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coffeewritesfiction · 7 months

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A Meeting at the Sow's Ear - a Cthulhu Mythos Short Story

"Evening to you, too, Mr. O'Tipp," I said and I felt the tightness of my words on my tongue. Nathan O'Tipp smiled wider. He looks like a fine man until he smiles. Looks like he should be wandering a Hollywood studio, him with his perfect fair skin and his nice suits. But when he smiles, it stretches too wide, and his eyes have got a shine to them that I've never seen anyone else have. Even when the darkness hides everything else, I see his eyes, almost the same shade as my own. No, there's not a drop of human or humanity in him. I hope he doesn't know I know. "Come out of the dark, Harbinger," he said. "Let me get a better look at you. You are such a treasure to me, I can't let anyone else break you."

Part of the Pharaoh Syndicate Investigations series - a reupload with some edits

CW: blood, discussions of homicide, Prohibition and all that implies, body horror, mild trans/homophobia early on,

Arkham, 1931

Overhead the stars walked the sky like restless strangers, and the fat moon lounged back and watched us all. But it’d missed the fun. Before sunset, I shot two people for the contents of a dirty old bag. Now I walked with that bag down the street to Dad's house. No idea who's Dad he is. He may give me an allowance, but he sure ain't no family of mine.

From five houses down I heard it, one of the favored songbirds singing like it was still 1926. Closer I got, the reason why I heard her became obvious - they’d opened half the windows on the Sow’s Ear. No point hiding it from the coppers anymore. The boss owned them too.

Part of the ‘contract’ with my old boss and the new one took my name. Like the new boss said, I didn't need it anymore. I liked that name. I chose that name. I still use it with one single person. But for everyone else, I'm the Harbinger. And that means I’m whoever the boss wants me to be.

He don't know about this, so don't let me catch you calling me shit like Gumshoe or Dick Dickless. I get enough of that bull from my coworkers. If you wanna call me anything, call me by my real name.

My name was Lazarus, once. I'm 23 years old, pretty sure. I was born a woman. Not long ago, I was an investigator at Keller and Queens Detective Agency. Now I serve a monster pretending to be human. I don't think he knows I know that. I hope he doesn’t know I know that.

There are two speakeasies in town, and until I got my new job, I'd never been to either of them. I was a good citizen once upon a time. One of the speakeasies is run by a cult. The other is a cult. I'll let you guess which one I go to. Only real difference is who's at the center of it anyway.

The Sow's Ear is the center of the boss's operations in a part of Arkham nice people like to forget about. Pretty sure he lives above it. So what? Times are hard. Not a bad place to live anyway. Cute little spot, two stories, looks like all the others in town. Customers come in through the back, employees in the front. Somebody put a sign up for the Women's Christian Temperance Movement by the front door years ago. Boss must've thought it was funny. Now it's as worn and dirty as everything else in the city.

Adds to the charm, I guess.

I got one solid knock in on the door before it cracked open, and two glaring eyes met my own.

"What's the password?" The man spat out.

This was the dumbest part of the whole thing. He knew who I was, and I knew who he was. But old Lyman didn't like me much, and he took every opportunity to try and screw me over.

With a huff, I let the words out.

"Kynyarle keh-urak ghottu."

No, I don't know what that means either.

Lyman stared at me. He pulled away from the door.

"Tell Mr. O'Tipp his dyke is back," he said to someone on the other side.

The door swung open. I caught a glimpse of Lyman's back vanishing into the bar. I ground my teeth. Some men take it real personal, when you don't stick between the lines. I told myself again, I'll get him back for all the shit he'd put me through.

But the bag.

I closed the door behind me, adjusted my sweaty grip on my cargo. The stairs sat right in front of the door. Up I went into the maw.

Always felt like the steps were gonna collapse under me, with how they creaked and groaned underfoot. I go up and down them least once a week, mostly more, but the old wood hated me like everybody else. Not a single fucking picture hung on the wall to distract me, either.

What I really hate? The fact it's on purpose. The fact the bastard didn't need any message sent saying I was here. The fact he had my footsteps memorized the very first day we met.

I won't let him get to me, I said to myself, I lied to myself.

At the top of the stairs he has a velvet curtain hiding his little home away from home. Expensive, purple, golden gild and soft under my tired hand. I lifted it aside and walked into the shadows waiting for me. Heard the music nice and loud now, a voice deep and sweet blessing my ears. Not from the hallway in front of me, that led to his office. It came from the right. From the balcony that overlooked the speakeasy below.

Two golden cats in the antique Egyptian style stood by on either side of the entry. Framing the view, more purple curtains, held back by golden chains. Between them, looking out over the dancing, thriving crowd… him.

As I watched him, me in the shadows and him in the light, he looked over his shoulder at me, and smiled.

"My personal investigator returns," he said. He folded his arms behind his back, took a step forward as he turned all the way to face me. "Once again you've cheated death, haven't you?"

I set my jaw, didn't look down where his eyes settled on my body. Didn't have time to wash out the blood before I headed here. Didn't want to tell him how much of that blood was mine.

"Evening to you, too, Mr. O'Tipp," I said and I felt the tightness of my words on my tongue.

Nathan O'Tipp smiled wider. He looks like a fine man until he smiles. Looks like he should be wandering a Hollywood studio, him with his perfect fair skin and his nice suits. But when he smiles, it stretches too wide, and his eyes have got a shine to them that I've never seen anyone else have. Even when the darkness hides everything else, I see his eyes, almost the same shade as my own. No, there's not a drop of human or humanity in him. I hope he doesn't know I know.

"Come out of the dark, Harbinger," he said. "Let me get a better look at you. You are such a treasure to me, I can't let anyone else break you."

I ground my teeth, but didn't hesitate. Oh, I knew from experience what happened if you hesitated. Over the music I heard my shoes click on the tile. I walked to him and watched his smile grow even wider.

"That's my boy," he said. His hand gestured to the view beyond his balcony. "What a lovely night, isn't it? Beautiful summer, with all her life and bounty, rejoicing in her brilliance as she has for centuries."

Over the railing, there lay a different world. A little softer, a little dimmer, the glitz and gems a touch tarnished, but still beautiful like the dresses on the ladies. People dancing and gambling and kissing and drinking, like the world wasn't dying slow beyond these walls.

God, the people, it caught me dead even in that moment. More shades of skin filled the room than I had ever seen before coming to this city. I thought I was more sophisticated than people wanted to believe, when I left that miserable place. Thought I'd impress people with how much I knew even if I was from Alabama. But nothing like this existed back there. The police would rather burn the whole place down with everyone inside than let white and black blend together. I guess I thought the whole country was like that, whether I liked it or not.

But Arkham was different. Arkham was… better. It sure taught me a lot of lessons. Biggest one is, I don't know as much as I think.

"It is lovely, sir," I said. At the sound of the last word, my grip tightened on the bag.

In the light his eyes did not quite shine but something dark and cruel glowed through his expression.

"I do love how you call me that," he said. He said, like I had any choice but to do so. "It's so much better than your previous defiance."

He must have seen how I fought the rage down, how my fists shook and trembled the bag. He must have, I saw it in the dark twist of his smile.

I wasn't just a detective back at the old agency. I was in charge of the entire investigation into O'Tipp and his tricks. I hunted him, and he hunted me. So many nights I spent on him, staking out his territory, talking to witnesses, finding the clues that could unlock whatever terrible dirty secrets he held.

And I lost. I didn't even know it was a game, that I was never a threat to him, that he was enjoying the hunt. I lost and he won, he won me and my sister, too. Now I'm gonna be working for this bastard for the rest of my life.

And I know, he's going to enjoy every second of it.

Mr. O'Tipp gestured with a finger, guiding me away from the view below. I watched the muscles of his face tighten with hunger or anticipation as he looked at the bag in my hand.

"How much did it cost?" He stepped into the shadows, his long fingers tracing the dangling chains on the wall.

I looked away from him. O'Tipp didn't mean cash.

"Two." I mumbled the word.

"Oh?" He glanced back at me.

Details. He wanted details. I forced myself to inhale.

"The first bled out, I think." I couldn't have saved the poor bastard even if I knew how. "Took a bullet to the chest." Took my bullet to the chest. "The other was guarding… It." Nausea curled inside my stomach. It. The thing in the bag. "I shot him in the back of the head. Like you told me to."

"Good boy," O'Tipp said, and the light cast a shadow on his face, like the skin were paper and the flesh were a mask. "Did you look into the bag?"

I closed my eyes. I couldn't force the memory down. How my fingers curled around the box-like shape within the burlap, only for my flesh to sink into something cold and beating like a pulse beneath them.

"No, sir," I said

"But you're sure it's the right thing?"

I did not open my eyes. I could not handle the thought of seeing the smile I heard. I could not help but think that if I opened my eyes, the face looking at me would not be human anymore.

"Very much so, sir."

"My dear Harbinger," O'Tipp said, "Where is your curiosity? Wouldn't you like to see what you've brought me?"

Now I opened my eyes, and they opened wider than I wanted them to.

"Definitely not, sir."

He stood in front of the door to his office, smiling at me. I looked at his eyes to fight the thought of too many teeth.

"A pity," O'Tipp said. "It would have been better for you if you'd been willing to… expand your knowledge of the world."

My stomach sank with understanding.

"But!" He beamed at me, like a father gazing proud at his offspring. "That makes it more fun for me. Come on then."

He opened the door. Numb, I followed.

A strange little otherworld, Nathan O'Tipp's office is. A little antique and ancient, a lot of books and papers. Globes on the shelves of bookcases stacked to the ceiling. Star charts papering the exposed walls. Nonsense maps full of nonsense places. The world beyond the window, hidden by the same curtains he used everywhere else, golden tacks pinning down the fabric so not a drop of sunlight could fall inside. Furniture in all types of wood, light, dark, painted, lacquered, raw.

His empty desk waited for us.

I don't even remember when he took the bag from me. He rested it on the desk, and the fabric sunk way, way down. The same boxy shape, thick as my wrist, and yet the fabric darkened around the edges of it, wet.

O'Tipp breathed in, and exhaled a light chuckle.

He raised a hand, looked at me. With care, he removed the glove from each finger, one at a time, and let it drop to the floor.

"Don't look away," he whispered, and I knew that was an order.

His hand rested on the flat surface of the bag, and sank down. The fabric and the thing beneath it shivered like disturbed water.

My throat locked up. I did not look away.

"Yes," O'Tipp said, eyes locked on the bag. "You’re the real thing, aren't you?" He nodded his head, looked up at me, and I saw it exposed bare to me, the disconnect between what I knew of reality, and what he knew of it.

"Don't," I mumbled.

"I've been waiting years to find this," he said. "And it came into my grasp so easily. I did not even need to negotiate with their god to do it." O'Tipp leaned over the desk towards me. "Dagon will be furious to know I have this. This sick creation, somewhere between science and witchcraft - the creation of a mind as brilliant as our own beloved Keziah Mason!"

"Please let me leave," I thought, I mumbled.

"You are a miracle worker, you know that, boy? You are, undoubtedly, my favorite curse upon this tiny planet. And this book?"

His wet fingers gripped the cord on the bag. With one pull, the bag opened, releasing a smell I've never forgotten.

"It’s mine now. Mine just as much as you and she are."

Without ceremony or care, O'Tipp snatched the bottom of the bag and upended it. Something green, or something black, something both and neither and iridescent tumbled down. It hit the wood with a crack like a breaking bone, the sick smack of flesh falling from a height it could not survive.

It gurgled like a drowning animal. Water, dark and grimy, bubbled from the open hole of the spine.

And the smell. That goddamn smell. Like the sea became as stagnant as still water. The copper rot of an untreated open wound. Seaweed and fish left dead in the sun and storm.

And my voice shook as I spoke, as I recognized the thing by its shape.

"A book?" I said. "That's it? It's a book?"

O'Tipp pulled his other glove off with his teeth and I could have imagined it but before he tossed it aside, I saw holes in the fabric. Barehanded, he ran his fingers over the cover, and it rippled under his touch.

"A grimoire," he said, stroking the dark, slick surface. "Written by a stranger in a land far more obscure than any on the surface." His smile, his smile, there was nothing I knew of sanity in that smile. He looked to me and his mouth stretched wider.

"Have you ever been to Innsmouth?" He said, and did not wait, because he already knew the answer. "Quaint town with too many secrets. It's up north from here. The whole place was claimed by a cult worshiping a god that lives in the sea, so they say, until the federal agents burned it all down. So they all say. So all you need to know right now.” He tilted his head, the smile staying still. “Look at you, you're so pale. Have you never seen a book before?"

I said nothing. He seemed to like that.

"If you care to believe me," he said, "this-" his fingers tapped the surface of the book, sending waves through the flesh. "Was made from the body of one of those cultists.” He chuckled at me. “Oh, please don't faint, you still have to walk home. Don't be upset." His voice lowered. "This isn't made from a human."

I shouldn't have said it, but I couldn't look away from it. From him.

"Then what is it made of?"

"A Deep One. Skin, cartilage, preserved flesh - no scales, did you notice?"

I shook my head. His expression dripped with sarcastic, amused pity.

"Don't worry, I'll spare you the bookbinding lesson. It's a gruesome thing, so I've heard. But I'll show you one more thing."

Please don't, I thought.

"It still drips with sea water, did you notice?" His hand traced over the lock. A flick of the fingers and without a key, it opened. "But look inside…"

I didn't want to. I did.

The pages, bone white, dark letters of a language I'd never seen before. Bone white pages. Bone dry pages.

"Fascinating, isn't it? What horrors lie in this book, do you think, in that language I have yet to teach you?”

O'Tipp slammed the book shut. I stumbled back, and he laughed.

"Go home, my precious detective," he said. "You've done a wonderful job today. No need to come in for a while. Keziah and I are going to be very busy with my new prize. Enjoy a break - I’ll find you when I need you.”

Despite the way my veins pounded, so loud in my ears I barely heard anything else, I answered him.

"I know, sir."

His gaze hungered.

"Good boy."

I did not head home quickly. In fact, I did not leave the building quickly. No, I'll tell you the truth: I did not even go down the stairs for a good long while. I stepped from the office, the air chilling on my colorless face, and swayed. My body hit the wall. Somehow I did not fall despite the tremble in my legs, the sickness in my gut.

My eyes closed. I welcomed the dark, my mind not again showing me the hideous thing, the hideous, handsome man I served. The black swallowed me and I breathed in the air, ghosts of tobacco and perfume and alcohol wafting up from the floor below.

Again I thought of myself less than four months before, my bright eyes in the mirror, my determination throbbing within my soul. Again I thought of myself back then, and I thought, what nightmare was I hunting?

The office door opened.

“Oh! You’re still here!” O’Tipp said. “I was afraid I’d have to track you down.”

I did not want to do it. I opened my eyes and shifted towards him. His beaming smile, so paternal, churned my stomach anew.

“I almost forgot,” he said, stepping towards me. “Your allowance.”

His gloveless hand gripped my wrist, his other shoved something into my palm. Damp hands, hands far too warm for this night, far too warm for what he’d been handling.

“You’ve done excellent work today, my boy.” O’Tipp patted my cheek. “I’m proud of you.”

I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t have a choice but to speak.

“Thank you sir,” I whispered.

As his eyes narrowed and his smile darkened, I almost thought - I don’t know what I thought. But he said nothing more. He stepped away, his hand lingering on my skin, and that was the last thing I truly knew before his office door slammed shut.

I could have left then, when my legs recovered their strength. I could have fled, and run down the street, and never looked back. And yet within my disjointed soul, I understood something almost instinctive - I should not be alone right now, not after that.

My feet carried me to the balcony. I sat on the floor, and watched the people below.

To be part of society and yet apart from it. Yes, I knew that very well, as my cruel grandparents taught me, as I knew now as a different kind of man. A separation from humanity, a barrier put between me and anyone that could have, in another life, loved me. Yes, I understood that. Perhaps it helped me understand them.

How happy they all were, down there. How sweet the woman, a different one now, sang her songs of love and loss. How the people moved between tables, greeting friends. How they clinked their fancy drinks in fancier glasses together.

A sample of humanity, together. All those colors of clothes and hair and skin, together. Like the world beyond did not exist, like there was not an even bigger nightmare lurking at the edges of the horrors we all pretended not to think about.

A Deep One. A living thing that was not human. Something below the surface of the ocean waves. A god. A cult - another damned cult, of course there would be. Could I not escape them? A small amount of distance allowed me to think of it more. So long as I did not picture the book, I could wonder about it. What was a Deep One? What kind of a life did a thing like that have? Did it have a family? Did it have friends? Did it feel love, as humans did?

Was it still alive, even as a book?

In my soul, I ached. Not for the dead, but for me, taken from my home just as the book was.

My gaze drifted, my thoughts eased to a crawl. Down there, down on the floor, I saw him. I did not truly understand what I saw, but I did, I saw him, and he saw me. I let myself blink, focus, in time to see his lips curl into a smile. Dark skin, red clothes, sharp eyes.

He knew me. I knew him. No one else might understand. No one else could understand, I think, that little jolt of electricity that surged within me. That little taste of… hope, perhaps. He knew me, he knew of me, I knew him, knew of him. That brilliant man with his glittering grin. We were both born women. We were both skilled in our fields despite our ages. We were both connected to this nightmare in ways others could not understand.

I tilted my hat to him. He raised his glass to me.

As he disappeared into the crowd, I left.

The city struggled through the night, and the old blood had wrecked my vest. I buttoned up my jacket over it. I’d survived another mission, somehow, by that monster I am bound to serve. There’s a lot of ways to die in this town, and not all of them involve a bullet.

I was so tired of thinking about that. That money he gave me rested heavy in my pocket.

Little detour and then, to home I went. To the Witch House, where I’d lived since arriving in Arkham. O’Tipp bought it too, along with me. Sure enough, on that battered old porch, they waited for me. The old gate creaked as I shoved it open. A set of bright eyes behind round glasses looked up from the book she’d been reading aloud. Sadie, my partner in crime, my sister in soul, Sadie, jumped from her chair.

“Lazarus!” Her arms wrapped around me and I hugged her tight right back, and the grin that formed threatened to split my face in two. “You’re alright!”

Couldn’t help but laugh a little at that.

“Well, mostly,” I said.

On the porch, the other woman hadn’t moved, rocking back and forth in her chair. Her hands in her lap, her hair fallen past the bandages over her eyes, her focus all on me. She smiled, and I could taste the hope that radiated from her.

“I got a surprise for you guys,” I said, and reached into my pocket.

I can imagine what O’Tipp would say, spending so much of my allowance on candy like a child. But what did I care about his thoughts? It was more than a snack for my two favorite girls, it was an offering for their happiness. For my happiness. What was the point of going through this nightmare, if you couldn’t be happy every now and then?

Overhead the fat moon sat and watched it all. I settled into one of the chairs, let myself relax for the first time since the sun rose that morning. Soon, the others who lived in this ancient building would return, and we all could rest for the first time in hours. But underneath the sound of the summer night and my sister’s voice, I heard the pages turning.

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#writeblr #writeblr community #cthulhu mythos #lovecraft mythos #nyarlathotep #wip: psi #lovecraft oc #lovecraftian horror #ask to tag

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mrsnancywheeler · 1 month

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my very long response to a comment from @nomorespahgetti about eddie and billy's muse

daisy finishes the song (eddie's song to you) and your feelings are all over the place, meanwhile billy is saying he doesn't want it on the album and daisy's calling the band to a vote, where it gets agreed that the song will in fact be on the album. and so they start talking about parts and working on them, that's when you seize the perfect opportunity to take a break without seeming too suspicious, you don't mind just smoking inside but right now you need fresh air.

you're super anxious because you're scared that billy's realized somethings up and will hate you, you feel terrible that eddie feels a little used because that was never your intention, and you're confused because you don't know how to sort out your feelings for billy versus your feelings for eddie.

you're outside smoking a cigarette when someone comes outside and you think it's billy, that he's going to admonish you for walking out or confront you about what eddie's song implied. and you can't tell whether or not you should be grateful when instead it's eddie. "you okay?" he asks you and you just nod, leaned up against the wall.

"yeah, just needed some air."

there's a silence where he nods and gets closer, "so, what'd you think?" you look up confused, it's getting more and more difficult to keep track of your thoughts and emotions. "about the song"

you exhale, it's hard to speak, "eddie, I'm sorry, I never meant to make you feel that I was using you. you don't deserve to feel that way"

"I just want to know if you mean it when you say you love me because I love you, I want to be there for you, not just to make you feel better before you go back to him."

"eddie, you don't need to try and comfort me from him, I made by decisions and I have to deal with them."

"do you love me?"

"eddie-"

"do you?"

"i don't know, i don't even know how I feel right now, I just... you're there and it all makes sense and then he's doing better and it all makes sense too. and you don't need to wait for me to figure it out and hold you back." some of the tears are slipping out regardless of your resistance.

"so you're just letting him decide for you?" eddie can't stop himself from getting angry.

"he was the first person I ever loved, eddie."

"what about now?"

"how am I supposed to pick between two loves?"

"he doesn't love you the way I do! he never has and never will, he breaks you down all the time and I just want to see you taken care of."

"but I love him. and eddie it doesn't matter what I say because we're all here, it's all of us, one place, and no matter what I say now, one of you will always be around."

eddie feels like he might cry too, he's loved you for so long, and you still choose the man who breaks you down. "so you're picking him."

"that's not fair"

"if you want me, you can have me, all of me. I'd never step out on you, pull half the shit he pulls. you can have all of me or-" he takes a deep breath and blinks his watery eyes. "or you can have nothing but my friendship."

you're distraught, starting to feel numb, you take another hit of your cigarette. "I hope you find someone who can love you the way you love them, just you."

he feels like he's been stabbed in the chest, and you've gone back inside to the studio. suddenly he has to move on, you're always gonna pick billy fucking dunne. and he tries to move on, he does, but his claim of you having nothing but friendship doesn't stay true for very long. but that's a story for another time

#wanda 💋#billy dunne x reader angst #billy dunne angst #billy dunne #billy dunne x reader #djats x reader #eddie roundtree

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hirik0 · 2 months

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You always meet twice Side story part 1

Alejandro/Rudy

CW: Good Old miscommunication, mention of implied sexual asulet

Rudy could not get the conversation of Ghost and Alejandro out of his head. What did Graves tell Alejandro that he had to ask Ghost if he was okey. It also didn't help to keep his crush at bay. He sits in his office doing paperwork or more he should do paperwork but the moment he is alone, all his brain cares about is the talk between Ghost and Alejandro for nearly a month now. What did Graves say, he must now but Alejandro always brushes it of and well Graves is dead. Its so frustrating why can't Alejandro not just talk to him. Also Alejandro is keeping him closer then usall too, his mobile phone ringing pulls him out if his head. Its Soap, he looks at the time its in the middel of the night in Britain. "Soap, what can I do for you?", Rudy asks when he picks up. "Take me in." Rudys eye brows rise up as he looks very confused at his closet office door. "Why?" "I send Ghost drunk sexted Ghost 20 times, I need to leave." Rudy needs some time to process what Soap just told him, before laughing in disbelieve. "Soap, I love you but I don't think I can hide you from Ghost." "Please." Rudy laughs a bit more because how the hell did you get do drunk you send Ghost 20 off these texts? "Soap, I know you're down bad, but how did you do this?", Rudy asks and just in that moment Alejandro walks past his office and stops. Rudy laughts while Soap explains what he did and what happened, shaking his head in disbelieve. "Did you get the picture?", Rudy asks and getting a no as answer. "To bad what did you want to send back?", Rudy asks nearly sliding of his chair from laughing. "To bad you never got to send yours back. I think it would be very convincing." "Rudy, he will kill me or let me die for that", Soap whines. "He won't, because that would mean a new member for the 141." "How do things work with Alejandro?", Soap asks to deflected from himself for a while. "They don't." "Still won't tell you?", Soap asks getting angry on Rudys behalf. "Nope." Rudy pops the p.

Alejandro knows that was he does is wrong, but how can he not. The problem is he only hears Rudys half of the conversation and his brains is filling in the blanks. He's not jumping to conclusions he is getting runover by them. Rudy and Soap right they are trying long distance dating right? Are they sending nudes to eachother? He need to find out, get Rudys phone. He won't must refer to Price not letting Soap change so the two would no longer live on diffenet continents right? What does he mean with they don't and what does he says nope too? His heart is beating so fast and loud he dont hear part of the call only tuning in the moment his name fall. "...Alejandro. Yes I swear Soap I won't tell him so he..." the blood rushing in his ears tune out the most critical information he needs to make sence of the call. He takes a deep breath and knocks on Rudys door, before entering. "I need to go back to work and don't worry to much Soap. We will talk in a few days", Rudy ends the call when he sees Alejandro walking in.

Rudy notices immediately that something is not right. "Everything okey, Ale?", he asks concerned. "Valeria", Alejandro lies getting a sympathic sile. "Wish she wasn't right about getting free after 24 hours", Rudy simply says defeated. He can see that Alejandro wants to ask about the call, but he promised to not tell so Alejandro tells Ghost. "Soap want to visted now that the base is repaired", he lies with a smile. Alejandro that's fine sound only empty and forced. "You really sure that only Valeria bothering you?" "I also have to much paperwork to do, stupid rebuild is a nightmare." Rudy sighs in agreement they haven't done anything but paperwork for months, didn't even left base. "You want to get away for the weekend?", Rudy asks they need a break.

Alejandro smile at this, perfect opportunity to get hands on Rudys phone and figure out what's going on with Soap. "I think we deserve that after doing nothing but paper work for weeks", he agrees to Rudy smiling. "Great looking forward to it", Rudy says and giving him finished paper work to look over. While walking back to his own office he thinks about texting Ghost. Who else would understand him? but then he would have to tell him about Soap and Rudy dating he can't do that. When he sits down his phone is ringing. "Coronel Vargas" "Its, Dr Garcia we got the DNA results back for the body in the tank. They don't match Commander Graves, the body is one of the missing police officers. Graves was never in the god damm think an gor away." Alejandro curses loudly what causes Rudy to rush in his office. "Thanks doctor", Alejandro says before ending the call. "Ale?", Rudy asks concerned and god he hates telling Rudy this, hoping what Graves told him dont matters because he's dead. "Graves was not in the tank." "I call Lawell", is all Rudy says before leaving again and it takes all of Alejandros self-control to not run after him. He will probably talk with his boyfriend over it, he don't need to check up in him anymore.

Rudy has Laswells number on speed dial and she picks up nearly immediately. "Rodolfo, how are you long time not heared", she greats him, way to causal. "Kate, Graves was not in the tank." "I heared the same rumors. Really a shame what Britnay did if they are false." "Did I call at a bad time?", Rudy asks her feeling guilty. "No, it's fine, I will call you back so we can probally catch up." With that the call is ending and he with whom was she in the same room that she could not talk freely. Graves was alive he and Soap risked their live for nothing. He wants to text Soap, but he cant the other has already more then enough problems on his plate. He walks back to Alejandros office, because he need to talk about it so badly. Alejandro is on the phone angry with the caller, oh great more problems just what they need. "Yes, I can be there in 45 minutes." with that the call ends and Rudy frowns. "Where are you going?", Rudy asks getting just a head shake. "Ale." "Its personal Rudy." Rudy frowns somemore whats that suposed to mean? "Okey, but I need to know where the comader of the base is of base for securety reasons." "Church." Something is up, Rudy knows it, Alejandro lost faith a few years ago. "I didnt knew you go to church again." Alejandro makes a dismissive hand movement. "How long will you be gone?" "3 hours." Rudy nots with that Alejandro stnads up to get ready for church. The need to follow him is big, its very obivous that Alejandro is hiding something. He has a very bad feeling about that, but he stays here incase of an emergency.

Alejandro sits in a dark row of the church, got this is so stupid. He should not meet with Valeria, but well he still does in the church of all places. She said she wants to talk about Graves and Las Almas and after the news that Graves is still alive? He got curios what she has to say. Somebody is sitting next to him he knows better then to look at her, they had these secret meantings before and he knows how they always go. "Got news or favurite gringo is still alive", she starts the conversation. "Of course you have people in the corroners office." "Heard the rumors for longer but now its confirmed." "Any idea where he is?" "want to hunt him down yourself, Vaquero?" Her tone is mocking and Alejandro feels anger bubeling up. He wants to say he cant leave Rudy alone with all the work, but he wants to, he wants to be awake from him for the first time in years. "Maybe." "For Rudy?" "For Las Almas." He hears the suprised gasp Valeria is making, hating it, knowing she will dig around about this. "Las Almas?" He trys to get the inofficel conversation back on track. "People are angry. At you, they figured out that the gringos are assosiated with the base in some way." Alejandro sighs at this of course more problems. "He wanted to make a of the book prision out of it." "Las Almas is a good place for that." "Because of you El Sin Nombre." "Coronel i thought we agree to no finger pointing." He presses his jaw together to not say anything stupid, because Valeria like him will have a knife on her. "Graves is allegedly in Europe at the moment." "Oh." "Hiding directly under the nose of your britisch friends. Jarbon and the one with the skullmask." "Ghost got rid of Roba, Rudy told me after they left for Chicago." "How did Rudy learned that?" "I dont know." "Hows Rudy, heared rumors he had a bad encounter with Graves." Alejandros heart rate picks up at this, Valeria knows, how. He was the only one Graves told that. "Rudy's fine. I think Graves made it up." "Did Rudy tell you that or do you just asume?" Alejandro stay silent and Valeria is hitting his shoulder. "You didnt ask him?" "I dont see why. Ghost said Rudy was fine when they grouped up." "He will hear about the rumors Alejandro, you should tell him, people are wispering and they are calling Rudy names." Alejandro clentches his fists at this his blood starting to boil. "What are they saying." Valeria stays silent. "Valeria c'mon." "Whore is the nicest thing they call him." He hears Valeria moving as she leaves the church. the words Graves said to him echoching in his head. "You know your second in command, hes making my men happy, making such nice sounds for them, enoying it even. Is he used to that treatment, because hes so willing."

#call of duty #rodolfo x alejandro #alejandro x rodolfo #alejandro vargas #rodolfo parra #valeria garza

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pelleas-at-castle-nox · 6 months

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Fortune

Ragged shallow breaths were wheezed out as the fox tried listening to the words being spoken to it. Even its ears seemed to twitch in slow motion, sending ripples through its entire bloated body. It couldn't focus on the words coming in, hell, it could barely keep its eyes open. All it knew was it had won, and that this had all been worth it.

The fox was an engorged bloated mess, cream streaked across its bloated cheeks, its gut, which sat like a lead weight before it, bright red and forced so full the fur was barely visible. Its limbs and extremities couldn't budge an inch from the overfullness, but it wasn't a secret that if that massive meal were ever digested, this fox probably wouldn't ever move again. Whether or not the meal would be digested was only in question because everybody watched this fox open its engorged muzzle and let its tongue flop out, trailing along some of the spattered cream to gulp it down.

The fox couldn't tell what the sharply dressed dragon was saying, but it could feel their paw slap against the tight red sphere its gut had become. A deep rolling whine of pain was forced out, but the fox didn't move a muscle. It couldn't. It wanted to cry out in pain or flinch but it was simply too fat and full for such animated behavior.

The words ten million dollars broke through the post stuffing malaise as the dragon began to rub the fox's gut in soothing flowing circles, their scaled hands clearly adept at delivering such ministrations. The fox was thankful for it, it felt wonderful, soothed the blistering ache of fullness that had started to replace every second of reality.

The dragon was clearly addressing it now, repeating something that didn't quite pick up as the fox continued to groan and huff. "Contest three!" The exclamation came with a light jostle of the fox's gut that forced out a tiny pathetic belch. To have given more would have implied that there was room for much else besides the massive amount of food inside it.

A rolling confused "muh...?" Was finally uttered from the fox as the crowd laughed, the dragon looking back at them with an overplayed shrug.

"There you are. Contestant three, you've won, now all we need is for you to sign, and the ten million dollars will be yours. You... Can still sign a document right?" The dragon was an excellent actor, voice dripping with what sounded like genuine concern, even though they smiled like a villain.

The fox gurgled in response, eyes rolling back as it finally passed out, though inevitably it would jolt back awake.

"Well, who knows what our lucky winner is going to spend its fortune on, but I think we can all agree that half of it's going to the food budget~ when we come back, we'll find out if contestant three is able to use those bloated paws to sign the check and claim its fortune, or if the clock will run out, and this golden opportunity will slip through its fingers. One last hope at salvation, a ten million dollar prize, and one fox who can't even wiggle its toes, we'll see you all that and more more more!! After these messages~"

#feedist kinktober #furry #stuffing #overfull #these aren't alters or anything #couldn't figure out who was who

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thorniest-rose · 2 years

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okay but mean bully!eddie who is quickly turning into deranged!eddie

the first time he goes to steve’s house to watch him also just so happens to be one of the days steve is jerking himself raw to the thought of eddie. he’s got a hand wrapped around his throat and in between sobs he’s crying out a name that eddie can’t quiet hear through the window, so he gets closer half out of anger and half out of pure curiosity about who his little princess could possibly be so hot and bothered about

the moment he finally catches that the name steve is whining is his name, he gets even harder than he already was, so hard that the poor guy feels like he’s about to pass the fuck out

now i’m stuck because i really don’t know what eddie would do in this scenario. would he just go balls to the walls and break in and give steve the dicking he truly deserves, or would he hold onto this information for future use? maybe joking about it and making little comments that make steve think maybe eddie knows, but he can’t be sure because the guy can’t be so messed up that he was watching him. right? right??????

Ugugughh the idea of Eddie going to Steve's house at night and watching him jerk off through his bedroom window is sooo hot. Especially if Steve is experimenting with subby acts, so slapping himself and putting clothes pegs on his nipples or tying a belt around his neck so he can't breathe. Which he's only doing in the first place because of Eddie!! Eddie would watch him and be so turned on. Watching all that tanned skin flush pink and Steve's mouth gape open as he moans Like after Stevie comes he'd probably go back to his van and spit in his fist and fuck it until he's coming too, the image of Steve flushed and naked in his bed arching his back, on a loop in his head.

So I don't think he'd break in but I do think he'd take every opportunity to tease Steve afterwards, making little comments every now and then implying he knows exactly what Steve's been up to when he's home alone. And Steve ignores him of course, trying not to rise to Eddie's bait, but he can't help this niggling little feeling he has that Eddie's been following him after school. And god, what if he *had* seen Steve touching himself at home??? But Steve shrugs it off and tells himself he's being paranoid. Goes home that night and jerks off again, not bothering to close his curtains even though he knows he should. Maybe half putting on a show anyway, like rolling his nipples between his fingers and sucking on his fingers until they're dripping before sliding them between his legs where his hole is all pink and virgin tight. He comes harder than he ever has before, imagining Eddie outside his window looking in. Though he feels weird and ashamed afterwards as he cleans himself up. He knows he shouldn't be thinking about shit like that. Besides, Eddie isn't so weird that he'd actually stalk Steve and violate his privacy like that. Except the next morning when Steve leaves the house, he notices some cigarette butts near the tree in front of his window and he feels a chill go through him because he knows they're Eddie's.

#asks #steddie #deranged eddie verse

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eluxcastar · 2 years

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Urd as a yandere (remake)

── ୨୧：urd geales x reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: many people have left urd over the years, all with the single common thread that he was unable to stop them whether through his weakness or simply circumstance, time, motive. why allow them the opportunity at all?

୨୧﹑genre :: angst

୨୧﹑content :: gn reader, yandere, implied kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, themes of abuse, suicide ideation, stockholm syndrome, descriptions of violence, implied dubcon, urd is in no universe all there, not proofread

୨୧﹑words :: 2.9k

aaa the trap of remastering my old posts. I rather liked the idea behind this one so I thought it would be the perfect candidate for a rewrite.

this entire thing is basically that one edited sound of mary on a cross like "you scare me" but you have been fed urd nation (*￣︶￣)

original

you think by now you would have memorised the sound of his footsteps, and for the most part you can tell when he's near. You always know. He has a very strict rule on this room, you've overheard it several times from the whispered just outside. He has forbidden all entry under any circumstances, and nobody dares stand against him.

you used to claw at the door, at the gap where the light of the hall cracks though, look around the room for any sign of something you could use to try to pry the door open by chipping away at the deadbolt. When that didn't appear to have any affect you turned to the keyhole, which didn't want to budge either. You're caught in what he views as an escape attempt, as the door handle clicks with the sound of the lock, and you scurry back just too little too late.

he yanks you harshly up from the floor by your arm, which feels like it's under so much pressure he'll break it—he's furious and you can tell. It's like taking a bullet to see someone you used to love so helplessly grow so utterly bitter, so hateful towards you. To throw you at the bed he keeps you confined in and has already stained red with your blood. You used to be built up by him, and now he begins the process of breaking you down. Every piece of your sanity is tested over and over and over again until you shy away in fear like a little child, only to be touched by the hand of the monster that keeps you.

while your sanity is being tested, you suspect that his is far gone. No sane person can pull you so gently back to thinking you are safe, whispering and shushing you until your heartbeat evens out as much as your adrenaline rush will allow, only to have the sound of your heartbeat replaced by a sickening crack as he breaks the metacarpal bone of one your fingers cleanly in half at the body.

you can't help how violently you flinch as he takes the hand and brings it up to his lips, kissing it gently, though not gently enough as you make a noise half like a cry but reminiscent of a scream. "You're only on your first strike, so the pain is all over now." the whisper of those words is far from reassuring.

the shaking of your whole body is uncontrollable, so racked with a feeling you can't even describe anymore that keeping your hand steady while he tends to your little broken bone so pathetic it will take several weeks to heal. You sit in his lap, he makes you. You have to let him hold your hand, and wrap your finger up securely where it will heal in due time. You can't help shifting uncomfortably, even when he makes a remark about how he's so glad you're letting him help.

it makes you feel so sick to your stomach you deny his attempts to feed you later that evening, turning your head away in an act of stark defiance. You won't allow him anymore gratitude out of his own disturbed actions.

you realise quickly why specifically he broke the finger he did—the ring finger on your dominant hand—all tracks would need to be performed in some way involving that finger even minimally. It hurts when you move it, it hurts when you eat because of the pressure applied to it even by a spoon, it hurts when you try to pick up your little instrument again and place it back where you found it, utterly defeated.

it hurts you to curl back into your ball, lost and falling apart, and you begin to wonder if escape is possible. How could you and your frail and ailing little body ever make it last a confrontation with a monster, able to hear your every move and know your very whereabouts with only his senses. You don't even know how you got to this point, rocking yourself to the tune of an old nursery rhyme you used to hear a lot wishing for your innocent back, the ignorance and bliss that you lost, the freedom—you are a little bird in a cage, a wolf sleeping just outside.

in order for you to be what he envisions you have to lose your vision of you, stripped of everything in your life that brought you joy in order to be the source of someone else's sick perversion of happiness.

you incur a second wrath is after a stint of good behaviour, a direct result of having no chance of getting away when one of your fingers is broken. Still, he rewards you with things he much consider privileges, allowing you to leave your room under his careful supervision for what started as a mere hour, but you have since managed to extend that time to something more like 'whenever he remembers to take you back'. He doesn't watch the clock.

you made the mistake of opening a window while he had stepped out of the room, feeling it was getting stuffy and you would like a small moment of nothing clean fresh air filling your lungs and refreshing your body after you had spent so long inside. He didn't snap so quickly, but the jolt of being yanked away from the barely open window you were making no attempt to get out of startled you to your core, another rush of adrenaline so strong it made your spine tingle.

you try, oh you try so desperately but you are still a little bird in the arms of your greatest predators. Thrashing doesn't help, and yet you thrash until he holds you so tightly against him you physically can't move anymore. "No, no! I didn't-- I wasn't trying to get out! I swear I just wanted fresh air! I was--" he only covers your mouth in response.

he sighs, something you can't quite read, but then he eases the grip he has on you. "Are you so unhappy with me you would kill yourself to escape?"

you realise in that very moment you would have to say things you can't even stand to think, things you never want to think. "No, no. No I'm very…" you hold back the grimace you want to show, "…happy." You touch a hand up to his face, stroking his cheek with his thumb in your singular act of a sick affection. For the first time, you manage to keep him from punishing you.

you think if you have to stare at one more wall or ceiling blank with nothing but wood panels or old wallpaper you'll start to lose your mind, and so you begin to make yourself comfortable by the window inch by inch until he allows it with a growing trust in you thanks to the routine you've come to figure out over the past days, a way to keep yourself safe.

wait patiently in the morning when he comes to see you before work. Then, beg to come with him while you hold onto whatever part of him is closest with your good hand, even if that would be his coat. He lets you go with him if he's not going out, and these days he's starting to ask you, and only brushes you off if you can't. When you show interest in spending time with him he doesn't punish you for the circumstances outside of your control.

if you can't get out, go back to sleep and wait until he returns. He'll usually be angry due to the pent up frustration he has a bad habit of building from keeping all his emotions in, even as the people around him become insufferable. He may come to your door, but it's not uncommon that he goes straight back to work. If he's at your door, talk to him gently like you always used to.

on good days, you can get out, so you follow behind him like an obedient dog until you get there. If you need to you've discovered he's quite easily distracted by a quick kiss on the cheek. All of these things of course awaken every ounce of disgust you have in you, something that still etches away at your sanity, still dwindling and dwindling. You haven't by any means come to term with the fact you're stuck here, and that there's no way to escape him even if you really were to squirm your way through the window and jump. A part of you wonders what he'd do though; is he so obsessed with you that he'd nurse you back to health? Or maybe he'd just turn you into a Vampire so you'd be tied to him for eternity. Suffice it to say you don't have much in the way of intentions of jumping out of the window, so you resign yourself to sit quietly and watch.

he doesn't bother you there, not unless he wants to see how your broken fingers are healing, counting one then two and then a third on your other hand, finally you see a fourth. Was that how many times you'd been held down? When you try to think back to it, only the memories of the first time come back to you, and yet you can see right in front of your face the four dark bruises across both of your hands to prove it did happen. It doesn't hurt as much to feel him place a kiss on one of your fingers, just as he had after the first time he broke one, as if trying in vain to nurse you back to health with perhaps what he viewed as a true love's kiss, a little fairytale fantasy plot that wouldn't be coming true to please him.

you let him believe it, that you don't care anymore how much he puts his hands all over you, that you're grateful for him taking small amounts of time from his day as he lets his affections grow bolder. You try not to let your discomfort show every time he oversteps. You just…kill every emotion that isn't shallow happiness, and it comes from a place of relief that even as you lay in his bed the most violated you've ever felt by his fangs, he's not hurting you physically.

you think you might break down any day now, cry and scream for human contact, for affection that doesn't make you taste bile in the back of your throat, for freedom and a chance to do something without having to ask your own captor for it like you're his doting lover. You shouldn't have thought about that while he was home, not where he would hear you on the one day you had decided you were going to deny his advances and say you were too tired from a restless night. To your surprise, his first instinct was to tuck you back into bed and kiss your forehead, not to lash out at you.

it couldn't have been more than an hour before you lost any semblance of composure you had carefully gathered and we're moulding yourself to embody, to become everything he wanted of you just to protect yourself. You're beginning to realise careful planning and emotional control can't shake your emotions completely, and you've bottled them so tightly inside they all come gushing out at once as you sob into your pillow in a singular moment of utter defeat, the beginning of your bitter end.

that was the first time you allowed him your body without too much of a fight, and the first time he wouldn't give in to your initial defiance as he coaxed you back to comfort and lulled you into a sense of overwhelming safety and protection.

a piece of you may have died in that room that day, never to return again.

you body is…bruised, but not broken. You begin to see the remnants of care in him, how gentle he was, the fact he's given you so much leniency for a kidnapper— you quickly shake it away to remind yourself to hate this man for everything he's done to you, the mental torment you have to go through in order to justify the things he does to you. You can barely bring yourself to get out of bed, even if you stopped fighting him and gave in you can't shake the feeling of guilt, like you were enjoying the fact that you just got to feel like you weren't being held captive for a little while. Somehow you got yourself into thinking about it like a fun and innocent tryst, something that embodied the way you used to be when you snuck around together and just laughed at all the things you did.

you used to be young and innocent, filled to the brim with all your ignorance and bliss to the way he thought of you, that he could've been fantasising the way you would be as his lover, and eventually all of the things he would do to you once he had you one way or the other. It's all gone, everything is gone. The people in your life and the rest of the world moved one without you, you have been stripped away of everything you ever held dear, then stripped of the very things that made your self. He has finally taken everything from you, and it was all replaced with nothing but him.

his lies, his habits, his schedule, his routine, his preferences, his wants and his needs and his fantasies are all burned into your brain like a scar you'll never be able to get rid of, only cover up and hide from the world, always knowing it's there. Everything you ever loved is disappearing day by day, and you can't remember or even imagine your life before, what it would be like to finally curl up in your own bed, relish in the smell of your own home and in the things that used to be yours, keepsakes and memories that belong to that house all covered in dust by now.

you will never feel loved by another human again, and even if you manage to escape him, you are far too broken to be loved. You can't picture a peaceful life in your mind where you're not constantly afraid, where you are finally experiencing love in its purest form, but the more you try to fantasise such a life the one you're living currently nestled itself in the back of your mind, and it makes you wonder the more you think about it—about love. What he's doing…could that be love in its purest form like you think you want? You think about the purest form of love, his attention is all on you, his claims of never being able to love another, a man you thought you respected reduced to a quivering pile of anxieties about you leaving him, so his unadulterated love makes him capture you. Being the object of affections you so desperately crave is exactly what you receive, gentle and loving, and only when you have acted to squander his love have you felt the wrath of it.

if you want a love so pure, you have someone devoting their everything to you right outside that door, because for as much as he has entangled you in his world, he is completely captured in yours…yes, this is the pure love you want in this world. The love of a man who fights even you just for one more chance to prove he can love you, the love of someone who chases and never stops. People always say you have to make some sacrifices in love, and compromise on things.

you take the pillow you had come to find comfort in, and after days you finally come out of hiding. The hallway you step into dark with only the faint light from under one of the doors to guide you to where you want to go, to the room you had become acquainted with a few times before. This room where he waits for you in the times he would've spent with you, sensing you needed space.

it's like a dream to hear the door open, and to look up to see you close the door behind you, pillow under your arm as you make your way over and place it down on the other side of the bed before you crawl in, snug under the comfort of his sheets. His whole house smells like him, but his bed unimaginably so, or perhaps that's just him on the other side of it as he rolls over to take you in his arms and let you find a comfortable spot. It feels surreal to be here like this, feeling the warmth of love just like you wanted, from the person you had denied it from due to your own stubborn conscience.

you feel a little silly, but hearing him whisper that he always knew you'd come back when you were ready before he kisses your forehead and wishes you pleasant dreams eases that feeling into comfort, and in the wake of your breakdown you feel safe again.

#✦ — scenarios.#mm tasty remake #served hot and fresh #sorry 💀#owari no seraph manga #owari no seraph #seraph of the end #ons #sote #urd #urd geales #urd x reader #urd geales x reader #owari no seraph x reader #seraph of the end x reader

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blueaiyuice · 9 months

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Uriel Character Analysis Deep-Dive: Kamden from ESDE

welcome to the start of my analysis series! this series is so that you can check out how i meant for these characters to be portrayed, their character arcs, and so on so forth.

the first analysis i've done (and am dumping it here, in a messy fashion) is NA KAMDEN from EVEN STARS DIE EVENTUALLY, my jeongjian fantasy fic based off of the protect-the-princess game from boy's planet!

HEAVY SPOILERS for ESDE and You of the Dark, so do read that first! (now cleaned up!)

Kamden's General Character Arc

Kamden's entire character arc centers around him trying to get rid of his past and forming a new name for himself. He wants to abandon a future that he was born into. He wanted to shape his own destiny similarly to how Jeonghyeon wanted to, without the influence of gods (though of course, he still believed in the gods to a certain degree as opposed to Jeonghyeon's atheism. He just didn't want to get his destiny twisted by them).

He destroys and wrecks as much of his past as possible because it's all so painful to him, from the orphanage to having little social connections and not being able to find his footing. He doesn't like hearing people out because their stories mean nothing to him when he's trying so hard to shape his own.

During his final exam, he kills his previous caretaker and he kills Hanbin, willing to do anything to destroy that past to shape himself. He burns his whole village down instead of quelling the riots through diplomacy because it's his chance to completely wreck what's left of his past and get away with it. Donggun enables him to do so legally as a knight, so he's always loyal to Donggun for giving him that opportunity and chance.

Kamden and Ricky

Kamden seems like he has no weaknesses, but in reality his one weakness is Ricky. The one thing that ultimately takes him down at the end of ESDE is Ricky (though of course Jianyu puts him in his place by being the first one to defeat Kamden in a fight), aka the one piece of his past that managed to escape everything, head to Camellia, become a knight under Jongwoo, align with their side, and in the end take in Kamden to reform him for the better.

Of course they ended on bad terms so Kamden is bitter with him, but he still looks for him even if he doesn't want to admit it, such as when he tells Brian to look out for Ricky at meetings, because it's a piece of his past he has NO control over, and its his biggest fear. Ricky is completely broken from Begonia; Kamden can't just go and kill him without sparking a war that would put his precious enabling princess in danger.

In the end, Ricky still wishes for them to go back to the good days because from Ricky's POV, Kamden just misunderstood everything when he initially left as a kid, hence his dialogue at their reunion in Plumeria: "I don't know why he's still hung up on that. I was literally eight years old, you think I was allowed to say no? Christ." Obviously Kamden fucked up a bunch and became a ruthless killer, but Ricky wanted to find that old friend. Unlike Kamden, he didn't turn his back on the past. in that way, they're foils of each other—Kamden chooses to destroy his past, while Ricky carries it with him to shape him into who he is today.

Kamden's Religious Outlook

It's not quite implied as well, but Kamden isn't the most religious person in the world. He believes in the gods, but he doesn't reverently worship them. That kind of thinking is why his abilities as a half-god don't go any farther than just boosted magic abilities. It's similar to the same case with 2JH as both of them are gods, but one of them wasn't even aware (Junghyun) and the other completely shut out the idea because of his hatred for gods (Jeonghyeon).

Kamden's Half-God Abilities

Kamden's magic capabilities are very emotion-based. When Kamden first managed to channel the fire during his class with Hanbin, it was because of the frustration catching up to him at not being able to get the spells right off the bat. It's also why he's also able to keep that wall of fire erected for so long in Begonia during his final fight with Jianyu (in a climate where the cold air would usually snuff out such fire), because he's so fucking pissed that Jianyu has gotten away THREE times and everything's spiraled out of his control. His princess (the only thing he can truly rely on) is being attacked by these ragtag group of knights + their single oracle, and half of begonia's already falling apart so quickly even though it seemed like victory was RIGHT THERE with Anemone, Wolfsbane, and Plumeria all fallen. The tables turned so quickly and he has no idea what to do, and he's panicking.

Kamden's Hair Symbolism

Kamden's hair and how he trims his bangs is supposed to be representative of his resolve at that moment in time. At first, as a kid, he covers his eyes because he wasn't sure of himself, but then when Ricky came into his life, he cut them so he could just show how much stronger his resolve had become with Ricky's arrival, and then after Ricky left he started getting lazy with it again because he started losing that confidence in himself, and then in the final exam it's in his eyes again and he's trying to convince himself so hard that what he's doing is right to the point where he just stops caring about people's lives. During ESDE, his eyes are uncovered, meaning his resolve is there and firm because he's managed to successfully gaslight convince himself that what he's doing is good.

Kamden's Ending

Kamden's ending isn't exactly the happiest one. After all, his final words were "I know no apology's going to make up for anything I've done, but I still wanted to say I'm sorry. I was blind. It doesn't excuse what I did. I don't...know anymore." Clearly everything's gone out of his control now. His coping mechanism of killing people isn't feasible anymore since half of the population is gone and it's all his fault. I'd like to think he got extensive therapy but the only person who would be willing to give it to him at that point would be Ricky (and MAYBE Jianyu), and Ricky is one of his biggest problems that needs therapy in itself. Everyone in Wolfsbane fucking hates him especially Seungeon, Junhyeon hates him for killing Gunwook so Plumeria ain't happy with him either, he's the last one left of Begonia, Jongwoo is too iffy on him, Zihao couldn't care less, so on and so forth.

I don't think he'd be sad forever, though. I think he'd be able to find some happiness, just some though. I don't think anything will make him completely regret the stuff he's done (like I doubt he would suddenly start caring about the people he killed), but he'll learn to come to terms with who he's once become, once again, circling back to Donggun's words: "Whatever that friend did to you back then has shaped you into who you are today. You can choose your future, but never, ever, turn your back on the past. It will always follow you. You must learn to come to terms with it."

tl;dr: hot soulless serial killer arsonist needs some serious therapy

#boys planet fanfiction #boys planet fanfic #na kamden #hes definitely my most thought out character imo #tbf esde is one of my best aus imo #its the best thought-out #hope you guys enjoyed reading this #def gonna clean it up to be read more nicely in the future though

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ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole · 2 years

Text

Flossing

Meet Cute Monday 42

Tag Team Tournament Day 2

Prompt: "so you kissed them , and then you…" "ran away"

For Leo - you mentioned the original concept ages ago and I've finally finished writing it. Must have sat about for at least 2 months half written. 😘❤️

Plus a prompt to finish it properly.

(No hitchhiker links despite it being number 42)

Masterlist

MCM Masterlist

…………………………………….

Duke stared at his siblings scattered around his dorm room. They'd been slowly making their appearance one or two at a time since lunchtime, all claiming they wanted to escape Bruce for some reason and 'his' dorm was the perfect escape. Dick and Jason had magiced up some beer from somewhere, Jason encouraging the under age drinking while Dick shushing him trying to put a stop to the encouragement. Cass, Steph and Tim were playing an elaborate card game which made no sense and the rules seemed to change every few turns when Dick said something or a keyword, it confused him. Damian had also surprisingly turned up with a hamster stolen from somewhere and was cooing over it, giving dark looks to anyone who came close.

How they fit, Duke couldn't tell and what Bruce did was still a mystery so he sighed and just sat on his bed watching the carnage in his tiny room at University of Metropolis.

"Soooo… why didn't you hide at a safe house or as you're at Metropolis with Kon and Jon?"

"Well Dukey, we don't want Bruce to find all our safe houses and the Kents have a Clark. Who for some reason likes the Old Bat."

Steph parroted to Duke while her eyes completely focused on what Cass was about to do with her card.

"Ignore Blondie! We wanted to see our baby bro! To celebrate how you may also have made your next steps in escaping B's child trap. First acting in day time, now in Supes city. Soon you'll have flown the lofty nest."

"He didn't even have to die."

"Shut it Dickwad. That doesn't even stop the Old man."

Errrr… Duke still wasn't sure how to respond to Jason at times. It kinda made sense, choosing Metropolis was a compromise he had had with Bruce and his bizarre helicoptering and distant parenting style. He was safe as Clark did (far to regularly for his liking) check-in on him. But it was a new city with a very weird feeling. There was much too much light and sunshine, and that was something coming from a light based meta. Never mind, Supes sorted the villains out and he finally had the opportunity to study (when not repeatedly bumping into the cutie he'd encountered on campus which occasionally distracts him) uninterrupted by disaster drama that followed the Wayne's.

Sighing and deciding to ignore the headache his older siblings were implying, Duke squeezed himself next to Tim.

"Deal me in the next round… and can you explain the rules?"

Cass nodded at Duke with a wild gleam of mischief in her eyes as Tim started to explain the complex nonsensical logic and aim of the game. Duke already regretted it. He was certain to lose unless he had… assisted help.

As the evening wore on and the chaos expanded and games got… more edge… bite… dangerous (?) the Wayne's and Wayne adjecents (depending on whose view point) got more lovely and outlandish.

"Bet I can!"

"Nah, you'll lose your nerve."

"I won't."

"Sure, sure, whatever."

"Give it here and I'll prove it!"

Duke snatched the tooth floss from Steph's hands who stuck her tongue out at him as he rolled his eyes. Maybe all the sugary snacks wasn't a good idea as he felt the sugar high he was on flow through him. Pulsing and giving him that invincible feel that often came when Bruce praised him or he got Alfred's special smile. Meh! Never mind. With Steph's chants and Dicks hollars and Jason's hoots he wasn't going to back down now.

Tim inspected the floss knot he'd tidied to his room's miniature balcony (if you could really call it that even) while Damian watched impassively. Cass came up and gave him a good luck hug. Or he hoped it was a good luck hug and not a goodbye baby brother as he falls to his doom. Bats can't die right?? They always seem to come back if they do.

"Stay safe little brother."

Duke nodded with a serious expression. He was doing this for his team. His own honour. To show Steph that it could be done! Once Tim had given the knots and everything his approval he handed Duke the tooth floss and stepped back.

"All set and ready to abseil."

Climbing over the balcony rails Duke gave a small wave to his siblings. This was madness but he wasn't backing down now.

"See you on the other side!"

Duke started to make his way down the building's side.

He passed the floor below him.

He passed the next.

The floss seemed to be straining a little more than he was expecting… or was expecting but had hoped wouldn't happen.

He regretted this so much. Living on the 5th perhaps was not the best of ideas now.

Actively using his meta abilities he could see the floss snapping moments in the future. Darting his eyes to the next floor down he was relieved, though a little paranoid, seeing a balcony covered in plants and climbers. Maneuvering around Duke aimed his descent towards the slightly softer and more easily to hold balcony.

Seconds later, the floss broke as he predicted. He could hear his siblings shout as Duke fell but saved himself on the tiny (made even tinier with all the plant pots and greenery) balcony with a loud thud.

Lights inside the room burst on and the doors opened with a spiked baseball, much like Harley's appearing in his face. Duke hadn't even had the chance to look up and he focused on the makeshift weapon wavering too near for comfort.

Plants and a baseball bat were a bad sign. Had Harley and Ivy really escaped Gotham? Is his small little resident in Metropolis really the home to Gotham Rogues hiding away from the Bats while they plot their demise??

Duke gulped and slowly raised his eyes up the baseball bat to the owner of the weapon before gasping in relief.

And embarrassment.

Of all the people.

Why??

Kill him now!

Perhaps Harley and Ivy were a better option after all.

Before him stood the cutie, with the light haloing her casting her shadow onto him, who he may have a small, not so large, tiny crush.

The woman who distracts him in the library with just a small scent of her floral perfume. The woman who he keeps an eye out for, whose dark hair shimmers blue when the sun hits it, as she walks through the university courtyard. The woman who gives him heart attacks when he witnesses her coffee order when he encounters her in his favourite coffee shop.

And she didn't look happy.

In fact she looked ferocious. A Valkyrie ready for war.

Nothing like the sweet clumsy cutie he bumps into.

She shifted her weight casting the light onto Dukes face causing him to squint at her.

"I'm sorry… I errr… I didn't mean to crash into your plants but my… string… broke and well, it was this or the ground."

"String?"

Her voice had a soft accent intriguing Duke further. He'd not heard it when she ordered her coffee.

"My… siblings and I are… were playing games. I was dared to abseil down the building."

Her face constricted into a puzzled frown as she tilted her head before moving her bat away from Duke. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock or recognition.

"Coffee guy!"

"Ummm… I usually go by Duke."

"Marinette."

Her accent was still there but less pronounced as she offered him her hand to stand up.

"I really am sorry about crushing your plants."

Duke took the proffered hand and ended up standing far closer than he was expecting. She filled his senses as the pair stood in the minute space of the balcony's doorway. His hand was still in hers. The vat still in her others his traitorous mind supplied.

"It's too dark to see the damage really. I'll check on them in the morning. Most of them are hardy plants anyway and more than likely have seen worse over the years."

Marinette took a step to move away back into the apartment leaving Duke missing the warmth of her nearness. He stepped in following her. Reluctant, despite his embarrassment, to miss this opportunity.

"I guess you'll want to take the more traditional way back to your siblings."

Her smile was filled with mirth and eyes twinkled with hidden meanings, enrapturing Duke further. Despite the unconventional meeting she didn't seem too upset about a crash-landed balcony visit. Almost as if this was not an unfamiliar event to occur. Duke followed her into the apartment nodding with agreement to her statement.

"Yeah… they'll probably be worried."

"At least you aren't a dead body on the ground so that'll hopefully reassure them a bit."

"Hmmm…" Duke thought of Dick's over the top protective-ness. Jason, and Tim he supposed, paranoia. All his siblings tended to jump to dramatic conclusions when worried. "Probably not. I should… I should really go. Thank you, or well, thank you for having a nearby balcony to save me. I really thought the string would hold at least another floor, or two, maybe."

"It's ok. Just buy me my coffee as a thanks."

Duke could hear the joking in her tone but he was willing to do so. Not just for a reason to talk to her again. As they reached the door, Duke felt a sense of bravery flood through him. He'd survived his siblings all evening. He survived a near (unvillianess) death AND he got to talk to his crush… and learn her name.

Marinette looked up at Duke as he paused by the door turning back to her. With that confidence… or was it the adrenaline that was still flowing through him, Duke impulsively leant down and kissed Marinette's cheek. They both froze in surprise.

"I, yeah, oh god! See you around."

Duke bolted.

In the stairwell he collided into the frantic looking Jason.

"You're alive!!!"

"What? Yes. I'm alive. I kissed her!"

"What?!"

"I kissed her, Jason!!!"

"So… you kissed her and then…"

"... I ran away…"

"Yeah, Right, nope! I'm not equipped to deal with this. We're going back upstairs now. Goldie and Blondie and deal with this nonsense. And ya going tell us how ya not dead or kidnapped."

"I kissed her and ran away… I'm going to owe her two coffees now."

#maribat #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #maribat au #ml x dc #dc x ml #meet cute #meet cute monday #duke x marinette #marinette x duke #tag team tournament #ttt2022 #rarepair #rare pair #rare flair

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vaya-writes · 11 months

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The get to know your character ask game with Slates cousin, the one who got Adalyn the book. ( I forgot her name.🫣 It started with an "r" I think?)

I might take this opportunity to answer all 10 questions since you didn't specify and i love to talk. So, here's a post getting to know Rin (or Rinley).

What's her go to drink order?

I haven't thought much about drinks in this setting to be honest. I don't know if cocktails have been invented and are widespread. You've obviously got things like wine and mead and beer. And because I'm not much of a drinker I can't share much based on Rin's preference for taste. But she does like expensive things, even if she's more than capable of 'slumming it'. I think she'd be inclined to order older wines if she's drinking with family and putting on appearances, but happy to drink mead when she's out among the populace.

2. What is her grooming routine?

When she's alone and in her own hoard/nest is the only time she truly gets to hit all the beats. She'll spend time in her largest form, mostly just stretching and exercising, ensuring her wings and muscles don't atrophy from lack of use. She doesn't get so spend much time in her first and second form due to (REDACTED). Hence why these aspects of care are only managed while she's home alone. She'll clean and scrub and buff her scales, test the membranes of her wings, shine, buff, and sharpen her horns, and clean her teeth. Her hair, skin, nails, and human teeth get plenty of attention when she's traveling. Her polymorphed form is so small and compact that it's easy enough to take care of. She enjoys learning new styles with which to use on her hair; she feels like it's one of the only aspects of her she's allowed to display proudly.

3. What are her most expensive purchases and where does her disposable income go?

She's a bit like Slate in that her hoard isn't specialised. She likes collecting generalised goods and luxuries. She does a lot of travel, more so than most dracanids, almost never feeling comfortable in her own home, pretty much only using her nest in the winter. So most of her money goes towards extravagant foods and lodging, as she likes feeling comfortable and trying out the local experiences wherever she goes. She will spend on clothing, beauty items and books especially. I imagine her most expensive purchases may have gone towards her nest. Think stained class windows, exquisite brickwork and carvings, gargoyles, whatever. I haven't put a lot of thought into her nest, TBH, as none of the story takes place there.

4. Any tattoos or scars?

Her human form has vitiligo, the bright red sort. She has a couple of scars on her other forms, and uses glamours to hide the scars on her human form. They're most noticeable on her largest form. These are from family infighting. It's implied that her father was physically abusive. While I haven't considered the details, I can tell you she comes from a violent and bloodthirsty family, and it's damn near miraculous that Rin's countenance doesn't reflect this. Her family definitely has a reputation and it's no wonder why she sticks to her human form.

5. The last time she cried.

She might have teared up during her mother's passing, or her mother's wedding. But the last ugly cry would have been when her mother took her away from her family. It was a traumatic experience. Her father did not take kindly to her mother attempting (and eventually managing) to flee their clan.

6. Are they an oldest, middle, or youngest child.

Rin had a handful of half siblings from the Red Clan. Three I think. I haven't put a lot of thought into it. I think she was the youngest, it makes sense that her mother would try to remove the youngest from the family. But Rin doesn't like to think back about her older siblings. When she hears passing news of them, it's never good, though some buried part of her still has hope that they'll be okay, that they'll change, that they might break the cycle.

Rin considers Slate to be a better sibling than her original ones, even if he's technically just her cousin in law. She enjoys lording her age over him and acting like a wise older sibling, even if she learns so many new things from just being in Slate's presence (things like patience, peace, forgiveness, kindness, compassion - all traits she was modeled should be shunned as she grew up).

7. Shoes.

God you're going to make me think about clothing and world building :'( I think Rin would go barefoot if she were allowed. She's long lived and desensitised to pain, I think she'd enjoy walking on stone and grass, and feeling things. It'd be a nice sensory experience for her. But during the times when she's expected to attend the Matron's court, she dresses up fancy. Sometimes heels and slippers. Things that are new to human and monster fashion, and pretty. She's pretty flexible with her fashion taste, looking to humans, and new trends, even if her timing is usually off and she doesn't understand what we tend to mix and match. She's fond of boots, heels, and sandals, due to their different looks. She's not often wearing something practical for her traveling though >:/

8. The place where they sleep.

We're going to look at Rin's nest for Winter. Because damn I'm committed to finishing this post. Even if I haven't thought about her home at all >;(

I think that as much as Rin hoards things, she doesn't actually decorate her bedroom much. Or rather, it's a bit understated. Her blankets are soft and pretty colours, as are the pillows and the rest of the bedding. But the walls are plain. The lighting is dim. She loves hoarding books and knowledge, but hardly ever reads in her room.

She has a large space dedicated to sleeping in her true form. Because if she's home alone, she might as well take advantage of the chance to stretch her wings. In her human form she likes soft fabrics and cushions and a downy mattress. In her largest form she's happy with a roof over her head, a fortified position, and a bit of a dug out area to sleep in. Softer stone is a bonus (talking sand, or gravel) for feeling, but Rin doesn't like cleaning it out of the rest of her quarters, so she usually goes without.

9. What is her favourite holiday.

I haven't thought much about holidays in the Drakon Empire. I think she enjoys attending small and local festivals, looking at the culture around her. Especially human culture. She likes seeing how humans have grown and lived past the Empire's original founders. She's not big on Imperial holidays, but practically nobody celebrates those anymore (old timey dragons do). She's filled with trepidation towards the celebrations the Grey Clan hold. It's nice to see her father in law, and her cousin. But she doesn't enjoy spending time with the rest of the family. Though it is a relief that their holidays (celebrating the Matron, or marriages, or coming of age ceremonies) are much more homely than the ones the Red Clan held dear.

10. What objects do they carry around with them.

Little known fact about Rin, is that she has a greater grasp of magic than the rest of Slate's family. She can get along fairly easily by her own wits. Still, when she's traveling for the purpose of looking at human culture, she'll often pack clothes specific to that area, and money. Or just money. Or jewellery, to sell if she's in a pinch. It DOES make her a greater target for robbery, but most people who try to rob Rin tend not to get very far in that. Anyway, she packs light.

Now I've gotta remember to add these details to her character notebook.

Thank you so much for the ask <3 Hope I didn't melt your brain with all this information. Thank you for the prompt! Some of these things I had to think hard about.

(I can't wait until people figure out the redacted details of this story)

#vaya writes #prompt #ask game #vaya replies #the wyvern's bride

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processingstupidity · 2 years

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Was really really hoping Marvel's Moonknight would handle disability and mental health properly.

[SPOILER WARNING FOR EPISODE 6 OF MARVEL'S MOONKNIGHT SERIES]

I'm not going to comment on everything that has been said and done in the show because firstly, I'm writing this spontaneously and I can't remember what's been said and done in 6 episodes specifically, and secondly, I'm not part of the DID community and so I don't feel it's my place to speak for people on matters that relate to them and just them. However, there is one instance in episode 6 that rubbed me the wrong way and I would like to talk about it because I believe it's indicative of a broader attitude towards mental illness and disabilities generally. Although, I do welcome input from people in the DID community in the comments and in adding onto this post.

In this episode Marc's scales become balanced and he makes his way to the afterlife but decides to go back and save Stephen. Whilst in the sands with Stephen, Marc tells him that he was the only real superpower that Marc ever had (obviously disregarding the powers given to him by Khonshu). My issue with this is that while some people may find empowerment through thinking of their mental illness/disability as a "superpower" of sorts, I feel that this is also a narrative that is pushed onto us sometimes by neurotypical and abled folk and that may be the reason why this scene was included.

In an effort to not make us feel like burdens they swing too far the other way and try to make us feel special and in someway better than everyone else - lucky or at an advantage - because we may possess certain qualities that other's don't. However, even if well intended, this statement in my opinion still comes from a place of internalised ableism. By trying to make us feel better about ourselves in this way there is to me an implication that in order to not be a burden and to be valuable, we have to prove ourselves extra useful to those around us and society in general because a superpower is something that makes someone generally extra useful, more so than the average person. Therefore, our illnesses and disabilities not only have to be useful to be acceptable but we have to go the extra mile in order to prove that we aren't dead weight. This is a common experience for people of all marginalised groups to differing extents and in different ways, the feeling that we aren't allowed to have flaws or make mistakes the same as everyone else because we aren't ever being given opportunities in good faith but simply "being given a chance" and could be let go at any moment should someone decide that we are not longer worth the hassle. Because there is already a negative bias towards who we are and what people believe our limits are. It implies that people with disabilities and mental illnesses are not allowed to just exist as people who have inherent value, we are either burdens or assets to be exploited. Remember, the ableist notion that our flaws have to be useful comes from the capitalist ideology that if you are unable to meet the same quota as everyone else and be a cog in the machine, you lose value as a human being. This is the idea behind the "high functioning" and "low functioning" labels given often to people who are mentally ill and/or neurodivergent.

I had an experience recently, It's not the first time something like this has happened but it's the first time something like this has happened through an interaction with a complete stranger. In this interaction someone who was interacting with me in a professional capacity (me being her client), asked me about my current situation with regards to work and education and so I disclosed that I had to drop out of university half way through because I was struggling with what I now know is an undiagnosed developmental disorder. During speaking to her I called it a "learning disability". I'm not sure if it does class as that but it just came out and I figured that for the purposes of not complicating the conversation I'd just go with it. The lady I was speaking to then proceeded to try and tell me (I'm sure with good intentions and without knowing specifically which disorder I was referring to) that she believed that learning disabilities should instead be called "learning differences" because they aren't disabilities really, it's just a difference in needs and learning style. In effect, telling me that she did not want to think of me as disabled, which to me felt like she was trying to tell me if I was disabled or not. Whilst, I do see the logic and merit in this line of thinking, I took issue with the fact that a stranger, who had a surface level understanding of my situation (she didn't even know what condition I have) tried to tell me if I was disabled or not, based purely in the context of productivity, as if being disabled and inept in some ways is a bad thing or something that she thought would make me upset with myself... which sometimes it does, but that's not her place to assume or voice for me. My condition, to the best of my knowledge, is defined as a disability, and whether or not I take on that label in my everyday life is my decision and mine alone.

The scene from the episode as well as my experience and the experience of others are all indicative of the issue of people not believing that those of us with mental illness or disabilities have inherent value. We have to go above and beyond in order to be valued as people with disabilities and mental illness, but when we are seen as another variation of the norm, to be no better or worse than everyone else, we are no longer seen as disabled or mentally ill. Mental illness and disability are not allowed to exist as a neutral state of being. We are not allowed to choose to be both disabled AND empowered to value ourselves. We are either romanticised or dismissed.

I would like to say to anyone reading this, neurotypical and abled or not, that whilst being mentally ill or disabled is not always pleasant or preferable and can come with immense disadvantages and challenges, it is not up to you to tell someone how to feel about themselves. It is not up to you to tell someone if you think they're disabled enough or not and we don't have to have "superpowers" in order to value ourselves and be seen as people with value because, whilst neurodiversity and mental illness is a natural occurrence in human beings and just a natural variation of human neurology in general, our society does not accept us as we are or inherently provide accommodations that allow for people with differences to flourish - hence, while we shouldn't be infantilised and demeaned, we also should be recognised as being at a disadvantage and not penalised for this.

I am a disabled person who doesn't view my disability as a superpower, and that's okay, and I deserve to value myself regardless.

Edit: it's been a day since I wrote this post and I'd like to add that another issue i take with calling mental illnesses and disabilities "superpowers" as a form of empowerment and acceptance is that it almost dismisses and trivialises imo the way that having a condition or disorder can not only effect your life but sometimes ruin it entirely. There are moments in the series when Marc and Stephen go through genuinely heartwrenching things because of their condition, but we're meant to believe that within 6 episodes all of that is forgotten and they just feel grateful for their circumstances. Again, I can't speak for those with DID but I can speak to my own experience more specifically and I'd wager some will relate with me that when I can't get out of bed, can't wash myself, can't feed myself, can't clean my room, can't manage my finances, can't respond to important emails and phonecalls, am constantly having to tap out for a moment at work, can't maintain solid friendships and relationships with those around me, I don't feel like a superhero, I don't feel grateful. So this scene to me seemed to have just been thrown in there as some inspiration porn, without consideration for whether it actually reflected the views and needs of the disabled/mentally ill audience.

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ronmanmob · 3 months

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[ secret ] for a towered Prince ~ She knows by now just how attentive the Queen's guards tend to be, but she also knows that sometimes the tree will shadow the benches and dapple the ground so that as they walk, she has a few seconds in which eyes are not entirely on them. She takes the opportunity then, to lean in. "I know your enchanted prince. An' a kiss won' break it. But is...is somet'ing at least comforting I can bring next week?"

Lean Into Me Meme

"--Enchanted-"

As was Ron's way in these years of murky-headedness, repetition did double duty as a giver of a second to process and a show, a tell for the fact he'd been listening - not matter what the faraway look in his eye might imply. He didn't wheel round in his stride to face Miss Bef as he might have once upon a time; didn't jerk or even pause the slow meander they were taking round the quieter, less looked at part of the gardens. But his eyes locked on her, and with their sideways movement his head came round and the shoulder nearest her dropped a half inch and...The blind could've perceived the weight of his gaze.

When he next spoke it was carefully.

"Don't know wha' kinda enchantment y'perceive off me, luv. I know y'look different--" A clarification quickly followed, the backs of his fingers touching her arm briefly to make sure she clocked it as he spoke. "Wiv y'eyes, I mean. Y'look at me, different. T'ovvahs 'ere. Y'see differently."

It was the feeling from her of...some kind of knowing that Ron was teasing at. He couldn't quite grasp its form yet, didn't know how or why Miss Beth saw him like she did. But he knew that she did it; that her sight of him was other. He wondered if his of her was other too; tilted his head as he regarded her thoughtfully.

"Can't imagine it'd be broke by kisses eivah" Ron mused then, a snuffle escaping round that last word there. It made him sound almost abashed. A more presumptive man might suggest she try, but Ron was not that way. "Bu' th'kindness 'ov yah, bringin' fings..." A moment's thought begat an answer. As seconds ticked slowly by, the moment's weight eased. Ron managed a smile for her, faint but true.

"Y'self as free'a burdens as possible, 'n sumfin' we can do t'gevvah."

#brooklynislandgirl #contemporary!verse #<- with Beth #//fankoo for sending this in lovely one <3

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saiilorstars · 9 months

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Ch.12: Reign's Secret

Story Masterlist

Fandom: Sailor Moon (Crystal)

Rewrite of season 2, AU-ish in that there’s new OCs and the fusion of plots from the manga, crystal and the og series

Pairings: Eventual OFC x OMC, Usagi x Mamoru

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @foxesandmagic @kmc1989

"If you really didn't want to be caught, you should have hidden better." Princess Reign was facing Prince Endymion and the Moon Princess, Serenity, in the gardens of the Earth Palace. Though both were prevented from seeing her face, she was smirking quite widely at the two.

Princess Serenity was scared half to death by the appearance of the strange woman. "Who is she?" she asked Endymion beside her.

"Reign...you cannot tell anyone about this..." Endymion was more pre-occupied with their secrecy being blown than the actual fact neither woman had been introduced to each other.

Behind the enchantment, Reign smiled. "You really have to hide this better. Next time it could be one of your Generals that finds you two."

"Reign..."

The Shadow Princess walked a bit past them, her long purple gown trailing after her. Silently, she raised a perfectly kept hand and both Serenity and Endymion watched as a silver and purple light emitted into the air.

"What are you doing?" Serenity curiously asked.

"I'm doing something useful with my abilities. Mother never really gave me the opportunity to practice," Reign stepped back and turned to the pair. "This is a barrier I've created. It's a one way barrier. You can't see from outside but you can see from inside. I hope it becomes useful for you two."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I know a thing or two about imposed rules," Reign responded with mighty sadness in her voice. "Our parents decided things for us when we were children but I feel like...we should have a voice ourselves. Even though I'm not a child anymore, I know what it's like. But Endymion, if you want me to keep quiet, I do want to ask your Generals to teach me how to wield a sword. It looks like fun."

"I should have known you'd ask something like that in return." And yet Endymion did not sound upset over it. Most women on Earth wouldn't even think about touching a sword, after all.

"I will take that as a 'yes, of course Reign. Anything for you, my friend'." Reign chuckled and waved the two off with a hand.

The recent memory Mamoru had was shared with Usagi at once. It was their deal - between them - to share anything they remembered related to Princess Reign and Shadow with each other. Last night, Mamoru had finally begun to remember more about Reign and he was a little relieved to discover he hadn't kept Reign a secret from Usagi - then Serenity.

"It's weird, because I can't remember that yet," Usagi sighed as they walked towards their favorite park of the city.

"But this further implies that there was some sort of acknowledgment between the Moon Kingdom and the Shadow Kingdom by parts of mothers and daughters," Mamoru remarked.

"Jot that down for one of Azula's many theories," Usagi playfully rolled her eyes. "Can you believe she's making an entire list of theories concerning Reign and her planet?"

"Uh, yeah..." Mamoru stopped walking just by the park fountain and turned to the one bench across them. He pointed at it and Usagi followed his finger to the bench where a familiar red-haired girl sat, engulfed in a notepad.

"Azula?" she called.

"Hm?" Azula looked up with wide eyes from her writing and smiled at the sight of her friends. "Hey guys!" she uncrossed her legs to get up and slung her red bag over her neck before running towards them.

"Were you making another theory list?" Usagi wondered and eyed the notebook in Azula's left hand.

"You bet your ass I was!" Azula waved the journal. "It's how I think, and there's a lot to think about. I mean, if Reign was a Sailor Guardian then will she awaken quicker? And can you imagine what her abilities would be like?"

"I imagine they're dark," Mamoru offered with a tilt of his head.

"That makes sense," Azula quickly jotted the idea down on the page. "Shadow does imply darkness" — she spoke as she wrote — "and it—"

"And I remembered her using some of her powers," Mamoru finished for her.

Azula whipped her head up with a questionable look. "You did what now?"

"Apparently, Reign can create barriers of some sort..." Usagi explained but was subjected to an even more confused look from Azula. "Also, I may or may not have known her in our other lives."

"So there was contact between your people and the Shadow people!" Azula beamed. "More theories!"

Usagi watched her friend go ecstatic with rambles of new possible theories 'We hadn't thought of' until a strange noise interrupted Azula. Something dropped and bounced off Mamoru's head before reaching the ground.

"Ow!"

When Usagi and Azula looked up, there were two very different reactions. Usagi was in awe at what was in the sky while Azula was furious.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She looked at Usagi and Mamori with a flat face just before something crashed over her and knocked her flat on the ground.

Both Mamoru and Usagi gaped as a pink-haired girl raised her head from Azula's chest.

"You can't do this!" Azula basically shouted at the sky. "I'm a human being, dammit, not a frickin bouncy house! Usagi, Mamoru, don't just stand there like a couple of idiots, get her off me!"

The pink-haired girl whipped her head in Usagi's direction. When she did, her big hair accidentally smacked Azula on the face. She growled until she saw the familiar hair style on the child.

"Hey, Usagi, she has the same hairstyle as you."

Usagi saw that too and scowled. "What a copycat!" This did not please the little girl.

"I'm not a copycat!" she screeched.

"Listen I don't care what the hell you are, I just need you to get off me!" Azula was an inch away from simply pushing the girl to the ground. This one didn't seem at all regretful of her entrance unlike Reyna.

"Who the hell are you!?" Usagi didn't hesitate to demand. One hand of hers was touching her hair.

"I'm Tsukino Usagi," the child introduced herself but in an irritated manner. Usagi nearly lost it then.

"Why do you have my name!?"

While Azula was confused as well, she was focusing on just one thing right now: the fact children saw her as a landing spot. "Well, Chibi-usa, if you don't get off me in the next minute I am going to—" Something clicked in front of Azula's forehead that made her freeze.

The girl, now nicknamed Chibiusa apparently, had pulled a gun out of nowhere and was holding it steadily in her hand. "Be quiet," she ordered so plainly it was like a regular thing was being done. With one swift movement she redirected the gun in Usagi's direction.

The three teenagers couldn't move from their shock.

"If you're Tsukino Usagi, then you have to have the Legendary Silver Crystal," Chibiusa narrowed her eyes on the blonde. "Hand it over!" Usagi looked like she was going to pass out any second now. Chibiusa did not falter. "I said hand it over!"

"Oh hell no!" Azula twisted her body over and thus threw Chibiusa to the ground.

The pistol fell to the ground and rang as it 'fired'. The noise was enough to throw Usagi off by thinking that a bullet had gotten her. She fell back on the ground, eyes wide and glued on the gun...and then she realized that instead of a bullet, the gun had sprouted flowers.

"Kid, you're in a lot of trouble!" Azula hovered over Chibiusa. This left her mighty vulnerable when Chibiusa kicked her straight in the stomach. Azula shrieked and fell flat on her back beside Chibiusa. Chibiusa jumped on her feet and ran off at the first chance.

"Who the hell does that little girl think she is!?" Usagi screamed after the girl as she got up.

"Usagi!" Mamoru gestured to their friend currently on the ground groaning in pain.

"Right, sorry!" Usagi said and the two went to check on Azula. "Azula, are you okay!?"

"A little girl fell on me, pulled a gun on me, then kicked me in the stomach," Azula reviewed the happenings as she was helped up. "How do you think I'm feeling?"

Usago sheepishly smiled in response. "Sorry."

"Sorry she almost shot you," Azula said a moment later.

"That girl mentioned the Silver Crystal..." Mamoru was in the middle of thinking. He and Usagi pulled Azula up to her feet. "And she looked like she knew you, Usagi."

"Well we could have known that by the fact they share the same name," Azula rubbed her stomach in circles. "Usagi, you don't know her?"

Usagi huffed. "I would remember her!"

"We should find her nonetheless," Mamoru declared and already looked around for the girl.

"Yes," agreed Azula, "And then bill her for my medical expenses."

The three went around the park looking together for Chibiusa. Since the park wasn't that big they didn't have to search very long. Usagi spotted the girl sitting in one of the swings on her own.

"She looks so lost," Mamoru remarked thoughtfully but was subjected by two very crossed girls beside him. He ignored them in favor of making talk with Chibiusa. "Hey, Chibiusa, are you lost?" Chibiusa's head snapped up and she shifted on her swing to see the three coming towards her. She looked ready to jump off and run again. "If you're lost, we can help you," Mamoru insisted. "We helped another little girl get back home so I'm sure we can do the same for you."

Chibiusa's face softened and for one moment she looked like a scared little girl. Mamoru extended a hand towards her and even though she doubted him for a second, Chibiusa took it. As soon as their hands touched, Mamoru saw a rush of images in his mind.

A crystallized palace under a terrible dark sky; something glowed at its center in the air; a familiar girl cried 'Mommy'!'.

"Mamo-chan, she might pull a real gun this time," Usagi muttered from behind him, unknowingly snapping him out of the weird trance of images.

"I don't know, she seems pretty normal..." he based his his judgement on the still girl in his arms.

Azula had something to say about that. "That's what you said about Reyna and where did that get us? Oh, right, with some freaky future Sailor Guardian."

"Reyna..." Chibiusa suddenly said with such sadness that it made all three stop and stare.

"Did she just say Reyna...?" Usagi whispered.

"Mhm," Azula nodded, her eyes narrowing suspiciously on the girl.

"Do you happen to know Reyna?" Mamoru saw no danger in asking. "Small girl, ginger hair, green eyes?"

"Attitude, kind of annoying, not that good of a drawer?" added Azula. Chibiusa shot her a small glare and refused to answer. Azula raised an eyebrow at her and shook her head. "You know what? I'm not doing this again. You" — she pointed to Usagi and Mamoru — "can deal with the falling kid this time. I'm out."

"Azula—"

"Nope. I got theories to work on," Azula motioned to her partially dirty notebook now. "Good luck." She gave a wave with her hand and started leaving as fast as possible before any other kids decided to drop from the sky on her.

~0~

The next day, Azula was presenting her theories to Meroko and Asteria in the Crown Fruit cafe. The two sisters sat across from Azula who was flanked by Ami and Minako. Rei and Makoto were in the process of ordering something from the display glass up front.

"Is it possible that if she's a Sailor Guardian too that we could just trigger her awakening?"

"We are not trying to find a Sailor Guardian, we are trying to find our Princess," Asteria responded with the usual coldness and snappiness she wore.

"But this would make it easier, genius," Azula snapped back. "Just like you were triggered we could do the same for Reign and your other comrades."

"Azula, Reign wasn't allowed to practice," Meroko disclosed what Asteria wouldn't. She ignored Asteria's disapproving stare and continued to explain. "She was in constant danger. We couldn't allow her to show off that she was a Sailor Guardian."

"So you never let her train?" Minako gaped. "That's horrible!"

"No, it was a precaution," Asteria corrected, affronted.

"But not allowing her to fully grasp her powers was a bigger danger!"

"She didn't need to practice because she had Guardians around her!"

"And that worked out how well, again?" Azula asked calmly. She almost smirked when Asteria huffed.

"I need a drink." Asteria slid out of the booth and walked to the counter.

"Your sister doesn't like hearing the truth much, does she?" Azula went back to the theories on the table.

"It's hard knowing that we failed," Meroko spoke quietly.

"But this the chance to get her back so we shouldn't think about what you didn't do," Ami spoke up after reading off a paper.

"Hey, it's Usagi," Minako pointed at the blonde who walked in with a face of dread. "I wonder what's wrong?"

"Oh, I might know," Azula smirked and started gathering the papers on the table. As she suspected, Usagi was upset and frustrated over Chibiusa who had somehow gained a place at Usagi's house and even became one of the members of her family — literally.

"Isn't that what Reyna did too?" Rei asked before sipping from her milkshake.

"Yup," Azula closed the folder in front of her. "As far as my Dad and Keiko knew, Reyna was my little sister. She, like, brainwashed them or something."

"That's exactly what Chibiusa did!" Usagi groaned.

"Do you think they're from the same place?" Makoto wondered with a finger against her chin.

"Or related?" added Minako.

"Could be," Ami thought about it for a moment. "If they exhibit similar behavioral patterns as well as similar abilities, then..."

"Well, unlike Reyna, Chibiusa doesn't do a lot of talking," sighed Usagi. "I asked her questions last night but instead I got in trouble for picking on her."

"She is just a child, after all," Meroko inputted. "We have to be cautious."

"A child is still capable of being an enemy," Asteria remarked as she returned to the table with a milkshake in hand — she discovered blueberry milkshakes — and sat back down in her spot. "Don't let age fool you. If the child has intentions, and they're dark, she will carry them out and use her biggest advantages against her enemies."

"For once I agree with Frost over here," Usagi sighed and rested a hand on her cheek. "Chibiusa is hiding something. I know she is."

"So was I when it came to Reyna and it turned out she was from the future," Azula reminded her. "Asteria makes some sense. Just because these are children, doesn't mean they don't hold information that could hurt us."

"I think we're forgetting that Reyna was guarded and protected by the future version of Sailor Circe," Meroko pointed out, making her stance on these kids more than clear. "And if Chibiusa is from the same time and place, who's to say she didn't fall under the same protection from a different Sailor Guardian?"

"I swear to God, children complicate everything. It's why I'm not having any," Azula promised as she got up to go order something.

"That's what you said about never having a boyfriend and you've had two," Minako remarked.

"Shut up," Azula pointed and walked off.

Usagi didn't want to bother about Chibiusa for a while and so she focused on their other, bigger problem instead. "So, what's new with Reign?"

"Azula was showing us the theories she came up with," Ami was happy to help with moving subjects. She pushed the manila folder - left behind by Azula - so that Usagi could take a look. "They're interesting and possibly useful."

"Wow, Azula got straight to work," Usagi's eyes widened a bit at the notes scribbled in front of her.

"Which is more than can be said for you," Asteria didn't fail to remark. "It's a shame, really, that the Moon Princess turns out to be less useful than a human."

Usagi growled and gripped the papers in her hands. Meroko sighed from her seat and turned to to her sister. "Asteria, why don't you go home? I know you were having trouble with that Calculus homework Nano gave us today."

"Whatever," Asteria rolled her eyes. She took a sip from her milkshake and got out from the booth.

"I know she's your sister but does she have to be so rude?" Usagi didn't notice she was still gripping the papers in her hands. "I have a lot to deal with and I don't have to take such rudeness from her!"

"Usagi, I swear to God, you better not rip my notes," Azula startled the blonde behind her chair.

"Ah!" Usagi quickly let go of the papers when she realized how white her fingers were. "Sorry," she apologized and gathered up the papers. "Asteria just got to me."

"Tune her out," Azula took a seat beside Again and Makoto, smiling sneakily. "That's what I've learned to do."

"Alright, enough," Meroko understood her sister had a harder personality but it didn't mean she liked people talking about her. "So the theory about triggering Reign's awakening - it's a good idea but Reign never truly practiced her powers. If anything, we should be looking at the things that she most cared about."

"Like what?" asked Minako.

"The Shadow Dominion, of course," Meroko shrugged.

"You really think that's what Reign loved most?" Makoto raised an eyebrow, her face spelling utter doubt.

"It has to be. It was her main responsibility."

"Responsibilities aren't always loved, you know," Azula mumbled and sucked on her straw.

"Perhaps we could make a list?" Ami suggested.

"Yeah, fine," Meroko shrugged.

"Waiting a second," Rei tilted her head. "How long did Reign live with the human Kingdom? Because if it was long, then it's possible maybe Mamoru or even Usagi can add new things to the list."

"I doubt it," Meroko shook her head but Usagi agreed with Rei.

"Mamoru remembered Reign calling him her friend. You said she didn't have friends!"

"Well, she was locked in the palace—"

"Exactly, so maybe Mamo-chan actually knows more than you," Usagi dared to believe. "Friends confide in each other."

"You're implying he was closer to our Princess than we were," Meroko frowned, looking much like Asteria had most of the afternoon. "That's ridiculous."

"I don't think so," Rei said casually and ignored Meroko's short glare. "If she was locked away by her own guardians and treated as just the princess, then I can see Reign confiding in someone else besides than you four."

"Before you literally explode—" Azula shot Meroko a concerned glance since the brunette was going red in the face, "—how's about you and Asteria make that list about Reign and Mamoru can make his? Plain and simple. We all want the same thing after all which is to find Reign before Senka does."

"Fine," Meroko leaned back in her seat. "But you're not gonna have anything better than what Asteria and I are gonna have."

"Wow," Azula snorted, "Spoken like a true, mature Sailor Scout."

"Oh, shut up!"

~0~

"You want me to...what now?" Mamoru stared at the empty notepad in front of him that Usagi had placed for him.

Usagi groaned and went back to explain their new plan they had made in the café shop. "We need to show them that Reign confided in you more than her Scouts."

"And you're okay with that?" because Mamoru was in reality surprised Usagi hadn't thrown a jealousy fit over this other Princess.

Usagi crossed her arms and thought about it herself for a second. "Well, it's not exactly in my favorites right now but I hate Asteria more."

"She's...a complicated one..." Mamoru agreed. "Even in the past Reign would complain about that."

Usagi blinked and got on the couch with him. "Really?"

"Yeah. I remembered something about that last night. She told me about her guardians, every single one. Sailor Hemera was the Scout she seemed closest too but...I don't know, then Reign sometimes felt like she couldn't trust in Hemera because of the duties separating them."

"How awful," Usagi said. Perhaps this was another reason why she wasn't as jealous as everyone thought she'd be. Princess Reign had not expressed any affectionate feelings for Endymion in the past. If anything, it looked like Reign searched for a friend. "I remember I was still really good friends with everyone in Silver Millennium. Sure, the girls knew they had duties but we were still actual friends."

"I guess it was just too formal with them," Mamoru shrugged. He thought about his Generals and recalled that while being slightly more formal than Usagi's court, there was still a type of friendship between them. "So...you want me to prove that Reign confided in me more than her actual Scouts?"

Usagi clapped her hands together with a beaming smile. "You would be the best boyfriend!"

~0~

Under a gloomy sky, Azula walked into the local elementary school intending on finding her sister, Keiko, who worked in the office as a secretary. She pulled her green coat closer to her when she started feeling more of the chilly wind that just screamed rain was coming. She was sure she'd heard some distant thunder crackling in the sky on her way from the café. She hoped it wouldn't rain at least until Keiko and she got back home.

Azula pushed open the metal gate of the school's entrance and started down the cobblestone pathway. She came to an abrupt stop when she spotted a familiar pink-haired girl lonesomely sitting on a blue bench. Azula glanced around for anyone of Usagi's family before turning directions.

"Chibiusa?" she called. Chibiusa looked up from her lap and Azula was witness to a plain sad face. "I guess you got yourself integrated into Usagi's family but didn't remember you'd be going to school, huh? Not the bargain you were looking for, I imagine."

Chibiusa's thin eyebrows knitted together in mild annoyance. "Do you know if Usagi is coming for me?"

Azula was sure Usagi was with Mamoru probably coming up with that list they'd settled on earlier. "Um, was she supposed to pick you up?"

Chibiusa gave a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know. I think so. But she probably forgot."

"Give her credit. Yesterday, she didn't have a 'cousin' who lived with her," Azula gave the girl a significant look. "You may have hypnotized her family but you're not getting away with having Usagi too."

The sound of thunder cracking hard made Chibiusa jump from the bench, her fingers becoming white as they gripped onto her backpack's straps. Azula observed the obvious fear in the girl with silence.

"Afraid of thunder?"

Chibiusa nodded her head.

"It's not that bad. There's only like a one in a billion chance of you getting struck by lightning," Azula stopped when Chibiusa did another gasp. "I...am not good with kids, even time-travelling kids."

"You know...?" Chibiusa stiffened and Azula noticed how Chibiusa's hand reached up to a silver necklace around her neck. It held a familiar silver key with a heart shaped handle, along with a silver crystal Azula couldn't quite see.

"I was 98% sure but you just confirmed it so thanks for that," Azula could not help herself and flashed Chibiusa a smug smile.

Chibiusa, in all her childish faces, stomped her foot and moved towards Azula. Her attempt to seem threatening was rudely interrupted by another round of thunder in the sky. She jumped and instead ended up falling on Azula who abruptly caught her.

"Seriously?" Azula laughed as she was forced a couple steps back from the force. "I'm just gonna have to carry a sign on me that says 'not a cushion'.'

Chibiusa didn't pay attention. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her arms were gripping Azula's waist. It was then that Azula felt her shaking. It was hard being detached when the girl was so clearly scared.

"Hey, kid, look, it's just thunder..." Azula realized those weren't the most comforting words but what else could she say?

"Azula?" Keiko startled the two. Chibiusa turned sideways to see the taller adult woman. "Who's this?"

"Uuh... Usagi's cousin..." Azula warned Chibiusa not to try anything on her sister, especially that hypnosis trick of hers.

"Adorable," Keiko smiled at Chibiusa then looked to Azula. "Dad says he's gonna wait for us at the restaurant so we should hurry up."

"Um..." Azula had planned on coming to the school with a good excuse on why she couldn't have dinner with her father and sister but with Chibiusa she'd forgotten to make one up. Luckily, Azula thought fast on her feet. "I can't. Usagi's family had an emergency and they asked if I could babysit Chibiusa."

"What?" Chibiusa frowned up at Azula but the red-haired girl went 'shhh' in her direction.

"Oh, what happened?" Keiko quickly looked to Chibiusa for the explanation.

"Usagi, that clutz," Azula chuckled. "Tripped on her own feet." That excuse made Chibiusa smile. "Nothing serious but I still have to look after Chibiusa."

"Alright then," Keiko nodded, completely understanding. "Well I'm gonna leave you by the apartment since it looks ready to rain at any moment now. Let's go."

Chibiusa tried speaking up even as Azula pulled her with them. "But Usagi was—"

"If you stay quiet and play along you can have my chocolate stash," Azula whispered. "Future kids still like chocolate, right?"

The great smirk on Chibiusa's face said it all.

~0~

"Are you sure you can do that? Or want to do that?" Usagi couldn't help make the face she was after hearing Azula say she would be taking care of Chibiusa for the night....and also being told to say she'd been in the hospital if anyone asked.

"Look, it's better than being forced to have a fake fancy dinner with my Dad and Keiko. You and Mamoru just focus on getting that list done for tomorrow. I'll call you guys later! Bye!" Azula hung up on the call.

Usagi placed the phone back in its holder and turned back to Mamoru. "So somehow Chibiusa found a way to nestle into Azula's home. I'm telling you that girl - Mamo-chan?" she noticed that her words weren't exactly registering with him. He was just...staring into space.

Two swords clanged when they touched sides. Reign had a smug face behind her enchantment as she pushed her sword ahead, its tip missing Endymion's face by inches.

"I told you I was good," she said, mildly breathless.

"You are unorthodox," Endymion remarked, though he was no longer surprised.

With a laugh, Reign pulled back her sword and used it only to point at him. "This coming from the Earth Prince secretly meeting with a Moon Princess while also housing the secret Shadow Princess. Yeah, I'm the unorthodox person here."

"Easy there, Reign, I could give the orders to my Generals to cease practice with you..."

Reign laughed again. "Sure. But you won't."

"And why not?"

"Because I'm your friend and friends don't do that to each other. That's what Serenity says."

Endymion paused, confused for a second. "What - you've talked to Serenity? When!?"

Reign innocently fixed her hair behind her shoulders. "She doesn't always come to see you."

This time Endymion laughed. Reign took her chance to begin sword fighting again. She yielded her sword and went in again, but of course her lack of experience made it easier for Endymion to catch her off guard. His sword clanged as it hit hers but it then swiftly moved underneath and with his force he pushed her backwards. Reign fell on the ground with a slash on her left arm.

"Reign!" Endymion panicked and dropped his sword. He quickly went to help the Princess who was laughing at the incident. "Reign, you're hurt—"

"It's okay, watch," Reign had pushed his hands from her and gestured him to watch the cut on his arm.

Little by little, the cut on her arm began to seal away as if it had never been there in the first place. Endymion was in shock but Reign was quite used to it.

"She could heal herself," Mamoru remembered and quickly jotted it down. "She had super healing abilities!"

Beside him, Usagi asked for an explanation of what he saw.

~0~

Azula and Chibiusa ate take-out together in Azula's family's apartment. It was silent except for the crunching and mushing of their food. After Chibiusa finished, she made a clearing of her throat that, on the first time, Azula didn't understand its meaning. When Chibiusa cleared her throat a second time she motioned to her mouth. "Chocolate?"

"Oh," Azula got out from her chair and went to the kitchen cabinets. "You can't tell anyone, alright?" she warned Chibiusa as she took out a jar with 'keratin vitamins' printed on its front side.

"What's Keratin?" Chibiusa leaned over the table and squinted her eyes to get a better look. "And where's my chocolate?"

Azula pulled the lid off and surprised Chibiusa by pulling out a chocolate bar. "Right here, kid." She walked back to the table and set the jar down on the table. She slid the chocolate bar to Chibiusa and watched in amusement as Chibiusa practically stuck her face into the jar. "Yeah, my Dad's pretty big on sweets and he limits them so I had to come up with smart ways to eat some. Keratin vitamins is for your hair but I just stick my candy in there. He'll never look into it."

Chibiusa laughed as she took a seat again. "That's sneaky."

"But smart," Azula tool the jar back to the kitchen, but not before taking out a chocolate bar for herself.

"You don't get along with your parents either, huh?"

The question made Azula stop just as she opened the cabinet to return the jar. "Um...I mean..." she slowly placed the bar on the shelf and closed the cabinet door. "I love my Dad, I do, and I know he loves me too, but...most of the time we don't see eye to eye." She came back to the table and took a seat in the chair next to Chibiusa. "I mean, he's a businessman and he has ideas for me that I don't quite...agree with."

"Like what?" Chibiusa busied herself by unwrapping the chocolate bar.

"Well, he wants me to take over the business he has with the Furuhatas when I grow up. We're part owners of the arcade and the cafe the girls and I go to. Keiko's already in training but that's still just an intern. It's why she works at your school still. I don't really see myself as a business woman."

"What do you want to be?"

"I want to do research," Azula began smiling without realizing it. Chibiusa quietly ate her chocolate and really stared at Azula. "Specifically, space research. Ever since the Sailor Scouts arrived, I'm really interested in knowing what else is out there in the galaxies."

Chibiusa dared, for a second, to believe that perhaps Azula had the Legendary Silver Crystal but the idea lasted for a millisecond because of new, stronger thunder crashing down on the city. She jumped in her chair and quickly went to hide under the table.

"Kid, come on out of there," Azula backed her chair a bit to see Chibiusa. "It's really just thunder. Look, come out," she held a hand out and because more thunder cracked Chibiusa latched onto it like her life depended on it. "There's this game that my Mom used to play with me when I was small and there were thunderstorms."

"You were afraid too?" Chibiusa spoke softly.

Azula smiled. "Yeah, once upon a time until I figured out the odds were with me. But see, all you have to do is count is to ten."

"And then the thunder is supposed to sound farther away," Chibiusa finished as she understood perfectly how the game was meant to go.

"Oh?" Azula raised an eyebrow, "So you know the game?"

Chibiusa nodded, her voice quieting down. The sadness and plain fear Chibiusa wore made Azula falter for a moment. It reminded her that while mysterious, Chibiusa was still just a child...and she was a child who was afraid of the dark.

"Chibiusa, where are your parents?" Azula asked with all honesty, and Chibiusa knew it. It was not a demand, it was not to gather information. Azula simply wanted to know how parents could leave Chibiusa on her own like this. "I know Reyna traveled back here without her parents' consent—"

"Reyna's okay, alright?" Chibiusa had cut her off rather defensively which caught Azula off guard. "She's fine!" she ran off into Azula's room and closed the door.

"Why do they always go into my room?" Azula mumbled and sighed.

~0~

"It's the Shadow Crystal that allows me to heal rapidly," Princess Reign explained while she and Endymion took a walk in the palace's gardens. "It grants me all these abilities that I secretly use."

"Secretly?" Endymion caught on fast.

"My mother disapproves of my usage of the crystal."

"But I didn't see the Shadow Crystal when you healed yourself..."

Reign came to a slow stop and faced Endymion with an indescribable expression. "You have been my friend for a while now, my only friend actually besides Serenity, and so I feel like I can trust you. The Shadow Crystal is inside me. I guard it with every fiber of my being."

"That sounds...like a true burden," Endymion knew that it had to be part of the reason why Reign always carried herself with such dread and caution.

"It's part of it," Reign agreed. "The Crystal's main power is what can drive people against me."

"You say it like it's already happened...."

"We call it the tale of the Forbidden Soldier," Reign bit her lip. Apparently even the name made her nervous. "And then a powerful force heard about my power. It was why we fled to safety. It destroyed our planet and nearly our entire people."

Usagi wasn't sure what Mamoru was seeing but she did know it had to be a lot judging by how fast he scribbling down each time he got out of his trance.

~ 0 ~

Azula slowly unlocked her bedroom door as quietly as possible. She suspected Chibiusa was fast asleep since there'd been no noise for quite a while now. Azula poked her head inside and, sure enough, spotted Chibiusa on her bed quite asleep. The pink-haired girl was clutching that ball of hers she named 'LunaP'.

"Knew it," Azula barely got to say when she noticed Chibiusa's face was scrunched up like she was having a nightmare. "Chibiusa?"

"No, no, I'm so sorry - Reyna! It's my fault I-I - NO!"

Azula felt something weird in the pit of her stomach when she heard Reyna's name. Chibiusa sounded terrified, and the way she had said Reyna's name implied true guilt and despondency. "What happened?"

She ran out of the room and went straight for her phone in the living room. She dialed Usagi's number fast and could barely contain herself when the line was picked on. Azula explained what had happened with Chibiusa and how she'd heard Chibiusa's dream word.

"She knows Reyna for sure. And I think something may have happened to her!" Azula ran a hand through her hair, "And it's bad."

"We'll figure that out, I promise," Usagi reassured from the end of the line. "I knew that Chibiusa was hiding something. I just knew it!"

"Yeah, but how are we gonna make Chibiusa tell us what she knows?"

"We'll figure out a way, I promise. Look, if it helps you in any way, Mamo-chan found something incredible or...he remembered it, I guess, about Reign. Something super important, secret... something that none of her Scouts knew."

"What is it?" Azula curiously asked and attentively listened to what Usagi had to say. When it was done, Azula's face practically fell of shock

~0~

Meroko and Asteria both sat in one side of a booth with arms crossed and straight faces. One note pad stood between them on the table.

"You think you know Reign more than we do?" Asteria demanded, clearly still not buying such a thing.

Mamoru, Usagi and Azula all sat on the other side of the booth, each completely matching with their smug smirks. Beside the booth were the rest of the girls anxiously waiting to see the results of this little competition.

"Yes, completely," Mamoru nodded and the fact that he seemed so certain, even kind of smug, made Meroko weary.

"Welli?" Asteria motioned to see the notepad.

"Oh, what I know should never be written down anywhere," Mamoru said quietly, "It should barely even be talked about."

This time, both Meroko and Asteria glanced at each other with the same confusion.

"Um, okay," Meroko said slowly, "Can...can we just know what it is already?"

"Now," Asteria demanded.

Mamoru smirked. "I know the way into the Shadow Dominion."

The statement made both sisters freeze. Neither of them knew the way to the infamous realm. Reign had never told them such a secret. In fact, they were sure that it had to be forbidden to even talk about it. It made no sense that someone like Mamoru would know the way.

And yet, Mamoru went on like he hadn't just uttered the most important statement in their lives. He knew that whatever the two sisters had written down on their notepads about Reign would never top the information that he knew. "It's the reason why Reign was reincarnated in the first place. Without her in existence, the Gates of the Shadow Dominion can't keep hold. Why? Because the way to the Shadow Dominion is through Reign herself. She wasn't just a person, she was a portal."

#ocappreciation #allaboutocs #ochub #fd: sailor moon #sailor moon #sailor moon crystal #sailor moon fics #sailor moon imagines #sailor moon ocs #sailormoonocs #sailor moon crystal fics #sailor moon crystal imagines #oc: azula keena #fic: reign from the shadows

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shinyobjectreviews · 9 months

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My experience with Disco Elysium, and why I won't play it

The short answer: I died from looking at a car.

Disco Elysium is famous for letting the player die in incredibly easy ways. Before playing I remember hearing about how you could sit in a chair that's so uncomfortable it deals one point of damage, and you could have a character build who only has one health point. That's funny. But I also remembered that story explaining how you had to fail a check to avoid sitting in the chair, then fail a check to ignore the damage, then die. My situation was not nearly as multi-staged.

After playing the game for two hours, I come upon a car, and the game tells me it's my car. I click some buttons to learn about it (as it's my first playthrough, I wanted to learn about the world). It tells me what the controls are, how I probably used to drive it, and then, after clicking on an option (I don't even remember what it said, but I think it implied starting the car), the game made a noise, and all the sudden I was given a dialogue choice of how I wanted to scream at everyone and quit the police force. I was confused, picked something, then the game took me back to the main menu. I had died. I reloaded my save and it was from an hour and a half ago.

I want to talk about why this removed all interest in me playing the game.

You just hated dying

Yes, dying sucked, and having to start over from earlier sucked. That always sucks in games!

You just needed to save your progress first

Yes, I hadn't saved the game in over an hour. How was I supposed to know I needed to? This is the first time the game gave me basically any consequences outside of how my face looked. I hate games that encourage save scumming, and I didn't even realize this was one. Am I really supposed to play like that? I really didn't want to, and just wanted to take the game at face value for my first play through.

You have to learn somehow

The game never warned me that this could happen. There was never a safe opportunity to learn about it.

It definitely told you there was a morale health bar

It did not tell me that if it was depleted, it would be an automatic game over. It also wasn't clear that I only had one point of morale. It just showed a bar. I assumed it was depleted slowly. I didn't realize it was one single chunk of health.

Didn't you have a healing item?

I did, but I couldn't use it because I got one-shot. Apparentyl, if you go down to one health normally, it'll warn you.

Why did you pick a build with only one morale?

I picked the pre-made build (since it was my first time) called "the thinker" because I wanted to learn about the game. Apparently the character based around thinking about things can't handle thinking about things.

But you should have known it would make you fragile

How was I supposed to know that out of the million stats, two of them have very specific, countable consequences. The stat that improves morale isn't even called morale.

Well, just keep playing with the character

Knowing that anything could kill me is way, way too stressful

Then pick a different build and start over

I haven't played enough to know what I need, and am scared of making the same mistake again. Plus, I succeeded on the check to fix my face, which is giving me some sunk cost.

This isn't a game where you can just click on everything

Oh sure, talking to people or doing some rigorous action I can see why I would need to be careful. But I was looking at a car. A car I knew. Why in the world did I have any reason to expect that to affect my mental state?

There were clues

There were not. The game up until this point had told me any time I was taking a risk, like with the dice rolls, or from my internal monologue warning me. It did no such thing here.

Are you going to let one bad experience stop you from playing a great game?

As you can hopefully tell, it wasn't the experience that annoyed me, it was the game telling me what it expected of me and what it was giving me. It was telling me that random things might happen that ruin your progress. It was telling me to be careful with everything. It was telling me to save every time something goes well. It was telling me not to trust it.

It was telling me the type of game it was, and it's not the type of game I think I'll enjoy. Or, at least, it's a different type of game than what I want to play right now. Maybe I'll get over it.

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kiridarling · 3 years

Text

𝐂𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐤𝐮, 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐨

𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐊𝐔.

→ Okay. Izuku Midoriya? A sadist.

→ And you've been a brat all day, because he's been busy fighting crime as a newly debuted pro hero, and you can't help it if Izuku's new suit fits him a little too well.

→ And of course, the one day he finally has time to take you on a date you two go to the mall, only to be swarmed with thousands of Pro Hero Deku fans buzzing with requests for photo's and autographs and other bullshit and you just want to clobber them in the head and spit the ugly truth in their faces—that at the end of the day, their lovely Deku comes home to you, and sleeps next to you, and the fact that they can steal his attention away from you is absolutely outrageous. Blasphemy.

→ So naturally, you start acting up. You roll your eyes at the next fan who asks you to take the picture and you scoff at the next fan that announces their love. You pile them on, offense after offense, and by the time you get into the car, Izuku's practically vibrating with anger.

"Say one word and I'm bending you over the hood."

→ Oh.

→ Needless to say, you're squirming the whole ride; though you're unsure if it's from his words, the dead silence, or the tight grip Izuku has on your thigh but either way, the trip back home feels painfully long.

→ The second you two get through the door, he's cornering you into the living room and bending you over the arm of the couch without a second thought, big hands yanking your hips back so your ass sticks out just the way he likes it.

"Bratty doll...you wanted my attention that bad, huh?”

→ Izuku exaggerates every other word with a harsh spank that has you whimpering behind a bitten lip. Though eventually, he deems your muffled moans not enough and aggressively yanks your bottoms off, stuffing his fingers into your mouth.

→ Once they're wet enough, he slides a finger in, (because no matter how angry he is, you’re still his baby). But once you're ready? It's game over.

→ You figured Izuku was going to be a tease about it, but once he sits you on his cock and doesn't move, it has you squirming in confusion. What the hell could he be waiting for?

"Awe, what's the matter, doll? Did you want me to move?"

→ The hold his hands have on your waist is tight enough that you can't even twitch your hips—and the grip only gets tighter the more you wiggle in protest. Izuku tuts, landing a slap to your bruised ass that makes one thing clear: You’re not moving.

→ The green-haired bastard turns on the tv, for fucks sake. And has the audacity to pretend like he's paying attention to whatever's on—because it's not like you're paying attention, too preoccupied with the cock in your guts. You can't squirm because something tells you that'll only lengthen the punishment you've been sentenced to, but by the end of the first episode, it's a little hard not to.

→ Izuku caves the second you start begging. Mostly because it was what he was waiting for, but also he's probably struggling worse than you while he watches you whimper and squirm in his lap.

“Fine, doll. Since you waited so patiently, I guess I can make you feel good.”

𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈.

→ 100% your idea

→ And he had absolutely no warning. The Bakusquad decided to hold a movie night in the common room on a random Saturday evening when the dorms were pretty much empty. Katsuki didn't even want to be down there in the first place, but after you winked so prettily and promised he'd get a treat if he came, he didn't grumble nearly as much.

→ But what he didn't know was that you meant right now.

→ Katsuki knew something was up the second you sat in his lap and asked Denki for a blanket—that's rarely your Bakusquad move night cuddle position, plus you're always saying how you never need a blanket because Katsuki runs so warm.

→ And he definitely knew something was up when you started grinding against him, not even ten minutes into whatever shitty action movie Denki and Eijirou convinced the group to watch this time. His hands rush to your hips because if Katsuki Bakugou is anything, he's not a goddamn exhibitionist.

"Oi, the fuck are you doing, dumbass? They're gonna fuckin' see."

→ But as always, you take his words with a grain of salt, already blindly fiddling with the buckle of his belt despite his threats (AKA, I'm gonna fuckin' kill you, you fuckin' heathen). The metal clinks for a second and both of you tense, but it seems no one hears it over the movie, so. You relax.

→ Katsuki does not.

→ You wait for a loud crash from the television speakers and you're sinking down on Katsuki's cock, his teeth tearing into your shoulder as he holds back a moan. Both of you let out a shaky breath when you bottom out.

"W-Well? You gonna fuckin' move or what?"

→ You shake your head.

"No? Fuck."

→ And honestly, all is well until about twenty minutes into the movie. At this point, Katsuki's semi-comatose, eyes half-lidded from the surprisingly peaceful warmth you're both encompassed in. But unfortunately, this peace is disturbed by a rude awakening that comes in the form of none other than Denki Kaminari.

→ All he does is mention how Katsuki looks much too out of it, owing it all to "y/n's juicy caboose," but it has your boyfriend practically rearing on his hind legs in fury either way.

→ In the middle of all the commotion, you take the opportunity to wiggle your hips a bit, rendering the majority of Katsuki's arguments repetitive and ineffective. The bickering blond's shut up once Mina calls for it, and Katsuki returns to whisper-yell threats in your ear again.

"Do you want us to get fuckin' caught? Huh? I ca—fuckin' hell—stop movin’!"

→ But you giggle, having a little too much fun with this. The death grip Katsuki has around your thigh implies he’s closer than you thought, and the moment the action in the movie starts to pick up again, so does the steady roll of your hips.

→ Katsuki practically whimpers into your ear, body shaking with restraint because he lacks the proper space to “put you in your place” or however he wants to put it. You know he’s teetering on the edge when he resorts to something Katsuki Bakugou never does—begging.

“Babe—babe c-c’mon please, I don’t wanna—”

→ Katsuki’s nails dig into your thigh and he shivers as he fills you up, bottom teeth digging into his swollen lip. His quiet moans push you off the edge as well, adding to the mess under the blanket as fake explosions emanate from the tv screen.

→ That was...something.

“I hate you so goddamn much.”

→ You snort, rolling your eyes at his overdramatic ass. But?

“...But that was the hottest sex of my fuckin’ life.”

𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀.

→ You and Hanta definitely do this once a month. At least.

→ Getting high with Hanta as your boyfriend is probably one of your favorite things. He's got snacks, cool LED lights, a monitor that constantly plays animal planet while the speakers play lofi. It's an experience.

→ And of course, you two get horny—though sex is a little hard when you're feeling fuzzy. Hanta's a high-functioning stoner but frankly, you're not, and even he gets a little fumbly when it comes down to it. Cockwarming seemed like the only viable option.

→ Half of the time, it's not even that sexual. Watching otters chase each other with his back pressed up against yours as you bask in a familiar warmth that only comes from true human connection is nice. Feeling his lips place butterfly kisses against the column of your neck is nice. Just...being with Hanta is nice.

→ But tonight? Tonight it's definitely sexual.

"So warm, Princess. You know your body does things to me, don't you?"

→ You didn't, but the way he says it definitely makes you believe him, and so does the way he rubs his hands up and down your sides. Hanta bites into your neck and you stifle a moan, balancing yourself on his knees.

→ You jump when his hand ghosts your inner thigh, and he chuckles when you bite your lip, eyes trained on the hand moving between your legs.

"Like it when I rub you like that, Princess? Like it when I turn you into a messy little puddle in my arms, hmm?"

→ You whine and nod, chest shuddering with the threat of an impending orgasm. Hanta curses behind you, the hand holding you steadily by the waist tightening.

"Shit—keep clenching like that and you might make me cum, Princess."

→ Hanta huffs out a laugh but you can hear the genuine implication behind it, can feel it in the pant of his breath against your neck. The thought of making him cum from something so simple has you hurtling towards your orgasm at an alarming speed, nails digging into his forearm as the weight of your marijuana-laced orgasm hits you like a fucking freight train.

→ Hanta moans breathily, eyebrows knitting as his own orgasm catches him by surprise. His hips twitch and it almost sends you flying off his lap but somehow, you don't go tumbling—though you might owe that to the vice grip Hanta has on your hip.

→ You two come down, basking in the gentle blue of the ocean as the chatter from the Australian narrator about the Humpback whales and their baleen teeth fills the room. You move to get up but Hanta whines, hands keeping you still via your waist.

"Lemme stay inside for a bit...'S warm."

[a/n: thanks for stopping by angel, and let me know who you want to see next <3. see you soon!]

—ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴀɴ 𝟷𝟾+ ʙʟᴏɢ. ᴍɪɴᴏʀs ᴅɴɪ

#— 𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈 #— 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀 #— 𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐊𝐔 #bnha headcanons #bnha smut #bnha fanfiction #bakugou headcanons #bakugou smut #bakugou x reader #deku x reader #deku headcanons #deku smut #sero headcanons #sero x reader #sero smut

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