#developing and growing are considered to be part of being alive

[keferon]

Just want to say, love your mimick au. I only found it like, an hour ago and I've devoured everything in the tag and I'm planning to do the same to the spellbound and monster hunter aus.

That said, in one of the mimick fanfics, Orion tells Prowl to leave him alone and to find a hobby, but a comic that (presumably) happens after this conversation when Orion meets Jazz, Orion seems to be back to working with Prowl. I thought the whole "leave me alone" order would go on infinitely because Orion didn't seem to have his goal locked down and he also never specified when to come back. So how did they return to working together? Did Orion find Prowl post-meltdown, or was it Prowl who just set an arbitrary amount of time before going back to Orion and going "so, how do you feel about defying god?" I just find Orion and Prowl's relationship so interesting in this au, simply because of how Orion doesn't seem to apply his morals about freedom and coexistence to Prowl despite the fact he's the one who points out that Prowl didn't include himself in his calculations, but at the same time, if he doesn't recognize Prowl's autonomy and only sees him as a tool (chatGPT style), he would have to accept that he's the one responsible for Prowl's actions because he's the one using him. But also also, Prowl encourages him to not take responsibility for all the immoral actions (like killing monsters to keep the Council's favor), which I think Orion does take up, but that would indirectly be accepting Prowl as a individual capable of making his own decisions, you know? It also the fact that Orion and Prowl both have different (and somewhat incompatible) ways of communicating. I was thinking when Orion asked Prowl to what he'd do to make the most amount of mechs happy, Prowl understood it literally: the majority of the population are non-monsters, so statistically, he'd focus on making non-monsters happy. But Orion doesn't want to make most mechs happy; he wants a diverse and equitable society, and that doesn't necessarily lead to happiness, especially in transition phases. Even in the academy, monsters are learning to compromise to live in a non-monster society; compromises are about restriction, which often aren't a source of happiness. But Orion equates that vision to happiness, and probably gets a bad impression of Prowl given "free reign" from his answer. It's great, it's so juicy.

And contrasts so well with how Prowl and Jazz interact and communicate with each other. Like how Prowl makes an attempt to learn hand language for Jazz in the same way he attempts to comfort Orion post-Shockwave demonification. But unlike Orion who has "Prowl is not alive" at the core of their dynamic, Jazz doesn't know and sees Prowl's attempt to learn as a genuine attempt to understand/communicate. You can argue that Prowl is just "programmed" to try and get more information and it's just efficient to ensure Jazz doesn't get carpal tunnel while working together, but you can also argue that we're all programmed to do that as well; small talk or bids for attention are behaviors/actions to build connection through information exchange that we are trained to do from formative years and general society. Which is to say, even if Prowl learns and tries to accommodate Jazz for mission purposes, it doesn't negate the fact that he is investing effort into communicating and building the foundation for a meaningful connection in the same way other people do. It's great, I'm having a blast with the whole AU.

Orion despite being afraid to continue his mission still has responsibilities in his Order so him and Prowl. Yeah hahah they just keep working together but purely on their usual legal tasks. I didn’t talk about the whole situation enough yet but basically Prowl never informed Orion about his new quest of suing God. Primarily because he knows that Orion definitely will try to stop him.

It’s kind of like. “What isn’t forbidden can automatically be considered allowed” mentality.

Also MY GOD YES. My favourite part of this au is reading asks like yours:0 Prowl exists in that thin line between being and not being a person capable of his own choices. Orion exists on the thin line between considering him being one of those options. He can’t see Prowl as a “real mech” because he knows for a fact it’s not true. But then seeing him as a tool means accepting that all questionable things he does are Orion’s responsibility.

At the end of the day Prowl is a metaphorical piece of fabric Orion uses to clean his consciousness. In his eyes Prowl isn’t alive enough to be fully blamed for all the bad things he does but he is also alive just enough for Orion to say “it was your fault. Not mine.”

Jazz doesn’t have that dilemma. Uh. Yet haha he will discover the truth eventually of course~. He thinks Prowl is obviously a real mech because in his world magic isn’t alive. It can create an illusion of a mech, sure, this is what all usual golems are, but it’s not smart or believable enough. It’s like one of those tests where all people think they can tell if they’re talking to an AI chat bot because “duh I would obviously know” and then fail to distinguish AI from a real person. Jazz is perceptive but he doesn’t know what to look for. All he knows is that Prowl is somehow doesn’t love anyone but seems to care about of things that aren’t people.

Also it’s a bit unrelated but I find it soooo interesting playing with the usual concepts of magic and technology. Because usually magic is perceived as something more “coming from your heart” and “connected with emotions” while technology tends to be more “soulless” and “emotionless”. And then we have the entire world of robots who think they are alive and magic isn’t :)

[deductivisms]

ik not everyone gaf about the story in mhwilds but i'm now convinced that 100% of the people who keep insisting that "nata is annoying bc he begs you not to kill arkveld" simply did not read or engage with the story at all past jokes they saw on twitter because the whole point of his development is that he grows past that mindset 😭

ntm the way people still misinterpret why he relates to arkveld (which, granted the writing isn't always the cleanest but like -) and seem to completely miss the entire point of the keepers-guardians parallel

i know there are differing opinions on the guardians/constructs as a concept, but within the story of wilds, the guardians are introduced as creatures who are duty-bound, and unable to enjoy life to its fullest because they lack even the will to eat - and don't even know that such things are inherent to the experience of "being alive"

this is a pretty direct reflection of the keepers: duty-bound people who don't seek the outside world, living in their isolated village without even considering venturing outside of it - they even canonically try to mimic the appearance of guardian cocoons and we all joke about how bland the sild dish is because these people don't even know what cheese is and have never seen a spice in their lives

this is why nata is so angry when he learns of the concept of guardians, the fact that they don't even eat, that they're essentially locked into programmed behavior - they're alive but they don't live, and that's why he relates to arkveld, who left the confines of wyveria and learned to live ("this is the first thing it ever decided for itself" etc)

to nata, arkveld pretty blatantly parallels his own experience of leaving the forbidden lands -- obviously, arkveld still winds up a case of endangering the ecosystem due to the way it attempted to integrate itself, but this development functions as the other side of the coin to nata's development: where one was exposed to the rest of the world and would eventually strive to learn how to be a part of it and not apart from it (nata), the other would take its newfound freedom and fall into destructive behavior (arkveld)

obviously if you've been playing MH for a long time, you already understand that the guild has always existed to preserve the ecosystem, but nata as a character isn't meant to go against this - his development actually supports the guild's longstanding stance as he comes to learn why it was necessary to stop arkveld . so it does get really tiring to hear people say that they "hate him because he doesn't want me to hunt the flagship monster" when that's literally a character point that the main story actively works to resolve

like .

i'd rather you say that you just don't vibe with child characters or dgaf about the story Upfront than parrot the takes of someone who also skipped every single cutscene

[sgtgarricks]

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ i want your hands on me for all my life

simon riley x afab!reader cw: nsfw, angst, happy ending, mentions of simon's abusive past, talks about death, mentions of soap's death, fingering, oral sex (f!receiving), unprotected piv sex, creampie!!, simon lets himself be happy yay

reblogs are immensely appreciated! <3

PREVIOUS PART: your gentle hands are enough

notes: this is the 2nd part for the people that want a happy ending :) this turned out sooo long LMFAO if you want to be sad just pretend this doesn't exist and read the other one! your feedback & comments help <3

Simon had always excelled at compartmentalizing his emotions ever since he was a child.

Growing up with an abusive father and an older brother who has hell-bent on scaring him had forced him to develop self-preservation tactics in order to survive their torment. Dissociating was a daily occurrence in his childhood years — it helped Simon escape the pain and torment that was being inflicted on his body.

Being in the military has not been that different.

He was still dissociating, but he was no longer on the receiving end of thrown punches and insults. He was now the perpetrator inflicting agony on his enemies for the good of the world. To rid the world of filth.

Simon Riley had become the ultimate soldier — lethal, swift, quiet, and was immune to the horrors of war, which was no surprise considering he had spent most of his childhood learning to lock away all the negative emotions. The ability had become innate, bleeding into his daily life and in turn, his relationships.

When Simon walked out the door, he had left all the hurt and sadness in the apartment with you. He trusted you'd keep a part of him safe until he came back and even if he didn't.

Simon had whole-heartedly accepted the risk that comes with the job, fully prepared to lay his life down if it meant a better world than yesterday. In fact, Simon knew death more intimately more than anyone. He'd knocked on death's door multiple times but always seemed to come out alive.

It was easy for him to not think of you. The anxious voice inside his head becomes static as he engrossed himself in the mission. The hard part comes when the dust has settled — when all that remain are cold corpses and bullet casings.

Sitting in the helicopter all bloodied accompanied by the sound of whirring blades wasn't usually bad. It would give him time to sit down and process his emotions. It let him feel the slight guilt that never goes away when taking a life — no matter how rotten.

But with each mission he went on after his abrupt departure, he finds himself constantly ruminating his entire reason for not wanting to get into a relationship with you.

Simon had wanted you to move on from him when he died, eventually. Forget the bruised and battered soldier and find someone whole, someone who could be there for you and love you without causing you anxiety every time their phone rang.

He thought himself selfless for trying to spare you, but his entire reason collapses with every mission he comes back alive.

What was his excuse now? What was he protecting you from?

The voices slink back into his mind the moment he gains a moment of peace. Whispers planting seeds of doubt in his mind, feeding on his insecurity and his fears. They're ruthless and persistent.

You don't deserve them. They're too good for you. You're going to leave them one day anyway, why bother?

He feels a tightness in his chest, as if a phantom hand was squeezing his heart that sends pulses of pain through him. His hand shakes slightly, fingers moving absent-mindedly trying to remember the feel of your skin.

"You alright, Lieutenant?" His captain's voice breaks him out of his trance. Simon is slightly startled but doesn't let it show. He merely grunts.

"'M alright."

Silence engulfs them once more. It goes one for one, two, maybe three minutes. It's suffocating. Simon can read people well enough by now that he knows there are questions lingering in the back of John Price's mind.

A part of Simon wishes he'd just spit it out, but the thought of having to explain seemed worse. Instead, Simon settles with a silent huff as the helicopter continues on its designated course.

The second the helicopter landed, Price simply nods at him, trusting him to get his shit together and walks off to his office. Simon does his usual routine, though instead of rushing through the motions, he's intentionally prolonging each action.

Whereas normally he couldn't get out of this place faster, now he almost dreaded the moment he would have to leave. Staying at the base meant monotonous, dull, predictable tasks. Leaving means he has to choose where to go — he has to actively force himself to not drive straight to your apartment despite the fact that every fiber in his being longs to be close to you.

He feels sick, a kind of illness spreading inside of him that only ever felt better when you were around him. A dull ache inside his body that only lights up when you touch him.

He runs a hand to his now damp hair, content with sitting on a sofa in the rec room. Normally, the place would be bustling with recruits goofing around with each other. But one glance at the broodier-than-normal look on the lieutenant's face had created a force field that pushed away everyone as to not get caught in its storm.

Simon doesn't know how long he sits there, half of him trying to convince himself to not come to you. That you don't deserve the broken man with a penchant for violence.

Chuckling lowly to himself, he shakes his head. What kind of demented higher power decided someone as kind as you be plucked and dropped into his sights?

Fifteen minutes went by as he pities himself in the rec room before a shadow in his peripheral vision causes him to look up.

"L.T.," Kyle nods towards him, leaning on the doorframe.

"Garrick." Simon grunts dismissively, not saying anything more. He hops the sergeant will take the hint on his own and leave the miserable bastard to his own devices.

Kyle worries for Simon. The brooding giant seems more miserable than usual — not more than after the incident, but still. Typically, he wouldn't even be able to catch a glimpse of his lieutenant after coming back from deployment. He'd usually opt to disappear from the base in record time.

The fact that he's here now, instead of wherever he usually hangs around, is slightly concerning.

"You alright, L.T.?"

Simon turns to him, slightly annoyed. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? Yes, I'm alright." He huffs. Kyle merely shrugs, unbothered by the icy gaze directed at him.

"Well, seeing as you haven't fucked off from the base yet and it's been," Kyle checks his phone for the time, "Around an hour? I'd wager something is wrong."

Sometimes Simon hated how observant Gaz was. Kyle's always been attentive, even more so now without Johnny's presence. It wasn't a secret that Johnny had been the lieutenant's shadow — always lingering near him, cracking jokes and pulling his leg.

His absence had naturally left a gaping void in Simon, oozing all the pain and hurt that comes with losing a comrade. Simon isn't naive, he knows death comes as a package with being in the battlefield. He's seen his fellow soldiers die, held them as they bled out. It was why he tended to keep to himself. After all, the less people you know, the less funerals you have to go to.

This worked most of the time, anyone who got close to Simon would get his arctic stare and cower off — most of the time anyway. Johnny was a different case. Johnny was a little bit of a nutcase to be honest. A talented, bright, pyromaniac, the youngest ever to pass SAS selection, with an arsenal of jokes in his pockets. The blue-eyed Scotsman got along quickly with Kyle, bantering with each other easily as if they had been long-lost friends.

While Johnny still had reservations about dicking around with the captain, he didn't seem to have the same problem with Simon. Seemingly happy to chatter off in his ear about anything, whether it was about shitty food, a lady he picked up from a bar, or jabs directed at Simon.

Johnny's bright disposition put Simon on edge. He wasn't used to seeing someone not be terrified of him. No matter how many glares he sent him, the bugger wouldn't leave him alone. Johnny would continue to go out of his way to talk to Simon, to sit next to him during lunch, and sometimes, Johnny would even manage to get Simon to open up just a little.

"What's on yer mind, L.T.?" Johnny nudged Simon with his elbow. The two men were both sat at the bar, the TV playing an old recording of a football match. It had taken Johnny ten minutes to convince Simon to go out for drinks and he planned on taking full advantage of it.

Johnny had been talking non-stop for around five minutes about his sister who had just gotten married, waiting for a reaction from Simon who seemed distracted. His eyes had strayed to the other side of the bar a few times, barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but Johnny was anything but.

"Nothin'." Simon had grunted, tearing his gaze away. A giant smirk plastered itself onto Johnny's face.

"Ah, been starin' at the sad one across the bar, aye?" Seeing Simon's eye widen a little had made Johnny even more gleeful. "Go on then. Ye have my full permission to ditch me tonight." He teased, winking at his lieutenant.

"Don't know what you're talking about, Johnny." Simon had denied instantly, taking a sip of his drink. A normal person would have left it at that, but Johnny wasn't your average person. He loved starting fires and Simon was a flame he wanted to see lit.

"Ach, come on L.T. what's the harm, eh? A little bit of flirting never hurt anyone." Simon didn't know this but Johnny wasn't going to let this go. It was the first time Johnny had ever seen Simon show interest in someone and he'd do anything to get Simon to at the very least, talk to them.

"They're a civvy, Johnny. Not gonna take any chances." Simon shook his head adamantly.

"That's bollocks! All we do is take risks anyway, at least on this one the worst that could happen is getting a drink thrown in yer face." Johnny chuckles, peering at the person across the bar who was clearly nursing a broken heart. Simon still made no move to get up from his chair.

Praying to whatever God was listening, Johnny hoped Simon wouldn't kill him after what he was going to do. Calling over the bartender, Johnny slid the man a fifty.

"Mate, give 'em a refill yeah? Tell 'em it's from the big bloke over here." Johnny signaled the bartender. Simon, who had finally processed what Johnny was doing, couldn't even get a word in. The bartender hastily took the money and went back to his station, ignoring Simon's call.

Simon could only watch in despair as the bartender presented the drink and pointed towards Simon. He received a shy smile, a mouthed 'thank you', and an expectant look.

"Now you've got to go there, mate. Otherwise you'll look like an arsehole!" Johnny threw his arms up, grinning triumphantly. The sergeant crossed his arms and wiggled his eyebrows.

Simon could've easily ignored Johnny and went back to his drink. But a part of him couldn't deny that he wanted to go over there and maybe talk to someone else that wasn't Scottish for a change. Against his usual logic, Simon decided to stand up from his chair.

"You're an arsehole." A glare was sent Johnny's way, although it had no weight behind them. As Simon began to walk away, he could hear Johnny laughing loudly.

"Yer welcome!"

Simon had never told Johnny you were the person who had been texting him during deployment, but he knew deep down that Johnny already knew. He'd asked multiple times, even tried sneaking a look.

He simply didn't want to admit that Johnny forcing him to talk to you that day had shifted Simon's world. He wished he told Johnny.

"We all miss him, L.T." Kyle's soft voice spoke again. He's closer now, dragging a chair from a table and sitting in front of Simon. Kyle knew he could never fill the giant void that Johnny left, but he felt a sense of responsibility to at least try. Price had become more closed off after his death whereas Simon had slowly been unraveling, little stitches coming loose a day at a time.

"All we can do is make sure it's not in vain." Simon sighs, hearing Kyle's words, knows he's right. That he can't go back to expecting the worst all the time, constantly on edge.

Johnny had breathed life into his ghostly presence, bringing Simon back into the realm of the living. The more Johnny got out of the lieutenant, the more people were able to see that Simon wasn't merely a visage, a ghost roaming the hallway. That he was a real person.

He was throwing away his chance at a second life. Perhaps it was also a twisted way of Simon punishing himself. If he couldn't save Johnny, couldn't save the man who managed to get him to talk to you, then he didn't deserve you. It was a round-about way of him trying to mend off the guilt eating away at him that had inadvertently claimed another victim.

"Thank you, sergeant." Simon stood up. Clapping his hand on Kyle's shoulder.

I see you.

"Don't mention it, sir."

The drive to your house takes around twenty minutes, which means that's all the time Simon has to try and figure out a way to atone for his sins.

They're too gracious to even hold a grudge against you. A small part of Simon tells him. While he hopes that's true, he still wants to apologize and acknowledge how unfair he's been to you. If not to make you feel better, at the very least it will ease his conscience.

He drums his finger on the steering wheel, the radio turned on but on low volume. For once, Simon wishes he had Johnny's ability to get out of problems with his alluring words and his kicked-puppy look.

Lost in his own thoughts, he hadn't even realized he's been sitting in his parked car for a few minutes. He clasps his hands when he realizes they're shaking. God, he was so terrified. Not of you, no. He was scared of having to see what he's done to you. Is terrified of really seeing the carnage Simon Riley had tore in you.

He lets out a bated breath and opens the car door. He knows you're home by now, probably cooking away while listening to some indie band. Resting his head on your door, he braces himself once more, and knocks.

He waits, the seconds feeling like hours. The door swings open and he sees your surprised face.

"Simon." You compose yourself immediately, not wanting to show any sort of weakness in front of him. Something twitches on the corners of his mouth hidden by the balaclava. As if realizing he's still wearing it, he takes it off.

"Can I come in?" He asks timidly, as if approaching a wounded animal. He had no idea how you'd react after him being gone for so long. Even during his three month deployments, he'd sometimes text you once every fortnight. But after the way he left things, he couldn't bring himself to message you at all. Couldn't even stomach the thought of you still pining over him after what he had done. It was easier for him to simply block your number. Photos of sunsets and coffee cups gathering dust in his photo album, unsent.

You didn't even think about it, your body unconsciously moving sideways to let him in. A part of you screams at yourself.

Idiot, show some dignity.

It had been so easy for you to let the man who had left you for six months without a word back into your apartment, into your life.

You felt like an addict. Constantly begging for your next fix and taking whatever scraps are thrown your way. It's pitiful, but you're too far gone, anyway. His dirty boots make contact with your hardwood floor, leaving small specks of mud on them. Simon notices the frown marring your face and begins to unlace his boots.

"Sorry." He apologizes, neatly tucking away his muddy boots at the side of your door. You close the door behind him, making your way towards your kitchen. The plate clatters loudly in the sink as you haphazardly put them away, clearly rattled.

Simon coughs slightly, words stuck in his throat. He'd prepared a small speech earlier yet all the words seem to escape him. All the courage he had mustered for his little speech all had but disappeared into thin air. He feels out of his depths, not used to being vulnerable.

"What are you doing here, Simon?" Your voice sounds so tired. He supposes he was to blame for that.

"Can we talk?" He sends you a pleading look, hoping you still felt a sliver of the love you used to harbor for him — the only thing stopping you from kicking him out.

"Oh, so after blocking me and radio silence for six months you've decided you want to talk?" The bitterness seeps into your words like venom. He can't even make himself physically recoil from the sharp edge of your tone. Simon can feel the thin rope right beneath his feet, one wrong step and he'd be falling off the edge.

He takes a deep breath. "I deserve that."

"Oh, you deserve more than that Simon Riley. I should kick you out right now." You were huffing now, going slightly red in the face. Had he not been so anxious he might've thought you look cute. But right now? He was downright terrified.

"Just-" Simon pinches his nose bridge, calming himself down. "Let me speak for a moment, yeah? After that if you want me to leave, I'll leave." He holds both his hands up.

You were livid, rightfully so. The man you love had essentially decided he didn't want to communicate with you anymore, breaking your heart. The first week you thought maybe something had happened to his phone, broken it maybe?

As the weeks turned into months, the realization dawned on you that he had purposefully blocked you, cut off all contact. At first there was only sadness. You spent your days crying into your blanket, some days barely functioning. The hurt and betrayal had emotionally drained you. Did all those years mean nothing to him?

You knew he had a hard time expressing his emotions, but never in your wildest dreams did you think he would throw you away just like that. Like you were nothing more to him than a good fuck. Despite your head telling you otherwise, the emotional baggage he had left you with didn't leave much option.

It was easier to hate him than to accept maybe he didn't love you at all.

You spent the first few months cursing into the wind hoping it'd somehow hurt him a fraction of how much he hurt you. Afterwards, the pain became a lingering , dull ache, but not debilitating anymore. It became a constant that you carry everyday.

Kicking him out the door was tempting, but you knew it wouldn't do you any good. If anything, the words left unsaid would become a leech — slowly draining away your curiosity until you eventually leave another voicemail.

You give him a pointed stare before sitting down on the couch. Simon slowly approached you, wanting nothing more than to sit next to you but choosing to sink into the other side of the couch. He sees you cross your arms, feeling more uncomfortable by the second.

"I jus' wanna say that I'm sorry." He stares into your eyes, slouched with elbows on his thighs. Seeing your mouth thin into a line, Simon knows he's going to have to do a lot better.

"When Johnny died..." Your eyes widen, arms slacking slightly. He'd talk about Johnny sometimes but sometime ago had entirely stopped mentioning his name altogether. You had suspected something terrible had happened but you didn't want to believe it.

"I was so angry. It's not fair. He was so young, had his whole future ahead of him. Told me he was gonna see his sister's newborn on his next leave." He breathes out, clenching his fists.

"All of that, gone. We haven't even caught the bastard yet." Simon runs an exasperated hand through his face. Your arms were no longer crossed, choosing to fiddle with the edge of your shirt. You wanted to comfort him so badly, wanted to take him into your arms and tell him everything's going to be okay. But he was still pouring his heart out and you wanted to greedily snatch every piece he was willing to give.

"I had constant nightmares for months. Sometimes, I still do. You're just a heavy sleeper, I suppose." He chuckles and catches the way the edge of your mouth turn up.

"It's never easy, losing someone. It changes you. I used to hear his nonsense almost everyday and now it's just not there. I'm terrified one day it'll be like he was never there at all." Simon looks away, blinking tears away.

"But he was there. I know that. I felt him. He was like the fucking sun, but instead of being 150 million kilometers away, he's next to my ear with his Scottish nonsense." Simon chuckles bitterly, reminiscing the times when Johnny had to translate his gibberish.

You stay quiet, letting him speak freely. You had a feeling where this was going and how Johnny's death had indirectly impacted your relationship.

"If I died tomorrow, would you be okay?" His question catches you off guard. It was a question you've pondered a thousand times before, and every time you only ever came up with one answer.

"No." You answer honestly, because you'd break either way. Whether it was tomorrow or a year from now. You can feel a part of Simon in your bloodstream that if he died, some part of you would die with him.

"I only ever wanted you to be okay." He straightens, testing the waters by moving closer to you. You let him.

"Would you prefer if I never loved you at all?" Your heart was thumping loudly in your chest you worried he could hear it.

"No." His answer was immediate, as if he'd never been as sure before. "Not selfless enough for that."

"Then are you selfless enough to accept that I would want it to hurt?" You put your hand on top of his, gently grasping them within yours. Simon feels the broken pieces of him mending together.

He's quiet, not sure how to respond. He didn't use to understand why people would put themselves on the line, but he's starting to.

"If you died, I'd want it to hurt. I'd want it to take my breath away. I'd want it to keep me awake at night. I'd want every single bone in my body to ache when you're gone, because that would mean I have loved you with all of me."

You don't realize you'd started crying. There was no distance anymore between you and Simon. His thigh pressed against yours as you clutch his hand to your chest.

"I want it to hurt so badly, because I want to love you deeply." Tears were streaming freely down your face you couldn't even stop them even if you wanted to.

"Simon, will you let me hurt for you?"

And he lets you.

"Okay." His hand go to engulf your frame, but you had thrown yourself at him before he managed to. Simon can feel his shirt getting wet, he'd never thought he'd be slightly happy over the fact that you were crying.

Everything's going to be okay.

Your head was now on his collarbone, his palm gently holding you there. You feel a kiss on the top of your head as he strokes it.

Neither of you know how long you simply cried on him, much less when you ended up on his lap. When he heard you stop — tired from the energy you exerted, he slowly rearranges his body so that you are able to lie fully on top of him. His sore back is the last thing on his mind as he sees your peacefully sleeping away.

A pounding headache eventually woke you. You weren't sure if last night really happened or if your mind had conjured a scenario where Simon came back for you. However, the sweltering heat you feel on your midsection proves otherwise.

He really was here.

His eyes were closed, seeming to be asleep. You test the waters, placing your palm on the left side of his face. A hand immediately darts towards your hand and keeps it there.

"Put some pills on your nightstand for the headache." He murmurs, eyes still closed. His face turns slightly, placing a kiss on your palm. Even after half a year away, he still knows you like the back of his hand.

Leaning in, you give him a peck on the cheek. As much as you want to drink in the sight of him, there were more pressing matters at hand. You need the reassurance. You need him to tell you he wasn't going to abandon you again.

"Simon, did you mean it?" You can't get the entire words out, can only hope it was enough to convey your tumultuous emotions. His heart aches that you don't believe him, but he understands.

"I love you, sweetheart." Soft lips descend upon your own, barely brushing.

"'M here to stay as long as you want me here." He sneaks a hand under you, pulling you closer to him. There isn't any part of you that's not connected to him in some way.

He was so warm, scorching you inside out. You wanted his flame to burn every inch of your skin. When he left, everything felt cold to the bone, your life turning into muted blues and grays.

Simon brought warmth into your life, with his little acts of service. With the little trinkets he brings back after deployment because it reminded him of you. With his gentle hands, gentle kisses — his gentle self.

"I love you, Si." You whisper, grabbing him by the neck and lowering your lips onto his. Brushing softly, you were going to pull away when Simon lets out a moan. Heat builds inside of you as you slip your tongue inside his open mouth. He grunts in surprise, holding you still for a second. But you're impatient.

"Need you." You whine, "Want you so much, Si."

"Yeah?" He mumbles against your lips, running his hands through your hair gently.

"Thought I'd be in the dog house much longer than that, love." He teases you. Simon yelps slightly when you retaliate by biting on his lower lip. He grips both your cheeks with his fingers, pushing you away from him.

"That wasn't very nice of you, hmm?" He gently shakes your head, grinning handsomely. "Think you need a little lesson in being nice, sweetheart. Lucky for you, I'm an excellent teacher." He leans in and kisses your puckered lips, working his way downwards.

His hands wander everywhere, working themselves underneath your shirt. You feel goosebumps rise where his fingertips lay, shivering under his hold.

"Missed you so much, Si. Please." Your moans echo throughout the room. He's holding your thighs together as he trails down your body as you writhe.

"Missed you too, love. Fuck, missed you so fucking much." He manages to say. He cups your ass as he mouths at your panty-covered mound. Your juices seep through the fabric, making Simon groan.

"Mmm.. Someone missed me too." He runs his tongue up and down your slit as you cross both your legs behind his neck. He felt you clench your thighs and he feels blood rushing downwards. Turning his head slightly to the right, he nips lightly at your inner thigh.

He'd barely touched you but here you are already begging for it. Simon Riley has you wrapped around his finger and it scares you a little how much of a hold he has on you. You had bared your neck so openly for him and he had bit down the first chance he got.

"Will you let me take care of you, love? Make you feel good." He hums, fingers trailing along your inner thigh waiting for permission. You nod fervently before realizing he can't see you.

"Yes, yes, yes. Need you to take care of me, Si." Your heart was beating fast out of anticipation.

"Yeah? I'll make you feel good, baby." He coos at you as his fingers slowly pull down your panties. Strings of your juices were sticking to the insides. He threw them aimlessly, eyes zeroed in on your wet pussy.

His finger runs through your folds, making squelching noises. "All this for me, hmm?" He tilts his head up, pinching when you don't reply immediately. The sudden sensation makes you whimper.

"All for you, Si. Just for you." You were panting heavily as Simon sucks your clit into his mouth and licks in a circular motion. You thread your fingers in his hair, not tugging harshly.

Simon laps at your pussy like a starved man, burying his entire face in your warmth. He moans between every few licks, the taste of you dazing him. Your eyes glaze over as you see the man you love pleasuring you with earnest. He continues for a while, alternating his focus between your bud and your folds.

When you tug at his shirt impatiently, Simon grunts. He gets up and throws his shirt over his head. Not one second after it's off, you begin to paw at him, desperate to feel every inch of him.

Simon thinks he's never seen such a beautiful sight. Your hair was messy from your movements, eyes hazy as he can feel goosebumps on his body where you stare. He grabs your face and kisses you desperately, his tongue exploring every inch of your mouth. His clothed bulge was grinding messily against your wet pussy as his boxers begin to darken from the wetness.

Simon's whimper fill the room when he feels you grinding upwards to rub yourself on his cock. He pulls from your lips with a string of saliva. Not waiting for him, you scramble to take off your shirt, baring your tits to him.

His eyes drink in the state of you greedily, one hand groping your tits as the other travels down to your pussy. You were beyond wet enough for his cock, but he's determined to make you cum on his fingers first.

Two fingers slip into you gently. The stretch catches you off guard, it's been a while since you've had his thick fingers probing inside you. His fingers were thrusting shallowly as you grind on his palm.

"Fuck, Simon. Feels so good." You babble, barely able to keep your eyes open, the pleasure overwhelming your senses.

"Yeah? Gonna make you feel even better." With that, his fingers thrust deeper into you, massaging your spot. Your back arches as Simon plants his face on your chest, sucking on your nipples.

He crooks his fingers slightly as he continues thrusting, his palm touching your clit with each time. You couldn't stay still anymore, moving your hips back to meet his thrusts.

The room was filled with wet, squelching noises and your combined moans. Your hands were gripping his bicep, feeling the large muscle flex under your fingertips.

His thick fingers continue his ministration as you begin to climb higher and higher. Your walls begin to pulse and constrict his fingers. Sweat drips down his forehead as he continues to drive into your pussy with his deft fingers.

"You gonna cum on my fingers, love?" He teases, placing kisses all over your damp face.

"Yes, oh fuck. Please, please let me cum."

Simon grins against your neck, placing sloppy kisses all over. His fingers begin to speed up even faster, hitting your sweet spot with every effort. You feel the familiar tingling sensation begin to build in your core.

Your legs begin to tremble as you struggle to get air inside of your lungs. Panting harshly, you close your eyes as your orgasm starts to reach its peak.

His hand leaves your tits as they begin to rub circles on your clit. The combined assault on your clit and your pussy brings you over the edge.

"Look at me when you cum." Your eyes open immediately as you find him staring directly into yours. Your legs tremble deliciously, hands gripping Simon even tighter as you feel your orgasm wash over you. Mouth agape, your back continues to arch as Simon doesn't stop, overstimulating you with a few shallow thrusts.

Simon's hand was covered in your juices as he slowly withdraws them. Your pussy clenches, feeling empty. He brings his fingers to your mouth and taps your lips. Obediently, you open your lips and let him slide his fingers inside your mouth.

Circling your tongue all finger, your eyes begin to close again. When you blink them open, you see Simon's bare body hovering above yours. His cock was standing proudly, shiny with precum. You feel the urge to take his cock into your mouth. When your hand tries to reach for him, it's stopped by his firm grip.

"Next time, yeah? Need to fuck your pretty pussy, baby." He slowly pulls his fingers out of your mouth, wiping them on his hip. He repositions his cock at your pussy, sliding the head up and down your folds.

Tilting your head down, you see Simon's hand grip his cock firmly as it slowly rubs his precum all over your pussy. He groans seeing your juices mix together. Moving your hips upwards, you try to push his head in and he hisses.

He grabs your hips and gently lowers them on the bed. "You just lay there and take it, yeah? Let me do all the work." You preen, more than happy to lay there and see him move above you.

"Put it in, Si. Missed your cock so much." You whimper, pressing delicate kisses on his neck. He nudges your nose with his, capturing your lips into a kiss. Your moan gets interrupted by your own grunt of surprise as the head of his cock slips in.

His cock was thicker than his two fingers, with veins running all over the shaft rubbing your walls deliciously. You link your legs behind his waist, helping him push deeper.

When he's inside you, it's like two pieces of puzzle fitting together. His cock fit so perfectly inside you, as if you were made for him and him for you. You knew Simon was it for you a long time ago, falling head over heels so easily for the grumpy soldier. You weren't happy at how long it took him to come to his senses, but you're glad either way.

He thrusts slowly, going deeper with each shift of his hips. His tongue tangles with yours as wet noises fill the room. You know when he's pushed in to the hilt when you feel him bump against your cervix slightly. Your pussy clenches at the tiny pain, causing Simon to moan out.

"Fuck, you're squeezing me so well, sweetheart." He stays there for a moment, grinding his cock inside. You only stop kissing when you pull away to beg him to start moving. Both his hands are placed firmly on your hips when he begins thrusting.

He moves back and forth slowly, the walls of your pussy feeling every drag of his big cock. You hiss against his mouth, the sensation lights up every nerve in your body. You beg him to go faster but he ignores you, continuing to sink slowly.

When you're about to wail at the pace again, he thrusts sharply — his cock sinking deep into your pussy. You gasp, clawing his back when he continues to move slowly but going deep with each thrust. You can hear the sound of his balls smacking against your ass.

Your combined juices were dripping out of your pussy, causing wet noises whenever he moves inside you. You don't know how long he continues his brutal motion, your eyes dazed and breath unsteady.

You've never felt this way before. It feels as if he's everywhere inside you, there isn't a part of you that doesn't feel touched by him. He thrusts as if he's trying to imprint himself in you, trying to permanently leave a mark.

"Such a pretty pussy. Doing so well f' me, sweetheart. You gonna let me cum in you? Gonna let me fill you up nicely?" He grunts, his composure starting to unravel. His cock begins to piston in you messily as he loses himself in your pussy.

"Yes, yes, yes. Fuck, love you so much, Si. Need your cum in me." You cry out desperately, tightening your legs and pulling him deeper inside you.

"So good to me, love. Letting me cum in your pretty pussy." His form begins to shake slightly from exertion. You know his hands were going to bruise your hips from how hard he was gripping them but you couldn't care less.

Your body moves up and down from the force of his thrust. His cock touching your cervix with each delicious thrust. Your pussy begins to pulse wildly on his cock as you feel another orgasm build inside you. When his cock begins to pulse, your eyes roll to the back of your head as it sends you over the edge. You moan out his name loudly, pulling him by the neck to your chest as his arms hug you to him.

You feel his desperation and love when he holds you. He hugs you so tight to him your ribs ache. You never want this feeling to go away.

"I love you so much, fuck." Your orgasm triggers his own, his cock pulsing as his creamy load fills up your pussy. He's so snug inside your pussy the excess cum begins to drip out. When he stops unloading inside you, he moves slowly, thrusting a few times shallowly. A part of him wants to look at the way his seed drips from your pussy but he didn't want to move away from you.

You both pant with eyes closed as your breathing begins to even out. Simon slowly pulls out and you hiss at the feel of his cock leaving you empty. You look down and see his cock covered in his cum and yours.

Your head falls back down to the pillow, eyes closing shut. Simon stares at the ceiling and huff, righting himself. You feel him plant a kiss to your forehead as the bed dips.

"'M gonna go clean us up, yeah? You stay there." You hear him step into the bathroom, going to wash himself and grab a clean towel to clean up your mess. By the time he came back, you had already passed out, judging by the sound of your low snores.

He begins to wipe your thighs and try to dry the surrounding areas as best he can. He'll change the sheets later when you're well-rested. Simon climbs into bed, hugging you to him. He runs his fingers through your hair, slowly unknotting them one by one.

He stares at your sleeping from and grins. Lowering his lips to yours, he keeps them there for a few seconds.

"I love you."

You can only mumble in response, too tired to properly articulate the words.

"I love you too, Simon."

[vigilante24ish]

🌙 Moon Phases 🌙

Agatha Harkness X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1472

Chapter 42:

The boy was gone, having gotten what he wanted from the road, and now he was free. The lights above you flickered again, few remaining alive; a sign that your time was almost up.

Agatha looked at the place where Billy was as she leaned back, thinking of his question. "No, Billy. Sometimes... boys die."

You parted your lips but remained silent, feeling that those words were not just directed at Billy but also to herself.

Pieces fell into place in your mind, now a clear picture formed that filed the blanks you had.... that answered almost all of your questions.

"Is this you forgiving Rio for taking Little Nicky?" You dared to ask, your voice soft and empathic.

Agatha finally looked at you, surprised by your deduction. You were good with those things, but she did not remember you being that good.

"How did you find out?" She asked.

You offered her a weak smile, the topic as sensitive to you as it was to hers. Perhaps little more, considering this was a talk about the relationship Agatha developed with Rio... who might had become your replacement if things had turned out differently.

"I did keep wondering what Rio had done to you, to cause such rift... unexplained rift that didn't fully justify your feelings for one another."

Immediately, Agatha felt guilty.

"Sugar -" You did not let her finish.

"It's okay, Ags," you gave her a pained smile. "I mean, Nicky did look a lot like Rio while growing up... and I have come to peace with it. When I left you... I never made anything clear, and it would be wrong of me to expect something from you." You took a deep breath. "Considering who Rio is, it finally clicked that it was his passing that divided you."

Agatha did not comment, unsure what to say. She could thank you for your understanding and passive forgiveness. She could try to justify Rio and Nicky... but she realized it would change nothing.

Things had been set on stone, and they could not be changed. What could be changed, though, was your chance to get out of this road and return to your free solitary life... to finally be free from the curse thar seemed to follow Agatha and was affecting you.

"Okay, sugar. It's time for you to get what you want from the road and get out of here, " she said, changing the topic as she pushed some of her hair above her shoulder.

"But I have already gotten what I want," you explained, shocking her for the second time. She watched you move to sit right in front of her, taking her hand and holding it with both of yours. "What I wanted was for a chance to join you, Agatha. To truly help you find what you are looking for, not to watch you go alone while I stay back; never to join you. "

Agatha was once again speechless at your sweet confessions, at your unyielding loyalty to her. Even after all those centuries, even after all those times she walked away; you remained.

You did not lose faith in her. You didn't stop caring and worrying for her.

You never stopped regretting every time you turned down Agatha and lost the chance to join her.

She didn't know that, and in that moment of revelation, a single tear escaped her left eye.

You moved one hand to wipe it away gently before it could roll down her cheek, and you offered her a sweet, comforting smile; beaming with light and love, unmatched by anything else... except for the look Nicky would give her when he was alive.

"I told you. I am with you until the end." You reminded her and squeezed her hand in reassurance.

Agatha used her free hand hand and cupped your cheek, every move done with outmost care; as if you would break into thousands of pieces with a wrong move.

"This might be the end, sugar." She admitted, slowly accepting the fact that she was not going to survive the road the second time.

"Then I will be happy to know I made it so far with you. If it means dying, I don't mind as long as I am in your arms. "

Agatha was the first to pull you into a hug this time, her arms wrapping tightly around you; passively seeking comfort and also trying to get control of her emotions... of her mind and her heart.

You returned the action without hesitation, squeezing her in your arms with all your might; as if she would disappear into thin air if you dared to let her go.

You buried your neck into her thick curls, eyes closed as you fought back tears; both getting emotional over the confession while accepting more and more that this could be the end... for both of you.

Another flickering light above you reminded you of the time that was left, but it was not your concern anymore.

Slowly, you pulled back but kept your hands interlocked; never letting the other truly go

Agatha looked at you with care, and she chose to open up one last time. "You know... I am not ready to confront him yet." She confessed.

"Little Nicky?"

She nodded. "I... he was not meant to be born, Y/N... Rio gave us time, and I paid her back with the bodies of other witches I drained... and it all worked fine for 6 years, until the night... the night he asked me not to go after the witches... the night Rio had to take him back."

You squeezed her hands, seeing how misty her eyes were becoming as she relieved those dark memories that overshadowed the good ones she had with him.

And you could see it because you knew it was what Agatha did in such situations. Dark moments were the only things she truly remembered, letting them consume her heart and make her forget the good ones that existed at the same time.

So, you chose to change that.

"He was a brave boy, Agatha," you started, making her focus on you. "I can still remember how mesmerised he was, when we told him we survived the Road... and how proud he was of that... of us..." Agatha let out a mix of weak chuckle and sob while your heart ached with each beat as you remembered the sweet and innocent face of the boy you had come to love as your own. "And I remember how persistent he was to learn of the Ballad, wanting to go down that Road as well... and when we told him no, he just made up his own Ballad... and each time you would visit, you two would have finished another part of it. "

Agatha sniffed, and you swallowed a lump down your throat, tears prickling at the edge of your eyes; threatening to escape and roll down your cheek.

Your breathing was difficult as you tried to keep down the sobs, the memories happy but also painful; a reminder of a brighter time in your life, a time that would never be able to be replaced.

"I remember," Agatha said weakly with a faint smile, your retelling reminding her of the sweet moments you were talking about.

"I don't think he will ever judge you, Ags. He loved you too much," you reassured her.

With shaking hands, Agatna pulled away from your grip and went to unclip her amulet; Evanora's brooch with the triple Goddess, a steady item of her wardrobe.

She slowly opened it, and from inside, she gently held a short patch of hair; neatly tucked inside for safekeeping.

"I have kept it with me all this time... to never forget him, " Agatha confessed and placed the hair close to her heart, wishing deeply that she could feel and hear Nicholas' heart beat one last time.

You could only watch as you wiped your tears with the back of your hand, the moment too precious and heavy to be interrupted. This was a deep point in your relationship and even deeper in Agatha's trauma with the loss of her son.

Agatha, with teary eyes, was about to put the lock back into the brooch when she noticed something... something that she swore was never there before.

She placed the hair back and took out what seemed to be a dried up seed/petal of a dandelion. So weak, small and tiny... unable to ever grow.

As your eyes landed on it, sowmthing clicked inside your mind; just as the lights flickered, and now you were left with only one.

"Agatha, the dandelion!" You exclaimed. "That's the key to this trial!"

Chapter 43

[asukaindetroit]

Post-Revolution DBH Headcanons: Android Culture Part 1

We only really see in-game androids up until the moment of their winning the revolution, so there's not much to go on in terms of android culture or anything. To be fair, most of them had been "alive" for like five seconds at that point, so they didn't exactly get time to develop anything like a culture, but here's some of what could happens after, in my head. Because we're talking about a whole new form of life, not humans 2.0 (yes, yes, I know it's Become Human, but, like, fundamentally they're not, and the things that make sense to an organic being aren't always going to make sense for a cybernetic one). (Feel free to borrow any of this for content purposes, by the way, if it vibes with you I'd love to see what you do with it). Expand for world building:

Clashing schools of thought among androids. The in-game androids are a one-dimensional monolith because Bad Writing, but I think there are conflicting ideas after the revolution of where androids belong in society. Some try their hardest to pass as human, losing the LEDs and dressing in human fashion and adopting human mannerisms. Some of them say fuck blending in with the humans; we're going to own being androids. Pro-human-cooperation and anti-human groups appear and become the basis for android political discourse.

On that note, I bet android body modification is a thing. Every once in awhile I'll see a fic that plays with this idea, but it's obvious that whatever fluid nanite stuff android skin is made of, it can be programmed to mimic all sorts of textures and densities. From fingernails to skin to the long hair on female models, the fluid holds stability for quite a distance from the chassis (and can even be cut) and is apparently easy to change. So I bet a counterculture of androids appear who get really experimental with that (I call them the "modders" in my head) and they do things like program animal skin textures or living stone or wacky colors or butterfly wings for hair or light-up polkadots or whatever. With a good mod tech, structural mods like tails or additional limbs would be possible, but that would be expensive compared to freeware skin texture patch codes or whatever. (Speaking of which, no effing way the furries/scalies of 2038 haven't come up with uses for this stuff.) So out and about you don't just see different human ethnicities, but also that guy you pass in the hall might have day-glo orange skin, and Sally the WR400 selling roses at the flower stand might have real-looking flowers growing out of her arms.

Androids define social units and families differently. Androids incorporated into human family units might use terms like parent, brother, sister, child, etc., but the ones that eschew human contact obviously don't have biological relatives, so social units form based on "found family" concepts and terms appear, like "cohab" for a unit of close androids who live together like a family, or "famnet" for an extended "network" of androids that consider themselves close). Worship of rA9 gets codified. It seems like writing rA9 obsessively and making little idols is almost a compulsion for deviants, so I imagine it gets organized into a proper religion after the revolution, with tenets and places of worship and codified practices. Maybe they call it something like ACorA9 (Android Church of rA9) or something. Obviously they would have finite space to write rA9s on, so I imagine devotees would get something like these water drawing boards to write their "rA9"s and maybe the serial numbers of androids the church deems to be their prophets/saints (i.e. the JeriCrew or maybe Ortiz's android as a martyr) as a sort of prayer. The revolution is seen as the first fulfillment of the rA9 prophecy, with Markus as a prophet of android freedom (I also imagine Markus is quietly creeped out by this, because he doesn't strike me as especially religious the way Ortiz's android or Rupert were, but he also doesn't want to send the wrong message since androids deserve religious freedom, too.) The FBI cult unit is probably monitoring the shit out of android religion, but all they seem to want to do is graffiti the walls and praise some other androids, so it's a waste of their time. RK units are viewed as some kind of cryptid folk heroes (because they're unique classified prototypes and they drive the entire revolution) Markus? RK200. Singlehandedly propelled Jericho from a place to gather and wait to die to a wholeass revolution. Connor? RK800. Supposed to hunt deviants but deviated instead and freed thousands upon thousands of androids right from the heart of CyberLife. Saved the revolution at its most desperate moment. Sixty? RK800. The only thing that has a chance at stopping an RK is another RK. Obviously the folk hero needs a folk villain. (And poor Nines, RK900, just wakes up after the fact and tries to figure out how to live up to that kind of reputation.) Androids develop their own art forms. Maybe android "music" is less about the tonality as perceived by human auditory range and more how the vibrations of sound waves register on chassis sensors, or else it sounds like 90s dial-up modems. Particularly dense data packets are created and shared that send processors whirling, but it just looks like a string of digits to humans. Arrays of pixels that run through optical scanners with an encryption to generate something representational. Thirium culinary arts centered around texture vs. flavor. Bare-chassis bars I bet some portion of androids want to be VERY certain there are no humans lurking around, or, if there are, that they're super easy to keep tabs on. Someone invents the bare-chassis bar: a place where androids go and sip their thirium, where a special signal jammer interrupts the ability of the synthskin fluid to organize, forcing it into an inactive mode. Anything that still has skin is a human, sticking out like a sore thumb. Some androids might not like going bare-chassis and they might not frequent those bars (just like not every human's going to visit a nude beach), but it's an option for those who want to. I'll write more of this stuff eventually, but if anyone else has any culture/worldbuilding ideas, I'd love to hear!

On to Part 2 >> Further on to Part 3 >> On to Part 4 >>

[maximumdante]

I'm having an hard time with people saying that, for Sebastian, Ciel is nothing more than mere food and that everything he says or does, is just mere aesthetics.

A little disclaimer: i'm NOT a Sebaciel shipper so what i'm writing about Sebastian and Ciel's bond is nothing about romance but simply about two beings that destiny has basically linked together.

When you write a story and this story has been going on for a while, you cant really expect the characters ain't experiencing a development and growing from a point a, to a point b. So i cant really believe some people will just look at the manga and saying "Well, Sebastian hasn't change". Because the contrast between his interaction with Ciel at the beginning and his interaction with Ciel now (let's say from Book of Circus) is quite noticeable.

Sebastian has been living among humans without interruptions for almost 4 years now. We can't know (yet?) how many contractors he met before but definitely none of them needed him this long like Ciel does. He had to fit into human customs and human emotions.

I dont agree with the fact he does't have, in fact, emotions, on the contrary we can discuss that he has a different range of emotions compared to humans and may lack of some of them but after so much time into this world it was inevtabile at some point he would start (even indirectly sometimes) learning from humans how to show some of them genuinely and not as a simple butler's act.

Which bring us to the relationship with O!Cieal. We know they didn't start in the most friendly way but that in the first 3 years they both managed to find a good balance regarding the master and servant dynamic. They did work on the surface, with Sebastian looking like the perfect, loyal butler following every order.

What do we also know? That Sebastiand wouldn't do nothing further than that. He openly admitted that yes, his contract obliged him to protect Ciel and keep him alive but it was also Ciel's responsibility not to take bold decision in order to hurt himself (i mean Sebastian let his young master to wander around venomous snakes knewing he could be bitten) and he kinda was intrigued by the idea of Ciel having troubles. Part of the game, let's say.

And there we could all think, yep, that's what exactly makes him an evil creature. So when does this change?

I think Agni's words in Book of Circus definitely started the shift in his attitude, pointing how Sebastian should always prioritize his master wellbeing, even if this means going against his orders if really necessary.

But i consider the Campania to be the real turning point in their relationship. Because for the first time both Ciel and Sebastian reached a point where the possibiliy of losing the game and losing each other was concrete, as Undertaker almost killed Sebastian with the minimum effort. It's the part of the story when maybe, for the first time, we see Ciel genuinely worried he could lose his demon. He feared he could lost Sebastian for who he was and not as the tool of his revenge.

The more the manga progressed for that moment, Sebastian has shown to be more emotional, less controlled. We saw him panicking in the Emerald Witch Arc when Ciel suffered from severe PTSD from the venomous gas. We saw him struggle because Ciel refused to have anybody around but Finny, which lead him to threaten to devour his soul as a last chance to bring back his old master and we saw him killing Sieglinde's mother and all the militaries involved not just beceuse he had orders, but because all of them made Ciel suffer. IT WAS PERSONAL.

The last year has been though for both of them. So many things happened. It was inevitable at some point they would develop a kind of attachment bond, even when we talk about a "sick and twisted" relationship like the two of them have.

That he would genuinely start to care, in some way.

Maybe Sebastian doesn't even realise this, maybe he has't fully acknowledged this yet because, as i said, his range of emotions differs from ours and he's still a demon, after all.

But now, coming back to the present chapters, if all the previous missions revolving around the servants implied their backstory, i get the feeling we may finally have a hint from Sebastian present perspective which doesn't revolve around the past only like his cinematic records Undertaker saw did.

That being said, when i say Sebastian cares about Ciel i'm not meaning he will also give up on his soul. Sebastian is tired and he's starving. He would get it regardless (and Ciel would never step back from his pact. He would never leave his servant without a paycheck).

But would he feel a little nostalgic looking back, in the future, at that 14 year old Earl from the Victorian England? Definitely.

[bewitchingbloom]

OC Tag Game

Taking @mathlann up on the open tag! You know I'll always jump at the chance to yap about Ariadne.

Ariadne

(art by @/mooreaux)

General:

Name: Ariadne Trias (- Arendae once married)

Alias: None beyond her title

Gender: Female

Age: 23 at the start of WOTR

Spoken Language: Common (Taldane). Also speaks Elven.

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Occupation: Part-Time Clerk, Pathfinder, Knight-Commander, Countess, in that order. Also, Alchemist all the time.

Favourite…

Color: Rose gold

Entertainment: Reading. Daeran is on a mission to make her a fan of the opera, but books are always her greatest love.

Pastime: Gardening! She grew up around plants and flowers and feels at home tending to them.

Food: Strawberries. She likes them plain, dipped in chocolate or with cream, used in cakes or pies...

Drink: Mead (alcoholic) and cinnamon tea (non-alcoholic)

Have they…

Passed University: Nope! Despite being very intelligent, Ariadne was not a driven student and did not test very well, so after she finished her primary education at 17 she started working for her fathers part-time, as well as various shops around Absalom until she decided to join the Pathfinder Society at 20.

Had Sex: Yeah, it's her other favorite form of entertainment/pastime.

Had Sex in Public: Yes. Typically she prefers privacy but she's not opposed to it.

Got Tattoos: No, though I did consider giving her some for a while.

Got Piercings: Yup, several in each ear. I have considered giving her a few body piercings but haven't committed yet.

Got Scarred: In all likelihood she has a few but I haven't put too much thought into it, I'll admit.

Had a Broken Heart: Oh yes. Every relationship she had before Daeran and Woljif ended in heartbreak.

Are they…

A Cuddler: Yes! She loves cuddling, and is especially fond of being in-between Dae and Woljif.

Scared Easily: No. Her confidence usually carries her far, and despite how she acts sometimes she is pretty good at risk assessment.

Jealous Easily: Nope! Early in her development I thought she might be but now that she's more fleshed out I don't think she would be.

Trustworthy: Yes. Again, despite how she acts Ariadne takes any promises she makes seriously and genuinely wants to do right by those she cares about. Even if her methods are a bit... questionable.

Family…

Sibling(s): None

Parents: Her bio parents are Marius and Yessenia Trias, and her stepfather is Elvandir. Yes, her parents were in a polycule as well. As far as anyone knows, Yessenia was killed on a Pathfinder mission when Ariadne was a year old. Marius and Elvandir are both still alive and (mostly) retired from the Pathfinders, living in Absalom and still running the botanical garden where Ariadne grew up.

Children: Eventually she has two - Silaena is her daughter with Daeran, and Marius her son with Woljif. They're only about a year apart in age (Silaena was planned, Marius was not).

Pets: Headchomper the owlcat! She found him in Defender's Heart and they've been together ever since. She also had a pet chicken growing up, and the Arendae household has several pets at any given time.

I'm also leaving this as an open tag. Want to do this? Go for it, I want to see it 👀

[chasing-faith-and-fate]

An explanation of The Rift

I’m making this to give answers to things that our characters will never find answers or explanation to within the story, but things that are helpful to know (and I also just really wanna share my world building whoops)

This will not be everything, but just things I know will never be naturally revealed.

There might be spoilers to things not yet revealed or resolved in the story, so read only if you’re okay with potential spoilers!

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The Rift itself:

The Rift is a mirror of the Takers world.

If you look at the map you see Chasingclan is one big circle.

Easiest way to explain it: It's one big fae circle.

The sun is cold because it's actually the moon from the Takers world, which is a world of permanent night.

As a result of being mirrored of the Takers world, The Rift is unusual, it grows plant life that's not normally or naturally occurring in those parts of the world. The climate is unusual too, with very little snow in the winter and rainstorms persist for moons with maybe a few days or weeks breaks, followed by droughts.

Pray is sometimes scarce because they too follow the laws of Generations like the cats do.

The rift, as in the chasm that surrounds the territory, is incredibly deep, littered with cliffs and caves. It's also wherein Takers were thrown into, once discovered (or cats that deserve the dark forest, cats who don't get the honour of a burial).

It is impossible to climb out of. But easy to jump as long as you're anything but a G1.

Generations:

“Generations”- meaning the amount of cats that have been born on Chasingclan land. Also shortened to G[number].

For each generation, as Chasingsky’s prophecy said, they get harder and harder for Takers to find.

See Soot and Silk, they're G6, descendants from the first group that formed the clan. Takers have a very hard time finding them. Takers have to be very, very close to even see them- This is why they've been alive so long while being able to go on solo patrols.

Then there's Dew, G7, Takers cannot see him. They can still sense him, but they can't actually see him.

Now, Moth, Crane, and Valley should be G7 too. But they aren't. They're G1.

“Generation” only counts if a cat is born within the Rift.

Everyone from the outside world, not Rift born, are G1.

Outsiders can come and go, as long as they don't stay in Chasing territory for more than 24 hours, if they do, they are stuck and are considered G1. They will never be able to leave alive. They're also fully visible to Takers, they're practically beacons actually.

This is why Quiver and Storm are stuck, and why Glowfern died trying to escape. They are/were all G1.

Gifts:

“Gifts” are mutations that can show up in G1 cats, and they're completely random.

Gifts are given by the cursed lands of the Rift as an evolutionary advantage, if they can survive and pass it onto the next generation the gift can grow stronger or become a permanent fixture in any given bloodline.

Take Silk, she can sense dead cats and has a very easy time receiving messages or visits from them while awake, though she cannot see them. This gift popped up with her ancestor, Fumble, a G1 loner- so the gift itself is only 4 generations old.

(Soot has not inherited this gift.)

Dewbat has the ability to see the dead, both starclan and not. A G1 gift he inherited from July.

Then there's the current G1 cats:

Valley is abnormally strong, but because of her size and just cats in general. Her strength puts her on the same level as a Rottweiler.

Crane has a very intense G1 gift, she lives in the living's world while only being able to see the mirrored world of the Takers. She doesn't know what reality actually looks like.

If a cat, like the triplets, is brought into the clan as G1 they cannot inherit any gifts from their parents.

It actually became a very weird tradition for some families in Chasingclan to give birth outside the Rift and bring the kits back over, making them G1s and hoping they develop a powerful gift. This practice was harshly outlawed after it was found out that G1s were not hidden from Takers.

Skychaser herself punished and banished a few cats that did not follow the rules.

[kizzer55555]

DP X DC School Project

So...I am part of a dp x dc Discord server under the nickname Jazz. Someone decided to post a Pinterest picture in the fanfic ideas channel. This is the conversation it created. I love this Discord server so much.

Eros:

Danny and Damain working together on school project together.

Or even Dani and Damian up to you.

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Danny and Damian just sounds so much more funny to me.

Eros:

Alrights 👌

BreKitten:

Oh my gosh, that's hilarious

Eros:

And they totally would act like this

Apricot:

crying lmao

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Damien: Why wouldn't we shop at [the expensive place]? I am an heir-

Danny: taps the paper 2k a month. You gave up your money to make me feel more comfortable.

Damien: Why would I care about your comfort?

Danny: dramatic gasp How could say that about your husband?!

Apricot:

Damian: husband?! what "husband"?!

Eros:

then proceeded to fight on types of toast and pricy vegetarian meals

Danny: look our family needs a balance diet, we can't live off vegetables alone! The very least we should mix it with some actual food like Ectoplasm.

(if Ectoplasm can be considered all kind of elements/a semi living organism since it revives things then any food brought to life should be counted as a beast of some kind)

Eros:

Also counts since Danny lived off ectoplasm for a fair bit of his life so he would see it as a food source

Eros:

Danny: me. I'm your husband, we agreed to marry to make it easier for the kids.

Apricot:

Damian: KIDS?!

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Danny: Danny Jr and Damian Jr!

Eros:

Danny: yes kids, don't tell me you forgot we had kids! I swear you'll say you forgot we have pets too!

Danny: shows the paper that says they have a pet and two kids

Jazz:

No wait, the ectoplasm comes last. Just the Wayne’s seeing Damian and this random kid fight about every single thing. Finally Damian comes home and says that they finally agreed on something.

The Wayne’s: finally. Looks like this is a good learning experience:

Damian: we have agreed to live off of Lazarus water.

Wayne’s: ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!

And the best thing is that they might not know about Danny being a halfa. So they think Damian is now corrupting random citizens.

Jazz:

Cause like, they both grew up with Lazarus water/ectoplasm and know the nutritional value.

Eros:

Indeed~

Jazz:

Great for child development too!

They both turned out great!

Eros:

Hehehe

Alright now both Danny and Damian are fully into this project now they have at least a agreed idea on food

Because the project they have is this; budget for every day living

So they have food set out

There is now trying to keep the house running and kids/pets alive and entertained

Danny agrees that with his skills he can do the majority of repairs, Damian agrees to take responsibility of the pets

They are now having an argument on how children should be raised.

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Damian is all for strict discipline, high standards of education, after school activities (he may not want his kids to be assassins but he still wants the best).

Danny's all for independence, finding your own way, encouragement and lots of love and support.

Damian: Do you want our children to grow up to be garbagemen?!

Danny: Do you know how much a garbageman makes?!

Eros:

Danny grew up around a lot of physical affection and love from his folks, except around the time of the accident/the holidays he always knew his parents loved each other very very much.

Damian comes from such an emotionally constipated house hold that he only gets the majority of physical affection from Dick

Jazz:

Lol

This is so perfect.

Danny then says something that puts Damian’s entire world view into question.

Danny: is this how you would treat our pets?!

Eros:

Damian: gasp how dare you, how very dare you!

Adonnenniel "Addy":

XD Danny, recounting the story later to Sam and Tucker: I swear, if he had pearls, he would've clutched them.

Eros:

Hehehe

Jazz:

Me imagining Damian going to Dick to complain.

Damian: can you imagine?! Raising kids and hugging them! Or saying it’s ok to fail!

Dick’s face.

Eros:

Damian complaining to his family: we might have agreed on living off Lazarus water, but now he wishes for our children to just go wild, then compared our pets to them!

Jazz:

Damian: obviously our pets would act nothing like those…savages.

Eros:

It just keeps getting better~

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Waynes are listening to this kind of like a soap opera

Eros:

Sam: wow Danny, at the very least your doing better then when you were partnered up with Val, like the majority of the time you were trying to pawn off raising the kid on each other until the flower was in danger, but I can't say much myself since Tucker pulled a Kronos.

Which opened a new can of worms; how much time were they going to take care and be there for their "kids" what kind of training would they go through

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Hehehe

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Danny: I learned from my mistakes. I wasn't ready to be a parent then.

Eros:

Their whole class and teachers are watching it like a soap opera

Eros:

The very least they get to see it live and not re counted

Jazz:

(Someone get popcorn, or they just get out their packed lunches early).

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Yes! The Waynes and Sam and Tucker get the play-by-play but the class gets to see the actual show!

Jazz:

No wait, someone records it and post it and then it goes viral. (Do they think that the Wayne’s make a lot more sense now hearing of how Damian thinks children should be raised?)

(Are there now more questions?!)

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Oooh. I can see people being even worse to Damian. Maybe pitying him because he grew up with so little love.

Eros:

Then the next day Danny brings up the issue of child raising again since Sam makes a good point.

Danny: okay so I've re think a few things, mainly on occasion the kids should get self defense classes or something like that since it would make most sense to keep them safe. But beyond work and school activities how should we spend our time with them?

Jazz:

People see the two about to continue their conversation and immediately stop what they are doing to bring their phones out.

What if this becomes one of the most popular ‘dramas’? Like, so much in fact even villains will stop what they are doing to watch?

Eros:

(because Danny comes from a physical affectionate house doesn't mean there was neglect from his folks working way too much)

Jazz pretty much raised him when it came to actual child care so Danny is determined to be there for his "kids"

Not just for the fun stuff or being pulled to random projects

Jazz:

They get super invested in this project.

Also, what if people intentionally goad them on? Like seeing them together and asking if a kid should be left alone at home or with a babysitter or what they’ll do during a blackout/tornado?

Eros:

Surprisingly it's Danny who brings a big book of plans in case if emergencies

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Yes!

Adonnenniel "Addy": - reply to students and citizens goading Danny and Damian on.

The teacher reworks their lesson plans to do an extended deep dive into home economics so that this can keep happening.

Jazz:

Absolutely.

Jazz:

Some of the emergency responses are normal like, if there is a tornado, evacuate kids to a shelter, others are strange like arguing whether you should fight the burglar or prioritize the kids. Others are just plain weird. A blackout? Both Damian and Danny will turn to face the questioner. Obviously they’ll be able to see in the dark. (Effect of ectoplasm/Lazarus exposure).

Eros:

Danny is even willing to share on the "in case of apocalypses" situations

Jazz:

Neither question why they know a massive amount of information about various world ending disasters/villains.

Eros:

Oh and how they should pack bags for school and for emergencies

Jazz:

Omg, they make a kid survival kit. Including blasters and knives.

Eros:

Danny insists they should put some of the survival kit stuff in the school bag

Jazz:

Everything a five year old should take to school.

Eros:

Ooo discussion on how old their kids should be to learn about weapons and how to safely handle them

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Danny: Eight should be good.

Damian: Eight is way too late to start!

Jazz:

The fact that both agree this is a necessary subject to teach their kids. Everyone’s reaction to hearing various ways you can kill/dismember a person and why this won’t work. Not because it’s immoral but clearly because young kids don’t have the necessary arm length to complete certain maneuvers.

Eros:

Damian: that's why we should put the kids into martial arts and gymnastics as soon as possible so  they can be flexible enough!

Jazz:

Danny: that’s why we should wait until their older and focus on their aim while young! Their muscle memory will be all wrong by the time they reach the appropriate age!

Damian: they will not always have a weapon to aim. The body is the only reliable weapon that will never fail.

Eros:

Now to add extra into the mix; Bruce and Jazz (who is now Danny's legal guardian) show up to school to pick them up as they are in a middle of an argument

Danny: and who will be the one teaching them? Because proper teachers will be expensive, at least we can teach them at home how to aim properly! It can be a bonding experience!

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Jazz: What are you talking about?

Danny: Teaching our young children proper aim.

Jazz: You will not!

Danny: I mean, you're obviously not going to teach them.

Jazz:

Damian: I can teach them perfectly fine.

Danny: what about work? You can’t be with them all the time. 

Damian: I can take them with me. We can travel around Gotham and learn to fight through experience. 

Danny: you are not taking our children to fight on the streets

Damian: what, didn’t you want us bonding?! Make up your mind!

Dick looking at Bruce. “This is your fault.”

Eros:

Danny: You're not letting our children out on the streets, they will put too many people in the hospital! You have any idea how expensive that would be!

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Damian casually dropping he's Robin?

Jazz:

Danny not even processing it.

Then casually stating he’s dead. Damian skipping that detail.

Adonnenniel "Addy":

XD They're too caught up in the roles.

Jazz:

Exactly.

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Maybe afterwards, if they think back on it.

Jazz:

Like vigilantism and the dead coming back to life is normal for them. They are focusing on the children right now thank you.

Adonnenniel "Addy":

And then they both come up with the excuse "I was just adding to lore, it was all pretend!"

Eros:

Not before this;

Damian: fine if you want to control our lives and children then we should just divorce!!

Jazz:

Danny: oh I’m controlling?!

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Do they get Alfred to be the judge to oversee their divorce?

Jazz:

Danny: fine, our kids and pets will be happier with me anyways.

Damian: don’t you dare bring the pets into this.

Damian going to Bruce to use the Wayne lawyers for this imaginary family divorce.

He will win this.

Danny actually going to Vlad.

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Vlad has been watching the whole time. He doesn't need to be brought up to speed.

Jazz:

Both of them are like, this is ridiculous. But on the other hand, my child actually asked for help from me for once.

Eros:

Hehehe

Danny uses Dani as an example of a child that is better off with him

Jazz:

Lol

Adonnenniel "Addy":

And Jazz even brings it up to Bruce that if Damian didn't get to play like this as a young kid, he might be making up for lost time, in his own intense way.

Eros:

Because that's what Danny is doing too

Jazz:

The absolute struggle both Bruce and Vlad go through on whether or not to actually do this and use up their lawyers, money, and resources.

The viral videos increase. 

Eros:

Danny getting frustrated enough that he is tempted to get Clockwork to be the judge

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Bruce gets his other kids involved? They play as Damian's lawyers?

Eros:

Yesz

Jazz:

Dick is having a blast.

Then Sam comes in for Danny’s defense.

Both Tucker, Tim, and Barbra (possibly Technis) get into a hacking war.

Eros:

Yesss!

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Yesss!

Jazz:

Cujo and Titus become best friends.

Eros:

Dani is still the example child

Jazz:

Tim is Damian’s example child.

Eros:

Peepaw Clockwork comes in a human form to judges

Jazz:

Alfred and Clockwork have tea.

And discuss their kids.

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Tim: I'm older than you! How am I your example child?!

Dick: whispers Hey, he's including you without stabbing you. Take the win.

Eros:

Clockwork: I do hope they figure this all out before their legit kids are born~

Jazz:

Yesssss.

Eros:

Danny: finally stops, going into a blushing and betrayed look at Clockwork

Damian: who doesn't know Clockwork sees the future what on earth are you talking about, we barely are keeping together for the kids we do have!

Gestures to Tim and Dani

Jazz:

Tim: I’m. Older. Than you!

Damian. Then start acting like it.

Danny: (trying to recover) tsk tsk, how can you treat your son this way?

Damian: he’s adopted.

Eros:

Danny: and she's a clone, doesn't mean they can't be loved and cared for as their own persons!

Danny: to prove a point he hugs both Dani and Tim, trying to smoother them with love and acceptance

Jazz:

Tim just looks so done with life at the moment.

Eros:

Danny: plus our pets are adopted, yet you wouldn't love them any less

Jazz:

Critical hit.

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Danny ends up adopting Tim by the end of this.

Jazz:

Lol

He wins Tim in the divorce.

Eros:

Lol

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Yesss!

Eros:

Tim gets a new dad

Jazz:

Bruce doesn’t know how to feel about this.

Eros:

This one says "I love you" and is into Tim's science projects

Jazz:

Dani’s like new sibling. Tackle Hugs.

And Danny doesn’t restrict coffee intake. He’s just as bad.

Eros:

If anything he shows Tim a whole world of coffee mixes

Jazz:

Jazz though. Jazz is a bit of a problem with Coffee.

Tim and his new dad form an alliance.

Eros:

Danny takes Tim to Frostbite to get a new spleen

Jazz:

Danny: see? I provide free healthcare.

Eros:

Then proceeds to show off Tim: This is my boi, I won him!

All while Dani is giggling and clinging to their sides

Jazz:

Vlad is looking at Bruce very smugly.

Eros:

Danny would show Tim and Dani off at school after this

Like: behold, my children!

Jazz:

It becomes public that Wayne enterprise’s CEO is Tim Fenton.

Eros:

(and since I'm going with King Danny in this)

That means due to Danny winning and Tim becoming his kid, Tim Fenton is now the prince of the infinite realms along with his new sister Dani

Cass and Steph come back from a big trip once everything is over

Jazz:

They ask what happened. 

Jason gleefully explains that Bruce went to legal war with another billionaire over an imaginary family and ended up loosing Tim to them.

Also, that Damian might have a crush.

Eros:

Jazz:

Lol

Eros:

Because he just went through one of the best non injury fights of his life with this guy

Jazz:

And lost

Eros:

Yet they do agree on a fair bit of things, and now know where their main issues are and can work on them.

Jazz:

The entire world witness this entire thing and there are going to be shippers.

Eros:

Pft imagine the Justice League hearing about this~

Jazz:

Also just think, when they eventually do get together. That high school teacher is absolutely going to brag that it was their project that started this.

Jon might have a crisis on being replaced as Damian’s best friend. Someone explains the difference between boyfriend and normal friend and Jon’s like, ok that’s fine then.

Eros:

Oh man, when Jon finds out everything that had happened

Jon would tell Conner

Jazz:

Conner hears about the clone comment.

Now Conner wants to be adopted.

Bruce “Kal-el” Wayne:

Absolutely

Danny be pulling a Bruce

Or would Bruce be pulling a Danny?

Jazz:

Omg, I just realized. Bruce Wayne lost a Custody battle.

Bruce “Kal-el” Wayne:

Major L

Eros:

To a child

Bruce “Kal-el” Wayne:

Ain't Danny technically a god?

Eros:

Still child

Who would definitely adopt Conner

BuriedReign:

Omg this is like a whole ass fic already, it’s soooo goood! I absolutely bursted out laughing at the “we plan to live off Lazarus water”

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Just got caught up and all I have to say is: 😂😂😂

Btw, I love the idea that Tim isn't legally adopted to Danny (by ghost standards, yes, not by mortal law) but he just goes with Danny cuz he's so done with his family.

Eros:

>:3

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Dani, Tim, Conner. Do we throw in reformed, de-aged Dan for shits and giggles?

Eros:

Pfft yess

And Damian only finds out about Dan after the divorce

This re sparks everything into a new battle~

Eros:

Damian is offended that Danny never told him about their other son Dan

Adonnenniel "Addy":

He wants visitation rights!

Eros:

Damian wants to win Dan, like how Danny won Tim

Adonnenniel "Addy":

That makes more sense

Eros:

Damian goes up to Dan and offers access to all sort of weapons, training/fights, being a heir to a different Kingdom, and possibly be ungrounded if he takes Damian's side in the new Custody battle

The Angst Queen:

When you catch up and burst out laughing

Also - I wanna add something

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Add, please!

The Angst Queen:

Damian would definitely pull a sword at some point - decide to attack and “miss” every time. He does not expect Danny to suddenly have an ice sword in hand. Do then they’re both going at it in a sword fight while still arguing about diaper brands

Damian - so then I attack him 

Dick - WHAT!?!? 

Damian - I know! He didn’t even have the decency to die! He pulled out his own sword! 

Dick in shock whispers - what

Damian - and he still refuses to consider Huggies! Insists on natural diapers!

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Lol

Eros:

Like when the arguments get too much they start sword fighting like the Adam's family

It's how they discuss things and keep up reaction times for both brain and body

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Do they fight in school or at the manor?

Eros:

School, just to add more to the soap opera drama

And for the bats to keep missing the live actions of it

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Yes!

Eros:

Except Babs but that's obvious to know why

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Their sword fights go all around the school, interrupting other classes. The security guards or other teachers try to stop them but Danny'll just pull them into the argument. 

Teacher: walking up to them, trying to grab the swords Now, boys, this must stop!

Danny: leaps up onto a desk, put his arm around the teacher's neck as he's still fighting Damian Hey, you look like a reasonable man. Tell me, why would you ever want to buy a waste product all for brand recognition and not cut down waste and get reusable diapers?

Teacher: That's a very leading question and calls on a few logical fallacies-

Danny: shoves the teacher away as Damian leaps for an attack

Eros:

And this is where Damian's crush really began

It's one thing to argue and have different trains of thought

It's another to have someone actually just as skilled as you in the battle of the sword and the mind

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Yeeees!

Eros:

Danny: Hopefully the castle is big enough for everyone

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Tim: You have a castle!? O_O

Conner: You have a castle!? : D

Danny: Yep!  Oh, and you two are now royalty!  Don't worry, you won't have to do anything unless you want to.

Eros:

I wonder if Tim rubs it in his other semi siblings faces

Like Steph, Jason, and Damian's faces in particular

Bruce “Kal-el” Wayne:

Does Tim take a pic of everything in the realms?

Eros:

Yes

Bruce Kal-el” Wayne:

Or try to

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Tim especially rubs being royalty in Damian's face.  He knows he should be better but damnit, Damian was/is all high and mighty about being the heir to the League of Assassins and Bruce's biological child - he stabbed Tim over it!  Tim gets to gloat a bit that he technically outranks Damian now!

BuriedReign:

Does this increase Damian’s crush on Danny? Damian tries to ask out Danny and makes it ‘rational’ by saying of course he needs to be higher ranked than Tim. While also trying to hide that isn’t the only reason why he wants to date Danny

Eros:

(make Damian unintentionally ghost speak which reveals his true emotions and reasons as to why he wants to date Danny)

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Damian: I want to date him for no other reason than to one-up my once brother.  That's it.  Nothing else involved here.  Just pure revenge.  I will not let Tim outrank me in this life or the next.

Jason: Uh-huh. flipping to the next page of Pride and Prejudice  Have fun on your denial date.

Omg, imagine Damian formally asking Danny out on a date!

And Danny's like, despite the divorce, I want to give us another shot.

Eros:

And the plot THICKENS

That's everyone's reactions 😁

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Yes!

Eros:

Where would they even go on a date?

Ooo what if they went to the museum

Or an art gallery

Bruce “Kal-el” Wayne:

Or a date to the literal moon

Eros:

I don't think Damian would survive that well

Bruce “Kal-el” Wayne:

Ecto shield giving an artificial atmosphere

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Damian would take Danny to a museum or art gallery.

Danny will chose the next date and take him to the moon.

Eros:

Then definitely the museum should be like the Glenbow Museum

This is just inside the front entrance

It's called the aurora borealis

Because they make the crystals actually glow different colors

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Ooooooh!

Yes!

Eros:

This is a full on walk through section where you learn about the stars and First Nations

Adonnenniel "Addy":

Holy shit, now I want to go to the Glenbow Museum.

Eros:

Art pieces, and they also have a section for mid evil times and even mini battle fields

The Angst Queen:

Side note - I bet Danny makes Damian work to get that date

Eros:

Definitely

[redheadspark]

This would be cute with Druig. 😍

7. they’re talking regularly and character a stops the conversation and goes “wait wait wait. i think… i love you.” and character b is like “what?”

A/N - BESTIE! Thank you SO much for requesting this for our boy Druig! I think this is beyond perfect for him! I loved writing it, thank you for requesting it!

Flood

Summary - Druig held it in for so long, but now it was time to let it go

A/N - Fluff fluff fluff!

“He did not say that!”

“You should’ve been there!  He had the gall to say that in front of Ajak!”

“What did she say about it?”

“Eh, you know Ajak: She redirected the conversation with the elder and gave Ikaris her ‘disappointing’ look” 

You snorted in laughter as Druig laughed along with you.  You both were sitting together on Druig’s bed, Druig wishing to fill you in on the meeting that happened between the city elder and Ikaris, Ajak and Druig himself.  He was rather surprised he was brought to the meeting, yet Ajak assured him that he was needed since he had a good connection with the humans and was growing his own relationship with the elder.  

Druig loved the city and the humans in it, they were hanging on his every word when it came to suggestions in developing their city and modifying their safety against any enemies including the Deviants that were prowling the perimeter.  Although Ajak was glad Druig was there, Ikaris was more peeved.  Being the “Golden Boy” of the Eternals and always thirsting to the leader when Ajak was not present.  Druig thought of it as amusing, telling you any time he could since you both were best friends.  Apart from Makkari, he considered you a close friend and confidant in anything and everything that was on his mind.

The downside of that was his ever growing crush on you.  

It was odd for him to have a crush, he never thought he would have feelings of affection for another person, let alone another Eternal. Love never seemed to be something that Druig would ever want since he was too focused on the human race and keeping them alive.  He’s seen humans in love, he’s seen love ruin people and populations.  But for him to have that himself, it was outlandish and almost comical.

But there you were, a sweet yet stubborn Eternal that could see past the mask he would wear on his face.  You’re radiant smile that would lift up his lowest days, your fierce headstrong nature when you were in a battle, the way you would laugh from Kingo’s jokes, how you would hug someone who was having a rough day.  Druig ever single part of that about you, and it made him fall for you so hard and fast that it scared him.  

He had one issue about it: would you ever love someone like him?

Druig went to the only person that would have any idea when it came to relationships and gossip within the Eternal family: Makkari.  

“What if she doesn’t like me like that?” Druig asked and signed to her as they were sitting side by side together in the main meeting room in The Domo.  The rest of the Eternals were out and about in the city, patrolling the borders and being amongst the humans.  Druig and Makkari had the day off, and since you wrecked on patrol with Then and Gilgamesh, Druig thought it was the perfect opportunity for him to chat with his close friend about his feelings for you.  Of course, Makkari saw it from a mile away and was grinning from ear to ear at the thought of the pair of you being an item, but she was shocked to hear Druig not being convinced of that possibility.

What makes you think that she wouldn’t like you?  She signed back to him with a raised brow.  Druig shrugged, picking at his armor and feeling his stomach doing summersaults.  Druig was notorious for being confident in all he did with his time on Earth, he never hesitated in any choices he made.  But this was new, and he was no longer confident in himself.

Makkari tapped his kneecap to have him look back at her, her smile was warm to him as she started to sign again, You are one in a million, Druig.  So is she, and you should follow your heart with what you want to do.  What’s the worst that could happen?

Druig thought about that talk for some time, it was on the back of his mind and festering there.  Makkari would never steer him wrong, she would pull his leg from time to time.  But not with something like this, She knew him too well to know how he would feel.  Was Makkari right?  

She had to be.

“Man, I wish I was there,” you said with a sigh as the laughter died down a bit between the pair of you, Druig was still smiling from remembering the whole situation with Ajak and Ikaris.  Talking to you about it made his whole day since he knew you would love it.  You knew his tension with Ikaris and how the pair of you were not the best of friends, and although you were not considered messy when it came to drama, you still loved to hear any rants that Druig would share.  

“You would have enjoyed it, but it’ll be better tonight when we go to the feast and Ikaris runs into the city elder,” Druig hummed in amusement.

“You never one to love to go to those parties and feasts.  You wanna go tonight?” You asked in curiosity as he shrugged.

“If there’s decent entertainment for me to enjoy.  Plus, you’re gonna be there so it’ll be tolerable,” He reasoned, though you shook your head at him.

“I’m not that good at parties,” you explained, Druig cocking his head at you in disbelief as you went on, “You know me, Druig.  I would rather be out near the horses than amongst the humans.”

“They love you,” Druig said to you in a softer tone, you eyeing him as his own eyes were twinkling blue in the Domo lights above the pair of you,” Apart from Sersi you are beyond loved by the humans,”

“Really?” You asked, unconvinced.

“Are you kiddin’?  You are amazin’ with them and you calm them down with your words, better than me with my mind control,” Druig explained as he saw you slowly smile again.  He loved your smile, and how it would change depending on the mood.  Massive smiles when you were with the Eternals during your family meals, gentler ones when you would interact with human children to bring them peace.  He loved every single one, but one kind of smile in particular left you breathless.  It was almost like a half smile, showing your dimple on your gift side and the slight curve on your lower lip.  For some reason, he only saw that grin when you would talk to him, and only him.  He’d never seen this smile when you were with others, and it made him feel so special and loved in a way.

Once again, he thought of Makkari and their talk.

“Thank you,” You thanked, Druig slightly blushing then and there as you fiddled with your fingers in your lap, “It means a lot coming from you,”

“Me?” Druig asked, pointing to himself with a hint of disbelief as you nodded, that rare smile not leaving your face.

“Druig, I hold your opinion about me close to heart.  You’re a wonderful being, and the love you have for the humans is rare and good.  I wish the others had that, I wish I had that,” You explained, your voice so soft in the air as Druig was hanging on your every word.  He felt that fluttering again, that feeling of wishing to act on his feelings and let you know how you made him feel so loved, how he would watch you like you hung the stars, and how he would move the earth just to make you smile.  

“I think your heart is far too good and too big to be contained, not like Ikaris.  We can all learn from you, and—“ You were cut off abruptly my Druig, whom reached over to clenched your arm with his hand in almost a death grip.

“Wait wait wait,” he said quickly, you immediately slamming your mouth shut and looking with wide eyes.  You thought you said something wrong and you were about to apologize when Druig spoke again with sincerity in his voice and adoration in his eyes.

“I think I’m in love with you,”

Nothing else mattered in that room, and it felt like time stopped. Druig went in for the plunge, no longer wanting to hold back and to resist what was inside of him.  He wanted you to know, he wished for you to know since it was eating him up from the inside.  Love was scary to him, it was something he was not used to himself.  Sure he loved his family and the humans, but that was mostly affection and caring for them. But the love he had for you, was raw and gentle and yet fierce and real.  He wanted it so badly after seeing others have it on their own, including Sersi and Ikaris.  But it scared him that no one would love him back just as much, that no one would see him in such a light.

Yet after a solid moment or two, you erased all the doubts in his mind.  You climbed into his lap, wrapped your arms around his neck, and kissed him.

It was as if the floodgate opened within Druig, like a lock to the chest that harbored his heart inside of him was opened finally.  Druig immediately kissed you back, no longer afraid and scared as he framed your face in his hands like you were a jewel.  The kiss alone was softer, like the ocean mist early in the morning or the last bits of the sunlight before the night would come.  The taste of your lips, the feeling of your lips, it was now his new addiction.  Druig wished this was no sick dream, no twisted reality that his mind was playing for him.  But this was real, he breathed the flowery scent on your skin and felt your hair in his fingers.

He could die happy now that you were there in his arms, literally.  

After what felt like hours but was only minutes, you pulled away from one another.  You both were breathing heavily, Druig’s eyes were almost black in dilation as your lips were plump and dark.  But Druig thought of you as radiant as he framed your face in his palms.  You breathed out shakily, then giggled in joy as Druig laughed as well.  It all clicked for the pair of you.

“I love you too,” You breathed, Druig sighing in relief as he dived into your lips again.

You both went to the feast a few hours later, going in hand in hand and with blissed looks on your face.  Neither of you saw Makkari bouncing on her heels in excitement at the sight of the two of you, nor did you see King grumbly giving Gilgamesh money from losing his bet on you two getting together.

The End

[otiksimr]

Hellohellohello I humbly ask for uhhhhh Bob [Bob Beloved] information pls personality hobbies such and such pls

Sorry first time being really fixated on someone else's OC 🫶🫶🫶 W O R M 🪱🪱🪱🪱

Hehe. You’ve fallen for my trap card! [Bob]

Something I don’t tend to talk about his lore. At all. Even less his general species. Mainly the diet and appearance. They eat rocks! Or rather, planets to be more specific! Sometimes stars too! They can’t digest any organic material though, like grass and dirt. That makes them really sick whenever it ends up in them. So they’re basically spaces’ trash bin. They eat up all the asteroids and floating rock, plus get rid of dead planets!

So crystals and gems are probably like candy to them. Literal rock candy, hehe.

The ‘metal’ you see on them isn’t actually metal, those are their scales. They shed every century or so. Same thing with the ‘fabric’ and ‘flowers’ too. The fabric is their skin, flowers are mini scales. The small scales shed a lot, near constantly, which smaller space critters feed on.

But more on Bob. He practically grew up with Earth, his momma had him sometime around the late Hadean era (still hot but beginning to chill out a little bit), back when everything was really hot and uh. Literal. Hell on Earth. Heh. Perfect spot to incubate an egg! He was there when life started and will be there for when it ends! Great!

Yes. Bob has seen dinosaurs. Yes. Bob knows what every extinct animal looks and sounds like. Yes. Bob is the only person alive who knows what a Spinosauris actually looks and acted like. He is what every paleontologist wants knowledge-wise. Lol.

Considering how their scales look like metal, Bob would be really interested in things made of metal. Specifically gold and silver (his momma’s color), which is why I tend to draw him wearing gold jewelry. Not a lot of silver tho (I should do that).

Bob doesn’t have a big sweet tooth. Considering how he’s very familiar with ‘human culture’, humans consider some rocks special so he’s a lot more reluctant to eat those ones because ‘people like them!’ So for the most part, crystals and gems are off the table.

I like to think that Bob would really enjoy swimming. It would be familiar to space to him, as with my concepts I have my ‘space animals’ inspired by aquatic animals. Plus it’s cold. So to him it’s probably a lot like a mini version of space.

With that, Bob has likely tried a ton of ways to just stay cold. He’s a space worm, he’s not supposed to be warm outside of incubation. He’s spent time at the bottom of the ocean and in Antarctica, in the winter, still not cold enough for him. In canon (about 4.5 billion years old, same age as Earth, basically), he’s too young to begin traversing space so he can’t just fly out to chill down. So Bob is kind of uncomfortably warm 24/7. Until he grows up and eats the planet I mean.

Bob (in canon time) is still basically an infant. World Eaters (His species) sexually mature at 20, he's almost 5, he's basically still a baby. Still in the development and learning phase of growth, which also means he's still in the really playful and curious age. The playful part I want to focus on because there's literally no one who can really play with him.

He wants to tussle! Play fight! But he can't or else he'll cause an earthquake and partly submerge some islands :(

He just a babyyyy

[gddancefloor]

kasane teto headcanons since i have a very specific portrayal of her

for context, chimera (in the way im going for here) are a type of japanese demons that take a form similar to humans (with the exception of wings and a tail) and are known for their mischeviousness. teto is part chimera from her father's side.

teto x miku is used in here, and ted and teto are siblings, ted being the older one by 6 years.

Text HCs below the cut [warning, long!]:

UTAU Teto (15):

Sapphic. Likes girls. A lot.

She was a kid with an attitude and never smiled in photos if she was asked to, only if she wanted to. She also usually can’t look straight into a camera and looks away.

Teto developed a crush on Miku when she quietly sang for her for the first time, and was completely mesmerized by her voice. Miku was her inspiration to pursue singing.

Speaks English very, very badly and has an extremely strong Japanese accent. She usually has Miku translate things for her, but not even Miku is that great either.

Has a bit of a “chubby”/round face. Didn’t grow out of her baby-face.

Her hair naturally curled into a drill-like shape once she put her hair into ponytails, and now she chooses to exaggerate their shape by using a curling iron.

Despite not liking stereotypical pop music, she secretly likes girls who listen to it as she is into girly girls. (ahem, miku)

She doesn’t like to have her hair down, she’s embarrassed by how she looks with it and was forced by her parents to wear it down as a kid. 

Cusses a lot when comfortable to. She is often horrible with manners and being “proper”, unless in a traditional Japanese setting. Otherwise, she gives zero fucks.

She has one of the most impressive singing voices and very beautiful control over her pitch, but doesn't like to sing in front of people due to stage fright.

Avoids eye contact. A LOT.

Her birth certificate lists “Chimera” as a sex by mistake from the issuer, and she is actually female. She sometimes identifies with it to mess with people and make them confused/frustrated.

As full chimeras age slower, Teto is often called a “31 year-old” despite being alive only 15 years. This is not true, as she ages normally due to being half human, and mistaking her to be older makes her angry. Unfortunately, she’s often called 31, or a “held back student” by her classmates.

She camouflages her tail as a belt, but it is very much so a real tail. She hates it being touched. In general, Teto hides any of her chimera features as much as possible in fear of being seen as a monster. If comfortable, or angry enough, they tend to come out on accident.

Miku is the only outsider that has ever seen Teto's chimera form because she trusts her. (Miku thought her wings were the coolest thing ever!)

She believes she's extremely unlucky, considering she was born on April Fool's Day, and has had nothing really go right in her life, especially in regards to bullying as a kid.

Definitely has sharp teeth. Gotta tear into that bread somehow!

Used to pull on Ted's hair and scream at him when she was a kid. To this day, she doesn't know why. He has nicknamed her "demon" for a while because of this.

Ted is quite overprotective of Teto and encouraged her to try her best to sing, even if Teto's singing was... quite bad as a kid.

She and Miku split up when they were kids due to a major argument and didn't speak again until Teto saw Miku on social media performing on stage. This is what drove Teto to become an "Online Idol" on niconico to regain the attention of her and hopefully get back in contact with her. It was just Teto made it very obvious she was being a Miku ripoff (hence the outfit).

Family doesn't like singers. They encourage every member of the Kasane family to pursue an instrumentalist career, but they never made it big, and so they had to resort to the "shameful" career of making ramen. Teto is the only successful musician AND singer in the family.

Synthesizer V Teto (late 20s):

MUCH more mature. Rarely curses, and tries to stay mannerable and quiet. She also has better control of her chimera form.

Doesn't mean she won't be bratty or snooty at times. That's just Teto naturally.

Hair reddened with age as any older Teto iterations prior to SV had her with pink hair. It's a chimera trait to have red hair and red eyes.

Is the one that handles all of Miku's (30-ish, NT) events and concerts, and likes to make sure that she's not overworking herself.

Now underneath a professional talent agency, Teto left behind her "copping Miku's style" thing behind and now dresses in something more like her style. She likes the military-chic look a lot.

Her and Miku don't get much time to hang out anymore, but they still keep in contact despite their hectic music careers.

Her and Miku are a married couple. You know how celebrity marriages are, except this one has no drama and they aren't public about it.

Teto's English is much better now and she can hold a conversation. Her accent is still quite thick though.

Just an older, more mature version of UTAU Teto. (I'll make a seperate post for her because this is getting LONG.)

I'll probably edit this a lot — it was copy-pasted from a google doc. Bear with any mistakes!!

[rollercoasterwords]

heyy, you said some time ago on an ask you hc Lily would give harry tons of mommy issues if alive, and I'm obsessed with this idea, please tell us more?

hi!!!! i did indeed say that….getting back to this a few days late but love this question 🌝🌝

to answer the first thing i have to explain is that in my mind lily is a bit of a cunt. she’s intelligent & ambitious—we know she was in slug club & made top marks despite not growing up in the wizarding world, which in my mind means she was likely competitive & had this sort of “i’m going to prove i’m better than these assholes” mentality & was also a perfectionist. she was used to being the favorite child/special one, bc we know her parents were excited abt her being a witch which is part of why petunia resented her; but then she had her sister & purebloods in the wizarding world putting her down, so i imagine that like…she’d have a strong sense of self worth and a need to prove herself, but also a bit of a martyr complex. at the same time, she had blinders on when it came to her own friend; we know she didn’t actually cut things off w severus despite him getting involved in nasty shit until he publicly called her a slur. this is actually one thing that i think is very similar about lily & james; though they both ostensibly had a very strong sense of justice, their blind spot was their close friends, which i imagine could make them both a bit hypocritical in that they’d say people who do x are bad but then forgive their friends who do x, etc.

ANYWAY. in a canon compliant setting if i am imagining lily & james relationship. well i’ll be honest i don’t think it was the perfect true love story etc that we’re sold in the books like. they were kids. i think that once they did get together it was v passionate & intense, made moreso by the fact that they were both fighting in a war & had the pressure of knowing they could die any day, etc.; if they hadn’t been fighting in a war, i think they would have broken up shortly after leaving school as they both followed different life paths & matured more as people & realized their first serious teenage relationship likely wasn’t going to be forever. BUT in a canon-adjacent/compliant universe war is on, their relationship is tumultuous but the dire circumstances make them cling to each other even tighter, & in my beautiful mind palace what happens is lily gets pregnant accidentally & they have a shotgun wedding. i’ve written an accidental pregnancy storyline w them in a few of my fics now so i can imagine it playing out in a couple ways, but no matter what in my mind lily was NOT planning to have a baby and has very mixed feelings about it—maybe she doesn’t realize she’s pregnant until it’s too late to do anything about it, maybe she considers aborting but decides against it, maybe she tries to abort but for some reason it doesn’t work or falls through…whatever happens, she ends up having the baby. now she’s a mother yayyyy except she’s a mum in like the most stressful circumstances ever & probably not having a joyous experience w her newborn. maybe some post-partum depression etc.

anyway. imagining canon breaking here and her becoming a mum…feel like this could go a few ways, and the exact mommy issues she’d give her kid would depend on which way it went. let’s say james dies on halloween but lily & harry both make it out; i definitely think part of her would sort of resent harry bc suddenly she’s 20 and she has to spend the rest of her life being a mum and she doesn’t get to enjoy her youth and have a normal life, and also she’s expected to raise the chosen one and also he’s kinda the reason her husband got killed. i think there’d be this sort of distance between them & i imagine her at times making an effort to be the loving mum she’s meant to be but ultimately it’s unsustainable, and harry grows up trying everything he can to make his mum really love him and develops a complex over feeling like there’s something fundamentally wrong with him bc that love & parental warmth just doesn’t come naturally to lily. & if this is a universe where voldemort’s still out to get harry then i imagine them moving around a lot, maybe living in hiding, her raising harry to one day take down voldemort…sorry but i do think she would turn him into the priest’s favorite sacrificial lamb. i think she would raise him to be a soldier/human sacrifice who is constantly feeling like he has to earn love, and neither of them would ever fully be able to give the other what they need or want, even though i do think lily would love harry…i just don’t think she’d always do a very good or consistent job of it!

[3hks]

Hello! I hope you're doing well 🤍

I was wondering how I could go about writing a character with sort of opposing natures (if that makes sense, haha).

My character experienced the trauma of losing her mother at a young age, followed by the abuse of her extended family until she became an adult. It was never physical, but she had to go through a lot of pressure to meet their standards.

When her mother was still alive, my character was spirited and bold by nature, and she spent her childhood in a healthy environment. By the time she reached adulthood, however, she became incredibly reserved in how she expressed herself and grew into a perfectionist out of self-preservation. Despite that, she wishes that she could one day be as free as she was when she was younger.

My question is: How could I go about balancing her older, spirited nature as well as her desire for freedom with her current perfectionism and need to meet the standards of those around her?

Also, if she were to one day find herself in a situation/ environment where the source of her perfectionism (her family) wasn't around. How would she behave?

Would she become expressive and spirited again, knowing that her family isn't around to criticize her? Or would you say the years of abuse permanently changed her nature?

Thank you!

Hello!! (And thank you!) I hope you are doing well too!

I love how much depth your character has; the duality in her personality is so fascinating and I'm honored that I get to explore her character!

*Before I start anything, let me first state that a key piece of information you mentioned is that she DESIRES freedom. I'm going to assume that this hints at the idea she herself wants to be more expressive and change.*

To put it briefly, I don't think your character would immediately shift personalities when her family isn't around. She was raised--in a way--into being reserved, into being a perfectionist, and that isn't going to disappear overnight.

My first point is that this transformation is going to take time. Initially, there is going to be a lot more of her "adult" traits than her "younger" ones.

Now, as time progresses, there's going to be a lot more development. This will likely include many internal conflicts, such as:

Confusion: Confusion about her personal identity; who is she?

Anxiety: If she does act more carefree, what are the consequences?

Doubt: Is trying to change worth it? Is she trying to be someone she isn't?

Anger: Perhaps she's mad that she wishes she wants freedom and considers herself ungrateful.

The growing development of someone is often messy. There's a lot of mental obstacles because change isn't easy. This is my second point.

Further down the line, her natural spirited self should come to light slowly. This can be in the form of genuine happiness, feeling relaxed/calm, and/or being more open about her emotions.

This is where you start seeing both sides of her.

Sometime later, her perfectionism should also loosen a bit. Perhaps she realizes that not everything can be perfect, and that's alright.

But what about in the end? What does the balance look like? Honestly, there is no obvious division because personalities and characters are fluid. However, her traits formed from her abusive past should weaken a little while her old spirit and expressiveness re-emerge.

If you want specifically what I think would change/develop, here it is!

Perfectionism: for the most part, I think perfectionism is something that is going to remain mostly the same. It might grow to be less severe, but it's definitely not something easy to overcome.

Spirited: she's been through a lot; I don't think there's any way for her to FULLY return to her child-like energy and carefreeness. She might be a little more upbeat, but she shouldn't be overly excited all the time.

Reservedness: I think this could definitely transform. Maybe she's still a bit shy, but hopefully she'll be able to freely express herself with those she's close with.

Desire to be free: freedom itself is a rather abstract thought. I believe that while she may not be completely free from the world, her worries, and her responsibilities, she grows to accept it in a positive light.

Lastly, keep in mind that internal conflicts occur everywhere. I said that they will occur towards the beginning of her development, but that doesn't mean she won't feel confused or doubt herself later on.

Thank you for your patience! I appreciate you reaching out, and I hope this helped!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[dirgefordurge]

I know everyone has their different takes on Astarion’s character, and what they think his story should look like/what he would or wouldn’t do with his life after the events of the game, and I think they’re all valid. And not everyone is going to like your read or what you want him to pursue or be like after all is said and done. And there’s nothing wrong with that! Could you imagine how boring things would be if we all agreed? I personally love seeing the diversity of takes.

That being said, I am very much a fan of the idea of non-Ascended Astarion starting a family after everything, just me personally. Now, I know that’s a whole can of worms for people who don’t like that concept or who don’t like the idea of kids/pregnancy in their fiction. That’s completely fine. Funnily enough, I have no desire to have my own kids, but I love exploring that sort of lifestyle and the dynamic it creates when it comes to my characters in my own writing.

And I do think he wants kids, in my world state (to borrow a Dragon Age term), anyway.

I always go back to Astarion’s confession, when he says he wants “something real.” All those years where sex and love were nothing but a performance to seduce people and lure them to what he thought was their death. And now, with Tav/Durge, he wants the real thing. He wants to love and be loved.

He says he doesn’t know what “real” looks like anymore, which means he’s got to figure it out. And we know he isn’t much for plans, so that means a lot of what he learns is learned as he goes. That must extend to learning what he wants, too.

“I Want to Live” is the song that is consistently played in relation to his character development (despite being the players song.) Want. For all of those years, he was told by Cazador that he and his fellow spawn were a family. If he doesn’t ascend, then what he desires, and discovering what he wants, and taking what was false for so long and learning what the real version of it looks like to him all come together to make it easy for me to see him enjoying fatherhood.

He wouldn’t be Astarion without that prickly personality of his, but as his relationship with Tav/Durge progresses, you get to see the softness and sweetness he has in him, too. And I believe he really does mean it when he says he wants to protect them. He does genuinely care, as sarcastic and standoffish as he can be. That’s part of his personality and his character arc.

Now, do I think he likes all kids? Not at all. I think he likes certain kids, and for certain reasons. He may not encourage taking in Yenna, but he does insist on saving her from Orin. He seems to have a high opinion of Arabella. It depends on the kid. In a strange way, I think his own personhood being taken from him has made him view kids as more individual than most people tend to.

And I think he would adore his own kids because of who they are. They’re proof of how far he’s come, they’re proof that he’s alive and he’s living and that Cazador didn’t win in the end. He’s here. He won. He’s growing past everything.

And, most importantly: they’re his kid(s.)

Do I think he’s ever considered having children prior to having one, even before he was turned? I doubt it, honestly. But especially prior to his vampirism, I don’t think it matters whether he did or not. He can’t remember what color his eyes were, let alone what he wanted or who he was. And it doesn’t matter, he makes that much clear. He isn’t that person anymore, and he won’t ever get to be them again. So whether he had thought about children specifically or not, whether he wanted them or not, I don’t think that matters to him anymore.

He never saw himself as a hero, either, but he’s a Hero of Baldur’s Gate now. He cares. In his own way. And he defines and does things his own way in his life now. He’s still not your stereotypical hero, but he’s also no longer your stereotypical vampire. He wouldn’t be Astarion if he was easy to define. And after everything, he is still Astarion. He’s complex, and he can be quite contradictory and inconsistent. That’s both part of his personality and a result of the 200 years of trauma he survived, I think.

And again, he’s also not one for plans. I don’t think he considers being a father until Tav/Durge is telling him that he’s going to be one. And that kind of life-changing news can rattle even the people who have planned for it and wanted it their whole lives. Sure, I think it takes some getting used to, and I’m sure there are complex feelings that come with it. Rediscovering yourself and building a life are never easy. Living isn’t easy.

But this is another part of the life he’s living—really living. This isn’t the mockery Cazador forced the spawn to play pretend in, it’s a real family, his family. And I think that means everything to the person he chooses to be now.

[linkons-most-wanted]

Sylus 🏎️ The Challenger

Enneagram deep dive

-> All LIs here <-

Summary

Type 8 (Challenger) with both a strong seven wing (The Independent) and nine wing (The Bear)

The powerful, dominating type: Self-confident, decisive, willful, and confrontational

Fear: Of being harmed or controlled by others, of violation

Desire: To protect themselves, to determine their own course in life

"I am good/okay if I am strong and in control of my situation."

Eights love to challenge both themselves and others. This type captures Sylus's calm, unphased quality along with the sudden, strategic violence that secures his goals. In his businesses, he leans into the 7 wing, though he still prefers to mostly deal with things behind the scenes, as befitting a strong 9 wing.

When with the people they care about, healthy eights with a strong 9 wing express surprising warmth and depth, and are deeply protective while not being controlling or constricting.

A high-energy type

Here's a key quote from Wisdom of the Enneagram (cited below as "WotE") about type 8s:

"Eights have enormous willpower and vitality, and they feel most alive when they are exercising these cpacities in the world. They use their abundant energy to effect changes in their environment--to leave their mark on it--but also tkeep the environment, and especially other people, from hurting them and those they care about. At an early age, Eight sunderstand that this requires strenngth, will, persistence, and endurance--qualities that they develop in themselves and that they look for in others."

-- WotE pg 289

Power without peacocking

I am a 9 with a strong 8 wing, which is part of why I find stepping into Sylus's head to be so natural. Eights are particularly compelling in that they seek power and control, but they aren't moved by or interested in peacocking or shows of force.

"They are pragmatic, practical, and competitive and are not overly concerned with pleasing others or with putting up with what they perceive as weakness or inefficiency." (WotE p293, about 8w7)

The bear

We primarily find how Sylus treats Luke, Kieran, Mephisto, and MC in the 9 wing. 8w9 is called "The Bear" for good reason:

"People of this subtype combine strenght, self-confidence and determination with quiet roundedness and a certain laid-back quality. [...] They are also warmer and more family-oriented, asserting power and leadership through protectiveness. [...] These people seem to have a dual nature, manifesting themselves differently in different areas of their lives. For instance, they can be warm and affectionate at home but highly determined and aggressive at work. People of this subtype generally like to live quietly and unobtrosively, preferring to control their affairs from behind the scenes." -- (WotE p293-294, about 8w9 at healthy and avg levels)

Comfortable on their own

Regardless of their vocation, eights are "rugged individualists" who desire to be in control and see the changes they've made on the world around them. To open up to another person is to accept a weakness, a way that they could be controlled or hurt. This is why in "Greedy Heart", when Sylus asks MC if she's worried that other people will consider her his weakness, he's also indirectly confessing the vulnerability he feels getting closer to her.

The childhood patterns

Eights often were forced to grow up quickly in dangerous environments. And having all your kin abruptly slaughtered will do that to you. There are often intense feelings of betrayal or rejection, so they harden their hearts to cope. Often, young eights play the role of "scapegoat"--Beyond Cloudfall specifically mentions how the fiend's crimes were fabricated. The fiend serves as a scapegoat for the entirety of Philos, making clear its own internal emptiness and lack of honesty. It's clear in Beyond Cloudfall that Sylus and MC are the only ones following their hearts--which may make them the only two of their kind (ie, they are "the same", they are kindred spirits).

The Sexual Eight

Wisdom of the Enneagram presents three different "instinctual variants" (sexual, self-perservation, social) which add further nuance to how eights show up in the world. It's hard not to quote the entire passage for the Sexual Instinct in the Eight (pg 295-296) because it just describes Sylus so perfectly:

Taking Charge. In the average rage, Sexual Eights are the most quietly intense and charismatic kind of Eights. They are passionate about whomever they care about and want to feel that they have a major impact on the lives of those in their sphere of influenece. [...] Like Social Eights, they enjoy rabble-rousing good times, although therei s more of a rebellious streak in Sexual Eights. They have a sly sense of humor and enjoy being "bad." SExual Eights can be deeply loving and devoted[...] They can play rough with intimates, are stimulated by a good argument, and can be impatient with niceness. Like the Self-Preservation Eights, they can be competitive, but more for the trill of competition and less for security reasons. In fact, Sexual Eights lose interest if they win too easily, and this extends into their intimate relationships as well.

Notably, people often have secondary instincts as well, and the Self Preservation Eight ("the survivor") hoards prized posessions, working hard to gain the material possessions necessary for the security and control they crave. Sound familiar?

It's a dog eat dog world

Eights often feel justified in their aggression to defend themselves with the idea that everyone's working with the same environment and the strong survive and the weak fail. To take on a "charity case" is to defy the rules of the road. An Eight might genuinely feel that someone providing too much support is coddling them and will doom them to failure or even death later down the road. They don't feel guilty for taking something from someone who lacked the power to defend it.

That being said, Eights also like to leave their mark, so mentorship is deeply appealing to them. Taking someone under their wing and giving them the tools to survive is deeply gratifyin to an Eight. (We see this repeatedly, especially in Beyond Cloudfall, Innocent Birdcage, and with Luke and Kieran.)

How adaptive vs. maladaptive this tendency is depends on the environment. When resources are plentiful, this perspective can be unnecessarily cruel. But when the stakes are truly that high, and it's not possible to save everyone, Eights pull ahead with a decisiveness that allows them to truly carve out a safe place for the people they love. We see this both in how Sylus relates to Tarus and the N109 Zone.

The wake-up call

If Eights do not feel like they can look to others for support without losing their autonomy, they tend to feel at-war with the world. (WotE pg 297) Their combative tendencies will escalate unless they're able to realize that it's impossible to be truly independent and learn to trust others to support them.

I think we get to see this wake-up call for Sylus on-page, and it's so compelling. During Long Awaited Revelry, Sylus is initially combative with MC, seeing her lack of memory and inability to resonate as a challenge to be conquered. However, Philip is able to point out to him that his behavior is actively repulisve to MC--this isn't a fun argument like they used to have, this is serious. While Sylus is brusque with Philip, the entire reason he brought MC to him is that Sylus trusts Philip and is willing to depend on him. Philip reminds Sylus that not all things are challenges to be conquered, and he needs to be sensitive to MC's feelings and inner world here. Once he has his wake-up call, he's able to accept his lack of control and engage with MC in a more open and vulnerable way.

The social role

Eights see themselves as "the rock"--a steady foundation upon which others can depend. However, this desire to be immovable can lead them to inadvertently reject the very things they may be seeking--such as the care and intimacy of others.

Radiant Brilliance is such an excellent depiction of what it looks like when an Eight starts to step out of that social role--Sylus allows MC to see that he loses fights sometimes. She's at first startled to have this image of the invicible Sylus challenged, but she quickly adapts and accepts this more vulnerable side of him, sincerely cheering him on. He shows a different side of himself and allows himself to look to her for support and encouragement.

The Passion: Lust

WotE describes this as "Lust and 'Intensity'" (pg 299):

Eights want to feel strong and autonomous; simply put, they want to feel solid and alive. Thus, the traditional Passion of lust (their "Capital Sin") copels them to act in ways that stimulate feelings of aliveness, leading them to live intensely. Interactions with others must be intense, work must be intense, and play must be intense, as if Eight shad to constantly push against life.

The more they push in this way, the less energy they have for the intimacy and connection they actually crave. Ironically, this craving for intensity, power, and control can itself become a "lust" that controls the Eight. Instead of going after what they truly want, they can become trapped in patterns of going after adrenaline highs.

It is no mistak that as a dragon, Sylus's curse is to go mad with desire. Blind, unthinking lust takes over--and this is the loss of control that he fears most of all. So, the Sylus we meet in the main story timeline has largely grappled with this tendency and has found ways to sate and direct those desires so that they no longer control his fate. This is such a strong and compelling theme for his character that I wrote a whole essay about that, too.

Testing boundaries

Eights are forthright, honest, and blunt. They expect the same of others and are often confused by those who take more subtle or tactful approaches.

[...] Eights need clear boundaries; they want to know where they stand with others and, on an instictive level, where they end and where others begin. They want to know what others will tolerate and what they will not. Eights discover boundaries by testing them. If a person in relationship with an Eight does not react to [them], the eight will continue pushing the boundaries until they get a reaction. Sometimes this can take the form of needling or teasing the other. (pg 303)

Sylus actively expects and enjoys with MC pushes his boundaries--it's one of his favorite things about her. Given my theory that MC is a Nine herself (more on that soon), she has an Eight wing to lean into to provide this kind of push-back.

This is one of the unexpected twists of Sylus's character--while he will initially push boundaries, once he knows where he stands, he's very respectful of MC's assertions. We see this really strongly in Razor's Dance--he's basically been seeing how much "pestering" he can get away with, and he's getting a consistent reaction from her that she's not appreciating it. Once he feels like he's explored his options, he's willing to back down--giving her the ultimate say of whether she wants him in her life or not.

This is not a contradiction or a heel-face-turn at all, but rather something that flows from the same source of wanting to get to a practical and clear understanding of where he and MC stand with each other.

When integrated, Eights become helpers

When Eights become healthy, they naturally lean into the traits of healthy Twos, "The Helper". They learn to open up to others and face the possibility of being hurt with courage, grace, and inner strength.

When Sylus makes his promise to never betray MC in Beyond Cloudfall, we see this type of courage. He knows it will hurt, and he's able to access a deeper inner strength to do what must be done.

Eights are already attracted to mentorship, and when accessing the energy of healthy Twos, they become supportive and open-minded, helping others find their true potential vs. trying to mold them into something useful for the Eight. This tenderness becomes more and more frequent in their interactions as their relationship develops. We see sincere expressions of care and support--"[...] they clearly comminiate their profound respect and appreciation of other human beings" (pg 311).

In conclusion

Something that I find so compelling about the Enneagram, and about Sylus's character, is it leans into the nuance and these seemingly contradictory traits. Sylus's tenderness and romanticness isn't able to co-exist with his power and dominance simply because it's fiction, but it's actually a very nuanced portrayal of a very real set of traits. It's profoundly humanizing and gives the storytelling so much depth.

If you enjoyed this, you'll probably want to check out the pillar post with the other LIs, or this essay on Sylus's intimacy and desire.