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yuseirra · 26 days

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ONK Relationship Parallels- an Analysis!!

In short, in terms of the Aqua-Kana and Kamiki-Ai relationship, it's actually Kamiki who's similar to Kana in that relationship while Ai is to Aqua.

Also, out of the twins, Ruby is the one who resembles the dad in many ways in terms of psychology and behavior, even compared to Aqua. Aqua is the one who takes after Ai in many situations and I find it really clever... they do take after both their parents, of course. But I think their base personality is that the daughter takes after the dad while the son takes after the mother.

I wrote about that aspect today! I think it's really interesting, so I'd like for you to read it!

While skimming through the "Oshi no Ko" manga, I found something really interesting:

If we try to compare the relationship between Kamiki and Ai to Aqua and Akane's relationship, it's pretty straightforward that Kamiki is in Aqua's position and Ai is in Akane's position. (To some extent, Akane has the feeling of wanting to protect Aqua, to take care of him, and to hope that he lives well.)

But if we compare Aqua and Kana's positions, it's surprisingly Kana who is in Kamiki's position, and Aqua who is in Ai's position. There are subtle parallels between them (an attempted/experienced sexual exploitation by an older person—though I'm not sure if this was intentional; the side who received a meal during a date (and Ai-Aqua being the one who doesn't usually dress up but does so for the occasion); the desire to be noticed by the other person—if we consider Fatal as Kamiki's song, there's a recurring theme of "look at me" in the lyrics, and that song is indeed associated with that character!! Kana is all about wanting to have Aqua look at her too; receiving praise from the other person for being "shiny"). And, of course, Kana received quite a bit of help from Aqua. However, just as Kana occasionally does so for Aqua, the idea of "pulling someone out of the darkness" fits Ai’s role concerning Kamiki.

Also, among the twins, I’ve had a vague sense that Kamiki’s personality resembles Ruby's more than Aqua's.

After reading Volume 13, that feeling grew stronger. Kamiki’s past is extremely tragic, and he brings misfortune with him. People around him die a lot. There’s something tied to the divine, perhaps? If you carefully read the manga, several comments hint that something is up with Ruby. If one of the twins is born with the talent of being a "star" and is befitting to be one, it would be Ruby. Regarding this, Kana feels an inferiority complex about Ruby, and Memcho also mentions there’s something special about Ruby. When Ruby decides to become popular, she draws everyone’s attention instantly, and even Miyako doesn’t doubt Ruby’s potential to rise. If someone was chosen by the gods out of the twins, it would be Ruby... Though it’s a given both were chosen. It does seem that both Kamiki and Ruby have some divine connection. They both lived extremely unfortunate lives, with people around them dying, while they survive. When it comes to them, events unfold in ways too peculiar to be mere coincidence. I feel like Kamiki's being cursed by a god while Ruby could be being favored by one, but the one cursing Kamiki might also be "blessing" him in an unpredictable way? Anyhow he's tied to "a star that ruins lives" if we take what Fatal is saying at face value- and I think we actually CAN at this point. Stars are so important in this series.

Ruby’s line, "I only bring misfortune,"(CH 121-122) is something Kamiki could likely say as well (if you look at that character’s life, it really seems like he drags misfortune along with him). Kamiki never mentions his family, nor they have any appearance in the plot which suggests that, like Sarina’s case, even if he had a family, he was completely neglected. (Their kid’s going through things, but what are his parents doing..?); the idea of working hard for years out of a desire to see someone again (if "Mephisto"/"Fatal" is indeed that character’s song); the longing to be loved...

If Ai were alive and they figured it out the way Aqua reveals it to Ruby, this character might have broken down and cried like Ruby did... The same could be said for Aqua, though.

Ai has a firmer personality, while Kamiki has a softer side. Even when Ruby turned dark, she couldn’t actually harm others. In that case, how broken could Kamiki be? It feels like he might have been indirectly involved in things rather than directly. If Ai were alive, she probably would’ve somehow prevented him from walking down a path that didn’t suit his nature (and from what I sense, she did ultimately defend him from completely going down that path through the video she's left). When Aqua shows the keychain and says, “This doesn’t suit you, so I hope you give up on this path,” Ruby immediately returns to having the white star eyes again. This is similar to how Kamiki pulls himself together after watching Ai’s video after the movie arc. The effect is almost instantaneous for both Ruby and Kamiki. Of course, if seeing that didn’t change his mind in such a way, it would’ve been ineffective in the first place...

Ai’s way of dealing with situations involves hiding her feelings... Though she smiles brightly, she kept a distance and hid things deeply. On the other hand, Kamiki pretends there’s no darkness, acting as if everything is bright, and approaches others cheerfully. This resembles how Aqua and Ruby deal with things, in that respective order. So, there’s definitely a part of Aqua that takes after Ai and Ruby that takes after their father.

(clarifying this after an inquiry: Ai and Hikaru's very similar in that they form masks and pretend they're happy and fine- that's what drew them together and it is what they share in common. The details about it are a bit different though. Ai grows distant to people while Hikaru wants to get attached to people. In terms of attachment theory, Ai leans more on the avoidant type and Hikaru is the anxious type. So Ai forms a mask to appear as if "she's okay" but fails to rely in others when she needs it- whereas Hikaru does that to receive love and affection to fill his emptiness. That's how he keeps approaching others but gets used up and exploited whereas, nobody in B-Komachi could become so close to Ai, nor have anyone really understand her and feel she was mysterious and secretive. In terms of this, the way Aqua and Ruby act parallels them. Aqua avoids letting others learn behind his mask and keeps his distance to keep them and himself from getting hurt, whereas Ruby tried her best to be a good child when she was Sarina. She was attached to her mother and craved love the way Hikaru was towards people.

+Amaterasu is the sun goddess, and I found that Sarutahiko, the husband of Ame-no-Uzume, was a native sun god worshiped in the region before Amaterasu. As the influence of the faction believing in Amaterasu grew stronger, Sarutahiko’s influence diminished, and he gave up his position. So, Ruby and Kamiki are both connected to the sun. The description of Sarutahiko having a shining body in their legends seems to be a remnant of being a sun deity. Kana is also compared to the sun, and as mentioned earlier, when comparing Aqua-Kana and Kamiki-Ai, Kamiki often corresponds to Kana’s position. Even their names start similarly with "Ka"- Kamiki and Kana, and "A." Aqua and Ai.

++ Aqua’s pattern of intentionally distancing himself from those he cares about (continuously pushing Kana away, trying to distance himself from Ruby) is similar to what Ai did with Kamiki. Kamiki also misunderstood and thought Ai didn’t like him, that he wasn’t needed like everyone else, and was hurt and saddened. That's really similar to the way Kana thought about Aqua although they made up pretty fast. While Kamiki and Aqua share similar thought processes, Aqua resembles Ai, and Ruby or Kana resembles Kamiki in the way they handle situations and the emotions they experience. It's fascinating and clever if you think about it.

There seem to be a lot of parallels. If this was done intentionally, the author is really smart...

There’s a lot to uncover in this manga if you look at it carefully. I think this manga is best read all at once in volumes. Then, surprisingly, the structure doesn’t seem bad at all. The author must have had a lot of thoughts in mind...

Tsukuyomi’s family also doesn’t seem to be very good, the way she briefly describes how they aren't so normal in CH127 and Ai and Kamiki’s family environments were the worst, weren’t they?

It makes me think that the families of gods or those possessed by gods turn out to be miserable. Do their families have a hard time accepting them for some reason? Maybe because the essence of these children is far from ordinary? In my opinion, the lyric "(Ai is the) reincarnation of the brightest star" wasn’t just thrown there. The English version of IDOL also mentions Ai being the "brightest star reborn indeed", "the brightest star is residing in you(Ai)" and Kamiki is probably similar to her in aspect… I think those characters' true essence is divine. The mythological elements fit together too well.

Maybe when Tsukuyomi selects souls to reincarnate she picks those with unfortunate family backgrounds for this reason? So many thoughts come to mind.

It doesn’t seem like these traits are mere coincidences.

+Based on the songs and subtle hints, it really seems like Kamiki was REALLY planning to die, but stopped after hearing Ai’s words…

Even though the hints are vague, does this character really have any reason to want to continue on living in the first place?; It feels like he was planning to do something related to Ai and then die, but after hearing Ai’s words, he couldn’t go through with it because Ai wouldn't want it. It seems like he stopped immediately and came back… That's... really sad.

The manga doesn’t show exactly what happened, but I think Ai probably did something for this character that’s very similar to what Aqua did for Ruby or what Kana did for Aqua (I don’t think it could be anything else).

Whether they’ll show this in the story or just gloss over it... I doubt it will be the latter, right?;; I really need them to depict this if they're going to throw songs like Mephisto and Fatal out there. I'm WAITING...

There's another analysis I wrote regarding WHY Ai contacted Kamiki through the phone booth but also reacted a bit harsh to the idea of reconciling: I wrote another post about it earlier, but I'll do it again!

It’s really important that Ai was the one who contacted her boyfriend first. I’m not sure if others think the same way I do, but the fact that this character reached out shows just how much she trusted and liked her boyfriend. I pointed this out even before Chapter 154 came out, WAY before, when I wrote my first analysis about her character. If she didn’t like him, she could’ve just continued to stay away. And it turns out that she didn’t contact him because she liked him too much—she disappeared because she didn’t want to be a burden. So, if she didn’t care for him/or cared about him- either way, she could’ve just stayed out of touch like she had, but why did she decide to reach out?

In short, it’s because she heard the kids talking negatively about their father. It wasn’t just because she was worried they were getting some bizarre ideas like her giving birth all alone without the dad(although that could have been part of it). Letting the father know about the kids and bringing him into their home was a risky move from Ai’s perspective. After all, she was calling a man she had parted ways with years ago into a home where it was just her and her two little four-year-olds. It would be difficult to handle any unexpected situation in such a state.

But Ai wasn’t worried about that at all.

Ai had a good understanding of Kamiki’s personality. She probably has way more information than the readers do, having spent so much time watching and living with him. So, the Kamiki Ai envisioned wasn’t someone who would ever harm her or her precious, carefully hidden children in any way.

On the contrary, Kamiki was someone she wanted to show the children to, someone she hoped could clear up their misunderstandings. When Ai talks about Kamiki, you can tell she really, really, really loves him. I know that’s true. It’s definitely true. The words that come out of her mouth is SO strong. You can't say things like that unless you find the other person so endearing, especially with someone who was deeply hurt by people by the way she was.

She thought it wasn't good for her kids to have a negative reaction when they think of their father, or to say things like “there’s no such thing as a man” when he’s mentioned.

Ai knew her kids were smart and figured they would get along well with their father if they met him. She thought they would accept each other well, and that Kamiki would like her bright kids too, so she contemplated it and then decided to call him, feeling it would be the better option.

If you think about it, back when they first met, Ai invited Kamiki into her home right away. She wasn’t wary of him at all… she treated him very differently from others. And nothing bad happened at that time either.

The conclusion we can draw from this is that Kamiki, in normal circumstances, could never harm Ai or the children. That character just can't do something like that, it's NOT his nature. Even though he was young, he would have turned out to be a pretty decent parent.

But why didn’t they stay together? Because a scandal would’ve hindered Kamiki’s future.

I noticed Ai only completed junior high school... It seems she dropped out after having the children... That’s heartbreaking.

Did Kamiki continue going to school?; Anyway, at that time, they were both still very young—neither of them had even turned 20. If they had officially gotten together, it would’ve attracted a lot of attention. Would it have just looked like they were dating?; Japan seems to frown heavily on idols being in relationships, right? I suppose it’s the same in other countries too?;

Ai left thinking everything would be fine as long as they weren’t linked to him, then raised the children on her own till that day. She eventually ended up contacting him again, however, to resolve the misunderstandings their precious children had about the dad... If they had gotten back together at that point, it would’ve made their breakup meaningless… I think that was what was going on her mind. She can't give the answer he wants and say they can get together in that situation. But she still wants to show him the kids. You have to think about that. It didn't occur to Kamiki either, and Aqua's "revenge"... well, I guess that's about him having missed her intent on that aspect. It's not entirely Kamiki's fault, Ai's really blunt about a lot of things and it backfires in a terrible way... but what she says can mean more things than one, it sometimes has more than what can be taken the way it's said in a direct sense. Ai is really caring. And she was really loving. "The god who loves people" is definitely linked to her in some way...

#oshi no ko #aqukana #hikaai #hikaru kamiki #ruby hoshino #ai hoshino #aqua hoshino #oshi no ko spoilers #spoilers #oshi no theories #aquakana #kamiai

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kyndredravenstories · 10 days

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Eyes of Infinity: Chapter 13

Hello, I have been posting my work on AO3 and recently decided to venture here to Tumblr. Please note: This story is 18+. No minors. Please read tags carefully. Link to AO3 below but I will also be posting the chapters here.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53564641/chapters/150383332

Pairing: Sylus/Female MC with some elements of Xavier/Female MC

Genre: Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst, Adventure, Smut, Porn with Big Plot and Big Feelings

Content Warning (For the entire fic): Explicit sexual content, spoilers and alterations to existing lore and cards/memories/tender moments/secret times, size kink, size difference, vaginal sex, cunnilingus, anal sex, fingering, all kinds of fingering, elements of consensual somno, dom!Sylus, jealousy, possessive!Sylus, Mephisto stalking, typical game violence, battle and combat

Summary: To love him meant stepping over the threshold and crossing into darkness. To be with him meant accepting the lure of the shadows. And to protect him from betrayal meant sacrifice. I knew not how, only that I would not let time sever our paths ever again.

Previous Chapters: Ch 1 / Ch 2 / Ch 3 / Ch 4 / Ch 5 / Ch 6 / Ch 7 / Ch 8 / Ch 9 / Ch 10 / Ch 11 / Ch 12

Morning sunlight filters through the window in Ellara's room when Sylus's phone buzzes with a phone call from a familiar number. He notes the source but doesn't reach to answer. Instead, he shifts to wrap his arms around the woman in his embrace, nuzzling into her neck, breathing in her scent, and pressing a kiss against her cheek. She stirs, giving a contented sigh as she settles deeper into his arms. His body heats in response to her backside pressing against him, and he has to reign himself in to avoid waking her and continuing where they left off a few hours past at the break of dawn.

Best to let her sleep for now. Her Evol returned sometime in the night, and who knew how hard such a thing was on the body?

He trails a hand down her arm. Beneath his touch, her Evol reaches for him with ghostly fingers, mixing with his own. They meld like lovers, intertwined and interconnected as though they were always meant to be. It's beautiful. Like soft white fireflies. When he weaves his fingers with hers, the union of their Evols hums like a singular ethereal note between their skin. The sensation is like fire in his veins, a pulsing that unifies their heartbeats for a moment.

Too long suppressed, it yearns to be set free, to bond with him, to Resonate.

Or, to Devour.

That's the other side of this light - one its owner has no knowledge of. If only Ellara knew how to wield it, he could feel more at ease. The night at the Mythe wouldn't have been such a traumatic experience. All she would have needed to do was come into his arms and take as much as him as she wanted. Standing beside him, she could have swept away all those in her path. She could have kept the LUMINIS from spilling on her skin. And, if needed, she could have healed all her wounds.

She was his to protect, and he'd been built to have plenty of Evol to spare for his counterpart.

Cliché, really.

Light and darkness.

Always yearning for each other yet always opposing.

But, it's not the first time he'd defied fate to get his way, and it won't be the last.

He doesn't think on it too much. What's the use in fretting over what-if's and maybe's? Right now, in this moment, she is real and here, with him. The second half of his heart that went missing eons ago. At least, that's how it feels at times. Though his body aches for her, Sylus tries to settle for just laying beside her. He runs a fingertip against her cheek. She sighs, but doesn't wake. He'll be surprised if she does.

Things had gotten pretty wild last night, and he'd definitely pushed her well past her limits. Stroking her arm, shoulder, and back with feathery touches, he wrestles with a conundrum of simultaneous regret and satisfaction. Her skin is covered in marks attesting to their lovemaking, and he can't be sure why he regrets being so rough with her when those marks look like they're right where they belong. They're his, after all. Had they been inflicted by anyone or anything else --

His phone buzzes for the second time. Same number. There's only two people who would dare call him twice in such a short span of time. Regrettable, but it's likely something urgent. Letting out a weary sigh, Sylus takes in the sight before him one last time. The flimsy curtains on her window allow daylight to fill the room without hindrance. He despises the warmth and cheer of sunrise, but somehow seeing her lying here, her skin and onyx hair gleaming in the soft oranges and reds of a new day, makes the morning bearable. Almost pleasant.

He shifts off the bed, moving carefully so he doesn't wake her. Snagging a towel from one of her shelves, he grabs his phone and leaves the room to go to the bathroom. After closing the door, he takes a quick shower, wraps the towel around his waist, then leans against the wall to redial the number. Two familiar voices answer. It's the twins.

"Boss, calling in to report."

"Did you lose your phone again, Luke?" Sylus asks.

"We were being tracked. Had to destroy it," Kieran answers.

"And the target?"

Luke replies. "Boss, you need to see the photos we took. Sending them now."

Sylus's phone pings as the files come through. He examines them one by one, his brow furrowing. His heartbeat remains steady, his expression still calm. Outwardly and inwardly, he stays the course of neutrality. But, something unfamiliar tugs at his awareness. A thorn in his thoughts, itching and scratching. It's something that started the night of the Mythe explosions and hasn't stopped since. Many have risen up to challenge his rule in the N109 Zone, yet none had truly challenged him. Looking at these photos, however, makes him wonder if that time is approaching.

His worst case scenario theory about Malakai Noxis had been right on target. He's not just some upstart after all. Though Noxis isn't nearly as powerful as Sylus in terms of Evol and influence, he's a damn nuisance when it comes to resourcefulness and cunning. Swiping through the last of the photos, he downloads them to his phone for later examination. Several pieces of the puzzle fall into place like rocks in his gut, and the picture they reveal is grim.

"He's done it again, Boss-man, just like you said he would," Luke says, his voice full of pride and admiration. His fearless bloodhounds. He could send them into a pit of fire and they'd gladly go.

"You did well," Sylus says, giving his most loyal men a rare compliment. "Stay on him. Be ready. This attempt will leave him weakened for a time." He glances at the watch on his wrist. Too early. He'll chase Noxis during the day if he must, but for now he can leave the twins to handle him while the sun is out.

"Yes, Boss."

He stands still for some time, considering his plans and options. His right hand rubs at his temple. It's never been more clear that Ellara cannot continue to stay in Linkon. This conflict has gone past the boundaries of the N109, and it's about to spill over into this shiny little city of glass. Linkon's people and its structures are as fragile as its principles. It's yet unclear what the end game is for Malakai, but a contingency plan must be made to safeguard Ellara's life. If Sylus has his way, the adopted siblings will never meet again.

Hopefully, her memory of Malakai's true identity will never return. Let her heart be at peace remembering the illusion Malakai showed her all those years while he was by her side. Not as a monster, but as someone she could love and lean on. To ensure that, nothing must jog that memory. Nothing can trigger it. But, hiding her away is just a prison sentence to a woman like Ellara. She must be free to do as she will, and she feels the most freedom when she can be the incredible Hunter she has trained to become.

The thought solidifies his decision.

He makes another call, and a grizzled old voice answers. A man.

"I thought I told you never to call here again," the voice sneers.

"Your threats and orders mean nothing to me," Sylus answers. "I don't have time to discuss semantics. I'm calling in a favor. You owe me plenty, and it's time to start collecting."

"You can't reach me out here," he voice hisses. "You're useless outside N109."

"Alright," Sylus smiles. "What do you want to bet against that delusion of yours? Your wife? Your son? Maybe the whole family."

"You monster. You would--"

"Don't ask questions you already know the answers to," Sylus drawls. "If you make me waste any more time, I'll be more aggressive in my collection of your debt."

The voice cusses him out with a few colorful words, but settles down. "What do you want?"

"Nothing too strenuous. I need you to transfer a few Hunters on assignment to another city. I'm sending you the list of names now."

"We're short here as is," the voice complains. The ping ping ping of a tablet touch screen being manipulated. More expletives. "These are some of my best, and you want me to send them away?"

"Not my problem. Put in the transfer now."

The line goes quiet for a few minutes. More pings. When the voice comes back, it sounds tired and defeated. "God damn you, Sylus. One day, you'll pay for all you've done."

"I don't make deals I can't uphold," Sylus replies, pushing the button to end the call.

That done, he makes his way back to the bed. He hasn't slept in a few days, and the edges of his vision are starting to fog. He lays down beside Ellara, examining her sleeping face. It's time to take a rest. Perhaps he could truly shut his eyes for once knowing the twins are following Malakai. Not for long. Just a few hours.

Just for a short while.

I wake up feeling warm and comfortable.

It doesn't take more than a second to realize that I'm not alone in my bed.

I'm laying in the crook of a man's arm.

I look up, shocked to see that Sylus is sleeping. Beneath my head, his chest is rising and falling steadily, and his heart is beating at a lazy cadence as always. I'm scared to move, worried that I'll break this incredible moment. I've never really seen Sylus asleep. He's always sitting up or leaning against something, even in bed. Always wary and alert even while secure in his home in N109. Then again, I suppose there is never any security for a man like him. The King must be ever vigilant if he is to keep his place and rule over the Underworld.

That's why the scene I'm witness to is so...captivating. Seeing him close his eyes and show me this kind of vulnerability is surreal. How can he trust me to this extent? Sure, we've admitted to having some feelings for each other. But, crimes of passion are a thing. Isn't he worried I might try to hurt him? That I might be deceiving him?

I'd sooner hurt myself.

I check that line of thought.

Man, I'm in over my head with this guy. It's not just the crazy sex, either. It's all of him. If I try to piece together the trail of how I'd fallen this hard, I couldn't. It's an endless reel of flashbacks to moments just like this where he did something that stole my breath away. His gestures, the way he holds my hand, the way he looks at me, the way he has me wrapped around his finger yet never ever encroaches on my freedom or my independence. The way his long eyelashes brush against his cheekbones. How kissable his mouth is.

He smells like my body wash, and there's something really intimate about it. He must have showered while I was sleeping. How he fit his big burly frame in my tiny rabbit hutch of a shower is a mystery instantly solved with flashbacks of how we were both squished in there last night. The thought makes my knees tingle. I run my hand down his bare chest and abs. His skin is light and pale with blue veins accenting an array of battle-hardened muscle. Smooth and hairless except for a faint trail of starlit silky hair leading down to a place I am way too embarrassed to think about right now. My face heats up.

I rise up on my elbow, noting that it's late morning. I should really get up and get the day started. Look at my phone. Report in. But, I'm out of sorts. Discombobulated like an Otto with a damaged AI module. I can't think of anything except the man in front of me. My former workaholic life seems especially far away, like a daydream. Not to mention, I can't explain anything about what happened at the Destiny Café. I'm dreading the missed calls I'll find on my phone, either from UNICORNS or from Xavier. They'll undoubtedly have questions, but I don't have any answers.

I check in with my memories from last night. Something is definitely off. I remember being at my apartment and reading, thinking about my impending meeting with Malakai. After that, everything is a giant gaping black hole until the moment when I stood outside the burning café with Sylus. I remember feeling dazed and confused; I'd thought at the time I might have been in shock. I figured it would wear off, but it hasn't. It worries me that I still don't remember anything.

Did something happen to me inside that café that could have affected my memory? Was Sylus a witness to it? If so, why hasn't he brought it up?

Well, I guess we were busy with other things...

Too antsy to lay still now, I slowly untangle myself from his arms and scoot to the edge of the bed. I'm naked, a fact I remedy as swiftly as possible as I dash to the bathroom for a quick shower. When I'm facing the mirror and washed out lights, I grimace at the sight of my body. I bruise easily; I always have. But, the amount of marks on my skin astounds me. My neck, my shoulders, a few places on my stomach, and - oh god - was did he do to my thigh to make that mark?

Nothing hurts though. No stinging or anything. No soreness except for my lower back, but the way we went at it that's no surprise. Not to mention, I've never been with a guy so...well endowed.

"Ugh," I groan, embarrassed. I try to remember if any of this hurt last night or this morning, but all I can recall is the incredible pleasure I felt and how gentle and thoughtful Sylus was. He's the most perceptive and attentive lover I've ever had, though to be honest my experience isn't much to speak of. Again, I find myself wondering if I could ever handle him when he's not holding back. Judging by the state of my skin, I'm not so sure.

Not now, Ellara. Focus.

I shower quickly and efficiently. The memories I've recently made in this cabin are too much for my sensibilities to handle. I don't know whether I did the right thing by inviting Sylus up last night or not. Part of me feels like I didn't have much choice. I'd wanted him so badly, and no amount of good sense or pride could have stopped me. He's Pandora's Box, and I've only scratched the surface. There's definitely more to him, and I want to see it.

I wrap a towel around my body and carefully sneak out of the bathroom, knowing how light of a sleeper Sylus is. Afterwards I seek out my phone, still in the back pocket of the pants I'd discarded last night. My throat goes tight at those particular memories. I can't help but rush to cover my face with my hands, barely suppressing a sound of pure mortification. Hopefully these flashbacks subsist soon or I won't be able to function today. I'm still doing the walk of shame as I tip toe to my closet to throw on a bathrobe.

Taking a breath, I check my phone and flinch. Missed calls from the Captain, Xavier, even Tara. Running my hand through my hair, I pad to the kitchen and sit at the breakfast table to make some calls while sipping on orange juice. I start with Tara since she's the least threatening in the mix. We talk briefly about what happened last night, but she's primarily focused on inviting me over for a girls night. Her recovery is progressing well, and she's ready to get back into her normal routine. I'm relieved to hear that my friend is alright.

Next is the Captain. I'm interrogated for a good forty-five minutes on this call. The end result is less than pleasant. Jenna is relieved to hear that my Evol has returned but recommends that I take a week off for my mental health. It's clear that I'm a target for Noxis, and she needs time to arrange a new assignment schedule for me. Despite my protests, she wants to temporarily transfer me to work in another city. Knowing Xavier and how protective he is of his partner, she also wants to add him to that assignment.

As it happens, there's currently urgent need for Hunters in Goldwood City. I look up the location on my phone, noting that it's closer to the N109 Zone than Linkon. It's a smaller city; not as developed as here. More rural areas with mountainous regions. Not as many training facilities and not nearly as big a budget for the local Hunters. A sudden outbreak of Wanderers has necessitated the establishment of a quarantine zone. Within a week, the zone will be established and most citizens evacuated to allow Hunters to subdue the threat.

I scratch my head. Well, at least it will keep me busy. I was itching to get back into the swing of things, wasn't I? So why do I feel so dejected as I accept the assignment? Though I try to protest against the additional week off, Jenna is firm, telling me that if I keep arguing with her she'll recommend that I start going to therapy on top of my medical leave. In less than two months, I'd been in several traumatic situations, lost my Evol, miraculously recovered, and now am the target of a major criminal organization. The fact that I haven't had a mental breakdown yet is unbelievable, she says. If only she knew that I had an incredible support network in Xavier and Sylus.

As crazy as that last part sounds.

"There are rumors, Fireborne, that you're in a relationship."

The question comes out of nowhere. I almost choke on my glass of juice.

"E-Excuse me?" I cough.

"Is it something I need to be concerned about?" Jenna asks. Her tone has softened considerably.

"Why would something like that be of concern?" I frown.

She sighs. "It's tough being a woman in this field, Ellara." It's the first time she's called me by my name. "Men can get married, have families, and keep fighting if they so choose. But, a woman has so many more responsibilities and duties. Once we have a child, we no longer just belong to ourselves."

Children? Marriage? My brain short circuits. I rush to stop her. "Please, Captain. Hang on. There's absolutely no reason to think in that direction." I leave it there, unwilling to divulge any more of my personal life.

"I'm sorry if I've overstepped in this case. There was some hearsay, and the way Xavier defended you when you went on medical leave..."

My cheeks grow hot. "Y-You thought...with Xavier?" I'm relieved yet somehow still embarassed. "Oh. No. Not at all. Xavier and I are absolutely only partners. That's it."

"It's hard to believe a partner would look at you like he does," she observes.

I shake my head. "I assure you, Captain, we are only friends."

"I see. Again, apologies if I've overstepped. I just see myself in you, Ellara, and I want to help. You know I care for my team. I have some regrets about never taking time to connect with someone. I hope you can consider that advice. Even if you do find that for yourself, you are going to grow stronger and make it far in our organization. Keep up the excellent work."

"Thank you, Captain."

When I hang up the call, I drop my head over my folded arms on the table. I give a monstrous groan like a blaster rifle venting steam. Did Captain Jenna just try to give me advice on relationships? Despite my initial shock, I actually do appreciate that she cares enough to show me such a different side to her character. Though I do wonder how far her opinion of me would fall if she knew that I already was in love with someone - the leader of Onychinus to be more precise.

Oh Lord.

After a few more deep breaths, I pick up my phone and find Xavier's contact. I don't know why I'm so nervous about this call. It's just as I told Jenna. He's my partner. Just a friend. So then why have things been so impossibly awkward between us since he first brought me back from N109? Why did I feel like I was committing some kind of crime when I told him I wasn't alone over the phone last night? While I'm stewing in angst and emotions, a text comes through and lights up my screen. It's none other than the object of my thoughts. I tap to open the message.

X: Heard about the transfr. Miss U. Will B home tonight.

I read it again. Then again. Suddenly, I'm doubting my sanity. This message doesn't sound like something you would send to a friend.

"My Knight", Sylus had called him.

Mine.

Why would he say it that way? Sure, Sylus likes to play on words at times. But, he's the most perceptive man I know. Has he picked up on something that I hadn't even considered? The thought is like a stake to the chest. Winded, I frantically begin reading through our message history with fresh eyes unclouded by the banalities of day to day survival. What I find is so disturbing that I don't know how to react to it.

All this time, I was under the impression that Xavier and just had a kind of natural platonic intimacy. We held hands and hugged. We spent a lot of time together. We ate dinner and slept over at each other's apartments. We went to the arcade and played games together. Yet, somehow, there was something growing between us that I had completely failed to pick up on. What started as a friendship had evolved over time into something a lot more intimate without me realizing it. Xavier led in his own graceful silent way, and I had followed without a second thought.

My sudden panic gives me a strange kind of courage. I dial Xavier's number, my heart pounding in my chest. He answers after a few dial tones.

"Ellie? Is everything alright?"

I'm not at all prepared for the way I react to that new nickname. I struggle to answer without stuttering.

"Yes...Xavier...I need to ask you something..."

A beat, then -- "Ask away."

"Look, maybe there's something wrong with me. Maybe I hit my head last night and I'm confused. The Captain just called and asked me some stuff, and it got me thinking in a really weird direction. I just need to know that I'm not crazy."

"You can ask me anything you want," he says. I stop. Take a breath. There's definitely affection in his voice. My god, why hadn't I realized it sooner? Maybe it's because he's Xavier - the Xavier. The strongest Hunter. Unbelievably handsome. A star way out of reach for an ordinary little bookworm like me.

"We're friends right? And friends should always be honest with each other." I wring my hands together. "All this time, I've always had a firm understanding of our relationship. We're partners and friends. That's it." I'm biting my lip now, and I can feel myself starting to sweat. "But, after this talk with Jenna, I feel like I might go crazy unless I just talk to you and ask. I've never thought of us in any other way, and if I make you uncomfortable--"

"You're not crazy," he says, his voice going soft.

My mind blanks out.

"What?"

Silence on the other of the line. With each second that passes, I sweat more and more. "Ellie, I don't want to talk about this over the phone. Can you wait until I come back tonight? There is something I should have told you a long time ago. I just didn't want to put pressure on you."

Oh. My. God.

That sounds like a damn confession.

Wait. Hold the phone. I'm not ready to have this discussion. Not in the least. Not when I have a naked man in my bed this very minute whom I've confessed my feelings for already.

"A-Alright," I answer, though nothing is alright at all. "But, Xavier...I don't know if I..."

"Don't think that far ahead. Just meet me tonight so I can say my piece." He stops for a moment. "Can you do that?"

"Yes. I will."

We end the call, and I sit in my chair feeling completely lost. I pull on the ends of my hair, rub the bridge of my nose, eat a whole box of strawberry Pocky from the stress. What am I supposed to do? I care for Xavier. That part is undeniable. He's an essential part of my life. He's my friend. My partner. But, he's also a little more, too. I just don't know how to identify what that "little more" is right now. With where I am right now, do I even try?

I stand up and walk to the bedroom. My breath catches when I see Sylus still laying in the same position I'd left him in. The way the sun caresses his muscular torso makes me swallow hard. All other thoughts completely vacate my head, all of my focus honing in on my gorgeous bed mate. I walk the rest of the way to his side as though possessed. Like I'm in a trance, I sit on the edge of the bed right beside him and lean down to touch his silky hair. I'm afraid to breathe, afraid to shatter this just like I was earlier.

In fact, that's how I feel about this whole thing between Sylus and I. This thing we've labeled as love but have failed to categorize in any other way. It's new, and amazing, and still so delicate. It's too good to be real. It's as stunning and beautiful as stained glass, yet the slightest malignant wind could break it. Sure, I could walk away from it now. I could try. But, something tells me that I would always come back. From the moment I met him, this man felt like destiny embodied. A comet streaking through the night sky destined to collide with my world and make a complete mess of it.

One moment, I'm reaching for him.

Something yanks on my arm.

The next second, Sylus's red eyes are all I see as I'm flipped over onto my back on the mattress. I'm held in place by hands and Evol, and I don't dare to move. I falter under his penetrating gaze and mumble an apology for waking him. For a moment, he doesn't react. I hold my breath against a rush of adrenaline. He may be my lover, but in this instant, he's pinning down a potential threat.

One moment.

Two.

Then his features soften, the aggression in his eyes melting into tired affection.

"You're lucky I'd know your footsteps anywhere," he murmurs, his voice husky from sleep. "Be careful sneaking up on me."

I nod. He doesn't need to explain. Right now, his Evol feels sharp, dangerous. His gaze is cold and wary. Of course he's always on high alert. This is Sylus of Onychinus. He just makes me lose sight of who he is so often that I forget myself around him. I still don't understand how he's able to compartmentalize his feelings and emotions the way he does. Maybe it's a skill he could teach me one day.

He doesn't give me a chance to apologize again. In another blink, he's laying on his side and pulling me up against him. With a sigh, he settles his chin against the top of my head; his large muscular arm wraps around my waist. It's so warm and wonderful. I'm absolutely trapped. Whatever I wanted to do today is probably not getting done after all, and I'm suddenly entirely OK with that. For propriety, though, I need to protest even a little.

"Sylus, I can't sleep now."

"You can," he assures me. "You hardly slept last night."

"I have to go to the armory at UNICORNS and update my weapons."

"Forget that junk. I'll have someone bring much better ones later," he practically waves me off.

"There's paperwork I need to turn in, too."

"Send it electronically. You can't tell me the Association doesn't have holo-mail."

"But, Sylus..."

"You're fussy this morning, kitten," he grumbles. I jerk when his lips brush my ear. "Since you've delivered yourself to me, don't think about leaving just yet. Stay here for a bit."

Well, shit. I can't resist when he puts it like that, can I? And why would I even want to? I let my body relax, wrapping my hand around his big forearm. "I really do have a lot to prepare...I need to train. They're forcing me to take a week off before sending me to Goldwood City on a temporary transfer."

He doesn't say anything to that. "You don't seem surprised," I add.

"They send Hunters where they're needed, right?"

"Yes, this isn't the first time I've left Linkon for missions like this."

"Well, then," he shifts against me. "As it happens, I also have some business to take care of. But, after that, come spend the rest of your week off with me."

"With you? Where?"

"I have a way to help you train and get into shape before your return to duty." There's a playful bit of sarcasm in his voice. Whatever he's planned isn't anything I can possibly predict, nor is it a way for me to just train. But, I'm too curious to turn him down.

"Alright, but can you answer me something about last night? My memory is still foggy..."

"Malakai was there," he replies without missing a beat. "You met with him. When I arrived, you had him on the ground injured and at gun point. He set off an explosive."

My hand tightens on his forearm. "That's why your shirt is in tatters. You protected me."

He makes a noncommittal noise, as though what he did was insignificant.

"Why were you there? Did Mephisto give you my message? Even if he did, you got there so fast."

"I was already in the neighborhood," he says. "As for why, well...didn't you ask me to come?"

I frown. "Did anyone find his body?" I take Sylus's silence as a 'no'. "Does that mean that Malakai is..."

"He escaped," Sylus finishes. "The twins are on his trail now. Once I locate him, he will deeply come to regret his actions."

But, will you kill him?

I don't ask the most prominent question on my mind. Sylus has never once hidden who he is from me. Nor have I ever deluded myself about the depth and darkness of his nature. To be the King, one must be ruthless. It's part of who he is and who he must be to stay at the top. I've never seen him act irrationally. Nor have I seen him murder any innocents. Perhaps that's a way for me to escape from the moral responsibility of loving a man like this. But, I don't care.

"We won't see each other for the next few days, then," I murmur.

"Mephisto will be with you," Sylus says. He sounds like he's drifting off again. "And if you should need me before our next meeting, all you have to do is call for me."

It's evening when I open my eyes again. I sit up and rub at my bleary eyes, noting that I'm incredibly thirsty. I must have been out for a few hours. I search for Sylus, but the bed is empty. The spot where he slept is cold, which means he left quite some time ago. I close my eyes against a pang of loneliness, but I don't let it slow me down. Checking my phone, I see a text message from an unknown number.

Don't forget to eat.

I add the number to my contacts, labeling it "Mephisto". After downing a few bottles of vitamin water to rehydrate, I throw on a hoodie and leggings in favor of the bath robe I'm wearing and head to the kitchen to grab something to eat. Somehow, when I open the fridge and see it well stocked with ready-made meal kits, I'm not surprised. I reach for the phone in my pocket and write a snarky message:

E: Looks like you raided a flash sale at a nearby convenience store. Was a private chef too expensive?

I laugh at my own words. Just imagining Sylus going to the grocery store is absurd. His reply pings a few minutes later as I'm unwrapping a chicken and rice bowl to put it in the oven.

M: I didn't want him to wake you. If you want, I'll arrange for one tomorrow.

As always, he calls my bluff. I rush to answer with a resounding "no thank you", knowing Sylus is definitely the type to go ahead and send a private chef to my ratty little apartment if I don't cover my bases.

E: Thank you for doing this. It will save me time this week.

M: Take better care of yourself. If you need anything, tell me.

My heart melts at that. I think about him nonstop the whole time I'm eating and washing dishes. Just as I'm wiping my hands with a washcloth, a knock at my door startles me out of my reverie. I pad over to my front door and open it without checking the viewing window.

Blue eyes, clear and true as the summer sky, meet mine. There stands Xavier, wearing a black uniform he's been donning quite often lately. He looks frazzled, something I'm not used to seeing at all. Instantly worried, I step forward.

"Xavier, are you OK? Did you just return from the mission?"

He nods.

"You should have gone home first. Rested."

"No," he cuts me off, his voice low. "I don't want to wait anymore."

"Alright," I answer, my shoulders and body tensing. I haven't exactly been looking forward to this conversation. "Well, at least come in. Sit down. Let me get you something warm to drink." His hair and shoulders are covered in little clumps of white snow. He must be soaked under that armor. He agrees to my offer, letting me lead him to the living room and equip him with a large towel for his head. While he's drying off, I make him some hot tea.

"Here," I say as I serve it to him on a small dessert plate with a box of chocolate Pocky on the side. "Though I still think you should go home and change. You'll catch a cold like this."

"I'll be fine," he counters.

Nervous, I sit down on the other side of the couch. "Xavier, before you say anything, please know that I don't feel ready for this conversation. I don't know how I would respond to--"

"I like you," he cuts in. "I've liked you for a very long time now." His perfect blue eyes stare right through me, confident and unwavering. He shifts toward me, and I shift backwards in response. But, there's nowhere to go. I've reached the armrest. Xavier stops moving when he sees my discomfort. He looks down.

"I waited too long," he says, his voice gravelly and full of regret. He reaches out for my hand. I hesitate, but I can't deny him this. Not when he looks so forlorn. My chest tight, I let him weave our fingers together. That "little bit more" I identified earlier squeezes around my heart like a thorny vine.

"Xavier, I...like Sylus." It comes out of my mouth before I can stop it, my lips stumbling on the word "love" and downgrading it. My mind is numb; my filter went flying the moment Xavier confessed to me. The words keep coming as though released from a dam. "I don't know when or how it happened, but I care about him a lot. I have no idea what we are or where this is going, but...I want to find out." My eyes sting. "I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry."

Using the hand that's holding mine, he pulls me into a tight hug. We stay that way for a while, my shoulders shaking, until he finally speaks again.

"I'll wait," he says past gritted teeth. His whole body is tense, like he's about to jump into battle. "I've waited this long, haven't I?"

I shake my head. "No, you can't do that. That's just--"

"I'll wait," he says again, more forcefully this time. I try to pull back, but he holds firm. "Give me a minute, please. I don't want you to see my expression right now."

A long time passes. Many thoughts fly through my head. At last, I come to a decision. It's one that's going to hurt, but I've never been so sure of anything. When he lets me pull back from him, I raise my chin and force myself to look deep into his eyes.

"Xavier, don't accept the transfer to Goldwood. Let me go alone. We can't be partners when there's this much unsettled between us."

His gaze darkens. "You're asking me to leave you alone again. Just like before."

I shake my head. "No. This isn't the same thing."

"You're my partner, Ellie."

The vine squeezes harder, and I bite my lip. "Yes, but...I can't keep hurting you."

"Give me your boundaries," he says. "Tell me what I have to do to make you more comfortable. I'll do whatever you ask. But, I won't leave you."

I lower my eyes, feeling defeated. "I need to think about all this. It's too much for me right now."

"Then forget we talked about it." He takes a breath. "There's still time before the transfer. Take that time to think. I'll stay out of it."

He stands up and heads for the front door. I can't stop him; don't have the right. Not when there's a chance I was inadvertently leading him on all this time. He's pulling away just like he always has in the past when it seemed like we grew too close. Before, I always chased him. Now, I have to give him space, too. It's only fair.

"Have a good night," he says as he shuts the door behind him. In the wake of him leaving, I'm still sitting on the couch. Still lost. Still hurting. There's only one thing I'm certain of, and it's that my feelings for Sylus aren't just some temporary crush. They're as real as these kind of things probably get, and that means that asking Xavier to wait for me is completely selfish. I need to communicate my stance better, but how can I do that when I really still have no idea where my relationship with Sylus stands?

In that moment, I make it my goal to have that discussion with Sylus during our time together. I can't put it off anymore. I need to know what we are to each other and where he sees all of this going.

It's a while before I stand up and clear off Xavier's untouched plate. I want to text him a reminder to get dry and warm, but I stop myself. Give him space. Right now, we both need time to think. I slide open my living room window, hoping that some fresh air will help clear my head. As though on cue, Mephisto flies inside with a cranky squawk and settles on my shoulder. I pet the top of his head, my eyes stinging.

"Sorry to make you wait, Your Majesty," I say through trembling lips. A tear slips past my self control. Mephisto's ruby red eyes take it in. For once, he's silent. "S-Sorry," I tell him, wiping a trail of snot off my nose. "Life just got super complicated, Mephy, and I have no idea how to deal with it."

#eyes of infinity delirium #love and deepspace #love and deepspace fanfic #sylus love and deepspace #sylus x mc #sylus/mc #sylusposting #sylus #lnds #lnds sylus

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sekiromi · 6 months

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A Devil You Do, ch. 1

Raphael tells himself that it is only because of your importance that he tolerates your insolence, placates your tantrums, grants you courtesies never before bestowed on a mere mortal. He tells himself his interest is purely professional, his desire to be close merely an expression of wanting to protect his investment.

But then, why do you remind him so much of someone who once felt like home? Why does your soul echo with the remnants of something heavenly, and why does it entice him more than any contract ever could?

He learned not to hope anymore, but for you he might make an exception.

pairing(s): Raphael x Tav/Reader, Astarion x Tav/Reader themes: reincarnation, soul bond, past lives, lost memories, pining, slow burn cw/tw: canon-typical violence, gore word count: 1k

[read this fic in all its glory on ao3!]

Chapter One: A Hundred Lifetimes from Now

The tragedy of the divine retribution of an original sin.

Fire rained down in whistling streaks, scorching the plane and causing it to shudder.

Raphael was many things; eternal, infernal, unforgiving. Hellfire simmered in his veins, behind his eyes, beneath his skin. Cruel and calculating, wicked and sinful, a creature of an irredeemable nature. Scorned son of Mephistopheles, a young lion lying in wait to pounce on his father, tear his throat and devour his flesh to take his place.

Concerned only with control and domination, loving no being other than himself.

Despite the heat of the fight, Cania remained cold and impervious, desolate and dark.

It had been that way for a long time, almost as long as Raphael could recall. His long life stretched out behind him unwaveringly endless, shadowed by greed and lust for power.

A flicker of a dying light, the last gasping breath of something divine erupted into the blackness.

The beginning grew hazy sometime during the second millennia, but there was one thing, or one person, rather, that stubbornly clung to the very fringes of his memory, slipping into his subconscious for safekeeping somewhere around 1400 DR.

Their body lay broken, crumpled, cold. Chest stuttering, choking on the blood rising in their delicate throat, and Raphael knew terror for the first time.

It still haunted his sleep, festered in a dark corner in the back of his mind, waiting for an opportunity to remind him of all he had won and then lost in his quest for everything.

“No…” Bloodied feathers and shattered bones, he tried to hold them together, put them back into one piece as if it could save them. “Hold on, my dear.” This fear on his face, it was a new emotion to them, one that they would remember a hundred lifetimes from now if only in the deepest reaches of unconsciousness.

They made an awful sound, thick, congealed blood pooling in their mouth as they tried to speak.

“G-Go, Raphael…it’s a trap.” Skin was already turning cold, fingertips icy as they weakly brought them to his cheek. “Mephisto…he—”

“Hells with him, I’ll kill him for this. I swear.” Rage burned unrestrained behind fiery eyes they had grown to love, despite every sense telling them to do otherwise. A forbidden attraction, a dance between the infernal and the divine, a collision between the Heavens and the Hells. They had both been damned from the start. They knew this. It had not stopped them.

“You won’t. Please…go, live. We will meet again.” His rage subsided to sorrow, feeling their once immortal life drain from them faster than sand through an hourglass, faster than the Styx through Avernus. His eyes grasped theirs, searching, pleading, bargaining, but both knew it was too late. Stripped of their invulnerability by the very Gods that had gifted it to them, Death would make a move soon. There was one thing left to say, a final deal, their last promise. Gently, they guided his face closer to their own, voice diminishing as a numbness climbed into their very soul.

“In the next life.”

Raphael wept for the first and last time.

—-

Whatever souls are made of, some are awfully persistent.

When theirs had departed for a more distant realm, it was some decades before it graced the material plane again.

They kept true to their promise; Raphael did meet them in their next life, albeit in another form, another face. It did not matter to either, their essence was still there, still the same. In that second life, they had managed to hold on to their memories of the one before, remembered the centuries they had spent together. The first, which they had spent the better half trying desperately to kill one another. The second, when they started to realise why they never could succeed. And the third, where they paid the price for his arrogance and ambition, slaughtered by his own father to teach his unruly son a cruel lesson.

Whatever you earn, I will steal. Whatever you have, I can take. What is yours, is also mine.

When their mortal life ran its course, they found him again in the next. And the next, and the next. He loved them in every single one, however they appeared to him, wherever they had come from. He cherished them entirely, stood beside them as they grew old, mourned their deaths that felt like they were coming faster and faster as the years stretched on, and waited for them to knock on his door once again.

Until they started to stop remembering, until it took him searching for them to elicit any memories at all. Until only echoes of the past remained.

Every reincarnation remembered less than the last.

Sometimes, he would miss reincarnations entirely. In these lifetimes, he would wonder what had become of them, whether they taken another lover, whether any visions of him and their past entanglements haunted them in the void of the night like they did him. During these lapses, the near misses, Raphael would find himself beginning to grow hazy on the details himself. An amalgamation of lives, a collection of personalities that were so similar but also just slightly distinct from one another, made it difficult to hold on to what was original. What he was looking for.

Eventually, it had been nearly a thousand years.

A thousand years of solitude, a thousand years to forget.

Raphael’s heart hardened once again. He became the devil he knew, the creature he was born to be. Cruelness returned, contracts were formed, and souls were traded year after year.

But he did not come across theirs again. He was not sure if he would even recognise it anymore.

By the mid-1400s, any lasting hope of finding them diminished entirely. Wherever in this existence they wandered, they would simply pass as hollow ships in the night, each unaware of the other.

Raphael accepted this, and got on with his work.

[chapter 2]

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #raphael #bg3 raphael #raphael bg3 #raphael x reader #raphael x tav #bg3 raphael x reader #bg3 raphael x tav #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #baldur’s gate #a devil you do fic #bear with while i format the other chapters #raphael fixation still going hard #this feels like marketing for my ao3 profile #sekiromi #a devil you do

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alexxncl · 5 months

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theories/spoilers

masterlist

general

lucifer's psyche (nb)

mammon and satan's relationship (nb)

simeon's celestial war dilemma

lessons

solomon and diavolo (nb lesson 14)

diavolo and barbatos' relationship (nb lesson 15)

michael's true intentions (nb lesson 20)

simeon's prophecies (nb lesson 23, og lesson 76)

satan read the bible? (nb lesson 26 & 32)

time soup (nb lesson 33)

solomon, lilith, and the underworld (nb lesson 36)

the fall to cocytus (nb lesson 37, og lesson 16)

mammon's power (nb lesson 39)

barbatos and mc (HDD 2024 Ch. 4)

what's happening to simeon? (nb lesson 45, og lesson 76)

were the RAD Science Fair Physics Finals rigged?

is simeon a demon? (yes...probably)

a (mini) luke race retrospective (nb lesson 49)

mephisto's insecurity (nb lesson 49)

devilgrams

simeon's prophecies 2.0 (nb coffee someday)

chats

what's happening to simeon?

solomon can't go to babel?

#obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me spoilers #obey me nightbringer spoilers #nightbringer spoilers #obey me nightbringer theory #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me satan #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me lilith #obey me michael

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kikyocaps · 4 months

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#kikyocaps #blue exorcist #ao no exorcist #aoex #ch 15 #mephisto pheles #amaimon #manga #manga page #manga art #kazue kato

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unreadpoppy · 10 months

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workshop

Dad!Phael x Gwen (although she only appears in the end)

can be read on it's own and as a continuation of An heir is born

A/n: This is just a small something of Raphael being a dad. Guess also counts as soft!Raphael as well. Also, the parts in italics are parts where he is reading something.

Tags: @lemonandhoneytea @bg3fan @mjuuuk (cause you guys left comments when i first mentioned writing something about dad!phael, it feels only fair tagging you)

Natahlia had recently celebrated her third birthday, and everyday, she looked more and more like her father. She had red skin, only a few shades lighter than Raphael’s, his nose, and he recently noticed how there were another pair of horns starting to grow on her head.

Personality wise, Natahlia had taken after her mother. She was a very vocal and active young girl, playing around with Scratch and making the nannies (who, more often than not, were some lost soul that was in Raphael’s debt) lose their minds, since they could barely catch a break.

But most important was that Natahlia was Raphael’s shadow.

Whenever he was at home, she would immediately run to him and follow him around. In fact, the times when she was around him were the only times she’d calm down. Raphael could talk for hours and hours, going over the most tedious subjects, and she’d listen. He doubted he understood half of the things he said, but that did not matter.

Raphael had someone who gave her undivided attention and he loved it. And he was using his little listener to put back practice into an old hobby of his: writing.

In truth, after conquering the Hells, Raphael hadn’t had all the time in the world to write his plays, songs and books as he used to have. But now, most of the dust had settled, Raphael could finally finish his more artistic work, and who better for him to show and workshop his material than his own daughter?

“We now enter act three.” He began reading out loud, while Natahlia was sitting on a chair far too big for her, hugging a stuffed animal Gwendolyn had given her.

“Our hero, the charming Raphael, is looking up at his devilish father, the Archdevil Mephistopheles. Just another step in the path towards greatness.” As he spoke, Raphael started doing small gestures, as if he was acting out the scenes himself. “‘Your time has come to an end, dear father’ Raphael snickers. ‘I have the crown now. The son you have longed ignored is now going to be your demise!’”

Raphael stopped for a moment and looked at her. Her big blue eyes stared at him, her mouth slightly opened. “What do you think?”

At the question, Natahlia smiled at him. “I like it! More!”

He chuckled at her reaction and continued his dramatic reading. “The Cold Lord said nothing, looking at his son with disdain. He stands up from his seat and walks towards the cambion, smirking. ‘If you think you have a chance against me, boy, I’d like to see you try.’ As he finishes talking, the two enter a bloody fight.”

Raphael then went into the explicit detail that he had written about this battle with his father. The play he had written was a recount of how he had fought each archdevil and gotten the title of Lord of the Nine Hells. It was supposed to be a continuation of a previous one that had already been performed long ago.

Raphael tried to keep most of the story true to what had transpired, however, he gave himself artistic freedom to change whatever he saw fit. Afterall, it wasn’t as if Zariel, Mephisto or Asmodeus were alive to contest his version.

As he read the fight out loud, Natahlia laughed, especially when he talked about the more gory portions. He couldn’t help but be proud. She may be a tiefling and only three, but the girl already showed a strong spirit and a lack of fear. She’d need that if she was to carry on his legacy.

Raphael had been so entertained by this reading that he failed to notice his wife, Gwendolyn, appearing on the door, until she said. “I don’t think you should be saying those things to a child.” The tiefling woman crossed her arms over her belly - she was halfway through her second pregnancy.

Raphael looked back at her. “My dear, she’s enjoying it. Look!” He pointed towards their daughter, who was smiling brightly. “Besides, she is my daughter. She needs to know the story behind her father’s greatness.”

The little girl cheered as Gwen shot him an unamused look. “And I know very well how true to reality these recounts of yours are.” She sighed. “Just…try not to focus too much on the violent part, please.” She put a hand on her stomach.

Raphael walked towards her, covering her hand with his. “For you, I’ll try.” He leaned forwards and kissed her forehead.

She smiled at him and then looked at Natahlia.“Good. Now, Natahlia, come, it’s time for your bath.”

The girl shook her head. “Want to hear daddy’s story.”

“You hear the rest once you’re done.” Gwen extended a hand towards her. “Let’s go.” The girl huffed but obeyed. Raphael rushed to her and helped her down the chair.

She hugged his leg. “Thank you, daddy!” And ran towards Gwen, holding her mother’s hand. As they left, Raphael could hear the girl already talking about every new thing she had learned. He let out a small chuckle and shook his head, sitting on the chair and getting back to working on the play. Once she was back, he’d have new material to show her.

#dad!phael #raphael bg3 #raphael baldur's gate 3 #fanfiction #raphael the cambion #raphael x gwen

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scythc · 7 months

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starter call ) @musikensangel ) from mephisto .

while the representation in question was dubious, there was an element of charm in attending a play about himself. swallowed up by the darkness of the auditorium, he has no care in hide a grimace at fonta's powerful baritone, so utterly disparate from his memory of faust's character. even more egregious still, the caricature of himself: comically malevolent, adorned with a blood-red coat and the curve of thin, antelope horns.

given, he had not covered up the brief encounter well. faust was a ignoble pretender, a doctor of theology masquerading as professional; a miserly man who wished to satisfy lustful appetite by ungodly means. he had wrongly assumed that no one had enough detail about their brief meeting to procure anything worthy of publish. given, he had abandoned most subtlety by the end, for there were better souls to reap in the ottoman empire and he grew impatient - with the context of his next reap, it was the right judgment call to make. though, when people shied away and uttered his name in fearful tone after, it was then that he properly learnt the merits of disguises.

speaking of souls to reap ... he sighs. there is little he can do in this instance, save of paving the way for the man. though, he rather fancies having a chance to meddle.

"miss daae," he protrudes from shadow, catching her in stillness betwixt the flurries of people; a moment of privacy in the crowd. "i believe you will perform splendidly in your part as margarita." smiles before she can correct him about the casting, "i will see to it that you perform. it is the angel's word that i bring, after all. and..." eyes dart briefly to a particular red-clad singer, "i have a particular role for myself in mind."

#i'm thinking erik is meph's contract? though the terms of the deal are hand wave-y #also not him just doing whatever the fuck he wants #erik is out here playing some 5d chess to get into christine's mind and meph is just like. hello ms daae :D #ch // MEPHISTO .#ver // YOUNG GOD .

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misaqtx · 11 months

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ch 324 spoilers

dont pull a collen ballinger now mephisto

princess opera

this is the fastest eater ik she gets down she dont play🙏😭💀

need this in a valley girl accent now

poor sullivan

#mairimashita! iruma kun #m!ik #welcome to demon school iruma kun #marashita iruma kun #mairuma #iruma suzuki #opera m!ik #mephisto #zebubura

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ilikeyoubetterthisway · 9 months

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The Kyoto Arc - A Ryuumo Analysis

Hellouuu

I wanna talk about the Kyoto Arc (and later the Beach Mini Arc and Festival Arc), in relation to Izumo and Ryuuji.

The Kyoto Arc starts with Rin being revealed as the son of Satan, everyone is feeling conflicted, specially Ryuuji, Shiemi and Yukio. They get tasked by Mephisto (as always), to go help at the Kyoto field office and we are shown Ryuuji feeling even more conflicted and stressed by the fact that he's returning home.

We know that he had a fight with his dad about the whole Satan and rebuilding MyoDha thing, which is the reason why Ryuuji wanted to become an exorcist, to bring everyone back together. Tatsuma clearly didn't agree with Ryuuji's decision of becoming an exorcist so Ryuuji feels even more determined to achieve his 'ambition'.

With this we know that Ryuuji's mind is going to be all over the place but still with some space for special moments.

The Arc starts on ch.16 but we will start talking from ch. 17.

Here everyone is boarding the train to Kyoto and the tension is high. Everyone is ignoring Rin and feeling scared and wary of him, as well as annoyed and conflicted with everything that happened.

Izumo arrives to the train wagon and sees the whole melodrama and after ignoring Shima's suggestion of sitting beside him, she decides to sit on the same seat row as Rin. He is confused by this and asks her if she's not scared of him, she simply mocks his question and explains that there are many people that have demon blood in them, but everyone's problem is that he is the son of Satan because they don't know if he will be a threat or not.

Then she proceeds to call everyone out on their idiotic behavior for making the problem bigger than it really is and we get a panel of the Kyoto trio sweating nervously, but we have an emphasis on Ryuuji with him being the only one with a speech bubble of a little "...".

Izumo is calling everyone out but Ryuuji is the one that has the main reaction. (Ryuuji and his habit of taking all her words personally).

Rin gets happy that not everyone is scared of him and he thanks Izumo as he switches to a first name basis with her. Izumo is annoyed and embarrassed by this, telling him to not get too casual with her and she proceeds to exclaim how much she hates cowardly people that proclaim something but back out when it counts, having focused panels of Ryuuji and Shiemi with conflicted expressions.

(This is funny since Izumo is calling (him) them out on the same reason Ryuuji called her out during their surprise exwire test, back in ch. 6, and he's the one that reacts the strongest to her words (Again... did you feel it a bit too personal, dear Ryuuji..?).

Anyways, Ryuuji immediately flares up, raising from his seat with his hand curled up in a fist and hitting the train seat, shouting at Izumo that he's done listening to her stuff, asking her who is she calling a coward? Izumo smirks and mocks him by asking him to take a guess (meaning that he was one of her main targets) (also, her smirking satisfied when Ryuuji reacted to her words, she rlly enjoyed that).

So, when the gang is starting to break apart, Izumo is the one that reminds them of the words they repeat over and over, about friendship, bonds and nakama power, she is one of the main people that keep the group stable (acting like the mom already).

Coming back to the main plot.

Ryuuji gets mad and shouts which only leads them all to get the Bariyon punishment, again.

Shima comments that the moment feels like déja vu, and that it was thanks to Izumo and Ryuuji that everyone got punished again, mentioning that they haven't made any progress.

Ryuuji and Izumo both proceed to blush in embarrasment as Izumo tells Shima to shut up. They got caught in a heated argument and got everyone punished just like last time, for the top students to be caught like this twice in a row and causing everyone to get punished on their behalf, this is becoming a common (and embarrassing) incident.

After the Baryon incident with Shiemi realizing that Rin's flames aren't hot but warm, they arrive in Kyoto. Everyone is feeling annoyed with the tension high once again during the bus trip towards Toraya Inn.

When they step inside the inn, on ch. 18, all becomes chaos: everyone starts happily greeting Ryuuji, as he embarrasedly tries to explain that he's there for a mission and not for a visit, but that's when they call his mother.

Torako comes running to the front door and after looking at Ryuuji with almost joy, she snaps at him in anger for having dyed his hair. They start bickering and Torako embarrasses Ryuuji in front of his friends, total mom behavior. As she explains how the Inn helps with the financial issues, here comes a short but at the same time big Ryuumo moment:

Izumo proceeds to tease Ryuuji (while she blushes), by calling him Bonbon and Ryuuji snarls at her in total embarrasment, nervousness, and blushy cheeks, by calling her out using her last name.

Lemme rephrase this again:

Izumo (the girl that doesn't want to get close to anyone), went out of her way, to tease Ryuuji by calling him Bonbon, an actual flirty nickname, in his own house, in front of his mom, all their friends and a big part of MyoDha, causing him to blush and answer her in total embarrasment by using her last name, all this while she is also blushing, o sea, this was a huge decision made by Izumo.

And, I don't know if this is the same for you in your country but at least in mine and in some movies I watched, when people use bonbón or bonboncito to refer to someone (usually a guy), is because they see them as an incredibly attractive person, is a nickname you use to flirt. Also, a bonbón is a marshmallow, a candy (the ones you roast with fire just like how Ryuuji looked when having Karura on top of his head jaja). And, if all those weren't enough, Izumo of course called him like that for his title 'Bon' (Young Master). She really went and made this elaborated joke that Ryuuji noticed and most likely was the only one who understood it, just to tease him and make him blush, which she succesfully accomplished.

For them to supposedly be at each other's throats minutes ago, Izumo completely changed the dynamic between them by teasing Ryuuji with a flirty nickname instead of the (you could say), mean nickname (gorilla). And Ryuuji answered with a positive but still embarrassed reaction by blushing and calling her by her last name for the first time in the manga.

(Also, funnily enough, Ryuuji started calling her on last name basis the following chapter after Rin started calling her on first name basis, hmmm... sudden change, don't you think dear Ryuuji..?)

This is the moment that made a shift on their relationship and it was started by Izumo and positively answered by Ryuuji.

Izumo took a huge step forward by teasing him like that, when we know that she's hellbent in not wanting to make friends or close bonds. Izumo will totally make the exception for Ryuuji, take time out of her schedule to tease him with a flirty nickname in front of his mom, all their classmates and the entire welcoming party of MyoDha, being the one to take the initiative towards a new and different dynamic between them.

A small moment that I think is funny to add, is this one where Rin is trying to fix things up with Ryuuji, and he's probably thinking of a way to make him less annoyed so he tries using the nickname "gorilla-boy", but it only causes the opposite effect with Ryuuji now getting more pissed jaja. (Sorry Rin, sweetie, only Izumo can call him gorilla, also him being all shy and nervous when asking Koneko to eat with him, cute).

After this moment, is just plot stuff, everyone is distressed by Todou and the Impure King eyes thing, so we will skip a lot of this. Rin is still trying to talk to his friends and do his training, Ryuuji is dealing with his issues with his dad, Shiemi is feeling with low self steem, Koneko is sad and stressed, Shima is tired of everything and Izumo is annoyed and troubled by everyone's stupidity, etc etc.

We are also introduced to the other canon ship that shares a lot of similarities in personality and appearance to Ryuumo: Juzo x Mamushi, or as I like to call them, Jushi, jaja.

Also, we get Uwabami getting Ryuuji to feels suspicious of people from MyoDha, (they are already training him to be the bearer of Karura, jaja, pls, give him a break).

Anyways, we jump to ch. 23, after everyone finds out that Rin is Satan's son, Ryuuji shouting at his dad, Rin punching him while flaring up, and the gang (minus Rin, Yukio and Takara), gather in the kitchen to heal Ryuuji and talk.

Now, this may be a short moment but many things are happening here, and this is the summarized version:

We get Izumo being the one to ask him what happened and Ryuuji explaining the situation.

And this is the detailed version:

Ryuuji arrives to the kitchen, completely defeated and exhausted, he has no space of mind to get into defensive mode against anyone, specially Izumo, since we know how much he reacts when she or anyone questions him or calls him out on anything.

As highlighted by the sketch at the end of the chapter, all the energy he had has been depleted. He's done with everything and is currently vulnerable and exposed.

And is the same thing with Izumo: she just came out of the shower, she's feeling refreshed and new, her mind free from any disturbances from her surroundings, and we see how this clearly allows her real self to show up: by having a nice conversation with Shiemi, noticing the improvement on her demeanor and also about to ask if they (Rin and Shiemi), were having a thing; her behavior towards Shima is still the same and when Ryuuji comes to her, completely defeated and exhausted, her first reaction is to ask him what happened for him to be in this state, her reaction was getting worried about him. Just what the real Izumo would do.

And while looking into each other's eyes, Ryuuji answers her truthfully and openly. And a surprising detail here is that it seems he didn't say anything about what happened to Shima and Konekomaru, judging for their surprised reactions to his words. This means that Ryuuji only talked after Izumo asked him about it (The Kyoto trio walked all the way to the kitchen together and Ryuuji never said a word until Izumo asked him about it).

(Also, it makes me laugh how the panel of Shima being excited to see Izumo in a yukata is immediately followed by a panel of an angry Ryuuji, I know they are in different moments but it was still super coincidental, ksks).

Anyways, here Izumo is the one asking Ryuuji what happened for him to be in this state (she's worrying about Ryuuji), while looking at each other during these panels, ugh dying. Ryuuji finishes explaining the situation and Izumo notices that Shiemi is getting worried about Rin. (Ryuumo supporting Rinshi, lessgo).

This moment feels so different from all their past interactions since Ryuuji is feeling defeated and exhausted from all the discussions with his dad and Rin, he's finally answering Izumo's questions in a calm manner, as well as Izumo just came out of the shower, she's feeling relaxed and fresh, so she will take her time to put up her walls and boundaries.

This is how they react to having a mess around them, they are the ones that get things under a semblance of control, trying to make sense out of it by setting things straight and explaining the situation. They are the top students who just recently caused a ruckus and got everyone in trouble, but when things get messy they are the ones that decide to take responsibility, to bring back some sense of order and stability by whether explaining the situation or looking for answers, they become the parents of the squad~.

He arrived vulnerable in front of Izumo and she proceeded to worry about him. The only one to whom Ryuuji has finally answered in this calm manner, looking remorseful and defeated, is Izumo.

Anyways, Rin gets his death sentence and Shiemi immediately tries to convince everyone to help rescue him (on ch. 26), Ryuuji accepts, followed by Koneko and the next one to do it is Izumo, and then Shima follows them by force.

When they go up Kongo-Shinzan, on ch. 27, Izumo is the one that finds Ryuuji's dad, Tatsuma (mah girl was already scanning the entire forest and risking everything for him).

Like, really? The girl who wanted nothing to do with them proceeds to find the missing person in the middle of the night in a huge forest with no illumination device almost instantly. Now that's dedication.

Then Ryuuji asks Shiemi and Izumo to take care of his dad, and later we get moments of Izumo wanting to keep the promise she made (cough to Ryuuji cough), and wondering why she's doing what she's doing (because she cares about everyone).

No because, again, really??

Izumo is behaving so different from her usual tsundere behavior: she worried and acted angrily to the group for being idiots, she teased Ryuuji, worried about him, scanned the entire forest to find his dad and then proceeds to tentatively agree to take care of Tatsuma with the Impure King releasing its deadly spores a few meter away from them.

But the most interesting thing is that she made it a promise. On the upper right panel she just says "sure." It wasn't a full confirmation nor a 'leave it to us' or something serious like that, it was a simple casual word and later we see Izumo refer to it as a promise.

This is what the real Izumo would do. What her heart wants to do, that is why she is feeling so conflicted and confused because she is going against the promise she made to herself about not trusting nor getting close to anyone because she can't lie to her real self, the one that actually loves and cares about her friends and their goals.

And we also got several panels of Izumo worrying for Ryuuji.

(Just look at the lower left panel, Izumo with that soft but worried as heck face, which she makes just before the Impure King awakens completely and Ryuuji gets in real danger, ugh cutie).

(Also, I like how Izumo and Shima are the ones with actual worried faces when Ryuuji inherits Karura because they are the ones that know what it is to have familiars that are powerful enough they can turn against you at any moment if you show a glimpse of weakness or wavering heart. Izumo having Uke and Mike and Shima with Yamantaka, Rin is still unaware of his demon side and Nee is too innocent and good hearted to want to hurt Shiemi at all).

Anyways, Rin manages to defeat the Impure King with the help of Ucchusma. Shiemi and Izumo, as well as Rin and Ryuuji, share very wholesome friendship moments and everyone is safe and sound back in Toraya Inn.

This concludes the Kyoto Arc, which emphasized Izumo having the initiative, giving and wanting attention from Ryuuji, and him answering back with positive reinforcement, as well as many instances of Izumo worrying about Ryuuji, showing how much she cares about him.

Thank you so much for reading this far!! See you in the next one~!

#i got bullied into posting this so is getting posted now #pls enjoy #ryuumo #ryuji x izumo #bon x izumo #bonizumo #izumo kamiki #ryuji suguro

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