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#never said that she died ; verse
shiningstages · 2 years
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Me, thinking about Halloween Vane’s Fate EPs, and then thinking about my OC Aisling’s GBF verse: *chinhands*
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hauntthumans · 4 months
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BENJAMIN “SWEENEY TODD” BARKER
42. heterosexual. he/him. was wrongly convicted for a crime he didn’t commit. spends his time in jail plotting revenge. wants nothing more than to see judge turpin dead. still has hope that lucy might be alive, despite what mrs. lovett said. thinks mrs. lovett is clingy and annoying but he likes her ideas. grows more and more paranoid as time goes on. fc: josh groban. primary.
ELEANOR “NELLIE” LOVETT
38. bisexual. she/her. has been in love with sweeney since she heard the story about him and turpin. is extremely jealous of lucy for getting to marry him. doesn’t like johanna because she’s proof that sweeney has no feelings for her. loves toby like he’s her own child. wants desperately for sweeney to take an interest in her but knows deep down that he never will. doesn’t like turpin because he took sweeney away from her. fc: annaleigh ashford. primary.
LUCY BARKER
40. heterosexual. she/her. didn’t want to go to that party but went anyway so as not to seem rude. rejects the judge’s advances even more after. loves her daughter more than life itself and, even after she takes the poison, does what little she can to make sure she’s safe. doesn’t like lovett at all. is absolutely heartbroken when sweeney is arrested and spends her days waiting for him to come back. takes the poison because she can’t live with herself for letting the judge do that to her. fc: ruthie ann miles. primary.
PHILLIP TURPIN
61. heterosexual. he/him. arrests sweeney so that he can have an easier path to his wife. doesn’t think that lucy will take poison and gives up on her once she does. takes johanna in because it’s the right thing to do and also because he thinks she’s pretty. has been intending to marry her since she was thirteen or so. threatens anthony and would have killed him if he hadn’t had to be in court. wasn't expecting sweeney to know him and genuinely liked him as a barber until anthony showed up. fc: patrick page. plotting only.
SIMON BAMFORD
55. heterosexual. he/him. has been working with turpin since they were young. knew phillip when they were children but didn’t properly meet him until they were adults. sometimes wishes it were him that was marrying johanna, but respects phillip’s wishes to marry her. the only reason he doesn’t kill anthony is because he had to patrol town. has been trying to get the beggars off the streets for years. doesn’t like lucy or lovett, as he thinks they're foolish and flighty. fc: john rapson. secondary.
DANIEL “ADOLFO PIRELLI” O’HIGGINS
32. heterosexual. he/him. used to work for sweeney when he was a child and greatly respected him. saw sweeney and lucy as parental figures. working for sweeney is the reason he’s a barber today. adopted toby from the workhouse. doesn’t like toby very much because he doesn’t bring in good sales. resents sweeney for getting arrested and leaving him without a job. fc: nicholas christopher. secondary.
JONAS FOGG
40. heterosexual. he/him. had an absolutely terrible childhood and was sent to the workhouse at a young age. managed to get out after a year and find work in an office building. worked his way up to become a higher-up and then, once he'd been there for three years, left. decided to open the asylum because something needed to be done about the lunatics in london and he was the best man for the job. treats the inmates absolutely horribly. uses the money he gets from the government on himself instead of putting it towards the asylum. fc: domnhall gleeson. plotting only.
verses
BENJAMIN “SWEENEY TODD” BARKER
the face of a prisoner in the dock ; verse - pre canon.
the demon barber of fleet street ; verse - canon.
sweeney’s weeping for yesterday ; verse - post canon.
his needs are few, his room is bare ; verse - modern.
hearing the music that nobody hears ; verse - crossovers/aus.
ELEANOR “NELLIE” LOVETT
i haven’t seen a customer for weeks ; verse - pre canon.
it’s man devouring man, my dear ; verse - canon.
have all the demons of hell come to torment me? ; verse - post canon.
by the sea we’ll be comfy and cozy ; verse - modern.
my, you do like a good story ; verse - crossovers/aus.
LUCY BARKER
had her chance for the moon on a string ; verse - pre canon.
alms for a miserable woman ; verse - canon.
never said that she died ; verse - post canon.
city on fire, rats in the grass ; verse - modern.
lunatics yelling in the street ; verse - crossovers/aus.
PHILLIP TURPIN
he was there alright, only not so contrite ; verse -pre canon.
when i offered myself to her, she showed a certain reluctance ; verse - canon.
there is indeed a higher power to warn me thus in time ; verse - post canon.
a pious vulture of the law ; verse - modern.
he made the devil so much stronger than a man ; verse - crossovers/aus.
SIMON BAMFORD
spoken of with great respect ; verse - pre canon.
you shall surely see me there before the week is out ; verse - canon.
i try my best for my neighbors ; verse - post canon. 
someone has called the beadle ; verse - modern. 
the beadle calls on her all polite ; verse - crossovers/aus.
DANIEL “ADOLFO PIRELLI” O’HIGGINS
sweeping up hair and the like ; verse - pre canon.
this is, from early infancy, the talent give to me by god ; verse - canon.
what are we going to do about him? ; verse - post canon.
to shave the face ; verse - modern.
for if you slip you nick the skin ; verse - crossovers/aus.
JONAS FOGG
we are one happy family here ; verse - pre canon.
all my patients are my children ; verse - canon.
smile for the gentleman ; verse - post canon.
now, where shall i cut? ; verse - modern.
to be corrected when they’re naughty ; verse - crossovers/aus.
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icaruspendragon · 2 months
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hiii, this might be weird, but who is Lazarus? I'm not religious, so I've tried searching for who he is, but I can't seem to get a clear answer and was wondering if you could explain him?
ah yes, lazarus of bethany. a man i consider to be equal parts friend and foe.
lazarus lived in bethany with his two sisters, mary and martha. and when we meet him, he’s sick. so much so that his sisters send for jesus of nazareth saying, “lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
jesus of nazareth was in jerusalem when he received the message. and despite being only a few miles from bethany, and despite jesus loving martha and mary and lazarus, he waited. he didn’t go to them straight away. he waited. he waited until lazarus died and then said, “lazarus’ sickness will not end in death. no, it happened for the glory of god so that the son of god will receive glory from this.”  
and when jesus finally made it to bethany he was told lazarus had already died. that he has already been in the grave for four days. and when martha, sister of lazarus got word that jesus was coming, she went to meet him. and mary, sister of lazarus did not. and when martha saw jesus she said to him, “lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
and jesus said to her, “your brother will rise again.”
but then mary arrived and she saw jesus and she fell at his feet and she said, “lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” and she wept over her brother. because she loved him and he was gone. and jesus should have been there. because if jesus had been there, her brother would not have died.
and jesus saw her weeping. and he saw the other people wailing with her. because lazarus was deeply loved. and now he was gone. and they had sent for jesus. they had prayed for a miracle. and that miracle didn’t come until it was four days too late. and they didn’t know that jesus was going to bring lazarus back. they didn’t know that jesus had waited that long to teach a lesson. to prove a point. they just knew jesus was too late. and now they were forced to grieve.
and then a deep anger welled up in jesus. and he was deeply troubled. and jesus asks, “where have you put him?” and the people say, “lord, come and see.” and he does. and when he sees, jesus weeps. when he sees, we get the shortest verse in the bible. a mere two words to sum up an entire town’s grief. two words to convey the loss of a sibling. two words are offered for the preventable death of a loved man.
jesus is four days too late. and jesus?
jesus wept.
and the people who loved lazarus turned to him and said to jesus, “see how much he loved him!”
jesus loved lazarus. and then he let him die.
and some of the people said about jesus “this man healed a blind man. couldn’t he have kept lazarus from dying?”
and then jesus, who knew all along that he would revive lazarus. jesus, who let all those people mourn. jesus, who let those sisters lose their brother. jesus, who let them weep. jesus, who wept with them. that very same jesus said to those who loved lazarus, who mourned him, jesus of nazareth said to them, “didn’t i tell you that you would see god’s glory if you believe?”
and then the stone of lazarus’ tomb was rolled aside. and then jesus looked up to heaven and said, “father, thank you for hearing me. you always hear me, but i said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” and then jesus shouted, “lazarus, come out!” and he did.
lazarus the dead man came out, his hands and feet and face wrapped still in burial cloth. and then jesus of nazareth told them, “unwrap him and let him go!”
and then lazarus of bethany became lazarus of the grave. lazarus of the grave that will never be left behind even though he has risen and relinquished. lazarus of the grave who did not make good his escape unscathed. lazarus of the grave who will now check each darkened doorway as death and his sting is keenly felt.
lazarus was a man. a man whose family loved him. a man whose sisters sent for a miracle. a man whose sisters mourned him in the four days it took for that miracle to show up. a man who was made an example for no reason other than being loved by jesus. a thing that we are all told to be. loved by our savior.
lazarus is a man who makes me wonder three things. firstly, if jesus had been there that my brother may not have died. secondly, if jesus of nazareth too weeps for me. and thirdly, if jesus loves us and we in turn love him too like the scriptures command, why does he use us in the lessons he teaches.
why must we be the men he makes believers of?
so lazarus was just a man whose crime was loving jesus. and martha was just a girl whose crime was loving her brother. and they both suffered a miracle because of it.
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ambrosiagourmet · 12 days
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Rin Masterpost
Rin! Rinsha Fana! Beloved side character I think about far too much (or maybe not enough?)
I decided that it might be nice to put together an informational post about Rin, since she has some of my favorite background details of any character in Dungeon Meshi. This is partly as reference for myself, and partly for anyone else who might be interested in her but not know where to chase down the tidbits we we get of her, both in canon & extra materials. There’s also a little bit of theorizing and analysis sprinkled in for fun.
If anyone spots something I missed, please let me know and I will add it in!
Alright. Time for ultimate #rinposting
History and Timeline:
We don't have an official timeline for Rin (even in the expanded Adventurer's Bible, sadly), but we can put a lot of pieces together based on Kabru's timeline & their respective ages.
Rin is 2 years older than Kabru, and they met when he was 9. Assuming that he met her soon after she was taken to the elven capital, that means that the elves took her when she was 11.
Before that, she lived on the Northern Continent. Interestingly, when Mickbell asks about Shuro, Rin says she was born "here."
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Since "here" doesn't mean the actual Island itself, it must mean simply "not the east." She is described in the Adventurer's Bible as having "no real knowledge of or attachment to the East," so maybe that's why she draws a "there" verses "here" line.
I'd also like to add a note here that the elves don't seem uh... they don't seem great about respecting the value of other cultures, especially those of short-life species. Milsiril seems to have discouraged Kabru from eating or remembering food from his hometown, at least, and that's even as an adoptive parent who cares (at least in some way) for her child. As I will touch on later, the "care" that Rin was under probably had even less respect for her history or ties to either Eastern or Northern culture.
That is all to say, considering that Rin spent many years with the elves, I'd take her having "[no] attachment to the East" as more of a comment on how she feels now, and less as a definite choice she made. She may genuinely have chosen that approach and opinion for herself, she may have been pushed towards it by the elves, and she may have had little choice at all in the matter - all are valid interpretations, though I personally lean towards the thought that it's unlikely the elves didn't have at least some hand in it.
Anyway, Rin does seem to know at least a bit about her heritage - she can presumably name and identify the specific island her parents are from, and she recognizes that "Shuro" isn't a name used there. She also knows that different places from the Eastern archipelago speak different languages, so she knows at least a little about the other islands as well.
Some additional extrapolations I'll make based on these facts: she never mentions, and probably isn't in contact with, any family from her island. This may be because her extended family died, because her parents didn't (or weren't able to) maintain contact, or because she lost contact when she was taken by the elves. Somewhat relatedly, she also prooobably doesn't speak the language, at least not fluently, though her being able to comment on the state of language in the archipelago makes me think that she at least learned a little as a kid.
Anyway, Rin's parents were refugees from the archipelago, though we don't know what specifically caused them to leave. There is this little tidbit of info we get (from the cover of chapter 48, of all places), though:
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So yeah, that seems like it would be the backdrop of Rin's parents fleeing. As I said earlier, it's unclear if Rin might have any living family left back on her island. The listing she has for “family” in the Adventurer's Bible is just a dash, but so is Izutsumi's, for instance, and we know that she was taken from her family with no knowledge of who might still be out there. It's possible everyone else was killed, it's possible they were separated... it's possible that Rin's parents didn't even know.
As an additional note, and this is speculation on my part, but I think there is an argument to be made, with this tidbit from the cover as well as the Nakamoto clan's specialty in espionage and use of ninjas, that the politics of the archipelago are partially based on Sengoku era Japan. Not necessarily super relevant here, but I think it's interesting context for all... of the archipelago characters, honestly.
(Especially considering it seems like the Nakamoto clan is in a relatively comfortable position, and yet clearly are involved, or at least prepared to be involved in larger conflict. How stable is their position, really? How is Shuro's father viewed by the wider region and archipelago as a whole? What about his lord? NOT THE POINT THIS IS A POST ABOUT RIN. BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT.)
Okay, back to Rin's parents.
Whatever caused them to leave, they made their way to the north, where they made their living with their magic for a time. There are no specifics about what kind of magic they used, but we know at least some examples of jobs that magic can get you, based on the flashback to Laios and Falin's childhood in chapter 26. Laios proposes that Fain could use her magic to be a priest, gravekeeper, or wandering exorcist. Though these are specific to Falin's affinity with spirits, they give some idea of the shape of the work that might be available. It's important, but it is also on the outskirts of society - not necessarily admired or appreciated by the average person.
And Rin’s parents were killed by vigilantes for that magic. It's not entirely news that superstitious villages in the area would sometimes kill magic users - we see a small drawing of people being burned at the stake in a panel towards the end of the manga:
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Nonetheless, Rin is the only person in the main cast who has experienced this brutality firsthand. And she did experience it firsthand, having been found by the elves as the sole survivor within the burnt ruins of her home.
It is unknown exactly how she survived, or what happened to her parents before and during the fire. Rin lived, and they did not.
The elves came some time after the fire, intending to investigate reports of ancient magic. They (and we) don't know if Rin's parents actually did use ancient magic, or if the reports and murders were simply spurred by general fear and superstition. Rin was the only piece of "evidence" that remained, and so she was taken back to the west with the elves when they left.
We don't know much about her time on the Northern Central Continent (where the elves/Canaries are based), but it doesn't seem like she was adopted or taken in by anyone the way that Kabru was. According to the Adventurer's Bible, after being taken into custody, "under their care she was treated as a captive animal would be." I would guess that means very basic food and shelter, little to no education. Probably the most social contact she got was from Kabru, as well as maybe, occasionally, from elves treating her as a curiosity, such as in this bit in the Adventurer’s Bible:
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Assuming she left with Kabru (which seems like it is the case, there's no info about them having separated during that time), she spent 9 years with the elves, and has been with Kabru on the Island in the 4 years since then.
She also stays in the Golden Country after the end of the story, apparently working as an alchemist.
Additional Details (& Speculation):
What does she remember of her family and home?
I'd like to take a moment here to explore a little of what Rin might remember of her parents and home.
For reference, we can look at Kabru. The canaries came to Utaya when Kabru was 6, and he arrived in the capital when he was 7. He remembers the events of the tragedy in his home, and has some memories of his mother and life in Utaya, including memories of local dishes.
Rin lost her parents and home at 11, so she presumably has much clearer memories of the events that lead to her being taken by the elves... or she might, assuming that they haven't been completely blocked by her trauma from the event.
Yeah, I am fairly damn sure that she's got some memory issues from trauma and PTSD. For one, this is the state she was found in:
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As already mentioned, she was also treated like something of an animal by the elves. She probably didn't have a lot of contact with other people, which would further perpetuate that sense of isolation and dehumanization. What I'm getting at here is that Rin probably didn't have much to help pull her out of this place, or heal these wounds. She had Kabru, who was also a kid and even younger than her, and she had herself.
Obviously trauma leaves different scars on everyone, and everyone responds and copes in different ways. But I do think it is interesting that we never hear anything about Rin's parents or life before the elves, and there are no real details about it given in the Adventurer's Bible the way we have for Kabru. What's presented is more surface level facts: they were refugees, they made a living with magic, they were killed.
I'm inclined to believe that things are laid out this way because that's how Rin holds on to these things. She knows things about them, but possibly remembers them more as things she was told/knows to be true, rather than actual memories she can picture herself experiencing.
Rin's Magic
In an interesting counterpoint to her potentially spotty memory, I do actually think Rin may have learned magic from her parents (or started learning, and was self-taught from there). She never attended a magic academy, and actually has a bit of grudge against people who did - owing to the social protection afforded to "upper-class mages," which her parents did not have. She also almost certainly wouldn't have been taught by the elves, who not only treated her as an animal but also knew her parents may have been involved with ancient magic.
Falin began to show signs of magical talent at 8, and was sent to the Magic Academy at 10, and that was as someone who had absolutely no guidance about or exposure to magic in her home town. Raised by two mage parents, I think Rin absolutely could have been learning some things by the time she was 11.
In terms of continued learning, I'll add that Rin is able to identify Marcille's magic as being A) from an Academy student, and B) cast by an elf:
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This makes me think that she continued to study magic on her own while held by the elves, and probably even more so after leaving with Kabru. They didn't form the party until two years after they left the elves, which would give Rin plenty of time to try and learn from other adventurers on the Island, or to study up on her own. She'd probably be able to pick up some dungeon-crawling basics (like the water walk spell), as well as become familiar with the skill level and expression of skill common in different people with different backgrounds (hence why she is able to comment on the "textbook" academy wards).
Much like Marcille, Rin also seems to rely on a 'one size fits all' Big Boom method of dealing with monsters: lightning. We see the best example of its power in the fight with Chimera Falin:
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But we also see her cast it pretty recklessly in a few other places, including the end credits of the new anime ED, which I think provides a good example of the downsides to such an approach...
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Yeah, it is very much a 'get out of the way or get zapped' spell.
Especially since Marcille's offensive magic is self-taught and works very similarly, this definitely reinforces the idea that Rin figured most of this stuff out herself.
Outfit and Character Design
Dear sweet Rin of the Red And Black... how I love her design.
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First of all, her clothes are damaged. Despite the fact that Rin looks relatively well put together overall, her outfit is worn out. I have some theories on why this is that I'll get to in a bit, but for now I'll just touch on what this design communicates in general about it.
I think, just like with Kabru's horribly messy room, it creates a sense that there is something more complicated underneath the surface. Something that isn't being addressed or seen to, just as the dress hasn't been mended or replaced.
It also reflects her not caring a ton about her appearance. She's neat, but she's not concerned about being pretty, so she doesn't bother with fixing up her outfit after her dungeon crawls. This also fits with her perpetual scowl (which I will talk more about in a bit), and slightly disheveled hair.
Next: the gloves. At first I thought they might be a sort of uncomfortable-with-touch thing, but after skimming through the manga and some bonus content, I have another theory. Rin takes the gloves off to eat, as well as a few other instances, such as when working on a spell with Holm and Marcille in chapter 36
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This one is especially interesting because she has them on in the next chapter, during the fight with Falin. Since she also isn't wearing gloves during some of the Daydream Hour art of her outside of the dungeon, that leads me to believe that they are specifically for combat.
What does she need them for, though? Most other casters we see don't wear gloves. Well... just look at the other half of the page where she attacks Falin with lightning:
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She is enveloped by this spell. I said it before was pretty reckless magic, but maybe its not just a problem for her teammates, but for her as well.
So here's my theory: maybe the gloves are rubber, or some other electricity-resistant material? They might help protect her from her own magic. I don't know why a caster would need gloves for combat otherwise.
I also think this might be why her dress is tattered at the bottom, by the way. Especially since the Daydream Hour genderswap design doesn't have a similar problem with his outfit, since the tunic isn't as long.
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I will admit this is a bit of stretch/guess, but I think it's a fun one, and I wanted to share. I do think I'm right about the gloves being for dungeons/fighting specifically, at least. That seems pretty consistent throughout all of her appearances.
I also mentioned her scowl, so I'll touch on that briefly as well. The (fairly confirmed) explanation for Rin's expression is that she intentionally wears a frown to prevent her other expressions from showing through. I think it's important to emphasize that it's not just smiling that she is trying to suppress here - it's any strong emotion:
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Anyway, because I can, here is the art of Rin smiling.
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Rin and Kabru
I have talked a bit about Rin and Kabru's history, but I think it deserves its own section.
I think it's very interesting that Rin is pretty much the ONLY character in all of Dungeon Meshi that has explicit canonical romantic interesting in someone. It's literally part of the main summary sentence in her character profile.
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This could be sort of reductive as a way to describe a female character (and in some ways it still is), but I think in part the simplicity and directness of it actually is part of what makes it so interesting. Especially when on the very next page we see the comic about her backstory. "This mage is in love with Kabru" -> one page of a horribly traumatic event and a child frozen in shock with no one to comfort her. What does that do?
Well, in my opinion, it shows how much Rin focuses on Kabru as something to keep her in the present. In contrast with the immense loss she has experienced, her love for Kabru is current and alive. He has presumably been her anchor for years, and I think that her love is part of that anchor.
Adding to this, in contrast with how explicit her feelings are, she never seems to actively pursue Kabru. She complains about his potential interest in other women, but she doesn't really flirt. She doesn't let herself smile around him any more than anyone else, and she doesn't hide her bitterness or anger from him to present a more appealing persona.
As much as she craves Kabru's attention, and has stayed by his side for years, I don't know that she really wants to possess him. He seems to know about her feelings, more or less, and she seems to know that he knows. Maybe she believes he doesn't reciprocate and is respecting that, maybe she's afraid of what she could lose if she tried to change things, or maybe the change itself frightens her. In any case, though she's not exactly happy with the way things are between them, she doesn't seem to be trying to change that status quo.
A specific thing I'd also like to talk about with their relationship, beyond Rin's love for him, is her fear for him. As the Adventurer's Bible puts it, "she worries that his knack for dealing with whatever life throws at him might lead him to get too full of himself and end up in serious trouble."
Rin is an interesting mix of restrained and explosive, herself. Her magic is destructive, her temper seems to run hot (she gets annoyed easily, at least), and her feelings for Kabru are apparent. At the same time, she doesn't let her emotions show on her face, she is the one who bluntly states that the group has hit the limit of their abilities, and she doesn't act on those obvious feelings for Kabru. It's interesting, then, that what she fears for Kabru is that he won't restrain himself.
And a small personal idea about that as well: I wonder if she somewhat blames her parents for getting killed. Again, this is very speculative, but I think it's interesting that her fear for Kabru is that he will get too full of himself. Take up too much space. It's never really stated what Rin thinks of her parents, but it can be easy in grief to search for control, and control often means blame. If they hadn't been so confident, so flashy, would they still be alive...?
I don't know if she's ever thought like that, and it could well be that her fears for Kabru come from a totally different place. But it's an interesting connective thread between her past and present - the idea of "getting in trouble" for taking up too much space and being too confident in one's own abilities.
Miscellaneous Tidbits:
On that note, I'd like to wrap up the main part of this post, and move on to a few extra things that I couldn't find another place for.
Rin plays with her hair when she's stressed
Using stressed as a pretty big umbrella here, because I think it's hard to perfectly pin down all the emotions at play, but it is a habit of hers. Best displayed in chapter 32, but it shows up in other places, too.
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Her design contrasts with Marcille
This is a small thing, but I just love how much they are visual opposites.
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Rin wears red and black and has dark hair, Marcille wears blue and white and has light hair. Marcille cares a great deal for her hair and puts it up in elaborate hairstyles, and Rin's is mostly loose and a bit messy. Marcille was even educated at the Magic Academy, which Rin dislikes. They both have little capelets. Also they both look very cute in each other's clothes.
Rin knows Flamela (and they meet again in canon)
Nothing much is done with this in canon, but I think it’s super interesting that Flamela's squad are the ones that find Rin as a child and take her away to the west, and then they end up stuck in the dungeon together for a bit.
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Two days??? I'm so very curious what things were like between these three.
Aaaand I think that's all I have to say about Rin! For the time being at least. There's a lot more analysis that could be done about her and Kabru especially, but for this post I wanted to keep things at least somewhat anchored to canon facts, with only a layer or two of speculation on top.
If it isn't already obvious, I think Rin is a super interesting character with a ton of potential depth to explore. She mostly interacts with Kabru in canon, but has ties to a bunch of other characters: she and Marcille fill similar roles in their parties but have differing personalities and histories, she and Falin (and Laios) have been tremendously shaped by xenophobia and fear of magic common in the Northern Continent, her parents fled from conflict in the same region Shuro and his retainers are from, and she has history with Flamela and some of the second canary squad.
Her temper, her fear, her love... her repression and passion - they all inform her character, even in small ways, even with as little time as she spends on the page.
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darilaros (princess) │ Chapter 3: Pyre
terms of endearment ‘verse: see my Masterlist for the correct series order!
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GIF by @hotdcentral
Chapter 1 │Chapter 2 │Chapter 3 │Chapter 4 │Chapter 5 │Chapter 6 │Chapter 7 │Chapter 8 (COMPLETE!)
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Synopsis: As the second daughter of King Viserys, you experience firsthand what it means to belong to the House of the Dragon. You struggle with the passing of your mother.
Hello! My apologies for the wait. My laptop broke, so I had to go get a new one. It took me a bit to set it all up how I like, and then I had a busy time of it at work + a bit of writer's block. I hope the chapter makes up for it! Keep in mind there are some untranslated bits of HV in here, but I'll make a post + link transcribing all that for those who want. Thank you to @ewanmitchellcrumbs for giving this the go-ahead!
TRIGGERS: character death, exploration of child grief, dysfunctional family dynamics.
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It is very quiet now that Mama has died.
Brella is quiet. Septa is quiet. Ana and Peony, the maids who come to make your bed neat again and pick up all the dresses you’ve worn, are quiet. Ser Harrold is quiet—but then, he usually is. None of Papa’s guards seem to want to make a sound now. Neither do Papa’s Councilmen, like Lord Corlys or Lord Lyman, who you sometimes see walking down the halls with very sad looks upon their faces.
You wonder if, when Mama died, she took a part of all these people with her.
She has taken a part of Papa, and of ’Nyra, too. Suppertime is so very quiet that you are afraid to breathe in case everyone can hear it. They both just stare at their plates, eyes puffy and red like yours are when you cry, which means they have been crying, too. They eat their food like someone else is moving their mouths, and when they swallow, it looks like the most painful thing in the whole world.
Papa and ’Nyra haven’t spoken to you since the day of the tourney. You try not to be sad about it, but it’s hard. Now that Mama has gone away, they are your family, and it hurts that your family won’t look at you or say anything to you. It’s almost like they have forgotten all about you.
“They’re grieving,” Alicent tells you, taking your hand in hers as you walk towards the Sept. The stairs are very hard to climb, so she had to help you up, and it was nearly like having Mama again when she pulled you into her arms and held you tight. “Their sorrow has made them blind to all else.”
You don’t really understand what she means. “To me, too?”
“Hm?”
“Their sorrow. It’s made them not see me?”
Alicent stops. Something very soft and sad makes her face droop, and she bends down so that she can look you right in the eyes. “Oh, Princess. They see you. And they love you. But your mother”—she takes a breath that sounds shaky—“she was very important to them. They miss her very much.”
“I miss her, too.” You wonder when Mama will return. How long is ‘never’? No one has ever explained it to you. Hopefully it is soon.
“I know you do.” Alicent stands and grabs onto your hand again, leading you toward the table where so so many candles are.
The room is very hot, all the little fires making you sleepy even though it is only morning time. There are two stools right before the table, and Alicent kneels on one. You try to do the same on the other, but it means you cannot see the candles anymore.
“How about you stand on it instead, Princess?” Alicent asks. She lets you hold onto her shoulder so that you can get up on the stool like she said, which makes it much easier to see. Then, she folds her hands together in front of her chin and bends her head, so you do the same.
It isn’t very interesting to stare at your fingers at first, but after a while, it’s nice. You count all the little folds in your skin—there are a lot—and trace the edges of your thumbnails with your mind over and over. Time goes funny, and you cannot remember why you were ever sad before you came here.
It might be minutes or hours or days before Alicent speaks. “Would you like to light a candle? For your mother?”
“Why?” you ask, frowning. Is candle-lighting how to get Mama to come back? Will she see the light and know it’s me and return with baby Baelon? Is that why so many people pray in the Sept?
Alicent picks up a candle that hasn’t been lit. “To remember her. You light the candle and… she’ll see it.”
“From where?”
“From one of the Seven heavens.”
“Where’s that?”
“I… do not know.” She stares at the candle like she is trying to light it without moving. “Somewhere far away. My mother is there, too.”
“Oh.” She sounds very sad, so you reach out to grab hold of another unlit candle. “Can I light this one? For Mama?”
That makes her smile just a little. “Of course, Princess.”
Alicent takes one of the lit candles and tilts it into yours, making sure not to spill any of the hot wax on you. You hold very still, because fire is dangerous which means you can get hurt, even though you touched it once and it didn’t feel like anything but warm. The little string at the top catches fire, burning orange and gold and swaying gently.
She lights her own, too. “Now, you place it on the altar, like so.” She carefully sets both candles down and closes her eyes for a moment, and you think she must be thinking of her own mama.
You nudge your candle back to where you took it, watching the flame dance about. I lit a candle for you, Mama, so you can see it. Do you? Do you see me?
Where are you, Mama? When are you coming back?
The candle doesn’t answer. It just sits there, the little fire bobbing about and then finally falling still. All you can hear is the sound of your own breathing. When you are done, Alicent helps you step off the stool, and you leave the Sept with the candles still lit behind you.
Just outside, you find Uncle Daemon waiting for you.
While ’Nyra and Papa are grieving and Papa’s Council are planning and everyone else is doing whatever it is they do away from you, Uncle has been making sure that you are ‘well’ by telling you stories and teaching you more High Valyrian and sitting at the table to watch while you and Brella play with your dolls together. He never stays for a long-long time, but it is still very nice.
“Farewell, Princess.” Alicent lets go of your hand and turns to curtsey to Uncle, who bows his head but says nothing, just stares with a not-exactly-kind look on his face. Then, she leaves, her footsteps fading away and then dropping as she goes down the stairs. You listen until the noise disappears entirely.
Uncle’s brow raises. “What were you doing in the Sept with only Hightower’s daughter for company? Where’s your sister?”
He never calls her by her name. You wonder why, sometimes.
“She took me because ’Nyra is napping again from crying so much, and I was by myself. So, we went to the Sept so I could light a candle for Mama,” you say quietly. “So that she’ll see it and come back.”
At that, he softens. He crouches down so you can see his face more clearly. “She’s not coming back, sweetling. You know that, don’t you?”
“Why not?”
“She…” He grunts. “Do you remember the stories about Aegon the Conqueror, and his sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys?”
You nod. “Yeah.”
“Right.” He rises, gripping you below your arms and lifting you high so that he can carry you away from the Sept. It makes him uncomfortable, though you don’t know why. “Tell me what happened to Rhaenys.”
“She tried to—to get Dorne to say that Aegon was their King, so she rode Meraxes to them.” Uncle hums approvingly, so you keep going. Your voice wobbles with each step he takes. “But they were angry at her for burning the grass and the trees and the buildings and the people and the sheep and the horses and th—”
“Yes, yes, she lit Dorne aflame.” Uncle rolls his eyes. He bounces you extra hard in his arms so that it feels like you’re about to fall, and you squeal and wrap your arms tight-tight around his neck so that you don’t. “Leave the boring bits out. Tell me the rest.”
“She—Dorne took a big, big arrow and hit Meraxes in the eye, and Rhaenys and Meraxes fell all the way to the ground from up high and died.”
His lips twist at the way you say the last word. “You’ve been paying attention. Good girl.” You’re out in the courtyard now, away from the Sept. It isn’t any louder out here, which is strange, because it is usually always loud and full of people. “Did Rhaenys ever return to Aegon and Visenya?” he asks, moving towards the doors that lead to Maegor’s Holdfast where your rooms are.
“No…” you say, unsure. You don’t think she did. “Why didn’t she go back?”
Uncle sighs, slowing down so he can look at you properly. “That’s what it means to die, sweetling. Rhaenys didn’t go away. When she hit the ground, her body ceased to function. She stopped seeing, feeling, thinking, moving, breathing. She became… nothing.” Your belly twists. You don’t like what he’s telling you, not one bit. Whatever your face is doing, it makes Uncle keep talking. “It’s like your dolls—you can touch them and see them, can’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“But when you speak to them, do they speak back?”
“No.”
“Do they have beating hearts?”
“No.”
“Do they eat or piss or shit?”
You gasp. “That—that’s naughty, kepus!”
He rolls his eyes again. “No, they don’t. They’re things, not people. And your mother… she’s no longer a person. She’s a body; one we must put to rest today.”
The funeral is soon. Uncle has been reminding you lots and lots, and when you asked, he said a funeral is what people go to so they can say goodbye to the person who has died and put their body back where it is meant to go. And because Mama is a Targaryen like you and Uncle and Papa and ’Nyra, her body has to be put on fire so that she can go back to the wind.
She’s not a person anymore. She’s a nothing. It scares you.
You sniffle. “But… I don’t want her to be gone like Rhaenys did. I want her back.”
“I know.” Uncle hugs you then, pulling you so close that your nose gets stuck in all his hair. When you breathe in, all those hairs go up inside your nostrils and make them itch. You hope he never lets go. “I know.”
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Put on the dress, then sit in the carriage, then walk up the Hill, then stand quiet. Put on the dress, then sit in the carriage, then walk up the Hill, then stand quiet. Put on the dress, then sit in the carriage, then walk up the Hill, then stand quiet.
You keep saying it over and over in your head, just like Uncle had said. He is the only one who would tell you what is going to happen at the funeral, because he knows that you like to know things even when you’re afraid of them. It makes you feel better, makes you feel a little less scared.
Uncle never told you how many people would be here, though.
Everyone comes to watch you and ’Nyra and Papa and Uncle walk through the Keep to the carriage—the maesters, the maids, the pageboys, the lords and ladies that like to stay in the city—but they stay silent as you pass. You wonder if pressing yourself against the wall and thinking really hard about being made of stone will turn you invisible, which is when you can’t be seen. You wish you could. There are too many gazes on you, and it makes all the hairs on your arms and legs and neck stand up. Uncle has to press you forward when you slow down to look for an escape.
You sit in the carriage beside ’Nyra while Papa and Uncle sit at the front, because Papa is the King and Uncle is his heir. She is very pale, almost blending with her hair except for her red eyes. You slip your hand into hers and she squeezes hard, but you try not to show her that it hurts. She looks less sad holding onto you, so you don’t mind at all that her fingers pinch.
It is the first time in a long time that you have been able to see any of the people outside the walls of the Keep. Before Mama died—before Mama’s belly got too big and she had to stay in bed—she used to take you just beyond the gates to where the really poor commonfolk would line up every sennight on the day of rest to get their alms, which Mama says is an important part of being good. She would say that you have to give coin and food and whatever else the people might need so that they are well and happy, because that means they will support the King’s reign and be peaceful. You don’t know what that means, but Mama is always right.
You miss it—giving people things, letting them pat your cheeks or your hair and calling you the People’s Princess. Because Mama is Queen and giving alms is what the Queen is meant to do, no one else could take you when she stopped going out of her chambers. And, when you went with her, the people were always very loud and cheerful and smiling, and they thanked you with tears in their eyes when Mama let you give them the pouches of coin yourself.
As the carriage takes you through the city today, the commonfolk are quiet.
None of them are smiling, or happy. They watch on as the horses take you through the streets, and some of them even cry when they see the long box that the cart ahead of you is carrying. It is the biggest, nicest box you’ve ever seen, made with dark wood and borders that look like real gold, glinting in the sun. Uncle told you that the box has the bodies inside it, the ones of Mama and baby Baelon.
You think that the people miss Mama very much. Maybe they miss her almost as much as you do—but not the same amount. You think you miss Mama most of all, even more than Papa or ’Nyra, because at least they have Lord Otto or Lord Lyman or Lord Corlys or Alicent or Betha Strong or Ser Harrold to keep them company. All you have is Mama and sometimes Uncle, and now Mama is gone.
After a while, the carriage starts to take you up and up, which means that you are almost at the point where you will need to stop and get out and walk the rest of the way. This is because the horses cannot pull so much weight up Visenya’s Hill. Uncle said it would be hard for you to walk, being so small when the hill is so large, but that you have to so that everyone can see how brave you are. “Targaryens don’t show weakness,” he says.
He is right—the walk is hard. At first, when you get out and take ’Nyra’s hand and start to follow Papa up the hill, it isn’t so bad. But then, it gets steeper and steeper, almost so steep that you feel like you need to use your hands to climb the rest of the way. Your legs burn so much that you want to cry, but you don’t. Uncle said you cannot be carried, either, so you don’t ask ’Nyra to pick you up. You must be brave. You must be brave.
By the time you reach the top, the men who were made to carry the box have opened it up and taken out the things inside. There are two funny-shaped objects covered in brown cloth lying in the middle of the pyre that has been built for the funeral—one is big, bigger than you, while the other is very small. They are the bodies of Mama and Baelon, and you have to hold on tight to the memory of Uncle’s words to keep from running over and trying to shake them awake.
“What remains of them will be set upon the pyre, yes—but remember, they’re not people. They’re just skin and bone and meat now. You must let them burn as all Targaryens burn.”
’Nyra’s hand feels like ice around yours as a man in a strange dress with a hood comes forward, past all the lords and ladies and past Uncle and Papa to stand right in front of the pyre. Two other men wearing dresses that look almost the same go with him, but stay one step behind.
“Tubī Arryno Lentro Dārie Aemme se Targārio Lentro Dārilaros Baelon perzyrty mōrqittot…” he says. You don’t know all the words, but you think he must be talking about the way Mama is a queen and baby Baelon is a prince, which seems silly to mention now that they’re not real anymore. “Sȳndor zijosy rēbarose, Dāria Aemma eglio ilvot trēso Dārilaros Baelon zȳhos gūros se tegot…”
Syrax is standing on the very top of the hill above everyone else. Because it would be very rude to look around at the others—Papa’s Councilmen and Alicent and the men who live on Dragonstone, your family’s special home, and Princess Rhaenys too, who is very scary, as well as so so many people you don’t know at all—you keep your eyes fixed on the dragon, admiring how pretty she looks in the sun. Usually, she makes lots of noise and is very mischievous, which is another word for naughty, but today she is quiet like all the rest. You wonder how she knows about funerals when she cannot speak in Valyrian or the Common Tongue or any other words that people can understand.
“Targārio ānogro rȳ ōrbrar ojāris, sētenondi hen ībī iemnȳ nȳmas,” the man says. His dress has what looks like an eye sewn on the chest, which seems an odd thing to want to wear. No one else in the Keep wears eyes.
The two men behind him step up with jugs in their hands, and they walk around the pyre pouring what is in the jugs over the cloth. It turns the brown even darker brown. After they bow, they move back, and no one speaks for a while.
Finally, the man with the eye on his chest says one last thing. “Hen perzȳ sīdas. Va perzȳ āmāzissi. Hen prānot istas, vapār drējī mōrī iksis.”
Something about fire, you think. Maybe he is saying your House words in High Valyrian. Fire and blood.
It is silent then, nothing but the sound of the wind whistling filling your ears. Everyone is still, from the lady with the kind eyes that remind you of your own on the other side of the pyre to the funny men to the side. No one speaks. You wonder what is supposed to happen now.
Uncle puts his hand on your shoulder, leaning in to whisper in ’Nyra’s ear. “They’re waiting for you.”
At first, you think she hasn’t heard him—she doesn’t move or do anything at all, just keeps staring where Mama and baby Baelon are. You nearly jump when her fingers tighten on yours. “Ñurho valonqro paghyro jēdunna, lo tolijī kepa ñuha kirimvī rhēdos pendan.”
My brother lived, father found happy. It makes no sense, but Mama told you once that it is rude to listen to other people’s conversations, so you try not to listen too hard.
Uncle speaks too low for you to hear him, to which ’Nyra replies with something you do understand. “Trēsy dōrī kesan.” I will never be a son.
She sounds very, very sad. Poor ’Nyra, you think. I will never be a son, either. I’m just a daughter, a girl, like you. Maybe Papa would be happier if ’Nyra or you had died instead of Baelon, if your body was wrapped in the brown cloth on the pyre and you weren’t real anymore.
’Nyra lets go of you. She looks to Papa, but all he is doing is staring at the pyre where Mama and Baelon lie. Her face is very red, which means she has been crying. When she steps forward, Uncle takes your hand and pulls you back to stop you following her. He is warm, so you try to hug onto his leg in a way that doesn’t make you weak like he told you not to be.
Syrax makes her chirping noise, all of a sudden paying attention to what her rider is doing. ’Nyra tries to speak, but it doesn’t come out. “Dr…”
She looks at Papa again, so you do too. He still hasn’t looked away from the pyre. You wonder if he knows you and ’Nyra and Uncle are even here, because he hasn’t so much as glanced at you since the night he came to your rooms and told you that Mama and Baelon had died. Not once.
“Drakarys.”
Syrax rumbles, and then begins to climb down toward all the people. For a moment, you��re worried she might try to eat someone, but the Dragonkeepers are here with their spears to stop anything bad happening. She opens her mouth, and fire comes bursting out.
The pyre lights up, and Mama and Baelon disappear in bright-white-orange.
“Mama?” you whisper, eyes stinging and throat feeling strange, like you want to be sick but not. “Mama?”
The only thing that you can hear is the sound of burning.
Papa bends his head, and ’Nyra looks away. You think that you may be the only one who keeps watching the fire as it takes your Mama away from you forever.
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(When you are grown, you will not remember this day. You will not remember the ache in your bones or the wind in your hair. You will not remember the faces of the commonfolk you passed along the way, or the sorrow in Rhaenyra’s voice when she called down dragonfire upon the hill. You will not remember the cold that leached into your blood as you stood beside what was left of your family, a slow freezing that will take its toll over the days and moons and years of your existence.
Even so, the sight of the bodies on the pyre and the smell of burning flesh will remain etched into the very fabric of your person forevermore.
At night, you will sometimes feel as though ash clings to your tongue, the taste of rot lingering in your mouth. In dreams, you will see brown cloth and a faceless babe wiggling beneath wrappings as it burns to nothing. You will wake in a panic, near to choking on the air you cannot seem to make yourself breathe, looking about wildly in search of the horrors that had plagued your slumbering thoughts. Melancholy will follow you, lurking just beyond reach, haunting, nameless.
But you will not remember this day.)
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After the funeral, Uncle Daemon leaves.
You don’t know why, because he didn’t say goodbye and no one will tell you anything. When you ask ’Nyra, she tells you she doesn’t “want to talk about him” and walks away with Alicent. You ask Brella, but she just says, “Not right now, Princess.”
You don’t ask Papa, because he is still grieving for Mama and baby Baelon. For you, that means he doesn’t want to tell you about anything at all. But whenever someone says Uncle’s name in front of him, he gets very, very angry and storms off with his boots making a lot of noise on the ground, so Uncle must have done something very naughty.
A big ceremony is happening today, though, which makes it harder to be sad that Uncle isn’t here. ’Nyra told you that Papa has decided to make her the heir, even though Uncle is supposed to be. Maybe that is why he left. It has been very busy in the Keep because everyone came for Mama and Baelon’s funeral, but they are being made to stay for the ceremony so that they can swear fealty to Papa and ’Nyra. And, for the first time ever, you have a special role, too.
“… promise to be—to be faith–faithful to King Viserys and his named heir, the Princess Rhae-nyra. I pledge fealty to them and shall def—defend them against all e-ne-mies in good faith and without de-ceit. I sw–swear this by the Old Gods and the New.”
Alicent claps, smiling. “Well done, Princess! Much better!”
’Nyra comes out from behind her screen wearing a pretty red dress, like the colour of the dragon with three heads on your House sigil. “Just try not to stutter so much, little sister.”
“Trying,” you say grumpily—the words are hard—but ’Nyra isn’t paying attention. Instead, she is looking into the mirror as Alicent helps her with the laces at the back, staring at herself in a way that doesn’t look very happy.
Alicent stops and hugs her. “You will be fine. This is what you were born for.”
“I wasn’t, though,” ’Nyra says, frowning. “Was I?”
They both go quiet, so you say, “You look very nice today.”
That makes ’Nyra smile, finally. “Thank you.”
It doesn’t take long for Alicent to finish lacing up her dress and helping her with her gold cape and jewels. When she is done, ’Nyra leaves the room and Alicent moves toward you so she can take your hand. “Come, Princess,” she says. “Let us walk to the Great Hall together.”
When you get there, the room is full of people. You wonder if every single lord and lady in the whole of Papa’s kingdom is here, all together in this one place. It is only because you are a princess that you don’t have to stand with all of them, and Alicent leads you over to Ser Harrold so that you can stay next to him by the Iron Throne. There is even a little chair just for you there, in case your legs get tired.
“Princess,” Ser Harrold says. His voice is funny, like a growl, and it makes you giggle every time you hear it. And, every time you giggle, he smiles, which makes all the wrinkles on his face deeper, which is even funnier. He does it again now.
A big bang at the door has everyone go very quiet.
“Presenting—Princess Rhaenyra of House Targaryen!”
No one speaks when ’Nyra comes through the doors all by herself, chin lifted straight up and walking down the middle of the two groups of people. Everyone stares at her, even Papa, and you think that it’s only right that they do because she looks so so pretty today. She curtseys to Papa at the bottom of the Throne, and then turns to face the people.
Without a word, Lord Corlys comes forward and kneels. “I, Corlys Velaryon, Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark, promise to be faithful to King Viserys and his named…”
You decide to sit in the chair while you wait. All the lords here have to say the same words you do when they pledge fealty, but you are going last because you’re the most important person to say it, which is what Alicent told you.
Lots of men and some ladies come up to the front to kneel and say the words to ’Nyra while Papa watches. It takes a long time, so you spend it looking around at all the different faces and dresses and coats that you can see. There are all sorts of things sewn onto the chests of people’s robes—you see a black stag on a yellow coat, a yellow lion on a red one, a grey wolf on a white one, a flower, a bird, even some boring ones like plain stripes or dots. Some of the ladies are wearing dresses that look very strange—the neck comes far far down so you can almost see some parts that are not proper for a lady to show. When those ones say the words, most of them are actually saying them while looking at Papa instead of ’Nyra, which is very rude because today is all about ’Nyra and not Papa. No one tries to make them stop, though, so maybe only you notice it.
When it is your turn, Ser Harrold taps you on the shoulder. All of a sudden, you feel very scared. So many people are looking at you now, and it makes you feel small and weak like you’re going to be smacked if you do anything.
But you must be brave. If Uncle were here, you’d want him to be proud of you.
You kneel in front of ’Nyra a little closer than everyone else did, but you think that no one will mind very much because you are her sister. Besides, your legs are feeling very shaky, and you might fall over if you have to go any further.
For a moment, the words won’t come out and you panic, but ’Nyra smiles. It is the only smile she has shown the whole time, and it’s just for you.
You find the words.
“I promise to be faith-ful to King Viserys and his named heir, the Princess Rhaenyra. I pledge fealty to them and shall defend them against all e-ne-mies in good faith and without… deceit. I swear this by the Old Gods and the New.”
You rise up, feeling like water is rushing in your ears, almost like it does whenever you have to take a bath. A sound like a heartbeat is all you can hear as you walk back to your spot, but you don’t sit down. ’Nyra said that you have to stay standing for the final part, the words that Papa has to say.
Your sister turns around to face the Iron Throne and bends her head to Papa. He says nothing.
Then, Papa stands, his sword Blackfyre in his hand and pointing down into the ground. “I, Viserys Targaryen, First of his Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm”—so many titles go after his name, you think, glad that you only have ‘the People’s Princess’ after yours—“do hereby name Rhaenyra Targaryen Princess of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne.”
Everyone bows their heads, so you do, too. When ’Nyra turns around, all the lords and ladies and knights and guards clap.
Beyond the noise in the hall, you think you can hear a dragon roar.
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wolfie-1221 · 9 months
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some rhaenicent fic recommendations
grey ridge (ríl liatroma) by molter ( @molter-writes ) - married with kids; business drama; they’re sickeningly cute; arguably the best thing ive read in the fandom; 10 out of 10; read it like 6 times; if you haven’t read it dude what are you waiting for
ride the dragon (and do it quickly) by molter - the #roadtrip fix it 
love is complicated by molter - Alicent is an actress and Rhaenyra is her rich best friend; they idiots and they’re in love; Laena is featured and she is fed up
leaf and blade by molter  - it’s summer; they’re hiding their relationship; they’re teachers; and my all time favorite tag ‘harwin gets a whistle’ 
cleopatra by dontaskmedude   - divergence from episode 4; Joffery does not die; Laenor and Rhaenyra do everything right; Alicent and Rhaenyra raise their kids together 
someone to watch me die by dontaskmedude  - this is just, this is just depressing; good but depressing; like if hurt/no comfort is your thing this is for you; it’s just so, so sad; Alicent in chains/Rhaenyra half year queen era but no happy ending; do not read this if you want them to be happy 
Untouchable by mylordshesacactus - young rhaenicent; if Aemma never died and if Alicent never married viserys; i love this story so much you dont get it
Blame it on Fate by Lumyart ( @lumyart ) - they’re rival co hosts; well, actually, they’re rival co hosts in Alicent’s mind; Rhaenyra is thoroughly enamored (as per usual) 
you don't know what love is (if you don't put up a fight) by tansymeadows - viserys manages to last a couple extra days and Rhaenyra returns after Alicent blinked her pretty brown eyes and said “you’ve only just arrived”
The Silver Queen and the Lady in Green by WanderingFan - idk how to explain this; honestly just read it; it’s really good; slow burn; like incredibly slow burn im on chapter 26 rn and they’ve only just become friends a couple chapters ago but god is it worth it 
is it too soon to do this yet ('cause I know it's delicate) by Arvedui - episode 1 divergence; it’s cute; they’re cute 
would it be enough (if i could never give you peace?) by Arvedui  - Jeyne Arryn my beloved; you and Laena would get along splendidly when it comes to these two nitwits ( i say with affection) 
Midnights Like This by pure_black_wings - based on Taylor’s album; college setting; slow burn
Duty and Sacrifice (A History of Rhaenyra the Blessed by Archmaester Gyldayn) by TheIronDragon10    (@theirondragonrants) - now when i say i love this story i mean i LOVE this story; if you ever wanted to know what the House of the Dragon looked like thoroughly united then LOOK NO FURTHER; top tier; it’s wonderful; it has angst, it has joy, it has family and sibling vibes, it has slow burn, it has pain and healing and love everything i could ever want from a realistic version of canon where my girls can be happy; emphasis on realistic because the irondragon does not pull any punches 
Cleaving to Rhaenyra by WanderingFan - another episode 4 divergence 
you’ve got your demons (darlin’ they all look like me) by geralehane    ( @geralehane ) - the reincarnation au 
lying (in the hollows of your heart) by wakesiren ( @wakesirens)  - read this for the last scene of chapter 3 and thank me later; update: READ THIS FOR CHAPTER FOUR AND THANK ME LATER
towers and dragons verse by beepboop (permanganato) - Alicent is one adorable nerd okay and Rhaenyra just loves her 
what is it good for? by bluebaric ( @viscountcrow ) - arranged marriage au; Rhaenyra is a war hero; Alicent is perpetually terrified for her life  
tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart by alphayamergo   ( @sydneysageivashkov ) - this was just, this was just hilarious; like picture Corlys and Otto snarling at each other from across the council room trying to convince Rhaenyra to marry either Alicent or Laena and that’s what this is
thine is the queendom by liadrell ( @lesbianalicent ) - this was an excellent read, really good character dive on alicent
Ember to Flame by CrowSaint (@ dayneonychus ) - COLOUR ME INTRIGUED 
our shadow over the sea by queensmooting - sigh
Long Live Our Queens! by WanderingFan - they’re gonna kill their fathers and they’re gonna rule together and it’s gonna be great
blood in your mouth (I wish it was mine) by dontaskmedude - this made me shed some tears
Of Our Own Accord by 99bad_habits ( @99bad-habits ) - can’t wait to see how this turns out; canon divergence at 1x08; Viserys lives long enough and Rhaenyra returns on dragonback and our girls get to co-rule
there’s more i just got tired so feel free to add your own
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ronwestbreeze · 5 months
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bow to me
pairing: geto suguru x non-sorcerer!reader warnings: gore and violence, use of the word "monkey" lol summary: you're your mother's deadliest sin word count: 5.1k author's note: i had fun with this one, hehe. hope you guys like it <3
part 1 | read on AO3
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You weren’t a cursed spirit.
Or maybe you were, you weren’t necessarily well-versed in the world of curses and sorcerers. You just knew them by name.
You weren’t human.
Well, maybe you were, just a different kind. Cursed.
Yeah.
Maybe you were cursed.
There was an eerie quiet now. Your mind had never been so quiet. Not in a long time.
It was a rarity. This silence.
You decided that this was what peace felt like and that you weren’t going to let it go. You weren’t going to deny yourself any longer.
In the end, it was pathetically funny. Pretending to be normal whenever you never were. From birth, you had always been like this. So, you leaned back in the chair, your arm covering your face, and laughed.
And laughed. And laughed. And laughed.
It was hilarious.
The bodies lying at your feet were quiet as stone. But you figured they’d laugh too if they were alive.
Once your laughter went to giggles, you peeked over your arm and stared up at the ceiling fan.
“You’re your mother’s deadliest sin.” You sang to yourself. At least that’s what your father always said.
“She’s saved!”
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
You dropped your face into your hands and shivered. Bile coated your throat, tightened with such conviction. But none of it was from the stench of the bodies around you. It wasn’t the taste of flesh on your tongue.
Tears spilled out of your eyes uncontrolled.
You laughed. You cried. You couldn’t really tell anymore.
“You won’t have to suffer anymore.”
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
What the hell were they clapping for?
You opened your eyes, staring straight at one of the bodies lying down in front of you. Lifeless eyes that were once pleading for mercy, staring back at you. And for an instant, that little voice—the you a year ago, still trying to be human, still trying to live life as a regular sixteen-year-old—whimpered.
What am I doing?
You were cursed.
No, no, no, I promised I would. I promised!
Your father saw you as a blessing.
What am I doing? This isn’t me. This isn’t—
And your mother died for it.
“Now you can rest, my sweet girl.”
Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop.
Your breathing was shaky. But your body gave in multiple times. You sat up straighter, taking in all the bodies in the small living room.
Perhaps, you went a little far this time.
Then again, you’ve been hungry for a long time now.
“Do you have any more rice balls?”
You remembered their little faces so vividly. The only memory you allowed to snake its way through your mind while pushing everything else back into the tight box.  So detailed. Precious. Undeserving of this world.
You failed them. You should’ve fought harder and killed the townspeople yourself.
Unfortunately, someone had beaten you to it.
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2007
It’s been a pretty hellish day.
Granted, it might’ve been partially your fault.
You had gone on another binge but made sure to keep the bodies to a minimum of five this time around. But you supposed that was still too much because it drew some unwanted attention.
Usually, you kept to yourself at an abandoned hospital south of Tokyo. That was where you fed and left the bodies to rot. No one questioned it since many locals tended to stay away from the hospital. Something about it being haunted.
The haunted part was also, technically your fault but that’s beside the point.
Earlier in the day, it was pretty regular. You had a new job working at a café which gave you a lot of access to coffee in case you got a little squirmy around people, especially flesh. And the job had been pretty steady, you’ve been in the city for about half a year now. And it’s been pretty simple.
You’ve somewhat learned to control your hunger, choosing certain days to feed. Choosing the type of people to feed from, such as perverted men or just men in general whenever you felt extra pissed that day. Rarely did you go after women unless you were really, really hungry.
Children were off limits.
Sorcerers were a rarity. And all the more fun.
So what you expected as your usual day suddenly turned interesting when an older man you were serving started asking you strange questions.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not on the menu, sir.” Was your casual answer with the usual customer service smile.
The man grinned, “Wow, you almost seem convincing. I’m impressed.” He leaned his elbows on the table with a smug smirk, “Curses have gotten so advanced in this day in age, especially compared to when I first started.”
You kept your face neutral, “Sir, are you going to order or not?”
You weren’t human.
You knew this.
“Tell me,” The man continued, pinning you in place with an intense gaze. “How were you able to hide from us for so long?”
Now you were irritated. Strange how quickly that happened these days.
Instead of taking his obvious bait, you offered a sweet smile, “I’ll go get you another waitress. And when you’re ready to order she’ll help you.” You tucked your notepad into the pocket of your apron. “I have other tables to attend to. Excuse me.”
After a quick bow, you left his table. He didn’t stop you either with another strange question or observation.
This was going to be a long day. But you couldn’t help the secret grin tugging at your lips as you entered the kitchen.
“Heh.”
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“And where is the curse now?”
The human man, Geto never bothered to learn his name, swallowed nervously, “It was at the hospital for awhile and then, well, we lost it for a second—but we managed to track it down to a local café. Since then, the curse hasn’t left.”
Geto hummed and stood from the altar, “Any sorcerers?”
“One found it. But updates have told me neither of them have left the café yet.”
The curse was elusive, Geto figured. A month ago was the first time he received word about it. There were many bodies left in its wake, so it sounded like they were quite the powerful curse. A special grade, perhaps.
It’s just that no one has managed to catch a glance of it. But apparently, it was attached to a human girl.
Simple enough.
“Bring Larue. We’re taking a small trip.” Geto smiled passively at the man. “You’re of no use to me anymore.”
He should’ve sent Larue in the first place instead of this monkey. A mistake he would not make again. While yes, the human could see curses, he was still of little use to Geto-sama. Plus, he was slightly irritated that he nearly lost the curse.
That deserved some form of punishment.
Geto sent him another smile, “Why don’t I award you accordingly?”
A curse appeared next to him, startling the human into a frightful scream as he stumbled off and ran.
“Make sure to go and find Larue for me whenever you can!” Geto called happily as the man kept screaming further into one of the temple corridors.
After a moment, he dusted his robes off and sighed, “Alright then. Time to get to work.”
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“Huh, I thought you’d last longer.”
You mumbled as your kagune tore straight through the sorcerer’s abdomen and pinned him against the now scarlet-stained wall. By now you were sure that all the coffee was filled with drips of blood from all the deathly pale customers and former co-workers. How unfortunate.
The sorcerer didn’t respond or move. At this point, you were talking to a corpse.
“Aw, man! Now I have to get a whole new job.” You pouted, letting the body drop to the floor with the rest. “You see what you made me do? Could’ve left me be, serving gross-ass coffee. But you just had to play hero—not a very good one—but a hero, nonetheless.”
You allowed your kagune to retreat into your spine and get off the front counter. “Now how should I paint this canvas? Leave you all as is? Let the humans believe this to be a random homicide?” You stuck your tongue out, “Bleh, boring!” You knelt in front of the dead sorcerer and found yourself giggling as if he told you a joke, "Or maybe you killed them all and then yourself. Yeah, seems fitting. Sure to keep the rest of your kind off my back for a little bit. Including the humans.”
With that, you nodded to yourself and hummed a catchy tune to yourself as you went to grab a knife from the kitchen. After dancing to the song in your head, you stabbed the sorcerer in the abdomen multiple times until it was coated in his blood.
The whiff of the blood was delicious and you couldn’t help but get a few licks before putting the knife in his limp hand.
For a moment, you remained crouched in front of him. Staring straight at this corpse. Wondering when you became so used to the blood. To finding flesh so delicious.
Guess you couldn’t help who you were in the end.
Was it sad? Was it relieving?
You couldn’t say.
With a sigh, you stood, instantly catching movement in the reflection of the café front window.
“Hi, there.”
You barely had time to turn and see who else was in the café with you.
It felt as if an invisible chain yanked you back.
And everything turned black. Though, you weren’t unconscious.
And here entered the hellish part of the day.
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Perhaps it wasn’t simple.
When Geto saw the curse for himself, he originally, only saw a human. But upon further inspection, he saw it. That cursed spirit. It was just hidden by that human cover.
Was it inside of the human? Was it even attached?
Or was the human the curse?
Either way, he was able to capture it and swallow it down like all the others.
The taste was strange though. Putrid like the rest but there was a sweetness to it. It was a pleasant surprise. Apart of him wished he could taste her all over again. The type of sweetness that was addicting. What a nasty drug.
It was definitely a special grade. That much was clear.
Useful. He needed power like this on his side. He was lucky to have caught it first before those sorcerers could.
Well, technically the dead sorcerer did find it first but didn’t have much time to exorcise it. Clearly.
He chuckled at the scene before him, “Well, aren’t you a gruesome little thing.”
And it was his to claim.
Proud of his recent accomplishment, he and Larue went back to the temple with more work awaiting them, well for Geto mostly.
“They’re all waiting for you, sir.” One of his followers informed him.
Next to him, Larue grinned, “Another speech tonight, Geto-sama?”
“That’s where I do my work best.” Geto smiled with a nod as he walked to the main room.
Upon entering, dozens of followers left from the Time Vessel Association got on their knees and pressed their foreheads to the matted floor.
“We live in a disease. Sickness everywhere we look.” Geto took his seat at the altar, brushing out his robes. “And it is our job to get rid of it. To clean this world of monkeys. And I recognize that many of you are hungry for that. But all followers must be guided in the right direction.” His smile grew as they kept their heads down. None of them dared to look him in the eyes as he spoke. They respected him. They adored him.
It’s what he deserved.
“You all obey me now if you wish to live and see the world we create.” No one objected to this. Larue stood further at the back with a proud smile. “Do you trust me to lead you all without question? If not—”
It’s as if for a short moment, he wasn’t in control of his body. His stomach twisted into painful knots, and his throat both retracted and tightened until he finally lurched forward and retched the ball with the curse out onto the matted floor.
“Geto-sama!”
That had to be Larue’s voice. But Geto couldn’t hear much of him. Not with a bleary mind, dazed in confusion and shock.
Yes, in the past he had vomited after swallowing curses. But they never came back up.
What the hell?
You weren’t sure where you’d end up after scaping but you sure as hell wasn’t expecting to be standing before a bunch of people, bowing but staring at you in utter shock and delicious fear.
Of course, you were still pissed about being captured but your lips lifted upward into a smirk at the sight. That is until your eyes caught on an old insignia on the wall.
The symbol for the Time Vessel Association.
You scoffed, “You guys never give up, huh?” You wiped the leftover blood off your lips and grinned, “Can’t even let it go after almost three years? That’s fine, I guess. More food for me.”
In your mouth, your canines began to ache just as your eyes locked on one of the men.  Frozen in fear at the sight of you. Looking like he was just about ready to run out of there.
“Excuse me.”
The voice rang in your ears. Coming from behind you like at the café. Lazily, you glanced over your shoulder only to be met with the last person you ever expected to see.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t eat my loyal followers.”
You didn’t recognize him at first. His hair was longer, and he wore a kasaya over his black robes—but his smile was the same, just with something a lot more sinister.
“Hey,” You mused with a raised brows, “You killed me last year. And took my girls.”
He stared at you too—you were sure he recognized you too with the subtle look of familiarity flashing in his eyes.
Of course, he recognized you.
The sweet store clerk from that village. The non-sorcerer that had made him falter back then—only by a little.
His conviction about it had been long resolved though. To him, you were just like the rest of them. A monkey.
Although, you looked quite different with blood tattooed onto your face, clothes, and body. Wearing it proudly like a second skin.
Showing little reaction to recognizing you was easy.
But it was the way you said ‘my girls’ that made his fingers twitch and his smile become stiff.
“Larue. The meeting’s ending early. Please, escort everyone out. Some important matters that need tending to.”
After the man, Larue, gave you one last cautious stare—you didn’t bother sparing him a look—he led the rest of the group out of the room. Leaving only you and this man. A cult leader if you had to guess.
“I didn’t think you were close with the girls.” He mused as he began circling you, brown eyes staring intently at every part of your body. Almost as if he were looking for something.
“Yeah? How could you after you killed me?” You threw back easily, unmoving from your spot as you let him circle you. It was a little game, you thought. You would pretend to be the prey while you let him be the predator. “Didn’t leave me much room to say anything more either. Not with your—you still on that whole killing humans shit?”
You heard him chuckle faintly behind you, “Yes, I am.”
“Mmm. How quirky of you.”
He appeared in your vision, stopping before you with his hands tucked behind his back. The way he moved was elegant like he was acutely aware of his body and those near it. “I hate to break it to you but they’ve long forgotten about you,” His smirk grew, eyes gleaming as he watched your reaction—or rather something else, you remembered he always did that when the two of you first met. “I made sure of that.”
Of course, he still wanted some reaction from you but it didn’t help that he naturally had the face of a liar—even more now than back then—so you couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at your lips.
The man’s—whom you still had yet to learn the name of—smirk never wavered but he still kept staring. Right through you. “You wouldn’t be meeting them, unfortunately. Not when I’m done with you.”
“Ooh.” A grin left your lips as he continued circling you. “Done with me, huh? By a girl dinner first.” He hummed from behind you. You glanced over your shoulder, having to look up only a little to see his face. Your voice was slow when you asked, “What do you plan to do to me?”
There was a chuckle as he slipped from behind you to appear in front of you once more. “So are you a vengeful spirit? I don’t particularly have time for a random human to be haunting me. I’d just kill you and be done with it.” You tilted your head but didn’t respond. Nor did he look for one. “Or you could just be a simple cursed spirit, but then there’s the question of your cursed energy. It certainly isn’t similar to a cursed spirit. And considering none of the ones I capture come back up, I’d have to cross that possibility off my list.”
“You’re talking a lot more than last time.” You pointed out, watching him curiously. He was dangerously close. And you were all too ready, all too hungry for this.
“Or,”
He continued as if you hadn’t said anything. His eyes still searching, a neutral smile playing on his face.
“Ah yes, now I see. The curse could be attached to you. A cursed human. Now how did your filthy monkey hands get a hold of this curse—”
He was close enough by then. That was his first mistake.
You snatched his neck and slammed him down onto the steps of the altar in a matter of seconds, completely taking the man off guard.
Now you straddled his waist, gripping his neck with both your hands as you laughed with wide ghoul-like eyes. His larger hand gripped your wrist, trying to free himself from your otherwise ungodly strength, his own eyes widening slightly when a red glimmer shot out of your back, sharpening to a point where it was pointed directly at his forehead.
“Who the hell do you think you are, huh?! Some god? Could’ve fooled me! Hey, why don’t we have a rematch? Maybe this time it’ll be a fair fucking fight!”
In a blink, something heavy snatched you up and swallowed you whole.
Geto sat up, rubbing his now sore neck as his curse flung around the room and landed on the ceiling, swallowing you.
“Heh,” He grunted out as he got to his feet.
Maybe he was pissed. Maybe he was intrigued. Maybe a little bit of both. Fortunately, none of his followers were in the room. Imagine they saw you manhandling him with ease like that. What leader would that make him? How could he appear weak like that in front of them?
But that didn’t stop the growing grin tugging at his lips. This was a completely different person compared to the human he met at the store—if you were even human at all. You had been so nice, and sweet—your smile so genuine. And now? Maybe death changed you. Maybe you were a cursed human.
Maybe you’ve always been like this.
“You’re not going to make this any easier on me, are you?” He sighed as he stepped off the altar, glancing toward his curse who still stuck to the ceiling. Watching him patiently. “I was going to offer to kill you quickly and then take the curse, but I see now you don’t deserve my mercy. I could have saved you. Maybe you should’ve stayed dead—either way, I’m going to enjoy having your cursed spirit under my control. It’s useful. Powerful. Something you monkeys lack—”
His curse exploded. Bits of it’s skin falling. Blood spilled onto the floor.
And a blurred object flying toward him at an ungodly speed.
Geto barely dodged you as he jumped out of the way.
You left a large hole in the floor when you landed where the man had been standing. Now your kagune was out and gleaming, hungry, and simmering with rage just as your blood was.
The man landed a few feet away from you, black holes appearing at his side with more curses spilling out of them. You grinned at this and stood straighter at the altar.
You looking down on him. Just as he had done with his followers.
Geto tried not to react at that. Tried not to show how pissed he truly was.
But you noticed it of course.
It made your grin follow into a laugh as you sunk easily into your fighting stance.
“You done spittin’ that narcissistic shit, yet?” You called amusingly. “Or are you ready for that rematch now?”
“That’s enough out of you.” He now didn’t look so amused as his cursed spirits launched themselves at you at once. “That curse does not belong to you. I believe it’s time you hand it over to me now.”
You allowed the two cursed spirits to get as close as possible before dashing from the altar and ending up in front of the man with a sickening sweet smile.
“Make me.”
But he didn’t lean away, your noses practically touching. He matched your grin, white teeth glistening in the dimly lit room.
“Gladly.”
More curses came flying at you. Some large and others small. You dodged and killed the smaller ones. The larger ones were a lot more difficult to get through. Truthfully, you didn’t know much of your limit to your strength or speed since you spent most of your life trying to suppress it all, but it seemed you were able to keep up anyway, coupled with your skills in martial arts.
And it seemed he was using the curses to keep you distracted long enough until he could get up close himself. His arms wrapped around you from behind, restricting you as a flying curse was zooming toward you, its beak wide open and ready to take your head.
“Comfortable?” He whispered in your ear, his chuckle tickling the lobe. “Is this what you wanted when we first met in that store? To be this close?”
You grinned and leaned back into him just a bit, “Your such a tease.”
With that, you smashed the back of your head into his face, forcing him to let you go as you spun and kicked him hard enough that he flew.
Fortunately for him, one of his curses caught him and another smashed into you, throwing you across the room. You quickly tore through it with your kagune and leaped back up to your feet just as he came at you.
His combat style was fast and far more experienced than you were, but you managed to keep up. You managed to land in a few jabs of your own until one of his curses took you down again.
You threw it off and spat out a mixture of spit and blood, “Cheater.”
“Like you’ve been playing fair.” He scoffed, rubbing his jaw from the last blow you had given him.
“Try not throwing your stupid curses at me and fight me yourself.” You challenged, jumping to your feet. “I can’t be the only one making the first moves here.”
Just as you said that you tackled him into the damaged altar stairs, straddling his lap again, tugging his hair so he was looking up at you, “Comfortable?”
He was staring up at you again, this time with visible interest, “You’re not human, are you?”
You rolled your eyes and let his hair go but kept your legs straddled at his waist, “What gave that away?”
“Are you done with your little show now?” He asked with a lazy smirk now on his face.
There was movement in the corner of your eye and you glared, “I swear to go if another one of your stupid curses—”
Another one slammed into you and threw you into a wall. “Asshole!” You grunted, holding your shoulder as you dodged another attack from the curse, “Play fair!”
The cheeky bastard grinned, “Make me.”
Your kagune came out. It was like a tail, almost. An extra limp that was a part of your body but hidden. It swished around, cautiously waiting for your command. Waiting for your next target.
The both of you were bruised and bloodied, surrounded by curses, but neither ready to back down just yet. You wondered how long the two of you would keep at this. Which one of you would eventually give in? Which one of you would die? Is that his end goal here? To still kill you?
Well, with the way the curses and him surrounded you, the latter seemed more possible with each passing second.
That didn’t mean you were ready to give in. Not like last time. Not like that night in the temple. The two of you stared at each other with silent challenge. He was back on the altar as if expecting you to bow down. Like you were supposed to submit like his little followers. He hid it well back then.
Only this time, there was a subtle look across his face. One he didn’t bother to hide.
He was hesitating.
Now was your chance to—
The doors behind you swung open behind you and a call of your name screamed desperately as a smaller body crashed into your back.
Your first instinct was to attack, to direct your kagune at the newcomer. Only when you felt smaller arms wrap around your waist from behind, you faltered.
Now you were hesitating.
Another body came at you at the front, just as small as the other one.
Nanako looked up at you with wide teary eyes, “Don’t hurt him! Please! We don’t want you to get hurt!”
Through your shock, you were a little offended. If they took one look at him, they’d see that you were managing just fine. But you didn’t voice that out loud. Instead, you allowed your kagune to disappear.
“We thought you were dead.” Mimiko whimpered from behind you, her hold tightening. “When Nanako said she heard your voice, I didn’t believe her. But you’re here! And we don’t want you to go!”
“Please don’t leave us again.” Nanako buried her face into your stomach, her voice becoming muffled. Silent tears were falling down your cheeks as you knelt to their height. “Please, please, please, don’t leave.”
“Okay,” You whispered to her, allowing Mimiko to come around and hug you from the front as well. You wrapped your arms tightly around them, ignoring how most of the curses that had surrounded you had disappeared. Ignoring how easily you melted in front of your girls. Ignoring how much your heart had been missing a void up until now. Ignoring how he watched the three of you intensely from the altar. “Okay, okay, I won’t leave. I’m right here.”
Mimiko pressed her cheek against yours, “Promise?”
You chuckled shakily, realizing how much you were trembling as you held them. “Yeah, I promise.”
“Okay, well, we have to pinky promise on it,” Nanako said pulling back a bit as she wiped her tears on her hoodie sleeve. “We kept our promise. Now it’s your turn.”
Nanako held out her pinky which you took instantly. Mimiko lifted her head from your shoulder and joined her pinky with yours. You allowed them to fight over covering your much longer pinky with their little ones, earning small giggles from the girls.
Geto watched the interaction, silently.
The girls never approached anyone other than Geto himself. Not even the people he trusts the most, the girls weren’t as comfortable as they were with him.
He didn’t doubt the girls' adoration for him. Not one bit. They were his.
But perhaps he saw why they were also equally yours.
Mimiko and Nanako weren’t secretive about their relationship with you, even after they thought you had died—like he told them. They always spoke fondly of you, despite knowing you for only a short amount of time. Still, in that short time, they experienced the most kindness they had ever received.
He remembered you freeing them from the cage. He remembered your protective stance when he appeared to you at the temple. He remembered the distraught look on your face when the girls willingly went with him. It wasn’t betrayal. It was sadness mixed with the simmering rage that was directed at him.
You weren’t human.
That much was clear.
You weren’t entirely a curse spirit either.
Probably more human than curse.
Geto wasn’t too sure how to feel about that yet.
Not yet anyway.
The girls were now in front of him, staring up at him with big pleading eyes. They didn’t have to say it with words.
They wanted you back into their lives. Now that you were here and alive, they wanted you. Just as much as they wanted to be by Geto’s side.
Then there was the fact that he didn’t want to kill you anymore—which was oddly unsettling for him. Technically, you weren’t human. But there was still so much to uncover about you.
And your power was useful. He couldn’t kill something like that.
He was smiling at you again. That passive one. The one that was meant as a warning as he approached you with the girls following in tow behind him.
“I don’t believe we’ve formally introduced ourselves.” You raised a brow as he leaned forward, your faces now inches apart. “You can call me Geto-sama.”
You didn’t utter your name, but he said yours with ease. Falling off his tongue in his deep and smooth voice.
“The girls told me so much about you.”
“Geto, huh?” You mumbled when the last curse sunk away.
“My followers refer to me as Geto-sama, yes.” He nodded, the smile remaining on his face.
It was annoying.
You sent him a grin, “I’m not one of your followers. Geto.”
Ever so slightly, you could see the subtle twitch in his brow. And at that, your grin grew.
Mimiko was the one to speak next, “Can we keep her?”
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268 notes · View notes
deathmetalunicorn1 · 10 months
Note
Hey! I just saw the new spiderman movie (across the spider verse) and had an epiphany. (First of all, did you see the movie? I don't want to give you spoilers or something like that, if not, you can ignore my request)
A spider-woman reader who gets lost in the multiverse and somehow makes it to RoR's, maybe platonic yandere reactions because of how young she is and what she has to go through? (because of the canon and all that)
Maybe a bonus of Miguel O'hara going to look for her so as not to alter her canon and seeing a group of supreme beings on the way? (God that man is wild)
With the gods being Odin, Hades and Poseidon and on the human side Adam, Qin Shi Huang and Tesla.
-You wandered around, curious as to where you were, after your watch malfunctioned when you were trying to run from Miguel. You were trying to help Miles who just wanted to save his dad.
-You remember when your own dad was killed, something Miguel said was a ‘canon event’, but you felt like you could have prevented it, you could have saved your dad, and now you were giving another fellow teenager a chance to save his own dad.
-Those who defended Miles were ordered to be captured to be grounded to prevent any more canon events from happening according to plan, to prevent the multi-verse from being destroyed.
-You were one teenager verses an army of other spider heroes, so of course you ran, scared, and when you tried to go back to your own dimension, someone managed to take a swipe at you, making your watch malfunction and you wound up here and your watch broke right afterwards.
-There were so many weird people around, people that didn’t look human, so you thought that you didn’t stand out much, wearing your own spider suit, a black bodysuit with red web designs, and a red pleated mini skirt with an oversized bow tied to the back of it and a black widow symbol on your chest and your back.
-Brunnhilde ran to find you after reports came to find you and found you with Shiva who instantly like you as you were sparkly eyed- or sparkly masked, “You’re so cool Mr. Shiva!” you had never met anyone with four arms before and he was instantly taken by you, easily able to tell that you were a teenager.
-Brunnhilde brough you before the other gods and powerful warriors from history, you only recognized a few names, like Adam and Nikola Tesla as far as humans went, but you knew a lot of gods, as you were a history buff.
-You unmasked, pulling it off and jaws dropped, seeing you really were just a teenager and you told them about what led you to being here, something Odin was able to tell was the truth, as well as the broken watch.
-Your eyes were huge; meeting Nikola Tesla himself, and he was thrown off by your elation before you started to ask him questions about his inventions, and he instantly beamed and the two of you hit it off quickly. He had never met someone so into science that wasn’t a scientist, and after you told them about your own powers, showing them by shooting webs and able to scale walls after being bitten by a radioactive black widow spider, he was elated, wanting to know as much as possible!!
-Nikola pulled your watch apart, trying to figure out how it worked but it was very advanced.
-Adam was instantly your parent in this new world, as he was furious that you were out fighting crime and putting yourself in danger, furious that a child was being forced to do this, after you told them about canon events, as most of the different Spider-Men gained their powers as teenagers.
-You found yourself quickly adopted by many different people in this new world, getting a massive family almost instantly, which was nice, since you only ever had your dad, and since he died, you lived mainly at HQ and only going to your dimension for school and to fight the bad guys in your dimension.
-Since you couldn’t leave, you were welcomed into this world, and since there were no villains, you got to live as a normal teenager, learning about figures of history directly as well as learning from gods.
-Poseidon was one that took a little longer to warm up to you, as he didn’t really want to bother with you, until Hades brought you over and your eyes were huge and sparkly, wanting to know more about the oceans as humans weren’t going very fast with their exploration of it.
-Hades sent him a small glare when Poseidon tried to wave you off and spoke rudely at first, but seeing your drive to learn more made him realize that not all humans were bad, a few, like you and Kojiro were proof of that.
-Hades adored you, as you dropped in, literally, wanting to ask him all sorts of questions from the lore you learned in school and he was happy to get away from his paperwork and was able to tell you all about the truths being many of the legends, some were true, and some had more embellishments added in.
-Odin was the god you spent the most time with, as you lived in the Norse pantheon with the valkyries, so you got to see him, Loki, and Thor all the time, although Odin learned quickly that Loki was a bad influence on you, as he would encourage you to get up to mischief with him but seeing you happy was nice here and there.
-When you first met Qin Shi Huang, your eyes nearly popped out of your head, realizing that he was a bona-fide emperor!! You asked him so many questions, a lot like a curious child and he was quick to realize how smart you were, and he loved watching you use your abilities, even taking him flying with you once, showing the strength in your webs. It was his turn to be sparkly-eyed when you showed him your fangs, your upper canines that grew just a bit when you were first bitten, and you told him that you could paralyze your enemies for about four hours with the poison in your fangs, but you don’t like biting others, to you it’s kind of gross.
-When a portal opened and Miguel stepped out along with several other members of HQ and he immediately glared, “There you are!!” you let out a terrified squeak and instantly ducked under a table but when nothing happened, you peeked out, seeing your new parents, those who had adopted you, were standing between Miguel and you.
-Miguel remained calm, explaining the canon events, and that the multi-verse was at threat of falling apart if you didn’t return to your own world and continue with your duties, this time with a babysitter since you were one of the ones who tried to help Miles.
-Miguel tried to yell at you once you came around, peeking out around Adam, who held your hand when he felt your hand looking for his, “Miles needs to understand that this needs to happen! Miles, you, and those other idiots who helped him are all so selfish!”
-You immediately snapped back, “He’s a teenager- I’m a teenager, we’re kids! What do you expect when you tell us that we have to let our loved ones die?!”
-He glared and Odin, showing his intimidating aura, spoke, “That is enough!” Jessica tried to reason with you, but you didn’t want to, you refused to believe that this was the only way.
-Zeus then laughed warmly, “My-my~ you humans always seem to make such a fuss out of things. As gods, we have the power to remove the instability of these multi-verses, so things can play out according to how you all want them to.”
-Jaws dropped all around as you gawked at him, completely stunned before the gods combined their powers to just that, giving Miles the opportunity to save his dad with no repercussions, there were no longer a need for canon events!!
-Miguel was stunned before he sighed softly, admitting defeat and sent out the message to everyone, letting them know what had happened and that Miles and those who were being hunted were no longer in trouble.
-You cheered loudly, celebrating and Jessica couldn’t help but ruffle your hair lightly before she gave you a new watch, as she knew yours had been destroyed, giving you the opportunity to come back to HQ whenever you wanted.
-You beamed, leaping and hugging Poseidon who caught your embrace, as you now had the freedom you always wanted to do what you want with your powers, and you could come and go to Valhalla as you pleased.
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(Little mid-timeskip scene with Perona, Zoro, and Mihawk:)
The castle was beautiful, but empty. And quiet. So, so quiet, aaaaalllllllllll the time. Perona had never been able to stand the quiet.
To fill the space, she sang. She wasn't the best at it, but it was better than talking to herself all the time, she thought. Plus, it was comforting, in a way.
Mihawk was typically apathetic about her singing. But Zoro, being the good and proper pirate that he was, often added his voice to hers.
This particular evening, as she set about preparing dinner, she found herself reminded of an old familiar children’s song, one that she remembered her mother singing to her while at work in her own kitchen.
“There was a boy called Johnny King, who used to ride his bike-”
“Up and down this simple country lane,” Zoro joined in, from where he was casually leaning back in his chair at the table.
Perona smiled. “Now he’s gone to sea, to sail under the black flag of death, and- ack!”
She dove for the stove as her pot threatened to boil over. As she did so, Zoro completed the verse-
“And all the people know he won’t come home again.”
“What?” Perona turned back around, having got the situation at the stove back under control, and frowned. “That’s not how it goes.”
“Uh, yeah it is. Didn’t you know?”
“No, no, it’s ‘the people far and wide all know his name’.”
“...Huh? No it isn’t!”
“Yes it is!”
“I’ve heard both,” Mihawk put in before the argument could develop any further. “Zoro’s is the East Blue version, Perona’s is the version here in the Grand Line.”
“Oh. Ohhh, well, I guess that makes sense, doesn’t it? Maybe he was a real guy, and he went from the East Blue to the Line.”
“Maybe so,” Zoro nodded. “That would also explain the difference in the two lines themselves. If he died at sea, he never actually would come home again, would he?”
“But then, the other version isn’t necessarily wrong. I mean, we do all still know his name, don’t we?”
“I guess we do.”
“So he must have had at least some success as a pirate. That’s…I don’t know, it’s kind of fascinating.”
"If you say so," Mihawk shrugged.
“That guy Noland ended up being a real guy," Zoro said thoughtfully, "from that North Blue children's book."
"You mean Liar Noland?"
"Yeah, but it turned out that he wasn't lying."
"What," Perona frowned as she began ladling steaming pasta onto plates for each of them, "are you saying you found the lost city, then?"
"Yeah. It was on a sky island."
"...That's a story I haven't heard."
"I'll tell you sometime, then," Zoro said around a huge yawn.
"As long as it's not at the dinner table, please," Mihawk sniffed.
"Hey, Hawkeyes, how come there's no songs or books about you out there?"
"I don't know, but I am thankful that there aren't."
"I bet we could make our own! Mihawk, Mihawk, with blade of steel and, uh, eyes of gold..."
"Lord of the sea and Kuraigana cold," Zoro added with a snort.
"Yes, that's genius! We've got to write this down!"
"On second thought, I believe I will just take my meal in my room."
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cerastes · 6 months
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hello dreamer! as someone versed in specter lore, i was hoping you could possibly clarify why guard specter is in a nun outfit. was it just something the church of the deep stuck her in? laurentina was into sculpting, dancing, and fighting and cherished ideas of beauty. she was always even in her "worst" state as the ill specter truly devoted to assisting her friends and being a reliable fighter. did she cling to the nun for grounding or identity during a time when she had very little, or what?
It's due to the aggressive, high intensity brainwashing she was subjected to by the Church of the Deep, alongside their Originium experiments.
The main thing to remember about the whole Laurentina-Specter situation is that the Church of the Deep were winging it. Never before had they managed to capture an Abyssal Hunter, and Laurentina was patient zero for them. After being completely exhausted, battered, and weakened from covering the Third Company's (this being Ulpianus' and Skadi's team) advance towards Ishar-mla against overwhelming odds, enough that the entire rest of the Second Company except Gladiia and herself died, Laurentina got washed up to the coast, where the Church happened upon her. Not really knowing exactly what makes a Hunter click beyond surface level appreciations, they made her their guinea pig.
Amaia and Quintus both express immense surprise at her having survived the experiments at all, because said experiments involved, among other things, injecting enough liquified Originium into her spine to infect a small country (literal, non-hyperbolic assessment). Laurentina's main card, after all, is her sheer resilience.
As it has become clear by now, Originium has a will or some sort, and it's impossible to say how sentient it truly is, but it Really Doesn't Like Us. It's why Nightmare and Ptilopsis, for example, hear voices telling them to do awful things. Laurentina was subjected to some hardcore brainwashing at the hands of Amaia and Quintus. If you ask me, the underlying theory was most likely "through brainwashing and the intrusive presence of Originium in her psyche, could we make a loyal soldier out of a Hunter?".
Throughout the time they had Laurentina, the answer would be no, because Laurentina is resilience given shape. Keep in mind, the liquid Originium was injected directly into her spine, so her mental faculties were severely impacted and, compounding with the brainwashing, it made her go almost insane. At some point, Kal'tsit happened upon this particular state of affairs and rescued Specter. We don't know the particulars of that event, other than Kal'tsit rescued Laurentina personally and took her to Rhodes Island, and through Specter's Files, we know she was still clinging to sanity at this point, and it was mid-interview with HR that she went fully "insane" AKA Laurentina went dormant and the Specter took over. This is also entirely consistent to how Laurentina's mental resilience works, as we'd eventually out in Stultifera Navis: When they finally reached Rhodes Island, they were too far from the ocean for Laurentina's Seaborn genes to function at a high enough output to push back at the brainwashing-and-originium combo (conversely, this is how she temporarily regains her sanity at the end of Under Tides: proximity to the ocean and enough stumuli; it's a bit different in Stultifera Navis, but it follows the same principle).
The choice of outfit, that being a nun's attire, stems from the brainwashing she was subjected by the Church of the Deep. During and after Under Tides (Specter OP Record 2), she keeps it on as a matter of convenience more than anything: She knows she's on borrowed time, and that she'll go dormant again soon, so she wants to get as much done as possible while she's still herself: Go assist Rhodes Island Elite Operator Misery with a dicey situation, have a brief but important chat with Skadi so Skadi can forgive herself already, spend some time with Gladiia, talk with Closure, and finally, talk with Doctor, specifically about not even thinking of taking it easy with her, and to keep sending her out to as many fights as possible, because if they don't, they deny her her purpose, the very last thing she has (until she does in fact awaken for good, that is, but at this point, that seemed an impossibility).
It's less about her clinging to the nun look for grounding as much as, even if she couldn't help but be dressed in the way of her captors, even if she wasn't in control of her actions, in control of her body, in control of her mind most of the time, Laurentina, being defined by unrelenting resilience, doggedly clung to whatever she could, to make sure she was never fully controlled, influencing the Specter even as she lay dormant: One could surmise that, being caught between the immense influence of Laurentina's willpower and the overpowering brainwashing of the Church, this lead to Specter behaving as she did: During combat, a silent, mumbling war machine that unfailingly followed the orders of her rescuers -- Rhodes Island -- to the letter, even if it hurt her or put her in danger, and outside of it, an unstable but harmless lady that would say some concerning things here and there but never really act on them. Hilariously enough, as we'd eventually find out, the 'psychotic' outbursts Specter had, such as saying that all things are meant to be cut in pieces, were actually reflections of Laurentina and not any insanity. The Specter, without any influence from Laurentina, is simply a faithful, devoted follower. It's Laurentina's influence that brings out those bursts of violence from Specter.
The "identity during a time when she had very little" is her fighting on behalf of Rhodes Island, and fighting at all: Again, check out Specter's Operator Record 2, it answers a lot about Laurentina in a pre-Unchained world, she herself explains how, even if she loses absolutely everything, even her body and mind, she WILL make sure that her body remains a useful tool of combat for you if that's all she can do, and that to care for her, baby her, and keep her away from combat would be the ultimate insult you could throw at her, because you're denying her her last wish and ultimate purpose as an Abyssal Hunter, and as Laurentina.
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anonymouscheeses · 1 month
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so…
about this human verse you got…
how does Al fit into all of this? Is that where Vaggie got the spell or is the gang she’s a part of also a monster hunter org?
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This is Alastor's human design! I wanted him to give off a old money rich vibe. I didn't look up a reference for old money attire 😭 i jjst looked at some randim char from a show i watched that kinda gave off Alastor vibes. This may change but tbh I kinda like it the way it is. Altho one day I may change my mind <3 lore drops under cut!!
(Sorry if he doesn't look like Alastor, these human designs are mostly based on my redesigns so they look even MORE different than usual ill get better hopefulllyyyy)
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Husk(left) is Vaggie/Valerie's dad in this au cuz I said so unfortunately. Sorry i dont make the rules! Husk is Salvadoran like Valerie cuz ofc, like he's 100% black but I wanted him to be Valerie's dad soo I was like.... yeah win sum lose sum. But dw I have SO much black characters on the way. It's kind of terrifying!!
Alastor tries to be like a dad to Valerie but she resents him. Her mom died to a sickness, and Valerie has no room in her for another parent figure in her life except Husk.
Also, Al is gay aroace, so when he fell in love with Husk he was SO surprised likeee how??? He was his first love ever and Al just loves him dearly despite never loving anyone ever before. He's still a girls girl ofc but brutha is gay u can't tell me otherwise 😍
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Charlie gave him the headband with the antlers that she cheaply made herself. Alastor loves them genuinely. (If Alastor cares abt Valerie or Charlie is purely up to viewer, but if you want to see him care for orr like be toxic to them send a request fr fr imma draw that shi 😍🙏). Alastor is the only one who knows that Charlie is a demon because he's the one that taught Valerie how to summon a demon(YOU'RE SPOT ON. HOW??).
(Also I forgor the stripes. Sorry I was so sleepy drawing this you can probably telll.😭)
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Alastor is still a cannibal, his husband and step daughter just doesn't know it yet, and NO he will probably never tell them unless forced to or he feels like he can. This man is the friend the smiley bro 😭
I'll maybe soon draw what happened between Valerie, Lute, and Adam during the fight, since ALOT happened. But it may be a bit before I get to that
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Alastor taught the kids young how to summon demons the WRONG way. Because obviously he didn't want literal immature kids to end the world completely. The trio spent years finding ways to summon just one demon. Adam did it to create chaos, Lute just followed, and Valerie just loved having fun with her friends.
Now that they aren't childhood best friends. And that whole fight happened. Valerie doesn't know what to do. Alastor suggests she gets a bodyguard from hell, any demon at all(Demons are devoted to you as long as you keep a part of your deal with them or you break the contract of summoning one). Aaaaand that's how Charlie came to be summoned! Valerie got her eye stabbed out, Alastor was being silly and taught his kid how to summon a demon, Valerie was like "aight ig", then summoned her future wife.
(WILL ALSO ONE DAY DRAW THE FIRST TIME CHARLIE AND VALERIE MET.... ONE DAY....)
Fun fact: Alastor has a radio station of his own that he plays 1920's music in. Although most people would rather NOT listen to old times music, somehow he makes it work that people always listen to his radio. Maybe a deal with a demon of some sorts...? Perhaps... :>
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the0maski · 3 months
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Not necessarily LU based, but in the overall “canon” -verse the Hero of Time doesn’t exist in two timelines, right? He died in the Downfall Timeline and never came to be a hero in the Child Timeline.
Legend and Hyrule probably only heard about the title Fallen Hero, never his true title. Same goes for Twilight, only knowing Time as the Hero’s Shade or Cursed Swordsman. Which means, only Wind knows about Time, and he is the only one with a legend about him.
Funny detail, if Hyrule Warriors would fall under the Child Timeline that would mean that Time was present during the whole timeline, it gets better if Mask was only dragged into the war, because the goddesses pulled a: You broke it, you fix it! Making it more fun, Time becomes just history’s biggest mystery and meme under historians. To the point where there are huge debates about him, because some records say that he lived after the Hyrulean civil war, but at the same time he is mention being at the War of Ages which was two whole Eras later! Was he ever a hero? Why are they no family records about him? Was he really just a forest spirit, was he even hylian?
Flora would absolutely have a field day, if the chain ever stepped only a foot in Wild’s Hyrule. Seeing how she is extremely interested in history.
For real: there is to little mention, in the fandom, that the Hero of Time is only known to one person (Or two if Mask had been in the war). Everyone else had never heard of him, less knew that there was a hero that came after Four. How had they all found each other? I know that, there is a fanfic troupe of the chain slowly forming, while hopping through portals ending in a new Link’s Hyrule. But in comic, the first time they all walked through a portal together, was after visiting Malon. Meaning they all met in Time’s Hyrule, in the Timeline were he is no “hero”. How did they find Time, since asking for a hero would not worked? What makes me also believe, that Time is only leader of the group, because he is the oldest and apparently has a high rank among Hyrule’s military. Maybe he showed the Triforce mark on his hand? But less likely since he hides it most times.
My money goes to Wind or Twilight. Wind talking randomly to this soldier, about the legend of his time, not knowing he is speaking directly to said person of the legend. The rancher only because, he got flashbacks of Shade, and he needed to find out more. Bonus would be Warriors lost at words, because that one deity that sometimes possessed his little brother, became the Milkman!
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otto-serena · 3 months
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Back from the Dead {𝒮𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝒶}
AU Verse
@butibite
It had been two years since Serena had seen her family. After trying to help people at an abandoned mall and getting attacked, Serena had nearly died, she had been shot in the torso and barely made it out alive. She had tried to get back to Troy, back to Tracy, but her radio was dead and she was bleeding too heavily to make any real progress in getting anywhere. She had tried walking away from the mall but in her decision had gone in the wrong direction of their camp and passed out from blood loss. The next time she woke up, she was being treated for the wound in the back of an odd van. A few people had come across her before she could die and had chosen to help her. Her wound was infected and Serena was in and out of consciousness for several days until she finally came to. Although by that point she was several states away from Troy and their daughter, and in no shape to travel, and without a long-distance radio she couldn't get back in touch with them. Serena had been looking for her family for two years now, and she now had found them for the first time in all those years. After picking up a radio transmitter, and checking the stations, she came across a voice she recognized on the radio, Troy. Although the radio couldn't transmit back to him, but she had an idea of the location and left for it as soon as she could.
Now Serena had found them, found her husband, her child, her group in the middle of what she could only be described as an all-out war against Troy and Madison.
Madison fucking Clark. Serena hated her with a passion, despite never actually meeting the woman. But Troy had told her what Madison had done to him, at the ranch and at the Dam. Serena had seen the aftermath of Madison's violence on Troy when she saved him from the Dam years ago. Serena had caught on to the fact that her husband was fighting Madison Clark through the radio chatter. After what Madison had done to Troy on the ranch with her manipulation and turning everyone against him, and then at the Dam. Serena wanted to see her on the ground.
For the moment Serena kept herself hidden, she didn't know the extent of the mess Troy was in and she didn't want to make things worse. She had caught up to the group on the side of a lake, with people there from Madison's group and Troy's, with a scattered heard. Serena watched from the cover of the tree line as Madison approached Troy. Something didn't feel right.
Madison was standing close to Troy, holding his arm in one of her hands, while holding Alicia's makeshift arm in her other. Serena watched, raising her gun to train at the Clark. Then she saw it, the change in Madison's demeanor, her expression, and how she tried to stab Troy with Alicia's arm. However, before she could actually plunge the sharp metal into Troy's torso her hand holding the arm was shot.
Madison let out a soft cry as she was shot in the hand, dropping the metal arm she had planned to kill Troy with and she stumbled back in pain, "What the hell?!" She exclaimed looking around in confusion.
"Have every one of your people put their weapons down, and step away from him." Serena said through the walkie, still hiding in the trees, "or the next bullet goes in your head."
Madison looked around in confusion and looked at Troy before picking up her walkie, "who the hell are you?" She demanded, although was quickly shot in the arm.
"I'm not someone you want to mess with," Serena said putting her walkie back in her belt before stepping out of the treeline and walking over to the group, she could see Troy out of the side of her vision. She wanted to run to him, to hug him and be held by him again, but right she couldn't. Instead, Serena kept her eyes and gun trained on Madison. Although she looked around at the group, the people who were apparently on Madison's side.
"I said put your weapons down or I kill her!" Serena snapped staring at them before looking back at Madison. The blonde woman was holding her arm, flinching in pain from the bullets, and stared at the woman who had walked out of the treeline in confusion and anger.
"Who the hell are you?!" Madison demanded again.
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arc-misadventures · 14 days
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Okay this could just be me remembering the lore wrong. But how old was Ozma when died in the Vtuber au? Since Salem should at least be in his late 60s or somewhere around that, well assuming Ozma didn't die young.
Well, there isn’t any lore, well much lore for the story in general.
But, I can certainly make some!
Ahem…
Before the VTubers, there was the MMORPG of, ‘The World of Remnant: Hunter’s, and Monsters.’ Salem, and Ozpin were actually players in these games, among the top players at that. And, because of their skills in the game, they were the elected heads of their respective guilds.
Salem was often referred to as the, Grimm Queen, and the leader of the Cabal. And, Ozpin was simply referred to as Headmaster Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy.
~~~
Salem became the, Cabal leader after the developers of the game came to her with an offer that she could become the canal leader after they notices her skills, and particular playing style that they thought would be fit for the position as the leader of the, Cabal.
Salem herself was a blonde hair woman with deep blue eyes in her early twenties. She started playing the game as a copping mechanism after dealing with a miscarriage that ultimately ruined her marriage as well.
Loosing herself in the game brought peace of mind, and of heart that she sorely needed. Being the cabals master also meant that she could adopted an almost motherly attitude, but strict way of dealing with its members. This way of dealing with the guild members added an air seriousness to its members. Reminding them that they were evil, but not evil.
And, she remained the leader of the Cabal until the very end. She lead her guild throughout the consequences of the, Apprentice Massacre,’ She led her guild in battle against the, Grimm Titan, and she was the last flame to be snuffed out as the, Scorpion incident struck the final nail in the coffin of the, Grimm Cabal..
But, her love for her character, and the, ‘World of Remnant’ endured. See various characters she knew given new life in a new form she decided to join in on the, VTuber crowd, and bring back her dear lady.
The world of hunter’s and monsters may have fallen to the ashes of time. But, Salem the Grimm Queen would endure.
~~~
Ozpin was to, put it simply: a huge nerd.
Like a massive nerd when it came to the lore, and history behind, The World of Remnant. So much of a fan that while the man of his late thirties never having a computer for gaming he immediately bought one just for playing, ‘The World of Remnant: Hunter’s and Monsters.’
He spent countless hours playing this game to the point that where it was often said among the various players that, Ozpin was made the headmaster of, Beacon was just to get him to slow down.
He lead, Beacon Academy with a calm, and wise disposition, that seemed to go on for hours, leading to the rumour that the mug his avatar was often seen carrying around was filled with coffee, and the man himself was a caffeine addict.
A rumour that those who were close to him, such as ErrantryPaladin, and other high rank Academy faculty members would confirm to be true.
He lead, Beacon Academy until the final days of the game. He stood side by side his friends that have played this game since it’s inception. He was among the first to join, and the last to leave.
Now that the, ‘World of Remnant: Hunter’s and Monsters’ was over, he got into the VTuber Scene, and became the Headmaster to his beloved Academt one again as the owner of the, Beacon Academy VTuber Agency.
Bringing back his persona as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy to usher in a new era for upcoming Hunters of The Wold of Remnant: VTuber Verse.
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blackypanther9 · 1 month
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Until I found you~ - Alastor x Fem!Reader
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(Picture belongs to rightful owner)
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You were cooking for everyone in the Hazbin Hotel. You had a newly established relationship with Alastor. To you it felt like a deep friendship, you could ask anything of him nowadays, he would do it. As you were cooking a song came on and you smiled.
Georgia, wrap me up in all your I want ya in my arms Oh, let me hold ya I'll never let you go again like I did Oh, I used to say
You were swaying from left to right and started to slow dance, while you cooked, singing along the song. You loved this song so much. It was “Until I found you” by Stephen Sanchez.
Alastor heard music and you singing along, he grew curious and walked towards the kitchen. As he saw you dancing and singing along, he watched you for a bit, from the doorway of the kitchen.
[Chorus: Stephen Sanchez & Georgia Brown] I would never fall in love again until I found her I said I would never fall, unless it's you I fall into I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her I found you
He chuckled softly. You spun around as you heard someone chuckle, as soon as you saw Alastor, you smiled brightly, danced over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the kitchen with you.
“My Dear, what are you doing ?”, he asked amused.
“Dance with me, Al !”, you said happily.
He gave you a genuine smile and grabbed both your hands. Slowly he danced with you to the song.
[Verse 2: Stephen Sanchez & Georgia Brown] Georgia pulled me in I asked to love her once again You fell, I caught ya I'll never let you go again like I did Oh, I used to say
You sang along and Alastor sang with you too. Slowly waltzing with you around the kitchen, giving you one of his most gentle smiles.
[Chorus: Stephen Sanchez & Georgia Brown] I would never fall in love again until I found her I said I would never fall unless it's you I fall into I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her I found you
His radio filter died down and he sang with his actual voice with you, while still waltzing around with you. You gave Alastor a big smile. You loved his normal voice, without his radio filter.
As the guitar solo was played, he twirled you around and you laughed in delight. He loved hearing you laugh, seeing you smile, seeing your eyes sparkle in happiness. You captured his heart so easily and beautifully. He couldn’t resist you. [Chorus: Stephen Sanchez & Georgia Brown] I would never fall in love again until I found her I said I would never fall unless it's you I fall into I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her I found you
The two of you continued to sing to the end together and then stopped waltzing, with him dipping you. You gave Alastor a big smile and a kiss on his cheek. His eyes widened in shock, a soft blush covering his cheeks, his left ear flicked softly and his tail wagged gently.
“Thank you, Al. This dance was beautiful.”, you told him softly.
He gave you a gentle smile back.
“Of course my Dear. Anything for you.”, he replied, still with his radio filter off.
He helped you up and you hugged him tightly, which he returned after a short second of shock. Then he looked at the stove.
“What are you cooking for everyone, my Dear ?”
“I am cooking some butter chicken with rice and for you I am cooking a bit of venison. I know you love venison a lot. You can mix it into your rice.”
“Darling, you are a true gem !”, he praised you and hugged you gently, while you watched the butter chicken cook.
You turned around after he let go and petted his head gently, making him let out a static purr.
“I know, Deer. Now go and look for Charlie. She was looking for you not that long ago.”, you informed him.
He sighed a bit annoyed.
“But I want to stay here.”, he whined.
“If you go now, we can dance and read together later.”, you promised him with a loving smile.
He perked up at that and his tail wagged again, faster than before.
“Promise ?”, he asked.
“I promise, Al.”
With that he nodded, gave your right hand a kiss and then left, to look for Charlie and what she needed of him this time. You smiled at him and gently shook your head.
‘My Deer can be such a sap. But I wouldn’t change him for the world.’
A/N: Sorry if it is so short ! Aaahhh ! I almost died from the FLUFF though ! TvT
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daisyrb-gvf · 2 months
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Cruising Into Love
d.r.w. x f!reader
My first post on tumblr, but definitely not my first fic. Danny's cruise picture had this story pouring out of me, so I hope you all like it! I thought this first chapter would be longer than it is, but the next part of the story deserves its' own chapter.
Words: 3.2k
Summary: After 3 mundane months of working on a cruise ship, you're met with the most gorgeous man you've ever seen.
Warnings: plenty of swooning, language and brief mentions of f masturbation.
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You sigh as you zip up the back of your fitted black dress. Another night, another performance. You love being an entertainer, and sitting behind the keys is as close to home as you can get on this ship, but after 3 months of your 8 month stretch, it is starting to feel so redundant, and there are only so many songs that are approved to perform at the piano bar. The boss wasn’t too pleased with your medley of LL Cool J songs with an audience consisting of mainly 50-80 year olds. Tight ass. 
“Just three more nights and you get a break,” you reassure yourself as you touch up your makeup in the pathetically tiny mirror that looks huge in this shoebox of a bathroom. 
“Alright girl, I’m off,” you say to your slightly-less-than-pleasant bunk mate. It could be worse, but it would have been nice to bunk with someone who actually seemed to give even half a fuck about you. At least she wasn’t mean. Just…distant. 
“Kay,” she replied with enthusiasm akin to a corpse, not bothering to look up from the sketch she was working on. You sighed again, feeling like you’ll never be able to chip away at that wall. You didn’t come here to make friends, but damn, a little human connection would be nice sometimes. 
– – –
Your body shuddered as you threw back a shot of tequila at the bar. “Thanks, Chris,” you said to the bartender-one of the few people who will have an actual conversation with you. He winked before flicking his eyes over to a young, classically hot dude. Boyish features, blue eyes, sandy blonde hair…you get it, but definitely not your type. 
“Down boy,” you say with a chuckle as you wink back at him. 
Settling down at the keys, the audience gives you a small applause as the chatting dies down. 
“How’s everyone feeling tonight?” you ask the small crowd, mustering up as much enthusiasm as you can. You get a small cheer, and a few whoops from the more inebriated folks. “You mind if I play a few songs for you?” A louder cheer encourages you as your hands start to dance across the ivory keys. 
Ooh you can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the dancing queen
The crowd sings along with you-definitely one of the more tone-deaf groups you’ve played for, but at least they seem to be having fun. Dancing Queen is always a good opener, and one of your favorites, so you prefer to start the shows this way. 
The crowd cheers as you segue into your next number. People are getting tipsier with each song, and you have to admit, it is pretty entertaining. Drunk crowds are typically great audiences unless they get belligerent. 
“Alright, it’s been a blast playing for you all tonight,” you say as you start the intro to your final song.
I needed the shelter of someone’s arms
And there you were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs
And there you were
WIth sweet love and devotion–
Holy shit. Who is that guy? A tall, dark, and handsome man emerged into your view after an elderly couple left the table in front of his. You miss a note and snap back into focus through the chorus. What the hell? Why is some random-admittedly gorgeous-dude throwing you off? That’s new. You make it through the second verse, but after that it’s impossible to not steal another glance. Your knees get a little shaky as you drink him in, thankfully keeping your shit together in your performance. You watch him sing along as he drums his fingers on the little bistro table. You realize you glanced a little too long once he smirks at you, locking eyes. You blush red and avoid the entire corner of the room where he is sitting for the rest of the song. Oh God, how embarrassing.  
The crowd cheers as the song ends and you take a bow before immediately walking back over to the bar…which, unfortunately, is far too near the gorgeous man in the corner. 
“One more tequila, please, Chris,” you say anxiously as he chuckles. 
“Little flustered there, aren’t you? Wouldn’t have anything to do with that yummy Greek statue of a man there in the corner would it?”
“Shut up, Chris,” you whisper, your face turning redder by the second. 
“Mmhmm, okay. Whatever you say,” he says with a smirk before walking to the other end of the bar serving the influx of post-performance guests. 
Walking out of the room, you make it maybe ten feet before realizing you left your phone behind the bar. 
“Shit,” you mutter to yourself, debating on walking back now or waiting until the crowd clears in hopes of avoiding the gorgeous creature who made you pathetically weak in the knees. 
“Oh, come on, he is just a man. Get the fuck over it,” you mutter again, rolling your eyes at yourself. You turn around and make it one step before slamming straight into someone. 
“I’m so sorry!” you both say in unison as large, warm hands wrap around your shoulders, steadying you. Of-fucking-course. 
“Oh, no worries!” the insanely beautiful man replies, dropping his hands from your shoulders. The summer breeze feels colder than it had before as your whole body flushes. 
“Oh-um-yeah, okay,” you sputter out with a nervous smile. Good God, get your shit together. 
He chuckles, “Your performance was great. We loved it,” he says warmly as a beautiful, tall, brunette woman walks up next to him. Of course. There’s no way this man could be single. It only makes sense that he would have one of the most staggeringly gorgeous women on his arm. 
“Yes, it was lovely!” she chimes in, hooking her arm through his as she reaches out a hand to shake yours. 
“Oh, thank you!” trying to stay as cool as possible and not show your disappointment, you shake her hand and flash a smile. 
“I’m Josie, and this is my brother, Danny,” she introduces. 
Oh. Brother. He’s her brother. The relief you feel is embarrassing and you hope it doesn’t show on your face. You sense it does, based on the tiny smirk Josie is clearly trying to hold back. 
“Nice to run into you,” Danny says with a chuckle, reaching his hand out to shake yours as well. He holds your gaze for just a moment longer than you expected. Just long enough for your breath to catch as you get lost in his dark hazel eyes…flecks of gold, brown, and green-the warmest eyes you’ve ever seen. He flashes a bright white smile that makes your chest tighten. 
“Yeah, uh, you too,” you reply with a nervous giggle, your voice barely shaky. Oh my God, you are so fucking embarrassing. 
“Come on, Dan. We’re late meeting mom and dad,” Josie says, leading Danny down the hallway. “Nice meeting you!” 
“Yeah, you too!” You stay glued in place for a moment, watching them walk away. Damn, the back looks just as good as the front. Danny turns around at that moment, catching you staring. He smirks and winks before turning back around, disappearing as they turn a corner. 
“Real smooth, you idiot,” you sigh, tossing your head back before walking back into the bar. 
– – –
You got almost no sleep that night, and it infuriated you. Losing sleep over a man you barely met. Get a grip…but, those eyes-such a warm hue, long lashes, smooth, tan skin, he had a little dusting of freckles on his cheeks and angular, almost avian, nose. His features were masculine and sharp, with a jaw that could probably cut glass, but his kind eyes and heart-melting smile made him seem so…soft. You could tell he was a man who wasn’t afraid to do some grooming and pampering. With skin like that and shiny, dark brown, perfect ringlets of hair long enough to barely brush his shoulders…yeah, he put some effort into his appearance. His demeanor didn’t seem cocky or vain, though. Confident, sure, but not full of himself. Ugh, and then that body. 
“Oh, come on,” you say exasperatedly to yourself as you roll over for what was probably the 20th time, trying to relax. “You’re not 13 years old. For God’s sake, you are 25. Act like it.” 
You take a deep breath and relax one muscle at a time, feeling the gentle rocking of the ship lulling you to sleep. You start to drift off and the image of Danny turning around to wink at you jolts you awake again. 
“What the hell? May as well just stop fighting it,” you say defeatedly, letting your mind drift off to Danny with no resistance. You close your eyes again as you try to remember every detail. His sun-kissed skin, broad shoulders, slender hips and legs, but you could definitely see the muscle definition under those tight black jeans. You let out a little giggle as you remember the cheesy little shark tooth necklace dangling on his collarbone, just above a small patch of black hair dusted on his sternum. His short-sleeved top was unbuttoned just below his pecs, leaving the rest of his torso up to your imagination. You find yourself imagining how it would feel to run your hands over his warm, undoubtedly hard, stomach before smoothing them around to his back, running up to his sturdy, broad shoulders. You know what would help you sleep, but even alone in your bunk, you’re embarrassed that seeing this man for a few moments would cause you to slip your hand into your shorts. You wonder if you had met him earlier in the day it would have given you time to shake it off. Maybe take a run around the 7th floor track that wraps around the ship on the deck. But for now, you need sleep, so you do what needs to be done. Thank God your bunkmate is working the overnight shift. It only takes a few minutes before you finish with a soft sigh, drifting off to sleep seconds later. 
– – –
Hard as you tried, you can’t help but feel a slight pang of disappointment when Danny doesn’t show up at the next night’s performance, and you feel pathetic for that. This is a huge ship. It’s impossible to do even half of the activities offered, so why would he come to the same show twice? To see you? Come on, girl. Get real. The self-loathing is bubbling up inside you as you attempt to exhaust yourself by running seven miles. Does it work? Absolutely not. You’ve never felt so electric and energized. Any other time you would have been grateful, but not now. Not when, despite your exhaustive efforts, you still find yourself relieving that ache in your core before drifting off to sleep. 
Rolling out of bed the next morning, you feel a bit better. The exhaustion from your run the day before caught up to you, and your legs feel like they are on fire. Thank God. Despite the pain, you brush your teeth, throw your hair in a bun, and slip on a tank top, shorts and running shoes, making your way to the 7th floor. Maybe after today’s run you won’t even think about him when you fall into bed tonight. 
A small smile forms on your face as you close your eyes, feeling the sea breeze enveloping you as you step through the double glass doors onto the deck. Most people you know prefer to run out on forest trails, feeling the crunch of leaves and soft dirt under their feet, seeing the sun filter through quaking aspens, hearing songs from morning birds harmonizing together. You love it too, but the power and energy that the ocean offers can’t be beat. You start off with a slow jog, warming up your aching muscles, before finding your stride. You feel as if the ocean is running alongside you, the waves matching your pace. You finally start to feel like you’ve found your footing again-literally and figuratively. After your first lap you see a few more people making their way onto the deck. Most come out for a nice walk, just enjoying the view they don’t get to see often. You see a sweet old couple, moseying along hand-in-hand. Just walking silently. Comfortably together. This is a common sight around here, but you feel a bittersweet sort of heartache for just a moment before someone whizzes right past you. 
Long legs, narrow hips, mess of dark chocolate curls tickling those broad, tanned shoulders with each step, the navy blue muscle tee giving you a much better view of those shoulders as they flex and move in tandem with his strong, lean legs. Legs that he clearly enjoys showing off based on the yellow shortie-shorts he’s sporting. You increase your pace with a surge of adrenaline, but also so you can get as close as you can to the view. As he reaches the curve of the track at the front of the ship, he looks over his shoulder at you, grinning before picking up his pace. Is he…challenging you? Oh, it is so on. You weren’t an all-state track star for nothing. You grin and take a deep breath, pushing yourself faster, the excitement dulling the burning pain in your thighs. Danny hears you round the corner as you catch up to him, chuckling through his steady, heavy breaths. You’re not letting those long, sculpted legs have an advantage over you. Ignoring the burn in your chest, you surge forward faster, eventually passing him. Looking over your shoulder you catch him staring at your ass. He quickly looks away and out at the ocean. If you weren’t puffing and panting so hard, you’d probably giggle, but it’s all you can do to stay focused and not let him catch up to you. You both run another lap, taking turns being in the lead before you both give up and just run at a steady pace next to one another. 
“Okay, I give up,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’re good! How long were you running before I came out?” You couldn’t help but shiver slightly hearing the deep timbre of his voice between his panting breaths. 
“Oh, just barely over a lap,” you reply, doing your best to not sound like you’re dying, and failing miserably. 
“Safe to say this is something you do often?” He runs the back of his hand down his neck, wiping off a bead of sweat that rolled from his chin down over his prominent Adam’s apple. 
Taking a big gulp of air that had nothing to do with your exhaustive run, you wipe sweat from your brow and try not to stare at his neck and shoulders glistening in the sunlight. “No, this is my first time,” you say as seriously as you can manage. 
“Are you joking?!” he asks incredulously. 
A laugh bubbles up at the sight of his adorably confused and surprised expression. “Absolutely. I’ve been running basically my whole life.” Your breathing is finally starting to slow along with his, the rise and fall of his chest and shoulders still exaggerated, but not as fast. 
“Oh, thank God,” he replied, flashing that bright smile, your breathing picking up again ever so slightly. 
“Bit competitive, huh?” You walk over and grab a couple of towels and water bottles from the recently restocked shelf. 
He chuckles, “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” You hand him a towel and bottle and he immediately chugs half of the water, a tiny bit of it running down his chin, the small stream of cool liquid mixing with the sweat on his neck, traveling down his protruding Adam’s apple again. “Thank you,” he says, wiping his brow with the slightly scratchy fabric of the generic beach towel. 
“Oh, yeah..uh, you’re welcome,” you awkwardly sputter, yet again embarrassed by the reaction this man is getting from you for basically just existing. 
He drops his head, clearly trying to be a gentleman and hide his knowing smirk. After a brief awkward moment he looks out at the water. “Bet this never gets old, does it-getting to run with the waves every day?” 
“Never,” you reply, with a contented sigh. “The ocean is the best running buddy I’ve ever had, no offense,” you giggle. 
He chuckles back at you, “None taken. I totally understand. I wish I could do this every day.”
You both saunter over to the railing and lazily lean over the smooth, wooden bar. 
“Well, they’re basically always hiring here. Want a job?” you ask with a chuckle. 
“Don’t tempt me,” he replies, his large hands gripping the rail as he leans back slightly, enjoying the breeze. His damp curls already drying from the salty air. 
“This sea breeze is really the only thing that could do any tempting. Cruise life behind the scenes isn’t very glamorous. I’m sure whatever you’re doing now is better than this.” 
“Maybe so. Depends on the day.” 
“So, what do you do?” you ask, turning around to lean your back against the railing as you take another sip of water. 
“Danny! I thought you said you were going to wait for me?” Josie bursts through the glass doors, looking irritated. “Oh hi!” she says, flashing a bright smile-very similar to her brother’s-at you. “It’s good to see you again. You want to join us on our jog?” 
Josie is so bubbly and bright. She has that magnetic energy that people are just naturally drawn to. Matched with her staggering beauty (that clearly runs in the family), you imagine that there are plenty of unsuspecting people out there who have been left in a haze by her presence. You find yourself just a bit jealous of whatever genes run in that family.
“Oh, thank you for asking, but I actually just finished up here. I don’t think I have another lap left in me,” you chuckle, finishing off what’s left of your water. “Not after kicking this guy’s butt,” you giggle nodding your head in Danny’s direction. 
“Excuse me?” he retorts, “I do believe that it was a tie,” he laughs. My God, he has the most adorable laugh you’ve ever heard-kinda dorky, actually, and you are so glad this Greecian god has been humanized a bit, even if it did make your heart ache more for him. 
“I believe you,” Josie loudly whispered to you with a wink, “and thank you for tiring him out a bit. Now I can outrun him,” she laughed before bolting down the track. 
“Oh come on, sis! That’s not fair!” he called out, running after her. After a few strides he slowed down and turned around, running backward, “It was good to see you again!” 
You watched him run down the track, frozen in place again, until he turned the corner. 
“Guess I’ll be losing more sleep tonight,” you mutter with a sigh before walking inside to take an ice cold shower.
LOTS more Danny in the next chapter, I promise. I'm a slow-burner.
Go to Chapter 2
@spark-my-nature
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