#i just thought the punishment didn't match the crime

[kyumisyumi]

Something something something eldritch Nikto something something something

I've sifted through so many ideas for this because I didn't wanna just pick a random eldritch creature from my box of horrors and slap Nikto's name on it. But also I don't feel like I have enough info about him(ironic, considering I write about him so much) to craft him into a creature. I watched some documentaries on eldritch horrors, dived into Russian cryptids and still drew blanks but here's what I managed

Rating: E for everyone who loves Nikto

Eldritch!Nikto x F!Reader

Word count: 1K

~Taking requests~

You weren't running from the consequences of your actions, more like briskly walking in the opposite directions. Looking forward all the way because backwards held the sounds of large dogs and angry men. Their boots cracking every twig and foliage along the way, voices interrupting the once peaceful ambiance of the woods. You could hardly tell whether the growling was from the hounds or the men. And really, who wouldn't want to run away from such a thing? Not run; walk. Quickly, very quickly. You were being smart, not cowardly.

No, never that.

You weren't cowardly when you snuck into that guardsman's post. You weren't cowardly when you tried to steal the gold he confiscated from the Miller's wife, the only woman that kept you fed while the streets were your home. You weren't cowardly when you defended yourself once he caught you. And you weren't cowardly when you accidentally bashed his head in with a clay pot. He should've worn a helmet, really. A guard should always have their helmet on! What was he thinking? Now look at you, running for your life and deluding yourself as if it would change the actions of the past.

Running.

You ran your mouth, ran your mind, but no matter how fast you moved, you couldn't outrun hunting dogs. Your fault, really, for trying to do so while wearing the long, ugly skirt you stole from someone's unattended clothesline. You should've maybe stolen the guard's old pants, you knew he had some because he mentioned wanting to give them to his nephew who was in combat training. Instead you dashed out the home the moment you realized he wasn't breathing, panicked by your first time taking a life. What were you thinking?

"I wasn't-" you spat a thick glob of blood out your mouth, it's red color staining the putrid black floor. Tears staining your vision and pain plaguing your mind. "I didn't mean to." You said it over and over again but it was little defense against men who'd lost a comrade because of you. A good man. A good man who stole from widows and bullied the elderly? It's weird how two people can look at the same person but see someone different. But that train of thought was halted by a kick to your stomach. And when one of the men took the final hit, the force of it sending you against the edge of the pit, you finally felt that feeling in your stomach. The one you hid away behind conversations with yourself. Locked away behind a naive expectation that things will either go your way or go away. Your first taste of true regret. Because you got a glimpse of where that attitude has lead you. That attitude that kept you going when your parents had left you. That attitude that kept you alive when your survival was in your own hands at an age where other children were being coddled and sung to. That attitude that protected you in the harsh village slum, now had you staring down into hell. 'The pit'; a giant hole defacing mother earth's perfect form. It's surface covered in black ichor, you couldn't tell whether the walls were moving or you'd been hit so hard your vision was thoroughly fucked. This was considered a punishment worse than death. Jokesters and troublemakers got a stern talking to. Thieves and crooks got jail time. Murders and adulterers got death. But the truly damned got the pit. The punishment didn't match the crime but judging by the hate filled glares of the men surrounding you, they didn't much care.

Or maybe they did care, they cared about you as much as you did yourself, these days.

That was a more comforting thought, maybe? Maybe not. Either way, thinking about it felt a whole lot better than thinking of the weightlessness you felt as you fell. Your vision quickly losing the greens and yellows of a gentle forest to being plunged into darkness. A darkness beyond description. One that surpassed what's seen when you close your eyes for the night. That surpassed the unconsciousness of sleep when dreams escaped you. A darkness that felt like death yet was somehow alive.

The walls were moving, they shifted uncomfortably as they felt the presence of another. Voices that whispered of uncertainty and conflict. Voices that yelled intruder and ones that yelled fodder. But one voice just hummed in curiosity at seeing the source of blood and spit and tears it tasted. He had consumed many of your kind but what little it had of you ignited interest rather than hunger. So it did not eat. Didn't wrap you in its tendrils and rip you apart into easily digestible pieces to be absorbed by its mass. The tendrils held you, confused by their many intentions and wants, before simply bringing you lower into the pit. To the very bottom that no other creature has ever seen. No other creature would ever be allowed near. Far too close to it's more vulnerable organs. But you wouldn't hurt it, would you? Wouldn't hurt them. Not with those blunt nails and teeth, not with those little limbs and severed ties to the natural order. You were weaker than it's weakest points yet you fought against his tendrils like you believed you could win. Struggled and resisted as if you had a fighting chance. 'Hush, little human.' It thought as it strangled you, only enough to render you unconscious. Give it enough time to build a prison home inside itself for you. Then build a form for himself more perceptible to your primitive eyes, he'd tried once before but the human face was so hard to mimic. There was so much anger inside you, more for yourself than for him. And Nikto couldn't understand it. There is only one 'you' inside that tiny, fleshy form. How can one be angry at their own/only self? That would be one of the first things he asked. He felt there was nothing a creature like you could teach him yet he had so much he wanted to ask regardless. Maybe once he had his answers he could finally consume you in peace. Maybe then the voices that called for him to spare you will quiet down. And the ones that screamed for him to bond with you will stop. Your body couldn't handle the things he desires... Could it?

Regardless, he has time. All the time in the world and beyond.

Silly human, getting yourself thrown down here, what were you thinking?

All in all, I didn't want to forget the eldritch and just make a monster.

[captainsophiestark]

The One and Only Exception

Percy Weasley x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Harry Potter

Day 13 Prompt: "Come with me, hurry."

Summary: When Y/N and Percy end up in a small closet together hiding from angry Slytherins, certain feelings may finally come to light.

Word Count: 1,628

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"This is why you're my best friend."

I grinned as Oliver Wood, my regular partner in crime, whispered from next to me in the secret passage where we crouched. Normally, we were partners in Quidditch-based crime, coming up with the most amazing plays to destroy our opponents on the field. We'd been doing it since first year, even before anyone had been willing to listen to us and our Quidditch opinions.

Now, however, we were partners in crime in something that fit our Beater pair more than either of us. But with a match against Slytherin on the horizon and them playing ridiculous, cheaty mind games, I'd convinced Oliver to join me in doing the same.

We were going to get back at them by getting in their heads, the same way they'd been spending time trying to get in ours. And as soon as Marcus Flint came around the corner, ideally with a few other members of his team, our hovering bubbles of water and flour would drop down on them from the ceiling and our revenge would begin.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait much longer. As we'd expected, Flint came into the hallway with his Beaters trailing him. Oliver and I waited for the perfect moment, then with a wave of our wands, dropped the balloons and flour smack onto their heads.

They froze in their tracks, horror on their faces, before they looked around wildly and angrily. Oliver and I shared a maniacal grin, then took off running in opposite directions as planned as Flint roared.

"WHO DID THAT?"

Oliver disappeared up the secret corridor as I popped into the hallway with the Slytherins, drawing their attention before disappearing around the corner of a castle hallway. Ideally neither of us would get caught, but Oliver was the Quidditch captain, so we needed to make sure he didn't get blamed for this lest the whole team be punished. Hence my part.

I could hear the footsteps of the Slytherins pounding against the cobblestones behind me, but I just cackled and picked up the pace, racing ahead. I flew around another corner, intending to put on a little more speed, but stopped dead in my tracks thanks to an unexpected obstacle. Percy Weasley, Oliver's roommate and one of my friends since first year, was walking down the hallway, completely oblivious of me and the angry Slytherins on my trail.

"Whoa! Y/N, what are you-"

"No time! Come with me, hurry!" I cried, grabbing Percy's arm and dragging him along after me. He immediately slowed me down, and if we kept going at this pace, Flint and his friends would catch us for sure.

Time for plan B.

I readied my wand and leveled it at the nearest door off the corridor, blasting it open before ducking inside, dragging Percy with me. I quickly shut the door behind us, relocking it with magic and then freezing to avoid making noise that would give us away.

"Really, Y/N, what on earth-"

"Percy, sh!" I said, raising my finger to my lips and staring him down with wide eyes. He didn't look completely pleased, but he listened, settling in to stare at me with his arms crossed while I watched the door.

I thought that would be that, but then Percy grabbed my arm to turn my attention back to him, one eyebrow raised almost into his hairline in demanding question. I sighed, then leaned in to whisper in his ear.

In the back of my mind, I realized just how closely together that put us, chest to chest in this tiny dark storage closet. I tried my best to force that train of thought to be quiet, especially since I was sure Percy didn't feel the same as I did.

"The Slytherins have been messing with our Quidditch team worse than usual," I whispered. "So, I'm helping my best friend by getting them back. We set a trap with water balloons and flour in the hallway, dumped it right on Flint's head, and got the Beaters too. After I triggered the prank, I took off and they chased. I ran into you, dragged us both in here so we wouldn't get caught, and now we're waiting for them to pass."

I leaned back at bit to gauge Percy's reaction, and for just a second, I thought I saw a faint blush on his cheeks through the dark. Then, I noticed his deep frown.

"What were you thinking!" he hissed, at least remembering to keep his voice down this time. "You know I'm the Head Boy, don't you? I have to get you in trouble for this!"

"Or..." I started, giving Percy a little smile as an idea came to me. He raised his eyebrows, still looking a little outraged, so I continued. "Percy, did you actually see me do anything wrong?"

"...Well, no. But I just heard you confess to dropping water balloons on the Slytherins-"

"Percy. I just saved you from an angry Marcus Flint, who absolutely had it coming, by the way. For once in your life just be chill."

He stared at me, stress written on every single line of his face, then finally sighed, his shoulders falling as he closed his eyes.

"Okay."

"Wait, really?"

He looked at me again, clearly incredibly tired of my nonsense. Maybe he was just trying to fake me out...

"Really, Y/N. I... you made a decent enough argument that I suppose, just this once..." he cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his neck, and this time I definitely caught him blushing. "I suppose I can let it go."

"I freaking love you," I laughed, flinging my arms around him and pulling him in tight for a hug. He froze like a statue, then slowly, wrapped his arms around my waist. As he did, I realized what I'd just said, and I felt heat rising to my own face, too.

We stayed like that for a few beats, part of me not wanting to pull away and deal with the tension now blanketing this closet. After a moment, though, I did, slowly. Percy didn't drop his arms from around my waist, and I left mine around his neck as we made eye contact, all the humor and lightness gone.

"Percy..." I breathed. I glanced down at his lips before I could stop myself, and when I quickly looked back up after realizing what I'd done, I found Percy's gaze had wandered to my lips, too.

I smiled to myself, then leaned in and kissed him without letting myself think twice about it. I'd had a crush on Percy since fifth year, and Oliver had spent all of that time telling me to stop being a chicken and just ask him out. Now, two years later, I was finally managing to do just that.

Percy kissed me back as soon as he'd realized what was happening, and I smiled into the kiss. After a moment we pulled away, and I met Percy's eyes, wide with shock but a small smile on his face. I was practically glowing.

"You just kissed me," he said, like he still couldn't quite believe it. I nodded.

"I sure did. And I'm gonna do it again."

Percy huffed a quiet, happy laugh, then met me half way as I leaned back in towards him. Marcus Flint and the angry Slytherins were completely forgotten as I ran one hand through Percy's hair at the base of his neck, and he wrapped his arms even tighter around me.

"Hey, I think it's finally safe for you-"

Percy and I jumped apart and whirled around as the door flew open, revealing Oliver. I guess he'd come to find me once the danger of the Slytherins had passed, unfortunately for me. Oliver, Percy, and I stared at each other with wide eyes for a few moments, and then Oliver's face broke into a grin.

"FINALLY! I've had to spend years hearing you talk about Percy nonstop, only to go to bed and hear Percy talking about you until I hit him with a pillow!"

Percy and I exchanged a glance. I couldn't believe that all this time, he'd been just as hung up on me as I'd been on him.

"Alright, I don't need to see the lovey-dovey stuff even though I'm happy for you," Oliver said, putting his hand back on the door and taking a step back into the hallway. "Y/N, don't be late for practice. I expect to see you on the field in twenty minutes."

With that, he slammed the door again, leaving Percy and I alone in the small, dark space.

"You... you've talked to Oliver about me?" asked Percy, hesitant hope in his voice. I smiled.

"Of course. He's my best friend, and I've had a crush on you for years."

Percy beamed. "So have I."

"Well, I'm glad we finally got that cleared up then," I said, taking Percy's hand in the dark. It was amazing neither of us were literally glowing with happiness. "So... maybe we could do something this weekend? A date, or something?"

"I'd love that," he replied. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend, so perhaps some tea?"

"That sounds perfect." I leaned in to kiss him again, a short peck on the lips, then I pulled back and flung the closet door open. "I need to go or I'm going to be late to practice, and then Oliver will kill me, but... I'll see you in the Common Room tonight?"

"I'll see you tonight," he said with a little nod. I beamed back at him, then blew him one last kiss before taking off down the hallway again, headed for the Quidditch pitch outside, still floating on air. My prank on Flint had worked out even better than I'd hoped it would.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

Harry Potter Taglist: @valkyriepirate

[rea-grimm]

Weapon Asmodeus

You used to go to Asmo quite regularly for information. Since he owned the largest brothel chain in the area, he knew almost everyone and could get any information you wanted on anyone. For the right price, of course. 

At least that was true for the others. You got the impression that he had a soft spot for you, and frankly, you had a soft spot for him. He was giving you free information on weapons, demons and the like.

Instead, he was offering you all sorts of services and what he wanted most was for you to devote yourself to him. Massages, baths, pampering, he wanted to spend time with you his way. But you always felt like he wanted one thing from you and you refused to become his next sheep. 

Asmo always pouted when you turned him down. No one else had ever rejected him for so long. There was no one who could resist him this long. Part of it annoyed him, but it made him want to break you all the more, and at the same time, it made him all the more drawn to you. 

You knew Asmodeus was a demonic weapon. That's why he had such supernatural charm and charisma. But you had no idea what kind of weapon he was. Somehow you couldn't imagine it as a sword, maybe a dagger...

You were just at his place for more information when his main brothel was raided. Asmo was on the top floor where he had a perfect view of everything that was going on. 

Originally, it looked like nothing. The only thing suspicious was the unusually large rush of potential customers. You were on Asmo's balcony when a particularly scarred man walked over. From the look of him, he looked like a mercenary. 

Apparently, he wanted information, and all the valuables were in the building. Of course, it was no secret that Asmo had a taste for expensive and luxurious things. 

Moreover, whoever wanted something from him would leave gems, expensive fabrics, oils, and anything else the weapon could think of. He loved to be spoiled by others. 

The bad guys thought it would be an easy heist. That they'd all give up in fear. They hadn't counted on any resistance at all. But that was a mistake, for the brothel was full of weapons and masters who intended to defend this place at all costs. 

You helped protect the place upstairs with Asmo. However, he just took it as fun, that they were doing it all for his sake. 

However, all the jokes and fun ended the moment Asmo's fingernail was broken by the force of the sword's impact. That was the moment that made it all personal. 

Asmo was furious and wanted revenge and blood more than ever. He even asked you to fight alongside him as a weapon. But you didn't want to come between him and revenge, so you refused. 

However, he continually pressed upon you during the fight, pleading and cajoling you to use him to fight and kill with his help the one he had wronged so much. 

Finally, you agreed and reached for him. Asmodeus turned into a weapon and fell into your hand. To your surprise, it was a graceful fighting claw. 

Together you and him managed to turn the situation in your favor and very soon most of the mercenaries were slaughtered or on the run. The one who broke Asmo's fingernail, however, stayed put as Asmo cut through his hamstrings. 

Now it was Asmodeus' turn for revenge. Asmo sent you away to stand guard while he decided how to punish the villain who broke his nail. Since that was an unforgivable crime according to the weapon. 

After all that, Asmo decided you would stay with him as an honoured guest. But you were under the impression that something else was at play. Something that changed when you took him as a weapon. 

You took advantage of the huge, luxurious bathroom he allowed you to use at will. Then Asmo summoned you to his room. 

There he asked you to sit on his bed. He sat down next to you and began to massage your back. 

"I knew why I was drawn to you. Why you were the only one who could match my beauty," he began as he continued the massage. 

"Only a Master like you deserves a beautiful weapon like me," and he punctuated his words with kisses on your neck. 

You tried to resist him, but now that you knew he was your true weapon. Your soul mate. You found it harder and harder. 

"Y/N," he grunted, pulling you close. You looked once more at your tattoo, which now showed Asmo as a weapon, its decoration resembling a scorpion. 

Asmo could see your resolve weakening as you finally gave in to him. He pulled you to him and stole your lips in a kiss.

Obey me! Masterlist

@fernstarsblog Weapon Asmo is out!

[citrus-writing]

Hi!! I’ve got some thoughts about yandere!Neon x nen-user + bodyguard!Y/N that I wanna share with you

It all started with something like: "She’s pretty, I want her to be my bodyguard!" Yeah, she liked Y/N just as a "decoration" that’d look good next to her.

Later, she wanted Y/N to be her friend. Moreover, it was important for her that it was Y/N who first suggested that she go beyond the relationship of “bodyguard and boss”.

Neon is spoiled by her father. She gets everything she wants, so maybe she’d think that Y/N's favor can be bought with expensive gifts. Her first gift was new clothes, because according to her, Y/N's old clothes didn't fit her at all! One of Neon’s last gifts was a ring with beautiful pink gemstone (Neon’s got the same, but with gemstone of Y/N’s eye color).

After some time, her sympathy grew into an obsession and a desire to be the only one who owns Y/N's heart and mind. Neon's father burdened Y/N with more and more responsibilities, which led to Y/N starting to feel like a maid(wife) rather than a bodyguard.

At this point, it's too late to try to get rid of Neon. Now she will never let go of her beloved Y/N!

If Y/N already have got a lover, Neon’ll ask her father to kill them.

Also, I think Neon is romantic. I'm 100% sure that if she falls in love, she'll be like Illumi in some way—it'll be important to Neon that Y/N acts according to her vanilla fantasies. However, the punishments for long-term "disobedience" will be her tantrums and scandals. (Also Neon's wishes are much more obvious than Illumi's XD).

I’m sorry for mistakes, eng isn’t my first language and I was a little nervous while writing this

Thank you so much for sending this in, it was a joy to read! I was so inspired I had to sit down and write something out immediately before my thoughts got away. Please don't be nervous to send me things! 

You’re 100% right about neon, her spoiled and bratty nature makes her a doting and controlling yandere who needs constant attention from her beloved darling.

 I may actually write some more stuff for yandere neon, because I think she’s perfect for it. 

------------------ 

I’ve always loved the idea of neon falling for someone who works for her, either as a bodyguard or a maid, it feels natural that someone like neon- who is always surrounded by people she could be considered above- would fall for someone who works for her and who is paid to put up with her. Because she has so few friends, or even people who care about her, I can imagine her getting attached fairly easily. 

Afterall, you’re a breath of fresh air to her, as you're likely not involved in crime or the mafia, and you're brand new to her life. She sees you as somewhat innocent, not unlike herself, and she wants to protect you, no matter how strong or capable you are. To neon, you're a kind person, and people like that need to be protected and looked after. 

I imagine working for neon would be draining; she totes you around like your her newest handbag, showing you off to anyone who will listen, eagerly dressing you up in outfits to match hers, eagerly buying you gifts, even when you say you don't want them. She insists you be with her constantly, throwing tantrums if you try to take days off. 

Her presence is suffocating- but some part of you still feels bad for her. Neon is a girl who is treated like an object by everyone around her, and because of that, you feel sympathy for her. Sure, she’s spoiled and bratty, but deep down she’s a nice girl with a big heart- you’ve seen firsthand how loving she can be towards those she cares about-- even though you haven't seen the half of it yet. 

Despite neon being your boss, it’s possible you may actually start to see her as a friend- even with her obsessive tendencies, neon can be very sweet and endearing, and it’s possible she may win you over by being friendly with you. She buys you gifts, expensive things she knows will impress you, but you're more impressed with how she always seems to know what sort of thing you’d like- it’s like she knows you better than you know yourself. It’d be creepy if the gesture wasn't so kind. 

The ring neon gets for you is beautiful- pink gemstones that glitter in the light, but you feel you can't accept it, afterall, this must have been expensive, and it was more so the kind of thing you would buy a lover than a friend. But neon insists it’s fine, that she bought it just for you and she wants you to have it. How can you say no? It takes a couple days before you notice she wears a matching ring on her hand as well. 

Neon is a lot like illumi, in several ways. 

First, they’re home lives are a little bit similar- both coming from families involved in crime, both possessing nen abilities, and both being rather wealthy. 

Another way they’re similar is the desire to make you a part of their family- both neon and illumi would desperately want you to like and get along with their families. They both share a fixation on the idea of marriage, neon’s gifts of matching rings is the first hint that she desires to be your wife. 

Neon craves a domestic life with you, one where you can truly love her as she’s come to love you, one where your days are filled with nothing but each other, as are your nights. She wants to spoil you and dote on you, and any refusal of her wishes is met with tantrums and fits. 

So just play along with her, it’s easier that way, and deep down, you know that. 

[awkwardgtace]

Gant's Utopia

Hey Hey this took a bit longer than expected. Things got a little hectic. An anonymous donor requested a Damon Gant fic from @gtgotcha4gaza

Damon Gant has some musing's on his patrol which gets interrupted by a shout. That shouldn't happen in his city, Crime didn't exist anymore

TW: Cruel giant

Gant's Utopia

Damon Gant was proud of his decision to help the humans. A place where no one acted against the letter of the law. He’d stomped out the worst of the worst for the civilians, literally. It made his patrols easy enough. A duty he wanted to fulfill despite the peace he’d-

“No!”

A scream pulled him from his thoughts. Gant narrowed his eyes and stormed over to the source. The buildings shook with each of his thunderous steps. The shadow of a smirk rested on his face. It had been a while since someone caused a disturbance. He couldn’t stop himself from hoping there might be a little fun to this one.

Gant stood at attention when he reached the scene. A quick scan to gather any information he could. A woman sat on the ground, her terrified eyes were sent his way. He could easily take her stance to be from his own steps, but the young man not far off made him doubt that. He held a purse that clearly didn’t match him. Gant wound up with a full blown smile.

“What’s going on here, ma’am?” He asked as he leaned down for a closer look. He made a point to lean until the buildings audibly groaned. A warning to the criminal in his sights and the rest of the town. They could never forget what it meant to break a law in his city.

“N-nothing, sir!” she squeaked. He frowned when she said that.

“Is that true, young man?”

“Y-yes sir!” he shouted. Gant sighed and shook his head.

“It looks to me like you’re holding this young woman’s purse. She screamed not even a minute ago, still telling me there’s nothing going on?” Gant sighed. It seemed obvious this woman might be trying to protect a petty criminal. He lifted his heel, shifted his foot, and lowered it again slowly. The crunch of metal rang out like music.

“I-I saw a rat, sir!” she screamed. Gant raised a brow at her. “I dropped my purse and the young man was just picking it up for me.”

“A rat?” he said. Gant rubbed his chin in thought.

“Y-yes that’s it! I was just picking it up for her!”

Gant smiled a bit as he stood up straight. A boisterous laugh burst from him, punctuated by the clapping of his hands. As usual, this kind of response shattered windows. The noise and pressure was too much for human made structures. He couldn’t help it when the humans tried to lie to him. It amazed him not a single one caught on that he could smell lies.

When he arrived this city had a seedy underbelly of criminal activity. It was by his own work that they had peaceful lives now. Usually, he’d take any effort to lie to him as an insult. Today he was in a good mood, and appreciated that the two gave him something to laugh about. He put an elbow on one of the buildings and rested his head in his palm.

“Go ahead then, give her back her purse,” Gant said. The young man climbed up to his feet. His whole body was shaking. Gant kept a narrowed gaze as the young man handed the woman her purse.

“Th-thank you,” she said. 

“N-no problem,” the young man said.

He stood up straight again, clapped his hands together. “Well, with that settled, we should see to your punishment. Shouldn’t we, young man?”

“Punishment?!” Both of the humans shouted.

Gant smirked. He leaned forward until his shadow had covered the two completely. Slowly, he reached down. The alley the two were in was small. His arm would just barely fit between them. That wasn’t a problem. He forced his arm through, neither of the humans moved. It was a little sad that the would-be criminal didn’t even try to escape.

Just as his fingers reached the young man, he realized what was happening. It was too late to make an escape attempt. Gant pinched the man between two fingers and lifted him from the alley quickly. He had a bit of pride in the way that disoriented the criminals he dealt with. With a small flick of his wrist he dropped the man into his palm and curled his hand into a fist.

“L-lord Gant!” the woman screamed. Gant crouched so he was close enough to see her again. She was shaking, it made sense. She’d been protecting a criminal, even if the crime hadn’t succeeded. “I-it really was-”

“Now ma’am, you wouldn’t want to be caught aiding a criminal would you?” he said. Gant leaned forward. His shadow was all the woman needed to remind her of the power he held.

“I-I… no sir.”

“Good. Don’t worry, clearly this young man just needs to give back a bit.” Gant waved his hand that held the human around a bit. “Do some community service..”

The woman nodded, she understood exactly what he meant. Gant stood up tall and started on his way back to the remnants of the old legal system. It was the best spot for him to stay in the city. No innocent civilian that could be hurt from some mistake he never intended. It even had a cliff with an old apartment building nearby. Another thing he’d repurposed.

Gant dropped the young man in front of the apartment building, took a seat, and cleared his throat. It only took a few seconds for a procession of other humans to walk out of the building. He tilted his chin up slightly as they did. Just enough for his beard to be easy for them to reach.

The term community service wasn’t exactly the best. He served the community so they would serve him. After he felt it was long enough he would, sometimes, let them return to normal law-abiding lives. Plus it was a perfect way to keep an eye on troublemakers. All the humans of his city were aware. No one spoke against it. That had to mean they agreed.

“What’s going on?” he heard the young man ask. Gant waited, someone else knew to explain. This young man was likely from out of town. Came to the city where that old syndicate used to look for kids like him.

“Grab some shears. We have to trim his beard. Lord Gant doesn’t want to look unkempt when he next patrols.”

“I’m not trimming his damn beard! I thought he said community service!”

Gant turned his head down. Narrowed his eyes and sat up tall. He held a single thumb over the young man. He growled, “If you’d rather take a criminal’s punishment, I don’t mind.”

“N-no sir” The young man’s voice was almost so high Gant couldn’t hear it. “I-I’ll do my… my service.”

“Good choice!” Gant laughed as he tilted his head back up and slouched a bit. This was his favorite time of day. Soon enough he’d have a pile of food others brought to offer him. A few civilians would volunteer to shine his shoes too. It was what he deserved.

Damon Gant kept these humans safe from criminals. Used his abilities to help them live safe, fulfilling lives. Put the ne'er do wells to work helping to maintain his beard. The humans should do anything he asked at this point. Maybe even worship the ground he walked on. He was a god that gave them a utopia to live in. One he would continue to maintain until the day he died… he might even look into expanding it. Humans were weak and could use his guidance.

[theamazingmaddyas]

I'm not sure how much the Starkid and Percy Jackson fandom intersect, but I was thinking about the different Starkid/TCB musicals, and which songs could alternatively be used to describe Riordanverse characters, and decided to share. This will probably end up being a part 1, since I'll probably end up thinking of more the second I post this, but maybe not. Anyways, here's my first list (and descriptions):

Not Your Seed (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals) - Luke Castellan

This was the first one I thought of, and reason for this post. Alice is literally singing about how she's been possessed and is no longer her father's kid, and how he'd never noticed her.

Also the lines:Why does it hurt to love you, why am I in pain? Why does it hurt to know you, you let me down again. If I turned my insides out, would you even know that I was there. Why does it hurt to love you? Why does it hurt to love? Is literally Luke's motive in the series, he's resentful of his father, and it hurts to care for him. Also, And if you wonder what led your daughter astray? Well, daddy wasn't here to stay. Do I need to say more?

CaliforMIA (Black Friday) - Luke Castellan, Thalia Grace, and Annabeth Chase

Thalia: Dearest Gods,

It's been real, real bad. I'd say you tried your best, but I'm not a liar

Luke: It's L I E R, Thal

Thalia: We get it, Luke, you're a good speller

We're taking Annabeth as far away as we can get. I'd give you an address, but I don't want to. Don't write, don't IM, don't ask.

Sincerily,

Thalia

That's all I have to say. Also, that Beryl is, in fact, a bitch, an alcoholic, a meloncholic that Thalia kept afloat.

Black Friday (Black Friday) - Bianca di Angelo

This song is so Bianca-coded, as she reflects on her life and on her relationship with Nico in her final moments. The part that's most her, I think is At first I didn't know what she was to me, at first I didn't know why I cared, or why I wanted, to rock her and hold her to sleep. Did I need her more than she needed me? Maybe I'm wrong, she can go on her own, 'cause I'm leaving.

The way this was probably one of her last thoughts has kept me awake at night. Also, there's the toy store/junkyard similarities and that both Lex and Bianca's 'deaths' have to do with a toy.

The Coolest Girl (A Very Potter Sequel)- Annabeth Chase

The Coolest Girl and My Grand Plan are basically the same song, I have no other notes.

Tonight this School is Mine: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano and Octavian

Obviously, this song is Octavian, he has been trying to become praeter since the dawn of time. I wasn't sure who'd 'run' against him per se, but I chose Reyna solely because we know Jason was raised up to Praeter during war, so Octavian couldn't have tried to vie against him. Reyna, on the other hand, she's barely been at camp for a few years and already became praeter? Octavian definitely had something to say about that.

Guys Like Potter (A Very Potter Sequel)- Octavian and Bryce Lawrence

Instead of being about the want for a partner, change the meaning to be the want for power? This is them to the T. It was probably "Guys Like Jackson" because my man has been at camp for 4 days and is already praeter.

Get into My Mouth (A Very Potter Senior Year) - Literally every monster ever

Self-explanatory, I believe.

The Dragon Song (A Very Potter Musical) - Lester Papadoupalus (Apollo)

This is actually how Apollo beat the Python, he told me himself.

So level with me buddy I can't defeat thee So please don't eat me All I can do Is sing this song for you

Also, the Python never asked to be a snake, and Apollo never asked to be turned mortal. We just jumped on the bandwagon, but all we need is guitar jammin'

If I Fail You (Black Friday) - Hermes

This is Hermes to Luke.

If I fail you one more time, the punishment won't match the crime. 'Cause there's no pain that can ever explain how I let you down. If I fail you one more time, the mountain I would have to climb, is so high up that I would have to die. Oh, I. I failed you once, and I will fail again.

That is all.

Doing This (Spies are Forever) - Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and Hera

I had trouble deciding whether Curt's mom would be Hera or Aphrodite because Aphrodite's well, Aphrodite, but Hera literally changed Piper's memories so she thought they were dating, so she ended up getting the honor.

I mean, the plot of the song is literally two characters, one of whom is canonically gay, thinking they have to be in a relationship before realizing they were better off as friends. That's literally Piper and Jason in TOA?

I guess we're doing this, see that look in your eyes, how can I resist, (Piper)I'm a girl, (Jason)I'm a guy. It's meant to be, because we're both spies, time to move in for this kiss. Just go with it and don't ask why. I guess we're doing this... is Heroes of Olympus and It's great to know we don't have to pretend. (Piper)You're cool with me? (Jason)'Till the end. But let's never do this again. Is them in Trials of Apollo.

To Dance Again (A Very Potter Musical) - Lavinia Asimov

As a tap dancer, I can say with certainty that Lavinia did Voldemort's tap dance for the entire legion, and spent hours making sure the fifth cohort could do the kickline properly. I don't make the rules.

The Witch In The Web (Nightmare Time) - Georgina

The "witch" is Trophonius, obviously, guiding Georgie to the cave in the Dark Prophecy. I feel like this one doesn't need much more explanation.

Rogues Are We and Rogues Are We (Reprise): Kronos' Army

Rogues are we!

Luke is Sweet Tooth in the reprise, obviously.

Adore Me (Black Friday) - Octavian

Also self-explanatory I feel like. Specifically, in House of Hades and Blood of Olympus after Reyna leaves, and he tries to make himself praetor.

I will destroy everything And then I will destroy everything I'll guarantee I'll destroy everything In my path Unless I get what I -

Gerald calling is Reyna arriving.

The Web I Spin For You (Nightmare Time) - Arachne

Do I really need to explain this?

Status Quo (Starship) - Percy Jackson

Percy does push the limits a lot, and doesn't except everything at face value, as shown when he make the gods pay child support.

I kick down the walls around me They don't know how strong I am I'm not defined by boundaries

Yeah, that's Percy.

Beauty (Starship) - Grover Underwood

This song is literally about finding beauty in nature, Grover's whole speil.

If you’re preoccupied with what’s on the outside You get lost in the “how it can seem” But open your eyes and you’ll be surprised To find out how much more something different can mean

It's just wonderful, and so Grover.

Backfire (Firebringer)- Leo Valdez

Leo made a schwoopsie when he blew up New Rome.

That's a joke. I know he was possessed, but also I feel like Backfired is how Leo's brain is when he's trying something knew. I also can see Leo being Fire also from Firebringer, or the predecessor to Backfire, which is What if?

If I Believed (Twisted: The Untold Story of the Royal Vizier) - Nico di Angelo

Just like Jafar being in denial about Sherrazade's death, just as Nico is in denial about Bianca's, and is willing to ignore logic and reason in order to get them back.

Science says you’re dead and gone forever Reason says I’m talking to the air But something in my heart Some secret hidden part Illogically insists that you are there Somewhere

It's how King Minos was able to manipulate Nico so easily in Battle of the Labyrinth, and how the villains were able to get Ja'far to join the dark side so easily.

I Steal Everything (Twisted: The Untold Story of the Royal Vizier)- Travis and Connor Stoll

Want food, but got no money? I'm screwed, or so it would seem That's why I came up with this brilliant scheme

Just steal everything!

Okay, Connor and Travis aren't absolute assholes like Aladdan is in this song, but I found it humorous.

[yanknowalready]

Yandere Maul Thoughts

I can't see Maul falling for someone completely deaf to the Force, so this is yan!Maul x force sensitive reader, not so much an actual story as it is concepts for how the relationship would be

[0.5K] words, contains violence and other general yandere content, implied mutilation

Man has the most unhealthy desire to nurture people he cares about. Unhealthy to them, at least. Between Savage, Ahsoka, and Ezra, Maul clearly wants a companion he can have power over. And given the number of force users stronger than him, any power imbalance WILL be in his favor.

During the years between Clone Wars and Rebels (or later, going off of George Lucus' sequel idea of having Maul as a godfather crime boss post-Empire) Maul would be on the lookout for a new apprentice. Maybe you are a survivor of order 66, maybe your parents turned down the jedi taking you as an infant, or maybe your force sensitivity was just a bit too low to gain their attention. Whatever the case, you've evaded the Empire, but you didn't realize you also needed to avoid Maul.

Like with Ezra, Maul would be subtle when he first finds you, gauging your natural ability and getting you to open up and trust in him as a mentor or authority figure who has your best interest in mind. And in his mind, he really does. He will expose you to the dark side through fear and anger and suffering, and he will think he is helping you, strengthening you. Training will be brutal and exhausting. He anticipated you would resent him for it at first, yet he finds himself upset by that. To his surprise, he finds he doesn't want to only cause you pain, as he realized your company feels... pleasant. Initially this results in you gaining a slight reprieve as he distances himself, thinking you are distracting him from the negative emotions that fuel his dark side powers. Soon enough, however, he finds that his passion for you can still lead to rage and fear. At that revelation, he finally admits to himself that he desires you, not just as an underling or apprentice, but as a companion and lover. It seems that, as long as he gives in to his passions, even those resulting from love, his power in the dark side remains strong.

If he can't get you to reciprocate his love, he would settle for making you hate him. After all, he has firsthand experience of how all-consuming hatred of someone can be. It would not be his preferred relationship with you, but as long as he knows he fills your mind one way or another, he will be satisfied. Maul would justify any sadness or anger his affections cause in you by telling himself it strengthens your connection to the dark side, giving you more power and making you more able to protect yourself from anyone who may wish to do you harm. Well, anyone besides Maul, of course. In addition to the training he forces you to go through, he would be quite strict in keeping you from leaving him. If fear and punishments don't keep you in line, well... Maul knows some limbs aren't necessary for survival. Besides, matching legs seem more his style than the typical couples' matching outfits, especially when he can install a kill switch that shuts down your legs if you try to leave him again.

[charismaofobedience]

Ok hi yeah time for messy scrambled thoughts on deep cover and its mv.

Again as people pointed out, it starts right after harrow with her saving the girl. For this we know she has killed the abuser/whoever that other person was after her pin board investigation on the crime, but it's important to note that on the phone article she's reading afterwards it's stated that even if it was said the killer (kotoko) acted on self defense by the girl herself, it was dismissed and also noted how the body had more bruises than necessary, indicating kotoko likely had gone way too far in her assault against the person before saving the girl.

After that, we see the girl slowly taking in more and more behavior from kotoko, from the way she gets a black cap that matches hers to when she's standing in front of the store *just* like kotoko did in harrow. Due to being saved, the girl likely started to idolize kotoko and admire her for what she did, wanting to mirror that behavior herself and starting on it.

I think it's also nice to remember now how previously in milgram kotoko has indeed stated that she's always been this way since she was a child. We didn't get any clear clarifications about what she meant with that, however, we can easily assume she's talking about her morals and views in things. Due to this we can theorize we may have a potential cycle going on here, with a child kotoko maybe being saved by someone and then mirroring that behavior, and now this happening to her itself. It isn't a confirmed thing and doesn't quite have any basis as kotoko is one of the most "mysterious" characters about her past, but I felt the need to already bring the ideas of perpetuated cycles here.

We eventually see all her research from undercover basically scribbled over. While yes, Kotoko did save the kid and kill whoever did that, Kotoko is now purposeless. After killing them, she has officially achieved her goal and, thanks to that, has nothing else to do anymore. This lack of purpose is further enforced by the news article mentioned above, which states Kotoko going too far in "self defense" and, in her eyes, going against her. The lyrics further enforce Kotokos need for affirmation from others, asking for reliance on her or for others (and I theorize more specially that girl) to tell her when to stop or what to do. Kotokos ideals aren't enforced just by herself as we see in milgram itself, but also by others, with how she waited for Es' judgement before acting out against anyone they, the "society", judged unworthy. Having those news articles now leaving her behind as someone who acted out too much can easily be interpreted as a betrayal on her, on them now saying Kotokos justice failed.

And, possibly as a mix of all this, Kotokos ideals overcame and became stronger than her. With her sense of justice twisted now for a thirst for violence, we can see the moon progression on the mv as this mentality of her twisting more and more, from Kotokos original ideas of "I need to protect the weak" to "I need to punish those society deems unfit", in a way. We know the first moon phase changed after the assault on the criminal she was researching and, as the news stated, she went too hard on them, so we can conclude that this initial twist of her morals happened right after her "punishment" against them.

What happens this way, however, is that Kotoko has now begun yet another vicious cycle of violence. Due to her lashing out and actively hurting the criminal while getting the kid to admire her, it's easy to make an assumption that this cycle might have been repeating again, from a tiny Kotoko to now this kid. If the wolves in harrow represented the ones Kotoko wanted to protect, this werewolf represents Kotokos morals and justice themselves, and it's easy to see that they surpassed her, became stronger than what she can control. With them overcoming Kotoko, she lost sight of her original views on things and has simply decided that this twisted view of hers should be pursued, because after having everyone (the news article and eventually the girl telling her to stop if we can trust the lyrics) turning back on her, she's the only one she can rely on.

While I'm here, can I mention how I am quite sure Kotoko's lines might also be able to refer to herself? Yes, they're references to the other prisoners, but we have to remember Kotoko clearly was never the most confident person in the world if we are to read her past timeline stories and, most importantly with deep covers release, how her justice is entirely reliant on others judgement about people, and this is something I see a lot of people misinterpreting about her. These two lines in specific struck me because yes, while they refer to Haruka and Fuuta... I don't think Kotoko would say them just to reference the others, and we should note that by this beginning nowhere were the moon or werewolf to be seen. If we are to believe that her lines also all may trace back to her, the usage of codependency as a term is perfect, because in a way that's exactly what it is. Just as much as Kotoko wanted those weak ones to rely on her... She herself doesn't quite consider her strong, and isn't her reliance on others' judgement by this point to realize her justice quite the codependent action? Fuutas line is more direct, with it potentially (not saying it does) being kotoko talking to herself about how ridiculous it is that she's bringing her vigilante self back to prison.

Anyways, while I will indeed be voting her innocent, I do think guilty is the "best" voting for her right now. She absolutely will take it as us betraying her, don't get me wrong, but I think Kotoko really needs some reminder to try and bring her back together. Just as we are what makes her have a "reason" to live and bring to her a justice, we need to do this right now by voting her guilty so she can try and reflect on herself a bit

[teaberrii]

Chapter 11: The Truth

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

Dan Feng suspects something's up before you open the door, and your body language confirms his suspicions. You aren’t smiling, and the look in your eyes tells him you’re nervous and anxious. It isn’t long before you break eye contact and step into the hallway.

“An odd place to chat,” Dan Feng says, “but I’m sure you have your reasons.”

Yes, you do.

You glance at the security camera with a perfect view of the entire hallway. As you and Dan Feng’s place are the only two flats on the floor, it’s the best place to chat where you aren’t sure what will happen.

“Lan told me what happened on that plane,” you say. “He and Nanook cursed it, apparently.” Dan Feng narrows his eyes. “I don’t know how curses work, but… I’m hoping you can tell me.”

Dan Feng quietly says your name.

“He told me you’re one of them,” you say. “I… I don’t know what to believe, but I think it’s safe to say that something weird is going on, something that I can’t logically explain.” A small pause. “I didn't believe him until he pulled some magic trick out of his sleeve to make me think otherwise. And the dreams and what I felt..." You sigh. "Tell me the truth. Who are you? Why are you really here? And… What’s your relationship with Lan?”

Dan Feng quietly exhales and looks you in the eyes. He shouldn’t be too surprised that it comes down to this. Maybe he’s a little too naive to think you might dismiss Lan’s claims as ludicrous. Still, Dan Feng never thought Lan still had some magic left in him.

“All of us are gods," Dan Feng says, "but we are not the same.” You cross your arms. “Lan and Nanook are Aeons who have been punished for their crimes in our realm. They were imprisoned but escaped, and we were sent here to take them back.”

“And by ‘we’, you mean—”

The door behind Dan Feng opens, but he doesn’t look back. Bailu, Zhongli, and Neuvilette step into the hall.

“We are known as the Dragons,” Neuvilette says. “And our home is the Castle of Dragons.”

“Oh, but we don’t breathe fire or anything,” Bailu adds as if this is an everyday conversation about mundane things. She makes peace signs with her hands and puts them behind her head. “We have like horns and stuff, but we’re not that scary. Not like the dragons humans show in their movies and books."

Your back is against your door, your hand on the handle.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Zhongli says reassuringly.

“Is there another reason you’re here?” you ask, looking at Dan Feng. “I’m not saying I believe everything Lan says, but I just want to hear both sides of the story. He says you’re looking for a woman, the same one he might be looking for.”

This gets a reaction out of everyone.

“Wait,” Bailu says, frowning. “Lan’s looking for a human?”

Dan Feng steps toward you but stops when you gesture for him to stay where he is.

“I wouldn’t say I’m looking for her,” Dan Feng says. “Our main objective is to find Lan and Nanook and take them back where they belong. Meeting you that night was not on my agenda.”

Your grip on the handle tightens.

“I told you about a woman, the one my brother and I loved,” Dan Feng continues. “I had to know if you were her reincarnation.”

First gods and now reincarnations. Everything is going too fast.

“Why…?” you ask skeptically. “Who is she?”

“She's the reason why I’m a god,” Dan Feng says, his eyes darkening. “She is the reason I couldn't die.”

“But I’m not her,” you say, your voice slightly trembling. “I’m not. So…” You put your hand to your neck, remembering that horrific experience. “Please stop whatever it is you’re doing.”

Dan Feng narrows his eyes, and he almost takes another step toward you. “Did something happen?”

“I don’t know what magic or whatever it is you did,” you say, not looking at him. “But, you appeared in my room… You looked angry, and, well… You tried to choke me.”

“I tried to choke you?” Dan Feng asks, eyes wide.

You slowly look at him. “Are you saying you didn’t?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Dan Feng says sternly.

“W-Well… It happened."

Neuvilette sighs. “This is concerning. We might need to look into this.”

“Geez,” Bailu says worriedly. “You don’t think we have an evil Dan Feng 2.0 running around, do you?” She crosses her arms and looks up. “Well, maybe the better question is why did that happen?”

“There are still so many things we don’t know,” Zhongli says, scratching the back of his head. “First Furina and now this…”

“Did you say Furina?”

Everyone looks at you.

“Do you know her?” Neuvilette asks.

“Not personally. She was friends with Dan Heng’s mother, and he told me about her.” Your attention falls on Dan Feng. “I wanted to ask you about her.”

“We're likely in the same boat,” Dan Feng answers. “I only know about her through Signora.”

You glance at everyone. “Does she… also know the truth about who you are? Signora, I mean.”

“No, but we plan to.”

Unbeknownst to you, Dan Feng notices the subtle annoyance that flashes across your face. You don’t want your feelings taking control, but has this been his plan all along? To tell Signora? And what about you? If you didn't call him out, when did he plan on telling you the truth?

“I’m not surprised,” you finally say, not looking at him. “Signora and Dan Heng’s mother were close, so she must know about Furina through her.”

“What did Dan Heng tell you about her?” Neuvilette asks.

“It’s not what he told me about her,” you say, taking out your phone. “It’s what he showed me.” You walk up to them and show them Furina’s book on your phone. Dan Feng stands in front of you while the others crowd around you to get a better look. “Dan Heng was reading something called The Book of Curses. It’s supposedly written by Furina, which… I can’t even begin to explain. But, there’s been rumours about her that she’s supposedly crazy.”

“The Book of Curses…” Bailu mutters. “How interesting.”

“Do you, um, have something like this in your realm?”

You hate how awkward you sound.

“We do,” Dan Feng says. “But there is no author.” He leans in to look closer, and your eyes linger on him before it falls onto your phone. “Have you read it?”

“No,” you say, switching to another tab on your phone. “But Dan Heng showed me this.”

This time, it’s the uncanny sketches on your screen.

Zhongli narrows his eyes. “That’s…”

Bailu looks from your phone to Dan Feng several times. “Holy moly… That’s you, Brother Moon!”

“Or, is it Dan Heng?” you ask quietly. “The first time I saw this sketch, I couldn’t understand why Dan Heng would be in here. Furina has never met Dan Heng before the dinner, so… if she really did draw this, she drew it without ever meeting him.” You look at Dan Feng. “I thought the other man was something like another version of Dan Heng.” Dan Feng’s eyes meet yours. “I don’t know if that’s the case anymore.”

Everyone’s eyes are on Dan Feng when he says:

“I’ve never met Furina before, so I can’t answer why she would draw something like this.”

You cross your arms. “You say you’re a god, but… Have you met Dan Heng before?”

The silence is short, but it feels awfully long.

“He was my brother," Dan Feng answers. "The Dan Heng that you know was a reincarnation of him.”

Again with the reincarnations.

“And did you plan on keeping that a secret too?” you ask. “First, the assumption of me being a woman from your past and now Dan Heng being the reincarnation of your brother?” Realizing you let your temper slip a little, you quickly compose yourself. “Anyway… is this…” You swipe to another sketch. “Is this the woman you’re talking about?” Dan Feng’s eyes widen. “Looks like I was right.”

“We need to talk to Furina,” Bailu says.

Zhongli nods. “Yes, but how will we get in touch with her?”

“I’ll do it.”

This time, everyone turns to Neuvilette.

“Do you know her?” you ask.

“I don’t,” Neuvilette answers. “Not in this period at least.”

Neuvilette’s steady footsteps echoed throughout the large courtroom. He was still dressed in his lawyer attire: an elegant dark blue robe that fanned out at the sides and long black boots. It wasn’t long since his last trial had finished, and, of course, it was a clean, swift victory for Neuvilette.

“You wanted to see me?” he asked, stopping in front of a tall man wearing a black eye patch over his left eye.

The man had been staring at the beautifully carved statues of the God and Goddess of Justice when Neuvilette asked the question. He turned with his hands behind his back, and his stoic and sharp gaze landed on the most promising lawyer in the nation.

“I have a new assignment for you,” the man said.

“Well, I’m all ears.”

The man looked past him. “Come in, Furina.”

Neuvilette turned just as someone pushed open the large gates. He looked confused when a young girl with soft white hair and blue streaks walked in. Her hair bobbed up and down as she walked, and it wasn’t until she stood beside Neuvilette that he noticed her eyes were different shades of blue. He found them beautiful, not that he would ever say it out loud.

“This is Furina de Fontaine,” the man said. “Do not be deceived by her appearance. She recently graduated from the same law school as you.” In other words, the best law school in the world. “I want you to mentor her.”

Did Neuvilette hear that correctly? Mentor? Him? He glanced at the woman, and she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a little smile.

“Mentor?” Neuvilette asked. “Surely, there’s someone else more… fitting for the job. I—”

“There’s no one I would think is more fitting for the job than you,” the man interrupted. “You’re the best of the best, Neuvilette, something that you take pride in, I’m sure.”

“Or,” Furina said, facing Neuvilette. “Are you afraid I’ll take your top spot?”

“Wow… Bailu says, surprised. “I like her spunk! So, did you mentor her?”

“Yes,” Neuvilette sighs. “The Furina in this world may be a reincarnation of the one I used to know.”

“Well, here’s a thought,” you say. “What if… she’s the same one? Is that possible?”

“This has to be centuries ago. A human can’t live that long.”

You nod at Zhongli. “Yes, of course. But… If gods and reincarnations exist, it might be possible for someone to live longer than they should through magic.” Then, you sigh. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

"You're getting a hang of this quite fast," Dan Feng says.

You exhale softly. "Am I? I'm just thinking back to the rumours..."

You were sitting near the back of the large lecture room when you overheard a conversation between two classmates in the row in front of you.

“Did you hear that Furina is going to be the representative speaker at this month’s seminar?”

“I did,” her friend said dully. “Strange that they would pick her… Kinda don’t want to go.”

They took out their laptops and put their bags on the empty seats beside them.

“What? Why not? It’s easy credits.”

“Well, yeah, but isn’t she sort of… crazy?”

You didn’t see it, but one of them rolled their eyes.

“I’m sure it was a publicity stunt. There’s no way what she could’ve said is true. Past lives? Gods? Magic? It’s all just to get attention.”

"Unwanted attention if you ask me. But, I guess you're right... Who cares if she's crazy? Easy credits."

“Well, now we really need to talk to her,” Bailu mutters.

Zhongli looks at her. “What is it, Bailiu?”

“It’s something us doctors were researching for a very long time,” Bailu says.

You know this is beside the point, but you still can’t hold back. “A doctor?”

Bailu smiles. “Surprised, aren’t ‘cha?” She clears her throat. “But anyway, way back then, we were researching whether we can extend someone’s life. In other words, we were looking into human immortality.”

“Er… This might be a dumb question,” you say. “What do you mean by human immortality?” You glance at everyone else. “Are all of you naturally immortal because you’re gods?”

“Bingo,” Bailu answers. “But a human is not a god and vice versa. We were looking into whether you could live forever as a human! Exciting stuff, huh?"

“What did you find?” Zhongli asks.

“We had a breakthrough when we extended someone’s life by two years,” Bailu says. “But, even then, it took a lot of magic… dark magic.”

“It was why it was banned," Neuvilette adds. “We dealt with quite a few cases involving dark magic, though those were easy to win as it was illegal.”

“So,” you say, “It’s impossible that Furina is the same woman from way back then?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible,” Neuvilette says. “Dark magic, or black magic as some people like to call it, was illegal, but that didn’t stop people from using it. However, the Furina that I knew… she would never use black magic.”

“Sounds like you had a lot of faith in her,” Dan Feng says.

“I mentored her,” Neuvilette says with a soft sigh.

Bailu chuckles. “Aw, don’t tell me she's Neuvi’s first friend.”

“She was a woman with a lot of potential,” Neuvilette admits. “There weren’t many women in law back then, and those who were, unfortunately, left early in their careers.”

“I guess the question now is… How will we get in touch with her?” Zhongli asks.

“Signora is planning on reaching out to her,” Dan Feng says. “That’s one way.”

“Are we leaving it to Brother Moon then?" Bailu asks. "Furina may not be our priority, but we might be able to get some valuable information from her.”

Dan Feng looks at you. “I understand this is a lot to take in at once, and… I apologize for hiding things from you, but you’d be of great help to us.”

You aren’t smiling when you look at him. “I hope this means we’ll be honest with each other.” You don’t mean to sound annoyed. In fact, you can reason why Dan Feng kept it a secret, but something is still nagging at you. “Even if you didn’t want me around, I’d still want to know why I saw what I did.”

“I want to know as well.”

Bailu looks from you to Dan Feng before turning to Zhongli and Neuvilette and pointing at the closed door.

“We’ll leave you two to talk,” Neuvilette says, opening the door.

Soon, you and Dan Feng are the only ones in the hallway.

You have so many questions, yet you don’t know if you want to know the answer. The reason he saved you… Is it because he thought you were the woman he loved? He said it himself, didn’t he? He had to know if you were her reincarnation. But why is he looking for her? To rekindle an old flame? Perhaps have another chance with her in another life because she chose Dan Heng over him? Or… is it not as ‘romantic’ as you think?

“It’s true I saved you for my own purposes that night,” Dan Feng says. “But—”

“I don’t look like her, and… I doubt we have the same name,” you interrupt. “Everything is the complete opposite of Dan Heng. So why…”

“Reincarnations can be a tricky thing. Under some circumstances, the person can be a doppelganger of their past self and even share the same name. But that doesn’t apply to everyone.”

“Why not?” you ask. “What makes one different from the other? Or is it by chance?”

“In short, it has to do with how they accepted their death at the time they died. If they cannot accept their death, they can be reincarnated with the same face and name, which signifies a continuation of their life. If they can accept it, they can be reincarnated as a new person, which means a new start."

"That oddly makes sense." Still, you're surprised that there's a deeper picture behind reincarnations.

“The woman I’m looking for murdered my brother." A chill crawls down your spine at how calm he sounds. “I couldn’t kill her myself, and that drove me insane.” Finally, you look at him, and his eyes darkened. “I never thought, not even for a moment, that she would get the chance to reincarnate after what she did. But then you appeared.”

You step back. “Then… What I saw earlier…”

“There are still so many questions,” Dan Feng says. “Which is why I wanted to get close to you.”

You cross your arms. “So, you can kill me.”

“Yes.” When he sees you stiffen, he says, “I’m being honest with you.”

“Of course.”

“While there are similarities, you’re also a bit different from her.”

“Because I’m not her,” you mutter.

“But that doesn’t explain the dreams and what you saw,” Dan Feng says. “There's reason to believe you’re connected to her.” He looks at your necklace. “It might be related to your necklace.”

You hold it tightly. “How? Dan Heng had it custom-made, so it wasn't like it was passed down. Besides, I’ve had it for a long time… It’s not until—”

Dan Feng slightly tilts his head, curious about why you suddenly stopped. “Not until?”

“It’s not until I met you that the dreams started,” you finish quietly.

“I think it’s best if both of us keep an open mind. You don’t want to be the woman I’m looking for, and frankly… I wish you weren’t.”

“You wish I wasn’t…?”

Dan Feng awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “Do you want me to kill you?”

“That’s… What kind of a question is that?” You frown. “Of course not.”

“It pains me to say this, but you don’t make the humans seem so bad,” Dan Feng says, looking you in the eyes. Then, he looks away. “Take that as you will.”

You raise a brow. “Do you have something against us, sir?”

His silence speaks volumes, and you don’t question it further.

Dan Feng feels something on his cheek, and when he turns back, he realizes you poked him. "Innocent until proven guilty." Upon seeing his confused look, you roll your eyes. "You said it yourself, didn't you, 'Brother Moon'? There's no proof that I'm her, so unless there is, I think I should be treated as, well… the friend you've known all this time."

His little smirk takes you off guard. “Of course.”

“Well, glad we got that out of the way.” Dan Feng looks at you closely, which finally makes you ask, “What?”

“You looked annoyed when I first mentioned Signora. I’m curious as to why.” When you remain silent, Dan Feng continues, “I thought we wouldn’t have any more secrets between us.”

“It’s not really a secret,” you mutter. Then, you sigh. “It’s nothing.”

“If it’s really nothing, you wouldn’t have been annoyed.”

You frown. “Are you always this stubborn?”

“I don’t think we should tell Signora everything,” Dan Feng says. “At least, we should tell her the truth about who we are because she’s too involved. As for Dan Heng being my past brother and your dreams… That’s a separate matter.”

You're not looking at him when you nod. Again, unbeknownst to you, Dan Feng sees a little smile. 

“Sure,” you say. “I mean… I don’t think we’ll have to start from scratch, at least.”

He smiles. “Then, that's what we'll do."

“Ooh, I think they’re done fighting.” Bailu’s faint muffled voice comes from behind the door.

A small chuckle. “Their first fight.”

“Don’t you two have anything better to do?”

Dan Feng opens the door and Bailu stumbles out. Zhongli stands near the door, and Neuvilette is by the kitchen counter, his hand in the beef jerky bag.

“Um… Hi,” Bailu says sheepishly.

“Let me guess,” you say, looking from Bailu to Dan Feng. “Bailu is not really your sister, is she?”

She puts her hands on her hips. “I’m his self-appointed sister!”

“She does her job well,” Dan Feng says, “for the most part.”

“Hey!”

◆◆◆

A couple of days later, all of you are at Signora’s penthouse in a calm and highly secure neighbourhood. You’re not surprised that Signora looks at you and the rest of the dragon gang like you’ve lost a few marbles after telling her about who they really are. You also tell her about what happened in Lan’s office that day, which still sounds like something out of a fiction novel.

“At this point,” Signora says, sighing, “I think I’ll believe anything.” She looks at Dan Feng. “So? Do you have any magic tricks up your sleeve?”

“He would’ve,” Bailu answers. “If he didn’t use it to save a certain someone.”

You and Dan Feng glance at each other.

Signora puts down her tea. “Ah, yes. I wonder who that could be.”

“Anyway,” you say, “Do you think you can get in touch with Furina?”

Signora smiles. “Who do you think I am?” She crosses one leg over the other. “Better come prepared. We’re meeting her tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Zhongli asks, surprised. “That’s… fast.”

“Well, when I mentioned a certain someone”—Signora looks at Dan Feng—”she seems pretty eager to meet him.”

“Considering the sketch… I wouldn’t be surprised,” you mutter.

“I wonder how she’ll react once she sees Neuvilette,” Bailu says, glancing at her friend who’s been silent this entire conversation.

“I guess we’ll see,” Signora says. “But from a promising lawyer to owning a luxury empire… That’s quite a jump.”

“And what about Childe and the others?” Dan Feng asks. “Do they know anything about what’s going on?”

“I haven’t heard anything worth mentioning,” Signora answers. “Nor did I tell them that we’re meeting Furnia tomorrow.”

“But, it’s dangerous for you, is it not?” Zhongli asks. “From what you told us earlier… Tsaritsa is making a clear threat on your life.”

Signora sighs. “If my hunch is right, she only wants Lan and Nanook to stay. If I make it clear that I’m not on your side, I doubt she will cause harm.”

Bailu leans back on the couch. “So… You’re not on her side, but you’re not on our side either? I mean…” Bailu looks at you. “She’s already told us what Lan told her about what he did to Dan Heng and his family. It was the pilot and a freaky curse. Is there something else you’re after?”

“Even though I still own My Fair Lady, it's still a part of Lunae’s large corporate umbrella that’s controlled by Tsaritsa. She refuses to give it up, and maybe if I learn who gave Lan that note, maybe I can somehow use that against her.”

“Sounds like a stretch,” Neuvilette says. “But… I do wonder why Tsaritsa doesn’t just let it go.”

“It’s a problem she’s always had,” Signora says. “It’s something all of us know about it. She… has trouble letting things go.”

“Guess that would explain her relationship with Lan and Nanook,” Dan Feng says quietly.

“And the rest of the family,” you add.

“Are you still in contact with them?” Dan Feng asks.

Signora nods. “I drop by the mansion from time to time. Last time I went… They were talking about a man named Sampo and—”

“What?”

Signora glances at the shocked faces. “I… take it you know this man.”

Bailu groans. “Ugh… Sampo? Really? He just multiplied that family’s craziness by like a hundred times.”

Zhongli looks at Dan Feng. “You told us Sampo was the one who called you about Lan getting that note, right?” Dan Feng nods. “Could someone from the family have told him about the note to get in touch with you?”

“We were thinking it could be Childe,” you say, glancing at Dan Feng. “It seems like he’s the one who would want the Aeons gone.”

“Well, I can deduce why he didn’t contact you directly,” Signora says. “He doesn’t want to risk Tsaritsa finding out.”

“So he’s using the Reaper…” Neuvilette says with a small scoff.

Bailu has a deadpan look. “Don’t know if that’s a death wish or what.”

“What else did you hear?” Dan Feng asks Signora.

“Something about a journal that belonged to Pierro’s great-grandfather.”

At Dan Feng’s silence, Bailu leans forward to get a better look at her friend’s face. “What is it?”

“Pierro is someone I’ve been curious about,” Dan Feng says. You can see the gears turning in his head. “There used to be a military general with a similar appearance and the same name as him.” He looks at Signora. “Where is the journal now?”

“With Tsaritsa.”

“Oh, great,” Bailu deadpans. “Should we try clawing it from her dead hands?”

“Now, Bailu,” Zhongli chides. “Violence is never the answer.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Neuvilette advises. “For now, let’s talk with Furina first.”

◆◆◆

Later that night, you’ve just finished an evening meeting for the upcoming project with Lunae. You close your laptop, lean back on the couch, and close your eyes. So much has happened over the last couple of days that you still haven’t had time to process it all. While you usually work from home, due to the project, you occasionally go to the office, but you haven’t seen Lan since that day.

Your eyes snap open upon smelling something like burnt wood and blood. You quickly put your hand over your nose and mouth, and you quickly stand while looking around the empty room.

“I’m sorry, Dan Heng… Dan Feng…”

You spin around. Are you going mad?

When your phone suddenly buzzes, you almost jump. But it’s thanks to that interruption that the smell goes away. You pick up your phone and read the message from Dan Feng on the screen.

Care to join me for a bite to eat?

Chapter 12

End notes:

A big earthquake hit the area I'm living in a few days ago, and I'm still shaken and paranoid lol. For the first time, I was legit scared for my life. All is well now though.

Tag list: @lunavixia @aerithsthingss @boomie-123 @sunsethw4

[godsofhumanity]

You should make some general Thor headcanons since Marvel helped him become a popular god

okie i have some ideas.

i'll be real. marvel is what got me into norse mythology, and i find it super difficult to separate chris hemsworth's Thor from mythology Thor. so my hc's are pretty similar to that portrayal.

personality wise, i think Thor is generally a friendly guy. i mean, i dont think he makes friends as quickly as say, Freyr and Bragi, but deep down, he has a heart of gold and anyone who knows him, knows that this is true.

Thor doesn't really have any filter. he says exactly what he is thinking. he's call things as they are.

i think this makes his relationship with Loki very interesting. marvel has Loki and Thor as brothers, but in myth, that dynamic works better between Loki and Odin instead. so, my hc is that after Odin, i think Thor might interact with Loki the most largely because Loki is a *bit* scared of Thor.

Thor is superrrr strong. maybe the strongest in Asgard after Odin. his lightning is feared by everyone, as it should be. AND he has a temper to match.

with Thor, it's a short temper, but quicker placation. you can easily defuse his anger by apologising, or telling a joke, or acknowledging the situation. i don't think he holds on to troubles. so that's why with Loki, who perpetually sets everyone off, Thor tolerates Loki a lot because he just doesn't get angry for a long time. and once Loki has served his punishment for the crime of the day, Thor is satisfied... UNTIL of course Baldr's death which is simply too tragic to deserve any redemption.

now. as it has been said before, Thor isn't that smart. i think he's a bit all brawn and no brains. and that's ok. Asgard wouldn't want it any other way.

Sif is the love of Thor's life. i think he's always showering her with compliments and gifts.

i find it SUPER interesting that Sif has a son (Ullr) who is not fathered by Thor, while Thor has children Magni and Modi who are not mothered by Sif.

in all likelihood, Magni and Modi are products of extramarital affairs but i'm sick of having to write about gods and goddesses who cheat, so i hc that Magni and Modi, like Ullr, are products of previous marriages.

being warriors, and gods who are susceptible to death, it's completely possible that Thor and Sif's previous spouses/partners fell in battle... or perhaps even simply that they amicably left those partners because the relationship didn't work. idk,, i haven't thought about those details too hard just yet.

Sif has a GREAT relationship with her stepsons, and Thor has a GREAT relationship with his stepson.

i like the idea of Ullr being the eldest son. and i think he has gotten along with Thor from the start. Thor seems like a guy who wants a huge family, so having four kids i think is pretty good and natural for him.

Thor is a dad-joke kinda guy. and he also laughs at absolutely anything.

as i have mentioned before in my hc's with Frigg,, i believe Thor gets along with his stepmum very well. i think he has a lot of respect for hierarchy and power, and being a stepdad himself, i cannot imagine that he has a bone to pick with Frigg. it helps that Thor's own mother Jörð is treated well by Frigg and looked after by Odin too.

with Odin, i don't think Thor is that close. i hc Odin to spend a bit more time with the children of his who will take up important roles in his kingdom; for example, Baldr who is his heir, or Tyr and Freyja who would take charge of defense and war strategies, etc.

because Thor isn't all that bright, i don't think he that much responsibility in terms of organisation or management... he is simply a powerhouse who lends his aid when it's requested.

that's not to say that Thor and Odin don't like each other. they just have a different relationship. they are similar in terms of their personality, and i think Odin definitely would have given Thor instruction in the art of war, etc.

anyhow. amongst the rest of the gods, Thor gets along very well with Bragi. Thor loves music a lot, even if he sings offkey when drunk (which is most of the time).

he also enjoys spending time with Heimdallr. i think Heimdallr would tell Thor stories when he was a child that Thor later still recalls to tell his own children (Heimdallr is the eldest child).

strangely enough, i think Thor is one of the few gods who manages to break the ice (haha) with Skadi when she first comes to Asgard. because she's a hothead and Thor's a hothead and they're both super strong, i think they can go toe-to-toe with each other.

so yeah. there u go :)

[iheartaaronwarner]

love is enough, more than enough it engulfs every part of me engulfs every part of you even when it leaves you blue two parts of one whole with matching tattoos

something no one could ever undo or subdue your words see to my every whim something Achilles and Patroclus too are incapable to outdo you, I would choose over the luscious chocolate choux

love is enough, more than enough? what is enough? not your words or your bluffs maybe my cuffed heart wrapped in your muff or my pride that lies on the floor of the undersea

what about your locked door that I try to knock on? While you lay there knocked out, keeping me locked out Devouring precious Mary Jane as I grow precarious must you break through my pericardium so painfully? it engulfs every part of me, this ache along with the ague

is love really enough? or was I just there for too long? on the worn-out bus till I started thinking it was a must and ignoring the dust

was it really love? or were they just too good? your linguistics were they just too smooth? your long liable fingers

the stupid question lingers because you were more than just a late-night binger but we ignored the danger, we couldn't be strangers

the bloody sword drips two shades of red the sponge I hold absorbs their abhorred gaze I wished I could get out of this scarlet haze the lord ignored my latent wish

blotted out my blatant lies I said love is enough and how it engulfs, and it does but I can't seem to stop the blood that drips

I swear, I didn't mean to lie I never meant to lie this is just not how I thought I'd die this is just not how I thought you'd die

limp in my arms because love wasn't enough while I fight to stay alive because love wasn't enough because we couldn't be as tough as our times now all that's left is to sit here and write some rhymes and kiss you as I wait for Osiris to come and punish my crimes

[starter-library]

BLACK FRIDAY LYRIC STARTERS feel free to change phrasing/pronouns as you see fit

“Wiggle your way through life!”

“Anything that he wants he can have it”

“Even now, it's a dream the kind that makes you question reality”

“I couldn't hold him still to teach him guitar”

“All I need is a break from the madness”

“He still lights up a room it's just less frequently that you catch him in bloom”

“I hit replay on that night over and over again ‘till it gives up the fight but there's no end”

“All I know is you”

“I'm scared you blame me for your luck”

“I'd give up both my arms to get you on track”

“My mom’s a bitch”

“The past's a virus, babe”

“What the use of wages ff you can't afford a smoke?”

“We survived the crisis, babe”

“It's been real - real bad. I’d say you did your best but I'm not a liar”

“I'd give you an address but I don't want. To don't write, don't call, don't ask”

“I think they dated in high school”

“She's not as hot as she used to be”

“What do you say when you love each other”

“Oh, God, it's a trainwreck. My favorite!”

“We're slashing prices cause you've got vices”

“Did you know if you spend money your kids will love you, maybe”

“You could've shopped any day but you chose today”

“I'll gladly take your money now”

“Remember all your cheques are null and void”

“Your net worth is in my back pockets”

“Do we have any morality?”

“It's my little boyfriend”

“You never should settle for the lifetime that is handed to you”

“If you should find that you're about to get the short of the stick take what you want return what you get”

“No need to raise the stakes when you're on the wall”

“There are monsters that live in your head”

“It's the only chance we have”

“You'd better align your soul with what's good and right”

“Look me in the eye now, sir and make a solemn vow to become your best self now”

“I know it’s hard. The world is pain and distraction”

“It's only a matter of time 'til Christmas Break”

“We're here to make sure you don't screw up Christmas”

“You look just the same as I always remember”

“You and I were meant to be something more than a faded memory”

“Take me back in time to love you”

“You don’t look the same at all as I remember”

“Take me back in time to love you, hold me closer than before”

“It gets exhausting, everyone looking at me”

“You will adore me I just know. You'll kneel before me”

“I demand your love and worship too if I don't get it I will end you”

“You thought that you could outsmart the very thing that runs the blood of your kind?”

“Behold the depths of depravity and decay”

“I'm sorry, [name], I fucked it up!”

“Now the end is nigh, the apocalypse here”

“Is this what I lived for?”

“There's something that's beautiful being awake for my funeral”

“Is there some lesson to learn? Should I never have wanted?”

“Were the decks always just this stacked”

“I don't want your half-baked sympathy. When did it save those in need?”

“Only my ashes will see the sea”

“Did I need her more than she needed me?”

“There are monsters that we all should dread”

“Everyone's dying and that includes me too”

“If I fail you one more time the punishment won't match the crime”

“There' no pain that could ever explain how I let you down”

“I failed you once and I will fail again”

“Maybe he's happy I wouldn't have any idea”

“But deep down it didn't matter I was with him”

“You're not that cute, are you? In fact, you're real fuckin' ugly”

“That I'm the one who wronged what's right”

“Do you all see the memories?”

[peskellence]

Pairing: RK900/Gavin Reed

Tags: Post Pacifist Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Masterlist

Read on AO3 here:

Summary: A lot has changed since the revolution. Crimes against androids are now punished in the same way as crimes against humans. A reluctant Gavin Reed and his new partner RK900 have been assigned to investigate a string of disturbing murders. Despite the shift in Detroit's social climate, Gavin still holds reservations about whether or not androids are truly alive. Will his developing feelings for 'Nines' be the thing to change this?

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Depression/Self Destructive Behaviour, Eventual Smut

Word Count: 4.4K

"I just don't get what its deal is."

Gavin sat slumped on his bar stool, cradling a half-empty glass. Already three drinks in, he was beginning to feel a distinctive buzz clouding his senses. Soon, he would be rewarded with the blissful intoxication that was desperately desired. Taking another sip of whiskey, he relished in the sensation. All tension seemed to melt away as his body became warm and slack. 

"Androids are usually so easy to read, but this one just… isn't, you know?"

He had turned to his companion for input but found her attention elsewhere. She was far more engaged in a nearby pool match than she was in their conversation. 

"Tina", he snapped his fingers in front of her face, to which she attempted to fan him away.

"Not now, Gav, I have money on this. My bet is on the big one with the lazy eye. What do you think?" 

"I was talking to you. That's what I think."

There was a click of resin-on-resin as the man that Tina was betting on was able to sink a perfect shot. She punched the air and let out a small grunt of victory. Gavin was less than enthralled.

" Tina. "

With a sigh, the frustrated officer turned on her stool, facing her friend. "I don't know what else you'd like me to say, Gav. Nines and I aren't BFFs. I hardly know him better than you do." 

"But you get what I mean, right?" he pressed on belligerently. "One minute, it's a standoffish jerk, and the next, it's actually decent. It's like it spins a goddamn wheel to decide whether to be a prick or not." 

"He's a little guarded. A lot of people are." 

"There's guarded, and then there's..." His words trailed off as Gavin stared longingly into his glass, taking another gulp. "Any time it seems to feel anything, it puts itself on instant lockdown. It doesn't matter what I do or how nice I am. There's never any progress." 

"Yesterday, you said he was being nice. Sounds like progress to me."

"I didn't say it was being nice. I told you it said 'thank you'." 

There was an outbreak of noise from the pool table as Lazy Eye's opponent, a man covered with obscene tattoos, sank an impressive trick shot. Tina watched on in visible displeasure, a pained expression contorting her features.

"I know you have limited experience in this department, but most people consider a 'thank you' as being nice." 

"So that's supposed to make it all better, then? One damn thank you after a week of treating me like dirt? What a joke." 

"Baby steps", She insisted, clapping him reassuringly on the back, "You've officially reached begrudging tolerance. Keep it up, and you might get upgraded to a friendly acquaintance."

Coiling away from the touch, Gavin bristled. He wasn't yet ready to challenge what he understood Nines to be - and the nature of their relationship. Familiarity and fondness complicated matters. It was far easier to view the android as a hardened metal beast. One to be kept at an arms-length. 

His desire to drink grew exponentially as he concluded that he was still far too sober. Sinking another measure of whiskey, he tried to focus his thoughts. "Androids don't make friends, and even if they did, Nines has no interest in being mine."

"What makes you say that?" 

"Because it literally told me so", Gavin fired back. "It didn't even want me to call it by its name. Are you seriously going to try and convince me that this buddy-buddy shit isn't a waste of time?" 

Tina paused thoughtfully, lips pursed. "Before this week, Nines only knew you by your reputation. That would be enough to scare anyone shitless. He's getting to know you, and he's beginning to realise that you aren't a complete raging asshole."  

Gavin frowned back at her, wholly unconvinced "So we've spent a couple of days together, and now the tin-can has changed its mind?"

"It shouldn't come as a surprise. Statistically, someone has to like you." 

Leaning forward in his stool, his eyes narrowed in opposition. His body no longer felt pleasantly warm, the room's heat growing tight and constricting around him. He craved the bracing chill of the wind outside. As well as a cigarette. It would have to wait, however, as there were more pressing matters at hand, like numbing all of the cognitive functions of his brain. 

"Bullshit", Gavin spat out. As if physically sickened by the suggestion. "Total bullshit. I've already told you. It doesn't like me; it doesn't like anything." 

Except for Anderson and Connor, and tidy rooms, and my cat -

Bringing the tumbler to his mouth, he knocked back what was left of his whiskey in a long, unbroken gulp. He let out a gasp, catching his breath, before drying his mouth on the back of his sleeve. His colleague watched on with a despairing look. As if anticipating that the detective's ramblings were only about to increase tenfold. She was soon proven right as the detective settled into a new, more invasive position inches from her face.

"Okay, smartass", his voice was dry and strained, a consequence of the burning liquor. "If it likes me, if it's even capable of that, then why did it go all shades of psycho when I asked if it was really deviant?"

Tina, who had been about to take a swig of her neglected beer, instantly halted her movements. She stared at her friend, utterly appalled, searching for reassurance that he may be joking. 

"Don't look at me like that", Gavin complained, unappreciative of the silent judgement. "Just tell me: If it likes me so much, why wouldn't it answer a simple question?"

"Because that's a shitty thing to ask", She said plainly, as if the answer was glaringly obvious. "How would you feel if I asked if you were really a person?"

"Nines is proud of what it is. It's not like I was going to send it spiralling into an identity crisis."

Tina's mouth opened wide, as if ready to relinquish a long tirade, but shut soon after. She seemed unable, or otherwise unwilling, to unpack her coworker's heavy-handed statement, instead opting to take a breather with a long, quiet sip of her beer. 

"Not cool, Gav" The words were muted as her lips remained clamped to the rim of her bottle. "The poor guy is trying his best. You need to lay off a bit."

Gavin let out an indignant splutter as his face burned a vibrant red. He swung an arm forward, almost knocking his tumbler flying. "So now  I'm  the problem?"

"Yeah, you are. I mean, what the Hell, Gav. Why are you so in his business?" 

"In it's fuckin'  - ?" Another splutter, as he grew increasingly heated, "You were the one who wanted me to bend over and lick its plastic asshole!."

There had been no attempt to contain his volume, and with the sudden clashing of glass accompanying it, the bizarre proclamation had rewarded them with more than a bit of attention. The bar felt deathly silent as the focus of all nearby patrons was pulled to the bickering officers. 

The men playing pool had paused their game, exchanging looks of quiet bewilderment. A group of women, who had been sitting drinking in near-perpetual silence, erupted into a sea of gasps. They quickly began to nudge and shush each other, albeit still giggling under their breaths. 

The bartender, who had been cleaning glasses, scowled at the detective with weary recognition. It was far from the first time Gavin had caused a ruckus in his bar, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. 

He signalled to a man at the back of the room, who was reclined next to the jukebox. There was an exchange of looks, and with a wordless nod, the man twisted a dial on the machine's display, to which the volume gradually increased. Silence persisted for a few seconds longer amongst the patrons, but as the well of entertainment dried, the sounds of drunken mingling steadily resumed. Throughout all this, Tina had been sitting with her hands clenched firmly over her face, struggling to suppress a fit of laughter. 

"That is definitely not what I told you to do", She wheezed, foam trickling from the corners of her mouth. " Although maybe it wouldn't hurt, break the ice a bit."

Gavin remained deaf to the teasing, barely able to hear anything over the thundering music. "I'm going for a smoke", He announced, kicking back from his stool and away from the bar. "I better have a drink when I get back." 

Gavin made his way outside, escaping through the fire exit and bracing himself for the harsh winds about to greet him. The rain that had fallen earlier in the day had begun to freeze over, leaving a fine layer of ice on the ground. Not wanting to take his chances with the steep concrete steps, he sat down, pulling his cigarettes out of his pocket and quickly lighting up.

After a long drag, he leant backwards, trying to lose himself in his senses. His eyelids fluttered closed, and his head swelled with the sudden darkness that embraced him. The fleeting serenity failed to last, however, as his vision shifted, and he was greeted with the stern expression of an all-too-familiar android. 

Continuing to smoke, Gavin tried in vain to shake away the unwanted image. The features of the android staring at him gradually began to soften. Grey eyes ceased to be sharp, becoming bright and curious. The taut lips pulled upwards, melding into an overwhelming, intoxicating smile.

With opened eyes, he grunted in frustration.  Goddammit .

Upon returning to the bar, the lights had been dimmed, and a colourful - albeit underwhelming - strobe effect had taken its place. A sparse couple of people had made their way to the 'dancefloor' - which was really just a narrow strip between the pool table and jukebox. The women marched in forced sequence back and forth while a particularly brave man flung himself like a ragdoll between them.

The tragic display did very little to lift Gavin's spirits. He sauntered back to the bar and slumped himself despondently onto his stool. Tina, who was accustomed to her colleague's propensity for self-indulged moping, silently slid him his liquor. "Ordered you another one. You're welcome." 

Gavin said nothing and simply buried his face into his arms, groaning. His friend gave him a hard nudge, to which he responded with a louder, more pronounced groan.

"Still alive?" 

"You know, I could deal with the bitchy mood swings.", Gavin clumsily began, ignoring the question entirely. "My brother had more than enough girlfriends when we were growing up, but what I really can't deal with is its face."

"Oh man, are we still talking about -" Tina pinched the bridge of her nose, thoroughly drained. "Alright, I'll bite. What's wrong with his face?" 

Gavin pulled himself up before quickly snatching his tumbler and holding it firmly in his hand. "You'd think they'd have time to fix the fuck ups they made with Connor, but no. This one has two expressions: 'waiting to rip someone's throat out' or 'desperate to take a shit',." This was a bald-faced lie, of course - but one that he was keen to maintain. 

"I don't know, I think he's pretty cute."

"So what. You're gay."

She scoffed at the bluntness of the statement. "Look, he's not my type, but all that dark hair and muscles? Objectively speaking, he's kind of dreamy." 

"I think you need your eyes examined."

Taking another swig of her beer, Tina leaned forward on her stool, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly. "Don't lie to me, I know your type. Tall dark with chronic RBF? You'd so hit that. Just admit it." 

"If  it  was a  person, " came the staunch defence, as Gavin downed half of his drink without hesitation, "But I'd sooner rip off my left ball sac than sleep with a robot." 

"I think you should broaden your horizons a bit…Sex with an android is basically the same as sex with a human. Just a lot less sweat and mess" Tina looked a little giddy, swirling the liquid in her bottle. "Plus, they don't get tired, which is nice." 

"How do you know so much about it?" 

She made a 'lips sealed gesture' before batting her eyelashes in a display of faux innocence. "I don't kiss and tell."

"Tell me you're joking." 

"What happens at the Christmas party stays there, Gav. Having said that, you know the ST300 who works reception?"

"I'm gonna be sick", Gavin cringed, making an exaggerated gagging gesture. "They're built like  Barbie dolls . What do you even do with them?"

"Not to ruin the mystery, but plenty of deviants have opted to…upgrade" Tina gave a wink before playfully nudging her friend. "So the good news is, if you do end up banging him, Nines might be packing more than you'd think." 

Gavin's face burned at the thought. God help me -  

"You know what? Forget I asked," he snapped, covering his ears childishly. "I'm not about to pop a boner the next time I watch  The Wizard of Oz . If the Tin-Man does it for you, that's fine, but I'd rather have flesh and blood."

"Pfft, yeah - If any 'flesh and blood' will actually have you , asshole. Seriously, when was the last time you got laid?" 

"None of your business." 

"Okay, so we're talking months at least." 

"You're about to be demoted to my second best friend. After my cat." 

"Come on, I'm only teasing. You must have had a rebound after –"

Tina cut herself off, her jovial tone quickly abandoned. She watched how Gavin began to tense up before sinking into himself protectively. While she had known better than to say the name of her friend's former partner, her judgement of the situation had undoubtedly been clouded by the murk of inebriation. 

She touched the top of his forearm in a sympathetic gesture. "If it is of any comfort to you, I always thought he looked like a rat."

"He was a rat" Gavin began drinking faster, emptying his glass before anything else could be exchanged. Placing it rim-down on the counter, he drummed his fingers along the base. "You don't know how badly I wanted a rebound. To stick it to that asshole and his damn boy toy: but it feels like the only guys who are into me these days are old pervs or nineteen-year-olds who want a 'daddy'. Either way, I can't win."

"Which is why you should consider an android: Fewer daddy kinks and no creepy age gaps." 

"The dynamic is still pretty creepy if you ask me", Gavin challenged, frowning down at his emptied glass. "Less than three months ago, these robotic assholes didn't have autonomy. They've only just become sentient." 

"They were always sentient. The way it works is just different now." 

"Oh, so now they're different? I'm sorry, I thought we were all the fuckin' same?" 

Tina paled, despairing at the direction the conversation was heading. "Don't do this -"  

Focus was back on the two, despite all the lights and noises around them. This time, it was from a group of androids who had recently made their way in - and were standing nearby, ordering shots. One of the androids, a WB400, took particular issue with the detective's obscene ramblings. With shoulders squared and eyes narrowed, it looked ready to give Gavin a piece of his mind - and fists - when his friends all piled in to desperately hold him back. 

After a hurried exchange of whispers and pleas, the WB400 began to back down, albeit still regarding the offending human with intense hostility. Gavin seemed utterly oblivious to his close brush with death, continuing his rant as if nothing had occurred:

"So pardon me for doubting the emotional authenticity of an Alexa on legs." 

"Stop it" Tina pressed a hand harshly to his still-gaping mouth. "This isn't the break room. We're in a public bar . If it gets back to Fowler that you've been saying this shit, we could both be out of a job - and it'll be a cold day in Hell before I go back to retail."

Gavin tried to fight against her grip but found it much stronger than anticipated. Either that or his lax muscles could no longer exert the force required to break free. His head spun from limited oxygen as he floundered about dizzily. As a consequence of his growing delirium, his mind had begun to wander again - without any conscious control or desire.  

Before long, he was no longer in the bar and was instead standing in Mikey's Electronics, Nines close beside him. The stubbed finger of the store owner pointed to a  'No Androids'  sign as the old man watched from the sidelines, sneering aggressively. Both men were closing in on Nines as their increasingly malicious intentions became clear:

"Why don't you go back to the warehouse and rot?" 

As the words were spoken, they failed to sound like either offender. With horrific realisation, he realised that the attack had come from his mouth. He stumbled back, lost in the pained expression spreading across his partner's face. 

What the Hell does that make me?

When Gavin had been effectively subdued, the hand on his mouth slowly retracted. His eyes felt weak and unfocused, as if he had just woken up from a dream. The creeping doubts that taunted him had returned to his mind in full force. They twisted his perceptions, making him fall further down a stream of dismay and scepticism. 

With just how lost her friend seemed, it was clear that Tina felt remorse for having restrained him so forcefully. 

"I understand that this is hard for you," she said softly, trying to soothe him. "But you can't let your personal biases cloud your judgement forever."

"It's not about bias", Gavin said indignantly. "The rest of the country has lost their mind. I'm the only one that can still see sense." 

Running a finger along the rim of her bottle, Tina gently chewed her bottom lip, clearly wanting to say something. Her shoulders were hiked and tensed as she eventually mustered up the courage to speak:

"...Your brother called the other day. Through the station line. I don't know if you got the message."

Gavin stared back into his empty glass, despairing even more at the lack of contents. "I have nothing to say to him. Need another drink." 

"I know things have never been great between you, but maybe if you gave him a -"

"Shot? Excellent idea" He held up his tumbler, using his free hand to flag the bartender. "Hey buddy: Next one's tequila."

The bartender glared back, saying nothing, and quickly turned his attention to Tina. The word 'Tab' was mouthed slowly and firmly, to which the officer dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"I'm good for it, I swear."

In an instance of impressively poor timing, a chorus of cheers suddenly erupted from the pool table. The men had concluded their games, and a victor had finally been determined. To her chagrin, the man being jostled and praised wasn't Lazy Eye - who was sat at a nearby table, forlornly nursing his beer. 

" Goddammit ", Tina cursed under her breath, composing herself as best she could to shoot the bartender a sheepish grin. "One more round and we'll leave. Promise." 

'One more round' quickly divulged into four or five. Both of the officers soon lost count. With the music slowing and the night winding down, they were barely conscious of the time that had passed until a 'last orders' bell rang aggressively in their ears. The bartender, who had already been losing patience with the rowdy police officers, was on his last nerve. A broad man in a wrinkled shirt, presumably security, stood in wait by the exit, hands clasped firmly in front of him. His eyes were honed on them with precision. Ready to strike. 

"You know what, I'm gonna text it…" Gavin slurred out, rocking unsteadily to his side as he did so. "Stupid Nines thinks it's so great. I'mma tell it to suck my dick." 

"Bold, but not your best pickup line." 

"'S not a pickup line. I just wanna knock the bastard down a peg…." Gavin leaned back on his stool, holding his arm out to steady himself. "Ya know what? Even better, I'm gonna text Jack. I mean, I was waaaay out of his league, and he had the audacity to cheat on me ? Gonna give him a piece of my mind. Tell him his balls were weird." 

"Oh no, you don't", Tina blurted out, snatching the device from his limp hands. "No drunk texting. I'm confiscating your phone."

"Come on, Ti", he whined, "Give it back."

"I don't want to hear it, Mr Reed", She puffed out her chest, doing her best 'haughty principal' impression. "You can pick it up after class." 

Another whine of protest, "Tiiinaaaa."

Gavin leaned forward, trying to retrieve his phone, but fell victim to his lack of balance - face-planting on the counter. With a groan, he slid off his stool, collapsing onto the floor in a crumpled heap. 

A pair of women, who had been making their way to exit, leapt back just in time to avoid him. One of the women, clearly very inebriated, began poking at the man's body with the tip of her high-heeled shoe.

"Is he okay?" she asked slowly, her hazy eyes alight with worry. 

Tina stared down at her companion, snorting. "Yeah, he's fine. Had worse falls than that, haven't ya buddy?" 

As if on cue, Gavin roused from his position and stumbled back onto his feet. He propped his elbows on the bar, resting his face in his hands. However, he did so with a distinct lack of skill or grace, as his head quickly tilted forward and his chin clipped the counter's edge.

"Hey, bartender. Same again, please" he made a strange noise halfway through. Something between a grunt and a belch. 

The doorman was closing in fast, and Tina hurriedly shot to her feet. She swung an arm around her drunk coworker to carefully steady him. "I think it's time we get you home. Any more, and you'll be puking 'til Monday."

"Fuck off, you're not my mom" Despite the weak protest, Gavin settled himself against the woman's shoulder, allowing himself to be guided outside. 

Before he could process anything else, he was slung into the back of an automatic taxi, and the door was shut firmly behind him. The ride home was nothing short of bliss, as Gavin's resistance quickly deserted him, and he began to shut down. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he pressed himself into the rigid polyester of the seat supporting him. He was far too gone to think of anything, and he relished the peace that fell over his absent mind.

This peace was disturbed, however, as he was rudely awakened by someone (presumably Tina) attempting to hoist him out of the car. She struggled for a while against his dead weight before letting out a breathless plea:

"Come on, sleeping beauty. I'm going to need your help here." 

With some persuasion, including the promise of a nice warm bed, Gavin clumsily lifted himself, relieving some of his weight. As they made their way into the apartment, Tina was forced to do a quick sidestep to avoid Tiffany, who was now awake and hissing territorially from the floor. 

"Good guard cat, good… "  Gavin mumbled before his head lolled back again, narrowly missing the edge of the doorframe.

"For fucks sake", Tina huffed out, struggling to pull him back forward. "I am never taking you out again. Do you hear me?" 

By no small feat of determination, she was able to guide her friend the rest of the way to his bedroom - before settling him down on the covers. Gavin hummed contently, spreading himself out, seemingly unfazed by the fact he was still fully clothed. 

"You gonna read me a bedtime story?" he mocked, cracking one eye open but quickly regretting it as the room began to rock and spin.

"You're lucky I'm not reading your rights. After the shit you've put me through tonight," There was a shuffling noise as Gavin's possessions were set on the bedside table. "Sleep up, and let's hope you are sober enough to make it to work on Monday." 

With a listless wave of his arm, Tina was ushered out of his room, to which she happily complied. The light was switched off, and the door to his bedroom was gently closed. Another hiss from a perturbed Tiffany signalled the exit of his friend as she made her way out of his apartment. 

Before losing consciousness again, he somehow found the awareness to put his phone on charge. Unable to resist temptation, clumsy fingers worked overtime to unlock his screen and quickly found themselves scrolling through the list of contacts:

"Actually Decent, Drunk Old Bastard, Top-Knot Asshole…"  Gavin tried to decipher the identities behind the list of cryptic names, but his brain was failing to translate,  "...There you are" . He grinned in satisfaction before clumsily beginning to type out a message:

i didnt stand up for you to be nice. did it cus that old fucker was pissing me off. so before u start telling me im a good person, just remember that u dont know shit about me. i still think youre a smug prick, and i cant fucking stand u - 

He paused for a moment, staring at the screen, pondering on what other musings were left to be added.

 - having said that. u have a nice smile. and a nice ass. so i guess u have some endearing qualities too. dickhead.

Exhaustion eventually won out as Gavin slipped back into his self-induced coma. Dribble soaked his pillow as he loudly snored. Having never made it under the covers, he kept warm from his unshed clothes and the alcohol seeping through his veins. His phone dangled precariously from his hand before falling onto the floor. The screen was still on, illuminating the room, with the message to Nines clearly displayed. 

[julieverne]

Everything Maura wears is incredibly soft. There's no shiny or rough fabrics, nothing that would catch the scars on Jane's hands, cause them to drag. Nothing that Jane's scars could snag on, just soft, soft cottons and silks and knits. Jane hadn't known clothes could be so soft.

That's why she can't stop touching Maura. It's her clothes, the way Maura is always warm beneath them, soothing to her palms. It's the way Maura visibly softens herself when Jane touches her, melts a little for a moment at the contact. It's the way Maura looks at Jane so softly, like Jane is someone who is also soft, like Jane is someone who has feelings and emotions and like Jane doesn't have to be tough, just for a few minutes, just for as long as Jane's hands rest on her.

Maura is a sanctuary. Jane has been in churches that felt less safe. Some had snakes, but most had angry old men screaming retribution and repentance from the pulpits, and every few months Jane knows CPS and the sex crime unit are heading in there to haul them out, still spitting fire and judgement.

Not that Maura is a snake, or a priest, or someone who does sex crimes. She's like the buildings rather than the congregations. She's all stained glass and awed hushes, all painted ceilings and intricate fretwork. She's marble statues and a sense of tranquility. But Maura's not a building. She's a sanctuary.

Jane never minded heading into danger, because no where really felt safe to her. The nuns with their rulers at school, the screaming matches at home, the spittle-flaked priests of the church. Nowhere felt safe enmeshed in a religion when Jane knew something about herself that she hoped no one else would ever guess. If she hid, if she denied it, she was still in danger, so what was the difference between simply existing and following up a clue on a serial killer who liked women like her on her own? The stakes were the same, or so it felt at the time. Crucified. Jane rubbed her hands, shaking away the thought. Penance, punishment for her sins. One of the priests had the audacity to say that to her, and a day later Tommy hit him with a car. She loves Tommy, but she loves Maura more.

And she knows she shouldn't. It isn't safe, even now, even though Angela has softened, doesn't rely on the church at all any more. She's made comments that make Jane wonder if she knows, if she's known all along. Frank is - well. His opinion no longer matters - except it does. Even after all he's done, she still wants him to love her, to look at her and see something good, someone good. And Jane needs her family. She needs someone who knows who she is, who can remind her when she can't remember.

"You're agitated," Maura's voice breaks in through Jane's thoughts. Maura slides herself closer on the couch to take Jane's hand. Even her skin is soft, despite the hard work her hands do. Jane lets her hand be taken and held, holds Maura's in return. She feels safe, although she knows this is dangerous. One of the most dangerous things she's ever done.

"I feel safe when I'm with you," Jane says finally. "I didn't know, before, what that felt like." When Jane looks up, there are tears welling in Maura's eyes, and one spills down her cheek as Jane watches.

"I think - I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Maura says as more tears fall. Maura lets out an exasperated little laugh and retrieves her hand to wipe at her face. She's gorgeous, even in tears, and Jane hadn't meant to make her cry. "What brought this on?" Maura asks, because she knows Jane well enough to know that Jane doesn't often throw out verbal affection. Jane's embarassed at having feelings, but Maura can read her well enough to see how Jane is feeling, and right now Jane looks very vulnerable, a little worried at having made Maura cry, and something else. Something that's always there, something that's always been there. Something that Jane never says, but Maura knows. She thinks Jane knows that Maura knows, but there's always something between them that prevents Jane from saying it.

Jane looks away, and the moment is gone, dashed to pieces, and Maura is alone again, even as Jane's hand rests on her forearms, fingers running over the fabric gently.

Jane looks back, and Maura sees it. Jane's afraid. She's terrified. Even when Hoyt was loose she hadn't been this scared. She'd only been this scared when Maura was in danger.

But Maura isn't in danger. Not any danger that she knows of, anyway. She tilts her head to watch Jane curiously.

"When I was a kid, the church had a big thing about AIDS and the gays ruining our way of life and all that. You remember," Jane says casually. "And the whole time part of me was wrapped up small inside so no one would see me, so no one would know. So their vitriol wouldn't turn on me. Because," and Jane takes Maura's hand again, not looking up at her, "I liked girls. More than I should. I still do. Well, women, now." Jane still doesn't look up, looking down instead at their joined hands.

"Thank you for telling me," Maura says finally, when it becomes obvious that nothing more will be forthcoming. "It must have been very hard to carry that alone for so long."

Jane chuckles but still won't look up. "Yeah," she says, taking her own hand back to wipe at her face, also wet with tears now. "Yeah."

"I'm honoured that you trust me enough to tell me," Maura adds, reaching over to rub Jane's back. Jane leans forward, elbows on her knees, to give Maura better access. She hums, then leans back, curling up against Maura. When they cuddle on the couch, Maura is usually the one being held, Maura is usually the one that needs to be held, and Jane is always willing. But Maura is a safe place for Jane, and while the reversal throws her for a moment, she's known Jane long enough to be able to roll with it, to take Jane in her arms and soothe her, smoothing her hands over Jane's back. "And you know that I'm not judgemental about sexuality. In fact, when you're ready, I might have a possible match for you." Jane chuckles again against Maura's chest.

"Too soon," Jane says, bringing up one of her hands to stroke the soft material of Maura's shirt at her waist. "And I already have a possible match in mind."

Maura gasps and runs through the women she knows. Alex is married, Susie is far too short for Jane - the height difference is ridiculous, they'd never be able to kiss on even footing, and Nina is seeing Frankie. They don't know any other women. Well, Lydia, but Jane couldn't possibly... Hope is too old, and Cailin is too young. The woman - Gwen - who'd taken Tasha in, perhaps? She was single, and they'd gotten on well. And Jane would have a daughter too.

"You're not worried?" Jane asks, fingers tentative at Maura's waist. "We've shared a bed and a decontamination shower and we get dressed together..." Jane trails off.

"There is nothing you could say or do that could ever make me stop loving you," Maura says firmly. She'd read books about coming out, and used the information on her own parents as a teen when she'd realised she was attracted to a wider range of people than social norms deemed appropriate. This is a textbook response, but she means it. Even after Jane shot Paddy, it hurt so much because even under all the anger and hate, part of her still loved Jane, still missed her, admired her, respected her.

"Well, good, because this next part is a doozy," Jane says, pulling away, wiping at her face, pushing her hair back. Steeling herself. She doesn't look as scared as she had earlier, as if contact with Mara had fortified her somehow. "I love you," Jane says, quickly and simply.

"I love you too," Maura says automatically. Then she thinks about it for longer than a second "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'," Jane says, rubbing at her hands anxiously. "And you've been letting me... making me feel safe... all this time, and I was too chickenshit to tell you. It's okay... I know you don't want to... that you're not attracted to me, but I thought you should know. If you want me to go, I will." Jane looks over finally, only to see Maura smiling softly at her. Soft, she's so soft.

"Again, I'm honoured. No, humbled."

"Huh?"

"You're a very attractive woman who's not open to emotional speeches, specifically ones about sexuality. And you," Maura reaches out to cup Jane's cheek, "you're so precious," Maura whispers. "Like I'd ever be upset by love, especially from you." Maura drops her hand, and this time she looks away. "I thought it was just me, that I was confused because I'd never had a best friend before. But if you, and I, both..." Maura looks back, looks at Jane's mouth, then her damp eyes, then she leans in

Everything Maura wears is incredibly soft, but it doesn't compare to how soft her mouth is, her lips, the little noises she makes when Jane figures out this is real and kisses her back. It's not just her clothes that are soft, she's soft for Jane, and Jane is her soft spot.

[iavulture]

I just want to say... (spoilers for CoV Chaos route)

This is late because I'm already doing a CoC run now, but I finally beat my first run on Canon of Vengeance! I thought it was good, though it was kinda weak near the end; then again, that might be because almost all of my team were at level 99, save for one or two others (I think it was Belial and Yoko, who joined late and I didn't use Grimoires on them).

What are my thoughts on the endgame fights? Uh... not too bad, but I think the Tiamat fight was more difficult than the Mastema fight (the latter which, again, was made easier bc I Grimoire'd almost everyone to 99 at that point). In fact, I couldn't help but laugh during the Mastema fight, especially because for some reason, he kept targeting Metatron even though he had Repel Light and ended up getting rid of all his press turns. Eventually, he wised up when his health got low and actually knocked him out along w/ two other demons in my active party (I think it was Khonsu Ra and my souped-up Angel, who, if you've noticed in my other SMTVV-related posts, I nicknamed "Bobiel" or "Bob" for short). I didn't really run into much trouble with his Crime and Punishment gimmick because I knew his weakness and only needed to worry about landing crits, which didn't happen too often that I gave him free press turns.

I digress, but did you know that besides wanting to give my Angel a nickname that has a sort of "average guy from accounting" air, I also gave him that nickname to reference the main character of a game released in 2000 called Messiah? Which is where the old Roblox death sound came from?

(Spoilers for the ending of that game!)

(And no, that's not edited, that's really where that sound came from.)

To sum up the boss fights in CoV Chaos (badly): Tiamat = actually kinda challenging, took me a little while to deal with her health-distributing gimmick and defeat her; Mastema = an easy, almost "friendly" match between him vs the MC and a bunch of other angels (and some other guys) because pretty much everyone resisted his attacks, until Mastema got pissy and actually Great Lament-ed my team a few times (but was defeated in the end anyway)

The Lucifer fight was even easier than the previously mentioned boss fights, save for a few mistakes I made for being too confident.

On the other hand... I might've been a little bit hypocritical when I chose to go Chaos on the first run, as I ended up bringing a whole bunch of Law-aligned demons (two metal angels, three of the four archangels, two of the lowest-ranked Divines, and Abdiel (although in her fallen form)) and used and invested in them a lot more than the others. See, I've always liked having Heralds (especially Metatron) on my endgame team, which made the whole thing a bit weird since I'm practically going against what the angels would've supported. But then again, it's not like any demons (including angels) who have made a contract with a summoner can disobey them, so technically what they personally think doesn't matter, right?

So yeah... I might've taken a few pages from Yakumo's book.

Don't get me wrong, I liked Vengeance, I really did! It's just that I kinda treated my first CoV run as a "test run" so to speak, because I wanted to see how different it is from vanilla V, and I ended up getting something that was better than I expected! And given that CoV only has two routes, I'm planning to do CoV Law last after going through all of vanilla V's endings for the sake of completing everything and getting (based on what I've heard) a satisfying conclusion.

Actually, IMO, I'm glad there's no neutral ending in CoV for the following reasons:

1) I think there are already so many routes (CoC Law, CoC Chaos, Neutral, "true" Neutral, CoV Law, and CoV Chaos) that adding a hypothetical CoV Neutral just bloats the ending count

2) Yakumo bowing out and cutting off the possibility of a Neutral route in CoV; this is kind of an inverse situation with IV: Apocalypse, which is very much a Neutral game because Law and Chaos are "bad endings" that lead to the game ending earlier

3) Sorry for those who like Chaos or Neutral, but this game is clearly meant to be a Law game. I just feel that it is with its themes and what's possibly its "favored" alignment in the mainline games (since SMTI = Neutral -> SMTII = Law -> SMTIII Nocturne = Chaos -> SMTIV/Apocalypse = Neutral -> SMTV/Vengeance = Law (didn't include Strange Journey/Redux bc it's in a weird position between mainline and spin-off)).

That's all for this post! I'll be off doing a CoC run, though I'm not 100% sure what I'll be doing for the 2nd run for now.

[heulwenflower]

Laugh

Tw:details of abuse and sa,abuse an d sa in general,csa(not detailed),self destructive behaviour,toxic relationships(both platonic and sexual),victim blaming behaviour

!!please read poets note!!:

I don't use flowery language in this one.it doesn't go into deep detail but it does call the acts by its name.its a rant poem I wrote while triggered about a coping mechanisms and my anger.i felt so ashamed for so long that my truama response is anger and humour.im sharing because I'm not the only one and if it makes pepole feel less alone.please skip this poem If you even have a thought it might be triggering

Laugh

Laugh

Laugh

Laugh while they degrade you

Laugh while they put you down

Laugh when they manipulate you

Laugh because you can't communicate anymore

Laugh then cry when you go home

Laugh when you realise you were a glorified side chick

And offal is being treated better than you

Laugh when he grinds on you

Laugh when you get transported to months prior

Laugh while pepole laugh at it happening

Laugh when you realise your best mate is taking photos

Laugh just to get through it until your angel appears

Laugh when days later everyone sees it as a joke

Laugh when you realise everyone there knew what happened to you months prior

Freeze when he grinds up and grabs my boobs

"Maybe don't do that"

Freeze bewildered as your mates do nothing

Realise your clown make up has been broken

No longer the jester

Now worth just as much as the keeper said i was

Why the fuck didn't I Laugh that time

Cry when realising how far dad went

Puke when trying to explain

Laugh when explaining it to your boyfriends best mate

"Its fine"

Because its always got to be fine

Huh there's the laughter

Freeze when you get told its not your fault for the first time

Fuck up your life when you realise no one really cared

Get pissed to be a good boyfriend on his 21st and fuck that up too

Get angry when they act clueless

Cry when they protect those who hurt you

Freeze when you realise you getting exiled like your abuser

Feel the anger when you realise the punishment doesn't match the crime

Plot screaming at them all

Stop

Time stopped

When I realised

How

Many

Pepole

I've

Referenced

In

This

Poem

Self compassion

I acted like a dick

But truama isn't meant to be collected

And I speed ran that collection

When dreaming of 6ft under

You dont realise what's going on 6ft above

You still think 6ft above is where you left it

It's not

It's no excuse etheir

But I can't think what they want me to belive as to why I acted that way

So fuck laughing

I refuse to be your jester toy anymore

And don't you dare find a replacement