#and anything from there remains cold no matter what dimension it's in

[ausp-ice]

Devastation. It can be a terrible thing. It can be a beautiful thing. It can be despair. It can be love. It can be a revelation. It can be the moment you understand that everything has changed, that there is no way back in any true way. Devastation is profound, inescapable change. Will you, too, experience it one day? Perhaps you'll see it coming; perhaps you'll try to outrun it. Perhaps it will strike swiftly, so suddenly a thing that you never expected it at all. No matter. Devastation simply is. It shall come when it comes.

Devastation (they/any), Edeia of Devastation.

An Edeia I've been thinking about for a while! Their main story exists in the Calamity Continuity, a different timeline of the Ideation universe where physical reality collapsed, leaving only Abstractions for all beings to exist in.

Edeia Site | Edeia Discord | Personal Website

Name: Devastation Idea: Devastation Gender: None Pronouns: they/any Masterlist: #445

About

Devastation — Vast for short — is, perhaps surprisingly, gentle. They enjoy the little happenings of existence: flowers growing out of the cracks, rain on a sunny day. They enjoy the "present" and whatever delights it can give, but at the same time believe in the transience of it. They experience the world with the thought that anything and everything could be lost in a single moment. When they do experience loss, they do not quite mourn; they simply accept it, and continue moving onward. So it is the same with friendships and other connections: they love, and truly can love wonderfully, but do so without attachment.

They give "cold comfort" not infrequently. They might offer to one who has or will experience devastation a gentle caress, a hug, a little song, someone to talk to. They might say such things as, "Time washes all things away, good and terrible;" "All shall return to dust, in the end;" "The future is unknown, and shall become what you make of it." For those who have yet to experience devastation, their company may be both a blessing and a curse: an omen of impending, inescapable change, yet also a reassurance that they will make it to the other side. Some have attacked them in rage, some have wailed in grief, some cling to them in denial and fear of what shall come. Devastation will give their cold comfort, and devastation will come, in the end.

Each moment of devastation they are able to experience or witness is profound for them. They see them as beautifully terrible, terribly beautiful things. The emotions they feel might compare to religious ecstasy, and they cherish and commit to memory each moment they know. At the same time, they are in no hurry to rush these moments — they are content to watch them come as they will. If another Edeia or powerful being tries to interfere in these moments, however, then Devastation may try to shield the sequence of events leading up to them from other influence.

Abilities

The Impending

A form of prescience. Devastation can sense potential devastating events all across the universe, with the sense having a stronger intensity the closer it is physically and the more definite its likelihood of occurring. As Devastation focuses, they can begin to perceive the threads of possibility to see how events might unfold, leading up to, during, and after the moment of devastation. 

The Inescapable

Devastation can "plant" a dream consciousness within an individual who is likely to experience devastation in the future. This dream consciousness is a temporarily independent, parallel entity that can observe and interact with that individual, both in their dreams and as waking "hallucinations." The dream consciousness can remain with the individual throughout crossing time, dimensions, etc., and after the moment of devastation passes, the dream consciousness can disperse. Any memories experienced by the dream consciousnesses become part of Devastation's subconscious or deeper memory — if they think about it, they can access the memories, but otherwise, they are not affected from moment to moment. The closer the event of devastation, the more powerful the dream consciousness becomes. 

Depending on the individual, they may or may not be aware of having Devastation's presence in their mind. This ability can work on Edeia, though Edeia can banish the dream consciousness if they try. 

Prior to the Calamity, Devastation needed to be in proximity to an individual to use this ability. After the Calamity, their powers grew to become able to transcend the borders of Abstractions, though in that case they can only plant a dream consciousness if the devastating event is nearly certain to occur, and not too far off in the future. 

The Inexorable

Devastation can protect certain threads of possibility from interference from other Edeia and supernatural beings, in order to ensure certain events unfold the way they expect. The extent of the protection may vary and may only be partially effective against other Edeia. 

The Profound

Devastation can grant abilities, augmentations, and other magical influences to those who have experienced devastation. The more intense the emotion, the more powerful the effect. 

History

Before Actualization

Devastation's home is in the Calamity Continuity of Ideation. They were born of a human and a demon from another dimension around the 1600s, though their birth parent did not know the other was possessed. They were given the name Vena, and were raised as a human child. As magic was part of the world, when Vena started to show inhuman characteristics, their birth parent thought that they were manifestations of the potential to become an Edeia. However, Vena showed no sign of learning any particular kind of magic, and Sam — their birth parent — questioned their father, who simply suggested that it was a more subtle manifestation.

Vena grew rapidly, having the appearance and mentality of a teenager when they were around ten years old. Eventually, conflict came to their door, and their father revealed his true form to fight off the threat. Sam by then had put together some guesses, and asked what their father truly was. For a moment, he hesitated, and then he braced himself and told Vena's mother his origins: though his body was called Alba, he was truly a demon who went by Katasa.

Here, Vena witnessed a moment of devastation for the first time. Sam's face crumpled, and he demanded to know if everything was a lie. Katasa denied this, stating that he truly does care for him and their child. That Sam was the one who taught him how to love — that it had changed him. And Vena realized — that must have been a powerful moment, despite happening so long ago. This was the moment that Vena's Idea began to take form.

Their parents sorted things out, and things went well for a time. However, the world was not a gentle one, and one day some ill-willed members of their village decided to try attacking Vena for their strange appearance — which had grown ever stranger so as to be entirely and obviously inhuman. Vena struck back, and accidentally killed several of their attackers. The remaining fled, at first, and Vena rushed home with a heavy feeling in their heart, telling their parents what happened. Their parents decided that they needed to leave, and so they fled.

"We can find a Sanctuary," Katasa said. "I've heard about them. We'll be completely safe there."

Unfortunately, it was not to be. An Edeia who sought to balance the scales of justice and death found them before they could find a Sanctuary. Katasa defended them, but could not effectively defend against the Edeia's idea magic. Vena stepped forward, drawing up the power they had felt growing in them, only — they didn't actually know how to wield their power in battle, and Sam jumped in front of them to take a hit for them. Katasa fell into despair as he watched Sam perish, his wail of grief reverberating in the air. And, oh, oh, how horrible. Devastation struck Vena deeply as they suddenly understood: one of their parents was dead, and the other was likely to soon follow. What a powerful feeling, in themself and their father. The feeling seemed to grow and pour out of them; by instinct, their magic reached for Katasa and augmented his power immensely. He struck back at the Edeia, and was able to disperse them. However, his body took far too much damage, and he settled beside Sam's body to weep.

When Vena approached him, Katasa screamed at them with the force of his demonic power — blaming them for Sam's death, demanding to know why they couldn't save him, too. He wailed and cried, and Vena simply reached over to rub his back — to which Katasa only cried harder. Eventually, Katasa calmed down some, and he turned to Vena and hugged them. "It's not your fault," he said. "I didn't mean that. We should have left before. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Then, his body began to fall apart. Katasa continued to apologize, saying that he didn't know what would become of him from here — for his species of demon, to possess nothing is to have no ego. He would disappear, and did not know if he would remember them in his next host.

Vena shed a tear for him, and for Sam. "I understand," they said. "Goodbye."

Katasa's body crumbled away, leaving only Vena with Sam's body. They closed their eyes and felt that crushing weight of devastation. Everything has changed, and there is no going back. How terrible. How beautiful. They felt something shift within them, and with one breath in and one breath out, Vena Actualized into Devastation.

After Actualization

Devastation gave Sam and what remained of Katasa a burial, observing the funerary rites they knew of before letting them go, departing without a backwards glance. They began to seek out moments of devastation, using their power to sense the potential of one occurring. For centuries, they sought these moments, meeting and parting with countless others along the way.

Then, they began to sense the potential of a profoundly devastating event, potentially affecting almost all denizens of the universe. It was strange — what could possibly affect so many individuals to such an intense degree? Devastation looked deeper as time went on, and soon foresaw the end of the world. They shook with something like anticipation. What could come of the end of the world? Where would all these lives go? How would they adjust to such a profound change of reality? Devastation began to seek out those who would be most involved and most affected (in an emotional sense, mostly) by such an event, planting their dream consciousnesses all across the universe.

Devastation foretold the apocalypse in dreams and "hallucinations" — less of a warning and more of a promise. They comforted those who would accept their cold comfort; they told the harsh truth to those who would listen. Many did not believe Devastation, whether they knew Devastation was an Edeia or they thought they had started hallucinating. Still, the Calamity was inexorable; Devastation barely even touched those threads of possibility, as they were converging upon the end of the world on their own.

When the moment came, Devastation stayed to watch. They lifted their hands to the collapsing sky, witnessing everything falling apart and burning it into their memory. The end of the world. How beautiful. How devastating. They wept tears of light, though they were not of sorrow — only of the profundity of such devastation.

After the Calamity

Many people and some Edeia remember their dreams and visions of Devastation; some thought they were at fault, while others understood that it was a complicated process of various factors that led to the Calamity. Devastation did not particularly care. They simply opened up their Abstraction to any who would come, and would wander to others' Abstractions wherever they were welcome.

[imogenkol]

— WIP WEDNESDAY

tagged by @socially-awkward-skeleton @corvosattano @kyber-infinitygems @adelaidedrubman thank you mine lovelies 💕

tag list (ask to be added or removed!): @florbelles @marivenah @simonxriley @shegetsburned @voidika @inafieldofdaisies @aceghosts @v0idbuggy @carlosoliveiraa @risingsh0t @unholymilf @thedeadthree @cassietrn @jackiesarch

Back to my favorite really angsty couple having the “what do you want done with your body when you die?” talk. Really romantic stuff, I know.

Imogen leaned back in the pilot’s seat and released a quiet sigh, shutting her eyes. The moment of peace soon became disrupted by restless movements behind her. Three footsteps to the right. Three footsteps to the left. Repeated again and again.

She dampened her growing concern by clearing her throat. “You are pacing.” 

“So what?” Bix asked, the sound of her boots on durasteel still echoing in the cockpit.

“There is nothing to be nervous about,” Imogen said patiently. 

“Who says I’m nervous?” the mechanic retorted.

The Force flowed within the ship just as frantically as Bix did, congregating around her like a storm. Imogen opened her eyes and rose from her seat. Facing the bounty hunter caused Bix to halt her agitated pace as she met her gaze expectantly. The most prominent source of light remained the vibrant whites and blues of the dimension outside of the ship and the richness of Bix’s irises appeared almost black as they soaked up the bright colors, reflecting them perfectly, but Imogen still noted the slight dilation of her pupils as she stepped closer. 

“Take a beat, darling.” Imogen ran her thumb along the line of Bix’s jaw before her fingers curled around the back of her neck. “Or you will be spent before we arrive.”

“You should get some rest,” Bix countered, pulling Imogen’s hand away in order to continue pacing again. 

A light scoff pushed out of her lungs. “Me? The one who is of sound mind at the moment?”

“Exactly. You’ll actually be able to sleep,” the mechanic pointed out.

Any heaviness in Imogen’s muscles seemed to completely fade only to be replaced by a tightness as her body stilled. “Tell me what is worrying you, Bix.”

After a long pause, Bix hesitated. Her weight shifted as she briefly glanced down at her fidgeting hands. “You’ll still keep your promise to me even if I don’t make it, right? You’ll get me home?”

If Imogen’s flesh could turn to stone, it would at that very second. Her brow furrowed into an intense scowl as she stared at the mechanic. She did not reply, only silently held her gaze for what felt like ages.   

Bix took in a swift breath and continued. “If nothing else, I want to be bricked. There’s an open space next to my parents, they’re –”

“I will not entertain a conversation such as this,” Imogen dismissed firmly and turned away. 

“Yes, you will,” the mechanic insisted as she blocked her path.

The command cut a tense silence in the interior of the ship. Imogen had not been challenged so directly by Bix in a long time. A part of her had missed it, but a much larger part resented Bix for her unyielding pressure on this particular subject matter.

“Why?” the bounty hunter snapped. “It is not as if I would ever allow anything to take you from me.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Imogen.”

“Of course it does. I have enough power to ensure that we both survive. You would do well to remember that.”

Something akin to pity flashed across Bix's features. Imogen saw it in the subtle shake of her head. “Power has never indefinitely protected anyone from losing who they love.”

Imogen’s eyes grew cold and detached. “Enough of this talk.”

“You think I want to have this conversation? I’m absolutely terrified of losing you. I have nightmares about it so vivid that this,” she motioned between the two of them “standing right in front of you sometimes doesn’t feel real. But I have to face the reality of this war, and that means accepting that the only control we might actually have is where we’re laid to rest once it’s done. I want to go home, no matter what happens to me. You promised to take me home.”

Imogen hated that word. Promise. Especially now that Bix only seemed to invoke it in relation to her own mortality. The discussion reminded Imogen of the other vow she had made not long ago. To do whatever it takes to keep Bix out of the Empire’s clutches. While Imogen had not explicitly agreed to take her life as a last resort, she knew that is what Bix intended. 

A familiar sensation stirred. Her darkness. The void within her grew for the first time in several months, reminding her of its presence — reminding her that it would swallow her whole in due time and that the only person that has ever kept it at bay was just as impermanent as the control she convinced herself she had. 

“Will that be after I kill you, then?” Imogen asked coldly. 

“Please just tell me you’ll do it,” Bix begged.

A long sigh expelled out of Imogen’s nose as she clenched her jaw. This was never something Bix had to ask of her. Imogen knew the custom. In the unthinkable scenario in which she ever failed so spectacularly, she would never settle for anything less. Not for Bix. She wished those intentions had remained unspoken, as surely they were only tempting fate. 

“Stone and sky, correct?”

“Thank you.” Bix visibly relaxed. Her hand squeezed Imogen’s, but the bounty hunter did not reciprocate the touch. In fact, she pulled away as Bix attempted to lace their fingers together. It went against her usual instincts, but Imogen found the affection too painful to bear in this moment. Bix looked hurt, but she did not push. “I know I’ve asked a lot of you. I only have one more promise I want you to keep, then I’ll never bring this up again.”

“What is it?” Imogen asked impatiently, wondering how she had allowed someone to be so demanding.

“If anything does happen to me, I want you to go to Cal.” A mixture of confusion and slight disgust twisted Imogen’s features, but Bix continued. “I won’t pretend to understand whatever it is that you two even are to each other, but I do know you care for him and his crew, in your own way. If I’m gone, I don’t ever want you to feel alone again. Alright?”

What a naïve sentiment, Imogen thought. It was more likely that she would destroy the entire crew than join or be accepted by them. Yet, the earnest desperation written on her beloved’s face, the subtle tremor in her voice, compelled Imogen to agree. “Alright.” 

“If… If you’re the one who…” Here Bix had no issues with speaking plainly about her own potential demise, yet she could not even utter the words once they applied to Imogen’s. “What would you like me to do?” 

“Do with me what you will.”

“You don’t care?” 

“I never have.”

“What about your homeworld?” 

“I do not have a homeworld. And seeing as I will be dead in this scenario, I won’t hold much of an opinion on the matter of my remains, will I?” Imogen noticed that particular statement seemed to cause Bix the most pain. The mechanic held back a flinch and the first twist of guilt knotted in Imogen’s chest. So she added with some sincerity “Do what you feel is right for me, Bix.”

“Okay.”

“May we put this matter to rest now?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry. I just need something to hold onto. If there’s nothing else.” 

Bix moved to walk away. Good. Imogen’s mood had turned sour and she felt the need to be alone.

But then, just as Bix passed her, Imogen seemed to react on pure instinct. She reached out and caught the mechanic by her arm. Bix turned with a quiet gasp, barely having a second to understand before Imogen cupped the back of her neck and pulled her in. 

Their lips met in such a fierce kiss that there was hardly room to breathe. Imogen clutched at her desperately, pushing her back until her shoulders connected with the wall. Bix bunched the fabric of Imogen’s coat tightly in her hands as she kissed her back. Not only did she allow the sudden intense passion of their contact, but she thrived in it – pulling the other woman impossibly closer, taking in clipped gasps in between every fervent stroke of their lips as if none of it would ever be enough for her.

Out of the dense darkness in Imogen’s mind, came the voice of her last master. She heard his mechanical breaths as clearly and intimately as her lover’s. 

What you have will be taken from you if you do not have the strength to sacrifice it. 

Her love for the woman in her arms was defiant. Each kiss. Each touch. Each vow. Imogen would never relent in her devotion. She would neither sacrifice, nor surrender it. She would covet this for as long as her heart may beat.

Their pace gradually slowed, but that only seemed to make her pulse pump faster. Imogen savored the softness of her mechanic’s mouth as the tip of her tongue greeted hers. The tightness of their shared grip loosened for their hands to wander. In the desire to feel the warmth of her skin, Imogen directed her caress downwards. She worked herself under layers of clothing to get what she wanted and the comfort of body heat against her palm filled her every vein with the reassurance she needed. Bix tensed at the chill from her hand, but she slowly melted into the touch and started to push Imogen’s coat down her shoulders.

Other sensations began to stir, and Imogen supposed that she, too, needed something to hold onto.

[dirtytransmasc]

What if Miles didn't save his dad and his universe collapsed anyway.

It'd happen so fast, one minute he's rushing to his dad and the next he's sprawled across the ground, shoved off course by someone.

(Miguel is an option but I like the idea it's just some random Spiderman.)

Miles 'canon' events happens but his universe still glitches, half of it falling into the Spot's holes as it does as the villain becomes more and more unstable.

1610 collapses in front of everyone, swallowed up by the ever growing pitch black holes, leaving only Miles Morales as it's lone survivor.

to say the boy would be a mess, would be more than an understatement, it wouldn't even come close enough to smell, let alone touch, the way Miles is feeling. but he wouldn't just be sad or gutted or hopeless or even broken after losing everything; he'd be angry.

if he allowed himself to be dragged from the glitching, fading rubble of his now barren dimension, he would rip HQ apart, piece by piece. he'd scream and cry and break down, his abilities turned up to 110, his electricity flowing out him without any control, lashing out at anyone who tried to invade his space, let alone tried to touch him or stop him.

I think he would come pretty close to taking down Miguel, he'd defiantly pin him, using his enhanced reflexes and sheer surprise to get the upper hand, before just snapping. he'd let loose on Miguel, physically yes, but he would scream at him. he'd shove his stupid canon theory back into his face, begging for an explanation; if he was supposed to let his dad die, if he was forced to, than why did he lose everything anyway?

he'd leave Miguel bloody, even in his fury, he won't kill him, he can't do it, but he will make him suffer. he wants answers, he wants so many answers, answers to questions he doesn't even know he has, and he needs Miguel for those.

once he burns up his anger and cries out his sadness, he's left numb and empty, frequently returning to his dimension to sit amongst what little remains of his home. it doesn't really hit him at first that everything is gone, he knows it is, but he just can't accept it, his mom, his dad, Ganke, his friends, the cashier at the bodega, all of them, they can't be gone. he didn't even get to say goodbye.

part of him knows, deep down, that he should have saved his dad, he should have been allowed to try, that they would be here if he had just gotten to try. call it insanity, desperate attempts at coping, grasping at straws, spidey senses, intuition, some higher intervention and knowledge, he has no fucking idea, he just knows, and it only fuels his anger.

he stops coming out of his "room" at HQ, stops letting people in, not even Pav and Hobie who have never wronged him, who were always on his side, let alone the others, who at one point or another abandoned him or saddled against him. he stops in general, stops eating, stops sleeping, stops trying to distract his mind with things like music. he loses it a few more times, tearing up whatever furniture he had been given to make up for his lack of a home, before turning to laying on the floor, looking up at the blank ceiling for hours, ignoring any of the desperate pleas from outside his door.

he cringes when he realizes he's just becoming Miguel. he ignores the thought. tries to at least.

he lies there and withers away until he can no longer fight the others off, till he's forced to let them take care of him, forced to listen to their apologies and their "it'll be ok"'s. he honestly doesn't care; everything that ever truly mattered to him is gone or tainted, he's lost his world, his people, his family, he lost his friends, he lost his purpose. he just floats through life, accepting that he's just gonna turn into someone like Miguel, cold and closed off, not really living, but not dead, and he's "ok" with that, more so, he doesn't have the care nor energy to be more than that anymore. he accepts his fate, for once, cause its clear that trying to do anything else only get him and the people he loves hurt.

[sour-ghiden]

Interject (Mar 5 2024)

(np) I was determined, after repeated attempts, and all ended up in me passing out and not doing anything, for two weeks...I finally managed to push through and close the "man-made" unnatural hole purposefully made in this reality/universe/plane/dimension/realm...whatever...that was in or near Yellowstone's largest volcano. Though there are more scattered across the country, I believe imminent danger of a rift is; for the moment, averted...

I then, found myself waking up I'm a disoriented fog. I didn't know what happened, or where exactly I was. I know that either someone; who looked like doctor but didn't actually seem like one, was about to inject my neck with something or already had, I can't remember. I remember struggling for a bit. I think the fake doc was about to, I was told to calm down. I know whomever it was that had me, wanted me kept unconscious. I was injected with something and things got blurry and I started to pass out. I was determined to stay awake, and to get away. It was very difficult, but I...I went and transformed to...I guess you could say "true self", as I could without causing a certain important component to initiate a melt down. It was enough for me to tear myself awake and get out of there. I ended up teleporting to one of my friends' safe houses, not wanting to go home, because I feared for others' safety on these matters, I don't want to bring this mess to my loved ones, so I tried to not go to my usual places. However, this spot was not as safe as I'd thought it seemed, as that fake doctor and someone else showed up, I had begun to relax slightly, when I heard their voices, and then, I saw them. Once again, fighting to remain awake and conscious, I repeated how I got away the first time, and went to somewhere I hadn't gone in (physical) years. I fell over and laid on the cold floor tile for a bit, before slipping into a hard, but semi-uncomfortable sleep. It wasn't until a few hours went by that I realized that this place DID; however, connect to someplace I used to frequent, and rarely visit now. In realizing this, I (with much effort) pulled myself awake, and looked around for someplace I could hide to keep from being found. I saw a closet nearby, it wasn't the best or most comfortable place, but it locked from the outside so it would seem like no one could lock themselves in. I stumbled over to it, and pretty much fell into it. I closed the door and locked the outside using abilities. I'm sitting in here for a while. I passed out, hoping that maybe this spot would be overlooked because it locked from the outside. Once I've rested enough, I'll leave and find somewhere else I can safely stay, where no one can harm me or the people I love or care about.

[spearofalu]

Eyes open, and there was nothing. A void, black walls, running water she couldn't find its origins or where it lead. She could hear the ripples forming under her feet, and no matter where she looked, everything was dark. Cold. Humid, putrid, even.

you will never be free

She knew where she was. It was the exact place Azazel would pull her to every time he wanted to negotiate. A dimension connected to his ancestral resting place, the place they fought for control. The Redeemer would take control of her conscious and force her to listen to demands and threats of violence, each word burning the purple scar on her arm. Sometimes, she wondered, if these attacks would force her into an endless dream, breaking the seal and releasing the beast she had to protect the world from. Only thinking of the chaos the world would fall reinforced the conviction, and the whispers of spells and rituals would cover the space until Azazel released her from this dimension.

She felt air, as if she was floating, a forceful gush of wind attempting to make her fall into the dark void. Zafina held her ground, turning around towards the wind, only seeing the creature she was meant to stop in fading hues of blue and purple. It didn't speak, it only stared. It rumbled and angered and tried to do damage, yet every step it took towards her brought it back where he stood.

She could see Claudio's seals slowly manifesting from the ground, from what she assumed were walls, keeping the beast on its place. Was he okay? Was he able to destroy the devil with his holy arrow? Did he made it out alive?

you will never be free

Zafina placed a hand against her ear, attempting to block whatever Azazel attempted to direct towards her. Her arm became heavier, forcing her to her knees, burning and pulling muscles and nerves relentlessly. She screams until she could no longer, the force at work weaking her resolve and her body, yet she knew she had to endure. Not after everything they have done to stop the world from succumbing. Not after everyone's sacrifices, she had to endure.

A yellow light followed the seals, pulsating holy symbols around Azazel while it screamed for release. Zafina shielded her eyes from the beams as it slowly consumed the creature, until it no longer produced any heat and, as if nothing, the god was dead.

She couldn't hear anything. Feel anything. No more weight on her arm as she looked, finding nails where claws once were, skin and bones as meant to be. To her delight and surprise, the dirty bandages that once carried a spell still remained tightly wrapped in her hands.

Sleep, while forced, was incredibly desired. Eyes open, light, sounds of machines.

A medical facility was not supposed to be where the beginning of tomorrow should take place.

[thedevillionaire]

Icestruck

Alrighty. This is around 5,000 words of the aftermath from an alter-dimension confrontation in which Cerberus takes Media damage, the only time he’s ever done so, and it’s Ice. (Because of course it is.) He kills the other guy, but he most certainly has not escaped unscathed.

This is fairly Underworld lore heavy in places; please don’t hesitate to make me explain myself if anything doesn’t make sense. (A few of you have seen a version of this before; this is the ‘without the need for a novella of backstory’ remix. I hope.) And thank you so, so much for choosing to spend some of your time in my world. 💞

We open in the Healing wards. ---

Aera gasped, then grinned widely. Her heart-rate sped from joy, from nervousness, from a kind of relieved fury. She glanced around the room, needlessly checking for any of the Healing staff. She already knew that none were present. “Cerbie?” she whispered, clearing her throat immediately thereafter. She had not meant to whisper.

Cerberus gazed at her, unfocused and hazy. Immense pain coursed through him, needle-sharp spears of winter constant, insistent, vicious. The relentless arctic bite of the icewire strike seared him absolute and he shivered with it, utterly chilled. He recognised more lucidly his surrounds and company and attempted a weak smile.

“Aera,” he murmured, “are you going to follow me through every afterlife I have?”

Smiling back, Aera shook her head and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Looks like it,” she replied. “Maybe you should stop getting yourself killed.” She touched the back of her hand to his forehead, half brushing some hair aside, half checking his temperature, which remained in a state of cold fever. “How do you feel?”

“Appalling.” The room spun nauseatingly and he closed his eyes against it. “Where’s Kia?"

“Taking a break. She’s exhausted. She’s been here constantly up until tonight, so good job, DeVille - your timing’s awesome. She is not going to believe that you finally managed to regain consciousness in the one damn moment she was missing.”

Cerberus shifted his position slightly, frowning at the discomfort resulting, and coughed, which set the room spinning again. He cursed under his breath. “How long is ‘constantly’?”

“Four nights.”

“Gods,” he whispered. I’m so sorry, darkling.

Aera gazed at him, her brow creased with worry and relief and anger simultaneously, and frustration suddenly became too much. She hit the wall with her hand, ignoring the sting. “Goddamn it, you just can’t step back from a challenge, can you?” she accused. “You didn’t need to do this, not this way! You didn’t even tell me you intended to do this! I mean…fuck!”

Cerberus looked at her blearily through a curtain of distortion, not quite managing to comprehend her anger. “What? Aera, I…”

“You could have been killed! Fuck, Cerberus, you nearly were!” Aera knew she was being irrational, but the fears she’d held in check over the last few nights now engulfed her. And part of her outburst, she realised, came from the very knowledge that she was overreacting. She found herself unable to temper such things now, though. “Do you get it?!” she demanded, hot and useless tears streaking her face.

Putting an unsteady hand to his forehead, Cerberus sighed heavily. “Can you please yell at me when I’m less ill?” he said, closing his eyes again. He sniffled. “And you know perfectly well,” he said, tired but resolute, “that I’d do it again.”

“Goddamn it, Cerberus! I can’t believe…” Aera brushed more tears away roughly. “What the fuck is the point? What’s the matter with you?!”

“I’m insane,” Cerberus replied wearily, “if you like.”

“Oh…I don’t…” Her rage dissipating, Aera struggled not to become victim to yet more helpless tears. “You know I don’t mean… I just…” I just can’t imagine life without you. “Damn it, Cerbie.” She paused, staring at the ceiling awhile, calming herself as best she could. “You scared the shit out of me,” she finished quietly.

Cerberus, his head throbbing and each successive breath causing sharper pain than the one before, murmured, “Sorry,” before collapsing into unconsciousness once again.

Aera bit her lip, frowning in a mixture of anguish and sympathy, and touched a light kiss to his forehead. I love you, she mouthed without sound.

:Aldiss: she Mindsent as she vanished, :you need to get in here. And call Kia.:

----

Cerberus stared at Aldiss in disbelief. “Two to four weeks? You have got to be joking,” he said, quite well aware that she wasn’t. He sniffled and rubbed his nose, and tried to sit up a little straighter, tried to ignore the acute discomfort movement brought, the endless chill he’d felt since waking, the distractingly insistent background irritation in his sinuses, the memory of how and when and why it all went wrong, the whole damn preposterous situation. He didn’t succeed, though the veneer he presented gave a not entirely unreasonable impression of someone who’d managed to do so.

“You were icestruck, Cerberus,” Aldiss replied, her tone short. “That’s the optimistic prognosis, too, by the way. If worst comes to worst, it could last two months, not two weeks, so I recommend you listen to what you’re told. Look, I’d love to be able to tell you that it’s not that bad, but that, I’m afraid, would be a lie.”

“You have a marvellous bedside manner, Aldiss, truly,” Cerberus said, pulling the bedcovers more tightly around himself as a fresh jolt of ice cold pain ran through him. He sniffled, almost defiantly. “What the hell is the good news?”

“The good news is that you’re not dead.” As was always the case, Aldiss kept things strictly business, popular reception be damned, and she was more than aware that the reception for her next point would be anything but. “And while we’re on the subject of murder and other Demonic arts… Since it’d almost certainly cause a reaction, and probably a regression, don’t use any Fire skills for at least the next week.”

“What?!” Cerberus sat up rather too rapidly and all visual perspective lurched with a nauseating jolt, his equilibrium shot. “Oh, gods.” He stared at Aldiss in horror, briefly gripped the side of the bed frame to steady himself, and fell back to lie amongst the pillows again. “This cannot be happening,” he muttered in disbelief.

Aldiss sighed. “Once more for the slow learners, Cerberus. You…were…icestruck.” She enunciated each word precisely. “Level 9, remember? Most people would have been annihilated – as you could well have been, if Enigma had been attacking rather than defending, if that makes you feel any better. You do seem to have made the right decision, you know, despite all this.” She softened her tone a little.  “I am sorry, you know. It’s going to be a bitch. There’s just no nice way to say it. It’s just… Well, I suppose it’s the price of victory.”

Victory isn’t supposed to have a price, Cerberus thought in unspoken fury. That’s defeat. He pressed a firm hand to his nose, that persistent tickle going nowhere, and sniffled again. He looked at her in a mix of resignation and distaste. “Do I at least get drugs for this?”

“You’re on drugs for this.”

“Well, they’re not doing a particu…hh…” He lost his sentence completely then, inhaling deeply and turning from Aldiss he brought his elbow to his face to cover an urgent, powerful sneeze, his head left pounding from the force of it. “Huh-TSSCHH-uu! Ah,gods. Pardon me.” He sniffled wetly, rubbing his nose again.

Aldiss inclined her head, nodding slightly. “Already sneezing, huh?” 

“Excuse me – ‘already’?” Cerberus asked warily, not entirely sure he actually wanted an answer, his breath hitching, followed by another sharp sniffle. “What… Huh-TSSCHHuu! AHTSCHUU!” He groaned, sniffled again and rolled his eyes. Brilliant. Aldiss handed him a packet of tissues, which he accepted with offhand, distracted thanks. He blew his nose, excusing himself once more before returning, with annoyance evident and a heavy sigh, to his point. “What do you mean ‘already’?”

“Oh, just a little earlier than I expected, that’s all. It’s actually not a bad thing – it means you’re healing. You’re just reacting to the process. The fact that it’s kicked in so soon does, however, also mean that you can probably expect to do a lot of it.”

Aldiss flipped open her workbook, quickly scanned through the notes she’d made. “Mm. I can’t say I’m surprised, really. You’re sensitive enough as it is to Ice, so…” She shrugged. “It’s probably not going to be consistent, though. Good days, bad days, that sort of thing. I’ll do my best to sort out some further meds, okay? But you should know that I can only do so much. For the most part, it’s just going to have to run its course.”

Cerberus adjusted his position again, outwardly smoothly although with a level of effort that he refused to let Aldiss see, everything aching, everything chilled, and his nose still bothering him. He sniffled again and pressed a knuckle, hard, against his nostrils. Naturally. Why would medication actually do something? That would clearly be ridiculous. But with both his patience and energy rapidly fading, he decided against voicing his thoughts, stared at the ceiling instead and asked tiredly, “Is Kia here yet?”

“Any minute.” Aldiss walked to the door. “I’ll be contacting Therion too, because you are doing nothing, okay? Nothing.” She looked at him sternly, well aware that was a directive he would not be inclined to follow. “That aside, I’ll be able to send you home tonight, once Kia turns up, anyway, since you may as well be in your own bed as here. In the meantime, try to relax. Keep warm. If there’s anything else that you especially want…”

“I want Fire and effective medication and a fucking cognac.”

“The thing I like best about you, Cerberus, is your incredibly compliant nature.”

----

Kia opened the door without knocking, ignoring Aldiss completely as her eyes met her beloved’s, and abandoning any pretence at protocol, she rushed across the room to embrace him, in tears as she kissed him over and over, holding him to her as closely as she could. :I love you. I love you. I love you. Don’t you dare leave me: she Mindsent as she turned her gaze to Aldiss at last.

“Hi. Sorry,” she said, with a faintly apologetic smile. She sniffed. “I really meant to be here.”

“I know. Everyone knows.” Aldiss smiled back. “Okay, I just have to pick up the rest of the meds before getting you out of here, so… See you soon.” She vanished.

Kia cradled Cerberus’s face in her hands, brushing some hair from his eyes, and smiled at him through the tears she could not seem to completely stop. She wiped several away and tried to breathe more evenly, gradually bringing herself back to a level of calmness, or something like it. “Hello, sweetheart,” she said tenderly, and he felt his world shift – the sanctuary of her touch, her perfume, her voice bringing him the first true respite he’d felt in what seemed like a very long time. Kia tilted his head towards her, tracing the contours of his face with her hand in gentle reassurance. “It’s alright, it’s alright,” she whispered, “you’ll be alright,” and kissed him deeply.

If Cerberus had ever felt more loved without condition, and more certain of his love for her, he could not remember it.

“Hello, goddess,” he murmured, touching his forehead to hers and twining his fingers through her hair as she sat beside him on the edge of the bed. He smiled softly just for a moment before sniffling in reaction to a returning itch, and he inwardly cursed his inability to control the multitude of absurd physical inconveniences plaguing him, as all he wanted to do was forget everything for a while and just immerse in the sanctuary she offered but it seemed that was going to be too much to ask, he was definitely going to sneeze, and…

Damn it.

He turned from her, raising an index finger to signify he needed a moment. “Excu… Huh-AHSSCHuu!” With another sniffle and a brief shake of his head, he tried to steady his breathing to no avail, and took a tissue from the packet as he surrendered again to urgent, fierce, undeniable need. “Ah-TSSCH-uu! Hhh… hh…HUHTSCHH-uu!”

“Oh, bless you, hon.”

“Tha… hhuh… Ah-HEHTSCHUU!” Cerberus groaned at the force of it, sniffling repeatedly, shakily. “Ah, gods. Thanks, love.” Another sniffle, and another, and he took some time to allow untrustworthy breathing to settle somewhat. “Excuse me.” Still a little breathless, he wiped his nose several times, the irritation slowly retreating somewhat, although the blinding headache starkly left in its place was hardly an improvement, not to mention the never-ending chill. Despite it all, though, he found himself smiling softly at Kia as she smoothed wayward strands of his hair back from his face, and he rested his head against hers. He sighed. “I’m so sorry, love. This is, um…  *snf!* not quite how I’d planned things.”

Kia took his hand in hers, weaving her fingers through his. “Oh, hon.” She lifted his hand to her lips, kissing it. “I should hope not,” she said in gentle humour, smiling as he chuckled darkly, wryly, in response. She caressed his hand, kissed it again, and Mindsent a quiet, sincere :I know. You don’t need to apologise: just as Aldiss re-entered the chamber, box of medications in hand.

“Sorry, you two, I’m here to break it up for a moment,” said Aldiss. “Alright.” She handed the box to Kia. “Dosages are marked on the bags, and there are notes about prep. It’s fairly straightforward, for the most part. You shouldn’t have too much trouble.”

She then turned to face Cerberus directly. “Okay, then. If you need anything, I will be available, but for now, I am happy to say you are officially free to go home. Please try to do as you’re told,” she added. “I really am glad you made it, but I’ll be even more glad if I don’t have to deal with you again over this, and I very, very much do not want to have to see you back here for…well, ever, if possible.”

Cerberus acknowledged this with a sardonic smile. “And while I am truly thankful in many ways for your work, Aldiss, the feeling is more than mutual, I assure you.” The surface-smooth cadence in his tone thoroughly belied the ice-fuelled, crawling, enveloping exhaustion coursing through him, relentless; a light sniffle the only outward sign of anything being out of the ordinary.

To most.

Kia wove a hand through his hair as Aldiss exited the room, gently caressing him and nestling nearer her beloved, drawing them together as he leant into her, closed his eyes.

“Home, sweetheart?” she softwhispered, and at his slight smile and relieved half nod, quiet murmur of assent, she Mindsent :Let me do it, okay?:

and unlike any other, she knew he wouldn’t protest. They embraced as one and, under her control, vanished.

---

“So, um, in the Realm…” Kia adjusted her position slightly, took another sip of her drink before returning it to the bedside table, and stroked Cerberus’s back in slow, circular motions. “Sweetheart, what happened?”

The unforgivable. Cerberus, with a short, sharp laugh and a rueful shake of his head, momentarily glanced away, the memory of this failure shameful, something he still couldn’t quite believe he’d allowed to happen, the admittance of it to himself – let alone to his beloved – galling.

“Fundamental basic error,” he said after a brief time, his tone one of bitter, unmistakable self-reproach, and then turned to meet Kia’s gaze directly. He was not one to shy away from his mistakes, after all, infrequent as they may be – and particularly when it came to this sort of thing – but gods it seared him to admit it, and especially to his beloved, who in his heart he knew wouldn’t think less of him for it but she should, she should, he was certain of it. He’d openly scorned this in others, after all, and he ought to have known better, and he’d risked everything, everything, and…

He hated, so much, to disappoint her.

But facts were facts.

“I, um…underestimated my opponent.”

Inexcusable.

He sniffled sharply, his focus pulled from one difficulty to another, and pressed an index finger firmly under his nose against a returning insistent tickle, sniffling again. Honestly, just… “And so… Huh…hh…” His attempt to continue was abruptly, implacably interrupted as his breath caught, and he grabbed several tissues from the box beside him with haste, turning from Kia as he did so. “Hh-AHTSSCHHuu! HUHschuu! *snf* Excuse me,” he murmured reflexively over her gentle blessing, and wiped his nose.

He glanced over at his apparently infinitely patient bonded, her beautiful elfin face reflecting nothing but compassion and security,  and he sighed heavily –  the lack of choice he had in this absurd situation that he found himself in piercing, brutal, his inability to defeat it exasperating.

Gods. Do better.

“Sorry about all the damn sneezing.”

Kia laughed lightly, accompanied by a brief, dismissive wave of her hand. “Aw, sweetheart, you don’t have to be.” She kissed him quickly on the cheek. “Anyway, I’ve told you,” she continued, haughty and flirtatious, “there is nothing about you I don’t love.” Giving him a fleeting, wicked grin, she finished her drink, smiled broadly, and concluded with confidence as if presenting some unarguable science. “Nothing.”

“Darkling, you’re an absolute delight but you have to know that you’re also completely insane.” Cerberus cupped her face in his hand, stroking the curves of her face before kissing her tenderly.

“Oh, pfft. You’ve known that for ages. Not even kind of a surprise. And sucked in, it’s too late now, you love me anyway.” Kia smiled back at him, both heartfelt and playful, before becoming momentarily a little more serious. She knew how difficult this was for him, how difficult it was going to be for some time to come, and she rested a gentle hand on his forearm. “Please don’t feel bad, though, hon. I know y…”

With another urgent, shaky inhalation, Cerberus held up an index finger in pause as the need for a relief that never seemed to come was too much for him to fight, and he turned from her quickly, giving over completely, powerful, possessing. “Huhh-TSSCHH-uu! AAHTSSCHHUU! *snff!*” Not enough, not nearly enough, and with a deep inhalation he comprehensively gives himself over, sneezing again, unstoppable, violent and emphatic. “hhh-HH… hh-TSSCHH-uu! hh-TSSCHH-uu!” A catch of breath, a momentary hiatus of expectant suspension before desperate surrender. “HAHH-TSSCHUU! Huh-AAHTSSCHHuu!! *SNF!* Ah, fuck!”

Frustration burning livid behind watering viridian eyes, he took several tissues from the box and blew his nose, Mindsending an apology to Kia as he did so, but his patience for this is thoroughly done. “I’m sorry, darkling, I am, and I couldn’t be more thankful for your support, truly, but I swear if this continues I am going to lose my mind before this godsforsaken month is out.” Another sharp sniffle. “Or the week, come to that, since I’m evidently not allowed to use any Fire powers, gods, what the fuck.” He pressed thumb and forefinger against aching sinuses, reclaimed his glass of cognac and drained it perfunctorily. “Although that’s almost certainly arbitrary guesswork on Aldiss’s part anyway,” he muttered. “Why the hell am I being beholden to this supposition?! It’s not like she has any actual idea of how Media skills work, damn it!”

“Oh, honey. Breathe,” Kia said, caressing his shoulder. Oh, god. Despite everyone else’s apparent conviction that her word was his command, she really wasn’t sure how much influence she held over him in this sort of circumstance. She didn’t have anywhere near the expertise in either Fire Media or Healing to offer advice from a knowledgeable standpoint, and all she wanted was for her love to not sabotage himself, for him to give himself the best chance possible for a timely recovery, but…

:Please don’t test Aldiss on the Fire thing, hon, mm?: she Mindsent, gently entreating, praying to the fates, the gods, whoever was out there that he’d listen to her because he sure as hell wouldn’t listen to anyone else, she had to succeed, and stroked soothing, repetitive motions down his arm. :Please. For me. At least not yet.:

Although she did have at least one idea.

“Anyway, the whole allergic reaction stuff means you’re healing, and that’s a good thing, so…” Staring off into the distance, an expression on her face of feigned disregard that was deliberately quite at odds with her true feelings, Kia forced herself not to smile, knowing exactly how he would react to what she was about to say – in fact, she was counting on it. She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe you should stop your bitching, Demon king.”

“M…my…?” Cerberus, anger and resentment dissolving immediately in distracted confusion, so taken aback he couldn’t even formulate a sentence in response, stared at Kia, brow creased and somewhat stupefied.

Kia tried in vain to keep the small triumphant smile from her face but there was only so long she could maintain her façade, having got precisely the reaction she’d hoped for, and she collapsed into laughter at almost the exact moment he realised she’d done that on purpose.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said, still laughing, shifting her position to kneel beside him. She gave him a quick kiss. “I love you so much but sometimes you can be just a little dramatic.” Running the back of her hand tenderly across his cheek, she met his gaze, her expression forgiving, safe, her tone kind.“It’s just sneezing, babe.”

Cerberus chuckled darkly, ruefully, his souldeep appreciation for his bonded once again both warming and astounding him, and he smiled in concession – almost. “Alright, but to be fair it’s a lot of sneezing.”

:And I’m not sure that recognising incessance and the ridiculousness resulting from it ought to count as drama, really.: He raised an eyebrow.

:Not helping your cause, hon,: Kia Sent back with an accompanying hearty laugh, and kissed him again before he could protest. She picked up the blanket and wrapped it around the both of them, snuggling in close to him and resting her head on his shoulder, making a quiet hum of pleasure as she did so.

“Anyway,” she continued, smiling softly as Cerberus curled an arm around her and kissed the top of her head, “I bet your mistakes weren’t half as stupid as you think they were. If you even actually made any. You’re your own worst critic, you know.”

“Hm.” Cerberus half smiled wryly, glancing down, both heartwarmed and grateful for her faith in him, but…mistakes were most certainly made. “Oh, love.” He sniffled again, excused himself and, with some careful manoeuvring, managed to refill his drink using Kinesis so that he could remain otherwise hands-free. Claiming a fresh few tissues, he wiped his nose, all while not relinquishing his hold on Kia, the heat of her skin directly against his so…distractingly delicious, and he took a measured sip of his newly refreshed cognac as the threat of a persistent irritation arose again.

Gods. Honestly. He exhaled heavily and rubbed his nose, several times, firmly, and for once actually managed to see it off – at least for now, though the incessant itch and chill remained, a quieted but constant dormant threat. With another sigh, and another sharp sniffle, he adjusted the set of the blanket to wrap even more closely around the two of them.

“I should have known,” he said eventually. “At the very least, I should have accounted for the chance.”

Kia nestled nearer to him again, loving the feeling of his physicality engulfing hers, trying in some half-hearted sort of way to distract herself from the pure visceral craving she felt at such contact but despite every piece of detached logic she could apply to the situation, she burned for him nonetheless. She sighed quietly and entwined her fingers through his. “Oh, honey, you couldn’t have known, though. No-one could.”

Cerberus half laughed, half scoffed at this in disregard, his castigation entirely directed at himself. “No, I should have,” he said, quietly but with a clear certainty, and rested his head against hers.

“Nope. Uh-uh.” Shifting her position so that she could face him directly, Kia met his gaze and held it, defiant. “Don’t you dare do this to yourself. I am not going to let you blame yourself for this, and nobody else is allowed to either, and if they try I’ll fight them all. And you too, if you make me.”

:Please, sweetheart. Don’t make me.:

“And I know you’re going to want to but you’re not allowed to argue with me about it, end of story.” She brushed an errant strand of his hair from his eyes, tucking it behind his ear with gentle touch, and fought back an unexpected, sudden sting of tears as he looked back at her, his brow creased in consternation and clearly doubting her.

Damn it. How can you not know? You have to understand this.

Kia exhaled heavily. “You…you saved us. You’re a fucking superhero. And even though, okay, Enigma got a shot in, he didn’t win, and holy shit, babe, you were icestruck and you got back here, nobody else can even make the journey whatever the hell condition they’re in, you’re crossing dimensions, you…you did the impossible, and don’t you dare call this a failure just because by your—” She broke off for a moment, her voice cracking, and she forced the tears to stop again, this time with a wry, disbelieving chuckle. “—your ridiculously high standards that it maybe wasn’t perfectly done.” She tried to slow her breathing a little, taking a moment to compose herself somewhat. “I’m sorry, I’m trying not to lose the plot here but, honey, you have to listen to me, he meant to kill you but that did not happen and that is your doing, and thank fuck because you…you are not allowed to leave me, what would I…what would I even…” And here she couldn’t stop the tears anymore, the thought of him not having made it home too much to consider, but she ignored them, smiled through them, because all that mattered was that he listen to her now, was that he forgive himself. “I wouldn’t even be able to keep this…this stupid place warm anymore and…”

Cerberus, unable to truly comprehend the myriad of emotions he was feeling other than being entirely certain that he could not love her – nor, indeed, anyone – any more deeply, wove his fingers through her hair and pulled her to him, kissing her with a passion absolute and uncompromised, an urgency and need eclipsing all else, her touch intoxicating, and he slipped a hand under her skirt, caressing her thigh, pulse quickening, desire undeniable.

Oh, hello.

Kia, her focus entirely redirected in moments, made a soft purr of pleasure and moved to straddle him, returning his kiss with promise. Well, then. And although she was more than willing to just go with it, she did feel a certain level of responsibility with her beloved so unwell, and so Mindsent :Babe, are you sure?: despite racing heartbeat and a yearning primal fire she was already thoroughly, hopelessly in thrall to, and she privately, fervently, hoped that he…

:Very sure. I’m certainly not intending to add celibacy to this month’s list of nightmares: Cerberus sent in reply literally seconds before a rapidly rising, insistent urge of an entirely different type made itself unavoidably known once more. Forced to break the moment, he apologised with haste and turned to smother his face against his shoulder.

“HMPTch! HHTchuu! Ah,gods, sorry, love,” he said, his breath catching again immediately, his attempt to stifle the sneezes not at all lessening the still-insistent tickle, and he turned from her completely this time, surrendered entirely, doubling over. “AAHHTSSCHUU! *snf!* Ugh, gods! Excuse me.” He shook his head at the truly magnificently ridiculous timing of it all, and chuckled wryly, a little bleakly, rubbed his nose with firm hand as the sensation mercifully passed – at least for the moment, at least a little – and met Kia’s gaze with both apology and resignation. He sighed. “Darkling, if you don’t wa...”

“Shh.” Kia placed an index finger on his lips, reaching up to curl her other hand around the back of his neck, through heavy silken midnight. “Bless you,” she murmured, and kissed himas if they’d not been interrupted at all, now tracing softwarm suggestive touch down his chest and lower, lower still.

:You can stop me if you want, babe,: she Mindsent, velvet sultry, inviting, :but I’m not intending a month of celibacy either.:

---

[discipulusmaleficus]

(suffered a whim and drafted a new, wordier post for the fundamentals of my Weird Magic System Nonsense (1, 2) bc I never bothered convert pt. 1 from handwriting to text and it's ugly. I do not promise this is comprehensible, coherent or interesting.)

Magic is not a solved science. It's difficult enough trying to integrate the different models and techniques used by various magical traditions throughout the world even without trying to throw quantum mechanics into the mix. Furthermore, for historical and cultural reasons, much of the magical community remains reluctant to entertain certain investigations.

(Besides, wouldn't want to make yourself redundant, would you?)

I have vague and silly ideas about it, though.

RE: MATERIAL AND EXTRAMATERIAL SPACE

Magic, like material matter, most likely takes the form of particles and waves (which are the same thing ;) ). (No I do not have names and basic properties for the fundamental magical particles and I am not going to. I was considering charges of hot/cold and wet/dry despite these not meaning anything relevant to our macro understanding of these things, though.)

Now.

As a rule, material particles live in the mostly-flat three dimensional space we are familiar with navigating, and do not have the magical energy to leave it unless charged by an outside force.

As previously noted, magic takes place in six dimensions. Anything not on the material plane is on the astral plane, making it much larger and more confusing to navigate.

Similiarly, as a rule, pure magic exists Around the material plane and will only ever -- usually never -- be briefly visible or solid from our perspective. It can, however, bond with and influence both solid and magical particles -- in fact, essentially every molecule has magical elements. Magic is prone to loosely orbiting the material plane, though this effect peters out the further you get from it. (Have fun getting lost in the void.)

Purely or primarily magical entities include ghosts, curses, most daemons, and abominations such that how best to describe or categorise them is a lively debate.

RE: SOULS OR AURAS OR WHATEVER

All living things have some biological systems that extend into the astral plane. In intelligent species, this is what we call the 'soul'. Its anatomy is complex, fluid and poorly mapped, and can vary on an individual basis far more than our physical forms. Certainly, though, it is -- in most people -- capable of forming prehensile appendages, of absorbing and channeling magical energy, and of something resembling sight, touch and taste. Good passive defence against hexes correlates with less sensitivity.

Magic as an activity is, at its core, simply the ability to make use of said extramaterial Bits to achieve useful work. Our minds aren't really equipped to comprehend the full picture here, so anything sensed spiritually is generally subconscious or translated into an easier-to-digest form which varies person to person. This is also, of course, why mages are so often reliant on visualisation, symbolism and instinct.

Although they can naturally be pried apart temporarily, damage or extended separation is liable to cause brain damage and no doubt any other number of lovely things. Getting lost outside reality will generally render your body a vegetable, although there are some isolated reports of such examples going on to recover and develop new, different identities.

Typically, even when astral projecting, it's possible to maintain enough of an umbilical cord that this isn't a major issue. Total separation releases energy and requires energy to undo -- which is part of why one can harvest energy from animal and human sacrifice, as well as why young idiot mages occasionally need help getting back into their bodies.

[tsukuyomii45]

Ok, what would be the interaction between male!Rin and Warlord fem!Obito?

Considering that she is more crazy than her male counterpart. I’m very interested how would they act around one another.

It wouldn't be too different from this previous ask in terms of reaction and feelings, because honestly it's just going to be repetitive.

However we can dive in a little more into fem!Obito's crazy side.

!! TW: Dark Themes !!

So, when male!Rin asks fem!Obito why she didn't return and what happened to her, fem!Obito does not reply until she hears Rin say that she is the hero of Konoha, to which fem!Obito would just laugh cynically at those words.

"A hero, you say? Or is that another word for pawn in their little game of using children to fight their wars?"

Rin would be taken aback by those words, and fem!Obito would go on to say that she truly has no interest in this meaningless world that only breeds evil and bloodspilling (canon compliant).

Which is very ironic given that when Obito has turned insane, she would develop a sense of sadism towards her enemies and would enjoy torturing them before killing them off.

Some time during the battle between Naruto, Gai, B and Kakashi, fem!Obito would sneak up behind Rin and throw her arms around his neck, playfully saying"Peek-a-Boo!" before sucking him into her Kamui dimension. Given that male!Rin would land on the ground due to being unable to hold his balance, Obito would teleport in front of him and straddle his lap, and shamelessly profess her love for him in that soft, sultry voice as she softly cups his face.

See, because male!Rin felt the same way for her back then, he would look at her conflictingly with pain in his eyes as he says, "If you did love me, this wouldn't be you."

Fem!Obito's demeanor would then switch to anger, her tone would be sharper, and her soft caress would turn into a rough grip, where she says, "You have no idea what I've been through. You didn't see the world as I did."

She then gets off of Rin and looks down at him with an expression that's a blend of an icy yet seething rage. "I know everything. I saw everything. I watched you die, and I was too powerless to save you. And yet you still think that I would carry on and remain the same after holding your cold, lifeless body in my arms?"

Male!Rin would tell her that it's Madara that's manipulating her, and he knows that the Obito he always knew and love is still in there.

This would drive fem!Obito into shock and tears, and she would then say, "Even if that's true..it doesn't matter anymore..."

She would teleport male!Rin out of the dimension after that, and male!Rin is just more convinced that she's manipulated by Madara for his own means because he managed to exploit her emotions.

Fem!Obito woudl then turn her attention to fem!Kakashi, who tries to reason with her, but fem!Obito would literally take out her anger on her and tie up her chains around her and throw her around while she laughs. "I've been wanting to do this for so long." After beating the shit out of fem!Kakashi and dragging her around, she would then pull fem!Kakashi back to her, and then grab her on a chokehold and stab her abdomen with her sword, making sure it pierces all the way through the back, and she would tilt her head with a wide grin as she says, "Ring a bell?" before throwing her to the side and stepping over her body, much to the horror of Rin and everyone else.

~~

That's all for now. Honestly, anything else would just be very repetitive, lol

[gray-isnt-real]

Dimensional Disaster

Part 5

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-

-

“Hale, you are not going in that portal-“

“Oh, oh, really? Cuz ya know, it looks like I’m getting ready to- Get that damn tether away from me.”

Kailani swatted away the engineer that attempted to hook the emergency tether onto her belt. They acted like they were on the same team here, like they’d want to save her if something happened on the other side of the portal that had opened upon the Watch being destroyed. A nice sentiment, but they clearly hadn’t read the room, she figured as she adjusted herself.

They had caused this- no, Joseph Alt had caused this.

He ordered the Watch to be destroyed because someone else’s “unholy” mitts had worked on it instead of him. It wasn’t his work anymore, so all that progress had to be erased, right? It had to be destroyed. Because of a mistake she made years ago.

In trying to punish her for “stealing” his invention, he ended up punishing the universe.

“You don’t know where that thing leads,” Joseph argued. Kailani glanced back at him, eyebrow quirked, almost as if confused by his…concern? “You don’t know if it’s stable!”

Was he concerned for her safety?

Or trying to absolve himself of responsibility if something happened to her on the other side?

After all, he’d never cared about the well-being of his employees before, with the shortcuts he’d taken to get around health and safety requirements, and the countless OSHA violations she could recall in her years of working for MATRIX. And let’s not forget the wonderful encounter she’d had with security when she first discovered his little project…

But suddenly he gave a damn if she jumped into a portal with no precautions?

What a joke, she thought to herself.

“I’ve jumped through plenty of unstable portals and come out with all my limbs,” Kailani retorted, patting down her pockets to make sure she had everything that she’d arrived with earlier. “I think I’ll be fine.”

…I think…

She glanced up at the portal that cracked and sparked before her. The gentle wind that circulated through the lab chilled her, but she didn’t shiver upon contact. She was used to hot, to cold, to sand and snow and strange forests. She’d been through it all. Worlds where she was tiny, worlds where she was huge. Wonderlands and wastelands, historical moments that looped like a VHS tape, no matter what you did differently. Musicals and games and silly comic book adventures. Universes where the unusual was the usual… And so much more.

This wouldn’t be like that though.

This wasn’t just any other jump through dimensions.

This was a “make it or break it” kind of jump. Standing around, staring at the portal wasn’t going to do anything for them or the universe. If she was going to fix what Joseph did, what the Watch did, she had to fix it from the inside. Like clearing out a virus. You have to go deep in the program to fix the problem.

Same thing…but with the universe.

“What do you want us to do on this end?” one of the engineers finally broke the tense silence. All eyes were on him as he spoke. “If the portal closes, or you don’t come back, what do you want us to do here?”

“…Contain the portal as best you can if it doesn’t close.”

Joseph furrowed his brows at her answer. He could hear that little twinge of uncertainty in her tone. And she hadn’t answered the initial question.

“And if it does close? What do we do- go about our day like nothing happened?” he cut in.

She had to think carefully about her answer. She didn’t want to think about the possibility of the portal closing, of her being stranded in another dimension without the Watch. There was only so much she could do in a single dimension without the tech she’d relied on for years…

“Just…try to keep calm,” she started. She couldn’t look her former employer in the eyes, as if she knew he could see right through her. “Send everyone home, and put out a public service announcement. Tell everyone to stay inside, remain calm, and arm themselves. If they see anything out of the ordinary, there is no need to panic.”

“So you want me to lie to the public?” Joseph reiterated in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”

“You’ve lied to them before,” Kailani retorted bluntly. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

She got no response from Joseph, nor anymore of his input.

Engineers watch on in anticipation as she stepped towards the portal that sparked and flickered. It was weak, yet it did its best to hold itself together. Like it was patiently waiting for someone, anyone, to dare to step through…

She could do this. She’d lived the past eight years jumping through portals, through hundreds of unique worlds. She’d gotten into her fair share of fights and unfortunate situations. If she could survive battling monsters and mutants and hellbeasts and more across thousands of dimensions, if she could survive traveling the universe for so long, she could do anything, right?

Kailani took a deep breath in.

She’d be okay.

She could fix this.

The former engineer took a glance back at her former boss, the people who’d once been her coworkers, all waiting with bated breath, watching her every movement.

No more stalling. You can do this. You have to.

She turned back to face the portal that crackled and popped and fizzed with electricity, even though there wasn’t much flowing through it in the first place. It was like it was being dramatic, in its own inanimate way. She’d never seen a portal with personality… Another breath in, eyes closed, and she forced her legs to move forward, into the cold doorway. The tile disappeared beneath her feet, turning into carpeted flooring. The air grew colder, the room she’d stepped into was darker than the disposal lab, she could tell. There was something…off about the atmosphere of this new environment.

Something that made her body tense.

She finally opened her eyes.

A statue stood before her, an orb of purple shards raised in its arms, passage ways boarded off, lights dim and flickering. Purple shards glowed bright from behind the dusty boards. The heavy stomping of another person could be heard, just faintly.

“Welcome back…Pocket Watch.”

She knew that voice. That echoey, nasally voice that made ever hair on the back of her neck stand up, that chilled her spine with dread- she knew it all too well. And she knew this dark, dank hotel. This was one of Bierce’s challenges. But that voice wasn’t Bierce.

Bierce wasn’t refereeing this time around.

“Miss me?! Ahahahahaha!”

Kailani whipped around to jump back through the portal, to escape the trap she’d waltzed into- but it was too late. The portal had already started to close, crumbling in on itself like paper ball, and crackling into nothingness, and the gold elevator doors slammed shut just after it.

“Son of a bitch-! NO!” She kicked the elevator doors, shouting and cursing in rage. She’d been so stupid to think it would be so easy, to think there was no danger on the other side of that portal. She’d been so focused on fixing whatever the hell he did, focused on being above him, she didn’t think about extent of the damage- what doors were opened, what beasts were released into the universe as a result.

She’d been careless, and stupid, and narrow-minded.

And just acknowledging the truth of it made her grit her teeth in frustration with herself as she leaned herself against the elevator doors, hands clasped over the back of her head

What killed her inside the most, however, was that Bill Cipher had her trapped.

Again.

-

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previous / next

[timebranded]

HC - Distortion 

Lucas’ trek through the Distortion World is something he rarely talks about. By which I mean, he only talks about it with Cynthia (and Dawn, assuming there are dual-protag shenanigans at play). 

For one, it was cold and dark. Not anything like a hell dimension should be, but then again...logic doesn’t exactly matter here. The entire area felt stagnant, and yet was somehow flowing with life. There were trees that towered under his feet, waterfalls that flowed sideways and puddles containing images that he couldn’t recognize.

And then there was Giratina...the entire time, Lucas could swear that he could feel the legendary’s eyes on him. Watching his every movement. 

Time doesn’t flow, and the laws of gravity are out of order. Lucas had a hard time adjusting to how gravity works (getting from platform to platform), but with help from Mesprit he was able to get the hang of it.

Speaking of Mesprit, the fact that she stayed by his side during his whole trek helped him a lot. Not just for emotional support; without her guidance he would’ve gotten lost for sure. 

His encounter with Giratina remains the most existentially terrifying moment of his life. He was adamant on his refusal to fight, and the ensuing conversation led to Giratina pretty much staring into his soul. Per my hc, she ultimately chose not to kill him, even leaving a hint about the Adamant Orb before opening a portal out. 

And then there was the difference in time. None of his watches worked, but that didn’t matter to him. He felt in his gut that a few hours had passed between entering the Distortion World and escaping - six or seven at the most. His sense of time was always pretty uncanny, so he was confident that he was right.

Finding out that a whole month had passed in the time he was there was when the reality of what he had just escaped really sank in. That’s what fucked Lucas up the most. His entire sense of time might have been thrown off permanently if it wasn’t for his connection with Dialga.

[woominooy]

the day was nearing its end, the sun had gone down hours ago. but the smile that had rested on your features throughout the day was still permanent on your lips. yours and minghao's laughter echoed between the walls of the alley that you were walking through, moving toward the street.

on the ground were several pools of water after the rainy weather from the previous days. you couldn't help but think that today had indeed been lucky for your date since the sky had remained cloudy instead of letting an unwanted pour down on you. although that wasn't the ideal weather to have a date in, it didn't matter because whenever and wherever you were. if you were with minghao, it couldn't be anything but wonderful. there had been no sun to warm you up, but that had stopped being a problem a long time ago, because of minghao's smile, oh, his smile. it was like the sun itself was captured within it, it set your blood on fire, spreading a scorching warmth within your whole body.

the traffic lights signalled red by the time you reached it, there weren't many people walking on the streets at that hour which gave your boyfriend the liberty to place his hands on your hips, thumbs rubbing light circles on your clothed body. there were several layers of clothes separating his hands from your skin, and yet, it felt as if his hot fingertips had just burned through that fabric. it wasn't anything sexual or suggestive, it was affectionate and no matter the normality in his actions, never did it fail to send shooting stars down your spine. his orbs reflected the starry night above your heads as they looked down on you, garnished with long lashes that glittered under the moonlight. his pupils dilated wildly as soon as you answered his gaze, pooling with an emotion that you couldn't completely set your finger on, all you knew was that this look that he was giving you, made your heart swell an incredible amount of sizes bigger, making you fear that it would explode at any moment.

“actually, i,” he suddenly said. for some reason, his voice sounded magical, softer than it had ever done before, casting you under a beautiful spell that you'd never try to break through willingly, ever. it hazed your view as you let your eyes travel lazily over his features, counting the small moles on his face. you wanted to kiss them. you felt his left hand leave your hip bone but you were too immersed into his orbs to notice.

“hmm?” you encouraged him to go on, although it came out to sound rather distracted since his dazing smell was all you could think about. it was insane to you, how you had known this young man for so long, and how he'd still be able to cloud your mind with him and solely him. how he could bring you to another dimension just by murmuring two words, in fact, minghao could say the dumbest thing ever and you'd find yourself falling for him all over again.

the daze you were put under suddenly shattered like glass when minghao's grip tightened on your body and you were spun around, breath hitched inside of your lungs. just when you were about to let out a sigh, your breath disappeared again. but this time it wasn't because of minghao moving so rashly without warning, it was because of the sudden splash of water that covered your entire back, not missing to drench your hair. a loud gasp pushed through your lips at the cold air hitting your clothes skin along with the realisation of what had just happened.

you couldn't believe minghao had just used you for protection against the car's water splash as it drove into a pool.

“xu,” your nostrils flared with fury, “minghao.” the boy gulped loudly at the threatening way you had just pronounced his name. it gave him the chills, and not because of it possibly sounding lovely, but because he'd probably be dead in a couple of seconds. but he didn't let the lasers you were shooting through your eyes stop him from sending you a sheepish smile.

"i'm so sorry, it's just that i–” he started but you were quick to interrupt.

“i what, minghao?” minghao's teeth dug into his lip as if he was trying to suppress the growing smile on his face, you didn't know if you wanted to hit him or smile with him. 

he lifted his hand and led it towards your head where he took hold of a stray, wet strand of your hair, tucking it gently behind your ear as he leaned his lips to your ear. his hot breath fanned your ear as he let his lips trace the rim slowly before speaking.

“i had to protect this very important thing….” he murmured, he hid his face in the crook of your neck, his beautiful, milky hands grabbing yours gently, only to slide something cool and unfamiliar on your fourth finger.

“i hope you want to stay with me forever, will you?”

[jonathanvik]

Starlight Dream - Chapter 52

“And all the players are here!” Kaguya said, arms spread wide. “To witness my rebirth!”

“I see Reiko’s death doesn’t bother you,” Seina replied, mouth in a firm line. “But I suppose she was never a friend.”

“Never,she served our purpose.”

“Tsk, figures.” Takako clicked her tongue. “But what do you get out of this? You realize what your partner is?”

Just thinking about it made Seina’s blood boil. Of course, that blight had returned to haunt her. This creature was responsible for everything she and everyone else had suffered. 

“It matters not.” Mei unsheathed her weapon, its steel glinting starlight from the countless pinpricks of light above. “To obtain what I desire, I’ll sacrifice anything. Kill anyone.”

“Why not work with us, then? We can help you.” Seina said. “No one else needs to die!”

“Empty promises,” Mei replied, tone emotionless. “The Fairy Queen couldn’t help me, and neither can you.”

“Then maybe it wasn’t meant to be, dumbass,” Arisu said, finally speaking. “You gets to a point where you need to accept reality, Mei. What makes you think Kaguya can fulfill your greatest wish?”

For the first time, Mei showed genuine emotion, clenching her teeth behind her metal face mask. “It doesn’t matter. How could you understand what I’ve suffered?” 

“We’ve all suffered! I’ve had a hard life, too.” Seina said. “But you can’t allow your pain to define you.” 

“Diligence wouldn’t have wanted this. She…” But Charity didn’t get a chance to finish.

“Enough.” Mei’s eyes hardened. “Your words are meaningless. You oppose me, and now you must die.”

“There you have it. Seems like Mei wants war. Ready to play, my heroes?” Kaguya stepped back, vanishing into nothingness. 

“Hey!” Seina said. Where was she going?

“Typical Kaguya, letting others do her dirty work,” Arisu said, summoning her staff. She covered her face with a cloth mask. “Fine by me. I’m looking forward to trashing this traitor.”

“Yeah! I don’t care what your reasons are,” Seina said, summoning her staff. “The nightmares stop!”

“You realize we got lucky with Reiko, right?” Emiyo said, sighing. “But never mind. I’m seeing this through.”

“Pain is no excuse,” Himari said. “We all have hardships we must bear. You have no right making life worse for everyone else just because you’re suffering.”

“I don’t need to give some pithy speech about justice. I want to kick your ass so I can live peaceful days of just reading manga!” Takako said, her ribbon dancing around her. 

“Useless.” Mei’s cold eyes stared at them, levitating herself into the air. “Shall I show you true terror? Dark form change.”

Darkness gathered around the girl, her usually black armor gaining another dimension of despair. Ebony feathered wings spouted from her back with white tips. There, the imperial Devil Princess floated above her enemies, a god giving judgment no those foolish enough to oppose her. An aura of evil washed over everyone, choking them with her pure malevolence. It drove the breath from Seina’s lungs, making her legs tremble with fear. What was this magical girl? Had she discovered a level of power above the rest of them? Like Reiko, Seina sensed something sick about this new form. It was a perversion of a magical girl.

“Erase,” Mei said, extending a hand. 

Pain filled Seina’s entire being, overloading her senses. Years passed, agony became her entire being. Or was it only seconds? Seina could hardly tell either way. Through stinging eyes, Seina forced them open. Darkness surrounded her, making her wonder if she was dead. No, that wasn’t true. Pinpricks of light caught her attention, making Seina realize she was still in Starlight Dream. The force of the blast must have blown her clear. But she froze when she realized she’d made an incorrect assumption.

“What?” Chunks of what remained of Starlight Dream floated suspended in space. A quarter of the planet was just gone, vaporized to dust. Only the spike holding Kaguya’s body remained intact, an eternal line protruding from the piece of rock. Light shot from along its cracks, the core of Starlight Dream undamaged by the blast. 

“You did well to survive, girl.” Terror spiked down Seina as she gazed up to see Mei floating above her, gazing down at an insect that foolishly opposed her.  

“Stop this insanity! You’ll destroy everything!” Seina pleaded. Hadn’t enough people died already?

But Mei only snorted in contempt. “Nothing about it was worth saving.” Seina gasped as reality seemed to melt and shimmer from the magical girl’s mere presence. Reality itself couldn’t contain the Devil Princess’s monstrous power, nor did she care to restrain it. 

But Mei cared little about her pleas, raising her sword for battle. Seina tensed, ready to fend off whatever attack the Devil Princess planned on mounting. It’d been a naïve assumption. With impossible speed, Seina found Mei’s blade posed to cleave her in half. Steel clashed as Seina raised her staff to deflect the blow, but reality tumbled as their weapons clashed. The starlight scattered to the solar winds, the universe-shattering to pieces from the sheer might of Mei’s sword. 

Seina screamed, clutching her head. She caught glimpses of people, worlds, and entire histories, only for them to pop like a soap bubble, lost to the void. Hundreds of worlds filled her vision before they lost their substance. Much to Seina’s horror, she realized what was happening. Mei’s attack had cleaved apart a piece of the multiverse, and the Devil Princess had only been playing with her. 

“No, please! Don’t do this!” But Seina’s desperate pleas fell on deaf ears as the Devil Princess wailed on her, each blow coursing unimaginable pain through her body. Tears welled in her eyes at the senseless destruction, her pain seeming a drop in the bucket compared to the senseless destruction this monster caused. Every bone in Seina’s body shattered as Mei delivered a sudden kick to her midsection. 

“Now, do you understand the pointlessness of this battle?” Mei said, watching the wheezing Seina with complete dispassion. “You fought for nothing. You led a pointless battle, Seina. Your entire existence is pointless.”

“No!” But Seina fought to regain a battle pose, ready for another round. “Too many people are counting on me.”

“How childish. Do you know what my battles as a magical girl have taught me? That existence is fleeting. See how I snuffled out the lives of countless trillions in seconds? Nothing about this existence matter. It is only pain and suffering. In fact, you could say I’m doing them a service by ending their pathetic existence. I’m breaking the circle of Karma. What’s the point of life and rebirth if it only means pain?”

Irrational anger washed over Seina, boiling her blood. Everyone had something in their past that brought them pain. Heck, Seina suffered one of the worst days of her life only a couple of days ago. But people learned and grew from it. Mei had no right to cause such pain for her selfish reasons.

“That’s insane.” Power rushed through her as Seina’s conviction grew strong. “You’ve let your pain define your existence but forgotten everything wonderful about life.” The sound of her sister Seiko laughing echoed in her ears. That love urged her to fight and win. 

But Mei cared little for Seina’s words, raising her blade to cleave her childish opponent to nothing. She grimaced as beams of energy shot from nowhere, blasting her back. 

“Too true!” Takako said, her ribbon dancing around her. “Who wants to dwell on their pain their entire life? Besides, there are still too many cool mangas left to read!”

“Erase.” Mei charged again but hit nothing but empty space as dozens of illusionary Seina appeared to confuse her. They giggled and danced around, mocking the Devil Princess for her mistake. Each Seina copy blew apart from a single swing of Mei’s blade, but they’d only been a distraction. The Devil Princess grimaced as Takako and Seina struck her as one, staggering her back as their fists stuck into her armor. While doing minimal damage, they’d hurt her. A single swing of Mei’s blade drove them back, Seina’s head ringing from the sheer after-effect of Mei’s aura. 

The Devil Princess wailed on them harder, their atoms screaming in agony from each blow. But they fought back. Seina summoned hundreds of bubbles and Takako used her ribbon to guide them with an invisible wind. But Mei danced around each bubble as Takako threw them in an unpredictable pattern. The Devil Princess was too agile, dodging even when Seina’s friend teleported her bubbles across the battlefield. Whenever one approached, it just burst to pieces from an exertion of Mei’s malevolent will. To demonstrate the hopelessness of their plight, Mei snapped her fingers, and each of Seina’s bubbles popped harmlessly. 

Impossible. What was this power? 

“Simple. I’m not like other magical girls. No gimmicks. I am a force of nature, that’s all.” Mei replied to the unasked question. 

Dread seeped into Seina’s bones, wondering if they’d entered a hopeless battle. The other Devil Princesses, while powerful monsters, weren’t immune to her tremendous strength. But Mei made her seem like a harmless breath of air trying to blow down a mountain. Was this it? Had Seina finally met her match?

“Gah!” Mei yelped in pain as one of Seina’s bubbles exploded against her head, blowing her back. She shook her head, trying to regain her senses. More bubbles appeared from nowhere, blasting the Devil Princess back. What was going on? Another trick from Takako?

“You’re too reliant on your raw strength,” Emiyo said, using her hoop to guide Seina’s bubbles like a conductor. “You’re nothing but a blunt instrument.” Seina got it. Her friend had pulled her bubbles from the past for this surprise sneak attack. 

“Tsk.” Mei scowled from behind her mask. Much to Seina’s dismay, her bubbles popped on an invisible barrier as Emiyo tried repeating the trick. 

“Look out!” But Seina’s warning came too late. 

A pained gasp escaped Emiyo as she stared at the sword impaled through her chest. Her body convulsed, and a dark mist leaked from the wound. The mist reversed course as Emiyo reversed time on her mortal injury. But she succumbed to the pain, the former lieutenant’s body joining limp as her life force died.

“Emiyo,” Seina said, her voice quiet and hoarse, unable to believe her eyes. Takako only stared, struck with wordless horror. 

“How about I show you my power?” Mei said, all conversation. “Destruction. My ability allows me to destroy anything. Like your bubbles, for example, or a magical girl’s life.”

“Emiyo.” Tears spilled from Seina’s eyes, unbidden. While she hadn’t known the haughty girl for long, they’d been friends, comrades. Like Ume, Seina had been helpless to save her friend. This was too much. How could they defeat this monster?

“Anyone else?” Mei said to the void. “Coming to rescue your friend in another futile, heroic gesture?”

“Destroy. That’s all you can do,” Himari said, appearing from nowhere. Her voice was quiet, devoid of any emotion. “Little wonder Arisu considers you unworthy of being a magical girl.”

Despite herself, this struck a nerve, and Mei scowled. “That halfwit thug shouldn’t talk. As if she’s any better.”

“But no more. I won’t allow you to kill anyone else,” Himari said.

“Really?” Mei said, amused. “A failure of a magical girl fighting against a Devil Princess?”

“You’re right,” Himari said, her words frigid ice. “I hid, too scared to fight back against your cruelty. I sometimes cried myself to sleep, hating my powerlessness. But no more.” 

Then, Himari became everything. She filled the sky, encompassing the entire universe. She became all existence, every atom. Mei’s composure broke, a wave of uncertainty washing over her. She hadn’t expected this meek girl to have such a powerful ability. Himari had finally shown the true extent of her power. 

Reality shook as the two titans clashed, unleashing their terrible power against each other. Seina could only watch in awe as the shockwaves from the impact of their exchanges blew her back. Invisible blows bombarded the winged magical girl, overwhelming her with their ferocity. But Mei refused to back down, her blade tearing furrows into the fabric of reality. The multiverse rumbled as Himari screamed. Colorful ribbons of rainbow trickled across space. 

“We need to help her,” Seina said, grimacing as a shockwave almost knocked her senseless. More ribbons of rainbow crisscrossed across space-time as the Devil Princess tore apart their friend. Despite her higher form, Himari couldn’t match the devilish magical girl. At this rate, the void would consume everything if they didn’t stop this battle.

“What now?!” Takako said, voice verging on total panic. “This is beyond anything we can face! Just getting close could vaporize us!”

“We must!” Seina gripped her staff tight. 

“I was afraid you’d say that.” Takako rubbed her temple before beaming. “I’m in. Besides, you get numb to these hopeless battles after a while.”

Her friend’s expression turned serious. “But how can we approach? We might get crushed like an ant by accident.”

“Lucky you’ve got a clairvoyant on your side,” Arisu said, appearing from nowhere. She looked in terrible shape. Her left arm hung limply, her red dress torn to bloody rags.

“What happened to you?” Seina said, shocked. 

“While I was helping your friend escape the chaos, Kaguya ambushed me. Kiyojiro is safe, but that demon put a number on me. Escaped too, but she won’t interfere.”

“That’s something I guess.” Seina sighed, relieved her bodyguard was okay. 

“But I will not lie,” Arisu said with uncharacteristic seriousness. “The future looks bleak. It’ll likely choke us to death before we even get close. The slightest slip will scatter your atoms across the cosmos.”

“We can’t abandon Himari,” Seina replied. “I’m ready, regardless of what happens.”

“Can we stop fretting and go already?” Takako said, shrugging. “I’m tired of fearing the future.”

“My kind of girls,” Arisu said, her mouth extending into a wolfish grin. “Stay close on my heels.”

Weapons in hand, they charged forward into the chaotic whirlwind, primal winds battering against them. Seina cringed, skull throbbing as colors and images dazzled her eyes with confusing and ever-shifting patterns. But they fought forward, Arisu guiding them through the worst of the cosmic storm. 

When they approached the battlefield proper, they found both combatants beaten and battered. Mei bled from the stomach, her wound refusing to heal. Her opponent, Himari, existed as only vapor among the void, her essence beaten beyond its limit. When her eyes settled upon her rescuers, they were frightened but hopeful. 

Himari howled, releasing a gale that rocked the cosmos as it struck the winged Devil Princess. But Mei’s blade only batted it aside, unbothered by such a weak attack. But it’d only been a distraction, leaving Mei open to the true attack. 

“Gah.” Mei howled as Arisu’s staff impaled itself into her gaping wound, screaming in utter agony as the Wicked Queen’s holy magic tore her insides apart.

A fist pummeled the Devil Princess in the face as Seina unleashed her pent-up indignation, bashing her with everything she had. Takako blasted their opponent with beams that seared the eyes, leaving black scorch marks across the Devil Princess’s skin. Yet, it still wasn’t enough. 

Seina screamed as a backhand crushed her skull, staggering her. Arisu charged to her aid, but it was a futile gesture. The Wicked Queen screamed as Mei’s blade almost gutted her with a slash too quick for the eye to follow. More beams shot against Mei, but their effectiveness proved minimal against such a foe.

“Is that really all you have, heroes?” Mei said, her wings flying her to a superior height. 

“Damn it. If only I still had my Sunrise form.” Arisu spitted blood, annoyed. 

Sunrise form?

“That’s why you get for surrendering power, Wicked Queen. Kaguya told me all about it. You couldn’t bear to kill a friend, so you sealed her away instead. Pathetic. Your kindness doomed the multiverse.” Mei said. 

“Shut up,” Arisu replied, unimpressed by the Devil Princess’s insults. “I don’t abandon no one in my protection. That’s the code I’ve already followed as guardian of Daini Kameido Junior and the cosmos. I don’t expect a psycho like you to understand.”

“Well, it matters little now,” Mei said. “Once I end this nightmare of a multiverse and become GOD, maybe you’ll be reunited with your old friends.”

“Is that what Kaguya promised you? A brand new multiverse?” Arisu said, incredulous. “She’s a vampire. All she ever promises are empty oaths.”

“It was worth a try. If not, I’ll happily embrace the void.” Mei replied. “The void beacons me.”

“How could a vampire recreate the multiverse?” Seina asked, incredulous. “They’re parasites!”

“Not if she absorbs the essence of Starlight Dream,” Arisu replied. “It’s what Slithcar tried, much to his regret.”

“If life has taught me anything, you can fix what’s broken now,” Seina had seen her people restore what the vampires had destroyed firsthand. Every day, they restored society for a better future, so their children had better lives than they did.

“Is that what you think?” Mei broke into uproarious laughter. It contained no warmth and mirth, only hatred. “You know nothing about pain, child.”

“But!” Seina screamed as a blow caved in her chest cavity. Mei wasn’t interested in killing Seina. She wanted to hurt this upstart for talking back to her better.

“Seina,” Himari said, rushing to her friend’s aid, only to howl as a sword stabbed through her essence, dissipating it. 

“No.” Seina’s voice wavered, her pain forgotten by her heartache. With Himari gone, reality returned to normal, exposing them to the void. 

“Tsk,” Mei said, annoyed. “I’m not even certain I killed her.”

“Bastard!” Takako unleashed everything after the Devil Princess, summoning countless orbs across the sky. Each exploded, sending random beams that seared everything in their path. But Mei only flicked a wing, dissipating each beam with ease. Takako had pushed her abilities too far, sagging from pure exhaustion. Mei turned her back to the girl in utter contempt. 

“Seems it’s only you and me now, Wicked Queen,” Mei said, turning towards the only threat remaining. “And from your expression, you don’t see any hope in your future, do you?

“Just fight already. Enough posturing,” Arisu replied, inviting the Devil Princess to fight with a flick of a finger. But the Wicked Queen’s staff shattered to splinters from the force of Mei’s blade. The next swipe almost gutted Arisu, the elder magical girl dodging the fatal blow by a hair.

“It’s over. I’ve won, Wicked Queen,” Mei said, satisfied with herself. 

“No,” Seina said, stunned. After everything, after every hard-fought battle, they fail now? Never! It meant Ume and Emiyo died for nothing! “You won’t win!”

Seina charged, not caring how reckless or useless her attacks were. She refused to surrender. Mei dodged with casual ease, but Seina only fought harder. Blood stained her dress as the Devil Princess slashed and stabbed her, but Seina continued fighting. She couldn’t lose, not after everything!

“Useless,” Seina screamed as the blade stabbed through her, coughing blood. Mei’s cold eyes stared into her, enjoying the helplessness of her prey. It’d only take the slightest exertion of her power to erase Seina forever.

“No!” A blade stabbed through the Devil Princess’s chest. Even Arisu was surprised by the sudden appearance of Seina’s rescuer. A kick drove the Devil Princess back, freeing Seina from her blade’s bite. 

“Colten, Paliah!” Seina said, her voice a whisper as her partner cradled her.

“Of course, you’re my partner, Seina,” Paliah replied, smiling down at her. 

“What are you?” Arisu said, somewhat baffled. “Your magic, it’s like a magical girl, but you’re a fairy too?”

“I’m Seina’s guardian,” Paliah said, turning his blade towards their foe. “Anything else is immaterial.”

But Mei only released a derisive snort. “And now you’re the protector of nothing.”

“No, Seina, Paliah, flee!” Arisu said, but she was too late.

“Before Seina could even blink, a sword was already stabbing into her, glowing with malevolent energy. But the pain stopped, blinking in confusion as she found herself in another location altogether. What the? Seina froze as it revealed a horrible truth to her. 

“Gah!” Paliah coughed blood, the Devil Princess’s blade impaling right through his heart. 

“Not quite what I intended, but I look forward to seeing your partner broken after your death, fairy.” 

“No! Colten!” But Seina was too late, her best friend vaporized as the Devil Princess unleashed her power onto him. Only strands of white hair remained as the last fragments of a loyal friend. 

“Colten, no! Colten, no! Colten, no!” Seina clutched at her head, repeating those two words in a never-ending manta. Reality shattered as her entire world died. 

[echovoidheart]

a headcanon: c!ranboo's limbo is literally just the End. just a lonely little End island, one of those real small ones. Cold, alone, surrounded by void. home, technically, yet simultaneously the farthest thing from it.

[ironwhumper359]

How about a continuation to this? Because I'd be delighted to see one :3

Waking up to this ask like >:3 You read my mind friend, don't mind if I do:

Part 1

Content Warnings: drowning, captivity, restraints, hero x villain, supervillain whumper, whumper turned caretaker

---

The sight of Hero chained in the tank was enough to make Villain sick.

The fact that they had been the one to fasten the cuffs around Hero's ankles and seal the door only made it worse.

Supervillain, thankfully, didn't notice their discomfort, too busy preening over the victory that was within his grasp. Everything about this moment had been meticulously planned out, from the dimensions of the tank to the pressure of the pumps installed at its base to the angle of the lights and cameras. When Supervillain was finally done gloating, Hero's death would be broadcast on every television station in the city, and Villain had helped make it happen.

"So, my dearest Hero," Supervillain crooned. "It's come down to this."

Villain stood at their place by the control panel, their hands clasped behind their back to keep them from shaking.

"Your beloved city, that you've sacrificed so much to protect, has abandoned you," Supervillain continued, circling the tank slowly. You've given them everything, and they won't even lift a finger for you in return."

Anger burned in Villain's stomach, and their hands clenched into fists. It wasn't fair. Hero had never done anything wrong, had never been anything but good, but it was them who would suffer for the city's crimes.

"You see now, how little they truly care for you," Supervillain leered, and Villain saw the corners of Hero's mouth tighten. "They would rather leave you to my mercy than swallow their pride and submit to me. They have sealed your fate...unless you relinquish your will to me now."

Villain held their breath. This was Hero’s last chance; if they surrendered to Supervillain now then their life would be spared.

But they’d become everything they always strove not to be, whispered a voice in the back of Villain’s mind. Is that not the same thing as losing them?

“Well, Hero?” Supervillain demanded. “Will you finally join me? Or will you throw your life away for the sake of those maggots?”

“Go to hell,” Hero spat with a glare, and Supervillain threw back his head and laughed.

“Oh, I will miss having you around,” he said. “Part of me is almost tempted to keep you...but the show must go on.”

He nodded to Villain, and Villain wordlessly flipped a switch on the control panel. The cameras around the room buzzed to life, and Supervillain turned to face the master shot. 

“Citizens!” he bellowed, sweeping his arms out. “Your leaders, despite many attempts to persuade them, have refused to submit to my demands. Thus, it is time to face the consequences!”

He stepped aside to reveal Hero, and Villain could imagine the gasp of horror anyone watching would let out at the sight of Hero’s small, thin frame, chained and littered with cuts and bruises.

“This tank will be completely filled with water in thirty minutes!” Supervillain declared. “If I have not heard a response from the mayor at the end of that time, you can watch your precious Hero die slowly, and know that your leaders had the power to prevent it!”

Supervillain pulled a remote from beneath his cape and pressed a button, water began pouring into the tank, pooling around Hero’s ankles. They shivered as the icy liquid lapped at their legs, but kept their head held up high.

“They won’t give in to you!“ Hero said defiantly. “No matter what you do, the city will never be yours!” 

“Brave words, little hero,” Supervillain said. “But words won’t save you now.”  

Villain glanced at the bright red phone on the control panel as the water rose up past heroes knees. 

Come on, they thought. Just give him what he wants. For God’s sake, he’s going to kill them, just give him what he wants! 

But the phone remained silent, and as the water rose up to Hero’s waist, Villain knew that what Supervillain said was true: the city had abandoned them. 

“Fifteen minutes left!” Supervillain taunted. “My, how the time flies! That water’s looking awfully high there, Hero; let’s check in and see if we’ve heard anything from the mayor’s office!” 

He looked over to Villain, and Villain shook their head, their stomach twisting when Supervillain grinned. 

“My, what a shame,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “It seems we haven’t heard a peep. Maybe they’ll dedicate a statue to you when you’re gone.” 

Villain almost laughed at that. The bastards probably would; they’d erect it in front of City Hall or the fire department or somewhere equally noble, and speeches would be made every year on this day, commemorating them for their sacrifice while ignoring the fact that they could have stopped it. 

You could have stopped this too, that voice hissed again. You are just as guilty of inaction as the mayor. 

Villain squeezed their eyes shut. The voice was wrong, of course. They weren’t just guilty of inaction, they’d helped Supervillain. The mayor may have had the power to stay Supervillain’s hand, but Villain had been the one to flip the switch. Any court of law would find them guilty for this, and while Villain usually thought the law was bullshit, they couldn’t help agree on that point. 

A gasp pulled their attention away from their own self-pity, and they opened their eyes just in time to see the water rise above Hero’s head, submerging them completely. Their eyes were blown wide with panic and they strained against their chains; whatever composure they’d been holding onto for the sake of the cameras was gone. 

“Such a tragedy,” Supervillain lamented, his face twisted in a cruel smile. “And one so preventable, too.” 

For one fleeting moment, Hero locked eyes with Villain, their expression open and pleading. 

Then a rush of bubbles burst out of their mouth, obscuring their face. Their body jerked as water filled their lungs instead of air, and panic suddenly gripped Villain’s chest.

No...no, please, they can’t just die!

Somehow, some distant part of Villain assumed that Hero would escape in some way, that the mayor would make a last minute call or that another hero would come bursting in to save the day, but there was no one, no one was coming and Hero was thrashing weakly as their brain was deprived of oxygen and Supervillain was laughing, like this was funny, like it was to be celebrated-

“NO!” 

The word tore itself from Villain’s throat, and the resulting sonic soundwave instantly shattered every pane of glass in the room. Camera lenses burst, monitors sparked and died, and most importantly, the tank in the center of the room exploded, water pouring out into the room. Supervillain barely had time to cry out in surprise before the resulting wave knocked him to the ground, but Villain barely gave him a second glance. 

They rushed forward, their boots crunching on broken glass until they dropped to their knees beside Hero’s body. 

“Hero,” they gasped, drawing Hero’s limp form into their arms. “Hero, wake up!” 

“Villain! You traitor, what do you think you’re-” 

“STAY BACK!” Villain shouted, and the force of their sonic wave sent Supervillain sprawling backward. His head connected with the wall with a sickening *crunch* before his body slumped over, unmoving. 

“Please,” they whispered, cupping Hero’s cheek. Their skin was cold beneath their fingertips, and Villain felt tears well up unbidden in their eyes. “Please don’t leave me.”

For a single, heart-stopping moment, Hero didn’t move, and Villain feared they were too late. Then they coughed, spluttering as water was expelled from their lungs, and Villain slumped in relief. 

“Okay, okay, you’re okay,” they muttered, the words just as much a reassurance for themself as they were for Hero. “I’m gonna get you out of here.” 

They quickly moved to unlock the shackles on Hero’s ankles, wincing at the raw, swollen skin left in their wake.

“Villain?” Hero asked, blinking up at them, and Villain nodded.

“It’s alright,” they soothed, wiping away the hair that was plastered to Hero’s face. “It’s alright now, you’re safe.”  

“You...saved me.”

“I...yeah,” Villain said, smiling weakly. “Yeah, I guess I did.” 

“Knew it,” Hero mumbled, and Villain let out a choked laugh. 

“Okay,” they said, gathering Hero close and getting to their feet. “Time to go.”

“Where’re we going?” Hero slurred as Villain carefully stepped over the pool of broken glass around them. 

“I...I don’t know,” Villain admitted. They pulled Hero closer, and dropped a kiss onto the top of their head. “Somewhere far away from here.”

-

Hero x Villain Masterlist

[dandelionflower]

I saw on one of your post that said to send you prompts sooo... can I request A childhood friend AU either Felix or Marinette moves away and then reuniting in college in France at age 14 in Felix's school with the Quantic Kids.

It was a pretty normal day, which probably meant something was going to happen. If it wasn’t a normal day, something was bound to happen as well; life in Paris hadn’t been normal in months. It being a normal day meant that Marinette was late. Super late. Way, way, so very late she might as well be early for the next thing kind of late. So late that- (oh, she’s beginning to catch onto why she’s so late.)

She knew even as she was shoving toothpaste into her bag for Tikki and brushing her teeth with frosting (wait, switch that) that she would be late, and her erratic movements were enough to convince her parents to write her an excuse. Not that anyone could blame her; she had to deal with three akumas in one night. Three akumas. Who could blame her, or anyone for that matter, for being late when there were three emotionally-stunted teens each wreaking havoc upon the city? It was a wonder that anyone else got to class on time, except for Alya, who Marinette was pretty sure didn’t sleep.

Marinette kissed both parents goodbye, thanking them again for the excuse note. They shoved a box of pastries into her hands, as was their habit whenever she didn’t leave school fast enough.

They had done it since her first day at her new school, when she was tiny and frightened of new people; having the same best friend since birth would do that. Her father had shoved a box of macaroons in her arms and her mother placed a bracing arm on her back. They told her what to do and she tried her hardest to follow their instructions, standing up straight at the front of the class, introducing herself, and offering cookies. Unfortunately, that was the same day Chloe Bourgeois was joining public school, and compared to cookies, her offer of money to ten year-olds wasn’t all that effective. And Chloe was excellent at holding a grudge.

Of course, she ended up with friends: Alya, Nino, Adrien, and everyone in art class, but it was hard to go about her first couple years of school without anyone in her corner. Becoming Ladybug really gave her the boost of confidence she needed to break out of her shell and make new friends, and now she had a whole class full.

She stopped in the classroom to put her stuff away, pausing for a second to breathe. How was she out of shape? She’s Ladybug, for heavens’ sakes! Those three akumas really took it out of her. Luckily enough, she had gym class up next. (Can you hear the sarcasm?)

“Girl! Where have you been?” Alya smiled up at her from where she was stretching her hamstrings.

“Sorry Alya, slept in too much.” She fell into place beside her, choosing one of the more advanced stretches to accomplish instead. “Three akumas yesterday; couldn’t get much sleep.”

“You need to get over yourself, Mari. Ladybug and Chat Noir always win against the akumas, this fear of yours is ridiculous.” Alya glanced at her with an incredulous look, but when she saw her intense yoga pose, the look shifted and she yelled over her shoulder. “Adrien! Get over here! Marinette’s doing her physics-defying stuff again!”

Adrien joined them, laughing at Alya’s exaggerated despair. “It’s really not that hard. You just have to-” He fell into the position easily and began matching her movements. “There.”

“How on EARTH?” Alya shrieked and threw herself to the right, toppling into Nino, who was in a shaky warrior two. They ended up in a heap on the floor, Alya staring in horror at the two still upright and Nino staring bewildered at his girlfriend. “How are you two doing that?”

“Well, I don’t know about Marinette,” Adrien moved into an upward dog, “but father insisted that I be physically active in some way and my mother used to do yoga. So I picked it up.”

Nino leaned close to Alya’s ear. “I’m not sure whether to add this to the ‘reasons Gabriel sucks’ list or be happy he has this thing with his mom.”

“Both I guess?”

“What about you Marinette?” He moved into a handstand-like position. “Why do you know all this stuff?”

My superhero moonlighting requires me to be as stretchy as a rubber band, so my partner, who is also a furry, taught me yoga. “My first best friend and I learned tai chi, and this just felt like the next step.” Not a lie, just not why she chose yoga.

“Okay, you’re fine.” Alya pointed a finger between them both. “But next time you do something weird, I’m starting a cryptid blog about you.”

“You don’t have the guts.” Marinette leaned in and Adrien flipped down to join her. It felt familiar, like deja vu; not her crush, she killed that with fire once he started dating Kagami.

“Heey!” Nino opened his arms in front of them. “Let’s change the subject, what about that new student?”

“There’s a new student?” Marinette turned to the rest of the class, who were all stretching dutifully. No new faces whatsoever. “Where are they?”

“Not here, he went to the office over a scheduling conflict. Seems like a jerk.” Alya pulled an arm behind her head, glaring with derision in the direction of the office.

“Alya, don’t.” Adrien nudged her with a foot. “First impressions don’t mean anything, right Marinette?” He shot her a playful glance.

“Don’t remind me.”

“That one was a misunderstanding. Mister Ice Cold over there doesn’t even say a word, just nods and walks into the back of the class. At least Adrien did something and he asked for forgiveness afterwards. Frosty doesn’t even look at us.” With that final comment, Alya joined the rest of the class in dodgeball.

“Is she alright?” Adrien side-eyed her.

“Yeah, she just really hates people acting superior to her. Let’s go.” Marinette shrugged it off and joined her in picking teams.

Dodgeball was a mess; it always was. The entirety of the class had been akumatized at one point, and some of the strategic prowess remained. Marinette’s team always won, which everyone attributed to her agility, but it was really that Ladybug had more practice in strategy. The only way the teams could be considered even was if Adrien was against her.

She still won; she always won. When it was all over, each team, sweating and exhausted, gravitated to the center line to shake hands and congratulate one another on a game well played. Adrien met her in the middle with a weary smirk. His hair was disheveled, but there was a spark in his eyes that made him seem more familiar than he already was.

“I almost got you that time.” He gripped her hand tight.

“All that training with Kagami is really upping your game.” She quipped, shaking his hand. “Better luck next time.”

With that promise of another match, everyone vacated the gym to the locker rooms, where Alya continued to warn Marinette against the new student.

“Even Chloe doesn’t like him and he seems like the kind of rich boy that would be right up her alley.”

“Alya, I get it. You aren’t the new guy’s biggest fan.”

“And the feeling’s mutual too.” She griped.

“So just don’t talk to him; it works with Chloe. Why not this guy too?” She wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her to their desk.

“Fine, but I don’t have to like it.”

“You don’t have to like him either.” She pulled out her notebook and began writing down the date.

Before Alya could make another passive aggressive comment about the mystery new boy, Miss Bustier walked in, the usual skip in her step. “Class, I know I already introduced you to our new student but since some of us weren’t here for the first period,” Marinette ducked her head with a sheepish smile, “I’ve decided there’s nothing better than a redo. So, here’s Mister Culpa, introducing himself again.”

Culpa?

A boy with pale blond hair and paler skin strode into the room. He wore what could only be called business-casual, all monochrome. His eyes were a one-in-a-million breathtaking ice blue.

Culpa?

“Hello.” His eyes scanned the room emotionlessly. “As I previously said, my name is Felix Culpa and I am from-” He stopped when he reached her. “Nette?”

“Felix.” She breathed, barely even daring to say it louder, lest he disappear.

He was a blur, climbing the steps and reaching her in the time it took her to stand. There were no words when they hugged, other than the other’s name. She was on the tips of her toes, pressing her forehead to his collarbone. Felix got tall.

“I missed you.” He whispered, squeezing just a little tighter.

“I missed you too.” She laughed, pulling back to see his face. He was crying. She was crying.

“What in Ladybug’s name is happening?” Alya’s shout broke them from whatever pocket dimension they were inhabiting together. “You two know each other?”

“Alya, this is Felix.” She turned to look at her, hand still on Felix’s shoulder. “He was my best friend from birth to ten.”

“Was?” He bumped her hip with his. “Didn’t know I’ve been replaced, Netta.”

“I couldn’t contact you after I moved! I was ten and your mom never told us what her new number was.” She punched his elbow. “What are you doing here?”

“My family moved. I didn’t know you were in this area too; imagine my surprise when I see what the current events in Paris are and find out that there are superheroes and my best friend is now a borderline celebrity.” He chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

“We have to catch up some time.” She grabbed his arm.

“Certainly, maybe not here and now, though.” He gestures to the class around them, avidly watching the exchange.

“Right.” She released his arm and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “Coffee and macarons later then? My place?”

“I would like nothing more.” He quirked a smile that would seem tiny to anyone else, but to Marinette was as bright as the sun. “Until then.” Felix squeezed her hand and moved to the back of the class with a little wave.

She returned it, a goofy smile definitely on her face as she sat back down.

“Well,” Miss Bustier coughed, “since Felix has been so thoroughly introduced to everyone else, I suppose I should start the lesson.” And she dove into a spiel about the first World War.

“Dang, girl. Is it just me, or do you have a date after class?” Alya whispered to her from behind her textbook.

“It’s not a date! We’re just catching up.”

“Sure.”

She spared a quick glance at Felix, who was nose-deep in his book, just like when they were kids. He had such sharp features, and upon reconsideration, his eyes looked even more beautiful than she remembered. Felix grew up just fine without her. Really fine, in fact.

It took Marinette a couple seconds to realize she was staring, and when she did, her head turned back to the front of the room so fast she swore she heard a snap.

This was... going to be complicated.

[sirensmojo]

"Oh! To remember!" - Hubby!Tommy Shelby x Reader

Warnings: Big fluff.

gifs from @thomasfckinshelby {here is the post}

Summary: You make Tommy a surprise by taking him to the countryside. It brings back memories of the two teenagers you used to be before the war happened.

Word Count: 2k

A/N: I just want him to be happy, seriously + POLLY BEING A GRANDMOTHER???? Our Queen.

PS: I know I talked to you about a carpets story, it IS coming don't worry!

*Masterlist*

It was early in the morning when the rays of the sun fondled your face, making you open your eyes. Tommy was already up, putting on his tie and you almost jumped from bed to take it from his hands.

As you were still a bit dizzy from how early it was and how fast you got up, you stumbled on the carpet, but his rough hands caught your waist as a giggle escaped your lips.

His brows were raised, "So early in the morning, you got some' to do today, eh?" You could hear mockery in his tone and you hit his chest with the palm of one of your hands as the other was pulling on his undone tie.

As he leant forwards towards you, you teased his lips with the tip of your nose and finally gave him your lips after hearing a groan from his throat.

He perfectly knew what was happening today, you drew a black star a week from now in his agenda.

"Y/N!" Tommy called, and his desk lady pleaded with her eyes to not let her deal with him.

it wasn't as if he was a bad guy, no, he just appeared to be as cold as ice and as distant as he could be.

You were about to ignore his call along with the staring secretary but you saw her lips moving without any sound getting out "Please."

Okay, this time you will not let her be any more terrified by your husband.

It was a little game for you, to never fully talk to him, just like he did. Even though he had reasons not to talk so much and you didn't. You used to leave him pieces of evidence here and there so he would understand what you were up to.

No need to say that whenever you would sneak into his office to put a black star on his agenda, it was to his secretary he would later ask questions, and as she was oh so scared, she wouldn't give satisfying answers which made him become even more cold and distant.

You weren't working anywhere but staying Home all day long waiting for him to get back wasn't on the schedule. What you loved to do most was to organise all types of dinners and parties.

Tommy was most of the time tired but he never missed one, as he knew it was important for you.

Only, whenever he thought the party should be over, he would come closer to you and gently press his lips on your forehead, his fingers diving into your mane.

And just like that, you understood it was time to lead the people out of the mansion, so you could take care of your Shelby.

You closed the door in front of you, rolling your eyes to yourself and joined his office. Your head peeked through the door and you cleared your throat, leading Timmy to lift his gaze to you.

He patted the page, "Why is there a black star on Thursday?"

"Come 'ere" you answered, your index indicating to Tommy to come near you.

He got up without hesitation and walked towards you, making you enter his office completely and close the door behind you.

The connexion between you had always been more than mental or physical, it was a mix of both with something else, something you could never fully get, but you just knew of its presence.

Maybe it was your beings that were combining together, you were him and he was you.

Or was he more you than yourself?

Your back was flat on the door when you felt his hands on your hips. A smile instantly grew on your lips as his blue icy iris were staring into your soul that was hidden behind your iris.

A grumpy "Hm" escaped his lips as your foreheads touched. He closed his eyes for a second, the smell of your perfume filling his nostrils. He was elsewhere, in a dimension where only you and he existed. Somewhere he was safe and relieved of any pressure.

"A surprise, Tommy." You muttered only inches away from his lips.

His eyes opened softly and he raised a hand to your face, cupping one of your cheeks. You were staring at him as his thumb moved to rub your lips softly.

Nothing needed to be said in those moments, what your eyes were saying was more than enough. You understood him, and he understood you, it has been like that for so long, but the love bonding you never extinguished, and you couldn't imagine that someday it would.

"You'll just have to bring yourself, I'll take care of the rest. Only you and me." You pointed towards him, then towards you before flattening your hand on his shoulders in a tender way.

"Don't come back too late, huh?" You raised a brow as you tied his tie around his neck.

"If the answer doesn’t please you I’ll accidentally get choked. That’s the plan," He put his hand on yours to avoid you from even thinking of doing it.

You glared at him.

"I know your tricks now." He finished and you wanted to show him your tongue so badly, but you tried to stay solemn, your head high.

"I will not even comment on such calumny, Mr Shelby.”

You were so grateful he was still speaking to you fluently. He wasn’t like that with anyone but your children and you, which you found to be a blessing.

You knew he wasn’t living a life where he could be with his family as often as he would like and that his past deeply scarred him, but he almost was the same with you, still trying to joke and laugh even if his tone wasn’t following the movement, he tried. And that was all that mattered.

You had the love of your life and four beautiful children by your side, nothing would ever take that away from you. And even if you weren’t in business, by not trying to interfere, you were easing him more than you even knew.

(...)

“Beth! bring down your brothers and sisters, grandma Polly is here” You screamed toward the stairs as a maid brought the tea to the living room.

Polly looked at you with the type of stare only she, could give, ”you’re up to something, I can tell.”

You crossed your legs with a pleased smile, “Taking my Tommy to the countryside!” You said trying to remain calm, but she knew you too well.

“Well, I wonder why you’re not all over the place already, it’s not like you’re the good calm girl.” She smiled at you, “I’m sure he will be happy. But don’t think he’ll show ya.” She patted your knee with a side-eye look, her trembling voice filled with sarcasm.

You grabbed her hand and squeezed it, “I know how Aberama loves having our children.” You teased and she giggled. “It’s me taking care of all of them.”

“I knew it! He, too, is a child!” You exclaimed, raising your hands in the air.

“What boy of this family isn’t?” Polly raised her eyebrows before your youngest boy ran into her, followed by the entire team. They were squeezing their grandma in their arms as if she would be gone in a blink of an eye.

You laughed so hard seeing how they were all around Polly that couldn’t even hug them all.

Your heart was full of love at this moment.

Your eldest daughter came sitting on the armchair of the sofa where you were sitting, dropping her head on your shoulder.

“It is said Aberama and grandma will bring us with them on the road, is it true?” Your fourteen years old girl knew how to make a deal, she exchanged a look with Polly and straightened her head, looking right at you.

“Are you sure it’s Polly’s idea, it sounds more like you’re taking her as a hostage, Beth?”

“It’s called bargain! You always talk about grandma Pol being a gypsy queen, I want to see her world!” Beth’s high pitched tone resonated in the room, even the cat woke up from its nap to see what was happening.

“No need to put yourself in such condition, of course, you can all go with them. It’s your family.” You took your little girl in your arms, holding her close as fondling her long hair.

(...)

It was already 5 and you began to pace up and down before the carriage. It was your horse exhaling noisily that made you look up to him and caress his forehead while murmuring things to him. Basically telling him your day.

You didn’t realize but Tom had arrived, and a smile automatically drew on his lips when he saw you talking to your horse. It was as if he rewind the time and you were back to 1911 in your father’s stable with your long muddy dress and hay all over your mane.

He got close quickly and you startled when feeling his rough black gloves grabbing your elbow. “Shit, Tommy.”

He cleared his throat while looking at the horizon. A smile grew at the corner of your lips seeing how handsome he was, his hat on his head with his large black coat, a cigarette in between his lips. This handsome husband, father and gangster was all yours.

“Come up there! We’re going,” you pointed at the sitting place.

(...)

It has been half an hour since you departed from the Arrow House and the silence between you two was peaceful. You knew Tommy will never admit it, but he somehow took a liking to your parties and dinners, because he wasn’t forced to do anything, to be anything.

He could just be the man smoking cigarettes at the back of the room or the one drinking silently while sitting from the beginning of the event to its end. He could be alone, while not quite being alone.

You noticed he needed to be alone to think about his business, and as soon as he started to go walk alone in the woods at night, you started to organise garden parties.

Thomas didn’t need to be fully alone, he just needed people not to disturb him. And with such huge parties that was what you offered him. He didn’t need to sleep all night long outside now.

He could just sit at a table in the garden and smoke while sipping on his whiskey.

You finally stop the horse in a huge field, right under an imposing tree. It was probably a hundred years old, his trunk as solid as a rock, or maybe even stronger...

Tommy got up in the carriage, looking both sides to see if he knew the place before he got down, feet on earth.

You turned to him, a smile on your face, “Do you remember?” Your voice was low. He looked down at you, a curious gleam animating his blue iris.

“There!” you told him, pointing at the tree.

You saw in his expression he indeed remembered this place, and it was enough to warm your heart. You got up and joined the back of the carriage, taking the plates you had cooked for the occasion.

When you got back, his eyes directly went into yours, as if he had been searching for you. “Yes?” You raised a brow.

“It’s your family’s field.” His deep voice made you shiver, or maybe it was the cold spring breeze?

The old farm was still present not too far from where you were, but there were no animals left.

Your eyes lifted to him in an instant, his face was serene, his mind elsewhere, surely in the tone of memories of another time. Where all you used to worry about was the size of your stables once you’ll be married to Tom.

You served him a dish of his favourite food before handing it to him which he gladly took after sitting comfortably at the feet of the huge tree, his back against the tree.

“Don’t forget the bread.” You let out pointing to the bag next to him.

You finally sit down next to him and lift your gaze to the branch of the tree. The wind was present, but not in an annoying way, in a reassuring way. It was as if he was the one singing memories of before the War to both of you.

You raised your hand to the sky and it quickly got reached by Tommy’s that rubbed his thumb onto your skin.

You authorized yourself to dive into his eyes only to find your Tommy. The same one that was seated under the same three years and years ago. The Tommy that always used to make jokes, the one that asked your father for your hand, the one that always helped your mother with her horses.

It was something you would never get tired of, horses. It was the one thing always keeping you close to the man he once was, not that you missed that man, but you cherished the fact you had such memories of him. He was so different now…

“Happy Birthday, Tommy.” You muttered outright while dropping the back of your head against his chest, looking at his face from under.

He inhales deeply before exhaling loudly. And it was you, that sealed your lips together, bearing your love to him.