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screemnch · 1 year

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The Pathologic Russian and English analysis: Artemy Burakh the Haruspex.

On this episode of “I am definitely not okay and dedicate my time to sillygoofy things” - we look at the Haruspex in the Bachelor's campaign. This alone took me a whole month, because there is a lot of funk happening in my life, so the Changeling will have to wait a little more. Anyway. Y’all maybe don’t know the drill quite yet, so let’s start at the beginning.

What is the Haruspex like in the English version? Well, discarding the “sweet but tired dad” persona that the entire fandom has assigned the poor guy, the impression I got while watching people playing through the game is that he is first and foremost a very impulsive person, and that, in a way, carries over to his speech. He’s also very cryptic to the other healers, in that ominous “you shouldn’t have done that” way. If I hadn’t read at least a bit of his dialogue lines for the previous analysis, I would have assumed that he’d be the one to use all those “rough” words every other sentence, since that’s how people from outside of the capital cities are usually portrayed. In the Bachelor’s campaign, he is almost like a goddamn cryptid, that tells you he doesn’t know what antibodies are and then presents you with a panacea on the very next day - he speaks very little and does not bother with niceties besides the honorary title. In the Changeling campaign, all those factors seem to be even more emphasised. Overall he acts even more distant, even more ominous and is even more threatening, since it’s seen through the eyes of a scared little girl (she’s also a miracle worker but we won’t talk about it now). Both of the campaigns are, of course, drastically different from what we have in the Haruspex campaign - which is where we get to see the whole “guided by the heart” thing in action. From the other two’s perspective, he is an ominous, potentially volatile, but still helpful figure. And his speech matches that exactly. So let’s get cracking.

As the Bachelor: the vibes are pretty consistent between the English and Russian version. The Haruspex is just as cryptic and curt in both of them, and doesn’t talk in the manner usually given to all these “rough and dangerous” types in Russian fiction. In all honesty, I think it’s the fact that his manner of speech is so simple and short that made translating it to English so much easier (or at least I think it was). Sadly, there is so little dialogue, that it also meant I barely get to talk about anything interesting, since what little there is to look at, is mostly accurate. But, when there ARE differences… Oh boy are those differences. So, you’ll see a little bit of other characters in this analysis as well because these interactions in the Bachelor campaign felt almost like an afterthought. Like, the writers knew how the wanted them to meet and part, so in the middle, they just used Burakh to be a tool for exposition, and not much else. Additionally, the “fairytale-like” way of speech that Artemy has in his own campaign seems to be gone here, and I can’t wait to see what happens to it with the Changeling. With all that being said, here is the more fun stuff: aka the snippets and screenshots! Once again, the chronological order is dubious at best, and most of this was written at two am in the morning, so I hope this isn’t completely insane.

Very interesting choices made in the translation here. First and foremost - instead of relying on his heart to guide him, the Haruspex specifically says that he is guided by “his love” which, depending on how consistent this change is, might strengthen the connection between several different themes. Now to the fun part - “it’s a shame we aren’t standing together.” I need you people to understand that I am trying to remain as impartial as possible when I write these, without inserting my own opinions of the story or anything. But, the much more word-for-word translation of that line would be “Pity, that we aren’t together.” And yes, people being “together” does also have the same connotation in Russian as it does in English. And while I understand that it’s mostly likely supposed to imply “allyship,” I think it could be worded a lot better, had the writers wanted to avoid misunderstandings.

Let’s focus on the last sentence here: in English, the Haruspex says he admires Rubin’s determination to help people. In the original version however, the sentence is “He deserves respect.” See, the interesting thing here is the difference between “I” and “everyone.” Where in the English version Burakh voices his personal approval of Rubin, in Russian it’s an unspecified, but general statement, which bears the implications that others should respect him as well. And while the difference itself isn’t too significant on its own, when paired with the fact that Rubin is someone who’s on the run from half of the town, it hits a bit different.

Also, and I didn’t really know where to stick this, and maybe this could’ve waited until we actually got to Rubin as a character, but yeah. I wanted to point out specifically that the word “master” in Russian doesn’t have a dual meaning. Cuz, correct me if I’m wrong, in English this can both refer to a master of a certain activity (ie martial arts master) as well as a proprietor of something (ie master of the house). In Russian, however, the word “master” refers exclusively to a “master of their craft” type of people. A master of a property is referred to as an “owner”. The “Mistresses” in Pathologic are also referred to as “owners” (with a suffix that indicates female). This creates a bit of a confusion, because the word exists in both of the languages, but only shares some of the meanings. And uh… This is related to this quote because uh… Something-something recognition of expertise.

I’m personally a big fan of the themes of freedom, and how different people react to losing their freedom of choice, or dealing with the information that they were never free to choose to begin with. And that brings us to this little line, which I find particularly interesting. In the original Russian dialogue, Burakh says that he had already “lost” his freedom, in the way one loses something in a game. I feel this shines a different light on both how he eventually reacts to being told that he’s just a toy in a child’s game (he’s had to deal with disempowerment this whole time, it’s nothing new to him) but also with how he views his loss of freedom. Not something that some higher power has revoked from him, but rather something that he himselfs basically “gambled away.” In that sense, I can see the eventual reveal that everyone is simply a toy in a sandbox being a relief. In the way that it wasn’t his fault after all, that everything was predetermined, and that he couldn’t have carelessly lost something he didn’t have in the first place. Makes me wonder what the dialogue between these two would’ve been like if they’d met on the first day in this campaign.

I have a shamefully small amount of notes as I go through these, so I’m literally latching on to anything to talk about. I pointed out how dry and laconic the Haruspex is, but god DAMN if that doesn’t make for text that’s easy to translate - and that gives me less things to work with. For example this - a simple word difference in the last sentence that you couldn’t possibly translate properly without sounding illiterate. Because as it is - the translation is accurate in the last sentence. But that’s because “evil” in English is both a noun and an adjective. In Russian, however, the adjective for “evil” also makes for a synonym to “angry” and that doesn’t fit with the meaning conveyed here. Burakh calls Clara “evil itself” the embodiment of evil, all that shabang. It’s something that is recurrent in people talking about her, from what I’ve seen - people address her as a concept, and link her to more generalised ideas, rather than specific characteristics. Either way, it’s a fun thing to think about.

Hi, confused, I’m dad. I did a thing where I tried to read the English dialogue in its entirety first, because I wanted to avoid talking about information that was already accessible in English, and I remember being confused at this line, because… The cattle grounds were on the other side of the Gorkhon? Since when???? It didn’t make sense with the rest of the dialogue either, and the Russian version says “on this side of the Gorkhon” so… What gives? Assuming that the website is accurate (cuz if not, then I’d have to go and check in the actual game which would take hours to get to) does this then just mean it was a simple translation error? Or did the writers decide to change the lore as they were translating? It confuses me so much, because overall the game is well translated, so I don’t get how no one noticed that the meaning of the sentence becomes completely flipped here. Anyways, if you’re like me and that confused the hell out of you in English, just know that it makes sense in Russian and you can sleep soundly. Also, on the more chill note, there is no reference to a kraken in the Russian version, the deposits are compared to octopus tendrils.

I know this isn’t Bachelor time again, but I wanted to point out that there’s a switch back to the formal “you” here, and I feel like it throws a wrench into my previous theory. Or maybe it supports it. Let’s try to be objective here. The simplest explanation could be simply that this is a continuity break, that this was completely unintentional from the writers, and that I am trying to figure out why the curtains are blue in a situation where they are, indeed, just blue. But we like fun here, so let’s assume the curtains are blue for a reason. The real problem is whether this works with my previously established theory, or if it's for a completely different reason.

If we are going with the supposition that the Bachelor switches to formal “you” when he is uncomfortable (which some people found strange when I brought it up, but it’s a legit thing in Russian. Like, I do that sometimes when I want to place a little bit of professional distance between myself and whoever I’m speaking to, though sometimes the person might get upset if you do that) then one possible explanation would be that he is uncomfortable with the implications that this new knowledge has brought to light - a huge residential part of the town is sorta kinda maybe doomed. It could also be the overall dread of what the other piece of news would be.

On the opposing side of this argument is a somewhat mundane explanation that would bypass my theory completely. The idea that the switch to a more formal language was either an attempt to keep the conversation civil and “professional” at a spot where a conflict of interests could potentially emerge, or the possibility that it simply happened because sometimes a person doesn’t know where they stand, or what would be more appropriate in this situation, and opt for the safe formal version.

I do want to apologise, in case y’all don’t wanna hear these hypotheses of mine, I just thought it would be unfair to pretend like my explanations are the only ones out there, so yeah.

Welcome back to “mom pick me up, the translations are being weird again” this time - "my confidants are alive. Are you sure they’re alive? I see no problems." Perfect, flawless logic, I love. And while I understand that the original Russian version uses a very “ye olde” version of “if,” I still assume that the translating team spoke Russian and understood the meaning of the sentence. For context - the modern version of “if” in Russian is “если” (yesli). However, in this line, the Haruspex uses an older word “коль” (kol’), which implies a condition, or an “if” scenario. But the word itself isn’t extinct, people still understand what it implies, the same way native English speakers would know that “thou” means “you.” Like, I can’t imagine how the meaning got flipped in here, it just confuses me. Either way, the “I see no problems with that” is also kinda wonky, because it makes it sound like Burakh has no problem with the “my bound are alive - so I’ll be at the meeting” logic. In Russian, he specifically says “-I’ll come. I see no obstacles.” As in - there is nothing to stop me from doing so. Anyway, translation wonky, let’s see how the rest of it goes.

Now that’s an interesting difference. And a morbid one at that. This is the line where the Haruspex talks about his bound “rebuilding the settlement and turning their lives to become the angels of its foundation.” Which I interpreted more in the sense of - becoming the highly revered figures of the town, with lots of authority and responsibility - like angels. And I’m curious to see how y’all interpreted this, because I did not anticipate the Russian version in the slightest. And it’s this: “... my bound, that are destined to bring this town back to life and lay down their lives under its new cornerstones.” For one, I find it curious that both in English and Russian there is such a similar turn of phrase - because “lay down their lives” could have been translated almost word for word. But also… I am so confused. Is the sacrifice in this sense a literal one? Or does he simply mean a dedication to the town so strong that it could count as giving up one’s life? Either way, this is definitely a curious difference in translation, and I’m not sure what to make of it.

The interesting thing is… For the most part the “Are you aware that we turned out to be toys” dialogue starts the same in both the Haruspex and the Bachelor runs, only diverging in a few character-specific moments. This is one of them and… I don’t even know where to begin with this bit of dialogue, and not because it’s bad. I think it’s translated well, but there are about a hundred tiny little differences that change the vibe a little to the left, make some phrases more bitter and others more candid. For one the whole “take a closer look” in Russian is a direct invitation to compare the two healers, not an implied one. Secondly, instead of not being “a toy to keep” Burakh says that he (in a literal translation) “isn’t to be pitied.” But because Russian is a funky language, what this phrase actually means is - he doesn’t see himself as worth being concerned over, someone who, if sacrificed or given up, wouldn’t be seen as that big of a loss by others. Someone who others would readily discard, without feeling guilt, pity or sorrow. And I have big feelings about that. Additionally, the line about the Bachelor being “an entirely different thing” is kinda funny to me, because it’s a pretty long sentence in English, but in Russian it’s just… Four words, two of which are only two letters long. It definitely carries a different vibe, simply because of how laconic it is, it comes across as much more of an exclamation. In the closest to a literal translation while still remaining coherent, he says “You’re a different case!” which in turn conveys the vibe of “But look at you!” and while I think the translation does a great job at communicating both of them, they also lose the abruptness of the exclamation, which I think adds to the line.

Still not Bachelor hours anymore, but I wanted to point out that the “You’re having fun… Somehow I fail to join in” is a line that sounds sombre and distant, but the Russian version is “You’re laughing… But I don’t find this funny at all” and it has the wording of a child entering their “sulking mode” because someone made a lighthearted joke that they don’t get. Ok, maybe not that extreme, but there’s definitely a lot of bitterness to it, because the idea of being dolls clearly affects the Bachelor very heavily, and then he sees the Haruspex just being like “yeah we might be dolls. So what? You only care cuz you’re made of better materials anyway, lol.” And I imagine that’s pretty hurtful.

Reading this in English, I could practically feel the “there was supposed to be an idiom here, but it’s one of the ridiculous ones, so we had to translate the meaning instead” coming from this line - particularly the “not a single weak spot anywhere” part. And sure enough, the original Russian version says “...everything was done cleanly - a mosquito won’t sharpen its nose” (the nose, obviously being the proboscis). And while I am a big fan of Russian idioms, and was a proud owner of not one, not two, but three books on them as a kid, I’ve never actually heard of this one. The phrase itself means a job perfectly and flawlessly done, to the point where it can’t be improved upon. The leading interpretation to its origin is the idea that a mosquito’s proboscis is a perfect tool for its purpose - long enough to reach blood and thin enough that a person usually doesn’t even feel a mosquito bite until it’s too late. A mosquito’s “nose” could not be any thinner or sharper - therefore a mosquito won’t sharpen its nose.

God, how is it that in the series of dialogues that are the most dry and direct, in the few places where discrepancies are present, the discrepancies are the most confounding and meaning-altering ones? This is still from the dialogue in which the Haruspex and the Bachelor discuss Aglaya on the final day, and the choices in the translation are kind of confusing to me. The original line is “As far as I understand, in the orders given to her, the Powers That Be have concealed (or kept from her) the fact that they want to save the town specifically alongside the Polyhedron.” And while you can still get that implication from the surrounding dialogue, with the whole talk of “she would’ve caught on to the scent of foul play,” it’s still weird that this line was translated so differently. Because as it is, it creates the feeling that it was more of a “technicality” scenario. You know the trope: “I never said anything about so and so, therefore this little inconsistency is going to screw you over, should’ve read the fine print” etc. Almost gives this dialogue a sense of snark, while it’s the exact opposite. The English version weighs in more on the Powers That Be being cold and inconsiderate, while the Russian version is specifically aimed towards emphasising the idea that Aglaya is not to blame. You know. What this whole dialogue is about - Burakh “painting Aglaya as the victim.”

And that’s about all I’ve got for the Haruspex from the Bachelor’s point of view. There are a few things here that shine a new light on some of the themes, or specifically the relationship between Burakh and his sense of fate and control. The overall theme that there is always something higher up that is either in charge or to blame for the things happening, and that Artemy usually takes on as much responsibility as possible because there are only a few things that are truly up to him. Like, that’s why he doesn’t blame Aglaya for her spite or deception, and why he isn’t hostile to the Bachelor in this run - he sees both of them become disillusioned and spiteful, when they find out that all the decisions have been made for them. But as someone who’s never felt much freedom, from responsibilities and choices made and imposed on him by his father, to him being able to see the Lines and where they lead, he’s had to learn to be grateful and accepting of the little choices that he is allowed to make.

And while these closing remarks aren’t exactly exclusive to the Russian version, it just makes me understand the Haruspex ending better. Like, it took me a while to figure out why he’s the character who’s seen as the one “capable of being actually free” or whatever it is that the devs say to Clara (you). It’s because everyone else who is aware of their nature (except Clara, maybe, I’m not sure yet) is someone to whom this is a disheartening and devastating revelation - they become blinded with this knowledge and end up “acting out” exactly the way they were supposed to. Aglaya doesn’t manage to disobey or defy the Powers That Be, nor does Daniil. Yulia too - though she doesn’t know this is all a children’s game, her theory about the “tripwires of fate” is what ultimately traps her in the path chosen for her. The Haruspex on the other hand, not only had to grow up with the idea that he’s fated to become the Warden - serving the purpose of the Kin, but quite literally could see the way things are predetermined. The fact that they’re all dolls, to him, is just a different way of seeing the Lines. So it makes sense that the best ending in the Haruspex run isn't the Termite ending, but the ending of any of the other healers - because then he actually makes a choice. Exercises the little bit of freedom that he has. It's a very interesting progression, where as the Bachelor you , the player, can claim responsibility for his choices, as the Haruspex you can make a choice despite the game's predetermined nature, and then as Clara you get to do both. Throughout these campaigns, you are gradually gaining freedom from the constrictions of the game.

Either way, who knows how long it will be until Clara's point of view on the Haruspex, I certainly don't. But if there is any feedback or stuff, I'm always open to hearing it.

#pathologic #pathologic classic hd #мор утопия #ramblings #artemy burakh #daniil dankovsky #the document is now 17 pages long oh boy oh wow #madness project

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bianca-d1-angelo · 4 months

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✧˚ · ˚ + ˚ · . ➳➳ INTRO ➳➳. · ˚ + ˚ · ˚✧

Hello! I am Bianca Di Angelo! I am the daughter of Maria Di Angelo and the Greek deity Hades. I am also known as the deceased sister of the Ghost King, @the-ghostking-di-angelo! I am currently 12 years old and will forever remain 12 as I am dead. I was a Hunter of Artemis before I died, and would have been a current resident of Cabin 13 at Camp Half Blood. The Fates did not consider social media when writing the rules centuries ago, so this is a technical loophole I have decided to exploit since Elysium is a bit boring. OOC: Please send asks or tag me!! OC's are always allowed to interact <33

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Nico - my younger brother! he's honestly just a sweet little kid. If I find anyone being mean or even remotely rude to him, I can easily show you the horrors the Underworld will have have in store for you :)) @hazel-the-jewel - my sister! she's so sweet and responsible and talented. im so proud of her! she's the praetor of New Rome and everything! Once again, if I hear a single comment about her, I will find you and make you wish you never opened your mouth :))

@will-shoelaces - Nico's boyfriend! Very nice kid and a gentleman. Nico really cares about him so I fully support him! He's also a healer and can glow! if you dare break his heart, I know where you live :) @frank-zhang-praetor Hazel's boyfriend! Very responsible and extremely kind. Hazel loves him a lot <3 But once again, if you dare break her heart, I know where you live :)

@lightning-boi-is-here - he's my brother's best friend! he's a good person and really friendly. Honestly reminds me of a golden retriever @forbiddensonoftheseagod - Son of Poseidon and a greek hero. He's really nice and extremely loyal. 10/10 quest mate!

@grover-the-can-eater - Satyr and Lord of the Wild! Apparently he's a protector so he might follow you and your brother around for a while in a totally not creepy or terrifying way.

@pinecone-face-thalia - Daughter of Zeus and Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis! Very cool and a bit intimidating. Nice to talk to though!

@annabeth-w1se-g1rl - Daughter of Athena! Dating Percy and friends with my sister! She's very cool and I admire her leadership.

@p1per-mclean - Daughter of Aphrodite! Hazel's friend and Nico's friend. She's really nice though she seems like a troublemaker.

Shel! - Mortal! She's Piper's girlfriend. She's really sweet and easy to talk to.

@fireboy-supreme - Son of Hephaestus! Nico warned me not to trust him. He does look like he gets into a lot of trouble.

Reyna - my honorary sister! She's one of Nico's closest friends and joined the hunt! She has an aura that demands respect and is a very sophisticated and cool person

Rachel - Also a Mortal! She is also the Oracle! (I'm so sorry Rachel for that repeating prophecy my dad sent, I told him twice would be enough)

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OOC: (Kinda Important So Please Read! )

Hi!!! Before I begin, this is a Percy Jackson RP account for my Bianca cuz Hera knows shes too underrated! We still have some slots open so if you want to join, DM me or @hazel-the-jewel or @frank-zhang-praetor

pictures from banner are not mine! (i did make it tho) pfp is by _kaminarty_ (yes, it is wednesday, but they dont have bianca and its supposed to match with the others in the rp group lol) GO LOOK AT THEIR ART!!! ITS AMAZING

I MISS TONS OF SOCIAL CUESS!!! I'm trying to work on it but if i ever overstep my boundaries or make you uncomfy, pleasee let me know <33 im just a bit oblivious sometimes

IM SEX REPULSED! totally cool, do your thing but please DNI if you're an NSFW blog!!

I am a minor! pls keep that in mind!

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#pjo rp blog #percy jackson roleplay #bianca di angelo #bianca di angelo rp

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pinovapie · 6 months

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DRDT Warrior Cat Au

So i used to be obsessed with Warrior Cats as a kid and uh. I still really like the concept so... Here's my Warriors Despair Time AU! Forgive me if everything is really rambly,,, ft. Redesigns of the cat designs i made before- also, feel free to ask questions, talking about it will probably help me expand it.

Words: (just in case you don't know warriors, if there's anymore i missed lmk-)

Kittypet -> House cat, a pet belonging to a human

Twoleg -> Humans

Nest -> Bed or Home (a Twoleg Nest is a house)

Den -> House (Warriors den is where warriors sleep etc.

Medicine Cat -> Healer, Clan doctor. They can also (usually) communicate with the dead as well as receive visions and omens.

Medicine Cat Den -> Infirmary /Hospital for cats

Starclan -> Where the dead cats go. Heaven for cats ig?? Starclan cats are covered in stars c:

Twoleg Place -> A collection of houses, street, town, city, etc.

Thunderpath -> Road

Monsters -> Cars, Vans, Trucks, etc.

Mono TV -> Monostar

The ' leader' of the newly formed 'Despairclan'. Really they're the deputy for the true leader. No one knows why the leader stays hidden but they do. They're kind of incompetent but they do a decent enough job (despite their love of violence...). The clan is a mismatch of random strays and kittypets/house cats.

Eden Tobasia -> Thymeleap

A very friendly Kittypet that joined the clan by mistake after getting lost. She keeps trying to persuade her clanmates to come back to her twoleg nest so they can find proper, warm, safe homes for everyone. So far it hasn't really worked but in the meantime she'll do whatever jobs are required to help everyone. She has convinced Butterflylake, Orchidgleam and Lilypetal to occasionally wander near twoleg place to look for her home. They haven't found anything yet but her friends (and Lilypetal i guess?) are always happy to try and help her home.

Arturo Giles -> Lilypetal

A medicine cat. He's not the best medicine cat in terms of personality and ability to speak with starclan, but he knows a decent amount about herbs and healing. He's not a fan of healing and prefers to use non essential flowers to cover wound dressings so he doesn't have to look at cats' 'disgusting mangled fur' whilst they're in the medicine cat den. He's also a fan of decorating his own fur to look prettier. In this AU he's obsessed with Kittypets and their 'pampered' lifestyles.

Veronika Grebenshchova -> Veronika /Centipedeslaughter

A Kittypet that's obsessed with clan life. She constantly tries to help the clan by bringing them more prey or fighting rouges and loners. She's regarded as an honorary clan member by Monostar and usually spends more time in camp then at her twolegs' house. She usually decides to sleepover with Lilypetal or Horsejump (who do not like her one bit-). She often recounts the horror films her twolegs' watch as some kind of spooky story to scare her clanmates. She chose the warrior name Centipedeslaughter herself.

Ace Markey -> Horsejump

He used to be a farm cat named Horse. He got abandoned because he kept getting scared of the mice rather than catching them. He was given the suffix 'jump' after joining the clan due to his skittish nature. Despite being terrified of them, he can speak to and understand horses (like how Millie could talk to dogs in canon warriors). Rather than having an ED due to jockeying, in this AU he doesn't like eating 'raw meat' (he's used to cat food-) so he tries to avoid eating it as much as possible.

Teruko Tawaki -> Stumblespark

A very clumsy and unlucky cat. She stumbled into the clan by mistake and decided it's safer than wandering stray. Stumblespark seems to suffer misfortune after misfortune. Lilypetal is not fond of the near permanent medicine den patient. Thymeleap, Xander and Rosecurl all to their best to help her feel welcome. Veronika often pesters her for her 'dramatic scar stories'. Due to her luck she's been hit my monsters and survived multiple times.

Charles Cuevas -> Charles -> Viperfang

He used to be a kittypet until a tragic event left him wandering alone. He became a medicine cat due to being de-clawed (he doesn't remember why). However, he only handles small cuts and non bloody ailments due to dislike of blood (he closes his eyes when eating -).

Whit Young -> Whit -> Heartwing

Was a kittypet living near Charles. Originally, they didn't get along but after Viperfang's trama was brought up by a certain event, they bonded due to Whit helping. He used to pester and annoy Viperfang by just showing up on the territory and following him around. After the event however, he joined the clan officially to help his friend. He's taken on the role of a part time mediator (not a canon thing in the books as far as i'm aware but shush-). He usually just listens to cats vent rather than giving advice but it usually helps a lot.

Rose Lacroix -> Rosecurl

The lead medicine cat. She's an expert at creating the right mixes to cure things. Her perfect memory also allows her to know exactly which herbs to use and where to find them.

Hu Jing -> Hu Jing ->Butterflylake

An elegant kittypet that was mistaken for a stray and released miles from home. To respect clan traditions she picked a name similar to the translation of her kittypet name. She's taken on a deputy-like role in the clan by organising patrols and sharing prey evenly between clanmates. She often tries to comfort and care for new arrivals and quiet members of the clan. However, her lack of patience and experience when dealing with stray cats often causes her to see things with a black and white mindset. Enjoys hunting to provide for the clan and often goes with Eden as a hunting partner.

Nico Hakobyan -> Quiettuft

A cat that was abandoned by a breeder after being left for months, after all their littermates were bought. When they first came to the clan they were quiet and kept to themselves. For some reason, Horsejump hates them. Is he just a bully? Did they know each other before the clan? Who knows. Quiettuft is annoyed by them constantly picking fights with them. However, for some reason, even though they've noticed Horsejump's dislike of 'raw meat' they haven't told anyone.

Xander Matthews -> Xander

He was the leader of a gang of rouges before being dragged into the clan. Before he joined the clan he was part of a colony of cats. However, he was caught by twolegs due to disease running rampent. He was the only one they managed to save. He still feels guilty about it. He had a truce with Pebbleroll when they were both rogues. When joining the clan he immediately respected Hopeeye due to a past incident. Hopeeye distracted a pack of dogs by being super friendly then darting away once the confusion wore off. This action saved Xander as well as a couple of fellow rouges. Even after joining the clan he insists on keeping the name Xander.

David Chiem -> Hopeeye

He used to be the leader of an old clan. He was a loved an respected leader, always inspiring and supporting his clanmates. Until one day a giant flood hit at the same time as a whitecough (lethal disease) outbreak. He tried to stay positive and reassure his clanmates that they could make it out! Many cats passed away, believing in Hopeeye's reassurance. After 2/3 of the clan were wiped out, he retired and left the clan, feeling like a liar and a poor leader for letting them down. After meeting Xander properly, however, he's regained a little bit of spirit.

Levi Fontana -> Orchidgleam

A very large fluffy stray, was orignally from a 'bad' clan but left for unknown reasons. was one of the ones to find Horsejump on patrol. Up until a bad argument (and even afterwards-) he saw Horsejump as a cat that needs protecting. As a result he tends to follow him around (even if Horsejump is not happy about it-). Before the argument, Horsejump would pick fights with clanmates and then immediately run and hide under Orchidgleam's belly. Unfortunately, that argument seems to have stopped that from happening and Orchidgleam feels a little guilty that he's no longer considered a safe space. In other news, he's a big fan of decorating his fur with plants and tends to annoy Lilypetal by tagging along to find flowers.

Min Jeung -> Minnowfur

A cat that prefers sticking to the warrior code. Learned a decent amount of herbs after learning who the clan med cats are. She doesn't get along with Xander due to his tendency to break the code, often for his own morals that she doesn't quite understand.

Arei Nageshi -> Pebbleroll

After being tormented by her siblings, she left her previous clan and became a feared and respected cat among rouges. Eventually, after opening up to Hopeeye and defending Thymeleap during and argument with Lilypetal, she joined the clan with the goal of making genuine friends.

J Moreno -> Jasmine -> Jayshadow

A kittypet of a celebrity that hated the attention and her owner. So she ran away. She hates her kittypet name since it's 'too girly' and instead chose the name Jayshadow because it's 'cool' and 'badass'. Lilypetal constantly bothers her about her previous life which she hates. One of Xander's rouges bit part of her tail off. On one hand she thinks it makes her look badass, on the other she's pissed at Xander for being obnoxious and reckless. She rolls in plants to make her fur so scruffy she can't be recognised by her owner. Ryan is the replacement cat her owner got, she even called him Jasmine as well.

Obviously, once the killings happen the deceased go to Starclan. From my memory canon Starclan is a mess so y'know- i would include the Dark Forest (cat hell-) but i don't think we know enough about why characters are the way they are to say they definitely deserve cat hell y'know?

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kaftan · 9 months

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The Amy Dallon/Cassie Animorphs Venn Diagram

Because my time is NOT valuable, and I am very easily persuaded to waste it. (Context here)

Starting easy: a major part of their sense of identity revolves around healer jobs. Cassie assists her parents informally in caring for injured animals; Amy is an honorary doctor. Cassie has significantly less responsibility and is significantly more fulfilled by what she does, but she and Amy both take their jobs quite seriously.

This part of their sense of self clashes horribly with the kind of violence that later becomes expected of them.

They both hold to a strict moral code: at the moments of climax when that code is forced to break, so do they. Cassie in book 9 with the termites and then later eating the baby seal in the arctic; Amy killing for the first time when Bonesaw forces her to and then the confrontation with Victoria. Points of no return, points where you crumble as you realize you were never the person you hoped and prayed to be: the proof is in your actions, and the proof is damning. Doesn’t the fact that you were even capable of these acts speak for itself?

Here’s an even more interesting one: Cassie in the David trilogy and Amy in the s9 arc. Taking all your compassion, all that carefully cultivated empathy, that whole bleeding heart, and channeling it into an act of physical and psychological torture. Cassie masterminds the plan to turn David into a rat. Amy turns Victoria into… well. Worse than a rat, to be sure. And what happens after they convince themselves it was worth it, that it was all they could do, that they had to do it? They break down and cry.

Both loners/standouts within a larger group; subsequent “if it sucks, hit da bricks” mentality. (Cassie quitting the animorphs in book 19 / Amy packing up and leaving her family + the wards in 11h.)

Writing that out, I just realized that they both had significant moral breakdowns directly following their attempts to leave everything behind. Funny, that!

There’s a whole Animorphs book centered around Cassie doing brain surgery. Ok this one’s just a really fun coincidence but c’mon

Both hated and beloathed in-story largely for traitorism/hypocrisy allegations born out of desperate attempts to follow their Code in situations that make it extremely difficult

Both intimately familiar with having “some kind of alien parasite” in their brain

Both proof that you can turn any sweet girl into an instrument of violence with enough nudging. She’ll fight you along the way, but she’ll submit, and she’ll transform, and really it doesn’t matter how much she hates herself along the way.

Cassie = lesbian coded, Amy = lesbian, my case = rested

#wormblogging #animorphs #the context is important i'm not a crazy person. i swear. thankyou for understanding.#worm spoilers #bonus bullet point is Both had their character writing BADLY FUMBLED by their writers!!!

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gallavich-headcanon · 1 year

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Gallavich AU List

Gallavich AUs

Canon divergent AU High school AU Famous AU Celebrity AU Jury duty AU Medieval Ukrainian AU Magic AU Fem Gallavich AU Gods AU Cruise AU

Work: Artist AU Coworkers AU Bartender AU Trapeze artist AU Physical therapy AU Massage therapy AU Musician AU Motocross AU Body Painter AU Chefs AU Office AU Print shop AU 'Medieval Times' experience AU Photographer AU Teacher AU Doctor AU Escape room AU Hockey AU Athlete AU Pilot AU Blogger AU Trucker AU Movie AU Personal trainer AU

Inspired by other media: Game show AU Big Brother AU Call Of Duty AU Scandal AU Tiktok AU Hunger games AU Lumatere chronicles AU

Meet Cute / Meet Ugly: Dog meet cute AU Ugly train meet cute AU

Mickey: Artist Mickey Bartender Mickey Graphic designer Mickey Actor Mickey Musician Mickey Chef Mickey Care giver Mickey non-binary Mickey Teacher Mickey Doctor Mickey

Ian: EMT Ian Bartender Ian Veteran Ian Actor Ian Musician Ian Model Ian Healer Ian Witch Ian Knight Ian Photographer Ian Chef Ian Teacher Ian Doctor Ian Referee Ian Author Ian

Honorary mention is this beautiful tag - AU shenanigans with Nosho @creepkinginc thank you for being my partner in crime

#jesus this took soooo long #I hope this is helpful #i probably forgot some tags #master list #gallavich au #list #gallavich #ian x mickey #alternative universe #shameless #shameless au

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shadowqueenjude · 1 month

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Well, I’m working on a fic for Eris week which takes place a little over three centuries before the canon series. It is Eris x OC arranged marriage, and here is the prologue. I’ll post it on ao3 once I finish writing the fic.

Asha stood arms spread, legs apart, and eyes straight ahead as the tailor took her measurements, or rather, a floating tape measure did. The tailor just stood there, looking up at her, eyes narrowed and ears flattened against her head. “Arre yaar, you are huge,” she remarked. Asha sighed. She was used to this kind of comment.

In actuality, Asha was not that big. She was tall, but not incredibly so. However, most people in the Dawn Court were quite petite, so she looked massive in comparison. Her height combined with her broad shoulders and large bust size made fitting traditional Dawn Court clothing difficult; hence the tailor.

“I can have this dress done in fourteen days,” the tailor said. Asha pursed her lips, tilting her head downward to meet the tailor’s eyes. “I need it in ten.”

“It’ll cost extra.”

“Just get it done,” Asha said, handing her the dress material and grabbing her bag she had left on the sofa. She walked towards the door, the light falling upon her skin the wrong way, revealing the multicolored hue of it. Looking back at the tailor, she saw the small shifter swallow nervously.

Gorgon. Asha was half Gorgon. She had been conceived while her mother was blindfolded to her faerie lover. It would be a disturbing story to anyone not familiar with the Faerie, but in Prythian, the story was positively romantic: a gorgon choosing to lose her sight to be with the one she loved.

Unfortunately, gorgons were well hated by the High Fae, and she and her husband had been murdered in a brutal incident resulting in twenty dead faeries.

Hence she’d been taken in by her much older cousin, whose mother had been her father’s sister. He was also the current High Lord of Dawn: Thesan Abhiraaj.

So, she was practically a princess; only she had no High Fae blood, and was therefore highly resented. She had to try extra hard to fit in amongst them. Her gorgon blood did wonders in the intimidation side of things. Since she was only half gorgon, it was nearly impossible for her to kill someone with the look of an eye, but she could paralyze the person she looked upon when provoked to rage. Hence, no one dared cross her, though they may not like her.

“Relax, I am not going to kill you,” Asha said disdainfully. She did grow weary of being terrifying sometimes. She swept out the door, stepping out into the lovely dawn.

In the light, the tawny color of her skin faded, revealing the green and purple scales that went all across her body. The three small snakes in her head took refuge behind her thick dark curls. Her black hair and eyes glowed bronze in the sun. Bands of lavender flowers wrapped around various parts of her arms. The gold threads on her tunic shone, giving the white churidar the dazzling look of a goddess. Small ruby hoops hung from her ears. This was just the every day look of a Dawn Court princess.

Princess being honorary. Asha was certain most princesses didn’t work as healers on a daily basis. Princess duties were unbearably boring; she needed something to occupy her time.

She got her fair share of looks while walking back to the palace; some nasty, some in awe, but Asha ignored them all, floating back into the palace.

Inside the palace, her snake features faded once more. Sending a tired wave to her cousin and his lover, Abhijit, Asha went towards her room before flopping onto her bed. Not very ladylike, but no one was watching her here. She was too tired even to change; this impending meeting under the mountain was stressing her out.

She wasn’t really stressed over the meeting itself; she had been to loads of those. However, this was to be no ordinary meeting between courts.

If all things went her way, by the end of the meeting she would be engaged.

Did she have a special someone in mind? No. She would be marrying for influence and power. Horrible? Maybe, but royalty rarely had a choice. It was better to know what you were getting into than holding out for love or whatever. Asha didn’t really believe in all of that. Jaded? You might think so, but no. She’s just never really experienced any sort of attraction before. Platonic love she had. Romantic love? Never before. So the prospect of an arranged marriage didn’t much bother her.

Asha woke up the next day quite late. Most injuries to a Fae could be healed by their own magic, so any injury so bad that it requires a healer meant long-term patients.

She put on her usual forest-green robes, tying her hair up and putting on her running shoes. Then she walked out through the secret exit from her room to avoid people.

Asha didn’t have as many patients as some others because people didn’t like being treated by a gorgon, but that was alright with Asha; she liked a light workload, after all. Unlike the High Fae, she could not winnow, so she jumped onto her pegasus and soared into the sky.

Her pegasus had golden brown fur and exceptionally rare blue eyes. She was missing one leg, which she lost when tigers of the forest nearly killed her while she was grazing. She managed to escape and fly into the sky, but she’d lost so much blood that she was barely alive when Asha found her and healed her. Then, her friend Nuan managed to make her a prosthetic leg and save her life. Asha would never stop being grateful to her.

Her first patient of the day was the elderly faerie Yogesh. He was once one of the High Fae, but he had now reached an age so high that his body had actually started to deteriorate and fade away. At that age, society generally did not consider anyone High Fae. The term High Fae in itself was an elitist term created to tear down those they believed to be of a lesser class, so it made sense that they’d view faeries who broken down, which was practically unheard of, less than.

Yogesh was 877 years old. It was a miracle he was still alive; most faeries got killed off by the time they reached 500. He had some wrinkles on his face and silver hair, but the real signs of age were in his body. Everything hurt for him, so it was Asha’s job to alleviate the pain.

“More back pain?” she asked as he walked in, a slight grimace on his face. He shook his head. “It’s the knees this time,” he muttered. Asha linked her arm in his and guided him over to a chair. After he managed to sit down, Asha lifted her palms, which had begun to glow with her magic. “How is your daughter?” Asha asked as she placed her hands on his knees. It served as a distraction, yes, but it was also important to address potential mental setbacks to physical recovery. Yogesh and his daughter had been on icy terms ever since he’d expressed serious disapproval over her marriage to a woman of lower birth. Ever since he’d lost his status as High Fae, he’d begun to realize how foolish his hyper fixation with the High Fae was and that he’d messed up with his daughter. Too little too late? Maybe for his daughter to forgive him, but not to be a better person. For that part, it was never too late.

Yogesh, to her delight, beamed. “She actually let me visit her yesterday. It was extremely awkward for a while, but then her wife initiated conversation between us. She is actually quite civilized and a great partner. I am glad I am getting to know her, even if it’s very late.”

“It is never too late to improve, Yogesh,” Asha said kindly. Her work was simple today because neither his mind nor his body were fighting back. “It takes a strong person to admit when they’re wrong.”

Yogesh patted Asha’s cheek. “You are always so kind, kid. Your parents are lucky to have you.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Asha replied. The old fae let out a wheezy chuckle. “You know there’s no need to call me that.” No, there wasn’t, but Asha sensed how much it pleased Yogesh. Her healing magic gave her a heightened sense of the emotional states of others. “It is a habit,” Asha quipped. Then she stood up. “You’re all done. Have a good day, my lord!”

After a couple more patients, including one little kid who had been attacked in the woods and a human relative of a faerie who was rehabilitating his legs (brought all the way from the human lands too; that level of care for a human relative was exceptionally rare), Asha was done for the day. She went over to hang out in her friend Nuan’s studio.

“So I was thinking, judging by the wingspan of your horse, if we were to do a proportional equation to the size of an average faerie, blah blah blah,” Nuan said, or at least it was what Asha heard. She didn’t understand anything her friend did, but she supported it wholeheartedly. Nuan’s arm had been cut off by her own abusive father, whose rage had known no bounds due to his own unstable upbringing. She had spent years making prosthetics for various people who needed them; her own personal project was making wings. Winged beasts were native both to Dawn and to Night. Illyrian women get their wings cut off by the men in their family, which is why the project was so personal to her.

“Perfection,” Asha said. Nuan snorted. “You have no idea what I just said, do you?”

Asha shrugged. “It sounded smart, though,” she assured her. She walked over to her station, where Nuan appeared to be building a circuit. She looked past her shoulder at Nuan. “That reminds me. I have a gift for you. For the upcoming party thing.” Asha snorted, trying not to snarl at the thought. She was so not looking forward to that shit. She didn’t like gatherings in general, but this one was particularly stress inducing. Getting engaged to a stranger would do that to you.

She needed to get one of the good eligible men, not one of the wicked men summoned from the most fiery depths of hell.

“What is it?” In answer, Nuan pulled out a crown. It didn’t look like much, but Nuan shone a lamp on it and it shone like the brightest star on the darkest night. In the ballroom, it would look magnificent.

“Wow,” Asha said, staring at it. “That is stunning.”

“It enhances your beauty when you wear it. It also doubles as a knife,” Nuan said casually. “Since you’re not allowed weapons in there.” With a click and a flip, the crown turned into the fanciest knife Asha had ever seen. She took it gingerly from her friend, running her fingers down the blade. It was smooth and cold as ice.

“You have truly outdone yourself, Nuan,” Asha said, handing it back. Nuan changed it back into a crown and put it on Asha’s head. Asha pulled her into a hug. “Thank you.”

“Only the best for my best friend,” Nuan said. Asha smiled. Truly Nuan was the best friend anyone could ask for.

The days went by quicker than Asha had hoped. Before long, she was getting dressed for the trip to Under the Mountain. It was just a simple silver dress; the real magic was being saved for when they actually got to the meeting place. They had a room, or rather a carved out hole, awaiting them there.

Asha threw her head back against the carriage, her braid smushing slightly but holding strong. Sleep was the only way to get through this boredom. The carriage was shaking too much to read or write anything, so she had no other options. Even sleep would be fitful but at least she could still dream.

When she woke up, she could feel the air getting denser, the ground growing more powerful, and her own magic leaving her body. The Middle was an eerie place. It was once home to the foulest creatures of Prythian and may indeed still be. It is an old and strong place that didn’t conform to the typical Fae rules. It was why Under the Mountain was chosen as a neutral meeting location; no one had the upper hand here.

Asha considered her options for marriage. There was Helion, son of the Day Court high lord, though she highly doubted he intended on getting married. Could she convince him? Doubtful. He probably wouldn’t make a good partner anyway.

There were the Spring Court brothers, as well as Kallias and Casper from Winter, as well as the legendary Morrigan from Night. Rhysand and Eris Vanserra were absolute no-nos; she had heard terrible things about their families. Even the Spring Court brothers were questionable for that reason. Morrigan was the only woman on that list, and being from Night she was also an asterisk. Asha knew Kallias in passing and had the distinct feeling he was in love with someone, which left Casper as her best option for marriage. Well…

The light was swallowed by the underground, and Asha knew they had arrived. Slipping out of the carriage, she allowed Thesan and Abhijit to escort her towards their room, each of them holding one of her silk gloves. Every step they took echoed. It was terrible every time they came here.

When they reached their room, Asha flung off her gloves and flopped onto the bed, sighing. Her skin was sticky with cold sweat as it always was after moving through the middle. She wished for a nice warm shower and some proper sleep. But when did a girl ever get what she wanted?

“Into the bath, go go,” her maids instructed, gently pushing her into the shiny white tub at the end of the room. The water was so cold that Asha hissed. She wished she had fire magic to heat this stupid shit up.

After what felt like hours of being scraped and scrubbed and beautified, she was finally ready for the ceremony. Her dress was magnificent, a saree of various shades of blue, from electric blue to robin blue to turquoise, embroidered with golden peacocks. A gold and sapphire chain hung around her neck while earrings resembling chandeliers adorned her ears. Kohl rimmed her eyes and her lips were painted garnet. Topped with Nuan’s crown, Asha looked like an empress.

She just wished it wasn’t so fucking hard to walk.

But as she walked towards the large hall, Thesan and his lover by her side, she felt like she could win over anybody.

ERIS POV

At 189 years of age, Eris Vanserra was rather tired of being his father’s puppet.

But what was he to do? He was the eldest son, and therefore the one people focused on. Well, him and the baby, naturally.

Eris was constantly being groomed to be the perfect heir, the perfect loyal son, the perfect leader, the perfect Vanserra, and the sword to stand side by side the crown. And part of that image involved choosing a bride, apparently. It had been an obsession of Beron’s practically since the moment he was born.

He was 9 when he first got engaged, to the great warrior Morrigan. She was 17 at the time, he believed. The prospect of being wed to someone twice his age while he was barely old enough to hold a sword was…frightening to say the least. An adult wedding a child, it would’ve been. Eris had felt untold relief when Morrigan had slept her way out of the marriage.

The sheer terror he had felt when she had arrived at his doorstep nails all over her body…well, it was the most gruesome sight he had ever seen. Eris is certain he lost his childhood right then and there.

He had panicked. Bringing Mor across the border to be treated meant she would be forced to marry him, but if left there, she would probably die. But death was preferable to the life she would have with him. Even his nine year old self knew that, though he didn’t understand that what his father was doing was wrong.

Unfortunately, Beron’s wedding craze didn’t let up. Just a decade later, when he reached young adulthood, he was engaged to Lady Polonia Dumont, who was actually his second cousin. Horrified at the prospect of having to marry his own relative, Eris tried to reason with her to stop the wedding and wound up accidentally killing her instead. How the fuck does that happen, you may ask? Eris was the young volatile son of a High Lord; he hadn’t known his own strength, and he had yet to gain the mastery and control over his magic like he did now. It happens more often than you may initially believe.

Fifty years after that, Eris had been secretly engaged to a man of his own choice. Naturally, since Beron did not approve of his choice of spouse, he had him put down. After that, Eris didn’t bother with serious relationships. However, it only took another thirty years for Beron to start nagging him once more. It didn’t take long before he was set up with Marisol Spell-Cleaver, sister of the High Lord of the Day Court, which would’ve been fine if she wasn’t centuries older than him. The idea of marrying someone older than his mother terrified him.

So Eris talked to Marisol, and they both agreed not to get married. Somehow, Marisol was able to talk Beron down. Eris wished she’d revealed her magic tricks to him.

And now he was here. Beron had threatened to do to him what Keir had done to his daughter Mor if he wasn’t engaged and married within the fortnight. Part of Eris thought it was hopeless. He seemed cursed to never marry. Four failed engagements seemed like a sign.

But unless he figured out a genius plan to assassinate his father, he had no choice. And this meeting seemed like the best chance for Eris to pick somebody who:

1. Wasn’t older than his mother

2. Wasn’t related to him

3. Wasn’t so unworthy as to be murdered by his father

It seemed easy enough, but for Eris, these were great obstacles to overcome. Beron seemed determined to cling to his side as he murmured in his ear information about each of the eligible people.

“Lady Bethesda Rose of Spring is a great catch, though she may be a little too low on the hierarchy for you. Lady Paulina Fernandez Borbón III of Vallahan would give Autumn advantages in foreign affairs. Lady Aishwarya Kumar, who requested the name Abhiraaj be added to her name to represent the men who raised her…” Beron wrinkled his nose. “She may have been raised a princess, but she is mixed low-born scum. Though relations with Dawn would be useful.”

Pointless information. Eris already knew all this, having looked into it himself. Beron just liked to insert his opinion, to make Eris do what he wants.

This was what marriage was to royals: a political alliance. Eris had finally accepted that love would play no role in his marriage. That didn’t mean he had to completely abide by his father’s wishes.

Slipping away from his father, the Autumn court heir first introduced himself to the Vallahan lady.

The female offered her hand, which Eris raised to his lips. “Lady Paulina,” he said, bowing. Paulina smiled. She was pretty as all the Fae were, with her sparkling green eyes and chocolate brown curls; however, when she curved her lips, it revealed teeth as sharp as fangs.

“Lord Eris,” she answered airily. She looked him over. “You look good enough to eat.”

Yeah…no. Eris wasn’t in the mood to get eaten by his wife. He backed away slightly, maintaining a polite smile on his face. “Thank you, my lady. I shall meet you again soon.”

In other words: never. Beron can’t have known that Paulina was a vampire, or surely even he would disapprove. Eris’s introduction to the Spring Court lady went well, although he suspected Beron would not wish him to marry someone so low born, despite her still being nobility. Shame, though; she seemed decent enough, which was hard to find amongst nobles.

He was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice when he bumped into a tall woman. He found Morrigan staring at him. Eris tried for a polite smile, trying to ignore the queasiness in his stomach. “Hello, Morrigan.”

Her expression melted into a withering glare. “Eris,” she said coldly. Eris swallowed. Was she angry because of the border thing? That really wasn’t fair considering how young he’d been, but he decided to apologize anyway. Best not to make enemies. “I’m sorry for what I did,” Eris began smoothly. “I was a child then, and I made the best possible decision I could. I never intended for you to die.”

Morrigan’s expression fractured, and she shook her head. “I’m being unfair,” she admitted. “The truth is, I can’t think of that moment without seeing your face before me. I know it’s not your fault, but…”

Eris nodded, relief flooding his body. “I know. I blame you for my loss of childhood too even though it’s technically not your fault.”

Morrigan tilted her head. “Why?”

Eris shuddered. “You were the most gruesome thing I have ever seen.”

Morrigan’s lips pursed. “Thing?” she snapped. Oh hell no. Eris did not want to be here. He was a 9 year old kid again, and Mor was the far older woman he was forced to deal with.

“Lady Morrigan!” a voice exclaimed. Eris turned towards his savior. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had thick brows arching over big dark eyes. Her skin shone bronze over a lovely blue saree. Small wavy strands of hair framed her face perfectly. She sunk into a deep curtsy upon seeing both of them. “And Lord Eris! It is a pleasure to meet you both.”

Eris smirked, lifting her hand to his lips. “The pleasure is all mine, Lady Aishwarya,” he murmured, and Aishwarya laughed lightly, looking down. “Just Lady Asha is fine, if you will.” She offered an arm to link with his own. He took it. “Pardon me, Lady Morrigan, but I think there is someone Lord Eris ought to meet.” Then she forcefully dragged him out of the conversation.

Once they were a safe distance from Morrigan, Asha let go of him and curtseyed. “Have a good day, my lord.” Eris inclined his head. “Thank you for saving me, lady.”

Asha merely shrugged, the slightest of smiles forming on her face. “I could feel your discomfort from across the room.”

Eris snorted, then watched as Asha walked away. He felt inexplicably drawn to her as she walked away, but Eris tamped down on the feeling as the introductory speeches began.

Eris’s baby brother Lucien crawled into his lap, and Eris absentmindedly cradled him as he began to fall asleep. “I wish I could fall asleep too, sunling,” Eris muttered. Unfortunately, paying attention was his only option if he wanted to appear like the respectable prince of Autumn.

Eris mussed up Lucien’s bright red hair as he slept. Of all his brothers, Lucien was by far the cutest baby. He was also the smartest; he was 10 and could already talk circles around many Autumn Court adults, which considering how weird Autumn folk could be, was a significant feat.

After the boring speeches were over, it was time for dinner. The long silver tables were dreadful. Eris sat as far away from his family as possible, securing Lucien a seat by one side of him.

“Don’t take the Som Tam,” Eris ordered Lucien. “It’s too spicy.”

“I like spicy!” Lucien declared, his face splitting into a toothy grin. Eris sighed. “This is too much spicy even for you, Lulu,” he said. “Take the fried rice instead.”

Lucien pouted but obeyed. Eris himself only took a little bit; he didn’t much like spicy food. There was loud chatter around him, but there was silence beside him. Finally, peace from his stupid family. He felt guilty for including his mother in that, but a part of him did feel resentful, feeling as if she was a little too complacent in what his father had done to him. He knew Beron likely hurt her too, which was why he felt guilt too. He was also a little jealous because she seemed to prefer Lucien to him; she wasn’t even that affectionate when Eris was a baby. Overall, Eris felt as though he needed his space from all of them. Except for little Lucien. He seemed to be everyone’s favorite.

“Can I have your sweet?” Lucien asked, turning pleading chocolate brown eyes at him. He was the cutest kid ever. Eris handed him his jamun. “Here.” Lucien squealed and took the dessert, stuffing it in his mouth before reaching over to hug Eris. “I love you,” he mumbled, his mouth muffled by food and Eris’s shirt. Eris tried not to get too emotional, but those words hit him in the chest every time anyone said them to him. “I love you too, sunling,” he answered.

By the time he finished dinner, Eris had made his decision. It may be one that he came to regret later, but whatever; if he was going to get married, it would be on his terms.

He pushed through the crowd, seeking the one person he wished to talk to. Lucien was riding on his shoulders, ensuring that Eris didn’t lose him. At last, Eris found her in the corner, talking to a few other ladies. He slowly approached her and bowed.

“Lady Asha,” Eris began. “I know this is sudden, but…”

#eris vanserra #eris x oc #fanfic

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m1ckeyb3rry · 8 months

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Pomegranate Ink: XXXI

Series Synopsis: Unable to heal but willing to fight, with a fiancé in Kyoto and a last name that looms over everything you do, you accept an offer to study at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. What you did not know was that your salvation and your ruination alike would soon join you at the school, neatly wrapped in the form of a boy followed by death.

Chapter Synopsis: Some moments that take place during the month you have between Gojo’s unsealing and his inevitable confrontation with Sukuna.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Yuta Okkotsu × Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5.8k

Content Warnings: angst, misogyny, naoya zenin, forbidden relationships, canon-typical violence, character death, original characters included

A/N: i want you all to know that even though i am caught up with the manga, this fic and the idea for its ending predate whatever is happening rn, so i will be choosing to ignore gege on this one and shall continue with my original ideas — even if that may mean characters do/don’t die that have the opposite happen to them in canon. hope that doesn’t distress anyone too badly hahaha

The month that passed between Gojo’s unsealing and Christmas Eve, the day when he would face off against Sukuna, was spent in a way reminiscent of your days at the school. Your mother had never been busier, taking a few of your cousins from the L/N clan to help her cook for everyone, as everyone had voracious appetites after training all day.

Gojo had been accepting of your choice to be a healer, so he allowed you to make rounds, checking up on everyone, advising them when you could and healing them when it was required. Everyone else, though, was subject to Maki and Hakari’s grueling personalized routines, pushing their bodies and limits to the absolute max and then some. The people that you all were today had no hope of surviving against Sukuna, let alone fighting him, and so you all had to become sorcerers who were capable of that feat.

“So,” you said, resting your hand on Itadori’s arm, healing the bruises that Choso had inadvertently caused him, even though you knew Itadori probably hadn’t even noticed any of them forming. “You’re an honorary Kamo now or something?”

“It’s really complicated. Actually, I don’t even understand it myself, but I guess in a way, I am,” he said.

“You could’ve been my cousin-in-law,” you said. “Though I’m sorry to say that I’m not too broken up about the fact that it won’t happen in that way.”

“It’s okay, I don’t take any offense,” Itadori said. “It makes sense and all. For us to have had that relation, you would’ve had to be in a marriage that nobody wanted, so of course you’re happy it’s not like that.”

“Exactly,” you said. “Thanks for being so sensitive to the situation.”

“Sure,” he said. “Anytime.”

Before, he might’ve flashed you a smile to accompany that kind of statement, but now, he only gave you a tired nod, rolling his shoulders and then returning his attention to Choso, who had been waiting for you to finish with the sort of patience that only an elder sibling could ever possess.

“You’re good to go,” you said. “Don’t overexert yourself, though. That won’t help anyone, and it certainly isn’t the way to success.”

“This isn’t overexertion,” Itadori said. “This is just me finally actually refining my skills instead of relying on my natural, raw abilities.”

“I see,” you said. “Well, even still, please take care.”

He did not make any such promises, and you could only hope he would at least try to be wary of himself and what he was truly capable of. Just as you would never be an all out brawler, Itadori had his weaknesses as well as his strengths, and these could not just be ignored or pushed through. You thought about telling him this, as you had once told Megumi, but for some reason, you didn’t think Itadori would appreciate it in the same way. So instead, you were silent, deciding there was no point in hovering over him while he was trying to practice.

Kurusu was sitting in a window seat, resting her forehead against the glass when you found her. She had also been exempted from training — even though her cursed technique was the most effective against Sukuna, it would be too dangerous for her to go against him with only one arm, so she was supposed to be more of a reserve than anything, only entering battle if things went completely sideways.

When she noticed you approaching, she shot to her feet, scrambling to bow or show some other sign of respect. You stopped her as best as you could, shaking your head at her.

“There’s no need for any of that. I’m only one year older than you, so please don’t treat me like I’m someone Gojo’s age or something,” you said, motioning for her to sit back down and then settling beside her yourself. For a moment, neither of you spoke, still in that awkward phase of friendship where it was difficult to find the right words to vocalize what you meant.

“Alright, L/N,” she said softly.

“Y/N,” you said. “That’s fine. It’s not like the L/Ns have ever done me much good, so on the whole, I’d prefer to not be associated with them. Please call me by my given name, instead.”

“Y/N,” she said. “You can call me Hana, then. I am your junior, after all, so it wouldn’t be right for me to refer to you informally and not extend the same courtesy to you.”

“Very well,” you said. “Hana. I have a question for you.”

“What is it?” she said.

“If we can’t save Megumi, what will you do?” you said. “It’s not to say that that’s the certain outcome. But there is a chance that in killing Sukuna, we must destroy his vessel, too. You’re here because you love him, but if he’s gone, then what?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Everything I’ve done so far is to become a person worthy of standing in front of him without shame. This isn’t something I tell people, but the truth is that when I was young, he saved me. I was being held hostage by a curse, and he sent one of his Divine Dogs after it so that I could be freed. I know — I know he didn’t do it because it was me, but I’ve always felt grateful for that. It’s not even that I love him. I just want to say thank you.”

Of course. It was impossible to love someone you didn’t know, but maybe somewhere along the line, Hana’s gratitude had twisted into an affection for the boy she had never really met. He had saved her, if she was telling the truth, and so it was a reasonable outcome. You mulled over the turn of events.

“He doesn’t save people because he wants them to be thankful. Even if you said something like that, he wouldn’t appreciate it,” you said. “Not based on what I know of him. Just by saving you, he was satisfied. You should let go of that dream.”

“Then what should I replace it with?” she said. “I’ve clung to that for so long that it’s become a part of who I am. What should I dream of if I let go of that?”

“I don’t know,” you said. “Just don’t forget to dream of something.”

There wasn’t much else for you to say to her after that, so you left. It was in times like this especially that you wished Tullia were there — she would be able to cheer Hana up, tell her how to keep living even when she lost someone she loved. You were a bad example of it. You didn’t know how to do it yourself, so how could you command someone else to? It was hypocritical of you, but you had realized some time ago that you wanted Hana to end up in a better way than you had. If you could not have the internal strength to stand by yourself, then you wanted her to do it in your stead. At least that way, even if the rest of you fell, one person would remain on their feet.

As of late, Toge had been carrying Panda from place to place instead of walking next to him as he once had. You weren’t sure if it was because it would be faster for the little bear to be toted around like that or if there was some other reason, but it always made an unreasonable lump grow in your throat when they passed, a bear-printed ribbon tied around Panda’s neck, his body tucked under Toge’s single remaining arm as they went to wherever they were going. Neither of them would be fighting, either — Toge’s technique would simply never let him face off against someone like Sukuna, and now that Panda was at his current size and didn’t have his sibling cores, he probably couldn’t even fight a flyhead, let alone the King of Curses himself.

You were partially glad that Kashimo had done what he had to Panda, rendering him unable to fight — because otherwise, he would’ve. If he still had his siblings, if he was still at his full size, he would’ve charged into the fray against Sukuna, even though he had no chance at winning, even though it would’ve led to his death. So although you mourned what had happened to him, you were also happy, as it meant he did not ever have to come in harm’s way again.

“Hey, Y/N,” Panda said when Toge rounded the corner and almost ran into you. Shadows the same color as his irises hollowed out the skin under his eyes, and you focused on those the most, even as he handed Panda to you.

“Hey, you two,” you said, instinctively beginning to pet Panda, who was soft as ever. “Have you not been sleeping well, Toge?”

“Mustard leaf,” he said. You frowned.

“You don’t look okay. Stop going on YouTube so late; it’s bad for your eyes and your brain. Just because you’re not fighting doesn’t mean you should let yourself rot away like this. When was the last time you had something proper to eat? Not counting chips and shit,” you said.

“Two days ago,” Panda supplied helpfully, since Toge refused to say anything. “He had a sandwich.”

“Two days!” you said incredulously. “That’s that, then. Come on.”

“Bonito flakes,” Toge said. You used your free hand to grab his wrist and dragged him after you against his will, ignoring his protests as you marched towards the kitchen and set him down at the table, placing Panda beside him.

“No, you don’t get to say no to this. Even if I have to feed you with my bare hands, you’ll eat,” you said, turning on the stove and beginning to make the same soup you had made for Maki the other day. It was easy to digest and wouldn’t upset his sensitive stomach, and you remembered he had liked it when you made it during your first year at the school, so it was a safe choice. “Why haven’t you been eating actual meals?”

“Salmon,” he muttered rebelliously. You turned to Panda and raised an expectant brow. Panda, who was a loyal friend second and a concerned one first, did not take much convincing to spill everything to you.

“It’s not just everyone who’s died,” Panda said, luckily not naming who you were both thinking of. “It’s that he can’t do anything about it. Everyone else has a role to play, but he’s stuck with nothing. That’s enough to depress anyone.”

“I’m not fighting, and neither is Hana,” you said. “You’re not the only one.”

“Bonito flakes!” he snapped. You took advantage of his open mouth to shove the spoon in, only removing it once he swallowed and then sliding the bowl over to him. Even though he seemed reluctant, he did not argue, dutifully eating while you watched.

“You can heal,” Panda explained. “You’re arguably more important than the others because of that. And Kurusu still has her technique; we’re conserving her for the final moments, if necessary, so she’s vital in that sense. On the other hand, there’s nothing that Toge and I can really even do. We can’t help in any way that matters. How would you feel if a person killed someone you love and there was nothing you could do but watch the rest of your friends prepare to die against them, too?”

“Like lambs to the slaughter, right?” you said. “It does give that sense. None of us can really win, besides Gojo of course, but it’s not in our nature to accept defeat. We’ll keep going until we die or attain victory somehow.”

“Not us, though,” Panda said. “We’ve been forced to give up. We don’t get that choice.”

“I know,” you said. “It relieves me some, to be honest. I know why you’re upset, but as for me, it makes me feel better to know you two will be alright.”

“Neither of us are upset about living,” Panda said. “It’s the fear that we’ll be the only ones left like that which is driving him to such a state.”

Finished with his soup, Toge pulled out a notepad and began to write, his letters shaky and nearly illegible, the ink bleeding through the thin page and smudging as he went.

I am not like you.

“What does that mean?” you said.

I am not strong.

“I’m not strong, either. I gave up fighting. I was just pretending to be like that,” you said. “Just a kid who wanted to be more than she really was. You don’t see me training, do you? It’s because I can’t do anything anymore. I can only hope that Composition is enough to save someone someday.”

You are strong.

“He’s right,” Panda said. “I don’t know why you think that you’re weak. You never have been. Do you think you would’ve been recommended for the designation of Grade 1 sorcerer otherwise?”

“I’m not weak,” you agreed. “But I’m not strong in the way that the others are. The truly powerful, like Yuta, Maki, Itadori, Hakari, and Gojo…they’re on a different level entirely. I can’t compete with them. I’m nothing like that.”

It’s different. At least you made the choice to do that. My technique is what makes me weak.

That was true. Although your technique wasn’t strong by itself, it didn’t harm you for using it, either. Toge’s Cursed Speech was a punitive one, hurting him if he tried to utilize it against someone stronger than him. It actively undermined him, whereas the worst that could come from a misuse of Dissection — besides losing Composition — was a failed or missed attack.

I don’t want to be the only one left.

“Do you really have such little faith in Yuta and Maki?” you said, untying Panda’s ribbon and then redoing it so that it was in a voluminous bow around his neck instead of the simple knot that Toge must’ve somehow done.

Sukuna is a completely different sort of opponent. It’s not that I don’t trust the others; I’m just not certain what he’s capable of. He’s already done so much. He’s already killed so many.

“If things go to plan, then Gojo will take care of things, so the others won’t even get involved,” you said. “There’s no point in destroying yourself like this in the meanwhile, though. You’ve always been one of the most athletic of us — if you’re really so down in the dumps, why don’t you try helping the others who aren’t Itadori and Maki with physical training? You’re the perfect example of how even without Heavenly Restriction or absurd abilities, sorcerers can still hold their own. You understand normal bodies better than Maki would, too, so you’d know where the line between overkill and reasonable is more than she would.”

That’s true.

“Even if you don’t, there’s no sense in what you’re doing right now. By barely eating or sleeping, you’re not going to bring the others back. By ruining your own body, you’re not helping us all more,” you said.

Maybe not.

“Definitely not,” you said.

“She’s right,” Panda said. “Even if we can’t fight, we should at least help the others prepare.”

Should we talk to Gojo about it?

“I’m sure he won’t say no,” you said. “You’re his students, too. He’d do anything to help any of us, and you two are naturally included in that.”

“Let’s go, then!” Panda said, most likely energized by both the proposition and because he was looking so smart with his freshly styled ribbon.

“Yes, go,” you said, not adding on that he had best capitalize on the momentum while Toge was still willing to. Panda was intelligent enough to pick up on it, though and he blinked meaningfully at you in acknowledgement.

We’ll do that, then. See you later, Y/N. Thanks for everything.

“Anytime,” you said. “Don’t forget that you’re my friend, too, alright?”

As long as you don’t forget that you’re mine.

The sparring arena was almost completely empty, save for two people: Yuta and Maki. Both of them were using wooden swords instead of their typical cursed blades, but that did not take away from the deadliness of the dance-like match. They almost moved faster than the eye could see, Yuta’s delicate body no match for Maki’s sheer strength, Maki’s mere humanity no match for Yuta’s massive reserves of cursed energy. Neither of them showed any signs of wavering or giving an inch, each matching the other’s moves with some counter or another.

It was beautiful to watch. You didn’t know much about sword fighting, had never had much cause to learn, but despite that, you could tell that even in practice, Yuta and Maki were leagues above anyone else. This was nothing short of mastery on display, and they did it so casually, as if it was simple for them, as if the bout was simply all in a day’s work. Then again, you supposed that that was the case; they had obviously paired up to train, using similar weapons and having similar proficiencies, alongside a long history of sparring with one another, so this kind of match really was just a daily occurrence for them.

Finally, at once, they both decided to concede, stepping backwards due to some unspoken and invisible signal. Yuta threw his sword to the ground and wiped the sweat from his forehead, while Maki brushed hers off on her pants and hung it up alongside the other practice weapons.

“That was impressive,” you said. Both of them froze, turning at once to look at you, for they had of course not noticed your entry. Then Yuta grinned and rushed over to tackle you in a hug, Maki close at his heels, so that as soon as he let go of you, you were being pulled into an embrace by her.

“Y/N! Did you really think so?” Yuta said.

“Of course, I was better, right?” Maki said.

“I think you guys are both disgusting and sweaty and should get off of me,” you said, though you didn’t make any attempts to shove them off. They were the two taking things the most seriously, and you rarely if ever saw them nowadays, just because of how focused they were on improvement. Even though you and Maki were sharing the room next to the one that Toge and Yuta were using, both of them were so drained by nightfall that they just went straight to their beds and passed out with barely more than standard greetings.

“What brings you this way?” Maki said. “It’s not that I don’t want you to visit, but even when you were still in active duty, you didn’t usually come to see us spar.”

“No reason. I just realized that if I don’t come see you now, the entire month will pass us by and we won’t have spoken at all,” you said.

“Sorry for not spending more time with you,” Yuta said, kissing your temple in apology.

“I’m not mad! I understand. If I was still fighting, I’d be doing the same,” you said. “But don’t you get the sense that things are going to change soon? I just want to be with you two for as long as I can.”

“It’s just because we have a deadline. We’re so used to dealing with missions as they come that having such a massive advance warning is screwing with everyone. There’s nothing to do but train, to that point that in all honesty, I’d almost prefer if all of this could just be over and done with tomorrow,” Yuta said.

“I’d prefer if all of this wasn’t happening in the first place,” Maki said dryly. “But you’re right. Knowing ahead of time is making the waiting worse than if we were just attacked by surprise and had to react in the moment.”

You leaned against Yuta and reached out to intertwine your fingers with Maki’s. The girl who taught you to fight and the boy who you loved so much you learned to heal. You would be nothing without either of them. Maybe Gojo had been the one to rescue you, but they were the two who had genuinely saved you, who had shown you that you were more than a L/N, that you were Y/N, a sorcerer and a healer and a person that they loved and who loved them in return.

“You two will be careful against Sukuna?” you said.

“Of course we will be,” Maki said. “You think we’ll let an even uglier version of Megumi beat us?”

“He’s your cousin, you know,” Yuta said disapprovingly. You snorted.

“Are you saying that makes her ugly, too?” you said. Maki’s jaw dropped, and she reached over to smack Yuta on the shoulder. He yelped and massaged the sore spot, giving the two of you betrayed looks.

“No! I meant that she should be nice to him because he’s her family member!” he said. You and Maki exchanged guilty glances at the explanation, which did make sense, as Yuta was overall far too mild-mannered and afraid of Maki to ever insult her in that way. When Yuta noticed, he exhaled, cuffing Maki on the ear and poking you in the side. “You two think so poorly of me.”

“Sorry, Yuta,” you said. “I should’ve known better.”

“I’m not sorry!” Maki said, clutching her ear and glaring at Yuta. “What was that for?”

“You smacked me first!” he said.

“You insulted me first!” she said.

“I just said I didn’t!”

Once their argument reached the point of blows — as in, they redrew their wooden swords and went back to sparring — you slipped away from the arena, leaving them to it, finding amusement in the playful disagreement but having no desire to get caught in the crossfire. In the meantime, you sought out the two people you had been needing to talk to the most in recent times.

“You’re really certain that you’re leaving the country before the twenty fourth?” you said. Noritoshi was patiently explaining something to Itadori, so you posed the question to Elakshi, who at the moment was just braiding new pieces of rope while sitting on the sidelines.

“Noritoshi is set on it,” she said. “He wants to take me and his family and get out of here before things get messy.”

“Do you want to?” you said. She shrugged, threading pieces of gold wire into the rope as she worked, the pads of her fingers toughened from the task, her palms callused from many days spent in the same pursuit. While her whistles could control any ropes she cursed, she had apparently discovered while in the Culling Games that she could add wire into the ropes so that they could be used to cut as well as choke and restrain.

“I don’t have any opinions for or against it,” she said, and though she was talking to you and weaving rope at the same time, her eyes remained on Noritoshi as always. “It’s fine. It’s what Noritoshi wants, so I’ll go along with it. He’s always doing things for me, so it’s just about time for me to return the favor. Besides, what kind of a girl would complain about her own life being saved?”

“That makes sense,” you said.

“I’m sorry if you were relying on me for something,” she said. “But his mind can’t be changed.”

“I wouldn’t have tried to. He’s right; running away is the better choice in this scenario. If I wasn’t so involved, I would want to do that, too,” you said.

For you, Noritoshi was like a security blanket. He was a person who had been there for you and protected you all throughout your youth, who had allowed you to become a jujutsu sorcerer, who had always defended your rights and never spoken down to you. There had been a time when he had been your closest ally against the likes of Naoya and the L/Ns, but Maki had slain Naoya and you were the head of the L/Ns and so you did not need Noritoshi to fill that role for you anymore. You did not need to cling to him any longer, but there was still something you needed from him.

“Were we born in normal times, both he and I would most likely be considered as strong and respectable sorcerers,” Elakshi said, setting aside the completed rope, whistling a short song so that it wound itself up into a small coil that she tucked into her bag. “So I don’t feel inadequate or anything. In this era, though, where the legends of the world run rampant, we are insignificant at best and hindrances at worst.”

You snorted. “Tell me about it.”

“You are one such legend, Y/N,” she said. “You’re the girl who brought someone back to life. What kind of everyday sorcerer could compare to that? Anyways, even if you hadn’t done that, you saved me. Maybe to everyone else, that was something inconsequential, but it changed the entire trajectory of my existence. You told me it was okay for me to exist. You introduced me to this world of people that helped me be strong, this world of people that love me for who I am, and so, even if it’s just to me, you will always be a hero.”

As soon as Noritoshi was done with Itadori, he jogged over to where you and Elakshi were sitting. Crouching in front of you two due to the lack of chairs, he smiled when Elakshi bent over to wipe the sand from his face.

“Y/N!” he said, catching Elakshi’s hand when she tried to withdraw it, holding it in his own while talking to you, earning an affectionate yet exasperated scoff from her. “It’s good to see you.”

“And you as well,” you said. “Though that’s not why I’m here. Actually, I have to ask you a favor.”

“A favor?” he said, instantly guarded. “If it’s about me leaving Japan, then don’t bother. I’ve already made my mind up about leaving, so you’ll only be wasting your breath if you try to convince me otherwise.”

“It is about that, but I’m not going to try and convince you to not go,” you said. “I support you fully.”

“Then what?” he said.

“My mother,” you said. “Please take her with you.”

“Did she ask for that?” he said. You shook your head.

“No, I’m making the decision on my own. She has nothing in the way of cursed energy or techniques, and it’s not like she can use Composition. There’s zero justification for her to stay, except that she has nowhere else to go,” you said. “This is the last favor I’ll ever ask of you, so won’t you oblige? If it’s money you need, then I can provide that. Just please take care of her until things have settled down and she can come back.”

“Don’t worry about the money,” he said. “It’s not a problem at all. We were partners once, weren’t we? I’ll take care of her, just as I’m sure you would’ve taken care of mine if I had asked.”

“Thank you,” you said, and then for some reason you suddenly felt so very weepy, leaning over and hugging him tightly before doing the same to Elakshi. “Have a safe trip, both of you. We’ll see each other soon, won’t we?”

“It’s just like if we were going on vacation or back to Kyoto to study,” Noritoshi said, though of course it wasn’t, not really. But it felt better to pretend that it was, so you swallowed and then nodded.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Elakshi added. “Though probably a fair bit heavier. Your mother is a really good cook, you know…”

Gojo was sitting alone in an office as per usual, eating some of the cookies your mother had made for him and going through a photo album. At first, you thought that it was one from his childhood, but when you peered over the desk, you saw that it was from your own first year at the school — a collection of pictures of you and your classmates doing things throughout the term.

“I didn’t take most of these,” he said, snapping it shut and pushing it across the desk to you. “Besides the selfies of us, of course. A lot were Panda’s doing; Tullia took a fair few, too, and most of the ones of just you are from Yuta. I even bribed Utahime and Mei Mei to give me a couple from your first exchange event. It was meant to be your next Christmas present.”

You touched the album gingerly, for it was therefore the culmination of the precious memories you had made in your first year at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. Tracing your fingers over the title, which was messily scrawled in his handwriting, you bit your lip.

“How’d you know I’d like something like this?” you said.

“First of all, I’ve known you since you were a baby, so of course I did,” he said. “But also…I’ve always wished I had something like this of my own years at school, so I figured you would be much the same. It’s a way for you to always have a piece of the people you love, regardless of how far away they go or how long it’s been since you last saw them.”

In the pages of this album, everyone was still alive. Everyone was still happy. Nothing bad had happened to any of you yet. Nothing bad would ever happen to you, at least not the versions frozen in the collection of pictures.

“Thank you,” you said, putting aside the album, clasping his hands in your own and resting your forehead on them, your tears dripping onto his knuckles. “Thank you so much.”

“I’m sorry that this is the only thing I could give you,” he said.

“No,” you said. “No, don’t apologize. This is the best present you could’ve ever come up with. I appreciate it more than I would’ve anything fancy.”

“Do you mind if I give it to you early?” he said. “Just in case.”

“Okay,” you said, your tears coming down quicker and quicker with every passing moment. “Okay, you can do that. But you’ll win, right? I’ll just hold onto it until you’ve defeated him and come back, and then you can properly give it to me.”

He used the end of his sleeve to dab at your cheeks, holding your face in one hand and wrinkling his nose at your reddened eyes.

“Come on,” he said. “You’re crying so much and nothing’s even happened yet. How am I supposed to go and fight Sukuna when I know my dear student is bawling at home?”

“I don’t know,” you said.

“You’re throwing me off my game,” he said, knocking your chin up and then folding his arms across his chest. “Y/N, you little saboteur! Are you secretly working with the curses?”

You giggled despite yourself. “No.”

“If you keep it up with the waterworks, I’ll be forced to assume you are,” he said seriously. “So that means you have to quit it.”

“Alright,” you sniffed, somehow finding the strength to smile at him instead. “Is this better?”

“Eh, a little bit. I don’t know what Yuta sees in you, but it’s definitely a tad more motivating to see you being the way you usually are,” he said.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” you said.

“Nothing,” he said innocently.

“I thought that breaking free from the L/Ns and the higher ups would mean that I could just happily be in a relationship with him for once, but now you’re telling me I have to deal with you and Hakari naysaying us?” you said. “Of course, it’s not a surprise that the two biggest idiots on this side of Tokyo are the ones against us.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gojo said. “Whatever. C’mon, enough with the crying. Go show your present to your friends.”

“Okay,” you said. “Thank you again. I know I said it already, but I hope you know just how much I mean it.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Don’t worry. I do.”

It was late at night by the time that you, Yuta, Maki, Panda, and Toge could all look through the album together. Piling together on the ground in front of your desk, all of them watched as you opened the album, your head on Yuta’s shoulder when you did so.

All of the pictures were of a similar nature. One was of Yuta, his brow scrunched endearingly as he held two bouquets of flowers in his hands, evidently trying to decide which one to buy. Another was of Maki polishing the first sword she had been given by Gojo, her round glasses reflecting the care she was taking to not damage the precious weapon. Beside that one was a photo of Toge and Panda in the middle of baking a cake, flour covering Panda’s wet nose and a dripping spatula clenched in Toge’s fist as he shouted something at his counterpart. Then there was one of you and Tullia as she organized her poisons and told some joke that you laughed at from your perch on the counter beside her. The entire album was like that, the many snapshots of you and your loved ones proving to be an exercise in nostalgia.

“This must’ve taken him forever to get together,” Maki said, though her voice lacked any of its usual bravado.

“I was wondering why he had asked me to email him every picture I had ever taken of her,” Yuta said quietly. “This must have been the reason.”

“Salmon,” Toge said.

“What’s the cover say?” Panda said. You shut the album to show them the front, which featured a picture that Ieri had taken of you and Gojo right after you had become an official Grade 1 sorcerer. Both of you were grinning at the camera and throwing up peace signs, his arm tossed casually around your shoulders, his blindfold endearingly crooked, covering his eyes but never his pride in you.

Y/N’s First Year as a Sorcerer!

Put together with help from her best friends:

Maki Zenin, Yuta Okkotsu, Toge Inumaki, Panda, and Tullia Ferraro

Given to her with lots of love from Satoru Gojo :)

#yuuta x reader #yuuta x y/n #yuuta x you #reader insert #canon au #pomegranate ink #m1ckeyb3rry writes

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dandelion-wings · 2 months

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💚💖💘💕 Noelle x Barbara

Thank you for the ask! <3 And sorry for the delay in answering, RL really popped off over the past few days. That is a lot of hearts and I could not quite fit all of it in, but I took the parts that worked together narratively and did what I could!

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When Amber comes rushing into the Cathedral, telling Barbara they need her at Windrise and they need her *now*, Barbara's first, terrified thought is for her sister. Of course it is. Jean pushes herself so hard, and Barbara has always feared the point at which it's too far. If she's so badly off they can't even bring her here safely-

When Amber tells her, in a breathless rush as she's half-hauling Barbara down the city steps, that it's *Noelle*, that desperate terror doesn't fade. Only the source of it changes.

"What's wrong?" Barbara asks in anxious bewilderment as she crashes to her knees beneath the Statue of the Seven amid Windrise's roots. Jean is here too, already kneeling beside her with Noelle's head on her lap and a worried look in her eyes, and she should be able to heal almost anything at least well enough to get Noelle back to the Cathedral for more thorough care. There's only a few things she might struggle with. "Did she hit her head?"

While someone has pulled off Noelle's armor and most of the bodice beneath--an embarrassing amount, and though she's been a healer long enough that she shouldn't blush, Barbara's face goes hot anyway at seeing *Noelle's* bared breasts--there's no blood, no visible injuries. Only a strange black tattoo between her breasts, all sharp lines and angles. It feels wrong to look at, pulling oddly at her eyes.

Noelle blinks at her blearily, but otherwise doesn't move, and there's no recognition in her eyes. That's probably shock, Barbara tells herself, and tries not to let it hurt.

"She's not injured," Lisa tells her. She's standing by the Statue, one hand on it to evoke the odd, hair-raising feeling, the one that comes with a tinkling sound *just* on the edge of hearing, that comes with touching them now that the Honorary Knight has restored their power. Belatedly, Barbara realizes that Jean has a hand on it, too, and both their Visions are glowing. "This is a curse."

"What can I do?" Barbara hears the desperation in her own choked voice.

"A curse like this can be nasty, but the good news is that we caught this one early. Breaking it would be much more complicated if it had more time to soak in. Fortunately, at this stage, there's a wide range of curse-breaking techniques that might be useful." Lisa, inexplicably, dimples at her. "I thought we'd start with a very traditional one. True love's kiss is the most effective curse-breaker I know."

The blush that had been fading from Barbara's cheeks floods back full-force, and she can't look at Jean or Amber. She can't believe Lisa is bringing this up in front of them. It's so easy to talk to her that Barbara has let a few things slip over tea, so she does know about Barbara's hopeless crush, but....

"It wouldn't work," she says through the lump in her throat. "Noelle doesn't... doesn't feel like that about me."

"Don't be so sure," Lisa says, a secretive smile on her face.

Barbara opens her mouth to protest again. She knows better. She and Noelle have been having tea breaks together for years, but while Noelle is so, so kind to her, always generous and sweet, she's never responded to any of Barbara's overtures. When Barbara tries to bring snacks, Noelle always goes quiet and double down on bringing her own, and when Barbara suggests they do other things together, like walks or shopping, Noelle acts like she's just along to protect Barbara, or to carry her things. And when Barbara had tried to compose music for her, to share her feelings with the art she's best at... all Noelle ever says is that she can't give useful feedback.

"We cannot know if it will work unless we try," Jean says while she's still winding herself up to confess all that in front of Lisa and her sister and Amber. "I know it's a great deal to ask of you, but Barbara... please."

How can Barbara say no?

She starts to lean forward, her stomach fluttering wildly, and freezes and has to reorient herself when Lisa says, "No, sweetie, on the curse marking, not the lips." Taking a deep breath, she leans down, tries not to think about the fact that she's putting her face between Noelle's bare breasts, and presses her lips, gently, carefully, to that horrible sharp-edged tattoo, her eyes closed to keep it from tearing at them.

Her lips tingle, then start to burn, but Barbara keeps them there, desperate for this to work. She can smell Noelle's familiar perfume, overlaid with sweat and a strange unpleasant rotten odor, and feel the softness of her skin against her cheeks. Noelle stirs, murmurs something soft and incomprehensible, and then spasms underneath her, back arching, going stiff. Barbara pulls back with a startled cry.

The dark marking on her chest flashes bright blue, once, the color of Barbara's Hydro, and then bursts into oily smoke like a vanquished hilichurl. As it fades into the air, Barbara can see Noelle's skin where it had been, whole and unmarked, no trace of the curse's foulness left. Her lips are still tingling, but she smiles wide in relief nonetheless as Noelle relaxes, takes a deep gasping breath, and starts to scramble up with breathless apologies to Jean. Her gaze sweeps around and settles on Barbara, and this time there's recognition in them.

"What happened? I remember- I remember attacking Master Jean...." Noelle puts her hands to her mouth in horror.

"A little curse you picked up from that *nasty* gang of Abyss Mages who ambushed you," Lisa tells her. "Don't worry, sweetie. No one holds it against you. Fortunately, the curse hadn't gone so far that true love's kiss couldn't break it."

"Oh!" Noelle goes as red as Barbara's face feels. "Is... is that why Barbara's here?"

"I," and Barbara almost wants to apologize, but Noelle is moving towards her, slowly and carefully like she thinks Barbara is a squirrel she might startle, reaching out her hands. "I'm not sure if it's true love, yet, but... I do like you! Very much."

"The Hydro energy did help," Lisa murmurs.

Noelle doesn't pay her any attention, just rushes forward the last few steps and catches Barbara's hands in her own, pulling her to her feet. She takes a deep breath, steadying herself like she's facing an enemy, and says, "I like you, too."

"Master Jean," Amber says from behind them. "There's a hilichurl nest up there. Since we're out here, don't you think we should go clear it out?"

"That's an excellent idea," Jean says, rising hastily to her feet. "I'm sure Lisa can help."

Barbara gives Amber a grateful look as she and Jean usher a rather smug-looking Lisa away, then turns back to Noelle. How had she missed this? All the times Noelle had looked over her shoulder when fighting off hilichurls as if to see her reaction, or beamed at her as she offered to take another shopping bag, or the way she went quiet and shy when Barbara sang....

"Lisa said I shouldn't kiss you on the lips to break the curse," she says, licking her own. "But now that it's broken... I'd like to try."

"I'd like that, too," Noelle says, and pulls her in. Barbara sinks into her strong grip and her eager mouth, a bubble of warmth expanding in her chest, sweeping fear and embarrassment and all her anxieties aside.

#asked and answered #why not meme i guess #fic bits #sing me a song barbara #maid for knighthood

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