#when faith meets juvenile

[xdarkestdesirex]

When Faith Meets Juvenile - Chap 1

This is a Dale Holt x reader story. There's no (y/n) insert. I'm just avoiding the use of the reader's name and it is female-based. There are hints of physical appearance, but nothing in-depth.

This writing contains highly sensitive content like violence, drugs, the use of weapons, abuse, mental illness, hostage situations, talk of suicide, religious abuse, smut, and other mature themes. Reader discretion is advised. MUST BE 18+ TO INTERACT.

I do not allow anyone to copy, alter, or repost my work as their own.

3767-word count

Growing up in Two Rock comes with a lot of nothing. The scenery is brown dirt, cactuses, and hills. The sun beats down directly on people, leaving them crisp with a bit of heat stroke. Some kids figured out how to make their childhood entertaining, but it wasn’t an option for me. My father is a well-respected pastor at the Two Rock Chapel, and my family and onlookers expected me to be well-behaved. I was, for the most part, until I met a boy. He changed my life forever, and I’ll never forget what happened.

“Jesus said, ‘I will come and heal him.’” My father’s deep and authoritative voice flooded the churchgoer’s ears as he paced the stage. I sat front and center. So my dad could keep an eye on me and for everyone to see how disciplined I was. My mother looked perfectly prim and proper to the right of me, and my older brother was to the left, wearing a suit with his hair gelled back nicely. I wore a pale blue dress that went up to my neck with a white collar and short sleeves that puffed out. The dress was cinched at my waist to show off my healthy physique (my mother says it’s good to show off without showing skin), and the dress’s bottom belled out past my knees. I wore sheer tights underneath with heels to match. My hair was pulled into a sleek pony, and I was accented with pearl earrings and a necklace. Only the lightest touch of makeup was applied to my face to accentuate my features, but not enough to be called a whore. 

My bible was open and sitting in my lap. Like always, I followed the sermon my father was teaching. I had a notebook open and was writing down thoughts and questions that popped up. As a preacher’s daughter, I was meant to lead by example, but I wasn’t doing this for them or to be a good child for my parents. I was doing this for me. My faith has always been important to me, and damn it, I am a good kid. Sometimes, I wish I had a rebellious bone in me, like my brother, who secretly sneaks out of the house to do God knows what. One night, I followed him, but he caught me within 10 minutes and dragged me back to the house. He told me I shouldn’t ruin my innocence, that once I tasted the bad things in the world, I could never get it back. 

“I ask that some of our worship members join me on the stage as I close us out this morning,” My father’s voice became soft, “You may bow your heads and close your eyes.” My back slumps over as I droop toward my lap, and my eyes flutter close. The sound of a piano starts to float around me, and a woman’s voice begins to sing quietly.

“Amazing love, how can it be? That you, my King, would die for me?” 

My father spoke above the singing, asking if anyone in the crowd didn’t know God and wanted to get to know Him, to raise their hands, and that someone would join them to pray. People were slowly leaving their seats, going to the altar, and sitting on the ground to pray. My brother slowly slid out of his seat, sat at the end of the stage, leaning the top half of his body over it, and began praying. My mother tapped my knee as if to say I needed to join the others who were kneeling. I walked up to where my brother was and sat on the ground behind him, making sure my dress was tucked neatly under my legs and bowed my head into my lap.  

When the service ended, I was greeted by people praising me for my well-behaved manners and asking what kind of things I’d done so far over the summer. I indulged in conversation and made small talk while waiting for everyone to filter out. The heat was rising in the building, and I could feel my dress sticking to my back. Once the last person left, my family was also free to leave. Usually, after church, we go out to eat for lunch and spend the day together until evening, when the second sermon of the day starts. Yes, you must think we’re crazy for having church twice on Sundays, but that’s how we do it here. But today, I didn’t feel like going out; it would be extra hot, and I wanted to go home and get out of this stuffy dress.

“Daddy, could you drop me off at the house? I promised Nelly I would return her book this afternoon.” I asked my dad as we all got into the car.

“Can’t you do that after we eat?” He looked back at me through the review mirror.

“I’m not very hungry,” I pause, “I was hoping I could stay at her place for a little so we could talk about the book together.” It wasn’t a lie; I said I could probably bring the book sometime today, but I don’t plan to stay long at her house. I just wanted time to be by myself for a while. 

“Honey, it’s family day.” My mom states. 

“I know, bu-” 

“Oh, come on, it’s not like her to ask to hang out with friends often. Why don’t you just let her go.” My brother pipes up from beside me. I was shocked for him to come to my rescue; he protects me often but doesn’t usually go out of his way to help me with our parents.

“James is right. I think it’ll be okay, just this once, to miss a family day.” My dad speaks. A bright smile appears on my face, and I thank my father for letting me have this day. I glance at my brother with a silent thank you as well. 

As we pulled up to our house in Big Oak Neighborhood, I promised my dad I’d be back in time for church tonight and wave goodbye as they set off to some restaurant. As I enter the house, my shoulders instantly relax as the cold air hits me. I unbutton the collar of my dress as I walk down the hallway toward my bedroom. Once in my room, I kick my heels into some random corner, rip the dress over my head, and toss it to the floor. I lay on my bed for a few minutes in my undergarments, letting the cold air kiss my sticky skin. When I finally get up from my bed, I pick out a pair of short overalls that hit just above my midthigh, the shortest thing I was allowed to wear, and a plain white tee to go underneath. I put on a pair of socks and sneakers and redid my hair into a slightly messy braid. I grabbed my tote bag and put Nelly’s book inside, along with my journal. 

I entered the kitchen and grabbed the necessary things to make a sandwich: bread, mayo, meat, cheese, pickles, you know, the works. Once put together, I put the sandwich into a paper bag and then stuffed it into my tote bag. I grabbed a few more snacks from the pantry, filled my water bottle, and headed out the door. It was peak sunrise in Arizona, and the heat was hitting a hundred degrees. The sun hit the sidewalk’s concrete, bouncing up and blinding me. I squinted as I walked past the houses on my street and turned down Ranger Rd. The third house on the left belonged to Nelly. I approached the front door and knocked my knuckles against the wood. A few minutes passed, and I heard a few voices exchanged back and forth before the door swung open. 

“Hey!” Nelly’s giant smile greeted me.

“Hi, sorry to intrude. I was just stopping by to drop your book off.” I reached into my bag and pulled the book out.

“You finished it already?” She looked shocked as she reached out to grab the book from my hands.

“Yeah, I just spent a whole day reading it, which wasn’t hard since it was a good book.”

“Did you want to come inside and talk about it for a while?” Nelly’s body slid to the side, revealing I was okay coming in. 

“Oh, no, sorry, I have to get back home. It’s Sunday, so I have to be with my family. I was just allowed to stop by and drop the book off.” 

“No worries! We can get together another time to discuss the book!” Nelly said as she closed the door.

I walked, about an hour, in the direction of a park, a place I’ve gone to a few times when needing space from others. Usually, I would tell my parents I was studying at the library, but with it being summer, I couldn’t use that excuse. I found a wooden bench seat in the shade and made myself comfortable. Inside my tote bag was my MP3 player, so I took my headphones out and placed them over my ears, letting my music drown out everything around me. I pulled out my journal and pen and began writing about everything I felt. This journal was my deepest and darkest thoughts, and if anyone got a hold of it, I would be in deep shit. 

After a few hours, I had eaten all my food, and my water was almost gone. I decided it was time to leave. Collecting all my things and putting them back into my bag, I headed home.

“Watch out!” A voice behind me yelled out as I was about to cross the road. The next thing I knew, something slammed into my back, sending me flying to the ground, and a heavy weight landed on top of me.

“Ah, shit.” The gruff male voice said. Then, the heavy weight that was pinning me down lifted. I turned around to look up at what had hit me to see a figure towering over me. The sun was behind the guy who ran into me, making him look like a silhouette. “Are you okay?” He asked me.

“I-I’m fine.” I tried to push myself back on my feet, but once I put weight onto my left leg, I collapsed. I expected my body to meet the asphalt again, but instead, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. When I looked at the guy this time, I could see his features. Short brown hair that was messed up from the crash, piercing blue eyes creased with worry, and a face shaped like God had carefully pieced him together. Suddenly, I forgot I was hurt and found myself staring at this guy with my mouth agape and speechless. He was a bit rugged-looking, but that made him more attractive in my eyes. A slight smirk appeared after what felt like forever of just looking at his face.

“You like what you see?” His statement ripped me out of my daze. A cough erupted from my throat, and the heat rose to my cheeks. 

“N-no,” I stuttered, “Just confused about how you crashed into me.”

“I tried to stop, but the brakes on my bike weren’t working.” 

“Could you help me stand?” He was holding me in a dip position, like we were dancing, from catching me. His face was only inches away from mine. It was the closest I’ve ever been with a male. I’d never been embraced by one before; having his arms around me was weird, but I also didn’t want him to let go of me. I felt strange for thinking this way. I mean, I didn’t even know who this guy was! He could be a murderer for all I know. 

"Ah, fuck.” The brunette cussed, “Your leg is messed up pretty good.” His crystal eyes darted around the park, looking for something, like he was worried someone would see us. The smirk that once sat across his face turned into a hard line, and his eyebrows furrowed together. I looked down to see what he was looking at. There was a large gash from the center of my shin down to my ankle, and blood was dripping down, staining my shoelaces red.

“How far do you live?” He asked me.

“I live in Big Oak Neighborhood.” 

“Why the fuck are you over here?”

“I like this park, it’s quiet.”

“You know this part of Two Rock is the trashy side, right?” 

I rolled my eyes at the guy, “I think I’ll be fine to walk back.” I tried to pry his arms off from around me, but he was way too strong. 

“Yeah, I don’t think you can walk that far.” His grip around me tightened, “My house is around the corner. I can patch you up and then drive you home.” 

He helped me sit back on the warm ground as he picked the bike up. His blue eyes scanned the black metal and wheels. Once pleased with what he saw, he helped me situate myself on the bike. I rested my hands on the handles and set my feet on the pegs of the wheel in front of me. His muscular arms reached around my sides, and he placed his hands next to mine. Slowly, he started pushing me away from the park. It took us about ten minutes to reach a brown fence, and a small house with a porch was not too far away. It was the kind of home that seemed cozy. I always dreamed of living out in the country. My home back in Big Oak was your typical suburban house. It looked identical to the ones around; the grass was green, and we even had a white picket fence. I know I should be thankful for where I live; not many people have the life I do, but I still wish things were different for me. 

Once we got to the porch, he stopped the bike and helped me off it. I felt terrible that he was going out of his way to do all this for me. Yes, he ran into me, and I wouldn’t be injured if it wasn’t for him, but he didn’t need to help me in the way he was doing. Slowly, we made our way up the steps of the porch. His strong arm wrapped around me, pulling me tight into his side as I hopped up each step on my good leg. We entered the house, down a small hallway, and entered a tiny bathroom. Without warning, I was lifted off the ground and placed on the sink counter. A yelp escaped my lips, and I gripped the male’s shoulders in front of me. He stared back at me with the same smirk from earlier.

“I’m tempted to make you yelp like that again.” His voice was low and husky as he spoke. I wasn’t fully aware of what he meant by that, but my body still reacted anyway. Goosebumps erupted on my skin, and my face burnt with embarrassment. He stood there with his arms beside me, his face inched closer to mine, stopping a breath away from my lips. I had just met this guy, and yet I wasn’t going to stop him. But he pushed away and started rummaging through the cupboards. I watched how his face looked as he focused on grabbing whatever supplies he needed. His face relaxed into its natural state, with soft eyes, his lips pursed only slightly, and his hair fell forward onto his forehead. When he got everything, he turned the faucet on and waited for the water to warm. 

“I’m going to clean up the area around your wound. This won’t hurt too bad, but I will disinfect the wound immediately after, which stings a little.” I nodded my head and watched him as he knelt to get level with my leg. As he wiped away the blood that covered my leg, he was gentle, not to hurt me. With most of the blood gone, I could see what the gash looked like, and it seemed I would probably need some stitches. He then grabbed a bottle and took the lid off. 

“Alright, this isn’t the fun part.” He said pouring the liquid right over my wound. 

“Fuck!” I yelled and instinctively covered my mouth. It hurt a lot more than he was explaining. 

“Sorry, Doll, it needs to be cleaned.”  He waited awhile for the liquid to do its thing before pressing some soft gauze against my gash and wrapping it with medical tape. He stood back up and placed himself between my legs. “You’re all patched up now.” 

“T-thank you.” I kept my gaze on the ground because I knew if I looked up at him, I would become even more of a stuttering mess. 

“I guess it’s time I drive you home.” He gripped my hips and helped me slide off the counter. If my dad knew a male was touching me in the manner this guy is, he would lose his shit. 

“What time is it anyway?”

“Around 5 o’clock.” 

“What!? You have to get me home now!” I tried to hobble out of the bathroom, which only caused the male behind me to laugh. 

“You look like a deer trying to walk for the first time.” He said as he watched me from the bathroom as I grabbed onto things around me to stay steady. “What’s the rush anyways? You have a curfew?” 

“Yes! My parents are going to kill me. I should’ve been home an hour ago!” 

“Woah, don’t get your panties in a twist. You’re a teenager. What else are they expecting? This shit is normal.” 

“Not in my household, and not on a Sunday.” Confusedly, He looked at me, “My dad is the pastor at Two Rock Chapel. I’m expected to be perfect and well-behaved. I wasn’t even supposed to be out this way. I lied and said I was going to a friend. I’m going to be in deep shit.”

“Wait, you’re the preacher’s daughter?” His blue eyes opened wide at this information. “You’re like Two Rock’s most innocent princess.” 

“Huh?” I grabbed the chair in front of me to balance myself, “People talk about me?” 

“It’s Two Rock, Doll. Everyone talks about everyone.” He made his way over to me, “Here, let me help you.” One arm reached around my side to help support me once again. 

“Oh yeah? Then who are you?” I asked, looking up at the handsome stranger. 

“I’m Dale, Dale Holt.” 

“Holt? Dale Holt?” The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d heard it before.

“You might’ve seen me in the papers. I’m pretty famous around here.” 

“Oh really? I didn’t know I was in the presence of a celebrity.” A chuckle fell through his lips, and the feeling of warmness flooded through me.

“It’s probably for the best you don’t know who I am.” Again, his face turned serious. There was something dark and lonely hiding behind his eyes. I wanted to ask him why it was for the best that I didn’t know who he was, but I knew it wasn’t my place to pry, especially with someone I just met. 

Once in the truck, I instructed Dale on how to get to my house. He slowly drove while looking at all the homes we passed. When something was interesting or cool, he would point it out and say they should add it to their farm. I could sense the want from him to be someone living behind these walls, to live the life that I have. That was the first time my heart stopped. Watching him stare out the window and play out what could be if he were a resident here. We didn’t discuss our similarities in wanting what the other had, but I could feel it from him. And in that moment, I had never felt more connected to someone else before. It was odd to connect without any interaction, but something within me stirred. He seemed to have felt the same feeling cause his head turned slowly to look at me, and we locked eyes for what felt like an eternity. We understood each other. Finally, a person, completely different from the other, felt what we felt. 

He ripped his eyes from mine and said, “Do you want me to drop you down a few houses?”

“You can pull up to my house.” 

“Are you sure? I don’t want anyone thinking bad about you for being with me.” His eyes drifted down to the floorboard.

“Why would anyone think badly about that?”

“I’m not the type of guy your church people approve of.”

“Well, it’s none of their business. You may have been the reason I got injured, but you helped me. So thank you.” I flashed him a small smile, “If it makes you feel better, my parents are probably already at the church since my dad has to set up for the sermon.” He did as I said and pulled into my driveway, and just like I suspected, the family car was gone. 

“I’m sorry for your leg,” Dale spoke in a low tone.

“It’s okay. You helped me a lot today, and I really appreciate it. Thank you, seriously.” I went to open the door, but before I could get out, I felt his strong hand wrap around my arm again.

“Can you walk to the door?”

“I think I can manage this one.” He released my wrist, and I slowly lowered myself out of the truck. “Dale?”

“Yeah?” 

“I’d like to see you again someday.”

“I would like that too, Doll.” 

I closed the truck door and slowly limped to the door of my house. A stupid smile plastered on my face as I opened the door and walked inside. The sound of his truck driving away off in the distance. 

Dale Holt. The guy that changed my life forever.

next

AN:

Hey guys! I hope you liked this first chapter! I'm not the best writer in the world, but I hope you enjoy reading this. I will try to get chapters out fairly frequently, but I work 2 jobs and can get pretty busy. So please be patient with me! Please let me know if you see any errors so I can fix them! I do use editing software, but only some things get caught. I want everyone to know that some experiences the reader has are things I've dealt with personally (and so have others), so please be kind in the comments when talking about any of the serious situations!

#as dusk falls #asduskfalls #dale holt #Dale Holt x reader #jay holt #as dusk falls fanfic #tyler holt #jack bandeira #x reader #fanfiction #sharon holt #bear holt #vince walker #zoe walker #joyce walema #paul hayes #smut #as dusk falls holt family #when faith meets juvenile #jack bandeira x reader

[cautuscoralcoast]

The Flesh, Blood, Bone, Heart and Soul : There once was a jellyfish who wished to be human

Laios Touden x Monster! Reader

Synopsis - you're a jellyfish who had no heart or soul to even desire the purest desire—you wanted nothing and desired not even the will to eat. One day, a winged lion came to you and asked if you wanted to see. You didn't know what that meant at the time; that was until the lion wanted you to meet a human.

Word count: 7.8k

Tw. Very brief mentions cannibalism, depictions of violence and lots of blood, near character death, eating disorders, major spoilers for the manga, viewer's discretion advised

Next.

For the longest time, you were just a jellyfish. A lone jellyfish floating in the abyss of water, deep in the dungeon.

You watched as those sea creatures ate each other. Feasting on each others flesh and tearing tails and fins off of each other. But then you would watch them mate and produce offspring — and the cycle repeats.

All you would and could do was watch as they did so; just eating the scraps and algae. And that was all you would do — eat. With no coherent thought, you were just a regular jellyfish in an aquarium full of monsters.

"Do you want to think?"

What was there to think? All you needed to do was eat.

"Do you want to see those mermaids in disgust?"

Why would you want to see mermaids? You already can.

"Do you want to go beyond this aquarium and up above the surface?"

You don't know what that means.

It wasn't anything magical or grand. One day, you realized you were alive and living in a sea with other live creatures. You didn't think much of it. It was as if you knew for your entire life.

It was when one of the mermaids tried attacking you, did you realize what the power of sentience gave you.

You could eat more than just scraps.

From a jellyfish, you morphed into a monstrous, distorted version of a mermaid. The more you ate, the bigger you got, and the more you turned into into a coverage shape. You became the serpant of the dungeons sea, devorour of all creatures from the waters. You ate undines, mermaids, mermen, and anything that was in your domain.

But then one day, suddenly, you felt something new.

You felt lonely.

There were very little monsters of your kind that would dare approach you. Even then, you ate so much there wasn't anything that could approach you.

You didn't want to eat anymore. You didn't want those monsters gone. You don't want to be alone.

You morphed from a leviathan sea serpant back into a jellyfish like-form. With flesh akin to jellyfish and a form similar to the mermaids that sung you songs: You were you.

"Do you want to go back to how things were?"

"If I did, then things would get as scary as I was and eat everything."

"They still would regardless of your wishes."

"Then stop allowing them!"

"They are the same as you, unknowing. It is my faith and goodwill to grant those with desires, knowledge."

"Then what may I do?"

"Do you want things to go back as they were before?"

"No."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Like the sea anemones and algae, you remained stationary in place.

You sat on a coral throne, hands in your lap, listening to the mermaids sing. You watched as juvenile mermaids and merman fought each other, and despite the mermaids always having the upper hand, you enjoyed seeing the mermen struggle for survival. It was truly amazing to see the will all living things in the dungeons waters have to live. It was a perfect equalizer, keeping the population of both at bay.

As you sat on your coral throne, like the canary birds that sing, you sang the monarchs melody for the mermaids. You sang your song, and they would sing theirs. They wove you dresses and hairpieces from the coral and stone under the dungeons floor. They gave you the flesh of mermen, bladefish, and cephalopds. You felt the meat the mermaids would in your hands. You squeezed the lump of flesh as blood flowed in the water, and you devoured it.

You hated eating.

It was one of the things you came to despise. For you, it was the source of all evil things. It was desire and hunger that nearly made you eat all living things in this artificial ocean. It was the desire to eat that ruined you. Hunger and desire was what made so very lonely. It was that very desire that caused so many plants and organisms to suffer in pain. You couldn't believe you ate all those creatures.

You hated eating.

Only eating when you were on the brink of death.

You were the hunter; you dominated the waters of the dungeon. You watched and felt every movement in the water. You smelled and tasted every bit of blood that flowed in the water. You saw everything — there was not a single thing that could escape your watchful eyes. You sought out those monsters with desires as strong as yours, and with a watchful gaze, you wrapped your lappets around the still living prey. They could try biting you, tearing your skin, scratching out pieces of your flesh, but that never stopped your attack. There was no need to pay attention to pain you couldn't feel. They never were alive long enough to injure you anyway—especially not when you had the water's blessing.

Your lappets constricting and tightening as you felt them grow faint. Their mind and body numbing as you constricted tighter. They couldn't hurt you when they couldn't move.

As they remain barely conscious, you dug through their flesh and ripped the bones out. You peeled any fur off the skin and ate the tissue. You chewed on the blood vessels, trying to draw out more and more blood. You constricted around them tighter and tigher to watch the blood squeeze out of the limp lump of flesh. You tightened your hold on it as you tore through muscle and fat to reach the heart.

It was only when you had all the hearts that you finally let go of the lifeless piece of flesh.

The mermaids really liked it when you brought them the heart of the prey. However, there were days you were especially hungry; just so very hungry, you couldn't help resist going out to hunt for more.

You felt the water move ever so slightly.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Songs were the mermaids' passion.

As you rest upon your coral throne, the sung you songs. They loved to dance and sing the events of that day. They told you stories of the food they ate, the stones they found, the surface creatures they lured in the water, or even the mischievous actions of the youngest mermaid.

Blessed by the waters of the dungeon, songs became your passion.

Every night cycle, you love to rest in the coral reefs as they rest by your side. You would sing them your melody — one about the wonders and curse of gluttony. You lulled them to sleep, and once you were sure that they all were asleep, you would melt away and morph back into a jellyfish. You would shield them with your body, and it was only when you were sure they were safe, did you finally allow yourself to sleep.

The mermaids, sirens, fish, and kelpie were your passion.

You love them all so dearly. Despite knowing their nature to devour each other, you can't help but still love each and every one of them.

It wasn't their fault that they needed to eat. They were born, as all living things, to eat, consume, reproduce, die, and repeat. You couldn't blame them over something that is instinct. You were once the same; so very small, so very primitive. You were once just a jellyfish with no thought nor any sense of pain.

"There is this human who goes by the name Laios. Unlike the humans in the stories I tell you, he admires the monsters in the dungeon."

You opened your eyes as you hid beneath the coral reef. "Is that so?"

"He admires the biological nature of monsters. He has a deep passion for the monsters of this dungeon and holds a great yearning for knowledge."

"A human..." You asked as you held your lappets closer to your body. "Humans are the same as I, aren't they?"

The lion chuckled as his voice bellowed in your head. "Humans are much more extraordinary. They are born with the nature to exceed the instinct and animalistic nature all life is born with. They needed no gift to have the ability to think beyond nothing. You aren't anything close to their organic being; You're just an artificial attempt at intelligent life."

You tilt your head to your side as you pondered. "If I don't exceed this nature of mine and they do, then this human wouldn't have the primal fear when facing monsters, am I correct?"

"He wants to live alongside monsters. He doesn't wish for them to be seen as monsters but rather the same as the living creatures above."

"The same?"

"Yes—just as you accept the cruel nature of the creatures in your residence, he admires the art and anatomy of all of them."

"Will he hurt them?"

"He'll hurt them the same way they hurt their prey to eat."

"I see..." You closed your eyes as you tried to visualize this human the lion mentioned. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't picture a human. You never saw anything above the water. You had no need to follow the mermaids as they hunted for prey. You had no need to ever venture above the known.

But a human...it was foreign to think that any living thing could ever set aside the primal instinct of life itself. So much so that they were willing to accept the creatures that deem them as prey.

"Why are you telling me about this human?"

"I want you to meet him."

A human named Laios, was it?

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

You sat on your coral throne as you watched the young mermaids play amongst themselves. You couldn't help but smile as one of the older mermaids scared them.

You held your hands close to your chest, and you sang your song. Some mermaids wove oriements into your your hair and lappets. They brushed out your clothing and adorned your head with a coral crown. Some of the mermaids sung, but never was it your song.

Songs are the passion of all mermaids.

Songs are the soul in each individual one. Despite the mutual respect you and the mermaids hold for each other, you aren't the same species. You have your melody, and they have their own. As much as they may love your voice, they would absolutely detest you if you tried to sing with them.

You held your hands up to your face as you thought of this. You wonder if humans were the same. The lion said they were the perfect beings to possess the ability to deny their instincts. Depsite being a mockery of sentience, you were also able to deny the instincts you were born with. If that's was makes something sapient then you are sure they would love to sing with you.

"The human sung?"

The mermaids in front of you seemed distressed as they waved their hands around, blowing rings in the water. One of them placed their head on your lap as they lamented the horrible voice of the human voice.

You couldn't help but chuckle as you pat her head. You never once heard of any surface dwellers trying to sing along with them. But as amusing as it was, you couldn't help sympathize with them.

Yet, you couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement at the fact that humans can sing along those foreign to them.

Not long after this, you heard that another surface dweller ate an undine.

"An undine?! Was it the same human?"

The mermaids shook their heads as they pointed to their ears.

"This one had long ears?"

The more they told you about this group of surface dwellers, the more you wanted to see for yourself.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

You never felt humiliation, pain, or defeat.

You were the monarch of sea within the dungeon. There was nothing that could best you underwater just as there was nothing you could not eat.

But above the surface, however, you didn't know if you held the same strength.

You were heavy—very, very heavy. You were bigger than any mermaid yet smaller than a kraken. you had thousands of lappets and hundreds of cloth woven by the mermaids. Your hair was abundant and adorned with millions of small oriements. Though you could reduce yourself to a smaller size, why do so when you're weightless underwater?

It was a dilemma you pondered for ages. The smaller you got, the less strength you possessed, and if you were too big, you wouldn't be able to move above water. You didn't want to be anywhere near where the mermaids usually reside. You didn't want to impede on their routine, nor did you wish to drag them into trouble if something were to happen. If you were looking for a location like that, there were little places you could emerge from. These places were also uncharted territory with how little any other aquatic species spent there.

But curiosity got the better of you, and so you swam up.

You stared for the longest at the water meeting the surface. You raised your hand to touch the small barrier separating the two. You closed your eyes as you thought about what the stories the lion and mermaids would tell you about the world above.

You took in a deep breath as you raised the top of your head above water. You felt the cold air on your forehead, and the light was blinding. You looked around as you saw a stone room—the same stone that made up the aquarium you called the sea. You pulled yourself on top of the stone flooring as you breathed lightly. It felt just as heavy as you had thought, but you didn't think you would be able to carry yourself with ease.

Just as you were acclimating to the change of environment, you heard footsteps coming from behind you. As quick as you went above, you went back into the water. You swam close to the surface as you warily looked through the ripples of the water.

You watched as a human male adorned in silver cloth ran close the water. You lowered yourself deeper into the water as he just briefly saw you.

"I swore I saw mermaid!"

Three others came along right behind as the long-eared female spoke up.

"Laios, there are no mermaids at this level of the dungeon, much less this area!—those mushrooms are making you hallucinate."

The longed-eared one, did she say Laios?

"Guys, I hear something in the water...."

Laios. Laios. Laios. Laios. Laios.

Laios was the one the lion told you about.

"Those mushrooms weren't hallucinogens! And there was a mermaid! This one was a different color! I always wondered if it was possible for monsters to be albino like regular animals we have on the island. It's possible that this mermaid is here because they were ostracized by the—"

You jumped out of the water and landed in front of the group of surface dwellers. You leaned down as you stared at the one adorned in silver cloth. He was smaller than expected; You thought he would be bigger than the mermaids, and he was, but only by a little.

"I never seen a mermaid that big!"

You turned to face the short–bearded man. You never thought surface dwellers could vary in size and shape. Most of the mermaids and mermen you saw were relatively the same in appearance.

"That's because that isn't a mermaid! This one seems to be a Scyphozoa demi-human varient judging by the tentacles."

The shortest one began to talk as he slowly walked backward, "Should we even be standing here waiting for it to attack?"

You snapped out of your daze as you remembered why you were here. You leaned even closer to what you presumed to be Laios and wrapped your hands around him.

"Huh?"

You caught a glimpse of the shape of the lion on his side, and it was then you knew that this, for sure was, Laios!

You lifted him up into the air as you twirled and jumped back into the water. You couldn't help but smile widely as you finally met the human the lion talked so highly about. You felt his body and were surprised by the sturdiness of the silver cloth. You were about to laugh at his puffed up cheeks when you remembered a crucial detail about surface dwellers.

You panicked as you hastily rose back up to the surface. You briefly loosened your grip on him as you felt the sudden decrease in pressure. As you did, he quickly used this to his advantage and got out his sword, and cut one of your hands.

"LAIOS!'

You let go out of him out of surprise, dropping him into the water. You looked at your hand as you saw blood oozing out. It wasn't often you were injured. It was also because of your lack of pain that there were many times when the mermaids noticed when you accidentally cut yourself when swimming near rocks or trident left by the mermen.

Remembering Laios, you dove back into the water to retrieve him. However, as you did so, the long–eared female ran up to you and tapped you with her staff.

You were surprised by her ability to walk on water, but you were even more so when you felt yourself get pushed out from the water.

You felt yourself choke.

Whatever that girl did to you, it made you sick. You struggled to balance yourself as you felt disoriented from seeing the water below you. You couldn't feel the water's blessing: You didn't feel safe. You saw Laios run up to you and cut some of your lappets.

Why would he hurt you?

"CHILCHUCK, AIM FOR THE NECK!"

Oh.

The look of determination and andrenalin you saw in their eyes was familiar. They thought you were going to eat them; just as you ate your prey, they thought you were going to kill them.

You struggled to sit up as you saw an arrow close in you.

This was your mistake. You should've conveyed your intentions clearly.

You covered your head as you dropped to the waters surface. You writhed on the surface, trying desperately to go back into the water. You tried destroying whatever separated you from your home, but no matter what you did, nothing worked.

Laios ran up to you with his sword, and he swung at your neck.

Just like underwater, in your domain, you felt time slow down.

Despite not being able to feel much pain, you certainly knew what areas of your body, once they began to bleed, would bring you death.

And he wanted to kill you.

But the look in his eyes wasn't of fear, nor was it out of the need to survive. It was something foreign, and it scared you.

You felt yourself breathe heavily as you became aware of the urgency of the situation.

"St—STAY BACK!!!"

Your voice reverberated, pushing all of them away.

This wasn't underwater.

You couldn't swim away, you couldn't use all of your strength, you couldn't avoid the attacks, you could hardly move, you felt sickly.

You should have been more prepared.

You felt the water briefly on your skin. As you saw the long–eared girl fall over, you felt yourself fall back into the water.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

For the longest time, you believed yourself to be similar to humans and all other surface dwellers.

That, unlike the mermaids, the mermen, the fish, the kraken, the giant crabs, and all monsters that fell into your waters; you could both interact with mutual understanding.

Despite your respect and love for the mermaids, you'll never be able to understand the gluttonous cannibalistic nature of theirs. You don't understand how they don't feel remorse in slaughtering the young mermen. You don't know how they eat more than their fair share.

Yes, you killed and brutalized monsters—but that was because they posed a danger to the rest of the ecosystem. They were just like you when you got intelligence. They were going to everything until there was nothing left. They were going to ruin everything. Besides, the only times you ate was when you fought those with the same gift as you. You couldn't bring yourself to eat something as innocent as the small critters in the dungeon.

You had to do it.

You weren't like the mermaids who gave into their sadistic, cannibalistic nature. You weren't like the mermen who thought of nothing other than to devour and reproduce. You weren't like kraken, who held a monstrous appearance without any hint of humanity. You didn't eat because you want to. You hated the taste flesh and blood; it is disgusting, filthy, and it brought extreme bouts of self–loathing.

You weren't a monster.

But they thought you were.

You sat your coral throne as you held your body close.

"Do I look like a monster?"

The lion stayed quiet for a long time. "You are far from what 'they' would consider sapient. Those mermaids of yours look far more human than you do."

You looked at your lappets. They were some as thin as veins, some a curly as frills, others as translucent as crystal. No other surface dweller has tendrils like these. Your skin is shades of blues, pinks, and purples: nothing like the shades of any humans the mermaids have described. Your ears weren't even natural—it was just remnant from when you became that monstrous sea serpent. Your nails were far too sharp: You were a jellyfish, you shouldn't even have nails. Nothing about you was normal: You didn’t resemble a single creature in this dungeon. You were an amalgamation of mistake after mistake, built upon an artificial creature.

"But not all of them are the same! There are some with long ears! Some are short and compact! Didn't you say that some live hundreds of years while others only sixty?! Like you said, they aren't all made equally! Not all of them are the same, right?! I can think and have desires besides the instincts I was born with! I may not be the same as them, but I am similar, right? So I—we should be able to understand each other! I—I don't—"

"You're fine the way you are."

You pulled on your hair; you wanted to pull it all out. Jellyfish don't have hair.

"Stop talking."

"You may not ever look nor ever become a true 'human', but that's what makes you extraordinary. You're the only being alive in this world to be loved by the sea and oceans itself to be blessed."

"I said to stay quiet!"

You wanted to rip your flesh out, to get all that blood out—jellyfish don't have either.

"You are evidence that monsters can gain humanity."

"SHUT UP!"

You wanted to do something but you don't know what.

"Oh, young child, you can cry if you so desire."

And so you cried for the first time in your hundreds of years of life.

You wish you had never desired to eat.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

The next time you would meet Laios, it would be when he nearly died.

You were resting on your coral throne; far away from any surface opening. You didn't want to go back up for another very long time. Leaning on the arm rest, covering your face with your hands, you watched as the mermaids tried to cheer you up. This was the first time any of them had seen their monarch sit in sadness. They didn't want to see their beloved monarch cry any longer.

Behind the coral throne were five mermaids; they were discussing what happened to their monarch to make them so sad. One of them piped up saying how they saw you go to the surface, and when you came back, you were bleeding. Out of concern and curiosity, they swam up to where you came from and saw four surface dwellers. They were with that detestable human that defiled their song. If they were with him, then they must have attacked you!

"W°e sh○uld br°ing ●ne ○f the•m her°e t○ all○w th°em t○ ge•t reve��n•g●!"

Imagine your surprise when you saw five mermaids holding an unconscious human male. One of them held the human in their arms as they struggled to swim up to your throne. You finally got up from your somber and flinched in surprise when you saw—

"Laios?"

You swam up and pulled him out of the mermaids arms: He felt limp in your arms. You brought his forehead towards yours as you looked at his face—he's alive.

You turned to the mermaid in confusion as you asked why they brought him here.

"Y○u w°ere sa•d ●•nd we° d○n't wa•nt t● se°e° y○u sa•d. Di°d we d○ s○me•thi•ng wr●ng?"

You wanted to scold them, you really did: However, you couldn't bring yourself to get mad at them. How were they supposed to know what was going through your mind? Besides, they didn't do this at of ill intent.

"No, you did just fine. However, I will have to handle this situation myself, so I'm afraid I'll have to depart temporarily. Please do tell your sisters not to leave the coral reef until I return."

You wrapped your arms around his body tightly when you saw the five mermaids leave. You sighed as you let go of him to grab his face. Though he is still alive, he wouldn't last much longer under in this state. You brought your lips towards his and placed a gentle kiss; You tried to share the water's blessing with him. If it worked as intended, it should help expell any water in his lungs the same way you and the mermaids do—at the very least, prevent any more water from entering his lungs.

You sighed, and so you swam towards the closet opening to the surface. You breached the water, and you pulled Laios onto the stone flooring—struggling to do so with how heavy the water made everything.

You fell on top of him in the struggle. You breathed heavily as you got up and sat yourself on the ledge. You looked over at him and wondered if he would wake up. Looking at him, you thought, since he was already unconscious when you found him, wouldn't he already have water in his lungs?

You panicked at the thought.

What to do, what to do, what do you even do? You never even met a creature who isn't even able to breathe under water, and now you have to save one.

"You may not have magic, but you have the water's blessing. As you did before to prevent the water from harming him, use it to draw out the water from his system."

You listened as the lion spoke from the back of your mind. You really didn't know if any of this would work. You grabbed the hem of his garment and raised it over his chest.

"Just imagine that the water is moving with your movements."

"How so?"

"You'll know."

You looked at Laios' abdomen and took a deep breath. You placed your finger right above his navel. Just as if you were going to cut him with your nail, you gently grazed his skin as you brought your finger up to his chest. You pushed your hand on his chest, and with your other hand, you stuck two fingers in his mouth.

"I'll know, I'll know, I'll know when I get there."

You felt the water brush your fingertips, and you pulled the water out of his mouth.

"Did that long–eared female also have the water's blessing? She was able to keep me from going in the water. "

"She had magic."

"Magic?"

"Yes, I believe we had this conversation once before, child of mi—" The lion was interrupted as Laios began to cough up the remaining water.

Startled, you froze, unknowing what to do. It was only when he suddenly sat up that you jumped back into the water. What if he tried to attack you like he did before? Not that you blame him or anything. regardless, you didn't wish to die from accidental blood loss — that's one thing the water's blessing doesn't help you with. You remained far away from the stone ledge as Laios gained consciousness.

You watched as he took off his shirt and gathered his armor. You watched as he questioned his surroundings and current predicament. You watched rather intently that you didn't even notice you were drifting closer.

Laios must have heard your lappets splashing around in the water because he turned to your direction. Making sudden eye contact surprised you enough to make you submerge back into the water.

"Wa—Wait!"

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

What Laios came to see was a mermaid with biological discoloration from typical mermaids. He wanted to know if it were possible for mermaids to have the mutuations regular animals do. So when Laios found a monster resembling both mammalian and pisces species, he wanted nothing more but to have a taste.

A mix of jellyfish, sea serpents, and mermaid, it was a newly discovered humanoid monster that not even the dungeon gourmet guide had known of! He wondered if each separate piece would taste similar to their monster counterpart or taste entirely like a new thing.

When the monster leaned over his party, he didn't expect it to suddenly pick him up. It held him up high, and he couldn't help but bubble up in amazement. Laois could see the many different colors and features he didn't see from the ground. Looking at it much more closely, he saw what previously thought was flesh was actually a form of clothing.

Laios wished he could examine every inch of this newly discovered monster, but that thought was quickly broken when the monster suddenly dragged him underwater. He really thought the monster was going to eat him when it opened its mouth, but imagine his surprise when instead, it swung him around with such force he really thought he would pass out. Feeling the monster's strength firsthand, he wondered what place you would have in the food chain.

When Marcille casted waterwalk on it, he couldn't help but cut some of the lappets for later consumption; He really hoped they didn't taste anything like cephalopds.

What none of them expected was for it to talk. It didn't sing like a mermaid nor roar like dragons, it actually spoke. It leaned back it covered its face with its arms and shouted.

"St—STAY BACK!"

Everyone was stunned by the intensity of the sound: Chilchuck and Marcille were hit the hardest. Laios couldn't help but wonder about the monsters choice of words. Did it truly know what those words meant, or was it simply replicating words it heard from previous prey?

But besides that, the Scyphozoa tentacles did taste better than cephalopds—that is, it didn't taste like anything at all. Though it was rather nice to chew on for stimulation. Senshi seemed to enjoy the texture; Marcille and Chilchuck refused because "it was morally wrong."

Laios just couldn't understand their reasoning. It's not like the sea monster was the same as them. It wasn't a tall–man, not an elf, and definitely not a half–foot. They don't even believe monsters like mermaids or mermen to even be sapient yet still refuse to eat them. What's the difference between eating cattle and monsters anyway? He really didn't understand them.

Monsters were....so much more than that. They eat, eat, and eat; They eat anything regardless of species or appearance. They didn't care about petty morale or rational—they ate to survive. There didn't think about tomorrow or of the fragile balance of life in the dungeon.

Monsters were truly a reflection of the flesh and instinct of all living things.

So why didn't that monster eat him when it had him underwater?

Did it know that he had armor and didn't want the struggle of trying to bite down? But why bring him back to the surface when it was the most physically strong underwater? Before it even grabbed him, why did it bother to look at them without doing anything, and why grab him?—Senshi was the closest one, and it went for Laios, who was much farther away

He got his answer when he woke up after being dragged underwater by a group of mermaids.

Alone in an unknown part of the dungeon, he was drenched in water, and his shirt was pulled up. Laios felt a chill running up when he felt how cold his shirt was. He took his shirt off and looked around to see his armor scattered. He swore he had his armor on.... His book!

Laios quickly stood up to try to find the book. He was happy to find it in perfect condition: The armor and layers must have protected the book from getting wet. He held the book to his bare chest when he heard the sound of splashing water. He turned around and saw the same monster that had nearly drowned him.

Did the monster save him by any chance? Before he could ask, the monster quickly submerged underwater.

"Wa—Wait!"

Laios ran up to the water and kneeled at the edge, trying to see where the monster went. The water was so much darker than he had thought, making it difficult to see. From the darkness, he could make out soft movements.

Slightly nervous, Laios called out, "I—Thank you for helping me!"

He didn't know what he was thinking when he said that. He didn't even know for certain if the monster helped him or just came by to eat him. Despite this, he continued, "I apologize for trying to kill you the other day! I didn't realize you were....."

Were what? Sentient? Self–aware?

"—trying to communicate with us! I should have realized you wanted to speak or converse in whatever language you speak!"

Laios placed his head on the ground as he hoped his apology would reach the monster. The more he thought about it, the more it wouldn't be likely that the monster would be able to speak his language. But then again, it speak their language back when he attacked it....

From a distance, he heard the monster come back up. Without moving from his position, he listened as the monster got closer and closer to him. He felt something cold hit his back, and again, again, and soon more droplets of water fell on top of him. Laios shivered as he suddenly sat up to only be faced with the monster.

"Do not feel the need to apologize. I am to blame—it was due to my insolent behavior that caused you and your companions to attack me. So, for that, I apologize."

Laios froze: It wasn't fear or dread that caused him to do so—it was out of pure admiration. He really wanted to inspect this creatures anatomy!

"Your tentacles felt really nice to chew on, so no need to apologize."

The look of confusion on the monster's face told him that he probably shouldn't have said that.

"—I mean! We had your tentacles from when I cut them, and you were gone, and why leave them there to waste away when we could've eaten them! Besides, you tasted really good with seasoning and, like I said, were nice to chew on!"

He should have just drowned.

The humanoid monster brought a hand to their face and closed their eyes in thought. "You ate me, but how is that so? I'm still here, after all."

Laios was now confused.

"We ate the tentacles I cut off when we—I attacked you."

"You ate my lappets that you cut off... without killing me....Is it possible to eat prey without bringing them to death?"

"Yes! As long as they don't suffer any critical injuries, they'll be able to survive."

You raised another hand to cover your face as you laughed. This human, Laios, was trying to kill you due to a misunderstanding, kidnapped and almost drowned by mermaids, saved by you, and now telling you how good you tasted. You wondered how it is that he's able to converse with you after the fact. Did he truly have no ill will towards monsters? Was the lion right about his passion for monsters?

"Like the mermaids, did you eat because of desire and pleasure? Or was it because of the need to survive?"

You wanted to know, did humans have the same primal nature like the mermaids, or were they like you: unwilling to eat unless you desperately needed it.

"I ate your tentacles because I really wanted to know what it would taste like. So, I guess I ate because I desired too and found pleasure in knowing what you would taste like."

You didn't say anything. You stared at him for a few seconds before lowering yourself at eye level with him. "My name is (y/n), I am the monarch of the mermaids and arbitor of the dungeon's waters. Just who might you be?"

You knew his name; You knew him more than he knew about you. But as things stand, you didn't want to surprise Laios with any more surprises.

Laios gave you a smile as he held out his hand. "My name is Laios Touden."

You looked at his hand in confusion. Was this a type of human custom? Before you could react, he reached for your hand and shook it. His hand was smaller than yours, though not by much.

You couldn't help but smile ever so slightly as you brought your hand to your chest. "So, then Laios, would you like to accompany me underwater?"

Laios gleamed in excitement, but that quickly faded when he realized his current predicament. He was shirtless, away from his party, couldn't breathe underwater, and had limited time to find Falin.

"I—"

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Laios gave in.

He told you about his need to find his party: You said you could find them easily if they were near a water source, whether it be a fountain or open body of water. He told you about his inability to breathe underwater. After he said this, you smiled as you asked him if he would allow you to pick him up, to which he agreed.

"I am able to bless you the water's blessing. The blessing will allow you to breathe underwater, albeit temporarily."

Before Laios could ask how being blessed worked, you brought his face closer to his and kissed him. Laios felt himself blush hard, especially when you accidentally bit him. He really wanted to feel the inside of your mouth.

When Laios collected his belongings, you asked him to strip out of his clothing.

"—so I can absorb most of the water. I'll be able to keep your items dry under my lappets. They'll be able to form pockets of air to keep them safe from the harsh dungeon waters."

Once you did that, you asked for his pants to which he asked if that could done once they found his group—though he had his quirks, being naked all the way for a long period of time was not one of them.

And with that, you wrapped your arms around him and pressed him close to your chest. Raising one hand to hold his, you submerged underwater.

The underwater half of the dungeon was something that remained a mystery. Even to avid researchers, the deep waters were something very few were willing to dare venture below; and those that were willing rarely ever resurfaced. So, to have the chance to safely voyage the water with the self–proclaimed monarch of mermaids was an opportunity Laios was thankful to have.

Just as Laios had thought, it was as amazing as he had hoped. Clinging onto your back, he watched as the scenery around him changed into something more magical. Though not as boundless as the sea and oceans, it was a sight to behold. The artificial ocean was almost a mirror to the dungeon above: hallways and corridors along all sides of the wall. Paintings everywhere with no coherent thought. Plants growing without discrimination. Luminescent monsters never seen before roaming the floor. It was truly something Laios wished he had the time to venture.

"If I may be so rude to ask, are you the human who had sung with the mermaids some time ago? "

Laios was surprised by how different you sounded in water. He thought about the question for a second. The mermaids, the ones who swam away when he tried to sing with them, they must have been your mermaids. "Human?" That was a new term; you must have confused him with something else. But, before he opened his mouth to speak, he couldn't help but hesitate. It was against his instincts to do so, but he decided to trust you. If he could breathe underwater, then surely he'll be able to speak.

"Yes, I wanted to sing with them to see if we could somehow communicate! It took me a while to learn their song without being entranced, but considering they sing the same song every time, it wasn't too difficult—"

You suddenly spun around, having him rest on your stomach. You held both his hands as you looked at him sternly. "Laios, though I understand your desire to sing with the mermaids, I ask that you don't try to do so in the future. You see, mermaids have their own culture much you do: part of that culture is their melody. So, to have an outsider sing that song that song so carelessly makes them uncomfortable. Even if that song is used to kill those of your kind, I ask that you please respect their wishes."

Laios looked away sheepishly as he apologized. You gleamed with joy and hugged him tight as you spun around.

"What about you? Do you sing the same song as the mermaids, or do you have your own?"

"Ah! Well, the mermaids and I aren't the same race or species, and due to that, I'm unable to sing their song as it deserves to be sung."

"But do you?"

"I—I do, but it's not a song that can be sung often. Blessed by the water, I was bestowed a melody orchestrated for a monarch."

"Can you sing it right now?"

"Perhaps another day."

The lion was right. He yearned to understand much about monsters. As you two ventured towards where his party was located, Laios asked you many questions about the monsters that you'd past by. You obliged, and you told him many of the stories of the aquariums: from the many mermaids who lived in under your rule to the oysters and jellyfish that used to roam the waters. Laios asked: You answered.

The only thing you didn't appreciate was how much he was touching you. Laios kept grabbing you wherever you weren't covered by cloth and squeezed you slightly: pulling on your lappets, ears, and hair. It was when he decided to bite your lappets that you stopped him.

Flustered and full of mixed emotions from the sensation of his teeth on your skin, you scolded him. Laios apologized, but what was he supposed to do? He was faced with a new monster never seen before, and he was supposed to not touch it?

"Laios, do humans have an aquarium as large as this up outside the dungeon?" You asked out of pure curiosity. Never once had the lion told you about the terrain outside the dungeon. You wondered if the walls or flooring were of the same stone from the dungeon. You wondered if the surface's aquarium was limited as it was in the dungeon's waters.

Laios let go of your shoulders as he sat up. Placing a hand under his chin, he pondered how to answer your question. "Outside the dungeon..... the sea and oceans are endless. Here, underwater, you can look straight ahead and see the end of a room. It's small and crowded: not ideal conditions for the survival of the monsters here. Unlike the dungeon, the oceans are boundless; I can look straight ahead in the ocean and see no end. There's so many more monsters and animals in the ocean that comparing the dungeon's artificial sea to the outside isn't even reasonable."

"There aren't any walls outside?"

"No walls other than those from buildings."

An aquarium without being bound by stone walls. More monsters and species not limited by the confinement of the aquarium. Boundless: It was a word you were unfamiliar with. All you ever knew was limited, bound by the knowledge the lion was willing to spare and the fear to even leave the water.

"How I would love to see these oceans and seas one day."

Laios all of sudden dropped all his weight on your back. He wrapped his arms around your waist and squeezed tight. "I want monsters and people to live alongside each other. When I become dungeon master, I promise to show you the ocean."

You remained silent for a while, contemplating the implications of what he just said: "Dungeon master." As you reached the opening closest to his companions. You jumped out of the water and onto the stone flooring. Letting go of his belongings; Laios jumped off your back. You watched as he began to put on the rest of his garments. You watched as he adorned himself in the silver cloth, just like the knight from the stories the lion told you. You watched sadly as you realized this is where you two depart. You watched his every move; watching as he wrote in his book. Despite this heavy feeling on your heart, you couldn't help but want to smile. Though your first meeting was a catastrophe, you're quite satisfied that you were able to mend your misunderstandings with one another.

"I look forward to the day you keep your promise."

Before you knew it, Laios was gone, and you were once again alone with nothing else but the mermaids.

Bound by the water, unable to leave the dungeon: You forgot to ask if he thought of you as a monster.

Thank you for reading part one of "The Flesh, Blood, Bone, Heart and Soul."

#dunmeshi x reader #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #delicious in dungeon x reader #laios touden x reader #laios touden #laius thorden #laius thorden x reader #there once was a jellyfish....

[aziraphales-library]

Hi! Blogs like yours truly are such a blessing, every fandom should have one of these. It's so difficult to navigate large fandoms without them. I'd like to ask if you (or your followers) know of any human AU fics that make the implicit themes of religious trauma in the show explicit, where Aziraphale is in a cult or something the like? I've had a look at your crisis of faith tag and found a few, but I'm looking for more :) Thank you for your hard work!

Hello. Here are some human AUs involving cults and religious trauma for you...

Don't Ask by wyrmy (G)

Aziraphale's family always wanted him to keep secrets: secrets about their own controlling religious fanaticism. it's a hard habit to break.

Memory Lane Is Paved With Thorns by retiredseraph (T)

Aziraphale looked around. He was standing in the courtyard of his old church, which had a few trees but was mostly paved with pebble-laden concrete, which was all slightly blinding in the sunlight. People from the congregation moved around him as if it was an average Sunday after the morning sermon, going in and out of buildings, forming little groups, heading to cars, children running around. The usual. But Aziraphale didn’t feel like he had when this was the average weekly occurrence; cheerful and looking forward to changing into more comfortable clothing. Instead, it felt more like a sickly sweet poison was smothering him.

how to pay for my own life too by MostWeakHamlets (T)

"Growing up, Aziraphale knew long skirts and waist-length hair in braids." Aziraphale is raised in a religious cult that promises its members will all become angels when the rapture comes. He learns all the things a girl should know, but problems quickly begin to form when he attends school on the Outside. He starts doubting that girls his age are actually supposed to know how to deliver babies, mend clothes, and cook dinner for their 10 siblings as he's always been told. And he highly suspects that he's never been a girl in the first place.

The Drowning Men by karuvapatta (E)

Crowley was done with religion years before he met Father Aziraphale.

One and the Same Fall by ElliottRook (E)

Aziraphale Fell is a UK student attending an American Catholic school on exchange, an escape from a strict, conservative family. Anthony Crowley is a juvenile delinquent on his last chance, sent to live with his uncle and attend a school that promises to shape him up. When they cross paths at St. Bernadette's, they nearly instantly become friends, and nobody likes it--not the teachers, not the old-money students, not Aziraphale's family--but it's the best thing that's ever happened to either of them. Hanging over their heads, though, is Crowley's plan to flee the moment he comes of age, and what will happen after they're no longer trapped in the same gilded cage.

Millennial Blues by comicgeekery (E)

Aziraphale is a standard retail bookseller trying to make ends meet. One day a man named Crowley shows up with a flyer for a variety show looking for new acts. And, well, Crowley is handsome and Aziraphale has been lonely...and working on some magic tricks. What harm could a bit of light flirting do? It all should be fine as long as no one asks about his past...

- Mod D

#good omens #ineffable husbands #adult omens #religious guilt #crisis of faith #human au #mod d

[dellalyra]

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 - 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

𝘈/𝘕: 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯-𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱𝘴, 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵? 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴

A council meeting, 15 Jujutsu Higher ups, all named in agreements previously signed to destroy ‘threats’ to society.

3 men who were involved in a plot that almost killed you 13 years ago.

4 men who listed your 2 year old son on a list of ‘potential adversaries’.

6 men who were involved with the fiasco of the Plasma Star Vessel.

2 men who named Gojo as the one to kill Geto.

4 men who concocted the plan to send Yuuji Itadori to his death at the Juvenile Detention Centre.

5 men who agreed to let a little boy be sold to a destructive family at the expense of his sister, then tried to stop his legal adoption by a loving family.

4 men who you knew for a fact beat their wives.

3 men who you knew attempted to persuade young female sorcerers that there were ‘other’ ways to get promoted.

15 men who signed the death warrant for Yuuji Itadori.

15 men who signed the death warrant for Yaga Masamichi.

15 men who signed the degree that Gojo Satoru was to be left in limbo, resigned forever to the Prison Realm.

15 men who named you an enemy of society and 15 men who tore your life apart from its very roots.

After he was unsealed - you both knew what would happen.

Several lifetimes worth of pain and anguish at the hands of these men had culminated in a mutual understanding of what Gojo had meant when he said he’d be attending the council meeting. He smiled at you, seeing you strapping your daggers to your thighs before you left. Only a level of trust borne from years and years of love and tied consciousness, blood and heartache would cultivate the intensity of the faith you had in each other.

For years, you had both dreamed of a new world - shaped with love and learning. When he left, wanting a new world - shaped from blood and anger, your hearts had broken. He had died for his cause. You had killed for yours.

Ironic, really, that if you all survive this - the new world was shaped by love, learning, blood and anger. Two visions and paths converged even though one dreamer was dead.

You know he’d love the scene you are witnessing. They all would, Nanami, Yaga, Mai, Kokichi, Yuki - fuck, even Toji.

You’re doing this for the ones who can’t. Nobara - they killed her best friend. Toge - who’s been ostracised by them his whole life. Panda - who’s father was slaughter by them. Choso - left in a test tube by them in a warehouse for 150 years. Akio - who has been sent to the other side of world, away from his parents - to prevent him being used as a pawn against his father and mother. Megumi. Who they have taken everything from, again and again.

The room fell silent.

15 voices had echoed throughout the building.

Now: nothing.

“You have been released?” The chairman asks, incredulous.

“Was this your doing, woman?” Another growled at you.

“Hana Kurusu.” Satoru said, voice eerily lacking in its usual joy.

“After the culling games, if she survives - she will be sentenced to death. You were to stay sealed, Gojo. Any who aid you, will face the same fate. Mrs. Gojo, you are clearly part of the scheme - I am not foolish enough to seize you, myself. Saito - call upon Okkotsu. His post as executioner has been reinstated. He must come here at once - Gojo, should you interfere, your son will pay the price. We know where your family home is, and have guards posted nearby as secondary plans.”

Saito, who once called you a Gojo breeding mare, stood, making his way to the large double doors, and as he attempted to push them open.

They would not sway.

He tried again, but the door remained steadfast. Nobody noticed the steadfast vines holding the doors together.

A murmur in the room broke out.

“Whatever intimidation tactic you think you can use is fruitless.” Ikeda, a close friend of Naobito Zen’in who was a signature on the plot to kill Yuuji, stated.

“Whatever you try, 30 miles from here is your son. Do not forget this.”

“Imbeciles.” You sneer.

“How is that, Mrs. Gojo?”

“You talk about our home? That is 30 miles away, where your guards are stationed confining where you think our son is, in case you decided to use him against us. Yet, did any of you think to check? Did any of you see him?”

They all swap looks, understanding your words.

“He is not there. In fact, as a contingency plan - anyone you could use as blackmail, or collateral, they’re all gone. I don’t even know where my son is, he could be next door or in fucking Peru for all I know. The students, all in the culling games, you can’t reach them. It’s just us now.” You smile, locking eyes with the chairman.

“It’s just us, and, the doors are locked.” Satoru smirks.

In an instant, 15 sets of feet stood up preparing to fight. It wasn’t necessary.

15 versus 2? Sounds like bad odds.

Good thing you’re both anomalies.

Satoru; filled with anger. With power - overwhelming power and strength coursing from his very bones was prickling the air - the air felt like static as several of the weaker men dropped to their knees to plea for their pathetic lives. They had taken his best friend, a beautiful little girl, the father of his son, his innocence, the boy he saw as his son - they almost took you - so many times, in plots and schemes to rid the world of the L/N clan head before your power grow to an untouchable level, but they were weak - you had always been untouchable. Those who tortured Maki, Toge, Panda - they killed his mentor.

Years of anger, of hurt and holding back had peaked in him. His eyes lay upon the men like a blanket of stone.

You; standing there, personification of the phrase ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’, no physical power, tiny beside the hulking mass of your husband, but sparks of blue tingling your fingers - fingers now adorned with claws as sharp as knives and a smile on your pretty pink lips, needle-pointed fangs glinting in the lamplight. Your husband, your sons, the children you hope to bear, the children you cherished as your own, your best friend, your family, the students you have nurtured, your mentor, your ancestors. That is why you were here.

The bloodshed and grief inflicted by the men in this room on souls too pure and too lovely to be tainted by their cowardice and hatred. They are reapers, harbingers of death and pain with nothing but self-interest in their minds. You had no qualms. You knew nobody would mourn.

They threatened your son.

They underestimated how far you would go to protect your family, your friends.

How far would you and Gojo go - in order to protect what future the next generation will have?

The answer came in the form of flashes of light as Gojo cleanly and quickly, better than they deserved - killed half the room in one fell swoop of his pale fingers. No pain, no suffering.

The room was drenched, soaked in blood. The room was the epicentre of corruption, of malice and malevolence, of cowardice. The room - the room where a safer future unfurled.

You knelt, beside the chairman, the author of all of the death warrants, the author of your grief.

“Let me recite a prayer - a final prayer.”

“A prayer? Did you give Yuuji time to pray? Did you give Riko? Did you pray for Satoru when he was sealed? Did you pray for me - or for my son?”

“I pray to the gods -”

“You will pray to nobody.” You turn his head with piercing sharp claws on his cheek.

“If you insist on a prayer - you will pray to me, for I am your God now.”

In seconds, the 6 men on your side of the room were dead. No pain, no suffering. You were not cruel. Nobody deserved a painful or cruel death, these men were old - none below 80, they had lived lives. None would mourn for them, not for their callous disregard for life and love, and not for the heartless behaviour.

The room was drenched, soaked in blood. The room was the epicentre of corruption, of malice and malevolence, of cowardice. The room - brought into the light by the Six Eyes, and where hope bloomed - nurtured by the Dryad.

Recommended Listening:

What Could Have Been - Sting ft. Ray Chen

#gojo fluff #family formations extras #family formations incorrect quotes #jjk incorrect quotes #megumi fushiguro #gojo smut #geto suguru #pixie writes: family formations #jjk spoilers #gojo x reader #gojo satoru #gojo satoru x reader

[blue-rose-soul]

Wait I just realized something, for grown up together au: would alastor attend meeting with the angels with Charlie?

He'd insist on it. Both when she went to met the representative, Adam, at the embassy, and when she went to Heaven to meet with the higher up angels.

I mentioned before that Alastor's a tad protective of Charlie in this AU of an AU. And while he's willing to offer her material support with the hotel, he doesn't really believe sinners can be redeemed. Partly because he thinks that some people are just genuinely beyond redemption, but also because he doesn't have any faith that Heaven would accept reformed sinners. So naturally, he's a bit wary of angels.

In the first meeting with Adam, Charlie makes Alastor promise that he'll let her take the lead. That lasts as long as it takes for Adam to start talking about the women he's fucked.

"No one here wants to hear you talk about your excruciatingly juvenile sexual fantasies."

Cue an angelic temper tantrum from the first man-baby before he declares the next extermination is being moved up and he kicks both of them out.

When he accompanies Charlie to Heaven, he's not allowed in the courtroom which, after what happened in the embassy, fair. But aside from that, he sticks pretty close to Charlie the entire time they're in Heaven, including when she and Emily go to the zoo. And there, he runs into a familiar face.

It takes Alastor a few minutes to recognize his mother. Nicaise doesn't recognize him at all, despite admitting there's something familiar about him. Alastor doesn't quite know how to break it to her that he's her son and he's been living in Hell this past century. Knowing he just has this one day in Heaven and that he'll have no way to contact her again in the future, Alastor decides to simply enjoy this one last day he has with her. He won't put her through the pain of telling her who he is, just to be separated again.

#ask #anonymous #the Devil's Bastard AU #Alastor #Charlie Morningstar #Adam (Hazbin Hotel) #Nicaise (Hazbin Hotel OC) #Nicaise still questions Charlie and Alastor about Hell and things beyond Heaven #and still forms her resistance movement #she also probably has to be stopped from unknowingly adopting her own son #Alastor doesn't really get the chance to tell Charlie who Nicaise is to him because of everything that happens in the court #and the revelation that Vaggie is an angel

[raysources]

𝟑𝟓𝐦𝐦  𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒     —     a collection of one - liners taken from the 2012 musical,  35mm :  a musical exhibition.   slightly edited for clarity.   change pronouns as necessary.

❛  focus .  ❜ ❛  who  cares  what  happened  after ?  ❜ ❛  there’s  a  hole  inside  my  brain .  ❜ ❛  it  ain’t  no  wonderland .  ❜ ❛  there’s  money  on  the  ground   . . .  ❜ ❛  this  river  is  what  separates  east  from  west .  ❜ ❛  i  nearly  drowned .  ❜ ❛  it  ain’t  no  kind  of  oz !  ❜ ❛  you  can’t  leave  yet !  ❜ ❛  in  the  pocket  of  my  dress ,   i’ve  got  a  copper  key .  ❜ ❛  woe  is  me .  ❜ ❛  it’s  a  christ - like  allegory .  ❜ ❛  there’s  no  exit  anywhere .  ❜ ❛  but  why  live  it  again ?  ❜ ❛  you  wouldn’t  let  me  kiss  you .  ❜ ❛  you  were  my  kind  of  guy .   ❜ ❛  play  hard  to  get :   ready ,  set   —   ❜ ❛  i  thought ,   you’re  the  best .  ❜ ❛  i  felt  so  juvenile .  ❜ ❛  to  take  my  time  is  just  not  my  style .  ❜ ❛  i  wanna  kiss  you  now .  ❜ ❛  i  wanna  kiss  you  and  kiss  you  and  kiss  you  ‘til  monday .  ❜ ❛  and  now  we  know !  ❜ ❛  i  think  that  she  might  be  satan .   ❜ ❛  i  swear  to  god ,   she  is  satan .  ❜ ❛  here’s  fifty  dollars ,   i’ll  be  right  back .  ❜ ❛  it’s  awfully  nice  to  meet  you ,   thanks ,   and  so  long  for  a  while .  ❜ ❛  we  don’t  speak  of  husbands  or  wives  or  happy  lives .  ❜ ❛  are  you  waiting  for  me ?  ❜ ❛  damn  it  all ,   darling .  ❜ ❛  the  party  goes  with  you .   ❜ ❛  i'm  wishing  to  take  back  merely  one  of  my  yeses  .  ❜ ❛  darling ,   do  you  suppose ,   that  it  could  be  just  us  two ?     and  i ,   your  wife ?  ❜ ❛  damn  it  all ,   darling ,   the  party  goes  with  you .  ❜ ❛  lady ,   won’t  you  answer  me ?  ❜ ❛  even  after  the  body  goes ,   the  image  survives .  ❜ ❛  you  make  me  happy  all  the  time .  ❜ ❛  you  make  me  happy  all  the  time ,   and  you  know  that  i’m  a  total  dick .  ❜ ❛  baby ,   never  go  away .  ❜ ❛  you  make  me  happy  all  the  time ,   and  that  is  really  fuckin’  tough .  ❜ ❛  i  know  i  don’t  deserve  you .  ❜ ❛  please  have  faith  in  me .  ❜ ❛  i  know  i  don’t  deserve  you ,   but  please  have  faith  in  me .  ❜ ❛  i  filled  my  life  with  sin  enough  for  the  world  around .  ❜ ❛  by  an  angel  seraph ,   i  was  found .  ❜ ❛  the  angel  thinks  i’ve  got  some  kind  of  soul  to  keep .  ❜ ❛  i  journey  towards  a  goodness  he  exemplifies .  ❜ ❛  with  you  in  my  life ,   i  feel  like  part  of  some  heavenly  plan .   ❜ ❛  you  are  a  love  as  close  to  heaven  as  i’ll  get .  ❜ ❛  i’ll  see  you  in  hell .  ❜ ❛  he  was  never  nice ,   but  now  he’s  cruel .  ❜ ❛  ya  got  heart  where  you  shoulda  had  brains .  ❜ ❛  ain’t  no  one  ever  loved  you !  ❜ ❛  why  must  we  tell  them  why ?  ❜ ❛  why  excuse  each  deviation ?   ❜ ❛  think ,   and  you’ll  miss  it !  ❜ ❛  it  is  what  it  is ,   and  it  is  what  it’s  got  to  be .  ❜ ❛  all  of  our  friends  say  we  look  nearly  like  twins .  ❜ ❛  i’m  proud  to  be  with  you   ❜ ❛  you’re  so  not  perfect .  ❜ ❛  i’m  gonna  leave  you ,   one  of  these  days .  ❜ ❛  is  it  you ?     is  it  me ?     is  it  us ?   ❜ ❛  goddamn ,   i  hate  you  heart .  ❜ ❛  so  of  course ,   they  fell  in  love .  ❜ ❛  i  cut  you  a  piece  of  me .  ❜ ❛  where  you  go ,   i  will  go  too .  ❜ ❛  i  lost  my  life  when  i  lost  you .  ❜ ❛  warming  your  hands  in  mine  fills  me  with  terror ,   that  i  might  lose  you ,   today  or  tomorrow ,   in  two  years  or  seventy .  ❜ ❛  when  even  the  earth  has  numbered  days ,   i  can  give  just  one  thing  that  stays .  ❜ ❛  from  now  on  i’m  half  a  soul .  ❜ ❛  without  you  i  can’t  be  whole .  ❜ ❛  you  are  the  start  of  me .   ❜ ❛  [ name ]   was  a  popular  bitch .  ❜ ❛  i’m  taking   [ name ]   to  the  senior  prom .  ❜ ❛  i’m  the  queen  of  high  school  land !  ❜

#rp prompts #rp meme #sentence starters #lyric starters #ask meme #mine. #mine : prompts.

[dragonbanexxi]

Soul of Bronze; Blood of Fire

Not Canon Compliant!!!

Helaena Targaryen x OC Targaryen Royce

The Heir of Runestone would often joke that he should be referred to as Rhaegar Stone. Seeing as his father (Prince Daemon Targaryen) had no want for him and his mother (Lady Rhea Royce) was long dead. All jokes end when he and Ser Gerold Royce are summoned to the capitol by none other than King Viserys the First of his Name. The King wanting nothing more than to bring his estranged nephew into the fold, Viserys offers Rhaegar his so called Targaryen Right. A betrothal to the Princess Helaena and the chance to claim a dragon. Will Rhaegar be able to claim such a beast? Even if his valyrian skills were lacking? Prince Aemond seems to think so. Though he’s mostly is just thrilled to finally have someone around who’s willing to be his friend. Also the court begins to notice that the Princess Helaena seems to have taken a liking to the new prince. Much to her mothers dismay, who’s fighting tooth and nail to have the girl be given to Aegon. Something neither sibling wanted. To Rhaegar everything was going smoothly until the news of Laena Velaryon death had dampen everything.

Chapter 11: Alicent

“Your grace” the voice of Ser Criston Cole spoke interrupting the queens thoughts.

Her eyes have been glued to her precious Helaena for the better part of an hour, who was sitting leisurely in the gardens. The princess was inspecting what seemed to be a ladybug if the queens vision was correct.

“Ser Criston” she acknowledges her faithful sworn shield with a genuine smile. He has arguably been her closest companion these thirteen years.

“The Heir of Runestone, your grace” the dornishman man says unenthusiastically.

The boy walks in, bowing respectfully. His hair she notes is loose from it’s usually half up half down do.

The boy is all curly hair, and black cloth. His doublet a stark black with bronze stitching. His usual colors, Ser Rhaegar always seems to dress like he’s in mourning.

“Your Grace” his juvenile voice soft.

“Welcome Ser Rhaegar, please make yourself comfortable.”

He gives a look that says ‘I’ll not get too comfortable’ though she doesn’t blame him.

Alicent doesn’t want him here in King’s Landing. Doesn’t want him near her sons, who are completely enraptured by him. Attached to the hip Aemond has been to him. Always training together, reading, debating. She had stormed Aegon with petty questions as to why he couldn’t have that type of relationship with his brother? If it didn’t make him feel anything that Rhaegar was more like an older brother to Aemond? Nothing her firstborn said satisfied her at all.

Worst of all was that Helaena was completely enamored by the newcomer. Her precious daughter had asked her when she would be married to him. The Queen felt a wave fury hit her belly and scolded the innocent girl. Saying that the match was a wretched one.

Guilt had slapped the woman in face after witnessing her daughters kind eyes morph with anger. She had tried to apologize but the girl had none of it and walked away out of her mothers chambers. Helaena had never looked at her that way. It was a thousand more times more horrible than her usual disinterest in motherly affection.

“Tea Ser Rhaegar?” She fills his tea cup anyway. The lovely smell of cinnamon hits their nostrils. It brings a dashing smile to the boys face.

“My mother loved cinnamon tea.” He said offhandedly.

The Queen gave a small smile. Understanding the small moment he was having. It’s a tender thing to be reminded of one’s deceased loved ones with such mundane things. Having lost her own mother too soon, Alicent can comprehend.

“I never had the opportunity to meet your mother, though I hear she was quite the woman.” Her tone gentle, “Famed for her riding and hunting skills if I heard correctly.”

His dashing smile grows into a wide grin at the mention of his mother’s accomplishments.

“Aye she was a woman of many talents. Dare I say, she could outride any man in the Vale.” The boy seems to hold no qualms about his mothers more masculine hobbies.

“I suppose the culture is more liberal in the Vale, than in King Landing or the Reach.” The boy understood what the queen meant with that but he took it like a champ.

“Well I can’t speak for the Reach nor King’s Landing however in the Vale, women are encouraged to hunt.”

The royal woman gives a thoughtful hum but motions her guest to continue.

“You see, there aren’t many noble families in the Vale compared to the other kingdoms. We use our hunting season to bond with other noble houses. Building connections through the sport.”

Her forced smile returns. This little boy was intelligent. More so than she thought.

“How do you feel about almost reaching your majority Ser Rhaegar?”

Alicent unlike others had been preferring to use his new title of Ser instead of that of Prince. She had wanted to remind the court that her children out ranked Daemon’s son. Not matter how his grace the King acted. Was it petty… yes, but it was absolutely necessary.

The queen had over heard some of the court ladies gossip about how unfit the match between Rhaegar Targaryen and the Princess Helaena was. It pleased her greatly that the people at court agreed with their Queen. A Princess of the Iron Throne was meant to be matched with a future warden of the Seven Kingdoms. Not some small vassal of House Arryn. Everyone saw the unfairness of it all, everyone but Viserys the first of his name.

“If I may speak freely your grace… I’m terrified.”

Bringing feelings of shock towards the woman. Though with years of practice the queen has been able to hide her overflowing emotions behind a cool look of facade.

“How come dear?”

“Well it’s many things… Ser Gerold has been preparing me diligently for the soon transfer of lordship, I’m grateful to have him by my side. Yet he shields me from…” the hesitation in his voice interesting “Well there are some in my house who think I shouldn’t be Lord of Runstone because I’m not truly a Royce. No matter that I’ve been raised amongst them all my life… Ser Gerold has always been protective, and I know he means well but I think I should be able to know who stands with me and who’s against me.”

His round lavender eyes lock with her brown ones. It almost felt he was saying those words at her and not too her. The queen would give her political nephew the benefit of the doubt. If she accuses him of speaking out of turn her kingly husband would not defend her.

“There’s this verse from the book of crone that brings me a great deal of comfort my dear” she begins piously “Chain me not the sins of my father-“

“but by the sins I commit by my own bare hands.” Rhaegar finishes the verse for her.

Her heart stammering, and sweat forming in her soft palms. She could not shield the deep shock of her lovely visage this time around. Not even her studious sweet Aemond could recite verses of the Seven Pointed Star with such ease.

“You’re familiar with the Seven Pointed Star?”

The handsome boy smiles and nods.

“My mother was of the Old Faith, yet after her death I found comfort in the holy text of the Seven and their promises of being reunited with our lost ones if we live with faith.”

The queens heart flutters. A strange surge of happiness spears her heart. The Seven always have strange methods of making their judgment known.

They continue to finish their tea with pleasant chatter until the boy excuses himself to leave.

The Queen still doesn’t know what to make of Rhaegar Targaryen.

Yet Alicent feels her frightened cold heart melt the tiniest bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was perhaps the most difficult pov for me to write. So I’m sorry if you guys don’t like it. I’m kinda on the fence about it too. :/

Feel free to comment! I’d enjoy the feedback tbh. Thank you guys once more! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

#daemon targaryen x rhea royce #helaena targaryen x oc #targaryen royce oc #original targaryen character #helaena targaryen

[bb-editing]

ROXANA (Chapter 33)

“Have you started it on drugs?”

The maids wheeled in the other guests’ toys from outside; they all appeared drugged, eyes glazed and hunched over the wounds in their arms.

In the process of being tamed, it seems that some of these toys had become addicted to their sedatives.

“I’m not against using sedatives, but I’d hate for my toy to become docile,” I said. “Submissive prey aren’t as satisfying to kill, after all.”

The silence was deafening, but then a laugh erupted from beside me.

“Ah… Of course! It’s your first toy, so of course you should make its death a memorable one!”

The other attendees murmured, some in agreement, and others in amusement.

“I’ve never thought about that before. But I agree, drugging just makes them stupid.”

“What’s the problem? I love when they just do everything I say.”

“True- I hate it when they disobey me.”

“But Xana,” an older woman’s voice rang out from amongst the chatter. “Considering your toy’s temperament, drugging it may not be a bad idea.”

“Yes,” Maria mused. “I heard why Charlotte was sent to the punishment chamber. Lanche said it was the scion of Pedelian- such a fuss that stupid thing caused.”

Someone cleared their throat, ending the silence. I was Grizelda, my half-sister, tucking her brown locks behind her ear and studying me with her ruby eyes.

Grizelda and I were the same age, and got along decently. She glanced over at the older woman, and appeared to be embarrassed about Charlotte’s juvenile outburst. “Hm… I was looking forward to seeing Xana’s new toy, but he’ll just have to pay a visit some other time.”

Maria clapped her hands again. She seems to be in a good mood today.

“Now that everyone has gathered, I’d like to show you all my new doll!”

Something inside me groaned at the sight of Maria’s bright face. She laughed, beckoning over a maid who was waiting in the corner of the greenhouse.

I looked at my mother, whose face had visibly crumpled.

After a while, a woman stumbled into the greenhouse, hands and legs shackled. Her face was made up garishly, but she really did look like a doll. As she neared out table, however, we saw past the nymphic make-up to reveal a hollow, scarred face.

“Everyone welcome Lewell. We all remember Lewell, right?”

Ah. Lewell. The head maid. Or ex-head maid, I should say.

 Without Maria’s introduction, however, it would have been difficult to recognise Lewell’s face like this. How could you, when her face was so horribly disfigured?

“Come, Lewell. Don’t be rude. Greet our esteemed guests.”

Lewell’s head slowly rose to meet Maria. “… Oh… uh… ah.”

Maria didn’t elaborate on the reason for Lewell’s punishment- though did she ever need a reason to torture someone?- but it appeared that Lewell’s tongue had been cut off.

It was such a bizarre sight- a corpse-like woman wearing a beautiful, brand-new gown, wandering limply from table to table while the guests fawned over her ghastly appearance. My mother’s face had turned ashen.

“Sierra,” Maria chirped. “How do you like my new doll? Isn’t it cuter than my last one?”

Maria grabbed Lewell’s palm and placed it in front of Sierra’s plate. The funny thing was, Maria wasn’t doing this to my mother in bad faith- she truly believed that showing Lewell off was the equivalent to two friends having amicable conversations about how their day went, etcetera.

My mother replied by stuttering out a few syllables. A relieved smile bloomed on Maria’s face.

“Lewell! Isn’t that wonderful?! Sierra must like you. Why don’t you return the favour and pour her another cup of tea?”

Lewell bowed brokenly, reaching for the teapot. When she tried to lift it up, however, her arm slacked and she dropped it, shattering the porcelain and spilling the tea on my mother.

“Oh, Sierra!” Maria got up and began fussing over Sierra with napkins. “Sierra, are you okay, the tea must be hot. Were you burned at all?”

“No…” Sierra let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m quite alright.”

Maria turned curtly towards Lewell. “Lewell, how are you so incompetent? To go so far as spilling tea on an esteemed guest…”

Lewell’s mistakes would surely not go unpunished, and my mother must have realized the gravity of the situation.

“… Ah, Maria…” my mother began. “Lewell didn’t do anything wrong. It was an accident. So there’s no need for her to be punished…”

“Sierra, you’re really too kind.” Though Maria admired the softness of my mother’s heart, she shook her head. “But I can’t let it go. Your hands could have been burned and scarred by Lewell. Sarah, take Lewell away.”

Then, amidst the chatter, a sharp clang of breaking porcelain rang out. I laughed softly, saying, “Oh, apologies. I dropped my teacup by mistake.”

“Mother.” I continued. “I think your hands are a little red. Should we go cool it off with some cold water before it starts to swell?”

Fortunately, my mother seemed to understand the meaning of my words. “It may be better to get your hands examined by a physician.”

“Oh, yes, Sierra.” Maria chimed in. “We can’t have your beautiful skin be ruined.” She called for another maid to escort my mother to the physician’s office.

Only after my mother had left could I enjoy Maria’s tea party with a lighter conscience.  

#roxana #roxana agriche #roxana agreche #reincarnation #manhwa #romance manhwa #korean webnovel #korean manhwa #korean novel #light novel #web novel #korean webtoon #villainess manhwa #webnovel #the way to protect the female lead's older brother #webtoon #cassis pedelian #cassis #villainess isekai #villainess #novel #fantasy manhwa #pedelian #dion agriche #fantasy #romance #isekai manhwa #isekai

[aegor-bamfsteel]

Top three horses in ASoIaF. Go!

Well, if you insist…

Horses are another under-explored motif in ASOIAF (though certainly more discussed than elephants), and there are few horses that are around enough to have an actual personality or be useful. While I knew what the top 2 would be fairly quickly, I actually had trouble finding a third that met these two criteria in addition to finding them likable.

So consider these honorable mentions:

Stranger is the best developed horse in the series, his ornery temper can be funny (if I had Sándor Clegane sit on my back for hours each day I’d probably also want to bite faces off) Sándor’s bond with his horse is one of his few likable qualities and could possibly provide information on warging (not that Sándor is a warg, but that it may be hard to warg an animal that’s already close to someone else without breaking their spirit), I imagine he’s Friesian/Belgian black which is a stunning breed (gentle despite their size), but he’s not very useful and I don’t really think he’s that likable.

The silver provides a lot of foreshadowing and symbolism for Dæny’s arc. She’s the foil to Drogon, the timid white Dothraki steed to his aggressive Targaryen black dragon, as Dæny compares them in her tenth ADWD Chapter. Dæny rides her amongst the Unsullied in Astapor and the freedmen in Meereen; and what could be more heroic than a liberator on a white horse? (Well…) Also, I imagine she’s an Akhal Teke, a very attractive breed due to their metallic coat. However, she has basically no personality and so isn’t likable.

However, I then realized that simple elements like foreshadowing and characterization aren’t as important as talking to you about your favorite character! So without further ado, my choices:

3) Half blind garron (ADWD)

Source photo here. I chose a Yakutian, due to their shagginess and adaptability to their Siberian home.

In a book filled with One-Eyed characters of villainous or dubious alignment, the shaggy gray garron with one blind white eye stands out. He is loaned out to Val on her mission to find Tormund Giantsbane and bring him Jon’s peace offer. Jon and Val doubt his capability/consider him a lesser horse because of his eye, but his hype-man Mully (Castle Black steward GRRM named after one of his cats), assesses him: "He's only half-blind, m'lord. Elsewise he's sound enough." He patted the garron on the neck.” (Jon 8). Clearly, Mully has faith and affection for him when nobody else does. Jon keeps fretting about how he surely led Val to die on this suicide mission, but then who turns up with Tormund Giantsbane and his men? Val, but more importantly: “She still rode the grey garron that Mully had given her the day she left the Wall, a shaggy, stunted thing blind in one eye” (Jon 11). So despite his blind eye, ridden into the bitter snow with little direction and no protection, in danger of wight attacks or becoming a wight, meeting a hostile chief to deliver a message, then being ridden back all that way, the Shaggy Little Garron that Could succeeded in his critical mission (I guess Val helped. Slightly). Mully needs to give him some preserved apples as a reward.

2) Dancer (AGOT & ACOK)

Source photo here. I chose a Quarter Horse, for their versatility, capability, and intelligence. Dancer is Bran’s horse in Winterfell, and he tells us immediately that she is special: “He touched her neck lightly, and the small chestnut filly started forward. Bran had named her Dancer. She was two years old, and Joseth said she was smarter than any horse had a right to be. They had trained her special, to respond to rein and voice and touch.” (AGOT Bran 5). An incredibly smart, smallish, responds well to commands despite Bran’s inability to use his legs, navigates difficult terrain well, named Dancer, and she’s a chestnut filly (aka juvenile female)? It’s like someone took attributes of Sansa and Arya and put them in a horse. Bran uses Dancer to get across Winterfell, not only outside beyond the castle gates (he takes her to the river where Osha’s party ambushes his group), but inside, including the Great Hall. While training horses to climb steps is difficult (ask any owner who has had to have one step up into a truck), ”the low stone steps balked Dancer only for a moment. When Bran urged her on, she took them easily.” (ACOK Bran 3) So not only is she intelligent and capable, she also trusts Bran despite initial misgivings. She even covers for Bran by staying behind in the stables, leading Theon to believe he and the others left on foot. Of course, since this is ASOIAF, intelligent, loyal characters serving our young protagonists are liable to be killed off, and this seems to be Dancer’s fate when Ramsay burns Winterfell: “Of the stables, made of wood and thatch, nothing remained but ashes, embers, and dead horses. Bran thought of his Dancer, and wanted to weep.” (ACOK Bran 5) (I feel you, Bran.) I suppose that unlike Stranger, she didn’t have Plot Horse Armor. Run free, Dancer. You were a true friend.

1) Old Piebald Rounsey (AFFC)

Source photo here. Yes, this is a pony filly whereas the piebald rounsey is old and male, but you try to find another decent swayback piebald horse photo on Google Images.

Brienne notices she is being stalked by “a broken-down old piebald rounsey with a skinny boy upon his back” (Brienne 2). Suspicious at first, she slaps the horse on the rump so he rears and tosses the boy, who turns out to be Tyrion’s Ex-squire, Podrick Payne. The horse has been worked hard to the point of disability, so Pod could buy him cheaply. But unlike the half-blind garron, it seems nobody is in this horse’s corner. Hyle Hunt says “that rounsey may be the most hideous horse I’ve ever seen” (Brienne 3) Brienne calls him a ”broken down old stot”, and Pod never even tries to defend him. Actions speak louder than words, however, and the supposedly weak, disabled, basically useless horse can keep pace with Brienne’s tall gray mare (gifted by Jaime Lannister, so she’s of top quality) and Hyle’s chestnut courser (type of horse bred for war/speed). The horse doesn’t go lame or break down, never demands more food than the other horses; like his rider Pod, while he doesn’t look much like a hero, has experienced hardship, and few people want him, he’s prepared to face the dangers ahead with little hope for reward. Is this realistic? Probably not, but GRRM breaks realism if he wants to make a thematic point. That point is probably the reason why GRRM made the horse an old rouncey in the first place: it is a reference to the famous steed of Don Quixote, Rocinante (the name roughly translates to “foremost among the rounceys”), an old, awkward work horse who accompanies Quixote on all his travels as his “noble steed”. While Cervantes meant Rocinante and Quixote to be a satire on knightly epics, GRRM seems more likely to resonate with their characterization in the 1965 play Man of La Mancha, particularly the idealism of its hit song, “The Impossible Dream”; essentially, to fight against evil and stay honorable in a world that can seem indifferent or even cruel, simply because you know it’s the right thing to do; and maybe it’s a fight you can’t win, that you might even die, but it doesn’t mean you should stop trying, because in that trying you could help others. That’s essentially the core of Pod’s quest with Brienne to find Tyrion, and of course, Brienne’s quest to find Sansa (“Seven, Brienne thought again, despairing. She had no chance against seven, she knew. No chance, and no choice.” — Brienne 7); neither of them have found who they’re looking for, but that doesn’t mean their quest was “for nothing”. The piebald rounsey doesn’t look like a noble steed any more than Pod or Brienne look like knights, but being a hero was never about appearances in ASOIAF; it involves enduring hardships to help others for little personal reward. For being a faithful, hardy steed that reflects Pod’s unlikely hero status, the old piebald rounsey gets my pick for top horse in ASOIAF.

#ask #horses #opinion #asoiaf #asoiaf meta #gif #animal significance

[xdarkestdesirex]

When Faith Meets Juvenile - Chap 2

This is a Dale Holt x reader story. There's no (y/n) insert. I'm just avoiding the use of the reader's name, and it is female-based. There are hints of physical appearance but nothing in-depth.

This writing contains highly sensitive content like violence, drugs, the use of weapons, abuse, mental illness, hostage situations, talk of suicide, religious abuse, smut, and other mature themes. Reader discretion is advised. MUST BE 18+ TO INTERACT.

I do not allow anyone to copy, alter, or repost my work as their own.

1961-word count

prev

As I slammed the door behind me, I expected the house to be empty and everyone to be at church. But there sat my brother in the living room, staring at me. His eyebrows furrowed, and he was tapping his fingers against the armrest. “Where were you?” 

“I, uh, there was an accident.” The anxiety that bubbled inside of my chest was the worst I’d ever felt before, “Are Mom and Dad home?”

“What happened?” He pointed at my leg.

“Some guy accidentally ran into me with his bike. It’s fine, though. He was very kind and helped me.” I slowly hobbled down towards the hallway, hoping to get out of this conversation. 

“You mean Dale Holt?” My brother’s voice sounded behind me. I turned and gave him a confused look, “I saw him in the truck. Do you even know who he is?”

“Why does it matter?” 

“If Dad figured out you were with him, he would lose his shit.”

“Dad won’t figure it out, right?” I know my brother usually sticks up for me with people at school, but when it comes to our parents, he’s the one who gets into trouble. Sometimes, I feel like he would love it if they thought poorly about me. 

“I don’t know. I think Dad would love to hear about his perfect daughter coming home in the truck of a juvenile.” 

“A juvenile?”

“You know, the kid who robbed the liquor store and beat someone half to death.” What my brother said took me by surprise. There was no way the person who did that was Dale. A guy who would beat someone half to death wouldn’t go out of his way to help me like he did. Is that why he said it was for the best? That I didn’t know him? I turned away from my brother and dragged myself into my bedroom. I plopped into bed and winced at the pain in my leg. How was I going to explain this to my parents? I don’t think James will immediately tell them who I was with, but I know they will have questions. Maybe I should have made him drop me off a few houses down. 

I was stirred awake by the soft voice of my mother. It seemed the evening sermon was over, and they were finally back home. The events from earlier had finally caught up with me, making my body sore and my head pound. I couldn’t fully make out what my mom was trying to say to me as I was fighting myself to wake up. Then, from my blurry vision, I could see the figure of my father walking into the room with something in his hand. Suddenly, a jolt of shock shot through my body as my dad threw ice water over me. My body jolted up; all I could do was sit there and stare at my father. For the first time in 17 years, I was witnessing what it was like for your parent to look at you with pure anger. My head hung in shame, and I waited for him to start yelling at me.

“What the hell do you think you were doing!” His voice was sharp.

“I-I-I just wanted to go to the park!” I cried out. Tears started to pour down my cheeks, and I hated myself for how easy it was to cry.

“You’ll never be allowed out on another Sunday again!”

“Daddy, I didn’t-”

“Look at you!” He gestured toward my leg and disheveled appearance. “This happens when you go against your parents and embarrass them!” He slammed his hands down onto my shoulders and pulled me off my bed. “Get her properly dressed!” My father yelled at my mother. My crying turned into wailing. My mom picked out a plain, knee-length, black dress and helped me change into it. My hair was still dripping wet from the water thrown on me. “Shh dear, your crying will only upset him further.” My mother spoke to me. Once I got dressed appropriately, my father dragged me out of the house and shoved me into the passenger seat of the car. “You better get yourself together before I pull up to the hospital. I don’t want anyone seeing you in hysterics like this.” 

The drive to the hospital took about 20 minutes, and I was able to calm myself down just enough. My eyes were red and puffy, and the salt from my tears stained my cheeks, but I wasn’t actively bawling anymore. After my dad parked the car, he got out, approached the passenger side, and opened the door for me. He helped me down and walked me to the emergency entrance. When we entered the building, I wasn’t surprised to only see two other people sitting in the waiting room. Two Rock wasn’t a busy place where people were always getting hurt. Off to the side of the entrance were wheelchairs lined up like grocery carts. My dad grabbed one and motioned for me to sit, so I did that. He wheeled me to a window where, behind the glass, an older lady sat. 

“How may I help you?” She said, staring at us with blank eyes and a monotone voice. 

My dad explained that I had injured myself badly and needed to get my leg looked at. He told the lady my brother and I had gone out and that I fell down a hill, hitting a rock and slicing my leg open. I wasn’t sure how he knew my leg was sliced open, but I guess it couldn’t be hard to guess, especially now that I’m looking at the bandaging. A bit of blood was starting to seep through. 

Once my dad gave the pepper-haired lady our information, we sat in the waiting room. A nurse opened the door a few minutes later and called my name. The other two patients groaned as I was called before them, even though they were here first. My father pushed me behind the nurse as we followed her into an exam room. She asked me a few questions about my health and what was happening as she took my basic vitals. She left the room and informed us that the doctor would arrive soon. A knock sounded on the door right before it swung open. A man in his late thirties walked in wearing a long white lab coat and glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He looked like he was trying hard to be a stereotypical doctor. We reviewed the events of what happened again, and he asked a few of the same questions the nurse had asked. 

“Alright, I’m going to undress your wound and look at what’s happening.” The doctor slid a pair of gloves onto his hands and started unwrapping the medical tape. Once all the dressing was off, he threw them into a biohazard bag. He grabbed a new piece of gauze and started dabbing around the cut. “Whoever cleaned and dressed this did a good job.” 

“It was her brother.” My father said.

I just sat there quietly, thinking about the brunette-haired boy kneeling before me as he carefully took care of my injury. I wonder what he was up to tonight? Would he tell his family about me and what happened? I doubt he would, but they probably wouldn’t crucify him the way my father did me. 

“So you got this injury falling down a hill?” The doctor asks.

“Yeah, I’m a bit clumsy,” I said, feigning stupidity.

“I’m going to clean your cut again, numb the area, and then give you a few stitches.” 

I just started at the beige wall while the doctor did his thing. Once he finished, he wrapped my leg up and handed my dad a prescription to help with any pain I might feel. My father pushed me back to the car in the wheelchair and helped me up into the passenger seat. The drive back home was completely silent. 

Dales POV 

“Dale?” Her sweet voice sounded out.

“Yeah?” My voice came out breathy and quiet. 

“I’d like to see you again someday.” The words that she said caught me entirely off guard. I wasn’t expecting her to say that. I stared at her face momentarily before a slight smirk grew on my lips. “I would like that too, Doll.” 

I watched her close the truck door and made sure she could make it to the door before I pulled out of her driveway. Driving back to the farm, I kept replaying everything that happened. I recently got released from juvie and felt cooped up. So, I decided to steal Jay’s bike and ride around town. Feel the warm breeze on my skin as I fly down the road. Not many people come out to the park near my house, so I headed that way; I wanted to be somewhere alone. Then, this girl was there, and I was slightly curious to see what kind of girl would be out here. I wasn’t trying to run into her, but wanted to get close and start a conversation. Nothing happened as I tried to stop the bike, so I yelled out to her but crashed into the poor girl anyway. 

What an idiot, I thought while thinking back to it, but I still smiled at the whole interaction. She was a cute girl, and I knew right away that she wasn’t someone from this part of town, but it did surprise me to find out that she was the priest’s daughter. At Two Rock High, a lot of the guys I hung out with before I dropped out would talk about how they wanted to ‘corrupt’ the innocent princess and would go into detail about the nasty shit they wanted to do to her. My mind might be fucked up, but if there’s one thing my Ma taught me, it was to treat a girl with respect.

I pulled up and parked the truck by the side of the house. A deep sigh escaped my lips, and I ran my fingers through my hair. She probably judged me so hard on my home compared to hers. I don’t think we’ll ever meet again. It was a fluke in the universe that our paths crossed. I slid out of the truck and made my way up the steps to the front of the house. I could hear my Ma yelling from the inside and prepared myself to walk into whatever was happening behind the door. 

“How often do I have to tell you boys not to bring animals in the house if they’re dripping blood!” 

“Quit yelling at me! We didn’t even bring any animals home today!” Pa spat back. 

“Then how do you explain this!” My Ma pointed at the blood drops on the ground. My eyes drifted to see small blood drops trailing to the bathroom. They had to have happened earlier. The blood was dripping down her leg.  “And where were you?” Ma spoke to me sternly.

“Out,” I answered.

“Damn it, Dale, you’re supposed to stay home.” 

“Don’t worry, Ma. I wasn’t getting into any fights.” I grabbed an apple from the middle of the table and headed into my shared bedroom. 

“You don’t leave this house alone, ya hear me!” She yelled from the kitchen.

My younger brother, Jay, was lying on his bed in the corner with his headphones covering his ears and flipping through one of the few comic books he owned. He didn’t notice as I flopped onto my bed opposite his and smiled at the ceiling like a dork. It’s too bad that would be the first and last time I ever saw her.

next

AN:

Hey guys! I know this chapter is shorter; there will be a few short chapters, but most will be longer! I was listening to a song earlier today that gave me better ideas for the story (hehe) so I'm excited to write them and have y'all read it! Reader and Dale's story is going to be a rollercoaster! You get to experience life with him before the robbery, and don't worry everything will lead up to that point!

#dale holt #x reader #as dusk falls #as dusk falls fanfic #as dusk falls holt family #dale holt x reader #jack bandeira #fanfiction #smut #bear holt #asduskfalls #jay holt #tyler holt #sharon holt #vince walker #zoe walker #joyce walema #paul hayes #when faith meets juvenile #jack bandeira x reader

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb: When Faith Williams almost loses her life during a robbery, Death is there. While he spares her soul, he makes a promise to return when she’s eighteen and collect it.

Now it’s the eve of that special birthday, and Faith has no recollection of that fateful day. But echoes of Death appear in her art—his intense eyes, his intriguing demeanor—and she can’t get him out of her head. When he arrives in person, Faith is drawn into an epic supernatural battle where her very existence is questioned at every turn.

To add angst to agony, she meets the infamous David Star at a Halloween party, and he begins to show an interest in her. He’s handsome, rich, ambitious, and every girl’s dream, but Faith doesn’t know if she can trust him.

As Faith learns more about who David really is, and as Death pushes harder for her soul, an ancient prophecy emerges. When she discovers the secrets that bind all three together . . . all hell breaks loose.

Review:

When you make a deal with Death to spare your life and forget about it when it comes time to collect, there's bound to be consequences. Faith Williams was suppose to die when she was eight and shot, however something about her soul made Death offer her an alternative deal: he'll save her but in 10 years her soul is his to take. 10 years later, Faith is now 18 and has completely forgotten about it. The only thing she has from that incident is that he's in every art piece she makes, she can't get him out of her mind. Now it is the eve of her birthday on the very day Death is meant to collect her soul, and now more people than just him are after her. It also doesn't help that this infuriating, manipulative, and handsome as hell guy keeps throwing her off, saving her one minute then annoying her the next, kissing her one moment and then disappearing. Faith doesn't know who to trust but she's beginning to realize that she's definitely a player in the war between Heaven and Hell. This book is the first book in the series and is adapted from the original Wattpad story. This book was bad, I'm gonna be honest, what drew me in was the absolutely stunning cover and I can't resist a story that involves Death and deals, but this one felt so beyond juvenile and Faith was so irritating, it was such a hard book to even get through. The writing definitely felt like it was Wattpad and not in a good way. Even trying to think about the actual plot and pacing is difficult because it's all over the place and nothing really happens if you get what I mean. Sadly, I will not be continuing with this series, but hey at least it has a super pretty cover going for it. The title doesn't really even fit in with the story, which sucks to be honest. Overall if you are looking for a VERY very YA/Wattpad fanfic story, give this a go, it might be a better time for you then it was for me.

*Thanks Netgalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, Wattpad Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #death is my bff

[teamgamble]

Team gamble tainted au (which I remember is a thing but not a lot of people showed interest :[)

Oh no don't worry I'm still planning a tainted universe takeover, just waiting for the right time. Which is hard because I have a bad habit of doing things at the worst time possible hjsdafhgj.

Basically the Tainted AU is where the kids a) never met, b) never went to the academy, and c) never got the help they needed, to various effects. Buckle up because this has been rattling in my brain for a WHILE.

CW for mentions of abuse, religion, homelessness, juvenile detention, transphobia, deadnaming, neglect, cults, beauty pageants, and death.

Isaac would have never left her mother's home in Solaceon Town and the Arcist religion. He would have become completely obsessed with worshipping Arceus and Creation Duo and self-hating.

Maggie's parents never divorced, leaving her abusive father to continue harming her. To cope, she would get fights with other children frequently and act rebellious. Probably ended up in a toxic relationship or two.

Cain was never disowned by his parents, mostly to save face. However, he's considerably more scared up because of "accidents" set up in the hopes he'll pay for what they think he did to Abel.

Judas was refused to be taken to another region by the pilot, and so he was forced to remain in Orre. They would continue to steal Pokemon to make ends meet, and eventually he probably would've joined Team Snagem.

Evelyn chose not to go to therapy and start gardening. Due to faer horrible physically abusive uncle, even after escaping from him, she would still fear mean and have a worse mental state in general.

Samson was never taken into foster care, and he would become extremely violent and have a hair-trigger temper. Samson was floating in and out of juvenile detention, and probably never accepted his homosexuality.

Azazel never escaped from their parents. They would bide their time until they're eighteen, but they're stuck in a household that misgenders and deadnames them and would clip their metaphorical wings by forbidding them from flying on their Pokemon.

Laz would keep floating in and outside of the hospital. Even after Beth runs away to join Team Plasma, his mother would keep ignoring and neglecting him, letting him get injured and ill. At times, he feels like he's just a dead boy walking.

Instead of spurning Eden for getting into the Internet, their father would embrace it and keep them in a position to continue being manipulated. Their only identity is their loyalty to their father and to archiving knowledge, to the point they don't even believe they need a name.

Lily never got sponsored by Naranja-Uva Academy, leaving them in the Galarian foster care system. To cope with neglectful foster parents that refuse to deal with a blind child, she would hoard Pokemon to both her and the Pokemon's detriment.

Apollo not only ever attended the Academy, he didn't even join Team Skull. Because he failed the Island Challenge so hard, he would become a homeless child on the streets of Hau'oli City, too ashamed of himself to return home.

Beth, finally having enough of the beauty pageants and being judged for every flaw she had, would run away from her mother. Instead of being found by child protective services, she would be found by an attempted third resurgence of Team Plasma. Having no faith in humanity, she zealously follows Team Plasma's teachings of separation between Pokemon and humanity--and her secret wish for mankind's downfall.

Jacob didn't choose to fight against his father. He warned him of what Esau was planning with him. So when Esau tried to free Entei, their father effectively injured him with his Pokemon and left him for dead. He got a promotion to Rocket Admin for the capture of a Legendary, and Jacob got to be his secondhand man and his approval. However, he feels guilt over what happened. He never wanted Esau to die, just his dad's love and approval. And what's worse, Esau holds it against him.

Esau died after getting Fire Blasted by his father's Arcanine. Seeing he tried to do the right thing, Ho-oh attempted to revive him. But because of his rage, hatred, and malice, he came back wrong and returned as a black and red Hisuian Zoroark. Now he haunts Jacob, randomly appearing in a Pokeball on his body even with a full party. And it's a 50-50 if he'll go straight for Jacob, or get distracted by the opponent so Jacob can start running.

#ooc post #cw abuse #cw religion #cw homelessness #cw juvenile detention #cw transphobia #cw deadnaming #cw neglect #cw cult #cw beauty pageant #cw death

[lady-of-glass-and-bone]

hey duck! it's bug! I know I don't have a Tumblr anymore but someone told me you were doing this monster match up and I had to just swing by, support and see what I could get. I'm here occasionally as a lurker and man I miss doing stuff like this.

Onto the info!. I'm an Aries, Aries rising, pisces moon. My favorite colors are like a nice bubblegum pink or a silvery-blue-teal color. My favorite aesthetic is probably like pastel goth horror, of that makes sense. Like a blood covered pink stuffed animal. My favorite band is Depeche Mode. Songs of Faith and Devotion is my favorite followed very quickly by Music For The Masses. Personality type? Whewy! I'd like to think I'm pretty personable, if a bit overwhelmed occasionally. I'm happy to talk and be a helper, but am pretty comfortable with implementing boundaries when needed. I definitely have an occasionally juvenile humour. There's a reason a group of friends call Adam Devine my mans. All in all I give off pinky tomboy comedic sidekick vibes. Very specific I know. Uhm, I'd never wear shoes if they didn't make me, I'm sure that's a personality type. Oh and NERD!

Love and miss you buddy! I hope you're doing well and I'm excited to see you work your magic. Ill be keeping your blog open in a tab and refreshing. Much love and friendship kisses

Selkie

P.S. I know I put a picture of shoes in here but it was purely for the aesthetic

Selkies, like seals, are playful and dangerous and you never have to wear shoes when you go swimming with them! And they are super adorable, so it's a win-win. Even if you don't like swimming they will 100% do tricks to show off for you and you alone. There's a possibility you're selkie will have the same kind of humor, so once you start bouncing off each other like no tomorrow there is no stopping. Not to say your monster partner can't be serious, they can be territorial

Speaking of which, you two totally meet on a pier fair thing during the Summer. Do they still have those? Because they should. It's a whirlwind night under neon lights and flashes of scents like cotton candy and fried foods and you're making out on the ferris wheel before you even know it.

You don't find out until a little later in the relationship that they are a selkie and it's a very guarded conversation on their part because of the pelt situation. Trust comes slow but it has a strong foundation.

Artist: Depeche Mode Songs:

A Little Lemon

The selkie is gender neutral and I used female anatomy descriptions for reader.

Nothing sounds as comforting as the low crash of waves on the far off shore, the pull and drag of foamy water. It's miles away for you, the wet sand beneath the blanket you sit on in the cove steadying you.

Your selkie looks nervously at you, crouched nakedly a few feet away. The pelt sits between you, closer to them, but you could reach out and touch it if you wanted to.

You do. But you don't want to keep it, this piece of trust they offer up to you makes you flush with feelings of love (the word is new, not ready for the open air just yet) and you are honored.

You don't know what to say, so you lean forward and touch the pelt with one finger. Halting as your companion stifles a gasp, looking up to catch their gaze, and run your palm along the spotted pelt.

"I don't think it'll fit me" you smirk gently, hoping it lands right.

It must, because they bark out a laugh, release a sigh like Atlas shrugging his shoulders and lunge for you in a playful heap as they plant kisses anywhere they can reach.

"You're a menace, you know that?" they nip and suckle their way down your chest, passing over the cover of your shirt and slip themselves up and under to finally get skin to skin.

"Am not, 'm very. . . non-menacing" any sense of vocabulary flits away at the feel of warm rough lips tracing patterns across your stomach, one hand cupping a breast over your shirt and the other fumbling at your pants.

"Stupid human clothes. . . fucking buttons and- aha! Got it!"

You smile, chuckling at the goofball currently feeling you up and down.

"Hey," you thump them on the back of the head as they nip the curve of your left breast "not here, I do not want sand in my pants" you intone the last word, hoping they catch your drift.

"But we're on a blanket" they say earnestly from beneath your shirt, fingers slipping over the crotch of your swimsuit bottoms.

You hadn't meant to release a sigh at the feeling, pushing your head back into the blanket. The fingers disappear just as fast.

Such a tease.

"How about in the water?" they suggest, pushing upward, catching the hardness of your clit and rubbing just enough to have you clenching your jaw.

Considering.

"Yes, yes okay just put your fingers in me now" you grump and then gasp at the speed with which you are filled.

"Thank you" they whisper, half whimper, into your bosom and begin to thrust their fingers slowly, testing the slickness and rubbing along your walls.

The exploration is tantalizing, pushing you away and out to sea in a haze, gripping the blanket and their shoulder do nothing to steady you.

"Fuck there, there" you rasp when they hit your sensitive spot head on, legs clamping around them like a vice, falling under the waves of sensation.

You never want to resurface.

#dear anon #BUG OMG HIIIII! #i missed you!!!! #how are you? are you doing good?? #monster #monster lover #selkie #duck did it

[lonniesbusinessworld12798]

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[urdadthinksimfine]

Which dreams are dead and should be buried and mourned?

Which dreams should I say good bye to? Tell them, to rest in peace?

being a 17 year old anymore that trainers put their faith into?

being a juvenile anymore that people of authority want to help out and mentor?

being in some sort of program like kpop stars, where they have to give their everything

becoming a dedicated dancer/ singer/ rapper in the industry

...

.

Its so beautiful, this dedication of Ippo, this hard, hard work, the exhaustion that feels worth, when you notice improvement, the love for something, the passion for some matter, not just a vibe, but the whole things itself.

the vibe seems to emerge from living the matter. i dont love a thing. i love what happens around it, the vibe.

the getting up in the early mornings to go running, when its still foggy or in the midday or even evening, the schedule, with road work and in the gym, the people around him, that help him improve, root for him.

.

he has goals and he gives his all. he wants to give what it takes. ive never had that, but i couldve had that with capoeira maybe, if i wanted to.

even with other goals but becoming the best of some sport, there was no.. supporting enviroment for very strong dedication, there was no passionate enviroment for anything, because there was no passion within my family. it died with grandpa.

what is there, that i could still be very passionate about? with people rooting for me?

being best at some school stuff (school over, but university)

music producing (like yoongi etc getting no sleep and becoming obsessed but thats their life and what they chose, what they need to do, what they need their life to be like)

becoming a very good business woman trying their best with their international connection and relationship to some asian market

a social worker maybe who is working hard to make an beneficial establishment or institution or make a positive change in the education system or something

.

If i could just dream of what or who i am.. it would be..

me, dedicated to music and performance,

hustling because i know its for this dream of mine, spending those hours of hard work in the studio, in the dance studio

working to pay the expenses i have for my life dedicated to my music

expressing feeling in song and dance and choreography, in video making, in producing, maybe in photography, maybe in writing..

for myself most of all, but also because its my job, with passion, with dedication, with need, with blood, sweat and tears

Its very kpop-y... but can i still do it, just for myself? even if everyone id meet on this path is younger or more experienced than i am?

what if i did all that, passionate, but really just for myself, do my stuff, upload it, work on more pieces, or more styles, just for myself?

if i missed my chance by saying bye to kanghee, missed my chance by living my life undedicated the way i did with no skills,

could i just do it amateur-sytle for myself, with art and music as an ventil for my pain, for my desires? instead of destroying myself?

or am i thinking easy again, because i dont even try going big, with studying it, giving it my MORE, with reconnecting with kanghee, with trying to go bigger road with studying something connected with the field?

.

or is it just me burning for something, give SOMETHING my all?

becoming an architect, a scientist in a laboritory, something that i have to spend hors in the library for in order to learn and master it?

do i just want to be dedicated, like those japanese next to me in the library? they seems to have a creative thing to study for, because one of them is drawing architectual stuff. reminding me of this one insta-drawer-girl that did those classic, barock-ish drawings of bts. the studied art, too. she studied it, had to find out stuff about it, learn, practice it and its history and aspects.

should i just learn to be a laborant, so i can do that all my life and on my free time be a nerd for music, writing stories and ff, learn japanese for fun and for my vacations there..

.

if i learned business administration with focus on asia, or east-asian studies or japanology id definitely end up with other nerds, which gives me chance to get into a crowd of weirdos, find a weirdo boyfriend and be fine with it. it would make my free time less lonely, because id be surrounded by freaks.

maybe.. maybe..

[awildwestblog]

Some people say they are one in a million but I can give you proof that I am. More accurately, I am 3 in a million.

Unfortunately my rarity isn’t due to anything I’ve accomplished or a general synopsis of how awesome I am. It’s due to an autoimmune disease.

This month is Autoimmune Disease Awareness month, which I wasn’t aware of until I was scrolling through Facebook and read that it was. However, that wasn’t what prompted me to share this with you. It’s what I read after that.

“Autoimmune diseases are not curable.”

What? Excuse me? How am I a grown woman just now finding out that autoimmune diseases aren’t curable?

I had an autoimmune disease. “Had” being the operative word.

In the summer of 1999, I was officially diagnosed with Juvenile dermatomyositis, the medical definition of which seems extremely bleak. “Juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) is an idiopathic diffuse vasculopathy of the skin and muscles, characterized by proximal muscle weakness and typical rash. The inflammatory process primarily affects muscle and skin, but it can also involve numerous other organ systems, with significant mortality from cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal sequelae of the disease.” The medical conclusion of which is, “Dermatomyositis and polymyositis are serious diseases with a disease-related mortality of at least 10%. In the long term, myositis has a major effect on perceived disability and quality of life, despite the regained muscle strength.” At the point of my diagnosis, I was considered chronic.

When I began recalling this diagnosis, memories from that time came rushing back. I remember my family being absolutely devastated and relieved at the same time because my mysterious illness finally had a name and a treatment plan. I remember my mom constantly pouring her heart out in prayer for healing. I remember the hospital visits, therapy sessions, and massive weight gain from the aggressive steroid treatments. I remember facing a depression that I didn’t understand. I remember being prayed over and anointed with oil by the elders of our church. And I remember the day I was healed.

God healed me from that autoimmune disease.

Through the hands of doctors, treatments, and loving support, God allowed my autoimmune disease to be cured. But wait, autoimmune diseases can’t be cured!

Even some medical definitions of this specific disease says it is not curable. Labels like “long term remission” and “periods of remission” are used, but the definition of a “cure” fits my situation the best. “To heal or restore health; a treatment to restore health” sounds a lot like what I’ve experienced. I suppose time will tell, but if there’s one thing I can stand by, it’s that miracles do happen.

What I have experienced about God is that everything He does aligns with His purpose and timing and points us to His glory.

My healing has absolutely been for His glory. My suffering has been for His glory.

Without God and my relationship with Jesus, depression would have swallowed me. This world would have crushed what little strength I had left. Through this journey, I’ve been able to claim more boldly that God is good and victorious… just look at what He’s done!

My healing could have happened a lot sooner. My miracle wasn’t instantaneous. It took more than one heartfelt prayer, one moment of faith, one prayer meeting, one visit to one doctor, and more than one round of treatment. Can God heal in one moment? Absolutely! In my case though, there was a waiting period. There were years of waiting.

But when God was choosing not to strengthen my body, He was working on strengthening my spirit.

In that waiting I learned to lean into Him. I learned not to seek healing but to seek His presence. There is purpose in the waiting. There is strength in surrender, and there is power in prayer. Oh, and miracles do happen. I’m one in a million who can attest to that.

#jesusculture #power in prayer #miraclesdohappen #autoimmune disease