#LIKE 10 YEARS OF BEING TRAPPED UNDER THE SURFACE

[thewhizzyhead]

okay I love the belobog arc a lot like A LOT and I really like how they wrote cocolia to be some sort of misguided leader that eventually fell into delusion because of the stellaron and I like that her falling into delusion out of the desperation felt from belobog's dire and seemingly unending situation made SENSE.

however,,,she still ordered the underworld to be trapped for a decade,,,and with bronya deciding to lie about her mother's final actions to 'save belobog' and to hide the truth about the stellaron's control,,,shouldn't the people feel rather conflicted that a person branded as belobog's savior,,,still fucking TRAPPED people for a decade? like,,,shouldn't people be a little bit more angry that they've been deprived of resources and fresh air due to a decade-long order by a former belobog leader?

[rainboneish]

‪saw that one “people can’t accept gojo’s negative traits” post circulating again and i feel like that person is the one who is fundamentally misunderstanding his character…

gojo being someone who would give the world for his students and being an overconfident dick likely to lose himself in the thrill of a good fight are two statements that can and should coexist actually, in fact i think that’s what makes him a well written character ‬

it’s not a coincidence that one of Gojo’s first meaningful lines in both jjk 0 and the proper jjk animanga is “No one should be allowed to take the youth away from young people”

Gojo’s “fatal flaw” is not his selfishness, it’s his overconfidence!

it’s the fact that he has a superiority complex a mile wide, because with two notable exceptions, every time he has tried anything, he succeeded! Satoru Gojo is a man who has been told he’s the greatest from the day he was born and who usually had the skill to prove that assumption right

all that said, the two times he did fail taught him something: the first time (the start plasma vessel mission) unlocked his full potential, the second time (Geto’s defection) taught him that his full potential alone wasn’t enough to do everything.

in his own words, he learned that he can only save those who want to be saved and that to cause any meaningful change (at least partially motivated by his own loneliness and frustration), he needs to make sure the new generation is strong enough (both physically/in the combat sense and mentally) to keep up with him and eventually replace him

these are all things Gojo has learned before the start of the actual series… but him having learned and decided all that doesn’t mean that he is suddenly perfect

Two “failures” do not erase a lifetime of nurtured overconfidence and risk taking and at the end of the day he’s just a man… he fails to dispose of Geto’s body according to protocol because of emotional attachment, he puts his students in risky situations because he believes that’s the only way to make them grow because that’s how he grew, he walks into Shibuya station despite knowing it’s a trap because he is overconfident and believes he can outsmart or overpower the enemy, one could also argue he “played with his food” when fighting the disaster curses

but he is not uncaring of civilians, something Kenjaku knew to take advantage of, he cares deeply for his friends and his students, he will put his students’ safety above his own more selfish desires when it comes to it (the reason why he had to kill Geto at the end of jjk 0, despite postponing his execution order for 10 years)

he is not selfish in the classical sense of the word, though he is egotistical

he is a dick to anyone he doesn’t respect who isn’t under his direct protection (and he is still a bit of an ass towards the people he genuinely likes), but it’s not maliciously motivated

he oversteps and isn’t the most emotionally intelligent of people (sometimes genuinely bullying people he perceives to be weak/lacking potential like Utahime and Ijichi) either to get a rise out of them or to keep them from biting off more than they can chew

he enjoys going all out in battle because it’s something he rarely gets to do, he gets lost in the bloodshed and the thrill of the chase like a big cat, he is lonely at the top so he craves human connection

there are a lot of flaws you could pick on in his character, but i would very much like to argue that selfishness (at more than surface level) and an unwillingness to sacrifice himself for his students are not at the top of that list (if they make the list at all)

[wolfythewitch]

Wolfy, you have not only dragged me into the EPICS, but also now into the prince of Egypt (I'm on my first watch) I did not expect it to be this good, although I'm a little confused on what's going on This is infact an invitation so you can ramble if you please yes yes

HI YES PRINCE OF EGYPT INCREDIBLE MOVIE

It details the story of Moses, specifically found in the book of Exodus (aka, a departure or emigration), and also the story of Passover, a Jewish tradition. If any of my Jewish followers want to talk about that, feel free! My knowledge is very surface level and mostly from what I've read from the bible.

But so yeah at that time, the Hebrew people were slaves under the Egyptian rule, but they were multiplying too much and the pharaoh got nervous. So he ordered that any infant child be taken and thrown into the river. Moses was a baby at that time, and so he would've met the criteria of baby throwing. His mother did not vibe with that order and took Moses, placed him in a waterproof basket, and sent him down the river to hopefully find a better future than drowning. He ends up floating by the royal palace and gets found by the princess, daughter of the pharaoh(tho in the movie they changed her to be the wife instead) who takes a liking to him and decides to adopt him. In the bible, Miriam (his sister who the mother sends to follow him) asks the princess if she'd like a nursemaid, claiming to know someone (that someone being Moses' mother), and the princess agrees, so Moses gets to be with his family for a few years before going back to the palace. In the movie they don't have that and he's taken in directly with Miriam just praying he be safe and come back to them one day. So it's not very explicit in the bible but love the relationship between him and Rameses (I don't think he was actually named in the bible, but historians figured it was him based on contextual evidence) godbless and then he accidentally kills a guy and runs away. He meets tzipporah and his family and gets welcomed in and married and stuff. So the burning bush. Moses' destiny, if you will, is to save his people, and God tells him as much. Go back to Egypt and free his people. Moses doesn't think himself up to it but God says he'll be with him. So he goes back and does. Rameses refuses because that's his entire workforce, and in retaliation God sends down the 10 plagues. With each plague, Rameses hardens his heart and he refused to let Moses' people go. Until the tenth and final plague, the death of the firstborn. Any household with lamb's blood painted on their doorpost, the angel of death will pass over (AYEEE Passover). The Hebrews knew this but the Egyptians did not. Finally, at the death of his own son, Rameses tells Moses that his people are free.

They take their stuff and go. Thing is, to be actually free, they'd have to cross the wilderness. But there's a pesky sea blocking their way, which isn't very great for the whole crossing the wilderness thing. Also, the Egyptians had a change of heart and are going to get them back. So they're trapped between the sea and the enemy. God sends down a pillar of fire to stall them (though iirc in the bible it's like a cloud of darkness and a pillar of light depending on who you were) and while that's happening, Moses goes over and strikes his staff into the water. And the red sea parts before him, giving them a straight path across. You know the rest, with the people crossing and the waters coming down to drown the army and stuff. So now they're officially free from the Egyptians! But they're not done yet, because the main goal is to reach the Promised Land, and Moses is designated to lead them. They do skip ahead a few chapters and have Moses already grab the two stone tablets with the ten commandments, that doesn't happen until later and involves a golden calf haha

[heyitsmechuey]

When it Rains, It Doesn’t Always Pour (Rauru x Reader)

Rauru x Reader Fluff Shot - No content warnings

It’s Rauru just being Rauru (or at least my perception of him; soft and sweet, and very convincing in his ways when he wants to be ;) I haven’t wrote for a while, and this is my first time writing for TotK, but there really isn’t any spoilers in this one! I did proof read but please understand there still may be errors Word Count: 742 words

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heavy rain padded softly on the stone railing beneath your uncovered arms, effectively dampening them as you looked longingly toward the fields of Hyrule where small pools formed within the courtyard. It wasn’t supposed to rain today, but it did, and now more than ever you felt anxious and trapped within the castle’s hard, stone interior - your only saving grace being the balcony for a moment to reflect, fearing the dreariness. A soft sigh left your lips as you cupped your chin in your hand, accepting the defeat that going out to explore the lands with your husband was now out of the question.

You felt like a child being punished, and thought yourself childish too, for acting so sombre over an uncontrollable aspect. At least 10 minutes passed, staring into a landscaped void and feeling sour in your own thoughts. “The time will not pass any faster if you watch it, you know?” The sound of his soft gravelly voice snapped you from your depressive state, and the chuckle that followed made you forcibly pout as you spun your heels around, looking upwards at the playful features he displayed for you. He didn’t seem bothered by cancelled plans at all. His regal capabilities surfaced as he chose to carry out other duties earlier that day, but now what was left was a lover - playful but wise. You sighed again before attempting to justify yourself. “I know...”, your confession came slow as your gaze studied the floor, “but we had plans..” His hands came from where they rested behind his back, to folding over themselves once again in the front, waiting patiently for you to have your moment. When your eyes darted back up to check him, a pitiful smile let him know that you were okay and visibly, he loosened up and took gentle but determined steps forward. When he held his hands out, you instinctively followed, placing your own on top of large, outreached palms. Taking a moment to run your thumb over the faint lines, you let out a puffed laugh as he visibly shuddered under your touch; like it was the only thing keeping his heart beating. He studied you, then proceeded trail his hand up to your cheek and moved your sullen gaze to align with his. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, Rauru had a natural, calming charm at all hours, and he was smart enough to know how to get you to forget the little irritations with ease - with love. “Come, we can make new ones.”

He brushed lightly at the locks in your face, dampened by the rain that rode the wind. On the second sweep, he leaned in closer until warm breath against cold skin was tickling you,

“I can prepare some tea and then we can have a moment to ourselves for once.”

His voice was like honey, convincing you to turn a blind eye to your worries, to take only him in, and forget that there was a problem in the first place.

You felt suspicious for that reason, catching on after years together that his hold on your heart was powerful. With an eyebrow raising uncontrollably, you had to ask: ‘Just us?’. You reflect on how long it had been just the two of you for company; whether it be chatting, reading, or playing chess to pass the time. There was a sting for loss and you cursed on Ganon for taking such tender moments from you, leaving you desperate to want your King as a partner, not a diplomat. Rauru gave a curt nod, fingers coming to rest on the small of your back, giving a delicate push to signal it was time to get out of the cold. “You have my word, my love.” You trusted his words, always, and allowed him to escort you back inside. The corners of his mouth twitched upward, closed but cocky as you gave into him his touch - a sense of accomplishment filling him as you straightened yourself up and ditched the previous sadness for a genuine better mood. His lips were soft and sweet as he placed an endearing kiss upon your head, muttering that he loves you as the two of you retreat into the warmth. You could go out tomorrow - weather permitting - but if it rained again, the thought of spending it indoors with him, didn’t sound all that bad.

[loving-family-poll]

Ultimate Incest Tournament - Round 1

Norma and Norman Bates sculpture by artist "Rainman," titled Murderer

Propaganda under the cut:

Dante/Vergil:

The entire game is about how the power of twincest and a little gratuitous dadson/unclenephew can overcome the cycle of generational trauma

They are half-human half-demon twins who got split up when they were 8. Dante is the more normal one although he is mega depressed and doesn't like being around full human people. Vergil is kind of the evil twin although he is not that evil

They meet again when they are 19 and fight a few times and generally seem like they don't like each other (at one point Dante says "how about a kiss from your little brother" before pulling out a gun) but later on they team up and act like the brothers they once were

Vergil jumps into the demon world (and it's implied that it's a kind of suicide attempt, I think) and stops Dante from reaching for him. Dante is very emo about this and basically considers Vergil dead. He then names his devil hunting business Devil May Cry after how he cried because of Vergil

10 years later Dante comes across a brainwashed Vergil and kills him, not recognizing that it was Vergil until he is dead and gone. Dante is very emo about this

Like 10 years after this Dante comes across Vergil's accidental kid and acts like a distant enigmatic uncle toward him. Like 5 years after that, Vergil is back and splits himself in half, and when one half tells Dante that the evil demon they need to stop is Vergil's other half, Dante gets super pissed at him because he thinks he's lying and doesn't like people using Vergil's name in vain, I guess.

Eventually, both halves of Vergil recombine and he and Dante fight again but Vergil's son tells them to stop doing that and they're just like "okay".

Then a portal is opening to the demon world so someone has to go there and stop it but they'll be trapped there. Both Vergil and Dante go. Vergil tells Dante he doesn't need his help and that he can leave but Dante is like "no 🥰". We see them fighting in hell (in a friendly way) and fighting other demons together, just generally having a good time. Currently, they are still trapped there.

TLDR: Dante is very depressed when it comes to Vergil because he's lost him like 3 times and just wants Vergil to be alive and with him. At the end of the last game, Dante is super genuinely happy with Vergil in the demon world. We see less of Vergil's side of things, but he loves and hates Dante because he feels inferior to him (for mommy issue reasons). Vergil only smiles around Dante and honestly likes fighting him for fun. There's a lot more I could say but this is already so long so... They are complicated but they love each other <3

Norma/Norman:

The weirdest, most charming mother/son duo ever. Bates Motel took an interesting story and turned it into something greater, exploring Norma and Norman's relationship with sincere sympathy. Their love for each other is beautiful, but destructive; their intimacy was born out of necessity and shared pain; the world won't leave them alone. It's awful to witness. It's beautiful and heartbreaking.

i mean COME ON. Norma is constantly upset that Norman expresses interest in other women. She hid her husband from Norman because she knew Norman would throw a hissy fit over them being together (which he did)

He tried to commit murder-suicide so they could die together and when he survived he taxidermied her corpse so they could be together forever

Norman “It’s like there’s a cord between us” x Norma “Honey that’s - that’s from Jane Eyre” are everything to me. I’m barely scratching the surface in doing justice to their insanity. They mean everything to each other and I love their fucked-up codependency so dearly.

After he killed her he couldn't live without her so literally absorbed her personality and started wearing her clothes and speaking for her and carrying her corpse around and when a woman he was attracted to showed up at the hotel he killed her as his mother bc of his mother's jealousy??

[cleverclovers]

Let it be known that being on social security shouldn't be anything anyone WANTS to do. It's humiliating. It's subsistence money. It gives you access to things like medical and food stamps but those things barely scratch the surface of what you really need. No decent tooth coverage. No yearly eye exams, nope that shits every two years. You have to pray your doctor is decent because the doctors that take your insurance are few and far between. Food stamps? Barely covers food in these days of inflation. Doesn't allow for pet care, you have to beg for that. You can't get a decent job with a good boss because they'll take away your income, and your medical, and everything else until you're working a job that makes your health worse and covers even less than social security did.

It's a trap

I just. I want to be able to take care of my cats and do laundry. All I want right now is to be out of the hole and to be able to pay for cat litter and finally be done with the worlds worst chore. That's all I want right now. I don't want to order out. I don't want to go get myself a little snackie from the grocery store. Would it be nice? Yes. But it isn't my priority.

My mother is going to be here in a week or two for my surgery to remove a tumor from my ass. My literal rear end. The inside of my sitting space, where pain radiates regardless of how I move.

I just want things done before she gets here and has any reason to judge me. I hate this. I feel miserable asking. I need to get out from under these overdrafts and take care of my cats and my house. It is *bizarre* how far 100 dollars will solve a person's problems. I get paid on the 28th and I'm going to be unable to pay part of my bills because I'm in the hole. If I leave pay pal too long they'll close it, and I rely on it for pa tre on. I'm panicking. I don't know what to do to help myself. I need help. I just need 100. That's 10 sketches or less than one finished comm.

Rosesinclover is my tag on everything but pp, which is Theogandall and if you want art you can reach me by DM. Here's some art i've done

Just. Please help. Please.

[gentrychild]

Mermaid DFO au please? 👀❤

1 - From as far as Izuku can remember, he has always been drawn by the ocean but his mother categorically refuses for him to go into the sea. Naturally, since children don't always listen to their parents, Izuku often go swimming, but in secret.

2 - One day, Izuku rescues a merman trapped in a net. He quickly becomes friend with Tomura. Like, in a day. Through their conversation, Tomura reveals many things about the mermaid society.

2.A - Such as the fact there was tiny bit of war fifteen years ago where poor innocent mermaids were persecuted because of who they were, many of them seeking refuge outside the sea. Tomura is a child of the mermaids who aren't accepted in mermaid society anymore, forced to wander in the trench.

2.B - And that Izuku is so drawn to the ocean, it's possible he's actually the child of one of them.

3 - Izuku doesn't believe it for a second. Tomura looks great and everything but he's no mer. He says goodbye to his friend and goes back home, only to find it ransacked and his mother nowhere to be found. He follows the traces and sees that it leads straight to the sea. He also finds a box under the floor where mermaid jewelries were hidden. One of them is a beautiful green jewel that always feels very cold to the touch, no matter how long it stays under the sun.

4 - Tomura confirms that this is mermaid jewelry indicating that Izuku's mom was from the Shimura pod, which doesn't mean anything to Izuku but Tomura assures Izuku that this is a forsaken clan and that All Might might have find her and dragged her under the sea to answer for her crimes. Of being a Shimura.

5 - Humans can't do anything to help. Tomura offers a plan because Izuku saved his life by freeing him from that net. They check that Izuku can turn into a mer (he can... kind of) and they are going to seek the help of Tomura's master. He was imprisoned in a cave in the deepest part of the ocean but with the green jewel that Tomura found in Izuku's home, they will be able to free him. (Because the jewel has ancient powerful magic and the mermaids who took Inko were probably looking for it.) and he will fix everything.

6 - Izuku follows Tomura on this quest and discovers the world under the sea. It's beautiful and he makes friends with many people, but he never forgets that if they knew that he was a Shimura, he would be taken away, just like his mom.

7 - But as the trip goes on, Izuku starts to get more and more uncomfortable.

8 - It just feels weird that Tomura, despite loving his sensei so much, lets Izuku keeps the jewel.

9 - Tomura somehow looks really uncomfortable when Izuku is nice to him. When he saved his life and got injured for it, Tomura looked incredibly guilty.

10 - But the thing that really bothers him is that he soon learns that every mermaid, just like people on the surface, have some specific kind of magic.

11 - Tomura can decay things.

12 - So why didn't he use his magic to decay the mundane fisher net Izuku rescued him from?

[justahumblememefarmer]

Ultimate Doctor Who Poll Round 1 - Matchup 12

Episode Summaries under the cut

127: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood - Season 5, Episodes 8 & 9: The Doctor, Amy, and Rory arrive in the year 2020, 10 years in Amy and Rory's future. They see their future selves standing on a hill waving at them. They learn that recently bodies have been going missing from graves, and that a nearby mining project has been experiencing some anomalies. A hole appears in the floor and Amy is sucked into the ground. From the mining readings, the Doctor sees that there is something deep underground that has had it's defense mechanisms set off, and that something is coming up. They capture one of the creatures, which the Doctor reveals to be a Silurian, an intelligent reptilian race that inhabited the Earth long before humans. The Silurian reveals that her race has been hibernating under the Earth for millenia, but that the drilling brought the warriors out of suspended animation. The Doctor takes one of the scientists down the Silurian city to find Amy and the other taken humans.

The Doctor negotiates for the return of the human hostages in exchange for their Silurian one. Unknown to them, on the surface one of the humans kills the Silurian for poisoning her father. Amy and the human scientist begin negotiations with the Silurians for potential places they could occupy on Earth, like deserts, while the Silurians provide them with advanced technology. Negotiations break down after they discover that the Silurian hostage has been killed. The Silurian warriors attack, but a Silurian scientist, seeing that peace with humans is possible, but maybe not at this moment, releases a gas to force Silurians back into hibernation for another 1,000 years.

Getting ready to flee in the TARDIS, a crack in time appears in the wall opposite it, and one of the Silurian warriors shoots Rory. As he lays dying, time energy from the crack begins pulling him in, and the Doctor drags Amy back into the TARDIS. He tries to help her focus on remembering Rory, as the crack will erase him from existence, changing her memories, but the TARDIS being disturbed by the drill causes her to lose focus and forget Rory. They return to the surface and Amy waves goodbye to her future self, who now stands alone.

130: Sleep No More - Season 9, Episode 9: The episode is shot in a found footage style, as a rescue crew investigates the disappearance of the crew of a space station. They discover the Doctor and Clara aboard the station s well, wondering why it is empty. They are attacked by two creatures who seem to be made up of dust. They discover a machine that gives you a full night of sleep in just a few moments, an invention to allow workers to continue working without long breaks to rest. They discover another human trapped in one of the other pods, the one who's been narrating the found footage. He reveals himself as the inventor of the pods. The Doctor realizes that the creatures they fought are made up of eye mucus that normally builds up when people sleep, but the machines allowed them to evolve into sentience. The Doctor also discovers footage from the crews perspective, but is informed that they don't have any cameras on their helmets. Seeing footage from even Clara's perspective, he determines that using the sleep pods allows the dust monsters to see from their eyes, which they've been using the track them. They discover that the inventor has been creating the creatures on purpose and led the rescue team here to spread the infection back to the rest of humanity. The Doctor sets the station to self destruct, and he and Clara escape in the TARDIS, while the dust monsters, impersonating the inventor, send a message to humanity.

[shadowcatzone]

-xingyue child being a menace, this time including water, ~700 years ago-

(Sorry for the wall of text)

Dan feng and yingxing walking through the snow, near a pond. Who'd have thought that one wrong setting in the machines controlling the weather would pile up heaps of snow? Right before summer, too. An attendant rushes to dan feng, with an urgent message. Yingxing took the time to look after their child, while dan feng was busy - not that they needed to be vigilant, the pond was near the high elders home - only to find that their child had managed to slide into the middle of the frozen pond somehow. He held back a laugh - the poor toddler was laying on their stomach, and when they noticed yingxing looking over, they started quietly wailing, "daddy help. Help..." as they were hitting the surface of the ice with their small hands. Yingxing sighed, he'd have to go out there and rescue the poor toddler. "Poor thing. Is the ice that thick?" He stepped on the surface carefully, he faintly heard dan feng "wait, yingxing--". The ice seemed to hold him, even if it was a bit clear for his liking. He took one step, two steps, and when the ice didn't creak or break, he started walking over to the child. They had stopped wailing when they saw him approach. And when he was about halfway between xingyue child and the shore (its still just a pond) they stuck out their tongue, gleefully, and started giggling. Before yingxing could even realise, the water gave in under him. Now he stood in the water, with his legs fully submerged. Well, at least the toddler was having fun, if at the expense of their parent. He walked right into their trap. He heard dan fengs amused voice from the shore, "sorry, i should've warned you. Ever since they learned they could do that, they keep tricking people into thinking it's frozen. Since you didn't immediately fall in, i thought they'd spare you." Betrayed by not only his child but also his husband. Two of a kind, really.

(Xingyue child fishing blade out of the water, laughing heartily, "why would you fall for that again!??")

___

Yingxing picking up the toddler to bathe, but they don't sink in. They're just comfortably seated atop the water. Bathing has never been this difficult, and the fact that this mischievous little- child, was sticking their tongue out and giggling did not help. At all. "...will you get into the bathtub if daddy joins?" The toddler seemingly thought for a moment before nodding enthusiastically and shouting "yah!! Daddy bathe!!"

After sitting down in the tub, he lowered the toddler into it - only for them to remain on top of the water, again. Yingxing sighed. "Baby you said you'd get in the bathtub if dad does." "Nu-uh" "..."

He does eventually coax the toddler into the water. After a while, dan feng also enters the bathroom. "I just thought i'd check on you two." (...) "i guess they did learn a thing or two about being clean from you, dan feng..." "yes? Well, i'm glad--" he started before he was drenched in about a bucket (amount) of water. "Clean. Clean! He-he~" "...you think so. Yes, baby, father's clean now." He finished while quickly drying himself off with his abilities.

(Dan heng, drenched from top to bottom, stands in the middle of the room, as xingyue child laughs, "you should've seen your face--! ...hey, hey wait, wait!!" They yelp as dan heng chases them with an equal amount of water.)

___

-here's the trauma don't read this if you don't like trauma (dddne) you have been warned-

Xingyue child saw their father meditating under a small waterfall. They walk over to him, giggling, undeterred by the surface of the water under their feet. Though the small pond (closer in size to a puddle) wasn't deep, yingxing was still concerned. But he couldn't possibly curb their natural curiosity. So he let them run to dan feng, over the waters surface, who noticed them about 10 ft away (2m). The toddler came to a halt right in front of the waterfall, waiting, but looking at dan feng. Dan feng smiled, beckoning them to join, to step into the waterfall. They moved forward into the cold waterfall - xingyue child is spoiled though, so they only ever bathe or play in warmer water - the moment their tiny head moves under the waterfall, they submerge - entirely. It happens so quickly that dan feng is only starting to realise what happened, while yingxing is already running towards both. They pick xingyue child out of the pond and quickly into their home- the poor toddler is, however, unconscious and unresponsive. They suffer a fever for a few days or weeks, and when they recovered completely, they cannot get anywhere near water. If there's more than a bucket (amount) full of water they will start wailing, terrified, and cling to their parents. This also affects their ability to control water.

("I can't. I'm gonna drown. Don't make me." Dan heng and blade look at them, pity written all over their faces. "You don't have to. I'm sorry. I didn't know." Dan heng says, as blade averts his gaze.)

_____

What good is bg story if you dont add a little trauma. Its the seasoning equivalent to salt.

[exactlycleverpirate]

Rafayel's Timeline Redux Part 3

Spoilers below.

See Part 1. Part 2. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7.

2024 (...probably (Rafayel literally says probably about his age in his interview…)) Rafayel born March 6th (Promotional video, in game profile)

2026-2027 MC born. (This age comes from chapter 5.1. The letter she gets from Grandma says she was 7-8 when they started experimenting on her, and she was adopted by Grandma after the Chronorift Catastrophe in 2034.)

?? Child Rafayel studied under a Lemurian art teacher. He showed him photos of the surface world, but Rafayel wanted to see the real thing. He was grounded, but later allowed out on his birthday. He used this opportunity to sneak away and swim to the surface where he dared to stick his hand above the water. (Unforgettable Adventure)

?? Child Rafayel likes escaping to explore the ocean. On one or more of these excursions, he sees a human floating lantern festival and puts out their lanterns. (Ocean At Night)

2034

Rafayel would be 10 at this time. (If his birth year is correct.)

Deepspace Tunnel appears

Chronorift Catastrophe

MC (age 7-8) now has Protocore Syndrome in her heart, is adopted by Granny, and has little memory before this event.

On December 31st, Lemurian ruins are discovered, after a tsunami southeast of Linkon city, when a rift opens up and reveals it.

?? Child Rafayel is given a Whale Call as a means of protection, in case something happens on one of his escapes from Lemuria. However, he never uses it, because he never escapes again after this, and sometime later he buries it in the Lemurian city. (Whalefall Lament)

Sometime before 2038, MC goes on a field trip to Hat Island (possibly when she meets Rafayel?).

?? Pinkie Promise as children. (MS Chapter 7.11) At some point in MC and Rafayel's childhood, Rafayel visits the surface world but gets trapped on the beach on his return trip (on Ebb Day?) (Perhaps during her field trip to Hat Island?) (A summer day by the seaside involving seashells? (Anecdote 2)) She saves him, and they make a pinkie promise. Rafayel says if she doesn't return, he will chase her to the ends of the earth. (Nightly Stroll) (Most likely this life. See Rafayel's Birthday Card Thoughts.)

Rafayel: “It’s settled, then. If you don’t return, I’ll…I’ll chase you to the ends of the Earth.”

?? Lemurians Slaughtered. Some survivors go into hiding living on land among humans, including his Aunt Talia and K. (Anecdote 3) (See What Happened to Lemuria and Rafayel for a detailed breakdown of this. Most likely this life. See Rafayel's Birthday Card Thoughts.)

Rafayel's Anecdote 3 immediately precedes Anecdote 2 (See 2044-2047). 

Rafayel is an Opera singer in Verona going by the moniker “Mo”, hunting down and killing people, possibly as revenge for the destruction of Lemuria and slaughter of his people. 

He is being investigated by a private detective named Louis. 

He is not painting at this time. 

Rafayel's only living family on Earth is his Aunt Talia, also Lemurian. His Aunt Talia is also in Verona. Talia thinks Rafayel of the past was like a blazing flame. But ever since the incident in Lemuria, he is like a battered reef - cold and hard outside, but inwardly riddled with cracks, vulnerable, and on the verge of crumbling. She remembers he used to like painting. 

He also recently attended a Seamoon Ceremony for another Lemurian, K, who dies and is returned to the sea (after having his scales and blood taken). Lemurians are hiding amongst humanity, but being hunted, tortured, harvested for their scales and blood and killed. It is suggested that Rafayel is trying to accomplish something to save the Lemurians, saying, “Not every Lemurian survivor can wait.” It appears the longer he takes to accomplish his goal, the more of the Lemurians die in the meanwhile. 

Rafayel leaves Verona and moves to Linkon city. He has a picture of MC in his pocket, likely given to him by Louis, who gave Rafayel a new lead. Rafayel burns papers in a file before he disembarks the ship. He has a business card with relevant information. (Anecdote 3).

Sometime between 2043-2045 MC (17-18) begins attending University of Linkon. (School year usually begins in September.)

Continue to Part 4.

[alastryona]

I spend a lot of time thinking of scenarios because it's fun to imagine my little guys in Situations. But I accidentally found one that finally broke me and by broke me I mean made me Actually Write Something.

Anyway here's 2000 words of oc story that will make less sense to anyone that's not the two people in my discord group chat who receive most of my nonsense. (Specifically @monasticmaestoso who is my biggest enabler and ended up making me write again after like 10 years of not doing that with her wise words "gotdamn")

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Darkness. Static. The smell of blood. Metal clanged loudly as the scene around came into focus. She tried to take in the surrounding room, interrupted by another swing of a heavy weapon and tile crashing as she dodged. A battle? There had been fighting in other memories, yet this felt different. Her body moved again, swinging on her attacker and sending him skidding across the floor. He was so familiar, through his face seemed obscured in fog. It was always there, like something was stopping her from recalling the faces of anyone from that time. Her body again, stepping towards a girl lying on the ground. She looks exhausted. Again gripped her weapon. It was always an awful feeling, feeling trapped in a form she couldn't control just to watch the events long concluded. Like being controlled by invisible strings 

“You should have gotten in the ark.” Her voice rang out clearly and she could feel a smile spread across her face.

The boy struggled to sit up and face her. “Stop it… Runa…” He sounded strained and his words cracked just a little. 

“Hate me, █̵̯̙̠̫̲̇̋̾̎́̄̽█̵̭̘̩̤̼̜̼̓̀͝͠█̵̩͖̞̏̏̚͜͝█̶̞͕̙̰͚̿́͆̚͠ͅ█̸͕̹̬̦̽̃́̉̓█̶̞̮̪͓̠͆̓͋͝͝█̷̧̗͉̪̈́̃͑̚ͅ . That will only sustain us.” 

She raised the strange blade again, centering it with the girls back. She too was familiar, face shrouded in the same fog as always. 

“STOOOP!!!” He cried out as she began to swing down. Light filled her vision and searing pain rushed through her body.

Runa snapped awake, shaking from the memory that she wished had just been a dream. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so clear, she could forget and say it wasn't even real. She clutched her chest, it felt so heavy with each new fragment of her heart that was found. But this time it ached and her head swam with thoughts. What was I doing? Weren’t they friends of mine? Why were we fighting? Her thoughts quickened as the realization began to set in. I attacked them, didn't I? I wanted to… hurt them. Her words surfaced again. “Hate me. It sustains us.” Just what kind of person was she? What kind of monster?

The room around her was lit by moonlight streaming through the window and the silence of the night made her shaking breath all the louder in her ears. She stumbled out of bed and towards the door. This place had been her home, here with those that had found her when she'd awoke as all but an empty husk who could only remember her own name. Who'd taken her in and cared for her and treated her like family from the start. The smell of blood filled her mind again. If she had hurt those she called friends so easily… She held her stomach, the thought making her feel nauseous. The room was spinning, her heart pounding out of her chest. Trembling hands opened the door and guided her through the dark house.

I can't be here. I shouldn't. I'll just hurt them too.

Her vision blurred, her ears rang, she couldn't breathe, but she couldn't stay, and she didn't notice another door open as she stepped outside and started to run.

It wouldn't matter where she went as long as they would be safe. And they would be OK without someone like her around to betray them. Road turned to grass, then leaf litter under her feet. Trees streaked past her vision. Everything would have been better if she had never been found. If she had been left to rot in an endless sleep without the burden of memories or this heavy heart.

She rushed through the overgrown clearing, nearly tripping on an upturned root. The twins used to play here, when they were younger. Sometimes Rel would come out just to enjoy the quiet. Runa didn't stop moving, couldn’t bear the thought of tainting this little sanctuary too. She pushed through the trees as they grew denser. I never should have been there to begin with. The distant sound of rushing water grew closer. I hope they can forgive me… She pushed the thought away. If they knew what she really was… they wouldn't blame you. Of course they wouldn't, they're too good. You never deserved it anyway. None of their kindness. All wasted on someone with their dear friend’s blood on her hands.

Finally leaves made way for the clear sky above as Runa came to a stop at the little waterfall overlooking more forest below. Nowhere left to run from here. She was too tired to keep going anyway, and she fell to her knees as the panicked breath turned to tears. She hurt her friends, couldn't even remember their faces. Just the pain in their voices. And it's my own fault. I did it to them. 

She sat hugging her knees against her chest. Her tears had dried on her face and her eyes stung a little as she stared off into the sky. Sparse clouds passed over the moon, she wasn't sure how long it'd been. Not that it mattered. Her actions continued to repeat in her head. “Hate me… you really should. It's only fair. I can't even be bothered to know your name after all this time.” She said quietly.

“And who's that? Those lost friends of yours?” The voice made her jump, she had been so distracted she didn't even hear anyone approach. Standing a bit behind her was Baldr, looking out past her into the night. “How did you-”

“Always was a bit of a light sleeper. And you forgot these.” He laid a pair of boots next to her and took a seat on a rock close by, resting his hands on a walking stick. “Awful idea running all the way out here like that.”

Runa looked back down. He was right. She hadn't even noticed how cut up her feet had gotten. It hurts. You deserve it. 

“I used to come out here too. Ed called it the brooding cliff. He wasn't entirely wrong.” He continued. “New memory that bad?”

Runa held her legs a little tighter. “I… can’t go back. I shouldn’t.”

“And why is that?”

She took a deep breath and slowly began to recount this newest memory. “We were… fighting. My friends and I. Or, I was fighting them. They looked so hurt and- and I struck them down. I said… that they should hate me. And I-” She covered her mouth and held her forehead as she saw it all over again. Her own hands raised, ready to strike. “Oh god I think I was going to k- I think I k-” the words got caught in her throat as her heart began racing again.

“But how did it begin again?” Baldr interrupted. 

“Huh?”

“You were fighting? How’d that start?”

“I… I dont know.” She hadn’t gotten that part, she was realizing. How did it come to that? And-

“And how did it end again, the very last thing?“

Runa closed her eyes. “He… he yelled for me to stop. Then everything went white.” She clutched her chest again. “And there was this pain…”

He furrowed his brow. “Right where that scar is?”

Her eyes snapped open again. The scar. She hadn’t even thought about it lately. “Yeah…”

They were silent for a moment. Wind rustled through the leaves behind them. “It sounds like you still don’t know how you’d gotten there.”

“Does it matter?” she sighed. “The things I did there… That I said…”

“What were you thinking at the time?”

“Thinking? I was-” she didn’t know that either. Her mind was flooded with sounds and feelings, she felt trapped in the horrible scene. But what was she feeling? The Runa long gone? “I dont know.”

“It sounds like you’re passing an awful lot of judgment on someone without knowing nearly enough of the story.”

He’s right. “But still I-”

“Hurt people you loved?” he interrupted again. He let out a light chuckle, which startled her. “Sorry, it’s just. We have much more in common than you know.”

She turned her head too look at him, confused. 

“You don’t know how I came to this world, right? About my life before then?”

“No, mo- Hoder said it was too painful to bring up.”

“She’s right. Never liked talking about it much. Y’see, when I was young- probably about the same age you were when we found you, I lost my sister. She was killed in front of me. I felt powerless, that I was responsible. And that darkness festered in me until it broke me, became me. I felt I might as well take the world down with me.” 

Runa thought about herself back then. It was only ever a guess but they said she was probably fourteen or fifteen at the time. “Then you, you were just a kid. Did nobody try breaking you out of that state?”

“Not in time. I still blame him a little for it. For what I became. The darkness of my sorrow, my anger consumed me. And I took it out on my friends, my classmates. Until there were only two. They’re the ones who stopped me. Stopped the monster I had become.”

“You’re not-”

“Oh I was. Literally. Things start to blur the further it went but I remember that thing clear as day, a monster born from my pain. Those two defeated it-” he paused a moment.

“Then what?” she asked.

“I don’t remember. Past that the blur is too strong for me to know. But I think I died that day. Maybe I had been the whole time. After that, I found myself here. By then my head was clear again, and the feeling of what I had done could have drowned me. But it didn’t, and it’s thanks to the people who drug me out of the pit I found myself in.” He absently touched a ring on his left hand as he spoke. “Once the anger was gone I would have rotted away in the sadness and guilt that was left. But they didn’t let me. He sure didn’t. Even after I told him. ‘Then carry that burden with you and live.’ he told me. And he was right of course. And I do. I wound up here after all, who’s to say nobody else found the same miracle.”

Maybe they did too… It was a comforting thought.

“That’s why we named her Hoder, you know. After my sister. I wanted to make sure nobody after me would fall like I did, have all that pain all alone. It was Edward’s idea. That she’d be proof of her memory, and a reminder I would never lose sight of.”

“That’s… really nice.”

“In any case, I can’t say we did the worst job. Her and your siblings are pretty good proof of that.”

My siblings… They are, aren’t they. She often forgot just how much they thought of her that way. She felt it too, even if she tried to shut it away sometimes. 

“You too, in some ways, even if we can only claim a few years of you. Although whoever you were before has a lot of the thanks in that. And whoever was responsible for her. And you know what else? Her story isn’t over. Your’s isn’t. So go on and find the rest of it before you decide you don’t belong somewhere, alright?”

Find the rest of it… Runa held her hand to her chest again. She knew her heart was shattered, and the pieces they’d been finding were the key to her lost memory. She didn’t know how that fight began. Or how it ended. She hurt her friends but didn’t know why. And thats… “Ok. I think that’s ok.” She muttered. Find the pieces first. How did that person feel back then? Did it hurt as much as it does now? 

The stars faded slowly as the sky began to change, the light of the morning sun reflecting gold off the clouds. Baldr yawned and slowly stood up. “It’s gotten late. Early? Well, we should head home before they notice and send out a search party.” Runa smiled and tied up her boots. He helped her to her feet, and they made their way back to the house where everyone was waiting. The sun peeked over the horizon, and her chest felt just little lighter. I’ll find you. I promise.

((Some additional context that's important here: Baldr is the same one from KHDR. I got a little too attached to him and ended up crackshipping a postcanon version of him with Edward from ff4 bc of a song i liked, and got a little too attached to that. This was before the finale came out, and I had to adjust my lore a little to make All That work. But I'm in too deep now because I ended up grandpaifying him and connecting him to my other ocs by way of Hoder, his and Ed's daughter and their mother.

Tldr, i blorbified too close to the sun now Baldr khdr is a grandfather and this is for an audience of like 3 people max. Feel free to ask if you get this far and have any questions though! It might not always be coherent but i love blabbing about the gay little people in my brain.))

[1016anon]

Title: Random Vampire AU Author: 1016anon Fandom: Bridgerton Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton/Kathani Sharma Summary: Aubrey Hall

A/N -- Dubcon towards the end of the chapter (this time from fifteenth century Anthony).

-10-

Kathani couldn't remember how she's gotten here. They were at Aubrey Hall in his bed

We will do this in a bed

Her head was pillowed on his chest as he absentmindedly ran his fingers up and down the side of her back.

Kathani's memories of her wedding were something of a blur, given how quickly she was married then whisked away for her honeymoon. She'd had barely a moment to herself; Kathani suspected it was by design. Anthony didn't want her to tell Lady Mary or Miss Edwina the truth of his nature and make an attempt to flee India.

He'd told her once he would follow her to India if he had to. Kathani did not doubt it.

Do you understand me

She didn't understand at all, yet she was happy.

We will wait, because if we do this now, if I take you now, I will never let you go.

She had gone with him to his lodgings that night knowing that she wanted to be his, be his wife as was her right, tie him to her and tie herself to him as they always were, only now the whole world knew it.

Do you understand, Kathani?

There was nothing to understand because she didn't even know the context of his questions. She couldn't understand, but the nightmares had calmed now that she was always with him. Perhaps it was because they were too busy finding all the ways he could still bend her to his pleasure; Anthony was happy to continue his mission to rewrite her body so it only answered to him.

Once I have you, you belong to me and I will hunt you down before I allow you to leave me.

There was something different about her husband-- something fundamentally changed. If she had to put words to the feeling, she would say that he was more calculating and deliberate, not quite so reckless.

You need to understand what this means-- what this truly means

He wanted her to choose him whilst also engineering the circumstances around her to strip her of her choices. Four hundred years ago, that manifested itself in the way he isolated her in the country. It was for her protection, and it left her totally vulnerable to him.

But they were also so happy, those few short years that Aubrey Hall.

Because if you give yourself to me now--

Now, she was happy without understanding why, only knowing that he had forged the most beautiful chains to keep her with him.

Thoughtful chains; exquisitely crafted chains; chains he adorned her with like jewelry.

Memories under the surface she did not understand yet knew.

In truth, now that she was his wife again and her body retained all the marks of their first marriage together, the memories weren't necessary. He had her, in every way that mattered.

But Anthony was greedy and wanted to blot out the sun.

I won't let you say no

And he was true to his word-- he never let her say no. She sometimes wanted to say no, but more than that she wanted him to overrule her and callously, carefully, take away her choices because it felt familiar.

They were at Aubrey Hall, half a day's ride from any other human being; he may not have shackled her to his bed but most chains-- the ones which mattered-- were not visible. It was unthinkable that she would ever leave him.

Intolerable.

Impossible.

She was dependent on him for everything. All women were dependent on their lord husbands for everything-- Anthony only made the terms of her position unambiguously clear. He wanted her to know she was nothing without him; in exchange, he put himself in a prison of sunlight because he knew she would not survive living in a fortress underground.

It was unthinkable that she would ever leave him because he never left her. The trap was for them both; if he ever left Aubrey Hall, he knew he would return to their home to find her gone. He made that mistake once and hunted her down. It was how she knew she was half a day's ride, though she didn't try very hard.

In fact, she didn't try at all. She just wanted to speak to someone; he found her that night talking to the man with the angry mule. Kathani lit up when she saw him; he was half out of his mind with fear and anger but she ran to him and embraced him like she had been waiting for him to come fetch her, take her back home.

He took her back to Aubrey Hall and fucked her brutally that night, leaving her bloody and still bleeding and streaked with tears, as out of her mind as he'd felt upon returning to an empty house. Only her body was not pumping with true fear; it was thrumming with the fear of jumping off a cliff into a deep pool of water, breaking the surface feeling nothing but exhilaration.

--

It was disappointing to find there were no cliffs in England, at least not near Aubrey Hall. But her husband was able to provide the next best thing.

On a full moon night, he'd taken her on a meandering path to a lake; further down the path was a rock formation jutting out into the water-- not quite the same as the waterfall he'd found in France, but it still made her body tighten with excitement. Whether he'd had it constructed or whether it was a natural structure, she'd never know (somehow she doubted the latter), but he husband proved it made little difference.

Anthony undressed her and swept her off her feet and jumped, laughing like a madman while she shrieked with thrilling fear, suspended in time and air until they hit the water. When she emerged, it was to find him grinning at her and there was only one way she could respond: to dunk his head underwater and try to drown him.

Her attempt did not succeed because he grazed his fingers all along the ticklish spots: the back of her knees, one particular patch of skin below her ribs, gliding his hands smoothly up and down; she finally let go when he thumbed her nipples, peaked from the cold water and the adrenaline in her veins. Kathani gasped-- Anthony didn't even do the courtesy of pretending he'd been in mortal danger of drowning, only grinning up at her with his unholy moonlit eyes to watch her writhe under his touch.

Everything felt different in the water somehow. He pushed three fingers into her-- she made a whimpering sound he loved-- then quickly replaced his fingers with his cock.

The water buoyed her up. She couldn't sink down on his cock; the only way she could draw him further inside-- because he was testing her, she knew he wanted to see what she would do, even though he already knew she would try to wrap her legs around him and use that leverage get his cock deeper into her. She hadn't accounted for how she was supposed to make him pull back out, so had to content herself with grinding her hips with a sinuous desperation while he just watched and kept his hands on the curve of her ass.

Kathani tried to put her hands on his shoulders to pull herself up and off his cock, but that merely made him sink into the water-- he tightened his grip on her so that the inch or so she'd managed to gain was all she would get-- all he was willing to give her.

It was an excruciatingly slow build; it wasn't long before she stopped trying to fuck herself on him and made slow circles with her hips, unable to touch her clit-- not that he would have let her-- breasts pressed to his chest, making noises of frustration and occasionally feeling his cock brush against the spot which made her shiver.

He watched her struggle; he always loved it when he was sheathed inside her, but watching her lose herself in agonizing increments trying to achieve the climax only he could give her made his possession of her body that much more complete. Even in the water, he could feel her get wetter, her slick thicker and more slippery; if he pulled out, his cock would have been coated with her arousal.

Anthony had her keep going until she was breathless, pupils blown wide and so turned on she was dripping around him, the heat of her cunt a burning point of warmth in the otherwise cold lake. He had her keep going until she whimpered with each rotation of her hips; her blood was warm and her body ripe for him.

She hadn't been reduced to begging yet, but that's what made her so delicious. Anthony had known bodies which could explode with pleasure at the slightest stimulation, but he derived greater satisfaction in working a lover over. His wife knew this now, intimately. Half the time they spent in bed during their honeymoon was dedicated to Anthony rediscovering her body in every way possible.

This-- the lake-- was no different. It was just another place, another way he could control the pace of her climax-- how fast, how intense, how long, how painful. He used all the experience he'd gained with past lovers to mold her pleasure to his will, shape its form and trajectory, until he was finally satisfied with the edge he'd brought her to.

For Anthony, tipping them over-- his former lovers, partners, fucktoys-- making the pleasure so intense they would never forget him, was more than just an ego trip. It was power; mastery of a body thrumming with the life and blood he drank as the undead.

His wife's body demanded that tortuous build. Or perhaps she had come to expect it, and looked forward to it. Either way, when she shivered on his cock and tightened around him, helpless to the impulse, he took pity on her and instructed her to stay still, where he was pressing into her.

She whined in protest when he wouldn't let her move, only told her to tighten her core muscles and loosen them, over and over until the rhythm was just the degree of pressure his cock was applying to her pleasure.

And still it wasn't enough. She kept trying but she was waiting for him to tell her yes, here, now, let go. He hadn't given that to her yet, so she was trapped, impaled under a full moon in a deep pool of water, suddenly transported to back in time when she heard herself begging in French.

When he snapped his hips up and kept her there, telling her to come for him, she sobbed in his arms, breaking apart.

--

The flood looked like this:

It was the dead of winter.

Kathani was always subdued in the winter months as the days grew shorter and the sunlight grew pale. At court, he'd noticed her looking longingly at windows; at Aubrey Hall, she often stood in the weak light, a shawl wrapped around her and just out of reach.

Her muted sadness was part of the reason why Anthony chose Aubrey Hall as their sanctuary. His wife would not survive living in a fortress underground-- at least not while she was human. When she was turned, she'd have no choice.

But that was only part of the reason.

There were three.

The second part was that Kathani wanted a child. A child who would laugh with unrestrained joy, toddle and run about to play in the sun.

Hadrian had asked, during those five months Anthony had stupidly left her, whether she knew what he was, and whether she knew he couldn't give her children. The answer to the first question was obviously no; the answer to the second question, Anthony did not think particularly important. She had spoken of children during their courtship, but never with any kind of particular longing. Giving him children was what was expected of her; Anthony assumed that was the extent of it.

However, once presented with the knowledge that he could not give her children-- that, combined with the shock of him bonding with her so shortly after she learned he was a vampire; Anthony couldn't pretend to know how she felt, but he suspected the complete upheaval of her world led her to fixate on that fact. It did not escape his notice that it was the one thing he could not give her.

A soulmate's love, eternal life, wealth-- anything and everything a human could desire, he could give her. Except this one thing. And bonded or not, she could still seek the company of another human to get sire the child-- or worse still, children-- she wanted.

Anthony's mission to rewrite her body to respond only to him was not only because she refused to be turned. The thought of another touching his wife; the thought of her leaving him to find another man to fuck just so she could have a baby at her breast-- it was absolutely intolerable. Aubrey Hall, half a day's ride from another other human being, was an ideal solution. The few male staff he retained were all married and knew better than to go anywhere near his wife.

He'd had one of the young males who touched her hand nearly beaten to death. Anthony thought he'd been merciful-- the Romans had not invented crucifixion, but they'd made quite liberal use of it. The boy would probably have thought it an honor, what with the past few centuries in western Europe overrun with termites eagerly consuming the legend of a cross made of dogwood trees-- which did not even grow in Israel.

Besides, these kings in their dank castles made liberal use of methods of torture even Anthony found distasteful. (Sometimes literally-- blood reeking of pain was an acquired taste. Anthony did not acquire it.)

Aubrey Hall was Anthony's apology, and a promise to her.

When he'd bonded with her, he hadn't been thinking.

Hadrian's words came back to haunt him. The bastard's "intuition" and the questions he'd specifically asked-- Anthony hadn't paid attention to exactly what Simon had implied.

Marry her as soon as you return: This was obvious. Though in hindsight, he wondered if Simon had some vague feeling about Lacretelle.

You need to tell her what you are before you bond: This had always been his intent. And technically, he did tell her what he was before the bond. He simply... hadn't allowed her much time to process any of it.

Does she know you can't give her children?: Anthony didn't see how this was germane. Once he turned her, it would be a moot point.

The last: Be careful-- you know how Camilla feels about vampire-human flames.

There were advantages and disadvantages to turning first, then bonding, and vice versa. Either way, Anthony had never planned on leaving Kathani human for long; especially not long enough for Camilla to care.

The problem was that Anthony didn't have a plan. He made assumptions. The longest relationship he'd ever had was with Hadrian and they were of one mind in so many things, any disagreement was easily resolved. Namely: why do one thing when eternal life gives you plenty of opportunities to do both. Anthony was used to getting his way, even as a human.

Once Simon was bonded to Daphne, it only fed into his assumption that twin flames were of one mind in all things. Simon complained often of the disagreements that he and Daphne had, but he made them sound like nuisances-- minor squabbles of no consequence. Anthony was never privy to the intensity-- the severity-- of the arguments which rocked even the strong pair of flames he'd ever seen.

So in his head, Anthony envisioned an easy union. Following Simon's advice, he would: marry Kathani; tell her he was a vampire (that Kathani would have a reaction that wasn't delight never occurred to him); reveal to her they were twin flames (that this was significant to vampires but not quite so much to humans was another thing he hadn't considered); bond with her; turn her.

Every single part of this unplanned plan went awry.

He told her he was a vampire; he never really elaborated on what it meant. They married after they were bonded. She learned he could not give her children before he had a chance to turn her. Kathani suddenly fixated on having children and categorically refused to allow him to turn her even after she weaned their child.

As time went on, the idea of Kathani having his child grew on him. Nothing pleased Anthony more than the thought of his wife bearing the marks of his claim; and despite his fears that she would seek another male, she made it clear that she wanted to have his child, not one easily conceived with another human.

Thus: Aubrey Hall. The home for the family she wanted.

The last reason:

--

Anthony did not remember this, not really. He was desperate with the need to tie her to him and afterwards, high with the feeling of having completed the bond.

After she had found him in those woods, standing over a corpse under the full moon and covered in blood, she did not return to court, and no one knew where she might have gone. However, given the common superstitions regarding his kind, he had a fair idea of where she might go to seek shelter.

Kathani would never endanger her mother and father by going to their kingdom. Moreover, it was dangerous-- the journey would have taken several days, and the highways were rife with all sorts of bandits. Most of her friends were at court; those who weren't were in their feudal seats and again, she wouldn't dare bring the danger he presented to their castles.

Anthony did not know who started the rumor, or if it was another flight of human fancy, but-- vampires were supposedly unable to set foot on consecrated ground. Churches, cathedrals, monasteries-- nunneries.

There was one not far from court. Built, like so many things in this century, on the ruins of old Roman structures.

Dawn was approaching, so he took shelter in the dark underground.

And listened for the tread of her footsteps; closed his eyes in case he could pick out the scent of her fear.

When he found her, he followed her, and waited for nightfall.

--

She woke in Aubrey Hall, wrapped in his arms, tangled in the sheets of his bed. Anthony smiled at her, the morning light illuminating his features, almost strange to see after all the years they could only make love in darkness.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You're handsome in the sunlight."

"Is that so?" he very nearly purred.

"Yes," she smiled softly, running her fingers through his hair.

"Would you like to take advantage of the sunlight, Viscountess?"

She shook her head, a shadow passing over her features.

Anthony, always attuned to her, immediately noticed.

"What is it?"

Kathani tried to look away, but he wouldn't let her. So she closed her eyes.

"Do you remember?"

"What have you remembered?"

"You found me, amatus, and I didn't recognize you. You were-- wild, frenzied."

"Our bonding."

"I thought you were going to kill me," she whispered.

"I would never-- Kathani, look at me, please."

She did as he asked, eyes deep with half recovered dreams.

"Amata, I would never harm you. Never."

"I know that now. But I didn't know it then. The only thing I knew was what I'd seen, and the stories about your kind. Taking virgins to drink their blood, putting them under your thrall. There were so many rumors, I didn't know what was true and what wasn't."

"I remember you were afraid," he said quietly. "You were afraid of me."

He remembered the thrilling taste of her fear saturating the air, her eyes wide and pupils blown, unwillingly aroused and totally unaware of the fact.

"I was, but-- I also wasn't. Even then, deep down, I knew you would never harm me-- that you would you sooner harm yourself than hurt me."

"I would sooner die than hurt you."

"But," she closed her eyes again, unable to help the tears which escaped. "You drank from me. For the first time, that night. You took so much blood-- I thought you wouldn't stop."

"I promised you I would. I needed to take you back to my rooms."

"Anthony, I would have gone quietly. Why did you take so much blood?"

"You know why."

She had fainted from the blood loss and only remembered parts of the bonding ritual.

Kathani did remember upon waking after he brought her back to his rooms, asking her whether she loved him.

Of course she loved him. She was afraid of him, she didn't know what he was doing and aside from telling her what she already saw-- that he was a vampire and they were each other's eternal flames-- she knew nothing else.

Anthony asked her if she trusted him; she remembered telling him yes. She trusted him completely.

He'd taken off his clothes, then undressed her with great care. She remembered he'd written? Bitten? Between her breasts, down her front, all the way down to her cunt-- there was something. Kathani thought they might be symbols, but she couldn't be sure. By the time she's regained full consciousness, they were completely healed. She was half convinced she'd invented the idea and that it had only been Anthony kissing and nipping all over her body.

Then one day, she felt his fingers trace invisible symbols after a particularly intense round of lovemaking and she knew. It wasn't difficult to guess that they were somehow related to the bonding; when she asked Anthony, he knew nothing of the details. He just knew the steps and followed them-- he didn't know anything about the magical mechanics and hadn't been curious enough to ask.

Kathani trusted him completely.

She remembered he had been so happy, she couldn't help but smile back and clumsily tried to reach for his face, but was too weak from the blood loss. Still, she managed to whisper amatus, over and over when he entered her and moved, slowly and with intent. When she was close, he bit again and drank.

As soon as she felt his teeth puncture, his mouth suck, and his cock pushed deeper into her, she came.

Kathani didn't know how long she remained unconscious. She did know he fed her some kind of broth meant to help replenish the blood he took. It wasn't magical-- it didn't have the static aftertaste-- just a mundane, thick soup.

Every time she woke, he asked her if she loved him; he asked her if she trusted him.

Every time he asked, she said yes, without hesitation.

Then he would take from her-- blood and pleasure and soul. She didn't remember this, but Anthony gave back in equal measure. After that first bite, any blood he took from her, he cut open his own veins for the other part of the ritual that he had to complete. The power imbalance of a vampire-human bond was by its very nature skewed in favor of the vampire. A proper bond between flames required him to give some of his power to her.

Anthony didn't know what the transfer of power entailed. Every vampire told him something different. He figured it depended on the nature of the power imbalance and that once the bond was complete, he would find out.

How long the ritual took apparently varied according to each pair also. Some said it took as long as two weeks, others felt the bond take within two days. But he would know, they said, when it was complete.

It took five days. Each time, her blood replenished faster and she was more aware when she woke. She participated more in their couplings-- in the beginning, she could only cry out his name repeatedly, beg him saying amatus like it was the only word she knew. Towards the end, he had her ride him, gasping and reveling in how different his cock felt inside her.

When it was over, she was a bit stronger and faster than the average human; enough so he wouldn't break her by accidentally gripping too tight. And, much to his delight and chagrin, she was more resistant to his will, while he was more susceptible to hers. Kathani didn't notice it, but Anthony very much did:

She shouldn't have been able to fight him so vehemently on the matter of being turned, and he shouldn't have had to try so hard to convince her.

--

The memory which broke through, which had haunted her nightmares was:

It was the dead of winter.

Kathani was always subdued in the winter months as the days grew shorter and the sunlight grew pale. At court, he'd noticed her looking longingly at windows; at Aubrey Hall, she often stood in the weak light, a shawl wrapped around her and just out of reach.

They were bonded, married, and no matter how many times she gave into him in their marriage bed, she always stood out of reach.

She had given him everything, and he gave her nothing. He kept asking for more and more, unwilling to give her a child until she agreed to be turned. He wanted to take her away from the sun and Kathani stood by the window, dreading that this would be the day Anthony simply took what he wanted and turned her.

No one told Anthony that his flame could fade.

He had never been in a relationship like this. He'd always been able to leave whenever he wanted; find someone else to fuck; find someone else to lavish his attention. Generally he found that when he left his lovers for not letting him get his way, they usually gave in. Either that, or they moved on; so Anthony moved on also. Anthony didn't particularly care to partner with other vampires-- there were too many complications, politics, things he didn't care for.

Now?

He could not leave. It was absolutely out of the question.

He tried leveraging everything he could to get Kathani to agree to be turned; Anthony had never been so fucking angry at the sun. She used it to escape him, to taunt him, to go where he could not, just out of reach, and he had the feeling that some days, she would have preferred the sun stay forever than have to return to him at night.

One night-- winter solstice, the darkest day of the year-- she finally broke down, crying in his arms because,

"You lied to me. I loved you, I trusted you with everything and you lied to me."

"Amata, I never lied to you."

"You never told me of your true nature. And when I discovered it, you bonded with me-- you didn't tell me what it meant to be bonded."

"I asked if you trusted me. I told you we were twin flames."

"That is not the same."

"It is to me."

"You have been inhuman for too long."

Anthony didn't know what to say to that.

"You married me without telling me you could not give me children-- you brought me to this place because you said we would be hunted because I am human."

"I didn't know you wanted children."

"You never asked. Anthony, you never asked!"

"It's true that so long as you remain human, we'll be hunted-- if you'd just let me turn you--"

She shook her head.

"Anthony, you lied to me. You lied to me so many times."

"I didn't mean to--"

"I'm afraid of you."

"What?"

"I'm afraid I'll wake one day I'll never see the sun again."

"I wouldn't do that to you!"

"Wouldn't you?"

Silence.

"I wouldn't do that to you," Anthony said, voice low and edging towards desperation, "because I know the first thing you'd do is immolate yourself chasing the sun."

She didn't deny it; they both knew it to be true.

"Kathani, if I give you a child--"

"No. I won't allow you to turn me. I'd rather die of old age than raise a child in darkness."

Anthony growled, angry and frustrated.

"It may not work, the spell."

"You said it has almost always worked."

"I have to find a blood descendant. Will you stay here while I search for one?"

"Yes," she said softly. "You know I will."

After a moment, he told her, "We'll try for a child."

"And you won't--"

"I won't bring it up again. Not until the child is born."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

He kissed her gently and now, with the bond in place, she believed him.

"Is there anything else you've been hiding from me?"

"Not that I know of," he frowned. "Kathani, you said I've been inhuman for too long-- there's some truth to that. I did not mean to hide those things from you or lie to you. I thought you knew."

"How could I possibly know?"

"Because we are flames," he said simply.

"Anthony, we may be drawn to each other and I know we are soulmates, but that doesn't mean we can reach each other's minds."

"I'm beginning to understand that," he kissed her hand in apology. "Forgive me?"

"Promise me, amatus."

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't turn me."

"Kathani--"

"Swear to me, Anthony."

He looked her straight in the eyes.

"I swear to you."

He flicked his tongue on her nipples, eliciting the reactions he'd engraved into her.

When he finally fucked into her, telling her he swore-- but never saying what it was he swore to-- she began crying softly.

Amatus, amatus, amatus

Kathani didn't know what she was mourning: that her twin flame was able to look her straight in the eye and lie to her; that her twin flame would override her will and turn her, whether she wanted it or not, when the time came; that she knew these facts, and knew that in the end, she would allow it.

But after that winter solstice, they were so deliriously happy, as they learned each other and learned what it really meant to be a bonded couple.

--

Kathani looked at her husband and realized: this was not the same man she'd married four hundred years ago.

[cloudiily]

Am I making my own sans AU in 2022? Absolutely. Do I Care? No. This is only a Beta Concept though for an AU I call. . .

IvoryTale!! I'll explain the Lore that I've made below, and I'd like your Opinions on it!!

IvoryTale wasn't always like this, It used to be a Classic Timeline, currently going through it's 499th Reset. The Human had only done Pacifist and Neutral Routes throughout this world. Overall, it was Peaceful. . . Until 10 Years ago, When Error Messed with the coding of an AU by Accident, He Completely Changed how this AU was meant to be run. And The Plants soon became Sentient Beings of Death and Corruption. They Spread quickly, and Soon enough- The Corruption had taken over the entire Underground, Fusing with the monsters to bend this AU to the Plants' Whims. The Monsters were merely Vessels for them to rest in until they found their way to the surface to continue their conquest of Destruction. By now, almost every Monster in IvoryTale either Can't do anything on their own free will, or has gone Completly Mad. (With a Few Exceptions), one of those Exceptions being Ivory Sans, or Their Nickname- Ivy, Being one of the most Lazy Monsters in the underground, along with one of the most deadly due to having a soul made of Posion Ivy, meanwhile- their Brother, Papyrus or Thorn, would always try to get them to work harder or do something with their life. Soon enough though, Ivory began to Notice some weird things- Their world was. . . Glitching? Before he could even say anything, one day- he was teleported away from his home, and sent into an AU called Underswap, Which- Funny enough, was currently under Attack by Nightmare and his Gang, Scared and Confused for his Life, Ivory ran- but Eventually passed out, then when they woke up- they Were trapped in some sort of White Void. And that's, where he Met Error, he was being tied by Blue Strings, held in the air- for who knows How long.

and that's all I have so far, wanna see more of Ivory/Ivy Sans? Let me know!

[drsorrell]

Core Writing, Fri. 9.20

Announcements & Reminders

Writing Center: M-Th, 10-6 am: Scheduling (link) or walk-in.

Looking ahead: Paper #1, Draft #2 (link), is due by classtime Monday in your Schoology group. We will do the commenting in class. There will be a workshop in class next Wednesday. Paper #1, Final Draft (link), is due next Friday at the end of class.

Keeping up with work: Submit assignments on time. If something is due by the beginning of class and the point is to comment on other students' work and have them comment on yours, you lose points as soon as it is late.

Not submitting or submitting incomplete work also hurts you in the long run. Let's say you missed Outline #1. Then, you missed feedback from your classmates and me. When you do the next assignment, you essentially do Paper #1, Draft #1, with feedback that I would have given you an assignment earlier, meaning your Final Draft will be less polished. We do a lot of in-class writing, but most of your writing and revision should occur outside of class.

TSIS, Ch. 3 + 4 & Paper Activity

(1) Say who is saying what and how they said it.

(2) Then include the quote inside quotation marks.

(3) Then add the author's last name + page number in parentheses after.

(4) Situate the author's idea about your own argument, as expressed in the quote. What is your overall point, and how does this quote relate to it? To make your own argument (thesis) clearer, take some time to understand what the author is saying, give them credit where credit is due, and identify weaknesses in their argument or evidence, things they might have missed, or just other areas you want to discuss.

(5) Direct the reader so that they know why you are using this quote and what you think about it.

(6) Close read the quote. Are any words repeated? Do any jump out at you as odd or extreme? How about the grammar? Style? Tone? Look for what is under the surface (implicit or suggested) and what is obvious (explicit).

(7) Does the quote work for your main idea, or do you need to find another one?

Example (from a student paper last year): "Lehman then goes on to narrate, “Today, thanks to interest and delinquency penalties, he estimates his outstanding debt is about $60,000–double what it was” (568). I will not disagree as this is one of many horrible situations that plague many of today’s group of young adults, but we must consider the fact that if Rodney finished his college without a multi-year gap, his debt would have been nowhere near as bad. In fact, those who finish college within the normal four-year gap have an easier time paying off student loans than those who take gap years or drop out midway through. Of course, there are multiple other factors at play including the college attended, and the type of bachelor’s degree. This shows that the whole system, despite being challenging, is much more than beyond the labels of simply being “unfair” or “a trap” that Lehman likes to call them."

Activity: Use the numbered points to expand your use of quotes.

Homework: RD#1-2 (link) due (Peer Review in class)

[maeverojaskinnie]

how do you imagine oou character's life in 10 years?

oooh ok this is actually a really good question, let me think....

Addy: Ad's gives me the impression of someone who loves travel, so maybe she'd be exploring the world with Keely. Her whole teenage years were spent trapped being someone she isn't so she'd be trying to find herself outside of the constraints of Bayview.

Bronwyn: Girlie had a ten year plan set out already, but I'm not sure whether it was fully described?? I imagine she'd either be a partner at a law firm or maybe helping Eli, already engaged and planning some elaborate wedding and with the house of her dreams. She definitely has her life together though

Cooper: A big name in The NBL doing some baseball-y stuff (I'm British I have no clue about these things). Already married to Kris with a bunch of Dogs living in a Nice house, but not flashy bcs he's down to earth. (he probably gives loads of money away to charity and is a well known philanthropist) He'd have also bought Nonny her own house next door.

Nate: I see him doing construction, maybe he has his own business or works with Knox's dad in a high up position?? He's engaged to Bronwyn and that's all I can really think of right now haha....

Maeve: Karen hinted that Maeve would move to Paris with Luis, so I'm guessing they'd still be there? idk I've always pictured her doing some tech-y computer based things bcs that's where her skills lie in the books. I feel like her and Luis would be living in a little quaint apartment, probs not married yet bcs they're not in a rush and enjoying one another's company.

Knox: I might get some hate for this but him and Phoebe are probably broken up.... (I only think this bcs they didn't really have a lot of development and it all felt very rushed and surface level). I'm not really sure what he'd do though, maybe he's a teacher?? He gives a really warm, teacher impression, maybe in drama or English.

Phoebe: Her family probably moved away from Bayview, so I would think she'd be near them?? Maybe in like LA or something so that she can still see everyone, but she doesn't really associate with the town bcs of her experiences there. I'm not really sure what she would do though bcs Karen didn't really develop her character.

Luis: Owns a restaurant in Paris, maybe trying to get a Michelin star???

Kris: He's a fancy doctor with loads of degrees and masters under his belt. He'd be cooper's rock through all the famous athlete stress, and is probably the glue that holds their friendship group together lets be honest. So yeah, he's disgustingly educated and successful and is an overall angel :)

Thank you so much for the ask!! Sorry that Phoebe, Nate, and Luis are kinda bare I just don't know a lot about their characters tbh :(

[athetos]

My loz tierlist

Thoughts under the cut!

Masterpiece: Ocarina of Time is my favorite Zelda game, and I know it is at least partially due to nostalgia, but it holds up so well today and is still an absolute joy to play. Personally I think it is the peak of 3D Zelda, i give it 10/10 in every category across the board - dungeon design, overworld, plot/dialogue/side quest stuff, music, gameplay… tears of the kingdom may also be one of my favorites due to recency, and not nostalgia, but I find it very difficult to believe it will ever diminish in quality greatly over time. There is so much to do, and it really took what was good about botw and made it even better. I was in awe the entire time I played, and I will only continue to play it as time goes on, coming back to it again and again. I think there are a couple nitpicks the game could improve upon but it is an excellent early swan song for the switch. Botw, truthfully should be somewhere between masterpiece and not quite perfect, simply because totk improved it so much it’s harder to go back to it. But it was also an amazing journey.

Not quite perfect, but amazing: wind waker is a game i so desperately wanted to put in the masterpiece tier, but simply was unable to do so. There are several frustrations I have with the game that stop me from calling it perfect. I only had the GCN copy, so perhaps the Wii U version fixed these issues, but slow sailing, the triforce fetch quest, and how aggravating getting all the pictobox collectables are dampened my enjoyment. However, I want to emphasize that the dungeons are nearly on par with ocarina of time here; that the graphics are beautiful and aged well even on GCN; and that the music is a true delight. It’s why I recommend it to everyone, if you can handle these annoyances littered throughout.

A link to the past is another game I wanted to call a masterpiece, but had to settle for second best. I replayed it 2 years ago and while I had as much fun as the first time, there were surprisingly a couple parts that did not hold up as well as I remembered! Mainly, a couple of dungeons (fuck skull woods) and overworld progression. However, like wind waker, the highlights of the game are unparalleled and when the dungeon design is good, it’s fantastic. Majora’s mask is a very unique Zelda game, one that I personally champion, and like wind waker, it just has some imperfections that do frustrate me going back to it. For example, the tight time limits on dungeons (especially that godawful great bay temple) were agonizing, especially if you were trying to get every fairy. It was also hard to keep track of all the side quests, even with the 3ds journal. But it is such a special game!

Skyward Sword is a game I’m glad is being reevaluated now that it’s on switch with options for no motion controls and less of Fi. Because it’s amazing! I will never forgive anyone who told me the game was bad! Unfortunately, after games like botw and totk it makes the “open-ness” of the world feel very small and limiting; the great sky is empty and barren, and the surface being separate regions kind of hurts. Late in the game, it also gives way to padding; I think the spirit trials were terrifying and very cool, but “you’re trapped and now you need to find your gear again!” And “find all the stupid little tadpole things I forgot what they were maybe they weren’t tadpoles!” Was just so unnecessary. And I do not want to even talk about the imprisoned’s toesie-woesies!!! Kill me!!! But the rest of the game is so good it nearly makes up for all of it!!

Great, better than your average game: the minish cap is a game I remember very fondly, although not without a few gripes. I think the npcs and hyrule town are some of my favs in the franchise, and I actually enjoyed for the most part the Kinstone quests. But after playing parts of it again recently, and watching videos on it, I acknowledge it has faults that stop it from achieving true greatness. Phantom hourglass is also a game I think was great, at least partially because you made your own maps. I love making maps! And the gameplay was good! But my god, the ocean tower…. An absolute slog! A nightmare! Evil! The first Zelda is so simple, but holds up as being very fun even today, despite its shortness; of course it belongs in this tier.

Links awakening dx/hd had some amazing moments, but a few bad ones too. I either loved or hated the dungeons, some of the side quests were mehhh, but the overall game is delightful. Hd is recommended because you can have more weapons equipped at once! A godsend! Spirit tracks, it didn’t particularly stand out to me much, but I did have fun with it! And the Oracle games I am a fan of, I think they’re good but have a couple limitations from the hardware that irk me. If they had remakes, I think they would actually go to near perfection tier for me! Who knows!

Good/Average: I have a confession: I am not a link between worlds lover. I enjoyed it quite a bit when it first came out, but going back to it has been hard; I don’t get very far before dropping it. It feels kind of like a lesser link to the past, but with a worse central mechanic. I liked the non-linearity, but disliked having to rent items, and it meant that the only upgrades found in dungeons couldn’t be items you need for progression, really. A shame, because the dungeons could be quite good. Four swords adventure is good, but it’s such a hassle finding 3 other players and setting it up! I was never able to complete it. The adventure of link is rather unique, but not bad; in fact I liked the metroidvania elements! It’s worth playing, but will not blow your mind. Lastly, twilight princess… this may surprise you, but I was never a big fan. It’s so slow! The opening makes me tired thinking about it. I also felt the graphics aged poorly, and while the dungeons are good, they aren’t nearly as great as other games have been. It’s all very disappointing.

Bad - tri force heroes was bad I am not explaining why. You agree.