#I really love him with all my heart he’s such a sweet child it’s unbelievable

[daincrediblegg]

If anything happens to him I’ll kill everyone in France and then myself

[puckslxt]

JHUGHES INSTA POST IMAGINE

yourusername

Liked by jhugh, nicohischier, and 366,892 more

yourusername HAPPY SLUTOWEEEEENNNN @/jhugh

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jhugh what’s your favorite scary movie? 🙃

yourusername the one where you spit tequila shots down my throat again 🫣

jhugh that wasn’t even scary? 😐

yourusername yeah it was. Shoulda seen what I was thinking the whole time you had that mask on

jhugh OKAY ENOUGH 😃

yourfriendsusername yeah so you guys are gonna kill me and I don’t appreciate that!!

yourusername sorry?

yourfriendsusername girl no the fuck you are not 😭

(y/u/n and jhugh liked this comment)

trevorzegras oh but my Billy, Mandy, and Grimm costume was uncreative 😐

jhugh you refused to let me be Grimm even though Grimm and Mandy are closer than Grimm and Billy?

trevorzegras you said Billy was hideous and that’s why you didn’t wanna be him

jhugh okay well that was also a large factor so stfu

jhugh YOU ALSO HAVE A DOG TREVOR

jhugh YOU CAN DO SO MANY COSTUMES WITH LOUIE LEAVE US ALONE

trevorzegras it’s just not the same though 😔

yourusername @/yourfriendsusername please do matching costumes with him so he leaves Jack and I alone 🤦‍♀️

yourusername @/yourusername why’s he kinda-

yourusername

yourusername HAWAII WITH BAE AND BROTHER BAE (plus Trev on the 4 wheeler while he FaceTimed us at dinner!) @/jhugh @/trevorzegras @/_quinnhughes

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trevorzegras 100% hit that shit like crazy

jhugh hit what? your manager on the way down the hallways?

yourusername @/jhugh CRYING RN

trevorzegras @/jhugh I’m actually calling your mom right now so fuck you

(yourusername liked this comment)

yourusername

yourusername remember that one time in Paris? @/jhugh

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jhugh should do it again sometime

yourusername got a show coming up there in a few months, we can definitely make it work 🥱

jhugh same place?

yourusername of course 😮‍💨

trevorzegras OKAY WOW JESUS

yourfriendsusername thank you bc Christ

jhugh @/trevorzegras stfu you’re just mad you didn’t get invited

trevorzegras @/jhugh bro you guys are basically fucking in the one picture if you aren’t already

jhugh @/trevorzegras actually we were! Pretty sure that was the 5th round within 2 hours

yourusername @/jhugh ENOUGH

trevorzegras @/jhugh DID NOT NEED TO KNOW ALL THAT

yourusername

yourusername Happy love day from me and Jack 😌 @/jhugh

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jhugh happy love day to my beautiful beautiful girl!

yourusername happy love day to you too my pretty boy!

yourfriendsusername you guys make me wanna vomit at how cute you guys are

yourusername @/trevorzegras introducing you to my bestie y/f/n shes singleeeeee

yourfriendsusername @/yourusername I said he was cute one time 😐

yourusername @/yourfriendsusername and he says you're hot too so feeling is def mutual here 🙃

trevorzegras @/yourfriendsusername she's not lying sadly 😔 (you're actually really gorgeous)

yourfriendsusername @/trevorzegras ugh, check dms

yourusername

yourusername can’t believe it’s been 2 whole years with the absolute love of my life! Loving you has been nothing but a dream and I’d never trade it for anything in the world. Coming directly from a relationship that was nothing but hard on my mental, meeting you was like every wish I’d ever had as a child came true. The first time I looked into your eyes I knew it was gonna be you. Your chaos and rowdiness is so unbelievable but makes you even better in my eyes. You allow me to be my full self without a single care in the world. I love you beyond words could ever describe. My beautiful, loving, sweet, and kind boy… You’ll always have my heart Jacky, forever and always @/jhugh

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jhugh I love you so unbelievably much my sweet girl. I can’t wait to celebrate us tonight with baby Hughes

yourusername spaghetti and cheesy bread and cheesecake?

jhugh whatever you want baby, today is yours

yourusername I’m actually crying rn Jack. Hurry home already, I miss you and want a hug and kiss 🥺

jhugh running as we speak!

jackfanacc Jack is gonna be a dad? 🥲

jackfanacc2 unbelievable… He’s gone 😔

jackandy/nfanacc congratulations Jack and y/n!

yourusername thank you so much! Jack and I appreciate the love beyond recognition

jhugh thank you!

jackandy/nfanacc @/yourusername @/jhugh OMG OF COURSE! THANK YOU FOR THE REPLY!

(jhugh and yourusername liked this comment)

yourusername

yourusername welcome to the world Jacqueline @/jhugh

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jhugh so proud of you for carrying our girl for almost 10 whole months and especially proud of you for giving birth to her. Forever in awe of your strength and beauty

yourusername thank you for helping me all those months. The late night craving runs, wiping my tears away when I cried for no reason, changing my clothes, and even helping me shower… None of it went unseen and unappreciated and I love you so much for all of it

jhugh it’s the least I could do for everything you do for me

mattrempe fuck the Hudson River rivalry, Jacqueline is the best and sweetest baby ever 🥺

yourusername ladies and gents, Matt Rempe not being cocky for 5 minutes!

mattrempe yk sometimes I really despise you y/n

yourusername never that! who else is gonna be your stylist and petty maid when I’m in NY for my modeling gigs?

jhugh now Matt… Matt Matt Matt… do we have to give the people what they want? 🤨

mattrempe @/yourusername come get Jack please 😭

jhugh so lucky you’re friends with my girl cause I woulda fought you 🙄

yourusername

yourusername surprise! Welcome to the world Carson! @/jhugh

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jhugh Jackie is the best big sister already

yourusername I knowwww 🥺

nicohischier next Dev’s first pick? @/jhugh

jhugh oh 100% he’s got it in the bag

njdevils next Hughes in line for the team!

yourusername next number 86?

jhugh @/yourusername taking over dads number

njdevils @/yourusername @/jhugh making those jerseys right now!

[theemporium]

Quinn Request:

Quinn and reader are neighbours in the same building, quinn’s a single dad to a 3 year old boy (with a nanny to watch over), and the son befriends reader. Inevitably, Quinn and reader fall into sweet sweet love!

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

.

When you had moved into the apartment complex, you hadn’t expected the young toddler next door to completely capture your heart.

However, that was exactly what Theodore Hughes managed to do. 

He was a bubbly, young boy who had more energy than any child you had ever seen before. He was unbelievably sweet and thoughtful, despite his young age. And above all else, he was one of the cutest kids you had ever seen with a head of dark curls and big green eyes that sucked you in. 

You had met him a few weeks after you moved in after bumping into Theo and his nanny—a kind, older woman you assumed was his grandmother at the time—after you had accidentally locked yourself out of the building complex when you dropped your keys in the lobby in a rush. They were sweet enough to help you in, and small Theo talked your ear off until you realised that you were now twenty minutes late and apologised for your sudden exit.

But one meeting with the young boy turned into many more as you started crossing paths, and in turn started to care for the young boy almost like he was a child under your responsibility. 

He told you all about his life. He told you about how he loved his dad, and how his dad was the best hockey player in the world. He told you how his dad sometimes had to travel away for weeks at a time which meant Maggie would have to come and take care of him. He told you every single detail about his life from his favourite colour to what he dreamed of the night before, and it made you swoon. You never really wanted kids, but something about Theodore Hughes made you rethink your own decisions. 

It wasn’t until a few months after the first meeting that you met Quinn, and you were about fucked from that moment on. 

He was gorgeous. He was gorgeous and a little grumpy, but an absolute softie when it came to his son. And that was all you really needed to see before your heart almost exploded in your chest. 

And he had heard more than enough about you from his son. Theo would never shut up about the pretty neighbour, about how you gave him sweets and sometimes joined him and Maggie in the park, about how he desperately wanted Quinn to meet his friend too. 

Quinn never ever really considered himself bad around girls. He was never one to boast, but he thought he did fairly well with them. Or at least, he thought as much until he was face-to-face with you and felt like he had forgotten every single word in English to ever exist.

“You ever gonna ask her out?” 

Quinn shot his brother a look, ignoring the way he was grinning on the other side of the phone before he turned his attention back to the dinner he was cooking. 

“I will,” he said after a few moments of silence, only to hear Jack snort in response.

“You say that every time.”

“And I mean it every time,” he shot back.

“Daddy goes pink in the face when he sees her!” Theo suddenly spoke up from his spot beside Quinn, his arms curled around his father’s legs.

“Is that right, bud?”

“Uncle Jack, you should see him—”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Quinn grumbled, his eyes narrowing at his younger brother on the screen who was still laughing at him. “You’re turning my own son against me.”

“Maybe Theo needs to ask her out for you.” 

And it was a passing comment made by Jack just to irk Quinn further, just to tease and piss him off that little bit more. But Theo took it as an order, he took it as a mission.

That was how you came in from a late shift, bone-tired and ready for bed, only to see Theo wandering around the lobby aimlessly. More importantly, he was all alone.

“Theo?” You murmured as it took your brain a few seconds to really take in the sight in front of you. “Oh my god, Theo!” 

The boy turned around to look at you, a wide toothy smile spreading across his face. “You’re here!”

“What–” You dropped to your knees in front of the boy, hands on his shoulders as you glanced over him to make sure he was okay. “What are you doing down here alone? Where’s Maggie? Where’s your dad?” 

Theo just shrugged. “I wanna see you.”

“Theo,” you murmured in a stern but soft voice. “Sweetheart, you can’t run off alone like that. People are probably worried about you.”

His cheeks burned but he gave you a sheepish smile. “Can you take me back to my dad?”

You nodded as you opened your arms, quickly picking the boy up before making your way to the elevator. “Why were you looking for me?”

“I wanted to ask you a very important question,” Theo announced as he wrapped his arms around your neck. 

“Oh really?” You raised your brows, trying to bite back your grin as the elevator doors opened. You stepped out as you began to make your way down the corridor to Quinn’s flat. “And what question is that?”

His eyes twinkled with mischief. “You’ll see.” 

You frowned, opening your mouth to say something but you were quickly cut off by the door swinging open.

Quinn’s shoulders instantly dropped in relief when he saw Theo in your arms and he didn’t even care that you were still holding him as he wound his arms around his son. “Oh my god,” he breathed out. “Thank god you’re okay.”

Your face softened a little at the interaction. “He was wandering down in the lobby.”

Quinn pulled back, his brows furrowed together. “How—forget that, why?” 

“I needed to ask an important question,” Theo told his father like that should have explained enough.

Quinn blinked. “What?”

However, Theo ignored his father as he turned to look at you again. “Are you free on Wednesday?” 

You raised your brows in surprise by the question, not expecting that out of everything the young boy could have asked. “Uh, yeah. It’s my day off.”

Quinn watched his son closely. “Buddy, you’re not free on Wednesday. Grandma and Grandpa are coming up to see you, remember?” 

“Yeah, but you’re free, Daddy,” Theo answered simply. 

Your lips parted as realisation hit you. You didn’t even fight the young boy as he wiggled out of your arms and quickly ran back into the apartment, past his father as he was giggling away to himself. Your eyes met Quinn’s and you could see a light blush spread across his cheeks.

“I think your son just asked me out for you,” you mused. 

“About that—” he started but you quickly cut him off.

“I know a great Italian place,” you blurted out, your chest tightening with nerves. “Wanna check it out with me?”

Quinn blinked before a shy smile grew on his face. “I…yeah. Yeah, I would.” 

“It’s a date,” you said with a nod.

“It’s a date,” Quinn repeated, his grin a little wider this time.

.

[clerc16]

gorgeous lies

summary: is it a gorgeous lie, or is it just a dreadful truth?

pairing: charles leclerc x fem!reader

warnings: a little angst, open ending i guess? cursing, mentions of a rocky relationship

Normally, you didn’t think about the concept of soulmates. It didn’t cross your mind. Until you met Charles; and that changed your whole perspective.

He was always there with you, for you; and you were always there for him. That’s just the way it was.

Relaxing days off were a necessity in your relationship. Calm days spent tangled between white, crisp bedsheets while small, sweet nothings were whispered and short stories were shared. Both of your lives seemed to stop once these days occurred - you were only thinking about each other while the world went on with their lives.

Honesty was very important, too. Both of your promises and words were always fulfilled. It was like an unspeakable vow; it was never really officiated but it was known.

Well, that’s what you thought anyway.

That’s what you thought, until the day you mistook Charles’ phone for yours. You tried unlocking it, but you realised that the Face ID didn’t recognise your face until it was too late.

“mate just tell her u should take a break. it’s better than to lead her on when u don’t even portray ur real feelings” read the text message. You didn’t even know who it was from - maybe Pierre, maybe Joris, maybe Arthur or Lorenzo - and frankly, you didn’t care.

You left as soon as you could. No explanation, no reasoning.

“my love, is everything ok? i’m here if u need me” Charles’ text said. You read it over so many times you memorised it. The fact he easily called you my love when he was unsure of his feelings. The way he easily made you believe him even when he didn’t believe himself.

The way you were so unbelievably attracted to him, like two opposite ends of a magnet, and all that just shattered.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, hours turned into days. And Charles’ phone never got a notification that you responded.

Naturally, he came over to your house after two very long days. When you saw him on your doorstep, you wanted to slam the door in his face. But you didn’t. Instead, you ‘invite’ him in.

“Are you here to lie to me again?” You stammer. His eyebrows furrow as his eyes look deep into yours.

“What?”

“Or are you here to tell me we should take a break?” You continue. His face contorts as he finally understands what you’re referring to.

“My love, it wasn’t what it looked like-” he begins, but you cut him off as you laugh.

“Don’t my love me right now. I’m not stupid. I’m not a child. Just... get it over with, Charles. Please, just go.” You respond, your voice cracking.

Hearing the evident pain in your voice as it cracked caused his heart to crack, too.

And without another word, he was gone. Forever? Possibly.

Days dragged on like years. Days were spent crying; out of sadness, out of guilt, out of regret. They blended into one another but each one of them stuck out, sharp as a pin.

The one day that stood out the most, though, was the final day of a devastating week. Friday.

A knock on your door caused you to groan as you forced yourself off the couch.

“Is this Ms... L/N?” The man at the door asked. You hummed shortly.

“I have a delivery for you,” he says with a small smile as he places a huge bouquet of your favourite flower on your front door. You thank him as you drag it inside.

You weren’t stupid. You knew it was Charles.

Attached to the flowers was a note. You sighed as you opened it and began reading.

“Y/N,

I promise, none of this was a lie. Well, maybe some of it. But none of it was negative, I swear. It may seem like it was all a lie, but it wasn’t. Everytime I called you my love or told you I love you wasn’t a lie. None of it was. Please give me a chance to explain. I owe you an explanation, please let me do it.

I love you, I swear.

- Charles.”

You sigh once more as you fold up the note, the decision already clear in your mind.

thank you for reading! i hope this was worth it, please don’t be a ghost reader :)

[whumpsday]

Kane & Jim #44: Sweet 116

Masterlist

content: recovery, comfort, vampire whumpee, whumper turned whumpee, whumpee turned caretaker, fluffy compared to my usual

-

Kane woke up one hundred and sixteen years old.

It felt like it had been ages since his last birthday, since he hadn’t been aware of its passing since his 110th. He’d honestly thought he was older than this, back in his cell. It felt longer than five years.

He hadn’t celebrated his birthday in a long time, even the ones where he’d been aware of the day passing. They were a bitter reminder that his family didn’t care, after the extravagant parties he’d been thrown as a young child turned into not even being wished a happy birthday. He and Bellamy used to have their own little events, just the two of them, but those stopped after Bellamy left.

He wished he could apologize to Bellamy for treating him so badly. Kane knew he’d been a bad friend. But it was probably better this way: Bellamy had his own life now, he was flourishing, and Kane was okay now too. He had to just appreciate their childhood friendship for what it was, and accept that it was over.

Jim wasn’t his friend, certainly. Kane had abused him for years, and now he was currently held captive in the man’s house. But he was something almost like a friend. More than a friend in some ways, a god-like savior who’d dragged him out of a torturous nightmare.

He was okay. He didn’t need a friend, and he didn’t need a birthday. He just needed to be safe, and he had that, now. He smiled at the thought. His first safe birthday in five years.

Jim came downstairs with a fresh bowl of blood. “Hey, man. Happy birthday. Hundred sixteen now, right? Sheesh.”

“Oh. You remembered.” Kane said, a little shocked.

“’Course I remembered. Gotta be on top of that shit if you’re gonna be staying here. Speaking of which...” Jim held out the bowl, but it was a new one, one Kane had never seen before. A ceramic bowl designed to look like a cake, a human food he knew was traditionally used to celebrate birthdays. Jim had taught him that.

“Saw this and thought it might be fun to use on your birthdays, since obviously you can’t eat actual cake.” Jim said with a goofy grin.

Birthdays. Plural. That could only mean one thing, that Jim intended to keep him for years. Kane’s heart soared, elated. He was being promised safety for years.

“Thank you so much.” Kane gingerly took the cute little bowl. “I love it. Thank you for the bowl, and the blood, and, and for letting me stay. Thank you for all of it.” He teared up a little, overwhelmed with emotion.

“Aw, well, you were always nice to me on my birthdays.” Jim pointed out. “You always got me cake and a present. Never hurt me or anything, ‘cept for the bite, even if I was doing stuff you’d normally hit me for. It was the only time I really felt safe.”

Guilt flooded him. Jim only felt safe five days out of the five years Kane had him, and he still made every effort he could to make Kane feel safe now despite it.

“I’m glad you’re safe now.” Kane said softly.

“Right back at you.” Jim patted him on the back. “Laken’s coming over later and we’ll have a little party. Assuming that’s cool with you? There’s still time to cancel it if you’re not into the idea.”

Laken was a hunter. It was hard to get out of the mindset that humans were dangerous by default, let alone hunters, but they’d been over to visit Liz’s a few times when he and Jim had stayed at Liz’s place a few weeks ago and they’d only ever been friendly toward him. He supposed that the only options Jim had to invite to his vampire’s birthday party were them and Liz, and Liz was definitely not a fan of him.

Kane hadn’t had a proper birthday party since he was ten years old. It seemed almost childish at this point, but... unbelievably sweet.

“That sounds great. Thank you.” He held the bowl to his lips and drank.

-

Jim’s present to Kane served two purposes: it was something he knew the guy would love, and it would give him time to decorate. It was a strategy he had employed for Liz on multiple occasions. Give her a gift she’d have to leave the house for, then set everything up while she’s away. He could have just done it while Kane was asleep, but he wanted to make sure he actually wanted something. Jim knew he was weird about birthdays.

He had to get creative this time, since he couldn’t send Kane to the arcade or roller rink. Kane was over the moon about the fancy bath stuff Jim got him, breaking out in a delighted fanged grin.

While Kane spent what Jim was sure would be an hour in the bathroom trying out fancy soaps, he strung up some simple decorations. Some balloons, streamers, and in a moment of unprecedented genius, a ‘SWEET 16′ banner he’d drawn an extra ‘1′ into to make it say ‘SWEET 116′. He giggled as he tacked it up.

He was sure it was nothing compared to the kinds of parties hundred-millionaire vampires would throw. Hell, it’d be nothing by human party standards, the guy couldn’t even eat cake or get wasted. But hey, Kane seemed pretty jazzed about it so far.

It was a good distraction. Jim tried not to think about it, but tomorrow was the anniversary of the night Kane took him. He realized it a few minutes after Kane had told him his birthday. Was that what he was? Kane’s birthday present to himself, a shiny new human?

He pushed the thought out of his head. It didn’t matter. He didn’t want to think about the fact that tomorrow was the 15 year anniversary of the day his life ended.

Jim was glad he had the excuse of Kane being scared of Liz to not invite her: she’d definitely try to comfort him, because she knew him way too well, and then he’d have to think about it, and maybe even talk about it.

And then he’d be a terrified 19 year old boy again, back in that lonely little room in Kane’s house where nothing was safe, and he didn’t want to be that anymore.

Now Kane was in his house, and neither of them were miserable. It was fine. Though it was hard not to think about it at least a little bit, with what Laken wanted to give Kane as his present.

Kane came downstairs smelling like roses. “You weren’t waiting to put the cuffs back-”

He looked around, taking in the decorations. Another smile. Kane had been smiling a lot more these days, he noticed.

“You did all this for me?” He sounded choked-up.

“Yeah, man. It’s your birthday. First one you’ve celebrated in five years, right? Gotta do something.” Jim patted him on the back. “And no cuffs today. We can be a little lax once in a while.” Plus, there’ll be a hunter here most of the time just in case.

“One hundred and six.”

“One hundred and six what?”

“This is the first birthday I’ve celebrated in one hundred and six years.” Kane clarified. “Or, ninety-nine years if you count the little celebrations that were just me and Bellamy. Just shy of a century.”

“Fuck, man. You’re making me too sad.” Jim shook his head. Guess that explained why he was so cagey about his birthday. “Well, good thing I snapped you up before it could get to a round hundred. We’ll fit a birthday party in here for you yet.”

“Thank you, Jim.” Kane said, sounding touched. “That means a lot.”

-

Laken arrived shortly. Kane froze up as they hugged him, not having expected it, but relaxed once he realized they weren’t hurting him.

“Happy birthday, you little grandpa!” they laughed, glancing at the banner. “Excellent.”

“Thank you for coming.” he replied. Laken’s hug was different from Jim’s. There was no tension, no fear that Kane could sense. They just held him, carefree. He wanted it to last forever, but they pulled away to hug Jim next.

They strolled inside and turned back around. “Jimmy, get outta here. I’ve gotta give Kane his present.”

Laken didn’t appear to have brought anything with them, Kane noted with confusion.

“Y-yeah.” Jim was suddenly nervous. “Just, just come get me when it’s done.” He scurried up the stairs to his room.

Kane was growing more anxious by the second. Jim being nervous was bad, but being apart from him was worse, and being alone with a hunter even worse than that. Even if they were the nicest hunter he’d ever met.

“Chill out.” Laken ordered, patting him on the head. “Jim’s just a little sensitive about this stuff. I’m not gonna hurtcha.”

“O-oh. Um, then, then what?” he asked.

Laken held out their arm. “Go on and feed some. Double portions today, and this one’s straight from the source, nice ‘n fresh..”

Kane stared incredulously at their outstretched arm. This had to be a- a trap of some kind, it had to be.

He could still remember the searing licks of the sun on his skin, in his mouth, unable to get away, burning burning burning for an entire week, the nights never long enough to heal more than the smallest bit before the next day devastated him again. And that had been for just trying to bite.

There was no way a hunter was telling him to bite them.

“I’ll be good, s...” Kane thought about it a bit, unsure what the proper title would be for a ‘them’. “...sir?” he decides anyway. “I’ll be good. I know better, I, I’ve learned. You don’t need to test me.”

“I’m not gonna pull pranks on you on your birthday, dude.” Laken shook their head. “Or ever. That sounds about as good of an idea as pulling pranks on Jim. Maybe even worse. Nah, I’m serious. Go for it. Have a little treat.”

They were serious. Kane glanced up the stairs. “Jim’s okay with it?”

“Yup, got pre-approved and everything. Listen, if you don’t want it, I can use the blood draw and you can drink it out of that bowl Jim was so giggly about on the phone, or we can just forget about the whole thing if you wanna. It’s your call. You’re the birthday boy. But hey, I’m offering.” They waggled their eyebrows.

Blood did taste really good straight from a human. It didn’t get any fresher than that. And... it could be his test, too. He was starting to really trust that Jim wouldn’t send him back, or hurt him on purpose. If he did this, he could see if Laken is really telling the truth, and maybe he could trust them, too. If he refused, he’d never know.

“Okay. Yes, please. Um, have you ever... been bitten before?” he asked.

“Pssh, oh yeah. A billion and a half times.” Laken assured. “I’ve been hunting for like, a decade. You guys’ve got like 5 things for combat, and teeth are one of ‘em. Never been really fed from, though. But I’m curious!” They waved their arm in front of him again.

Kane was glad they were offering their arm. He was sure that Jim would have an intensely negative reaction to seeing his mark on Laken’s neck.

He nodded trepidatiously. “Please let me know if you want me to stop.”

He bit into their forearm, sweet, delicious blood flowing into him. The base taste wasn’t as good as Jim’s abnormally-delicious blood, but it was so fresh that it truly was a treat. He had already had a meal today, but he fed enough for an entire second meal. It was his birthday, after all.

When he was done, he licked the wound closed. “Thank you. That was, that was wonderful.” He waited anxiously for their reaction.

“Haha, so weird. Glad it did it for you.” Laken said casually.

They’re really not mad. They’re not going to try to punish me.

“I’m gonna put a bandage on this so Jim doesn’t flip his shit.” they added. “You wanna go get him? Knock first.”

“Okay!” Kane agreed, invigorated by his apparent success. He jogged up to Jim’s room, initially minding his ankle chains before realizing they weren’t there, and knocked.

“Jim? It’s done. Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Jim opened the door, looking a little less than okay, but not awful.

“I-”

“If you’re about to say you’re sorry, can it. It’s your birthday and you didn’t hurt anyone. Was it nice?” Jim asked.

Kane was surprised by how he’d predicted what he was about to say so easily. He guessed Jim just... knew him better than anyone else, at this point.

But that street went both ways. Seeing Jim look all nervous, he was suddenly reminded that he’d taken Jim the day after his 100th birthday.

“It was nice. Thank you for allowing it.” He hesitated, hoping he was saying the right thing. “Um, I know that tomorrow is probably... an uncomfortable day for you. I’m sorry. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do? Like if you want me to stay downstairs or something.”

Jim startled a bit, then smoothed his hair down. “I dunno. I kinda just wanna do everything like normal. Don’t wanna make it weird or anything.”

“Okay. Whatever you want.” Kane agreed.

“Hey, did Jim faint up there or something?” Laken called.

“C’mon, don’t turn into Liz, I’m not that fragile! I wasn’t even the one who got bit!” Jim called back. He bumped Kane on the shoulder, racing back down.

Kane laughed, following behind him.

-

sorry i’ve been slacking on posting new chapters / november was kind of a wash! you can expect a lot more activity in the latter portion of december.

drabbles posted in between #43 and #44:

Drabble: Mirror

Drabble: Fuck you

also started K&J x MMSS, a series of crossovers between my guys and the guys of Magnanimous Moonrise & Savage Sunset! there’s like 30k words of writing in there now

taglist:

@annablogsposts

@badluck990

@barebarb

@cc1010foxy

@ceph-the-writing-spook

@cicatrix-energy

@crying-wings

@crystalquartzwhump

@cupcakes-and-pain

@cyberneticfire

@darlingwhump

@deluxewhump

@down-in-the-whumps

@elrysdoesstuff

@emcscared-whumps

@extemporary-whump

@extrabitterbrain

@iamtheshriekingguineapig

@icyheart-and-friends

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@lactose-intolerant-egg

@lilac-and-lemon-whumps

@littlespacecastle

@little-whumpee

@lost-in-labradorite-halls

@magziemakeswhatever

@melancholy-in-the-morning

@morning-star-whump

@myhusbandsasemni

@mylifeisonthebookshelf

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@nyooom

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@oddsconvert

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@owencarvourenthusiast

@pigeonwhumps

@pumpkin-spice-whump

@quietly-by-myself

@quirkykayleetam

@ramadiiiisme

@redwhump

@scp-1296

@secretwhumplair

@the-whumperfly-effect

@the-whumpers-grimm

@thecyrulik

@thegreatwhodini

@themarlo

@thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight

@t0rture-me

@vehan-tikkun-olam-and-stuff

@whuarri

@whump-blog-reblogs

@whump-cravings

@whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump

@whump-me-all-night-long

@whump-my-heart-away

@whump-queen

@whumperfully

@whumpthisway

@whumpilicious

@whumpshaped

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@whumpworld

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@wits-and-wrongs

@wolfeyedwitch

[xxsycamore]

—𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦

► SYNOPSIS:

Vlad dotes on his pregnant wife.

▍vlad x mc

▍rating: G

▍tags: Pregnancy; Fluff; Married Characters; Domestic bliss; Crochet; Some Humor; mentions of Faust and Charles

▍wordcount: 1,281

▍a/n: Just in time for Vlad's route release day! Have fun with it, everyone! This fic came to me in a vision, and it's very rare for me to just sit down and write those, but here it is. Depending on the reaction this receives (and my personal desire) I might write a pregnancy sex scene with vlad and mc. As a tribute to @aquagirl1978 's kinktober 😉

▍masterlist

Vlad crosses the hallways, trying to hide the spring from his step - it's not like him, not at all, yet this side of him would be one to unfold more and more with each passing day.

He simply cannot help himself; he needs to be inseparable from his little darling. If he is away, how would he dote on her? The caste's walls, slumbering dimly in the afternoon make way for a change of scenery. The garden is buzzing softly with nature's tireless servants, birdwings flutter from above - yet the picture is utterly tranquil. A single bird's song outvoices any other melodic crippling, and it's not a bird at all.

A string is pulled in Vlad's heart. He stays hidden for the time being, a greedy thing he is, knowing she is desiring to see him just as much as he does, yet denying her the pleasure a minute more.

Will she sing that song to their newborn, too? Ah, sweetness rises on Vlad's tongue. He breaks the magic too soon and steps forward in a relaxed manner, approaching the seat she occupies under the shade.

"I'm home, my sweet."

His gaze catches her in time to see it change - relaxed features turning animated as her eyes start to shine.

"Husband, you're early!"

Ah, you definitely shouldn't stand up with so much vigor just to greet me. The thought stays behind Vlad's shut teeth, finding it hard to scold her for anything at all when she is being so adorable. And that's just a nice opportunity to accommodate her on his lap which surely makes for a more luxurious seat.

Vlad smiles, eyes withdrawing from their greeting with hers just for a second - so he can pay attention to what's occupying her hands.

"Crochet again? Haven't I told you, dragă mea? I'll provide with everything you need for our child. Save your strength."

Now seated nice and cozily into his open arms, MC chuckles at his suggestion that such thing holds a chance to tire her. Only her hands are moving, for god's sake, and barely at that.

"I can't help it! The thought of making something myself is way too dear. What do you think?"

Swiftly dodging his scolding, she presents Vlad with a pair of booties in red and baby pink. Only one of them is finished so he picks it up to better examine, and lets out a breathy chuckle at the patch of green at the top made to resemble the calyx of a strawberry.

"They're utmost perfect, my love. But aren't they too small?"

MC's laugher is a small joyful earthquake as her frame shakes into his arms. Her emotions have been so vivid as of lately, he takes notice. His head is contently perched on her shoulder, receiving the small shakes until they quiet down.

"She will be this small, Vlad!"

"Hmm? Really?"

He plays dumb just for a little more, just for the fun of it, thumb pressing into the crocheted piece of fabric to feel the texture. His hands are so, so big in comparison. Despite of his wish to jester, he really does think about it for a second. A creature so unbelievably small, in his hands - he tries to picture it. It's hardly the first time.

A hand circling protectively her belly, he tilts his head in question, remembering her last words.

" 'She'? "

MC smiles where he can't see her, fingers fiddling with the hooked needle but not doing any work. How could she? Her husband once again makes for a great distraction. Settling her craft and tools to the side, she decides she's done with crocheting or the day. Maybe Vlad's distracting visit is her call to move on to the snack she fantasized of earlier. Faust said the tarts should be ready in a bit. He's been busing himself around the kitchen more as of lately - seemingly out of his own accord, but MC knows better that it was his Lord's command to please each and every craving of his pregnant wife in his absence. Thought, Faust is taking on his role a little too well, a little too seriously, in true Faust fashion, his glasses shimmering as he talks about a strict diet of all the nutrition she needs.

A image comes to mind, one of Faust's hair tucked back into a housework headscarf, a baby resting against his shoulder as he supports it with one arm and simultaneously preparing his milk, all while scolding MC…

She cracks up laughing again at the silly product of her own imagination.

"What is my merry wife laughing at now, hmm?"

"Faust would make for a great babysitter."

Vlad's chin nudges her shoulders as he tilts it a little more towards her, genuinely amused by the unexpected reason.

"I suppose he would. I cannot say the same for Charles, though."

The last of MC's laugher dies down in exchange for a harmless click of the tongue, telling Vlad to have some faith in him. He would be great with children! After all, MC is almost starting to think Charles is more excited to meet the baby than the future parents themselves. Or at least, he is more expressive of it. Noone knows how the lord of the house is behind closed doors.

As if to confirm MC's musings, Vlad lowers his face into her shoulder, nose nudging into her like a kitten's. It takes him several more seconds to still completely, never quite getting enough of the feeling of her soft skin against his cheeks.

"We just need to make sure he doesn't feed her too many sweets…"

Vlad opens his eyes halfway, looking at nothing in particular.

"There you go again. Has my darling wife found some futuristic, 21st century-esque way to know of our lovechild's gender before it arrives?"

MC smiles at the gentle touch of Vlad's thumbs dancing around her waist, dipping ever so softly into her love handles.

"The thought has been tempting. But no." Her hands come to cover his. "Just a hitch. That and, the name Fraise has been growing on me as of lately…"

Ah, the one he suggested. The half-finished baby booties come to mind and Vlad's smile is suddenly more dazzling than the sun above.

"I personally love Ichigo just as much."

As much as they feel at home with everything french, the suggestion of a name in MC's native tongue surely makes for blushing cheeks. She'd suggested going with that concept, picking a name which holds the meaning of 'strawberry', in his native tongue, too. Such talks always go off-topic sooner or later, the parents-to-be excited with so many things on the table to think about. And at the same time, not quite hurrying for anywhere.

"I'm sure the right name would come to you as soon as you meet them." Vlad reassures her, planting a kiss against her shoulder. "And, the ones we thought about won't necessarily go to waste…"

MC let out a gasp followed by another series of chuckles as she play-slaps Vlad's strong arm encircling her full belly.

"Not planning to leave my oven empty for a moment, are you?"

Vlad gives into soft chuckles as well, shamelessly liking the sounding of that.

"We promised each other a big family."

We did. MC sighs, exaggerating tiredness of what is to come when in truth she fears being spoiled rotten the most. She's not sure what she is to do with herself with so much more dotting behavior to come. But that's not all.

She should really pose the issue of getting more creative with name ideas. Otherwise, they'd end up with a strawberry field of a family…

Taglist: @arsnovacadenza @ale-teodora @kimi00twin @otomelady @privilegedpancake @g-kleran  @thehappycat123 @pumpumnnnp @thesirenwashere @theuwuisunreal @ravenarld @kyokirigiri-22 @kimmy-banana @devonares @animeworldsposts @randomanimatedhusbandoseeker @galaxyprison @trishtori @sadshaxk @starshards26 @pro-cat-stination @acethephoenix256 @ikevamp-shrine-2 @nad-zeta @crystal13unny @keen19thcenturygoatsstudent @lordsister @ikemen-banshou  @themysticalbeing @canaria-blackwell @otome-scribbles @rhodolitesrose @fun-ghoul-neela @salty-fed-up-bitch  @coornn @cilokgoang​ @kpop-and-otome @queen-dahlia @kisara-16 @chaosangel767 @ikemenlibrary @queengiuliettafirstlady @aurora-morning @aquagirl1978 ​ @ikemenlover24 @violettduchess @mcofthemansion @joy-the-reader @cilokgoang @atelieredux Let me know if you want to be tagged/untagged!

[bang-tan-bitches]

can we get a drabble for beloved?? 🥺🥺 i love that au sm

Okay so this is just a snippet.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

No matter how much they cleaned, you couldn't enter the throne room without smelling blood. You knew it was all in your head, but the very thought of entering the room made your stomach turn. Emperor Min - Yoongi, you must call him Yoongi, he can be very unhappy when you do not use his name, you remind yourself - understood your obvious uneasiness with the room and immediately commissioned a new throne room to be built, along with a new golden throne fit for his empress.

"You're not listening to me."

Princess Min's voice jolts you from your thoughts. She is staring at you over morning tea, a soft pout on her pretty mouth while her dark, dark eyes remain focused on you.

"I apologize Princess," You sit up straighter and focus your attention on her, "You were choosing colors for the wedding?"

"No," She sniffs delicately and snaps her fan closed, tossing it to the maid behind her, "I've chosen colors. I was choosing flowers. I think this child has made you forgetful."

"Gardenias are lovely." You place your hand gently over the slight bulge of your belly, finding the fact that you were carrying the heir of the kingdom inside you unbelievable, "I think they would compliment you and The Prince Regent beautifully."

"What does my nephew think?"

You give Princess Min a small smile, exasperated with her insistence that you were having a son, "We will not know whether it is a Prince or a Princess of the kingdom for several months yet. I am afraid you will be sincerely disappointed if you keep insisting on a prince."

"My sister could never be disappointed in my empress." His silky smooth voice causes you to stiffen. You lick your lips and relax your shoulders before turning your head to greet your husband - he will be unhappy if he thinks you are uncomfortable around him.

"Yoongi," You greet him as he leans over your shoulder and presses a soft kiss to your cheek before sitting next to you, "Is the morning court finished already?"

Yoongi's eyes are dark as they stare at you. Sometimes his eyes are so black and unreadable you feel completely out of place. You know your smile is perfect, you've practiced it for hours when you are alone. You have to make sure that everything is perfect and there is no crack in your mask. You have to watch what you say and how you respond and you practice to make sure it is perfect. You cannot have any more deaths on your head. You aren't sure you can handle it.

He eyes you a little longer before he smiles and it still makes your breath catch. He taps your nose with the tip of his finger as Princess Min complains about how her brother loves you more than anything now and everyone just ignores her. He responds to her something sweet and placating, but freely admits that you are his world. You can barely hear him over the stuttering of your heart. You aren't sure if it is fear or something else that makes your heart race.

"Your father sent a letter." Yoongi says casually as he refills your cup of tea, "It appears this year really is bountiful."

"Oh?" You question and gently take the letter he placed on the table. You have only seen your father a handful of times since you were wed, however your husband sees him almost daily at morning court. You have not seen your sister at all since that night. You weren't even invited to attend her wedding to Lord Kim, your father thinking it best not to upset her, but you knew Ara did not wish to see you.

Before you can open the letter, Yoongi grabs your hand and brings it to his lips, softly kissing each of your fingers, his eyes boring into yours, "Your sister, Lady Kim, is also with child."

[newtonsheffield]

Could we please get some fluff from your hand was the one I reached for?? I'm already bracing myself for the angst and nothing has happened yet.

Can we see Anthony with his boys? Or with Charlotte and Newton? Please Molly pleaasseeeeeeeee

Okay... Here goes.

Anthony desperately loved his family. There was no one in the world who could deny that, Anthony thought, not when they saw them together. It had started with Kate, as most things in his life had, he'd meant every word he'd said when he'd watched Kate all day at Edwina's wedding still remembering the tears that had streamed down her cheeks when she said I've loved you my entire life, Anthony and you know that! He'd marched right up to the microphone at the front and tapped loudly on it, a noise that he couldn't hear but he saw the way people winced nearby, Josie's grandmother nearly falling out of her seat as they turned towards him but his eyes had only sought Kate's, as he'd poured his heart out to her.

He'd seen Edwina translating to Josie smiling softly but she hadn't been smiling when she'd made her way over to Anthony afterwards, tapping him on the shoulder as he swayed with Kate against his chest.

"Kind of stole my thunder there, Buddy."

Anthony had grinned a little sheepishly. "Sorry, but can you really blame me."

Edwina had sighed, kissing his cheek, "I'm happy for you, you know I think you're the best but if you hurt her again, I will cut your balls off in your sleep."

"She won't." Josie had sighed behind her.

"You never let me threaten anybody!" Edwina had hissed, turning away, the silk of her Sari swishing officiously behind her, "I meant what I said, Anthony! One tear and there'll be no babies, I don't care what you said in that speech!"

He'd been so unbelievably happy, waking up every morning beside Kate, his heart pounding in his chest whenever Kate walked through the door, one of his customers scribbling on the whiteboard

The two of you are very sweet together

Anthony nodded, grinning as he wrote

She's my favourite person, I'm going to marry her one day

He had, barely a year after that, his heart pounding in his chest as Kate had walked towards him and their lives had been tied together forever, their child already growing between them.

He loved every second of being a father, he loved watching Edmund discover the world around him, his signs hesitant and tentative, his hands shaking just as Anthony's had once. He loved watching neddy sit on Kate's knee with his hand pressed against the swell of her stomach, grinning up at him in awe as the baby kicked against his hand!

"Papa it kicked!"

Anthony could hardly hold it all in his chest, how much he loved his family, the one he'd been so close to never having at all. He loves every mad minute of it. Every temper tantrum in the store, every lost sock and late night and everything in between. He loved watching Kate teaching Miles BSL, gently signing along with her words, helping him mimic words he saw all the time, he loved seeing Kate's personality in his boys and little parts of himself shining back at him. Edmund ran around with a tiny notebook slung over his chest and his pen clutched in his hand, ready and eager to talk to everyone, confident in a way Anthony had never been. Miles was quieter, gentler, more ready to observe the world as he clung to Kate's side when they were out, hiding his face in her neck whenever anyone spoke to him but even so, even though he wasn't fluent in sign and Kate sometimes had to step in to interpret, every night Miles would curl up on Anthony's lap and they'd read a story together, Miles at the very end looking up at him with his little eyes drooping as he signed,

"Love you, Daddy."

It brought tears to his eyes every time, "I love you too, Milo."

He slid into bed beside Kate, tucking his face against her neck as she smiled. "I love you, Kate."

"I love you too, Ant, lots."

He sat every day, hungrily watching his family, trying to hold on to every moment, two-year-old Miles with his legs dangling over the edge of the sofa as he watched Edmund laying on the floor, playing with Newton. Kate laying beside him on the sofa, Mary in an armchair. Anthony settled gently next to Kate, kissing the top of her head his heart pounding in his chest as Kate hummed, tucking herself tiredly into the side of his chest.

"How was today?"

Kate sighed, "Today was good, but your baby still refuses to let me eat anything before 1pm."

Anthony rolled his eyes, "She's our baby, and she's just very spirited."

Kate scoffed, kissing the end of his nose, "It's not a she, we only have boys."

Anthony rolled his eyes, "I'm getting a baby Kate this time, I know it."

He felt a tug on his sleeve, Miles looking up at him with his glasses held on with a bright purple strap around his head, signing gently with his words.

"How was work, Daddy?"

Anthony smiled, kissing his forehead, "Work was great. I made Bee cookies, and Auntie Soph made cakes that looked like bears."

And without missing a beat, Miles nodded, then turned towards Mary who'd spoken fluent BSL since Anthony was nine and signed as he spoke. "He said he made cookies today. Auntie Soph made cakes."

And he had no idea why Miles did it, why he felt the need to interpret what Anthony had said to someone else, but it only made Anthony love him more.

"That's amazing Milo, well done." Mary said gently, smiling at her grandson who shrugged a little bemusedly.

"I didn't make them, Daddy did."

[darkleysgarden]

Rats

Warnings: Blood, referenced abuse, slight suicidal thoughts

Words: 1687

Pair: Barbatos and Diavolo

Type: Angst

Blood was dried to the side of his face. His body was ruined.

He lay there, clothes torn, body bloody.

He was nothing of the man he once was.

His body held a strange sort of desperation. It was almost like his body wished for him to live.

How strange....

See, Barbatos was done with his life.

He'd been here since the start of time, he'd be here until the end. That is, unless he was terminated from existence.

His master was so painfully cruel. He'd served many masters before. They all feared him.

They thought of his time powers as a threat; something that needed to be forced into submission.

Barbatos should not be weak. But, oh, he is so unbelievably weak.

Tears ran down his already wet, stained cheeks. A horrible sob broke free of him. A cough tore out from his torn and painful lungs. Blood shot from his lips.

Everything was fuzzy, in a way. Pain was all he felt. He, frankly, had no idea if his masters goal was to kill him. Barbatos made an excellent butler, yet a terrible foe. Did he need to be eliminated?

Sob after sob tore from his lips, his body, nearly limp, lay on the ground, blood oozing painfully.

He was far to gone to heal himself. None of his time abilities could save him now. He had no urge to travel back in time. His life has been nothing but pain and suffering. He's been mistreated by every single being he has has the misfortune of calling his master.

Switching to a different timeline was an option. Yet, part of him was too scared to. He'd always been acutely aware of the fact that he was in throwaway timelines. He has never been to the main timeline. He avoided it at all costs. Why? Hard to say. Fear? He's never been treated well in any timeline that was considered to be a throwaway. Why would the main timeline offer hospitality and joy? That was just nonsensical.

His body was disgusting and ruined. Rats and bugs attracted to his pain and suffering. The rats especially. The castle was infested with those terrible gray rodents. When his master fled and left only food and his body, they were attracted.

Barbatos probably put off the most delightful smell for them. They knawed at him, pain shooting through him at the feelings. That is, until he stopped feeling.

Through all the pain, his brain began to give up. He was lying in the grave, waiting for his tomb to be enclosed. Pitiful.

Those awful creatures tormented him, crawling onto his face with their disgusting disease covered bodies.

Fear and suffering.

Vaguely, he could tell that he was screaming and sobbing. His mind dissociated from this fact. Everything was left to loose, but he felt like he already lost all he needed.

His heart thrummed in his ears, breath coming quickly and painfully loud. Those sounds were the only two he could hear before they were joined by the overly obnoxious yet twistedly sweet sound of a child's laughter.

Barbatos had never been a child himself, never had any of his own, hardly even seen one. Was this his minds way of mocking this fact? What was it?

A choked sob escaped him, his body covered in those horrible rats. His hands covered his ears, screams emitting from him. Why was this laughter haunting him? Why wouldn't it stop?

'Come on Barbatos! It will be a lot more fun if you would just join me!'

The young boy's laughter followed the distant voice. His mind was covered in fog, the boy being the only thing to break through it.

'You're such a joy to be around! I've never met anyone as kind and lovely as you, Barbatos! Though, I've only really met my father...'

Why was he hearing this? Who was this child? What sick twisted story was his mind subjecting him to?

'I'm glad you're here with me. I don't know what I'd do with out you. My father ignores me; he hates me. I've always been to blame for my mother's death. However, when you're here, it's like I can forget about all of that. I love you, Barbatos! Please don't ever leave me....'

The child sobbed and cried through the last line. He can't peer into the future of another timeline, not when this weak. This child was not from this timeline, no. Barbatos didn't ever look through any other timelines. Was that foolish?

He has no future to peer to now, he's going to die within the next minutes. Would that be a mistake?

'Father! Please! Don't punish Barbatos, please! It's all my fault! He isn't trying to tempt me or anything! He's my friend, the only one I can count on! You're never there, but he is! He's been more of a father to me than you ever have been! If you dare to kill Barbatos, you're killing you're own son in the process!'

This child....he was so painfully desperate for Barbatos.....but.....why?

Why is he hearing all this? He's in his final moments, hearing all of this. Why is that?

This time, there was a picture to go along with the words.

A little demon boy sat in a chair by a table, he kicked his feet, a large smile plastered on his face. He had red hair and dark skin. His wings and horns symbolized those of royal blood. This young boy was a prince of demon's.

On the table sat a tea pot and matching cup. The boy picked up the cup, filled with tea obviously made and poured by Barbatos himself.

The boy happily sipped, and in the same voice that had been ringing through his muddled mind, he exclaimed, "I love you, Barbatos! Thank you so much for helping me with everything! I'm glad that father decided to spare you. I don't know what I would do without your company."

The boy is sickly sweet. There's a warm feeling in his chest. He wants to continue to be there for this boy, help him grow old. But, is he in any position to do that?

Barbatos was supposed to be strong and brilliant. In this moment he was weak, pathetic, and just as idiotic as anyone else.

His eyes were shut, he only vaguely felt the sensation of the rats crawling across him, tearing away at his flesh. His ears were buzzing and his mind was fuzzy. That was all he had.

In the blackness, more visions showed themselves. Perhaps, visions of a life he could have in this new timeline, the main timeline.

A white-haired man stood in front of him, weak and covered in blood. Still, a prideful smile was stuck onto his face. He shook his hand, "It's a pleasure to have become partners with you."

Fondness came from that memory. The start of a deep, trusting, meaningful partnership. A friend Barbatos could go to, even at his worst. Even if it pained Barbatos to do so.

Another person, this one with strawberry blonde hair. He was fairly pretty. He seemed to be a bit drunk, evident by his giggles and flushed cheeks. Barbatos was embraced in a hug, "Thank you for looking out with me always. It's awfully embarrassing to be seen like this. Yet, I never feel embarrassed around you."

Barbatos is starting to see the trend in his visions. They're trying to convince him to join this timeline; trying to show him that people would greatly benefit off of his presence. The visions showed that he loves and is loved. Even if not yet.

An angelic man sat by his side. He was gorgeous by all means. He laughed sweetly, directing his eyes down to a blonde boy who held cookies up to their faces, "Barbatos's own recipe! I followed his instructions exactly. So, if they're disgusting, that's not really my fault, is it?" The angelic man with brown hair chuckled, "I guess not." He bit into the cookie. It was sweet. The man smiled widely, "These are delicious. I am so glad that Barbatos has been able to teach you so many useful tips and recipes." His eyes were now facing Barbatos, "Thank you so much. I can't do all the teaching myself, so I'm glad that I have you to help."

He was aching at these memories. His heart longed to make them a reality. These memories were the memories of a future him, one in this main timeline. Was that timeline what was best for him? It had to be.

Looking into his future, there were only seconds left. He decided to make the wisest decision he's ever made, he switched to the main timeline.

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○

Birds chirped above him, tweeting a small beautiful tune. He opened his eyes, squinting at the little bit of light.

The were no more rats, he was no longer covered in blood his clothes were not tattered.

A sigh of relief left him. He was not in pain. Though, he was awfully tired. That was definitely the result of using all of his nonexistent energy to switch timelines.

Feet moved against grass, the boy showed up. A smile nearly appeared on his face, yet he was too tired to fully show it.

The boy looked at him curiously, "Sir? What are you doing laying in my father's garden. If he finds you, he'll smite you."

It was almost hysterical, really, the way he broke into laughter just then.

The boy appeared to be startled. Barbatos could not blame him.

"What's your name, boy?" Barbatos spoke.

The boy smiled innocently, "I am Diavolo. I am the prince of the Devildom!"

Diavolo. The name was sickly sweet in his mind. He knew the name. How he'd grow so happy with Diavolo.

"I am Barbatos," He kept his voice measured, "I am here to keep you company. I wouldn't want you to grow even more lonely."

"How did you know I was lonely?" Diavolo questioned.

Barbatos grinned, "I guess you could say.....It was only a hunch."

Chapter 2

[lurkingshan]

The Eighth Sense 5&6

Two of my meetings got canceled so I high-tailed it to Viki to watch this and OH MY GOD. If you have finished the episodes PLEASE COME TALK TO ME I AM LOSING IT. And if you haven’t yet get off tumblr unless you want to be mega spoiled.

- YES Ji Hyun and Ae Ri besties era has begun

- Yoon Won is such a nice senior but Ji Hyun and Jae Won totally had plans for a date, didn’t they

- Seeing Ji Hyun come into his confidence is so lovely

- Introvert/extrovert friendships are so funny, Ji Hyun looks at Ae Ri like she’s an alien

- Jae Won not wanting to waste his first call to Ji Hyun on a quick info exchange/errand is honestly very sweet

- Ack their cute little smiles after talking to each other

- Tae Hyung really has an inferiority complex about Jae Won, doesn’t he. And he just said Jae Won is “luckily” an only child, but we know he has (had?) a brother. Does Tae Hyung know that? Just trying to figure out if he’s a standard jerk or an unbelievable asshole of the highest magnitude.

- The instinctive thigh grab!! That just speaks volumes, doesn’t it.

- I am living for Ji Hyun and Ae Ri negging Tae Hyung. Yes, bully that man!

- Welp the angst has arrived. Ji Hyun is handling it admirably well so far.

- Anyone else noticing that the little brother kinda looks like Ji Hyun 😬

- His pain over Jae Jin seems very raw. I wonder how recently he lost him.

- Ah he feels responsible. And his dad is “aggressive.” I hate this.

- Ji Hyun is Jae Won’s place to rest 😭

- Jae Won attempting to get a larger volume of pills makes me very nervous. As does his affect in this car ride.

- What are folks making of this bright light and soft focus filter at the start of episode 6? I thought it was meant to convey something about Jae Won’s state of mind, but it’s present even in the scenes he’s not in.

- And what’s with this light-hearted music? What is happening. Is this a dream or something?

- Jae Won corrected the guy in the store that he’s with a boyfriend, where Ji Hyun didn’t. And store guy recommend a trot mix for a gf and fireworks for a bf.

- Okay this must be some kind of altered state we’re in with Jae Won. Everything about this is out of step with the rest of the series - the lighting, the music, the tone. And Ji Hyun keeps trying to get him to open up, which is maybe something Jae Won wants.

- Ji Hyun has water trauma from childhood and braved going back into the ocean for the first time just so he could connect with Jae Won.

- Jae Won, where are you going with this Ae Ri stuff? He seems like he’s kinda teasing, kinda sincerely jealous, kinda flirting with that self-destructive thing of pushing your loved on toward another.

- Even this night scene is brightly lit. And Jae Won just magically pulled a pair of hiking boots out of his little cart. I don’t know, this just doesn’t feel real.

- Yes Ji Hyun why do you suddenly have all this camping gear?? Even the characters know something is off.

- Ji Hyun is the same age Jae Jin would have been…

- Jae Won wants to be asked about his brother and is also unable to talk much about it. Which is striking ten years after the loss.

- And now this sleeping scene feels more like the show we know again.

- And we’re right back to the dreamy overexposed light in the morning.

- The physical intimacy escalated quickly! I didn’t expect high heat in this show.

- Omg. Was this a memory instead of a dream?? Or is it a fantasy version of this day in Jae Won’s head? I knew something was off. I’m losing it, y’all.

[everlastingdreams]

Weeping Monk x Reader : The Patience Of A Heart   Chapter 15

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Story Summary: After fire claimed the lives of your family, the monastery of your Uncle Carden becomes your new home. As the niece of a priest you are expected to behave prim and proper, but not even the watchful eyes of the Weeping Monk can see all. An ancient magic returns to life when love and duty begin to blur.

Chapter Title: A Dream Of Fire

Notes: Very exhausted. Hope i’m posting this right.

Warnings: There’s a list of warnings for this story: Murder. Violence. Death. Angst. Sexism. Strong Language. Trauma. Childhood trauma. Survivor’s guilt. Mentions of child maltreatment. Threat of Sexual assault. PTSD. Misogyny, Self-flagellation. Gore.

Other warnings: Jealousy. Forbidden Love. Romance. Pining. Smut. Spicy content. Little Slow-burn.

Word count of this fic: +120K

Chapter:  15 / lol Gonna keep the chapter count a secret until the end.

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The ride was long, half a day had passed by the time the three of you had reached the forest Gawain had told you some things about.

Legend told that this forest was born of Fey magic, the sort of magic that was ancient.

Those with ill intend would not find it safe to wander these woods, the forest could sense it the moment one stepped foot inside.

It was quiet frightening and intriguing all at once.

“Wait.” You made Gawain halt “Is it safe for Manbloods?”

Lancelot deadpanned “We are about to find out.”

Gawain scolded him but held back a chuckle all the same “Lancelot, don’t scare the girl.”

Oh, the will to tease him right back was strong.

With the perfect pout, you leaned back more into Gawain’s form to seek ‘protection’ “Will the trees not wish to hurt me?”

The cheeky smirk vanished from the Ash Man’s face.

He knew you were just doing it to get back at him for messing with you.

Still…

He had never thought he would feel a sting of possessiveness. To see you close to another…No. it definitely stung.

The Green Knight fell for it a bit, he did not know you so well yet “Of course not. Don’t listen to the dolt over there.”

This time the Ash Man did let out a scoff he’d been holding back “Do not be fooled, Green Knight, she is not as innocent and helpless as she pretends to be.”

Your sly smirk was met with a certain look from Lancelot that made your blood run a little faster.

It was as if Goliath sensed his impatience as the horse began to step forward and backwards.

Gawain gestured with his hand to him “After you.”

Finally Goliath was allowed to trot ahead.

At first everything seemed normal. A bird landed on a bush full of berries nearby.

That bird… it was the most colorful one you had ever seen in your life. Then the flowers came into sight and their beauty was just unbelievable.

The deeper you went into the forest, the more beautiful it became, you even saw deer and fawns with flowers growing from their antlers.

When passing under a tree bearing fruit, you plucked a piece off to study the strange fruit.

It was a dark orange color with some red and it smelled very sweet “What is this?”

Lancelot could smell it from behind him “A pear.”

You mumbled “It doesn’t look like a pear.”

Gawain suggested “Taste it.”

The strange appearance of the fruit had you call out to Lancelot for a second opinion “Is it edible?”

At that question, he turned Goliath around and circled you, taking the ‘pear’ from your hands.

He took a bite of it to prove that it was edible before handing it back to you.

A frown formed on your face “You could have just said ‘yes’.”

Someone sounded grumpy…

He steered Goliath to walk next to the mare “Ah, yes. I almost forgot how foul your mood can become when you are hungry.”

Alright…that might have been true.

You send him a side-eyed look while tasting the pear, it did taste really good.

Gawain wished to inform the former Monk of his ill manners “I would be in a foul mood too if my meal had been in someone else’s mouth.”

You could just see it in Lancelot’s eyes that he was holding back a witty remark in response to that.

He wouldn’t dare, would he?

The Ash Man pretended to take the lesson to heart, albeit with a slight grin “I see your point. I apologize, y/n.”

While remembering how you had once not minded having his mouth were it should not have been…

You couldn’t look at his face, that tone had not been apologetic, it held a charm that could not be misunderstood.

Gawain jested “We’ll get him to be more well-mannered. Don’t worry.”

Your cheeky reply came while letting your gaze roll over the man who continued to make your heart beat faster “That’s not necessary. I like him the way he is.”

The knight wasn’t really surprised to hear it, the two of you kept circling around each other with words and wits and the Ash Man couldn’t keep his eyes off of you “Oh?”

Lancelot had straightened his back at the compliment “I share the sentiment, Lady y/n.”

You stole one more shy glance, then looked around the forest a bit more.

For a while, the three of you enjoyed the silence and beauty of the forest. There were some birds signing in a way that you had never heard before, soft like little bells.

The next thing you got hold of was a flower that grew on the bark of a tree.

It was rather small and a bright blue color that reminded you of another striking blue nearby.

The Ash Man caught it almost too late “Gawain!”

The flower was snatched from your fingers and tossed away by Gawain “What was that for?!?”

Gawain took hold of your hand and inspected your palm “It burns the skin if held against it too long.”

Lancelot got closer to view your hand as well “Are you hurt?”

You shook your head “It just tingles.”

He taught you about the flower “That is how it’s begins. In the right hands, medicine can be made of it. In the wrong hands…”

You concluded “Skin gets burned. Got it, I’ll keep my hands to myself until I know more of this forest.”

He warned Gawain of your tendency to get yourself into trouble “You should consider binding her hands with ropes if you wish for her to stick to her own advice.”

It rolled out of your mouth “I’ve been bound by ropes enough these past weeks. Thank you very much.”

Both men shared a look, neither daring to jest about it.

The rest of the ride included similar squabbling and teasing, but you did keep your hands to yourself.

  When arriving at the city’s gate, all of you dismounted. The gates were being opened and a small crowd stood there to watch while others ignored it and went on about their daily business.

Right away you could feel the stares and feared all of them knew of your connection to your uncle.

You were reluctant to walk among the people.

Lancelot noticed “What is it?”

It was a panicked whisper “I’m not Fey. And I’m the niece of the person who has done this to them.”

Gawain had went over to one of the Faun archers who stood ready and returned with a cloak.

It was handed to you and you put it on without questioning it.

Lancelot adjusted the hood of your cloak to cover you more “You are forgetting what is most important.”

What would that be?

His gaze rolled over your form quick as a brush of wind “You are with me. If anyone has objections, they can bring them to me.”

Gawain chimed in “And to me. All who aid or believe in the Fey are welcome here.”

As the three of you walked into the city, you noticed that even Lancelot still looked quite timid to be there. You walked between them, letting the hood of the cloak shield you from the inquisitive looks that were aimed at you.

A man and woman approached, Manblood by the looks of it.

Lancelot took it upon himself to introduce the pair to you “This is Arthur and Red Spear.”

Arthur blurted out the information that they had forgotten to share with him upon seeing you “She’s a nun?”

Great, now more people were staring.

Gawain let out a sigh “It was a coverage to protect herself from being forced into marriage by the priest.”

Arthur awkwardly uttered “Oh.”

Red Spear ignored the idiot and formally introduced herself, she had a voice that carried power and authority “I am the Red Spear, exile of the court of Cumber the Ice King, a court now under siege by traitors. And Captain of the strongest ship that sails the seas, You must be y/n.”

You nodded, a bit intimidated. For someone so dangerous looking, she was also quite beautiful.

It led to the peculiar exchange.

You spoke to her “I am. It’s nice to meet you.” the nerves had you blurting out “You’re really pretty.”

She did not expect that sort of reply, especially not from a stranger.

Fantastic, now even they were looking at you strangely.

Well, it was too late to take it back and it would be rude and a lie to say it wasn’t so.

Gawain turned to Lancelot “You were right. She is braver than she pretends to be.”

Red Spear shot a glare and silenced both, then turned to you and gave a very quickly spoken “Thank you.”

It was all she said before abruptly leaving the group.

Arthur commented on it “Last time I tried to compliment her, she took it as an insult.”

Gawain couldn’t hold his tongue “Not everyone falls for your charms, Manblood.”

Arthur disagreed “Maybe not at first, but everyone has a weak spot for flattery and I will find it.”

Lancelot hid the fact that he had rolled his eyes “Do not let Arthur fool you, y/n. He is better with the sword than with words.”

You gawked at Lancelot who had somehow both complimented and insulted Arthur.

The Manblood retorted “Says the man who’s been a monk all his life.”

The lecture fell from you “Being a monk doesn’t mean that you can’t charm someone, only that is it frowned upon.”

Those weeping eyes had darted from you to the ground.

The cheeky Manblood gestured to you “Same with nuns, is it not? And here you are, charming us with your presence. Don’t worry, I won’t frown.”

Both Fey men beside you let out a disgruntled sigh at the blatant attempt at flirtation from the Manblood.

You ignored the attempt, already guessing you were one of the many who received his compliments.

It made you blurt out “I really need to find other clothes to wear.”

Gawain turned to Lancelot “Go on and help her get settled in.”

He appreciated the excuse given to get you away from a flirting Arthur.

Lancelot touched the back of your arm “Come on, there are some people who have been asking about you.”

  You were led into a large building, it must have once resembled a castle more and repairs were being made to the outside. Once inside, it did not look bad at all.

He guessed your line of thought “We are working on fortifying it. It is our mission to return this city to it’s former glory, a place where the Fey can find safety and flourish.”

The Ash Man missed how you were looking at him with admiration and pride.

A large door was pushed open by him and leaded into a dinning hall where children were, upon hearing the doors open the group looked away from the Faun woman teaching them how to read. Their attention left you rather quickly again, except the attention of two children.

Percival saw the chance to avoid being tutored and ran up to you, stopping just before bumping into you “Y/n! You’re here! I knew he’d bring you to us too!”

You pulled the boy into an embrace and purposely ruffled through that wild hair of his.

Percival scrambled to get away, but it was all a facade.

Seeing the lively boy brought joy to your heart “Look at you, you’ve grown since we last spoke.”

And he was wearing the scarf you had given him.

The boy beamed with pride at the words.

Grown? Oh, how you knew exactly what to say to charm the young spirited knight.

Lancelot had another surprise up his sleeve “Percival, why don’t you introduce your new friend to her?”

Percival ran back towards the group and knelt down momentarily to speak to a girl, after that she followed him back to you.

You instantly recognized the curly haired girl as she stopped in front of you “Neia!”

And Neia recognized you too, her small arms locked around your waist “Y/n…”

It felt like she did not want to let go of you ever again “How are you, sweetling? Are they kind to you here?”

Neia did not let go while nodding and quietly answering “Percival is nice.”

The boy had been rather protective over the young girl ever since they had met and since the girl was very shy and barely spoke, Percival took it upon himself to be her voice.

You couldn’t help but share a smile with Lancelot who was clearly proud of the boy he was guiding through life.

You knelt before the girl, barely able to pry her hands from you to take them in yours “You play together?”

She nodded, eyes holding a careful happiness “Every day.”

Percival did not stray far from Neia’s side and pulled some tiny pebbles from his pockets to show “We play with these, we draw a circle on the ground and every time one lands in the circle, we make the circle smaller. If it lands outside the circle, you have to skip your next turn and give the stone to the other. The one who throws their stone in the last circle wins. But If you run out of stones, you lose.”

They sounded so enthusiastic about their time playing together, no wonder these two were friends even if she was younger.

Lancelot chimed in lightheartedly “He also uses those stones for other purposes.”

Percival was quick to put them back in his pocket while Neia giggled.

That got you curious “Such as what?”

The Sky Folk Knight squinted his eyes at the Ash Man who was seconds away from spilling all his wrongdoings to you.

It did not stop him from telling you what the boy had been up to “Certain people here often feel something hitting them and believe it is the spirits of those who lived here before us that haunt the city.”

Percival peeked up at you through his lashes.

You couldn’t resist “Well, they should be glad someone is throwing pebbles at the ghosts who would otherwise haunt them. I’m sure Percival did not mean to hit them too.”

Both children grinned at each other.

Lancelot send you a look, then gestured to the group that were still listening to their teacher and gently steered the boy by the vest towards them “Return to your lessons. Go on.”

Percival protested “But it’s boring.”

You hoped the woman teaching them had not heard “Don’t say that, Percival. It’s not nice. That woman is trying to teach you something really important.”

The boy huffed but gave in “Alright.”

It was Neia who dragged him back towards the group “Come on.”

You watched them scurry off together until you felt something on your back.

Lancelot had placed his hand there to get your attention “Walk with me, I will show you where you can change clothing and freshen up if you please.”

That was an offer you took with open arms “Gladly.”

  You were led into a room that was seperated into two parts by a large curtain hanging close to the middle.

He walked passed you to open the curtain and reveal a space created just for cleaning oneself. A closet held some items of clothing and linen to use.

It had been a while since you had been able to look after your appearance and you were searching the closet for things to wear.

He hoped he had not forgotten something important, his knowledge on what women often wore was limited “Anything you wish to have is yours. I have inquired with others what you could need, but if I have missed something be sure to let me know.”

You had already fished out a dress that felt very soft “I think I have everything I need. Thank you. This dress looks nice.”

His head tilted, eyes fixed on how you held the dress in front of yourself to see how it would look “There is a mirror behind you.”

Oh?

Upon turning around, there was indeed a long mirror in the corner.

He halted you for a moment and took off your cloak for you, then let you go to the mirror.

After a quick look, you decided on wearing the dress.

When you began to undo the tunic you wore, he was quick to head for the door but you called him back “You can stay if you want. I am wearing an undergown under this.”

It was ridiculous how looking away and fleeing was so hammered into him still.

You did not let yourself appear shy now “And I need to speak to you.”

Why was it that those words caused him distress?

The tunic was discarded and you were left in the white undergown. You took a clean piece of cloth, wetted it in the bowl of water and began to wash your face “It’s about your family.”

It had his full attention “What is it that you wish to tell me?”

You slowly started to tell him “Before you and Gawain saved me in the forest, I met an elder Moon Wing called ‘Yeva’. She sensed the mark on me and spoke of your people.”

He stepped closer, listening intensely “I have heard of the name. It is known that she possesses certain abilities.”

You dragged the cloth over your neck “She does. She knew things she could not have known otherwise. Does the name ‘Ban’ sound familiar at all?”

When no answer came, you turned to see him with closed eyes and facing away from you.

Immediately you stopped washing up and dried your skin quickly before walking over to him.

He barely kept his composure at the sound of the name. The whispers he was taught to ignore came to him and fed him memories long forgotten.

It was almost cruel of them, of these voices to make him remember what he’d lost.

The Hidden, that was what the Fey called them. Even the Green Knight knew not all about the way they could haunt him.

Lancelot gave a shallow nod, not finding his voice or fearing how terribly it would waver.

You brushed a hand over his back “I’m so sorry-”

It came out quickly “What did she tell you?”

While rubbing over his back and shoulder, you told him the truth about what was learned “That you are the son of Ban, the Ashen King.”

King?!?

The vague memory of a face that the name had caused did not leave him anymore.

Blue eyes, Ashen marks and a beard. A calm and wise presence.

His father. His kin. His past.

And there was more The Hidden had returned to him. The faces and names of a woman and a boy who bore the same marks that he did.

Sorrow was overtaking him “King?”

It must be a shock for him to hear this “You were born a prince. I am so sorry, Lancelot, she told me you were to only one who survived.”

Why only him? Why?

There was anger in his tone, aimed at the one who chose him and left his other kin to die “I had a brother, Hector, I can remember his face now.” the feeling of Father’s cruel actions only fueled his fury “And a mother, Elaine.”

The change in him was visible to you, the sorrow and fury blended together and caused the storm no person should ever have to experience.

Grief.

He stepped away, eyes avoiding yours, thoughts lost in the storm that roared inside of him.

When he wanted to pass by you, you stepped in his path and took hold of his shoulders “Breath, Lancelot. Please!”

He moved your hands from him, still not meeting your eyes “You cannot understand!”

It was not his intention to hurt you, you knew that, but you did remind him that you understood “I too have have lost my family-”

You didn’t get the chance to reason with him, he had grabbed and pulled you to him and you found yourself in the arms of a man who’s heart had been broken once again.

The embrace was so tight and strong that you believed he’d never let go again, his face was buried into your neck. You could feel his fingers lock into the fabric of your undergown.

And from the corner of your eyes, you could see the flame of one of the candles in the room get a green hue as it restlessly moved back and forth.

Yeva had spoken of the power that ran through his veins, of the legacy of the Fey Fire and the destruction it could cause if not kept under control.

What started with one candle, soon happened to all. But this was not the time for Fey Fire to be born, not like this, not when it was born from his pain.

By cupping his cheek and tilting your head back a bit, you made him look at you, the second you had his attention you brushed the tears away with your thumb.

He was visibly uncomfortable to have you see him like this.

But you continued to place your hand on the side of his neck and let your fingers massage the spot, whispering “Just breath.”

The discomfort and shame began to fade from his expression.

You slowly moved your fingers to his face again, letting the tips of them trace along those ashen markings down his jaw.

The small gesture was perhaps the most intimate and meaningful action he’d experienced thus far. It was quieting the storm inside of him when you continued to let your fingers touch his face like he was something worth of wonderment to you.

Your eyes locked on his “I wish I knew what to say that could bring you some comfort, just know that I do want to give you that. It’s so unspeakably hard to carry such grief, know that I am here when you need me. Day or night. Always.”

It had never truly hit him until now how similar your grief was, both left without parents, both turned to each other to find comfort and distraction from the loss.

Something in the embrace changed, he held you a little differently.

It had been intentional, that became clear when he brought his forehead to yours.

The mark on your arm was tingling, like it was a warning for what was yet to come.

He cupped your neck and let himself be carried away by a heart’s desire.

It was the second time a kiss was shared between you, this one carried no haste.

He sought union and closeness, one sensation to drown out all others, craved to feel you close.

All the nervousness he was so prone to feeling washed out of him like a tidal wave.

You’d never experienced the devotion before that he had to caress your lips with his in such a manner that it felt like you were tasting life itself on them, it was home and it was warm and safe.

He sealed it with a lingering peck to them, like his lips had just made a promise to yours.

You couldn’t fully believe that just happened, thankfully he was still holding on because that kiss had weakened your legs.

The flames of the candles had returned to their original colors.

It left you in a daze and led to the admission “Heaven, I have missed you.”

His hand followed the curve of your neck down to your shoulder “And I you.”

This was not just infatuation, it ran deeper than you ever thought was possible.

Lancelot glanced down, his brow shot up involuntarily, than his eyes fixed on your face again “I should let you continue to freshen up.”

You hummed and threw the question at him “Am I too smelly at the moment for you?”

The truth came out with a smile while he let go “Believe me when I say that your sweat does not work repellent to me.”

Now it was you who arched a brow, but he wouldn’t comment further on it.

He stepped back and folded his hands behind him and while he was making those two steps backwards, you could have sworn his gaze drifted over your form.

It happened so subtly that you wondered how many times he had done it before and you’d missed it.

You couldn’t fight the smile you had now “Now that you have names, perhaps others can tell you more about them. Maybe Gawain?”

It sounded like a plan “I shall ask.”

With a cheeky grin, you teased “Remember how I once said that I deserved a prince or king if I could not have a handsome monk?”

He let out a warm chuckle and coyly replied “I do. I fear you will have to settle for a monk.” after a short pause he corrected himself “-or former monk.”

You picked the wet cloth up again and continued to clean up your neckline “I am not ‘settling’. I don’t care as long as it is you.”

He evaded your gaze for a second, than met it again “The Fey will never accept me as a prince or king after everything I have done. I have no right to claim the title, I am not worthy of it.”

The cloth moved over your arm now and you could see his attention be drawn to it every so often “The fact that you are here among them now, and still alive, means they are willing to give you a chance. No one knows what the future could bring. Tell me, how has it been for you here?”

There was a quiet sigh and he tried to put the experience into words “Difficult. I am trying to find my place among them.” he strolled around the room a little “The longer I am among them, the more I struggle to fight against the magic that resides in me. I used to have it under control, I avoided using it, that mark I gave you was one of the few times I did.”

You dried yourself with a clean linen towel “Yeva spoke of the power your father possessed, said you could have inherited it. She said you should not fear it. The Ash Folk were the ones who could create Fey Fire, Ban was capable of creating Fey Fire that burned for weeks.”

Was this part of his legacy as an Ash Man?

It worried him to hear it “How can I not fear it? If this power goes beyond my control, I could burn this city without ever intending to.”

The towel was placed next to the bowl by you “Gawain spoke of this girl, Nimue, the Wolf Blood Witch. It means he has some knowledge of Fey magic, tell him, he could help.”

Lancelot gave a nod “I will speak to him.” he pointed at a bruise on your elbow “May I ask what happened during your captivity under the Abbot’s order?”

You were quite bitter about the whole ordeal “I was bait to lure you. The bastard left me to starve for days. They kept me in a tent, the camp was riddled with paladins and Trinity guards. I had tried to escape before, I guess that is why they decided to teach me a lesson when Gawain and you came to my aid.”

He was quiet for a moment, the question sounded rather cautious “Did they hurt you in other ways?”

It confused you “Other ways? Like insults? No, not really. They didn’t say much.”

A woman held captive inside a tent for two weeks in a camp filled with ruthless men, anything could have happened.

Lancelot weighed his words, hoping to be more transparent with what he had meant “Did they… keep to the vow?”

Oh…

So that was what he meant with being hurt in ‘other ways’…

Thankfully, that had not been the case “Nothing of the sorts happened.”

It was a great relief to hear that you had been spared from such monstrosities.

You looked back at the bowl with water “I am grateful for the opportunities I am getting here. I just wish I could bathe completely, I miss that.”

It was an understandable wish to have.

He thought for a moment “It would be simpler to bathe in the river while it is still fine weather. No running around with buckets to fill a bath.”

One thing concerned you “Is there a spot at this river that is a little hidden from sight?”

He eased your mind “There is. I can show you tomorrow if you wish?”

It had you enthusiastic “Yes, please. I’d prefer not going alone.”

With an inclination of his head, he vowed to accompany you “It will be a short walk. Remember to take some clothing along and a towel.”

The plan was made and you looked forward to tomorrow “I will, thank you. You can be really sweet sometimes.”

There was a mutter “Sometimes…”

You picked up the dress you had chosen “And you would be even sweeter if you stayed for a moment longer and helped close this dress for me after I put it on.”

The dress was nice, unfortunately it was one of those that required to be closed by laces in the back and your wrists were sore from having been bound by rope a lot.

His answer came a bit slower, but no less eager “I will gladly offer assistance.”

Oh, heaven. Why did he have to sound so alluring and charming?

The atmosphere took a turn when you started to put on the dress.

Little by little, you had seen the confidence in him grow. He didn’t look away as quickly anymore and you were starting to catch him stealing glances often.

It was quite flattering to catch his attention without trying.

When you were ready, you called him over with a motion of your hand.

He went to stand behind you and took a moment to figure out how to actually help close this “Why would they make this so complicated?”

You giggled at that “Because it looks nice?”

He had to agree “It does indeed.”

It surely wasn’t to rush him “Especially when closed.”

He tsked “Patience.”

Feeling him fumble with the dress caused only more giggling from you.

Then you felt him touch your back intently and it tickled so much that you tried to get away.

The cheeky twit held on to the laces and prevented you from fleeing “I am not done with you yet.”

It had you biting your lip to prevent a sound from coming out of your mouth.

At least he was making progress and soon he reached the last inches.

He made an effort to end it with a bow instead of just a knot, sounding a little proud of his work “This dress compliments you.”.

No one else would ever know that he was looking down along your back.

As you smiled back at him over your shoulder at the compliment, that striking blue met your gaze instantly “No one has ever kissed me the way you have done today.” the jest fell “Did you practice while I was gone or something?”

There was a slight shake of his head, smirk growing “Did I do so well that it makes you suspicious?”

You hummed and looked ahead again, feigning pensiveness.

His hot breath touched the shell of your ear, voice a husk “I had a good teacher, remember?”

It was hard not to be prideful “Ah, yes. That’s right.”

He took hold of your shoulders, giving them a squeeze “All done.”

You went over to the mirror again and turned to see his work “Someone has experience with lacing.”

He made the comparison “It is just a different sort of ropes.”

It earned a laugh and you made a little twirl to show off “You did well. Thank you.”

He gestured to the door “Am I free to leave?”

With a scoff you told him “You always were, you twit.”

The little bow he made was comical.

Before leaving, he informed “The room is yours.”

It slipped out of your thoughts “And where is yours?”

There was a tug at the corner of his mouth when he saw you make yourself get flustered by blurting out the inquiry “End of this hall, last door on the right.”

The smile you send him must have given away your thoughts “Alright.”

He opened the door and took one step outside “You are free to explore the city, although I would prefer you did not do so alone. The people were…uneasy with my arrival. Some might be uneasy with yours as well.”

It would take time to earn their trust “I understand. I think I will just rest today, if that is alright? I haven’t slept much in quite some time.”

It did not need asking “Of course. Then I must warn you, Percival’s room is next to yours and he is not the quiet type. I will tell him not the disturb you today so you can recover.”

You gave a grateful nod “And what while you occupy yourself with?”

He leaned against the door frame “Helping the Red Spear and Gawain. It is quite time consuming to prevent them from acting to rash at times.”

The tease fell “Are you sure you’re the right person to help them with that?”

He cocked his head, sending you a look while turning to leave “I will see you later.”

You said one more thing “Be safe, alright?”

With a slow nod he left the room, closing the door behind him.

  ━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

  It was never easy to fall asleep the first night in a new place and yet that was what happened. It was nice to sleep in a clean nightgown and having been able to freshen up after everything you’d been through.

But what started off easy, ended in a nightmare again.

You woke up in a sweat, still fearing that the flames that had haunted your dream would follow you into reality.

This place had been engulfed by flames and trapped all those inside. But you had been outside, watching it burn, powerless to save those inside.

Your legs swung off the bed and your feet carried you out of the room.

The first destination was the room beside you, you quietly creaked the door open and found Percival vast asleep.

Good, the boy was safe and sound.

Upon closing that door again, the mark on your arm gave off a dull feeling, glowing ever so slightly.

The sound of another door opening drew your attention away.

The answer to the mark’s response had taken one step into the hallway…

It appeared Lancelot had awoken too, he noticed you and gestured for you to come to him.

Once close enough, you whispered “Trouble sleeping too?”

Day or night, that was what you had promised…

He took your arm and drew you into the room he had just exited, closing the door once both inside “My dream was what woke me. You?”

You let yourself be leaded further into the room and he offered a seat on the bed “I dreamed of a fire again.”

He waited until you were seated before sitting beside you “I did as well.”

The screams still rang in his ear, the cries of his mother as the village burned…

There was no explanation needed, the look in his eyes told all “Your family?”

The answer came after he’d taken a deep breath “Yes.” he felt you lock an arm with his and rest your head on his shoulder “And you?”

You leaned into him more “This place was burning, I couldn’t save anyone.”

He leaned against you as well, shifting ever so slightly to fully appreciate the close proximity.

The words were spoken against the fabric of his undershirt “I can’t forget the smell of the burning ashes. If I can’t, then I can’t imagine what it must be like for you.”

His eyes squeezed shut, proving that he too struggled with it.

But he had not seen his family burn, only his home and vague snippets were forced on him by The Hidden.

You must have seen your home in ashes and smelled the burning remains of those you’d loved and lost…

He questioned why a certain pattern kept returning in your dreams “In your nightmares, do you always dream you cannot save others from the flames?”

The admission was a whisper “Always.”

With caution, he proceeded “Do you blame yourself for not having been there when it happened?”

It kept going through your mind day by day, that fate could have been so different if you had been there “I could have saved them.”

His arm moved around your back and held you close “You do not know that.”

There was a shrug of your shoulders. There could have been something you could have done…

He tried to reason “Fire is ruthless, y/n. If they could not flee, I fear you could not have done so either.”

At this point, you let yourself almost use him as a pillow “I don’t know…”

At least it had brought some doubt to your misplaced guilt.

Your eyes fluttered shut when feeling him press a tender kiss to your forehead. The silence of the night draped over both for a while.

He rubbed along your arm and waited until you looked up at him “I have spoken to Gawain, he had heard of my family. That is why he knew what I was so quickly. He knows what I inherited.”

It could be about his title or abilities “The Fey magic?”

He gave a nod “I told him I could feel it grow inside of me. Even today, when we spoke about what the Moon Wing Elder had told you, I felt it rise.”

You admitted to what you had seen “When we embraced, I saw the flames of the candles in my room turn green. One by one.”

The expression he had was one of disbelief and shock “You saw this?”

With a nod you confirmed it.

He let go off you and put his head in his hands “I could have hurt you-”

That was something you weren’t willing to believe “No.”

Those weeping eyes glanced back at you “From what I have learned, Fey Fire is much more powerful than a normal flame. It is born from magic and it brings magic. If I am not in control of myself, I am not in control of the fire inside either.”

His eyes were fixed on the candle that burned on the table beside the bed, seeing with his own eyes how his fear caused the flame to change it’s color.

How could he ever control something he did not even fully understand? And there was none other alive that could teach him.

You noticed what he was looking at, that green hue was overtaking the flame, it was as if the two colors fought each other.

Much like he was fighting himself over this.

But they could coexist, as they had once done so long ago.

By getting off of the bed and sinking down on your knees in front of him, you stole his attention away from what troubled him.

You took his hand in yours, holding on to it in a protective manner “I believe you are far more capable than you believe yourself to be. You do not lack control, you lack faith in yourself.”

His eyes were cast to the floor until they fixed on your hands.

You freed one hand and used it to rub over his lower arm soothingly “And if you cannot find that faith within, remember that you have mine. Always.”

Now his gaze darted between you and the flame, seeing how the green fire overtook it.

He could feel the power coursing through his veins and your gentle touch was it’s equal to match.

Your head turned to look at the Fey Fire, never having seen it this bright green before, innocently unaware of how Lancelot could not pull his eyes away from what was in front of him “If this fire is born from you, I see no reason to fear it.”

The legend of it’s origin was slowly making sense to him, what had once been stories now proved possible “It is said that it came into being when Festa and Moreii decided to remain together in their last moments. That the flames that burned them, fed their power as they perished. Fire born from the love of two who could not be together in this life.”

It was both tragic and romantic “Would that not mean that the Ash Folk is closely related to at least one of them?”

He hummed, lost in thought “Perhaps one of them was of the Ash Folk and they left us a power meant to protect ourselves so no fire could harm our kind again. A sacrifice of life for a future for others.”

Your eyes squinted and turned to look at him “But fire still kills Fey.”

Lancelot’s throat bopped and you knew there was something he wasn’t saying.

His head bowed in shame “Not all Fey.”

You couldn’t really believe what he was trying to say “What do you mean?”

He took hold of your hand, knowing the reaction it could cause in you “Ash Folk cannot burn.”

The news sank in and you looked away to process it, already guessing why he had never spoken of it before “I did not know that…”

He admitted that it had been to spare you “It would be insensitive to tell you such a thing after having lost your family to fire not long ago.”

It was strange to wish your family had been Ash Folk too and you pushed away that thought before it could put it’s claws in.

But he knew it must have passed your mind “I am sorry.”

Your shoulders shrugged “There is no reason for it. I am glad you told me, maybe now I won’t have nightmares of you dying in flames.”

He brought his hands up to cradle your face, letting his calm gaze speak to you.

The way he was looking at you was so caring and gentle that it made it hard to bring a word out.

The invitation left him like a wish “If you wish, you may rest here tonight.”

Well, that was unexpected to hear from a man who was raised as a monk.

Nerves hit you “I doubt that would not arise questions if others found out. Our past makes this a delicate matter. I am the niece of a priest and you…”

He knew what you tried to say “You fear they are not ready to know about us together.”

You explained your worries “Their faith in us is not there yet, I don’t want to compromise you being accepted by them. And admitting that you are with me might cause that. Father Carden was my kin, I am Manblood and came here dressed as a nun. I think we shouldn’t test their beginning trust further.”

You plucked his hands from your face and rose from the ground.

They found their place on your waist instead and he was quick to rise to his feet too.

There you stood, feeling him draw you in close

It felt and looked like he wished to do something but changed his mind at the last second.

Your heart went and left you there as it ran off alone “Goodnight, Lancelot.”

He cupped your neck but willed himself into letting go, the hand traveled down your shoulder to where the mark hid beneath your nightgown.

Even now he could feel it’s response.

He traced his thumb over it and then let go “Goodnight, my lady.”

Your brow arched and a soft giggle spilled out “My lady?”

The smirk he had was more confident than he perhaps felt in that moment “Well, you are mine, are you not?”

So the ambiguity had been on purpose.

You hummed, feigning doubt.

He did not give you the chance to mess with him on this matter “Do not bother to deny it. The sign is there.”

His eyes had drifted to your arm on purpose.

You found your voice from where it had hid itself “Goodnight.”

Dammit, that cocky self-satisfied smirk he had now gave you mixed feelings. He looked so damn attractive while doing it, but also so smug that you couldn’t resist the desire to pretend that it wasn’t.

You walked over to the candle that carried the green flame and saw him tense up when holding your hand a little above it.

It was hot like regular fire, but something was different.

The mark spread from your arm down to your palm and upon turning your hand around, you saw it grow to your fingers.

This time the pattern glowed green, like the flame itself burned within it.

Lancelot was completely quiet while it happened and you hoped this proved that you did not fear the power he held within.

It never hurt, it was quite mesmerizing to see even.

He walked over and extinguished the flame with his bare hand, the green left your mark and the pattern retreated back to just your arm.

It was the first time he saw that green glow on someone other than himself…

Your smile could not have been bigger, to have actually felt this ancient magic run over your skin like this was incredible.

Even now that it was darker, he could still see the wonder in your eyes.

It was a bold idea when you stepped closer, grabbed the front of his shirt and pressed a vigorous kiss to his cheek, the smile never left you.

After that you backed away and hurried out the door before you wouldn’t be able to resist staying there.

The last thing you saw when closing the door behind you was his surprised but amused expression.

     Taglist:

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Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist of this story.

[my0vershareworld]

𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕣𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕖𝕧𝕖 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖?

Pairing: every Fracciones (excluding Lilynette she's a child🫵) x GN!Human reader

Genre: Fluff, Crack, Headcanons.

CW: None

Requested by anon: Hiii can you do the rizzing up headcanons you did for the espadas but for the fraccions please 😌

Emilou Apacci

"are you the Eiffel tower because I fell for you"

"I'm not the damn Eiffel tower you dumbass"

she said that as her sudden reaction before she gets what you mean

she'll go so red and just storm off because she didn't get it at first and now she feel stupid

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Findorr Calius

"are you anxiety because you make my heart race"

he'll chuckles and be all cool and shit

while inside he's in full flustered and confusion because of how sudden that was

when he's alone he'll started screaming like a highschool girl

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charlotte Chuhlhourne

"are you money because I want you so bad"

"dear, I'm more worthy than money!"

he said with a smile but then get flustered afterward and goes all red

he'll chuckles though and kiss your head

"you can be too sweet-"

he loves you so much is unbelivable

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yylfordt Granz

"do you know the difference between history and you?"

"how the hell did history and I got in this conversation-"

"the difference is that history are the past and you're my future"

HE'LL GO SO RED AND JUST TURN AWAY

"oh shut it-"

HE'S SO FLUSTERED IS UNBELIEVABLE. he can't keep his cool like usual right now because that was so sudden and that shit was too smooth

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nakeem Grindina

"are our relationship elsa? because I can't let you go"

doesn't understand

no respond

quiet

don't know what you on about and don't know how to respond so..quiet

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pesche Guatiche

"I couldn't fall asleep so I fell for you instead"

fluster but worried

"you can just sleep with me maybe that'll help??? and maybe mo-"

SLAP. pervert

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shawlong Koufang

"you're and your are very different because I'm yours and you're mine"

he blush a bit and smile slightly

"you flatter me"

he's pretty flustered but that just make him adore you more

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tesla Lindocruz

"are you my wifi? 'cause I can't live without u"

"[Name] that is sweet and all but sometimes you need to get off your phone" he said snatching your phone and just take

"no more phone for today"

he's actually flustered but at the same time thing that the rizz is stupid

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edrad Liones

"no pen, no paper, but you still draw my attention"

"I can't dr- OHH- you flirtatious thing-"

he'll chuckles and pat you roughly like a child before kissing your forehead

he's flattered really, add more onto his pride

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Choe Neng Poww

"are u future? because my parents are telling me to focus on you"

calm. looks too calm for his own good. he just takes one look at you then turn away

he's actually so flustered but don't wanting to seems like it

needs to keep his cool and shit you know?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nirgge Parduoc

"Are you a heart attack 'cause you attack my heart"

confused, flattered, but still confused

"huh? are you insulting me?"

"NO-"

"oh..then what do you mean by that?"

you'll probably gonna laugh your ass out with his confusion expression

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abirama Redder

"numbers start with 123, Alphabet starts with ABC, but universe start with U-N-I"

doesn't understand at first and look at you confused

then goes all red when he actually get what you mean

"SHUT UP-"

he said before storming off with his heart absolutely beating against his chest so bad

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Di Roy Rinker

"are you money? 'cause without you I'm upset"

BABY BOY IS FLUSTERED

HE'S SO RED AND QUIET

SHOOK

the poor baby boy give him some kisses

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Franceska Mila Rose

"I don't think we need stars in space now, because i already have one. its you because your already the shiniest star of my life"

you said while taking a walk in the middle of the night with her

she'll be so red and just chuckles and just smack your head

"you flirtatious bastard- but thanks though-"

she's pretty flattered

will cuddle with you afterward and give you tons of kisses

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cyan Sung-Sun

"we would never play hide and seek, 'cause it's impossible to find someone like you"

goes in confusion for a moment before going pink

"thank you, love-"

SHE'S TOO FLATTERED TO SAY ANYTHING

would cover her face with her clothes 100%

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ggio Vega

"are you an electrician cause you're lighting up my day"

"oh shut your mouth before I shut you up myself-"

he knows what he's doing. he gon' kiss you if you dare to say another word

and then his ass gonna get all flustered and like 'fuck why did I do that-'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[frogs-in3-hills]

clawing my way into the asks again like a little parasite ahem. Thoughts on susato 👁👁

oh my god susato... *breaks down into sobbing* i actually finished the game an hour or two after i saw this ask and wanted to give it a little bit of time to sit in my head before i started trying to analyze things ^_^; but now i think i'm emotionally ready to think about her without destroying my own psyche. readmore cause this kind of turned into an analysis, albeit a very disorganized one

anyways SUSATO GOOD. i love her dynamic with ryuu so much, she's so competent but does still genuinely feel like a teenage girl at the same time. i think she's really the heart of the duology, especially dgs1, i mean she is literally the central piece of the emotional resolutions for each game and also the reason for 90% of the times i cried while playing. which, btw, was significantly more often than any of the other AA games ^_^; i was pretty much in tears from the moment the final trial ended to like, an hour after the credits stopped rolling. the idea of ryuunosuke going to japan without her absolutely destroyed me because he was so depressed during that six month gap :( and i was so relieved that they would continue to change the world together

also can i just say her design and sprites are incredible?? not only is she just. the fucking cutest. her animations and poses are so sweet, oh my god her expressions are amazing, they perfectly encapsulate her yamato nadeshiko elegance, her deep strength & tenacity & curiosity, and even hints at her deeper feelings of inadequacy. i mean god i am thinking about her teary-eyed smile that rips my heart to pieces every time and her stunned expression when she sees the masked assistant. screaming sobbing wailing banging my fists on the table. the same goes for her theme but like times a hundred, like, i don't really know anything about music so i can't explain why but it's so unbelievably perfect for both her and the overall tone of the game. honestly it might beat out turnabout sisters for my favorite track in the series

which by the way, it's so cool how she immediately breaks from the mold of typical AA assistants with her demeanor. she's the picture of temperance and humility, and despite her age she is the heart of the story and a guiding light in ryuunosuke's journey. this stands in huge contrast to characters like maya, who has an incredibly strong heart but really feels like a child lost in a world of suddenly inherited responsibilities and murderous family conflicts that she's 100% not equipped to handle. none of that is to say that i think all the AA assistants are the same because they are absolutely not, but they do have similar ~vibes~ so it's really refreshing to have a protagonist-assistant dynamic that feels so different from the outset.

but then 1-2 kind of destroys whatever initial perception you had of her right? because now susato's out here being actively hostile to you in spite of the slow trickle of evidence exonerating ryuunosuke. she literally attacks you like five times and hardly ever smiles. because just like ryuunosuke, asougi's boundless determination bled into her, to the point that she p much dedicated her life to studying so she could go to london in order to help him. and now that he's gone, she's left completely lost at sea. literally :(

personally i think her attitude after ryuu provides some reasonable doubt is very telling. first, it shows that she's extremely levelheaded in the face of a crisis, because even though it would be so so so easy and even cathartic to blame ryuunosuke, she realizes that it would be unfair and resolves to help him prove his innocence. however, even though it's clear she does believe in ryuu, we still get a bunch of moments where she makes digs at him and acts randomly suspicious again before moving on. these are probably just little jokes not meant to be taken seriously by the writers, but like i can't help but look into them more and wonder if susato is projecting onto ryuunosuke, due to their aforementioned similar situations. i think she's very frustrated with herself for being so helpless. she clearly bases her self worth on her use as a judicial assistant (which is not so healthy but we're getting there), but without kazuma, what does her help and expertise even matter? and she sees that resemblance between herself and ryuunosuke and takes her frustration out on him, even if she doesn't think he actually killed asougi. she reminds me a lot of godot in this case tbh.

speaking of susato having unreasonably high expectations for herself and other people, HEY THAT'S ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTER TROPES

*gets emotionally ripped to shreds by the narrative*

it's quite clear that the high expectations she has of her loved ones-- mainly ryuu, kazuma, sholmes, and gina-- is her version of unflinching belief. every time she encourages ryuunosuke, she's saying things like "i know you can handle this" and "you have everything you need to take this on, so don't give up now" and she is certainly not lying or exaggerating. susato is the one who decided that ryuunosuke deserves to carry on with asougi's legacy, and therefore there's kind of an implicit don't disappoint me in there. nothing demonstrates this more than what she says to gina in the prison:

Susato: I'm sorry to say...that I must reluctantly bid you farewell. Gina: Eh? Farewell? Susato: Tomorrow, I must begin my journey back home. To Japan. ...I fear we may never meet again. Gina: ...! Oh...right... Susato: I've had the pleasure of meeting so many lovely people here in London. I have so many wonderful memories. And yet...as things stand now... ...it will be a glum parting indeed. Poor Iris is so miserable. Iris: Susie... Gina: Well...well...that ain't my business! Susato: Both Iris and Mr Naruhodo believe you to be innocent, Gina. They've put their faith in you. But somehow...you can't find it in your heart to put your faith in them. Gina: Yeah! That's right, I can't! ...Wot of it? Susato: It grieves me greatly to have to say goodbye to my friends when they are so clearly unhappy... ...because of you. Gina: ...! Wot, it's MY fault?! Susato: Yes. So I have one final request, Gina, before our paths never cross again. Right here and now... ...I want you to show both of them that you don't deserve the faith they've invested in you. Gina: Eh?! Susato: Only by doing that... ...will you truly be as alone as you claim to be.

this was like The Moment where i did kind of a double take and went, holy shit, susato is the best character in this game, i get it now. because we're seeing what it looks like when susato is disappointed in you. this the final chance she's extending to gina and she just gets right to business with "i'm tired of wondering if you're going to trust me, so if you're so determined to push away the people who care about you then i expect you to be straight with me. you need to decide right now if you are truly committed to destroying this chance at happiness because i can no longer accept the way you're treating my friends. and if you can prove to me that you're not worth it then i will give up on you." and not only is this fucking perfect because it's exactly the push that gina needs, it shows the epitome of what makes susato so great: her balance! she knows when to hold back and be patient and she knows when to assert herself. she really makes me think of the temperance card in tarot in that way. gina was never going to take to iris' puppydog eyes or ryuunosuke's insistence that he believes in her; she needed somebody to take her anxieties seriously and then say "oh yeah? prove it." and it is so terribly Lawyer of her to pull the evidence card like that, it makes me absolutely insane. i'm going to think about this forever

it's pretty explicit in dgs1 that she expects the most out of herself though with her thinking that she's a failure of a judicial assistant for losing faith, which is something she shares with asougi. asougi is carrying the weight of his family's legacy on his back and the responsibility of changing the world. i don't know a lot about meiji era japan but i know it would have been extremely challenging to become a defense attorney. there is no room for error with him. they also both try to punish themselves when they don't meet those expectations-- susato trying to throw her legal book into the ocean and asougi doing, uh, literally everything he does in dgs2, but specifically giving karuma to ryuunosuke. i wonder if he learned it from her >_>

i will be honest i'm not 100% sure how i feel abt the way she was handled in dgs2, i don't think she was poorly written or anything! just kind of lacking the bite she had in dgs1. it's hard to compare the way she reacts to gina disappointing her vs the way she reacts to kazuma disappointing her, because gina is her cool friend while kazuma is literally her dead adopted brother who came back to life and is kind of being a legendary asshole about it. so like, i'm not gonna say it's definitely inconsistent or out of character for her to react to asougi's Whole Deal by just kind of frowning in the background, but idk i wish she'd had a more active role in that conflict or been allowed to do something. like, they only exchange a couple of lines throughout the whole game and i think that was a huge waste. i would have at least liked to see a follow up of her and ryuunosuke's conversation about his body going missing, now that they know he's alive, because i find myself being unable to parse how she feels about the whole thing. i really expected her to be angrier or to show something bigger than "wow :( this fucking sucks :(" like SHE'S NOT WRONG! but there was so much opportunity to take it in a different direction.

anyways i think the ending of dgs2 is perfect because she's actively rejecting that path that's been expected of her, she was always supposed to stand by asougi's side and yet she allows herself to be selfish and follow ryuunosuke instead. yes, she knows when to be assertive, but she only ever does it for the benefit of other people. here she knows what she wants and is determined to pursue it-- i think it's absolutely wonderful and i am so proud of her ;-; in the first game she would have had to go back home alone, afraid for her father and for gina and for everyone else that she loves, believing that she had failed ryuunosuke and by extension, kazuma and his legacy. but here she gets to go back home of her own volition and continue to follow the path she believes in, assured in her worth and knowing that she has a true friend by her side and all that is to say i fucking love susato so much and i am losing my entire mind over her and i expect to be doing so for the rest of my days

[curlytheintrovert]

My Favorite Papa Joel Moments (Pt.8): The Finale!

🦠 It’s the sweetest, most tragic thing that while Ellie is so closed off, Joel is so open. He’s trying so unbelievably hard to get her out of her PTSD head space…and it’s kills me how little it helps. Joel has finally accepted his role as her dad, he’s raw and heartfelt, his voice and mannerisms are even softer, but Ellie is just gone. (And Joel openly talking about Sarah?! It’s such a testament to how he’s opened himself for Ellie) It’s not until the giraffe scene that we see Ellie come out from the darkness, which shows how heart shattering it is that Joel’s sweet attempts has been so ineffective. And even when Joel’s happily looks at her laughing, he pauses and looks heartbroken, like he knows. It’s clearly what compels him to try and convince her they don’t have to go through with the plan for a cure. He doesn’t want her to break anymore than she already has, showing how he has always prioritized Ellie’s emotional well-being.

🦠 For how emotional and devastating this series has been, Joel’s confession was the one moment that really made me tear up. Joel admitting to trying to commit suicide explains EVERYTHING about his character. It gave a full, complete picture of him in a way that’s breath taking. Sarah, and in turn fatherhood, truly was his purpose—when he lost both of them something fractured. And it fractured so hard he wanted to die. He loves hard and it explains so fucking beautifully why he tried so hard to push Ellie away at first. It explains why he’s capable of ruthless murder. It explains why he’s so closed off. And it explains why loving and protecting Ellie felt like his downfall. Joel already lived through his downfall once, and he lived in the miserable aftermath for years and years. But when he says “It wasn’t time that did it” and his eyes just shine with love, it reinforced to me why a suicide attempt makes so much sense on his part: He’s hopelessly devoted to and in love with his children.

🦠 Joel’s binge killing through the hospital…there are no words. When I rewatched it a second time it brought me to tears. In my previous pt. 7 post I addressed how bone chilling Pedro’s performance at Lakeside is when he’s silent and flat eyed. And that exact same look occupies his face throughout the entire scene. It’s terrifying. I don’t even know if I see this man blink. The way it’s shot is cinematically perfect: the tragic music, how you don’t fully see rebels faces and sound is muffled. We are in Joel’s head space, we live in it more than we ever have. But the music really makes you understand how horrific it is…your heart breaks for the rebels but also for Joel too. He loves his daughter so much that he doesn’t see people, he doesn’t feel anything, it’s just Ellie. That’s all there is for him. Honestly my favorite shot of the entire show is the bullet casings falling around his eerily steady, calm footsteps. Like his humanity is crumbling one bullet, one life, at a time…Yet the best parallel is the distinct way Joel carries Ellie, and by extension Saran, bridal style through a similarly horrific situation, but this time he redeemed himself no matter the cost.😭 He saved his girl!

🦠 Now for the ethical question everyone will be discussing: Did Joel do the right thing? My favorite thing in the tlou podcast is when Neil talked about the test players for the game and their thoughts on the ending. It was a 50/50 chance for those without kids and 100% of those with kids agreed with Joel’s choice. I personally am a parent and am completely in agreement! As a parent there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for your child and it’s painted so beautifully in this episode. Joel killing and lying to keep her alive would have seemed like nothing compared to losing her, and I uncomfortably have to agree. No parent should be excepted to just accept their child’s death (and especially if you knew you had the capability to stop it!) I’m so sad but so interested to see where our favorite tragic father-daughter duo will go from here…season 2 is gonna be a doozy!

[technicolorfamiliar]

Technicolor Familiar Watches Too Many Conrad Veidt Movies Part 3 of ?

Part 1 // Part 2

Anders als die Andern (Different From the Others), 1919 Dir. Richard Oswald ⭐4/5 Watched Nov 15, Archive.org It really breaks my heart that so much of this film was lost and destroyed, and that the story is unfortunately still relevant 100+ years later. Maybe I don't have as much to say about this one because it's so chopped up, and because it's already been written and talked about so much. I am glad it seems to have found its proper place in literature/content about LGBTQ+ history, getting the acknowledgement it deserves. Despite already knowing so much about the movie from various books, podcasts, and documentaries, I was still very affected by the story and performances, especially towards the end. It really hit a nerve, surprisingly so. Connie's Paul is really lovely, tragic, and so sweet with Kurt.

Jew Süss, 1934 Dir. Lothar Mendes ⭐3.5/4 Watched Nov 26, Youtube There's something about the structure and the hazy, dreamy quality of the film itself that makes this seem like a fable. There are parts that are deeply upsetting and chilling despite the mediocre supporting cast. It's imperfect, but definitely did a lot more than other films to create complex and sympathetic Jewish characters in the 1930s (even if still playing on stereotypes). I'm a total sucker for 18th century opulence and fashion so I can’t complain much. And oh boy, does the 18th century suit Connie. He knows how to work the lace and silk to great affect. Some of the things he's doing as Josef are really fascinating and gut-wrenching. He's doing so much vocally, too. He's in an entirely other class compared to many actors of that era. P.S. The scenes with Josef and his mother and daughter were, uh, interesting. I have… mixed feelings.

Rome Express, 1932 Dir. Walter Forde ⭐3/5 Watched Nov 26, Youtube My expectations were pretty low for this one based on some things I'd read online, but it's a cute if slightly baffling train thriller with an ok-ish ensemble. I'm a little biased, my inner child fuckin loves trains so any train movie is at least going to be semi-enjoyable. I was so stressed the whole time about how everyone was handling that apparently very expensive painting. Connie is so extra, though. Why is Zurta eating a banana as soon as he jumps onto a moving train? Why does he hold a gun like ~that~? Why are his fingernails so long?? It's so funny seeing him next to all these tiny British actors. It may partly be how they dressed him for the role, but he makes everyone else look positively shrimpy.

All Through the Night, 1942 Dir. Vincent Sherman ⭐3/5 Watched Nov 27, Vudu Once I finally leaned into how silly this movie was, it was pretty entertaining. The dialogue alone is so stupid, but self aware of how stupid it is. And it features one of my favorite gags of all time: making up gibberish words for technical terms with complete confidence. There's a dog. (Question: Is the dog a nazi like the monkey in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Does the dog know it's complicit in war crimes??) Peter Lorre looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. Mrs. Danvers is there. Some of the visual comedy is actually pretty great -- the dog in the boat at the end when Connie is being totally deadpan serious? Hysterical. (DID THEY BLOW UP THAT DOG?) I think this was the first time I've heard Connie speak German, too.

The Spy in Black, 1939 Dir. Michael Powell ⭐3.5/5 Watched Nov 27, Youtube Interesting that the main character, the person carrying this British movie in the late 1930s, is a German U-boat captain. But wow. I'm obsessed. Hardt's entrance into the hotel? Baa-ing at the sheep? The delicious gluttony with food? Dragging the stupid motorbike up the stairs to his room? "It is evening. And I am grown up."?? We love a sexy, honor driven character like Captain Hardt. Therefore, Valerie Hobson going for the British officer seems totally unlikely and unbelievable. I think I like this movie marginally better than Dark Journey, as far as espionage films go. It's slightly more engaging (but that may be Connie and Valerie Hobson's chemistry) and the story is a little better.

[rphelperblog]

Random Quotes from YA Fantasy Books Part Two

inspired by  @sankta-alina-s @wcrriorhearts @all-is-fair-in-love-and-war and more- this time I opened my fantasy books to random pages and wrote down some without trying to make this meme a million pages

“No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for 'good luck.” 

“I will have you without armour, or I won’t have you at all.”

“I could see her daring a cobra to strike, swearing her venom would kill first.” 

“If you won’t be my friend, you’ll regret being my enemy.”

“Don't be afraid, child, The stories are always there.” 

“You're the queen, and it's the queen's house, and whatever he may accomplish, he's highly unlikely ever to be queen.” 

“There are no rules when it comes to survival.” 

“Truth that came too late was as useful as a meal to a dead man.” 

“If you think I'm jealous because someone else got to stab you, then you're right.” 

“I don’t mind being a moth. I would probably start eating silk if it meant that I could fly.” 

“If you want to rebel, rebel from inside the system.That's much more powerful than rebelling outside the system.” 

“I promise, I will not let you die without being kissed.” 

“The way he looked at you. I got it then. He loved you, and it was killing him. He won't get over you, he can't.” 

"She is my priority!

“It’s fascinating. You know all these words, and they’re all English, but when you string them together into sentences, they just don’t make any sense.” 

“There were many beautiful young men in the world, but she believed that none of them could be trusted with something as fragile, or valuable, as a heart.” 

“Invite the lie to play until you become so comfortable with it that it feels like the truth.” 

“It is a dangerous thing to unbelieve something only because it frightens you.” 

“He is beauty, inside and out.He is the silver lining in a world of darkness. He is my light.”

“If by a moment, you mean me not wanting to strangle you for the first time since we met, then I guess we are.” 

“I think I realized that I would rather die because I betrayed them, than live because I betrayed you.” 

“The field of battle is my temple.”

“You know, you have a really strange way of telling me you’re attracted to me.” 

“Vanity is a factor, but it is more a question of control. It is easier to trick others into perceiving you as beautiful if you can convince yourself you are beautiful. But mirrors have an uncanny way of telling the truth.”

“You win your people or you lose your throne.” 

“You allow the world to think you're a heartless murderer,"

“Hope in this world bleeds out of the barrel of a gun.”

“Waiting. Not waiting. One lover. A hundred lovers. There should be no judgement either way. A woman is not defined by what she does or doesn‘t do in the bedroom.”

“Imagine, and it shall be. There are no limits.⁠⁠⁠⁠”

“I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside. It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.” 

“Forever and ever, kid, until you're sick and tired of seeing me.”

“No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.” 

“But you have to have a working heart for it to break.” 

“I am Death. I come quickly, I come slowly, but I am not cheated.”

“And the infinite captivates us because it allows us to believe all things are possible. That true love can last beyond time.” 

“Beautiful words were beautiful words, even to the most practical of minds.” 

“It's not reasonable to love people who are only going to die,"

“Everyone dies eventually. I think it's better to die clean.” 

“No. I'm not broken easily. I will never break.” 

“Evil contained is not evil destroyed.”

“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.” 

“The memory fades, and I’m left hanging on to the ghosts of his words.” 

“Some hate us, think us outlaws to hang at the gallows. Some fear us, think demons to burn at the stake, Some worship us, think us children of the gods. But all know us.” 

“Be true to yourself. But that's something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.” 

“He might have been a liar and villain, but he made both things look very good.” 

"Didn't you hear anything I just told you? You could die!

“The ghosts, they never go away. They call to you in unexpected moments, their hands lacing with yours and pulling you down paths that lead nowhere.” 

“Her spine was steel. Her heart was armor. Her eyes were fire.”

“There were two kinds of monsters, the kind that hunted the streets and the kind that lived in your head. She could fight the first, but the second was more dangerous. It was always, always, always a step ahead.”

“Love required sacrifice and making hard choices and doing things that were bigger than just you. It wasn't something you asked for, or could control or change. It was something you accepted. Love was a force of nature.”