#but i didnt have the strength to fix it either

[bunnyreaper]

vent post feel free to ignore

it's genuinely weird being in a place with no best friends, no SO, no irl friends...

while i appreciate everyone's sweetness i genuinely don't think ive felt more alone, because while im surrounded by such lovely people i have no one to call my own anymore

[officialgleamstar]

okay, here's a long post talking about my thoughts on dungeons and daddies, s2ep45, hell or high father. obvious spoiler warning, im gonna be talking about the events of the episode, but this is going to be more outside the fourth wall focused/thinking about what the pacing says about the narrative, rather than actually talking about what happened in this episode!! also ive only listened to the episode once so if i missed anything, feel free to say so

to start immediately: i loved this episode, but i was also disappointed that ron, terry, and scary didn't get a full episode. but i was thinking about why that would be the case, and that lead me to the two reasons im speculating:

Beth felt that Scary's arc didn't necessitate a big ending and that it came to a clean closing with that scene

This episode shows the narrative divide between the Stampler family and the Close family

the first reason is mostly a timing thing. they included taylor in this episode as well because scary's conclusion didn't need the full run time, or maybe even lincoln's episode was longer than they wanted it to be and scary was supposed to be in that arc as well. the pacing was just a result of the past few episodes: scary has already confronted that she regrets how she treated terry, we've seen that a million times. ever since his death, she's confronted that fact again and again, and i think it makes sense that this episode would resolve that in a much quieter way than it could've. the stamplers have always been the family to resolve things 'the right way' - they show up for each other, they love each other unconditionally, they finish their arcs by holding one another in forgiveness. even if i wouldve loved a longer memory (though holy shit, WE SAW THE BETRAYAL ON SCREEN-- sorry not the point of this post), and i really hope we get some more with them in upcoming episodes, i did like how it was so sweetly resolved!!

and that sweetness leads into the bulk of my thoughts here: scary and taylor shared an episode because of how differently their memories went.

as soon as nicky went "i have a memory you weren't around for", i knew we were in for a fucking ROLLERCOASTER, and holy shit. the entire played out montage of glenn failing to be there for nicky, failing to be there for taylor, and in turn, taylor finally tells nicky to his face that he wasn't there for taylor either. taylor's fixation on the idea of redoing it all with time travel, because there is no other way, in his mind, to solve the rift in their relationship. "there's no fixing this." there's too much baggage, there's too much thats already been fucked up, and theres no way for them to come back from that. nicky is a grown adult. taylor is already in his teen years. they can form a relationship with their dad now, but no matter how well that goes, its never going to fix the childhood behind them that was already ruined. they do love each other, they're friends, but being friends doesnt equal a true good relationship. being friends doesnt mean you succeeded in parenting.

and now we contrast that with the stamplers. both terry junior and scary go into their relationship with their stepdads seeing him as an inferior replacement, as someone who could never truly be their dad. terry junior loved his biological dad, is literally named after him. scary's dad was so absent in her life that she doesnt know how to handle someone actually being there. they both refuse to take the replacement, until eventually, they learn that their stepdad's strength is that hes a new man. not a replacement, but his own full person, a person who loves them. ron put his life on the line for terry, time and time again, because he didnt want to be his own dad. terry showed up to all of scarys soccer matches, even when she refused to even acknowledge him, because he didnt want to be her bio dad. "you showed up." even though terry's memory is literally him using ron, it ends with ron forgiving him without a second thought. when scary apologizes to terry, terry takes her into his arms with a moment's hesitation.

the stamplers have a happy ending because even with how badly they've fucked up, they always showed up for their kids. the closes don't have a happy ending because they weren't in their kids' lives and they think being friends now fixes that. and that's why scary and taylor shared their episode, really. because it drives home the crucial difference between the two families

[the-lark-ascending69]

I didnt love S3 but Steve peaked there. Robin became the final puzzle piece he needed to complete his development - thanks to the actors because the duffers clearly didn't know what to do with him. Steve spent the last three seasons chasing after a girl who would never be his soulmate, and when he accepted that, he tried to find someone else to love instead. He tried flirting with any girl whose attention he could hold for over 60 seconds, except for Robin - setting her apart already, though for the wrong reasons initially. She was originally meant to be Nancy's replacement as Steve's arm candy, it seems, but making her a lesbian at the last moment is really what saves S3 for me, not only because she's my baby, my favorite character and I adore her with my whole heart, but also because... the improvised straightbait turned out to work incredibly well at the time to cement the conclusion of Steve's arc - he was a piece of shit and lost Nancy to someone who was better for her (say what you want about Jonathan, but that's clearly the idea the writers had with him, regardless of the effectiveness of the execution). Steve couldn't get Nancy back, and really, he shouldn't be focusing on romance at all because that's just not what he needs to grow as a person. The people who truly challenge him, push him to be better and motivate him to grow are his platonic bonds - Dustin and Robin. He couldn't "fix" everything with Nancy (meaning that he couldn't go back to before everything changed, as if he hadn't messed up). Nancy may appreciate the change but she won't go back to him. Steve doesn't need to change for love - he needs to change for himself, in order to be a better person, period. And Nancy has no reason to stay and watch him grow, she has her own matters to attend to, and she doesn't have enough space in her life for Steve. So Steve finds new people, somewhere else, away from Nancy, and he grows thanks to them.

Robin being not only just his friend but also being completely and eternally unavailable to him works perfectly here. The audience believed, alongside Steve (and the Duffers lmfao) that what Steve needed was romantic love, but Robin proves him wrong. He gets over his ex-girlfriend and finds a sister instead.

And then Season 4 ruins that, for no reason and to no one's benefit. Steve regresses. The growth is undone, for the purpose of keeping Nancy in that eternal love triangle loop that seemed to have been solved two seasons ago. It's sad and disappointing and I'm hoping they don't revisit that in S5.

What I would've done instead would've been to let Steve finish his arc in S3. S4 Steve has a flat arc now. He learned all he had to learn. He's fine. Now, he's here to teach others what he's learned, and I think it would be very interesting if the person who learned from him the most turned out to be Nancy. Steve basically just discovered the power of friendship, and deep emotional connections and trust and how closeness to others makes you stronger. Gives you a purpose. He learned to love and care for others and now that's his strength. Have him tell her about how much he cares about Robin and Dustin. Show him bonding more with Lucas and Max. Contrast him with Nancy, who is isolated, who just lost another friend after leaving him alone, and is desperately trying to protect Max from Vecna. Maybe she's hesitant to become friends with Robin, or to rely on her and Steve to share the burden, or trust the kids to take care of themselves on some capacity. Nancy has become more and more isolated as Steve grows closee to other people.

Then Steve sacrifices himself in S5 to save either Robin or Dustin or both of them idk I think that would be the best conclusion to his arc. Passing on the torch to one of them. Maybe Robin becomes the new babysitter and protector. Maybe Dustin becomes the new hot boy at Hawkins High idk but I think an ending of this sort would fit. He doesn't even need to actually die, if he somehow survives it still works, just having a sacrifice scene (not played for laughs) would be a perfect way to conclude his growth and move on to inspire others to grow like others have done for him.

[the-nefarious-vampire]

inch resting that lena said there were both benevolent and malevolent powers now and didnt allude to any Entities being in control (she said that the oiar was "managing" the bad guys which suggests there's either no higher power that she she's aware of, or that the higher powers control the oiar somehow). i mean obviously thats not the full story, and her version of events is probably pretty faulty knowing magnus, but it does sorta seem like these guys are running around unchecked. so maybe instead of an overarching forces deal like we had in tma, the cases are more separate.

anyway i think it's not quite to do with devotion or obsession or love and more to do with belief, or like, how many people you've made an impression on. how strong of an Idea you are. something something scp cognito hazards. inksoul and mr bonzo and violince guy had their fans (and god knows where that violin had been before he got his hands on it). the most recent dude had complete faith in the betting (?) app and im sure many other people did too. needles obviously got strength from people being afraid of him. the volunteers had their "great cause". all this i think has Implications for sam's new obsession with the magnus institute too but thats not what im talking about rn

it's also possible that this malevolent/benevolent split is totally arbitrary human categorization. we'll probably have to meet some of the Good Guys before we really start getting to know whats going on, but thats probably a ways off yet cause of the nature of the oiar, as revealed by lena last episode. they just wont be showing up in reports, thats not what the system's for. some of them kinda toe the line, like the dice, but i dont think we've met any Good Guys yet. maybe they'll show up and fix things in one of the reports or maybe they'll bust down the door to the oiar or someone will run into one in the outside world like how sasha met the distortion or maybe colin will fuck with the system so much it starts reading reports of chill people who cause flowers to bloom around them or who always have a pen if you need one or whatever. maybe the heavily tattooed person from episode 11 will turn out to be a good guy idk ive not checked out the arg i could have embarrassed myself so bad so many times this post. either way if im right that means that santa's probably real in this universe. also every religion simultaneously

[mxtxfanatic]

I know you didnt share you fandom journey for sympathy BUT, I am sending you a big, tight, inescapable hug. You can never get away from it even if you tried. I can and i will smother you in affection so that piece of shits so obsessed with things you like and facts you remember (unlike them) can stay far away and unseen. I am so sorry, I only joined the fandom a few months ago and I never realized how toxic this fandom could be. Filtering doesnt help much, hell staying off social media doesnt either because bullshit is everywhere in large doses. You and your friends are so strong for going through this and still coming out as amazing fandom creators and people. I am glad I see you on my tl. Thank you for all you do, including danfic night (again, try and pry it away from my cold dead hands...i have dead nmj's strength ok?) and being the absolute sweetest person even in DMs!

P.S. I've been curious for a while, have I seen your main around?? like i am nosey who's the amazing person behind this blog do i know them do i follow them am i in a server with them do they-

Awww, you are too sweet 🥺🥺🥺 Yeah I don’t usually talk about my history in this fandom unless it’s relevant, but since I’ve been seeing the subtle shift in the atmosphere in terms of how the new readers are willing to hold discussions and challenge the age old fanons that have since been encoded as fandom law, I figured now would be a good time to let folks know that the issue with jc stans is not new, not exclusive to fights about the “canon jc” tag (which was made on their insistence that we vacate the main tags, something they will now not admit), and has more wide-reaching consequences that you will just never know if the first time you entered the mdzs fandom was when 7seas started releasing it.

(I even forgot to bring up how the 7seas translator got called out for peddling fanon on her metas and mistranslating the actual novel to fit said metas, only to block the people who pointed it out. 7seas had to put out a statement acknowledging the myriad of mistranslations and promising to fix the mistakes (fixes still pending), and that translator has yet to put out another translation with any other publisher since.)

I’m glad that I found this corner of the fandom before I officially joined, and I’m glad that other readers, in turn, find my blog and feel like it’s a safe space to discuss the novel, even if we don’t always agree. It makes me feel like making this blog has actually been a good thing, rather than me just yelling into the void like was the original plan lol. As much bullshit as there is, it’s nice to be able to discuss my favorite stories with different people who love the story for the same reasons I do. And luckily for me, my self-worth isn’t tied into being liked by or feeling superior to people I have no respect for.

[starkkawajiri]

im feeling better and i had a brilliant brilliant genius idea scoob. (EXPLANATION BELOW)

okay class what was the author trying to say

fatui harbinger au. SHOCKED EMOJI

sub-au. an AU of an AU (marvel impact) because three things happened to cross paths in my big empty mind:

1. "man i would love an evil stephen au"

2. "man i need to draw genshin mordo"

and 3. "i love the harbingers" and when the idea lit up like a flame in my brain i exploded out of bed

this au consists of the best magic users ever being fatui harbingers (rip traveler) because evil hot and crazy sexy, instead of adding more harbingers they replace already existing ones because one two three enough fatui for me

so basically evil evil magic users au

((before moving on for ppl that do play genshin but dont know much about the fatui harbingers, there's 11 of them and they're ranked based on strength, personally i wouldnt even know how to scale them based on their powers so i didnt touch the ranks, just switched out the characters))

NOW EXPLAINING EACH OF THEM IN ORDER OF THEIR 'RANK' starting with lowkey

Loki is pretty self explanatory, he takes The Tsaritsa's place because cryo archon.... ice...god.....

i was initially planning on making loki take scaramouche's place because i found scara's "YOU'RE INTERRUPTING A CONVERSATION BETWEEN GODS......" dialogue in the sumeru quest so funny and because the idea of loki being a fake-god seemed cool, but her as the cryo archon and overall leader of the fatui was too good to put aside

IMPORTANT NOTE/EDIT: NVM YALL LMFAOOOO I DECIDED (iwas MANIPULATED /j /aimed) TO CHANGE LOKI BACK TO TAKING SCARAMOUCHE'S PLACE there's a lot more things they have in common and it sets an interesting dynamic between him and other characters in this au, including thor ("better version of him"), strange (using loki as a vessel to create a god) etc

Wong's the baddest bitch in this post theres no other explanation

im (half)joking (hes so fine) theres an explanation

it was between that and making him take Il Capitano's place, which would have been Rank 1, and he would have still ranked higher than everyone else (besides Loki) so i looked at their wikis .

The Director (Pierro) handpicked certain Harbingers, two of which being Il Dottore and La Signora (in this au, Strange and Wanda) so that was just the stars aligning for this au

Strange's gotta be even more self-explanatory than Loki's

il dottore. the doctor.

need i say more (no but i will)

i need at least 34084 aus of this man being evil idk i cant control myself

Sufian and Zandik (Dottore) already had a lot in common or parallel in the marvel impact au, both expelled students from the Akademiya, positive/negative relations with the dendro archon, man kissers, insert il dottore wiki

i want him to be scary and feared now and then, is that too much for a man to want from another man (rip eleazar patients)

clea had to be arlecchino/the knave because. because

clea in a suit primary excuse

arlecchino's cool hair secondary excuse

woman kisser back-up excuse

theres little to no explanation here i just sensed it spiritually (arlecchino is the best ily arlecchino) + the theory about arlecchino being half-hilichurl?? or something like that? because of the cool gradient on her skin, which is rlly awesome, so non-human bonus points

need more insane, cold, calculated, manipulative, insane, insane, deceiving, insane women sometimes

mordo he exists hes here save me mordo

im gonna be so fr with you guys rn

pulcinella is just there, i forget he exists often times

only mordo can fix that

after deciding on making Wong the Director, i considered making Mordo take Il Capitano's place or Pantalone's/The Regrator's, but i was really really unsure, he didn't seem to fit either of them and by making him take the Regrator's place I would be putting him in a rank that is wayy too low (9) and considering how little there is about Pulcinella (literally almost nothing), I would have a lot of creative freedom

wanda had to be one of the easiest to sort out....la signora..... alternatively "crimson witch".......? come on they forced my hand atp

im so sorry red bisexual i didnt want you to get such a low rank (8) i had no other choice

la signora is such a badass im tired of pretending shes not (+her Crimson Witch form is amazing)

consumed by grief and anguish, destroying themselves in the process? they twin

fandom theories about their resurrection? they twin

that was it i love being normal about any interest i have . ever

[swearyshera]

You have no idea how hands-shaking, looking-down-off-a-cliff scared I was to scroll down when Catra began to say sorry and got cut off. I had to take almost a full minute to brace myself cuz I was so afraid Glimmer would do the thing so many other protags have done where they just accept the apology for the sake of expediency or compassion or their own regrets or to focus on moving forward. Or to excuse away the apologizers actions as not their own because of manipulation or emotion. I've been waiting since Day One for this hoping it wouldn't be like those, especially considered canon didnt even attempt it and that left my love for this series feeling like it was missing a piece.

I could never expected it go this hard. Glimmer's grief and guilt and cold rage feels so tangible, and the sheer strength it feels like it took to both acknowledge and honestly deliver those feelings to Catra with no sugarcoating while not full-on attacking her with them and driving a wedge into the only refuge either of them have from Prime breaks my heart. Acknowledging Catra feels sorry but telling her flat out no apology or atonement could heal this, so if she feels sorry thats her own damn problem. A perfect interstice of emotional fortitude and frailty. I could never have dreamt of a moment this great.

Glimmer was always my fave in canon but this catapulted her into the fucking celestial firmament. The catharsis I'm feeling right now makes me feel like I could jump the goddamned moon. This moment alone is my favorite exploration of grief and forgiveness ive seen in a fandom like this since ATLA's The Southern Raiders. I cant wait to see your spin on the rest of this arc if its even a fraction this good. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this and for this project. Thank you.

This was such a hard scene to write. I'd had some ideas written down for this scene for quite a while, and we almost got a scene where they discussed what they would say to Adora instead, but I thought it would perhaps be more impactful to tackle the subject of Angella head on.

I'm not completely oblivious to the fact that many people wished Glimmer and Catra had approached the topic of what happened to Angella in canon. And again, I'd never say that this blog is a 'fix-it' for the stuff people didn't like, but sometimes there's stuff that I wish had been in the show - this was one of those things.

But knowing I wanted to put in a scene and actually writing it are two different things. I was so nervous when this one went out, because I worried that people would react negatively to it (but you didn't, thanks everyone!). You're right that having Glimmer go "Oh, sure, don't worry about it" would have felt hollow and really undercut the whole 'Angella is dead' thing. But equally, if Glimmer had said "Sorry isn't enough, I hate you and will never forgive you", it would have been hard to reconcile that level of sheer hatred with them working together later on.

I chose Glimmer's words quite carefully here. I wanted to show that her opting to take her mother's actions as one of heroic sacrifice rather than a desperate last-ditch attempt to save Etheria from Catra's mistake was for her own benefit, not Catra's. Glimmer makes that choice to discard Catra's part in it every day because that's the only way she can manage her grief (especially when face-to-face with Catra), not because she wants Catra to feel better. And that rejection of the apology was not so much a "Your apology means nothing" as it was "Don't try and complicate the way I'm dealing with this." Sorry means she has to reconcile that Catra feels guilt. Sorry upsets her grieving process. She doesn't want it.

I'm so excited for everyone to see the rest of this arc, particularly how things develop through Corridors. We'll soon be seeing Horde Prime step up his manipulation of Catra's depression, and more about how that is affecting her and driving her to desperation. But we also get those bittersweet flashbacks, the reminders that Adora has always been on her side - even when they've been on opposing sides of a war. And finally, the climax of the episode where Catra saves Glimmer, and (at least here) leaves Adora with some chilling words. I always feel like I become a better writer with every episode, and I am so proud of some of the stuff you're about to see.

[foreverandmoretarot]

how does wonyoung feel about the hate she recieves?

before i start i want to say that the answer to my question was kinda unrelated? i honestly think she just wanted to speak about how she felt with izone and her personal life rather the questions i planned. not that i mind skdjdj just a heads up!

consent to this reading?

10 of cups

yes. she felt quite willing.

how does she feel about the shift from love to hate since debuting in ive?

2 of swords rev, page of pentacles rev, queen of cups

one of the main things i sensed was that she sacrificed a lot to be an idol. she showed vulnerable parts of herself to the public, some of it being unwillingly. but initially she felt it was worth it because she loved being in iz*one. she really adored the girls and definitely made that clear to me. they made her feel secure, at home, and at her best. she felt comfortable around them, and around fans too. i think her relationship with the industry was a lot more relaxed and she wasn't afraid to be vulnerable.

while reading the first card the air felt really heavy and sad :( their disbandment was definitely difficult for her

she really wanted to stay as a group but didn't have the power to change anything. she knew the end would come before she was ready to say goodbye, and i think this was where the sad energy came from. despite her strong feelings, which i think she was vocal to them about the people in power along with her company didn't care how she felt. im sensing money was prioritized.

despite her being in a new environment with more negative opinions on her, shes overcome the hate quite well. i don't see the hate having a significant impact on how she feels about herself and her career. shes confident about her strengths and has good control of managing her emotions. i'm sensing her close circle of people is a major factor of her feeling this way. theres a lot of good friends/people in her life. they take her mind off her job and make her feel like a regular human. yeah she definitely isn't alone, thats a clear message coming through.

to sum it up, she misses iz*one dearly and felt safer when she had them, but the increase in hate doesn't affect her majorly!

any further comments you want to say?

8 of swords, 10 of cups rev, the hermit

the number 3 came to mind right before i started the reading, and it came up again right after i asked this question. i decided to split my deck into 3 piles and chose the top card from each of them after shuffling

despite most of the reading being her overcoming her problems and having positive outcomes, these last few cards were really opposite? shes currently avoiding something, i think a conversation with either her family or group members. a fight took place and she really needed/still needs space from them, so she distanced herself for a while. i got mixed signals whether this was ive or iz*one, but im leaning towards ive.

this last part is a stretch, and i could very well be misinterpreting it- but im just here to share what i read and felt. while reading these last 3 cards i kept getting the feeling that ive were splitting up due to whatever this issue wonyoung was dealing with was. she didnt feel mad or sad, it was more like "its a bummer, but things just aren't working out". it came to me really abruptly, and a little panicked? take that information however you'd like. im not sure if this is just potentially happening or if its something that can be fixed. well thats all, thanks sm for reading!

[gt-tmnt-hyperfixation]

✨ with beeg rise raph, either headcanons or a oneshot, whichever u prefer!

Ofc! Rise raph is such a big sweet boy, he needs more love!

Someone to lean on

Tcest DNI

Of all the things that could have gone wrong today, raph did not think it would have gone this badly. That was for sure. It was a seemingly normal mission they had gone on. Nothing out of the ordinary! Well, except this particular opponent had a knack for changing the size of things. Animals, objects, people.. Thats how raph ended up in this situation. They went in blind, and got cocky. Raph's caution regarding his size at a mere six feet was blatantly obvious, and it was that weakness that caused them to loose this fight.

Raph, now about twice his normal size, had to use the subway tunnels just to get back home. He was too big to get in through anywhere but the garage. He felt claustrophobic to say the least. Before it was tough being a foot taller and much bulkier than his brothers. Now it was upsetting. He doesnt fit through the doors, he cant go relax and goof off with his brothers, he cant even go take a nap! He takes up a good portion of the common room so his brothers cant goof around either..

He was sitting with his legs hugged up to his body, his head resting on his knees. He would hide in his shell but he was scared that if he wasnt careful he would break something coming back out. Like accidentally punching a wall whenhe sticks his arms back out. He kept trying to think but any time he came up with a possible way to sit this out or make it more managable, his dumb brain shot it down with an irrational contradiction! But.. he couldnt help it. He had hurt his brothers by mistake just being 6 feet tall. Now it was way worse!

He was distracted from his anxious sulking when he spotted his younger brother approaching. Leo. Probably here to make jokes. Leo seemed to have noticed his brother had spotted him, qnd waved up at him. "Hey, big guy! Mind giving me a lift?" Leo asked. Raph immedeatley hesitated, his head ducking into his shell a little because he was upset. What if-

"Raph. I have a portal sword. I'll be fine!" Leo reminded, practically already knowing what his big brother was doing. Leo had seen him do it a million times. Raph was a little caught off guard by the call out. He hesitated before reaching down to floor level so he could climb on. This was fine. He cant accidentally crush him.

Leo sighed. Well, thats progress. He got onto his brother's hand, and sat criss-crossed in his palm as he was lifted. He looked up at his big brother as he was brought to his eye level. "See? You didnt drop me." He said. Raph looked to the side nervously. He felt bad for worrying his little brothers. Leo reached out, resting his hand on his brother's face to comfort him. "Hey, we're gonna fix this! Its not as bad as you're making it out to be. Its inconvenient, sure, but its not that big a deal. Besides! You're super strong, you can beat up bad guys all the time." He said, trying to pep talk his brother.

"Yeah, thats the problem Leo. Im huge, and super strong. I know my own strength when im like a third of my current size! What am i gonna do if someone gets hurt.." he said, looking very upset and concerned. He was careful not to jostle his little brother.

Leo listened and smiled at his brother. "Dont think like that, raph? If you worried any more, and werent bald, you'd have grey hairs by now." He joked. "No one is gonna get hurt. We're gonna sort this out bo problem. Me, april, donnie, and mikey are gonna help you. We're gonna get through this." He said, leaning forward to rest his head against the bridge of his brother's snout. Thats as close as they can get to a hug.

Raph listened to his brother's dumb pep talk. He sighed. He couldnt help but feel a little pride. When had his little brother gotten so good at these goofy speeches? He chuckled softly, finally cracking a snaggle toothed grin as his brother rested his head against his. "..thanks, Leo." He said.

Thats all for this oneshot! Feel free to drop an ask!

[magnaflourious-nerdity]

Eobarry Buffy AU

"This is exactly why, Barry, as your Watcher you need to trust me. Come to me for help. Just because you think you know the ins-and-outs of a situation already, doesn’t mean you do. And now look at you. Look at the mess you've made of tonight. Look at what happened to them, Barry. You know they were never supposed to be involved in something like this."

Barry doesn't speak. He is looking at his hands. they have blood on them, sticky and vivid against his increasingly pale skin. He had thought- He had been sure that it would be an easy take down. A few vamps haunting the sewer and grabbing people. He didn't need Eobard's help- didnt want it. Still hadn't been able to bring himself to trust him when Barry knows why Eobard was sent here for him. Who sent him. What this relationship is supposed to be.

He is a weapon, and Eobard's is the hunter, despite what either of their titles may have indicated. And tonight... tonight the weapon malfunctioned.

Just a few vamps. Nothing he and the rest of the scoobies couldn't handle, nothing they didn't handle already on a nightly basis, except... except it hadn't been. It had been so much more. There were demons there, some kind of portal. A nest.

He'd tried so hard. He'd fought SO, so hard, using every ounce of his unnatural skills that he could muster, trusting his friends to run far, far away until they could regroup. but it wasn't enough. He hadn't been enough, just like always. What good was this strength of his, this unnatural savagery inside him, if he had to watch as his friends... had to watch his family be....

It had been a feast. And he had served them right up.

"Oh, Barry." Eobard sighs, placing a gentle, consoling hand on the top of his head. He strokes his hair slightly in a comforting gesture that Barry knows he doesn’t deserve. Not after....

He screws his eyelids tighter against the images he knows he will never unsee. Eddie. Caitlin. Cisco. Joe. Iris.

There's no pretending they will wake up, no fooling himself into believing there's a fix for this when Eddie's wind pipe has been bitten through and he can see the sick glistening of Caitlins's innards through the gashes left on her abdomen. Cisco, head bent at an unnatural angle, lays nearest to Joe. Or the majority of him, and it is impossible to ignore the reality of the death that now hangs all around him like a fog.

He can't remember anything after he had seen Iris fall to them too, The only things he can conjure up are his own screams mingling with scattered images of viscera and the feel of her life draining out of her in his hands. He longs to hug her to him tightly, comfort himself with the proximity of her one last time, but his hands are still covered in blood and he does not deserve the comfort he seeks, so instead he merely cradles her in his lap and stares into the distance.

It had been quick enough after that, he supposed, the slaying. It was surprisingly easy to tear through the flesh of A demon's throat with your bare hands, if you were motivated enough. Apparently before he just hadn't been. Another failure of his own making.

It didn't matter though, any of it. Not any more. After the fight he had simply frozen there, staring at his friends and family, each one torn into and pried open. Gazing at him with empty, accusatory eyes still propped open in death. He had taken Iris back into his arms afterwards. Kneeling there, unsure what to do as it strikes him that he is once again been orphaned. He is alone again.

Alone. Except for his watcher.

Eobard's hand continues to stroke through his hair, murmuring soothing words, that slice Barry open with the truth of them.

"I know you didn't mean to Barry. I know they wanted to help. but this is no place for civilians already, and if you don't consult with me, don't trust me completely...

I knew they weren't vampires, Barry. I cpuld have told you what it was you were walking into."

Barry stiffens under his hand, and Eobard hides his smile under a grimace meant to imply his own feelings of guilt. A clean strike. Just a little more now, he thinks to himself.

"If you had just come to me, talked to me, I could have told you that this was demonic activity. That it was too dangerous for them. I don't know why you feel you can't trust me, but barry you have to. You have to or something even worse might happen next time."

There is nothing worse that could happen to him. No way for any situation to devastate him this deeply ever again.

Eobard comes to stand in front of barry. kneeling down in front of him, he gently removes iris from Barry's arms, and takes barry into his own.

"A slayer's life is a solitary one for a reason, Barry. And I'm so sorry you had to find out that truth this way. But, if you can learn to trust me, then I can be here for you, i can help you save people." he feels barry stiffen at those words and he lowers his voice to a whisper, injecting a tone of remorseful desperation into his next words "Please let me help you Barry, even setting aside that I'm your Watcher... I care too much about you to let you do this alone."

Eobard knows hes hit homw again when he feels Barry raise his hands to grip him back finally, in a hug so tight it might break a rib on a normal person. His fingers tangle into the silky fabric of Eo's shirt as he finally breaks and begins to sob in earnest.

The smile is back on his face, now that Barry can't see, too preoccupied with his grief. He looks around disdainfully at the sight. The demons had been a necessary step in assuring Barry's compliance and the removal of certain negative influences, but that didn't mean he approved of them. Messy, unpredictable things, but A means to an end. One he was an expert at manipulating.

He pats Barry's back in small strokes and tells him that he'll take care of everything. Thats what hes here for after all. To watch over him. To guide him. To make him the strongest version of himself.

It's when he mentions, ever so gently, that they'll need to make funeral arrangements for the others, that Barry finally raises his head again. He looks up at Eobard, eyes shining with so many tears still left unshed, and asks him hesitantly, if he could help him with those too.

"I don't think I can do it by myself, the planning involved- I know that's not part of your job, and it's so much to ask, but I'd have to keep seeing them, talking about it, knowing that I did this, and I can't Eobard I just Can't. Please I-"

Eobard gently shushes him, guiding his head into the crook of his neck as they both still kneel there, clinging together amidst the gore and horror of their surroundings. He did so love it when a plan came together.

"Of course Barry, whatever you need. Were in this together aren't we?" There's is a brief nod against his neck as the Slayer agrees. After all, who else does he have?

"Then I'll take care of everything. All I ask is that you listen to me, respect my abilities, trust me as your partner and Watcher"

Barry nods against his neck again and brings his arm around to hug eobards front, seeking the comfort of his embrace once more.

It feels like victory.

[scmoobly]

did anyone say shes a villain, ppl said shes bad cause she did smth major that sam didnt want to him, that he had the consciousness to say No I can fix this i dont want to turn, she ignored that and majorly changed his life in a way he didnt want

Everyone calls her a villain

Even I call her a villian

But calling someone a villain and diminishing a character down to being just a villain when they have so much more depth is completely different.

Also, in storytelling, isn't calling someone bad just basically saying they are the bad person, aka the villain?

There's something fundamental to understand here. Alexis is just as human as Sam and her feelings are just as real but people shove that to the back burner because the one being shown on screen is Sam's version of events.

The whole point of my post was to show Alexis's perspective. If you're going to keep viewing it from Sam's then she's obviously the 'bad guy' but just like Alexis cannot understand being in Sam's shoes that night, Sam couldn't understand being in Alexis's either or the weight of the decision she had to make.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "There are two sides to every coin" and as of right now we've only been shown one side of that metaphorical coin

I'm not absolving her of how she did things. But something to understand here is that she was faced with a decision to either watch him die or do something within her own strength to help him.

The possibility that she could've just wanted to save his life is not acknowledged because it hasn't been shown yet.

You can march Sam around like a paragon if you want, but he has done and said some fucked shit in the prime universe too.

I'm not telling people to constantly hate on the characters but take the time to actually understand the media you're absorbing and the possible underlying meanings behind words.

Or not? If you want to keep viewing things through a black-and-white lens of who is forever right and whose forever wrong then you can go right ahead really. I'm not stopping you at all.

[quotidian-oblivion]

FF ask: if a fic title was "New day, old problems" what would you write in it?

Just came up with that title on the spot and low-key not that bad

I love that title, Vibey. I think i'll call on you next time when i need to title something. Spare the readers from dad jokes for once.

Hmm, let's see. I would write about... ugh i cant think. I'm not in my writers mood rn. Which ask number is this? It's no. 13.

Hmm, i'd write about Tim going through A Day. He keeps being pelted with problems left and right. WE assignments. Overdue tasks. A new case opened up. A mugging that ended up with him getting stabbed. Jason's in the manor today and everyone is on edge as they always are with him. Just problems ad problems and he's getting stressed and stressed.

And then Damian's making a fuss cuz of course he does, he's a little brother and little brothers are legally obligated to get on their older brothers' nerves. So Damian's berating him about something, maybe his inattentiveness cuz he got stabbed in a mugging.

Dick is sending glances at him, unsure of whether or not to interrupt cuz Tim's been real cagey after the whole Bruce gets lost in time fiasco. Speaking of Bruce, they still haven't had that conversation after returning back.

So Tim gets up and walks away from Damian while the kid is still talking and then he trips, but manages to keep from falling, but it shakes his stitches and he's in pain and gets reminded of when he lost his spleen, he was bleeding in the desert and of how alone he felt and how he still feels lonely. He thought everything would be alright. He thought it would all be okay after saving Bruce. But it's not. It's still not okay. He's still alone.

He's always.

Fucking.

Alone.

So he crumples to his knees and his shoulders start shaking and tears start dripping and then the whole Cave freezes. Dick asks what happened and Tim... Tim doesn't have the strength to reply. He bursts into sobs. Openly. He doesn't care anymore.

The whole family gathers around him now, unsure as to how they can reassure him, but Tim throws himself to the person nearest to him. Which was coincidentally Bruce. He sobs into Bruce's arms and the delicate stitches rip and he's bleeding on him as well. But he doesn't care. He's given up now.

It seems that Bruce doesn't care either cuz he isn't showing any signs of letting go. Instead, he starts stroking Tim's hair. And Tim melts.

Snot and tears and drool are leaking everywhere. Tim hasn't cried in a long time. He's almost forgotten the experience.

"What's wrong, chum?" Bruce asks quietly, still running his fingers through his hair.

Tim is about to shake his head, but stops. He doesn't care now, does he? He doesn't care about what answer he gives.

"I feel alone," he whispers, so so quietly. And so so honestly. He's never been this honest before.

Anyway, so then the batfam comforts him blah blah. Damian was actually worried about his brother and didnt know how to express it. Dick too was worried and didnt know how to fix their relationship again. Jason was sorry and he still is cuz it was about time he accepted Tim as his brother. And Bruce... Bruce just wasn't sure if Tim still wanted to be his son.

And so, the batfamily and Tim learn an important lesson. Communication! Which, yk, is something they're sorely missing.

~

Idk if this is too long, but eh. I'm not gonna turn this into a proper fic though, dont really feel like it. If you or anyone else wants to, then thats fine! Give credit where its due and all, but yeah. Hope you like it cuz i literally made it on the spot and im still going through my burnout so idk if this is really that good.

Also, i dont usually write in present tense, i just plan plotlines in it. I mainly write with past tense cuz thats the only tense i feel is easy to be consistent with for me.

Thanks for this question, Vibes, I really liked it!

[isaacathom]

im still thinking about the blood of gold story, specifically what the vibe is on how the transmutation works

basically, to "figure it out", we have a few data points to work from in the dream. The Alchemist, the King, the Knight, and the Stranger.

The Alchemist invented the method, which she attributed to her faith. She was her own test subject, and when she cut her hand, the blood turned to gold in her palm.

The King was the first student of the method, and had difficulty replicating it. He converted to her faith, which did not bring the solution. It was only after he killed his own children that he had some kind of personal revelation, turning their blood stains to tear-streaked gold.

The Knight independently developed the technique without any direct connection to either creator. His success came in the moment of his (first) death, at the hands of another warrior seeking glory, who he arose to slay and claim the crown. His own blood turned to gold inside his veins, granting him the strength to survive.

The Stranger is a lot vaguer, since its not clear if he had gold blood before or after the experiment by the corporation. He certainly had conviction that it would work, and a great deal of strength.

running themes tend to be some kind of strong emotion or conviction, or like, a goal that the gold would accomplish in some way, maybe? the alchemist wanted the gold as the end goal but was not especially greedy - it was an exercise in learning, and a religious experience for her. the king was only able to figure it out amidst grief - perhaps almost tricking himself that if he didnt figure it out now, his crime would have been for naught. that the deaths of his children needed to have meaning. the knight wanted revenge - his death was cheap, not honourable, not worthy, and he would see it righted. the stranger had seen the damage that the beasts of gold were doing to the landscape, and believed that his success - which must be assured - would bring about peace.

crucially none of these individuals (with character, mind) seem to be motivated primarily by greed. this isnt quiiite true of the King and the Knight's successors, but presumably they were passed down the kings method - causing a great tragedy that would make their later success matter. The kings method was to inflict violence that could only be justified by success. the knight and stranger's method (such that it was) was to refuse to let a failure stand, to build themselves up to prevent it.

the distinction, then, seems to be between those who turn blood to gold and those whose blood are gold. afterall, the alchemist experienced no tragedy in the "text", though adding one to make a consistent throughline would be easy. a tragedy of any scale, be it personal or grandiose, and a conviction to see it righted. but she still stands out as an oddity, bc how does figuring out how to turn blood to gold fix her problems? cause i feel like this works, aside from her.

like. the kings problem - the death of his children (at his hands). the solution - turning their blood into gold to make their deaths worth it. the knights problem - he was struck down cruelly and dishonourably (possibly by a former colleague). the solution - turning his own blood to gold so that he endures the fatal blow. the strangers problem - the devastation wrought by the beasts of gold throughout the land and/or the loss of his memories. the solution - have blood of gold to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the beasts/be strong enough of body to focus on his mind, or something of that nature.

the alchemists problem could be fairly mundane, in the scheme of things. she's a commoner - one with the explicit favour of her king, but a commoner nonetheless, and that favour is conditional on her producing results. the tragedy, or "problem", may well have been that the king was beginning to grow weary of her, after several decades, and losing his favour would result in losing everything she had dedicated her life to. the solution, of course, is in a moment of rage, faith, desperation, cutting her own hand and willing something to happen, and finding her own blood begin to glitter.

all this said, thats still pretty vague. its clearly just magic, and with such a framework of "can turning blood into gold solve YOUR problem?" that would probably be pretty easy to satisfy (to a degree it must be, if the Knight was able to independently turn his own blood into gold). is the faith part important? is a specific deity intervening, such that the act is conditional? but then how the FUCK do you justify the murder of the kings children at his own hand? what fucking divine, right. how do you explain that the King+Knight's successors to the throne all knew the techniques, and this technique failed to meaningfully spread outside of the kingdom and was successfully lost when the kingdom was destroyed?

its possibly like. a regional vibe? like maybe the river is the key part of all of this. which kind of tracks. the alchemist probably used river water in her experiments, the king was like, "baptised" in the river and subsequently dumped the bodies of his kids in said river. the stranger was found unconscious by the shore of the lake that the river flows into via the waterfall. the knight, well, you could probably wrangle the knight into the river, especially if it doesnt require direct contact with its waters and more like... proximity? because if the tourney is held by the river side, thats probably good enough. or if it does require contact, just fucking, bathe before the match. ?

and, given that the river ends up (semi?) permanently tainted with the gold blood, and that this ends up "infecting" the wildlife that live nearby to the point that they are now the Beasts of Gold, then it sort of tracks that the others would stay away before figuring out that the river's waters were integral. plus, plus, the destruction of the kingdom also resulted in the flooding of the valley, displacing a shit ton of people from the area anyway. noone wanted to be there. vibes fucked in the area. the recipe is lost because it was closely guarded.

obviously you dont require a tragedy every time that you do the transmutation, seemingly so long as transmuting still addresses your problem? or even if it doesnt anymore, being able to do it once might just flip the switch in the brain that means you can just Do It. not sure.

arguably the idea that its a "technique" that can stop working might work better for the seeming vibe the story was working towards, which was that the stranger would figure out how to reverse the "curse". That would mean that suddenly, having gold blood would NOT solve the problem he was working towards, and that the opposite would be true. He has to turn his golden blood back into the regular sanguine shit, and he probably has to die for it, but like. damn. yeeeee

[bloodycassian]

Reader x Cassian - Hellish Prompt: Reader is an assassin/spy that was caught and azriel has spent months torturing her for information and can’t get anything out of her and cassian eventually goes to see who this assassin/spy is and the mating bond snaps and cassian beats the $hitt out of az bc of the mating bond instincts and rhys has to intervene and break up the fight (i was thinking this could switch between azriel’s POV at the start and then switch to cassian's POV)

AN- this was SO fun to make. Please more requests like this!! I love the idea of unexpected mates!

TW -blood/ blades.  

Drip, drip, drip. Copper smell filled the small room. Blood leaked down the drain in the floor. You wheezed a laugh bitterly and spat on the ground at his feet. Azriel's rage simmered calmly under his dark shadows. They coiled, ready to strike. Wanting to strike. The sound of your feeble laughs was practically the only sound Azriel had gotten from you for the first week of torture.  The second week was worse, even for him. Truth teller revealed nothing when he gouged into your skin from the bottom up. Truthfully, he was impressed beyond measure. But that didnt mean that he could stop the job at hand. He had to know, and wished he didnt have to do this kind of thing to get the information from you. "Listen..." He sighed, cleaning his blade. He was always nervous whenever he had a back turned to an enemy, no matter how well they were restrained. But he trusted his shadows enough to tell him if something was wrong.  "If you just.. Cooperate and tell me where the Queens are, we can let you go. No trouble, just releasing you back to Rask." He tried to keep his tone neutral, but he was nearing an exhaustion point. Torture every day for two weeks had its toll not only on the victim, but the dealer as well. His shadows seemed to be growing restless too, waiting for a chance to strike.  He watched your reaction from the corner of his eye. Noted the way your head hanging loosely seemed to gain a bit more strength before you spoke. "Losing your touch, Spymaster?" You revealed a row of bloody teeth to him, and grunted when the chains at your wrists stung the magic that weakly attempted to help you.  Azriel could have sighed. He could have laughed and bled you dry. Have a healer come and patch you up enough to keep you alive. The idea was tempting, but he didn't like having anyone besides his brothers see him in this mode of darkness. He could have brought Rhys down to attempt to break into your mind again. After the first attempt and Rhys' reaction to being blocked, he wasn't eager for that again. So he sighed, and brought out the potions laced with Faebane.  + He was convinced you weren't a normal Fae. After months of his best torture methods he was a wreck. "She just-" He tried to hide his frustration, but his brothers knew him best. Cassian smirked by the fire, warming his wings. Rhys seemed a bit more concerned, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Azriel had never been one to spend a long time on torture. Rhys saw the frustration flowing from him after every session with the stubborn Fae in the dungeon cell.  "I dont know what to do anymore. She's the only one to have never broken." He ran a hand though his hair. His shadows seemed weak, exhausted like him.  Rhys considered for a moment, looking between his two brothers. Cassian seemed to be enjoying Azriel's frustration. Maybe a bit too much. Rhys sipped his wine then, with a look of innocence, "Maybe we will have Cassian end it. Perhaps seeing the Lord of Death in front of her will knock something loose."  Cassian's stare whipped to him, a silent plea on his face. "We should leave it to our expert Rhys-" Azriel laughed, cold and bitter. "The expert hasn't got a damn thing out of her. We either kill her or send her back to Rask with all the information she's collected about us. With nothing in return." Shame lined his features. The sense of failure to his high lord was a heavy weight to bear. "Cas...I expect you down there tomorrow afternoon. It will be her last chance." Rhys' no nonsense tone shut down Cassian's retort. His jaw locked with distaste. He hated the cramped cells below the house of wind. Hated the way going underground made his wings feel like they needed to stretch. The worst was when that stale air was laced with the rotting smell of dead mice or old blood. It made his skin crawl just thinking about it.  "Come on Cas, dont you want to see the only one that's outlasted me?" Az asked with a mock grin. He couldn't give the same smile back. Turmoil spilled inside him at the thought of going so far below the mountain.  + Cassian took a long time to go to bed that night. His restlessness about the next day made him wake up over and over, never having more than an hour of peace before being waken up.  Azriel held up a mug of tea to him the next morning. "You look like shit." He handed his brother the mug with a small smile. Cassian glared at him, but took it anyway. He went to the balcony, his heavy wings needing to feel the fresh air. It was like taking a bath after being covered in grime. He sighed in relief, letting the late morning sun graze his body. The cold wind from Illyria was beginning to come in for the winter, and the familiar smell ignited something in him. He felt a draw, but shoved it to the back of his mind. He knew what he had to be this day. "Why the hell do we have to keep them so far down again?" Cassian complained. Around and around and around. Down deeper and deeper into the pit of the mountain that the house above was carved out of. Cassian felt like his lungs were collapsing the further they went. He tried not to let his nerves show, but he knew Az's shadows would pick up on it anyway.  "Remember when you broke your arm chasing down that Attor?" Azriel could have laughed at that memory, but the story surrounding it made the experience soured. More shame on top of the guilt already there.  Cassian hummed in approval, welcoming the distraction the memory brought. He tried not to focus on how each turn of the staircase got darker and darker. How the air seemed to compress around him. He locked his eyes on the scar on one of Az's wings. "And we spent a week fixing the top story of that apothecary?" He asked, keeping his voice steady.  "Yes. Dont you remember how the Attor got out?" Cassian shook his head, and Azriel huffed a laugh. "I left the door open for just a second to get a new knife and..." He shook his head, part in anger and regret, part in shame. "It had escaped before I turned around. I dont know how it happened, to this day."  Cassian stared at the back of the shadowmaster's head. The dark ripples around him seemed to spike. "It happens Az, you can't be perfect."  "It's not perfection, its basic thought. After that we moved all enemies to the lower dungeons. No matter the threat. Rhys even put wards on the arches." He ran a hand over the walls, his fingers catching a few of the grooves that linked each spelled archway to the other.  Cassian left the conversation at that. At least his brother wasn't brooding as much as before. The dim lights began to come into view, and his heart began hammering. Adrenaline singing through his veins. His polished siphons glowed, reflecting red off the dark stone ceiling. He had polished all his black armor the night before, when he couldn't sleep. Something poked, prodded at him all night. Keeping him awake. He figured he may as well make use out of it.  "She's not going to talk to you unless you show..weakness first." Azriel said in a low voice. Cassian nodded, reaching the end of the stairwell with him.  Cassian couldn't see the dark figure in the cell, but he felt the presence nonetheless. The dark draw that you demanded. He wondered how Azriel had dealt with that pull this whole time. The tantalizing draw to you. He shook his head, pushed the hair out of his face and nodded to Azriel.  He opened the door, then began his ritual. At the start of every session he would toss a bucket of water over your body, then a bucket of salt. It made the wounds that handn't healed fully scream in pain. You jolted at the suddenness of it this time. "Good morning, shadowsinger." You ground out, voice rough with strain. Cassian watched in awe at his brother.  Cassian was never one for torture. There was a reason Azriel was appointed to this position. Watching the calm cruelness of him was jarring, but Cassian kept his face straight. He stood behind you, watching the flimsy attempts to pull at the shackles holding your arms up. Lacerations dotted each arm, some light pink scars. Some were still scabbing over. A chill ran down his spine.  "You have a guest today, would you like to see him?" Azriel's voice was cool, calm. Like he was speaking orders to a group of soldiers. He began slicing new lines into your arms, moving up to your neck. He had left your ears in tact, as a last resort if you refused to speak to Cassian. The pull Cassian felt was overwhelming. He walked a bit too quickly around you, plastered on a wicked smile for show, then crouched down. The smile faded when he finally saw your face. Your dripping hair was a horror on its own. Plastered to the skeletal cheekbones, and pale eyes. Those eyes were brighter than anything he'd ever seen. A field of flowers down the slope of Illyrian mountains. His world shifted, drawing the breath from him. "Mine." His mind seemed to roar with that alone, but in a thousand different variations. "Lover, friend, partner, mine mine mine. Mate. My mate." His lips quivered with the realization. With the way his heart soared, and the way he moved without realizing it. He choked a gasp, and fell forward on his knees before you. He saw the same astonishment in your reaction. Azriel dropped his sword, confusion and concern alert on his features. "Cas wh-" Before he could finish, before his shadows could detect that Cassian had even moved, his brother was on top of him. Cassian's knuckles stung with every punch. A new kind of rage flared inside him. It made his muscles yearn for violence. Made his teeth crave the flesh of those that so much as looked at you wrong. There was no mercy for Azriel, it was as if he was an enemy on the battlefield. Cassian held nothing back. You hung limply from the chains that bound you. Crunch after crunch sounded from Azriel. He eventually managed to push Cassian off of him. Then they locked together in battle again. Clashes of armor against armor were deafening. The snarls they ripped at each other were loud enough to make you cringe. Your heart squeezed at the sounds of Cassian's breath. At the scent of blood spilling. You pulled feebly at the chains, your mind roaring to protect him.  Your mate. You tried to watch the battle, but the weakness in your body refused to let you turn more than a few inches. They were panting, Cassian fighting with a ferocity Azriel had never seen. His eyes flared with rage, like he was possessed. "Cas-" Azriel grunted, shoving his brother backwards. His back hit yours, pushing you down and digging those stone cuffs into your wrists. You hissed in pain. Cassian roared and lunged at his brother again, and again.  The darkness that boomed outside the cell was jarring. The stone ceiling shuddered, small rocks and dirt falling from it. Cassian did not stop. He didn't hesitate, coming at Azriel with punch after punch. His fist crushed the wall behind where Az's head had been. 

"Enough." The high lord's cool command was enough to make you still your weak attempts at looking at the two. Cassian's chest heaved as he tried lifting his arm to punch Az again. Pure fury in his heart was enough to make him disobey Rhysand's order.

  Then Rhys' talons gripped him. Freezing his mind, stilling him. Rhys' face shifted to surprise at what he glimpsed at there. "Oh.." He breathed. Azriel panted, backing away from his brother, out of the cell. He locked the cell and wiped the blood from himself, his wings hanging limply behind him. "What- the hell." He panted, nursing his arm. Cassian's eyes locked to your small frame. How your muscles quivered, how your arms shook with the effort of holding yourself up. He felt Rhys' claws recede slowly from his mind, releasing each part of him one by one. He rushed to you.  He picked up Azriel's sword and with a clean, masterful swipe, broke the enchanted stone that bound you. The weak sigh that came from you was heartbreaking. His eyes pricked with tears, and he caught you before you could fall to the floor into the puddle of dried blood. He didnt notice, or care that it was there. He sat there with you, cradled you and shook with you. 

"Cassian... She's.. Cassian's mate." Rhys said slowly, astonished. He didn't take his eyes from his brother in the cell. Azriel froze in place. For a moment, the dungeon was completely still. Totally silent, as if the world waited for what was to come next.

Azriel turned on a heel and left, trudging up the stairs. Rhys dared not touch his mind. "Cassian...." He spoke, trying to get his brother's attention. He did not glance at Rhys, just curled around your body more. Protecting, nesting almost. Rhys knew the feeling too well from the weeks after he and Feyre's bond snapped into place.  "We will check in tomorrow. Be safe, brother." Rhys spoke to Cassian's mind. It was nothing but an ocean of rushing thoughts. Cassian could have bared his teeth, could have tried to fight his brother through the bars of the cell. Hell, he could have probably broken through those bars with the primal strength flowing through him with the rush from the bond. 

But he didn't. He stayed, his warm body pressed against yours. Those siphons glowing against your skin like a fire. He stroked your hair soothingly, his tears like rainfall on your body, through your bloodstained clothes. He didn't remember falling asleep there, but it was the most restful, peaceful night he'd ever had in his existence. 

[leo-interactive-fiction]

ANGST TIME!!!! Ultimatum scenario, MC either sacrifices themself, the RO, or another random person. Without hesitation, MC steps forward. Reactions?

Hmm, let's see haha

On the summit of a volcano the three of you stand, blasts of hot air searing your skin as you step closer to the fiery plummet that awaits you. If this is the only way to save the ones you love...

---------

E pulls back on your arm, clinging onto it with a desperation to prevent your final step. It takes every fiber of your being to stop yourself from turning back to face their tear-striken face as they choke out their plea.

"Where are you going?! You cant! I...I wont let you! I said I'd protect you...I promised...so...!"

---------

R pulls you back with a small tut while simultaneously towing themselves towards the sacraficial edge.

"What do you think you're doing?" You say agast.

R gives you a sidelong smile as they back towards the edge, "Between the two of us, I wonder whose most likely to cheat death? Would you like to make a bet?"

L's hands reach for yours, a solemn grip finding yours as they search in your eyes, finding a steely resolution within them.

They blink away the water that cascades into their sight, "I never had the words to express my gratitude...for everything. But I hoped to have the time to find them. Now that I have neither, I..." their hand trembles against yours, and you have to pull away before the task becomes too monumental to bare.

------------

V plants a foot solidly in front of you, casually turning their body to deliver a solid knee straight into your gut.

You collapse, on the verge of spilling your lunch as you watch V stroll to the bystander and draw their weapon. They load a bullet into the chamber with cold resolution.

"To protect the Commander, I'll do what I must."

The pleas and cries of an innocent bystander ring in your ear, the footfalls of their staggered retreat a dreadful drumming.

You close your eyes as a single gunshot pierces the noise and signals its end.

-----------

You feel the fist before you see it, the sudden impact stumbling you back as you begin to register the pain.

P wipes a streak of blood off their knuckle with a look of disdain, "What the hell do you think you're doing trying to play hero? If you wanted to kill yourself so badly, you should've done it before you wasted all of my fucking time!"

"I cant think of a better way," you admit, pushing yourself back to your feet, "If this is the only way to protect you, then..."

"I can protect myself," P spits furiously, "And I'll be damned if I let you throw your dumbass off the fucking ledge for me."

-----------

As you step up to the sudden fiery descent, you hear a gasp of surprise come from M.

"What...is that...?!"

The unnatural urgency in their voice causes you to spin around as quickly as possible towards where they jut their finger, only to find an empty horizon stretch into the distance.

Behind you, a sudden yelp and prolonged scream passes your ear before quickly falling away as the distance between you and the source grows.

M stands with a fixed smile near the edge of the dropoff, "I think...they...slipped...but that...solves our...little problem...yes...?"

----------

Blood spatters against your cheek before you're halfway towards the ledge, a determined Raven descending upon the bystander faster than they have time to let out a shrill cry for help.

Riddled with blood, Raven revels above the staggering body as it attempts to use the last of its strength in a desperate bid to crawl away.

"Where are you going? This is where you belong! This is where your life culminates! And I! I will be the one to see your fate to its rightful conclusion!"

------------

S takes a small double take to the bystander before nudging you, "Hey....d'ya know that guy?"

You raise your brow, "No...?"

"Why dont we just, ya know..." S pantomimes a subtle shove.

"Wha-- You want us to...!" You start loudly, before lowering your voice to a harsh whisper, "you want us to kill him?!"

"Look, all I'm sayin' is we got three options, and one of 'em is lookin' a little easier than the others. I mean, I dont wanna die. You dont wanna die..."

"He doesnt wanna die!"

"Hey, you dont know. Watch," S turns to the bystander, "Hey there! Do ya wanna die?"

The bystanders face pales with a mortal fear, "No, please...! I...I have a family...!"

S turns back to you, clearing their throat, "So, uh...Hes probably just sayin' that. You wanna take the legs, or should I?"

-----------

F folds their arms with a minor displeasure passing their lips, "While I'm sure it would no doubt be entertaining to see your neanderthalic lack of self preservation in action, perhaps you should consider other options."

Your eyes widen, "F, I...I didnt think youd try to sacrifice your own self to save me--"

"Of course I wouldn't!" F scoffs, jabbing their finger to the worthless passerby, "The obvious choice is to toss the least valuable one."

The bystanders face pales with a mortal fear as F approaches them, "No...! Please, I...I have a family...!"

"Perhaps you would like them to follow after you? No?" F presses them closer to edge, a serpentine smile lifting their cheeks, "Then I suggest you jump before I grow...impatient."

----------

Hope ya enjoy haha. Thank ya for the ask

[midnightmoonkiss]

Rough and tough pirate captain Deku, known only as forgiving/nice to those within his crew unless they do something completely unforgivable. One day, a very curious mermaid is exiled from her pod and finds the ship as its anchored for the night. There’s a roaring party on deck and Deku is looking at the stars for a bit, needing some fresh air and quite. That’s when the mermaid decides to make herself known.

She’s shy and skiddish, but Deku decides to climb down a side ladder, his own curiosity getting the best of him and once he’s close enough, he manages to gain her trust. They become friends and as the sun comes up, she begs to go with him. He agrees and she spends the next day swimming along side the ship, careful to stay out of sight of the crew, since mermaids are “nothing more than a fairytale to humans” as she told Deku. It’s important that it remains that way for the sake of her species.

As night falls again, Deku goes to meet her again, but this time she’s been doing so much without any sleep. She’s got 0 protection from her pod, sleeping in a cave is still exposed and dangerous, as well as running a risk of being left behind. Deku gets an idea and lowers a dingy off the side of the ship, adding some blankets and pillows to it. He isn’t sure why he’s being so nice with her, something about her personality is just so alluring to him.

He spends as much time as he can with her before she finally falls asleep, and then promises to come down in the morning to help her out. But the next morning, he slept in and there’s a commotion on deck. Overnight, her tail (from being totally dry for the first time) has changed into human legs. Everyone is shouting about a stowaway, which the captain is known to never tolerate. Depending on how they act, the punishment can be.. severe. So not only to protect her secret, he’s also gotta protect his reputation. He looks scary and mean, threatening, as he scoops her up and takes her below deck and tosses her into a cage (as everyone curiously watches) and locks the door.

I forgot where I was going with this because mean and scary Deku infiltration in my brain 🥵🥴 anyway yeahhhh that’s all I got

Pain stabs at his heart when genuine fear flashes in her eyes, and for a brief moment he felt the urge to call out to her, to reassure her that all was ok.

But the fact of the matter is that he couldnt.

Reputation was all a pirate had, and even if he trusted his crew, you never trust a dirty pirate.

Not even himself. Thats just how it is and how it will always be.

He watches with turmoil swirling in his stomach as some members of the crew wolf whistle and coo at the girl he’s begun to fancy.

He had half a mind to slice off their hands that they shoved into the cell to touch her.

Swallowing the bile creeing up his throat, he walked away, key swinging on his finger.

“You scabby sea basses best get back to work or you’ll be eating a bullet for supper,” Deku seethed through his teeth as he climbed the stairs.

The crew scrambled back to their posts, and he felt sick to his stomach.

It wasnt until nightfall that he could return back to the cell when all of his crew were asleep.. he hated this.

The look on her face upon seeing him nearly made him collapse.

“I’m sorry..” he spoke with sincerity, but she turns away.

He earned her trust, but now he feared he lost it completely.. he wouldnt blame her.

Sitting down on the floor, he rests his forehead against the dirty cell bars, eyes slipping shut

“I had to do it..”

“For what reason!” She shot back, venom in her words and a hiss on her tongue, head snapping towards him,

“It is scary with legs!! Scary with these people looking at me like meat! I’m so scared.. Izuku I..” She trailed off, biting her lip, fighting back tears.

She had never been so far from home before, so far from her people, so far from safety.. exile weighed her down, and here she lay in a boat with someone she thought she could trust.

She did still trust him... she was just.. hurt. And confused.. so many emotions that she felt her head start to spin.

His cool voice calmed her instantly, “I won’t let them hurt you..”

“I want out of this cell.” Your fixed gaze and firmness left him with no other option. Besides, he didnt want to see her in there either.

Rising to his feet, he swiftly unlocked the cell, “Can you stand?”

“N-no.. not.. not yet...”

Izuku is a smart man, he prided himself on his intelligence, he could surely come up with a way for her to never step foot into a cell again.

Pirates.. pirates. Ah.

“Come,” He easily lifted her up again, creeping cautiously up the steps and around the deck, “You’ll stay with me in my quarters for the time being.”

“Is that truly appropriate?” She question, fingers threading through his stray locks of hair.

“I’m a pirate, darling, it doesnt have to be appropriate.”

Moving her to rest on his hip, he pulled the keys out of his pocket again, unlocking his captains quarters.

Once inside, he shut and locked it once more.

His display of strength certainly wooed her, a low purr in her throat.

“What is your plan?”

He placed her on his grand bed, planning to sleep on the couch he had in the corner, “My plan..”

Plopping onto the couch, he pulled off his boots and unhooked his belt, pushing it to the floor as he relaxed, “You stay in here with me for a while, I claim to the crew that you’re mine, they leave you alone. You’re free to leave whenever..”

“Is it ok if I don’t leave?” She settled down as well, fixing him with a curious gaze.

Smiling, he nodded, eyes shutting as exhaustion swept over his body.

“Aye.”