#wont be able to do any more binds for a while

[tsukinoshinjiu]

Willow Bark and Chamomile Bookbind

I've handbound @ssschrodingers-cat's LU fanfic Willow Bark and Chamomile! Took me a long while since I've been really busy with work and irl stuff, but I'm proud of the final result!! I will also be making all the files public in case anyone else would like to make their own binds :D Check below the cut for everything!

I feel that my handbinding skills really improved since last time (save a few nicks i gave myself LMAOO). It's definetly not perfect but it's probably my best so far. I really love this fic and its been in my brain ever since I read it. And now it's in my hands! If anyone else wants to bind this for yourself, I have shared all files necessary below! I would love to see if anyone does it too!

I do not give permission for any of these artworks and files to be re-sold. It is for personal use only.

[zerosconsort]

Zero's Fic Binding - Archive Anthology - Stony Volume 1

A collection of fics all written by Areiton (@areiton)

let me hear (your battle cry) | chains around my daemons | monsters of sea & sky | inspired | muse

Fandom: Marvel

Ship: Steve Rogers / Tony Stark

Start Date: 10/07/24

End Date: 11/25/24

Pages: 355

First Archive Anthology book. This is a collection of 5 of my favorite Arei Stony fics. They are all also from 2021, which I did not mean to do but just so happen to realize as I was typesetting. I wanted to start this proof of concept project with someone who I A) knew and B) would be cool with me using their fics as a test.

So, the cover. She's beautiful. For the AA series, I want the covers to be the uniform - so every Stony book will copy this cover type, but the colors will shift to blue and white for Vol 2, and then back to red and gold for Vol 3. I sketched out the Iron Man that I wanted myself and made an SVG for the first time, leave me alone, adding the swoosh marks to him and to Steve's shield. I wanted a simple, classic looking font for a universal text title. This book series wont have quotes on the back so instead I have a full spread of the graphic. Tony's the icon on the spine this time - and I think he looks great~

Ah! The side shot. I used my guillotine for the first time - so the chop on this bitch is CHRISP. Headband is gold and handstitched. The whole side profile? Crispy like fall leaves.

Title page shots. A TOC (that I only notices was a little low after I had printed both copies) with a new and customized copyright page. I looked at a bunch of pages in the Renegade Bindery discord and compiled something that felt right AND specific to this project going forward.

Typesetting this was not…bad. It did take a while while I worked out fonts and overall ideas, but ones I had them I was able to fly through. There are quite a few here, so lets take a peak...

I kept Let me hear a little simple - with more medieval drop caps and banner headers. This fic is the only one with a nontypical drop caps - but with how simple the titles were I wanted a little bit more. I also - as per my standard - did this fic first, and then started to dig down and get more complicated the further in I got.

Chains has a little more flavor - each chapter has a splash of color. Originally I had hyper detailed headers for this fic, but they just look like SO MUCH, and I couldn't figure out a way to make them look uniform with the different daemons I was showcasing. Scaling back with a flash of color, but not to much, feels much better for this fic. Also realized that I need to figure out how to trim to what my printer considerers a 'full page'.

mos&s has a little more character for the headers, where I pull peace out from each chapter to add to the title. This chapter header - and the last one - are my favorite. I used hand drawn lines to highlight under each chapter title, and pulled a color for the splash image to match with both that line and the matching line breaks in the chapters.

inspired is told from Tony's point of view - so I kept the chapter titles black and white, with harder linework and a focused idea from in each of the chapters.

In contrast, muse is told from Steve's POV - so every chapter header is an explosion of color. They're all based on a variety of art mediums - spray paint, stamp art, charcoal, oil pints, anything I could find that I remember ever doing myself. I also colored each of the drop caps a contrasting color to what the header art is.

All in all, I'm very happy with how this came out. This is the blueprint I'll use for any of my Anthology books going forward. I already have at least three more in mind for Stony specifically, and then a collection of Raven Boys and Good Omens ones that are not long enough to be a book by themselves but I still want THEM ON MY SHELVES.

Thank you again Arei - your wonderful <3 Go read Arei's fics ASAP!

[anticsofafox]

Journal #2

Content warning, eating disorders. This post is a general health update with some details on my eating history, my path forward and I suppose some emotional venting.

To start off on a positive note, I am getting better. Since about November I'd been eating about 500-1000 calories a day on average, keeping that going for over 4 months, plus the periodic starvation for the last few years is what got me into my current situation. However, as of the past few weeks I've started doubling the amount I've been eating, and I am getting a bit more energy every week.

Now though, I need to start shifting my attention away from just eating enough and start eating better, I have a few vitamin deficiencies, especially iron. This is because we hardly ever eat meat because my sister Angela hates it when we eat meat, and wont front if we do. I feel a bit in a bind, because I don't want her to go away, she just started fronting again, but with our current energy levels shes only been able to manage fronting twice a week. Supplements wont be enough to fix this fast enough alone but I kind of just miss her, shes important to me and I'm kind of grounding her to her room in head space, it feels a bit bad, but I think I need to do this, for now.

I'm actually so, so happy with how our recovery is going, but I'm noticing some changes to our appetite which don't seem to be going away any time soon. I've found that if we eat any more than a medium/small portion at one time we get pretty uncomfortable indigestion, to the point where it's hard to do much else than wait. It's possible our stomach is just small, but even when I try to eat more consistently it doesn't seem as stretchy as it used to be.

I still face some food insecurity, so when I do binge, it becomes quite uncomfortable, but for the next month or two I think thats a behaviour I'll still need to occasionally engage in. I suppose one benefit of this though is that when I get a stable supply of food again, it should be very easy for me to stop binging, it's kind of solved the mental hurdle.

As more and more time passes I'm realizing this experience is going to change my relationship to food forever, and I'll never be able to return to a more 'normal' relationship with food. However, I know I can find a healthy relationship with food that works for me, and I'm very excited to get there.

Moral of the story? Don't skip meals. Skipping a meal here and there is incredibly easy, and if you're at all self conscious of your weight, like I was, watching yourself get slightly skinnier because you skipped a meal can feel really good. But that quickly spirals into you becoming more familiar with the idea of skipping meals, and not having as much of an appetite because of it. It feels good at first, and it takes a long time before you get ill from it, but by the time you do get ill, the habits become hard to break. So please, if you haven't had anything to eat in the last 5 hours please try to grab something to eat, even if its small. And if this isn't an issue for you, please check up on your friends. Make sure they've had something to eat, had water, slept recently and/or taken their meds. We all struggle with something different, but we need to support each other, and check in. Showing that you care about someone makes it so much easier to start recovery and preferably not fall into a bad situation to begin with. I owe a lot of my progress to the support group I have, Ryanne, Emily, Chloe, Celeste, Misty. Thank you all for being there to support me while I've been struggling, it means more to me than I can ever express in words.

[taraprince]

L Lawliet nsfw ABC’s

// GN reader most of the time, mentions pussy in a couple tho sidnrjf //

AN: this is my first write, so it’s probably bad 🤷🏻‍♀️

A (aftercare) - he loves you dearly, and always tries to make sure your alright after he fucked your brains out for hours. However, he doesn’t always have a lot of time to care for all your needs. A lot of the time, he starts a warm bath with plenty of bubbles for you and makes sure your not in pain before putting his clothes back on and refocusing on the task he had previously been working on.

B (bottom or top) - he is a switch. He loves when he can look down at you and cage you between his surprisingly large forearms while he works his ways, but he also is very tired a lot of the time, usually resulting in you taking control.

C (cum) - he loves your face when he fills you up with his cum. Just the sight of you can make his fragile body climax again and again. Hes not very fond of the idea of condoms, he finds them uncomfortable and restricting, however if you ask him to wear one he’ll respect that and do as you ask.

D (dress up) - he has a LOT of disguises due to his detective work, and hes definitely spread your legs a time or two while wearing a fancy-boy suit and tie, but he prefers you both be fully exposed to one another to create a stronger bond. (but he wont complain if you want to dress up in a sexy lingerie for him)

E (experience) - hes definitely extremely inexpeirenced. Hes just never had the time to really explore the wonder of anothers body. Yes, he has had a fairly quick sexual exchange with a person or two to get out of a tight situation, but really nothing more than oral exchanges.

F (fav position) - hes a vanilla guy. Just plain missionary works wonders for him. He loves being able to hold you close and look deep into your lustfull eyes while making love. Hes not opposed to trying new positions if youd like, though. You two have definitely done it on the desk before.

G (goofy) - you will NEVER find yourself laughing while you two are making love. Hes a very serious man, and does his very best to pleasure you in the best ways. if you giggle or anything during your time of intimacy, he’ll pull away and ask what the fuss is.

H (hair) - though he doesnt have much free time, he likes to keep himself nice, neat, and shaved. He prefers you do the same, but he’ll never say anything if you dont.

I (intamacy) - hes extremely intimate during sex, and really just in general. Though he doesnt have much to any sexual expierience, he sure does know how to make a pool in your panties.

J (jack-off) - he prefers to not resort to masterbation, but if hes away working on a case or for some reason isnt able to have sex with you in a moment of his need, he’ll slowly (and a bit shamefully) pleasure himself to photos of you he has saved (some of which you dont even know about)

K (kink) - like i said, plain vanilla. Hes not opposed to anything, though. You want him to bind you to the bed using his prop handcuffs? Done. you want him to cover you in whipped cream and eat it off you slowly? Of course. You want him to smack you and tell you youre nothing? He thinks its a bit odd, but hell oblige.

L (location) - his favorite place to do you is on his bed, but he doesnt mind. As long as your both comfortable hes all in. his desk? Sure. the kitchen? Alright. He just wants to be able to enjoy as much time with you as he can.

N (no) - hes pretty open to anything, and even if he thinks something is a bit out of taste he usually wont say anything as long as your happy. However, the one thing he will absolutely never do is have a threesome. He is completley devoted to you, and simply wouldnt feel comfortable with someone else sharing your intimate moments.

O (oral) - sweet mother of kira he loves your mouth. One of his favorte things is to have you under his desk giving him a nice blowjob while he works. He also loved eating your pussy raw while you squirm under him. He’ll tease at your clit until your crying and begging him to stop.

P (pace) - he usually goes at a medium pace while thrusting into you lightly. He’d never want to hurt you in any way, but if you ever wanted him to go faster/harder, he’d do so in a heartbeat.

Q (quikie) - he HATES quickies because he feels that they dont bring out the intimacy that just having whole hearted sex does, but sometimes you two have to resort to one if your really antsy.

R (risk) - he loves the adrenaline that fucking you in a public space gives him, especially holding his title as the worlds best detective, but he does prefer making love to you in a quiet, secluded space.

S (stamina) - when hes on the top, he can usually last a few rounds despite him being drained from his work. When hes on the bottom, he can go for as long as you want since hes just laying there, worshipping your bouncing body.

T (toys) - he FOR SURE owns a few toys. Does he use them? Not really. Theyre more props for investigations than sex toys, but tomato tamato. If you ever asked him to use a toy on you, he wouldnt hesitate.

U (unfair) - depends on his mood. If hes in a good mood he’ll treat you like the princess you are and let you cum whenever you need to. If hes had a tough day he’ll take it out by teasing you until your cunt is sobbing for him and your begging him to let you cum.

V (volume) - he definitely whimpers and you cant change my mind. He has so much built up emotion, and despite his quiet and mysterious deminor hes VERY vocal.

W (wild card) - theres not a lot about him that could surprise you, given hes very blunt and direct with what he wants.

X (xray) - hes about 9 inches when hard, with a fairly large girth. He loves your face everytime he stuffs you full.

Y (yearning) - his sex drive isnt really high; he doesnt have a lot of time to think about sex. You two would probably only have sex once or twice a month.

Z (zzz) - usually after you two are done hes up for multiple more hours, either wokring or laying down cuddling you and studying your heartbeat.

RAHH AND ITS DONE 💪 pls give me some writing tips ksjdjrjd thx for reading LUV U 🫶

[transenbyconfessions]

its been two years since i figured out i wasnt cis and now im questioning my gender again :///

i’ve been IDing as nonbinary for two years and genderqueer for one and a half, but ive been messing around with my presentation a lot and im. Not sure if im as neutral as i thought i was? Im not really attached to any sort of label or description—ive tried out agender and some xenogender labels for a while—so even if i think i might be a trans dude/a nonbinary guy ill probably just stick with calling myself nonbinary and/or genderqueer. Ive already considered myself transmasc for the last two years, so it doesnt really change how i view myself all that much

but like. Questioning again is making me think abt whether or not i want to physically transition again. Ive been thinking of using they/it/he instead of they/it. Ive taken to binding more often, and i wonder if i actually want to get top surgery in the future, if i think the comfort will be worth the cost, worth the recovery time.

more immediately, though, ive been thinking about starting hrt. I’m turning 18 soon, so i could start the second im financially able to, but i have to weigh that against the fact that my dad has kinda talked down on the idea of physical transition. He asked me once, if i was planning on physically transitioning, and i was so scared to tell him that i was thinking about it, to ask why the hell he thought i would tell him if i was

but i dont know. And a huge part of me doesnt really care. Im not gonna try to figure out my gender, if i got it wrong or if its been slowly changing, bc genderqueer fits me well enough that i dont care. And im not going to consider physical transition until i finish college bc of the time and money aspect. And im going to try and not think about the judgement i might get from my dad for trying to do things that make me happy and comfortable in my own skin even when he disapproves. Bc making decisions scares me so if i ignore them surely i wont have to decide anything

[secretsniper3]

Part 6: Sister Slaves

“I have cum so many times now, is it possible to die from this” I think as I feel another delicious meal flows into my mouth, more cum for the good slave to drink. Pussy constantly flowing with cum, leaking through the box, I feel something I havnt felt in seemingly a lifetime, movement. The box that holds me moves around and a light appears and there he is, my Master looking down on me, the cum stained sex slave bound in tight rope, bringing my out of the box my Master commands me to sit still, and I do, why would I disobey my Master? sitting still he removes my ropes, my skin breathes as my Master drinks in the marks on my skin, red marks cover my body, rubbing a salve over my body he covers you in its cool embrace, still unmoving. “How do you feel?” my Master asks. “Much better now i can serve you, Master” I answer with a smile. The words still echoing fresh in my mind “You are now a Slave, you will Submit as you are now Property”. Cant fight whats a core of my very being, my reason to exist now can I?

Standing at my Masters side my head hangs low, I know better than to raise my head, telling me to follow him he leads me up some stairs and into a room. A woman is laying on the bed, sealed in a vacbed with a harsh vibrator hitting her clit directly, “How lucky she must be to cum so freely” I think to myself, not knowing what hell the woman is truely in. Walking to a wardrobe my Master takes a latex bodysuit, a latex hood, ballet boots and a corset. Putting the bodysuit on it seemed to be a size smaller than I expected, my ample breasts fitting nicely into the waiting cups and im zipped in within minutes, Corset follows, pulling tight my Master ensures it wont be coming off any time soon with a few knots, the latex hood, covering my eyes and ears, leaving my nostrils and mouth exposed only, I test my latex hood by licking the latex that circles it, the smell and taste of the latex now grasping my head is beyond divine, my long blue hair flowing like water from a hole in the back of the hood and down my latex covered spine. “Master dresses me so nicely” I think as Im taken to the bed with the woman occasionally squirming in her latex prison, my Master helps me put my ballet boots on my feet and laces them up tight. My Master gets my collar and wraps it around my latex neck, its a perfect fit, Leather cuffs are placed tightly around my wrists and connected together with a chain passing through a d-ring in the back of my collar, pulling my wrists up my back. Leash on end Im led out by my neck down the stairs and into the big room. Standing in the darkness without direction a thumb pushes into my waiting mouth, my tongue wrapping around it instantly and moving up and down its lenght as Im walked around the wide room, thumb removed my head is eased forward as my tongue searches for something to suckle on and Im greeted with a cold metal dildo and I take it in deep.

Coddeling the dildo in my mouth I pump back and forth and suck hard, rewarded for my passion and eagerness with a thick, sticky fluid, its more delicious cum! mixed with other many flavors I cant quite place, I pump my head more and more, the mixture flowing slowly into my mouth and down my eager throat I continue sucking hard. Managing to get the dildo down my throat I begin to work it from tip to base, as more of my breakfast oozes into my mouth and throat, not spilling a single drop, I dare not do that. Feeling a hand wrap around my body and grasp my breast I moan deeply into the cock I gladly suck, moving down my latex body my Master takes great pleasure in toying with his things, pulling a zipper he exposes my gushing sex to the room, knowing how happy I am going to become I push deep on the dildo and as I pull back my Master enters me. Stuck between 2 cocks I rock my entire body back forth now, fucking myelf in 2 holes till my Master doubles my speed and pumps hard and fast inside my pussy, “Cum slave” I hear and do so immediatly, leaking my own cum from my pulsing lips as his cock keeps thrusting away. Another orgasm already ready to go but I hold yourself back, resorting to loud moans to signal Im ready again but my Master says nothing but continues thrusting, “thats it girl, keep holding it back” he says in my latex coated ear as I do as commanded, every fiber of my very being is now focused on holding back my approaching orgasm, while my head works the dildo automatically. After 5 minutes of resisting I hear him, “Cum hard slut!” and I do as commanded, Masters cum ripping through my body as Im pulled off the dildo while I cry out in bliss!

Helping me to my feet from my devistating orgasm Im lead, once again to a room, belly full of cum mixture Im forced to sit down, another dildo pokes my pussy and I push down hard, taking the entire toy in deep inside with a satisfied moan. I feel my Masters hands on my face, clearly looking where my eyes would be he says “do not get up off this device” he says sternly, hoping for more pleasure Im pleased to feel a low rumble between my legs as my body rocks around, but never lifting off my seat. “ill let you cum as much as you want for now” my Master says, eliciting a squeel from my mouth as my head flies back in the wake of another orgasm. Turning to leave me, my Master heads back upstairs to tend to his other pet.

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Neverending stimulation, I would have stopped the device hours ago if I could, what would my Master do to me if I did though, the reality scared me more than I thought it would. As I feel a hand grab my sensitive breast I jump in my latex prison, squeezing firmly my breathing quickens till it stops entierly, my Master holding my nose closed my brain works in overdrive until he lets go and I slam into the brick wall that is my denial. Turning the hitachi off my Master sets on releasing me from my vacbed, sitting me up he removes my “clothes” and I stand naked with my weak hands behind my head, Im put in a clear latex suit and mask set, slidding in easily due to my sweat, my ass, pussy, breasts and face left exposed, I find my knees have thick padding and find out what its for as my Master wraps a belt around my waist and pulls my feet up, meeting my firm ass, my feet are connected to straps attached to my belt, locking my feet against my ass but keeping everything easy to reach. My hands are sealed in latex mitts renders my hands completly useless, more paw than hand now, my collar is locked on and clamps are attached to my highly sensitive nipples as my breasts hang beneath me. My Master commands me to sit like a good girl and with some difficulty, I manage to sit back, feeling my Masters cum begin to leak onto the floor, noticing this my Master gives my leash a yank and walks me out of the room and slowly down the stairs.

Hearing a hum nearby my Master takes me to the source of the noise, my eyes widen as I see the blue haired woman, bound to the sybian and fluid running down her thighs freely, clearly caught mid orgasm as Im led to a weird device near the kitchen, a dildo protrudes from its base as well as from a standing height, unreachable in my current bind. Commanded to suck by my Master I take the cock in my mouth and begin to work the fleshy toy, sucking harder and harder Im rewarded with fluid shooting in my mouth, its thick and tastes horrible, clearly a cum mixture I continue sucking hard as I swallow, taking the toy deeper each time I suck, my heavily denied pussy juices dripping to the floor as my Master gets some bacon and eggs for his meal. Eyeing my Masters food as he eats my only choice is to suck harder and harder, clearly meaning this to be my meal for now I have no choice, the disgusting taste is all over my tongue and coats my throat. I dont think ill ever get used to the taste of cum.. Having finished his meal my Master stands and walks to the other woman, cumming on the sybian.

Leading the woman back to me, my Master commands my sister slave to get on her knees she complies silently and her tongue jumps out of her mouth when she was told to drink his cum from my wet pussy, moving blindly forward, balancing herself carefully with her arms chained behind her back her chin brushes my cheek and moves further down my body and into position, tasting my pussy directly her tongue dives deep inside my moist folds, drawing out my Masters cum with ease she sucks it down into her mouth then gut. “keep pumping that cock slut!” my Master shouts, jumping me back to reality as I resume my sucking, collecting more cum flavored fluid and swallowing it. Continuing to work over my pussy my sister slave draws more and more of my Masters cum from my soaked pussy and would have made me cum 3 times by now if I were still able to cum. Pulling the cum hungry slave away my Master inspects my pussy, clearly she had got all his cum out as he pulls his cock out and leads the girl to a chair, sits down and puts her eager mouth to work, unloading 3 times in her mouth not a single drop escapes her vaccum. Pulling me off the dildo my Master leads me by my collar and my blue haired sister slave to the toy room, there he straps me down tightly, and commands my saphire haired friend to have a drink from my pussy and to keep drinking till shes satisfyed, lips locking against lips, her masterful tongue works me over with a passion I cant define as my Master moves infront of me and pushes his cock into my mouth, a tongue working my pussy over, a nose pressing into my ass and a cock in my mouth, is this heaven or hell?!

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Simply amazing taste, I continue diving into the pussy my Master ordered me to devour, grindng my face into the womans sex I jab my tongue into her engorged button causing more moans from the woman, if I had my eyes I would be staring up at my Master with a gaze only a Master would love, I redouble my assault on the neverending pool of delicious fluids as the woman starts shaking everywhere, sucking hard against her labia my tongue working her insides like a harp, shes sure to cum soon I just know it! Pulled away by my Master I instinctively cry out “Thank you Master!” while my lips and chin shine with yummy juices. Im rewarded with my enthusiasm with a toy slidding easily inside my own drooling pussy, strapping the toy in my Master slaps my ass, responding with a moan my other cheek takes a hit, “mmm, thank you Master!” I moan out loudly as my Master stands me up and lowers me on a thick dildo, “sit down” Im commanded and so I do, lowering down on the dildo I hit a chair at the bottom with a bump that my clit sits on perfectly, with a simple “stay” my clit is found sitting on a hitachi as my Master turns it on. My head flies back as I moan out loudly, getting gagged for the noise, probing with my tongue I feel around the gag, it seals my mouth shut with a ring but theres something in the way, I cant push it out with my tongue alone.

“Its a plug” I mentally scream as my Master once again takes my willing mouth, my tongue gets to work pleasing my Master’s tasty cock, both my Master and I work on thrusting away inside my mouth, pulling back he unloads all over my tongue, I savor the taste and swallow. Left sitting in darkness with a humming clit I cum hard only moments later to cum again harder, my clit dancing on the vibrator I hear moans coming from the other slave, clearly getting my Masters cock inside her I cum again at the mere thought.

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Masters cock pumping in my ass hard, thrust after thrust, my needy pussy drooling on the floor I moan aloud and gaze at the blue haired slave, shes cumming constantly, how desperatly I wish our places were reversed, so I could experience a orgasm once again, its almost gone now, the memory of a orgasm, I remember it being exquisite and highly enjoyable but that was all I can remember, replaced by heavy denial as my ass is creamed deep before my Master pushes 7 vibrating eggs inside me and pushes a cover over my pussy, sealing them in, held in place by a urethral insert inflated at the tip when it got deep enough, not going anywhere anytime soon my body is tormented with stimulation with no end in sight. Looking again at my sister slave as her cum flows from between her thighs I glance up to my Master with pleading eyes, a simple “Not for a very long time” beats you down hard. Taking both my sisters and my leash my Master leads us both to his bedroom, Yawning as he opens a cage at the foot of his bed, he pushes me inside and locks it tight, my new room apparently. My sister slave however is pushed on the bed as my Master follows out of sight, I can only guess whats taking place but clearly its rough for her.

tomorrow promises a hard day for me and my new sister slave.

[puyo-fever]

puyo character queer hcs! I explain some lengthily (mainly the aro hcs) so I’ll put it under a read more.

disclaimer that these are personal hcs for fun and you dont have to take any seriously at all!

ringo-aroflux bisexual

ringo is just kinda confused with her feelings in general but accepts that she’s somewhere on the aro spectrum. well, she knows she probably doesnt like people romantically, but sometimes she just feels things(tm) ya know. she’s been qpps with maguro for a while and sometimes she just has moments where she’s like “do I like him romantically?” but after a few hours or smth it’s back to “yeah he’s my best friend!” and it just. happens sometimes out of the blue and she’s just like okay brain thanks.

in general, she and maguro are pretty affectionate. definitely lots of hand holding, kisses on the cheek etc. but they probably just do it when they’re not around their friends n family bc everyone just ASSUMES stuff and risukuma is the only one who KNOWS knows that they’re qpps and wont make ringo uncomfy by asking if they’re dating.

amitie-genderqueer/trans lesbian

I think trans amitie is a very pog headcanon, but I think genderqueer also fits her very well! she doesn’t wanna be binded to any sort of binary, she just wants to be gender. and the lesbian one is mostly derived from the fact all the characters I ship her with are either girls or charas I hc to be nonbinary, though it’s not a hc I think abt a lot admittedly.

arle-aromantic

Listen it’s just really funny for satan to simp after her when she’s just not interested in anyone in general.

She feels sexual attraction, but is still unsure of where it’s directed towards, as she hasnt had a chance to explore it. so for now she’s fine with not id-ing it.

carbuncle-carbuncle

carbuncle

schezo-aromantic bisexual

-I don’t think he’s into romance. could be qpps with arle? idk, but he and rulue and friends with benefits, it’s just casual though

rulue-trans het

we all know rulue likes satan men but I think she’s also transfem.

draco-lesbian

she and lidelle are girl liker sibling solidarity. like, cmon, she seeks out cute girls to compete with them?? and keeps calling them pretty so

witch-bisexual

I’m not too sure how canon those old games are with her lore but I do like that tidbit abt her having a crush on either arle or schezo at some point.

maguro-nonbinary bisexual

Nonbinary (afab) is because of kin reasons. He’s masc leaning but is fine with some feminine terms (uses he/she/they pronouns). Bi is bc he just gives off the vibes.

risukuma-ace

Not much to say here. He’s not sure about how he handles romantic feelings himself so he doesnt label it, and he simply doesn’t feel sexual attraction.

feli-genderqueer demi

(Would like to make clear by demi I mean both demiromantic and demisexual)

Demi is because. Well, minus the whole lemres thing she takes a while to be trusting of others in general. Really doesn’t start to feel things until well into a friendship/relationship.

klug-nonbinary bisexual

Have you seen ppt2 and the 20th anni cutscenes. Peak Bisexual disaster.

Anyways he/him nonbinary just feels right for klug.

sig-nebularomantic greysexual

(quick explanation for those unfamiliar with the term: identity under the aromantic spectrum that’s defined as mixing up/not being able to separate romantic and platonic feelings due to being autistic)

This is one of those “oh that seems kinda obvious” hcs that I’m attached to anyways. I’ve always seen sig as autistic and in general uninterested in romance, though he is in a romantic relationship. I personally think he DOES sometimes get those feelings he simply doesnt act on them unless he knows his partner wants him to.

Also a personal headcanon is that lemres helped sig out in figuring out a label for him, as they talk about aromanticness a lot.

raffina-pan

I just think that pansexual makes sense for raffina? not much to say here.

lidelle-lesbian

again, not much to say here. lidelle girl kisser, I can’t see her with boys at all.

lemres-non binary aroace

nonbinary is bc of kinnie reasons again so lets skip over that.

for lemres. he’s like, repulsed at the thought of being in a romantic relationship in general! whenever his parents would bring up the idea of a suitor he’d be pretty uncomfy. he was never interested in it, probably tried it once when he was asked out by someone after he ran away and went “nah”. while he’s fine with compliments sent his way in a fun matter (like being called a wife) he’s pretty offput by people who try to pursue a relationship with him. he’s really patient with feli bc she’s young and he doesnt wanna be rude by saying her fortune telling skills are wrong but man can she not take a hint.

As for sexual attraction, while he doesn’t feel it, he isnt repulsed by it like he is with romantic relationships.

tee-trans asexual

transmasc tee just..makes sense to me? I cant really explain why but he 100% wears a binder.

Tee is sex repulsed. not much to say. Hasn’t figured out his romantic orientation.

ess-trans bi

as with tee, trans ess just makes sense. transmasc and transfem solidarity.

bi isnt for any particular reason, she just feels like she’d be bi ya know.

jay and elle-demigender

they both aren’t very attached to the concept of gender. but also they are. yes. no. it’s complicated.

ai-gay

he’s the token cis of the tetra crew but also the token mlm nerd.

ecolo-agender aromantic

oh ecolo. funky blob guy. they’re 100% not giving a shit about gender and all those concepts, ecolo is just ecolo.

ecolo isn’t really romance repulsed per se, but they prefer friendships over romantic relationships, and cant see themselves in a relationship. wants to be qpps with ringo but she’s not that certain about the idea. doesn’t know what sex is.

squares-gay

*points* guy kisser.

marle-lesbian

*points* girl kisser.

[thesetrashimagines]

The Man

A Peaky Blinders imagine (reader insert)

Warnings: fighting, blood, bullet wounds, swearing, murder.

GIF is not mine!

Summary: Accidentally busting into a bar while trying to finish a job may not have been the smartest idea.

Pt.2

  You knew they were on your trail, it was part of the plan. And it was going perfectly. What you didn't expect was for one them to be in a car, driving straight for you. Thinking fast you looked for some kind of cover. Seeing a pair double doors, you made a run for them and honestly in the moment you weren't thinking about who or what was on the other side.

  Throwing the doors open and slamming them behind you, you rushed to the side and waited for the shadowy figures belonging to your targets to enter. It didn't take long which you were greatful for, means that you would get to go home sooner, the group of 3 men walked into the bar. Being behind them gave you an advantage, pulling out some piano wire you threw yourself onto the back of one them. He wasn't able to get his fingers underneath the wire making his death come quickly. The other two men turned around to the sounds of their partner yelling and as soon as the body hit the floor they pounced.

Ducking down from most their collective swings, you scrambled towards one of the tables, there was a bottle on it. Picking it up you turned and saw the bigger man of the two come towards you. Spinnig the bottle in your hand, you rose your brows and gestured your arms out in a 'come on and get me' kind of way. The man barrelled forward and threw a hard punch, hitting you in jaw, you staggered to the side and swung the bottle right onto the back of his bald head, he stumbled before you pulled the back of his collar exposing his chest where you plunged the broken end of the bottle into his right breast. You turned the two of you around and faced the other man, his eyes widened at the scene in front of him. Taking his moment of stun, you pushed the bald man forward into the arms of the smaller man, knocking him over with a loud thud as he hit the floor, this action obvisously drove the broken bottle further into the bald man which caused him to cry out in pain.

Neither man can move now, the smaller man started babbling while the bald one was crying. Pulling out the knife from your shoe you waltzed over to the stacked bodies. "We all know why this is your fate," Spitting out blood you continued, "stop making so much fucking noise."

Leaning over them you stabbed the knife into the smaller man's neck before grabbing the bald man's hand and telling him to hold it there, he was trying to fight agaisnt you but you could tell that he was getting weaker with every shift he made. "The more you move the more you bleed." He stopped moving, "You wont die from that bottle unless I want you to." The man started crying again. Grabbing one of the chairs closest to you, you sat down. "You throw a good punch by the way." His hand slipped off the knife's slick handle. "What did I say to do?" He finally tried to speak.

"Please let me go......how was I suppose to know?" Standing with a sigh you walked back over to the man and gently placed your hands on his neck. "Don't lie, you always knew." Snapping his neck quickly and straightening back up, you finally glanced around the room to assess the damage. 1 broken bottle, and some blood. 'Not too bad', you think to yourself. Turning back around to your chair you started to push it back in when the back door opened and footsteps caught your attention.

"The fuck happened here!?" A man with a mustache started yelling. "Buisness." Glancing up as you answered you noticed there was 4 of them. The man with the mustache, another with a cap on, the third had a ciggarette hanging out of mouth, and the last one had a baby face. With the adrenaline running out you started to feel the pain, looking down you saw your shirt soaked in blood. "Fuck...," looking back to the gaggle of men, who were still glaring at you, 3 of them even pulled out guns. "Look I'll pay for the bottle and the labour for the blood, I apologise for the mess too. Are you lot gonna tell the police?" Now their expressions changed looking st you as if you had multiple heads. "Police!? We're the fucking peaky blinders!" The man with the mustache yelled at you, cocking his gun, "and who the fuck are you!?"

"Nobody." Turning yourself toward the door, "The money will be here by first light." Hearing the other men cocking their guns you stopped and stared at the door in front of you, a different voice spoke out. "It is already first light, its actually 5 in the morning. We were told by some of our men that a group broke in here and were stupid enough to leave their car outside." Closing your eyes you sighed, 'well there goes my ride', you thought to yourself again. The men began talking to you again but you were thinking about how you were going to be leaving, 'Maybe I can still take the car, worst they could've done is fuck with the engine.' Smiling to yourself you turned back to the men.

"Look gentlemen, I dont know who the peaky blinders are. Never heard of you lot sadly, as for me don't worry about it. I'm just another man walking the streets, well not these ones but..." You looked back down and noticed another blood spot was slowly getting bigger, " I've got to get going now, I already got a few bullets in me so if you'll excuse me, you'll find me in the hospitial."

With that you turned and dashed through the door as bullets went flying around you for the 2nd time today It's something you've gotten used to over the years. With every step you took, the pain spiked. Gritting your teeth you hopped into the car and started it. The machine shook alive and you let out a little laugh.The men were now rushing out the door and aiming at the car, stepping on the gas you bolted down the road. Nothing was more exciting then driving a fast car.

"The fucker's getting away!" Arthur shouted, "What do you want us to do Arthur? Chase after the car?" Michael questioned his cousin. John lowered his gun and tried catching his breath, "Did you see the bodies in there? Something don't add up, one of them had a knife in his fucking throat." Tommy walked out of the Garrison doors, "Yeah and the one on top of him has a bottle in his chest. Then there's the one by the door, he's got a mark on his neck, wire looks like." Everyone was silent, mulling over the situation. "He said he'd be at the hospital, we should send someone over there." Michael looked to Tom, taking out another cigarette. "You know Michael that isn't a bad idea, we'll send Finn and Isaiah."

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Getting back to the apartment was easy. No one was up yet, it was 5 AM at the latest, the sun was just starting to peak through the horizon. Taking off your shirt you started unwrapping the binding on your chest, taking a deep breathe would've been nice but the bullet hole in your side reminded you it was still there. Grabbing your supplies and sitting on the bed, you got to work on removing the bullet, luckly it wasn't near any important parts. Biting down on some cloth you pulled the bullet out. "Fuck ,fuck, fuck, fuck!" Tossing the stupid thing on the floor you splashed some alcohol into the wound. Feeling a little woozy you grabbed the needle and thread, 'Come on YN youère almost done.' Stitching yourself up wasn't new but your hands still shake with every pass. The slash on your arm only needed a few stitches but the awkward angle was enough to give you trouble.

Spinning around you realized there wasn't any bandages left, throwing your head back with an audible "ugh" you stood and started to throw on a new shirt, careful not to bump anything and open it back up you threw a oversized coat on and a hat.

The air was cool which was nice on your flushed cheeks, cool air was always nice after a job, espiecally one that you walked away from with new wounds. You kept your head slightly down and collar popped, hiding your face. You knew this life wasn't easy but you knew nothing else, you grew up doing this, your whole life dedicated to this and everything associated with it. Your thoughts cleared when you came up to the hospitial. In and out. Grab bandages, and leave, simple.

Walking into the hospitial you saw nurses bustling about and doctors checking boards and holding conversation with each other. Good, people were busy. Watching one of the nurses walk down the hall and enter a door that said nurses only, you set your attentions there. Everybody glanced at you but with a simple tip of the hat and a "here to see the wife and babe" nobody questioned you, babies were always being born. You could hear some of them coming into the world, the cries of life. Not like the ones you were used to too.

Entering the room some murses looked up at you and some were about to start yelling but you were quicker. "Oh I'm so sorry everyone for being late, you know how it is." Laughing gently you took off the hat and shook out your chin length hair. "Excuse me but I dont think I've ever seen around before." One nurse spoke. Looking over to her while sliping off your coat, "Oh well pardon me, I'm Leanna. I've been sent over for a few days with a patient before we go back home, I'm his personal nurse." Most of the nurses ignored you and left to get on with work you presumed. "Which patient?" You went behind a curtain and changed into a nurses uniform, "Mr.Smith." You replied, Smith was a rather common name anywhere you went in Britain so it was a safe name to throw around. "Smith? I don't think I've heard of him sorry." Stepping out fully dressed you gave her a gently smile "It's quite alright we won't be here long. it was nice meeting you but I have to get going Mr.Smith gets upset when he doesn't recognize where he is." With that you left and walked the halls.

While looking for the supply closet you saw 2 boys dressed very similarly to the men from the pub walk in, you could hear them ask doctors and nurses of they've had a man in with bullet wounds. Of course they said no. But now there was a problem, while walking towards another section of the hospitial these two boys bumped into you, knocking you to the ground, and you felt a pop. Quickly standing back up, you ignored the hands trying to help you up. "Miss! Sorry! We weren't looking where we were going, you know we're trying to look for someone. Maybe you've seen them? A man who was shot-" "shot in the side." Tying your cardigan around your waist you looked up at the boys. One was lean, had freckles and curly hair, the other was a little more built (he did knock you down), smooth skin, and had dark hair. "It's alright, no I havent seen a man, now please excuse me." Keeping things short, you left and found the supplies closet.

You dressed your own wounds and stuck the rest of the bandages into the bust of the dress. Shifting the bust of the dress around you gave yourself the okay and left the closet. The boys were still in the same spot but now babyface and the cap wearing man had joined them. 'Shit.' Holding your head down you passed them again. " *whisle* thats one pretty girlie, oi nurse!" The capped man was catcalling you.....honestly could've be worse. Walking faster you made it back to the lockers, changing was nice until you noticed the smallest blood stain on the dress, "Oh for fucks sake." You held the dress in the crook of your elbow, now standing in the nurses locker room, dressed in mens clothing with coat pockets full of bandages and other supplies, holding a nures's dress, to make it even better a nurse walked in and was staring at you with wide eyes. 'fuck'

"Look miss my girl works here and she asked me to throw her uniform in the laundry here, you see there's some blood on it and she's in the bathroom right now, the blood it makes her dizzy, I-I I'll leave, oh Lord this is embarrassing." Lying came easy, sometimes you enjoyed it, every word created a story and here you were acting in it, you found it funny. 'No! No! It's quite alright you're just trying to be a good husband here lemme take it for you, you go see how she is alright." The nurse came over placing a hand on your arm and grabbed the uniform. "Thank you miss" You gave her a smile and left the room swiftly.

Leaving the hospitial was suppose to be as easy as getting into it but the tiny detail you forgot about was now you were in the same building as those men from the pub. Wanting to face plant into the ground and wanting to let put the biggest groan, you kept silent and your head on a swivel. Looking around every corner and down every hallway. Alas your efforts were futile when you rounded a corner and bumped into the same chest as earlier. You landed on the ground again and quickly pulled your hat down to cover the majority of your face. "Oi watch where your going." You nodded and stood up making sure not to make eye contact, side stepping around them you carried on your way when you heard, "Isaiah thats him!" Upon those words you ran, 'so much goddamn running.'

You weren't far from the entrance when some men stepped in front of the hospitals doors, wearing those stupid hats, 'you've got to be fucking kidding me'. Looking around you noticed a open window, you slowed down to a halt and stared at the men at the door, they slowky walked forward and you could hear the shoes hitting the floor in chase behind you. Throwing a smirk at the two at the door you dashed to the window and used your arms to send yourself out of it legs first. Sticking the landing you stood up and glanced into an alleyway and decided to take it, you could still hear the men running after you. Looking up at the walls around you, specifically at the windows again and these were barred. Perfect. Stopping in front of one you noticed how high it was, your arms weren't gonna be long enough. The slapping of shoes filled the alleyway, making up your mind in that moment, you decided on a run and jump. The first attempt didnt work, at all.

By now when you started the second attempt the men could see you easly scale the windows, then the fire escape, then they watched you jump onto the roof and disappear. "Now who in the fuck does that?" Isaiah looked back at the group of men. All of them were out of breath. "Yeah who the fuck is he? Why's he so important?" Finn looked at his older brother, "He broke into The Garrison and killed 3 blokes" John answered. Finn looked to the roof and laughed. "Fucking hell."

The group started their journey back to the betting shop but what they didn't know was that they were being followed by the 'man' on the roof. Granted jumping from roof to roof only worked so far before you had to get down, you watched them enter a building and recognized the area around you, it wasn't too far from the apartment, letting out a sigh you walked back 'home'. How were you going to leave this place now? Taking everything off you started yourself a bath. Seeing your reflection was weird, you were so used to being seen as a man by the outside world that when you did see the feminine parts of you it was like a surprise, a nice surprise cause you knew you were one badass lady. Taking off the bandage made you huff in annoyance, getting knocked over causing your stitches to pop open and then all that running and climbing, all that hard work just to be back at square one. Walking to your room you redid the stitches, not as shaky this time, then climbed into the bath.

It's at moments like these where you wished you had your beloved record player with you. Music is always able to help you calm down. You could say music was your only weakness.

You lounged there wondering when you should drop off that money, would they even want it? They didn't seem to enthustiastic about your offer. Whatever you promised, maybe you could deliver the new bottle...nope, knock and run away? Yeah that sounds alright.

The water was getting cold so you stood up and wrapped yourself in a towel and made your way to your room to grab the bandages from your coat after dressing yourself you noticed there was a whole in your coat, 'the windows', letting out another sigh you grabbed some wide cloth and binded your chest, then grabbed a shirt, trousers, your hat, and some cash, then headed to the nearest store to buy a bottle of whatever you could find. Seeing as your coat had a hole in it you couldn't help but stick your hand in and out of it as you walked, you even pulled at the frayed edges before you mentally yelled at yourself saying that you're only gonna make it worse. Shoving your hands into the pockets you walked into the first store, it looked like a general store, had a little bit of everything. Looking around the shelves you noticed they had a very small liqour selection and guessing by the dust on some of the bottles, they weren't very popular. You saw an older man with a white beard and mustache behind the counter, "Excuse me sir, what kind of drink is this?" Throwing a gesture towards the shelf with your head the man looked to the side at the bottles.

"You want to buy them?" He looked surprised. "Yes but only if you tell me what it is." You let out a small laugh. The older man chuckled, "Yes well, the ones in the front row are whiskey but everything behind them is rum." Rum? You haven't had rum in awhile. "I'll take two bottles of rum, the ones in the furthest back please." He turned and set them down in front of you. "Is that everything?" He asked with a raised brow, "No, do you sell coats by any chance? Or know of somewhere that does?" The older man was about to answer when a woman behind you spoke, "You can buy coats down the road now can you please hurry im in a rush." Turning towards the woman you noticed the short haircut, to the chin like yours, her eyes were a bright blue and she wore red lipstick, she was also wearing a fur coat. Once your gaze went back up to her face, she had a mischievous look on her face. "Are you finished? Thats a rather large hole in your coat, what happened?" Laughing to yourself, you turned back towards the man and placed 2 bills down. "keep the change." With that you left and hearing the older man yelling thank you as you left, put a smile on your face. You enjoyed making people happy.

The store selling coats was crowded, people were everywhere in there, some were customers, and others were employess with tape measures around their necks. A woman walked up to you when you steped through the door. "Hello! How may I help you?" You locked eyes with her and gave her your most charming smile, "I'm looking for a coat, mines got a hole in it." Showing her the whole she gasped. "My thats a rather large rip, well if you could follow me I can show you some im sure you'll like." She gently wrapped her arm around yours and took off down the racks of coats before stopping in front of a section with many black and navy coats. "So here we have some coats that match the colour and wear as the one you have on now." Going through a few you noticed one a little further down the racks. "What about this one?" Pulling out the dark forest green jacket, you turned to her and smiled, "Can I try this one on?" She stared at you for a moment.

"Yes of course you can sir though I do have to warn you it is one of our more expensive pieces." Taking off the jacket you had on and giving it to the lady, you swung the green fabric over your shoulders, your arm protested but you masked the pain. You looked over yourself and you were quite happy with how it looked on you. "I quite like it, miss I think I'll take this one." The woman started speaking fast, "but sir that jacket is very expensive, yes you look very handsome in it but-!" You walked over to her and grabbed her hands, "It's alright, but now I have to get it if I look so handsome in it." Winking at her, you let go of her hands and grabbed your old coat, pulling out some money. "Is this enough?" She glanced at the money in your hands and grabbed the bills, she refiled through them then handed back 2 bills. "There its yours." She smiled at you with flushed cheeks. Smiling back, you placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly, "thank you miss, have nice day." Her face got brighter as you walked away, you wished she kept the old coat but you needed to get the bottle of rum to the building before sundown.

You saw the woman from earlier walk out of another shop in front of you. Her arms carrying a box and a bag on top of it. You could hear the clicking of her heelings against the pavement, she was walking with purpose you decided, guess she was telling the truth about being in a hurry. Then you noticed the men, the men in caps,'they're everywhere'. The woman noticed them too. "If you're just gonna watch me all day atleast be helpful and bring this back to the house." She placed the box and bag into the arms of one of the men and kept on walking before entering a car.

You watched the car leave and felt jealous but kept on with your travel on foot. You walked towards your street and on the way you saw a small girl running in nothing but a dress. Watching with careful eyes you examined the path the girl was running in and saw a pump in the road, almost as you were about to call out she tripped and fell. Rushing over, you picked her up and sat her on your knee and brushed off her legs and arms of the gravel stuck to them. She had her face tucked into your neck as she cried, getting you wet with her tears. "Hey you're alright now, I've gotcha." You gently brushed the dirty and gravel off her injured knee. "Nothing more than a little scrape aye?" She looked down at her knee and sniffled, "It hurts." Rubbing her back you replied, "I know darling but you're a strong girl. You look tough now and once this little scrape heals you'll be good as new." She studied the side of your face as you were checking the rest of her legs for scrapes.

"You've got long hair mr." She was gently pulling on the strands poking out from under your hat, "It looks pretty." She giggled as the hair sprung back into place. "Why thank you, I must admit I only ever want my hair to look pretty." You wrapped your large coat over her small frame and tied the long ends in a knot. "There you can have my coat, now I know there's a hole in it but you can throw it when you get home, it's just something to keep you warm yeah?" She looked at you with big eyes "Yea!" "Now watch where you run." She nodded, hugged you and ran away. The sleeves of the coat covering her hands.

Laughing you turned back and continued the walk. When you finally reached your street you saw the car the woman left in, 'curiouser and curiouser', the car was parked in front of your rums destination. Standing next to the car you gently leaned against it and began to come up with your 'escape' plan. "So after almost a day of my men trying to find you, you end up on my door step." Spinning your head towards the alley and the voice, you made eye contact with the man from the pub, and just like when you first saw him, he was smoking. Looking back to the door you answered, "I was just going to leave the bottle and money and be on my mary way." You heard in let out a airy laugh. "Mary way? I didn't peg you as the type of man to go about things maryly especially after what I saw you do to those 3 in the bar." Looking up at the sky you sighed.

Still sitting on the car you tilted your upper half and placed one of the bottles of rum on the top of the car, then you held up some cash and placed the bottle on top of the pile. Holding up your own bottle of rum and stepped off the car, "I'll be on my mary way." Throwing him a small smile you walked past him. "This rum?" You spun back around to him and opened your bottle. "Yep." You gave the bottle a swig and let out a hum. "It's pretty good too." You tipped the bottle towards him, "Cheers." You spun back around and walked towards your aprtment.

Watching you walk to the apartments at the end of lane Tommy smirked and grabbed the rum. He opened the bottle and gave it a sniff and quickly scowled at it. He put the top back on the bottle and counted the money, eyes shooting up to your apartment again. Where the hell did you get this type of money?

"You alright Tom?" Turning towards his sister he placed the bottle of rum in her hand, "I'm fine Ada." Recognizing the bottle, Ada made eye contact with her brother. "Where'd you get this from?" Tom looked at the bottle then back at his sister, "why?" Ada shook her head. "It nothing I just saw a man earlier today buying a few bottles," she let out a laugh, "he was asking where to buy a new coat cause his had this giant tear in his." Thomas glanced down the lane again to the apartment building he watched you enter earlier.

"A man eh?"

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Aaaahhh it's been forever since I last wrote anything, truly am sorry, but! I have been craving to write for peaky blinders again (I honestly love that show and its universe) I had loads of fun writing this and I actually know where I want this story to go so please let me know if you want a part 2 or maybe I'll write a part 2 anyways cause I have many plans for it. Anyways enough of my rambling, I really hope you enjoyed this and thank you so much for reading! <3

[bridgyrose]

Infiltration AU. Is Salem gonna play hero to impress Ruby? Or will she sabotage the huntresses-in-training?

Xanthic pulled out her scroll and started running through a few of the cameras near the dust shop in Vale. “I’ve tapped into a few of the cameras around, which means we can see where Blake went and hopefully find her quickly.” 

Ruby smiled a bit, feeling a bit better. “That’ll be great. The last thing I want is for my team to fall apart before we can really become a team.” 

Salem sighed in displeasure, a bit miffed that her plan was already starting to fall apart. She needed to get Ruby alone, not have her team start helping the girl out. But, then again, if she could play the hero that Ruby wanted to see in a huntress… 

“If the technology fails to find her, I might have another way to do so.” 

Ruby looked over at Salem, curious as to what the girl was offering. “What do you mean?” 

“My… semblance… allows me to track people down,” Salem lied. It felt unnatural to say those words, but since this brand of humanity had no magic to help them, she had to start using their own lingo. Not that they’d ever really know what magic was if it bit them in the ass. Even those four girls that Ozma shared his magic with could never dream of using it to its full extent. “It’ll take a bit of time and I’ll need one of her possessions, but the tracking is flawless and will lead us straight to her.” 

Xanthic looked at Salem with a little disdain, not exactly happy at being shown up. “Saph, thanks for the offer, but I’m sure Ruby would rather a professional help her out.” She quickly sat her scroll down and pulled out one of the gloves her father and mentor taught her how to make, connecting it to her scroll and pulling out multiple camera views. “This isnt the first time I’ve had to track someone down and more than likely wont be the last. We’ll find Blake before you’ll ever be needed.” 

Salem rolled her eyes a bit as she watched Xanthic. As true as it was that technology could be helpful, a lot of it felt primitive to what she could do. Not that she could actually do much if she wanted to keep her cover from being blown. She at least needed to stay hidden long enough to find the vault so her piece could move in and swipe the relic right from under Ozma’s nose. “If you say so. It all seems unreliable to me.” 

Xanthic ignored Salem, just focusing on her work. She methodically started moving the camera views around, giving her as much clarity as she could. She smiled as she watched the recording of Blake move along the rooftops towards the industrial quarter. “Here we are. Found her.” 

Ruby looked over Xanthic’s shoulder, smiling a bit. “I cant believe you found her that quick.” 

“Well, it’s not quite that simple yet. Unfortunately, we’re about an hour behind her already, which means she might not be there anymore.” 

“But it’s a start, right?” 

“That it is.” Xanthic snapped her fingers, lining up all the camera views before shutting down her scroll. “Which means once we get there, we can start checking out the scene and maybe find out where she went next. Most of that area is cameraless, so I wont be able to have my eyes in the sky for that.” 

Salem smirked a bit. “Well, sounds like you might end up being useless after all.” 

Xanthic glared at Salem, not particularly happy about everything that she was saying. “Shut it Saph. I will put you in your place.” 

Salem felt amused by Xanthic’s threat, slowly moving closer to her and whispering in her ear. “I’d love to see you try.” 

Xanthic hesitated as she heard the calmness in Salem’s voice, not even remotely phased by the threat. Everything about Sapphire started seeming off to her. The way she seemed calm around grimm. The way she seemed to know more about others and how they’d act. It was almost as if she wasnt entirely human. 

Salem started walking out the door, turning to smile at her team and Ruby. “So, are we going then?” 

Sitri shook her head and started pulling out her books to study. “Unlike the rest of you, I need to study for class. You all go ahead. Maybe with a little peace and quiet I can get something done.” 

Aurora smiled and started following after Salem. “Sure, I see no reason why not. And maybe if there are a few White Fang around, we can show them just what kind of mistake they’re making.” 

Salem turned her gaze to Ruby, her real target of all of this. “And you, my dear? You’ll want to come and find your friend, right?” 

Ruby nodded and rushed past using her semblance. “I’ll meet you there!” 

Salem smiled as she watched the girl run off. The longer she lived, the easier this second round of humanity seemed to be manipulated. All it took was a few promises here and there and she could bend their will at her fingers. 

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Aurora ran up the sides of a few buildings on the way to the industrial quarter, getting herself a view of the city and trying to spot anyone moving around. It was one of the few times she felt free. No gravity to bind her to its rules. Just the wind in her hair and the complete freedom of doing whatever she pleased. 

Xanthic followed behind Aurora, keeping tabs on the camera she was holding. This was one of the few times where Aurora’s talents came in plenty of use. Even without any street cameras around, at least she could count on Aurora to give her the eyes she needed. She quickly tapped the com-piece in her ear. “Think you can get me a clear shot of the area? I think I can pinpoint a few places she could be hiding.” 

“You can count on me!” 

Salem sighed as she watched Aurora rush off ahead, using a combination of lighting and gravity dust to move faster and higher. Once again, her efforts to get Ruby alone were eluding her. There had to be another way… 

Ruby pulled out her scroll and tried to call Blake for the third time on the search, no longer paying attention to her surroundings. “Come on Blake, please answer-” It didnt take long for her to run into what felt like a metal wall, falling over and dropping her scroll. 

“Sal-u-taions!” 

Ruby sat up, hesitating when she saw a red-haired girl flat on her back. “O-oh, sorry, I didnt mean to run into you like.” Ruby got up and offered her hand to the girl.

The girl slowly got up, smiling at Ruby. “It’s fine. I should’ve paid a bit more attention to where I was going. I’m… a bit lost.” 

Xanthic watched the girl, suddenly feeling unsure about her, while Salem hesitated on trying to get a read on her. 

Ruby smiled at her. “Where were you heading? Sapphire, Xanthic, and I are heading to the industrial quarter to find a friend of mine.” 

“Maybe I could help you find her. My name is Penny. And yours?” 

“Ruby.” Ruby started to relax a bit as she talked to Penny. The girl seemed off, but in the same off kind of way that she was when trying to talk to others. “Another pair of eyes would definitely be useful.” 

Xanthic slowly pulled out her scroll, hesitating as it pointed out a new access point in the area. “Huh, that cant be right…” 

Salem looked over to Xanthic. “What’s that?” 

“Its that girl. There’s… something off about her. I’ll tell you more when I can figure it out.” 

Salem nodded a bit, keeping an eye on Penny and seeing how close she had gotten to Ruby so quick. It was almost as if the two were practically made for each other. Which didnt bode well for her. She had to find a way to separate them. “I have a thought. Why dont we split up while we search? We can cover a bit more ground that way.” 

Xanthic nodded in agreement. “That doesnt sound like a bad plan. I’ll go with-” 

Ruby quickly took Penny’s hand and started darting off. “Penny and I will take the north section. We’ll make our way east and meet up with you guys there!” 

Salem frowned a bit as she watched Ruby run off with Penny, starting to get irritated on how hard it was to get close to a single girl. Almost as if the gods themselves were just toying with her. 

Xanthic smirked a bit as she messed with her scroll. “I knew it! Penny’s not human!” 

Salem hesitated for a moment. “What do you mean she’s not human?” 

“Besides the camera on Aurora and our scrolls, which I’ve already tapped into, there arent any access points… except for one. And it’s coming from Penny.” 

“So, you could tap into her and see what she sees then?” 

“Its possible, but… I’ve never seen anything like her before. Even most Atlas tech is simple but Penny… she’s on a different level.” 

Salem nodded, taking everything she was told into consideration. As inferior as this humanity was, every now and again they seemed to surprise her. And this was no exception. “Try to hack into her.” 

Xanthic looked at Salem a bit curiously. “Why? Even if I do, all she’d do is give me another pair of eyes to look through.” 

Salem started walking off, heading to the south of the quarter. “I want to see if it can be done. And if so, it’ll confirm something for me about you.” 

“And what would that confirm?” 

“Who taught you to use your technology like that. And if it’s who I think it is, then we have a lot to discuss later.” 

[raysreads]

Teen Wolf Character Scents

Okay this might sound weird, but I’ve been reading a lot of Teen Wolf fic lately and it always puts a heavy emphasis on what the character smells like. Because...werewolf senses and everyone has a natural scent. I personally love this so here are my headcanons for what each characters natural scent would be!!!!!

(I give reasons for why I went with those things but some of the reasons themselves are headcanons, and some just came to me and have no reason at all besides that fact that i love it that way)

So background info: I headcanon some scents are from birth, while some are added/change based on experiences, temperament and emotions. You have your own scent and it does its own thing, even when you’re human. Humans cant smell them since they aren’t necessarily real, they are more a smell supernaturals pick up that’s a cryptic reflection of ones personality.

Stiles: Gotta start with the main boi!!!! He smells like spicy chili peppers, honey and everything spicy. He is wild and loud and so so sharp. He uses cutting anger and snark and sarcasm as a defense mechanism, this reflects in a scent that burns your nose. But he cares and loves a lot and is super soft, hence the honey. If you focus on his scent too much your eyes water with the chili. When he gets angry he send tears down everyone’s faces and even reddens the cheeks and burns the tongues of the supernatural pack members in his anger, his scent becoming physical as his spark acts up.

Peter: He smells like cold. Like cold, and petrichor and mint toothpaste. He always has. He smells like the cold of ice, the cold you smell when you open a freezer in the cold isle of the grocery store and like Vick’s Vaporub but 10x as strong. As the left hand of the pack it was his job to kill, to eliminate threats, his job to bear all the blood on his hands, to have his hands permanently stained sticky red and his eyes glow blue, so that no one else in the pack has to live with the guilt of murder, even when justified. His first kill was at 8 years old and he would never forgive the fact that he had been given that burden. So he became unmovable ice and unending cold. With the thick smell of rain for the warmth he would always keep hidden.

Theo: His scent is that of fresh, right off the smoker, BBQ sauce-soaked ribs and apple juice. Its a scent he was born with, one that reflects the gooey warmth of his soul and his innocence before he was manipulated and tortured. His scent always throws people off since it usually reflects ones personality and he’s not a good person by any means, he is amoral and cruel; and such a warm, soft scent doesn’t make sense. But his soul (though no longer pure) would always hold his original innocence. The apple juice isn’t actually his scent, but his sisters, her heart such a part of him that his guilt manifested her soul in his scent. And if you focus hard enough, underneath all that you can find the sting of bleach. His time with the dread doctors (and the fact that he was surgically tortured into being a chimera) leaving part of his scent mangled and altered into the artificial tang of bleach. The fact that he forced his scent to remain mostly unchanged throughout his life (which was worse than hell on earth) is Very Very Impressive, even more so when in the beginning he wasn’t even supernatural.

Scott: Our ever-sweet true alpha. He smells like overly sweet pink and blue cotton candy and hot, buttered, movie theater popcorn. He’s literally sugar and spice and everything nice. His morals and warmth translating to the hot popcorn and his perpetual smiling and niceness coming though as cotton candy. He smells like fairgrounds and the laughter of children. Underneath all that he bears the subtle scent of rust,  a permanent reminder of his forced change to the supernatural and permanent resentment of the burden he must bear (and the guilt about that resentment)

Derek: He smells of Sandalwood, Patchouli, and Frankincense. He always smells like incense and spices, like the inside of a stereotypical fortune tellers shop. He becomes heat, warmth, and flame. Something that pulls at his soul since the fire. Something that is a comfort to the wolves around him. He also smells heavily of smoke (something that makes Peter unable to be in the same room as him for longer than 30 minutes unless forced) because of his never-ending guilt about his family, something that seared the event into his scent. When he’s angry (which is a lot) his scent gets stronger and the incense smell becomes extremely heady and makes his betas lethargic.

Lydia: She smells like metal, like your hands after handling handfuls of change. She smells like she bathed in pennies, her standoffish coldness bringing the bitter smell to her scent. Since she became a banshee she also smells strongly of spider lilies (also know as hell flowers), japans flower of death. You would think the contrast between bitter metal and floral scents, so strong you choke, would be bad but its actually strangely comforting. And while bitter its the only thing that can get Jackson to relax some days. The scent of the only person there for him for over a decade-and-a-half sometimes even more comforting than the scent of his boyfriend.

Isaac: His scent is of strong cologne even though he never wears any, he smells like he bathed in the Mahogany Teakwood candle from Bath and Body Works, or lived in an Abercrombie & Fitch for 50 years. He always had that smell, even as a child, but it just gets stronger the more confidence he gains. His childhood innocence and cleanliness of soul translates as a strong laundry soap smell. But hidden underneath there's an undertone of metal, plastic, and cold; that takes over his scent when he's scared and overwhelmes everything in a mile radius. It takes the Pack far too long to realize it smells like a freezer and metal chains.

Allison: She smells strongly of ozone and static (not rain though, never rain). Her anger and righteous fury making her scent like electricity and making the static-y-ness tingle in everyone's nose - sometimes making Scott sneeze. Nothing in her scent is pleasant or comforting to everyone's confusion. Its only when she feels negative emotions that she smells like roses and summer. Its like a warning but in reverse, the opposite of what it should be. Bad scents usually mean bad emotions or feelings or memories, and good scents mean good moods and positive things but for her its the opposite. Just like how she took the opposite path then what was laid out for her.

Jackson: He smells very very heavily of cherries, his scent so strong and sweet its like he took a bath in a hot tub filled with cherry cough medicine, chloraseptic cherry sore throat spray, cherry pie, cherry starburst, cherry Jell-O, and maraschino cherries. Its thick and sticky and strong enough to drown out the scent and stick for hours on anyone standing near him or touching him and it lingers on the Pack members even if they haven’t seen each other for years. Case-in-point: Jackson left for England after the kanima thing and Isaac left for France not long after. When Isaac came back 6 years later (2 years after Jackson came back) he still had the smell on him pretty strongly. Why cherries? No one knows. But its thick as hell and stronger than epoxy when it binds to things together forever. The Pack thinks it stems with his identity and abandonment issues, but once he claims you he wont let go, not even his scent. He is very self conscious and embarrassed about it so its never discussed, and he’s been friends with Danny for so long that his scent almost drowns out Danny’s own. 

Ethan: Ethan’s scent is subtle and barely there. He was the one who always stood in front of Aiden to protect them, and took the beatings when possible so his scent became as bland and barely-there as possible. The Pack can only smell his scent with intense focus and at least an hours meditation (unless you’re Aiden). He smells of freshly baked bread and homemade jam, comforting smells that easily calm Aiden down. In times of distress he smells of burnt toast, he scent twisting with negative memories. A reminder that all good things have eventually turned bad for him and his twin.

Aiden: Aiden on the other hand smells strongly like curry and lavender. An odd combination but one that speaks of his guarded- but angry, headstrong and stubborn- nature. The abuse left him angry and twitchy and paranoid, everything setting him off and his moods turning on a dime. His scent fluctuated wildly between spicy curry and calming lavender which indicated his mood and Ethan was the only one able to calm him down, doing so with a single touch between his shoulder blades where they merged.

Danny: Danny smells like he lived in a Eucalyptus oil factory for 50 years, the scent soothing and calm like he is. Its always the same and never changes, not even when his emotions do. It was concerning at first, since everyone else’s scents changed throughout the day, even when their mood didn't (the only other scent that barely changed was Peter’s but that was because the man hand an iron grip over his emotions, even in his scent. Which is super impressive). He was just that calm at all times, even when annoyed. The one time he got angry- and I mean really angry not just the pretenses he kept when ‘annoyed’ with Stiles who he more endeared with than anything- his scent overwhelmed the entire apartment complex ( the one Derek had bought out for his loft) with the horrible, strong, pungent scent of burnt rubber. No one angered him again.

But they did have a chat about his witch ancestry.

Erica: Her scent was that of a bonfire. A blazing bonfire, gasoline, and the smell of the world when it was so hot outside the air above the tar street shimmered. She was competitive, and fierce, and pure heat and burning. If she wanted something, she would take it she had always been that way, even when she was sick. And while her sickness may be gone she had a subtle distortion to her scent, one like poison, that made her always smell slightly sick. (Peter almost had a panic attack when he first met her because of her scent, he now never came within 10 feet of her).

Boyd: He smelled like a flower garden. He was so stoic that the floral scent took many by surprise. He had always smelled like soil and dirt, his down to earth personality manifesting as a calming and grounding scent. He also smelled like the ocean, like salt and brine, and waves. But that was all drowned out by the overwhelming smell of flowers, a scent that used to be his sisters, one that he subconsciously adopted after her death when he was still human. He empathized with Theo and would exchange heavy glances when the pack discussed their natural scents as a ‘pack bonding exercise’, they were both drowned in guilt for different reasons, but both over lost sisters. They never discussed it. That was all folks!!! Feel free to add on to this and/or use it as a fanfic reference!!! Do you agree??? What are your headcanons???

[fluffybunnyartist]

Hey!! Again I can't get enough!! I really appreciate you putting Actually time and effort into our asks! My ask! Can we get a Michael Myers (other SLASHERS) as a meaner more scary yandere?? Like just a more realistic darker version of them with a cute innocent S/O NSFW IF YOU WANT!! AGAIN NO RUSG

Hell ya!! NSFW: Blood, gore, implied sex and noncon.

MICHAEL MYERS

Whatever you did to catch this man's attention you're either one lucky bastard or one unfortunate SOB. Hes extremely possessive and in the first day of him showing you your his you'll be covered in hickies.

You can kick and scream all you want. He has you in his clutches and he needs you. You better learn how to behave. He doesnt like hurting you but will if you dont act nicely.

Friends? Murdered. Family? Pushed away. Any boyfriend/girlfriend? Killed 3 days ago. No one is allowed near you unless you're working or buying groceries. He does know when to let it go.

God forbid anyone flirt or bully you. They're tortured and killed. Only he can do that. Speaking of which his idea of flirting is stealing or murdering people for what he needs for you. That rich family down the street? Murdered and you got some nice shiny jewelry covered in blood.

Now he will wait for consent to fuck you. Hes not a complete monster and you're the only one he loves. But he will grope you, rub up against you and mark you however he pleases. When he kisses you he doesnt expect you to kiss back. Just sit back and take it. Hes still a dom but hes a bit cold. You talked to a cashier for too long and hes left you naked tied to the bed with a vibrator in for an hour.

All in all you're his little doll and hes never loved anyone like you. Just let me play with you Y/N, you'll enjoy it I promise.

JASON VOORHEES

He'd tear anyone to shreds to get to you. You remind him a bit of his mother, so sweet and kind and he wants you. He needs you. So everyone else is slaughter with blood and guts sprayed across the cabin and campgrounds as he carries you to his place.

He ties you up to a bed and a chair during the day so you can sleep at night. Hes very kind, despite slaughtering your friends. He'll treat you like a delicate bird or baby deer. Petting you softly and feeding you from his own plate.

Stay in Pamela's good graces. Mainly be nice to her boy! Dont do drugs and no escaping! If you try he wants hurt you. He'll put you into a timeout. Do it too many times and he'll bend you over his knee and spank you li km e a naughty child. So you're not in much danger.

He's very sweet to you once you get to know him but like Michael he refuses to let anyone come over or near you. He'll chase everyone away. You dont need them, Y/N! All you need is me. He loves to cuddle you. Sweet little pets and even kisses.

Hes more likely to take off the mask if you've earned his trust or promise kisses. Then he'll stay unmasked around you. But only you! He doesnt really make you work but he does appreciate if you clean house a bit.

He always makes sure to have consent before touching you any where other than your hair. He doesnt wanna upset you.

THOMAS HEWITT

Something about you caught his eye. And now here you are at dinner. With your dead friends seated on one side and the large man wearing you best friends face on the other.

Be kind. Dont insult them or itll lead to you being punished. Thomas already made clear that he wants you and he wants you alive so they wouldn't risk killing you but being forced to do hard labor and chopping your friends up for dinner isnt killing you.

He'll spoon feed you the stew made of people. And at dinner you're tied down until further notice. After that you'll be tied to Thomas's bed. He'll feel up on you and touch you no matter how much you squirm. He just cant believe a beautiful creature such as yourself is in his bed. Laying with him!

He likes to cuddle you a lot and he'll grind on you and hump you a ton. Hes never had a sexual outlet before so it's a common occurrence when he just masturbates over your naked body. He loves seeing the look on your face as he cums all over you.

He may actually fuck you without your consent. You're his right? His to take? And he loves you so much. He promises to make you feel good. Just let him in.

BUBBA SAWYER

The fact that you survived one dinner is enough for Bubba to make you his. He'll give you plenty of kisses straight off the bat. He makes sure you're fed and bathed. Usually you're tied up for these.

He doesnt talk so it hard to understand him but he likes to cuddle with you. Sometimes if you cut yourself or get cut he'll lap up the blood and sometimes he likes to bite you.

He can and will kill and eat your friends. If you try to run away or escape you leg or legs may be butchered or mutilated courtesy of Drayton telling Bubba that he needs to so you dont run away again.

Now he'll probably fuck you while you sleep or are so tired you dont know what's going on. He's not so great on consent but that's bc if his upbringing and not out of malice or need to prove your his.

Probably one of the more innocent ones and the only reason he harms you or does freaky shit is bc of his brothers. He likes to make you jewelry out of body parts or steal some from victims.

He'll have Drayton marry you too so you both can have kids together! And he wants lots of kids! He's so happy he found you!

BO SINCLAIR

You're tied up in the chair until you can behave yourself. You get bathroom breaks but only he can take you and hes right inside with you. He'll face the other way he just doesn't want you escaping.

He'll gag you if you keep making noise. He wont glue your lips together bc what if he scars them? You're his perfect little doll. He doesnt want you too injured. So stop struggling in those bindings Y/N. It wont help.

Within the first few days he'll be on top of you grinding and groping. Touching you wherever he can. He loves your body and he wants to make you feel good. Dont you wanna make him feel good too?

Hes aggressive though. He may love you but he wont hesitate to scream or yell at you if hes thinking you're acting like a bitch. Hell come back later being softer and kissing you.

He'll get you to marry him. How can you say no to him? He'll take care of you and your kids! Hes so excited to get his little nuclear family started! After the chair you'll be chained up in his room. Maybe he'll take you for a drive if your good. But hes another one to lock you down fully or cause it so you cant escape.

No he wont cut off your limbs! But maybe if you cant see the exit you wont be able to leave him. Remember even though he loves you he still gets off on your pain a bit.

VINCENT SINCLAIR

More or less Bo thought you'd be good for him and he locked you in the studio where Vincent spends all his time. At first he doesnt know what to do. He leaves you food and water and let's you use the restroom but ues not sure.... but you are really pretty.

Awkward cuddling. Usually when you're asleep he'll nuzzle up to you gently. He doesnt wanna wake you but he wants to be close to you. He'll start drawing you and soon he'll be enamoured with you.

During the day hes polite and kind and offers you things to keep yourself occupied. But at night he let's his fingers and lips wander wherever he wants. Usually you tire yourself out by crying or trying you escape. So you're really conked out by the time he starts to touch you.

He wont mutilate you if you try to escape no. He'll cripple you. He can just carry you where you need to go. He can help you with whatever you want! He can bring you food and water! You can have everything you've ever wanted! But you have to stay here with him.

[seoafin]

tbh i dont expect post shibuya arc would be yuuji’s power development, but rather his character. i think part of the jjk goal is to break apart his original motivation and deconstruct it and show why it’s not a great idea (1)

when he says "proper death", it uses the kanji "正" and i think in this case its almost more accurate to phrase it as "righteous/upright death", or even "just death",, its an argument abt the legitimacy of a certain kind of death that has criteria which yuuji never really defines what exactly this is and the fact that he doesnt know and thus becomes uncertain gets spotlit in the small fry and reverse retribution arc and also during his entrance test with yaga,, imo this weakness is alluded to eventually to yaga he says "i'm not going to regret the way i live" but the thing that has always bothered me most abt what yuuji took from his grandfather's last words is that i think his grandpa also cursed him. the emphasis isn’t on proper life but proper DEATH

notably the term "proper death" is coined by yuuji. i dont believe his grandfather is the one who says this, yuuji says it for the first time when he fought curses in school that night. and this focus of proper death is part of what fuels yuujis image as a "good person"

i mean this is from megumi’s good person vs bad person pov. he’s directly compared to tsumiki; a good person is selfless, cares abt others, chooses to look at silver linings, thinks abt consequences. per his grandfather— a good person saves ppl if thanked, just bc they can

HOWEVER for grandfather, saving is a requirement. we dont know anything abt yuujis family history (yet) so we dont know what fuels this line of thought but what he's really saying is : "if u can save ppl, do it, even if it makes u feel lost - and u wont die alone" and thats some cold calculus! theres an implication of life debts being leveraged to keep ppl around u, thankful to u. that kind of expectation he (or anyone) has isn’t an ideal one : be good, and that goodness will return to u on ur deathbed. tbh,, it sounds like a binding vow mechanics imo

also,, potential death flag right in the first chapter. and yuuji IS a nice guy! but i think the narrative makes it clear that this kind of unsupported play at a rigid morality doesn’t work bc its fundamentally shallow and incompatible with shamans reality and his grandpa says "dont die alone",, and later we see on a chapter where gojou tells megumi that teamwork is great but "you'll always die alone" and "to die and then win, and dying victoriously are two different things". u wanna die without regrets, without cursing someone? die satisfying urself

while geto : "strong must protect the weak" the reason? "there is meaning" but why? shamans need to have some selfishness at their core to be successful. they have to think abt themselves, what drives them, to stand firm when they kill and watch others die in horrific, agonizing ways

yuuji's fixation is on death, not life. if he died after chp 1, or after shibuya, we dont know that it would do anything. sukuna could transfer all his power elsewhere, it could be pointless. not being able to save ppl and 'be good' does not give yuuji firm ground to grow (if his name is the same as knotweed plant gives any indication) and bc as megumi’s pov points out— good/bad are subjective and require some form of witness to be assessed. not necessarily self sustaining. i wouldnt even say that yuuji necessarily rly believes in proper death rather he’s following it bc its his grampa's last words

and so we see a lot of strong sorcerers being selfish,,, they know what they want and go after it, so they dont waver. they care, but very specifically, and so their good/bad balance is rly murky. dogma doesnt work,,, but personal conviction does

and like many ppl pointed out : yuuji isn’t the typical shonen protagonist mostly bc he lacks personal conviction that drives him toward a goal. usually, the series starts off with a character who has a goal—like becoming hokage, number 1 hero, wizard king, pirate king and with a stable sense of self and direction, the protag sets out to achieve that goal. yuuji’s different in the sense that his goal isn’t something he devised of his own; it’s sth he “inherited” : his grandfather’s will.

in his grandfather’s context, u aren’t saving or helping people for urself, but out of a fear of being alone, unneeded, unwanted or a burden. nothing abt proper death helps u think about how to live well, righteously. it STOPS thinking by providing something that looks like guidance

also, it’s a goal that’s more existential, and the criteria and steps towards getting to that goal isn’t clearly defined. which I think makes it difficult to track yuuji’s “development”/ “progress” especially if someone is just considering him as a typical shonen protag.

yuuji can’t possibly control the circumstances of people's death, and how they die. but "proper death" isn’t that flexible— u get it or u dont. the yuuji vs mahito fight is yuuji having to accept that he’s not that,,, "good person"

he also loathes, he rages, he kills. he fails to ensure "proper death". he fails to die, and when he thinks he shld die, he doesnt think abt whether or not he'll die alone. in a way its not surprising that he reversed position bc "proper death" is a concept with very lil teeth

and tbh,, i’m always doubting his “kindness” or being a “good person”, in part bc this evaluation is sth that is provided thru the perspective of megumi, who has a specific definition of a good person. yuuji says it himself too when given the choice to consume sukuna’s fingers and be a shaman, there’s no way he can tell himself he’s not at fault somehow.

so how much of his actions is actually coming from a selfish need to ease his own conscience? how much of it is all so that he won’t actually die alone? how much of it is actually altruistic? and whenever yuuji’s confronted with “big moments” where he has to choose, there’s always a callback to his grandfather’s will. which always makes me ask, how much of his sense of morality is his and his alone, not sth that’s attributable to his grandfather?

take away the grandfather’s will and what does yuuji actually have that informs his worldview? u can reason that u’re just an amalgamation of ur social experiences, but there’s always the key process of personal meaning-making which idk if yuuji has done, bc he never seems to express a personal conviction (except with regards to killing mahito and shibuya turning point),,, he’s also seems aware of this. like when he has his conversation with junpei. he understands that killing would be inevitable but he simultaneously refuses to engage with it?

he doesn’t want to introduce that kind of ambiguity in his life, pointing to a kind of self-reflexivity abt his own psychological/emotional immaturity (?)

(it’s simultaneously a mature and childish way of handling tension?) it’s a departure from typical shonen protags who have a somewhat foolhardy personality, clear abt where they’re coming from and can be reasonably predicted to act in specific ways. shonen protags typically arrive in the story fully-formed in the sense that their beliefs & attitudes are already set in stone, and even when confronted by conflicting ideologies, different points of view, the protag’s ethos doesn’t change,, even if they grow stronger, have low points, or experience conflict. they’re quite static in that sense

yuuji is like,,, a blank slate. we’re seeing the essential parts of his character develop in real time, which is rly exciting for me. ig I think of yuji more in terms of a bildungsroman than a shonen narrative? which also contributes to why I enjoy him a lot.

in a way this begs examination of yuuji,, his grandfather’s death is still hanging over him, he suddenly moved to a new city, maybe he's not really processing it all. he also ate the sukuna finger by himself. is he rly focusing on living in a way he wont regret?

and imho with deathbed curses,,, there’s a meta reflection abt the regrets of a previous generation or relationship being projected onto others and how heavy that can be. it’s like confirmation bias,,, someone’s told you, now you know, can’t unsee,,, that's the curse and the power of words

in a way too, i think his grandfather's explanation of proper death is also one that maps onto a simplified and mistaken way of thinking abt karma ,, where theres a transactional mindset in place: u do good to receive good, but that's not rly how it works

tldr : "proper death" doesnt serve yuuji well bc hes using it as a dogmatic mental crutch and he needs to dig into his self awareness to find a source of personal conviction that will make him want to live instead of die righteously.

and if mahito and death is a mirror for humans then,, what abt yuuji and life for humans?

it’s been hundred of thousands of years since the start of human life and ppl are still trying to cope with death thru a millions of way, but what abt life? no matter how pretty and bright a firefly might shine for a moment, it’s only when they blinked out that ppl might want to wait to see them light up again, if they even have the chance to do so

extra : i thought abt the 3 vengeful spirits and they were said to terrorize the capital in heian era like tenjin by heavy rain and lightning which could be categorize as a natural disaster (?) then it’d make sense why the curses especially like jogo (ie related to nature) would be powerful. ppl were so preoccupied fearing the onryos and their wrath and once they were sealed/ excorcise, the fear for nature would increase and then eventually manifest

unrelated but the concept of youth and the loss of it in jjk always reminds me of herman hesse’s demian, in particular this quote, “The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas."

(some) shamans have no choice but to either break the egg earlier than most or, break the egg in normal pace but never had the chance to actually fly to abraxas. i miss nanami sm,,, akutami...at least give me more flashback of him (and haibara) later on

also the tenjo tenge yuiga dokuson 🥴 lemme just organise my thoughts - 🐱 (end)

as always your thoughts are top tier. everything you said made me :DDDDD 😭

at the same time im not surprised yuji hasn’t come into his “own” beliefs yet tbh. he’s still a child!!! it’s normal for children to internalize the beliefs of their authority/guardian figures. i hope you’re right in that we get to see more of yuji himself + his thoughts and watch him grow into a character who actually knows what he wants in life, instead of going off of his grandfather’s last wishes. yuji is honestly so precious and while i usually despise the typical shounen MC I really adore yuji....

and i agree with you that yuji is unusually fixated with the “dying surrounded by people” part rather than the living and making sure you make the necessary connections so you don’t die alone part and it makes me. so sad. plus we’ve been shown time and time over again that yuji doesn’t value his life as much as he should. ugngnggngnnggnnjgkn

[secretsniper2]

Part 6: Sister Slaves

“I have cum so many times now, is it possible to die from this” I think as I feel another delicious meal flows into my mouth, more cum for the good slave to drink. Pussy constantly flowing with cum, leaking through the box, I feel something I havnt felt in seemingly a lifetime, movement. The box that holds me moves around and a light appears and there he is, my Master looking down on me, the cum stained sex slave bound in tight rope, bringing my out of the box my Master commands me to sit still, and I do, why would I disobey my Master? sitting still he removes my ropes, my skin breathes as my Master drinks in the marks on my skin, red marks cover my body, rubbing a salve over my body he covers you in its cool embrace, still unmoving. “How do you feel?” my Master asks. “Much better now i can serve you, Master” I answer with a smile. The words still echoing fresh in my mind “You are now a Slave, you will Submit as you are now Property”. Cant fight whats a core of my very being, my reason to exist now can I?

Standing at my Masters side my head hangs low, I know better than to raise my head, telling me to follow him he leads me up some stairs and into a room. A woman is laying on the bed, sealed in a vacbed with a harsh vibrator hitting her clit directly, “How lucky she must be to cum so freely” I think to myself, not knowing what hell the woman is truly in. Walking to a wardrobe my Master takes a latex bodysuit, a latex hood, ballet boots and a corset. Putting the bodysuit on it seemed to be a size smaller than I expected, my ample breasts fitting nicely into the waiting cups and im zipped in within minutes, Corset follows, pulling tight my Master ensures it wont be coming off any time soon with a few knots, the latex hood, covering my eyes and ears, leaving my nostrils and mouth exposed only, I test my latex hood by licking the latex that circles it, the smell and taste of the latex now grasping my head is beyond divine, my long blue hair flowing like water from a hole in the back of the hood and down my latex covered spine. “Master dresses me so nicely” I think as Im taken to the bed with the woman occasionally squirming in her latex prison, my Master helps me put my ballet boots on my feet and laces them up tight. My Master gets my collar and wraps it around my latex neck, its a perfect fit, Leather cuffs are placed tightly around my wrists and connected together with a chain passing through a d-ring in the back of my collar, pulling my wrists up my back. Leash on end Im led out by my neck down the stairs and into the big room. Standing in the darkness without direction a thumb pushes into my waiting mouth, my tongue wrapping around it instantly and moving up and down its length as Im walked around the wide room, thumb removed my head is eased forward as my tongue searches for something to suckle on and Im greeted with a cold metal dildo and I take it in deep.

Coddling the dildo in my mouth I pump back and forth and suck hard, rewarded for my passion and eagerness with a thick, sticky fluid, its more delicious cum! mixed with other many flavours I cant quite place, I pump my head more and more, the mixture flowing slowly into my mouth and down my eager throat I continue sucking hard. Managing to get the dildo down my throat I begin to work it from tip to base, as more of my breakfast oozes into my mouth and throat, not spilling a single drop, I dare not do that. Feeling a hand wrap around my body and grasp my breast I moan deeply into the cock I gladly suck, moving down my latex body my Master takes great pleasure in toying with his things, pulling a zipper he exposes my gushing sex to the room, knowing how happy I am going to become I push deep on the dildo and as I pull back my Master enters me. Stuck between 2 cocks I rock my entire body back forth now, fucking myself in 2 holes till my Master doubles my speed and pumps hard and fast inside my pussy, “Cum slave” I hear and do so immediately, leaking my own cum from my pulsing lips as his cock keeps thrusting away. Another orgasm already ready to go but I hold yourself back, resorting to loud moans to signal Im ready again but my Master says nothing but continues thrusting, “thats it girl, keep holding it back” he says in my latex coated ear as I do as commanded, every fibre of my very being is now focused on holding back my approaching orgasm, while my head works the dildo automatically. After 5 minutes of resisting I hear him, “Cum hard slut!” and I do as commanded, Masters cum ripping through my body as Im pulled off the dildo while I cry out in bliss!

Helping me to my feet from my devastating orgasm Im lead, once again to a room, belly full of cum mixture Im forced to sit down, another dildo pokes my pussy and I push down hard, taking the entire toy in deep inside with a satisfied moan. I feel my Masters hands on my face, clearly looking where my eyes would be he says “do not get up off this device” he says sternly, hoping for more pleasure Im pleased to feel a low rumble between my legs as my body rocks around, but never lifting off my seat. “ill let you cum as much as you want for now” my Master says, eliciting a squeal from my mouth as my head flies back in the wake of another orgasm. Turning to leave me, my Master heads back upstairs to tend to his other pet.

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Never-ending stimulation, I would have stopped the device hours ago if I could, what would my Master do to me if I did though, the reality scared me more than I thought it would. As I feel a hand grab my sensitive breast I jump in my latex prison, squeezing firmly my breathing quickens till it stops entirely, my Master holding my nose closed my brain works in overdrive until he lets go and I slam into the brick wall that is my denial. Turning the Hitachi off my Master sets on releasing me from my vacbed, sitting me up he removes my “clothes” and I stand naked with my weak hands behind my head, Im put in a clear latex suit and mask set, sliding in easily due to my sweat, my ass, pussy, breasts and face left exposed, I find my knees have thick padding and find out what its for as my Master wraps a belt around my waist and pulls my feet up, meeting my firm ass, my feet are connected to straps attached to my belt, locking my feet against my ass but keeping everything easy to reach. My hands are sealed in latex mitts renders my hands completely useless, more paw than hand now, my collar is locked on and clamps are attached to my highly sensitive nipples as my breasts hang beneath me. My Master commands me to sit like a good girl and with some difficulty, I manage to sit back, feeling my Masters cum begin to leak onto the floor, noticing this my Master gives my leash a yank and walks me out of the room and slowly down the stairs.

Hearing a hum nearby my Master takes me to the source of the noise, my eyes widen as I see the blue haired woman, bound to the sybian and fluid running down her thighs freely, clearly caught mid orgasm as Im led to a weird device near the kitchen, a dildo protrudes from its base as well as from a standing height, unreachable in my current bind. Commanded to suck by my Master I take the cock in my mouth and begin to work the fleshy toy, sucking harder and harder Im rewarded with fluid shooting in my mouth, its thick and tastes horrible, clearly a cum mixture I continue sucking hard as I swallow, taking the toy deeper each time I suck, my heavily denied pussy juices dripping to the floor as my Master gets some bacon and eggs for his meal. Eyeing my Masters food as he eats my only choice is to suck harder and harder, clearly meaning this to be my meal for now I have no choice, the disgusting taste is all over my tongue and coats my throat. I dont think ill ever get used to the taste of cum.. Having finished his meal my Master stands and walks to the other woman, cumming on the sybian.

Leading the woman back to me, my Master commands my sister slave to get on her knees she complies silently and her tongue jumps out of her mouth when she was told to drink his cum from my wet pussy, moving blindly forward, balancing herself carefully with her arms chained behind her back her chin brushes my cheek and moves further down my body and into position, tasting my pussy directly her tongue dives deep inside my moist folds, drawing out my Masters cum with ease she sucks it down into her mouth then gut. “keep pumping that cock slut!” my Master shouts, jumping me back to reality as I resume my sucking, collecting more cum flavoured fluid and swallowing it. Continuing to work over my pussy my sister slave draws more and more of my Masters cum from my soaked pussy and would have made me cum 3 times by now if I were still able to cum. Pulling the cum hungry slave away my Master inspects my pussy, clearly she had got all his cum out as he pulls his cock out and leads the girl to a chair, sits down and puts her eager mouth to work, unloading 3 times in her mouth not a single drop escapes her vacuum. Pulling me off the dildo my Master leads me by my collar and my blue haired sister slave to the toy room, there he straps me down tightly, and commands my sapphire haired friend to have a drink from my pussy and to keep drinking till shes satisfied, lips locking against lips, her masterful tongue works me over with a passion I cant define as my Master moves in front of me and pushes his cock into my mouth, a tongue working my pussy over, a nose pressing into my ass and a cock in my mouth, is this heaven or hell?!

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Simply amazing taste, I continue diving into the pussy my Master ordered me to devour, grinding my face into the womans sex I jab my tongue into her engorged button causing more moans from the woman, if I had my eyes I would be staring up at my Master with a gaze only a Master would love, I redouble my assault on the never-ending pool of delicious fluids as the woman starts shaking everywhere, sucking hard against her labia my tongue working her insides like a harp, shes sure to cum soon I just know it! Pulled away by my Master I instinctively cry out “Thank you Master!” while my lips and chin shine with yummy juices. Im rewarded with my enthusiasm with a toy sliding easily inside my own drooling pussy, strapping the toy in my Master slaps my ass, responding with a moan my other cheek takes a hit, “mmm, thank you Master!” I moan out loudly as my Master stands me up and lowers me on a thick dildo, “sit down” Im commanded and so I do, lowering down on the dildo I hit a chair at the bottom with a bump that my clit sits on perfectly, with a simple “stay” my clit is found sitting on a Hitachi as my Master turns it on. My head flies back as I moan out loudly, getting gagged for the noise, probing with my tongue I feel around the gag, it seals my mouth shut with a ring but there's something in the way, I cant push it out with my tongue alone.

“Its a plug” I mentally scream as my Master once again takes my willing mouth, my tongue gets to work pleasing my Master’s tasty cock, both my Master and I work on thrusting away inside my mouth, pulling back he unloads all over my tongue, I savour the taste and swallow. Left sitting in darkness with a humming clit I cum hard only moments later to cum again harder, my clit dancing on the vibrator I hear moans coming from the other slave, clearly getting my Masters cock inside her I cum again at the mere thought.

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Masters cock pumping in my ass hard, thrust after thrust, my needy pussy drooling on the floor I moan aloud and gaze at the blue haired slave, shes cumming constantly, how desperately I wish our places were reversed, so I could experience a orgasm once again, its almost gone now, the memory of a orgasm, I remember it being exquisite and highly enjoyable but that was all I can remember, replaced by heavy denial as my ass is creamed deep before my Master pushes 7 vibrating eggs inside me and pushes a cover over my pussy, sealing them in, held in place by a urethral insert inflated at the tip when it got deep enough, not going anywhere anytime soon my body is tormented with stimulation with no end in sight. Looking again at my sister slave as her cum flows from between her thighs I glance up to my Master with pleading eyes, a simple “Not for a very long time” beats you down hard. Taking both my sisters and my leash my Master leads us both to his bedroom, Yawning as he opens a cage at the foot of his bed, he pushes me inside and locks it tight, my new room apparently. My sister slave however is pushed on the bed as my Master follows out of sight, I can only guess what's taking place but clearly its rough for her.

tomorrow promises a hard day for me and my new sister slave.

[writings-of-a-daphodil]

Fire Keeper: Chapter 8

Douxie x fem reader

Chapter 1

Masterlist in bio!

Series Summary: You are Jim’s older sister who is taking a break from college and has moved back home to Arcadia. You end up joining Jim and his friends on their adventures. Chapter 8 summary: You would really enjoy a nice relaxing weekend, but unfortunately that isn't in the cards for you when Strickler shows up at your house, begging for protection.

You were concerned, to say the least, for Aaarrrgghh. He would die soon and he was choosing to spend his last moments with you and your friends. You didn’t really know how to feel about that. You were flattered and happy that he thought of you as family, but family had to make sacrifices for each other and you didn’t want to see Aaarrrgghh die.

So you found yourself pacing Douxie’s bookstore, ranting to Archie about your problems. You probably should have been talking to your friends about your feelings, but you didn't want to bother them when they were also going through thnigs too.

You had to talk to someone though, and Douxie had asked you to watch the bookstore while he went on an errand. So you talked to Archie, it wasn't like he was going to tell anyone.

You were just about finished summing up your life when Douxie walked in. "How was the shop?" he asked.

"Quiet." You gave a small smile and sat down at one of the tables. Picking up a book you looked it over.

"Thanks for watching it," Douxie said, coming over to pet Archie who was sitting in the chair opposite you.

The bell to the shop rang and you looked up to see a young woman there. "Hey handsome, mind helping me find a good book?" 

You scowled. "Sure," Douxie said, walking over to her. You watched uncomfortably as the woman flirted with Douxie and to your dismay Douxie flirted back.  

Archie hopped into your lap and the woman looked over at the sudden movement. "Oh, your cat is precious, may I pet him?" 

"Um, sure." You really wanted Douxie to say no for some reason, which wasn't like you. The woman drew closer to Archie he recoiled away, giving you a feeling of satisfaction. There was something off about this girl. 

"Oh. I guess he just doesn't like me," the woman said. "By the way my name's Mindy." 

"Nice to meet you," you responded politly. 

"Mhm," she said then turned back to Douxie. 

"Why don't I check that out for you?" Douxie suggested, taking the book she had chosen to the register. 

You were content to glare at Mindy with Archie until she left, but your mom called. "Hello?"  

"Hi, honey. I was just wondering if you've seen Mr. Blinky around? I haven't seen him since he got ill and rushed to the restroom. I'm still really confused on what happened."  

"No, I haven't seen him, sorry. Anyways is there anything you need me to get from the store?" You asked, trying to guide the conversation away from Blinky. 

"No, I'm working all weekend. Just take care of your brother." 

"Don't worry, mom. Love you." You hung up to see Mindy frowning at you while Douxie searched for a bag for her book.  

"Is there a problem?" you asked her. 

"Do you work here?" 

"No." 

"Ah," was all Mindy said in way of a response. Soon though she was gone, and while you hadn't noticed it before the energy in the room has changed while she was there. Now it was back to its normal relaxing aura. 

"She seems nice," Douxie commented and you forced yourself not to roll your eyes. There was something wrong with that girl. 

"Well, I need to get going, Jim's expecting me." You stood up and gently set Archie on the chair you had previously occupied. You waved goodbye to Douxie and you made your way to your car. 

You were angry at yourself for feeling jelous, it wasn't like Douxie was yours or anything. However, the more you thought about it jealousy was only the cherry on top. You were certain something was off about her. She had changed the aura in the bookstore drastically, though you hadn't noticed it at the time. 

You pulled your thoughts away from her and Douxie and focused on getting home. You had too much on your plate to worry about an odd customer.

You arrived at your home around sunset and you sighed, content. A nice relaxing weekend was exactly what you needed.

“Jim? Are you home? Mom has been asking me all day about what happened to ‘Mr. Blinky,’” you ranted as you put your purse on the coat rack.

“Good thing we decided to put the axe up last.” You spun around and quickly chanted a spell when you heard Strickler’s voice. Orange chains shot out, binding him.

“Where is Jim?!” You hissed, holding a dagger you had summoned to his throat. (You had to admit you were proud that you were able to modify the sword spell without help).

“Oh! Y/n, I’m fine. See?” Jim gestured to himself and you saw that he was indeed fine. However, you still didn’t release Strickler.

“What is he doing here?” You snarled.

“Angor Rot is after him and I agreed to help,” Jim said, frowning.

You shoved Strickler away from you and released him from his chains. “I will help too, but only because if you die my mom dies.”

“Well, I’m glad we got that settled,” Strickler grumbled, clutching his throat.

“Mhm.” You rolled your eyes and went to help Jim set up other areas of the house.

You didn’t know how to feel about helping Strickler. Once upon a time ago he had been your favorite teacher, but after all he had done... You just didn't know how to feel.

Darkness quickly creeped up on you and soon you were eating a quick dinner. It wasn’t the best food you had ever eaten, but it felt nice and calming to eat.

You were scraping the bowl when you heard Jim scream.

“Jim!” You called rushing to the basement. You were having deja vu of the first time you met Blinky and Aaarrrgghh.

You rushed down the stairs, once again ready to defend your little brother, when you saw the source of his alarm. ”Oh my gosh! Why is there a hole in our basement!”

“How else am I supposed to get around while the sun is out? Don’t worry it only leads to the sewers,” Draal explained calmly as you and Jim stood there panicking.

“Mom will flip if she sees this!” You squeaked.

“Nobody knows about it but me,” Draal clarified, but it didn’t worry you any less.

“Did you get the Lodestone?” Strickler called from the staircase. Draal held up two stones, one blue and one green. As soon as he loosened his grip they snapped together and all the metal in the basement slowly floated up then rushed to meet him.

You yelped and sent a burst of orange magic to shield him. “I’ll take that as a yes?” Jim mumbled as Draal pulled the stones apart and the metal fell to the floor.

“It’s almost nightfall. Come on, there’s more work to be done,” Strickler said and you rolled your eyes. Helping him was something that would take a while to get used to.

You worked quickly, helping set up one trap after another. Angor Rot was smart and you hoped that these traps would work.

“Okay, that’s the last one. Now all we do is wait,” Jim said, finishing up the swinging axe trap.

“You know I’m a bit surprised how well we work together,” Strickler commented.

“Don’t think it’ll happen again,” you rebuked.

“Yeah,” Jim said, “You know I’m still gonna take you down after all this is over.”

“Perhaps if we get through this, I could talk to my constituents about the eye of Gunmar,” Strickler suggested. “I assume you’re still interested in finding the last triumbric stone?”

“You know where it is?” Jim asked excitedly.

“Personally, no. But my ilk are wide and numerous. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“Why would you help us kill Gunmar?” You questioned.

Strickler laughed, “Let’s just say, I’m always looking out for my best interests.”

You scoffed. “You don’t say?”

“Oh what a shocker,” Jim said louder.

Draal gasped behind you and you spun around to see Draal pointing at an eye. “What is that?” The large troll asked.

“It’s his eye!” Strickler yelped.

“Gunmar’s eye?” Jim asked, confused.

“No! Angor’s! He’s been watching us! Get it!” Strickler commanded. “After it! There, there!”

“Y/n can you use your magic or-or something?” Jim asked.

“It wont let her,” Strickler said, pushing your hands down. You scowled at him as the eye rolled off the banister.

“Catch it before it escapes!” Jim warned.

“Gunmar’s eye, Angor’s eye. Enough of these eyes!” Draal grumbled as the four of you ran into the kitchen. The eye raced around the room and flew into the air towards the sink where Jim caught it in a cup.

“How long has he been watching us?” Jim asked. Suddenly the door knob rattled and you froze.

“He’s here! Get in position!” Jim ordered, and you all rushed to your places. You ran to the stairs and levetated yourself so you were hiding in the overhang.

“For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command,” Jim whispered and you began to mutter a spell.

“Hey, kiddos, you home? Wanda messed up my schedule again. Guess I have the day off after all,” your mom announced as she walked into the house.

“No!” you screamed as she put her purse on the rigged coat rack.

“Mom, watch out!” Jim warned, tackling her to the floor.

“Whoa! Holy— Why is there an axe in the door?”

“Barbara! Are you all right?” Strickler asked as you quickly dropped to the floor. Hopefully she hadn’t seen you hovering.

“I’m fine. Whoa! Holy—How? What is—?” Your mom looked around at the room and you could see she was panicking. “W-Walt? Why are you here? And why are you holding a crossbow?”

“Me? Uh, yes. You see, um, there’s a school project I gave Jim and, uh.” He hid the crossbow behind his back as if that would do anything. The safety must have been off though so the crossbow took down your lamp.

“Die, Angor!” Draal roared, coming into the hall.

“No, Draal! Get back!” Jim warned and your mom let out an ear splitting scream.

“Um, hello. Sorry,” Draal apologized, and you face-palmed.

Your mom screamed again. “No, no, no! Mom! Mom, it’s okay! He’s—“ Jim started to explain, but he was cut off when your mom sprayed him with pepper spray.

“My eyes!” Jim yelped, and Draal backed up, recoiling in pain. He bumped into one of the many ropes that crossed through the hall and triggered a trap. He yelped as he ran into a bookcase which fell on him, knocking him out.

Your mom screamed some more and you tried to console her. “It’s okay, mom! He’s a friend!”

“He was a friend. Now, he’s out cold,” Strickler said and you rolled your eyes, the statement barely made any sense. Your attention was taken from Strickler’s poor wording and given to your mom who screamed yet again. You walked closer to her, but before you could reach her she fainted.

“And so is she,” Strickler mumbled as you used you magic to heal her and calm her. She soon woke up and you helped her to a chair in the hallway.

“More water Barbara?” Strickler asked, holding out a pitcher. You mom nodded, but instead of giving him the glass to refill she took the pitcher and guzzled the water down.

“So, let me get this straight. There are good trolls and bad trolls and somehow, you?” Your mom asked.

“If I may. There is a vast world beneath our feet, Barbara, and your children have stirred up a heap of trouble.”

“Dude!” Jim hissed.

You glared at him. “Not cool.”

“This is all so...” your mom trailed off and you gave her a hug, there were definitely better ways to tell her.

Strickler backed away. “I’ll give you a moment.”

“I can’t believe this is what you have been doing. All those late nights, getting arrested, you in the hospital. Why are you this...Trollfighter? A-and you, Y/n, you’re a wizard?”

“Uh, Trollhunter,” Jim clarified.

“Y-you should be worried about high school and girls not this, Jim. I mean, can’t you just ask someone else to do it. Y/n could, right? Or someone else...”

“I’m afraid it’s a...permanent situation? They need me, mom. Y/n is doing her best to help, but we each have our own jobs.”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but Jim is their protector,” you added.

“But who is going to protect you?” Your mom asked and you smiled.

“That’s what I’m there for, look.” You held up your hands and the bookshelf and everything else that had fallen glowed orange. All of the objects then began to put themselves back into their place. “See?”

“Wow,” your mother marveled, fascinated by the warm orange glow that was your magic.

“Barbara, you do have to leave! It’s-“ Strickler warned, but the alarm cut him off, Angor Rot was in the house.

“The basement!” Jim groaned.

“What’s in the basement?” Your mom asked.

Strickler put a hand in front of your mom to protect her and you almost started to like him again. “Draal was supposed to guard it,” he huffed.

A black ball rolled from the door, silencing any further conversation. You heard Angor Rot begin to chant so you threw up your hands, creating a shield around everyone.

The ball began to flash with purple electricity and you placed your selves, but all that happened was the power went out.

“What happened to the lights?��� Your mom yelped as the chanting grew louder.

“Mom, stay close,” Jim ordered and you got ready to perform another spell.

“But I can’t see you!” Your mom called out. With the faint glow of your shield you could see her trembling.

“Y/n?” Jim asked and you let him out of the shield as glass shattered.

Jim dropped his flashlight. “For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command.”

“Jim, you’re glowing! H-how are you glowing?”

“It’s armor, Mom. It’s part of the job,” Jim explained.

A purple orb flew at your shield, but it ricocheted off your orange shiled, which was growing weaker by the moment.

“Mom!” Jim cried out as another purple orb shot out at him.

“Stick to the plan. You know what to do,” Strickler ordered and you nodded.

“You did not run, brave hunter, but the brave are the first to die,” Angor growled, finally revealing himself to Jim and you. You let down your shield and sent a blast of magic at Angor.

“Go! Go! Y/n, get her out of here!” Jim grunted as he fought Angor Rot.

“No! Not without Jim! No! Jim!” Your mom cried out as you and Strickler pulled her to the basement.

“This tunnel leads to the sewers. You can get to the street,” Strickler informed.

“What about my son? What’s going to happen to him?”

Strickler stepped in front of her. “No, you have to go!”

“No! He needs my help!” Your mom howled.

“Come on, mom. You're no good to him if you aren’t safe,” you pleaded.

“You don’t understand, Barbara. Our lives are bound magically,” Strickler said, trying to reason with her.

“Are you really talking about our relationship right now?” Your mom asked, irritated.

“We don’t have time for this,” you interjected.

“My boy is in danger!” Your mom pushed you aside, but you cast a spell, locking the basement door

“Y/n let me through!” Your mom ordered, but you shook your head. You needed to keep her safe.

Strickler moved to grab her. “Let me go!” Your mom slapped him, but she recoiled when she felt the pain as well. “Ow! What was that?”

“Listen to me! Leaves now!” Strickler growled and his eyes glowed.

“W-what are you, Walt?” Your mom whispered, pulling herself away from him and back to you.

“I’m someone who can help your son, but I can’t until I know you’re safe. Please,” Strickler begged

“Then go to him!” Strickler ran up the stairs and you opened the door for him.

“We need to go, now.” You pulled your mom to the hole.

“No, just...wait.” Silence filled the house after that statement and you mom grabbed a shovel. You creeped towards the staircase and motioned for her to stay there, but as soon as you got up the staircase she bolted past you. You chased her upstairs and screamed as she hit Angor Rot out of the trap.

“Mom, wait! No!”

“Get away from my boy!” She growled and you cringed.

“Mom, no! Get out of here!” Jim warned as Angor Rot attacked again. You shoved your mom to Strickler and tried chain Angor Rot, but you missed.

“Walt?” You heard your mom whisper. As you put a shield up around the two of them.

“Get out of here!” Jim growled as he faced off Angor Rot. You un shielded them and summoned your sword. Your mom ran into the hallway and you quickly backed out after her, sword raised. Strickler turned to follow you, but Angor attacked him, cutting his and your mom’s neck.

“Mom!” Jim cried.

“Well that didn’t go as planed,” Strickler muttered. You were about to jump into fight Angor Rot, but you heard Draal roar. He crashed into the room and tackled Angor Rot.

“Mom! Are you okay?” Jim asked as he helped her down stairs.

“My side hurts. Why—?”

“Come on, I have to get you out of here,” Jim cut her off.

“Can you drive?” Jim asked Strickler as you ran out of the house.

“Motivated enough I can do anything,” Strickler affirmed and you rolled your eyes, again.

“Move. I’ll drive,” you offered. No way you were letting a half-conscious Strickler drive.

“We have to go to the hospital,” Jim stated.

“Can’t. Our wounds won't be healed by modern medicine. We need to go to Trollmarket,” Strickler informed, coughing. You pulled the car out of the driveway and sped to the bridge.

“Sorry. I messed things up,”  your mom mumbled from the back seat.

“No, mom. I’m sorry. I should have told you. I should have told you everything,” Jim responded.

“Just hang in there and everything is going to be okay, alright?” You added.

You glanced in your rear view mirror and saw a purple flash. You quickly swerved the car to avoid the orb that Angor Rot—who had gotten free of Draal—cast.

“That’ll wake one up!” Strickler yelped as he slid in his seat.

You turned into the woods to avoid another blast and did your best to steer clear of any trees.

“Where did you learn how to fight?” Your mom asked.

“Shh. I-I’ll tell you all about it once we get you somewhere safe.”

“Perhaps now-” Strickler coughed “-We call your friends? I think we lost him.”

Just as he said that Angor Rot hopped onto the forest floor. “Go! Go! Go! Get to the bridge now!” Jim screamed.

“Mom, stay with us! We’re almost there!” You said, peering into the back seat as you reversed. You burst out of the trees and onto the road where you made a quick u-turn while Jim called his friends. You did your best not to crash as you soared into the canal.

“Jim!” Strickler warned as he gestured towards Angor Rot who was now on top of the bridge.

“Oh, no, no, no, no!” Jim sighed. Angor Rot jumped off the bridge and landed on the car, breaking the back window. Jim fought him as you tried to shake the troll off.

“Turn now!” Jim ordered and you did, but Angor still would not fall.

“Jim!” Your mom cried as you swerved again. Angor Rot finally fell free and you stuck your hand out the window. You sent a magic blast his way, but all it did was make him stumble.

He leapt onto the front of your car, breaking the front windshield. He grabbed your throat, but you swerved the car again, causing him to lose his grip on you.

“We have to shake him before we get into Trollmarket!” Jim called and you replied by breaking hard. The inertia sent Angor flying off the car.

“Straight at the wall! Just drive!” Jim yelled.

How do you know it’ll open?!” Strickler asked, panicked.

“I don’t!” you responded.

“It’s not opening!” Strickler yowled, but right as you were about to crash you soared through the wall and over Toby. You did your best to safely maneuver the damaged vehicle blue crystal staircase, but there was something wrong. You weren’t feeling well.

“We need help! Please!” You barely heard Jim call as things slowly faded to black.

****

So this is a pretty long chapter already, however I had planned to write it even longer. I decided against that though, and instead split chapter eight in half. You will get chapter nine on Friday! Have a fantastic day/night and please stay safe.

Also I'm sorry if your name is Mindy.

P.S. if you want to be on the taglist feel free to ask. I hope it works and please message me if it doesn’t.

Chapter 9: https://writings-of-a-daphodil.tumblr.com/post/628396240650092544/fire-keeper-chapter-9

[sourbkg]

[iwaizumi] [call me friend but keep me closer]

┊- v  ͙۪۪̥˚┊ call me friend, but keep me closer. [ -ˏˋ⋆ˊˎ- ] song used 一∘.· [ -ˏˋ⋆ˊˎ- ] iwaizumi hajime x reader 一∘.· [ -ˏˋ⋆ˊˎ- ] mafia!au 一∘.·

[ -ˏˋ⋆ˊˎ- ] 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 haunted him. 

Reminders of you, what you could’ve been surrounded him constantly. 

You flinch as the lights flick on. Oikawa Tooru, The Grand King, walks towards you- a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes adorning his features. He crouches in front of you, teasing the thought of undoing the ropes that bind you to the chair you’ve been forced into. His fingers ghost over the cord, goosebumps spreading over the exposed skin just beneath them; rubbed raw from your struggling. 

He retracts his hand. 

“I like to think I’m a kind guy,” he starts, head tilting to the side. He reaches for your own hand, frowning when you jerk away from the contact. It’s inevitable, him touching you. There’s no way to escape from it, from him. His pointer finger trails from your knuckle to your wrist, and doesn’t stop until his hand finds purchase in your hair. He makes a half-hearted attempt at brushing out what knots are there, “a really nice guy, at that, but you seem to push every one of my buttons.” 

Oikawa’s grip tightens suddenly, eliciting a whimper from you that’s barely covered by the gag in your mouth. 

“I run a tight ship, you know.” He stands, towering over you, “And I just want to know what gives you the right to ruin one of my biggest helpers.” 

He means Iwaizumi. 

Iwaizumi, who you were in love with. Iwaizumi, who lied to you about his job, about his life. Iwaizumi, who you broke it off with, just three months shy of 4 years. 

His grip lessens, if only to allow himself to pull the gag out of your mouth to hear you apologize. 

“So, tell me.” 

Your head lolls to the side, tired, drained, and bruised. He retracts his hand, waiting a moment before grabbing your face and squeezing until you can do nothing more than whimper out a ‘stop, please’. Oikawa doesn’t falter, instead pressing his digits further into your cheeks, and you wonder how bad you’ll bruise if he keeps up the rough treatment. 

“Stop, please,” he mocks, snarl forming on his lips before he pushes your face from his hands, “I ask one thing from you and you can’t even do that.” 

“What do you want from me?” You breath out, voice scratchy. 

He scoffs, as if the entirety of his presence being in front you wasn’t from one reason alone. Your body falls forwards, having no strength or will to keep yourself upright any longer; the only thing keeping you from completely toppling over being the restraints. Oikawa grips your face again, tilting it up to ensure you’re looking at him. 

“I want you to make sure you know how badly you’ve affected my precious right-hand.” 

Oikawa drops you completely, wiping his hands on his slacks as you breath heavily. 

“I’ll come back later when you’re ready to talk.” 

It almost sounds like he’s pouting, the way he says it, before he takes a step back towards the door. He only pauses when he hears you laugh, something rough and unwelcome. 

“Something funny?” 

“I just think it’s cute...,“ you huff, sitting up enough to look him in the eye, “... that you think Iwaizumi would ever forgive you for what you’re doing to me.” 

Oikawa grins with narrowed eyes. Sharp. Daunting. Threatening. 

“That’s assuming he ever finds out.” 

“Hajime.” you hum, cupping his cheek and pulling him towards you for a kiss. The room is dark, but you can feel the scratch on his face without needing the light; the skin textured and contrasting the smoothness you’re used to. “What’s this on your face?” 

You pull back just enough to look at him, despite not being able to really see. You can tell he furrows his brows by the way his facial expression shifts beneath your palm. There’s a pause, the room being filled with the sound of you moving just enough to turn on the bedside lamp to examine what tarnished your boyfriend’s otherwise perfect skin. 

It’s nothing bigger than your pinkie, spanning across his cheekbone and already in the process of scabbing over, but you frown at the sight nonetheless. 

“Where’d this one come from?” You grumble, pushing him off of you by the chest and sitting up without any prompting. 

Iwaizumi looks lost for a moment. Maybe in thought. Maybe to make an excuse, as he usually does when you find random things like this on his body. 

“I don’t know.” He settles on finally. Your own brows furrow, staring at him as he sits back on his haunches while giving you a look that mirrors your own confusion. 

“You don’t know?” You repeat, receiving a nod in turn. You reach to him, re- cupping his face with a tenderness that has him leaning into the embrace. “You’re not clumsy enough to receive all the bruises and scratches that you come home with.” You comment offhandedly, lightly rubbing at the mark until he pulls back your hand by the wrist and places a kiss to your knuckles. 

“Maybe one day we’ll both know how it happens.” He says after a moment, pulling you towards him, only pausing when you wrap your arms around his neck and give him the affection he craves. 

Oikawa’s shaking you awake for what feels like the nth time of the night. Your vision blurs as it tries to adjust to the light surrounding his form. When was the last time you had anything to eat? Or to drink? Your guess was as good as any. Oikawa smiles, seeing your eyes flutter open and your brows furrow as you get used to the idea of still being here. 

 “Do you know what it means to love someone?” He asks, and it takes everything in you to not scoff at the question. What does he know, asking something like that? You’re almost positive Oikawa’s never even been in a relationship, much less in love. 

Oikawa crouches down, making himself eye level with you while brushing his fingers over the expanse of your calf. 

“I don’t think you loved my Iwa-chan, (l/n).” Fingertips dig into the skin, relishing in the way you attempt to jerk away from his touch despite knowing you wont be able to truly escape it. “No, there’s no way you did. Not if you were able to just... drop him like he’s nothing. Is he nothing to you?” 

You protest, regardless of the fact that there’s a gag in your mouth, words jumbling into nothing more than a mess that he can’t begin to comprehend. Words he doesn’t even want to understand. Blunt nails press further into your skin, feeling how your muscles jump beneath the digits and the way you seem to suck in a breath to distract yourself from the pain. 

“So, it makes me wonder if there’s a point in keeping you around.” 

He releases your leg, fingers trailing up until they settle on your knee and tap the joint three times. Taptaptap. He stands. 

“I wonder,” he continues, “if Iwa-chan would even truly miss you. I wonder if hearing of your death could motivate him- if it could be a beginning step in getting him back into his groove.” 

He presses his fingers to your forehead. Taptaptap. 

Oikawa opens his mouth to say more, when the door is thrown open you’re left with forcing your eyes to adjust to the sudden change of lighting for a second time. Oikawa straightens his posture, retracting his hand and turning his head to see who dares to interrupt him during such a private moment. 

Iwaizumi Hajime. 

“You’ve gone too far, Oikawa.”

[efrmellifer]

Devoir

Etien’s entire face screwed up as the linkpearl’s distinctive chime greeted her ear.

“Do you remember when I used to complain about sleeping in sand? I’d sleep in sand if it meant I got to lie down and stay down. Hmm, Aymeric? Aymeric?” She pawed at the empty spot of mattress next to her. “Oh for the love of the Fury.”

At last, she remembered what had woken her, and opened the line. “Yes?” She was silent, eyes bouncing between spots on the wall across from her as she listened to the voice on the other end.

“Yes. I’ll be there.” The line closed, and Etien sighed. “Well, I knew it was going to end eventually.”

She rose from bed then, coming first to Landric’s cradle, cooing to him as she laid a hand on his stomach. “Oh, little man, you’ve been so quiet. Picking up Estinien’s stoicism already, is that it?”

Bundling him against her chest in one arm, she laid the other hand on Betula. “Betula,” she sang. When the bright green eyes popped open, Etien smiled. “Good morning, sweet pea.”

It was easier now, to trundle the twins up and into her arms to begin the morning’s tasks. First, their change, then cooking—to start with, food for herself, then a lunch for Aymeric.

It was the best way to ensure he ate, stopping by the Congregation and handing the box over.

Plus, the cooking gave her a chance to slot one or the other of the children into a sling across her body and let them nurse.

It usually worked pretty well, that one of them was full and asleep again by the time she was changing between what she was cooking, so she just eased them out and into a little crib in the corner, then got the other to eat while she kept at it on the stove.

The whole process for carrying them with her outside the home was more ridiculous-looking, even when it made just as much sense.

They slept side by side against her chest in a specially-designed carrier, draped under a fur-lined cloak so she could keep them and herself warm when she entered the chilly air of Ishgard.

She almost wished she'd been raising them in the Black Shroud, but then that would cause her to have dark, depressing wonderings about a life that could have been.

So no. She preferred keeping Betula and Landric draped in furs to stay warm, because that meant she was here, safe and warm and happy. And so, so loved.

She walked slowly, so as not to jostle and wake the babies, and made her way down the steps to Foundation that were just outside the manor’s door. Of course, it was a longer walk through the Brume, then, but she hoped the rhythm of her footsteps and her low hum kept her children soothed as she traversed the stones of their home.

“You’re going to visit your Da,” she whispered, “won’t that be fun?”

Etien was such a fixture in the Congregation now (and really, hadn’t she been for four years?) that she was waved directly to the door that led to Aymeric’s office, and let in right away, barring anything especially severe going on within beforehand.

So when the door clicked shut behind her, Aymeric looked up, and seeing that she wasn’t in distress, turned back to his work for a moment to complete his thought.

“Ah, the whole family came along,” he noted when he saw the thick drape over Etien.

“Well, not quite. In a funny twist, I was about to tell you—I think we’re going to need Estinien. Which means, Tataru’s been scouring for him extra-hard, and despite my not saying a peep about where he’s been, she’s about to hit Ishgardian permafrost pay-dirt.”

Aymeric rested his chin on his hand, chuckling. “After he tried so hard.”

“They found him once, they threatened that they would do it again. The Scions are people of their word, unfortunately.”

“Their? Not our?”

Etien shrugged, unbuttoning the shoulder of the cloak, but letting it hang on her still. “Am I a Scion?”

“You look like today you’re playing the role of Culinarian,” Aymeric remarked, gesturing to the parcel in her hand, its binding string clutched tight in her middle finger.

“Oh, this? I wanted to make sure you ate. In any event, the Scions are coming for hide and hair of the Azure Dragoon Emeritus, and I’m… needed at the Rising Stones. So I’m taking Betula and Landric to Toto and the Aldynns’ for the day. I figure you can pick them up tonight, if I’m not back?”

“Of course, my dearest.”

She smiled, laying down the box, then left Aymeric’s office.

It was with a heart just slightly heavy that Etien handed the infants over, but the care with which Toto took them eased the burden slightly.

Etien had known this day was coming, but now that it was here… she was just glad that she had family that would be able to help her with it. Maybe the yoke was only on her shoulders, but at least someone else was able to man the plow, metaphorically speaking.

She kissed Betula’s forehead, then Landric’s. “Be good for Aunt Toto,” she told them, “and then for your Da.” She looked up from them then. “Thank you, Toto. I… wish it wasn’t like this.”

They shared a look, and then Etien left, the points of her teeth sinking into her lip so she didn’t start crying.

She stood in front of the mirror as she dressed, watching as if it were someone else pulling up her tights and fastening the garters—Estinien had never commented, but look, now she wore garters—doing up the busks on her corset, buckling her belt. She smiled as she settled the crown of preserved flowers on her head—magicked to give her additional protection—and it was only halfway forced. She was happy to be wearing her battle gear again, and she had always felt a sense of pride in what she had long been calling “her colors.” The weren’t the Ishgardian colors of which Nanamo had spoken, which had been a Fortemps knight’s armor. They weren’t an Adder uniform, a Temple Knight’s regalia. They were the clothing of Etien Mellifer, Hydaelyn’s Champion and Scion of the Seventh Dawn. She guessed.

Warrior of Light, Bringer of Darkness. Amatrix et Bellatrix.

She took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders back as she settled her new bow between them.

It was a quick journey by aether between Ishgard and the Ala Mhigan Quarter, and it hadn’t left her enough time to reason when she entered the Alliance Meeting that it was, in fact, the Alliance. All of them.

“G’raha, sit across from the Lord Commander, would you?” Thancred asked.

Etien snorted, sitting to G’raha’s right, scooting in close to the table and then sighing when she realized that no matter how far she stretched her legs under it, the toe of her boot wouldn’t come into contact with Aymeric’s sabatons.

She already knew that, but the disappointment washed over her anew every time she tried.

Instead, she crossed her arms and sat back, batting her eyelashes at him.

“Not this time, either?” he asked her.

“Never,” she replied, deflating. “But that’s okay, I can always be the one to bring the tea around.” She winked, and Y’shtola snapped to get her attention.

With a huff, she leaned on the table, looking toward Urianger.

Aymeric hung around afterward, close to but not quite shadowing Etien while she talked to the other Scions.

Their greetings to her were remarkably understated, considering it had been months since they’d last seen her, but he tried not to be offended on her behalf. She was all business, stood with a hip cocked as they talked about what to do next, now that Lunar Bahamut had wreaked havoc in Ala Mhigo and now was doing much the same with the dragons of Meracydia.

He tipped his head in curiosity as Etien leaned into the gesture of answering her linkpearl, stepping back to get out of her way as she walked toward him, until she reached out with her free hand and took hold of his coat, holding him still.

He laid an arm around her back as she rested against him racked with… snickering? She covered her mouth as the corners of her eyes crinkled, and then she sobered up, letting go of Aymeric’s coat and responding to Tataru.

“Yes, if you just caught wind of him headed that way, then we’ll have to get there before he can set off again. Thank you for the update.”

Aymeric’s eyebrows rose as he finally met Etien’s eyes.

Estinien, she mouthed, “they’ve found him, apparently. Heading to Ishgard.”

“Wasn’t he just—?”

She shushed him. “We know that.”

They turned toward each other to hide the laughter that pealed through them.

Alphinaud came to their sides just as they’d collected themselves again, instructing Etien to tell Tataru to send the Bonanza to Ishgard, in case they had to chase down Estinien.

Silly little Scions. If only they knew how to properly convince him.

Then again, they couldn’t ask so nicely as she could, could they?

Still, Alphinaud was already walking off, ready to go, so Etien sighed. She turned back to Aymeric. “I go in search of our third half. I imagine I’ll beat you to Ishgard, and be run off my feet, so…” She looked around, her ears tipping back to hear if anyone important was behind her before she stepped closer to Aymeric. Her tail flicked back and forth once, twice, before she pounced to press a kiss to his lips, taking him utterly by surprise. “I’ll see you later, darling,” she said when her heels had hit the stones again.

And with the glimmer of aether as she finished her incantation, she was gone.

_

Etien shook her head as she entered the Congregation again.

“Hello, Lucia,” she said said with a tired exhale. “Have you seen Estinien?”

“We were not aware he had returned to Ishgard,” she replied. “But as I expect you remember, he is wont to come and go as he pleases.”

“Oh, none know it better than I, save one,” Etien remarked, already heading back to the door. “Thank you anyroad.”

That left the others a little time to find him while she went to the airship landing, at least.

So she was surprised to find them all waiting there already.

“Did you find him?”

Alisaie was the first to admit that none of them had had any luck.

When G’raha commented that he expected more excitement for the return of the Azure Dragoon, Etien bit her lip to stay silent.

Eventually she got out a noncommittal “these are odd times.”

The sound of footsteps, marked with a familiar jingle of armor saved her from having to elaborate, so she looked up, already smiling up at him.

She was so happy to see him. Even if it hadn’t been as long for her as it was others.

Her eyes were slowly widening as some mix of the Coerthan air and shock froze her in place as she watched him attempt to ruffle Alisaie’s hair, telling her that it had been too long… Alphinaud.

Oh no.

She didn’t even have time to form her rebuttal to the idea that she had been teaching “Alphinaud” to be strong and silent, she was so busy trying to make sure she would stay rooted to her spot when Alisaie went more explosive than Magitek cannons.

Etien’s eyes were starting to freeze around the edges from how wide open they were.

But she blinked and gave a sheepish smile when Estinien turned to her, asking pointedly for an explanation.

Alisaie stepped closer, watching Etien as she gazed at Estinien and Alphinaud talking.

“Maybe he sees them—Estinien and Arenvald—as the brothers he never had,” Etien replied to Alisaie’s story about how Alphinaud refused to make friends with other boys.

“It hasn’t been easy being his sister,” Alisaie huffed.

Etien hummed. “Hmm. Aye, but it’s never easy being a sibling, is it?”

_

On the airship to Azys Lla, they stayed in small clusters; Alphinaud, Alisaie, and G’raha all stood together toward the back, while Etien and Estinien stood side by side nearer to the bow, the wind lifting the ends of their hair as they went.

“Are they...easy to tell apart?” Estinien whispered, leaning down to speak directly into Etien’s swiveling ear, so he could be heard over the wind.

She laughed aloud then, the sound carrying all the way to the stern.

“I think they are, but I’ve spent far more time with them. With bothof them. If nothing else, you have their earrings to go by. Or weapons, on the battlefield. If the Leveilleur you’re looking at has a sword, it’s Alisaie. And she’ll use it on you if you don’t get it right.”

Estinien chuckled. “I shall defer to your extensive experience and will not try it for myself.”

Azys Lla wasn’t far off now, so they grew somber again, preparing for what they had to do there.

_

It would be hard for Etien’s heart to soften further toward the First Brood orEstinien, but when he said that he felt at least somewhat responsible for Tiamat’s welfare, seeing as Nidhogg was part of him… she did feel something shift for the gentler.

She wished he’d done the same as he talked to her, but that just wouldn’t be Estinien, would it?

No matter. They learned of the Bahamut that came before his calamitous return, and Tiamat wasn’t tempered anymore.

There was—and Etien figured that she shouldn’t have been surprised, at this stage in the game—more to be done. More for her to do.

To Paglth’an they went, by way of Ul’dah.

_

When Aymeric had heard that the Scion contingent had indeed tracked down Estinien, and that they had gone from Azys Lla to Ul’dah, he wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. But he knew what that meant. Worse, he was moments from heading the same way himself.

He too had offered his apologies to Toto, and told his children to be good for their aunt.

But now, it was time to clear a path for the Warrior of Light and her helpers.

He offered his prayers to Halone for guidance, and set out, Lucia at his side.

_

There was hardly time to sight-see, when she was fighting Magitekand Meracydian dragons, but Etien remembered this had once been home to a dear friend of hers. Like the verdant beauty of Alder Springs did to Etien, these fields may have evoked a heart-aching nostalgia. So she tried to tread lightly as she ran headlong into fulfilling her duty. Stopping the havoc being wreaked on these lands, eliminating the threat of Lunar Bahamut.

When she thought about it, there was a poetic tragedy to the places he had laid waste to so far, to the sorrow it must have left, but she put it out of her mind. That wasn’t her song to sing.

She winced, her attempts to walk softly abated without her say-so when she’d skidded to a stop in shock.

She hadn’t expected to see himhere. But she was a woman now, with obligations past just seeingthe morrow, and at least one of the three of them needed to make it out of there. So she simply gasped, rather than calling out.

It was safer that way.

Maybe Aymeric wouldn’t even know she was here.

But that wasn’t to be. They simply knew these things, it seemed. It had been the same in Ghimlyt. They had found each other then, too.

He stayed close, not so close that he would get in Etien’s way (she did have such an odd dance with her bow, when she was really lost to it), but near enough to her that he had managed to keep her safe, to distract the imperial soldier that had been bearing down on her too fast for her to run from.

And when they, and Estinien, and their comrades had cleared the area, Aymeric turned to tend to the wounded on the edges of the pathway.

“Go!” He’d called to Etien, seeing her pause out of the corner of his eye. “I will see them to safety. You’re needed elsewhere.”

He heard her come to her knees next to him more than he saw it, though he felt it just as quickly, when her hand came to rest on his arm.

“If anything happens to you or Estinien,” she began, swallowing. He could see her heart thudding just under her necklace, the pendants leaping with every beat. “If anything happens, Fandaniel won’t need to wait for Zenos to kill him.”

She stood up, her boots crunching in the sand and shrapnel around them, and started running after Thancred.

Ever dutiful, even when her body cried out otherwise. He sighed, hoisting the injured soldier up, arm over his shoulders.

It wasn’t him, him or Estinien, that she needed to worry about. He watched her, bright blue and bronze in the twilight, growing smaller the further she got away from him.

Growing smaller as she went to where was needed… away from where he needed her.