#and get exceedingly attached to her.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Asagiri, I am willing to forgive you for many things, but not for introducing a kickass time-stopping catgirl thief who apparently stole highly classified government documents

and then killing her off without even giving us her name

[unknownunidentified101]

LND HEADCANNONS

WARNINGS | slight angst and suggestive

CONTAINS | Rafayel, Xavier and Zayne

ABOUT | random head cannons with love and deep space men

RAFAYEL

He has a fear of heights, it doesn’t help his job requires him to travel around the world. With that, he will always finds some solace in you

“ remind me why you called me again?” You stood at the entrance of the gateway to the plane. Rafayel tries to ignore your question, submitting his plane ticket to the flight attendant

“ earth to Rafayel?” You were slightly annoyed, having been called at 5am to go to the airport

“ gosh I thought the sight of the airport would answer that question” Rafayel sighs. You remain adamant, waiting for a proper response

“ fineeee. I’m going away for an art exhibition, I wanted to take you with me” Rafayel explained, dragging you inside the awaiting airplane

“ why? Isn’t Thomas coming with you!” You huffed, crossing your arms in a fit. Rafayel pauses and turns back to you. “ you’re my body guard no?” He tries to mimic a puppy’s eyes

“ I am but this sort of thing doesn’t really require protection” you refer to the airplane. Seeing that you wanted to leave, Rafayel grabbed your wrist

“ I’m just scared of heights okay?” Rafayel confessed. You were bewildered. Him? Afraid of heights? You would think he would be use to flights by now

“ why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Your tone softened

“ you would bully me” Rafayel pouted. You felt guilty, you were acting like a brute before.

“ I wouldn’t…in fact, I’ll support you.” You stare down, intertwining your fingers with Rafayel’s . “ if there is no stable ground, I’ll be your land” you vowed

Rafayel parts his lips, in awe at your words. “ just tell me next time” you smile tenderly, leaning upwards to give the man a peck on the lips

EXTRA NOTE : Rafayel made you hold his hand the entire flight ( and you sat in the window seat)

Has thing for holding you very tightly. Most people would give you a squeeze but Rafayel finds himself leeching onto you

“ she said she would be here soon!” Rafayel complained to Thomas. “ I already called her, she will be here soon” Thomas was also getting increasingly annoyed

“ did you even call the right number?” Rafayel whined, Thomas snapped back, “ I did! I heard her voice!”

“ just great” Rafayel mumbled, slumping back in his seat. “ if only you didn’t lose your phone in the accident” Thomas mumbled under his breath

“ I heard that!” Rafayel sprung out of his hospital bed

Before Thomas could utter another word the sounds of the door unlocked. “ [y/n]?” Rafayel’s hopes were exceedingly high

“ Rafayel!” Your frantic voice echoed through the hospital room. Thomas had a relieved expression while Rafayel sprinted to you, ignoring the wires attached to his body

“ Baby!” Rafayel was like a little child, squeezing you tightly. All his resentful emotions were long gone by now.

His lips peppered you with numerous kisses

“ Rafayel” you breathed, or at least you tried too, he was squeezing you like no tomorrow. “ Rafayel! Too tight” you had to mutter

Rafayel instantly let’s go, scared he hurt you. “ I’m sorry! I missed you so much” he held your hand

“ me too. Now get back to your bed mister! I have to lecture you!”

He has frequent nightmares of you killing him or vise visa. It disheartens him to think about it, knowing he can’t cry it out.

Rafayel wakes up in cold sweat. His eyes frantically search the room. You weren’t by his side and that’s what saddened him.

He had a recurring dream, the moment where you perished. It was unbearable for him. With a cold breath, Rafayel hazily stumbled out his room

While arriving outside his room, there was a dim light in his studio. He was confused, usually his studio would automatically have the light off at night

With his guard up, he walked into his studio. However instead of a thief, it was you.

Relief washed over him. You were the only person he wanted to be with right now. “ [y/n]?” He calls your name

Your back was faced to him and as you heard his voice you were startled. “ oh Rafayel! I was just taking a walk” you walk to the man

“ I was wondering where my lover went” Rafayel couldn’t help but chuckle. “ did I worry you? Are you okay?” You asked many questions while carelessly caressing Rafayel’s cheek

“ I’m fine. Just a bad nightmare” Rafayel admitted, rubbing his face into your hand. “ poor you” you coo, wrapping your hands around the man’s neck

Rafayel hums, wrapping his arms around your waist. “ can we go back to the bed now?”

“ okay”

He has SO many moles.

You sat next to Rafayel while he muses about his latest painting. You couldn’t help but realise the small moles on his face

“ your moles are cute Rafayel” you mention. Rafayel stops painting, placing his paint brush down

“ what?” He wants to hear you again

“ your moles. I could kiss them all day” you teased with a smirk. Rafayel’s cheek turn to a hue of pink, “ you know, they say your moles are where your past lover kissed you” you point out to Rafayel’s moles

Rafayel smiles. Ironic because you were all his past lovers. “ Is that so? Should I claim you now then?” Rafayel gains the courage

You were a bit startled by his comment but you gave in to his alluring eyes. Not long after you found yourself colliding lips with Rafayel.

Every time he looks at you, he gets a wave of adrenaline, he vows that one day, he will marry you.

“ beautiful isn’t it?” You pointed at the flowers embedded in the garden. Rafayel only has eyes for you, “ really beautiful” he emphasises, eyes fixated on you

“ are you even looking at the flowers?” You turn to Rafayel’s soft gaze

“ the only beautiful flower I see, is you.” Rafayel gently whispers. “ In fact, you are even prettier than a flower” he adds

You feel butterflies swarm in your stomach at the mention. “ can you promise me something?” Rafayel inquires

Your body faces him, letting him know you were listening to him. “ promise me, you’ll never leave me” Rafayel pulls you closer to him

“ where is this coming from?” You giggle at the mention. Rafayel’s eyes hold seriousness, letting you know he was not joking. You feel his hands hover over your lip

“ never mind. I will Rafayel, I will never leave you” you pinky promise, making Rafayel relieved. “ good, in that case, I’ll marry you then.” Rafayel leaned in for a loving kiss

And indeed, he will marry you again.

XAVIER

Despite always being sleepy and being on the verge of knocking out, Xavier always tries to stay awake for you.

“ and I couldn’t believe it Xavier! The nerve of that woman” you ranted. It was late at night and you just got home after a mission

“ that woman had no sense of respect” Xavier added. “ I know! And she yelled at me” you ranted even more.

You were frustrated and annoyed, throwing your pillows on your bed. “ but I’m sorry for annoying you Xavier, you probably want to sleep” your tone changed

There was some silence before Xavier softly answered. “ no. Keep going. I love hearing your voice.” He muses

“ are you sure? I don’t want to bore you” you lay on your cushioned bed. “ you could never ‘bore’ me dear” Xavier breathed

You couldn’t tell if he was going to sleep or not but nevertheless you chatted your head off. You thought Xavier would fall asleep but he would always hum and give you short sentences in response

He made you feel appreciated

Sometimes when you speak, Xavier can’t help but stare at your lips. His a very bold man, therefore he kisses you to stir you up

“ Tara said she would buy me these” you pout at recalling a fond memory. Xavier stays silent, listening to your rant

“ Is that so?” His eyebrows show interest

“ yeah but she ended up buying this for herself” your pout was abnormally large. Xavier stared with pitiful eyes

You were utterly breathtaking. You put him under a spell he could not resist

“ but you know it’s okay-“

Before you could finish your sentence, a pair of lips engulfed your own. You were stunned to say the least, closing your eyes after registering Xavier’s actions

“ Xavier..” your tone whined as Xavier parted from your lips. “ I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist myself, you were too cute” Xavier teases.

“ you sly fox” you mock, feeling Xavier pull you even closer to him. “ say that again and I’ll give you even more kisses”

You always have your way with him. He always finds himself losing to you. His utterly intoxicated by you.

“ what if you Iose?” Xavier looks at the card in his hand. “ if I lose..?” You begin to ponder

“ if I lose, I pay for the meal tonight” you wager. Xavier is intrigued by your words. “ alright then, loser pays for tonight’s dinner” Xavier readies his cards

You were determined but that wouldn’t last long. You see, despite Xavier not knowing half the rules of the game, he somehow had an advantage over you

The problem was he knew he was going to win. Xavier looks up at your worried expression. You seemed frustrated and it was evident you didn’t want to lose

Xavier smiles. It was never his intention for you pay for the dinner you two would be having that night. Xavier stays silent, closing his eyes

He knew you would take the bait and swap the kitties in the cup. As soon as your shuffling finished, Xavier peeked his eye open

“ huh. The cats position seems off” he plays it off like a natural. “ Is it? Can’t tell” your laughs were stifled

Xavier’s lips stay upwards. “ guess I’m the loser then.” Xavier surrenders. You swayed him into losing and he didn’t regret any bit of it

He did it all for the smile on your face.

“ I’ll pay for the dinner tonight okay?”

He spends majority of his time looking after you. Even when you don’t see him.

“ Xavier are you there?” You had called Xavier after talking with your friends

“ what do you mean?” Xavier tries to make it sound like he just woke up. “ i thought I saw you behind me” you begin to worry

“ I’m at …home” Xavier says after some hesitation.

“ are you? You know the craziest thing happened to me” you begin to retell. “ tell” you could feel Xavier’s nod through the screen

“ I was talking with my friend and suddenly the light nearby went off, so he left me alone” you explained. “ what’s crazy about that” Xavier’s voice seems forced

“ I’m scared to walk home but then a speck of light comes down and guides me” you sounded crazy

“ really..?” Xavier tries to hide his cheeky voice

“ yeah, the light reminded me of you. To bad I never got to finish my conversation with my friend” there was a glint of sadness in your speech

“ you sure? 23 minutes was enough” Xavier spurted out.

You had a smirk on your face. “ how did you know we talked for that long?” It was your turn to tease him. Xavier goes silence, caught red handed

“ you cheeky star.” You joked. “ anyway, open the door, I’m outside your house” you knock on the door

Xavier shuffles and panick envelopes him. “ that is…unless you aren’t home?” You were too smart for him

The sounds of the call hanging up are heard and you hear footsteps approaching you

“ fine. You caught me” Xavier’s voice rings from behind you. “ you really are cute Xavier ” you smile, hugging the man

“ whatever” Xavier hides the sourness in his voice, kissing your forehead.

A HUGE tease

You were relaxing in Xavier’s sofa after he called you over. Playing on your phone you hear the door unlock.

Sitting up quickly, your eyes dart to Xavier. Xavier appears before you, only wearing pants with a towel slinging around his neck

You felt hot instantly, Xavier spots you after he attempts to dry his hair. “ ah, you caught me” he smiled at your reaction

You feel Xavier’s footsteps travels over to your position. “ what’s wrong? Do you have a fever?” Xavier grazes a hand over your cheek

“ or…are you embarrassed?” A sly smirk appears on his lips

“ go away Xavier” you fluster up. Xavier giggles. “ you’ve seen me like this before…so why are you acting all shy now?”

ZAYNE

When you happened to be partying one time, Zayne had to bring you back home. However this was proven to be a challenge when you wouldn’t budge, so instead, he carried you over shoulder his shoulder

“ let’s go [y/n]” Zayne meets you at a night club. Sure enough, you were very drunk

“ party pooper” you mock, trying to drink another glass of alcohol. Quickly and swiftly the drink is swapped from your hands.

“ I don’t like that tone” Zayne softly holds your cheek.

“ hey! Zayne I was drinking that!” You slur to Zayne’s stoic face, Zayne observes your drunken state and smiles softly. “ time for you to go home” Zayne reminds

“ I don’t want to go home. I’m fine right here” you were still in your seat

Zayne is tired, and more over, he knows you weren’t in a stable state. “ i see how it is” He sighs, grabbing your waist while pulling you in

“ what are you doing!” Before you could finish your speech, Zayne lifts you over his shoulder.

“ Hey! Put me down!” You throw a fit while the man couldn’t care any less

“ I told you to go home” Zayne holds you securely. Waving to all your friends. “ this is so embarrassing” you grumble, Zayne’s lips begin to grow a smirk in victory

Zayne sometimes notices the way your desk is scattered with papers and books, being a small clean freak, he cleans things for you without being asked

Zayne passes by your table. It looked like a truck had wrecked your room. Your table had notes scattered everywhere

Sticky notes were folded and pages looked worn out. Zayne sighs, knowing you just had your final exams. You weren’t at home as of currently,

So silently, without being ordered to, Zayne cleans your desk and eventually, your room. He makes sure to keep boundaries, knowing not to mess with your private stuff

Then it was as if time had passed by very quickly. He had finished the work just in time for you to come home from your exams

You were exhausted and pent up. Opening your door you see a rose petal path leading to the kitchen

Smiling at the sight, you follow the path and see Zayne prepare a home cooked dinner for you. “ welcome home dear” Zayne looks back at you

You felt like crying, he was so sweet. You dropped your bags, stumbling over to the man

“ i love you. I don’t deserve you” you sniffle into Zayne’s shoulder. “ me too” Zayne murmurs

“ how did you do all this?” You were breathless, lookng around your decorated home

“ I got off work early, so I came over and cleaned up your place. Then I cooked dinner for you” Zayne make it seem like it was nothing

You felt your eyes water. “ Zayne…you…you are the best” you engulf his body again, squeezing him

“ you are just want I needed after a long day Zayne.”

He has nightmares very often. He always tries to lure you to his house to spend the night

The storm raged outside Zayne’s room. He is less startled than you. “ it’s really pouring out there” you look at the falling rain drops

“ a pity really” Zayne wipes the dishes in his hands

“ but you know I really have to get home” you muster the courage. Zayne looks worried, he stops you. “ how will you get home?” He pouts

“ a taxi I suppose” you huff

Zayne can not allow that, who knows what the night brings to unsuspecting victims

“ you can stay” Zayne points out. You shake your head, “ I don’t want to be a bother” you try to decline

“ I have trouble sleeping.” Zayne says out of nowhere. You tilt your head in slight confusion

“ I would like it…if you stayed” Zayne fiddled with his hands out of nervousness. You realise the severity of his words

“ you should’ve started with that. Of course I’ll stay Zayne” you walk over to the cold man, cupping the man’s cheek

“ thank you” Zayne rubbed his cheek against your hand. “ I should be thanking you” you laugh wholeheartedly, sharing a kiss

Very picky with food so you always end up eating his left overs.

“ Zayne?” Your voice crowds his thoughts. Zayne looks up, realising he had sorted out his food into big portions

“ are you going to eat that?” Your fork points at the pile of carrots on his plate.

Zayne looks down and embarrassingly shakes his head. “ you don’t like carrots?” You piece some information together. “ I was never fond of it” Zayne puts it

You smilel. “ a doctor not liking healthy foods? Strange” you comment

“ that’s a stereotype, who taught you that?” Zayne looks a bit annoyed at your mockery . “ I’m kidding of course!” You chuckle at his expression

“ here, give me the leftovers” you offer. Zayne obligates, passing you his own plate

“ …thank you.”

Looks forward to your daily visits to the hospital. If you don’t show up, he will get more aggravated

Zayne lights up upon seeing the door open. He had been checking the time regularly and he predicted you would arrive by now

“ here are the documents Dr Zayne” his assistant rolls around. Zayne can’t hide his disappointment, his smile was now a frown

“ what? Is something wrong?” His assistant judges him.

“ nothing is wrong” Zayne props up his glasses upwards, eyes now fixated on the computer screen ahead of him. His assistant knows something is wrong and realises the reason

“ your girlfriend should be arriving by now-“

“ why? Is she here? Did she come by earlier?” Zayne seems to have high hopes in his tone. His assistant smirks and Zayne feels a tease coming out of her mouth

“ why are you asking that? Do you miss her?” She places a hand on her hip

“ no. “ Zayne tries to immediately defend. “ you can tell me you know! I wouldn’t tease you” his friend tries to frame him

“ leave” Zayne avoids her gaze. The nurse sighs, rolling her eyes, “ fine whatever” she dismisses, walking out the room

Zayne curses silently, typing away at his keyboard. However not too long after, the door unlocks again. “ I told you to stop teasing me” Zayne nonchalantly scolds

“ teasing you?” He recognises a sweet voice

“ [y/n]?” His eyes are filled with sparkles upon seeing you. “ I’m not teasing you” you repeat with a smile, opening your arms for a hug

Zayne immediately gets up and hugs you without exchanging any more words. “ your late” he couldn’t help but lecture

“ sorry, there were a lot of wanderers today” you pat his shoulder.

“ are you hurt?”

“ nope.”

EXTRA NOTE : on one of your visits, you notice Zayne Keeps a photo of you in his office. If his ever stressed, looking at you is enough to bring him relief. However it is always good to have the ‘real deal’ in front of him.

[valacirya]

Indis appreciation post!

Disclaimer: All the canon info is taken from Morgoth's Ring and Peoples of Middle Earth. Also, this isn't a character analysis/meta. It's just a list of stuff I love (plus some headcanons) about one of my favorite characters in the legendarium.

1. She's athletic and outdoorsy. We're told that Indis is "exceedingly swift of foot" and that "she walked often alone in the fields and friths of the Valar, turning her thought to things that grow untended." When Finwe sees her, she's chilling on a mountainside. I love that she's associated with nature, specifically the wilderness. She parallels Feanor in her exploration of Aman and interest in the imperfect. Also, this is purely self-indulgent but ever since reading HoME for the first time, I've pictured Indis as tall and broad, and muscular beneath a layer of fat.

2. She doesn't let her unrequited love affect her life. "There was ever light and mirth about her." She's not the pining, languishing princess stereotype. She goes on. She doesn't let it make her bitter or depressed, and she is so restrained that only Mandos and possibly Ingwe are aware of her feelings.

3. Part of her attraction to Finwe is intellectual. In HoME we're told that his "mastery of words delighted her." Considering that Indis is also a poet/composer ("wove words into song") and that the Vanyar enjoy linguistics, it makes sense. It's also just really cute.

4. She's politically minded. Her reasoning for pronouncing 's' instead of 'th' is: "I have joined the Noldor, and I will speak as they do." This is the right thing to do to gain the respect of the Noldor and their acceptance of her authority. I also think she makes a statement with Fingolfin and Finarfin's mother-names. Arakano ("high chieftain") and Ingoldo ("the Noldo, eminent among the kindred") are not only powerful, prophetic names, they're also strikingly similar to Ingwe ("chief of chieftains") who is the High King not just of the Vanyar, but all Eldar. What a power move.

5. She's able to balance her own culture with the culture she marries into. Indis integrates into Noldorin society easily while remaining Vanyarin at her core, as is evidenced by Finwe saying that "above all her heart now yearns for the halls of Ingwe and the peace of the Vanyar." Her sons also respect and are proud of their mixed heritage; Finarfin "loved the Vanyar, his mother's people" and is said to be like them (as are Finrod and Galadriel), and Fingolfin's daughter-in-law is Vanyarin (plus the Nolofinweans have a special connection to Manwe).

6. She gets an awesome prophecy about her line. "But I say unto you that the children of Indis shall also be great, and the Tale of Arda more glorious because of their coming. And from them shall spring things so fair that no tears shall dim their beauty; in whose being the Valar, and the Kindreds both of Elves and of Men that are to come shall all have part, and in whose deeds they shall rejoice. So that, long hence when all that here is, and seemeth yet fair and impregnable, shall nonetheless have faded and passed away, the Light of Aman shall not wholly cease among the free peoples of Arda until the end." Fuck yeah.

7. Her name means "valiant woman." This is the only definition given in Morgoth's Ring, I believe. I highly prefer it over the "bride" meaning because it's a badass name and is similar to Artanis ("noble woman") and Astaldo ("the valiant"). A headcanon that I'm particularly attached to is that Indis's mother-name is Indome, meaning "will of Eru."

8. She's popular with most of the Noldor. We're told that "Finwe, King of the Noldor, wedded Indis, sister of Ingwe; and the Vanyar and Noldor for the most part rejoiced." The majority of the Noldor also follow Fingolfin and Finarfin instead of Feanor.

9. She's friends with Nerdanel. HoME states that Nerdanel went to "abide with Indis, whom she had ever esteemed."

10. She gets pissed off at Finwe when he sides with Feanor. So much so that he thinks she won't want to see him if he's re-embodied. I know this is from his perspective but I'm inclined to agree. [However, this is still very presumptive of him, and his comment that "Indis parted from me without death" is super shitty. Eugh.]

11. She's close to her kids. Finarfin takes after her, Fingolfin passes on the name she gave him, Findis lives with her, Lalwen goes by the name she gave her. Finwe also says that "she hath dear children to comfort her."

So there we have it! What little info we get about Indis is pretty awesome. And this is just a list; I could write a whole essay on her fortitude and unconventionality and my numerous headcanons about her.

[rrrrinmaru]

rin's side stories: 01 - where rafayel debriefs the flammula

wc: 1.2k rating: G brief: after rafayel's first meeting with mc, he decides to debrief someone he can trust. someone who can't spill his secrets to anyone who can repeat them to mc. notes: gender neutral!mc, fluff, comedy, canon-compliant

“I was rather suave, wasn’t I?”

Silence answers him. The man doesn’t seem deterred—he flips over on his couch, back lying flat on the sofa as one leg crooks at the knee and dangles off the edge. 

“See, you might not have gotten a good view of the scene, but I appeared like a knight in shining armor, okay? Exactly like all those fairytales. Picture this, the setting sun, a golden glow sinking over the city like a blanket. The light dancing off the water surface, making everything look iridescent and magical. The soft splashes of you guys, adding to the ambience of the place. It’s quiet. It’s picturesque. Am I painting a good picture for you?”

The red flammula circles around its massive tank. The tank is perched on the reinforced glass table, large enough that it practically takes up all the space. There are small underwater plants swaying with the ripples sent up by the portable water filter attached to the side of the tank. Sand and gravel sit at the bottom, with a few coral stones tossed in to add color to the place. 

Inside, the flammula spits out a string of bubbles.

“You don’t get it. So there they were, helpless and shaking, like a seal pup in front of a great white. The setting sun set their hair alight, awash with that orange hue—I really need to paint this before I forget it—and they were just standing there. Their eyes darted around, begging for help, and there I was! Right in their line of sight; tall, handsome, elegant. Offering a comment about your tragic lifespans on land so they know I’m intelligent.”

The flammula hides behind a particularly big rock. On the couch, the figure splutters, sitting upright. 

“Dropping an information snippet about the lifespan of aquatic creatures is not boring. It caught their attention. And then I took the net from their loose grip, emboldened by the hopeful gaze in their eyes, and swooped you up in one quick snap of my wrist. Really, you need to be better at running away from nets in the water. Is this how you got caught the first time?”

A long string of bubbles. The flammula swims out just to brush its underbelly against the sand before swimming back up to where the plants are swaying with the ripples. 

“After catching you, I proceeded to tell her about your historic legend—”

The flammula winds itself around a long, dark green plant. It flops over, the plant wrapped around it, and pretends to go still.

A hand reaches over, one knuckle knocking in irritation at the side of the tank, right next to where the flammula is.

“A little respect would be deserved,” Rafayel huffs, throwing his head to the side. “I didn’t have to save you, you know. I could have let you live up to your exceedingly short lifespan with the rest of your brethren in that tiny pool, at the mercy of small land children with sticky fingers and unwashed hands.”

The flammula revives long enough to flap a fin at Rafayel and breathe out bubbles before it returns to playing dead. 

Rafayel rolls his eyes. “Anyway, they then told me that Hat Island was closed off because of Wanderer sightings. Not that it would have stopped me, if I had really wanted to go, but—hey! This means they were concerned about me, weren’t they?”

The flammula doesn’t respond. 

“I mean, I picked a random pamphlet out of that booth near the place just so I had something to do with my hands, but what a stroke of luck!”

Rafayel dips a hand in the water, far enough to gently poke the flammula with the tip of his index finger. “Look alive, comrade. I’m not done here.”

The flammula twists its body, slapping Rafayel’s index finger with its tail. 

“They didn’t say it just because I’m a civilian and they were doing their job,” Rafayel shoots back, sounding miffed. “Well, whatever. Let’s move past that to the next important installation of our interaction, wherein I, very handsomely, popped you into the small container they were holding on to.”

A flurry of bubbles rise in the tank. The flammula seems to have a lot to say, reviving once more just to swim accusingly around Rafayel’s hand and bump angrily into his open palm. 

“You were not going to die from air exposure. I barely held you out for less than a minute. I wasn’t going to just let you die like that. And you are really detracting from my entire experience, here. Regardless, after you were finally allowed to breathe again, they told me to go to Whitesand Bay. How cute,” Rafayel remarks, a smile pulling at his lips.

The flammula scrapes its body against Rafayel’s fingers, nipping at his fingertips. 

“This level of aggression is seriously uncalled for,” Rafayel complains, poking the flammula’s tail. “I’m just trying to tell you about our meeting, and you’re acting like I tossed you into the middle of an oil spill. They told me to go visit Whitesand Bay, you know?”

He points outside the windows lining his wall, tempered glass from ceiling to floor, gesturing at the miles of paper white sand that stretch out before him. “How cute. Maybe I should invite them to walk with me at Whitesand Bay sometime.”

The flammula swings its tail, hitting Rafayel’s fingers. Once it gets the last word in, the flammula swims in a harried manner to the stone cave attached to the side of the tank, clearly ready to hide in there until Rafayel stops bothering it.

“You are no fun,” he tells the flammula, fishing his hand out of the water. There’s a brief flash and fire creeps up his skin, starting from his fingertips and crawling up his palms, the back of his hand, his wrist, his forearm—the flames lick at his elbow, and Rafayel shakes his arm out. 

Just as quickly as it appeared, the flames disappear. Rafayel slips his dry palm into his pocket and stands, turning to eye the view from his window. The translucent curtains flutter in the seabreeze, carried in through one of the open windows, and Rafayel tilts his head back, slowly breathing it in. 

“I’ll pack the rest of them and send them to where they should be,” he says, eyes closed, face turned to soak in the moonlight filtering through the glass. “I’ll send you along with them, I suppose.”

Bubbles escape the stone cave. 

“I’m not in the business of raising dependents,” Rafayel comments, looking back to eye the tank speculatively. “If I do keep you around, historic part of Lemurian culture or not, know that I may or may not end up using you as a midnight snack if I’m feeling peckish.” 

No response. Another round of playing dead. 

“How interesting,” he murmurs, bending down to tap the glass. “Well, if I ever come up with a use for you, I’ll let you know. Maybe I can trick them into thinking we’re co-parenting you. Heaven knows you need to learn some manners, disobedient punk.”

The thought makes Rafayel smile. They wouldn’t get it; they would likely be confused at the concept of teaching a fish manners, but it’s as good an excuse as any to get them into Rafayel’s home.

==

© rrrrinmaru 2024 | no unauthorised publication or reproduction allowed

[cannedpickledpeaches]

Insert Your Name (11)

Mafia!Jade Leech x Mafia!Reader

Link to series masterlist!

Notes and TW: Congratulations! You have successfully made it all about you (positive). This series will have mentions of blood, violence, crime (kidnapping, attempted assassination, extortion), and harassment, as one might expect from a mafia AU. Please enjoy!

Sorry that the tags haven't been working for the past couple of posts! I had to go in and edit the html for each individual one T-T please forgive me

Tags: @guava-enjoyer @itszzmoon @twstsandturns @myteacupisempty @rou-luxe @chikitasmol @night-shadowblood-writes2 @haveneulalie @owodi

A strange sense of satisfaction fills you as surprise fills the man’s face, but you don’t show it. You need to see this through. If you’re powerless in the face of his ability, you simply need to borrow his power. So what if he’s akin to a god? All you need to do is bring him to your side. Whoever that author is, whoever took over (Y/N)’s body—maybe they aren’t capable of using such an asset effectively. However, you’re confident you won’t let that advantage go to waste.

The man hums in thought. “I suppose it could be done without much fanfare. I would simply need to shift my attention to your experiences and abandon the current story. However, you would need to have your story recorded somewhere, in whatever form you may wish for it to take.”

You understand what he’s getting at. A story needs a medium, just like that manuscript. There are many options: on film, as a novel, as a collage of pictures. No strict rules exist for expression of self.

“I’ll keep a journal. Every day, I’ll write an entry, and I’ll also use it as a planner. This way, my ‘story’ will have the events that occurred in my life, how they affected my ‘character development,’ and also outline how I expect the story to ‘progress.’ Is that good enough?”

You still don’t think of yourself as a fictional character. You’re real, in every aspect, to yourself. But that doesn’t matter right now. Functionally, you’re a character to this man. You’ll use that assumption to put yourself in the most advantageous position.

“Yes, that would be a rather interesting way to tell your story. There are indeed many stories that were written in the form of diary entries, so this is not an issue at all. This would, in fact, make things easier for me. I would not have to go through the paperwork and expend energy to bring someone from another world since you already exist in Twisted Wonderland as an established character. There is just one thing you should know before you make this decision.”

“Tell me.” Of course there are strings attached. There always are. You prepare yourself. Self-sacrifice in small amounts is necessary, of course, but if there’s anything you can negotiate with . . . .

“I will have to take the previous author’s soul out of (Y/N)’s body. (Y/N)’s soul will regain control of her own body, since it was never removed, only dormant. Since the author’s original body cannot function without a soul, she cannot return to her world. It will disappear, never to be recovered, lost to the fabric of what forms this space. Are you still willing to proceed?”

“Is that it?” You expected something else. This has nothing to do with you giving up anything. In fact, it could even be considered a bonus. This woman whose story made your life and relationships exceedingly difficult will disappear down to the traces of her soul. It’s an easy decision. “Of course.”

“How cold-hearted you are.” He chuckles down at his teacup. It never seems to drain empty no matter how he sips it. “That is not an undesirable quality in protagonists, although they often do not have a happy ending in fairytales.”

“Is that supposed to deter me or something?” You stay resolute. “My future was always uncertain no matter if it’s a story or not. I’m in the mafia. I’ve come to terms that horrible things could happen at any moment because of the nature of my job a long, long time ago. It’s my responsibility to plan so that I reduce those chances as much as possible. And you’re going to help me.”

“Yes, I am.” He glances at the fireplace, which has burned down to glowing red embers. “Perhaps you should count yourself lucky that you are under my jurisdiction. I am partial to tragic endings, but I also do not mind if an amoral character triumphs in the end. Some of my peers would adamantly ensure it does not happen.”

You furrow your brows. This is not the first time he brought up something being under his “jurisdiction.” However, this is the first time he’s mentioned “peers” instead of “characters.”

“There are others like you?”

“Yes, of course. Twisted Wonderland is filled with too many stories for me to manage on my own. Since you are mainly involved with the Leech Mafia and stories of the Coral Sea, you fall under my jurisdiction.”

It makes sense. This man compared himself to a god, but he isn’t one. He isn’t omnipotent or omniscient.

“Who are they?”

He tilts his head. “You would not know us even if I told you.”

“I’m curious. Tell me anyway.”

“Such a curious character.” He glances at the embers again. “Alright, I see no harm in it. My peers overseeing Twisted Wonderland include Walt Disney, the Brothers Grimm, Hanna Diyab, Victor Hugo, and Lewis Carroll, among others.”

None of these names ring a bell. It is just a list of names, but having more information is never a bad thing.

“And your name? I should know how to address you.”

“Oh, I have not yet introduced myself to you? My apologies, I must be turning forgetful in my old age.” He laughs at himself in a good-natured manner. “My name is Hans Christian Anderson. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

You introduce yourself as well. He extends a hand to you. When your hands connect in a firm handshake, the new deal you’ve made feels solidified.

Anderson looks at the fireplace one more time. The light has died completely, the little room lit only by the moonlight pouring in the window. With a gentle but decisive clap of his hands, he stands from his armchair.

“That was a fruitful discussion, and I thank you for your patience and understanding. I fear time has run out, however, and so I will be sending you back shortly. I’ll place you right back where you came from: at the moment when I brought you here.”

“Hold on!” Too soon, too sudden. You still have so much to say. He holds up a hand, stopping your protests.

“If you’d like to communicate with me, simply write a request for it in your new journal. I wish you best of luck.”

And with that, the world goes white again.

This is the story of a girl whose name is no longer hers. A girl so common that she may as well be a faceless background character in another person’s story. A girl who wishes, more than anything, to be the protagonist of a love story that will sweep her off her feet and solve all her problems.

Her family is normal. Her friends, too. And so is she. It isn’t enough for her. The world inside that game she plays is so magical, so whimsical, so perfect. The characters are handsome, powerful, clever, funny, or rich, or some combination of those qualities. If she enters this world, surely all those wonderful characters would treat her as someone special. They’d love and revere her unconditionally. She pines for a man who would love her and her shortcomings in their entirety, no matter what she does.

The beauty about fictional characters is that because they are fictional, they can be whatever she wants them to be. She can wholeheartedly believe they’ll love her, and there is nothing wrong with that. But she isn’t satisfied with that alone. It needs to be real.

Desperately, she writes a story revolving around a faceless, flawless main character who she desperately wishes she could be. Everyday, the writing consumes her, dragging her into a fantasy of bliss. She begins to resent her reality. Nobody in real life will love her the correct way. Nobody can be as good as the characters she pours her love and headcanons on. She doesn’t consider how love can be gradual, nor does realize someone might have to get to know her before loving her. After all, in her fanfiction, the perfect mafioso loves her main character upon the first meeting and devotes himself with no questions asked. Isn’t that the ideal love?

One day, a miracle occurs. She meets a man who offers to make her story into her reality. Jumping on the chance to live her perfectly crafted life of happiness, she agrees. Finally. Finally, she will be loved the way she wants.

At first, everything went perfectly. Real life follows her fanfiction to the letter. Jade is charming, Floyd is endearing, and a string of coincidences leads her to meet Vil, another handsome bachelor. Love surrounds her at every turn. All she needs in this life are the handsome men who give her special treatment. After all, this body, this life—(Y/N)—was created by her, for her use. All of the previous relationships this body entertained no longer matter. They aren’t hers, anyway.

The polaroids that occupied her nightstand are probably in a landfill somewhere. The aesthetic was cute, befitting the tastes of a character she modelled after herself, but the person in them is irrelevant. Some side character she’s never going to see again. No matter; she’ll eventually replace those polaroids with cute photos of herself and her new love. (Y/N)—no, the placeholder—has served its purpose. It will not miss those useless decorations since it will never again have its own consciousness.

So where did it all go wrong? Perhaps it was wrong from the start. She should have cursed that old man for scamming her. Her happy ending was never a guarantee. How dare a throwaway side character upend her perfect, fairy tale ending? Is that even allowed? They’re all just characters anyway. How can they steal from a real person?

Until the very end, she couldn’t see anyone around her as anything other than characters in a story. Maybe if she did, she might have gotten the love she wanted. Now, she disappears, having never achieved the goal she so desperately grasped at. Like seafoam, her hopes and yearning for love bubbles and disappears.

Hans Christian Anderson places a book into an empty spot on one of his many shelves. He has always been fond of tragedies. As for this new story that’s unfolding . . . who’s to say how it will end? He’s a patient man. With a smile, he settles into an armchair and sips from a cup of tea. He’s looking forward to it. When it eventually ends, like all stories inevitably do, he’ll shelve it and find another story to bring to life.

The world suddenly flashes into focus. The sun’s dying embers flicker on the sea. Sand shifts between your toes. Fingers graze your neck. Before you can activate your Signature Spell, (Y/N) crashes into you and you both topple over into a bed of sand. Bloodlust raises the hairs on the back of your neck. But it isn’t coming from (Y/N). Instead, you instinctively wrap one arm around her and hold the other one out in front of you, shielding her from Jade.

“Wait, wait! Jade, it’s fine. I’m okay.”

He freezes. One of his hands stops a centimeter away from (Y/N)’s hair. She doesn’t react. Slowly, you lay back down, heaving a sigh. You shift her face to the side so that she doesn’t suffocate in your shoulder. Her eyelashes flutter against her cheekbones, complementing the slow rise and fall of her ribs.

“See? She’s asleep.”

Jade furrows his brows. “I fail to understand. Most importantly, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah.” You chuckle, staring up at the stars that unveil themselves in the darkening sky. “I’m just a little tired.”

You explain everything to him. He seems skeptical, but eventually, he accepts it. He sits in the sand next to you, his hand covering yours. You pretend not to notice, but it offers a soothing calm to your exhausted mind.

“I’m sorry,” you say, glancing at his side profile. “Even if I write that Vil Schoenheit will cure your parents, it might not happen because of continuity issues. Maybe (Y/N) will still be able to convince him.”

“That’s alright.” He catches your gaze. “It would make the story progress more smoothly if we continue with our talks with Walrus.”

He accepted it so quickly. For that matter, so did you. You wonder briefly if there is something at play that makes you accept the reality of your situation as fact—if it’s because you’re a character after all—but that’s all speculation. Not worth your time and energy to figure out.

“Bottom line is, this is my story now. So I’ll make sure the curse on your parents is dispelled.”

“How reliable.” Jade gives you a gentle smile, one that causes an unfamiliar stirring in your chest. “Thank you. What would you like in recompense?”

You weren’t expecting him to offer anything at all. But since he offered, you aren’t one to refuse.

“Money.”

His quiet laughter blends in with the sound of rushing waves.

“No hesitation at all, I see. Of course, I will pay you adequately for your invaluable help.”

“I also want something else.” You fiddle with the strands of (Y/N)’s hair. “I’d like a vacation. Just a week or two after everything settles down so I can go back to my hometown with my mom.”

“Is that what the money is for?”

“Yeah.” Your heart feels a little lighter. “You should visit the Coral Sea after your parents wake up as well. I’m sure you’ll want to spend time with them.”

A pause. You scrutinize Jade’s expression in the low light, but his expression is wholly unfamiliar to you. He almost looks . . . nervous.

“Would you come with us?”

You blink. “Don’t you want to spend time with just your family?”

“Yes, but my parents would be delighted to have you over again. You have not been to our home under the sea in a long time, and I would be more than happy to show you around again.”

“It won’t be a bother?”

“Far from it.” His thumb rubs softly against the back of your hand. “I . . . We are very fond of you.”

You can’t help but think there’s an ulterior motive, but you accept. This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve travelled to their home under the sea, and this most likely won’t be the last.

Suddenly, (Y/N) shifts on your chest. A soft noise escapes her lips as though she’s finally awakened from a long nap. Her bleary eyes find yours. Kind, lovely, and gentle eyes. The eyes of the (Y/N) you know and love, the eyes of your friend.

“Huh? Are we on the beach? What happened?”

A relieved laugh bubbles out of your throat and you hug her tightly. Confused but sweet, she reciprocates with reassuring pats to your arm.

“Yeah, we’re on the beach. Let’s get you home.” You sit up and smile as she fusses over the sand in your hair. Normalcy is slowly but surely returning. “I’ll tell you everything on the way there.”

[possibilistfanfiction]

Prompt for your little Hallmark AU: Christmas market (You know, those markets where there are booths who sell Glühwein and Punsch, Im not sure how to correctly translate it in English in Austria we call it Christkindlmarkt)

it’s grey outside, the clouds heavy but not quite snowing yet; it’s warmer than it’s been on clearer days, still cold but almost pleasant, and quiet.

you make sure to give yourself extra time to do your stretches in the morning after you go to camila’s to get breakfast. the atmospheric pressure of the incoming storm is, unsurprisingly, causing your back to ache, but that’s not new and it doesn’t really faze you at this point. if things get bad enough — and they do, sometimes — you just reschedule your plans and take pain meds and muscle relaxers from dr salvius after you do your physical therapy exercises. but your hands don’t ache and you don’t have any numbness in your feet, your temperature is normal, and so you go through your routine and feel better by the end of it.

beatrice picks you up at eleven on the dot, as she confirmed twice over text the evening before with perfect punctuation that made you feel a little bit like you were in trouble but was charming anyway. 

‘hey stranger,’ you say when she knocks on your door, and she blushes and smiles and you’re delighted by the effect you have on her, almost immediately — this exceedingly smart and competent person stumbling over herself the second you smile. it makes you feel powerful and it also makes you want to treat her kindly, to make her laugh.

‘good morning, ava.’ she fidgets, for a moment, and you’re curious why you’re not just going to her truck, but then she takes a hand out of the pocket of her peacoat and opens her palm. ‘i, uh, i noticed your cane was getting stuck in the snow.’

‘oh.’ your first instinct is to be embarrassed, eleven years of abuse rearing its ugly, awful head, but then you look at what she’s actually holding.

‘i already had it,’ she explains, slightly rushed like she’s trying to make sure you’re not upset, like it was just a thoughtful aside of hers. ‘i tore my acl a few years ago and used both on my crutches, and so, i just figured, well… if it doesn’t work, that’s fine, but maybe worth a try?’

you take the winter cane tip attachment from her outstretched hand and it really does feel like some kind of offering for a moment. it’s nice, the crampon itself retractable, and easy enough to put on your cane. when you try it outside the door on the way to her truck, you can’t help but smile, remember a little bit of the joy that first came with movement as you started receiving proper care and accessibility and mobility aids. you don’t take healing for granted, even now. ’thank you,’ you tell her as she unlocks her truck and goes around to the driver’s side. 

she nods. ‘like i said, i already had it sitting around. not a problem at all.’

‘still,’ you say, climbing up and twisting around to greet a suddenly very excited theo in her kennel strapped into the backseat. ‘not many people have been particularly thoughtful in my life, especially not at this.’

she frowns at your admission, her jaw clenching, her face stormy. she’s handsome in her rich maroon scarf and camel wool coat, careful hands on the wheel.

‘anyway,’ you say, a little overcome, ‘how’d you tear your acl?’

she immediately reddens, pulling out of the driveway and trying to act like she’s concentrating very hard on her turn signal to merge onto the completely empty road. 

‘bea, please.’

she sighs, refusing to look at you even at the red light. ‘i was training with theo,’ she says.

‘that’s not horribly embarrassing on its own.’ you grin. ‘there’s got to be more to it.’

‘fine,’ she says, mostly just to humor you, you’re pretty sure. ‘she was small, and we were both learning how to herd. i, well — i tripped over one of the sheep.’

you wait a beat to picture it and then laugh, not unkindly but without any remorse. ‘thank you truly so much for telling me.’

she rolls her eyes. ‘you’re so welcome,’ she says flatly, and you laugh again.

/

you’re confused if your little outing to the christmas market is a date or not for the two minutes it takes for beatrice to park the car, get the small pack holding treats that she carries around for theo buckled around her waist — a little nerdy and totally adorable — and then letting theo out of the kennel. she’s in a little green coat, the same as the other day, and it kind of makes you feel like you’re going to scream, she’s so cute. she greets you fully now, with happy little wiggles, and then situates herself at beatrice’s side. she has a leash connected to her harness, the other half slung over beatrice’s shoulder and across her chest so her hands are free; you think theo doesn’t need it at all, but beatrice explains, ‘in crowded public access areas, it’s appropriate.’ theo, for her part, is busy sniffing a few treats beatrice scattered around her feet in the snow, and then she smiles at you and gestures to head inside.

you’re confused no longer when you see camila’s booth, advertising hot chocolate, apple cider, and egg nog, and she whistles. ‘beatrice, you look so nice with your fancy jacket.’

beatrice glares. 

camila turns to face you fully, a smirk on her face. ‘she never wears that unless it’s a special occasion.’

you can’t help yourself: ‘well, i am a special occasion, if i do say so myself.’

’no one else is saying it,’ lilith grumbles from her seat behind camila, and beatrice fights a laugh while you pout.

‘you look nice too, ava,’ camila says, keeping the peace as you’ve quickly figured out she always does. 

you preen a little, just for the fun of it. ‘why thank you. i love your sweater.’

camila looks down at her jesus was palestinian sweater. ‘’tis the season and all that.’ she beams at you, then beatrice. ‘well, what can i get you both on this romantic outing?’

beatrice sighs in defeat but you grin and look at the menu. ‘well, i’m on vacation and bea picked me up—‘ camila perks up even more at this— ‘so i’m going to do your bailey’s hot chocolate.’

‘i’ll have a cider,’ bea says, and you shoo away her attempt to pay for things, which brings a blush back to her cheeks when you tap your card with a pointed flourish. 

you go through the market with your warm drinks, your cane not sinking into the snow as it had been the past few days, making everything easier, simpler, less nervous with every step. once you have half of your hot chocolate, you lean into beatrice with a smile, and she offers her arm, all clove and pine and her soft scarf. there are booths with ornaments, knitted coasters; you convince her to buy a pretty wreath for the front door of her cabin, which you kind of hope she’ll invite you to see.

it starts to snow when you’re about to leave, the sky darkening early, and she feed theo a few treats before she situates her in the kennel. 

it’s quiet when she starts the truck, and she seems nervous, her hands white knuckled around the steering wheel. ‘i apologize if i was presumptuous.’

you soften. ‘that was a really wonderful date, bea. you can be as presumptuous as you want.’

her smile is shy, bathed in the waning light. ‘well, in that case, would you like to come to my house for dinner?’

‘yes, obviously.’

 she laughs. ‘alright then.’

[jupiterredolent]

ALEXIS GETTY & SAM COLLINS

I think what appalls me is that people scale over these crucial details when defending Alexis' actions against Sam. It has me scratching the crown of my head every time. By all means, say what you will about her, but do not proceed to tell people they are in the wrong for having opposing views toward Alexis, specifically speaking with the audience on Tiktok.

Now to start, in the seventh video of the Vampire Mate series, Audio RP| Getting Closer to Your Vampire Mate, Sam states, “She (Alexis) and I were friends of the sort back when I was still human. The kind of friends that don’t do much talking when they’re together if you catch my drift. I didn’t want anything more than that and she kept saying she felt the same.” [8:01 secs - 8:30 secs]

Sam stated clearly that both he and Alexis had a mutual understanding of their relationship and that it would be nothing more than sexual. Thus, Sam never wanted and never saw an eternity with Alexis, nor was he willing to make that sacrifice.

“A friends-with-benefits (FWB) relationship is one in which two people are physically (sexually) intimate with one another, yet they’re not committed to each other in any way. People involved in a friends-with-benefits relationship enjoy spending time together, but their relationship isn’t romantic and has no strings attached.” said Lloyd, Stacy Laura in the article “What Does Friends With Benefits Mean and Is It the Arrangement for You?” in Brides, 26 Sept. 2022,

Sam was incredibly passionate about being a healer. In the Redacted ASMR Timeline in 1999, Erik explains, “Sam starts coursework part-time at the Dahlia Academy for Magical Novices, pursuing certification in Healing.” And then in 2003, “Sam graduates from D.A.M.N. with his certification in Healing and begins work in the field.” With this, we have knowledge that not only was Sam exceedingly diligent, but was also greatly motivated in his studies.

In D.A.M.N., it's not outlandish to assume that they learned about all different types of species and magics, one of which included vampires. In Audio RP| Getting Closer to Your Vampire Mate, Sam says, “ […] I told Alexis I could do it, but she starts talking about turning me. And I told her no. I said I can do this and even if I can’t, I don’t want that. I don’t want to live like that […]” From this, it’s not unlikely to assume that Sam had a general idea of vampirism and knowledge about turnings. It was also likely he had several vampires as his patients during his work as a healer. Furthermore, he knew if he was turned, the healing magic that he adamantly cherished and enjoyed, would diminish tenfold and would have to be learned once again. “[...] I was a healer. Damn good one. One of the best.” Sam explains [12:20 secs - 12:28 secs]

Sam was at peace with being human. He understood that becoming a vampire meant solitude and the inability to take satisfaction in minuscule things in life as he used to.

Taking a step back, in Inversion| The Void They Leave Behind, Lovely’s life source has been stripped away by Shades which leaves them in a grave condition. Because healing is unable to penetrate what's been done to their core, Vincent is left with the tough decision of turning them. He says, “[...] Do you want this? It’s forever. I love you and I will spend eternity at your side if you let me. But I won’t do this unless it’s what you want. It would be a new life.” [31:44 secs - 32:17 secs] From this we can gather Alexis, a much older vampire and under the teachings of William, had exceptional knowledge of the extent of turning someone, the consequences of doing so without consent, and, even more so, knew this very fact when she and Sam got into that dire accident that also left him with life-threatening injuries.

Back to Audio RP| Getting Closer to Your Vampire Mate, Sam tells Darlin’, “[...] She starts grabbing my head, tilting it to the side, telling me she’s gonna make it all better, and I told her no. Pushed her hands. She was too…” [13:25 secs - 13:52 secs] Sam not only verbally told Alexis that he didn’t want to be turned, but physically too. Physically tried to shove her away. Later, he also tells them, “She made me look her in the eye and dug her nails into my skin so my eyes snapped open so she could trance me, and then she turned me.” [14:31 secs - 14:48 secs]

Again, in Inversion| The Void They Leave Behind, Sam says, “Your body knows how, Vincent. Blood for blood.” And then Vincent responds, “Blood for blood.” [32:48 secs - 33:00 secs] This alone makes me feel even more unsettled and quite frankly sickened by Sam’s turning because not only did she drink from him, but she deliberately forced him to drink her blood.

Most of what I’ve seen on the defense of Alexis has not only made it seem that Sam’s suffering and trauma from his circumstance should be disregarded, but has made it seem she should be forgiven for her horrid actions and, frankly, crimes against him and his bodily integrity. Forgiveness is offered not owed, nor is it to be expected under any occasion.

That is all I have to say.

[irkendogma]

tak is the main antagonist for this crossover fic im writing and due to the lack of canon content beyond literally that one episode and some of etf, sometimes i worry im not doing her any justice or it’s too ooc. what do you think would be the best way to write tak in your opinion? (if you happen to have any advice on the matter. just wondering! byeeee💃)

i'm genuinely so relieved at the specification of "in your opinion" because i have such a strange long-lasting attachment to tak that i think i would second-guess my thoughts on her in an objective vacuum to the point of just saying "she should be purple". but as it is i now have the freedom to go stupid crazy about it

i think there's a number of crucial elements to tak, but i think the one that people miss most in writing her is that she isn't just meant to be a more competent counterpart to zim - she's a direct parallel in terms of her ego, motivation, and backstory (the latter particularly as a result of treatment by irken society)

like zim, tak has an enormous ego and an audacity that places herself above anyone else, even the empire itself (see: her custom invader insignia. that's like drawing a crucifix but substituting yourself for jesus after being refused by the church), and like zim, in spite of her disregard for the empire's rulings she's striving for recognition both by it and within it (to quote her: "the plan i have in store for this nasty rock will so impress the tallest that they'll have no choice but to make me an invader"). the same way zim "quit being banished", tak "escaped" from the janitorial squad she was placed under as a stopgap job until the next elite test in seventy years

i've seen some people write her as tall, but in my opinion her being only very, very slightly taller than zim is not just a stylistic choice but an essential part of her character that draws her backstory together: technically that janitorial job wasn't even a punishment, it was just deemed the most suitable position for her in the absence of official imperial proof that she was capable of anything "better" or "higher" that would've been afforded to a taller more easily

that she made it so far in the elite course at all in spite of her height gives context and precedent to the competence and sheer refusal to admit defeat she exhibits in her attempt to destroy earth, a planet she initially believes is already undergoing an officially-sanctioned invasion judging from how bitterly she tells zim about what should've been "rightfully hers", down to specifically mentioning the great assigning - loops back to her audacity, in that she has zimlike degrees of ego regardless of how hard the circumstances logistically are aligned to stomp her back down (see again her quote where she confidently states her plan to hijack an official invasion will impress the tallest to the point they won't mind her flagrantly flaunting the rules). she would've spent so much of her life striving to meet her own exceedingly high expectations, not the exceedingly low ones assumed of someone her height, that this likely isn't far from her standard procedure of "show them i can do it better than the rules say"

what sets her apart from zim, i think, is in how much she's allowed herself to let those miserable expectations get to her and leave her pettier, more vindictive, less grandstanding speeches like zim than showing off everything she's capable of as often as possible, no matter how necessary (ALL the stupid parkour she does for no reason) - which i think is admittedly less her fault than partially being the result of her having actually experienced her confidence failing her when the entire future she'd set up for herself was pulled out from underneath her

unlike zim, who experiences failure regularly but never has it truly sink in, tak had the entirety of her progress wiped off the board in a single moment as a result of circumstances entirely beyond her control: i think a large part of the reason she resents zim so deeply and sincerely isn't solely because of the practical consequences of her missing her test (though it is in no way insignificant to it) but because he was the one who broke her streak - he was the one who made her brutally aware that no matter how she built herself up, no matter what proof she offered, she could still fail and be crushed into exactly the nobody she was expected to be

and she just cannot abide that, no matter what, because even if the memory of helplessness and humiliation will never go away (not that she'd acknowledge it wouldn't), if she can make him hurt the same way maybe that will give back to her some of the power and control over her life and her identity that she lost in losing her potential status as a real, sanctioned invader

also, i do think she should be purple. she seems to have a great attachment to aesthetics and individual style, given her custom pseudo-elite uniform (which we see her wearing even in training, on her test day), the fact she designed and programmed her hologram specifically to have the distinguishing marking of a beauty spot in the same place she has one on her actual face, and her penchant for making nearly every damn piece of her tech purple some way (minus mimi, who while being her own bootleg SIR unit still follows the same red color scheme as a functional one) - even the cockpit of the spittle runner she pilots is initially purple before it's ejected as an escape pod, and the magma pump's interior looks like this:

girl likes giving things her own little touches whether that's in terms of her trademark color, her near-blasphemous custom imperial logo, or her doing a tactical slide between bars of a railing instead of just stepping normally onto the floor

[obsessivevoidkitten]

We need someone to write a fic about a space colony taken over by pirates and forcing the entire population to work for them, using some as personal servants.

And there need to be a/b/o dynamics.

Like all omegas and alphas are the descendants of those who were alrered many years ago in a fertility program developed when human birth rates were failing. So they are exceedingly rare.

And the reader is an omega male who the alpha female space pirate, who is named something like Thrasher, Basher, or Ripper, takes a liking to the reader and makes him her personal servant.

She doesn't know he is an omega though. The reader has suppressants to cover their scent.

Reader doesn't want their nature to be discovered, worried they'd be sold or fucked silly by every pirate.

But the suppressants only wipe out an omega's scent on a good day. During heats they can only slightly reduce libido and scent.

So reader is frantic to get away soon before their heat happens.

In the mean time mean teasing space pirate alpha woman teases reader and gets more creepy and attached and slightly sexual.

So they fall in love and get obsessed before they even know about the reader being an omega.

And it doesn't stay hidden from them forever.

If only someone could write that, but who among us has the skill?

[knowingoverseer]

Deep Boston Weird II: This Time for Real

@artificialgrievand

It took a while to trek toward the waterfront, and Callie was no longer sure quite where in Boston she was, but following her previous spell led her here. Many "people" had been skulking about on her journey out this way, and she felt like she'd sunk deeper still into the mire that east coast Boston had become, so her senses were on alert. The sun was starting to get low in the sky, so once she found whichever building she was going to search through she'd need to make camp for the night. The sheer amount of those mimic creatures that have stationed themselves near the water made this area very hard to look through, but thankfully Callie hadn't run into any altercations yet from her last basement spelunking about an hour ago. Finally, when she could just about make out ruble of long-sunken ships on the water, she found a building near a harbor that seemed promising.

It looked like a regular building with a smaller one attached, and through the broken wall the smaller building seemed to house a great number of book shelves, mostly overturned, their contents a soggy mess on the floor. Still, it was about as good a lead as she was going to get. Pushing her way inside Callie geared up for another dive. Luckily magic made the need to breath underwater trivial, she still was going to have to dig through heaps of rotting furniture and other such things to hopefully find the long lost mechanoid... and then there'd be the issue of pulling her out from her trappings. Serket hadn't been in the best of shape when you'd first met up with her earlier this year, but still, she was no push over. Not really. So whatever had trapped her must be exceedingly heavy. The water should help alleviate some of the weight, ideally, but there was no guaranteeing that if the material was dense enough. If her space powers were working properly in this asinine eldritch hellscape then maybe she could simply shrink the offending bookcases but... well, maybe she can muster up her powers at least a little bit to jostle something lose. Making her way through the gaps in the smaller building's wall Callie eventually found a half hidden, nearly submerged stairwell and knew this was her ticket into the basement. Well, the worst that this could be is another false lead, so without any further hesitation she plunges down into the water's depths. Swimming downward, it gets very dark, so once again she reaches out and summons a ball of light in her hand with magic. Unlike the previous one, this was simply to see. Much like in other basements she's been searching in, books upon books upon water-destroyed books filled her vision, and she'd have to push them all aside as she swam further in. Taking a deep breath of water to then push out violet-blooded gills, she takes this chance to call out, "serket?" The sound is always haunting to her, and she knows Serket is likely offline at this point, but she always calls out anyway.

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Silly thing but... got anything for Eclipsed! Lightning Nightmare?

We love that chaotic ophan-

Ah yes.

The menace herself.

Lightning Nightmare, otherwise known as Hasyut or "Syu," is an Ophan, as we know. She is... a force of chaos.

A younger Archi earned her well before the Conflict, oddly enough. She was escorting and nigh single-handedly protected a caravan of traders and doctors who were transporting a gravely injured Seraph to the Sanctuary. A group of Stellpeci Vespae as a handful of Fulmenix ambushed the caravan, agitated by a pair of rogue Starfolk pirates intending to ransack the caravan. Vespae are forces to be reckoned with, the Fulmenix didn't help any, and the caravan itself was largely comprised of non-combatants (hence the escort to begin with).

Long story short, Archi fought the ambush off by herself, and managed to apprehend one of the rogues. Unfortunately, she sustained some severe injuries and her weapon was completely shattered by the end of it.

Hasyut - still a fledgling Ophan at the time (think late teens) - was part of that caravan.

Some starlets might be traumatized, but Hasyut was all starry eyes and gushing because "THAT WAS AWESOME, did you see that?!", and told her flock about it immediately when she arrived back home. She never got the chance to tell Archi at the time, but boy howdy did she ever when she was given to Archi.

Between Hasyut's flock, the Seraph, and the caravan Archi saved, they decided she really should be given honors. Since her weapon - an exceedingly well made one at that - had been shattered in her efforts, they decided what better way that to bestow on her the honor of an Ophan companion?

And with Hasyut so obviously awestruck and at a perfect age for imprinting on a wielder, the choice of Ophan was obvious enough.

From then on, the two practically grew up together, attached at the hip and not too far off in terms of age (Archi would be, in Starfolk analogue, maybe 3-5 "years" older). She wasn't quite sure what to do with this starry-eyed excitable and chaotic ball of energy, but they bonded rapidly.

That bond transcended the Conflict in sheer loop-hole snagging defiance of Worldless. Where most friendships turned meaningless and hollow and drifted into nothing, this one lasted. Stunted and stilted and filtered through the Conflict's haze, but nonetheless it persisted. The two made for a lethal combination.

During the Conflict, Hasyut became a feared and respected commanding force (well, insofar as "fear" and "respect" still existed to Starfolk). She remained a pointed counterexample to the usual "voice of mercy" so common among the female Ophanim. Her residual pseudo personality so common among the former sophants took a colder, ruthless turn. You may remember it was her that ordered Willow to dispatch of The General. This, interestingly, was one of the very few cases of directly offensive action on the Lightfolk's side. They typically played defensively - they could afford to, and given their goals made perfect sense.

Were it not for other orders, she would have done so herself - she had it out for this rival commander. How could this weaker, Dark star, not even on par with an Ophan, be doing so much damage? It infuriated her. She would never admit to the lingering jealousy buried somewhere in there.

It's during this timeframe that Hasyut earned herself the title of the Lightning Nightmare, leveling small squadrons of Darkfolk with her absolutely brutal attacks and elusive combat rhythm. Even Lightfolk often gave her a wide berth on the field, both for fear of getting caught in an indiscriminate shockwave, and also for sake of actually having a fight.

Between Archi and Hasyut, the Darkfolk suffered some egregious losses. It's a lucky thing neither one found Aven - they came eerily close a couple times.

Post-conflict, Hasyut and Athena actually get along much better. It takes a bit though. That said, Willow is dumbfounded, mildly exasperated, and amused. Athena and Hasyut also share a mutual wide-eyed admiration for Archi, and Hasyut absolutely has to tell The General about The Caravan Incident. They are the leading members of the Archi fan-club, occasionally joined by Edda, Willow, and Aven.

Oh, and by the time the dust is settled, Archi and Hasyut are Animi Gemini. Ophan's and their wielders already have an incredible bond, but it's got a different timbre to it, and is utterly unique to Ophan and wielder. Animi Gemini is layered over that.

Attached at the hip as always, Hasyut remains by Archi's side doing medical work as an assistant, go-fer, and moral support. Her bedside manner leaves... something to be desired, though.

By now, "Lightning Nightmare" has retextured to a more affectionate nickname. While she finds some amusement in it, it also feels strange in her mouth and ears most of the time. She's never said anything about it, but Archi is really the only one who she doesn't mind it coming from. Archi picks up on this after a while, and starts subtly discouraging people from using the nickname. It still haunts Hasyut's dreams though, and eventually, in an effort to own it, she repurposes it into a racing moniker (she eagerly participates in the various races and athletic competitions the Starfolk hold, especially against other Ophanim).

[blues824]

I'm like kinda new to your blog but I've read a few of your obey me scenarios and I really love them! Especially the scarlet witch! reader! ^^

I heard that requests were open so I was wondering if you could do an hc with the brothers + Diavolo and Barbatos with a Black Widow! Reader? She's one of my fav avengers so I thought of requesting this! <3

Hope you have a good day! :D

Went off the information in Wiki Fandom because there are a multitude of movies. Gender-neutral reader.

Lucifer

You both acted a lot alike: level-headed, almost emotionless, strong-willed, independent, exceedingly intelligent, and sarcastic every once in a while. He knew a lot about you considering he was one of the ones who examined your student profile, and that made you a bit unsettled because you knew next to nothing about him.

He knew of your heroic streak and your avenging nature, and he admired it. He used to be that way, especially for his family. As we all know, he was one of the angels who fought for his sister because he thought God judged her unfairly.

After spending a while in the Devildom, but more specifically within the House of Lamentation, the two of you grew closer. Lucifer genuinely liked having conversations with you, spending hours sipping on glasses of demonus just reveling in your company.

Eventually, those short drinking sessions ended up in you telling him about your time in the Red Room, being trained to be the best and most dangerous operative. He’s quite impressed with your skillset, but he is a big angry that you were put through that pain and suffering.

Speaking of being impressed by your abilities, he’s glad that you are able to defend yourself. Unfortunately, he is still worried about you, so he insists upon walking with you everywhere (also so none of his brothers steal you away from him).

Mammon

He was most definitely intimidated by you because you acted just like Lucifer did. However, he got to see your more sarcastic side, and now you target him a lot… especially when he’s been particularly stupid. He liked it when you targeted others, just not him.

Mammon got a glimpse of your heroic side whenever Lucifer went to string him up from the chandelier using the WiFi cable. You argued in his place, stating that like everyone else he couldn’t control his sin. Therefore, everyone should be punished if they indulged in their sin.

Honestly, you became his favorite person because you always defended him. You both spent a lot of time together because he grew attached. He tried to disguise it as ‘making sure you were safe’, but you were fairly certain that cuddling in his bed wasn’t exactly protecting you.

During one of these cuddling sessions, you told him how you went through the Red Room when you were younger just to be trained to be the best operative out there and how you were a danger to a lot of people. He was angry, but he just held you close, hands shaking in rage.

You decided to maintain your abilities by going to training, and Mammon sometimes took you because he didn’t want you getting abducted on the street. He saw you absolutely beat the shit out of your trainer, and he spat out his drink in surprise. How in the actual f- could you do that??

Leviathan

You reminded him of one of the main characters in the comic book series that was popular within the Devildom, and you intimidated him like that character did. However, it’s not like how Mammon feels. Levi just thinks you’re so freaking cool that he can’t help but feel scared.

You even acted like her, and that solidified his admiration for you and the character. You were brave, heroic, level-headed, everything he aspired to be. Whenever he looked at you, he had both stars and hearts in his eyes, and you had to admit that it was absolutely adorable.

Mans basically worshiped the ground you walked on. He would set his jacket down just so you wouldn’t have to get your shoes filthy. He is a simp. However, this does make you a bit unsettled because you are used to being attacked constantly rather than worshiped.

Levi loved hanging out with you in his room because you always had interesting stories about your life. However, this time was different because you decided that you’ve gotten to a point in your relationship where you could tell him about the Red Room. As you told him, he gripped his controller so hard that it snapped in half.

His tail whipped out and wrapped itself around your waist, pulling you closer as he held onto you. Sure, your skills and abilities because of the severe training you went through were cool, but it all came at what cost? Even he, as the general of Hell’s Navy, wouldn’t put soldiers through that.

Satan

You acted like him as well, especially with the sarcasm directed towards everyone else, and he doesn’t mind if it’s targeted at him as long as you’re the only one. He finds it amusing since no human besides you and Solomon has had the courage to have a witty battle against him.

He experienced your heroic side when a random demon compared him to Lucifer, and you defended him saying that the two are completely different from each other. He appreciated the sentiment, and the fact that his beloved was so willing to fight for his honor.

I think the two of you always have long conversations about anything that comes to mind. It allows the both of you to learn more about each other, which establishes a closer connection in addition to solidifying the relationship you both already have. 

It was during one of these conversations that you told him about the Red Room. He was shocked that you had to suffer that training, in addition to being beyond angry. You had to hold his hand in yours to bring him back to the present and prevent him from destroying the room.

Sure, your skillset was very impressive, but you had to go through genuine torture just to get those abilities. The Wrath within him is for once righteous and avenging, and he could feel it surging through his body. However, he would hold back for your sake.

Asmodeus

You were very interesting because you were also a bit flirtatious, but also very level-headed when need be. He loved your quick comebacks as they were hilarious to him. Especially if they were directed at either of his two oldest brothers.

He got to see your heroic side when Mammon stole something of Asmo’s to sell, and you used your spy skills to quietly enter the former’s room, steal back the item, and return it to Asmo. The older brother was angry, but backed off once you threatened him with telling Lucifer about what he had done.

The two of you enjoy talking to each other while doing skincare. Be it gossip, an article you read in the news, a post either of you saw on Devilgram, etc. he loved talking to you. You listened and you contributed actually good input and opinions.

One of these little sessions between the two of you led to you telling him about the Red Room, and he was angry that you had to go through that. He held you in his arms as you recounted the traumatic events that happened in your life.

Asmo considered gathering his brothers to go attack the Red Room, but decided against it as it would go against Diavolo’s wishes for a union between the three realms. After all, who would be there for you when you went through flashbacks if he was locked away due to going against His Highness?

Beelzebub

You reminded him of Lucifer, aside from your more flirtatious side. Many times, he spit out the food that he was eating out of pure shock whenever you said something sarcastic towards any of them because he thought that they were way more powerful than you.

As for your heroic side, he saw it when you defended him after he emptied the fridge. You told everyone that he couldn’t control his sin just as either of them couldn’t either, and therefore he shouldn’t be scolded due to the hypocrisy going on.

The two of you loved cuddling sessions once you got more comfortable around him, since they allowed just a bit more closeness between the two of you. You talked about pretty much anything there was to talk about, which led to one fateful day.

It was one of those days where you both were just laying in his bed, talking about what his life was like when he was a young angel playing with Belphie and Lilith, when he asked about your childhood. You let out a deep sigh before telling him about the Red Room and the training you went through in there.

Oh, he was madder than a bull is at a bullfighter. You felt his hold around your waist tighten, but he was careful enough not to hurt you. How could those evil people harm someone as great as you? He couldn’t begin to comprehend the anger that was bubbling up within him. Is this how Satan always felt?

Belphegor

He didn’t like you at first, until you brought out your sarcasm. That was probably when he fell in love: Lucifer was scolding one of his brothers for indulging in their sin when you told him off for indulging in his constantly without punishment as a consequence.

Mans was just about on his knee with a ring, and he hadn’t even known you that long. Ever since then, he was in love (which was a bit out of character for him, but you weren’t afraid to say what you said to Lucifer, the eldest and most powerful of the Avatars).

You both also loved cuddling sessions, but he was able to see your past through your dream. You were having a flashback in your nightmare, and he could sense you moving around and being restless. So, he used his power to see your dream, and what he saw made him angry.

You shouldn’t have had to go through that unwillingly just to become the best agent. Didn’t they know that you were human? Plus, the graduation process seemed absolutely heartbreaking. He was angry, but he knew you would need a good night’s rest, so he used his powers to put you into a more peaceful sleep.

Oh, but he didn’t forget. No, this just reinforced his original thoughts about humanity and their flaws. However, you were an exception. He thought you belonged with the angels; you certainly sacrificed enough to get to the Celestial Realm.

Diavolo

You were his opposite. He was friendly and compassionate (unless the situation called for a serious attitude), and you were always level-headed and cold (but also sarcastic). But, as we all are aware, opposites attract. You were his anchor, and he was your freedom.

He first witnessed your heroic side when you helped him with his paperwork. You read it over and it was a proposal that would benefit the Devildom financially, but it would make budget cuts on the education system. You pointed it out to Diavolo, and he was shocked that someone would worry about money rather than the children being affected. 

Diavolo loved spending time with you, not doing paperwork. He especially loved having tea time with you since it allows him to get to know you more. He already knew about your training from a place called the Red Room, so he thought about asking you about it. The shocked look on your face made him regret asking, but you insisted it was fine.

You told him about the exact training you went through and how it allowed you to be the agent that you are today. You even went as far as telling him about the… unique graduation process. He was devastated, he was angry, he couldn’t even figure out how he was feeling.

What he did know was that he was gonna get that place shut down if it’s the last thing he ever does in his very long life. It didn’t take too much either, considering he was very powerful even in the human world. A few threats and using his demon form to intimidate them was enough, since not even the recruits could come close to beating him.

Barbatos

You both acted pretty much the same, except he was a tad more cordial rather than sarcastic and witty. Although, lighthearted banter wasn’t uncommon between the two of you. It was how you expressed your love for him at the beginning.

As you got more comfortable within the Devildom, you got more comfortable with Barbatos. You were his ‘hero’ because you often helped him with his many chores. It wasn’t much, but it did take a bit of the load off of his shoulders.

Now, this was how you both typically spent time with each other. You would do chores within the same room so that the two of you can still talk to each other. You learned that Barbatos had been the servant of Diavolo since the latter was a child, and that was adorable to you.

When he asked about your past, you stopped wiping the counter. The butler apologized for overstepping any boundaries, but you said it was fine. So, you explained what you had gone through in the Red Room. Barbatos had to stop himself from breaking one of the plates he was drying because he was angry.

He was angry that his beloved Y/N had to suffer through that just so you could be used as a top-tier spy. He later told Diavolo about it, and the next day the facility was shut down for unknown reasons. You figured out that your lovely demon had something to do with it, but you didn’t mind since it meant that no one else had to suffer the way that you did.

[poppystheories]

Regarding lenalee's mysterious birth. I like your theory's but i do have my own, ar least about komui and wondered what you think. I wouldn't be surprised komui turned out to NOT be related to her. The black order didn't know what to do with her and just risked it by putting komui up to pretend to be her brother, whether she even has a brother shouldn't really matter since she was so young when they found her. I doubt if she had one, she would be able to remember what he looked like, so having this random Chinese scientist play the role would be perfect and obviously they grew extremely attached to one another

I'm so glad somebody else is thinking about this, because like, this question is consuming me. I've given it so much thought its crazy.

Here's my thoughts:

I also think its entirely possible they aren't biologically related at all! Or at least, not in the way Lenalee thinks they are. I even tossed around the idea that Komui is actually her biological father lmao.

And while it is possible Komui was, like, put up to be her big brother by the Order, I don't think that can be it, based on the narrative.

Here's the scene that makes me think this:

The Black Order ghost girl lays it out that she was an experimental subject of the BO, and that she relates to Lenalee. At the time, it seemed like that was because Lenalee was also kept imprisoned in the Order, but if her birth records really are tampered with, it's likely Lenalee was also an experiment.

But the ghost girl then says:

The emotional core of Lenalee's character is this right here: she couldn't survive alone, so her brother willingly followed her to into Hell and made that Hell into a home for them. It is this sacrifice that is at the center of Lenalee: the reason she can't abandon the Order and chase after Allen like Johnny and Kanda can. Komui gave up his freedom and entire life to make the Order a bearable place for her to live, but in doing so, trapped them both there.

With her current strength and speed, leaving the Black Order would be easy for Lenalee. Unlike when she was a child, escape is no longer impossible. But she doesn't want to escape anymore: she's made the people of the Black Order into her family and community. There's nothing the outside world can offer her that Komui hasn't helped her find within the Order.

For all that to be revealed to just be a lie fabricated to manipulate Lenalee into dedicating herself to the Order would be, I think, too diametrically opposed to DGM's themes. It's not impossible, but I do think it goes against DGM's "heart". Cruelty of that kind is very much present in DGM's narrative, but it;s often suggested only to be revealed to be significantly less cruel than it seemed.

Take the "Did Mana love Allen" question. The question of whether Mana was just using Allen to get his brother back is raised, considered, and even partially supported. It is an exceedingly cruel concept.

But then we're shown the reality of what happened, and the truth is nowhere near as cruel and heartless as that. Mana did care about Red, and he certainly wasn't purposely seeking out Nea's host.

Same with Cross. He loves Allen. Allen was never just the "host" to him.

Plot twists in DGM generally don't betray the emotional core of the story: love. That's usually what makes them so effectively tragic. It's that everything in DGM happens out of love that makes everything so heartbreaking. That's why I don't think it's possible for Komui to be knowingly lying to Lenalee about their connection: it makes their choices less tragic. It would mean Lenalee got tricked into staying at the Order, which sucks and is cruel, but nowhere near as emotionally devastating as her brother's sacrifice to save her also trapping her in her fate as an exorcist. I think Komui's sacrifice being fake is way less interesting and tragic and emotionally-resonant than what is currently told to us by the narrative. The best way to put it into words is: I think that it would carve the heart out of the story.

So I think Komui's sacrifice must be real, which is why my tentative theory is that the hypothetical Lee parents were Black Order scientists. Maybe Komui was their first born son, left alone and unsupervised like Jan as they got entrenched in the Holy War. Asian Branch experimental nonsense ensues, like maybe they decided to see if they could, like, "create" apostles the old fashion way by exposing fetuses to Innocence in the womb or something. But they end up thinking of the experimental baby as their own daughter and realize they can't let her end up an exorcist after all, so they steal her and escape. Or maybe something related to Reny's currently unknown connection to Apocryphos happened, something that leads to Lenalee's possible Heart status. Regardless of the details, they deliver that baby to Komui outside, but eventually, shit happens and the Order finds and reclaims Lenalee, leaving Komui with a decision to make: does he accept that there's no way to help the child his parents wanted to save, or does he willingly subject himself to the life his parent's certainly never wanted for either of them?

This is all wild, unsupported conjecture, but it's the way I can see the Lenalee's suspicious birth records plot twist coming into fruition without betraying the heart of her story and character arc so far. I really do think Komui's sacrifice being fake would hurt the story.

But maybe that's just because I love Komui and his history and don't want it to be fake.

What do you think?

[unreadpoppy]

down by the river - Chapter 11

Raphael x Warlock!Tav

Read on AO3

chapter 10

A/N: Heeeey, it's been a long time. University has been a mess, so i was very tired but I found some strenght to update this. Chapter is on the shorter side because I wanted to save the raphael interaction for it's own chapter instead of being crammed into this. Hope y'all like it.

The party did not get a moment of reprieve when they arrived in Rivington. Instead, they found themselves investigating a murder. 

After speaking with the corpse of Father Lorcan and Brilgor, they went to the murder scene, where they found the murder weapon and a strange key. Tav decided that was enough evidence and so, led the group to Detective Valeria, who found herself in Sharess Caress. 

Upon entering the brothel, Tav spoke with the owner, Mamzell Amira. She told of what the establishment had to offer, but none of the options presented seemed interesting, until she said “But we are blessed to have a devil in residence at the moment - a temporary guest, but he asked that I send any potential clients his way. Everyone who’s visited looks quite changed by the experience.” 

“Oh, really?” Tav asked, crossing her arms, a brow raised. Of course, there were other devils besides her patron, but she had a distinct feeling that somehow, Raphael would be involved. “And how is he like?” 

“Exceedingly handsome, with a voice that could make the foulest blasphemy seem the sweetest hymn.” 

“Quite the poet you are.” Tav murmured before asking “Did this devil give you a name?” 

“Indeed he did - Raphael.” Mamzell replied. “You can find him upstairs, in the Devil’s Den.” 

“Thank you.” She turned around, making a motion to leave, before remembering something. “Actually, you mentioned he would be here temporarily, yes? Did he specify how long he would stick around?” 

“Hum…now that you’ve mentioned it, he did say he was waiting for one specific client, and would leave upon their arrival. Tav, I believe, he said was their name.” 

“Ah, wonderful.” She gave Mamzel a tight smile. “Thank you again. I’ll take my leave.” 

The group then headed upstairs, finding Detective Valeria, informing her of the crimes. She dismissed them at first, and then told them to go the lower city and find a Flaming Fist that was handling the case. Once they were done, Tav quickly made her way towards the exit. 

“What are you doing?” Astarion asked, once they were outside. 

“Leaving?” 

He rolled his eyes. “I mean, that woman told you that Raphael was waiting for you. Aren’t you going to pay him a visit?”

“No.” She shurgged. “At least, not right now.”

“Why? He’s your patron, aren’t you supposed to answer him?” Astarion was flabbergasted towards the warlock’s dismissive attitude. 

She just smirked and told him “For all the trouble he has caused, Raphael won’t die if he waits a bit longer. Besides, she said he would stay there until I spoke with him.” Tav turned around, clapping her hands together. “Now, let us go. We have a murder to solve.” 

…

It would take them quite a while to come back to Sharess Caress. In fact, after Orin was killed, Tav had all but forgotten about Raphael. During that time, the party took to resolving some of their personal troubles: Finding Shadowheart’s parents and ending Cazador’s undead life for good. Most recently, they helped Dame Aylin fight against the wizard Loroakkan, and upon doing so, discovered the Annals of Karsus. 

Upon turning a few pages, Gale looked up, perplexed. “This is no mere journal. It contains the original plans Karsus had for the crown. His designs for godhood.” He went on to explain how the crown and the Netherstones used to be attached, which got separated during the sundering. “If we can collect the crown’s setting and the stones, and with the correct invocation of certain spells and gestures detailed here….I could reforge it.” He finished excitedly. 

Tav crossed her arms, frowning. “So, this crown could give you the power of a god?” 

“Potentially.” He closed the book. “Just think of it. Divine powers, finally on the hands of a mortal. We’d be free of doctrine and dogma, confined only by the limits of our imaginations.” 

“This is all very nice but…I don’t believe this is a good idea, Gale.” Tav took a deep breath. “I mean, Karsus died and his empire, the weave, hells, even Mystra fell with him.” 

“Do you think I haven’t considered that? I have no intention of repeating his folly.” 

“But you can’t guarantee that, can you? Besides, you’d be challenging the gods themselves.” 

His brows furrowed in a mix of anger and frustration, though Tav couldn’t tell who it was directed at. “Perhaps the gods deserve to be challenged. Perhaps you and I deserve to live and die as more than their pawns.” The wizard looked down. 

Tav sighed and took a step forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I understand what you mean, Gale. But the crown possesses a power that shouldnt belong to us mortals, maybe not even anyone. We have too much on the line to risk it all like that.”

She tried not to make her words sound hard but she noticed the wince Gale made.  “I know I am asking too much of you.” He sighed, looking up at her. “The risk with taking a leap of faith is that you don’t always stick the landing.” Gale took a step back. “Perhaps I got carried away with the idea of the Crown. That it could give back what Mystra took. Cure me, even.” 

Tav’s gaze softened. “We’ll think of something else, I promise. I’m sure there’s an answer out there, somewhere - it just isn’t the crown.” 

He gave her a small, tired smile. “Alright. I’ll try my utmost to share in your optimism. A little hope won’t hurt, after all.” 

…

Of course, the topic of the crown was brought up again, just a few days later, when Gale spoke with Mystra. 

His old teacher, the legendary wizard Elminster, had found them, telling Gale to go to the Stormshore Tabernacle, as Mystra had opened a portal to speak with him. 

And speak to her the wizard did. He explained how Mystra wanted the crown, how he had part of the Karsite weave with him and once again, said that he could use the crown to become a god himself. 

Before an argument could break out between the two, as Tav once again turned down Gale’s ideas, she made her way to the Elfsong tavern, finding a familiar face amongst the crowd. 

“Korrilla.” She approached the dwarf. “Taking a break from the usual spying job?” As they were both warlocks to Raphael, Tav was well aware of what sorts of missions Korrilla would be sent to. No wonder that, once or twice in their adventure, she swore she saw the dwarf somewhere in the distance. 

Korrilla downed the rest of her drink before addressing her. “Tav. Just the person I wanted to see.”

She raised a brow. “Really?” 

“No.” There was a slight tone of hostility there. “But I have to keep up appearances.” The two of them always had an uneasy relationship, as Tav always had a feeling that Korrilla was jealous. 

“What are you doing here?” Tav crossed her arms. 

“Raphael’s patience is getting thin.” 

“Why?” 

“Did you miss his invitation? He’s waiting for you in Sharess Caress.” 

Tav frowned for a moment and then she remembered. She had fully forgotten about Raphael, due to the events of the past weeks. 

She sighed, putting a hand on her forehead. “Fucking hells.” She looked to Korrilla. “Do you know what he wants with me?” 

“He wants to help you save the world. What else?” She couldn't tell if there was more that the dwarf wasn’t saying. “I’d go there right now if I were you. Devils are patient but even Raphael has limits.” 

Fuck. For Korrila to be saying that, then it would be best for her to hurry up, but none of her companions were there. By the time she’d find someone and bring them back to Sharess, Raphael could leave. 

Reaching into the pocket of her pants and held out a soul coin. “You can have this if you find my companions and tell them where I’m headed.” 

“I don’t take orders from you…but I would be foolish to deny it.” She took the coin, just as Tav nodded her head and ran outside. 

[tosahobi-if]

different anon, if it's okay with you, i'm interested in how you come up with the names! i've been using random generators but perhaps seeing a different approach is what i need...

this took me forever to answer and i'm so sorry about that, but this is about to be a lengthy post so strap in!

i'll give an overview of korean names and i'll explain some ideas for how you can go about naming your characters! for now i'll stick to korean names, but i've also done research into go-on kanji and chinese given names during the late three kingdoms period, so i can offer a little bit of help on those if people are curious about those as well! i can't promise it'll be as comprehensive tho hehe

a "brief" overview: modern korean names are made up of a surname followed by a given name. for the period tosahobi is set in it was exceedingly common to NOT have a last name. historical records state that last names typically only belonged to nobility and/or royalty, hence why certain characters have last names (jinwol) and other characters don't (yul). korean names are written with hangul, which was invented in 1443 however murim stories are an amalgamation of historical fact and fantasy, which is why i used the "modern" naming system.

korean was originally written using chinese characters. that's why there are typically two versions of a korean name, one in hangul and one in hanja. there are tens of thousands of characters in chinese and many of them have similar sounds which can be differentiated by intonation.

rather than being read logographically, korean is phonographic (modern korean no longer has intonations and different phonemes than chinese) so the same reading can be attached to different characters. (this is called sino-korean!)

hangul was designed to simplify the language to spread literacy to the population. each character represents a sound, and written together they form a syllable. for example, jin (진) has multiple hanja (進, 鎭, 眞, 振, etc.) and are all read as just jin, but in mandarin, they could be read as jìn, zhēn, chén, and so on.

thus korean names are chosen in hangul (ex; jinwol or 진월) then each syllable is assigned a hanja which carries the sound of the syllable used, but carries a corresponding meaning! i did a little breakdown of the hanja used in jinwol's name here!

some things to think about: if you take away anything here, it's that there's no single definition for any name! the components of a name make up the meaning. unless it's a name like yul with a singular character, the two syllables can be built to signify a wideeee variety of things. (that's why you shouldn't trust Name Your Baby sites that are like xyz means This Exactly HAHA!)

gender! hangul names are typically gender neutral, however, hanja can sometimes denote birth gender as there are masculine, feminine, and neutral character radicals. (ex the syllable "yeon" is gnc, but with the hanja 延 (to stretch, lengthen) it can be seen as masculine since that's a more "masculine" quality whereas the hanja 媛 (beauty) it is seen as feminine.)

there are indigenous korean names that come from native korean words being used as names. iseul is one such example! her name 이슬 means "dew" and does not have a corresponding hanja.

important!!! one can still assign arbitrary hanja to syllables, which is why in iseul's case i chose corresponding characters that i thought suited her personality! vibes are a really easy way to go about it. the hanja i chose for "i" (이) is 怡 for joy and 瑟 as in the guse, (known in korea as a seul) which is a type of zither. all together her name signifies "rejoicing at the pleasing sound of the guse".

how i make a name: names are usually one or two characters, for example, iseul is (怡 and 瑟) while yul (律) is one character. some nobility had three character given names, but since this already getting super long i won't be delving into those today.

typically i make the name in hangul first. i think you could do this in reverse (hanja -> hangul) but it'd probably be harder. most given names consist of sino-korean morphemes for each syllable, but you could def give your character a native name like iseul! (ex; garam, naro, roda)

you can theoretically choose any hanja you want (jsyk there's a korean law with a list of hanja you can't use in a name HAHAHA) parents, especially well-educated ones put together names with deep meanings and cultural references.

a common practice is to visit a naming-place where a fortune teller or a scholar (almost always a fortune teller, i've never met any naming scholars but they're out there!) they'll assist parents with hanja meanings for names after receiving information like due date estimations and personal details!

this is where elements of anthroponymy come in and they analyze things like stroke count and the five elements of nature to come up with a "beneficial" name for the child! (for example, if a child was lacking in the water element, the fortune teller could suggest a hanja related to water in some way -> balance achieved!)

vibes are a great way to name your character. one of the first things i consider is personality (are they happy? sad? thoughtful?) followed by things like birthplace (topographic names are popular!) and goals/achievements (what kind of person do i want them to become? brave? smart?) and then start looking up the hanja to attach to their name!

if this seems overwhelming, you're not alone! i take foreverrrrr to name my characters for that exact reason. names are considered very special and sacred (maybe not so much nowadays LOL) but back then they were thought to be a vital part of the soul and identity, which is why it's such a lengthy process!

anyways if you've somehow read to here, thank you so much for sticking through my (unedited) rambling. i'm really excited to be sharing this with you guys! and i'm also happy to help you guys come up with names if you send me asks or dms for your mc if you're having a hard time thinking of a name.

[solar-sparky]

Character Log

Allen - Agent 8

Pronouns: He/She

Age:

• 14 (as of Splat1)

• 16 (as of Splat2)

• 21 (as of Splat3)

Species: Caribbean Reef Octopus

~~~

Early life

(Allen's original name is Phyto, and I will be referring to him as Phyto until the Octo Expansion arc where I will then call him (Agent) 8. His name is then Allen post OE)

Phyto was born into a family of 3; his mother, father and older sister. His mother and sister are both soldiers in the military, while his father is a mechanic, occasionally tinkering in music. Being mostly raised by his father due to his other family members' jobs, Phyto grew fond of working with tools and such. He would then later follow in his father's footsteps to be a mechanic just like him.

(Read more)

At the age of 14 Phyto would have to leave his family in order to receive proper training, something all Octarians had to do as everyone needs to be useful in some way while living in the harsh conditions the bunkers provided. He trained in engineering and mechanics, and due in part to all the help and knowledge from his father, Phyto did exceedingly well and is able to work as he pleases.

The 3 of them met when repairs on their weapons needed to be done. Aurora is a soldier, still in partial training (still in training but could get called out for field work if necessary). Skip, an odd octo trooper is her partner, the two of them being grouped together in the hopes that they would help each other in training. Aurora found Phyto to be very fun and silly, becoming quick friends.

Having a fondness for older tech as in his experience most of the time older things seemed to work better and last longer, Phyto combined different features from new and old tech to create beneficial equipment. He would continue to work on and develop new tech that could help improve life around the domes and while not working directly for the military, oftentimes Phyto would be called in to do some repairs on different machines and weapons. During one of these sessions he would meet 2 of his greatest friends; Skip and Aurora.

~~~

One task that was assigned to Phyto as an extra job was looking after the Zapfish within the domes. It is a once a week job, with every week being a different dome. The zapfish would be given breaks at night time as it would save electricity and give the creatures a break. During this down time, Phyto would do check ups, give them their food and water and just overall play and spend time with them as a form of enrichment. He learned a lot about the zapfish during these times, however his knowledge would soon come in handy as within one of the holding areas for the zapfish was one special case.

Lots of TLC helps bring 1202 back to health. While it still cannot produce electricity, it bounced back really well. At this point however, it has become very attached to Phyto, besides it's not like he was thinking about bringing it back anyways. Aurora and Skip are the only 2 other people that know about 1202.

As most zapfish were given labels to be identified with, this zapfish was labeled "1202" and looked noticeably different from the other zapfish. It was a duller, darker colour, it moved slowly, and had a severed whisker on its left side. When asking about the fish, Phyto is told that it is a dud that can not produce electricity and was just hanging around the place without contributing anything. Phyto wonders if he could just take 1202 and help bring it back to health; no one would notice if it was gone.

~~~

On his trip to the breakroom later that week, there are noticeably less zapfish in the holding area. Phyto is told that they've been under attack by "The Inkling Menace" who's been stealing the zapfish from them. Phyto knows that both parties are involved with stealing the zapfish back and forth, it is true that stealing isn't the correct way to go about things, however the domes are experiencing an energy crisis and the Octarians need all the energy they can get.

During an on-call task to fix and enforce a zapfish bulb, Phyto is promptly attacked by none other than Agent 3 who has come to take the Zapfish. While having the smallest bit of combat training, he is no match for Agent 3, swiftly defeating Phyto and taking the zapfish within the bulb away.

~~~

A job that Phyto is later called upon for is the restoration of an old Octo Weapon, the Octomaw. The Octomaw was quite the machine, even able to dive and swim through ink. It wasn't an easy task but Phyto and the team of other engineers managed to get it back in working order with a few new features. However, the one known as Agent 3 was easily able to defeat it. Watching something he worked so hard on easily get destroyed, and by the person who formerly beat him in combat no less, it didn't make Phyto the happiest camper.

Like a lot of fellow engineers and mechanics, Phyto was also called to the showdown of Octavio and Agent 3, both parties wanting to stop this feud once and for all. While Phyto was rooting for Octavio at first, something changed once a certain song was hijacked to play instead. It made him think about the surface, a topic of which, while interesting, it was never something he had thought about going to see until now.

After the showdown which had ended in Octavios defeat, Phyto had to meet up with Skip and Aurora who too were at the event and heard the song; they shared similar thoughts now. While Phytos interactions with Agent 3 were nothing but negative, he now thought about what it was like on the surface; he started to collect various items he could find such as books, magazines, albums and more. Learning through these things about what it's like and growing more distasteful to how life in the domes was.

Phyto couldn't leave right away, more specifically, he didn't know how to just yet. He feared everyone or at least someone would notice. So he began to devise a plan and discover a route to escape. While out and about he would discover what looked to be an old train tunnel, where it led, everyone who he asked didn't seem to know where; perfect. At this point it has been 2 years since hearing The Calamari Inkantation, and Phyto was just about ready. He had to leave without telling anyone so it'd be longer before anyone would notice he was missing.

With 1202 by his side, months of planning and prep, Phyto set off down into the train tunnel.

(This post will be updated in the future!)

Fun fact: Phyto met Callie briefly a few days before leaving.

~~~