#I’d use my powers for…well I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘evil’

[theshadowrealmitself]

If I were Phantom I’d just crawl out of people’s tv’s like the girl from The Ring, especially if they were in the middle of a horror movie

Danny using that to mess with people he doesn’t really like, but going all out with a disguise to really creep them out, and making everyone in Amity think there’s more ghosts out there than there actually is

[oceansprompts]

marvel's midnight suns | misc quotes 4

Thank you for not making a bigger deal about my arrival…

I don’t think I can properly express my relief…

In truth, I’ve been in survival mode…

I do not believe in many of the common dark magics…

A risk is not a risk if it does not hold the potential for regret.

Well, for example, some species of bats can fly at speeds of up to 100 miles…

I’m sorry. I’m a bit on edge because I haven’t eaten in awhile.

No. And, for the record, I don’t sleep in a coffin just because I’m a vampire.

I know what it’s like to feel suffocated by a disease….

 I was fifteen when I found out my mother was Capital “E” Evil.

I want to throw her a surprise party, but I can’t do it alone.

Pisses me off so much, I could scream.

Don’t bother. Kinda just want to be left alone.

And since chaos magic is a helluva lot more powerful…

But, poof, here this was… waiting for me.

You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first case of corruption in recorded history.

I’ve already lost enough people I care about.

You, uh, reunited our twisted little family…

You ever miss people from your past?

So, it’s time for them to move over and let the kids take the reins.

Maybe a somewhat dysfunctional family with a ton of issues to work through…

I feel called out. Figured since your mom is the Mother of Demons and all…

They make me feel like a child sometimes, but you don’t, so, like, thanks.

It’s something I make all my friends watch with me.

Anyway we’ll get some more quality one-on-one time. It’s a little retro…

Like why have a kid if you’re going to get rid of them…

Okay, I think that you think that I’m one of those good people, right…

How can you be sure that I’m not, you know, evil?

I’ll spare you the sappy stuff, but you’ve climbed to the top…

She’ll never forget how her favorite cartoon characters showed up as exotic dancers. Nor will she ever forgive me.

Of all the changes you’ve had to deal with, at least the music is better.

Meh. That requires effort.

That you were a godlike hero walking the earth, single-handedly holding back the forces of evil.

But what if I hurt you?

Sorry, I… I don’t feel like myself.

Is it weird that I think she’s going to be waiting for me in my dreams…

Forgot how relaxing it is to just zone out and watch a good movie after a long day of battle.

I mean, it was just a dream, right?

It’s all destroyed now, along with these poor peoples’ lives.

Of course I’d like to know more, but I trust you’re doing the best you can.

Instead I’m just… Numb. I’m starting to feel guilty that I don’t feel guilty.

But I still wonder if I truly belong, you know?

It’s not all magic wands and midnight margaritas.

I dunno. There’s so much to be happy about right now. You pick.

I wonder what they would say if they saw me now, saw who I grew up to be.

Wasn’t exactly the popular kid, if you know what I mean.

I’m not so sure you want to know… or I want to tell you.

So, I’m setting it in ink, because I never want to forget how you took a chance on me.

I feel like I can trust myself again…

With all these people, it’s not crowded, exactly. It certainly feels more alive.

For a moment, nothing. Then she burst out laughing and opened the door. We have been close ever since.

A collection of DVDs. I know it’s irrational to want them back, but I can’t stop thinking about them.

It shouldn’t be this easy. I always pictured a gulf between us.

Well, I never thought I could replace you. I wanted you to know.

I figured if I was going to be teaming up with this group, I ought to up my game. Sound more…I dunno…scary.

Sorry, the mask’s gotta stay on. I hope that’s not gonna make things weird between us.

I mean, I can’t shoot laser beams, light my skull on fire or glow like the sun…

Maybe I’ll use the Forge to bake a loaf of sourdough…

No, I mean helping him turn his life around. The way real heroes are supposed to.

Alien-possessed architecture gives me the extra creeps.

[mx-nii]

A most likely unpopular opinion I touched on lightly in my last post that I’d like to reiterate some more: The Darkling has a massive savior complex, and that is why he did what he did. Not for “the good of grisha”, but so he could be god to grisha.

——————————————————————

In the earlier books (Shadow and Bone trilogy), it’s harder to spot his savior complex because he’s still heavily preaching the whole “I’m doing this because I’m sick of grisha being persecuted” shit. I do believe that that was his motivator back when he was younger and with his mother (demon in the woods) but even then, you can see sparks of the savior complex.

As he goes on in life and he continues doing what his mother taught him to do (hiding, taking a nobleman’s name and returning when the time was right), it becomes less and less and less about the good of all grisha, and more about The Darkling being the good that saved grisha. Those little sparks of “I will save us all” turn into a wildfire, and he justifies this in his mind because to him: he is the hero, he will save them all, he’s the protagonist in his story.

As Alina comes along in the books, and the Darkling continues committing war crimes in the name of being a savior, she catches on and this is why we get the “make me your villain” line. She tells him he has done wrong, and that if he actually wanted to save grisha, he should have and would have gone about it in a different way but that’s not what he wanted; he wanted control of Alina so he could use her to make himself more esteemed. Alina knows this and tells him so, and to this Aleksander responds with that infamous line. “Fine: make me your villain”.

I’m now realizing this line means more than it seems to on the surface. Aleksander actually thinks he’s the hero, he doesn’t see himself as the villain at all. If others see him as a villain, to him, it just seems like they’re the bad guys.

When Alina confronts him and he responds with this, I think it’s saying “fine, you think I’m so bad, you think I’m so evil. Fuck it, make me your villain. Write me off as evil, I still think I’m a good guy but you won’t believe me so fuck you, let me put a collar around your neck.” Alina sees him as evil and hates him but is still drawn to him due to their connection. They’re enemies but not exactly enemies because clearly, Aleksander still wants to control her because deep down he knows he needs her. He needs that other half to compliment his powers. The yin to his yang, the sun to his moon; like calls to like.

As I said before, his savior complex is sorta hidden in the trilogy but it’s clear as day in Rule of Wolves. Crystal fucking clear- all his POVs are about him wanting to be a savior, and ESPECIALLY that ending 🤦🏻��♀️

To wrap this up: if he actually gave two fucks about grisha, half of the books wouldn’t have happened. If he actually cared about their well being, he wouldn’t slaughter them, torture them for ‘betraying him’, mutilate them, enslave them, hand them over to a pedophile, etc.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk <3

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Subaru Ecstasy [08]

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

ー The scene starts in the entrance hall of Eden

Azusa: Subaru-san...Will he be okay? 

Yuma: Those Sakamaki’s are convincin’ him. Kou went with them too, so I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Azusa: Yeah...Subaru-san should surely know...what has happened to Eve, right...?

Ruki: Yes. There is nothing we can do before we get some information out of him.

ー Kou walks up to them

Azusa: Kou...How did it go?

Kou: ...No luck. It doesn’t seem like he plans on coming out of that room any time soon.

Azusa: ...I see. 

Yuma: Che, we won’t get anywhere at this rate...

ー Shin runs up to them

Shin: ーー Hey! Don’t just stand around here wasting time!

Azusa: Shin-san...Did something happen...?

Shin: The Vibora’s troops are on their way here as we speak!

Kou: Eh...!?

ー The scene shifts to the guest room at the Vibora Castle

*Knock knock*

Seiji: I’m coming in.

ー Seiji enters the room

Yui: Father...

Seiji: ...Don’t look so sad. I am happy to be able to see you again, you know?

Yui: ...Y-Yeah. Right...I’m sorry.

Seiji: No, I don’t mind. You must be exhausted as well.

Monologue

As he gently stroked the top of my head,

he began to tell me about everything he did,

while the two of us were apart.

Ever since he found out,

that his daughter had been captured by Vampires,

he got straight to work.

He did everything within his power to get me back,

fighting his way up the hierarchical ladder.

And now he has finally,

climbed to the very top rank of the Church. 

Yui: Father...

( He must have been dying to see me. )

( I can’t agree with his plan to annihilate all Demons, but I’m happy knowing he values me so much... )

Seiji: ...I shall never hand you over to those Demons again.

I love you. ...Nn...

Yui: ...!?

( Did he kiss the palm of my hand just now? )

( He has never done something like this before... )

Selection

→ I kind of don’t like this (❦)

Yui: ( I kind of don’t like this... )

( ...I guess I shouldn’t feel that way. Father should be family to me... )

→ I guess it’s only normal since we’re family

Yui: ( It’s normal since we’re family, right...? )

( It’s basically just another way of saying hello. )

Seiji: ...What’s wrong? Did something happen?

Yui: ...O-Oh no. It’s nothing.

Anyway, Father. There’s something I’d like to ask you.

Why exactly are you trying to wipe out the Vampire clan...?

Seiji: Why, you ask? ...It’s simply a matter of destroying evil, right?

Yui: Evil...?

( I mean, I guess I wouldn’t go as far as to call them a representation of all good in this world but... )

( Isn’t it kind of odd to label them as ‘evil’ as well? )

...Father, let it rest. 

Why don’t you reconsider and return to the human world with me?

Seiji: ...

I can’t do that. ...It’s too late already.

Yui: ...!?

Monologue

ーー It’s too late already. 

The moment those words fell from his lips,

the worst-case scenario flashed through the back of my mind.

I mean, 

Father is a Vampire Hunter (ヴァンパイアハンター) after all.

If something were to happen,

to Subaru-kun or the othersーー

Amidst my moment of confusion,

Father stood there in front of my eyes,

 lips curved upwards, as he silently smiled (微笑んで) at me.

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[brutalage]

house of savage concepts .

so , I’ve stated before that the house of savage is such an underutilized idea in canon . especially since , as I recall , we only see it once ( in savage dawn ) . & now , in gotham war , it’s being written that vandal wants to … uh … take over the league of assassins ? sigh . at least that’s what I can see so far . it’s going to take some time brainstorming and writing up the plans for this one , though , since I’d want it to be a concept i keep on this blog . so canonically , the HOS enacts as a group of vandal’s children in a plot to help him manipulate his meteorite back to earth , activating whoever has his DNA inside of them ; doing so would give them all stronger powers & make Vandal even more powerful than he is ( he basically achieves an almost god-like state of being later on too ) .

I’m going to push that back further in time . It be written that the HOS has always been in development, in the back of Vandal’s brain . Even if he doesn’t care about his children as a legitimate father figure , he could easily mold his kiddos into weapons of war . They could all be brainwashed , gaslight , hateful killing machines & that’s exactly what vandal would want of them , should he ever put the time towards this plan . However , canonically , vandal is known to not give a shit about his kids LMAO but like . Listen . he still wouldn’t beyond just using them to achieve his goals and , they’re not the LOA because they didn’t set out to BE the LOA , they’re diplomats & warriors & cannibals . Probably . Idk . They’re also all not children , some of his descendants are fully grown adults too !

my vandal is part Greek , so what if they had a Greek Mythos naming convention as well ? One of his child canonically is already called Hades ( who I’m reworking btw ) , so . Going off of there , that’d be more like a code name system : Vandal is Kronos ( of course ) , Olympian god names serve as generals , less powerful & younger members are drafted into lower-ranking sects , etc . And ya know , he eats you if you fail him , so . :)

House emblem is like the symbol on his belt from demon knights , etc . Maybe . They’re all over the world . Hiding . Definitely also would be sort of a metagame if other people outright knew about it past a certain point in time because Vandal would keep this SECRET for a VERY long time . Either that or he casually covers it as being None Of Your Fucking Business until it’s time to unleash his literal pack of warhounds . It’s its own faction , it’s own party , it’s own army . They’d have bases all over the world !

Uh , basically , I think that vandal needs his original own organization aside from Secret Society , Injustice Society , & the billion other evil groups he’s been a part of . I think Savage Dawn gave us something neat & I think it deserves to be fleshed out . I just need more time & ideas …

[thesoulspulse]

Danny Phantom Randomness (Desolation)

I just had an interesting thought. To give you a bit of context, in my fanfic “Nowhere To Run” I had Vlad and Danny confront a lot of their personal issues with one another, especially Vlad after he went too far with the cloning incident. Danny’s a tough kid but everyone has their limits as far as how much they’re willing to put up with.

So here’s my thought, what if after the events of TUE Danny becomes extra paranoid of losing his friends and family? For example, when Vlad tries to make Jazz and Danny fight he straight up refuses to instead of putting on an act. This obviously confuses Vlad who has never seen Danny like that and Jazz for once is at a loss for what to do since Vlad injected her with nanobots and legit threatened to “waste her” if she betrayed him, meaning she probably HAS to fight Danny.

Danny seriously loses his cool and goes straight to attacking Vlad so violently to make him turn off the nanobots and ghost shield that for the first time he’s getting a small taste of exactly what Danny’s capable of once he stops holding back. This makes Vlad stop to think about what could have possibly made Danny react like that. Was this just his usual teen angst and raging hormones, or the result of one too many ghost fights giving Danny some serious emotional trauma?

Skipping forward to when Vlad infects Sam and Tucker with ecto-acne, Danny loses it again and doesn’t even try to play nice in front of his parents. He grabs Vlad by the collar of his shirt and threatens Vlad, saying that if ANYTHING happens to them...he’ll kill him. Vlad of course just writes it off as Danny being dramatic since he knows he’ll save them all anyway. And this time, Danny doesn’t screw up the timeline to make sure Vlad doesn’t get his ghost powers since he’s already seen the damage something like that can do.

What finally makes Danny snap is when Vlad kidnaps and tortures him to get a mid-morph sample. He’s had enough. And so, one day Danny goes to confront Vlad and it goes something like this:

After Danny calls Vlad out on how evil he’s become, like a spoiled brat Vlad tries to excuse his actions with the whole “Jack Fenton ruined my life” bit to which Danny responds coldly. “No he didn’t Vlad. It was an accident but you CHOSE to use your powers for selfish reasons. You chose to be my enemy. We could have been friends at least, but no.

“The truth is, Vlad, you don’t know HOW to love anyone. If you did, you wouldn’t do things like this. You wouldn’t threaten the lives of my friends and family or reject someone who genuinely loved you! Dani LOVED you, and you threw that all away because of your stupid obsession with the perfect half-ghost son. Well news flash Vlad, I’ve SEEN how it ends once you get what you think you want...

“In a timeline where I actually lost everything and had to come live with you, you destroyed that too. You destroyed what was left of me and the entire world paid the price for your selfishness. You think my dad ruined your life but that’s where you’re wrong, you did that. You destroy everything you touch which means...the only way to make sure you never turn me into that monster is to become it on my own terms so that I’m the only one who has to live with the guilt. Because I’d rather die a hero...then live long enough to see myself become a worse villain than you.”

After that, Danny goes all out and stops pulling his punches. They duke it out in a seriously intense battle and after Danny comes out on top, but only just, Danny tells Vlad that if he EVER crosses the line again it’s over. No second chances. No mercy. Because Vlad was slowly turning into a real monster, not just some cartoon villain and Danny’s not willing to risk the fate of the world or the safety of his friends and family on sparing the life of a self-centered jerk who keeps saying all he wants is love but then ends up doing things to make Danny hate him more and more as time passes.

So, Vlad has a choice to make.

He can either keep going on like this, pushing Danny away completely.

Or, Vlad can stop and take a long hard look at his life and realize Danny’s right. This has to end before its too late and any chance they might have to become anything more than enemies is gone forever.

Even if Vlad can’t be Danny’s father...he can at least become a mentor which is better than nothing and means he won’t be alone anymore. Then the two of them can have at least one person around who understands them better than anyone else in their lives. Heck, even agreeing to a truce would be a huge improvement...

Anyways, just had to get this idea out of my system. Hope you liked it!

[edenmemes]

resident evil village starters

❝ oh, keep growing! one day your head might actually fit your ego. ❞   ❝ running will get you nowhere. ❞     ❝ you don’t have to trust my words, but do you have any better options? ❞   ❝ you shouldn’t be out here. it’s not safe. ❞   ❝ i know you don’t like to talk about it, but can we really just forget everything and pretend it didn’t happen? ❞   ❝ well, what do you think? it’s hopeless, right? ❞ ❝ i wish it could stay like this forever. ❞   ❝ oh, such a disappointment. i thought we could join forces.  ❞ ❝ i don’t have time for this bullshit. out of my way. ❞   ❝ i don’t give a damn about your personal issues. ❞   ❝ it’s a pleasure to see you safe. ❞   ❝ just give up. flesh and blood will never win against me. ❞ ❝ quit acting so full of yourself. ❞ ❝ the clock is ticking. playtime’s over! ❞ ❝ ohhh, don’t give up! ❞ ❝ you think you can take me on? ❞ ❝ you should have never refused me.  ❞ ❝ these are the fruits of my power.  ❞ ❝ leave it alone. you are out of your depth. ❞   ❝ i’ve learned all i can from you. your worth as a lab rat has run out. ❞   ❝ no, no, this can’t be the end for me! ❞   ❝ i can’t escape from here... i can’t do anything! ❞ ❝ what are you talking about? you think this is a game? ❞   ❝ don’t get cocky. i’d kill you if you weren’t the trouble. ❞   ❝ hey, do you know anything about what’s going on around here? ❞   ❝ i’m not used to relying on other people. ❞   ❝ you’re the real deal. well done.  ❞ ❝ i gotta...keep going. ❞   ❝ i think it’s time you left things in my hands. ❞   ❝ my power is leaving me! ❞   ❝ do me a favor... try to stay under the radar. ❞ ❝ you don’t get it. you don’t stand a chance by yourself. ❞ ❝ alright, alright. i guess i owe you an explanation. ❞ ❝ you must be pretty tough, huh? ❞   ❝ all your power’s done is drive you nuts. ❞   ❝ i gotta say, i’m surprised you made it this far. it’d be a shame if something happened to you now. ❞   ❝ so you finally came to see me! everyone falls for me in time. ❞   ❝ it’s all i can spare. take it, take it! ❞   ❝ you’ve got fight, i’ll give you that. ❞   ❝ i didn’t want to keep it from you. i didn’t want to lose you again. ❞   ❝ i’d kill you if you weren’t worth the trouble. ❞   ❝ is there something you’re not telling me? come on, talk to me. ❞   ❝ you can hear it, can’t you? someone’s waiting for you. ❞   ❝ oh, careful what you wish for. ❞   ❝ i don’t want to die. oh, it hurts so much. ❞   ❝ don’t look at me that way. ❞   ❝ i told you to sit down. ❞   ❝ you’re the reason ___ doesn’t love me. ❞   ❝ hey, kiss me? ❞   ❝ if it’s for you, i would do anything. ❞   ❝ come on, it’s not that much further! ❞   ❝ you’re the only one to see me in this form. ❞   ❝ ugh, my temper got away from me. ❞   ❝ play with me some more. ❞   ❝ trying to get on my good side? ❞   ❝ i don’t know if it’s the scent of the flowers, but i feel light headed. ❞   ❝ in all my years, i’ve never been this overjoyed. ❞   ❝ look forward to what i have in store for you. ❞   ❝ mmm, that smells good. what’s that? ❞   ❝ you really should have taken my deal. ❞ ❝ truth hurts, don’t it?  ❞ ❝ i’ve waited so long. but dreams really can come true. ❞   ❝ you coward! come out and face me. ❞   ❝ quit hiding, asshole. i’m not letting you get out of this.  ❞ ❝ i won’t let you have it. even if you beg. ❞   ❝ this is my territory, and i won’t let you leave. ❞   ❝ damn, i’m so cold. my legs won’t work. ❞   ❝ local wine, too. but if you’re going to keep sulking all evening, maybe you shouldn’t have any. ❞ ❝ it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. ❞   ❝ you’re the last asshole in my way, aren’t you? ❞   ❝ well, at least we’re together. ❞   ❝ hey, now. think positively, all right? we talked about this. ❞   ❝ come now, don’t be shy. show me your terror. ❞   ❝ i would’ve sliced you to ribbons if they hadn’t stopped me. ❞   ❝ it’s only a riddle if you don’t know the answer. ❞   ❝ shouldn’t we face what happened there so we can live our lives without it hanging over our heads? ❞   ❝ rest while you can, because i will hunt you, and i will break you. ❞   ❝ this village is full of monsters. we can’t fight them! there’s too many. ❞   ❝ a dead body? wait...there’s more... ❞   ❝ you’re a lot like your father, you know. ❞   ❝ it barely flinched when i shot it. i feel like it’s toying with me. ❞   ❝ it’ll be fine. it’ll be fine. it’ll be fine. ❞   ❝ listen. you’re being played.  ❞ ❝ too bad you’ll pay for it...with your life. ❞   ❝ please won’t you stay with me? forever? ❞   ❝ you are lucky to die before your child. ❞   ❝ quiet now, child! adults are talking. ❞   ❝ there’s nothing wrong with my memory. you’re just being paranoid. ❞   ❝ this is...this is just too much. ❞   ❝ awww, you’re blushing. ❞   ❝ how can a man be ‘almost’ dead? that’s a question for the wise. ❞   ❝ what kind of sick medieval shit is this? ❞   ❝ i’ve spent a lifetime creating this moment...and you try to take it away from me? ❞   ❝ i’m sick of fighting you! ❞   ❝ why didn’t you fucking tell me right away? ❞ ❝ shut your damn hole and don’t be a sore loser! ❞   ❝ but i’m not paranoid, i’m just cautious. ❞   ❝ don’t get close to me when i’m cooking, babe. ❞   ❝ anyone who is anyone has heard of the likes of you. ❞   ❝ i haven’t cut open a man in a while. ❞   ❝ we moved here so that you wouldn’t have to deal with any of that, remember? ❞   ❝ why? why would you do this? ❞   ❝ i knew you would want to be involved. and this job is hard enough without civilians getting in the way. ❞ ❝ oh? you have something to say? ❞   ❝ tell me what’s out there! ❞   ❝ you’re still alive...? impressive. ❞   ❝ hey, are you listening? hey! ❞   ❝ exactly how much do you plan on annoying me? ❞   ❝ oh, no. they’re coming! ❞   ❝ do you have a gun? please tell me you have a gun. ❞   ❝ it’s not---nevermind. i’m sorry. ❞   ❝ drunk or not, you are welcome---and safe---in here. ❞   ❝ you know how to push my buttons. ❞   ❝ hey, don’t i get a say in this? ❞   ❝ you wouldn’t know proper manners if it slapped you in the face. ❞   ❝ i won’t forgive you, you bastard! ❞   ❝ why...why do you treat me the same as them? am i not your favourite? am i not special? ❞   ❝ at night, i hear wailing, as if ghosts roam the halls. ❞   ❝ quit your whining; we’re almost there! ❞   ❝ i’m afraid you can’t return to your old world any longer. ❞   ❝ how dare you bare your teeth at me. ❞   ❝ you couldn’t save them. they were already gone. ❞   ❝ in life and death, we give glory. ❞   ❝ can you even understand that humiliation?  ❞ ❝ even i can get angry. ❞   ❝ what the hell is that thing? ❞ ❝ we will meet again soon. ❞ ❝ let’s just say parts of the human imagination are better left alone. ❞ ❝ some treasures still lurk in this village. ❞ ❝ my decision is final. there will be no argument. ❞   ❝ everyone leaves me. even you. ❞   ❝ there is no safe! every sorry bastard out there has been ripped in half! ❞   ❝ come inside. the others are waiting. ❞   ❝ come with me. there’s something i have to tell you. ❞   ❝ what the hell is wrong with this place? ❞   ❝ the strong will destroy the weak. that’s the way of the world. ❞   ❝ no, we’re getting out of here --- together. ❞   ❝ but what i saw was...frightful. ❞ ❝ i suppose it’s what they call ‘the beauty of the grotesque’. ❞   ❝ you taught me so much and for that i will be forever in your debt. ❞   ❝ it is my curiosity that ties me to this place. ❞   ❝ please let me know if you’d like to strengthen your weapons. ❞ ❝ you’ll pay if i find out this is a lie. ❞ ❝ speaking of foolish questions, who --- what are you? ❞   ❝ if i don’t kill them then my life will never be my own. ❞   ❝ you are abominable. your deceit knows no bound. ❞   ❝ quit holding out, and get to the damn point! ❞ ❝ you’re the one who’s cursed. ❞ ❝ i hope you will be able to achieve your goal someday, too. ❞   ❝ that is why i had to leave you. i will regret never telling you goodbye. ❞   ❝ if i had but a little more time, i know i might be able to turn the tides of this battle. ❞   ❝ i can hear it shuffling about outside. ❞   ❝ and now you even try to steal my property? how dare you? ❞   ❝ ugh, just another simple little manthing. ❞   ❝ oh, good. i was just thinking of ways to pass the time. ❞ ❝ nowhere to go but up. ❞   ❝ where are you? show yourself! ❞ ❝ not without me, it’s too dangerous. ❞ ❝ shit, that was close. ❞   ❝ i heard explosions. what happened? ❞ ❝ you’ve dirtied my dress! ❞   ❝ you’re my daughter...now act like it! ❞   ❝ i don’t think we will make it through winter at this rate. ❞   ❝ the wounds are severe. i won’t last much longer. ❞   ❝ will you please stop talking in riddles? ❞   ❝ goddamn. it really is you. ❞ ❝ you sure of this? your body is, well, falling apart. ❞       ❝ how long have i been out? ❞   ❝ keep your distance. do not move until i give the order. ❞   ❝ i’ve got a tough guy here, i need some back-up! ❞   ❝ if my mom saw this shit, she’d think she’d died and gone to hell. ❞   ❝ shut your fucking hole! ...sorry about that. ❞   ❝ who are you? who sent you? ❞   ❝ please, be well. ❞   ❝ there’s more than we thought. watch out. ❞ ❝ to hunger...is to be alive. ❞   ❝ goddammit! why is everyone dying on me? ❞   ❝ hey! hey. don’t talk like that. ❞   ❝ my word, you truly are as strong as they say! ❞   ❝ don’t you love me? ❞   ❝ oh, you didn’t think i’d let you get away, did you? ❞   ❝ taken alive? dead? which would you prefer? ❞  

[roscgcld]

HEADCANON + VARIOUS || when their siblings are evil

request: Hello, I was kinda wondering how would Gojo, Itadori and megumi react to a their younger sibling being evil but she has a reason to being that way. [Headcanon] -

note: hmm - this one is really interesting! honestly i had never thought about their reactions if their younger siblings are evil! this was an entirely new idea to me, so i definitely enjoyed writing something like this

characters: gojo satoru, itadori yuji, fushiguro megumi

pronouns: she/her

GOJO SATORU

in this sense, I feel it’s not that shocking that if his younger sister joined forces with geto

if you weren’t born with the Six Eyes like your older brother, your clan will just treat you like a slave - like maki was treated when she was in the zen’in clan 

after years of abuse and being told that you were a mistake, and that you shouldn’t have been born, and that you were a waste of space - that might crack you and made you go insane

gojo might have known this might happen, and had tried to move you away from the path of evil - because i feel like he would be a good older brother and shower you in all the love you deserve

he’d shower you in love and respect, getting you new clothes even if your parents tell him not to, spoil you rotten and even training you to use your powers under the cover of darkness

but sometimes it just isn’t enough though, and the emotional wounds are just too deep to heal - and he gets that

feel like he might end up blaming himself - what kind of older brother can’t protect his own baby sister? how can he call himself ‘the strongest’ when he can’t even protect the one person that he was born to protect?

screw the world - he’s your older brother. he should have seen the signs and stopped you from doing what you do

at the same time, he knows the reason why you left - you were sick and tired of the higher ups and their backwards thinking

the elders of your clan, the elders of other clans, the higher ups who control the jujutsu world - you hate them all, and you strive for the change that gojo wants to do as well. but with how you’ve been put down your entire life, and how underdeveloped your skills are, you went the only route you know - a route that strays you away from all you’ve ever known

if anything, he’s sort of proud - since along the way, geto definitely takes you under his wing and teaches you to unlock all the potential of your power - which will be a huge slap to the face for the rest of the clan and the higher ups

feel like he doesn’t have it in him to really take you down if he needs to, since he can see through you no matter what - how you’re scared to be on the run, how you hate being away from your older brother, how you know that you have innocent blood on your hands

yet you can’t leave, you’re in too deep now. and if you return, who exactly is there to stop the higher ups from killing you like they so desperate want to for so long?  

he’d probably spare you out of all the sorcerers that the higher-ups have branded as traitors, because at the end of the day you’re still his baby sister

and no matter how twisted your views of getting to your goal has become, you two still strive for the same thing - and that is to rid the jujutsu world of people like them

plus, if he was being honest, he’d want to keep you around as a slap to the higher ups still lol; the biggest middle finger he can give to them is by keeping you alive for as long as possible

ITADORI YUJI

yuji, being the sunshine he is, would not have known why you decided to leave for the other side of the war

it wasn’t his fault - if anything, he was the best older brother to be around. he’s what people dreamed of when they think of having an older brother

he took care of you, make sure you and your grandfather was fed, made sure you didn’t need to worry about trivial things like money or when the pay the bills - you just focus on being happy and that’s all that he needs in return

feel like the reason why you left was more because of manipulation - if you can just grow stronger, you can protect yuji from getting executed. that you can make a better world for the both of you, that you two can one day live in a happy world where curses and sorcerers were far behind you

of course yuji will be upset - he doesn’t see the appeal of the other side, and always advocates for you to realise how geto and the other curses are using you for their own benefit 

why would you give up your freedom to fight on the other side?

he’d be conflicted - this was the little girl who he used to braid her hair and cook for every day, the girl who he brought up from young to become the headstrong woman you are today. his best friend and the only person he can truly rely on during the darkest of times

how can he put that aside and hunt you down like you’re a prized animal in a hunting competition?

he’d wonder if he was a good brother to you too as well - wondering if he wasn’t giving you enough attention growing up, not as good as he thought he was at splitting his time for you

it’d take a lot of convincing from his friends that it wasn’t his fault, that you were being manipulated into thinking that this was the only way you can turn to in order to help him

since neither of you were really sorcerers to begin with - being thrown into a world where power dictates how you are treated would push anyone into a corner 

he’d use that to probably train harder - to show you that you didn’t need to do the things you are doing to make sure he’s safe, that he can protect both you and him with ease

that you two can go back to how things were before all this

if you two ever meet in battle, i don’t think he’d be able to handle it - he’d be hesitate when it comes to hitting you with full power, since he didn’t want to kill you by accident

the last he needs is to have your death on his conscience

throughout the entire battle he might still try to convince you that it isn’t too late, that you can return back to jujutsu tech and learn from the best of the best, with a warm roof over your heads and friends you can really rely on 

he’d stand in the way between you and any curse that tries to take you out, making sure that if either of you are to continue living, it’d be you

he’d lay his life down for you, even though he knows you’ve taken many innocent ones while getting to where you are today 

he still has all the love of an older brother, and nothing people say or do will waiver the vow he took when he first held you in his arms - that he was going to protect you no matter what

FUSHIGURO MEGUMI

with megumi, i can see why as well - you were abandoned at a young age, growing up watching your father working with all kinds of shady people

so it was natural for you to fall down the same path; since no one was really there to teach you right from wrong 

i feel like megumi might have tried, and he really did try to show you that going down the path your father did was not the best idea - but how much can he do as a young child?

he probably feels more guilty as time goes by - child or not, he was your older brother, he should have tried harder to show you where you could have put that skill

wouldn’t breath a word about your existence to anyone, not because he doesn’t want to be associated with you. it’s more so your name will not be as well known as geto suguru - that maybe, there was a chance that the higher-ups might overlook you and you can sneak back in without causing too much waves

but the entire time, he might harbour all the guilt from not trying hard enough as a child to convince you that going to jujutsu tech was the best way to get stronger and show the zen’in clan that your father wasn’t a ‘waste of an heir’

the first time his friends will even find out you were an actual person is when you would run into them whilst you’re on a job - kill a target your client gave to steal some documents that they view as valuable

you didn’t notice them until you felt someone staring at you, to which you turn to face the person - ready to threaten to scoop their eyeballs out

“oh, hi nii-chan.” you’d greet with a casual grin as he stared at you in shock, nobara and yuji looking between the both of you curiously. “didn’t think i’d see you ever again.”

yuji and nobara might talk to you like you’re a normal person, but they kept their guards up still - something you found amusing, but still answering their question truthfully 

megumi knew better - unfortunately you’re branded as an underground criminal, and if possible, any available sorcerer that bumps into you is to kill you before you accidentally reveal the existence of sorcerers and curses

however, no matter how hard he wills himself, he can’t do it - you’re still his flesh and blood. you may have chosen a path that’s different from his, but deep down you’re still living true to yourself

you’d glance over and see the conflict brewing in his eyes, to which you’d give him a soft smile before you lean over to grab his hand in his, causing him to snap his eyes up at you

“do what you think is right.”

with that you pulled away, and with another wave to the group, you melted into the crowd; somehow managing to disappear before their eyes

both his friends will be confused, looking around for you while he stared down at the hand you had grabbed, a slightly faraway look on his face

he’d probably realise that if anything, you’re living true to yourself and allowing yourself to fly so far ahead that you’ve slowly started to outshine any of them prior to this

and he’d feel weirdly proud, because you were still his baby sister, and you still achieved things that are worth being proud of 

© roscgcld — all rights reserved to me, rose, the author and creator of these works. do not repost/translate/claim my work as yours on any platform

[timbertumbr]

Perspective (Ninjago Kai X Reader) Requested

Here you are anon! Sorry if it isn't a Ninja you prefer-

Might have some spoilers if you don't know who Misako is. 

DEFINITE spoilers to the end of season 2.

"Your ability is powerful. But to gain people's trust you need to break their perspective about you. Some may see your gift as an ability capable of destruction and chaos which makes them fear you. Others, myself included, may see your gift as a way to help make the world a better place. So, sugar or cream?" This. The very words that convinced you to join the Ninjas side and the very words you desperately hold onto during your lowest moments. 

It's all about perspective. No matter how many times you've helped the Ninja save the city, some people still don't trust you. Kai especially. The hot head and the "looks" of the team according to him. 

He's always been one to jump into action and ask questions later. Always been the type of person to jump to conclusions and hold onto them for dear life. 

While he may be the most skeptical of the group, doesn't mean most of the ninja didn't treat you with the same skepticism as Kai.

The only people that seem to trust you these days are Sensei Wu, Misako, Zane, and Lloyd. 

Speaking of Misako, you were currently helping her with her latest archeological find while the Ninja were on a mission per her instruction.

"Tiny pickaxe," 

"Got it," 

"Fossil brush," 

"Here ya go," 

"Trowel," 

"Ace of spades, you win," Misako chuckled at the lame joke. You peer over her shoulder while she works.

"What do you think it is?" 

"Well, if it's been stuck in the walls of a heavily guarded chamber for thousands of years, it has to either be something valuable, powerful, or both," You hum in acknowledgment before a loud thud echoed the room, making Misako jump and drop the tiny pickaxe. It fell to the floor as the two of you turned to the door to see the Ninja covered in soot and torn clothes.

"YOU! YOU TRICKED US!" Kai yells, storming into the room and pointing an accusing finger towards you.

"Huh?" 

"Don't 'huh' us! You know exactly what you did!" Jay chipped in. Zane looked back and forth at his teammates.

"Perhaps it would be wise to freshen up and rest. A near-death experience can-" 

"NOT NOW ZANE!" Kai yells. Cole grimaces, inhaling sharply through his teeth before backing out of the room. 

"Kai please-" 

"HOW CAN YOU ALL BE SO BLIND?! THEY TRICKED US INTO GOING INTO THAT DEATH TRAP AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN?!" Kai cuts Lloyd off, absolutely furious.

"Kai-" 

"No! They PLANNED this! They wanted us to go in blind to get rid of us! They should've never been invited to the team in the first place and stay in their little evil lair! Once a demon, always a demon," The room went completely silent as Lloyd looked at Kai like he was the dumbest person alive.

"I… I'm… going to get some air," You mumbled before swiftly walking past them and onto the deck of the bounty.

"Kai. I get it, you're angry. But that was literally the DUMBEST thing that ever came out of your mouth," Lloyd grumbles.

"Wha-"

"Lloyd is right. Saying someone never changes is inaccurate. Lloyd is a perfect example of this," Zane chips in.

"And Garmadon. Well, he was originally good, then bad, then good again, but the point is he did change. Multiple times!" Jay points out, feeling a tad guilty for snapping at you.

"And Y/N wasn't the one who told us to go there, my mother did," Misako nods.

"He's right. And if I had known how dangerous it was, I wouldn't have sent you. Y/N as well, no matter how much you perceive them as the villain," Kai looked around and realized he was in the wrong and knew what he had to do.

"Fine, I messed up. I'll apologize," Kai grumbles, leaving the room. They then turned their attention to Jay who looked nervous.

"Okay! Fine! I messed up too! I'll go make an apology gift!" He scrambles out of the room while the trio looked at each other proudly.

____________

You leaned on the bounty looking down at Ninjago city. You were contemplating if you should just pack your bags and leave if that's what they want. You didn't even consider joining till Sensei Wu said his piece.

Kai's words were the straw that broke the camel's back. While contemplating, you realized you did very little to help the team. Why did Wu want you again? For your potential?

Nodding to yourself, you turn around to start packing when you see Kai approaching you. You frown upon seeing his conflicted expression.

"Uh… hey?" -_- Really Kai? That's what made you so conflicted. Shaking your head, you begin walking.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kai asks, confused.

"Leaving," You respond curtly, Kai follows you with a raised brow.

"Well, can you at least hear me out?" 

"I don't want to hear it," Kai was taken aback by how cold you were being. You're usually friendly and patient with everyone, even if they are skeptical. Kai's guilt started to swallow him whole, he caused this.

"Please?" It was a feeble attempt, one that was said just above a whisper and so upset that you'd think a child said it. You pause and sigh, turning around to face the hothead, a sign for him to get on with it.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said and I have no excuse for it. It was… out of line..." Kai muttered, looking at his feet.

"Okay," You turn on your heel and continue walking while Kai stares at you in shock. 

"Wait, where are you going?!" Kai asks, confused and a little scared.

"I already told you that I'm leaving, for good," Kai's eyes widened in realization, you were leaving the team.

"WHAT?! No, you can't!" 

"First you want me to leave then you want me to stay, can't you make up your mind FOR ONCE?!" You snapped, turning to face him with tears brimming around your eyes.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, didn't I?!" Kai snaps back.

"An apology doesn't just fix everything! I'm done! I'm done being treated like I just murdered someone every day, no matter what I do to show that I'm not what people think I am! I'm done being defined by my abilities that I didn't even ask for! I'm done…" You couldn't stop the emotions and the tears from flooding, once you started you couldn't stop. You wipe at your eyes in a feeble attempt to stop the tears while Kai stared, his guilt consumed him and then some.

"Y/N," He called out, gaining your attention. He extended a hand, a small flame erupting from his palm and waving wildly, a symbol of both their current emotions.

"'Perspective is everything.' That's what Wu said. Some may see this fire as a cause for pain, destruction, and chaos. But to others it warms a house on a winter's night, it's a signal to let those know you need help. 

It's more than just a little flame. And I should've been seeing you the same way. There are good and bad qualities in every person. I've been obsessing over the bad because of my perspective on you. When I should've been looking at both your good traits and flaws equally. 

You said ‘an apology doesn't fix everything,’ right. Well, then what about a thank you? Thank you for being so patient. Thank you for putting up with this for so long even though you didn't deserve it. Thank you for being strong, brave, and kind. Thank you…" Kai trailed off, looking down at the ground in embarrassment while putting out the fire. You stared at him in amazement.

"Ah, that got… long," He muttered. You snicker and then start laughing.

"Th-That's the most thoughtful thing since I got here… and the smartest," You half-joked, earning a playful glare while he smirked.

"Thank you, Kai," He merely shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah. What are friends for?" You perked up at his words.

"I'm your friend?" 

"Well, now you are. Only if you want to though," You smiled.

"I'd love to be your friend Kai," 

"Aww, maaaaan! How am I gonna top that?!" You and Kai turn to see Jay holding a box while muttering to himself. The two of you burst out laughing. It'll take time to repair/make the bonds of friendship, but with a new friend by your side, you're sure to gain the rest of the team's trust.

[jann-the-bean]

Fluffynightkiller

Day 1: There’s a first time for everything

•

•

•

“Hi welcome to-“ The barista gaped as a violet eyed skeleton entered his coffee shop. He was entranced by how elegant the skeleton maneuvered himself inside the shop. There was something familiar about this violet skeleton, but the barista couldn’t quite place his finger on it.

The other’s posture was tall, straight, and proud. Not a single limb out of place, no wasted energy in unnecessary actions. His eyes slightly narrowed, refusing to make eye contact with others. At first glance many may view him as arrogant, but not to Ccino. He noticed the slight clenching of his fist and his once graceful strides became rigid with every step he took. As if expecting someone to lash out and attack.

The proud skeleton sat at a table distanced from the rest. From his mannerisms it was obvious he disliked socializing with others. Even when sitting he didn’t slouch, his back remained upright, and his hands delicately placed on the table. How peculiar.. Ccino only ever recalled seeing just one other being who sat in a similar position. It was-

*Ding*

Ccino was pulled from his thoughts upon hearing the door open once more. This time a skeleton with no eyelights appeared. He wore a blue fluffed hoodie, with a strange black stain, and white shorts with a black strips on the sides. One of his sockets was half closed while the other fully open. He had a smile on his face which grew to a smirk upon laying eyes on the violet eyed skeleton. But his most notable feature was a bright red soul that was displayed for the world to see. Ccino hadn’t realized he was staring, he only noticed when the other raised a brow in amusement. He placed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie before making his way to Ccino’s direction. The barista gulped, unsure if he’d somehow offended the eyeless skeleton.

“Heya sweetheart, mind preparing us a couple of drinks?” The eyeless skeleton smiled as he placed his elbow on the table while resting his head in his hand.

“O-of course! What w-would you like?” The other responded trying his hardest to stay calm. His soul pounding violently against his chest as his nerves threatened to overtake him.

“I’d like an mochaccino with an extra shot of espresso” he turned to face the violet skeleton. “What do you want, boss?”

“Just get me a black coffee.” Ccino tensed for a brief second. That voice... it sounded way to familiar. As quick as the thought entered his head, Ccino was just as quick to dismiss it. He was working, he didn’t have time to think about non-work related things right now. However, the violet skeleton made eye contact with Ccino. In that brief moment, his stern features wavered for a fragment of a second, that the barista questioned if he imagined it.

The skeleton on the countertop chuckled and turned to face Ccino once more. “Alright, there you have it. One mochaccino with an extra shot of expresso and one black coffee.” The barista nodded and rang up his total. Ccino had told the skeleton he was more than welcome to sit and wait, but the other refused stating that “The view is better from here.” A wave of heat rose to his cheeks. He couldn’t tell if this skeleton was flirting with him, but it sure felt like it. The problem is... he was quite attractive... and charming too. Curse his amorous heart and falling for those who would never return his feelings. Especially for a certain black goopy skeleton.

At some point when Ccino was preparing the drinks the eyeless skeleton had to step out for a minute. The barista had forgotten to ask for a name to call out once the order was ready. He opted to just take the drinks to the violet skeleton’s table. It would probably be better than yelling across the shop trying to get his attention.

“Uhm... I’m sorry. I forgot to ask for a name, but here are your drinks.” Ccino gently set the drinks on the table and carefully ensured not to spill the hot beverages. “C-careful.. it’s really hot.”

Being in such close proximity Ccino noticed a few things he hadn’t before. It appeared that this violet eyed skeleton only had a single functioning eyelight. The other socket was a pitch black, with various cracks surrounding it. Actually, his hands and several visible bones appeared to be fractured. What could’ve happened to such a beautiful skeleton to have so many injuries throughout his body? It wasn’t a question he dared ask. It had to be something personal, and frankly none of Ccino’s business or concern. The violet skeleton nodded to Ccino’s warning but didn’t say a word.

The day passed like any other. Uneventful, and yet again the goopy skeleton had failed to visit. How long had it been since their last reunion? Months? Perhaps even years by now? He knew that Nightmare had used him. He was evil, a manipulator, ruthless, and unforgiving. But, he wasn’t a liar. From their very first encounter he was honest about the basis of their relationship. Ccino was good source to replenish his negativity, and in turn he wouldn’t harm him or his au. At least not in any physical way. The barista new he was being used, knew that the other didn’t see him as anything else but as a charging port. And yet, his silly little heart grew fond of the other’s presence. Perhaps it was because Nightmare was the first person he spent continuous time with. He became illusioned that for as long as he was alive he would have a companion of sorts.

Yet, one day he stopped showing. Sure Nightmare had the tendency to go weeks or months without visiting. However, this time it had been longer than usual. Ccino waited and waited until he slowly began losing hope. Perhaps, the other found a more suitable companion? Maybe realized the Ccino wasn’t worth being around? Decided it was no longer worth his effort to visit his pathetic AU just to see him? Tears burned the lining of his sockets. He shook his head and wiped his eyes. No, now isn’t the time for this. He still had to close up his shop- Ccino paused. Wait, those two why are they still here? He was referring to the eyeless and violet skeleton of course.

Strange, well they were newcomers and most likely didn’t know the shop hours. The barista removed his apron and gently placed it on the countertop, before making his way towards the two strange skeletons. “E-Excuse me.. I’m so glad you decided to support my shop today. But, uhm, it’s time for me to close for the day. You’re more than welcome to come back again tomorrow. I-If you’d like to of course.”

The two didn’t answer. It appeared as if they were contemplating what their response should be. A sinking feeling began to form in Ccino’s non-existent stomach. Were they going to rob him? He didn’t have much to offer just the money in the register! He could defend himself if needed but- he was outnumbered. Maybe he could manage to escape and call for help-

“Actually, we were hoping to talk to you in private.” The eyeless skeleton stated, his soul wavering for a brief second before shifting to an upside down heart. It was so beautiful and captivating. That Ccino had to resist the urge to be lost in its marvelous glow.

“P-pardon? You w-want to talk to me? About what exactly?” The barista was rather confused. He’d never seen these two in his entire life! How did they know about him? Were they maybe some of those ‘special’ people that Nightmare talked about? How they could travel to different universes? But what would they want with him?

“Well, being honest he,” the eyeless skeleton pointed to his companion. “Was hoping to have a conversation with you.”

The skeleton in mention tensed and averted his gaze from Ccino’s. It was clearer now that he was up close. The violet skeleton exhibited signs of slight anguish and remorse in his delicate facial features. But they were quickly concealed once again. No sign of pain, guilt, anxiety, or any other emotion were visible in the single eyelight.

The violet skeleton sighed before returning Ccino’s gaze. “Ccino.. it’s been a while hasn’t it? How have you been these past months.. perhaps even a year or years now? Hard to keep track of time in the void” The barista froze upon hearing his name slip past the violet skeletons mouth. How did he know his name? Did he introduce himself earlier? No, he didn’t think so... maybe his apron? No. He took that off. Then.... how? “You appear to be surprised. Well.. that is to be expected I suppose. How would you ever recognize me without my black attire.”

Ccino drew in a quick breathe. His body already having processed who exactly this skeleton was. Hot tears filled the lining of his sockets and spilled down his cheeks. His body trembled as his mind finally realized his identity. “N-Nightmare...?”

Nightmare tilted his head in acknowledgement. Smiling as if he were praising Ccino. “I’m impressed.. but you were always smarter than you looked.” A pause. Nightmare once again averted his eyes, a flicker of doubt flashed in that violet orb of his. “I didn’t come here to waste your time. So I’ll cut to the chase. As you can see, many things have changed since we last met. Clearly I’ve changed... and more than physically.... But.... I’ve done terrible- unforgivable things and I’m not some naive fool expecting mercy or to be saved. Yet, I do believe that you.. at the very least deserve an apology.”

Nightmare rose from his chair his eye never breaking contact with Ccino’s. “I sincerely apologize for my actions, and for using you to my own benefit. As I said, I’m not looking for forgiveness. I’m far beyond that. Don’t worry, you’ll never see my face again and you may live your life as you please. You are no longer shackled to me... you are free.... and this is my final goodbye.” The violet skeleton turned to face his partner. “Let’s go, Killer. We have overstayed our visit.”

Ccino couldn’t believe what he just heard. Was nightmare apologizing to him? Did that actually just happen? The once feared and powerful being in the multiverse had just apologized to him. I guess there really was a first time for everything. He blinked a few times resulting in fresh tears to stream down his face. Wait.. goodbye? Did that mean.. as in forever? No... No! No! No! No, he couldnt! He just got back! He just came back and now he’s leaving again? Now that was just cruel... how cruel and yet Ccino still couldn’t bring himself to hate Nightmare. His presence only succeeded in confirming what Ccino already knew. That he was in love with Nightmare.

Killer jumped to his feet and placed his hands in his hoodie. “Awe, you sure you want to leave so soon, boss? I don’t know, I’m sure there’s plenty to do here. Besides, how could you leave that cutie behind-“

“NIGHTMARE!” Ccino called out his voice cracking from the his sobs he continuously failed to hold back. Nightmare turned around to face the skeleton when- SLAP! The noise of Ccino’s hand making contact with Nightmare’s cheek echoed in the near empty shop. Nightmare and Killer were frozen on the spot. Killer wasn’t sure how to react. He was caught off guard and didn’t see it coming. He was half expecting Nightmare to crumble on the spot from his various fractures.

“T-that’s for everything that you’ve done to me! For using me! For leaving! For having the nerve t-to come back, apologize, and only to leave again! Y-you just want me to pretend like none of this ever happened don’t you!? To forget about you!!! Well guess what!? Screw you!” Ccino furiously rubbed his eyes trying wipe the tears away but to no avail. All his bottled emotions had erupted to the surface and there was no way to seal them away again. “How dare you?! Who d-do you think you are?! To just waltz in and out like you please!”

Nightmare turned to face the crying skeleton. He was more than confused. He was certain that Ccino would have been delighted to know he had been liberated from the chains of negativity. Free from him. He hurt him so many times, used him for his own personal gain, and never cared for his well being. So, why was he so upset now that he offered him freedom? He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted when the small barista wrapped his arms around the violet skeleton.

“P-please... please stay! Please don’t leave me!” Ccino wailed as he clung to the skeleton before him. He dug his phalanges into Nightmare’s top refusing to let go, because if he didn’t hold on tight.... surely he’d disappear again. “I-I don’t want you to go! I don’t want to forget! Please! Please! Please! I’m begging.... Don’t a-abandon me.... n-not again.....” The white eyed skeleton trembled as he pleaded for Nightmare to stay. He knew it was hopeless he was begging for the impossible. All his cries and efforts for him to stay would be in vain. But, what else could he do? He had to try because maybe, just maybe the outcome may be different.

Nightmare was frozen, hands stuck in midair as he heard Ccino’s heartbroken cries. Ccino didn’t want him to leave...? Why? Why would he want him to stay? The very being that tormented him for his own amusement? Nightmare was at a loss. What should he do? Ignore the crying skeleton and leave once more? Or should he stay? Either way he wouldn’t be able to permanently stay in this AU. He’s made many enemies who would stop at nothing, until they saw him and those around him perish. He knew this, yet he couldn’t bring himself to leave right now. How could he just leave this fragile skeleton? Ccino always made things more difficult then they should be. It would’ve so much easier if he resented him and despised him. He should’ve screamed for him to leave- to never come back. But no, he was begging him to stay.

Something warm and wet trickled down Nightmare’s cheek. Panic settled in for a brief moment. Was he bleeding? How? He didn’t have any injuries! He quickly touched the liquid with his phalanges and was confused to see a clear substance with a tint of violet. It wasn’t marrow/ blood. Then he realized the liquid came from his sockets... was he crying? His eyes widen slightly. He was. Post his corruption he hardly ever shed any tears. Just once with his twin brother when that forsaken curse had finally been broken. The emotions he thought he’d locked deep in his mind had resurfaced with immense intensity.

Nightmare’s body moved on its own accord enveloping the weeping skeleton into his arms. He gripped his sweater tightly trying to ground himself, fearing he’d lose himself in his own overwhelming emotions. The two skeletons wept in silence as the eyeless one watched with a solemn expression. His soul flickered and wavered as he attempted to suppress his feelings. It was painful. Watching the one he cared for hurt, knowing he wasn’t the cause but another, and seeing for the first time another skeleton suffer because of their feelings for the violet skeleton. It was.. heart wrenching.

The two skeletons cried for hours until they could no longer produce tears. The smallest skeleton ridden with exhaustion lost that battle against his heavy eyelids. He rested his head against Nightmare’s shoulders, feeling a sense a protection and safety in his firm arms. “Don’t.... go.....” the barista pleaded one last time before succumbing to fatigue and drifting to sleep.

Nightmare held the small skeleton firmly in his arms. He glanced at Killer, who had faint black tear streaks on his cheeks. Then back to Ccino who, still in his sleep, clung to him desperately. For the first time, he was at a loss on what his next course of action should be.

Wooooo! What a way to start fluffynight killer week don’t you think? I know it ends on an angsty note but I thought it was fitting! This has actually been one of my few favorite stories to write! Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

This story was inspired by some incredible headcanons and by Zu’s comic lodestar! Wouldn’t have been inspired to write this story if it weren’t for them <3

Killer belongs to @rahafwabas/ @rahofy-sketch

Nightmare belongs to @jokublog

Ccino belongs to @black-nyanko

Fluffynightkiller week by @help-im-a-gay-fish

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

so a while ago @volkswagonblues left a reply on this post saying that jeong jeong was an example of "someone who is ideologically 'right' but whose character is absolutely not likeable, or at least not in the mainstream fandom-popular way". i started writing this response, but i totally forgot it was in my drafts until i wrote my iroh analysis. it doesn't seem right for me to have an iroh analysis post and not a jeong jeong one so here it is, the jeong jeong character analysis nobody asked for:

volkswagonblues's response hits on exactly why i find his character so fascinating - he's good, but he's absolutely not nice or well-adjusted about it. and he's definitely not mainstream-fandom "likable". it's rare that i see hate for one of my minor character faves (one of the benefits of having them), but i have actually seen people say they don't like jeong jeong. mostly, it centers around him being "wrong" about firebending, as opposed to the sun warriors. i can see where that comes from. jeong jeong has the noticable accent and proverb-y speeches of the ~mystical asian master~ trope, but his viewpoint comes off as pretty harsh and simplistic. this can confuse an audience expecting easy answers from a kids show - are you supposed to see him as wise or not? for me, i think asking "are jeong jeong's beliefs wrong?" is the wrong question. instead, you should ask: "why does jeong jeong have those beliefs?"

and the more you think about that, the more you see that he isn't actually wrong. firebending is the only type of bending where the bender produces the element from their own body rather than using their surroundings. it is someone imposing their will on the world, even more so than the other forms of bending. iroh sums this up nicely:

"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy to drive and achieve what they want."

there's nothing wrong with that in theory, but in the show, this drive and power manifests as the fire nation's imperialist conquest, and the goal they're trying to achieve is world domination. as a former high-ranking military official, jeong jeong has seen firsthand the ways firebenders use their power to hurt people. the culmination of the fire nation's ideology is a plan to burn the entire earth kingdom to the ground - exactly the kind of wide-scale destruction he describes in his first cautionary speech:

"Without the bender, a rock will not throw itself! But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it!"

you could say that firebending is misused by the fire nation, but that feels like a No True Scotsman fallacy ("that's not true firebending!"). the fact is, firebending's unique qualities fall in line with the nation's imperialist ideology. jeong jeong hates his bending because it is inextricably tied to the war he hates.

like many, i once thought a trip to the sun warriors would be healing for jeong jeong, but i've since realized that's not what he needs. jeong jeong is perfectly aware that firebending isn't always destructive - he counsels restraint and control, not total suppression, and he even alludes to sun warrior beliefs:

"Feel the heat of the sun. It is the greatest source of fire. Yet, it is in complete balance with nature!"

going to see some dragons who tell him that firebending is about the sun and life won't change his mind. 'of course it's not inherently evil,' he'll say. 'but it has been used in terrible ways'. his feelings aren't about firebending in the abstract. they're about firebending as it is used. that it has the capacity to support an ideology of conquest, that he and others have given into its destructive side and committed such atrocities with it. he's right to hate that. (i also feel like he'd resent the sun warrior civilization for their isolationism. i mean, i would, if i'd put my life on the line to fight against my nation and it turned out there were a bunch of people who agreed with me but did nothing about it.)

so if jeong jeong and the sun warriors aren't philosophically opposed (except re: their involvement in the war), why does his view of firebending seem so much harsher? because - and here we come back to the original point - he's not likeable. he's a strict teacher and plenty of us (especially if we were kids when we watched the show) have a knee-jerk negative reaction to that. his speeches about the danger of fire are grandiose. but here's the thing: the speech where he says the most derogatory things about firebending is not one where he's teaching. it's one where he opens up to katara:

"I've always wished I were blessed like you - free from this burning curse."

this reveal that he wants to be a waterbender means that everything he says to her about his bending is less about what he believes about firebending in general and more about his own personal struggles. and in that context, it's heartbreaking:

"It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart."

this is the core of it all - jeong jeong doesn't just hate the fire nation and its war, he hates himself, hates that he holds that destructive power inside him. he doesn't seem to struggle with the act of bending (another reason why the sun warriors wouldn't necessarily be any help) but he clearly doesn't want to do it, probably because it reminds him of when he did terrible things with it. no wonder he calls it a curse.

and so here's what we're left with: jeong jeong leaves the fire nation military because he is right that the war is wrong, and he counsels control and restraint in opposition to the imperialist ideology of constant expansion and conquest. however, he is severely traumatized and full of guilt from his participation in said imperialist conquest, and that means he comes off as harsh and overly negative. right, but not likeable.

while i was writing this post, i was rewatching a lot of clips from the show, and i got curious about his voice actor, who i suspected was actually asian (unlike most of the voice actors). it turned out i was correct - his name is keone young, and he's had a very long career - but he's hawaiian and doesn't have the accent that probably made me guess that. he has this to say about how he portrays the one-dimensional accented characters he often plays:

“I want to portray that person with an accent who is real instead of a stereotyped version of it," he said. "I’ve always wanted to see myself as the one the story revolved around so that it was my story not your story. I always try to convey I have some kind of philosophy or point of view.”

(read the full interview here)

i bring this up because while i think jeong jeong's memorability can partially be attributed to the atla writers giving him a cool backstory and dramatic lines, what keone young says here about taking a character who's a bit of a stereotype and making them seem real, with their own philosophy and point of view...well, that's exactly jeong jeong. despite his limited screentime, we get a clear picture of who he is and what he believes. and who he is is someone who fully embodies his radically anti-imperialist politics, who has come to his beliefs from traumatic experience that's made him bitter. as the atla renaissance pushes us to reevaluate these children's cartoon characters with older eyes and modern-day politics, it's worth looking at a striking minor character like jeong jeong, who might not be fandom-likable but who has a lot of depth to offer and a perspective worth considering.

[simeonisalesbian]

💳💥💳💥💳💥 my inner lesbian is kicking in full force because of your blog !! is it okay if i request how the sister's weddings would be? and if it's okay, maybe fem! simeon as well? have a good day/night 💞

*evil laughter* I shall feed all the wlws exactly what they want >:3 Mostly because it is also want I want lmao

Lucifer:

please pull her away from planning the wedding everyone and a while

She's treating it like she treats her paperwork and she's going to pass out from lack of sleep the day of at this rate

she lets you male most of the actual decisions and just does the grunt work of it honestly

She insists that she prefersit this way but she does light up a bit when you ask her to choose the music for the ceremony

She also insists on havinga wedding that doesn't use white as its primary color. She's pretty content with any other color as long as it isnt white

shes extremely stressed on the days leading up to the wedding and will snap at her sisters every chance she gets.

Sometimes its not even their fault she just needs a bit of a punching bag. They silently agreed to put up with it for now though

She plans to wear a suit to the wedding since she just doesn't vibe with the big loud fancy wedding dresses honestly

she looks so relaxed and happy staring at you with all the adoration in the world when the day finally comes

Mammon:

She's honestly so impulsive that if you let her she will just elope as soon as you say yes

If you do want a big ceremony thought let her know she won't mind either way

she promises to help you plan everything but please double check the price on everything she picks

she will bankrupt you both trying to make the biggest shiniest wedding imagable

just gently remind her that more expensive doesn't always mean better

she does does want the primary color to be gold but she'll happily change it if you don't like it

Hell she'll throw out all her ideas if you don't like them honestly

she plans on wearing a suit with all sorts of sparkles on it.

has a big sappy smile on her face the whole day. Though she doesn't cry a lil bit during the actual ceremony which she'll deny of course

Leviathan:

She doesn't want a big wedding. That's her biggest thing honestly. The last thing she wants is to have a panic attack on your wedding day

she did suggest one somewhere by the sea weather it be a beach or just a cliff by the water. She'll leave the specific location to you.

does bring up the concept of a cosplay wedding. Her sisters of course are against it though.

The compromise is a TSL themed wedding. Leviathan has enough knowledge of the series to make it as subtle or outright as you'd prefer of course

She honestly doesn't know wether to wear a suit or a dress. So she asks you which you plan to wear so she can pick the opposite

The day of its a battle to keep Levi from panicking and running off. She's just really concerned your gonna change your mind or end miserable or-

Her sisters are doing everything in their power to keep her grounded don't worry.

when she is finally at the alter with you she's switching between stating at you with the most lovestruck gaze and anxiously fidgeting

You were 100% certain she was going to pass out when you kissed but by some miracle she managed to hold it together

Satan:

she wants her wedding to be pretty traditional tbh.

It still takes so much planning though because your wedding will be Perfect.

she isn't going to settle for anything less.

Her sisters had to hold her back when the flowers the were delivered were wrong at first.

She did spend days debating whether to wear a suit or a dress. Eventually gave up and decided on one that's a mix of both.

Asmodeus does help with picking out the outfit though so don't worry about Satan’s lack of fashion sense

she is the only sister who actually followed the "don't see your SO the morning of your wedding" rule.

Just barely though. She'd stand in the doorway covering her eyes just so she could talk to you for a while

She's blushing with a soft smile the whole ceremony. She also tears up a bit but I wouldn't really call it crying

Asmodeus:

She's says she wants a big wedding. But she'll of course change that I'd you aren't comfortable with that

she wants lots of flowers. They're just so pretty and she wants this wedding to be the most beautiful wedding so lots of flowers

This being said it might work better to just have an out door wedding so the flowers get some fresh air and you aren’t stuck in a room filled with pollen

She's also a pain to deal with since her emotions are running all over the place.

one second she's yelling at someone because the table cloths are the wrong color and the next she's crying cus she's so excited to be married to you

The whole "don't see the bride's dress" thing goes out the window because she both wants to help you and wants you to help pick out her dress

like the wedding she wants the biggest dress imagable

that is until you joke you won't be able to reach her to give her a kiss if she has a dress that big and poofy

She'll still have a big dress just one that's much more reasonable now

she is going to have to be removed from you numerous times the day of because she just has to help with your hair and makeup

Her sisters are this close to just locking her in her room to get her ready honestly

she'll be glued to your side the entire day just so thrilled that you're finally married

Beelzebub:

She's stress eating enough to feed an entire country while planning stuff

Lucifer does have to chain up the fridge at somepoint just so they have enough food to last the week

She's also working out a bunch to try to burn off all the food she ate.

Just try to sit her down for a bit so she can help plan and not focus on her stomach

She doesn't know much about the actual theme and stuff since it honestly doesn't matter much to her

she's happy to go with what ever you pick. She trusts your judgment after all

she thrives in choosing the menu though

not only will you have the biggest and best cake but the rest of the food the will be the best thing that you've ever tasted

There is a secret second cake just incase the first cake isn't enough. It's always good to be prepared.

she's a bit anxious that her dress won't fit the day of because how how much she's been munching on stuff so she has a bigger back up suit just in case.

she does cry during the ceremony just cus she thinks you're so perfect and she will tell you as much.

Belphegor:

also asked if you just wanted to elope. It would have been a lot less work.

She honestly doesn't put in a lot of effort making choices for the wedding.

it's not from lack of trying though. All the choices and options and stressing her out a bit and it's too much

that and she just wants to be married already damn it

she does put in a few ideas though

for instance a night sky themed wedding. There could be both human world and Devildom constellation themed things.

she also teases her sisters with uninviting them anytime they annoy her.

She won't actually uninvite them she just likes seeing them all panicked

Insists you bring Beel for taste testing the food choices since her twin arguably has the best palate

She was apparently half asleep when picking out her dress because on the day of she immediately starts complaining that it's to heavy and that she can't even walk in it.

Luckily Levi could just remove a few layers of the underskirt making it quite a bit lighter.

she looks like she's about to fall asleep a few times throughout the day but she does manage to stay awake

though the dance was a close call since she just kinda leaned only you mumbling nonsense about how much she adored you like she was half asleep

+ Bonus Simeon:

She also plans on a pretty traditional wedding honestly

Though she is pretty open to change.

at first she wanted to have the wedding in a church or even the celestial realm

but she also wanted the others to be comfortable so opted to let you choose somewhere else

Luke and Barbatos make cupcakes to go along with the actual cake

also Luke is the flower girl it's not optional

She's pretty laid back the entire planning process and her stress only shows a little bit when things were a bit off during the rehearsals

you were almost certain she was going to smite Mammon for accidentally spilling her drink

she does follow all the traditional ways of "don't see the bride's dress" and "don't see them the morning of" though she does try to text you the whole morning up until the actual ceremony

she absolutely adores you and smiles at you the entire day.

[maxwell-grant]

Red of Overly Sarcastic Productions once said :"If you can imagine your Batman comforting a shared child, then congratulations, you're righting Batman. If not, you're just writing the Punisher in a funny hat". This got me wondering: could the Shadow comfort a scared child?

Could he? You forget who was there to lift young Bruce to his feet at his first brush with death (sadly far from his last).

But it's an interesting question to pose still, because children were straight up not in the pulps, not in any I've read, and I can't recall any episodes of the radio show that feature them much (there's gotta be at least a few, because they had everything in that show). The most interaction I think The Shadow's ever had with children (from comics that I can discuss here, because Marshall Rogers' "Harold Goes to Washington" is way, way too much for me to go into right now, and the less I talk about some other DC comics, the better) is in the Street & Smith comics.

There's Jerry from the Devil Kyoti arc, a kid who was traumatized by an encounter with the villain who Sayre's looking after and who ends up having some kind of hidden power that allows him to see The Shadow and defeat the villain. There was a blonde Jerry who showed up later in the Monstradamus arc, but he isn't a kid so much as he's diet Jimmy Olsen or a replacement for Harry, but he had weird eyesight-based powers and a familiarity with The Shadow, so I assume it's the same character.

There was also Donald Jordan - Shadow Jr, and okay, I may have to talk more about this weird little failed experiment some other time, but the basic gist of it is that The Shadow had a friend in Tibet named Harry Jordan (and someday I'm also gonna write about the weird prevalence and significance of the name "Harry" in The Shadow's mythos in and out of universe) who was murdered, leaving his son orphaned and with nowhere to go. And, I'll admit that I have a real weakness for The Shadow calling people "son", which he does a lot in this story.

And as you can expect, it then turns out that the kid's also learned how to cloud minds and has basically the same powers The Shadow has in these comics, and they solve the mystery of his dad's murder together, and yeah, you can absolutely tell that they are setting up this kid to be The Shadow's Robin. Although, interestingly, they don't have The Shadow actually recruit the kid, instead it's Jordan who asks The Shadow if he can go with him and join his mission, and Cranston even states he's going to have to "earn" his way

"Must I stay here, sir? It will always remind me of dad - I'd like to devote my life to your fight against evil and evil doers!

Now, "Shadow Jr's" career was incredibly short-lived, it only lasted for about two other issues, and I have no idea what happened in his final appearence called "Snake Eyes" in Shadow Comics #77, I cannot find that issue anywhere and I really want to. But the one other solo story of his I've read was...well, I think it kinda illustrates why the idea of The Shadow having a Robin was doomed from the start.

...Yeah. Even The Shadow at his most sanitized and family friendly is still The Shadow, and there's no room for children in his network, obviously he shouldn't and wouldn't have children be in those positions or make decisions expected from grown-ups who have already had encounters with death and danger, why would anyone do that-

The only instance I can think of The Shadow interacting with a child in the pulps was during The Prince of Evil, when he has to rescue a young boy from Stark's thugs.

Cranston, dazed, tried to stagger to his feet. Before he could do so, the thug had picked up the limp figure of the boy and was darting out into the street. There was a scream of horror from pedestrians.

A heavy truck was racing at top speed along the avenue. Straight into the path of the truck, the thug threw the senseless boy!

The driver of the truck jammed on the brakes. But it was too late to halt the heavy vehicle. The broad-tired wheels rolled toward the limp head of the lad on the pavement.

An instant before it could crush out his life, Lamont Cranston dived headlong into the path of destruction. His shoulder struck the boy, rolling him toward the curb. A quick wriggle, and Cranston swerved aside from the grinding death that loomed over him.

He picked up the boy. One glance and he knew there was no time to lose. The attempted killer had leaped into a waiting sedan and had already made his escape.

The boy was all Cranston could see or think about. Brass knuckles had fractured his skull. He had suffered a concussion of the brain. A glance at his bluish lips and the fixed glaze of his staring eyes told Cranston that unless the boy was operated on immediately, he would die.

A leap, Cranston was in his car. He laid the boy gently on the seat beside him, then headed the car toward the nearest hospital. Traffic lights were ignored.

The boy was taken to an emergency operating room and a skilled surgeon went to work. When it was over, Cranston asked only one question: "Will the child live?"

"Hard to say. We'll do our best."

"Spare no expense. Put him in a private room. Engage day and night nurses."

Cranston's face was pale. He knew that he himself was indirectly responsible for the boy's attack. A supercriminal had made a prompt answer to Cranston's message over Jackson's telephone. That telephone must have been tapped. The attempt to kill the boy was a vicious warning for Lamont Cranston to mind his own business about the Harmon family. It was a follow-up of the attack on Jackson's dog.

Cranston felt a surge of hot anger. He kept it under control while he answered routine police questions. He told all he knew - which was nothing.

He had only one angry thought. He intended to drive straight to the office of David Chester. He'd get the truth out of the sleek Chester, if he had to batter him with vengeful fists!

Cranston was actually halfway to Chester's office before common sense returned to him. He realized he had lost his sense of balance. He was behaving exactly as the crooks wanted. He was playing their game, not his!

He parked, and the hot rage drained slowly from him. He stopped thinking about the limp figure of a young lad on a white operating table.

This is definitely because Tinsley writes the character differently than Gibson, but I actually cannot think of another occasion where we got to read about The Shadow actively wanting to hit someone with his fists. It's very, very rare to read about The Shadow actually getting mad in the first place in such an undignified way. And I think with this passage, you'll start to notice a pattern.

The problem isn't that The Shadow cannot interact with kids or that he can't comfort them, he does it to his agents and adults he wants to help just fine, he knows how to address people in their language, or any language. The problem is, The Shadow is constantly surrounded by danger everywhere he goes, because he is The Shadow. He can be any number of things at any number of occasions, but usually, when The Shadow shows up, it's usually because people are going to die, and people are going to kill, and it's his job to address that and work the scales.

Children should not be anywhere near this, and if The Shadow's interacting with a child, it usually means that some grave danger or tragedy fell upon them, and he's here to either prevent greater tragedy or address the fall-out, and he'd be the first to agree that neither of these options should be happening at all. It doesn't mean he's not gonna do what's right and give life and limb to protect them, but, it shouldn't be up to the Boogeyman to look after them in the first place. Maybe it shouldn't be up to the Boogeyman to protect us.

But then again, as I mentioned when I talked about my own reasons for liking The Shadow so much, there are many kids who would like nothing more than to have the Boogeyman by their side to protect them. There's comfort in knowing that the scariest man in the room is unconditionally there to protect you, and that is the comfort that The Shadow gives best. Not as Cranston, not under a friendly face, but as what he is.

Due to a lack of scenes from the pulps or satisfying scenes from elsewhere, I will instead be pulling one from a fan story written by Kimberly-Murphy Smith, editor and writer of The Hot Cornerm where The Shadow rescues a child who was kidnapped for blackmail. I couldn't care less that it's fanfic, and if you do, come back in 20 or so years after The Shadow's been made public domain and it's gonna be just as official as anything licensed (on my “to write about” list: how fickle the separation between “official” and “fanfic” is, and the many times it plainly didn’t exist). There’s aspects of her writing I don’t care for, but I really like this scene and I do think The Shadow’s more gentle interactions with people are necessary to getting the character.

Annabelle.

She stopped crying for a minute. "Who's there?" she said, her voice choked.

A friend. Your mommy and daddy sent me to pick you up.

"Mommy? Mommy's here?"

Sh-h-h. Annabelle felt a gloved hand gently stroking her hair. She's waiting for you at home. So, we need to hurry up and leave.

"'kay." She looked around. "Where are you?"

It's kind of hard to see me. It's dark in here, plus you've been crying so much your eyes probably hurt.

"Yeah."

Don't be afraid. I'm here to help.

"'kay."

The implicit trust of children was simply amazing at times. Adults trembled in fear of The Shadow's wrath, but children somehow seemed to understand that he was there to help them, even if they couldn't see him.

Sit up, Annabelle. I'm going to pick you up. Be very quiet.

One hand took each of her arms and guided them around a neck she could not see. "Why are you wearin' a blanket?" she asked as the fabric of his cloak brushed against her shoulders.

Sometimes I get cold at night.

"Even in the summer?"

Even in the summer. He gently stroked her cheek and wiped away her tears. Now, you need to be very quiet so those bad men in the next room don't hear us. I'll bet you're tired.

She nodded.

He rocked her on his arms, projecting a very gentle hypnotic relaxation into her with his powers as he did. You probably didn't get your nap, either. Poor thing. Lean on my shoulder and go to sleep. And when you wake up, you'll be back with Mommy and Daddy.

She yawned, then snuggled against his shoulder and went to sleep.

The Shadow sighed with relief. Now to get past the men out front. He gently pulled the pistol out of its holster under his left arm and slipped it into the belted waist of his overcoat within easy reach, then secured his grip on Annabelle and draped his cloak over her.

She clutched the edge of his cloak in her hand like a security blanket and snuggled against his shoulder again.

(Art by Jill Thompson)

[mammons-tax-returns]

comforting you about your body insecurities pt. 1

beelzebub, mammon, lucifer

:) ! first post back!! (rest of the brothers coming later)

🧋MALE MC🧋

Lucifer is a very attentive demon, despite being busy with his nose shoved in a stack of papers around the clock

He really does find you wonderful, both just to relax with and to admire.

And he’s known that you piqued his interest ever since you appeared before him in the stuco room. And this is LUCIFER. He normally doesn’t give any human a second glance. Unless ur some powerful and dangerously talented sorcerer with white hair 🤧but that aside

Tonight, he gets a break from Diavolo’s workload because there is yet another ball being held at the castle.

He sprays a faint but expensive cologne on his skin, quietly hoping that you would like and comment on it so he could respond with some flirty line. That would be nice, he thinks.

Then, he’s taking long strides leading out of his bedroom, and heading over to yours beside the kitchen, where he hears his siblings bickering over the best fruit.

He knocks on the door first, waiting for a response that never comes. He only hears your favorite song from within.

He calls your name, only becoming more confused the longer the silence grows

When he pushes open the door, he’s nearly relieved to see you standing in front of the body mirror, fixing the the collar of your outfit. You turn to look at him offer a smile. “Hey, Luci. You’re punctual, as usual.”

He hums under his breath in response. A silent “i know”. He pads over to you, placing a hand on your hip affectionately. “You look good enough to eat, handsome. Asmodeus may have his moments but he certainly knows how to dress anyone with anything.”

You look at your own eyes in the reflection, not able to respond entirely. Lucifer means well, you’re sure of it. He doesn’t know that the past hour of preparation for the ball was spent scowling at the parts of you that you could never quite enjoy entirely.

Lucifer looks questioningly at your expression from the mirror. “y/n? Is something the matter?”

At that, you snap back to reality and look back at him. “Huh? Oh... Right— Sorry, I just,” you trail off, at a loss for words. Was this the right time to mention your thoughts, before a ball? “It’s nothing, just lost in my thoughts, I suppose.”

Lucifer’s eyebrows knit in the way that they tend to do when he worries. “Mind sharing? I’d love to sit and listen.” His hands slide around your waist until he’s hugging you, and you catch a whiff of his cologne which makes you melt. Once again you wonder if this relationship was something you deserved.

“Luci...”

“Don’t give me that, lovely. I said I’d like to listen, no?” As you turn your head away, he takes the opportunity to rest his head on the crook of your neck.

You sigh, smiling hopelessly. You hate to admit it, but his response makes you feel jittery on the inside. “It’s silly really, I just wasn’t feeling myself just now. The clothes are amazing! But...” You know exactly what you’ll say next, but the words feel venomous in your mouth. “I’m wondering if Asmodeus understands how wasteful it is to put them on me, you know?”

Lucifer is at a loss, and his heart aches at your words. “Oh dear... Well that’s no good. I can’t have my gorgeous lover worrying himself over something that’s so far from the truth.”

You are already aware that Lucifer will always support you no matter what, and the thought is both heart warming and bothersome. “Yeah, yeah, Lucifer... I’ve heard it all alr-“

“Then what do you not understand?” Lucifer cuts you off promptly and confidently. “Do you really believe that I’d sugarcoat this? Anything?”

You swallow thickly. “N-... No. You wouldn’t...”

“Good. That’s a good response.” He places a sweet kiss on your cheek, ruby eyes flitting up to your own gaze in the mirror. “I’m almost afraid of other demons trying to steal you away in such a dashing outfit, to be honest. Enjoy yourself, but if any of my brothers try anything, I swear...”

You laugh a little, running a free hand through his hair and noting how he almost sinks into your touch. Almost like a cat. “Thank you, Lucifer. For everything.”

Lucifer kisses your hand softly. “You are perfection, darling.”

You look forward to slow dancing alongside the eldest brother now, losing yourself in the music. Lucifer was right, there was really nothing to worry yourself over.

Mammon, unfortunately, had to cancel date night plans for the weekend for a modeling gig.

You were disappointed, but not mad at him. He told you in advance, offered to make up for it, and usually tries his best to uphold his promises.

He offers to bring you with him, guilty at the thought of your alone in your room.

You don’t know whether to accept it or not. Would you fit in on a set full of gorgeous, picture-perfect demons?

Mammon has his hand on the back of his neck, nervous that you’re too angry at him to want to say yes.

To his delight, you smile and agree to go with him. Maybe, this way, he can avoid others flirting with him when they know that his boyfriend would be in the room.

At first, it makes you feel a little bit happier seeing Mammon light up with joy after seeing him pout like a puppy moments ago.

The day has come that you step onto the modeling floor. The photographers and staff know you well due to Mammon’s insistent bragging about you and your relationship. Clutching your D.D.D. anxiously, you make your way over to Mammon, who is already posing for a camera under bright studio lights.

You keep to the shadows as you watch him intently. Mammon is well known for his idiocy, but he is one handsome devil.

The evil snickering of two demons sound behind you, to which you ignore. You were too nervous to actually move, anyways.

Whatever... It doesn’t concern me... Right?

The giggles don’t stop, and you can’t help but listen in on their whispers. It sounds as if they purposely spoke louder than normal just to bother you.

“Look at how his eyes are shining... Obsessed with Mammon, much?” Oh boy. It really seems like they’re talking about...

“Let’s talk about those clothes, though... Are you kidding me... Does the human world really have that low of standards— or is this the bottom of the barrel.” At that, the two burst into a fit of cackles.

Luckily, a photographer hisses at them, irritated with the noise breaking his concentration. They quiet down, but continue to berate you in ways you had never even considered.

You’re sweating bullets now, itching to use your hand to wipe the oncoming tears of embarrassment. You blink them away, and don’t notice that your boyfriend is now finished with his shoot.

You tense upon seeing him speaking to the camera tech. Your heart nearly jumps out of your throat. The last thing you needed was him seeing you cry right now. He’d be worried sick.

Not even bothering to excuse yourself, you slip into the bathroom and can only focus on the laughter of the other demons behind you. The sound causes you to shake slightly as you shut the door behind you.

There is more than one stall, so you briefly worry that someone would come in and find you bawling your eyes out in the middle of a semi-professional setting. You sigh heavily and turn the sink on to wash your face.

The more you stood in front of the sink rubbing your face, the more vividly you remember the rude comments made about you. Could they have been true?

With a troubled look, you sneak a glance at yourself in the mirror.

You didn’t think that your clothes were particularly “bad”... They said so much, and it’s all coming back like a vicious and cruel tsunami.

No matter what you do, you can’t seem to stop crying.

“Oh y/n!!~ Where are ya’ at?” Mammon crashes through the door, hands on his hip with a toothy and closed-eye grin.

Thinking quickly, you reach over to grab a hand towel and press your face into it. “H-Hey, Mammon, you looked good out there...”

Mammon must have picked up on your wavering tone, because he pauses.

You’re frozen on the spot when he places a hand on your shoulder, although you can’t see him through the towel.

“Uhh... What’s up with you? Don’t tell me that you’re...” It’s too late to react when he pushes the towel aside to find your teary eyes.

“Wh-What?!” His heart drops immediately. “What’s wrong babe?! Are you like... I dunno hurt or something?!”

You exhale shakily, still trying to calm yourself. “Those models out there are just... A little too honest about me, I s-suppose... But it’s really fine. I just... I don’t know... I guess I just needed a minute to... Freak out a little?”

“Honest? What the hell do you—“ A sudden feeling of recognition pulled at his features. Truth be told, he knew those demons personally, having worked with them before. Then the guilt of knowing exactly what happened began to eat away at him. “Oh...”

You shifted, wishing that he would drop the subject. This was getting much too embarrassing to bear, and the way his eyes drooped with sadness made your stomach churn. “Mammon. I-I’m serious, I’m okay—“

Mammon’s arms surround you like a sturdy, calming veil.

“I know you’re not, y/n!” Mammon had no desire to listen to you pretend to act unbothered. “I don’t know what they’ve told you, but I can guarantee that I have been given comments just as bad as those- and I’m The Mammon.”

You grip onto his shirt, avoiding making eye contact with him. “But... That’s the thing Mammon. I’m not nearly as confident or perfect as you.”

Mammon holds you tighter, voice softening drastically. “Don’t you think that’s exactly what I think of you when you comfort me on my bad days?”

A pool of warmth starts to seep from the depths of your chest. And your furrowed brows start to relax. “Really..? You mean it?”

“y/n, you are precious to me, and all of my crazy ass brothers. And there is no way in hell that I’ll allow some scum of the world get in the way of realizing how flawless you are.”

Beel wants nothing more than to spend every second of the day with you. And Belphie.

But unfortunately, most of his time is spent in the gym, if not the kitchen.

So he asks you if you would like to start working out with him at the gym, or even if you were just interested in hanging around and nothing more. He just wanted your presence.

The idea itself made your heart swell. But after a bit of thinking, you weren’t so sure. You’ve never been to a gym in Devildom before, but you were sure it wasn’t very different from human gyms.

It would be filled with confident and toned bodies that would put you down without even trying.

And as much as you wanted to be there with Beel, you weren’t ready for the prospect of the nasty looks you’d receive sitting beside the sixth-born who is a perfectly sculpted athlete.

After all, he seemed a bit too good for you, as it seemed in your head.

Beel wonders why you turned him down. Had he done something to upset you?

He’d have to get down to the bottom of it, lest he regret ignoring your behavior.

To do this, he takes a day off from the gym, thinking that the answer to this situation would be to spend time together. Smiling to himself, he clutches a bag of sweets to his chest.

y/n has got to love this, he thinks excitedly.

Knocking once, he can barely keep himself from barging in and tearing into his baked goodies. “y/n, I’m here. Wanna share these cookies with me? There’s also pound cake and cupcakes... The mini ones with enchanted apples on them.”

His smile falls a little when there’s a long note of silence. “y/n?” He questions.

“Oh! Uh... Sorry, Beel... Maybe another day. I’m studying for that final right now.” Beel knows you sound sincere, but something about this response seems off.

His heart sinks a little, feeling a little embarrassed after being rejected. He hadn’t expected this.

“Ah... Are you sure?”

“...”

There’s a silence from the other side of the door, and the sixth born starts to genuinely worry.

Truth be told, you had been weeping alone looking through images of famous demon athletes that advertised the same gym that Beel attended regularly. It was a dangerous thing to do, but how could you look away?

You take a glance at yourself in the mirror. your eyes were barely puffy. A bit red too. But overall, nothing seemed very different. Maybe— Just maybe, he wouldn’t even notice.

“Hello? You in there?”

You stiffen at the sound of his voice.

“Coming!” Hopping to your feet, you rush to the door and open it.

“Oh man, I was starting to get antsy smelling this bag... Let’s hurry and dig in.” His eyes are trained on the food in his hands, and his mouth is watering.

“Oh, Beel... You have some drool again!” You lightly scold him and wipe the corner of his mouth with a napkin from the table right beside the door.

At that, he finally gets a good look at you.

“Oh, thank y—... ou...” He trails off instantaneously. “Your eyes...”

You sigh and bow your head sheepishly. “Agh... I should’ve known you’d catch me. It’s not anything serious, I just was... I was watching a sad movie is all.”

His eyebrows knit together. “So were you studying or watching a movie?”

He caught me.

He pushes forward, closing the door behind him and taking your hands in his. He leaves the bag abandoned on the floor.

“y/n... What’s been up with you lately? You’re seriously not yourself.”

Your face flushes, and you sigh. Your throat suddenly feels tight. “Uh... That’s...”

He’s noticed this entire time. I’m an idiot.

“Listen, Beel...” You squeeze his hand. “I’ll tell you because I know that if I don’t, you’ll be worried sick.”

He nods hurriedly, heart rate increasing.

“I guess I just...” The words struggle to make their way out. “I don’t understand how-how someone like you; handsome, kind, and strong could end up with...” You pause, starting to tear up. “With someone like me.”

Beel takes a moment to process your situation.

And when he does, his head starts to spin, and his heart feels heavy like a boulder.

“y/n... What are you even thinking?” Is all he manages to whisper. He pulls you into a tight, comforting hug and sniffles.

“Beel—“

“You mean literally more to me than anything or anyone else.” He says firmly. “I don’t know what part of you you’re so hung up on, I couldn’t even imagine there being any reason to be.”

“You don’t have to—“

“I do.” He cuts you off firmly. If he didn’t, you may try to deny his definite truth. “y/n, I know i’m all about food and training... I’m sorry I don’t know how to make you realize how wonderful you are.

But I’d like to learn that with you. Is that okay?”

Your tears finally fall, soaking through his tank top.

“Of course... I’d love that.”

[memes-for-the-meme-kind]

Code Lyoko Season One Sentence Starters

Code Lyoko was a show made in the early 2000s about a group of kids in boarding school who fight in a virtual world called Lyoko against an evil computer program called X.A.N.A. As a result of it’s unique nature, it has a lot of lines that can be taken and used in nearly every context, ranging from muses with or without powers, to muses that don’t really have any special abilities at all! As always, pronouns can be changed as needed.

"___ you've gotta get up!"

"I just had a vision!"

"I heard him!"

"I'll go and help her..."

"Come on, ___, take a look at yourself! The shape you're in, it'd be crazy..."

"Come on, have one. Candy can fix anything even a broken heart."

"Well, feeling better?"

"Hey! No, no, no, no, lie down now, ya hear? Please, you need to rest!"

"Are you sure she wasn't hit by a laser?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired."

"Hey listen, you know, we've got more important things to do. Like eating. For example."

"I gotta go and check it out."

"Hey, do I smell fish, or cheap perfume?"

"Get together with you? Very tempting but... NOT."

"Why don't you go out with her, she's very pretty!"

"Miss _____, come to my office right now!"

"That thing wasn't there before..."

"There's something troubling you, ____..."

"___ I'm here to help you, that's part of my job."

"You think ____'s behind this?"

"Wait, who was the last one to leave the room?"

"Uh oh. We've got company!"

"You're not jealous, are you ____?"

"Let's go, if we run, it'll warm you up!"

"I don't get this at all, why did he leave us alone when he could have just as easily..."

"Stop! I created you! You have to obey me!"

"Well for your information, we're not exactly having a teaparty here!"

"Oh no, I'm out of arrows!"

"I have faith in you, ____"

"____'s right, this is serious."

"___, it's... game over for me...."

"Darn it, I'm so useless!"

"___ we found her!!"

"You always pick the wrong time, huh?"

"What's the big problem? You mess up on the test, and everyone will think youre a big moron."

"She's here! Only problem is that she's not alone!"

"___ watch out!"

"Start that rumor again, and even your dog won't recognize you!"

"You said in the letter that you had certain feelings for me, and... I wanted you to know that... that I feel the same thing for you..."

"But I never sent any letter, ___."

"We're trapped!"

"Your thing stopped, how come?!"

"...Battery's dead."

"What's wrong with your dog?!"

"Shhh... they're here."

"No, I'll never make it!!"

"What does he see in her?"

"I'm gonna beat you to the elevator!!"

"I can't seem to move my arm..."

"I was lucky, I'm okay... but not her, she's out cold..."

"I uh, I just remembered I have a slight fear of heights?"

"Just hang tight and don't look down."

"The elevator broke down, we're stuck down in the shaft."

"I think I broke my arm..."

"Up here, hurry!"

"Let's say I'm... trying to cope."

"The water's rising, and ___ can't swim with a broken arm."

"I'm too weak to go..."

"And call for help, please hurry!!"

"Okay guys, it's getting late, I've gotta head home."

"Oh, ___ say something!!"

"There's electricity everywhere, we're trying to break a window to get out."

"What is this?! I just cut all the power!"

"I'm getting contradictory signals..."

"I've gotta get out!!"

"And nano technology can't do a thing about stupidity! Poor ___ what a shame!"

"___ passed out!"

"Who are you, huh?! Leave me alone, creep!"

"Don't worry, he just wants to play hide and seek, playful little beast."

"Look, I can't remember anything but I know I have something important to do here. Tell me what it is."

"What is this place?! What are we here for?!"

"To fight of course!"

"If only I'd stayed with him last night, this wouldn't have happened..."

"I'm staying with him!!"

"That is not the right way to help him!"

"What?! You're completely out of your mind!"

"___ you mind if we don't see a lot of each other for... a month?"

"Okay, it's up to you now, bring back ____!"

"Why couldn't he have just told us the reason?!"

"And besides, you've got me, don't you?!"

"Sorry to be so familiar with you, ____."

"___, whatever you do, don't leave the building."

"Hang in there, ___, we're almost there!"

"No, not now! Concentrate! Give us just a few more seconds!"

"I can't do it, ___, I'm sorry..."

"As soon as you're finished crying, just let me know."

"Goodbye, ___. I'm proud of you. Really, I am...."

"I don't believe it, does she have a thing for me?!"

"Aw forget it, I'm not gonna defend myself to you, ciao!"

"Yeah right, ciao, that's all you can think to say?"

"It's okay, I got you..."

"Ready for a big thrill session?"

"Wrong, insurance or not, stealing's a crime!"

"Hey! Get me out of here! Get me out it here!!"

"Help me!! I don't wanna die!!"

"This is weird, I don't believe it... ___'s gone too..."

"Think about it, please! The smallest clue could prove to be a great help, you ___ are always together!"

"That is so dumb! I'll have you know that yellow is the in color this year!!"

"But I didn't say anything that time!"

"___, can you hear me?"

"Of course not, that'd be too easy."

"Soon, I won't have anymore obstacles..."

"I only hope it's not too late!"

"___, you're right, it's a trap!"

“Hey, it’s not a crime!”

“One of these days, I’m gonna find out what the __ of you are hiding!”

“If he keeps playing detective, he’s gonna find our secret passage.”

“I can’t say I’m proud of what I did, but it was for a good cause!”

“It works! It works!!”

“He knows the end is near, and he’s not going down without a fight!”

“Oh you miserable little brat!!”

“Ow my ankle!” 

“This time your paranoia’s caused an accident!”

“I deserve to get fired...”

“Anyway... I deserve to get fired...”

“Well, what do you know?”

“Who would have believed it?”

“She’s here at last...”

“Welcome to Earth...”

“Obviously, ___ you don’t know the first thing about girls. Acting frail and helpless will work every time.”

“Do you mind if I examine you?”

“Don’t tell me you understand all that...”

“It’s wonderful to be alive!”

“And it’s thanks to you that I’m here...”

“So do you have any idea of how to get rid of this miserable virus?”

“She would have slept all fay if I hadn’t shaken her a little...”

“Well, uh, a pair of prime numbers that are, uh, two numbers that are both the same!”

“Well, can one of you give us a less hairbrained answer?”

“I’ll handle him. Get going!”

“What would you do without me?”

“Okay, let’s show them what we can do!”

“Take that you miserable little monster!”

“That’s a risk we’ve got to take.”

“I’m off! I’ll be a lot more useful there!”

“I miss the real world already!” 

“Say your prayers!”

“Hey you creeps! Over here!”

“You know we would never let you go it alone...”

“Leave those kids alone!”

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Hey, Little Songbird

Chapter 16 - Ao3

Felix could only hope his mother would pardon him for thinking such harsh words, but he felt as though the situation merited it. Because this? Was bullshit.

He could understand, to a degree, where Marinette was coming from. Felix wasn’t a good person; ergo, put Felix in situations where he would be forced to do good to make him confront the benefits of kindness and charity and hugging snot-nosed orphans or whatnot. He could understand becoming a force for good; his family had the money and the influence to improve the live of the less fortunate, and he’d understood that ever since his mother enlisted his help with choosing Graham Films annual donations. He could stand losing some of his own money just to hear Marinette gush about the charity he chose, and how that money would be used (all information he knew, of course; you don’t donate without knowing exactly where your money is going).

What he could not stand is having all his time with Marinette interrupted by Cesaire.

Marinette’s reasoning was that she wanted her two friends to get along, but Felix suspected she just liked to see him suffer. Sure, he did Cesaire a favor once, that doesn’t mean they like each other! In fact, he would go out on a limb and say that Cesaire definitely hated him. Why? …He wasn’t sure. If it had been a few weeks ago, he would have said she was jealous he had been Marinette’s friend while she had been led astray, but now that he’d gotten to—bleck—know Cesaire, he was certain it wasn’t in the girl’s character.

He took the opportunity to ask Cesaire the next time Marinette forced them to work together on a project—this time, cleaning up the content of the Ladyblog. Apparently Felix’s demeanor would help push the blog in a more professional direction.

Cesaire’s fingers paused on the keyboard at his question. Even Marinette, who had been working on a separate project, stopped to listen in. “I don’t hate you,” she lied.

“Yes, you do,” Felix corrected. “I’ve seen the way you look at me, before your near suspension and after. You hate me, and I’d like to know why.”

“Felix, she doesn’t hate you—” Marinette tried, but Cesaire stopped her.

“Marinette, I appreciate you trying to mediate, but you don’t have to right now”—She flashed a smile at Marinette—“Felix, I don’t hate you. I just don’t like you.”

“Okay. Why?”

She drew back, shock crossing her face before she shut the emotion down. “Felix, the first time we met, I was an akuma. An akuma you caused. I still don’t know why you impersonated Adrien, but since you supported Marinette when I didn’t, I’m willing to tolerate you despite that.”

Oh. “I had forgotten that,” he admitted, looking away.

“You… forgot?” She didn’t believe him, it was clear in her voice.

“Yes. I was having quite the bad day myself.”

Cesaire looked ready to say something, but Marinette placed a hand on her shoulder. “Felix, I’ve been meaning to ask you… Why did you impersonate Adrien that day? Knowing you now… it doesn’t seem like something you would do without a reason.”

Felix pursed his lips. True, what he did that day had been… poorly thought out. He would even say that he’d acted rashly, but to be honest, he had planned it from the beginning. The entire time his father was on his death bed, the entire time Felix watched him die, Adrien was calling and emailing him, talking about his friends and modeling and school like Felix hadn’t begged him and Uncle Gabriel to come over and visit, to support them in their time of need like his family had done when Aunt Emilie went missing. Perhaps it was cruel that he and Mother tried to take back their family rings on the anniversary of Aunt Emilie’s disappearance, but it was cruel that they didn’t come to his father’s funeral because… because of a fashion show!

So Felix told them. Despite himself, he told the girls about his father and how much he loved him, and how it broke his heart to see the strongest man he’d ever met waste away in front of his eyes. How his mother cried for months as she sat at his bedside. How their company suffered with the CEO dying and his mother beside herself with grief, how Felix was forced to delegate power to those loyal to his father and their family, trying to keep their business afloat and still in their name.

“Adrien… is very cruel in his ignorance,” Felix said. “He’s more than happy to ignore other people’s problems until they affect him, then he’ll do whatever he can to solve the problem. And I… wanted him to be affected.” He shook his head, picking at Marinette’s bedspread. “I thought that if I caused him to lose all his friends… Well, that plan backfired, so there’s no need to go into detail. I should feel lucky that I got at least one of the rings back.”

“Rings?”

Felix showed off the one he’d stolen from Gabriel, the silver band glinting in the sunlight. The metal seemed to hum against the warmth of his fingers. “The wedding bands of Gabriel and Emilie Agreste were originally family heirlooms of the Graham de Vanily estate. Originally, they were supposed to be used when the eldest child, my mother, got married. Unfortunately, that was impossible.”

“Wait, your mom is a Graham de Vanily?” Cesaire asked. “So, your dad married into the family?”

“That’s correct; Grandfather arranged it back when Father was a mere director in our company.” Felix shook his head. “Mother and Father were supposed to wear these on their wedding day. But Aunt Emilie stole them for her own marriage.”

Marinette gasped. “No! Why would she do that!?”

“I have no idea; if Aunt Emilie ever said why, Mother certainly has never mentioned it. My grandparents disowned her for the theft—though, to be honest, they were already on the edge because Aunt Emilie was marrying someone they didn’t approve of—and it was only Mother’s intervention that kept them from reporting her to the police.” He twisted the ring around his finger. “These rings mean a lot to my family, to my mother… I know it hurt her that she and Father never wore them, even if Father created near replicas for their 3rd anniversary. She never wore hers though… I think she thought that if she did, it would be acknowledging that the rings would never come home.”

“What’s so special about these rings, anyway?” Cesaire asked, moving closer to look at, but thankfully not touch, his ring. “It’s plain silver.”

“Honestly, I have no idea. They’ve been in the family for centuries, and Mother said that you could only understand how precious they are until you and your love both wear them, but…”

“It’s not the value of the rings,” Marinette finished. “It’s what they represent.”

“Precisely. Aunt Emilie stole them to begin with. Now that she’s gone—and honestly, I’m not entirely convinced she didn’t just leave Uncle Gabriel—the rings should come home, no matter how sentimental Uncle is about them. He has made it very clear that he doesn’t consider us family, so there’s no need to keep family heirlooms.” Felix clenched his fist. “I already stole one of the rings; I can steal the other one too.”

Marinette was shaken, but Cesaire immediately nodded her head in agreement. “Go for it.”

“Alya!”

“What? If they were stolen to begin with, then there’s no problem with him stealing them back. Besides, it’s not like Gabriel can report him to the police. There is evidence that the rings were originally your family’s, right? Like, pictures of your grandparents wearing them, or even official documentation?”

Huh. It seems Cesaire is more than she first appeared. “That’s correct, we have both.”

“Then he can’t do much. At worst, he can try to pass them off as a different set of jewelry since the ring is so generic, but that would just draw out the investigation and bring more evidence against him to light. Even claiming that you were the one to steal the ring could be difficult to prove unless he got it on camera.” She frowned. “Getting to the other ring will be difficult though, since Gabriel will likely protect it.”

“Plus, if he knows you stole it, he’s not going to let you into the house,” agreed Marinette. Both he and Cesaire exchanged at look at her abetting. “What? You act like I’ve never stolen anything before!”

“But you… haven’t?”

A cat-like grin stretched across Cesaire’s face. “Oh? She hasn’t told you that story yet?”

A groan. “Alya, no!”

A smirk twitched across his lips despite himself. Perhaps working with Cesaire wouldn’t be so bad after all…

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