#and what will continue to be taken from them if they choose their respective Gods

[emeraldties]

“We Were Sweet Once” Pt 1 / ?

Alternative Title: God’s Favorite Princesses

[lace-coffin]

Hello 🤗 I was wondering what kinda rules do you think Asa would have set for one of his pets? I imagine he'd be really particular about them giving him respect and being submissive, but do you think he has a concrete set of written rules or more of a general guideline of what he expects. Idk of that made sense lol.

What rules does Asa have for his pet/SO? (NSFW)

Asa Emory x gn!Reader

Trigger warning for power/bdsm dynamics and general Asa Emory things.

Requests are open!

This is a super fun ask omg! I love love love talking abt what kind of dom Asa is so I’m so happy with this request!

Honourifics- honourifics are always to be used when addressing or replying to asa. Sir, master are used regularly. If you really want to rile him up then daddy or Mister work prefect, the perversity of it doing something animalistic to him. Calling Asa God or “my God” will draw out his more sadistic egotistical side, tell him how you’re only committed to him, your life is in his hands and you’re nothing but the ground beneath him. Lave over his heavy leather boots in worship.

Collars and marking- collars are worn daily, taken off at night so you can sleep comfortably and not risk choking (he wants to be the one doing the choking ; ) ) if you’re uncomfortable with a full collar then a daytime collar can be worn, usually a chain of some sort with your name tag and return information on it. “Cricket, property of The Collection, if lost return to Asa Emory”

Respect- disrespect will not be tolerated, talking back or lashing out will end in punishment, it depends how severe the offence was. Ignoring him or muttering a rude comment under your breath might earn you a single slap to the ass to correct you in the moment. Having a smart mouth the whole day will have worse consequences and may require a scene to be planned and negotiated prior.

Scenes - your BDSM relationship with Asa is a 24/7 dynamic, this means all the planning and communication comes with it. You use the traffic light system, green for good/continue, yellow for slow down or take a break and red for stop. Asa would never do anything you don’t want or consent to, he may be strict and domineering but your safety is key to him. If your mouth is restrained or you’re not feeling up to speaking in sub space then there are non-verbal safe words in place for you to use.

Clothing and inspections - all clothing is to be approved by asa before you get ready for the day, you can either pick out an outfit on your own and have it approved or let your master choose one and lay it out on the bed ready for you. He’s more than happy to aid you in getting dressed, loving the sense of dependancy you show him.

Bodily inspections are done once a week, Asa prides himself on keeping you in the best physical health he can, this doesn’t end at just an ordinary checkup however. Slipping on his latex gloves (unless ur allergic!) and prying your holes open, delving his fingers into you as your squirm against them under the guise of checking you’re healthy. Filthily commentating the entire time. “Look at that pretty pink hole, stretched open all for me”

Scheduled meals and bedtimes - Asa likes routine and can get antsy when running behind (totally not me projecting my autism onto him) this transfers over to your routine too. Lunch and dinner (and dessert < 3) are served at the same time every day, asa expects you to be ready and waiting at the table. A strike will be added to your chart if your late. Three strikes and a punishment will be given. Sir will decided where you dine everyday, if you’ll be joining him at the table or eating on the floor from a personalised bowl. Breakfast isn’t at a set time, he knows the amount of sleep you get/need will fluctuate so he’s happy to let you sleep in until you feel ready to get up.

Bedtime is usually also at a set time, around 1 am, he knows you’re not a child and won’t make you sleep early but still wants you in bed at a reasonable time, usually ushering you into bed at 12 and giving you an hour to read or to watch videos. Usually you either share a bed with asa or sleep in your kennel/cage, sometimes in a combination of the two you sleep at the foot of the bed.

Language- Asa discourages the use of swearing but he won’t punish you for it, he might give you a stern look but that’s the extent of it.

Chastity - your sir has a dainty key hanging on a chain around his neck at all times, your body is his as is your sexual pleasure and your genitals. Chastity devices are worn until he decides it’s time to play, attempts at touching will result in punishment, he does however like the desperate look on your face as you rut against the fabric of the sofa like a pathetic mutt in heat. He won’t let you know that though. Sometimes he’ll bring you to the edge of orgasm, panting and whining as your body shakes, only to remove his hand/cock or toy and slide the device back on. The pitiful cries and “it’s not fair”s from you after are even more beautiful than seeing you cum in his mind. Don’t lash out or act out after otherwise the time spent without release will be extended just to spite you.

Relating back to food and drink Asa expects you to drink a minimum of 500ml of water or juice a day, he knows 1-2 litres is unrealistic and doesn’t want you needing to pee constantly. He’s happy as long as your hydrated, if you have particularly bad days with fatigue or depression he’ll help you drink by bringing the straw to your mouth as he holds you. Medication needs to be taken at the correct time, both your alarm clock and Asa’s watch has an alarm set on it so you don’t miss it.

Whilst Asa can be sadistic most of his rules are for your wellbeing along side your obedience, only wanting the best for you whilst you’re under his control.

I hope u like this!! Was literally so fun to write! I love this chunky bug man and ungodly amount <3

[salllzy]

Sal's ramblings #3

Another bunny from the pile and it is only going to get worse, my brain is going a million miles a minute and I am trying to work on a chapter. So here it is. ------- Alastor is an omega and he doesn't hide it, he simply doesn't tell anyone what he is. If the other citizens of Hell wrongly assume that he is an alpha? Then that is on them. But while he doesn't hide it, he also isn't shouting it from the rooftops. Omegas in Hell are nonexistent after all, Alastor hadn't met any other omegas but he knew that Heaven tended to snatch any and all omegas up to stop Hell from having packs, Which in his humble opinion is stupid. The same as Heaven believed that Hell is an uprising, oh, they were in their own way. Rebelling against God and what the creator had planned for them and thanks to Lucifer, breaking free of the chains that had cruelly been wrapped around them.

As far as Alastor was concerned what Lucifer did was a blessing. If people choose to squander their chance in life, then that is up to them to decide. No one else. But just because Alastor respected Lucifer to a degree it didn't mean that he liked or tolerated the King of Hell. Far from it. He thought that Lucifer was a deadbeat dad who didn't deserve Charlie, Charlie who had begun to patch his broken heart.

Charlie reminded him of his daughter that he had lost, long ago. She had been snatched in the middle of the night. Truthfully, she wasn't his by blood. He had found her when he had been burying one of his victims, a disgusting piece of filth that had deserved what he had got. Alastor had found him preying on children and well, Alastor didn't tolerate anyone who targeted those of fairer means. But that didn't mean that women were off the table. They weren't he had killed more than one abusive wife and mother. And he would continue to do so. But he was getting off-topic. He had found the little fawn wandering around his bayou, the little thing had been crying and calling for her mother. For a split second he wondered if he had been the one to kill her mother, he had quickly pushed the thought from his mind.

Instead, he had picked her up and cleaned her dirt-covered face, only to find himself staring into strange gold eyes. Despite not having the best father and his mother was long since dead. He had done his best to help her. He had asked around and put a report in with the police, which had been a risky move given his hobbies. Unfortunately for Charlotte but fortunately for him, they were unable to find her parents. So he had adopted the fawn, given her his last name DeCoux and he had raised her as best as he could.

Shortly before his death someone had broken into their home and had taken Charlotte from her bed, he had done everything in his power to try and find her. Only to fail. Something had died inside him that day. Then he had been shot shortly afterwards and he had briefly wondered if he would see his daughter again, that perhaps if someone was kind enough he would find her in whatever afterlife awaited him. Sadly it hadn't happened. So he had slapped bloody bandages on his heart and didn't let anyone in, Rosie, Niffty and Zestial were the exceptions. And after the disaster that was his relationship with Vox, he had no desire to acquire more friends. So naturally when he saw Charlie's disastrous interview he had decided that he would lend her his aid. After all, there was nothing like free entertainment. He just hadn't expected the King of Hell to turn up.

Logically he knew that at some point he would, he was Charlie's father after all.

But then somehow, he had a suspicion as to who had leaked the information, it was revealed that he was an omega. Suddenly he had lines of suitors at the door of the hotel, suitors that he didn't want. He had to be careful who he killed, the last thing he wanted to do was create a power vacuum in an already unstable Hell and Hell was unstable. The moment it had been revealed, Hell had gone rabid. The only omega in Hell? And single as well? It was every alpha's wet dream. Eventually, Lucifer proposed that Alastor faked a relationship, with someone of power and standing. It would be the only way to get them off his back and with the amount of mass murder that Alastor had been doing? Well, it was sending a message but not the one he wanted to send. All it was doing was making it look like he was something to be tamed, a vicious animal that needed to be domesticated and not as the warning it was meant to be. Naturally, Lucifer had volunteered himself. After all, there was no one stronger than him or had a position higher than the King of Hell.

But what Alastor didn't know, was that it was a trap, one that Lucifer had designed himself. It had been him who had leaked the information about Alastor being an omega to hell.

Alastor was cunning and wily, he would never let himself be trapped in a deal, so Lucifer had to use other means. Alastor already belonged to him after all, they had a daughter together.

Not that Alator knew that Charlie was Charlotte, Lucifer had told Charlie that it was important that no one knew her full name. At the time he had told her that it was because names had power and it was true they did. But he didn't want Alastor to find Charlie. At least not until Lucifer was ready for him. His first step had been to get rid of Lilith, she had proven that she was an unfit mother and Lucifer wasn't going to allow her anywhere near Charlie. Lilith had forgotten that while he was the King of Hell now, he was still an angel and that came with all of the instincts and behaviours that came with being an angel. Which included getting rid of any threats to their flock. Which Lilith now was. He had scattered her bones all across Hell and made sure that she would never be able to regenerate. Sadly by the time he had dealt with Lilith, the mortal that had taken such good care of Charlie had died. Lucifer knew that he would need to find this Alastor that Charlie was so attached to. However, he hadn't counted on it taking nearly a century to do so. He had to admit that the sinner was devious and clever, especially since Alastor had been able to escape him time and time again. But not this time. Lucifer wasn't going to let him go this time.

[ashprince-of-bel-air]

Do you have any thoughts about Rolan apologising to his human female crush for how he behaved & explained he cares for her please? Thanks!

Sorry, this has taken a few days, I’ve been busy having to do things at work, I have also maybe gotten carried away again and written something with 1.5K words

This will be a pretty much straight continuation from this.

Rolan was sat at the bar, drowning himself in wine. Everyone was celebrating the final works that had been completed at Sorcerer’s Sundries apart from him. The one person he wanted to spend time with and talk to thought he hated her, looking down into his tankard of wine he was trying to think where he went wrong, thinking back he could see how she would feel that way about him. Rolan made a pact to himself that he would change, he could see her from across the room, the other men surrounded her like flies, it sickened him to see how they were around her, watching the honeyed words fall from their lips just to get her into bed. He would never do that, he wanted to court her properly and treat her with the respect she was due, something that he had apparently not been doing thus far, this would all change, is what he told himself.

The rest of the night in the tavern was spent with him thinking of ways he could speak to her and show that he did not hate her, glancing up at her as she enjoyed the night, getting tipsy with her colleagues. Rolan kept his distance for the most part, he would not interfere with her night, she obviously would not want his company. That was until he saw a man getting a bit too familiar with her, her face frowning as she tried to push him away politely, a hint the man was choosing to ignore at this point. Spurred on by a few tankards of wine, Rolan saw no other option but to intervene on her behalf, the other men showering her with sweet words were nowhere to be found at this point.

Rolan made good use of his thick booming voice to intimidate the man. “Excuse me, but I think the lady says no. That normally means you stop what you are doing. If I’m not mistaken, obviously” Sarcasm laced his voice as he spoke to this scum of a man, a small smile spread upon his face as he saw him retreat, not even reacting to his comment of calling him a “Foul Blood”. She was safe and that was all that was needed. Finally, Rolan turned to face her, she was shocked Rolan stood up for her, she thought he hated her but here he was defending her. A small smile adorned her face for him, silently thanking him for intervening on her behalf.

Rolan smiled back and gave a knowing nod at her as he walked back to his bar stool, he would not talk to her now but they both exchanged a knowing nod that if she needed him, he would be there. The night waned on, she faced no further issues, she enjoyed her time with her colleagues, stealing glances at the lonely Tiefling at the bar who helped her, his sad face broke her heart even though she thought he hated her, wondering if he wasn’t as bad as she imagined previously, smiling softly at him when he was not looking. It was not long until she was ready to leave, needing some good sleep, it took a while to say goodbye to everyone as she made her way out, until she passed Rolan. As she approached him, she pushed aside the memories of him being uninterested in her at work, her hand rested on his shoulder softly, surprised when she saw his face snap up towards her, a smile and wide eyed looking at her, gods those golden eyes were stunning to her in this moment, how had she never noticed them before.

“Thank you Rolan.” A smile and a sincere voice fell from her lips. “I really appreciate what you did for me earlier.” Rolan felt her squeeze his shoulder softly before she left, watching her as she walked away, he was now hopeful that she did not truly hate him, they had just got off on the wrong foot. They both shared a smile before she left, leaving Rolan to wait for her company the following morning, hoping she would not be too hungover to speak to him.

Despite their interaction at the tavern, she was still reluctant to open up fully to Rolan, he had redeemed himself somewhat by their interaction at the bar, but she could not help but still be a bit closed off towards him. It took a few weeks of polite exchanges and small talk for her to finally open up, the first time he thanked her for bringing up the tomes he needed shocked her. She often worked in close proximity to Rolan at this point, not being needed as much on the shop floor, this gave him more of a chance to speak to her, and he took every opportunity he could. Small talk was not his strong suit, but he attempted it anyway, asking how she was, how her day was going, did she have a nice weekend, all things he had heard other people talk about in passing. It came across as awkward to her, yet in an endearing way, she could tell he was making an effort and could not help but smile to herself at his shy and awkward demeanour throughout their new interactions over the weeks.

It was a warm Friday afternoon when she walked into Rolan’s study in the tower, this would be her last job of the day, filing away some tomes that someone had requested when the crimson wizard approached her. Rolan’s voice was its usual deep, thick, silky norm as he spoke. “Would you care to have a drink with me Tav? I have a nice vintage of Arabellan Dry I’ve been wanting to try, it would be a shame to keep it all to myself.” Rolan tried to sound casual, but his face betrayed him, his brow furrowed and eyes looking nervous.

She looked up at him with a smile, those golden eyes of his soft and inviting, he had been kind to her these past few weeks, a complete shift from his previous behaviour. Normally she would not entertain drinks with a man alone, but she came to feel safe around him, remembering how he helped her that night in the bar. With a genuine smile and a nod, she accepted, explaining that she will meet him on his balcony after she had finished returning the books she had in her hands. Rolan gave a small smile and bowed politely leaving her to her job, trying hard not to show how much his heart was soaring at the acceptance of his request. The balcony would be the perfect place for a drink, overlooking the city at sunset, if he was ever going to ask to court her then this would be his chance.

A short while passed and she was finished with her job, feeling butterflies in her stomach confused her, this was a man she thought previously hated her so why did she feel so nervous? She pushed that thought aside and made her way through his office to the balcony. Rolan was sat at a small table looking out over the city, the setting sun glowing on his skin making him look ethereal. She would have stood staring, transfixed at him if he had not interrupted her gaze by addressing her. “Ah Tav!” Rolan stood quickly from his chair and guided her to her own, pulling it from underneath the table so she could sit. The wine was already poured for her as she sat and took a sip, it was a fantastic vintage, the best she had ever tried, contemplating how much he must have spent on this and flattered that he would share it with her.

They sat enjoying the view and the wine for a short while before he cleared his throat and spoke, his eyes cast down slightly, nervous to make eye contact with her. “Tav, I want to apologise for my previous behaviour. It was not kind of me, I realise that now. I think you are a wonderful person here, what you do for me in your work is an incredible help to me.” His voice faltered slightly as his hands fumbled against his glass of wine, his tail twitching nervously, finally forcing himself to make eye contact. “I was also wondering if you would be interested in getting to know each other more?” Hinting towards a more intimate relationship between the two of them.

The entire exchange between them was a slight shock to her, she was relieved to know that Rolan did not hate her and that he actually valued her as a worker, it was the fact he wanted to have something more than a workplace friendship that shocked her. Sipping her wine, she contemplated it, she did think he was handsome and he was a brilliant wizard, plus the kindness he showed her over the last few weeks was something to consider.

Rolan sat there with bated breath as he watched her sip the wine, seeing the cogs work in her mind as she came to a decision. As she placed the wine glass down she smiled, saying that she would like to explore something more. His heart leapt with joy at her words, thankful that his previous actions were not irredeemable.

 They sat at the balcony watching the sunset, happily in each other’s company, Rolan’s mind racing, thinking of ways he could pursue her. This was a small first step, but he would make sure to not spoil his chances with her.

[cypheroo]

How they care | Laurence Zvhal and Garroth Ro'Meave ~ ♡

"Cyph your favorite star is reporting from tge trenches (im sick) can I request a sick reader comfort with the boys™️ (Laurance and/or Garroth) idc which versuon also did yu see the s7 thing?"

Tw : Curse words. Spelling mistakes 😭 can be platonic or romantic?

Word count : 763

AN : HIIII! OMG OMG GET WELL SOON! I hope I finished writing this when you felt a little better! Super sorry on the wait again omg but! My thoughts on the new season are super weird bc like wooo! Nice amazing to it! And I'm glad that aph has cleared up (and will clear up) some stuff! Makes me feel better! also I SAW SOMEWHERE THAT LAURENCES VA SEBASTIAN TODD MUGHT COME BACK TO VOICE LAURENCE! AHHH THATS SO EXCITING FOR ME! outside of that, I'm happy that we are getting an ending! I haven't always loved jess but I will respect her for giving us these characters that sure aren't perfect but we love! Happy to see how she ends it and if her channel will change? (Probs not but I can dream) what do you think?

Garroth had been worried sick over you. Had you overworked yourself again? Maybe he hadn't been helping you as much as he should've been doing? Good god he needed to finish this paperwork. He really needed to make sure you were ok. He WANTED to race to your home as soon as he had heard, but he couldn't leave without feeling bad of not finishing his duty for the night, hell hed usually feel bad for even leaving the post especially at night, but you…you were so important, he knew he could trust laurence, dante, all of them to handle it for a night so he could make sure you were alright.

Immediately he rushed out of the guardpost. And immediately to your home. You had given him a key to your home so after he knocked he let himself in. He slowly walked up the stairs and once he saw you laying in your bed, sick and looking weak, he visibly tensed, he continued and before he could come to your rescue Laurence cleared his throat. “Aren't you supposed to be on watch?” Laurence raised a brow. Garroth was taken aback, he didn't even see Laurence in the cloud of his worry, “could say the same about you” the blonde responded with a soft huff.

Laurence rushed over almost immediately, he wasn't doing anything important so it was quite easy to slip away and visit you, there was no way in irene he wouldn't, you were home alone most of the time, who would make sure you didn't lift a finger? Well Laurence couldn't let that slide, so he spent most of his afternoon waiting on you hand and foot. Refilling water, Letting air in, distracting you (he doesn't want you to have any stress at this moment) in any way he could. It was later in the evening but when he saw garroth walk up the stairs laurence didn't know how to feel about seeing the blonde, yes it was nice to know garroth cared as much as he did, but it was so late at night? What was he supposed to help with this late at night?

You let out a soft laugh before sneezing, groaning after which both of the boys immediately looked at you, eyes filled with worry and willingness to run across the world if you so asked for it. But when you simply explained it was a cold that would be away within a few days it was clear these two would have none of that.

So instead of both of those goofballs taking care of you at the same time, they choose to instead switch, one day was garroth and the other was laurence, both would make sure the growing town of phoenix drop would be safe, but would also know you'd be alright and safe.

GARROTH :

- He's actually really careful when it comes to repeating sounds, loud sudden noises, and agitating sounds its odd sure but its something hes sensitive to when hes sick.

- A little careful about getting sick for like…just the first hour. But after he's in all honestly just took a bit to fully accept the costs.

- Makes soup and tea fucking immaculately, oh my god. Ask him to make that and goddess it'll taste so good it's like irene made it herself.

- He is the type to rest his hand on your head any chance he gets. He just likes to keep a feel of how warm you are. Although he feels slightly bad for his rough hands meeting your skin

- In all honesty, I don't think he's totally used to or knows how to take care of someone in such a vulnerable state like this, so as much as he's trying, he understands he may not be the best

LAURENCE :

- Pretty laid back but picks up on what you do and don't want him to do pretty quickly. Don't want him to.

- He seems like a quiet caregiver. Careful to not overwhelm you, he’ll clean around the room a bit to help out if you'll allow him.

- If you're comfortable with it he does personally find it helpful when someones talking to him when he's sick, so if you're ok with it, he's more than willing to sit down and ramble softly so you can doze off.

- He prefers to use a rag to help your face, a cool towel to help relax your heated body, or a warm towel if you are cold.

- He uses a lot of tactics he was personally raised with. Things that originally brought him comfort in hopes that they can help you too!

[hyperfixations-ahoy]

Fantasy High Divergent AU??

Disclaimer, this is based on the BOOKS, not the movies. Much like The Promised Neverland Season 2, we pretend that the books are the only content that exists. (Although I did kind of like the first movie, please don’t burn me at the stake).

In this AU, they are all Divergent, and all decide to transfer/continue with Dauntless. Why? Because A) it’s the coolest and B) it’s the one the books talk about the most.

ADAINE ABERNANT // Erudite -> Dauntless The second-born daughter of the dual faction leaders (because Erudite chooses its leaders based on IQ, both Angwyn and Arianwen are in charge). On the day of the Choosing Ceremony, Alewyn warns her sister that Erudite initiation consists of rigorous tests to prove qualification for the faction. Believing that being Divergent will result in her failing the tests and becoming factionless, Adaine makes an impulsive decision to transfer to Dauntless.

KRISTEN APPLEBEES // Abnegation -> Dauntless Though not city leaders, Kristen’s parents are well-respected in her faction - however, their good deeds are not out of selflessness but in servitude to a strange cult’s plan following what they believe is the will of god. Knowing she would be used as a pawn if found out, her aptitude evaluator told her to flee her faction. Kristen decided to choose Dauntless, so she could be free of the stifling rules of her parents’ religion.

FIG FAETH // Candor -> Dauntless When Fig found out that she was Divergent, she immediately went home and told her family. What followed were intense arguments with Sandra Lynn and Gilear, born out of fear that she would turn out the same way as her biological father (Dauntless-born, revealed to be Divergent, and disappeared). While they begged her to hide her true nature, Fig defied them and transferred to Dauntless, hoping to find some clues as to the real nature of Gorthalax’s disappearance.

RIZ GUKGAK // Candor -> Dauntless A childhood friend of Fig’s, both his father and his cousin Penny Luckstone disappeared in the same manner Gorthalax did. When he tells his mother that he’s Divergent, she reveals it is the common denominator behind the three disappearances. Determined to not let it happen again, he follows Fig to Dauntless while hoping to get some answers of his own.

FABIAN SEACASTER // Dauntless -> Dauntless The son of two great Dauntless heroes-turned-leaders, Fabian is hellbent on surpassing the expectations of him that keep climbing higher. He hides the fact that he’s Divergent, believing it a failure that would strike him and his family down from grace. However, after hearing his father discuss plans for the Divergent with the Abernant parents, he realizes how much danger he and his friends are in. Revealing his Divergence to them, his goal changes - no longer to live up to the Seacaster legacy, but to survive with everyone long enough to leave one at all.

GORGUG THISTLESPRING // Amity -> Dauntless A child abandoned to the factionless, he was taken into Amity out of an act of kindness. When Gorgug found out he was Divergent, the Thistlesprings were forced to tell him that they knew the identity of his parents - both Dauntless, both Divergent, both disappeared. Much like Fig and Riz (god these kids have some daddy issues), he’s trying to find some answers but in a more bumbling, awkward kind of way.

Other fun facts:

Fig, Riz, and Gorgug OF COURSE form an Only Murders in the Building-style squad where they’re trying to solve the disappearance of their dads, except they’re not as good and not as hot as Mabel, Charles, and Oliver

Alewyn is Divergent as well, but hides it from her sister (Adaine is furious when she finds out)

While being the one to hide it for the longest, Fabian has the highest levels of Divergence

Basic role swaps: Pok Gukgak = Natalie Prior; Abernant parents = Jeanine Matthews; Bill Seacaster = both Max and Eric; Gorthalax = Evelyn but NOT an asshole

[khaosrealms]

I love the Syzoth X Princess!Reader so much I can't even- ❤️❤️❤️ Is it alright if I request something similar but with the Lin Kuei trio? Syzoth falling in love with Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Smoke's younger sister? I imagine her joining the Outworld investigation bc "Lord Liu Kang, you're sending two of the least stealthiest people in our group for a covert op? With all respect, why in the world did you think this was a good idea?" Basically pressuring the local demi-god into letting her tag along, and the mission going to hell anyway. Super-ninja be damned, the chaos cannot be contained. I also imagine Johnny isn't going to let that fact go anytime soon.

NUWA’S RAZOR. / SYZOTH X LIN KUEI! READER.

a/n: of course it is alright to ask for such a request, that is why i’m here! thank you so much for sending the ask— i am happy to respond 💚

- Perhaps it comes with the territory of being the sole sister of a family of boys. A sense of responsibility likened to that of a mother coordinating a group of toddlers. Younger than your brothers you may be, but hardly inept and hardly easily swayed enough to be told by your Lord when your presence is unneeded. What else was he to expect, when you spent the many of your living years upon Outworld’s soil doing everything in your power to prevent your brothers from slaughtering one another where they stood? If there was anyone more capable of investigating Outworld with discretion, it is you.

“Look at them, my Lord.” You utter, gazing upon his champions. A cabbage farmer, a former yakuza, a deadbeat stage fool. Men who can hardly so much as breathe before taking a bite at one another’s necks. Well, at the very least— with Kung Lao, it was more to take a nip at your own. Easier to control. “If it is recognition you fear, you know you may trust me to remain hidden much better than these… Earthrealmers you have chosen.” You do not miss the gasp of insult that escapes Johnny’s lips; rather, you choose ignorance. Searching for answers in Liu Kang’s glowing eyes. Yet nothing speaks, so it is words you are forced to accept. Words that come in what you imagine is a form of sigh from your Lord’s lips. “No one is to know that you are Lin Kuei.”

- And also, perhaps, you should have simply chosen to let the Earthrealmers suffer their own given fate. The bickering, the clumsy coordination, Tarkat, Shang Tsung, by god, Kenshi’s own eyes. By the time that you awake in a cell, dank and filthy with the smell of corpses and gore, you feel as if that day, you’d been better suited to remaining at home. Continuing your daily training as you’d had for years on end. But instead, waking with an ache in your head so deep it rushes to your spine and forces you up, you realize you no longer had that privilege. Here, instead, you were residing within Shang Tsung’s true laboratory— soon to be faced with the horror of being taken apart and made into whatever greeted your eyes through the cell’s bars.

- You’d been the second in the cell to awake, after Kenshi, woken by virtue of true and utter pain, gouged of his sight; and Baraka, awake since his capture, there to fill the hours alongside you both while you stew in your fate. You’d learned from the former merchant that your jailer had passed prior to your awakening. And now, all five of you await for his return, well— some of you. Johnny and Kung Lao were deep sleepers, it seemed. For now, the ones in the waking world, Baraka, Kenshi, and yourself, filled the rancid air with words. Jailer, you wondered. A chance to flee, bars wide enough to wrench a hand through, threaten for freedom. Options, all waiting for you to spring upon the man who chose to align himself with Shang Tsung and would die for his choice.

- Nearly, you do it. When Johnny finally rouses, stumbling to Kenshi’s side, your jailer appears. Dressed in green, red fabric tied around his bicep, and a tattooed arm that reaches in just enough to be held and twisted around. But it is Baraka who makes the first move, his word that gives you enough pause to listen and discover the true nature of your jailer. Not a herald for Shang Tsung’s cause— a slave to it. His family in the clutches of a man who would slaughter them if so much as a whisper of betrayal left him. A shapeshifter, a Zaterran. Syzoth, a name you only learn due to Shang Tsung’s arrival after fighting the hoards of his creations. A sorcerer who revealed your jailer’s only purpose for remaining in enslavement was a lie. His family dead “many moons ago”. Suffering for no cause but for Shang Tsung’s cruel ambition. Here to die alongside the five of you; suffocating in toxins.

“I should’ve simply stayed with my brothers.” You can’t seem to get the rancid smell of Shang Tsung’s labratory out from your lungs; no matter how hard you breathe in the air of Outerworld. Johnny cackling out a laugh. And too, that smell sitting in the newfound companion of Syzoth. But rather, more so— the scent of despair. Enough to give you pause; to bite back Bi-Han’s insults and instead lean towards Kuai Liang’s guidance. “…He will get what he is due.” A momentary sentiment, but you can see his eyes flicker. Heard, even in the abyss of his mourning. “I am sorry, for your grave loss.” For a moment, he reminds you of Tomas. A sort of kindness in a place where it should have no place coexisting. “Thank you.” “Thank me once we get what you are owed.”

- From that time forth, an agreement formed between you both. To seize the moment, to make Shang Tsung fear the hour for which his own actions would smite him, and you would be there— to assist in that vengeance. A blood pact, almost; shaken hands on even. A source of comedy for Johnny, who found nothing but delight of the thought of the ‘big bad serious ninja’ actually shaking someone’s hand. Syzoth simply shared in your confusion. A mutual link of attitude towards the odd Earthrealmer. If a bit more lenient of his callousness than yourself.

- In Syzoth, you suppose what you find is a… reasoning for balance. You’d cared for your family, always, yes— but you never considered what truly was at stake had someone taken them away. If, like your father, all those you loved were slaughtered. Would you still find the determination to keep going once they were gone? Would you still fair with that kindness he holds when the two of you speak during the night? Still passionate about living beyond vengeance against Shang Tsung— enough to laugh with the Earthrealmers where you failed to join. Too set in Lin Kuei ways; the silence of it, the tight grip of it that these days Bi-Han holds over it as grandmaster. You’d never considered it before. That it was possible you could be swayed. That it would be a Zaterran who would make you question the way of the Lin Kuei as it was.

[forhappysake]

What Lurks Within, Pt. 10

Author's Note: Finally took that exam, so glad that's over with. This is the second to last part in this series, so enjoy!

Content: When Y/N interviews the police chief, he finally tells her where his children are hiding. When the team arrives at the scene, the plot thickens as they must negotiate with the unsubs to get them into custody and return one teammate to safety.

Warnings: Established relationship, typical BAU level violence, mention of the death penalty (I'm 99% sure that's illegal in Colorado, but it's for dramatic effect), allusions to abuse, gunshots

Without another word, we rose from our respective positions around the table. Matt helped me get situated on the walker and we began our slow trek down the dimly lit hallway to the interrogation wing. Luke helped me get set in the interrogation room. Just as he began to fold up the walker and take it with him out of the room, I had a thought, “Leave it,” I said. 

“The walker?” Luke asked. “No offense, but I don’t think you should be doing a lot of walking around during this interrogation.” 

I sighed, “Not for that. It’s part of the dramatic effect. A man like Graydon needs concrete evidence of what his kids have done, the walker serves as another reminder that they’re out there hurting people.” Luke’s mouth dropped open a bit and he nodded in agreement, leaving the walker next to my seat at the interrogation room table. Spencer’s empty chair was still at my right side, and I forced myself to look away from it. 

After a few moments alone in the room, the door swung open as Rossi led a handcuffed Graydon to his seat across from me. “Agent L/N?” Graydon said as Rossi snapped his handcuffs shut, attaching him to the interrogation room table, “What happened to you?” 

I waited until Rossi left the room to respond. I watched as the door swung shut for the final time, and I took a deep breath. “Your children happened to me,” I deadpanned. I turned my head back towards the one-way glass so he could see the blood-soaked bandages littering the back of my head. I saw Graydon wince in the mirror. “Your daughter is quite well-versed with a baseball bat,” I said as I turned to face him again. 

He shook his head. “Does this mean they’re both in custody?” 

“Quite the opposite,” I said, “they’re on the run.” I allowed a few silent moments to pass as Graydon acknowledged the weight of the words I’d uttered. 

“Where's your partner?” Graydon nodded towards the empty chair next to me. 

“Your children have taken my partner as ‘collateral’,” I made air quotes with my hands to further demonstrate my point. 

“Oh, God,” Graydon mumbled. 

“That’s why I need you to tell me where their hideout is,” I said, forcing myself to look him in the eyes. 

Graydon shook his head, holding his free hand up in the air as if to portray his innocence. “I have no idea.” 

“I don’t believe that for a second. Even if you don’t know for certain, you’ve lived in this area your whole life, and I believe you know an area where they are likely to be,” I spat bitterly. “Do you realize what’s going to happen if you continue to protect them this way?” 

Graydon looked at the tabletop shamefully, choosing not to respond. I sighed in disgust, “Fine, I’ll fill you in. For starters, your children have already killed more than ten people, and their capacity to do so is a result of the physical and psychological trauma you’ve put them through over the years.” Graydon winced once more as the consequences of his own actions came back to bite him. 

“Second, your children have taken a federal agent hostage. If this agent dies at the hands of your children, any hope they have to not face the death penalty will go out the window. I will personally make sure that they are punished to the fullest extent of the law.” Graydon covered his face with his hands as I continued to talk, choosing to ignore his agony for the sake of getting the information I needed. 

“On a more personal note,” I lowered my voice, “you mentioned earlier that I don’t understand the lengths you’d go to protect someone you love. You should know that the agent your children have taken hostage is not only my partner, but undoubtedly the love of my life.” I felt tears pricking at the corner of my eyes again, and I chose to let them fall this time. “If you do not tell me where they are, we’re both going to lose people we love tonight. Don’t let that happen.” 

Graydon lowered his face from his hands. Tears streamed down both of our faces as he uttered the next words as a whisper, “58493 West 600th Street.”

“What is it?” I asked. 

“It’s their grandparents' old house. It’s been abandoned since Lucia’s father died ten years ago. Sometimes they’d go stay there when I…” he trailed off, flexing his fist.  

“Thank you,” I said, rising from the table. I used the walker to balance myself and began heading for the door. I swung the door open, using the walker as a prop before I paused and turned back. “Graydon,” I said. The defeated former police chief turned his head towards me. I spoke, “If you’re sending my team into some sort of a trap, I’ll make sure you never see the light of day again.” 

With that, I finished making my way out of the interrogation room. The door to the observation area burst open as the team filed out into the hallway. “Did you guys get all that?” 

“We sure did. Great job, kid,” Rossi said, offering me a gentle pat on the shoulder. 

JJ worked frantically on her tablet, plugging in the address Graydon had given us moments before. “That house is within those neighborhoods Spencer and I narrowed the search area to yesterday.” Everyone nodded. 

“Let’s roll, then,” Emily said. “Wait,” I turned towards the interrogation room. “Do you think we should bring Graydon with us?” The group fell silent. “Bringing their true target to their doorstep seems kind of unsafe, don’t you think?” Luke asked. 

“No,” I said, “it’s the perfect way to distract and throw them off.” Emily considered this for a moment. 

“She’s right,” Emily said, “Rossi, go get Graydon. He can ride with us.” 

“I’m coming too,” I said. 

JJ sighed, “I’m not surprised. You can ride with me.” We made our way out of the precinct and into the chill of the evening once more. Luke helped me into the passenger seat of the SUV before climbing in the back, JJ in the driver’s seat. I noticed the time on the dashboard. It was only three in the morning, we’d just been here for twenty-four hours. 

We were third in the line of SUVs which whipped out of the precinct parking lot. Luke plugged the address Graydon had given us into the SUV’s dashboard. The house was less than ten minutes away. I bounced my leg in anticipation. What if we were too late?

The rest of the drive was made in silence. The row of SUVs came to a halt in front of the address. Emily’s voice came over the radio, “Graydon says it’s back through those trees. This property looks to have been rundown for a while. Watch your step. Rossi is going to hang back with Graydon in the SUV. If we need him, Rossi will bring him.” 

JJ shot me a look from the driver’s seat. “You have to wait here,” she said. 

“I know,” I whispered. 

“We’ll be back shortly,” Luke said, slipping his vest over his head and hopping out of the back seat. JJ followed suit, leaving me alone in the SUV. I watched the team disappear into the treeline near the road, leaving me alone in the dark of the Colorado night. 

I waited patiently for five minutes. The radio had not buzzed, and I had seen no lights come from the direction of the house within the treeline. Suddenly, the radio sprung to life, “Rossi, we need our bargaining chip.” 

I shuddered. Bargaining chip? I couldn’t stand to wait anymore. I grabbed a stray vest from the back seat, slipping it on over my head. As Rossi drug Graydon out of the SUV and towards the house, I opened my car door and gently lowered myself onto the ground. I opened the door to the back seat, lifting the seat to reveal the hidden compartment. I found a loaded back-up handgun tucked inside a case, and I tucked it into my waistband. 

I saw the walker folded in the backseat and I sighed, looking at the long distance between the road and the treeline I was about to venture into. The walker isn’t going to do me any good now. 

I watched Rossi and Graydon disappear through the treeline, and I steadied my feet on the ground and forced myself to follow in their general direction. Though wobbly, my steps had improved greatly since my initial attempts when I woke up. Once I reached the treeline, I followed Emily’s instructions and watched my feet, careful not to allow myself to lose my balance on any stray limbs. 

I emerged from the treeline into an uncut lawn with a small, rickety house. A single light seemed to burn from inside, and I could see the team scattered in different positions around the building. Emily stood at the open door, clearly talking to someone inside. Rossi led Graydon up the steps and into the doorway. I could hear the voices coming from inside as I got closer. 

“Daddy dearest!” Mira called out as Rossi shoved Graydon into the doorway, “What a surprise!”

Graydon forced his eyes up from the ground. Though I couldn’t see into the house, I imagined he was looking at his daughter. “Mira, you have to stop this. Let that poor man go.” Poor man? Spencer!

“Mhm,” Mira said with a small giggle, “and why would I do that?” I continued my approach towards the house, using the tall grass as my only cover. I made brief eye contact with Luke who was crouched behind an exterior window. His wide eyes begged me to go back to the car, but I chose to ignore him. 

“Mira,” Graydon spoke again, “he hasn’t done anything to you. Just let him go.”

Another cackle rang out into the night. “You’re so right, Dad. He hasn’t done anything. But you,” I was close enough I could see Mira swinging a baseball bat around as she spoke, “you’ve got a lot to answer for.” 

I slipped up on to the porch behind Emily, Rossi, and Graydon. My sudden arrival caused a step to creak, taking Rossi by surprise as he raised his eyebrows incredulously. I shook my head, a signal for him not to let on to my presence on the porch. I crouched by a front window, scanning the room inside. Finally, I saw Spencer. Though undoubtedly bruised, he was conscious, sitting tied to a wooden chair in the corner of the room. I almost sighed in relief. I could see him scanning the room, looking for some way to free his hands. 

A male voice came from the opposite side of the room, “If he has anyone to answer to, it’s me.” Phillip Graydon came into view, standing next to his sister. “How many times did you send me to that fucking hospital?” 

Graydon shook his head. “W-what I did was wrong, but what you two are doing isn’t going to make that right.” 

Mira scoffed. The fire in her eyes burned stronger. “Don’t preach to us about right and wrong. You’re the one who used us as punching bags for eighteen years. We wouldn’t have started all this if it hadn’t been for you. We were going to get to you eventually, you know,” she pointed the bat at her father, a snarl evident on her lips. 

She walked over to Spencer in the corner of the room, grabbing him by the jaw and forcing him to look at her. “Regardless, we should all just be grateful I haven’t bashed this guy’s pretty little head in yet,” she lifted the baseball bat, resting it gently against Spencer’s head. I felt an anger and a sickness rising in my stomach. I had to do something. 

I shot up from my position next to the window, ignoring the throbbing sensation in the back of my head. I pushed Rossi and Graydon both out of the way, taking center stage in the doorway. I made eye contact with Spencer, who looked stunned to see me standing before him. I could feel Emily’s anxious eyes burning into the back of my head from her position on the corner of the porch. “Mira, I need to talk to you,” I said. 

“So much for bleeding out, Phil,” she said, gesturing to me with the baseball bat. Phillip rolled his eyes and shrugged as if to say my bad. “What do you want?” 

“I talked with your mother yesterday,” I started. This statement alone was enough to make both Graydon children shift nervously on their feet. Aha, maybe I’d found a soft spot. “She’s really worried about you both.”

“What did she say?” Phillip asked quickly, like a little child eager to hear from his mother. 

Mira scolded him, “Shut up, Phil.” 

“She said,” I continued, “that she really misses you guys. She asked me to come and let her know if we found you because she wants to know that you’re both alright.” I could see tears in Phillip’s eyes. Clearly that was some deeper connection between himself and his mother than I had initially anticipated. 

“If she wanted to know, she could have called,” Mira said, “Mom doesn’t care about us, Phil. She’s just like him.” She pointed at Graydon, who stood with his head hung behind me in the doorway. 

“No,” I said, stepping forward so that Graydon was out of view. “She said that he wouldn’t let her contact you. She said that she’s begged to know where the both of you were, but that she’s been kept from you for all this time because of your father. She said he ruined your family, and she wants you both back.” 

Tears streamed down Phillip’s face at that moment. “Do you hear that, Mira? Mom wants us to come home.” 

“Phillip, have you lost your fucking mind? We have no home,” Mira cried.

“But Mom-”

Mira cut Phillip off, “I don't care what she has to say. We should’ve killed her first.” Phillip rocked back on his feet, the statement cutting through him like a punch to the gut. Suddenly, I saw a certain anger burning in his eyes that told me things were about to get ugly. 

Just as the thought crossed my mind, Phillip rushed at Mira, knocking her on to the old wooden floor of the abandoned house. He wrested the baseball bat from her hands, raising it over his head as he straddled her. I quickly removed the gun from my waistband, pointing it at the both of them. I cocked the gun, and the click made both of them pause, “Phillip, drop it.”

Phillip slowly did as he was told, releasing the baseball bat as it clattered on the floor below him. He slowly climbed off his sister, holding his hands up in defeat over his head. “Now walk towards me, keep your hands over your head,” I said. 

As Phillip slowly stepped across the room, Mira shot up from her position on the floor, reaching for the baseball bat. She ran at Phillip with a loud scream, with the baseball bat raised over her head, ready to strike. 

I aimed. I fired. She was hit. She fell.

“No,” Graydon cried as his daughter crumpled on to the floor of the house, a pool of blood forming under her as she lay lifeless on the floor. 

Phillip, however, remained stoic. Rossi placed his hands behind his back, smacking handcuffs on his wrist, as Emily and Rossi led both Graydons away from the scene. I ran into the house, stepping over Mira’s body on the floor to where Spencer sat wide-eyed in the corner. “Hey, we’re going to get you out of here, okay?” I ran a hand over his face and he looked at me, nodding gently. “Luke!” I shouted. 

Luke ran into the house, careful to step over the body on the floor. “Pocket knife,” I said, holding out my hand. Luke fished around in his pocket before settling on his knife, dropping it into my hands. I leaned down behind Spencer, gently cutting the tight knots from his wrists. He tentatively moved his fingers and shifted his arms in front of his body. 

I crouched in front of him, tucking my arm under his own and draping half of his bruised body over my neck. “Luke, help me,” I said. Luke tucked himself under Spencer’s other half, helping me to carry him out of the house and back to the cars. Though Spencer tried to carry himself, I could feel his weight resting heavily on our shoulders. He was exhausted, beaten, and in need of medical attention. 

As we helped Spencer into the back of an SUV, the throbbing pain in the back of my head had become so strong that my vision blurred with each pulse. Spencer seemed to notice this, as he weakly reached his hand out of the SUV and touched the side of my face. I leaned into his touch, steadying myself on his arm before I ultimately collapsed next to the vehicle, darkness swallowing my vision once again.

To be continued...

[bella-goths-wife]

Mommy dearest?

Father lost boys x reader

The boys were at it again. They manipulated some poor soul into believing that they wanted to be with her forever, and she fell for it.

You didn’t however. You had seen hundreds of these girl. The girls who would come into the boys life and by extension your life and then die off a few months later. You couldn’t do it anymore.

This latest girl, Lola, had been a particularly tricky person to get along with. She was head over heels for the boys, she wanted the whole marriage and children ‘white picket fence’ life with them. And you disrupted that.

The boys had spun a story of you being David’s child who he had with star when they were teenagers. He acted like the doting father scorned by star who ‘kept you away’. In actuality you were staying with max while they tortured the poor girl and you visited on weekends.

Lola sympathised with David’s struggle but she still saw you as a threat. She saw a little fourteen years old girl as a threat. So she was continually rude to you when the boys weren’t around.

She would criticise you and call you “mini wife” as she saw you as something that connected David to star and she saw you as competition.

You weren’t bothered by her words, you knew she wouldn’t last long. She was temporary, that’s what the boys would always say when you asked about the countless women who would come into your life and act motherly towards you. You despised it, you had a mother who cared for you more than anyone else did.

She had also suggested that you call her mommy, which was insulting in its own way. She had claimed to the boys it was about respect but you knew it wasn’t. You knew it was about humiliating you and disregarding star

Lola would do anything to get your fathers attention away from you and onto her. There was one incident which included her passionately kissing Dwayne while you were next to him while making eyes contact with you so you would get uncomfortable and leave. She would do anything to have you out of the picture

“You should visit your father more” she had announced when she swanned into your room and stood in front of your bed “it’s disrespectful to him as your father when you only see him on weekends”

Who was she to lecture you? She was your fathers prey and yet she thought she could come to you and discipline you for something that wasn’t your doing. You didn’t choose to stay with max while she was there, you were told to to avoid seeing Lola being murdered.

“I’ll see if I can” you humour her act of fake motherly concern “I’ve just been busy lately”

“Too busy to visit your father?” She asked in a condescending tone

“I’ll work on it” you said calmly to avoid her drama.

She simply stormed out of your room and slammed the door on the way out like a child.

You thanked god that she would only last a month, you didn’t know how long you could handle her for until you snapped and hit her

———————————————————————

Lola did not last a month, she lasted three. All while you and star stayed at maxs and she lived with the boys in the cave.

You wondered why your parents had kept her around longer than the other girls, when you asked they would just tell you that they enjoyed playing with their meal. But the came they incident that sealed Lola’s fate.

She had swanned into your room once again and had taken a personal vendetta against your clothing. You usually dressed yourself like your fathers and they never seemed to have a problem with it. Lola did however, she saw it as ‘unladylike’ and thought it her place to comment on it

“I’m not throwing them out lola” you said, pointing to the band shirts on your bed that star had gotten you “my mom got me them and I like wearing them”

“How many times have I told you to call me mother” Lola whined like a child “it’s extremely disrespectful to me”

You sighed at her childish behaviour and chose to stay calm to avoid drama

“You not my mother Lola” you stated calmly “your just dating my dad”

And then came the action that Lola would soon come to regret. The sound of her slap echoed across the cave walls and eventually reached your fathers sharp ears as they jumped up to see what was happening. You cheek was bright red as tears built up in your eyes but you refused to cry for this woman.

“Don’t talk to me like that you little brat” Lola screamed in you face “I won’t be disrespected by a weekend guest”

“What’s going on here” Dwayne asked as he entered the room with the boys in tow as he glared at Lola menacingly.

Marko approached you and softly held your bright red cheek while soothingly rubbing it and inspecting it.

“You shouldn’t coddle her so much” Lola snaps at Marko before turning to David “your making her spoilt”

“Is that so?” David said through gritted teeth “why don’t us and the boys go talk about it in the other room?”

Lola nodded in affirmation before leaving the room as the boys followed. David shot you a wink so you could know what would happen to Lola very soon before leaving.

You sighed as you readied your Walkman and headphones to drown out whatever noises would come from the cave.

———————————————————————

The familiar scream of terror came around an hour afterwards and filled you with a familiar sense of dread.

What you didn’t expect was the ferocious banging on your door. The boys never usually let their prey escape. You decided to humour her and hopefully alert the boys of her whereabouts.

You opened the door to find a snivelling Lola on your doorstep. She had blood gushing from her neck as she desperately cradled a clearly broken arm to her chest. She looked at you with a pleading look in her puffy, bleeding eyes.

“Please (y/n)” she quietly begged as she clutched your clothes to bring you closer out of desperation “please help me”

You sighed at her pathetic attempt. She had tears covering her face while she cowered into you. She clutched you tighter and whispered “my baby” over and over again

“Help me escape baby” she quietly begged and prayed “I can be your mommy if you help me”

She looked pathetic while she cowered and held onto your younger body like you were her saviour. You knew she was using you, she wouldn’t treat you like her own if you helped her escape. She wasn’t like star. Star claimed from the first week she met you that you were her her child even if you didn’t come from her womb. She was your mother, not this snivelling coward.

But even if you knew she was using you, you were tempted by her offer for a minute. A life without the boys abuse, what would that even look like? You loved your fathers and they were good to you most of the time. But the other times were filled with possessiveness, manipulation and emotional abuse. Was it so wrong for you to want to leave?

You hugged Lola back slowly as you felt sympathy crawl up your spine and enter your heart.

That quickly changed when you shoved Lola back and she hit the hard chest of Dwayne who held onto her tightly.

She begged and screamed for you to help but you just looked her in the eyes and felt the sympathy melt away.

“Bye bye mommy dearest” you said sarcastically as you shut the door in her face.

You heard her screams of agony and chose to drown them out with the music recommendations you had received from Paul.

You didn’t feel guilt for what you did to Lola. In fact you felt relived that you didn’t have to put up with her anymore. Maybe there was some David in you deep down.

You couldn’t help but smile that the boys protected you. Little did you know they would kill anyone who hurt you or tried to take you away from them.

Including yourself.

Thought id show you guys readers more cruel side that she got from her father, let me know if you wanna see more of this Side to her :)

Hope you guys enjoyed

Love ya ❤️

[decepti-thots]

What was Costa’s whole deal anyway?

OK, I can actually probably give a decent bit of context for this as someone who got into TF around the time he took over and as someone moderately familiar with him outside TF. Let me really overexplain this, actually, why not.

The short(er) version is: Costa was a working comics writer who seemingly took the TF gig despite not having any specific interest in TF because being a working comics writer who turns down an ongoing gig would be insane, and he was then taken aback at how seriously people in the fandom took what anyone from the outside would assume was a bog standard no-prestige Licensed Comic TM. When I say "working comics writer", I'm using that in the way people say like, "working musician"; a guy who is not unknown necessarily but whose full time job means taking regular gigs to pay the bills regardless of if they're your Passion Project TM, because almost noone in comics is actually a "big name" who can choose to do otherwise. Many such folks in comics, an industry that is very difficult to make a full time living in if you don't take any and all work that comes your way. You get offered a moderately stable ongoing gig on a licensed comic based on a toy advert you don't care about? You take it because you want a damn reliable paycheck for the next two years, obviously. This went badly because TF fandom has a very vocal and passionate fanbase, actually. Go figure.

Longer version: what he has admitted he did not realise at the time is that TF had like, a genuine dedicated fanbase who really cared. Not necessarily about quality, per se- I cannot say that any hardcore IDW reader in 2010 was discerning on that basis- but about continuity and a sense of investment in the property and characters and universe, for sure. TF fandom tends to catch folks off guard in this respect! I mean, think about it from an outside perspective: it's a fucking toy advert tie in. Are you expecting critical scrutiny of any kind with that? Especially in like, again, 2010?

Costa gave a pretty infamous and hilarious interview toward the very end of his run where he basically explained that he couldn't get on with TF because he couldn't find an "in" to care about a bunch of alien robot characters divorced from human concerns. (Sidenote. Notably, TFwiki has a whole thing where it lists off all the things he claimed Cybertronians couldn't care about because they were robots with links to pages showing all the things are, in fact, canon. Like when he said. Uh. OK, let me get the whole awful quote, emphasis mine: "They don't have all of the basic things that humans have that motivate them and give them motivation for drama for a story. They don't really get hungry, they don't get tired, they don't have women or relationships like that [which] they value because they don’t have females that they can love; maybe brotherly love, but how — they don’t have parents? They don't have religion or spirituality... you have to manufacture [these things] and that makes it very incoherent." YEAHHHHHH.)

The thing is, I am inclined to give him... some slack. Some. In the sense that it's hard to come into something as objectively silly and weird as TF without any pre-existing investment and immediately make sense of it in any way beyond "god who cares, it's a toy ad and my paycheck", and it's hard to blame a comics writer for not turning a gig down regardless of that disinterest, especially with where TF was realistically at as a comics "brand" at the time. And especially because it's important to remember, in 2009 or whatever, IDW's Transformers comics were NOT highly regarded. I bounced off IDW haaaard at this point because All Hail Megatron, which preceded his run, sucked. Before that had been Furman's era. Like. The guy had not come into a prestigious era of TF comics as good in themselves, like that happened after phase two got it some mainstream comic appreciation for being Just Basically Good; but he had no idea that despite that, he was stepping into a property the fanbase would still have strong opinions about regardless of how much it was written off by the broader comics community. The comics are very bad! But you can kind of see how it might happen without necessarily stemming from Costa just being an "objectively" bad writer, necessarily.

However, Costa's work has some stuff going on that is bad regardless of all that in ways a lotttt less excused by some contextualization. It probably doesn't get brought up enough: it's pretty racist at points! Has some attempts at progressive political commentary (badly) (it's bad), but it's mixed in with bizarre stuff about China and North Korea that lands well in OH NO territory, frankly. Like. OHHH NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING. It's also uhhhh casually misogynistic a lot! (See bolded above.) There's definitely bad stuff that goes beyond "oh god I have to write a Transformers comic and I don't care about these silly robots" shit, y'know. I think that is important to point out. So. It's not all "let's be fair" here, lmao.

But like. In terms of 'why are these comics Like This' regarding the stuff TF fans usually cite as what makes his run so bad as fans: this is why Spike is constantly pushed as a main character, and why the Cybertronian characters don't sound like Real People, and why the continuity makes no sense and he tries to rewrite established characters into his OCs. He was basically trying to make it something he cared enough about to write. And honestly, like. It sucks! But it's not like I don't get it somewhat in the context of where IDW was at at the time, because he didn't have very good material to build off. AHM sucked. Furman's prior work varied from 'middling at best' to 'heinous'. Behind the scenes drama had fucked over stuff by all accounts. They hired a guy they knew didn't care about Transformers! ...but the misogyny and xenophobia really Fucking Sucked regardless, and I am less willing to be kind about that, lmao.

A final point: after this, Costa went on to write some infamously bonkers (positive, this time) Venom stuff for Marvel that completely contradicts all the shit about how "alien robots are Too Inhuman because they don't have Heterosexual Nuclear Families, how could I ever care" he spouted above. He wrote a Venom run so unabashedly invested in the weird alien character as an actual person! It's got Bizarre Alien Homoeroticism! This is why I think that if Costa ever wanted to give TF another go, I will give him one (1) chance to redeem himself tbh. The man had some kind of enlightening experience between then and now. I want to see what he has learned. For a start he would probably now just make it gay in a very strange way and I would read that, probably. (Seriously, reading his Venom stuff is like, this is the same guy...????)

[ask-yushiro-and-tamayo]

Hello Ms.Tamayo and Mr.Yushiro, I would be glad for you both to answer my questions.

Yushiro: Was your hair always a mint green? Or did your hair color change after you became a demon?

Ms.Tamayo: Have you ever found it strange that, demons go through physical changes like hair, eye, skin color and even have completely different bodies, yet even humans have abnormal colors for their eyes and hair? Like take Kamado Tanjiro for example, he has natural red/pink toned eyes, which goes the same for his sister Kamado Nezuko or for Kochō Shinobu, who you’ve worked with before, has black hair that faded to purple along with purple eyes?

Yushiro: I see that when you met Kamado Tanjiro and Kamado Nezuko, you seemed to show no remorse to the two of them and continuously berated and insulted them, all just because you think they had insulted Ms.Tamayo? Do you do this with every person? Men, Women and everyone in between? Or is this more of a Demon vs. Demon Slayer thing?

Ms.Tamayo: Have you ever taken notice of Yushiro’s feelings for you? Or do you choose to ignore them on purpose? Though I doubt your that oblivious, you seem (and are) a smart woman, so would you ever pursue a relationship with said demon?

Thank you both for your time sincerely,

-🍉ANON

{P.S to Yushiro, I am the same user that asked Ms.Tamayo if she knew of your feelings for her! Fufu, try not to shred this letter to pieces! Say hi to Chachamaru for me!}

Hello again. We’d be glad to answer your questions.

I’ll answer this first question, since Yushiro doesn’t remember much about his own past. Before he was turned, his hair was completely jet black. After he became a demon, however, it changed to the mint green it is now.

While I do find it… odd… that some humans’ physical features differ so much from the norm, I’ve lived long enough to know not to ask questions about it or see them differently for it. After all, genetics have always been a strange thing in my mind. Mutations can happen, which could be the cause of the “unnatrual” eye and hair colours. I once met a person whose skin and hair were all white, and their eyes were red. However they were human, not a demon.

Yushiro, it’s your turn to answer a question.

Alright then, my lady.

Yes, the majority of the reason why I berated Tanjiro and his sister was due to the fact he showed a lack of respect towards lady Tamayo. He and his sister both need to learn some manners, I swear to god.

But I also typically just don’t like people. They’re often slightly annoying to talk to, especially when they could potentially be a threat to lady Tamayo. I don’t think I’ve ever been much of a social person. From what I can remember of my past, I almost never went out, never saw anybody, and-

Yushiro? Are you alright?

I’m fine. Just… my head hurts.

I’ll be leaving now.

Ah. Alright, I guess. The answer to the next question is complicated, I suppose.

I am well aware of Yushiro’s feelings towards me and how he views me. However, due to some… well, a lot of things, I’ve chosen not to accept his feelings. I don’t feel the same way towards him, I see him more as a very good friend and companion. Besides, I… even now, I don’t think I’m quite ready for a relationship. What if something were to happen between him and I? Or what if-

Well, there are too many what if’s. I’d rather remain as his friend than persue romance with him. That way, nothing too complicated can happen. Yushiro is aware I’m not ready for a relationship. He’s chosen to remain by my side even with it and stay with me. For that, I’m forever thankful. Truly I couldn’t ask for a better friend.

[domesticatedanimal]

FFXIVWrite2024

Prompt 19: Taken

NSFT, explicit content. M/F. Erenville x fWoL

Strike While it's Hot

Dust rose behind the two riders in a great cloud, chasing them through the desert and casting them both in shadow. Erenville bounced on the back of a stocky Rroneek, but Sif had given up on the local custom and switched to her chocobo several towns back. She longed to tease him from her higher seat, but had to admit that he rode that beast well.

“Years of practice in another life,” he had explained that morning. He truly was in his element. As much as Erenville had tried to run from his past, Sif had never seen him this at ease. His muscles relaxed, and his usual dour personality had lightened considerably, despite the misery of the past month in Tural.

It was a strange transition for Sif, who had to marry this new image of Erenville with the brooding gleaner she knew from Sharlayan. Sometimes she wished he had remained the same. It would make things much easier.

It was nearing sunset when the next little town popped up over the horizon. Erenville shared its name, but Sif could neither remember nor pronounce it. There had been a lot of towns like this as they continued their tour of Xak Tural. The trip now lacked purpose, but it was something they could both do to escape their respective responsibilities for a while.

The town had a small stable for their mounts, a few ramshackle houses, and a saloon that was entirely too large for its surroundings. The surrounding land was peppered with small crop fields in varying levels of health, but otherwise there was next to nothing nearby. The overhead piping indicated that a ceruleum operation had lived here once, long before the rust and decay set in.

She let Erenville lead, absently following his boot prints while craning her head around to take in the town. After countless yalms of sand and cacti, even old barrels and fences were interesting. He led them to the saloon, and up the truncated stairs onto its porch.

Luckily, someone was working inside. Even more luckily, they had a room to rent and it was currently empty. The pair of them sat at the bar, quietly nursing ale while the owner prepared their room upstairs. Sif’s mind was already in the future, picturing that warm bath, a proper bed, and some soft covers.

She was only halfway done with her drink when the saloon owner returned, but she needed no coaxing to call it a night.

There was little shame between the two of them, at this point. A month on the road, sharing meager space, had a tendency to work that out of you. They had bathed together, they had shared beds and tents together, and nary an impure thought had entered their minds.

But something was different, tonight. It may have been alcohol on an empty stomach. It may have been sheer exhaustion. Whatever it was, Sif felt supernaturally aware of herself. She crouched in the wooden tub, her ears flicking at every sound. Why is her heart racing? Footsteps on the stairs.

In a flash, she stood, dripping, and threw a blanket around herself. It was stifling hot in the room, but a girlish nervousness was working its way through her body.

Erenville popped into the room, stretching in a series of mild cracks. He stopped mid-movement when he saw her.

“Done with the bath… are we?”

Sif nodded silently.

“And you plan to soak the sheets for what reason?”

“You startled me,” Sif felt herself blushing. Were those chocobo bumps on her skin?

She felt Erenville’s confusion. She wasn’t herself, and she knew it was obvious. Fortunately, he was either oblivious to her nerves, or was choosing to ignore it. He seemed to give her a gentle shrug, and turned toward the tub.

Gods, she thought, get it together.

Erenville began to free himself of the trappings of the road. To Sif, it seemed to be an agonizingly slow process. His old gleaner’s coat came off first, tossed recklessly onto the back of a chair. He wore a thin linen shirt under it, and the sweaty fabric clung lasciviously to his frame. A tightly-knotted sash unwound from his waist, tossed to the floor.

Sif found herself leaning forward, and forced herself back. She flopped onto the bed, steel eyes staring out from the blanket and skin tinted red. Erenville tugged the shirt up and over his head, shaking his ears free. He stretched again, and Sif swallowed hard. The lantern line shone on his dark skin, every line of muscle and bone seeming to teem with glitter. Erenville’s thumbs slipped into the waist of his breeches, and a meek cry slipped from between Sif’s lips as she slammed her eyes closed.

“Are you feeling ok?” Erenville turned to her, genuine concern in his face.

Sif nodded vigorously. “Just a little worn out, I think.”

“Well…” The blanket had slipped a little, and Erenville’s gaze fell onto the sloping curve of skin from her clavicle to her humble breasts. He blinked. “As long as you feel as well as you look… Rather, as long as you are not ill.”

I don’t know what I am, she thought.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to get the road off of my skin.”

Are his eyes on me, again? Sif shifted, consciously making no effort to adjust the blanket. It was soaked through by now, anyway.

Erenville turned back to the bath, somewhat less gracefully than before. Sif kept her eyes open.

The sharp dimples at the base of Erenville’s spine flexed as he lifted a leg to slip out of the breeches, highlighting an ass earned through years of hiking across the star. He stepped into the tub delicately, and Sif ran her eyes up calf and thigh, darting at the hint of something past his hip. Her pulse was racing now, and her saliva felt thick in her throat. There was a deep heat in her abdomen which seemed to flick out to her toes and the base of her ears.

Sif had bedded with women before, but never a male. The thought wasn’t without appeal, but it had never taken her like this before. What would it be like, she wondered, to not be the one in charge? She became aware that she was digging her nails into one thigh, and made an effort to relax. After all, what made her think he had any interest in pursuing this?

She glanced up, and noticed Erenville’s arm moving in the water.

Is he?

Sif gave in. She let the blanket fall from her shoulders, and rose from the bed. She felt an aching yearning that was altogether foreign to her. Padding gently across the floor, she held her breath in anticipation. Directly behind the tub, she watched her companion as he quietly and delicately stroked himself.

Something awoke in her; some primal drive that had lain dormant for decades. She dropped down, wrapping her arm around Erenville’s bare chest. He jumped, abandoning his work.

“Sif! I can…”

“Shut up,” she purred, closing her mouth over his. He did not pull away.

Sif helped him stand, and pulled him back toward her as the water dripped from his frame. Her back hit the wall as he fell onto her, his tongue as hungry as hers. Sif worked her arm between them and grasped his hard flesh, shocked at its heat. Erenville held her against the rough wood wall, his hands clawing over her body.

“Godsdamn you,” he broke the kiss to growl, “if you start this, I don’t think I can stop.”

Sif squeezed him, pulling him toward her and guiding his length to her.

“Then don’t.”

Erenville buried his teeth in her neck, drawing a loud groan from her throat. He held her hips and lifted, and Sif followed the lead, wrapping her legs around his ebony waist. Her thighs trembled against his hips as he pushed forward, making them one. She fell into him, crying out into his chest, getting drunk on the heady scents of leather and dust and sun steaming off of his skin.

Framed portraits shook on the wall from the power of Erenville’s movement, but still Sif was grinding into him, lost in the ecstasy of the moment. Her breath was ragged and uneven, every other exhale coming out as a swear. Electricity fired up her spine and she threw her head back, shouting a desperate cry into the air. Erenville met her lips, kissing her deeply, pinning her against the wall harder still. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, breaking his skin as her nails dug into him.

And in a moment, they collapsed into each other. They held the kiss, drowning in the taste of each other as they embraced. They stayed entwined for a moment, each afraid to be the first to move. She shivered as he freed himself from her, before guiding her to the bed.

Sif breathed deeply. She could still feel him. This was something she could get used to. Erenville was beside her and above her, nibbling her neck, kissing her breasts, her stomach…

“I had no idea you were so insatiable,” Sif sighed.

“To be fair,” he smiled. Had he always been this handsome? “With most women, I am not this insatiable.” Kisses lower. Deeper. “But you are not most women.”

“Even for a Viera, that’s an old line.”

Erenville frowned.

Sif laughed, slipping her fingers into the black tangle of his hair. “But I didn’t say stop.”

---

Hot coffee, a knowing glare from the saloon’s owner, and freshly watered mounts later, they were back on the road. Whatever had ignited in them that night, it rarely returned. The journey would press on, many exhausting yalms to go. And every now and then, when the night was cold or frustration was high, they would let instinct take them.

[dorokora]

Epilogue:

We get narration about Ragnorok. Each god fell one by one. But Odin chose to become one with the vanishing gods. As a result, Odin's personality loses its outline and is absorbed into omniscience. Rather than continuing the age of gods he instead chose a future that never ends. We get a Odin face reveal in this game for the first time. Yuuji can understand what Odin is saying somewhat since he’s connected to him. Loki ask Yuuji what is he. He’s clearly human or at the very least a former human like Odin. How is it possible for him to reach omniscience without destroying his personality. Yuuji explains that he doesn’t use this power for himself. That's how he separate the boundary between himself and omniscience. Therefore, you can keep your personality separate. In the past, Odin was able to maintain his personality because there was another being by his side, Loki. In fact, in this future where there is no person named Loki, even Odin has been absorbed into omniscience. Even if you know the danger in advance, you cannot avoid it. This is because "knowing" and "experiencing" are different. Yuuji says this happened to him once. He has taken over this role from his other future self. Because another him failed before. He knew he shouldn't do that (a reference to the alternate future Yuuji from the original game?). So he chose something different.

This future’s Odin began to talk to Loki and the others. Once upon a time, He just didn't want his family to end. Then, he became one with them and went wherever he wanted to go without anyone to stop him. Then he became lonely. Because he left everyone in the family alone. He left everyone alone for so many years, he doesn’t even know how many hundreds of years. He did something he shouldn't have done. A wish for a future for just him alone. But because he has become one with omniscience, he’s no longer able to choose that for himself.

Yuuji says he did something similar before. So, what Odin just said, he think he can do it. But Yuuji decided that he will never use this power again for himself and ``as he have decided.'' Yuji knows very well what happened to those people. So, he’ll help Odin with that. Odin tells Loki he isn’t the same Odin he knows from his future. Odin says in this future, his Thor and Loki will always be with him. If Loki ever meets his Odin, tell him what to chose. Loki bowed his head, crying tears, he begs for the others to help this Odin. Odin gives one last gift. He send a reward to the winners of the "game". He give his one and only life of his to that human being, White Gordon. The ``preserved humans'' who originally lacked ``roles'' and ``authorities'' will also be set free and the future will move forward. White Gordon is revived. Yuuji says all that's left is to return everyone to their original places. But he’s being his usual horny self when he sees two versions of Fafnir, Claus, and Gordon.

Everyone disappeared and went to their respective futures. Except Yuuji and MC who have a talk first. Yuuji says he guess he was the one who started this in the first place. At that time (after the first collab event?), Yuuji was trying to return to his home world from Tokyo through the Gate. In fact, it seems like that "gate" wasn't actually directly connected to the world we were in. So he tried to jump directly over that wall and tried to return via a tower that was higher than it. It seems that he touched something forbidden. it seems like it's a device that treats it as an attack when someone who has the same rule as [censored] enters it. So Yuuji got scolded for it. Tokyo seems to have strict restrictions of not only on entering but also on leaving. The other him, the original Yuuji, was also the holy land of multi-dimensional [censored] interference (Sylvester?), created by the "Fourth [censored]". There is only one ``All'' in one world. However, he connected it and touched it. That why he was able to recover from [censored] after being exposed to that fatal eye. MC wants to know more but Yuuji can’t tell them because it’s seriously taboo. Well, to put it simply, it seems like this whole event was Yuuji’s fault.

Back in Tokyo, the Tower situation has been resolved. Raven shows up with Beowulf behind him. Raven said Beowulf will be more useful than that cat of Lake Lausanne (Cath Palug). This shows how Beowulf first join the Game Masters. We also see how Loki and Oscar met and that Loki turned himself in to prison. Cut to Ahura, who felt Ahriman’s presence when the Tower shook. A light of "authority" that creates a dragon's skeleton, which is the empty shell of a dragon, and gives it a virtual personality and moves it. It was the same as when Ahriman, his archenemy, created a new vessel and replaced his body.

Back to Yuuji, he explains why MC looked like him in the alternate future. In Tokyo, MC’s body looks different depending on the person they’re meeting with. It seems like it's only limited to that Tokyo and it wasn't connected to the alternate future. That's why MC created another vessel to go to that future as ``a person different from myself''. Yuji was probably the only person who seemed to have a "connection" with MC in the alternate future. It may have been the other Yuuji who is no longer here lent them his empty shell. Yuuji says he here because a certain bishop (Meteo) helped him a long time ago. Anyway they say their goodbyes and promise to have another adventure next time.

[pessimisticshapewithablog]

Cult of the Lamb theory # 8

Baal and Aym are the demi-god sons of Forneus and Narinder. I'm referencing the titles of their respective soundtracks. This could just be referring to Forneus as their mother but I can theorize. It isn't uncommon in mythology for gods to sire children with mortals. I allude to this theory alot in my previous posts but, I decided to make it an official one.

Inspiration and Analysis

First impressions

When I first saw them I jokingly thought they looked like Narinder's kids. They look alot like him just smaller(taller?). When compared to their mother they do take more after Narinder in color and physical features minus the third eye. They did inherit their mother's hair tufts but not her tail. It looks like Aym(moon) might have inherited one of his mothers eye, although because of that scar it could just be an injury.

Symbolism

I want to believe the twins may respresent split aspects of Narinder, or Narinder and Forneus. Sun and Moon, life and death, health and sickness. Two sides of the same coin. Contrary to his previous incarnation as the Bishop of Death, Narinder embodies both life and death. He has the ability to control the souls of those who die, and resurrect them. He can bring the dead back to life. But that is where Narinder's control ends. He cannot create new life, only manipulate what has already existed.

This where Forneus comes in. The name Forneus is derives from the Latin word 'fornus' meaning 'oven'. She and her namesake, Forneus is a Great Marquis of Hell, share little to no similarities besides the name. But the 'oven' name could refer to her ability to bear life. In the past the womb was refered to as an oven or kiln in which new life was developed. Forneus is also alive verses Narinder, who is possibly deceased. That is pure speculation on my part though. There is no evidence in-game that explicitly states that Narinder or Baal and Aym are actually deceased, just imprisoned.

We also don't know the limits of Narinder's death and crown powers in his prime. All references to him and his new religion seem to be gone, possibly destroyed by the bishops, or lost to time.

Conception

Nothing is known about the conception of Baal and Aym. All we know is that Forneus is their mother. I'm gonna be honest, if my theory is correct, what led to Narinder choosing Forneus as their mother? Was it because she's another cat? Was it her loving personality? Her size, is Narinder a chubby chaser? Was it a Mary and God situation or more...biblical. The more I think about it the more questions I have.

Forneus never references a father of the twins in any of her dialogue. Given that she is a cat, male cats aren't all that involved in the child rearing process, so, maybe culturally, who sires the kits isn't all that important. This assumption makes me believe that Narinder may have sired the twins under the guise of a mortal. Similar to Zeus in the story Leda and the Swan.

Sacrifice..?

"O what good are hearts if they cannot be given? I thought to keep mine to myself, once. Two kits I did have, true love found! And yet one lackadaisy summer day, my beautiful children were taken away… a gift, they said, for the one they loved most, the one that waits… I wept, I keened… But how can one say no to a God? Wherever they be, I hope they are as devoted and loving as I!" -Forneus

While never explicitly stated, Forneus is a follower, and/or worshipper of TOWW. Even after his imprisonment he still has followers, even if few in number.

It is never stated that Aym and Baal were sacrificed to TOWW, only that they were gifts to him. It hard to discern who the 'they' is in Forneus's quote. She stated her children were taken away "for the one they loved the most". This could be referring to the twins or Narinder's other followers. Regardless, it seems that the twins continue to devote themselves to Narinder. But it's not like they had a choice. It unknown to us if they were always so willing.

Conclusion

I kinda sad that they don't get any personification besides "loyal to Narinder" but their namesakes may shed some light on who they might have been. But with the recent blood moon festival update, I hope future installments expand more on who these two used to be.

Update: 20221113

"Your merciless crusade against the Old Faith warms my cold, unbeating heart."

Some of Narinder's dialogue implies that he maybe dead, or atleast his heart is NOT beating. So he and the twins may actually be dead...

[gettothestabbing]

What does a Christian Science Nurse do and how do you get qualified as one? Asking as someone with a lifelong interest in religion.

Hi, thanks for asking! A Christian Science Nurse takes care of patients who are receiving Christian Science treatment. It is specific to the Christian Science denomination.

The major requirements are that you: be a member in good standing of both a branch and the Mother Church of Christ Scientist; take Primary class instruction; receive training from an accredited Christian Science nursing facility across four levels (not including an assistantship which is not required at all facilities but was how I started); participate in regular Bible study and be a spiritual help and comfort to your patients; and embody the qualities in the 'Aids in sickness' passage:

Prayers, in which God is not asked to heal but is besought to take the patient to Himself, do not benefit the sick. An ill-tempered, complaining, or deceitful person should not be a nurse. The nurse should be cheerful, orderly, punctual, patient, full of faith, — receptive to Truth and Love. (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 395:15) [Truth and Love are one of the seven synonym-names we use for God.]

I began working in this field in 2018 as an assistant. I am now a Level 4 apprentice. I work full-time on the floor and so my final level is going slowly, but I should be done by the end of next year! The highest level of education is to be Journal-listed. This means you advertise your name in the back of the Christian Science Journal, a monthly church periodical that also has names of churches, practitioners, and nursing facilities after about 40-50 pages of spiritual articles. Only as a JL could I, for example, be head of the floor or eventually a Director of Christian Science Nursing. I did a stint of care in private homes in 2020-2021, and let me tell you, if you're not a JL, you are not given almost any respect. I would not work in a private home again unless I was a JL.

Usually patients have been Christian Scientists for a number of years and rely wholly on this treatment. Although I believe that being a church member is not a strict requirement to be a patient, the vast majority of people receiving this treatment are in the church already. Patients are also free to stop care at any time and be transferred to a regular nursing home or a hospital. I have seen patients leave to treat an urgent issue medically and return within a week to continue with us.

(There is no stigma related to doing this in the vast majority of branch churches. My own father had such an experience after a stroke several years ago. The love and support our family had from fellow church-members did not waver or change at all when he decided to pursue medical treatment.)

Someone undergoing a Christian Science treatment will not simultaneously be taking medication for the condition being treated. So I do not administer medication, nor do I have a medical degree. A patient has also never asked me for such medication or tried to get me to sneak any in. We do, however, use mobility aids, bandages, and some lotions to soothe irritated skin. In the Christian Science nursing facility I work at, and in almost all the accredited ones we have, hospital-style beds are used for ease of care and to allow patients to shift positions more comfortably. We've also used mattresses that circulate air inside, and some very creative pillow arrangements, to increase a patient's comfort.

Patients choose a Christian Science practitioner pray for and with them. Practitioners have taken an adult religious class called Primary class instruction (taught by a practitioner with decades of experience and approved by the Mother Church). Almost all CS adults take this class, and it is also one of the first requirements for becoming a Level 1 Christian Science Nurse. But most adults have careers in non-religious fields; a practitioner solely works to pray with and treat other Christian Scientists. We have no clergy in our church, but Christian Science practitioners/nurses/teachers are accorded a similar level of respect within the church.

A Christian Science Nurse is the person providing physical care, while the practitioner usually gives spiritual care remotely over the phone. We work together with patients and their practitioners, making sure that the patient is not misleading the practitioner as to their actual state of health and that we as Christian Science Nurses can give the patient spiritual support consistent with the themes the practitioner is presenting to them.

In practical terms, I am a non-medical nurse. I clean and bandage wounds and swollen limbs. I give showers and sponge baths, sometimes while the person remains in bed. I wheel people places in wheelchairs or walk them there with a walker or cane. I change their clothes, help style their hair, and change out briefs and pads as necessary. I use lifters and slings to transport patients from bed to wheelchair to recliner and back again. I read, sing to, and play hymns for my patients and other patients at the nursing facility. We have lots of conversations, and I help them call their loved ones. I also feed and make snacks for them every day.

These are all tasks quite similar to those performed by most employees of most nursing homes. The spiritual dimension of care is what sets us apart from other workers and from other facilities. Some CS people prefer to have injuries bandaged and tended to by a Christian Science Nurse after an initial hospital visit. The preference is a result of our spiritual care: we witness to the patient before, during, and after physically caring for them.

While many patients are senior citizens, this is not a requirement. Children, teenagers, and younger adults have received short and long term treatment in our facilities. Hence why we call them nursing facilities, not nursing homes.

It's so nice to be asked about this, so thank you! I hope I provided sufficient context. There may be similar roles in other churches, but I haven't heard of any and couldn't speak to them. I originally planned to be a lawyer, but God called me to this work instead, and I'm very happy and fulfilled to do it :)

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

So, I finally caught up on the past two cons for the most part.

As a writer, Dean's death will never not be tragic to me, in the worst way.

We can talk about bad messaging. We can talk about the ridiculous way it happened (rusty nail, anyone?). We can talk about COVID and how that impacted everything they decided to do behind the scenes.

But ultimately, it was not the right way for Dean to go out. I respect Jensen's opinion, feelings, and eventual acceptance on the matter (obviously) but there's some things that are missing here that aren't being talked about. By him, anyone else involved with the show, or even the fandom.

Dean didn't die a hero's death or a warrior's death as Jensen called it. A hero's death is when there is some form of self-sacrifice involved. There was none of that happening in that scene. Had Dean pushed one of the kids out of the way and then was impaled, or pushed Sam out of the way even, then it could be considered a hero's death. Even if there was no one to push out of the way, had Dean gone up against the Big Bad, dying in the process, again -- sacrifice. But that didn't happen either. No, instead, he is sacrificed in the story line (to set up Sam's endgame), sent to drive around Heaven for 40 years, and his agency is taken away from him. Had he truly been a side character all along, then obviously this wouldn't even be an issue. But he wasn't; he's been a main character since at least season 4 of the show or even earlier. The show may have started out with Sam as the sole protagonist but it had evolved by the time season 4 rolled around and Dean had been made one as well.

Dean only regains agency in that one scene in The Winchesters (1x13) when his primary motivation (Sam) is given back to him through the exposition he does in the scene with The Winchesters' characters, Bobby, and Jack.

Your hero (like I said, this includes Sam as well) is not supposed to lose their agency. That's the whole point. They're always given a choice even when their circumstances might not be of their own choosing. Think Jon Snow. Think Aragorn and Frodo. Think Iron Man. Even Buffy Summers or the Halliwell sisters. Maverick in the second Top Gun movie, sacrificing himself to save Rooster and then (not to spoil for those who may have not seen the movie yet) we see what happens. But the point is, he made that choice. Rooster made his choice. The two main characters of the film. The hero is always given the choice.

If this had happened when facing off with Chuck, even then it still might have been better. Chuck was the final Big Bad; you don't get higher than God in this fictional world, right? Again, that would have been a warrior's death.

And that doesn't even begin to address that this was not where Dean and Sam's stories were leading in the narrative. I know we've all talked about the "two finales" that 15x19 and 15x20 were respectively, but I do wish they had left it open-ended like they did in 15x19. That not only would have made more sense for their arcs over the past ten plus years but it also would have allowed (again, narratively) for a proper reboot/continuation/revival down the road. I am interested to see how the idea Jared talked about would come about and I'm sure they'll make it work, but seriously (and I mean no disrespect to Jensen, Jared, or the crew who worked hard on the episode) that whole ending was a disaster that just didn't need to happen. Both boys died to keep the parallel going but them being alive and on the open road would have kept that parallel between them going as well.

Dean already had a beautiful death monologue in 9x23 to Sam. While Jensen and Jared gave their all in that scene and I fully acknowledge that and appreciate it, I do wish we hadn't gotten that dialogue in the barn scene. It has nothing to do with ship wars or fandom drama -- it has to do with the character development for both boys being nuked solely by the dialogue in the five minutes it took for Dean to die. It literally undid every single thing that happened since 1x01 for each brother and everything they had been through. While I'm all for the beautiful brotherly moments (and Jensen and Jared acted the crap out of that scene), this just felt so completely wrong. I don't care about the forehead touch or the hand holding or anything else. All of it was fine except for that dialogue that mentions John, Stanford, etc. Just completely nuking 15 years, all to bring it back to the pilot. But instead of it being a beautiful tribute to their beginning while also showcasing their development and their journey, they brought it right back to that moment instead, in a way that just makes you scratch your head and go "what?" It reminds me a lot of Daenerys' death scene monologue actually - completely nuked character development and conflicting messages to the audience.

Like I said, I completely respect Jensen's (and Jared's) opinion on the 15x20 death and if Jensen eventually got to a place where he's at peace with it and that's how he views the scene (a warrior's death), then I'm happy for him. But writing wise, the way the show chose to go about it didn't make sense. And that includes Sam's ending as well. Sam may have honored his brother's wishes to live his life peacefully, that's great and true of their brotherly bond and to Dean's character, but showing Sam in the party city wig breaking down crying in the Impala years down the road was not it.

Sure, he missed his brother and there's nothing wrong with showing that, but again conflicting messages in the writing. He left Dean and hunting behind in the bunker and moved on with his life (the whole significance of him sitting in Dean's room and shutting down the bunker btw), marrying and having a family. He even had Dean 2.0 as his son, a part of Dean living on and Sam honoring his memory. So why the breakdown scene?

15x20 will always be a sticky point with me when it comes to the series as a whole. Like Jensen said once upon a time, those who like it and those who have issues with it are both valid. But me, I tend to lean towards the latter camp though I don't completely hate it. It's still part of our boys' story. I just wish they had decided to go about it a different way or at the very least, make some tweaks to make it make more sense in the end while staying true to the characters and everything they had endured for 15 years.