#and I can't really blame her for being afraid of what might happen if she did! she was little and didn't know anything

[gumclones]

honestly I think that whatever the Winter King did to transfer his insanity was an accident. not necessarily something that came out of nowhere, but more… he was trying to do one thing and then suddenly he felt a lot more clearheaded

[noroi1000]

Can you do one with Gojo and his really tiny newborn daughter ( I’m feeling a bit nostalgic because my niece)

When Gojo meet his daughter for the first time. He really taken back because how tiny she is. He like y/n sweetie where is the rest of her? In sweet way of course.

Her tiny little hands can’t even rap her his finger

Even the newborn baby clothes that he got for her don’t fit her. They have to roll up the little sleeves on her onesie😭

He show his baby to everyone and said look how cute she is and how small she is. Also keep asking Shoko is he baby a normal size for a newborn baby and she like yes Gojo.

He just loves his little girl so much.

Basically a really fluffy request Noroi and also Noroi if get any idea or scenarios please feel free to the request the more fluff the merrier🥰

Just really want to see Gojo being all cute with baby girl and wife🥰

Little Loved One

Summary: Gojo have very little daughter.

"I'm late! Sorry!" Your husband ran into the room, not caring to be quiet.

You didn't blame him for being late. Nothing happened. You knew he would be here as soon as he found out about it.

He quickly took off the blindfold and came closer, looking at your condition.

It was obvious that you were tired. But the sparkle in your eyes only proved that you were also happy.

"Where is she?" he asked you, looking around.

"You'll see her in a moment." You said with a smile and reached for his hand, then feeling his fingers gently hold you.

He took a chair and sat it next to your bed, running his fingers over your hand and the wedding ring you were wearing.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. Everything's ready." Another woman entered the room with a small bundle in a blanket. She came to your side, placing the baby in your arms.

Her every step was carefully watched by your husband.

"Are you the father?" she asked with a smile, and then suddenly realized the similarity of his appearance and that of a small child. "Congratulations."

She gave you another smile as she left.

And with his help, you sat up on the bed differently and moved closer to him, showing your little sleeping face. The little girl's slightly pink skin seemed so soft just by looking at it.

His eyes scanned his daughter as she lay there.

He reached out a finger to lightly caress her cheek.

He always thought that babies who were just born were ugly. So pink and they don't move. And they just cry. But not even an hour after she was born, his daughter was so sweet. Fine white hair on her head and only slightly pink skin. And suddenly the child's hand reached for his finger. The tiny hands couldn't wrap around his finger.

"She's so small." he said, moving closer.

"Do you want to hold her?" you asked.

"Me?" He pointed at him.

"Who else? You're her daddy."

"This... What if..."

"Satoru." you interrupted his uncertainty. "She's your baby. Nothing will happen."

With a bit of uncertainty, he stretched out his arms, catching the baby.

She seemed even smaller in his hands! It was as if he could hold it in his hands and there would be enough space.

That's why he was afraid that he might tighten his hand too much or do something wrong and hurt her. With his little child, he can't be the strongest. He must be careful and gentle.

He smiled at the sight of her next to him, and when she moved slightly, he laughed.

How could such a little thing cause you so much trouble for so many months? Even though she was smaller compared to him, she was tiny. How could such a little girl keep you up at night? How could such little legs kick you from the inside?

"Have you named her yet?" he asked, grabbing her hand with two fingers, watching as her tiny fingers tightened on his nail.

"I thought maybe you would want to." You reached up to her head, stroking her little white hair.

And after a moment's thought, he spoke up.

"...Aiko?" He looked at you, waiting for your reaction.

"Aiko... Gojo Aiko. Do you like it?" You smiled. "What does that mean?"

"You could say Little Loved One."

He suddenly gained courage and kissed her forehead.

"Welcome to the Gojo family. My little Aiko."

  "I didn't know you'd be happy with my baby, Utahime." He laughed, leaning against the baby stroller, watching the woman's hand gently touch her little hand.

"Your child is not you. I can't believe this little angel could be like you. Her name?"

"Aiko."

"Even if I could deny it, I see that you are the father..." She looked at the white hair and long white eyelashes.

Gojo is so beautiful, so you both knew that your daughter would be beautiful.

Her daddy is a little overprotective. And you can be sure that her teenage years will be strange.

Satoru who chases all the boys away from his little daughter. This will be a sight you won't regret seeing.

It's all ahead of you, but you know that your daughter will attract a lot of eyes. Just like Satoru. But there will be someone to protect her.

Daddy's little girl.

Because now you constantly see him walking around with her, never leaving her for a moment. It was a lovely sight.

"She's so tiny. Was she born earlier than she should have been?"

"Shoko..." Gojo exclaimed, wanting her to explain.

"Everything is fine with her. But she's just a little smaller than she should be. She should make up for it as she grows. She's just smaller, but there's nothing to worry about."

"That's good. But I'm worried about what kind of father she has." She growled, a vein throbbing in her forehead.

"Hey Hey! I am the perfect father!" he said loudly and suddenly reached for his little daughter in the stroller when she woke up because of him. "Look at that little sweet face! She's happy to have a daddy like me!"

Cuddling Aiko against his broad chest he watched as her eyes opened and he looked at her. Her arms reached out to him as she let out a slightly dissatisfied moan.

"Aww, daddy is here." he moved her higher, watching with glee as her arms flailed around awkwardly. "Don't worry. Daddy will take care of you."

Walking into the room, you wrapped your arms around his waist, snuggling lightly into his side.

Your husband simply loves your family so much.

"It's delicious, isn't it?!" he laughed, giving a spoonful of food to Aiko and she started laughing.

Long legs kneeling next to the baby chair as he fed her.

You couldn't be jealous of your child. He gave a lot of attention to your daughter. But did it matter? She is your child. And you love her just the same. It's impossible not to love this baby.

____

"Hmm... I thought the clothes would fit this time." He groaned sadly, watching as the sleeves on your child's arms were too long.

"We'll go buy smaller ones. These will come in handy later." You stroked his arm soothingly, leaning into the kiss he gave you.

"I'm waiting for her to grow. My little one~."

____

"Look at her! She's so cute!!!!" His voice was howling as invisible arrows pierced his heart.

Your daughter just hugged a teddy bear that was almost bigger than her.

Isn't it perfect to see your husband with your daughter?

He who is constantly taking photos.

A man who was afraid to take her in his arms because he was afraid he would break her. Now he could take her everywhere with him. Because he doesn't want to leave your side.

The old worries about your daughter being tiny disappeared as she started to grow. She started to be like a normal child her age. Even though she was still tiny in your husband's hands.

He couldn't help but love his family.

Gojo's family is not so small anymore. Now he has two people he loves more than life itself.

And only one question appeared in his mind as he held his sleeping daughter in his arms.

"Honey, could we have another baby like this in the future?"

[periludic]

" Distraction "

Qiu and Tamarack partners with the MC for a school project, they didn't get much done (It was the MCs fault)

📌 Pairing: Step 1 Qiu/Tamarack x GN!MC (Separate)

📌 Basically just Qiu and Tama admiring the MC

📌 OLNF brain rot, I'm making an AO3 fic of this next. (Thank you to whoever commented on my last post for this suggestion)

Qiu "Autumn" Lin:

Lets be real this kid needs a lot of help with school stuff, he'd probably be decently good in school if he tried but he doesn't

And to be extra real, he picks you every time to be his partner (he doesn't have a favorite he swears)

Mrs. Murray wouldn't allow that though, "give chance to others" she says. She deals with a lot of kids complaining that "Qiu always chooses (Name)!! Thats unfair" (god bless this woman) and Qiu frowns the saddest frown whenever this happens

But whenever Mrs. Murray does allow it, you bet that Qiu has the silliest, brightest, blinding smile ever stuck on his face

He likes you a normal amount (He lies to himself)

I don't think he'd be too serious about the project, but he does contribute and help you whenever he can

He doesn't pay much attention to it either, he's just happy to be there with you

But can you really blame him for spacing out mid-conversation when you tuck your hair prettily over your ear and how you look absolutely stunning when you're focused or when you have the cutest reaction ever at getting an answer right?

No. No you cant.

He pays more attention to you than your actual project, its cute but come on.

If you ask him why he's staring, he'll probably laugh it off and scold himself, thinking it was impolite of him to do so

But he's not afraid to admit the reason to why he was staring at you!

Its common sense, you're just too pretty. He can't help himself.

If you do start stressing out over the project however, he'll offer to do the rest for you

"I'll be more than happy to!!" he says, and you know. You just know that theres nothing inside that air head of his

It might take him a moment or two or three to understand the question but its worth it

He will do anything as long as its with you

Tamarack Baumann

No Mrs. Murray, she refuses to do the project if her very best friend isnt her partner

Tamarack would absolutely riot if Mrs. Murray got in the way of you being her partner for a project

She will be using her best puppy dog eyes and pleading voice thank you very much

Its against the law to object Tamarack, Mrs. Murray should've known better

Unlike a certain someone, Tamarack actually pays attention in class, and is good at memorizing without taking notes!

And unlike a certain someone, she's not as nice when it comes to not being your partner

Mrs. Murray allows it most of the time though, since you and Tamarack are new to the town and is still adjusting.

Most of the time.

Tamarack is very biased when it comes to you and everyone knows it (she has said so herself, in front of the entire class)

With Tamarack as your partner, you can rest easy!

She remembers your lessons well, and understands the questions fairly quickly

But sometimes she just can't help but to admire you. How can she not?

She's convinced that you came straight from a fairytale book, you're just so charming and adorable it's almost unfair!

Call her out on her behavior and she'll be more confused than a very confused person

Like. Yeah?? She's admiring you?? So what?? Its the logical thing to do? Its not her fault you're gorgeous?? Duh??

She'll give you a million reasons why you're so eye catching if you're not convinced

Please stop her.

I'm serious.

She'll go on and on for hours.

--

📌 sorry if my english grammar is off <3 english is not my first language

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Reading what @gayofthefae wrote about Mike never initiating anything in his relationship with El, I had a thought. I was gonna just reblog, but it turned into something much bigger than planned.

You're mostly right, but I think you're simplifying a bit.

I think you're right that El initiates everything, but it results in Mike feeling like it's his responsibility to be her boyfriend. And he does admire her, we know that from how he talks about her.

We don't really know if Mike invited her to the Snow Ball in season 2. That information isn't provided. We know enough that El was aware of it since Hopper specifically asked Owens about El leaving the cabin for one night. This tells us that El asked Hopper about it. Yeah, she knew about the Snow Ball because Mike told her in season 1. It can be assumed that the others told her about this year's Snow Ball. Did Mike ask her to go? That's just unknown. He certain didn't expect her there, though, judging by his surprise when she arrived.

I do think that Mike wasn't thinking of El romantically through season 2, though. That was all her. He just felt horrible about what happened to her and wished for her to come back safe. You can see when she leaves to go with Hopper to the Gate that he doesn't respond as she leans in to kiss him. Between that and El arriving at the Snow Ball, I think he gets the message that he's supposed to be with her.

Mike didn't get back together with her in season 3, no. Not from what we could see, at least. He makes some efforts to smooth things over with her, but they're pretty half-hearted. Even his "blank makes you crazy" thing seemed more about trying to say it without saying it.

However, we can't ignore that he did blurt out "I love her and can't lose her again!"

But I think this is more about his fear of losing her than anything else. They're talking about using her and her powers, and all he's thinking about is how he thought she died in season 1 and had to watch her go off to the Gate in season 2. He knows overuse of her powers is dangerous for her, and I think he blamed himself for how she overused them in season 1.

He's never able to utter those words again to her, even when she all but begs him to, and I think that's telling. She says it directly to him as she gets ready to leave Hawkins, and he just freezes and stands there. This goes back to how I don't think they were back together at this point. Just like when she left for the Gate in season 2, El staked her claim. They were together again. Mike was stuck again.

I think Mike was being honest with Will when he said that she would figure out she didn't need him anymore. To him, being her boyfriend has been about keeping her close. He thinks that's all he is to her, and she'd eventually decide he wasn't worthy of her. She's a sort of status symbol for him, but not to show off to others, just for himself.

I think there might be a bit of truth to the whole "if I said it, it would hurt more" thing. Mike has terrible self-esteem, but having a literal superhero as a girlfriend, knowing that she chose him, makes him feel worthwhile. He's afraid of losing that because, to him, it would mean that he's not worth anything, after all.

So, yeah, Mike doesn't initiate anything. He wants her to. That was the point of "blank makes you crazy." He was testing the waters. He wanted to see if she'd say it. She didn't. Not because she didn't feel it, necessarily, but because she had no idea what he was talking about.

However, when she finally does say it later, he realizes that it didn't make him feel like he thought it would. It felt wrong. But, by now, he was in too deep. She just lost her dad. So he goes along with it, now fearing for the end of their relationship and what that would mean. It was easy while they were apart. He didn't have to worry about anything.

But, once they were back together...ooh, boy. It was clear the whole thing was a shitshow. Not only was he weird with El, but also with Will. It's important to remind people that Mike had seemingly made things right with Will before the Byers moved. We saw that he was back to being his nerdy self in Hawkins, playing D&D again even though he acted too cool for it in season 3. It's because El was gone. She never had an interest in his nerdy interests, so he pretended he didn't like it. He always tried to change himself around her to seem more "worthy."

Going to visit them in California, though, we see Mike is changed again. He's dressing differently. He seems to be trying to be trendier, which is called out by Argyle when he says its not Ocean Pacific, but "a shitty knockoff." It's not who he is. He's putting on a performance, just as he did in season 3. He plays the part of boyfriend, but can't manage it when it matters most. Just look at how callous he seems when El gets bullied. It's because she doesn't act like how he thinks a superhero would, and she even calls him out on it when she says he thinks she's a monster.

Mike is more genuine again after El leaves. He starts opening up to Will more, once again making things right with him. He's no longer playing a role. He's just Mike again. He tries to talk to Will about the problems he's having, and Will, the selfless little dummy, keeps reassuring Mike that they'll get back together because he assumes that's what they both want. However, Mike seems to resonate with Will's words when Will says that it can be hard to be honest with those important to you because they may not like the truth. The truth being "I'm sorry, but I don't love you like that, but having you choose me as your boyfriend is the only reason I think I'm worth anything."

Both Mike and El seem like they're on their way to being more honest with each other. El is realizing that seeing herself as a superhero is not a mature way to think. She left to become the superhero Mike wants her to be, but she learned that it wasn't what was best for her. She needed to accept herself and be her own person. Mike started to see that hiding the truth wasn't helping anyone. Unfortunately, Will's attempt to reassure Mike led to him pretending his feelings for Mike were hers. In his mind, if he sees Mike that way, then El must, too. Why wouldn't she? It's Mike.

However, El stops initiating. They share a forehead touch on their reunion, but that's it. She quickly notices Will, and, with Mike's help, goes to embrace him. We see no real conversation between them until the pizza place, where they share a rare genuine (and, curiously, not especially romantic) cute moment before El gets a solemn look on her face. She takes Mike's hands and makes him take the sensory deprivation glasses off to look at her. She's initiating something now, but it doesn't seem like it's gonna be happy and romantic. Unfortunately, Argyle took Jonathan's master class in "Interrupting Important Moments" and chose that moment to bring them some pizza. We can argue later about whether or not there's symbolism in Argyle and El forcing Mike to try something he wrote off as disgusting, only for him to concede he likes it.

Mike wouldn't have been able to do anything in the pizza place without Will. He was at a loss. Even after all that happened, and with El's life on the line, he's still hesitating. Selfless dummy Will just made things worse because he didn't realize it was a lie, so he pushes Mike to "be the heart." Mike's fear of losing El combined with Will's reminder of how El "always will" need her pushes him to say what he previously couldn't. Will is basically holding this ship together like in Spiderman Homecoming. Yet, we don't see Mike and El be remotely romantic afterwards. The most we see is El leaning on Mike in the hospital. She all but ignores him in the cabin later. You'd think that after what happened to Max she'd need his support.

I still can't understand why people think that monologue was romantic. I guess they haven't thought about what built up to it.

[old-school-butch]

Hello again <3

I sent you an anon that you replied to on April 1st, which was me asking how ex-TIFs are received back into womanhood. Your reply gave me a little foothold which ended up very comforting as I started coming out rapid-fire to all my friends as detrans. this is primarily a message for other people in my situation, who are afraid and might want a template of what you might expect will happen once you do come out with it.

Predictably, most of my friends dropped me; I've 3 friends left. Two of which continue to support trans people but can accept that i have different opinions (as long as i'm "not mean") and one of which has seen the gender critical arguments, accepted them, and agrees. So, heavy losses, but not total losses. My two siblings seemed to sigh in relief and reveal that they never believed in genderism at all, which is odd, because in my 10 years of being trans not one of them challenged me on it. my mom fell into heavy guilt over "letting me" do all this, although i was 18 when i took testo and 19 when i got surgery, so she really could not have stopped me, legally. i suppose she mainly grieves knowing that had she had the right arguments she could have saved her kid this, but i've told her she is not to blame and i hope she recognizes that.

i haven't received any real harassment, not from anyone that i PERSONALLY know, though my family has received... harassment targeted at me? my sister had a classmate begin sending her copious pro-trans propaganda (contrapoints videos) which she instructed should be sent onward to me (sis did not comply). hilarious how my 10 years of direct experience is suddenly null and void and i'm assumed to know nothing about transness.... 6 months ago i was helping people sensitivity-write trans characters. now, i'm told i can't speak for the trans experience at all, and that i do not know what it's like to be a transmasc person. told that i need to listen to the arguments more carefully, that i don't LISTEN, when i literally lived this for 10 whole years. girl, on god? they tell me i don't get it and need to educate myself. and have empathy of course.

but in general, detransing, i've discovered that there are PLENTY of people who do not actually believe in genderism but who will play along simply out of fear or social pressure. my friends aside, who i knew through "queer" circles, everyone in my family (expect my mom) has revealed they never actually believed in it. i think this might contribute to why trans people bully dissenters so badly. they know this is the truth, that no one really buys it. i think, subconsciously, i have known that too. i never downloaded grindr, i never went into the men's bathrooms. i knew that despite testo and surgery and pronouns i could never challenge men as an equal in their eyes.

interestingly, making new friends is not that hard. I lead with the fact i'm detrans and "don't believe in all that shit" and people are VERY eager to be able to, suddenly, voice their real opinions without being called transphobic. they begin with probing questions, uncontroversial statements like "i agree they shouldn't put males in women's sports..." but if you continue to agree and not punish this daring on their part, they will reveal, with much relief and enthusiasm, what they really think. most people, normal people, really do not believe it all? i'm a brash person and can take irl confrontations quite well, hence i feel safe putting myself up as a transphobe off the bat. and people are very into this. so. the old ass saying, just be yourself.... normal people will not volunteer anti-genderist opinions on their own but when i continue to state thing after thing they open up and agree and eventually feel safe enough to admit their own thoughts. making friends, especially with non-gendie women, hasn't been that hard.

i'm going to write another message about same-sex attraction in the genderverse, but it's also a can of worms so i will make it separate from this one. again, thank you so much, for having anon on and listening, and letting us listen to each other without fear. i would hug you. to be continued

Thanks for the follow up!

My only comment is that I think most people play along out of kindness, it's not all bullying and fear, but that does impose a silence on everyone so everyone feels quite alone with their doubts.

[sokkastyles]

Hey, love your blog! Something doesn't sit right with me about Aang's attachment problem. Didn't he let go of Katara? We see him give her up and then gets shot by Azula. But he still opened it. If that's the case, why is Aang still attached to her? And why is he braver about it? (Asking her for a dance and kissing her twice, not that kissing her was a good thing). Did overcoming his attachment meant he saw her as more (romantically) approachable? But it's weird for him to overcome an attachment while in the next episodes he's more in love than ever. What do you think?

Yeah, the thing is, getting rid of his attachment should make him romantically braver and should ultimately make him closer to Katara. Because the problem with Aang's attachment was that it was an insecure attachment. Which is what made him act in ways that reflected that insecurity, like being anxious that Katara would not reciprocate his feelings. This actually hindered his relationship with Katara in book one and two because it prevented him from being honest about his feelings with Katara for fear that she might reject him. (Remember the whole "I'd rather kiss you than die" debacle?) This insecurity about losing her is also why he imagined her in peril when the guru asked him to let his attachment go.

And no way, no way is Aang going to get over that insecure attachment in a moment when Katara is in dire danger, in the heat of battle, when he couldn't do it before when he was with the guru and we're explicitly shown that the thought of Katara in danger is what is keeping Aang tethered to that insecure attachment. It's just not possible. I don't believe it.

What would have happened if Azula's lightning had not neutralized that conflict by making it irrelevant, is that realistically, after failing to save Katara and Ba Sing Se, Aang should be more insecurely attached to Katara than ever. And that is what happens. He acts more on his feelings but in ways that show that he's more afraid than ever that Katara will not reciprocate, and that then translates to entitlement towards her and anger at her in Ember Island Players for not reciprocating his affection.

So not only does it not make narrative sense for Aang to be able to open his chakra when he did, the narrative carries on as if he didn't and the excuse they use for why Aang can't is "because Azula shot him with lightning." The plotline about Aang forming a more secure attachment to Katara is completely dropped in favor of putting the onus on Katara to reciprocate Aang's feelings.

That's a large part of why book three feels like a mess. It actually would have been a compelling narrative if Aang HAD learned to be more secure in his attachment to Katara. Which should not mean he doesn't love her, it means he's secure enough to accept it if she says no. Which actually would make him braver romantically because he would not be afraid of rejection. So much of Katara and Aang's narrative feels like nice guy bullshit because the narrative blames Katara for not automatically returning Aang's love instead of having Aang pluck up the courage to actually ask her out. The reason so called "nice guys" always think that girls love jerks instead of them is that they don't realize that you actually have to ask a girl out to get her to be your girlfriend, instead of waiting for her to just fall into your lap because you're too terrified she will say no. And by the time Aang does make his intentions clear to Katara, it's "why aren't we together?" instead of actually asking her how she feels and what she wants.

And I've theorized that it actually was the original intention to have Aang go through a period of being more insecure in his relationship with Katara than ever before learning to be more secure in his relationship and thus unlocking the Avatar State, also rounding out the parallels between Aang and Zuko in book three, which also feel like missed opportunities that are never really followed through, most likely because the writers were either unwilling or unable to take the same risks with Aang's narrative as they did with Zuko's.

[beanghostprincess]

Sanji has arachnophobia but like. The type of arachnophobia that makes you have panic attacks even if you only see a little, tiny spider around you. And I just know Usopp would love to have a pet spider. They go to an island and Usopp finds a hurt spider and takes care of it because of course he would, and decides to keep it because of course he would.

So, uh, Sanji doesn't like his boyfriend's pet. It's not like he's going to tell him, because what would he say to him? Sanji hasn't told him his fear of spiders is that bad (he definitely knows, though). And he doesn't want to get in between Usopp's excitement of keeping her. So the spider stays and at least Usopp is aware that Sanji doesn't like her, so he doesn't let her go close to him (she's very polite so it's okay).

But Usopp loves having her around. On his shoulder, his head, his hands-- The guy brings her with him everywhere. And the little thing is smart and somehow seems to understand what Usopp says. They're happy. It's cute. Luffy absolutely loves her. Robin is literally thrilled to study her behavior. And Sanji can't even look at her because he will start hyperventilating the second he notices her.

He'd try to get over his fear of her because Usopp wants them to get along but he won't force it on Sanji. Sanji just knows he wants them to be friends. The spider lives in Usopp's terrarium, which he keeps in his workshop, and so Sanji goes there without telling his boyfriend.

And he tries. He really, really tries. He's shaking when he sees her there, even if she's inside the terrarium. He's barely able to breathe when he tries to get her out of there. Again and again repeating the words Usopp constantly tells him "She's more afraid of you than you are of her" (which is bullshit, in Sanji's opinion) and "She only wants to be your friend! She likes you because I like you" (something extremely romantic but Sanji's brain doesn't process it that way).

He's about to call it a day and try to calm himself down before he actually stops breathing for good. But. You know. The terrarium is on the edge of the table that's already full of Usopp's stuff and the tablecloth is long and- And the terrarium falls and breaks and the spider ends on Sanji's foot-

He doesn't want to do it and it happens in instinct and regrets it immediately, but he kicks the spider. He doesn't know where she lands and he doesn't react immediately to it because he's too focused on trying to learn how to breathe again. He sits on the floor around broken glass and dirt and doesn't realize what he's done until he starts looking for her again. It's not even because of Usopp anymore. She's just a spider. She hasn't done anything but... Existing. She shouldn't be blamed for that. Even if Sanji is afraid of her.

Sanji looks around for her without getting up and finds her alive and well and crawling around avoiding the glass, but also trying to stay away from Sanji as much as possible. That breaks his heart because he might not know what she thinks the way Usopp does, but he knows when someone is scared.

At least she's okay. She's alright. That's a relief.

"I'm sorry, I-" He feels a bit stupid talking to her like this, but he knows she gets it. He hopes she does. "It's not you. You're- He loves you, okay? You're a good girl. I just- I just can't."

He feels his chest tightening when she approaches him ever so slowly, but he knows she won't do anything. His heart doesn't share the same sentiment, but he quiets it down. She looks almost apologetically as if she was the one reassuring Sanji and not the other way around. "It must be tiring." He holds his legs close to his chest to make space for her to walk next to his feet. He feels like he's about to pass out, but she's respectful. And nice. And kind of cute, even. And she's Usopp's. Sanji thinks she tilts her little head confusedly. Thinks, because he isn't quite sure if they do that. "It sucks, right? People being afraid of you all the time. I- I can't say I'm not scared but- But you haven't done anything wrong, little one."

She stays there and doesn't move much for a few seconds, until she ends up crawling up and resting on top of Sanji's shoe. The same way she does when she spends her time on Usopp's shoulder. Sanji isn't that afraid anymore. He's overwhelmed and exhausted and really, really anxious, but he trusts her. Somehow.

Sanji looks around the room, his heart clenching with blame. "I'm sorry- For your home. I'll build you a new one. Well. Not- Not me. I don't know how to. Usopp will. Shit, he'll hate me after this..." But before he can start dwelling on it, the spider moves a little on his leg. And It isn't as bad as he thought. If she's going to murder him in his sleep it's a bit deserved after all. But she won't. He hopes she won't. "You know, you're kind of cute." She tries to crawl up to his knee, but it makes him jump a little. "Don't- Not really ready for, like, upper body touching. Please?" And somehow, she listens and goes back to her position. "Damn, you can understand what I say, can you? Smart girl."

And she doesn't say anything, but Sanji takes it as a yes. Both because he likes talking to her and also because he doesn't want to feel so damn stupid.

A few hours later, Usopp goes back to his workshop and finds Sanji asleep on the floor, lucky he didn't touch any shards of glass, and the spider rests on his foot happily. Or at least it looks like that for Usopp.

He'll ask what happened later, for now, it's time to clean the mess without waking up his boyfriend. He's been brave enough for a day.

[ayvayenildi]

Snupin First Wizarding War Headcanon I Cannot Stop Thinking About

Just imagine Remus Lupin being a spy for the Order of Phoenix during the First Wizarding War and infiltrating the werewolfs that serve Voldemort as just another desperate one except he encounters Severus Snape, who very obviously knows who Remus is and how loyal he is to his friends. Surely, Remus is afraid that Snape will denounce him in a matter of seconds but instead he offers a deal: he will turn a blind eye on Remus' presence if Remus tells him how Lily is doing or, at least, whether she's still alive. This Snape is not yet a spy but he isn't very devoted to Voldemort's cause either plus he still cares about Lily above all else and knowing nothing about her drives him mad.

Remus doesn't like the idea but he doesn't really see a way out so he starts feeding Severus pieces of information. Slowly but steadily they grow closer and begin to cover each other's asses (Remus needs quite a lot of ass covering as he still tries not to hurt anyone and that makes other werewolves and Death Eaters suspicious). What started as a forced alliance becomes a real friendship as they are both in a desperate need of someone close; that's the time where some people in the Order start suspecting that Remus is a double-agent and is actually working for Voldemort — the Marauders seem to canonically think so as well, at least that's why (according to Sirius in the third book) they didn't tell Remus about Peter as the Secret-Keeper.

Imagine Remus and Severus growing so close over time that one morning after getting way too drunk for all the worst reasons they do actually wake up in the same bed. Imagine them both embarrassed as hell (Remus still has this big fat unrequited longing for Sirius and Severus is in a sort of situationship with Lucius), and they try to act as if it didn't happen except they both can't and keep coming back for more. Imagine them just finding some comfort in each other's embrace amidst what they both (wrongly) consider to be the worst time in their lives. That little thing they have quickly grows out of control.So, when Lily dies, and Snape desperately needs to blame someone for what had happened (he already blames himself but that’s simply not enough to calm the pain), the only person he can think of is Remus. It's Remus who distracted him and made him lose control. If it wasn't for Remus, he might have been able to save her.

Well... at least that's how I explain why Remus in the third book stubbornly calls Snape by his first name, thank you for coming to my TedTalk, bye!!

[shadowynn]

| in love and lore | seven |

pairing: ateez x fem reader

genre: fantasy/daemon/soulmate au

warnings: some cursing, overarching yandere behavior ( i think that's it )

summary: the daemon king and his seven black generals. names and faces of these eight had changed over the years as each new king was crowned, but their reputation as the most powerful daemons always remained the same. upon hearing the rumors one of the seven led the charge of the nearby battle, you should have stayed close to the encampment. you should have never wandered out on your own. but you did, and your life would never be the same again. good or bad, you would just have to wait to find out.

“There’s no need to be afraid, angel.” His words were a breath against the side of your neck. “You’ve done so much for us, let your king now return the favor.”

wordcount: 9.3k

| six | seven | eight |

a/n: okay, so i won't lie, this chapter was like super nerve racking for me to post. and i think it's because a lot of questions are answered in this one and the thought of them not being satisfying makes me anxious. and i think that's one reason why i struggled with this one, but in the end, i'm, happy with the way it turned out, so i hope you all are too. it certainly ended up longer than expected, nearly doubling in length. oops. as always though, i appreciate and adore all your feedback, love and support! :)

~

May I come in?

You were startled by the abruptness of the voice inside your head, the panic you had finally began to quell coming back in full force. The fact he was here and speaking to you not only serving as a swift reminder of what had happened earlier in the night but of everything that was still to come. Of the answers they had all but promised you at this point.

Can you give me a verbal response, angel? As much as I may wish I could at times, I can't exactly read your mind; only the thoughts you outwardly project. And even then, only those from a close distance.

You mulled over your answer, wondering just what it was you wanted. You had come back to camp willingly enough with Jongho when he had promised answers upon your return, but you kept seeing Hayoon's face as she was left to bleed out every time you closed your eyes, followed by the blood that had slowly dripped from Hongjoong's hand. And then way her father had looked you. The guilt he had thrown at you as he ordered you to help, pinning all the blame on you. As though you had been the one to slice her throat and not the daemon grinning gleefully before him.

And was he right? Was it really your fault? After all, you could have saved her. You could have prevented her death if you had just moved.

"Just... just give me a second," your voice was soft, a mumble against the skin of your legs, "...please."

You had been so angry earlier. Your emotions wild and out of control by what they had done. So much so, you had wanted answers then and there, determined to know your role in all this. But now that you were here, you didn't know what it was you wanted. Not anymore.

You didn't want to talk with Hongjoong anymore, not really. Not after the scene you had witnessed earlier. You were no stranger to death. You had seen more death in your twenty years than anyone your age should have ever seen, but this was different. This wasn't just another meaningless death in the war. This wasn't a battle kill. This wasn't a soldier killing another because it was kill or be killed. This was someone killing purely for the sake of the act. Hayoon might have overstepped her boundaries when she had began speaking so brazenly to Hongjoong, but had that truly warranted her death?

All her crimes had been against you. It had been you she had insulted and you that she had threatened to expose and kill. And though Jongho had claimed she had still broken their laws when she had threatened your life, was it still justified when she hadn't known?

She had died because of you. Forced to bleed out because of you. And you hadn't done a single thing to prevent it. Not one single thing.

Perhaps this was why her death clung to your skin, because despite it all, you knew her father was justified in his guilt. Hayoon's death was on your hands just as much as theirs and no matter how hard you had scrubbed at them, the blood wouldn't come off. Your hands had been forever stained.

You wanted answers. You needed answers. You needed to know why they kept slaughtering people in your name. You needed to know what they had done to you and what they planned on doing with you. But the uncertainty of it all terrified you. What if Hayoon had spoken the truth? What if the truth was everything you feared? That this was all just one big game to them and you were just another means to an end. That you were nothing more than a pawn used to get the humans and now that your use was gone, you and your siblings would be executed like all the other half-daemons.

Or what if it was something else? Something worse than death. Something that prolonged your use to them.

You let out another sigh, pulling your legs in closer as a shiver coursed through your body. All you asked and yearned for the past few days had been answers to the questions running through your mind, but now that they were just within reach, you were hesitant. Terrified of what those answers would be and terrified of what was to come once you had finally gotten them.

And if the unknown didn't scare you enough, the path to it did. It had been easy to be frustrated with Hongjoong before, but now that you had met him, you wondered how you had ever dared to utter any of these frustrations out loud. You had known who he was all along, even without any outward confirmation, but nothing could have prepared you for what the daemon king was truly like. Even if he hadn't killed Hayoon in front of you, the short exchange you had with him beforehand had been nerve racking enough. His aura was large enough to fill the entire room, the raw power and strength exuding from it had left you feeling so small and insignificant inside it. And now that man was requesting to meet with you and you alone.

Alone with the daemon king.

If you had told yourself where you would be two years ago, you would have laughed. To think someone of your status would be requested to meet with the king of daemons wasn't just ludicrous, it was near impossible to believe. You had heard the rumors of what this man was like your entire life. Of course you had wondered what he was like before and wondered how he would compare to his father before. You had wondered, just like everyone else had wondered about a man of myth and legend, but you had never expected to actually meet him face to face. You hadn't wanted to ever meet him.

But here you were. In the middle of the daemon's encampment with the daemon king asking to come speak with you. Even with the direction your life had recently taken the past few weeks, it still felt strange. It felt surreal, and left you half-believing that this really had all been some sort of hazy, fever dream. That at any moment now you would finally wake up.

You wished you would wake up. Wished that it was nothing more than a dream. That it was just a nightmare and any second you would wake up. That you would find yourself back in your shared bed with Soomin and laugh about it once you had calmed yourself down.

But this wasn't a dream and you wouldn't be waking up any time soon. This was real. And you had no choice but to accept the fate you had taken when you had stumbled upon your first injured daemon so long ago. The moment you had chosen to save him, you fate had been sealed. The Black Angel had been born and you had no choice but to accept the consequences of your actions.

Take your time, angel. I'll be waiting for you outside.

His response brought you back to reality and you briefly wondered how long you could make him wait before he grew too impatient with you. It was a futile thought, though. What good would prolonging this meeting do for you? You couldn't live like this anymore. The uncertainty of your life and what was to become of you was driving you crazy. You needed answers and this was the only way you would be getting them. If it ended up being the death of you, then so be it. At least you wouldn't have to keep living with the unknown hanging off the back of your neck.

Knowing what you needed to do and doing it were two completely different stories though, and you fought the urge to slink further into the water of the tub. You could mope all you wanted, fight all you wanted, but there was no changing what was to come. As terrifying as it all may be, you would just have to get it over with. Otherwise who knows what lengths they would go to next.

You still waited to leave the tub until the water grew too cold to stand any longer and were careful to keep your gaze away from your body as you got out and dressed. You didn't think he would dare to abuse his power in such a way, especially if he checked in with you before coming inside, but you didn't want to chance it and were grateful your eyes had been closed when he had first spoken to you. If he had been spying on you in the last few minutes, all he would have seen and heard was the back of your eyelids and the shaky exhales of your breath.

There was some relief in knowing he couldn't read your thoughts, though his vague explanation had confused you. What had he meant when he had said he was only able to read the thoughts you outwardly projected? How did you project a thought and had you been doing it unknowingly all this time? Was this they reason why he and the others had heard certain phrases you had said in your head? Was this what Wooyoung had meant when he had said they wouldn't willingly read them? That they had no choice in the matter when you kept projecting them all along?

The thought caused another sigh to fall from your lips, fully knowing this was just another unknown that was to be added to your growing list.

You took your time making yourself presentable, pulling on the spare set of clothes laid out for you and running Hyunwoo's comb through your damp hair. It was a stark contrast from the way you had looked when you first met him, but you felt more at ease with the plain, baggy clothes. This was the real you. A poor, simple half-daemon with just a few items to her name. Not the girl he had seen at the ball, dressed in an outfit worth far more than she was herself. That was a lifestyle you would never obtain. Not because you would never be able to afford it, but rather society would never come to accept it.

Once you were dressed and ready, you were unsure of what to do next, fighting the part of you that yearned to slip inside the bed next to you and pretend as though you had fallen asleep. Was he still listening to you? Did you just have to speak out loud once more and he would hear you? Or did he expect you to reach out to him in person? He had said he would wait for you outside the tent, so had that been a hint for you to go outside and meet with him there?

You knew you were overthinking the matter, but your anxiety over the impending conversation clouded your brain and made it near impossible to come to a decision. You could feel his presence on the other side of the fabric that separated you, the intensity of it adding to the nerves coursing through you. You didn't want to go out there. You didn't want to see him again, but what choice did you have? You needed answers and you wouldn't run now that they were finally being offered. No, you would brave the explanations they would give you, if only for your own sanity, and then you would decide whether running away was a valid plan or not.

Your hands shook as you approached the entrance, the fabric of the tent nearly slipping through your fingers when you pulled it to the side to peer outside. Just as you expected, Hongjoong sat at the table next to Jongho. He had changed into something more casual, hair loose and wet from his own bath, and though the crown was long gone, he still appeared every bit the king he had been at the ball.

The two had been conversing quietly with each other, but their conversation fell to a close when they heard your approach. Both sets of eyes were quick to lock onto your figure and despite the easy smile each sent your way, you had to fight the part of you that yearned to disappear back inside the tent.

"Why don't you retire for the rest of the night?" Hongjoong spoke to Jongho first, motioning with his head for him to leave the two of you alone for the time being. "I'll cover the rest of your watch."

"Of course," Jongho replied, bowing his head. He rose from his seat without question, making his way over to you and ushering a soft, "Goodnight, angel," before giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze and one last timid smile.

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

His stance was relaxed as he stood up, and he appeared much calmer than he had been when you had first met him earlier. He had seemed so angry with Hayoon and the others then, angry enough to kill though none of it made any sense. And yet, he presented as nearly a different person this time around. Simply smiling at you as though your earlier interaction had never occurred.

You simply shook your head, finding it hard to find your voice in his presence once more. There was so much you wanted to ask, so much that you wanted to say, but you found it difficult to put your thoughts together well enough to form a coherent question with the way his golden eyes took you in at this moment.

"Why don't we head inside, then?" He motioned for you to step back inside, hand landing at the base of your back to guide you when it took a second to process what he had just said. "It will be warmer in there than it is out here."

You let him guide you back inside with little fight, acutely aware of the fact you were now completely alone with him. He directed you to the small table and chairs set up to the left, pulling out one of the chairs for you to sit before taking the other.

"I know a lot has happened to you in the past few weeks," he began once the two of you had seated and you had a hard time fighting back the scoff his words brought. A lot? That was an understatement. Your entire life had been turned inside out since you had first met Seonghwa so many weeks ago. "And I know you have several questions you wish to ask me," he continued, ignoring the negative reaction his words had pulled from you, "but before I answer those, I feel it best to ask you something first. How familiar are you with the way daemons' politics work?"

His question caught you off guard, brow furrowing as you tried to figure out what politics had to do with your current situation. "About as much as you would expect," you attempted to keep your voice even, briefly wondering if you should address him in any specific way. "There's you, the daemon king and the seven generals who carry out his orders. Beyond that, I'm not too sure. Your kind has never been very open with sharing your ways of life."

"That is the base of things, yes," he replied, and though you saw the way his brow twitched at the connotation your tone had held, he didn't push you on it. "The golden crown has been sacred to my bloodline for many generations now, passed down to the next male heir whenever the current ruler dies. And each time the next king is born, seven other daemons are also born amongst our ranks, each with a different daemon ability unique to the sacred Black Order. These daemons are what your humans refer to as the Seven, and are born with the sole purpose of serving the king as his personal guard."

You had a hard time not interrupting him as he spoke, feeling as though he had just repeated everything you had just said. You already knew all of this, and even the few minute details you hadn't, you hadn't cared to learn about. Not when this had nothing to do with you. Not when it did nothing to explain why you had been marked with his sigil or why they seemed to have such a hard time letting you go.

"Now, all daemons possess some of the old magic in their blood, a substance we often refer to as maetha, but only those of the royal bloodline or those born to serve in the Black Order possess a unique ability in addition to what every daemon is capable of."

"But that doesn't make any sense," you spoke up before you could stop yourself. You knew the majority of daemons didn't have a unique ability of their own as you and Hyunwoo were the only two half-daemons you knew who possessed one, but you had always assumed it was just because half-daemons didn't carry enough of magic in their blood to present one and it was only who your father was that allowed you and Hyunwoo to have one. "My blood's healing capabilities. Hyunwoo's affinity with metals. Why-"

"Because of who your father was." Hongjoong interrupted, and his answer took you by surprise. Not because he seemed to know exactly who your father was, the color of your blood had long been a testament to that, but rather that your assumptions on the matter had been right. "You and your siblings are obviously the children of Minsu, one of the generals from my father's guard and the one who served as an ambassador between us. The color of your blood is all but proof of it."

"I'm well aware of who my father was."

No one would ever speak the truth to you or your siblings, but you had always known exactly who he had been. How could you not when your blood was as black as the horns on each of the generals' heads? You had never come to terms with how exactly you felt about the matter, finding it easy to push it to the side when it was a subject kept under wraps. After all, you had never even known the man, as his death had come just mere weeks after you and Hyunwoo had been born.

But you knew the legends and the rumors. The humans might have never outright spoken about your tie to him, but you had heard the stories and rumors they whispered about. Of how he had gone crazy and killed one of the councilman's youngest daughters in a fit of rage. Of how they had no choice but to take revenge for what he had done, even if his death would trigger an entire war.

Everything you had heard about the man said how terrible he was. Of how ruthless he had been. The perfect picture of what one of the Seven were rumored to be like. He had killed your mother for god's sake and would have killed you and others if the humans hadn't have stopped him.

But you also knew the stories Soomin had told you. She had been ten when everything had gone down, and though her memories of these years became hazy in the aftermath, she still held snippets of memories from a life before. Their deaths had hit her the hardest, and yet she refused to speak of it, not wanting to burden you and Hyunwoo with the pain she now carried from it. But she had spoken snippets here and there, ever questioning the event in her mind. Your father couldn't have done it. Not when he had seemed to care for each of you. Not when he had seemed to care so much for your mother.

"Then you may be interested in knowing how uncommon that is because the Black Guard is prohibited from having children."

The statement caught you off guard, pulling you from the memories of your father. You hadn't know that. Hadn't known that on top of the taboo of your mixed blood, you were also an illegal child. Hadn't known you were someone who should have never been born. No wonder the daemon soldiers had given you so many strange looks when they saw your blood. It hadn't been because of your ability to heal with it or that you were a half-daemon, but rather just the color itself. They had known what it meant. They had known you were someone who should have never been born.

"So, you are going to kill me then." Your voice shook as you spoke, the realization of what his words meant bringing to life the worst of your fears. If they weren't going to have you killed for being a half-daemon, they would kill you for being a half-daemon with black blood. Both you and your siblings.

"No, we're not going to kill you." He was quick to rebuke your statement, shaking his head and softening his expression once he saw the fear that filled your eyes. "Your birth may be considered illegal by daemon rule, but you are so much more important than you realize, angel. Important enough to make me more than willing to make an exception to the rule. After all, killing you would be akin to killing-" He paused, the look he gave you in that moment impossible to read. "Ah, but I'm afraid I've begun to get ahead of myself. Do you know why the Black Guard are prohibited from having children?"

You shook your head, relieved at hearing your death was not in the foreseeable future - at least for now - but nervous at the implication he had made when he had been about to explain the reason why. Did that mean they did have a further use of you? A use that trumped the fact you should have never existed in the first place.

"My family did not always rule the daemons. Before we sailed to this land nearly a millennia ago, we were nothing more than just another faction in a world divided by madness. I was not alive at the time, but I'm told Dalnim was a very different place than the land inhabited by the humans here in the place we have come to call Haemosu. The magic was stronger there, where every living being contained maetha. Even the earth, herself, is said to hold traces of it. But as beautiful as it was, the power it blessed us with was also a curse. Civil unrest plagued the inhabitants, each one desperate for the power others held. Wars were constant, each family desperate for more.

"My family yearned for a new life away from the chaos of the old world, so they, along with any other daemons who were willing to go with, left and sailed north to start anew. And to prevent the destruction and chaos that had plagued them before, a spell was put into place, preventing anyone outside the golden bloodline and those born to protect it from being born with any abilities outside the basics maetha allows us all."

"So, that's why the Seven are prevented from having children? Because they can produce more people like Hyunwoo and I? And you're afraid of anyone else who might hold a little power in case they decide to overthrow you?"

"I will agree the morality of the spell is ambiguous at best," he replied, noticing the sarcasm in your tone. "But over the millennia it has been in place, the daemons have lived in relative peace. They've thrived in harmony amongst each other without fear of what's to come. Each of them more than willing to sacrifice a little power at the chance of a peaceful life."

"Hmph, I wonder what that's like." Your arms crossed, scowling at the hypocrisy of his words. All you had ever known was a war divided in war. You had grown up under the very same circumstance he had stated the daemons came here to escape and it was all because of them.

"May I remind you that it was your humans who started this war. Not us." Hongjoong's voice was lined with thin agitation, brow twitching once more at your words. "And it was your humans that were so insistent on continuing it after my father died."

"What are you talking about?"

"Forget I said anything. It doesn't matter. Not anymore." He shook his head with a sigh, and you were surprised to see the way his eyes had appeared sunken for just a moment. As though he was remembering something he had come to regret. "If we were to talk about the logistics of this war, we would be here all night. And I believe there are other topics that would interest you more, am I correct?"

Your lips twisted as you mulled over what he had just said, his reaction to it all the more compelling. He was right in his assumption you were more interested in your own fate at the moment, but his statements towards the war had caught your attention as a direct contradiction to what you had believed to happen thus far. The humans had said the daemons had no wish for peace after their king had died, but Hongjoong had hinted towards a different story. One where the humans were the ones denying peace. And the reaction it had pulled from him all but proving something more had went down than what either had told you.

"As I was saying earlier," he began, taking the time you had mulled over his previous question as an excuse to continue, "the spell written back then was not as flawless as first expected. While it did almost completely prevent any future abilities from appearing in daemons outside the royal family with the exception of the Seven, it failed to prevent abilities from appearing in the male born children of the Black Guard, a problem only discovered decades after the spell had been written. There was talk of rewriting the spell, but the power and time it would have taken ultimately made them decide against it, using the loophole as an excuse to keep the Guard's sole focus on protecting and serving their king."

"Wait, you said only the male born children, right? But what about me? Doesn't that mean I should be like my sister? That I shouldn't have an ability?"

His mention in the flaw had been quick, but you had caught on to it with ease, seeing it as just another flaw in your own existence. As though you hadn't already been told your life was one giant mistake, it seemed Hongjoong wasn't done yet and swiftly delivered another blow towards you. Was there anything about you that was normal? That was supposed to exist and be for a reason? Or were you really just one giant mistake? A flaw in the system.

"Not necessarily. The spell has waned over the centuries and a few daemons with unique abilities have popped up every hundred years or so, but-"

"So," you interrupted, too frustrated by what he had explained to you thus far to notice he hadn't even remotely began to answer any of the questions related to what you were doing here now, "you're telling me, that not only am I a half-daemon, but the half-daemon child of someone who wasn't even supposed to have children in the first place, and now I'm some anomaly in a spell? Is there anything else I should know about myself?"

"I understand the circumstances of your birth may seem a bit... odd, but that doesn't change the fact your life still holds a purpose. You're not a mistake, angel. You're not someone who just slipped through the cracks of an ancient spell. There are a few others who the spell allows to be born with an unique ability. You are one of those people. In fact, you are someone I've waited a very long time for."

His hand reached across the table in an attempt to calm your fidgeting ones, but his fingers only briefly brushed against the tops of your hands before you pulled them back. His face was soft, too soft, gazing at you with genuine sincerity. As though he truly believed what he was saying to you. And the moment you pulled back from him, he almost seemed hurt.

"You're not making any sense. There's nothing special about me." You pulled your hands close to your chest, eyeing him closely from across the table. Why was he being so nice to you? Why did he seem to care so much for you? "I'm just..." Just what? A mutt? A halfbreed? An abomination? All of the above? "You said it yourself. I should have never even been born."

"Perhaps your birth was forbidden on multiple accounts, but that doesn't change the fact you were still born. Or that the maetha that flows through each of our veins chose you. Out of the millions of daemons tied to it, it chose you. You are so much more than the mutt everyone has made you believe you are."

"Chosen? Chosen for what?"

You shook your head, not quite grasping what he was trying to say. Or why he had gone such a roundabout way to try and explain everything. All it had served to do was create more questions than answers and make you feel worse about yourself than you had before. it didn't tell you anything you had wanted to know. It didn't tell you why he or the others seemed to have such a keen interest in you or why Seonghwa had attacked you that night and branded you with the sigil of their king.

"The abilities of the golden bloodline are passed down from generation to generation, with each new heir inheriting the abilities of both his parents, securing a stronger heir with each new generation. When I was born, I gained all the abilities passed down through my father's bloodline and then the one my mother possessed."

"Well, I'm sure that's quite nice for you getting to be all powerful and all, but what does this have to do with me? What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Fucking hell." Hongjoong let out a string of curses at your sarcasm once more. They were nothing more than a breath, but you could still make out the first few as he leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, either exasperated by your statement or the fact you had still not gotten it. But if it was supposed to be obvious, it wasn't. At least not to you.

"The only daemons born with an ability is the next heir to the throne, the members of the Black Guard, and any other male heirs born to these eight men. However, you might recall I said I inherited the ability of both my parents, including my mother. And while it is true a few anomalies have been popping up, the mate of the daemon king will always be born with an ability."

"What are you saying?"

You could feel the blood draining from your face. The implication he made was clear, but it was so incredulous, you refused to believe what he was trying to imply. You had to have read into his wording wrong. He must have been hinting at something else. He had to have been hinting at something else.

"You're her, angel. The woman I've waited just over a century for. You're my mate."

You laughed.

You couldn't help it. It was just so ridiculous, the laughter had bubbled up before you could stop it, sure that this was all some big joke.

"What the hell are you talking about?" You choked out, but your laughter began to trickle away when you glanced back up at him and saw that damned sincerity in his eyes once more. He sure didn't look like he was joking. In fact, he almost looked offended you hadn't believed him. As though the fact you found it absolutely insane and proceeded to laugh in his face had hurt. Either that, or he was just one hell of an actor. "I don't know what you're going on about, but that was a joke, right? You're not actually serious?"

What did he even mean by mate, anyway? You knew daemon relationships worked differently than humans, rejecting the traditional marriage seen by humans, and referring to their significant other as their mate. But that didn't explain why he was calling you that now. You weren't his mate. You didn't even know him.

"Why would I joke about something like this?" He leaned forward, the intensity of his gaze making you squirm in your seat. You were sure he was joking. He had to have been joking, but the way he was looking at you made you begin to think otherwise.

"Other than the fact that it's absolutely crazy?" You couldn't stop the panic that began to bubble inside you. "Or the fact that I have no idea what you're even talking about? Mate? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Every daemon has a mate, someone designed and molded by the maetha to be a perfect fit to them. And in order to guide the two to each other, they're shown visions of each other-"

"Well, then that just proves you're lying." Your arms crossed. "I've never had a vision of you before. Or anyone else for that matter."

"A flaw on your human side, I'm afraid." He continued without skipping a beat and you began to wonder just what lengths he would go to convince you otherwise. How long he had been setting this up to come up with an answer for each question you threw his way. Of how much effort he put into a ploy that only served to see you hurt. "Half-daemons have mates just like daemons, but the way their human blood reacts with the maetha dilutes it, preventing the visions from ever occurring. At least, that's our best working theory at the present moment."

"Is there nothing about this that doesn't sound absolutely insane to you, or is it just me?" Your fingers dug into your arms, trying hard to control the panic his words stirred up inside you. It was insane. All of it was absolutely, fucking insane. "You're the king of daemons and I'm what? A mutt. Just a fucking mutt. And sure, I have an ability, but people slip through the cracks. You said so yourself. That doesn't mean I'm your mate. And to try and convince me otherwise is just cruel."

"I know how crazy this may seem for you, but I assure you it is all true. I'm not trying to convince you of something that isn't true. I've been seeing pieces of your life ever since you were born, after all." He reached across the table, grabbing your fidgeting hands in an attempt to calm your movements and prevent you from hurting yourself. "Every year on your birthday, I'm able to see, hear, and feel everything you do for just a moment. It's similar to how one of my own abilities work, but I don't get to choose when it happens or reach out to you in any way. I simply get to experience your life as you do for a few brief moments."

"I don't believe you." You shook your head, still incredulous to it all. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

"On your eighteenth birthday, you and your brother snuck out of the city to catch a glimpse of Sesang's comet. You laid out on a blanket in a nearby field, staring up at the sky and talking for hours. It was the middle of winter, so it was freezing, but you didn't care. You talked about running away, leaving the humans behind and starting a new life away from it all, but it was nothing more than a wishful fantasy. Where would you go with the war going on?

"And then your eighth birthday was the first year you had gotten a cake. Your sister had saved up enough money to buy the ingredients for one. She had even managed to get candles for you to blow out and make a wish. Your brother had stated his wish was to be able to have cake everyday for the rest of his life, but you had remained silent when asked about yours, stating it wouldn't come true if you said it and you really wanted it to come true. Ever since then, I've always wondered what your wish could have been and if it ever came true for you."

Your face grew hot as he spoke, fully aware everything he was saying was true. You had snuck out of the city with Hyunwoo on your eighteenth birthday, as the lights and walls of the city had blocked your view. Soomin had been frantic when the two of you had returned in the middle of the night, nearly frozen to death but giggling like fools. She had berated the two of you for what felt like an eternity for doing something so stupid.

And then your eighth birthday was the first time you had gotten cake. There had only been enough for one, but you hadn't minded sharing with Hyunwoo because the two of you were so close and shared everything anyways. You had felt so silly when you had made your wish and blown out the candles on your side, but even now, almost thirteen years later, you still held on to that wish and hoped it would continue to hold true. That you would always have your family by your side.

"I'm not saying I believe you," you found it impossible to look him in the face now, body growing hot as the realization he could actually be telling the truth sunk in, "but if you really are telling the truth, then why didn't you just take me that first night? If you knew it was me, why did you just have Seonghwa put this stupid mark on my chest and send me on my way?"

"Because I knew how badly you would have reacted. Look how hard this is on you now. How do you think you would have reacted if I had Seonghwa bring you back to our base that night and explained everything there?"

You had to admit he did make a valid point. If he really was speaking the truth and you were his - god, you couldn't even say it in your head - stealing you away then would have made you livid. But it didn't make up for the way they had still treated you instead. The way they had stolen you from your home and family still made you angry. The ploy might have not been as terrible in his mind as the first, but it was just as cruel to you. You had gone through so much in these past few weeks, unsure of what their true motives were and what was to become of you. It made you almost wish they would have just taken you that first night instead. The stress of it all had nearly eaten you alive. It had nearly torn you apart. And for what? For them to come out and say it had all been because you were supposed to be the mate of the daemon king and they wanted your ability to pass down to the next heir?

"There's something else I still need to explain to you," he continued after a few moments of silence and you did look up at him in that moment. The realization he had more to tell you made your heart skip a beat. What more did he have to say? Could it possibly get any worse than it already was?

"My mother's ability is a strange one, allowing bonds to be created between different individuals. By consuming one's blood, I can create a bond between myself and another that will tie us together. In a sense, it allows a part of myself to be imparted upon each person I mark, allowing me to share my strength with them and vice versa. Each of my generals hold such a mark, strengthening each of us through it. And when I realized it was you who was the Black Angel that night with Seonghwa, I marked you through him. The mark on your chest is a physical sign of the bond that now ties you to each of us and why you were most likely left with the feeling as though a part of you was missing. In some ways, it was, as pieces of yourself transferred to each of us as the bond took hold.

"I didn't want to mark you in such a way. Not without you having any prior knowledge on the matter, but I had little choice. I wasn't expecting you to be there that night. I wasn't expecting to see you until we breached Maehwa, but then you appeared. And though I always suspected it might be you who was the Black Angel, it was still a shock to see it was true. To know it had been you who had saved all those lives." He paused, hands tightening their grip on your own. "I knew how much danger you would be in if the humans ever found out what you had done, and I couldn't just have Seonghwa take you back no matter how much both of us wanted that, so I did the only thing I knew to secure your safety for the time being."

"You could have been wrong though. You could have marked the wrong person."

"No," he shook his head, the hint of a smile appearing as he took you in. "It was you. We both could feel it. The moment you walked into that room, we knew. Your voice, your mannerisms, your aura. It was all you, the woman we've waited so long for."

"We? What do you mean we?"

"When I marked the others, I never expected the bond between us to be as strong as it was. It brought us together in a way that no other king and his guard had been before. We were stronger, faster, more united than my father or his father before. A part of myself now lives within each of them, just as a part of them lives within me. And the tie that connects me to you, also now connects you to them. Because you are my mate, you are now also theirs."

Your eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

If you weren't so certain he hadn't been lying about the first part anymore, you would have never believed him now. You would have laughed at him again. But just as before, his face held no trace of a lie. It was just as sincere as before. Full of a longing that would have had you wanting to move in closer if you weren't so shocked by what he was telling you in that moment.

"Even before they were officially my guard, I had always been so close with them. We grew up together, trained together. They're the closest things to brothers I'll ever have, so when I was instated as the new king and they officially became my guard, the bond that snapped into place felt natural. It heightened everything we already knew and felt, bringing us closer together than we had been before. When each of them saw the next vision I had of you on your eighteenth birthday, we knew immediately what it had meant. That they were now tied to you just as I was and who was I to neglect them of that bond? The very one I had given to them?"

"But," you struggled to speak, fighting the rush of emotions that had sprung up, "but you said every daemon has a mate, so I couldn't be theirs too, could I? Not when they-"

"You'll remember I said previously that the members of the Black Guard are not allowed families of their own, because of this, they are the only daemons who do not have a mate when they're born. The ancient spell which gives them their ability and rank also prevents a mate from being bound to them."

It made sense. In it's own twisted way, it did. And it explained so many of the interactions you had with each of them. It explained the way Seonghwa had reacted that first night when he saw you, the way Jongho was always so bashful around you, and it even explained the conversation you had had with Yeosang before you had known he was a daemon. Of how he had said a partner was something he had never thought could be his and the implication that it could come true now because someone like you had told him it could.

You could feel your face growing hotter with each passing moment, suddenly seeing every little interaction with each of them in a new light. They had known. All along they had known exactly who you were. It was why they always seemed to fawn over your attention, squeezing their way in to catch a moment of your time. And it was why they all acted so aggressively whenever you were insulted and threatened, and explained the hungry glint in each of their eyes when they had observed you in that golden dress earlier that night.

Your eyes flickered over to where it still laid draped across one of the privacy screens, shivering as you saw the meaning behind it in a new light. You had been so sure they had put you in it for the exact reason Hayoon had said. As nothing more than a way to mock the humans, but that hadn't been it at all. Perhaps, a part of it might have been a way to get back at them for all they had done to you, but it had really been nothing more than a way for them to show the humans exactly who you were there with. All but claiming you as your own.

"Let me get this clear. You're telling me that I am not only supposedly your mate, but I am also now the mate of each of your seven generals? Like, all of them?" You drew your hands out from under his, his touch hot and heavy against yours. "And I'm what? Just supposed to accept all of this? I'm just supposed to be okay with all of this?"

"I know this is a lot to take in, y/n, but-" He attempted to calm you down, but you couldn't even look at him in that moment, feeling more vulnerable before him than you ever had before. Never in your life had you felt as bare and exposed as you did now.

"A lot? A lot is a fucking understatement." Your voice was rising, and you clambered to your feet, nearly knocking your chair over in your haste. "My whole life I've been told I'm nothing and that I'll amount to nothing, and now you're here telling me I'm supposed to be your mate. The fucking daemon king's mate. It's..."

It was what? Cruel? Degrading? To know that they only reason they had ever shown you an ounce of kindness was because you were supposed to be their mate? And what if you hadn't been? What would have happened then? Would you have had a knife to your throat instead? Because you served no other purpose towards them?

"You all keep going on and on about you had no choice in the matter. That you had no choice but to mark me with this stupid, fucking bond, and no choice but to kill Hayoon or that other lady. But you're wrong. You," somewhere inside you, you found the strength to look up at him once more, eyes narrowing as you met his gaze, "you have no idea what it's really like to not have a choice."

God, the temperature in the room seemed to have increased steadily in the past few minutes, leaving the air stifling and making it harder to breathe with each intake of air. It was starting to make you lightheaded, and you swayed on your feet. You needed to get out. You needed air.

"Angel-" His hand caught yours as you went to move away and the way he looked down at you nearly made your heart stop.

"I... I can't do this anymore." It was a struggle to speak as time went on, chest tightening with each passing moment. You couldn't stay here for much longer. Not with him. Not with any of them. You needed space to think, to breathe, to calm yourself down. You couldn't do that with him here. Not when he was the source of the panic currently consuming you. "I need space. I need to think."

You didn't wait to be given permission and pulled yourself from his grip. He let you slip away with little ease, making no attempt to try and stop you as you dashed to the entrance of the tent.

"y/n, please believe me when I say that none of this was meant to hurt you. The last thing any of us want to do is hurt you."

Would he be saying that to you if you hadn't been his mate? Would he have shown you, someone who's existence his kind had hated for centuries, would he have shown you kindness if you hadn't been his mate?

"You'll have to forgive me when I say I don't believe you," your voice was soft as you paused at the exit, hand tightening its grip on the fabric of the tent as you processed his words, "as it certainly hasn't felt that way on my end. My life has been nothing but confusion and misery since I met you."

You didn't have to look at him to know the impact your words had on him, cutting deep. And though you felt no regret in saying them, it still made you pause for a second longer, wondering if this was the right way to leave things. Wondering if you should explain just why his words had cut you the way they had.

But how could you? How could you stop and explain when you weren't even fully aware of the answer yourself? And what little you did understand only made you all the more anxious to openly admit out loud. Because what if you were right? And the way you had been treated was solely reliant on the bond between you. And that you would have been tossed aside like all the others long before if you hadn't.

No, you couldn't. You wouldn't. Not now. Not after everything he had done. Not after everything they had all done. You had suffered enough as it was. You didn't need to suffer any more by putting yourself out there more than you were already.

You forced yourself to move, throwing back the flap to the tent and forcing your legs to move beneath you before he had a chance to change his mind and force you to stay. You didn't know where you were going, nor did you really care. You just needed a place away from him> Away from all of them. A place where you could be alone and breathe. A place where you could process the overload of information he had dumped on you without him and the others breathing down your neck.

To your relief, the others weren't around when you exited. After everything you had just been told, you didn't want to face them. The mere thought of seeing them now that you finally understood what was going on only made your stomach churn. You didn't know how you would be able to face them after tonight, and wondered if it would have been better to continue living in ignorance. If the uncertainty of what was to come was better than this.

You took off through the camp, ignoring the daemons still milling around and doing your best to control your breathing. Your hands still shook and your chest was tight, but you felt as though it was a bit easier to breathe out here.

And though the idea of running did strike you in that moment, you had no real intention of following through with it. Could you even run away when Hongjoong had the power to bring you right back to him with little to no effort on his part? And even if he somehow couldn't? Where would you go? Nearly every city had either been destroyed or overtaken by the daemons, and Maehwa was out of the question after the events that had transpired earlier in the night. The humans would never let you stay with them. Not after you had inadvertently caused the death of one of the councilman's daughters.

No, you just needed to get far enough away to where you couldn't feel their presence any longer. You needed far enough away to where you could feel like you were by yourself. But the moment you made it to the edge of the tents, you were stopped in your tracks. Not by one of the daemon guards, but a force that you couldn't even see.

There was nothing in front of you, nothing visible that you could see, but you could feel it. An invisible barrier blocking your path and preventing you from escaping any further. You could feel it thrumming in front of you as you cautiously brushed up against it, solid beneath your fingertips.

You knew this was your doing, remembering all too well the way the humans' fists had bounced off something similar earlier in the night. Except this time it wasn't in place to keep the humans in, but you.

You laughed.

Nothing about this was remotely funny to you, but the realization you were trapped inn here with them was the tipping point of it all, seeing once again your choice being taken away from you. A pitiful reminder that you were little more than a prisoner here with them.

It didn't take long for the laughter to transform into tears, shoulders shaking at the sobs that began to rack your body, finally releasing the swell of emotions you had held up inside you for so long. Every fear, every frustration, every worry, came rushing out of you in that moment and you collapsed against the nearby tree, body curling in on itself once more as the weight of the situation came crashing down on you.

You had thought your fate had been sealed the moment you had become the Black Angel, but you were wrong. Your fate had been sealed the moment you had taken your first breath and destiny decided to tie you to that man and nothing you said or did would change it.

~

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[swannieluv]

｡ﾟ･The Bold Mendacity – 𝟓. First friend

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐆.𝐈 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 (𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜) 𝐱 𝐆𝐍!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 <3

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐖𝐜: 2,6k

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆!!: Mentions of drowning and almost death.

✦⸼࣪⸳𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨: ♡

✦⸼࣪⸳ A/N: Hii! I hope you guys enjoy this fluffy chapter. And yes this is the longest one until now because I definitely wanted to give you all some happiness 😊 /hj

Your lungs ached as if they were burning from the inside, which was ironic because the only thing leaving them was water. Being able to breathe freely was liberating. The worst part of drowning wasn't "dying", but the pain of breathing water.

"H-Hm... do you want me to call someone?" The blond boy tried to help you, patting you lightly on the back. Nothing came of it, but the intention had been good.

"N-No..."

You decided to stay lying down, the pain in your body oscillating between mild and sharp stabs. The horrible sensation of wet clothes sticking to your body and a gigantic tiredness made you close your eyes once more, only to open them again with a strong jolt.

"D-Don't die, please!" The boy looked a little desperate, thinking that your final moments were happening right in front of him.

"I won't die... I think."

With his help, you carefully sat up. The boy seemed very kind and had probably been the one to save you, which was strange as you remembered sinking into an abyss. In any case, it would have been impolite not to thank him.

"Did you help me? Thank you."

"It was...no big deal, the lake is shallow." he pointed to the body of water next to you. It was so shallow that the deepest part would probably reach an adult's shoulders.

'How did I drown in such a stupid thing?'

Your perplexed gaze stared into the lake. Your jaw dropped at the revelation that you had sunk into a lake less than two meters deep. Was it all just an illusion and you had just fainted because of the water? Well, something certainly wasn't right about that.

"Well, I should introduce myself..." You gave him a nice smile and extended a hand towards him so that he could shake your hand. "I'm [Name]."

He shook your hand carefully, as if you were made of glass. He really didn't want to end up hurting you somehow.

"My name is Freminet..."

For the first time, his lips curved upwards into a calm smile. You finally knew his name.

"Why did you run when I saw you inside?"

"I was embarrassed, I thought you'd come to talk to me and I wouldn't know how to answer... you know... I'm sorry." His smile closed, replaced by an embarrassed face and a lot of fidgeting with his fingers. Freminet was clearly embarrassed, but he didn't want to admit it like that.

"No, no, no, no," shaking your hands and head rapidly in denial, you contradicted him. "I'm the one who should apologize, I made you sad... and now you're all wet and might get sick."

You had to find a way to take the blame off him. It wasn't nice to see someone shy like him blaming himself for things that weren't in his control, especially someone as young as him. It brought back memories of dark times when you were afraid to show up for the crowds during festivals.

"You should smile more and act like you really like it. Do you think people would love a 'Child of Prophecy' who can't even grace them with their presence?" Your former nanny pointed a finger at your face, a slightly annoyed expression on her face.

"I-I'm sorry-"

"If you were really sorry, you'd do better at your job."

You really liked that nanny, she ended up dying trying to protect you from the charges when they took you to court. So why were you questioning her attitudes now? Maybe it was the ungrateful part of you speaking a little louder.

"All right... oh, wait..." His eyes slightly widened. Freminet quickly reached into his pockets and started pulling out various mechanical parts.

"What are these? And how can so much fit into such a small pocket?"

The parts were soaked, they would most likely have to be discarded as they would rust due to the state they were in. They consisted of a few screws, chains and even a thin copper wire.

"They're my mending equipment. Mom always brings nice things when she gets home from work, but they're always broken..."

"So you fix them." You looked at him with a proud look, hoping you'd got it right.

"Yes... but I never know where they'll end up."

A calm wind blew over you. Even though it was warm, it made you both shiver because of being soaked from head to toe.

An awkward silence hung in the air after Freminet's reply, neither of you had anything to talk about at the moment. His hands carried those little pieces, which he stared at. Taking advantage of the silence, you stopped to think about everything that had just happened.

'I need to find something, but what? I couldn't hear anything in the end. Besides, what was that place? It was the center of Fontaine, but a little different from how I remember it, even if I didn't leave the temple much... Nine years have passed since I died, so I'm sure what I saw was in the present.'

Something even more disturbing was troubling you. When you were near the fountain, your reflection was no longer your own. What did that mean? You had never seen that child before in your entire life.

'That wasn't me. What kind of connection do I have with that person? Why did that place show me like her? How did she manipulate Hydro without a vision? Why-'

You were interrupted by a hand on your shoulder. Freminet was pulling another of his trinkets out of his pocket.

"You're sad, aren't you?"

"A little..." your hands hugged your knees, helping you feel a little warmer. "But what's that?"

You pointed to the object in his hands, which he placed closer to you. It was like a little machine in the shape of a dog. It was cute, but it was a bit wet and would probably need to be in the sun for a while before it would turn on.

"It's... something I fixed recently. I didn't give it a name."

He put the little machine down, pressing a button to test it. The puppy took three steps before falling to the side and turning off.

"It's broken." You looked pityingly at the object's failure, wondering if Freminet would be hurt by it.

However, Freminet just picked it up and gave it a few light slaps before turning it on again. This time, the puppy was able to walk forward by moving its mechanical paws.

"Can we..." He turned red with embarrassment and turned his head away. "Can we be... friends?"

"Oh."

You blinked twice when you heard his question. No one had ever asked you that before, absolutely never. Was that how people formed friendships? Wasn't it too direct? But for some reason, you couldn't help but smile.

"Of course!" You grabbed one of his hands and looked at him with starry eyes "Now I'm your new friend, [Name], and you're my first friend!"

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to be friends with someone your own age. It wasn't as if Freminet had the power to condemn you to death or anything. A friendship was something you'd never had before, so you were excited to form one with Freminet.

"So as a gift of friendship, I'll give you this." He placed the puppy in the palm of your hand.

"For me, really?! Thank you!" You hugged him tightly, basically throwing yourself on top of the poor thing, who was unresponsive and then very embarrassed.

"You're welcome... it's a... gift from a friend."

You smiled at each other. Was it so strange to make friends with a child you'd only met a few minutes ago? Well, they say children are quick with that sort of thing.

It didn't last long, because when you realized what you'd done, you quickly separated in a way that didn't look like you were running away from him. Mentally, you couldn't help wishing that you would grow up soon. These habits that your mind had created, because it was that of a child, ended up putting you in many situations that were normal for children, yet shameful.

'Damn childish impulses.'

"You could give him a name."

A name... a few ideas crossed your mind. One in particular was very tempting, maybe it would work.

"Then I'll name it Furina."

"Fu...rina?" He looked at you with a confused face. This was not a name commonly used, nor even allowed in the nation of Fontaine, as it was disrespectful to the name of the Archon. "Isn't that... isn't that forbidden? They say we can't name animals like that."

"Yes, but you won't tell anyone. Right, Freminet?"

He looked like a sad puppy begging for more snacks. It was the first law you'd broken in your life, apart from the ideological falsehood that decorated your criminal record in the past, since you were supposedly "impersonating the child of the prophecy".

"I'm not going." Freminet scratched the back of his head. He didn't look like a child who liked lying to others or hiding secrets. "But why did you choose that name?"

'Damn, I forgot to think of an excuse-'

"Well, it's because I really admire Lady Furina. I want to honor her in this way!" Your hands fiddled with the little mechanisms of the robotic animal.

"But are you sure you want to leave it to me? I'm not very good at looking after pets."

Your eyes met his. You needed to make sure it was really yours before you did whatever you wanted with it.

"Mhm... Mom always brings new trinkets, so I can always make more. She comes to pick up food from time to time, but this time she didn't want to leave me home alone."

He really seemed to know what he was doing, maybe one day you could ask him to fix your closet door that has come apart. Since Clorinde wasn't very good at this sort of thing, a loose screw turned into a dismantled door.

"Isn't it strange to walk around with that?" It just slipped out of your mouth without thinking, and then the consequences came.

'Oops...'

He seemed to be a little hurt by what you said. His eyes glistened a little with unshed tears. He was a bit offended by the statement but didn't want to speak.

"T-That's not what I meant." You waved your arms in front of him, trying to clear up the misunderstanding. "I've never seen anything like that before..."

Your bad habit of saying things without thinking every now and then was something you urgently needed to fix.

"Will you pardon me? I'm really sorry..."

He shook his head and wiped his eyes with his hands. His clothes were almost dry, which was good, as it would prevent him from catching a cold.

You looked out at the lake again. But this time a wave of nausea hit you as soon as your eyes came into contact with it. Your head turned quickly in another direction, as if you were running away from it.

'Hm... I don't think I'm going to want to go near it any time soon.'

"Are you coming back to visit me more often, Freminet?" You fiddled with the present once more, caressing the robotic pet's head.

"I don't know, this is the first time I've come..."

His face paled completely. His eyes widened and he stood up instantly.

"I-I split up with Mom. She must be worried."

He looked at you with those glassy eyes, as if asking for help. This was the time to repay him for what he had done for you.

"Don't worry, I know the way back to where she is. Come with me!" You held out a hand to him, which he held while you guided him. His mother must probably be desperately looking for her missing son.

"I shouldn't have gone away from her... I'm seven years old now, but I still give mom a hard time like this."

Freminet was almost in tears. With his head down and his voice weak, he felt very guilty for worrying his mother.

"Oh, you're the same age as me then. I turned seven a while ago."

"Hm? You're only seven? Then why do you talk like an adult?"

You froze, was it really that obvious? Sister Dora and Clorinde never commented on it, although Clorinde was a mature child in her own right.

"I-I don't talk like an adult! I'm quite a child, you know!" You stuck your tongue out at him in the hope of disguising your behavior.

You walked for a while until you finally reached Freminet's mother, a pretty woman with blonde hair like his, who was in a corner being consoled by other women. She seemed very shaken by his disappearance, using a tissue to wipe away her tears.

"I should have paid more attention to him. I-"

Her eyes finally stopped on the two of you. The woman got up and ran over to Freminet, hugging him tightly as if she didn't want to lose him again.

"Freminet! You scared your poor mother. Where were you? Are you hurt?!"

She put a hand on his cheek, her face a faint smile of relief.

'Hm...' You stood in the corner, watching the scene unfold before you. Could this be how Sister Dora felt when you disappeared into the temple?

"Sorry... I got distracted and wandered off, but I made a friend." He looked at you, causing his mother to turn her head in your direction too. She was a little embarrassed to be seen like this by one of her son's friends.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She smiled gently at you and wiped her tearstained face with her handkerchief, trying to look more presentable. "It's nice to meet you, hm...?"

"[Name], just [Name]."

"[Name]... It suits you. Thank you for being Freminet's friend..."

She got up and took the monthly food offered by the temple. She seemed to be getting ready to leave, after everything that had happened. Freminet's mother whispered something in his ear, which seemed to put him off a little.

"We'll have to leave now, say goodbye to your friend."

She patted his head, pushing him slightly forward. Freminet didn't seem happy about having to leave.

"Goodbye, [Name]. Don't forget me... please."

"I won't, don't worry."

You hugged him one last time before he left. The scene was seen by the women who were with his mother earlier and by some of the temple volunteers, and would surely have reached the ears of Clorinde or Sister Dora. And so you waved goodbye to him, while watching through the window their silhouettes moving away as the sun set.

Passing through the corridors, you decided to go back to your room to finally rest after everything that had happened. Freminet's gift in your hands reflected the sunlight that hit it.

For some reason, as you walked, you felt the urge to cough. The only thing that came out of your incessant coughing was... water. And that's how you realized:

You couldn't breathe anymore.

Along with this, a strong dizziness caused you to lean on a nearby pillar. And with the agonizing pain in your lungs returning, you fell to the ground.

Your eyes frantically searched for anyone around, finding no one. Despair seized your veins as oxygen failed to reach you.

At the end of the corridor, a figure hidden by shadow gave you the shivers. As if you were facing the somber face of death itself again.

'How many times will I have to die in the same day, damn you!-'

You were cut short out of your thoughts by that voice again. The same voice you heard when that monochromatic Fontaine collapsed.

"˙ƃuıʞɔıʇ sı ʞɔoןɔ ǝɥ⊥"

[sleeplesssmoll]

So we got pre breakaway Vertin and Sonneto and post breakaway Sonneto but what would happen with post breakaway Vertin I feel like it would have just like the angstist undertone with characters like Sonneto and especially Mesmir Jr.

Also have a good night/day.

If it's before smoltin really grew into her role as Timekeeper, she might have so much guilt she completely withdraws from everyone. This smoltin mainly talks to madam z and is serious about her duty as Timekeeper because she feels responsible for what happened to her friends. It's her duty not just to the Foundation, but to the people she's lost to learn about the Storm and stop the same thing from happening to others.

This Smoltin is afraid she'll make the wrong choices again and lead people down the wrong path. She doesn't have that confidence we see in her younger self or in the current Timekeeper.

She won't even look at Sonetto. I hc as Smolnetto actually being the one to approach Vertin after the break-away incident. She's devastated that the others are gone but she's also so relieved to still have Vertin. However, Smoltin doesn't know that yet and she can't bare to face her after telling her in the tunnels that she would not regret her decision. When Smoltin meets the older Sonetto we know, all she can think about is how she would have "killed" her too if Sonetto listened to her. The only reason Sonetto lived is because she didn't follow Vertin. Yet, apparently now Sonetto follows the Timekeeper everywhere and that doesn't sit right with her.

However, Mesmer Jr. is the one who is able to get through to her a little bit. She tells Vertin they were both deceived in Constantine's game. Part of her might even blame herself to an extent for not warning her friends herself and trusting Constantine. While neither of them can get over the guilt, there is a mutual understanding between them.

Regulus and the team are unable to break her out of her shell. Smoltin becomes the Vertin they know after she's traveled the world and continues to lose people. The Vertin we know is full of hope. Smoltin is too, but as a child sometimes its hard to see when she feels so helpless.

The others also recognize tendencies in Smoltin that explain why Vertin is the way she is. Vertin is the only one immune to the Storm. She can lose everything at any time. So she strives to do the most she can in the moment since the others aren't guaranteed tomorrow instead of dwelling on the failures she can't fix.

The current Smoltin has yet to reach that conclusion and is still burdened by her grief and duty.

Although, it makes the team wonder how their current TK is doing. Vertin doesn't open up to anyone about her feelings about the Strom and the loss she's encountered precisely because of the previous stated mindset. Frankly, this depressed Smoltin in front of them is more open about her feelings than their Timekeeper ever was with them. They learn a lot about their Timekeeper but they also know they can't do anything for her since she won't let them.

Smoltin does come around to appreciate everything Vertin built, but as she's admiring the lively Suitcase she's haunted by fact that one day she'll be standing here all alone.

Just like when the Strom took her friends away.

[marveloustimestwo]

Can you do yandere Gwen Stacy pls

I can't believe this was requested almost a year ago. Hopefully, this is good, and I'm so sorry for the wait. On another note, they could never make me hate Gwen Stacy. Love her dearly <3

Warnings: Yandere themes

I see Gwen being overprotective, but also an avoident stalker if that makes sense.

At least, in the beginning, Gwen would find it difficult to grow attached to anyone. Whether you're a potential friend or crush, she will force herself to bury whatever she feels for you and pretend you're just an acquaintance. Someone who happens to be in the same class or working on the same project.

She's terrified of the idea that one day she'll lose you. She already lost her Peter in such a brutal way and now she's being blamed for his death.

The potential of that happening to any new friends she makes is debilitating, so she forces herself to be at arms-length with everyone she meets.

Including you. No matter how nice you are, or how pretty or funny, she will bury her feelings deeper and deeper.

But what she finds even more difficult to admit than her feelings, is that burying them only seems to make them worse.

No matter how much she tried to deny it, she really, really likes you.

The more time she spends around you, the more she sees you. She finds herself laughing at all of the stupid jokes you make, or noticing the color of your eyes.

She'll find herself looking around at your room more when you're supposed to be working on your project, and taking in everything that makes you comfortable.

She'll catch herself and force herself to focus on the task at hand, but before she knows it, she swinging by your place when she's patrolling, sneaking a glance into your room to see if you're there.

When you are there, either relaxing or working, Gwen can't help but marvel for a second.

And she finds herself thinking that she really is screwed.

For a while, she'd try her best to avoid you. The tentative friendship you had built with her is now all but a ghost, leaving you more than confused when she avoids your eyes and walks away from you.

Now that Gwen can recognize that she likes you a lot more than she wanted to, she's afraid that she's going to put you in danger.

It's not just villains, but her father and the police force that she's afraid of. She's already walking on thin ice trying to keep herself safe, so she feels like dragging you into this is sentencing you to death.

It's only after her relationship with her father turns sour that she finds herself caving.

You're the only person in her universe that she feels truly safe with, the only person who she trusts enough to see at her worst.

As soon as you let her in, both physically into your room and mentally back into your life, Gwen's obsession with you only solidifies and grows stronger.

The way she acts with you does a near 180, to the point where it practically gives you whiplash.

Now that she's already committed to being in your life and you've accepted and supported her, Gwen will end up doing everything in her power to make sure you're safe and happy.

You have a guard dog now, who is clingy and happy with you, but cold and almost aggressive with anyone who she thinks can't be trusted.

It might be nice to have a friend like Gwen at first. She's happy to listen and is more than invested in your interests. Having someone to geek out with and be close to is amazing for both of you.

But you'll soon notice how she invites herself to go through your stuff. Even your private or prized things like your journals, art books, or collectibles.

She may make it seem like this is an accident, that she didn't know that it was a rare item or that was where you put your deepest thoughts, but truth be told, she already knew a while ago.

Like I said, she's invested in your interests. She knows, but she's just a bit too invested. She likes knowing all this and likes seeing what you think about her.

So please don't push her away. Gwen's already lost so much, so losing you would absolutely break her.

[themuseandantarctica]

* 𝒊 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏

sentence starters from joanne greenberg's novel i never promised you a rose garden. change however necessary. i never promised you a rose garden is a semi-autobiographical account of a young girl admitted to a mental hospital for treatment for her schizophrenia, which means...

tw: mental hospitals, medical, self-harm, suicide, suicidal ideation, ableism, ableist language

it should look as if we trust her. she must feel that we trust her…

they call it a mental hospital, but it's a place where they put people away.

we should have expected them. why should we be so surprised?

i told you the truth about these things you asked. now are you going to help me?

you are just in time for the patient's soothing tea and the end of the world.

it was considered advisable to terminate the interview.

well, i'm a hundred square yards sane.

you will not have to give up anything until you are ready, and then there will be something to take its place.

the prisoner pleads guilty to the charge of not having acute something-itis and accepts the verdict of guilty of being nuts in the first degree.

someday i hope to help you see this world as other than a stygian hell.

it seemed like a good life -- a very good life she had. now they say it wasn't.

i can't really see you and i can't really hear you.

they think that both of us would be too much just now.

it's without a cause, you see, and that's what is so frightening.

i hated it and had no talent for it. it was one of the flags to capture, you see, and he had to try to win it, even through me.

it's going to cost us -- everything. you know that, don't you?

am i not what you wanted? do you have to correct my brain, too?

you see, she knew, in her own way, that she was not attempting suicide, but making the call for help, the call of a mute and confused person.

waiting for the blows… and then there came a time, later -- a time where she began to arrange for blows to fall.

i swear to you that i will not use you.

they never said they were sorry, not one of them.

is this… forever?

that was not my doing. i was not even in on the consultation.

you are walking around your destruction and poking a little finger at it here and there.

it's funny… i never figured that kid was really sick.

i scratched my arm a little -- that's all.

do you know what a coldsheet pack is? i'm going to set one up for you.

this is the little tart i was telling you about.

there are flowers in a hospital and strength, too. you will live and be strong.

i could not be sure. i am good at getting deceived, you know.

you know… the thing that is so wrong about being mentally ill is the terrible price you have to pay for survival.

there is no injustice being done.

don't hit me, [name] -- don't hit me! i know how hard you can hit!

once i greeted my best friend and she turned from me. when i asked why, she said, "after what you did?" she never spoke to me again, and i never found out what happened.

none of the others laughed, really. you were only afraid that they might laugh. you alone made yourself lie.

there are other deaths than death -- worse ones.

we might someday… have to be "well" and be in the world.

i didn't want to hurt you -- to make you sicker.

when i get around to it, i'm going to do your portrait.

my hair feels dirty.

it is my selfness and it is poisonous. it is mind-poisonous.

another camouflage is to blame it all on someone else. it keeps you from having to face what they really did to you, and what you did to yourself and are still doing.

somewhere there is a thief who has heard that people bury and hide their gold and jewels. can you see the expression on his face when he comes on what i have buried!

i like being somebody's punishment; it makes me feel needed.

their religion doesn't permit them to commit suicide.

i found out about being insane. it really is something.

lay off [name], will you?

do you think the sick people are all in hospitals? do you think you have a corner on suffering?

you ought to know mental trouble when you see it.

it's envy! the best and smartest are always envied. walk straight and don't let them know if they touch you.

i thought i was going to die, but at last they came back.

that kid looks through me as if i'm not here at all.

i am a hair in my eye, and so are you.

a pacifist is one who uses his open hand.

i never promised you a rose garden. i never promised you perfect justice, and i never promised you peace or happiness. my help is so that you can be free to fight for all of these things.

it's because of the maybe. it's because of the little, little maybe.

she never took your world at all, don't you see?

what do they want with me, broken into and spoiled already? i'm not good enough for anyone else.

i could still be crazy if i wanted to?

i wish i could have made it to that narcotics cabinet.

are you calling me? is it me you want?

you have quite a number of bits and pieces all copied down on those papers of yours.

who ever told you that learning facts or theories or languages had anything to do with understanding yourself?

there is nothing you can do to me that my own craziness doesn't do to me smarter and faster and better.

i'll be around. you could even get privileges to come and visit me.

i never could ask for anything. i thought you knew that. when i have to ask, something happens to me and i… well, i start to fight.

i always wondered why those reports seemed to be more about [name]'s thoughts than about her body, like pulse or temperature.

maybe the cannon blast we were fearing was only what we heard.

you are captive and victim. we did not want you to escape.

it's going to hit -- please -- it's going to hit harder than i can stand up under.

god, they build their tortures cunningly!

everyone is so afraid of getting blood on the living room floor. "i can't stand to see suffering," they say, "so die outside!"

i think now, though, that you are little too happy with yourself for this trouble you have.

mommy and daddy are shelling out plenty on that bitch who isn't fit for saving.

get away from that door, [name]. you have no business there.

you are trying to hurt yourself now. what happened?

don't forget what i know about you!

i had known all those years and years how sick i was, and nobody else would admit it.

if you're seeking objective reality, this is one hell of a place to start.

even if you didn't really talk out loud, it was that look you get…

i'm not giving up; i'm just tired, that's all.

occasionally, others are damned by you to punish you.

this you have earned. i don't often give presents either, so take it.

this is one-by-one from the jawbone!

my difference is not my sickness.

when i get upset… i usually have trouble seeing properly.

did i hurt anybody? did i hurt anybody?

kid, i never knew you had it in you. you can really fight!

if i want to die, what am i saving myself for?

you've seen this… awfulness before; why are you so shocked?

measure the hate you feel now, and the shame. that quantity is your capacity also to love and to feel joy and to have compassion.

i would be worse than wasteful to give a moment's time to a hopeless case.

you will find no shortage of moral issues and hard decisions in the real world.

i have decided not to be immoral, because of what happened to [name].

where is what you used to scratch this?

it is why you need a hospital.

you are worn out, but no longer so very frightened, are you?

what am i doing here with all these crazy people!

i don't want to think anymore! i'm tired and scared and i just don't care anymore what happens.

i like an anger that is not fearful and guilty and can come out in good and vigorous english.

we just didn't get on. we didn't like each other. i think perhaps we were too much alike…

you've only got one kind of cold, the kind coats can fix.

you may not even have to do anything about it. you may not even have to think about it.

it was just a simple statement in my mind that i was going to live, to come up alive.

what hurts is being kicked by the forces that everyone else lives by and years of being nuts and not being able to tell anyone and have them believe you.

i tried to go easy. i hope it didn't hurt too much.

grapevine never told me you were back.

it can be very, very tough, but people are sometimes better than you think they will be.

somehow lately, there's been something like a caring in her.

now, am i crazy or did you make that story up?

you can have something on which to model yourself.

stop it! will you never end it!

if everybody would stop dying over the big secret, it'll be a lot easier.

you're not here that much. i want to see you this week.

no, [name], he was weeks ago -- i just went to the party with him.

when she blows, she's going to cover the ceiling.

sometimes you have to fight what won't yield and put yourself where it's safe to be crazy.

whose idea was this in the first place?

if i weren't scared to death of it, i would be so grateful!

you're not just rubbing it in good to get a little free suffering out of it?

alive is fighting. it's the same thing. i still think [name] could have made it.

well, i hope you like the room.

now, when you have come again to the world, you are able to remember what was also there with the darkness. much of it was darkness only because it was balanced against the light of loving and experiencing truth.

what about your new friend, [name]? do you still see her sometimes?

the one place i could never go… the one hunger i could never admit.

do they know how beautiful and enviable their lives are?

i can't go back to my merry high-school days again, volleyball in the gym and teeth-teeth at the school dances.

could you call them for an appointment?

just… well, i liked to think of you being outside and starting along, that's all.

hey! you know what happens when you burn yourself? you get burned, that's what!

is it true that you bring me beauty lately only when you are threatened?

if it's okay with the people down at that place she mentioned, i'll be ready whenever they are.

say "hello" for me. throw something at her and be rude so she'll know it's me.

she is prompt and obedient and never insane in the classroom.

does it all have to go? do we pile it up and throw it all out?

i will never have that. not by fighting or study or work or withstanding will i be able to walk with one of them or be warmed by their hands.

we had to call your landlady and tell her you weren't coming back there tonight and that you were here.

you rotten whore! let me go!

i am going to hang with the world. full weight.

[ikamigami]

Oh I want to yell at Nexus so badly, him talking about how his family didn't love him when they all did, "Sun was grieving the brother he killed" and yet Sun loved Nexus more than Moon and admitted that more than once, "Lunar was just missing the old me" Lunar never indicated he missed Moon more and it's only when Nexus went off the deep end that he got angry, "Earth was only being nice to fulfill a purpose because dad didn't love her" she wanted to help everyone because she's a kind person and she loved Nexus more than anything hence why the two were so vulnerable with one another, I am glad Solar had the reasonable response to that nonsense but I am anticipating certain people twisting this the wrong way, especially with Nexus's whole "you're the only one I cared about Solar", since that's an argument a lot of people make to justify Nexus, how Solar didn't compare Nexus to Moon

Ha ha ha ha ha 🤣

I only want to laugh at Nexus' attempts at lying to himself that he never cared about anyone beside Solar..

He cared..

But also I really don't believe him.. cause why he didn't say that he will kill Sun? 🤨

I get it most of you probably don't see it like that.. and that's fine..

I don't mind being in the tiny itty bitty group of people who are sure that Nexus still cares about Sun.. (I said group of people cause hey! I think that I'm not the only one who thinks that, right?)

Also I'm proud of Solar and I'm glad that I was hoping that he'll react the way he did.. cause I'm serious that I'd lost every bit of respect towards him if he sided with Nexus.. 😬

Also wow Sun can sense star energy now? Or maybe.. just maybe he can sense Nexus cause he's also his Moon? :)

But I agree with you, dear anon and I'm afraid that you're right that certain fans will twist this situation into something else.. 😮‍💨

And also well.. no one is really comparing Nexus to Moon that much.. I remember Monty doing it..

And well Sun didn't mean to compare them and in fact he wasn't comparing them but I'm not surprised why Nexus felt like he was..

But the truth is.. we can't blame Sun for this.. because it's not his fault that he was grieving and that couldn't explain himself when no one allowed him and that no one helped him with trauma caused by Moon back then..

I think that in situations like that.. it just happened.. it wasn't Sun's fault.. and it wasn't Nexus' fault that he had existential crisis because it's understandable considering circumstances..

Things just happen sometimes..

Nothing justify Nexus' actions though.. because like I said.. he wasn't even lashing out..

And even if he might have been more cold and uncaring because of psychotic episode or something like that.. it doesn't justify him almost killing Earth..

Also cause I almost forgot.. it's obvious that it hurt him that Sun locked him in the cell.. but Nexus doesn't know full story.. cause Sun never planned on leaving him there alone.. and he'd definitely visit him again if it wasn't for Puppet, Foxy and Monty.. and I'm sure that if Sun knew better way to stop Nexus from trying to do something bad he'd do that..

Because I get it that locking Nexus wasn't the best idea.. and that it made Nexus' mental state worse.. but I swear that Sun wouldn't do that if he had better idea.. or if anyone else would help him..

I understand Nexus' feelings.. but it doesn't justify his actions..

And I can't wait for the day when he'll realize that he screwed up big time.. but not in a way that "oh I know that I did bad" but that he'll regret it and finally start getting some help.. and also atone for what he's done..

But the thing is that we don't know what VAs planned for Nexus.. but we shall see I guess..

[fordtato]

YES. So I'm not the only one that has MANY things to say about Return to the Bunker. I was super hyped up for this this before, but then for the whole 32 minutes of watching I was like "...are you even serious? c'mon!"

This thing felt less like a Gravity Falls episode and more like a big Ford Hate Party. Wtf?! He had a few interactions with Mabel in the series, but literally ALL of them were positive, since she never talked about her issues directly to Ford (not trying to blame her, I love Mabel with all my heart). And here Ford's straight up a huge ass to her. Not wearing a sweater in the summer (HE LITERALLY DOES?!), telling her in the face he doesn't trust her, acting like spending any time with her is wasteful and a scar on his honor (?). Dudes, did we really watch the same Gravity Falls with the same characters? Ford can (and is) be dramatic and too serious sometimes, but he's also silly, fun and adventurous! And it's SHOWN in the series! And he loves the twins more than anything!

But let's get to the thing I have the biggest problem with. The way Ford's trust issues were treated. Guy's been through hell and back. Every person in his whole life that was his close friend, ended up stabbing him in the back (from his perspective). He literally spend 30 years all by himself, FORCED to trust only himself, because trusting someone else might have ended up in him being dead. Now he's barely back home, everything is new and complicated and dangerous, there's the rift, there's Bill being a huge thread, there's his relationship with Stanley, there's his house turned into a mockery of the only thing he was ever proud of, AND this guy still stays relatively calm and collected. Now you're also expecting him to suddenly forget about 30+ years of trauma he experienced and trust people he barely knows (Soos, Wendy) with his worst fear?! And you're punishing him for being jumpy, terrified and paranoid, when he has all the reasons to act such way?! And what's with the scene when he gets on his knees and in teary tone admits that just a sad, lonely boy, but now thanks to Mabel and her friends he might change? Like, sir? Are you the Ford Pines we know? Pre-weirdmageddon afraid-to-his-death prideful and emotionally withdrawn Ford Pines? And then he "learns" absolutely nothing AND ERASES THEIR MEMORIES WITH A MEMORY GUN?? WHAT THE FUCK? I barely forced myself to watch until the very end, because I wanted to scream. You think that Ford, WHO IS A VICTIM and was against the memory gun for most of his life unless absolutely crucial, who had to erase his brother's whole personality and the only reason he remained relatively sane after that was because said brother's memories were brought back, would EVER erase memories of his own twelve year old niece and her friends, RIGHT AFTER BEING ALL OPEN HEARTED and admitting he was wrong?! I can't. I'm sorry. I got all emotional.

Mabel's not really Mabel. Ford's definitely not Ford. Stan was... well, weird, but I could maybe go with that? The B plot was better anyway. The only one that remained more or less close to their canon characterisation was Soos. Even McGucket didn't really click.

ALSO. Ford's relationship with Fiddleford in this one. Wtf. Ford, who mourned what happened between him and his former best friend for years, who had a fucking "I'm sorry Fiddleford" as one of his thoughts on mind reading machine, and who, after seeing him for the first time during Weirdmageddon was all regretful and sad, in this episode is, again, an ass to him?! And their meeting, for the first time in 30 years, is not really a big deal? Ooof.

I'm angry. I didn't like it at all and I thought I'm the only one, because all of the comments are so happy and enthusiastic. I'm glad I'm not alone. It's really not good. Well, it had good moments. I laughed REALLY hard during that dating show with the shapeshifter and a few jokes had me chuckling, and, as you said, the art is really great and you can see all the time and passion that went into it. But the plot itself... I guess it's supposed to be canon complaint. It makes it even worse. The writers really hate Ford, don't they? Eh.

Sorry for the dump. I don't know what's gotten into me. I was so excited for it, a beginner's mistake, I guess.

It felt, personally, like the writers greatly misunderstood (or did not interpret from series as I did) which qualities of Ford, Mabel, McGucket and Soos made these characters loveable and made the show work.

The script of this fan project, at times, seemed specifically antagonistic to the source material, to these characters, and to the motivations these characters held.

I am not trying to shit on something people loved, but I did not enjoy the writing at all.

[defire]

Chapter 27: Clever Lies

Content: post-beating injuries, mention of child abuse, beating, interrogation, minor whumpee, slavery

Kit sat in Caboodle's chair, in Caboodle's room, and eyed his little brother, who sat hugging his knees and staring wide-eyed at the wall like he was being re-traumatized.

"And I don't know why you even had to say that crazy crap about Aunt Wry." Caboodle said. "No one will take us seriously."

"Meanwhile, our father fought in the war." Kit sighed. "Even if we did fight in a war... we'd lose."

Caboodle didn't respond, going back to staring. The black eye on the left bulged with swelling. Kit still wanted to just... bite his father's face off for that. As for himself, he had a cracked rib, and could hardly walk. 

Their father had taken them home, then had beaten the two of them till they couldn't get up off the floor. Then he came back and whipped them with the leather razor strop like he'd promised last time Nife's name came up. No more Druids.

Kit’s back still oozed from broken welts under the bandages their servant had sullenly applied, and every time the wounds broke open, a fresh sting and burn reawakened and made him want to cry out. He had to keep it in for Caboodle’s sake. The poor kid still had tear tracks down his eyes, even though it had been hours since the punishment.

"I mean, you were kind of cool." Caboodle admitted after a long pause, still addressing the wall. "But you gotta be careful what you say when you're wearing that bracelet."

"Are you blaming the bracelet now?"

"Everything happened because you tipped your cup over, then you said that thing, then..." Caboodle stopped, swallowed and glanced at Kit finally.

Like always happened, his little brother's gaze flitted around his various injuries like he could sense them under his clothes.

"Maybe they're just all assholes." Kit said.

“They might be.” Caboodle said softly. “Is Nife… Did you see how she’s doing?”

Kit closed his eyes. The tidbits had been awful–a flash of intense anguish as she faced the wall and something whacked against her back over and over. Nife’s hands bandaging Iridiss’ ripped-up back. Striker’s face, much too close, with a predatory glint in his eyes as he pressed his fingers into a bruise on her neck. She was so… afraid. The bastard.

“It’s… horrifying. It’s way worse than I ever imagined.”

“Wait–what do you mean?” Caboodle looked alarmed.

“They… They beat and torture the slaves…” Kit shuddered, fidgeting with the bracelet. “You don’t want to know.”

Caboodle winced as he rubbed his arm. Glen had targeted it brutally with the leather strop. When he saw Kit’s stormy expression, he put on a smile.

"Here, let me see that." Caboodle snapped his fingers at the bracelet. "I have an idea."

When Kit gave it to him, he slipped it on and closed his eyes.

"I have this really bad feeling, and usually I can't put my finger on it, but maybe this bracelet..." He faded out as he started to concentrate. Kit felt another tremor shake the city and the floor creak as he waited for Caboodle to stop. It was boring. He looked out the window and saw, far away, several towers falling deeper into the rot, sinking toward each other somewhat, and pulling down the nearby buildings, from what he could tell.

"...Oh, no." Caboodle raised his head and looked at Kit. "I think Striker wants to get Nife killed."

"Yeah, that's no big surprise. He thinks she's inciting rebellion."

"No, Kit... He has a plan."

"What plan?" Kit stood up. 

They weren't supposed to leave, but if there was a plan to kill Nife, to hell with that.

"I don't know..." Caboodle said. "I just heard him say 'two birds' and then sort of... felt like he was thinking of Nife. There was a plan. I could feel it."

He shuddered, taking off the bracelet.

"Here." He said, practically throwing it at Kit. "I don't... I don't like how he thinks of her."

"Horizons..." Kit groaned, picking up the bracelet and putting it back on. "We have to do something."

Caboodle shook his head.

"There's literally nothing we can do."

"No–fuck that." Kit hurried to the window and slapped a hand down on the sill, looking out over the dark miasma in the street below. "We'll do something. We can't not do something."

Nife watched as Striker stepped into the small room, maneuvering around Enimee with that signature Bane respect for about three whole feet of personal space. Nife ducked her head behind her arm, using it to shield her ribs, which she worried were broken after all the kicking.

Striker bent forward over her.

"Stand up."

Nife shivered.

"Your lordship, I–"

His kick smashed into her upper arm with terrifying strength. With that one strike, she felt how easy it would be for the man to break every bone in her body.

"Stand–up." Striker twisted a hand into the beads, wrapping them so tightly they choked around Nife's neck, yanked her back, and as she struggled to stand, caught her under the chin with the web of his hand and slammed her back into the plaster wall.

She screamed through her teeth as the impact jostled the injuries in her back. At least she was getting a little support to stand.

"Now you're going to answer every question I ask." Striker said. His calm, almost expressionless face was dark because of the backlight, but Nife could see the heat of his tongue running over his teeth inside his mouth, something he often did when he was calculating what to say, it seemed. "Do you understand me?" He said.

Nife attempted to nod, then choked out,

"Yes, your lordship."

"First. Why did you choose that moment to mouth off to my sister?"

"...Well, it's not like I choose when she decides to be extra stup--"

Striker punched her in the stomach. Nife cursed and grimaced.

"For every question you refuse to answer, I'll punch you again." Striker said.

At that, Nife could see Enimee opening and closing her mouth to object, but she didn't dare. There was not a single member of the household that wasn't afraid of Lord Striker.

"Now answer the question." Striker said.

"I... I don't know." Nife lied, and from the shaking in her voice, she did it well. She couldn't possibly tell Striker how much her friends meant to her. That would just put them in more danger.

Striker didn't move, but with her nightsight, Nife watched his fist slowly unclench, and breathed a little.

"The second question." Striker said. "You Druids can see behind yourselves, can't you?"

Nife froze for a moment, breaking herself of it with a small tremor. She shook her head slowly.

"I've been watching you." Striker said. "You saw me unclench my fist just now, without being able to turn to look. How?"

"I–I didn't." Nife lied again. "I don't know how you Banes can't see as well as we can–maybe we have better eyesight. You can see better in the daytime, though."

"That's commonly known." Striker said. "I'm asking you to tell me how you saw my hand just now."

Nife shook her head, blinking at tears of apprehension as she felt the fingers around her throat tighten a little. Not quite choking, but enough to heighten the pitch of her voice just a touch if she were to speak.

"You'd better not be lying." Striker said.

Nife didn't answer, staring at the ground. There was no kind of defense for this kind of thing. His grip slowly tightened until she couldn’t take a breath. She shook her head, opening her eyes wide with a strangled,

“Not–”

And he loosened his grip so she could breathe.

"...Last question." Striker said, stepping so close their chests touched. Nife was panting, struggling to hold herself up on one leg. "And you'd better have something more than 'I don't know', because we all saw you."

Nife glanced at Enimee, who was standing there with a hand on the handle of her cane. Right, no friends here.

"You pushed Creack's magic back." Striker said.

A weight like a heavy rock dropped into Nife's gut. She couldn't respond to this one satisfactorily, no matter how well she tried to obscure it.

"You stood up in the middle of what should've felt like an outright flogging, judging from the welts you received." Striker said. "Despite all three of them attempting to punish you at once. You counteracted the magic, and Creack can't tell me what happened. So you tell me. How did you do it?"

Nife lifted her chin.

“Guess I’m just that tough.”

Striker let go and slapped her. It had almost become reflexive not to block the blows at this point–blocking only got Nife a full on beating.

"You liar!" Striker said. "I saw the magic on your arm fade and flicker. How!"

Nife widened her eyes and gave Striker a glance in the eyes, then hastily looked back down at the ground, grinding her teeth.

"I..."

Another slap stung across her cheek, sending her staggering sideways. She caught herself on the wall, clenching her fists against a defensive reaction.

"Answer the question, Nife."

Nife wouldn't answer that. It was the fucking key to her escape. She'd take whatever she had to, but she wouldn't answer that question.

She crumpled backward, crouching in the corner, shielding her face with her bruised arm. She said nothing, preparing herself for the beating as Striker walked toward her.

He stared down at her for a full minute as she shuffled around, her protective squat getting tighter and tighter as she tried to get ready for broken bones and agony.

"Enimee," Striker said. "Leave me alone with her."

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