far as to explain the adventurer’s guild and the recent trouble with Storm Terror. The Celestial Archon hung on to every word, nodding and asking occasional questions.

Jean took the time to explain the place they were in, a place between Mondstat and Liyue, and the teleport points that marked both countries. She was diligent and had already prepared some documents for the 8th Archon, maps and other things needed in the world. Jean had even communicated with others to ensure each safe place for the archon was marked. The allied domain was the middle ground, but Mondstat welcomed the new Archon with a living place and much to do. Liyue had also prepared a small home in the city for her.

The archon stared in wonder at the map. The knights of Favonious had prepared a room for her in their own head quarters, even the esteemed Tycoon had set aside a room. Wangshuu Inn welcomed her and Liyue Harbor gave her quarters close to Rex Lapis. Small notes were written for her, both Xiao and Diluc noted the stars were best seen from where they were while the traveler and Paimon had starred their favorite places to eat.

“Ah, Master Jean.” The Goddess spoke slowly, bowing.

“Please, Seraphim, there’s no reason to be so formal!” Jean’s voice rose nervously, “You are an archon after all.”

“Yes, that’s true. You do not serve me though, please refer to me as my chosen name. Formalities aren’t my taste much.” The Archon remarked bashfully.

Jean nodded, rose dusting her cheeks.

“I,” The Archon sighed, “Really need an open space so I can, uh, deal with my weapon situation.”

“Oh, oh!” Realization hit Jean.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” Jean babbled nervously, “Here let us go out to the cliffs, it should be okay, right?”

“Mhm,” The goddess followed the knight to the exit.

Aether and Paimon were also by the exit, turning at the sound of approaching foot steps. Aether grinned and waved at the Celestial Archon, she waved back and beamed. Paimon immediately took off, throwing herself into the Archons arms as the woman giggled. Jean’s face was priceless, attempting to process how this small otherworldly creature could just tackle and archon without shame.

Aether and his companion followed the two women, curious about the weapon another archon would wield. The group made their way to the edge of the cliff, the stars seeming extra bright and the moon full. The goddess lowered herself, feet on the lush grass and put her hand forth, palm out. Swiftly, she struck the air in front of her with her pointer finger, an unfamiliar constellation connecting at each point.

“Return to your master, Destroyer of Divinity.” Her words were clear and calm.

The constellation burst into a ray of white light, Aether covered his eyes as Paimon whined. Darkness fell again and he opened his eyes, gasping at the sight in front of him. The goddess held a long weapon close to her body, above her shoulder was a large opalescent curved blade, below the hip on the opposite side, another shimmering curved blade could be seen. No weapon in Teyvat was even similar.

“I-Is is that a scythe?!” Jean sputtered.

“Aha, well yes,” The goddess blushed at their reactions, “Destroyer of Divinity is an unusual weapon, meant to slice through dimensional and spatial barriers. I didn’t mean to shock you.”

Aether stood, mouth agape, “Even its name is terrifying! What the hell?”

“Ahahaha,” the archon continued to laugh nervously, “Well, its existence is basically to bring judgement from the heavens upon those deserving so yeah it’s a bit intimidating.”

Aether nearly screamed. How could she say something so casually?

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The traveler was feeling a bit nervous, as anybody would if an Archon decided to tag along for their daily commissions. Paimon and the Celestial Archon chattered away as Aether spoke to the Katheryne in Liyue. It did not help that the three had left before the others awoke and the Celestial Archon had left a note declaring it as a “friendly date.”

The last thing Aether wanted was to piss off literally any of the adepti, the Geo Archon himself, and even Jean who had taken a very noticeable interest in the goddess. A cloud seemed to look over the blonde but Paimon didn’t notice. The eighth Archon gave the teenager a sympathetic smile and put her hand on his shoulder, attempting to ease his nerves. Only one thing could make the situation worse, and unfortunately that particular thing was heading straight towards Aether.

“Let’s run,” Aether grabbed the startled archon’s wrist and dragged her to the teleport point nearby, ignoring the calls of a certain troublesome individual.

The archon chuckled, “I didn’t know daily commissions would be so exciting!”

Aether smiled sheepishly and let go of her wrist, trying to focus on which commission to start with. He was distracted by a sudden commotion, people yelled out as a hooded figure darted past the trio. Liyue Harbor’s guards thundered after the thief, knocking the poor panicked goddess off her feet.

The eight archon shut her eyes and prepared for the impact of the fall, but was yanked back by a pair of strong arms.

“Hey, girlie. Hold still.” A charming voice said.

The goddess watched as the lanky ginger haired man moved forward and shot an arrow, narrowly missing all the guard and hitting the suspicious character in the back. Aether’s eyes were filled with shock and panic at the sight of the man. Immediately, the goddess side stepped away from her hero, on high alert.

“Now,” He turned to her beaming, “What exactly is such a beautiful young lady doing with this kiddo?”

Her starry eyes met his azure eyes, “I’m just a new adventurer from Mondstat, learning the ropes from the best.”

“Hmm?” His gaze was questioning, “Well then, I’m Childe. Number 11 of the Fatui Harbingers. We should definitely get to know each other.”

The goddess moved to Aether in a quick swift movement. Suddenly, she wanted very much to escape Liyue Harbor. The Fatui were trouble, the goddess was new to the era but even she knew that they were dangerous. It was one of the first matters addressed at her arrival. She no longer knew the Cryo Archon, and this Tsarita sounded troubling.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” an annoyed voice chimed in, averting the red head’s attention.

A shorter man with a large hat and ominous aura stood behind the tall harbinger. Aether tensed up and the goddess wrapped her arm around his shoulder. Slowly, the trio made their escape at the expense of Childe. The older harbinger was chewing the younger man out for flirting and wasting time, both harbingers bickered as the traveler and his companions fled.

“You shouldn’t be wasting time on trying to get laid you, fool.” Scaramouche scowled, still ripping into his subordinate. “Especially not that woman, even from a mile away I can tell she’s trouble. You’re a harbinger not a host, get your shit together, Tartaglia.”

Childe smirked, looking down on his superior, “So you noticed her, too. I wonder what someone like that is doing with my favorite traveler.”

“We should alert the Tsarita of that girl,” Scaramouche mumbled, avoiding the earlier comment.

“I actually agree,” Childe’s eyes narrowed, “I was hoping to see for myself what she is, but that kid stopped me of course. There’s something strange about her but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe I can charm it out of her?”

Scaramouche slapped his comrades back, “Let’s go you useless fucking playboy.”

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Wangshuu Inn looked beautiful and the aroma of food was far too enticing. Aether sighed as he watched his small, chubby companion chase after the eighth archon. The woman was supposed to be divine, yet in some ways he reminded her of a puppy or a kitten. She was somewhat moody with her affections and spacey like a kitten may be, and still somehow clingy and energetic like a puppy.

Luckily for the two, Aether had a commission from Verr Goldet. The blonde tried to maintain composure as he saw a familiar dark haired yaksha speaking with the Inn Keeper, not wanting to admit he’d accidentally led the Fatui straight to the Archon. The traveler watched in fascination and amusement as Verr’s face twisted from composed to horrified when Xiao was knocked over by the goddess. The conqueror of demons merely grunted and stood back up, clutching the ethereal woman to his chest.

Xiao’s eyes were cold as they met Aether’s, clearly annoyed with the boy, but his expression softened at the yawning goddess in his arms. Once again, the traveler was overcome with curiosity at her behavior. Only moments ago the woman was bubbly and hyper, now her eyes were fluttering and she was snuggling up to one of the most dangerous beings in Teyvat. Without a word, the tattooed man spun around and carried the goddess upstairs.

“I’m here for your com-“ Aether began.

“Who was that?!” Verr Goldet burst out, “I’ve never seen Adeptus Xiao so damn agreeable. What just happened? Is this a dream?”

Paimon giggled, “He loooooves her! That person is the one we told you about before! Even Xiao can’t be in a bad mood around her, it’s amazing!”

“Oh,” Verr blushed at Paimon’s words, “She’s that person? No wonder he’s been so restless.”

“Wait, restless?” Aether questioned.

Verr Sighed and beckoned the two to a guest free area. The two followed her into a small back room, exchanging glances. The boss lady pulled out an old book and brushed the dust away. Aether and Paimon peered down at the book, puzzled by its appearance. It was a dark leather with carvings of the moon and clouds on the front.

Carefully, Verr flipped the book open and turned it to the two. Paimon shot up, shrieking. The book looked like a book you’d find in a library but was strange. Instead of ongoing text, the pages had scraps and pieces stuck on the pages with various notes scribbled around. Verr turned to the first page, placing her middle finger at the beginning text and giving Aether and expectant look. The traveler leaned down and began to read the text.

“The moonlight phenomenon: Legend of Liyue.

It is said that there was once a ruler of the stars, one who ruled over the sky as the Gods rule over our land. When tides of war overcame Liyue, Rex Lapis sought out the monarch of the sky to form a contract.

Seraphim granted Rex Lapis the moonlight phenomenon. Liyue’s skies were never to dim even on the darkest of nights, the moon and stars would remain as guides for Liyue always. It is said that this contract assisted in bringing the evil gods to their doom, the sky illuminating the way to victory for Liyue and all of Teyvat.”

Verr flipped the page as Aether exhaled trying to wrap his mind around the strange passage.

“The Contract: Seraphim and Rex Lapis.

The circumstances of the moonlight phenomenon still remain unknown. It is an ancient mystery that many still attempt to solve, what exactly did the Geo Archon barter for his people?

Nobody knows, still. However, the most common theories are that the contract has not been fulfilled or that there was no contract to begin with. Many believe that Rex Lapis and Seraphim were secret lovers, and this was Seraphim’s gift to her beloved. Others hypothesize that Seraphim’s wish was never fulfilled, as her death sealed the victory for The Seven Archons.”

Aether shuddered. People in Liyue believe that The Celestial Archon died in the Archon war? Verr flipped to a page in the middle of the book.

“Liyue’s Priestess Seraphim

It is said that a woman with eyes vast like the galaxy beyond and mysterious astrological powers once enchanted all of Liyue.

Seraphim, the last Celestial wielder was Liyue’s last hope. Though she is not honored as an archon, she is known vaguely as a priestess. The woman who captured the attention of the archon’s themselves and was adored by the Adepti. Few remain, but Liyue’s legends claim that the priestess of the stars was the lover of Rex Lapis, the lover of the Vigilant Yaksha, or the lover another adepti.

Even fewer discuss the devastation that occurred when she fell from grace. Her death was the catalyst of the only known battle between Liyue’s very own Archon, The Anemo Archon and his people, and the Adepti. A lesser known battle that almost forced both Mondstat and Liyue into Civil Wars.

When the dust settled, all that stood was the full moon. Many Adepti still honor the priestess under the moonlight by fighting evil spirits and demons.”

Aether’s eyes widened at Verr. She solemnly shook her head as the traveler’s face fell. Xiao, Ganyu, Zhongli, Venti, all of them suffered so terribly. It was confusing to the boy that every text described the Celestial Archon as deceased. His head began to hurt from the information. Verr sighed and led him back out.

“Once you finish commissions, why don’t you two stay here? I’ll prepare a room for you,” The boss was sympathetic.

Aether grimaced but nodded, leading Paimon out to finish their duties.

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Somewhere in the shadows of Wangshuu Inn crept a Fatui agent, slipping away as the traveler set out. The shadowy figure grinned at the piece of paper in their hand.

“Protected by the traveler and the Adepti. Master Childe will be interested in this,” His eyes were dark as he approached his fellow Fatui agents, “She could be very useful to us, this (Y/N).”

The suspicious shadows began to slink away, overcome with desire to inform their boss of the new information. Only a few feet away, a strange creature ducked down to avoid being seen by the agents, fidgeting.

“The angel is here!” The creature shrieked as the cult like group left it’s sight, “(Y/N) will be ours.”

#genshin impact #genshin impact xiao #genshin x reader #xiao x reader #albedo x reader #genshin impact albedo #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact smut #genshin impact zhongli #genshin liyue #Celestial Archon Series #genshin jean #master diluc #genshin kaeya #genshin childe #scaramouche x reader #genshin impact signora #genshin impact fatui

[eternallostboy]

I'm genuinely amused by all of the tcest hate on this site. Just about every turtles post I see has an anti-tcest tag in it somewhere regardless of what the post even is. Like, it could be a bad ass picture of my boi Leonardo and there will be a tag telling tcest shippers to fuck off and die in a hole. I personally am not a tcest shipper, hell, I'm really not much of a shipper at all. My only two ships are Naruto and Sasuke mostly for the meme and Ukyo and Ryoga from Ranma ½.

Anyway, this hate for tcest just seems so out of control and the irony of the whole thing is hilarious. People don't like it cause the turtles are “brothers” and that means you can't ship them cause it's a sin or some shit. Look, the turtles are basically just step brothers. No version of them is or has ever been blood related.

Now granted nothing has ever outright stated their relation one way or another, Donatello's line to Michaelngelo in the 07 movie of “ Yeah that would make her your mom to doofus.” doesn't count. Rise, as awful as that version is, takes all this a step further by making them all different species of turtles. Yes you could argue that they still grew up together as brothers, but like I said they're basically step brothers. THEY'RE NOT RELATED! There's a similar hate, although not as strong, for 2012 Leo and Karai.

I've seen people bash 2012 Leorai shippers cause of the pseudo incest. Honestly this one has less of a reason to get hate than tcest cause she didn't even grow up with them. We don't even find out that she's SPOILERS Splinter/Hamato Yoshi's daughter till well after we meet her and by then Leo and her have already been flirting. What are they supposed to just knock that shit off since they're “related”? Fuck off they're not even the same species!

Which brings me to my last point, BESTIALITY! It's just okay? Accepted? I've never seen it come up as an argument or at all really. People have shipped Leo and Karai for the longest time, it gained a lot of steam thanks to the 03 series and not once has Leo being a GIANT MUTATED TURTLE been a problem.

But you throw in some vague, distant relationship to Splinter and now it's bad? Get the hell outta here. Leo being a turtle, not human in anyway like Karai, isn't an issue but being her step brother is a big no-no. No one brings up the bestiality aspect with Apriltello either. Every complaint I've seen thrown at them talks about how April is a bitch sometimes and that Donnie is a creep.

The complaints with Apriltello point out how the show lessens them as characters. Not how one is human and the other is a GIANT MUTATED TURTLE! Seriously, no one ever brings up the inter-species romance as a problem but the “incest” is gross. What and turtle on human isn't? I just don't understand how that's okay but the other isn't.

Look, I want to make it clear that it's fine to not like tcest or 2012 Leorai. It's fine to not like any ship. I need you to understand that I'm not trying to force you to like a ship that you're not a fan of. There's just so much unnecessary hate for those ships that are more toxic than the actual ship themselves.   Even as someone that doesn't partake in those ships just seeing all the hate for them was so out of control I couldn't not say something.

I know that a majority of you are going to come at this hate, I almost look forward to it. I'm aware that this is absolutely going to get me blocked and that's fine. Most of you that spew all of that hate aren't worth interacting with anyway, so no real loss.

#tcest #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #Ninja Turtles #anti tcest #leorai #TMNT 2012 #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #anti leorai #leorai2012 #apriltello

[ackerpreach]

This ending .... I can name 500 reasons and I will name them right now, because I don’t think I’m the only one who is upset with how things turned out. (Also, A positive message for all of you at the end)

MAJOR LEAKS SPOILERS/ READ WITH CAUTION

Update: after reading more theories from fellow RM bloggers, and sleeping over it one day, this entire chapter might be an april fools... Don't fully lose hope yet beautiful people. It's me just giving a review on a possible fake April fools chapter

After following this franchise since 2013, so nearly a DECADE. this ending is a pure disserve to the entire fandom. I feel like Yams has rushed it just for the sake of being done with the entire manga. So many things are left open, characters and their developemt are reverted back all the way to chapter 1 or are left even worse than that...

Mikasa’s worthless character development/ Aaronmika’s horrible toxic codependent relationship 

Oh honey... Let’s start with how horrible Isayama has treated her. We were all rooting for her, because we all felt like she was so misunderstood. She had a horrible childhood and imprinted on a guy who treated her like trash 99 percent of the story. And then, slowly but surely, she starts to realize she has to stop obsessing over him in the uprising arc with the help of a real man who treats her like a queen, more importantly, he treats her like a real human being. This man sees her for her abilities and that she has the power to be self dependent. She learned parts of herself, that she was able to work together with him like no one else could.  She learned parts of herself she was unable to do so if she kept obsessing about Aaron. All this love, care, mutual understanding and RESPECT these two shared. 

but...NAH FUCK THAT, right Yams?? Throw all this development away, all this bonding. Let’s make the main female lead even more yandere than she already was in the first season. Let her make out with his decapacitated head (like dude, this is also pure disrespect to Aaron’s dead body btw) and let her obsess even more about the guy who has treated her no better than a piece of toilet cloth 99 percent of the time. The guy who was never really appreciative in front of her for saving his ass billions of times, who always pushed her away, who yells at her and snaps at her whenever he can instead of reasoning and talking calmly with her in mature way. (EVEN PARODY YOUTUBE CHANNELS WHO DONT SHIP ANYTHING MAKE IT A TROPE WHERE AARON TELLS MIKASA HE HATES HER GUTS WHENEVER HE CAN) 

Then after all that, suddenly Yams tries to last minute persuade us Aaron’s always been head over heels for her???  He should have build their relationship better which he hasn’t even tried to do so... He must be thinking his fans are stupid for eating this from his hands.    

Like seriously??? What is this??? 

Isayama is just fully contradicting himself. It’s like someone tipped him off with a buttload of money for him to write Aaron like this to satisfy shipping needs and to cash in those extra money’s from it. Even if he tried to cater to Erem*ika, this is not how you write a loving and caring couple which people will root for. 

This next two panels just freaking infuriates me to the core of my soul. I can’t even describe how dissapointed I am with Mikasa. 

Why is she clutching that head so obsessively like that?  Why is she walking and turning her back away from her comrades? After everything they have done for her, after all they’ve been through?! After everything Armin has done? Standing up for Mikasa, beating up Aaron for hurting her. I feel like even Jean, Connie and Sasha have cared more for her in a healthy way.  Sure, Aaron cares for her romantically too apparently (What a twist Yams :)), but has he aided her to becoming a mentally healthier individual? Has he aided in her mental stability? The answer is a big fat NO!  All I see between these two after today’s raw Chapter’s are too Yandere obsessed individuals who have no clue on how to maintain a healthy relationship. 

Love should only go as far as the heart can endure and it seems like her character is not willing to be aware of that. Even Armin was able to let go of Aaron in those latest panels. Why does her entire character resolve around this guy??? I really do not understand. Her Ackerbond and her age is not an excuse for her to throw her life away like this. 

Shonen’s disgusting portrayal of women 

I’ve seen this countless of times in the many years I’ve watched anime. SasuS*ku from Naruto, Ichih*me from Bleach, Shinji and that oranged hair girl from Neon Evangelion.. Why do these women get decreased to simpletons with one single goal? And that is to obsess over a bland male lead who either treats them like trash or doesn’t notice them up until the last last chapter (LITERALLY WHAT YAMS HAS DONE). Some go even as far as the male leading wanting the kill the female love interest and yet the female lead is still in love with them???. It’s disgusting for him to write the MAIN female character this way. 

It’s dissapointing we believed in Isayama doing Mikasa’s character right. That she’s finally being able to let go of her codependency and to live for herself maybe live in Hizuru and find more about her roots???, but every single time she shows some improvement, it’s burried deep in the ground again by the Author. It almost seems like a lowkey kink of some of the male Mangaka’s to write about a girl obsessing over them no matter what. I see this so many times to the point that I truly stand behind it that some of them might have this fantasy. 

I wished he didn’t portray her last panels like this. Everyone else is living their lives while Mikasa is still grieving about him. I’m not saying she’s not allowed to grieve and everyone takes it at their own pace, but cmon... Show her living her life too. This is too much. Her being next to his grave and grieving him as her last panels just shoves it in our faces that YET AGAIN, BEING OBSESSED WITH AARON IS ALL HER CHARACTER STANDS FOR. 

I truly despise how Isayama handles her grieving, kissing his decapacitated head, carrying it around like some handbag, and her last panels being thissss.

The world leaving Paradis alone miraciously after all that??? 

It’s so weird and out of place with so many political feuds and disagreements between the world and Paradis, the entire Rumbling happening and we can see Mikasa just chilling outside in Paradis with no one bothering them. You can see the rings of the walls in the picture below.  I don’t know the exact reason behind as the manga is still in Korean, but from what I see, the story went the route of: throwing a happy ending without enough proper reason and  it was all fixed just like that in a snap! It doesn’t fit the entire narrative of attack on titan for things to be so peacful out of nowhere. When it comes to the narrative, how things work in that world, how hard it is to achieve peace, everything made somewhat sense up until chapter 138. 139 seems so so out of place...  It’s like I’m reading a chapter from a totally different manga. 

Aaron Yoghurt got defeated so easily/ Aaron’s character assassination

The build up on the first part of the rumbling was great, those kids carrying coins. You could feel humanity’s fear and Aaron’s hatred in those pages. As if he truly had a goal and he has turned away completely from his comrades and his closest friends with no return. The world seemed truly doomed, but he  got defeated just like that. He was in the nape all this time (because screw the warhammer power of hiding yourself elsewhere in his ginormous titan body). There is no master plan as we all expected, and in the end he just acts all yandere in the paths with Armin and that’s it... They massacared his entire character as well. Many fan theories created a better ending with his character. Him being reincarnated as Historia’s baby would be so much better. For him to still keep on seeking and to strive for power. It has always been his motive. It’s his personality from the start until chapter 138. Even if things are okay, to keep on going and to seek that adventure, but then.. He’s so weak and directionless suddenly.. It’s so weird... This is not Aaron at all???

Using Aaron for him this entire post, because I don’t want others to invade our tags... :)))

Historia’s baby 

The only panel we got from Historia’s child was this. Just a normal kid, normal life... Why did Isayama put so much effort in highlighting Historia’s pregnancy if it was nothing too spectacular anyway? It seemed he had major plans for this kid and for their development too??? It’s again, big plans, big developments, big relationship dynamic, but all  got thrown out of the window... 

Don’t read the next sentence if you are a minor :’) 

It’s like almost ejaculating, but stopping right before it and repeating that every single Arc.

My energy when writing about this chapter is the same as Nostalgia Critic and his hatred for atla the live action

In Conclusion...

I know us fans should not be deciding on how this story should end, because this is Isayama’s story after all, but I truly wished for him to wrap up things much more rounded. There are so many unanswered questions... Again, I think for the sake of being done with this manga, he rushed all of it. He’s become a millionaire from this story and now his pockets are jammed full, I guess he doesn’t need to put in any effort anymore, right? Perhaps a controversial opinion, but I really wished he cared for his fans a little bit more with this last chapter by giving some answers that make sense at least. It’s his fans who gave him this platform and the opportunity to tell his story and for him to at least give in a bit of effort especially in the last chapter is the least he can do. Rivamika being canon or not, he truly rushed it without thinking much about the entire story line. He expanded it so much, he didn’t know how to bind it all together.

Even after all this, I’ll still ship them in the headcanon type of way. I do give credit to Isayama for giving us a template for such a beautiful dynamic between Levi and Mikasa. He decides to waste it, but that doesn’t mean we have to.  I want to thank all the people with amazing writing skills, the ones who give us beautiful art like @carmenlee @phit chan @vialesana​ and many more. I want to remind all of you that we can create something beautiful of our own and we don’t neccesarily need canon lore for that. The art I’ve seen, the fanfictions I’ve read have touched me deeper than Isayama ever could at times.The Mikasa in our mind is appreciate of Levi, is mature, classy and has a strong will for herself. They spend their remaining days together peacefully. Keep writing, keep drawing, stay creative. 

I love you all so so much, I’ve only been publicly active since March, but thank you Rivamika fandom for giving me so much joy as a lurker these past 7 years <3

#rivamika #snk leaks #snk 139 leaks #levimika #mikalevi

[peppermintbee]

OMORI has poor writing (Part 1)

OMORI stans, just block the #omori hate tag now because I’m going to use it to vent my frustrations with this game. If you love this game, I am not going to try to convince you otherwise. I am glad you enjoyed it so much. I am glad it means a lot to you. I’m not here to take that away from you. I honestly wish I felt the same way!

However, if you are like me and finished the game feeling disappointed, underwhelmed, and maybe a little frustrated, then I am here to say you are not alone. OMORI--while having the right set pieces for an interesting game--is a narrative mess.

I’m splitting this into two posts. This first post is about problems with the plot. The second is about problems with the message/moral. 

(Note: I use “OMORI” in all-caps for the game title, and “Omori” in title case for the character name.)

Spoilers and criticism below.

Part 1: Plot Writing Lies

There’s a book by Brian McDonald called Invisible Ink which is about how to write a compelling story (you can read this great book online for free here). There’s an explanation of the writing “lie” that I find myself frequently thinking of. A “lie” in this context does not mean something is literally untrue, it means something FEELS untrue, unrealistic, improbable, or unlikely. For example, if a character gets shot in the leg but manages to do parkour, this is a “lie” since it seems unrealistic for that to happen. If a character witnesses their beloved parent’s death and shrugs it off, it’s a “lie” because that reaction seems highly unlikely.

In OMORI, the plot is held together by multiple little lies that--try as I might--I just couldn’t bring myself to believe.

1. Sunny’s friends care about him, and vice versa

A major theme of the game is how friendship can overcome any obstacle. Friendship gets Sunny over his fear of heights, spiders, and water. Friendship is what Sunny remembers before the final boss fight, and allows him to face his guilt and defeat it (and prevent him from committing suicide). With the photobook and dialogue you are reminded over and over and over and over and over again that Sunny’s friends love him unconditionally.

However, I just couldn’t bring myself to believe it. The childhood memories are cute but shallow, boiling down to simply hanging out and eating treats. Plus, Kel and Aubrey fight constantly, with Aubrey even physically hitting Kel when he steps out of line. Hero and Mari behave more like babysitters than true friends to the younger kids. 

But at least the other kids interact with each other. Sunny, on the other hand, showed nearly no affection or consideration towards his friends. He floats through the memories like a ghost--he could have been completely absent from all the photos and it would have made little difference. I was ready to accept this as Sunny being an unreliable narrator and not thinking he was a good enough for his friends, but this never contradicted. Instead we are given even more memories where Sunny just silently exists there being “cute.”

[Sunny enriching the lives of his friends by LARPING as a cat.]

Because of the lack of meaningful interactions between them, there was nothing in the game that made me think that these 12-15 year olds would have a strong enough bond that would survive 3-4 years of no contact after finding their friend hanged. In fact, that discovery only drove them farther apart. The only person who I could believe actually had a close bond was Basil, who almost literally filled that trope of being the friend who would help you bury a body (or in this case, help Sunny cover up the accidental manslaughter).

The writing fix for this would be simple: instead of showing us the same boring birthday and beach scenes over again, give the kids memories of overcoming some age-appropriate adversity together: heartbreak over an unrequited crush, anxiety over homework, sports injury, lost dogs, divorced parents, running away from home, bullying, etc. Set a precedent of the friends supporting each other through good times AND bad times. Without such backstory, Sunny’s friendships allegedly giving him the courage to overcome his guilt feels like a lie.

2. Sunny abandoning Basil in the bathroom scene

One of the most confusing moments in the game was Sunny’s negligence when Basil has his first breakdown in his bathroom. This part of the game is player-controlled, which is a strange writing decision because all you can do is click on Basil and various bathroom amenities over and over which completely saps the urgency out of the scene. When you try to leave, Basil begs Sunny to stay, but (due to a lack of player options) Sunny walks out without a word. With no option to talk to him OR get help for him, it makes Sunny seem exceptionally cruel to Basil. In fact, I was starting to wonder if the game was setting up for some sort of twist that Sunny DIDN’T care about his friends, which would fix some of the confusion in point #1. However, as we know, that is not the case. Therefore, Sunny’s negligence/apathy towards Basil’s pain feels like a lie.

The writing fix would be to make it MORE clear that Sunny is intentionally running away from Basil. Make it a cutscene, or, give a false choice such as “Leave Basil? Yes / Yes”. After Sunny leaves, Kel should make some remark about Sunny looking odd, “You look sort of shaken up, is there something you want to tell me?” then hit it home with Sunny shaking his head. This would make it more clear that Sunny is intentionally hiding Basil’s state, as opposed to just being a bad friend. As it stands, it just felt like a writing mistake.

3. Basil and Sunny working together to stage Mari’s death as a suicide

This is the plot hole that I see the most complaints over, but it’s so big I have to address it. Accidentally pushing Mari down the stairs I understand, but the rest is too absurd. Below are some of the “lies” that the writing tries to get away with:

That Sunny and Basil wouldn’t just claim she slipped and fell.

That either boy would even come up with this sick plan.

That they wouldn’t back out of this idea during the multi-step process (carrying her downstairs, outside, getting the jump rope, tying a noose, putting it around her neck, stringing her up, hiding the evidence... This is a series of multiple decisions, not one quick accident like the initial push.)

That it’s not the image of Mari’s death that traumatized Sunny, but the image of what they chose to do to her body that traumatized them. I understand the image of Mari hanging is more dramatic, but they literally did it themselves so why is that more haunting than Sunny killing her?

That Mari’s true cause of death wouldn’t be immediately obvious to the parents, the police, the friends, EVERYONE. (I’ve seen fans try to get rid of this plot hole by hypothesizing that the parents knew and covered it up, but the evidence of this is circumstantial at best. The father saying, “You’re not my son,” is unreliable since it happens in Sunny’s headspace. Divorce is common after the death of a child, and, at the very least, Sunny’s mom doesn’t show any evidence of knowing what happened. The way it is written, only Sunny and Basil know the truth.)

The ridiculousness of this twist is so extreme that it completely broke any immersion I had left. Frankly, the reveal that the happy, loveable Mari committed suicide is a far heavier and more realistic twist than a crazy murder-cover-up story is.

Additionally, it seems like Basil was only written into this scene in order to make Sunny the true victim of what happened. After all, Sunny may have pushed her, but it was Basil who came up with the demented cover up. (This is apparent from just the photos but the datamined Truth Album confirms it.) By having Basil come up with the plan, the game splits the guilt between the two of them to make the kids easier to sympathize with. It’s problematic because if Basil was not in the scene, there would be no way to justify what Sunny did to Mari. So why is what they did easier to accept when they worked together?

Fixing the writing lie: Sunny lies and says that Mari slipped. Remove Basil from the scene, and instead have Sunny confide in Basil which forces Basil to become a co-conspirator and burdens him with the terrible truth.

4. Sunny’s friends forgiving him and Basil for what they did to Mari

Last but not least, the story heavily implies that Hero, Kel, and Aubrey will forgive Basil and Sunny for what they did to Mari. I found this to be almost as unbelievable as the staged-suicide stunt.

It feels like a lie since the group’s friendship is never established as anything beyond shallow hang outs from 3+ years ago (see point #1).

It feels like a lie because this is hot off the heels of Aubrey being so distraught over Mari and the following fall out that in the last three days she 1.) attacked Sunny and Kel with a nail bat TWICE, 2.) Stole Basil’s photobook, and 3.) Shoved Basil in the lake. This trauma is still very fresh for her.

It feels like a lie because the complexity of the staged-suicide is so extreme, one would be hard pressed to forgive ANYONE for doing that, be it friend, foe, parent, sibling, lover, etc.

I’ve seen fans argue that the ending is not about forgiveness, it’s about telling the truth, and I want to believe that. Really. If the ending was about Sunny starting his redemption arc by telling the truth no matter what the consequences are, that would be a meaningful lesson. But the writing does not support that. The ending headspace segments are focused on assuring Sunny that his friends will support/forgive him no matter what. To do this, the game shows us the shallow photobook memories (again) to show how much they allegedly care about each other. Then, when fighting Omori, Sunny remembers these quotes from his friends, which directly correlate to their unconditional support:

KEL: Friends... Friends are supposed to be there for each other.

AUBREY: I hope you can find some peace... or you know... some happiness.

HERO: We made the mistake of leaving each other when we needed each other the most. This time... we’ll stay together.

BASIL: Maybe one day... things can go back to the way they were before.

The really direct evidence that this ending is about getting forgiveness is this quote from Basil in Sunny’s headspace:

[BASIL: “AUBREY, KEL and HERO are good friends. You have to trust that they’ll forgive us.”]

This is one of the last scenes before Sunny tells his friends the truth, proving that obtaining forgiveness from his FRIENDS is in fact the leading motivation for Sunny’s actions.

Fixing this writing lie is easy. Instead, adjust the writing to be about telling the truth, not about how much the friends will still love Sunny. Have headspace Basil say, “Even if they don’t forgive us, Aubrey, Kel, and Hero deserve to know the truth. It’s the only way to make things right... or close to it.”

Conclusion

OMORI is undeniably a cute game with a strong visual identity, and has a premise that could make for a very compelling experience. However, the sloppy plot and weak character writing cause the potential of this game to be squandered. There are other issues as well that I chose not to cover for the sake of time, such as the poor pacing of the dragged out dungeons and the bizarre, unrealistic behavior of characters in the “real” world. 

However, there are a few more glaring problems with OMORI that I have to address: In part 2 of my critique, I break down what may be the biggest problem with OMORI’s writing: the message.

[ Link to Part 2: OMORI’s Message is Mishandled and Distasteful ]

#omori #omori hate #omori spoilers #review #words #fun fact i named sunny 'moony' so I had to consciously change all the moons to suns in this essay #suicide cw

[cassarilladraws]

I’ve seen so many people talking about the possible revelations in Miraculous from Ephemeral and saying “but it can't go TOO dark this is a 'kids show' right?"  I wish I could go with that but I can't. The last two "kid shows" I watched had terrible, sad, depressing and outright bad endings. I hate sad endings. I prefer happy endings and can like bittersweet ones, if done well. (HTTYD had a bittersweet ending that was satisfying to me.) The last two "kids shows" I'm referring to are Voltron and Tales of Arcadia. Seriously horrendous ways to end things. These shows have something in common with Miraculous. They attracted audiences that are older than the original intended audience. In some cases, this realization causes the writers to move in a darker direction and add more complex storylines. More depth in a show is a good thing, but sometimes the “dark” part gets taken way too far. With Voltron (spoilers ahead) they decided it was okay to dive into a lot of angst and dark storylines, which is fine... but they ENDED that way too. They ended with bad writing, a convoluted plot that made no sense, a major character dying, and the characters that survived were given horrible to mediocre endings. Then because of the mixed audience you’ve got older fans unsatisfied and rightfully upset and then the kids that DID watch the show wondering why their favorite character had to die? Or why their favorite character is so sad at the end. (I read posts from parents who were fans who had try to come up with a good explanation for their children. Because the show gave no good reason for Allura’s death. It shouldn’t have happened and made no sense. That’s ridiculous.) My sister was pregnant while I was really into Voltron and she was having a little girl! While watching I was excited to one day try and watch the show with my niece. I even suggested the name Allura for her name. Needless to say, if I can help it my niece will never know a thing about Voltron. Frankly, I like and prefer shows that are “for kids” but really have a mixed audience. The widespread appeal is fun and awesome.  You get older fans discussing in depth theories, noticing the references kids miss, writing fanfiction, making fanart and making complex cosplays. You also see cute kids looking so adorable in their little Halloween costumes and happily playing with the toys. It’s wonderful! I’ve always been more attached to cartoon characters in those types of shows. When it’s live action or cartoons for “adults” I rarely get attached or truly let myself care too much. I’m like well, they could all die, the actor that plays whoever could want to move on. And the writing can sometimes double down on being dark, edgy, “adult”, and angsty that it often becomes one note and boring. Like people are dying all over the place and everyone’s upset with everybody and there’s all this drama but it’s somehow boring because it’s all the same old thing. Honestly, I have a hard time taking it seriously when shows take themselves too seriously and find myself laughing at things that are meant to be sad or impactful. I want to go on a rollercoaster of emotions with characters and know in the end it’s going to be alright. Cartoons in general are just better at balancing angst and humor and everything else. (I do want to give a nod to Marvel movies as I feel they actually do a good job of this often.) This isn’t to say characters can’t die in these cartoons with such broad audiences, but the main characters shouldn’t--at least not permanently. Shows with this type of audience should feel like something you want to revisit later. Like something the kids watching now want to watch with their kids/nieces/nephews later if they have them. Shows like this have the potential to be long lasting nostalgic and comforting things in the lives of their viewers. It might sound silly but I wish shows and movies had tags like fanfics do. I like angst, actually, but it needs to be "angst with a happy ending." Sad endings are just stupid to me, especially on long running things. (There are obvious examples of this being okay. Movies/shows/books that start out telling you the main character dies and it’s the story of how that happened, shows that are very obviously sad or things based on true events that are tragic. In those cases you know what you are getting into. In a way it’s like the fanfic tags.) But unexpected sad endings just really feel like some writer is out there trying to be edgy. "Thanks for watching/reading for all these years I leave you with pain and regret for ever getting into it!" idk about you but when things end like that I don't want to rewatch/reread and I want to get rid of any merchandise I have relating to it. On the flip side, when things end well I want to continue buying things years later! I want to tell my friends to watch/read it too! I want to proudly wear t-shirts of the thing to see if I can find other fans to talk about it with! Because it’s still fun! It’s still exciting! I still love it! tl:dr Happy endings are good and you’re not being edgy by making your ending sad, you’re just being a jerk to your audience. Especially, if your audience includes kids. This may all be a moot point for Miraculous. Because honestly, Chat Noir and Ladybug give me iconic comic book character vibes. Which means these characters will go through a million iterations and have times with great writing and not so great but be around for decades we may not ever truly see an “ending” and I really want that for Ladybug and Chat Noir so go off if that’s what’s in the future. 

#miraculous ladybug #voltron #tales of arcadia #animation #cartoons #rant #ramble #long post #thoughts

[cali-holland]

Nightmares- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Prompt: After watching The Devil All the Time with Tom and the boys, you have a nightmare and Tom comforts you.

Word Count: 1300

Warnings: The Devil All the Time spoilers (nothing explicitly graphic though); swearing; lots of talk about Tom’s ass in those jeans; slight discussion of abuse

A/N: This is a part of @hollandsrecs ‘s 1k fic bingo for the trope “Slice of Life”... Also, at the time I wrote this, I had not seen the film.

Masterlist   Tom Holland Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

“Popcorn’s ready.” Tom announced, coming into the living room with a few bowls of the favored snack food, handing them out to Tuwaine, Harrison, Harry, and Sam who were all scattered about the couches, before he sat down on the loveseat with you. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, and you snuggled into his side, stealing a couple pieces of popcorn from the bowl. 

“And now to watch you run around and kill people for two and a half hours.” Harrison laughed as he picked up the remote to start the movie.

“That’s not all I do.” He rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, you smoke cigarettes too. Can’t forget that.” Harry teased. “It’s like Peter Parker joined the dark side.”

Tom grabbed a few pieces of popcorn, throwing them across the room at his brother, who opened his mouth and managed to catch one of the pieces. Calling his attention away from Harry, you pressed a kiss to Tom’s cheek as the movie began.

“I can’t wait to see your ass in those jeans.” You whispered to him playfully, making him chuckle.

“Darling, you see that ass in jeans all the time.” He joked, and you turned away from him to face the movie.

“Maybe I just can’t get enough of it.” You teased. You didn’t even have to look at him to know he was smirking proudly.

When you had agreed to watch Tom’s newest film, The Devil All the Time, with him and the rest of the boys, you thought it was a good idea. You had even been on set with Tom for a majority of the film, so you thought you had a good understanding of the violence in the film. Key word: thought.

It was a cinematically beautiful film, no doubt, and, of course, you loved your boyfriend’s performance in it, but some scenes were intense. While you felt comforted in Tom’s warm embrace, there was still an uneasy pit in your stomach as the movie played on.

“So, thoughts?” Tom asked, almost nervously while the credits rolled.

“Very badass.” Harrison acknowledged.

“Still can’t believe you killed Edward Cullen.” Tuwaine commented, and Harry nodded his head in agreement.

“And Bucky.” Sam added. Tom rolled his eyes at them and turned to look at you in his arms.

“I always knew you were secretly team Jacob.” Harrison teased.

“What’d you think of it?” While Tom genuinely cared what the others thought of his movie, your opinion mattered the most to him.

“It was great.” You reassured him, biting back your discomfort, “Your accent was pretty hot in it, too.”

“Why, thank you, darling.” Tom said, switching into his southern accent with ease and making you roll your eyes at his cheesiness.

The film talk continued for another hour with the boys argued over characters and themes and accents, just everything. Meanwhile, you sat there, cuddled up to Tom, as your mind silently played over a few select scenes, unable to get the unspeakable images out of your head. You reasoned that it was all fake; hell, you’d even seen most of those scenes be filmed.

That night, your mind kept returning to the film, replaying the scenes over and over in an even more dramatic and gruesome way. You weren’t sure how long you laid there, trying to focus on Tom’s soft snores and steady breaths to calm your mind, but, when sleep finally overcame you, it did little to help your mental battle.

Tom woke up with a start when he heard you let out a yelp. He was about to jump into action and (very blearily) fight off whoever was harming you, but he softened as he realized you were asleep right beside him. Not only was your yelp alerting, but you were also clutching onto the pillow for your dear life, not peacefully cuddled up to Tom. As he looked at your face, twisted up in distress, he felt his heart sting with worry.

“It’s not real, it’s not real.” You kept mumbling to yourself over and over in despair.

“Y/N, baby, wake up.” Tom started to shake your shoulder gently, trying to pull you from your nightmare. After a moment, your eyes fluttered open. As soon as you registered that you were awake and that Tom was in front of you, you let go of the pillow and hugged him tightly. Rubbing your back soothingly as you cried into his bare chest, Tom comforted you, “It was just a nightmare. I’ve got you. I’m right here.”

He kept repeating his words until he felt you begin to breathe steadily again. Feeling the slightest bit calmer, you pulled away from him and slid out of the bed. Tom watched as you maneuvered around the dark room, the only light coming from the alarm clock on his bedside table. You went straight for the box of tissues to wipe your eyes. Leaning over to turn on the table lamp that sat upon the nightstand beside him, he asked, “Do you want to talk about?”

“Not really.” You answered quietly as you climbed back into the bed. “I’m fine, just go back to bed.”

Refusing to believe your words, Tom softly took your hands in his, his thumbs grazing over your skin mindlessly. 

He didn’t particularly want to ask his next question, but he was far too concerned about you to care, “Was it the movie? Was it me?”

“It wasn’t you.” You reassured him, but when you saw the worried frown still etched on his lips, you let go of his hands and shuffled into his lap, wrapping your legs around his waist. His hands rested on your hips, pulling you closer to him. “Tom, I promise I didn’t have a nightmare about Arvin murdering me.”

“Why’d you put that thought in my head?” He asked in disbelief and you laughed lightly, shaking your head at him.

“I don’t particularly remember what my dream was, but it wasn’t you. I was already on edge because of the Carl and Sandy scenes and then Lenora—“ You shivered a little, trailing off, and his thumbs began tracing soft circles on your hips through the thin material of your sleep shirt.

“If you didn’t like the movie, why didn’t you say?”

“No, I did like the movie.” You moved a hand up to push his loose curls off his forehead, running your fingers through his hair, “It’s a really good movie, and you should be proud of yourself because you were phenomenal. It was just too intense for me, and my subconscious got the better of me while I was sleeping.”

“You know I’d never hurt you, right? Never.” Tom said, seeking his own comfort now as he still pondered on your previous comment about his character.

“I know.” You smiled at him, leaning in to kiss him. As your lips moved against his, it took him a minute to actually kiss you back.

“We should probably get back to sleep.” He mumbled, groaning a little as he pulled his lips away from yours. He looked over at the clock to see it blindingly tell him it was nearly 1:30 in the morning.

“I’m still a bit shaken up. I don’t know if I can fall back asleep now.” You answered truthfully. Tom’s hands made their way down to the hem of your sleep shirt.

“I can think of something to distract you.” He smirked, and you playfully rolled your eyes at his cheekiness, “You spent two and a half hours ogling my ass in jeans.” He switched into his southern accent again, “Don’t you wanna see this ass in person?”

“You’re so weird.” You laughed, cupping his cheeks to bring him in for another kiss.

~~~

Tag List: @viagracex @theamazingtomholland @Hellomoveonby @heyitsshrez @harrisonosterfieldhazmyheart @joyleenl @t-o-m-hollands @lonikje @sleepybesson @sunkisseddreamer @hollandsamor @in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh @gorrillaglue23 @petersoftboyparker @musicalkeys @duskholland @biebsmylife95 @dummiesshort @perspectiveparker​

Tom Tag List: @quaksonhehe @tomkindholland​

#hrficbingo1k #tom holland #tom holland imagine #tom holland one shot #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x you #tom holland fanfic